I love running. And I am really starting to feel like an ultra runner. Last night I decided to run 30 miles. I know I am a bit crazy, b/c I ran it on a treadmill.....it was raining (thunder and lightning) and very muggy out. I wanted to run, and I figured using a treadmill would give me a better mental workout. I think my mental game is down right now. I need to work on mental strength maybe even more then I need to work on endurance or speed at this point. So off to the gym I went. I forced my self to go slow for the first hour- taking 1:01:21 to get to 7.5miles. The treadmill I was running on only let me run up to 1:02 at a time, so I had to restart about every hour. After the second hour (7.75 in 1:01:39- still slower then I felt like going), I refilled my water bottles and started again. I think it took me maybe 2mins total stopping to do this. When I run on a treadmill, I keep the incline at 1% (higher if I want hills, duh). I started into the third hour-ish set feeling even better then I had the 1st hour. This sorts puzzled me. Why do I feel looser and stronger after running over 15 miles???? At this point, I told myself if I run at lest 25miles I could have a cold beer with my dinner at home. After running 23 miles (last 7.75 in 1:00:08), I wanted to run a few hard miles. Really, I wanted to run harder then I did. But I don't want to push a long run like a race, so I didn't let myself run under 7min miles. When I got to 29miles, I told myself I HAD to run the next mile easy to cool down. If I was racing I would have pushed hard for 2 more miles, but this was a workout. I finished the last 7 miles in 52:22, feeling ready to stop but knowing I hadn't pushed my limits.

I think I will try to race my next ultra this way. Taking it super easy at first and then kicking hard at the end. I have a lot of leg strength, and I think kicking it in will work for me. I know treadmills are tons easier then running trails. But I still feel like I can run much better in a race then I have yet. I want to figure out how to get everything in line to race well. Maybe I just need more experience. But I do plan on getting this all figured out.

Oh how I love running.

This morning my husband was almost killed by a drunk driver. The guy swerved no more then 2 feet from hitting Daniel (as reported by Dan), and hit the median, blowing out 2 of his tires. Daniel was shaken to the max. He went over to the guy, who got out of his car, and Dan asked the guy if he was ok. The guy kept apologizing, saying, "I just didn't see you," and, "you came out of no where." Daniel assured the guy the he had been in that lane for about 10mins, and was well let up- 3 lights visible from the back. The guy smelt strongly of alcohol. Dan kept telling the guy to promise not to drive drunk again. But the guy only would say sorry. After a couple of minutes, the guy said he had a cell phone, got into his car, and speed off- on his flat tires. Daniel called 911 at this point, but was too shaken to have the plate numbers or make of the guys car.
I am just glad Daniel wasn't hit! I do hope the guy gets cought before he kills someone- if that is what it takes to stop him. I am praying he gets help before that point. Daniel has desided he will no onger take his bike out before 4:30am. I had been pushing for this all along. Praise God he made this dession with out being hurt!

Forest Park 50k was such a blast! A big thunder storm blow in Saturday night, and there was a light-moderate rain during almost the whole race on Sunday. The course was muddy the whole way and slippery in spots. It was just a perfect almost cold morning for a trail race. Daniel and I showed up at the start an hour or more before hand. But being Portland time is 2 hours behind Texas, we had already had a long leisurely morning. The day before we walked all over Portland trying to figure out the best way to get to the Lower Macleay trail head. Turned out we could walk 3 blocks from out hotel to the #15 bus stop, which runs every 15 minutes. That bus dropped us off 2 blocks from the start of the race. Just perfect. So on race morning we grabbed Starbucks (Mocha Soy latte and a turkey pesto sandwich) and headed to the bus stop.

The race started at 8:30am. Wendel (one of the RD's) went over the course directions and how to read the markings before we took off. The first 10k went by at just the right pace. Running through Forest Park was like running in a fairy-tale land. The trees were tall and dense, and there was a light fog in parts. The trails were the perfect kind of muddy for running on, and the few rocks on the course didn't even move when stepped on. Everything around us was lush.

I reached the first aid station (10k) in 55 minutes. Shortly after leaving that aid station, I came to an odd intersection. There where orange streamers to the right, but they weren't stripped. Wendel was very clear in saying all turns were marked with stripped streamers. While I stood there, course directions in hand, 3 guys and 1 girl rounded the corner. We all decided the streamers were likely moved, and headed in a diffrent (and the right) direction. This happened a few more times during the second 10k. In fact, I was just sure we were off course before we came upon aid station 2 (20k-1:51 after the start).

I left the 20k running hard, b/c my legs were feeling good and I wanted to try and finish fast. As it turned out, there was a giant muddy down hill that evened out the hard running I was doing on the other parts of this section. That muddy down hill was great! At first I was sorta shuffling down the side, keeping my feet partly on grass and grabbing hold of trees. But I took an awesome roll, and decided to change my approach. The guy in front of me had been skiing on his feet. I gave that a try. And I wiped out. To prevent farther injury to myself, I decided the sledding approach would be best. So I sat down and slid.

I made it to the 30k aid station in 2:46. Another 55 minute 10k. My legs were still feeling good, so I tried to keep pushing. When I reached the 40k, my watch said 3:42. I left my totally soaked shirt and my waist pack at that aid station and headed out for the finale 10k. I was running hard and extremely excited to be doing well. I hit a few miss marked intersections, but the guy in front of me helped me out. One time I was about to turn the wrong way when a guy came from that direction and said, "Go that way." Apparently he had taken a wrong turn and was back tracking. With maybe 2 or 3 miles to go, I took a wrong turn. I realized it when the down hill section I had just pounded out opened up into a neighborhood. I looked back the way I came, and said forget it. This is my biggest regret through this race. I should have booked it back up that hill and gone the right way. But I didn't. I was too mad at myself for having been careless. So I followed the course markings for what ever course I was now on. Truthfully I hopped it would lead me back to the start and I could get a DNF and some food. Instead it lead me back up the hill and onto the 50k course. Only now I was getting to back track. Oh joy. Being in a rotten mood, I was walking and wishing for a helicopter. If I could have walked off the course at this point I would have. But I had no choice in the matter. I had to follow the 50k course through the finish.

