Looking forward to a brand new year!

 

2015: A brand new year!

        Here we are on the cusp of a brand new year and I am excited for all that could/may/hopefully happen next year. I have plans and some of them may happen and some of them may not. 

      I am not really a New Year's resolution person. I used to be but after really changing things for myself and seeing how much I had to work daily at it to be effective I decided that feeling pressured to finish something and change something in only one year is too much and I just want to take every day as it comes, do my best and see how things work out. 

    I do have some goals though so here they are:

1. I want to keep learning to pay attention to my aches and pains and manage them as they come up. 

2. Remembering there is a difference between adventure and stupidity.

3. Also remembering I can do amazing things when I forget there is a difference between adventure and stupidity.

4. Have as much fun as I can every day and be grateful I am here, alive and well, to see another year through!

5. Continue to treasure, and cultivate, my friendships for without them I am a heather flower without a patch of earth to grow from.

6. Love my family more than ever and take good care of those I am entrusted with

7. Keep working hard at my job and continue to do my best for my clients, students and bosses.

8. BE BRAVE!!!

9. Remember where I came from and how much I have accomplished and be happy with where I am day to day.

10. Run as many trails as I can. 

11. Get muddy.

12. Be my own best friend and continue to treasure my alone time.

13. To be totally opposing: Try to be more outgoing when I am out with others. Strike up conversations. Tell my inner introvert it's a good thing to be social.

14. Be more trusting than wary.

15. Keep a smart head about me.

16. Keep track of my stuff 

17. Learn a new thing: whatever that may be

18. Learn several new things

19. Learn every trail in Griffy backwards and forwards

20. Most importantly I want to be happy and grateful and know that I am loved and included and part of a bigger picture. That there are many out there who have so much less than I and I remember that even my worst day is someone's best day. 

Happy New Year!!! Here is to a great 2015!!!

Jackson County 50K

      The Jackson County 50/50 was a race I wasn't entirely sure I was prepared for. The only thing that kept me deciding to enter is it that I had run a number of long and longer races before and had recently done a terrific training run at the Tecumseh marathon at the end of October. I had some good friends who were going to be there running either the 50k or the 50 mile and wanted to be where the action was.
    I had already started training for some big races and so had put in three  weekends in a row of 20 + miles but the weekend before JW I had only run 8 Saturday and 7 Sunday. I had rested as much as possible that week although being a trainer and boot camp instructor I have a very active job so for me complete rest days are rarely to be had however I had done as much as I could do to rest up, foam roll,get good sleep and hydration pre-race.  I hadn't checked the weather until the couple of days before the race. I have the good luck to be friends with some serious weather stalkers to give me (lazy!) a head start on what the weather is going to be like and then I just double check.
     I had been able to borrow a friend's car to go to the race so that morning I got up at 4am, had my breakfast, packed and repacked my bag, hydration vest and drop  bag. On the way down the rain was relentless. I had brought my big, orange.plastic poncho to wear over myself should it be raining like that during the race but when I got there it had stopped (Thank God!) and so I could leave the poncho behind. I arrived and was happy and excited to see some friendly faces before I started off.
     We started running at 8am. I had my Garmin I had just bought and was excited to use it but I hadn't charged it up properly the night before so it was low battery.  It still hung on for a little more than 7 miles of the first loop. We ran the first loop around the lake then started another loop---the first of the three times we would go around this particular 10 mile loop--and man was it muddy!! It had rained for two days before the race and then the night before they had had a good downpour so it was a mudfest already. I knew from experience that by the third time I went through this loop, if not the second time around, the ground was only going to get muddier as many feet churned it up.
    It was cold but not terribly cold and the first loop went well. I came around to the start, finish line and Arielle and Katie were there to cheer and see if I needed anything. Katie took a photo of me which was nice. I put some dry socks in a baggie in my pack, took care of a couple of things, got my polar buff (the top of the ridge was windy and cold) and then took off. The first thing I did was fall right into a mud puddle up to my waist. My gloves got soaked so I reached into my pack, took out the baggie with the dry sock in it and replaced it with my wet gloves. Now I could use the socks on my hands!

