2014 in Photos

During a group run on Christmas Eve, I pulled off the path to snap yet another photo. "Oh here comes the camera!" Cindi called out. In our ladies' running group, I'm the one that hauls around a small point-and-shoot. Some of my best photographs each year come from this beat up little Cannon. Sure, my pace is slower when I run with the camera, but it forces me to view my natural surroundings from a different perspective than the usual "stare at ground, don't fall" scenery on my outdoor adventures. Here are a few highlights of 2014:

January

Big Bear Lake, Trinity Alps.

 This backpacking trip to the Trinity Alps was the beginning of a turning point in my energy level. After suffering through a month of immunotherapy, it was finally determined that my immune system is too sensitive to tolerate allergy shots without significantly affecting my daily life. The California drought allowed us to access the alpine lakes without so much as a flake of snow. My strength returned just in time for Matt and I began a short training cycle leading up to the Little Su 50K and my brother and his girlfriend came to visit.

February

Lee's Cabin, White Mountains, Alaska.

Oh Alaska. With your vibrant outdoor community, fantastic aurora displays, and endless miles of wilderness, you may forever hold a piece of my heart. Of course, having friends and family in Anchorage and Fairbanks doesn't hurt. There's never a shortage of adventure buddies, even when it's thirty below zero.

March

Crater Lake, Oregon.

Recovery from the Little Su (not quite) 50K blended into spring road marathon training. My asthma flared up due to the dry winter and I seriously considered bailing on this training season.  A quick day trip to Crater Lake in southern Oregon helped refresh my soul, forget about time goals, and focus on doing the best my body would allow.

April

Bear Basin Butte, Siskiyou Mountains.

A yurt trip here, a cabin trip there, we maximized every second of Matt's weekend. We substituted several road miles in our training plan for trail ones and spent the month weaving through the Redwoods and climbing through boulder fields to alpine lakes. I guess the drought had its perks.

May

Sequoia Park, Eureka.

For all the hard work and smart training I put in for my spring marathon, Mountains2Beach, a lot went wrong on race day. My confidence was shattered and I questioned whether running a fast marathon was even possible.

June

Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park.

After almost a year of preparation and agonizing over routes and logistics, it was time debut my trail race. I absolutely loved sharing my favorite trails with others. Some of them, life-long locals, didn't know such a diverse trail network existed. A lot of people finished with cuts and scrapes, so after just one year, it earned the name Crashhopper. Later that month, Matt and I celebrated our anniversary with a backpacking trip through Lassen Volcanic National Park, our first summertime weather backpacking trip ever. I could get used to the mild conditions!

July

July began with a trip to Santa Fe, where my brother lives. My mom, grandma, and sister planned the trip earlier in the year and asked me to join. At the time, it didn't work with my schedule. As the date grew closer, I was able to join and kept it a surprise until the moment I walked through the door. It was the first time that all of us have been together since my wedding in 2007. There were some pretty Trinity Alps hikes later in the month too.

August

Santa Rosa Marathon with Chris and Lanore.

Journaling next to the South Sister, Oregon.

I'm pretty sure August was my favorite month all year. It began with a trip to visit my parents and extended family in Wisconsin. Then there was a backpacking trip around the Three Sisters in Oregon. But the highlight of the month, perhaps the whole year, was the moment I crossed the finish line of the Santa Rosa Marathon. After several years of failed attempts at qualifying for Boston, my health and the weather aligned to produce a performance that  I still get giddy thinking about. 

September

Big Tree, Oregon Caves National Monument.

Sandwiched between two half marathons, one a goal race and one a fun trail run, was my thirtieth birthday. After a fantastic girls' weekend with Nikki where we ate too much Dairy Queen and played on the trails, I'm pretty sure my thirties are going to be awesome!

October

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Sometimes opportunities just fall into your lap. After our running club sponsored a trip to attend a conference in Estes Park, Colorado, we turned it into a mini vacation and played in the mountains for a week, visiting with family and friends along the way. Then I ran the local marathon for funsies and somehow took fifth place!

November

Grasshopper Peak Redwoods Run Finish Line, Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

With trail training in full force, Matt and I spent a lot of time climbing mountains and steep fire roads in the Redwoods. Some runs were better than others, but it is always nice to get a ton of quality time with my favorite trails.

December

The North Face SF 50K, Marin Headlands.

Trail season came to an end with the running of my seventh ultramarathon. Despite this being the hilliest course of our racing careers, both Matt and I came away with new personal records. The scenery was gorgeous. The following weeks included a few more coastal trail runs in our local area.

Thank you to all my readers. Some of you have been following since the beginning and others are relatively new. I hope you continue to enjoy hearing about my adventures as much as I enjoy sharing them.

Any suggestions on where I should visit in 2015?

Up next: 2014 by the numbers and goals for 2015.