My ID card. A registered 24 year old "alien" in England. For the first time in twenty-five years I saw myself as an athlete. To me, that sounds weird. I'm not a fast runner. I'm not a great cyclist. I'm just a recreational kayaker. I have never placed in any races since I was sixteen. I'm also a 41 year old mom, so to say I'm an athlete is a bit "alien" to me.  But the other day I walked into the darkened mirrored room at the gym where they do the TRX classes and for a second I thought I saw another woman in there. I went in there to do part of my circuit that included aussie pullups (the ones where you hold onto rings and pull yourself up from a semi prone position.) I saw a woman's silhouette when I looked up after walking into the room. She had seriously muscular quads and sculpted shoulders and I was thinking to myself "that chick is a serious athlete!" It took me a second to realize that it was my own reflection that I ...

I jumped. I signed up for my first 100k!  And its in 3 fucking weeks! Holy crap! Talk about a total crack of the whip decision, but I did it. I signed up. I don't know if I can do 60 miles but I think I'd like to try. I had the Born To Run Ultra Marathon in the back of my head... WAY back in my head because it was coming up so quickly. As it turns out its the perfect race to do my first 100k with three twenty mile loops and camping. Running and camping. Two of my favorite things. So I just jumped. I'm in. We'll see how this turns out. Lately I've been having some slight hamstring/hip issues (which I blame completely on the lack of ass massage aid stations at my last 50k) so we'll see how this all works out. I can't believe I'm signed up. I'm totally stoked! Now I had better go find my headlamp, cuz I might be a while. Ha! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I'm not naive and I'm definitely not gullable. In fact, my rose-colored glasses are more of a poop-tinted color.  I don't believe there has ever been an honest politician, a sinless priest, or a perfect mother. As a matter of fact, as humans I think we are wired to build paths right through the loopholes in life. Its our problem-solving nature to find ways to improve, transform and well...sometimes cheat.  Honestly, I don't think cheating is all that evil. In fact I would argue that it can ironically add balance to your life especially if you've lived your whole life being a "pleaser" and a "good girl." Trust me on this one. I know from experience. A pinch of naughty can round us out as individuals. It gives our lives a deeper and more complex flavor. In some ways going against the grain develops our sense of individuality and gives us a unique sense of independence. As long as the irreverence is based on sincere and genuine beliefs (and...

Oh the possiblities! Over Easter Break I didn't do squat. Ok. Maybe one squat, but not much more. And I felt it. My hips, quads, calves and achilles were super tight. I pretty much sat on my ass working on my computer (yeah... you would think vacation means "free of work," HA! Not in my opposite world!) This scenario is pretty much a recipe for disaster as far as my mobility goes. Yeah. If you saw me get up to walk across the room you would point and laugh. I looked like a severely wounded animal trying to drag my carcass to the nearest corner so as not to be labeled road-kill. So over the last few days of my break I pretty much replaced my normal mobility routine with, well... working and cocktails. Funny thing is, the cocktails worked. Talk about FLEXIBILITY. Awwwwyeah! After a couple gin and cranberies or a few beers I swear I could do the splits! OK. That's probably a bit of an exaggeration (um... maybe not as much of an exagerration as you might think), b...

...because this post is going to sound totally whacked and a bit like I veered off trail on my run to taste-test some wild fungi. I swear the only fungi I've been eating I found in a box on my doorstep. And it WAS around April 1st...Hmmm. They did look a little out of the ordinary... but anyhoo... the other day on my run my mind wandered for a really brief moment. It was like I was watching a three second movie play in my head.  Yeah. Here's the part where ya'll go... "and what species of trail mushroom were you snacking on, Krista???" OK. I'm just going to say it cuz it actually sounds kinda cool. I had a "vision."  I'm pretty sure I was awake and I hadn't consumed any pre-run cocktails. I must sound totally nuts.   Anyhow, in this "vision" I was looking down inside myself like I was made of glass and I could see fire in my belly. It was tiny and flickering all over the place like there was wind. I reached down a...

A pair of well loved shoes. I will admit to geeking out on running sometimes. I can be a bit tweaky as well. Like when I cut up my brand new pair of Vibram Five Fingers and then sewed them back up to fit my webbed toes. It didn't stop there. I had to cut the straps off as well because I didn't like how they pulled around at my heel.  Then I bought one of those Amphipod running belts (which I love by the way) and added velcro to it so I could attach a single gel flask. Its not ideal, but its a do-able solution for shorter runs. It seems like I'm always altering something to suit my needs. Easy peasy modification to belt. Being tweaky is often challenging, though. I'm hardly ever 100% satisfied with anything. Take my art for example. Instead of stretching new canvas, I make painting after painting on the same canvas because I'm never happy for more than a week with anything I create anyway. I'm driven to destroy, recreate or improve my work. As lon...