       The photo above is from another of my very muddy races. I wanted you to see what the mud level was in some places. The hills were another thing. On our training run we had conquered the hills so I knew they were coming. These were the type of hills where I had hands on my quads and trudged up as they probably had an incline of 30% or so, They were also muddy (see above) so that was a slippery mess.
    I was not surprised though, nor unprepared, for mud. Many of my races have been muddy messes and that should not be surprising to other trail runners. As outdoor runners at any time of year we have many different conditions to contend with and I try to pick the best thing about each one. The best thing about the mud was when I did fall once I just kind of slid down in slow motion and the mud was very soft to land.
     On my second lap my left hip started to talk to me. Not pain necessarily just a little nagging pain with occasional sharp pains here and there. I am not sure if the fall in the puddle did it or what but it gradually calmed down again. I got to the aid station that was in the middle of nowhere on the course and was happy to see Rebecca there to give me a hug and some magical tomato soup. We took a picture and then I was off to finish up the lap.At the start/finish line this time I was excited to see some friends who I hadn't thought would be there. It is always such a boost to come around and see friends. Erin and Amara were so nice, too, to help me with my pack and get me ready to finish the final 10 miles.
    The third lap seemed to go by more quickly then the second. I sped by Rebecca again and finished up the final four. As I came around the finish line it was great to be greeted with cheers. I received a nice medal and a plaque that said "Third place Age Group." 

I had now finished my second 50K and fourth Ultra. I am excited about it and ready to go on to further adventures!

My training run: Testing nutrition, pacing and gear.

 

          Training runs are very important when getting ready for a race. It is important to work out the details of you race beforehand so that on race day you are not testing things like what/how you eat, hydrate and what gear will work for it. They always say "No new thing on race day."  It means you should be used to your shoes, clothing, hydration gear and what is okay with your digestive system to consume on very long runs. 

        I took a training run today. I had it down as 23 miles this morning. I got in 24 so not a big difference. I wanted to test once more using only Vespa and Tailwind to do a long run with. I ate a good breakfast, waited then took the Vespa and started out. I had brought a Ugo Ultra bar with me and two gels. The reasoning was that the last time I was unable to go more than two hours without something to eat when I was running. I feel great with only Tailwind and the Vespa for about two hours or so and then start to feel like my blood sugar is dropping and start that "tired runner lean" where I am just feeling run down. I eat a Gu or something (even I like natural fruit rollups and swedish fish) and I feel better and have more energy. The Tailwind, I think, helps me to not be as hungry as quickly and I think it definitely adds to my performance on a long run keeping my pace more regular for a longer time before I get too hungry and feel more worn down.

    The weather was great! 52 or so before I got done, I ran in a T-shirt, capris and some arm sleeves. I had a longer shirt on earlier but when it warmed up (very quickly on) I took it off and stowed it in my hydration pack. I ran all over. I had a 21 mile or so route and then I added a bit more onto it. It took me up Smith road and then the highway over to Dunn road and over to Cascades plus a bunch of stuff in town. 

       When you are wearing a hydration vest and everything you have to get over yourself and not care if people stare. I have long since gotten over the feelings of self-consciousness about it. I go into the stores, gas stations, restaurants and anywhere else i need to go (even have gone into the mall and Target). If people stare I just tell myself that 2 minutes later they won't care and will be on to their own problems and situations. It is a relief to realize I am unimportant because then I can get down to the business of my training.

   

 

      I ran along Smith road. The only problem with some of the roads is that they don't have sidewalks so it is a constant game of "run to this side of road, run to that side of road, car coming over to the side...." which can be kind of a pain. It is better to get these roads done early in the morning so that the traffic isn't as bad but I had slept in and didn't get going until after 8am so the traffic was getting busier by then. Dunn road was the same. I ran in a field for a bit to just get off the road but the surface wasn't ideal. 

      I felt good. I was feeling upbeat, nothing was sore or hurting even though I had a very active week and it went great. I blasted the Blerch (have to read the Oatmeal's blog about running to get this joke) and got my 24 miles in. 

   Now I start a taper for my 50K in a little over two weeks. Bring on the trails!

A sunday run in pictures

 

            I started out to take a long training run today and saw some nice photo opportunities along the way. So since it has been awhile since I did a photo journal post here are some pictures I took of my run today. Above is Beck Chapel on campus. It is pretty old and very pretty and I have seen two friends married there.  Alongside it, although I didn't get a photo of it, is a small graveyard that has some extremely old headstones in it.

           I ran on campus and through town for awhile. The next photo with the gorgeous red trees is along the student family housing. There was a whole row of them. 

This is a photo of the rail trail. It's getting sparse out there....sad to say goodbye to the leaves for a few months.

Here I found a bit of green along the Clear Creek Trail. I kind of let it soak in.

The last photo I took was of the creek running under the big red bridge. It was very pretty in the sunlight. 

Things I liked but couldn't get a photo of:

1. Bunches of blue jays at one point on the trail
2. A downy woodpecker
3. A cardinal in a berry bush
4. A KFC sign that said "Loaded Potatoe Bowl"  which was funny since Potato has no e.

