KEIRA HENNINGER: Race Directing..Nutrition Coach..Ultra Running..being a mom!

Orcas Island fun!!

2012-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

This post is a little bit tardy for my post race report of Orcas Island 50k, but been so busy I finally have found sometime to get it up. I had the time of my life running Orcas Island 50k, and hands down this was the most beautiful and breathtaking course I have ever stepped foot on. No joke, no exaggerating. There were times when I was running, and I would just stop, look around, and take it all in. Big huge climbs, and extremely fun downhill single track! Most of this course I was running in deep forest. Honestly I have never ever in my life seen anything so gorgeous! When I got to the mile 22 aid station I probably stopped for four minutes or so to look at the views. Views of the ocean, the San Juan Islands, and snow capped mountains. At one point one of the aid station volunteers said, "go on girl get yourself outta here"! Ha! I didn't even care. No way was I gonna race this one, and miss out on stuff I have never seen in my life. I was all about smelling the roses, and just taking the entire day in. Every minute, every mile. There will be plenty of time to race this year, and I was absolutely overwhelmed by the beauty this course had. I had a great day, and felt so good the entire day. It was a perfect way to start my 2012. I went into the race with logging about 80 miles that week, and then I followed the race week up with logging about 100 miles after the race. Little by little I am feeling like Keira again. Loving the direction Jimmy Dean Freeman has taken me with my running, and slowly he is changing my mentality that every race has to be "raced". He has encouraged me to have A & B races, and I like that. It's entirely new territory for me, and it just does not matter what my Ultra signup percentage is. It's about coming back strong, and sticking to my goal for 2012 and racing well at the big mountain 100s. Ok so here is a breakdown of why you HAVE to put this on your racing bucket list. HAVE TO!!! General overall course tips to:
* Extremely well organized. Wow do the peeps @ Rain Shadow Running do an A++ job.
* Great vacation destination. Orcas Island is beautiful, and has incredible restaurants, and is just epic.
* Stay at the Rasario Resort. Beautiful, classy, and very inexpensive.
* Get to the Island Friday afternoon
* Be ready to climb. Seriously. TWO BIG ASS CLIMBS. Hands on knees, grunting and really digging deep kinds of climbs
* On a technical rating I would only give this course about a six outta 10. Just wasn't that technical.
* It will be the most beautiful place you have ever ran..so unless you are Pam Smith and don't know how to run slow enjoy this course, and take it all in. ;o)
* Tons of very fast downhill single track from like mile 13ish to 19ish...so fun!!
* Aid stations are a little far apart so two hand held's or pack is a must
* Great feast and after party post race. Give these guys a 10 out of 10 for that
* Stay until Monday if you can. The island is just so rad. Jesse and I are gonna retire there. I promise.
So how would I rate this Ultra overall for all things considered? Gonna give Orcas Island a 9 outta 10. Can't go higher than 9 cause I just don't really consider 50k's Ultra's. They are like fun little training runs that are supported. Kind of Ultra's...but not really. Heard these guys put on a 50 miler and 100k in the Fall, but my schedule is all filled up for 2012 already. Definitely putting some more of the Rain Shadow races on the calender for 2013. Maybe Jesse and I can get Prizzle and Elissa to go with us...or Jimmy and Kate, Pam & T, Wick & Faye, Annie and Lighting Sauce.. ha! To much fun we have!! Below are some fun pics of the trip. Jesse had to drop due to some itband issues from Bandera, but he is well on his way to recovery! My poor baby!

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

I have been running like crazy in the new INKnBURN Women's Running Skirts, and I am just blown away by how perfect they are! This morning I spent four hours running in my skirt, and never once was I pulling the shorts down underneath. Never once was I tugging at it because it never rode up, and to be perfectly honest it was like I was running and it wasn't even there. I have run in every type of running skirts. LuLu Lemon are one of the worst offenders of making the most uncomfortable running skirts on the planet. Every running skirt out there has gotten it wrong. We haven't though. Why is that? Because our skirts have been ran into the ground by real runners. Runners who run for hours, and know what real women need. They are so soft and comfy, and just fit perfectly to a woman's body NO MATTER WHAT SIZE YOU ARE. I am honored to be apart of such a rad company making the best running apparel on the planet, and amped as we will be launching more and more designs soon! Here are some pics girls of some of the cutest running skirts you will ever run in......and I even added a picture of myself running in our sunflower camisole that goes with the sunflower running skirt.

So the coolest news of all that I got in the hours following Orcas Island 50K? That I got into Wasatch 100 mile!!! So my 2012 goes as follows:

Old Goats 50 mile

Zane Grey 50 mile

Angeles Crest 100 Mile

Wasatch 100 mile

Mountain Masochist 50 mile(hopefully!!)

So excited for everything...Jesse and I have some cool stuff to announce here pretty soon...but we will do that when we are ready. Life is just so rad right now, and I cannot wait for Ray Miller in less than two weeks! I love my life. I love that I am living it exactly how I want to be. I have blinked, and I am exactly where I always dreamed I could be. Make shit happen people. Do not live your life to please others. I have taken many risks. I knew I was taking them. Things have been said about me, and not everyone is my biggest fan. I am 100% ok with that. I have worked diligently to build my life the exact way I want to live it, and I do not need everyone's approval. I am not a people pleaser, and I have never been. You simply cannot please all the people all the time, and if you are trying to do that I am pretty sure you are pretty darn unhappy. Take risks, and go after what you want. Go live life to the fullest, and keep on keeping on my friends!!

Also wanted to give a quick shout out to a really cool review on some Rudy Project's. Seriously if you are running in any other sunglasses you are a *Tard*. They are so rad, and all the cool kids are wearing them. I promise. LINK:

http://trailrunnernation.com/2012/02/rudy-project-rydon-sunglasses-review/

WORD!

Knowing your value

2012-02-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

Today I just realized that 2011 has gone and passed... and quickly I might add. It's almost as if I blinked, and its 2012. I am not even sure how that happened! I guess when you are busy with *life* it just seems to happen faster then we realize! I am thrilled to announce that at INKnBURN we have officially launched our women's camisole. Soft as silk, sweat wicking, no chafing, great support, and something I pushed and pushed for. I think the owners Rob and Megan sometimes wanna put me in time out! LOL..What's amazing is we designed these for runners by runners. They are so functional and comfortable it's almost hard to imagine. I have spent hours and hours running in them, testing them, and pounding them into the ground until we got the fit and design just right! I am so flippin stoked on our new Women's Running Camisoles!! They are also great to cycle in, do Yoga/Pilates in, and work out in! Plus every single one of our products is made by hand right here in the USA in Lake Forest, Ca! All the way down to the soft white fabric we start out with before any art is sublimated on! It is something VERY few companies can claim, and we are pretty darn proud of our high quality running apparel. You can check out all of our new designs here: http://www.inknburn.com/women/camisole.html .

I am super crazy excited to be leaving for a trip to Orcas Island up in Washington on Thursday night. My boys(Jesse and Tyler) and I are gonna have a blast! Myself and Jesse will be racing the Orcas Island 50k, and from what I have heard this is an amazing race! It's one of many races put on by Rain Shadow Running, and they have quite a top notch reputation. Plus who wouldn't wanna run 32 miles of single track in deep lush forest over growth! I am so excited I can barely contain myself!! I am also pretty excited to sport one of our new INKnBURN long sleeves! I have heard Orcas Island is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Pacific Northwest, and being I am a pretty down to earth granola kind of girl I cannot wait! Excited to see some long time friends I never get to see, and then Saturday night cannot wait to go out to dinner with everyone, and hike Sunday morning. My son is an amazing photographer...amazing...so he is pumped to get in some great photos of the scenery!

I have been crazy busy preparing for Ray Miller 50mile/50k, and am still in shock it sold out in just two months. Everything is coming together great, and it's definitely gonna be a "So-Cal Coyote" running partay! Love my crew so much! Hooooooowwwl!!!! We did a fun training run on Saturday of the 50k course. It was such a blast, and over 50 peeps showed up. I think people were surprised at how tuff the course is. TUFF. I wish I could run it, but I will save my racing for Old Goats 50 mile in March and Zane Grey 50 mile in April. ;o)

I am also excited to be announcing, and sneaking out that in fall of 2012 I will be introducing the "HOLLYWOOD ROCKSTAR TRAILS CHALLENGE"(Chandra I love you!!). What is this you might ask? Well...on Saturday November 17th will be the 2nd annual running of the *awesomesauce* event Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon. Then the very next day, Sunday November 18th will be the Griffith Park Trail 10k. The challenge will be can you complete both as they are two tuff trail running events back to back. Cannot wait to BLING out the runners who complete the weekend challenges with some of the most beautiful finisher medals on the planet! Lots of amazing surprises will be given to finishers of both events, and it's sure to be a weekend that cannot be missed!! Saturday night will be a night of fun at a brewery, and an amazing talk will be given by our very own Jimmy Dean Freeman on Trail Running tips, ect. All details will be announced shortly on the race website so please keep watch. You can also find updates and please like our Face Book page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Griffith-Park-Trail-Half-Marathon/205808389457562

A few people have said to me this is such a fun idea, and how did I ever decide to move forward with it?...I believe it's never hard to make a decision when you know your value. Knowing your worth is one of the keys to happiness in life. The bottom line is this: We have no simple or easy decisions after kindergarten. You are the choices you make, and people will see you how you value yourself. In my life, I've created my destiny within my career, friendships and community. With friends, I've really embraced the fact that friends are all unique pieces of a pie. Some will be lifetime friends that are next to family, some are social friends, some acquaintances. I've learned to appreciate the various types and unique forms of value each friend brings, and as well as a system of how much and what kind of energy I invest to whom. I am blessed with the best friends ever, but that inner circle is sacred and thoughtfully selective.

It took me 34 years of being hungry for love, even desperate for it at times, heart aches, heart tramples, picking up that phone when every cell in your body knows it's the unhealthy thing to do, obsessing, infatuating, idealizing, you name it, for me to finally wake up and realize that my most important relationship is the one with myself. It was then that I was truly ready to embrace the true love of my life(LOVE YOU JMH!!)

I've learned to embrace self love. And while I'll always be a perpetual student in this journey, I've made the decision to apply my successful method in dealing with friendships and business to how I do my relationships. I've stopped apologizing for who I am and have learned that I am "perfect" the way I am, right now, right here. I will constantly be growing, evolving and working on bad habits, but those flaws, those imperfections are part of the beauty that makes me, me. As Marilyn Monroe best put it, "If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

If I could talk to my younger self -- that girl desperate for love and therefore often blinded by ideas, fabrications and untruths in order to try and capture it, I'd tell her:

"Keira, love will come to you, when you learn to love yourself, first and foremost".

Your heart is a precious gift. Your body is a temple. Be selective. Respect it and be respected. Love yourself and be loved. It you don't respect and love yourself first, building a healthy relationship with another is like building a house with no foundation -- eventually the cracks and lack of a strong base will eventually cause it to crumble.

Know your value and don't accept being treated in a way less than you deserve. Now, I don't mean to start going out there with unrealistic expectations, demands and a sense of entitlement. I am saying that you deserve to be treated the way you treat others, and vice versa. The minute you negotiate your self worth and accept less, you say to the universe that you don't deserve any better, and the vicious cycle/pattern begins. Change for yourself and of course, friends and partners are great mirror reflections that help you grow. Be you, and your friends and partner should share in all that makes you happy. Period. No negotiating here.

On, On, On my friends....

OMG!!

2012-01-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

HAD TO POST THIS!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq8lJEJr3xk&feature=youtu.be

ENJOY!!!

Things that make ya go ...

2012-01-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

This last week has been a ton of fun for me! Busy, but fun. Definitely addicted to my Lakers games! Also pretty much seven out of the last seven mornings I have seen a sunrise on my morning run, and am confident I can have a great racing season in 2012. On Saturday Jesse and I decided to put in some solid power hiking miles up on the Angeles Crest 100 mile course. He is still recovering from Bandera, and I needed the rest day from my high mileage week. We set out for Crystal Lake Campground in the back country of the San Gabriel's, and had planned to get in two-three hours of solid time on our feet. Above is a fun video of us at the beginning of our hike...and below are a bunch of amazing pics from the day early on.

The plan was to reach the summit of Mt.Islip from the campground, and then turn around and head back down the way we came. The problem is we are Ultra Runners. Translation: Kids in a candy store. After two hours of solid high altitude climbing Jesse pulled out his map of old trails up near the base of Mt.Islip, and asked if I wanted to try and make our way back down a different way, and in the end we could do a huge loop and see trails we have never seen before. Ya so here's the thing: What Ultra Runner on the planet that you know would take the "road more traveled"? I quickly agreed we should go on an adventure hike, and see what the other side of the mountain looked like. Yes. Definitely. This was such a good idea. Lets head directly into closed back country burned out non existent trails just for fun. So began our 7.5 hour journey. What was meant to be a fun hike turned into a very long day. It ended up being one of those times when you get yourself into something risky, but going back the other way would be just as worse. God how that life lesson seems to constantly smack me in the face! We knew we needed to just keep moving forward, and occasionally would see the old trails that used to exist before the devastating fires of 2009. Eventually we made our way down the backside of the mountain, and then on and back down to the campground. On return to the campground we found this hidden back in the trails and trees, and honestly I was a little speechlees...I never even knew this lake existed!!

Once back at the car we drank a crap load of water, ate and collapsed in the car. As fun as most of the day was at points the adventure quickly turned a bit scary. We had gone to far to turn back the other way, and had to push forward through trails that were overgrown, non existent, and extremely steep. Sunday I was happy to go out and run a mellow 25 miles on the trails in Laguna Coast near my house. As much as I LOVE to play in the mountains all day this definitely had it's *not so fun* moments! LOL..

I spent Saturday night cooking. I love to cook. I think in a lot of ways it's a huge stress reliever for me, and in the last year and a half I have dove head first into perfecting my cooking and baking. It truly is a deep rooted passion for me, and instead of watching hours of TV, or shopping I would just rather cook. I am a huge advocate of healthy eating. I don't drink except for an occasional celebration glass of wine or beer, and my health is my #1 priority and focus in my life. I also believe it's a great way to share love with those that are important in your life. One of the things I love the most is cooking amazing food for Jesse. He seems to love it to! We have a blast cooking all kinds of amazing stuff together, and my son eats it all up to! I never tell him all the ways I sneak in veggies ;o)

Keep your eyes out on my blog for an INKnBURN give away in my next blog post. Looking to give away a cool pair of shin skins or arm sleeves...hmmm..have not decided yet. We are just about ready to launch our Women's Camisole Tanks(so cute!!), and next will be our running skirts! We are excited as we will have a booth at the Tinker Bell Disney Half Marathon expo at the end of this month, and cannot wait to see so many of our loyal friends and family who love to run in our stuff! The expo's are always such a blast!

One of the other things I am always trying to do is send out good vibes, and positive words to anyone who reads my blog. I believe that if you are given the opportunity in life to have a forum where your voice can be heard it should be for good reason. I am a huge lover of life, living, and just being the absolute best you can be. I also believe we are exactly the choices we make, and putting toxic or negative things out in the public for others to see does not help anyone. It's kind of like posting pictures of you on Face Book while intoxicated. Remember everything you do publicly is forever. Once you put it out there...well it's out there. You are exactly what you project publicly, and I believe people that have the golden opportunity to have a public voice should inspire. I love to find cool stuff like the list below! So here's my go at it, and I wish you all an amazing and wonderful week!!!!

If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never get it. If you don’t ask the right questions, you’ll always get the wrong answers. If you don’t take a step forward, you’re always going to be in the same place. Life is a journey full of choices. Here are some wasteful choices to avoid.

Spend time regretting the past
Complain about problems and do nothing to solve them.
Follow the path of least resistance and quit when the going gets tough.
Ignore your passions and follow your heart
Setup your lifestyle so it’s dependant on your next paycheck.
Spend more than you earn and rack up tons of financial debt.
Try to control everything
Focus on what you don’t want to happen.
Fear the things you don’t fully understand.
Let everyone else make decisions for you. Let your partner decide on your happiness
Let small issues snowball into big problems.
Be jealous of everyone else.
Hold onto anger. Never forgive anyone.
Always be right. Never let anyone be more right than you.
Seek external validation before you consider yourself good enough.
Make sure everything you do impresses someone else.
Lie to yourself and pretend you are happy
Keep doing the same thing over and over again until the day you die even though you are not truly happy
Never finish what you start.
Stay in the same place forever.
Compare yourself to those who you feel are more successful.
Belittle yourself
Never learn anything new.
Never take responsibility for your own actions.
Don’t let anyone help you.
Be suspicious. Trust no one.
Multitask, multitask, multitask! Do everything at once.
Fill every waking moment of your life with commitments.
Don’t help others unless you have to.
Think about all the things you don’t have
Never exercise.
Don’t say what you mean. Don’t mean what you say.
Never tell anyone how you feel or what you’re thinking.
Never say, “I’m sorry.”
Get involved in other people’s problems and make them your own.
Always put your own needs on the back burner.
Make others feel bad about themselves.
Watch TV for several hours every day.
Do lots of drugs. Drink lots of alcohol. Smoke!!
Don’t play, just work.
Let your hobbies go.
Let your close relationships go.
Take everyone seriously and everything personally.
Remember the insults, forget the compliments.
Fail to plan. Always wait until the last minute.
Let it all bottle up inside.
Always disregard other people’s opinions and suggestions.
Dream about your future goals and never take action to achieve them.
Fear change and resist it.
Work hard, do your best, and then condemn yourself for not achieving perfection.

If you’re guilty of some of the bullet points above, remember, no matter how long you have traveled in the wrong direction you always have the choice to turn around.

On, on, on with life my friends! ;o)

Bandera post race report

2012-01-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

I am lost. I have gone to look for myself. If I should return before I get back, please ask me to wait so I can talk to myself and get back to the place I like to be. Thank you.

I had an awesome weekend out at Bandera 100k. Not because I raced well. I actually didn't even finish the entire 100k. I opted for the unofficial 50k loop, and did not choose to go out for a 2nd loop. Happy to announce I have found myself, and somehow got a little lost out in the hills of Bandera Texas. Small, rolling, rocky little hills...and a whole lotta flat, flat, flat miles. Anyone who finishes this race is mentally a tuff cookie. It's a ton of fast running, and stomaching going out and running the same loop again takes some mental strength no doubt. I just wasn't in quite the right place mentally this week to spend 11 hours running through the hills of Texas. I am still working on building back up my running strength since my hip surgery in August, and I just wasn't quite ready. I am excited I didn't decide to drive myself into the ground for a race that was not at all a key race for me. I was hoping to just have fun, and take it easy. Totally impossible on this course. It's just to fast. I think the longest climb I clocked on the entire course took me 10-15 mins? Yes some sections were very rocky, and it was extremely beautiful, but it's a runners course. I am used to climbing at sustained amounts of time for hours; not minutes. I most certainly learned from this race I need to work on my running more, and build that weakness. I am excited to work with Jimmy Dean Freeman and have him coach me in this weak area. I have no problem giving a little energy in my training where tweaks are needed, but I also will not take away what I am good at. I hope that the end result is I can improve on my speed, and become a more well rounded runner. I also plan on working diligently to get myself back to the shape I was in pre hip surgery. I have been taking a ton of an amazing recovery product called Recover Eas. It is the best supplement on the market right now, and I swear by it. It's made by a company called Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition, and it works. Here is a website link to the product: wickedfastsportsnutrition.com/ . Jesse swears by it also. It rocks!!

The best part of the weekend though? Jesse did amazing! It was his first 100k, and actually he has only raced one 50 mile, and about eight 50k's. He had all kinds of stomach issues, and made a ton of rookie mistakes, but he still did really well. He is fast. He is a 2:40 marathoner, and has the wheels to really do well in this sport. I am so excited for him! Once I finished my loop I was able to crew and help him for the latter part of his race. He was really struggling when I saw him at mile 47, but pulled through and went from 12th place to finishing 7th overall. He is such a *rock star* and he's all mine!! Cannot wait to see how he does in the next year. Love you so much Jesse!!!! Below is a great picture of me talking to him when he finished..the picture speaks volumes.

I also got to spend a ton of my day with Darcy(LOVE you girl!!). Darcy was racing the 100k, but was having some plantar issues so opted for only one 50k loop also. So great to see her! It was just as much fun seeing Craig Thornley. We got to catch up, and hang a ton. What a sweetheart of a man. He is the RD of Waldo 100k, and he ran the 50k, and was there for the rest of the race crewing a bunch of the Oregon runners. What is really cool about this race is if you do the 50k you can then help and crew for friends doing the 100k. All the aid stations are easily accessible, and it really was a total blast hanging out with and seeing everyone. If Jesse decides to go back to this race next year I will definitely take this option, and go to race the 50k and crew for him after. We also got to spend the weekend with his parents(love you Ed and Linda!!), and just had the best weekend ever. I really, really missed my son Tyler though, but he could not miss school for two days to come. He will be joining us at Orcas Island 50k in a few weeks in Washington, and Jesse said we are not allowed to ever leave him home again cause he can't stand to see me so sad!!

Heres the quick version of a detailed course review for those of you ever considering doing the Bandera 100k or 50k race.

1. This is a runner's course. Plan on going into this race in top running shape. It will not fair well for you if you don't. 75% of this course is on runnable flat single track & dirt roads. It would be a great race to PR at a 100k at it, but be ready to race all the speedsters in the sport. They flock to this race.
2. The aid station's are well stalked, and have great support. You will never go farther than 5 miles without an aid station, and tons of spots for crew, and drop bags.
3. The other 25% of this course is pretty darn rocky and technical. Good little 200-400 foot climbs that are full of rocks. All VERY runnable though. Just super rugged little rocky sections that were a blast to run up and down.
4. It's crowded. You will never be alone. There was over 750 runners on the course either running the 100k, 50k, or 25k. The first loop I had some stretches where maybe for 5 mins I didn't see anyone, but I would imagine that would have been different second time around.
5. Great race to catch up and meet people from all across the country in the sport. I met lots of great people, and was able to catch up with tons of friends I rarely get to see
6. Plan to camp. The town of Bandera has zero hotel options, and the race start/finish location turns into a huge Ultra runners camp. Everyone was camping, and it was really a ton of fun. The race site was amazing, and the race director does an outstanding job.
7. This course was breathtakingly beautiful. Cool terrain, great views of the surrounding landscape, and just super pretty. I give course scenery a 9 out of 10. Yes I am being dead serious. The course was super awesome as far as beauty.
8. Fly into San Antonio, and do NOT forget to stalk up on food and groceries here at the Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. The town of Bandera has nothing healthy.
9. Bring food to the finish line as the RD has no BBQ or meal after. I was starving after waiting for Jesse to finish...starving. Could have used a veggie burger...some sort of BBQ. Something. Anything.
10. You will run hard at this race. If you go to *race* it plan on it hitting your race season up harder than you think. It tears you up to run hard for that long. Plan your key races accordingly after this one. Below are a slew of fun pics of Jesse and myself during the race.

So what's next in life besides Orcas Island 50K? Ray Miller is first on the calender, and I cannot believe the 50 mile is sold out! Crazy! Excited for this debut race. As far as racing for me...Maybe Mesquite Canyon 50k in AZ, then Old Goats 50 mile, and super pumped for Zane Grey 50 mile. All good stuff. Busy, busy the next few months. Life just happens weather we are ready for it or not. LOVING every single minute of it though.

On, on, on with life my friends. Keep on keeping on!!

PS
Olga it was soooo great seeing you at one of the aid stations. Hope to see you at Leona! ;o)

Taking the leap... guts & no glory

2012-01-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Ok so this weekend I am going to be racing the Bandera 100k. Jesse is also. Good times. Gonna be great. Fun stuff. Very excited. Ok so now for how I really feel...

I plan on getting my ass handed to me, and have no problem openly admitting that to all of you. I love to climb. I love to climb tough, rugged, gnarly, technical mountains. Cannot wait for Zane Grey, Old Goats, and my fingers and toes are crossed I get into Wasatch. Bandera is none of the above. I love point to point's, out and backs', and basically every kind of race our sport was birthed on. Two 50k loops on a course with just under 4,000 feet of total gain...shoot me right now in the foot. Get it over with please. Yes Mr.Meltzer this pretty smiling California girl is not so...ur..."smiling" right now. ;o(

My goals for 2012 were to step out of my comfort zone, be brave, be stronger, do things I would not normally do, get a little faster, and rock a few 100 mile races. I figured Bandera would force me into it quickly, and fast. Plus my other half reeeeeealllly wanted to go to Texas and do this race. So here I sit. Packed. Ready to leave. Jesse and I fly out in the morning. Still not smiling Mr.Meltzer.

