It's been a while....

Well it's actually been over a year since I last "blogged" about running. I have to say this year has been a wild ride filled with life changes, disappointments, and injury, but also many new friends and hope for the future. I could go on, but in terms of distance running, I am just thankful to be healthy and doing it again!

At the beginning of June I was able to complete my longest race since last October-the Indian Celina Trail Marathon. I took it very slow and just enjoyed the ride. I was so happy to be finally hitting the trails again! I was pleasantly surprise to find out I got 3rd place overall for the ladies marathon....okay so there weren't that many ladies in the marathon. Celebrate the small stuff...

The following week, I paced Mike Else at the Mohican 100-a race we both DNF'ed at last summer. Mike finished and he was an inspiration for me the whole time.

This year, there will be more trail running and more medical school, both of which I will be thankful for. Life is about the journey not the destination.

This year I am going to try to keep updating this blog, more for myself than the fact that anyone might think my life is interesting :)

What is an ultra? Why trails? Why ultras?

So I think this post is long overdue, and I will refer people to my blog when they as these questions of me....which happens frequently. Some of my answers will be simple, some longer. Hopefully they just make sense.....

An ultramarathon is any footrace that is longer than the distance of a typical marathon. So anything longer than 26.2 miles. Usually ultras take place on trails as opposed to the roads. Usually there are large hills, stream crossings, high grass, biting flies, etc. Ultras do not get cancelled for lightening, heat, snow, ice, subzero windchills, etc. The pace is much slower than a marathon, and we all typically walk the uphills to preserve our energy for the next 30, 50, 95 miles of running we will be doing. We eat while we run, we develop horrendous blisters and often lose our toenails. Electrolyte imbalances and dehydration are common during ultras. Sometimes too much damage to our muscle proteins can result in acute renal failure. The most devastating thing that may occur is a DNF-did not finish, usually a result of being pulled from the race because you are too injured/dehydrated/incapacited to continue.

So why in the hell would anyone put themselves through this? Well, I don't do it for money, fame or fortune. In fact, usually I get disdain from coworkers, friends, and even fellow non-ultra runners at the thought of my doing something so stupid. My typical short, easy answer as to why is usually along the lines of "Oh I don't know-I guess I have a screw loose." My real answer is a bit more complex. I find something horribly stifling about living my life in such a way that most people don't seem to mind. Most people roll out of bed at 8am to go to a job they can't stand from 9-5pm, watch IQ destroying TV at night and go to bed. Wash, rinse, repeat. Day after day after day. Boring. This life alone could not ever be even remotely satisfying to me, and I need more. So I have turned to running as a way to satisfy this primal need I have for challenge, adventure, and dare I say fun. How many people can say that they physically pushed themselved to the brink of destruction and perservered yet another 50 miles using nothing but their willpower? Huh? Not that many. In addition to being boring, life can also be horribly complex, dissapointing, and difficult. There is something so beautiful and profound about the simplicity of running long distances in the woods. I can't explain it, but I wish everyone could experience the same peace that I do when I am trail running. Ultras have given me endurance and passion, not just for running, but for life.

Finally, why trails? I used to be a fairly good at road running, so why did I all but completely swear it off? My mature answer is because road running sucks. Just kidding:) I just like the trails better. They are easy on your joints, calming to the mind and appeasing to the spirit. If I run a road marathon I can't walk for a week. If I run a trail 50K, I can run again in 2 days. Trails are soft and forgiving. Asphalt is harsh and body-destroying.....just my opinion. I like trail/ultra runners better than road runners, too. Road runners do too much speedwork, pay way too much attention to everything they put in their mouth, are obsessed with pace, and only their finishing time determines their success-not enjoyable to me. Ultrarunners rehydrate with beer, enjoy long runs mixed with fast hiking, and I have never seen an ultrarunner elbow anyone at the finishing chute....Everyone is a winner at ultras. Trust me, if you have run 50/100/whatever miles, then you have won an enormous battle against yourself.

My favorite ultrarunning story is about Scott Jurek-only the best male ultrarunner that ever walked the earth. He wins everything-Western States, Badwater, you name it. After he beats the rest of the field by hours and hours, he also sits around and waits for the last person to finish so he can cheer them on. That means Scott Jurek wins Western States in about 16 hours, and sits around for another 14 hours to cheer on the rest of the finishers. That is the epitome of ultrarunning. And those are my very long answers to some very short questions that I frequently get asked:)

I think I spent the entire weekend running........

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Well, I have come to the conclusion that sometimes you just need to put your head down and barrel through the tough times as though it doesn't affect you. Humans are very adaptable and capable of putting up with much more than we give ourselves credit for. This year, I think I have had to become very good at pushing through the tough times and being adaptable. But it this very attitude that is allowing me to pursue my first 100 miler.

This was a big week for me as far as mileage goes. I have run nearly 80 miles in 7 days, which is more than I have ever run in one week in my entire life. Several weeks into running 60-70+ mileage range during a given week, I can feel the changes in my body. My appetite is obnoxious, and I feel my body is craving more sleep. I have become used to running at a semi-decent clip, without it feeling like much more work than just walking. Graduate school seemed to take away my abs, but they are finally coming back. I am just so fascinated with how adaptable the human body and mind are when it comes to running, and this weekend was a big testament to that.

Last fall I decided my plan was to BQ and PR in my half marathon, and the Indy Mini was supposed to be my place to do the latter. Well, needless to say, my goals changed drastically over the year with several ultra races being at the top of my priority list. Lots of people BQ, and I think I can too. But I just don't think a BQ is going to test me the way I want to be tested right now. I want to see if I can push myself past pain, fear, and the most extreme limits of physical endurance. I want to see if I have what it takes to run 100 miles at once. I just want to see what I am truly made of.

So the Indy Mini was a big shocker to me this weekend....so much different than the types of events I have been running lately. I was running the race with my running partner, who is also an ultrarunner. She was planning to run it in around 2 hours, and I was planning to stay with her. My half marathon PR is around 1:35. Now granted I cannot run this time right now with no speed work under my belt, the former road runner in me did have the urge to pick up the pace. I am so glad I didn't. Not only for the fact that it was just the beginning of many more miles this weekend, but also because I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We finished in around 2 hours, both feeling like the race was a nice easy warm up and a fun spectacle just to be a part of.

So for the rest of my miles this weekend, I moved on to dark side of running...literally. Being back in Fort Wayne on Mother's Day allowed me to run with some old friends which was awesome. And of course we had to keep things interesting by starting the HUFF course at 4:30am in the pitch black darkness. I woke up at 3am to get ready and be there to start by 4:30am (good practice for sleep-deprived running). I would just like to point out that 3am is a completely obnoxious time to wake-up to go trail running. However, for the 100 miler I will be running all night after running all day so I just better get used to it. Mud, water, getting lost, peeing in the woods, and two loops of the HUFF later, we found ourselves at about 22+ miles for the morning. GREAT training run! After all of that this weekend, I find myself sleepy, but my legs are just fine after about 37+ miles of running in 2 days. Interesting and amazing how adaptable the body is. Maybe just a year ago, I would have been incapacited by such a feat. However, I will be running at 6am sharp tomorrow...quietly working my butt off so I am prepared to test my limits in June.

Komen Race for the Cure 5K

My mom is a breast cancer survivor and one tough lady. Sincer her year long bout with cancer, I have always wanted to gather up my family and do one of these Race for the Cure events, so thats just what we did.The starts for the 5K run and 5K walk were staggered, so I had enough time to run the 5K and come back around to walk the 5K with my family.

I don't need to make a story about running this 5K. The real story is my Mom, who endured months of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Now, three years later she is a breast cancer survivor. She continues to struggle through some of the lasting effects of cancer treatment including osteoporosis, but she never complains about it. This race was a celebration of our mom. It in some ways I feel so selfish when I talk about "enduring" a marathon or ultramarathon, when people with cancer have to endure so much more.

What amazed me the most about this race was the shear amount of people present-over 40,000. Many of them were breast cancer survivors. Many were family members walking in celebration of family members who had survived the disease. Many others walked in memory of their loved ones which were lost to the disease.

The money thats raised from this race goes to support groups and breast cancer screenings for people at high risk who can't afford it as well as continued breast cancer research. Reason enough to do the race again.

McNaughton Park 50 Mile Ultra

I have wanted to run a 50 mile ultra for some time now. To say the least, I have been doing a lot of running this year so I began to think now was time. After a successful marathon up and down Black Mountain at the end of February, I gained enough confidence to sign up for the McNaughton Park 50 Mile Ultra. I first learned of this race through Stan, a friend I met at the Tecumseh Trail Marathon in December, and stayed in touch with. He was signed up for the 100 mile version of this race, which must be a 50 miler on steriods!

