Plant a Victory Garden

This election is too big to ignore. I really want to DO something to help this country. Yes, I’ve emailed the Travis County Democratic Party, I’m meeting with a few neighbors to organize voters in our precinct for future elections, I’ll do what I can politically. I know it won’t be enough. And unfortunately, I know it’s too little too late now.

I also need to do something to make myself feel better, and for me that always comes back to plants. I’ve loved plants since before I can remember. My first “big word” was photosynthesis, and by the time I was 6 years old I could identify every species of tree on our 140 acre property in Illinois. But what on Earth can plants do to help us now?

During WWI and WWII people all over the world planted “Victory Gardens” to reduce pressure on the public food supply and as a civic morale booster, in that gardeners felt empowered by their effort and rewarded by the produce grown. I hope everyone will set aside a little (or a lot) space in their yard or on their balcony for a Victory Garden. I hope these gardens will give all of us a tiny glimmer of hope for the future.

They weren't called Victory Gardens because we had won, we hadn't yet, they were called Victory Gardens for the Hope of and Belief in winning. The same is true today.

Victory Gardens in the traditional sense are vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private home or in public areas like schools and libraries. I’d like to include native plants and flowers in a new definition of a Victory Garden, because habitat for native plants and the animals that need them is dwindling quickly and with the new political regime, that will almost certainly become an even bigger problem.

Home gardens obviously produce food. I hope we’re never in a situation where food is in short supply, unsafe to eat, or prohibitively expensive. But it’s certainly a possibility, and having a home garden can help us make sure we all have enough to eat. That sounds silly based on how abundant food is today (and I hope that always sounds silly), but there are other ways Victory Gardens have an impact. By producing even just a little of our own food, we’re cutting down on waste like food packaging and food transportation. We can also choose how our food is grown and what goes into it. We can choose to garden organically and cut down on herbicides and pesticides washing into our local streams and rivers. Our own small gardens may soon be our only hope to keep some species like monarch butterflies from going extinct. So maybe plants really can make a difference! If enough of us plant a Victory Garden, we can actually have a very big impact!

Queen butterfly on Texas native Gregg's mistflower

Monarch butterfly on basil

But it’s November, it’s not exactly gardening season! We’re lucky enough to live in Austin, so there are actually a few vegetables we can plant right now. This is the perfect time to plant lettuces, spinach, garlic and radishes. Kale, chard, beets and carrots will also likely do well if planted now, especially since we’ve had a warm fall so far. Many herbs prefer the cooler weather, so now is a great time to plant cilantro, dill, fennel and parsley. 

Winter harvested lettuce

Winter harvested beet and carrots

 I plan to go over to Shoal Creek Nursery on Saturday and buy seeds (they have a nice selection of non-GMO and organic seeds at Shoal Creek Nursery, the same cannot be said for most of the big box stores). If you’re in South Austin, the Natural Gardener also has a good selection of organic and non-GMO seeds. Seed Savers Exchange is my favorite seed company.

Fall is also the time to plant bluebonnet and many other native flower seeds. November is a bit on the late side, but we’ve had pretty warm weather so far and most of these seeds will do well if you get them in the ground soon, even better if you’re able to protect them from frosts this winter.

This is also the best time to clear ground for planting in the early spring. Start digging out the weeds or fertilizer & water hogging grass, get some compost worked into the soil, so when March comes, you’re ready to plant.

Lyre-leaf sage is a great Texas native wildflower to plant from seed now

If you’re ready to plant a Victory Garden, let me know! I have many native wildflower seeds that I’m willing to share and I have a few varieties of vegetable seeds as well. I’m also happy to answer questions and give advice to help you have a successful Victory Garden. I really hope this will do more than just make me feel better. If enough of us plant a Victory Garden, we can actually have a very big impact on our food supply and on our environment.

 If nothing else, shoveling some dirt can help us take out our frustrations in a peaceful manner.

Quintana Roo’s Rescue Run Race Report

Hi, Roo here. I really love my new life and my new parents. I learned that dogs in my family sometimes write race reports. It’s taken me a while since this is the first one I’ve ever done, plus, my parents usually keep the door to the office closed, so I had to figure out how to open it before I could get to the computer.

For anyone who doesn't know me yet, this is me-- Quintana Roo Herrick

Pretty much every morning I go running with my mom. Usually it’s 2 miles. I really love it now, but at first it was a little scary because we go early in the morning when it’s still dark outside. I couldn’t figure out why we had to go in the dark, but I think I have it figured out now. Most mornings my mom has to go somewhere called “work”, and she likes to run with me before “work”.

