North Country Trail Marathon Race Report

raI learned a lot of lessons during this race. I learned you can push your body past points you previously thought all but impossible. I learned you can over-train. I learned I'm a little high maintenance when it comes to camping. I learned I have some of the best friends on this planet!

We made a road trip on Friday to Manistee National Forest in Manistee, Michigan. The road trip was filled with the usual stops for lunch, lots of laughs and an alcohol run. We were headed up to one of our friend's cabins where various runners would be meeting up to camp and socialize the day before the race. I have been waiting all summer for this road trip so needless to say I was excited!

The only dark thoughts that were running through my head was I was having issues with a muscle located in my butt of all places. Oddly, Jason had the same issue two weeks ago before our Fallsburg run. To back up a few days, we have been attending CrossFit sessions in which we are learning proper technique and learning new exercises. I have been loving every minute of it! The Tuesday before North Country we decided to test ourselves and try one of the more difficult exercise routines. You are given a score to see where your level of fitness is at. The goal is to reach 300 and anything over that is even better.

There are a series of 5 exercises in which you do as many of that one exercise as possible for one minute until you are done with all 5 exercises followed by one minute of rest. You complete this circuit for 3 rounds for a total of 17 minutes (which includes rest time). One minute seems like a breeze until it's not. I made the mistake of letting Jason go first and realized this was going to be TOUGH! But I like tough so I was up for the challenge.

Jason's final score was 259 and I followed with 211. I had hoped to score higher but I felt better when the instructor said his first time through he only scored 160. While this was a great workout it was not a very smart workout the week before running my second marathon in two weeks. I was so sore the next day which resulted in a spasm in my glute muscle. I wasn't too concerned because I still had 4 days until the race. Long story short, it did become a problem and I tried my best to use a rolling pin to alleviate the muscle strain but I wasn't feeling very optimistic about the actual race.

Jason & I the night before the race

Fast forward to Friday night which included a bon fire, good food, great company and meeting fellow runners. I met a few people that ran the Boston marathon that were running the North Country Trail Marathon and it was so interesting to hear their thoughts. The one that struck me was the comment that the dreaded hill in the Boston marathon wasn't as difficult as other people had made it out to be. I guess it's all relative. Everyone's version of a hill is different.

Jason and I were living the good life and were given the big bed in the camper. Others were camping out. This is where my high maintenance comes in. I was very happy to have a bed and not be sleeping on the ground the day before running but I realized that I do not sleep well outside of a regular bed. I was questioning my choice of not staying in a hotel room. I slept horrible that night. I tossed and turned. Some of that was due to someone snoring next to me and some was due to other noises. I usually sleep with a fan on at home to block out any other noises and I realized how much I missed that.

Friday night's campfire

When the alarm went off the next morning, I welcomed it. Since I wasn't sleeping too well I would rather get up and start the process of getting ready for the race. At this point I felt like garbage. I was nauseous, tired and not sure what this meant for my performance. I didn't want to eat anything but knew it would probably help settle my stomach. I forced some food down and it was mildly better. I was also having some gastrointestinal distress and both had me a little worried.

I did my best to remedy my symptoms and tried to summon positive energy. I was still having muscle spasms in my glute but was hoping that once I started to run things would feel ok. The race started, I ran and lo-and-behold it did feel ok.

The overall race was good. The trails themselves were gorgeous. The terrain was very Vibram friendly. I chatted with a few people along the way, but for the majority of the race I was by myself. After my last run I was a little worried about getting lost but thankfully I didn't.

Around mile 7 or 8 I could really feel the fatigue in my legs. This is the point where I was mad at myself for working out so hard prior to the race. The beginning of the run wasn't as easy as it should have been. I felt sluggish and heavy.

I found the hardest miles for me were between 13 and 20. I didn't hit a wall or have anything extreme happen during this time. It was all mental. I feel just tired enough at 13 to wonder how I will double that mileage and not quite close enough to 20 to feel like it's close enough to finish. My pace was good though and I ran as fast as I could and walked the bigger hills.

I wasn't paying close attention to my Garmin. Sometimes I like to look at it and sometimes I ignore it. I was looking at the mileage at each aid station just to gauge my level of tiredness. I realized at some point I had accidentally turned it off and had no idea what mile marker I was at. This turned out to be a nice surprise when I asked at the next aid station what mile I was at and they told me 21! Whoo hoo! Only 5.2 miles to go! I thought I was at mile 17 or 18 so it was a nice boost mentally. I was able to use that energy and run a little faster. At this point all I wanted to do was sit down. I was tired! I figured the faster I finish, the faster I can stop.

Two miles before the finish I ran into one of the fellow cabin members where I had stayed the night before. We chatted a bit and when he would run and it was the last thing I wanted to do I ran because it was easier to help encourage each other on at this point. There was a sign noting we were at the last half mile. We could hear music so we knew we were close!

We picked up the pace and ran into the finish line! Yeah! I could stop! It was a nice surprise to see my husband, Jason at the finish. I thought I caught him during his first loop but he dropped out of the 50 miler. We talked about this later and both agreed we had over-trained a bit during the last week. His was on a different level then mine since he had completed a 100 mile race only 4 weeks ago!

