300 Days of Sunshine

At the beginning of the month I ran the 10K "Run for the Zoo" in Albuquerque.  I have been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to ramp up my running frequency, and I think that it's helpful to have a goal in mind.  My pace right now is slower than it has ever been and I feel sluggish and heavy trying to keep my legs going.   I'm somewhat embarrassed to even mention my times because my 10K time is almost 15 minutes slower than it used to be, but I know that I will eventually get back to sub-10 minute miles, and it's helpful to share the journey.  My goal for this race was 68 minutes, and I finished in just under 69 minutes, placing 38th out of 57 in my age group.  The course was a flat, out-and-back route along the bosque trail following the Rio Grande.  My hamstrings have been bothering me lately.  I started playing softball this year (after about a decade-long hiatus), and the short sprints and pick-ups have been challenging compared to the long, slow runs I'm u

When life gets fast-paced and overwhelming, the mountains are always there.  Hiking among the trees that have stood their ground for decades, l ooking out at the city from 8,500 feet elevation, and stopping to observe lizards and bugs through the eyes of a toddler can help put things in perspective.  We had a gorgeous weekend in Santa Fe, after a few cold and rainy days last week, and I think summer weather is officially upon us.  Hoping to enjoy the sunshine and also break in the hiking pack before our upcoming Alaska trip, I  took Ady and Kua up to Picacho Peak, one of my favorite "easy" hikes that's just a short drive from town.  One of my favorite parts of this trail is the diversity of cacti, bushes, and trees -- from prickly pear and yucca to juniper and ponderosa pine.  There are a lot of wildflowers in bloom right now too, and some funky-looking pink spiky balls that I've never seen before (see photo below). There's never a dull moment while hiking with

Today is National Chocolate Chip Day!  Who knew that the chopping up of chocolate into tiny pieces would warrant a national celebration?!  (Not that I'm complaining...)  I've never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like.   I enjoy experimenting with different recipes for variations of chocolate chip cookies - adding chocolate chunks or butterscotch chips, substituting coconut oil for butter, trying different types of flour to change the texture, or sprinkling a little sea salt on top.  I'm fascinated by this article:  The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies , with a breakdown of the chemistry involved in baking cookies and how to modify the texture or flavor with a few ingredient variations.  I would love to dedicate a week of my life to conducting this experiment myself (and I'm sure my taste-testers would rise to the challenge)! This week I tried a new recipe from the Pie in the Sky cookbook, with recipes adapted to high altitudes.  For 7,000 feet ele

This year I have dedicated myself to improving my leadership skills and conflict-management strategies in new leadership roles at work, along with a journey of self-reflection that is helping me identify my triggers, set boundaries, communicate directly, and discern how best to respond in confrontational situations.  In thinking about leadership and decision-making in the workforce, the gender inequalities and struggles that women face have become even more apparent to me. I had a really aggravating encounter at work recently when a well-meaning visitor of a patient referred to me as a "pretty nurse," which I'm sure he thought was supposed to be a compliment. I was offended for so many reasons.  For one, it was horribly sexist.  He made an assumption that a female working in a hospital must be a nurse.  It did not even cross his mind that I could be a physician, or a pharmacist, or a  doctor of physical therapy , thank you very much.  (I mean no offense