My mom sent me a box of photo albums and journals that I didn’t bring with me to Colorado exactly 4 years ago. When I drove out west, I filled my car with what I needed for about a year: some clothes, some journals, my dog, backpacking and skiing gear. I really didn’t think I’d be out west as long as I have. My mom sent me these journals that I have been reading for the last 24 hours. One “nugget” - a poem from Robert Frost that I had on my bedroom wall that motivated me to keep moving forward. Now, as I re-read it, this is my new Mantra for upcoming races:
I run face forward. I am a pursuer. I seek a seeker who in his turn seeks another still, lost far in the distance. Any who seeks me, seek in me the seeker. My life is a pursuit of a pursuit forever.
-Robert Frost
Thanks Mom for sending this stuff. You’re the best. - Kristen
Today I tried for a long run. My marathon schedule for this race tells me that on Sunday I need to do a long run: 8 miles. But since I have Wednesday and Thursday’s off, Monday’s are my long run day. And, the temperature was 30 this morning-*so I thought a long run would be great. However, last night I had two glasses of wine from this winery, and running wasn’t really fun. The wine was very good: it was American Cabernet and the label has a man mountain biking. Nice marketing.
Lesson learned: no wine the night before a long run.
I got off my Kenny Chesney kick and now I’m listening to Jackson Browne. His music hits me at so many different times in my life: when I’m happy, sad, content, miserable. Today, The Fuse seemed to fit in perfectly with my life today. Here’s the ones that do:
And the years that I spent lost in the mystery
Fall away leaving only the sound of the drum
Like a part of me
It speaks to the heart of me
Forget what life used to be
You are what you choose to be
Its whatever it is you see
That life will become-*
Whatever it is you might think you have
You have nothing to lose
Through every dead and living thing
Time runs like a fuse
And the fuse is burning
And the earth is turning
All the local business can enter a contest to create the Best Mary Jane. Here’s is Destinations West’s version:
Who is Mary Jane and how is she affiliated with Winter Park Resort: From Winter Park Resort’s website:
A well-known madam and local lady of the evening, Mary Jane’s good fortune for services rendered would turn what was once a lonely sheep trail used for grazing into a highly sought-after winter playground. Mary Jane lived in the town of Arrow, about 3-4 miles up the old railroad bed.-* The parcel of land that is the base of Mary Jane sits on what-*was called the Mary Jane Placer.-* It is unknown whether Mary Jane bought this parcel of land with her earnings or if it was given to her by a grateful client.
While Mary Jane may have been a lady of ill repute, her namesake trail is one of the finest to be found anywhere in the country.
I just finished reading- Writing Life Stories by-Bill Roorbach. I”ve never heard this version of the writing life. Here is what he says and as of today, I know how true it is. This is what I will need to think about as I continue writing.
From the section Live as a Writer:
Rejection is painful and constant. And publication when it comes turns out to be emotional and difficult ,It’s nothing like what we’d dreamed. Turns out that handling all this is a large part of what being writer is about. A writer is someone who writes, it’s true but a writer is also someone with a large capacity for adversity. You’ll want to cultivate that capacity. Stamina is a writer, first quality.
But some of you have a higher vision. Some of you are going to keep at it no matter what. And while you work, I hope you keep something in mind: you don’t need to be jealous of other writers.
Writing isn,t a race or if it is, it’s only race against time, against yourself. What you’r pushing towards, growing toward, working toward is a place only you can occupy. It’s the pace to which you are capable of getting. It’s a place waiting for you, and no one can usurp it, no one else can occupy it.
When you cross the finish line it will change your life forever.
That’s what I’m hoping for, when I finish a Marathon in June.
This movie, Spirit of the Marathon,-*comes out in select movie theaters today. Chances are it’s not coming to Grand County (we only have one movie theater and I love that feature). I won’t be making the trek to the big city to see it but will check out the reviews and blog posts about it. http://www.deenakastor.com/
I got home from work at 8pm and decided to go for a run in the moonlight. It was warmer (20 degrees) than it was this morning (0 degrees) so I went for it. It was great to not need a headlamp but scary when some clouds came in and I couldn’t see the ground. But I made it home safe and feel great. Now, at 11:15 pm it is snowing and 18 degrees.
Robert Cormier said, “I think all readers, young and old, in any place or time, want to be told a story, the thousand variations of -*‘Once upon a time.’ … Styles change, slang changes, the music they love changes but the emotions of childhood and adolescence never change.”
I ran today for 45 minutes and felt great. I’ve been thinking about my new goals for this year and how much I really want to make them happen.
I’m really serious this year. I’m really motivated after taking a year off from triathlon.
I’m reading through all of my triathlon motivational material and found a pile of triathlon magazines in my closet. It was a sign. I’m sitting here drinking wine and surfing the net, and decided that it was time to sign up for the Long Course. I even debated for ten minutes about signing up for the Boulder Triathlon Series. But the reality of it is that I want to do a marathon,-*a 1/2 Ironman, and some smaller local road races, so ….
Betsy, Byron, and I skiied SolVista Saturday night. The shadows from the lights on the trails were-*really freaky, I thought someone was skiing up to me but it was my shadow.
Yesterday I skied with Greg aka Bolder in Boulder. I finally got to meet MY FAVORITE tri blogger. Here are some photos and a video.
The weather is finally back to the 20s and the sun was out.
The two funniest things from Greg:
1) while riding the Panoramic Lift: ,Aeupeople aren,Aeot suppose to be this high,Aeu
2) while having difficulties with snowboarders in the lift line: ,Aeuraise your children right so they don,Aeot grow up to be snowboarders,Aeu
Click here to view Greg skiing at Winter Park Resort.
