I have been working hard at getting healed up and to begin running again.  I am feeling really good and when I do feel some pain I simply back of my pace and it goes away!  I haven’t limped in about two weeks and I almost forget sometimes I am coming off of an injury!  My runs have been short, most have been in the gym and my 7 mile run I did on a treadmill with my friend Miriam which made the time pass by nicely!

Taken by Gianina Lindsey

I started running outdoors on the snow and it was causing a bit of discomfort but nothing too bad!  Ryan and I did our first run together since October and I was so happy!  We did 4 miles, slowly, but it was great to get out and run!  Last weekend I did my first solo hike and went up Tecumseh while Ryan had run ahead.  Earlier in the day we did the Welch Dickey loop and it was my first time on it!  It was so pretty!  The views from there are amazing and for a shorty, easy hike it was great!

On my way up Tecumseh my plan was to go out for half an hour and turn around and come back before dark.  The higher up I got, the prettier the sky got and I decided to keep on going to the top!  Ryan flew by me when I was about 10 minutes from the top and I didn’t even have time to ask him if he wanted the car keys.  I hoped he would have kept running or something so he didn’t freeze as he would be back to the car well before me.

I summitted just as the sky was pink and orange and it was so pretty!  The mountains had that nice pink glow and everything was covered in snow.  The winter is always the most beautiful time to get out and hike.  It just makes everything look so calming.  I snapped a quick photo on my phone and soon realized I would be descending in the dark.  I am terrified of the dark and being alone was going to really test my mind.

I had a headlight with me and I got it out for when it got too dark to see.  I kept telling myself it was okay and no animals would eat me and I wouldn’t get lost.  (The trail was like a superhighway of footprints so I wasn’t too afraid).  I hustled on the way down and got to the sharp left hand turn before the ski slope before I needed my headlight.  As it got darker I found myself noticing the sounds of the creaky trees and wind blowing.  I looked up to a starfilled night and suddenly felt calm and relaxed.  It was so nice to have tackled a fear and in the midst of it to find peace and beauty!  I was soon at the car where Ryan had luckily borrowed a jacket from two people we met and I was glad he was able to keep warm.

Then I managed to get out for my first outdoor run since October!  Ryan and I got to run together and it was so special!  It was wonderful to share a run with him again!  Then the weekend came and I did a snowshoe race!  I must admit, it was hard to go to a race and not race.  I let my injury guide me through the race.  I took off way too fast and then backed off a bit.  I tried to pick up the pace a bit when two girls passed me and things started to get achy so I did the right thing and backed off.  It was hard to not try to chase them but I had to let go of the moment and focus on the big picture, having a pain free year of playing!

After a fun race I crossed the finish line with almost the same time as last year!  That was great news because it meant that I was in even better shape than last year and didn’t lose much fitness!  I was thrilled!  Ryan and I then headed to do Tom, Field, and Willey where we were treated to great conditions and unbelievable views!

The clouds were amazing and bits of the blue sky poked through!  We took some killer photos as the sun started to shine the light perfectly on the trees and mountains around us.  We hiked down and got out just before the sun went down.  We drove home and and went for an 8.5 mile run at Bear Brook with Ryan on Sunday.  I couldn’t believe I got through the run feeling good and eventually feeling strong!  I struggled the first 4 miles as I was just exhausted but my mind won the battle and my legs finally gave in and just enjoyed the run!  We got back home and settled in for a short night of sleep to prepare for another crazy work week!  Til next weekend…..:)

The last few weeks I have been getting back out in the mountains, summitting some new peaks as well as some old ones.  I have been hiking with friends and working on getting back in running shape so that I can finish Sawtooth 100 in September pain free and smiling!  Hopefully I will get a peak at the Northern Lights while I am out there.

I am up to running six miles pain free and it is really exciting!  Most of my running has been on a treadmill but it is the only way for me to control my speed and elevation.  It may not be the most exciting thing to do but I just crank up my ipod and visualize myself running on the trails and doing what I used to do before this injury.

Although I have been working way too many hours I have chosen to sacrifice my sleep in order to work on getting back into shape and doing my physical therapy exercises.  Hopefully work slows down soon!  I love my job but I need down time to train as well!  Ryans job has been a bit crazy too and we are just going through the motions and hoping things slow down with our work schedules soon!

As for happy things, I signed up for Rev 3 half Iron in June, Wapack 50 miler in May, Traprock 50k in April and am waiting to sign up for Sawtooth 100 in September!  This is so exciting and committing as I am going to train this year instead of my usual show up and go attitude that got me injured.  I am feeling the same passion I had for climbing Denali for Sawtooth!  That should pull me through the race, smiling the whole time!  I have asked someone to pace me and I hope she can do it as she is an old friend with an amazing attitude that would be wonderful company on the trail when I start getting a bit strange.  Hopefully she can run with me and talk me out of my hallucinations, keep me from getting weird and keep me from eating cheese at 4 am.

