Lisa Smith-Batchen: June 2006

Good morning!

Here is a good article on heat training!

I am so thankful that it has been sunny and warm here for several days! Wed. I was able to run all the way down and then back up the pass road at 80% heart rate and 10 min. faster than last week. It is all coming together!

Today I will push and pull my girls durning nap time for 2 hours. Friday Hill repeats, Sat. Hill repeats, Sunday...off!

Have a great day:)

roy pIrRUNg column: If you want to race this summer, don't avoid heat

When high heat appears suddenly, athletes (as well as the general population) suffer, not only from the uncomfortable effect heat places on the body, but in terms of performance as well.

At a recent marathon, the temperature at the start of the race was 82 degrees and would eventually reach 93 degrees.

The normal, average temperature in this particular city for this time of year is 55 degrees, so the heat wave put some participants at risk for heat injury.

Without such heat leading up to the day of the race, those in this area had no experience training in warm conditions and therefore dealing with the unusually warm day.

Nearly half of the marathon runners failed to finish the full 26.2-mile route. Race officials wisely closed the marathon course after 5 hours and 15-minutes, as the medical tent could no longer hold heat-distressed runners.

Heat acclimatization, the term used to describe an eventual adaptation to exercising in extreme heat, takes a period of 7 to 10 days of heat-related training.

Once the first session of training, in what seems to be unbearable heat, is completed, performance will increase rather quickly if training is continued under the same conditions.

Going inside and running on a treadmill to avoid the heat, then going to a race, is a major mistake and could be a serious threat to your health.

Training in heat is the only way to adapt to its effect on your body and performance level.

Research has shown that to fully adapt, it is necessary to exercise for a period of two to four hours daily, for at least 10 days.

The body's reaction to heat, following this acclimatization period, will be retained for a length of two weeks.

This desired training effect can be retained, if the individual remains in good physical condition and continually is exposed to training under warm conditions at least every two weeks.

Heat stresses the body, increasing heart rate and core temperature. In addition, there is a change in sweat content and the rate of sweat loss is inadequate until acclimatization is complete.

After the adaptation to heat is concluded, heart rate should return to its previous, normal exercise level and body temperature will decrease to a level experienced prior to the onset of warmer temperatures.

Sweating will increase, due to the additional secretion capacity the sweat glands have learned to handle, through exposure over the adaptation period.

Increasing the rate of sweat loss is a major factor in cooling the body during exercise.

Other benefits to heat acclimatization include reduction in the metabolic rate and the rate at which blood and muscle lactate accumulates.

Lactate levels will normally increase during exercise sessions that include anaerobic periods, such as the fast-paced running sprinters do. Not being acclimatized will cause this same feeling.

When those who are not adapted to heat try to maintain a pace they feel they have trained to attain, their performance will suffer.

Protection is offered from heat injury and decreased performance levels only following the necessary adaptation process.

The next time you start a race where warm weather will be a factor and you have not had the time to train under those conditions, be sure to decrease your pace and drink plenty of fluids.

Consuming electrolyte replacement drinks or capsules to maintain sodium and potassium levels lost in sweat will also enhance your performance and increase your ability to finish safely

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Johns amazing FIRST Ironman

I pulled into Coeur d'Alene Idaho on Friday afternoon just in time to check in and get my gear ready. That evening there was a large pasta dinner where they were showing films from prior Ironman races. It was incredibly motivating to watch clips of people crawling across the finish line or competing with amputated limbs or listening to stories of the guy who was participating in his 46^th Ironman! It quickly put everything into perspective that in this race it is all about you accomplishing your individual goals, it isn’t about beating anyone else.

Saturday I went for a quick swim in my wetsuit (I had never used it before so I thought it was a good idea to feel what that was like) and then did a quick jog before indulging in pancakes for breakfast. That morning was gear check-in where you drop off your clothes/gear for the transitions and your bike. After that Kelly and I drove the bike course so I could understand what I was in for. That was a good thing to do as it put some fear into me as we drove what seemed to be a never ending route of uphill climbs. Dinner at the Olive Garden and early to bed finished the day.

Saturday I woke up at 4:40am and started eating pasta, peanut butter sandwiches and Gatorade to hydrate. It was expected to be 95-100 degrees (which was accurate) so I knew it would be important to stay well hydrated. At the race site they write your race numbers on you with permanent marker first and then I did some last minute organizing of my gear, threw on my wetsuit and it was time to go.

7am: It was a mass start meaning 2700 people all run into the water at once. I am not a particularly good swimmer and so I tried to stay on the outside and wait 15 seconds for the rush of people to go by. It just didn’t matter. It was total chaos and I really thought my race was going to end just a few minutes in as people are swimming over you and pulling your legs under water and kicking you (not on purpose, but there just isn’t enough room for everyone). At one point even my hand was in someone else’s mouth. I felt like I was going to drown and so I stopped to doggie paddle even further to the outside and to try to relax and catch my breath. Finally I was able to get so far out there were no other swimmers to deal with. The course was two laps of a long rectangle (2.4 miles total). After my near death experience I thought there was no way I’d be able to hit my 1 hour 30 minute target. However, I just got into a rhythm and focused on technique and completing each segment of the rectangle. Luckily the day before I overheard someone say something prescient, “it’s just an hour or so of a very long day.” This thought helped me keep going and put things in perspective. As it turned out I swam much faster than I expected and exited the water in 1 hour and 13 minutes, 17 minutes faster than I expected which put me in 959^th place (out of about 2700 participants).

