Kristen Lodge – Page 22 – An Outdoor Life

September 8, 2020October 10, 2020

Mount Carrigain and Ironman Training

This morning is a big morning.

Run and hike with dogs.

Swim at 8:30.

It’s amazing how motivating signing up for an Ironman can be. It’s been a while since I took the dogs for the loop hike/run at Winant but since they must get back into hiking shape to help me finish the 48 4,000 peaks by Nov. 13, they need to hike/run with me as much as possible.

On Sunday Winnie and Goldie hiked Mount Carrigain.

May 1989 was the last time I hiked this mountain. I remember it was a solo backpacking trip and I did the big loop including Desolation Trail. Wow that was a long time ago. However, I remember seeing a group of men camping with a fire going. The trail was really wet and my feet were soaked. I saw their hanging socks over the fire. They invited me to join and I declined.

Peter pointed out that the mountain name Carrigain is spelled differently on this sign than everywhere on the internet.

This time Carrigain was a day hike with two of Peter’s friends: Pete and Eric. The first two miles are so nice – just a walk in the woods. Then the climb began to the ridge. Once we got to Signal Ridge there were amazing views. Then at the summit, spectacular 360 degree views. It was a perfect day to be in the White Mountains and the dogs did great. On the way down Winnie had two incidents with dogs but both turned out okay (Winnie was not at fault this time.)

It was Goldie’s first 4,000 and she was pretty tired on the ride home, sleeping sitting up.

Now it’s time to plan next weekend’s hike – most likely the Kinsmans.

But today I hike, run and swim before work.

September 3, 2020September 3, 2020

1,000 Miles in 2020

Last year in November I hit 2,000 miles from running and hiking. At the beginning of this year my goal was to run/hike 4,000 miles.

On Monday I hit 1,000 miles. While I’m glad I got at least 1,000 in I am so far from my goal. But alas, I’m on a roll and I’m going to try for another 500 miles by the end of the year.

On Saturday registration opens for Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June. Mark is already in the race as a rollover from a canceled race. Just knowing that I am signing up and will be racing next June motivates me to run. I tried to swim yesterday but all the lap swimming spots at the Y were completely filled. I feel like training and racing are back on now. I’m not quite sure how I feel about flying right now but June is a long ways away.

And.

I’m still registered for Ironman Mont Tremblant in August so two Ironmans in a year, baby! Now that is motivation to swim, bike and run.

2021 is going to be epic.

August 30, 2020October 23, 2020

5 Things I Miss About Canceled Races in 2020

How many reboots is 2020 going to have?

Good lord. I can’t get on a training roll to save my life. Tomorrow I start reboot #3 in 2020.

Is anyone else having trouble?

I just have to turn to Stava to see my friend Mark is still biking 100 miles each weekend; and running consistently (damn, you).

My Leadville friends are running 20 and 30 miles on the weekend.

Anyone having problems like me? Come on. Help me out here.

I do need races to keep me on track. I can’t train without a race in the future. I don’t like 2020 and no races.

When I look back to one year ago – one year – I ran over 2,000 miles at this point in the year. I raced all over the country. I did epic shit. 2019 was such a great training and racing year – I want it back. I just want races back.

5 Things I Miss About 2019 and Racing

1 – I miss racing the races I was prepared for and finishing strong.

2 – I miss racing the races I was not prepared for and dying at the end.

3- I miss traveling to races and Starbucks at the airport and running through airports for connections and exploring new race towns I’ve never been to.

4 – I miss that pit in my stomach that I have at the start of every race, and not knowing what is going to happen out there.

5 – I miss being super fit – I miss this most of all.

Okay pity party over.

August 28, 2020October 7, 2020

Hiking Tecumseh, E-Biking at Gunstock

This past week was filled with fun activities: running, hiking and e-biking at Gunstock.

Peter and I hiked Tecumseh and even ran a part of it. Even though it was under 5 miles, those stairs to the top are tough!

It was a fun hike. I needed it for my grid and it was Peter’s 14th 4,000 footer.

On Wednesday I e-biked with Becky and Sara. Sara is in charge of the Outdoor Center at Gunstock and an avid mountain biker. E-bikes are so fun and power boosting up hills is exhilarating. The trails around Gunstock are pretty fun and extensive – they go on and on forever. This weekend I hope to get on my mountain bike and explore.

This week we celebrated National Dog Day. Thanks to Peter for taking care of my dogs during the day. Despite being allergic to them he loves Winnie and Goldie. [love]

August 15, 2020August 18, 2020

It’s never too late

I feel like I could read it every day. The quote is so hopeful: you can change on a dime. You can start over.

I love the idea that it’s never too late to have a fantastic life.

It’s similar to the George Eliot quote:

I can still qualify for Kona.
I can still finish a 100 mile trail race.
I can still run 52 marathons in a year.
I can still run a Presidential Traverse in a day.
I can still run a Pemi Loop in a day.
I can still be a famous writer.
I can still make up silly goals and try to accomplish them.

I feel lucky. I haven’t always been lucky, but lately I’m feeling lucky. Despite not finishing these goals or having much of a plan to accomplish them, I feel like they will be in the 5-year plan.

In order to keep this positive momentum going this morning, I’m going to 1) run 20 miles today 2) run 12 miles tomorrow – all of which will mimic a typical training weekend. This will make me feel like everything is back to normal despite the world not being normal.