The Art of Ignoring the Nay Sayers with Bronte Ibsen

In this episode, Karey sits down with adventurer and ultra-runner, Bronte Ibsen who is a life-long Arizonan and has many stories to tell!  Karey and Bronte met during the later half of the Black Canyon 60k race where they bunny hopped each other and yelled words of inspiration back and forth for hours while running towards last grueling miles of the race. 

They now both run regularly with the Tuesday Women's Evening Run Club (TWERC) based in Phoenix.  

Bronte brings such a light to her view on her experiences in the outdoors in a way that is respectful of her fellow adventurer folk as well as mother nature.  Her experiences and stories are inspiring and just down to earth in a way that Karey hopes will encourage all of you to get out there and just do the damn thing! 

Saddles 100 Race 

Bronte IG

Black Canyon 60k

CDT Coalition 

AZ Trail Association

Transcript

The Art of Ignoring the Nay Sayers

Karey [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to the Art of Type two fun podcast. Um, I am Carrie, your host as always, and I have with me tonight one of my favorite fellow runners, Bronte Ipsen. And she is, um, gonna be our guest tonight.

And we're just gonna talk about all things kind of running outdoors, adventuring through hiking, all of the above, life training balance and kind of all that other stuff. Um, let's see, the history of Bronte and I, we go back about a little over a year now, and we first met each other. I love telling this story because it's like one of my favorites, but, uh, we were both racing the Black Canyon 60 K, and, um, at some point in the race I came upon, I just remember, I, I was, I was kind of catching up to Bronte and I, um, you were like, I don't know if you were like dancing down the trail, but you were just kind of like.

In a, in your space or whatever, just doing [00:01:00] what you could do to get through it. And I passed you and you were so happy and you were like, and then we bunny hopped for like, pretty much almost the rest of the, I don't even remember the end, but like, you know what I mean, for a very long time we bunny hopped and I love it because I was like, oh, there she is.

And she's so strong and I had no idea who you were. Um, and then little did I know later, um, our friend Chrissy, who was um, at the time had been running a lot with, um, the women's run club, um, which is now the Tuesday night one is now twerk. And, uh, she had been there to see me, but also to support you and the twerk crew, which was really awesome.

And then later she was like, oh, you have to, you have totally have to go run with them. And then the rest is history. I showed up at one of the runs a few weeks later or after I was recovered and, and then Bronte and I got to officially meet. So did I get that right?

Bronte Yeah, you did. I, yeah, I, you really caught me on a good day. Black Canyon was such a, I was just having the time of my life [00:02:00] and Yeah. I remember when you, when we kept crossing paths, I was just like so stoked. Like anytime I see a woman out on the trails in general, I'm just like, hell yeah. And then when, of course, you know, we're all just, it was just such a beautiful day.

Karey Yes.

Bronte perfect. I was vibing. Like I was just, I don't know, had my hair down as I

Karey Yeah. Yep.

Bronte just like, woo, let's go. I

Karey That's exactly what you were doing.

Bronte Yeah. I was just

Karey Well, oh my gosh, it made my day, so thank you for that.

Bronte yeah.

Karey Perfect. Well, bro, you tell us a little bit more about yourself. Like who, like, I don't know, just a couple sentences of kind of like your, maybe your relationship to maybe what you like to do in general, and then maybe like your relationship to like adventuring and.

Outdoors and nature.

Bronte Oh man. Um, so it's kind of, it's gonna be more than two sentences. Is that

Karey I was thinking that like when I, [00:03:00] when I said that, I was like, that is a lot to ask in two sentences, however many sentences you want.

Bronte Excellent. Um, yeah, I actually like didn't get super into the outdoors until I was like 18. Like I grew up here and I hated it. I was like, why would anyone hang out in the desert? Like, I hate the desert. What's

Karey Oh my gosh.

Bronte Um, and then I had went camping for the first time when I was 18 and I was like, okay, maybe this is pretty cool, like going outside and stuff. And then I, for whatever reason, became like a guide in. Montana, like it was my first job out of college. I don't know why they hired me, because I had like, almost like no hiking experience, almost no outdoor experience. I was just like, I like nature. Like, I always

Karey Mm.

Bronte nature was beautiful. And I was like, I'd love to spend more time outside, but I didn't know how. And like for whatever reason they put me in charge of guiding people in the back country. And I, yeah, I don't know, I maybe not the best call on their part, but, [00:04:00] um, I think they needed people and

Karey Yeah,

Bronte up like, you know, prompting this really cool relationship with the outdoors. And, um, I have since, you know, gotten really into hiking and backpacking, um, that like really prompted me to get more into like hiking in general.

And I started going out alone, which I would never recommend, but actually, I don't know, do what you gotta do. You know what I mean? Like, um,

Karey we can get, we can get more into that. Yeah.

Bronte Yeah. But, um, but yeah, so I like into hiking alone, moved back here and just kind of like challenged myself to explore a little bit every weekend and then just kind of kept that ball rolling and, you know, ultimately through hiked the CDT, um, and 2022. And then also have done some shorter spurts of trails since then. Um, and then the CDT is what ultimately got me into, [00:05:00] um, trail running. Like I got

Karey Mm.

Bronte that and was like, I just wanna find ways to maintain this excitement and love for being outside and um, the running group. And since then have made really good friends and just like found a group to essentially take on these like, crazy, challenges outside.

Karey Totally. Which we'll also get into. I'm excited to hear more about that. Um, well, that sounds awesome. I always like to, I always like to. Find out from people like when they found adventuring in the outdoors because, um, you know, I've said it before on previous podcasts, um, but like, I definitely am somebody who grew up in the outdoors and like, we camped a lot and my, I went with my grandpa and my dad and my cousins, and we like, did all these hikes and I didn't necessarily always like it.

Like, I was kinda like, like I hated the heat. Like, and now I'm like sitting here in Phoenix when it's gonna be 102 this week in the middle of, in the middle of spring.[00:06:00] 

Bronte I am not ready.

Karey But yeah, like, I mean, I, you know, so there are parts of it, you know, obviously I was a kid, you know, but I also grew up with, with that, um, and, and I did kind of steer away from like, the adventure part of it in like, uh, I would say early college.

I was like, not. An outdoor person. 'cause I was more like, uh, the a party person at that point. And so I was not having fun. I mean, my, my, if I was outdoors, it consisted of like a lot of drinking and a lot of, you know, other extracurricular activities. Um, so I wasn't necessarily there just to, you know, go on a long adventure hike, but, um, definitely came back to it.

Um, so I just love, I love hearing people's like adventure births, if you will.

Bronte it's a big pivotal moment. I mean,

Karey Yeah. For real.

Bronte it's interesting 'cause I feel like even people who grew up in it, like still have to like find it themselves. Like where it's like they

Karey [00:07:00] Yes,

Bronte I really want to be here.

Karey yes.

Bronte I feel like having not done a lot of it growing up, I almost feel like I, I'm making up for lost time, where I'm just like, this like crazy sense of urgency and I'm like, I'm just gonna ball the wall.

Like I'm gonna do all of this.

Karey I love it. Oh, that's great. Um, so let's see, where do I wanna go next? Um, was there, so when you, when you went camping or like when you first got into it, was there somebody specific in your life that was like, let's do this? Was it just friends with a significant other? Was it like family? Like who kind of inspired or what inspired you to do that?

Bronte Yeah, it was, um, like one of my best friends at the time, like her family would go on this camping trip every summer. Um, and it was like the kind of thing where they went out there for like a week and just had this like, crazy setup. Like, I mean, it was basically like they were just living outside for a week, you know, like, and they made the best [00:08:00] food and like, you know, it was just a whole shindig with like 20 plus people.

And it was just like so fun just to, you know, 'cause you didn't have any cell service, you didn't have like anything to connect you to the outside world. So it was just like, you had to just like hang out and I feel like I had forgotten how to be bored. At that

Karey Mm.

Bronte And so it was cool to like get that sort of mental quietude that like, I feel like you don't really get as much, um, when you're not in that world.

And so that definitely like wet my appetite. Um, and then even honestly before, after that I kind of like got into hiking a little bit around like Phoenix, which is like, it's cool that there's so much accessible,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte what really like, I think stoked my fires honestly, like a little bit of spite. I, um, I had this experience and it's like honestly no shade to them because they made the responsible decision.

But there was this time that I was like out, in Colorado with a former partner like his [00:09:00] family and they were training to do like Machu Picchu and um, we were in Colorado in like the upper elevation, you know, they were elevation training and stuff. And, um, him, his mom and his sister like, went on this hike, um, and. I wasn't like, welcome to come. And it like

Karey What?

Bronte it made me very upset because I was like, and I, I think ultimately it was like the very responsible thing to do because they were like

Karey Hmm.

Bronte above tree line and they had been training for like, you know, a while at that point. So they were pretty, like, they were about to go to Machu Picchu, so

Karey Right.

