When you tell someone – especially a non-runner someone – that you are going to run a marathon, you’re generally met with some version of a respectful “that’s great … good for you.” Contrast, when you tell someone that you are going to run the NYC Marathon, there’s a special, heightened aura that surrounds what surely, inevitably, will be nothing short of an epic race.

The weeks leading to the CIM in December were frenetic - filled beyond capacity with work, training, parenting, and living. Coming off of the high of that marathon, I entered a re-grouping period. My focus turned inward toward family and quiet. Prompted by the formation of a writing group born from Wilder, my writing practice shifted to pen, paper, and daily writing prompts in a space where I am free to play with words and ideas away from the pressure of “perfect” applied to an art that actually is enriched by human imperfections and free flowing honesty. Running similarly has been unconstrained, and my previously dictated workouts became guided instead by whatever it was that my body and mind needed on any given day. What I would have viewed in the past as a step back actually has been a period of rejuvenation, base-building, and readying myself for something more.