Chasing Rainbows

I'm back from Costa Rica and The Coastal Challenge Route of Fire. What a week! From lush rainforest to crossing chest-high raging rivers to cold, wet, windy mountains to dry, dusty plains to rock hopping on reefs and beaches. Highs and lows, happiness and sadness... but terrific fun, thanks largely to the friendship and support of the Team Tenacious girls (Jody, Shelli and Beiyi) and camaraderie of my fellow racers. I learned the hard way that a missed turn can cost you the race and I didn't get the result I hoped for but on the way, I made new friends and learned a lot about my existing ones. Here are some of my favorite memories....

Day 1 : La Fortuna - Rancho Margot

Day 2 : Rancho Margot - Tierras Morenas

Day 3 : Tierras Morenas - Cuipilapa

Day 4 : Cuilapa - Curubande

Day 5 : Cuajiniquil Bay - Junquillal Beach

Day 6 : Junquillal Beach - Bolanos Bay

As I watched the antics of some of my fellow racers, I couldn't help but think of the words to Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up The Sun"

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Gonna tell everyone

To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that)

I've got no one to blame

For every time I feel lame

I'm looking up

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Some folks just need to lighten up and enjoy the moment.... Pura Vida!

This was a great race, well-organized, tough at times, very varied terrain as we travelled from the mountains to the Pacific coast. Highly recommended - why not step out of your comfort zone and take The Coastal Challenge?

Huge thanks to Team Tenacious' sponsors:

Zensah

Dirty Girl Gaiters

Gotein

Gu

TheRunDown.net

Ink n Burn

Special thanks to Jody, Beiyi, Tim Holmstrom, Martin Nobbs and anyone else whose photos I used in this post.

And then there were 5....

Over the last couple of weeks, we've added 2 new members to the TCC team. Welcome Shelli and Beiyi! Today was an exciting day - the first time all 5 girls of Team xxx (we still need a name - ideas?) got together for a training run. Yes, we're all members of So Cal Trail Headz, and I've ran with all of them at some point over the last few months, but this was the first time we've all been out on a training run. Chino Hills State Park. I now know where the "hills" part comes from! Good run; out on the trails while it was still dark, 18 miles of rollling hills, home by lunch. We met up with our good friend Lorraine Gersitz for part of the run. I even got to meet the amazingly flamboyant Chrissy Weiss of Dirty Girl Gaiters out on the trails! And a very cute tarantula who I named "Boris" (and his very dead friend who remains nameless).