From the swim I ran up from the beach to a bunch of volunteers who help you pull off your wetsuit. I was wearing my bike shorts and shirt already underneath my wetsuit so I could save time from having to change. I threw on my bike shoes, helmet, drank an Ensure and ran off to grab my bike. Luckily biking is my strength (that’s good because you’re guaranteed to be on it for at least 5-6 hours). The bike course was two, fifty-six mile loops, each with four major climbs on the way out and a steady uphill on the way back. I just focused on maintaining a physical output level that was just below the level where I’d start to overdue it – probably at that point between aerobic and anaerobic. The strategy all day was to ignore other riders and just go at a pace that I thought my body could sustain for all 112 miles. This and eat and drink as much as I could. Food for the bike and the run was mostly cliffshots, power bars and endurolytes. On the bike it was possible to eat probably 200 calories/hour on avg. During the run that dropped to maybe 100 as my stomach was done with food by that point. On the bike the hills were hot and the uphill on the way back was against the wind the whole way. However, I think this played into my strength though given my training in the mountains (for the hills and for my red blood cell count) and my natural strength in flattish grades. Except for the climbs I was in my aero bars the entire time (yes, my back hurt by the end among other body parts). I was able to pass 673 people on the bike, finishing in 286^th place with a total time of 5:31 (20.3 mph) on the bike. This is something I am proud of as the time beat all but 8 pros (out of the 20 pro-females who raced) and was only about 15 minutes off the pace of the top male riders.

The transition to the run went smoothly as I just had to change shoes and grab some more food. The course was two flattish loops with only two manageable hills each loop. The challenge at this point is consuming calories (it’s hard enough to eat anytime you run, but it is even harder to put anything in your stomach after you’ve been feeding it energy bars/pills for seven hours already) to sustain your physical strength. I did the best I could, especially with the heat in the mid to upper 90s at this point. My strategy was to pick a spot and run to it without stopping and then pick the next spot to run to. I would also imagine I was back in Denver and break the course down in my mind into short runs that I did throughout training. I tried to drink a glass of water (or Gatorade) every mile at the aid stations, and ended up not eating for the second half of the marathon. I also would fill my hat up with ice cubes which would melt and evaporate in a few minutes – but this technique really helped keep me cool. The heat really started to get to people as I was not setting any pace records, but was still able to pass another 71 people. I ended up completing the run in 4 hours and 15 minutes, about 15 minutes slower than I wanted.

Physically I am lucky as I felt good (relative term) the entire race. My back ached and my feet hurt on the bike, I got a blister on the run and my stomach ached for the last two hours, but that was all. I saw a lot of people throwing up, pulling muscles, a couple bike crashes, bonking, etc, but I generally felt as good as you can hope to (thanks Lisa for the great training schedule!). My total time was 11 hours and 12 minutes (an hour better than I thought I could do) which put me in 215^th place, or the top 7.9% of all participants.

Let me tell you about this guy! he not only trained for his first Ironman he is also training to run the 150 mile Atacama desert race next month and on top of this getting married in the middle of it all.
John did very little swimming due to his focus on his running. 1 hour faster than we thought he was going to do on a very hot day in Idaho. Jim your talent, focus and dedication to everything you have going in your life really shows.
Rest up kid and enjoy your bachelor parties!

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Jim shares his WS 100 race report!

Hi kids!

This was Jims first 100 miler!

Jim way to go on a very hot, hard day.

Lisa

What a great run! I feel so good about it. Even though it was my first 100, and being Western States, and it was hot, and they had the lowest completion rate in 10 years (55%?), I just had a smooth run. 26:50 and felt like I could have run 20 more (but oh so glad I didn't have to :) ).

Dreams of running under 24 were basically left at the starting gate due to both the expected high temps and snow at the higher elevations. I tried to push it a little during the first few hours to take advantage of the cooler temps. The course was gorgeous, as we ran in and out of snow. I tried to follow our game plan heart rates and not look at the clock. The high noon climb into Robinson Flat (29.7) was the hardest of the day. Direct sun, and a 1300' climb up to around 7000' was a real bear. I had a planned shoe change at Robinson, that was well timed as my feet were looking like they had be wet for 6 hours - not pretty. From miles 38 to 43, and I found myself feeling very lethargic and walking too much. So I took a 10 minute nap at Last Chance - just what I needed! It was 4 pm, and I was surprised to find out I was right on the 30 hr. pace (I hadn't been checking the signs), but I felt great and started running more. From here to the end of the run I continually made up time against the 30 hour pace - I actually only lost 50 minutes against the 24 hr. pace over the last 57 miles. (A couple of other Last Chance notes: they had popsicles!, and 100 yds. down the trail I realized I had left my hat in the ice water bucket and had to retrieve it. OOPs!)

Our hydration and fueling plan worked well. I was 2 pounds heavier than my "base weight" at the first couple of Medical Checks, got to 6 pounds over at one point (Med staff got a little concerned but I was peeing, eating, and generally feeling fine), and held steady at 4-5 pounds over for the rest of the run.

The canyons were in the shade by the time I got there. I didn't match my speed of my training run, but I made steady progress and didn't have to stop once. Coming into Michigan Bluff I was smiling and taking pictures of the great welcoming committee. Tom, my pacer, met me there and said I looked better than 90% of the other runners he saw. I picked him up for real at Foresthill - also saw my wife and child, 29 minutes (way too long) - and I lead us down the California Street portion of the trail. I'm not sure if anyone passed us here, we passed quite a few, and we made it down to the river (16 miles) 10 mins. faster than the 24 hr. pace. I was worrying that I was going too fast, but it felt good, and of course it's fun to run downhill. The river had to be crossed by a raft (way too much water to hold back this year), so even though we may have waited a minute or two, our shoes were dry so we didn't have to change them on the other side. The volunteers were great here and throughout the race.

Tom did a great job pacing me. While I thought I'd probably want to set the pace and lead most of the way, I actually liked Tom in front. Where I might start walking on a small hill, he wouldn't, and I found myself keeping up with him. There were a couple of slight hills that asked him to walk, but in general it worked real well with him pushing the minimum pace and I would go faster when so inclined. Over the last 6 hours, we only lost 16 minutes to the 24 hr. pace - and I didn't feel like we were pushing it!

