They say home is where your heart is, but for me home is where Dave is. So after a long trip to China seeing Dave, even if it was in Utah (well, technically we found each other in the Denver airport first) was like coming home. I guess that's why I tend to say, "Let's go home" when we're traveling, even if that means we're going to a hotel, because as long as it's with him it feels like home.
Of course, now as I write this I really am home, sitting on my couch with cats sleeping all around me, cows mooing in the field, and chickens running around in the yard. The leaves are starting to turn, weather is getting colder (boo!), and things are trying to fall back into a rhythm.
China was a blast. It was fantastic seeing old friends and making new ones. I got to spend time in Shanghai with a friend and we had a great time seeing the city, getting stared at for being "blonde" and eating yummy food. Workouts went pretty good, especially considering how hard it can be to find a place to train in Shanghai.
The races themselves were both good and frustrating. Recovery from the 100 miler took longer than I had hoped, so I was not in the shape I wanted to be. When I went I really wanted to be in great condition and improve on what I did last year. Alas that was not to be. I found after the first day I had to change my mentality from "racing" to "working as hard as I can." It might not seem like an important distinction, but it really took the pressure off my mind and let me just get out there and work. It was all about the process, not about the outcome ("With Winning In Mind by Lanny Basham, I've mentioned it before, but if you're just now reading then go get this book and read it!!!!) I did have a few people say that my technique looked much improved from last year, and the judges seemed to agree this year, I only got one yellow paddle during the entire four days of racing!
So I left wishing I could've/would've gone faster, but feeling like it really helped get me off to a solid start again. The worst part was my SI joint went out of whack the last day and I DNFed the final race. Usually I can race through that, but this time it was sending a lot of shooting pain down my legs and up my back. I guess all the travel and three days of racing before it was just a little too much.
Since we figured this could be my last trip to China we decided to send me to Beijing for a few days. It was awesome! I got to see some of everything; the Great Wall, Tianamen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, pandas, the Bird's Nest, Temples. It was fantastic.
From Beijing I flew to St. George, Utah for the Huntsmans World Senior Games. While I am not yet old enough to compete, Dave is, and we thought it would be fun for him to go and get some speed work in. Plus they used me as an official so I earned us a place to stay and some money. Dave did fantastic, setting the 3,000 men's 55-59 age group USATF record. I was super proud of how he raced all six races in three days! He's really been working hard and it's paying off.
I guess I can never leave China without getting sick, but luckily this time I was able to shake it off very quickly so it didn't affect training for more than a few days. Dave and I had some fantastic workouts, including one really strong 30K walk. I feel like my strength is really coming back and I'm moving really well.
Another one of the reasons we went to St. George was how close it is to both Bryce and Zion canyons. The original idea was to go camping, but with me catching cold and the temperatures getting down to the low 30s at night, we thought that wasn't one of the smartest things we could do. We met some wonderful people who offered us to stay at their house and we could just drive to the canyons to hike. it was perfect and they're so unbelievably wonderful!!!!
Here's us in the middle of a nice 8 mile hike at Bryce Canyon. If you haven't ever been and have the chance, definitely go! It's beautiful!
Dave and Eric after one of their races. Eric is an amazing athlete who competes in so much more than race walking. And a super nice guy!
Even though the trip to China and Utah was wonderful, it was so nice to get home again. The moo cows were very happy to get more apples.
So things are back on track. Workouts are going better than they have in months, I'm focused on my goals and taking things one day at a time. Progress is being made on the bunkhouse and we're chipping away at it little by little. My athletes are working super hard and it's showing up in their training and racing. Everyone is racing at the national 30K on Sunday and I'm super excited to see how everyone does.
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