After taking a week off and then starting out slow last week, Sunday night I was hit by the mack-daddy of viruses and a case of bronchitis.
So, it's antibiotics and bedrest until I get through this thing.
Fun.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Week Following Recovery Week
I've had a wonderful week of grazing on whatever I've wanted, sleeping in late, and generally being lazy, lazy, lazy. However, now, it is time to get back to training.
I made a run on Sunday morning with the Trail Nerds at Jones Forest. My lungs are still not cooperating very well, but the legs felt great.
We only ran about 45 mins, but it was nice to get out there for a bit.
Tonight, I put in a gentle 4.2 miles at a 9:48 pace. At about mile 2, the coughing and wheezing began again. I know I need to get this checked out, but honestly, how do I complain that nothing is bothering me until I've been running for 2 miles? I hope I can get it this week to find out if there isn't something else I should do to get over this crud. We're going on 6 weeks now.
It's been a wonderful rest time, but I am eager to get back to work, and get stronger and healthier!
I made a run on Sunday morning with the Trail Nerds at Jones Forest. My lungs are still not cooperating very well, but the legs felt great.
We only ran about 45 mins, but it was nice to get out there for a bit.
Tonight, I put in a gentle 4.2 miles at a 9:48 pace. At about mile 2, the coughing and wheezing began again. I know I need to get this checked out, but honestly, how do I complain that nothing is bothering me until I've been running for 2 miles? I hope I can get it this week to find out if there isn't something else I should do to get over this crud. We're going on 6 weeks now.
It's been a wonderful rest time, but I am eager to get back to work, and get stronger and healthier!
Monday, February 09, 2009
Rocky Racoon 50 Miler
Last week saw a lot of preparation and waiting in great anticipation for Saturday morning.
I packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, and again repacked my drop bag making sure to not miss a thing that I might need. I suppose it can become an obsession if one lets it, and I would say that I was borderline.
Friday, I took Foo up to Huntsville to pick up my race packet. It was a beautiful day, warm, but breezy with very low humidity. I said a prayer that Saturday would have weather just as nice.
I met up with Rick who introduced me to the Kansas City Trail Nerds. A very nice bunch of folks that I look forward to seeing again.
We discussed an award idea that Rick and Ben had come up with and I offered to come up with something special for them. It gave me something else to obsess about the night before the race. This is what it looked like when it was finished...
It was dubbed the PITA award and went to that Trail Nerd which was deemed to be the largest Pain in the A.. well, you know what I mean.
Saturday morning, I got up at about 3:30. Didn't really sleep much, but I never do before a race.
I had my usual race morning breakfast, and readied myself for the day. Pete picked me up at 5 and we headed north.
We were able to see the 100 milers off at 6 am, and then finished getting ourselves ready to run. At 7 am, we were off.
The first loop was difficult for me. I have been sick with respiratory junk for about 4 weeks and though I thought I was doing much better, the first loop proved that I wasn't as healthy as I had hoped I was (aka denial). I was really having trouble with my asthma and trying to figure out how I was going to finish the first loop, never mind the whole 50 miles! I few puffs on the inhaler (probably a few too many, but it did work), my lungs started cooperating and by the beginning of my 2nd loop, the constant coughing disappeared.
As we came into Dogwood at the end of the 1st loop, we refueled our bellies and I switched to my hand-held, and then made a quick call to Mark to let him know we had finished #1 and expected to finish #2 within 4 hours or so. Loop #1 was 3:45. Quicker than we thought and I was surprised because of how bad I felt out there.
Loop 2 started out much, much better. We had a quick 3 miles and hit the Nature Center aid station. I decided it was a good time to use the ladies room and as I began to exit, I felt that my legs were being restricted. As I looked down, I was in shock as I realized I had forgotten to pull up my running skirt! I had pulled up the compression shorts, but forgotten the skirt. Thankful that I hadn't opened the door yet, I chalked it up to early stage delirium and headed back out to run.