Ryan, Adam and I did a Wildcats/Carters Traverse last weekend and the weather could not have been more perfect!  The views were incredible and the weather very un-winter like.  The snow was minimal and the ice plenty.  We moved at a decent pace and I felt bad for being the slow poke on the hike but, I was appreciative for them going at my pace.

I managed to get out for my first trail run since October and did 4 miles!  I felt great except for a twinge of pain on the uphills.  I am feeling very optimistic about being able to run outdoors pain free again!  I may even try to run 7 outside this weekend!  I have spent a lot of time swimming, lifting weights and cycling and it feels really good to run again.

Even more exciting news, Ryan and I will be building a log home soon!  I always wanted to build a home but am anti-development and always said that if I found a piece of property with a home on it that needs to be demolished I would build.  Somehow exactly that showed up and we will be tearing down the old home and putting up a new log home!  We are beyond thrilled!  I never thought that I would have my dream home so soon and never thought I would be designing it and sharing it with someone so special to me!

I am hoping good things keep happening and am looking forward to such an exciting year! 

Well, what better way to kick off the New Year than to do a one day presidential traverse!  Ryan, Rob, Larisa and myself started out at Appalachia on icy trails.  We sported our microspikes from the beginning and took my favorite trail, Watson Path, to the summit of Madison.  I fell in love with that trail when an old friend Katie took me up it for my first ever one day presi traverse a few summers ago.  I was certainly out of shape from taking off so much time from the elevation and felt really bad about holding everyone up but was thrilled to have company.

The day could not have been more beautiful!  The sun was bright, the sky was blue and the temperatures felt more like April than January.  We summitted Madison and took some pictures before walking down to Madison Hut.  We hiked up Adams where I enjoyed a yummy whoopie pie at the summit.  After some photographs of Larisas sign we moved on to Jefferson.  We were moving along nicely and there was very little snow up there!  It was so crazy!

After our summit of Jefferson we walked up and over Clay and then stood on top of Mount Washington where there were a lot of people.  The conditions were now becoming undercast and we had a spectacular view of the tops of the clouds!  After a few summit pictures and some snacking we headed down into the windy, Southern pressies.

As we came up and over Monroe it was getting colder, cloudier, and windier!  We took some more pictures and did the slog over to Eisenhower where we were blasted with wind, now it was starting to feel like winter!  There was a bit more snow there as well and we walked over to Pierce where I was glad to be on the last summit.  I was feeling tired as this was the most mileage I had done in several months.  We marched on down and Rob and Larisa got to the car first and got it nice and warm for us.  Ryan kept me company on the way down and we finished in exactly 10 hours!  Not bad for being out of shape!  I was thrilled and the best part was that it was my first one day winter presi traverse!!!

As I start to heal up I am starting to run again on the treadmill and am doing a lot of physical therapy.  I am trying really hard to take it slow and do this right.  It is not easy but I did make myself a promise to behave this year.  As a treat for myself I bought a new running skirt that is reflective and very comfortable!

It has an inner short that has nice leg elastics to keep the undershort in place.  The skirt moves very well and does not feel restrictive.  The reflective stars are extremely cute and I love the fit!  Plan on ordering true to size.  The only thing I would change with this skirt is the crotch area.  It has a very rough seam and you must be willing to wear underwear with it or you will not be a happy runner.  Check out the website at http://www.relaxreflect.com/ and in the comments box tell them “Dangergirl” referred you to their site!  They are super fast with processing and shipping and you will love the product!  Happy New Year!

Check out the website at http://www.relaxreflect.com/ and in

the comments box tell them “Dangergirl” referred you to their

site! 

2011 has not been one of my best years, actually, it has been one of the most difficult years of my life.  I feel like I am walking away from this past year with many lessons learned the hard way and a new outlook on life.  Two weeks after I stood on top of North America in 2010 I was told that I was an awful person and that I was never really loved by someone I thought would be my forever.  At that moment I swore to close my heart and never open it again.

I stepped away from climbing for two reasons.  One, it brought back too much heartache and two, I lost my climbing partner.  I started to work extra hours and save up some money to buy a house and move out of Connecticut.  Luckily my ex was “kind enough” to let me stay at his place until I had a place to go.

I began hanging out with friends more and starting to enjoy swimming, biking and running more than ever!  I signed up for the Ironman competition and filled my schedule with ultraendurance events to find a way to keep me smile and to give me something to look forward to.  In the fall of 2010 the unexpected happened, I met someone who made me feel like a kid again.  He wanted to do things with me and said nice things to me and it made me feel really good.

