TARC 12 hour Race Report

Why, yes...yes I did do a race 2 weeks after my last one. :)
Poor planning on my part but I signed up for this one months ago and then I HAD to do the Race Around the Lake...ah, well. I felt great going in to this race, I felt great after the last race despite the HELL that was the humid and rain that night so I figured all was right in the world :) I tried to take it easy these 2 weeks but...ah, me and tapering/resting are not friends, lol.

The weather eading up to this race was fantastic. Cool and dry...I figured race day would be perfect. I did not mind the weather though it did feel a bit humid, there was plenty of tree coverage which kept the sun off of us all day. This was the first time for this race on this course and I will say I believe it went off without a hitch. The course was well marked (*I* did not get lost! Only once did I get a little confused) the aid station was VERY well stocked, there was never any lack for water...a big one for me. The volunteers were fantastic and supportive ALL day. It was absoutely a race I would do again. The course itself was a great 6.5m loop with varied terrain, hills and just enough technical *stuff* for me. I ended up doing 43.2 miles in 11:32 as I did the half lap option at the end, plus the mile *short-cut* back to the start/finish. Even though it wasn't the mileage I wanted, I had a great day. It was so fantastic to be out there running miles and miles in the woods with a cool bunch of people.

It was great to see the TUGers out there representin' as well as meeting a few new friends and reconnecting with others. I had all intentions of doing 50 miles but my legs weren't having it. I could not keep my legs under me! I fell twice in the first lap, and several times during the second...I was doing fairy well pace-wise, and thought I could have easily kept it up except for the fact that until I slowed down, I continued to fall! So, I slowed down, and called it good training and time on my feet :) It was great though as it gave me the opportunity to run with some people I wouldn't have otherwise, and got to spend several laps with Brenda M. which was awesome. She had decided to take it easy and enjoy the day as well...otherwise I couldn't have kept up with her!

I wasn't able to eat all that much during the race per usual, but I did drink plenty and was only down 5lbs when I got home which was great. That is easy enough to put back with a good meal and a liter or 2 of fluid. I feel like I am getting MUCH better with that piece, which in turn makes my runs better, and recovery quicker. And speaking of recovery....I could have run YESTERDAY. Seriously, I had NO leg fatigue whatsoever. I had some slight soreness in my legs but honestly, my ARMS hurt more from all the falls I took and trying to lessen my impact with the earth, lol. Course my knee hurts too from ripping it open twice more but that's just par for the course. I don't know if I have EVER done a race where I didn't fall at least once. Actually, I don't think I have ever been on the trail and not fallen...doh! Also, I cannot say enough about the Hokas! They are absolutey the best and once again saved my feet and legs during another race. I think I like the Bondi's better than the Mafate's...I'll have to see what I think of the stinsons when I try them. :)

One thing I did realize from this race is that I REALLY need to get on the trails more. I just don't put in the time training on trails I should. I live 2 miles from a trail head at Mt Wachusett, and there is another trail  to ??? a mile away...and I don't run there, why exactly? Yeah, my new goal leading up to VT50 is to get out on the trails at least twice a week. I know I could do better time-wise if I ran trails more and *practiced* the footing, etc. VT50 is tough for me with the tight cut-offs and if it rains I will be almost destined for a DNF...once the bikes muck up the trail it becomes damn near impossible to get anywhere. If it is dry, I do think I have a decent shot at finishing as long as I get some trail time in between now and then. I have been diligently following a strength training program since June, increasing my overall mileage, and getting my hydration issues under control so not much is standing in my way except whatever race day holds! My health has been holding steady which has been fantastic and aside from the insomnia and food allergy craziness I feel SO much better than I ever have. I have my 6mo appt. with my immunologist next week and I am  excited to see him! I am sure he will run labs but I expect that everything will actually look good and he will be quite happy. I really believe as long as I stay on the LDN things will continue to be ok. Someday I hope to be able to go off it but I know from reading that most people can't...and honestly, I am ok with that. I wouldn't trade feeling this good for anything! I am SO incredibly grateful for this health!

So, I took Sunday AND today off! It is torrentially raining here and I did feel a little out-of-gas last night so I figured sleep and rest might not be a bad thing and Monday is normally a rest day for me so...rest I am. :) I expect I will be back at it tomorrow morning, rain or shine...VT50 will be here before I know it!

How's about a little race report? :)

Ah, yes. The Race Around the Lake. Did I mention I never wanted to do this race again after my innagural time? No? Gee, it must have slipped my mind...

I was certianly well trained heading in, and I even *gasp* tapered...sorta. But when the race began, it all went to shit.

My eldest boy-child came along to be my crew, and we left early to avoid all the predicted traffic. We avoided it, thankfully and got a prime parking spot on the water at the start/finish. My *neighbor* was an ultra-dude there with his daughter so our kids became buddies for the duration. He was there to attempt the 24hr, having done many a 100 miler. The kids went off to volunteer, and we did our pre-race thing.

