So Not Hot

"Yeah, you used to be hot," Tim says across the table to me.

"Oh wow... thanks," I say sarcastically.

Sophie remembers back to my first day at camp. She was wondering what I would be like. I walked into the office wearing my French jeans, white shirt, brown boots and my scarf from Meggen. Sophie looked me up and down and thought to herself, "She's gonna be... cold."

"You are so much different now, Ashlee," she tells me. "Now I walk into the kitchen and find you wearing your beat-up Toms, jean shorts and that ugly green fleece. Where did you even find that thing?"



"Yeah," Tim agrees. "You used to be hot, but you're so much more attractive now."

Uhmmm I'm confused.

We are on our final break between sessions. I had big plans for this break, but Sweet Baby Sam decided to quit on me and left me deserted at base. Everything happens for a reason though. The fall through in my plans left time for Sophie and I to do some bonding. We soul searched, we explored, we ate... it was a good break.

The first day of break, we met up with Nicole and Christy for grilled cheese, coffee, a movie and Thai food.

That night, as I laid in my bed, something disturbed my sleep at 4:40AM. I looked over and saw the sillouhette of a man setting up his sleeping bag. Thinking it was Tim and wondering why he was in my tent instead of the CD cabin making so much noise when he knew I slept there, I sat up in bed and said, "I thought you were supposed to be in Idaho.

"I was... kinda. But now we're back," the Canadian accent gave away its owner.

"John!"

We spent an hour catching up about his trip to California.

The next day, Sophie and I drove to Jackson in order to find a tire for Sweet Baby Sam. On our way, we stopped at a river and played in the water. We played tag in front of the Tetons and made wishes on flowers. When we drove home, we took a back road to discover new adventures. "Satisfying my curiosity is one of my deepest passions," Sophie claimed. I loved it.

In the car, I made three new goals for the month of August. 1. Give up coffee. 2. Write a letter of encouragement to someone every day. 3. Run at least one mile every single day.

Well, the coffee will be the biggest struggle obviously. I told Grylls my plan and his only response was to say, "Why?" Yeah, great question. Maybe because it scares me. I've got to face my fears. I mean, the only way to conquer fear is to live dangerously. Giving up coffee for a month... that's pretty dangerous. I should know... Lent was torture. Well, I'll grab my glass of water and toast to goals, adventures and not being hot anymore.

Cheers!

Feet as Frigid as Ice

Ahhhhg I feel like an old man who has lost all function of his joints. Yesterday, I pushed hard at the gym. Weights are easy, body weight intense cardio circuits... not so easy. And running 5.5 miles downhill only to have to run back up that 5.5 mile hill to get back to the car? So my judgement is not so wonderful.

My grandma sent me a book titled Gold. In the second chapter, the sixty-six-year-old coach finds himself stuck in the bathtub because his knees have buckled up. After my run, I hopped in the shower and followed it with an ice bath for my feet. This time, I wasn't sitting in the Wind River. Nope, this time was a legitimate ice bath. My feet last less than two seconds before I had to pull them out of the water. Too cold!

Many of you are probably wondering what the purpose of an ice bath is. Why would someone intentionally torture themselves. Studies have shown that ice baths help runners feel less sore after a hard workout. I don't get sore though, so why would I partake in the tradition? Mostly because I was told it was a good thing to do. Turns out, my information might have been incorrect. Check out this article:

http://running.competitor.com/2012/05/injuries/before-you-soak-in-that-ice-bath_51935

On to better news, I got to canoe with Sophie the academic group yesterday. It was awesome! I was in a boat with Melody and Tyler and we played Lockness Monster tag. I got to be Catwoman, Melody was the Black Widow and Tyler was Spiderman. Amazing. Sophie and I led them in a workout beforehand and stretches. They worked it! I love the academic group!

Brooks Lake

Mrs. Batman carrying a canoe by herself.

Stud

After canoeing, Tim, Sophie and I had a roommate date. We ate at the Cowboy Cafe and listened to Sophie play the piano. I love my roommates! Okay, so they aren't technically my roommates anymore since I moved into the tent alone, but my bike and clothes are still in the cabin so... roommates! Yay!

Kicking Butt and Wearing Latex While Doing It

A figure dances across the rooftops, her prance light as she leaps from one rooftop to the next. A burglar. A misfit. A gorgeous woman in a tight-fitting suit looking to steal some jewels. She is all of these things and more.

If you haven't guessed yet, I saw the new Batman last night and goodnight nurse! Anne Hathaway was a stud! Sophie, Nicole and I arrived at the theater in Lander and I wasn't sure what to expect. Before the movie even began, Sophie leaned toward me and reminded me that I was about to watch her future husband kick some bad-guy-booty.

