THE CRAZY HAMSTER HAS MOVED!

The Crazy Hamster has founds it's new home!

You can now find me at http://CrazyHamster.Run

After several years of hanging out here, it was time to move on to bigger and better things!  There were things that I wanted to do with my site that I was not able to do, so we made the move over to WordPress!

It's been a few months now and it was recently brought to my attention that the redirect that was originally put in place to send you to the new site.  I figured that it was time that I posted this here and then you would know where to come to join the party!

We are doing all kinds of fun stuff - What I Eat Wednesday is Back, with a new healthy recipe each week, you will always find recaps of races and other events that I participate in, plus a few more surprises that are in the works...  you might find a few guest bloggers in the future, as well as other Crazy Hamster Adventures (places that we have found that you NEED to know about and check out).

One thing that will never change is the fact that I promise to keep it real, but keep it fun and healthy!

Please head on over to http://CrazyHamster.Run and subscribe so that you don't miss any of the adventures!

Love ya all!!

Amy
aka Crazy Hamster

What was I thinking? Have I lost my mind?

As I sit here tonight, running through lists in my head, I can't help bu wonder if I have gone completely crazy!

Last winter I saw a post on Facebook for a local run.  Once that I had never even thought about running in the past, it was one of those races that only the dies hard crazy runners did.  A few years ago I recall watching a clip on the new about these crazy runners who were out running for crazy amounts of time, some out there from sun up to sun down!

It was the Titletown Ultra Series on the campus of UWGB.

Instead of your "traditional" Ultra where you choose your distance (generally 50k, 50 Miles, 100k or 100 miles) you choose your time/duration.  The Titletown Ultra Series offers you a 6 hour, 8 hour or Solstice (sun up to sun down) option.  REALLY?  15 1/5 hours?  More power to them!

However, this time, I found myself looking at it differently.  Not as insanity or craziness, but a new challenge.  I've run anything from 1 mile runs, to Half marathons, obstacle course races and color runs.  But was this my next challenge?

Somehow, Lisa and I ended up chatting about this race.  could we really do it?  Even if we walked most of it, it would be a great challenge to see how may miles we could cover in (an unfathomable) amount of time.  

When we started talking about it, I am trying to remember correctly, but I THINK part of the conversation when something like this:

Me:  I think we can do it!

Lisa:  I am sure we could... wait, are you thinking 6 or 8 hour?

Me: Um... 6 hour

Lisa: but 8 hours, is only 2 more hours, only 25% more time.  We can do 8

Me:  Yes, but... yeah I guess we could finish 8...

Lisa: We don't have to run it all...

This went back and forth and to this day we are not sure who talked who into it, but we decided that we were going to do the 8 hour event!

Then she realized she couldn't do it!  Something about a family vacation... this was y easy out.  My opportunity to back down from the challenge.  To say I'd just wait until next year to run it with her.

Funny thing... when you are a runner, you have runner friends.  When I started talking to other friends of mine about what I was signing up for, most friends would come right out and ask you if you were crazy...  That you were insane... But runner friends are different.  They were the extra push that I needed to send in my registration, motivating me, inspiring me and even telling me that they would run with me.  It was then I realized, that this was the challenge that I needed.  Something new, something beyond what I was comfortable with.

What! Hold it!

What was I thinking?  I have never run a FULL marathon before!  My longest race, at this point has been a Half Marathon!  Yes, 13.1 miles is a lot of miles already.  Now, here I am considering an 8 hour event!

Where were the people that were supposed to talk me OUT of this?  Oh, that's right, I have decided to surround myself with positive people!

With the encouragement from Lisa and several other friends, I signed up for the race... the 8 hour option!

My next step was to reach out to a friend to help with training.  I signed up for personal training sessions and Andy started working on a training plan with me.  I was determined to make it through this event!

That was over 6 months ago.

Since then a few other friends of mine have also signed up for the race, have joined me on numerous training runs, run countless loops on the trails where the race will take place (thanks ladies for those 5:30am Saturday morning runs!), were chased by geese, followed by turkey's, and so much more.  Andy has done everything he could to keep me on track with training, working my many other events earlier this year into my training plan.

