Well, that's a wrap! 2014 in all its glory.

Like ANY good blogger it is the time to type a blow by blow post about all my thoughts and feelings regarding my year of amazing and epic accomplishments!!!!!

Or..... Let's just zip thru the months and see how I did in 2014. Some good stuff, some bad stuff, some things to try differently, some things to do again. Overall not too shabby!

2014 was supposed to bring about several milestones for me.
A Half Marathon PR at Hampton in February (sub 1:36:27)
A Course PR at Boston. (sub 3:31 and change)
A strong 50K. (as in: don't blow up)
A solid Fall Marathon PR (sub 3:25:45)

Going into 2014 I knew there were several distances that I most certainly wasn't going to focus on, or be even slightly concerned about racing. Like the damn 5K, woof.

Shall we begin?

January! Jan-Jan-uary!!!!
I started off the year with a 10K- after one of the worst weather Decembers in recent history here in Maine and after being absolutely wracked with flu-like symptoms for a week I certainly did not mind a fairly average run.
-10K 1st Run, Lowell MA 46:51 You can read about the windy day right here.
(so, my 2012 10K PR still stands at 44:01. But I was bat shit crazy in 2012)

Less Bat-Shit Crazy in 2014 obviously. 

February! Time to kick some 13.1 ASS!!!
Yeah. Or something.
I ran around the Mid Winter Classic 10 miler early February on a totally decent weather day- I believe this was one of the very, VERY few outdoor runs that I had managed in weeks. The weather had been truly appalling and the road conditions horrid. I was both pleased and surprised to run a 1:15:56- only 40 seconds above my 2012 PR when, as previously mentioned, I was bat shit. A good set up, I hoped, for Hampton.

Once again we lucked out on weather, conditions and basically everything and for about 5 minutes I thought I had kicked crazy 2012 in the teeth- and managed a 3 second PR with a 1:36:37. (It was, if nothing else a 12 minute course PR for me) Later that day I double checked old results and discovered that no, I had missed my goal by something silly like 12 seconds. For some reason, this really bothered me. The whole damn day in its glory.
The one thing I took away from this race was that there was nothing I could have done about that 12 seconds! I simply could not have run faster. The end. Once I realized that, I stopped being bothered about my perceived "failure" and stopped thinking about it.

While my race was not a complete fail this FACE IS!!!!

March:
I didn't do Jack-diddly-squat apparently.
The weather was good for garbage.
I ran on the treadmill except basically once.
I did have some good long runs.

Mostly, March was like this. What the actual F**K????

April Boston TIME!!!!
I trained with the intention to run a course PR, and as we got closer my brain kept drifting to shooting for an overall PR. I decided that even if things went rather amiss I could certainly run a 3:27 or so. Unless it got warm for the first time in months of something silly.... Every outdoor run thus far had been pretty lovely in the 40 degree Spring temps and somewhat diminishing snowbanks.
Unless you're new you know it was my worst executed race in History. With temps rising, and rising, did I rethink my plan? Nope, I went charging all around running some shit crazy stupid fast miles and died a horrible death. The end. 3:54 something UGH. BOO.
Part one: when there was still hope
Part two: watch me blow up
A good learning moment! At least I learn...

I look unwell. I felt unwell. 

May. 
I ran a 5K in 21:36 which is fast enough. Seriously!
(not fast enough to beat damn 2012 though hahah!)

I ran the Pineland 30 miler that is called a 50K on Memorial Day weekend and was really pleased. I executed the race exactly the way I wanted to and was very pleased with the outcome! Yay, go me!! Honestly, we all know that I do not put in the correct training for races of this length so unless I do- this is as good as it gets for me! I truly enjoyed this race and it marked the beginning of my "Summer running Break"

"there's a creeper photog in the grasssssss"

June: 
A spontaneous Trail run at Robert's Farm was my final hurrah before taking the lazy route for the rest of June. Another really fun race!

UNCLEAN. 

July:
NADA as in NOTHING. Most runners worst nightmare, but a much needed break for me!

OK so I did SOMETHING. Mostly standing though!

August & September
Three whole entire races!
I tried out 2 new distances.
I ran the Maine Mile in 6:13 which is an automatic PR since I had never tried such a crazy thing before! I have no intention of ever running a mile faster, thanks! It was a really fun thing to do, totally outside of my comfort zone, and over so quickly that I barely noticed how much it hurt.

I also ran a 5 miler in 35:51 for another auto-PR and in the process made myself more sick that I have ever been after a race. I don't have much motivation to run a faster 5 miler ever again but perhaps this one just scared me off.

Early September was the Freeport Half, a PR was not a goal but I was happy to run exactly the pace I hoped for on legs that felt pretty good on a tough course.

I promise it wasn't just me against myself.... 

October! 
Months ago I had completely altered my Fall marathon goals, knowing that putting in the time to meet them was simply impossible. However, I was quite determined to succeed in qualifying for Boston 2016 (my AG now needs a sub 3:40:00) and I felt this was quite reasonable.
We all know what happened at MDI. Definitely a day that reminded me that you can't plan for everything!
I am still so pleased that I marched back out and ran the LOCO Marathon two weeks later.
This was everything Boston was not in terms of a well executed race, a nice cool day, and an additional 6 months of learning what I can and can not do depending on my fitness level. a 3:32:59 felt pretty good to me and was a solid BQ, not to mention a race that I felt really positive about.

