Even BIGGER ,SCARIER Things Made Small/My First Trail 55K

Well I did it!! I completed my first ultra marathon!! 50K that was really a 55K 34miles. The group I ran with decided to embrace the extra 5k miles we got for free when registering for a 50k and just enjoy the extra miles.I have been a runner for 32 years and run 25-30 miles a week all those years. I have no idea why I made the decision to register for my first ultra this year except for the fact that I was enjoying putting a lot of miles in this summer during beautiful weather.
I have to say up front that I actually have a love/hate relationship with trail running. I adore the trails and woods and paths and trees. I live in the woods and embrace all things earthy.My problem with trail running comes from the fact that I am a natural klutz.No really-I just am. So consequently tripping on trails is common place for me. It is not about whether I will fall ,but when. It is about hoping I will not be too injured to continue running.So with that said, my mental block regarding tripping is my hugest hurdle.
I have been thinking about how to write this and realized diving in is just the best way.I really feel unqualified to call myself an ultrarunner even after my first 50K. I know that seems really lame. At ultras I feel especially unqualified to stand at the start line with all of the great trail runners around me. We all have our stuff-but seeing them glide downhill trails with ease just keeps me in awe. Some day...
My first 50k started by being woken up by the sound of pretty strong winds while sleeping at my son's house. I was planning on camping in my Yukon at the park,but opted for comfort as it was chilly.I decided at least I would get a little sleep that way.So when I heard the wind I thought-oh goody cold wind,but at least no rain.I got up at 4:15 which seems now to be my standard subconscious race wake up time . Got ready and headed out as my son helped me pack all my stuff back into my vehicle.
 The 2 greatest stresses of racing alone are:
1) Not losing your keys- this includes any time the night before as well as before and during the race
2) Not getting lost or being late to the race start.
I was good to go on both accounts.There was a tense moment as I wasn't sure I was on the right road at 5:30am-but I was fine.
Fast forward to Murphy-Hanrahan park in Savage,Mn.I had done Muscle Milk Woodsy 9 mile race in Sept,so I was familiar with the park. After parking and going to pick up my race packet,I realized how cold it was with the wind.I had worn capris,and was really questioning that now.I was going to change in the car but decided since my top light stays on forever -not a great idea. Fortunately I had packed tons of clothing options.Grabbed my leggings and went and changed. I had also packed a bug out bag to leave at one of the aid stations which included everything I would ever need in any emergency,except a needle(to puncture blisters) I realized later. Had my trusty UltrAspire vest and handheld,headlamp, and Altra Lone Peak trail shoes on. Anyway.I was ready!! As the start time approached I went to hang out at the bonfire with all the other 50kers,just like I belonged there. It was darn chilly with the wind and the fire felt great.
As I was wearing my reflective Monster jacket from last year, someone commented - wasn't that going on right now. I said yes ,that I had chosen this instead. So there I was -this was a choice....I was choosing to be here in the cold ,dark and run 34 miles. No turning back! This was 2 17 miles loops.
We all made our way to the start . My new head lamp burning brightly that I had never run with yet...yea I know..I am like that. So after a casual greeting from the RD it was go time!! As I walked to the start I found myself standing in the front-NOOOOOOOOOOOO,so I flipped around and meandered to the comfortable back of the pack.The one thing I did know was -I wasn't going to be fast!!
After we started and I realized I could actually see the ground to run, a super friendly girl came up next to me and said she liked my pace.I think she was just being polite as later it turned off she blazed off into the sunrise.But anyway,she and another girl and guy turned out to be be great company.The guy chatted awhile and as we were talking I realized I WAS running in the dark!!I was ok! After a few miles gradually without even noticing, the sun began to shed light on the trail and I relaxed a lot. I am not sure when it happened but during these first few miles Lisa was there. At the time I had no idea what that would mean for me later. She was going on  and on about how she was an ultra runner in the Marathon Maniacs club and the 50 states club and how many ultras she had done. In my head all I could think of is why in the world am I running next to her??She will leave me in the dust!! Plus she is even from Colorado no less!!!  I mean seriously??I have no trails to train on and barely hills where I live!! It was absolutely fascinating to hear her stories.She has run all over the country on awesome trails.
I really don't remember much of the first part of the race.I remember passing the first several mile markers and next thing I knew we were at an aid station. I knew enough to force myself to eat a banana section right away as I had no breakfast. After running some more miles we settled into what was a nice pace for me. Our group of 5 were running and talking so contently that next we knew we were standing on a serene hill looking out over fields,no marking flags in sight.Fortunately with Lisa's expertise she realized instantly that we were off course and turned us all around.She then announced that we were now official ultra runners as getting off course is part of ultrarunning. We turned around ,got back on course and still kept talking. Eventually we landed at the Horse camp aid station. Here we opted for chicken broth as the wind was fairly chilly. Then onward and upward. At this point we lost Wynter,Kelly and the guy (Tom??). Wynter took off in a blaze and finished well before we did,I saw later. So Lisa and I set off . As we were running we came upon Smurph Village.Aptly named.. At this point there were hills and woods and Lisa tripped on a huge stick coming up out of the ground.I only mention this because I absolutely recorded this in my brain for the second loop.So far I hadn't fallen yet. As we progressed,the rest of this is a blur. Next thing I knew we were at the start/finish and done with loop 1!! Yea!! We stopped at the aid station and I met Brent and Susan Peterson. They are facebook friends and she was running the 25K. We visited and I pulled out my almond butter sandwich. As  I was talking Lisa was leaving the aid station and said she would see me later. She said "You will catch up with me, you always do!"  