How About a Chai Chat

Here we are again!

It's that time of year when I'm downing the hot chai lattes several times on the daily. It's also that time of the month for gathering and chatting (virtually) over chai, coffee or any beverage of one's choosing. 

If you have your mug in hand, let's get this chatter party started...

Taming the Treadmill Trepidation

The treadmill has been my nemesis for quite some time.

I'm not afraid of it. I'm not intimidated by it. I'm certainly not in a battle with it. But I avoid running on it at (almost) all cost.

A bigger-than-BIG goal of mine, each winter, is to have a much more open mind and a welcoming heart when it comes to indoor running. Heck, if I can make it through the 2019 Polar Vortex (and endure upwards of 20 Milly runs, all in one season), I can probably survive most any (near) catastrophic experience.

That's not an exaggeration.

A Fall-Like Blowout

 Can you say WIND?

If so, you'll have a solid grasp on how this week played out for me. We're talking chilly temps, intermittent rain, and all kinds of stuff blowing through the air and against my face. 

Yes, there's a reason (actually, several LOL) I don't particularly like the fall season, and this week's weather was at the top of the list. It is what it is, right? Besides, if we didn't have some cruddy weather, we probably wouldn't appreciate the truly beautiful days.

Trust me, I had that mantra on repeat this week...

How About a Few 'Fessions

 Here we go again...

Time to 'fess up and share a few (or maybe, five?) disclosures, bare the (running) soles, and move forward (mostly) unscathed. Sound good?

While things have been pretty uneventful (in a good way), I do have a few things to share that have me shaking my head. Don't worry, I'm also laughing as I do so...

10 Things About Those 20 Rides

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves, as runners, is that of another sport.

A bonus gift is the willingness to take on new challenges. Not just simple challenges, but big scary ones that take you out of your comfort zone. After all, comfort zones are pretty overrated and not much good happens within their confines.

Alas, I took on the challenge of weekly cycling, on an especially hilly bike path. And, I did it for 20 weeks, accruing 300+ miles of hills in the process. 

In Search Of...

Ever have one of those weeks where things just seemed...slightly out of reach?

The weather turned on me (faster, and more severe, than forecast), the full moon did its best to avoid me, and my race weekend's recovery was uneventful (as it should be). The reality that Fall is here - in full swing -  always hits me hard, but it is what it is. Summer's going to end and Fall is going to happen... might as well make the best of it, right?

So, I did...

MercyOne 5-Mile Run - 2021 Recap

 

I think it's pretty sweet when the stars, moon, planets (and a plethora of other forces that be) all align on race morning.

It had been a four year sabbatical. This was a race that I'd run twice before and I'd had some decent success with my performance. Even though I had a somewhat big half marathon the next day, why not give it a go? Go big or go home, am I right?

So, I went big, and didn't stay home.