"Our Hike" by Robin Grapa

(Photo credit: Mile 90 Photography)

Race Info:

June 1, 2019

Nordic Trailhead near Whitewater, WI

There is a 100-mile, 100k, 50k, and a 38-mile fun

I participated in the 100k (62 miles)

The 100k race consists of a 31-mile out and back on the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit of the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin

Focus, Robin.

I ran 62 miles on Saturday. Then on Tuesday I Googled “Potawatomi 150.” Now,…

It’s a long one! Grab a snack or pull up the squatty potty and dig in! Read about how I went a little nuts around mile 60, my embarrassing recovery issue, and all the excruciating details about the stuff I wore and used. Have questions? Anything? Ask! I hope you enjoy the read.

Race days make for a happy Toots! (Photo credit: Karen McLennan)

Stats:

Total miles (Garmin): 65.02

Total time: 20…

Vloggin’, movin’, and runnin’

Been also doing a whole lot of truckin’.

What’s new? Well? The super-short version: Adam and I moved into a new apartment closer to town. I’m being featured in a series of vlogs online about trucking. And I’m about to run 64 miles. Again.

The new apartment?It’s in Kaukauna, WI. Adam and I have always wanted to live in Appleton, so we moved to Kaukauna. I know. I swear to you, one of these days…

Kind of a dreary, blah day. I could use some sunshine.

I’m bored. That’s why you’re reading a blog entry about, um, nothing much. I’m laying in the bunk of my truck waiting for a phone call that there is a door for me to back into so I can get a load of canned something going to freakin’ Atlanta. I’ve been waiting for over 3 hours and can’t get a timeframe as to when they might be able to get me…

A new truck story!!

Oh, hi there!

As unfortunate as having a major breakdown is, I have to admit that getting a new truck is actually quite fun. And… as fun as getting a new truck is, I have to admit that the break in period can be a little sketch. Here’s what happened:

I moved all my crap into the new truck, enjoying the “new truck” smell, a dash with no dust on it, no hairballs clumped anywhere…

Delores the truck’s last run

Adam decided to ride with me this week. Little did we know it would be Delores’s last run. So the cool part of all of this was that Adam and I started out with that truck, brand new, waaay back in June of 2016. I mean, we had to peel the plastic off of the floor and seats – that kind of new. She only had 900 miles when we took our first trip. So last week, on a random whim, or… maybe it wasn’t…

Marquette Trail 50

August 18, 2018

Marquette, MI

Race consists of 3 loops: *one* 11-mile loop followed by *two* 20-mile loops (run in reverse order).

Well, no cliffhangers! I finished! I chased a tough cutoff around mile 41, but ended up coming in with about 40 minutes to spare on the 15-hour limit for the 50-mile race. It was a really tough one! And it’s not just me saying that – I had several…

I’m ready to get sweaty! The forecast for Saturday says 80° and sunny!

I suppose it’s time for my pre-race ramble. Yup, this time I’m going to [attempt to] run 50 miles!This Saturday! That’s like, what? Four days away? Yikes. I keep going back and forth between feeling excited, nervous, confident, not-so-confident, nervous, then always back to excited. I mean, even if I DNF (this ultrarunning…

Dances with Dirt

July 14, 2018

Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

Pre-race stuff:On Friday night I picked up my bib and t-shirt and the plan was to camp about 20 miles north of the start line, so Adam and I started heading up that way. We stopped at a Starbucks and the thunderstorms started. So… we totally bailed on camping, grabbed a super-cheap (like only $60), last-minute tiny cabin and…

Let’s get muddy! 31 miles muddy!

It’s so ON!

Tomorrow’s the day! I’m going to try to run 31 miles through the woods! And it might rain and storm the whole time, so the Dances With Dirt might turn into a Dances With Mud – and that’s okay, too!

I kind of failed at my first tapering week. I really didn’t think I’d have any trouble cutting back on running, but I ended up getting a trucking run to Spokane, WA and had a little extra…

First of all, I’ll start with a happy update since my last post – my coolant tank has been holding coolant steadily at the “full” line! This is a big deal for Delores the Volvo! And me! I did have a couple of long waits at shops for a trailer light and a goofy situation getting a tire repaired this week, but that’s just truckin’. Always something. But at least it wasn’t coolant-related! Yay!

Read…

I need a vacation soon. This has been a trying week, but mostly because it started out with needing a new radiator last-minute, totally throwing off any sort of schedule that I can never really count on, anyway. Here’s what happens: I plan, plan, plan. Then it changes. But, that’s just trucking. Heck, that’s life. So… I’ve got a delivery 1,200 miles from home, and my trailer will be ready at…

No more PCT. But…

Adam called me from the trail one night, I think about a week ago already (I’m so behind on here, sorry!) and was going to find a hitch to the nearest town. He was thinking about getting off the trail. Like, for good. We had a nice talk, and he did end up making his way into town, got a hotel room and called the next day to confirm he was done hiking the PCT. Disappointment was not a feeling I…

My view as I write. Trucks… I thought it would be a good time to start another update on Adam’s PCT hike and what’s up on my end – because I had kind of a hard day yesterday. And because I’m sitting at a Safeway Distribution Center, waiting to get unloaded, and from past experience, I think that I’m going to be here a while. So I also have time. After Adam’s crazy long day and on-trail zero in…

Aloha’s first few days

What a great trail. This is from his first day! Well, I just got off the phone with Aloha. He’s out there, right now, as I write this, laying in his tent listening to the rain pitter-patter on his tent, off and on, off and on. He’s been able to call me at least once/day, which has been so nice. Here’s the thing. When he left to hike the PCT, I was all cocky like, “I’m not gonna’ be the…

Gonna miss those cuddles! Adam chose to start his PCT hike on March 21, mostly due to lack of permits available since we made the decision he should hike so late in the game. To get to where he needed to start, I put in a request at work to take a load to California, but hadn’t heard a peep, so we planned on me taking him to a train station in Madison instead. Then, on a Tuesday, work let me know…

Dear Adam (or more appropriately in this case, Aloha), You’re about to embark on a pretty crazy journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. I’m excited for you, and thought I’d do my best to help you along with a few bits of advice, most of which you have probably already heard, but… maybe not. So here goes: Don’t go barefoot in the desert. There are pickers everywhere. Don’t eat the pink snow. Or the…