Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Archives for October 2017

30 Day Run Streak

I will admit that ever since breaking my toe in July my running has been in a bit of a slump. My toe healed up just fine and I have been able to run pain free for a while now. But still my running has been inconsistent and unenthusiastic.

stroller running, trail run

The days are getting shorter and the temps are dropping but fall is my favorite time to run.

Sunday morning shuffle #run

When I have wanted to get back to consistent running in the past I have done a 30 day run streak to help kick start my habit. A 30 day run streak works for me because it reinforces the habit of running everyday and helps reignite my love of running.

So I plan to run everyday in November and I am pretty excited about it.
The “rules” for my run streak are pretty forgiving as I don’t want to risk injury or burn out. There is no minimum time or distance and walk breaks are definitely allowed. Treadmills are also allowed and will definitely be used. The idea is not to rack up epic milage but to just get moving every day and reset the habit.
What helps you get back into running after a slump?

Lately // Summer 2017

It’s been a long time since I have updated this little space of the internet so it seems appropriate to do a little recap of summer 2017.

June started off with a bang with my first ultra of the summer. I was really excited to run the North Fork 50k in Pine, CO.

Ultra Marathon, 50k, North Fork

Excited to see Cory and Cannon at mile 22ish

I REALLY loved this race and plan to write race reports for my summer races soon. The trail was amazing, the weather was great and and I had an amazing time.

Ultra Marathon, 50k

I spent a lot of weekend time on the trails preparing for Leadville Silver Rush 50.

trail run, Boulder

Mid month it was time to celebrate Cannon turning one!

We had friends and family over to celebrate with a You Are My Sunshine themed party.

Birthday Cake, First Birthday Party

smash cake

We also got to celebrate Cory’s second Father’s Day with one of our favorite things to do as a family, a hike!

Don’y believe their faces….they were having fun.

We spent many hours at the park, library and our favorite, the pool!

At the end of June Cory and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. We dropped Cannon of with his first overnight with his grandparents (Cannon did great, I kind of hated it). For our anniversary we decided to celebrate by running the Muller Trail Marathon. I loved running with Cory by my side.

After the race we rushed back to pick up our boy, grab some Indian food and spent the evening cuddling. It was a great day!

We had a blast celebrating Independence Day with family and friends

Happy Independence Day!!!

It was a great day except for when I caught my toe on our sliding door and broke my little toe =(

And….it ends with a broken toe I am supposed to line up for the Leadville Silver Rush 50 tomorrow, instead I will likely just feel sorry for myself. It’s not a bad break, I can walk and even run a little but not 50 miles on uneven trails. I am disappointed but still happy with what I did get to do this training cycle. Three marathons and a 50k is still pretty great. #leadvillesilverrush50 #brokentoe

I was hopeful that I would be able to still run but my little toe was not allowing for that much running without intense pain. Two marathons and an ultra in June to a big fat zero in July.

Lucky for me I started a very intense online training for work to become certified to teach online classes. This training only lasted four weeks but it filled all the time that running had previously taken up.

We were excited to get to cheer Grandma on at a triathlon in Evergreen!

August brought the begining of football season!

We headed to Vail for Cory’s birthdayVail Mountain

Then we got to cheer Cory on at the Beaver Creek Trail Half Marathon, where he took 3rd overall!

After my toe healed I felt like I really needed to rebuild my running from the ground up so I focused strength training and decided not to rush back to long distances immediately.

The end of August brought the begining of fall semester and full time teaching for me. While I only teach two classes on campus I also started teaching online as well.

We ended the summer by heading to Breckenridge for one of my favorite trail races, Beack Crest, this was my fourth year in a row of running it and I am really hoping to make it a tradition to run it every year. It is always beautiful and challenging.

And there it is, the highlights from summer 2017. I am looking forward to making some big race plans for 2018!