Race Report: Tecumseh Marathon 2014

          Tecumseh Trail Marathon 2014

    I don't usually wait this long to do a race report but this week has been busy and so I am just finally getting around to it. 
   Tecumseh last weekend was wonderful! I don't know how to describe it better than that. I first ran Tecumseh in 2012 and the weather then was perfect just like it was at this race. The temperature was mild enough I was comfy in my shorts and singlet for most of the race. 
    I got to work packet pickup the night before which was so fun! I saw so many friends and it was like a big trail runner party and I met some new friends too. I also like hanging out with the DINO people. They are a nice group. I was able to get a ride home so got to bed fairly early about 9:30 or so. 
   I prepped my stuff before I went to bed. I was going to use non-flavored Tailwind in my hydration pack, I had 3 gels, some fruit rollups and a UGO bar to put in my pack. I decided on my outfit and packed my backpack with everything I thought I would need.The next morning I got up very early (around 5:30), had breakfast and got my Vespa ready in my pack to take at 8 am. I ended up probably should have taken it at 9 but it was fine. I like Vespa. It seems whenever I take it before a big race I always feel my best. I poured my Tailwind in my hydration pack, checked it to make sure it was good to go and double checked my backpack. 
   My friend Craig got there around 7 and we drove to the finish line. You see the way Tecumseh works since it is a point to point course is that we go to the finish line to start and then take buses (which takes about an hour so you know how far we have to run!) to the start line and then run back to the cars. It had been on the weather report the day was going to be lovely so I had on my shorts, singlet, some arm sleeves, light gloves, my pack and wore my Brook Peregrine trail shoes which have seen me through many races and I love them! 
    We got to the start line and found some BARA friends and had a group picture although we were missing one friend, Miranda, who had some transportation trouble so she missed the photo but go there in time for the race which was good! We started out at 10am and I felt great. I was heart rate training it so I was just taking it easy...using it as a training run for my longer races coming up. I had to keep my heart rate below 140 so I had a really relaxed pace. I didn't have my Strava on because I wanted to save my phone battery (more on my phone later). I had to keep telling myself when all the runners ran by me to "run my own race", "look at the bigger fish" (I.e. my longer races coming up) and not to pay attention to anyone else. 
   I spent most of that race just enjoying myself. I took in the scenery, ate my gels when I felt I needed them but the Tailwind and Vespa had really taken care of my nutrition needs for the most part and the gels just felt like a pick-me-up when i felt i was tiring a bit. I smiled at every photographer...even holding my arms out wide for the guy at mile 12...and talked with some of the other runners. I started to pass some of the runners that had passed me awhile back. Perhaps some of them had started out too fast and gotten a bit tired but I kept my pace fairly regular. I couldn't be sure as I had no Garmin or Strava but feel like I was right on target by keeping my heart rate at it's prime number. 
   I was excited after mile 18 that i was soon going to pass the stop where my friend Rebecca was going to be. There is nothing like seeing a friend you haven't seen in awhile at a point in a race and I had missed her. Big hug for her and saw Evan was there too and Barry. I got a bit of very good beer and talked with them a few moments and I was off again. I found out at one point I had lost my phone somewhere in the leaves so that was a bit of a bummer but still couldn't get my mood down.
    I never really got terribly tired. I felt a bit achy by the end of it but that is to be expected after 6 hours of running up and down hills, jumping logs and crossing creeks. I ran into the finish line to be greeted by "There's Our Girl!" and all my friends lined up cheering for me. I felt like a superhero and felt so loved! 

Great Race! Great Day! Great Friends!

Shoes: Brooks Peregrine
Nutrition: Tailwind Nutrition and Vespa. 3 GU gels, one UGO bar and 2 fruit rollups. Some small snacking at aid stations.
Hydration: Salomon Hydration pack with 1 1/2 liters of water and one package non-flavored Tailwind. Some gatorade at aid stations.
Time: 6 hours
Weather: Warm, beautiful. 
Best point: Seeing my friends! 
Low Point: NONE 
 
  

Griffy: Bushwacking, spider sticks and walnut bombs

    I went for a long run this morning and decided to take in some of Griffy trails during the run. It was a nice, cool morning. I have been finding lots of new trails at Griffy and it is starting to become a habit. Today I decided to try to find a trail I was told would exist somewhere around Meadowwood retirement community so ran over there and tried to find it. I didn't succeed there so I ran out and found another trail back down Headley road. It was an unmarked one. I liked that. I like just discovering things on my own without signs all the time. So I ran down and first saw this lovely little path that I started down. The sunshine was so pretty all over it. The only thing a little disturbing were the walnut bombs---the trees had started to rain their big, heavy walnuts down all over the forest so I would be running and off to the left or right would hear a big THUD and think "Oh I hope I don't go under a tree that is getting ready to do that. Those sound like they would hurt if they hit!" So...walnut bombs...a little more excitement for the run.

