Clap Along If You Can ... If That's What You Wanna Do...

 Even the Minions and Pharrell could only make me happy for short periods of time...While I lived up in NE.

 

I cannot really remember how long it was, but if I had to guess it was about September (and for sure right after Chicago) of last year when things got progressively worse. The Summer for NE was ending and well Fall in NE is even colder than the Winter of Texas. Ugh.

 

I started spiraling about that time I suppose. I was also nearing the end of the long arduous marathon training cycle (alone not to mention the disaster that trip turned out to be)...and I was just OVER. IT. Just a bad idea all the way around for someone like me. To train for a marathon up in small ass town in the middle of nowhere to start with...anyway things just got progressively worse for me.

 

I realize now that had I gone to a doctor I am pretty certain I would have been diagnosed with some level of depression. I won't even say it was S.A.D. (seasonal disorder) because it wasn't just that. I had become to loathe anything and everything about where I was, AND where I WASN'T (Texas).  At least I think I may have; some of the symptoms were there.  Maybe it was just S.A.D.  I am just thankful I never resorted to drug therapy.  It just took a little willpower and me, myself and I to make everything happy again.

 

I realized how much I was sleeping and how much I wasn't doing. I went to work, then ran after or worked out, whether inside or outside, came home, ate, watch TV, go to bed. And the weekends werent much more than that since really all there was to do was go to the grocery store and geez that takes like an hour. Movies are only at night and there are only 2 screens and 1 side was ALWAYS a kid movie, and only sometimes did they have R rated movies and only on one screen at 9pm. So allllllllllllllll of that greatly reduces what movies came to Sidney.

 

I had a few friends, but the overwhelming majority of them had husbands and kids...and the only one that didn't, well she was as recluse as I was becoming so we only saw each other at the gym or out running.

 

So needless to say my weekends were spent indoors as well even if it wasn't cold out.  What else was there to do????  Ugh I cringe just thinking about it even now.

 

And since I mentioned it let me give you a peek into that. My first Winter there I think I was still in honeymoon or yay its actually Winter here mode...or something. I don't know. What I DO know is that this last Winter broke me. Like broke me into a million gazillion pieces. Let's see the coldest we got, WITHOUT THE WIND CHILL, a couple of mornings in a row it was NEGATIVE 28 degrees, close to NEGATIVE 50 with the wind. And THAT also fried my battery finally. It was fine when the wind chill was in the 20's but after 2 days of the extreme EXTREME stuff I guess it just couldnt take it anymore. THIS was in early MARCH. Even the week after I left which was April 26, they had snow (measurable) twice in that following week. I am CERTAIN had I still been there, I would probably have been pushed over the ledge.

 

Anyway, anyone that is on my Facebook or Twitter knows the trials of the weather I have had to endure and honestly who can go out in THAT? Who would WANT TO? Well so yeah, that was 9 months basically of being trapped inside a house. So more eating. More sleeping. More watching TV.

 

Not exactly good for the mind, the body OR the soul. Now that I am home, I love the feel of the heat. The humidity. All of it. And yeah I might get tired of it at some point, but all I will have to do to snap myself back to reality is to remember what I went through. Seriously its shit you can't forget. Seriously. :O)

 

********************

 

I was slowly crumbling into a horrible depressed mess. Coupled with that I missed my family, my friends, my old life. And as much as I would have LOVED to have met the man of my dreams up there, that didn't happen and it wasn't going to. I figured that out early on..Ha! Anyway, there are some other things that added to it all; some I don't really want to go into just yet mainly because it might seem as if I am pointing fingers or being mean and that wasn't the case.

 

I am even still dealing with some of that after returning home so again I'll stay quiet on that for now. I will say that I'm a little disappointed in humans in general. Why have so many become only interested in communication non-communicatingly?? LOL, I know that is not a word, but seriously. I guess I am just old fashioned. I still want to TALK to a person. I still want CONTACT. Not just following a persons life on Facebook to know they are OK and that be enough. Like I said...another day maybe I will go into that more.

