Single Digits

The "weeks til go time" countdown is now in single digits.  WOW!  Nine weeks left to train - three of those weeks in taper mode - which means I have six weeks of hard core, no wimps allowed, go hard or go home training ahead of me.  I've given up on being nervous and have thrown myself into terribly excited about this 100 mile adventure.

Until recently I had a coach mapping out my plan and monitoring my progress.  Though I love the idea of having this person to help me and hold me accountable, I learned that my lifestyle isn't conducive to following a rigid plan.  I require a fair amount of flexibility.  I didn't want to let the coach down week after week so we parted ways.  I would say that I successfully completed most of the workouts she planned for me, but it added an element of stress.  So, now I am going to spend some time pulling these last 9 weeks together and hope for the best.

I am thrilled that two of these weekend training runs will be pacing some great friends.  I feel honored that they are sharing their journeys with me.  I will pace Leah at Umstead 100 this weekend and ring in her birthday out on the trail.  I will pace Eric at Pottawatomie 150 and be out there running through the nights.  Yes, plural!  I don't know for sure, but I feel that using pacing as part of the overall training can be very beneficial for the big day.  While pacing I get to witness what happens physically and mentally in the later miles of the race, I get to brainstorm coping strategies, run through the night, practice walking, get lots of time on feet.  And the best part, I get to witness the sweet reward of the finish line through these amazing athletes.  So my new plan has two weekends covered, now to fill in the rest:-)


And my ADD will take this post in another direction now...

Last weekend I ran the Gorge Waterfalls 50k in Oregon.  I have never in my life seen something so amazingly beautiful.  I have shared Tara's pictures on FB - but here are just a couple of shots.  I would absolutely recommend this go on every runners bucket list.  Enjoy!

This is something out of a storybook...stunning beauty all around

Waterfalls everywhere - over 70 falls on the 50k course

And great friends to share the adventure with - priceless!

    Time to start planning!

      

Lucky 13

Thirteen weeks until the gun goes off and this 100 mile race gets underway.  The butterflies are starting to flutter around when I think about how this time is going to fly and how much work I have yet to do to prepare.  The nervousness hasn't brought me to tears yet but, I bet it will before the big day gets here.

During my training I am experiencing runs that build my confidence and others that knock me flat on my ass.

Knock me on my ass run:  A couple of weeks ago a group of us went out to Kettle to run 20 on a Saturday morning.  I was very excited to go out and experience a 10 mile stretch of the actual course...until I got there and started running.  The trails were covered in deep snow, my water was frozen, the climbs were tough, the pace was pitiful, my attitude couldn't have been worse.  I felt terrible for Brian because he had to listen to me em eff the course for 10 miles until we met up with the others.  Turning around at mile 10, knowing that we were more than half way done, picking up some friends who were extremely positive and happy to be out there, really helped my spirits.  When we finished the run it was such a great feeling...great to be done...great that I finished what I set out to do...again, great to be done.

The lesson learned from this run is that my mind can make or break the big race.  If I go into KM with the attitude I had during this training run, there's no doubt that I will fail.  Something to work on over the next 13 weeks.

Confidence builders:  The good news is I've had more in this category than the other.  I had a weekend where I ran long at VA and then ran long on the IPP the following day.  Felt great - not a stitch of soreness.  I paced the Snickers Marathon while feeling under the weather and finished on target.  I've been getting in some hill work and following the schedule the coach set out for me.  The mileage is increasing and I'm excited to work hard in order to make this happen.  I can only hope for many more of these confidence builders in the coming months.  I have a great group of running friends whose company during these runs helps keep me on track and make the miles just fly by.

I think that maybe we are supposed to experience these difficult runs during our training so we can learn something about ourselves and reflect back during tough times in a race.  Though I hope that my good runs outnumber the bad runs by A LOT - I will make sure to try and find the lessons from  the bad and learn from them.