Happy Happy Girl!!

Running on my new Sean O'Brien 50M course 

In Idyllwild


Since my drop @ Kodiak due to that nasty cold I had things have been really awesome for me. Its almost hard to put into words, but I most certainly will do my best. I got better, and then not to long after spent the entire day a few weeks back with one of my best friends on the planet Jimmy Dean Freeman. We actually ran the entire 50k course for my new race(in placement of Ray Miller) the "Sean O'Brien 5050"... below is a link to the new race so you can check out all we have going on. I am so super pumped about this race. Like crazy bat shit off the walls excited. I like that I make shit happen. I don't sit back and wait for life to pass me by. I simply get shit done, and change people's lives in the process. Ok I am done sounding arrogant. I am very far from that actually. Just having a moment; my sincere apologies. Link: http://sob5050.com 

I also got to finally chat with USFS about the new Leona Divide course, and I am super excited to announce that the new trails and sections of the PCT that I want to use we actually will be able to come 2014 race time. This will be an easier course, but I actually think its pretty darn cool that runners will get to run on a brand new course. Hey who does not love new trails! Jesse and I will be out there for the entire weekend in mid December to run, map, and garmin the new 50 mile course with our friend Karl (Karl is also the same friend that created all the courses for Leona Valley Trail Races). Yippie! 

OK so tackled the courses being burned by fires. How about we DON'T have anymore fires on my race courses pretty please Mother Nature. I am sure many RD's here in Southern Ca can share my pain. Please, please no more icky fires this season. :-)

So then a little while back I started running every morning with my dear friend Michelle Barton. She is most definitely my soul sista of the trails. We have shared endless amounts of hours and years playing together on the trails, and we have been having so much fun!! Its funny but we both said to each other, "why have we not been running together all this time??".... I love Michelle with all my heart. She truly is one of the people that will always have a special place in my heart. We will always be friends. The best part about running with her is that she pushes me, and I need that. I tend to run and log lots and lots of miles. I get lazy, run slow, and it does not help my performance. Its good to change it up, and get good turn over. A 12 mile sunrise trail run with Michelle is like a big dose of crack before I am even awake! I show up half asleep, and we just blast off. We also never stop chatting the entire time. We just laugh, and laugh, and I do my best to stay with her. It is so much fun, and we have gotten into this great routine. I truly am so blessed for her awesome friendship. Friends can come and go, but the true ones..the best ones stay for ever. I love you Michelle!!! 

All this running and having fun has set a deep deep desire in me for adventure. That has been a huge change for me lately. All I wanna do now is fun adventures. I honestly have zero desire to race anymore. I wanna just go for super long adventures on the weekends, and see where my feet can take me! I am sure that will change, and I am still planning on doing Chimera 100 in the next couple weeks. Jesse and I did Cactus to Cloud this past weekend, and that was insane!! We had intended to do the 8,000 meter challenge (which means to summit the three highest Southern Ca peaks in one day), but it had snowed, and the conditions were not the best for doing so. Below is a pretty funny video of me sliding down the Marion Mountain Trail though. OMG so fun!! Some pictures of us doing the Cactus to Clouds route are below also. We were not able to do the 37 mile round trip run as it was getting late, and we had been on our feet for hours already trying to Summit Mt.San Jacinto from Marion Mtn first. Not so smart! Gonna try the C2C2C again maybe the weekend of Nov 2nd...it has over 8,000 feet of vertical in 10 miles right off the bat so I am excited, but scared! Bring it! 
  Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202289961477387&l=3350055887259731806

So in a nutshell life has been really super awesome. I know I say this time and time again but for the most part it's because I get to spend my life with the most amazing man on this planet. He is my best friend, my partner in crime, and my true soul mate. I cannot imagine one single minute of my life without this man. He is loyal, kind, honest, and has so much integrity. He also happens to be pretty damn gorgeous! I am so blessed for him. He truly makes my life so complete. I cannot even imagine if I would have stayed where I was many years ago. I am so glad I have learned to live my life not out of fear but truly out of confidence. One of the best lessons I have learned in life is you never regret the shots you take, but you always regret those shots you didn't take. I feel so lucky that I took the risks that needed to be taken in order to find true happiness. Anyone can pretend and convince themselves they are happy. That everything is great, and all is well with the person they have settled for. Life gets busy, and we shove emotions down. Remember this very important thing though. Eventually all those emotions and unhappiness you felt deep down inside from the very beginning will find there way to the surface again. It might take a few+ years, and you can keep on keeping on, but sooner the later it will hit you again. Sadly enough there you will be exactly where you were 10 years before, but older and more unhappy. Just how life rolls...and it always keeps rolling on. 

