Run more. Whine less.: Getting my motivation back

Racing season seems to burn me out.

I don't do myself any favors. By the time I'm recovered from one race, it's time to start tapering for the next one. In between races, I seem to do very little running. I mean, I just did this amazing thing, and you're telling me I still need to train? What's up with that?

Anyway, in an attempt to get me to actually start running more, here is a recap of my top five moments from the last two months (aka, the five moments from the last two months):

1 - PRing my 50k time at Greenland Trail by over 16 minutes, and FINALLY breaking the 6-hour barrier, and taking second in my age group. I went into this race under-trained--my longest run at this point was only 20 miles, with a few hikes in the 4-5 hour range, so I was pleasantly surprised when I started the third of four laps feeling remarkably fresh, and looking back I can see that besides the last lap, my splits were sort of even compared to 2013.

Fun fact: when I turn 30 next year, I'm screwed. With my time for this race (5:50:06), I wouldn't have placed top 3 until the 50-59 age group, and wouldn't have placed second until the 60-69 women's age group.

You will note that I have no idea where the gift certificate for this year
actually is so...I cleverly substituted my third-place finish gift certificate
from last year. You never would have known.

2- Randomly meeting Steven Sashen while wearing my Xero Shoes at a festival in Boulder. You may know Sashen from "Sh*t barefoot runners say," or from an appearance on Shark Tank, or, if you're a running dork, you'll know him as the owner and founder of the company formerly known as Invisible Shoes.

I 'fessed up to my Hoka addiction after Aaron
took this picture.

3 - Watching three top Tarahumara runners compete in a race I was actually running. The Hardscrabble Mountain Trail Run was one of the toughest races I have run to date, and actually the shortest (45k). My watch gave me an ascent of 3,317 feet, most of which is completed in the first half of the race, with a depressing trudge up an active dirt road to get to the finish line, PASS the finish line, run down and up a final steep hill, before circling back around to the finish. Hands-down the BEST post-race meal I have ever had, and some incredible views of the mountains. If I hadn't been so beat up by the time they lapped me, I really would have enjoyed watching Horacio Estrada, Isidro Quintero and Miguel Lara show us how to climb some mountains.