Ultrarunning has a way of keeping me humble, and this weekend’s Mountain Lakes 100 was no exception. A course mostly on the PCT, with less than 11,000 feet of gain and full of autumn’s beauty – it sounded perfect for me. I had a great nine months of training and an amazing summer full of…
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2016 in Review – 2017 in Preview
It has been quite a year! To give some perspective, here are my numbers for 2016: -1,100 miles run -One 50 miler completed (Highland Fling race report) -One 50K completed (Chuckanut race report) -One 25K completed (Deception Pass race report) -One half marathon completed (My Better Half race report) and… -74 whiskies tasted (Online log…
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Reflection on Injury: Patience, Presence, and Grit (or lack thereof)
I’ve probably started and deleted this post a half dozen times already. What news to share when the healing process feels glacially slow? (For a reference, it’s now been 11 weeks since the initial pain in my leg began and 7 weeks since I started physical therapy.) I doubt you really want to hear me gripe on…
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Balm for the Soul
The past few weeks at work have been very busy and tiring. Not bad, just…exhausting. Everyone had reached the end of their rope and we were hanging on by our fingernails. So, a long weekend did not come amiss! Really, all I wanted to do was either go sit on a mountaintop by myself or…
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Injury as a Learning Opportunity…
Mentally, this post-race/post-Scotland has been a strange time for me. Post-race blues are not unusual in the least, and it’s even somewhat expected. As I am a very goal-oriented person, not having a big hairy goal way out in the future is unsettling for me. (But… but… I need to plan!) I need something concrete to aim for…
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2015 in Review – 2016 in Preview
It has been quite a year! To give some perspective, here are my numbers for 2015: -1,400 miles run -Two 50 milers completed (Sun Mountain race report and Mt. Hood race report) -Two 50Ks completed (UltraPedestrian Wilderness Challenge race report and Baker Lake race report) -One half marathon completed (Beat the Blerch race report) and……
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Runs in the Dark
It’s that time of year when the outdoors can seem a little less welcoming than before. The siren call of the couch/bed is quite loud, particularly when the weather is dark, wet, and blustery. With the holidays looming, there are countless things to be done in preparation, and it’s a fine excuse to abandon any running…
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A Moment
This evening I was out on a little walk in the Fremont neighborhood. I couldn’t help but admire the gorgeous fall colors – crimson, bronze, and golden leaves, all against a brilliant blue sky. Not a sky that promises warmth and leisure, but a sky that’s crisp and reminds you that daylight is to be…
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Let the Off-Season Begin!
This past weekend was my first in a very long time that didn’t include training or prepping for the next race. Such a wonderful break! My thought was to take at least two weeks to just be totally lazy and enjoy everything that I’ve missed over training. Mainly, doing things other than training every night and…
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Sunrise on the Equinox
This morning I got up early to squeeze in a run before my day started, and it was lovely. I really enjoy early morning runs, and I wanted to try and describe this one because it was just so pleasant. I left the apartment when it was still mostly dark and the sky was a…