http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/_/post/6034419/amber-monforte-takes-body-limit
bike photo by Timothy Carlson
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
And the rest.....
It's almost hard to remember all the stuff I've done in the past couple weeks. Keeping busy is helping keep me sane at this point.
Since I was already in central Texas I decided to make a 200 or so mile detour and visit Big Bend National Park. The park is on the border with Mexico with the Rio Grande separating the two countries. I was in full on recovery mode after the 100K run so a scenic drive sounded like a good idea.
Dogs are not allowed on trails in national parks so Bliksem was the guard dog. Probably not the wisest idea to be a solo female hiking on the border of Mexico, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go on some short 2 mile walks. Everywhere I went it felt like I had eyes on me. Upon entering the park we are warned not to buy anything from Mexicans for a bunch of reasons. If they are caught they get held and then bused about 60 miles upriver to be deported and the goods are confiscated. There is also warnings about encountering drug smugglers. The walks I did were all out and backs. The strange thing was that things for sale would appear on the trail that weren't there on the way out. I wouldn't see the people that left them, but I could feel their presence.
I did one stop at a scenic overlook to let Bliksem out for a bathroom break when I heard a commotion coming from the river. A man was running across the Rio "not so" Grande river to try and sell me walking sticks. His English was easy to understand, and it was really obvious that this is his normal day. I wanted to capture how small the river is so I filmed him as he walked back to Mexico. Not the most exciting video in the world, but I was trying to film him crossing back over without him seeing the camera. He had 2 dogs with him and kept asking me what I feed mine. Anyhow, here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGWuzDUsCd0
The "mighty" Rio Grande. Really scenic area and not at all what I was expecting.
Notice the sign stating that high clearance vehicles only on this road. It was a shortcut that saved me backtracking about 50 miles so I took it in the super low clearance mini van. Made it though and nothing is leaking from under the vehicle.
Not with Bliksem the guard dog in the car. I'd get back from short little walks and she'd have all her hair standing up. I wonder who she got to meet. I guess they decided that whatever I had in the van wasn't worth losing a limb over.
Random stuff that was for sale. Never saw a person. The cardboard sign has all the prices and you are supposed to just leave the money.
Guard dog keeping an eye on the border.
Short walk into one of the canyons.
Singing Jesus was across the river in Mexico and ready to serenade me if I put some money in the bottle.
Santa Elena canyon is 8 miles long and 1500 feet deep. Wish I had more time here to explore.
Bliksem making a break for Mexico. Had to let her out of the car as some point.
Yes, bad me. Taking photos and driving. It's called multitasking.
Next stop was Tuscon to ride the legendary Mt. Lemmon climb. On my trip east I had planned on doing this ride, but the temps were cold and I'm a bit of a wimp when it's below 50. The weather cooperated this time around and it was in the high 60s.
This might be my favorite road climb. 25 miles of consistent climbing on a nice grade. It starts in cactus and ends up in pine forest.
Suck it up legs. It's going to be a long climb!
The start among the saguaro cactus.
Tuscon way off in the background.
Really cool section with switchbacks.
The descent was perfect except for the snow melt that sprayed up. Burr!
Made a stop in Huntington Beach for another fun filled weekend and a ride up Mt. Baldy. Thanks Keevin. Onwards to Reno I went only to grab my mountain bike and hop on a flight back to Orange County. Next up was 12 hours of Temecula.....
Since I was already in central Texas I decided to make a 200 or so mile detour and visit Big Bend National Park. The park is on the border with Mexico with the Rio Grande separating the two countries. I was in full on recovery mode after the 100K run so a scenic drive sounded like a good idea.
Dogs are not allowed on trails in national parks so Bliksem was the guard dog. Probably not the wisest idea to be a solo female hiking on the border of Mexico, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go on some short 2 mile walks. Everywhere I went it felt like I had eyes on me. Upon entering the park we are warned not to buy anything from Mexicans for a bunch of reasons. If they are caught they get held and then bused about 60 miles upriver to be deported and the goods are confiscated. There is also warnings about encountering drug smugglers. The walks I did were all out and backs. The strange thing was that things for sale would appear on the trail that weren't there on the way out. I wouldn't see the people that left them, but I could feel their presence.
