Off To Arizona

I’m all packed and ready to Rock ’n Roll in the Arizona Rock ‘n roll Marathon in Phoenix! After a brisk run this morning in 12° but sunny weather the reality of my trip to dry and warm and cloudless Phoenix AZ is becoming a reality. I fly out of Missoula tomorrow morning for 3 days down in the heat of the desert. I will have most of the day on Friday to get settled in town, visit the Rock ‘n roll Expo and race check in, and then find a nice local spot for a casual dinner.

Flying all the way to Arizona will be a whole new experience. For one thing I have never been to AZ so it’s a new state to check off the list. I also have never traveled like this for a race. It adds a new element of commitment to the training and the race. I also have never participated in an event so large. There will be roughly 30,000 participants if the marathon and ½ marathon combined, with that many or more attending the event to cheer and support the runner as they (we) endure the 26.2 miles in 75°. Its going to be a great event.

Check back after the race Sunday or Monday for my race results, my adventures around Phoenix and of course pictures!

Power foods

With the current colder weather and fresh snow on the ground I have hit the gym for a few of my workouts this week. I dont know whether its my final peak week of training or the spectators at the gym but I have been pushing myself extra hard this week and it feels great!

With the extra effort at the gym in the morning, when I finally make it home I look for some real power foods to keep me fueled for the rest of the day but also to help me recover from a hard workout indoors.

Immediately after my workout I whip up a power smoothie as I call it.
I start with a packet of carnation instant Breakfast chocolate flavor.

I add one banana,
1 cup of frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blue berries, raspberries and blackberries)
1 cup baby spinach,
2 cups almond milk.
Blend and enjoy!
( for some extra power I'll all add 2 scoops Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite in Chocolate or Strawberry)

This power packed puppy has about 550 calories and is full of protein, with enough carbohydrates and fats to rebuild my muscle and keep me going all afternoon. Plus it has loads of vitamins and minerals to keep my immune system healthy during cold and flu season.

Staying in shape in the off season

Lets face it. It’s hard to stay in shape between seasons when Halloween candy is abundant and the sun doesn’t come up until you are already at the office. Plus having Thanksgiving and Christmas fall somewhere in that transition season doesn’t help with motivation. The best way to avoid injury and to be ready to go when the snow flies is to find a mid fall motivation. I Live in Montana and by December the rock is just too cold to climb, there are ice patches on the trail for mountain biking, morning and evening it is well below freezing, if the sun is shining, and there is only a dusting of snow on the mountain. So what do I do to stay in shape and active? I trail run.

After guiding on Rainier all season my legs are in great shape for going up and down hills but not as much with the long flat runs. So by trail running 4-5 days a week I can take advantage of already being in shape and stay strong all fall to be ready to rip powder once the snow starts falling. I mix up my running with most days on trail doing a variety of distances from 3 miles of steep hills or a long slow 12-20 miles on a trail through the beautiful changing colors of fall or with a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. To keep my knees happy with me I swim at a local pool once a week and even go for a bike ride or take a spinning class to keep my workout varied. I also use strength training regiments to keep the rest of my body tone and strong.

Motivation can be tough as the weather gets colder and the days are shorter. With lots of obligations such as holidays and school / work commitments this time of year it hard to find the inspiration to run daily. I stay motivated by signing up for local and regional running races. Anywhere form your local 5K to a marathon or big trail run in the area is a great place to start. Having something to focus on and train for will help you get out of bed in the morning. Find a running partner to help spark the fire of running under your bottom and get outside. Go for a jog together before or after work, or join a few friends during lunch and get a few miles in. Running burns about 100 calories per mile so every little bit help you stay in shape and ward off those nasty Halloween pounds.

This year I completed some of my biggest races yet. I ran a local 30K trail run here in Montana. I drove over to Spokane WA for my first ever Marathon and finished in under 4 hours. I even ran in my hometown Thanksgiving Day 10K Turkey trot with a PR of 43:18. This gave me yet another excuse to eat all day. Signing up for a local race is a great way to stay focused on training but going at it along can be intimidating. If your town has a local running club, ask to join for Saturday morning run or find a work friend and help motivate each other to get outside and train together for the race.

When the air is crisp and the days are short I take a little more time thinking about what to wear on my trail runs. I long for the dog days of summer when I am pulling on my CW-X stabilyx running tights, Outdoor Research wind pro ear band, Pl Base glove and my highly visible Saucony ethereal jacket. These functional yet fashionable clothing options make it bearable to run on eve the coldest days by keeping me warm and dry. By keeping my ears and hands covered, I maintain a lot of body heat and can stand to be out of a run for as long as I need. Don’t get stuck on a treadmill all winter. Get outside and stay in shape. Happy running!

