200 Days of Running

There are good days and then there are the days where it's a struggle to do damn near everything.  We all have days like these ones.  The coffee isn't made in the morning, your stomach is hurting from whatever food or drink you consumed sometime earlier, your job isn't as fun as you want it to be and yet you still get up.  You go make the coffee, silently scolding yourself for forgetting it the night before.  Instead of just chilling on Facebook, you notice that not only did the coffee not get done, but, in fact, neither did the dishes. This was me today.  Begrudgingly doing the dishes that I should have finished last night.  I could be angry about it, but, now my kitchen is clean and the coffee is fresh and I, not my husband, get that first cup of hot liquid warm heaven.  The smell makes you smile, the aroma is fresh and somehow soothes your mind.  Still tired, I headed back up the stairs and begin getting ready for the morning run.  Today...

Today is the first day of the rest of my life... unless it's the last day in which case, it's the rest of my life. I haven't written in so long, I was beginning to think that I would forget how to put words into thoughts and then onto 'paper'.  I stopped writing for a lot of reasons, the main one being, I don't really think anyone reads what I write.  What's the point of writing fi no on sees it.  That's where I have been for a while now.  I thought, no one cares about what I have to say, why bother saying anything.  It's not like I'm writing the great American novel or anything worth noting, just my random thoughts of life and living in this time and age.  I have a few drafts of thoughts I had and then, either I didn't have time to finish what I was thinking or I just didn't finish it. So, what has changed that got me to the computer this morning.  Nothing has changed at all.  I just forgot that for me, writing is an outlet.  It'...

I hate that I have not written anything in a far too long.  I have maintained my running in earnest these last few months, with two consecutive months with over 100 miles in them.  Last month, January, coming in at 84 miles.  Was I disappointed with this, yes, but, I have been doing a lot of thinking about life and what do I want and what matters to me.  I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.  In fact, I still have all of my journals from beginning in 4th grade and ending up with one last year.  I keep these things and I love them.  I have only ever thrown away a few of them.  Their contents so painful and sad for me that I decided I no longer wanted that kind of energy in my house, I didn't want to see again.  Not in my memories, or the written recollection of the event in my own print. I had always envisioned myself with my keyboard on my lap, feet up on the desk, fingers furiously moving in a rush of movement.  ...

Like many all over the world, but, especially in the United States, yesterday was a day of somber memories.  A hellish nightmare from which there was no waking up to.  The day after was a strange one, as were the days that followed.  In an instant, the world, all around me, had changed.  It brought with it the shock of an outright war against the United States.  This was so far from the reaches of my mind just a few short hours prior. To help those who don't know, let me explain a bit of back story.  In 2001, I was pretty much going nowhere fast.  I had quit two jobs, was running on borrowed money, still at home, just doing nothing and trying to get by.  And then a few things went down for me.  My little sister had joined the Navy, and she was gone in bootcamp.  I had been seeing a guy that I thought actually liked me, and then one night I called him.  He sounded so cold, to this day I can still recall it.  I knew it was over...

I have had so much to say for so long that I think I may just burst into a million pieces if I don't get it all out.  There is much that I have been thinking about ton these last few runs.  A lot has been going on in our world and I think it's time I took a stance and made myself heard. About 8 weeks ago, a young lady ws reported missing from Brooklyn Iowa.  Her name was Mollie Tibbetts.  On a Tuesday, about two weeks ago, a body was discovered about 11 miles away from where she was last seen, presumed to be her body.  An arrest has been made and a man has been charged with first degree murder in the case.  I am so boiling angry over this I could scream. Let me start by saying I remember watching stories like this all the time growing up about runners who went missing.  There have been a couple that have ended up headless with their heads found floating in the canal where they used to run.  This is nothing new to me in this idea of runners bei...

You guessed it.. I have officially put in 100 workouts this year.  I am feeling pretty good about it today.  As such, it was suggested that we do a running streak from today until July 4th.  I can do that!  I was able to do a good streak last year which I think would be great for a summer goal.  See how far I can go.  I must log at least two miles for it so that's about two laps around the neighborhood.  I can do that.  Will add a lot of miles to my month and maybe I will be hitting those 100 miles a month again.  That's really cool to do.  I have been slacking for the last two months due to various reasons.  Now, I'm ready to get it going.  I like being outside and I find the thrill of the run something that I really hate to live without.  Now, I will have to add some stretching into this because it feels good.  And I am thinking some good meditation will have to come into play for this too. I feel like I have lost...