Run Eat Tri Yogi

I actually started writing this last week as I was in the midst of updating my dusty resume and writing up a new cover letter for a position that I have no professional experience in (but plenty of personal experience!) but I couldn't focus on the task at hand. Because I knew I missed a few items from my last grocery shopping trip and I couldn't remember what it was or if it was even important - can it wait until the next time I remember? Because I heard my little one dumping out her Legos when she should've be getting started on her school work. I had cold coffee in the other room but I was "too busy" to stop what I was doing to grab it because I know I'd get distracted by something else and not come back to my computer. I also had 4 hours to finish 2hr bike + 3 mile run before cleaning up and getting my kids off to their friend's house. I recently saw a video from That's Inappropriate - the mom trying to explain how she was just o...

I saw a few posts yesterday that mentioned September was Suicide Awareness Month. I don't know how I missed that...  Late to the game as usual and to be honest, I was a little bit relieved. It meant I didn't have to face my history of depression and suicide attempts.  I could continue to go on as if that was and is no longer my life. Why deal with things when you can just shrug it off and move on?  Because it helps no one. And to not say something is to take the gift I was given and toss it aside - all because it'd be more comfortable to not address it. So please allow my late entrance to this discussion and maybe keep the conversation going. I wasn't completely oblivious to the subject of suicide on social media. I was thankful to see the "Faces of Suicide" being posted. I apparently didn't get the clues but something moved me while seeing those posts. 6th grade That was me around 13yrs of age. In less than a year, I would make multipl...

"You should write a book!" is often the response I get when I share some details of my past. Whether they're fascinated by how I was moved around most of my life or finding out about some of the traumas I've gone through, it usually ends with them encouraging me to write a book. I've wanted to for years. Though I'm glad I never followed through in my earlier years  - not because I didn't want to share my story but because my story had barely begun. Now, as I shuffle through all the paperwork of my past, it seems like a good time to dip my toes into this mess I called my past. Like a good little bride, I waited until the last minute to get ready for the big day. No? Just me? With a little over 2 months to go, I needed to find my Certification of Birth Abroad (no birth certificate) along with proof of address to get my marriage license.  It turns out I have nothing "official" (besides my living, breathing body) to show that I was born. How d...

Races tend to fall between hard and easy. There are some where it just seems to flow and others where you're gritting your teeth and wondering what made you sign up for this race. Or any race. Why even run anyway?  I'm somewhere in-between the two. I ran this race last year as a birthday gift and told the director I'll be back to run it on my actual birthday 4/1. We drove down to Brookfield/Delafield the night before, forgetting that we'd be arriving in the area right about 4:30-5pm on Friday night, just in time for the traffic! Packet pick up was a breeze and once we ate our dinner, we headed to the hotel where I started the obsession into what I'd wear tomorrow. Checking the hourly temps by the hour... I think this was one of the few times I got a decent night of sleep before a race! We arrived at the Schuetz recreation center in time for me to stop by the drop-bag table and then we just waited. I was restless so I kept going back and forth from the bath...

Ambassador - info below ++         ICEBREAKER INDOOR MARATHON 1/29/17 My last race was in November 2016 and I enjoyed every minute of my "off season". Off season = mostly 70.3 training and less focus on high mileage. It was all about brick workouts and gaining my endurance back on the bike and swim. It wasn't until the new year that I realized I had not done any runs over 13.1 miles. I was so used to racing every month and not having to keep up with my long runs.  The frigid Wisconsin weather didn't help at all either. I love running in cold temps but attempting 15+ miles out on ice, slush, mounds of snow and -25F wind chill temps don't mix well. I had to focus on time on feet training vs mileage training. Several 3 hour runs still didn't feel like I'd done enough! But race weekend was here and it was time to test out my training so far. I was hoping all those hours on the bike and the brick workouts would somehow carry over to marathon...

My biggest concern about Chicago was that it was a road race; I'm a trail runner. Even if you put me on a paved road, I will make my way to the side and run on gravel/grass/dirt. My other concern was how my ITB would hold up after my 50M a few weeks ago. When I last ran Chicago in 2014, I had so many injuries with ITB flare up being one of them that I was worried about running this one injury free.  About a 2 weeks before the race, I realized I should have added more road running to my training... I treated myself to room at the Congress hotel, which I knew was near the start/finish. What I didn't realize was that it was right across the street!  What a treat after my last experience where I got up at 3am to catch multiple trains and walking in the dark/cold just to get to the start line.  I highly recommend saving up some moola to treat yourself to a hotel right near the start/finish in Chicago.  I'd also reserved my parking through Park Whiz near the ...