Travel Modifications

Marathon training means planning several “shorter” runs during the week and one long run on the weekend, which makes it REALLY hard to train on top of weekend travel and/or socializing. I’ve been pretty good at getting my weekend miles in regardless; I love running in new places, so that definitely helps when I’m out of town.

This weekend I spent Saturday in New Braunfels floating the Comal River with friends, which seems like a relaxing way to spend the day, but I was just EXHAUSTED when I woke Sunday and had to scrap my long run entirely. I knew I couldn’t run and still have the energy to safely drive home 4 hours alone.

I was actually pretty disappointed to skip the run, even though I’d been dreading the hills in San Marcos. After I packed up, I went to the trailhead near our lodging anyway to check out the Spring Lake Nature Preserve where I’d been planning to run.

It was fantastic! At first I was sad to have missed out on running such lovely, shaded dirt trails, but when two deer ran across my path, I realized that hiking it was a better choice. Running would require keeping my eyes glued to the ground to avoid tripping over rocks, but hiking gave me the chance to see so much more and take pictures. I saw birds and butterflies and wildflowers and even an ocelot!

Morning #naturewalk #hike #flowers #texaswildflowers #naturalbeauty

A photo posted by Moniqa Aylin (@fierymon) on Jul 10, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

There was no cell phone reception and no other people in the area for nearly an hour. The morning was humid and warm but not unpleasant until just before I left. As I hiked back to the trail head, I saw a deer across a clearing in the trees, and we stared at one another for several long moments.

After an awful week of news, my time spent solitary in the quiet magic of nature was deeply cathartic.

This early in training, I can always run another day.

A Quarterly Recap

It’s about time for a quarterly update/recap.

This year I’ve been accepted as an ENELL Race Ambassador to promote my favorite athletic gear, and ENELL is sponsoring me in my first Olympic-distance triathlon (happening May 22) and at the Plano Balloon Festival Half Marathon this fall. The Olympic distance means I’ll be swimming a mile in a lake followed immediately by bicycling 25 miles and then running 6.2 miles. I’m definitely nervous about the undertaking, but training is going well so far.

I’m looking forward to a Labor-Day-weekend family reunion (that’s Mom’s mom’s side of the family) in Nebraska and taking a few extra days to visit my best friend in Omaha. I’m still living in Richardson with two housemates and three cats and loving it.

December marked four years working for my company. This year I joined the health and safety committee at work to generate ideas for workplace wellness and safety initiatives. As fond as I am of fitness in my personal life, it’s especially important to me to make sure the company’s ideas are safe, inclusive, accessible, and equitable for everyone interested in participating.

After performing in the DFW Vagina Monologues stage production for two years, I chose to work behind this scenes this year as a producer for the show, submitting promotional information to local publications and helping out with our fundraising events. This year we raised $2,300 for Hope’s Door, a domestic violence shelter and community outreach organization in Plano, Texas, putting our total fundraising in the last three years at over $6k!

            I just went to Galveston this weekend with little brother for a beach getaway. We had a blast at the Moody Gardens ropes course and zipline, got ice cream at the old-fashioned ice cream parlor and confectionary on The Strand (La King’s), swam a bit in the ocean, and visited the Pirates! Museum and its neighboring haunted house. I also got up early Sunday for a long training run along the seawall. There are many more attractions we’d like to see, so I hope we get to go again before summer gets too hot.

How is 2016 treating you so far?

Granbury Getaway

My aunt invited me for a weekend getaway in Granbury because she loves antiquing and there happens to be a fairly well-known local brewery there.

We left Saturday morning and arrived at Revolver Brewing shortly before noon. A $10 per-person fee got us a Revolver beer glass, samples of everything on tap, and four full (8 oz) pours. My aunt didn't finish her first pour because she's not much of a beer drinker, and I only managed a glass and a half myself: first Mother's Little Fracker stout and then their Blood & Honey American ale.

The brewery also offers some pretty cool gear, and I couldn't resist a new gray hoodie for myself. They run SUPER small, though, and I had to go up two sizes from my usual. By 1 PM the place was filling up with people there to enjoy the live band. I can see how it would be a fun all-day event with friends, but we'd had our fill and left before the brewery 1:30 tour.

We checked into our hotel and then set out for the historic square to browse the shops. Unfortunately, many of the shops were much too warm, their proprietors seemingly ignorant of customers' heavy coats and warm layers, so we left some quickly. About halfway around the square, my aunt needed a rest, so we stopped at Farina's for a late lunch. We ordered the Muffalletta sandwich, piled high with prosciutto, ham, salami, banana peppers, and olives. I definitely recommend it.

We had a great haul that day. After splitting a slice of birthday-cake-flavored fudge, I got two pairs of leggings, a purple cropped peasant blouse, a mulled cider candle, and a cute mouse figurine. My aunt snuck back to a shop and bought me a handmade doll I'd been eyeing and a little glass bunny for my dollhouse. She also got some soups, trinkets, and a cool Santa for her collection.

That evening we saw A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline from the front row of the Granbury Opera House, a lovely venue. The lead was an amazing singer and the show was fantastic. We were both surprised at how much we enjoyed it, not knowing what to expect going in. The program listed some pretty good shows coming up this year, so we might have to go back for those.

After retiring for the night, I got up early to squeeze in a long training run and was confronted by a thick, soupy fog, setting the perfect unsettling scene for my Zombies! Run mission that morning. The 7 a.m. Sunday jog was more eventful than I'd have liked, but I'll tell you about it next time.

Gilgal Sculpture Garden

I visited family in Salt Lake City, Utah, for Christmas, and at the recommendation of an acquaintance, my sister took me to visit the Gilgal Sculpture Garden, a park created by Thomas Battersby Child, Jr., in the mid-twentieth century. From Wikipedia: he "conceived of a symbolic sculpture garden that would be a retreat from the world and a tribute to his most cherished religious and personal beliefs."

It's a wacky little spot featuring "12 original sculptures and over 70 stones engraved with scriptures, poems, and literary texts." It had snowed that week, and the fresh snow was pristine when we arrived. There were no signs telling us not to climb up on the rocks to take pictures, so we did.

(A phoenix with the face of LDS leader Joseph Smith)

(A close-up shot of Joe's great, hooked nose)

(Me with two sculpted hands framing two sculpted hearts in a rocky alcove)

(Me with a plow with swords and other farming implements welded to it)

(Me alongside an obelisk with a faintly visible wire man atop it)

(The stone back of one piece)

(Additional stonework I cannot identify)

So if you're looking for something odd to do in SLC for a half hour, check it out. It doesn't look like the place gets very much traffic.