Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

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Archives for August 2011

August 30, 2011

Death of a Fatty

Yesterday morning I grabbed my old trusty “fatty” iPod nano to listen to on my way to work. It worked as normal, I paused it, locked the keys and threw it in my bag. After work I pulled it back out unlocked the keys and…. nothing, no response. I was confused, it worked this morning? Did I leave it on all day and the battery was just dead? I plugged it into my computer when I got home and iTunes didn’t even recognize anything was there. Apparently my five year old iPod died a quiet death while I was working. Honestly I am happy I got five years out of it, I use it all the time, I have dropped it, sweat all over it and abused the poor thing.

Not wanting to go a day without entertainment (sad, I know) I ran to target after getting a quick bike fit, my seat was way too low, and bought a new nano touch screen. I love that it is smaller and has a clip like my shuffle so I won’t have to shove it in my sports bra when I don’t have pockets (gross).

I ordered a silicon case to help protect it, getting that first ding in a new electronic is the worst.

Goodbye fatty, you got me through many long runs, races, road trips, sleepless nights and much more, I will miss you.

In other new gear news I finally got a new helmet to replace the one I was wearing when I crashed, I wore it for a quick 20 miler on Sunday and it seems nice and comfortable.

Hopefully this one will take me through IM CDA!

Do you use an iPod for training, how often do you replace it?


Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Gear

August 29, 2011

Things I am willing to give up to be an ironman…

Training for an ironman will take somewhere between 8 and 20 hours of week of training, that is not including all of time spent planning, driving, prepping, packing, eating, buying gear, etc to support all of that training. It also takes a lot of money, not just the entry and travel fees but for all the gear, nutrition, and expenses to keep your body healthy (massages, foam rollers, etc). Also it takes a toll on your body, in many different ways. So I had to really think, what am I willing to give up to become an ironman? Here is my list so far:

• Looking good at work. I will have wet hair, and wrinkled clothes everyday (sorry boss)

• Having cute feet. I used to have cute feet now I have funky purple toe nails and perma blisters

• Money and time for vacations

• Most alcohol, not a good idea to drink when you have to get up early to go run/bike/swim

• Sleeping in, 4:20 am wake up calls x(

• Snowshoeing, I love to snowshoe in the winter but with IM training in full swing I don’t think we will have time to fit it in

• Smelling good, I can never get rid of that chlorine smell

• Most tv shows, this is ultimately for my benefit I think

• Facebook, oh wait I gave that up long ago and don’t miss that time suck at all

• Spending time on my yard, that will have to happen after June 24th

Here is the biggest one:

My Car. We have been thinking about going down to one car for some time, mostly to force to be better about alternative commuting for the environment. Cory and I both bike commute a lot so my Saturn Vue often sits in the garage. We decided the extra cash every month the we gain by not making a car payment or insurance would help fund the ironman. I am a bit nervous about going down to one car over the winter when bike commuting is harder but I think I am up for the challenge.

Here are the things I am not willing to give up:

• Spending time with my family, my parents just moved here and I won’t abandon them for IM training. They will make great puppy sitters on long training weekends though 😉

• Spending time with my dogs, they are like my children

• Time with my husband, I won’t have to though he is doing this thing with me!

• Quality of my work, my job is very important to me so I won’t slack on it but I will try to keep my hours closes to 40 a week so can fit everything else in.

• Sleep, I need it, period.

What do/would you give up for your dream?


Posted by bethcurtis 3 Comments
Filed Under: Ironman Training

August 29, 2011

I signed up today……Ironman Coeur d’Alene!

We finally decided between all of the ironman races for 2012. After watching videos and reading a lot of race reports we decided that Ironman Coeur d’Alene is the best choice for us. So we went online forked over a bunch of money and waved goodbye to our lives for the next ten months.

I am still on injured reserve as my knee is very painful so the focus for the next few months will have to be healing a building strength.

The race will be held on June 24th and that will be our 6th anniversary. We completed our first half ironman this year on our anniversary.

It may not be the most romantic way to spend the day but that’s how we roll.

Any suggestions on how to survive this, while working a full+ time job, keeping up a house, and being a good daughter, sister, wife, friend, boss, coworker, neighbor, pet owner, etc?


Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: Ironman CDA

August 24, 2011

Things That Made Me Smile Today

A good friend sent this to me today and it made me smile:



BLUEBIRD of HAPPINESS by Dick Brown

From the Visionary Museum in Baltimore:

1. Expand the definition of a worthwhile life.

2. Engender respect for and delight in the gifts of others.

3. Increase awareness of the wide variety of choices available in life for all … particularly students

4. Encourage each individual to build upon his or her own special knowledge and inner strengths

5. Promote the use of innate intelligence, intuition, self-exploration, and creative self-reliance.

6. Confirm the great hunger for finding out just what each of us can do best, in our own voice, at any age.

7. Empower the individual to choose to do that something really, really well.

Another thing that made me smile was watching the leaves fall out of trees and thinking of the promise of fall even though it’s still upper 90’s outside.

What made you smile today?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: smile

August 18, 2011

Cory’s Birthday Trip

Cory turned 32 last Friday and we were lucky enough to be able to take the day off work and act like tourists. I floated a few ideas past Cory and he decided that he wanted to ride the Cog Train from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak. While there were fantastic Views (see below) we weren’t that impressed with the overall experience. It was….ok, I would suggest driving to the top instead and saving a few bucks.

When we got back to Manitou Springs we shopped for a bit then headed to Adams Mountain Cafe

They adhere to a slow food model, descried as:

THE SLOW FOOD INTERNATIONAL MANIFESTO
Our century, which began and has developed under
the insignia of industrial revolution, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model.
We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes, and forces us to eat Fast Foods.
To be worthy of the name, <em>Homo sapiens</em> should rid themselves of speed before it reduces them to a species in danger of extinction.
A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.
May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and
long lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of
multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency.
Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.
In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only true progressive answer.
That is what real culture is about: developing taste rather
than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, products?
Slow Food guarantees a better future. Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement with the little snail as its symbol.

We sat on their patio and had the best food!

We then went for a 78 mile bike ride on Saturday that went surprisingly well. On Sunday we helped my parents settle in to my brothers house where they are staying for a few weeks while looking for a house here in Colorado. We also had the chance to celebrate my dad’s birthday with him for the first time in years. It was such a great weekend but it left me behind at work and home. Gees, how do you fit it all in?


Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized

August 11, 2011

Food, Glorious Food!

I would say that Cory and I are planners, so when it comes to buying food for the week we plan out our diners and rarely “wing it”. I like to know what we are going to buy and hate throwing away food that has gone bad. We start by making a dinner menu for the week (we don’t plan lunches or breakfasts, we just make sure we have the usual ingredients in the house) We then make a shopping list.

Can you read the menu? It looks like all unhealthy foods like tacos, pizza, burritos, etc. It looks bad but these are all healthy, homemade versions. Here are our fish tacos with mango salsa from last week, SO YUMMY!

After making our list we head out, we almost always end up at two different stores, our favorites are Costco and Sunflower Market. Here is our haul:

We are pretty good at sticking to our menu, admittedly sometimes we end up with takeout (usually Indian)after a stressful day at work.

Do you plan out your meals, or do you decide as you go?


Posted by bethcurtis 2 Comments
Filed Under: food

August 7, 2011

65 mile ride

Cory and I decided to tackle our long ride today by riding a 65 mile loop mostly on bike paths. We mapped out our route on map my ride went over each turn and headed out. Even with all of the preparation we missed a turn and ended up going about 14 miles off course (the turn was seriously ambiguous and not marked) With the help of Cory’s driod and google maps we were able to get back on course but we lost a lot of time and decided that it would be a bad idea to do the full loop now that it would be closer to an 80 mile ride and we didn’t think we would be up for that yet. We decided to do an out and back and try to still get in 60ish miles.

Other than getting lost it was a great ride. I thought I would be much more uncomfortable in the 95 degree heat riding further than I ever have. I think the fact that I ate and drank a lot made this log ride almost feel easy (other than my sits, still need to work on making that more comfortable).

To make it through a 4+ hour ride I brought along all of this along:

3 Honey Stinger Waffles (seriously these are SO good) 160 calories each. and 2 Honey Stinger Chews also 160 calories each, Pink Lemonade is a new flavor and I think it was pretty good.

All ready to pack into my bento box.

I wanted to try to taking some protein with me so I mixed up some Hammer Perpetuem

I tried some before adding it to my bottle and couldn’t stomach it. Sorry Hammer, I am not a fan, I had to dump it out and go with three bottles of grape nuun. I love my aerodrink, I really think it’s the main reason I don’t get dehydrated since it’s so easy to drink from while riding.

