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“..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.

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/

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?

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.