training update

I'm starting to run again this week. YAY! The feetsleeves I got for my plantar fasciitis have worked. A pair of $50.00 compression socks with a weird heel with no toes in them. Plus kinesiology tape when I work out. Has done wonders. I also think the rest right away when it started hurting helped.

I have several marathons and even a few ultra marathons I'm looking at. April I'm thinking I will attempt a 40 mile at Clinton Lake. Steve is running a 100K there, there are lots of runners, lots of distances, and I've run there before, even though it kicked my tail. This one...

And then if I stay healthy Steve said he would run the Lunar Trek 100K with me in July. That was the night run I turned from 22 miles into 25 ish.

We are still working out with Marquis three times a week, hour sessions and plan to continue forever. It has done wonders for me and Steve. I like being strong and healthy.

So here's hoping to staying healthy and relatively pain free!

seven weeks out and....fail

I dropped my registration from my first 50 mile attempt this weekend.

Since the Turkey Trot November 17 I have developed plantar fasciitis (again). Not sure exactly when, but I ran a long run with Steve two weeks ago and it bothered me.

I babied it and felt better and last Saturday ran a longer run with Steve and it killed me all week. So I didn’t run at all other than in my workouts with Marquis. Yesterday I sent the email dropping out of the race.

Today my feet feel better than they have in a month.

I still plan to take two weeks off from running to make sure they are healed. I have kinesiology tape and a foot sleeve I’m wearing to insure I get them well.

I’m getting new running shoes this week before I start running.

I was pretty disappointed. And then today as I looked at all the races coming up that I can do that I hadn’t registered for because I didn’t know how long it would take for me to feel better my spirits lifted quite a bit.

I’m going to sign up for a couple of races in the spring.

My first attempt at an ultra is now going to be April 20. It’s a 40 mile race, not a 50 mile. I still intend to try a 50 mile this year. I have my training plan worked out and I will be taking better care of my feet to avoid this problem as much as possible going forward.

I will also keep track of how many miles I put on my shoes. I think I need to replace both my street shoes and my trail shoes for safety sake and start keeping a log.

12 weeks to go

some days i think there is no way i'll be ready and some days i feel very good about the race and myself. i had both those this week.

I didn't get to run as much or as far as i would have like to this week. but today's 6 mile run was one of the best i've had in a while, i was able to pick up speed on the uphill with at five miles and was able to sprint the last 4 blocks, even after the hill.

i also had two of the hardest workouts with marquis yet, one was a 30 minute session in the sand pit. it included throwing medicine balls, sprinting with resistance bands, pulling tractor tires and flipping tractor tires.

all in all, i feel stronger than ever.

and i got to run with steve for the first time in 4 months. he's released to exercise and is so happy about that. a little pain in his back, but he was able to log a 4 mile run and a 6 mile run. i'm pretty happy about that.

training update

i am loving this weather. perfect running weather.

i had a couple of tough work outs with marquis, i'm loving getting to work hard. i love getting stronger and faster. i love the stress release.

i'm hitting the point in my training plan where i run a lot of miles. longer runs on wednesdays, sundays are longer. lots of miles a week, lots of time spent. and i like it.

i'm trying to be careful and stay healthy. that's my biggest goal, that and getting stronger.

never give up

this made me laugh.

paired with this one

i had a tough workout today with marquis, but i love that, i love being able to do things i couldn't do a month ago, and i like feeling stronger and healthier (heck, i'm invincible)

it was a hill workout. the hill is .02 of a mile and a pretty steep grade. it included lunges up the hill, high knees with holding at the stop of the jump, squats and jumps to the top of the hill, and squats are my biggest weakness, hardest thing for me to do correctly.

up the hill like i'm skiing, back pedaling up the hill, backward jumps, and bear crawls and other assorted torture, .81 miles of bliss.

we ended with high knee sprints up, jog down, and 10 burpees (decreased by one each sprint) in between the hill sprints. originally he said 7 times, switched to 5 and then said 5 and we'll see. i did the first sprint so well and knocked out the 10 burpees like a pro. turned and headed up the hill, sprinting, knees high arms pumping and thought...i'm gonna die. next time bottom of hill i did the 9 burpees, all the way down to 5. six reps. thought i was gonna pass out at that point.

i am so much stronger, faster, focused, and my belief in myself to do hard things? just continues to get stronger.

i'm a unicorn...