Our crew after the various race finishes (half-marathon, marathon & 50 miles)

I finished at 6:05 (not sure the specific time since they aren't posted yet). I was very happy with my finish. I beat my previous time from two weeks ago by 40 minutes!

One of the most cool moments after my race was seeing Jesse Scott's 50 mile race finish. This was by far the MOST exciting finish I've ever seen. If you haven't checked out Jason's video of this event, you should! I was so proud and honored to watch Jesse's finish! He is quite an amazing athlete!

I'm not sure what my next race at this point will be. I'm heading back to work tomorrow so my training time will be reduced. I'm not sure if I want to work on speed and try to improve some of my previous race times or try for another distance. On one hand I would like to get a little faster but I also want to enjoy the whole experience.

I definitely didn't enjoy the second marathon as much as the first. I think I should have tapered quite a bit more or cut down my workouts. I was a lot more fatigued than I should have been. While I didn't have a problem during the actual race I am having issues with my right leg now. The muscle at the top of my quad is quite painful. It's not anything that won't go away and it's not a serious injury but I know it could have been preventable.

I do have the best friends on the planet! This whole event would not have been half as fun if it weren't for them. They are so encouraging, funny and all around goofballs which I love. No matter how I was feeling during the race the whole pre-race and post-race atmosphere is always the best!

Jason and I opted to get a hotel room for the second night. Partly because I really needed a good night of rest in order to take care of my little ones the next day and partly because we have little ones it was nice to have a night just to ourselves!

I always want running to be enjoyable so I'll have to think about what I want my future goals to be. Right now I'm going to enjoy some much deserved rest and get back into the routine of the school year.

North Country Trail Race

Tomorrow we leave for the North Country Trail Marathon. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I look forward to meeting new and old friends, eating, laughing, drinking....and oh yeah, running!

My daughter asked me how far I was running and I told her 26 miles. Her reply was "Well, dad's run a 100 miles." Ha ha! Kids are so humbling aren't they?

At the beginning of the year I made it a goal to run a 50k in September. While I think that would be fun and challenging I have decided to wait until next year. With school starting, kid's sports and all the other craziness of life I don't want to take away from my family. I've ran more races this year than I think I have over the previous three so I'm happy with all the ways I have pushed myself.

This race will mark the end of summer for me since the following Tuesday I will head back to work and start a new school year. I can't think of a better ending. I've challenged myself this year in ways I didn't think possible. Just under two weeks ago I ran my first marathon, which I used as my training run for this race. Even though I didn't expect as many trails during the first race, it's provided me with much more confident about this race.

I cannot wait for the adventures this weekend will bring!

My Roots

I have a 71 year old father. He fell. He broke his hip. He was drunk at the time. My father is an alcoholic.

I've had phone calls from my father's girlfriend, Grace. She called Sunday and told me he fell and is having surgery to repair his hip. Apparently, he's not to pleased with his care and has pulled out iv's from his arms. Grace told me I need to go and see him (he lives 8 hours away) because he's not doing too well. He will most likely need to be placed in a nursing home because Grace wasn't sure if she could take care of him by herself. Grace has a tendency to exaggerate, last year she told me his health was really bad. The really bad, according to her, was he had to take cholesterol medication so I take what she says with a grain of salt.

I told her I can't leave. I have 3 young kids and responsibilities. I told her I would call after surgery and see how he was doing. I have other family members sending messages telling me my dad has fallen and broke his hip. They conveniently leave out the part that he was drunk so I reply with "Drinking excessively at his age is not a smart combination."

I have long ago mourned the fact that I have no father and never will. I have no expectations he will miraculously change and become the father of the year. I understand he only calls when he wants something. That might be money or it might be something else. I'm ok with that.

When I ran Fallsburg marathon just over a week ago, I met Jenn. We ran the last 13.1 miles of the race together. We really connected and talked about anything and everything. We talked about topics ranging from religion to parents. At one point she said "You must be really close to your parents" and I replied "I'm close to my mom but my dad is an alocholic and we are pretty much estranged." She apologized for being too personal but honestly it's not a personal question to me. Plus, I like to lay things out there and if you ask me a question I will answer it honestly. I make no illusions about having a perfect family or pretending everything is fine. I've spent far too much time worrying about what others will think and now there is no question "too personal".

I told her my father being an alcoholic is just a fact. Just like me saying I have green eyes.....it's just a fact. Would I like to have a father? Yes. Am I going to have one? No. I would also like to be 6 feet tall but that won't happen either so why dwell on it.

I have a wonderful husband and 3 lovely (albeit sometimes very mischievous) kids. I have a good life. Why worry about someone that isn't worthy of my efforts. I'll keep updated on his progress. I'll weigh my options but ultimately I'm going to do what's best for my family and me.

Success??