The top highlight came at the end when soon after entering the track I heard my son's voice crying "Daddy" as he came running across the field. He joined Tom and I for the final 200 yds. and the 3 of us crossed the finish line together. It just doesn't get much better than that! A dream fulfilled.

I know I've said it before, but it's worth repeating - thank you for your commitment and caring about my cause. So many things you had me do worked. Thank you!

Jim

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Mike Ehredt kicks butt!

Mike ran the San Juan Solstice 50 mile race with a new PR of 11:31. He was 21 minutes faster than last year and was 23rd overall!

Mike you rock!

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Tour de France!

Hi gang,

I have a client Perry who is going to France on July 6th to ride in a leg of the Tour! He has been training like a mad man for several months now and he is ready!

This will be his first ride of this kind and would love all the support you have to give.

Below is the information and the course. Makes my close to 300 miles look easy.

Perry it has been a joy coaching you and getting you ready for this amazing ride of your life! We will all pray the wind is at your back and know that God and the rest of us are at your side!

Lisa

I leave on July 6th for France. The ride is on July 10th. I could use all the prayers I can get!!A full overview of the ride is at:
http://rapha.screen-play.net/index.php?page=183

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

1st Story

Hi All,

Below is the link to the first story about my journey in July!

The writer does such a great job and Jay took an awesome photo!

Hope your day is going wonderful

Lisa

Go to www.xtri.com .

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Jay and crew at WS 100 finish line!

Here is our Jay with his awesome crew at his first trail 100!
Sean, George, Jay:), Stephen and Brin.

Thank you all for helping Jays dream come true.

Lisa

Monday, June 26, 2006

what a weekend!!!

Hi guys and gals!

What a weekend! The race results are still coming in but I will share many with you now.

Local Training
I am not sore at all with 10 hours of hill climbing. Nattu, Pam Reed and myself were on the Teton Pass on Sat.. 10% grade for over 5 miles! I was able to PW up the pass while Pam ran and Nattu was just on our tail. I am ready to go..what a joyful weekend!

Ironman Idaho!
Keith Fleischman: doing his first Ironman in 15:23:17!!! Keith just learned how to swim over the winter and has not even done any short triathlons leading up to this. Way to go:):)

John Eisinger: Pulled off an 11:12:09!! This is just amazing considering we did not do much IM training:) John is running Atacama 150 in a few weeks...Nice:)

In the US...
Beth Katzman: she was to do an Olympic distance Tri in NJ but the weather was so bad that the swim was canceled and the race was turned into a duathlon! Beth nice job on turning it around and doing such a great job at this race..3:13:24

Amy Vignaroli: Ran the Jackson Hole half marathon for a training run, it was really the first day we had any heat! Nice training run Amy!!! 1:56:43:15

In Canada...
Barb Owen: Barb kicks butt in her first 100 mile race in Canada! Barb came to our DV training camp to learn all she needed to and read her results!!! I am happy to report that I won the Eagle 100 mile. Not just the women's but the whole thing. The heat was atrocious with temp between 34 to 39. But I was able to climb in the river a couple of times and stuck with my plan. I was in the lead after 75 miles and picked it up at the end. I wanted to go sub 24 but ended up 24:01 but I helped a girl with sever heat cramps and stayed with her for 20 minutes until help came so I am not sad about missing my time goal. We had 14 starters and 6 finishers. I could not have done it with out my crew Jessica and my pacer Steve. They were awesome. I'm not too sore today so I don't think I did too much muscle damage.BARB...WAY TO GO GIRL AND WAY TO HELP OUT ANOTHER RUNNER IN NEED!

And finally Western States!!!
Western States 100 was more than difficult this year. Read the bottom of this post for some accounts from eyewitnesses.
Dreamchasers is happy to say that we were successful at Western States this year and after hearing so many stories and reading so many emails about the race we are even more pleased with the results. 189 WS entrants had to DNF, over half the field.

Jay Batchen!!! 25:22:48!! His first trail 100, 63rd overall. Jay had some real troubles he worked through the first half of the race and then he started to feel better on the 2nd half. George, Sean and Stephen the Batchen family thank you so very much for taking care of our man! Thanks to so many of you for the emails about Jay and his accomplishment, they mean a great deal.

Jim Hildreth: runs his first 100 mile race and comes in with a 26:50:06. Jim it has been a real joy coaching you for this race and watching you shine

Olga Varlamova: 28:25:05. Olga had many issues to deal with and work through but she did and she got herself to the finish line when most would not have been able to. The mental power of this woman is greater than most that I have been witness to.

We are so proud of all of you. 1st or last, give it your best shot and at the end of the day know you did your very best and this is all you can do.

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Western States This Year - Reports from Eye Witnesses

Here are some emails from the medical staff that were sent to the Ultra List. Thanks for sharing what the course was like to those of us who couldn't be there:

Working at MB aid yesterday was an emotional endurance event. Many of the runners who came through looked shockingly ghastly and beat-up, and it was awful to see them through the aid station in the extreme heat with so many miles still ahead of them. Having never experienced a major natural disaster or been in combat, I have never before witnessed so much physical suffering in one place, nor have I seen so many men weep. Of all the runners I had hoped to cheer along personally (I had an index card with bib numbers in my pocket), only two of them even made it to MB, and one was so ill that I cried to see him. There were a few runners who came through looking strong and upbeat, but we did not see too many smiles out there.Anyone who ran yesterday deserves decorations for bravery, toughness and athleticism, regardless of whether or when s/he dropped. For those who finished, it must feel like the achievement of a lifetime. Congratulations to ALL of you, and heartfelt admiration.

