Eagle River, Alaska


"One can never consent to creep - When one feels the impulse to soar". Helen Keller

White-out Willy - Susitna 100

Meet Bill. I think he might be the next DK. (just kidding Dean.) Quoting the Press Democrat, writer Bob Padecky calls Bill the ultra-mega-mondo-extreme endurance athlete. Yes, I do think he has got that right. Bill attempted the very difficult Susitna 100 last weekend in blizzard conditions pulling a 40 lb. sled. It was the nastiest conditions in the history of the race. Bill's magic ran out at mile 68 after 34 hours. The wizard of blizzard was done. He will be back next year to finish this race. He has some unfinished business to take care of. You can read the article here.

Another pic on the Hardrock 100 course. I think this must be the most beautiful place to run anywhere. I just hope that I can experience that run in some capacity again.

"The people that I have met are not foolish; they are aware of how tired and cold and hungry and frightened and hurting and discouraged and disoriented and how possibly injured they will become. They know they will face great physical, mental, emotional, and possibly spiritual challenges as they make their way to the finish. This is what they are racing against. This is their challenge. This is what I admire." Carolyn Erdman

I have had a few descent runs this last week. It has been a trying week as I have had the flu and have been filled up with chunks of lung butter the size of church mice! Yuck! I think I am on the road to recovery and so that means that I really have to get serious about my training. Today, Karen and I discovered a new trail that went down and down and down.... and then we turned around because we were not really prepared for a LONG run. The climb back up was hard. It felt good, though, to push past the cob webs in my head and breathe the clean cool air.
I am excited about getting some new shoes. The Brooks Adrenaline trail shoe is my shoe of choice right now. Have a great weekend!

Run For The Hills

Running hills is a great way to increase your endurance. If you actually practice running hills, not only will the uphill battle seem like less of a battle, but your speed on the flats will increase as well. Here are a few tips to make hill work seem less daunting, but still useful.

When making a route, include at least five hills that are about 200 yards.

If you are new to hills, don't focus on your pace, but your breathing. Try to keep your breathing effort the same on the incline as it is when you are running on the flats.

When you are more acclimated to hills try running with as little disruption to your running rhythm as possible. Try to keep your pace up, and the increase in endurance and speed will follow.

If your focus is to increase your strength, try lifting your knees and pushing off hard with every step and focus on the vertical motion of climbing the hill. This will increase both your stride length and the range of motion in your hips. This difference you will definitely feel on the flats. By FitSugar

Feeling less than perky

I woke up the other day with the feeling that I was getting sick. Yesterday, I KNEW I was sick. I am so bummed out because I had a long run planned and I was looking so forward to it. I've decided to stay home and rest. Matt and I will probably go for a short easy run if I am feeling up to it, so that will be good. My training has been less than okay, that is for sure. I have not been able to get in any long runs and that has been frustrating. I guess the most important thing is to get better so that I can do some long runs.
Recently, I came across the greatest blog. If you love animals, you will love this blog. It is about a woman raising a coyote. I just love that coyote and I have never seen him. Years ago, when I lived on a ranch on top of a mountain, the coyotes were plentiful. They came down to our house frequently and played with our dogs. It was always so special to see them. Hearing them cry and howl on night runs always warms my heart.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend. Here in Santa Rosa the weather has been incredible. It's amazing how the sun and warmth on your back can make a run so much more enjoyable. I hope that the sun warms your back this weekend. Enjoy yourselves and run a long one for me!

Poetry In Motion

This is a really inspiring video. I happen to love horses but I think everyone will enjoy this. This is an example of poetry in motion. Both the horse and rider are so talented. You can see that they both love competing. Wow!!

Calling all Plastic Surgeons!! STAT

"Life is a great and wonderous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here and right now. Don't miss it." Leo Buscaglia

I think I will walk to the Hospital tomorrow morning. That will force me out the door with plenty of time to spare. I start work at 6:00 and it is just sooo early! I am sure I will feel refreshed and ready to rock and roll by the time the first patients are there. If nothing else, I will have rosy cheeks and a smile on my face. Have a great sleep, my friends.