I knew I had to move fast away from the aid station so the thought of dropping at 25K didn't enter my mind. I was feeling ok,but decided to walk downhill and eat my sandwich. I figured that would be the last I saw of Lisa anyway as she was a "real" ultrarunner. I was feeling ok,just low on energy.I think I probably didn't have enough calories at this point.Also now that I remember this is the point my back began to hurt. I walked awhile here. Then I decided to take Ibuprofen to nip my back pain (even though that never helps it). It was worth a try. As I was walking I looked up and saw a grove of  Aspen trees with gorgeous yellow leaves.Yellow covered the sky and carpeted the ground as the sun came through the grove. I chatted with a squirrel and just took in the beauty of the day.Who cares, I thought ,how long it takes me?? After all my friend Krista Cavender had made it ok for me to DFL ,just to make me feel better. After some time passed,my back miraculously started feeling better and I began running again. I ran uphill ,I ran downhill,and uphill some more and downhill some more...then I heard voices...no not in my head.They seemed close but no one came up behind me for quite a while. Next thing you know I meet 2 new friends.Melissa and Mary.It was Mary's first ultra too. We had a lot in common.Melissa chatted casually and kept us well entertained as she had run many ultras also. Next ting I knew we were at the Horse camp again!! Ok ,now you get to horse camp twice in each loop so some of this is blurring together.  There was Lisa!!!! I was never so thrilled to see anyone!! I yelled at her as she was about to leave.She was gracious enough to wait for me and ran with the 3 of us the rest of the race. Well her stories kept us going for hours!! At one point I got engulfed by a crowd (as the 50milers were passing us regularly now)and all of my friends got well ahead of me. I thought everything was fine and then BAM!..Sally on the ground.Well we all knew that was coming.It was a wonder it took this long! Big issue was that my right knee hit the ground (just a scrape-no injury) but at the same moment my right calf cramped right into a TIGHT ball. Ok-here it is I thought. I sat there a moment an looked up and absolutely no one was around. So I sat long enough to relax my calf muscle.Ok -no problem- My actual injured left knee was great and hadn't even hit the ground!! YEA!!! I was fine!!! Now I can run-ok I walked some to make sure I wasn't injured. Then I began slowing running in a beautiful woods. Just enjoy and RELAX I told myself.If you never see any of your friends again-you are just fine!!! So calmly running through the woods there was a right turn coming up and who do I see but LISA and a group of people running towards me!!! What??? I asked if I was off course and they said -no they took a wrong turn so I saw them just in time to make the correct turn! So Lisa and I and Melissa and Mary ended up running the last 1/2 of the second loop togther. We hiked some, ran some ,hiked some,ran some.We hit the Natchez aid station and found almond joys and SOMEMORES!!!!!Some wonderful man was making somemores for us!! I was thrilled! That held me for awhile.We were all happy.
After running/hiking for awhile we enjoyed each others company and stories and gradually settled into a good pace. Somehow Lisa and I picked up our pace a little and ended up a ways ahead of Mary and Melissa. As we pulled into the Horse camp aid station for the last time I was greeted by "Sally??" It was Melissa Eibner!! A facebook friend who had also done the Afton race.She was volunteering at Horse camp and was so kind to take pics of us as we came in!! So fun to meet people from the Twin Cities that I talk to online! Lisa made sure we got on our way quickly to end this last leg of our journey!!!
When we headed into Smurph Village the last time I was smart enough to actually remember to look out for Lisa's stick! I was proud of myself!
I have forgotten to mention the "Pike's Peak" of Savage,Mn. We went through on the first loop and yes it is a HUGE climb.However downhill was MUCH worse!! As I am not adept at downhills;on this one I literally had to grab a hold of trees going down. Now seems as good as time as any to mention little petite Lisa's affinity for downhills.It is amazing to watch.She looked like a little wood nymph gliding downhills gracefully.And on "Pike's Peak" downhill it was just a thing of athletic beauty to watch her float down this treacherous path. She was so cute when we would get to the downhills,she would say"meet you at the bottom!!" and she always did!! Like I said she carried me through...
So funny though-at the top of the second loop of "Pike's Peak"  I said to her.Hey,that seemed way easier this time going up !! That gave me hope for future 50ks. "Pike's Peak" is near the end.The miles blur together. Once you are down it though you know you are home safe. A few more miles and we rounded the curve and saw the FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a glorious sight!! I was SO excited!! I think I could have kept going for awhile (no not another loop tho).Because we had run/hiked the second loop I felt really good. My quads were feeling it ,but not too bad. I had been worried I may not be able to drive home,so I was prepared for that. SO excited!! We got to brand our finisher's wooden medal with a 50K(which we all decided should have said 55K-especially for extra off course mileage).I was so excited though I just let the guy brand it for me!  We then waited awhile to see Mary and Melissa come into the finish.We got a quick picture and Lisa and I went to pick our drop bags up at horse camp. A fun day. We hugged each other and exchanged emails and parted ways.
The logistics of the race were great.The start/finish brought us back to our car mid race plus we could leave a drop bag at horse camp.So either way I was covered. That helped a lot;especially dropping warmer gear after the first loop.
I drove home in bliss.I immediately called everyone I knew.My son Ben was gracious enough to offer me another night in his bed if I couldn't drive home.I was fine.I knew I would be stiff after 2 hours in the car ride home ,but I was just fine.

