140 miles at a time

Ugh, I’ve been sort of dreading but looking forward to this. On one hand, the party is over. I have been a normie for a bunch of years and have had some total running and non-running carefree fun while traveling, figuring out what I wanted to return to school for, and even doing   fun runs with obstacle courses   over tires in swamps and hay bails in the middle of freekin Iowa ( and was first overall woman believe it or not )! And I will be totally honest that I had no clue it was some CrossFit style thing till I got there. I thought it was just a trail race! On the other hand, I know I can’t leave this Earth without another trip around the crazy running circuit. I miss that auto-pilot feel of running a few pre-sunrise miles before I’m even awake in the morning. That feeling of running being easier than sitting. I kept forcing myself to come back but really knew it wasn’t time before now. I can just kind of tell by how I’m handling life overall now. It’s less stressful an...

Just a note to get started. I’ve been quiet. I’ve been hidden. I’ve let some bad apples in the running world get to me. I’ve silently let them win for too long. But anyway, here’s the start. The bullies want a reaction? Here ya go. Adult bullying is ridiculous. You know who you are and what you’ve done and continue to do and it’s a sad way to live, especially in the running world. You motivate me to keep being a stronger person who can stand up for herself. It was a missing lesson in my life and you helped me learn it. Mental strength is a powerful part of running, education, and happiness and I lacked it. For me it’s going to be a raw, honest climb and I’m going to be open about how it is. If there’s one thing I got, it’s blunt honesty. I’ve spent ages 27-34 doing something totally different than what I thought I would. I had such a clear thought in my mind during my first year of independent running in 2000 where I believed these exact years were going to be some crazy, focused,...

So, with yet another   Hawthorn   in the near future, I remembered that I hadn’t given this blog any attention in about a year. A lot happened. And as usual, I just like to note that 140 miles at a time is about a lot of things with running smacked right in there   It’s about being well-rounded and balanced to become a better athlete. So here goes!… Schoolin’ First and foremost, the journey to my engineering degree continues. I’m wrapping up spring semester now. I need a t-shirt that says “I survived Calculus!” because that stuff ain’t easy after a 10+ year break from it! Either way, the grades are good and it’s all getting easier and much more routine. I like to review everything after each semester too. I don’t just want to learn everything for the grade. I really want a strong grasp on the subject matter so I’m more confident. A little second round on it all seems to be the trick with me. And hey, there’s still a brain up there! Who knew!? My last bit of Calc ...

I know. I know. I was gone for a bit. At least I totally called that out though! So, here’s a quick summary followed up by the stuff keeping me away from here… So, it’s all in motion now with classes started. I feel so much better. The IT field is nice and all but I can’t stay there forever. I need more. Needless to say, I’ve been MIA from here a bit but I’m still around and runnin’ up a storm. It’s actually been a pretty good month with running, health, and becoming more comfortable after figuring out a few things. I feel like I really settled in here. The rain probably helped. I love rain and it’s usually super dry here. Being busy gives me sanity too and I can’t claim to be bored anymore. That’s for sure. It was so much at first that I was overwhelmed by the thought of it but it’s easing its way into my daily routine. But, anyhoo, ONWARD! “140 Miles at A Time” isn’t just meant to refer to the physical mileage I can lay down. It’s about doing a whole heck of a lot at once. I g...