Random Acts of Gear and Inspiration

I'm still getting over this cold, but feeling better on a daily basis, so I expect to commence with Hardrock training starting on Friday. I've done a couple of easy 5-9 milers to get the joints limbered up, but taking a day off when my body seems to be telling me to. I don't want to extend this illness any longer (or make it worse) because I just had to train. The Coach has Sheila running long back to backs Friday and Saturday, so that's what I'll plan to do as well.

Yesterday, I got these babies in the mail... my first gear purchase specific to HR and those brutal climbs and descents it's so famous for:

Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-Poles 

There's a lot of great reviews online (and I'm too lazy to do one), so you can google them yourself if you're in the market for some. I'll just say is that they are very light and easy to deploy/collapse. Didn't hurt to find them on sale at Backcountry Edge either. Booyah!

Just today, I saw this shirt and I'm thinking I should have one after I do the R2R2R next month:

I figure if my mtn biking hubs has jerseys from cool places like Alaska, I surely should have a shirt from my big adventure run, right? (Right, Honey?)  

My path to ultras started with this guy -- Kilian Jornet. I was following him via the Quest videos for years before the ultra bug finally bit. Here he is doing what he does best... inspire. You're welcome. 

Happy Trails,

Shelby