Run = Power

Run = Power
Bike = Freedom
Hike = Wonder
Skate = Fly
Lift = Strength
Tai Chi = Peace

February Accountability

February totals:
18.5 miles run
1 mile hiked
3 miles skied
4 classes of Tai chi
1 session of stretching
4 sessions of weightlifting

Two month totals:
38.45 miles run
8.5 miles hiked
9.4 miles biked
6 miles skied
6 classes of Tai chi
1 session of rowing
3 sessions of stretching
7 sessions of weightlifting

Tonight we had an hour between the end of the work day and sunset, so we headed to the park for a brief hike and the hope of seeing some birds.  There were just a few out, mostly cardinals, and a few deer.

The weather and my work have been co-conspirators in keeping me inside.  Spending some time in the quiet forest was just the tonic I needed tonight.

Cabin fever

I leave the house in nostril freezing -5 degrees, and started the work week wearing layers and layers.  I watch myself this winter, observing when I tire of the cold, when I revel in the beauty of the snow, when I ache for sun.  Even though I'm a native Midwesterner, this first winter in a decade is becoming a tough go.

So yesterday, when I was casting about in a funk, determined to not spend another cold day shut inside, I was delighted when Monte suggested a Sunday drive to Fairfield.  (It has been too icy for a trailrun in the forest for nearly a month now, and our indoor track run was cut short for preparations for a meet. So we haven't been OUT is a good long while.)

To see the roll of the land again, and the sun, and the soft blue sky did wonders for my mood.  I need the land, having spent so much time outdoors the last ten years.  I need the sky and the serendipity of doing something off-schedule.

Inside the café on the square in Fairfield, see the violinist's bow?

We traveled down secondary highways, highways with W before them (as in W41) and highways with sometimes hopeful and sometimes descriptive names like Pleasant Plain Road. 

We had the good fortune to land in an open café/coffeehouse on the Fairfield downtown square where people were knitting, playing violin, engaged in long conversations, or just passing time.

And I was reminded how easily we get into a routine, how quickly the winter becomes long, how important it is to be mindful of when we need a jolt of something new--a new place, a new adventure, a new view to life.  If anything, this Iowa escapade is just that--an exercise to examine the ways the frontier can fit (and maybe are needed) in ordinary life.

Finding wonder every day: October 6/February 3

Same place, just steps from my office door.  This little hillside tugs at me every day; it is my last reminder that nature is steady, the world is patient.  It says, "Go in there and do good things.  But do not take the struggles of the day so seriously, there is a wonderful world out there waiting for you when the day is done."

January Accountability

January totals:
19.95 miles run (trail runs and at the gym)
7.5 miles walk/hike
3 times out on cross-country skis
9.4 miles on bike (inside and outside)
2 tai chi classes
1 session on the rowing machine
3 sessions using weight machines at the gym
2 early morning stretching sessions

But the most important total:  SEVEN days in the forest.  In the rain, the snow, ice and sun, being outside makes me a happy girl.

This Girl Can (again) for the Mommies

Another great video from the UK campaign to get women moving, This Girl Can.  I am so moved by this effort to encourage physical activity and help women feel good about it.

If you're a mama, you might be interested in my friend Natalie's new project and facebook page, Mamas of the Big Bend: It Takes a Desert.  Natalie is collecting stories about "exceptional mamas unified by the wild, beautiful desert."  If you have a story to share about being a mama in the Big Bend of Texas, "like" her page and get in touch. 

The Most Romantic Gift

There's no better evening than one spent absorbed in a map, for it is one full of dreams and possibilities.  Think of yourself at the peak of the mountain, or tucked into a canyon looking for shade or your feet dangling in a stream. 

Research shows vacationers are happiest planning a trip.  They're happier before than during or after.  So take all the time you want to plan, and savor the experience.  What better feeling to share with someone special?

We were inspired by all the trailmaps we picked up at last weekend's Iowa Bike Expo, an event by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.  Add those trail maps to our state atlas, and we've got hours of planning to do.