All of my dear ultra friends have offered wonderful advise.I can't begin to thank you enough. I am beyond happy that I conquered my goal of doing my first 50k at 56 years old.
Renee Bjork -thank you for giving me the motivation by your example.
Vanessaruns advise of run it aid station to aid station and have fun was just what I needed.
Trisha Reeves advise of ,find someone your own pace and run the race together worked beautifully for me.Thank you ladies! Although I have to say I think Lisa was just being nice,but I certainly appreciated it!!
All of the rest of you are so helpful all the time!!Oh and Iris and Josh Sutcliffe-I ate tons of Barnanas in your honor!!
Lastly -my dear husband who endures countless hours of me out running and training and countless hours of dog,cat and parrot sitting-deserves a medal of patience. He is a gem.
My official time was 9:13 (about 8:30 at 31 miles we figured).We had done 20miles by noon.
I did have 'since I have been a runner for 32 yrs should have known better issue'. My Altra Lone Peak trail shoes were brand new.( I know I know-I told ya) My right foot was totally fine and still is-no blisters -nothing!! BUT my left big toe slammed into the shoe numerous times downhill as it was slightly too big.
My right foot has a huge bunion and for ONCE it served a great purpose-it actually prevented my right foot from moving inside my shoe. So my left big toenail is toast.It had a HUGE blood blister under the whole toenail which I did self surgery on when I got home. I know -disgusting-right-but hey-most of you reading this are runners so you get it. Because of this ,I would have had a serious problem doing another loop for the 50miler if I was doing it.Anyway to me that is wonderful that I had no real injuries!! I am stoked to go again-next spring!! Did I mention Lisa was doing another 50K the NEXT day??? What a woman!!!

Me and Lisa Nicholls

I didn't see an eagle overhead on race day...but saw two the day before at the shop.

Still a phoenix......ever upward!!!

Mary,Lisa,Me, Melissa

Again...big scary things are only little unknown things you knock out one at a time......

Forward ever forward~

I know I know-2 posts in one week!!! Don't get used to it!!
As my recovery week has progressed I have mulled over many things this week. This is not a marathon post -whew-you say! No not even a running post. You know- I really can not stand people that make those football analogies all the time-so I will try really hard not to make too many running analogies.
Many personal issues have led me to this post. Since some I can not refer to because they involve other people, even family members, I will keep it generic.
I work really hard at not prescribing to the idea that age is a factor in the success of most things that a person accomplishes. There are multiple examples of this throughout history.

However there is an area where age plays a vital role. That is in attitude and perseverance.
Age is a definite asset if you learn how to move forward from the past.

At some point in a person's life they have to take responsibility for their day to day existence.
Now I know there are defining factors involved; some of them physical. However the average healthy person must take responsibility for who they really are.
I could get way off track here in many directions but I will try to keep it simple.
Take a step FORWARD.

You may not be an athlete, a scholar , a business person or even healthy.
But the only thing stopping you from spiraling upward is you .
No matter what your age or station in life, you may choose to step forward.

Many life experiences have taught me this. This is not something ever achieved. It is always a process. Move forward and leave the rest behind. I am not talking about hurting people or leaving them behind, although sometimes that is necessary for your own health.
Moving forward is a process. If you don't have a goal-create one. Keep it small-keep it simple but move forward.
If you are 82 and can walk-walk around the block. Get outside. Smell fresh air. Listen to the birds. Look at the clouds. Be thankful that you can move forward.
If you are a runner and you stop to walk -be thankful and enjoy your surroundings. Be thankful you are in this place.
Yoga has taught me to inhale and exhale and relax with where I am. That goes against my nature. What a great gift is has been though. It is ok to be in this place today.

Tomorrow move forward and leave the rest behind.

We are all different. Each one of us is a unique creation. We have different strengths and weaknesses. Our bodies are different. Our life experiences are different. Those experiences have created who we are today. There is no strength in being better or stronger than the person next to you. Only strength in being the best you can be as you move forward.

Make a choice to move forward in your life.
Fear is an excuse to keep you in your comfort zone.
The next accomplishment is one more step outside that comfort zone.

Don't wait to seize the day.Live your life moving forward.

Carpe Diem

Big Scary Things Made Small

So many people have encouraged me to keep blogging, so here is my semi-annual post! My main blogging issue is time. But after a big life event I decided it was time to share again.

