This is my favorite week of the year. November is my favorite month, and since at least as far back as 2003, this first week of November has been punched up with major life events.

For example, on November 3rd, 2003, a fire broke out in the apartment building I was living in (while I was living in it).

On November 4th, 2006, I jumped out of a plane for the second time, rode my dirt bike motorcycle for the 2nd to last time, and married a kind and handsome Texan.

On November 4th, 2012, I ran my first sub 3:30 marathon, (#24) in Santa Clarita, CA.

On November 4th, 2018, I ran my first sub 3:10 marathon, (#52) in New York city.

On November 8th, 2020, I completed my first DIY Iron(WO)man triathlon, (marathon #55) “Taryn’s Journey From The Valley To The Sea” benefitting The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

And in just a couple of days, this Thursday, November 4th - Sunday, November 7th, I will be joining many of my fellow Biscay Coaching teammates and coaches as we traverse the legendary 68+ mile Backbone trail in the Santa Monica Mountains for a novel, trail themed edition of training camp.

Don’t worry, the run will be challenging any way you slice it, but my mysterious leg injury has healed (I have been running pain-free for a week), so although the run will definitely be tough, and I will probably lose some blood and gain some bruises along the way, I am confident I won’t be incurring any further damage to my leg.

Most of all I am looking forward to spending many hours sweating, laughing, running, and probably crying (I have yet to make it through one of Hillary’s camps tear-free) with some amazing women among the most amazing scenery. In fact, the last time I was romping around the Backbone trail was nearly a year ago when I was documenting my friends Lynne, Jess, Patricia, and Amy as they charged through the trail all in one go. It was an incredible feat to witness and capture, but what made that day even more memorable were the final few hours I shared with my friend Mary Knott.

**November 14th, 2020. Screen left: Hillary Biscay, Mary Knott, a redheaded documentarian. Photo credit, Hillary Biscay.**

Mary was on hand tag-teaming with Hillary pacing and crewing throughout the day as she and Hillary had coached Jess, Patricia, and Lynne up to this remarkable achievement of human endurance.

I had a blast bouncing all over Mulholland Dr. with Mary as we tried to keep up with the runners, talking about her upcoming African Safari, and making plans to one day visit Mt. Everest together. Thankfully, she made it to and from her African adventure safe and sound, but we will never go to Mt. Everest together, because her boyfriend took her life on February 13th, just a couple weeks after she returned home from her safari.

Last week, my friend, and Mary’s best friend, Heidi Videto, wrote a powerful blog post about domestic violence. She included how prevalent it is, and how everyone, everyone, should be aware of the signs to watch out for. I strongly encourage all of you to read Heidi’s piece that was published on the Smashfest Diaries HERE:

I will definitely have Mary in my heart, and I will need her tenacity in my legs when I revisit BackBone this weekend.

I hope you all enjoy this very special week of the year, and soak up the extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning.

The song and video choice this week is a great tune with a meaningful message about domestic violence, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' hit, “Face Down.”