The Raw & Honest Truth Of A Regular Gal Taking On The Great Outdoors

I love an unscripted day on the road. #HoreshoeCanyon was so much fun. I think because I didn’t know what to expect so everything was new and exciting. Ultimately for this trip we were headed to Grand Targhee, but an extra day let us explore the Horseshoe Canyon trail network outside of Driggs, ID. After riding for the day, I wish we had more time to hit a few more trails we saw but didn’t get to pedal. That’s how these special off-track spots get to you. They draw you in and then leave you wanting more. Till next time…
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#idahogram #ig_idaho #idahome #idahoexplored #idahodaily #visitidaho #skiidaho #RideTheTetons #TargheeBound #Wydaho #tetons #localfreshies #mtb #mountainbike #mtblife #mtblove #mountainbiker #mountainbikes #mtbpictureoftheday #instabike #mountainlife #mountainbiking #mtblifestyle #singletrack

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I’m a planner so when we hit the road for a media #roadtrip, things are pretty well planned out. But this particular trip, we had an extra day to explore and see what we could find. And what we found was an unexpected trail network filled with desert scapes, luscious forests, gravel roads, cows romping around, river crossings, and of course the glorious Grand #Teton peaks. It pays to be unscripted once in a while. Finding Horseshoe Canyon outside Driggs, ID sure was a lucky strike.
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#idahogram #ig_idaho #idahome #idahoexplored #idahodaily #visitidaho #skiidaho #RideTheTetons #TargheeBound #Wydaho #tetons #localfreshies #mtb #mountainbike #mtblife #mtblove #mountainbiker #mountainbikes #mtbpictureoftheday #instabike #mountainlife #mountainbiking #mtblifestyle #singletrack

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Another Saturday… but NOT another long run day. 😭 Two weeks ago I got my first taste of a trail running injury. At the very end of a 3.5 hr run, I stepped up on a familiar wooden bridge and something went *snap* in my calf. I was completely paralyzed on top of the bridge, not knowing what to do or what happened. And of course, two mtb’ers had to ride by, for which I could not get off the bridge, and they had to just pass me without thankfully knocking me over.

I have never felt a sharp pain like that. It was awful. I texted Alex @localfreshies and asked for a roadside pickup because having to hop on one leg for another hour of singletrack was a NO. I managed to very slowly hop up to the street, which included having to get off the bridge and then up a steep 13% grade. I used trees as helping hands and then resorted to somewhat crawling. It wasn’t my athletic shining moment.

My calf swelled pretty fast, so I looked like I had one chicken leg and one massive over-worked calf. I wouldn’t mind them both being the giant size if that meant they functioned. Big calves = sexy calves. So, the last two weeks have been no running, very slowly hobble-walking, ice, heat, and a fancy new copper compression sock. I actually like the sock.

Enter biking… to keep the fitness train moving forward, upper body workouts are filling the week along with now indoor cycling as I can pedal with a shortened seat and not stress that part of my calf for any pain. Injured or not, the Assault Bike is a serious workout that can always help both aerobic and anaerobic ambitions. The rehab continues as I get closer to getting back on the trails. I still have my sights set on Broken Arrow Skyrace in June and then the UTMB Kodiak Ultra in October.

Onward I must go!
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #learningnewthings #injuries #calfpain

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It’s not uncommon for winter to pop back onto the calendar after spring has made its debut in Tahoe. It just happened to do it on my Saturday long run day. Being new to the trail running game, I don’t have a winter running kit lined up yet so I was going to have a hard time staying warm and dry out on our trails with over 6 inches of fresh snow and active snow showers. So I made the decision to stay close to home but practice my mental fortitude at the gym on a treadmill instead of outdoor trails. WOW! Indoor running is brutal, especially when it’s 3.5 hrs staring at a wall and I have to restart the treadmill every 60 minutes. By the fourth restart, my brain was fried. But my thinking was this - if I want to continue to hold my base during next winter and run early spring races, I will have to accept treadmills and the indoors. We get too much snow all winter long for me to think I will be effective trudging through snow and not get forced inside for actual running sessions. So I did it. And it was hard… but it eventually ended and I was proud to say I made it happen. OK - now let’s not do that again till next winter. 😂
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery #learningnewthings #treadmillssuck #treadmill #gym

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While today’s easy run was anything but that, I finished it and continue to try new things out while running. My Salomon running vest is super comfy and hasn’t ended in any chafing or complaints. I am still getting used to drinking from the front pockets rather than a rear hydration bladder and tube. My neck likes to drink to the left more than the right. So that’s a weird new imbalance to work on. I do wish the bottles sat a bit higher or had ends a little closer to my face, but I’ll adjust and all will be fine in the hydration world. The other odd learning for the day was with my hair. If I want to run with a bun so no hair touches me, it takes two hair ties… not one. It doesn’t matter how many times I loop a single tie around my hair, it will bounce and come loose along the way. But if I first make a ponytail and then wrap it in a bun and use a second hair tie to hold the bun in place - it’s flawless and doesn’t move an inch. And that’s even on a 3+ hr trail run with lots of bouncing around. Who knew in this case two really is better than one. 😉
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery #hairstyle #runningwithlonghair #learningnewthings

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The reality of running. Sometimes the easy run is the hardest. And then you add wild animals to the mix, to mock you as you look like a dying meal being drug down the trail… beckoning them to stalk you. 😂
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery #coyotes #wildanimals #keeppushing #selfconfidence

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Two very exciting things on today’s run. 1 - I’m outside. And 2… I’m outside. Yes, that’s two things because being outside, surrounded by Lake Tahoe forests is twice as nice as anywhere else! Corny, I know. So corny but 100% truth. The other two things that I can count as wins for me were running with a ponytail that was free to flap around and not get snarled by backpack zippers and posing next to rocks because we have the coolest rocks on our trails that beckon you to take selfies with. I’m a sucker for a big rock. 🪨 🤘🏼
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery

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OMG… interval day. My honeymoon base phase is over and now comes a bit of suffering and character growth. Lucky for me, I have perfect trails and weather to pound out intervals in the best outdoor arena you’ll find. The funny thing about these workouts is they would be so much easier (and shorter) if I could just run downhill faster while still getting my heart rate to drop for the quick recovery periods. I keep running so far uphill and not enough back downhill that I either run out of elevation or I’m so far away from the trailhead when I’m finally done that I have an extra 30 min to even get back to the car. Oh the troubles! Reading this back to myself, complaining I run too slow downhill on an uphill interval training day makes me sound slightly insane… or delirious. 😂
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #intervaltraining #intervals #tempo

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After a brutal #interval session, I needed to sit on a rock and just take in the sights. I had a long jaunt back to the car as each interval put me farther and farther out. I clearly did not descend at twice the ascending rate so it was what it was. I don’t stop often to soak in the scenery as I know these trails so well, but this break was a nice change. The clouds were doing cool things in the sky and the temperature was perfect. I deserved a moment of peace. And I loved every second of it.
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #takeabreak #youdeserveit #relax

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