"Don't worry," I comforted her. "I won't lust after him."

"Oh, but I will," her eyes were shining brightly, eager to see the man with the mask.

The lights went down, the viewers went silent and the show began.

"I'm totally going to marry Batman," Sophie exclaimed multiple times throughout the movie.

"You can have him," I said. "As long as I can have the police officer from Inception."

"Nicole already called him," she informed me. Nicole looked over at me and smiled with triumph. Dang.

Later, as Catwoman straddled Batman's motorcycle thingymabobber like the bomb was about to go off and it was the only thing that would save her life, Sophie leaned over to me and said, "She is so hardcore... you could totally be Catwoman!" Awww that's such a sweet compliment. So I got stoked on Catwoman. Not only do I want to be her, I want to surpass her. I can have a rockin' body like that and intimidate even the biggest and baddest of men. Bring it! Uh! (If you couldn't tell, that was a chest bump.)

When you want to be better than someone else, what is the first thing you do? Yes, you in the back with your hand raised. That's right, young student: You do your research. So I googled Anne Hathaway and what she did to get her awesome body. Well, for starters, she cut her daily calorie consumption to 1500 calories, refusing to eat meat. According to her personal trainer Arin Babaian, in the gym, Anne did squats, lunges, strength training, kettlebells, and intensive circuit training, including ‘box jumps, pull-ups and handstand push-ups.’ No big deal, right? Well, I'm going to find out.

All I need now is a box, a pull-up bar, lots of fruits and veggies, some red lipsticks, black goggles that look like ears when I put them up, 5-inch heels and a tight latex suit. Hey Anne? Watch it.

Courtesy of Bing.com

Cougars, Homeless Men and Bears! Oh my!

The boy in the coon hat and neon sunglasses looks quizzically at my shirt as I shovel eggs onto his plate.

"Killer B Fitness," he reads the words on my black tank top out loud. "Why are you wearing that?"

"It's one of the gyms I work at," I respond.

"What do you do at the gym," he looks even more confused. My worst nightmare is coming true.

"I'm a personal trainer and fitness instructor and triathlon coach."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," I defend myself, laughing. "Why? Do I not look like I could work at a gym?"

"No," he says, matter-of-factly.

Ouch.

"Make a muscle," he commands.

"Well," I explain. "I gave up all of my jobs to come out here and cook you food."

"That's a great thing," exclaims his best friend.

It's too late though. My ego is bruised.

The next night, I walk out with a 32-ounce measuring cup filled with water and cucumbers.

"Is that your dinner," Kevin says, his mouth open.

"Oh no, no, no," I quickly correct him. "I already ate."

"I was wondering why you're so skinny," he said. "It's because you don't eat anything."

Uhm... am I skinny or am I fat? I'm so confused. This I do know: I can't fit into the jeans that used to be baggy on me back home; however, I think I am in better shape now. Total mileage for this week: 42 miles. I feel good about that. There were many new sites, no bears and puddles of mud galore!

One thing I have noticed, there are always things to be scared of while running, no matter where you are. In Oregon, my parents worried about the mountain lions. In Santa Barbara, it was homeless people. Here, it's all about the bears. Lions, homeless men and bears! Oh my! Out of all of those, I think I would rather have a run in with a bear... maybe it's because they are the only creatures I have yet to encounter. Oh man... remember those days when I was terrified of bears? I distinctly remember sobbing to Sophia telling her I was positive I was going to die in Wyoming because the bears were going to eat me. Knock on wood... I haven't left Wyoming yet.

There is not too much more to say... I had to drop Kaitlin and Jackson off at the airport yesterday so they could fly to Santa Barbara. That was a hard day; I really enjoy spending time with Kaitlin and getting the quote of the day from Jackson. They are already missed. After I dropped them off, I went to run. Before I even began my trail run, the skies opened up and it began to pour. Did I run anyway? Uhmm... do you have to ask? Of course I ran. I only got 2 miles in, but it was so worth it. Splat, split, slide... mud everywhere. Wet hair. Sweet scents coming from the trees and the blossoms. It was fantastic. Then... BOOM! FLASH! Thunder and lightning filled the afternoon air. That was my sign that it was time to leave.

I ran up to Whiskey Mountain twice this week and continued on to Ross Lake today. Hills were my focus this week, as I ran a 7-mile hill loop through my friend Ben's neighborhood last Thursday. One of the best runs was in Lander at Sinks Canyon; I went up past the natural waterfall. I also ran down East Fork yesterday then sat in the Windy River for two minutes, which was all I could bare. These lakes and rivers make amazing ice baths.

