San Jose Spartan Ultra and Trifecta Weekend, April 4-5, 2026

I think the San Jose Spartan Ultra/Super/Sprint weekend is my favorite Spartan venue.

I flew in Friday morning with just enough time to have lunch with my mother-in-law before heading to packet pickup and mentally preparing to make questionable life choices the next day.

Still, as Spartan weekends go, this course was actually pretty enjoyable. It was flat, fast, and had one major advantage: a lake.

Normally Spartan races involve slowly overheating while covered in dust and regret, but this course gave us multiple opportunities to jump into the water and cool off. One of the barbed wire crawls even ran along the edge of the lake through wet sand instead of the usual sharp rocks and/or cactus.  The lake crawl honestly felt surprisingly refreshing considering the circumstances.

The Ultra was still a sufferfest, obviously. Heat, obstacles, tired legs, and the usual ongoing negotiation between body and brain about whether continuing forward is truly necessary.

Somehow though, everything came together that day. I finished the Ultra in 6:39 and ended up winning my age group, which honestly surprised me given how much time I spent throwing myself into the lake to cool off.

The rest of the weekend included the Super and Sprint, plenty of soreness, and the realization that obstacle race recovery gets a lot more interesting with age.

Still worth it.

 

Alice-Toxaway Backpacking, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, September 2025

Last September my friend Wendy and I escaped to Idaho for the Alice-Toxaway Loop backpacking trip.  We discovering it was seemingly the only place in the region not getting hammered with rain during the exact dates we had free.

Sometimes the weather gods take pity on you.

I’d heard the Sawtooths were beautiful, but honestly, this loop exceeded expectations. Lake after lake after lake, granite everywhere, and some of the stillest water I’ve ever seen in the mountains. The reflections looked almost fake at times.

We took two nights to complete the loop, which gave us time to slow down a little instead of just grinding miles. Definitely the right choice. There were multiple moments where we just stopped talking because the scenery was ridiculous.

Mild mornings, sore legs, mountain air, and endless alpine lakes. Hard to complain about much.

Trips like this remind me why I love the mountains in the first place. Not for speed. Not for races. Just for those occasional moments where everything gets very quiet and very simple.

Wheeler Peak, 13,167 ft, Great Basin National Park

Three of my workout friends and I headed down to Great Basin National Park for a long weekend of camping, cave touring, and climbing Wheeler Peak.

I have loved Great Basin since climbing this peak about 10 years ago, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. Ancient bristlecone pines, wide open skies, surprisingly dramatic mountains for Nevada, and way fewer crowds than most national parks.

We spent two nights camping and climbed Wheeler Peak, which tops out over 13,000 feet. The views were incredible, although the altitude definitely humbled a few of us.

By “a few of us,” I mean our trainer may have developed altitude sickness and proceeded to puke most of the way back down the mountain.

Nothing strengthens friendships quite like watching someone dry heave beside a switchback while the rest of you pretend you’re not also struggling.

We also toured Lehman Caves, which felt like entering another planet. Giant formations, strange textures, and the kind of underground silence that makes everyone start whispering automatically.

Overall, an awesome trip and one of the more underrated national parks I’ve visited. 

Spartan Las Vegas Super and Sprint, March 15-16, 2025

 

I was both horrified and happy to learn that Spartan won't be doing dunk walls this year, or have water on course unless there is a natural body of water to use.   I mean, it's nice to finish a race and not be covered in mud with rocks in my shoes.  On the other hand, the dunk wall is pretty iconic for this race series, and I'm not sure if it will be the same without it.  I took advantage of the dry race to wear better racing shoes, and a shirt and hat in the cool morning air.

For the Saturday Super, I was chasing a second place medal for my wall, and thought I might have a chance if I just took it easy.  Evidentally I took it too easy, because I had a wonderful, ralaxed, fun race.  And I finished in 4th place in my age group.  Oops, better luck tomorrow I guess.  

On Sunday morning, I brought my game face, and went out with the fastest heat.  I raced hard, only let one woman pass me, and finished strong.  Got the spear both days!   

Somehow I ended up 2nd in my age group and accomplish my goal for the weekend.  It says a lot that 5 of the 6 top women were all in my age group....there is a core of speed that seems to be following me up the age ladder.  Now that I have the age group finishes for the year, I'll give a shot at racing Elite in my next Spartan, which will be the 50k Ultra in San Jose.  That's a new venue for me, and I hope it will be dry :)

They used a photo of my knees from last year's race to promote this year!   Lol.  

I had fallen in a shallow dunk wall and I still have the scars from it.