 

When I came home at Christmas, I chalked my crying at the drop of a hat, for ANY reason, up to hormones. But now, looking back yet another sign I was in a clinically depressed state I believe. My family thought it quite funny, so I did from time to time, but now I know it wasn't funny.

 

Which is why in January I came home again with no hesitation, and then again 6 weeks later in March for an entire week...and then well I posted right after that because I was ending the blog. I had to put my entire focus on getting back. I just couldn't take it anymore.

 

And well since I've been back? Its been a full month now and I am HAPPY to say that in 4 weeks I've taken exactly ONE nap which was this past Sunday. I still get up around 5 (waking up naturally), but my going to bed time is no longer 8:30 or 9 like in NE, but more closer to 10:30ish.  I just have more energy and more oomph!  Its actually quite wonderful and there are times where I am like please don't get dark, please don't get dark!  I don't want this day to end!!!! 

 

When I have said a couple of times in my posts about being just 'more active naturally', by that I mean a) I'm not sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, and b) my free time is spent going here, going there, walking to this place, walking around that place. Sitting outside, a festival, doing stuff with a relative or friend. Just NATURALLY active i.e. not laying around inside a house because its so cold you cant or too windy so you cant, or you cant because THERE ISNT ANYTHING TO DO unless you drive 2-5 hours away. Oy.

 

You get the picture. In addition to doing my normal active stuff: run, weights etc., I am not being a lazy ass bum. Not that there isn't anything wrong with that, but you know what I mean. :O)

 

Actually probably should not try to do ALL the things ALL the times :O) I sometimes forget I'm not home visiting and I don't have to go go go because I'm here now and its OK to relax and take some down time. Its just that I feel like I missed out on SO much that I want to soak up every thing that I can.

*********************

 

I would even venture to state that something else that has helped me with my 'mood' is the access to all the amazing food! I could do multiple posts about the lack of decent food options in Sidney, and I am not talking about restaurants even though yes, that was a problem in of itself, but with only a Walmart and a Safeway...well...you can imagine. PLUS being up there, the amount of decent fresh food is VERY limited. Disgusting actually. I basically didn't have anything other than chicken for 2 years. Certainly NO seafood. That frozen franken-fish crap is D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.  And the veggies..oy.  At least in the Summer, the Farmers Market would have decent.  And Safeway was better than Walmart but OH SO EXPENSIVE.

 

A couple of times I did buy good seafood when I made the trip to Whole Foods in Ft. Collins or Boulder but that was FAR AND FEW trips.

 

Anyway I am certain that all the fresh options I have now are greatly helping me mentally and physically. I feel so great with good things in my body!!

 

I am not one to go out and eat at all; I am perfectly fine cooking up delicious food at home, but you know just having OPTIONS makes me happy. If I DO want sushi, or I DO want a hamburger, or anything else then I know I can go to any number of places to get anything or everything I want anytime I want. And I mean literally ANY OF THE TIMES! Houston or Katy for that matter, doesn't shut down at 6pm every night!!! LOL.

 

I LOOOOOOOOVE my new place (reminds me of my loft I had downtown but a lot bigger), and the kitchen in it is fab fab fab!!!  So I've had a lot of fun preparing foodz :O)

 

*********************

 

And last, but certainly not least, there is my FAMILY. Everyone is within either 1 minute or 1 hour now and its so fantastic I just can't even believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I see my niece quite often for obvious reasons (we are 2 miles from each other), but even if I can't see my sister every day (nor do I want to ;o) hahaha!, its OK. Just KNOWING I could see anyone and everyone at the drop of a hat raises my mood to elevations beyond anything I could ever have imagined I would feel.

 

I mean oh my goodness have you seen my Tucker???  He makes my heart sing and just burst into a gazillion pieces any time I see him or even just a picture of him!!!

