Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Gift Ideas for Runners

Gift Ideas for Runners
1. Lululemon Speed Tight *cozy – I resisted buying Lulu for a long time, it seemed ridiculously expensive. That went out the window when I finally got some shorts as a gift and I realized how much more comfortable Lulu is than other brands. I even ran Tahoe’s marathon in Lululemon Capri’s, they were amazing with no chafing, love them! These tights are lined and perfect for winter, I wear them all the time.

2. Smart Wool gloves that have touch screen capabilities that are great for Garmin operation as well as instagramming your favorite trail

3. Petzl Headlamp great for evening runs when there is little daylight, or if you have an ultra runner on your list the NAO is supposed to be amazing.

4. A foam roller can be the difference between a PR and an injury, I have had my trigger point roller for years and it hasn’t broken down at all. Now if I could get someone to do the rolling for me…..

5. A Garmin 910XT is a great watch for any triathlete or runner, I have the 410 and it’s great but even with a full charge it has died on me, the 910 offers more battery power.

6. Everyone needs to hydrate on runs, even in the winter, this Nathan Hydration Vest makes it easy.

7. Give your favorite runner a nice way to display all the race bling!

What’s on your list?


Trail Runs in Colorado

Happy Thanksgiving (to my US readers) I am excited to spend the day giving thanks, doing a Turkey Trot with my entire family, watching movies and easting lots of great food. It will be a day of relaxing and finding peace. Luckily my contribution of pies will be baked this evening so I can mostly relax tomorrow.
I haven’t made tome to share much lately to I thought I would bomb you with some trail porn. Given my upcoming trail ultra marathon I have been spending my weekends climbing and descending. So here are some great local trails if live or ever visit Colorado.
Golden Gate Park: Lots of great trails that can keep you running for 30+ miles.

Centennial Cone: There is a 12 mile loop with approximately 3 mile spur to a lower parking lot, add that on as an out and back and you have a great 18 mile run.
Lory State Park: miles and miles of trails can be strung together here, we planned out a 20 mile course but you could run shorter or longer easily. This trail has been my favorite so far in Colorado. Tons of climbing but the trail is interesting and the views are incredible. This one was furthest from home but I will definitely be back!
So that’s what my weekends have looked like, what have you been up to? Any big plans for the holiday weekend?

150 Days until Ironman Los Cabos

I couldn’t believe it when I saw on twitter that Ironman Los Cabos is only 150 days away! Cory seems to think this it’s a lot of time but it seems dangerously short to me!

I have just started back to training after taking a month to do whatever I want after Lake Tahoe and it’s been great. I feel ready to get back at it but getting back into the routine of getting up at 4 am and getting out of work by 4 pm to get my second workout in has been a challenge. I have been trying to ease back in but next week needs to be 100%  even with the time change and no light.

A big learning curve will be training in the winter this year. I have trained over the winter but never for such a big early season race. I see it as a fun challenge but I am hoping for a lot of sunny days that I can get out on the road on my bike.

So for the next 150 days I will be dreaming of margaritas, guacamole and swimbikerunning!

So What’s Next?

After finishing Tahoe I gave myself a full week off to do nothing but enjoy life, let my body heal and not think about training one little bit.

2013-09-24 12.50.20.jpg

I felt great, I had a lot of extra time that I mostly spent relaxing, with a little holiday decorating, baking and working thrown in. THe second week after Tahoe I worked out a little but just what I wanted to do, weight training here, trail running there but not on any schedule. WHile I enjoyed the break I am starting to crave a schedule again, I take this as a good sign that I am doing a good job at the mental side of recovery. I will take one more week of working out when I want to but try to get in a little more so it won’t be too big of a shock. Then I will get back to work, because I have three big A races that I am already registered for next year.

So here’s what’s next….

First up will be my first crack at an ultra distance trail race. Cory and I signed up for Orcas Island 50k in Washington on February 1st. I am so excited to spend more time on the trails this winter with Cory.IMG_0012.jpg

Next up will be Ironman Los Cabos in Mexico, I was lucky enough to spectate last year and when I got 20% off for participating in Ironman Lake Tahoe the deal was sealed. On March 30th I will be toeing the line myself.

Ironman Los Cabos.JPG

Lastly I will participate in Ironman Canada in Whistler on July 27th. After seeing all the photos and reports from this year I am excited for my turn to participate in this race.

Ironman Canada Mountains.jpeg

After that I think I would like to do more trail running, maybe even a 50 miler, but I will wait until after Orcas to see how I like the distance.

So there it is, any big plans for 2014?