As all of my facebook friends know (who are probably the only ones reading this),I just completed my first marathon on June 2,2013. Just as a refresher, I am a 56 yr old female and have been running for 32 yrs this fall. I have run consistantly about 25-30 miles a week almost all of those yrs.
Why have I never run a marathon before you ask? Life just got in the way.I guess I never really gave it a lot of thought as my daily running was always a personal escape.
After 1.5 yrs of achilles hell,finally the stars aligned this spring and I just dove in head first and registered for my first full marathon.
I am not sure why people read other people's race reports-but here goes!
My training runs had not been great -I had done 14,15,18,20.5,15,20.5.  In the last 4 of them I had had severe gastro distress before each run.So I reasoned that if that didn't happen race day I would be far ahead of the game.And it didn't!!
I have decided the single biggest factor that got me to the finish was reading and studying all of my ultra friends race reports,especially VanessaRuns. Vanessa taught me many things-too many to name-you just need to follow her blog. However,I learned from her to break down the marathon into increments.Aide station to aide mentality. Altho this may have made me slower, it definitely got me to the finish line! Also, in this  same vein, to ENJOY the race.EVERY MOMENT.Normally I am all focus to finish,not remembering a darn thing. I did not take pictures,but here are some of what I do remember-
The start: an old old lady -older than me,no make that 2 old ladies.They may have been doing the 1/2, but they still motivated me.The so friendly girl in her 30's and co-worker who chatted easily for the start miles.I saw her after her 1/2 running to greet others finishing the full.
The 5 HRPace Group: made up of a motley crew of all ages and body types.There was a chubby girl in 20's who said this was her fourth marathon!The obnoxious 51 yr old loud bragging pacer who bragged for 20 of the miles I could hear him about how much he drank and that this was 300plus marathons for him. The studly 22 yr old male yoga teacher who had done only 4 miles on his long run ( he was a track runner) and this was his first marathon.Me. And as we ran we picked up more.I remember that at one time there were at least 4 of us in this group that this was our first marathon.So that was encouraging!
No-I did not stay with the pace group-but I digress.
I was talking about memories. It was a beautiful course.
first half:The first half ran north through Robbinsdale,Mn.The people were all out and so supportive. They were on the course at 6:30 am cheering us on and saying "welcome to Robbinsdale!" I felt like the queen of England! Beautiful quaint cottage style homes with a small town atmosphere.Weather was gorgeous -overcast and 50's. As we neared the 1/2 mark, we curved south toward Minneapolis (which by the way is a beautiful city to run in), we ended up at the Mississippi River and ran over the river past gorgeous falls by the power company. I remember really noticing how beautiful the river looked. The wind hit our faces as we turned west again but it was refreshing!
Then as we wound back through the city streets on the right there was a sculpture garden.I really had the urge to stop and just take that all in -but oh wait-I am in a race! That sculpture garden was interesting!
I had started the race with a handheld full of Hammer Sustained Energy (which I had never tired before-I know ,I know-a no no),but acually my stomach did fine with it. I wasn't too worried about hydration or electrolytes for the first 1/2 as I also had Nuun tablets on me.So the game plan was to  drink thru the SE and add Nuun and drink water at the water stops. The whole nutrition thing is still fogging my brain.
The race markings always jump up and down and say you are almost at the half!! Well not really-one more hill ,2 more curves and another hill-and FINALLY the 1/2 was in sight. I was feeling great but getting a little warm. I was a little ahead of my pace group mostly because I was sooooooooooo aggravated at listening to the pacer,altho at least he was upbeat and friendly.So I decided to stop after the 1/2 at the water station and take my t-shirt off and get my sunglasses out and eat Iris and Josh's dehydrated bananas. This was a great strategy but as I was doing it the pace group blew right past me. No problem- I thought-I will just catch up. I ran up to the water station grabbed a drink and proceeded to catch them. Now I forgot to mention that altho I am not at all fast , the pace we ran the first half at was tortureously slow.....I knew I had to stay slow but I could hardly run THAT slow! So after the 1/2 when I decided to catch up I thought -ok-I will kick the cobwebs out a little. After all I had sprinted at mile 19-20 during my last long run.
MISTAKE #1 and lesson learned and noted.
I really knew better but my legs were just edgy-actually my whole body.
I ran fasstttttttt-ok it felt fast-compared to where I had been ( I don't wear a garmin or watch at all).
It felt SOOOOOOOOOOO great to stretch my legs.I still kept a short stride but just let go for awhile.
Miles 14-18 felt fantabulous-I was cruisin-caught up to my buddies and chatted awhile. Even Mr Obnoxious put his arm around me and proceeded to tell me more of his life story....blaha blah ablah