My head has been killing me lately. I've never had migraines before, but they are haunting my every movement. I think I will try to cut sugar out of my diet to see what will happen. Here are some photos from my runs:

I made baked oatmeal!

My place of solitude... and ice baths

Here comes the rain...

Popo Agie Falls

Horse Creek Road

Ross Lake

Mike and Marilyn

After being ill for four days, I was more than eager to lace up my Cascadias again. I figured, "Go big or go home", so I drove out to Lander and ran up to Popo Agie Falls in Sinks Canyon. It was only a 4-mile run, but it was wonderful. My legs felt alive and my lungs felt tight. My feet were light on the rocks as I pranced down the trail.

This was the same trail where I had thrown my "temper tantrum" with Margo, got to know Bickford on another level and watched Rachel pick a tick off of her stomach. It was fun to look back on all of those memories and focus on those as opposed to my bulging quads or my bouncing behind.   

About half a mile up the hill, I ran into a couple who was stopped on the side of the trail rehydrating. They commented on how they admired the fact that I was running up this trail, not just walking it. Marilyn was wearing a shirt from San Diego, so we chitchatted a bit. It turned out, Mike and Marilyn are from San Francisco and were high school and college sweethearts but just reunited and got married last month. Guess where they got married? You got it! (Actually, I  highly doubt you did) Ojai! And Marilyn has done the La Jolla 1-mile swim every year since she was twelve-years-old. At sixty-five-years-of-age, she is strong and still active.

It is always a huge inspiration to me when people stay active throughout their life. I was so inspired that I decided to go on a twelve-mile run up Whiskey Mountain yesterday.

Stupidly, I decided to park 2.5 miles from the trail head and run up to it. I only took a 16.9 oz water bottle with Cytomax and my pepper spray, totally forgetting my Hammer gel in the car. Arriving at the Whiskey Mountain and Lake Louise fork, I felt thirsty and tired, but I continued to run. Up, up, up, uppity up I hiked and huffed and puffed and trotted.

3Oh!3 and Elle Goulding were blasting through my iPhone as my Garmin ticked off the mileage. At mile 4.5, I ran into Levi, who was hiking up to Ross Lake. By the time I saw him, I was already totally depleted of energy and stamina. The only thing that kept me going was having my time, my calories and my mileage on my wrist. Every time I wanted to turn around, I would look at my wrist and think, "Just ten more calories. Got it. Just four more minutes to make an even number. Hit it. Almost at another mile. I'll just keep going. Got it. The song is almost over. I'll just keep going..." Then seeing Levi and him telling me about Kit running up to Lake Louise last week made me want to keep going.

By the time I turned around, I had traveled over five miles. A storm hit the mountain and rain started to pour. It was a welcome relief since I was out of water. I ran back to my car, almost fainting with .25 miles left. A large body of water greeted me and I changed into my shorts and let my legs soak in the glacier water, like a cold ice bath. Ahh... so refreshing.

And here I am... back to running.

I tried to do some ballet after the run, but my legs were shot. I stretched and did push ups for an hour, then met up with Ben and just sat... and sat and sat. Spectacular.  

How to Define Your Sport

Ballerinas spend grueling hours practicing and training and dieting in order to be the best in their discipline. They eat, breathe and sleep ballet. They have little to no time for relationships, play or a social life. The fear of being injured is too strong. Falling off of a bike, twisting an ankle while jumping from a ledge... there are all sorts of possibilities. 

It was only two months ago that I was obsessed with triathlon training. I tried to define the sport, but in the process, I allowed it to define me. Friday nights were spent swimming laps, Sunday afternoons I enjoyed a long trail run alone. It didn't help that even during work I was in training. The boyfriend was supportive for most of my training, but only because he was training with me. Soon, my obsession with being the best was even too much for him. It became all we talked or thought about and no relationship can sustain on one topic. When I tried dating non-athletes, they didn't understand my obsession passion.

Wildflower came and went. Sure, I did well, but I wasn't the best. When I saw the results, it helped me realize one thing: Life is short.

There is more to life than hours of rehearsal, days of training and weeks of following a strict diet. Certainly, if your sport is your true passion, it may be worth the dedication, but I can't imagine trying to juggle a social life on top of pure, intense training. As much as I would love my life to revolve around swimming, biking and running, if you don't have friends with the same passions, life gets lonely.

The most difficult thing for an athlete to do is to find a balance between training, competing and life outside of said sport. So how does one define their sport without allowing it to define them?