PHEW! 

November:
November marked the end of my 30-34 AG era and with that, I went forth and ran 35 miles for my 35th BD.
What?
I think it was a perfectly normal decision!

The most flattering picture of the year or maybe my life. 

December:
No racing, just normal running, a zero week and some thoughts about what next year might bring.

Hopefully the New Year brings LOTS of this!!!

So there you have it kids, my whole year squeezed into one tidy little post.
I'll be back soon to talk details of 2015.
Happy New Year!!!

The story of how I met my new true love... Hoka's!!

It is finally time for the *much* anticipated post about how I broke up with my Mizuno's.

When I met my first pair of Mizuno Wave 16's, it was love at first sight. I slapped those bad boys on my feet and never looked back. (and this was after 2 pairs of Precisions, 3 pairs of Enigma's (one of which I hated) a pair of Wave 15's, and a fleeting moment with some Sayonara's... So, Mizuno was my middle name.)

I loved you, Wave Rider 16's, I loved you very much. I literally put thousands of miles on you (well. a few of you. I get around.) I overlooked some model inconsistency that would periodically give me black toenails.... Because in the end, I loved you! You loved me! I got a solid 450-550 miler per pair not to mention that I never, ever paid full price for you!!
But then you changed.... You suddenly wanted to be called 17 and it was like you were an entirely different shoe. We no longer saw eye to eye on anything! I was able to keep my torrid affair with the 16's going thanks to my acceptance of retiring colors which were possibly no longer hip on fitfluential. Awwwwwww.
But in my heart I knew the end was near....
I laced up my final pair of Mizuno 16's for the last time in late October, weeping tears of sadness and loss.

A woman scorned....

OK. So that is not exactly how it played out. My final pair of 16's were notorious for giving me massive blisters so I basically threw them in the hopper.


But what to do then?

I cruised over to Maine Running to check out some other brands. While I did pick up a temporary pair of kicks to get me by, absolutely nothing was feeling that great to my picky feet and rapidly aging hips. CRISIS MODE!
WHAT TO DO??

I had been aware of Hoka's for a while, not necessarily in a positive way.
I thought they looked absurd, like Skechers Shape Up's, or maybe like something your Nana would wear to work out in at Curves. Not exactly the kind of shoe that had me frothing at the mouth to obtain it.

Over the summer I did notice that they were streamlining the shoes a bit- instead of looking like Ronald McDonald shoes they looked like gigantic mattresses that I would surely trip over repeatedly. Quite trim, obviously....
I made the assumption that they, like Newtons, must be a specialty shoe because they certainly had a specialty price tag. I had taken note that "on the internet" it was mostly trail runners in them. I did see them here and there at road races but I still categorized them with the Newtons- shoes for people with a very specific gait, a gait that I do not have. (I am a Forrest Gump style runner. Specialized shoes for "front foot gait" basically get a big failing grade from me!)

Then, suddenly my friend Danielle was running in Hoka's. I literally, was like "WHAT??"
And she was swearing by them.
Being that she is a real person, who clearly has the same exact gait as myself, and does the same kind of running that I do, I began to perk up and take notice.

SAME gait. We are awesome.

I found the Kailua's on sale for 50% off in late October. I also had a coupon code so about 2 days and $60 later I was in possession of my first pair of Skechers Shape up's!!
I kid, I kid.
To be honest, when I whipped them out of the box the first thing I said was "Well, these almost look normal!!"
I walked around in them a bit and they felt funny but not in the way I had expected.
They were firm but cushiony at the same time, I found that there was plenty of room for my toes to cohabitate, they did not feel ungainly at all. Still, I did not particularly enjoy walking about in them. (they are NOT walking shoes.)
Furthermore, I was very concerned about the "quick lace" system- I did not think I would find them adjustable enough and I was SURE that the little tabs would click and clack around and drive me bat shit crazy.
Neither of those things happened.

Once I started running, as much as it irked me to admit it I could see what the hype was all about.
I was like an amazing stealth-ninja, literally prancing at top fucking speed along a cloud of pavement.

Except that the right shoe pissed off my ankle bone to no end.What started as an occasional little ow rapidly transitioned into full blown "Oh HOLY HELL OUCH!!!"
If I had paid full price for them I simply would have sent them back! And forver have regretted that decision....
After putting a few miles on them (25 or so) I concluded that the ankle issue was simply unacceptable but that I would take matter into my own, capable hands.
Armed with a utility knife and a terrifying pair of ultra sharp scissors I basically hacked the crap out of my poor shoe until it was deemed comfortable.

Mess with me? I WILL CUT YOU!!!!!

And DUDES, what a good choice!!!
They are now PERFECT.

I love them. I have completely forsaken my previous involvement with Mizuno in favor of a stable, comfortable relationship with my new favorite Hoka's! (fickle woman that I am....)
Happy feet, happy hips, fast recovery, you guys- it almost feels like cheating, running in these things.

The current model that I have is pretty awesome for winter running, it is the warmest thing I have ever slapped on my foot and it chugs thru snow with magical 4WD skills.
Obviously, it would not be my favorite summer shoe so I'll have to make some changes prior to hot weather.