I had spent the last six years of my life in a quiet relationship where our only two things we did together where I wasn’t ignored was climbing and dirtbiking. I was very lonely and had learned to live in silence.   I was terrified to enter a new relationship and would have preferred to just stay single but, I was willing to take the chance on another broken heart.

Ryan came into my life quickly and we both fed off of each others energy.  He is a runner and I just do everything.  It would be a challenge for me to introduce him to new sports and for me to get fast enough to hang with him on some of his easier runs.  Before I knew it I was having fun again in my life and falling in love with someone new.  I would slowly start taking down the walls around my heart.

In February 2011, mid snowshoe season I started to get some odd pains when running.  By March I had a stress fracture in my pubic bone and two tears in my adductor muscle.  I was on crutches for about 8 weeks and bedrest for about two of those.  I was a horrible patient and couldn’t take the immobility so I would sneak out on runs which only made it worse.  I ran Massanutten 100 two weeks after coming off crutches and was fine until Rev 3 half iron where I re-hurt myself and was hobbling around in pain again.

It was a mad dash to heal up for the Ironman competition and of course I went into that with very little training and ended up walking most of the run due to groin pain.  This would be the story for the rest of the year, pushing through a Pemi loop record and lots of hikes and then winning Vulcans Fury in Oct and walking away with severe pain and a horrible limp.

Ryan and I also moved to New Hampshire which has been wonderful and I miss my friends and family in CT but love NH so much!  I have an awesome job up here and am working on making some friends here to train with.  Emotionally, dealing with this injury has torn me down a bunch but at the same time it has taught me about patience and that I do all of these races and events for fun.  Honestly, I would rather finish with a smile on my face than with a trophy in hand.   If I happen to do both then it is just a bonus!

I was finally sick of misbehaving and took a few months off only to find I wasn’t getting any better.  I was starting to get depressed which is not a way I like to be so I went back to the doctor and found that I really just need some physical therapy to get myself in a healthier spot.  Amber gave me confidence that if I follow her instructions I should be back to my old self again!  So, this time I will listen.  I will recover and I will come back strong in 2012.  I am picking only two key races for next year so that my focus can be on gradually building up mileage instead of going from nothing to everything!

Ryan and I have also grown closer together in 2011 which has been wonderful.  I am still continuing to lower those huge walls around my heart as I trust that he will not hurt me.  I am looking forward to doing many runs with him this year and taking him out of his element and showing him some of the hobbies I love most!  It has been fun going mountain biking with him and I am afraid that by next year he will be much faster than me!  We have a backcountry ski trip planned in Colorado in March and plan to go out west next summer for some mountain adventures!  Happy New Year and let 2012 be an awesome year for everyone!

I have been still enjoying my down time and am really looking forward to getting back to my normal routine.  I have had a relapse with my pelvic injury and am hoping for some goodish news from the orthopedic doctor on Friday.  I had an x-ray taken and it showed some very strange bone remodeling.  The general physician that saw me is not quite sure why I am in pain again and it has taken me six weeks to get an appointment with an orthopedic doctor here in NH so I am trying to be optimistic as to what I may hear.

So, is this broken, healed? Why am I still in pain?

My biggest fear is that I will be put back on bed rest or still on limited activity mode.  I have been in pain since February since fracturing my left pubic bone and am ready to do whatever it will take to become pain free, even if it means a lot of time off from some of the things that give my life so much meaning.  This has been the worst injury I have ever had and after researching pubic bone fractures it looks like it is a very debilitating and frustrating injury that take most people well over a year to recover from.  I have prepared myself mentally to deal with this.

There are days I want to cry and there are days that I am thankful to still be able to go for a slow hike, ride my bike or go swimming.  There are plenty of people who can’t do any of those things so it would be wrong for me to get upset over having to tone it down a bit.  I am finding that the longer I am away from running and speed hiking the more determined I become to get myself healthy and pain free again.

So, the last few weeks have been involving some nice hikes with my friend Miriam and her dog Cooper.  Ryan has been joining me on some slower bike rides and hikes as well.  Slowing down and taking the time to look around has made moving in the mountains so different!  I see so much more while walking.  Moving fast is certainly not a bad thing, but moving slower really brings out the beauty of the woods and the mountains.

Miriam joined me on a hike up Waumbek and Ryan and Rob joined me on a hike up Moriah.  Both were very fun and they were also new peaks to me so I was excited to tag two more peaks!  I now have Owls Head, West Bond, and Cabot to complete my NH 48.  If I get good news Friday I might try to do Owls Head and West Bond in one push!

