Twin Cities Marathon 2012

No pain, all gain!  That's the race in a nutshell for me.   It is everything. It is positive. It is splendid.

Last year I entered the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon but unfortunately with my herniated discs there was no way I was going to be able to run, much less volunteer or cheer anyone on. I could barely get through the day without Advil, traction and PT.

What a difference a year can make!

I've run races since I've recovered from my hysterectomy and herniated discs. I've run races longer than marathon distance but running Twin Cities Marathon really brought back the feelings I had last year at this time. 

As I ran along the course, taking in the beautiful sunshine, the awesome crowds of cheering spectators, the vibrant colored leaves, sparkling blue lakes...yes, it was that beautiful, I felt myself choking up. I was only a few miles into the race and I had this hyperventilating feeling, sobs caught in my throat. 

I was thinking about last year, about this year, about all that has happened to me. I thought about how I really felt during that dark time. I really believed that not running was ok. I truly felt that all I wanted was to be able to get through a day without pain. I had to believe that, to keep my mind. What other choice did I have? I remember telling the ER doctor at the Princeton Hospital that I didn't need to run, I just wanted to be pain free as he told me to take Aleve  and Oxycodone so that I could run, oh, and here is a Percocet to get through the hour. No thanks.

Last November I began to string days together without pain, I even began to run a bit. I realized how running had become a part of me. How 14 years of running had somehow created a runner out of me.

While running Twin Cities Marathon yesterday I realized how not being able to run broke my heart and tormented my soul. My heart and soul is now healed. My discs are healed. It's been a long haul, but I'm on the other side of it now. 

The race was fabulous.

I lined up in Corral 2 with two incredible women from my beginning running class. I"ve been coaching them since June.

Their goal was to 

1) finished the marathon 

2) finish in sub 5 hours

3) finish in 430

I always suggest a few goals, you just don't know how the day is going to turn out and a finish is always a good thing!

We began by lining up with the 430 pacer. There was a group of 20 or so of us. Our leader told us that as long as we could see her balloons at the finish we would be over the line prior to 430. She told us she would cross the finish line at 426 and everyone in her vicinity would finish sub 430.  She spoke the truth!

The course didn't seem crowded to me at any point. Maybe I'm just in a different place, holding a different perspective. I wasn't irritated by the spectators, by the 10000 runners and I normally am! I was just so damn thankful to be out there.

The sun was shining brightly, there was   a stiff wind, it was cold. I decided to wear, after much thought, my skirt sports pants with skirt. The extra layer of skirt would keep my butt warm. I had on gloves they were giving away at the expo and an ear band that was in our packet bag. I wore my Patagonia wind jacket and a long sleeved Psycho Wyco 50K finish shirt.  I hoped I wouldn't get too warm. That would really suck, but I didn't want to be cold either.

I knew that Bonnie would be at mile 10, Maria at mile 24 and Tom and Nancy at Summit and Victoria. I wanted to make sure to see my friends at these points. 

The day! It was so beautiful. The leaves in full color, the grand homes around Lake Calhoun, Harriet and Lake of the Isles. Fabulous!  The families out in their yards, cheering us on. The zillions of people lining the road with signs and encouragement. It really is amazing and I just soaked it all in.

I saw Bonnie at Cedar and 51st and gave her a huge hug and jumped up and down!  I love her so. We began this crazy running endeavor in 2002 when we first met and are still going strong. She was Course Marshall.  Filled with renewed happiness I continued along the route, about to hit Lake Nokomis. Sweet. FANS 24 Hour Home. I thought about my 116 mile race here, the couple 104s, a few 80s. Sweetness. 

I trotted along and soaked in the humanity. The positive vibes. What a great day. So thankful to be out running Twin Cities Marathon. My 10th TCM, my 45th marathon.

I didn't speak with anyone but Todd Rowe along the course. He noticed my Psycho Wyco shirt and gained my attention. He hadn't been looking forward to the race until the day before. He talked of his Superior 100 finish and I think he was just tired from all of the summer running. I know that feeling-Superior 100 in early September and TCM the following month. I remember.  I told him my perspective had changed. I was so grateful to be out on the course, running. I probably preached too much about my happiness but it was how I was feeling. He told me later that my positiveness reached him. That's awesome!

Running into St. Paul feels good. I was tired, but not in any pain, I knew that mile 20 was here and the next 6 are always tiring. Just knowing that I am near the end makes the feeling of being tired compound itself. Running along Summit is a blast. 

I caught Maria out of the corner of my eye as I was passing, but couldn't get her attention. I looked for Tom and Nancy at Victoria but didn't find them. Past the colleges, the Governor's Mansion, the beautiful trees, the awesome church and the incredible finish line. There it was!  I made it to the end..pain free. No Advil, no blisters, no chafing. Just right.

Blessed. Joyful. Gratitude. 

4:26:56.

My clients came it at 4:45! Woop woop!

I believe Wild Duluth Ultramarathon is up next...October 20th.

Voyageur Trail Marathon

I'm second row in pink/black skirt with ponytail. Hard to find!

With the recent floods in Duluth nobody really thought that the Voyageur Trail Marathon would take place this summer. Much of the course no longer exists as raging water took it away. It's horrifying and amazing at the same time.


Last week we learned that the 1/2 Voyageur (Marathon) and Voyageur 50 Mile Ultramarathon would in fact take place. Our RD's, the City and many volunteers created a reroute. We are still unsure of the whole course route for the 50 Miler taking place in two weeks but we know that it will be taking place. This is nothing short of amazing!  Andy and Kris could have slated trail work days instead of races on these dates and we would have been understood and been ready to lend a hand. Instead they saved the race for the runners. Amazing.


I didn't decide to run the Trail Marathon until after I ran 25K at Afton the week before. I really wasn't sure how my herniated discs would hold up. They were fine after 3.5 hours of trail running so I wanted to see how they would do in the 6 hour range.  I mailed in my entry and was set to go.


2 AM came quite quickly on race day. I wanted to be at Troy's Friday night baseball game so decided to leave dark and early from home by 3 AM.  I prepped a chicken breast to eat on the drive to Duluth the night before along with a post race fruit salad with another chicken breast.  I've found that grains really send the inflammation sky high and have been able to run without the usual oats, breads and pasta carbo load of the past.  Fruits and veggies, good clean  proteins are working just fine. Today I complete cycle 2 of TheWhole 30. It works for me.