Ironman Lake Tahoe – Race Prep

For those that aren’t interested in all the detail and work that goes into an ironman here is the cliff notes from the week:
·         Tahoe is beautiful
·         The race is really ridiculously hard
·         I finished (the end, now you can skip the next four posts)
For anyone wanting a little bit more info on the race and venue feel free to read on:
We decided to drive out to Tahoe from Denver so we could bring our dogs and a bunch of other crap with us. 
We also decided to camp in Park City Utah along the way. We haven’t had much of a chance to camp this summer so this seemed much more fun than staying in a generic hotel. It was beautiful and calming but we didn’t get all the fun of camping since we didn’t cook or even make a fire. Hopefully more camping will happen next summer.

On Wednesday we rolled into Kings Beach, California. Kings Beach is a little town along the shore of Lake Tahoe where we had rented a house with my parents. We were so excited to arrive and see the gorgeous view of the lake we would get to have for the week.

Thursday we all headed up to Squaw Valley where I did the athlete check in thing then we did a little touristy stuff and went up the tram, learned a bit about the Olympics that were held there and ate lunch. 
  It was sunny and beautiful. Later that afternoon we took a quick swim in the lake at our house, the water felt great and I was feeling pretty confident about the swim part of the race.
On Friday Cory and I decided to go down to T1 at Kings beach at 7 am to see what conditions would be like on race morning. It was nice to see that we would most likely not be swimming into the sun. The water felt good again, fairly warm but the air and the sand were frigid. As we were leaving the beach I couldn’t feel my hands and my feet hurt really bad. This was the first taste of how challenging race morning might be. I was not concerned at all about the swim, it was much warmer than Coeur d’Alene last year, but I was nervous about getting on the bike. I decided for sure then that I would make a full change in T1 and wear as many layers as possible. Friday was spent mostly prepping my bags and figuring out last minute details since you have to drop off your bags on Saturday and I wanted to relax as much as possible on Saturday evening.

Later that night we headed back up to Squaw Valley for the Athlete dinner and meeting.

The food was blah or bad and it was freezing in the tent. My fault for not wearing warm enough clothes. The meeting was boring and kind of long. The only important information I heard was that the private neighborhood would be open on Saturday from 3-5 for athletes to drive if we were interested in seeing that part of the course. I think in the future I will eat my own dinner as both IM dinners I have been to have not been good. They have to feed so many people it’s not surprising but I would rather make my own choices (plus it’s expensive for guests).

Saturday it was raining, windy and snowing at higher elevation.

Crazy….I had a bike and run on my schedule from coach but I just couldn’t wrap my head around going out in the cold and wet. Plus all of my jackets, gloves and hats were packed away for race day. So a bagged the shakeout sessions and decided to just drop my stuff off instead. They were nice and allowed us to put bags over our stuff as well as over our bikes so things wouldn’t be soaked come morning.

 I was glad I did because people’s saddles that weren’t covered had ice on them race morning. After dropping my gear at the two different transitions areas (much more of a pain than having one transition area) I had a big lunch then headed out to drive a loop of the bike course.  Driving the course looked as I suspected very hilly in the back part of the loop with long stretched of steep 10%+ grades and technical steep down hills that scare me a bit on my TT bike (yes, I am a wuss). After driving the course I was nervous, I knew I was ready and fit enough to finish an Ironman but THIS ironman held many challenges. I told myself to show up, do my best and see where the cards fell. I had planned on having a light dinner but I wasn’t feeling hungry after our big lunch and probably nerves.

I tucked myself into bed early hoping for some good sleep with an alarm set for 4 am.

Coming next, Ironman Lake Tahoe – Race Morning and Swim

Ironman Lake Tahoe – Taper

Ahhh….it’s finally time to taper for Ironman Lake Tahoe. It’s been a long build and my body is ready to recover so I can show up on race day fresh. I wish I could say that I am 100% confident about the race but that would be a lie. I am confident that I could finish an Ironman at my current fitness level but  I am a little scared of the bike course at Tahoe.

I am not the strongest climber and there is somewhere between 6,500 and 10,000 ft of climbing depending on who you ask.
But the hay is in the barn and worrying will only cause me stress and burn my energy. Now I need to focus on race strategy, eating well, resting and staying healthy. I leave for Tahoe in just 4 days, and I am ready to get this adventure started.

Please start sending me good, strong, happy, beat cut-off times thoughts! 

