Ryan and I have been planning a new adventure for a few weeks now and its finally starting to take shape. Next month we will embark on our first bikepacking trip. For those that don’t know, bikepacking is essentially backpacking on a mountain bike. We have been doing a lot of research on different blogs and websites to find out what to expect, what gear to use and how to plan for a trip. Thus far, everything we have read suggests starting out with a short, low mileage, overnight bikepacking trip. So naturally, we planned a ride from our house in Cave Creek to Prescott, which will likely be around 105 miles, with just shy of 11,000 feet of climbing! I’m pretty sure that doesn’t qualify as a short, low mileage trip, but neither of us are known to shy away from a challenge. (more…)
Next week I will compete in my second Ironman, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. After completing my first Ironman in November of 2013 and signing up for Coeur D’Alene at the end of 2014, I knew I wanted to improve my mental game this time around. Looking back, I found training for my first Ironman to be an extremely emotional endeavor. I was experiencing everything for the first time, my first 20 mile run, 90 mile ride, 100 mile ride….and that lead to a lot of excitement and pride, but also a lot of anxiety and doubt. While I worked on visualizing different parts of the race to mentally prepare, all the emotions I experienced in my training left my mental game a bit weak. 
Goolds Gone Wild 