In this latest issue of our blog
you will find all the great content listed below
Outrun 24 was just plain difficult
All the best writing advice says you need to write whether you are inspired or not. You are encouraged to write when you have nothing to say and your creativity seems lost. Keep writing is the advice because when inspiration does float in on a breeze you are ready. I know this to be true and yet all week I have been waiting. I have not been writing because I believed I didn’t have anything to say and the muse had not yet made herself known.
What have I been waiting for exactly?
I was hopeful that what can only be described as a disjointed and chaotic experience would somehow collect itself and offer me a succinct nugget of wisdom that I could easily offer you about the race. I procrastinated as I held onto the futile expectation that the sweet tale of a satisfying summary would rise to the surface of my mind fully formed. I even told Lowi I was waiting but the only thing that I had come up with so far was “It was hard… I mean really hard.”
Feeling 52
Do you want me to start with the good news or the bad news from the Outrun24? Let’s start with the funny.
While you are doing a one-mile loop over and over, you get to see the same people and overhear a lot of conversations. Some are just a blur as they pass you like this little comment that is no longer a relatable statement for me: “I am trying to slow down, but I keep running sub 10-minute miles!”
Then there was one at about mile 28 that I couldn’t even comprehend. These two women were speaking, but I couldn’t understand the words coming out of their mouths. I thought maybe I was having a stroke but then I realized I would be the one slurring my words not the people around me. I wasn’t sure if I was delusional and could no longer understand English, but then they safely passed me, and yep they were speaking English. They were just very academic and they were discussing eastern medicine and shamanism. It was just too much for my brain to take in at that point.
The comfort of routine
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind with birthdays (oh my gosh, the birthdays), a race, a prom, Mother’s Day, and race recovery. I spent some time pondering what I am loving right now and this is the nerdiest of answers: routine. I am loving getting back to some regularity in my life. My life, especially when training for a race, becomes fairly scheduled. The more miles I want to cover, the more sleep, food, and time are required.
So when the post-race week arrives I am more than ready. I gladly blow off any routine or schedule other than what is 100% demanded of me. I stay up a little later and sleep in more than normal. As I told a friend, I was going to eat all the food, drink all the drinks, and nap all the naps. I really did my best to meet that goal and aside from missing out on a few naps, I think I excelled.
Golden Girl
Golden Girl, by Elin Hilderbrand, is one of those books that not everyone is going to love. Hilderbrand is known for her trademark books based in Nantucket that are great for summer days on the beach. That is not this book.
This one hit a little differently right from the beginning. The main character, Vivi Howe, is in an accident early on and throughout the chapters, we watch as the chief of police tries to figure out “what happened” and “who done it?”
“We have to embrace obstacles to reach the next stage of joy.”
~ Goldie Hawn
Lowi & G 