I had been hydrating, had a snack,changed and waited for the race to begin. It was pretty humid, but I was hopeful as there was plenty of cloud coverage. It never did more than sprinkle pre race, and I wasn't really worried about the rain, more the humidity.

We had our pre-race meeting where the possibility of having to stop the race due to lightning was discussed...seriously? It was bc of the silly marathoners, I am sure. When have you ever known an Ultra to be stopped due to to ANY sort of weather unless it is catastrophic? What's a little lightning? The one and only Wapak I ever did started with lightning striking all around us...talk about unsettling...but I digress. Wait, one more thing...Marathoners. A very different breed from Ultrarunners. I am generalizing but MOST marathoners are awfully...well, they aren't like ultrarunners. The liter on the course? ALL came during the marathon. The ultra group put their cups AND trash in the MANY trash cans around the course. The Marathoners put their gu and cup trash, oh, wherever. Really? Because the extra drag from carrying that gu rapper to the nearest can would totally kill your PR...Ugh.

OK, moving on. The 3 races all start together and we do this little jaunt out-and-back to get our marathon piece in as we all get a marathon split.  I had intended on doing one of 3 things: beating the record of 61 miles(which this year would have been 62m) winning the woman's race, and/or beating my last time on the course which was 53 miles in 11:30. This is the ONLY ultra I ever have a shot at placing in, so I try to :) As soon as we started running, I thought I may have to re-evaluate as it was farking HUMID as hell.

During my first lap, I tripped and fell on a dirt path section, skidding to a stop and tearing up my knee, leg and 2 fingers. Srsly? If this is any indication of things to come, I thought, I am screwed.  As I ran to the aid station, gushing blood from my knee, I thought gee...can't imagine what people must be thinking of my sad state...

My first split was a bit sower than I anticipated and honestly I did not feel great. However, I didn't think much of it as I know it takes me a bit to warm up. Except by mile 18, I was ready to quit. This sucked. I was sweating SO profusely, it was making me nervous. I was drinking a bottle every lap AND drinking water at each aid station, taking salt every hour, and after 3 hours I could no longer eat, and I hadn't eaten much thus far. I started to walk. I was not pleased. I think I would have walked off the course at this point if my friend and fellow TUGger wasn't coming out at midnight to run with me. So, I kept plugging along. I decided to try a 5 hour energy drink and a sock and shoe change as at this point I had been running in the rain as well as my crazy-ass sweating. I was having some concerns, as I flashed back to the debacle of VT100 last year, as my sweating/lack of eating was eerily familiar. I was NOT going to do anything stupid. I knew I was overheating big time and I couldn't figure out why. So I would run a bit, and walk until I cooled off.

The race course was a sad state of things. LOTS of walking MUCH earlier than I would have expected, and had seen previously when I did this race. Lots of puking as well. That is NEVER a good sign. People were really suffering in the heat. Stomach issues in varying degrees were the norm and I handed out quite a bit of ginger as well as taking it myself. Go figure...they had HEED as the alternate drink to water...Someday RD's will get that there aren't many people that can drink that stuff. I heard quite a few people saying they were fine until they drank the Heed...Hmmm...

Right on time, my friend Bill showed up and I told him my tale of woe. I apoligized that we wouldn't be doing much, and he was a gentleman about it. I figured I would get in 50k and quit. That was a good training run and I would be ok with that. I was not down with suffering all night. Then, they put up a leaderboard. After a few laps, my name appeared on it in second place. I told Bill now I HAD to keep running! There was enough of a buffer between the 3 places that as long as I kept moving, I figured I could at least stay in second pace. So, off we went.

I was drinking water, Coke and taking salt and ginger. That was all I could get in. I just hoped it was enough. We ran most of every lap, sans a few that I had to wait for my stomach to not completely revolt. Bill was an AWESOME walker, and did not let me dip below 15min/miles when we walked and when we ran he went out ahead so I had to chase him a bit which was perfect. We chatted and I got more miles in with him than alone and he is the sole reason I not only finished but got second place.

When I hit my 15th lap, I knew it would be my last. I probably could have gone out for one more, but I was D.O.N.E. and I knew that the 3rd place gal could not catch up no matter what. My feet were complete prunes from being wet for 11 hours, I was chaffed EVERYWHERE from being wet for so long and my stomach had done enough sloshing, thanks. I got changed and tried to drink...not the best idea. The nausea did not leave me for a very long time...ugh.

