Need A Moment to breathe!!

Wow life has been nuts!?! I have a ton to write about so brace yourself.....(pic above is from catalina  after race).

Ok I first want to touch on my ITband issue. I have not ran in three weeks, and it is finally *almost* better. I tend to be a little self destructive, and just don't know how to ever say no to running with friends. I think I ran about 600 miles in October, and close to that in in November. I wasn't biking like I  normally do, and even got lazy on the yoga and swimming, and I paid the price. Luckily I nipped it in the but as soon as it started to hurt. Ok almost as soon as it started to Hurt. I might have ran a couple weeks on it, but it's doing much better I am happy to report! I have been cycling a ton(stop laughing Brooklin...seriously stop it), and Faye & my brother Wick and I have been killing it on the bikes! I swam a ton, lifted, some power hiking, deep tissue massage, icing, and have been doing whatever it takes to get it better. It sucks, and I am not a happy girl, but I am making the best of it. It's funny because I pulled out of Hurt100 because I am so busy with life right now, and I would of ended up having to pull out due to an injury anyways. Funny how if something isn't meant to be in life God will put a stop to it weather we like it or not. I fully believe God will not give me anything I cannot handle, but man I just wish he didn't trust me so dang much!!

So this weekend I decided to go out to Catalina 50mile and hang with all my friends. It was My dear friend Sean O'Briens bday so we had a blast celebrating on Friday night before the race. Above are various pics from Friday night & Saturday. I had such a great time, and just LOVE being out at the races with everyone. I cannot even think to imagine if this sport and all its genuinely amazing people were ever taken from my life!! Myself, Annie, Kate, & Devon all hiked up a couple miles to get a close up view of the front runners coming down to the finish line. We had a blast, and being that Devon is from San francisco it was great to see her and hang out! Love the Ultra Community!! Everyone did fantastic, and Jimmy Dean(coyotesauce) was super stoked to go sub 8. This was actually his first organized 50mile race he has ever ran. Go figure the guy has finished Badwater, but had never up until saturday ran in an actual 50mile race! What what what??? George finished his first 50 mile in under 10 hours(go babysauce)!! The entire crew headed back on the boat Saturday night, and I quickly got home, showered, and went to bed...

On Sunday I got up at the crack of dawn and drove Charlie Nickel out to Calico 50k. I went out to cheer everyone on, and mingle and flier for Leona Valley trail Races(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com). I was surprised to see this race had such a small crowd running. I have actually ran this race three times(don't ask), and it was always packed in previous years. It's a decent race, has a 50k&30k option, and I hope next year he has a little better turn out. I ended up hangin' all day with the CRAZY crew from Fresno called the "Insaniacs". Yep Fresno friends(its near Keeler). One of the members name is Dion, and he is my biggest fan. He actually had a shirt on with my face on it, and started crying because I hadn't posted anything in the last two weeks! They are all running Leona, and if I have to hire a body guard I will do so....above are pics of me & some of these boys...Dion is the one with my name tattooed on his right arm~LMAO!!! After the race we all hung out and chatted, and just had a blast. I got home late Sunday afternoon, showered, and quickly had about 5,000 emails to answer!! I am so busy these days I am not sure which way is up or down!!

So as far as racing I have a few things in the works. I am going up to Montana De Oro 50k in a couple weeks with a bunch of the Coyote Gals, and it should be fun. I signed up for the Bandit 50k in late February, and my son is doing the 15k there. In march I *might* do Coyote Springs 50k. Please note the word might. I also am doing  Chuckanut 50k on March 20th.. My dear friend Krissy Moehl invited me up to run, and I am super stoked!! In April I am doing Lake Sonoma 50mile, and then putting on Leona Divide!!. After that I have no plans to do anything but train for Badwater if I get in. My fingers are crossed, and the application process begins Feb 1st. If it's meant to be it will be~ simple as that. Like I said if I get in I will not race in May or June at all. I will train like a mo'fo, and will show up with my game face on...period.

My son was a little upset with me a few weeks back because like I said in my previous post he was planning on running Surf City Mary. Well unfortunately bad mom of the year did not register him in time, and it was full by the time I went to get him signed up. Yep I am on the bad mom list. I made up for it though by signing him up for a ton of very cool shorter Trail races in the next few months. I am much happier he will be running on trails anyways!! I am looking forward to seeing how fast he can run some of these XTERRA 5k's. Very cool!! Sorry Karl we won't see you @ Surf City, but you'll see me Sunday!! I am gonna be as slow as molasses on Sunday cause it will be the first time I have ran in four weeks my man so please be nice to me!!! hehe...

