All's alright with my world.

I need running. I need running because it is me, my sanity, my life. I need moving forward, no matter speed, terrain, surface. I have preferences, but at the end of the day, as long as point A is different from point B, I feel that I am not stagnating, not staying in place. Most likely I would have been a better runner if I practiced my intervals in a controlled environment on a treadmill (so that the heat and humidity wouldn't skew the outcome), as well as extended my hill repeats from 0.7M (longest we have in Austin) to 2-3M (what I used to do back in the Gorge and what I need to the races I prefer to go to). I do, at times. But for the "me" part - I just keep on moving, meditating as I go, thinking, contemplating...That's why I ran through each and every one of my injuries during my 10 years in the sport (do not do what I do, bad example). If I can't run, I walk rather than run in the pool or crosstrain. I believe 2 full weeks is the longest break I took off from "moving forward under my own power on a surface with gravity", ever.

Ever noticed how the more I run, the more I post? Running helps me sort things in my head, because I can't physically "do" anything else besides putting one foot in front of another. So, eventually, the white noises disappear, and things align. It helps me face the life's challenges, the "gifts" that get thrown at me, the crazy news, and the even crazier "no changes on that front". Then, I need to spit it out on a paper/computer, as soon as possible, don't care for the outcome. As I punch two fingers into keyboard, those aligned things begin to make sense. I click the "post", then read - only after I post. And more sense and clarity comes. Often to the point of "what was I thinking?".

I need goals. I also need a purpose behind each goal, why and when. Like they taught us at the seminar for trouble teens parents: Goals have to be SMART - and even SMARTER. That's why I sign up for events and make a schedule. Some folks are of creative nature, they operate much better in a free spirit sort of things - which I love, that free spirit thing - and more power to them. Structure feels safe to me. We can all become psychologists and find a reason some of us feel safer under certain circumstances while others in different, but for me, that's what works. Although I always need to evaluate and figure out why.

I need friends. Real friends, folks who don't sugar-coat things, say it as is, call me out on being a wuss, and make me real when I pretend. They help me to overcome being scared. To see clear my own potential. To re-evaluate my goals and reasons. They are just there. Not for "everybody deserves a trophy" (everyone does), but for "what the heck, snap out of being a whiny baby, a day of a break down is enough" (everyone entitles for a day of being low here and there).

I don't care about judges decision on whether or not my fat level and muscle size is where they'd like it to be. I care about where I can get it to, just for kicks. I care that I don't stop half-way. I don't give up. It's OK to stop when something becomes useless, but if one can find a reason for reaching out to something, if stopping makes one feel uncomfortable - then don't stop, even if the end result is silly, stupid, artificial, not reasonable to maintain long term and not needed by anyone but you. A week ago, when I changed the blog format, I added a couple of quotes to the right side bar. You may have not paid attention. Here they are.

"Above all, challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish." Cecile M. Springer

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." M. Scott Peck

My world is back to normal. For sanity, I need to run, to pick a running goal, and to go for it. So, I did. For sanity, just as well, I need to make sure I don't back away from where I set out to get beforehand. I am one who had seen this life from bad to worst. I am one who believes in myself to emerge on the other side, always. Buckle up, I am going for both goals now.

I ran 59 miles last week, and 65 miles this week. These are the biggest training weeks for me this year, imagine that. 246 miles for the month of July, crazy nuts, most this year as well! (yes, I count Colorado miles in). I won't keep at it, but I can figure out how to fit it all in and not sabotage anything in my life - neither figure show, nor 100M race on a calendar, nor my work and family. It is possible. It is done by many, many people. No excuses. No judges. Just myself - and that mirror I have to look into when deciding how honest I am with myself.

Seems that I am always battling the same fight...this needs to stop. I have to get a grip.





1995-1997, 60 lbs and 12% body fat difference, took 2.5 years to get there, maintained for 4.5 years.



1 year span, from 3 weeks after my DNF at Tahoe 100 last July to 7/23/11, 20lbs and 10% body fat difference.