So. The moral of the story.
....you can find love again.....!!!!!

Oh Jeez..
But really, don't judge a book by its cover. While they might look a little funny they run like a normal shoe, they are not too soft AT ALL even for picky me, you do NOT feel like you are running on high heels, and you don't even notice them after a few runs.

I believe that there is a good shoe out there for everyone, and while *my* favorite might not be yours I feel that I can recommend the Hoka's with no reservations.
I'm actually getting all giddy looking at the 2015 models, so clearly I have defected!  

2014 Year In Review

I was in the contemplation stage of my 2014 Year in Review post when I saw that Miss Zippy (one of my favorite bloggers) was having a Year In Running link up.
Perfect timing.

Thanks Miss Zippy, without you my year end review would have been in March.

Best Race Experience: I must confess that 2014 was not the year of races that felt fabulous and easy. I worked really hard for every fast finish, often with lingering unpleasantness of the GI sort once the race was over. Not my favorite.
I really enjoyed the Pineland "50K" 30 miler :-) I felt like I ran a well executed race and I finished feeling good and healthy. After the utter collapse that was Boston I really needed to finish feeling decent and I did.

Pineland Stupidity. I mean awesomeness.

Despite finishing with no gas left in the tank- I have to pat myself on the back a bit for managing a decent marathon at LOCO this past October.

At LOCO, where I managed to run the whole entire race. #miracle

I spent some time questioning my abilities this year and after a confidence building race there, I feel a renewed sense of  relative competence. I'm extremely excited for Boston 2016- if anything is going to be a giant motivator for the next year and a half it's knowing that this will be THE year at Boston! This has little to do with me and lots to do with my friends who have qualified or will qualify in the Spring. It will be the party of the Century!
(and I am already "in" for Boston 2015- the excitement that is '16 continues to overshadow that, whoops!)

Best Run: I had a lot of good runs this year, once I was able to get off the treadmill after the winter of death last season.
I was injury free in 2014 which is a big deal, and I'm very thankful for that and it certainly makes my running that much more enjoyable.
I had a really amazing final long run pre-Boston (which makes me verrrrrry suspicious of future good long runs: believe it!!!!) It was a damn good 21 miles of perfect chilly weather, no issues at all, it was FUN and the kind of run where you just want to have a little dance after.

I did.

And THEN once I was home and clean and in compression pants we totally had a taper party and ate all of my mom's olives and cheese and almonds. Sorry Mom.

TAPER PARRRRRRRTYYYY!!

 I'm adding one... WORST RACE (or run)
I had a terrible terrible Boston.
I was happy to be there, happy to see my wonderful family and enjoy time both before and after the race with them. And it's BOSTON!!! Totally the best!
Honestly though, I had a lousy day. Really terrible.

Shit show right here.

The badness that was Boston made me question all of my running life choices for a while. I seriously considered pulling back from the marathon distance. At mile 22 of Boston I most definitely said "never again, I do not need to do this to myself!" (I legit stopped and said this to a human, who kindly offered me a beer, gotta love those college kids.)
Usually within an hour of the race finishing I can get over those feelings but I was pretty wrung out...
I got right back to running but in the back of my mind was doubt. "I'm just not made to do this.. I'm not good enough to be better than I have been... I don't want to feel that awful again.... Why work so hard and give up so much and spend all the money for complete and total suffering???"
I realized, over the course of the summer that I DO NOT have to marathon.
But I want to. I want to be better, I want to feel stronger, I want to finish feeling confident.
So basically, in 2015 (despite a confidence building Fall race) I'm running away from 2014's confidence crushing issues and running towards a stronger, better and possibly slightly more pissed off me. Don't fuck with me marathon, I will crush you!! (or.. I'll actually drink that beer at mile 22)

Best new piece of gear: That's easy. I snagged a super discounted pair of Hoka Kailua's back in
October and haven't looked back. I had to modify them a bit but that is how I roll my friends.
This merits a post all of its own, which is coming soon!

Best piece of running advice received: 
"Please just run fast and BQ but don't vomit" -Eric
"Hard work never, ever, EVER pays off" -My mom, said with a straight face and a lot of sarcasm.

 Most inspirational runner: Without a shadow of a doubt the winner this year is Danielle.  She worked her butt off this year, PR'd at every distance and snagged a BQ for 2016 in the process! I'm so excited for her and happy that her incredibly hard work has paid off! She is a new Mom, has a busy life and job and still manages to run a ton of miles and be a complete badass. And if that's not inspirational than I don't know what is.  She also gets up at like 3AM to run which is completely insane and something that I can not imagine. (I also have a feeling that she is going to PR the marathon distance again soon... Like this winter. I'll put money on it!)

Danielle!!! The toughest lady ever!

 If I could sum up the year in a couple of words, what would they be?
This was a year of change, growth and learning.
What? That is such an adult answer, I'm vomiting in my mouth a little right now.
OK. So it was a year of change, growth, learning, marching to the beat of my own drum, wearing outrageous outfits because I can, changing my hair color 45 times, trying to run fast but sometimes vomiting, high fiving strangers,  singing "turn down for WHAT" out loud everywhere, not accepting "I can't" from myself, running a mile race for shits and giggles, trying new things, and having a hell of a time.