Well 1/2 way into mile 18 I slowed down and then slowed down some more...I did enjoy the scenery.Now we were running the west bank of the Mississippi and I was noting landmarks I had seen on the map; including some giant Swedish celebration at some large building .Swedish Days (we are in Minnesota-yah,you betcha)
So I ran past them and slowed some more. I was well behind the pace group now and I realized I didn't really care a lot. I walked a little (yes I did say walked).Then I realized we were almost at the turn around (19.55was the turn around).At the turn around I found it amusing that there were only 6miles left! So I forced myself to run thru the turn around.I felt a few quirky sensations in my calves but ignored them.
As we neared mile 20 "IT " happened.....GRRRRRRRR      
The EVIL twin Mr Achilles reared his ugly head.NOOOOOOOOOOO-I was not ABOUT to let him participate.It was just a very slight twinge-nothing big,nothing major.Just letting me know he was still there.
However I did the only rational mature thing I could do given our past history together.I opted for  walking for awhile.I decided at this point I would not make under 5hrs anyway and that maybe Jeff Gallup and I were meant to mind melt at the same marathon time. Well this was actually probably the only thing I should have done. I was feeling good otherwise.My energy level wasn't too bad. Of course once I started walking that helped me regroup a lot. I was walking for maybe a mile and I heard a voice- " oh no -start running-I am talking to you !" It was a young girl from my pace group who was 22 and it was her first marathon too. So she picked me up and carried me for another mile.
We had been tossing around catching the pace group but both decided-hey-this is our own race anyway!At some point in here I also ran with a young stocky redhead girl that was running really strong.Her enthusiasm was contagious and I embraced the wave.The redhead said "anybody can run another 6miles!So I ran on-
After about a mile I told her I needed to walk a bit. Actually this is where the calf cramping began. Now I had read everything known to man on hydration, hypotantremia,electrolytes so I was well aware of all the things that could go wrong.I even had bought some electrolyte capsules as a back up. Did I take too little Nuun-too much ,not enough plain water???? Oh what the heck -it is what it is- Sally-suck it up.So I walked and walked and walked......and you get the picture. As I walked I realized there were several people wo had passed me running at a very slow limp and they were running but not moving much faster than me! So I thought -ok- save the achilles for another day-don't break yourself. So I walked more.
I was determined however to RUN over the finish line no matter what else happened.
AND I had one more trick up my sleeve, altho I had never practiced it on my long runs before.
As I walked I noticed how absolutely gorgeous it was.A splendid day.Perfect weather,now sunny and 60's. We were on a street path in the woods along the river.Tons of other people out biking and running.It was the perfect day I gazed up into the woods and into the river and breathed deeply ,just taking it all in.A stroll in the park....ok pick it up ... a fast stroll in the park.I actually was enjoying my surroundings so much I was shocked to see it was mile 24!!! I looked at the pavement.It was jet black drinkinig in the sunshine just as I was. Should I? I walked a little more ,wondering if I would get burned.All of the sudden we were at mile 25-hey Sally what are you waiting for!!

I whipped off my shoes and started running. My feet were in absolute HEAVEN!! They were screaming WHY didn't you do this sooner,ya dope??? I had done at least 6miles barefoot(longest bf) so far this spring ,but with all of our wet cold weather,my soles hadn't really gotten the barefoot acclimation they needed-so I really was fearful of burning my soles on the hot pavement.

HEAVEN.......Barefoot ,barefoot barefoot......EVERYpart of my body thanked me. My feet and legs realigned and my calves relaxed.Sooner next time sooner. Just as I was really getting into it I saw waving hands and heard "Sally" . My son in law Corey was hollering at me!! There they all were.
I almost cried- 2out of 3 of my children,spouses and grandchildren. I had really hoped they would come.I have never had ANYone at the finish line for me before and had run all my races alone. (I will admit to sufficiently guilt tripping them-but a mother can never be sure)
I was SO excited to see them!! I ran over-gave Corey a hug,shoved my shoes and handheld into Kati's arms and had .2 m left!!! I ran like the wind the last .2. I felt like I could have run another 10!! If only I had barefooted it sooner!!
I zoomed (well it felt like zooming) to the finish line and hopped on it barefoot!!! And I heard them say my name!!! That had NEVER happened before!! A purely blissful way to end my first marathon.
5 hours and 12 minutes.
I know I know....turtlesqe. But hey as Jeff Gallup says -it's all the same miles!!And my workout was longer than the elite's!!

I was SOOOOOOO excited!! I walked up and found the kids,took pics.The car turned out to be about a 1/2mile away uphill which actually felt wonderful barefoot.We went to eat ,visited,and they drove me back to the start.I was on cloud 9.
My 2 hour ride home was just a jaunt until I went to get out of the car at home where Tom was waiting to greet me.Yea-you can guess what my legs felt like after 2hrs in the car.
I didn't take any ibuprofin except for a headache I started getting later and none the next day.
I had read all about the importance of recovery so I was going to take that seriously,especially as various bodies parts started complaining.
 Monday morning I woke up and did yoga-wich I thought would be a wise choice.I did Rodney Yee's full body yoga and it helped TONS.Then I hand mowed the yard for an hour, which I mostly did for the walking to walk out my calves completely.I think this was the key to fast recovery. Tuesday I did more yoga,still some stiffnes. And today Wednesday I did a little harder yoga and then 3 miles barefoot.Oh that just felt blissful this morning.I mostly want to do a full body assessment with my run this am . Everything seems to be in good working order.Oh yes,I do still have quirks,but overall -I am good. I am planning to do almost entirely barefoot runs until I can work back up to my long runs again to aid my recovery. So funny tho -my eating has not been much affected.I expected to be hungrier and I was actually less.
I am so excited to another marathon!!!

