...and a happy new year...

Its almost the end of 2011 and me being me and liking to think things to death, I of COURSE have to ponder this past year. It has been quite a year. I rang in 2011 with my Frosty Fat Ass 50k, which I completed with KZ in tow. Not long after I crashed again(or continued crashing...you decide)as I had been on a long, slow trip down the gutter after VT100...I spent the better part of the first few months of this year in  Lyme Hell...in an antibiotic funk, on the couch. By March thing were shifting, I was able to start running again and feeling better. Things continued to improve from there. Me being me, I jumped right back into life and thankfully, that still has not come back to bite me in the behind. I did 8+ Ultras this year, some I finished, some I didn't. I got to pace a friend to their first 100m completion. I made plenty of mistakes, learned some things, spent many an hour on the trails with some incredibly great people. Despite some of the sad events that took place in my personal life I have to say I cannot remember a year where I have been happier, felt more *me*, or been healthier in my entire life. Yes, there have been episodes in my past that have brought me incredible happiness(marrying my Hubby, giving birth to my children) but I cannot remember an extended time in my life where I was happy for days/weeks/months. I'll take it. :)

Looking ahead, I have made plans...of course. I am still commited to not over-racing this year. I am very much wanting to be the best *pacer* possible, so I am planning my training with that in mind. 2 out of 3 of my pacing duties are in VT so my plan to run the mountain once a week will serve me well. I am hoping to run that route even more come Spring. My 3rd pacing duty is in CO so running mountains won't hurt for that either...

This whole 8m/day for 80 days *thing* has proved interesting. I *should* be resting right now as it is kind of my off season but...well, I feel good. I am not pushing things per se, I just wanted to see what I could do. Its been interesting as there are definitely days when I am starting out and I wish I could just go out and do a quick 5m but then I get going, feel pretty good and the 8m is done before I know it. I signed up to do a *Run Across America in 2012* thing on Daily Mile...basically it's a *race* to see who accumulates the 3075 miles it would take to get from coast-to-coast first. I figured it would be a good side goal for me since my plan is to definitely increase my overall weekly mileage...

I am still hoping to do some cross training, but this whole 8m a day with no breaks has shown me my body can handle more than I think. I have been reading some mighty inspiring blogs as of late about female utra-runners doing some pretty amazing things and I am feeling the need to do some pretty amazing things myself. I am definitely looking at more mileage, getting out on the trails more, and really improving my climbing. My goal for the end of the summer is to be able to run up the whole mountain. RUN, not power-hike. :) Though I am not planning more than 3 or 4 official races through the whoe season(May-Nov) I might jump into a few other events last minute. I am hoping to log at least a 50k e/o weekend from April on. I am hoping to become a very strong 50m runner this year...to the point that finishing is not an issue, nor is meeting cut-offs. Part of that will be my training on the trails as that is what slows me down. My road pace is continuing to improve but since I don't race in the roads, that is useless :) My trail pace must improve, which means I basically need to get my trail confidence back. I had some, way back when....I just need to get over my fear of falling...

Basically this year I really want to see what I can do, see what I am made of. Test my mental fortitude, as well as my physical abilities. Moreso in training than racing, but if this year goes well, 2013 could be a VERY interesting year...:) Lots of planning needs to go into this year, eating right, sleeping enough(always an issue) and increasing the training without over-training...I am having some foot issues right now that I need to get checked out but it hasn't slowed me down, just made things a bit more painful, lol. Hopefully it is nothing a visit to the Sports Med dude can't fix. I am hoping its simply the arthritis I have been left with from the Lyme, and not a stress fracture...THAT would suck! I am thinking it is not that severe as I can walk fine and as long as I am concious of my stride I can run mostly pain free.

Fueling will be crucial too. I am doing more and more raw which is awesome, and feels great but I need to be sure to get enough calories in. Lots of fruit will help, nuts and I are not completely friends so I can't count on them for cals, but fruit in green smoothies is always good, as I can soak dates and throw them in for added cals. I am not sure what I will do for races, as I seem to do better on less solid food...maybe just focusing on bringing green smoothies with me. I need to be sure I am consuming enough calories to recover well on a daily basis, and increase them as I increase my mileage...something I have not been careful of in the past, resulting in feeling like crap, not recovering well, and halting my ability to do more...I have been reading up on that as well. There are a few peeps who run ultras on raw and they consume massive amounts of food! I don't know if I can do that, they must be eating constantly, lol. I don't have that kind of time. That's why I am not commited to being 100% raw as if I need to make up cals with grains, sweet potatoes, squash etc...well, then I am. Plus, I am NOT giving up my morning oatmeal...I am hooked! :) I need to simply go with the flow and listen to what my body needs. If I really *tune in* I usually can figure it out and do pretty well.

So, I am pretty happy with this past year...in running AND in life. I am SO incredibly grateful for the people in my life who have supported me in running and in other areas of my life, and for the new friends I made this year as well as the old friends who have been there through it all. I am SUPER grateful for my health, that it continues to improve and that every day I wake up feeling OK, that I can go out and run, take care of my family, go hiking, ski with my kids(well, not exactly WITH them as they are SO much better than me, lol)and just participate in life. Looking forward to an even better 2012!!! :)