My Goofy Perspective

Good morning.

Fall weather seems to have finally showed it's cooler face around here and It feels refreshing. The breeze seems to help the trees rid themselves of their canopy of leaves. Sometimes it's like it is snowing leaves as they bounce off my head and shoulders on their way to Earth.

The tree in my front yard always seems to be the last to give up it's clothing. It will hang on and on and on and then one day the tree will give up all it's leaves at one time. Then, hello rake.

I have been recovering nicely from the Chicago Marathon. The body feels better each day that passes. Active recovery which includes the elliptical, bike and pool keeps the body in movement allowing new healthy blood to replace the old. Active recovery works well for me.

During this time I enjoy reflecting back on what made my marathon a success. Compared to many other runners I did not run anywhere near the amount of training miles that I thought I needed for a Chicago PR.

I had to blend marathon training with triathlon training. My highest running mileage week was a little over 40 and those were few . But, there were other types of miles, like biking.

The training runs that I did do were great. My speed and endurance were more than I expected. My heart rate data was so good at hard paces. There is a lot of room for more speed and endurance from me.

So, I did learn that I can successfully be a triathlete and runner.

Another thing that helped me on race day was how I trained. I am fortunate to like heat.

Most, 90% plus, of my runs over the summer were done in the hottest part of the afternoon. I did not care what the mileage was or the temperature. I'd wait until late afternoon and start my trek. I look at this as part of the challenge.

I heard a saying once and I've always liked thinking about it. Namely,

You have to enjoy the day you have, not the day you want.

I also have another thought about running in difficult weather:

Anyone can run well in perfect conditions. Wouldn't/doesn't it have more intrinsic meaning to do your best in difficult conditions? It is the toughest battles that have the most meaning.

So, that is how I approach life and running and triathlon. Sometimes it's easier said than done but it does get done. There is always a lesson to learn.

Find that "Silver Lining."


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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin