A couple weeks ago I Andrea introduced me to Susan at the gravel pond. She was looking for another runner to run on her Wild West 24 Hour Ultra Relay Team. I got so excited but before I could tell her yes Steve snagged the spot. I gave him all sorts of heck for it, including calling him a "stinker" several times. I was forced to sit on the sidelines while he trained a little harder running the last several weeks. Well, yesterday I got the call. Apparently another runner has become unavailable and a spot is open. After a phone call to secure a sitter for Annie on Friday, I called back and said "Sure, sign me up". As I started getting my things together last night I was 2 parts giddy to 1 part crazy. This is an ultra team so unlike the relay I did last year where we each ran three times, this is double that...I run 6 times in the race. My legs range from 3.8 miles to 8.5 miles, and also range in difficulty from Easy to Very Hard. I have a total of about 30 miles of running. That's more than I run in a week. We start in Fort Collins and run our little legs all the way to Steamboat Springs, via the back-roads and a short stint into Wyoming. Fun times!

Last year when I did the Colorado Relay I had an absolute blast, but I bonked hard after the race. So this time I am going to try to have a total blast again, but without the bonk. I didn't eat enough last year, so this year I am planning my meals more specifically and have purchased some things that I know I will want to eat.

Another obsticle...running outfits. If you train with me you know that I pretty much have like three different training outfits, your probably sick of them by now too. Well, I needed 6 sets of running clothes and I could only conjur up about 4 1/2. So I treated myself to a trip to Runners Roost today to pick up two new pairs of shorts and a new sports bra. Yippy-Ky-Yea. Check them out:

New Asics shorts in navy blue, very sort and comfy

New Pearl Izumi shorts in a bold blue...and me having way too much fun with the built in camera on the mac.

I'm excited also to take along my Core Concepts hoodie, and Carve Full Zip Jacket to wear in the van between runs and maybe on a midnight...or 3am...or 5am run through the middle of NOWHERE Colorado. This should be super cool, I love meeting new people, especially active ones, and it's also exciting to know that I get to hang with the best women's triathlete the US has ever had, bronze medal...wozer, can you even imagine making the podium at the Olympics?

So, when you are popping your popcorn Friday night, settling down to a nice flick on the big screen, send a few good thoughts my direction as I run down some lonely dirt road in the middle of Wyoming or Colorado, with trees, bugs, and the moon to keep me company (no iPods allowed).