So my advise-do not wait 32 yrs to do your big scary thing-do it NOW.
My spirit animal has always been the eagle. At one of my last races an eagle flew over me at the start and I seized the day.
Altho I didn't see the eagle before this race, I knew he was there.
I have risen from the ashes many times in 56 yrs.
I am a Phoenix.

Big scary things are only little tiny things you knock out one at a time.
Carpe Diem

Just want to share what a complete inspiration all of my wonderful running friends have been.
After over a year achilles hell, I was finally able to complete 2 races and actually did ok. On Oct 07/12 I ran the TC 10 mile race and ran the exact same time as the year before -to the second!!-couldn't do that twice! And on 10/27/12 I ran the Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 marathon. (also same time as last yr-only off  by seconds)

I know to most of you these would seem like very small accomplishments. To me they are absolutely gigantic hurdles. After last Nov when my achilles said -no more- I was very very scared I may never run again,especially any more than 1-2 miles. I now know that this was just one more go around the mountain of life. Not that everything is perfect-there is the twingy knee thing-blah blah blah-BUT I am moving forward!!!
I am so excited as a matter of fact that I am really seriously planning on my first ultra 50K next spring, or for sure fall if the training timing doesn't work out. Because of my flower shop schedule-timing is a huge factor.
So as I move forward and start planning, I asked myself the inevitable WHY??? I am almost 56 yrs old and pretty sure I really don't have to prove anything to myself or anyone else for that matter.
So my reasons are simple.

1) Because I really believe I can finish-not sure how long it will take-but I KNOW I can finish.
2) Because 56 isn't old
3) Because 57 is older
4) Because when I told my daughter I was thinking of this-she didn't freak out but said -"you want to do it because you can"
5) Because WHY NOT!!!

If not now -when-

6) And because-I am always have been one tough broad......

And also because I truly believe age is a state of mind and a healthy body is an incredible gift to cherish. I have spent 31 years running to stay healthy and fit. But I think the next 31 should be about continuing to challenge my mind as well.
Thanks again all of you for the encouragement .....happy trails!

Another try ,that turned into a tribute

Back at it...

Well I decided to give it another try,this blog writing thing. Now we are easing out of our busy season at the flower shops,so time for some internal refelection or maybe some external ranting.
After 6,count them ,6 months of achilles struggles I am bound and determined to conquer this setback one way or another. I have been faithfully keeping up core work all winter when I couldn't run and gradually trying to get back into running. The spring was looking pretty good.I have been able to do some barefoot runs since March.In Minnesota that is triumphant. But every time I think I am getting back to my real running,my achilles rebels. It is like some evil twin badgering me over and over. I have never realized so completely how much a running injury can change a person's life. As most of you know from my whining on facebook, I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve,which is not necessarily a good thing.
This year was supposed to be my marathon year. I had a goal.I was determined to reach it. God had other plans;and apparently still does. I will be the first to admit I am independant and rebellious by nature. This is not good .Oh yea,and stubborn.About the only thing stubborness does is make me a consistant runner when I am healthy.When you are injured ,it is a definite liabilty.
Refocus,refocus,refocus.Ok so now I am refocusing. I have already admitted this will not be my marathon year. Once spring sprang and all of my running friends were training and then racing,I admitted out loud,ok-I won't be able to do a marathon this year unless the heavens part I recieve a miraculous healing. But even after that I still wasn't humbled enough.
As I struggle to make sense of this injury my heart breaks for friends with more serious problems.
This spring our community has experienced several of these life changing moments. This includes and 8 year old boy who was healthy last spring ,being diagnosed with brain cancer and then passing away last month.
It's all about perspective.I read about all of my running friends on facebook who accomplish miraculous feats of grandeur,and I want that too. We all do. But each of us have our individual struggles. I think of Nora,Kate, Angie and many more and realize that what life really is .. is overcoming the day by day struggles that will not change or heal or ever go away.
You are all so very dear to me.And although we may never meet in person, I treasure each of you in a very personal way.
The truth is ,that every time you can get out that door and go for a run,you are overcoming obstacles in your daily life. Every run may not be smiley,but it IS an accomplishment,no matter how big or small.
We all want to be Jason and Shelly. We all want to be Shacky and Vanessa. That is why we love and respect them do dearly. But few of us will ever get their opportunities.
I am so touched and thrilled by Chris' first ultra, excited for Krista's upcoming ultra and SO excited and proud that Trisha is diving in head first for her first ultra.Go for it!! Each one of you !!
Embrace whatever you can with all you 've got!!! Do it for the rest of us!!!
The rest of us really do live vicariously through you !! We really do!
 And you are all such a great encouragement and inspriation when one of us is down. Thank you ,to each of you .
And yes,I am running an ultra-hoping for next year. My friend Renee Bjork has inspired me.I will right there with you in spirit Renee,Trish and Krista!! Give it all you 've got girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finish Line Smiley!!!