Ironman Lake Tahoe – End of Peak Training

Whew….I can finally catch my breath now that I am finally in taper. Originally I was a little upset about Ironman Canada’s move from late August to late July (one less training month) but now after finishing up training for Tahoe I am grateful. August and September are busy family months with 4 birthdays and lots of racing for other family members. 
Finishing up peak training and having at least one month of the summer to just goof off will also be nice.
My last few weeks of peak training were a little off because of other obligations but I was able to get *most* of it in and even a 50 mile running week in (that’s big for me). I didn’t do a great job recording everything at Garmin connect so I can’t even give a play-by-play training update. That might be boring anyway but I can give some highlights:
Two 20 miles runs in mid 90 degree heat – one off a 3 hr bike ride

Two 100+ mile bike rides with hill repeats
Many open water swims
Four weeks of “climbing camp” where I road different hills from the Tahoe course on a computrainer
One loop of the Tahoe course on the computrainer
Lots of time climbing up mountains on my bike

As the season progressed I focused more and more on climbing on the bike. I have the advantage of living at altitude here in Colorado and having lots of great mountains to climb. Now I am just hoping that my knee will hold up and get me up the 4 big climbs on race day. I am now focusing on recovering my tired legs and even what I will do during my 4 weeks of recovery “free time”  in October or Fun-tober  as I have started calling it. 

YMX by Yellow Man – Product Review

The kind folks at YMX sent me a couple shirts to review a few weeks ago. I was excited after opening the package to find that the material was very thin and soft. I hate when tech shirts are rigid and chafe! 
They sent me a short sleeve tri-pocketliving sun jersey in blue. 


This jersey is great not only because it is really soft and breathable but also has really deep pockets in the back to hold all the gear you would need on a ride from 10-100 miles plus! I also like that it is very visible for motorists and even has reflective tape.

The jersey even has UPF 50+ sun protection.

I also got to try out the Infinite Phoenix LongSleeve Shirt. I have been eager to try it out but the temps in Colorado have been ridiculously hot, 80+ degrees even in the morning and evening. So I haven’t been able to take this baby out for a run yet. I am looking forward to trying it out on some cooler fall runs. Maybe it will even make an appearance in Tahoe! I did try on the shirt and it fits and feels great! 

I was provided with this opportunity via my affiliation with FitFluential. I was given the products at no cost, but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

Designer Whey Sustained Energy – Product Review and Giveaway!

Earlier this month I was given the opportunity to try out Designed Whey’s newest product “Sustained Energy”.
larger_SE_GROUP.jpg

Designer Whey describes Sustained Energy as:

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!

I was excited about this opportunity because I have enjoyed designer Whey’s products in the past and I use a lot of protein powder for training nutrition and recovery.

I tried vanilla bean in my protein recovery shake
IMAG0344.jpg

The shake kept me full and tasted great! What’s in it:

  • 1 banana
  • a couple handfuls of spinach
  • 1 cup of vanilla soy milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla bean designer whey sustained protein powder

I threw thew this all in the blender and let it run for two minutes.Then I added about two cups of ice, blended for another thirty seconds.
This is a great recovery drink or breakfast. If you have a rushed morning you can pre-make this shake and store it in the freezer.

To try the chocolate flavor I whipped up Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls. There are great for fueling on the bike when you want a little protein and cabs. Also it’s cheaper than the pre packed stuff and not full of preservative!

Homemade Protein Balls:
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup oatmeal
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 chocolate designer whey sustained protein powder
  • Pinch of salt optional

To make:

  • heat the peanut butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds mix well with honey
  • Mix in the oatmeal, flour, salt and protein powder. Stir until well blended
  • Mold into balls, bars or whatever shape you want. I like to use a mellon baller to make bite sized balls for easy eating on the bike.

These protein balls have gotten me through countless miles of training, five half ironmans, one full ironman and will help me get through Iornman Lake Tahoe.

Want to try Sustained Energy out? I have been given the opportunity to give a few tubs out. Leave a comment below with the flavor you would like to try (chocolate or vanilla bean). I will contact you for shipping information by next Monday if you are selected.

I was provided with this opportunity via my affiliation with FitFluential. I was given the products at no cost to myself, but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own!

Sign Up For Ironman Boulder Series TODAY!

Hi Friends! I am sure you have heard that Ironman is FINALLY bringing a full to Colorado. I am excited to finally have one in my backyard.

Sign ups for the Series starts today, sign up HERE. The series includes a half ironman in June, an olympic in July and the full on August 3rd. It’s actually a pretty good deal for ironman and a great way to plan your build to the full. 
If you aren’t interested in the series but just want to do the full registration opens tomorrow. Sooooo, who’s in???

→←