Since we’ve been running most mornings, she said I was well trained for the Rescue Run 5K. I heard her tell Melissa my old foster mom that I might just go crazy with all the other dogs or try to run 6 minute miles the whole way. I do like other dogs, and I do like to go fast :) But I knew I had to try hard to be good.

We got to the race site and parked in a big open field, the field was full of awesome smells! We walked over to the tents and race area and lots of people petted me and said hi. My mom made me sit and wouldn’t let me say hi to any of the other dogs, there were lots of them! Then Melissa, Boots, Banjo and Aspen showed up- Yay! I hadn’t seen them in a while. We took some pictures and I tried to meet a few other dogs (my mom said I was being bad pulling to meet other dogs, but they were fun and I just wanted to say hi and play).

Hanging out with Melissa, Aspen, Boots & Banjo before the race

Finally it was time for the race! We got out on the street and lined up. Then we ran!!! Yay! I ran fast because there were people and dogs in front of me and I wanted to be FIRST! My mom kept pulling on my leash and telling me to slow down…I didn’t want to, but I did anyway, so she’d be happy. But it was really hard to go slow with so many cool people and dogs in front of us! Finally my mom said ok, and we ran kinda fast for a while.

Going FAST at the beginning!

But then nature called! My mom told me lots of times to go to the bathroom before the race, but I didn’t have to go then! So we stopped just before mile 1 for a potty break. At the 1 mile mark we stopped again for a water break. After that I found a nice black & white spotted dog who ran the same pace as me, so we ran together for a while. Just after mile 2 (and another water break) I saw Melissa and her pack waiting for us (how did they get ahead of us when they were walking?) So my mom said we had to walk with them, I really just wanted to keep running, but I walked for a little bit.

Melissa took this picture, just before we walked with her

Then the spotted dog and his dad passed us, so we ran with them again. When we got about ½ a mile from the finish, my mom said, “Ok Roo, we can go fast now!” So I went FAST!! I heard my mom say “Roo, I can barely keep up!” So I ran faster to help pull her to the finish! I think that was my favorite part of the race, running fast to the finish!

Running to the finish

After finishing, my mom said she was super proud of me for finishing my first race! And I had so much fun! We didn’t hang out after the race very long because it was about to start storming.

When my mom saw the race results she said I’m good luck, we finished the race in 36:56, she said that’s pretty good for walking some and taking water and potty breaks. But she was really impressed that we were in the top half of her age group, and the top half of the race overall, that’s pretty cool!

Just after finishing

I had lots of fun at my first race and I hope I get to run more races. My mom says maybe I can run the Turkey Trot (I hope so, I want to chase turkeys!!) if I can train up to 5 miles. I definitely can, I love running.

Thanks for reading, hope I get to meet all of you soon!

--Roo

Gran Fondo NY Cozumel 2015

When Jeff and I saw ads for a Gran Fondo in Cozumel the week before Ironman, we knew we wanted to do it! What a great way to ride around the island with a little less pressure than Ironman and for Jeff and I to get to ride together!

I don't think either of us realized how many people would be participating, I think the final count was 1800 riders! wow! We got to the start line early (a little too early maybe) and waited...and waited...and waited.

Jeff napping while waiting for the start

Jeff and I waiting for the start

almst GO time :)

 We both decided to do the 50 mile route (options were 50 or 100 miles). So we started after the 100 mile riders and with SO many people crowded together, I wanted to wait until the crazy masses had started before I took off (no need to flop over at the start of a fun ride and get hurt the week before Ironman!). So we waited some more, and by the time we started I really had to use the restroom, so we stopped at the very first aid station, about 1.5 miles into the ride. By the time we got moving again, I was sure we were the LAST people riding. Oh well, at least we got to pass lots of people. The weather was gorgeous, and I felt great riding, and Jeff and I were having fun!

We got to the next aid station at mile 18 at Punta Sur, that's were the crazy headwind usually starts. And where the "King of the Wind" competition starts!

King of the Wind start

Considering I thought we were "last" there were still tons of people hanging out at the Punta Sur aid station.

Punta Sur aid station

view from the aid station

 We started riding again and I told Jeff, this is where the wind starts! But we didn't feel any wind...seriously, none at all! Even though this was the "tough part" of the course, I was still holding about 15mph at an easy "joy riding" pace. That just made it even more fun!! I pointed out places where there are usually seaweed signs during Ironman. I showed Jeff the black paint marks on the road that mark every turtle nest counted. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and just had a great time. Soon we got to Mescalito's and the next aid station at mile 30. It was so much fun to stop and take pictures and really enjoy the gorgeous beach!

photo ops at Mescalito's

photo ops at Mescalito's

We turned and started heading back toward town, and when we got closer, there were lots of spectators out for us! I hadn't expected that! A couple of school bands played for us, and we got to hear "Si Se Puede" from spectators. So much FUN!! We headed North of town where I had never ridden before and around mile 40 I was sad that it would be over soon, it was such a pretty day, I felt so great, and I wanted to keep going. I thought maybe Jeff would decide to do 100, but I knew I couldn't with Ironman in one week. In the end, Jeff decided 50 was plenty for him, so we finished together, got our medals and a picture with the GFNY sign and the Mayan warriors.