Well after 30 years of consistently running 25-35 miles a week I finally ran my first large race! Yes-it was quite a huge accomplishment for me! I began running 30 years ago after my second child was born..story for another day. In all those years I have lived in mostly rural areas and have always enjoyed running alone.So, racing for me was never very enticing. A few 5 ks, but in general,racing just wasn't appealing. Throw in  raising 3 kids and running my own business, and well you get the picture.
For some unknown reason-this was THE year. I began barefoot running last spring and have been working on that all summer as well. So I was training for a preliminary 12 mile race in July, and sure enough-race week injury! Because I am antique and experienced I was wise enough to realize I should not race that week.Besides that, I have had a chronic achilles problem all summer,but I forged ahead.Onward and forward,after prodding from friends, I signed up for the Twin Cities 10 mile race on 10/2 and the Monster Dash 1/2 marathon 10/29. I never do anything the common sense way-only ever dive in head first and this was no exception.
Living in a rural area is amazing for daily running, but always poses issues for being in the big city at the crack of dawn for any reason.Luckily a friend of mine was sweet enough to offer me a gourmet meal and a bed nearer the race. We had a fun lovely evening that even included quinoa for the prerace meal as she was also racing.
Interestingly enough, I was not nervous at all. It was only 10 miles-piece of cake,and I had no illusions of breaking any time records.I have been doing 12-15 mile runs every Sunday.  So this was just going to be a run smiley fun day. I did have one little trick up my sleeve however. I hesitated to even tell anyone.
My personal goal was to run the end of the race barefoot.
I had been barefooting all summer, and after all only have,let's see chip and seal ,or chip and seal,or oh yea chip and seal as my daily barefoot terrain options. (oh wait or gravel)
So race morning arrives! NO sleep whatsoever...an inadvertent extra cup of coffee in the eve-should have known better. So although the bed was comfy and the accommodations were luxurious..um yea..no sleep.
Also -no a.m.coffee-me who has 3 cups of coffee before my daily run. The neighbor lady was kind enough to bring me coffee on the way to the race ,but by then I was in race(not I need a bathroom) mode.
On to the race...chilly morning ,but it would be go into the 70's by noon. My stomach was remarkably calm. I was packed into the slow newbie starting corral, so my hopes for the first few miles were not very high. I had studied the course,hills,  etc and I was ready!! The race began at 7:09 (why I have no idea) and we actually were able to start by 7:23. So far so good. I was sandwiched in between the 7,579 other TC10 milers.Because I don't own a Garmin and never even run with a watch,I just set up for a cruisin smiley race.
The crowd actually moved ahead and spread out more than I expected.For the first 2+ mile I ran up on the sidewalk edge as much as possible to get around people and not feel claustrophobic. As I am used to running alone,this was a bit of a concern. But I grew up in the Chicago suburbs,so crowds didn't really bother me. Having never done such a huge race  before ,I had no idea what to expect regarding pacing. I just decided to run how I felt and I did. The first several miles seemed really long,partially because we were going uphill. But once I began passing a lot of people,I felt a lot better and settled into my pace. Somehow,I never really knew what mile I was on throughout the whole race. Why ? I can not tell you why I couldn't see the mile markers.I noticed all of the marathon mile markers,but not mine! Maybe God's way of nudging me into the marathon next year?
Finally as we were headed on a gradual incline (which I only knew from studying the course) up Summit Av, I gave up and started asking people what mile we were on.Surprisingly no one else I asked knew either!!
One girl said," My Dad was supposed to be at 5 1/2." Ok-never knowing if she saw him or not-Sooooooooo-figuring we were near mile 6,I thought-Now is the time!!! I was keeping a good pace ( for me) and felt overall great(my achilles were holding up!)....so I quickly jumped over to the side on the grass and whipped  off my brand new Stem minimalist (awesome and amazing shoes by the way) without even using my hands! Picked them up and off I ran!! It usually takes me a mile to pick my pace back up after taking shoes off in the middle of a run. I was shocked that I seemed to pick my pace back up almost immediately!! I just kept cruising. It did turn out to be a lot of (ok mostly) chip and seal and I thought, "Haha-I fooled em-I can do chip and seal!!"
I ran and ran, feeling awesome and free as I passed people. Inadvertently ran through a crowded and messy water station that I promptly avoided by changing sides of the road-so  I would avoid much wet pavement.
I did notice as we were heading due East that the sun was aggravating me. I had sunglasses, but no hat and my sunglasses were steamy. That was a mild irritation.
 This was soon disspelled by cheers from the crowd of "GO barefoot lady!!!"   And THAT my friends was worth everything....
I heard several more comments as I ran but none was as inspiring as the first. As we descended down a mild hill toward The Wall and then back up the last hill,I still had no idea what mile we were on. I knew we were getting close,but still no idea! Then out of no where, I saw the Minnesota State Capital and the finish line!!!! I was like -"YES" I am so going over that finish line barefoot!!!! ...and I did..waving my shoes in the air .....
I could have kept going but you couldn't even get through the crowd!! I figure I ran the last 4 miles barefoot according to my calculations.And it was awesome!

ok-so my husband was little confused as to which race this was...

