Andrea Bocelli

I watched Andrea Bocelli’s performance from Italy last week and this song just broke my heart.

Then I remembered one of my favorite songs he sang with Sarah Brightman.

This song also pulled at my heartstrings.

 After I started listening to Time To Say Goodbye I found another Bocelli song I liked, and this song led to another song , which led to this song which was the last song I heard from my playlist while running this morning:

The Prayer with Andrea singing with Celine Dion

These lyrics are so relevant today:

“I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go. And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know. Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way. Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace, to a place where we’ll be safe. 

We dream a world without violence, a world of justice and faith.

Everyone gives a hand to his neighbours, symbol of peace, of fraternity. We ask that life be kind and watch us from above. We hope each soul will find another soul to love.” 

2020 Reboot, New Training Plan

January started out pretty good. Training, Life, Work. 

February was tough. Seasonal depression, cold, snow. Training was tough. Life was tough. Work was good. 1 out of 3 isn’t too bad.

March was okay. I adopted the perfect dog. The pandemic hit. I worked from home. Training was okay then the YMCA closed.  I lost momentum for all the above reasons.

April was much like March: work from home, walk the dogs, run or bike when it didn’t rain. No training plan. Races canceled. 

It’s time for a 2020 reboot. It’s time to get on a plan; to train for something. 

I’m turning my A race to the Mid State Massive in Massachusetts in October.

This week’s training schedule.

While I still am registered for five other races, my most important goal in 2020 is to finish a 100 mile race. Okay, truth: and to finish an Ironman. Oh yes, another truth: to complete the 3-day stage race. 

But if everything gets canceled, I’m still hoping, and will start training tomorrow, for the October 2020 100 mile race

But hopefully these races happen: Rock Hopper Chocorua Race, White Mountain Tri, Ragged Mountain Stage Race, IM Mont Tremblant, Gunstock Trailfest.

I hope all these races happen.

I’m going to do what I told myself I was going to do in 2019. This was my Leadville 100 mantra that I had to start using at mile 20. It didn’t work in 2019 but I have a feeling it might just work in 2020.

Katie Arnold
– Katie Arnold, winner of the 2019 Leadville 100

Today is Saturday, Quarantine Edition

Today. 

It’s cold and windy out but I will bike and run. But first, I’m waiting for it to warm up a bit and of course, watch the 11:30 Cuomo Press Conference.

This morning I took both dogs on separate long walks and started the puzzle my BFF George sent me. I’m not really into puzzles but when a friend sends you a gift you use it. It’s a bit more addictive than I thought it would be.

It’s going to be a full day of exercise, puzzles, news watching and a vow to finish reading the last two Sunday New York Times that are stacked on my coffee table. What are you doing on this Saturday in April?

April 5, 2020 New York Times Sunday – still needs to be read.

A Quarantine Life

I’ve been staying home since March 10. Every day I watch and read the news, work, take care of my dogs and sometimes write. The parts of my life that have really changed since the stay at home order is not seeing my parents once a week, not going to the gym, not meeting friends at restaurants and working from home everyday. While it’s been a disruption it’s not total chaos, yet. I’m not complaining about any of it. I’m choosing to remember the silver lining in it all. I just don’t know what it is yet.

I read stories about people who have the virus and are suffering. I read stories about the people who have lost their jobs. Sometimes these stories paralyze me with sadness and fear. But I’m not going to stop reading and watching the news. We have to pay attention to these stories. We have to know the stories that are being told. We need to know and understand the difference between the truth and the lies. If you pay attention, you will know who is telling the truth. 

Training Update

Sometimes I think about how last year at this time I was in full on Leadville 100 training mode. It was my number one goal and fed every part of my life. I can’t imagine how runners are feeling now that Leadville or their other A races will most likely be canceled this year (I hope it’s not). I’m not on a training plan right now. My next race, the Gunstock Trail Festival has been postponed to September. I have two other races I’m signed up for: 3-Day Stage Race in August and Ironman Mont Tremblant. It’s too early to tell if they will be canceled or postponed. Regardless, whatever happens I’m fine with it. I will race them trained or untrained, if they happen.

For now I’m running and biking everyday. I’m mixing it up with road and trail depending on weather. The weather the last three days have been gorgeous with highs in the 60s so I’ve been riding my tri bike. My endurance is improving a little each day. Since I didn’t bike indoors all winter I’m starting from Square One and it’s okay, I like seeing incremental progress. My hope: this weekend ride 40 miles. 

Goldie-Dog Update

She is a crazy dog. She has gotten out of her collar twice now. She sees a bird or squirrel and just goes nuts. When she pulls on the leash it hurts my back so much so I try to get in front of her to distract her attention. Then, she somehow wiggles around and the collar comes off. Luckily, she stays close and will come into the house, but geez. 

She plays and plays with Winnie, sometimes antagonizing her by just casually walking up to her and biting her ear. It’s funny to watch but I know that sometimes Winnie is just not in the mood. Goldie is so cuddly and just needs to be close to me. I just love her to pieces. 

Book Update

The new book is coming along, slowly. I add a little bit to chapters as I think of sentences and ideas. I’ve been preoccupied with reading the New York Times (I still have two Sunday editions I haven’t finished) and watching Homeland.

Heroes

Mountain Biking and Living in the Moment

I’ve lost count of how many weeks I’ve been working from home. I think three but it may be four. I really like working from home because I get to hang out all day with my dogs and take many walks around the block. When I walk I think of writing ideas and create sentences. 

One of the benefits of working from home is I can take lunch breaks whenever I want, specifically the warmest part of the day so I can run or bike.

When I run I think of everything: what I’m going to eat, who I need to call, past boyfriends, trips I’ve taken, races, the Cuomo brothers and their daily banter; basically everything. When I mountain bike I think of nothing except the line in front of me; the line I will take around rocks and roots, and maybe going over a big rock and catching a little air off a perfectly placed rock. 

When I really think about all the sports I do from ultra running to Ironman, the sport I’m really the best at is mountain biking. As I maneuver over obstacles my body seems to know how to move with the bike, and my flow is natural and efficient. Yet, I spent years running and training for ultrarunning, and I pretty much suck at it. To me, running is minimalistic and satisfies my need to be low maintenance; I can run anywhere and all I really need is a pair of shoes. With mountain biking you need a bike, comfortable bike shorts, gloves, a helmet, replacement tubes and more. 

Colorado 2012

I mountain biked more when I lived out west. I biked all around Winter Park and all over the mountains surrounding Tucson. I even did a 24 Hour race with a team when I lived in Tucson.

Looking back, the weather seemed to be a little more cooperative out west and there weren’t as many roots and rocks as the New Hampshire trails. 

Tucson 2014

I’m ready to get back into mountain biking this year and getting better. I have a 10 mile loop that I like to do, right from my door. I’d like to spend less time walking some sections and get faster.

My loop in Concord, NH

I follow Kate Courtney on Instagram and when I’m flying down a hill, in my mind I say, ride like Kate Courtney – body position specifically so my weight is distributed properly. I love her workout videos and how she is so successful at a sport I love. I’m looking forward to going back to the gym after all of this to get back on track to get stronger. 

I am thankful for many things and one of them is that I can ride. Riding makes me happy and makes me live in the moment – nothing else does that for me right now. So I will ride today, maybe even in the rain. I know with the rain and cold temperatures that I will be the only one out there and that may just be a good thing.