DESTINY.............
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. William Jennings Bryan
These are images from Mount. Whitney. This is overlooking trail camp as the seen rises on the 97 switchbacks , I think that is how many there are.
view from trail crest
This was taking in Bishop while driving home. Cool cloud formations
Ice along the Mount Whitney trail on the switchbacks
Heart shaped rock found on top of Mount Whitney.

WOD 09/30/09

Strength-
Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1

Met-con-
"30 in the clip"

30 burpee + cleans(m135#/w95)

A burpee + clean is done by starting in a deadlift position then kicking your legs out to a push up position while your hands are still holding the bar. Do a push up on the bar and jump your legs back to the deadlift position. Then perform a clean.

115#/3:30 #35(way to light)

Cherish your visions
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. Napoleon Hill
Here we go the start of of our Mount Whitney run/hike.

Had an awesome 4 day road trip with my roommate and friend Jerry. We started off with a run in Reds Meadow visited Rainbow Falls and Devils Post piles. I will post more pics. in the next few days. I wanted to put up a few from our run up Mount Whitney yesterday.

We slept at the Locked gate area on near White mountain peak, 11,000ft.on Friday night. We ran White mountain on Saturday 14,296(?) I felt good most of the way except around 13,000 I slowed way down. But when that happened I took a DMG sub lingual pill and I felt better. It was a beautiful day up on the peak there were tons of people going up too.

On the top.......Mount Whitney is my Heaven.

We stayed at the Dow Villa in Lone Pine and picked up our permit Sunday we drove around Alabama hills trying to find famous rock formations which we weren't very successful at.
We got our gear together Sunday night and headed to the Portals early we were on the trail by 4:30am. It was a beautiful day but it was very cold at trail camp freezing really. My hands were numb even with gloves on there was a bit of wind which made it colder.
I felt very good all the way I didn't slow way down like I do at 13,000 ft. Jerry felt great too. I think doing White Saturday was the key also we stopped to eat ever couple of hours.
The weather was perfect on the summit there were a lot of people out for a Monday. I think we had the best Summit day to be had the rest of the year, now the weather will be very cold at the top and once the snow comes the season will end.
That was my 7 Whitney summit and the best I ever felt.

Balancing along a log.
Jerry blows me away at 63 he is amazing I want to be doing the same when I'm 63. We should all be inspired by people like Jerry.
I will post more pictures from the trip tomorrow.
Happy Mount. Whitney trail runners :-)
Whitney portals has the best french fries :-) always my treat after doing Mount. Whitney. They are made from whole potatoes.

LEARN TO TRUST...........
Learning to trust is not always easy but always worth it; the result is the absence of fear and the presence of faith. Lucy MacDonald


Getting ready for my fun trip with my roommate Jerry. We will be heading to Reds Meadow tomorrow for a run. Then Saturday
White Mountain Peak run. We will hangout in Lone Pine and get our Permits
for our run/hike up Mt. Whitney 14,505. It's going to be a fun long weekend.

Ultrarunner tells Register she was prepared to die

Woman lost for days in forest was severely dehydrated when found.

By GREG HARDESTY, KIMBERLY EDDS and SALVADOR HERNANDEZ

The Orange County Register

| Recommend 33

CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST – After three days in the rugged Cleveland National Forest, veteran ultrarunner Maria “Gina” Natera-Armenta said she was prepared to die after becoming separated from her running partner and becoming stuck in a steep, rocky area with no way out – and no food or water in temperatures that soared past 100.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/runners-diaz-armenta-2577640-natera-trail

LEARN TO FORGIVE...........
He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. Thomas Fuller

PLEASE READ............I pray they find Gina and her brother safe.

Gina Natera has been missing since the morning of September 20, 2009. She left to go for a run and hasn’t been seen or heard from.

Her car found east of the 5 and Ortega Hwy at a shopping center in Orange County, CA.

They believe she was meeting her brother in law and they went for a run. He did not show up to work on September 21, 2009.

If you know ANYTHING please call 760-458-3511 or 858-353-4390 or 858-603-3399
Search parties are going, respond if you want to be involved.

Please forward the communiqué to everyone.

In gratitude,

Keith

Update from Scott

Here's the latest. Gina went running Sunday with her brother up near the San Juan's. According to Gina's husband (Armando), Gina and Fidel (her brother) were going to go for a long 8 hour run. Armando does not know where they planned to run or where they were going to meet.

I have spoken to the detective who is leading the search and according to him, Gina's car was located at the Starbuck's in the strip mall just off of the I-5. This would appear to be the meeting place for Gina and Fidel since he is from Anaheim and would be driving south on the I-5. Gina's car was not vandalized and was simply parked. This indicates that they met there and then went in Fidel's truck (an F150) to go to some trail head to run. I told the detective that the most probable places that they might have been running were either Lazy W, Blue Jay, or the Candy Store off of Ortega.

I called Keira since she is so knowledgeable of this area and she energized several others to check on the parking areas that seem possible....she with the help of the OC runners did not find any sign of Fidel's truck. Keira's hypothesis and I believe it is very possible is that while driving in Fidel's truck up Ortega, that they possibly had an accident and swerved off the road....this is purely speculative but has some compelling evidence behind it because: Gina knows the trails and would not get lost, Sunday is a high usage day and it is improbable that she and her brother would get in trouble on the trail without someone coming across them, and the possibility of an animal attack for two persons seems unlikely.

I have passed all this info to the detective and Armando and he is currently enroute to Ortega Hwy to drive up and down it looking of any sign whatsoever of skid marks, tire marks on the shoulder, or any road side disturbance. He only has another hour of day light. He is going to call me tonight when he returns. If he doesn't find anything, I am going to go up to Ortega tomorrow myself and look up and down the highway for the same thing he is looking for. Armando is going to call me tonight upon his return....I will keep you all informed. Keep Gina and her brother in your prayers.

LEARN TO TRUST...............
Learning to trust is not always easy but always worth it; the result is the absence of fear and the presence of faith. Lucy MacDonald
I'm planning my next big adventure. My room mate Jerry and I will be heading to Mammoth Friday for a run out in Reds Meadow we will check out Devils Post piles and Rainbow falls. We will head out to the Bristle cone Forrest, near Bishop to sleep up high Near White Mountain, and on Saturday we will do a run up to the summit of the 14,000+ foot peak. We will hang out in Bishop/Lone pine and On Monday morning at 4am we will head up Mt. Whitney it's going to be a fun trip.
I'm super excited. Hopefully we will have nice weather.

Slow Down

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast-you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.Eddie Cantor

EPIC what more can I say. It was a tough day. Jerry bonked big time..I think his electrolytes and blood sugar were off. I got a bladder infection and felt Like I was going to pass out with 3 miles to go.
Just one of those days.
Chris newbie trail runner came out for a 20 miler , awesome job. Chris I see you running ultras very soon :-) Linda joined us up the peak. Joe Pham came out and Mylinh his wife met us later.
We were out for 11 hours and it was hot..But today will be hotter.

Since Jerry would be fast I told him to run ahead of me and Joe and we would turn around and head down to little Yosemite at a certain time so we could jump in the creek.
We waited a long time for Jerry I was getting worried. I ran out of water waiting but since we were hanging out I was fine. We were only like 2 miles from the water in Sunol.
Joe and I took a little rest waiting after hanging out at the water. Finally Jerry came down the trail with Mylinh who we met up with along the way. Jerry headed to cool off in the water. We took off to Sunol to regroup. I went straight to the rangers house for cold ice water. John was there and said have as much as you want. I love the Sunol rangers these guys are awesome.
Jerry finally showed up and we took off. He started having problems heading out and I stayed with him because that's what a friend is suppose to do. He told me to leave several times but no way would I leave someone in his condition. He had to lay down several times which was fine. he also had bad cramps but was doing salt the whole time.
I had a bladder infection going on which was bad but focusing on him made it seem better.
We inched our way towards Mission peak. Once we finally were able to see it , we were happy. Around this time I got woozy and dizzy. Felt like I was ready to pass out. That lasted 10 min. Joe and Mylinh had come back to us wondering where we were so we all kinda headed down together we basically shuffled down., and made it home 11 hours later.
We are fine today. Remember to never leave anyone alone in a bad condition, and keep talking to them to make sure they are ok. One thing that worried me was Jerry didn't pee for 4+ hours. I have never seen him like this and hopefully I will never see him this bad again. Always remember to take care of each other on the trails.

One More Time

What is required of each of us is to get up one more time than we fall down. Lucy MacDonald

I love running in the fog so peaceful so wet and cool. I love how I can't see the top of a peak, yet all of a sudden you pop out of the fog and can see the sea of clouds for miles. Days like this make me feel thankful for life.
We are all very lucky so we should keep that in our minds. Strong and healthy and able to run forever.

WOD 9/15/2009

Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:

• 200m run
• 25 doubleunders
• 10 box jumps (M:24"/W:20")

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity..." --John Muir, 1898
Ok so plans change. Not going to SoCal since I will be going to Mt. Whitney next weekend and I don't get off work until midnight Thursday. Doesn't make seance since I won't really get to visit with Andy except for one day. So all that driving around with no sleep wouldn't be good.
So looks like I will run 40-60 miles Saturday on the Ohlone trail, to Rose Peak and back starting from Fremont. Jerry and I will be starting from our house at 6:30am so if anyone wants to join us we will be at the Stanford ave. parking area at 6:45am. Let me know if you want to meet. It will be a hot fun day!!!

Negative Thinking is Like an Ink Stain

Negative thinking is like ink stain. If you treat it right away you can get it out. If you let it settle in, you can still get it out but it will be much harder. Deal with your negative thinking right away. Stop those negative thoughts from leaving a stain. Lucy MacDonald

Today I ran a mellow 5 miles the legs feel good. I spotted 10 wild turkeys crossing the road where I live. I am so lucky to live so close to the wilderness.
Looks like me and Rocky will be going on a road trip Thursday night to SoCal. He will be going to the Mount Whitney area for the first time. I swear he is so lucky :-) he has visited many cool places. We will camp out and do some running while Andy and some others run New Army pass and up to Mt. Whitney.
I'd like to do it but I'd rather hang out with Rocky and wait for them. Also me and FJ will be doing Whitney and White Mountain on the weekend of the 25th.

Fast-packing is not an organized sport, but standards are being set. Catra Corbett, 44, of Fremont will run all day with a backpack, sleep where she drops, wake up and run some more. Her trail name is Dirt Diva and her results can be seen at www.trailgirl.blogspot.com.

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Images

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Healthy Obsession

• Fast-packer runs all day 09.14.09
• Football referee whistles while he works 09.07.09
• Dancer reels with joy in ghillies 08.31.09
• Triathlete revels in the process, not just pace 08.24.09

More Healthy Obsession »

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Why: It's more challenging than a 100-mile race because you have to carry everything with you. There are no awards or people waiting at a finish line to have a party like at a race. It's only you against the trail.

Greatest accomplishment: I hold the speed record for the double on the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney and back - 424 miles in 12 days, 4 hours, 57 minutes. On the Pacific Crest Trail (2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada, I was on pace to get the record but hurt my knee so I had to stop 600 miles short. I will be back.

Gear you can't live without: Injinji toe socks and Vasque Momenta trail-running shoes. I used to get bad blisters and now I don't.

Where you train: I live one mile from the Mission Peak trailhead to the Ohlone Wilderness.

Best time to train: If I'm going long, 6 a.m. I love being out that early and seeing the wildlife.

Most annoying thing people assume about athletes in your sport: That we should all be super skinny because we run 100 miles. Wrong. You need to be strong and have muscles.

Advice you'd give a rookie: Practice using your pack and your essential gear before you get out on the trail. Also practice eating your trail food because once you're out there, you're screwed.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/14/DDG019C2M1.DTL#ixzz0R5w3A2N8

Yesterdays problems............
Don’t drag yesterday problems into this brand new day. Give yourself, and those around you, a break and start fresh. Lucy MacDonald
I did it for the 6th time. I finished Wasatch 100 .
It was also my 6th 100 miler of the year,
and the 66th time I have run 100 miles :-)
It wasn't my fastest time but I still had fun. 35:08 hours worth of FUN!!! Thanks to my pacer Sallie she kept me going the last 25 miles, she was awesome.
I love and hate this race..It's BRUTAL that's the only way I can describe it.
If you want a hard race sign up for Wasatch 100 you will get your monies worth.
I'm very tired so that's all I'm writing for now.

Robert Tuller going for #10 and me going for #6. Why because we can :-)
My wonderful and beautiful pacer Sallie.

I wish you sunshine..........