I recently had a totally random encounter with someone from my past. Without getting into all the particulars it was someone I hadn't ever expected to see much less someone who had recently joined my running group. I've grown up and matured and hopefully the same could be said of the other person (which later proved to be the case). I asked him how his family was doing and he had mentioned his older brother is the successful one. His older brother has a corporate job, a wife, a boy and a girl, nice house in the country, two cars....and so on.

He is 37, not married, no kids, college educated and had several jobs but none that seem just right. It struck me that he would make a point of saying his older brother is successful. I'm sure his parents enforce this idea that success is all the things his older brother has but it also struck me as really sad.

A little background info...I was married once before Jason. I was the "corporate wife' with a big house and fancy cars. I was miserable. I didn't like trying to keep up with the Jones'. I thought that was the kind of life I wanted for myself because I had perceived it as success. I fought myself and said this is what it's like for everybody, get used to it. Nobody is really as happy as they seem, right?

It took some time and courage but I finally realized that was not the life for me and I divorced. I found a wonderful man......yes, Jason and was very lucky to find all those things in him that I wasn't sure were really possible. I also had to dig deep, looked at myself in the most raw way possible, acknowledged behaviors that I wanted to change. It wasn't until I was able to face up to those fears that I was able to finally grow and change and become the person I have always wanted to be. It was scary at times and liberating at it's best.

Back to the present. This person I encountered sent me a message a few days later and I responded. I talked about a few things but I really wanted to talk about success. My response was basically this....success is whatever you define success as. For some people it's a college degree, a family, a job. Success is not the same for everyone. I think it takes more courage to continue to search for your own definition of success than to settle for anything less. Nobody should tell you how you should be successful. That should come from within.

I'm sure within his circle he's considered unsuccessful but I have a different perspective that maybe those things don't define success for him. Maybe he's still searching. Maybe he's not settling. Or maybe I'm way off base and reading into things. Either way, it got me thinking.

For me success is raising independent, self-thinking children. I don't want them to ever feel like I have any preconceived notions of how I want their lives to unfold. Success would be for them to follow their own path and never be led. I want them to question themselves, others and me for that matter. I think that's the only way they will truly be self fulfilled.

Success for me would be living in the country with chickens, goats and my own garden and overall a much more simple way of life. Luckily my husband has the same dream so it's just a matter of making the necessary changes.

Success for me is also never settling. Jason and I may be in store for some life changing events in the next year or two which is a little scary but I think ultimately I think will reap great benefits. I don't ever want to feel like I'm only doing something for the wrong reasons or continue doing something because it seems like the "right thing to do".

"I don't want to come to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. " - Diane Ackerman

Fallsburg Marathon Race Report

Going into this race I was not feeling very confident. This was my training run for the North Country Trail marathon on August 28th. I thought if I could run the distance I would gain a boost in confidence. I was told by my husband that this would be a good marathon to start with since it would mostly be roads with about 30% trails. I should know by now that either Jason likes to mess with my head or life just throws you curve balls. I can’t tell you how glad I was for the curve ball….at the end of the race of course!

I was initially nervous about the forecast which was calling for 89 degrees and very humid with scattered thundershowers. While it was humid, the forecast was much better than I expected. It remained overcast with a breeze.

On race day, we got up around 5. I like to eat a small meal, hydrate and drink some coffee pre-race. We also had to drop off our 15 month old that morning. My niece kept the older two overnight. She has been such a tremendous help by watching our kids and the kids love her. Reese recently told her he wants her to be his girlfriend. : )

We arrived at the race around 7:15 a.m., start time was at 8:00 a.m. We knew a few people running who we met and chatted with. Jason was “recognized” but he’s easy to spot in his kilt and bare feet! We’re so lucky that we get to meet so many local runners and have such a great support system. I love meeting people I’ve chatted with online.


At the start of the race, I started at the back. There was also a 5k and 13.1 mile run starting at the same time as the marathon so I knew I was going to start slow. I wasn’t quite sure how to pace myself in the beginning. Since this was my first marathon distance, I wasn’t pressuring myself to run fast. My goal was to finish which mentally took a lot of pressure off of myself.


Even though I went to the bathroom before the start of the race I think I get some kind of pre-race jitters. The first 4 miles all I could think about was where I was going to pee. Should I wait until I feel I can’t hold it any more? Would there be a port-a-potty at the first aid station? Should I go now so I’m not obsessed with peeing. This conversation lasted for 4 miles before I decided to go in the woods.

I tried to find some kind of coverage and went behind some brush. Worried I was probably in more plain sight than I would like to be I rushed back to the trail. The oddest thing happened. The back of my right leg started burning, itching and basically felt like it was on fire. Panic set in thinking “Great! I was so worried about peeing and someone not seeing me that I probably sat in poison ivy or poison oak.” It didn’t even cross my mind to look at the foliage before I went. I was cursing myself while my leg still felt like fire. I itched it then proceeded to worry about spreading it to other areas of my body. I wondered if you could still run if you had it and I was mad that it would possibly hurt my chances of finishing. Then after 20 minutes, the burn and itch was gone. I’m still puzzled as to what would cause that. It turns out it wasn’t poison ivy or oak. Maybe I just got bit by something…I don’t know. When I initially looked at my leg it was red and rashy looking but now it looks fine. Weird!

