via Photo Challenge: Danger!

I have a lot of yard work to do this weekend, and I want to bake, and the house really needs tending. But I also need to get in bike ride. I’m still a little timid after the mishap last ride,* but I know I can address that issue and I also know I must get back on the bike.

* I checked the quick release lever on the back wheel. Because I couldn’t close it, I loosened it by a quarter of a turn. I should have found a lever to use. While trying to get going after my first stop, the rear wheel came out of the drop out and I fell over, skinning my knee and elbow. It sucked, but I know I need to tighten the QR – even if it means I can’t get it open myself.  Continue reading →

It’s a dozen days after I DNF’d the Badger Mountain Challenge 55K. I knew I’d want to take time to recover, but I’m not liking the way my body feels right now. The first week, I walked most days the first week. I made it a point to get up from my desk at least once an hour and walk to the breakroom and back. I went on a short – but very fun – mountain bike ride the Friday after BMC. I got off to a good start on my recovery. Continue reading →

BMC50K was my first attempt at an ultramarathon. And it was my first DNF. I am not ashamed of choosing to quit when I did.

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This Saturday is the day. I’m as ready as I can be. Continue reading →

This past weekend was difficult. I had a minor epiphany on Sunday, and that may prove to be the thing that saves me. Continue reading →

My run last weekend made me realize it was time for new trail runners. My original Lone Peaks only have a little over 200 miles on them, but since the foot didn’t bother me during ten miles the next day wearing different shoes, I knew it was time for shoes. Continue reading →

Week 18 was a very productive week. I ran 42 miles last week; I’m confident that’s the most I’ve ever run. (The training schedule called for 47, but I still think 42 is pretty good.) Continue reading →

I’ve been hesitant to write, because I don’t want every blog post to be a rehash of “OMG I’m so nervous I won’t be able to do this but I’m going to be optimistic and do my best.” Seriously, even if I’m the only one who’ll ever read this, I don’t want to keep writing that.

The sun is out today, which is a much-needed treat. Besides the ridiculous amount of snow and freezing rain we’ve had this winter, we also haven’t seen the sun as much as we usually do. I can handle the endless cold; endless cold, endless grey, endless “how is it possible there’s still snow on the ground in February?” combine to be too too much for me. There’s a reason I fell in love with the east side of the Cascade Curtain, and it has a LOT to do with our weather. 300 days of sunshine: that’s what I signed up for, not fog and grey skies and temperature inversions. Continue reading →

I haven’t gone for today’s run yet, but I’m taking the opportunity (while breakfast is settling) to write.

I ran yesterday; it was my first run in ten days. I’m still feeling the rhinovirus, but I believed I was ready to start training. I didn’t want to leap into this weekend’s workouts – 18 miles Saturday, 10 miles Sunday – without a test-run. I went for a run along the bike path in Pasco. The City plowed it a short while ago. (The section between the BNSF railroad bridge & Road 40 is the only cleared section.) It started snowing Thursday night, but I figured the snow would be light enough that I’d be able to run the bike path without trouble. Continue reading →