MOVE; Stay INSPIRED!

Early A.M. Swim Practice at -13F/-25C

Published February 17, 2014

While Sarah was getting her suntan on in El Salvador, I scored space on my favourite blogger’s site — sarahontheroad.com.

Friendly WARNING: Following Sarah’s adventures in Nunavut (Canada’s Arctic North) is crazy addictive 🙂

Early A.M. Swim Practice at -13F/-25C: {Guest Post}

3 years ago I made the move to Colorado & left my NYC career.

That year I set a goal to hike a different hike all 52 weeks. What an amazing year – saw so much of my newly adopted home state! Next in 2013, I ran a full marathon in Anchorage, Alaska.

All the while I continued to follow Sarah in Pang. Northern lights, harbor icebergs, Mt Duval, SNOW, last year’s all-girl Yukon adventure, ice fishing for Arctic Char – yeah, I’m a HUGE fan of sarahontheroad.com.

Ironman Boulder

We are now 6 months out from the inaugural Ironman Boulder! Who is getting excited?

Yep, this year’s goal — complete my first Ironman. Sure I’ve never competed in a triathlon, haven’t biked since I was 9 – yet I plan to swim/bike/run 140.6 miles on August 3^rd.

My friend & coach, M is a swimmer.

I am a dreamer. I’m a goal setter. I’m an adventurer…but I’m not a swimmer.

-13 degrees F, light snow & on the road at 4:45am headed to my gym Colorado Athletic Club in Boulder – to swim. Crazy cold.

Heated outdoor pool but I punk’d out this day – chose to fight the mobs & use the smaller indoor pool (only 6 lanes).

Hot tubbed for 5 minutes to boost my body temp, then started today’s swim. Only 3 of us in the pool this early on such a bitter cold day. By 630 though, was no longer lapping up-n-back but forced to circle to permit add’l swimmers in the pool.

Kinda overwhelming with so many faster swimmers. I’ve hit my Ironman distance 5 times already (90 laps up-n-back) so I know I can hang with the endurance athletes but the sprinters – no possible way. I watch them play with their watches and stare endlessly at the water. Suddenly they dart up-n-back once, sometimes 2 times & the routine starts again. Check the watch, stare at the water, scope out the pool, stare….then zing they take off. Like flashy schools of sardines.

And me? Slow & steady – 2 strokes, head up, breathe to the right. Lap back — 2 strokes, head up, breathe to the left.

Can’t say I love swimming but I’m efficient. Breathing technique is similar to running – slow steady deep breathing.

By endurance, we conquer – Sir Ernest Shackleton

6 more months ‘til Ironman. Absolutely anything is possible.

Posted in Ironman Boulder | 2 Comments

People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year

Published February 12, 2014

National Geographic: People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year

WASHINGTON (Feb. 12, 2014)—Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet has been named the 2014 National Geographic People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year for pioneering a hybrid sport that combines trail running and alpinism to break numerous speed records and redefine what is possible in the mountains. He also popularized “sky running,” which involves blazing up technical terrain such as glaciers, rock ridges and steep snowfields in competitions. Jornet was selected from a group of 13 adventure innovators whose extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation, humanitarianism and adventure sports distinguished them in the past year. More than 75,000 online votes — the most ever — were cast on the National Geographic Adventure website.

“I’m very proud of this award,” said Jornet. “While I don’t run to be admired or to have more followers, it’s truly an honor to be recognized by National Geographic and to know that people voted for me.”

Jornet, 26, brought sky running into the public eye with his unprecedented streak of breaking records and winning races. Most recently, he blazed up and down Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, in under five hours and went up and down the Matterhorn in a record-breaking two hours and 52 minutes. Both runs were part of Jornet’s Summits of My Life (www.summitsofmylife.com) project, which is his personal quest to set speed records on mountains around the globe. Through the project, Jornet hopes to share his love of mountains and the outdoors, a passion that began when he was growing up in a small ski village in the Catalan Pyrenees.

“We believe that Kilian exemplifies the spirit of adventure in the truest sense of the word. He has demonstrated over and over that limits are meant to be pushed, and his growing list of remarkable accomplishments is truly inspiring,” said Mary Anne Potts, editor of National Geographic Adventure online. “We received a record number of online votes from our fans across the adventure community, and we’re thrilled to call Kilian the National Geographic 2014 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year.”

Doing it just for the love of sport — I’m a HUGE fan. CONGRATS Kilian!