Back to blogging after a long hiatus

This past weekend I ran in my first triathlon, the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, with my buddies, the Steel MagNOLAs. It was so much fun to participate in a group sports event like this and to do it also with one of my dearest friends as my cyclist. The MagNOLAs train in each of the tri sports, swimming, cycling, and running and they insist that I join the tri fun. I might do so after I run my first Boston. 

Steel MagNOLAs relay runners

For now I remain strictly a runner and want to improve as a runner before I venture into some of the other sports. My running goals are lofty but I am putting in the time and effort to reach them. I want to be able to run every marathon from now on comfortably at an 8:30 mpm pace and under. I ran the Ochsner half, 13.1 miles at an 8:46 mpm pace. I felt a bit fatigued because we ran in the heat of the day and I am used to starting my long runs in the cooler hours of dawn. In spite of the heat and the long wait, I managed to finish in 1:54, a minute under my goal for this race. I still have a lot of work to do to be able to sustain that pace for a full marathon but I am up to the challenge. I am already training for my next marathon, The Eugene Marathon in Oregon at the end of July. I will blog more in preparation for Eugene, OR. I am proud to be running this race because Eugene is America’s birthplace of distance running. I will toe the lines with many great runners and finish inside the Historic Hayward Field, where many legends of this sport have competed.  

In closing, I offer prayerful thoughts in memory and remembrance of the Boston Marathon 2013 bombing victims and survivals. I have been moved to tears reading some of their stories of survival this week. 
I am also keeping two of my running buddies in my thoughts, Eve and Dennis. They ran Boston last year but were not able to finish the race because the bombs went off when they were nearing the finish line. They are going back this year to run this great race once again, and to cross the finish line with great courage, determination and also with a sense of gratitude and humility.

Let us conquer evil by the good in us, not turning a blind eye but facing it with courage, conviction, and fortitude until we see it gone. ~ LR