15 weeks to go

15 weeks sounds so far away and yet so close, especially since i didn't run at all this weekend. the week went good, training and all but this weekend flew by and i didn't accomplish all the things i wanted to.

whitney had her sub-state volleyball tournament. we won our first game but lost the second so we don't advance to state. i saw on facebook that everyone elses kids did in volleyball and cross country. i just have to say to that, i'm very proud of my girl and how well she played and the character she displays on her team. (and the one play against washburn rural, defending state champions and number one ranked team in the state where she slid ribs first into the corner of the wooden bleachers with her arms over her head to protect it AFTER SHE MADE THE DIVING PLAY AND KEPT THE BALL IN PLAY made momma nervous, but proud.)

she's glad the season is over. i'm glad the season is over. training gets a lot easier, no practice, no two games a week, no tournaments. and she has decided to take this season off from playing club. she's tired. and she wants a job.

we made a spooky tutu for kelsey for the pommies routine this friday at the football game. it turned out great, very zombieish.

and later this week we are making simba and nala tutu's and manes for whitney and kelsey for halloween. so much fun.

back to training...

i haven't shared my 50 mile goal outside of us. just here on my blog. haven't told my family, unless they read this. haven't told friends, unless they read it here, you get the idea.

i chose the one in texas on an easy course and while i know a few people running there, maybe 6 out of 750, i did this on purpose. i want success at my first attempt. and i figure no matter where i do it, i have to do it on my own.

steve has told me that if i pick a hundred mile next fall after his heartland 100 early in october he will run it with me. we have found one he wants to run as well in december and i'm seriously considering it. will wait till after the 50 mile in february before i decide anything further than marathon distance next year. i have to do the training and finish the race on my own power, but company would be nice.

we both have a lot of races on our wish list race calendar next year, everything from two 4 milers i want to run again to 100 mile races and every distance in between. i'm very excited. hope we both stay healthy.

what a weekend

saturday steve and i volunteered at the heartland 100. this is one of steve’s favorite races and he deferred his registration till next year. we were at an aid station at 42.5 miles in and then it was 57.5 miles on the way back to the finish. we had a great time. we waited on runners, feeding them soup, sandwiches, crackers, cookies, candy, filling water bottles, popping blisters, taping feet, digging in bags for new socks, shuttling runners who quit back to the finish line. it was a wet, rainy, windy, stormy day. steve was actually not disappointed to volunteering instead of running.

this is the race director’s 11 month old cutie playing in the mud, gotta love moms like this.

this is the first place runner. He was a cutie too. i love that this picture shows the way the sky looked, the muddy country roads that this race is run on, and the runner making his way down the street to the aid station.

sunday i ran the prairie fire half marathon with sheila.

we were as miserable as we looked here crossing the finish line.

i had forgotten how hard asphalt is. the street is harder than sidewalks and much harder than trails. the pounding tore my hip flexors up, and my feet were feeling it. but after a shower, a sandwich and a nap, i felt almost good as new.

training update

three workouts a week with marquis. he continues to kill me. about halfway through our second set of exercises he is having to pull me up off the mat. 40 minutes, i get water breaks for about 2 minutes between sets. 6 minutes of breaks. he told me he intends to mix it up so i'll stay sore. YAY!

i can tell a huge difference in my legs. the four miles at the monster dash the other night were easy. the trail was a piece of cake. uphills, downhills, i was able to run without slowing or adjusting my pace or feeling it. i was very pleased with how i felt. along with stronger, i am recovered from the marathon. the shrnrm 3.87 was really hard because i was still dog tired.

after an easy week, this is the start of the first push week, 20 miles this weekend.

and a bonus picture from friday night...these are the monsters that jumped out of the trees to scare me while i was running.

there were 184 runners. i was 100. 61 of 122 females. smack in the middle. it all depends on the race and the registered runners. sometimes i feel fast and accomplished and sometimes i feel out of my depth. but it is always fun.

the adventures of wander woman

night run...

the monster dash 4 mile run at el dorado lake was a fund raiser for the el dorado high school drama department. the kids from the drama department were hidden on the trail in costume with props and jumped out and yelled and chased us. they are way less scary then mountain lions and snakes so i was fine. it was at the same place the storm the dam half marathon is held, and i kind of like that race too.

