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