(those are all true)

Moving on to 2015 I see more of the same amazingness!!!
I'm trying to iron out my actual goals but I feel that I've built a pretty decent foundation so hopefully now I can build that infamous house that everyone is always talking about.
Maybe I'll start with a single wide or a small ranch something...

LOCO Marathon, a damn good race.

At long, long last, a LOCO Marathon recap!

After MDI I was left feeling a little irked about the way my day had turned out.
I was pleased that I had run 19, at pace, over the mountains that we all have come to expect from that area with little to no residual crap feelings.
I was less than pleased to have picked up a head cold, but also felt that it explained my migraine issue.

I spent a few days pondering my options which were as follows:
-Say "screw it" and gain redemption, and hopefully a 2016 BQ in Boston next April. This was my least favorite option as Boston weather is a tricky beast, as is the Boston course.

-Hit up Myles Standish in a couple weeks. I was really "meh" on that option, the great thing about that race is that I get to visit my family which is good. Other than that there is very little to tempt me.

-Go to the Loco race in Newmarket. This was, at the time of pondering, 3 days away.

So, as most of you already know, I made a game time decision to head down to NH and take a crack at this new LOCO race. This basically flew under the radar on the internets because, literally, I made the choice to run as late as one possibly can.
(Danielle, you should take notes from me on how to run a *secret* race! Screw the training plan and just bust out and do one randomly.... I think that's the only way to pull it off, because even YOU don't know until you are at the start line!)

As last minute as this was I was feeling pretty decent about the whole situation. My legs had come off MDI feeling good, and since LOCO was marketed to be a fairly flat course I was confident that the "hill work" from MDI would not be something I would notice. As annoying as my cold had been, by Friday it seemed to be giving up, so I did not feel that sickness would be an issue either.
The weather looked ideal- low of 45 and high of 60 (yes, I was nervous seeing 60 but the race started at 7:30 so I wasn't particularly worried.)
Bottom line, by the time Saturday had rolled around I could see no reason not to go and take a crack at it.

So yeah. There I was at half past ass o'clock last Sunday morning, at the start line preparing to take my 2014 marathon issues by the balls and take care of some business. Yikes.

Yeah, I bring a Navajo blanket to races. NBD. #fashion

My master plan of excellence was to absolutely under no circumstances go off running like an asshole, only to blow up and have disaster strike. I kept repeating to myself "GO out EASY" KEEP IT EASY, IDIOT" (tough love.) I planned for a calm race, with a reasonable pace, NO heroics and NO chasing a PR. Calm and steady. Easy and peasey.

I really enjoyed the first half (this was a 2 loop course.) Rolling hills took us thru the first 5k, then there was a flat-ish section which went to mile 7 or so. After that there were some gentle hills and nice views until mile 10 when the road detoured onto a rail trail for 3 miles. I was worried about this stretch of road but it was not bad. The first pass was a piece of cake actually and some of the most fun of the race.

Apparently, this is my "happy, easy" running face. Also, WTF left foot?? Wonky leg.

I was lucky enough to fall in with a few guys around mile 4 who were holding the perfect pace (keep in mind that ass-hat me of the past would have blown by them.) But smart, keeping a sensible pace me knew that it was best to have friends so I stuck to them like white on rice. (I did mention to them around mile 10 that I was pretending that I was Shalane and that they were my pacers, they enjoyed that quite a bit.)

Horrifyingly, at mile 12 my pacer extraordinaire confessed that he would be dropping at the half due to a bad knee. Smart move. Luckily, I was feeling fantastic at this point, and when another guy confessed that he, quietly, had been pacing off us for 5 miles I had an immediate replacement! We chugged thru the half in 1:44 and change and I was feeling comfortable. It's good to know that you have a couple minutes in hand and I intended to use them.

Happy at the halfway point.

I ran happily along with my new pace buddy (who was trying to crack 3:30 and doing so, smash his PR by 15 minutes) I was quite happy to have a friend because, as much as I love running alone, there is a point in every marathon where lonileness becomes horribly demoralizing! Unfortunately at mile 19 I had to stop for a bathroom break and he went off into the distance (to finish in 3:32, yay!!)

 I did have a moment of concern that my potty break might be the start of yet another mile 19 epic breakdown of horror and vomiting and crapping my way to the finish.
It was not.
Once 19 was behind me I was basically like, "marathon, you are a basic bitch. I own you."
I AM LYING! I know better than to mock a marathon at any point, I did something more along the lines of having a brief moment of relief and then I got back to work.

And I got back to it quickly, figuring that I had used up about 2 minutes of my "spare" time (close, it was 90 seconds.) The weather had warmed up a little and since I had not had much to drink during the first half I planned to walk thru 2 water stations (I did.) I knew that to come in under 3:35 I would have to hit 20 right at 2:43 and I hit it on 2:40- which was comforting.

From 20 on I focused on staying on pace, I also focused on ignoring my whiny and complainey legs. Once you are at 20 you only have another 10k so go and I refuse to listen to the bitching and whining, my legs have one job and that is to do my bidding!!! Bwahahahah!!!

I had come upon a peloton of women most of whom said that they were chasing the sub 3:35 so this seemed like a wise place to stay. Just after 24 a few of them faded off and I found myself and another woman (Jaimie from somewhere close to Hopkington) running elbow to elbow.