On,On,On my friends...and never stops! Do whatever it takes to find your happiness. You can do anything you set your mind to. You can change your life. Pain is temporary, but regret is forever. Stop watching life pass you by.... !! 

Kodiak 11 Mile Race

It's a wonderful world. You can't go backwards. You're always moving forward. It's the wonderful part about life. And that's terrific.
~ Harvey Fierstein 



This weekend I attempted to finish the Kodiak 100 mile race. Unfortunately my son had been sick last week, and by Thursday evening I was not feeling to hot. I figured I could just fight it off, and still run the race. By Friday morning I was pretty damn sick. I pumped all kinds of remedies and vitamins all day Friday, but by the 6pm Friday night start time I was riddled with a fever, and feeling pretty bad. I still toed the line, and hoped for the best. By mile 11 I knew it was not gonna be a race I could finish. I left the mile 11 aid station torn with what to do. My love Jesse gave me a kiss, and told me to be smart. I also was very lucky to have my dear friends Chris and Sharon Rodarte there helping with crew. I got about three miles out from the aid station, and stopped in my tracks. I was shivering in the night cold, and turned back to the aid station. It felt like it took me for ever to get back down the trail, but eventually I made it. I was so happy to still see my crew there, and quickly got myself in the warm car. 17 miles was enough for me that night, and I knew I had made the right decision. 

I have spent the last few days working on getting healthy, and I can say as for today I am finally feeling a bit better. Lots and lots of rest was the best medicine. I most certainly had not intended Chimera 100 mile to be my key race this season, but it looks like it has turned out to be just that. I also am going to add Twin peaks 50 mile into the mix this next month as I am all trained, and ready to run something! I am chomping at the bits now to do something with all this training! 

As far as the Kodiak Race itself I honestly didn't get to see enough of the race course and organization to give an honest opinion or recap. I can save the 17 miles I saw were very well marked, loved the pre race meeting and organization, and the course was gorgeous from what I saw. Unfortunately it got pitch dark just an hour 20 mins after I started. I definitely would not prefer a night time start. Running a 100 miles is hard enough! Not sure why Race Directors feel the need to make it harder. I prefer a normal 6am start time, but thats just me. So in awe of everyone who finished that race! Amazing. 


Looking forward to the next few months, and some great racing. I am itching to do something with all these miles I have logged! :)

Making it all work

Enjoying Steamboat Springs Colorado!


The best way to predict the future is to create it for yourself.

Its funny how time flies, and things change. Priorities, needs, and so on. They all change. Writing blog posts used to seem so important to me. I honestly looked at it like it was all part of my business, and getting the details up of what is going on in my personal life for people to read seemed so important to me. I now know its not. It does not mean that I don't love to inspire, and encourage, but in general a blog post is not something that matters to me anymore. My life has changed in the last year, and shifted a bit in some different directions, and I believe its all for the best. I believe we should always trust the path. Life will lead you where you are supposed to go weather we want it to or not. I also believe things will work out for the best if along that path you make good financial decisions, stay true to your heart, never settle for anything but what you want, and live a frugal and humble life. Things get icky and out of our control when we live above all those means or live someone else's idea of what life is supposed to be. To me it can be as simple as that. I also believe having a strong faith helps to :)

Jesse and I have a very strong base in our relationship that is something that holds us together like glue. We have an honor code to each other to never live above our means. We simply don't spend money we don't have. I am writing about this as I can think of about 40 people off hand that I know of that need to read this, and hear my advice. Stop spending money you don't have. Stop buying crap you don't need. Stop going places you cannot afford to go to. Stop eating out every meal, and stop flushing money down the toilet. I hear time and time again people stressed about money, broke, and just trying to make ends meet month to month. In the last three months Jesse and I have traveled all over the West coast, taken handfuls of vacations, and never once did we use a credit cards or go somewhere we didn't have the money for. Stop for a minute and look at your checking account. Could you write a 1,000$ check if you had a life emergency? Seems like a random amount to pull up, but still ask yourself that. The rule of thumb should be about a 500$ base always sitting in your account. If something were to happen you should be prepared.

