Anna Gordon-Norby

(Welcome back to guest blogger, Anna Rose-McComb, who has a message for us all.)

It was the last leg of the race.  The finish line, with all the rest and reprieve it had to offer, was minutes away.  My body felt tired, my muscles exhausted from the last 49 miles and hours of sweat and adrenaline. 

Kristin and I used to run together at least once a week. It started when we both fought fire, and we ran or worked out together every day. That summer we ran in the rain, water sloshing into our mesh running shoes.

In the past few years, nutrition has become a controversial subject. To some it's political or ethical, and to some it may be the construct on which they base their lifestyle. To me, nutrition is an important and basic foundation of how I want to live my life.

The sun beat down on us as we clamored across the boulder field of Shasta-Trinity granite. It was hot, and the shade at McDonald Lake where we'd eaten lunch seemed a distant memory. Our backpacks were laden down with sleeping bags and food; no tents, we were going to sleep under the stars.