That HAT!!!  Tucker's hat NOT Brandons!  LOL

 

 



There's Been A Change in the Weather

While yes that is indeed a true statement in that sentence structure, meaning that we got a few warm days this week and I got to run outside even skipping Step inside the gym to drain the last bit of sunshine and dry roads/trails instead...that is not exactly what I meant by that title.

 
What I mean by it is kinda in the way I might say "I got my running mojo back"...and the 'change in the weather' is really about the changing of an attitude and finding my way back to what I didn't realize I was missing...


We’ve all been there. We’ve all hit a slump of some kind and it suddenly became a little harder to lace up our sneakers for a run. For me it began late March 2012, when at CrossFit I managed to mess my lower back up again in a really bad way with my disc slipping and subsequently pinching my sciatic nerve. It was so much worse this time than the first incident in that I was physically unable to do much of anything and even getting out of bed each morning was painful and had to be done in a certain way. Anyway, 2 months of being down from running was tough enough and just when I was getting back into it, I made the initial trip to NE for a job interview and the next thing I knew I was moving cross country and that presented a whole new set of reasons why my running and mileage slipped as much as it did. At first I kept it up but then it just slipped more and more. Yeah I was running, but it was piddly mileage at best.

And once Winter really hit here, it was becoming even harder and harder for me to be motivated. Plus in my mind it was OK because well I didn't have any reason TO run...no race on the calendar...etc. I stayed in OK shape by doing different sorts of things with running mixed in instead of the usual other way around.

I gained a few lbs, moreso got flabby so to speak, where I gained more in inches than in true lbs, but there was a little of both. I've lost that now, but this whole section about weight gain etc is fodder for another post at another time.

Anyway, it felt like I was just going through the motions of training — using it as a way to stay in decent shape, sure, but with my heart and mind somewhere else.


But only recently have I started to feel like I’m really back.

You know that feeling where you not only don’t mind running, you actually can’t wait to run again tomorrow? Where you wish you could just fast forward your life eight weeks, and see what kind of progress you’ve made by then? That’s where I am now, and I’ve missed this.

Over Christmas when I found out I was selected in the lottery to run the NYC Half Marathon and the training for race in March, I felt my passion for running begin to wake up. But in the past two weeks, it feels like that passion for running is on an espresso and yerba mate bender.
So much so that it is partly what fueled me to sign up for Colfax in May (another half) and for the 3rd time, Chicago (full)

I can credit three things for this new exuberance:

1. My new running habit. Or rather my reborn running habit.
2. Amazing sources of inspiration. As in people, one in particular who singlehandedly, with their incessant mantras and training posts on Facebook, each day in front of my eyes...watching their training for 5 marathons in as many months, with their 1st one just last October, on their way to running the 100 miles in Iceland this coming August...and now we will run not only NYC together, but Chicago as well...
3. Meditation and mindfulness.
I’ve done a lot of sitting meditation and concentration on my breathing over the past months. While I haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s possible with sitting, I’m really interested to approach running and the depths of physical fatigue and even pain that accompany it — from this new perspective of learning about myself.

For this, I can credit a book I’ve been reading called Running with the Mind of Meditation. Yeah, I’ve been reading a lot since I moved.  Mostly from the Bible, but a lot of other books/genres as well.


And behind all of this, as important as any of these three things, is the break from running that I took. If I hadn’t done that, I think I’d still be stuck. Don’t feel bad about “quitting,” if you know it’s what you need.

I know from what I’ve written before that a lot of you sympathize with the running rut and have dealt with your own, and maybe still are. How’s it going for you?
Runners experience these up-and-downs because, well, we're just human beings. We experience these in life, why expect anything different in our running-life. What's important is to be mindful that this too shall pass.

Slumps happen, and often times at what seems like the worst possible moment - like, just when you're feeling strong and on top of it all, ready for a breakthrough - and then, bang, slumpsville, or worse injury, or worst of all, both.

