Off Trail with a Turtle

I’ve been lost up a strange turtle trail. To sort of explain that, I sometimes say I chase turtles through the woods for fun. So I think I followed a turtle off trail in past few months. Maybe I’ve found my way back on trail now, but somehow it feels a little different. Spain and France were a unique experience. I came back feeling relatively good with running and life. The biggest experience from the trip was how blessed I am to be in this life partnership with Alison. I missed her on the trip and thought quite a bit how good life is with her and I should do/be better. Two days after getting back, my sister Theresa was told she only had 3-6 months to live. She’d been diagnosed with a terminal illness 16 years ago and had a double lung transplant 3 years ago. Theresa died the following Tuesday, 6 days later. I was prepared for her death, but I was still left with an odd feeling that lingered or still lingers.


A couple of days later I destroyed my right ankle. It was really an accumulation of rolling it, but this did it in. I limped when I walked for two weeks. My motivation with running stumbled off trail and fell off a cliff. I was burnt out. Add the frustration of having to cancel the Beech Mountain 10K that I was race director for and I was a bit out mentally.

But I got better. (Say with a strong British accent for full effect.)

I'm currently in Wales for the IAU World Trail Championships.  So hopefully I can get a little more time to post some updates of what's been happening on my "turtle trail" experiences.

Young Mountain Goat among the hills of  Wales