Adventures in Onionism

I just ran the inaugural Standhope 100 in Ketchum, Idaho. I was very excited for this race--it was billed as an "unforgettable single-loop trek completely circumnavigating the Pioneer Mountain Range of central Idaho" that is "NOT an easy course." I looked at the course map and elevation profile and expected gorgeous views , akin to the Hardrock of Idaho. Instead, I had a 90 degree F 6PM start along several miles of highway shoulder, subpar aid stations, subpar course markings, a lot of gravel road, pavement to the finish, one truly excellent high pass, and a lot of mixed feelings about the race. On the plus side, the race started and ended in downtown Ketchum, which was extremely convenient. I flew to Boise and rented a car, as I wanted to see extended family and visit gf's family inherited property on the trip. However, if you wanted, you could fly direct to Ketchum and you wouldn't even have to rent a car. On the negative side, this meant 4.5 miles of pav...

If I haven't told you already, we're moving to Reno. Moving is stressful. Trying to find renters or a decent property manager for short term rentals is stressful. My work is making noise like I may have to go back to DC, despite the new agreement with the union, so that's stressful. Summer heat really kicked in in the desert so it's hard to do long runs, or sometimes any runs at all. So this week was rough.  But I took off with Margo and George to the Sierra for the long weekend. (Amy is out of town.) We headed to Horseshoe Meadows and went over Cottonwood Pass to see a bunch of the Golden Trout Wilderness that is new to me. After the first four miles we didn't see a soul. We just finished a 50K and are camped at over 10,000 feet on the shoulder of Kern Peak. Hope we don't freeze tonight! Oh, yes, you read that right, both my dogs did a 31 mile day. I love these two! Margo carried the dog food backpack most of the day and was a pro. George was a big baby when I ...