Seeing the faces of the many crew, pacers and especially family members who waited at MB throughout the day was sobering and sad, and gave me new perspective on what our loved ones experience in supporting us. This was anunanticipated enlightenment for me. These folks went through their own hell as they watched and worried for their runners, many of whom never arrived. The tension and fear they were experiencing was palpable, and when a runner did come through in bad shape, as so many did, his family was often even more worried after he left the aid station. I saw moms and dads, husbands, wives and kids all looking sick and shell-shocked when their runners had gone on. Some tended their disabled runners in the medical area for long periods of time, and that was really rough to see. My heart went out to all of them, and after witnessing their distress over the safety of their loved ones, I couldn't help re-thinking my attitude toward my own family's concern for me on long running adventures. I will likely not dismiss their worries as off-handedly in future, and when I consider whether or not to do an event, the potential stress for my family will be more real to me and will carry more impact than it did before.Again, congrats and kudos to all of you WSER heroes yesterday!

Sincerely, Lisa W.

I just got home from working the Devils Thumb aid station all day. And what a day it was. It was very hot at the Thumb, and we were in the shade. It is an unbelievably hard year for the runners. Because of the heat, most runners' electrolytes are/were whacked. The course is A LOT HARDER than it has been in the last four years, because of the return to Duncan Canyon. As John Medinger mentioned earlier in the week, the section from Red Star Ridge to Duncan Canyon has become extremely rocky and strewn with pine cones. Combine that with a lot of snow left up in the high country, and you start to get a feel for what they had to contend with just in the early sections of the course. By the time they hit the climb up Devils Thumb, the heat was oppressive to say the least (the high temp in Auburn today was 100 degrees). As the webcast shows, we had a HUGE number of drops at Devils Thumb. Many dropped because they were just too sick to continue, and just as many missed the cutoff. It was very hard watching all the runners come in near the cutoff with problems, and trying to get them on their way before the time ran out. However, I have looked on the website at some of the runners I knew personally, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had made time up on the absolute cutoff by the time they got to Michigan Bluff.

Kathy Welch
Auburn, CA

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Congratulations Andy Boyd - Big Horn 100 Miler!

Hello,

A belated CONGRATULATIONS to Andy Boyd on completing the Big Horn 100 Miler in grand style! We were lucky enough to see Andy on his journey home from the race. As you can see from this photo, his recovery was going very well, including an ice bath for his feet.

I am very proud of Andy - way to go!!!

Happy Feet!

A Race Tee-Shirt to Remember!

Hello,

My dear friend Marie is the race director for a wonderful race: the Bishop High Sierra Ultramarathons (http://www.bhs50.com). Thought everyone would get a good laugh by having a look at the back of the tee-shirts given at this year's race.

--Lisa

Friday, June 23, 2006

Last one for the day!

This one came to me from my sweetie Jay, it is very fitting right now! Jay is getting his drop bags ready as I write this for his first trail 100 at Western States.

Train hard, play hard but most of all keep it fun and surround yourself with people who believe in what you are doing and visa versa!

Lisa

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt

another one

Another quote that just came in, maybe these will all help us this weekend!

Lisa

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.

Henry Ward Beecher

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

3 great quotes

Below are 3 really good quotes sent to me from the same person! The list of quotes I have been getting is great, keep them coming!

Western States starts on Sat. morning and Ironman Idaho starts on Sunday morning. It's an action packed weekend.

My weekend is shaping up to be action packed as well. 33 days until we stand at the starting line of Badwater!
3 more hard weeks of training and then its time to rest. My main training has been power walking and my walking is getting faster each day. The time that I have putting in on my feet is much more time than I have ever done in the past for any race. This is the first time my focus has been on walking. I feel if I can run some and power walk (PW) at 4-5pmh up the long climbs I will be in great shape. Even 4 miles per hour for 135 miles is great, do the math of what your finish time would be:)

Looks like we have several local people that are going to join us to train this weekend along with Nattu who is running BW for the first time and Pam Reed. Sat. we are going to go up and down the Teton pass from the Wilson side as many times as we can in 8 hours. Start time is 9am.

Sat. we are going to go up and down Ski Hill road from the bottom and up to Targhee as many times as we can in 7 hours. Start time is 9am.

The goal for the weekend is PW up and run/walk down trying to keep the pace between 4.5 and 5 mph.

It is looking to be sunny and warmer, summer is here..Thank you God!

Have a great day
Lisa

QUOTES

"Without difficulties life would be like a stream without rocks or curves"
--Tao of Pooh

"To try is to live; not to try is to die. That is the real essence of life; the doing of something, irrespective of success or failure."
-- Mark Long

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
--Aristotle

Thursday, June 22, 2006

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

If you all don't know who Dan Millman is you might want to think about not only reading his books but going to see the movie that is now out. I have read all of Dan's books and I'm reading them again right now.

His letter below is something for us all to learn from and think about. He has given the ok for me to share it with you.

Have a great day

Lisa

From Dan Millman

Don't know if I'd mentioned this, but as my 60th birthday drew near, early this year, I decided to finally learn to ride a unicycle.

A friend loaned me one (until I got my own) and he suggested I practice on the local park's tennis court so I could get a "death grip" on the chain link fence as I attempted to pedal myself around the perimeter. It was quite an adventure in learning -- felt impossible for the first few days. I didn't have a clue how to stay atop the one wheel, and my "rides" lasted about 2 seconds. In fact, near the end of the first week, one of several women who jogged by each morning, seeing my struggles, called out good-naturedly, "You should really quit that, you know." I answered, "I do quit... every single morning..." By the end of the 2nd week, I actually pedaled without the fence for three pedals before falling, then six pedals, then ten, and then twenty. By the 3rd week I was able to ride around the entire court. Once again, reminding myself that everything is difficult until it becomes easy. Well, not exactly easy yet, but I couldn't ride and now I can. Really a satisfying feeling. I share this story with you because it seems to be a metaphor for anything new we try to learn -- a language, a physical skill, adapting to a new job or circumstance. If you face one of these changes or challenges, think of me, white-knuckled, gripping that chain link fence, wondering and doubting . . . and pedaling away.