So, go ahead, laugh. Because I went for a run today, the "longer" one. I made it through 17 trail miles, and I allowed myself to not worry about pace (took my watch off). I wandered, I thought, I smiled. (For those who read iRunfar's post on fueling, and Ultralist's explosion on "bonk runs", I didn't eat beforehand - a cup of coffee is a must though, and I decided to forgo a gel I carried. I drunk 4x20oz bottles of water. I also noticed that after my last Sunday's excursion "under the sun" the heat wave of 105F we had in Austin didn't bother me at all, and today I was almost "chilled" at 80F at the start, despite 88% humidity.) I ran into friends. I listened to music. I picked races to throw into the rest of this year, and gave some thought of what I want to accomplish next year. I don't think I have many years left of competing, or running at somewhat higher level - not because I think I will fall apart, but because my priorities shift with age, and my training depends on where those priorities are. What I do intend is to still keep making goals - and to going after them. May be it means I will downsize to 50M races, and may be I'll race fewer times in a year or few. But I want to be fit, set example, be healthy, and keep exploring. I want everyone to believe they can get anywhere they set their minds to be at. I want to teach my children to never give up, and work harder when the going gets tough. I want to keep believing in myself, and to be content with every decision I make. I want to make sure my mental state allows me to make people who matter the most to me - happy. To give them love. To give them confidence to spread their wings. To know that we each are power - and together we will make anything happen.



Goal or Purpose?

Goal - a desired result a person envisions, plans and commits to achieve... within a finite time by setting deadlines.
Purpose  - is a result, end, mean, aim, or goal of an action intentionally undertaken, whether or not the purpose was a primary or secondary effect.

Are these items the same, similar, or have different meaning? My vocabulary gets overwhelmed, because somewhere deep inside I see things as they feel and not described by words, yet along being translated from one language to another. Goal is the end result, but purpose is the reason...

Somewhere back in the Spring I had thought of a plan for my built-in summer break from running, yet keeping myself in shape and motivated, by getting trained for a Figure Show, the way my one girlfriend did it for a couple of her off-season stints. She succeeded by far and hugely. It is a great and worthy goal, it is challenging in terms of hard training - and surely comfort level, it coincided with my following the path of Paleo (as I can fit into family life) weight loss along with "run a bit less and do other things to keep myself fit and healthy", and I received a gift from my father for a sum of money I could spend on things not budgeted. So, I spent big part of it on a couple of Personal Trainers and got on a program (being injured kept me super-motivated to stick to the diet and routine).

For 2 months (sans 10 days vacation in San Juan mountains, although the eating plan was followed pretty closely to "must do") I stuck with it. Last 2 weeks I started running...I missed it, I loved it, and, to my relief and what I thought anyway, the scale budged even more. My body changed. My fat dropped from 19% on May 30th to below 13% in these 2 months (10 days of which was spent not training precisely) - 6% difference (more measuring coming on Tuesday), while weight as a number lowered by only 5 lbs (building muscle is one of the goals on the path). I had never being that low in body fat in my life. The clothes are falling off, and I do enjoy looking in the mirror (so much that I actually do look into it as opposed to more normal to me not even glancing in). I am well within reach...

And then we had to start practicing posing, and thinking about swimsuits and high heels. And the wheels came off. This is not me. I don't wear heels. I own a pair of shoes with 2 inches heel on which I can only walk to the car and back - 5 inches heel seems unimaginable. I like the fact that at almost 42 I look fit, but wearing swimsuit that leaves nothing to imagination scares me breathless (and I am from Europe, so shame/shyness/prude is not something I practice on regular basis). And being judged by a bunch of strangers on the way I spread my shoulders - not on the way how far I had come, the size of my muscle, or any other measurable result of hard work - is just not my nature, very scary and uncomfortable (and I suck at posing). And then - there is that part of more money. I paid for 3 months. Due to schedule changes, the show that originally was supposed to be September 3rd, moved to October 1st. Extra month of trainers. Cost of suit and shoes. Show fees. Tan spray and professional make up. Hotel stay...I can't justify it, neither to me, nor to my family (even if they are always on board if I am happy). But this is where the caveat is. I am not happy. I am not happy because I started running, which brings me joy, and I have to still fit in all those "other" things, and while I could swing it all last 2 weeks with great results, those were last 2 weeks I had no Stephen home and could feel less responsible for doing (or not) other things - and yet still feeling guilty. I am very traditional when it comes to a gender role in a family. Not doing all of my "duties" to the extend I feel I have to (I am my own worst judge) throws me bonkers. I have a full time job, which with all this double-training had become even less enjoyable and somewhat less productive (surprised I had good results despite not putting my soul in it), and I have a part-time business. I am only human, and run only on 24 hr a day (6 of which I try to sleep, somehow, if I can squeeze in that many)...I am tired, and I am simply bored, having a goal that does not thrill me. Nothing's wrong with weight training - I had been doing it even longer than running. Only with weight training as a single mean in its end for me.

