Only in New England will you find 60

Only in New England will you find 60 degree temps on Monday and two inches of snow on Thursday! What a week to sign up for my next marathon.

With one week down, my pre-training and workouts have felt fantastic.

We’ve been obsessing about the weather forecast around here the past few days — Nik will be in Maine for the week, where temperatures are expected to be below zero — but Sunday morning was sunny and in the 40’s, so I layered up and hit the road. On my way out the door I mentioned to Nik that I was going to do this run in honor of Bill.

Bill is my former client’s husband — a title that sounds much more casual and detached than I intend. This former client is one I bonded with immediately upon meeting for the first time. She is strong, poised, and sassy and I adored working with her back in my Hyatt days. When Nik and I started dating and I mentioned in passing that I was having lunch, or drinks, or a site visit or something with Anna, lo and behold, she was his favorite, too. Bill has fought cancer once before and is currently going through a secondary diagnosis and treatment for MDS. He is very sick and my heart aches for Anna and her family.

I mapped out a 6 1/2 mile route to include a handful of hills, since word on the street is that Burlington is fully stocked. I took it slow and easy, still easing back into running more than a mile or two around the neighborhood, and just enjoyed myself. If not for the wind, it would have felt like spring. The bonus was running past St. Francis Xavier and having the priest jog over from the rectory — Let’s go! he proclaimed, smiling and running up alongside me for a moment. I directed my thoughts to Bill and Anna and to thinking about faith the whole way home.

If you are the kind of person who prays, sets intentions, meditates, or sends good vibes, please send them for Bill this week.