The sun was beating down, and I dodged a spikey cholla cactus ball hiding in the rocks. I still had 70 miles to go and thought, what am I DOING out here?? I had nostalgically told the story of my first Javelina finish to anyone who would listen. The beauty and vibe of the race…
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Highland Fling Race Report 2019 (53 miles)
Standing at an aid station, completely drenched and cold, and with many miles still ahead of us on the trail, I apologized to Adam. “I’m really sorry. This… kinda sucks right now.” He laughed, “For what? The rain isn’t your fault.” Three years ago we ran the Highland Fling for the first time, and I…
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Badger Mountain Challenge 50K Race Report
This was my first ultra in nearly a year following an injury. Ultras are about exploring the nooks and crannies of your physical and mental self, and I had seriously missed it. So one could say that I was excited to be back out there and decidedly nervous because finishing an ultramarathon is never a…
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Spring Eagle Trail Marathon Race Report
This past month has been crazy busy at work and I was looking for a local event to keep my miles up. Northwest Trail Runs Spring Eagle Trail Marathon was an ideal solution. I was calling it a maintenance marathon, and getting weird looks from my coworkers. All of you ultrarunners know what I mean, right?…
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Chuckanut 50K Race Report – 2018
This was my first race of the year, and wow, I couldn’t have hoped for a better day and race experience! It’s a classic race here in the Pacific Northwest, and takes place near Bellingham (about 1.5 hours north of Seattle), and mostly in Larrabee State Park. I’ve run the Chuckanut 50K twice before (2016…
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Javelina Jundred 100 Miler Race Report
I finished my first 100 miler!!! I can’t believe it. It feels incredibly surreal. After my disappointing DNF a month ago at Mountain Lakes 100, I decided to get right back on the horse and try again. My coach recommended the Javelina Jundred (not a snowflake in sight!), and it turned out to be the perfect…
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Mountain Lakes 100 – DNF
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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Grand Teton and Yellowstone Half Marathon (Grizzly Double) Race Reports
What’s the Grizzly Double? Great question! It’s a pair of half marathons held by Vacation Races within a week of each other – Grand Teton Half Marathon and Yellowstone Half Marathon. I heard about these races from some of my friends in the High Heel Running Group (a fantastic trail running group for women in…
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Sun Mountain 100K Race Report
Running from sunrise to sunset – Rainshadow Running’s Sun Mountain 100K was quite an experience! This was a new distance for me, so I had a few… okay… A LOT of anxieties about it. Due to the very fine coaching of Jess Mullen, I knew intellectually that my body was ready. I really was feeling stronger than ever.…
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Chuckanut 50K Race Report – 2017
This year’s Chuckanut 50K was quite the experience and a real contrast to last year’s race! This year heavily featured mud, rain, and a dash of hail. While that may sound pretty miserable, I still had a lot of fun! Unfortunately, due to the (rather incessant) rain, I wasn’t able to take many photos. The…