What Did I Sign Up For?

MTD’s is 3 weeks away and at this point I’m asking myself “What the hell was I thinking?” This will be my first foray into the ultra world. It’s a 12 hour race and I know I am nowhere close to where I should be as far as training. I’ve never signed up for a race this early in the season. Normally I would sign up for a late summer or fall race so I had all summer to train since I’m off in the summers with my teaching schedule.

My reason for signing up for this race was for two reasons. The first being to face my fears and do something that is outside my level of comfort. This is definitely way outside. The longest race I have previously run is a 25k and that was 3 years ago.

The second reason I signed up is to try and motivate myself to train more in the winter and spring months since those are times when I tend to taper off because of weather, the winter blues, and work. It’s much harder for me to motivate myself to run during the winter months and I thought having an impending race would greatly help.

So even though I don’t think I’m prepared for this race I’m going to look at the list of positive things that have come from training for it:

• I ran in conditions this winter that I have never run in before including a 2 degree winter run and my longest run which was 21 miles.

• I ran trails in the winter for the first time. Since I transitioned to Vibrams this was a lot tougher than I anticipated. The bottoms were very slippery in the snow especially going up or down hills but I didn’t fall once. Ok, that’s not totally true. I fell once but that wasn’t while I was running, it was when I was videotaping my husband run up a hill. Stupidly, I had the camera out while I was walking up the hill. I was so worried about dropping it that I fell on my side and had a nasty looking bruise for a week. Running on trails in the winter is a whole body workout. It was a love/hate relationship. I loved the hard workout but I was sometimes cursing myself on the hills.

• My total mileage this winter was more than I have ever done in the past. I kept up my mileage and even broke new ground by running longer runs much sooner. Normally I would have saved my long runs for when school got out and I had more time available.

• I am cross training earlier than I normally do. In the summer my husband and I are both off and we joke that we become gym rats. It’s easier when you don’t have to work and can both help take the kids to the gym so we go at least 4 to 5 times a week. I have even been getting up, although not always consistently, to work out before work.

• I have a new love of trail running. Running on trails is mentally so much more pleasant than running on roads or bike paths. I love that I don’t have to watch out for cars or cross roads and am surrounded by beautiful scenery. I only wish we had more trails to run. We are limited to about 3 different options in the area and have to run loops to get in a longer run. Last week I ran 15 miles on trails alone. It reminded me of my 20 mile run because it was so tough.

• I climbed a very steep hill while running trails. It might sound silly but it was a big accomplishment for me. Here’s a picture of my husband climbing it. Previous to running barefoot/minimalist any hill would kill me. I don’t know what or if there’s a correlation but I went up the hill with much more ease than I ever expected. My husband says he’s convinced there’s a connection but cannot say why. I felt very powerful getting to the top of this hill!



• This is the healthiest I’ve ever eaten. This is still very much a work in progress but I am happy with myself for eating better. When I eat healthy I feel better overall and less sluggish but sometimes those temptations are hard to resist. I weigh 10 lbs less than I did previously (minus having 3 babies in between). People attribute it to me running more but really it’s been about me making better choices. I have been doing a better job at eating less and being more conscious of my food decisions. While I’ve been running longer distances at one time I have had previous summers where I have run the same number of miles per week so for me it’s really been about what I put it my mouth…or don’t put in it :)

I know I will learn a lot during my first 12 hour race. That’s the mindset I’m going to use going into it. I’ll take what I learn and use it in my next long race. So far I have signed up for my first trail marathon in August and will sign up for a 50k trail race in September.

I’m looking forward to meeting Shelley the race director, running my first 12 hour along with my husband, and enjoying the whole experience with my friends Mark and Jesse. I hope to learn a lot and have a lot of laughs along the way. I might not be in the shape that I want to be but I do know I will gain valuable experience and have fun at the same time.

Spring Break Highlights

I am getting really spoiled with spring break. I’m spending time with the family, getting in some long runs and getting back into cross training (which I missed more than I realized). It makes me ache for summer but it’s only 9 weeks away!

