Would our tent hold in the storm? Probably. I wasn’t worried. I actually felt calm, cozy and secure. I had developed a mindset of taking anything and everything in stride. Whatever happened, happened.
Tag Archives | ultrarunning mom
My Wild Week at the Grand to Grand Ultra, Part 2: The Long Stage
Whereas Stages 1 and 2 were like an appetizer and salad course, Stage 3 would be the Grand to Grand Ultra’s Supersized Full Meal Deal. It would dish up hot, hard roads; steep, rocky climbs; debilitating deep-sand tracks; gnarly, in-your-face vegetation; slippery slickrock, monotonous highway shoulders, and beautiful, baffling fine-sand dunes—relentless, towering, engulfing sand dunes.
My Wild Week at the 2014 Grand to Grand Ultra, Part 1
I was completely unplugged, off the grid and rocking out. I was going native, kicking ass and feeling half my age. And it just kept getting better. Inevitably—hilariously—something had to harsh my buzz.
Pack Training for the Grand to Grand Ultra
At a 50K race, which I used as a pack training run for the Grand to Grand Ultra, one runner wondered if I was a Marine and another asked, in all seriousness, if I eat dog food.
Report from the 2014 Hardrock 100, Part 2: Extreme Highs and Slows
What makes Hardrock so slow? It’s not just the thin air. It’s the ever-changing terrain, which includes broken-up rock, boggy mud, slick snow, rushing streams. It’s the skill and care required to spot hard-to-find trail markers when no clear trail is apparent; to step methodically and precisely along the face of a summit while leaning […]
An Ode to Telluride, Family Ghosts and the Hardrock Spirit
Getting ready to road trip to Telluride, an annual pilgrimage that does something to my psyche. Keeps me younger, makes me tougher. Reminds me what I’m made of and where I came from. Because I was a wild child, thanks to Telluride.
An Ultra That Became a Midlife Crossroads and Catharsis
How the Miwok 100K transported me way outside of my comfort zone, made me feel like I lived a lifetime in a day and then reduced me to tears.
Diablo Trails Challenge 50K Report: An 11-Mile Race with a 20-Mile Warmup
I approached the Diablo Trails Challenge 50K as a pre-Miwok 100K reality check and final long, hard run before tapering. But at a certain point I made the decision to race, not just run.
Boston-Bound Magdalena Boulet: Past Olympian and Rising Ultra Star
A from-the-archives 2008 post on Olympic marathoner Magdalena Boulet of Oakland, who is rising on the ultra racing scene and will race Boston on Monday.
The Terrible Process of Letting Go of Something You Love
I closed my eyes and imagined running and wondered if I’d ever run four hours straight again. I visualized Teddy on our walk in the park and wondered if he’d ever run at full speed down those paths again. I rode as hard as I could during the final hour to reach 85 miles before […]