I arrived to the Duluth Zoo, start and finish, by 515 so had plenty of time to check in and visit. I wasn't too apprehensive about this distance, I was more apprehensive as to making a decision about the 50 miler two weeks later on relatively the same course.  Today I'd have my answer.


We began running at 6, 100 some of us, I believe. I saw many old friends who I hadn't seen in quite some time. I hadn't run this race since 2003!  I was looking forward to it.


About a mile into the race we climbed Spirit Mountain-the ski area in Duluth. Straight up that sucker! It reminded me of all the days I've spent climbing the ski hills in preparation for Superior Sawtooth 100 miler. I will be having more of those days in the future. Up Up Up. I was looking forward to the way back, we'd be running right on down, into the finish!


After the ski hill we crossed an area that reminded me of the Superior Hiking Trail-which we actually followed once or twice. I did spy the telltale blue blazes here and there. Lots of roots, rocks - beautiful trail through pines. I stopped and hugged a huge white pine. It smelled SO wonderful and I was just SO happy to be out there.


We ran through Jarrows Beach which is a jumble of boulders. Well, more like walked and hopped through, rather than run!  I kept thinking I was so glad we weren't doing this in the rain or in the dark. It would have been so much more difficult. I didn't know if we were doing this section on the way back or not.


Here is a photo from Lisa Messerer of the section. You can see the pink flagging depicting the trail. Yeah, that's pretty rocky!

I was glad to get out of this section on onto a more level piece of trail!


The course took us along Skyline, I was able to recognize much of that area, past the Beck's Road aid station of the 50 Miler, into the grassy, rolling ski trails of Magney. When I hit the bike path, which is was washed away near Carlton, I knew I was approaching the Power Lines-the trademark of the Voyageur Races.  They were in great shape this race!  A little tacky for good grip, not muddy or dusty. Really seemed strange that they weren't the toughest section of the race. We didn't do all of them, maybe 3 or 4 is all. We didn't even go through them on the way back - we made a left turn and came back through Mission-bypassing all of them. Wow. Shocker.


The way back was much easier. I seemed to be running downhill most of the time. I wasn't tired, I felt in good shape. The aid stations were sparse on food. I needed to remember this was  a marathon, not an ultra, so ultra food (lots of fruit, potato, etc) wouldn't be around. I was able to find grapes and they were serving Ultima. I remembered that Ultima was not an energy supplement, it is an electrolyte. I used only one SCAP and ate bananas and grapes for fuel.


I just enjoyed the day. I looked at my watch at approximately 13 miles and was at 315 or so. I figured 630 would get me to the finish. With the earlier start time of the 50 miler, 6 vrs 7 am, I would have 7 hours to get to Mile 25. This was doable in my current state.

As I returned back toward the start, now the finish, I took time to ask how I was feeling. I felt good, had energy, feet were in good shape. I asked myself if I wanted to try 50 miles in two weeks. Am I ready? What if my discs hurt? Am I willing to DNF if they cause pain? Can my fragile egg shell brain take a DNF? I won't know if I can run 50 miles unless I try it. Am I willing NOT to try it because I'm afraid of a DNF?  Round and round my brain went, asking these questions.

As I neared the last few miles I began to have emotional outbursts. I KNEW I wanted to run 50 miles again. I KNEW I wanted to press down the fear and try it anyway. I KNEW I could do it. I began to sob. Yes, I'll try the 50 miler. It's been a long time. It will be uncomfortable, it will be difficult, but being able to complete it..will be worth it. I may not have any disc pain at all. If I do, I'll have to stop. I won't know unless I try.


At the next aid station I asked about Jarrow's Beach. I was told I wasn't going to be running through it again. Yay!  Happy day!  I was ready to run onto the finish.


Down the ski hill this time, letting the gravity take me down. I was enjoying the view of the lake and the feel of the finish coming before me.

I ran into the finish and heard a lot of clapping and one voice above all the rest. ICE BERG!  Yup, John Storkamp, cheering me on.  I finished in 607, felt strong and happy.


I couldn't pull myself away. I visited for a few hours with so many friends that I haven't seen in too long. It really was a great day. Thank you to the RDs for saving the race, all of the volunteers and my friends. To Lisa, who took these photos. What a fun time I had. I'm looking forward to the 50 in two weeks. Scared as hell, but looking forward to it.

Rum River 5K

Coach Ryan at CrossFit Beyond Sport challenged us to run the Rum River 5K. Many of our members hadn't yet run a race, some had run a 10K in the WOD a few weeks ago for the first time, others had only begun to run days prior.  Everyone was up for the challenge!  


Ryan volunteered to help out with the race and before he knew it he was setting up, tearing down, registration, timer, oh, and running the race, too!


I ran this one a few years ago with the women I coached in Big Lake. We picked this one out as their first race. I was excited to go back and run.


Troy had a baseball tournament at 1000 so I would be running.. and running off to the game. No time to chit chat afterward and I wouldn't be able to take part in the CrossFit for Hope workout. Maybe next time.


It was a warm morning, so nice to only drive 15 miles to the start!  We took photos, registered and tried to calm nerves. It was so much fun to see so many first timers ready to take their first race steps!!


I wore my watch as I find that when I don't my mind gives me trouble. I am running hard, breathing hard, and thinking I'm not running hard enough? Then I think I am running too hard. It's ridiculous. I began my watch as I crossed the start and paid attention. I didn't want to over run, I was going to run fast (for me) but not so fast that I bonked early.


As I looked down I saw 734 pace. Too fast, back off. Let's aim for 8s. I passed a large group of people and just ran steady. The route was an out and back, so I could see CBS members as they came back. Ryan was out front. As I came back I cheered on the runners that were in back of me. Everyone was giving it all they had.


Across the finish line and there was a PR for me!  The watch paid off, I kept it steady and was able to maintain my pace. I cheered in our runners and then had to head off to the game for Troy.


When I reached the field I saw that Susan had posted to FB a photo of Ryan with my 2nd Place Age Group winner medal!  Sweet!!  I didn't realize I had placed. The age group was 35-49. Cool.


