I boarded a plane on Tuesday August 26th to travel across the world to race for 7 days in Madagascar.  It took 2 days to get there.  Over 25 hours sitting on planes!!!  Once I arrived I began to meet and bond with other racers.  Traveling in a developing country adds to the challenge.  Transportation, food, language .... are very different in Madagascar.  There is no organization, it is basically a free for all.  Many racers had to pay a bribe to get their race gear on the plane.…

I have been away for awhile because of family stuff.  It looks like a lot of great things are happening here.

 I thought I would give an update on my training for Madagascar.  This is a self supported 6 stage 7 day race in northern Madagascar.  The 1st 4 stages are 25 mile days, the 5th stage is 50 miles, and the last stage is 6 miles.  I carry everything I need for 7 days (toilet paper, food, sleeping bag, extra cloths, emergency stuff...). I have gotten my pack down to about 15 lbs.…

The Big Horn 50k was more then just a race.  We set up camp in the high mountain meadows about 20 minutes from the race start.  Here there are meadows full of wildflowers and a ton of wildlife. We saw a bear, herds of elk, deer, moose and pronghorns.  There is also incredible fly fishing for the fishermen in my family.  The race starts with a 2 mile climb and wraps around a mountain…

Running with my 2 year old lab, Muddy, this past Saturday reminded me of the importance of not going out to fast.  When we hit the trail, Muddy took off.  He was so excited to be on the trails that he would run ahead then run back then run ahead and come back all at full speed.  This was the day after my 1/2 marathon and I was out for an easy run so I was steady and slow on the 1st hill.  20 minutes into the run I reached the top of the hill and found Muddy in a bush with his tongue hanging…

Every season I have races that are high priority races with a few lower priority races. As an athlete, I go into every race with a race plan ready to give it my all.  Sometimes I might go into a lower priority race a little tired but that doesn't mean I can't have good results. Lower priority races are a great place to gain race experience, practice race strategies or use as a tune up for…

After a few months off this winter to recharge and a few good blocks of training, I was ready for my 1st race. I was really excited to get on dirt and test my legs. I didn't have a time goal. My race plan was simple, don't go out too hard, ease up a little on the hills, and put it into another gear for the last 5k. Here is what I emailed to Eric.

I had a really good race. I learned how to push myself to another level
of pain. I will explain in a second.

I was 2nd in my age…

Eric has been my coach for many years.  In the beginning, I was not a big fan of HR monitors.  It took some getting used to.  Now, it has become a great tool and gives me information about myself during my runs.  It has just been in the last few years that I have begun to appreciate my zone 2 runs.  

At first, I didn't pay much attention to them, they were just slow easy runs. I was…

After reading The Cool Impossible, I have realized that there are many similarities between reading and running. For those who have not read The Cool Impossible, Eric brings his readers to Jackson Hole where you visualize running in the mountains while you dream about your next adventure.  The difference between his book and others is that he gives you the tools to accomplish your cool impossible.  

Reading allows me to unplug and loose myself into the readers world.  Many of the books…

1. Old regrets. 

2. The excuses you've been telling yourself

3. What you don't have (like time..)

4. Always feeling safe and comfortable

5. Fear of Failure

"The more you do it, the more you want to do it, and thus the more motivated and capable you are to do it. It’s not always easy if you are somewhere that you’ve been dozens of times previously, but you can always slow things down, look around, look for something new, and go explore it. As soon as you do this, you will find yourself wanting more. The satisfaction of doing this will make you want to look for more, and no matter how many times you have been down the same trail, you will begin…