About six weeks ago I came across a friend’s Facebook post for the Xterra Trail Run…

I've been running the Pikes Peak Ascent and/or Pikes Peak Marathon every year since 2000.  While I will brag all day long about my accomplishments (or lack thereof), It is pretty clear that I would not have done what I have done without a little help.  

This blog is dedicated to the people who put up with me, challenge me, and help me. 

I'll start with my family.  My wife has put up with this mid-life crisis for 17 years now, and she has been my biggest fan.  …

Quinnian’s,

Mark your calendars for the 2^nd annual RunFest for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon next Thursday August 18 from 5-8pm.  The event will be held on the

grass outside of the Pioneers…

Hitting the August training/running/racing wall.  The Ascent is this month and struggling to want to train enough to get myself up the big hill.  Last weekend I was in Leadville with Dave, for his 3 day – 100 mile bike race.  While he rode I ran.  I ran 2 hours each day and I’d say…

With the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon only a few weeks away, I craved some high altitude training and some longer days on the trails.  Moreover, my birthday was fast-approaching, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate!  To kick-start my 31^st, my husband, Michael, and I woke up at 4:30am and drove into Manitou. We loaded up…

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 –…