It's been quite an exciting time of late, with the opening of "Peaceful Warrior," the movie -- on the west coast, from Seattle down to Phoenix. As with the book when it first came out, some critics love it; some do not -- but audiences are loving the film. I can't wait for you to see it! This uplifting movie's fate will be determined by your enthusiasm, heart, and word of mouth. On June 23 - and again on July 14 - it will open in more and more cities across America and Canada - and after that, overseas. I'll keep you posted. For now, you can check upcoming theater listings (updated weekly) through our home page: http://www.peacefulwarrior.com/ - click on • movie site • trailer • theater listings

Poetic irony: Most of you know if you read WPW that years ago I broke my right leg in a motorcycle crash. Well, a few days ago, I was racing down a hill and around a corner much too fast (is there a lesson here, Dan?) and took the turn wide, saw a car coming, had to lay the bicycle down at high speed, and -- broke my right leg in three places -- on the same morning "Peaceful Warrior" opened. So my appearances were on crutches. Joy keeps telling me I should act my age or at least slow down a bit. I think they call it "Boomeritis." And the lessons keep coming ... With that, I'll close with a few recent thoughts I wrote down

-- On Empowerment: I teach an approach to living with a peaceful heart and a warrior spirit. So it seems natural and appropriate to offer up a few words about the idea of empowerment. Some of us feel powerful at times because others give us permission or because we are bigger, stronger, or have expertise or authority in a given place or circumstance. So we are empowered in that moment, that situation. But the most courageous among us do not wait for others to grant us power; rather, we take it, and fake it 'til we make it. We are willing to play the role of an empowered individual, one with a purpose, a direction, a centered, calm clarity. Those who bluster and raise their voice or bully do so from a felt lack of power or control. But the ultimate control is self-control, personal power, the will to remain calm - to breathe and relax the body -in the center of the cyclone; to behave with kindness and compassion even as storms rage within the mind and heart. We are all peaceful warriors in training. And each of us is empowered the moment we claim it, act it, live it. So whatever thought-storms or emotional weather fronts may pass through our body, awareness, or lives—let's practice the way by standing up inside of ourselves and bringing our power into the world for the common good.

With warm wishes to you all, Dan

P.S. If you haven't dropped by the website for a while, do drop in to see our new features, links, etc. Some message boards and other cool stuff at the movie sites you can reach through our home page... http://www.peacefulwarrior.com/

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Chris race

Hi to all!
I have had so many emails sent to me this week asking how Chris did in his race. The letter below is a letter that Chris wrote to me. With his permission I now share it with all of you.
What a beautiful tribute from Chris about his year of hard work, the race and how he is dealing with the outcome. I tell you, when the going gets hard for me in July and I know it will, I will draw on this letter and the spirit behind Chris.
Chris, thank you for sharing!
Love you
Lisa

Hey Lisa,

Well, I wish I had better news about the race. Of the five days that I was gone, four of them had beautiful racing weather up in Duluth. Then there was race day. Hot, humid, and sunny. I heard it got up around 86 degrees, and it felt at least that warm! When I woke up on race day I took note of the weather change but I was so confident and felt so good about my training that I wasn't that worried about it. I decided I'd take it a bit easier at the start to make sure I could run the second half really well. After the bus ride to the start I ended up having a wonderful time conversation with one of the elite women that got me in such a positive mindset! One of her strategies for staying relaxed during the race is to smile every time she feels as though she's slowing down or tightening up and it just does wonders!

I jogged for less than five minutes before the start because it was so warm and sticky, I figured I was going to need all of the water and energy I had to pull me through the race. The gun went off and away we went. I spent the first mile talking with a friend and enjoying the day. He dropped back at that point and I joined in with a group of guys that were all looking to run about where I was. That lasted until about mile 5 when our group split up a bit. At that point I started slowing down a bit as the sun broke through the fog and by 10k I was in pretty big trouble. There were a few rough miles there as I was trying to stay in the race and I made a short comeback in the ninth mile. That was short lived though as my legs completely shut down from the heat and humidity and the rest of the race was a battle to finish. One of the guys I ran with for the first five miles that had then taken off fell back and we ran together again between 10 and 15. At that point he stopped and waited to help a girl he knew behind us with her race. At the halfway point this guy I had been chatting with before the start came up and was pointing to the crowd of people gathering at the drop out point. He kept encouraging the guys around us to stay tough and finish as the rest of the field was dropping like flies. I haven't checked out how he placed yet but I'm sure it went quite well for him and he certainly helped me get to the finish.

The miles got progressively slower and more and more people were passing me all the time, but nobody seemed to be having a very good day. I was pushing as hard as I felt I could and still get across the line. It was such a strange feeling that my legs were never really in any pain, I was breathing normally, and mentally I was as normal as I ever get. I just couldn't run! It got harder and harder to pick my feet up and no matter how hard I tried it was like trying to drag a herd of buffalo that were opposed to the notion of moving. It wasn't happening. I tried smiling, and smiled as much as I could as the race went on. It helped, but it wasn't quite enough. My friend from the start came flying by me at mile 23 and I yelled so loud for her! I looked for her afterward but didn't find out out how she did until the next morning. On the back page of the Duluth paper was a picture of her crawling on her hands and knees across the finish line! At some point in the last couple miles her legs gave out on her completely and she collapsed. But she still qualified for the Olympic Trials by a few seconds! I was so happy for her!

