50k Weekend Yay

Hi Peeps. So you know that feeling you have when you have not signed up for a race and the year is coming to an end so you want to just plan a quick end of the year thing because well you're a little nutty and you can't help yourself. That was me right before I found out I got into W.S. I have to be honest I also needed a little me time. Having a big family can sometimes get loud and I am not complaining just simply stating that I needed a just for me run. The other night I was on Ultra sign ups and there before me was a race and long story short I am running it tomorrow . The Malibu Canyon 50k   I am going to spend the night at a friends house that lives close by and then go RUN. I am excited I have only run in Malibu once before when I ran the bull dog in 2011 my only DNF. I know this will be a much better experience because I am a different runner now. 

Here is the elevation map. Looks like fun. I am excited for a couple things. I know I will make new friends. I get to run for a couple hours all by myself on a trail . I also feel like I need start taking nutrition seriously and I am going to observe how I feel through out the day more. So I will be back with a full race report soon. I hope your long run this weekend goes great.

Mt.Laguna Trail Marathon Review

I am sitting here in my living room and I am still so excited about yesterday's race. First of all, it is hard not to be when this is honestly my favorite race. This is my third time running this marathon and every time it has been a great experience. I was not sure if they where having the race this year but as soon as I heard they where I signed up and told all my friends about it. You have to share stuff like this. So, next year if you haven't taken part in Mt. Laguna Trail Marathon, do it.
The race started at at 8am. How awesome is that?! I got to sleep in a little and I also got a ride to the race (thank you Jeff ).  SWEEEET!!! We arrived at 7:15 am and we had plenty of time to get parking and our bibs, go potty and take a bunch of pictures. Everything was completely organized and there was coffee and bagels. As I was walking around I could hear happy conversations. You know runners catching up and excited to run. For me this was the perfect race to end my running year. The race started right on time. Scott Mills counted down and off we went. 

I ran a long time with my friend Jeff. At one point I told him he was the rabbit I was the greyhound. He would run and I would catch up. I was afraid it was going to be cold but it warmed up really quickly. The air was crisp but the sun felt warm on your skin. The trail was really well marked. I never had a 'Oh no am I lost' moment because there was chalk at the turns and lots of ribbons to keep you on the right path. 

This picture was taken by the race photographer.

This course is not easy but I don't think I have ever run an ultra that I could say was easy.  The course is fun, challenging and beautiful. What made this year different was knowing all my friends were out there too. As far as nutrition, I had Tailwind in my pack and I had a GU every 7 miles. I had 2 small bananas at the aid stations and a small cup of ginger ale and that seemed to work just fine. I was able to keep my 13 min mile pace. I was happy with that.

My goal was to run faster than last year. I really didn't care how much faster but faster. So I knew I had to try and keep a 13 min mile pace to do that. That thought kept me motivated to keep moving. I really did enjoy myself and maybe it was the distance 26.2 miles but I was OK this entire race. I never felt tired and my tummy was fine. Yesterday I had one of those runs that reminded me that getting all my training runs in and working out make a big difference. I felt like I knew the course and I could compare last years run to yesterdays run and I just felt stronger. 

My dad and my 14 year old son volunteered yesterday and I have to say that running into an aid station and seeing my them felt so special. My son took this picture of me when I ran in. He kissed me on the head and said 'way to go mom!' ( I melted a little)
 The course ends with yellow valleys on your right and then a steady up hill at the end. As I was running to the finish line I saw my youngest standing there. 

I finished 5:45 minutes. 6 minutes faster than last year. I can honestly say that when I saw this little guy standing there with all my friends and family behind him well I felt like I won the big race of life. My kids, my family plus add a marathon ( my favorite marathon) on the perfect fall day and I would say I had the perfect race day. 

How cool is this a bunch of the Trail Crasher Ladies placed. Debbie won the female division and Becca got 4th and Julian got 5th. Congratulations Ladies. I have so much admiration for you. 

I love this picture. All those smiles are I am happy to be done smiles. A huge 'Thank you' to the race director Kathleen Baker and Scott Mills for putting on this epic marathon. The amazing volunteers who took good care of us runners. Congratulations to everyone who showed up run this epic marathon. Happy Trails 

Showing up is half the battle training is the other half.

Yeah to Half Marathons

This past weekend I went on a little road trip with one of my favorite girlfriends . My  friend and I drove to Los Angeles to run the Rock and Roll half marathon.  She asked me to run with her just a couple days ago and I said yes before she was done asking. We left a little late and traffic was crazy so 3 hours later we got to the Sport Expo to pick up our bibs with about 15 minutes to spare. We barely made it. The expo was shutting down so we didn't get to really look around and that made us sad. I love the Expos. I managed to buy a pair of Altras at a great price with only 15 minutes to spare. I still bought something. That's a gift. I also bought a little shirt for Jack. Then we went to have dinner at this Italian restaurant that was crazy good. My girl friend is the queen of picking out super deliciuos places to eat.  Bottega Louie Restaurant  and Gourmet Bakery.  If you are ever in L.A. this place is a must. They don't take reservations either. We only had to wait for about 20 minutes. They also had valet parking and its as totally affordable. Then we headed of to the hotel and got ready for race day.

Sunday mornings sunrise was just beautiful. The sky looks like a painting . The weather was also perfect. Charlene and I started  corral 12. We only stayed together for the start then we each did our own thing. I was curious to see how I would do running on pavement and not the mountains. This felt way easier. I was never out of breath and I never struggled. ( I struggle on trails) This welt like a nice easy run. The last Rock and Roll marathon I ran was in 2011. It was cool to hear all the bands and see all the people in Halloween costumes.