The answer is not simple and it differs for every sport and each individual. It honestly depends on how dedicated you are to your activity. One thing I wish I would have done while training for Wildflower is understand that it's okay to take a day off of training when other plans come up. Find your priorities and stick with them. For me, my faith is my number one priority, followed by family, close friends and work. So if  something comes up at work and I don't have time to train that day, I need to let it slide and not beat myself up about it.

 My new resolution while training for my trail marathon is to run when I want to run. I'm not going to force it when I don't feel well enough or inspired enough to run. I'm going to be cautious about my diet, not strict. There will be days when there is no time to run. Training is still a priority but it is not my only priority. I will make sure training is fun, not a chore.

I may never be a ballerina, but I plan to enjoy life while I can. After all, life is short!

Tales of a Summer in Wyoming

I open the back of Nani's car and start digging through my daypack, hoping to find a roll of quarters I shoved in the front pocket. As I push the pack back into the car, I hear something fall from the side pocket, hit the ground and begin to hiss. Looking down, I see my bear spray. The pressure of the contact with the hard cement leaves a hole in the side of the canister and liquid is shooting out of the side. Reaching down, I pick it up, but my eyes fill with tears and my lungs feel tight. I drop the can and make my way to the front of the car, gagging from the overwhelming scent of pepper and the lack of oxygen.

My friends are inside the laundromat and I rush past them, dropping my bag of dirty laundry, eager to wash my eyes out with cold water. Kasey begins to choke and suddenly the entire laundromat is depleted of fresh air and replaced with a thick smog. Everyone in the building runs outside except for Scott, who sits patiently in his seat, staring straight ahead. We know there is a problem when he stands up and calmly walks outside.

"Uhmmm... Jeremy? I dropped my bear spray and the laundromat had to evacuate. What should we do?"

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It's quiet on base and most of the teams are asleep or off base. Sophie has a plan; it's time for a chubs-attack. We load the bunny into the back of Sophie's Subaru and away we drive to Whiskey Basin. Caroline sits in the passenger seat, Sophie is driving, Rachel and I squish in next to Chubster the Bunny. His stench fills the back seat. Hitting every bump in the road, we find our way to the horsepacking van and stuff Chubbs in the back. Hehehehe, we giggle.

From there, we drive out to visit Sophie's staff: Nani, Matt and Scott. We find them hiding from their campers in the van. "There's just something wonderful about seeing your friends in the woods," Rachel says. We give them hugs and drive back to base.

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It's 2:20PM when I walk into Kathy's Koffee. I remember the waitress telling me that they usually close around 3PM, but if it's slow, they close up earlier. Nani is having a rough day, so I order her a drink as well but ask them not to make it until right before closing up so it doesn't melt. After paying for the drinks, I walk upstairs and get lost in my blog, writing about the bear. Soon I realize it is really quiet. Looking at the clock, I realize it is almost 3PM. I shut down my laptop and walk downstairs to find... a dark, empty room. What should I do? Do I walk out the front and leave it unlocked? Should I call Jeremy? As I decide to walk out the front, Kathy pulls up in her truck and sees me.

"Did she leave you up there," she asks. "Didn't you order another drink? I'm on my way to a meeting right now; this is how you make the drink. Go ahead and make it then lock up when you're done."

Only in a small town...

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The campers in our first session are amazing. Each one of them is so unique and inspiring. I enjoy making them put on skits or sing for their supper. One night toward the beginning of the session, I come out with a hatchet in my hand. I begin swinging it around like I know how to use it. "Alright, who came into my kitchen," I try to ask in an angry voice, but a smile is creeping onto my face. "Somebody is about to lose their fingers..." The kids look nervous.

That night, I make grilled cheese. Jeremy insists I throw the grilled cheese through the rafters in the ceiling so the campers can try to catch it.  My first attempt ends with the spatula hitting Jeremy's arm and drawing blood. I'm incredibly hesitant to try again, but Granger and Will insist I continue. I'm having a great time watching the kids dive for sandwiches; sometimes the sandwiches land on their plates, sometimes they land on the floor. Either way, they get eaten. Granger and I spend over 5 minutes with one sandwich, practicing throwing and catching with each other. My last throw of the night goes through all three rafters and lands on Caroline's plate. Epic.

We have so much fun playing with our food that it causes me to laugh. This is the first time the campers have heard my laugh, though I find out their staff have told them about it. "Oh my gosh," they squeal. "She really does laugh like that!!! Make her laugh some more! Keep laughing, Ashlee!" Granger looks and me and says, "It sounds like someone's punching a chihuahua." Oh, the words of a thirteen-year-old.

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I have the afternoon off, so I decide to drive out to Brooks Lake and canoe with the academic groups. I drive up clad in my bright pink one piece, denim Daisy Duke's, Toms and Aviators, which causes Sophie to laugh. "You look like lifeguard Barbie," she exclaims. I look down and discover the entire left side of my leg is covered in mosquitoes. Awesome.

