I gave blood yesterday. It was my first time in years to do so, and I only thought to do it because a friend of mine organized a mobile blood drive in front of the office building next door to mine. It was fun to see her, and it was interesting to see how the donation process has changed and how it hasn’t. Here are some tidbits from that experience. Continue reading
My Mental Health Day.
I took one today. I had a big deadline yesterday and gave myself today to recover and just be. I had a few things planned for the day. Some of it got rescheduled, and there were some surprises, but it’s been a really sweet day. Continue reading
The Dangers of Being a Sherpa.
I’m in Louisville, Kentucky, acting as a sherpa for my sister’s first Ironman. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the whole Ironman thing. I see the lean and strong people around me who will get to race on Sunday, and I want to be one of them. I see people going on pre-race runs, and while I’m running too, I know our intensity is different, and part of me really wants their intensity – the focus you experience in the days leading up to a big race. I’m watching my sister as she preps, and while there’s a part of me that is relieved that I don’t have to swim in the Ohio River this weekend, there’s another part of me that is so envious that she’s just days away from the Ironman finish line. That’s one of my favorite places on earth. Continue reading
The Girl in the Empty House.
Dave was on a business trip last week when I flew out to Boston. He returned while I was gone, and then left again before I came back. When I arrived home on Sunday evening, I saw evidence of his having been here – a polished kitchen sink, the washer dial turned to hot, and tongs in the salad bowl in the refrigerator. Initially, I felt a tinge of sadness knowing he wouldn’t be home for another five days. But now, on Wednesday, still two full days away from his return, I’m having to be intentional to avoid being downright despondent. Continue reading
My First 50K – A Race Report.
Back in June, my friend Ann invited me to do a 50K trail race with her at the end of September. It would be in Massachusetts, very near where she lives, and it fell on her birthday. The timing wasn’t great because it was three weeks after Ironman Wisconsin and one week after my Colin’s Hope 10K swim, but I jumped at the chance to sign up because it would give me a chance to (a) meet a new goal that I’d been considering, (b) visit a place I love that I hadn’t been to in quite a while, and (c) celebrate a dear friend I hadn’t seen in nearly two years since we ran in Maine together. I couldn’t pass up all of that! So last Thursday, I flew out and on Saturday, we ran. And oh my goodness, it was a hard, hard thing. Continue reading
Continuous Miles.
This morning, I met my training group for a run around Lady Bird Lake. We were a small group, since a large portion of the team is racing in Kerrville this weekend. The plan was either five or seven miles at an easy pace. I quickly realized that I would be running alone given the speeds of those who showed up, so I settled into that and decided to make it a seven mile morning. Continue reading
Ironman Wisconsin 2017.
The trip was damn near perfect. Our flights were on time. Our hotel room got upgraded to a massive corner room with a capitol view. We made some cool new friends in our hotel. We got to hang out with teammates from home. We ate well and slept well. We got to see Taliesen, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Spring Green, Wisconsin. And we had easy flights home. Mixed into all that was a race – my seventh Ironman – and while it wasn’t perfect, it, too, was pretty spectacular. Continue reading