Not far from that aid station, I had a strange sensation in my right calf. I've never had a cramp with running, but I've seen other people go through that and there was no way I was interested in getting one of my own. I stopped and tried to stretch it out, but really the only thing that made it feel better was to walk on it. So I walked. Quickly, but walked. A few minutes later, I started trying to run again and felt fine until I hit any size incline. Then BOTH calves started to spasm. I had been taking my Succeed caps every 30 mins and the directions say only 2 per hour, but I took an extra to see if the extra electrolytes would help. Within 20 mins the cramps disappeared and I had no other issue with the calves for the remainder of the race.
Pete and I were doing great as far as time, not that this was really important to us, because I just wanted to have the experience, finish the race, and enjoy the day. We had a ballpark goal of finishing within 12-13 hours.
I don't remember exactly when, but Pete's foot started to give him some trouble. He has been dealing with plantar faciitis for some time now and we knew it would probably surface during Rocky.
By the end of the 2nd loop, Pete was really slowing, and at one point between the Dam Road and the Park Road Aid stations, I lost him. I waited at the Park Road until he showed up, probably about 10 mins later. He told me that he had taken a pretty bad fall and had really stretched his foot causing a great deal of pain. We re-fueled and headed out on a walk/run pattern for the rest of the loop.
Pete was very committed to finishing the race. So we decided to head back out on loop #3 and take it slow. We alternated between running and walking, walking as fast as we could when we did. We took our time through the aid stations, making sure that we ate well and had plenty of fluids to keep us going. At the Nature Center Aid station, we met Jon and Adrienne. It was so good to see them and know they were there to support the runners. Pete headed out ahead of me so that I could visit with them for a bit, knowing that I would catch up with him. I also ran into Misty at this point and we headed out towards Dam Road together. We had a good time talking and actually missed a turn. Thankfully, a very kind runner got our attention and got us back on track. I took off and started looking for Pete and was surprised how far ahead he had gone. We ran together the rest of the time and tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
Night was beginning to fall as we headed back towards the Park Road. Funny the things you see in the woods once the sun goes down! As we got to about mile 47, I saw a few folks standing in the dark. Jon, Bill, George, Debbie, and Russell were all there cheering us on and giving us a final dose of adrenaline to help us finish the thing. Pete and I crossed the finish line in 13:55 (unofficial). My Garmin died about 8 hours into the run, so I don't have that information. Our families and several friends were there to greet us and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness it was dark.
This was a most amazing experience, from the natural beauty of the trails, to the beauty of the volunteers that took care of all of us. The other runners were so encouraging to one another. I've really never seen anything like it. I have met so many wonderful people while running, and yet, I still am in awe of the spirit of the running community.
I was able to see many people that I have met in the last two years. Joe, Missie, Tommy, Allen, and so many more. I also, after passing so many runners on the loops we ran, have in my memory many faces of runners that I may never meet again. Yet, they encouraged me to continue on. They had smiles in spite of their private pain. I saw walkers committed to walking the entire race. Incredible courage, incredible spirit.
Of course a more private component of running the race were the prayer intentions that I had for each mile of the run. Honestly, I had concerns that I would not be able to offer them all if I had to drop out for some reason. I prayed that I would be able to finish so that each of those intentions could be offered. The last mile was offered for my mother. I felt her every step of the way. I know she was with me the whole race as her spirit fills the state park through memories that we have there. She loved Huntsville.
I thank God for the opportunity to run. To run with a cause or a purpose. I am thankful for the support of my family and my friends who have taken care of me before and after this event. Their prayers carry me as well.
Recovery has been fairly easy. Saturday night I had to change my clothes 3 times during the night because of this freakish cold-sweating thing. Advil took care of my soreness. I have two small blisters on my heels that appeared after I took my gaiters off. I should have left them on. I have a few sore toes, but nothing too horrible. Overall, I feel great!
I loved this race and I can't wait to run Rocky again.
Things I learned at Rocky:
1. I didn't need half the stuff I brought, but I'm glad I brought it.
2. Garmin won't work for ultras
3. This won't be my last 50.
4. Volunteers are saints.
5. I can do almost anything I decide I want to.
6. I can never doubt the power of prayer.
7. Gaiters are a good thing.
8. I CAN use a port-a-potty.
9. I have the best friends in the world.
10. I love trail running more than ever before.
I packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, and again repacked my drop bag making sure to not miss a thing that I might need. I suppose it can become an obsession if one lets it, and I would say that I was borderline.