Three of us placed from the gym. Here are some photos and details:

17 Beyond Sport CrossFitters ran the Rum River 5k on Saturday. Not only did we show up in force but as it turns out, CrossFit helps you become better than average at running without doing it all the time! (Despite what Trish might say about us). Our team took home 3 silver medals out of 8 divisions. We were also joined by our friends from CrossFit St. Cloud who turned out several athletes and threw down a workout after the race.

Rob Gutkaes 2nd, Men’s 50+ Division

Julie Berg 2nd, Women’s 35-49 Division

Coach Avery 2nd, Men’s 18-34 Division

CrossFit MURPH

1 Mile Run
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

I didn’t post an outcome for the CrossFit Murph workout last week!  It was just awesome!

You know, I wasn't sure if I could do it..then figured why not at least try, right?  Yay!

I had spent the weekend in Virginia so drove home early Monday so that I could be in St Cloud prior to 1:00. I wasn’t sure how the workout would go down. Would we all complete it at the same time-there were 50 some people taking part. I figured I would learn the details soon enough.

I had never visited another box so was curious as to how CrossFit Fast Factory would look. I drove along, looking for the building and sure enough, there was the long building. It was a warm day so it was very nice that there were big garage doors open, letting in lots of air.

As soon as I checked into the desk area I saw members of my box-CrossFit Beyond Sport- waving me order. I signed a waiver, was given a shirt and dropped off a tray of fruit and chicken wings to offer toward the paleo picnic after our workout.

There were many many pullup bars, all intermingled together, lots of bands for scaling the workout, boxes to help us up to the bars and tons of space for the push ups. It is a pretty large box. 

We watched a quick film on Murph-the soldier whom this workout is named after and then we were ready to get down to business.

Groups of 15 or so began to line up as heats for the 1 mile run. I decided to begin in heat 3. Three minutes after Heat 1 began, then Heat 2 would begin. We were given an outline of the mile we would run-cross streets-etc. I figured I’d just follow the group. 

Heat 3 began and off I went!  I didn’t go real fast, just steady. Needed to save my legs for 300 squats and another mile run at the end!

The end of the mile returned me to the CrossFit Fast Factory. 8:10. I ran to the pull up bars, one with a black band and began my pullups. My plan was to break up the workout in sets of 20 for a while. 20 pull ups, 20 pushups and 20 squats. Squats were easiest for me, they were a break from all of the upper body work. Back and forth I went, pull up, push up, squat, repeat 20 times!  It was quite the workout! I was a sweaty dripping mess and wishing that I had a head band on to keep the sweat out of my eyes!  I was looking forward to the mile run to finish this up. My arms were on FIRE! 

I looked around and everyone was just working incredibly hard!  The determination, the power and the focus. It really was cool to look around and take it all in.

Finally I counted off my last set and was ready to rock the run.  Out I went, feeling the sunshine and stiff breeze. I realized a storm was brewing!  About a half mile in to my run it began to rain, nice and cool, perfect!  My last mile was 9:16. Sweet. 

39:43 was my final time for the Murph.

I sat down on a box and tried to get the sweat to stop pouring off of my face!  I didn’t think about bringing anything to change into-I was soaked.  After cheering in my CrossFit Beyond Sport members I was ready to head home and shower.

Great workout-can’t wait to try it again without the scaling!  I used the medium band this version for pull ups.  I didn’t have to scale the push ups. I'd like to string together strict pull ups so I can try the Games next year-and complete Murph without any scaling.

My lats and shoulders were sore for three days!  Going into Minneapolis Marathon a few days later I could still feel the DOMS.

Minneapolis Marathon: 2012

Running the Minneapolis Marathon was a back up plan for me after I fell during a Zumbro 100 training run  upon the course in late March. While training in the months following that fall I learned that I was only able to run 30-40 miles before I felt the familiar disc pain.  Instead of sucking it up and then hurting myself further I scratched my 100s off of the summer schedule.

Really, I am just happy to be able to run each day. After the five month layoff this past year I am thrilled to be able to run  a marathon!

Without any speed training I wasn’t sure what I would be able to do for Minneapolis Marathon.  I had been logging long slow hours in training for the 100s.  I decided I’d run Minneapolis slow and easy and use it as a baseline of where I’m at marathon wise, then focus on marathon training during the next four months and take a stab at a faster Twin Cities Marathon.  I think I will look up my Boston Qualifier time and perhaps plan a little trip out East.

I enjoy Team Ortho races very much as the organization is impeccable, the volunteers are amazing, the swag is top notch and the races aren’t crowded. Yet. There were less than 1000 in the marathon, sweet!

Race start was 630 AM. I woke up before 4 as usual. I just don’t sleep well since my hysterectomy and wonderful menopause. Plenty of time to dress, eat and pack for the race. Instead of the oats that I normally ate in the past for races I opted for a hunk of chicken breast and half of a sweet potato along with coffee. 

I arrived to the race site by 530, a good hour before start time. Time to lube up my feet, attach my number, get my gear in order.

We were able to use The Depot Hotel for the bathrooms and such, very  nice. The start wasn’t even crowded. I wandered around the avenue, walking up to the start, checking out the different pace teams-with only 1000 people running the marathon it wasn’t crowded at all.  There were huge gaps of space.

It was going to be a warm day, a high of 80 was forecast. I was sure to wear Skinceutical’s SPF 50, hat and glasses and I carried my own water bottle and gels.

The course had been altered due to flooding at Pike Island. We ran past the Guthrie Theatre, around the Dome,  along the Mississippi, into Fort Snelling State Park, finishing at Bohemian Flats along the river. It really is a nice course-plenty of water and gels at the aid stations, tons of volunteers.

I just took it all in, checked out the relay runners-one group was dressed in full hockey attire. When I began to feel hot I thought of them. When I began to feel tired I thought about the fact that I had been going to run Kettle 100 this day, and my friends running FANS 24 Hour Run. I didn’t feel quite so tired anymore!

A few times I heard JULIE BERG yelled out.  I looked and saw Donna Rae waving at mile 4 and again at mile 18 as she was running the race, too.  There were a few out and back sections where we could see the other participants. At mile 14 Brook passed me up and I saw Marie riding along the course on her bike at mile 24 or so. Very cool!  Very fun!

