Good Times and Goblins

Some lavender to violet graded fluffy clouds floated above the canyon framed Needle spires that glowed bright orange and red in the rising morning sun as I made my way to Devil's Kitchen yesterday morning. It was at this moment, as I effortlessly glided over rock ledges and through sandy bottoms that I might have been the happiest I have been in a long time. The day before, my "Needles family" and I put in an intense afternoon, working together in a heroic effort to get an elderly man from a remote trail in the park to St. Mary's Hospital. Turns out we were rewarded with news that he just might survive from an acute myocardial infarction that could have taken his life. When I reached this individual I realized that not only was I working with my fellow Rangers but with some physically capable trail runners that were wearing Vasque Golden Leaf shirts. It is possibly one of the best feelings in the world to work together in harmony with people you trust to accomplish something this substantial. But it was more than this instance that made me so happy. It was an accumulation of years of knowing what I wanted but not quite achieving it, coming to an end. Being a Park Ranger has been more rewarding than I expected, in more ways than I can count. I was meant to be in the canyons of the southwest, it brings out the best in me.
So I am headed to Goblin Valley State Park for a 50K this weekend. I am looking forward to reuniting with my “running family” for a day. 50K should seem simple compared to this past week.

Now This is Racing; Threepeat at Imogene

I'll admit that strategy in racing has never been my strong point. I've come to realize that it is one of those things that evolves with time; trial and error and learning from mistakes. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake over and over and expecting different results each time. Well I'm happy to say that Imogene Pass Run this year was a turning point for me and proved that maybe I'm not insane.


After 12 days straight of work (lots of over time!) I was more than ready for Imogene, if nothing else for a mental break, destressing through physical exertion. Not knowing what my competition would be my plan was to relax and enjoy the commradery but still put forth a solid effort. After the gun I resisted the urge to attack the first climb with the guys and settled into a steady pace that I knew would be maintainable. Within the first mile though an unidentified female blew by me and took the lead. In the past I would have thrown it into overdrive and outright raced her, knowing I would blow up sooner or later, most likely settling for second place. Instead I decided to match her pace and keep her in sight, with the hopes she would herself blow up, it can be very stressful to be in the lead. She never slowed and in fact sped up. I watch as she passed guys left and right and then passed over the summit. At the summit I decided it was now or never, this was my chance. I let gravity do its job, successfully recovering from near falls here and there, and took the lead with about four miles to go. If there is one thing I've gained from snowshoeing it is the art of descending; and fast.

At the finish line I was excited to learn that the female that so impressed me was Stevie Kremer from Crested Butte. Gunnison and CB seem to represent well at this race...something in the air. Great job to Stevie's stellar climb up Imogene!!

Anyways I got to eat La Concina and spend some time with my mom, sister, and aunt; which made the weekend perfect. Oh and I did race on Friday as well. A series of smaller bike races against my awesome, 9 year old cousin. All I can say is the athletic world better watch out for him! Best of all he asked me Friday night as I collapsed from exhaustion "if you're a runner how come you are tired before I am?"

And the Winner Is...

I can't believe it has been over two weeks since Pikes Peak. Where has the summer gone? It always goes this way though, I wait all winter for summer to come and the next thing I know it's Fall again...and then it snows. But maybe it will be different this year since I will be in Canyonlands. So, up next is Imogene Pass Run. I LOVE this race. I suppose that is why I keep coming back to it, or maybe it is the ultimate post race pig out at La Concina de Luz, my all time favorite resturaunt. After eating my own cooking all summer I can hardly wait!

