It's been something...
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I feel like right now I am in one of the phases of my life where it looks like everything is coming together, things are good, and I am thriving. And yes, things are in fact good overall. I am grateful and appreciative of my life, the beauty and richness it brings. However, I'll be honest, the last few weeks have been really tough from a motivation standpoint in my recovery. It's not that I regret the surgery; I have not had that thought even once in the past five and a half months, but six months in feels like playing the long game; to me, it feels like I should be so much further along than I am. The voice telling me to skip my calf exercises or PT exercises is really loud right now, and is likely going to be even louder as I head into my busiest two weeks of the year. I want to be able to work towards something, a 100k sometime in the spring feels right...and yet, as I head to Chicago this weekend, signed up to run the Abbott Chicago 5k, knowing I won't be able to run the whole thing, something that seemed unimaginable a few months ago, makes it hard to visualize how a 100k could be anywhere within my future. The difficulty is that in these moments, the times like now, when something big and scary feels so impossible, we forget that every little step, no matter how small, counts. Even if, like at this phase, sometimes four steps forward can result in three back, it's still a step forward. Maybe I will get to train for a race in the spring, maybe I won't be ready, and either way, I'll be okay; either way, I will still be me; I still have a lot to be grateful for in my life; I still have a lot to offer the world. I am interested to see how I handle the next few weeks, when everything is all about races and doing your best and pushing yourself. Will it make it harder to know how far away I am or make it easier to see that each of these moments is all part of the journey? I am not sure, but you know I'll report back... This week on the Running For Real podcast...Here's the official description: David Roche smashed the 19-year-old course record at the Leadville Trail 100 Run this year. It was the first time that he’d run 100 miles, and even more incredibly, only months after a very different kind of smash. In April, while riding his bike, he was hit by a car and thrown 100 feet through the air and into a ditch, sustaining lacerations, a broken wrist, and a concussion. Far from derailing his training and aspirations, the accident intensified his motivation. Here's the real deal: As David ran by me in the crew areas multiple times during the Leadville 100, I could not believe what I was seeing. I will be honest; at times I doubted he could hold it, surely not? His first 100 miles, to be that far ahead, to be going for a course record that had stood for that long?! And yet every time, in true David Roche style, he came by with joy, gratitude, and a love for his sport all over his face. It was really amazing to see. I had so many questions, and I couldn't wait to ask them. Now I have, and you get to hear what Leadville 100 really meant to David.
ChicagoIf you or any friends are running Chicago this weekend (or going to spectate), here are some things to know (or forward to friends who are):
TorontoFriday, 18th October at 12:30 p.m., join me for plogging with Canada Running Series (who puts on the race) and Trans Canada Trail.
Saturday, 19th October at 11:40 a.m., I am moderating a panel at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon expo. See you there? Sunday, 20th October, I will be with the Green Team; hope to see you! New YorkFriday, 1st November, we will host a plogging event at 9:30 a.m. from the NYRR Run Center.
Saturday, 2nd November, I will run the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5k in my trash skirt in the morning. In the afternoon I will be in a panel at 12 p.m., and at the NYRR booth another time that afternoon (or maybe Thursday, stay tuned) with copies of my book. Sunday, 3rd November, I will be with NYRR's Team For Climate and the Green Team. I was on an all-star panel with Precision Fueling and Hydration last weekend, about fueling your next marathon. I thought I knew a lot about marathon fueling, but I learned a lot, and you will too.
Come to the Boston Run show March 1-2, 2025; you can get a free ticket with my link below We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. E. M. Forster Thanks to our partner, TracksmithGuess what! It's Brighton Base Long Sleeve time of year, and I LOVE it! I have already worn mine multiple times in this early fall season, and yesterday I wore it on the bike on a chilly morning. Within a few minutes I thought maybe I had made the wrong choice and was going to be too hot, but as always with that beautiful material, my body settled in to the temperature, and it somehow simultaneously kept my body cool and warm at the same time, as I tackled hard hills. It lasts and lasts and lasts, and can seemingly handle any conditions. My favorite Tracksmith item of all time. Use code TINANEW for $15 off your order of $75 or more as a new customer, or use code TINAGIVE for free shipping, if you are a previous customer. -- Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours. Enjoying these? Why not forward to a friend who may enjoy. Encourage them to sign up and get these emails too. And if you missed an email, or would like to reread one, you can find past newsletters here. |
Running For Real
Hi from Olympic Valley, California, where we are a few days away from the 2025 Western States 100 mile race. When I used to interview ultra runners on Running For Real, I kinda saw it as this far-removed, distant sport that I didn't so much feel connected to, but admired from afar. Kinda a "Wow, thats cool; good for you...not for me." As you likely know, those times have changed. I would put myself in the trail runner bucket. Trail running was always in there, just hibernating. My early cross...
Monday through Wednesday this week, I attended Race Management Program, an annual conference for race organizers to learn from one another and hear what they should be prioritizing in the years to come. A few months ago, the COO for Chicago Event Management (which puts on the Bank of America Chicago Marathon), Mike Nishi, emailed me, asking if I was going to attend. To which I said, no. A few weeks later, he invited me to lead a "warmup session," a workshop the day before the event began. I...
Last week I went to Zoë's wedding. It was beautiful. That said, it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned the day to be. A few days prior, Chloe started not feeling well: headache, lethargy, fever, generally out of it. That continued onto wedding day, when we concluded it was altitude sickness. We rested her up, hoping she and Steve could go for an hour or so. I went to the ceremony alone and then went back to get them for the reception... Chloe was not well enough, so Bailey and I got in the...