What's Your Dream?

Like a tornado she swept into my life, turning it sideways and filling it with adventure. I had no idea that in such a short time someone could influence me and my life so much. Her name is Anne Danczyk. I met her on her first day at Amazon. She had just joined my Executive Assistant team; we were at Key Arena for the Amazon Seattle All-Hands, even in a stadium of 30,000 people Anne still stood out. She is a powerhouse of confidence, capturing her audience, not just by her beauty but her passion. She stormed in a few minutes late, literally running from campus due to a slight misunderstanding in the meeting location. Instead of stressing about it, she just laughed and was really happy about making it before the start of the presentations. That just who Anne is, bubbly, silly and carefree.  Anne's life is that of fairy tales, to say that she is a go getter is an understatement of a lifetime. Anne's first job as a young girl was working with horses. She trained to be on the ...

I am sitting in the sun, watching the waves crash against the rocks below me. The people walking behind me with their headphones in, phones out, and cameras strapped to their sides. Not looking up at the beauty before them. It is like this now. People are disconnected from the beauty and magic around them. Lost in their own little electronic worlds. I myself am a cheat, thinking I am looking up and around, telling myself that I am taking it all in but I’m not really. I have my laptop open and it is sitting in my lap, I'm just pretending to be a true observer of the beauty around me. The water is warmer now, it is getting the summer hew about it, filling with sea plants, becoming less clear with every passing day. The music of the waves is louder now, with the passing boats now flooding to its water, causing more turbulence than in the winter months. I have lived her for five years now and I still catch my breath at the site and smell of the water. Coming from a land far far away...

I did something that I have always wanted to do, I packed up my car, and Laddie, and drove off into the sunset, so to speak. I only had a vague idea of where I wanted to go and no idea how long we would be gone. It was one of the most liberating things I have ever done. I was completely free, with no one or anything to hold me back. I knew that I wanted to see the Washington peninsula; I had never been there before. I had lived in Washington for five years and had never seen that side of the state. The side that promises mountains, the sea and cute little towns along its coast. I knew that I wanted to hit some of the more popular spots, so I started off with Port Orchard, I didn’t stay. It wasn’t what I expected, too commercial. Which makes sense as it is very close to Seattle. I went on to Bremerton, which was a huge surprise to me. I loved the port feel, the small downtown feel, the ferries coming and going. However, I was very saddened by Bremerton at the same time. It is a dyi...

  Are you preparing to make the leap to an ultramarathon? Throughout this interview series, top ultra bloggers have shared their personal experiences and advice to help you accomplish your first ultramarathon. They have covered the most difficult aspects of running an ultra , debunked the common myths and misconceptions , and are now sharing their real, personal accounts of their first ultra. When asked “what do you wish you had known before running your first ultra?”, they each learned unique lessons during that first ultra experience. What You Should Know Before Running Your First Ultra Once you’ve gone to your other runner friends and have searched extensively through Google, you may still be left with some questions and surprises on race day. To help you have a better idea of what to prepare for and expect, we asked these top bloggers what they wish they had known before running their first ultramarathon. Each had unique experiences that stemmed into lessons learned: ...

  Are you considering running an ultramarathon? We’ve interviewed several of the top ultra distance running bloggers to collect real and applicable advice to help you accomplish your first ultra. No matter which distance you’re making the leap from, these experts have shared gems of knowledge that can help you cross the ultra finish line. In the first part of the series, the bloggers discussed what they felt was the most challenging aspect of your first ultramarathon . In this section, we asked them to unmask the misconceptions that are commonly believed about ultrarunning. Ultrarunning Myths Debunked By The Experts THE RUNNERS “I think one of the most common misconceptions about ultrarunning is that it's only for the superhuman types. Sure, you have to have mental strength and you have to train, but it isn’t an impossible feat. At the end of the day, running for a long distance on trails is a pretty basic activity. You put one foot in front of the other, stay tuned in to ...

Have you been considering running an ultramarathon? We’ve been working with a number of long distance runners to compile real world advice when it comes to accomplishing your first ultra. The knowledge they’ve shared with us has been separated into 3 distinct parts of an interview series. Within this first part, the bloggers offer their thoughts and experience on what they felt was the most challenging aspect of preparing for or running an ultra. Whether you’re making the step from a half marathon, or deciding to push past the 26.2 miles race, give a lending ear to these experts below. They have conquered some of the toughest running challenges and have shared what’s needed to know before making the big leap into the ultra-distance running world. The Most Challenging Aspects of Your First Ultramarathon It’s obvious that running 42k+ is going to come with difficulties. But if you haven’t ever gone the ultra distance before, how will you know what to expect? You’re left wonder...