My predictions for the race? Well I have no business giving any sort of odds for the mens field. The top 10 men will be done, showered, and eating before I am finished. I would LOVE to see a couple guys kill it that I think are rad, and I have soft spots for them. Heres a few I believe will do great...in no particular order just giving some shout outs.

*Jesse Haynes is of course my first pick, and is def the dark horse. Glad all you busy bloggers and running far folks over looked him. Nice. I love you my man!!!

*Yassine Diboun- such a rock star. Fellow Rudy Project UIltra team runner. love this guy. go get em YD!!

* Nick Clark- This guy should be Ultra Runner of the Year. Nuff said. Go kick some ass. I think he will win on Saturday.

* Dave James- A dear friend, and another sweetheart of a guy. Fast as friggin lighting!! Dave PLEASE don't go out in front of that young 19? year old kid that has won a few 60k's? and everyone thinks is the actual dark horse. Just for once let someone else go out faster in front of you. I promise it will pay off after 40 miles. ;o) Run smart and the race is yours...

*Tim Olson- been rocking it all year. He will kill it. He will also tear Leona Divide to shreds. Great guy for sure.

Not touching the women's side. To much fast talent for me to even touch, and plus thats kind of lame since I am running it. I hope to break 10:30, and finish strong. Running my own race and going for a time goal. I would LOVE to see Darcy kick everyones ass. She has the talent. That's great that some of these women can run really well at some 50k's, 50 milers, 100k's, whatever..Darcy is the real deal. She is so amazing. So sweet, a mom, and could run 99% of every man I know into the ground in any mountain range in the continental US, and last I checked that to me defines Ultra Running(probably the reason why I think Karl Meltzer is so incredible). Trail running in the mountains for long periods of time. Go get that shit girl, and take names while your at it. I wish you the absolute best of luck with a win!!! I also would like to see her get female ultra runner of the year. That would be so great!

Ok so I leave you with this rad video. I have watched it a billion times, and the music is epic!!! Step out of your comfort zone, take risks, and stop letting fear hold you back from where you want to be in life. Remember this: Life happens weather you want it to or not. We are the choices me make. Bring it on Bandera!!

http://www.viralvideoarchive.com/sports/extreme-skydiving-grinding-the-crack/

I am human...I am me

2011-12-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

I love my life.

It's busy, overwhelming, ever changing, and everyone seems to want to talk to me or reach out and connect in some way. From pod casts-to interviews-to blog features-my life seems to be an open book right now for everyone to share. As much as I am excited that life is moving so fast and amazing for me it can be overwhelming at times. On Sunday Jesse and I set out for a simple run in Griffith Park with some friends to enjoy the beautiful day. By the end of the run I could see he was a little distressed. I asked him what was wrong, and he whispered, "what ever happened to just running without it being social hour every half mile?" The park was packed with tons of runners from around the community, and I knew so many of them. Jesse is adjusting to all of this, and at times can be hard for him. He is a private person, and extremely down to earth. He is very protective of me, and as we plan the rest of our lives together he is doing what it takes to be more understanding of this side of my life. He loves everyone we know and meet in the running community, but it is taking some adjustment. I to have had to also adjust, but I love to be able to have the ability to widely spread a positive message in the running community, and use all of this as a tool to send encouragement to those who need it. Life is a gift, and you are only here once. Do not ever loose site of that. No matter what you are thinking or feeling it will move forward regardless of weather or not you want it to. It's best to live it the way you want to, and with no regrets. It is most certainly ok to make mistakes. It is most certainly ok to be afraid of making life changing decisions. Just remember to learn from mistakes, and not continually make them. To learn from regret, and do whatever it takes to get your life in the right place. Do not sacrifice your own happiness to stay comfortable or please someone else. Tomorrow you will be 70-then 95. Blink...it will be here before you know it. Will you truly be able to look back and say you have spent it with the right person? You share the same passions, and friends? You love your job? You have given everything you could to those you love. My life has changed tremendously in the last year, and I believe it's vital for me to send a message to women(and men) that life is exactly what you make of it, and no matter how bad it seems there is always a way out of your problems. I wanted to pull together some thoughts I have read in different places, and pass them along to all of you. With the new year right around the corner it's never to late to make a change. Never.

There comes a point in life when you get tired of chasing everyone and trying to fix everything, but it’s not giving up. It’s realizing you don’t need certain people and things and the drama they bring.
If a person wants to be a part of your life they will make an obvious effort to do so. Don’t bother reserving a space in your heart for people who do not make an effort to stay.
If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down – which is not always as obvious and easy as it sounds.
Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.
Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You don’t fail by falling down. You fail by never getting back up.
Everyone basically wants the same things. Theywant validation, love, happiness, fulfillment and hopes for a better future. The way they pursue these desires is where things branch off, but the fundamentals are the same.
The more things you own, the more your things own you. Less truly gives you more freedom.
While you’re busy looking for the perfect person, you’ll probably miss the imperfect person who could make you perfectly happy. It’s about being exactly who you are and then finding someone who appreciates that, and shares that with you.
Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason.
Making a thousand friends is not a miracle. A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you.
Someone will always be better looking. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be more charismatic. But they will never be you.
Making progress involves risk. Period. You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
Every morning you are faced with two choices: You can aimlessly stumble through the day not knowing what’s going to happen and simply react to events at a moment’s notice, or you can go through the day directing your own life and making your own decisions and destiny.
Everyone makes mistakes. If you can’t forgive others, don’t expect others to forgive you.
It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is ok.
We sometimes do things that are permanently damaging just because we are temporarily upset. A lot of heartache can be avoided if you learn to control your emotions.
Someone else doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right. There are many roads to what’s right. Remember to: sometimes it's just easier to have peace that be right.
Nobody is perfect, and nobody deserves to be perfect. Nobody has it easy. You never know what people are going through. Every one of us has issues. So don’t belittle yourself or anyone else. Everybody is fighting their own unique war.
A smile doesn’t always mean a person is happy. Sometimes it simply means they are strong enough to face their problems.
The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation.
You can’t take things too personally. Rarely do people do things because of you. They do things because of them.
Feelings change, people change, and time keeps rolling. You can hold on to past mistakes or you can create your own happiness. True happiness comes from within. Don’t make the mistake of waiting on someone or something to come along and make you happy.
It’s much harder to change the length of your life than it is to change the depth of it.
You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.
One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.
Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. Read
Share your life with someone who truly shares in your life. "Those that play together stay together".
Everything is a life lesson. Everyone you meet, everything you encounter, etc. They’re all part of the learning experience we call ‘life.’ Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your way. If you don’t get a job that you wanted or a relationship doesn’t work, it only means something better is out there waiting. And the lesson you just learned is the first step towards it.
Regardless of how filthy your past has been, your future is still spotless. Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every day is a fresh start. Every morning we wake up is the first day of the rest of our life.

Happy Holidays everyone. Life is rad. Life is so much fun. On Saturday I ran the entire length of one of my races called Ray Miller 50mile/50k with Jesse and friends. It was followed by a great run on Sunday in Griffith Park, and a night hanging out with my son and Jesse. I cooked great food, we had an amazing weekend, and really spent very little money doing any of this. Take a moment and look at your life. Don't waste another second living it unhappily, and then enjoy the heck out of Christmas...New Years or what ever Holiday you celebrate. As for me I absolutely cannot wait to drink, eat and be merry!! Oh and get in some more long runs and a couple days snow boarding with Jesse and Tyler!! Yippe for Life!!

P.S. INKnBURN Shin Skins are here...aka "Compression Leg Sleeves". With the perfect amount of compression, protection for elements on the trail like poison oak, and the sun they are extremely functional. Not to mention they look rad. Dope. Mint. Attractive, and unique. Different than anything else on the market. We have only just begun my friends, and cannot wait to launch our entire line of high quality endurance gear and apparel this Winter! Here is the link for a peak at what we have going on with our new unisex *SHIN SKINS*: http://www.inknburn.com/women/shin-skins.html

Red Rock 50 Mile Race Report

2011-11-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

Photo: Greg Lanctot

This morning hurt. This morning was hard. This morning wasn't easy. This morning I went for a five mile recovery hike/run after a nice little weekend of racing up in the Santa Barbara Mountains. This weekend I won the Red Rock 50 mile. I most certainly did not think I would be typing that...I am still a little bit in shock. How could I have possibly done this?? Out of shape, under trained, tired, still healing, and just not ready. These were all of my thoughts as I toed the line on Saturday morning. I could not have possibly picked a tougher 50 mile. Seriously. Over 16,000 feet of ascent & descent. What the F#@$%^&* was I thinking. I packed the brightest light I owned in my drop bag, and had prepared to be out there for at least three days. This race was Zane Grey. This race was Twin Peaks but tougher. This race was bush whacking, technical, rugged back country survival, and I had no business doing it. I was scared shit less when the RD clearly stated at pre-race check in that no one was to start this race if they could not finish. He made it clear that this was extremely tuff, and if you thought you were not capable of it to not even start(yes I sware this is what he said). Right before we took off I quickly gave Jesse a kiss, and wished him luck as well as this would be his "first 50 mile race". If you have not picked up on this yet: Ultra Runners are flippin retards. Just complete tards.We have zero common sense, and just do stupid shit...at least those of us who have the heart to...ha! So begins my recap of my race on Saturday:

Right off the bat I linked up with the amazingly talented and sweet Maggie Beach. She is in training mode for the Brazil 135. She needed this race as it was brutal, and good training for what she has to accomplish in January in Brazil(go sista!!). It was great for me as I just wanted to survive, and finish in one piece. This was my first race back since my hip injury and surgery, and the goal was to stay alive. Throw myself directly back into the rat race, and just nut up as my son would say. Cannot believe I just typed that...

Miles 0-12:

Shit. Crap. Technical. Rocky. Lots and lots of climbing. Three miles of pavement??!! WTF Luis?? That's not really a trail, over grown, itchy, where is the trail, yes Maggie I hike every climb, stop running the climbs Maggie, How is my Jesse doing?, God these INKnBURN shorts are comfy, is this climb for real to the mile 12 aid station, would anyone notice if I crawled, wow now this is some great downhill running, god I love technical trails, wow what views, this is epic, my legs are feeling better, salt, Gel, Salt, drink, more Nuun, thank you La Sportiva for gripping this gnarly shit, are we even close to this damn aid station??!!, Steve Harvey helped Luis create this course....

This was a pretty interesting 12 miles for me. I felt good, but really, really ran/hiked mellow. There wasn't any easy part to it except the fist mile. It was beautiful. Some of the most beautiful trails ever, but just rugged and tough terrain. You either were going straight up or straight down. Lots of tough downhill in this section. I give this section a 4 out of 5 for technical terrain, and a 3 out of 5 for climbing. This course was an out and back so all I kept thinking was all that downhill was going to be uphill climbing in the last 10 miles of the race. Awesome. I had now officially decided I would be out here for four days. I got into the first aid station at mile 12 and filled up my two handhelds, and my 35oz pack. I moved as quick as I could, and also pounded some extra water while they filled my bottles. In and out in 2 mins. Perfect., and it's still only Saturday.

Miles 12-20

Climbing, a million rocks in shoes, getting hot, can't wait to see Faye and mama Wickland at the mile 20 aid station, tons of rolling single track, maggie just dropped me, just caught Maggie, more climbing, my earlobes hurt, who's idea was this, god I hate Ultra's, God I hate Luis, man this 3,000 foot climb is just relentless, Maggie stop running, is Jesse ok?, gel, eat, cliff blocks, salt, drink, drink, hike faster, Maggie stop running the climbs next to me, my goodness this is hard, Yep I am gonna die, god I am so in love with my Jesse; such a lucky girl, come on legs, keep it moving, hike like you mean it, miss you Scotty Mills, God that other person is such a tool, please just go away, thank god for my friends...ok sorry bad tangent..lots of stuff was going through my head!

Be prepared to climb a ton from miles 12-20. My guess is it was about 6,000 feet of gain in this section. I give this section a four out of five for both technical and climbing.

Ok so I arrived up at the mile 20 aid station and was so amped to see mama Wickland and Faye. They quickly peeled off my INKnBURN long sleeve tech shirt(we will be launching these early January), and then filled my bottles. I left my pack(big mistake) as I would hit this same aid station again in 12 miles. I would hit another aid station in between at mile 26 so I figured I would be ok? Right? How much climbing could there possible be? I left the mile 20 aid station and caught back up to Maggie. After about a mile and a half of steep downhill running we had to make a small detour to get our race day medals. God Luis is evil. This detour consisted of a 500 foot scramble/climb up a side of a peak. Oh come on!! Up and down we went, and I stashed my medal in my pack. So began the journey of:

Miles 21-32:

All downhill, and then all uphill. Ok screw that. When you are driving on Hwy 101 look over to your right as you pass through Santa Barbara. Then look at the highest peak with the towers up on the mountain. Now run from the top which was the mile 20 aid station to the very bottom near the ocean which was the turn around, but it actually was mile 26.5 cause this race was 52 miles not 50. WTF??!! Luis you suck. I think I said that already...now leave the mile 26.5 aid station, and turn right around and climb like 5,000 feet back up to the mile 32 aid station, but scramble most of your way up because 50% of this descent and ascent is loose scree and rocks. Maggie was great this entire section because we kept each other alive, and just talked and talked. We also saw all the front runners coming back up as we ran down. I got to see Jesse, and he was in first!! OMG!! He looked fresh, amazing, and full of so much energy. He is such a rock star, and he is mine. Love that man for the rest of my life with all my heart. Thank you Lord for stepping into my life, hitting me over the head with a bat, and bringing me the gift of the love of my life. Next I saw my little brother Eric Wickland, and then Mike Swan, Thomas Reiss, and Dan Lenberg. All studs. Super studs. I wish every race could be an out and back. I wish I had half the talent of these boys. About a mile from the top of the climb though I completely ran out of water. Man I needed my little pack. If you run this race never carry less than 60oz of water. Ultra Runners are retarded sometimes. I came into the aid station and actually spent a couple minutes here. I slammed a Guayaki Pure Endurance drink, and even put another one on ice in one of my handhelds with three Nuun tablets. Filled my other handheld with water, and remembered to grab my pack I left. I ate two Hammer gels(after I marry Jesse I am gonna marry the Montana Huckleberry Hammer gel. Just sayin).

Miles 32.5-40

At this point Maggie and I left the aid station together, and I knew we had four solid miles of VERY technical gnarly downhill running. I turned on my ipod for the first time during the race, and before I knew it I was flying through the trees. At times I was running so fast I could not even drink from my bottles. The only thoughts I had were run like the wind. You actually might finish this thing in the light...you actually might finish...you actually might win...and then everything turned over for me. I was done surviving, and just trying to finish, and decided to see how fast I could actually run this thing. I felt like myself again for the first time in 10 months!!! Zero pain. All I had to do was run like the wind. Run Keira...RUN Keira...RUN. So that's what I did. I ran like I have not ran since my win at AC last Summer. This time though all that was on my mind was how happy I am, how great my life is, and I can't wait to get in the best shape of my life. I pushed and pushed until I reached the last aid station. As I approached the climb up the hill I could see the volunteers. I looked back and hoped I would see Maggie. As far as I could see she was no where. I waited a couple minutes and stretched hoping I would see her as we had really helped each other all day, but no site of her along the ridge. I said a quick prayer she would finish strong, and decided to push hard to the finish. I arrived at the aid station feeling strong and focused on forward relentless motion.

Miles 40-52.5

Pictures: Greg Lanctot

Leaving the aid station I was so excited to see my friend Greg Lanctot. He is the team manager for the Quicksilver Ultra Running team, and just super fun!! I nicely asked him how many guys were in front of me(LOL!!! Love you Greg!) and off we went. We quickly caught up to Dan Berger, and the three of us played like little kids on the trails. We laughed, chatted up a storm, and Dan and I were dying laughing over Greg taking pics of us. We decided he was the team Dad, and hoped he would have juice boxes up ahead at the next bend. We climbed a ton together, and once again had to run through the campground on the pavement that I so much hated early on in the race. Be warned this last 12 miles is tough. You climb a crap load, and it just sucks ass. If you can, run this race with a friend cause alone it would have been awful. Above is a cool pic of me and Dan looking all rad, and Jesse around mile 22(I will be happy when Movember is over and he looses the stash!). Ultra Runners are so rad. Seriously we are just radical people. *Most* of us ;-)

The last couple miles are tough. Lots of little ups and downs, and a couple good little climbs. It was getting close to sundown, and I was just so tired. Dan and I would trade places, but for the most part we just ran one right in front of the other and tried to survive. Somewhere in the last mile we caught another guy, and the three of us finished together. I quickly fell into Jesse's arms, and worked hard to hold back the tears. I looked at him and asked him if he won. He smiled and said yes. The most unbelievable thing though is this: He ran this race in 8:40. The next guy behind him was like 9:15. I ran a 10:25. He beat me by an hour and 40 mins. He is super human. A super stud. He was born to run Ultra's, and I am so proud of him. Who runs there first 50 mile and wins? Crushes the course and the competition. Freak of nature that boy, and I love it. This race had so much meaning for me. Why? Heres why:

*The longest run I had done in the four months leading up to this race was like 25 miles...oh boy..but I survived!

* I did not race the first 32 miles, and actually hiked most of it, and had fun doing so. Enjoy the ride folks

* Life has been so ever changing and tuff this last year for me...but I have won. I have come out on top, and I just rock. I never gave up, and only moved forward. I have come out the winner. Just sayin'

* It assured me what I am good at. I love gnarly tough courses, and thats what I will stick to.

*I cannot wait to go back next year in solid race shape, and friggin tear this course to absolute shreds. Shreds.

Jesse and I both wore all INKnBURN running apparel. No chafing, tons of awesome little hidden pockets on the shorts and jog bra's for salt and GU's, and just so soft. I wore the Women's Hollywood Dragon shorts and Jesse ran in the men's running shorts, and they were comfortable, functional, and the best shorts I have ever raced in.Jesse agrees 100%, and loves the length of the men's shorts. He used to run in the shorter length, but says now he would never go back. I will not ever run in any other shorts nor will Jesse. Buy a pair. You will never run in anything else. I promise. I cannot wait for us to launch our compression leg sleeves, long sleeves INKnBURN tech running shirts, and the full line of women's camisoles. So epic!! Below are a ton of pics from my dear friend Jayme Burtis out on the course. He is one of the most talented photographers I know. If you need a photographer use him. He rocks.

So I guess that's it. I ended up sixth overall, and survived. I won. I cannot believe it. Man life rocks. We spent the rest of the weekend with Tyler having so much fun in Santa Barbara. What a great way to finish the amazing Thanksgiving Holiday. I spent the entire day on Thanksgiving cooking and baking, and then the entire day on Saturday running. How many women can say that? Ha! I love it! Cannot wait to shred in 2012.

Thank you to Luis Escobar for putting on such an awesome race. Put this on your bucket list friends. So insane.

YOU ARE ALL CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK. FORWARD RELENTLESS MOTION. GOOD LUCK TO ALL MY AMAZING FRIENDS RUNNING NORTH FACE THIS WEEKEND. MISS PAULETTE GO RIP THAT SHIT UP SISTA!!!

Baby it's cold outside...

2011-11-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Photo: Billy Yang

Last week I read this some where:

Life flies by. Look in the mirror today and ask yourself time and time again if you are doing exactly what you want to be doing, and sharing it with who you wanna to be sharing it with~ I stopped what I was doing walked over to my mirror, and smiled. I then walked out of my bathroom, and headed out the door to work at INKnBURN. I did not ask myself that question. I did not need to. I did not even want to. I knew the answer. I love my life. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. Take a moment to ask yourself the same thing. Do not be afraid of what the answer might be. If we stay put out of fear eventually life will pass us by, and we will be exactly in that unhappy place we were to begin with except the difference is years will have passed. Years you simply cannot get back. Take the leap today, make the changes, and find your happiness. Find someone to share it with, and all will fall into place. Never, ever be afraid to go after your dreams....

This month has been so much fun! On November 12th was my amazing race the Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon. It was so much fun, and a HUGE success. I am overwhelmed by all the love & support the running community has poured out to me over this event, and I already cannot wait until next year. I wanted to send out a huge heartfelt thanks to Mr.Tom Labonge. He is an amazing man, and in my opinion doing an outstanding job as councilman for the city of Los Angeles. He was a huge help in making this race happen, and please if you have some time send his office your love & support for helping us make this race a possibility. Below is a great picture of Mr.Labonge and his office giving me an amazing award for organizing and making this race come to happen. What an honor!!

Race week was such a blast as I actually spent the entire week living at the Magic Castle Hotel to get ready for the race. I ran about 70 miles that week in the Hollywood Hills, and did all kinds of exploration runs connecting up parks like Runyon Canyon up to Mullholland and into Franklin Canyon Park, and then on, and on. I have no problem running pavement to connect up trails, and I love exploring new areas. I love running hills, and I could not believe how steep some of the hills were throughout Hollywood!!! One day I ran for four hours, and about 23 miles. I climbed over 6,200 feet in that run, and that was all within the city limits of Hollywood. No joke people it's a great place to train for hills!! Jesse and Tyler arrived Thursday, and Friday was spent marking the trail, and then hosting race check in & bib pick up at A Runners Circle running store in L.A.

The coolest part of all about the race? We did not get a single drop of rain!! It was like the little area of LA where the race was had a good chi cloud around us. It was just the most perfect day ever, and I couldn't have asked for a better event!! Thank you so much to all my amazing sponsors in assisting in making this race such a huge success: A Runners Circle(I love you Joe & Dino!!), INKnBURN, GU, Coca Cola & the team, Guayaki, Subway, Whole Foods West Hollywood, Lucy Spencer Murray & Moms in Motion, & many more! Below are some fun pics from the race!

Race date for next year as of now is Sat Nov 17th, 2012. Leona Valley Trail Races will be moved to Sat Sept 29th, 2012. This will leave the month of October open for another very cool little race I have in the works...but...shhhh...it's still a secret!! ;o)

Things have been going great with my running, but I am still just working on getting back into race shape, and taking plenty of time to let my body heal properly. It's been quite a journey the last 15 weeks just getting better, and teaching my hip to run properly again now it's truly fixed! I cannot believe how amazing and great it feels, but I am just in no rush to start racing before I am ready. We have been doing a ton and ton of just super fun runs with friends, and each other, and for now I am totally ok with that. We headed up to SMM 50k on Sunday, and I was toying with running the 50k. I am running Red Rock 50mile this weekend and Jesse was very worried about me racing a 50k the weekend before a 50 mile. Although I was planning on taking it easy I to realized it was kind of to much. I decided to do the 30k or 18k, and just have fun. Wick went up with us to as all of our friends were gonna be there, and when we got there it was flippin pouring rain. I ran a bit with Elissa Price, but after a soaking wet 8 mile loop I was happy to put dry clothes on, and just get out of the pouring rain. I know it was all for the better cause I really wanna survive Red Rock 50 mile this weekend. It will be the farthest I have ran in four months so my goal is to just finish, and have fun. Myself and Luis Escobar are gonna hang together and just run each other to the finish. His running is light these days so he was happy to volunteer himself to hang with me. Thanks Luis!! It will also be my Jesse's first 50 mile. He of course is not even worried, and is super pumped. Between him and Chris Price I have decided they are not human. Such machines! Below are some random pics of me & Jesse playing together on the trails...

Tons of great stuff happening at INKnBURN to! We just launched our mens running shorts, and are getting ready to launch our running & cycling compression leg sleeves, and long sleeve running tech shirts. The best part about my job? I get to test our new products day in and day out, and so does Jesse. We LOVE having Chris Price on our team now, and Jimmy & Kate testing our amazing products also. Below are some silly pics from our photo shoot last week. Not only does INKnBURN make the best endurance apparel on the planet, but they are the greatest people on the planet to work for. We have such a blast everyday!!

These two boys...

Heres a funny video of us at the photo shoot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYCsntHQUho

Cannot wait for Thanksgiving!! I have been baking and cooking non stop, and I love it! I LOVE to cook!! So excited!! I look forward to having a graphic and interesting race recap from Red Rock 50 mile! Below is the last info that Luis the race director sent the entrants...oh boy...

Amigos, are you ready? This course is for real. The course is beautiful and challenging. Please be prepared for a very long day and night of running magic in the Los Padres National Forest. Remember, this event is intended for the advanced, self sufficient distance runner. There will be long sections of remote and lonely backcountry trail with no exit strategy. Be prepared to be responsible for yourself. If you are unsure about the course and or your ability, please do not start this run.

I AM HAPPY TO STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT LEVEL, AND HAVE A RACE COURSE HAND ME SOME HUMBLE PIE. BRING IT ON LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST!! My lord friends please say a prayer for me...LOL...so many from the crew are going up I don't even care how the race ends up. So excited for the raddest weekend ever with everyone!!

P.S. Congrats to Chris Price for winning yet another race on Sunday at SMM 50k. Yay!! Best of all? His amazing little wife Elissa finished her first 50k on Sunday to. Those that play together stay together. We really do have quite the amazing crew of us all running ultra's now. I never could have imagined...it is so flippin cool!!! LIFE ROCKS!!!!

Wow life has flown by!!

2011-10-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

My Jesse being goofy

I wasn't really even sure where to begin with this post. Since my last blog write up so much has been going on I just can't even wrap my head around everything. I barely have time to breathe let alone do a write up on life, but I definitely know it's key to keep this thing rolling. I love to write and share my life experiences with you all, and life is just so rad I can't help but fill everyone with my joy & passion through writing. The above shot is of my Jesse in the Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon Race day tech shirt. Notice he is also wearing some cool shorts. We have just launched these from INKnBURN, and before long will have an entire line of mens shorts meant to run for hours on end in. Jesse will not run in anything else, and we are honored over here at INKnBURN to now have the amazing & sweet Chris Price as another face for our endurance apparel. We make the coolest stuff on earth, and it's tested day in and day out by all of us. It's comfortable, high quality, and hand made right here in Lake Forest. Please keep your eyes out for a full line of compression leg sleeves, women's running camisole tanks, and tons of other stuff we will be launching in early January. SO RAD!!! Below are some pics of a few new designs we have going on including the Griffith Park mens shorts, and the Sakura line that Michelle Barton is pictured in is my absolute favorite. So cute!!

Something really amazing that happened in September was my dearest friends Eric Wickland & Faye got married!! I cannot put into words how much these two mean to me, and the coolest part of all is they live like a mile down the street from me & Jesse! Pam & T live close to so we all run together so much, and just have so much fun!! There wedding was on the cliffs in Malibu, and just beautiful. There was a small select group of friends and family that were there. It was an amazing day, and besides me & Jesse I don't know of two other people that are more compatible or meant for each other! Those that play together and share there lives together stay happy and together for ever!! Below are some great pics of us at the wedding....good times!!

Ok so after the wedding I put on the inaugural Leona Valley Trail Races!! What a great little event this was, and I am so excited to watch this grow! I could have never imagined in the first year I would end up with 170 runners. It was such an epic event, and the coolest part of all is it's the only trail marathon in Southern Ca that runs on the Pacific Crest Trail. This race will no doubt sell out next year as my runners were just blown away by the high quality of the event. Just awesome! Below are some fun pics of the day. Please take note of the official race day mascot: Spirit Freeman. ;o)

Then after that my son had homecoming. He is gonna kill me for putting up this pic, but he is just so dang handsome at 6'4 I cannot help it!! I am the luckiest mama in the world!! He is just the sweetest kid on earth, and such an incredible athlete, and human being. Jesse always ask if he can have some of the water that Tyler drinks!! LOL...

In between all of this we have been running a ton, and I am definitely coming back stronger than ever. I am taking my time, and in no hurry, and I like that. I refuse to push myself more than necessary, and I am just super focused on getting strength back in my hip, and coming back when I am ready. I have a few races I am sneaking in this month, and next, but only 50k's. Jesse does enough racing for the both of us, and I just have so much fun supporting and helping him!! We are hilarious as we are running partners, and the best of friends. I am so lucky to have him to share my entire life with. He is the love of my life, and my backbone. His patience and spirit for life is the glue that holds us together. He swears it's all my cooking and baking(I LOVE TO COOK!!), But I think it's him...hehe.We balance each other so well, and like many of our running couple friends(ok more like family!! Kate&Jimmy,Wick&Faye,Pam&T,Chris&Elissa,George&Anne luv u guys) we just have the best life together.

This past weekend was Los Pinos 50k. This is an extremely tuff and rugged trail race that I put on in the Saddleback mountains, and I truly believe it's the toughest 50k around. This was the last year for it though as I have so many incredible things happening in my life with other races & events I just had to figure out what was most important right now. I am also in the process of creating a few more super amazing shorter distance trail races, and unfortunately Los Pinos just wasn't in the best interest for me now. It's an incredible amount of work as water has to be hauled in, and hours of trail work every year just to make the Los Pinos trail manageable. Its so tuff many are afraid to sign up, and I was happy to end this race this year on a decent weather day. I have such high standars for the organizational side of my events, and protecting my reputation with my events that at this point I have no desire to hand it over to anybody else. You would have to be one hell of a race director for me to even consider it, but probably not in the cards. Here are some links to people who ran in the race, and they are both great reads!! The bottom link is to Chris Prices race report. He is my dear friend, and won the race. Yes he beat my Jesse, but we still love ya Chris! So excited to have you on board with INKnBURN!! Yay!!

http://vanessaruns.com/2011/10/24/los-pinos-50k-race-report/

and

http://ultrarunnerrn.blogspot.com/

Also below are just some fun pics of race day & stuff. LOVE my Ultra family so much!!!

The best part of LOs Pinos though?? Marking the entire course with my baby brother Eric Wickland and his wife Faye Love the pic below...yes he is gonna kill me for posting it. Hey us *wolfpackers* stick together....;o)

It's been a whirlwind since Los Pinos though! With all the rad stuff going on at INKnBURN, Griffith Park Half Marathon right around the corner, and making time to play on the trails it's just been nutso! All good though...alll good. I keep saying someone needs to pinch me or something! Tomorrow I get to spend the entire day with the crew runninn 30 miles on the AC100 course....and all I can do is think about how much fun we are gonna have. Hopefully Chris Prices leg won't fall off!! Tomorrow night I get to make homemade lasagna for my son and all his friends and have a gathering at the house. I love it! Sunday we are running with Sean O'Brien and crew in the Santa Monica's, and I am looking forward to hitting one of my favorite trail the Backbone Trail. Yippie!!

Once Griffith Park is over Jesse and I have a few weekend get away trips planned, and we cannot wait. We are taking Tyler up to San Francisco the first weekend in December, and of course we will fill the entire weekend with tons of trail running and hiking!! Cannot wait.

I am getting so excited for the Holidays...I love to cook, and just cannot wait to fill the days ahead with tons of fun parties and long runs in the mountains. My lord life just rocks!! I am also super excited to announce my Rudy Project Ultra Running team. We are starting small at first for 2012, and I am excited to manage this team and watch it grow. Welcome to the team:

JORGE PACHECO

CHRIS PRICE

LEOR PANTILLAT

YASSINE DUBOIN

MICHELLE BARTON

ANGELEA SHARTEL

I look forward to adding more to the team as we grow, and more than likely the next person on that list will be Jesse Haynes. Not only is he one of the most talented runners I know, but he is so amazing, and full of life, and represents everything I want for this team. I cannot wait to start racing again, and am just chomping at the bits to do so!!

ON, ON, ON WITH LIFE MY FRIENDS! SPEND EVERY MOMENT DOING IT WITH PASSION, LOVE, AND WITH PEOPLE THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY AND FILL YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!

Life Keeps Rolling!

2011-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

L2R Clockwise:T,Pammy,Jimmy,Kate,Me,Jesse,Katrina,Wick,Faye

I love my friends with all my heart. Next to my son, and Jesse, they are my second family. In the last eight months the tight knit group of us have become extremely close, and I just cannot imagine my life without any of them. Most of the time our lives are so busy we have trouble all getting together, but never a day goes by that I don't communicate with at least someone from our inner circle. It's amazing when you share your life with the right person who shares your same passions for life how epic it can be! Jesse and I have such a blast hanging with all our friends, and then of course just hanging with each other. We hiked this morning for two and a half hours, and even ran a bit on the trails near our house. For the first time in two years I ran and hiked completely pain free, and it was just so much fun! The day was so beautiful, and our love, passion, and desire to play outdoors together is just incredibly fun. After the hike we cruised over to my friend Faye's shop in Laguna called Active Culture. We love this place because it has all kinds of amazing vegan, & vegetarian natural foods, smoothies, and bowls. The food is so good I just cannot put into words how amazing it is! Here is a little bit about the shop straight from Faye the owner:
Active Culture was built on the principle that if we put nutritious foods--healthy yogurt, natural foods, wholesome bowls, fresh smoothies, alternative shakes, raw and organic ingredients--in our bodies, it will fuel us as we navigate through our active lives. Here is there FaceBook link: http://www.facebook.com/activeculture

Our dear friends Eric(my little brother) & faye have a very similar relationship. We cannot wait for there wedding in two weeks!! Our entire So-Cal crew will be there, and I am just so excited for both of them! Wick also just won Tahoe 50 mile back in July, and then raced Wasatch 100 mile this weekend and ran a sub 24! Amazing that boy! Both Jesse and I wanted to go so bad and be with him and Faye at the race, but Jesse had already registered for Conquer the Bear 30k so was obligated to do it. He placed 2nd overall, and thats with having a super tough day. He has been racing a ton the last two months, and it just all hit him yesterday while running. Below are some pics from the race. We had a total blast in Big Bear over the weekend, and love being in the mountains!!

Jesse at the start of the Conquer the Bear 30k in Big Bear, California

Views from our hike

A few weeks back Jesse raced Bulldog 50k. It was great because a ton of our friends were there, and I got to spend the entire day hanging with tons of the So-Cal Coyotes! Here is a little recap from Jesse about the last 10 miles of the race between himself, Jorge, and Dom:

At about mile 20 Dominic passed me to take over 2nd place. I received another update from a 30k racer, “Jorge up by 3 minutes and looking strong, 2nd place not looking that good.” I was hoping to catch Dominic on the descent and close the gap Jorge had put on us up the climb but my stomach had other plans. I came into the mile 22 aid station 30 seconds behind Dominic who was 2 minutes behind Jorge. Mile 22 to 28 was very interesting as I finally caught and passed Jorge on the descent at mile 27 placing me again in 2nd with Dominic now in the lead. I caught Dominic at the 28 mile aid station with Jorge just behind. We hit the last climb in that order, Dominic; Jesse; Jorge. I was fighting cramps but still able to make a push to get around Dominic to take the lead for the first time! It was not long before Jorge, an unbelievable climber, took the lead from me 200 meters from the top. If the earlier miles were proof of anything it was that I would be able to get Jorge back on the descent. Jorge reached into his bag of tricks and put on a turn of speed that I was unable to match. I remained 20 seconds shy of catching him at the bottom. It ended up being a relentless drag race to the finish for nearly a mile. In the end Jorge won by over a minute and Dominic finished just over 2 minutes behind for 3rd. The Bulldog 50K will remain in my memory as a favorite for some time. Below are some pics and video of the race! So fun!

I also wanted to give a shout out to my friend and fellow Rudy Project Ultra Running Team member(love managing there Ultra Team!) Leor Pantilat and congratulate him on his stellar victory at Tamalpa Headlands 50k. Suzanna Bon captured the womens win, and they are both so amazing!! Here is a link to his latest blog post: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1033444/TR_Milestone_Mountain_Midway_M#Post1033444

With so much amazing stuff coming up in the future I am not sure where to even begin, but I will start with a sneak peak at a picture of the Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon race day shirts. Please note this is not the final shirt! We are definitely getting excited over here at INKnBURN!!

The next few weeks will be filled with stuff like hanging at Noble Canyon 50k doing race day check in & working an aid station(not sure how excited my son Tyler is about being volunteered for this duty to!), Leona Valley Trail Races, Los Pinos 50k, cruising out to Bootlegger Canyon 50k for an epic little 50k in Nevada put on by Ian Torrence, and then lastly spending an *awesomesauce* weekend up in Santa Barbara for Luis Escobar's race Red Rock 50. Now that is going to be insane!! Cannot wait for the Fall line up!

Things have been so amazing over at INKnBURN, and you just cannot even imagine all the killer stuff we will be coming out with in the next weeks & months. From women's shorts, cute fitted tanks, and compression leg sleeves the line up is insane!! Below is a picture from our booth at the Disney Half Marathon Expo. Man was that such a crazy weekend. People were just freaking out at how rad our stuff is!!

Lets not forget Football has started. I am proud to say that I picked all of Jesse's Fantasy Football players, and so far we are kicking our team members butts! Yes I LOVE Football, and anything related to the sport. Not quite as much as I love BB, but so excited for Sunday ball watching, having BBQ's with da' crew, and just hanging!! Life rocks!

On, on, on with life my friends cause it is such *RADSAUCE*!!!

Time flies when your livin'!!

2011-08-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

COOL STUFF FROM INKNBURN! LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! http://www.facebook.com/INKnBURN

These awesome, comfy, and super cute running shorts will be coming out soon from INKnBURN

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Cool new jacket and shorts worn by our INKnBURN team @ Trans Rockies!!

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The last two weeks have been crazy fun for me to say the least! I have taken on an amazing role at a super awesome company called INKnBURN. They make all kinds of endurance apparel, women's & men's running shirts & tops, running sleeves, compression leg sleeves(coming soon) and are doing things in the endurance industry that no one else is or can do. Absolutely no screen prinitng ever...even with our sleeves. Just insane! Above are a bunch of pictures of some rad shit we have been working on, and trust me so much more will be following!! Yes that is my dear friend Michelle Barton and my beautiful other half Jesse Haynes modeling our newest gear. Its the most amazing breathable endurance gear you will ever run in, and it's all hand made in Lake Forest. Keep your eyes out for some incredible Cycling kits we have coming, and hand held water bottle holders with designs, ect. Friggin *AwesomeSauce*!! We will be at all kinds of Tri events come Fall & spring!

I am recovering great from my injury, and have been super busy with all kinds of stuff. Kind of getting sick of hobbling around though, and its been nice this last week to be walking around somewhat normal! I feel awesome though, and just cannot wait to be back at it all in about 7 more weeks. Yay!! Jesse has just been incredible, and so supportive. I cannot imagine my life without him!! He keeps saying he misses his best running & cycling partner ever, and I keep thinking yes baby I miss it to! What's great is Jesse is a huge Kayaker so I am going to start "Stand Up Paddle Boarding", and he is going to kayak next to me. I am first gonna go out with my Friend Molly(race director of Whoo's in El Morro 50k&30k) a few times to just learn how to do it. So excited as it will be great cross training. Cannot wait to be able to start hiking as more than anything I LOVE to be outdoors. I love being on trails, and I only have five more weeks until I can start to hike. No running until early October though. Not even worried about it though. I will be back to 50k distance by late November. I am so incredibly healthy that my healing time is just way faster than most. I already feel incredible, and really won't loose much fitness. Its just gonna be a little while before I will get my speed back to be competitive. I plan to just work on that the entire Fall, and by Dec be 100%. Its been good in many ways as I have had so much work to do for my Fall Races & events that I really needed the break.

THE CREW! OR AS JIMMY DEAN WOULD SAY "TIC"

Jesse ran Mt.Dissapointment 50k last weekend, and did amazing! He finished 2nd behind Jorge, and what's interesting is the course was three miles longer than last year, but both him & Jorge's times were still super solid. It was a hot day, and just a brutal course. Its so overgrown with the purple poodle dog, and many people dropped or had to be rescued off the course. Such a tough day but Jesse kicked ass! I even got to see my boys Chris & Dom out on a training run while I helped at the mile 24 aid station. Tons & tons of friends were there, and even though I could barely walk it was great to get out and see everyone!! My Martini Sauce Kate Freeman was 2nd woman, and although struggled at the end she still killed it. She is just a super star, and such an incredible athlete! I am so excited to see what she will do with my Marathon course @ Leona Valley Trail Races(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com) Above is a cute pic of all of us at the finish line hangin' out! I even got a shot of one of my Rudy Project Ultra team members Jorge Pacheco.

I also discovered this super great company called Rise Bars(http://risebar.com/) They are the most delicious bars on the planet, and are based out of Escondido! They have three kinds of bars: Breakfast, energy, and protein. They are honestly the most delicious bars I have ever tried, and make bars that totally work for me. Gluten free, soy free(PEOPLE DO NOT EAT SOY!!), Peanut free, vegan, and just plain good for you. Pure health! They do have a line of protein bars that have whey, and obviously I do not eat those. Jesse says they are super yummy to though! My favorite is the Blueberry Coconut or the Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin. Here is a link to find out where they are sold near you: http://risebar.com/purchase/store-locator
Looking forward to filling you all up on these @ Leona Divide(http://leonadivide5050.com) and Los Pinos(http://lospinos50k.com)!! I will also bring a bunch with me when I work the Rat Hole @ Noble Canyon 50k. Cannot wait for this race!! I have my money on my Rudy Project team member Chris Price! Love him to pieces, and he is just a rock star! Please keep your eyes out for full details and a press release coming soon about my Rudy Project North American Ultra Running Team. Details coming by early September. ;o)

I also found this amazing article on womens health and weight loss, and wanted to share it with my female readers. Its a great article, and a must read!! The online Health, Fitness, & Wellness website interviewed fitness expert and personal trainer, John Romaniello on weight loss myths that are common among women. The article “5 Weight Loss Myths Exposed” can be viewed at <http://www.womenshealthbase.com/5-weight-loss-myths-exposed-expert-qa-with-john-romaniello/>. A definite must read!!

I also wanted to give a huge shout out to my friend Keith Cunnigham, and his amazing event called the ROC race. I am happy to support this cool event – LA/OC ROC Race 5k – Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge is coming to Fairplex, Home of the LA County Fair on Sat. Nov. 5^th - Game show inspired obstacles collide w/ a 5k training course to bring you the most Ridiculous race ever! Finish line ends at Beer garden w/ a massive vendor village, live performances, DJ’s & more! Use code: "KEIRAROCcode" for discount –http://rocrace.com/ Price increases Monday Aug. 29^th so sign up now for the best price! Tons of great fun, and somewhat of a big giant party. Totally different than anything I organize, but it just looks like a blast!! Here is the link for there website: http://rocrace.com/. Here is what they are all about: So… What is the ROC Race?

Imagine a creative collision between a military style training course and wild and crazy game show inspired obstacles spread throughout a 5K course! The common theme is ridiculous and challenging fun! Something super fun to do as a huge team no doubt! Be prepared to get wet and dirty...to much fun and just pure silly!!

Last I will leave you with this awesome little video of my **CoyoteSauce** at MT.D. Yes people we really enjoy life this much 24/7!!!!

***THERE'S ONLY ONE CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE YOU CAN BE CERTAIN OF IMPROVING AND THAT'S YOUR OWN SELF. LIFE ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!! GO OUT AND LIVE!! ON, ON, ON MY FRIENDS!!

L.A. Runner: VIDEO: The Coach

2011-08-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

AMAZING Video by Billy Yang:

L.A. Runner: VIDEO: The Coach: Wanted to share a video I shot on behalf of Run Nation featuring Jimmy Dean Freeman - a Southern California based running coach talking abo...

Hanging in there!!

2011-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Life has been quite a whirl wind the last three weeks, but I thought I would start off by posting a picture of me with my new hair color. Been wanting to go darker for awhile, and I absolutely love my new hair color. I darkened it right before AC, & it's lightened up a ton in the last month since the pictures from above. It's fun, and I think fits me perfect. Jesse loves it to which really is all that matters to me anyways! LOL...

Above is a picture of my son on the Ernie Maxwell Trail in The San Jacinto Mountains. A couple weeks back myself, my son, and Jesse took a great little weekend trip up to Idyllwild, and had a ton of fun. We got some great little runs in, and it was a good taper before Angeles Crest 100. It was great because neither myself or Jesse could keep up with Tyler. He dropped us like it was nothing! Amazing that boy!! Interestingly enough though while up there I definitely felt some pain in my hip, and knew that it was same injury from before that occurred in my Labrum. I had actually started to feel in back in April @ Labor of Love 100, but was in complete denial it was bugging me again. I had a ton of prolotherapy treatments on it back in early 2010, and was pretty convinced it was healed. When my ITband started acting up back in December I could also feel pain in the hip area, and I knew the IT issue was all related to my Labrum tear. I spent all of April, May, & June just pushing through the pain in hopes that it would subside, and I could make it through AC. Sometimes it would hurt, but then other times I wouldn't really feel it at all.

I have decided I do not want to spend a ton of time talking about what I went through at AC, and how I am recovering. The bottom line is I am on the path to recovery, and am doing great. I love my life so much and am just super focused on getting better. I have kept all that is going on between myself and my close circle of family & friends. My friends are my family, and I love you all to death(Jesse, Pammy, T, Jimmy & Kate, Wick & Faye, Anne & George, Erin, June, Bev, Scotty, Carmella, Molly, Dorrine, Skelley,&Karl) thanks for your support!! My goal is to get better once and for all, and just come back stronger than ever!! I cannot imagine my life without my amazing Jesse, and I do want to touch on my experience at AC with him....

Cool Link & Video of me at AC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21PcMl0Zlzk

Jesse & Wick did all my training with me for AC. Two weeks before AC Jesse went and kicked ass at Harding Hussle 50k, and won. He is my superstar, and actually did the race in 4 hours...thats a 50k with about 7,500 feet of gain & loss. Him and Wick train a ton together also because Wick & Faye moved down the street from us so together those boys are just insane! Wick won Tahoe 50mile, and I cannot wait to see what he is gonna do @ Wasatch, and what my Jesse is gonna do at Mt.Dissapointment 50k.

Ok so back to Angeles Crest. When I toed the line at the race I felt ready, but knew my hip was gonna be an issue. Usually it would start to hurt after about 30-40 miles of running so my plan was to just get through the second half, and take ibuprofin if needed. Jesse was my crewing me during the day with Molly, Dorrine, and Charlie. Then at night he would pace me the last half, and Carmella would crew. Unfortunately my hip started to hurt me within the first 10 miles, and never let up. I was cuaght off guard by this forsure. Below is a picture of me coming into three points aid station(mile 40ish), and expressing to Pam what was going on. This picture speaks for itself....

So as the race progressed the pain just became unbearable. I picked up Faye at Mile 52, and she paced me for a bit to Shortcut where I picked up Jesse. We ran really strong for a bit, but the ibuprofin was just not working anymore, and he could tell I was struggling. My whole left side was in pain, and I was starting to feel serious pain in my left knee. When we left the Cloudburst aid station together the pain was almost unbearable. I struggled to run down into the canyon before the climb up to Chantry, and at some point had started to just limp. Walking was the only option, and I could feel the tears streaming down my cheek. My race was completely unraveling, and it was dark, and I was a mess. We still had about two miles to go to get up to the mile 74.5 aid station, and thats when Jesse stopped me. He turned off his headlamp, and said, " You are the most beautiful and amazing woman i know". He hugged and held me tight then kissed my forehead and wiped my tears. We could hear faint voices coming towards us, and he explained that it was Paulette, and to encourage her as she passed. When she passed her pacer David James shouted out some encouragement, and I told her to hold onto first place, and to not let Maggie catch her. I didn't want to tell her I was gonna drop @ Chantry because I wanted her to win, and i knew she would run harder if she thought I was chasing her. Once she passed me into the dark night, and I knew they were long gone I fell into Jesses arms. He held me so tight as we stood at the base of the creek that runs under the deep woods of the campground down below Chantry Flats. I could hear a party going on at a campground ahead, and he just held me as I cried. He whispered to me you are the bravest woman I know, and I am so proud of you. I love you with all my heart Keira, and all I want you to do is make it to Chantry without letting anyone else pass you. He grabbed my hand and we started to hike together side by side. We picked up the pace, and step by step hand in hand we somehow made it up to the aid station. I quickly gathered with my crew, and tried to just get out of there without talking to to many people. I was in a serious amount of pain, and knew I just needed to get home, and move forward in the direction of getting better, and back to being 100% healthy. Luckily that is what I have done, and am excited to announce I am doing great. One day at a time, but healing fast, and recovering well. It will be a little while before I race again, but when I do return I will finally be completely better.

A couple days after the race I had lunch with one of my best friends Jimmy Dean Freeman. He is without a doubt like family to me, and has seen me go through a ton of changes this last year. Jimmy and I have this really special bond that will always be, and we went into great discussion over lunch about the Ultra community, and our close circle of family and friends here in So-Cal. I explained to him how Jesse was blown away @ AC by all the love and support he saw at all the aid stations for me & jimmy. Jesse had never seen this side of the sport before as he is new to it all, and for the first time saw first hand how connected we all our. Everyone knows everyone, and we all have each others backs. The So-Cal Ultra community is like one big huge family, and we all are connected by someone in a very cool sort of two degrees of separation. He was amazed how somehow everyone knew everyone by ways of pacing, crewing, and just all being a part of this amazing sport we call Ultra Running. It truly is a huge family, and I cannot imagine not having it in my life. I love the people, being out at the races, and just being a part of such a great group of human beings. We all help each other so much, and it's such a great family to be apart of. The sport is BOOMING, and it's so awesome to be at the heart of the So-cal movement!!! I have no problem taking a backseat for a bit to get better, and be on the other side of it crewing and supporting Jesse at his races. After Mt.D he has Bulldog. So excited!! To achieve anything requires faith & belief in yourself, vision, hard work, & sheer dedication. I am 100% committed to getting better, and still enjoying the love of my sport. ;o)

I also want to give a huge shout out to my friend Karl Stutleberg as he has started a new coaching program. Below is a little info about his program...

