Month: October 2016

SKIING through LEAVES in OCTOBER

On By Sunsets and PuffysIn Adventures, Running, SkiingLeave a comment

Crazy it’s October 12th and I’ve already skied three days! After the St George marathon, I posted “Done with running and now I’m ready for winter and skiing!” I had no idea I’d be skiing great powder three days later. It was fun and as we were hiking up it was cold, snowing and windy. I would have thought it was the middle of winter, not the first of October. Teton had fun one day with me but looked was covered with snowballs.

 

A recent article was written about the influence of social media and backcountry skiing and the decisions people are making. You can read it HERE. I found it interesting in the US  27 people die in avalanches a year. At a conference last weekend, attendees not only heard from physicists but neurologists, behavior scientists, and psychologists. More focus during backcountry ski training, they say, needs to go towards decision making. It is a skill that needs to be taught. Some food for thought as we enter the ski season.

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Backcountry Safety | Early Season Hiking | Backcountry Book | Snow Study Kit

Wasatch 100, yes 100 miles of RUNNING!

On By Sunsets and PuffysIn Adventures, Running2 Comments

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So life got busy and crazy the past few months. From logging 80+ miles a week, plus work and side work, making sure Teton got outside for runs too, and an injury, August, and September flew right by. But I’m alive, happy and my body is adjusting to ‘normal’ life again. It seems weird on Saturdays that I’m not out running for 12 hours or more.

 

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The Wasatch 100: AMAZING! I didn’t know what to expect going into it. Was it going to be too hard for me? Was I trained enough, would my knee bother me, would I be able to eat, was I going to be fast enough to make the cut-off times? So many unknowns. I felt great the first 30 miles, my stomach was a bit grumbly but I had my Rolaids to help out. I was even ahead of schedule at every aid-station. At mile 31 I ate a burrito and that’s the last solid food I ate for three days. My stomach bothered me so much I couldn’t eat anything solid and had to slow down. I ran 45 miles on broth, Gatorade and a few bites of cooked potatoes. (Family staple food when hiking. Yes, my dad is a potato farmer.)

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Pacers are key to any 100-mile race. They keep you going when you want to give up. They distract you with crazy stories from college and they keep cheering you on, even when you’re the last one into the aid-station. My family was awesome and a big part of the race for me. They cheered me on. Sent me texts, encouraging me to keep moving. They trip as they are running into the aid station with you, and make you laugh, they walk up and down the road because they are so worried that you’re not there yet that they end up with a bigger blister than you do. Smile a toothless smile and tell you “You’re a Huskinson, we can do hard things!”, I laughed and cried at the same time.

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Even though I didn’t cross the finish line, I was a champion. I was happy with 75 miles, I was cut because of time. I went 45 miles further than I thought I could that day because I couldn’t eat any food. It was hard but doable for me. I definitely was trained. It was a journey and the memories from the race are my pacers, family, and friends, support crew, and race support crew made it a great experience for me and I had fun along the way. And yes, I’m doing it again!

wasatch 100

 

Wasatch 100 | What to eat race day | Support Crew | Recovery

 

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