I haven't run much since Pikes, what I have been doing is backpacking. There is nothing quite like backpacking in the canyons, its like doing a 1,000 one leg squats with a 50 pound weight on your back. And then there is the sand and this year, quicksand. Alot like snow, the progress through sand/quicksand is slow and arduous, especially with a pack on. Ofcourse there is nothing like a swarm of blood thirsty, agressive mosiquitos to motivate you, as Brad and I discovered last night. Luckily my pack was about half the weight of his and I was able to somewhat out run the attack.
THE JOINT TRAIL


Which brings me to the winner of the Needles Backpacking Ultimate Challenge of the summer. As the unofficial judge I name Brad the winner with an outstanding 80lb. load carried through 12 miles of flash flooded Salt Creek. In a close second place was Andrew Bliss, who does take the cake for the greatest amount of buckets carried out of Salt Creek. And me in third, which I am content with considering I weigh a significant amount less than Andrew and...well Brad is just an animal there's no denying that. I can still out plank the both of them. I did get word from Tucson that Andrew is being the excellent, studious type now that school is in session. Hope you have a great semester Andrew, we do miss you here!

That's it for now from the Needles...

An Amazing Weekend

What an amazing weekend!! Seven years ago, urged by Jane, I entered the Pikes Peak Marathon. I wasn't a runner, I didn't consider myself a runner. I raced mountain bikes and loved it. I had the big quads and bulging forearms and was dead set on becoming a pro. Who knew that one race would change the course of everything. That year I had a miserable experience in the Pikes Peak Marathon. I didn't run much that summer, all my fitness came from mountain biking. I didn't think it would matter but I was sorely mistaken (literally). I made every mistake possible; took out way to hard, didn't fuel/hydrate, wore completely wrong shoes (this was the beginning of finding a shoe that I wouldn't lose every toenail with)...I walked, alot, and couldn't walk for the next week. Looking back now, it was this experience that fueled my running career. I had to prove that I could conquer Pikes Peak...I was entirely hooked on trail running.

In 2008 I did prove that I could conquer Pikes Peak by winning the marathon. I was extremely proud to join the ranks of Lyn Bjorklund, Angela Mudge, and most definetly Danelle Ballengee. But I knew then that I could do it faster and there was always that looming "double" that waited to be done. So when I heard that the Ascent was the World Mountain Running Challenge this year I bit the bullet and signed up for both.

The Ascent took me by suprise. The sheer number of people and the extreme amount of hype at the start forced me to spend alot of energy passing people in the first few miles...those people who feel they will win the race if they can post a sub six minute first mile. I went from 13th female to fourth by the finish and gave it everything I had. The last mile I could see fifth place closing in at a rapid pace and with an extreme grimmace on my face pushed through to the finish in 2:46. The amazing Brand Erholtz won and deservedly so! I wish I could say that I was excited for the marathon the next day but I spent all I had in the Ascent and wasn't confident I had what it would take. But once again I proved myself wrong. After the gun sounded on Sunday morning and my feet hit dirt there was no turning back. I found my stride and never once felt an urge to throw in the towel. I felt amazing; relaxed and smooth. At the turn around I knew, pending disaster, that the win was mine. And it was in 4:34, 5 minutes off my PR.

I never imagined I would be mingling with or even closely considered on the same level as Matt Carpenter. But yesterday I stood on top of the podium with the legend. I was honored to meet and have a conversation with the first lady to finish a marathon, the Pikes Peak Marathon in 1959. Her name is Arlene Peipper and is an inspiration to us all. A PPM veteran gave me a PPM hat from 1980 off his head and in return I signed my race bib for him. Experiences that will last a lifetime!

The AWESOME Bernie B. and I

Mind-Body Connection

First off a great big CONGRATS to Rebecca Rusch for ruling the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike race. New women's course record and many a man defeated! It's about time a woman made some commotion in Leadville seeing how Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong have stolen the show the past couple years.

OK, enough of that. I remember reading a few years ago a book on the mind-body connection with running. Not until recently do I feel that I have really made this connection. In this book the author suggests that a runner cannot really be "in the zone" when distracted by things such as music, competition stress, traffic...so I experimented a bit this summer. I spent several days running with my music, which depending on my mood can provide inspiration. However spending several days running without my music I have come to realize that I truly cannot connect with my body to the same degree running with music as I can without. There really is nothing quite like feeling in tune with every muscle in your body, feeling each one contract and relax as you smoothly repeat leg stride after leg stride. I can feel the power orginate from my core and continue down through each leg. My arms flow unconciously in sync with each stride and it all comes together in perfect harmony. If you watch professional runners they seem to float effortlessly and eficiently even when posting sub 5 minute miles at mile 25 of a marathon. Perhaps it is a result of day after day of training their bodies, eventually they establish a completely relaxed flow. But there is no denying that alot of it is a natural talent that has been inherited through genetics. Some of us were not meant to be efficient runners and must work at it.

