Two weeks ago, the toe of shoe caught the ground, causing me to plantar flex my foot and rupture my calf. Snap! In that instant, all my plans for the coming months changed. As I sat on my floor, my calf throbbing, two thoughts entered my mind: I either “cured” the muscle tightness I had […]
Today marks 40 years since my father left his earthly existence. I was only 8 years old; he was 41. 40 years without his physical presence. It seems almost impossible. It’s funny what I remember and don’t remember. I don’t recall his voice, but I remember his resounding laugh, echoed in my brother Matt. I […]
I am signed up to run the Reykjavík Marathon (26.2 miles) in Iceland on August 19, and I have no clue if I will be able to run. I injured my Achilles tendon running the Queenstown Marathon in New Zealand last November. After weeks of rehab, I started running again in April. As I built […]
Last week, I experienced an unusual bout of fear. I was to discuss my memoir I Can See for Miles for a book signing at Best of Books in Edmond, Oklahoma. Why the hell am I so scared? I thought. As a member of Toastmasters, I have been speaking publicly for over eight years, sometimes […]
On Christmas this year, I did something I hadn’t done three and a half years—I volunteered for a nonprofit. How had it been that long? As I reflected on the last few years, I realized I hadn’t volunteered since June 2019. Right before Christmas 2019, my mother passed away unexpectedly. It was hard enough to […]
I just ran my first marathon in three and a half years. Not only was I undertrained, but I was uncertain I would finish. Then again, I never know if I will finish in time, and that’s what makes the marathon so alluring and challenging. I know I can finish a half marathon in the […]
People have asked me if I really travel solo to foreign countries, and the answer is yes. I have traveled in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe alone. It is not as daunting as it sounds. For one, airports are some of the safest places in the world. With people in transit from all over […]
The Loch Ness Marathon was supposed to be my comeback marathon – my FU to the pandemic, my FU to my cycling injuries, my FU to my running sprains. Was I nuts to think I could run a marathon after breaking and dislocating both of my elbows and tearing my rotator cuff? Well, yes and […]
Five years ago, I fulfilled a dream—to go on safari through the Serengeti, the mystical African plains of Tanzania! Putting on my blue safari hat, denim capri pants, and sleeveless turquoise hiking shirt, five of my friends and I jumped into our Land Cruiser. After so much movement during the last week—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and […]
