Thanksgiving & Black Friday Run

Happy post Thanksgiving! Did you eat lots of delicious foods? Run any? Jon texted yesterday morning and canceled our 5am 10 mile run because it was rainy/windy/cold out. I still wanted to go because I ate like crap on Wednesday night (did you know a 24oz bottle of Coke has 290 calories and 78 grams of sugar??? That's a candy bar, at least! I never drink Coke but I bought some and hot dang, that's a full meal!) and I knew yesterday's diet wouldn't be any better. So, I kept sleeping and got up at 7:30am and made it out for my 10 mile run. It was raining some but 50 degrees and it felt nice.

Then because we're psycho, we went running this morning at 4:45am and made it 16 miles in the freeezing cold! It was 24 degrees out and since I normally wear shorts and a jacket in 35 degrees, I figured that wind pants/jacket/baseball cap/light $1 gloves would suffice. I have a fear of overdressing and then getting too hot and having to carry the extra layers with you. But nope! From the get go my ears were freezing and same with my poor fingers. I kept telling myself I wouldn't die from cold hands but it sucked. I had brought my water bottle (which was pointless since I didn't drink more than four ounces the whole time) and it stunk carrying it the whole time with my fingers exposed. When I got home I thought my knuckles were going to break off and die.

Uhh! I have some better gloves that I'll wear next time but I think my fingers still get cold in them. I don't think even the most expensive pair would help because your little fingers are still hanging out there alone. I need mittens. I think I might waste some money on those hand warmers and bring them for 10+ mile runs.

Oh well. It was nice knowing that I burnt off some of those dessert calories.

Western States Dilemma

The other day I randomly got a comment on my Hallucination post from "Doodlegirl" and she casually mentioned that her sister is a big runner who has done Western States, among other ultras. Well why did that little random comment start me thinking about applying for the 100 mile Western States' race next June?

I don't even know what Western States is...I've only heard its name pop up a few times and for some reason, I'm thinkin it's the Boston of the ultras (or is that Badwater or Barkley?). Well, since it's popular and since it's hard to get in, I'm intrigued.

So, there are a few ways to enter the race but the main way is by the lottery which just so happens to be open right now until 11/27. I guess only 369 runners can be on the field and over 1,000 usually apply to get in.

Here's the dilemma:
If I'm thinking about kids in the next one-two years, now is the time to try to run this race. However, after reading some things about the course (see below), I don't know if I'd be fully prepared for the completion of the race without having run on anything that even a tiny, tiny bit resembles the actual course conditions. So, would it be a waste of time and money?

Here are some risks/things to consider:

1) Everything's non-refundable. Since I was injured this past summer and took a few months off for PT and STILL am not movitated to stretch before/after running, who's to say I won't have the same muscle pull next year and be screwed?
2) The course has a few water crossings (and wet snow paths...yeah, part of the course is in 20 degree weather and part of the course is in 90 degree weather) so there'd be a chance that my feet would get jacked up again with a million blisters
3) No pacer/crew lined up = less motivation
4) I read that you could be running downhill for an hour at a time and that they recommend training on a hill that's at least three miles long. Huh? All I can find are little dinky .07 mile hills to run up and down. (Have they invented a treadmill that has a decline-grade yet to serve such a purpose?) (Oh my gosh: check out this cheesy downhill converter someone's trying to sell)
5)Uhh...why did I just read in Alan's race report that a runner was killed by a cougar on the same Western States' course some years ago? It's already bad enough running half-asleep through the night in the dark with other people, let alone by yourself in some crazy wilderness. I would be way too freaked out the whole time out there. Why do all of these athletes get eaten by animals in CA?



I know, I know....it's very unlikely that my name would even get drawn in the lottery but if it was, I need to know if I'd be ready for it since the drawing seals the deal; no backing out.

What do I do??

Last Week's Recap/ This Week's Mileage

Every Monday Jon and I talk about our great plans for our mileage that week and then as the week progresses, it always ends up that either we can't run all six days as planned or we can't run as much due to whatever reason. Usually one of Jon's kids wakes up a ton during the night and then he's too tired, or our alarm doesn't go off, or I have to go in early at work....