Anyways, can't believe Pikes is next week. Going for the double this year, something I have wanted to do for some time. Looking forward to seeing some long lost running pals!

That Extra Umph...

Once again the Speedgoat 50K threw a curve ball at me, but this time I was not defeated. You have to take someone like Karl Meltzer serious when he says that the race he is putting on is the toughest 50K in the country. I did not with my first attempt at the Speedgoat and paid dearly at mile 21 where I tucked my tail between my legs and called it a day. For two years I thought about what went wrong that day and my conclusion: to hard to early, not enough fuel, not enough fluids, and finally to hard on the downhill (all the no brainer mistakes for a seasoned trail runner). So I came prepared this year and it did pay off (literally, I received $500 for first place!!). However there was one slight "uh oh" that could have been detrimental if Karl were not such an awesome guy and Nick Pedatella had not been there to keep me motivated.

After pacing myself on the initial, heinous climb up to Hidden Peak and Mount Baldy I readied myself for the brutal downhill to Dutch Flat that outright destroyed me on my prior attempt. This year I came with stronger legs and a more sensible, relaxed approach that would have worked marvelously had myself and Nick not taken a wrong turn. Long story made short is our route to Dutch Flat was opposite of what we should have done, yet I believe the same distance. However, because of our carelessness we were asked to complete 3 penalty miles at Dutch Flat that dropped my position from sixth overall and first female to ~20th overall and second female. Despite the extra miles I felt peppy climbing out of Dutch Flat with Nick (fresh off a stellar Hardrock performance) by my side encouraging me and chose to see how hard I could push until I regained my lead. That I did at about mile 19 (22 for me). From there I went into survival mode and continue to choke down the fuel and fluids. I may never eat another Fig Newton in my life, but they did the trick. Thinking I was home free and able to coast in on the final 5 mile descent, I relaxed a bit and prepared myself for the rocky beating to the finish. Thankfully, I took on last glimpse above me as I entered the trees and saw Becky Wheeler (2nd place) a mere 3 switchbacks behind me. I dug deep one last time and hammered the downhill into the finish for the win, 35 miles and 6:34.

Word on the street is that Karl adjusted Nick and my times to reflect what he thought was fair. This puts me in 5th overall and 6:10, first female.

What can I say... this is an amazing race, and amazing people running it and in it! I love the trail running community, a great group of hardy souls with smiles across their sweaty, dusty faces. I can only speak for myself, but I do it to see what can be done. Just when you think you can go no more you find that extra drive that in the end provides a sense of accomplishment that can come from nothing else. Can't wait for PIKES!

PPA and PPM

Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon in a month! But first Speedgoat 50K, my nemesis from two years ago. PPA is the World Mountain Running Challenge this year, should be hefty competition!

Late last night, as I attempted to unclutter my mind and fall into a slumber, I read some intriguing articles in Trail Runner that I thought were important to share. First off, coming from a multisport background, I have witnessed first hand the importance of leg strength and running. Particularly trail running. Think of all the leg strength it takes to not only haul your body up 14,000 plus foot peaks but to support it when you are hammering downhill. Runner, Paul Dewitt, made a comment in an article on improving running performance by training on the bike. He said “Just because you can run 26, 50, or 100 miles doesn’t mean your legs are strong.” That being said, I feel really strong right now. Maybe not the strongest I have ever been, but I’ve put in a fair share of biking and backpacking this summer, which definitely paid off during the brutal Kendall Mountain Marathon this past weekend. Two laps up 13,000 foot Kendall Mountain left my legs, well, fried. Great training for Pikes though!

