Sunday, June 26, 2016

Washington, D.C

Thanks to a little piggy-backing on the husband's work trip, we were able to have a fabulous weekend in DC last week! It was a perfect 2-day whirl through the city, and it couldn't have been any more fun!

Day one was our museum day. We hit up Lincoln's Waffles, The Holocaust Memorial Museum (favorite - such a harrowing experience, and we even got to meet a concentration camp survivor who was volunteering there), the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and dinner/Jazz in the Sculpture Gardens. The bike exchange (also favorite) made it so fun to get around the downtown area.






Day two was our monument day. We saw the White House, the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. We also rented paddle boats to see the Jefferson, MLK, and FDR memorials. That night, we ran the National Mall - a little over 4 miles and we got to see so many of those iconic places all lit up (final favorite)! I highly recommend it if you like running in new places.




Good food, cool sights, a nice run, and my favorite person.... what a lovely trip :)

Friday, June 10, 2016

Little Red Riding Hood 2016

It’s funny, for every person who says, “that’s awesome!” when they find out that I have a road bike, there’s another person who says, “ugh, I would never do that!”

They have all kinds of reasons – they hate cardio, the seat is uncomfortable, they dislike physical activity, they think the spandex outfits are stupid, they think it’s boring, they think it’s scary…

But, how strange is it, that people’s initial reaction to something that someone else loves is instant negativity? I’m certainly not immune to this – my friends that do ultramarathons and other crazy-long running events get an, “oof that sounds AWFUL!” from me. So, why? Why can’t I just go, “wow, that’s truly amazing!?” When I tell people about my latest half-century, why are so many of the reactions negative? Why do we make it about ourselves at all?

Food for thought :)


Anyway… I did the Little Red Riding Hood last weekend! I have an amazing aunt who lives up in Logan, and I LOVE this ride and this distance! I chose the 50 mile event, and it was simply perfect – warm weather, pretty scenery, delicious food, amazing (cross-dressing) volunteers, attentive support, fun and supportive participants (all women!), and a great opportunity to socialize and shop after crossing the finish line (okay, okay, I bought all the things. Not even sorry.). It gives me an opportunity to spend time outdoors, be alone with my thoughts, encounter wonderful people, be extremely grateful for my life, and generally appreciate things :)

Hands-down one of the best races/events that I have attended, I’ll definitely do this one for many years to come!