If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Mine would be strength but not the Superman kind. Sometimes you need physical strength; other times mental; but most of all you need both. That’s what my super power would cover. Then nothing could ever stop me.

Me finishing the Colorado Half Marathon in Fort Collins, May 5. My clock time: 1:53:10 and my Garmin: 1:52:10. (I don’t know how they were off by a minute but close enough!)

Until mid-March I was training to run the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. I kept my training quiet because I was coming back from an injury (Remember my “elephant foot”?) and secretly I hoped to qualify for Boston again. I didn’t want to jinx myself.  It turns out I didn’t have to. Other aspects of my life boiled over like a foaming pot. That’s when I made the decision to pull out of the marathon. I ran the half instead, and I’m at peace with it.

I believe the mind, body and spirit are connected. When one of those is off for me, it affects my running. Marathons especially require me to be on my game.

If you’ve ever over-boiled a pot while making spaghetti or something, you’ll know what I mean by the following analogy. An over-boiled pot can make a big huge mess on your stove. The only way to stop the foaming and boiling over is to turn off the heat. Then you have to wait to cool it down to clean up the mess. BUT if you wait too long or don’t clean it up at all, an even stickier, yuckier mess gets cooked on. It’s best to suck it up and deal with it on time.

That kind of thing happened in my life and my marathon training, metaphorically, back in mid-March. I had to turn down the burner. I hated it when it happened. In my heart I wanted to Superwoman, but part of being human is know when to step back. To be honest if I had tried to run that marathon anyway at that point, it would have been like throwing half-cooked spaghetti against the wall to see if it would stick. That’s not the way to race a long distance.

The good news is … no one got burned. Life has returned to normal, and it’s even getting better. I’m not physically injured right now. (Hurrah!) I’m just keeping it all — home life, work, family, children, running — at a controlled simmer for the moment.

There are reasons and season for everything in life. I truly believe that. Sometimes you push hard and past an obstacle, and other times life requires that you slow down and shift your focus to return to balance.

Has that ever happened to you?

I hope to run a marathon by the end of the year. I’m eying Tucson or California International.

In the meantime I’m enjoying the Zen of running and life. I’m coaching some people right now and I love being part of making their dreams come true. It’s truly an honor. I plan to race some shorter distances (5Ks, 10Ks, halves) locally and I would love to trail run with friends and family this summer. My heart and soul could really use that balm of being out in nature, and closer to God and creation.

Now I know I’ve been saying this for a while BUT I’m finally getting my shit together. I intend to move this blog over to a new web host, finish out the Boston or Botox women’s profiles and start a series on the men of Boston or Botox soon very soon.

Given what happened in Boston 2013 I believe the world needs the heart, hope, and humor in which I first started Boston or Botox more than ever.

No matter what comes our way I believe we can choose to don own capes and stay strong.

“Strong” is the new black. Wear it well.

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“Aging is inevitable, but growing old is a choice. Lace up your shoes, and let’s go!”

Mileage today: 5: Mileage for 2013: 834.