A couple of weeks ago one friend of mine had a little bit of a breakdown while deciding a very important (to this friend) religious matter. I am not religious by any means, and surely not the same as my friend is. I wasn't giving advice. I was simply contemplating while listening to a story. "If you are not sure of your reasons now, then don't" I said. How true. Apparently, this helped my friend the most.

We need to know the reasons, and to be content within our hearts. We don't do things to impress others or prove anything to anyone. What matters is what makes you feel right - and those around you happy, for you and with you. Sometimes I need to listen to my own advice:)

I still have a month to go that is paid for. I will give it all I have, just as I always do. Shh, don't tell my trainers, I want them to continue kicking my ass every time to see just how far I can get. I learned a great deal about food and my body reacting to certain types of it. I acquired a huge knowledge of body building (far superior than when got certified as a personal trainer myself, ha!). I will chuck this experience as a very necessary for me at that stage of my life. I will use it for life. And then I will move on to the things that excite me to no end - like dreaming about my next mountain race, visiting friends, serving fresh dinner and sharing it with family (although not eating grains, but at least sitting down together), spending money when budgeting trips away (away from Texas heat, from work, from every-day life...), and using all this information to keep my body to as close of a shape as where I am now (or will be in another 4 weeks) - that'd be a REAL challenge. Now that I know everything is possible, I'll take it as a purpose for my journey, while a goal...well, consider I am about to fail the end result. Stage freight is my enemy, always had been. If the goal was to "show off" - bummer. If the purpose behind that goal was to get in best possible shape - I am on cloud 9. I may still change my mind, I am entitled, and I reserve the right to retract any statement:) Occasionally, I give up on things, in order to gain perspective on what's important.

...or inspiring.

Like this one.
Or this.
A woman who is set to beat an overall AT trhough-hike record. Almost there now.

And a woman who had just finished completely self-supported crossing of Death Valley.

Occasionally, I move on ahead, for myself.

Who turned on the oven?!?

I don't know about you, but when I just learned about ultras, there were 2 I heard of as ultimate goals - Western States and Badwater. My first year of venturing into the distance I took family for a CA 2-week vacation road trip, and we, of course, visited (and took pictures at, and hiked/ran parts of) both courses. That was also the year I realized my love for trails, as well as my potential as a much better trail runner than a road runner - and Badwater, with its pavement, 130F, desert views, and $4,000 on average to spend to make the race happen, was gone as if it never existed.

I really dislike heat. Heat and humidity. I can make do with 90F of thin dry air in the mountains, but that's about it. Last year I got burnt on running simply because it was mid-July, and "hot running" already lasted for us here, in Austin, for 3.5 months at this point. This year I planned a break, with a different agenda inside the summer to keep me occupied.

But, apparently, I love running. You know how I often claim I am not a runner, I love mountains and single-track trails, and vast views, and green trees, and I can do whatever as long as I am out there...yup, all that, and I love running. Guilty as charged. So, despite having a written plan for that silly body show of mine where it says "walk on TM on incline 3.5% at 3.5mph" (honestly, I can easily fall asleep at this pace/grade combination), I figured I need to run. Besides, I am feeling rather fat and can NOT for the life of me loose that lower belly pouch! I mean, ok, I discovered, finally, after browsing all those body-show-related websites, that when they say "3 oz chicken breast and 4 oz broccoli", they mean exactly that, not "3 oz chicken breast lunch meat and some tomato, pepper, lettuce and hot sauce". I better buckle up, otherwise all that money so far spent on personal trainers are wasted (that's not to be grateful that my body had changed drastically, thanks to them, and my muscle mass grew while my fat percentage dropped). Anyhow, I believe those "walk on TM..." routines are for regular body-builders who's bodies are not used to be burning calories during serious aerobic (and sometimes anaerobic) activities.

You read me right. I have designed my own running training inside this body-building training. Step by step. 3 miles here, 5 miles there. Intervals on the track (yay, me, made through 'em all, even though had to talk myself into each and every one of them on Thursday!). Power-walks home from work (just to squeeze my miles into a week). And - the ("longer") trail run...

