The more things change, the more they stay the same. My mantra for this coming Salton Sea is one that relates to the passage of time, the gaining of new wisdom and insights, yet the runner's habit of sticking with what works. Sunday will kick off my third attempt (and hopefully, finish) of Salton Sea, the closest training run I can get to emulating the "real Badwater experience". My first year included temps around 106, a severe sand storm and sleet once the sun set and the journey up Palomar commenced. Last year, I was lucky and temps remained right around 100. There was no sandstorm, no sleet... no crazy weather. I can only hope for the same this year. 

​As they say, "third time's a charm..."

I found my original running blog, "I Run, Therefore, I Blog" preserved in the Way Back Machine. To say it's inspiring to go back and re-read the beginnings of my running career is quite the understatement. 

It made me realize I miss blogging. I miss pacing. And I miss the people I used to meet trying hard to qualify for Boston, break 4 hours or just prove to themselves and the world, that they are athletes. 

I'll continue to add the old entries but start with May 2010 just over there -------->

​You'll catch a glimpse into where I came from and maybe get a better understanding of what motivates me. Thanks for reading. I promise not to let this one die again. 

What can I say? Life got in the way and I realized tonight that in the midst of all that life, I had forgotten to stay true what I promised to do - get back to blogging and running. 

RR100 left me with a bit of a strange foot injury and after 8 weeks of PT and doing everything BUT run, i have made a quick comeback, just in time to get on the training horse, albeit slightly late. 

So three weekends ago I came back with my first real run, a trail marathon. What made it unique was that for an early April day, it snowed. It was a disgusting, sloppy, muddy mess but it didn't matter. For the first time in two months, I ran and it was WONDERFUL. 

Fast forward a week later and I found myself toeing the line at Brazos Bend 50 miler in my favorite state, Texas. It was 180 degrees different than the prior weekend. Whereas TNF has snow, BB had temps in the mid 80s. TNF was my slowest marathon time ever, BB was my fastest 50 ever. As is always the case with my life, and my runs, there was definitely a yin to the yang. It didn't matter though... as is true any time I'm out there, a bad day of running is always better than a good day of working. And both days were great. 

Less than 3 months to go time. There is no more injury, no more excuses. Just miles to go and my feet to take me there.