Over the last 6 months, even tho she wasn't going to be able to be there, running with me on race day, Lisa put in her fair share of miles with me!  Getting up early to join me on training runs, impromptu afternoon runs on the trail, listening to me grumble at work that I felt like I was hungry ALL THE TIME and more.  Thank you Lisa for encouraging me to face this challenge head on.

But now, here we are, 1 day before the big day.  What they heck was I thinking?

In less than 24 hours, I hit the trail for 8 hours. Tracie will be out there with me along with about 90 other crazy runners.

We have put in the training miles, the strength training, the cross training and so much more.

But that doesn't mean that I'm not freaking out a little!

Did I do everything I needed to?

Do I have the right fuel packed?

Did I remember to pack my extra shoes?

Which running skirt do I wear (Yes this is an extremely important question!)

Do I have extra Bondi Bands packed>

What it...

What about..

Did I...

The questions are endless.

But deep down, I know that I am going to go out there tomorrow, hit the trail and complete the miles.  Will I hit that looming 50k mark?  You better believe that I am going to try!

I'll be back after to fill you in on how the morning went... that is once I finish, eat ALL the food and then sleep for 2 days!

Titletown Ultra Series - here I come!

Inspiration comes in the form of a sea of red!

This past weekend marked the 40th Annual Bellin 10k Run.  The first event was held in 1977 with a total of 881 participants.  Since then, the race has grown by leaps and bounds!  Over the years this has grown to be one of the largest 10k's in the country.  This year it drew in nearly 17,000 runners, including a field of elite runners from around the world!

One of the high point of the weekend was the Friday morning kickoff fun run.  Run with Greatness.  This event is a fundraiser for myTeam Triumph (mTT) and gives anyone who attends, the opportunity to run along side some of the greats, such as Meb KeFlezighi, Joan Samuelson, Uta Pipng, Risper Gesabwa and more.  Sometimes, running at a sub 8 minute mile is worth it, just to get that epic running selfie with and elite runner!

Although this opportunity was priceless, it was not what the weekend was about!  The best was yet to come!

This year, after several years of volunteering for mTT, I decided that it was time to step up my game.  I was going join the fleet of Angels and run at least a few events.  This year one of the events I chose to run was the Bellin 10k.  Shortly after I signed up to run, my friend Lisa decided that she wanted to join me!  We had been looking forward to this weekend since before Christmas!

We were selected to run as Angels for Captain Justice!  We were also joined by another new Angel, Krista on this epic adventure.  Because we all have busy schedules, the 4 of us finally got to all meet each other less than a week before race day - 3 days before in fact!  But that didn't matter, we came together for one reason...

To make Captain Justice fly!

Bright and early (6:15am) Saturday morning, a sea of red converged in front of the hospital to prepare for the days festivities! This was history in the making.  This year, mTT had a record 40 Captains running this event!  Yes!  40 Captains for the 40th annual Bellin 10k!  Combined with their 120 Angels and countless other volunteers, that was a lot of red!  

Everyone came together for a reason...  for a purpose... united together to run the streets of Green Bay on this HOT Saturday morning in June!  At the start of the race, it was already approaching 75 degrees and by the time we finished it was pushing 85!  

One amazing perk of running with mTT for the Bellin - our Captains get RockStar corral placement!  We start right behind the wheelchair division - in FRONT of the elite runners!  Most runners may never have the opportunity to "toe the start line" at a race, unless it's a small, local race with only a few hundred people.  With the way that we were lined up in the staging area, as the sea of red moved around to the start line, Captain Justice ended up right at the start line!  The best seat in the house!  So not only was he starting ahead of the elites, he was one of the 1st athletes to cross the start line!

When I said, sea of red, I was not kidding!  This picture only give you a glimmer of how much red was out on the course!  Unless you have your eyes closed, there is not way you can miss this flood of Captains and Angels crossing the start line!

We headed out, knowing that we were going to take it easy, walk when we had to, and make sure that we had fun!  Another cool thing about the Bellin 10k is the community support.  Since the course runs through both business areas as well as residential streets, there are people out lining the streets everywhere!  Almost the entire course is lined with spectators, chilling in their front yards in lawn chairs to cheer on runners,  putting out their sprinklers so runners have a chance to cool off a bit, and even handing out freezie pops!  Yup, right before we hit mile one, there was a mom and her kids on the sidewalk passing out freezie pops to any runners who wanted one!  It didn't take Justice long to say he wanted one!

