So True

My Ahha moment

I had a total AHHA moment today!!!
I was looking at Facebook thinking about Saturdays race. My thoughts went something like this. What if I can't finish ? What if my feet hurt ? and then a bunch of negative crap to fallow.
Then I saw this quote and it was a long complicate one but what I got out of it was
 Don't be afraid of hard work. Then I it dawned on me. All that stands between me and the finish line is probably 16 hours of hard work. I can do that. I have done it before. Its a 100k ..62 miles I can do that with a-lot of hard work and I repeat a-lot of hard work. Here is the thing and I can only speak for myself the more I run
 Ultra-Marathons the more I know how hard doing this really is. Even now I find it hard to believe I can actually do this. After every race I sit and say to myself WOW G. You finished. You did all the work and you did it !!
That was my aha moment all that stands between us and what we really want is a ton of hard work. Everything we want we can have if we work for it. This is simple stuff stuff right . Yet so powerful .. This is going to be my mantra for Cuyamaca…Don't be afraid of hard work G. Just keep working.
Thanks for reading and I wanted to share this because I thought this might enlighten you too..

Saturday Night Check in

Hey you ! It is me and I am checking in. So whats going on with me.

I am feeling recovered from Noble Canyon..
That feeling goes with picture number 1.
So even though I love the long races recovering is a necessity for me. A-lot of sleep and more sleep. Jack sleeps I sleep. I also am doing my green homemade smoothie thing everyday sometimes twice a day and I am not sure if it helps but  I am drinking them.
picture number 2
 says I choose to believe the green drink thing helps.
Then there is picture number 3.
 I had the best run today. Yes it was so crazy hot and yes I forgot my water and music but I am thinking that is what made it so great. It was 7 miles and I was soaking wet but it was so good. It was one of those runs that reminds you why you love the runners high so much, maybe the only 7 mile thing made it nice too.
SO what is up picture number 4.
I am Nervous and scared about my last race. You KNow Cuyamaca 100k. I have heard so many scary stories about it. I have heard the second loop is so hard ,maybe the second loop is crazy hard. You know how it works when people tell you it is going to be really hard then only two things can happen. It is either crazy hard or it is going to be way easier than I think. I have never ran tho space before so that also makes it intimidating but and are you ready when I finish this race I will get my Grand Slam Jacket. Please do not worry I will do a how do I wear a Grand Slam Jacket blog post. So with less than 1 week to before my next 100k I will be checking in soon…I think I the runners high thing is still with me…. 

My Noble Canyon race report

Happy Monday!! Here I am all excited and ready to tell you all about my Saturday morning. I was actually able to get up on time and make it to the race about an hour early. It really did help my anxiety to plan ahead have most of my stuff in the car and drive there knowing I had plenty of time. As soon as I arrived at 5:30 am I saw Paul directing traffic. Its always nice to see a familiar face and know that your in good company. It was kind of cold but according to the news and to weather we have been having lately I knew it would get hot quickly. I wore a short sleeve shirt and I think I have learned how to pack my Nathan simply without stressing. I took 6 GU's. A pack full of water and granola bar.  Four S caps and that's it.  I used to pack everything I could think of but simple seems to work better. 

Like all the races I have done in San Diego this one went really well. I picked up my bib quickly and registration was well organized. I even had a cup of coffee while I waited . As soon as the sun came out I saw my friends and got in line and we started right on time. 6:30AM.

The weather seemed perfect at 7 am. I was not to hot at all. If you compare it to The Julian Full Moon run then I would say it was amazing weather. I start near the back. I know what I can do and I don't want to be in faster runners way. People were friendly and we all said good morning and wished each other a good race. 

The aid stations had everything we needed. Caring volunteers ready to cool you off and yummy food. I try and only eat bananas  and watermelon (my tummy likes that) and Ginger ale. This is never a good place to try new food if you ask me.

This was not an easy race. It was hard and warm out there. This takes a ton of work. I don't care if you are in the lead or in the back, it's 31 miles of hard work for all of us. Thats what makes it so good. 

  

This is my #runningselfie   

This was the half way point. My friend Nartaya came out and gave me a hug and a cold Gatorade. It warmed my heart to see her out there, cheering for all of us. The views are beautiful up here. I had no problems. I just ran and power-walked my way to the finish line. It was a good day and the race director and the volunteers did a great job putting it all together. They had great food after the race, too. 

I think I came in at 7:41. That was fine and I was happy with my time. The only thing that scares me is I am running Cuyamaca 100k in two weeks. I felt Noble Canyon was hard :( I can only imagine how hard Cuyamaca will be. I have heard mostly scary stories about how hard that race is. I am working toward the Jacket and I only have Cuyamaca 100k to go before I finish so… I have to do it and give it my all.

Here is a blurry group picture. It was a good time and the best part hanging out with all these cool people. Saying thank you to the race director after you finish because you feel so accomplished. Life as a runner is a good life. 