At that point, as in all marathons things were slightly sucky but we both knew we could finish and finish with our magical 5 bonus minutes in hand. Seriously, we talked each other into it for those last few rail trail miles. I'm pleased to say that I was right on pace for the last miles, and while I did use my "free" minutes in the second half my pace hardly faltered. Knowing that we could walk the last mile and still qualify, we both put our heads down, sucked it up and ran our best. There was a moment of conversation: "it's like I'm having an out of body experience.... my legs are just running.... it's like I'm watching...."  that I'm sure we can all relate to.....

She had a kick at the end and I was like, yeah, go, no way!!! But I ran in in 3:32:59, thank the sweet 6 pound lord baby geezes. We sweatily hugged. I sweatily hugged Eric who might have been more excited than I was. I was really tired, sweaty, salty, disgusting and RELIEVED!!!!!!

I said things like this:
"YAY Boston 2016!"
"I do not suck as a runner!"
"Thank heavens that is OVER......" (because no matter how good it is. a marathon is best when done ;-))

Thank heavens.

It was a good day. It was a good race- lots of course support, a good number of runners, from what I saw really good pacers (real ones, although my self appointed ones were amazing.) They gave us these huge wood medals (woodals?!?) which were fantastic. Bottom line, it was a user friendly course with lots of nice and thoughtful amenities (well stocked aid stations, little "pace" signs at certain mileage points letting you know if you were on pace for a BQ, and from what I saw a good spread of food and beer after.) I definitely would suggest this race if you are BQ hunting, while no marathon is easy after a certain point, this race, on this particular day, eliminated some of the challenges that can mess up your attempt. I really enjoyed it (and actually prefer this course to the Hampton course which I liked!)

I'm really pleased to have managed a good marathon in 2014, there was a stretch of time this year when I wondered if it wasn't meant to be. I began my marathon career as a little speedster and am now just gaining the experience needed to get through a more challenging day.
I also have had a very different "training cycle" which I will talk more in depth about later- and I'm not at all unhappy with how it worked for me. 
Mostly, I'm pleased that MDI was a fluke and not a physical issue. While I did not PR on Sunday I certainly had a good race in a time that I am very happy with. I have also had a seamless recovery which I find very encouraging!

So, here's to Boston 2016. I'd say that is the year to get there- it will be the event of the season for sure!!

In which I emerge from a long, long internet silence.

Once upon a time, I was a blogger.
A running blogger to be specific and I (occasionally) would regale all of you with tales of my intense training plan, stories from various races and give you tons of sweaty unattractive pictures to mull over.

I bet you have all really missed that.

I knew after my intense January-June 1st racing schedule that I needed a short break or an injury was sure to pop up. I also knew that this was going to be a season jam packed with horse shows- and this certainly was true.
Through the month of June I kept my running very minimal and really enjoyed the break. I know that I am the only running blogger in the universe who actually admits to appreciating a rest but honestly, I do. I need it mentally, physically and during June I was so SO busy that if I had not planned to take some time it simply would have happened out of necessity.

During my "rest" time I play lifeguard for the crazy swimmer.

 There have been some changes too. Without a clear Summer goal I knew that continued coaching would be turning my little "splurge" into an unjustified indulgence (because what middle of the packer needs a coach..? well, one who couldn't stay healthy I suppose!)
I am so thrilled that during my year with Coach Kelsey I leaned a remarkable amount about what my body needs to stay healthy. That investment was probably one of the best ones that I have made as a runner- so the money was well spent.
However. Reality knocked at my door and I realized that I simply can not invest as much money into any part of my running hobby. Not on races, not on coaching (right now) not on ALL the fun new gear! I already participate in a mind blowingly expensive sport as part of my job- and since that is my livelihood I had to funnel cash that way. I know I don't need to justify my choices to the internet but hey- this is real life and I believe we all can relate.

The great news is that my professional equestrian lifestyle has been fantastic this year. I had a downright delightful early season of showing, as did my lovely young rider client and we are both heading to Regionals with scores that make me hopeful for a good showing (against some of the toughest competition at our respective levels that I have seen in years- we have been doing well but are preparing to see some damn fine horses. Which is fine, bring it on!)

Chauncy the wonder pony.

Have I been running? Yes.
Am I still running Chicago? Yes.
Do I have anything life changing to say about my current training plan? Well, no. I am taking a sensible approach, and I am happy with how things are going. I have really fallen off the face of the internets as I no longer am super interested in plugging every run into Daily Mile, or chronicling every step I take on twitter. There is nothing wrong with this at all- and I truly enjoy reading the tales from those who do! It just happens not to be where I am at right now and that's ok. And while I might not be putting in 50 mile weeks currently I have a good handle on what my pokey old legs need in order to prep for a marathon and that is in the works. I am the master of the ultra short training plan.
(either that or I'm just going to be super super screwed. we shall see.)

As mentioned I have really cut back on the outpouring of cash that goes into hobby jogging. At this point I have NOT A SINGLE damn race on the horizon! (except Chicago which is $$$$. But, like NYCM this is a one time deal.) Without exaggeration I have been booked every weekend since Memorial Day so I could not have raced even if I had wanted to. But, the fall season is looming and we all know that I love racing in the Fall.