I reached the halfway point at 2:11, figured I’d finish before 5:00 and I was fine with this. I wasn’t sure how 5 hours of pavement would feel to my discs but I hadn’t any pain yet so I just went with the flow.

By mile 20 I was feeling the heat and turned on my iPod. It felt good to listen to some music and turn my thoughts off.  The 430 pace group was just ahead so I decided to run into the finish with them. I plodded along, enjoying the sights, enjoying the downhill cruise into the finish.

As I crossed the finish line I was handed a bag of food:  chips, banana, salted nut roll, popcorn and a bottle of water. So convenient, instead of  walking all over the finish looking for water!  A medal was placed around my neck and I spotted the bus next. I walked up to the bus, waited about 2 minutes in line and rode the bus back to the start where my car was. That took a whole 7 minutes.  I didn’t feel the need to hang around the finish to eat burgers and drink beer, ha!  I was anxious to get home and spend the Sunday with my family. 

Great race, great day!

CROSSFIT: MURPH: Entered!

 Getting My STRONG on!!

The last day to enter the CrossFit Murph event was May 7. I went through a scaled back version in my garage and decided yup, I can do this!

1 Mile Run
100 Pull Ups
200 Push Ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

I'm psyched!  No, not psycho! Psyched!

Sprint. Jump. Pull. Push. Press. Squat. Sprint. RUN.

That's CrossFit. Sprinting, jumping, pulling, pushing, pressing, squatting and more sprinting. I love it. I'm having such a great time!  I began with two sessions a week and then found myself attending three each week and last week I attended 4. Sweet progression.


I am PRing in everything. My strength amazes me. When I compare myself to others in the box, which I try not to do, I am pretty close to the bottom, but when I compare myself to where I began, I am certainly getting better. My disc damaged side is much weaker and I really struggle with that..but I'm doing the best I can. 


I find CrossFit much more fun than lifting for 45 minutes at the gym, by myself, same lifts, same thing. With CrossFit I am still lifting heavy but doing so much more!  The workouts are varied, fast, incredible moves that I have never completed before.


Steve and Troy built me a jump box!  Yes, a box which I jump onto. It's 20 inches tall, wood, portable. I haul it from the garage to the grass. When I first completed box jumps at CF I was afraid, I held Susan's hand because I was sure I was going to kill myself.  It was a 14" box!  I moved to 16" and now am not afraid of a 20". They will be building me a 24" box soon, I am sure!


We are running a competition right now. Last Saturday we completed "FRAN" which consists of thrusters and pull ups. I completed my workout in 13:30. We had our time recorded, our body weight, our weight lifted, measurements. In 4 weeks we'll see how we progressed. I love it!


On Memorial Day there is a "MURPH" workout contest at a box in St. Cloud. MURPH consists of this:


1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run


7 members of our box are entering and I think I'm going to as well. It will be difficult, but if it was easy I wouldn't be interested. I have to register by May 7 so I need to decide. Quickly.


I'm increasing my mileage on road for the next few weeks as I have the Minneapolis Marathon the first week of June.  I enjoyed it very much last year and since I'm out for Kettle 100, Minneapolis Marathon will do :)

Dreams Do Come True!

A few weeks ago I received  a text from Tyler "I am thinking about running the 5K Earthday at SCSU. Do you want to?"  Imagine the huge smile upon my face as I text back one word "YES!" Of course!  Then I became protective of my feelings, and told Troy I didn't want to get too excited just incase Tyler decided he didn't want to do this after all.


When Tyler came home at Easter he told me he had entered and he was still up for it. I was so excited. I let myself become excited all over again. I entered and just waited for the date to arrive.


Last night we ran Tyler's first event. It was so much fun!


Tyler is attending college at SCSU so he picked up our packets after classes at 3. I met him in St. Cloud at about 4. We were upgrading his phone, began that process, which was taking forever, so left the phone and everything there after an hour and half and went to the college for the race start.


It was a beautiful evening.  55F, sunny, perfect. As Tyler showed me around the campus we ran into two of his friends who were also running. These were guys he works with, I hadn't met them before. Very fun.  We walked around campus and then headed to the start line. We lined up way in the back, we were in no rush, just taking our time, going to run Tyler's longest run!


There were 2000 people in front of us, after the race began we jogged up the start line and headed out. I was just beaming!  Here I was, running with my SON. My son who cheered and watched me run MY first race, my FIRST marathon and so many more. I was so emotional, full of happiness.


Tyler was a champ!  He led the pace and gave me a narrative of the campus, of his friends who live in what dorms, what houses, where they hang out. It was just great. We clipped along the campus, dorms, river, lake and back to the start/finish area.  We waved at ourselves on the big screen TV . As we ran along I saw a man wearing a jacket I have: Superior Sawtooth 100!  Hey! Superior Sawtooth 100!!  I screamed. He looked at me and waved, I fist pumped and continued this blessed run onto the SCSU football field. We held hands, put our other arms into the air and celebrated running across the finish line.  Together.


A dream come true.


I had always dreamed that one day I would run with my boys. They have both run for football and baseball but they have never run just to run. I'm so glad that Tyler is now doing just that.  He even said the M word. Marathon.  Crazy hu? Nope, not at all. During our race he said "who is this guy, running a race, Mom?  Who knows, one day I could do a marathon".


After the race we went to pick up his finally upgraded phone and then to CherryBerry for yogurt. I had such a great time. We both did.


Thank you, Tyler.

Zumbro Fat Ass: 2012 Edition

For quite a few years we've had awesome fun Zumbro Fat Ass runs. We would  have a group of 20 or so head down to Zumbro River Bottoms where Larry would mark out a crazy course of running for for us. 2 hours, 8 hours, pick your poison. Lots of fun.


A few years ago Larry created Zumbro 100 upon our Fat Ass course. I have never had the chance to run it as of yet. The race takes place in early April and I was usually running McNaughton 100.


This year I tried a few times to get a group to head down Zumbro way. It was like pulling teeth!  After posting on FB a few times I finally had a bit of interest. I set the date for last Saturday. If no one showed, oh well, I would show.  I wanted to get 40 or so miles to feel ready for the race.