We went back to watch the marathoners coming in and cheer. I saw only about 3 other barefooters in the marathon,but no others in the 10 miler.I yelled as loud as I could for those barefoot marathoners!

Here is my picture of me and my very first medal (which husband hung in the kitchen ).

5 Mile	47:00

9:26 per mile (view kilometer pace)
62 percent (view time)
3824 out of 7549
1812 out of 4632 Females
83 out of 276 Females in the F5054 Age Group


and I passed 581 runners overall and was passed by  only 36 overall.

Yup ...just pretty dang proud of myself!!!!

And without knowing it,this was the 30th anniversary of the Twin Cities Marathon...

  What a smiley way to celebrate 30 years of running!!

Run :))) always!






     

Happy Heat Wave

As the whole world knows the Midwest has been engulfed by an unusually horrendous heat /humidity wave for about a week now. As a runner, this is always a challenge. Well dumb me, who totally knows better, ran last Sun 7/17/11, when according to the local meteorologist, Minnesota was had a heat index the SAME as the Amazon jungle!! Altho I knew it was hot and humid, I didn't get myself out the door until 10am-bad choice! I work 6.5 days a week, and so Sunday is my only full day off,well you get the picture. Sunday is also the only possible day that I can work in a long run. So as I was working my mileage back up after being injured, I was determined to suck it up and pound out a few extra miles. To top it off I am very fair skinned,so the sun is also an issue.
Because I was so excited to run again,after a short day before, I wore my VFFs and chose a gravel road run that is somewhat shady . I wasn't expecting to break a speed record,mind you, but I was hoping for a decent pace. It was so humid it was hard to breathe and no breeze.
The first 3 miles were great and gorgeous as I ran down into a into a woods and past a small lake, enjoying the pelicans along the way. As I ran out of the woods up into the farm field area,it was slightly hotter. I was ok-I can do this-no  big deal.After all I am a Minnesotan (actually an Illinois transplant).
As any Minnesotan will tell you, we are accustomed to accepting all weather as a  challenge.I run all year-all through the winter...many blogs for many another day.I will just add though,that I do not own a treadmill and run in -10-15 below 0 and who knows what wind chills, and run in sheet metal screws through the ice and feet of snow....like I said food for other blogs.
So back to the heat. I can do this. Just relax and take it slow. I was well hydrated and only planning on about 8 miles. No big deal. As I progressed uphill and rounded the curve at about mile 3 I noticed I was slowing down. It was hot and blazing sun. I saw the marker for about mile 3.5 and thought, ok I will turn around there and do 7. After turning around, I am on my way back-yea!! Psychologically that was a triumph in itself. Ok slowing now, 5mile and coming back now  downhill and into the shade!!! SHADE....like a long tall cold drink of water...Right next to the lake ( a wildlife lake,not sparkly clean on a hot day...in a marsh...) and the thought crossed my mind..I could actually drink that water...NO ICK.. like I said not sparkly clean. It occurred to me that if I was thinking of drinking mirky water, I was probably getting close to being overheated. Here I was 2
miles from home in the SHADE ,and what did I do ??? I STOPPED!!!!!!!! Now you have to realize in  30 YEARS yes count them -I am old(54)-in 30 years,in ALL weather,ALL terrain, I have NEVER stopped in the middle of a run before!! NEVER!!! Not even when I have gotten injured! NEVER,not one time!!!
I stopped in the shade,walked in a few circles, and then started running again..slowly... about 1/2 mile later I stopped AGAIN!! I actually blame this all on the Smiley Collective...because I suddenly realized...hey running smiley means it's ok to stop!!! WOW !What a revelation! As I pondered this, I decided to walk briskly-hey-this will work-walk 1/2 mile, run 1/2 mile...so that was the last 2 miles of my heat run. And guess what ??? IT WAS OK!!! I was still smiling!!
  Plunging my feet into the lake after returning home, and letting my body recover from the heat, I felt like running smiley was taking over my life!! Sounds dumb ,yes... but it has overflowed into all of my daily activities!! Running smiley was definately restructuring my runs.
Now it is Wednesday.It is still extremely,abnormally hot and humid. Although I have AC at work, we do not have AC at home. We live in the woods, on a lake, and normally it is comfortable. But this week has been extreme. Sleeping has been rough.
Monday, ran at 7am 5.3 miles -very hot and humid-but last mile barefoot!! Tuesday ran at 7am same and today Wednesday  a breeze yea!!, I ran 2.5 m and ran 2 miles barefoot (on chip and seal road).. I felt fantastic!!! I even was slightly faster today...slightly...my barefootin WAS faster!!I am so excited!! I can run smiley and barefoot in the heat!!
Proof positive that running smiley breaks barriers.....and stopping to smile is ok :))

pps/ Do not run in heat if you are not an experienced,seasoned runner and stay very well hydrated.