Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I've Got Strep



And this is what I do instead of train/blog:


This is the first time I've ever had strep. Lemme tell ya -- it sucks. My throat is on fire. Mostly, I'm annoyed because (a) I'd really like to be outside training and (b) I have a race on Saturday.

Oh yeah, and less than eight weeks to Iron Louie.

Here's hoping I have something lovely to blog about come Saturday.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

I'm a Country Runner



June 30 was the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Iowa. I celebrated with a short (40 minutes is short now?) run. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this, but I get a unique joy from running on country roads that I just don't get from neighborhood running.

Don't get me wrong, the neighborhoods of Iowa City have a special brand of serenity and peace that I've not found anywhere else. But the Zen of country running is on a level all its own. As I was pondering this entry, I happened upon a post on the Zen of Running. Reading through it, I realized that I get this from all the sports in triathlon. I'd say that breathing is particularly meditative for me when I swim, but contemplation and being in the moment are what buoy me on the bike and run.

I suppose this also explains why I haven't been blogging as much as of late. At first, I thought it was something about only being able to train or blog, but not both at the same time. But mostly, I've just been more introspective and in my own head for quite a while now. It's probably for that reason I'm unable to render this feeling in a satisfactory way.

Happy running.