I haven't posted in awhile. Mostly b/c I lost my Mac in the move. But now I have it back!!!! Long story, but Woo-hoo for a happy ending!!!
We have been in CO for over 6 weeks now. I truly love getting to live here. The mountains are breath taking and I am just in shock over how lovely this summer is. I am actually liking summer...something new to me. Running has been wonderful, too. It is cool in the mornings and evenings and warm for most of the day, so I can run any time I get the chance and enjoy it. This weekend I'm running a race. It is an 8k mountain race. Daniel signed me up for it. I have no clue how I will do. I have never run any sort of race like this. I could see doing awesome, but I haven't been training with this race in mind, and it is sorta a top notch race. Money prizes for the top5 finishers and the top 2 earn a spot on a racing team. While I realize I could place in the top 5, I truly don't expect to. I've been focusing on a 100miler in October. Lots of long runs- some easy, some tempo stuff, hills, and fartleks. Nothing under 7 miles. BUT I have put in some awesome fast 27mile trail run... Still, this hard 8k will be just a killer. VERY different from what I am use to. No loss, though. I have enjoyed the down time and mileage drop the last 2 weeks. And I will get to meet some of Colorado's top runners.
(WARNING: Personal info to follow)
Unfortunately this is a bad time for me to race. I always run like crap the week leading up to the start of my cycle. I know this is likely too much info for some, but monthly cycles are a large part of racing, being I have a 1 in 4 chance of a race landing on a "bad" week for me. I hate that I can't run close to the same speeds the week before my cycle. I have tried changing my diet, drinking more, sleeping more, but nothing seems to help. I just can't run as fast this week. But starting on day 1 and some times a day or two before, I am back to 100%. I am hoping Sunday is close enough to day 1 for me to do well. Too bad. Luck of the draw, I guess.

On another personal note, I was happy to see that I can take Effexor XR and train and race legally under USATF rules. I wish I didn't need that med., but it makes all the deference for me. It is funny to me how people so often assume that endurance athletes have it all together. But the truth is, forcing myself to find the strength and focus to train and race ultra events has helped me deal sanely with the rest of my life. Maybe getting to be extrema in one area tames the others. Or maybe getting to prove to myself through training and racing that I am capable of doing and handling so much more then I thought I could gives me the drive to live my everyday life. I don't know exactly why, but I do know that running helps me. My running has changed me and my life in ways I never would have imagined. Unfortunately, running isn't enough. This part is hard for me. I want to be strong enough. I want to be able to pull resources and tap into unseen strength from my Father and other beings, and that be more then enough. There is a song "All of You, is more then enough for, all of me..." That song makes me cry. Oh how I wish that were true. I long for that. But I am made weak...without Effexor, I am far from the athlete, mother, person I believe I was created to be. That is the simple truth. Getting out of bed can be hard, playing with my children imposable. It is something I just don't understand. But I am grateful that God made people smart enough to create this drug and gave my doctor the wisdom to get me to try it. I wish I didn't need it, but I am grateful that I have it.

It's time to go to the park. "What?," you say. "Go to the park at 12:20pm in July?"
Yeppers. I'll get my Diet Mountain Dew, drive my kids to a park, and read while they play. It will be awesome, because the humidity is low and it is likely under 90. :)