Karl Stutelberg (www.cuttingedgerunning.com) provides CUSTOM TRAINING PROGRAMS for all race distances from beginner to advanced runners, as well as COACHING SERVICES that will allow him to help guide you, with professional advice, through the training process. He uses his EXPERIENCE as a lifelong runner, his MEDICAL BACKGROUND as a licensed Physical Therapist in southern California, and his KNOWLEDGE as a USATF Level 1 coach when designing your program. This combination keeps his custom training programs on the "CUTTING EDGE" with the latest training tools that will propel you toward your goals!

He also blogs weekly on his own training and writes short articles on running related topics. He will answer questions submitted via his blog.

His training programs include a core exercise program designed for runners that has been proven to help prevent injuries and improve form and running economy. Finally, he offers phone consultation on any running related topics to help adjust your current program if you feel like you have plateaued.

The motto of Cutting Edge Running is "helping runners of all levels achieve goals." Karl has a passion for all aspects of running from track, to road racing, and trail running and enjoys seeing others succeed.

I am also very excited to announce my amazing partnership with InkNburn for Griffith Park Half Marathon(http://griffithparktrailruns.com). They are such a cool company, and make incredibly great apparel for endurance sports. There clothes are extremely comfortable to run in, and what's great is they are one of the only companies out there putting art directly onto all of there apparel. Check out www.inknburn.com/ to see what all the buzz is about. There stuff rocks! I cannot wait to see what kinds of cool designs they come up with for Griffith Park!!

I am in the works of a few more cool races I am putting together, and I cannot wait to be able to make those events happen! Sometimes life does not go exactly like we want it to, but every person and moment has a purpose and reason for happening. Here is what I firmly believe:

IN LIFE YOU CANNOT CONNECT THE DOTS LOOKING FORWARD; YOU CAN ONLY CONNECT THEM LOOKING BACKWARDS. YOU HAVE TO TRUST THE DOTS WILL SOMEHOW CONNECT IN YOUR FUTURE. ALL PEOPLE HAVE A PLACE IN YOUR LIFE, AND ALL THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON.

**LIFE IS AWESOMESAUCE**

Big Bear, Mt. Baldy, & San Jacinto/Idyllwild trips & Trail running!!

2011-06-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

*Life is awesome*

I wasn't really sure where to even begin with this post because so many amazing things have been happening in my life I just don't want to sound redundant. I honestly cannot even begin to express how friggin rad life is so I will just start with this news...and yes this has been VERY hard to keep quiet about!! – August 20, 2011

The Montrail Ultra Cup is the country’s only nationwide ultrarunning point series. The series consists of 10 races in 7 states with a total cash purse of $16,000. The schedule for the 2011/2012 Montrail Ultra Cup can be seen below and found online, along with more details, at Ultracup.montrail.com.

2011/12 Ultra Cup Race Schedule
1. Waldo 100k – Willamette Pass, OR – August 20, 2011
2. Run Rabbit Run 50 – Steamboat Springs, CO – September 17, 2011
3. Vermont 50 – Brownsville, VT – September 25, 2011
4. JFK 50 – Hagerstown, MD – November 19, 2011
5. Bandera Trail Runs – Bandera, TX – January 7, 2012
6. Way Too Cool 50k – Cool, CA – March 10, 2012
7. American River 50 – Sacramento, CA – April 7, 2012
8. Leona Divide 50 – Lake Hughes, CA – April 28, 2012
9. Ice Age 50– La Grange, WI – May 12, 2012

10. Western States 100 – Squaw Valley, CA – June 23, 2012

Leona Divide is now part of the Montrail Ultra Cup. I am absolutely thrilled, and cannot put into words how completely *awesomesauce* this is. Love Montrail, and also love Mountain Hardwear!! This does definitely take Leona to a different level as far as the incredible talent that will now be at the race, and unfortunately I will have to take out the 30k. No sweat there though as I have plenty of other races for those shorter distance runners to tackle!! I am also in the works of putting together a few more shorter distance trail running events so hold tight I promise more to come!
http://leonavalleytrailraces.com
http://griffithparktrtailruns.com

I have been spending the last 6 weeks since Ohlone 50k enjoying the heck out of life!! A few weeks back Jesse and I spent an entire weekend up at Big Bear getting me all trained up for AC100, and he also had a mountain bike race he kicked butt at(OF COURSE!!). Been doing some crazy night runs at Mt. Baldy, and then this weekend myself, Jesse, and my little brother Eric Wickland went up to Idyllwild and did about 80 miles of High altitude training. We climbed every peak in the San Jacintos, and it was one of the best weekends of my life!! Below are a slew of pics of life lately and all the craziness that has been happening!!

I absolutely love to run in the Mountains all day, and am blessed to have people in my life that completely love to play the same way I do!! While out in the San Jacinto's this weekend we ran into tons of Trail Running friends, and had the time of our lives! Some of the best things in life are free!! The three of us(me, Jesse, & Wick) rented a cabin in Idyllwild all weekend so what was super exciting was watching the live webcast from Western States!! We were like three kids checking updates....so proud of all my Coyote friends that rocked(go June, Kevin, Stan, & Michael!!) and of course the most proud of my dear friend Scotty Mills. That man is my absolute hero, and this was his 16th WS100 finish! Hell ya General Mills! ;o)

Last I have some super huge news going on with the marketing team at Rudy Project& the super friggin RAD SAUCE Chris Lupo. We will be putting together the first ever Rudy Project North America Ultra Running Team, and we are so stoked about this. I am pumped because I am going to be the team manager(yes someone pinch me), and I get to hand pick the athletes myself. Please email me if you have interest(leonaracedirector@gmail.com), but keep in mind I am being very selective. & limiting it to 7 athletes. I already have most of my team picked out but good luck to all that apply and have applied. We will be teaming up with quite a few other solid companies to make this such a great team!! Love Rudy Project so much, and am pumped about this!!!

I am so excited about life....and feel more ready than ever to race Angeles Crest 100 mile. I am hungry, and have no doubts I am 100% ready to rock this race in the mountains. After going off course a a few times last year, and even one of the times for an entire hour. I really want to get the 24 buckle I deserved last year. All things happen for a reason, but this year that will NOT happen. I am ready to race, and will do that the entire time & length of that race. After AC100 I plan to take some down time, and then I am taking a huge camping trip up to Yosemite & three rivers. Endless amounts of Trail Running, Hiking, campfires, and swimming. Pumped for that fo' sure!

On a last note I am also super excited for my son to already be starting cross country again! I cannot believe how fast an entire year went by(what a year!!), but this season for him will be great. He is running a solid flat 16 min 5k right now, and is pumped about the new season at Dana Hills High School. I definitely don't run with him anymore as he would kill me to death if I did! LOL....

Keep livin' life everyone, and make it the best it can be everyday!! Don't ever settle for what does not make you the happiest as stuck you will stay!! On, on, on with life my friends!!

P.S.
A really cool article just came out on me, and I thought some would be inspired! Thanks Maurya!!
http://blog.spartanrace.com/the-gold-standard-series-ultra-chicked-part-two-keira-henninger/

Ohlone 50k and life!!

2011-05-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ohlone 50k has come and passed, and I am super excited to report I had a great race!! It was very well organized, and such a top notch event. The course was marked extremely well, the aid stations were well manned with ample supplies, and the finish line was super fun. The course was hands down the toughest 50k course I have ever ran, but all in all I had a ton of fun!

The race is held on a Sunday so I was able to spend the entire weekend up in San Francisco before the race. I am looking forward to heading up there again in two weeks for Pacifica 50k. The temps were in the cooler range this year compared to most years. With this came and very muddy course! I believe the warmest it got on race day was 70 degrees? Perfect running weather, and just all in all an outstanding organized race!! I highly suggest this race to anyone who loves SUPER, SUPER tough 50k courses. Brutal and steep climbs coupled with brutal, steep, and loose gravel descents. It wasn't necessarily spectacular in beauty, but on a 1-10 scale I would give it about a 6. Tons of open exposed climbs, and not a ton of tree covered single track. A course I would give a 10 on beauty would be Jemez Mountains 50mile/50k or Where's Waldo 100k.

I spent the first few miles of the race really hanging back, and staying within myself. If there is one thing I have learned in this sport is no Ultra is EVER won in the first 10 miles. I just don't have the kind of speed and talent as those fast top tiered women so for me my strength and stamina is all I have got. Around mile 3 or so I had quite a mishap though!! I was not paying attention, and ran straight into a shin deep mud pit. All the other runners were smart enough to take the single track trail that scaled the outside of the mud pit to re-connect with the trail....but not me. I was the only dumb ass that went feet first into it. I got completely stuck, and it took me quite sometime to get out. My shoes got stuck, and came off, and I had to be helped out by some other runner. He was so amazing to stop & help me in the middle of his race!! Without him I sware I would still be there. What an angel! It took me another couple minutes to re-group and get my wet mud caked shoes back on over my completely mud packed socks. Ugh what a friggin mess I was! I of course had no choice but to keep on running, and before to long my shoes somewhat dried and I was back in business. I had to work a bit to move my way back up to the front, but before to long I was able to eye Bree Lambert, and was excited to catch her & chat. This woman is an absolute rock star, and if it wasn't for her little night out at Prince the night before she would have won no doubt. She explained she was just running to finish, and was focused on Tahoe 100 mile. She has won Tahoe 100 before along with a huge slew of other races so I am sure she will just kill it!! Go Bree go!! I told her I was gonna push on and try and track down the other woman in front of us. It was such a great day for me, and I definitely will run this one again if I can squeeze it on the calender. Below are the results:
http://www.ohlone50k.com/Ohlone50K/Prior_Results/2011_Results/2011_results.html

When I crossed the finish line Jesse was there cheering for me!! He was so excited! It was only his 2nd 50k, and he finished 2nd behind Leor Pantilat. Below are great links to the first place, and third place men.

pantilat.wordpress.com
http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/

This past saturday myself and my baby brother Eric Wickland and a few other boys from our crew ran my Ray Miller 50 mile course(raymiller5050.com)! The pace was super strong for me as the first half Brian Polley ran with us, and I kept telling Dan. L I was going to die! He just laughed! We had so much fun, and man that course is a doozy!! TOUGH but so gorgeous! Monday myself, Jesse, and Wick ran my Los Pinos course(http://lospinos50k.com). Another tough day fo' sure with da' boys! Below are a ton of pics from Saturday's run. Thanks to my dear friend Dean Dobberteen for snatching all these great photos!

Griffith Park website has officially launched! Please check it out!
http://griffithparktrailruns.com

On, on, on with this amazing thing called life!!! Someone please pinch me cause I am having the absolute time of my life.... ;o)

Leona 2011 in da' history books!!

2011-05-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Leona Divide 2011 is now a done deal, and in the race history books! I honestly cannot believe it's over, and how fast time just flies by....what an awesome race week it was for me!! Above are the leg sleeves my dear friend Shannon made for every runner! Shannon I LOVE you so much, & I cannot thank you enough for all your support at Leona!! ;o)

Ok back to my crazy race week....
I left Orange County on Tuesday the 26th so I would have plenty of time to get ready for the race. Everyone up in the community of Lake Hughes is wonderful, and I was able to rent a cute little cottage from the mayor of Lake Hughes "Allaire". She is a sweetheart! My girl Carmella House cruised up with me for the entire week to be by my side, and help with race prep! On Thursday my friend Dorreen came up and we spent the entire day marking most of the course. Love this girl to pieces, and we had a blast!! Once Friday came Scotty Mills headed up and helped me finish marking the course. Scotty is my mentor, and his friendship means the world to me. He is always there to direct me in the right path when it comes to race directing, and I look to him for tons of advice and leadership. I cannot wait to work his Sweetwater aid station at San Diego 100 mile. He is the race director, and the absolute best RD on the planet!! We had tons of fun on Friday out on the course, and by Friday night all my other crew was up to help with race check in. LT & Steve Harvey(race director of Old Goats50 & Chimera) helped me with some last minute course markings, and stuff like that. What a total hoot those guys are!!! Saturday morning rolled around way to quick, and before I knew it over 400 runners were rolling into the Lake Hughes community center. To say it was insane is an understatement!! Nothing could have prepared me for the magnitude of people, and I was so happy to see all my preparation & stellar volunteers working like mad to get it all rolling. Hats off to all the amazing race check in volunteers!!

As the minutes got closer & closer I grabbed my Coyote Sauce(Jimmy Dean) & my babysauce(George Gleeson) to start banging the saw blade, and get the race rolling. Within a flash the race was off & rolling!! Below is a link to the movie trailer for the documentary for Leona Divide. Jessica is working tirelessly to get it all wrapped up, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out!!!! First link is to the actual trailer, and the link below it is to the site which will have all the updates as progress is made. This of course will be available for sale to anyone who wants to buy it, and is gonna rock!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEmpUg20GK4
http://film.dirtyfeetus/leonadivide

Quickly Jimmy got the race off to a great start, and all my amazing aid station volunteers started to set out to there aid stations. Below is a picture of MartiniSauce's aid station(Kate Martini Freeman). They were "alice in runderland", and what an awesome aid station she had!! Her hubby Jimmy Dean had quite the aid station to!! Love these two with all my heart~!! A HUGE thanks to all my rock star aid station captains: Jen Brickner, Tracy White, Scotty Mills&Buzz Owens, JimmyDeanFreeman, KateMartiniFreeman, & Karen Adams. Without this crew of amazing superstars Leona would be nothing..

Being on the other side of any race is always a blast, but being an RD, and an Ultra Runner myself the excitement of the front guys just overwhelms me. My eyes were on the 50 mile race, & right off the bat I knew Josh, Jorge, James.B, David, Fabrice, Evan, & Chris would be flying. I really could not even guess who was gonna take the win, but I did know that they were moving fast. I was so bummed to hear early on that Brimhall had dropped at the turn around(mile 29) due to an injury. My medic went & grabbed him, and we iced him all up. What an AMAZING athlete & person that guy is. I am positive he will be back in no time representing team Pearl Izumi well!(www.pearlizumi.com/) Once he was out of the running I kept thinking ok is James Bonnett gonna hold his lead over Jorge& Fabrice?? I knew the super fast Evan Hone was having stomach issues(he still killed it!), and then I was thinking ok where the heck is David James?? Shortly after he had to pull out also, and all I kept thinking was how crazy it would be if Bonnet pulled off this win. He had emailed me a week before the race, and wanted to use Leona Divide as a comeback race...wow did he make a serious comeback!! He ended up edging out my dear friend Jorge for the win, and they both had a stellar day. Fabrice grabbed the 3rd spot, then Chris Price(yippie go Chris), and Evan was next. All 5 of these guys are so wicked fast & talented it was an honor to see them all push so hard. When Price finished I thought he was gonna puke on me!! These guys are such studs!! Congrats to James Bonnett for kicking Leona Divide's butt! hehe...

The women's race was great to! Aliza Lapierre snagged the first place spot, and man she ran a great race! I cannot wait to see how she does at States. She is just so amazing. Next was Paulette Zilmer from AZ. She kicked my butt at Mesquite Canyon 50k, and is a little superstar. Following her for 3rd overall female was Maggie Beach. All 3 of these women are studettes! Good luck to all these ladies in there future races. ;o)

Throughout the day so many 50k & 30k runners were finishing long before the 50 mile runners. The finish line was such a blast, and it was great having Guayaki cold teas on hand for all to drink. Thank you so much to Guyaki and all my amazing sponsors this year: WICKED FAST SPORTS, MOEBEN, GU, RUDY PROJECT, UDO'S OIL, VITA COCO, GUAYAKI, & COMPETITOR MAGAZINE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Without your support Leona would be pretty dang boaring! You all are *awesomesauce*.

Race date for next year is Saturday April 28th, & registration opens up November 1st on Ultra Signup(thanks Mark!!). Mark your calenders fo' sure!!

As the race has winded down, and my life is somewhat getting back to normal(ummm...not!!) I have been having such a blast! On Saturday I ran all day up at Mt.Baldy, and it was great to see so many friends out there like Buzz, Wendy, & Todd! Love you guys! The best part of the day though?? soaking in the ice cold waterfall at the bottom of Mt.Baldy. I am super excited to start gearing my training up for Angeles Crest 100mile, and a HUGE group of us will be hittin' the local mountains for some serious Memorial Day weekend training. Cannot wait!

In two weeks I am headed up to San Fran to race Ohlone50k. Pumped about this fo' sure!! Not really to worried about how I will finish as the talent on the entrants list is beyond me.

Congrats to all my Leona Divide finsihers!! You all did so amazing, and I cannot wait to see so many of you at my future races. Don't forget to mark your calenders for Leona Valley Trail races on October 8th(leonavalleytrailraces.com), Los Pinos 50k Oct 22nd(lospinos50k.com), Griffith Park Trail half marathon Nov 12th(griffithparktrailruns.com), and Ray Miller 50mile/50k Feb 25th(raymiller5050.com).

LIFE IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT YOU MAKE IT!!! GO OUT AND MAKE IT AMAZING!!!!!

All roads lead to what is meant to be!!

2011-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Me & Jesse

I am always trying to encourage people to go after there dreams. I love being a Race Director, and so involved in the running community because it enables me to be able to do this. With Leona Divide right around the corner, and now one of the biggest Ultras in California I wanted to send some encouragement to all my runners who are participating, my volunteers, & my amazing crew of staff that will be on hand(150 volunteers what up!!??) Understand to achieve anything requires faith & belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, & sheer dedication. You make things happen. Don't wait for someone else to make them happen for you. Act on your belief and instincts and the things you know about yourself. Don't just sit there-do something! Forward is always the right direction, even if you aren't sure where you are going, as long as you act with integrity. Only you know who you want to be, what you want out of life, and what the right path could be for you. Listen to your gut, and celebrate who you really are, apart from anyone else's expectations. Keep your word, act on your beliefs, and whether you regret something or not, ALWAYS own up to it. Remember fear is temporary, but regret is absolutely forever.

When all is said and done at the end of every day I look around me, and am overwhelmed by the love & support I have. Life is about connections. If you have hurt someone apologize, take responsibility, and move on. Always forgive as every little thing happens for a reason...everything. Read this a few times....

You wont always know what's over the horizin, but you will get somewhere great if you stay focused and diligent on what you want. Even when something bad happens or a relationship falls apart you will always see why it happened later. I promise this fo' sure. Above is a picture of Jesse and I after a Duathalon last Saturday which he placed 3rd overall at!! So amazing! Blessed to have his friendship in my life! Jesse you have changed every aspect of my life for the absolute better, and are my best friend on the planet, and cannot believe life could ever be this fun!! Having a blast training like maniacs together!!

Always know life is great, amazing, and no matter what you are going through things always have a way of working themselves out. Push on every day, and set goals so high that while you are reaching them you obtain other ones as well. Remember to shoot for the moon cause even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars!! Below is a link of two of my most favorite people on the planet. It's funny because as of last September they were my friends, but I never would have imagined how important these two would play a role in my life, destiny, and where I am at today. You never know why certain people come into your life until all the pieces come together for one hell of a finale!! My dear friend Mike Murphy(my shimmesauce) posted it on you tube cause he is just fly like that...plus he is one of my other favorite people on the planet!!! Jimmy & Kate Freeman are two of the most kind & loyal people you will ever meet. They have not a single bad thing to say about anyone, and have nothing but love & motivation to give out to everyone they meet. I am blessed to call these two crazy cats my extended family, and love every minute I get to spend with them in our crazy nutty lives!!! As Jimmy Dean always says..."if you're not having fun you are doing it wrong"... word!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnGrs4HwttU

BRING IT ON LEONA DIVIDE 2011!!!!

Life lessons through Ultra Running

2011-04-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

My life has been extremely busy lately. The last three months have just flown by, and I cannot believe Leona Divide(http://leonadivide5050.com) is only three weeks away!! About a month ago a friend called me, and suggested I make an attempt to run Labor of Love hundred mile. There was a valid reason for his suggestion, and I hung up the phone and really thought about the things he said. Labor of Love is a 100 mile race on the road on 6 repeated out and back loops at elevation in the middle of the Nevada desert....ok let me back up just a little...

I love to run on technical trails. I flourish in warm temps. The warmer the better. Exactly why I loved Mesquite Canyon 50k so much. I am a mountain goat, and actually hate running on the road. My legs and body are not used to it, and it's bad for your knees and hips. Period. I have no problem running on roads to connect up different trails for a long run, but thats about it. I also love the heat. The hotter the better. Some of the best races I have ever had have been on very hot days...me & the cold just don't mesh. I recognize that, and I know what my strengths are. So why in god's name was I going out to run Labor of Love 100? At this point looking back I realize it was a bad choice....

I flew into Las Vegas from San Diego Friday morning, and grabbed my rental car and headed to my hotel in Summerlin. Once checked in I zipped over to Whole Foods(yes I LOVE this place when I travel to races) and then later met up with my dear friend Carmella. We then headed over to catch the tail end of my friend Jimmy Gabany's soccer game, and then all went and grabbed some dinner. Carmella & Jesse were my crew all day, and then Jesse was going to pace me from 44 to the finish. Jesse had checked the weather, and the only reports we were getting were scattered thunderstorms. Jess assured me I would be fine, and I could always change into dry clothes if needed. We discussed the plan for the race, and I was in bed and sound asleep by 9pm that night. I slept great, and woke up on race morning ready to run. When I arrived at the start line I glanced at the temperature gage in the car. I spent a second looking at it, and then looked at Jesse. It read 25 degrees. Yes 25 degrees...at 6:50am. I quickly got out of the car in my 8 million layers of clothing, and stood at the start line. The amazing RD Joyce gave us a few last words of encouragement, and off we went. My goal for this race was to just finish in a decent time. I didn't care if I was the 5th woman I just wanted to finish in under 24 hours. I figured it was on the road so that would be fairly easy to do. I did not put any other pressure on myself, and reminded myself I was out here running this race for a reason. Mentally I would just push through the mental aspect of repeated loops on the road, and do what I came out to do.

Each leg was an 11 mile out and back on a barren desert road. That made for four 22 mile loops, and then the last 12 was an added 6 out and back on the same road...yes shoot me now....

The first 11 miles went by pretty quickly. It was absolutely freezing out, and even through my Patagonia gear I could feel the cold. It was extremely windy, and just down right freezing. I was happy to see clear skies though, and knew as long as it didn't rain i could somehow make it to the finish. I took my time the first 22 miles, and enjoyed running with my friend Thomas Podell. We just chatted up a storm, and I just love this guy! He is such a sweetheart, and I kept reminding him to try and relax and hold back as this would have been his first 100 mile finish....more on that later. Somewhere around mile 19 he pulled away from me, and I turned up my tunes and continued on my journey. One thing I noticed though was the altitude from running at 6000 ft, and also that it was not getting any warmer. I kept reminding myself that it would get warmer...it had to...come on this was mid April in the Las Vegas desert. After the cancellation of Lake Sonoma 50mile due to weather damage I am convinced the planet has lost it's mind!!

I came into the start/finish line at mile 22, and Jesse was waiting there all smiles. I gulped down some carbo-pro, and he quickly handed me fresh handhelds with Nuun and water in each. I also grabbed a baggie full of Salt Stick Pills, fresh GU chomps, and took some Udo's oil and Recover Eas pills. All good, and I was ready to power on. As I headed back out I realized I had to run back out on the same stretch of road I had already ran on...yes I am whining. I pushed to catch up to Thomas so I could have someone to chat with. We mostly hung together again until the turn around point at mile 33, and then he powered on. At this point I was absolutely freezing. It was maybe 30 degrees, and extremely windy. Something else started to happen that completely blind sided me...SNOW!! At first it was just a dusting, but within 15 minutes it was a complete white out. I was running and could not see more than an inch in front of me. The 11 mile stretch from 33 to 44 back to the start/finish line was just insane. Honestly I looked like a snow man as I was covered head to toe in snow!! LOL! I was prepared though, and bundled & layered up like a mad woman. I kept thinking about how much colder it would get through the night, and decided that if I was going to somehow finish this thing I would have to really pick up my pace when I picked up Jesse at mile 44 in order to finish out of the extreme cold at 4am. . Speed is not my strength as technical downhill running is. Somehow I would have to push myself to run fast at elevation, and pretend I was on my favorite single track trails in the San Gabriel Mtns. All I kept thinking about was why in god's name I was out here on this miserable road attempting to run a 100 miles?? Mentally I was breaking down, and it wasn't good.

