Caballo Blanco is missing

Just read the news on the search going on for Micah True. For those of you that''ve read 'Born to Run' - Micah True is the Caballo Blanco.

The Las Cruces Sun News reported that he was staying at the Gila Wilderness Lodge when he went for a run on Tuesday morning. When he hadn't returned by Wednesday morning, Jane and Dan Brummer, co-owners of the Lodge, contacted state police and the search was initiated.

You can read the full story here.

Sad news - hope he is found safe and healthy.

And even more Eco-Trail de Paris 50 miler photos!

The official race photos are online, so I have a few more pics of the Eco-Trail de Paris 50 miler to share (then again...I have a ton of pics on my camera that I didn't even post...overload!). Whether you like it or not. ;)

Somewhere in the first 45K / 27 miles of the course. On a downhill.

Somewhere in the first 45K / 27 miles. On an uphill.

Somewhere in the first 45K / 27 miles. On trails. :)

A short climb along the Seine River. Can you spot the Eiffel Tower in the back? :) Almost there!

Uhm, yep...looks like 'marching' along. ;)

Climbing the stairs to the first platform of the Eiffel Tower. Finish line within reach! :)

Clearly I'd spotted the finish line at this point. :)

Woo-the-bleeping-hoo!!! :)

Why, I'd ask you? Why? Making a complete fool out of myself. Yet again. ;)

Eco-Trail de Paris 2012 80K / 50 miler Recap and Photos

As promised, the Eco-Trail de Paris Recap and Photos. Mostly photos. Since I took a bunch of them. And they kind of say it all. :) Boy, did I have fun at this race. :)

83-ish K / 52-ish miles and 1,500 meters / 4,900 ft elevation gain. Trails for most of the course. Finish line ON the Eiffel Tower. Could I have asked for more? Nope. :)

As said earlier today here I planned on approaching this race as an 'ultra tourist'. I'd had a crazy busy week at work and didn't sleep too well the nights before. I needed a relaxed fun run. Planned on taking lots and lots of pictures, treating the aid stations as a buffet, and soaking in every single mile of this race. :) And that's exactly what I did. I soaked in every inch of this race. :) The running gods must have been with me last Saturday - I had a blast. :)

The signs that would lead the way.

Saturday March 24th 2012. 12 PM. Toeing the start line. Temps were up (le sigh...), sun was burning on my scalp. After a short briefing, we were ready to go. Woo Hoo! :) I had been looking forward to this race for monts...and now I was finally getting ready to cross that start line.

My dear Mom was sweet enough to join me for this race and drove me to the start line. Cheered me on with her dog Diddy. :) And took these pics when I spotted them right after the start.

Goof ball, anyone?

First, we ran a loop through a park. Pretty crowded, but nice trails. :)

Uhm...yeah...no freaking clue what I was doing here.

Running a 50 miler AND working on your tan? That's how it's done Silly Girl Running Style...

How awesome is this? In awe. :)

We entered the first aid station after 22K /14 miles. Mom was waiting for me there, so I chatted with her for a bit, refilled my pack, had some energy gel and drank a bottle of Coca Cola (yep...). There was a hilly / steep climbs part coming up after this, so I took some time to refuel. :) Especially since the next aid station (water only) would be at 45K / 27 miles.

25-ish K / 16 miles in.

35K / 22 miles in. Feeling the heat. I. Do. Not. Do. Well. In. Heat.

A nice lady was sweet enough to take my photo right after the 45K/27 mile aid station. Can you spot the Eiffel Tower in the back? I could not stop smiling at this point in the race. :)

I suck at taking self portraits. Just saying. :)

After the 45K aid station, I ran into a nice French guy named Patrick and ended up chatting with him for the rest of the race. At the 55K / 33 mile aid station (on top of a hill :)) we refueled and had some noodle soup. Best. Soup. Ever. Especially since my tummy wasn't a huge fan of the heat / GU combo. Since the race started at 12 PM and I would end up finishing this race in the night time, I changed my shirt for a short sleeve (I could make a long sleeve out of it with the arm sleeves I was wearing), and took out my head lamp. It would probably be dark before I'd make it to the next aid station, so I figured it would be better to take care of that before I'd stumble over some sort of tree trunk. Uh-huh. :)

67K in. Last aid station before the Eiffel Tower Finish line. Before the start of the race I was pretty worried about the night time running, but ended up loving it. :) After the 67K /42 miles aid station there was a short down hill, and after that we were following the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower. :)

Yep, I suck at taking self portraits. :)

Musee de Ceramique. 70-ish K /44 miles in.

Hello, Eiffel Tower!