Bronte like in terms of training.

And I, at that time was not like, like I had Lowkey had an eating disorder, like, you know, was not very active at all. I would've, it would've been a death march. And, um, and so ultimately it's like very good that they did not take me out there. But, um, in that moment I was just like feeling very angsty and just like insecure and I was just like, I never wanna be put in a position where I am like. Not [00:10:00] deemed not strong enough or like

Karey Mm.

Bronte of doing something. And I think like it took me a while obviously to find my footing within that. But it definitely, like sometimes if I'm like on a really hard climb or something, I'm like, I'll think about that and it'll

Karey Yeah. Channel that.

Bronte yeah.

Karey that, oh, I mean, it is, it's kind of, yeah, looking back, it's like, okay, it probably was the right decision, but I'm sure that did not feel good at all. But

Bronte Yeah.

Karey know that, that never feels good when you're told that you can't do something. But, and then, and then I feel like now it's like, look, look at me.

Look what I'm doing.

Bronte There is definitely like a little part of me in the back of my head, like I don't think like they really know about it or

Karey Yeah, totally.

Bronte like, it would be funny to like run into them or something and just be like, oh wow, I've done all of this now.

Karey Exactly. Guess what I did last weekend again?

Bronte yeah. Right.

Karey Oh my gosh. That's awesome. I [00:11:00] guess, I guess, yeah, both positive and negative, like influences or, um, whatever spurs us on to do great things is like, you know, it's what you do with it and good for you.

Bronte Yeah.

Karey Oh my gosh.

Bronte what came out of it,

Karey Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So when you, um, when you, so you were hiking more and things like that, did you, um, like what then spurred the, the CDT and like, can you talk about like your, let's talk about that in its entirety, like.

From inception to completion.

Bronte Okay. So, oh my gosh, it's actually really funny 'cause I ever went to Montana to guide and everything, I had found this girl on Instagram who was doing the PCT. And I don't think I fully comprehended like what it was

Karey Mm.

Bronte But, um, I just like. She wrote very beautifully about it. And you [00:12:00] know, it just seemed like this really beautiful, idealistic lifestyle where like everything is paired down.

She had this tiny, tiny backpack and like everything that she needed was, was in it. And I was just like, what a life like, to like boil everything down, to simplify it entirely and to just like in your abilities to be able to like wander through this landscape and, and know that you're gonna be okay. Um, and I think like that was the first time I'd ever even heard of through hiking. And then, uh, one of my coworkers in Montana was very, uh, adamant that she was going to be hiking the PCT the next year. And so I learned a little bit more about it. I watched Wild as many people do,

Karey Yeah,

Bronte um, and um, was just kind of like, okay, like this is attainable.

Like people, people do this.

Karey totally.

Bronte um, and I think like it was just kinda one of those things where I. Bookmarked it like in my brain. And I was like, okay, maybe we'll come back [00:13:00] to this. And like even in Montana, like I was, I was guiding a glacier and like that's where the CDT ends. And so towards the end of the season, like I was starting to see people, um, finishing their through hikes.

And it was cool to kind of like witness that, like everyone looked a little malnourished and like, you know, whatever,

Karey Ah, yeah.

Bronte like, oh wow, what the end of like, adventure, I'm sure. And so, um, yeah, I don't know, it just kind of stuck in my head and like, I got caught up in life as, as you do.

And, um, when I came back to Phoenix, I worked a little bit in the outdoors still, um, at like a municipal level, but then eventually transferred to like the job that I currently have. and, or like a version of the, the department that I'm currently

Karey Yeah. Yeah.

Bronte and um, and then the pandemic hit and I like, you know, I was. Just kind of feeling a little bit stuck, like a little bit trapped. I think we all were,

Karey Oh yeah.

Bronte at that time [00:14:00] and I just was working a lot. And, um, a friend of mine hit her dad passed away and it like really impacted her. Obviously it would impact

Karey Yeah.

Bronte Um, and, but like one of the things that she kind of kept coming back to was just that like he was so close to retirement, um, and like he hadn't been able to like fully, uh, take advantage of that,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte know, he would been waiting for that time to come and, and he couldn't even, enjoy that part of his life.

And I think like, I was feeling trapped. I was, um, still on my parents' insurance at the time, so I was like, this like is the last, it was the last year that I like technically could do it, you

Karey Yeah, yeah,

Bronte and like, okay. And then so it kind of like had, I'd been thinking about it a little bit and then that friend that I. Worked with in Montana, posted that she was going to be doing the CDT that coming summer. And I kind of just like, was like, Hey girl, what's up? Like, [00:15:00] you mind if I join? Like,

Karey yeah. Can I come too?

Bronte yeah. so, and I also knew like of the Triple crown, like hikes and everything,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte maybe someday I'd be interested in doing the PCT, but like, I think because of my connection to Montana and everything, like I was super stoked on maybe doing the CDT and it was kind of one of

Karey Totally.

Bronte was like, if I'm remember doing a through hike, like I gotta go big or go home.

Like if I, because I was also in my brain, like I, logistically this may be the only one that I can complete.

Karey Mm.

Bronte um, just in terms of like working and money and like when else am I gonna,

Karey Yep.

Bronte you know, make the space for this. So

Karey Yep.

Bronte did quit my job and, you know, just full send went and did it. So,

Karey Did your, did your parents have anything to say about that? Were they like supportive or did people think you were crazy?

Bronte Um, it took them a while.

Karey Okay.

Bronte I [00:16:00] remember I told my family that I was doing it like at Thanksgiving, like the year bef like the, a bit before.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte And my uncle, like, we all, you know, I told them, I was like, Hey everyone, FYI like, I'm quitting my job, I'm doing this. And we joke in my family that like, they refer to themselves as the committee.

Like I have this very close like

Karey Aw.

Bronte group of aunts and uncles where they, you know, they'll come over like at least once a month and, you know, we'll up and everything. And so like I had to get it to the committee for approval, but, um. Uh, they pondered it. And the next time we had dinner, my uncle was like, you know, Bronte, like, I looked up some videos on YouTube and I feel like you shouldn't do this.

Karey Oh no.

Bronte maybe consider not doing this.

Karey Okay.

Bronte like, thank you for your feedback. Um, I'm doing it, but like, it was, sorry, my AirPods kinda

Karey You're totally fine.

Bronte But, um, but yeah, so that was like a very silly thing and, and there were certainly like concessions. Like, you know, I think [00:17:00] my, my dad was a little bit more just like, okay, I, I think you could do this.

And my mom was just like, you have to check in with me all the

Karey Oh yeah.

Bronte like, I, we kind of like, I agreed, you know, I was like, I have a little Garmin in reach. And so I was

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte message you when I get to camp every night. Like, you know, that kind of a thing. And if I didn't message her by like 9:00 PM like if I was night hiking or something, she'd be like, up? And I'd be like, I'm still, still

Karey Still working. Yeah.

Bronte but yeah. But

Karey Oh

Bronte They finally came around and it's kind of funny 'cause like I think advance of doing that, a lot of people, you know, expressed, you know, just being skeptical or like, oh my gosh, like I can't believe you would do something like this. Like

Karey yeah.

Bronte Can you even do this? And I'd be like, I don't know man, but like, your lack of faith is making it really hard for me to even believe that I can do this. Um,

Karey Seriously.

Bronte afterwards when I completed it, they were like, this is amazing. Like, oh my God, I tell

Karey I knew you could do it

Bronte [00:18:00] right. Yeah. And I'm like, okay, Like

Karey so

Bronte all my self doubt. So,

Karey well. Yeah. So can you talk a little bit more about that? Like how did you, because I don't think, I think that's a normal thing, um, that people who decide to go on like a life quest or whatever this might be, um, or like a long adventure like this, um, like how did you overcome or just kind of like, I guess like soothe those, not that you're in charge of like.

Soothing over their, their insecurities about you going Right. Because it just really does come from like fear of the unknown. Fear of they have no idea what you're doing and just fear for you in general of your safety. Right. And then, you know, and then obviously you have some of that of your own going into the unknown and like, you've never done anything like this before.

Like how did you, how did those meld together? And like how did you bring yourself, like continue to build [00:19:00] your confidence going into that?

Bronte I don't know that I ever did.

Karey Oh, okay.

Bronte just kind

Karey That's fair.

Bronte I feel like it's one of those things where like, I made this or whatever, like I quit my job, I did all these things, and it's

Karey Mm.

Bronte at this point I can't bail. Like, I was just like, I'm committed to this. And I feel like, you know, I led up to it, like it was even harder to like, I like the two days before it happened, like I felt like my heart palpitations were just like insane.

Like, I, I just

Karey Oh, no.