So last week we wanted to run 55 miles for the week, which included a 15 mile run on Saturday. It turned out both of us got sick (along with a million other people) and so we only ran two-three days and then only 10 miles on Saturday. It stinks. So after our 10 mile run on Saturday, I knew I wanted to get in more miles than 28 for the week so I made myself run another 12 that afternoon, which brought me to 40 miles.

Then yesterday morning I actually woke up to my alarm before church at 7am and was planning on running 10 miles. I freaking got dressed, got my water and went outside and started to run. When I got about one-two minutes into it I decided I just didn't feel like running so I turned back around, went home and got back into bed. I'm lazy!!!

I told myself I'd run in the afternoon...then I said I'd run in the evening after the Colts' game (sniff, sniff) and then I just didn't do it. It's hard to make myself get more miles in when I don't have any upcoming races yet. Darnit.

So this morning Jon and I planned out the week as such: eight miles today; tomorrow I'm off work so we each bet that we have to run eight miles on our own or pay a whopping dollar for each mile we miss; Wednesday 10 miles; Thursday 10 miles; Friday 15 miles; Saturday is unknown and may just be a make-up day. Let's hope we make it!

Sat-Monday Runs

Last Saturday I ran 16 miles in the morning; Jon did 13 with me. Yesterday Bernie was in town and we ran 13 miles together. It was fun catching up on Hallucination stuff and talking about other random things (like Bernie's story of seeing a naked woman running during one of his trail runs back home; she was running as if everything was normal and not looking like she had been in some crazy attack or something). And, it was weird having normal conversations (better than playing the dumb alphabet game) and not being wacked out since we hadn't already been running 20+ hours again.

Then, this morning I ran 8 miles with Jon at 5am and we ran around the Lucas Oil Stadium and there were already a few people waiting outside its doors. I wish I could take the day off and tailgate all day. It's time to get hyped for the Colts tonight; woohoo!!!

Week Recap and Happy Halloween!

Well, darnit! It's funny how you have some good mileage weeks and some not. Jon and I were planning on running everyday this week but for various reasons, we only made it out twice. I'm gonna try to run this afternoon and some on Sat and Sun but I bet I won't get the miles in that I'd like to. Oh well.

Anyway, Happy early Halloween! Eat some good candy and enjoy my costume: OCTOMOM!!

Mornin Marathon

This morning I ran 13.1 miles with Jon, who is trying to get ready for his first mini marathon in May. I almost ran over a homeless guy sleeping on a step that I didn't see. Man, that would have sucked to have tumbled on him. I'd break a random bone and then I'd become part of his nightmare or something. I did this long, delayed-reaction scream/yell because he startled me and then I felt bad; I had woken him up. Sowwy.

I came home and still had energy so I went back out, planning on running 6 or 10 miles more. Well after 10.1 miles I couldn't just stop and not complete a marathon, so I tacked on 3 more miles and called it a day (and with no more ankle issues, btw).

I've learned that I do much better with long runs if I don't plan them out ahead of time (unless I'm going to be running with someone else, that is). If yesterday I had said I was going to run 13 more miles alone after my time with Jon, I probably would have headed back out and then made a million excuses as to why I was tired or sore and needed to quit. Instead, I went out with no expectations and since I felt good, I kept on going. That's the way to do it.

Funky Ankle

Ever since Woodstock, for the past 2 weeks or something, part of my right ankle/heel has been hurting a little bit during my runs. It's usually tight in the beginning and then is fine by the end. When I stretch it (which is pretty much never), it feels super tight like something needs to be worked out. Then I found out that if I run with a better stride and land more on the balls of my feet, it doesn't hurt. Does that mean I've just been slamming my heels down on the ground with every stride? That sounds gross. But now that I put more pressure on the balls of my feet, I got a blister on the top of my left toe. I'll be danged!

So bottom line- can I just keep ignoring it and running differently or do I need to do something about it? Lord knows I don't wanna stretch regularly. And why is it only my right ankle? Weird.

100 Miles, Baby! Woodstock Hallucination Race Report

Woohoo, I finally finished 100 miles; did it in 24:30.

The course was 6 loops of 16.6 miles and I think I liked it that way for a 100 miler. You could put one drop bag at the start/finish area and one at the 8 miler aid station. The majority of the course was flat with just a handful of hills that you could walk up without too much pain. I was surprised at how much of the race we actually ran. We probably ran 46 or 47 out of the first 50 miles and then a good bit of the last half, too.

