Anndd…. That’s pretty much how I brought in the new year!!!! Couldn’t have imagined it going any better! I really don’t get pumped about the whole new years ordeal.
Continue reading “Happy New Year From a Cynic”
I Caved, but Not Quite..
All year I knew it was coming. I kept ignoring it as I ran the green trails in the golden sun, kept shoving it to the back of my mind, kept thinking it just wouldn’t be that bad, and then ((BAM!)) it happened. BRRRR. DECEMBER came! And it spanked me like a 4 year old in KMart!! For real y’all, I am NOT a cold weather chick. I run best when I am warm. Okay see- here are some examples of me NOT training in the cold. Take note of the huge smiles…
(Andd…The pictures of me running in the cold are miserable looking. So I’m not sharing those. Sorry bout your luck.) Continue reading “I Caved, but Not Quite..”
You Know..sometimes a day just SUCKS!!! Seriously.
“I’m havin a bad bad day, it’s about time that I get my way.”
It started out looking like it was going to be an awesome day. I was finally going to get my chance to run. I didn’t get to train at all over Christmas weekend due to being really sick, so I was more than looking forward to a run. What was even more exciting was that dan has promised me a good solid 6 hours of trail time while he kept the kids for me. SO PUMPED! So I got everything together for my run, bought some fuel, and headed towards the park. Whadya know- my brakes completely went out on my POC SUV!!! OMG. I was so scared. I was determined to make it to my run though, so I BARELY made it back home to switch to the mustang & made my way to the trails!
Continue reading “You Know..sometimes a day just SUCKS!!! Seriously.”
2012= Adventure Cravings
I have been mentally beaten up over the past month with some strange internal need to ditch running norms and explore some more adventurous run settings.
It started with a phone call between me and my favorite friend- Amber. Amber and I may as well be twins. We are pretty much the same creation- not only are we both blonde nature loving ultra distance chicks with kids, we both have the same desire to reject settling for the normal humdrum of life and for tackling it in our own unique way. Weve known each other since we were young, grew up in the same small town, but didn’t discover our similar passions until some long trail runs a couple years ago. Amber now lives far away, so we make it a point to have a good long deep conversation a few times a month. Last few months, we started talking about our need for getting lost in the wild- for soul searching, ditching a boxed in life for a bit and exploring creation. We mused about how we love the sun, and how awesome it would be to run some tropical trails, surf, swim, laugh, cry, play, grow, and run & run some more. This led to me emailing my uncle who lives in Ecuador inquiring about running some trails there. Which led to us trying to figure out how on earth we could get to Ecuador without totally interfering with our busy families’ lives, which led to ideas on advntures in the states, which lead to past dreams of running rim to rim to rim- which finally stopped the cycle. Rim to Rim to Rim it is??…
100 Miles to Trusting My Gut
All things considered, I had no right being at the Ancient Oaks 100 Mile Endurance Run . But I went anyway, and I’m so thankful I did….
Dive
This was one of my favorite songs as a kid. Seeing the woman I turned into, it doesn’t surprise me. It was stuck in my head today, and the lyrics got my attention. I’m more than ready to take several leaps of faith in my life again. 2012 is going to be another wild ride in lots of new ways. I’m ready! ….:):):) :::
12/14
Always in the little things.
The answer is YES, I am a psychotic hillbilly..
My kids are my world. Their daddy makes my world go round. I’m so in love with them.
I baked…no, I baked good. Like a Georgia Peach should.. 😉
Thankful for people in my life who are ultrarunners, older, wiser, and able to cheer up a girl when she’s down. This meant a lot to me..
I realized this week that certain places really make me smile! Yargo is one of those spots. Whenever I’m down, I go there and it’s like I’m free- free to think, free to play, free to believe.
This song isn’t new, but it makes me smile too. I love the references to mountains, sunshine, switchbacks, and peaks. All top my “favorite things” list.
In the woods, in the dark, by myself: My favorite triple combo. Fear, adventure, anxiety, adrenaline, courage.. What’s not to love?
Daily life – uninteresting, yet surprisingly raw.
Btw, I know I promised a gazillion articles & race reports. Sorry. They’re all pretty much done. I’m just too stuck in a mental jam right now, and way too flippin busy to hit publish. I’ll finish when I want to.:)
I worked on redoing my friend Jen Vogel’s blog this week. Jen has become a really good friend of mine. She’s been through crazy up’s & down’s with me in our short friendship, & I’m so thankful to know her. She’s an incredible person, and also an accomplished endurance athlete. Check out her blog- not only is it a good read, you can also find her coaching services info here, and read all about her athletic career: http://www.jenvogel.com
Okay so in other weekly news: my first few workouts of my marathon training went very well. I’m faster than I thought I was going to be a week after a 100mile. I’m looking forward to finally shattering those pesky 5k, 13.1 & 26.2 PR’s & then bringing my 100 down where it belongs. Just 14 more weeks of Jack’s hard training & I’m [really hoping im going to be] making peace with those distances.;) time flies when you’re having fun… right? Sweet- then let’s kick it.