I did one stop at a scenic overlook to let Bliksem out for a bathroom break when I heard a commotion coming from the river. A man was running across the Rio "not so" Grande river to try and sell me walking sticks. His English was easy to understand, and it was really obvious that this is his normal day. I wanted to capture how small the river is so I filmed him as he walked back to Mexico. Not the most exciting video in the world, but I was trying to film him crossing back over without him seeing the camera. He had 2 dogs with him and kept asking me what I feed mine. Anyhow, here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGWuzDUsCd0
The "mighty" Rio Grande. Really scenic area and not at all what I was expecting.
Notice the sign stating that high clearance vehicles only on this road. It was a shortcut that saved me backtracking about 50 miles so I took it in the super low clearance mini van. Made it though and nothing is leaking from under the vehicle.
Not with Bliksem the guard dog in the car. I'd get back from short little walks and she'd have all her hair standing up. I wonder who she got to meet. I guess they decided that whatever I had in the van wasn't worth losing a limb over.
Random stuff that was for sale. Never saw a person. The cardboard sign has all the prices and you are supposed to just leave the money.
Guard dog keeping an eye on the border.
Short walk into one of the canyons.
Singing Jesus was across the river in Mexico and ready to serenade me if I put some money in the bottle.
Santa Elena canyon is 8 miles long and 1500 feet deep. Wish I had more time here to explore.
Bliksem making a break for Mexico. Had to let her out of the car as some point.
Yes, bad me. Taking photos and driving. It's called multitasking.Next stop was Tuscon to ride the legendary Mt. Lemmon climb. On my trip east I had planned on doing this ride, but the temps were cold and I'm a bit of a wimp when it's below 50. The weather cooperated this time around and it was in the high 60s.
This might be my favorite road climb. 25 miles of consistent climbing on a nice grade. It starts in cactus and ends up in pine forest.
Suck it up legs. It's going to be a long climb!
The start among the saguaro cactus.
Tuscon way off in the background.
Really cool section with switchbacks.The descent was perfect except for the snow melt that sprayed up. Burr!
Made a stop in Huntington Beach for another fun filled weekend and a ride up Mt. Baldy. Thanks Keevin. Onwards to Reno I went only to grab my mountain bike and hop on a flight back to Orange County. Next up was 12 hours of Temecula.....
Friday, January 21, 2011
Bandera and Beyond
I started toying with the idea of running the 100K trail run in Bandera about a week before the race, and 3 days before the race I decided it was a go and signed up. I've been running fairly consistently since Ultraman, but nothing had been longer than 2 hours or so and most of that was done on a treadmill. I guess I was hoping that Ultraman fitness would still be lingering. Since I was already on the road driving to Texas seemed a logical choice. Little did I realize how big Texas really was, and I only had to drive halfway into it. The rest of my trip so far had consisted of 3-4 hour drives broken up with a stop at a national park or a friends house. Bandera is about 500 miles from the New Mexico border. Fortunately the van is a comfy sleep and most McDonalds and Starbucks have free wifi. At nearly every exit off the I-10 I could stop, connect to the internet from the convenience of the drivers seat, and plan the rest of my day. One of the rest stops in Texas even had free wifi.
Somewhere in Arizona..... The van setup. Sleeping bag on right, crates full of gear all neatly organized, and the dog kennel just behind the drivers seat. I might be the most organized hobo out there.
The drive was uneventful with unchanging scenery for about 500 miles. Bandera is a small town that is mainly comprised of dude ranches. I didn't start getting nervous about the race until I arrived at packet pick up the night before. At the pre-race briefing they talked about how rough the course was and some cactus that looked like an aloe plant that we shouldn't touch. There were some chuckles about there aren't switchbacks in the Texas hills and we'd go straight up and down the steep hills. The nerves were building. 62 miles is a long way to go in a car let alone on foot, but I was excited about the new challenge. This was going to be the next step into building towards hopefully my first 100 mile run in the next year or two.
Hill Country Texas was more scenic than I had pictured and had actual hills. Really great views on the run.
