Mountain Adventures, Slips, Spills and Thrills!

I injured my ankle hiking the Enchantments a few weeks ago. This is the first real injury that I have had to deal with as a runner. It has been extremely difficult watching all of my friends go out and have so much fun during the fall running season. I went through several doctors appointments x-rays and a CT just to be told that it is a severe sprain. However, I would do that hike again in a heartbeat. It is indescribable! One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been.

Just one of the many lakes along the Enchantments Hike.

I am out doing small runs once again and I am starting my ramp up for the Seattle Marathon and the Deception Pass 50k. 

My team! Do Those Legs Go All the Way Up?! That being said, this last weekend I had a wonderful opportunity to go with my friends out to Ragnar Trail Cascades and volunteered for the weekend. I really enjoyed still being apart of something that is so much fun.  Ragnar Trail Cascades is a trail relay. The idea being that you and your team get to camp out and run three different times per person. There are three trail loops that all start and finish in the Ragnar Village. I absolutely love it. Unlike a road relay you have a chance to bond with your teammates around a campfire and of course you don't have to run on the road! And you can get some actual sleep in between legs, even if it's just a 2 hour nap, it's a two hour nap of not moving. The next morning is when I crawled out of my tent and went down to the Ragnar Village to work in the transition tent, where runners swap out legs, for several hours. It was VERY dusty and I had a raspy voice for a few days because of the dust and the campfire smoke. As far as volunteering goes, I never thought that I would be a bouncer for a race! But that is what I ended up doing. I worked at the entrance of the tent ensuring that only the appropriate people were in the tent. Once my shift was over, my friend Liz and I went for a short hike. We both really needed that hike. She is just coming off the injured list. We hiked Patterson Mountain, a short, child friendly hike but the views are stunning the whole way. It was really refreshing to get out in the air again, to have the blood pumping through my veins filled with life once again.  There was only one major incident in my group of runners, a runner became very ill on the course but he was tough as nails and made it off the mountain safely and was able to smile about it the next morning. All three teams did extremely well and I am so proud of them all! As a treat we ventured into the town of Twisp and ate at La Fonda, a Mexican, American, Italian and Indian restaurant that blew our socks off! We were all very happy with the food we had, despite the oddness of the types of food on the menu. Fire time We took it easy, hung out at our campfire, visited, drank a little and enjoyed each other’s company. This stuff, is the good stuff. Views from Patterson Mountain I can't wait to get out there again in May. I am hoping to run the Sun Mountain 100k out on these mountains!   Keep on Running!