"Nutella Is Good On Everything You Know...."

(Yeah....more on that in a minute....and this will be a random entry)

But before that...the countdown is on!

3 months until the Cruxy 1/2 Marathon in beautiful Vail, Colorado!!

There it is...(credit: USDA Farm Service Agency/Google Earth)

Words cannot describe how excited and nervous I am for this race. I have been looking at the race profile everyday for about a week now. I cannot wait to be out there and am already planning the training runs near the house I will do in Breckenridge the week before. You may be asking why a simple 1/2 marathon would be so important to me so I will tell you. This is the first real "non-mostly road" 1/2 marathon I have done and it will be out in an area I love. I also consider it my first real step to my dream...the WS100!!!

Now, I will admit that training for this one has been tough. As we all know...I am working on the nutrition thing and while I am still not "rocking it out", I am making some big changes which seem to be helping. (No food = bad. Yummy organic KJ V8 juice type shake for meal = good. Yummy organic KJ V8 juice type shake that can have vodka added for instant Bloody Mary = very good. Mexican food before a long run = really bad.)

There is a ton of stuff in this!

I am also trying to get out in the heat as much as I can so that my body can acclimate and I can start to master the Art of Hydration. So far this has been going pretty well. (Water = good. Powerade =vomit mid run....but I keep going after....so = good. Hydrating on only iced coffee and then going for a run =exhaustion after a few miles...so having Starbucks in my Camelbak is out. )

Really....in all honesty....I am working hard on getting my body up and running where it needs to be from a nutritional stand point and once again...thank you all for the support. I say it all the time. I never really thought anyone would give two sh*ts about this blog...but so many of you tell me you enjoy it and I hope that when the day comes and I toe the line at the WS100...that you all are out there with me....it would mean the world. (Well...except for my European...Australian....South American...and Asian and Middle Eastern peeps...that may not be possible...but for all the other "State Siders"....it would be nice :) )

So anyway... to get ready for the race I have been hitting the trails as hard as I can as often as I can. Since it has been really warm they have been fairly empty. This has allowed me to go as carefree and fast as I want.

Dry and fast baby!

It has also left me to meet those who have no business on the trails or in nature (in my opinion). Yup...you guessed it.....another "OMG did that really happen on the trails?!" moment brought to you by Andi!!!

Now, I can honestly say that trail runners, and runners in general, are the nicest group of people I know. When I run road I see a ton of people and we all wave and say "hi". The problem with where I am is that there are not many trail runners. I see lots of hikers...and they are great...but unless I bring someone with me, I will never meet up with another where we can discuss our runs, the trail conditions or anything like that. It is kind of a lonely feeling. Yes, I love to run alone but at the same time I am getting to the point where I am tired of being looked at like a freak because I choose to run a different terrain than most.

So with that.... on to today's adventure....

But wait!...Before I continue I want to take a moment to address the gentlemen in the audience.

Please know, all women love to be complimented. If you are genuine and kind (and truly mean it) we can tell and it thrills us to no end. We may not show it at first...and you may not get to see it ..but we are all smiles once it happens and will think back on it for days. It is something you should do on a regular basis. It shows respect and appreciation towards us and maturity and confidence on your end. You may not think we notice, but trust me, we do. To have a man take the time to tell us we look beautiful...or that some part of us is "stunning"...it is so powerful and attractive. It does not matter if you are her lover, friend, or total stranger...it will never get old.

With that being said, I will continue with the story...and the total opposite of what is mentioned above as wonderful...

So.. about midway thru my run today, I arrived at my usual resting spot a total mess. Actually,  a "hot mess" may be the best way to describe it. It was wicked out...almost 90 degrees and the trails were dusty and dry. I was literally dripping in sweat and covered in dirt. I am pretty sure I sounded like the "Sharapova" version of a trail runner...with the high pitch "argh" escaping my lips as I made my way down the last few rocks to the landing overlooking the river. As if that was not enough, I was in a panic to get my IPhone out of it's holder so that I could stop my Map My Run. I have concluded that I really need to get a Garmin, because after getting my IPhone out of it's holder, I noticed that when I turned my music on it paused my GPS...which killed any chance of knowing how I did on the first half of my run.

Oy!! It was at this point that I went from exhausted to irritated. What happened next did not help at all...

Now, I am used to people asking me if I "just ran" the trails when I take breaks. I tend to see a few runners when I am out, but for the most part people just hike and enjoy what nature has to offer. Normally the conversations are short and friendly. This afternoon...not so much. We are just going to refer to the individual I ran into as "Mr. T". He was with others but they were respectful and spent most their time just looking embarrassed.

Mr T:  "Did you just run down here?"

Me: "Yes."

(Now this is where the conversation should have turned to something like "oh...are you training for something?....but noooo...)

Mr T: "So you like it all dirty and sweaty?"

(At this point in time I really thought about decking the kid....but when I looked around...it was just me and them.....)

Me: "Really?"

A few moments went by and I started to hear people make their way down the trail. Once I heard voices I felt comfortable sitting down and waiting for them to arrive. That is when the lad really turned up the heat...

Mr T: " Would you like some (offering me some of his snack)?" You know...this is good on everything....everything" (eyes looking up and down)

Me: *eat shit and die look*

Shortly after this was said, the young couple I heard came into sight. It was at this time that my "Inner New Yorker" came out. I quickly took him up on his offer and stuck my middle finger into his Nutella. I pulled it out and stuck it in my mouth...glaring at him the whole time...making sure he saw which finger I used and what I thought of him. I think I made my point. The looks on their faces were priceless. I was pissed beyond belief. People like that should not be allowed on the trails. I didn't stay long. I didn't get to rest and enjoy the beautiful views. It totally messed up my time and made the run back a living hell as my brain was replaying what happened over and over again. I could never get back into my running "zone". The whole afternoon had gone from "awesome training run" to "epic fail."

Now...I know what you are all thinking. Was it the smartest thing to do? No. Was I acting on pure emotion? Yes. Could I have handled it differently? You bet. Was I brave because others were around and I felt safe? Of course. Do I look back on it now and realize that I was just as immature as they were? Yep. Was it fun? Well....just think about it ;)

Was it the final straw that has broken the "Don't Run Alone" camel's back? Unfortunately, yes. I was not touched and they made no attempt to. In fact...they were sitting with their feet over the cliff. I had a better chance of pushing them over then they had of getting a hold of me. But that is not the point. The point is that while I always thought the trails were the safest place I could be, I know that humans are the most destructive animals on this planet and if they are on them...they are not 100% safe. I have started to run with friends and think that from now on I am going to take some of them with me. After all...I was raised to share ;).

So that is it. That was my day. I had to share...maybe because it is bothering me. If you all could have heard the tone. It was just totally disrespectful and gross. The beauty of nature was robbed from me today.

Other than that wonderful experience...I hope to continue training for Colorado with a few runs here in Kentucky as well as some more cross training. I am getting ready to start up Barre Amped..which uses the ballet bar to build lean muscle and improve the core. Yoga is still a lifesaver and rock climbing is still #1 on my list to start. To top if all off, I just watched that Skywire Live on Discovery Channel, which has reminded me that my slackline trees are calling in the backyard!

Look out climbing world!! No...not really.

More later. Until then...stay cool ;) Wait...Holy Shit....speaking of Discovery Channel, has anyone seen Naked and Afraid?! I am watching it now and this is just unbelievable. This is awesome. DC has really gone "balls out" on this one. I don't watch much TV but this is amazing. I am SO watching this. I wish I could do this!!! This chick is a red head and completely naked except for a nose ring!! I love humans...