And then someone will send me a pic like this – with our RPF Burn To Shine tank featured prominently (in the June Women’s Running Magazine) and I can’t believe how lucky we are and how much we have achieved already.

If you really want something…keep working, keep sweating, keep believing every day – and don’t forget to notice and appreciate the progress you’re making. xoxo, Jenn

P.S. Because, as mentioned above, I am crazed with side projects and life in general right now – I completely forgot about Mother’s Day. How is that possible!?! So here’s a treat just for our loyal blog readers, who I so appreciate. FREE SHIPPING thru the weekend (domestic only, no minimum purchase). Several new tees on the site and lots of faves being re-printed and available for pre-order now. Enjoy and Happy Mother’s Day!!

Having missed this day of sickness last year, I was excited to go play in the sun and give the insanity a whirl. I told myself that as long as I did 6 or 7 repeats I’d be fine, but secretly – of course – I wondered if I could do all 10.

Here are my four take-aways from the day:

1)’Wondering’ does not equal Finishing

Obvious, I suppose, but proven oh so true. I ‘wondered’ if I could finish all 10. And did I? Of course not. Because it’s a crazy tough feat and unless you show up with the mindset that there will be no quit, then the option for stopping is always on the table.

At this event, lots of people show up to do a couple repeats before or after work, but the few that run all day tend to be our local ultra-running studs with flexible schedules; 3 buff race directors, a running shoe-store owner, a personal trainer, and a Salomon sponsored runner. And then there was me.

As the day went on I was lapped and then lapped again – so that when I was on repeat 5, they were starting repeat 7. That meant I’d be out there for hours by myself finishing up. I tried not to care, but when you’re looking for excuses you’ll hang your hat on anything. “I’ll be out here in the dark and I forgot my headlamp”, “I don’t feel like running alone today”, “I need to get back to work and Colin.” All sort of true, but still just excuses to justify quitting.

After my 6th repeat my body started to get tired and my brain kept providing a steady monologue of reasons we should call it a day. Finally after 8 repeats I sat down, decided I was done, and texted home that I was on my way – then within minutes began regretting my decision to stop. My body was fine, but I’d talked myself out of it. I was 10 hours into what would have probably taken me 13…just 3 more hours to achieve something I would have been delightfully proud of. But I hadn’t mentally committed to the task and that was my undoing from the first step.

2) Comparison is the thief of joy – and social media makes it even worse.

Driving home I started to get really frustrated with my choice and called my friend George to complain. He quickly reminded me that, previously, the most I’d ever done on Chirico was 4 repeats. Now I had just doubled that, doing 8 repeats for a total of 27ish miles and 13,600 feet of gain as a mid-week goof – and yet I was disappointed?!

Why? Because a few people did 2 more repeats than me. As if somehow their accomplishment made mine less? If I had been alone on the mountain, with no basis of comparison, I would have been thrilled with my day’s work. Instead, I was disappointed by measuring myself against others. And secretly anxious that my running community on Facebook would perceive me to be ‘less’ or a ‘quitter’. Oh my goodness – how often do we engage in this ridiculousness and OH, what a royal waste it is!

3) Diamonds are apparently not this girl’s best friend

When my son was born his paternal grandparents gave me a very simple, yet stunning set of diamond earrings. In 5 1/2 years they haven’t left my ears. Even as I’ve run to some far flung places and swam in the deep parts of the sea – they’ve stayed put, reminding me of a few very special people in my life and helping me retain a little bit of posh as the rest of me becomes increasingly wild.

But last Wednesday one decided to jump ship and become part of the trail. I noticed the missing diamond as soon as I stopped running and was instantly mortified, yet oddly calm. If you had told me I’d lose my diamond earring that day I would have gone out of my way to prevent it. But when I discovered the loss it was already out of my control and long-gone, so I shrugged and simply accepted it. A few days later, I tugged on my now empty ears and thought, “Well at least there’s nothing left to lose.”  I really did love those earrings but, in life, I’d rather be in the position of letting go then trying to guard and hold on.

4) Being a Mother will always comes first

So, after losing my diamond and not finishing the full 10, I arrived home to discover that Colin had just learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! My silly mountain repeats were instantly forgotten as he pulled me out of the car to watch his new trick. Around and around the block and then out to dinner we all went to celebrate his accomplishment. I treated myself to a margarita for a good day of effort on the trail and sat back in the booth, so content to be with my boys.

