LONG TIME GONE!

I've recently been made aware by my boyfriends mother, Flora ("aka: flo") that I have not written a post in a while, which of course I knew. I am not sure what it is. I sit down and write a little bit but never enough to complete an entire post. Then I go and do a whole bunch of new cool exciting things, things I should be writing about to only sit down again and repeat the cycle. I must have 4 unfinished blogs sitting in my computer. Oh well, here goes nothing....

So how to recap an entire month (if not more)? Ever since I jammed up my ankle eons ago at Comfortably numb, I have been just slowly getting myself back to normal. Am I there? Not even close! Ankle wise, it's not bad. My confidence going downhill is at an all-time low, which is giving me all sorts of anxiety regarding this weekends Waldo 100km! I have however been on a lot of outings of 4+ hrs and I have no doubt than I can finish the distance. The question is, do I have the fitness and mental toughness to come top 2 and gain that WS100 spot I want. There are a few fast and strong ladies coming out to this race. Fortunately for me, the one's I am familiar with both have spots to next years race, so we'll see how this plays out. I figured I might as well start sandbagging now! Hey, if things start to get rough, I can always go for the wet waldo award!


(Smith Rock in Bend, OR)



Besides running, I have been climbing a bunch load with Peter. This year has been a great year for me in terms of growth. I climbed a bunch of stuff that I did poorly on last year in Smith Rock and was able to do them clean, however top roping the whole way. The goal for the remainder of the year is to start leading more often. I have lead a few things but I would like to make it more of a regular occurrence. Speaking of Smith Rock, that was one amazing trip. The landscape is just stunning and I can't wait to go back, maybe in the fall. Other than Smith, we've been climbing lot's in Squamish and at Sulley's.

As most of you know, Peter and I moved back to North Van July 1st. We found a great townhouse on lower Lonsdale that we both love. Out of all the places we have ever been in, this one provides the most space with the most privacy. It's also close to both our respective work places. It's interesting...when we were commuting from Squamish to North Van (for work), it was hard not to think about all the gas money and time spent on the drive to and from work. Now however, when we drive to Squamish to play, we never (even for a second), think about the cost. I think in the end, it was the right decision. I don't regret the experience however, because I made some amazing life long friends and met some wonderful people.

I've also been getting into some mountain biking. However, the North Shore is a little less forgiving then Whistler or Squamish. My friend Shauna and I went to Whistler a few weeks ago and rode the blue trails near lost Lake. SOOO FUN! WOW!

This past week, Peter and I were at Shuswap lake with his family. They have been going there every year for about 20+ years. It's always a great time with awesome people and amazing food. It's too bad it fell a week before my race because I think I put on about 5 lbs!!! (kidding, kind of) But that's ok, it's all homemade and well worth it! We pretty much played in the water all day- water skiing, wake boarding, SUP boarding, swimming, and tubing. I had a lot more fun watching Peter's niece and nephew try wake boarding for the first time than I did attempting it myself. It's amazing how fast kids pick up activities!

We came home Friday and were immediately off again the next day to one of my good friend's,Meghan Meagher's, wedding in Pemberton. The ceremony was beautiful, just like the bride (and groom!)and the location was stunning. We ended up driving home that night and rightfully so, we had a big adventure planned for the next day.


(Peter, isn't he just a natural? He sung little Roo to sleep)


(The Brayshaw Family, whom we climb with often in Squamish)


(The beautiful Bride Megs!)

A little sleepy and maybe a bit hung over, we rounded up the troops. Peter, Jenni, Gretel and I hiked up to Hanes Valley from a secret trail (from Grouse that I probably shouldn't talk about because your not really suppose to go up it) and back towards the Lynn Headwaters.


(There was still a bit of snow. Thank goodness we had a tour guide...aka...Peter)



It took us about 4.5 hrs and boy, the boulder field is quite the quad pounder going down than it is going up. Perhaps that outing wasn't the most ideal one when your tapering but oh well, all in the name of adventure! It was great to see Gretel off (France then back home to Australia), as it will probably be a while until I see her again.

This week should hopefully fly by and before I know it, I will be off to Oregon!!!! My oh my I'm nervous! Alright, time to go enjoy the sunshine!

See you in the trails!