Duly Noted

It's the morning before the Madison Marathon. Rachel woke me up early and we headed out for an easy 3 mile, a loosening the legs and stretching kind of run. I started "carbo loading" yesterday (including sharing a piece of peanut butter cup cake with Mike!) and I am trying to eat mostly carbs and supplement that with recovery drinks today (plus the coffee I am having now!). Tomorrow, at this time, I will be 1 hour into the race! Unbelievable! Last night, I tallied the number of miles I have logged over the last 17 weeks in training for this marathon. Guesses? Okay, I will tell you. Approximately 689 miles, an average of 40 miles a week for 17 weeks. I gotta say, no matter what happens tomorrow morning, I feel proud and ready to race. Looking back on my training, there are many memorable runs- many with amazing runner friends (and dogs!) and some with just me testing my limits, endurance, and spirit. Tomorrow morning, I plan to wake up with a smile on my face, fre...

It's the morning before the Madison Marathon. Rachel woke me up early and we headed out for an easy 3 mile, a loosening the legs and stretching kind of run. I started "carbo loading" yesterday (including sharing a piece of peanut butter cup cake with Mike!) and I am trying to eat mostly carbs and supplement that with recovery drinks today (plus the coffee I am having now!). Tomorrow, at this time, I will be 1 hour into the race! Unbelievable! Last night, I tallied the number of miles I have logged over the last 17 weeks in training for this marathon. Guesses? Okay, I will tell you. Approximately 689 miles, an average of 40 miles a week for 17 weeks. I gotta say, no matter what happens tomorrow morning, I feel proud and ready to race. Looking back on my training, there are many memorable runs- many with amazing runner friends (and dogs!) and some with just me testing my limits, endurance, and spirit. Tomorrow morning, I plan to wake up with a smile on my face, fre...

I miss my sister.

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things. "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver from Dream Work published by Atlantic Monthly Press © Mary Oliver