The RD handed out our awards, a cool plaque and a North Face gift card for $50! :) The 3rd place girl was someone I wanted to smack, as she was all butt-hurt when we finished bc she thought she didn't place. She was bitching about it and generally being very unsportsmanly. I had congratulated her TWICE on her mileage (41 miles, which is pretty darn good!) she ignored me. I thought in my head, if you are pissed you didn't place, you should have run faster and done more laps. Regardless, she was 2 laps behind me and 4 laps behind the winner and based on previous yearsfinishing times and miles, she wouldn't have even been in the top ten. THEN, she ended up getting 3rd anyways! AND she told the RD, when he gave her her award, that she was pissed and wasn't going to do the race again until she found out she placed. REALLY???? Wow. I guess I simply have a different mindset. Unless you are in that SMALL minority of elite ultra-runners, you aren't going to place. Its just not going to happen. So...why not simply run for the fun of it, try to improve for yourself and be happy with your accomplishments? 41 miles is a distance most people can't run, don't want to run and she did. Be happy about that! Oy. The thing that made this incident less annoying to me was the fact that the winning 12hr male was SUPER nice, very cool, and just a generally awesome guy. He was one of my ginger recipiants and thanked me after the race as it really helped him to keep going, which I was so glad about as he won :) He is a newer up-and-coming local ultra runner so I was glad to meet him and see that he was as cool as he was :)...especially after pouty woman was all, well, pouty.

So, NOW I am saying NO EFFING WAY to this race ever again. I really am not a fan of loop courses with loops that short. The lack of any sort of elevation stinks, and it just isn't for me despite the fact I don't mind running on the roads. I do think its a great run for someone trying an ultra for the first time as it is definitely very do-able and a good confidence builder. There were at least 2 people there who had done their first ultras and it was awesome to see them finish! :)

I said good-bye to my neighbor and wished him well as he had 11 more hours to go. We headed home and I proceeded to be a sloth for the rest of the day. I tried to start eating and drinking by the afternoon and it was going well so I figured whatever was up with my stomach had righted itself. My weight was pretty good despite my profuse sweating, which was awesome! I was definitely concerned about it, but even though I felt like crap, the salt/fluids I was taking in was enough to keep my weight from dropping outside of an acceptable range. Its good to be getting a handle on this whole hydrating thing FINALLY! :)

Today, I agreed to move furniture. Uh...yeah. What was I thinking? After which, I will begin the process of eating everything that isn't nailed down, my usual post-ultra tradition :) Then hopefully tonight I will be taking a long, hot bath. Or not...chaffing + water = screaming. ;)

How 'bout a race report? :)

Peak 53. Wow.

I went into this race undertrained. I didn't think of it that way, but really I have only been running regularly again since March and this last month has been the first real *training* month I have had in a long time. It was really important to me to FINISH this race...I have not been able to complete an Ultra since last May. I did the Peak 50k, after having dropped down to it from the 53 mile. Looking back, it is when I started my slow decline in health. I was able to hang on until the fall, but when I really think honestly about it, VT 100 should have never even been on my radar, and I was not able to finish any other Ultras thereafter. We won't discuss what last winter was like...needless to say, I was feeling really depressed and worried that my short-lived Ultra career was over. This LDN that I am on has saved my life. I know I m not *cured* but my body is working again and it has given me my life back. And, it has given me my running back.

On to Peak... :)

I had a healthy amount of fear of this race, for good reason. There is a bit of elevation, to say the least, and it is supposed to be one of the hardest 50+ mile races on the east coast, if not THE hardest. I was prepared as best I could have been, given the time I spent preparing :).

I slept over in my car at the start of the race and awoke to CHILLY temps. It was not supposed to get above 70 degrees for the day, plus the tree coverage, made for perfect weather for me to attempt this race.
We went off at 6am and my intention was to run a 14ish hour race, given what I knew about the terrain, and the dreaded Bloodroot loop. I wanted to bank time knowing that Bloodroot would eat up a huge chunk of my day.

I felt great, settled into a good pace running whenever I could and hiking the hills. My poles were THE best investment and worth carrying as they helped tremendously. We came to the first chin-scraping climb that basically ended the race for me last year. It is somewhere in the first 5ish miles(I think) and I headed into it nice and slow. I came out of that feeling great. I hit the first of 3 stops at our major aid station and was feeling wonderful! I headed out on a 6m loop that would bring me back to the same aid station and I have to say this was one of my favorite sections of the race. I met a new running friend and we spent some enjoyable time on this loop chatting and passing the miles.

At mile 18 and the aid station, I met up with KZ which was a pleasant and welcomed surprise as I didn't expect to run with him at all. We got to head out to the *dreaded* Bloodroot together and actually ran the rest of the race together as well, which was totally the best (for me, though he may have regreted his decision when I hit my breaking point...but I digress)Off we went.