I continued on the trails. There were quite a few hills. Some crazy ups and downs. On one of the downhill descents there was a rope to assist you on the way down. At this point I started questioning what Jason had told me about the first half of the race. The first 13.1 mile loop was supposed to be mostly roads and the second loop was supposed to be the tougher of the two. I was really wondering how the second half could be tougher than the first.

I was enjoying the run. I am really starting to love hills. I ran up about the first 1/3 of hills and my strategy was to walk up the remaining hills. It was hard in the middle to walk the hills because I enjoy them but I thought it would be wiser to conserve the energy.

Around mile 7 I started seeing returning runners. I assumed they were the front leaders of the marathon or half marathon. As they passed I said “Hello” and “Good job, guys!”. It turns out I had missed a turn off at this point but I didn’t know it. There were still people in front and in back of me so I assumed I was on the right path. Man, I get lost way too easily!

Shortly after that was an aid station. The workers asked where we were coming from since we were obviously on the wrong track. I got a little panicky at this point. Me and another runner asked if we were supposed to turn right or left. One of the helpers said we could turn right but would be going the opposite direction of the front runners. I found out later, we really should have turned left and could have went the right direction. I only added ¼ of a mile to my total distance but I didn’t know where we would end up. At that point, I wasn’t clear if I was really going the right direction or if I was really going to add or subtract mileage.

Basically I ran a 3 mile loop the wrong way. I felt like an idiot, not because I took the wrong turn but because I kept seeing the people in front of me and got 1 of 3 reactions. #1 - People would clap or cheer thinking I was really fast and ahead of them. #2 - I confused people who thought they took a wrong turn or #3 – People would yell at me “You’re going the wrong way!”. At that point if I could have made a sign up it would have been nice.

“Yes, I know I’m going the wrong way. I took a wrong turn.”. Eventually I started answering that 26.2 miles just wasn’t enough mileage and I really wanted to get my money’s worth so I was adding some distance or that I was taking the scenic route. I felt bad when people were cheering for me “No, no…I’m not fast….just bad at directions!” : )

I was very relieved to find out that we did eventually loop back and only added a little distance . I was oddly more worried I would run less than 26.2 and didn’t want that to happen. It was the same loop just my own route. Luckily, I had company during this stretch. I ran with a guy who was running the half marathon.

At mile 10 we went back into the trail system. I was still thinking at this point that there were a lot more trails than what Jason had described to me. I overheard a few people talking about a last minute course change so I figured he wasn’t aware of it either.

My legs were starting to feel tight. We looped back to the start/finish line. A few people yelled “You’re almost done! You can do it!” but I wasn’t. I had another loop to go! Believe me, I wasn’t sure I could do another loop. At this point I saw a fellow runner, Rick who also commented on how tough the course was. I was relieved to hear that someone else felt the course was tough and it wasn’t just me.

Going into the second loop I had a lot of doubts about finishing. There was a girl ahead of me who looked like a hot, tough chick. I thought if I could keep her in my line of sight, maybe I could use her as a pacer. I caught up to her and started to chat. She works as a medic in the Army and came from Pennsylvania to run this race. She had arms of steel so we talked about working out. She also had the same mindset of me to finish. She wasn’t worried about her time so we decided to run together.

This was my saving grace I think. For the rest of the course, we talked about everything from kids, religion, working out, friendships, traveling, loss of loved ones, and future races we would like to run. She helped push me to run when I didn’t feel like it and I helped her run when she wasn’t feeling it. I’ve never had such an easy connection with someone so quickly.

I think about how far I’ve come in just a year and I don’t think I could have had a conversation with her just a few short years ago. I would have been intimidated by her fitness and felt I didn’t compare. Since letting those things go and really being free to be myself has been the best gift I have given myself. It wasn’t easy but I can’t begin to say how wonderful it feels.

When we arrived at the last aid station (22.5 miles) we stopped at chatted with the volunteers. There were about 5 older gentleman and one lady. One of the older men told us his specialty was splashing water in people’s faces. Jenn said “That sounds good to me!” and I really didn’t think he was going to splash water in her face but next thing you know she was covered in water. He looked over in my direction and I said “Well, of course I can’t leave without my water” and away he splashed. It felt really good!

One of the volunteers noticed my Vibrams and asked a few questions and asked me “Do you happen to know a fellow named Jason Robillard?” To which I said, “Funny you should ask. I’m married to him”. It turns out two of them had purchased his book and were going to his workshop next Tuesday. I made them promise to ask Jason for his autograph and embarrass him. I told them calling out to him would be that extra added touch he would love : ) I think they might actually take me up on it. I’ll find out next Tuesday.

The second half of the race was mostly trails as well. I found it very odd that the sections that were road were very difficult for me. I went into the race thinking I wanted more roads than trails but the opposite effect happened. I found the roads to be much tougher and when I got back on trails I could run better. So even though it was tougher than I expected and about 75% trails, I was loving them.

