Headed back to running soon

   I have had 3 months off of running on doctor's orders. Now I am being given the green light to start small runs. 3 months is the longest I have gone without running since 2011 when I started.
  It is going to be a hard start I am sure. Like the above cartoon I am sure just a bit of running will be hard but the fact I can start again soon fills me with hope and joy. Running is my favorite thing and it has been difficult not to do but I want to listen to my doctor and do what he thinks is best.
  Ultras are not an option for me anymore I don't think. Perhaps that will change but for now it's alright if I don't do another. I had an amazing time doing the ones I did and will never forget it. My doctor told me last week when I saw him at first he wants me to do the elliptical since that is like running but without impact. I have not been a big fan of the elliptical but once again will do what he says.
  I am excited to lace up my running shoes and head out the door. The first run might be hard but I know from past experience it will get better and better. When I get that first runner's high I will be ecstatic. I will be starting a little training for a half marathon in the spring called Run with the Foxes--training with a workout buddy who has been very patient with my rest time and needing to walk instead of run.
  For races that is it. Might change, might not. The most important thing I have learned is to love my body, to take care of it and listen to it's signals so as not to overdo. I have learned a lot in this last 3 months--about my body and it's limits, about my tendency to push myself too hard, about the fact that my friends stick with me even when I am not engaging in the activities they do.
  I am going to make sure this time that I take care of myself--keep my wits about me even when running becomes a bit easier and more fun. I will be happy to just have the option to run if I want to. I will make sure I engage in plenty of other fun ways to exercise--joining the YMCA; taking kickboxing again perhaps; swimming; cycling; lifting weights. If my body amidst all this activity says NO even once I will listen to it. I will stop. No pain-no gain has always been stupid to me.
  I will also have other forms of fun like I have been doing the last few months when I couldn't run. I will get into funny blogs on the internet; watch movies; have FUN on my new job as a barista (which is really fun for me!! Especially as a coffee addict) and just hanging out with my friends on my times off. I will have fun running with BARA and other running friends and I will have fun running alone.




So if you see me running again in the next few weeks--even if I look like I am not enjoying it at the moment?--give me a high five.  :-)

red eye relay

Well did the red eye relay last night. It went fine. My last gasp at running/racing for a long while until things in my system are steadier. Some endocrine system problems, autoimmune issues and such......all a perfect storm to turn a fairly average runner to no runner at all. The biggest reason is just that my muscles and joints hurt more than they used to, it takes me longer to recover from workouts and it's more important to rest well and keep the intensity lower.

And, yes, I walked/slowwwly jogged a little more of it than I had thought I would. Mistake number one was going into a race at all. Sigh. Like the magic mirror that lies my mind told me "You can go there and just walk a few miles and the excitement won't get to you at all."

My mind sucks at truthiness. But now that it's over with I am glad I went. I had fun. I feel I did more than I *should* have but with an easy pace that was practically walking speed.

Now it's time to say goodbye to races until all of this is straightened out. Seeing as some of these problems are long-term if not lifelong it may be a good, long while before I see another one.


I WILL be at races again to volunteer/crew and such but probably not for awhile. I think I need to let that little bit of buzz die down within me first.


In the meantime I will be switching this blog over to "some stuff I saw during my day today". The name won't change but the content will. I can still take and post some nice photos here and my own ramblings but for the runs it will be done for now.

Thanks for all the amazing experiences Life.

How Gratitude Changes Every Day To A Better One

I am feeling so much gratitude lately. I Have been so blessed to have the experiences I have had in the last few years. I finished many goals I wouldn't have thought I could do and the best part is all the wonderful people I have met along the way. Being a runner has changed my life. Becoming a long distance trail runner has changed it even more. The best things it has shown me is that people can be part of your life that you never would have met if it hadn't been for your shared interest in spending all that time out on a trails.

I have so many awesome friends now due to trail running and I wouldn't trade that for the world. They enrich my life every day. Watching them do what they love brings a smile to my face. They are some of the funniest, most authentic people I have met. They keep me smiling.

 I love being out at races and events. I love having people to call up and ask if they want to hit a trail. I am excited that due to my reaching some personal goals last year and this year at IT100 and other events I got to meet some extremely interesting new people and get to watch my friends as they go on to other challenges. I get into major cheering mode when I see people working so hard to achieve these finishes in races and watch how much fun people have.