Scenes from SBER100
“..she dreamed of paradise every time she closed her eyes.”
Couldnt sleep last night, started thinking about running and ultras, and how much it all means to me.. which lead me to searching for pics from past races..which finally lead me to pics of my favorite race! Stumbled upon Santa Barbara 100 Mile pix. I found a few pics from across the web, sorry if I stole anyone’s special stuff. But ughh looking back really made my mouth water for more adventure, and I wanted to gather the pics together here. Being outdoors for hours on end, connecting with strangers, accomplishing a feat you never thought possible, dealing with the unexpected—–THIS IS WHY I CRAVE TO RUN!!!! This is why I dream about pain. This is why I want 100 miles more than anything sometimes!
RD Robert Gilcrest giving me my first buckle (for my 2nd hundred) I got kinda choked up for reasons I can’t actually explain. Emo-tion-al.
He definitely owed me one massive hug & a legit buckle. I was kinda mad at him still, but I did puke in his truck a couple hours after my finish– so I guess we were even at this point.;)
85 miles. Looking rough- feeling rougher- in some random dude’s sweatpants.
“I’m just gonna stand here, because I know if I sit down and hang out with you guys- I ain’t gettin up.” –“You want something to eat?”–“No. I want to be done with this. I’m refusing to eat till I get there.” (bad girl.)
Tiffany Guerra- cool chick.
L2R-Geoff Roes, Ken Michal, Tiffany Guerra, me
^”Sean. I literally just finished 100 plus miles. Stop mack’n on the girls. Let’s GO! I’m freakin hungry!” No really, I didn’t get a real meal for like.. 72 hours. I finally gave up and just went and laid on a malibu beach- “Screw food. Screw running. Screw Sean. Screw Daniel. You guys suck. I’m laying out.”
One of probably a gazillion pics of the 100 mile solo finishers.
Ughh take me back!
^Try climbing ultra miles of THAT in the dark with 44 mph winds, cold temps, in a tank and shorts, a crappy dim headlamp, and a beat up foot. I can check it off my list. 🙂 I LIVE FOR THIS KINDA STUFF. SERIOUSLY.
Ancient Oaks- have some fun for me? I’m ready.
I took a bunch of iphone pix in cali too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleyringowalsh/sets/72157626623571838/
Back at it.
What a happy girl…^ here’s why—
My week looked like this:
W- 18m
TH-800 repsXT
F-13mXT
S-6hr run
Su-Suicide sprints &XT
M-7m XT
T-13m Q1workout
Fractured?! “Man up.”
That was my first real training week since I destroyed my hip. It was GOOD.
in other running rambles:
——————–It’s a soul runner thing..you wouldn’t understand..
It’s midnight in Atlanta, and I just sat straight up in bed for no reason at all.
After realizing nothing was wrong, my first thought was “Man. I have got to run.”
what is wrong with me..?
Well after a long and beautiful conversation with my soul-friend, Amber, I feel that this strange aspect about me isn’t completely abnormal.
Lots of women have splurge tendencies- just look in her closet. But my way of splurging isn’t found in a $500 pair of boots, or the latest LV bag.
It’s in the miles I log in the middle of the night, or the section of trail I tackle full force on completely shot legs. It’s in my deep internal need for adventure, and living a life that isn’t mundane or ordinary.
That’s just how God created me.
He created my brain to yearn for the wild. It’s been like this as long as I can remember, and I don’t think it will
ever change…I used to shut it out, but I don’t think that it’s necessary to do that anymore.
Amber and I had a good heart to heart about being wired this way, and we both feel that instead of choking it out, we should embrace this about ourselves. Because denying this side of our lives would impose on our ability to function happily in every other area of life.
If I can’t run and explore and roam.. I’ll never reach my potential as a human being, and I’ll be constantly wishing I was. It can harm my ability to be wife & mom with a smile on my face.
Daniel knows this about me, and encourages me to get out in nature for a long run or hike every day.
I mean, women- ALL of us are crazy one way or another. God gave us these huge amounts of hormones for a reason…. To FEEL. Some of us feel one way, some of us use that passion another way. I know I’m crazy. I know my brain doesn’t flow just right but I’m totally fine with that.
I’m fine with how God made me to express myself…
I feel it most in nature. It’s in ultrarunning. It’s in the unknown and the unexpected. It’s in my constant craving for adventure and my need to live a life outside of the box of predetermined size and space.
I don’t like going through the motions.
I like to feel alive, and I like to run free.
So when it’s midnight and the trails keep calling.. I’ve got to keep answering. (weapons in tow;))
If I ignore the call- I ignore the very core of my soul.
Too deep, eh?
Just smile and forget about it.:) that’s what everybody does.. Right?
Puzzled?
What are the things that make you, you?
..Every day moments that mean absolutely nothing to anybody, but you.
Read.
Burn.
Discover.
Listen.
Love.
Broken.
Disheveled.
Healthy.
Battle.
When you’re in pieces, you don’t make sense.
When you’re put together,
You’re a magnificent puzzle.
ASHRUNS100s 