Sled dogs running (and probably faster than me)

Well, it's been a bit, no? I've been hugely busy with my book release.

Dolls Behaving Badly released Feb. 5 from Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group, and I naively thought that that would be that, maybe a week of publicity stuff and my life would go back to normal.

Yeah, right. I had a week of readings/discussions/signings, followed by weeks (and more than a month to come) of guest blog posts, interviews and blog tours. I had no idea.

Anyway, if anyone wants to check out my humble little book, there's an excerpt on my Website and also on the Amazon purchase page. Enjoy.

Now, back to running.

We missed the Lost Dutchman Marathon, due to my book release schedule, and because of it we kinda lost our oomph. Then we both came down with colds/flu.

Yesterday, MM and I did pull our sick and coughy bodies out to watch the Rondy World Championship Sled Dog Races and oh, watching those dogs run made me want to run. Especially since they ran part of the Mayor's Marathon route. And they were tiring at almost the same spot where I began to tire.

I don't know how many of you have ever had the chance to watch sled dog races, but it's the most amazing thing. These dogs love to run. You can see it in their eyes, which are fierce and heated and determined. We stood in the woods, so close we could hear the dogs pant as they ran past, hear their feet hit the ground, hear their yikes and yelps. There was a wildness to them, and an abandoned joy. I truly think that those dogs would happily run forever if they had the chance (the same feeling I often have while running in the mountains, that I never want to stop, that I want to run to and through eternity).

Now tell me: Don't these dogs look the way you feel when you run?

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Snowy trails, and my book (!)

Oh, what a weekend it's been!

Earlier today, MM and I took an easy run over the Campbell Trails. It was a perfect snowy wonderland. Very few people were around, since it was late afternoon, and once we veered off on Black Bear Trail, we saw no one.

Aren't the silver birch trees beautiful?

We took it easy for most of the run, sprinting here and there but mostly keeping our pace even and slow. How nice it is to run through the trails on a snowy afternoon when the temps are in (are you ready?) the 30s.

Last weekend it was -3, so this felt like running in a tropical paradise. We were never cold! Our faces weren't chapped! We didn't have to blow on our hands to keep blood pumping to our fingers! Pretty amazing.

Friday I did something I hardly ever do: I cut a run short. I stopped at 8 miles instead of 10. I stopped because I simply couldn't run any longer.

I stopped because right before the run, my editor had sent me this in an email:

My book had been spotted in the Newark airport under the Recommended Reads section. It's out in the world! It's flying around the country!

(Actually, it's not supposed to release until Feb. 5 so someone obviously goofed. But I'm not complaining.)

I was so giddy from this that I could not run. I felt breathless. My knees were weak. Crazy!

Hope everyone is weak-kneed and crazy over their lives this beautiful Saturday evening.