If you'd like to read about why I decided to run this trail and about some of my preparation please check out the two blog post I wrote before the run. You don't need to have read them to read this one though.Blog post 1: Announcing my intentionBog post 2: One week before the start [...]
In exactly one week I'll be on day one of my female fastest known time (FKT) attempt on the 223- mile Ouachita Trail that starts in Oklahoma at Talimena State Park and ends in Arkansas at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. You can read my original announcement HERE. I have a team of 12 people and [...]
Family and friends, After much thought, we will move forward with a service to pay respects and say goodbye to my dad. With the pandemic still raging, and my father dying due to COVID-19, I don't take this decision lightly. Ultimately, I trust that those of you that desire to attend his visitation and service [...]
Picture courtesy of https://relishhikes.com/ouachita-trail In April 2019, I was able to cheer on my friend's Tara and Don as they tackled an ultra on the Arkansas portion of the Ouachita Trail. Conditions were not ideal- wet & cold- but they both dug deep and crossed the finish line. As a crew, we were able to [...]
This is a community poem to cope in crisis created by NPR's poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander. He compiled listener- submitted poems on the topic of grief to create the beautiful poem below. More information and credits can be found here. What I'm learning about griefis that it sits in the space between laughscomes in the dark [...]
The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail. -John Wesley Powell Standing atop the South Rim the day after running the Grand [...]
In the summer of 2004 I travelled up to Brevard, North Carolina to be a backpacking instructor and open water lifeguard at an all girls summer camp. Since I had the confidence of a college student and the company was going to teach me everything I needed to know to lead elementary and middle school [...]
I was sitting on a rocking chair on my front porch covered in a blanket that smelled like my dogs. It was around 11 p.m., raining hard and I was busy contemplating which method would suit me to end my life. While a gun seemed quick and easy I worried about the clean up for [...]
During a recent session my therapist asked me, "Why don't you just do it then?" His question followed my ramblings about a dream idea I've had for a couple of years now but haven't really worked towards bringing to fruition. I'm still gnawing on the question for that situation but I've noticed how applicable that [...]
5 years ago I started running in preparation to complete my first half marathon for my 27th birthday. At the time I sincerely didn't know if I would be able to go the distance. Running 13.1 miles at once seemed nearly impossible and would require a deep belief in myself, a dedication to training and [...]
Rising Fawn 