By the time I came into 44 miles then snow had settled down and Jesse was there waiting and ready to go. Quickly he pulled me out of my funk, and told me he had tons more layers of clothes to keep me warm through the night. I explained to him that I was having one more issue that could potentially become a problem. Due to the freezing temps my left hip was starting to act up. This is an old injury in my Labrum from a very bad fall I took in 2008, and had been repaired. It has not given me a single issue since repaired in 2009, and I knew the extreme temps were causing it to flare up. Couple that with continuous pounding on the pavement, and it was a recipe for disaster. By the time I hit the turn around at mile 55 I was in quite a bit of pain, and it was so cold my lips were frozen. Jesse and I were still definitely moving, and actually having a blast together. I reluctantly took some ibuprofen to power through the pain, and when we came back through the start/finish at mile 66 I knew at the very least I would get credit for a 100k finish. My goal was to still try and finish the 100mile, but if the pain in the hip didn't subside I would rethink my goal. I did not want to drive my 2011 racing season into the ground, and I knew the course, and weather conditions were just nuts. When it stops becoming fun it is best to re-group, and make sure pushing on is the right thing to do. Once at 66 I completely changed into dry clothes as all the snow had me soaked, and left in more Patagonia gear than a friggin Everest climber. Not sure how this helps when you are trying to run a 100 miles, but it was cold, and I had no other choice!! LOL!

Miles 66 to 77 were very tuff for me. My hip was hurting extremely bad, and I was so cold I just could not warm up. My hands were frozen solid through two pairs of gloves, and I knew I didn't belong out on this course. Jesse was so awesome, and I cannot imagine ever having anyone else again as a pacer. Carmella & Jimmy were crewing me at this point, and they were great to. We all just kept getting through the miles, but at 79 I looked at my crew and said guys I gotta stop. I cannot do more damage to myself in this cold. The road is absolutely tearing my hip to shreds, and I am happy with a 100k finish. This race was not supposed to even happen for me, and does not matter. I have no desire to drive my racing season into the ground to finish this thing. I was worried about my hip(an MRI yesterday showed it's fine and the Labrum is not re-torn just locked up from the cold and pounding on the pavement) and am happy I called it when I did. We climbed into the car, and headed back to the start/finish line. Joyce(the RD) handed me my 100k finishers medal, and off we headed back to the hotel. On the way home Jesse had to pull over four times so I could throw up. I get very sick whenever I take Ibuprofin so I was not surprised by this. The best part was all it tasted like was salt stick pills and warm Carbo pro...yep good times! Man running Ultra's is so much fun ;o)

Being I only ran 79 miles I was able to fall asleep pretty quickly with only 6 more trips to the bathroom to throw up~once asleep though I slept like a baby!! When I woke up I was sore but no where near as sore as I thought I would be. Thank you Recover Eas(www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com)!!!! I took about 10 right before I fell asleep and it did the trick.

I flew back late Sunday night, and I have never been happier to get home. I have spent the last two days straight with my heat on full blast, and have no shame in saying I still can't warm up. Man I really could never live in CO or Utah. No way not a chance. Love me some Southern California!! Excited to spend a couple weeks in CO with the Coury brothers in June though. Now thats gonna be fun! Can't wait to go off the grid in Silverton, Co for a bit in June. Such awesome sauce!! I will need it after Leona!

I feel pretty good today, and am heading out in a bit for a pool workout. My goal is to swim quite a bit this week, and then spend the weekend running with my friends all weekend. Super happy I have running legs still, and if I would have ran all 100 miles in those conditions I am not sure if I would have been able to run for awhile. So glad I called it when I did, and am looking forward to heading up to Ohlone 50k(Excited to see Ian!!) in May, and then a trip out to the east coast in early June for another race. I have something big planned now this Summer to run, and am excited to train for this 100 mile race. I got the confirmation last night I am in the race, and am super excited. Gonna stick to what I love...running in the mountains on technical trails. I have every ounce of desire to run long distances on the road out of my system for awhile. This was hard for me to let go of, but Labor of Love definitely helped me realize for right now I have no desire to pound the pavement for long periods of time. As great as the aid stations were at Labor of Love, and it was super well organized with great swag~the course was repeated loops on the road. Not my cup of tea ever again...UGH!! Lesson learned, and I look forward to racing a ton in mountains on trails for the rest of 2011. I bid you *ado* road races!!

With Leona right around the corner, and my life being awesome sauce nuts right now I probably will not hit my blog up until my Leona Divide recap. I always have so much to talk about, but life is just to crazy to try and sit down and bang out a blog post. Along with all of this I am managing time to raise my amazing teenage son(cross country season training starts in two months!!), training myself, traveling all over the place for a zillion things~ life is so crazy! Honestly though I cannot imagine it any other way. I just love every moment of my life, and my friends, and the sport I am in. It is like a huge extended family, and I cannot imagine if this was not how my life was. I love all the amazing loyal people in my life, and the sport, and the whole scene. It was so much fun being out on the Labor Of Love course and on all the out and backs seeing everyone I know, and encouraging each other. This sport is full of such amazing & genuine people, and I just love being a part of it!!

I am DYING to talk to my Coyote Sauce Jimmy Dean and hear every minute of his AR50 recap. So many of my friends were up there running I definitely will go up next year and volunteer and be a part of it. I cannot wait to go up to Miwok 100k in a couple weeks to see everyone, and help out there. Jesse and I are so excited!! Love it!

See ya' all soon at Leona!! For many of my dear friends racing Wildflower on the same weekend good luck!! Cannot wait to hear how that goes for ya' all!!

LIFE JUST ROCKS!!!!

Crazy Sauce!!!

2011-03-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am honestly not even sure even where to begin with this post as this is the longest I have gone without hittin' up my blog. Life is down right absolutely crazy nutso sauce for me, and trying to manage it all has been quite interesting! Lol...luckily it's all filled with amazing, awesome, and great stuff so trust me I am not complaining. To be perfectly honest I could never have imagined my life would be where it's at right now, and I am LOVING every second of it!!!!

I will start with the picture from above. This picture is of myself and Ian Torrence from team Pearl Izumi(www.pearlizumi.com)at the finish line of Mesquite Canyon. We both kind of look gooofy(LUV YA IAN!!), but hey ya can't look perfect 24/7?hehehe...

I don't even know where to begin with Mesquite so I will start with the week before the race:
Keira: "Ya Coach I don't feel ready to race... I have been on my bike and in the pool way to much, and I have maybe ran 35 miles total in the last 3 months~my itband set me back so much and what if i end up dropping??"
Coach: "Nope you will be fine. You are so strong right now just go out easy, relax, and let everything else come to you...do not let fear hold you back from getting back at it.

Ok so funny thing about fear. I believe some of the most miserable people on earth are the ones who live in fear(and they pretend they are happy). They let the fear they have of life stop them from really living happy, and doing what they want to do, and just being with the right person, ect. My coach was right. I had a huge base which I had built up solidly from my Angeles Crest training, and just because I had taken three months off didn't mean I could not finish a 50k race. I would power hike the up's, enjoy the day, and just let it all roll together. I refuse to live my life ruled by fear, and have done everything in my power to live my life exactly the way I want it in the last eight months. To say I am happy now would be the understatement of the year(LUV you JMH!!), and things are just rocking in my life right now more than ever!!! Total side rant sorry...

Ok so back to Mesquite. I chose to go out and do this race for the specific reason that it's tough, technical, and gnarly. Ok and the Race Directors are my dear friends, and I love Jamil & Nicky Coury to pieces. There races are top notch, well organized, and some of the best trail Races ever!! I arrived on Friday afternoon, and got out to Whole Foods near Surprise, AZ and was able to get back to my girlfriend Carmella's house and was in bed early. I toed the starting line feeling great, and knew I was gonna have a super fun day. I quickly saw Ian(pictured above) at the start line, and we cracked up about a few inside jokes we had! Leaving it at that... ;o)

The race quickly starts out on flat desert single track, and for the first few miles I was kind of freaking out...I love to climb, and I love gnarly technical downs. I remember thinking, "this is so different than the website description, and not how Nick & Jamil described the course a few weeks back". Luckily by mile three this all changed, and we quickly got into some of the most technical running I have ever done!! Tons of crazy up's, even crazier rocky downs, and it just never seemed to stop. What an EPIC course this was omg!!!! The coolest part of all is in the last few miles you have to climb your way out of this crazy boulder hopping canyon. I have never seen anything like it, and was convinced Jamil & Nick had lost there mind to add this at mile 27 of a 50k. I kept jumping through water pools in the huge boulders, and doing the best I could to try and hold my pace, but honestly I didn't even care! I remember laughing & laughing thinking yep this is why I trail run! I couldn't believe how much fun I was having! I was in heaven. Eventually you made your way out of the canyon, and finished the last couple miles on the flat single track. I definitely mentally shut down the last mile as I hate flat stuff. I tried to push it to catch the first female, but my legs just didn't quite have it back yet. A few more races coming up and I will be back 100%. I definitely pushed her though all day as we beat the female course record time from last year by over 12 minutes, and we both made it into the top 10 overall! Silly boys... I tried to catch Jeanette but in the end she beat me by a couple minutes cause she just hammered the last mile! Her little legs just kicked into 10th gear~ it was awesome! She was such a rock star that day, and I cannot wait to see her flourish in this sport!! She is definitely a force no doubt, and an absolute sweetheart! Rock on sista!! Results are here:
http://www.aravaiparunning.com/results/2011MCResults50k.htm

Once finished I felt great, and was so happy to be racing again! Man I just love to race, and am super excited for all I have coming up! I was going to do a 50k last weekend, but with some bigger races coming up I decided to just crew Jesse there(Orifflame 50K). He ended up finishing 2nd overall just 12 mins behind Dean, and it was Jesse's first 50k! Cycling, and shorter distance running is his strength, and he is used to placing or winning at every event he does...but he has definitely found a new sport! Excited to see what he is going to do with the El Morro 50k course!! So fun!

Some other great news is...

http://raymiller5050.com and... http://griffithparktrailruns.com

So excited about both of these events, and everything else I have going on!! I also just found out I am going to be putting on a 12/24 hour Mtn Bike race! Super pumped about this ordeal, and ready for a whole new avenue of race directing! Details coming soon! Please don't forget to sign up for Leona divide if you have not already! Registration closes next week so get signed up and get on it! http://leonadivide5050.com

Tomorrow myself and a bunch of da' boys will be running my entire Ray Miller course! Not even sure how I get myself roped into these things, but I love nothing more than playing all day with the boys on the trails! Last but not least I want to give a HUGE shout out to the entire crew over at Competitior Magazine!!! Please be on the lookout for this killer magazine, and its amazing new look, & stuff it's gonna have going on in the Trail community! Love these guys, and am THRILLED to be working with them! Excited to have them out at Leona, and I cannot say enough about how amazing there new vibe is to the magazine. Pick up next months issue, and read it. It is going to rock, and should be your staple go to running magazine! Between Trail, Ultra's and road races it will cover all, but in a very cool way! You rock Competitior! There online website is off the hook to! running.competitor.com/

Ok think thats it for now! On, on, on with life all!! If you are not 100% happy then change your life...period. Life is what ya make of it, and it's entirely up to you to make it great!! Live life to the absolute fullest, and enjoy every second! Surround yourself by people that share your passions, and sport, and life will rock! Awesome sauce!!

Lovin Life!!!!

2011-03-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have been having a TON of friggin fun the last two weeks....just a ton!! My amazing Rudy sunglasses have been all over Southern California running with me, and they rock!! They are the best specs I have ever ran in...they don't fog up, they are super comfy, and I just love em! Super stoked to be working with these guys, and love everything they make. Check out http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/home.htm

Been doing a ton of fun training runs with all da' crew, and Sunday I hosted another Leona Divide training run. We had such a blast as we ran most of the 50k course in the snow...just beautiful. I was so excited because my dear friend Dean Dobberteen and I had a ball just playing in the snow, and enjoying every minute of the day. Dean is amazing...he rarely looses an Ultra he shows up to, but is one of the nicest guys you could ever come across. So humble, and sweet, and I am so lucky to have known him for the last four years. Here is a link to all the pics he took: https://picasaweb.google.com/117406596590568481379/LeonaRun?authkey=Gv1sRgCM7blbnbxLGRJQ#

I have been working like crazy getting ready for Leona Divide! So excited for this race, and everyone that is now getting involved. I spent the day today with my awesome friend Brooklin Rosenstock scouting for a photo shoot we are doing for Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition(wickedfastsportsnutrition.com). He is the best photographer I have ever seen, and so down to earth, and humble. All around a genuine super incredible guy. VERY rare in this industry fo' sure!! He has a great website: www.brooklinpictures.com so please check his stuff out! Brooklin will be at Leona shooting a ton of phots, ect. Cannot wait!

I also wanted to give a shout out to a cool website called Ella Sport. She makes great stuff so please check her out. http://ellasport.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-would-like-to-give-little-shout-out.html

I am gettin' super excited to race in two weeks out at Mesquite Canyon 50k near Tempe in AZ! So happy Jesse and the boys will be heading out to Phoenix to! Cannot wait...have tons of racing plans after that and I am excited to really get back at it. My itband injury definitely set me back, but I am feeling rested, and super strong. I am also looking forward to having my custom bike made soon! My friend Jesse is helping me get this all dialed in, and we have just been having a blast training together! So fun! Looking forward to doing my first IronMan in August in Kentucky~so pumped! Running Ultra's always comes first but I am interested to see if my coach can mold me into what he says he can...hmmm...we'll see...think I will do just one and stick with the Ultra thing. Nothing compares to spending the day out on trails in the wilderness all day with friends...nothing.

Ok about to go hop on a plane and fly all over the US!! Yippie!! Cannot wait to get in some snowboarding in fresh CO powder!! Love my life, love my sport, love my friends...life is all what you make of it. Weed out the bad, and just live it to the fullest~word!

Listening to others...

2011-02-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have a ton to write about, but I first wanted to touch on an amazing article that was written about me in Beyond Limits Magazine. I am honestly at a loss for words for how thankful I am to Bill Murphy and his entire crew at Beyond Limits Magazine. Please check out the link below.... http://beyondlimitsmagazine.com/punching-back-an-interview-with-keira-henninger

It's funny because in the last four months I have met more people that have inspired me far more than I ever thought I could imagine existed, and I hope with all my heart this article will help inspire someone out there trying to get there life together or just pick up the pieces if things have fallen apart. My life is in such an incredible place right now, and it all stems from hard work. I fully believe hard work, determination, and drive coupled with an extreme positive attitude can move mountains. I live life to the fullest, and just refuse to believe you ever have to stay in a place if it does not make you 100% happy! The only limitations we have are the ones we set on our own self. Period.

Ok so this weekend I have been instructed to not run the Bandit 50k...UGH!!! I am feeling incredible, and in tip top shape, but my coach tells me it's just not quite time to race yet. My itband is 100% better, and he still wants me to focus on my core strength, and pool swimming, and biking. All I want to do is race...I am super competitive, and thrive off racing. I literally have no fear, but this is also one of my biggest faults. I race to much, and tend to over train, and slowly but surely we are changing that. I feel like I am getting friggin stronger than ever, and my legs are just solid muscle right now. I hate that I have not raced yet in 2011, but am going to listen to my peeps, and be smart. Mesquite Canyon will just have to be my first race for 2011. I still plan on going up to bandit tomorrow and helping out!! Would not miss a day with all my Ultra family no matter what!! Plus I wanna see my dear friend Chris Price rip the shit out of that course....word!!!

Yesterday I spent the day crewing my CoyoteSauce *Jimmy Dean Freeman* while he attempted to run the entire length of the Backbone Trail(68 miles). He has done this before, but this time was joined by a whole gang of different peeps from the So-Cal Ultra Scene. I was stoked to be there bitch fo' the day...lol!! It was an awesome day full of tons of awesomeness(not even sure if thats an actual word??) but unfortunately had to be cut a few miles short due to the weather. Seriously a crazy ass storm came in, and between three inches of rain started hammering on the runners. At mile 50 I had to force Jimmy Dean in the car. He did not want to stop(crazy ass??), but once in the warm car he was all smiles. It was also great to see some other friends along the way stopping by to help out~love ya Jayme Burtis!! A whole crew of us went out to dinner later, and had a super fun night ;)

Some great people that joined the run were Pam and T, and the hilarious Coury brothers from Tempe, AZ. These guys are just the best, and my peeps no doubt!! Jamil and Nick Coury are not only EXTREMELY talented Ultra Runners(hello Hard Rock finishers!!) they are also Race Directors. They put on a whole slew of amazing Ultra and Trail races throughout AZ in places like Wadell, Ash Fork, and Fountain Hills. All of there races are absolutely top notch, and they are all ran on trails. They range in all different distances so please check them out! http://www.aravaiparunning.com/aravaiparunning/page.php?5
I will be out there in March running there 50k Mesquite Canyon! Love me some Coury Brothers!! Below he is sporting one of my favorite Inknburn shirts that says run or die(www.inknburn.com)

Leona Divide is right around the corner so if you have not signed up please do so!! Don't forget we have added a 50k and 30k to the distances, and these are all run on beautiful Southern California Trails. Check out:
http://leonadivide5050.com

Have an amazing rest of the weekend and week everyone!!! Life is just a blast right now hope you are enjoying it also!! AWESOME SAUCE!!!

LONG PS.....
Ok so today(Sunday) I cruised up to the Bandit 50k/30k/15k Trail Races in Simi Valley. I did not race as I explained earlier(wanted to almost ready!!), but I wanted to give a few shouts out to the race, and some people I hung with. First off this race is done up great. The start/finish line was awesome, and honestly overall it was a great event. I will definitely go back next year fo' sure and run it. I drove my dear friend Carmella up to run her first 30k and she did amazing!! So proud of this girl!

Next I got to see my dear friend Chris Price not only win the Bandit 50k, but he friggin smoked the course in 4:12. This course is wicked technical, and NOT easy. My lord this guy is on fire. He ran his first 50mile at my Leona Divide last year, then he won my Los Pinos 50k back in November, and I cannot wait to see him race my Leona Divide 50mile in April...hmmm...I dunno Chris maybe I should just come to all your races cause I seem to kind of be your good luck charm! LOL! Pic is him at the finish below. I was so bummed his amazing(she does Tri's) wife Elissa couldn't be there but she will definitely be at Leona! Yippie!!

I also spent the better part of the afternoon hanging with John Medina. He is an amazing guy, and the founder of the very cool Trail Running group the Santa Monica Mountain Goats!! Please check them out at http://mountaingoats.org I am definitely looking forward to having his Mtn. Goats help me out at my newest race I am putting together the "Ray Miller 50mile/50k". Please keep your eyes out for the website coming soon!! This race is gonna be just wicked awesome, and touch some of the most remote parts of the Santa Monica Mountains!! Race date is Saturday February 25th, 2012. Below is a pic of me and John, and some other friends at the Bandit Race.

Ok gotta jam the week is off the hook packed!!! I am traveling all over the place in the next 6 weeks...AZ twice, NY, San Fran, maybe Washington...whoo hoo!! On, on, on with life everyone!!

Leona Valley Trail Races!!!

2011-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to do a quick post that my "Leona Valley Trail Races" website is officially up and rolling, and registration is now open!! Please go to: http://leonavalleytrailraces.com for all the info. Gonna be a great race!!! Whats cool is it has a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, & 5k!! Looking forward to having Andy Noises great group the BDP's out in full force helping, and some other amazing groups as well!! Please keep your eyes open also for two other INCREDIBLE trail races I will be breaking out this Summer also. WORD!!!!

I decided to not go up to Montana De Oro this weekend. I really wanted to hang with all my friends, but just had some stuff come up, and am super focused on Bandit 50k in Simi Valley next weekend, and Mesquite Canyon 50k in March out near Phoenix/Tempe March 12th. I needed to train today and yesterday and really focus on putting that first. Since I wasn't quite ready to race yet I will just save it for next weekend.

Yesterday I had an amazing weekend with all my friends running almost 7 hours in the Santa Monica Mtns. I just don't know to many people that can run on trails, and have views of the ocean while running on beautiful single track trails...unreal!!! I love my friggin life!!!! I got home and swam for 90mins, and then saw my son off to Winter Formal. So fun!!

Ok everyone have an amazing week, and enjoy life to the absolute fullest!!!! Life is just awesome sauce!!

Yo!!!

2011-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

As always life has just been nuts for me(but nuts in a good way!!!) I have been running, cycling, swimming, and hiking a ton! Enjoying life to the fullest, but *SLAMMED*!! I have now taken on another race that will be to date one of my biggest events yet I will put on. I have to keep all the details under wraps for just a little while longer, but very, very soon I will get all the info out.

Today something very funny happened...someone in my life has talked me into doing a full Iron Man. Honestly I have no idea how this even happened...but since he is gonna do it with me I am like what the hell why not. I absolutely LOVE to cycle, and swim, and we have been doing it a ton together so I am gonna give it a shot. He is going to make me do a half distance first though sometime this Summer cause the Iron Man that he is doing is in November in AZ. He is gonna check and see if it is sold out so hopefully I can join him there! It's weird because yesterday I ran for a few hours on the trails with my brother Wicky, then swam for 90mins, and then went and lifted. Tomorrow I will do an early 10miler on the trails, then a 60mile ride. This is just normal stuff for me. I am always Trail running, cycling, and swimming. It's just what I do. I happen to just love to run Ultra's, and used to be super afraid of riding on the road. I am definitely over that fear, and have been killin' it on the bike...killin' it!! My strength is actually swimming. I ocean swim at least once a week if not twice, and it just comes naturally to me. My coach watched me get in the pool on Monday, and was like...hmmm..you are in the wrong sport sweetheart! LOL! To bad my favorite sport is Ultra running!!! Definitely sticking with Ultra's, but it's all great fun, and I don't care what i am doing as long as I am out enjoying life!

I am super excited to head up to Montana De Oro this weekend and hang with my crew. I am not running the 50k though, and plan on dropping down to the 30k. I have Bandit Trail Run 50k the weekend after, and refuse to let Chris Price beat me by more than 30mins. Seriously this is a heated rival, and he is not a Lakers Fan(which pisses me). To bad Hone won't be racing Bandit Trail run either...man those boys are such trash talkers!! Word! Next month I am so super pumped to head out to AZ for the Mesquite Trail run 50k. It's not far from Phoenix, and I plan on tearing the crap up out of that course. It's tough, rugged, and totally my type of course. Going to this race with my game face on fo' sure! I am then supposed to zip up to Washington the weekend after to Krissy Moehl's race Chuckanut 50k, and super excited about that! Two weeks after that I have Lake Sonoma 50mile! Word! Cannot wait to go up to that race cause my entire Sauce crew will be there in full force! Yippie!! I look forward to getting my ass handed to me by the very top in my sport. Devon will be showered, fed, and eating by the time I cross the finish line...lol! Love you Devon!!

I also wanted to touch quickly on some great shoes I have been killing the trails in. I have posted a few times on some shoes I love(tons of great ones out there), but I am lovin' me some TrekSta Trail Evolutions(http://www.trekstausa.com/p-24-womens-evolution-with-nestfit.aspx). These shoes are so incredible, and comfy, and just solid for gripping technical trails. I also love the Kobra's that they make. These are more suited for icy, technical, and slick Trails. Both shoes are made with this incredible Icelock/Hyper Grip Sole, and are just an amazing shoe on the Trails. They both have great ankle support, and incredible traction. I am super stoked to be working with them, and if you have not tried a pair of there shoes do so cause they are friggin rad!!

Also wanted to quickly touch base on another company called Soleus. They make incredible watches, and have something very cool in the works in the way of a watch made specifically for Ultra Runners. SOOOO excited about this, and everything about this company. I am super excited to be working with them also, and people you are gonna die when you see this new watch they have come up with. Keep your eyes on my blog for tons more to come out about this!! (http://www.soleusrunning.com)

Ok everyone have an incredible week and weekend!! Dont forget the next training run for Leona Divide is Sunday February 27th. Gonna be so much fun!! All info can be found on the website~http://leonadivide5050.com Race is fillin up so if you have not yet registered do so! Don't forget the addition of the 30k distance. Last, but not least one of my other new races Leona Valley Trail races will be open soon for registration on IAmAthlete. Please go to http://leonavalleytrailraces.com for registration info!

Get out and enjoy life people!! Don't ever take one single moment for granted as it is a gift, and meant to be lived to the fullest!!

My Shanny!!!

2011-02-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Life has been just amazing the last week, but I wanted to touch just a bit on a few things. I always like to give some *shout outs* to people that I love, and are great in my life. Life is all about who you surround yourself with, and I absolutely adore my friends~they are my family. One of those great people is my dear friend Shannon. She is an amazing mom, athlete, but most importantly part of my sauce crew!! She can howl louder than Jimmy Dean(yep just laid that down), and give most men a run for there money on the trails. Last night we went to da' Lake show...damn those friggin Spurs..stop it Chris Price cause I can hear you...