Let it Snow

Winter Time is here!

Last weekend my roommates and I went up to Lolo pass to check out the conditions. what we found was 14" of fresh snow and it was still coming down! Not quite enough to ripe through the trees for face shots, but enough to start the base of what seams to be the start of another epic season here in the Northern Rockies.

Not only will the back country skiing be endless this winter, the resort skiing is going to be worth while. To afford the ski bum status, I will be Volunteering with the Snowbowl Ski Patrol this winter. We had a day of lift evac training this saturday and already the runs are covered, and the groomers were out. after a chilly morning at Snowbowl (14 degrees), I came back to town with glowing thoughts of the winter ahead and picked up a new pair of

alpine boots! ( Salomon Instinct 100) I spent the afternoon tuning skis and adjusting bindings! Im ready for the snow!

Not only am i excited for the skiing this winter has to offer, I Will also be Traveling down to Arizona in January to run in the Arizona Rock 'n Roll Marathon with the hopes to qualify for Boston 2013!

After Completing the Spokane Marathon in October I was tired and sore for a few days, but as soon as I began running again I was looking for a new goal. With the Great Barrington Turkey trot 10K only days away Im looking for something bigger. With 8 weeks to go, The Rock 'n roll Marathon seams like a great opportunity to keep training, set a new goal and get to some warmth and sunshine during the heart of Winter.

Skiing will keep me strong, but I will have to keep running, and with Montana temps in the low teens to 20's its gonna be a cold couple of months!

A fall of first's

Being back in Missoula has been a whirlwind of exciting activities. I started running again, well continued to run on a training program. I completed my first 30K trail run and my first road marathon. I placed 3rd in my age group in the blue mountain 30K here in Missoula. It was a highlight of the fall. Then one week later i ran the Spokane marathon. The marathon was a great challenge, I really got to see what my body was made of with it. I have to say it was fun for the first 15 miles or so.. then at mile 22 not so much fun! but now 2 weeks later im back running daily again and training with crossfit to stay in shape and get ready for ski season.

I have now also tried my first cycle-cross race. (Think road bike frame and mountain bike tires). I raced at Missoula's biggest cross-race event; Rolling Thunder, last night. It is a dirt and grass course with hills, obstacles to jump over and technical corners. It was awesome! It was a big event and a few hundred people came out to watch! I think I may have found another expensive and gear heavy hobby!

Ouray CO Ice Training

16 hours of driving three days of Ice Climbing, Two Days of skiing and two trips to the Hot Springs and Im back in Missoula. I just returned from a 6 days trip to Ouray Colorado, Located in Southwest Colorado in the heart ofthe San Juan Mountains. It was quite an adventure. It began with a 7.5 hour drive to Park City Utah where I meet up with a friend from high school and stayed on his floor for a night. Early the Nextmorning i packed up my sleeping bag and pad, poured a BIG cup of coffe and hit the road. I drive another 8 hours headed to Telluride CO.

I had some time before the friends I was staying with finished their work as Ski Patrollers at the resort so I explored town. I road the gondola and got a great view of town, just enjoyed being in this beautiful place. After two days of staying in a remote ski in cabin in the mountains, skiing at the resort I packed up and headed to the other side of these beautiful mountains to Ouray.

I arrived in town and immediately hit the hot springs to relax and take the first shower i had in too many days to admit. after many hours of soaking in the pools, I meet up with a fellow guide and proceeded to make myself at home at their condo.

Tuesday and wednesday were great days of Ice Climbing and Guiding training. We spent alot of time climbing, as well as talking about and learning new techniques and guide tricks.

It was a great vacation and sprit lifter. The next adventure begins on monday when I start classes. Wish me luck!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

I had a few days off last week and Josh and I went to the Olympic Peninsula, and Olympic National Park. Its a 3 hour drive or so on the the peninsula. It was beautiful! The weather continued to improve as we got further west. The first two night we camped at the Elwah river campsite. it was beautiful, in the rain forest by the mouth of the Elwah river. we did some short hiking and fly fishing the first day, it was great, exactly what we needed. We hiked into olympic hot spring, a 5 mile round trip, which are these undeveloped hot springs on the side of a creek in the middle of the forest! So beautiful! the third day we drove south through the park to the coast and a town called La Push on the water. We camped the night on the beach. the weather was beautiful yet again. In the morning we hiked out had a french toast and fresh fruit breakfast at the car and then drove the 2 hours back towards the north end and went to Sol Duc Hot Springs. we camped the night at the campground. the last day of our vacation was Josh's birthday so we went out to a nice dinner at the hot springs resort and e joyed a fire at the campsite. The next morning we had to get up and get moving back toward Ashford, we both had to work in the morning.