The race itself was much more than anticipated. It was 2 laps of 31 miles. I had Bliksem with me so I was stopping after lap 1 to check on her and let her out for a bathroom break. Coming from the Sierras the "hills" in Texas didn't scare me, but they did go straight up and down as promised. It was also really rocky and loose in some places. The cactus was much eviler than I had thought. Their branches reached across the single track interlacing with the plant on the opposite side of the trail. We really had no choice but to run through them. At first my legs were cold enough that I didn't really feel them, but when I looked down about 5 miles into the run I had blood running down my legs from 100s of tiny little cuts. For the first lap the rocks, cactus, and hills were a piece of cake, but round 2 on the course really worked a number on me both physically and mentally. Lap 1 went really smoothly, but I didn't take enough calories in. This caught up with me on lap 2.
photo by Enduro Photo. Lap 1 as I'm still looking fairly coherent.
Finished the first lap in about 5 hours, stopped and took the dog for a short walk, changed my shoes, and headed back out for round 2. Bliksem was not impressed as she got shoved back in the van. The toughest part of lap 2 was the mental aspect. It was a USATF Championship event so there were no pacers, no ipods, no HR monitors, and no GPS. As I left or lap 2 I passed 2 other runners and then didn't see another runner for the rest of the 30 miles. Every time I would stumble into an aid station I'd be so happy to see people that I wouldn't want to leave. I'd have to focus on grabbing some quick food and getting back out on the trails. I usually enjoy running solo, but something about this run was really tough for me. Running through the cactus became a dread as my legs felt more and more raw. I was still running flats and uphills quickly, but my legs turned to baby giraffe legs and each loose downhill became a battle to stay upright. As I came through the last aid station the last of the sunlight faded and it was time to break out the light. The last 5 or so miles were slow...... real slow. As I approached the finish I could see the clock at 10:59, and I hustled through to get in under the 11 hr mark. Tough day, but I'm glad I gutted it out. Immediately passed out in the van only to wake up starving at 3am. I promptly polished off an entire bag of trail mix.
Evil cactus that looked kind of like an aloe plant but with hack saws for blades.
photo by Enduro Photo
Rick Kent from Ultraman was at the finish doing the photography for the events. It was great to see a familiar face!
Awards were Tarahumara pottery that I actually managed to not break during the road trip. I also got my first belt buckle. As you can see the bed is super comfy.
Next up my trip though Big Bend National Park
Somewhere in Arizona..... The van setup. Sleeping bag on right, crates full of gear all neatly organized, and the dog kennel just behind the drivers seat. I might be the most organized hobo out there.The drive was uneventful with unchanging scenery for about 500 miles. Bandera is a small town that is mainly comprised of dude ranches. I didn't start getting nervous about the race until I arrived at packet pick up the night before. At the pre-race briefing they talked about how rough the course was and some cactus that looked like an aloe plant that we shouldn't touch. There were some chuckles about there aren't switchbacks in the Texas hills and we'd go straight up and down the steep hills. The nerves were building. 62 miles is a long way to go in a car let alone on foot, but I was excited about the new challenge. This was going to be the next step into building towards hopefully my first 100 mile run in the next year or two.
Hill Country Texas was more scenic than I had pictured and had actual hills. Really great views on the run.The race itself was much more than anticipated. It was 2 laps of 31 miles. I had Bliksem with me so I was stopping after lap 1 to check on her and let her out for a bathroom break. Coming from the Sierras the "hills" in Texas didn't scare me, but they did go straight up and down as promised. It was also really rocky and loose in some places. The cactus was much eviler than I had thought. Their branches reached across the single track interlacing with the plant on the opposite side of the trail. We really had no choice but to run through them. At first my legs were cold enough that I didn't really feel them, but when I looked down about 5 miles into the run I had blood running down my legs from 100s of tiny little cuts. For the first lap the rocks, cactus, and hills were a piece of cake, but round 2 on the course really worked a number on me both physically and mentally. Lap 1 went really smoothly, but I didn't take enough calories in. This caught up with me on lap 2.
