“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

~Maya Angelou

I just want to start by thanking all of you who have donated to our Vermont 100 Sponsor Board.  We think of you often on our training runs and hope you know that you are on this journey with us. The money raised is going to such a worthy cause.  We are so close to our goal of $2500 for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, we couldn’t have done this without you…many thanks!  It’s so exciting to see the board filling up…. its almost go time!  Our board will come with us to all the aid stations, reminding us WHO is motivating us on our journey and who WE are ALL helping on our adventure together…..Let’s do this!!!!!!!

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve sat down and typed, it’s always so freeing to let the fingers do the talking.  I’ve been really concentrating on my mind and soul these past months.  My friend Amanda, owner of Forest Trail Retreats introduced me back to yoga in late April.  She is very soothing in the way she teaches and how she guides you through your Yoga, I’m looking forward to continuing classes with her.  She will be up at the VT100 conducting yogas classes for you and your family!!! How cool is that?!   Emily, my running buddy, also nudged me into coming to some classes with her at Mighty Yoga, where the studio is heated.  I loved the connection of my breath to my body, to my mind, and to my soul.  Not to mention it’s a kick A$$ workout or if you slow it down, it’s a great practice to do after a long hard run, stretches out those hammies 😉 …..Looking forward to continue my Yoga practices with these ladies.  A particular quote I love is “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”  I kind of feel my running is the same way, it’s taught me abundant lessons in life.  Running has taught me a ton about myself, we are all evolving and adapting everyday,  these two seem to compliment each other greatly. This is now in my list of tools that can help relax me……

Circa 2011….Guy’s first VT100….my oh my have the kids grown! Mile 99!!

Another practice I’ve been doing is meditation.  I never thought I’d be the type to try it, but after the Runamuck 50k this past April, I was a MESS. Why? I really have no idea.  I train, I’m a competent runner,  I eat healthy, I’m not competitive (as my hubs and I call ourselves the “blue-collar runners…we are not fast!”) I have an incredible family life, but I do have a TON of anxiety.  Growing up, I just thought, hey..everyone is like this…..and I’m finding out as the stigma goes away, there are a lot of people who battle with anxiety!  You’re not alone!!  I put a ton of pressure on myself, always have, it’s in my genes, I have a family full of perfectionists and people pleasers.  Not a bad thing, but it can cripple you if you let it.  The thing with ultra-running and most things in life, is things never go as planned…..you have to learn to adapt to any situation thrown at you.  In my running it may be the weather, or certain people who heighten my anxiety, questions, like… do I belong here, did I train enough …at the start of the race, these are all things out of my control, so there is no need to create angst from them.  My anxiety rears its ugly head in the first 10 miles of a race, sometimes it’s the first mile, sometimes the eighth. My hands get numb, my palms sweat and become tingly, I’m one big nerve and I now am realizing that these are mini panic attacks (I’ve had huge full-blown ones after my accident, these are smaller, but you feel the nausea, the worry, the bang, bang, of the your chest, like you are losing control over your body)  My adrenaline is pumping through my body so fast and in the first few miles, even at a slow pace mind you, my heart rate is hitting 180+…..it’s frustrating, but I’m learning new tricks and I’m beginning to lose the fear of the evil monster.  So the second tool in my box of tricks is meditation, I’ve been meditating for the past 3 months, on and off, but mostly on.  I feel so much better when I have taken the 10 minutes to shut down from the outside world.  The app I use is Headspace It’s a free app that guides you through your mediation (his voice is super soothing and British, a win-win), whether your starting from scratch or if you’ve been practicing forever….  I love it, it reminds me to be in the moment, which I feel most of us in the modern world forget to do as well as work on my breathing……..I can’t say enough about it.

Atop of Ascutney……take it all in..be in the moment, just BE

I’m excited to see what the next four weeks bring in our peak training.  This is a race I look forward to every year and this year is the 30th Anniversary!!!!!!!!  I’m so excited to be part of the race committee,  we have some special things planned for you all.  It’s like my friend Astrid and I always say…”It’s Christmas in July!”  Can’t wait to meet new friends and see my old best pals at Silver Hill……….See you there!

vttrailgirl and I at the Chesterfield Gorge 100k! What a HOT day…..but we survived!

Happy training, happy mindfulness and happy life……..See you on the trails…..

Krista xoxoxoxo

BE Mindful….