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.

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.

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

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.

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 birthday

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!

My birthday was this week and I turned 36. 36 seems like a nice round strong number, and I feel like it’s going to be a good year for me. I feel more like myself, braver, happier and more content. This is likely more to do with becoming a mother, than 36 being some kind of magical number but that’s where I am regardless. The world feels fresh, full of possibilities and magic thanks to my son, he really has brought so much light into my life.

Matchy matchy 

35 was a drastic shift from previous years. I raced once, ONCE while I was 35 and that was just a couple weeks ago. My priorities shifted from triathlon to keeping my baby and myself healthy. The year was filled with excitement and a little worry (being pregnant can be scary, when you can’t see your little one to confirm that they are health and safe). 36 also feels great because I am just starting to feel like myself again. After close to 10 months of pregnancy then recovering from childbirth my body felt foreign and strange to me. Just in the last couple weeks I have started to feel stronger and more at home in my skin again.

Now I am only interested in pursuing things that bring me joy. I don’t have time for activities or objects that aren’t bringing me closer to my dreams. I want to be a good role model to my son that you should follow your heart, chase your dreams and that it is never too late.

Quote by @imbethgerdes on returning to racing ironman triathlons after having a baby. Always inspirational and a reminder to chase the light.