I think we have friends for several good reasons but one is that when one friend is having some troubles they have other lights to follow. It keeps the heart happier and Life better. I hope that I get to be that light for people sometimes. I Know that I am guided by many lights from my friends every day.

I hope to be able to share and grow with others every day. I hope to be able to shine out in someone's darkness and let them know I care and they are loved at the lowest points. I want to reach out my hands and guide those who need it and be there for others. That is what makes my heart happy. Here is to all those I follow:  Keep it up. Keep doing all the things that make you YOU. I will be here cheering you on.

Life is so much more than what we see every day. The physical is so small a part of the actual story. We are souls that move like dancers through the universe and, like dancers, we can take on others to dance our story with us. I feel I choose very good dancers to be in my life. I have thankfulness every day for the quality of my friends and family and the love there is in abundance.

Whatever is happening now is happening for a reason. There are doors opening all around me. I simply have to keep moving and I will move through one--perhaps many--before my story is done and my deepest wish is that those I have met on this journey will be on the other side as well. Blessings come when we least expect them. The Universe is a Good Place.

Hard decisions are sometimes the best ones

         I decided something now at this point. It was a hard decision for me. I tend to want to follow the adage that "I can do anything I set my mind to". But I need to follow my body's signals. I have osteoarthritis in my knees. It is not on the weight bearing part of my knee (as my wonderful doctor says) so I can continue to run and running itself won't make them worse. However it's the length of the runs that CAN end up making them worse. My doctor doesn't want me to run another 100 and I need to listen to his wisdom.
       I ran the 100 mile last year and finished. I am so happy about that and have no real reason I need to to do it again. I think I just wanted to be that person that can go around running these kinds of races over and over and be fine. But I am not that person and that's fine. I am a good runner. I need to make smart decisions.
       And my decision is not to run the Hennepin Hundred in October. This was a big prize I won at the IT100 race and in the heat of the moment I was excited  to do it. But I did have to take my knee medication after the first loop--already after 17 miles. My knees warmed up and were great for the rest of the 50 miles and felt fine when i got home. In fact I was running after only about 4 days. But I think if I had taken it all the way to the 100 mile I would have ended up with more problems that would have thrown me off course in my exercise and my ultimate health and derail any of my other races I want to do in the coming months.
       I also am tired of training. I have been training for pretty much the last three years off and on. First--training for a marathon, then another, then a 50k, a 60k, a 50 mile and a 100 mile. Then another marathon, another 50k, another 100 mile. And it took up most of my life. I need to at this point step back a little, let myself off the hook some and get back my pure love of running. I want to work on my speed and do higher intensity workouts and can't do that if I am constantly doing long distance training. I am thinking of trying some other kinds of workouts too--martial arts, yoga, go back to the boxing gym. Just be able to mix it up a little and find my joy in workouts and classes.
   So I got to run my 100 mile race--gain a wonderful sense of achievement, a cool tattoo, got to know lots of amazing ultrarunners and gain a vast and varied community and am happy that my single 100 mile race was a tough race I finished and can be proud of doing it. 
  I am now looking at shorter races--ones I don't necessarily have to train for--or not train as much. I am thinking some 5k, 10k, 15k distances, some fun half marathons, maybe a marathon or two. My doctor says I am okay for marathon distance and I am sure since 50k is just a few more miles would be fine with that as well. As for solid plans and signing up for races I am not sure at this point. I am certainly sure that I want to have the ability to run for years to come. I want to take care of myself.

There is a time to push and a time to pull back.
    

IT100 race report

    So last weekend I took on the Indiana Trail 100 for the second time. Last year I finished the 100 miles and it was an amazing experience. This year I went to attempt it again. It was such an exciting atmosphere when I got there on Friday afternoon. The tents were up, the start finish line was all ready for us, there were my friends gathered around to say hi to and talk to and I felt good and ready. I had brought quite a lot of stuff with me. I had been working on planning better for this year.
     The morning of the race I got up at 4:30 am, got my running clothes on ( I had actually slept in the inner layers that night) and found my way to the Indiana Trail Running tent to get myself ready.
     There was coffee to drink and everyone was already gathered around getting stuff ready. So exciting to be getting ready to finally start the race I had been preparing for for the last six months of long runs, strength training, cross-training and mentally preparing for the challenge. I had run long runs in the early morning listening to the birds waking up and singing to me. I had thought a lot of things through on those runs, worked on problems I had in my life, meditated to the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, my heart beating, my breath.
     I got out my cereal to eat but was already running out of time so didn't really get a chance to eat it all. I packed my hydration pack with food and filled my water bottles up and spoken to my mentor and pacer Tiffany before hand. She gave me a pep talk and we took a photo by the start finish line. We all stood there in the dark morning wishing each other good luck, getting geared up to start--all our headlamps lighting up the dark.