John Storkamp, present RD for Zumbro 100 chimed in and stated that he and Joe would join in.  That sparked interest in a few other guys. Pretty soon we had a group of 8 or so.


I woke up at 2 AM so that I could be in Hastings bright and early, well, not bright...to follow John and Joe to Zumbrota.  I didn't think I'd be able to find it in the dark. That's an understatement!  I'm so glad I followed!


We arrived to FA headquarters a bit before 6. Met up with Edward, Jeremy and Tony, a group I hadn't met before, Jason and I'm forgetting a guy. Damn.  Kelly was going to be out around 10 AM, whom I hadn't met before either. It was really cool meeting these people for a long run.


We started in the dark, using headlamps. I believe Joe forgot one, but he didn't seem to have any difficulty navigating the trails. I brought up the rear, enjoying the conversation around me. I was trying to pay attention to where we were are I was going to run another loop, probably solo, and really didn't want to become lost.


Eventually the sun rose, it was a beautiful day. No bugs, the snow was gone, not muddy, just nice running. Really. We stopped for a refill of water that we had stashed earlier, refilled on gels and ran along.


My god, the hills!  I kind of forgot how hilly it is at Zumbro. Since I've healed from herniated discs, I've been building mileage, I've gone from 0 miles to a 40 mile long run in a few months. Distance is all I've concentrated on. No speed, no hills. I certainly was feeling it!


As we were running along, Jason and I became separated from the rest. I was SO much slower than these guys. Duh. The speedsters and yeah, then me. It was not like the old days, you know, Larry, Don, Bob, Bonnie, Maria and I would chat and run. Walk. Eat. Pee. Run. Walk. Climb a hill. Take a break. This felt like all out running  for me. I couldn't keep up. I think Jason took pity upon me and hung back so I wouldn't become lost. Poor guy!  I felt bad but I felt more relieved that he stayed.


We came upon Tony at one intersection and he told us he broke  his frickin' arch of his foot!  He was limping along, in pain. I couldn't believe he was still out there, moving. He figured it wasn't going to get any worse so he just tolerated it. Wow.


The guys waited at a grassy open area so we all caught up again. I caught my air, had some water and we were off. Dang. I forgot to pee.


We climbed climbed climbed, Tony was in back of me and before I knew it he was no longer there. I swear we climbed a mile or more, straight fucking up. I couldn't see. Sweat was rolling into my eyes with nice sunblock. Yum.


I finally made it to the top and looked out..no Tony. Luckily he seemed to find his way good enough, unlike me, so we weren't too worried about him.


After about 5 hours I couldn't keep up. I walked up a hill and saw the last of the guys. I figured if they took a turn or something from the main trail they would draw an arrow in the dirt or throw a branch over the trail that I shouldn't take.  I ran along for a while, enjoying the views, the birds, just enjoying the run.


I came upon Ant Hill, going down. Edward had stated 'its all downhill from here' a while back, so I figured I should go down. But then I thought I should continue forward because there were no tracks that I could see here and there was nothing that made me think I should go down-marker or otherwise so I continued on and on and on, a mile, two miles..then I decided I better turn back. I kept thinking about Edward and the downhill statement.  Back I went, down down down Ant Hill. I yelled out a few times and sure enough, 30 minutes or so later I came up to them waiting for me. Thank goodness!


We ran along, heading back to the start. I knew I could never run another 5 hour loop with them. I'd have to go on my own.


We came into the start area and there were Lynn and Darrel. Lynn had just returned from running on her own and wasn't going to be going back out. The guys were going to eat and rest a bit before going out again. I refilled my bottles and had John walk me back to the trail. I took a bunch of wrong turns, but decided to run the well marked signed areas.


After 10 more miles or so I was coming down a hill, I tripped over a rock and boom!  Down I went, hard, right on my butt. I could feel my spine jar. Fuck. Double Fuck.


Immediately I felt the nerve pain zing from my spine through my shoulder, down my arm into my hand and fingers. I got up, shook myself off and began to walk back toward the start. I was only a few miles out. I help my arm across my front, just like I had been doing only months prior.


So many thoughts going through my brain. What business do I have running so much when only a few months ago I couldn't run at all. Well, so should I never try...and never know..just because I 'might' get hurt. I could have fallen on a five mile run and hurt myself. I don't back and forth I went.


As I came into Tony's campsite, John, Lynn, Edward, Darryl and Joe were hanging out. "Why are you holding your arm, Julie" "Why are you back, Julie" "what's wrong"  I told the story and just took it easy. My hand went numb again, I popped a few Advil, changed clothes and just enjoyed visiting with my friends for a while.


Kelly finished up her run, I introduced myself. She went off on her own as she arrived at 10 and we didn't get back to the start until 11. She is running the 50 at Zumbro. 


We'll see how this ends. For now, I'm just happy that I'm not in the constant horrendous pain that I was in a few months ago. At least I know now what the pain is from-I'm not going to just continue running through it, wondering what it is, as I did last time. Thankfully I've learned something from that hell.


It was uncomfortable driving home, but not intolerable. I'll take it easy for a while and we'll see where I go from here :)

Troy's 16th Birthday: Leap Year Day!

February 29th!  Troy finally gets to celebrate a birthday on a birthday and what a birthday it is!  Mother Nature did for Troy what I could not: cancel school!


We received 4-6 heavy wet inches of snow last night. You can imagine the happy dance I did when I came down to run on my treadmill this morning before work, I thought. I turned on the news at saw we had a cancellation. Hurray!


Troy came thundering down the stairs a while later ... no school Mom? Really?  Really Troy!  What a smile!  An amazing Happy Birthday for Troy!


We just finished spending a few hours outside having a snowball  making contest. Somehow everything turns into a competition!  His snowballs are huge, as big as me, and much heavier. Mine as smaller, I ended up making a snowball fort. The snow is heavy and wet, perfect for building.


Topaz even ended up with snowballs!  What an awesome day..and it's only mid day.

I baked Troy a  Chocolate Malt birthday cake with Chocolate Malt Buttercream Frosting. It looked rather plain, but will taste incredible.  I had purchased a bakery cookie yesterday for Troy's "Birthday Eve" treat and placed it upon his cake for some added interest.


