What's Your Dream?

When the bar offers $4 shots to accompany your hard cider, of course, you must say yes to a Fireball shot to make Angry Balls! Never pass that up, it’s an apple pie in a glass. A highly enjoyable beverage to partake in as I await for my next flight to depart. Running along the Napa River as the sun was just beginning to reach over the Vaca Mountains is how I chose to wrap up a short but long work trip, it was exactly what I needed. The air was slightly chilled with a low fog hanging over the river. The perfect running temperature which made me feels as if I could just keep going forever. I am finding my feet once again in the thralls of a seemingly chaotic time in my work/life balance right now. I am very proud of my first training workout during a work trip. I was concerned that I wouldn’t find time to dedicate to a run while traveling, it was a short run but a run none-the-less.   In the coming month, I will be on the road more than ever between work and personal time wit...

Kaurine and I have already had many adventures in the great outdoors of Utah. There are so many beautiful places to go and see! We have barely scratched the surface of it all. The following are a few of my favorite pictures from our recent adventures. 5th Water Hot Springs Horsetail Falls Oak Grove to Battlecreek Loop Add caption Flaming Gorge Red Pine Lake There are a few places that we can take the dogs, so we take them when we can. They love hiking, backpacking, trail running just as much as we do. We do practice leave no trace , Laddie was recently fitted with his own doggy backpack, which means he gets to carry his own poop out. Which is awesome! I hated carrying it in my pack.  If you are on a trail and you see trash, pick it up. I never come back from an adventure without trash in my pack that I have collected along the way. Want to get more involved with keeping our trails clean? Check out Clean Trails.   Plogging  is the new ...

Last year I had many setbacks, not only in running but in my life. I never thought after the year that I had that I would even consider signing up for another ultra distance race, yet, here I am. All signed up for two more ultra races! Not only am I signed up, I am more excited about them than I ever have been with a race.  The North Face Endurance Challenge California 50k in November! Then the Black Canyon 100k in February!  One of the things that I have learned through running is that is ok to fail, it's how you get back up that matters. That isn't just about running. That is with all things. My favorite quote right now is from Star Trek, The Next Generation. Jean-Luc Picard "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life."  Even if you are not a Star Trek fan I highly encourage you to watch this short video. This resinates perfectly for so many different things.  The next several months are going to be...

Hüma is a veteran-owned company that makes 100% all-natural, great-tasting energy gels. It was started in January 2012 by Ian McCollum and Kevin Sherbourne, two young grad-school students who were tired of awful energy gels. Hüma gels were officially introduced in November 2012 and have since become the best-selling all-natural energy gel!  WHAT DOES   HÜMA DO? Like all endurance energy gels, Hüma is a tool for  glycogen supplementation . When you exercise for more than 45 minutes, you run the risk of hypoglycemic shock, a.k.a "bonking", which basically means your body runs out of its glycogen stores. Hüma provides an alternative fuel source so your glycogen lasts longer.  WHERE DID   HÜMA COME FROM? The idea for Hüma was born in the sands of Iraq. In the summer of 2009 a US Army soldier named 1st Lieutenant McCollum was charged with leading grueling missions throughout Iraq. At the time he was reading a book about the Tarahumara, a t...

Sitting in the airport bar, listening to the soft conversation and the Ratpack being played in the background, sipping on my vodka seven reflecting on where my life has lead me. There has been a constant roller coaster of ups and downs in my near 30 years on this planet, the ups severally outweighing the downs. Although, the downs have not been too dissimilar to the following 300 scene:  I have had many careers already! I have been an office assistant , safe ride driver, a secretary for Northwest Missouri State University's Upward Bound Math and Science program, a  Sam's Club cashier, an accounting office assistant at Missouri State University , a cashier at Family Video , a security officer at T-Mobile and SNBL through Gaurdsmark, a Control Room Technician/Security Manager (also through Gaurdsmark ), an Executive Assistant at Amazon with Amazon Logistics Last Mile , and Executive Assistant at Intentional Futures and now I am working at  Ragnar Relay...

I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle but life sometimes puts a bit more stress on me than it should and I break down every once in a while for a few months at a time. Whether it is because of recovery time from an injury or something else, I just get down on myself and I stop working out. I put on a few pounds here and there but it usually isn't that much. This year was different, even though I try to keep my head held up sometimes it loose sight of that healthy lifestyle and I binge eat junk food, this year, I binge ate for a few months! I just tried to eat my problems away. Which is never the answer but talking it out with my friends, and working hard to get some of the harder life things taken care of, I have been able to get the binge eating under control for now. It is something I have always struggled with, and I am sure I will continue to. If you would like to learn more about Binge Eating, click HERE .  What is Binge Eating Disorder?  Binge eating disorder is cha...

So, here I am once again in Missouri. The place I never thought I would live again. Have to give life that, it is so unexpected and you just can't control it. I have had a very rocky 2017. So much has happened this year in a negative way that it is almost unbelievable. I left Amazon because they wanted me to work more, I was already pulling 60-70 hour weeks (in office, not including work I did from home). Then I moved on to Intentional Futures and the job was ok but it wasn't challenging enough for me and it was just not quite the right fit, so I left them. I have been unemployed now for three months. I have applied to hundreds of jobs and so far, nothing. It isn't from the lack of interviews. I have interviewed at least two dozen companies, mostly phone screens, but I am still in the rut. Hopefully the right role will come along soon. As far as my running goes, I have talked about my IT band injury from July. I received a steroid shot in my knee which I had several r...