There were definitely some tough spots like the sand hill that wouldn’t seem so steep if it weren’t 20 miles into the run. We also encountered a mud pit that we had to walk through. It felt great on my feet! There were a few small streams to go through, rolling hills and gravel.

As we were getting towards the end, I told Jenn about how Jason had a kick at the end of his 101.1 mile race. I was amazed at how he could run so fast after running for 27 hours. We talked about how the body was amazing because even though you felt spent you were still capable of giving just a little bit more. This is when she asked if we wanted to do a kick at the end of the race. Of course!


So the last ¼ of a mile of the race we started to sprint. I remember Jason saying the faster he ran, the less it hurt but I quite honestly didn’t believe him or thought he was hallucinating. I mean, he just ran 100 miles, clearly he’s not of sound mind. But it turned out the faster I ran at the end the less I hurt. You never really know what you’re capable until you push yourself. Jenn and I finished at the same time with a finish time of 6:46:35.


It felt so good to finish the race. I finally had the distance covered and regained confidence. Although, in the back of my head I couldn’t help but wonder if I was really going to be ready for North Country Trail. By all accounts, this was supposed to be an easier marathon. If NCT was tougher than this I was really beginning to question if I could really run it. It turns out that with the course change it increased the level of difficulty. When I talked to Jason he said if I ran this I would have no problem with NCT which is just 2 weeks away! He better not be lying to me : )

Fallsburg Marathon this Saturday

My first of two marathons is this Saturday. I'm still pulling out hope that the weather temps will drop. The initial forecast was 94, humid and storms in the evening. Today's forecast is saying 89, humid but scattered showers throughout the day which would be a welcome relief. I love running in the rain as long as their aren't any lightening rods flashing around me.

I was hoping to have gotten in longer training runs but so far I logged 14.66 miles and a 12.81 mile run within the last week. I've done a ton of cross training which includes Cross Fit, swimming, boot camp and hill work which I'm hoping will pull me through. I have no doubt I can finish but I was hoping for a little speed (at least what's considered speed to me).

On the bright side the last two long runs I've had were awesome runs. I felt great from start to finish which is something that can't be said of my previous runs. I've made some changes in my diet which might be a factor or maybe my thyroid meds are leveling out. Either way, it's very encouraging and just the boost I needed.

This race is mostly roads with some trails and hills but overall will be easier than the trail marathon I am signed up for on August 28th. I'll know quite a few people running both races which is always makes for a fun race. One of those people includes my husband so I'll have him cheering me on! And this race gives out good swag. Last year my husband got a sweet hoodie that I wanted to steal/borrow but it was much too large. Also included was a beach towel, t-shirt, socks and other goodies.

Other than that, just a busy week soaking up fun with the kiddos and my 10 year old nephew which is always filled with laughs. Full race report will be coming on Sunday!

Lessons My Kids Have Taught Me

I love my little ones and wouldn’t change them for the world. I take great pleasure in their curious ways but try to find the humor in much of what they do. They have taught me many lessons. Some I expected and some that were a surprise.

1 - Kids teach you not to buy expensive things.

I don’t normally spend a lot on things, especially makeup. A friend of mine recently purchased a makeup kit that was an all in one. I know next to nothing after 34 years in this world about makeup applications. My mother doesn't wear any and anytime I tried watching someone on television I got confused and ended up looking like a version of a drag queen. I once got a "makeover" from a local hair salon and let's just say blue eye shadow and red lipstick is not really my thing.

So needless to say, I was really excited about this purchase. When it arrived in the mail, I anxiously opened it up. I learned all kinds of cool tricks. There was a pencil to highlight the inside of your eye, shadow liner which helps eye shadow last longer and even how to apply the layers of color. I finally felt like I knew a little something about applying makeup!

My mistake....leaving it in the bathroom drawer where my little elves could get to it. Normally at bed, I put my kids to bed and go downstairs and watch television, read or generally unwind. I tell the kids they can play for a bit but then it's lights off. But sometimes I'm really tired and as long as I don't hear any screams, I figure they're ok. That was mistake number two.

The next morning my two older kids (ages 4 & 5) woke up. At first I thought they had bruises on their faces because of the dark shadows. Slowly it began to dawn upon me that it was my precious make up kit. Those little buggers! They had helped themselves the night before to my makeup. I wasn't in the mood to take pictures then but later I installed a "makeup drawer" of their own which is basically any old make up I no longer use for them to play with (preferably not at bedtime though). Below is a picture of their expert application techniques!


2 - You will learn the fine art of negotiation.

Kids are very good at getting what they want. They know your weaknesses and when they have the advantage. To illustrate my point I’ll highlight a typical conversation with my kids.

“Mom, can I have a piece of candy?”

“No, you’ve had enough sugary treats today”.

“What if I eat something healthy first?”

Here’s my first mistake.

“Like what?”

“What’s healthy?”

Never, ever set yourself up like this. This is a NO win situation.

“Bananas, apples, eggs, yogurt….”