Bloodroot was what I feared the most. As it turned out, the nettles and other prickery-type brush had not had a chance to grow, so there wasn't much at all! The climbs though...holy moly. I love hills, I love to climb and actually enjoyed Bloodroot for the most part. The climbs were relentless though, and if you weren't in the right headspace, it could do you in for sure. That loop is a bit of a mind f*ck too as it is labeled as 19 miles but it turns out to be more, and the aid isn't EXACTLY where you expect it to be(understandably...it isn't exacty the most accessable place, lol) I ran out of water once and food once which was a bit sketchy as I started to get weak but we made it out of the loop and to aid at 37(or 41) miles just in time. It took us 7 hours to get through 19(or 23) miles. That is a long time. We weren't strolling in the park either, we were moving at the best clip we could, given the terrain. We were the last runners at that point.

Off we went for what I figured were about 15 more miles. Food helped and we were able to run(or fast shuffle, in my case) for a bit. I forgot my poles at the aid station which I soon regreted as we got to another insane cimb. It wasn't too long though, and sticks found along the way helped.

I don't remember a WHOLE ot of the remaining miles. I know once we got to the final 6-7 miles I had reached my emotional limit. I had spent some time really thinking about the race, knowing I was going to finish, how important that was to me after being so sick for the winter...I went from not being abe to get off the couch to running one of the hardest 50's...I was overwhelmed. I usually start thinking about my kids around this time, which always makes me emotional...then we hit the top of the mountain....Last year when I hit that point I cried. You come out into this clearing, surrounded by mountains and nature and it is so unbeievaby beautiful...I sob. Well, this year was no different. Somewhere around this time I also let KZ know I was done. D.O.N.E. I wanted to finish, I wanted to be done and I was toast.

And, it was getting dark.

I do not have the best headlamp, and I am a little iffy about night running in the woods(which I am DEFINITEY going to practice before pacing at VT!) so not only was I tired at that point but I was not in the best headspace to deal with the night running. Not being able to see where I was, I had no way to know when we hit the final switchbacks. I simply followed KZ's feet. We ran when we could, shuffled when we couldn't and finally hit the last bridge...and I knew we were almost home. Overwhemed again, I got teary as I was going to finish! For real! We heard everyone yelling for us and around the bend, up the last hill...and we were done!

I was DFL, in 16:28. Not a stellar time, by any stretch, but it was never about the time for me. It was about the finish. And I finished.

It is still sinking in. :)

I have to say, I really don't know if I would have finished without KZ with me. We have run together at races before and we have the awesome ability to run long amounts of time together. I don't know if I can say that about anyone else, but we can do it. We intuitively know when to talk, when to shut up, when to lead and when to follow. We space ourselves apart a bit when we need to get in our own heads, and we can be there when we need to encourage. I only hope I can and do help him as much as he helps me. I know he got how much this meant to me, how important this race was and I am so glad I got to conquere this with him :) Love ya, Dude :)

Aside from some stiffness in my legs, overall I feel great. I love my Hokas, they were so totally fantastic to run in, I felt NONE of the normal leg pain and fatigue I would have expected under those circumstances. I think I didn't lube my feet enough and shoud have changed socks once and didn't which lead to the horrid blisters I have on my right foot. It is also rediculously swollen and painful. My overall fluid retention is pretty normal, and I think its because I have been now drinking during long runs(race) to thirst instead of worrying about drinking too much. My weight was pretty good once I finally checked it, and switching back to Scaps worked wonders on my elecrtolyte stability. I probably should have had a few more things to eat but I managed.

Overall, I could not have asked for a better experience. I am totally happy with what I did and feel so great about any upcoming races I plan to do, having conquered this beast. :)

Congrats to all my other running buds who kicked ass on this course this weekend...Loni and Josh you guys rocked it, and Christine....3rd female...you are IT! :) Michelle is was awesome to see you out there, especially at 37 when a friendly face made a HUGE difference :)

Now...back to eating anything that isn't nailed down... :)

Oh, and Lyme Disease? You can kiss my ass. :)

1-1-11 Frosty First Frozen Fat Ass 50k...or something like that :)

Well, the Frosty went off without a hitch :) We all (all 4 of us) headed out at midnight for out 4 loops. I had driven the course earlier in the day so I knew what to expect and what to warn people of. The 'snow sections' were not bad at all, and made for an interesting distraction. The weather was as perfect as a night in January could be with mostly clear skies and temps in the high 30's. We had set up an aid station in the garage with the usual Ultra fare, plus some veggie stew.  As we were gearing up to head out, a last minute entry arrived which was very cool (and became even more cool one I realized just how speedy our new pal Mark was, as he would have been slowed down painfully if he had to stay with KZ and I) We (or maybe it was just KZ and I) were lamenting how we didn't know WHO the rocket scientist was that thought it would be a good idea to run at midnight was, but we were darn near ready to beat her about the head...then go to bed ;) But, being the crazies we are, ended up going out and running instead.

