The Stubborn Tortoise

Saturday's race was full of surprises: a race director dressed as a taco, a guy in a taco truck on the trails and pretty much everyone getting lost. It was the inaugural El Taco Loco race, held just south of San Antonio. I missed a section and made up for it by backtracking before crossing the finish line. Good race and experience. Part two is about a themed event: the inaugural Die Hard on the Po...

Ah, the question for the ages: which do you prefer, trail or road? Me, I think the answer is pretty clear. I'd rather be out in the woods than on a city street most any day. There are benefits to both and each is to be respected. I just ran a trail race with a bunch of predominantly road runners. I thought for sure I would get them on the gnarly sections. Instead, it was the other way around. They...

Sometimes, you have to make a call to reset your expectations because the training isn't there.  This happened to me this weekend as I decided to drop from 50K to 25K in two weeks. Life has gotten in the way and I'm afraid of reigniting old injuries by not training properly. Some people can gut it out and my hat is off to them. That's just not me. And earlier this year, I attempted a 100-mile...

I have managed to get lost trying to find the start of a race, to adding miles to a race, to getting lost on a 1,000-acre ranch. Somehow, I've lived to tell about it.

My first attempt at a 50-miler ended disastrously and with my quickest DNF in history. It included a trip to the ER with a super-caffeinated, fast-talking crazy man and four stitches. The next time, a few weeks later, things ended much better, even though I had wet feet the entire time and got really cranky. *There are a couple of curse words in this episode, which is why I flagged it as explicit.

This episode chronicles my first three ultras: each one an epic mudfest. The first was just a beginner's stupidity. The second one got VERY personal and emotional. The third, I wanted to quit but was inspired by a couple of guys who'd never run more than 6 miles. Yeah, they jumped from 6 to 31 miles and lived to tell about it. Since then, I've had some "normal" races and am training for my next on...

Being on the other side of the table is almost as much fun as the race. This is a three-parter about some of my experiences providing assistance to sweaty, muddy, dirty trail runners. Many cameo appearances in this one! The episode photo is of Joel Olivares, David Zuniga, Bella Olivares, Victoria Olivares (no relation), Cris Guerra and me. We had a few others helping that day at the first J&J...

There are times when the DNF FaIry appears during a race and you have to ignore her/him. Had it not been for a new friend dressed like an elf, I probably wouldn't have made it through my second 50-miler.

The DNF (did not finish) fairy was whispering to me hard at a tough weekend race....I had a couple of people inspiring me and I finished.

Running would seem like an inexpensive sport...until you factor in the extras. Also, if you're high maintenance, running is probably not for you. I attempt to strike a lopsided balance between being a girl who loves Sephora and one who becomes a sodden mess after a few miles.

I have no idea why people cheat at races, but they do. It's not  a good idea.

This one is in three parts: how one friend mentally sherpa-ed me through my first 20-miler, then I repaid the favor a few months later by pacing him at his first attempt at a hundred-miler. From that experience, I applied what I'd learned to help pace another friend through her first hundred. This is a tale paved with success and failure -- but in the end, it's all about life: eat, drink, put one...

Running along the US-Mexico border is full of adventures that most runners don't experience: Border Patrol agents flying above you in helicopters, agents looking for migrants and smugglers, and once -- being chased by a pack of agents who thought we were migrants. (Hey, somebody has to keep those agents in shape!) This episode is about my life's credo: "Vivir con miedo, es como vivir a medias" --...

Sometimes, races don't go the way we plan them. In this case, I cut my losses early and was overcome with a variety of emotions: relief, self-doubt, self-flagellation. The good part is, there's usually another race to prove oneself. In this case, there was redemption, but just not the way I'd imagined it. Capt'n Karl's Reveille Peak Ranch race Back on My Feet -- really great cause!

This is a story in contrasts. I start off talking about a guy who may or may not have unwittingly cost me a race with his negative viewpoints and attitude. (11/12) But it ends well. Next, I tell you about my "Best Summer-Camp Friend," a charming 11-year-old named Gabriel, who joined me -- along with his friend, Isaiah at Bandera in January 2016. It's one of my all-time favorite stories.

This story is from August 2013. I'm publishing it now because the Capt'n Karl's nighttime race at Colorado Bend is coming up on Aug. 3. This is about the adventures of a handful of runners from the RGV traveling six hours for a night race. We sampled pretty much all the food in town. Then we ran the race. Here are some of the places mentioned in the piece: San Saba Olive Oil Co. Wedding Oak Winery...

Welcome to the first episode! I'm pretty much an average trail runner with above-average enthusiasm for the sport. These are my stories and I hope you enjoy them.