it started at 7:30 friday night. it was already dark. there were probably about 100 people, 90 in costume. yours truly was not, but only because i ran out of time to make a batman costume. there were not many headlights or flashlights which led me to assume (i soon found out i was right) that the majority of these people were not 1. trail runners, 2. runners, 3. night runners.

creepiest race shirt ever.

i actually started passing people at .52 miles in. which you all know from 3 of my last 4 races this is a switch. we ran paved roads through the camp grounds and some bike path. about two miles in we veered towards a wooden bridge and i was happy, my favorite portion of trail out at the lake. there was a line of 25 people in front of me. i know, because i counted as i passed them. i had two things on my side they didn't. i had run the trail before, several times, and i had a headlamp.

we hit pavement for about a half mile and right before we headed back into the same loop of trail three women i had passed the first time through went in right in front of me and immediately began walking. i asked to pass them, and they courteously moved out of my way. 50 yards down the trail i hear them behind me and so i asked which side they wanted to pass me on. she says, neither, we want to share your headlamp. so they stayed right on my heels and i yelled, LIMB, ROOTS, ROCK, DUCK (not the animal, the action) until we came out of the trail and hit pavement and then they ran on ahead.

at the finish line there was water, which is normal, and pizza, cookies and beer which is not. there was also a scary movie that would be shown in the amphitheater.

i didn't get my picture taken at the finish line, i veered in from the side. but dressed in black tights, black tee shirt and a headlight, i would've been hard to see. so here is a selfie.

anneshia is spending the weekend with us. took her to the race. steve said she cried when i ran off. forget how different life is for a 3 year old. when i crossed the finish line she was waiting there with steve and she says, gigi, you're fast.

the costumes and ghosts didn't bother her, the big spiders were fine, but she didn't like the creepy skulls.

training

18 weeks away. I realized yesterday my feet don't hurt anymore since the marathon.

3 training sessions with Marquis. Such hard workouts, two of them i negatively impacted other workout as women stopped to watch and cheer for me. Gotta tell you I loved that. Couple of sore muscles. Alright, more like all of them.

Looking forward to a full week of running. Fallback week of four 4 mile runs and 1 eight mile run.

I love getting into a new training plan/regimen.

shrnr3.87 memorial run

tonight i ran my 6th race of the year. 2 marathons, 1 22 mile, 1 half marathon, 1 5k and 1 3.87 mile run. it was a benefit for the leukemia and lymphona society put on by one of steve's ultra running friends, his first ultra running friend, scott. he is a team in training coach and is just all around awesome.

i showed up with the other 40 or so runners, it was very low key, no bibs, no official times, no winners...

these are all runners. no one is there to run their first 5k or marathon. and a comfortable pace for them is way in front of me. i stayed with the second half of the pack for the first mile and then i watched them pull away from me. i slowed down, they didn't speed up. this was the point when i realized that at their pace i would be out of gas at about 3 miles and the last .87 would be difficult.

i putt putted along enjoying the beautiful evening, watching that last runner in the white tee shirt get further and further ahead and when i turned the last corner to head to the finish line i started to pick my pace back up. i was running to 1515 north rock road and when i got to 1945 north rock road i figured i could go pretty much all out for the last 4 blocks. i was making good time, feeling good and i see a greent tee shirt heading my way.

memorial man himself scott came out to run the last block with me. he is running the two races steve had to roll his registrationst to next year for, next weekend and three weeks later. i finished, we went to scott's house for dinner and to hang out with other runners for an hour.

awards were hilarious. finishers medals were donated from all the races in wichita previous that were left overs. i now have a 2008 marathon medal for a race i didn't run. they gave a canine award to rowdy the border collie, best jump award for one of the picture areas, and second place finish awards because no one wins first place.

i told steve on the way home last place isn't fun. it's kind of demoralizing. the finish chute i got to run through with everyone making a tunnel for me and cheering was cool, but it was for last place. but we talked about how if i stress out about getting faster and making it about beating the clock, beating my past times and beating others i will take the fun out of it. i'm working with marquis again, at least while his future is undecided. i want to be stronger and faster. but it's not going to consume me.

i will work to get stronger and faster, but will make sure i continue to enjoy the sport of running.

because it is fun. like this. kinesiology tape to match the running skirt.

i will ramp up training for my ultra over the next couple weeks. once i hit running 20 miles for my long runs, i run two weeks long with a third week fall back. i get up to two 28 mile training runs with 16 mile runs on the sunday following by the end of training.

