Summer Has Arrived...Finally

Over the last five to six weeks of the school year I was finding it difficult to teach, train, and write. Something had to give...Finishing up a school year is always challenging. We rush to get through the curriculum; We agonize over essays that must be graded; And we continue to try and motivate disinterested students. Even the best, most conscientious students struggle to stay focused. And as teachers we simply put in long hours trying finish the year with positive results.

This year my task became even more challenging by my pursuit of the American Birkebeiner--by my seemingly endless training. So many times over the past few weeks I wanted to sit and write, but each time I tried I could only stare helplessly at the screen. I couldn't justify writing when I had so much school work to do.

So today I give a quick summary of the past few weeks and a pledge to share thoughts and training itineraries over the next few months:

May started grandly as I ran over 20 miles the first week (my best week to date). Although I only finished the month with 50.5 miles, I added the bicycle to the weekly routine, pushing the monthly miles to just over 90. The Madison area is filled with terrific biking, and as the weather warmed I became more drawn to biking. It's a great change-up, and more importantly biking is good for the quads, which must be strong for the race.

School ended on June 10th and since then I have been active everyday (except Sunday). On Sunday we travelled to Blueberry Lake to spend the week here. Nothing to do except enjoy the lake and the woods. The kids sleep in, my wife reads, and I run through the woods with Ezra.

On Monday morning I began the week by running around the lake. It is about a six mile run, flat and quiet. A pretty simple run. I saw more wildlife than people, and simply enjoyed an hour's escape in the woods.

And now that summer is here, most of my mornings will be filled with sweat and toil!