Well injuries are one thing, but slumps seem so unnecessary, so seemingly stupid. Can't we all just keep pushing and improving and pushing and improving until the bitter end? Well...no. No, most of us can't - or at least we won't.

So what's a slumping runner to do?
Some recommend a break, and that may be called for depending on the situation (for instance if you are experiencing overwhelming fatigue). But a break is not always the answer. Sometimes it behooves us to push on, doggedly, even through the hard, tedious, unmotivated runs that we drag ourselves through.

I believe that you have to be out there on the good days and the bad days, and the really really sucky days, to capture, to stumble upon, those magical days that you might otherwise miss. Sometimes a change happens, for no apparent reason, when you're least expecting it - and you would never know if you weren't out there.

Being a runner is not all about loving it every single moment - just like a good marriage, or friendship - it's not all good all the time. If those are your expectations, you're in for a big let down, and you'll probably give up when perhaps you don't really want to.

There's gobs of advice and suggestions for upping one's motivation: Sign up for a race, join a running group, explore new routes, get a partner, plan an exotic running vacation, etc...But the fact remains that for most of us we must find our own reasons for going on, getting out and doing it - and these suggestions may work for a while, but it's unlikely they'll get you through a real, robust case of slumpiness.

For me it is pure habit that gets me through it. Habit takes a long time to develop, and if you quit every time you hit a rough patch, then you won't develop the habit to keep running, to just do it every day.

Instead, you will develop the habit of quitting when you just don't feel like doing it - and that's okay, if that's what you're after. It's not what I'm after, and I believe it's not what most runners are after. If it were we wouldn't complain about slumps - we would welcome them into our lives like an old friend, use the time to do something else, and then pick it up again when the mood strikes. but no. Most runners hate the slump.

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." - Jack London

Running is not a state of being - it's a state of doing. You are what you do, and you must accept the ups and the downs. And though the ups are a whole lot more fun than the downs, they are all part of the journey.

If it were easy it wouldn't matter so much. If it does matter, then that means you're a runner - and you should just go for a run.

Because I Said So...That's Why

Without going into too much detail or boring text, I wanted to answer a few questions that I have gotten since leaving Texas.

Additionally it’s going to be short and sweet because frankly blogging bores me now. Which brings us to the 1st question.

1. Why aren’t you blogging much anymore?

a. Mostly because I am super busy. Or tired. Or unmotivated to do so. My job is very demanding and when I do get out of work I generally have something else to do, therefore the amount of time I spend not doing anything has greatly diminished from when I was living in Houston. And if I don’t have anything to do, I treat it as ‘me’ time and I want to just be a lazy bum. Plus I Facebook quite a bit and I guess that has become a way of me connecting to my friends and family. True I have a lot of readers I don’t even know, but again, blogging just seems to have lost its appeal. It fed a hole I guess you could say for quite some time, but now there isn’t a hole anymore.

2. Why on Earth did you move to Nebraska?

a. A job offer and opportunity that I would have been institutionalized if I hadn’t. Seriously the job that I was recruited for not only put me back in IT (information technology), but it’s with a fast growing company (who has already been in business for 50 years) that has staying power first of all, and second of all the growth opportunities here alone are enough to make your head spin. Coupled with the fantastic weather here (actually having seasons?!?!? Humidity around 12-15% the majority of the time etc?) I mean really, come on now…… yes, yes it’s a very very very small town, but its where Corporate is and that is that. Honestly I haven’t felt so at peace and at home in I can’t remember how long. In Houston, I was miserable. Not just because of the weather, but because I just always felt like a fish out of water. A lot of people might say they just can’t understand that, but it’s the truth. I was very unhappy and the only reason I ever went back to Texas way back when was because my Dad got cancer and then I stayed because of Mom. I always knew I would leave again. It was only a matter of time.