photo by Enduro Photo. Lap 1 as I'm still looking fairly coherent.Finished the first lap in about 5 hours, stopped and took the dog for a short walk, changed my shoes, and headed back out for round 2. Bliksem was not impressed as she got shoved back in the van. The toughest part of lap 2 was the mental aspect. It was a USATF Championship event so there were no pacers, no ipods, no HR monitors, and no GPS. As I left or lap 2 I passed 2 other runners and then didn't see another runner for the rest of the 30 miles. Every time I would stumble into an aid station I'd be so happy to see people that I wouldn't want to leave. I'd have to focus on grabbing some quick food and getting back out on the trails. I usually enjoy running solo, but something about this run was really tough for me. Running through the cactus became a dread as my legs felt more and more raw. I was still running flats and uphills quickly, but my legs turned to baby giraffe legs and each loose downhill became a battle to stay upright. As I came through the last aid station the last of the sunlight faded and it was time to break out the light. The last 5 or so miles were slow...... real slow. As I approached the finish I could see the clock at 10:59, and I hustled through to get in under the 11 hr mark. Tough day, but I'm glad I gutted it out. Immediately passed out in the van only to wake up starving at 3am. I promptly polished off an entire bag of trail mix.
Evil cactus that looked kind of like an aloe plant but with hack saws for blades.
photo by Enduro PhotoRick Kent from Ultraman was at the finish doing the photography for the events. It was great to see a familiar face!
Awards were Tarahumara pottery that I actually managed to not break during the road trip. I also got my first belt buckle. As you can see the bed is super comfy.Next up my trip though Big Bend National Park
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Eastward Bound
Bliksem and I are enjoying life on the road. After leaving Huntington Beach we spent a morning in Palm Springs, more so that I could get a swim and shower than anything else. From there we headed to Joshua Tree National Park and spent the rest of the day. The hard thing about NPs is that you can't have your dog on the trail, so we did our run on a dirt road instead. I'd love to come back here and spend some time without a dog, but it is nice to have a travel companion. Even if she growls at me when I leave her in the car to go on a dog prohibited trail.
Sometimes I still wish I was into rock climbing.....
Sunset in J Tree
From J Tree we hurried on to Tucson where it was kind of cold so I only stayed there long enough to do a run. I probably would have rushed on, but after leaving the lights on in the van during my run I was stranded for a while. When I got to the park earlier in the day there were a dozen vehicles in the parking lot, but by the time I got back from my run there was just one left. I waited and waited hoping it's owner would return. After getting the car jump started I did get a pleasant surprise. The check engine light which has been on for a couple thousand miles was suddenly off. Apparently by killing the battery I fixed the engine. Woohoo! Onwards to White Sands.
Sunrise in White Sands was stunning.
If you check in the bottom right corner there is a coyote. Getting up early means the critters are still roaming about.
Kind of looked like snowbanks and they do plow the sand. It was cold enough this morning for snow.
People headed out to go sledding in the "snow".
Bliksem and I opted for a run on the Alkalai Flat Trail. It was about 5 miles, but anything but flat. The first 5 minutes were flatish, but then we headed up and over dunes. It was a lot of fun.... especially going down the dunes. I finished up about an hour later with shoes full of sand. From there we headed to Las Cruces, NM for much needed shower..... errr I mean swim.
Next up my trip to Texas and the Bandera run....
Sometimes I still wish I was into rock climbing.....
Sunset in J TreeFrom J Tree we hurried on to Tucson where it was kind of cold so I only stayed there long enough to do a run. I probably would have rushed on, but after leaving the lights on in the van during my run I was stranded for a while. When I got to the park earlier in the day there were a dozen vehicles in the parking lot, but by the time I got back from my run there was just one left. I waited and waited hoping it's owner would return. After getting the car jump started I did get a pleasant surprise. The check engine light which has been on for a couple thousand miles was suddenly off. Apparently by killing the battery I fixed the engine. Woohoo! Onwards to White Sands.
Sunrise in White Sands was stunning. 
If you check in the bottom right corner there is a coyote. Getting up early means the critters are still roaming about.
Kind of looked like snowbanks and they do plow the sand. It was cold enough this morning for snow.
People headed out to go sledding in the "snow".Bliksem and I opted for a run on the Alkalai Flat Trail. It was about 5 miles, but anything but flat. The first 5 minutes were flatish, but then we headed up and over dunes. It was a lot of fun.... especially going down the dunes. I finished up about an hour later with shoes full of sand. From there we headed to Las Cruces, NM for much needed shower..... errr I mean swim.
Next up my trip to Texas and the Bandera run....
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Road Trip part 1 of many.....