On the menu is a first. I'm roasting beef ribs. They have been in the oven since  8 AM, at 200 degrees with a rub and salt, wrapped in foil. I just added sweet potato, brussels and squash to roast as well. Delightful.


I may enjoy a piece of cake today as tomorrow I'm again cutting out the sugar. It has crept back into my diet, I've allowed it and it just takes over.  I find sugar for me is much like alcohol is. All or none.  I held it at bay for a few years but it has totally become out of hand once again. I feel as though I am mourning it already and I recall having the same feelings about booze.


I found that I was giving 101 excuses as to why I wasn't ready to stop eating sugar.  Just as I did when I wanted to quit drinking .. but didn't want to go through the withdrawal detox. It's the same frickin' thing. Sugar is a drug to me now as alcohol and tobacco once was. The problem is, it is more accepted that the later. People tend to think  you are even more of a freak when you give up sugar, wheat, corn syrup, etc.


My love for baking isn't surpassed by my love for sugar. The two go hand in hand. I am no longer going to participate in the Daring Bakers, the Tuesday's with Dorie, the Cake Bakers. It would be like belonging to Wine Club or a Home Brewery Club. Yeah, I don't think so.


This blog has been a great tool to hold myself accountable, I may use it as such again. I'm just not sure how  much I am comfortable sharing here. So many people I know in real life read this now, not just my running friends who I shared with before and am comfortable sharing with again, too many others may make me feel too uncomfortable, at first, maybe not.  Time will tell.


OK and this font is crazy. It is either so tiny I can barely read it or huge like this. What's up with this.

Psycho Wyco 50K: Race Report

If a smile is worth a 1000 words, I guess you know what I'm saying here!

With the Ultra Gnarly Bandit series as my 2012 goal and the first 100 in April, I hoped to find a few aided races to take the place of solo long runs on snowy trail.

My friend Maria was heading to Kansas City for the Psycho Wyco 50K so I asked if I could tag along.  Yippee!  She offered me a ride with herself and Doug. Doug was going to run the 10 mile race.

I began to watch the weather forecast. KC was basking in 50-60s. Wow, I couldn’t believe it. Pretty soon the 10 day forecast was showing 20-30, without any snow or ice on the trail. Conditions were looking great.

After dropping Troy off at school on Friday I made my way over to Maria’s. Maria, Doug and son Justin were all aboard and we headed down south.  On the way down Maria told me that the temperatures had really taken a dive. The start temperature was now 6F with a high of 28F.  Brrrr!  I didn’t bring a pair of wind mittens to wear over my gloves  nor did I bring a neck gaiter. Hmm.  Luckily I couldn’t decide between tights or pants so I brought both. I’d be wearing both!  I only packed one thin shirt so I was hoping we were going to get a race shirt at packet pickup so I would have another layer to wear for the cold start.

Our trip to Kansas City was uneventful, thankfully.  Our first stop was packet pickup in Overland Park, KS. We pulled into a running store and collected our wares. Number, nice coffee mug and a technical long sleeve shirt. Yay!  Our number had a timing strip on the back of it. Cool.

I mentioned that I was hoping to find a Godiva nearby. Valentine’s Day was near and I hadn’t made my trip over to Ridgedale. I wasn’t sure we would be home in time on Sunday.  Maria looked up Godiva on her iPhone and before we knew it I was buying chocolate for my Valentine's ! 

Our next stop was the hotel. We were staying only 1 mile from the start!  Awesome.  The Comfort Suites Speedway was very nice. Clean, awesome king bed, very comfy. I was staying by myself and greatly enjoyed the quiet time alone. 

We checked in, got ourselves settled and went to check out the course. It was cold and windy!!  Brrr.  13F with a 40 mph wind and it was 4 PM.  I was worried about being cold.  The trail was frozen solid. There were many horse hoof prints that were very deep. The mud kind of came up in frozen spikes, it would be difficult footing.  Hey, it wasn’t going to be very muddy though.

After looking at the course we headed over to the Legends area. We had a great dinner at Yard House; a sirloin steak salad for me.

Back to the hotel to prepare for the morning run. I was a little bit worried about the cold. I knew my bottle would freeze but could deal with that. My frozen chin and neck I wasn’t so sure about. Maria had a spare pair of mittens that I could put over my gloves. 

With an 800 race start I had plenty of time in the morning to get ready. I brought along my French press,  my coffee grinder and favorite beans. I brewed coffee, ate a sweet potato and a few hard boiled eggs.  I was ready!

We arrived to the race start an hour before start time. The lot was already almost full!  The 50K was a 10 mile loop course so I would be able to come back to the car, hopefully, to remove a second pair of pants. I felt like a frickin’ Michelin man wearing tights and pants.

Someone must have said GO!  We were running across the grass and up onto the trail. The course was made up of many steep hills-some short, some long. Lots of up and downs. I was glad that I hadn’t lifted legs during the week! They were well rested, having only run 15 miles  race week.

The first part of the trail was this spikey bad frozen mud stuff.  Thankfully it was frozen or it would be a shoe sucking mud. It was horrific! There were craters 4-6” deep, it was solid, there was no give,  just perfect for twisting ankles. On the downhill I would stop myself, get control and navigate down slowly. I was here to finish a long training run, this race had nothing to do with racing! 

Even with Maria’s second pair of mittens over my fingers, they were cold. Holding my bottle of now slushy water was not fun.  The nozzle of the bottle was frozen so I would stop and unscrew the top, gulp down the water and spit out the ice.  I couldn’t remember the last time I needed to do this. Probably one of the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathons. It had been a while!

Eventually I came upon a hill to the first aid station. They had an aluminum pan filled with gels, sitting over a 50 gallon drum with a fire inside, trying to thaw out the gels. The poor volunteers, they were SO cold!  At least we were moving and would eventually be warming up. They were just standing around becoming more cold. 

My back and neck were feeling just great. I wasn’t having any pain, no tingling or numbness.  I was keeping a close  eye on it.

The next section was crazy!   I left the aid station, went through the woods, going back and forth every few feet. Lots of sharp corners, steep ups and downs, leaf covered trail. It was beautiful but hard on the knees!  I was surprised when I came up to the same aid station but on the opposite side! I hadn’t realized that AS1 and AS2 were one in the same.

