Running …

… because I can … because it's fun … because it's healthy … just BECAUSE.

Tag Archives: blogging

Falling back in love?

My favorite quote of the weekend was during Dave McGillivray's presentation. Dave is the Boston Marathon race director.

My favorite quote of the weekend was during Dave McGillivray’s presentation. Dave is the Boston Marathon race director.

For much of the past year, I have felt disconnected from the running world. I’ve had so many more downs than ups since I fell apart at the Richmond Marathon. Without diving into it too much, before this weekend I found myself glad I’ve given myself this break.

No pressure, no major goals, no thinking about running other than doing enough to not get too far off track, no getting wrapped up in what other people were doing.

After my experience this weekend at the Runner’s World Festival, though, I know that it’s time for change. In my mind I’ve been ready to make some changes, but I haven’t pushed myself enough to take action.

It’s time to refresh my goals. Really refresh them. And be realistic about them. And be harder on myself as I get closer to them.

I can get into all that later, as this post really isn’t about me. It’s about this group of 20 people over the weekend who have help me realize I need a new path.

As a full disclaimer, Runner’s World paid for my trip to Bethlehem, Pa., and treated 20 of us bloggers to an experience like no other.

While the swag was nice, the experience of meeting so many people I knew by blog name or Twitter name only is what made this weekend truly special.

It’s easy to say that this weekend is the moment where I fell back in love with running, but I won’t know if that’s true for another month or so. Like any good relationship, it’s going to take time to figure that part out.

As I think about how I want to really sum up the weekend, I have trouble finding the right words. Fellow blogger and #fitblog founder Katy (who was the inspiration for starting #runchat) said it best in her post:

From the Runner’s World staff and editors to the volunteers to the passionate sponsors who seemed truly excited to meet and work with us, this weekend affected me deeply. Thank you is not enough …

For those of who blog regularly or enjoy conversations on Twitter, I have to blunt with you: don’t hide behind your phones or computer screens.

Go to races. Socialize. Meet other people you think you know so well. You’ll be rewarded with experiences that will change you forever.

As for the actual running this weekend? I’ll save that unexpected story for later in the week.

Thanks to Running Skirts for hooking up me, Scott and Bart Yasso with a skirt at the Skirt Olympics.

Thanks to Running Skirts for hooking up me, Scott and Bart Yasso with a skirt at the Skirt Olympics.

Bloggers at the Altra clinic.

Bloggers at the Altra clinic.

The Running is ... board from Altra.

The Running is … board from Altra.

Runner's World cookbook

Runner’s World cookbook

Awesome items from Icon Fitness

Awesome items from Icon Fitness

Eat Run Repeat and Stuftmama with their tiny silverware.

Eat Run Repeat and Stuftmama with their tiny silverware.

Scott and I with #fitblog founder Katy, our inspiration for #RunChat

Scott and I with #fitblog founder Katy, our inspiration for #RunChat

A huge thanks goes out to sponsors who provided gear or other information directly to the bloggers at the Runner’s World Festival: Altra, Running Skirts, Ortholite, Icon Fitness, Bondi Band, Injinji, PRO Compression, SPIBelt, The Stick, Wild Planet, Belvita, Deer Park Water (Nestle), Run Donna, and Bermuda Marathon.

Changes

I’ve been quiet in my usual loud places — mainly here with very few running-specific posts; I haven’t left many comments on dailymile; and I haven’t been on Twitter much.

Some of this was intentional — I needed the break from talking about and thinking about running — but I’ve also had a lot going on outside my running world.

If you have followed me along regularly, you know that I rarely talk about work. I started this blog 5 years ago at a time when my career was at a crossroads. Shortly after I started writing, I made a career shift and moved to Richmond, Va.

That career shift, though, was the beginning of what has turned into a string of learning experiences. Call them mistakes or hiccups or whatever — I’ve learned from them all, but haven’t been happy professionally.

Last week, though, I returned to Richmond for a job interview. Long story short, my interview day (and phone interviews before) went well. The interviews didn’t feel like interviews — they felt like conversations. I immediately felt like I fit in.

So in a quick turn of events in my life, I will be moving back to Richmond very soon. By “very soon” I mean that I start my job next week.

Since I don’t mix my career and this blog often, where exactly I’m going and doing isn’t an important thing to discuss on here right now.

Just know that my running will continue and my blogging will continue as well. It may be a while, though, before I can have enough time to leave comments on other blogs or chat on Twitter much. That “normal” part of my life will come later this summer.

3 things: Changes

You may have noticed a few changes around here if you’re a regular visitor. After two years of the same design, and as a way to celebrate 5 years of blogging, I worked with Ryan Sullivan to give my site a fresh look.

My request to him was to keep it simple: keep it easy to read, easy to share posts with others, easy to navigate, and easy to leave comments.

I also wanted to keep a “green” theme as that has become my go-to color for many things in recent years.

So far, so good.

Since it’s Thursday, I thought I’d introduce 3 changes to my blog that you may not have noticed:

1. Email subscription
I’m a huge Google Reader fan, but in the past few months I’ve had a few questions about getting an email subscription. To sign up, simply fill out the box on the top right of the page. Enter your name, email address and click “Subscribe.”

You’ll get an email to confirm your subscription. Whenever I post, you’ll get a link to the latest post. The first post went out before that part was finalized, so I apologize to the few people who had already subscribed for getting a weird email. The one for this post should show up as normal.

2. Upcoming Races page
It’s as simple as it sounds — if I’ve signed up for a race, you’ll find it on that page.

3. Blog Archive
This is a section I’m still working on as I re-categorize old posts, but this will be a quick and easy way to find older posts.

Thanks to Ryan for some great work on these changes. As far as my blogging goes, don’t expect anything major to change.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net