Tales from the Trails

It started in mid-December when a friend tagged me in a Facebook post announcing that I was the winner of the "Unstoppable Award" at Redbird Crest 100k. WHAT? I don't win awards! But really when I read about the award and thought about the race recap that I had just posted, I found solace in this word "unstoppable" that really does sum up my persistence and determination and drive. It works: past, present, and future. I was planning on the following races for 2018: - Lake Martin 100 Miler (mid-March) - Tour de Lou 65 mile bike ride (end of April) - Flying Pig Marathon (early May) - Superior Fall Trail Races 50 Miler (again; early September) Also, I would be co-race-directing the Mad Otter 10k trail race in March with Jeanette, as part of the adventure race put on by Orienteering Louisville. I had a few other races on my possibilities list: - Run Under the Stars Corydon, IN (early July) - Cloudsplitter - An adventure race - A Ragnar Trail While

I had the most amazing time in Costa Rica last week with my mom. So much fun. We laid in bed awake together the first night listening to the loudest and longest fireworks display we didn't even see, to bring in the new year. The next morning we got up early, had some breakfast, and headed to the meetup spot for our Backroads Multisport Tour. I was so excited to see what this kind of tour would be like! And we had the best time! The group we were with was awesome. Our tour guides were great. The land was beautiful. The weather was...not so beautiful. It rained a lot. But that didn't make us enjoy the trip less. We got to hike, bike, explore, raft, swim, sit in a hot tub, sit in hot springs, fish, read, and talk. My mom is really very cool and fun to be with. I am so lucky. I had one unfortunate moment on the trip. On the second day, I ended my second bikeride in the rain and I failed to unclip my shoes in time before I fell onto the handlebars as they turned sideways. I a