runventure

Buffalo’s Boulders

Buffalo’s Boulders; Finally Finding the Summit of Buffalo Mountain

Oh me, oh my. It has been far too long since I’ve had an opportunity to wander off into the wilderness simply because it was out there + waiting for me. Winter is finally here + the time suck that is a job is finally in full swing. I’m back to working 50-70 hours a week between both jobs. It’s really not that bad, but it is time consuming. Once I add in the time I spend commuting on the bus 4-5 days a week + the long hours of wintery darkness my window of opportunity to get outside has narrowed. A lot. Of course, this is all my own doing + it was fully expected, yet the reality check of how little time I have to roam after a summer dedicated to roaming it’s not an easy pill to swallow.

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runventure

Back To Running. Sort of.

Getting Back to Running. Sort of.

The last time I headed out on a non-injury-tester, non-race related run was…early September? Yea, that long ago. Since then I’ve run two time-based races with rather respectable finishes + wandered out onto mountain trails just for funsies, but nothing with any goal beyond “find happy” + survive. It feels a bit like my legs have forgotten how to run; they have definitely forgotten how to yearn for a sweaty, gasping run.

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friends + feelings

Creating Change

Creating Change; On My Terms

Life changes; always. It is these constant changes that keep us on our toes + hopefully loving the life we live. However, change is never easy. It doesn’t matter how much you claim to love change, it is never exceptionally easy. The essence of change itself brings a level of uncertainty + chaos into your life. How you cope with this newfound stress is what defines you as a person + determines how much you end up enjoying your own life. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself every time I’m forced to deal with another bout of change [something I claim to enjoy].

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runventure

Until Next Time // Big Dog Backyard Ultra

Until Next Time // Big Dog Backyard Ultra Race Thoughts

Not surprisingly, that last bit about the Big Dog Backyard Ultra ended with tears then somehow led “next time” talk. It’s crazy how quickly selective memories kicks in. After I called my race at 15 hours/62 miles I let my last caffeine pill’s affects soak out of my veins before heading back to Big Red to crash into my pillow for a few hours. My body was surprisingly awake [presumably thanks to caffeine we pumped into my body hoping it’d change my mood] but my legs were far less functional than I expected now that I’d let myself sit down. Crawling into the back of a pick up truck required far more effort than I care to admit…running was stupid. I hated running. I was never, ever going to run again + I was definitely never going to run a race as jacked up at Bigs. Never. Ever. Ever!

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runventure

Every 60 Minutes // Big Dog Backyard Ultra

Every 60 Minutes // Big Dog Backyard Ultra Race Recap

While dumping half a paycheck worth of diesel into Big Red, en route to Utah to volunteer at the Bear 100 [which was supposed to be my “A race” of the year], I impulsively tossed my name onto the waitlist for the Big Dog Backyard Ultra in Tennessee. Typing in my initials to sign away all liability + hitting “register” was weirdly exhilarating, even if it was only for the waitlist. For now.

Just after the Bear 100 racers took off from the start line I clicked through my inbox + hit “confirm” on my official Big Dog Backyard Ultra registration. *deep breath* Bigs is no “regular” ultra, it’s one of Laz’s races that was designed specifically to mess with your mind + force you to find your limits. I went out to Tennessee to crew the race two years ago when Jeremy + Johan battled it out to a tie at 49 hours. It was one helluva experience to crew — the atmosphere was awesome, Laz + his family were great hosts + it was incredible to witness the determination of runners hour after hour. Somehow that sounded fun enough to sign up for, with Jeremy jumping on board to crew because it gave him a chance to hang out with everyone he ran with a few years ago.

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friends + feelings

Growing Up. My Way.

If you had asked me 10 years ago what I anticipated my life to look like by the time I turned 30 my answer would have probably included words like “married”, “children”, “home” + “career”. Actually, they definitely did include those words because 10 years ago that is exactly the path my life was on. I had half of those things + was well on my way to snagging the other half before the “forever 29” birthday rolled around. At that moment, I was happy.

Oh, how life changes.

Currently, none of those words can be used to describe me, yet I’ve managed to find a few other things that I have come to really value in my life. Things like “friendship”, “independence”, “freedom” + “self-confidence”. Of course, I had some level of each of these things 10 years ago,  I just had no idea how much I would come to depend upon them + how fiercely I would fight to keep them part of my life as the years flew by.

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friends + feelings

When Being Alone Gets Lonely

Maybe it’s just me and the network for nomadic friends I have acquired over the years but my social media platforms seems to be full of articles about “being alone isn’t lonely” or “being alone makes me feel powerful” + other stories about how being alone isn’t a bad thing. All of those things are true.

However, sometimes being alone really does get lonely.

It’s true + it’s okay. It’s not a bad thing, it’s a real life thing. More importantly, it’s not something that just those of us literally on our own feel. Even people in long-term relationships, living with family + surrounded by a strong community feel lonely. Rather than try to deny or hide that let’s admit it, embrace it + let ourselves grow from it.

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friends + feelings

Currently.

Oh, it’s been a while since I wrote one of these! Turns out I completely missed my “regularly scheduled” currently post in August. Whoops — I guess I got a little wrapped up in my version of van life + forgot all about it. That just means this little update will be all that more interesting, right?! Well, maybe.

So, what the heck has currently been happening?! First off, I have moved out of TETON Sports’ #yourlead van + am trying to figure out what the heck to do with my life. I’ve been halfheartedly making life plans for the past month with no avail. I guess it’s time to get crazy creative + force things to go my way?

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runventure

Bear 100: A Race That Wasn’t

It all started this past January at the Winter OR Show. As usual a conversation with Landon made its way from gear talk to trail talk + it become obvious this needed to be the year he ran his first 100 mile race. Obvious, I tell you…because I will always encourage people to do the things that seem just stupid enough to be fun. By the time February rolled around we had both grabbed our spot on the list of Bear 100 registrants, hours before the race sold out. We were doing this! Or, that was the plan.

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runventure

Bigfoot 200 // Volunteering

I was digging through my “laundry bag” on the floor of a tiny hostel room trying to decide if I had enough dirty clothes to warrant the $5 wash/dry downstairs. My mind was telling me no…then I got to the bottom + discovered the running clothes I wore for nearly 3 days in the Washington wilderness near Mount St Helens while volunteering at the Bigfoot 200 Endurance Race. Um, yea. Laundry day it was!

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