Oh, hi there! This is me emerging from the Olympics rabbit hole I fell down two weeks ago
There have been more incredible highlights, interesting stories, and downright strange events in the international sporting world in the last two weeks than at any other point over the past 4 years. That’s what ultimately makes the Olympics such an incredible experience. I find myself so easily sucked into the drama that unfolds with athletes I know and those that I’m “meeting” for the first time on the grandest stage of them all, and it can be quite the emotional roller coaster if you let it consume you. I’ve enjoyed some amazing victories, incredible upsets, and questioned some ridiculous decisions, but I’ve loved every minute of it. I certainly have my own thoughts on the viability of the Olympics, the actions taken and not taken by Rio and the IOC leading up to the games, and the economic viability of holding the games in a different city every 4 years. However, I think it’s important that we all learn to separate the politics from the individual stories, the passion, the commitment, and the dedication on the part of all of the athletes that spend their entire lives working towards this opportunity. Only some of them are leaving with medals in hand, but none of them are leaving empty-handed. Their spirit, emotion, dedication, and heart are what #chasing42 is all about and I salute them all for their efforts!
An etching and printmaking workshop proved a wonderful way to spend a weekend with the beautiful epicurean!
Chasing42 Log: 20160807- 20160821
Run: My running has been quite consistent over the past two weeks, and I’ve been really pleased with some of the efforts as I continue to maintain my #chasing42runstreak. I’ve been tackling as many hills as I can, whenever I can, and that has made for some extreme threshold runs in the ridiculous heat and humidity over the past two-week. Ultimately, training in this climate will only make me stronger as the fall facing season approaches, but that hasn’t stopped me from cursing mother nature every time I come back from a run exhausted and drenched in sweat! I capped things off this past weekend with about 35 miles of mainly trail-running, with plenty of climbing, and my legs are feeling great. I’ll be running the MD HEAT 50K next weekend for the second year in a row, and it should serve as an excellent training run and way of working out some of my race logistics. Things were a bit cooler this weekend, and in looking ahead, it would appear that the weather may finally be breaking. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
My first attempt at paddle-boarding was a small victory…I didn’t fall in!
Thought: Now that I have over a year in Delaware under my belt, I’m happy to report that the chaotic craving to run every race in sight, all at once, has subsided. I’ve always told myself to choose my races and spread things out to ensure no burnout or overuse injuries. Towards the end of the Voyageur 50, I started to feel some sharp, stabbing pain in my left shin. I immediately assumed the worst and thought about the prospect of recovering from a stress fracture. I was clearly stubborn enough to finish the race, but the pain popped up again several times in the following week. I nervously requested and x-ray from my physician, and waited anxiously for the bad news. Luckily, I received to get the message that there was no sign of a stress fracture. The pain hasn’t re-emerged in the past two weeks, but it was the reminder I needed to calm down, take my training one step at a time, and be much more methodical about my approach. The “kid in a candy store” feeling I had when we moved to Delaware has now worn off, and I can return to the careful, measured, analytical approach to my running that I pride myself on, as I move forward. My plan is set for this fall, and I’m excited to see what the next few months bring. More importantly, I’m looking forward to many years of happy running and exploring as I continue #chasing42!