Bronte to like, grapple with the fact that I, it felt like. I read tarots sometimes for fun. And, um, there's this card, like, it's the first major arcana card. It's called The Fool.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte um, it's this image of this person, like with this little knapsack on the back of their,

Karey Oh,

Bronte holding it. And then they're like literally about to walk off a cliff.

Karey oh my gosh.

Bronte that's literally how it feels, but they're not looking ahead of them. They're just like, dilly dolling, you know? [00:20:00] And,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte exactly how it felt. I was like, this is a full moment, but I kind of just like to surrender to it and just like, allow myself to the space to see what happens, because I think like, I'm a very anxious person.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte um, growing up, like my parents were pretty protective, like overprotective of me. And, um, I learned how to be of a lot of things. Like

Karey Yeah.

Bronte like grew up like, you know, very regimented and all of these things. And so like, I didn't. outside of my comfort zone a ton.

Karey Sure.

Bronte anything that like, you know, I would maybe push the envelope here and there, especially like as I got more into hiking or something like

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte be like, oh, I did this hike in a new place, or something like

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte I was still very much, um, it was fairly controlled chaos, more or less.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte was just kind of like, don't know, man, let's see what happens. And I [00:21:00] think I just like had this innate sort of like gut feeling and trust that like I had to just surrender to it and then it was the best decision I ever made.

Karey Oh, that's so awesome. So, um, and did you travel the whole time? Did you hike the whole time with your friend or do you guys split up or like what happened once you were on the trail?

Bronte Mm-hmm. Um, we did end up splitting up around Colorado. I kind of had this like freak out moment where we hit the snow and she was way more comfortable in the snow,

Karey Mm.

Bronte was. In the PCT when she did the PCT, it was like a huge snow year or a big snow year.

Karey Year.

Bronte from a place where she's just more used to snow,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte that was like a big, um, like I kind of ended up quitting.

Like I, you know, she kind of kept going and I was like, I don't know if this is for me. Like, I don't know if I can do

Karey Yeah.

Bronte And we had made other friends along the way and, um, I kind of just like, they went into the snowier section of like the South [00:22:00] San Juans. Um, and I kind of like, I went home. Like, I was like, I, can't, I can't do this.

I, I, it's just, it's not for me. And I kind of had this like weird little existential crisis. Like I didn't tell anyone about it. Like I was just like silently like went home and was just like at my parents' house a little bit and I think for like, a couple of days. And then I was like, you know what? I'm going back.

Like I'm gonna

Karey Oh my gosh,

Bronte like. I just kind of skipped that section because I, you know, there's this like thing where it's like, they say hike your own hike.

Karey yes.

Bronte kind of like a, a cliche at this point, right? Like, you kind of hear that in this community, but I realized that like, I had be, I had felt precious about like having a continuous footpath, but that's not necessarily the right way to do it.

And like, I don't know, I, I thought it would be better for me to like, keep going and see what I could do even without necessarily putting myself through like in what is truly an unsafe situation. Like [00:23:00] the first section of snow that I encountered, I just knew that my expertise and like my level of comfort with this, like if I had to self arrest or something, I

Karey Yeah,

Bronte would've been confident doing that.

Karey exactly.

Bronte a safety thing. Like I was just like, I'm not gonna put anyone else in the situation where they have to come rescue me.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte like, you know, I have no ego about it. And like to shatter that like. Understanding of it was just like the most liberating thing. It was like after that it was like no holds barred.

And I was like, oh wait, like I, I have full autonomy over this. Like

Karey Yeah.

Bronte Especially with the CDT, which I feel like because there's so many alternates compared to some of the other Triple Crown, you know,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte line that everyone takes so you can kind of take some liberties. And I think getting to that point and realizing it was like breaking outta the matrix or something, I was like,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte okay, we're good.

Like I could do whatever I want. I have free will.

Karey And it's gonna be okay. Like it's gonna be more than Okay. Yeah,

Bronte And [00:24:00] then I went on to have like some of the best experiences and make amazing friends and you know, and now it just unlocked this like understanding of what like fun and adventure can look like,

Karey totally.

Bronte exactly what I need it to be.

Karey Yeah. Oh my gosh, that is so amazing. What year was that? Oh no, you said 2022, right? Is that what you said? Okay. That's right, that's right. That's right. That's so, that's so interesting. I remember, um, we. The great divide Mountain bike grout is, you know, kind of parallels the CDT and, and does. It pops on it like once or twice.

But the CDT is a true, is a true, you can ride most of it, but it's a true hiking trail. Um, it's really hard to ride. Some people have have done it, but the great divide, mountain biking grout is, it's the much better option. Um, but long ago, almost 10 years ago, I can't believe I'm saying that was my first bike packing trip.

And it was, it was very similar to that where I had no idea what I was doing. I got on my gear, one of my friends wanted to do it, um, over a month and I [00:25:00] finagled my way out of, not out of my job, but like with my job, I just kind of like maybe pulled some strings a little bit, I don't know. Anyway. And then, um, and we made it happen and I literally had only been like overnight bike packing for like.

Uh, maybe two like overnighter trips before that. And then we went out for a month and we started, and it was just, it was so liberating and it's definitely a matter of like, you learn as you go because there's no way you can learn all that stuff either about the technical aspect of it or about yourself.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey but one of my favorites was we were, I can't remember what pass we were going, but we come to this big lodge and it is a place where the hikers also come and can get like their resupply or their mailboxes or whatever.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey uh, we were popped out there and, and. Eating some food just on a bench outside or whatever.

And this gal comes walking up and she was through hiking and um, and I got to talk to her and I just [00:26:00] remember she was, she was the first woman that I had seen of hiking hikers wise. And we had only seen, I think, maybe two women our whole trip. Um, so at this point, I think we were in Wyoming, I think is where we're at.

Um, anyway. And so like, I just remember being, and you know, she's just solo and I was just like, you're the most amazing person. I was like so excited to talk to her because like also I feel like going on two wheels, like yes, I could go further, but I feel a little bit more like, I don't know. I can do a lot more on two wheels.

And so it was rad that like it was just myself and my friend that were out there and, and we even got that on the trail. Like, oh my gosh, these two women are just like, we got so much of like, well, does your boyfriend, how does your boyfriend feel about you being out here and you know, and stuff like that.

And like, my friend is married, so like your husband let you come out here. You know, like stuff out, you know? Um, and so whenever, you know, and so I just remember just seeing this woman and she was just, she was so strong. She was actually not having a [00:27:00] very good day, but, but I tried to like pepper her up and I was just like, oh my God, girl.

Like you were, you were a rock star yet. And so I just truly like, I definitely admire those who are doing that kind of distance on feet. I've never done, um, like a through, through hike. Um, maybe someday. I never say never, but you know what I mean? It's just, it's really quite, quite the feat.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey gosh. So what, what did you, like, what are some of the things that you learned along your way on that, either about yourself or about.

Through hiking in general?

Bronte Um, oh my gosh. I think the biggest thing like, 'cause a lot of people ask me like why I was doing it.

Karey Mm

Bronte I didn't ever really come up with a good answer. 'cause I like, I, I don't know, I just felt like compelled to do it. Like I, and I still don't really have a good answer for that. But like, I kind of, like, I just started saying that I wanted to get like a smooth brain, um, like I wanted to walk the wrinkles outta my brain and like, like [00:28:00] I do think I did, like, I think I got there.

Um, and I think like the biggest takeaway for me was that like, by the end of it, I was just so chill. Like I didn't get anxious about anything. I

Karey Yeah.

Bronte like, it was, like everything was in perspective and I reminded myself like, oh, doesn't matter the way that you think it is. All of the

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte like, were stressing you out and making you feel stuck or, you know, bad at home, like. They're kind of fake. Like you, you have the ability, I mean, not that they're not real, like there are real life stresses that like impact all of

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte I think, like realized the hand that I had in, um, how those impacted me more so than I, think I had before. Like you always know, especially if you're an anxious person or

Karey Yes,

Bronte you know, people tell you like, only focus on what you can control or whatever, blah, blah, blah.

And like, I'm also a [00:29:00] perfectionist and so I wanted to

Karey yes, yes.

Bronte so it's like when

Karey You're speaking my language.

Bronte yeah, exactly. And so it's like when you're out there and you're like. I'm, you're in the middle of the mountains and it just starts hailing and like, you know, you can either like sit there and get cold or you can put on your rain gear and like, I didn't really have any rain gear.

I just had like a trash bag that I

Karey Oh my gosh.

Bronte and like this like ripped frog togs jacket. And I would just like, keep going and I'd just be like, whatever. That's what's happening today. That's

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte and so then by the end of it I was just like so unfazed by anything. And I think like I still have tried to hold onto that as best I

Karey Yeah.

