Time Flies

Wow, I can’t believe it has been nearly 4 months since I received the bad news of my sacral stress fracture. As it turns out, time flies- even when you are injured!
I have been extremely busy the last few months. I caught up on visiting with friends and family. I took care of a few photo shoots. I was a fangirl at the Boston Marathon and the Payton Jordan Invite. I flew to Seattle to get down and dirty with Nuun and Oiselle. I rehabbed and cross trained like a champ. And most importantly, I finally got Podium Retreats with Kara Goucher up and running.

Colt keeping me company during one of my AlterG workouts.

First things first. I am healthy! After a couple of months missing running like crazy, I am back up and at it. I started out slow on an AlterG treadmill at a very low body weight percentage, but over the course of a few weeks I built my strength up and on June 2nd I ran my first steps outdoors. I have carefully and methodically progressed and am thrilled to report that I ran 82 miles last week! I’m still doing a little bit of it on the AlterG, but I have started to introduce harder sessions and long runs. I am so happy to be back running and training. Although I accomplished a lot in my personal life while I was injured, I crave my training blocks and preparing for a big race goal. I worked really hard at my rehab and continue to do so. One positive thing to come out of all of this? I finally addressed weaknesses that I still have left over from my pregnancy. And Colt will be 4 this September! I am feeling really lucky to be getting back into a heavy load as the summer is starting. The weather is beautiful and I appreciate every run I am able to do. I know that some day I’ll be about to start a 20 miler and be dreading it, but so far the novelty has not worn off. I’m feeling so blessed to be able to do what I love.

But, if being injured gave me one great thing, it was that I finally took the plunge and got my Podium Retreats going! I have dreamt of doing a running retreat with women for about 3 years now. A few years ago I started to appreciate the really strong connections with runners and fans that I would meet at races and expos. I was reminded of how connected we all are and I started to want to help other women feel empowered and capable. I asked a few friends of mine with amazing skills (other than running) if they would be willing to participate and help educate, and then I let it sit on the back burner. I honestly didn’t know if the retreats would ever evolve into more than just an idea, but during this injury I finally got the nerve to get it going. Encouragement from a few good friends, and especially my husband Adam, made me realize that even though it was scary to put on such an event, I really wanted to host it. And so with a lot of work, and a few frustrated tears, Podium Retreats with Kara Goucher was born. The first one is being held in Napa, CA next month and we still have a few spots available for registration.

Why Napa? Well, after living in Oregon for a few years, I have learned to love and appreciate wine and sharing it with my girlfriends. I still can’t believe that it has all come together and I can’t wait to hang out and appreciate life with other women. I am beyond excited about it.

So what’s next? Well, I continue to improve on my fitness. Each week I add more miles and more quality. I continue to work on my rehab. I have a few more photo shoots planned this month, and then next month it is off to Napa for a few days before things start to get really serious. I am eyeing a fall marathon and I have big goals for it. I haven’t stood on the podium for a couple of years now and I’ve really missed it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll learn something at Podium Retreats that finally gets me back to that place.

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer running and working towards the goals that you have set for yourself. If I don’t see you in Napa, I’ll see you on the roads!

• Older
• Newer