A Trail Marathon you don't want to miss

The Mt. Laguna Trail marathon is the prettiest marathon I have ran. St. George coming in a close second. It is a small race and the course is so pretty. Its one of those races that just feels good. The volunteers are awesome and there is a sweet BBQ after for everyone. If you have not checked this out you should. This will be my 3rd year running it. I think It will be the race I try to do every year. 

This was part of the course last year. There was a little bit of snow on the trail too. That is always a treat in San Diego. A marathon is such a great distance too. You can runs marathon and still have enough energy to hang out and eat. This will be my last race for the year. Unless something else awesome comes up :)

What I am looking forward too.

This was 2012. I ran Noble Canyon for the first time. Making this my first successful attempt at finishing an ultra marathon. I was so nervous I cried in the car and then I got sick. The start was awesome. I ran with Jeff and Mike. OK we started together and they finished way before me but we ran together for the start. It was such a good time. Next Saturday I will be running my second Noble Canyon. I am so excited and today I got butterflies in my tummy at the thought of running another long race. What excites me the most is the amount of time I get to be out there running. In the mountains in nature. I love that feeling. The feeling of being free of everything. Its just me and how far my legs can take me. EEEKK If you want to ready post 3 years ago you can go here.

One more week to go !!! DO you have any races coming up ? do you get butterflies ?
Happy Trails
G

Just a thought

If I had a choice to lead a nomadic life would I ? The thought of it fills me with excitement. I moved about 10 times before I was 35. I loved the feeling of leaving everything and going somewhere new to explore. The idea of moving around and having to learn things all over just sounded like fun. If I was nomad full time I would choose to visit all 50 states in my RV. I would visit the big ball of string or the huge thermometer. I would want to set some kind of challenge for myself. Run 50 miles in each state. The thought of back packing all over seems daunting to me. I would need car to do this. I would study maps choosing what park my 50 miles would take part in. If could choose a nomadic I might just do that.

Getting it down

I have so many stories to tell and so many ways I wish I could tell them. There are days when journal helps so much and other days when I can't stand to think about any of them. Sometimes I feel like I am running along the ridge of a mountain top and I go up and down. I love the terrain . I am writing them all down with some kind of vengeance. When I am done I leave that part of me. I leave it slightly healed. I leave it and move on to more. I feel this need to get it out and unload.

The stories of my family.
The stories of my children.
The stories of my childhood.
The stories of my love for running.
The stories of my heart.
The stories of the people I have lost.
The stories of how I love.
The stories of me. 

A day at the Wild Animal Park

Last week my dad and I went to The Wild Animal Park. It was hot. Can you tell how hot it was ? 

I really like doing outings like this but the heat kind of kicks my butt. So when you do things like this for your kids its so important to do some of the extras..Like feeding the birds. My dad payed for a little cup that held bird food or some kind of sugar water. The bird went crazy and so did Jack. I thought he would like it but it makes sense he did not. Poor little guy thought the birds were after him.  I got out of there and walked with my little guy to the big ballon.

The biggest reason I love going places with Jack is seeing things through his eyes. As I grow up I often take things so serious and he reminds me how cool this yellow big ballon really is. Look mama yellow.. He stood there even though it was like 95 degrees . I think his fascination was bigger than the temperature. I love that. He has so much to teach me.

We went on the train and he took my baseball hat off and put in on himself. He is a smart kid. He climbed on his grampus lap and yelled ooohhhhh mama !! This because we where moving. I try and close my eyes for a minute when he does little things like this and I try to take it in. I try to understand and feel what my little guy is feeling.

We only stayed for a couple hours. We left at 1 pm because it felt to hot for all of us. In the couple hours we explored I was once again fascinated with the fact that being a child is really great but so is being a mom. 

Meru Official Trailer #1 (2015) Documentary Movie HD

Bright Eye Girl

I think if your going to start the month of well then finishing a painting is a good way to do it.  This is my wide eyed girl. Let me tell you her story. She was wondering around this world and things looks fuzzy. The colors where not as bright as they could be and she just could not find her way.  One day she found these huge glasses and even though a small part of her did not want to put them on she did anyway. Then BAM> She could see .So she stood there looking of into the distance. Taking it all in.  the  color the bright sun. Suddenly she noticed there was an owl perching on her arm.  

Oh what a good day today turned out to be for my bright eye girl.
( she will be in my Etsy Shop )

Be glad you did

As I was getting ready to go meet my dad there where many things I needed to get done . I decided to let all of it go and that it could wait. Then I though to myself how important this was to my dad and how much fun I knew we would have. After changing my positives into negatives I felt happy. I had 45 minute drive all by myself in the car.  I could of thought man I have to drive so far but instead I thought Yeah I get to drive and sometimes I listen to music and others I drive in silence. It would be just me and sometimes that can be so nice. 

Even though I left early parking was crazy so as soon as I parked I  had to run to meet my dad and as I turned the corner there was my dad with a huge smile waiting for me. Suddenly the fact that I was in a hurry and the nervous energy just went away. Its funny how that happens. I made it with 4 minutes to spare.  It does not take much to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. The most important thing you need is to be aware of your thoughts and then when the negatives pop in there …think of some good ones and even if they don't seem as important as the negative ones just go with the good ones and you will be glad you did.