Bronte And I think that's like where running or like, you know, engaging with the outdoors or just literally being outside, like at all.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte it just kind of like helps put me back in that place. Like you know, at work sometimes I'll just like go outside and touch, like touch grass. Like I need to touch grass.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte this email is bogging me down, so [00:30:00] let me just go do this. And um, and yeah, it literally is as simple as just like feeling the sun on my skin. And then I'm like, it doesn't matter. Like we're. We're here in this beautiful planet and we get to be here. So

Karey Yeah,

Bronte yeah, it's, it's helped me. I think that was the biggest takeaway

Karey totally. Yeah. Oh, I love it. And, and the fact that you like can keep it with you, I think that's how, how was your transition period after coming back from your, through hike?

Bronte It was really hard.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte I, I'm not even gonna try to sugarcoat it. It was like that post-trial depression that everyone talks about

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte is very real. And I felt very lucky because I had made some very good friends out of this experience. And so, like, I think all of us were pretty good about like, checking in on each other as we were like sort of reintegrating back into real life. Um, and all of us had different, like, you know, very vastly different lives that we were coming [00:31:00] back to. Um, and I think like. I, I did have a friend who said, like, seeing me come back was kind of like seeing a wild horse be tamed or something

Karey Oh.

Bronte like, you're kind of like, it's kind of devastating, but it's also like, this is just part of what it is.

But I think we were always able to like, check in with each other and, and that really helped. But, um, I, I think the thing that finally helped me like kind of get back out of my funk was like finding other ways to get connected with like a trail community in general. So like,

Karey Hmm.

Bronte helped other, like a ZT hikers, you know, as they're coming through.

And so that's like, you know, I'm like dipping my toes back into the hiker trash world or like, I don't know. Um, the two friends that I think I got. The closest with, um, they came back, uh, to New Mexico to finish a section that they'd had to skip, um, because of fires. And they sent me this really cute postcard from Ghost Ranch that I actually keep [00:32:00] at my desk.

Karey Aw.

Bronte but they, they talked about, they were like, this is always here for you, like when you need it, you know,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte and it's so comforting to know that like, at any point I could just like right back into it and like, I have, you know, like I've, I did a portion of the Arizona Trail this year and like, I did the, you went to Highline Trail, um, a couple of years ago as well, or I think it was 2023 that I did that. And, um, it's so nice to be able to like just, yeah. Like put on my little backpack and like go for a walk and like, it's just like, I don't know, you kind of become a different person I guess, but it's,

Karey alter,

Bronte be able to

Karey alter ego, mother nature alter, alter ego.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey you, did you have a trail name on the CDT?

Bronte I did. Yeah. It's bright eyes.

Karey Bright Eyes. Oh, and do you keep that name, like, I mean, do people refer you to as bright eyes, like, I mean, at least your friends and if you do other trail experiences? Yeah.

Bronte Yeah. And I had, [00:33:00] um, actually recently a, a trail friend from the CDT visited, um, her name is, her trail name is Special K. And she's so funny 'cause like, um, she only refers to people by their trail names.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte like, she knows my name, but she, even her husband, like his name is Anil, and like her family calls him Anil, you know?

Karey Oh, cool.

Bronte like, um, she was like meeting some people, uh, like I introduced her to Jackie, like we all went on a run. And,

Karey Yeah,

Bronte uh, she just kept referring to me as bright Eyes and I just thought that was so funny I like, you

Karey I love it.

Bronte it's like, oh yeah.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte me.

Karey Oh, bringing that part of you to your other parts, you know what I mean? It's really cool.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey Oh my gosh. Like, uh, with your, with the other trail stuff that you've done, like with the UTA High Highline Trail and then the A ZT, like.

What was your experience there? Um, 'cause a ZT did a portion of it. Like how, um, [00:34:00] was your intent to do the whole thing or you just kind of go into it, like knowing, you know, you're just gonna go and do what kind of, you know, following your, like, you know, you're talking about like hike your own hike and things like that.

Like, and how was your experience there and compared to the doing the CDT?

Bronte yeah, I think just sucks, uh, when you have to have a time limit

Karey Mm.

Bronte something.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte definitely further along in my career than I was at the time that I did the CDT, so taking time off is a little bit harder. especially for chunks large enough to like, I think really get that good, like you're losing your sense of time experience, um, that I love about being in the back country, like, you know, um, feeling like you don't have to worry about those things.

Um, but I think something that colored both the A ZT and the Uinta, uh, experience for me was the fact that I had like a certain number of days

Karey [00:35:00] Totally.

Bronte could complete whatever I could complete. it was honestly a little bit more nerve wracking with the Uinta Highline trail because I. Uh, I did that alone.

Um, and that was my first time doing something like that alone. I didn't end up actually completing it alone. It's crazy because like that is one of the most remote trails that, um, I've heard of. Like, it took me, I had to take a four hour shuttle to the other side of it, um, because it's just like so separated from any other

Karey Okay.

Bronte to go from, it's in Utah, so we have to go through Wyoming to like

Karey Oh.

Bronte because of its proximity to everything.

But, um, was crazy because when the shuttle dropped me off, there was a guy starting at literally the same time and I was like, what? And then we like, were hiking and everything and we ran into one other person and he was like, you guys are the first person, first people I've seen in three days. And he was

Karey Oh [00:36:00] God.

Bronte Like, he was going crazy,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte was kind of wild to like, um, have that, but That was like, I had seven, seven days that I had taken off. So I had like a very strict, like itinerary in my brain of like, I'm doing 25 miles a day like that, that kind of

Karey Oh, totally

Bronte and then just to like drive and get everywhere I needed to and like hopefully account for, you know, unforeseen circumstances.

So I was definitely playing with fire a little bit there, but it was like one of those things where whole life had like gone up in flames and then I was like, I need to be in the mountains for

Karey do it.

Bronte a week. So, um, and then with the A ZT, it was a little bit different. I went with a friend and this was her first experience, like through hiking and so I kind of went with the intention of like, we'll get as far as we can

Karey sure. Yeah. Yep.

Bronte was more just like I wanted to spend the time with her and everything. I, I tried not to set like a ton of mental parameters, um, around like, this is where we need to be. So,

Karey Totally. And did you, [00:37:00] for either of those, did you like train, train before, like, you know, like do like loaded hikes or like, um, a bunch of miles or like, did you plan like that?

Bronte No, um, I didn't, I, um, yeah, I, like, I was running a bit like before the, uh, the Uinta trail. I was definitely like running a little more consistently than I was before the A ZT.

Karey Right.

Bronte Um, but I, yeah, I don't know, I was kind of relying on my base at that time. It was just kind of one of those things where I was like, I don't know, we're just gonna

Karey Totally.

Bronte can go.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte I was impressed though. It, it came back quickly. Like I, I think that base is still there and like, um, did have a little bit of Achilles pain on the, you went to Highland Trail. 'cause obviously going from like not doing 25 miles a day to being like, you're doing 25

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte at 10,000 feet, you know, however, like going

Karey Yep,

Bronte um, it has an impact.

So.

Karey , I feel the [00:38:00] same way with, um, with that kinda thing. What kind of, what kind of like pack did you use on either one?

Were you like kind of fast packing or like, did you have a proper

Bronte I was using, so I, on the CDTI used a ante V two, which is like a kind of frameless ultralight pack.

Karey Hmm.

Bronte I used the same one for the Uinta Highline trail. and then for the A ZTI was using a ante Joey pack, which is like slightly smaller. Um,

Karey okay.

Bronte and um, I don't know. I like to, I think another spite situation. I, um. Right before the CDTI like told someone about the pack that I was gonna be using and, um, he's like a guide in the Grand Canyon and he, um, he was like, that is super irresponsible. He was like, there's a fine line between [00:39:00] ultralight and unprepared. And that like line was like seared into my brain where he was just like, you're not gonna be able to do

Karey Yeah.

Bronte of a pack essentially.

And I like, I believed him, like when he said that, I was just like, oh my God, you're right. Like I'm being irresponsible. Like I'm gonna

Karey Mm.

Bronte in trouble. Like, this is not good. and then like it fine with that pack and it was like, I don't know. And now I feel like, oh, well I have to keep this up.

So, uh, spite is a big, a great motivator,

Karey love it. Oh my gosh. We know how to motivate Bronte

Bronte Just like, me something that will

Karey that you can't do. Exactly. Oh my gosh. So funny. Oh, well that, I mean, that is awesome that you can, I mean, I keep trying to be more minimal and more minimal for like the bike pegging stuff. And I, I, it's, it takes a certain amount of just [00:40:00] doing it and just, I think the guts to be uncomfortable a little bit.

And again, there is a fine line of like safety and, you know, like that kind of thing is like, I'm like, okay, but also there are ways to do it and it might mean you're a little uncomfortable at some points, but. You know, it also frees you up to be a lot lighter and a lot faster, and like

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey just self reliable and you know, like that kind of thing.

So you're inspiring me. I need to go figure out my, my bike packing gear. I gotta channel the Bronte.

