forest-fire

Run the Year Motto:  Run, Crawl, Walk, Conquer, Dominate 2,016 miles in 2016

 

July 2016 update:  Month o’ mighty family vacations – week in St. Louis, week in Montana.  Struggled to get in all my miles, but overall fairly consistent – missed only 6 days.  It’s summer time, I’ll take it.

 

2 month focus (July & August): ENDURANCE

Never been a summer runner – completing my miles, just getting it done in July & August will be a personal victory.

 

Race ReCap:  completed marathon #67 in Aspen, my 5th FULL in Colorado, 32nd consecutive month marathoning 🙂

Mileage ReCap:  Still on track, ended July at 1,171 miles (5 miles short of goal).

 

 

Run the Year – August Newsletter

 

When you take on a year long challenge like this, you have to remember that you are not perfect.  If you were perfect, there would be no room for improvement, no reason to make goals, take on challenges, or fight to improve who you are.

 

If you were perfect there would be no room to grow, to learn, to struggle, or to take on the impossible. Being imperfect is what makes you interesting, beautiful, complex, fun to talk to at parties.  Being imperfect forces you to strive for success and to understand that failure is part of the process.

 

This month, celebrate your imperfections.  Pick one thing to improve.  Maybe add an extra mile to your weekly log.  Maybe skip your afternoon snack.  No matter what you choose, choose it knowing that you will still not be perfect – but that’s what makes the progress feel so good.

 

Work day done, on the road by 6pm.  Thursday night in Casper, up early Friday & another 4 hours to Yellowstone – Ash & Tom’s first Park visit.  geysers, Rocky Mtn peaks, travel ‘cross 4 U.S. states – Colorado, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho – what’s not to love?

Could’ve travelled the traditional 8-hour route [I-80 West to Rock Springs, 2 hours north to Jackson] – but added an extra hour crisscrossing Wyoming, in search for Sacajawea’s grave site.  No regrets 🙂

  • traditional story: in 1805, the 15-year-old Shoshone travelled with Lewis & Clark and her French fur-trapper husband & an infant son.  She died in 1825.  Her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, lived among Anglos, travelled Europe, led a group of Mormons to California & later settled in Montana.
  • the myth: after the Lewis & Clark expedition, Sacajawea resettled to the Dakotas with two children, no husband – remarried & lived out her life with the Comanche.  After her husband’s death [in 1860], she returned to her people, the Mountain Shoshone, and died near Fort Washakie, Wyoming.

Fuel fill-up & another bag of pork rinds later, back on the road.  Drove thru a forest fire just outside of Dubois, before entering Grand Teton National Park – 45 minutes later, Yellowstone.  Tagged front-row benches at Old Faithful & experienced a first rate show – hot water sprayed from the Earth a full 5 minutes.  Sharing the moment with Ash & Tom, even better.  GREAT memory.

Walked the Upper Geyser Basin, passing named geysers along a wooden boardwalk — like visiting a ‘geyser’ zoo.  Morning Glory Pool, Castle Geyser, Rocket Geyser…each unique, each its own story – some erupt, others shake, simmer & boil.  Caught a 2nd viewing of Old Faithful before car hopping further.

Fave place of the Park – Midway Geyser Basin – in particular, Grand Prismatic Spring.  Reds, yellows, blues, greens & oranges – minerals rainbow-coloured the landscape.  Steam from these geysers created a hot humid mist – like walking thru a steamy billowing fog.

No place else on Earth – gotta/hafta/MUST see.

Spent our remaining daylight exploring a family of geysers – Artists Paintpots – before exiting west into Montana & another hour north to Ennis, where our 2-day cabin digs awaited (lotta driving, thanks Tom).

No marathon tomorrow.  historic Virginia City, Grizzly Discovery Center & a 2nd half-day in Yellowstone – still must see the Falls!

 

 

Yellowstone: Part 1 – Great Geysers

 

Last year set the template for all future birthdays — National Park visit, local hike & dessert 🙂

  • birthday month Nat’l Park visit: Crater Lake National Park.  Check.
  • trail ran 10+ miles at White Ranch Open Space in Golden, 2 loops of hike & hills in summer heat.  Check.
  • took advantage of Ash & Tom’s grilling skillz — chicken, grilled peaches & corn on the cob Friday; rib eye steak Saturday.  Top that with homemade birthday cake: lemon curd, cream cheese icing, adorned with candied lemons.  FAAANNNTASTIC!

Kicked off Birthday Week 2015 with dinner theatre in Boulder, front row table to Mary Poppins.  Super fun Thursday, Chim-chimney!

Ended Birthday week at the Shambhala Mountain Center, an hour west of Fort Collins.  Quiet, peaceful alone time, deep in the Colorado Rockies.  Good place to reflect — where I am, where I’ve been, where I’m going.

excerpt from buddhism & gnomes, October 2013

 

Don’t expect this to be a popular viewpoint, but I believe my God loves all his people & works through a series of faiths/religions to develop & activate our spirituality. HUGE fan of prayer & meditation.

 

I’m not a follower of Happy Buddha [I’m Christian], so why go?  I challenge you to put your mind in the right place – push out judgment & preconceived ideas – get quiet, close your eyes, breathe, pray/meditate.

Diggin’ birthday month — lookin’ forward to 2016 🙂