We all headed out on our first lap together so everyone could learn the course. Despite a headwind that lasted about a mile (then smacked you for the last .5 of each loop) it was great. After the first loop, the 2 speedier dudes took off never to be seen again until they almost lapped us at the end :)

I felt great for the first loop and a half, after which my knees really started to swear at me in several languages. KZ was kind enough to share his motrin with me at the halfway point making the next 2 laps much more plesant knee-wise. But...then my stomach decided to revolt. Ugh! It was an odd revolt though, one I had not experienced before and I wasn't sure WTF was going on, but it pretty much rendered me unable to eat much of anything at a time it would have been helpful to do so. Switching to plain water and trying to eat ginger periodically helped some, but it was an uncomfortable lump of miles there...

I was in good company, I will say. As always, KZ and I have the established understanding after havig run many a mile together whereby we can spend time chatting, waxing philosophic and being silent very comfortably with each other. This is an important skill set in Ultras, particularly if you are going to spend MANY hours together as you definitely go many places during these types of runs. Its cool to be able to do that along side a friend. I don't know many other people I could run with for that long :)

We zipped through the aid station for the last time as I warned KZ that I was not dilly-dallying as I just wanted to get this done. I kew it would be light soon and though I was looking forward to the sunrise, I was also starting to feel the fact we had been up all night. Towards the last few miles, I had to keep telling myself why it would NOT be wise to *just close my eyes for a couple minutes*...I also thought my kidneys were doing bad things but later realized that it was just muscle soreness in my back (you were right, K)

Though I ended up running slower than I anticipated, it was overall a great run and a great time had! I had anticipated doing somewhere in the vicintity of 6:30 and it ended up being something in the neighborhood of 7:40ish which I am hoping means I will recover quicker as I didn't really overdo it. Other than some expected stiffness, post-coma-nap I am feeling pretty good. The speedy dudes finished in the neighborhood of 5:45ish and almost lapped us as we were heading out for our final lap as they were sprinting to the finish(yes, they were indeed sprinting after running 32 miles...) Bottom line, I do believe a good time was had by all and by golly I actually fiished an Ultra I set out to do. I started 2011 with an Ultra, and I am pretty darn happy about that. :) I am thinking ahead to next NYE and doing the Frosty again...I am thinking a trail version :)

Thanks to KZ, Mark and Jeff for coming out and gettin' your run on with me and a big congrats going out to Mark for completing hin first Ultra distance race! You are going to be a force to be recconed with, methinks :)

JFK Race Report

Because I was in the 5am start, I had to get up at 2:30 am to leave by 3am. The pre-race meeting was at 4:20am. I was all set until I got turned around on the highway and added 15mins to my travel! The GPS was telling me I was going to be late, so I got behind a trucker and hauled ass. I made it by 4:25, heard the tail end of the meeting and had enough time to change and get to the race start(we had to walk a mile out to the start)

Off we went at exactly 5am, in the DARK. The first 2 miles or so were up about a 5% grade, then we turned in to the Appalacian Trail parking lot. We spent a bit of time on the trail and then came out on another road to continue up the mountain. Lots of walking and chit-chatting at this point. I was happy to be going uphill on the pavement but had I known what I was in for, I would have MUCH preferred it on the down hill. This was the worst of the hills, and we were getting them out of the way in the beginning which was nice. We headed back on to the trails and were assaulted by rocks for the next 8ish miles, oy. It was tough. Between the dark and the rocks, I was having a heck of a time. I was keeping up with the crowd the best I could as I wanted to have the bonus of other people's headlamps to find my way through the dark :) Once the sun came up I could really SEE what I was trying to get over. Talk about ankle turners! There was not a smooth runnable space in site. I moved along at a safe pace, as I did not want to get hurt at this point in the race as i knew it would be much easier terrain once I hit the towpath. The first handler station I did not expect to see my *crew* so I wasn't looking for them. Apparently, they showed up 5 mins after I came through.

A picture of the aid station to prove they had been there... ;)

The last section of the AT was CRAZY! The last mile out to the second crew station was down the side of a cliff with switchbacks that made my head spin. I kept focused on the trail in front of me so I wouldn't look down. Yikes! I was really feeling the downhills and rocks on my quads and was looking forward to NO rocks and flat :) I got to see my crew at the exit of the AT :)

Coming down the last section into the aid station...

Now we were headed on to the C&O towpath, which was essentially flat for the next 20-something miles. I fetl great at this point, about 15 miles in and was ahead of my planned time, but still within the range I wanted to be in. I wanted to finish, and get in at 12 hours. I was on target for that, and I was happy. I ended up finding 2 women to run with for probably 20 miles, on and off. We did the run/walk for a while, but it hurt me too much to stop running :) so I kept running. It was absolutely a perfect day. The weather was great, the canal was nice along side the trail and every aid station had super happy upbeat station workers :) I was happy for the flat, and there were so many runners, you were never alone. Some time along here the 7am 'elite' runners started coming through. They were AMAZING! The winning male came in SUB 6HRS! I cannot even fathom...I had finished the marathon at 6 hours!