Overall it was a really hard day for me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Coming to the end of a full year of training and two marathons with very little to show for it was pretty devastating. I came up to the race last year to watch some friends compete and started my serious post-collegiate training that weekend in the hills of Duluth. I turned around at the finish and looked up the long hill that I had charged up a year ago thinking about great marathons to come. It sure felt different this weekend. But that's really the beauty of racing, as much as it hurts. We run these things to see what happens on a particular day, come what may. It was disappointing and right now it feels like a wasted opportunity. But there are more races to come and I did finish, which is a rare statement among the rest of the elite field. Much like Twin Cities last fall which had maginally better weather, the majority of the elite runners dropped out and it became a race of attrition.

There were some wonderful things that came out of the race for some friends though! One friend was the top american male and made the B standard for the Trials. My former college teammate who I stayed with the night before the race won the 1/2 marathon beating some very strong competitors including the guy who has won that race for 6 years. Another friend of my one of my current roommates was the 3rd woman in the 1/2! Another teammate and training partner of mine who couldn't decide before the race whether he should run it as his training had been going poorly ended up running his fastest marathon ever! One local woman who has been trying to run a Trials qualifier for three years finally made it. And one other guy that I've been racing on opposite teams with in high school, college, and now on the MN team circuit had a great race and huge PR as well. And I'm sure that there were plenty of other good races out there, but they did seem to be the exception rather than the rule on Saturday.

I'm going to give things a week or two before I figure out what the plan is for my next fast marathon. I am still planning on coming out to run your race in the Tetons! I'm pretty sure that I'll just do the marathon but I'm very excited about getting back out there! In a few days I'm also going to start going back through my training logs and see what I can learn from this race, but I am still as convinced as I was before the race that everything I did for the last six months was as close to perfect as I could ever expect it to be. So while I want to try to find something to take away from the race for next time, at this point all I'm coming up with is that even the best preparation for that kind of a race can fall short. As always though, the volunteers, the spectators, and the other athletes were just wonderful all weekend! Another day, another race. Thanks so much for all of your positive encouragement, it made such a difference! When it became clear that each reason I had for starting the race was out the window was when the race became especially difficult. But every time I wanted to ease up or walk or drop out I asked myself what you would do in that situation. So I finished. And it hurt. But I smiled. And next time it will be better! Heck, if you can run across Death Valley a time or two, I better stop whining about a rinky dink little marathon right? :) So, that's that. Hope you had a better weekend than I did! Hope the training is going well, say hello to Jay and the kids for me!

Chris

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

A wonderful cause to support!

Hi All,

One of our good friends and coaching client is running the Atacama Desert Crossings and read below what he is doing it for!

Have a great day

Lisa

Atacama Desert Crossing

Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter

Donation Support Form

As I mentioned I will be competing in the 2006 Atacama Desert Crossing in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chili. This is a 150 mile, 7 day ultra marathon across the Atacama Desert. One reason for this competition is to raise money for needy charities. I have raised money for several organizations in the past, however, I feel that this is the most important and worthwhile cause I have ever been privileged to be a part of. I have chosen to raise money for a local organization, The Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter. All the money raised for this nonprofit organization will go to a victim assistance fund to help victim’s of domestic violence and abuse. Harbor House has been in existence for over 25 years, and the need for our unique services continues to grow. Unfortunately because of budget cuts and shifting governmental priorities, Harbor House funding has not increased proportionately. Also, the need for services, unfortunately has not decreased along with the funding. In FY 2005- there was a 122% increase in request for services .This has resulted in a number of clients being referred to other agencies, usually far away from their home towns. In FY 2005 53 families, including 77 children, were referred due to lack of funding and service availability. So far this year 57 families, including 82 children have been referred due to lack of services.

In order to expand our services to meet the needs of our community, we are asking for your pledge dollars. Not only will your involvement sustain my efforts to complete this race, (and believe me- it helps tremendously) but your generous donation will also aid survivors of domestic violence in their own journey.

Some people have asked me why this cause is important to me. Basically, because this hits very close to home. Growing up in a violent and abusive home in the 50’s and 60’s there were no agencies that could help and as the choices for us were very limited, my mother could leave and raise 7 children alone in a culture which was less supportive than today’s world, or stay and hope for the best. I believe today that nobody who is in this situation should be limited to those choices.

For more information concerning Harbor House and the services provided go to http://harborhousedv.org . For more information on the Race go to www.RacingThePlanet.com and click on the Atacama Desert link. For more information about this fund raising event you can contact me at jimdoc21@hotmail.com

I am asking that you help support me in my efforts to complete this race and reach my goal of raising $10,000.00 for this worthwhile organization.

Do not give any money at this time. This is simply a pledge form. All I ask is that you indicate the level of support you are comfortable with and the Harbor House staff will contact you in the near future to collect your tax deductible donation. If you have any further questions about Harbor House or the race you can contact me at jimdoc21@hotmail.com. Alternately, you can mail your tax deductible contribution directly to Harbor House at :

Harbor House

P.O. Box 1824

Kankakee Illinois 60901

I wish to thank you in advance for your support, both of my challenge and in helping this great organization.

Corporate: $1000.00

Platinum: $500.00

Gold: $250.00

Silver: $100.00

Bronze: $50.00

Other: _________________ (please indicate amount)

Name:______________________________ Phone number:____________________

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Staying in the present!

Below is an email from a client/friend. I think this is such a great place to have come to with understanding of the why we go through many emotions that we do.

I just love what he says!!

You know what's interesting- I've been reading a lot of Buddist literature and books lastely- it talks alot about staying present, ficused, here and now, positive etc. I notice when I run if I stay focused on the step I'm taking at the moment- not the last or the next one- and if I keep a positrive attitude my energy level increases- now tis isn't that surprising- but-

I also notice- if I start to think about resentments I have or people I don't like in a negative way- I actually start to get weaker- and if I than re-focus on something positrive- or reframe the resentment to understanding I immediatly begin to feel stronger

On another note, Dreamchasers has 2 athletes doing Ironman Idaho this weekend. Keith and John, we will be thinking about you. Eat, drink and stay on race plan!