“What if I eat some cereal?”

“No, cereal isn’t healthy.”

“But dad eats it” (Side note: dad has a Peanut Butter Captain Crunch addiction)

Damnit! Everybody wants a smart kid until that kid starts to outsmart them.

“Well, your dad bought it because he likes it but he makes sure he eats something healthy first”

“But I saw him eat it for breakfast without eating something healthy first”

Ok, redirect! Redirect!!!

“How about we make a deal. You can have some cereal with a piece of fruit then you can have a small piece of candy?”

What the hell just happened??? Did I just say make a deal??? How did a 4 year old outsmart me???

3 - You learn not to embarrass easily.

I’ve taught my kids the correct anatomical names and sometimes this can work against you. I’ve tried to say it like it’s no big deal even though I still want to giggle like a 5th grader whenever I say the word penis out loud. This summer we went to the beach for the first time. My son, who is 4, went into the water. He got in about waist level when he shouted "Dad! My penis is cold!" of course, very loudly. We giggled. When I thought about it, I realized last year at this time he was still in a diaper and hadn't had the "full beach experience". We're still working on his inside voice....

4 - You learn to set clear expectations.

Kids take every direction quite literally. One day after the kids bath I said “Kids, get out of the tub.” I could hear them in the bathroom. They tend to linger and drip water so I wanted them to come out and get dressed. What I really should have said was "Kids please come here and get dressed.” Because their answer to me was “Mom, I am out of the tub.” Sigh.....

5 - You learn to have a very good poker face.

There are times when my kids are mischievous but so funny that it takes every ounce of my being to keep a straight face and not laugh. This happens quite frequently. Whether it's having my son wake up covered from top to bottom in green marker. He decided to give himself a full body tattoo even though I swear I have found and hidden every last marker in the house. To make matters worse, I couldn't get it off so I had to drop him off at daycare and do the walk of shame. I later learned that baby oil is pure magic! It will take off most anything.

I wonder just what will happen when our youngest (who is now 15 months) joins in. They definitely keep me laughing and constantly entertained. A few more of their antics are shown below!

Burning River 100 Mile Crew Report

This is my second opportunity to crew for my husband, Jason and I can't begin to tell anyone how truly great an experience it really is. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the means and ability to either crew or assist at an aid station. You see a whole different aspect of running and what it truly means to accomplish this great task.

It definitely helps that I feel like my crew is part of my family. Jesse is listed as my brother on Facebook so of course anything that's on the Internet MUST be true! I was sad that our former crew member, Mark, ditched us to run a marathon but we had our own adventures with a Stand In. I came up with this dorky idea when I first found out he couldn't make it. We had such a good time during the last race we crewed together so I found a way to include him. Insert, Barbie Ken.

I'm not much of a crafter so I came up with the worst bandanna ever donning Mark's name atop the Ken doll. I uploaded pictures to Jason's account along with captions but here are a few of my favorites!


We picked up a new crew member, Art. This was my second time meeting him. We donned him our token "serial killer" since Mark was our first (story from my husband's Mind the Duck's race report). We picked him up in Michigan and were on our way.

Many laughs were had in the car. I hoped we weren't offending Art too much since we tend to have a very juvenile type of humor but he seemed to fit right in.

We arrived in Ohio and checked into our hotel. I had way too much fun with "Stand-In Mark". I took many pictures of him along the way and got lots of stares. I probably embarrassed my own crew more than anything because I would stash him in my purse and take random pictures. The picture of Mark waiting in line at the hotel is probably my favorite. I was laughing so hard my hands were shaking while taking the picture. I was worried it would be too blurry but luckily it turned out.
We met up with others at a local bar & restaurant. Some were running the race, some crewing and some were other barefoot runners. It's so great to actually meet those people in person after talking to them online for so long. I met Shelley and her crew - her husband was running the next day. He completed this amazing feat! Rachel & her crew who were also from Michigan. Rachel is only 23 and finished strong. She is such a sweet and personable person so it was so much fun being able to see her come into aid stations and help out in any way possible. We also met Johnny-O who was working two of the aid stations. Thanks for helping our stops go by so smoothly! We also saw him again at the finish line.

Everyone was excited about our upcoming adventure so we left the restaurant in hopes to rest up before the race. We ended up drinking too many beers and staying up later than we meant to. I myself, blame "Stand-In Mark" and his bad influence ways : )

Unfortunately, 3:30 a.m. came way too quickly. I slept like a rock, probably an alcohol induced rock. Not the smarted pre-race plan we could have come up with. Everyone got up and we were on our way to the start line. After crewing last time I got the idea of coming up with "Crew Shirts". Luckily, I got a discount from our school store. Jason said it was helpful because he could always pick us out of the crowd. I said I liked his kilt, one because it was pretty darn sexy but also because you could always spot him....at least until it became dark.