Shortly before reaching the finish line, I was feeling much better. Sure I had blown the race and made a classic rookie mistake in not turning around. But I AM a rookie. This was my 4th ultra and 6th trail race ever. I still have much to learn. And I learned a lot at this race. Plus I had a blast. I run trails because I LOVE running trails. Not because I'm fast and not to win. I love running fast, and I do want to try to win. But those aren't the reasons I'm out there running. I run because I love to run. I am sorta glad I didn't win. If I had, I might have lost sight of why I'm a runner.

Not only that, but I am super glad I was able to learn:
1. Know your course. Course markings are to help, not lead.
2. Turnaround as soon as you realize you are off course.
I am now on a racing team. And it feels good to know I will be a better runner for my team and our sponsor's in the future, having learned what I have now, before I am running for them.

Tomorrow I will start a meal log using jott. I am so not looking forward to this. But it seems to be the only way to figure out how much of what I should eat when. Right now I am very off and on about eating healthy. Some days I do great. Other days....I eat candy for breakfast and ice cream for dinner. It is just so hard for me to cut out the junk when I am not "over" weight. But I know my running will improve if I can eat better regularly. So I am going to try this. Uck.

Prickly Pear 50k

Running the Prickly Pear yesterday was sooooo much fun! The race started at 7:00 am, in the dark. I lined up just behind a group of guys, one of whom was wearing the yellow lead jersey. The weather was perfect- crisp and cool. I ran a bit behind the lead guys for a couple miles before they picked it up even more and were out of site. To my surprise, I rounded a tight corner less then 30 minutes later to see a guy peeing on the trail. He ran off just in front of me. A couple of minutes after that I came up to the whole group of guys. They had slowed quite a bit, and I hopped passed them on a down hill stretch. But all 3 of them stayed right on me. Around mile 8 I told them they were welcome to pass any time. One of the guys said, "Thats alright. I figure the footing is better a few feet behind you." Then he repeated this comment to his buddies....(hu???)...who laughed....(okay..).

The four of us finished loop one together, with me in the lead. As we were leaving the aid station, one of the guys said he was finished. The other 2 guys asked me if I wanted to lead. I told them to go on ahead. Boy did they! I didn't see them again until I came in to finish loop 2. My splits for the first 2 loops were the same, and I got out of that station about 2 or 3 minutes after the lead guy. The other guy had only planed on running 2 loops of the 50k, so there was only one runner ahead of me.

By this time it was HOT out. My legs were cramping, and Amanda (my coach) gave me extra electrolytes and pinned some Shot Blocks on my shorts. I had hoped to run the first 2 laps in about 1:20 and the last one faster. So far I was on pace. But I wasn't sure about running faster for lap 3 with the cramping and heat.

Just before mile 4 of lap 3 (mile 25ish), I passed the lead guy. He was walking in a hot, unshaded section and said, "Go get it" with a smile. So I kept going. I was running quite a bit slower now- almost one minute a mile slower then I wanted. But I did what I could, and fought the urge to slow my pace further. I finished in 4:08:14- first female and first finisher . :)

Gosh, I'm just feeling so down lately. I don't even know why. I don't want to clean my house. I don't want to eat good foods. Or drink water. Or even sing. Blah. What is wrong with me??? My running is suffering too. My mindset is just bad. I need to snap out of this funk before I gain 15 pounds, give up speed work, and have more house work then any one person can handle in a day.

I have been kinda sick with a sines infection for over a week now. My head, ears, and jaw are in such pain. But no fever yet. I almost wish I would just get a fever so I can get some antibiotics and get well.

Hum....maybe that is really what is wrong. My body is just a bit sick, so I am in a funk. Well snap out, Aniejoy!!!! Snap out.

When I started a blog, I wanted to write at least once a week. But that just isn't happening yet. I guess writing some is better then none. I will try to write more often. But I just don't feel like writing right now. Be warned.

On January 5th I ran the Bandera 100k, my second ultra. Dan and I stayed at a little ranch 9miles out side of Bandera. On race morning, we arrived at the race at 7:20am-10min before the start. I barely made it through the porto line when Joe (the RD) said "GO!". After running to the tent and yelling, "Number 54 is here!!", I ran to the starting line, asked a lady if she could validate my check in, and took off. A couple miles before reaching the 1st aid station I meet a guy named Dalten. He said I beat him last year by a few minutes, and he wanted to do better this year. His buddies gave him a hard time about having been beat by a girl. He was great company for the next 40 miles. We talked a lot and took turns leading up the trails. But the heat was getting to him, and he had to stop to try and get his hydration situation settled. Boy, it did get hot out there! I think the high was 76. After all the cold weather we have had, 76 felt quit hot! Especially since there was no cloud cover. But I am still grateful for the dry ground and the fact that it wasn't any hotter then it was.

The first 50k flew by in 5:05:02 (opps...). My quads were feeling the pounding I had given them and were cramping up pretty bad by the time I reached the lodge (50k). But I knew I needed to just keep going. I wanted to call it a day, but I didn't. I kept telling myself I would run to at least one more aid station. It got dark about 10:45 into the race, maybe 4 miles from the finish line. I turned on my headlight and kept running hard, finishing in 11:25:45. About 7 minutes short of a course record. Well, I did what I could do this year. Hopefully next year I will be faster.