With all of the down time I have had lately I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning for when I heal up!  I have been doing small things for the community through donations and wish that I could get involved a bit more with doing local volunteer work.  To my surprise all of the places I have tried to offer my volunteer services to are not in need of volunteers.  So, I am trying to find other ways to do nice things so I donate food and toys.

I don’t have a ton of money but I do have a good job and live a pretty fun life.  I may be injured but I can still do fun things and am grateful for that.  I am a bit sad that I feel so limited but at the same time it makes me feel good that I can maybe have a part in providing food on someones table or being able to give a child an opportunity to wake up to something special on Christmas morning.  Climbing a mountain or winning a race may make me feel really awesome but imagining the look on a childs face while unwrapping the toy they wanted and the family enjoying a nice hot meal together gives me so much more.

I am hoping that I get good news on Friday and hope to be back to my normal routines and to actually train next year.  I did not get into Hardrock 100 this year but I think it happened for a reason.  I am going to get myself healthy again, ease into my training, and totally rock it in 2013!  2011 taught me that I am not invincible and that proper training is important.  I think this year taught me many hard lessons and it will leave me to a fun 2012 where I will work on getting healthy and stronger than I ever have been!  In the mean time I am going to enjoy the down time and continue to try to help out in the community in any way I can while still trying to maintain some level of fitness however my body allows me! 

The last couple of weeks I have been taking a break from running and doing more cycling and swimming.  I am resting up for the snowshoe season which is fast and a ton of fun!  Ryan was pretty excited about testing his legs on a 2.7 mile paved loop in Rhode Island that he would run on for six hours!  The Rhode Island six hour was a popular event that offered people the opportunity to not only test their physical limits but also their emotional limts.

To me running that loop for six hours would have driven me crazy, but Ryan really wanted to give it a try.  I was going to crew him and decided I would bring my road bike and ride it on the trainer for six hours while crewing him.  Who would go crazy first, we would find out!

It was exciting to see the Acidotic guys looking speedy in their Movember facial hair, actually I didn’t even recognize half of them!  Too funny!  They had a fast team put together and were motivated to go for the win.  It was a chilly morning and before we knew it the runners were off on their six hour journey!

Ryan managed to hang with Ben Nephew for the first 4 laps which was his goal.  He wanted to see how long he could hold his pace.  It was so exciting to watch and I really enjoyed hanging out on my trainer and cheering him on (well, off the bike to crew him) and then hopping back on the bike to wait for him to come around again.

Surprisingly that six hours went by rather quickly and Ryan finished with a few less miles than he had hoped but he was able to see that he can pull through even when things get hard!  I couldn’t have been prouder!  Team Acidotic got the win and almost got their 60 laps.  It was a blast to watch this all happen!

 The next weekend Ryan and I did a small hike up North Tripyramid.  It was really amazing to see the damage leftover from the hurricaine in August!  The river was ripped apart and there was so much erosion and downed trees and it was crazy!  The hike was quite uneventful but the weather was very warm!

We got up towards the top where the wind started to pick up and it cooled down a lot.  We had a snack on the summit and I headed back down and Ryan ran over to the other twin and met me on his way down.  We had a nice day and I was happy to tag another summit!  Only Waumbek, Cabot, Owls Head, West Bond and Moriah to go!  Yippee!

I found a place that offers aerial yoga and took a class.  I knew it would be challenging but what I didn’t expect was the amount of arm work involved in this yoga practice!  We started by doing simple floor exercises using the silks and then moved off the mats and into the air!  It felt so free and so fun!  The instructor did such a nice job teaching and spotting us and I can’t wait to take another class!

Life has not been too exciting lately and I have been focusing on recovering and resting up for the next round of training for 2012.  It is always hard to slow things down but I am also tired of residual pain from old injuries and taking this break always helps those areas feel better!  I am also starting to talk with some of the people at the Y that I belong to and will be doing my volunteer work through the Y.  We have some really exciting ideas and I can’t wait to make them happen!

It will be fun to dedicate some of my time to helping others to live a healthy lifestyle.  I am very thankful for what I have and the health and friendships an active lifestyle has given to me.  It has changed me from an out of shape person who would sit around on a couch and eat donuts to someone who has a passion for playing in the outdoors!  I hope to encourage more people to get up and start moving, it may change someones life in a positive way!

This past weekend was awesome!  Ryan and I were celebrating our one year anniversary by going out for a nice Thai dinner Friday night.  We got up nice and early Saturday morning and did a little hiking.  Ryan has been helping me get my NH 48 finished and he had plans for me to stand on top of five peaks this weekend!