As we wrapped up dinner and headed home, I noticed the time and that I would’ve just been finishing my last repeat had I stayed. In the end, I was beyond grateful that I’d ‘quit’ to go play mom instead. The mountain will still stand tomorrow, but being there for those kind of childhood memories won’t wait.

{a evening not to be missed - bike riding success in a flat, paved school parking lot}

Someday soon I’ll sneak out again and launch my clandestine attack on the Chirico Trail – that 17,000 ft of gain is still calling my name… xoxo, Jenn

{Having way too much fun with my friend George on an early repeat. Photo by Jerry Gamez}

A favorite memory from this time was one morning when I had been out early, hitting it hard, and I looked down at my watch to see that it was only just 8am.  I grunted to myself in gruff happiness, “I eat mountains for breakfast.” It was a throw-down challenge to the hills and a cocky pat-on-my-own back for being such a stud. Sometimes we simply have to be a little full of ourselves to keep going.

This phrase was the first tee I ever wanted to make, even before I had the full idea for RPF, and yet somehow it has taken years to materialize. I’ve had two different artists draw me sketches, but we’d never quite gotten it right. Not surprisingly, I tried to make ‘too much’ out of the design. But recently, while driving into town and admiring the stark profile of those very same mountains that started this idea, I decided that’s all this shirt needed to be. Just a simple outline and homage to my local Issaquah Alps that I love so much.

{Some local folks may recognize this as the Poo-Poo Point side of Tiger Mnt. plummeting down and then Squak Mnt. heading back up the other side, as seen from Issaquah / Sammamish}

So – with a huge YAY – I finally have my mountain shirt! It’s printed locally on an ultra light weight, 100% poly, moisture-wicking tee. They are available for $30 here.

And to celebrate even further, we had Run Pretty Far ‘trail’ patches made up to be sewn or ironed to your favorite hydration pack/belt/handheld. RPF is officially hitting the trails and we’re not looking back!

This week, for our birthday celebration, we’ll enclose a RPF patch absolutely FREE with the purchase of any of our new trail tees! And yes, we still have FREE SHIPPING all week  long (thru 4.28). Double YAY!

And, simply because I wanted to have both, I printed this on a heather lilac option as well. Which do you prefer?

Here’s to ideas that, with a little patience and perseverance, come to life! Cheers, Jenn

To be honest, it feels like we’ve been at this forever. Starting a small business is like having a newborn; it’s an all consuming, around the clock endeavor where you are often un-sure of exactly what the right move is. There have been many days that I want to give up, sell or shut-down the dream, and get a ‘real job’ with an actual pay-check. But there are an equal amount of moments where I’m fired up on what this company could become.

The tie breaker for sticking with it always comes down to this narrative that I believe deserves to be told. Run Pretty Far is about reminding us to keep our running on the joyful side, to celebrate the fun, social, silly moments, and always about the personal, ongoing exploration of ourselves via running. This story I love too dearly to let go of yet…

So to celebrate our 2nd birthday, we’d love to offer up some goodies! We’ve got FREE SHIPPING all week (thru 4/28). Domestic is 100% FREE and Canadian is $5. AND we’ll automatically throw in a FREE RPF logo bumper sticker. This is a 4×6 high quality vinyl sticker printed with outdoor ink and meant to add run-love-joy to your car.

Love the logo, but want a magnet? Yep, I had those made too! If you would prefer a magnet, please click here (in ‘Paper Goods’) and add a magnet to your cart for the promo price of $3. They’ll be $6 after this week – those guys are spendy to make!

Plus, we’ve got a few more surprises on the way…. The new fave ‘Flowers In Your Hair’ Mumford & Sons tank is back in stock and we’ve got it in a turquoise tank color as well (pic to follow asap!!). Plus, some new trail designs launching later this week!

As always, I want to thank each of you for your continual support of RPF. It’s incredible to me the number of women that I’ve emailed with or spoken to over the last two years that ‘get’ our product and our message. Knowing that my story is also your story is what drives me to keep this business going and find a way to really make it sing.

In gratitude, Jenn

This morning I wanted to say something thoughtful, to somehow acknowledge the sadness that all of us are feeling. But in the end, the only thing that felt right to offer was a simple message of beauty.

