I enjoyed a wonderful hour in the Leadville coffee shop writing a blog post with the same title on my iPad, but when I went to sync it with the website the hour's worth of work was lost. Technology is great... when it works. Hopefully I can recreate the gist of what I was trying to communicate.
recent run to the roof of Colorado. Mt. Elbert 14,433ft
Returning home from Japan the beginning of May took me into yet another crazy month of life changes, moving, travel, visitors and not a lot of time to just be. It may seem that a schedule like that is something I thrive on, and perhaps I do, for a spell, but there is definitely a need to chill out and feel grounded. Once the dust settled around the end of the month I made the call to pull myself out of the next scheduled race and forced some time here in Boulder to regroup, recover and reset.
Admittedly, the first look at a calendar that didn't have a scheduled flight posted for the end of the week, or the next, felt weird. What was I supposed to do with a whole 7+ days? But it was only the first look that caught me off guard, after that it was easy. Cooking meals with more than one pot, hanging photos, yoga, kickboxing, catching up with friends, climbing, discovering new running loops and secret spots in Boulder, keeping up with expenses and work from the comfort of my home, writing, catching different events in town including concerts and speaker series, all things I long for when I'm living life on the road. Speaking of the road, Simba (my car) hardly leaves the driveway, I ride my bike for pretty much everything I need to do. Finding rhythm in time at home is incredible. I know I love it and need it and am thankful when I take it.
It was out on one my new running loops on perhaps the only misty morning in Boulder since I've been back that I realized I was training hard, racking up miles and lots of activities as if I were training for a race, but without the race date looming on the calendar there was more of a freedom around being out in the mountains or adding in a second workout that had me psyched. I know and realize that taking on race after race, big adventures and/or lots of travel all takes great energy. Running a 100 mile race alone taps the body at such a deep level, likely deeper than we can even fathom, that if we don't give the necessary recoup time (which is as different for everyone as our preference in shoes) the chances of burn out, injury or both escalates. When there is time to be without the worry of recovery, tapering or timing, I find that I just do what feels right. The down time breathes a new space and life into my soul, resetting the system and resetting the psyche. Having time and space to do just that is key for my longevity in this sport.
Psyche reset. Now time to look ahead.
I also love bopping around, exploring the world outside the "Boulder bubble" and I look forward the plans that kick in this weekend. The Estes Trail Ascent takes place this weekend and I am excited to sit on the Nutrition and Hydration panel on Thursday. Friday has me headed back to DIA for a trip to Reno and Tahoe for the opportunity to be a part of the Alpenglow Mountain Festival. Alpenglow is an active Tahoe retailer that is driven by community and getting people outside. This weekend will be a great opportunity to run trails and engage with people about their passions. Patagonia Footwear has made it possible for me to be a participant and speaker over the weekend and I look forward checking it all out.
More plans and adventures are coming together for the summer and some of those plans include keeping me right here in Colorado, exploring my new back yard of the Rocky Mountains as well as time right here on my backyard deck.