Well, hello there. I'm Alex, Director of Marketing over at Heuberger Motors in Colorado Springs. This year, our store is again sponsoring the…

Thousands of runners from all over the country will attempt to tackle the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon this weekend. This is a mighty feat with 7,815 ft vertical in 13.32 miles for the Ascent and an added descent for those brave enough to take on the Ultimate Challenge! Each runner has trained for months, if not years, and has mentally prepared herself/himself to persevere to the finish line. With only a couple of days…

With the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon only a few weeks away, I craved some high altitude training and some longer days on the trails.  Moreover, my birthday was fast-approaching, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate!  To kick-start my 31^st, my husband, Michael, and I woke up at 4:30am and drove into Manitou. We loaded up…

So much for a race report after Summer Roundup.  My weekend (I'm off weird days) got cut short because of the Hayden Pass Fire, and it's been a hectic couple of weeks since of long days at work, working extra days, the usual this time of year.  Such is the life of a journalist!

But I'm back!

The Ascent is looming, and with each passing day I'm getting more nervous.  I'm really starting to have a nagging…

As part of the PPS Triple Crown team, I will be running three tough races this summer...

1. The Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run
2. Summer Roundup 12k
3. And the infamous Pikes Peak…

My husband, CJ, is definitely a "front of the pack" runner and I love cheering him on! Our fireplace mantle is full of his running awards and I am so proud of all he has achieved. Because he is a fairly fast runner, many of our friends are fast "front of the pack" runners as well.

However, I tend to be more of a "middle of the pack" runner.

It is in this "middle of the pack" where I am joined by so many. And with a lot of hard work, I am improving. Honestly, I…

Me (3), Carly Keller (2), and Kelly Ping (1) took home the goods for F25-29. With the awards ceremony a few months after the races, we runners had a chance to actually look presentable for the photos.

My legs have healed. The Triple Crown of Running is mostly a memory. I checked the…

Above: Victory soak in Fountain Creek. Photo by Christian Murdock. Below: Don and me, the only Pikes Peak Sports.us Triple Crown Runners who signed up for the marathon! Photo by Phoebe Blessing.

We've come full circle. I started blogging…

I will write about this in more detail soon enough, but for now ... HOLY CRAP I DID IT!

Me and LB on our way up Mount Bierstadt, July 22

During every training cycle, especially for a new distance, I hit the skids mentally. I'm considering the PPM a new distance, even though I've run…

Upward! Upper Barr Trail, July 15

It has been an eventful few weeks. I've got to get back in the rhythm of writing here; since the fire, the words don't flow like they used to. It put things in perspective. Nature doesn't care about human life. (Actually, anyone who has hiked the upper reaches of Barr Trail knows that nature doesn't care about…

Well, my 20th birthday has come and gone, unfortunately before my 20th peak was climbed. When I initially challenged myself to climb 20 14ers before my 20th birthday, it seemed monumental. A hefty goal, worthy of all my attention, and significant in my humble summer life. The mountains, along with my training for the Triple Crown, gave me a much-needed purpose in an otherwise slow few months. I let these personal challenges consume me, and regarded them with the utmost importance. I did my…

This is where I was when the Waldo Canyon fire started. Eight miles of hiking and a four-hour drive away from home. Miles and miles away from cell phone signal. Utterly alone except for the one person I hiked in with. LB and I both had hectic weeks, so it was nice to get out in the woods and breathe.

When we turned on our phones on Monday after reluctantly driving the…

This is the only shot any of the photographers (in this case, Tim) managed to catch of me during the Garden of the Gods 10-Mile Race, as far as I can tell. As you can see, I appear to be having a one-woman party about half a mile into the race while everyone else is focusing on the task at hand.…

I just read Jon's (PikesPeakSports.us Triple Crown Team member) most recent post. This last part really stuck out: "Anyhow, looking forward to the Garden.  I just ended a 30 day period which saw me cover two marathons, two 14ers, a 50K, and two 50 milers, so it will be nice to have a short distance weekend.  I think I have a decent shot at a sub 70.".......... I think I can officially say I am incredibly intimidated by the other runners I'm going to encounter tomorrow. I just ended a 30 day…

Here are a few photos of the miscreants I spend my Tuesday, Thursday, and occasional Saturday mornings with,…

The CC class of 2014 (my class) adopted the class motto "Damn, those fourteeners are high!" this year, and though the intended implication doesn't really resonate with me, it did help to inspire a new goal of mine for this summer. I turn 20 in just under a month, and have decided that I want to have climbed 20 of the Colorado fourteeners before then. I'm a little ashamed to say that, in all my years living here, I've only done 10 of them. This summer is fast becoming the most ambitious of my…

After reading my fellow Pikes Peak Sports Triple Crown team member, Jon Teisher's post about Salida, I feel compelled to write about my favorite mountain town - Telluride. Up until last August I had never been, but after a week-long visit I was hooked. Now I commit myself to that six-hour drive every chance I get, and made the trek last Wednesday for another week. I was there for Mountainfilm (an amazing and awe-inspring film festival), and spent more time in theaters watching…

Oh yeah. Cross training. I feel like I used to be better at it. But when I was training for my last "regular" marathon (the Tobacco Road Marathon in Raleigh, NC, on March 18), I settled into a groove: four runs a week, three yoga classes a week, rest day (or maybe two). I used to lift weights or swim laps or go to…