A healthy dose of perspective

For me at least, life has a way of helping me maintain my perspective.  The whole "look for the good in your life" thing is so cliché, but so true.  When you allow yourself to stop and step back, it's hard not to appreciate how wonderful and cheesy life can be.

Last March, when I'd messed up my ankle(s) and gotten the news that I'd have to stop running for a while and pull two races off my schedule, I was crushed.  I remember that afternoon vividly:  I stopped by Kroger on my way home from the doctor's to pick up some little donut cushions that let me wear shoes with backs without feeling like my heels were on fire, it was raining, and I was doing all I could to keep from tearing up in the grocery store.  As I passed through the sliding doors on my way out of the store, this little old lady stopped me and asked me to bring her a cart so that she could use it to help her walk into the store.  I gladly helped her, and another woman stopped and thanked me for helping her as I walked to my car.  The force of that experience nearly knocked me over and made me take a good hard look at my pity party.  Yes, not being able to run sucks, but helping that woman reminded me that I was totally capable of walking, and that's really something.  

I'm spending my summer in Blacksburg, and naturally I managed to catch a cold immediately.  On my way back from Schiffert, I was trapped under Whittemore by a freak rainstorm/flash flood/tornado watch (typical Blacksburg weather shenanigans).  Lucky for me, I have a friend in town who was willing to rescue me.  I do spend more time alone now that I'm out of the dorms, but I have friends nearby that are down to watch silly movies, run nine miles in the forest, and go on spur of the moment adventures.  This again, forced me to stop feeling mopey about being sick and marvel at the wonderful group of people that surrounds me.

Adventures thus far:

a quick trip home to see my family and my favorite four-legged friends and read as much as I possibly could, moving back to my new home in Blacksburg, lazy river days, a spectacular sunrise hike, a couple of trips to Roanoke, several great dinner parties (I feel so old writing that), classes that are actually stimulating and not overly work-intensive, and a bunch of quality time spent running in the woods.  Life is so very good.

Those storm clouds got me again

If it were about five degrees warmer, this week would have been a prime example of my favorite kind of weather. Dark storm clouds are hanging just low enough to trap all the sunlight and make all the colors of spring look really over saturated, and the wind is strong enough to wreak havoc on any attempts to style your hair. Wild and wonderful and singing of change, just the way I like it.

This kind of weather makes me feel like anything is possible, so naturally I let this feeling overtake me and signed up for the Mountain Masochist Trail Run. This is a 50 mile run in the mountains near spy rock, in case you've been following my earlier adventures. The race actually finishes at the campground I've gone to almost every October since I was little. No, I've never raced anything like this, and yes, I think I've probably lost my mind. But hey, race registration only stays open for a week, and signing up forces me to get started training right?  I also made a pinky promise earlier this semester that I'd do it, and you know you just can't go back on those.  Let the mileage buildup begin!

Other recent adventures include racing bikes with the cycling team, snapping my derailleur and learning a lot about bike maintenance on the fly, figuring out how to swim without using my ankles, and buying a sketchy, sketchy commuter I've named Lady Eleanor (Aliéanor if you're feeling French). I've also noticed that I'm starting to run into the same people every where I go. I spent about two hours chilling on the porch of east coasters while I waited for some parts to be installed on Theo, and I saw at least six people from the tri and cycling teams. I also passed five people during my run at Pandapas today, four of which were members of vt ultra or the cycling team. Does that mean that I'm one of them now, since we all seem to be drawn to the same places? It's a neat thing to think about. When I first came to tech, I didn't imagine that I'd be one to be drawn I bike shops and trail runs but here I am!

God is good.

I am a marveler.  I am constantly in awe of the world around me.  My friends can attest to this-- I frequently stop walking to admire a particularly beautiful daffodil, to acknowledge the silky feeling of the wind on a humid day, and I once spent ten minutes simply watching the water in War Memorial pool ripple and catch the light.  I live in this world where efficiency is critical and time is of the essence, but oh how I am enamored with the world around me.  I revel in the beauty, the complexity, the power of the natural world, and I attribute all its goodness to God.  I can't imagine a world as wonderful as this without thinking of the awesome power of its creator.  Power, that is the key word here.  Power, strength, might, majesty, He embodies it all.  And today, in the aftermath of Boston's tragedy and the remembrance of April 16, his power rings just as true.

