I Can Now Say I Am A Trail Runner

I just finished my first 10-mile trail run and it was exhausting AND exciting at the same time. I will definitely do this again (and again and again)! The Ultra Trail Run at Holiday Valley was a very technical and challenging course. Last night it poured buckets of rain so the course was so muddy that it was difficult to truly get any good footing on the trails. This was also the first time that I ran a course so rocky that it was tough to maintain balance and not slip on the wet, uneven rocks. With that said, I still rocked it and finished!

Before the race began, the race director made an announcement that this race was not for new trail runners (uh oh). He said that he wanted to be very clear that the course was intended for intermediate to advanced trail runners and that if you had any doubts whether you belonged to this group, then it would be best to not start the race. I looked at Megan and really wondered if I made the right decision to enter this race...or maybe I should take the race director's advice and run back to my car. Well, I'm two things - a redhead and stubborn. I started the course. And I finished the course.

The first 1.5 miles was a brutal hill. I actually had a brief hesitation that maybe a DQ might not be so bad afterall. Forget that...bring on the pain. We entered the Allegheny State Forest from Holiday Valley Ski Resort and spent most of the mileage in the State Forest. The trail was mostly single track with a lot of "rolling hills" (whoever coined that term should be shot!). Many sections were no wider than my hips and I'll be surprised if the poison ivy fairy doesn't visit me. One of the difficulties about my running level is that I am a back of the pack trail runner and spend a lot of time by myself. On the other hand, it was wonderful just listening to the trees swaying, birds moving, rain drops falling and basically just listening to nature. Even though the course was rough, I found myself enjoying each minute.

I may not have tipped the PR meter, but I didn't come in last in my first long distance trail run. I will keep at this and work on improving my time, balance and general consistency with mileage. I loved the comraderie of trail runners. Wow! Even though I finished a half hour or hour after many, I was surprised how many people I heard applauding as I finished. The loudest was Megan, who I always look for! Afterwards, when I realized my calves were not going to disown me afterall, I sat down and had the tastiest Coors Light from a can. I was surprised how many runners had brought coolers and lawn chairs and were just making an afternoon of their run...pretty cool vibe, to say the least.

The promoters of this race also had a great sense of humor, as evidenced by the sign I'm standing next to.


Me and Meg before the race.


The thrill of the finish line.


It was a good Sunday.

Burning River 100 Mile Race

What a fun day! Of course, it was probably only fun for Megan and me since we didn't have to run 100 miles in 30 hours or less. We worked the Boston Store Aid Station at miles 56 and 60.6 for our friend E and couldn't believe how much we enjoyed our shift. I had the opportunity to meet and mingle with so many interesting people...and dedicated families. The families have an even tougher day waiting for their athlete and moving from aid station to aid station during the Burning River 100 mile race. Meg worked the bag check and food stations while I checked in runners then finished up at the food station. I learned that boiled potatoes with salt and soggy ramen noodles were hot items for ultra runners. Makes sense with the salt content, easy to eat, and easy to digest on a runner's stomach. I have such admiration for people who run at night on trails with a headlight. Think about it, the runners checked in with the aid station at 60.6 miles. They still had 40 miles to go. If they ran at a 15-minute/mile pace, which would be enough to finish under the time limit, it would still take 10 more hours - the majority of which would be in the dark. Amazing!

Before going to the race, I squeezed in an 8 mile run with the final 2 miles as trail work. Puppy ran with me and he even seemed tired. I'm getting nervous about my 10 mile trail race next weekend, but also getting excited about pushing myself to do something more challenging than just road running. Tomorrow is a short run plus another swim day. Tuesday evening I'll be trying an open water swim - I'm crossing my fingers on that one!

Week One and I'm Exhausted

A full week of training for a sprint triathlon and I'm beat! This week since Monday I have swam 3 days, ran 10 miles and biked 16 miles. The bike ride was fantastic actually since I rode from my office to Merry Arts for dollar taco night and $2 Coors Light. Pretty cool way to join my family for dinner and no guilt for beer/taco combo. The swimming is improving and I have surprised myself with how much I'm enjoying it. I would bike more to work if the weather would allow it. And the running I simply love -always have and if I'm lucky I always will. I have my long run Saturday morning, then volunteering Saturday night at the Burning River 100 Miler Race. Sunday will be a 4-6 mile trail run in preparation for next week's 10-mile trail race in New York.

