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Unfortunately, due to some technical snafus and personal preference, I’ve decided to fly south from Tumblr, towards the warmer climate of Wordpress. This platform seems to have more of what I need for expression, so please take a visit, bookmark, rss, etc.
http://jasminedialogues.wordpress.com
Be wild, n
Demanding week at work. Depleted from nocturnal indulgences the night prior from seeing face-melting Phantogram at the Doug Fir. On the eve of the McKenzie River 50K, my ninth and final race of the season, I lay motionless as a spotlight from the rising full moon infiltrates my tent only to expose accumulated exhaustion.
Now I love running mountains more than most. But as much giddiness as I can produce at the prospect of mountain vertical, I looked forward to running McKenzie. Flat, fast and relatively short, this popular race fit the bill after a punishing Waldo 100K and a slew of demanding races this year.
Yet, as I patiently await the starting gun to go off on race morning, I’m still not sure how I feel. Certainly not sharp. I hadn’t run much at all since Waldo, tending to some IT and ankle issues. I do, however, feel relaxed and unattached to any result, which is a great mental approach for, well, just about anything.
Committed.
(via nathanblairdesign)
Glow-in-the-Dark Bocce Ball. I think I’ve found the perfect taper week activity.
This epitomized my approach to the Waldo 100K. The proverbial hay was in the barn. I felt strong and confident from recent races and adventures around Mt. Hood. Nothing more to do really but welcome home rest and relaxation. When 3am rolls around and I rise to an eerie gong sounding off for the early starters, the space I inhabit feels calibrated. The body itches for mountains, more than it ever has before. I feel ready to spend the day exploring boundaries, encouraged by good friends and stiff competition.
August 9th, 2011. Mt. Hood Circumnavigation with top-notch crew: Joe Grant, Yassine Diboun, Ian Sharman, Willie McBride, Trevor Hostetler and Joe Kleffner. 42 Miles. Incredible day in the mountains. See more of Joe’s incredible photos here.
It’s Friday night. 10pm. Contact lenses already plucked from the eyes. I was intending to wake up with the sun and get lost on Hunchback Mountain for 27 solo mountain miles. A favorite training run.
I get a call from Yassine. He’s on his way to race the Mt. Hood 50 the next morning and we talk race strategy a bit. Yassine has another idea for me.
“Why don’t you just mash up here tomorrow morning and see if you can get in the race?” He says. Doesn’t take much convincing.
July 23, 2011. Routefinding. St. Helen’s 30 mile circumnavigation with Animal Athletics cut short, too much snow. Beautiful day though, sniffed out some sweet, sweet singletrack a bit lower.
Burning eyes peer into an inverted bowl of polluted soup to follow a swooping, swirling red rollercoaster that shoots through sour skies. A towering artificial display resembling Mont Saint-Michel provides an appropriate backdrop to this curious display of human entertainment.
I am surrounded by an army of jittery Chinese teens cooled by misting machines, all talking, texting and bobbing to a Chinese dance mash-up of Avril Lavine’s “Complicated”.
This is Happy Valley. This is Beijing.
Backing up a few steps. Work brought me to China’s second largest city (first prize? Shanghai, 23 million) to chaperone 50, yes 50, high school students on their way to a 6-week Chinese language immersion program. My responsibilities ended after dropping the students off with our staff in China, where I was then free to explore Beijing for a week before returning home.
During my four days with these students, I was fully inspired by their ardent commitment towards sharing a common language to bridge cultural cleavages. Their ambition compelled me to investigate further the purpose and importance of language, and this deconstruction traveled with me as I was enveloped by 20 million Beijing residents for an entire week.
MUTEMATH: Odd Soul. New Album October 4th, 2011. Be Ready.