My dear friend Greg's brother was able to get us the tickets at the last minute, and we just had a blast. I have somehow ended up at more Lakers game this season than ever before, and we had so much fun!! If I could have it my way I would be at every Lakers home game there is! Word!

Shannon and I have just a ton of fun together, and I cannot imagine my life without such a person in it...below is another pic of us out hiking on the Los Pinos Trail! Love me some hiking in the mountains!!

Last but not least I wanted to touch on an incredible product that if your not taking you should be. It's made by a company called Wicked Fast sports Nutrition, and is a product called Recover Ease(wickedfastsportsnutrition.com). Myself and my dear friend Michelle Barton have been taking this product for years, and to put it best it works!! Go on there website, and check the stuff out cause its AMAZING!! We are excited to now be the new faces of this company, and looking forward to a great 2011 with them! Incredible recovery product people try it!!!!

Ok have a great weekend all!! Superbowl yippie!!!! Life is just friggin awesome sauce!!! I am looking forward to hanging with my girls next weekend up at Montana De oro! I am not sure if I am going to race it, but either way I cannot wait for the weekend away with the Coyote girls! Get out on the trails and get dirty peeps cause its the best medicine there is!!

Adjusting...

2011-02-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

Life has been incredible for me the last week, and I am hands down probably the happiest I have been in a long time. I am seeing my life come together more than I could have ever imagined, and everything I could have ever imagined possible to happen in my life is happening!!! Be careful what ya wish for cause someday ya might just get it all!! WORD! Loving my friends more than ever, and a few other *special* people also.

Ok on to something that has kind of thrown me for a loop today, and I am working on recovering from it. Shed some tears, but understand 100% the race director's position. Unfortunately I cannot apply to run Badwater this Summer. One of the requirements is that you HAVE to have completed at the minimum three 100 mile races on your Ultra Resume. Period. No exceptions. I have only finished two. The only other option would be if I had ran and finished the Brazil 135 which of course I have not. My heart was so set on running this race. Many people have asked me why I want to run Badwater so bad, and unless you have been there or experienced crewing it's hard to make one understand. I will say this though...Badwater is the only place in the world that makes you be completely present in the moment. You are not thinking about your problems you have, bills you have to pay, marriage problems, or any of that shit. You are reduced to survival. Reduced to a crew and a runner, and you become the strongest unit of family there is. You work on getting through the days mile by mile, and feed of each others energy, and the beauty of the desert. Some of the strongest bonds and friendships I have ever had have come from my Badwater experience. It has taught me I have/want to share my life with an endurance athlete. I have to share my life with someone who fully understands that materialistic things and all that bullshit don't matter. Who gives a flying shit what some fucking movie star wears to the Oscars..seriously who cares. What does matter is the bond of friends, family, and people you can connect with on a higher level than most understand. It's so important for your life partner to be that kind of person or it just will never work. I really learned this out in Badwater this last Summer crewing for Jimmy. It was an amazing experience, and myself, and Wick, Jimmy, and Pam are like my second family. Badwater is life changing, and if you are lucky enough to experience this with close friends it will change your life forever.

So with all that said where does this leave me...Fo' sure Badwater is on the list for 2012. No doubt. Everything happens for a reason, and I guess I have a score now to settle with Angeles Crest 100. I had commited to being Jimmy Deans Crew chief for AC, but I am sure he will understand as he is my Coyotesauce!!! Everyone kept telling me that I need to go back and do what I do best....run in the mountains. So Angeles Crest you are getting what ya want. Bring it...bring it. It will be an interesting day for me with this news, and the flood of my sponsors, and all that blah,blah,blah. It is what it is, and cannot be changed. My heart is with Badwater, but I just don't quite meet the qualification standards yet. I will in 2012, and be even more ready then to go and do well. Word!!

I am excited to announce I think myself and Brooklin have found an amazing crew to make my Leona Divide(http://leonadivide5050.com) documentary happen. He is a friend of someone I used to kind of know, and was hesitant at first but my Brooksauce assured me it was the right direction. All good, and totally meant to be. Tons of stuff so great has happened in my life just the last two days...my lord it's overwhelming...thank god I have a the right people working for me, and helping me with it all. On, on, on with this awesome thing we call life!!! Someone pinch me please cause I feel like I am in a dream!!!

BE CHANGE!!!!

2011-01-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take a minute and give a huge shout out to one of the most amazing guys I have ever met. I am honored to be working with him, and having himself and his amazing cause linked to all my races. His name is Jason Harper, and he started an organization called *BE CHANGE*~PLEASE READ BELOW AND CHECK OUT HIS LINKS...

Be Change

Be Change is an organization that unites runners to run for a reason. Runners of all levels and all distances are trained and invited to run in order to secure awareness and resources for inner-city children's health care needs. Birthed as the result of founder's Jason Harper's Extra Mile Run in 2008, Be Change has help elevate health care enrollment on one inner-city campus from 12% to 82% and secured and partnered to open a dentist office with Dr. John Bertsch and his organization called Giving Smiles.

www.bechange.cc

Iron Express Endurance Run

Register to Run for a Reason at the Iron Express Endurance Run. This 50 Mile out and back will kick your ass. But with a winner's purse of $5000 for your charity, I might be worth checking our. Race Date, August 1, 2011, 12:01 AM

Please support his cause in anyway you can!!

Hope everyone is having an incredible week!!! Life is happening so fast for me, and so many great things are unfolding I can barely hold on!!!! Life is just so incredible, and I am soaking up every friggin second!

On, on, on with this gift of life my friends!!!!! Make it the absolute best it can be, and choose your happiness!!!!!!

Life & Stuff

2011-01-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have a few things I wanted to touch base on. I am headed out the door to hang with Murphy for the night and work on our editing for the Leona Divide(http://leonadivide5050.com) Trailer. Myself, Brooklin, & Mike Murphy(and yes we are looking for a sports video production company) are going to make a race day documentary. All entrants will be able to buy it after the race, and it will be sold on Mad Athlete. Super excited about this, and it's just another one of my crazy ideas. Very pumped about this though, and excited to finally give Ultra runners a great race day video of there event! My goal is to get tons of footage from every aid station, and the start & finish line, ect. What's great about this is an Ultra is so much smaller than lets say the LA Marathon so I believe almost everyone will have a chance to get in it. So fun!!

I have been hiking a ton, and really being a smart girl with this Itband issue. This was a direct result of overtraining, and I know better than this. I just love to be outside all day on the trails with all my friends so much, and literally ran my poor little self a bit into the ground Nov/Dec. All great though, and coming back super strong. I hiked and ran a bit on Thursday with da' Coyotes. I got home and swan for 90mins, and then went to the gym and lifted for about 45mins. On Saturday myself and Annie Tenwick hiked in Griffith Park for 3 hours. She lives not to far from here, and her amazing dog Tommysauce can be off leash and hike with us. He is incredible as we power hiked like maniacs, and we had trouble keeping up with him! We had a little bit of a crazy thing happen though! We found this super steep crazy single track that is kind of up near the Observatory that we decided to hike down. Little did we know half way down we would all kind of get stuck. It was VERY steep, and also super slippery dirt. Tommy was ok, but it took Annie & myself a bit longer to get down(stop laughing Annie I can hear you!!!) Once we made it down we started laughing so hard we were on the ground dying. I LOVE being such a little tomboy!!! Love it! Silly girls we are! When I got home I swam for 90 mins, and then spent time hanging with my family! So fun! I am 100% committed to not overdoing it, and just cycling, hiking, biking, swimming, and lifting like a maniac along with running from now on. I just have to accept that I don't need to go on every run that every single one of my friends goes on!! Lol!! Somehow I will be smart about this from now on...

Today I met my friend Karl up at my Leona coarse, and we ran for about 2 hours. We just talked, and talked, and had so much fun. He is such a sweetheart, and told me he is expecting his 3rd baby this Summer! So exciting!! Everyone I know is having babies around me my lord!! Is someone trying to tell me something?? LOL! Congrats Karl so excited for you and your amazing family! I must say a part of me is a bit jealous! ;o)

I got home and hopped in the pool for about an hour. I then of course watched Football!! The only TV I watch is sports(love me some Lakers!!). I will occasionally watch something on the history channel(pickers,documentaries,ect) and I also will sometimes hit up the discovery channel(I shouldn't be alive) but this is rare. I pretty much never watch TV unless a basketball or football game is on. I was gonna go to Wick & Fayes to watch the game but I just had to much work to get done. It's official that I am going to be putting on the First annual "Ray Miller 50/50". The race will start and finish in Point Mugu State Park, and hit the backbone Trail, Ray Miller Trail, and some of the best backcountry the Santa Monica's have to offer. This course is absolutely amazing, and is just going to be an off the hook race. I am so friggin stoked!!!! You will not hit the same trail more than twice, and it is going to be epic! I have worked VERY hard in the last three months to make this happen, and race date is Saturday Feb 25th, 2012. Quite a ways off, but this event will be top notch, and it will take sometime. I am just thrilled I got the word from Mo that I could have this date. Like Leona Divide, and everything else I do it will speak for itself, and be a stellar event. My brother Erik Wickland has wanted to do this for awhile, and I am super happy to step in and do this for him. He has helped me a ton with the mapping, and the website should be complete by end of March. Looking forward to making this a yearly premiere race!!

Ok people have a wicked rad week, and play, play, play!! If your not enjoying life change it! Life is so short do whatever it takes to find what or who makes ya happpy!!

PS...
Wanted to give a shout out to my dear friend Molly Kassouf, and her super awesome race El Morro 50k!! Race date is Saturday May 14th, 2011. I will be working an aid station, and cannot wait. It's on beautiful trails in Laguna Coast Wilderness that I literally run on every week, and are right in my backyard. She only has 75 spots available so sign up if you haven't as this is s SUPER top notch race I promise!! link: http://www.whoosinelmoro50k.com/

Need A Moment to breathe!!

2011-01-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2010 was crazy sauce!!

2010-12-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

2010 was just a crazy ass year for me to say the least! I have definitely had some crazier years, but 2010 kinda tops my list. People keep telling me I should write a book but I dunno??..hmmmm...;o) The pic from above was taken back at the beginning of the year on one of the coolest runs/hikes in the snow I have ever been on! Love me some Michelle Barton!! She's my girl, and it was a great way to start off the year. Next my son and I hit up the Winter trail Run Series(http://bigbaztrailraces.com), and ran two of the races together. I was just coming back from an injury to my hip, and had taken 7 months off(yes 7 people). These little race series were a super good way to come back from my surgery, and such a long time off. A ton of people kept telling me to sign up for a marathon or half, but I knew better than that. I spent all of January hiking, and running slowly only on trails. I lifted a ton, went to yoga, swam like a maniac, biked a million miles, and by February I was up to running/hiking 15 miles on the trails. I never stepped foot on the friggin pavement or any indoor machine as they are a death sentence to the knees and hips. I spent the entire month of February hiking and trail running even more(a ton at altitude), and always took it really easy. If I felt like I was pushing to hard I would stop and power hike. I was consistent, determined, and focused on coming back 100% injury free. By months end I had done a few 20-22 mile runs.

The picture above was of me at the starting line of the SJT50k. This was beginning March, and I had not ran farther than 22 miles on the trails in over 9 months! I never once pushed it during that race, and used it solely as a comeback race. Without any expectations I ended up having a ton of fun, and finishing 11th overall, and 4th woman. I was pumped, and just super thrilled to be back out on the trails with all my friends and family!!

Next I went up North to run Mt.Diablo 50k put on by Brazen Racing(http://wwwbrazenracing.com/diablo.html). This was just two weeks after SJT 50k, and I did great! I ended up 2nd female, and 10th overall. Yippie I was so excited! The woman who beat me was amazing, and we friggin battled all day, but in the end she pulled away form me and beat me by about a minute. She was so strong at the end! To this day this is still one of the most well organized, well manned, best swag races I have ever ran!! Can you spot the girl in the Rat shirt above?? Hint: Look to your left...hehe

From there I put on and Race Directed a little race we so-cal Ultra runners like to call "Leona Divide 50"(http://leonadivide5050.com). It was my first year directing this race, and I knew the instant it was over I had found my calling in life. I absolutely love people, and especially encouraging and aspiring people new to this sport. I am a social butterfly, and just love to spread the joy and love of Trail Running that I have to others. I have such a huge passion and love for this sport, and through Race Directing I am able to share it with ya' all!! The best part about being a Race director is so many of you I know on a close and personal level so when you cross my finish line it is VERY emotional for me. So many of you mean the world to me, and I can't explain what it's like to put a medal around one of your running partners necks! It's the best job in the world, and I love it!! Below is Michelle, aka "speedysauce" with her win and finish at Leona this year. Not the most flattering pic of me, but oh well! hehe..

In May I ran the PCT50 mile(http://www.pct50.com). This race was so tuff! Hands down I think the toughest 50 miler around. It's technical as heck, and I have never been able to have a good race on this course~I won, but BARELY. Sally Mcrae was right behind me, and if it wasn't for the small kick I had at the end she would have creamed me. Glad that race was over when it was as I puked all over myself three miles form the finish!! Gotta love the sport of Ultra Running(I LOVE IT!!)

Two weeks after PCT50 I flew out to New Mexico and ran the Jemez Mountain 50k(http://jemezmountainruns.com). Wow what an amazing race!! I cannot put into words how beautiful the trails in the Jemez Mountains are, and people this race needs to go on the bucket list no doubt. Absolutely breathtaking! Just plan on sucking air through a straw the entire time, and having a very slow finishing time as most of the race you run above 9,000 feet. Plan on tons of power hiking, and just enjoy every mile of this race.Tough, tough, tough...but top notch A+++ race. Well organized, well manned, and to die for trails. I will be back in 2012 forsure!! I enjoyed the day, and my entire four days of vacation in New Mexico, and goes down as one of the most fun trips to a race I have ever had!

In June I paced my dear friend Scott Mills at western States. OMG now that was awesome sauce!! Scotty is such an amazing guy, and I was so proud of him for doing so well as he really hit a low spot the last few miles. The excitement of being at that race, at night on that course cannot be put into words. I am super excited to either be apart of my Deano rats crew(aka ratsauce) or pace Scotty again. Would love to pace Scotty again so much!!

In July I went to Badwater, and crewed for my dear friend Jimmy Dean Freeman(aka coyotesauce). What a blast we had! My best friend Pam Everett(aka swisssauce) was part of the crew along with my little brother Eric Wickland(aka homeskilletsauce), our photographer Garreth McKay, J, and the sweet JB Benna. We all meshed so well, and had the most amazing time of our lives!! I think in over the 34 hour span that Jimmy was on that course we fed him over 30 pineapple GU roctanes! OMG poor Jimmy!! From this amazing experience has stemmed some of the best friendships I have ever had. Jimmy and I are closer than ever. His Coyotes Trail running group will be working two of my aid stations at Leona Divide, and a ton of the Coyotes will be running Leona as there first 50! Jimmy is now going to be on my Badwater Crew(if I get in!), and I am pacing him at Angeles Crest 100(go coyotesauce!!) The Coyotes will also have a huge involvement in my new race "Leona valley Trail Races"(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com). Crewing Jimmy at Badwater was life changing for me, and such an incredible experience. I cannot wait for this summer!!!!

So after Badwater I spent many, many hours training for Angeles Crest 100 mile. Below are some fun pics of some runs I did...and the coolest part of all was these were taken at Baldy in July!!

August was spent running, and hiking, and running some more. My goal was to go into AC100 in the best shape of my life, and I did!! I was somewhat smart and tapered, and come race morning I was super well rested, and ready to rock. I remember standing at the start line of the race, and the buzz and energy was just so intense! There is nothing like the energy at the start line of a 100mile race! OMG it's something so special. My pacers and crew were amazing(thanks Ashley, T, & Pammy)!! I had a super good race at AC, and even though I went off course for 4.5 miles I still managed to somehow pull out a win. Seriously I just got lucky, and would love to return in 2012 and tear that course to shreds. If I don't get into Badwater I will run AC no doubt. That entire race, and the training leading up to that race changed my life completely. Cannot wait to race it again someday, and I am really looking forward to training late spring and early Summer with Coyote Sauce(Jimmy) to get him ready for a sub 22!!!

September I went up and raced Rio Del Lago 50k(http://DesertSkyAdventures.com). My dear friend Jimmy Gabany(what up Badwater crew member!??) is the race director, and he is my Riosauce!! I won this race also, but luckily no fast women were there. This race was just pure "suck it sauce", and has officially gone down into the history books as one of the stupidest decisions I have ever made. I actually walked the last two miles, and will never race another race 2 weeks after any 100! It was two weeks after Angeles Crest, and the win was pure luck. Below is a pic of me early on in the race..thank god!! Jimmy Dean's brother Stan was also running the 100mile as his first 100, and it was so much fun to experience and be a part of that later that night.

In October I went up and Ran the Diablo 50k put on by PCTR. I actually have a full re-cap of the race on my blog. Check it out as it was a great race for me. I Loved the course(TONS of climbing), and had a great day. I won this race, and was second overall. So stoked!!!

November, and December have been spent just running with tons of friends, and having some of the best couple months of my life!! I also put on another race called Los Pinos 50k(http://lospinos50k.com). I have a small recap up on my blog also for this race. Race date for next year is Saturday October 22nd! I think you can always measure someone's integrity and compassion by the support of there friends. I have been overwhelmed the last few months by my friends!! Some of the best friendships I have ever had have come to light in the last three months(love you Eric, Faye, Shannon, Pam, T, Scotty, Dean, Jimmy, Annie, Sean, Murphy, Molly, Andrew, & Michelle). Below are just a few pics of some runs and good times me and my entire "Sauce" crew have been sharing together.

And last but not least here is a whole link of photos from a great run we did the other weekend in Pt. Mugu state park in Malibu. So much fun!! http://picasaweb.google.com/117406596590568481379/Malibu?authkey=Gv1sRgCLqIwfyb1pfpngE#

So that's my 2010 in a nutshell, and a very shortened version. I would have to do this post in two parts for the long version, and just don't have the time right now. Life has gotten so busy for me(all good stuff), and I keep looking around wondering how come all these amazing things keep happening to me?? Maybe it's my karma or maybe it's a little of my destiny. I can pretty much take care of myself; I don't walk around with much fear. I spent the entire day on Monday with jimmy, and at lunch he said something that really stuck with me....
FEAR IS TEMPORARY, BUT REGRET IS FOREVER...

This is 110% true. I love Ultra running, I love being outside, I love swimming, Hiking, biking, lifting weights, yoga, cooking, baking, watching my Lakers, watching football(college&NFL),and just being friggin alive!!! I love that I am the girl that always goes for it. No fear, going after what I want, and never having to live with settling or regrets. I love that I am constantly taking big risks even though I don't know the outcomes. I am never angry, agitated(ok maybe in big crowds!!), or upset because I am living my life by my rules, and the way I want to live it. Live life to the fullest with no regrets, and make 2011 your best year yet!! If you don't like the way your life is going check your Karma, make amends where needed, then change it!! Be good to all who cross your path, and treat people with honesty and integrity, and only good will come back your way. It's just how life works whether we like it or not. We are only on this planet once, and time flies. Make sure you are surrounded by people who bring out the best in you, and truly have your best interests at heart.

Last but not least my Vikings actually won the other night!! Yippie!! What a game! Not sure whats going on with my Lakers though...oh man! Went to a game a few weeks ago, and then again on Christmas, and it's just been a slaughterhouse. Tyler and I are gonna be at the game on the 30th(what up Shaq and the Celtics!??) and I cannot wait!! My son has also talked me into running part of the Surf City Marathon with him. Luckily for him my entire sauce crew is going to be on hand to pace him form 13 to the finish. Poor kid is never gonna get off easy in the sport of running. As soon as the word got out he wanted to do this Mary my entire crew was on board. Should be soooo fun!! I am still waiting on my royalty fees Surf City WTF??!! http://bit.ly/bzEzCj?? He also wants to do LA Mary, but we'll see. Man thats a ton of pavement(UGH!!) Also looking forward to getting up to Mammoth and Big Bear for some serious snowboarding this season!! I love to ride, and just cannot wait!! What up Mammoth with a million feet of fresh powder..what up?? Yes I will be coming soon don't worry~

Make 2011 the best yet, and I cannot wait to make a million more memories out on the trails with ya' all! Yippie!! Life is just awesome sauce!!!

My beautiful Jayden Raye!!

2010-12-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

I have been super busy enjoying life more than I could ever have imagined(OMG!!!!). I don't have the amount of time to know where to begin so I won't even try!!

Just wanted to give a quick plug to my sons girlfriend Miss Jayden Raye~she is pure AWESOME SAUCE!! She is completely self taught on both the guitar, piano, and writes all her own songs! She is only 14, and just one of the most amazing teenagers I have ever met. She had asked me to post a different link, but I liked this one way to much! Here is her link, so please check her out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNrMpCZoEyI&feature=related

Merry Christmas to all my amazing friends and family, and I can't wait to see so many of you during the next few weeks!! Yippie!! Life is just so friggin awesome sauce rad!!! Just sayin...

PS...below is a pic of my sons BB team, and there annual football game in the mud! Just had to add this pic as it made for a perfect afternoon! Luckily I am just the team mom, and only had to make cookies and cupcakes for the boys!

Loving my New kicks!!

2010-12-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

A ton has been going on in my life in the last few days, and it's all been super exciting. I have been running like a maniac(DUH!!??), but also swimming & biking quite a bit to. I actually ran yesterday with Faye for two hours, and then went home and hopped on my bike for a couple hours. I have been having a ton of fun on my bike, and am looking forward to going for a 50 mile ride tomorrow with my son! Tyler has been playing so great at Dana for his BB team. With two games a week, and practice every day things have been nutso!! I am busier than I have ever been in my entire life, and just super stoked to be making so many great things happen and come to pass.

I also have started to mentally prepare for Hurt...but that is still up in the air a bit. I am starting to get ready to move after the new year, and Hurt might not be what's best for me right now. My dear friend Dean Dobberteen was going to crew and pace me(luv ya Deano Rat!), but still sitting on it for a few days before I make any decisions set in stone. I also have a huge trip to NY in January for personal/business stuff, and with all my work stuff right now swinging over to Hawaii and runnin' a 100 miles seems near to impossible. Like I said I am going to sit with this for a day or two and decide...more than likely its looking like Hurt is not going to happen this year. I am 100% focused right now on the business/work aspect of my life, and racing comes second. If I don't go to Hurt it will definitely free my legs up to race in the So-cal scene Jan~March. Love the sound of that...

So now on to the main reason for this post. In the quest to find the perfect trail running shoe for Hurt I was introduced to an amazing shoe made by La Sportiva(http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/531) called the Crosslite. Honest to god these are hands down the best trail running shoe I have ever ran in, and I am hooked!! They are so friggin comfortable, and just supportive as heck. It's funny cause I was having all these little aches and pains in my knees(both), and hips, and even my IT band was acting up. I had been running in a certain kind of shoe(not saying any names)for years, but I knew something just wasn't right. Sure enough I ditched the shoes, got my La Sportiva's in the mail, and have been running pain free ever since. I am by no means a shoe expert, but I am completely convinced all my issues were because I just wasn't running in the best shoe for my running needs. I absolutely LOVE these shoes, and am super stoked to be tearing up the trails in them!! I am running totally pain free now, and all those little pains are gone(along with the old kicks!) Love my new La Sportiva Crosslites a ton!!

Getting super pumped for 2011~so much fun stuff going on!! If you have not signed up for Lake Sonoma 50 mile yet then do so cause it's almost full! Go to ultra signup to get registered http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=10290. This race is just an awesome event, and one that should not be missed!! A whole clan of about 15 of us are heading up from so-cal including our very own Jimmy Dean Freeman as a cheerleader for us all(just teasing Jimmy baby!!) What's great is a ton of other great friends of mine will be there from all over the planet! hehe...cannot wait! So much fun just love the heck out of this sport!

Ok must sleep...way past my bedtime..way

I will be runnin' all weekend, and a TON over the next few weeks and Holidays(what up Christmas eve run!!!) I can't think of a better way to burn off holiday calories than running like a maniac, and spending time with friends. Tons of pics and posts will follow! What's also great is Tyler will be out for school soon for Christmas break, and that means TONS of hiking & trail running with him(Mt.Baldy hiking here we come). Yippie!! Yippie!! Awesome sauce!! Love the holidays so much ;o)

God bless everyone, and Happy Holidays! Get out there and get dirty people!

Where do I begin!??

2010-11-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Warning: This post is going to be long...drink a Guayaki shot b4 reading...and maybe some GU!! hehe..