Friday, I took Foo up to Huntsville to pick up my race packet. It was a beautiful day, warm, but breezy with very low humidity. I said a prayer that Saturday would have weather just as nice.
I met up with Rick who introduced me to the Kansas City Trail Nerds. A very nice bunch of folks that I look forward to seeing again.
We discussed an award idea that Rick and Ben had come up with and I offered to come up with something special for them. It gave me something else to obsess about the night before the race. This is what it looked like when it was finished...
It was dubbed the PITA award and went to that Trail Nerd which was deemed to be the largest Pain in the A.. well, you know what I mean.
Saturday morning, I got up at about 3:30. Didn't really sleep much, but I never do before a race.
I had my usual race morning breakfast, and readied myself for the day. Pete picked me up at 5 and we headed north.
We were able to see the 100 milers off at 6 am, and then finished getting ourselves ready to run. At 7 am, we were off.
The first loop was difficult for me. I have been sick with respiratory junk for about 4 weeks and though I thought I was doing much better, the first loop proved that I wasn't as healthy as I had hoped I was (aka denial). I was really having trouble with my asthma and trying to figure out how I was going to finish the first loop, never mind the whole 50 miles! I few puffs on the inhaler (probably a few too many, but it did work), my lungs started cooperating and by the beginning of my 2nd loop, the constant coughing disappeared.
As we came into Dogwood at the end of the 1st loop, we refueled our bellies and I switched to my hand-held, and then made a quick call to Mark to let him know we had finished #1 and expected to finish #2 within 4 hours or so. Loop #1 was 3:45. Quicker than we thought and I was surprised because of how bad I felt out there.
Loop 2 started out much, much better. We had a quick 3 miles and hit the Nature Center aid station. I decided it was a good time to use the ladies room and as I began to exit, I felt that my legs were being restricted. As I looked down, I was in shock as I realized I had forgotten to pull up my running skirt! I had pulled up the compression shorts, but forgotten the skirt. Thankful that I hadn't opened the door yet, I chalked it up to early stage delirium and headed back out to run.
Not far from that aid station, I had a strange sensation in my right calf. I've never had a cramp with running, but I've seen other people go through that and there was no way I was interested in getting one of my own. I stopped and tried to stretch it out, but really the only thing that made it feel better was to walk on it. So I walked. Quickly, but walked. A few minutes later, I started trying to run again and felt fine until I hit any size incline. Then BOTH calves started to spasm. I had been taking my Succeed caps every 30 mins and the directions say only 2 per hour, but I took an extra to see if the extra electrolytes would help. Within 20 mins the cramps disappeared and I had no other issue with the calves for the remainder of the race.
Pete and I were doing great as far as time, not that this was really important to us, because I just wanted to have the experience, finish the race, and enjoy the day. We had a ballpark goal of finishing within 12-13 hours.
I don't remember exactly when, but Pete's foot started to give him some trouble. He has been dealing with plantar faciitis for some time now and we knew it would probably surface during Rocky.
By the end of the 2nd loop, Pete was really slowing, and at one point between the Dam Road and the Park Road Aid stations, I lost him. I waited at the Park Road until he showed up, probably about 10 mins later. He told me that he had taken a pretty bad fall and had really stretched his foot causing a great deal of pain. We re-fueled and headed out on a walk/run pattern for the rest of the loop.
Pete was very committed to finishing the race. So we decided to head back out on loop #3 and take it slow. We alternated between running and walking, walking as fast as we could when we did. We took our time through the aid stations, making sure that we ate well and had plenty of fluids to keep us going. At the Nature Center Aid station, we met Jon and Adrienne. It was so good to see them and know they were there to support the runners. Pete headed out ahead of me so that I could visit with them for a bit, knowing that I would catch up with him. I also ran into Misty at this point and we headed out towards Dam Road together. We had a good time talking and actually missed a turn. Thankfully, a very kind runner got our attention and got us back on track. I took off and started looking for Pete and was surprised how far ahead he had gone. We ran together the rest of the time and tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
Night was beginning to fall as we headed back towards the Park Road. Funny the things you see in the woods once the sun goes down! As we got to about mile 47, I saw a few folks standing in the dark. Jon, Bill, George, Debbie, and Russell were all there cheering us on and giving us a final dose of adrenaline to help us finish the thing. Pete and I crossed the finish line in 13:55 (unofficial). My Garmin died about 8 hours into the run, so I don't have that information. Our families and several friends were there to greet us and it brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness it was dark.