Also, the course was surprisingly easier than all of the other races I was used to- nothing too technical or hilly like Mohican, the DWD races, or the Buckeye/Run for Regis run, and no water crossings. It was weird not seeing deep scratches and wounds on my thighs with thorns sticking out of them after the race.

I ran the whole race with Bill. He was so nice to have stayed with me the whole time, especially the last 2 loops when I was struggling and not talking much- just grunting. He somehow still had this super fast energy in him at the end and would run up ahead and then wait for me to catch up.

We ran a few loops with a fast runner and fellow Hoosier, Bernie, who was sneaky and stopped after 4 loops without telling us he was even struggling. It was actually smart of him because then he didn't have to listen to us trying to guilt him into finishing it out. Too bad, though. Next time! I also met Melissa from OH and James from IL.

So my feet...they started to hurt a little bit with just 8 miles into it. I did not want to get screwed again by dang blisters so I ended up switching out my socks 1-2 times each loop and then I switched my shoes about 4 different times. Only on loop 5 did I start to feel some blisters form but I kept on truckin, taped the toes at the end of the loop, took meds, and finished out fine. I think I'll actually keep my toenails this time. Awesome!

The ultimate problem has to be that my feet aren't used to running on trails, moving in different angles and stuff all the time. A couple weeks ago I ran 31 miles on flat pavement in the same pair of socks/shoes and had no problems...but when I go to trail, I have problems after just 8 miles. Hmm.

Let's see....I made it the whole way with just my handheld water bottle and Nathan vest- no heavy CamelBak. Thankfully the food situation was fine. I never had to force myself to suck down another turkey sandwich or anything. I ate and ate and felt fine. But uhhh, how did I burn around 10,000 calories but the scale now says a couple pounds more? Something's wrong. I wasn't eating donuts and drinking sugar water out there. And no, it's not a swollen body or water weight that's making the scale say what it does. I'd like to be like Mikey and get sick and lose 12 pounds after a 100 miler. Joke.

Overall it was a good experience and I never thought of quitting. I knew I came to run 100 miles and I was gonna do it. Right when I finished the race I said that I probably wouldn't do another one- anything over 12 hours is a lonnng time to be running and it gets kind of old. But---yesterday and today I'm reconsidering. Who knows what's next- maybe Burning River.

Enjoy the choppy video below and the bloopers at the end while my husband videotapes.

50k run and Taper Time

I slacked on Friday and didn't run so I bet Anna that I had to do 24 miles last Saturday. I was feeling good at 18 miles so I hurried and texted her saying I had to do 30 miles. My course was a 6 mile loop that I repeated; I figured it was good practice for Woodstock since that's 6 loops of a 16+ mile path. I ended up throwing in an extra mile so I could call it a 50k and I felt pretty good. The last time I had run a 50k on pavement was back in 2007 at the Lakeshore 50/50 race. My legs felt like noodles at the end of that one.

I finished off the week with 6 miles last Sunday and took today off....now I'm ready to slow down these last 2 weeks. Yes! I'll probably run 45-50 this week and maybe 30 next week. Vamos a ver!

Week Recap and Upcoming Race

I was originally going to be running at Hell this weekend but somehow my registration got messed up and so I'm not going to do it now. I've been trying to prepare for Woodstock and get the miles in so some extra rest will help. I'm not looking forward to that drive home alone after the race. I don't know how I'll make it, all jacked up.

I had my first bike accident last week and it wasn't even anything to brag about, dangit. I was going slow and I must not have been paying attention because my huge mountain bike tire wheel got caught in the grass and when I tried to bring it back over the sidewalk I got all tangled up and fell. I hit my head but I was wearing a helmet so I was happy that looking like a nerd paid off finally. The weirdest thing was having my hearing go out for a minute after the accident. I got on my bike and heard nothing...not my chain and not the cars going by. It was kinda scary but finally it came back. Now I'm too scared to invest in that road bike I was going to get. I don't mind dying (or going deaf) in a big running race or something but during a stupid 6 mile bike ride? Nah. It sucks though..every time I go running my stupid knee scrape breaks open again. It'll never heal.