Some 12 years back, I went on a life changing adventure that still serves as a source of inspiration for me. I spent three months living amongst Benedictine and Trappist monks. I had no idea at the beginning what my venture would lead to – I was on a mission to do research for a novel that had captured my…
Author: jodiw5@aol.com
Career Check-Up
If you find yourself answering I don’t know to the big questions in your life, today is the day to start exploring. If you don’t know what you seek, then surely no one, including yourself, will be able to help you to get where you’re going. We live in a world that is constantly evolving – careers that existed…
National Endurance Sports Summit (NESS) 2015
While it’s easy to convince ourselves that only super humans can climb the Seven Summits and complete Badwater Quads (584 miles back and forth from Badwater Basin to the summit of Mount Whitney), the endurance athletes we met at the 2nd annual National Endurance Sports Summit (NESS), hosted by Team U at Princeton University, reminded us that when one has…
The Woman on the Bus: a tribute to my mentors
Lee K. Abbot, the author and professor, was one of my most favorite writing teachers. He had a human element to him both inside and outside of the classroom. He was a man’s man, but also a sensitive soul, who was not afraid of letting his students experience his blend of stern and soft. Most importantly, he was not afraid…
9/11 – In Remembrance of the Missing People
I remember that September morning well – the air was crisp and breezy with a hint of fall. The sun bright and commanding. At around 6 am, I ran my favorite 6.2 mile loop in Central Park. There was something about the park that day, the pool-blue sky, the hopefulness I always feel in September, that made me want to linger…
Grits, Guts, and Determination: Leadville Trail 100 – A Crew Member’s Perspective
Leadville – The Town We arrived in the town of Leadville late Thursday afternoon. A Florida flat lander, I was apprehensive that the altitude was going to wreak havoc on me. The town of Leadville, where we were to stay pre and post-race, sits at 10,200 feet, which is the highest altitude of any incorporated city in North America. I…
Badwater 135 – Going the Distance
Pre-race check in smiles. For me, Badwater 135 was a race whose magic didn’t fully set in until a few days after I finished. Perhaps it’s because I had so much fear and doubt going into the race—what if I failed? What if one of my crew mates or myself got sick? What if something happened to my dad? I…
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and other adventures in and around Manhattan
The pre-story to this race is a tale within itself, as I only gained entry to the race—I had been waitlisted along with Chip— a week prior to the event. Aside from the short notice, I was going to be in Death Valley training for Badwater 135 up until Tuesday of that week, when I was to fly home to…
A Guide to Living in the World
A memo to myself for when I forget the basics Happiness is hard work. It is a choice, not a given or a guarantee. It requires a commitment to believing in yourself, your capabilities, and the endless possibilities ahead. It demands a belief that there is always a positive side to every incident. And once you achieve happiness, it requires…
Keys 100 – The Little Bag’s Journey
May 17 – 18 2015 Sometimes things in our lives are inextricably tied together. For me, the Keys 100 is tied to my mom, both in the flesh and in her passing. I will never forget that first year I ran the Keys 50 in 2011. I felt in my being that my mom was passing, that the end was…