I truly believe in the power of prayer.  My God is an awesome God, and he is omnipotent.  Awesome, add that to the list of words that keep reappearing.  He can grant whatever you ask for, so long as you ask for it. How can I doubt the power of the one that created this awe-inspiring world?  Every ant, stone, skyscraper, brilliant idea, and act of kindness stems from Him.  All I can do is sit here and rejoice that my God is so good, and that one day I'll join him in heaven.  It is so easy to doubt, to say that a loving God would never let terrible things happen, that the universe came together of its own accord, that the whole idea of God was created just to make sense of the chaos around us.  For some, this is their truth.  For me, I can't open my eyes without being blinded by God's grace.  I find that his presence is evident in everything around me, the good and the bad.  It is hard to trust that everything is happening for a reason, but I strive to do it.  When I pray for comfort and solace for the families of the 32, I believe that God will grant it.  When I pray for healing for the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions, I believe God will grant it.  When I pray that everyone around me will come to know God's grace and love, I believe that the seed of faith will be planted in their hearts and that, with nurturing, they will also know the joy that I do.

As I sit here on the floor of McBryde, awaiting the start of a class that will probably deal with something as clinical and scientific as wire extrusion or milling, I'm in a daze.  Do you ever wonder what people would leave on your memorial if you were to pass away today?  I'd hope for daffodils if it's spring or zinnias if it's summer, for band-aids, for a mason jar of blueberry jam, for a worn-in pair of running shoes, and a hand-drawn picture of a bicycle.  I'd hope that the life I've lived so far could inspire others to live their lives to the fullest.  I'd hope that I've let God's light shine through me and strengthened the faith of others.  I'd hope that you could find the joy in my passing rather than mourning the space I'd leave behind.

I realize that I'm rambling now, but I just want to impress upon you God's presence in the world around us.  Go outside.  Smile at a stranger.  Pick a flower.  Run, and feel the joy that comes with having your body race along as fast as your mind.  The world we live in is full of beauty, and God is good.

Word of the day: apricity

This semester has been even more insane than last semester, as evidenced by my super frequent posts.  I've gotten into a wicked habit of drowning in work during the week and doing absolutely nothing but playing on the weekends, and that lifestyle leaves very little free time. came back from break a week early to do triathlon training week, which was an absolute blast.  I imagine that's what it'd be like to be pro: wake up around 7, eat, run up a mountain, eat, watch a movie, got to swim practice, eat, shower, watch another movie, snack again, and be in bed by 10 at the latest.  We didn't do a lot of biking because it snowed about eight inches in one night, but it was still so fun to get to know my team and not worry about anything except working out.  You really form a special kind of bond when you're hanging out in all your early morning, sweat-soaked glory.

The view from the pulloff on the road up to Mountain Lake Resort.

So much bonding!

Later on in the semester I did the Blacksburg Classic 10 miler, and it went so well!  I had only been seriously training for a run of that distance for about two weeks, but I finished in 1:17 and I was really happy with my performance!  The first two miles were terrible, mile 9 was a serious mental battle, but the majority and the end of the race felt phenomenal!  It was snowing throughout most of the race, and I really should have packed a gel to keep my energy level up around mile 7.

Last weekend, I went to the Terrapin Mountain half and ultra marathons to support a bunch of friends on the tri and ultra teams!  This was an incredible experience, and I'm contemplating switching over to ultra running if I can just get and stay healthy.  There is just something incredibly appealing about running 30-50 miles in the woods.  The Mountain Masochist is officially added to my bucket list.  Next fall perhaps?  

The Sedalia Center in Big Island, VA was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies and mountains nearby.

After the 10 miler, I realized that I had really screwed up my ankle, so I haven't really been able to do anything since then.  It's from a combination of rolling it running in the snow, falling off of my bike, getting stomped on while playing Twister, and not giving myself adequate time to heal.  Going from about 15 mile weeks to two 30 mile weeks probably didn't help it either.  I've been seeing an athletic trainer turned chiropractor (getting my back, shoulder, neck, and ankle sorted out all at the same time!) and I realized that I've also got a wicked case of achilles tendinitis which explains why it feels like my ankle is on fire when I wear tennis shoes.  The good news:  I'm almost recovered!!!  I was cleared to run a mile today, and, though it felt like fire for the first quarter of a mile, the last three quarters were pain free!  I'm icing as I write this and praying for a smooth recovery.  