I have decided I am going to write this post backwards. Many of you have sent me emails wondering why I have not posted a Los Pinos recap. Well I have been friggin Hella(my new word thank you Mr. Coyote Reymond)busy, and now I am not even sure where to begin! I will work my way back so if all ya want is Los Pinos(http://lospinos50k.com) then scroll down, and skip all the blah, blah, blah...

Sunday was an incredibly great day! I ran in the AM, but just 10 miles in Laguna. I was supposed to run with Murphy, & Bacon boy O'Brien in the mountains, but I have had a bit of the sniffles so I decided playing in the snow wasn't the best idea(trust me this decision was NOT easy to make). It all worked out though because I ended up with half the entire Freshman Dana Basketball team at my house, friends, family, and a whole lot of football watching. I made a ton of great food, and we just had the best day ever! Nice to see the Chargers whoop some serious ass. We had all TV's going as the friggin Lakers game was on the same time as the Chargers game..ok who's idea was this?? Basketball wins over football for me, but I was still going back and forth from TV's as was the entire house! My Lakers lost, and I am still upset about it...like seriously...give me a few days, and I will be ok. Looking forward to going to the lakers game soon!! OMG I cannot wait!!!! Below is a picture of my son with his "new" haircut...yes thanks coach Butterworth, thanks??

Saturday and Friday were great days also. Tons of running, and hiking with friends and family, and of course college football watching! Like my dear friend Pam would let me "not" watch her Michigan game?? Ya right! Friday night I somehow got talked into going to see Harry potter with my entire family, and this was all adults people. Honestly it was just a friggin riot, and I am still a little scarred from the entire event. My cousin Brock learned the hard way you cannot bring alcohol into the theatre(or at least be inconspicuous ya dork!!) Love my family so much, and its been great how they have rallied around me the last month. They have been amazing helping me get through all that has happened, and now I am finally exactly where I have wanted to be~love my life, and so glad I have stepped out of my comfort zone to live it the way I want it to be lived!! Awsome sauce!! Love you my sissy!! Friday I spent a big part of the day with my friend Garreth. He even wore his Badwater cargo shorts(ha!) We had a ton to catch up on, and had a great afternoon. We were supposed to have dinner that night with Kate&Jimmy but he ended up having his daughter. Looking forward to his Christams partaaaay~yippie!!

Thanksgiving was amazing, and just so much fun!! Usually I always cook for everyone(I LOVE to cook), but my Aunt Penne offered as I have had a ton going on in the last few weeks. We all spent the day at her house on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, and it was so great to relax, and just enjoy football, and my family. Below are some pics of my baby niece, and my Aunt Penne, and cousin Brockton~

Ok so Wednesday was a sort of interesting day for me...
For the last few weeks I have really been toying with the idea of having a photographer at Leona...but a super talented one that is young, and just "gets" me. Here is where Brooklin Rosenstock comes into the picture(http://brooklinpictures.com)

A friend of mine had suggested him to me a few weeks back, but I had just sort of put it away. I knew he was talented(hello look at his website!??), and exactly the perfect for for Leona, but for personal reasons I had my reservations. I sat on it for a bit, but then realized I had to reach out to him. Immediately we clicked, and just instantly became friends. We met for coffee, and ended up talking for hours, and I just knew he would be perfect. He completely gets my young, energetic, race directing vibe~he is just so friggin cool, and I am super stoked to have him on my team. The coolest part of all is he is going to be part of my Badwater crew(if I get into the race!!!) He will mostly be documenting the whole thing, but keeps begging to pace me through Keeler(sorry Garreth, can you loan him your cargo shorts??) To top it all off he loves my new project I am working on(ok just getting started) about a documentary on southern California Ultra running. We talked a ton about this, and he had some amazing insight, and just great ideas. Brooklin ya friggin rock, and are such an important puzzle piece in my future~wow! Please check out his website he is amazing!! http://brooklinpictures.com

Ok so now on to Los Pinos 50k re-cap(shorter version)!
Los Pinos for me was bitter sweet. This race was created in a very short time, and came about in an interesting way. It was shortly after crewing Jimmy at Badwater that I decided I wanted to put this race together. So meant to be, and just another puzzle piece in my life that was meant to happen. The days leading up to the race were super fun. Tons of amazing friends(Shannon, Pammy, T, Molly, Kevin, Michelle, Scotty, Wicky, Munz, Larry, Harvdog) helped me mark the course, do water drops for one of the remote aid stations, and just get ready for race day. Love my friends so much!!! By the time race day came I had over 80 volunteers, and one heck of a bad weather forecast!! Pouring rain was expected, and I was super bummed. The night before the race we all went over to Charlie's house(http://therundown.net). Tons of us hung out, and discussed the potential things that could happen with the weather, and laughed and laughed. Below is a pic of myself with Annie, and my good friend Jimmy G. He is the race director of Rio Del Lago, and a TON of other great ultra's! http://desertskyadventures.com

I had capped the entrants to 85 runners because it was the events first year, and my goal was to have a successful event with as little hiccups as possible. Luckily come race morning with the pouring rain 64 runners actually showed up! I was pleasantly surprised as it was cold, rainy, and wet! Everyone was in such good spirits, and despite the bad weather all my amazing volunteers rallied incredibly, and we got through the day. Thanks again to my AWSOME aid station captains: Molly, Pammy, & Eric!!! You guys were just so great, and I could not have made this event happen without you.

Chris Price won the race with a stellar fast time of 5:16. I have been training with this guy, and he is just stellar fast, and wicked talented. Watch out so-cal boys!!! Michelle Barton won for the females in a time of 5:36~luv u my girl!!! The Los Pinos website has many pictures up(http:lospinos50k.com). Video will be coming soon I promise. Also the adorable Annie Tenwick has tons of pics she took on her Facebook page. Jakob Herman also has some great pics, and video on his FB page. Below is myself, Annie, and Captain Anthony standing under the tent to keep from getting soaked!!

I was just blown away by how amazing everyone was at that race. The runners blew my mind by how positive they all were, and as bad as the rain was the day turned out to be so incredible. I just love everyone in this sport so much, and I am honored to have you all as part of my Ultra family. Some of the greatest people and friends I have ever met have all stemmed form this sport, and I have met in the last 5 years. Love each and everyone of you, and am just so glad to be part of such a close knit group of people. What a cool friggin sport we are in!!!

Race date for next year is Saturday October 22nd~as of now...

PS..
I opted not to run the Red Rock 40. I am really focused on Hurt100 right now, and just want to train right now, and not race. I knew I would push myself way to much, and then spend the weeks following trying to recover from Red Rock instead of training for Hurt. Super excited to spend this month doing tons and tons of power hiking in the mountains along with tons of long runs, and shorter ones as I will be incorporating tons of "two a days". Throw massive amounts of swimming, biking, and yoga and I should be ready come Jan 15th!!! Whoo-hoo!!

Life is bananas amazing awsome sauce!!!

2010-11-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been absolutely amazing, and life is just AWSOME SAUCE!!! This weekend I spent running on my "LVTR" course getting the elevation profile for the marathon course(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com). Annie and I had planned this the weekend before with Kate, but instead Annie brought a bunch of great SoCal Coyotes with her, and we just had a blast!! They LOVED the course(so stoked!!), and it was so fun for me to tell them all about the history of Leona Divide 50mile, and the trails out there. I love history, and especially love the history of race courses, ect. So cool!

I absolutely love meeting new people, and what a sweet group of runners!! We had a blast, and I was honored to show them my marathon course! Afterwards me, June, Annie, and Erin all had lunch in Santa Monica(love these girls), and then I headed home. Saturday was a very mellow pace for me so that night I went back out and ran another ten, and swam. It was early to bed as I am in 100% Hurt mode...eat clean, train, rest, repeat..eat clean,train, rest repeat...hahaha! Love this lifestyle, and love living and functioning in this manner. It will be nice after Hurt to have some downtime though!! I caved the other day and did have some sugar...but it was organic raw cane sugar in a vegan cupcake so it does not count! Ha!

On Sunday Pam and I had planned on running Temescal to Westridge, and back. She has been begging me to take her up on these trails, and so off we went. We ended up hiking though as my IT has been tight, and I really needed a good solid power hike for Hurt anyways. We hiked 13 miles in 2 hours, and 50 mins! We are animals! We even stopped to chat with Bev, and Juliett! Great to see those girls! Afterwards we had lunch with Jimmy Dean(such a nut that boy!) and just had an amazing afternoon. Hey we even saw Derek Jeter where we were having lunch. Jimmy is a huge baseball fan so he was pretty pumped. Pam and I then went over to whole foods to get some warm teechino(I do not drink coffee!!) and then headed home. By the time I got back to the OC, and showered it was very late afternoon so I walked my dogs, got work done around my house, and then dove head first into a ton of Los Pinos work I had to do. Honestly Pam and I had the best day ever, and I am just blessed to have such amazing friends in my life~

Yesterday myself and some friends did a water drop/shuttle for Los Pinos 50k(http://lospinos50k.com). We had so much fun, and I cannot think of a better way to spend my day that out on the trails all day with friends! Love being outside as much as most women love to shop! Cannot imagine doing anything else all day~ok maybe a bike ride, a swim thrown in, and then eating yummy food after! hehe...

Today and tomorrow I will be marking the Los Pinos course all day, and getting ready for tons of friends and family to come into town for the race. Honestly the amount of help I have for this race is just overwhelming, and I cannot wait for the race!! I just love my job so much, and LOVE this sport so much. The people are amazing, and without a doubt the best people I have ever met! I promise a full race recap by Monday night...

Sunday I might go up and run the PCTR 50k...I definitely want to see everyone, and go up there, but we'll see. So much fun! If not then Pam and a bunch of friends are running 30 in the Santa Monica's so I will just jump on that train. Been incorporating a ton of power hiking into my training, and I am just LOVING it!!! I LOVE to power hike for hours, and will absolutely need it to survive Hurt100. LOVE IT! Gonna spend a ton of time doing this the next 6 weeks~a ton~

Have a great weekend everyone! I will see all of you weather at Los Pinos(what up 80 volunteers!??!) or at the PCTR race on sunday...yippie!!! Looking forward to Thanksgiving, and seeing my sister! I will definitely be tightly surrounding myself with tons of family. Gonna run that morning with tons of friends, and spend the day in Newport at my Aunts. So fun!!

Awsome sauce everyone! Have a friggin great day!!! Life is just bananas amazing! Live it how you want to not how other people tell you to!! ;o))

P.S.
was out marking my course today on the Los Pinos Trail! Shannon and I had such a friggin blast, and the coolest part of all is part of it was in the dark It took us 4 hours to mark this section, and we had just way to much fun! The picture is of me just loosing it when the marking ribbon got all tangled..I have this super weird habit of falling to the ground whenever I laugh!

My 2011 Race Schedule

2010-11-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

I believe there are angels always watching over me...and yes the above picture was taken on a run. With some of the races I am going to do in 2011 I will need all the blessings and Angels I can get, but I am confident in what I have sent to my Manager, and believe these are the races that suit my strengths the best~

Jan 2011~ Hawaii Hurt 100 Mile!!!
Feb~ Recover/swim/bike/yoga
March~ Save Mt.Diablo 50k
April~ Lake Sonoma 50mile
June~ Pace/crew Scotty at Western states!!!! Yippie!!! Love u Scotty!!!
July~ BADWATER(if accepted!!!!)
August/September/October~ Recover/swim/bike/yoga
November~Red Rock 40mile

I normally wouldn't post this quickly again, but I was asked to solidify this schedule so what better way than on my blog. So yep, here it is. Ready for 2011, and looking forward to an incredible year!

I am nervous about going to Hurt100...but super excited at the same time. Faye and Wick will be there with me(and maybe Jimmy??), and I am confident I can finish in one piece. I think. I hope. Ya I will be ok.. right??

Originally I had posted I wanted to do Wasatch. I swore I would never go back to Badwater again a month ago. Things have changed though for me. I have always wanted to do Badwater with all my heart. As much as Wasatch is on the bucket list Badwater is all I think about. I believe it's what I am meant to do, and I am in a great place with everything now mentally, and can't wait to go back!! I have a solid crew of my dearest friends, and I can't wait for us all to take the Badwater journey together( If I get accepted in). It's a life changing experience, and it will be all I am thinking about throughout the year. PUMPED!!

Wasatch just does not work anyways with all of my races I am putting on. Wick and I have pretty much decided that early September is the month for our "Ray Miller 50mile". No way I can put on a race that size, and run a 100 in the same month. Early October is My "Leona valley trail Races"(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com/), and that event will be on the bigger side so I need September to work; not run and recover from a 100! Funny how fate always steps in...you can fight it all you want, but one way or another if something is meant to be it will find it's way to come to pass...period!

Have a great couple weeks everyone!! I will hit ya all up with a great Los Pinos Recap on Sunday the 21st!! Honestly I believe everyone I know in the sport will be either volunteering or running! So excited with all the help I have, and honestly just blown away. Love my Ultra Running family soooo much, and it is just gonna be such a blast!! Michael murphy wanted me to tell everyone that while he is climbing Los Pinos he is going to do a Nancy Kerrigan tripple axle...yep thats what he said! ;o)

Battles and Blessings...

2010-11-08T06:27:00.000-08:00

I believe life is full of battles and blessings. The battles are what help us reach our blessings, and even when we go through hard times there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I was woken up this morning at 2am with a phone call that my Grandma passed away in her sleep late yesterday. She was 90 years old, and I was close with her my whole life. She was like a mother to me, and in many regards raised me when my own Mom was not fit to. I quickly woke up Tyler, and we cried and laughed over all the wonderful memories we have of her. He finally went back to sleep, and now here I sit alone in my bed. I had planned to write about my whole weekend of running, swimming, and biking when I got up today, and then go hit the pool for an hour swim. As of now I am just loving sitting and listening to the rain. I love to write, and listen to the rain. I will miss her with all my heart, and I know she would still want me to enjoy life, and share my amazing weekend with everyone! So grandma for you I will write all about it, and like everyone else I hope you enjoy reading it! Today has some battles, but my weekend was filled with tons of blessings....

Last week was a great week for me. I swam(3 times!!) and rode my bike a ton, and loved it. I also hit the gym twice, and threw in some miles on the trails. Friday I ran long with Shannon, but took it really easy as my friend Annie and I had plans to run Saturday. I absolutely LOVE Annie. She has become one of my super close friends, and we have quickly developed an incredible bond. She lives in Santa Monica, and we wanted to spend all day running Saturday trying to figure out how to connect up Temescal with Westridge. Faye and I had wanted to do this also so I was super excited to go on this adventure with Annie. To me doing something like this is heaven, and I just love new trails, and exploring. The run was bananas amazing, and the day could not have been more beautiful. The weather was cool, but sunny, and the trails were crowded with tons of people I know from Race Directing. Annie laughed as every runner with a handheld or pack stopped to talk to me. I am super used to it, and it's just part of the lifestyle. I love the Southern California trail running community, and absolutely love being out on the trails seeing everyone. So fun!!

Once at Westridge we turned around, and headed back to Temescal Canyon where our cars were parked. Westridge is strictly fireroad, but the views of the ocean are absolutely spectacular. Once back in Temescal it's tons of fun singletrack! Annie was so friggin strong, and I got her to power hike a ton. She did amazing all day, and a few more all day runs with me, and she will kill it at North Face. So many of my friends are going to North face that I am still on the fence about it. Right now my main focus is Hurt100, and Red Rock 40...but we'll see...

After our run I was excited to spend the afternoon with Annie! We went back to her house, and grabbed her dog, and took him down to the beach. While walking we saw Kate running with her mom, and it was great. Jimmy has been away crewing for someone at a hundred mile race so she was hanging with her mom. Her mom was riding the bike, and Kate was running. So awsome!! We all discussed next weekend, and made plans on saturday to run my Leona Valley trail Races Marathon course(http://leonavalleytrailraces.com)~website coming soon!! Once at Venice I think Annie was dying over my behavior. I had never been here before, and I am still in shock over the whole thing. What a wild place!! As we walked she said, "lets go check out the Basketball courts". SIDENOTE~my son Tyler played BB for 10 years. He is 6'2", and to put it lightly is a friggin baller. He is a white kid that has mad skill, and informed me just Wednesday he is going to play High School ball. He then went on to tell me on Wednesday after school he tried out for the Freshman team, and made it. I am still in shock a little as his Cross Country season just ended, and track starts in a few weeks. He stopped playing BB because of all the pressure form his coach, and his continual jumpers knee. He is a center, and one of the best rebounders I have ever seen, but jumping up and down causes the knee to go nuts. I am concerned, but must let him fly on his own, and learn battles and blessings on his own. Hopefully his knee won't act up, and I can watch my sun ball it up at Dana!! He is talented as hell, and I can't wait!!

Ok so back to me and Annie! I loved watching the guys play ball at the courts. I have to bring my son here, and it would be an absolute blast to watch him dunk on some of these guys. We then walked on to Muscle Beach(Ok really??), and I fell to my knees when I saw guys in speedos working out at the outdoor gym. I had heard of this place before, but come on...really?? God I am glad I trail run, and just have a grip on what life is really about!! hehe...Afterwards I headed home, walked my dog, and got some work done. I then went for a recovery swim in the pool, and just felt incredible. It's funny because swimming is actually what I am naturally good at. I am best in the ocean, and I just don't get tired. I love to swim, but of course would much rather run!! After my swim I showered, and made an amazing dinner for myself and some friends. LOVE to cook healthy and yummy food!! Honestly in my past life I was a friggin chef!!

I got up early Sunday to once again run on the trails all day, and was super excited to drive up with Mike to meet a bunch of the LA Frontrunners for a backbone run!

I had such a great time on Sunday! We ran on the Backbone trail, and honestly if you have not ever been on this trail you must check it out. We started at Kanan Dune parking lot, and headed North back towards Malibu. Every section of this trail is so green you would never know you are in Southern California. Honestly it has to be one of the most beautiful trails in Southern California, and I just love running on it!! It's 100% singletrack, and has a good mix of great climbs, and runnable down. Perfect Trail! I had such a blast with all these guys as they are very sweet, and will be helping me a ton with Leona Valley Trail Races! My friend Jonathan was there also, and he owns Salt Stick. I am super excited to be working with him now for my races, and amped to support Salt Stick electrolyte pills! Such a great product!! During the run Sean was the best entertainment. We started a discussion on new flavors of gels that need to come out. I suggested PB&J, and then he suggests Bacon!! He starts going on and on about bacon, and how he has bacon soap, bacon candles, bacon everything. Those that are very close to me know how much I love pigs. I believe my jaw is still where I left it on the trail! So funny! Sean you need help! hahaha...

Once we finished the run we all went over to Jonathan's house for some great fun! He made tons of food, and we all just hung out, laughed, and chatted, His house is so friggin beautiful, and is literally in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. The views he has are spectacular, and I was so impressed! Those who know me will quickly say things like this dont normally ever impress me, and honestly I could care less about material things...but wow what a beautiful home with outrageous views!! We all were so excited as we planned many get togethers we would have! So fun!!

I got home late Sunday afternoon, and was PUMPED to see my Vikings win. Thank you Brett...thank you. Lakers won this weekend also, and that was with Kobe playing very little. He only had 12 points, and 30 mins play time..wow~LOVE me some Lakers!!

Sunday night I went over to Wick and Faye's for Sunday night dinner, and also to discuss a race Wick wants me to make happen. The tentative plan is September 2012, and the potential name is "Ray Miller 50/50". Definitely gonna make this happen....forsure! It was great to see Eric Mapping out the course, and figuring out aid stations, ect. We had so much fun Sunday night, and I just love these two people with all my friggin heart. They are my family, and I can't imagine my life without them!! I got home last night, and Tyler got home shortly after from his Dad's. I love our sunday night talks. We recap about our entire weekend, and he is always so interested in my running, who I ran with, and loves to hear all about my crazy adventures. At one point on the run on Sunday Jonathan saw a gardener snake. I quickly snatched it up, and all the guys just lost it..they were so freaked out. OMG it was priceless!!

I then went to bed, and awoke to the news of my Grandma. The rain is pouring now, and I have to get Tyler up for school. Her death has only solidified the things I want in life, and how important it is to not ever let the ones you love go..ever. You are only here once, and as time flies it's so important to spend it with people that truly better you, and make you happy, and live out your passions to the fullest. You go through life meeting thousands of people, and if you are lucky enough to connect with that one person it is vital you recognize that, and do whatever it takes to see it through. I love surrounding myself with amazing friends and people, and living life to the fullest. I believe in the powers that be, and that life is such a great gift. With all the battles the blessings are awsome~patience is the key to life, and something I did not have a few weeks back. Today, and for the next year I will have patience, and see all the things I truly desire in life come to pass. Life is quick~seize the day everyone!! Don't take one second of it for granted, and do what ever it takes to truly find happiness~even if it involves some battles!

What a weekend!

2010-10-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so much fun I don't even know where to begin!!! I have been working like a dog for the past few weeks on Los Pinos 50k(http://lospinos50k.com) so I was definitely due for some great time on the trails this weekend! My original plan was to run my Leona Divide 50k course on Saturday(http://leonadivide5050.com), and then meet my new(and amazing!) friend Anne, and Sean up at Griffith Park to run my new half marathon course. Anne is great. I met her through Jimmy, and she is part of his So-Cal Coyotes, and I just love her to pieces. She is definitely a great puzzle piece that has recently stepped into my life. She is super close with my friend Garreth, and is dying to be a race director, and wants to help me in any way I need at my races. I am loving all the amazing and loyal people that are stepping up to help me with all of my new races. So awsome!

Sean also has been awsome!! He is very good friends with my dear friend Mike, and is just becoming one of my super close friends. The coolest part of all is he lives just a few miles from Griffth Park, and has completely helped me map & label my entire course! I am blessed to have his help(he is my Karl #2!! haha luv ya Karl!) and once again is just another puzzle piece that fits perfectly in place to my destiny! Love it! Sean was also going to run my Leona course with me Saturday, but with the pouring rain, and the 5 freeway shut down Saturday morning at the 14 freeway Shannon and I quickly called Sean and said we need another place to run the 5 is flooded and closed. He laughed and said, "I know how we can get some miles at Griffith". Since we were already up in LA on the 5 we got out of the icky traffic, and met Sean at Griffith Park. Here is where one of the best days I have ever had running began...

Let me start by saying Sean is an absolute adventurous nut, and I friggin love that!! He is just a blast to be with, and so much like me when it comes to running. The gnarlier the trail the better, the crazier the adventure the happier we are! Sean took Shannon and I on a back country tour of griffith park, and it was absolutely nuts!! At one point he was like, "wow I can't believe you girls like this most people hate these crazy trails!" We laughed and were like, "are you kidding we friggin LOVE this!!!" The trails were so steep at one point I actually had to get on all fours and crawl up...and yes I was in heaven! Since i am going to Hurt100 in January now Sean kept saying hey its great training for Hurt! Haha...ya thanks Sean! The weather was perfect, and the day just flew as we chatted, laughed, and just had the best day ever. Honestly I can't imagine living, and not Trail Running. So much fun! By mornings end Sean had helped me name and label all of the trails I will be using for my GPHalfMarathon, and then some! we were dirty, and climbed about 5,000 feet in 20 miles, and this was all within birds eye view of downtown LA~amazing! Sean was a running history lesson, and knows more facts on Griffth Park than the Mayor...trust me. I love history so I was a total sponge. Such awsome sauce Sean is! At some point we ran into Dominic and Jorge, and it was great to see them. We all had plans to run the following day together at Mt.San Gregornio so we chatted a bit then continued on. I just love how connected everyone is in UltraRunning. We are such an amazing extended family, and I just love everyone so much! Sean is amped to get the LA front runners involved in my new races, and I am just super stoked to support this amazing group in any way I can. Looking forward to the best friggin year ever!! Think I need 5 assistants! After the run Shannon and I went to Whole Foods, and ate waaaaay to many persimmons and coconut water. Honestly the combination wasn't the best idea...hahaha

I somehow managed to go out saturday night for a bit, then get up early to meet the boys for the San Gregornio run. Annie completely understood that instead of running in Griffith Park again I was going to run with the boys in the mountains. I promised her we would run next weekend a ton! No way this girl will EVER miss an opportunity to spend all day running in the mountains. It's my absolute favorite thing to do, and what I live for. I thrive above 5,000 feet on dirt trails in the wilderness. I just love it! Me and the boys had a blast, and they definitely hackled me all day....as you can see in the above video...