For the next 5 miles, we ran, we walked, we laughed, we played in sprinklers, we say Green Bay Packer players (who were giving high 5's as we ran by!) and more!  We all agreed that the one thing that kept us all running - Justice's giggles each time we ran through a sprinkler!  This young man loves water and you could easily see that!  He would see a sprinkler coming in the distance, slide his CD player under his pad of paper and then cover the whole pile with his ziploc bag of markers!  He had this routine all figured out!  Before we knew it, we were at the park, meaning the finish line was just around the corner~

Huge perk again this year - FREE race photos!  Although we did not get many photos from on the course, finish line photos like this, are perfect to sum up what the weekend is all about!  Working as a team to make our Captain's fly!  Approaching that finish line with the massive crowds cheering and hearing Justice name announced over the loud speaker was one of the most rewarding moments EVER!

In the end, this experience was something that will never be able to be replicated.   No matter how many races I run with mTT, this one will always hold a special place withing, because it was the first!   I am already looking forward to training for the next one, but I am also not going to rush to put this day behind me!

3 rookie Angels and one amazing Captain!  Thank you Justice for being the one to encourage us, motivate us and allow us to be your wings!   The weather may not have been what we wanted, but that was a small issue in terms of the magnitude of the experience!

This right here, it why I do this!  Seeing that smile on Justice's face when that medal was put over his head was priceless!   Not too long before this photo was taken, Justice's mom made the comment that is is always so hard for her to get a picture of him smiling.   

Apparently it just takes a race medal to bring one out!

Thank you Captain Justice!

So, if you are looking for something to do that just might change your life, this could be it!  The amazing relationships that are created and built through this fabulous organization are tough to duplicate elsewhere! Offering your time, energy and legs to give athletes the opportunity to do something that they would otherwise not be able to do, is something thing that I don't think you can fully understand until you experience it for yourself!

Running in a dress - game changer!

Several years ago, when I discovered running skirts, I wasn't really sure how comfortable that would be.  Until I gave them a try.  Once I found the right ones, I was hooked!  Skirt Sports was the clear winner, but that's a whole different post.  Today I'm here to tell you that, although I still love my skirts and wear them whenever I can, running in a dress proved to be a game changer!

When Skirt Sports announced their two new dresses, I knew I had to give them a try.  I was not sure if I would actually like running in them, but if nothing else, this seemed like a great option for days up north when we head out to explode waterfalls, do some hiking and just hang out with the family at the lake!


My Electric dress (affiliate link) arrived about a week before I left for Indy and it fit perfectly!  I debated between ordering the Emerald City print or the solid black.  Normally, I ended up going more conservative and would have ordered the black on... but I decided to go out on a limb and order the Emerald City.  I am so glad that I did!

From the time I first put the dress on, I could tell it was going to be very comfortable.  My biggest concern was that it was not going to have enough support on top.  For everyday wear, I knew it would be fine, but was it going to be enough to carry me through a run.  It's no secret that I need a little extra support up there.

I debated for a few days on when I was going to actually try my dress out on a run.  Since the week leading up to Indy was a crazy one and my training calendar ended up getting compromised, I decided to break one of the cardinal rules of running - never try anything new on race day.  No new fuel, no new shoes, no new clothing...

But I then decided that since it was the 5k that I was signed up for, I was willing to take the chance.  I packed my dress.  Yes, I packed an extra skirt and tank for the race, just in case I changed my mine, but that never happened.  I was too excited to wear my new dress!

This was by far one of the most comfortable races every!  MY dress stayed in place, never seemed to ride up (or down) through my miles!   Now, although I was missing my shorts underneath (mainly for the pockets) this dress does feature a "cleavage alley" pocket!  plenty of room for some race fuel, and ID, hotel room key (we were travleing after all), and I probably could have even slipped my key fob in, if I needed to!  Nothing moved around, bounced out or even weigh the dress down!  WIN!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my skirts, the comfort, the pockets and everything else about them, but I love my dress!  Matched with a pair of the SS Redemption Shorts underneath (YAY - pockets!) this is a true winner!

The inaugural adventure of running a 5k was a success.  I will have to break this out on a longer training run before I adventure to running a half marathon in it, but after the first race, I have high hopes for this little gem!