i need the weights and the cross fit training to build strength as well.

i could also lose a few pounds to get to "racing weight" and that would help. we'll see how it goes. i'm nervous, excited, and a little tired thinking about it. first week back after the marathon and week off was rough. weights were hard, running was hard, cross fit with marquis was hard...

but if it was easy everyone would do it.

the adventures of wander woman

hawk marathon

i remember i said no excuses, so these are the facts. hard race. hard, hard day.

this course kicked my tail. steve had told me clinton lake was hard trails, and i believed him. but believing and experiencing are two entirely different animals.

i was ready. my stomach had been a little wonky that morning, but i have chronic stomach issues, i'm used to that. i was really tired and fatigued, but i only slept 4 hours so i figured 5 hour energy and gu chomps would wake me up. i'd be fine. pre race picture. i even look a little anxious.

and the first 6.85 miles, i was so confident and feeling good. at 6.85 i get to the first aid station. wait. let me back up.

at 2.5 miles in i got to see this sunrise from the top of saunders mound.

here i am, volunteer took my picture with the lake in the background. beautiful place.

the first 6.85 miles was uneventful, i was scooting along, keeping to a nice safe, but respectable pace. first aid station stopped long enough to fill up my camelback and headed out to ... well, much difficulty.

i didn't get far before i hit the rocks and limbs. i continually stubbed my feet and almost fell, but never actually did. which for me is success in itself. everytime i scrambled to keep my feet under my calves cramped. like fall down, grab them and scream in agony. i didn't, i just grabbed trees and hopped and stretched. but it slowed me down.

coleen had assured me personally that she marked the trail and if i followed the pink flags i would not get lost. i trust coleen, uber super ultra trail runner, so i wasn't too concerned until i hit this in front of me.

this behind me did in fact have the pink ribbon on the trail, so i plowed forward across these rocks.

bonus - this was the view to my left for about half a mile.

my entire focus was not killing myself on this portion of the trail. once i got beyond it i realized some things. my feet hurt. i had some hot spots on my arches from sliding around on the rocks and two toes on each foot hurt (always happens, my two middle toes are longer than my big toe. i'm a freak). this was expected, and i knew i could do 18 miles with these issues. but my metatarsals hurt. and my hip flexors hurt. and my calves were cramping even worse. this was too soon for this to be happening. but, i'm more adventurous and mentally strong than i am smart, so...

i am looking forward to mile 10.5 where i will get to see steve. looking at the garmin i pass 10 miles, 10.5 miles, 10.86 miles, and no aid station. this is mentally exhausting when i'm tired, thirsty, and just need a friendly face. i get there and my garmin shows 11.00 miles, which in trail running you can't count on your garmin to be exact or the measurements to be exact. but the marathon, 50 mile and 100 mile were all on the same 25 mile loop. the marathon did an extra 1.2 mile nature loop to start the race. so my disappointment was greatly reduced by: 1. seeing steve, 2. realizing i was at 11.7 miles and my garmin was behind, 3. a handful of tylenol, ibuprofen and salt pills, 4. and the knowledge that the next 2.5 miles was a grass prairie trail.

i saw steve again at 14 miles and then turned towards the finish line. ran two miles really well, but by this time i was so slow it didn't matter, and then at 16 miles i finally realized i might be sick. again with i'm more mentally tough than i am smart, i wanted the finisher medal. i walked the last 10 miles. well, basically. climbing up hills i managed a 26 minute mile pace. running flats, what few there were, i hit 16 minute mile pace. downhill i could hit a 14 minute mile pace. i will point out that i was working hard for these speeds too. i never took it easy. somedays your body just doesn't have it.

here i am finishing. i could've run, made it look good, but with my 20 minute mile average pace (this includes aid stations, picture and potty stops, lubing my feet stops, talking to chris at the downed tree for 5 minutes, etc, these are the only excuses i will make) i didn't see the point. (this time is for the 50/100 mile finishers, i wasn't THAT slow).

steve told danny that this is what defeat looks like - i was walking, dragging my empty camelback behind me. and i felt defeated.

here i am getting my medal. i earned this one.

i enjoyed the first 8 miles. i had several hours to feel inferior, slow, and just beat down. but the further i get from the race the more i realize that i am glad i finished, no matter how long it took, and didn't quit. i would run this one again.

i did burn 8,000 calories and couldn't make myself eat till after the race, and then it wasn't very much. still not hungry today, so tomorrow and tuesday i will probably eat like a bear.