Today is Larry's birthday. My boy is so big now:) He has been on his own quest to drop some, gain some, better some - and had been awesomely successful (under a watchful eye of yours truly...telling you, being part of my family is a hard work, it basically sucks!). He had a choice on when he is doing his long run, and when I will be getting out (we have Harrison this month, and so need to alternate days for training out of the house). He chose today, his birthday, as a morning to get out, and I could sleep in. It kind of messed me up - I am a morning person (my alarm is set at 4:45 am, and 4:30 am on Fridays). His mom is in town. They left for lunch. I started walking to the gym at our apartment complex...

And suddenly I was missing the trails. Let me tell you, it is 1 pm. I live in Texas. It is 102F, 40% humidity, and heat index 105F. I thought - piece of cake. Turned around, put trail shoes on, picked a second bottle, texted Larry I am off for a 10M loop, and hit the trailhead (in the middle of our apartment complex, yes, we are lucky bustards to live like that, that's why we are not buying no houses now). I gave myself to complete by 3 pm.

The sun and heat zapped the energy in about 10 minutes. I figured, I am not in a particular hurry, I just need to keep moving. I was sucking on my bottle like crazy, and soon was trying to decide whether I should shorten the loop down to 7M. I figured I'll make that decision when come to the intersection where that extra-3M adds on depending on how my water supply is doing.

So, I am moving along. Slowly, half-walking. Whatever, still beats staying home, or eating Mexican food (not my personal food choice on a good day, yet along when I am on some crazy diet). Music is in my ears, step, step, sip, sip. My throat is dry with every inhale when my mouth is open. I am thinking - wow, that's what must it feel like, Badwater (somewhere before sunrise, may I add). Few more steps. Not a single soul, not animal, not even spider. No crazy critters or snakes. Only idiots. Only I. Uphill. 0.7M of making a small decision on each step: do I lift my leg up this ledge, or take a breath first? Sweat pours into my eyes - I forgot I need a bandana when running in Texas summer. I can't see where in the world I am stepping to. I start thinking it was a really bad idea, and I shall not take the add-on. I feel guilty about this downgrading of a run, but smart.

Hill is over, road levels off, and I kind of run in bursts, and not even sip on my bottle. Which propels me past the intersection...I am bound to make it all 10. Oh, joy...at least there is some shade on this loop-end. Mind you, "shade" in Texan is not something most of you (unless you live in Texas or Arizona) imagine. Shade is produced by somewhat taller than you something what locals call "trees" yet look more like shrubs to me, and the leaves are sparse, so it's mostly just branches, thus the "shade" provided is like a spider-web see-through worn-out old knitted scarf. You still are going to love every inch of it. And when the wind comes - it is something of a breeze that potentially can shake a baby-bird's feather if it tries - you pray to Gods. And, I had a cloud on the sky - all of for 63 seconds, you bet I timed it! And you are grateful for it too!

Not soon enough to die, but enough to hate my life, the additional loop was over, and I thought "It's all downhill from here". So, I run, and my body begs me to take a walk break. I say - hell with you, in the next 5 minutes there will be a little incline, you can walk there! Body tries and complies...but 3 minutes later gives up, in hot sweat and cold shivers. So, I walk, dizzy, and by now out of water. Great. I didn't take my cell phone, otherwise the only idea I have is to call Larry and ask for a icy-cold water bottle. That, and a helicopter ride.

Eventually, the "big loop" is over too, and I have 1 mile to go. You want to know how hot it was? Under the highway bridge, at the edge of the park, with 1 mile to go, there is a Ranger's truck, and in the back of it a familiar sight of an orange 10 gallon water cooler - and I am not sure if I am hallucinating or is it true. On the side of a cooler there is a pasted-on note "FREE". If I tell you that ranger saved my life, it would probably be exaggeration, but it was pretty darn close. I think I was about to have a heat stroke. I fill my water bottle and not even 5 steps away drink half of it. I think about turning back - but figure it'd be unfair to other idiots who decided to go for a walk on that day, at that time. So, I suck my bottle as I walk home...

This loop on a good day takes me close to 1:50 (with a PB of 1:40, and I could go on about how technical, rocky, and actually quite seriously hilly it is, but I'll leave you at that - I am proud of my 1:40). Today it felt like 2.5 hrs. When I touched the tree (a ritual I brought from Portland from my girl Gail), the timer said "1:56". I crawled home, sucked on a glass of ice-cold water, and reached for a trophy from the shelf I still have (one of 2 saved, all others dumped). I felt I really deserved it today.