Oh, I just got a call from my brother. You will just crack up about this. At least I did.... After my last post on growing older, this conversation I had with my brother just did me in. He called to tell me that their friends were driving down south for the weekend with their 3 kids and watching Kermit the Frog on DVD in their car. Suddenly, their three year old twin girls started yelling, "that's Chelsea's Mom on TV!!" Apparently, Florence Henderson (the Brady Bunch's Mom), was a guest on the show. They thought that she was me!! Do I have permission to shoot myself or maybe I better sprint to work tomorrow instead of walking. I think I will also make an appointment with a Plastic Surgeon. Maybe a face lift is what I need more than strong legs. I hope you all feel better now that I have been totally insulted. I am going to moisturize my face and neck and brush my hair 100 strokes. So there!

Growing Old Gracefully

I have been thinking about aging and how that can and will affect me in the future. It is not a pleasant thought at all. I turn 50 in June and that makes me kinda sad. I just recently broke down and started on a hormone replacement because my "power surges" were really getting bad. I truly was desperate. I have agreed to give it a go and see how it works for me.
One of the big issues for women as they age is heart disease;estrogen appears to have a protective effect, and as the endogeneous production declines the risk of cardiovascular disease goes up. Exercising with cardiovascular health in mind is key as women age. Another important goal for postmenopausal training is bone density, which means incorporating load-bearing and if possible impact-based elements. Bones need to be loaded along their length, as in a squat, and ideally there is also some impact in moderate amounts.
As people age, their balance and overall mobility decline. It's essential to retain functional movement for daily life and prevent falls. A hip fracture in a 30 year old is horribly painful but not life-threatening; a hip fracture in a 75 year old can be a death sentence. The "use it or lose it" principle applies--the sooner you start, the better you retain it.
There is no reason why older women should accept immobility and fat gain. Sure, gravity gets the better of us all, but much of "normal" aging is simply disuse. One can stay relatively lean and fit at any age simply with careful nutrition and regular training.

Make working out a priority. It's right up there with food, shelter,subsistence income, basic hygiene and family. We all age and we all lose function. Staying fit is the only thing standing between me and certain decrepitude, so I take it very seriously. There is almost no situation that regular exercise doesn't improve.
2006 data shows that American women spend about 0.19 hours a day on exercise and sports, but between 2.2 and 2.7 hours a day on watching TV. So women are spending over 10 times more hours on TV than on their friends/family or themselves. There are 168 hours in a week. Let's say 50 are for paid employment, 5 for commuting, 56 for sleeping, 7 for grooming, 20 for domestic tasks like housecleaning and prepping meals. That's 138 hours. There are 30 hours left. Get moving.

Thank you to Krista for all this insightful information.

Aspire to inspire before you expire

Running Thoughts

"Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training. some not." George Sheehan

I wanted to tell you about this great tool that I got for Christmas. It is a wobble board and I swear that it is strengthening my bad ankle! I just love it.

Today, Karen and I did a hike up to Bald Mountain. It is a trail that I run on a few days a week. When I run, I am oblivious to everything around me. It's kinda sad. There is so much beauty out there, and we tend to just rush through our runs and miss so much. Today, Karen and I were lucky enough to see two Bobcats and another Mountain Lion. It's hard to believe that after all these years of riding and running in the mountains and hoping to spot a mountain lion, it has finally happened. TWICE. Amazing. Trail running has opened up so many opportunities for me to see some beautiful trails and some incredible animals. I feel really lucky.

Tomorrow is a 20 miler and the forecast calls for RAIN. Get out there and get yourselves a good workout in. Super Bowl is Sunday and you want to be able to eat and drink without feeling guilty. I personally don't watch the game, but I sit with everyone and eat and pretend to watch. Sooooooo..... I guess I should run Sunday morning also, before the big EAT begins. Happy Running.