Insert Eiffel Tower photo shoot. Ha! How cool are the blinking lights? Seriously, how cool is that? :)

With the Eiffel Tower withing reach we must have been almost there, right? Yep, exactly! Running under the Eiffel Tower with the crowds cheering you on: total rock star moment. ;) Made climbing the stairs to the first level of the Eiffel Tower to the finish line feel like a walk in the clouds. Crossed that finish line after 10 hours and 9 minutes of fun. Slowpoke for life. :)

Done? Already? :(

Not too shabby, huh?

The day after. Bringing sexy back in my compression socks. Wearing the race shirt, a size small, which ended up being more like a size XXXX-large. Yeah...

Despite of the fact that I actually felt okay, somehow walking down steps was less funny...

Post race lunch. :) Still could not stop smiling. :)

Eco-trail de Paris 50 miler (Teaser)

About that 50 miler... Full race report (with pics) coming a.s.a.p.. For now...a quick preview. :)

I. Had. A. Freaking. Blast. Still smiling just thinking about it (enter room mate at the firm looking funny at me...).

Last Saturday, March 24th 2012, I was lucky and fortunate enough to participate in the Eco-trail de Paris 50 miler (although the course measured long and it turned out to be 83-ishK / 52-ish miles) in Paris, France. Amazing weather (too hot...and this girl doesn't do well in heat...you probably know that by now...) and amazing course. The race directors managed to map out an amazing trail race around Paris. A hilly race through beautiful forests (about 1,500 meters / 4,900 ft of elevation gain). On the terrain of the most amazing Chateaus (yep, that's 'Castles' in French). Finish line on (yes, ON, as in walking stairs up the Eiffel Tower to finish the race) the Eiffel Tower. Loved it. Loved it, loved it. :)

Due to the temps (this hot in March...seriously?) and the crazy busy week I'd had at work (and the lack of sleep the nights before), I planned on 'ultra touristing' this race. I.e. taking a sh*t load of photos, treating the aid stations as a buffet (oh yeah!) and trying to keep that smile on my face from start to finish. :) And that's exactly how it worked out. The running gods must have been with me last Saturday: I ended up having a blast, found myself singing on several occasions (sorry, about that...I must have traumatized at least a dozen of fellow runners), and met some cool people en route. Ran into a really nice French guy - Patrick - after 46K (29-ish miles) and ended up running with him for the rest of the race. Patrick, thanks for making me laugh out loud. :) I actually felt sad it was over after 10 hours and 9 minutes (slowpoke for life ;)). I feel blessed. :)

So, since I took a sh*t load of photos, I'll need some time to upload those. The official race pics aren't online yet. I'll try and work on the uploading of the photos I took tonight - be prepared for being photo bombed later this week. ;)

About that 50-miler

What I've been trying to ignore for the last couple of weeks is this Saturday's planned 50-miler in Paris, France (Eco-trail de Paris). As long as you pretend it's not there, you won't get the chance to freak out, right? Uh-huh. Brilliant thinking, if you'd ask me. ;)

So, I've mastered the 'not-freaking-out' thing up till this very moment. That's a plus. Down side of this way of approaching a race is that you'll find yourself messing up every cabinet in your house looking for the mandatory gear. And figuring out that you might be lacking some mandatory equipment. Uh-huh. Okay, I might want to rethink this 'not-freaking-out' thing for planned future races.

Brilliant.

Plus, I haven't figured out the outfit yet (freakishly high temps are in forecast...woo hoo).

Brilliant.

Here goes nothing, I guess? Take it slow and see how it goes? Won't hurt if you'll keep your fingers crossed for this nut case, okay? ;)

I'm ba-ack

Lessons learned while spending 2 weeks in the Swiss Alps

1. I love the Swiss Alps. And can't seem to stop falling in love with them. Over and over again.

2. There's no feeling that can beat that first breath of fresh mountain air. Period.

3. A 5-hour long run in the mountains is nothing close to a 5-hour long run in the flat as a pancake Netherlands. Enough said.

4. Mountain weather is unpredictable. Note to self: it's okay to head out for a run - in shorts. However, don't be surprised when you get hit by a blizzard...out of the freaking blue.

5. Swiss guys are a heck of a lot more polite than Dutch guys. Apparently. It's kind of refreshing not to be disturbed by honking cars on your AM/PM run. Then again, they just might not be interested. ;)

6. It's even harder to start work again after a great vacay. Spent the day in court, and I'm pooped. Is it okay if I save the rest of my bla bla for tomorrow? ;)

Hello from Switzerland!

Swiss Alps. Snow. Mountains to run. Slopes to ski. Loipes to conquer. :) No DSL-connection here, so will try to post whenever I've access to the internet. :) Have some amazing pics from the last couple of days and will try to post soon.

For now: hello from Switzerland!