We’re going to head out for a quick birthday run, so grateful that we can, to celebrate those same things we did before – peace, love, & running.

So instead of taking you mile by mile, I’ll give you the Cliff Notes; drilling it down to a few highlights and one core take away:

You have unknown, untapped potential that will blow your mind.

Inelegant? Perhaps.  Hyperbole? Absolutely not. It’s my Badger Mountain truth.

I went into this race with one expectation and one goal. My expectation was that, being early in the season and not feeling particularly ‘ready’, it might be a slow grind to the finish. This was only my second 100 miler and I was hopeful, but not overconfident of how my body would respond to the distance and significant elevation with minimal training. I assumed it would take about 28-31 hours.

My goal was to open my mind to previously unrecognized possibilities and then let my body follow. Before the race I wrote about three women who challenged me to re-think my concept of what is possible. Then I had the lucky opportunity to interview Ray Zahab who has made a life of dreaming up, then executing, expeditions that are unfathomable to most – simply by believing he can. A perfect mindset to begin with.

So I started the race without fear, but rather a heart of patience and joy. I was content to let the story unfold and see what would happen. For 21 hours I ran casually – meeting new friends, bathing in the sun, stopping to appreciate the stars and a gold moon so fat it seemed it might drop right down into the farmer’s field we happened to be walking across. I played rap music and mellow blues over a loud speaker and sprinted up hills simply because it felt good and walked some flats for the same self-indulgent reason. I didn’t worry, obsess, perseverate, feel guilty, or hurry.

About 4 a.m., Craig (my friend and pacer) and I approached the only section of the race that I was really dreading.  A long tarmac of road that, from my memory of pacing a friend the previous year, would be an interminable slog. Was it 4 miles, 6, 8? I didn’t know. I just knew it was a slight up-hill grade of pavement that would go on forever.

I don’t practice a lot of yoga, but I do know that feeling when you’re holding a pose, you take one more deep breath, and then without force your body relaxes and ‘clicks’ deeper into the position. You had an assumption of how far you could go, but in one exhale that barrier was shattered.

That’s what happened to me on the tarmac. My brain said, “You’ve been running for a 21 hours, you should feel tired and slow, this should be hard.” But it didn’t. So I took a deep breath and felt that click. We took off running and I believe my exact words to Craig were, “I feel f**king incredible!” The pace continued to increase and the pavement section was quickly over.

Two mountains to go and we started hauling up the first one, using the last bit of juice on the speaker to play Macklemore’s Can’t Hold Us. Craig suggested we pass the fine fellow ahead of us that we’d been playing leapfrog with all night. I deflected, pointing out that I was faster on the uphills, but that he’d probably catch me again on the down. Sure enough, I easily passed him as we went up, but then started cautiously picking my way down the rocky trail.

Without warning, my brain offered another monumental click. “95 miles is mental and girl, you’re on fire. You’re not going to crash now. Don’t limit yourself by what you thought you knew.” And just like that, the doors flew off and all caution was gone. I tore past Craig and started running that single track like a 5k.

We didn’t pause at the last aid station, instead just yelling out my bib number and pushing on toward the very last climb. Running, breathing, burning on the adrenaline that comes from knowing that you are giving.it.every.last.ounce. The tiny wildflower shrubs at my feet seemed neon orange I was so sensory alive. We saw one last group of runners ahead of us and Craig threw down the challenge to see if I could catch them. I instantly said, “there is no way, they’ll see me, they’re too far away,” but internally I searched to see if I could find one last click.

I relaxed, leaned in, and found it. We fell down that final hill in a beautiful dance between control and recklessness – clocking 6:something minute miles to finish my second 100 miler. I caught the group at the finish corral, but when the guy yelled out, “You’re a bush-leaguer” (I had no idea what that meant, but it seemed irrefutably true), I eased back just a tick out of lady-like decency.

I fell down in happiness at 25:06 and stared at the grass knowing my life was forever changed. The time didn’t matter, but the powerful knowledge of those clicks did.

We think we can see where the hill peaks and pretend to know what’s on the other side. We make our pace charts, our pros and cons list, and our logical rationalizations of why.

But what happens when you stop assuming you know where the finish line is or what’s the best way to get there? When you open yourself to explore the full, wondrous potential that life offers, every single day. When you take a deep breath, free your mind, and click into a full pose of awareness.