      The gun went off and we started out to the grassy area. I was told by Tiffany to think of the grassy part as my fast part and then when the trail got more technical to do my walk/run strategy I had been working on. I had my salt tablets ready to take one every hour, drank regularly every 10 minutes from my water bottle and eat something every 2 miles. I wanted to keep moving and not stop much and I did that successfully. At the aid stations I only got my water filled up, grabbed something to eat that I had decided ahead of time I needed and keep on going. My time at the aid stations I had already worked out to be about 3 minutes so really tried to stick to that schedule.
       I found out already that I wasn't feeling hungry but still grabbed something at each aid station. I also had packed a lot of food but because it was stored in the back of my pack and I didn't want to stop much I didn't end up eating it. I did take my salt tablets as instructed and when I went into the aid stations made sure I already had my pack off and then things I needed to drop off at my drop bag ready to go and a plan for what I needed ahead of time.
       The first lap went great! The trail was pretty dry, I was able to get some good running time in and I made it in just over four hours. I had written down a schedule of when to be at each aid station and was happy I managed to make the times exactly or even a bit early in some cases. I checked my garmin regularly to make sure I was keeping under a 16 minute pace and see when the next aid station was coming up so I was prepared before I got there.
  At the start finish line at the first lap was done I quickly went into the ITR tent and that when I realized I had already became calorie deficient and tried to make sure to eat something. I was helped to rearrange my pack and how the food was put in the front pockets to make sure I had easy access to it and was told in no uncertain terms I needed to eat something every two miles!
      On lap two is when the rain started. I was happy I had worn my nice rain jacket that was provided as part of our package and also I had packed a rain poncho. I was able to keep going pretty steadily despite it and reached the Rally aid station still on schedule. But then the trail began to become very muddy and getting slippery. I had changed from my Salomon Fellraiser trail shoes to my Altras that had no traction to speak of. The reason I had changed them is because the trail shoes had begin to feel heavy to me on the first lap and my feet had started to feel sore. But the only thing is like I said I love my Altras but the bottoms of them are completely smooth so I was slip-sliding everywhere and a couple of times fell in the mud or had to ski riskily down some of the hills. It was also becoming more difficult to get up the hills as they had became mud slides. I grasped trees along the path to help me up the hills and some of the downhills used the trees to hold onto to ease my speed sliding down the mud.
       When I got to Rally aid station I was pleased it was right on time anyway despite the mud. My wonderful friends were there offering me food, asking what I needed, making sure i had my headlamp as by now I was so dazed I was just forgetting everything.  I grabbed some stuff from my drop bag, was told to eat and obediently ate some grilled cheese. I had some soup at the Schoolhouse that was so amazing to me. It is a great thing when you are cold to have some hot soup to warm up your insides. At the Schoolhouse on the way back to the start finish they had turkey burgers and I ate one and it was so good! I was now taking my salt tablets at every aid station to make sure I had them regularly.
      When I got back to the start finish after that lap, however, I was a mess. I had to change into dry clothes as I was starting to get very cold in my lighter clothes and knew that the third lap It would start to become darker and I didn't want to start feeling too cold. I was shaking and had to change my socks and shoes. I was given food to eat, warm soup that I was told to eat all of it. My friends were there and it was so great to see them and they were so sweet--asking me how I was feeling, was anything hurting, did I need anything? Tiffany, my pacer, helped me off with my wet clothes and I grabbed my trekking poles for the third lap. As I went by a friend who was really sailing by he reminded me I had to do this in under 5 hours. I felt very stressed at this point as I knew the mud was going to really slow me down and I really wanted to make the cutoff this time.
      It was not to be. The trekking poles were really a dream come true. I was able to run with them and they helped me navigate the really slippery parts without slipping and falling. They also helped me get up and down the hills easier without having to grab trees.
       However even with the poles and my working my hardest to keep going the mud at this point was so thick and constantly slippery I was unable to make much progress. I began to feel so cold in what I was wearing. I also was starting to feel this kind of dazed feeling like thing were unreal. I was fading inside and feeling sadness. I plodded through the mud and cried many times, feeling frustrated with my lack of progress and watching other runners glide by me and felt like I was not good enough, why did I try to do this when I felt not good enough and watched other runners with pacers so knew they were at least on the fourth lap and here I was struggling through my third.
      It got darker and darker. I felt so alone and tired and dazed. I started to have some weird vision stuff happening too like seeing things flitting through the trees, hearing people behind me but when I turned back there was no one there. I kept going but was freezing, downhearted and had never felt like so much of a turtle runner. It got to be night and I knew it was taking me forever to get to the finish line.
       I plodded on through the darkness all alone. I don't know where everyone went and felt alone and like I would never get to the finish line.  I knew in my heart I was going to drop down to the 50 mile point and it made me feel relieved and sad at the same time. I only wanted to be a good, strong trail runner like everyone else seemed to be and as the other runners ran by me looking so fresh and strong they gave me a "great job". But I didn't feel like I was doing a good job and mumbled "thanks". I appreciated them saying that but I was not truly feeling it.
     It was definitely a very low point for me. I got lost in the darkness a few times. It was utterly pitch black at this point and only my headlamp lighted up the dark woods. I knew I would have my great pacer at the next lap but just felt like I couldn't continue and knew in my heart was not going to make the cutoff again so decided before I even got to the tent I was now a 50 mile finisher. I was so cold and could see my breath and cursed myself not wearing better clothing that was warmer.
      When I crossed the finish line that last lap I was so happy to see my friends there and they gave me big hugs and I tearfully told my pacer who was all ready to help me that I couldn't continue. I felt bad that she had worked with me so hard and felt I had let her down. I felt I had let everyone down but realized also that that was just mostly exhaustion from over 16 hours of movement. I had worked so hard, kept my times at the aid stations short, eaten like I was supposed to but just told her I couldn't do it anymore.
    She was amazing though and just took me by the hand and led me to the tent and said I had gotten through 50 miles of a crazy hard course all by myself and that was awesome and she was proud of me. She led me into the nice, warm, lighted ITR tent announcing "we have a 50 mile finisher here!" and everyone clapped and I immediately felt better. My warm feelings about trail running, ultra running and my effort all came back to me in a moment.
       As my friends told me how proud they were of me, I got off my wet clothes by the fire and was given my 50 mile medal with a flourish I suddenly felt no failure in my efforts, no more self-critical thoughts. It was like the last miserable lap had changed in my mind to a triumph over a serious challenge.
     I sat by the warm fire, given hot coffee to drink, laughed with my friends and felt included and loved and nourished by this community. The love I had for my community of fellow ultra runners and my IT100 family filled me up better than any food ever would.
   I realized in my heart right then that it wasn't the speed or the strength of my running that mattered. What mattered was the love of the people I surround myself, the positive atmosphere in that tent, in these races. That is what brings me back to these events, to these challenges, to this way of life----because there is nothing more satisfying than knowing I did my best and it doesn't matter if I am fastest, strongest, first place or the best. It only is me against myself--the growth that comes with besting a difficult situation--feeling all those dark feelings but being able to deal with them as they come and put them aside when I'm done and fill my heart back up with the warmth and love all around me.
    I adore my life. I love my friends. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my days and years here on Earth. It only takes one person to change your whole life and that person is YOU.