Bronte it's hard to dial in, but I feel like kind of once you get there, I don't know, I feel like I don't miss a lot. Like I'm

Karey Yeah,

Bronte wanting anything, like, it's just kind of like, oh, this is just what it is and like, know.

Karey yeah,

Bronte nice to, I feel like also I didn't have a ton of backpacking experience before I did the CDT, so I don't know, like a cush experience really. Like,

Karey totally.

Bronte Like

Karey Yeah.

Bronte of the gear that I have a part of, it was [00:41:00] like out of frugality, honestly. I didn't wanna

Karey Mm,

Bronte uh, an inflatable sleeping pad or like, you know, that kind of

Karey mm-hmm.

Bronte I just kind of ended up using just more frugal things, like

Karey Yeah, totally. Yeah. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. Everybody, not everybody, but I, I feel like especially in the world today, people get so caught up in the latest and greatest, and there's so many ways to do it with not the newest, most cushy stuff, most expensive stuff. You know, also like used gear is like, if you can find like, use, there's Facebook groups all over the place that are like, you know, bike packing that, or backpacking gear and on all that stuff.

Like, um, there's so many ways to do it without spending an arm and a leg. So, yeah,

Bronte Totally. Both my sleeping pad and my tent, uh, on the CDT were secondhand. Um, most of my, well, not most of it, I, I'm not gonna say that, but, um, but at least in that regard, like I, I don't know. I feel like really lucky that I was able to [00:42:00] find stuff in my price range, but

Karey totally, yeah.

Bronte worked that way. I

Karey Yeah.

Bronte I don't feel like I need the new stuff, honestly.

I kind of wanna get into making my own stuff.

Karey Hmm,

Bronte I'm, I'm very picky, so

Karey totally.

Bronte another part of it,

Karey Ooh, that's so awesome. So, okay, getting into like, you know, day-to-day life. So you're working more now time, you know, it's a little harder to get time off. So you've been doing, you know, you do, you do, it seems like you do a lot of adventures. Like what kind of other outdoor stuff do you dabble in?

Um, I know we've talked a little bit about rock climbing. Have you, have you climbed outside as well as we just talked about like indoor bouldering, but like what other stuff do you do?

Bronte Yeah. I have climbed outside. I, um, really wanna like maybe after this fall, get back more consistently and climbing outside

Karey Hmm.

Bronte I think for me that is like the best part of it. Like, I [00:43:00] like climbing in the gym and everything, but I've, um, I have been lucky to climb outside a couple of times.

Um, I feel like that's where the stoke really lies, you know?

Karey Mm, totally.

Bronte and then I also really like to, um. Uh, paddleboard,

Karey Oh, nice.

Bronte paddleboards last summer. And honestly, like, I think it made the summer so much more bearable here because it's so hard to find the motivation to like, spend as much time outside when it's a million degrees out.

And it's not always reasonable to like drive all the way up north or like down south and,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte anywhere cooler. Um, and so it's, it's helpful to have that as an option. And there are a lot of like nice places to take a paddle,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte So,

Karey Totally.

Bronte been, that's been a fun little way to get outside.

Um, I also like just sitting in a hammock, you know, you know what I

Karey Yeah.

Bronte Love to just like read outside.

Karey Oh, that's awesome.

Bronte and, I bike around a little bit. Like

Karey [00:44:00] Cool.

Bronte my bike recently. Um, I have not like, done anything on the trails that intimidates me greatly

Karey Yeah,

Bronte is involved. So, um, going fast

Karey hear ya. Yeah.

Bronte but uh, but I do road bike a little bit,

Karey Oh, nice. Perfect. So you do a whole,

Bronte I think those are all of them.

Karey whole slew of things. That's so awesome. Um, do you have a favorite?

Bronte Oh. Um, it's definitely backpacking.

Karey Yeah, yeah, totally. Totally. Yeah.

Bronte Running is a close second,

Karey Cool. Yeah. How so? Getting into the running aspect, um, you know, 'cause we talked about at the very beginning that like, we. Met during a race, like how, and I do sense a little bit of, you know, we're talking about the spite driven motivation where it's, you're not really competing with anybody but yourself or the person's comment or whatever, but like, tell me about your competitive drive and like, do you, because I know like some people, for example, like, okay, so like [00:45:00] some people race because they just are like, I got just, just, I gotta go fast and I gotta beat everybody and I'm just gonna, you know, like that thing.

But then some people are also like race out of especially ultra distance, I think race out of like the curiosity of like, how far can I push myself? And then there's like many other reasons to race. Like where do you, do you, where do you fall on that spectrum of things and like, what drives you to keep training and running and all that stuff.

Bronte Oh, it's like surprisingly, I'm actually not super competitive. Like when it comes to racing. Maybe that's not surprising. I don't know. But, um, I don't, I don't know that I care a whole lot about like placing or, you know, I'm not the fastest runner. I don't think I ever will be. Um, certainly not. But um, I like to see it is kind of one of those things where I just like to, running was so [00:46:00] incomprehensible to me for so long.

Like I just like couldn't fathom how anyone could run and enjoy it. And then even beyond that, I was like, how can you run up mountains and enjoy it and like, you know, all of these things. And then I think it was like, uh, there was this guy that I was hiking with in Colorado, like we were kind of a part of a group and, and he, we saw Courtney Dewal on the, um, on the CDT.

She was like running up Hope Pass in, like just outside of Twin Lakes, which is like, if you're familiar with that pass at all, it's a beast. And

Karey Yeah.

Bronte I, it had kicked my ass the day before and I was just like, oh my God, what is happening? And um. That morning we were like brushing our teeth and Courtney de Walter just like runs up and just like, oh, hey, how's it going?

And I'm like, I had no idea who she was.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte this guy Chaney was like, oh, that's like the best ultra runner in the world. And I was like, what do you even, what do you even mean? Like, what do even is his ultra runner? Like, I didn't really know. And he was like, bronzy, like [00:47:00] you're doing, you're walking like a marathon every day right now.

Right? So like a, a ultra race is just like a through hike, except there's trail magic every seven miles and you don't have a pack on. And I was like, oh, And he was like, yeah, imagine how much faster you could go

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte were not encumbered by these logistics. And I was like, oh. like, just like recontextualize it in my brain a little bit.

And I was like, Hmm. And so then I, I feel like with that, I kind of carried that like thought of. How much further could you go? Like,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte if you just kept going like, and you know, if you didn't have to worry about those logistics and like, you just allowed yourself to like trust your body and trust that you do this.

And so I think like also the race itself is something that motivates me. Like, 'cause

Karey Mm.

Bronte not very good at like keeping a schedule. Even when I was training for Black [00:48:00] Canyon and stuff like that, I was really bad at like

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte running and uh, like running consistently and like knowing I didn't know anything about like rate or anything like that.

So like when you saw me that day, I was just blissfully like in the mountains. Like I, I truly had no idea. I had no strategy. I was just vibing out there.

Karey I love it. I could tell.

Bronte yeah, no, and it is kind of one of those things where now I think I'm motivated by this idea of like. Okay, well what happens? Like, you saw what happened, like when you didn't know what you were doing and

Karey Yeah.

Bronte what happens if you like, actually just try a little, like what if you like, stuck to a training plan and then like just, you know, put a little bit more effort in. Um, and so I think that was pretty, that has kind of been the thing that's been pushing me in this current cycle. 'cause I'm, yeah, I'm training for, uh, rim to Rim to rim in May, and then in October I have, uh, the saddles 100 that I'm doing. So [00:49:00] I've never, I mean, the most I've run in a day, well the most I've like hiked or run in a day was 40 miles. Um, and that was on the CDT. So I think it'll be interesting to see

Karey Cool.

Bronte these two new distances go for me. So,

Karey for sure.

Bronte elevation and everything are included. So. Yeah.

Karey Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about your, well, first of all, I mean, we've, we've mentioned before, but, um, I just love, well, I mean, for me personally, and I have not been there for, you know, at twerk for a while, but can you tell me about, and maybe you, I'm sure you also have support group, running support group is what I call it.

Um, maybe you have others besides the twerk group, but like how has this been for you, like as you're training and as you're coming up with these things like. How has it been for you? 'cause you've experienced coming into something like this with maybe one friend or maybe your own self that's like, [00:50:00] um, kind of supporting your own self in these decisions to do these things.

And like on the other side of this, now, it seems like you have a wonderful support group behind you. And we've witnessed firsthand, I've witnessed firsthand like the magic that can happen with this group of women. Um, like how, and you're doing the, are you doing the, the R three rim to rim to rim with a few of these ladies?

Correct? Yes. So, so tell me a little bit about your experience, like having that support behind you and like, is it, does it feel different going into some of these big things with that? Or is it just like, I don't know.