The highlights so far from Spring Break:

• The hubby and kids and I went on nature walk. We started on trails where there is a little more “nature” in the walk but had to desert that plan due to pesky black fly season. We ended up parking my car at my mom’s house and walking down dirt roads. Not quite as much nature but the kids really enjoyed themselves. We did find a stream of water to throw rocks in and stopped by a tree and had a picnic. The kids packed their own lunches and I was so proud of them for making such healthy choices.

Sometimes being so busy with school and work I worry they aren’t always getting the best nutrition. What I consider a lot of sugary or snack-type foods might be different than the next person. I was reminded of this when I accompanied my daughter on a field trip that parents had to pack lunches to eat. One of my daughter’s classmates drank Coke (regular), ate Rice Krispie Treats, chocolate chip cookies, and neglected her cheese and crackers.

I want to set my kids up with healthy food habits now to make it easier when they are adults. I think I’m doing a pretty good job overall but it’s still something I worry about.

Ava deemed the walk and day “the best day ever!” because we got to sit down and eat our packed lunches. It was a simple thing to do but those are what make such great memories.

• I’ve gotten back into cross training and boy do I need it! I’ve missed building muscle and feeling strong. I have been so focused on running and getting in my long distances that I’ve neglected what will help make me a stronger runner. My husband, who is quite diabolical when it comes to making up workouts, has been coming up with some great work outs. We belong to the YMCA which has an indoor track so our workouts consists of one person doing an exercise while the other runs two laps and then we alternate. We’ve been doing 10 exercises total and running 3 miles when we’re finished. The exercises he picks are fun things like jumping scissors, one armed clean and jerks and walking push-ups.

Since I’m able to work out more this week because of spring break, I’m vowing to continue the fitness when work starts back up. I only have 9 weeks until summer so my goal is to make it to the gym at least 2-3 times a week after school. We have 45 minutes before we pick up the kids so it will be a shorter work out but sorely needed.

• My son Reese stayed with grandma one night so we were down to two kids. It’s funny how much personalities change when you remove just one kid from the equation. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it’s bad. While I enjoyed one on one time with my daughter she doubled her noise level to make up for her missing brother at times. If it’s quiet at my house then something’s wrong :)

• I’ve had time to sort through some of the kids stuff and reduce some of the clutter. I donated 4 garbage bags of clothing to Goodwill and handed down Ty’s clothes he’s grown out of to my sister who’s baby is only 5 weeks younger than Ty. Ty is a big boy. He’s 11 months and 25 lbs strong! I guess starting out big from birth helps. All my kids ranged from 9.1 to 10.2 lbs at birth. My sister’s baby is 18 lbs. so I’m glad she can get some use out of the clothing. Next I need to tackle the garage and old toys but I’m not feeling quite that ambitious yet.

• My kids have been playing outside a lot more and one of the things they like doing is running around the yard. I love watching my kids run. The sheer joy on their faces is priceless. Both of my kids run barefoot even in cooler temps. They ask me if they can and I figure if they’re cold they’ll say so. My daughter is usually in shorts and a t-shirt when it’s 50 degrees outside. My son is the opposite and likes to be fully covered.

Spring Break is already half over. I’m looking forward to enjoying the rest of my time off and planning another long run on Friday.

My First 20 Mile Run!

This was my second attempt at running 20 miles. I was better prepared with food and water and how to carry it all. I picked up a few packets of GU, stashed water beforehand at a park and Jason was carrying a backpack for the food supplies we were carrying. I am going to get a backpack for myself to carry in the future; I just need to do some shopping.

I decided to go earlier in the day so I started my run at 7:30 in the morning. We had childcare taken care of so I was lucky enough to have Jason join me and I was very glad towards the end. I’m not sure I would have made it running all the way back without his advice and support.

We started down by the beach. The temperature was supposed to be in the high 70s or low 80s so I dressed in layers. I ended up keeping them all on because it was super windy, especially down by the lakeshore. The wind worked in my favor on the run out but I was cursing it on the way back.

Our route was going to be a variety of terrain. It started on sidewalks in a residential area then along a path by the lake and water - which was oh so nice! I love seeing the lighthouse and waves crashing as I ran by. We crossed over a bridge and eventually ran about 7 miles of trails and made our way back.

