To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else. - Emily Dickinson

Life is always full of surprises, both good and bad. If you do it right, there is definitely never a dull moment. Sometimes, the trick lies in making the right choices about how you deal with what is thrown at you. Recently, I have handled some things well and some things badly. Sigh.

On the injury front, my achilles is so much better! Yeah! As I mentioned, I listened to my doc and stopped running. I was finally able to resume this week and it feels great. I'm not going crazy with it, though, just getting back in the groove, putting in easy miles. And at this point, this matters because I need to get busy if I plan to race this year!

With some races still up in the air, I'm going to have to change my schedule. I don't think I will have enough time to do a 100 miler in March like I had intended. I want my achilles to be super strong because I think I will be running on an asphalt course again and it just beats the snot out of my ligaments and tendons. I'd like to break 130 miles this year, so physical health is of utmost importance. This means lots of miles (my favorite), good nutrition (not my favorite), and lots of rest. I think I will have more company this training cycle because some of my running group has decided to train for a 50 miler (probably PCT - the best 50 miler!) and they want some longer runs. This will be awesome, because I've always had to do most my of miles alone. I will love the company!

Right now, I'm making beef barley soup. There is a nasty bug going around and Tim is laid up with it. We had to cancel a trip to Cloudcroft for sledding because he wasn't fit to travel. Hopefully a little homemade soup and some rest will have him back on his feet soon. So, tomorrow, my intended rest day, will be a long run/walk day.

Next weekend, I'm going to Rock n Roll Phoenix. I was planning to pace my nephew, but now I'm just going to jog/walk it. Some good friends, Salvador and Luis, have agreed to take over pacing duties since I can't risk hurting myself again. What would we do without our friends? It will be a fun weekend, as about 20 people from our running group are going - we always have a blast together!

Back to my soup! Happy Running!