highlights:
- i didn't get lost
- getting passed by adam as he went on to win first place in the 50 mile race with a blazing 7 hour 40 minute finish. he slowed down, high fived me and said "you look great! you are doing awesome." and was believable. superman's alter ego is not clark kent, it is a very handsome, fit, 20 something young man that lives in the kansas city area named adam dearing. true story.
- steve waiting for me at two aid stations, walking in with me at one, and being at the finish line.
- seeing nate for dinner friday night and him fixing dinner for me (dorito taco, i'd never had one) saturday after the race.
- coming home.

measurements

why do women always feel like they don’t measure up?

i continue to see women unsure of themselves, trying to live up to other’s expectations. i am working hard at not doing this.

i went to heights for locker decoration night for the volleyball team. i have no scrapbook junk anymore so i had to make a trip specifically to buy stuff for a poster board. it needed to be red/white/silver and about volleyball and have whitney’s name and volleyball number on it. not too difficult. armed with my baggie (seriously) of supplies and a glue gun we went and picked up our poster board and i got to work.

i watched women come in with full scrapbook kits. bags of stuff. i was done in 10 minutes and socialized for a while. when whitney and i left an hour later there were women still not done.

whitney’s locker decoration is not a work of art. it was better before she added to it with glitter glue. okay, the glitter glue was cool, but someone touched it before it was dry... but it is hers. it was not lame or dorky or embarrassing. (whitney acts tough, but she cares if her dad and i embarrass her. so we don't).

i listened to the women talk about not being creative and not knowing what to do and apologizing for what they were making. it made me sad. there was no wrong or right way. just a bunch of mom’s showing up to do something special for their daughter. and yet there was insecurity.

then at work this week a lady brought in banana bread and put it on the desk CLOSEST.TO.ME. (that's irrelevant to the story, i just hate that the food desk is now right next to me and not two aisles over where i never see it) and said, just call me “betty dillons”. which was funny. but she did something thoughtful and then poked fun at herself that she didn’t make it from scratch. we didn’t care. we appreciated the bread.

a friend ran her first 5k this week. and when she talked about it, she was proud of herself, but felt the need to say she had to walk a couple times. who freakin’ cares? you ran a 5k. you worked hard for it. be proud of it no matter how long it took and how much you walked.

i did this. i made excuses. but i’ve quit. just do it and be proud of the accomplishment. i much prefer this over the not finishing or making excuses or not having the courage to try.

it’s one thing to go out and run 3 miles. it’s another thing to step to the starting line of a race with other people. your time is going to be published on line. pictures will be taken. people will see you. and even though you may not know them, it can be intimidating, especially the first time or two.

my area of insecurity is different. and I know where it comes from. i’m dealing with it. (it "manifests" itself {anyone else see the move or read the book SPHERE?} in nightmares about snakes and being naked in awful situations. my two recurring themes since childhood) once in a while it raises its evil ugly head and says “you aren’t good enough”, “you aren’t pretty enough”, “you just aren’t enough”. Not enough for your husband. Not enough for your kids.

i’m realizing i don’t have to be enough for anyone else. i’m less defined by other’s opinions of me than i have ever been in my life. still a work in progress.




i have a marathon in two days. the last three weeks with steve’s back going out has changed me training. i also didn’t feel well over a weekend and it rained and volleyball season started… (there’s the excuses for why i didn’t get my last long training run in). i’ve been kind of nervous. i keep telling myself i ran a marathon in april, 25 miles in july, and tons of training miles.

i’m registered, i’m going. and there will be no excuses. if it takes me 5 hours or 8 hours. i’m going to go and run it. and enjoy it. (and secretly be very grateful there is a 50 mile and 100 mile being run on the same course at the same time. i won’t be the last one to finish. i’m okay with being last. it didn’t hurt at all, which wasn't what i expected. I just hate making every one wait for me).

even if it rains friday and the trail is a muddy mess saturday. even if i fall down. even if i see snakes. even if i get a cramp. i'm going to enjoy every step. every minute.

training update

first off, i'm dealing with the disappointment that steve is out of commission run/race wise for three months. i run more/better when he is training too. especially having a tough time with it because he got into cascade crest 100 today, made it off the wait list. we had to cancel our plans for seattle, and i was pretty excited about going. of course, there is next year, and we will register him for it again. if i can find a way to get a car from the turn around point back, i might just be his pacer. i guess i should fill him in on this plan too.