I usually smile throughout races...I am so happy to be out running!

I was supposed to meet my brother at the Mile 38 crew station as he was going to run the last 12 miles with me. I got to the station and couldn't find him or my SIL. Turned out, they were sitting further down the trail! Well, I finally found my SIL after waiting around for 5-10 mins...got some smoothie and told her I had to go, and once she found him to just have him catch up to me as I wans't moving that fast :) Within the next mile, he caught up and we were on our way. At that point, I was headed for an 11 hour finish, possibly less. I wasn't concerning myself with it as I was just happy to be there, having fun and feeling good. I was starting to feel a twinge in my left ankle, but I really started to feel it once we hit the road...with 8.5 miles to go. The road section was 'supposed' to be flat...um, no. It was rolling...VERY rolling. It was a nice country road through farms and nice houses. We were moving along at a decent clip- 12 minute miles according to my OCD brother ;)

Us, coming into the last crew station...

We hit the final crew station and my SIL with her neon pink *Go Julie* sign :) So we got our last fuel (I was on ginger at that point as the quease had finally set in) We had about 4ish miles to go. I was definitely feeling my ankle, so it was tough going down any hills, and I did take a few walk-up-the-hill breaks. My brother started to pick up the pace a little to bring me home, and I was able to keep up...barely, lol ;) We were in town at this point and the end was in sight. The last mile was flat so I could just give whatever I had left to get to the finish...and I did! Somebody 'smoked' me in the shoot but I didn't care. It was great, I had finished ahead of schedule and did the second half faster than the first. I have never done that before, and am happy I did...that is definitely the way to go!

*that time is the 7am starter time, you have to add 2 hrs for us 5am starters :)

A very nice gal at the end took my chip off my sneaker, which was great as I couldn't have untied my shoes if I tried, lol. I got my finisher's medal and got to see my SIL again. They went to feed my brother and I went inside to get warm. We stayed to watch the awards, and I called Dave and the kids to let them know I finished. We headed home after that and I took a MUCH needed shower, had more green smoothie and iced my ankle.

I feel great about this race. I know I could have broken 11 hours had I not waited for my brother, but it doesn't matter. I am so happy I got to run with him, had a good race and felt good throughout. That means more to me than my time. :)

Now, I am dealing with the Ultra-pneumonia and walkin' like a grandma as my ankles no longer flex, lol. But, I need to mend quick as I am running a Turkey Day 5 miler with Jeffrey on thursday! Or, maybe Dave will need to do that one... ;)

Dropped Down to 26.2 due to Broken Feet :(

Sigh.

This race, which I was SO excited for, was not what I had hoped it would be.

I have chosen to ignore the slightly nagging isuses I have felt in my feet. Don't know when it started, but its predominantly in my big toe knuckles of both feet, extending up the bone..sometimes I can feel it top AND bottom of the 'knuckle' but anyways...

Spent the night with Trail Pixie so we could get up and go early. Hubby and the kids were going to meet me there later in the morning. We got there early and had plenty of time to chit-chat, and get excited! I was. I have been really looking forward to this race. We headed off a little late into the chilly morning. It was gorgeous out...everything was frosty, and once the sun came up a bit more it was absolutely sparkly! I was jealous of all the people who brought their cameras to catch these great pics.

The trails were, well, REAL trails- hard to see, single track and switch-backs. I was thinking to myself that the last lap was going to be a b*tch as it would be getting dark and it would be a challenge for me to find and stay on the trails, lol. The aid stations were great, and the 7m aid station had a Bluegrass band! It was awesome, and made me think of hubby who would be at the loop start/finish waiting for me. I was feeling great, really great. I was going faster than I expected to, and just 'ran' with it. I never plan times per se, I just run how I feel and I was feeling the pace I was at so I figured I would just go with it until I needed to slow down. Slowing down came in an unexpected way...

By about mile 10-ish, I started to really notice my feet. They hurt. Now, running ultras hurts. It is par for the course. You can't run that distance without pain. It is up to you the runner to decide which pain is *normal* and which is something to pay attention to. This pain was not something I was used to feeling.

Went through the first lap in 2:19 which was great time for me. I said hello to the family and got going quick as it was COLD and the longer I stopped the more chilled I would get. Let hubby know what I would need for the next lap and I was off. By the first aid station(mile 3 of the lap) I knew I was in trouble, but I was still in the 'maybe I can ignore it phase'...yeah, no. I was reduced to a hobble probably somewhere between mile 3 and 7. The pain in my feet was about an 8 out of 10, 10 being childbirth. I could NOT believe it. Every root, rock, stumble...sent shooting pain through my feet. I was having the mental battle at this point- what should I do...could I walk and shuffle and still finish? Should I just drop down to the marathon, so I could still have an official finish instead of a DNF which was a possibility if I tried to continue on and didn't start my last lap by 3:30...