Bronte Yeah. No, it, it feels super different, I think like. I didn't understand like, what was possible before. Like, don't know, it, it's just crazy because and the Wild Women running community

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte like the whole Phoenix Trail scene, I think is just so amazing [00:51:00] to me because it, it, it's just like, shows what people are capable of in ways that I couldn't even like fathom years ago, like just two or three years ago.

Like, I couldn't think that, oh yeah, like let's just go run this like 50 K through Phoenix, like up all of the

Karey All the peaks.

Bronte I don't know, it's just like these things that like, at, at one point were just so unfathomable. Like you see people around you doing them and then you're like, oh, I could probably do that.

And like, you know, you just like, you get to know these people and, and so I think like it's only like, you know, expedited my, uh. in doing these things. Like, I don't know

Karey Yeah.

Bronte going after these dis distances, if not for like, um, the people around me. And like, honestly, like with R three for example, I, it wasn't even something that I was like remotely interested in doing anytime soon.

And then I was just like added into a group chat of like, people who might be interested in this. And I was like, well, damn, I guess I'm doing R three [00:52:00] now. Like, I don't know, like, and it's just like, it's also kind of one of those things where you have this support, you have all of these people around you who are doing these amazing efforts, and that's inspiring in its own way, but it's also like, um, almost being held accountable to your own fomo.

Like, I'm

Karey Yes.

Bronte so afraid of like, not afraid of missing out, but it's like, oh, I'm gonna like. so lame if I don't go out and do that with them, you know,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte um, and so, 'cause there's so much going on all the time and it's like,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte it's actually hard to say no sometimes.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte have to now like, because I'm like, know, training in a, a more concerted way, like I can't do like double or that day because like, I

Karey Right.

Bronte you know, that's not my plan right now.

And, and so sometimes it's really hard for me as like someone who wants to do everything to like actually focus on like these particular goals instead of just being like, yeah, whatever. I'll do this like crazy [00:53:00] adventure tomorrow. So,

Karey Totally. No, totally. I totally hear you. I mean, I even run into that with, you know, I'm just getting back into running from injury and like. Like all the time. Like my boyfriend is like, Patrick is like, when are you gonna go back to twerk? And I'm like, I want to every time, but I just know, like right now is not my time.

You know what I mean? Like, and eventually I'll come back and I'll just start the run, you know? And it'll, it'll, it's almost there, but like having to like, I mean, because I see all these things that are going on as well, and I'm like, oh, maybe I could just go. And I'm like, no, you know, you gotta, you gotta behave yourself.

So it's, I mean, but I think it's a wonderful, it's a wonderful, it's a wonderful negative, it is not a negative, but it's like a wonderful thing to have to deal with.

Bronte Totally. It's a great problem to have.

Karey A great problem to have. Yeah.

Bronte overwhelmed with like, potential things to do that I am just like, I

Karey Right.

Bronte Like, I literally can't like,

Karey Exactly. Oh, totally.

Bronte Like,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte cool to know that there is that community where it's like I, 'cause I definitely [00:54:00] struggle with like solo long run sometimes, or like, you know, especially when it's hot, like

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte And so it's nice to know that I have like truly like a group of women that are probab down, like

Karey Yeah.

Bronte at some point. Like I can just throw it into the group chat or the

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte and just be like, Hey guys, like I wanna do this. And like someone will be down.

Karey Yeah, totally.

Bronte that's always nice to know that like we're all kind of. Training for our own individual things, and like we can tap into

Karey Yeah.

Bronte if we need to. So,

Karey Totally. And I think that's, I think that's a good point too, is like we, like most everybody in there has some sort of goal and some of those goals were all shared. Like for example, like last December when, uh, like so many of us were doing McDowell Frenzy, whether it was a 50 K or the 50 mile or whatever, like it was such a cool thing to have, but also there's that respect there that like, they know, everybody knows that like, oh, you're not necessarily training for this.

It's okay if you only come for half the run or if you can't come, like, nobody's offended by it. You know what I mean? And it's just like, yeah, we'll support you in whatever you need to do. Um, so that's, I [00:55:00] mean, it's a really, really awesome community. I just, I just love it. Um, so tell me a little bit more. So remind me the stats for the R three.

Like what are you getting yourself into?

Bronte Um, so it's gonna be 43 miles, I think. Um, because we're going down South Kibab, bright Angel's gonna be closed, and so that would be

Karey Oh.

Bronte steep option on the way out, but it would be a little bit longer. So South Kibab, um, we're gonna be going down and then up. Um, and so it's a little steeper, but, um, it is, uh, a little shorter, so

Karey Okay.

Bronte be nice.

But, so it'll be about 43 miles and then it's gonna be, I think just over 10,000 feet of elevation gain, um, which I have done in a day before, so that's at least comforting to know, like, I can do that. I think it's just the combo of that and the distance will be kind of interesting. So

Karey Totally.

Bronte happens there,

Karey Yeah. And so that will be your longest [00:56:00] distance in a day? Yes. Okay, cool. Oh my gosh, that's so very exciting. Um, and like gear wise, are you doing poles, are you doing a light pack? Like what are you, what are all y'all planning?

Bronte Yeah, I'm not planning on using polls

Karey Okay.

Bronte I, my voice went up there because I'm like, maybe that's a mistake. I don't know. Um, everyone really

Karey Um,

Bronte I've never been a big poll person.

Karey yeah.

Bronte I think I just like, am annoyed at the price for that and

Karey Totally. Yeah.

Bronte for me to like, I'm like, and I, I don't like having things in my hands.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte and so I think that's just another aspect of it where I'm just like, I think I can like maybe do it, but I know it takes a lot of pressure off of your knees. So I don't know. I'm going back

Karey Yeah.

Bronte in my

Karey That's cool. Yeah,

Bronte the moment I'm like, probably not. 

But then other than that, I, I'm just planning on using, um, I have this like. Ultimate direction pack that

Karey yeah.

Bronte at a mug club once in like a raffle or whatever.

Karey I [00:57:00] love it.

Bronte it's like a pretty light, like it's a, it's basically a backpack, like, you

Karey Yeah.

Bronte um, but it's pretty easy to, like, you can kind of fasten it and it doesn't like, move around a whole lot.

Karey Cool.

Bronte I think I'm gonna use that, um, for my pack and like, uh, and then bladder thing and I have like a, one of those filter squeeze bottles,

Karey Cool.

Bronte probably do that just in case of the water

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte or something like that.

Karey Yeah.

Bronte yeah, I think that's kind of where I'm at. I I

Karey Cool.

Bronte simple,

Karey Yeah. I mean, it's the best way to do it. Yeah.

Bronte yeah.

Karey there's so much stilts to worry about, like your body and like, you know, just doing the stuff that is like the more simple you can keep it, the better. Oh my gosh. And then how many people, how many people are in the group are going,

Bronte Ooh, I, I wanna say it's like 10 or. Between 10

Karey significant. Yeah.

Bronte it's quite a few.

Karey Holy cow.

Bronte we, yeah, and there's like, I think a few people aren't [00:58:00] doing the full R three,

Karey Okay.

Bronte Falls. Um, but I know that there's at least, at least like eight, six or eight of us that are doing R three.

Karey That's so awesome.

Bronte yeah, Jackie, um, who, you know, leads

Karey Yes,

Bronte Um, she has this amazing spreadsheet and like we have all, you know,

Karey of course she does.

Bronte ourselves buddies. Yes.

Karey Oh, very nice. She's a spreadsheet queen.

Bronte she really is, I'm so impressed constantly. I'm, I like to think that I have my shit together, but I really don't. Um, or at least I'm like very tight. B I'm very like, I'll just like figure it out, you know?

Karey Sure.

Bronte but I'm just, so, she always makes me want to strive to be a little bit better about all of that. So.

Karey So I just wanna say, I don't mean to interrupt. You could continue in one second, but I literally thought about her today because I have been, um, I'm secretly low down, like [00:59:00] hoping that I can still the do the, um, Ian Rim race in September and which is, anyway, so I'm trying to figure out with my training and so I had all these spreadsheets going and I'm like, Jackie would be so proud because I was also like, I was also like trying to think of like if I had Pacers and what they would wanna know and I was thinking of Steph's document that she had, you know what I mean?

And I was like, oh my gosh. I feel, I feel like she'd be so proud right now. But anyway. Okay, continue.

Bronte I think that was it. Um, I don't remember what the question was, to be

Karey I am sorry.

Bronte we were, no, I

Karey No. Yeah, we were just talking about the people. Yeah, exactly. That's super awesome.

Bronte many people?

Karey Yeah.

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey Yeah. Well that's good. It sounds like it's a good group and it'll be, I mean, very supportive of each other and you got some good systems. I, I can't wait to hear about it. I'm like, so I'm, I am having fomo, but it is, there's no way I could do that at this point.

So

Bronte Yeah,

Karey y'all

Bronte obviously we wish you would be there. I'm

Karey Well, thank you. Yes,

Bronte I

Karey exactly.