Our first hike was up the Hancocks via Arrow Slide!  I was a bit nervous about the slide when I saw the ice on it but was ready for the challenge!  The morning was chilly and the ground was frozen.  There was snow on the ground but the sun was shining and we could not have asked for better weather! 

The slide started out by us hiking up some loose talus which seemed to be new from the Hurricaine Irene in September.  The terrain got steeper as we got higher and we were on and off of the slabs.  Some of it was icy and some of it was dry.  I got a little nervous on some parts of the slide but got up it. 

The views were incredible and I completely enjoyed the slide!  The top was a heck of a bushwack to get back onto the trail.  We took a snack break at the viewpoint and then carried on to the summit of North Hancok!  The hike to South Hancock was pretty easy and then we took the steep snow covered trail down to the car.

Our day was not over as Ryan had a plan for us to do the Tripyramids.  The hike up the Pine Bends Brook Trail was somewhat uneventful but it started to get really fun!  The trail was so beautiful!  Down low the Hurricaine Irene damage was present but up high it looked pretty good!  I loved the trail and as the sun started to set things started to get really pretty!  We summitted North Tripyramid and then walked over to Middle Tripyramid shortly before the sun set.

We had a quick snack and then made our way down.  As we hiked along the ridge the sun was casting vibrant red rays onto the trees and snow.  It was so amazing and we hiked out in the dark.  As we got to the car we were ready to get back to our room and put some food in our bellies.

We stayed at the Villager Motel in Bartlett.  Ryan and I took showers and went to dinner at the Mexican Place down the street.  We enjoyed an awesome mussel appetizer, some drinks and a yummy dinner.  We went back to the hotel to get some sleep and dry our wet things out for the next day of hiking.

We got up early on Sunday and ate breakfast at one of my favorite (cheap and quick) breakfast places, Patches.  They make you three huge pancakes for $3.95 and they are quite filling!  We each got an order of pancakes, ate them up and drove to the Glen Boulder trailhead.

I have been looking up at that giant boulder for years and never knew there was a trail going up to it!  I was pretty excited!  We started out on frozen trail and soon found some snow!  The trail was just spectacular!  I loved it and got a kick out of seeing the boulder up close.  This trail was great because there were awesome views of the ridge and it was a nice sunny day!

As we got higher up the winds picked up but the sun was still shining.  We hiked out to Mount Isolation where I soon realized that it was my new favorite peak in the Whites!  The view of the Presis was amazing and we took a nice long break at the summit!  After having some lunch we hiked back toward the car.

It was so nice out and the snow was starting to melt a bit.  It was still windy above treeline but not as bad as it was.  We hiked back under sunny skies and awesome lighting!  Wildcat had snow covered trails and it was really cool to see signs of winter.  Ryan and I got back to the car and drove home after an awesome weekend !

We did about 20 miles on Saturday and about 14 on Sunday.  I am looking forward to getting my last few peaks done!  The off season is really nice because I can take some time to slow down a bit and see things from a different view.  I am looking forward to the snowshoe racing season and hope that it is as fun as last year!

Ryan and I both entered the Vulcans Fury trail race last weekend and were excited to to a run at Pawtuckaway State Park.  This would be my first time racing on the Acidotic racing team and was sad to not be a strider anymore but excited to be on the same team as Ryan and the rest of the AR crew.  The race was sponsored by GoLite which I knew nothing about but was curious to see what they had available for footwear.

I dropped off the brownies I made and registered for the event.  There were so many Acidotic people there!  I was pretty excited and figured I would try for a top five finish.  I was feeling pretty good and couldn’t wait to start.  Soon enough I was giving Ryan a quick good luck kiss and we were off.  I was somehow able to run pretty well right off the start.  The distance of this race was just under 12 miles and it is a tough distance because it is too short to go slow but too long to go fast.  I had to find a speedy but comfortable pace.

As I settled in to my breathing a bit I relaxed and just enjoyed the wonderful singletrack, the great hills and the wonderful company of the random racers who happened to be at my pace.  We chatted a bunch and laughed about how we all had one area we excelled in.  For me it is climbing, for some it is fast wide open sections and others the downhill. 

We flip flopped places the whole race and it was a blast!  At one point I found out I was the first place woman and it brought me back to when I won Virgil a few years ago.  It is awful to say but I hate knowing I am winning.  It stresses me out and I can’t relax.  I think the guys running with me thought I was crazy when I said I hate being in first place (and I think I may be crazy sometimes!), but I dont like the stress.  It is not the winning I dislike, it is the stress of knowing I am in the lead and not wanting to lose it.

