In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion...

I can't wait until summertime in this glorious city...

The day is fresh, I'm coming home again...

Leave Saturday, May 23, 2009

Delta AirLines 2894

Depart 8:25am New York, NY (LGA)

Arrive 10:30am Minneapolis, MN (MSP)

Delta AirLines 2787

Depart 1:10pm Minneapolis, MN (MSP)

Arrive: 2:14pm Madison, WI (MSN)

Return Monday, May 25, 2009

Delta AirLines 6630

Depart 4:10pm Madison, WI (MSN)

Arrive: 7:30pm New York, NY (LGA)

we are a product of all we have seen...

While spending a lazy afternoon in Juan Valdez, sipping a cup of rich Colombian coffee, catching up with emails, the guy at the table next to me looks over at me.   "Excuse me," he asks.  "But are you Colombian?"  Slightly puzzled, slightly amused, as I have no Latino heritage but have often been asked that question, I respond, "No, why do you ask? Are you?"  He tells me that yes, he is from Cali.  We chat in Spanglish, I explain that I actually have lived in Colombia and he tells me that I look Colombian.  I respond gracias and he asks por que gracias?  I'm not sure why that was my response, why I take this as a compliment, but I do.  I've felt for years now as if a part of me is truly Colombian, that I connected with the culture there on a level unlike anywhere else that I have ever been, and while mi sangre may not be Colombian, mi corazon is.

the wide waters of New York inspire me...

Inspiration from a gorgeous early run.. mornings like these are the reason that I am a runner...

you pushed me to go the extra mile...

This morning was one of my best short races to date.  The weather was gorgeous, and I knew from my first mile split (which had included Cat Hill) that it was going to be a good race. There's such an advantage to racing a course that you know inside and out, where you can anticipate the grade of each uphill, know exactly how long you have to recover on the rolling downhills.  I finished in 38:17, one of my best race times yet.  Now if only I could run a 9:34 pace during the marathon ;)

My fellow Badger running buddies in their first NYRR race

Do you ever wonder what happens to the words that we send, do they bend, do they break from the flight that they take...

We stand in the pouring rain, waiting for tonight's training to begin.  Coach Ramon, back from accompanying our spring season to Italy for the Rome Marathon, chides us over slacking while he was away for the past two weeks.  As we are waiting for him to go over our hill workout....

"So, one important announcement.  There has *kind of* been a mix-up between the NYC TNT Chapter office and the race organizers out in San Diego.  We sent in all the registration forms after recommitment last week, but it seems that somehow our team does NOT have any spots reserved for the race [panicked looks start to spread] and the race is already full.  If you were signed up for San Diego, you always have the option of switching to Anchorage or Lake Placid, but we ARE trying to get everything straightened out in time, so don't worry too much, hopefully we can figure everything out [looks of confusion].  So for tonight's hill training, we are going to be running Cat Hill.  What I want you to focus on.."

He goes over the workout as everyone tries to process what he just said.  He shouts for us to head out, as Coach Christine asks if he doesn't still have one more announcement.  Nope, he starts yelling at all of us to stop being cry-babies about the rain and pick up the pace.

Christine is the nice coach.  She loves us.  She tells us that we all fell for it...

APRIL FOOLS.