We all power hiked together up the mountain, and I was stoked to see I was keeping up with the boys. We talked and chatted all the way up the mountain. I was super excited to fill them in on another idea I am working on, and couldn't believe how supportive they all were. I have decided I want to documnet so-cal Ultrarunning...but I want to document everyone; not just a select few, or a certain race. I want to video training runs, local trail running groups(Bad Rats, Coyotes, Trail Headz, LA frontrunners, ect), and get in depth commentary from everyone coming out of the So-cal Ultrarunning and Trail Running scene(yes Jimmy we will give you your own 5 minute commentary). The only documentaries that are out there are on specific races or specific people, and I want to tap into everyone I know. We are all connected by some sort of 6 degrees of separation, and the whole thing just fascinates me. I Have to start documenting this sport, and how it's changing. I feel so connected to everyone in the Southern California scene, and I can't wait to take this project on. Charlie is on board to help to, and our goal is to get out to training runs, races, running groups and document everyone! So cool!

Ok so all in all today was absolutely amazing, and I just love to power hike in the mountains! When I was coming back from my injury, and had not ran for 6 months I went up to the mountains and power hiked at elevation to get my strength back. IT WORKED!! I not only came back stronger then ever, but I came back quickly, and learned how to kill it on the trails in the mountains. As much as I hated being injured I can look back now and say it was the best thing that ever happened to me! I still believe to this day if anyone is trying to come back from time off you should get up to San Gregornio, Baldy, or Baden Powell and power hike!! Push it on the up, and then slowly run back down...best way to come back!

Once towards the summit of the mountain we were so excited to see snow! So amazing, and just beautiful! It was extremely icy though so we all were super careful.

The views were spectacular, and I can't express what an awsome day it was. Honestly if every person on Earth were a trail runner we would all be with people we truly love, and the world would just be a better place!! DUH!? Once done I hopped in my car, and hurried home to catch the tail end of my Vikings game...ugh!! Cannot believe the Patriots beat my Vikings...of all teams! Man I wish i didn't get so upset but I do and it will take all week to let this one go...

Have a great week everyone! Get out on the trails and run, hike, and enjoy life! Awsome sauce!! The best is who I get to spend Halloween with...or as she would say..."halloleeeen"! Love my friend Shannon's 4 year old daughter! Love life!!

Happy Halloleeeen!!!!

Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon!

2010-10-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

The last few days for me have been absolutely amazing, and I can't believe how many great things are happening in my life...way to much to write about today, but just wanted to touch on some of it. I opted not to run the 50k up in Malibu Creek on Sunday. I have a crazy brother named Eric who somehow talked me into running the Santa Monica Mountains Backbone Trail on Saturday with the boys & faye(SOOOO FUN!!!), and Sunday was spent running all morning with my girl Shannon. After our run I spent the rest of the day doing tons of work, and watching football. Man was I bummed to see my Vikings loose! Ugh!

Back to Griffith Park....
So about a week ago I got a very surprising phone call. Back in August I had pursued putting on a Trail Half Marathon in griffith park. I honestly could not even tell you how this came about or why I was so determined to make this happen. I live about 54 miles from Griffith Park, and personally I had zero knowledge of the trail system in the park. Sometimes when things are meant to be in life they just happen. Even if it does not seem possible, and mountains have to be climbed, eventually it will come to fruition, and god will just make it happen. Just how life works. Period. So after MANY closed doors, and a ton of "No's" I walked away from it, and put it to rest. If it was meant to be it would come to pass...inevitable!

About two weeks ago I decided to email again(for about the 20th time) the city and parks commissioner for LA. He finally had just had it with me, and forwarded my email on to the head ranger Jessica for Griffith Park. She then called me last week, and we chatted up a storm. From their my little idea of "Griffith Park Trail Run" was born!! I filled out the permits paperwork(been doing this quite a bit these days! haha) and now it was off to find a course. I picked up Shannon this morning at 5am, and off we headed up to West LA~

Although I had studied Trail Maps for the park I knew I had to get in there, run it, and really get a feel for the park. Right off the bat I decided I will start the race from the Greek Theatre side. It's a little less busy, and being this race will be on a Saturday in late July this is very important. I had a small idea of where i wanted the course to go so off we headed up the main trail that is a Dirt Road that spines through the entire park system. Quickly we were climbing! Man were we ever! The above picture is one of the many views from the top! Honestly it was just breathtaking! The view in the pic is the city of Glendale.

Shannon and I just had a blast. My goal was to find a solid 13.1 mile loop. We did have to add an out and back section up near the Hollywood sign, but it was beautiful, and just a great course. There is so much history in Griffith Park, and I believe the runners are going to love all the different landmarks they will see throughout the race. I absolutely love history, and with views of the observatory, Hollywood sign, and the Greek it will be great!! So excited!! The runners will even get to do a small out and back to the observatory! It will be 100% on trails, and is just gonna be friggin amazing! I really hope they approve the permits!!

Once done we jumped in my car, and headed home. We had shut off our garmin's at certain times so we could add miles, and hit some of the other trails throughout the park, and just had the best day ever. Still can't believe what I did today was work?? Yes this is my job people, and I am not complaining!! I plan on running my course a few more times in the next week as I have to submit a mile by mile description of the exact course. They want all the permit paperwork submitted by weeks end so I definitely will be back up tomorrow running my course, and just getting it nailed down. Hopefully this will all work out, and I can make this happen!!

This event will be on the bigger side, and I am a little nervous as I take on something this huge...but I love it, and am good at it. It's my god given talent and destiny so onward I go!! Life is so busy in the next few months with Race directing, and running races myself! Just got HUGE news today about a certain race I will be running in the beginning new year. Cannot believe I was able to get in. Thats all I can say for now, but hell ya!!! LOVE life so much right now. Jimmy you better be ready for pacing duties!! :o)

Enjoy the next few weeks everyone, and can't wait to see a ton of you at Los Pinos 50k, and then Red Rock 40mile. Get out there and enjoy life people!!!

Diablo 50k!

2010-10-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have decided I love San Francisco...like LOVE!!!

I had one of the best weekends of my life, and I am super excited to tell all about it! I flew up to San Fran on Thursday for the Diablo 50k. The race wasn't until Saturday so I was just super excited to reconnect with some friends from up north, and enjoy a weekend away form all thats been going on. My mind was super focused on the race, but being it was only a 50k I knew I was due for some serious fun, and the weekend was gonna be nothing but good times~

When I landed on Thursday afternoon I quickly drove to my hotel, and was just amped to be in the heart of the city. I love San Francisco, and if I could have it my way I would travel here a ton more than I do! I booked this hotel on purpose as I love to visit this city, and had plans with friends in Berkely that night so it was perfect! My next goal was to find a Whole foods! Whenever I travel to races I always find a Whole foods, and get a ton of food I can eat for a few days. I was super excited to head into Berkely as my son would LOVE to go to school at UCBerkely, and he begged me to stop by the campus, and get some pics. After grocery shopping I stopped by the campus, and got some great pics. Tyler was stoked when I texted them to him.

Thursday night was great. Too many Fat tires, and way to much talk of hiking the Jon Muir Trail...man I love all my friends in this sport. It is just so much fun to travel up to a race, hang with friends, and just put in perspective what's important in life. Honestly I had one of the greatest nights I have ever had, and somehow I ended up hanging with myself and about 10 guys!! How does this suck!?? Haha...what a blast we had!!! Totally what I need right now!

Friday was another great day. I somehow got talked into running 8 miles(don't ask), but it was super fun! I was pumped to run trails I have never run with such an elite crowd! Wow what a day we had! We ended up showering, and then running around the city for the day, and even had lunch in china town! So out of character for me, but I loved every minute of it!! By friday night I was exhausted, and by 9pm was out cold asleep! Friday night I had switched hotels to stay in Clayton so I was closer to race start. I woke up race day super excited, and ready to rock. I was a little nervous, but sincerely felt super confident form the minute I woke up.

I drove to the race start, and was delighted to see Sara(the Race Director). She has always been super kind, and generous to me, and I just really think she puts on great races. We chatted a bit, and it was great to catch up with her. Before long it was time for the race to start. I knew the 50kers would be starting with the 30kers, and my goal was just to stay within myself, and run a smart race. The last race I did was Rio Del Lago 50k, and although I won, the race was super tough for me. It was two weeks after AC100, and honestly I had a horrible race. I have been running a ton since, and I really wasn't sure if I was even 100% recovered from AC or Rio~I was running scared that was for sure!

The Diablo 50k is a super tough course. The total elevation gain is 9,000 feet, and about the same in loss. It's technical, and hands down the toughest 50k course I have ever done. It's two of the same 16 mile loops, and after the first loop you come back to the start/finish. The course starts out with a solid mile climb up a runnable fire road. It was extremely steep, and even when I connected with the single track it was nothing but climbing. Although it was absolutely beautiful it was just extremely steep climbing. I settled into my power hiking mode, and kind of giggled as I watched a few women ahead of me running the whole climb. I eyed them for the entire length of the climb, turned up my bad religion, and would trade places with a few of them as I hiked and they tried to manage a run/slow run pace. Eventually I would power hike past all of them, and come out at the top of the climb ahead of all of them. Once at the top it was a great down hill section. This section was extremely steep(I mean STEEP!!), and I hammered it. I must have passed at least 5 guys on this section, and when I finally hit the aid first aid station I felt super great! It was early still, and I had been taking my time, and just trying to stay within myself. I was pumped to see Catra and Andy at the aid station, and laughed my ass off as they took some pics, and I charged out of their aid station!

From there you have to run up to the summit of Mt.Diablo....it's 2.5 miles of solid relentless climbing. It's gnarly, technical, and just brutal. The great thing though is that once you summit it's a solid 2.5 miles down back to Catra and Andy's aid!! I HAMMERED this section, and did this section in under 14 mins! Once back at the aid I slammed some soda, and was amped to run 5 miles down to the finish. When I came through the 25k mark I was surprised to see my friend Leigh! We had hung out Thursday night, and this was totally unplanned. He is a stellar athlete, and I was so excited to see him! He had my drop bag out, and we quickly got me in and out of the aid station. Right before I left I asked him how many men were in front of me? He smiled HUGE, and said 5. I had ran the first loop in 2:53, and my goal for the second half was to do the same. When I headed out for the second loop I knew immediately I felt awsome. I Quickly started running the entire climb up to Catra and Andy's aid, and passed three of the men on the climb. I LOVE doing that!!!! Silly boys ultra running is for girls!!! Ha!

Once at the aid I filled up quickly, re-summited Diablo(WAAAAAY harder 2nd time!), and then returned to the aid. From here I only had 5.5 miles to the finish, and it was then I looked at my watch. I had less than 50 mins to get to the finish to break the course record. I had Catra fill up one of my bottles, and left the second one with her. I knew I had to really push it, and a second bottle would just slow me down. From the aid it is nothing but extremely steep fire road. A few times I almost lost contol, and ate it. I am super light on my feet right now(about 3 lbs lighter than my AC weight) so I just flew. I let gravity take its course, and turned up my music. First I was listening to Kings of Leon, but then the new Eminem/Rhianna song came on. This was all I needed to fly!! I turned the volume up, and just ripped this section to shreds. Once at the bottom I had about a mile of flat icky, but knew I was close to the finish. When I crossed the line I was stoked to see I had done the second loop 20mins faster than the first loop, ran that section in 40 mins, and was 2nd overall, and first female! I was so friggin stoked!!

After I went to lunch, and then I was off to the airport, and ready to get home! Tyler was going to meet me at home that night so I was eager to get back! My flight went great, and once home I re-capped with Tyler my entire day. He loves hearing about my races, and is just the greatest kid ever!

All in all this race was just amazing!! The course markings were perfect, aid stations perfect, and the course was absolutely spectacular(be ready to climb!) I cannot wait to return next year! My trip this weekend up North made me re-evaluate my 2011 schedule. I am on a mission to get up to San Fran at least a few more times in 2011, and just love traveling to places for races. I had such a blast, and look forward to visiting again!

I spent the day today doing a great 3 hour recovery hike, and the watching my Vikings win!! Man that makes me happy!! I then went out to dinner with some friends, and am looking forward to a crazy busy week! Next weeknd I am racing the Malibu Creek 50k, and I cannot wait! Busy is what I love, and I am just loving my life right now! Love that I have gotten my new "Leona Valley trail races" up and going, and am just super excited to dive head first into this challenge, and Leona Divide, and Los Pinos! Life is what you make it, and I am doing my best through tuff times to make it great!

Fun with Faye!

2010-10-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so this morning was just wicked awsome! Faye and I were supposed to run 20ish in Topanga State Park, and Jimmy was gonna link up with us, and run some of it. We both LOVE running the trails in LA as we are just down right burnt of anything here in Orange County, and plus Jimmy is nothing but free entertainment. I love the guy to absolute pieces, and it's always an adventure when Jimmy is around! Unfortunately after staying out a little to late last night celebrating Jimmy & Kate's bday, and then the long drive back from LA we decided it was best if we ran local here, and saved our great Topanga run for next Wednesday. I have an important 50k this Saturday anyways so all in all running less miles, and staying local turned out to be the best decision.

My run today was amazing. We decided to run the San Juan trail, and actually this trail is on part of my Los Pinos 50k course(http://lospinos50k.com). It's a gorgeous trail, and the views are spectacular. It has incredible climbing, and all in all a decent place to bang out a tough 15-20 mile run. The plan today was to just put in about 10-12, and call it a day.

Faye and I always have fun when we run together because she like me is super competitive, and just loves to train hard. We had a blast powering up the trail, and as you can see from the above picture the climbing is intense! The conversation is always great when it's just us girls. So much is going on in both of our extremely busy lives right now so we pushed the pace, and chatted up a storm. Once at the top near cocktail rock we stopped. I snapped another quick pic, ate some Cliff Blocks(please somebody from cliff make coconut flavor!!!) and off we went. Once at the turn around it was all down hill, and this is where we really had some fun!

We were absolutely flying, and for me thats where I can do my thing! I love technical downhill running! We didn't really do much talking on the way down...just all out running! So fun! About a mile or so up from the finish we slowed a bit, and started to chat, and laugh how fun that was! It was great for me because since AC100 I have not really tested my downhill running, and I needed that confidence boost for this weekend. Their definitely are some men in the race I want to take out, and I have full intentions of laying it down, and running the best possible race I can. With 9,000 feet of gain and loss I am sure I can get the job done. Totally my type of course, and I will completely be in my element~cannot wait.

Once finished we hopped in the car, and I drove Faye back to our meeting spot at Starbucks where her car was parked. I love Faye to death, and she has become one of my closest girlfriends in the last couple weeks. I have needed her shoulder tremendously lately(that is an understatement), and I could not have made it without her the last twelve days of my life!! Luv you Faye!

Life is awsome, and today is S.L.A.M.M.E.D!!!! Tons of permit work to do for all of my new races, Los Pinos 50k work, and on and on. I leave for San Francisco in the AM after I have a quick few meetings to power through(sorry Jimmy about flaking on the hike), and then it's off to LAX! Looking forward to a fun BBQ at Mark's house tomorrow night with crazy ultra runners telling stories about crazy runs and races! Oh god I love this sport! Such a fun weekend ahead, and I can't wait! Full re-cap when I return Monday! YIPPIE!!! Have a great weekend all, and Jimmy GOOD LUCK at oil creek 100! Godspeed you rockstar!!!!

On the path to Leona Divide...

2010-10-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was an amazing day to say the least. I met my friend Karl(http://karlstutelberg.blogspot.com/) to map out and run my new 30k course for Leona Divide(yes this is my job, and I am NOT complaining). I needed to get it mapped out, and get a correct Garmin reading to be put up on my Leona site(http://leonadivide5050.com). I will do the same for my 50k course on saturday October 30th~can't wait!

It's funny how god always seems to put the puzzle pieces together when he has a definite plan in line for your destiny. Karl is definitely part of that! He ran Leona Divide last year, and I distinctly remembered him because when he came to race check in Friday night he had his wife, and two little boys with him. Honestly it was a moment I will never forget. His older son Matthew who I believe is 4 was super excited to meet me. He just kept talking and talking to me, and was probably to this day one of the cutest little boys I have ever met. We must of had a solid 20 minute conversation, and he just melted my heart. His wife was just super sweet too, and I have never forgetten that cute little family I met(LOVE being a race director..LOVE meeting new people!!) So when I started this blog I posted that I was going to start a new race called "Leona Valley trail Races". Going into it I had some huge concerns about courses, and how I was going to figure out how to map a marathon, half marathon, 10k, &5k all into one day! My heart was set on getting theses races underway, but knew I would need help form someone who really had knowledge of those mountains, and would be able to get out and run with me to pass that knowledge on. Once I started the blog Karl was the first to follow me, and was super excited about my postings about the new Leona races. He lives right out in the area(I live 2 hours away, but will be moving up that way eventually), and was ready and willing to help me in any way needed! Yippie!! One more puzzle piece just moved into place! To think if I wouldn't have started a blog I would have never hooked up with Karl~thanks Lowell for that one!!

Ok so on to Sunday.....
Karl and I met at the Lake Hughes Community Center on Sunday so we could run, and map out my 30k course. Neither one of us were sure how we could tweak my 50mile and 50k course to work in another race on the same day, but I was driven to figure out how. As a race director your # 1 goal with having multiple races is utilizing aid stations that are already in place. It just makes the most sense, and is the best way to logistically and safely keep track of everyone on the course. Two many distances with to many routes can cause runners to get lost, and that spells disaster. I just don't run my events in that manner, and would never let that happen. I was so excited to get on my course!! Honestly my heart totally belongs in those mountains, and after Sunday I know now my true destiny is to put on, organize, and race direct incredible Trail Races throughout the Leona Valley/mojave District. It is so breathtakingly beautiful up their, central to LA, and just where I am meant to be, and move forward in my life. Ever since I ran Angeles crest 100 mile, and have spent many hours on trails throughout LA in the last few months I am definitely ready to leave the OC, and see what kind of destiny LA holds. I have to stay in Orange County for a few more years, but when the time is right north I will go! If I can work it out sooner I definitely will!!

So back to the run...
Karl is great to run with. He is wicked fast(seriously, like a 2:53 marathon), and ran Leona in sub 9 hours, and it was his first ultra! He loves his kids and wife a ton, and totally makes me laugh when he talks about his little boys. The time flew as we made our way to the top of the fire road. The weather was absolutely perfect. The sun was shining, and it must have been around 60 degrees, and it was only 7am! I was in heaven being out on the course! The views are spectacular, but the best part was we were going to connect up with the Pacific Crest Trail in a bit! I LOVE the PCT!! To me it's my shopping mall. While other women would spend a saturday out shopping, and having cocktails with their girlfriends I would prefer to spend 8 hours on the PCT~it's my favorite place to be!

At about 4.5 miles into the run Karl explained we were going to follow the Leona 50k and 50mile course, but cut off from the course and take a short cut back over to the PCT. We would then rejoin the other courses once on the PCT, and hopefully this would give me the correct mileage for a 30k course. Once back on the PCT we followed the course down to what is mile 16 in the 50k/50mile route. We got to Lake Hughes road, and then stopped where I had stashed some water, and a steaz energy drink(love those!!) From here we looked at the mileage on my Garmin, and started to realize if we just followed the exact race course back to the finish we would have a 30k!! We also stopped to take some more pics on the trail~

As we left the Lake Hughes road crossing we headed back up the PCT. This is the infamous climb out of mile 42 on the Leona 50 mile course. Funny how when you have less than 12 miles under your legs it's not so hard! Hahaha! While climbing(Karl was running, and I was power hiking!) we started to discuss my marathon and half marathon courses for my Oct 2011 races. By the time the climb was over we had both courses figured out! Funny how time on the trails sometimes is all you need to figure shit out! Ha! Karl has an incredible knowledge of these mountains, and I am just so stoked to have him helping me out. I have to get my permits, and website info done and completed soon for all of these races to be a success so to say I am busy right now is just the friggin understatement of the year!! I love it though, and it is what I am meant to do!! The craziest part of all is somewhere throughout that day we had established a 100 mile course I could do out their also. I always said no way to race directing a 100, but who knows now?? Definitely something I have written down, and am now toying with in the far future! If I did I would have to make it worth my while, and have at least 350 runners...so i would like to promote it for a couple years. Totally awsome sauce, and I love it!

When the run was done I was beside myself to see that my Garmin read 18.8 miles. Pretty right on the money for a 30k, and that is without having to have an extra aid station, and utilizing the entire Leona Course that will already be used that day! Totally meant to be, destiny, and another puzzle piece fitting my life together.

I was pretty amped, but more amped to get home, and watch football!!!! Bummed for the chargers loss as I HATE da raiders(like hate). I also really dislike Vick, and was even more bummed to see San Fran loose after the chargers game. Can't complain though because watching football with friends is so much fun! I love being able to run all morning, and then cook great food, and watch football with friends. My lord does life get any better!?!

Tonight it's all about my Friggin man Brett! The vikings will win~like seriously~I have no doubt!!! Love me some Vikings, and love me some Brett!

Such the chef!

2010-10-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so no running post...as promised I will post full re-caps soon. I somehow got talked into running 27ish miles on Tuesday...which was NOT the plan originally. So after I bang out a 50k run tomorrow, and 10 on Monday morning Faye and I are running Westridge to Temescal and back on Tuesday. Being that I am continually surrounded by crazies many have offered to help in this nonsense~Jimmy you are such an instigator!! Oh well I love it, and am game for whatever my looped out ultra running friends drag me into! I made her pinky swear we would do 50% of it hiking as I have a very important 50k next saturday that i want to rip to shreds!!

So on with my post! I LOVE to cook~I mean LOVE!! I am an absolute self proclaimed health nut!!! Nothing processed(diet foods oh god don't get me started), nothing artificial, and nothing fake goes in my body 98% of the time. I truly enjoy making sauces and dishes form scratch, and after a long day of trail running I love nothing more than coming home and making yummy food!

I got home from taking Paul to the airport just a bit ago(he is leaving for 4 weeks to go god knows where for work..Colorado, Seatlle,blah,blah..), and decided I wanted to make a foodie feast! I walked the dogs, fed them, did some laundry, dropped Tyler off at the movies, took 15 recover-eas(hope I don't die!?!), and cooked to my heart's content! I love "good" for you grains like Quinoa, Amaranth, Millet, and Teff. I use all of these in my cooking, and mostly make tons of different stir-fry's, ect. I make all of my sauces from scratch, and tonight I made an amazing pine nut pesto! Everything I use(herbs) I get from my garden, and all my veggies I by at my local organic farm. I decided to stir-fry up some bell peppers, mushrooms, kale, and asparagus. I then added my homemade pesto, some fresh chopped garlic, a little of my homemade spaghetti sauce(i keep it jarred), and then some Quinoa. I stirred it all together, and then added some black beluga lentils(total superfood), and I had a few meals for the next few days!! It turned out sooooo yummy!! I love cooking like this because I break it up into 3-4 meals, and it's just super easy to have on hand, and delicious.

I have to admit I am totally obsessed with Ultra Running, eating healthy, and just being an athlete. I love everything about this lifestyle, and I will never live any other way! Now if I could just find someone as crazy as me to enjoy this lifestyle with, and all would end well! hehe..

Have a happy Sunday all! I will be out enjoying the trails all day tomorrow! My friend Andrew keeps texting me telling me all about Chris' win at Kona! He smoked the marathon in 244, and that was coming off a 25mph bike ride! That guy is not human!! I am like, "I know I have been following!" Love amazing athletes! Andrew keeps swaring he is getting me on this new bike he bought me, and I am gonna do an ironman~oh lord why can't I just have normal friends!?! LOVE IT!!!!

Today is/was such a great day in all thats been going on. I truly have moved to a way better place then where I was at just a few days ago, and everything my friend Eric has been telling me about life, and moving on is so true! Time is such a healer, and sometimes we all just need a little time to get to all the right places in life. The last two weeks of my life have been a test, but with time comes healing, and today I am on that path no doubt~sieze the day my friends as we are only here on this planet once!

Pearl Izumi

2010-10-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am all about Pearl Izumi right now. I ran this week in a great skirt from them, and the coolest thing of all is it was super comfy. Like really comfy~and it looked wicked cute. For me function that can meet fashion is a huge bonus so I wanted to take a minute and give it a plug. http://shop.pearlizumi.com

I plan on running my Los Pinos 50k course(http://lospinos50k.com) in it tomorrow, and then I have a pair of their shorts I am gonna run in on Sunday when I go up to run my Leona divide 50k course(http://leona5050.com). So far I love Pearl Izumi's products!!

Full re-caps of all my crazy runs with my peeps this weekend coming soon! I think next week I better take it easy and do some hiking before Diablo 50k! I fly out Thursday for the race as I plan on hanging out with some Nor-Cal ultra running friends, and then race is saturday! Hope to kill it, but we'll see~been extremely stressed this past week, and not sure if it will have a toll!

Have a great night all! Must get all my crap ready for tomorrow, and get to bed! ha!