The role of fat shaming in our society and how we can help

     A couple of weeks ago I was in the coffee line at a function and ran into someone who has known me for years. This very sweet lady was telling her boyfriend that I used to be "a bigger girl"; "plus size". I told the man that I used to be fat. She said she was trying to make it sound better. I said there is nothing wrong with the word. Fat is not a bad word. It's a descriptive word. And I am understanding of her tendency to not want to refer to someone, especially a female, in those terms. Society has taught us that fat is a bad word to use for reference.
    When I was fat I felt shamed a lot for my size. Rather than look at me for who I was I was instead judged by many to be such things as lazy, unmotivated, ugly--in other words--unacceptable. Fat does not equal unhealthy just as thin doesn't equal healthy. I was unhealthy because I was a smoker, unregulated type 2 diabetic, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol--NOT because of my weight. My weight was a part of the picture but not the entire picture. I went to lose the weight not based on looks but on finding a healthier way of living. Feeling better about myself was a side-effect of losing the weight but I also found many things to be true that are dictated by the society we live in and how I was viewed both as a fat woman and a thinner woman.
   When I started to lose the weight and get healthier I was suddenly treated as "an equal". People said how pretty I looked NOW as though there were nothing attractive about me before. The clothing industry rewarded me by giving me a wider choice of clothing when I went shopping. I was able to feel I 'fit in' with others. I had felt beautiful as a fat woman and I felt beautiful as a smaller woman but was only really reinforced when I lost the weight. People didn't ask me how I felt inside--how was my blood pressure, my blood sugar levels, my ability to do more activities? They asked me "How did you lose the weight?".
   I had a podiatrist I once went to find out about my former size and asked me "How did you finally go from being fat and lazy to where you are now?". I had actually never been lazy. I was an active person then. I was a gardener, a hiker, loved to go camping, a fan of dancing and a hard working woman who loved my friends and family and my life. I never went back to that doctor again. I remember when I saw on my medical chart the words "Obese" and how that made me feel inside. The word Obese, again, is a descriptor word however I had internalized that shame from my many years of viewing women in magazines and movies that equated thin with beautiful.