About halfway through the ride we stopped at a gas station where I bought a gatorade and shared a Snickers with Cory. The attendant was kind enough to allow us to fill our bottles with ice and water for free. The ice didn’t last long in the heat but it was nice for a while.

I didn’t quite make it though all of my Honey Stingers so I ate approximately 900 calories on a 4.5 hour ride. I think it was a good amount for me, my stomach did well, I felt like I had consistent energy, and I wasn’t starving when we finished.

How much do you eat on your long run/rides?


Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: nutrition

August 5, 2011

Makin’ it happen

That’s it, I am back on the wagon. After about three weeks of very little exercise I am determined to make it to Harvest moon half ironman in September. I have been plagued with injuries and illness this past month but I am ready to be back at it full force. I am not sure that my knee will allow me to get back to running the 30ish mile weeks I was before but I am hopeful that I will be able to pull out a slow half marathon anyway. I just know that I am up for trying.

Winston is disappointed that there will be less couch cuddle time but I am excited to get back to swim, bike, run, EAT!

Posted by bethcurtis 2 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

August 3, 2011

July Recap

Even though I have been whining lately July was pretty fun here are some of the highlights:

Cory and I continued our 5th anniversary celebration by going to one of our favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot

We went to the Louisville location, it has a mine shaft theme.

The food was great and the company even better. We also had some fabulous trail runs before my knee gave up on me.

I was fortunate enough to travel to San Diego for work where I went to a workshop with the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation department. They put us up in some swanky accommodations

I had the best time

Learned a lot

And met some fantastic people

Cory and I then Traveled to Portland (my favorite city ever) where we visited the Japanese gardens

So pretty, we were lucky enough to get a guided tour so we learned a lot. We then headed down for a quick tour of the rose gardens.

On Saturday we visited Portland’s Saturday Market where I bought some hand made jewelry, the worlds coolest lamp that is being delivered soon and indulged in one of Cory’s favorite things:

We visited family and went to Cory’s brother’s wedding reception (they ran off and tied the knot in Vegas in May) the happy family

Overall it was a good month and I am happy to move on to August. I know summer is fun but fall is my favorite season and I can’t wait for cooler weather, turning leaves, holidays, baking and football. Counting down the days…..

What’s your favorite season?


Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: Month recap

August 2, 2011

Wipe Out!

I have been on such a bad streak lately I shouldn’t be surprised that my 50 mile bike ride yesterday ended with my first ever wipe out on my bike. I don’t think there are any permanent damages just some road rash, bruises and sore limbs. Mainly I think that it just means more time off training, it’s like the universe is trying to tell me something.

I am sick of being a debbie downer so instead of feeling sorry for myself. I will tell you about my fun night out with Cory. On Saturday night we decided to try out a local restaurant called Solera the website describes the restaurant as;

Inspired by Spanish farmhouse cuisine, Chef/Owner Goose Sorensen uses time honored techniques like slow roasting and braising to create simple dishes that are rich in flavor. Named after the process of aging wine, beer and brandy, Solera understands the craft behind making exceptional food.

We started out with sangria, Cory had the red and I had the white. They were both really good. We then ordered truffle fries as an appetizer, they were the best things ever!

They were so good that I don’t even mind you seeing my greasy forehead.

For dinner I ordered sea scallops with white cheddar, truffle mac n cheese. This dish was made for me, including many of my favorite things. It was SO good!

Cory ordered sea bass with risotto, he liked it but it had nothing on my meal!

It was not the healthiest meal I have ever had but it was worth it!

After dinner we watched Crazy Stupid Love, and it was SO good. Seriously deeper than I thought it would be. Two thumbs up, I recommend it to everyone.

Seen any good movies lately???


Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: food

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We are having so much fun learning to ski as a fam We are having so much fun learning to ski as a family! Ski traffic I could do without 🫠
✨2022✨ I can honestly say this was the best ✨2022✨ 

I can honestly say this was the best year of my life. So many adventures. I am loving the ages of these kiddos and cherish our time together. 

Very unsure if we can top this in 2023 but we are sure going to try!
We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄 We hope you had a merry little Christmas 🎄
Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not h Winter hiking is just so magical. Definitely not hating winter this year! ❄️
We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the N We kicked off the holiday season by visiting the North Pole and seeing Santa! 

The kids had so much fun and it was way cuter than I was expecting. They said it was better than Disneyland 😂 @northpolecolorado
Happy Halloween!!! Cannon really wanted to be To Happy Halloween!!! 