Do not go gentle into that good night Dylan Thomas , 1914 - 1953 Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. ___________________________...

At this point in time, other than injury (knock on wood) the only thing that will keep me from finishing Mountain Lakes 100 is not having the correct gear. So I thought I would share why I am concerned and that all I am still needing. I am sure this list won't be complete either.  (UPDATED as of 8/8/17 6:22 PM PDT) Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 9L Hydration Vest - Women's Obsidian, M/L Black Diamond Distance Z Z-Poles, Carbon, 110cm - Borrowing!   SaltStick Caps, Electrolyte Replacement Capsules, 100 count bottle  - Gifted!!! Tailwind Nutrition - 7 Stickpack Set by Tailwind Nutrition Huma Chia Energy Gel, Variety Pack, 24 Gels - Premier Sports Nutrition for Endurance Exercise Shock Absorber Women's Active D+ Classc Support Sports Bra, White, 34E UK  - Gifted!!! Altra Trail Gaiter Protective Shoe Covers, Orchid, S Regular US - Borrowing!  Petzl - NAO 575 Lumens - Borrowing! A running puffy jacket  Second pair of Altra shoes   - ...

My last post was pretty negative but I felt like I needed to get out those feels. I feel like I have kind of fallen into this trap of "Katie is always happy even if she fails at her running goals", in general, I would say yes. That I am pretty happy, just looking at those fails as something that will make me stronger. This last 50 mile attempt was something I really had my heart set on, felt more ready for than any race to date. So when I wasn't able to complete it, yet another incomplete race in a whole year of hiccups, it hit really hard. I just needed to be angry for a day or two and for some reason I felt like I needed to share that. Which, in some ways I am glad that I did.

I am going to come out and say it. I am pissed off! I have been on the struggle train for over a year now. Sense I hurt my ankle last August. I am sick and tired of constantly failing! Sprained ankle made me miss Ragnar Cascades (2016) Car accident made me miss pacing the Seattle Marathon and Deception Pass 50k (2016) Working way too much at Amazon made me miss Gorge Waterfall 50k (2017) 4 day stomach flu made me DNF at Sun Mountain 50k (2017) 3 day Migraine made me drop from pacing the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon (2017) Now this, smoky conditions made me unable to breathe and had to DNF at White River 50. (2017) Every time something bad has happened or something has gone wrong I just keep saying "it's good training" for my 100 miler. But, you know what? I am mad and tired at failing at something I really love. Between not having enough $$ to buy the gear that I need for my 100 miler (I need lots of stuff, from a new pack and trekking poles to new shoes and ni...

Remember how I tried to run Sun Mountain 50k with a stomach bug? Try pacing a marathon with a migraine. Here's a tip, don't try to do that.  I was asked several months back to pace the  Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon , which of course I am always happy to do. I love pacing! The race was on Sunday and Saturday morning I woke up with a bad headache which quickly escalated to a migraine. I had it all day long. I stayed in bed, locked up on my dark quiet apartment. I messaged my pace team to let them know I wasn't feeling well and that I was going to do my best the next day. I woke up Sunday feeling a bit better, I was able to move around at least. I got ready and headed to the midway exchange point for the race. Still feeling blah but willing to give the pacing my best shot we started out and I was ok for the first couple of miles then I realized was working 10x harder than I should have been, I let my pace partner know that I was starting to really work hard to run. I start...

Back when I first started running I remember reading a Facebook chain that said not to run if you have an upset stomach. I tested this advice on my own on slightly upset stomachs and determined that it was sound advice.  From Tuesday night through Saturday morning I was fighting some kind of stomach thing. Vomiting, diarrhea, the whole thing. Friday I started to feel better, no vomiting, just the other fun stuff and Saturday I work up with just an upset feeling stomach. Saturday was race day. Remember that sound, tried and true advice? I threw it out the window and tried to race anyway.  I shared a cabin with some run friend, thanks Carol for keeping me awake all night with your tossing and turning 😜, non of us slept well. I toss it up to pre-race jitters. Race morning I picked up my friend Mary and the way to the race start. We got there plenty early to take our time getting ready and lined up with the plan of running quite a bit of the race together.  As soon ...

I was feeling really low after my DNF at Sun Mountain . I didn't want to run at all. I was thinking of going to Echo Valley with my friend Mary and was basically set to hit "buy" when my other friend Liz pinged me.  That's how I ended up at the Beacon Rock 25k .  I didn't know what to expect from this race, I hadn't been practicing a lot of elevation gain and this race has almost 4,000 ft in the 25k. So I planned to just hike/run it. This race had a very generous time cutoff, so I wasn't really worried at all. I took my trekking poles with and used them on all of the uphills. I couldn't believe how great my legs felt after! I wasn't sore much at all, just my shoulders from the poles.  I was getting ready the morning of the race and found Emily and Sean hanging out under their nice dry tent. So I joined them for a while before the race, just hanging out and having a good time not knowing that Emily was about the same pace as me and that Sea...

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: ...