Cinthia Runs Alaska

City running, and Valley Forge

I’m not a pavement runner. Back in Anchorage, I rarely run on the road except to reach the Coastal Trail, which is exactly 1.6 miles from our house. In fact, I rarely run on the paved Coastal. I prefer “real” trails and rough footing and no one around but the trees and the wind and […]

by cinthiaritchie

Running through sadness

I started this post when I was in Tucson last week. It was a light-beat, slightly sardonic–you know, the usual writing blog stuff. I never finished it, though. For years I worked as editor and sole writer of small Alaska newspapers and one of my tasks was taking enough photos to fill a weekly paper. […]

by cinthiaritchie

A moose-less miracle

Well, it finally happened. A small miracle occurred in the woods of the west part of Anchorage. Yeah, those woods. For we ran (and brace yourself, now) on the Kincaid Park trails and saw no (no!) moose. Gasp! I didn’t blog much this past summer so you’re probably not aware of the frequently of moose […]

by cinthiaritchie

Turnagain Arm Trail, in the sunshine

No time for words but you get the drift, eh? This week’s stats: Monday: Rest Tuesday: 10.20 miles; weights; 30 minutes bike Wednesday: 6 miles; 40 laps swim Thursday: 4 miles (hilly) Friday: Rest; 4 mile hike Saturday: 15.5 miles (lots ‘o hills) Sunday: 6.2 miles; 50 laps swim P.S. Dreaming about this race: Rocky […]

by cinthiaritchie

Autumn runs, and more dog love

It’s still autumn in Alaska, which means that the temps are holding in the upper 40s-50s range. Which also, of course, means that the running is awesome. The sad thing is that I’m pretty deep into writing projects at the moment and haven’t had time to get away as far as I’d like (I’d love […]

by cinthiaritchie

Autumn running with dogs

Well, it’s fall up here in Alaska, one of my favorite times of year though, unfortunately, I don’t exactly enjoy what follows: the long and cold and very dark winter. Still, what a joy to get out and run on the trails with whisper-flutter of autumn leaves. Last Thursday we picked up Peka, a beautiful blue-eyed […]

by cinthiaritchie

RunFest 49K race report

Okay, I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on the Anchorage RunFest 49k Ultra Race and I feel the same way I did when I crossed the finish line, like cheering and bawling at the same time (which is exactly what I did when I crossed the finish line. I raised my arm in cheer […]

by cinthiaritchie

Prospect to Glen Alps and back (wheee!)

First, I must shamefully admit that I have two race reports I still need to write. I can’t seem to get my butt in gear. I think I have summer-itis, you know, that giddy feeling you get when it’s warm and light almost all night and sitting at a desk in front of a screen feels like […]

by cinthiaritchie

Duh! It’s not free shipping if it’s not free shipping

I didn’t have to work today. I was granted an unexpected day off. Like a pardon. So I spent the morning in an online shopping frenzy for new running shoes. Because you can never have enough, right? Imagine my excitement when I found a super bargain (like, less than half price) for my particular model […]

by cinthiaritchie

Nailed it!

I nailed my 20 mile fast-finish trail run. This was a welcome surprise after my dismal 18-miler. I was terrified that I would bonk, yet that never happened. Except for an emergency bathroom stop at mile 14, I ran comfortably the whole way. I did the first 10 miles with Seriously, the dog we co-parent. […]