So, now that I am sitting to write this post, and it's actually a few weeks AFTER the debut, this dress has proven to be even more valuable than I originally thought!  The simple lines and cut of this dress make is so functional for so many different things!  No, I have not worn it to work yet, but I have wore it for random errands, but this weekend, I put it on, added a simple black sweater and headed to the local performing arts center for Chicago!



Running apparel by day, Theater apparel by night!

Now that works for me!

In the end:
What did I love?
       * Everything stayed where it needed to.
       * Super comfortable
       * Cleavage Alley pocket

Downfalls?
       * I miss my pockets (but this is easily remedied with the addition of the shorts underneath)
       * Due to the sizing on the dress and my need for slightly more coverage on top, I had to adjust what size I ordered.  Normally in SS tank, I wear a large and most skirts are a Medium, I needed to order an XL dress to fit right on the top.  not a big deal, just make sure you check the sizing charts and order accordingly!

Now, time to decide if I want to order this same dress in another color or do I try the other new style?! Such decisions!

Ready to try an Electric Dress (affiliate link)  for yourself?  Use my discount code CHD20 to save 20%!



As a Brand Ambassador for Skirt Sports, I obviously love their products.  All opinions above are my own and when you click on any of the affiliate links or banners on my page to place your order, I do make a small commission.

Road Trip - Destination Indy!

When you get the call to work the race expo for the 2nd largest half marathon in the country, you don't say no!  After months of waiting, Tracie and I were ready to head to Indy for some fun!   6 hours on the road with this girl makes the time fly!  Listening to Beiber and Adele will never be the same again!

By the time we got to to Indianapolis, sleep was all that I had in mind!  But the Thursday morning, I was up early and ready to go, so I headed out for a running tour on the downtown area!  What an amazing, beautiful city!  I was out early enough to miss the crazy morning hustle and bustle.  Once I made it to the trail heading towards the zoo, it was just me, my thoughts and the small critters scampering around.  Next thing I knew, I needed to head back.  I had planned on 3-4 miles and by the time I got back to the hotel, I was at 5.5 miles.  One does not get "lost" on a run, they just discover new places to visit!

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent  wandering around town, getting ready for the expo and all kinds of shenanigans in between!   The state capitol building, Memorial Circle and of course, No trip to Indy is complete without a stop outside Lucas Oil Stadium - of course the building was closed so we couldn't get a peek inside, but anything was better than nothing!

When we realized that we could actually visit the observation tower and get a birds eye view of the city, we knew where we were heading!  When we got there, we were greeted with 2 options.  1. purchase a ticket to take the elevator up 2. walk the stairs for free!  330 steps?  Game on!

OMG!  You don't realize how far 330 steps is until you start heading up them!  But we were not giving up the fight.  In the end, we made it to the top in less than 5 minutes!  The view was well worth it!  After we caught our breath, took a few photos and enjoyed the view, it was time to head back down!

One of the awesome things about working the race expos is the awesome people I see and meet.  This year, I got to see  Boston Marathon champion and Olympic Medalist Meb, as he was in town to run the Half Marathon.  This year he was running "with the people"... starting at the back of the pack, to give everyone a chance to run with him.  They even had a contest at the Expo - guess how many people Meb was going to pass while he was running his Half Marathon.  

My highlight of the weekend tho?  For all you American Grit fans out there, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Brooke Van Paris (aka BeastModeBarbie) while she was shopping the booth!  What an amazing, down to earth, yet extremely inspirational woman!  Hearing her story, direct from her, is enough to inspire anyone!  This was her first road half marathon and she killed it!  Although I didn't get a chance to get a photo with her while she was shopping, since I was so busy (one of the downfalls of working one of the most popular booths at the expo), but she sent me this photo, wearing one of the BondiBands that she picked up from the booth on Thursday!  Since the day I met her, I've been doing some reading on more of her story and what it took her to get to where she is, I am more than inspired!  Her Never Give up Attitude is amazing!

Side note: I also just found out that Brooke just qualified for the 2016 Obstacle Course Race World Championships in Canada this October!  Way to go Brooke!!!

After the expo on Thursday, I met up with Tracie and we were on a mission to find dinner and then some sleep.  However, on the way to find food, we spotted a horse drawn carriage that we HAD to go take pictures of!  While Tracie was taking pictures of the carriage. I managed to capture this photo of a pup introducing himself to (hopefully) a new friend! 