During what would be my last 6 miles, I got to see all my running friends. Honestly, it was awesome. I saw Trail Pixie running strong, Michelle and KZ who looked GREAT and I am sure they finished strong despite their own challenges coming into this race, and Dan, doing his first 50 who looked fantastic...I felt SO proud of them all and I can't wait to hear their reports!!! :)

Honestly though...as soon as I started thinking I was going to stop, the race was over for me. I was defeated, spent most of the last 6m crying like a girl. I was disappointed, angry, hurting, worried that my family would be disappointed...and I just wanted to be done and get off my feet. I had a couple moments as I approached the end where I thought maybe I could go on, but if I got worse, I had a LONG way to get back. So, as I came through the shoot, I told the officials I was dropping to the marathon. They sent me out for the last 1.2 miles, and Jeffrey came out to run the last 1/2-3/4 mile with me. He said to me, "Mommy, why do you keep doing these races when you do so bad?" Well, that's kids for you :)

I finished in 5:35. Amazing, considering what I was dealing with. Could I have done another 25 miles in 6.5 hours? I don't know. It wouldn't have been pretty and probably would have had me doing more damage than good. I changed, had some green smoothie, chit-chatted a bit and left for home. It was what it was.
By the time I got home, I was in so much pain I was really afraid I had done some real damage. I called my Dr. and she said to go to the ER. Off we went. They took xrays, etc. Try explaining to 4 different people at a hospital HOW exactly I came to be in this state. I felt like they were trying to decide if it was xrays or a psych consult that I needed. In the end, there were no stress fractures(which is what we were thinking) or any other injuries that she could see. She didn't know what to tell me, so she said rest and ice and motrin. Duh... ;)

Interestingly, despite going to bed with my feet THROBBING, I woke up this morning with NO PAIN. Well, the usual stiffness/soreness that is to be expected, but my feet are fine, just a barely detectable soreness. Uh....what the heck is up with that? I'm not even going to dwell on it. Plain and simple, yesterday was not my day. I run because I love it. I run with joy. When it isn't fun anymore, I stop. By mile 26 it wasn't fun so I stopped. It is what it is. Sigh.

Every ultra is a learning experience. I learn on physical, emotional and running levels. Something was off yesterday, and as a result I had some issues.
Physically- I need new shoes. The Dr. said something about wearing stiff shoes while my feet were healing, and something clicked. I have been wearing my Addidas trail shoes for a while. Not the trail shoe of choice for, um, anyone. I happen to like them bc they are flexible and sort of chushion-y. I am thinking that maybe that isn't so great. I need a stiffer shoe, and I can always put a gel insert in.
Emotionally-I do really believe in my running philosophy. Run while its fun, and stop when its not. I did just that. Though today I am feeling emotional about it, I *did* finish a trail marathon, which is still quite a feat. It is something to be proud of. I know I can finish 50 miles, as I have. And I will again. :)
Running-Mental 'space' is so important in these kinds of races. You can feel physically fine and your brain can do you in. Your brain can also convince you to do something you physically shouldn't. I like to think I had a balance yesterday of my mind and body deciding together that stopping was best.

So, now I am going to rest. Scarf down some major green smoothies, and some killer salad today...maybe go out and hang with the chickens and plan some bulbs. No running for me until at least the end of the week if I can force myself to wait that long. I really want to be able to do JFK. And finish. So rest is in order, and I will play it by feel.

Congratulations to EVERYONE who got out and ran the Stone Cat 50...the fact that you walked up to the starting line to run is an amazing feat in and of itself. Be proud :)

Stone Cat 50...done baby!

Well, not the 50 but the 26.2 :) and I am a-ok with that.

I was completely unsure what yesterday was going to be. Having not been able to run more than 10 miles in the last 2...3? months I was woefully unprepared to run the 50. Hell, in my book even the marathon was out of my reach. But, I was going to go out and see what I could do. I knew I had all day to do the marathon, hell...I could have done a lap, come in and taken a nap and gone out and finished and still come in before the course closed, lol.

Stayed with the ever-so-lovely Trail Pixie the night before, as has become tradition, so we could stay up too late and talk :) Then, up at the crack of dawn (hell BEFORE dawn!) to head to the course. There, we signed in and had plenty of time to meet up with fellow TUGers and other runner-friends. The race started 15mins. late due to some sort of telephone pole *incident* causing traffic mayhem resulting in people arriving late. We were getting worried about Steve who was not yet there but alas, he did arrive with books in hand. (he's an author, you know...you can buy his book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Clydesdales-Tale-How-Trained-Vermont/dp/1453882669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289174445&sr=1-1
  I am already 2/3 done with it...I stayed up late last night and read 'til my eyes bled...) We all headed to the start and got ready for whatever the day had in store.