So! Until then... I will continue to enjoy the blogs of others who are doing more exciting racing than I am but mostly, I will be focused on the fact that Eric and I are getting married in less than 3 weeks and we need to get it together on that front! Pretty exciting times :-)

Bachelorette Party painting! Getting out of riding/running clothing and having fun!

Pineland 50K, redemption, insanity and giant *ahem* roosters

Wow.
It certainly has taken me long enough to do this recap. I guess it goes without saying that I've been really, really busy!

Sunday May 25th I departed on a mission quest to redeem myself in the 50K. Good life choice.
Did this mean shooting for a PR?  No, definitely NOT. In this case, the terrain definitely required a reality check. I ran the 25K 2 years ago- and despite my blistering pace then (yes, I was indeed running like someone was chasing me) it has stuck in my head over the years as one of the most challenging races I have run.

While I might be crazy I am not dumb. I completely understand the mistakes I made at GCI and I learned from them. I also recognized the fact that as far as "ultra" training goes I had not even scratched the surface! My best guess going into this was that in ideal conditions I might be able to run a JUST barely 5:30. My recent "trail" running attempt, plus my Boston time, plus recent years Pineland results corroborated this evidence and I felt totally ok with this!

I awoke on race day seriously questioning my motives.
The traditional Pre-Pineland long distance day dinner might have made me feel less crazy but did little to calm my feelings of complete uselessness/unease.
I hate waking up feeling nervous but it happened. I admit it.

Pre Pineland Pizza, proving that Beer is a legit means of carb loading.

The good news? It was shit cold on race morning. Maybe 50 something, cloudy and definitely damp. IDEAL!!!!! SO IDEAL!!!! FOR REALZZZZZ!

By the time Eric and I got there, confirmed with Sean that we were all insane, set up the tent and such I was feeling quite alright. I was basically double fisting bagels and smearing body glide everywhere per the norm. We also established that Maddy was the lead 50 miler woman at that point- she won by a ridiculous amount. (we are not worthy!!!) (this made me feel like I could handle a puny, wimpy 50K....)
But really I felt calm and it was all good. so I busied myself getting ready. 

Or, texting per the norm. Whatever. We had a sweet tent.

But in reality, as always, I waited until the last minute to get properly ready and Eric was sounding panicky. He likes to be prepared to race hours in advance where I prefer to mosey to the start with my GPS still frantically searching for satellites! (I'm ok with this. We like different things)

Everyone lined up, there were some instructions which I tried to listen to (failed) and they rang the cowbell.
We were off!
It was chilly and damp and lovely.

Going out HABANERO!!! Or slowly and carefully. Or dancing, who the hell knows.

 Many runners went charging off READY TO FUCKING WIN THE DAMN 5K!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good job.

As I previously mentioned, I learned my lesson at GCI!
My pace for the first 10K was methodical and downright pedestrian. I simply kept reminding myself "You don't finish a 50K in the first 10K. don't do something now that you will regret at any point in the last 10K... seriously woman keep it together!!!"

I had a GREAT plan. I was 100% committed to taking in the sights and sounds for the first hour, making sure to hydrate and drink as needed, being very sure to start walking up any annoying hills as early as needed! For the second hour I was going to turn on some tunes if I needed them (I did not) and focus on getting to the point where I would see Eric again at mile 10-ish and mile 15-ish.

After that I had no plan. Z-E-R-O-. Nada. Wow, expert ultra runner!!
And taking in the sights? How about looking dead ahead, about 1.5 feet so ya don't fall. That's more like it. 

As it turned out not having a cohesive plan was no big deal. After seeing Eric around mile 10 I found that the uneven terrain had already taken a toll on my dainty road running left hip.
While starting the second loop (of the first loop... yeah too many loops) feeling my hip and hammy twinging like crazy I seriously said "What the ever loving hell, shut the fuck UP! I don't want to hear any more from you little JERKS!!!!!" Believe it or not, I never felt that pain again. Go figure.
And plan or no plan, I managed to carry for those remaining 300 (or 3ish) hours with no mental struggle.  Plans are overrated!

Right about the time I was cussing my legs there was a creeper photog to capture the special moment.

So, I ran the first loop in just under 2:30, according to plan. I felt fine. I needed to go pee. Angie was hanging out with Eric (and Quinners! baby genius) at the half way point and I stopped for a very quick chat with them. I was super ultra paranoid that anything longer than a quick word would result in Boston level cramping so I moved on quickly! I found a port-a-pottie, went pee and carried on.

About halfway there. Looking squinty. And alone!

I was pretty conscious of the need to not screw up my eating and drinking plan so I was consistently drinking coconut water (seriously... it's a life saver) and over the course of the run I ate a picky bar and about 6 small salted potatoes- as well as several cups of water. The temps stayed nice and cool until the 3.5-4 hour mark, I seriously credit my good day to the weather gods!!!

About 2 miles into the second loop I took my first "real" break (meaning- not just walking up a random hill) to focus on having a substantial snack since I definitely noticed that I was losing steam.
In retrospect, this was a really good idea as I was actually pretty happy for the rest of the race! At this point I felt like I was completely alone, in no mans land. There really was not a damn soul in sight! Nothing!!!! Totally alone. Super awesome (like, the best. Notttttttttttt.) Anywhoo, feeling pretty good, I chugged along watching the kilometers tick by.