I went to lose the weight when I was told I had Type 2 diabetes. I was motivated to do it not because I felt ugly but because I didn't want to start losing limbs, going blind and dying an earlier death due to my health problems. I had just as many positive qualities as a fat woman as I did as a thinner woman.
   The fat shaming in our society is a sickness and it leads many women-and 10% of men--be feel unworthy and judged due to their size rather than look beyond the physical characteristics to the person as a whole.
  As a trainer I want to instill in my clients and students that they are not the sum of their pounds--that they can accept themselves wherever they are in life and whatever they look like--that being thin is not what being healthy is about. Fitness is not about looks it's about making healthier choices because you want to live longer, feel better and rely less on the medical establishment and more on a holistic view of yourself.
   Focusing on size equals worthiness leads to extremely unhealthy problems for women. These problems like anorexia, bulimia, self-injury and suicidal behaviors due to self-shaming and low self-esteem can be lethal. Anorexia is the most lethal of the mental illnesses. I was lucky in that when I went to get healthier I didn't get sucked into the eating disorder problems. I was able to look at the physical aspects and focus on eating better, regulating my blood sugar and being more active. Many people are not as lucky. 

    Remember that the fat person you see is first and foremost a PERSON. When you make snap judgements based on looks you write off what could be the best friend, lover, partner, parent you will ever meet.

A poem: Tale of the 100 mile journey

The tale of the 100 mile journey

by Heather lake

Here we start a journey

we know not how it will end

bravely taking our first steps to

that twisting trail

we leave our safe havens

pushing our bodily ships to sail

we wind our way hearing

conversations and birds

the wind in the trees

the rustling leaves

the calls of the aid stations

and the care of volunteers

when our feet are planted

on the clay of the woods

we take a moment, rise up and

feel that bit of gift

of life under our feet,

all around us,

in the trees, the flowers, the hills

and creeks

when the rain falls we listen

to it pelt upon the trees

hearing the sigh of the wind

we are one with the breeze

feet carry us through the ebb and flow

our hearts beat as we boldly go

feeling the heat of the sun,

the cool of the rain

pressing on through doubt,

perhaps pain

But darkness comes and the moon glows

lights like tiny fireflies grow

dancing through the glades and hills

all quiet now as sun fades down

the forest dancing all around

flowers glow like little white lights

and everything around feels fey at night.

Pushing on we feel the dance

of life, of heartbeat, of love and chance

each person met greeted with love

praising each hard moment that we rise above

and then, like a wedding guest,

the sunrise comes

glowing and gleaming

a joyous sight

and we know we have finished the night

and to our friends we finish our fight

hugging them and feeling that gift of flight

when we can finally sit and know we did

the biggest thing we have ever done

and now we are all, every one of us, ONE.

