I am sitting here enjoying another beautiful summer day here in Mammoth Lakes and realizing how incredibly blessed I am! My new puppy Dash is playing at my feet while Ryan is cooking and Kai is lounging on the deck. It is so nice to be home, as Mammoth actually does feel like home now! I've never been here in July- it is so green and beautiful! I recommend making a training camp trip out one summer. If you need a structured camp, check out the Altitude Project, run by some good friends of ours. We are excited for it to start up this weekend and to get to be a part of it, encouraging our fellow runners both in their training and in their faith.
Usually at this time of year I'm over in Europe, but this summer I decided not to head over to Belgium as usual. Because my race at Nationals went poorly, my race options there were limited and I felt the need to return home to regroup before hitting the track and roads again. It proved to be the right decision, and I am excited for what God has in store for me each day! He is teaching me to live in the moment, not looking back on regrets or anxiously forward, but be fully present in the now, hearing how He is speaking to me at the moment.
Since coming back to Mammoth, there is always an adjustment back to altitude after being down for awhile. After 2 weeks up here I'm finally getting my legs under me, and I felt great in my workout yesterday! I'm looking forward to running the Falmouth mile (and 7 mile race the next day, if I still have some juice in my legs!) and then some road races later in the fall.
It's been an eventful return to Mammoth- the day we arrived, we found out that Kai had escaped from our friends who were watching her, and was collar-less. After much searching, someone saw my sign and called to tell me she was hit by a car. We were devastated, we were so close to being reunited with her after 2 months away from her while training in San Diego. The police gave me hope that until we found the body, she might still be alive- and it was a good thing. We put up Reward posters, and in a few days, we heard back from the people who had taken her and planned to adopt her as their own! We met up and got Kai back, and it seemed as though she was raised from the dead! We were ecstatic and so thankful for our friends who had spent so much time putting up signs and looking for her, particularly Josh and Carrie Cox.
In addition to getting Kai back, we added Dash to our family, which has been a blast! He is a spunky little guy, very vocal and active! He is a miniature Husky like Kai- in fact, he is Kai's half-sister's puppy (same breeder). It will be nice for Kai to have a playmate and hopefully it will keep her from escaping again!
That's it for now- thanks for your prayers and support!