Bronte like

Karey Yeah,

Bronte trip of[01:00:00] 

Karey exactly. Yeah. And then let's talk saddles, so that's another new distance for you. Um, and then I was talking to you recently, um, at, oh yeah, when we went and saw the chase, which for any of you listening, if you haven't seen that, you should go watch it.

It's pretty awesome. Um, but, um, and we were talking about, um, the fact that you have started working with a coach. So is that, um, like did you make the decisions to do these new distances or like these things before you got the coach and then you're like, maybe I should like, kind of figure some stuff out and have some accountability, or was it vice versa?

Bronte Yeah. I think I had decided that I wanted to, um, pursue these things and I just kind of aware that I am not, um, necessarily. Equipped to, to guide myself through that. Um, and I think I also, like after Frenzy this last year, I kind of had this moment where I was like, what am I doing? You know, like I didn't really train for this [01:01:00] effectively, like I think I could have done better. And um, and I think it's one of those things where I was like, what if I just took myself a little bit more seriously and like if I held myself a little bit more accountable? And having a coach seemed like a good way to do that. And um, I've been enjoying it so far. It's kind of nice to not like, 'cause I feel like I was feeling a lot of guilt around like not being very good at training, like beforehand where I was just like, I know I need to run, but I don't know, like

Karey Mm.

Bronte run.

I don't know, like strategically I was just like, I don't really know like where to start with this. And

Karey Totally.

Bronte I. I know that like, for me it was like, you know, I've listened to podcasts before, so I was like, yeah, time on feet and like, you know, these things and like, nutrition and like, I don't know, I knew some things, but I didn't know, like I, I feel like I wasn't very good about Yeah.

Knowing, understanding the science of it enough to be like, oh yeah, this is what I should be doing now and this is why. And [01:02:00] like, you know, I don't know. And I never had like the running experience, like I didn't run in high school. I didn't like, I've never had a coach in this capacity, so I thought like it would be useful even if I don't end up like having a coach for the rest of my running career, at least, like using it to work towards these, using, um, that resource to work towards these goals felt important.

Um, and yeah, and like I said, I just wanted to take myself a little bit more seriously and when you're paying for something, you

Karey Yeah.

Bronte you're like, okay, well I'm definitely gonna like actually do it. So,

Karey Totally. Totally. Well, that's so cool. And it's, I mean, I think it's a really awesome way to like, um, you know, I've never, I've talked about this before on a, on an episode as well, but like, it's almost like you, well, I guess you're paying for it, but like you get this automatic, like this mentor that helps get you, like to guide you through it, who has like, so much more knowledge than you do.

And yes, we can all go searching on the Internets [01:03:00] for whatever information, but it takes a long time and it's like there's so much to sift through. Like there's so much mumbo jumbo to sift through and like,

Bronte Mm-hmm.

Karey ugh.

Bronte Yeah, it's a minefield and I think it's like really hard too, like, you know, my coach is male, so I guess this doesn't really apply here, but like, I think through all of these things as like a woman too, and just being like, I wonder how this like. It like is different for me because, you know, this person, uh, that this was written for or like, who wrote this

Karey Who wrote. Yeah,

Bronte yeah, they did this and they only have this perspective and like, I don't know, I don't feel like I've run into any issues with like the gender gap or anything, but, um, it is sort of certainly a factor and I'm like, I don't know.

At

Karey Totally.

Bronte communicate with someone and be like, this is what I'm doing right now. Like, I think this is working. Thoughts like that

Karey exactly. Well, and it's there, and I think, I mean, a coach's job should be to have that knowledge, whether they, and that's where I think it's different from like, [01:04:00] okay, you go and you read an article by somebody, a guy who has like taken this nutrition or this is how they recover. Right. But they're not, they're, and it's like a lot of it is from somebody's own experience, right?

So they're not speaking from. A, a matter of like, um, hey, I did this research and these are the things that I know and so this is what I know that can help you there. And if you have questions about it and I don't know the answers about it, then I'll go research that for you because that's my job. You know what I mean?

And that's what the coach can do is whether they're, no matter what gender is coaching, what gender, you know what I mean? Like that's their job and that's what they're paying them to do. And so that can bridge that gap. You know what I mean? Yeah. He might not know what it feels like to have a period during race, but you know,

Bronte Yeah.

Karey still gonna know, you know, more about than the average Joe 

you know what I mean? So that's where I think it is a little bit different. 

I mean, it's all valuable. It's all valuable, you know, take what you will. But still,

Bronte [01:05:00] I appreciate it. Seems like he actually like, looks at research too, and it's not just

Karey yes,

Bronte reels or something like that, which

Karey yes. S

Bronte like I get fed so much of that stuff and I'm

Karey yeah.

Bronte should I be doing this? And I'm like, well, where is this coming from?

Like, you know, and I'm like, you know what? We're not even gonna engage with it. We're just gonna, I'm gonna

Karey Good.

Bronte my coach says,

Karey Totally it's, and it's worth giving a shot. You know what I mean? It's something you can do and wanna explore. It's like this is your coaching era and you get to

Bronte So

Karey learn a lot and Oh my gosh. So what made you pick saddles 100? Like as a race? As a goal?

Bronte honestly. Okay. So um, I listened to an interview with Michael Verti and I just like

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte appreciate his ethos and his like, around trail running. And it felt very akin to like how I view it. I think like, especially coming from like more of a backpacking perspective,

Karey Totally.

Bronte definitely [01:06:00] don't like hyper competitive like broey kind of things, but I do like that sort of like self competitive like nature that, um, you know, kind of engaging with these things come, like brings out in me. Um, and it just sounded like in terms of the community and like the things that are important to him as like a runner and as a person, it seems like his values are really in there and like, I don't know, I really struggle even with some of like the. really love a vipa as like a company and like they put together such amazing events and

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte but sometimes it does feel very like corporate, I

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte I think I'm, I was just craving kind of more of that, like, more of a

Karey Grassroots. Yeah.

Bronte and, and I'm hoping that that's what it is. I don't know if that will be it. I have not experienced saddles. Um,

Karey Totally,

Bronte hopefully that's what it is, but, um, it sounded like it from, at least that was the intention behind it.

Um, and so that was something that really attracted to me, [01:07:00] uh, attracted me to it from the, in

Karey totally.

Bronte And also I've connections like to that area of, um, Arizona, like my grandma lived in Cottonwood and my aunt lives in, um, And so it just seemed like a really cool way to like get to experience those places,

Karey Yeah,

Bronte that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

So,

Karey that's really cool. Are you, is there anything about that distant, like how is your mindset going? Like are you just scared to death of it or are you like, you're like, no, I could just, you know, I'm just gonna chew off a bit and like, tell me more about that.

Bronte I think like honestly since I've gotten into running, like the longer distances are the things that are the most appealing to me.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte because I like know that I can go far long. Like, I don't know, like when you go through, through hike and everything, like it's just so amazing. Like, I remember my first [01:08:00] 30 mile day and I was just like, oh my God, I didn't even know I was capable of that.

And like, um, and I feel like those longer distances like really help you like that. Like slow and steady is my bread and butter

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte I don't think I will. Like I said, I'm never gonna be like the fastest runner. I don't think like ever. Um, and I don't think that like I have that drive or whatever to

Karey Yep.

Bronte a sprinter or someone who like does a really fast 5K.

Like I

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte Um, but like the idea of just being out and having a long day in the mountains like that is just super appealing to me. And that's kind of like my mindset going into every distance that I've had. Like every like thing that scares me that I've encountered, whether it be a race or just like a really big effort for the day.

I'm like, it's just gonna be a long day in the mountains and I know how to do that. And I like, love that. And I, it's

Karey Oh.

Bronte like, so I think that's like kind of how I'm approaching it and um, I'm honestly not very scared of it. I think if anything, I'm just scared of like [01:09:00] the nighttime parts. 'cause I'm, I'm not good at like, it's weird 'cause I run in the dark a lot,

Karey Yeah,

Bronte in the desert.

And so I think like forested nighttime areas scare me a little bit more.

Karey totally.

Bronte But, um, I think it'll be a cool opportunity to like kind of face that fear

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte I don't know. I also, think a couple of, all of the people that have offered to pace so far are like just people that I really love, and I think it'll be a good way to like, you know, get even closer to and just

Karey Totally.

Bronte really cool experiences with them.

I'm, as much as I wish I was one of those people who like is super good at being alone in these contexts, like every through hike, every like long day that I've had just like shown me that I just thrive so much more when I'm in community with others

Karey Mm.

Bronte um, and that like motivates me in, in my own way, uh, or in its own way.

And so, yeah, I [01:10:00] think that's like something I'm looking forward to is like being able to like, deep with people

Karey With people.

Bronte So.