First Day in the Pool

Today was my first swim practice...and I'm exhausted. I could barely stay awake during a meeting I was facilitating. I went to this fantastic swim facility near where I work during my lunch hour. Funny part was that I REALLY brought down the average age while I was there! I got into a lane and immediately complained to myself that the pool was much colder than I remembered (man, I am such a wimp). The pool was 25m in length and I managed to complete 350 meters. I compared my 50m swim time to my 15-year-old daughter's swim time. Now keep in mind, she is on the swim team (please note the disclaimer). I managed to eak out a very pathetic time of 1m12sec and she just shook her head. I guarantee that next Tuesday I will be able to shed at least 15 seconds on my 50m swim time. I plan to swim a T/W/Fri schedule during my lunch hour until the Portland Triathlon the end of August. I should be able to handle a 750m sprint distance (I know...longshot...but bet on me on this one). Biking is going well and I'm splitting my running between trail work and long runs on the road. I'm finding it incredibly challenging to train for a triathlon while also training for a 10-mile trail run. Each race should sufficiently kick my arse during the month of August. It's doubtful that I will relax in September...especially since I hear there's a pretty cool half marathon trail run mid-September. Ahhhh, fall racing :)

Brick Sunday

What a way to begin a Sunday morning! If I'm going to do the sprint triathlon in Portland, then I have to respect the sport of triathlon...bricks and all. This morning husband and I biked a nice 11-mile loop from our house down into the metroparks with one wicked bad hill to climb (lots of little ones, too). We actually managed to shave about 10 minutes off the last time we tackled the same loop! I also did a little better with this very fast downhill stretch that normally scares me. As Gavin Rossdale says, speed kills (or so I worry). Got off our bikes at the house for husband to change out of his clip shoes and into running shoes, leashed up the dog, and off we went for a run from our house to the trails. Wow, I had forgotten that "dead leg" feeling that you have between the bike/run transition. I think I enjoyed the trail run as much as puppy! It's funny how much you can love the way your body feels even when you're exhausted and sweaty. Overall, it was a pretty good week. Got some good runs in (including a couple 5 & 6 milers), had some great evenings with my girls, snagged date night tickets for the husband and me to see a very talented Dan Auerbach (touring solo at the moment from the Black Keys), and got to see Hincapie's amazing performance yesterday. Can't wait to see Lance tear up the Alps today!

Muddy Paws

This morning was awesome - just me and my dog running the Muddy Paws 5-mile trail run with my daughter Kid A and friend E cheering us on! I have such respect for trail distance runners after this morning - wow, what a challenging course! I knew going in that this wasn't like an all-purpose trail or a bridle trail, but I didn't expect the hills to wreck my hamstrings like they did! Did I mention I would definitely do this again?! Plus, I figured a challenging 5-miler would be a good tune-up for my 10-mile trail run in August. Puppy was a rock star navigating the terrain with excitement. Below I've posted a picture of my biggest cheerleader Kid A before the race began and a pic of Me & Puppy coming into the finishing chute. The course was technical for most of it, but had a nice grassy finish. Afterwards, we hit the farmer's market for fresh strawberries, watermelon, crisp celery, carrots, juicy tomatoes and cherries, and corn which will be tasty on the grill later! Great morning!

Summer of Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Husband offered to take me to Portland, Oregon for a weekend trip with Kid A and Pablo Honey, of course. Most people would begin their google searches with key places to sight-see, maybe a hotel search or two, a Citysearch visit for hot restaurants or clubs, but not me. I googled 10k, half marathon and trail races. Nothing. Triathlons, yes. A sprint triathlon, yes again. I can run and I occasionally bike to/from work (25 mi r/t), but swimming requires effort (translation: practice, training). I've done a sprint triathlon before and I'm not a fan of not seeing the bottom. I kind of like seeing what's swimming next to me, no matter the mammal/amphibian form *shiver*. Regardless, I have until 7/31 to register in order to get my long-sleeve bamboo shirt - hmmm, the shirt...the things we do for the right shirt.