3. Did you take the job because they offered you a lot of money?

a. No. While I will admit I pretty much doubled my salary coming here, that wasn’t it at all. The job itself is one that I absolutely love, what I am great at and what I missed doing since I had left STG in late 2008. Plus when I first flew here for the interview at the end of June, I knew the moment I arrived here in this small space of the world that I had found somewhere that I could be completely and totally happy with as being a part of my life.  Plus the relocation monetary package was very very lucrative....

4. What IS your job?

a. As I said I am back in IT, working as a SrBA supporting Merchandising, Inventory and Planning, with a bit of my week being allocated sometimes to Marketing. I have my eye on the next stage already though and with about 6-8 months under my belt here I see no reason why that goal is not attainable in a short period of time.

5. What do you miss about Texas?

a. Um. Nothing. What I do miss is running with KW on Saturday mornings. Only because it’s a supported run with different routes planned out for you and I made some good friends there. Not that I ran with any of them, but good friends nonetheless. But again other than that honestly there is not one single thing that I miss. DEFINITELY not the crappy hot humid ass stupid weather. Good grief I am so glad to be gone from that.

6. But doesn’t Nebraska get really cold in the winter?

a. Yes. Yes it does. But I am told that it’s been 3 years since the temps dropped below 10deg. :O) And last year they didn’t even have that much snow, but did have cold weather. Here is the thing: I would rather be freezing cold than live in heat (10 months of the year) and humidity (12 months of the year). I would much rather have my summer mornings start in the 50’s and 60’s instead of the mid 70’s and 80’s. Even now we are getting 40’s some nights/mornings. Just depends. It still gets hot during the day but when its 12% humidity….I mean really? 90 isnt hot with that low of humidity!!! I am so looking forward to being able to wear Fall clothes, Winter clothes, Spring clothes and Summer clothes instead of just Summer clothes and 2 months of Fall clothes!!!!

7. So running in Nebraska is way better?

a. Yes. I am still adjusting to the hills and try to avoid them at all costs though :O) Its just not possible unfortunately. Unless I want to just run around in circles. I still have some issues with the elevation, but its better. I mostly battle fatigue and shortness of breath but as I said, its much better. It’s only been a month and some folks take longer than others. But because of the most awesome weather…..I looooooooooooooooooooove running here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**************************************

That’s all for today….I won’t promise to update more often because with me moving into my new house in 2 weeks its going to be even crazier!!!!!!!!!!! But I am so super excited!!!!!!!!! Got a refrigerator this past weekend at a decent price (under budget) and I have secured a clothes dryer (free) and possibly a clothes washer as well (free). All the utilities are set to be turned on in my name so its just a matter of time! Just over a week from now I will be in Houston to get all my stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Scenes From the Week

In just over 2 weeks I will be back in Houston for a few days to meet the movers.  They'll pack all my stuff for me one day and then load the next...I'm looking forward to seeing a few friends and my family!!  But I also know that I will be happy when I get back to Nebraska with my things following close behind me!  Plus when I return I will get the keys to my house!!!!

Yay for a house and my stuff!!  I miss my stuff!!!  :)

Beautiful Day

Fly Fishing

Near the end of one LONG day of about 4 hours of meetings to put out a fire and get a project done prior to the deadline for a new store opening and getting merchandise there with the proper software enhancements!

Good morning!!!

P after her 2nd 5K...she downed that beer like it was her job

Silver Dollar Grill and Bar.... $4.95 for a mushroom/swiss HOMEMADE burger WITH fries post race...so delish!

Loaded up and ready to carry home some garage sale items...not mine  :O)

So wanted him....simply beautiful but him, along with all the taxidermy items were bought in probably record time...employees only will get another shot sometime in the next month or two.  I think I need SOMETHING dead and stuffed for my basement right? :)

My $20 couch find for my new basement/gym/rec/office room, and its one of those that rocks!  So comfy!