The beginning of the race started at Squire's Castle, which we visited the day before in the light of day (picture below). At the start (5:00 a.m.) it was still dark out. I love the atmosphere of ultras. There is such a camaraderie. Everyone is working together towards a common goal instead of people competing against one another. A great example of this was at the finish line we watched finishers coming in. Two guys came in the exact same time with smiles on their faces. There was no vying for one guy to finish ahead of the other just a shared happiness that they had both completed their goal.

After the start of the race, we headed to the first aid station. Just prior to the race, Jason purchased a GPS system and programmed all the aid station coordinates into. This is the single, best investment we have ever made. It made getting to each aid station so easy. All we had to do was punch in Covered Bridge Aid Station and followed the directions.

This crew experience was a little different from the first time since this race was a point to point race (one start and one finish) and the other race was 6 loops around the same course. There were pros and cons to each type of race. I felt like we had more time between aid stations which was handy if we wanted to hunt down food, take a nap or find oil for the car - thanks mechanic Jesse! Some of the cons would be finding the actual station which wasn't a problem with our GPS and estimating the times Jason would arrive (one we almost missed!).

The first aid station or two it usually takes a little while to get a rhythm down but honestly it was really easy. We divided tasks the day before which helped tremendously. We went over the assignments on the car ride again and it all went pretty smoothly.

Prior to the race, Jason gave each crew member a list of his demands....um er I mean, requirements : ) On the first two aid station lists was a trip to McDonald's to pick up a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. Those addresses were also programmed into the GPS so it was a matter of a few right & left turns and we were there. Unfortunately, the McDonald's wasn't open until 7:00 a.m. and it was only 5:30 a.m. There was no way we could wait for it to be open and get the sandwich to Jason in time so we made an executive decision......Speedway it is! They didn't have any breakfast sandwiches so we decided to try the tornados which were stuffed with sausage, egg and cheese in some crunchy unknown outer shell. It turns out Jason didn't want them and opted for Slim Fast instead. Jesse was the lucky eater of the tornados, which he said weren't too bad.
Our first aid station we set up shop and waited for Jason to come in. While waiting, we saw 3 college aged kids standing around wearing running clothes. We chatted with them for a bit until a runner approached them. They chatted with him and we didn't think anything of it. Then one of the kids asked him "So, do you think you could run these things without your mustache?" He was a very heavily mustachioed man and without hesitating said "No". After the runner left, I threw in "It's probably like his Kryptonite. If you shave off the 'stache his running abilities are gone". We kind of laughed and started talking again.

They asked us if we were at the start of the race and said yes and they said they didn't see the start of the race. I realized they were only watching the race and not actually crewing for anyone. Jesse asked them if the mustachioed man was who part of his group and they said no which made it even that much more funny that they randomly asked him about his mustache. Needless to say, the ultra atmosphere is a much different running atmosphere.

There wasn't a whole lot that Jason needed at the first few aid stations. Other than hydrating, refilling his S-caps, Gu and lube. Downside to wearing a kilt....you need privacy when lubing up. he got creative with facing walls, trees and using a hat as a cover up.

Some of the behind the scenes things you see are also quite amazing. You see runners coming in strong, lots of vomiting - there was a stretch of bike path near the end that I called Vomit Trails because every other step you could see where someone had recently vomited. You knew it came from runners because you could see all the staples at the aid stations....ramen noodles, chips, sandwich materials.

There was one particular guy that really stuck with me. It was at the Covered Bridge aid station at mile 80. His physical physique was what I would nickname "The Adonis". He was tall and muscular but lean at the same time. He staggered out and sat down on a chair. His significant other brought him a grilled cheese sandwich. Keep in mind this was around 2:30 a.m. and he had been running for 21.5 hours so his mind was probably in a whole other place.

He tried eating the sandwich but immediately threw up. He asked if the sandwich had pepperoni in it. I'm guessing he didn't want pepperoni. Maybe at this point he was seeing things. I know that has happened with Jason and my experience was to roll with it. I once pretended to kill bees because he thought they were swarming around him. No use arguing with someone who's hallucinating, right?

I sensed tension between the two. She got mad and said "I think I know what the hell pepperoni look like" and stormed off. After she left he started to sob. It was the saddest sound I have ever heard. This poor man was broken down and probably at one of the lowest points. When she got back he was asking about cut off times because he wanted to make sure if he started out on the next loop that he had the possibility of making the cut off time. The aid station volunteer gave him the times and told him to rest for a few minutes and think about it.

He continued to sob and his significant other seemed irritated. I'm sure she had good intentions but my heart went out to him. She went on to say "You ran more miles today than you have ever run before. Hotel check out time is 11. If we leave now we have time to shower and get back home. What do you want to do?" He still wasn't sure if he wanted to quit or not. His head was down and he continued to quietly cry.

At some point, she went to the aid station and pulled him out. I have never before attempted to run this far and cannot say if this man should have stopped or not. I was very tempted to ask him if he would like a pacer so he could at least give it a try. If he got pulled because of times, at least he gave it his all. If my Vibram's had been right next to me I probably would have at least offered. He did not appear to have any pacers and this is only based on my limited experience but I think that would have helped him out tremendously. It just saddened me to think he might have had it in him to go further.