In the weeks leading up to McNaughton, I started hitting a low point with my running. I should have been in the best shape of my life, but the miles were seeming more difficult. Physically I felt fine, but I was having trouble keeping focused enough on my longer runs and I was getting easily dissappointed. I chalked it up to burnout, but I also believe the stress of upcoming life changes (starting medical school, David's job search, getting our house ready to sell) were getting to me as well, and that played a part in it. After having worst long run of my life 2 weeks before the race, I contemplated dropping out of it. I sought the advice of a fellow runner and veteran 50 miler I knew from my hometown, and he said "I imagine you can run 50 miles, but you might miss the fun." I decided an attitude adjustment was necessary if I was to complete 50 miles AND have fun doing it.

One thing no one could possibly tell me that I lack is determination, so two weeks later I found myself at the start line of the 50 miler at McNaughton. I was so happy that Stan was there, as someone who runs my pace and was a veteran 50 miler. I decided I would try to hang with him as long as possible. Since he was going 100 miles instead of 50, he had some serious pacing skills.

In terms of the actual race, the course was fairly difficult-many stream crossing rendering constantly soaked feet, massive hills, and a fair amount of mud. It was a ten mile loop that was to be repeated 5 times. Stan and I stayed together the whole race (or the first 50 miles of his race). I really enjoyed the company and conversation. We were joined by Stan's friend Jason during the last ten miles, and he was a riot! Granted we had already ran 40 miles he continually reminded us we were only allowed to walk the uphills. Some may have found him to be a slavedriver, but as for me, I thought it was hilarious! Consequently my last ten mile loop was faster than the previous two, and I was thankful Jason pushed me on my last loop. I finished in around 12 hours and 33 minutes. Finishing was a beautiful moment for me, especially since my husband was at the finish with a look of amazement on his face. I was pleasantly surprised to find out the next day that I came in 4th place overall for women. It looked like there were about 17 women that finished, but I imagine several more than that started. I was maybe secretly a bit proud of myself:)

How my body felt during and after the race was very interesting for me. I had relatively no muscle fatigue during the race. However, after about 40 miles I was having some serious issues with my feet. About 38 miles in, I began to feel like there were large glass shards between my first and second toe on my left foot. Since we just went through a stream crossing, I thought it was possible. I stopped in the middle of the trail to take my shoe off and found a massive blister had popped, and whatever was inside of it was oozing down my foot (sorry for the graphic description). I was just happy for no glass and I'll be damned if a blister is going to prevent me from completing the race this far in, so I put my show on and tried my best to ignore the pain. Luckily there was a designated "foot doctor" on staff (her husband runs lots of ultras and she fixes his feet all the time). I took my shoes off after the fourth loop for her to have a look and her response was "Yeah, they're pretty bad" and "looks like you're getting some jungle rot." What the heck is jungle rot? I didn't know and I didn't care. I trusted her with my feet, and she fixed me up enough to go the final 10 miles. I owe her a big one. That night after finishing my muscles began to cramp up badly and I had trouble sleeping. Thankfully I found myself to be mobile in the morning.

One week later, I find myself no worse for wear. I still managed to run about 30 miles in the week following the race, and my muscles feel pretty much recovered. Five toenails are black and will be gone soon, and the blisters continue to heal. I had some intermittent loss of appetite this past week, but that seems to have mostly disappeared. I find myself oddly drawn to completing a 100 miler this summer, and usually once I set my mind to something, no one stops me.

Reflecting back on the experience, I have an overwhelming sense of thankfulness. I am thankful to Stan for the company and Jason for pushing me on the last loop. I am thankful to the foot doctor and volunteers at the race for staying there to feed and hydrate the crazy all day and all night runners. I am thankful to everyone at the race because all I received the entire time was unrelenting encouragement. Thankful to have met a new friend, Kazumi, who is a fellow ultra-runner AND physician (and a mom to boot!). I am even thankful for the people who looked at me and doubted to my face that I could do it-it made the finish all the sweeter. Mostly I am thankful to my husband because he is the one that puts up with my running schedule on a daily basis. He doesn't complain when the alarm goes off at an obnoxious hour and wakes the both of us up so I can go running or when we have to eat dinner late because I am running at night, too. He doesn't seem to get annoyed with the disgusting appearance of my feet or my complaints about how sore I am. He is always my biggest fan and support system, and I am forever greatful:)