You bet I am counting years, months, weeks and days till I leave Texas for good - no disrespect to Texas, Texans or trails, only the summer weather conditions.

In a meantime, if there will be a mid-July week I got nothing better to do, and someone will decide to donate me $4,000, I might just sign up for Badwater.

Please, never quote me on this. It's the heat stroke talking. I am gonna go get another tall glass of water now:)

Back to the grind!

This first week back was hard! Not only it had to be in Texas, where it's been over 100F for 31 days, and there are still 2 more months left at least to be there, it's been work, business, training - and no mountains! I even had to change my blog lay out to remind myself of my truest love - because only mountains don't promise to love you back, you don't even expect them to, but you love them still. I don't get the feeling I do when travel across ridges, climb steep, bust down, get into the dense woods or open vasts - anywhere else. I remember when I was freshly divorced and my girlfriend suggested dating website, she insisted I had to put "love moonlight walking on the beach", and I was like "really? I hate beach, and everything with walking next to or swimming in the water, unless it's a creek crossing high above tree line where I can refill my water bottle!". That said, I enjoy many other setting, but if I had it my way, no responsibilities attached, I'd be in a place near loads of trails leading up to high peaks:)

When I complained at my job that I am sore and tired after not doing anything for 10 days, my co-workers were surprised "What do you mean, "nothing"? You've been hiking and running in every picture!". Interesting to see reaction of a  normal human being after hanging out with insane people. What I meant was there was no structure, no effort, no weight training routine, no stretching...I planned to have some of it, but bottom line is, I was on vacation, and there was no way I was going to spoil it with trying to squeeze in push ups into a day in a room where I can hardly walk around our bed, or forgo a Majito (my new favorite drink!) - even if I only had it twice during all stay. I did adhere pretty well to the diet plan - for all of 5 days, and the second half was as close as I could get, with occasional rice dish (cooking meals from supermarket's packages is different then from scratch after visiting local veggie market store) or a Larabar. I even had a burrito, for which I paid the price of a huge belly (gluten!). Still, I managed to stay right around where I left off. But the weight workouts were hard when I came back! Sore and sore again. I also got on a track on Thursday - just to see where I am. This was my first real run test. We did the hiking, and while we ran some downhills in San Juans, there were here and there and rather effortless. Also, my stress fracture pain bothered me for the first few days, but then was gone (like, I would stop!), but the anterior tibialis tendinitis did hurt - and still does (funny how my tendon's injury linger longer than my bone's ailments). Also, while on Bear Creek trail, I kicked a rock into my right ankle bone, what produced a small hole and a large bruise - and that spot hurts still too. Anyhow, the track was a pure misery, and the times (I did 400's) were where I started this year, not where I finished. With Rim to Rim to Rim planned for October 22, I needed to do some running here. I went for a 10M trail loop this Sunday. At the worst part of the day where humidity (highest in early hours of the morning) meet the heat (worse as the day progresses) - 9 am. All I wanted was a continuing forward motion. I tried to run as much as I could, and more (albeit I walked the steeper longer hills, not that they can be compared to REAL hills), I felt aches in every muscle (from weight training) and ligament (from yoga), and the last couple of miles felt like the finishing part of a 100 miler. Man, I might be in great shape, but I am in a horrible shape for running! Time to revise the plan and add some maintenance...

Speaking of yoga, I've been back to faithful. My Bikarm studio is the best. I spoke to Amy, one of my favorite teachers at Yogagroove, about this and that, and she asked me to write down my path to the practise - and here is what I intend to send to them.