Secondly, a couple notes from the coolest trail runner in the world, Mr. Bernie Boetcher (he is Mr. Trail Runner). LETS PUT THE “TRAIL” BACK INTO TRAIL RACES! Amen to that! Talk to Danelle Ballengee, there’s someone who knows how to put on a real trail race. Oh and with all do respect for Mt. Washington, it hasn’t got nothing on Kendall Mountain, whew!! And thanks Bernie for the shout out to remembering our fellow trail runner’s who passed away this last spring. Feels like just yesterday that Jenna Gruben was in my back seat laughing and planning Trans Rockies after the Red Hot 33K. Every one of my races this year is in her memory. Wish she could be here for them… And to Ted Violet, Gunnison’s running legend, you couldn’t go north of town without seeing him and Martha running. Hopefully we will carry on with the Signal Peak run in the late summer, in his memory.

That’s all for now. It was a huge comfort to see all my buddies this weekend. Nobody can make me laugh like Jane…and who knows maybe someday she will succeed with hey match making quest for me.

Training in the Desert Heat

Practically my entire life has been spent in the cool, mountain air of Colorado. Even my short stints of residency in Cedar City, Albuqurque, Greeley, and Grand Junction have put me close enough to the mountains that I could escape the summer heat. However, being in the Needles, the mountains are close, but definitely not near enough for a quick jaunt to higher elevation. It dawned on me that this could potentially be beneficial to my training. I recall three years ago blowing a 20 minute lead over second place in the Pikes Peak Marathon because the near 100 degree temperatures in Manitou Springs left me cramping and dry heaving on the side of the trail. So, despite the huge amount of suffering that heat can cause on a long run, I've been forcing myself out during the peak heat on my days off, requiring my body to learn to adapt. Again lessons are being learned. Just like my under preparation for the cold, winter days that I have learned lessons from, I am learning about preparing for heat. Most signifcantly, MORE WATER THAN WHAT YOU THINK YOU WILL NEED. Preferably frozen water bottles, but bring one unfrozen to start the run with. Plus electrolyte tablets, Salt Stick seems to work great (plus the owner I met at Trans Rockies is an awesome guy). These keep the leg and foot cramps away (it is amazing how much salt can come out of one person on a hot day).

So what prompted me to write this? A couple interesting incidents in the last week and a half. First I decided to make the trip down Red Lake Graben Trail to the Colorado River and back, what turned out to be a 19 mile trip and 4 hours. I took my standard water pack that normaly lasts for a three hour run. Ofcourse going down to the river in the morning was no sweat (no pun intended) but after a nice refreshing swim in the river the run out took its toll on me. Lets just say it took a good hour to cool down once I returned and I was getting a little nervous when I ran out of water with 3 miles left to go. My mouth has never been that dry. Today I made my third trip to Druid Arch. By far one of the most spectacular places! You feel so small when your standing there staring up at this gigantic arch. Its an 11 mile round trip and I did bring plenty (more than enough) water. However some people I passed on the way down thought perhaps I hadn't. They reported to Ranger Dorita later in the day at the campground that they had passed a crazy woman running with no water at Druid Arch. Dorita assumed it was me and inquired as to whether I had taken any water.

Anyways, all in the name of fun at the Needles.

Arches and a Return to Racing for the 4th

It is a bit ironic that my return to racing after an injury hiatus was on the 4th of July because running to me is the epitome of freedom. After a long, educational week of patrol at Arches National Park the desire to race prompted me to take a comp. day on the 4th and travel to Crested Butte for the 42nd annual Gothic to CB 1/3 Marathon. I was anxious to see how my foot would handle the brutal concrete and pavement downhill in the last 4 miles of the race, but much to my suprise and delight it held up amazingly. Strategy wise I chose to hammer the uphills in the first 4 miles of the race and coast in on the downhill, but it wasn't necessary since both my legs and foot held up fine. However, WHEW, I am feeling the soreness today (something I haven't felt for some time). So the results of a month and a half of not running...first place for the women and a personal record on this course!! On the downside I missed my annual Agate Creek/Monarch Crest run with the Jane gang, but word on the street is that my long time running comrade has fractured her knee cap in a horse accident. Best of luck with a speedy recovery Janey.

