Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

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February 18, 2022

Trail Running 101 + Hopeful Planning

We are looking at more and more winter weather.

So I guess I will be seeing more and more of this:

And even thought we are in the thick of winter my PT is making progress and I am hopeful that I will be signing up for races this summer or fall. I love planning races it really motivates me to get up on cold dark winter mornings.

While I love running my heart belongs out on the trails!

https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/intro-to-trail-racing/

Do you prefer roads or trails?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: trail running

January 21, 2022

Revisiting Growth Mindset

I have posted about growth mindset before but I haven’t thought about it in a while and was reminded wile listening to a podcast about parenting how important it is for us but maybe even more important for our kids. I feel very motivated to try to instill a growth mindset for Cannon and Emerald. As a patent, educator and athlete I love these ideas:

One of the things that has been very impactful in my life has been learning about growth mindset.

I read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck and it was very enlightening. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already. Thinking of things in terms of the growth mindset impacts my teaching, parenting and hopefully it will impact my training as well.

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When I am teaching I fully believe that all of my students can master the content I am teaching. I know to the depths of my soul that with the right effort they can all do it. Even though some of them will tell me that they are not good at math and have never been able to do it (fixed mindset).

[Source]

In parenting when thinking of my children it’s easy for me to keep a growth mindset (for them). When they were learning to walk I never once thought they would never learn how, I just knew they would keep trying and some day it would just click. And they clearly felt the same, they didn’t seem bothered when they fell down they just kept trying.

It also didn’t bother them that Sally down the street started walking at 10 month and they didn’t start until 14 months. It seems that a growth mindset is our natural way of being and somehow we learn to sometimes have a fixed mindset.

[Source]

Where I struggle with overcoming a fixed mindset is for myself and lately with my training. I am trying to shift the voice in my head from things being hard, that I am not naturally good at certain things and getting discouraged to growth mindset of taking responsibility and focusing on hard work and improving.

So now I am working on shifting into a growth mindset for myself.

25 Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset

reading, researching and putting in the work. It happens to be one of the things I would really like to help my kids remember also for the rest of their lives!

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What is the last book you read that had a profound impact on your life?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: trail running

July 7, 2019

Trails + Trifles

It was a good day but I am beat! The day started off with a 4am alarm and straight to coffee! I have become a champion time waster in the mornings lately and I really need to break the habit. I don’t need to be scrolling on my phone at 4:30 am!

I drove out to Boulder to get some time on the trails and some climbing.

time one the trails always flies by, 18 miles total for the day.

Then there was time at the park (yes, we go to the park a lot) and chores around the house.

I have to really hope that active recovery is a good thing because there really isn’t time to sit and recover after long runs anymore.

In the evening we had my family over for a BBQ. I made my 4th of July Trifle. It’s always a hit but never looks as good as the Pinterest pictures. It’s really easy so I love making it.

After dinner we were all beat, I love when Cannon falls asleep with one of us. It doesn’t happen all the time but more frequently now that he doesn’t nap.

After dinner we watched the team time trials for the Tour de France while working.

___________________________________

How was your weekend? Any great easy recipes you want to share?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Run, trail running

June 26, 2019

80 Days Until Race Day + Trail Shoes?

Just 80 days until race day, I am getting really excited about Run Rabbit Run

[Source]

But also a little scared from the website: “These are not beginner’s runs. The uphills and downhills are fairly steep. You’ll spend a lot of time at an altitude of nearly two miles. There may be snow, rain, sleet, wind, or then again, it may be hot. Please do not try to run this course if you’re not completely prepared.”

Can you ever be “completely prepared” for a 50 or 100 miler? Maybe, I just want to show up ready to give it my best.

Given that the race is so technical I have been thinking a lot about trail shoes. I ran a giant hole in my last pair of trail shoes so I have just been running on the trails in my road shoes (Hoka Clifton 5)

I have stepped on a rock a couple times and wished for more protection so I have began to wonder if I should get into a new pair of trail shoes.

Do you have a favorite? Anything good for long distances?

Posted by bethcurtis Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: Run, trail running

August 28, 2016

Breck Crest 10K Trail Race Report

On Saturday I was super excited to run at Breck Crest again! The last two years I have run the half marathon and loved it. Knowing that this is a difficult course all above 9000 feet there was no way I would be ready to run the half marathon 4 weeks after starting to run again. The 10K was still a bit of a stretch but I love this race so much I wanted to give it a go.  I won’t go too much in this post on how I did and focus more on just the race and how it was run.

