First week of school, first week of fall and first week of running in pouring rain. September. Cashmere season. Woolen socks. Boots. Down coats. And raincoats. Let the fun begin. We all feel exhausted and I am not the one going to school every day.

Number of nails on feet, approximately 8.

Number of possible broken toes, approximately 1,5. And I am not going to give you the satisfaction of telling you how it happened.

Number of shoulders that needs repair. One. Maintenance is easier than repair for sure.

Car serviced and as good as new.

Bike tuned and worked on. Lots of broken stuff, I blame Alaskan Airlines. It can’t be the way I bike or the way I taped the bike box. I used a lot of tape.

Mentally balanced, who am I kidding. Very unbalanced. Close to unstable. Neeh, just kidding. I am as always very focused and close to boring serious.

I had a MRI for my shoulder/collarbone/shoulder blade that I somewhat tortured during the Alaska race and the first advice I got from my doctor was to find another hobby. I had surgery on that same shoulder 5 years ago and I guess I tore it all again. I don’t understand, I thought tape could fix everything. I guess time will tell. I know I need the rush, and I need the emptiness, the fatigue after a race. He was actually very concerned and told me to really think about what I can do to stay sane and happy. I don’t get that from a golf game or walking a dog. I guess I need to buy a new grand piano or a horse. Or move closer to an amusement park. I read an article about what happens in your body when you ride roller coasters, ride horses or jump cliffs. I get it and now I know why I like rides like that. Adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine free flowing. If you ask my mother she would say that it all started with climbing a tree at the age of 7. I climbed to the top and could see the whole city from there.

I have a birthday coming up in a week and it’s no secret how old or young I turn. It’s kind of a midlife age, still pretty young, but almost falling over the edge. Tipping over to the other side… turkey neck, winkles, flabby arms… If I get carded when buying wine it’s just because the guy behind the counter is trying to be nice, not because I look like I am close to 21. But let me just clear this up a bit and tell you how great it is to get older. I might be a bit wrinkly and have flabby arms but it’s so much better than 28 or 39. I don’t get more grown up than this. And I have been waiting for the maturity to kick in but it doesn’t seem to happen.

This last year has been an interesting one. Lots of highs and lows. We will always remember the day our friend Ross died. It will be one whole year tomorrow. We will climb a mountain and sit at the top, make an espresso, have a snack, and remember the good times.

The most amazing this year was the Alaska Race with lots and lots of highs but also some lows. The raft flip still kind of haunts me a little. It’s definitely the first time in my life I thought it was all over. I swallowed a lot of water and thought of my teammates how it would give them a lot of problems. I should probably do some pack rafting to get over that low point and move on. I was planning on another great race in NZ in April but it looks like my plans will change because of the shoulder injury. No fun.

So, what changed since in a year. Not much. I am just a year older and one whole year wiser. I wear boots when it’s raining, not because it’s cool with Hunters, I just don’t like when my feet get wet. And I do love my old green Barbour that smells like a wet dog even if my kids hate it. I don’t avoid going to the doctor or have my checkups. I keep track of the necessary stuff and things that matters, yearly checkups, blood pressure, mammograms and the opening hours at the gym. I really try to feed my kids well and keep them healthy. I don’t know about the part of raising them… still just winging it.