I spent this week in Missouri helping my parents move their home. After 40 years in the same house it was time to downsize. They lived on acreage in rural Missouri just a few miles from the Mississippi River. Now in their seventies, the property was becoming a bit high-maintenance so they bought a home in the St. Louis suburbs.

The…

Quinnian’s,

Nary a month past our 10^th Birthday we had the 36,000^th JRC runner run with us last week!  WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…

For the past two weeks, I have been racing.  Despite sleep deprivation and a nagging little achilles injury, I have been running pretty well.  So now it's on to the Pikes Peak Ascent in 3 weeks.  And here is who I am running for:…

So much for a race report after Summer Roundup.  My weekend (I'm off weird days) got cut short because of the Hayden Pass Fire, and it's been a hectic couple of weeks since of long days at work, working extra days, the usual this time of year.  Such is the life of a journalist!

But I'm back!

The Ascent is looming, and with each passing day I'm getting more nervous.  I'm really starting to have a nagging…

When life gets you down, it is hard to get out the door but it always seems to be better with a run.  Sometimes the struggles of day-to-day life is a little overwhelming.  I too struggle with trying to balance…

Quinnian’s,

Awesome weather to be out running!!!!  Donovan (Penguin) Thorpe is set for his 400^th JQRC shirt this week…..woot woot!!!!

Joining us this week at Jack…

     A week of binging on naps, Netflix, and ice cream have passed since tagging the Waterton Canyon terminus of the Colorado Trail. During this time of intense recovery and in between slumbers, I've summoned as many details of the experience as I can, realizing the limitations that come with attempting to encapsulate a 485 mile trip by tapping keys on a computer. Words, pictures, and video can do a lot but ultimately, they are only representations of the experience. Still, these…

Sunday was the running of the Barr Trail Mountain Race (BTMR for you acronym lovers).  This is a race I have loved for years.  There's been a lot of transition in the past 5 years, but it's still just a brutal as ever.  It's relatively simple: run halfway up Pikes Peak, and then run back down for a total of approximately 12.6 miles.  You would think that doing half of the Pikes Peak Marathon would be easy.  It's not.  Once the gun…

Last week I had an AMAZING opportunity to be a mentor for the Knights of Heroes (KOH) summer camp, which is designed to empower boys and girls who have lost their fathers in military service. Through a multitude of outdoor adventures the campers find and exemplify determination, bravery, leadership, and perseverance. Moreover, the campers were challenged to work…

Laced up and ready to go. Ready or not my Ascent training has been yet another experience with many life lessons. Training hurts. It hurts physically, and it hurts mentally at times. Discipline is probably one of the most challenging things when it comes to running up a mountain. After spending about 3 weeks at sea level I really had to step up my game after the Garden of the Gods 10 mile. I loved the Summer Roundup Race although my…

Sheer panic overtook me as we drove to the top of Pikes Peak for our Ascent training.  It was absolutely irrational and I am not sure where that fear came from.  I literally covered my face and sobbed while Dave very safely drove us to the top of Pikes Peak.  Needless to say I spent the five mile hike down…

Quinnian’s,

WOW what an awesome time at Boulder Running Company last week….they really know how to host a FIELD TRIP.  Thanks BRC!!!!!

Joining us this week at Jack Quinn’s:

- Boulder Running Company…

It’s true!  I had absolutely nothing in my legs for the Second Leg of the Triple Crown of Running, the Summer Roundup Trail Run, but as I came around for the end of the first loop in Bear Creek Park on Sunday I heard the ringing of a cowbell and a familiar voice shouting out “Come on Dave, the cowbell makes you…

This weekend was filled with quite a few things I MUST do.  I try to do this work/life balance thing and I think I do it pretty well.  I try not to over commit, and I try to prioritize the important things and get them done.  This weekend, these were my priorities: The OC 500, Drums Along the Rockies, The Summer roundup Trail Race.  This was a lot to cram in to one weekend, but I was determined, so I made things work.

Let's…

Quinnian’s

We’re taking a FIELD TRIP this week to Boulder Running Company with special guests Battle Frog, GU, Ascend PT, and Asics!!!!!

July 5th attendance

Runners –…

The summer’s going by in a whirlwind and with it, mountain running season. While I’m not big on meticulously recapping, dissecting, and picking apart every race—I don’t want to bore anybody to tears after all (like, my mom and maybe the one or two other people who read this)--given that I haven’t had the pleasure of doing so in quite a while, I’m going to allow myself to indulge in that for just a few minutes here. So, forgive me.…

The prodigal blogger returns!  My June got away from me with work stuff, family visiting and a stomach bug after Garden of the Gods!  But I'm back...and no whiny freakouts about the Ascent this time, haha! 

Summer Roundup is tomorrow!  My "race" plan (if you can even call it that, hence the scare quotes) is similar to Garden of the Gods...I'm just going to treat it as a fun run since I don't think I'm in traditional…

Hi there. My name is Susanna Barnwell. I am doing my second Triple Crown this year and have been asked to blog about my experiences with the running program I am using to accomplish my goals. So why read my musings? Well, we hear from pros and trainers and industry specialists all the time, but not the regular every day runners out there who…

I’ve read two of fellow Mighty Marmots heartfelt blogs today and thought I’d jump in. Anna wrote about overcoming her fears and pushing herself toward new adventures. Michael, unfortunately, is dealing with personal loss from two people he cares about. It takes courage to discuss these issues publicly. Thanks to them for sharing! It’s a testament to the character of the Mighty…

Yesterday morning, Rich  invited me to a memorial hike to honor his daughter, Allie, who died in a car accident last week.  This really hit home for me.  The pain was all too real.  Someone I love and care about had lost the one thing that no parent ever wants to lose.  Another friend, Re, miscarried the day before this. She wrote a little post on Facebook that went like this:  "It was a wisp, a dandelion seed, a spider silk, a puff…