The hours melt into days and I realize I haven’t written a post since Thursday and it is now Sunday. Life and stuff corrode my time and writing falls by the wayside. Until this very moment, the moments with which I turn the rest of the world off long enough to compose thoughts onto a page, somewhat coherently.

So where have I been, off on some exciting journey? No, just going about the normal happenings in life. Although, I have been able to get in some time for myself, the time of which I have grasp onto and found ways to make the most of it. On Friday, I was able to take two hours and hike up a mountain on a warm sunny day. My snowshoes carried me for five miles. This trek gave me the opportunity to try out my new weight vest. Saddled with about 20% of my body weight added, I moved slowly but moved up the mountain. Instead of the typical fast paced music blaring through my ear buds, I replaced it with some more soothing singer and songwriters. The hike allowed me reflective time and a chance to enjoy the trails in the winter. I was amazed at how the most familiar trail can take on a whole different composition in the winter, the trees bare of leaves, rocks covered in ice, and a white carpet covering the ground smoothing all the jagged edges. I was struck how the familiar can become so unfamiliar.

Saturday was spent in the company of six to nine year olds also I have come to find is my weekly practice in compassion and patience. For some reason this week my group seemed to zap me of any energy I had. The last run of the day I pushed back to the clubhouse knowing all I had was given the kids during the day. I returned to the school and was on-duty for the evening, knowing I needed to get some more of a workout in and unable to leave the building I came up with plan B. With the help of one of my co-workers we moved one of the spin bikes from the gym down to the front desk and I hopped on for two hours.

Today, I remain on-duty until five this evening. Instead of being frustrated about the fact I am not getting the miles in for my upcoming ultra I looked around to find solutions with the equipment I do have. The school does not have a treadmill, but the spin bikes we have. Biking might not be the best way to train for running but when it is all you have you work with it. So just before eight o’clock this morning I hopped on the spin bike, two movies and four-hours later I got off the bike just in time to do a round and check on the kids again.

My time on the bike in a quiet building peddling away reminded me yet again it’s the work we put in when no one is watching that matters. It’s nice when people are there to push you but it’s what you do when they aren’t there, when the room is quiet or the road is quiet that starts to define who you are. It’s so easy to forget what our motivations are, why we started in the first place. For me during solo workouts like those on Friday and today are when I can start to reconnect with my own internal drivers. However, the best part of the last few days has been having a good saddle for the bike! Six hours on a spin bike in less than twenty-four hours can literally be a pain in the ass without the proper seat!