"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity."~Louis Pasteur

This is a picture of me finishing my very first marathon. I love this horrible picture of me. It shows in my whole body how hard it was for me to finish that race. My body looks as it was, incredibly tense. My neck looks like it might burst, my legs look exhausted, I look as if I might collapse and I can barely look up at the photographer who is standing at the finish line. Running that distance may have gotten easier, but it is never easy. That race and every race since could never have been completed if I didn't want to succeed, if I ever had any doubt in my abilities.

..and since when did drinking from the hose become a bad thing?"

"Life is short. Let your kids play with the sprinklers in the front yard with their clothes on and goggles, let them jump on the beds, let them sit in the mud puddles, let them split your last piece of bubble gum, put chocolate chips in their pancakes...

Don't Quit

Quitting is not an option.
I bought this shirt my 2nd year of marathon training. I bought it because I almost quit my first year. I remember having my walk of shame back to my house as I was convinced that I was done with marathon training. I decided that I was not going to run my first marathon. Why? It was too hard. I took about a week off and something clicked inside me. I said “no, I don’t want to quit”. I started training again and I ran that first marathon. It turned out to be the best physical experience that I had ever experienced. I am glad that I didn’t quit because since then I have accomplished a lot with my running, I am very proud of myself.
Now “don’t quit” is a value that I teach my children continuously.
So, don’t quit because you think it is too hard, don’t quit because you don’t feel like it, don’t quit because you think it no longer suits you, and don’t quit because of others opinions. Don’t quit because if you do, you’ll never find out the rewards for finishing that task.

This shows only a 1/4 of the view that I see from my backyard. Out in the field behind our backyard, normally when it is cool and it's early will sit up to a 100 Canadian Geese. They sit until they fly away in their perfect formation. It is also amazing to watch them fly up above, they fill the air with noise like a musical instrument. This is one of the reasons that I will miss my home when we sell. I am in awe of the Geese.

"Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking."Jackson Browne

Wildwood in Forest Park. This is my playground. I run here every weekend. I have run many, many miles here. I know every inch of this trail. I love the trail. This is the one spot that I find such freedom and accomplishments. I can throw off my mommy, wife, neighbor hat and just be me. I can get as muddy as I want. I can yell, sing, cry out in pain, I can pee in the woods. Ha! It is so freeing coming here. I love it. Last weekend, I noticed a woodpecker up in the trees. I noticed him after he dropped pieces from the tree on my head. Yes this is my playground.

Here is a common picture of my shoes after I hit the Wildwood trail. I do believe these are/were a new pair of shoes. I train/play hard. I remember the night before my ultramarathon last year, my husband started cleaning my shoes...he said "I thought you'd want them clean before your race" Umm hello?