i took the weekend off from running. did my hill work and ran this week, but this weekend did hours on the elliptical instead. wanted to give my legs a break. hawk marathon in 3 weeks. i'm pretty comfortable with my training for this one. (note: 50 mile training for rocky raccoon will commence september 17, so this is a good kick off for it).

since steve doesn't have a race schedule to plan around and i have whitney's volleyball schedule, i've looked at several races i want to run, some are shorter distances, just for fun. i haven't narrowed down which ones i'll do, but here's what is on the radar:

hawk marathon - lawrence, september 8, registered

see jane run half marathon - wichita, september 15, depends how i feel after hawk

monster run 4 miles of terror - el dorado lake, october 5, registered

prairie fire marathon - wichita, october 14, never planned on this one, same weekend as our "local" 100 mile race, heartland, that steve was registered for. now i can, so considering.

zombie apocalypse 5k - wichita, october 27, depends on post-season volleyball

inspire hope 8k (5 miles) - wichita, november 3, considering

pilgrim pacer marathon - kansas city, november 10, really want to run this one

turkey trot 10 mile - wichita, november 17, will run this one, first race i ever rance, have run it every year since. fun race, like the course and time of year fits perfect.

jingle bell run 5k - wichita, december 1, considering

i've stayed in touch with marquis, his kc chiefs tryout is september 1. if he (unfortunately) comes back to wichita, i will be on my own with him for 3 months till steve can exercise again. that will either whip me into shape or kill me. or refund me enough money to pay for the majority of the races above.

lessons from the trail part 13 - look forward, not back

steve and i were talking about the past. okay, he was telling me to leave the past where it is.

because my children grew up in the 90’s, it’s best said by...

pumbaa: it's times like this my buddy timon here says: you got to put your behind
in your past.

timon: No, no, no. amateur. lie down before you hurt yourself.

i rarely look over my shoulder when i’m running. i have stopped and looked at a particularly tough area of the trail to see it from both sides. when I climbed in boulder i took a picture looking up. then i took one from the top of the mountain looking down. (interesting that they were both where i was going…)

when i waded the water crossing at the rockin’ k, i looked back to see what i had just finished. that may have been the only time. i stop and look and enjoy the scenery and the view, but i find i’m always looking where i’m going, not where i’ve been.

it’s time to put this in practice in the rest of my life. i believe in moving forward. but I’m not too sure i haven’t let looking backward affect me negatively.

some areas it’s okay to reflect, for instance, my kids when they were little. but it’s not healthy to dwell on it and miss them all being home to the point that i sit and cry. just remember it as happy, albeit (can you believe i just used the word albeit? i started to take it out but it made me laugh) crazy time of life and think about the good now, and better coming.


how many people in the bible put their behinds in their past as they moved forward for god?

the apostle paul quit killing christians and became a mighty man of god.

the disciple peter quit being scared and denying jesus and taking his eyes off of him to become one of the greatest preachers of the first century (or ever).

rahab put her past as a prostitute behind her to help the spies that came to jericho escape and is listed in the lineage of jesus.

john the baptist had a whole ministry of preparing for what was to come. telling people someone great was coming, look forward, etc.


the view of where i’m going is more exciting than the view of where i’ve been.

the adventures of wander woman

i ran my first 5k saturday. it was the glow run, started at 8:45 p.m. since it was in wichita, next to the bike path i run on frequently, started across the street from the minor league ball field nate has played a few games at, less than a mile from the public library and within running distance to my parents house (i run 20 miles, everywhere is running distance, lol) i was certain i would not get lost. i was more concerned about the number of people running. there were a lot.

i ran with a team, we were named "the real housewives of sedgwick county". we had tee shirts made, put nicknames on the back. here is the team, i only knew the two women on either side of me, signed up to run with carrie. we got separated about a mile in when she went left around some walkers and i got stuck behind them.

and the back of my shirt with my nickname


it was a bit of a rough run for me, 4 weeks out from the hawk marathon, and i have registered for it so i'm committed now. i had a long training run saturday, so i ran 15 miles saturday morning and then back out for my last 3.2 at the glow run. i was prepared for it to be a rough start, at least. but other than the callous on the bottom of my foot that's been bothering me, i was okay. once i stopped and took my socks off and ran without them it was much better. it was really a good time.