I believe people have lost the value in real relationships. Jesse and I rarely  go out. Yes we always have people over, and definitely entertain. But that is the key. We do not need to pay someone else (re-a restaurant ) to entertain us. I also refuse to pay 15$ for a glass of wine when I can buy that same entire bottle for 15$ at Trader Joe's. Heres an idea, and I promise it will change your life. Have date nights at home. Cook yummy food, hang out with your kids, and make your dining room table a night out. I would guess we save about 700-800$ a month by not going out. Yes you read that correctly. Sit down and give this some thought. Now tally all your receipts form every meal you eat out. Even w/out fancy dinners I would guarantee its around 700$. Total I spend in groceries every month to feed my entire family, and entertain friends a few nights a month is 650$, and I am feeding a teenage boy! Imagine if tacked onto that was an additional 800$. Thats two car payments folks. Better said is that is money that could go straight into your savings. I promise it can be just as fun at home, and you will gain value in your relationships. Kids tend to hang out at the table longer, and chat. Its just the facts, and will change things dramatically in your household. Heres the bigger eye opener. Anywhere you go to eat I guarantee the sodium levels are ten times more than your body should consume in an entire week. Sodium=BAD. Cook at home. Eat healthy foods. Save lots of money.

Second stop shopping. I have not been in a mall or bought a single new item of clothing in a solid two years. Guess what? I am perfectly ok. I have more clothes in my closet than I know what to do with. They key is keeping things organized, and sorted. If you have crap piled onto crap, and not a fluid clean organized system you will never see all the things you have. The average american woman spends 500$ a month on new clothes. Thats medical and car insurance payments. Imagine if you were not doing that every month. Take the time to go through your closet, and get rid of stuff you don't need, and organize your life. Sort it by day wear, night wear, and dress up or office casual stuff. Learn to buy one or two new pieces a year to mix in with all the hundreds of pieces you already have, and this will save you over 5,000$ a year. Put it away into something that 20 years from now you can live off of. I promise when you are 60 you will want to travel more than you do now. Don't live your life so when you get older you are still stressed about money. Stop buying crap you don't need. It's only clothes. It just does not matter. I promise.

Buy a vehicle you can afford. If you are making less than 40,000 a year you cannot afford a car that is more than 25,000$. Yep you read that correctly. You are driving around a car so other people will think you have more money than you do, but in reality you are struggling every month to pay for that brand new car. Buy a simple, small, affordable car, and then pay it off in two-three years. Take very good care of it. Change the oil regularly, and then keep driving it until you turn the engine. Then its time to buy a new car. If you do not even have the credit to buy a car then that means your car should be a nice small used 4-5,000$ little beater until you get your finances in order.

If you cannot pay cash for it you cannot afford it. Stop using credit cards. Stop. The average american household carries 40,000$ in debt. Oh.My.God. Stop spending money. Its actually not even money. Its a plastic card, and that 50$ dinner is actually 65$ because of interest. Cut them up. Pay them off. No matter how long it takes. If you cannot pay cash for it you cannot afford it, and you don't need it. We all have a little debt. That is perfectly ok, but if your debt exceeds 7,000$ you need to get yourself in check. Spend a couple hundred bucks, and see a money planner or financial planner, and have them help you get yourself out of debt. It might take 10 years, but who cares. Get it done now. When your 50 you will thank me.

For every 100$ you spend save 5$. Every single time you spend 100$ take 5$ and put it in an envelope. Every six months put that money in a savings account. Every couple years have your financial planner invest it the right way for you. 30 years from now you will thank me. Simple, and easy. Plan for your future. If you are 35 and you have not started saving for the future you should probably start.

Last, but not least stop buying all those expensive grooming products. The best anti aging hydration syrum on earth? Raw coconut oil. I use it on my face every night. On my elbows, knees, and so on. Next in line would be Jojoba Oil. Both are very cheap, you only need small amounts, and it will last for ever. Get rid of your 100$ bottle of moisturizer. Its all lies and marketing. Hair products. Stop buying expensive brands. A good conditioner is key, but otherwise a shampoo is all the same. Buy a inexpensive shampoo from Trader Joe's, and spend the extra money on a good conditioner. Conditioners last for ever,a nd if you add a small tiny amount of jojoba oil to the routine it will last even longer, and your hair will be super healthy.

Live within your means. Plan a bit for your future. Life is a gift. Stop stressing about money, and stop spending money you do not have.