Well, it’s been a minute. I’ve had my first wedding anniversary, ran another 100, went to Europe, and (re)started a band since I wrote here last. Also during that time, some not great things have happened. Life is gonna life. It’s more beautiful and more difficult as I go.
Last summer we went to Paris and loved it. I ran in the streets and on the sidewalks and felt like I belonged there. We will go back for sure. Next we went to Montreaux, Switzerland for the jazz festival. It felt much less like we belonged there, but Montreaux is visually the most beautiful place I have ever been. Clear blue water with a backdrop of mountains. And vivid summer colors everywhere. Last, we went Chamonix- Mt. Blanc. Kind of have to reassess my recent statement on beautiful places almost immediately. I went on a hike there that redefined what “hike” means to me. Toughest ever and most rewarding ever. Anyway, the trip was great.
I started training for the 100 before the trip so I did have a little anxiety over losing fitness while we were over there. But it was fine. I ran the Tampa Bay 100 this time. I finished sub-24 again, which was the goal. Myke came down again and paced me. He was great and I couldn’t have done it without him. Same goes for Taynisha and Amber who were my crew. This 100 was special because it was in my home city. The finish line was less than a mile away from home and I can’t explain just how nice that was. To be in my own bed that morning was awesome.
I think I’ve learned how to train smarter as I’ve gotten older and had to deal with limitations. Just being older brings new challenges to running consistently. I’m really concentrating on honing form right now in order to minimize aches and pains I didn’t use to have. And there’s work obviously. I have to concentrate on how I walk at work because it affects how I run. It’s a constant effort in all aspects of my life to maintain running as a consistent and consistently enjoyable activity. But it’s worth it.
Going back to before the wedding, Jeff and I were working on a record. We finished it around the end of 2025. At some point we got to talking about playing the songs with a live band, like playing shows. So we found a bass player and a drummer and started practicing the songs. This was maybe January of this year. Maybe early February. Things are going well as of now. So far, we’ve played one live set of four songs. Roughly 15 minutes. I forgot a few words. There were other mistakes, by others. But it made us want to do it again. So that will continue.
I have to mention that, through my obsession with clothing, which I don’t think I’ve ever talked about, I recently met a friend who became a good friend, and then a great friend. And I recognized that there are people out there still who know what friendship is, what it means.
Last thing I’m gonna mention will be brief and then I’m gonna try to tie everything up and give it a positive send-off. My brother is sick. He got home from the hospital last night. I am going over there to see him today. We will learn more in time, but no need now to worry. It’s all love.
This is supposed to be a running blog. But I suppose things evolve. Running plans for the rest of the year are: maybe sign up for a 50k or 50 miler. Leaning towards 50k for a pace closer to 10 minutes a mile rather than 15. Vacation plans for the rest of the year are: end of April we are going to LA to chill and then Monterey for the IMSA race at Laguna Seca. Excited about that for sure. And later in the year Baltimore for the Maryland Cycling Classic. Hopefully there will be multiple trips to Baltimore this year (wink). Usually, in parting I make a statement regarding how often I plan to write here in the future. It always ends up being less than I plan. So no statement. I’ll be here when I’m here, I guess. I do hope it’s sooner than later.
(the second and third images don’t display correctly on some devices and I cannot figure out how to fix it; best on phone. I’m sorry :/)
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