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After working all day at the expo on Friday again, when the alarm went off at 5:15am for the race, I really just wanted to stay curled up in bed! I was tired!! But it was race day!  Before long, it was time to take the short walk to the heart of downtown to the start line!

After running the half marathon here last year, it was exciting to be back at the start line again this year, even if I was "only" running the 5k.  Tracie was going all out and signed up for the Mini Challenge - running the 5k and then heading straight back to the start corrals to run the half marathon!  For those of you that know me, this would be a challenge that I normally would be all over.  However, since I was working the race expo for 2 days and being on my feet all day, I was not sure how my legs were going to be. so I opted just for the one (short) race.

In the end, even tho I was running on limited sleep and tired legs, I was very happy with my race. I felt strong, the weather was perfect and I was running in a dress for the first time!  Just a week before this trip, I got my first dress that I ordered from Skirt Sports.  I was not sure how running in a dress was going to be and yes, I broke one of the cardinal rules of running - I tried something new on race day... running, wearing something that I have never worn to run in before.  

Thankfully my chance that I took paid off.  I think I was more comfortable running this 5k than I have for any other race!  Yes, I am a Ambassador Captain for Skirt Sports, because I love their products! I live in my SS whenever I can. I can tell that this dress is quickly going to become one of my go-to pieces of clothing this summer, both for running and every day comfort wear! 

We can be our own worst critics, don't fall into the trap

Many times, we are often more critical of ourselves, forgetting to see the big picture. Last week I received the link to my FREE race photos from the Oshkosh Half Marathon. Yes!  Free race pics!  It's not often that I actually get race pictures that I like, let alone ones I would want to pay for!  So when I saw that these ones were free, I had hope.

I hated them!  

I looked like I was dying!

I saved off a few of them and posted them to one of the Facebook running groups that I follow, to share my "Pathetic" pictures. 

After a few comments from other group members I stopped and realized I fell into the trap. I looked at those pics and saw every flaw.  But now I decided that I needed to share these here also.  We all need to remember that one picture, one moment, one day, does not define who we are.  It is just one grain of sand that is part of the beauty that is created by the beach!

I saw the pounds that I put on when I was sick earlier this year. 

I looked exhausted.  My shirt kept crawling up...

I knew how much my feet and legs just wanted to be done. 

I was missing the bigger picture. 

I was a runner

I was strong and determined. 

Only I knew how hard I've worked to get to where I was

I'm a mom, a wife, a sister and a friend. 

Oh yeah... I actually have pretty good running form (thanks Nate and Lisa for helping with that over the years with those Running Assessments!)

After stopping to think about it, I really have a better appreciation for these pictures.   

5 years ago, I couldn't run a mile, now I'm training for my first Ultra Marathon. 

I have a family that supports my running adventures (yes they often think I'm crazy, but they still support my crazy ideas, dreams and desires)

I have met some of the best friends I could ask for because of these running adventures. 

I may never get that "perfect" race photo, but each "imperfect" one helps to remind me how far I've come. I will probably never win a race, but that's not what it's about. It's about being true to myself, running MY race and pushing myself to be the best version of me that I can be!

Don't get so focused on the little details that you forget to see the whole story!  You are stronger than you give yourself credit for!

Zero Expectations can work out to your benefit sometimes!

Before each race, many of us probably go through some of the same questions to prepare ourselves mentally for the event...

Goal time to finish? Average Pace? Whatever it may be, we usually have something that we are shooting for.

Last weekend, I threw all of that behind me.

I went into the Oshkosh Half Marathon with ZERO expectation.  Why would I do this?  Why sign up for a race and not have a goal in mind to measure my success?  It was simple.  I was running this one completely for fun.

Last winter, I was at a benefit for myTeam Triumph and ended up with the winning bid of one of the silent auction baskets.  Part of that basket was 2 entries into any DuTriRun events in the area.  As part of my training for the Titletown Ultra Marathon, I decided to add the Oshkosh Half marathon to my training calendar.  After running the Dark Side Challenge at Disney World the weekend before,  I was coming off  22.6 miles of running through the parks.  This race was just about getting out and enjoying some time with the racing community, exploring some new areas (I've NEVER run in Oshkosh before!) and just enjoying the spring weather!