Badger Mountain taught me to give it a try and be ready to be amazed…

xoxo, Jenn

{20 minutes from home, but a world away}

I remember coming home from one of these mornings, alive to the brim with the exertion of climbing a mountain, yet calm from slowing down to appreciate the ritual of sunrise. And as I passed by the bathroom mirror, I happened to notice my reflection. Like most women, I prefer to self deprecate by pointing out my facial flaws rather than accepting the parts that are perhaps a bit pretty – but in that moment there was no denying what I saw. I stopped myself in my tracks and looked dead on at this woman in the mirror. My only thought? “WOW, she is beautiful.”

I took a few minutes to hang out and admire what was what. My wide nose and way too many gray hairs, right next to my huge expressive eyes that unfortunately are already starting to droop. My butt that I wish was smaller and my arms that I wouldn’t change. Thick, soft hair, deepening laugh lines, girlish freckles, and gnarly feet that have given up on having ten toenails. A mix of gorgeous, wild, youthful, yet wise, absolutely perfect and forever flawed – staring calmly back at me.

It was a stand up and put on your cowgirl boots moment where you look at yourself and finally say: This is what I look like and this is who I am. When you surprise yourself by realizing just how stunning and strong you are. No, strong is too weak. This girl can run up mountains, across deserts, start a company, and raise her son. The word I felt was powerful.

That concept of empowering realization – where we as women wake-up, grow-up, and start to accept just how truly BEAUTIFUL + POWERFUL we are – was the inspiration point for the Spring ’13 tanks. Well, that and a few rainbow sunrises….

The new tanks are in-stock now! I hope you’ll check them out here and then go find your own BEAUTIFUL + POWERFUL moment. xoxo, Jenn

And, like most of us, I am oddly in love with neon again, so how could we not add on to our Run Long collection with these NEW Run Long & Drink More Margaritas tees? Printed on a super lightweight 50cotton/50poly in an eye-popping neon color and perfect for relaxing on the deck with a cocktail after a long run.

They’re in-stock now and can be found here. Not ready to shop, but still want something new? Try a Paloma – tequila, grapefruit juice, and soda (or search Pinterest for fancier recipes). I’ve been making them all week with happy results. Cheers! Jenn

{start of day 2, about 90 miles in}

So last week, after reviewing my March training and realizing that I’d yet to get the 50m+ training run I’d wanted, I decided to be extremely impulsive and use the Badger Mountain 100 miler for a long run instead.

Do I feel ready for the distance? Absolutely not. I would rate my physical readiness at about 3.5 of 10 for tackling the distance and elevation (20,000ft). So why am I relatively confident?

Because Linh Shark (wife of Jonathan, the solider I mentioned above) who has been parenting three young children alone while her husband was overseas is also toeing the line this weekend. With everything on her plate, she has somehow managed to quietly train and ready herself for her first 100 miler. Jonathan’s home now and he will be out there supporting her. Together they form a dynamic force of love and strength that invites everyone in their presence to realize that crazy dreams are often quite doable.

{Linh & Jonathon smiling at a local race. Pic courtesy of Evergreen Trail Runs}

Because I recently watched single mom Stacey Nievwaya run 173 miles in a weekend to raise money for Run For Congo Women. Stacey admitted to me that with work and putting her son first, she maxed our her training at around 30miles/week. Did she want to train more? Of course. But she made do with the time her life allotted. Refusing to let fear control her decisions, she set out for her journey with minimal mileage and simply nailed it.

{Stacey, in blue, always able to find the joy with her crew chief, Deby. Photo courtesy of Matt Hagen}

Because Shawn McTaggert, a woman I know only through name and shared friends, finished the Iditarod Trail Invitational yesterday – 1000 miles across remote Alaska dragging a heavy sled loaded with gear. The trek took her 30days, 18 hours and a recent FB post I saw said  ”She’s taken the throne for the toughest woman in the world.”  I couldn’t agree more.

{beauty, brains, and brawn - she is incredible! Picture courtesy of Carsten Tees / Iditarod Trail Invitational}

Because women like Linh, Stacey, and Shawn remind me that perceived limits are optional, readiness is a frame of mind, and being abnormal is awesome. Thanks for the courage ladies – can I join the club? xoxo, Jenn