After gaining 40 lbs with the birth of my second child and shedding all of it and some more with gym visits, weight room, some 20 min cardio machines, exercise classes and such, I went and joined Martial Arts studio. Things were going great, although this being a full-contact style Kajukenbo, we got thrown onto the ground a few too many times. After attending one of the competitions, I returned with 2 herniated disks in my lower spine. The pain was growing worse. In October 2000 I quit the studio, and could barely bend over. My (then) husband had to help me put on and tie my shoes, I was in tears getting in and out of the car...PT, chiropractor, massage, spine injections...I was eventually scheduled for a surgery. Someone, in a meantime, recommended to try Bikram yoga. I had some regular Hatha yoga experience, so I went and stopped by Greenwich, CT, studio. Everything was weird, different. Nobody paid attention to me, and I was sweating. However, being type A personality, I loved the workload! So, I seeked a closer studio (I lived in The Bronx at the time) and found a newly opened Yoga-Spa studio in Westchester county. They practiced strictly Bikram, but at the time were not franchised yet. They were offering a great deal of discount for a longer stretch, but I told them I had a back surgery scheduled. They asked me to give them 3 months. I took my chances. 3 months later (only going 2-3 times a week) I was feeling much better and beginning to run around the block. In 5 months I ran my first 5k race and got hooked to this sport. But I never gave up my Bikram practice. I was coming, I was serious, and I was progressing, both in getting better, and getting healed. 3 years later, I had been running ultras, and practically pain free. Granted, it was a long haul, but eventually the disks got pushed back, the spine stretched out and gotten stronger, my back pain disappeared for good, and I never had to get a metal rode inside my body. I also never stopped coming to classes. In fact, by 2002 I was offered a teaching position at the studio, which I gladly accepted (no, I wasn't Bikram certified, but I did take a few weekends with his seminars, and YogaFit certification). I was teaching (or, leading classes, if you will) for over 18 months, until the day we packed the car and left for Portland, OR.

And that's my story. Now, 11 years later, I can say I am forever indebted to Bikram yoga, and I absolutely love it. I love the heat and humidity of the class setting (all 104F of it), love the fact the postures are same 26, even that the monologue had been and will always be the same. It gives me time to zone out - and tune in. To learn something new every time, despite years and hundreds of classes. It pushes me. I had a rather extended break when my running was high in miles (about 4 years of very few classes), and it shows. I am far away from where I was - and surely from where I can be, not to mention where the real yoga practitioners are. But I am coming to my classes, with an open mind, one day at a time.

Favorite shots and memories.

From Austin, TX at 100 feet to the top of
Kendal Mtn. at 13,000 in one day. Awesome!

Columbine lake trail - a gorgeous view and a joint
decision making. Together, we are a team.





Sweeping the course marking - wading into Green Mountains.

    Having met the storm at the top of a couple 13,000 feet peaks, with metal rods
       in hands, we spent few times squating and being "small" while waiting for hail
thunder and lightening to pass. Runners on the course had done it
 many more times, and for much longer periods...

Favorite gear - Drymax socks and La Sportiva Crosslites shoes.






The skies were angry that weekend...



Larry is making his way up the dangerous section
of Lajunta trail.



Near the top of Bonita peak, feeling at the top of the world
yet rather small and insignificant.





A great representation of the Bear Creek trail leading to Ouray.
3,000 feet drops and some footing that requires attention.

Bestest girl Beth Hall and I spent some quality time together,
what we both needed so much.
Too bad we live a whole width of the country apart.

Top of one of the peaks of Anvil Mountains - we had grand time together.

Love the combination of snow-covered mountains and high sun that brings heat down.



Hematite lake. Life is a celebration.
            The worries back home become not so serious when you think
         that each of us is but a speck of dust in this large Universe.
          We get born, we live, we die. This place stays unchanged...



And if you really want it, you can live YOUR life in any place,
under any circumstances:)

San Juans

I don't have enough words to describe 10 days Larry and I lived through in San Juans...and I don't think I need to. Although pictures don't do the justice to this magnificent place, they are still better than words.


This is the idea of a vacation many would agree is The Best. Having not gotten into Hardrock 100, we still didn't want to miss on being where the heart belongs to - the place, the race, the people. So, we spent a week hiking many a trails out of Silverton area (those that are NOT part of the race, to explore, to see, to love). The weather on day 3 (July 3rd) turned to the "interesting" with monsoon season moving in much earlier this year. The thunderstorms and lightening were chasing everyone down soon after noon for the rest of the day. This trend continued for the race weekend as well, even worse, following the runners as they made their way on the course. There was no relief, and many were caught at the top of the peaks, above 13,000 feet, soaked wet and in danger of been struck by lightening. Couple that with late snow this year and wet (more than usual) course conditions, the Hardrock claimed runners. Out of 140 starters 80 finished. They are my heroes...

We swept (picked up marking) from start to Maggies (mile 15~), and next day dismounted a new section that wasn't used. The thoughts went between "I am glad I am not in this year" to "I NEED to be here, and I WANT to be tested". It is not you against mountains, and not even you against the clock. It is you - and you. Some days you win. Some days you take a step back. This is life.
There is no better place to figure it out.

To all who was there - my heartfelt hugs.

I miss this place already.
Is it July 2012 yet?
 
PHOTOS