Which was super annoying.
At the 11K mark (in the second loop) I was so grouchy! "UGH!" I thought to myself "GREAT!!! THE 11K MARK! THAT is SUPER critical to know!!!!" This made me laugh since I was in the grumpy cranky stage of running not the oh holy hell I am going to die stage.
There s a clear difference, in case you did not know that...
Oh an guess what? I was still alooooooooone.....
And I noticed, with annoyance, the 16K mark (critical) the 18K mark (lifechanging) and so on, laughing and grumping all the while!

At some point in this ridiculously long race (so the start of the last 5K or so...) Danielle ran by my all full of "WHOOOO" and high fives and what not. I had just left Eric behind and had told him that "I just need to finish..." Apparently I was still coherent and honestly I felt good but... It seriously took me 10 minutes to figure out it was Danielle who was the super pumped cheerleader!
Something about looking at the ground 1.5 feet ahead of you for 4 plus hours really takes a toll!

Close (well, close-ish) to the finish prior to handing my pesky fuel belt off to Eric...I love my flower.

 So those final 5K. Aside from feeling like my feet were broken they were amazing.
All the energy conservation that I had done meant that whenever there was a flat spot I cranked it up. It was really, really fun. Totally different than the final 5K death slog at GCI.....
My legs hurt, my GPS wasn't acting right (not that I cared) but I had enough energy left to pick up the pace and run strong to the finish.
The good news? I was no longer ALONE!!!! Ther were all kinds of 25k-ers everywhere and it was so fun having friends to chat with. (or pass. I'm a jerk sue me)

I actually couldn't believe it when I ran in in 5:07:49- just 3 minutes slower than last year at GCI.

Done. Thank the sweet lord baby geezes.

According to my GPS the course was appallingly short- I hope this is not the case! I know that I was having satellite issues and I certainly do not trust my Garmin 100% (but it would be a bummer to have a course measure a mile short- I ran the 25K before and it measured as a 25K so I'm assuming it was my dumb device malfunctioning!) At this point it was HOT out and I was pleased to be done. Oddly, I barely noticed the heat while on course, I really had gone into a "zone" and was totally turned inward. (this is a skill that makes me a ballin' equestrian since I am completely unfazed by chaos, not sure how it impacts me as a runner. I will assume it's good.)

As is often the case after a long run I walked around stupidly for a while, drank copious amounts of Gatorade (so the 30 oz of coconut water and additional H2O weren't sufficient!) I took a shower and felt human again. I ate a red hot dog which freaked Eric out (silly vegetarian) but it was like a little slice of heaven.
I drank a beer.
Kissed a giant Cock.

Well what else would you do?

Was 3rd in my age group.
And went home to contemplate my strange decisions.
(and had ice cream.)

And really, my pictures with this silly bird are quality.

What's Next? Stupidity.

I have had a master plan all year of how this running season would play out.
It got a bit derailed with a close-but-no-cigar non PR day at the Hampton Half and then of course, the semi disaster that was Boston.
However. Back in January I decided that Boston wasn't the end goal for this 5-6 month training cycle but another crack at a 50K was. Since I was quite healthy after Boston it was deemed acceptable by Coach Kelsey to piggy back the marathon training into an ultra.
WHY????? She should have shut me DOWN!!

Yeah I haven't really publicized this. I totally wanted to be able to back the fuck out, shame free.
Honesty on the internet. Always fun. 

Really though, I've only been about 50% committed. Or maybe 25%. Or 10%.
Until today. when I sucked it up and signed up.
(so now, I should be 100% committed in the other sense of the word.)

Please note my semi-depressed reply to "how I learned" about the race.

The race is Sunday so it's not like I could exactly continue to contemplate it.

How I feel this exact minute about my choices.

Hmmm. OK time to get excited.
I'm excited because it will be an adventure.
I'm excited because last year I learned how NOT to run a 50K.
I'm excited because my friends will be there and Pineland is FUN!!!
I'm excited because there is beer at the finish and this will be a quality test of my stamina in regards to running towards beer.
I'm excited because I am badass and can do anything I damn well set out to do
I'm excited because when I spend $$ I better get excited, haha!!!

I think this is stupid because:
It's 31 miles
I'm in it to finish, certainly not to compete
It's 31 miles over HILLS
There will be nature. and ticks. I hate ticks.
I might get muddy and I dislike mud. 
(all valid reasons)

I think we need to call upon divine intervenion.
Kate, please buy me this!!!
HAHA.
Please 6 pound 5 ounce sweet lord baby geezes, get me to that finish line!!!

Alex and Ani... They have bangles for every occasion. Even 50K's.

Anyway, I'm all in and plan to finish the full 50K with a smile on my face and to implement my ultra running plan far better than at GCI last year. (more on this later this week)
I really, deep down in my heart am excited. I think this will be a big challenge but why not, right? 

Of course, Sunday is scheduled to be the warmest day of the week so I will probably melt at mile 10 and require assistance to get to the beer tent at the finish. (I am currently accepting volunteers for on course hospice care I mean assistance.)

Oh Boy. sometimes I wonder what I'm getting myself in to!!!
After this it is all 5K races people, ALL 5K races...