So I think that about sums up my semester so far!  I'm sure I'm leaving out something horribly important, but here is most of the active stuff.  I've also met some seriously interesting people ranging all ages and occupations.  It can be really  eye-opening to see how some people experience the same world I do in such a different way.

Ameliorate, enervate, and other fun words

When I came home for break, I expected to spend about three days on the couch recovering from the stress, lack of sleep, and a mysterious stomach bug that I picked up due to finals.  Then I expected to bounce back and paint my room and drive my sister nuts and work out twice a day and cook dinner and teach my dogs all kinds of new tricks and go fishing with my dad and put siding on the new garage.  Instead, I've succumbed to the temptation of remaining lethargic, with Gracie's snuggly company, and working my way through all the books I didn't get to read this semester.  My god-mother and grandmother are both librarians, and a love of good literature was instilled in me at a very young age.  I distinctly remember riding around in my booster seat with Grammy, eating blue jelly beans, and becoming horribly car-sick because I refused to put down my Junie B. Jones book.  My addiction hasn't abated as I've grown older, and I had to ban myself from reading for pleasure during the semester because I would never get any work done otherwise.  Typically I fly through books, chasing plot twists and turning pages til the story tells itself out.  I'm working on slowing down and appreciating an author's use of language and the deeper meaning to be pulled from between the pages, but it's really hard to keep from reading as fast as I can.

So far this break I've read:

• The Wake of the Lorelei Lee- one of L.A. Meyer's cute Jacky Faber stories that I didn't realize I'd already read until I was halfway through.  Majorly disappointing because the man tells a great story.
• Some Nora Roberts love story whose name I can't remember but it had something to do with mountain lions and a murderer, and the plot was dishearteningly similar to that of The Red Scarf Killer.  
• Beautiful Creatures- I was prompted to read this because of the movie trailer, and it was a decent piece of young adult fiction.  The plot held my attention, though the writing style did not.  This is a page turner, not a sit-and-think-about-it kind of book.
• Redeeming Love- For some reason I typically steer clear of Christian fiction, but this was recommended by a friend and I really enjoyed it.  It's a retelling of the story of Hosea, and it not only brought me to tears but also made me think about my relationship with God.  I'd recommend this book to anyone as the story is just as wonderful as Francine Rivers' writing style.
• Into the Wild- This was also recommended by the same friend, and it had been on my reading list for a while.  I'm not sure what message Jon Krakauer was trying to leave with the reader, but this book has made my wanderlust flare up terribly while instilling a healthy respect for the powers of nature and preparation.
• On the Road- One of my favorite quotes is from Jack Kerouac, "Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry," but I'd never actually read any of his work until now.  I'm currently working my way through this one, and I'm really enjoying his style of writing.  It reminds me of Nick Carraway in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and the way my own thoughts swirl around almost non-sensically when I try to catch them on paper.  For me at least, this book requires active reading in order to understand everything that is happening and to try to figure out what the author is trying to convey.  So far so good.

While I'm on the subject of books, here are my all time favorite reads:

• Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen- I've got a weak spot for Tamora Pierce, and these books are just great.  I can't even tell you how many times I've read them for fun, when I needed to lose myself in another world, or when I needed some inspiration from Ali.  Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
• Bel Canto- all time favorite book if you're looking for the beauty of written word.  This author has serious style, and her writing is like the most delicate, flavorful candy you can imagine.  This book will also make you think really hard and is just all-around powerful.
• Garden Spells- such a sweet love story that combines beautiful writing with just a dash of magic.  The Peach Keeper, also by Sarah Addison Allen, is also wonderful.
• East of Eden- If you've got time to read 600 pages and want a book that'll make you think, read Steinbeck's East of Eden.  I read this on a train through Italy and the flight back to America, so it also packs a sentimental punch.  Deals with everything from family, farming, foolish ideas, a father's love, to the Father's love in the developing Salinas Valley.  At some point in his or her life, everyone needs to read this book.