When I first started this writing space and was trying on different names for what ultimately became Midlife Run, I struggled. Solidly in my forties, the idea of attaching the word “midlife” to anything seemed like an unwelcome, uncomfortable stretch reserved for the after-fifty set. But I settled into the name, comforted by the knowledge that I was on the “early side” of midlife. Not so any more. Last month we dropped our youngest at college thus marking the beginning of the “empty nest years” and today, as I start to write this, I turn fifty. I am solidly, undeniably, in midlife. I have a fe ..read more

Our family is not one to stand still. We fall easily into the pace of rushed crowds on New York City streets, and we barrel ahead in pursuit of goals. We move forward, and then we move forward again. Even our family walks seem to be driven, marching along familiar neighborhood paths, distracted by conversation, and, for the past twelve years, led by our trusty furry companion, Lucy, whose entry into our family was the very thing that initiated this nightly routine.  In the beginning, our young daughter struggled to control the dog’s leash, stretched to its limit as Lucy charged ahead and sidew ..read more

I have a shrink-wrapped cork board leaning against the wall to the right of my desk, clearly within view. It’s been standing sentinel in the same spot for months, waiting for me to deal with it and daring me to get on with it already. Its purpose is to be a vision board of sort, a place for me organize my goals, to lay them out in a way that my left-leaning brain can process and check them off, mixed together with other bits designed to spark my still developing right-brain to creativity. I look at that cork board regularly with the same dread that someone with writer’s block stares at a blink ..read more

In my memory, I cannot think of a more seismic shift in our marriage than when we had children. The first sign that our world was about to be rocked actually happened when our first bun was still in the oven and we were standing outside of a Denver bar.  It wasn’t late, we were with good friends, and good times were being had by all, especially by those (not me) enjoying a night of craft beer and pool. By that point in my pregnancy, my body was changing and bulging, I had given up caffeine, alcohol, and hot baths and traded them for binge-eating apples. My pregnancy and impending motherhood we ..read more

My excuses for why I’m not going to perform well in a race while I toe the starting line roll up like opening credits in a movie. Written by: Lack of preparation, Directed by: Insecurity, Executive produced by: My shoes don’t feel right, Casting by: I can barely breathe and my ankle already hurts. Starring: Me. I don’t know if every runner goes through this. I don’t think so. At the start of long races especially, I see sinewy bodies and sweaty upper lips and slightly sunken-in eyes and veiny arms, and skin that’s probably seen a little too much sun but is stretched thin like an over-inflate ..read more

I am writing this from 37,000 feet in the air, jetting my way across the country to New York, where this Sunday I will be joining a gang of 50,000 runners carving a collective path through the five boroughs, bounded by an almost solid wall of volunteers and kind, enthusiastic souls cheering us on for the full 26.2. My long build up to this year’s race has not been without its obstacles. Life and career demands aren’t always forgiving when it comes to prescribed marathon training, and when I put my body through all the miles these days, every once in awhile it decides to bite back - what new he ..read more

Certain milestones simply make me pause. Today is a big one – our 25th wedding anniversary. By any measure, that is a legitimately long time to spend marching through life next to the same person. It has me looking back in wonder about how we got to this point, looking forward trying to guess what is ahead, and reflecting broadly about what I know now about the two of us together and the life-long project of building a marriage. Unsurprisingly, I have a few thoughts. 1.    Don’t sweat the small stuff, because there will be plenty of big stuff.  The subject of our first, full-blown, who’s-going ..read more

When you tell someone – especially a non-runner someone – that you are going to run a marathon, you’re generally met with some version of a respectful “that’s great … good for you.” Contrast, when you tell someone that you are going to run the NYC Marathon, there’s a special, heightened aura that surrounds what surely, inevitably, will be nothing short of an epic race. So, when the post-race, water cooler moment comes around and you’re politely asked about it (because after listening to you talk about NYC for 6 months, people are kind of compelled to ask), you know they really just want a 30-s ..read more

The weeks leading to the CIM in December were frenetic - filled beyond capacity with work, training, parenting, and living. Coming off of the high of that marathon, I entered a re-grouping period. My focus turned inward toward family and quiet. Prompted by the formation of a writing group born from Wilder, my writing practice shifted to pen, paper, and daily writing prompts in a space where I am free to play with words and ideas away from the pressure of “perfect” applied to an art that actually is enriched by human imperfections and free flowing honesty. Running similarly has been unconstrain ..read more

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