Have a great day

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Marshall Ulrich on summit of Kilimanjaro!

Greetings all!

I just spoke with Marshall Ulrich from Tanzania, Africa and he reported the successful summit of Kilimanjaro, The Roof of Africa at 19,340 feet, on July 19, 2006 for members of his group Stray Dogs Adventure Travel with a Purpose. All members of the group have descended off the mountain and are safely (and happily) back in the hotel in Moshi.

Those who reached the summit include:

* MARSHALL ULRICH, 54, Idaho Springs, CO (St. Mary's area) - leader of the Stray Dogs Adventure Travel group

* RODGER KAUFHOLD, 67, Idaho Springs, CO - part time resident at Saint Mary's

* JO ANN BEINE, 50, Denver, CO - an accomplished ultrarunner

* MICK DONOFF, age unknown, of California - part time CO resident and longtime supporter of the Leadville Trail 100

Other members of the group, Jane Jontz and Sharon Donoff, climbed to the high camp (Barafu) but chose not to make the summit attempt. Jane was having some stomach troubles while Sharon had reached her goal of climbing to the high camp. They waited at camp Barafu for the rest of the team to summit, then descended with Marshall, Roger, Jo Ann, and Mick after their successful summits.

The mission of Stray Dogs Adventure Travel is to provide financial support to the Religious Teachers Filippini, a group of Sisters that promote the dignity of women and children by providing an education. We provide this support by donating the profits from adventure travel packages organized for active, generous, and charitable people like you! For more information go to www.marshallulrich.com/adventure.html.

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Go daddy go!

This is my sweetie Jay, getting ready to run his first trail 100 this weekend at the Western States 100!

Go daddy go!

Best to all of you running the WS this weekend.

Go Jim and go Olga, I will be with you every step of the way..

Thanks to the wonderful crew that Jay will have with him.

Lisa

One of my favorite quotes

Good morning!

Sunny and beautiful here today and they say it will stay this way for the next week!

I think this quote is great for all of us and for anything is life

Sorry I have no idea who wrote it.

"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations except in your mind. Do not think you cannot. Think you can."

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Many Blessings

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Lifewave call you might want to hear!

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to inform and remind some of you about my call with Lifewave tomorrow evening, Tuesday June 20, 2006

at 9:30 PM ET regarding my experience with the Lifewave patches. I am confident that if you try this technology

and work with it you will also find the benefits to be as wonderful as I did. No Drugs, No Chemicals! Feel free to contact

Bill Wardell with any questions about the call or the product.

Call # 641-793-7500 code 741223#.

Bill's contact # 607-754-8117 or email: imprint@promote4growth.com

I hope you can all make the call!

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

my weekend

Happy Monday to all of you!

Great thunder storm here this morning:)

I'm still waiting for many of Dreamchasers race results from the weekend but here are a few!

Toland and Alex ran the Mohican 100 together. It was very hot and humid and I guess over half the field did not get to the finish line. 29 hours! Great job guys and great job to Cole and Megan who helped pace them and to Julie who helped crew. I have to say that Toland was a couch potato just 6 months ago. He went from NO running and being over weight to a 3:59 marathon and then 1 month later running is first 100 mile! Tough, very impressive.

Andy Boyd who is my oldest client just ran 33 hours at Big Horn 100! Andy is on his way to our house right now where he will stay tonight. I look so forward to hearing all about this race!

More to come!

On a personal side I had some very emotional but great learning experiences on a professional side this weekend. I learned a great deal about how and how not to mix business and friendships and that maybe you cant have it both ways. I bet you have all been down this road before?

Thanks to so many of you who have sent me songs, quotes and workouts. Keep them coming!

I have to say my favorite right now is this one: "Sometimes silence is the best answer". This one hit right at home this weekend and will be what I draw on while in Death Valley in July. Being silent and drawing into your own inner self and being one with yourself and staying focused on goodness.Thank you Jim for sharing this one with me and now all of us.

Friday I set out to do 10 hills, I was able to get in 8 of them. I ran out of time. I felt so strong and was able to run and walk the last one. Cole this is the hill I took you up! After the 8th one I still felt like I could go all day..wow

Sat. I pulled the tire only walking with Colleen, it was a great walk. Thanks Colleen

Sun. The best day so far. Happy Fathers day! We had an awesome day as a family. Breakfast together. Then Jay cut the grass and I played soccer with Annabella. This kid at 3 years old can throw the ball with 2 hand over her head right into the goal as well as kick it with both feet. Next we rode her bike up and down the street.

The baby was in her swing on the front porch getting to watch us all:)

Jays fathers day gift was a 1.5 hour massage at Grand Targhee Resort. I had a great idea! Jay can drop me and the girls at the bottom of the hill and I can push and pull them to the top. I had an idea that this would be hard but no idea it would be as hard as it really was:)

I have to say, hands down the hardest 2 hours to date but the most powerful I felt. My girls both slept all the way. The last 10 min. of the pull up Annabella woke up and said..were almost there mama, you did it, you did it.

She must have heard me talking to myself saying..you can do it, you can do it.

Jay drove up and back a few times to check on us and got some great photos. It was sunny and beautiful.

I felt so satisfied with this workout, enough that I will take today off:)

The kids went swimming in the pool and then we came home and had a great family dinner and snuggle buggle time in bed with the girls. What a perfect day.

I hope yours was just as good

Lisa

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Happy Fathers Day

Hi All,

The site below is more than beautiful, it was sent to me from my older brother Mike.

Happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers!

I have to say that I am so thankful for my father and for my parents. I am thankful that I still have both parents to be able to lean on and call my friends. I know so many who has lost parents and this makes me even more thankful.