The first 10 miles felt pretty good. I was keeping hydrated, eating and keeping up a nice pace. Last time I hit a wall at mile 14 and that happened again on this run. This time I decided to try some chocolate flavored GU that also had caffeine, sweet, sweet caffeine! At first I didn’t think it was helping but after a few minutes I noticed a difference. I wasn’t feeling great but I wasn’t feeling as bad as I was 10 minutes ago either.

When I hit these walls, some of it is mental and obviously physical. I am working on mentally pushing through the walls. Even with proper food and water the voice in my head was working against me and desperately wanting to quit. Some of the thoughts that entered my mind were how in the hell do people like running this far? What was I thinking running trails on part of my first 20 mile attempt? Look at Jason, he looks like he’s hardly breaking a sweat and I’m here dying. I am never going to run another mile after this run – ever!

I asked Jason what he did when he was felt like stopping and how he mentally pushed through it. I think I’m a strong person and have a high pain tolerance but this was a new type of pain so any advice was welcome. He suggested thinking positive thoughts, tricking your mind into thinking it feels good and just keep moving.

This strategy worked until mile 18. I wanted to lie on the side of the road in a fetal position and have Jason pick me up. Go on without me!!! I’ll be fine curled up here on the road. No one will bother me. I’ll just take a nice little nap and see you in a few minutes. I was thinking these thoughts and not sure if I was going to make it the last two miles.

It was taking all my mental toughness to finish. It didn’t help that this part of the run sand from the beach was blowing in my eyes. The wind that helped push me along earlier was working against me now. I kept telling myself how good it would feel to accomplish this goal, just keep moving and used my music to pump me up. At this point I was really feeling like I was in a tunnel. I didn't notice much of my surroundings. I just wanted to keep on moving.

It was a long slow two miles but I made it. It was a great feeling knowing I had made it. I pushed through and accomplished my goal. Even though it was rough I know it will get easier. I can remember feeling (not to quite this degree) this way when I ran my first 10 miles and now 10 miles actually feels good.

Eating more along the way definitely helped. Being able to recognize that feeling from the last run was very useful. I still have issues with hydrating and going to the bathroom. I feel like I go to the bathroom far too much and don’t know if I’m drinking too much or if that’s normal or if it will get better. I don’t want to dehydrate myself so I tend to drink more. It’s probably something I’ll have to figure out the longer I run.

I also felt really nauseous after the run. I had taken a prescription antacid prior to the run because it’s an issue I’ve had in the past any time I increase my mileage. I will have to bring something along during the run to take to help counter that. It took at least 3 hours, lots of Tums, Pepto and another prescription antacid pill until I felt better.

For this run, I bought a new pair of shorts. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked them. They are now my new favorite short to wear. They don’t offer a lot for storage but I’m using my backpack as a trade off for any supplies I might need to carry. I tried the Race Ready shorts which had a lot of storage but I think I’m really picky on how things fit. I don’t like shorts that have tight elastic around my waist. I tried on a medium and a large but still feel like the elastic digs in a little too much for my liking. Maybe I just have a little extra around the waist :)

I found a pair of New Balance shorts which were a little longer which prevents rubbing against my thigh and chafing. They were really comfortable and lightweight. I like the wider band because it fit nicely without feeling like it was too tight or too loose. I didn’t have any issues with chafing with any of the clothing I was wearing. So far I've found I haven't had to use any Body Glide.


Jason ran the whole run barefoot and I wore Vibrams. I’m going to try and do more barefoot running this week and ditch the shoes altogether! The town we ran through is a resort town and populated with many wealthy individuals. It’s always funny to watch people’s reactions to Jason’s running barefoot. Some people point, some make comments, some have looks of shock but this time he had two people that actually laughed out loud. I’m used to the stares but I thought the laughter was a bit rude.

The next day, I feel surprisingly good. I’m not as sore as I expected I would be. I felt like my form was awful at the end but Jason said it was good. I know that is a huge reason why I am feeling so good today.

I’m looking forward to my next long run and having the whole 20 miles feel as good as the first 10 miles. Watching Jason run gives me hope and motivation. When I watch him run he appears to run so effortlessly even at the end of 20 miles.