My $10 desk for my new basement/gym/rec room/space for working...  :)

My First Week as a Nebraska-ian

Before we get to that, wrap up on running...I ran Wed (7) and Thurs (4) and then got in roughly 10 miles this morning.

Plan on running again tomorrow morning before church, and then some swimming in the afternoon if the pool isn't overrun with children.  The community pool is great for lap swimming, with lanes and everything.  And muuuuch longer than my former silly pool back in Texas.

So here are a few pics from the past week...

en route to Nebraska

Yummy beer after a long day 1 in the car

FINALLY!

Early morning downtown on the way for an iced coffee

Main lobby (1 of 3) of my new workplace (not sure why its all fuzzy here on blogger)

County fair

Mutton bustin' at the County fair

Got myself a new house.  Well a new OLD house :)

Hot dog eating contest downtown this morning

Antique shopping.  Bought this cute old dinette and chairs for my new little area in the kitchen of new casa

Bought a WORKING old fashioned rotary dial phone just like I grew up with.  Cost?  $5  :)

I Got a House!!!!

I am so blessed!  In a small town with so many people that have moved here and are moving here, finding a rental is very, very hard to do.

Thankfully my teammate at work had looked at a house thinking she was going to downsize, but then decided the house wasn't for her, hooked me up.

I went and looked at it today after work and we shook on it right then and there.

Its just over 800 sq ft on the top floor and then the bottom floor (basement) is another 800 sq ft.  There are 3 BR's, 2 up and 1 down, and 2 baths.  Covered parking, a HUGE back yard, and a deck!

So so so blessed and beyond excited that I found something so quickly.  I will be living here in the temp housing until Sept as end of August I fly home to meet the moving company they hired to move my stuff which is perfect timing as by the time it makes it here I will be able to move in!!

Back Yard from the deck

From the back yard

Deck

Street view

I'm Heeeeeeeeeerrreee!!!

1163 miles later I am finally at my new home!

There are tons of photos, things to write about, but it might take me a while to get some sort of logical post put together.

Since I arrived I have been going non-stop and won't have a moment to myself until around noon tomorrow.  I have to drive to Denver in the morning then flip around and come back.  

Then I will maaaaybe have some time to put something together.

I did get a nice run in this morning (65deg with basically no humidity).  The views I see now when running are amazing ... at some point I need to bring my camera on a short run just to snap a few pictures.

Ready or Not Nebraska, Here I Come!

Three crosses atop a butte as you enter my new little city :)

It will take me 2 days to get to mi new State, but when I get there, this is just part of what I have to look at every single day.

...and a shot of downtown... :)


And yes I got my long run in yesterday.  Ran on the treadmill just shy of a 2 full hours stopping only once to go to the potty :)

11 miles.  

Now I don't have to worry about it for this weekend but will more than likely get in 7-8 miles on Sunday after dropping my sister off at the airport in Denver.

T Minus 6 Days...

Rain.

Rain.

Rain.

And more rain.

The past 3 mornings I was not able to get my run on before work due to just the crazy amount of rain we've been getting every day (so different from last year!).  Well Tues and Wed since yesterday was my last day at my current job!

When I woke up around 6am this morning it wasn't raining (yet) but it was lightning and the radar showed what was coming and well...I just wasn't going to chance it and besides...lightning.  Duh.

Besides getting running done on the treadmill the past few days and some CrossFit in there as well, needless to say my days and (most) evenings have been consumed with tying up little loose ends that need to be taken care of before I leave.

I will be back in a month or so to meet the movers, but at least the assessor has come by and all that is taken care of; just need to wait for the relo company to get back in touch with me so we can decide on a day and then I can book my flight back here to meet them.

I believe I am done-zo for today though.  I'm exhausted and I need a break.

Maybe I'll head to CrossFit later though...

Or not.

