Athlete for a Cure, Josh Cox not only breaks the American record, but he also reminds us about all of the good in sports and competition. Two and a half years ago, Josh’s dad passed away after battling prostate cancer. Josh dedicated this race to his dad. Watch the inspiring video at http://p3xom.th8.us

Last weekend, I went with a couple of my friends to a BOW (Becoming and Outdoors Woman) Workshop near Tomahawk, Wisconsin. My college friend from El Dorado, Arkansas, was the instigator of this adventure, and when I mentioned it to my friend Lori (the Mt Kilimanjaro climber), we were all over it.

So, the three of us made our way to the deep north woods of Wisconsin to join 86 other women to take on the challenges of dogsledding, ice fishing, snowshoeing, geo-cacheing, skijoring, snow cave building, and trapping. There were many other outdoor activities, but the 3 of us chose these particular adventures.

Being from El Dorado, Arkansas, Kelly had never seen that much snow – nor had she ever experienced that kind of cold, so the outdoor activities presented a totally new perspective for her. Already a outdoors woman – hunting, fishing, and trapping – Kelly took to the snow and cold with the zeal of a northerner. The two of us went ice fishing and dogsledding for the first time, and Kelly was instantly a master dog musher (See photo above). (more…)

When I was growing up and things seemed to go wrong, my mama would always say: “If everyone put their troubles in a pile for everyone to choose from, you would probably want to pull your own back out. Your problems don’t seem nearly as bad when you look around and see what others are going through.”

Her philosophy was simple but true. I’ve learned to focus on what I have rather than what I don’t have. I learned to look for the “silver lining” in things that seem really bad. And I’ve learned to ask, “What is the opportunity in this?”

Last week, I hurt my hand while I was cross-country skiing. I had some x-rays done, and nothing is broken, but I was referred to a hand specialist. I’ve been to the hand doc twice in the past week, and he definitively determined today that I have a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament, commonly known as skiier’s thumb. So tomorrow, I’m having surgery to repair the damaged ligament.

The catch is this: (more…)

I continue to pair the words “Running” and “Friendship.” That’s probably because it’s through running that I have found my best friends.

Last weekend, six friends from Chicago – Lori, Roz, Trina, Sherri, Lisa, and Jim – came out to Boise to run, ski, snowshoe, and generally have fun with me and Mark. We pulled out inflatable beds, blankets, quilts, and rented roll-away beds. I wanted to be sure that they experienced as much of the Boise outdoors as possible, so we scheduled events for many different venues. Several of them said the weekend was more like bootcamp rather than a vacation, but they all loved every minute of it.

• Friday: Mark and Lori started out with a 5:15 am spin class at the gym after which we all took off on a run/walk/hike on the foothill trails.
• Saturday: We mixed old friends with new friends as we joined the group at Boise RunWalk for a run up Shaw Mountain Road. After our morning run/walk, we headed up to Bogus Basin Ski Resort where we skiied and snowshoed.
• Sunday: It was up again at 530 am to head to Tamarack Ski Resort where the Saturday snowshoers took cross-country ski lessons and added to the hilarity of the day.
• Monday: Since we had already done a run in the foothills, we hit the Boise Greenbelt and took a run along the beautiful Boise River before they all headed to the airport to go back home.

Trail running, skiing, snowshoeing, bruised tailbones, runaway skis, tear-inducing laughter, massages, and Idaho potatoes – it was truly a weekend to remember and cherish. Roz dubbed it “Episode 1″ of a new hilarious reality tv show. I guess that means we’ll have follow-up episodes…

There were a few members of the “gang” who couldn’t make this trip, but in keeping with the tv show theme, we’ll continue to add cast members with each new episode.

I am truly lucky to have such terrific friends – friends crazy enough to leave the frozen Midwest to come to Idaho for … a winter vacation. Don’t people usually go someplace warm for a winter vacation?

Yesterday as I was trudging up the hill with my friend Matt (around mile 12), I heard the words of my mama…”You’re no spring chicken anymore.” Most days, however, even at 49 years old, I feel like a spring chicken. Yesterday just wasn’t one of them.

And, as is often the case – especially when I find myself “struggling” with situations that are uncharacteristic of my normal behavior and capabilities – I ask: “What is the opportunity in this?” (more…)