As for me, back to the Needles today! It feels good to be back in "my park." Good run this morning, weights (still waiting for some muscles to appear in these puny arms), quick road ride tonight, and now Avatar. Sadly (for us), Ranger Brad is leaving in a week, but good for him since he is off for some bike touring on the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide. Not to worry though he will be back come fall.

Desert Sunrise

Leg strength training came in the form of a 63 mile mountain bike around the Needles on Thursday with Ranger Brad. There is nothing like powering up several thousand feet of elevation and then grinding through miles and miles of deep sand. Slow going and 90 plus degree temperatures made it an epic for sure. Well worth it though, great tour of the park and most amazing views EVER! But I will say that if it was epic for me, I'm not sure there are words to describe Brad's trip, fully rigid bike and NO rear break!!

I'm sure you all will get tired of hearing this but this morning was a spectacular run. The sunrise this moring over the La Sals was out of this world! This next comment is for Andrew, I felt as though I was Forrest "in the morning when the sun rises over the desert I can't tell when Heaven ends and the Earth begins." Anyways feeling better every day about my running and endurance.

Mountain Breezes and Weekend Races

First off: Congrats to Duncan, 5th place finish at the Bighorn 100 miler in WY (21:22) and Brandy Erholtz, 3rd place finish at Mt. Washington!! Looks like stiff competition this year at Mt. Washington (US Mountain Running Champs and 50th Anniversary), female course record was broken by a 23 year old! Top four women made the US Mountain Running Team and will be headed to Slovenia for Worlds. This makes three years in a row for Brandy, she defintely deserves it. Way to represent Colorado! Great racing, you all rock, wish I was there!



I can't complain though cause I had an awesome run in the La Sals above Moab yesterday with good friend Greg (Red Hot 50K Greg). Awesome views all around and lots of climbing. Little tired in the legs, I can tell that it has been a few weeks off for me, ahh! Hopefully it will come back before August.

Bear Encounters and Desert Rain

I've been relying on my bikes lately for some cardio/endurance workouts and opted for a long ride on my road bike up the Hartsdraw Road into the town of Monticello and back. The Hatsdraws Road is quite a climb, more than I was anticipating. But I love to climb, so no problem there. Beautiful ride!! The mountains are green and I must say I miss them. This is my favorite time of the year in the high country. As I was huffing my way up I noticed a brown animal lunbering down the side of the road. Thinking it was a cow I didn't look twice. As I approached it, I realized this was no cow but a bear! It was completely unaware I was behind him. It crossed my mind that it is probably not a good thing to suprise a bear, to late...he saw me and took off at a dead sprint through the trees. Am I really that scary? Anyways amazing ride with awesome views, highly recommended!



I've been in the best of moods today because I had a great run this morning. No pain in my heel!! I woke to a steady drizzle, true to me form at 5 am, and seized the oppritunity to experience the desert in the rain. Closest thing to a religous experience, if I were religous, that I have ever had. I ran in and out of a couple canyons with great views of the Needles out to the top of Elephant Hill. I've planned hill repeats in the future on Elephant Hill, great technical climbing and a good anaerobic 3 minute hill climb. Word of caution: Slickrock really is SLICKROCK when wet.

Needles Strength and Endurance Summer Challenge Off to a Back Burning Start!

The Needles Summer Challenge held its first event three weeks ago with the first annual Ranger Station bike relay: men vs. women. I won't go into details, just enough to say: Girls Rule, Boys Drool.

Last night was the second event of the summer. Scheduled on short notice do to the departure of our SCAs, the first of 4 plank offs was held. A strong showing of 6 contestants made for record braking performances. Top three were: 3.) Andrew Bliss ~4:45 (although there was some question as to knee touching and Mo interfernece) 2.) Brad Donaldson 5:18 (PR) 1.) Keri Nelson 7:08 (PR). Just so everyone knows, I have direct quotes and a signed commitment from Brad to reach 10 minutes prior to his departure in the fall.

Future events and results will be posted here.

