Where's the Black Cloud

I have a lot to be thankful for in life. As it is important to let your friends/family know when you are thinking about them and appreciate them, I also think it is important to identify the things you are thankful for in your life to help propel you forward. I am going to do just that! I am going to jot down some things that I am thankful for. Read on if you wish:

• In the last 30 days I have ridden 150 mile and have logged 40 miles running. The beauty of keeping a training log is that you can look back and see what you have accomplished. I really wish I was better at logging my swimming, but if it isn't on my watch, it simply doesn't get logged. The good news is that the black cloud hanging over my athletic pursuits is starting to lift... 

• Although this blog is primarily about my athletic pursuits, I like to think I am a fairly well rounded person. I like to be mobile and active but I also like live music, random unplanned days with friends, talking about the topics that you are never supposed to discuss with people... Basically, no activity is off limits for me! Over the past several weeks I have been to fairs, festivals, ice cream shops (a lot of them actually), friends porches, the zoo, out to dinner, had friends over for dinner, gone for walks. In the coming weeks I will go camping, do a triathlon, a friend may come and visit, log more miles on the bike, spend more mornings seeking the best breakfast destination for bacon. I just need to remember to order bacon. 

• My pants are falling off me. In other words, I have lost 12 lbs over the past several weeks.

• I love my dog dearly!!! As a matter of fact he is laying here with his head on my lap. He is somewhat sad because I did get four new pets this weekend. Hermit crabs are fun! I went to the fair with Lauri the other night, we were playing the ping pong ball game, you know the one, throw a ping pong ball in a fish bowl, win a fish, except this game was win a hermit crab. One of our balls landed in a bowl and now I am the proud owner of Crabby, Hermi, MS and Punk. Sue helped me pick out shells and the three additional crabs today! The crabitat is set up and they are all settling into their new home.

• I ran my first 5 plus mile run since the half iron man yesterday. It was hard but we did it! I wanted to quit but Sue wouldn't let me. I even made it up the effing hill!

• A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about a theory that states you are a combination of the five people you spend the most time with. I really appreciated the theory at the time because it made me recognize that I had some pretty awesome people in my life. In recent weeks I have reacquainted myself with this theory and took another look around to again recognize that I have some very special people who I spend my time with; they know who they are... I would like to say that I am extremely happy that I get to share my experiences (both good and bad) with these people. 

I encourage everyone to take a moment to identify what you are thankful for, or simply let someone know you care! I hope all the people who are so special to me know that they are much appreciated. You are all the reason the black cloud is disappearing.