Throw back to Breck Crest 2014, the weather was crazy! Looking forward to running the 10k this year and getting a hug from my little guy #trail race #trailrun #motherrunner #9weekspostpartum

The race starts and ends on the River Walk in Breckenridge. This is an ideal place as it is scenic and also has many clean, flushing(!!!) toilets and free parking. Because the race is small the start is low key and relaxed. The marathon, half and 10k all have separate starts with bike lead outs to wind racers out of town, to the ski hills and finally onto single track. The trails are smooth and wind through forested mountain hillside.

[Source]


Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the course because I decided to not carry my phone. As I was running I really wished I had grabbed our GoPro. Both the half and full marathons run around the back and over the top of the Ten Mile Range. The 10K runs about half way up then cuts around front and then rejoins the half marathon course.

THe first half of the course is mainly up hill on single track in the forest. After about two and a half miles you end up running out onto the ski runs and follow some jeep roads. This part has amazing views of the surrounding peaks and the town of Breckenridge.

[Source]

There is one aid station for the 10K well stocked with water, Gatorade and Honey Stinger products. Just when you reach the aid station you are back on single track to wind your way down the mountain. Most of the trails were smooth but there was a couple sections that were on very technical terrain covered in loose rocks. I believe in the past years we ran on the jeep roads instead of the trail but this year the Spartan Race was on the road.

I was a little worried when I heard that a Spartan race was running on the same day on some of the same trails. The Spartan Race has over 10,000 participants! I am all for people getting out and doing whatever activity makes them happy and keeps them moving but I worried how it might impact my little race. I was happily surprise that there was very little impact. There was plenty of parking when we arrived and we got a spot close the the race start. Our race had to be rerouted a little to not be on the same trails as the Spartan competitors. The only tricky bit was where we had to cross the road the Spartan races were running up. There were SO MANY people it looked like a big city marathon! Luckily I didn’t have to wait too long before darting across and continuing on my way back into town.

The race ends back at the river walk in town, it’s a little short of 10K at about 5.8ish miles in true trail race fashion. The finish area is a great low-key party atmosphere at the finish. There is a large grassy area and access to a small creek so it is a nice area for families to wait for their racers. There is also a Starbucks about a hundred yards away for a convenient caffeine fix. The tech t-shirt is nice and I like the design but it is the same design every year so I have one in three colors. The half and full marathon finishers received medals that looked really nice.

Overall I think this is a great race and I was really impressed at how the dealt with the challenge of the conflicting time of the Spartan race.

Posted by bethcurtis 3 Comments
Filed Under: Race report, trail running, Uncategorized Tagged: race report, road back to fitness, trail race, trail running

July 29, 2014

Running in Leadville

It’s been a long time coming but I wanted to share my adventures in Leadville from last month. In June Cory and I decided we wanted to get out of town for the weekend and hit some trails.

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We found a cabin in Twin Lakes (right outside of Leadville) where we could stay and easily hit up some fantastic trails. We left Denver on Friday and drove the two and a half hours to Twin Lakes. We were very excited by how beautiful and quiet the area was. After unpacking a little we jogged up the road until we hit the Colorado Trail for a few miles before heading back to our cabin for dinner, much needed ice cream and bed.

Colo trail

Even though the temperature was very comfortable in the low 70s it felt MUCH hotter, something to note when running in the high country.

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On Saturday morning we drove into Leadville where we found a great coffee shop for breakfast before wandering into the Leadville Race headquarters where we got a map of the Leadville 100 Trail Race to find trails. We decided that it would be fun to climb up to Hope Pass (Rising above 12,400 ft).

IMG_1580

After talking to some locals we were convinced it was best to climb up the south side with less snow (good advice). By the time we got out to the trail head it was later than we had hoped so the plan was to hike to the top then jog down. Sections were so steep it was hard moving in either direction and oxygen is really in short supply at this elevation. But the views were worth it.

IMG_1597

The one not so fun part of the trip was the slippery trail. Towards the bottom of the trail there are leaves still decaying from the fall that are slick as ice. I was fine on the way up but on the way down I slipped and landed hard on both elbows. Luckily it wasn’t a leg so I was able to get myself off the mountain but had some pretty bad bruising on both arms.

IMG_1603

I must learn to stay upright on trails! The plan had been to run again on Sunday but after staying up much of the night with a sick pup we scrapped the run in favor for sleeping in a little then driving out around turquoise lake and heading home. We both really loved Leadville, Twin Lakes and the surrounding trails, we can’t wait to get back up and explore some more of the area.

Posted by bethcurtis 1 Comment
Filed Under: 50k training, trail run, trail running, ultra Tagged: trail running

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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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