This was a most amazing experience, from the natural beauty of the trails, to the beauty of the volunteers that took care of all of us. The other runners were so encouraging to one another. I've really never seen anything like it. I have met so many wonderful people while running, and yet, I still am in awe of the spirit of the running community.
I was able to see many people that I have met in the last two years. Joe, Missie, Tommy, Allen, and so many more. I also, after passing so many runners on the loops we ran, have in my memory many faces of runners that I may never meet again. Yet, they encouraged me to continue on. They had smiles in spite of their private pain. I saw walkers committed to walking the entire race. Incredible courage, incredible spirit.
Of course a more private component of running the race were the prayer intentions that I had for each mile of the run. Honestly, I had concerns that I would not be able to offer them all if I had to drop out for some reason. I prayed that I would be able to finish so that each of those intentions could be offered. The last mile was offered for my mother. I felt her every step of the way. I know she was with me the whole race as her spirit fills the state park through memories that we have there. She loved Huntsville.
I thank God for the opportunity to run. To run with a cause or a purpose. I am thankful for the support of my family and my friends who have taken care of me before and after this event. Their prayers carry me as well.
Recovery has been fairly easy. Saturday night I had to change my clothes 3 times during the night because of this freakish cold-sweating thing. Advil took care of my soreness. I have two small blisters on my heels that appeared after I took my gaiters off. I should have left them on. I have a few sore toes, but nothing too horrible. Overall, I feel great!
I loved this race and I can't wait to run Rocky again.
Things I learned at Rocky:
1. I didn't need half the stuff I brought, but I'm glad I brought it.
2. Garmin won't work for ultras
3. This won't be my last 50.
4. Volunteers are saints.
5. I can do almost anything I decide I want to.
6. I can never doubt the power of prayer.
7. Gaiters are a good thing.
8. I CAN use a port-a-potty.
9. I have the best friends in the world.
10. I love trail running more than ever before.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
13:55!
A full report to follow, but wanted to let you all know that Pete and I finished Rocky 50 miler in 13:55.
A big thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers out there. Amazing doesn't begin to define these people.
Also a huge thank you to my family and friends that came to see us finish. You will never know how much it meant to me.
Now back to figuring out exactly how to get down the stairs...
A big thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers out there. Amazing doesn't begin to define these people.
Also a huge thank you to my family and friends that came to see us finish. You will never know how much it meant to me.
Now back to figuring out exactly how to get down the stairs...
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Off to the Trails!
I am heading out this morning for the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler. I've got 29 hours to get it done!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
My First Blogging Award!
Posting this on both blogs, since I'm not really sure which one this applies to...
I am the proud recipient of the highly coveted FOMUBA award! It's the first award I've ever received, and probably will be the last...
So take in the precious sight and yes, Envy me... go ahead... envy me!
I am the proud recipient of the highly coveted FOMUBA award! It's the first award I've ever received, and probably will be the last...
So take in the precious sight and yes, Envy me... go ahead... envy me!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Brief Update
I've been running as much as one can while dealing with the nasty cough/cold/cough/choke/etc thing that I've had for the past few weeks.
Somehow I was coerced into registering for Rocky Raccoon this coming weekend. Pete, Tiffany, and I will be making our attempt to complete a 50 miler on Saturday.
None of us are really ready for this, but we plan to have fun, walk when needed, and learn a lot about what we will do the next time we plan to run 50.
I have a list of a prayer intentions for each mile that I run. My only prayer for myself is that I can finish the race so that each prayer petition has a chance to be offered.
Somehow I was coerced into registering for Rocky Raccoon this coming weekend. Pete, Tiffany, and I will be making our attempt to complete a 50 miler on Saturday.
None of us are really ready for this, but we plan to have fun, walk when needed, and learn a lot about what we will do the next time we plan to run 50.
I have a list of a prayer intentions for each mile that I run. My only prayer for myself is that I can finish the race so that each prayer petition has a chance to be offered.
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