So, with my new knowledge of my place I started to push a bit harder and try to stay out front.  I am usually not the first girl in a race and I wanted to keep that position so I tried to hang on and it worked!  I felt so strong and was still smiling!  I happened to be running with someone else towards the end and when he told me the time and said we could break 2 hours I was psyched!  My goal was 2 hours and it was going to be great to pull it off!  When we got out to the road, his strength of running showed.  I pushed hard to hang onto his pace and follow him to the finish! 

Taken by Golite

It was awesome seeing everyone there smiling back at me as I crossed the finish line so proud of my achievement!!!!  Ryan helped me stretch as my groin started to act up again toward the end of the race.  To my surprise I won the race and got a pair of Golite shoes and a homemade apple pie, but also won a pair of GoLite shoes in a random drawing!  It was my lucky day!

Sunday Ryan, Jason, Frank and myself did a longish hike in the Whites.  I was excited to be adding a few more peaks to my New Hampshire 48!  It was not a sunny day and there was a chill in the air but it was great weather for hiking!  I decided to wear my new GoLite Tara shoes!  We got to the trailhead late and had to play catch-up to find Jason and Frank.  Luckily they stopped at the intersection for us.

We hiked up the Fire Warden trail to the summit of Hale.  It was a great hike up but there were no views from the summit!  We took a break to snack and went down the trail toward Zealand.  The highlight of that trail was Z-Cliff which had spectacular views!  I had to take some pictures!  We could also see Whitewall which Ryan and I did this summer.  After enjoying some views and good laughs the four of us made our way to Zealand.

Well, Zealand was another peak with no views.  I am such a view girl!  The consolidation prize on the summit were some gray jays that were eating food off ryans arm!  It was so cool to watch!  It was starting to cool off a bit so we headed out and started the hike to Guyot.  I got super excited when we got to an area with awesome views and felt like a fool when I found out it was Guyot!  Oh well, I get excited too easy but thats a good thing!

At this point we were nearing a cloud covered South Twin mountain and were treated to a small amount of snow and ice up top!  I love winter and it was so great to see it getting nearer!  I put on another layer before we headed down.  On our way down the trail we ran into Adam and Cooper doing a pemi loop.  They looked like they were having fun and we chatted for a bit before going to Galehead Hut.

We did summit Galehead and it was another one of those viewless summits.  We turned back and hiked down the Gale River trail to the car.  Actually, we ran down that section of trail.  My groin hurt (which I am so bummed about!) but I pushed on through.  It just feels like a deep bruise now so the pain is more tolerable than it was. 

The trail was muddy and slick and my new shoes excelled with the traction on wet rock and mud!  I couldn’t believe it!  I never had a shoe with so much traction!  I am torn on whether I like the Pure Grit or the Tara shoe better!  I think if I could put the cushion and upper on the GoLite sole it would be the perfect shoe!

We got out to the parking lot and went out for some food at the Common Man before going home for some sleep.  It was a great weekend and I am hoping winter comes soon and that this groin injury leaves me someday! 

Columbus day weekend Ryan and I went backpacking in the Whites.  We drove to the trailhead for Baldfaces and headed up the wet, steep, slabby climb to the top.  It was pretty fun and certainly intense with the wet rock and shoes with poor traction.  I was enjoying it but did have a couple of moments where I froze for a second trying to find a dry way up.  We got to the summit where we were treated to crowds and beautiful views of the fall foliage!

We took some pictures, had a snack and continued on our hike to Perkins Shelter.  On our way up we ran into a lady who was a ranger and told us she ran into our friends about 30 minutes earlier and that the shelter was no longer there but there were tent sites.  We brought a tent so we were prepared. 

The trails were ridiculously muddy and sometimes the mud was knee deep.  The river crossings were deep as well but we welcomed the nice rinse of our legs and shoes as we walked through!  Right before one of our last stream crossings we saw a large moose and its baby!  It was so amazing to see them just hanging out and munching on leaves and grass! They didn’t seem to care that we were passing through so I snapped a quick photo and carried on.

The trees were so pretty and at some points we were in birch forests where the bright yellow leaves just lit up the entire forest!  The sky was so blue and it was hot and humid out!!!  After a long slog through muck with backpacks on we arrived at the shelter sites.  Jason, Gillian, Frank and Jess were already there making friends with a couple of guys who were camping up there for the weekend. 

Ryan and I set up the tent (which was just the fly and footprint, a first for me!)  I blew up my sleeping pad and laid out my bag.  We grabbed our dinner stuff and went over to hang out with everyone.  We had a ton of laughs and I think the guys we met didn’t know what to think of us.  I think they were scared!  As the night carried on the wind got warmer and stronger!  The moon was very bright and the howl of the wind combined with the rustle of the leaves just made me remember that it is fall and my favorite season (winter!) is right around the corner.

