Changes in Latitudes

Long story short, I missed my PR by 42 seconds. Darn!! But now I'll go back to the beginning. I had some great training weeks logging over 40 miles a week before we brought home Pancho. The last six weeks of training were average, but not stellar; at least not quite up to a standard for a PR as with my half-marathon training. And I think the problem was mainly that and that I didn't have as big of a breakfast as usual because I worried about feeling sick during the race. In addition, I read last night that poor core strength leads to poor posture later in the race thus setting off a chain of events that lead to muscle cramps in the legs. Friday before the race I worked a half day, and Marius and I loaded up the car and headed east to Oslo - an 8 hour drive from Bergen over the mountains. We gave Pancho a motion sickness pill, before we left only to realize too late that he should have taken the pill 90 minutes before we left. So he got sick in his cage, and then I had...

Last weekend (the first weekend of September), Marius and I were invited to join REN (Marius' old employer) on their annual trip. Previous trips that we were both included in were St. Petersburg, Paris, and Rome. This year was Budapest, and it happened about a week after the refugees and migrants made their way into Hungary. It was definitely adding a different perspective to the trip while we stayed in a 5-star hotel and ate a 5-course dinner. Pancho spent the weekend with one of my colleagues who also has a dog. It isn't too hard to find puppy-sitters right now since I work with animal lovers. And who doesn't love puppies? So Marius and I got in on Friday night and took a cab to the hotel with another couple on the trip. The European Cup soccer qualifier was that night, so our driver tried to go around the soccer hooligans and the possible chaos at the train station, but it was pretty quiet. We ended up driving by the train station a couple of times, but it wasn...

I've been bad at updating this, but with a new puppy, work and training for my second marathon I have not had so much time with the computer.  In mid-July Marius and I brought home Pancho and we drove over to Bergen with him. A week and a half later, Mom and Dad flew to Bergen and we all drove up to Gjelvågan to the Engebrethsen's summer cabin in the north. We used 16 hours the first day in the car and 3 the next day so that we could make it up in time to go to Marius' cousin's wedding. We had a great, relaxing time up north with both sets of parents, Katrine, and other family visits. We're already excited for next summer! Here are just a few pictures from Marius' nice camera. We drove through Jotenheim National Park to get the most scenic quick route north to the summer house. Here it was in the low 40s and windy. We even saw people skiing!!! On the way back south we drove through snow flurries...it was July 31st. Exploring snow for the first...

On Friday July 17th, Marius and I picked up our little waterdog. He wasn't quite 8 weeks old, but already so good at sleeping through the night. We love him! He has very few accidents in the house and is already used to driving in the car. I have already trained him to sit and fetch. Today he is 9 weeks old! We are up in Nordland (north of the Arctic circle) with Mom, Dad, Tron and Rigmor. Pancho is learning how to be a waterdog, but the water is a bit cold up here. He'll get used to it soon. We just got back from an easy hike, which really wore him out. Hopefully I have some more patience to sit and write a bit more about the trip. I never got around to Madrid, sorry about that!

  We have been getting frequent updates on our puppy from the breeder. She says she has fallen in love with him and hopes to take him to dog shows when he is old enough. He's now 5 weeks old, and this weekend Marius and I took care of him and Sookie (his mom)! The breeder said that this is usually never done, but since he was a litter of one he needs lots of stimulation, and she thought it would be a nice way for us to meet him; and she was also able to sneak away for the weekend. 2 weeks old and his first adventure in the grass - not usually done so young, but since he doesn't have siblings he needs lots of stimulation. 3 weeks old and getting his first taste of solid food 4 weeks old and on the move! 5 weeks old - very brave and so fun to play with!

On Saturday, May 23rd, a single Spanish waterdog puppy was born. He was described to us as a black, stub-tailed male (en sorte, stumpehalet hanne --- sounds cuter in Norwegian). We finally got a picture of him and an additional description, as told by the breeder:  this boy will make his mark someday; strong and compact. The breeder told us that she chooses older males because they show good genes for a long, happy life. Thus, as a result, the litter is usually small. We are allowed to visit him for the first time after June 19th, and can take him home mid July. Names have been brainstormed, but we'll see his personality before we decide. Just a little black slug for now