Inspired by the Impossible...

It was a glorious, beautiful Christmas Eve morning with the sun rising above the steam hanging over the blue/green waters making me anxious to slip into my 2013 running shoes - I say 2013 because I get a new pair of running shoes each year – kind of like treads wearing on tires.   The coastal breeze was cool enough to put a sting on my bare legs when I stepped outside.   I never liked running on the beach, in fact, I can only remember attempting it twice, but since I’ve picked up trail running, the anticipation of the challenge grew on me.    My brother-n-law made me feel more excited when he told me the sand was compact and hard.    Mentally, I was ready to run 10 miles.   God's marvelous beauty - like a fine oil painting (no filter!) According to my Garmin watch, my heart rate rose as I stepped both feet on the beautiful white sandy beaches of the gulf coast.   Physiologically, my body was excited for the change of scenery.   I found...

At this time of the year…there is less sunshine bringing on gray skies and bare-naked trees.   Nature looks naked in general.   Most outdoor enthusiasts and athletes are in off-season (except for those cold-natured freaks).    At times, the air is simply too cold to bear unless you work your body to produce enough heat in order to enjoy the cold, winter breeze as a cool down.   The sun sets so early it causes many to hibernate and bypass anything fun after 6pm.    So, I like to call this time of the year, the “season of blues.”   This may look so dreary, but this is my favorite spot on our family farm.  Running through this wilderness is surprisingly beautiful and peaceful (except when the wolves start howling!). It’s not uncommon to experience days of “blah” when our bodies lack Vitamin D from Dr. Sunshine.    The thought of getting up early (because running after work in the dark is too late – it’s bedtime) to run in 30-d...

Trail runs, cyclo-crossing, mountain biking, Crossfit, hiking,…laziness!   I’ve decided to try trail running, leisurely because maybe I can overcome my clumsiness and strengthen muscles that have never been used road running.   Plus, I just recently registered for my first trail race so I guess I better get started especially since it’s supposedly the most challenging one in the Midwest!   Cyclo-crossing or mountain biking sounds fun but not when I see how small a space you have to bike on the trails.   That equals a dangerous disaster waiting to happen.   I envision myself taking a tumble down the hill with my bike.   Crossfit would make me superwoman if I could overcome the severe consequences I faced the first two times I completed brief (like 11-12 minutes brief) workouts.   I couldn’t even raise my ribs to breathe without pain!!   I fell in LOVE with hiking while in San Diego on the Torrey Pines but there’s nothing like that in St. Louis. ...

The common question this past month is, “how is your recovery going?”   Would you be surprised if I said I wasn’t sore or hungry?!!  I was!!  My recovery went a little something like this…a battle between my body and my mind and ANY types of food was not very appealing to my appetite – especially pasta!   Who would have an appetite for pasta or carbs after engulfing in it for a week?   I’d be hungry for a few minutes then when I got close to food, my stomach either denied the hunger signals sent from my brain or sent false alarm hunger signals to my brain.   Confusing I know. The first part of recovery was spent catching up on hundreds of messages via phone, email, cards, Facebook, and couple of surprises!   I had NO idea that I had this much support on and off the course!!   I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from my family of all the people that were tracking me!   To those of you that were a part of my day…I don’t know how I can TH...