Kris and I headed to Oshkosh early so we could pick up get a parking spot near the finish line, pick up packets and relax a bit before we had to run.  He had run this race before and knew all the minute details!  He got us a parking spot literally 25 yards from the finish line!  We walked the short distance to the hotel where packet pickup was and had no wait to pick up our bibs.  Granted most people probably picked up there stuff the day before, but there was literally no wait for us in the morning!  No sooner than we got our bibs, Tracie found us (the joys of smaller local races - it's easy to find your running friends in the crowd!)

When it was time to head to the start line, everyone was talking goals, psyching themselves up to run at their peak, making plans on how the rain would (or wouldn't) affect their plans, and everything else to get themselves ready for the race.  I simply headed to the corrals, did some stretching, took a few photos and just enjoyed the morning.

Once the race started, I headed out, found a happy pace and just stated running.  I ran into a few friends from the Saturday morning Prevea training runs and chatted with them for a bit as we ran.  Just before Mile 2, I heard a voice being me "hey Fanatic, where ya from?"  Wearing my Half Fanatics Tank usually gets a few questions or hello's during any race). I replied back, "Green Bay" and turned to see the 2:30 pacer fall into pace with me.   (so I guess now I knew about what my pace currently was!).  We chatted or a bit and were joined by one of the other gals that I always see at the Prevea training runs.  We all ran together until just before mile 4 when I caught up with Tracie and we ended up running together.  I think at this point, I finally set ONE goal for myself today.  Since I was feeling good, I wanted to keep moving and finish in front of the 2:30 pacer. 

 

Tracie and I and I ended up playing leap frogfor then next 4 miles or so. She was dealingwith a Klee that was not playing nice, so she was doing some walk/run intervals to make sure she didn't push too hard (we head to Indyin a few weeksso she wants to make sure she will be ready to run there. I evenually lost her around mile 10.  I couldn't keep up with her cheetah legs anymore!

Running the trail and across the bridges in Oshkosh was awesome!  It may have been an overcast cloudy day, but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits.  One of the biggest things that I noticed tho?  The crowd support throughout the course!  Every few blocks it seemed like there were crews ready and willing to keep runners going!  One lady, I saw several times and each time I saw her, she had a different sign... I'm still waiting for those tacos she said were at the finish line!

This was also the 1st half marathon I ever ran WITHOUT my hydration belt!  I knew that I had enough pockets in my Skirt Sports running skirt to carry all of the race fuel that I needed, bit I didn't have my water bottles (still need to break down and buy myself that hydration best for the ultra).  Since I didn't water with me, I was forcing myself to hit all of the water stations and actually drink something!  There was no shortage of water stations of the course either - always love that!  Looking back, I actually think I consumed more water during this half marathon than I usually do, when I am carrying my own with me!  Many times, even though I have water (or Hydrate) with me, it's almost like it's too convenient and I forget to drink!  Note to self... drink your water!!

Overall, I get strong until about mile 11. My feet had enough (thinking back now, I probably should have replaced my running shoes already so that was probably part of the problem).  I wasn't giving up tho. I keep pushing on, and really started to dig deep. I started digging even deeper when I saw the 2:30 pacer had caught up to me!  I pushed on. I wanted to walk. I wanted to be done. Easiest way for that to happen? Keep running. 

Once I turned the corned off that last bridge and entered the park, it was time to leave it all on the trail.  I forged on ahead, finished strong and a good minute ahead of the pacer that I was determined to beat!

Official time:  2:27:33

Missed my PR by 0:2:30!

Best thing about this race?  Being done and having friends at the finish line to celebrate with!  Fellow Skirt Sport Ambassador Hannah was there waiting for me!  We big ran strong races. It was a good day!  After catching up with a few other friends, cheating on a few more myTEAM Triumph teams and walking off some tight calves it was time to head home for a shower... And food!

My go to post race or long run refueling? Healthy Bellyz!  Today it was the zucchini burrito!  Gluten free, dairy free and beyond amazing!  

In the end, I went in with no expectations, Ran a strong run, had fun and came up extremely pleased with the results!

Remember, it's not always about that finish time or pace!  It's about getting out there and just enjoying the fact that you have 2 legs that can carry you through these adventures!  Some people aren't that lucky!  Cherish these days, embrace the journey!