The Painter's Sun 5K

I have already reached one of my goals for 2007. The goal was to run the Painter's Sun 5K in St. George, Utah, which was held last Saturday. I did even better than I was expecting to do. I hadn't set a goal for how fast I wanted to run it. I just wanted to run the entire race, which I did. But I finished the race in 34 minutes, 19 seconds (11.02 minute miles) and was 5th in my age group. I was extremely pleased with that result! It was a chilly 19 degrees that morning and many runners were buying earmuffs and complaining, but I have been running in the cold and dark almost every morning since October, so I thought it was a beautiful day for a run. I was annoyingly cheerful. Another one of the sweet things about it was that I came in ahead of an associate from my office who I expected would be in front of me. She is young and has long legs and was fully expecting, I think, to beat me. But my training paid off! So now, my next goal is to run the Leprechaun Lope on March 17th and this time I want to improve my time. Anyone who wants to train for it and run with me is welcome!

Books I Read in 2006

I am really a copycat at heart, so I am going to take off from Allison’s list making idea, as well as Danae’s and Kjersti’s idea of reading more books this year, and list all the books I read in 2006. (Prepare to be inspired!)

Grizzly Maze by Nick Jans
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (twice)
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (twice)
Running and Walking for Women over 40 by Kathrine Switzer
Broken Prey by John Sandford (twice)
Mortal Prey by John Sandford (twice)
Chosen Prey by John Sandford
Naked Prey by John Sandford
The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Easy Prey by John Sandford
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Hello Darkness by Sandra Brown
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (three times)
The Devil’s Code by John Sandford
Incriminating Evidence by Sheldon Siegel
Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
The Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Thirteen at Dinner by Agatha Christie
The Last Run by Todd Lewan
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein
A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
L.A. Connections by Jackie Collins
Lethal Seduction by Jackie Collins
I Need Your Love – Is it True by Byron Katie
Deadly Embrace by Jackie Collins
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Hyde Park Murders by Elliot Roosevelt
Death Times Three by Rex Stout
Path of the Assassin by Brad Thor
The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
Dead Watch by John Sandford
The Tale of the Body Thief by Ann Rice
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwartz
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The Wisdom of Joseph Campbell by Michael Toms

Some of these books, maybe half, were books on tape that I listened to rather than read with my own eyes, but I am counting them anyway. It is very pleasant to listen to books while I drive or when I am doing housework or dishes. A book on tape is good company. I encourage all my children to read, read, read (or listen).