Back in Business

I've been a bit hesitant to post anything since this is a running blog and I am sad to say I have not been running. Over the spring I developed a nagging pain in the heel of my foot, which developed into an even worse pain and then an intolerable pain. In early May, after a long run on some off canter slick rock I could barely walk the next day, yet I convinced myself that I could run the Black Canyon Ascent. The BCA was a failed attempt after mile 1.5 when I slowed to a walk and caught a ride to the finish. Anyways, long story short is LESSON LEARNED: listen to your body. Everyone says it but it can sometimes be the hardest thing to do. Seems I've been down this road before, maybe not with injuries per say, but sickness and burn out. Rest is the key to longevity in the athletic world.
The Good News: Four weeks off and I put in a short run the last couple days. Feels good with little pain. Hopefully I am back in business, although slow rebuilding is key.

Summer Strength from Winter Workouts

Every spring when the snow melts and I hit the dry trails I have a feeling of intense strength in my legs, butt, and core, particulary through my quads and glutes. My pants fit a bit tighter in the legs/butt and my weight is few pounds heavier. I attributre this to the differences in my training and racing through the winter.

First of all during the winter I train and race on snowshoes. The available grip provided by the snowshoe bindings allows me to climb/push up steeper pitches ie. ski slopes. This increases the strength and mass of my quads. This same grip along with the soft foot landing in snow allows me to descend steep, deep powder slopes at top speed. I believe that this is the most significant contributor to my leg/butt stength of any training I do. It takes an incredible amount of strength to control yourself at top speed while descending. Snowshoeing through deep, singletrack powder requires an immense amount of core and leg strength in order to maintain balance and appropriate leg lift. Also the average length of snowshoe races I complete is 60 minutes (10K). This is a much more intense effort compared to my longer races (3-5 hours) of the summer.

Secondly, during the winter (especially this winter) I nordic ski as a form of cross training. The main benefit for me from nordic skiing is the core strength. Like snowshoeing I use my core for balance/control and for extra power during poling. As well it increases leg and butt strength comparable to biking during the summer. One thing I noticed this winter is I have to be conscious of using both legs equally while skate skiing. My right leg tends to develop a bit more strength since I tend to use it more. This leads to compensation during running in the spring. Finally, I develop a bit more spring in my legs, perhaps more fast firing muscles from skate skiing.

So the moral of the story is I believe that a strong winter season is where I gain the majority of my strength that prepares me for long, sustained climbs and descents during trail running in the summer. This combined with biking as cross training during the warmer months keeps the quads and butt strong. I strengthen my core in the gym with medicine ball and kettle ball workouts during the summer and prior to the winter season.

Red Rock Running

Just returned from a quick trip to Moab. Like usual I decided last minute that I would run the 12 Hours of Moab, a lap race on Merimac and Monitor Trails north of Moab. It is part of the bigger 24 Hours of Moab and the Moab 100. Friday night proved to be a restless, uncomfortable night due to the out of control winds that collapsed my tent forcing me to retreat to the backseat of my truck. The backseat of my truck is not nearly big enough for a 5'9" person. Never the less I prepared myself for the 7 am start promising myself that I would at least get in 50K, possibly more. Six laps on probably the most beautiful lap course possible left me satisfied without overdueing. I enjoyed every minute of it, I LOVE this area. Although I did feel a bit of pain in my foot towards the end that has potential to be stress fracture related.?.
Anyways I am dedicating this week to packing for my eventual move to Canyonlands scheduled for April 9th. Yard sale next weekend with alot of great stuff!!
I will eventually post some pictures along with my blogs, but in an unfortunate accident my camera is currently busted.

New Year, New Me

After years of spending my summer traveling to race after race, every weekend, I have moved on to full time employment. Although I will certainly miss racing every weekend, seeing my racing family, I am very excited about being Canyonlands National Park's newest Park Ranger! This being said I have planned at least one race a month with the Vasque Trail Team. If all goes as I hope I will have a succuessful summer on strong, primed legs.

So here is my open invitation to anyone who sees this to come and visit one of the most spectacular places on Earth. We can get some awesome trail runs in and explore the rugged canyons of Utah!