My husband Jay is such an amazing father. To watch him learn and grow into the son, husband and father he is today has been one of the greatest gifts God has ever given to me. Jay is so much better than I ever even dreamed he would be.

Have a great day

Lisa

http://parentswish.com/

please turn on speakers

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Lifewave call: It is going to happen!

Hi All,

If you were going to listen in tonight on the call about the Lifewave Patch we are sorry that it did not happen.

There was an emergency with the interviewer so the call never happened and then the moderators could not get through.

So, now if you were going to have to miss tonights call you have another chance next Tue. night and you have more time to share this with your friends! You know me, this happened for a reason!

Great stuff! I am on my way out the door to do 10x my favorite hill, we call is Barbs Hill because Barb Lindquist lives near and runs it all the time! The hill is 2 miles up and gets to about 8% grade. Wish me luck!

Have a wonderful day. Below is a note from the wonderful man that turned me onto Lifewave!

Lisa

First I would apologize to each and everyone who set aside time to listen

in. I know I have really looked forward to this call for about a month. We have something very valuable that needs to be shared with everyone, everywhere! We shared with no one tonight because of a technical glitch in the call programming.

We could all hear the music but the moderators and speaker couldn't get
through to open the call.

The call has been resceduled for Tuesday Night 6/20/06 at 9:30 PM ET-
641-793-7500 741223#.

Looking forward to hearing Lisa's story as I'm sure the rest of you are.
Hope you can all make it.

Best Regards,
Bill Wardell

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Thursday, June 15, 2006

keep them coming!

Below is another one!

I have a great idea..why dont you all send your favorite quote, favorite song to run to and your favorite workout.

I can then post them all so we can have many to pick from!

Lisa

What I remember seeing is "Pain is temporary, quitting is forever" but I don't know who said it.

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

quote!

Love this!!!!

When your legs begin to feel heavy just remember that 'Pain is temporary Glory is forever'.

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

May God Bless you a perfect race

Hi all,

What a training day it was for me this morning. Started out in the thunder and lightening all dressed my GORTEX! You got it...cold here today, and now HAIL and SNOW at the ski resort. Heat training, ha, ha!!! I pulled the tire for 2:20 and felt very strong, I feel like a horse waiting to get out of her stable! When I walked in the door my girls were having breakfast with daddy Jay. Annabella took one look at me and said, Mommy, yuck you need to go wash your hair. I went to give her a kiss good morning and she said, yuck you stink and need a shower! Next words from her mouth were, Good run mommy?

How a 3 year old can be so much like an adult. Just love that kid!

Below is an email from Chris Lundberg, I know he wont mind me sharing with you all. And then my response to him. Chris is ready to get out of the stable, let the race begin.

I cant tell you how proud we all are of Chris and how hard he has worked to get to this point. Please pray for Chris and for God to give him that perfect race!

Toland and Alex will run Mohican 100 this weekend, Kathy, Donna, Theresa and Andy will all be running one of the races at the Big horn. 50k, 50 mile, 100 mile. May you all have a perfect race to!

We all have much to be thankful for and I know one thing for sure, I am thankful to all of you who read my blog and the support you give to me, my family and to all the others who read this blog.

I am blessed, very blessed.

Hello Lisa!

Well I just got back from a massage, I feel great, and am hitting the road for Duluth! My work schedule worked out perfectly so that I can leave now and not be back until Sunday night or Monday. I'll be spending a couple of nights in the woods getting fully relaxed and recharged, then meeting up with a host family for the night before the race, and then getting down to business. Everything has been going better than expected. I've never felt this calm and confident in my preparation before a race, I really can't wait to see what happens! I've got my bottles all ready to be filled with Hammer HEED, my uniform, Injijin socks :), and shoes have been packed for two weeks! I'll be back in town sometime Sunday night or Monday and I'll let you know how it went. When it gets tough out there I know my thoughts will be turning towards you and Jay and everyone else that has been so supportive of me. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to know you two and so many other wonderful friends in the running community! You two are such an inspiration! I really appreciate you posting on your blog, now I guess I better run extra fast to live up to the billing :)

Chris,

Trust your work!

Be patient, stay focused and hydrated and don't think about the pain if it comes. Push harder if the pain comes and know that 5 minutes after you are through the finish line you will be on top of the world and all of us here cheering for you will be standing with you.

May God Bless you with a perfect race

Happy Feet!
Lisa Smith-Batchen
JOIN MY BLOG!!!
www.lisasmithbatchen.com
www.dreamchaserevents.com
www.tetonraces.com

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

About Lisa

World-class endurance athlete and ultrarunner, Lisa Smith-Batchen has competed in countless races around the world. She is the only American to have won the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara. She has completed Badwater nine times, including a double crossing, and has won the race twice. Last summer, Lisa Smith-Batchen became the first person to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states to raise money for orphans. Co-owner and founder of the Dreamchasers Foundation, she and her husband Jay Batchen offer personalized training and camps to help other athletes achieve their goals. 100% of the proceeds go to the Dreamchasers Foundation and to Aids Orphans Rising. To make a donation click here: DONATIONS

Blog Archives

My Blog List

5 Miles Past Empty

I Miss It.... - ...but is that enough? Is missing running enough to get me back out there, consistently, on the road? Maybe not. It comes in waves. Like I reminisce about ...
Tell Us Your Story « Tell Us your Story & Share Our's

Miracles Big or Small - Miracles. Big or small, too often we take them for granted? Miracles happen, every day, every minute. Being alive and breathing and loving and learning –...
Ambitious aspirations make great accomplishments

End of an Era - I’ve been writing this post on/off for a few months now but am finally ready to post it. This year, and the past 6 years since starting this blog, have be...

Important Links

Friday, June 30, 2006

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Monday, June 26, 2006

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Friday, June 23, 2006

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Monday, June 19, 2006

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Friday, June 16, 2006

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Wednesday, June 14, 2006