 I also wanted to touch on a ton of really cool personal stuff. First of all I just found out I made it into Ultra Running Magazines top 20 female athletes of the year. I was waaaay down on the list, and am so humbled by this. When I found out I literally fell to my knees and sobbed on my kitchen floor for like 5 mins(seriously I am not kidding). There is only one other person on this planet that knows how much this meant to me, and how deep this runs for me. I have worked so hard to do well in this sport, and am just in shock I made it onto any list with the same names as Kami, Nikki, Devon, Ellie, Tracy, Michelle, Meghan, & Ashely. I have also been asked to run for Treksta Trail Shoes, and I am honored that I will be part of there amazing company. I really thought this out, and took the time to sit on what I wanted to do for 2011 as far as teams, ect. They make incredibly great Trail Shoes, and you can check out there website as I have a link on the side of my blog, and on my Leona Divide site(http://leonadivide5050.com) I also have a link to Beyond Limits Magazine on my side bar. They are going to be doing a huge feature on me in there February issue. So excited about this as there magazine is all about overcoming adversities in life, and just making shit happen. This is truly what I am all about. I AM A FIGHTER~YOU PUNCH ME I PUNCH BACK, I DO NOT BELIEVE IT'S GOOD FOR ONE'S SELF RESPECT TO BE A PUNCHING BAG. I also believe the ONLY thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. I have worked my ass off in the last 7 months to get my life exactly where I want to be, and as Jimmy Dean always says I am a POWERHOUSE!! I love life, living it to the fullest, and just making my mark in the world. Life is exactly what you make it to be, and it is just so incredibly & insanely RAD!!!!!! I have a few more races I am putting together in the works, and 2011 is going to be a friggin powerhouse year to say the least!!! Tons & tons of changes coming and going my way, and I am just loving it!!! This sport is changing by the minute, and I am just so friggin stoked to be at the forefront of the Southern California movement!! I am 110% entrenched in the scene, and I am doing exactly what i love every day. *Life*does*not*suck*

I also wanted to quickly touch on my nutrition a bit, and how I believe I have become such a strong runner. With so many of you emailing me now, and approaching me at races telling me you love my blog(Dion especially) I wanted to kind of give an insight into how I think, and sort of function. I am a total health nut. I have been for years. I am obsessed with being healthy, and just living a clean and pure life. Honestly if you smoke you are an idiot, if you drink more than three days a week you have a problem, and if you eat processed food you will end up processed by the time you hit your 70's. My diet consists of mostly this kind of stuff: Raw brazil nuts, raw coconut(TONS), Raw Chocolate, TONS of raw & cooked veggies, fruits(tons), Lentils, Quinoa, Raw hemp seed, H20 coconut water(by the gallons), Buckwheat, Amaranth, Raw Coconut Oil, and organic free range eggs. The whole egg not just egg whites. I was a strict Vegan for years, but back in August my training partner suggested I eat a little more protein so I listened to him, and its helped with my energy for sure. I eat three eggs a day. I have learned through tons & tons of reading how incredibly healthy the yolks are, and just like coconut its a pure fat burner. I cannot keep weight on if I tried. I never put anything with the word diet related to it in my mouth. I believe in my past life I was a chef or something because I absolutely love going to the local Farmers market, and buying all fresh herbs and veggies and making from scratch tons of homemade sauces like spaghetti sauce, pesto, ect. I also LOVE to bake, and enjoy toying around with all kinds of healthy ingredients to make healthy versions of unique cookies and pastries. Besides Trail Running cooking is my passion!! All amazing food from good wholesome ingredients is my specialty. I cannot believe people still eat things like "fat free popsicles" and crap. Oh god people stay away from this shit. You might as well light up a cancer stick nightly(vomitting sounds coming out of my mouth!!!)

Ok and then there's Macca Root Powder, and here is the link:http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/3439/1/The-Magical-Benefits-of-Peruvian-Maca.html
I am going to leave my blog with that link. I have been taking this stuff daily for the last two years. I used it extensively during my AC100 race, and its a superfood!! It cures cancer, and if your low on energy it will give you huge amounts. Be careful though cause if your a guy it will boost your sex drive bigtime(stop laughing I am being serious!!) Whole foods sells it in the raw form, and this is the only way to take it. It's in a powder form, and just add it to an all fruit and juice smoothie for a powerhouse way to start your day...I like to put Pineapple & Apples in my juicer, and then add the juice with frozen Blueberries, Bananas, & Persimmons(i cut them up & freeze em so I have them all year long) to my blender with 3 tablespoons of Macca and you have magic my friends. Add some raw Hemp seed to this jumble and watch out!

Ok on, on, on with life my friends, and I cannot wait to see so many of you in the next few weeks, & months!!! Life is just so rad, and amazing, and I cannot get enough of it~YIPPIE!!!!