When I got to the tent and shone my light on my sleeping bag I couldn’t believe how many spiders were in it and on it!  I actually got a bit freaked out!  After shaking out my bag Ryan explaned to me that when sleeping that way it is good to not take out the bag until bedtime.  It took me a bit to relax after the spider incident but once I did I got a great night of sleep!

We woke up and had breakfast.  As we were packing for the day we saw Scott running up the trail!  We were impressed!  We finished packing and we all made our way up to Carter Dome.  We took a break on the summit and then hiked over to Hight where we were treated to awesome views!  After eating some of Scotts lovely snacks Ryan and I parted ways as we had to both work Monday. 

Everyone else moved on to hike with Frank as he finished his 48. We hiked out to the Mt Meader and had great views!  Ryan and I had some big river crossings where we even saw some crazy damage from the hurricaine a few months back.  We saw old remnants of logging roads and had a very beautiful hike out!  We finished on the Meader trail and got back to the car just as the sun was setting.

It was a great hike with great friends and I can’t wait to do it again!

This past weekend Ryan and I went on an awesome mountain bike ride at Bear Brook (my new favorite place to ride!).  It was such a pretty day and the temperatures were perfect for riding!  I love the single track, large trail system and overall incredible terrain that Bear Brook has to offer!  Towards the end of the ride we started to get rained on pretty hard and we hurried back to the car.

We packed up the bikes and drove home.  On our way home we were treated to a spectacular and vibrant rainbow!  I pulled the car over and took a picture.  It was one of the nicest rainbows I have ever seen!

Sunday I made plans to climb with Courtney while Ryan ran with Jason.  We planned to climb the Eaglet which I was super excited about and plans to Climb on Cannon Cliff which I was nervous but excited to climb on!  I haven’t done enough climbing the last two years and was so excited to be going again!  The forecast was a bit grim but we decided to give it a go anyway.

Driving up to the notch it started to rain but then it stopped and almost looked like the sun would come out.  The tops of the mountains were covered in snow and the foliage was past its peak.  We picked up Jason and Steve and met Courtney at Cannon.  The boys took off and we hiked up to the start of the Eaglet.  When we got to the first pitch it started to rain on us and the skies were not looking friendly.  The rock was damp and a bit slick.  Courtney would be the one leading so it was her choice as to what she felt safe leading.  As a second it is not as risky as leading.

She looked up and decided it would be a poor lead on wet rock but thought maybe if we scrambled up to the start of the second pitch via a small bushwack we could do that.  As we got close to the second pitch it started raining more so we made a safe decision to look for something dry.

We were bummed and I was especially bummed as I never climbed a spire before and really wanted to do so!  We opened up the guide book and figured we could go toprope the Echo Cliffs.  We drove there and it was absolutely soaked!  We bagged that idea and when we got back off the trail we looked across the way and saw sun shining on a dry Artist Bluff!

It wasn’t much but it was something.  It was also sunny and dry.  Courtney pulled out her guidebook and we drove over there and did the easy hike to the start of the climbs.  The first climb she led was quite easy but fun and the views up top were great!  We got some funny looks from tourists at the top but we just smiled and hiked back down to do another climb.

It took a bit to find the climb and the start was a wet mossy crack.  Again, I let Courtney decide what was best for her and she felt comfortable leading it so off we went!  She did a great job leading and it is so fun to watch her climb!  She climbs with such grace and confidence that it just inspires me to climb better!

The second climb was an absolute blast!  It was not very hard but it did have a little of everything (including my least favorite, friction climbing!)  It started to get really chilly and windy and we were out of routes to climb that were within our abilities so we looked at the guidebook and picked Lincoln Crag.

We hopped in the car and went to pickup Ryans car at the trailhead that they left it at and we drove to Lincoln and had a nice healthy lunch at McDonalds.  We drove to the trail for the climb and had a nice muddy, steep approach to the cliffs.  The best part was the footbridge of death, oh wait, it was the traverse of death!  Ha!

There was a wet, slippery log to walk over that had about a 15 foot drop on either side and a rope to hold onto.  The kicker was that the log moved and rolled a bit as we walked over it!  After that when we went to setup a toprope on the climb and we experienced the Traverse of Death!  Courtney crossed and told me I probably didn’t want to cross.  It was off-camber, narrow, covered in pineneedles and leaves and had a nice 50 drop if we fell.  I hiked back down the climb and she set up the toprope.

We had fun climbing the face and when I wanted to just give up Courtney refused to lower me and made me finish the climb.  I was glad she did that because I got up the climb!  I had wicked arm pump and was glad to get to the top.  Courtney noticed the rope was pulling funny through her belay device and we thought it was her device. 