After leaving AS2 there were more steep ups and downs, beautiful deep woods, lots of leaves on the trail and not quite so crater-ish.  The trail seemed to be more sandy with better footing.  I came out onto a grassy area, climbing a dam or something up to a  paved road. There was a train that whizzed by in back of me. I was just so happy.  I was smiling ear to ear, enjoying the pure sunshine, enjoying the warmth on my face. I was looking forward to removing Maria’s mittens and my second pair of pants once I finished this loop. My bottle was still frozen, but I was warming up.

AS3 was on the paved road. The volunteers were having a good time, trying to keep fruit thawed and gels warm. I took a piece of frozen pear, it was good! 

As I ran along I just couldn’t stop smiling. This was fabulous.  I wasn’t in pain, I was enjoying an aided long run, just what I wanted. I had been feeling euphoria since the start but kind of tried to put it on hold, feeling I had much of the race left and I that I had better wait to celebrate this run.

I decided pushing back the euphoria was ridiculous!  I realized it was good to feel euphoric, take it while it is there, breathe it in and enjoy!  The euphoria never left me..it was with me the whole way .

I came into the start/finish at 220 or so. I had hoped to finish each loop in 230 roughly.  Everything was great.  I removed the mittens and a pair of pants. Oh thank goodness!  Nor more Michelin man look. I folded them up and placed them on Jerry’s car for the duration.  I was so darn happy! I didn’t hurt!!

The second loop came and went so quickly. A few people commented to me that they were glad they were only doing the 20 mile race. I thought to myself that I was glad I had another loop to go, I certainly wasn’t ready to be finished yet. I was enjoying each and every step.

My second loop finish was 228, just fine.  Doug was finished with his race and offered me Diet Coke.  YUM!  It tasted great.

As I headed off for my final loop I heard someone jogging near me.  Pretty soon he said “I think I’ll run with you for a while”  “Oh, K” He began to complain about the cold, to complain about the pitted trail, to complain about 101 things. I just didn’t need this. I had been totally loving this run and this guy was totally bugging me.  Pretty soon he began to suck in his snot-constantly. Every few seconds I could hear him suck through his nose, loudly. It was terrible. I mean, come on, blow it out or something. I couldn’t stand it. I was going to gag. I did gag.  Ugh!  Sniff sniff sniff swallow sniff swallow. Ugh.

I began to run a bit faster, I couldn’t take this.  Pretty soon he was out of sight, thank goodness. 

I was having fun again before I knew it. This guy wasn’t going to ruin my day.  My bottle was ice free, I was now able to drink freely without ice chunks. I had no pain. NO PAIN!

I began to run along and think about this run. I thought about all of the times in the past year that I told myself it was OK that I couldn't run, it was OK if I could never run again. It was important for me to live without pain, not to run. I really really believed that, I had to believe that in order to get on to the next day. As I ran along I realized again how much I missed running. It was like losing my best friend, losing a part of me. I am so very glad to have it back. I began to cry, to sob, reliving what I had lost and what is now back. I felt such gratitude to be running again. What a great day, a great race and great volunteers .  I had SO much fun!  I was skipping along the final loop, passing people left and right. What a blast. Really.

I crossed the finish line in 7:30 with a big smile upon my face. I enjoyed each and every minute! I feel like I am back, definitely back to myself ! Life is good !

Triple D Winter Race Report

About a week and a half ago I noticed that my back was healing at a much faster rate than it had been. What had been months of recovery and no running had morphed into pain free running. 0 mile weeks turned into 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 mile weeks. Amazing. I was feeling very very good.


I decided to enter Psycho Wyco 50K and am planning a road trip with Doug and Maria Barton mid February to KS for the event.  I knew to be ready for this training run I at least needed to get in a  20 miler and hoped it wouldn't hurt.


Success! As I stated, last weeks 21.25 was sweet. That success had me thinking I could run marathon distance to be even more ready for the Psycho Wyco 50K.


I thought I'd rather run a race and use it as an aided training run for my next long run.  Trail as opposed to pavement, not to far to drive. I contacted my friend Vicky to see if she was heading to Dubuque Iowa for Triple D. I knew that there was a group of friends that ran this last year.  She told me that she would be there, along with Wayne and Misty. They invited me to come along.  Score!


By perusing the blogspot for Triple D I learned that there was a half marathon, marathon and 50K distance for runners. The main event was a bike ride, they also welcomed skiing. The blog seemed to have information for 2010 and 2011 races and I was rather confused.  I didn't worry too much because I was riding with Misty and they already had room reservations and such. I was just going along for a training run.


I came down with a terrible cold. One which I still have. I was hoping it would go away by Saturday but it did not. I packed cough drops, my inhaler that I haven't used since McNaughton 100 2007 and a ton of kleenex.


On Friday I tried to navigate the site and couldn't find information on aid stations. I contacted Wayne and learned the race was unsupported. Well, there went my aided long run theory.  This worried me as I haven't trained AT ALL with a pack since I herniated my discs. Man, a headlamp hurt just a few weeks ago.


I chilled out and realized I would just take the marathon mile by mile. I promised myself that if I were to feel any tingling or numbness I would stop. Then I amended the promise to if I felt any pain prior to the last 30 minutes I would stop. I mean, come on, if I only had 3 miles to go and the pain began I might as well finish..the damage would be there what more would I do in 3 miles?


So, 26.2 miles on snow, no aid.  I dug out my Superior 100 pack, numerous gels, Heed and 4 24 oz bottles. Ugh.  My back hurt just looking at it.


Misty and I rode to Dubuque, having a great road trip. I have only met Misty once before so we had lots to talk about. What a great sport hu? To be welcomed to ride along, even though we've only met once and for a few minutes. Nice! The drive was about 5.5 hours. We met up with Wayne and Vicky and had a good time.


I learned that we could have finish bags at the end point. I found a bag and jammed it with my favorite warm clothing.  My Ugg boots wouldn't fit. Wayne offered me space in his bag for my boots .  I dropped my bag at the sign "RUN-U" and thought what is the U?  I placed my bag next to Wayne's and didn't think about it anymore.

