Alive and running

Finishing a 100-mile race is exhilarating and sad at the same time. The glory of achieving another goal is the exhilarating part. The loss of goal race is the sad part. The best part of these races is the visualizing the finish and the actual training. The actual race itself is merely the icing on top. It is the metaphorical journey. Now that I have no substantial races on my calendar, I have been in limbo. "Training" takes on a whole new meaning. What am I training for? Nothing really. So I am no longer training but simply running to enjoy movement. Which isn't bad, just new for me.

Since Vermont over three weeks ago I have recovered from my foot pain, put in some pretty serious bike miles, and suffered through a pretty debilitating all-body virus that partially knocked me out for the past week. It's been fun.

Last Sunday I did get out to see my Trail Monster buddies at the Bradbury Breaker 9-Mile Mountain Trail Race, albeit in a different capacity: that of babysitter and spectator. Kelly ran while I took the photos. The weather was perfect for the race with a couple previous days of monsoons to make the course muddy and slippery. All went well with Kelly giving the camera a smile at every turn. I also met a couple nice folks who read this blog - thank you. Ian and Trail Monster Running put on some spectacular races. Job well done once again. Next up is the Bradbury Bruiser on September 14.

So now I have to decide what's next up for me. I have signed up already as Kelly's number one fan, spectator, and babysitter as she trains for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 19th. If you care to support her fundraising efforts, check out her website. Any and all support is appreciated personally by me.