Cannon really wanted to be Toad from Super Mario this year so we tagged along. 

Scroll to see 2021-> 2020 -> 2019 -> 2018 -> 2017 -> 2016 🎃
We finished up our tour of France with a couple da We finished up our tour of France with a couple days in Disneyland Paris. I love Disney Parks and visiting Disneyland Paris was a dream come true. We had such an amazing time on our entire trip. 

We are trying to plan our next trip. Where is the best place you have ever been? Do you have a favorite trip? I would love to hear about it. My parents say that Ireland was their favorite so UK tops the list currently but Italy or Costa Rica are on the list too.
In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus In our last couple of days in Paris we took a bus tour to see the major sights. Our favorites included walking the entire Champs-Élysées and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We missed out on seeing the Catacombs because we didn’t get tickets early enough. c’est la vie, I guess we will have to go back 😉
A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing A cousin reminded me that I never finished sharing our trip to France 🫠 better late than never! 

We spent our first day back in Paris with a trip to Versailles. We loved the gardens so much and particularly enjoyed Marie Antoinette’s little farm. The history here is incredible and the opulence overwhelming. We walked over 10 miles on our visit!
Before our long drive back to Paris we did the thr Before our long drive back to Paris we did the three castle hike in Ribeauvillé, France. We climbed up the side of a hill to three castle ruins from the 14th century. It was really fun to explore and a great way to burn some energy before a long drive.
While we were in the Alsace region of France we vi While we were in the Alsace region of France we visited the sweet little village of Riquewihr. Rumor says this was the inspiration for Belle’s village in Disney’s Beaty and the Beast. Can you see it? We could and kept singing Bonjour while walking through town.
After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colma After leaving Switzerland we made our way to Colmar. This sweet little town in the Alsace region of France near the German border. We loved all the half timber buildings and winding streets. We had some great local food and wine. Colmar was a lovely place to get lost for an afternoon.
It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person It was so exciting to see the Matterhorn in person. The peak was never fully clear of clouds while we were there which was a little disappointing but it was still majestic . We took a cog train and gondola up then hiked about five miles down on the five lakes trail. It was a beautiful day and we got to enjoy lunch mid hike. We loved the little (car free) town of Zermatt. We enjoyed some fun Swiss playgrounds in town before dinner. I love Switzerland and it’s mountains!
With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a go With the last of our time in Chamonix we took a gondola and cable car up Le Brévent. We enjoyed hot chocolates and crepes at the top with views of Mont Blanc. 

Next it was time to drive on to Switzerland 🇨🇭
We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Cha We took a cute cogwheel train up the valley in Chamonix to Montenvers to visit the Mer de Glace  glacier. At the top you can take a gondola a little way down then MANY stairs to the glacier. It was sad to see the markers of where the glacier was in years past and how much it has shrunk. We did love exploring an ice cave that they dig out each year. We had to try twice to get into the ice caves as the first time it closed right as we arrived due to a storm. It was worth taking the train twice.
After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we sto After riding to the top of Aiguille du Midi we stopped half way down for a couple mile hike and a stop at a mountain hut for lunch. This might have been my favorite lunch ever. The views were amazing and the weather was nice. The mountains here are STUNNING!!! #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explo We decided to spend a few day in Chamonix to explore the French Alps. The experience we were most excited about was taking the gondola up the 
Aiguille du Midi (highest cable car in France). You switch cable cars half way up so you can enjoy the views. The top outpost is incredible perching on top of the mountain. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

The day wasn’t completely clear but the views were still incredible. #aiguilledumidi #chamonix
After a long drive across the French countryside w After a long drive across the French countryside we landed in Annecy at the foot of the Alps. 

Annecy was such a pretty little town on the bank of a gorgeous turquoise lake.  We got to enjoy lunch at a canal side cafe, wander the streets, enjoy ice cream and playground hop our way through town. 

Very excited about our next few days in mountains of France + Switzerland.
We drove into the heart of France to visit the Go We drove into the heart of France to visit the  Gouffre de Padirac. A large cave system including an underground river. I don’t have many good pictures given the lighting and lack of patience. We loved climbing down into the cave and riding a boat along the river. Probably my favorite cave that I have visited. Kids loved all of it too and are so good about us dragging them along with us across France.
After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire After leaving Mont Saint-Michele we drove to Loire to visit Château de Chenonceau. It was stunning and the gardens were fun to explore. The history here is so rich!
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