     I ran down this little path and decided after awhile that there were lots of little trees really close together which is perfect spider-web-in-the-face situation. So I decided to grab a spider stick.To the right is a spider stick--a highly advanced piece of weaponry in which I wave it around in front of my face like Hermione waving her wand. It might look silly but I have been saved more than once from a spider in my face. I might get a patent. 

Here are some lovely pine trees. I think my favorite part of any trail is always the pine forests. I stood there and looked up at the tops and with the blue sky it was such a pretty sight I almost sighed.

 Here is some uphill. This was right before I lost the trail entirely and started bushwacking my way through the forest. My spider stick came in handy. I was just having the best time just trucking through the woods finding things and seeing new ways to go. I came across a big (well they call it a "depression") ravine and decided "Hey I wonder if i could go down there? And what I would find? Maybe some cool rocks or a treasure or...possibilities are endless in my mind....so I decided to clamber down the hill. Yes. Clamber. Stumble. Grab hold of stuff to make it as smoothly as possible and then kind of slide down the mud at the bottom to get to the rocky floor of the ravine.

 It was really pretty cool down there. There were rocks and downed trees and little skittery things I didn't look too closely at. Lots of gnats. No treasure though. I think someone must have found it first. That's it.
So I hung out there for a bit and then looked around and realized I had to go UP now. Nowhere to go in any direction but back UP.

I looked UP and saw it was pretty high, not much to hold onto and thought "This will be fun!". So I used my spider stick to stick in the mud to help me climb, held my feet at angles to get more traction and clambered my way up. I grabbed hold of rocks to pull myself up, edged over to tree trunks to climb up on and a few times the ground beneath me skittered back down the ravine almost taking me with it. Digging up through mud and finally I reached the top--or enough of the top I was now in no danger of falling again--and had to take a picture of the hill I had just climbed. That big log in the photo was the last way I got up--hand over hand pulling myself up that log to get to the top. It was quite a workout!

Last but not least I got down to Lake Griffy and took a photo of the lovely lake. This had been quite an adventure! I finally followed the ridgeline to a trail and then finished my trail run and out back onto the roads. I am so happy I am starting to learn more ways to get around Lake Griffy so I can have fun trail time too anytime I want!!

The Wall: A parable

          Sometimes in life we have a wall in front of us. Sometimes that wall says to climb it and even though we are not really equipped to climb it we do it anyway and then on the other side of that wall may be a thorn bush or a deep hole or another, higher, wall. This may be a good thing at some times of our lives.....a challenge is great. But at times the greater challenge is to look at the wall and ask yourself the harder question: Is this worth it?
    Is it better sometimes to sit still and say NO to the challenge ahead of us? It may make us feel we are weak but I think that true strength comes from knowing when things are safe, and unsafe, for us and being strong is being able to sit with the truth that NOW is not the time for that wall. There will be time.
   I think part of the reason I want to break ALL The walls is that I fear I may not have time.But time comes and goes like wind. There might be all the time in the world or there may only be tomorrow left to us but I believe in acting as though my future is a definite and I need to preserve all that I have that is sacred to carry into that future.
   So then there are most definitely times I must look up to that wall and realize "It is not worth it." And remind myself there IS time....time for more challenges, more hills to climb, more leaps to make. It's not over until it's over. Whether I die tomorrow or 30 years from now time is relative. I can make the most of today and not worry about tomorrow and whether this or that will happen OR I can fret and push and shove my way through the wall willfully like a kid up past their bedtime who, even though they have school tomorrow and the pizza they are eating is going to make them sick all night, just pushes past it and decides "I don't care!" Then that night they do care. And the next day falling asleep in class and feeling awful then they do care.
   The grownup thing to do is sometimes the hardest. Walking away from that big wall and into a less challenging place for awhile can make a person feel they are being weak or scared or unwilling to make a sacrifice. But why sacrifice? Why make things worse by pushing and shoving towards a thing that is really, truly, un-doable for me right now.
   That doesn't make me weak. It makes me smart. I have nothing to prove. I never really did. I only fooled myself into being so hard on myself when all that it was was having fun in the woods with my friends not a life or death struggle to the finish. (though sometimes it may have felt that way here and there)  I have done many hard things and climbed plenty of tall, scary, walls and come out the victor. Whether middle of the pack or last place I have proven I can finish things. Therefore I am not a quitter. I am smart.