The great news is I'm BACK RUNNING! well, I never really stopped running but i did stop ultra training for about a year to pursue my RYT 200 and build up my first business Mountain Primadonna.
November, I hired Andy Jones-Wilkens to coach me for the rest of this year and into 2016 to get me ready for my races. So since then I've been building back very slowly- but I'm SO HAPPY to get to run long runs in the mountains again!!! it's been so fun to have adventures with my friends I love so much!
So far my race schedule is TJ100k , Grayson Highlands 50k, I would like to run Highlands Sky 40 in June but haven't registered for it, and then this september I'm running Yeti 100 here at HOME on the Va Creeper Trail- after that... will probably REST.This past weekend I had the honor to help crew and pace Amy Albu at Hellgate 100k and it was just an incredible experience to get to be back out there in a community of people I love so much. I stayed up all night ran 24 miles of hellgate course in 76F heat and drove home SO energized because I had such a positive experience and left so inspired by the many many strong willed, driven athletes I have the pleasure of being acquainted.
Its been a journey for me. To find balance with my life, my work, my passion for running, and now yoga. My personal practice is a daily part of my life, and i feel it not only aids in flexibility and recovery- but yoga is so much more than just the asana- the physical... there are so many healthy benefits to having a yoga practice mentally, emotionally, spiritually... yoga and running BOTH feed my soul. I feel the past year truly was essential for me to hit the reset button, and focus on these other areas of my life I had long been coasting through. Making space for yourself is important. Finding that juxtaposition between training/tearing down and recovery/building back up is so vital.
I feel my "second coming" into ultra running, I'm returning with much different goals in mind, and i'm a much different runner- and most certainly one who doesn't take one second of being "out there" in the mountains running for granted.
AND finally here are some pictures from my world things that make me happy and all apart of the the big picture for me to be ME. spending time outside. working on my business, Family time, yoga, running, time with friends.
