My Reality Show

for the last week i've been sharing a condo in salt lake city with 12 total strangers. i'm here training to be a guide/trip leader for backroads. it's been busy, kinda crazy and fun at the same time.

so far 3 guides have been asked to leave/terminated out of the group of 25 of us. there are certainly some rock stars, and some characters. with the housing situation and the possible job termination it feels a bit like a reality show.

i've been taking a lot of days off from any sort of running because i'm super busy getting trained and doing homework. yeah.. homework. that includes lots of reading, as well as preparing our 'public speaking' talks on trip routes, leadership, etc.

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i got out today for a double mount olympus.. and i brought the camera!

I Bought A One Way Ticket

yeah that's right, a one way ticket to salt lake city. i've got about a week to go, then i'll be gone for 4 months of the unknown. i'm definitely someone who does well with my things and my routine... but i think this will be an amazing experience. i am staring at the two bags i can take with me on the plane (one i'll apparently have to pay extra for now!) for the next 4 months. this is tough. one will be filled with some clothes, the other.. montrails, nathan handhelds/backpacks, nuun and clif shots! the gear bag is easily 4x the size of my clothes bag!

since taking the job with backroads i've been frantically trying to get my life in order so i can leave seattle. i need to sell a car (check out the jeep grand cherokee). sublet my condo; i've already found the most awesome law student who's needs work perfect for the exact time i'm gone. that was a big weight off my shoulders.


i've bailed on running the big horn 100 miler. my hip is still a mess anyway, and simply won't be ready. but the more obvious reason is i have no idea where i'll be guiding or if i'd have that weekend off or not. backroads doesn't tell us where we'll be until june 3rd, the second to last day of our training in salt lake city.

my end date with backroads is aug 23rd. i have to get my ass to beuna vista, colorado that day so i can have one day of rest before starting the transrockies ultra with meissner. i am soo excited about this. just need to figure out how to stay fit while leading trips. after that it's either try to meet up with meltzer late in his appalachian trail assault or run the bear 100 in logan, utah. it's the last 100 of the year that looks interesting, re; hard, trail with mass vert, more single track than dirt road, etc. i really feel like i need to run a 100 before the year is over. i'm also looking to return to the hurt 100 in hawaii this time running the 100 miler. we'll see.


with the hip injury i've been riding a lot lately and it's been really fun. the running miles all depend on how the hip feels. i've been working every other day on strength exercises, which i think are really helping. yesterday i got out with the lads, green angle, jeff, mike and tom for a great 10 miler and had NO HIP PAIN!

ok, i've got coaching work to do.. and tons of packing and loose ends to clean up.

Exciting News and Disappointing Reality

"You only ever grow as a person when you spend time outside your comfort zone"- Percy Cerutty

the real reason i was in salt lake last week was for a job interview. i'd made the final cut of interviews to be a guide/trip leader for backroads. they do 7-14 day cycling, hiking, kayaking and multisport trips in the most amazing locations all over the world. if it's worth spending time there, chances are backroads can guide you through your most amazing week of exploration ever. one browse through their website is enough to understand why it would be cool to guide for this organization. they are the '#1 active travel company' in the business. the trips aren't cheap and service is paramount.

i was super excited to get the call friday that i got the job.. but there was a caveat. i could not have my august to remember where i planned to run the appalachian trip with karl meltzer and the transrockies run with fellow montrail ultrarunner sean meissner. if i took all of august off, they would have to hire another guide to fill in since it's there busiest month. which means they would prefer to just hire another guide and i'd have to reapply next year... deal breaker.

how could i give these things up? i had just been in slc with karl discussing some logistics of the appalachian trail assualt. it kind of broke my heart. i first got them to give me an end date. it was aug 23rd. this meant i could still run the transrockies ultra with meissner. then i talked to karl and he was totally cool about it, and said i could meet him later in the adventure.

so after some time thinking about it and runnin scenarios in my head i decided to take the job. i will meet up with karl later on down the trail. i am sacrificing now because the job just seems like a great fit for me and will at the very least be an amazing experience. having worked for one of the best companies in the world at microsoft i was impressed with my visit to backroads offices in salt lake, and even more by the current employees.

it's seasonal employment and could be the perfect compliment to my life as athlete/coach and it will undoubtedly put me in some great locations to train! the bummer is i won't know until june 3rd where exactly i'll be. i have knowledge of the yellowstone/grand teton park area and the san juan islands so as a first year guide i'll most likely end up in one of those two places... cool with me. but i'm crossing my fingers for the yellowstone/grand teton spot as i'd be living in jackson hole - a place near and dear to my heart. plus lisa and jay batchen live there! (as a side note check out the interviews on endurance planet with jay and lisa).

so, i am heading to slc for 2.5 weeks of training on may 15th. june 4th i start guiding! things are about to get interesting.