Bloom, find sun and read a map

"Our environment invites action. What is your environment inviting?" -Win the Inside Game, by Steve Magness

I am seeing even the most motivated of athletes starting to not love the slush, get sick of the dark and lose motivation for another cold run. I really want to believe the "bloom where you are planted" thrive in any environment, go mental toughness argument, but as people, we MOVE! I can't rule out "these boots are made for walking" in some scenarios.  

I think the boots are made for walking thinking does assume a certain level of privilege BUT, you don't need to take a training vacation to invite a better environment to shake things up. You can still walk your boots into a better run if you take a little time and some gas. 

I use this app to check for spots that might have better weather. Just click on the map and it tells you the weather for that area. Why not bloom in the sun, even if just for a few hours! If you are in Portland some trails within two hours to check out that often have sun when Portland has gray are the Deschutes River Canyon, Klickitat River Trail and the trails in Cottonwood Canyon State Park. 

Let your environment invite the action. And invite a friend, maybe they can drive! 

And speaking of invites, you are invited to Strength Training for Runners on Wednesday nights. Live to your screen. Always free. Join us! 

FKT FOR PARA ATHLETES
Shawn Chesire ran the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in just under 11 hours to set the first FKT for a para-athlete now that Fastest Known Time has updated their guidelines to include a category for para atheltes. Shawn is blind and ran without a guide. 

VALENTINES IS FOR THE BIRDS
With a donation of $10.00, Alaska's Bird Treatment and Learning center will feed a mealworm named after your ex to one of the birds they are rehabbing. "Need to go bigger for full closure? Donate $100.00, and we'll feed a rat named after your ex to one of our raptors!"

RUN WITH A MAP
If you want to try your hand at orienteering, the first event of the season for the Columbia River Orienteering Club, CROC, is set for March 1 in Portland and it is a night run. You can get there by bus, these events are great to do with kids, and there is pizza after. The best thing is that it is just $12 per person. Shake up your running with some map reading! More information here. 

THIS IS A LONG TRAIL
The Trans Canada Trail is 14,900 miles long. The trail requires a serious time commitment, some canoeing and a real desire to be alone. Notes from the first person to do the entire trail. "We never saw another canoe in that time, but we heard that there was a man behind us kayaking and a couple in a canoe ahead of us... The man eventually drowned five miles behind us, and Julien from the couple was eaten by a bear."  The marketing could be better, HA! 

SHINGLES
If you are 50 or over, you are eligible to get the Shingles vaccine. Here is a well balanced argument in favor of why you should go get it despite it potentially ruining your day post vaccination. Shingles will really ruin some runs if you get it, I turn 50 this year and will be marching down to get the shot for sure. 

SAYING YES TO THIS
Keeping men out of women's sports. "Women’s sports do not exist to make people comfortable, to reinforce gender stereotypes, or to give political points to the patriarchy. They exist to disrupt the status quo. And that’s why, beyond their dehumanization of trans people, which is reason enough to oppose them, trans bans in women’s sports are so upsetting; because they rely on the notion that femininity, above all else, is fragile. And, as someone who actually watches women’s sports on a daily basis and sees what these athletes are capable of, I vehemently disagree."