Lessons learned or not, successes even in the face in failure, and what the future holds…sounds like another 3×3 post! The Good Shoes I may have found my new ultra shoe in the Topo Ultraventure. My initial impression was panic. As in, “Oh no, these aren’t going to work at ALL. What the heck was […] more

…was not such a quick race. But, rather than Quicksilver exposing how ill-prepared I was, or providing some sort of commentary on whether I have any business toeing the line at an ultra, I think the basic lesson was this: I chose the wrong race.  I think this might be a first. Unlike the DNF’s […] more

Here’s a highly simplified and barely scientific explanation of why it’s important to cool a hot horse during a vet check at an endurance ride. It boils down to this simple concept: Blood has lots of jobs to do in the horse’s body. Once your horse is standing in the vet check, the blood has […] more

Before I get started with my 3×3 post, I need to give a solid recommendation for SS Mountain Racing, who put on this race with race director Martin. Take a look at their mission statement from their website: “SS Mountain Racing strives to produce low-key trail running events in the Sierra Nevada foothills with affordable […] more

Yesterday I finished my first official ultra in *two years. *Official race as a participant within the published time. Last year’s Loco100k ultra was technically an overtime finish even though they graciously extended the time the finish line was open to accommodate me. I’ve swept an ultra since then as well. And ran a 50k with […] more

From my perch in an oak tree, watching the sunrise, I had plenty of time to contemplate the irony that people want to talk about cougars and bears and creepy people on the trail, when it’s actually “man’s best friend” that has given me far more close calls. For the *first time in my life, […] more

Springtime! How can I tell? There’s poison oak on my legs from my last run, and instead of riding in the fantastic weather, I’m laboriously scraping girth and tack areas caked in mud because of spring time rains. An hour. A WHOLE HOUR. That, Dear Reader, is how long it took me PER HORSE to clean […] more