IT100 training--coming down to the wire

  Well the big day is drawing nearer and nearer. It has been a long time waiting and training. Though I can be hard on myself that I might not have trained enough or in the right way I am sure that I have done all I can at this point. Only a couple more weeks of training and I start to taper down to the race.
   I have worked on many things that I think tripped me up last year. One, last year I DID spend a bit too much time getting myself together at the aid stations and didn't always have clear objectives when people tried to help me. Some of this was later on when I was just too tired to think but even in the beginning laps I could have been more organized and better able to help the ones who were trying to help me.    
   Two, my nutrition last year was very haphazard. I have never been really great at nutrition. Usually I just bring along some swedish fish (everyone who knows me knows this) and some natural made fruit roll ups and then just snack at the aid stations when i was hungry. WRONG.  Not only is this wasting time trolling the delicious snacks at every aid station and trying to decide on the fly what I am hungry for it also may provide the wrong macronutrients at the wrong time.
      Though the volunteers are awesome and we couldn't do this without them and the food is truly delicious I had to have some kind of plan as to what, when and how I was going to provide nutrients so that I can make quick decisions as I go along and make sure I am staying satisfied in calories and still be able to bypass the food at aid stations--at least not eat every time. There are 6 laps and 3 aid station stops  plus start finish so that is 21 times I am stopping during the race. I think last year that truly hurt my time. 
   So instead this year I am trying a leaner nutrition plan. I put it together with the help of my pacer this year and it worked great at Land Between the Lakes 60k. It is a mixture of Tailwind and honey gels/waffle stingers/shot blocs to carry me through. AT the 100 I will also mix in some real food because I have to do that. But LBL was awesome for a test of this basic plan.
     I sipped the Tailwind every 5-10 minutes and every two miles ate something. I was able to bypass many aid stations...stopping long enough to maybe use the bathroom or drink a little coke, thank the volunteers and run off. Just by doing that I knocked an entire hour off of my time of the same race I ran in 2014. I was able to finish in 8:16 on my Garmin and 9:06 officially and so far my fastest 50k has been over 9 hours. What a difference some planning makes!!
   I have run three back to back 20 mile runs in the last few days. That was to do time on my feet training and also nutrition training again as that seems to be one of my problems areas. The first 20 mile run on Sunday I went pure Tailwind...no gels or food. I found that I got a little tired without some caffeine in a gel or something. So Monday I ran no Tailwind only gels/shot blocs. Again I started to lose energy. This morning I ran with a mixture and it went great! My stomach was growling by the time i got home but that's fine. I didn't feel the need for tons of nutrition as this was 20 miles in town. Much different than 100 miles on a trail!
   I have also been testing out my shoes. I have two different pairs of Altras going. I think I like them both about equally so I am bringing both pairs with me. ALSO a pair of really big open shoes for the finish. (Thanks to Mory!) 
  I am going to be better about packing my needs this year. I am not the best at organization I know that. But I found that by packing individual packs of the tailwind i needed as well as the gels i would need it was easier to grab and go. One thing!!! I am pre-mixing my tailwind and also packing it in a sealed plastic tub instead of a drop bag. At LBL I opened my drop bag at the end of the race and it was full of ants. Apparently (DUH) they like Honey Stinger Gels too!! 
   I had wanted to run the course at least once this year to get the idea of it but it didn't work out. I ran a lot of my training in town. However I have trained for many trail races in town and did fine. The course will be well marked and I have a general idea from last year plus I have viewed a very helpful video to renew my memory. 
   I had some great pacers last year. They both did a wonderful job of handling me when I was tired and sometimes cranky. I applaud their efforts on my behalf. I think this year having the same pacer for the entire last 50 miles is going to be good. I can get accustomed to her way of pacing and we can get a rhythm going for the race. I also last year really could have used a pacer the last lap. By then I was so tired and kind of out of it I really could have used some guidance. The wonderful Jerry Deihl helped me last year prodded me to the end. This year it will be good to have someone consistently with me to get me into the last lap with wind left in my sails. 
 
   All I can say is just that I feel truly lucky and extremely grateful to my ultra running community for being so great to me, so THERE for me and so supportive of me. Terry Fletcher and all at  Indiana Trail Running, BARA, Mike Pfefferkorn, all the other runners from last year, my pacer this year is already supporting me 100% and all of this makes this race all the more special. It will be like a big family reunion with a LOT of running thrown in but also a lot of emotions, laughs, ups and downs, great food, two sunrises, a sunset, beautiful woods and lots of great energy from everyone around. 

  Here is Mory Bailey running me up the finish line at the end of the race last year. Her energy was very much needed and I appreciated her being there and everyone being there at the end. It was a great HUGE thing for me to have finished and I was truly proud to be an ultra runner. I cannot wait to go back!


                         One month left. Almost running up that finish line. Almost.............

Land Between the Lakes 60k--training run sucess!