It was the prefect vacation, everything we needed and more. fly fishing, beach walking, hot springs, and camp fires.

I worked this past week on the Emmons route and got my 4th summit. we had a great trip. I was on the trip with two guides who have both climbed everest! Needless to say i didn't have to do much talking or storytelling.

Today Our boss and one of the owners of IMG, George Dunn, reached the summit of Rainier for his 500th time. The first person ever to do so! so we will be having a huge party here tonight for him. He climbed with his wife and one son along with his two best friends, long time mountaineers and parters of IMG Eric Simonson and Phil Ershler. What an accomplishment!

Oh and Yes, I booked a flight home with Josh in November. We fly out of seattle on Nov. 9th and into Charlett SC, leaving SC to fly home on the 19th and will stay through thanksgiving till the 30th. Thanks it for now!

Summit Photo

Well It finally happened. I was on top of Rainier log enough to actually take an official summit photo. So here I am at 6:30 am after a 6 hour climb from our high camp standing at the highest point columbia Crest at 14,410'! Summit Number 2! its about 25 degrees with winds around 30-35 Mph. but the sun was shining.
After this climb i had a few days off. I went for a 20 mile bike ride 2 out of my three days off and alot of climbing on our bouldering wall here at HQ. Its always nice to have a few days off but very rare so I savored every moment!

I will head back up tomorrow (Monday) for a three day climb. The weather looks nice, the route is in good condition maybe we'll make it again!

Summer Time in Ashford, WA

Its about time to start blogging again.

I am living in Ashford Washington, Just on the Southwest border on Mt rainier National Park. I work for International Mountain guides, check us out on the web! Im living at headquarters in the guide lounge, which is really just the space above the office with 4 bunk beds, a couple couches a kitchen and bathroom. Im only here when im not on the mountain so....not very often. Life in Ashford is like any small town, three restaurants, one bar, a general store post office and no cell phone service. So i apologize but keeping in touch isnt the easiest..

I have been very busy so far this season. I have been on eight climbs thus far. Our standard route is the Disappointment cleaver. this is a three day climb. I have also gone on the Emmons route on the North east side of the mountain.

On days that I am not on the mountain guiding, I send down at HQ working in the shop. It is a tradition that first year guides "pay their due's" and work in town occasionally. we pack food and gear for outgoing trips, mow lawns, and other tasks that need to be taken care of. I have to say there are def some perks, packing food for instance...i always have good meals on my trips!

So far this season i have made it to the summit once. Weather has been a huge factor but also as a new guide i get the role of turning around with clients if they dont want to or can not continue up. I am heading back up the mountain Tuesday for another 3-day climb! more to come soon...

The New Staff are Here!!

Well its been a long few weeks working in the office planning our adventure programs and my teen leadership program. There have been eight of us at camp for the last few weeks workng hard getting everything ready for the rest of our cabin counselors to arrive. And now there here!! Yea, finally! its nice to have some new faces and personalities around camp. ALl our staff came in on Tuesday june 16th, and its been a great week so far. I can aldready tell its going to be a great summer, we have some great staff members but i think i might miss being in a cabin with kids! But hopefully with my teen leadership i will be able to build that bond with my group so i dont miss having that connection with kids too much!

The weekend before our staff came in I went to my first concert at Red Rocks amphitheater! I saw Levon Helm (former singer and percussionist from "The Band") and John Prine (accalimed singer song writer), that was one of the most amazing concerts i have been to. The atmospher, the people, the mucis just perfect. not to mention, it had been stormy and rainy all day, with tornado warnings all around denver, and just minutes before the show started they sky's parted and the sun came out for an hour before it ducted behind the mountains and it was a beautiful night!

We are goign to a rockies game tomorrow as a group and then we have sunday off. IM planning on kayakng a streach of the Arkansas river with a fellow adventre program staff member. Cant wait!!!

we will ahve one more week of staff training and team building! And then june 28th our first session of campers arrive! Cant wait