It’s been a while since I wrote in this blog and I’m committed to making a return! So here it is. A lot has happened since my last post, as usually happens with life over the course of a year. Perhaps the biggest of my updates is that I’m training for my first marathon. After approximately a year of heartbreak due to running injuries, I’ve been running strong and steady since January 2018 and I’m set to run Marathon2Marathon in late October.
I made a lot of rookie running mistakes in 2017 that led to a sprained ankle, a strained hip flexor and the worst of it all – an IT band injury. The IT band injury was the hardest injury to recover from and I’m honestly still a little traumatized from that injury. When I have more intense runs and when I race, there’s a nagging sense of worry and anxiety in the back of my mind. I fear getting hurt and not being able to run again. When I was recovering from my IT band injury, I had several dreams where I was running and felt so happy, only to wake up and feel sad that I was actually still injured and still could not run.
Happier days are here again though because I can run! And with the help of strength training, my running has improved and I’ve been clocking faster times and impressing myself along the way. I am by no means the speediest runner but that’s not why I run. Running is meditative and empowering and it allows me to spend that time outside that I crave deep down in my bones. I’ve started combining my love of running and hiking by doing races outside of national parks with Vacation Races. I ran the Yosemite Half in 2017 and the Zion Half earlier this year and I’m considering doing a trail race or an ultra through Vacation Races next year.
In the days and months ahead, you can expect to see running and training updates here, reviews of products I’m using in my training and during my hiking, camping and backpacking. And, of course, more accounts of my adventures exploring the outdoors, reconnecting with the land, reconnecting with myself. Hi there – it’s good to see you again.