Official time 34:19 and i was thrilled with my day of running. Celebrated with a braum's strawberry shortcake sundae.

lessons from the trail part 12 - what's hidden will hurt you

i got a pedicure a couple weeks ago. i don’t do this often. because i run, my feet are tender in places, calloused in places, thin toenails, etc. i typically do my own pedicure, complete with pumice and cuticle removal, etc. because i know what hurts and when to take it easy. but i splurged and had someone else do it.

i never paint my toenails (i heard that collective gasp as you all pictured my naked toenails during sandal season). but on this day i left with lovely bronze sparkly toes. i couldn’t stop staring, they were so pretty.

then i ran the lunar trek. guess what i didn’t think to check? the length of my toenails under the polish. what is acceptable for a 4-6 mile run is not acceptable for 20 or more miles. once my feet start swelling my toes push into my shoes and if the toenails are left long they rub against the end/top of the shoe and loosen and blisters form under the toenail and it’s painful and eventually you are left with “black toenail”, no explanation needed. takes about 6 months to get back to normal.

i have two black toenails because they were hidden under the pretty polish.

john 3:20-21 “all who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 but those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what god wants.

made me wander what i needed to bring into the light.

60 seconds

50 minutes of sprints later...

marquis: "one more set of sprints and you're done. come to me and back, and repeat"

crap, he's on the 40 yard line. maybe it will just be two times
nope, three times, four times,

50 yard line

marquis: "when you get to me, you are done. GO"

head up, eyes focused, shoulders forward, relax...
arms pumping, knees driving, feet digging in..
he's moving, on no, he's moving...

80 yard line

he's speeding up to stay ahead of steve

dig deep, harder, faster

endzone...

now don't throw up. don't put your arms over your head.
slooooowwwww deeeeppppp breaths. don't gasp. control
don't cry. don't cry. DON'T CRY.

you can do the hard things

the adventures of wander woman

lunar trek 22 mile run (25 mile in my case) friday, july 27, 2012, pike valley high school cross country team fund raiser

steve was running the 100k at the lunar trek so i figured i had plenty of time to run 22 miles. my training was not technically up for 22 miles, but that doesn't typically stop me. i figured i would easily finish before him, take a nap, and then drive us home.

for reference, in the last 3 months i haven't run further than 15 miles. so take your longest run and add 7 miles. now stay up for 17 hours, run all night and don't eat first. yeah, i dont' recommend it for you either.

steve's race started at 9:00, mine at 11:00. that's p.m.

so many things i should have thought about before i registered. being up for 17 hours before the race started without a nap. running on trails/dirt/gravel roads i'd never been on before. running said route illuminated only by a head lamp. my view was this, a circle of light about 10 feet in front of me and 5 feet wide.

i realized much later that my view would've been better by the moon and stars instead of the light. much to learn.

i added to the difficulty by eating dinner at 5:30 and then eating nothing else before and during the race.

all that said, i felt really good when we started. running well and everything felt good. i had just left the 5.5 mile aid station when i ran into steve, he was running the loop clockwise, i was running counterclockwise. he said his neuroma in his toe was hurting. bummer.

i still felt really good so i plugged along. and realized a couple miles later that my 24 oz bottle of water was not going to last me to the next aid station. i slowed down and started drinking less. with about two miles to the aid station i was out of water so i started walking. this added quite a bit of time to how long i would be on the course.

right before the 11 mile aid station steve texted me to say he had dropped after the first loop because his toe hurt. i understood (surgery is on the schedule for this winter). i wanted to finish my race. i continued on, uneventful until two miles from the 15.5 mile aid station was out of water again, so back to walking.

filled up and back on the road and still feeling really good, but unable to eat anything. my stomach felt okay until i picked up food and then immediate nausea.

blasted (okay, i felt like i blasted, but by this time it was a slow jog) through to the last aid stations, texted steve i was two miles out and turned like a horse toward the barn.

half mile from the finish i shifted into my finish line trot and then, in true wander woman fashion, missed the last sign (in my defense, signs were black arrows on white board about shin high in the ditch of the road. on the inside lane of the course. because 40 milers and 100k runners were coming back out i was being courteous and running the outside lane of the course) because we came in different than we went out, it wasn't terribly visible, there were two ways to go, one dead end sign and no moonlight. i chose poorly. when i had been running another mile and a half with no finish line, but came to a highway i was pretty sure i shouldn't be at, i called steve, lost. i was two miles from the finish.