This was one of my all time favorite rides and I could only hope Ironman day would have exactly the same weather.....

Training vs. Natural Talent

We had a Tri Zones dinner last night to celebrate the Ironman Florida participants and send off the Ironman Cozumel athletes. I was talking with Mohamed and he suggested we race head to head at Cozumel since my goal time is right around his Florida finish time. And with a rolling start (instead of mass or age group start) this year, we can start together, especially since our swim times should be about the same. I loved the idea!!

This will be an interesting "race" because Mohamed has tons of natural talent and sadly, I have no natural talent. But I have trained really hard and well this year. And Mohamed has had other priorities and hasn't done much training. (must be nice to pull off a 14:26 Ironman with very little training) So we decided our race will be a test of "Training vs. Natural Talent"

Mohamed's best Ironman was Beach to Battleship in 2014- 12:52
My best Ironman was Cozumel in 2010- 15:23

It may seem like an unfair fight based on those numbers and Jen suggested I should get an hour handicap, but I say no way, straight up head to head is more fun and more motivating!

You can follow us both here on Nov. 29th Mohamed's number is 762 and mine is 756.

Of course Mohamed and I are friends, so we'll use our race mostly for fun and motivation. I hope we both have great races with no issues... and I hope I can beat him by a few minutes :)

Kerrville Half Iron 2015 Race Report

I'm training for Ironman Cozumel again this year, so of course that's my main focus, but I wanted to have a good race at Kerrville too. I knew my training had been going well and I'd been feeling good.

Goals for Kerrville this year:
1. as always, have fun, finish, be safe
2. PR, 7:14:56 from Longhorn 2009 is the time to beat
3. on a perfect day- sub 7:00, which I've been dreaming of since 2009

Pre-race
As usual, Jeff and I had a great time in Kerrville on Friday and Saturday. Ate at Grapejuice a few times, hung out with friends at packet pick up. Swam part of the course with Julie. Explored the campground a little. At some point I realized I had left my favorite tri shorts at home! We went on a crazy search around town, really just the expo and the Hill Country tri shop, for another pair of my favs, of course we didn't find them, but we found a pair of my 2nd favs and bought them. In the end it was all for naught, as I decided to wear my Tri Zones shorts even though I had only worn them for 14 miles on the bike at Couples. Now that I'm writing it, that sounds like a terrible idea!

Julie and I swimming on Friday with Richard kayaking for us

Race morning was beautiful! Chilly but not crazy cold. Watching the moon set over the water was the pre-race highlight. As usual, I hung out with friends and chatted waiting for race start. I was in the last wave of the half, but I wasn't too worried about that. When I got to the start line Logan said "look at that smile Heather!, I hope you're smiling like that at the finish!" I gave him a thumbs up and walked carefully (as instructed) into the water. I took a few really fast strokes to warm up and then got into my rhythm. The swim felt great! I didn't feel super fast, just good. I checked my watch around the halfway point- 22 minutes, right where it should be. I didn't recognize anyone in the swim. I usually see people I know in the water and I know I passed a few friends out there, but I didn't see any of them this time. I got to the ramp and let the awesome volunteers help me out of the water for a 46:04 swim time, which is pretty much what I always swim for a half iron without a wetsuit.

I tried something new this time. I put my old running shoes near the swim exit and put them on to run up the long hill into T1. I've never done that before, but Julie and I found a lot of stickers on the carpet going up the hill and I hate getting those in my feet! I saw Jeff and told him I had a good swim, then ran up the hill giving thumbs ups and smiles to friends calling my name along the way. T1 was 3:35, my fastest T1 in Kerrville by 30 seconds, so I think the shoes were a good idea!

