Injuries

Blame it on injuries, kids, budget, time or whatever, it's been a while since I participated in a race that really, really meant a lot to me.  

I was so jazzed the first time I ran the Boston Marathon, I couldn't sleep for a full week leading up to it.  At the start in Hopkinton, I was so nervous that I pee'd down my leg.  (Yes, in a big crowd of runners as the announcer counted down!  No, I wasn't the only one, either!) 

I'm very glad I ran in the New Years Day Fat Ass 50 and Freeze Your Fat Ass Off Swim (minus the swim as usual). I'm also glad that I didn't get really sick from doing it. It's been a long standing question of mine whether you should run when you're sick or stay at home and hide under the covers. Having had my heart set for a long time on a great start to the new year I decided to brave the elements.

Outdoor Safety

Living in the shadow of the mountains, I try to take full advantage of the amazing opportunities the backcountry offers. Trail running is up there at the top of the list.  I also love alpine activities such as snowshoe running, snowboarding, backcountry and downhill skiing. 

My calf muscle first went "boing!" on a 30-minute run around the neighborhood before dinner one Saturday evening in late January.  There was no "pop", just what seemed like a low level cramp in the muscle between my heel and my calf.  (I think the technical name is soleus muscle.)  I ran through it, but it got worse, so I hobbled home.  No pain the next day, but I figured it would be good to give it some rest. 

Easter W/E, and I'm still kind of injured! The Diez Vistas 50K is three weeks away and I am sticking to my ten hours a week training. Hoping for an improvement in the wet weather, and feeling more willing to do doubles, will make those ten less painful to get! I need new trail shoes... Almost eight hours on the clock so far, with 90 minutes on Tuesday 90 minutes on Thursday, 195 yesterday,60 with Graeme and 24 with Ms. J today... Tomorrow will be an easy 90 giving me about ten hours. Roll on the good weather and some quality doubles.

With the recent and repeated avalanche warnings and the high number of avalanche fataities this year, our family has been talking about taking a back country safety course and avalanche safety training.

Both Action Jackson and I are drawn to back country skiing.  As of yet, we do not have any equipment, but it is on our radar... Craigslist watch out!  I have a low risk tolerance and like to be prepared...

After returning from doing the R2R2R down at the grand canyon I was just buzzing with excitement. Even after sitting in a “minivan” 50+ hours and returning home at 5:30am in the morning then heading to work at 7:00am I couldn’t shake the buzz. Wednesday is my weekly run with the local gang from Fairhaven runners and I just couldn’t wait to tell my story of the past few days.

To kick off what I expect will be an interesting online debate, I'd like to clarify how I see the differences between a race, a run, and an adventure run then look at how to prepare for an adventure run.

Race