When she did the next climb and I lowered her I realized it was almost balling up inside the sheath as it ran through my device.  After a discussion we both decided that it was time to retire that rope.  I was sad as that rope had done a lot of really cool stuff and had been to a lot of places!  I packed it up and was glad to have been able to share the ropes last climb with a great friend!

We both laughed and when I get the urge to do so I will have the rope turned into a rug.  This way it can still be a part of my life!  So, that means it is time to shop for a new rope!  So many to choose from!  Courtney suggested a nice Petzl rope which I will probably buy the next time it goes on sale!

We hiked out and met up with the boys at the Common Man in Ashland.  It was a great place to end a great weekend!  I hope to climb again soon! 

Last weekend I ran the Nipmuck Marathon in Ashford, CT.  The Nipmuck marathon is one of my two favorite trail running races.  Virgil Crest ultras is my favorite 50 miler and the Nipmuck Marathon is my favorite trail race.  I was a bit worried about being able to even finish Nipumuck after running Virgil the week before but I was not about to miss out on my favorite trail race!

I didn’t do much during the week, just two easy bike rides (one road, one mountain) and one easy run.  My feet were still sore from the week before and I really wanted a new pair of shoes.  I had been reading about the Brooks Pure Grit shoe which would be released on Oct 1, 2011 and I was dead set on getting a pair to use for Nipmuck.

It was not the smartest idea but Ryan and I found out that Dicks had some in stock on Saturday so we drove down there to check it out.  I was so bummed to see that they did not have the womens version but they did have the mens in my size.  I put on the shoe and it felt just like my Brooks Green Silence shoe!  I was pretty excited!  We each bought a pair and we made our way down to Connecticut where we spent the night at Brialee campground.

We got a good nights sleep and woke up to decent weather and cloudy skies.  We went to Dunkin Donuts for a bagel for breakfast and made our way to the race.  There were just a few people there when we arrived and the trails were looking pretty messy.  The Shenipsit Striders (this would be my last race as a Strider) had taken over this race with Clinton Morse being the new race director.  He did a great job of keeping the race fun, simple, and well stocked with food!  The pre-race meeting was not quite as goofy as Nipmuck Daves usual briefings but it was still fun.  We did get to see Nipmuck Daves insanity at part of the briefing which I always love because without his antics this race is just not the same!

We picked up our numbers and Ryan was given two “High Fall Risk” stickers on his bib number.  We started off down the trail with the biggest crowd I have ever seen at that race!  The trails were wet and when it started downpouring it got even wetter.  It rained for about an hour and then it finally stopped.  I was running with so many different and very nice people throughout the race!  I can’t remember anyones name but thanks to all who kept me company along the way!

I was completely impressed with my new shoes as they didn’t hurt or have hot spots, they accelerated very well and had plenty of cushion!  We had to run through flooded areas which sometimes were shin deep and my shoes drained within a few seconds of leaving the water.  I was so happy and so were my feet!

The race seemed to be going by fast and I refused to look at my watch as I was expecting a 6 hour finish.  I saw I was in about 5th place and felt like time was going quickly so I began to wonder if I were going to be faster than expected.  I saw Amy Lane close to the turnaround and she gave me a boost of energy when she told me I was doing good!

  With about 3 miles to go I started to get some GI problems (this has been a trend this year, maybe the Perpetuem?).  I didn’t know which end it wanted to come from but my stomach was hurting.  I got to the last aid station and took a swig of coke before heading off for my last couple of miles.

I saw my friend Doug in his yard outside and yelled hi and gave him a hard time for not racing.  I met up with another guy who had run Hardrock this year and I talked his ear off about the race until we were close to the finish.  I started to see the 1/10 of a mile markers and opened it up for a strong finsh and a PR on the course!  I finished in 4:44:57!  I was so excited and had a blast! 

 The end of this race also meant the end of me racing as a Shenipsit Strider.  I will always be a strider at heart but with me now living in New Hampshire and training with the Acidotic crew it makes more sense for me to switch teams.  I was really sad as the Striders have really become good friends and I have enjoyed getting ripped on for my yellow shirt with the running tree!  Maybe I can be an Acidotic Strider????  My next race will be on a new team and I hope that the Striders still like me! 

The next few weeks are going to be about slowing down the pace and then ramping up my training the right way.  I am trying to slow down my work hours a bit and get into a regular schedule again.  So many changes so quickly really led to some small bumps but I couldn’t be happier and I can’t wait to take some time to go backpacking with Ryan and climbing with Courtney and to meet some people to play with up here in NH after work! 

Photo by Scott Livingston: