Winter has arrived. Absolutely and without question. She made her presence abruptly known when, from one weekend to the next, we traded our shorts and tanks on long runs for tights and gloves.
The photographic evidence from Saturday's long run on the Emigrant Trail in Truckee, where it was a speed-inspiring 17 degrees Fahrenheit:
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| Pre-run Smiles. |
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| The Perfect Amount of Snow |
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| Mid-run Frosty Hair |
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| Sunshine peeks through. |
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| Post-run Happy Glow |
I enjoyed
last year's summer tribute so much, that I thought I'd make it a tradition. Here's a look back, photo-style, at some beautiful moments of summer:
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| The Miwok 100K. This was my best race of the season. One of my best races ever. I had fun, felt strong and relaxed, paced myself perfectly, and finished faster than I thought I could. Bliss. |
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| Me and my 5-year-old nephew, as photographed by his 7-year-old brother, during our family gathering in Yosemite. To me, this shot captures a lot of the awesomeness of this annual summertime reunion. |
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| Western States finishline at about 9:30 A.M. Sunday morning, June 26. Eating breakfast and watching runners finish was easily the best part of the race. |
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| Post-Western States high-fives with Brett Rivers before the awards ceremony. The Placer High School track was just a good place to be that Sunday. Good feelings all around, good friends, good community. |
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| Andrew and I canoed the Carson River in July. Two days, no portaging, camping at hot springs. Wilderness whitewater love! |
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| Desolation Wilderness. Any photo tour of summer would be incomplete without a shot of our favorite running terrain. |
For now, I'm snuggled up by the wood stove looking forward to some snowy backcountry adventures for the next few months. It's a good time to be dreaming and planning races for next spring and summer, and remembering the best of this one.
What were your favorite races and adventures of this summer?
I love the new blog layout and graphics. It's very you, Gretchen.
ReplyDeleteI think I need more adventure in my life because I'm drawing a blank on your question :-).
Great pictures! Another perfect summer :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed, your summer was perfect! Words and photos prove it. I too like the new look of your blog (I do miss the that 'zipping along' photo of you though). My only problem with the new blog is - it does not scroll smoothly. For some reason it is herky-jerky. My desk-top perhaps? Love ya! Aunt T
ReplyDeleteAnne - Thanks! And YES, more adventure! Do it.
ReplyDeleteJamie - Thanks for being a big part of it. Time to discuss racing plans for next year, by the way ...
Teresa - Thanks for the feedback. I do still have some re-sizing to take care of, but first need to work with the new header, so that will be a bit. Not sure about the scrolling issue, but I'll have to ask you more about your system. I don't want herky-jerky! :)
LOVE the new blog layout!! Snazzy :)
ReplyDeleteYou've had an amazing year. It's fun to follow along on your adventures!
My favorite races/adventures this summer? Getting married in May was hands down the best adventure all year! My favorite races weren't until the fall, though. Summer this year was dedicated to solid training. Best summer ever :)
Many happy (winter) adventures to you, Gretchen!
I like the new look and the entire post makes me wish I was living WAY further west. My favorite adventure was the Big Sur Marathon in May, which was my first trip to California. We had an awesome trip and saw as much as you can see in 5 days from Big Sur to Marin County, Redwoods to whales. Having done this, now on my bucket list are Miwok, Emarld Bay run and Half Dome. There is also a 138 mile bike ride up and around Mount Shasta that intrigues me, but I think I have enough on my list for now.
ReplyDeleteMost importantly, did I see your husband wearing an Alabama hat in one of those pictures? Is he a fan? That is disappointing.
- The Dude, War Eagle!
What a wonderful year you've had! Thanks for sharing it with us. I may have to steal your idea and do my own retrospective.
ReplyDeletePaige - Yeah, getting married is a biggie. :) Super stoked for you guys. And you've had some awesome races recently. Can't wait to see what you do at the big one coming right up here! I'm thinkin you're gonna kick some butt!
ReplyDeleteDude - Thanks! Good to hear about Big Sur, since I'll be there this year. Sounds like your bucket list will be bringing you back to Cali. Good call! And no, it's not an Alabama hat. It's pretty much always mistaken for other sports teams since it's actually the Reno Aces - a minor league baseball team. We don't have any professional teams nearby, and I refuse to root for the Giants. No Way.
Sarah - Thanks, and I would love to see your retrospective!