       I am at a critical point in my 100 mile training. The race is only five weeks away. I had to take a little time off because after my big back to back weekend a couple weeks ago where I did 16 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday the top of my right foot was hurting a bit. I went and got it checked out and no stress fracture so it was just an overuse problem so I rested, iced it, babied it and it got much better. I was nervous, though, as I had to take two weeks off of training and I am usually very strict with myself about my training program. However if I am injured then the races were out completely.
  I showed up to the starting line of the land between the lakes 60k without having really run in two weeks. I have an active lifestyle so I was walking a lot, riding my bike, doing HIIT workouts in my classes and generally all kinds of things but had not had a "scheduled" run in awhile.
  I was also testing a new nutrition plan I am going to follow for the race. It consists of Tailwind, gels and honey stinger waffles and not much else. Tailwind hasn't worked very well before for me but I got some good advice about just how and when to use it and this time it worked. I filled up my hydration pack with 32 ounces of water, added four scoops of Tailwind to it and every lap I refilled it. I also had some gels with me and some packets of baby food at the drop bag site. I had a 16 oz. bottle of regular water as well. The Tailwind had been hard to take before because I had the flavored kind. This time I used the unflavored or "naked" tailwind and it was much better.
   Every 10 minutes I drank some Tailwind. Every two miles or so I took a gel only if I felt I needed one. I was able to run by the aid stations with only stopping to take a couple of Enduralyte pills for electrolytes and sodium replacement and drink a little coke. Otherwise I didn't feel hungry and was able to run by the food. At the drop bag site I would refill my pack with 32 oz of water and four scoops of tailwind, eat a packet of baby food for some "real food" nutrition and then be on my way.
   I was also testing my walk/run strategy. I ran for 25 minutes and then walked for 5 minutes. The times I didn't take a walk break was if I was on a downhill or a nice straightaway because I didn't want to waste a good downhill or run-able part with walking. I walked all the big hills and switchbacks however even when I was walking it was speedwalking--I tried to keep walking pace below 14 minute miles and it worked out about that pace.
  I did eat a little real food at about mile 20. I think it was more for the taste than that I really needed it. But after 20 miles brownies grew hard to resist.
  I also got to negative splits which I really like. By the last 8 miles or so of the race I was speeding up to sometimes 10 minute miles. I felt good the whole race, was passing quite a few runners and didn't feel any pains or aches. I had good energy and was able to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. Having to watch my watch to make sure I drank and ate my gels at the right times really also helped to keep me on point. I also left my phone at the cabin. One--because I tend to lose phones quite easily but two--i didn't want to have the temptation to take photos of the beautiful views.
   Land between the Lakes is a beautiful place to run. The trail winds all around Kentucky Lake and the woods are lovely. The frogs were singing too. I could hear the birds in the trees and the weather was perfect. Overcast, not too hot and the rain didn't start until the last bit of the race and by then I was hot so it was actually the perfect timing for some rain. There was mud--seems there is always mud--but it wasn't too bad. Pretty manageable.
   I finished it in 8:16 on my Garmin time and 9:96 official time which is an awesome time for me. My last 50k was over 9 hours so here I had added on 6 more miles and done it an hour faster. Whoot! I feel so much better about the race now. I feel like my planning is going well and I can get through the aid stations faster and knock off loads of time that way. I think I arranged my drop bag strategy well too to make it quick and not dawdle which I can tend to do.


On to April 30th and the Big Day!!