I wish you sunshine on your path and storms to season your journey. I wish you peace in the world in which you live. More I cannot wish you except perhaps love to make all the rest worthwhile. Robert A. Ward

I am all packed and ready to go. Heading to Utah to run Wasatch 100, this will be my 6th 100 mile race of the year my 6th Wasatch finish.
Please send me positive vibes starting Friday.
Thanks so much ;-)

Persevere and direct your energy towards your goals. If you do this and truly believe in what you’re trying to achieve you will be given the power to succeed. Sometimes obstacles should be seen as a test - pass the test and overcome the obstacles and success will be in your grasp. If you are feeling challenged right now examine whether it is due to misunderstandings or perhaps a mistrust. Opportunities will arise to resolve your situations.
© Stephen Haynes

The Mountains of Truth

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow. Friedrich Nietzsche

Looks like I have a cross dressing wiener dog on my hands. He somehow slipped into one of my MOEBEN shirts while I was cleaning. I know he senses me leaving the suitcase is out and I am packing.
I love this little dog he brings a smile to my face everyday, he needs me as much as I need him. We are a team and I enjoy my time with him.
I do miss him when I travel but I know I have a great friend Jerry who will take good care of him while I'm at Wasatch 100. He loves when I'm gone because Jerry gives him extra cookies ;-).

Your Unique Talent

Use your talent (everybody has one) in anyway you can. Don't keep it for yourself like a miser - spend it like a millionaire! Lucy MacDonald

So I am getting ready for Wasatch 100, well kinda. I bought my food and have my outfit picked out. Of course looking cute is most important because at mile 75 when I feel dirty and stink, I will know that I have a cute outfit on so when I feel like shit I will look cute and it will make me feel a little better for a moment ;-)
Wasatch is always a spiritual journey for me there is just something about those mountains. It's been two years since I raced it. I paced Julia last year so I got to be out there. I am going for finish number 6.
I would love it if you all could send me positive thoughts. I hope to finish in under 34 hours. My dream would to run 32 hours there.
It's a tough race with remote aid station and at night it will be cold.
I will have a pacer the last 25 my friend Sallie. We will have fun.
Ran 5 miles yesterday and of course managed to do some squats with this branch. Did 100.
I am just doing tabata workout until Wed. then rest no more crossfit until after the race. I want to go into the race rested.
Persevere and direct your energy towards your goals. If you do this and truly believe in what you’re trying to achieve you will be given the power to succeed. Sometimes obstacles should be seen as a test - pass the test and overcome the obstacles and success will be in your grasp. If you are feeling challenged right now examine whether it is due to misunderstandings or perhaps a mistrust. Opportunities will arise to resolve your situations.
© Stephen Haynes

It Is What We Are

Happiness is not in our circumstances, but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are. John B. Sheerin

Jerry, Julia and I did a fun run out of Sonora Pass. We ran up to the top of Leavitt peak we actually couldn't find the trail we ran past it and some how missed it.
On the way back we found it and went up the 11,598 peak. Awesome views of the Yosemite the Eastern Sierras and the Tahoe area.
This was me and Julia's last long run before Wasatch 100 which is next Friday.
There were at least 10 hikers out hiking the trails. I have never seen that many people on that trail. I love this area, it's a great place to run at attitude and only a 3 hour drive. I want to run more out here, and check out some other trails. I mainly run along the PCT when I have run out here.
It doesn't get better then this friends you love and beautiful wilderness.
We are finished and we only got lost twice, not bad!!!
I love being goofy, it's just me having fun.

You Were Born With A Calling

Each person is born with a calling. It is your task to discover what that calling is and find a way to make that calling a reality. Lucy MacDonald

This past weekend I went to Washington and a short trip to Canada. Andy ran CCC 100 he did awesome he had a painful shin about halfway and it continued to the finish. His goal was 25-27 well we got him in in just under 27 ;-) he really sucked it up at the end.

Jessica, Toby and me also crewed Andy. Jessica did all the driving thanks girl it was fun hanging with you.
I ran the course in 02 and now realize why I never went back. Those climbs are climbs from hell. The first part of the race is easy compared to the second half.
The climbs are straight up no switch backs. They suck!!! I forgot all about the course until I was out pacing the last 44.
I will say I would like to run it just to see if I do better then the first time ;-)
I really enjoyed helping Andy it was the first time I paced him since we mostly run together. It was fun.
The views on the course are spectacular especially of Mt. Rainer.

We went to Canada Monday spent time in Vancouver we had a blast.

I have been busy since I got home yesterday. Tomorrow we are training up at Sonora Pass area we will run up to Leavitt Peak 11,569. Julia, Jerry and I. This is Julia and my last training weekend before Wasatch 100 which is next Friday.