A Wonderful Birthday!

I am up early to begin celebrating my 53rd birthday! Lori and I are going to run 10 miles this morning on our favorite and very hilly course. Afterwards I plan to ride 50 miles on my bike and hopefully get a motorcycle ride in before a round of golf this afternoon.

I have taken a lengthy break from consistent running to give my mind and body a reprieve. I’m excited to begin training again and maintaining my blog more consistently. Work and travel have been intense but I need to return to doing the things I enjoy the most. Being on the road presents a host of challenges but I’ve decided to pursue my interests while away from home.

I recently attended a sales meeting in Denver and decided to bring my fly rod and spend a day on the South Platte river with one of my reps. They had received an unusual amount of rain and the river was running high but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fish such a famous blue ribbon trout stream. I was aptly rewarded with one of the largest rainbow trout I’ve ever caught. Spending an entire day at 6800 feet eventually caught up to me and I found myself completely exhausted at 3:00 p.m. It was also nice to not have cell coverage for the entire day!

Birthdays can be like a New Year celebration where you feel like you have a clean slate to focus on the things most important in life and realign yourself with your values and priorities. I plan to spend more quality time with Lori, Macie, Rider and my closest friends. I also plan to enjoy flyfishing, cycling, motorcycling and golf every opportunity I have.

I am looking forward to embarking on a new commitment to taking the best care of my mind, body and spirit as well as the environment. And I look forward to sharing it with all of you. Thank you for your patience while I’ve taken such a considerable break from maintaining by blog!

Good Morning Austin

The temperature cooled
considerably for this morning’s run. I departed this morning at 5:00 a.m. in complete darkness and the temperature was 78 degrees. It’s exhilarating to run in complete darkness on a foreign course. As I departed the Omni Austin I had to weave through the homeless that appeared to be resting comfortably on the concrete sidewalks surrounding the hotel; the scent of despair and a night of excess hung heavily in the air.

It was so nice to enter the trail surrounding Town Lake. I was surprised by the number of runners I encountered at such an early hour. The footing was tenuous so I reduced my pace until I began to feel comfortable. Afer a few miles I felt far more comfortable and set the cruise control at 7:30 pace. I tuned on my iPod and ran effortlessly to the sound of Sweet Home Alabama.

The miles seemed to fly by and I soon had 10 miles in the bank as the Austin skyline appeared through the trees. The dome of the State Capital was illuminated in the distance and provided assurance that I was heading in the right direction and the conclusion of my run was nearing.

After struggling through my last run, I truly appreciated the quality of this morning’s run. Running makes me feel so alive and appreciative for all the abundance in my life. I worked at TCU in Fort Worth yesterday and today I’ll be at the University of Texas. I’m looking forward to returning to New England tomorrow evening!