Miles:
2032 total / 281 in 2013
Goal:

Rain pain-free, even if it's only once, before the ball drops on December 31st.

Rob Brooks on this most gorgeous...

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On this most gorgeous of Fridays, after greeting the dawn with an AMAZING daybreak run, a few hours later I remain awash in the most profound sense of gratitude and wonder. It's no accident I ended my run summary with:

"Life is awesome. The universe is awesome. I love to run. And I love you guys."

I'm just in that zone of deep sentimentality this morning. I know that running under the moonlight, and into the rising of the sun, has a lot to do with it. The moon and stars always provide me with an instant burst of "we are all but grains of sand" type of perspective; as I ran I reflected on all of the many things I have to be thankful for. My incredibly strong and inspiring spouse, my beautiful children, 29 years (and counting!) of cello playing, the fact that 18 months ago I was heavy, sedentary and unhappy, and now I can run/meditate for 7.5 miles without wanting to topple over and pass out. And more!

It's also no coincidence that I gravitated to Mahler (in this case, the 5th symphony) on my run. He's my go-to composer when I need to shift my focus inward.

This run reminded me a lot of my INSANE Rob-vs-himself solstice run back in December (minus the crazy temps and the near-frostbite) in terms of my heart and mind flowing in conjunction with my body. I followed my legs wherever they wanted to take me – no consistency on this run – and the splits reflected that accurately (10:10, 10:51, 9:08, 9:21, 8:49 (!), 9:42, 8:25 (!!), 9:14). At different times I felt like I was plodding, others like I was flying, and others I just let go and walked. I let my spirit guide me.

I never get tired of saying how mind-blowingly great this community is. I could thank you all every day for the rest of my life and it wouldn't be nearly enough to reflect the gratitude I feel for being here. xo

about 1 year ago