Marisol Martinez
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Hardrock 100: Cunningham Gulch

Cunningham Gulch: Mile ~91 in clockwise direction, coming in from Maggie Gulch. "Fucking brutal" says 3 time finisher and Hardrock board member Andrea Feucht. A gentle midwesterner, Andrea is not given to cursing. "Difficult when you're…
Kilian Jornet with dislocated shoulder and homemade sling
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Ouray Aid Station Photos – Hardrock 100

Ouray.Mile 56.6 of Hardrock 100 when run in the counter-clockwise direction. Runners come down a long descent in Bear Creek Canyon, a cut into the side of a mountain trail, thirty switch-backs in broken shale, that I am told sound like you…
Pacific Crest Trail
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Christmas in July

I ran 60 miles this week. 60 miles a week is not that much, not at least compared to two years ago, but it's a lot coming off of a bunch of nothing, which is more or less where my running has been these past few months. The year started out…
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Jemez Mountain 2017

New Mexico Clouds There are extraordinary clouds hanging over the Sandias right now. There are always extraordinary clouds in New Mexico. The air is incredible here, and the Sandias, out the back window of Ken and Margaret's house, are beautiful. It…
Me at Fish Hatchery
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Zane Grey 2017

Payson Arizona Thursday evening. The 28th annual Zane Grey 50 plus miler. I'm here for the third time. I first ran this race in 2015. It was one I'd been wanting to do for a while. A bunch of friends signed up, and one by one they all withdrew…
Downtown
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An Aspie Man’s Guide to Surviving Ladies Night

Ladies NightMagnolia Blvd. Diagonally across the intersection, a jazz band plays - at least, I think it's a jazz band, but I'm not really sure. I can see a few guys with assorted horns, and I can make out the sound of saxophone. I'm in Burbank…
Rosedeer Hotel, Wayne, Alberta
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Ashes to Ashes: 2016 in the Rearview Mirror

New Year's Eve at the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner Blackfoot Truckstop Diner, in Calgary, watching fireworks go off at the zoo across the river with a handful of folks all of whom had seen better days. New Year's Eve, Rhubarb Pie, having spent…
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Family

Election Day. 95 degrees in sunny LA. I came back from a short run, took a shower, and turned on the TV, looking forward to the end of this awful election, history being made with the our first woman President, who aside from being female was…
Mohave Desert
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Hello, Everyone! I love you all!

There's too much noise in LA. I've been back in LA for 2 days, after a 2 week accidental vacation in New Mexico when the car died the day before Mt. Taylor 50K. Mt. Taylor is a wonderful race, run by runners for runners, on a gorgeous course…
Sandias at Sunset

Watermelon Mountains

I am sitting in a kitchen on the edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico, looking out the window at the Sandia Mountains. It is silent here. The only noise I've heard from outside in the past week is the sound of thunder, and of rain on the skylight.…
Griffith Park Trail
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Eleven Minutes Per Mile

Moises AvelarI was running in Griffith Park one evening when I ran into Moises. Moises is one of those guys who advocates running slow. He's also someone who finished AC100 in about 20 hours, and when I hear fast guys talk about running slow,…
The Salton Sea

Desert, Ashes, Fire, & Water

The Sand Fire The Sand Fire is burning in Acton. The air was already a little smokey from a fire that burned briefly on the edge of Griffith Park. Friday around 2:15 in the afternoon the sky quickly filled with smoke. By the next morning,…
New Mexico Storm

Desert Beauty

"Each thing in its way, when true to its own character, is equally beautiful." -Edward Abbey, Cliffrose and Bayonets Driving back to Los Angeles from Silverton, (and from Hardrock 100), we drove alongside a storm. It came fast, but we…
Cougar Rock
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Western States 100 – Meditation on Pain

Squaw Valley, 5 am I was nervous at the start. Really nervous. Being nervous didn't make that much sense, really; it's not like I was going to be competing for the win, or even a place in the top half. Still, there seemed to be a lot at stake.…
Western States Course

Western Time

It's six days before Western States. 105 degrees today. I headed up Sunset Trail from Chaney Trail head, running some, trudging mostly, 1pm, sun directly overhead, HOT. Two miles up and that was enough. The cold water I'd started with was…