:O)

An All Expense Trip To Nebraska and What I Learned While I Was There

1. They have 2 Subways, 1 McDonalds, a Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut and an Arbys.  Dude's is the big time hot shot steak house in town.  Where everything is fried unless you order steak.  Don't order a hamburger.
2. They do not have a Starbucks (thank goodness for my KCups!), but have a coffee place called The Book Corner (which is so awesome and cute!) and another one called the Black Mug.  The nearest Starbucks that I can tell is 100 miles away in Cheyenne, WY.  I've searched all zip codes in the 'bigger' towns around Sidney, and that is what I come up with.
3. The nearest running store is also about 1.5 hours away.  In Ft. Collins. 
4. They do not have a Target, but do have a WalMart. AND its a SuperCenter.
5. Other than the Walmart, there is one grocery store:  Safeway.  No Whole Foods, Kroger or Central Market.  I foresee a lot of ordering online for certain staples that people must have and I'm betting they can't and won't find here.  Fort Collins which is not too far away has a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's.  Not too bad.  :O)  They do have a Farmers Market on Saturdays June-October (or as the guy told me: it gets too cold, whichever comes first)
6. The nearest Walgreens is 36 miles away.  Sterling, Colorado
7. They do have 2 RedBox kiosks.  One at McDonalds and one at WalMart.
8. They do have a movie theater, and it has 2 screens and each movie is shown at 2 times and 2 times only:  7pm and 9pm (ish)
9. Population is around 7,000 and predominantly Caucasian.
10. Elevation is around 4,300ft (that might prove to be beneficial when its time to run a marathon at or around sea level).  I ran on Friday (3 miles) and Saturday (7 miles) and good Lord with the hills, the wind and the elevation, I was having a rough time!  Thankfully the wind was less on Saturday and I felt much better
11. They have a full Community Center which apparently is awesome with a fully equipped gym.  For those days when a person can't exactly run in snow and ice!!!  There is even a 400m indoor track, full basketball court and a social room with pool tables, ping pong etc.
12. There is an awesome biking, running trail, which is about 4 miles.  You do have to share the trail with horse riders, but the sign says for them to stay off the actual paved path :)
13. The closest real live true CrossFit box is located in Cheyenne...sigh.  They do have a cert 2 CF trainers on staff at the CC in Sidney, and have classes (5) a week.  I saw the WOD's from the previous day on the board and it was familiar! 




14. You have to register with some facility for in the event of a tornado outbreak and well...there are the sirens...May and June are the months most known for tornadoes, and NE on average, has about 41 a year.
15. Summer months mean 60deg and below for at night and mornings, otherwise known as heaven on earth to me...There was a wicked storm that came through on Friday evening that had all the alerts going off.  We still went to happy hour :)  It was mid 50's while I was there in the mornings but with the heat wave recently it did get up to mid 90s the last day I was there.
    
16. November to February seem to be the worst for it being cold, and by cold I mean about 15-20deg F, but apparently rare to go below 10deg F.
17. Average yearly rainfall is around 19in with average yearly snow fall is 41inches.  Clearly more snow than rain. 
18. Low.  Low.  Low.  Humidity.  otherwise known as heaven on earth to me...seriously it was awesome having 25% humidity to run in!
    
19. Driving to Cheyenne WY, Scottsbluff, Ft. Collins or Denver CO (all within a couple hours drive) is normal fare on weekends for shopping excursions and weekend warrior types of things
20. There are a lot of half marathons and marathons in and around Sidney, NE with its close proximity to WY, CO, KS and SD, a person has plenty of opportunities to 'race' if I am so inclined.  I have also found a couple of duathlons and triathlons as well.
21. Elevation is around 4300ft and has its rolling hills to run up and down.  Tough stuff indeed; I felt every bit of it on my runs while I was there.  I figured my 7 miles on Saturday equated to 9 given the hills and the elevation :)

Running down into town was awesome.  Coming back up took me a while and I had to stop several times to catch my breath!  This hill just seems to go on and on forever.  And you think you top it at one point, but then nope...its just a mirage :)

From the highway

22. And then there is all of this wonderful information!