The campers arrive an hour later and Sophie informs them that while in the water, we are pirates and we must talk like pirates. "Let's practice while playing this fun game," she says. I run out to touch the canoe and yell out, "Oy vey!" Everyone starts laughing. "That's not pirate speech," they exclaim. It becomes a joke for the duration of our trip. The campers and staff pair up and I get to share a boat with Josh. We have an absolute blast! I even wrote a song about how great he is at paddling.

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Tucker and Mackenzi had an awesome group of boys. They all made me laugh so hard and I loved the fact that they were always singing and dancing.  Each one of them had such a joy for life and having them help clean dishes was always a highlight because we would talk about music and sports. Elijah was the only person at camp who could imitate my laugh perfectly, sometimes people even thought I was the one laughing. Every time I hear the song "Good Morning" by Chamillionaire, I think of Ryan dancing and singing. Peter was the most adorable thing on the planet; he had a bear named Bobo that he took everywhere with him. Ian had a really genuine heart. Those boys were the only ones who made a point of coming up and hugging me goodbye. I swear Ryan hugged me goodbye 3 or 4 times. I already miss them!

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Granger was the first camper to leave. He and Brandon were taking off at 4AM, so I made them breakfast the night before to take with them. Granger was bundled up in his sleeping bag outside when I dropped the bag of food off. As I walked away, I heard his little voice call through the fabric, "Bye, Ashlee!"

"Bye, Granger! I'm so glad I got to meet you! You're awesome!"

"No, you're awesome," he responded. "You make us all food!"

"Oh, that's nothing! You could do that easily!"

"Not for forty people," he insisted. "Plus you throw it at us!"

I think that grilled cheese flinging really captured his heart.

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The campers are gone, so we take Mackenzi out to celebrate her birthday. At the Rustic, a man with long, blonde hair is singing on stage with two mannequins. Sophie decides to ask him about his band mates and he tells her they are named Lola and Roxanne. He motions toward the drummer and says, "It's really hard to find them in a seated position." We have never laughed so hard.

The margarita shot I bought Mackenzi, which ended up in her eye.

The crew with Roxanne and Lola

By midnight, we are exhausted, so we drive up to Elle's place to stay the night. Nani, Kasey and I snuggle up in bed together. Instead of sleeping, we decide it's a better idea to talk about how tired we are. "This is what my tomagatchi felt like right before it died," Kasey informs us.

The next day, after coffee and breakfast, we go shopping in Jackson. I find a climbing harness I really want to purchase, but my dad is worried about my new passion for climbing. "Tell you what," he texts. "If you give up swimming with sharks, I guess I'd be okay with this new climbing hobby." I read Kaitlin the text as we look through racks of pretty dresses. Spotting an adorable blue and yellow striped dress, I pull it off the rack and begin walking toward the dressing room. My feet stop and pivot back toward the rack of dresses, returning the dress to it's original spot. "I'd rather have the harness," I tell Kaitlin. "I don't own cute clothes because I spend all of my money on gear," she informs me. Makes sense to me.

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Kasey, Kaitlin, Nani, Sophie and I squish in the car and drive to Idaho for the day. As we drive, Kasey makes a comment about my abilities and talents. The girls insist I'm good at everything. "That is so not true," I object. "Name one thing you're not good at," Kasey challenges. Sophie answers for me, "Whistling." We all begin to laugh because it's so true. "One day," Kasey begins. "Your family is going to be hanging from a cliff and the evil villain is going to look at you and say, 'Whistle'."

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On our way back from Idaho, we stop at a gas station and the girls go in to get square ice cream. Yes, square ice cream. That's not normal, right? These two women walk out of the store holding their cones of richly flavored cream in sugar-waffle cones. The blonde looks at her friend and proclaims, "I haven't had square ice cream in so long." Wait, is square ice cream a regular treat in Idaho?

Waking up to the Tetons with lovely Sophie

Our campsite

Kasey having as many potatoes as possible in Idaho

Square ice cream

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The girls and I begin discussing the time Bartholemew the Bear tried to get into the kitchen.

"You're like Snow White," Kaitlin states. "Animals come and try to help you in the kitchen; it's probably while you're singing, too."

"It's the music," I tell her. "It draws them in."

"It changes their very nature," she laughs. "It makes them go from meat eaters to vegetarians who eat trail mix."

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A day with two of my favorite people: Tucker and Nani

 

 

Reeses cupcakes I made for Mackenzi's 21st

Decided to paint

LOOOOOOVE the Tetons