I decided to stay with Steve as he is SO damn consistant with his time and I knew if I went out with him I wouldn't go out too fast and would have the best chance of getting the most miles in. Plus, I think I have told him a hundred times I wanted to or would run with him...then didn't. So, it was time to make things right. The first lap was a blast(at least for me, Steve may have wanted to slap me or possibly tell me to STFU but he didn't...'cause he is just a nice guy like that) and went pretty smoothly until I decided to trip over AIR at the end of the first lap, taking the entire weight of my body on my hands. Ow. My lower body was ok so on we went but damn if I couldn't use my right hand for the rest of the day.

We made a sort of quick transition through the start/finish and started out on lap 2. Not too far in, I started to falter a bit. Steve told me "Bitch, you are slowin' me DOWN!" (actually, he very tenatively and politely said "Um, this pace is a little off for me..." but the first comment is far funnier, dontcha think?) To which I replied that he should go on as he was much more likely to finish than I. We wished each other good luck and off he went. I had really enjoyed my miles with him and I was sorry I could not have kept up for longer (I had more stories!!!) Ah, well. Next time :)

I downed an 5 hour energy drink and crossed my fingers that I could at least finish the marathon(which was my secret squirrel goal) Several minutes later, I noticed that mentally clearer than I had been in MONTHS! Seriously though, I would drink one of these daily if they weren't so dagum expensive. I was thinking I could quite possibly finish this...or at least doing 3 laps. Too bad my body wasn't receiving the same message...

I ended up meeting up with a few women, one of which I ran with until the end. She was a LOVELY woman and I really enjoyed my time spent with her. I realized during this lap that I would in fact, at the very least, finish the marathon and I was thrilled. I was so happy to be out on the trails, doing something that I loved, that is such a part of me. I was so thrilled to be able to be out there, shuffling along, in spite of everything else that has been going on with me. I truly was not sure I would be in any shape to run even one lap. So, to be able to run 2...it was an emotional ending for me, that's for sure.

But, before I got to the end, I started to notice a few things...little signs my body may not be handling things. Things I wouldn't expect to feel until much later in the day/race. My feet were starting to give me trouble, my legs were getting sore(which is par for the course, but it came much earlier than I expected) and my kidneys hurt. I was warned, that although my kidney function was back to normal after VT and all was good, once you have renal failure you are more suseptable to it. Even though I was/am now super-ocd about my fluids and output, they were still getting 'irritated' and that concerned me as again, that is something that doesn't usually happen until later in the race. But, considering the meds and herbs I am on, my kidneys are already working pretty hard so...though mentally I felt like I could go out for another lap even though there was no way I would finish the 50, I decided to err on the side of caution and just be happy with the marathon.

After I changed into dry clothes (and many layers of them, at that)and made an emotional call to my Hubby letting him know I indeed finish the marathon and talked to my kiddos,  I joined Trail Pixie (who SMOKED my ass as she WALKED most of the marathon...this girl is amazing. She can power walk with passion! Seriously, she is the BOMB!!!) to watch the rest of the race unfold. We had a GREAT time chatting our fool heads off and cheering on everyone coming in. We got to see our peeps go out for their last lap and I watched the clock dutifully so I could officially start to worry, when necessary.(hey, its a mom thing. Its how I roll.) We were ELATED when we got to see each one of our TUGers come in...2 of which completed their first 50 miler!

I have to say, though, waiting for and then seeing some of my friends come in is a very emotional thing. I can't even explain it. I don't know if its because I know them better, know of their challenges, or they just push my emo button but...waiting for KZ and Steve do that to me (though I will say I did get a wee emo over knowing BH Dan finished the marathon after SUCH a hard spring/summer) I get very teary when I see KZ come in. He is a dear friend. I want to say more than that but...he *knows* how I feel. And Steve...one of the funniest men I know, (though I secretly think he is a teddy bear on the inside :)...I will ask his wife about that someday...)guts it out to the end...how can you NOT get teary over that? I also cannot leave until I know all TUGers have been accounted for.

Then there was a newbie, J who after several attempts finished her first 50. Holy my....I am still teary about it. The look on her face when she finished was priceless. She did a great job and I am so glad we got to see her finish. The very last girl to cross the finish line was there doing her first 50 as well, and EVERY time I saw her all day she had a BEAUTIFUL smile on her face. Everyone that was still there made a human tunnel for her to run through to cros the finish line...the 'tunnel of love' :) How's that to top your emo basket? Yeah. :)

All of that and so much more is why I love this sport. The friends I have made, the time spent on the trails, the support from fellow runners and all the crews and people who come out and volunteer at aid stations cooking and catering to us runnin' fools...it is a community like very few others I have had the chance to experience. Amazing.

I can't wait for the next race :)