i wanted to cry, and unlike baseball, there is crying in long distance running, but i didn't.

i also was a little disoriented at the time when i missed the turn. i saw a large combine parked off the side of the road. the combine was actually there, but i saw the wheels spinning and it was rolling out towards the street towards me. it wasn't moving, but the wheels were turning and i thought it was going to roll in front of me. i new this was just a hallucination, but it was still freaky.


i wanted a finish, so i turned in around, turned on my droid navigation system with the volume up loud and went back into race mode. i pushed that last two miles, hard. got to the turn, couldn't see the sign, but the navigation lady told me to turn so i did. even ran up the last hill full tilt.

i saw the finish line and...no steve. i was so disappointed already after a hard run, difficult run, being lost and running 3 miles further than planned, i could hardly stand it. but i finished and went to the car and collapsed into the lawn chair. i pulled a diet coke out of the cooler, because that's what i do post-race and took my shoes off. put on flip flops, talked to the race director, and found my post race sundress.

i finally went inside to change clothes and steve was sitting in the cafeteria with stuart. when i came in he looked at me with huge eyes, looked at the clock and said when did you get here. i told him i'd been back for 30 minutes. he told me my last text said i had 4 miles to go. stupid auto correct. put the decimal on the end of the word before to make it a sentence so it looked like i was 4 miles out, not .4 miles out. i couldn't look at him because at this point, all the disappointment, pain, frustration, anger, pain, tiredness, hunger and pain would have poured out of my eyes. it was my fault, i didn't read my text well enough before i hit send. darn combine.

we drove home this morning, i couldn't keep my eyes open. shower, nap, grocery shopping, laundry, pick up whitney,

and steve asks why i'm limping, i only ran 25 miles...


if i get a copy of the picture gary took at mile 18 i'll share it. simply so you can see me with a headlamp, reflective vest, and how dirty and sweaty i was.

training update

marathon is 7 weeks from this weekend. or 12 weeks. or 16, depending on which one i choose. or all of the above?

three weeks with my personal trainer, marquis. crazy hard workouts. crrraaaazzzzeeee.

but they are yielding results. i got dressed for work the other day and looked in the mirror and was surprised at the difference i could see in myself in just three weeks. i didn't weigh or take measurements to be able to give tangible evidence that it's a big difference. but i can see it, and that's enough for me. because it's for me.

also, things we did the first week that killed me, ie., bear crawls for 30 yards? not anymore. this last week at the end of a particularly hard workout (and they have all been hard, this was the hardest) he said we were going to do bear crawls pushing the 16 pound medicine ball in front of us with our hands. the whole 100 yards.

(i also get to do squats holding this 16 pound beach ball, and have had to throw it and chase it pick it up and throw it again for 100 yards).

he asked who wanted to go first. steve always goes first, but i volunteered and assumed the bear position and shoved off. i thought i was going to die about 30 yard line, but i'm tired of wandering what i'm capable of, so i pushed on. at 60 yards i get the pep talk "average stops here, what are you going to do" and i pushed on. when i got to 100 yards, it wasn't a feeling of success or look what i did, it was just exhaustion and relief to be done.

marquis said he had a funny story for us when steve was done. i had shoved the ball into the grass, so steve started there and did the whole 120 yards of turf. when he pushed the ball into the grass, he got the same pep talk, and looked at marquis and said i'm gonna disagree with you. totally not average.

so funny story, he says, 'this was a joke'. we both look at him, not getting the joke.

he never intended us to bear crawl 100 yards, let alone pushing the medicine ball. but i volunteered to go first, never questioning or doubting i could do it. he was going to stop me at 20 yards, but i never quit. so of course he let me finish and then had to let steve do it.

so while this may make me crazy, the next day we did hill repeats for an hour. a full 60 minutes of sprinting uphill to walk downhill (seriously harder to walk downhill than to sprint up) and run back up. sprints. sprints with high knees. lunges. back pedaling in a squat position.

when i ran thursday, i had a three mile run and less than 30 minutes to do it. and i did it. with time to spare. for reference, this means i am much faster.

back to run bleachers again this week, but at least having run them before, i know what i'm up against.

these.

who knows? someday i may actually be average. lol

and everytime i wander why i'm putting myself through this, i come to the same conclusion i do when i question my sanity for running...because i want to.