Oh hey! I'm still here. What did you think, I ran the Boston Marathon and fell off the face of the blogosphere? Not a chance. Alas, I'm still in constant motion between work demands, training for a half marathon in Asheville June 9, catching up with friends and keeping my crazy kitty Cleo out of the fridge. The other day, my Dad shared a gem of advice his daddy, my Papa, used to say -- "give …
Recent Posts
Boston 2018: Together Forward
We weave in and out of runners cloaked in full body ponchos, dodge massive puddles, grit our teeth through 30 mph head winds while the freezing cold, driving rain soaks us to the bone. The smile never leaves my face. This is the Boston Marathon. The words “Together Forward” cover marathon banners around town all weekend. How telling, foreshadowing, really. You see, together forward is …
Visualizing Boston
I’m boarding a plane to Boston. My heart drops into my stomach. It’s here. Boston weekend is here! I’m standing at the start line. Adrenaline rushes through my arms, legs, all the way to the tips of my toes. You worked so hard to get to this very place. Soak it up. The crowds, the course, the energy. I’m pushing through mile 25. You trained for this, Helen. It’s all mental toughness now. You know …
Keep Calm and Taper On
Here we are... 12 days away from the Boston Marathon. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hold my kombucha while I jump up and down and twirl in circles and check the weather 47 times every two hours. IT IS TIME TO TAPER!! What do you know about the taper? Runners have a love-hate relationship with the taper. Tapering is when you take the last 2-3 weeks before race day to gradually decrease …
You Gotta Run Fast to Run Fast: Why I Do Speedwork
One very dark, cool Wednesday morning in September, I walked onto the Alexander Graham Middle School track with 30 or so other runners. It was 5:30 in the morning. My mother would say that’s the middle of the night. A former high school cross-country runner and soccer player, I never competed on a track, never trained on a track and until last fall, avoided running on a track at all cost. But …