Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

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May 28, 2012

Running With Bison

Last week was a crazy week. The one way that I keep things sane in my life is by sticking to a routine, it’s really the only way that things get done. But last week my finely tuned plan was thrown out the window when I had to go out of town for work.

I say “have to” but heading to a breathtaking ranch in northern New Mexico to do field work is no a hardship for me. It does throw my Ironman training out of balance. No biking, no swimming and a crap foot means not much training happened early in the week.  I did get a chance to run a few miles and had one magical moment running on the dirt roads of the ranch.

The herd of bison that live on the ranch were about 100 yards off the road (this picture was not from my run but later in the day when the herd was further off the road)

With one standing in the middle of the road in front of me.

It didn’t let me get very close before running off to be with the others. My foot may not have been great but I finished on a supper runners high. Being able to mix two things I am passionate about (wildlife conservation and running) made this the best run I have ever been on in my life.

I will share more later on the rest of my week, out metric Ironman on Saturday and the progress of my foot. But for now I want to stay in my happy running place in New Mexico.

Posted by bethcurtis 5 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Kari says

    May 28, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    I miss New Mexico! And maybe your schedule went out the window for a little while but the bison totally makes up for it!

    Reply
  2. MR DETERMINED says

    May 30, 2012 at 2:26 am

    Awe running with bisons sounds magical. 🙂 Any white ones? Any wild life around is actually.

    Reply
  3. Jill says

    June 1, 2012 at 4:55 am

    Hahah, that buffalo is too cute! I see them sometimes on some road in Castle Rock. You’ll get back on track with the training, it’s not easy when you travel.

    Reply
  4. Colleen says

    June 7, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    Amazing pictures!!! 🙂 That’s a run you’ll never forget!

    Reply
  5. Laura says

    June 11, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    Hi Beth,

    Congrats on your season so far, keep up with your inspiring training! Once in a lifetime stuff! I noticed on your blog that you are a true Ironman, having worked your way up to becoming an amazing triathlete. I love that this blog is honest, raw, and real with what training for something like an Ironman entails. I am cyclist myself, so I especially have appreciated the holistic view of the training you have done, sharing with us all of the beauty of the journey. I noticed that you were planning on participating in the Cour d’Alene race, but as a premier triathalete, I was wondering if you have ever done a blog post about how important it is to taper before a race, as well as include rest and refueling as part of the training regimen. As you probably know, athletes spend months preparing for endurance events, taking great care with pre-race nutrition, but consuming the right nutrients after a workout is just as important!

    This year the REFUEL | “got chocolate milk?” campaign launched to educate athletes of all levels about the benefits of including chocolate milk in their post workout routine. Lowfat chocolate milk has what it takes to help athletes recover after a hard workout – the right mix of protein and carbs to refuel and rebuild exhausted muscles, plus fluids and electrolytes to replace what’s lost in sweat.

    Team REFUEL has paired up with the Ironman Cour d’Alene, taking place Sunday, June 24, to educate athletes on proper recovery after long workouts. Since Team REFUEL will be in Cour d’Alene for the Ironman, I would love to chat with you about the benefits that chocolate milk provides and how to join Team REFEUL.

    Get Sponsored by Team REFUEL
    Athletes will be invited to submit a 60-second video that describes their after-workout ritual – then will rally votes to land a place on Team REFUEL. Winners will score:
    • Technical training gear
    • $500 in sponsorship money
    • The chance to star in a “got chocolate milk?” ad
    • The chance race in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon or ½ in Europe
    • For every vote cast on entry videos, $1 will go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation®

    Please let me know if you’re interested!

    Thanks,
    Laura

    PS contact me at lmiller@webershandwick.com or give me a call at 312-988-2113. Thanks!

    Reply

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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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