Long training run: The ins and outs of effort

     So today I had a long training run to do. 25 miles. Training for a goal that is still months away can sometimes be a hard thing to continue to focus on. I do this by writing out elaborate and very specific training plans where each day is laid out for me as to how many miles to do that day, whether to cross-train, weight train or rest. That way I can just look at it and know what I am doing for that day.  I like to joke that my training plan is the "Boss of Me" but really it is. I feel that by following a plan I can really be more fully prepared for the race ahead. 
   The morning started out with every kind of delay you can think of to just get out the door. First I DID get up at 6, had the idea to get out the door by 7 since I knew how long this run would take.  On long run days the first thing i do before anything is get my running clothes on I had set out the night before so I am already mentally in "run mode" before I do anything. The longer I stay in my comfy pajama pants the harder it is to transition to running clothes. This morning, however, I had decided instead of 29 degrees it was perhaps -10. I put on three layers of clothes on my upper body, two pairs of running pants, two pairs of socks...it was crazy. Maybe I just felt cold upon waking but anyway after I had my breakfast I realized I was way overdressed and that is a horrible thing on a long run. You only have two choices: start disrobing extra layers and carry them with you the whole time wrapped around your waist or tucked in somewhere. So I took off one layer and went to check my hydration pack. 
   Hydration pack was missing a piece to the hose. Shit. I looked everywhere for it, squashed the urge to check online to see if i would have to buy a whole new hose or hydration bladder once I realized it was the O ring that was missing. So. No hydration pack. Bummer. It holds a liter and half of water in it which isn't a big deal in town but it also has many very handy pockets and places to stash phone, food, etc... I also (Not a good week for gear) had lost two caps to my water belt bottles so more time was spent looking for two more caps (finally found two more) so I could carry the water in my belt. This meant not any real pockets so i had to re-do my plans for carrying stuff. I have thought of a good way to carry my huge phone now---I tuck it into an arm warmer on my arm rolled up so it tucks in there very nicely so no need to carry it around in my running belt which is getting pretty worn itself. 
   So, okay, breakfast.....then I had to take another layer off because..29 degrees....so I got all dressed in my running clothes and Altras and finally got to head out. As soon as i stepped out I felt ice. Oh oh. Run in to get on my trail shoes which have the nice rubber nobbies on them and also my yaktrax for the ice. Outside. Ready to go. Forgot my hat. DAMMIT! Got up at 6--left the house at 8:20. Oh well. 
    The ice was a challenge and I had to go pretty slowly and keep a special look out for shiny parts that meant ICE. The traction on my Salomon Fellrunners really helped i think even more than the yaktrax but, still, had to go fairly slowly. I have also started Maffetone training again which, unlike the usual method of 220-age for max heart rate, is 180-age and then add or subract a bit of points for such thing as recent injuries, running mileage, etc..i had been running pretty consistently high mileage without any injuries so I added a few points making my heart rate max on the program 141. I found, to my happy surprise, that the Maffetone Method really works as well as they say. I was able to stay well under my heart rate while still maintaining my generally usual pace. In an un-icy environment it would have been even better. 
    I have also been practicing a race technique wherein I run 17 minutes, speed walk 3 minutes, then run 17 min, speed walk 3 minutes. I happen to be a pretty fast walker so can usually keep up about 14 minute mile and have had on good advice this would be a good way to do the run/walk intervals for the 100 mile. I have actually started working on a strategy for the 100 miler that has to do with walking/running that I think might work in my favor and help me to get my time in under 30 this year....hopefully a pretty good amount under 30 if I work very hard and am dedicated and persistent. 
   I get a lot of thinking done on these long runs and sometimes run through a lot of emotions. I have so much time to myself that get a lot of things worked out. This is another reason I love endurance training---it really gets me in touch with myself--how I feel about things, what I have been worried about, things I want to do and see and what I want for my life. Big, deep thoughts but also little thoughts about my friends, my work, stuff I need to get done, snippets of poetry or music. It's good to have that time alone to just process. 
   It was about 2 1/2 hours into the run I started to feel a run-down feeling. I had my gummy fish for some quick sugar and also some honey sticks but felt I needed some coke and maybe a tiny bit of real food as by now it was already 11 am. So I veered off to burger king, got a small coke and some chicken nuggets, ate and then was on my way again. I felt revived by the food and sugar in the coke and so my pace was a little better and I felt better. 
   I kept up the 17/3 and occasionally picked an entire mile to speed walk it. That was good. It gave me a bit of variety. 
   I ran all over town, from the rail trail up the B-line to then grab walnut to 14th street then over to the college a bit, then hit downtown for a little bit, caught the B-line went up to 11th st....and so on. My Garmin beeped..shit running out of battery power...and I Had charged it up all night. Hoping it would withstand the rest of my run I also put on the Strava app on my phone just to make it up so i could then add everything together and get exact mileage. 
  I got near home, finally, 5 1/2 hours later at 25 miles. Because I am me I decided I wanted to run an extra mile and get in my own personal "marathon" so I ran a bit more. Wouldn't you know it. Garmin died at 25.66 but I know I was more than a third of  a mile until home so I am counting it. 

 Specifics of training run:

Shoes: Salomon Fellrunners
Gear: Nathan Hydration belt with two 9 ounce bottles for water
Nutrition:  Egg sandwich, banana for breakfast, honey sticks, gummy fish, chicken nuggets, coke
Hydration: about 30 oz. of water, no electrolyte drink
Pace: Variable depending on iciness of terrain and whether running or speed walking
Training specifics worked on during the training run:  Maffetone Method training; 17/3 interval training; Time on my Feet; nutrition timing.