Don, Julie, Misty, Vicky, Wayne

Misty, Julie, Vicky

We had nice (unheated) busses to bring us to the start. The 4 of us had our own bus!  On the way Wayne told me that the finish bags were for the 50K only. Shit!  My stuff would be 6 miles away from my finish. I thought that once you made it to the marathon, you went out an additional 3 miles, came back 3 miles to the same finish for 50K/marathon. Oops.  This gave me cause for concern. I think I just needed something to worry about.

Julie, Vicky, Misty

The morning was warm. We didn't begin until 10 AM so the sun was high, the wind was stiff. 20-30 MPH winds but it was 20 above already so plenty warm. I lugged my pack onto my back hoping it would be OK. We started late, like 1030 so now I was worried about it being dark when I finished and I hadn't even thought to carry a light. Did not even cross my mind. Am I a newbie or what?? How could I not have a light?  Good grief. Something more to worry about.


Because Dubuque received 7" of snow on Thursday I decided to stop by REI on Saturday on the way to Misty's to pick up some Katoola Spikes. I have never used anything like this but thought of all of the slipping and sliding I did at Tuscobia 50K last year. I figured they couldn't hurt, might as well give them a try even though I normally don't try anything new on race day, but this was training run day.


The Mayor of whatever town we were in had  a few words to say and then GO!  We headed out along a paved path through a park or something. Oh man, don't let this whole marathon be upon a cement paved trail..PLEASE.


After a while the cement went away and we were on a crushed gravel trail with snow in most areas.  It reminded me very much like the trail at Lean Horse 100-that constant downhill grade, limestone gravel. Only this was 80 degrees colder, 30 MPH wind and snow covered.


My spikes were fine, I think they kept me steady upon the snow, I'm not sure. I didn't slip and slide like I did at Tuscobia. After a few hours they did cause my little toes to become smashed. I lost both nails already.


Before I knew it I was last in the pack, just fine with myself. I was taking in the sunshine, smiling, trying to notice if my pack felt too heavy.


I became warm. I removed my neck gaiter, had and mittens. Pretty soon the wind would whip up and I'd replace it all.


My strategy was to drink .5 bottle of Heed every hour. This would give me plenty of drink to get through the race. I had sweet potato in ziploc, gels, banana. Plenty of calories.


I thought the course was picturesque. We ran along different creeks, crossed many wooden bridges, ran past a ski hill with lots of artificial snow and there were many high walls of rock. I was surprised at how pretty the course surroundings were.

My cold was horrible. I couldn't breathe. My head was so congested it gave me a head ache. Eventually the running loosened up all that was in my head and begin to drain. It felt better but was totally disgusting. It was a good thing I was running by myself.  I needed to stop often to get over coughing fits.  The drainage felt better than the congestion.


At one point I was running along and I could hear a dog barking. I looked to my left and saw a black lab puppy refusing to get into a man's truck. The guy could not catch him. The dog spotted me running and tore after me. I began to panic. I noticed it was a pup, so he probably wasn't going to be mean, but still...who knows. I kneeled down and removed my sweet potato from my pocket extending it out to the puppy just in case he wanted to bite me. He just wanted to lick the salt from my face! What a cute puppy. I waited there until the man finally reached us and he could grab puppies collar and get him back to the truck. So cute. So thankful it wasn't a mean dog.


A few miles later I saw three dogs together without a person. Oh boy. I slowed to a walk and kept an eye on them. They all looked my way but didn't care about me one way or another.  I happily walked past and continued on.


As I came upon mile 20 I looked to my left again and noticed little statutes of people into a rock. Here someone had set up a miniature nativity scene right into the rock. It was pretty cool.

I was feeling good, euphoric that I was able to run this distance with this pack and feel no pain.


As I came into mile 22 I knew that  a bar was going to be coming up where I was supposed to check in.  I hadn't seen another runner since the start so was wondering if I would even see anyone at the check in.  I walked into the bar and two women were sitting at a card table. I checked in with them and they told me I could order anything I wanted to eat or drink..the race had a tab set up where for the runners. What? Wow. Nice thought but I didn't want to hang out here..I just wanted to run.  I learned here that they had mistakingly registered me as an ultra runner for the 50K. She said 'you are an ultrarunner' I said 'yea, I am, but I'm running the marathon today.' 'No, you are running the 50K' 'ah, no. I registered for the marathon' I wasn't going to argue with her so I just told her I was going to head back out. She was very nice and I thanked her for helping us out. I just wanted to move on. I began to realize the reason there was a U on the finish bag sign-for the ultra runners running 50K, duh. It all began to click. They had me down as running the 50K. Oh well. As I was about to go out the door I saw Misty turn around from the bar. She had reached the checkpoint before I and decided to head back out with me. I'm so glad that I noticed her.


We ran along for the next three miles going over each other's run. It was nice to run with company for the first time during the race. My cold was so bad I couldn't talk and breathe and run at the same time. I was coughing real hard by this point and my head was draining profusely. I was grossing myself out.


Before we knew it we saw Wayne running toward us, off for the 50K.  Misty decided to finish at the marathon with me. We hugged Wayne and wished him well. He finished in fine form.


Misty and I climbed the final hill and saw our finish at the bar.  We checked in, I ordered a diet coke and we relived our fun day!


By now I couldn't speak without coughing. I took a few puffs of my inhaler and it seemed to help a bit. We visited with Melissa, who finished her first trail run. Melissa offered us a ride back to the hotel. We stopped by the 50K finish where I retrieved my bags and off to the hotel we headed.


Misty and I hauled our things to her car and headed for home.  Driving was icy in some spots and a semi pulled out in front of us. Misty is a cautious driver much like I. I felt very safe! I arrived home last night about midnight.


I feel great today!  My cold is still awful but my back does not hurt AT ALL. I am so glad I decided to try this run. Even thought I anticipated aid, it worked out for the better. Now I know I can carry my pack without pain. Good stuff.


The spikes tore off two of my toenails. I think the bands put pressure on my toes, making the fit inside of my shoes too tight. I wore thick smartwool socks. During the run I tried to move the socks around, trying to alleviate the pain. I couldn't get my running shoes over my painful toes this morning so I headed off to the trail with Topaz in my big sorrel boots.


Now I'm really looking forward to Psycho Wyco 50K next month. I should be able to pull it off.


Thanks to the Triple D RD, the volunteers, runners and bikers. It really was  a fun day!