"If you’ve never ran through a skree field at 13,000 feet let me describe it for you…place duct-tape over your mouth and stuff cotton up one of your nostrils…then sprint down the worst dirt road you can find for a few hours" -Dalton Wilson

Running is my artistic outlet. I can create the most amazing pieces. Filled with passion and joy, frustration, peace....emotions so vivid and all consuming at times, and at times wild and incredible and wonderful. I can create and it just flows. This evening was full of reds and oranges and a little purple.  not only was the sky and the hues around me this color, but the hues within me and my effort and emotion. Strong and willful. A little defiant. Passionate. ....and when all said and done…

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Leadville training day 3...a true adventureTuesday's agenda was to run from the base of sugarloaf pass to twin lakes...27 miles. This was the monster I created in my mind. This was the hardest section for me last year.  Each direction.  Leadville race is 50 miles out and back.  Where we would start would be around mile 15 from the start. After my near implosion on Monday and flurry of emails to coach..we decided a phone call was in order.  I couldnt seem to change my…

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Late night last night, but ate smart and stuffed myself with fish, potatoes and green beans knowing today would not be easy. Yesterday's success, even with the altered course, was a huge confidence booster. Woke up with nausea, forced down a blueberry muffin and water and we were off to ascend hope pass again this morning. 11ish miles round trip. Legs heavy. Worried about being able to pick up new kicks over rocks and roots coming down. The confidence I had from yesterday's…

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Driving in the car, post run headed for food or something, I don't quite remember what...Here it comes..I'm emailing my coach back and forth, talking to my pacer, completely physically and mentally exhausted. Wanting to cry, but not feeling like I can...wanting Calgon to "take me away", an alien to abduct me from the next  few days of running, or Scotty to "beam me up". I was going to implode because I knew no one was going to rescue me. I knew my exhaustion was my own damn fault.

I…

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Headed to Leadville on Saturday to start 4 days of training for the upcoming Leadville 100 trail run. Figured I'd blog each day out.

Agenda for Sunday was 20 miles of trail heading out from Twin lakes toward Half Pipe Aid stations. 3000 ft of gain. Started out feeling pretty good. Hiked the first 2 mile climb out. Pretty short of breath going up. Descending felt great. We missed the turn we were supposed to take and descended another half mile before realizing our error. Back up the…

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After my 5 hour, 26 mile waaaambulance ride Saturday I returned to the hotel room pretty seriously defeated feeling.  The plan was to stay the weekend and run Turkey Mt again Sunday. I think I mentioned I'd rather eat a box of rocks than spend another hour in Turkey Mt... I decided I'd head back home and venture out early, the other direction to Hobbs State Park trails in Arkansas. My feet killed me all day saturday, felt like someone had taken a hammer to them. I was seriously dreading…

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Ok, so I really do have runs/races where I really just nail it and they go just as planned. Runs where I think I might just be pure awesomeness..well...not quite ;). But those aren't nearly as interesting, no do they teach me nearly as much, nor do they occur as frequently. 

This weekend running agenda was for 5 hr trail run today and 3 hr trail run tomorrow.  Closest trails for me are an hour and change away. Since I had a double header, we opted to come spend the night in Tulsa,…

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