I jumped on my bike and felt a little chilly but not too bad. I knew I wanted to go as fast as possible on the first 12 miles on hwy 27 because the road is better, and it's a little downhill there compared to rougher roads and more turns on the second half of the loop. I was going for a 3:30 bike time, which is 16mph average. I knew I needed to go faster than that for the first stretch, so I pushed the pace as much as I could. At about 12 miles in, I looked down and my average speed was 18.3mph, I'm pretty sure I have NEVER seen an average that fast for more than a mile! Julie passed me just before the turn onto Center Point road, and I told her I had hoped to hold her off until after the turn, I almost made it! I got onto that awful, miserable chip seal and just tried to remember that it's only 2-3 miles. I was super happy to turn off that road and cross the river! I made it up the Wharton hill and onto 173, just 6 miles to go to start lap 2! And my average pace was 16.5, not bad! I passed by Jeff and Richard at the campground and told them I was feeling great! I started loop 2 and tried hard to pick up the pace again on hwy 27. I got back up above 17 mph and was feeling great about my ride. The second time on the rough chip sealy Center Point road I started to think maybe the Tri Zones shorts were a mistake... but that may have been an issue no matter what shorts I wore. I actually got to pass a few people on loop 2 and tried hard to be really encouraging when I passed. By the time I made it up the Wharton hill I knew as long as I didn't get a flat or have a crash I would have a big half iron bike PR and I was really happy about it!! I was actually smiling and singing for most of loop 2 :) I passed by Jeff and Shayla and told them I had a GREAT ride! Bike time was 3:22:48 16.6mph, that's 11 minutes faster than my previous fastest half iron bike!

I got into T2 and started changing shoes, etc when Charles came over and told me he hadn't had a great day. I had passed him at the end of loop 1 so I knew he wasn't having a great day, but I was sad he wasn't able to finish. He's training for Ironman Cozumel this year too. I was kind of talking with him, while trying to get my run stuff on. Sorry if I was rude or said anything weird Charles! T2 was 3:58.

I was really excited about the new run course at Kerrville! I was hoping for river views and shade from big bald cypress trees the entire 13 miles. My running has been going really well this year since I started going to PT with Ryan Stukel and let her fix and strengthen my feet, hip, back...pretty much my entire lower body! I was hoping for a 2:30 run (11:27 min/mile pace) which is 9 minutes faster than my best half iron run. It was a big goal, but I felt with the new course and since my running was going well, I had a good shot.

I started the run and felt great, had a nice view of the river and shade, my first mile was 10:18...wow! Then the shade ended, I had seen part of the run course from the bike, so I knew it was going to happen. The next 2 miles were still faster than goal pace, but I was feeling pretty hot and the sun was blazing. By the turn around I was happy they had ice to give me at the aid station. After the turn around run course director, John Chung, rode by in his mule and asked "want some ice water Heather?" I said "yes" and he pulled out a big orange cooler half full of water & ice. He said "are you sure?" I said "DO IT!!" He dumped half a cooler of ice water on my head, and it felt GREAT!! Shortly after that the sun went behind some clouds, and I got back to the shadier part of the run. I was happy I was still feeling good and told Jeff and Shayla that when I passed them. Jeff asked if I needed anything and I asked if he had vaseline for the chafe on my arms. I had been running like a chicken with my wings out to not aggravate the spots on my arms. He took off to go find my bag balm so I could get some when I passed him again in 1.5 miles. Then I saw Rhonda and asked her for vaseline too. She ran to the med tent and met me on the other side of the finish line with vaseline for my arms...aahhh, that felt good! I slathered on some bag balm when I saw Jeff again too.

I know a lot of people hate running by the finish line before they are actually finished, but I like it. Lots of people cheering and it always motivates me to run a little faster :) I saw people floating in the river and it looked like fun! The short side of the run course was more what I had expected, with river views and lots of shade, I ran by the finish and started loop 2, still feeling really good. I took a few longer walk breaks on loop 2 to drink some coke and eat more ice, but the cloud cover mostly stayed around and I wasn't feeling overly hot. I feel like I passed a lot of people on the run and again I tried to be really encouraging to each person I passed. After the turn around I only had about 3 miles to go and I realized I was definitely going to make my 2:30 goal, and I might even be a couple minutes faster! My stand alone half marathon PR at 3M is 2:25:05, so I was feeling great about my run! I ran by the finish line again and saw Red, Judy, Devon & Steve tubing in the river, I couldn't wait to go join them. One of them actually yelled "hurry up and come join us Heather" I ran up the last part of the course, turned around and came back and just before the finish told Kim H & Julie that this was going to be a HUGE PR for me! Run time was 2:25:10 (11:05 min/mile pace), just 5 seconds slower than my fastest half marathon ever!

I crossed the finish line and felt happy beyond belief!! My official time was 6:41:37, MUCH faster than I thought possible! I had hoped for 6:50-6:55 on a perfect day! That's a PR for me by 33 minutes!

SO HAPPY, right after finishing!

post race river floating

 I really enjoyed the post race river floating and stayed near the finish cheering on friends until the very end of the race.