Karey Oh my gosh, that sounds so special. And it's totally, totally motivating to me to hear. I love just a long day in the mountains. I think sometimes I get, I, I'm very competitive. Um, I would say both externally and internally. Um, even when I have no right to be, I think it just comes from, you know, I used to be, uh, uh, let's say on a scale of one to 10, a fastness on my bike, like consistently like an eight.

Like I was racing at a very high caliber and. Um, there's a lot of ego that like comes with that when you're not doing it anymore. Um, that's like, you don't even know what I, that's sometimes what I feel like. It's, it's so ridiculous, but I'm like, you don't even know where I've been. Like, you don't even know what I used to be able to do.

But then it's also like being like, that's external. Like I know what I was used to be able to do [01:11:00] and I should be able to use that to fuel my fire. Right. Um, but sometimes it's hard and like knowing that, um, and especially with running like I, there is no room for me to have an ego in running. Like, like I just started running literally like a year ago.

If it wasn't for, you know, like I played soccer as a youth and I did basketball, but like, other than I swore I'd never be a runner. And then here I am doing these long distance, you know what I mean? Like you were saying. And so, um. I, I do sometimes get bogged down with how fast am I gonna be running this mile?

Or how or what is my pacing on this ultra, you know? And if I don't hit that, what am I, you know, and it just becomes this heavy burden, I think, which is not why I fell in love with the ultra stuff and the trail running stuff. Like, that's not why I find joy out there. Um, so I love that. Like I'm gonna my next long-ish out being out there.

That's what I'm gonna, I'm gonna take.

Bronte Hell [01:12:00] yeah.

Karey That's super awesome. Thank you.

Bronte it's good. course. Yeah,

Karey Perfect. Uh, well let's wrap it up here. So are there, is there anything else you wanna talk about or like, I mean, I have just a couple wrap up questions, but as far as like, I don't know, like your training life balance, your, like overcoming fears, like any and all of the above, like is there anything else you wanna say?

Bronte Um, know. I mean, life and training balance is really hard. Um, working a nine to five is tough and like, don't know, it's sometimes longer than a nine to five. So it's

Karey Yeah.

Bronte just one of those things where like, I, there are definitely days where I'm like, I don't wanna run like ever, like, I never wanna run again.

But it's, it's always one of those things, like, um, my partner is always like, you always say this, and then every time you come home from a run, you're like, oh, that was the best thing ever. Like, I love running. [01:13:00] and so I have to like. Sometimes coax myself into that, just being like, remember you like doing this.

Like this

Karey Yeah,

Bronte get to do this every day. Um, and so that's, I don't know, but it's, it is tough Sometimes I fear I'm gonna have to get up early

Karey yeah.

Bronte and I'm not a

Karey Yes.

Bronte So

Karey Yeah.

Bronte see how that goes,

Karey I am, I am dreading the, the days are very nigh.

Bronte mm-hmm.

Karey They are right around the corner this week. I know. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. What time would you have to get up to run?

Bronte before work, um, I didn't, depending on if I wanted to get to a trail or not,

Karey Oh, okay. Okay. That's right.

Bronte yeah, if I wanted to, um, like just do a road run it, I, I'd probably have to get up at like five 30 to

Karey Okay.

Bronte like hour in.

Karey Yeah,

Bronte and then, yeah, if I'm driving somewhere probably five or

Karey yeah,

Bronte bit

Karey yeah. So we're about the same. Yeah. [01:14:00] Oh

Bronte but hopefully I'll just like get into a rhythm with it, you know, and

Karey yeah, yeah, exactly. Get there. Exactly. I mean, we just make it work.

Bronte yeah, or just run in the heat of the day, you know?

Karey Exactly. Heat training. It'll be amazing when the fall comes. And

Bronte Exactly right. Just

Karey oh my gosh, Excel. That sounds horrible, but,

Bronte yeah,

Karey um, well, awesome. Um, what are three tips? This is just like in my last, actually, before we do that, no. Should I do tips or snacks first? What do you wanna do? Tips or snacks?

Bronte let's do snacks.

Karey Okay. What are your three favorite things that you like as snacks while you're adventuring?

Bronte Okay. Dots, pretzels, like

Karey Oh yeah.

Bronte much like. has, I cannot tell you the immeasurable ways in which she has enriched my life.

Karey Oh

Bronte are so good, they're [01:15:00] so worth the price. I don't care.

Karey yeah.

Bronte um, and then probably like, oh my God, the, I should get them more. I forget Candy exists.

Like, which know why I, like when I'm doing my runs and stuff like that,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte just like, oh, how do I even fuel? But, um, nerds, gummy clusters, those things are so

Karey Oh,

Bronte have fueled many, um, climbs for me.

Karey mm-hmm.

Bronte on the CDT. They were good motivation. Um, I feel like I ate so much candy on the CDT. Um, and then really like the Honey Stinger waffles. I think those

Karey Yeah.

Bronte If

Karey Oh,

Bronte and like I'm willing to purchase, like things I, I

Karey totally.

Bronte gels.

Karey Yeah. Yeah.

Bronte Also,

Karey go ahead.

Bronte for a pickle or potato, like honorable mention to pickle or potato.

Karey What is that?

Bronte Oh, like a pickle

Karey Oh, a.

Bronte a potato. [01:16:00] Sorry,

Karey I'm like, what's a pickler potato?

Bronte I shouldn't have said it the same way twice. Like I, I realized, as I was saying, I was like, no one, I don't know.

Karey It's a pi. It's a pickler potato.

Bronte Yeah. Pickled potato,

Karey Oh my God. That that should be a thing. I am like, I wonder what that would be like. Brighten up a pat, a potato. You may have just invented something.

Bronte maybe so. I don't know enough about the actual pickling process

Karey I don't either.

Bronte I,

Karey I'm,

Bronte potatoes wouldn't be shelf

Karey I know. I think maybe the starch might, I'm gonna do some research and we're gonna, we're gonna figure this out. This might be a summer, either at a summer disaster or a summer. Amazing.

Bronte like we may have just like broken ground in terms of nutrition,

Karey so. I think so. All right.

Bronte Yeah.

Karey My God. But I agree with you, A pickle or a potato are also great snacks. [01:17:00] Oh my gosh. Okay. And then lastly, three tips that you wanna give the ladies out there who are either like adventure, curious or like outdoor curious or are already in it, but like have certain calm or, you know, like fears about really pushing themselves, either going solo if they, that's what they really wanna do.

Or I mean, any and all of the above. Three tips.

Bronte I think, um, it is a cliche at this point, um, do it scared, um, I'm such a weenie, like I'm the first person to say it, like I'm so uh, spooked all the time about everything. And, um, then if you just like do it

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte feeling scared. You're fine. I don't know. Like you realize you can do it and then you're like,

Karey Yeah.

Bronte that was nothing. Um, so, uh, that's definitely, yeah, a cliche, but definitely a good one.

Karey Love it.

Bronte and then don't [01:18:00] listen to what people say,

Karey Yes.

Bronte Like obviously that's been a big part of my

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte story, but, uh, people don't know what they're talking about. They're like, I think oftentimes, especially if it's like someone who like is talking down to you saying something that they like, that you can't do something or like that you're, I don't know, incapable of it. I just was redundant there, but you know what I mean? Um, if they're talking negatively about you in that context, um, they're probably projecting or like they're jealous or something like that. And so it's like, I don't know. Definitely don't let that like how you see yourself or if you do use it to fuel your endeavors. and then, um, I don't know. This is, this is kind of a hard question. You gave it to me ahead of

Karey It is.

Bronte really know.

Karey I mean, those are both really good. If you only have two, uh, we can go with two.

Bronte Oh. Um, I guess maybe like, [01:19:00] I don't know, maybe it's not like something specific that you can like, into like a beautiful little word package,

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte um, maybe just don't let like image impact how

Karey Oh

Bronte do these things. Like,

Karey yeah.

Bronte really struggled with like an eating disorder for many years and

Karey Hmm.

Bronte to begin fueling myself for these things, like, became really hard.

Karey Mm-hmm.

Bronte you start to see what happens when you actually feel yourself and like you take care of yourself effectively, um, I think like. I don't know. I've kind of recontextualize it all where I'm like, I'm not working out or like doing these things to be skinny. I'm doing them to be strong. And so

Karey Yeah.

Bronte um, there's nothing more empowering than like coming to that I

Karey Aw,

Bronte So yeah,

Karey is. Y Yes. That was a great third one. I'm so glad you included that. And thank you for your being open and honest and vulnerable there. It's [01:20:00] like, uh, very powerful and I totally, totally agree with that. Oh, awesome. 

All right. So thank you so much Bronte, for being here tonight. We've had such, I mean, I've had a lot of fun getting to know you better and for, um, thanks for sharing all your tips and tricks and stories and everything.

It's been such a blast.

Bronte Yeah, likewise. Thank you so much for having me.

Karey Awesome. On that note, we're signing out.