Ultra Marathoning with my cousin

Hah! Made ya look, didn't I?
Ultra Marathoning is about as likely to happen around here as hell freezing over, or the humidity levels dropping. Ugh!


But really. We headed out on Saturday AM (A sweltering Saturday BTW) to the infamous Lovell Old Home days 5k. Then we made pirate faces. It is in our genetic code to do so. The Cuz missed the memo about the FACE that goes along with the hook. Silly boy/man!

OK. This is us looking normal. As normal as we get...

So on to the good stuff. We decided that it would be a great idea to race because I have not been practicing my running very well lately and he has not been running for years. Overall, we felt very prepared. Who cares, right? No way we are going to do our best in the 80 plus degree insanity anyways.

Decent crowd at the little race this year! About 50 more runners than last yeat for a total of 150 finishers. Neither of us had any expectations and decided to run at a comfortable pace and to meet up at the end. The course is a funny beast- the first mile is easy and flat, the second mile has a hill and a big curve and the last mile is fully dirt (which was a bitch to run on this year- slippery, rocky and a mess!) and a hairpin turn as the course is a lollipop. Pretty much impossible to manage negative splits but whatevs, we were out to have fun!

We ended up doing pretty darn well.

Me- 23:13 (1 second FASTER than last year with NO speed work. Hmmmm?)

33rd place and the 5th placed woman. 3rd in age group (damn fast 30 somethings!)

(Edited: I thought I was 3rd but was actually 2nd! It was 10 year age group blocks too, which stinks...)

Him: 26:04, 60th place- (sadly in the fastest male age group so no age award.)

We ate some donuts and went home.

The end.

Racing with the kiddos

Well Hot Damn, an actual running post in the so called running blog.

Don't get used to it. (just kidding. sort of.)

The 4 on the 4th. A big old mess of a race that fully overloads the local town's capacity, porta potties, parking situation and road space. A damn fine time if you ask me.

I did a pretty bang up job in this race last year, finishing in the top 200 and coming in somewhere around 31:30 or so. (I admit that I am too lazy to double check that. Go ahead and sue me for my pride, that is all I have!)

Different ball game this year. The kids (we'll call them 8th Grade and 9th Grade for obvious reasons) came along for the ride. Good, athletic kids who play sports (8th grade is a National Competitive Cheer Champion. And a fine Equestrian) (9th Grade plays ALL the 9th grade sports and is agressive enough to make me look passive. yikes!) Who also rides horses, obviously. Oh, and they have never run a day in their lives. Something that I know a little bit about. Yeah.....

We set off to have a good time and to try to run the whole thing, not vomit and finish as close to a 10-11 minute per mile pase as possible.

Gotta say, those kids started off stromg. Clocked in the first mile at 10:10 and all seemed well. Shortly after the one mile mark the wheels began to fall off the bus a teeniest bit for 9th grade. I have to suspect that she may have some excercise induced asthma (paging Dr. Middleaged....) Honestly, I only guess that because her breathing sounded so similar to people I know who are affected by said situation. OK. Moving on.

Mile 1-2 was ok in roughly 12 minutes. A pace that fely arduously slow for me, but I reminded myself that this race was about the greater good of the youth of America and not about me. And really, I was JUST fine with this. They were a riot to run with, and so cute!

At the end of mile 2 I asked 9th grade if she needed a medic. She did not. We walked, drank water. Recovered. Took 13 plus minutes to get to the start of the last mile which I thought was solid, considering the break that we took for medical purposes.

The kids really woman-ed up for the last mile and kicked it into high gear for another 10 minute mile. I was proud, they were pumped to get to the finish line! We finished in 45:55 and as much as I secretly cringed on the outside I was (of course) all pumped up! The best part is that both of them are excited to try again at some point in the near future. I fully expect that little 8th grade will run another 4 miler at the end of the month. 9th grade was a bit slower to commit, and I after chatting with her Mom the wheezing issue might get a checkup first.

But really, a good time was had by all!! (and here we are!) And yes. I am the same size as tiny children. Do not judge...

Look Who is BACK!

I am completely shocked that everyone has not unfriended me. Thanks kids, you are really the best!

So. What has been going on in my world of chaos? Well. In short, chaos!
This is the time of year when I work 14 hour days 6 days a week. When I run around so damn much all day that the only thing I can run to when the day is done is dinner and a big fricking beer. (oh sure, get up earlier! not me, not NEVAH. I get up at 4:45 as it is and it makes me want to poke out my eyes with a red hot poker.)

Ahem.

Despite all this insanity, my renewed dislike of the sweat slick that runs down my bod in the 80+ degree heat (and not just while trying to run, mind you...) and the fact that my weekly mileage total is about -47 I am hitting the road on Monday for the infamous and ever hilly 4 on the 4th. the cool thing about this is that two of my teenage riding students are jumping on board for the helluva fun good time that we are clearly going to have. Oh yes. So FUN! SO FUN!

But really. I look forward to this and am ever so tickled that I have opened their eyes to more than foul language, bitter sarcasm and beer drinking. (I kid. Really, around the little ones I am as wholesome as Ma Ingalls on the prairie. For serious...)

I look forward to posting pictures of the three of us showboating like fools because that is how we roll. I look forward to knowing that the race will be OVER after 4 miles that I will not have 9 more to go. And I look forward to having the 4th of July OFF!!!

By the way. I fully dominated the horse show circuit this Spring if y'all were wondering. Tons of fun, and I'm pretty pumped for the fall season of Finals and what not. Good times.