At the Station Bridge Road aid station we thought we had timed it out exactly (or close) to when Jason would be arriving. It turns out he was a little faster than we anticipated. At this particular aid station it was the farthest away we parked from the actual aid station. We were walking up to the bridge where we planned on setting up shop. Shelley and her crewing were waving at us. I thought "Wow, these guys are so friendly. How nice of them to want to share a spot" and started walking to them. It turns out they were waving frantically because Jason was coming! Ooops! Mad dash to the bridge.

When he came in he asked where his Injinjis (toe socks) were and his huarache sandals were. The only problem is he never told me he where they were. Unfortunately, they were still in the car which was about 3/4 of a mile away. Since Jesse was the fastest runner we gave him the keys and he sprinted to the car. Jason told him the socks were in the black bag and the sandals were in another bag. A few minutes later Jesse came back with 2 really big bags. He said "I couldn't find the sandals so I just brought both bags".

Turns out Jason meant to say they were in the large Rubbermaid tub. Oops #2....um, Jesse....do you mind sprinting again? Jason's feet were a little on the rough side after having to walk the last 2.5 miles over very large and very sharp rocks. I knew we were taking up too much aid station time but luckily like I said Jesse is a very fast runner! Finally, he got both socks & sandals and was off!
At Pine Hollow aid station, we saw one of the most strange requests I have seen during an ultra. There was a man, dressed head to toe in what appeared to be a white compression suit with black shorts on the outside. At first I thought he was trying to appear to be a super-hero but I think it was all functional in some way. There are so many different ways that people dress for ultras and I can't tell you what that might help other than it was supposed to be very hot and it would have reflected light. The strange part was when he came and sat down. One of his crew members brought the usual stuff...water, food, lube and bug spray. The last can she pulled out was Axe Body spray. I can honestly say I have never seen anyone put on body spray during an ultra. I guess it's also nice to try and smell nice for your fellow runner : )

I paced Jason two times during the race. The first time was around mile 54.5. I was his first pacer. The first part (approximately 4 miles) was on some pretty gnarly trails. There were some very steep inclines and declines. We crossed a small stream over rocks and had some zig zag turns. During this time Jason was laughing and talking with me. We go to the aid station where he fielded many kilt questions. It's funny that people notice his kilt and ignore his feet when he's wearing it.

The second half of the loop (approximately 4-5 miles) was a low for Jason. I've seen him during his low's before at Hallucination so I tried the usual things...make sure he eats, drinks and pees. I can always tell because he'll stop talking and (I'm guessing) is focusing on getting through this point. I always feel like I should do something more but I kept on running/walking with him to the next aid station. I talked about him afterwards to see if there was anything I should have done differently but he said that's exactly what I should have done. I'm pretty good at knowing what motivates him but if there is anything I could do to improve I wanted to know for next time.

From here Jesse paced him. They are two peas in a pod so I knew he would have an easier time of bringing him out of his funk. They share the same goofy sense of humor and make references to obscure tv shows.....it works for them : ) At this point it was getting dark and Jesse paced him for the rest of the night sessions. Art and I made it to every aid station after that. At the next aid station I saw Jason at he was looking better so I very happy about that.

At this point there was little talking and lots of cat naps. I wanted to sleep whenever I could because I would be driving home the next day. At mile 93 (the second to last aid station) I paced Jason until the end of the race. The next 3 miles to the aid station is what I dubbed Vomit Trails. We walked the entire time and were in the home stretch!

The last stretch was all Jason needed to complete his goal of finishing Burning River. We started out by walking but I really wanted to see if I could get him to pick up his pace. I knew if I told him to do it...not ask but tell in a firm manner he would be more likely to try it. So that's what I did. I told him "Let's run to the next cone"...there were various orange cones set up along the way to mark the course about 1/4 of a mile apart. The first cone we started at was on the left. The second cone was on the right hand side of the road and even farther up was a third cone.

When we got to the second cone Jason asked "This cone?" To which I replied 'No, the other cone". Evasive measures were needed at this point : ) When we got to the next cone I asked if he thought he had another cone in him. He said "I'm tired" to which I replied "But you like hills. Let's keep running". That's when he started running and didn't finish until he crossed the finish line!

We picked up Jesse & Art about a mile from the finish line and we all ran in together with Jason. I couldn't believe how fast he was running. I had to catch my breath running up a hill just before the finish. He looked back at his Garmin and said he sprinted at a 6:45/mile pace!!! No wonder I was out of breath. He never ceases to amaze me. Here this guy ran 100 miles (finish is actually 101.1 miles) and he's smoking me!

It was truly an awe-inspiring finish. I was so proud of him for accomplishing his goal. Throughout the whole race, pacing, crewing and getting supplies he was always a gentleman. Not once did he yell or complain even at his lowest points. He was his gracious self that he always is and I loved being able to share this experience with him.

I cannot wait until our next racing adventure! And again, to anyone who has the chance to crew or provide aid station at an ultra, especially 100 miles, it's a whole different animal and gives you an experience of a lifetime.