Towns2gether 5K... Yes, I ran a 5K!

The past couple of weeks have been devoted to getting back into the swing of things post marathon. After feeling shockingly good post race (thanks, 3:54...) I definitely came down with a case of the "oh shit my legs feel like crap-itis" last week.

It really was rather awful.
It was also 38 degrees in raining, which was disgusting.

DISGUSTING

I hate to admit it, but my body is very well acclimated to running in 38 degrees and rain, so if nothing else the cold, windy, damp weather had me feeling more like myself by last weekend. It was gross, but I was zipping around like a damn fool. Thank heavens.

And feeling better can lead to some solid life choices....
All last summer, while training or the GCI 50K I said "No" to every race or fun run activity that sounded amusing. This was because my sole focus was to get to the 50K uninjured, not over raced and ready to go. Basically my plan went as I hoped (lousy finish and all) but I got a little bit bummed, missing out on all the local races, saying "no" left and right like it was my second job.

So. When I found out that my best friend's school (she is a teacher) was having a 5K fundraiser I said "sure, why not"
(the day before, but it's not like training for a 5K would actually help, hahah!)

Not so sure it was a good idea before.... Happy after!

I showed up. It was cloudy and chilly. We ran around a little to warm up and to find a bathroom. Angie was pushing Quinners in his stroller because at 1 year old it's high time for the kid to learn to race. So we talked to him for a bit and he looked mad. I asked Angie if she would push me in the stroller too and she seemed oddly reluctant. Then I was mad too.
I tried to continue my warmup until the very second the race started but wasn't particularly successful, since I wasn't exactly sure where the start line was, or which way we were supposed to go. Luckily, one lone person had that info so I did not miss the start, as I have been known to do.

I hope that this race becomes a yearly event, as with the exception of absolutely nobody paying attention to the pre race announcements (I suggest a much more amplified communication device) and the slight confusion about where the race actually started from, it was a solid little 5K.
I never expect "big time" race support from small town 5k's but this one was pretty decent. They had an actual timing company working instead of a dude with a stopwatch (good), the course was marked well enough and at intersections there were volunteer and police support (good) the course seemed to be advertised as long- but was close enough for me (3.13 is close enough) there was plenty of water at the finish and I really enjoyed the relatively flat out and back route. Also, the volunteers at the bib pick up were extremely helpful and if it had been my first 5k I can't think of anything they could have done to make me feel more comfortable (so a good race for your first time.)

I was really surprised at the number of people starting- there were over 300 which is kind of insane for a town that has a population of 5. (I'm kidding. I basically live there so I can kid.)
I lined up near the front and suddenly we were starting.
All the little kids took off, ready to win the damn race.
100 feet later they all stopped. It was very funny but made for an rather creative beginning to the race. I liked the attitude of those 1st graders though, they were in it to win it until the discovered that a 5k is slightly longer than 100 feet.

At this point I had passed the 1st graders. And a few middle schoolers from the looks of it.

 A bunch of men and a few woman had broken off with the lead pack, and not wishing to kill myself in the first 0.3 miles I maintained a reasonable pace.
I have not run a 5K for real in about 2 years, and honestly had no idea what to expect. It had warmed up quickly and was 60 and sunny- and I felt warm. Duh. Where is my 38 degree weather?

By the half mile marker I had already caught several of the lead woman but could no longer see the front runners. Since I knew that a fast time was beyond my reach I aimed to maintain sanity in my pacing (and since I had had nothing but shit runs all week, the fact that I felt great was enough to make for a very fun run.)

There really isn't much drama to report, I ran fairly decent splits- 6:53, 6:51, 7:02 and since I have not seen "6" as the first number in so long I was really a bit shocked. I never gave up (although in mile 2-3 I was in no man's land with not a single person to chase, so perhaps got a bit lazy?)

Forrest Gump running style. Seriously, this is how I run.

 Anyway, to zero fanfare I finished. My time was 21:36 and of course my first thought was "ugh, slow!!!" I shut that down though, because at a 6:58 average pace that is fast for me and that's all that counts. Also, that's reasonable close to how I run when I train to be fast for short distances. So no tears here.

BIG FINISH.

I thought I might have been the first woman. Angie's husband was fairly sure. Nobody really knew!
So, needing to get to work I hopped in my car and left.

As it turned out I was 6th overall and the 1st place woman.
Yeah, I know that at a big race this time would not have been competitive. I don't care though, for me this was a fast time, a good effort and I'm really pleased with it.
And it was FUN.
I can't remember the last time I had so much FUN at a race! Go figure. I claim to hate 5K's...
I really enjoyed being done so fast.
I was ZERO percent tired or sore.
I then worked all day, no problem!
The next day I went on a 10 mile trail run over a mountain with no "race" feelings in my legs.

So bottom line, this was a great day. I was glad to say "yes!" to something spontaneous and fun, I was glad to feel fast, I was glad to have a good day with my friends. sometimes you just have to live a little and remember that running does not always have to feel hard!
And I was glad to see my little buddy Quinners really enjoy his first race. He looked so pumped once he got going! I expect him to be a big track star (no pressure or anything.) And really. I expect Angie to be a big track star because if you can run fast while pushing an enormous stroller than you can do anything (like push me next time!!)