With Reno high temps in the 20's I loaded up the van and fled town with no real plan in mind other than head south until the temps were at least in the 60's. The van is fully pimped out with a cozy bed, dog crate, and ice chest. I drove as far as I could on I5 south the first night. I wasn't sure how comfy the setup in the van would be, but I slept a solid 7 hours.... in a rest stop. Sweet!! Woke up and finished the drive to Huntington Beach. I had fully intended on camping in the van the entire week, but got an invite to stay with some friends that I met at Ultraman this year. Thanks Keevin!! I also got invited along on a little ride. I hadn't been on the bike outside since day 2 of UMH and had only managed 2x45 minutes inside on the trainer. I heard that we were jumping in on the Long Beach New Years Day ride. I was told the pace would be fast and there would be 500+ people. We planned to regroup part of the way through the ride at a Starbucks along the course. 
In spite of knowing before hand the logistics of the ride, I was in no way prepared for the sight or sound of the peloton as it rounded the corner. I started pedaling to meet their speed, but felt like I'd never be going fast enough to latch on. Finally I merged into the group, but found myself towards the rear of the 600+ riders. It was really amazing to see and be surrounded by the riders, but really nerve racking. It took a lot of concentration to stay away from the rift raft and keep up when the group surged. I heard that we were doing 30+ during sections of the ride, and the one time I managed to peek at my HR monitor I saw an unbelievable 178. I don't think it's ever been that high on the bike before. There was a police escort we were blowing through most stoplights, but stopping at others. The slow and then sprint surges finally got the best of me and I was relieved to get spit out the back. I sat up and cruised into the coffee shop to regroup with everyone. After that the ride mellowed out and we headed to Dana Point for breakfast buffet. The return trip entailed a little more suffering with a stuffed belly. 
Breakfast in Dana Point with Keevin, Monique, and Rick 
A fantastic way to spend NYD! 
Monique and Slater Fletcher
The rest of the weekend included some beach runs and taking Bliksem to the dog beach for her first ocean experience.
Bliksem playing in the waves
Freedom from the leash
This is my super cute growl that says play with me please
I got sand everywhere...
Next up a quick trips to Joshua Tree NP, Saguaro NP, and White Sands NM......
In spite of knowing before hand the logistics of the ride, I was in no way prepared for the sight or sound of the peloton as it rounded the corner. I started pedaling to meet their speed, but felt like I'd never be going fast enough to latch on. Finally I merged into the group, but found myself towards the rear of the 600+ riders. It was really amazing to see and be surrounded by the riders, but really nerve racking. It took a lot of concentration to stay away from the rift raft and keep up when the group surged. I heard that we were doing 30+ during sections of the ride, and the one time I managed to peek at my HR monitor I saw an unbelievable 178. I don't think it's ever been that high on the bike before. There was a police escort we were blowing through most stoplights, but stopping at others. The slow and then sprint surges finally got the best of me and I was relieved to get spit out the back. I sat up and cruised into the coffee shop to regroup with everyone. After that the ride mellowed out and we headed to Dana Point for breakfast buffet. The return trip entailed a little more suffering with a stuffed belly. 
Breakfast in Dana Point with Keevin, Monique, and Rick 
A fantastic way to spend NYD! 
Monique and Slater FletcherThe rest of the weekend included some beach runs and taking Bliksem to the dog beach for her first ocean experience.
Bliksem playing in the waves
Freedom from the leash
This is my super cute growl that says play with me please
I got sand everywhere...Next up a quick trips to Joshua Tree NP, Saguaro NP, and White Sands NM......
Monday, January 3, 2011
On the road
With winter temps in the 20s in Reno I jumped in the car and headed south. With no job and no home there really wasn't a reason to hang around in the snow and suffer. I'll get a proper blog up tomorrow about NYE fun, but for now here are a couple of links to recent interviews I have done.
This one is to the local Reno paper
http://www.rgj.com/article/20101230/SPORTS/12300324/1018
This one is on Competitor Radio with Bob Babbitt
http://competitorradio.competitor.com/2010/12/amber-monforte-with-aj-acosta/#disqus_thread
Enjoy!
This one is to the local Reno paper
http://www.rgj.com/article/20101230/SPORTS/12300324/1018
This one is on Competitor Radio with Bob Babbitt
http://competitorradio.competitor.com/2010/12/amber-monforte-with-aj-acosta/#disqus_thread
Enjoy!
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