 I ran it in 2:03 minutes . I was happy with that. I thought it would take me way longer I forgot I could run faster that 13/14 min mile. I was super happy with my results. Then I went to the finish line to cheer for my girlfriend. As I was there cheering everyone on I was reminded once again what a blessing it is to have something like this in my life. It does not matter how long it takes you what matters is that you show up. That's the thing something like this you really are showing up for yourself and it's a great way to practice self love. Yeah to life !

Live Running

It is almost a week since race day. I have been feeling that great calmness that comes with crossing the finish line 17:49  after you start . I am to tired to worry about stuff so I don't.  I was having lunch today by myself ( I love eating out alone) and thinking about why I love this sport so much. I came to the conclusion that somehow and I don't know how but this helps me heal. I don't necessarily feel like I hurt but the hurt is there and me  going out on the trails and running for a long ass time somehow breaks me down enough to know I made it. I survived my biggest heartache the one that has been with me since I was 6. The one that is not meant to be fixed because it has made me who I am. The one that I can't seem to let go of so I have chosen to let it be inside of me. I run because it heals all of me. It lets me know I am fine and I am way more than ok.
 It leads me to a joy I had never felt before. Its not the race but it is being outside and running and walking all day. I am falling in love deeply with the mountains that surround me on theses runs.  Every time I have the opportunity to be surrounded by them It just feels so good. I know I am a slow runner but sometimes I feel so lucky that I am still out there. Its not over yet for me and I love that. 

Happiness comes in so many different things for all of us. I feel so grateful that I found something I love so much. More grateful that San Diego has so many awesome races and ultra running community. This lady named Jenny held my hand last week looked in my eyes and very gently told me I know your tired but you have a race to finish. You can do this. I believe in you. Stuff like that stays with me .. I freaking love this sport. Happy Friday

Happy October

                                                              Happy October
Here it is the night before my big race. The Cuyamaca 100k. I am sitting here and there are so many crazy emotions in me . I am so grateful I have the health to even attempt this. I am so grateful to all my friends who helped me along the way. This is my last ultra for the year. I am a little sad but very excited. I think I will do it in 17 hours. You can fallow me here  UltraLive.net (http://www.ultralive.net/c100k/webcast.php). I am number 187. Moments like getting ready for an event like this are really cool. Getting up at 4 am not so much. I hope to have a great long story to share as my run will be long. I really do wish I was a fast runner because then I would only be out there like 13 hours  but I am me and this girl will be out there until 11pm.. I think. So do you have some great run this weekend ? What cool adventure do you have planned ? I will be sharing all about mine next week. Happy Trails Peeps. Holy Cow I will be running in New Nike Shoes. 

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 :)

Running for 12 hours . Yes I am

I did it again. There I was feeling sorry for myself for a couple of weeks. I was feeling like this flower   I was screaming for water or anything that made me feel alive again. I needed to rest but my mind was driving me crazy . It was filling me with insecurities. Your to old to run or you need to lose weight thats why your tired or maybe your just not a good runner ..( my crazy mind ) My body on the other hand needed naps. So I rested and like everything life has its ups and down and so I just road the wave. Ups and downs. I have been feeling the need to sign up for a race and I did. Tomorrow morning I will be running
The Julian Full Moon 12/24 hour run.  I know this will fill me with joy ..

I hope to feel like this flower. Big fat happy oh and blooming. For a runner like me its not about speed because there is always someone faster. Its about spending a whole day running OK not a whole day I am running the 12 hour race. Its about the experience . It's about having a goal of 50 miles in 12 hours. It's about trying something hard because its going to be 95 degrees out in Julian tomorrow. It is about challenging my self and living. Making my life fun and having a cool story to tell my kids.  You have to write your own story because nobody else will. I want to run and so send me lots of good wishes as I try to get 50 miles in 12 hours .. A bunch of my great friends will be running to so how fun ! What are you doing this weekend ? Something fun I hope or maybe its your turn to rest . If its rest up ..

What a weekend #WS100

Here he is starting on the first mile of 100. I was really honored to be able to share in such an epic time of this families life. There was so much going on. There are so many things that have to be in place to have a successful race of this magnitude. His wife  

(my best friend) took great care in making sure all his nutrition was taken care of during the next 30 hours. He made sure she knew where to go and what was going on by making a great book for her all the important stuff was highlighted. His mom and daughter where so supportive . It was just awesome to see them all work so well as a team that had one goal in mind that goal was to make sure they did everything in there power to make his race easier. Of course Jef had to run the entire thing but I am sure he felt the love and support of his team. They all 100 percent wanted him to have the best 100 mile race. That was awesome to see. So where do fit in I got to pace him. It was a great experience. 

There is nothing easy about running Western States.  The course looks brutal and the first 50 miles will kick your ass. When we saw Jeff at Robinsons Flat I thought oh man he he does not look good.  His wife said to me "this is only mile 29" . She took care of him and then we he left we held hands and prayed that all would be ok. Then by mile 38 when he saw his mom he seem to be doing way better.  It was just crazy to see all these people looking so bad. It was super hot and muggy. At this time of the day no one looked happy. It was even hard getting to see your runner at the air station at this time of day. 

I met him at Forrest Hill mile 62. It was 10 pm and I took a 2 hour nap in the day so I felt ready. I was super nervous just because hello its Western States and I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to be the pacer he needed me to be. I just kept praying for that. I wanted to be strong and after my experience at San Diego I figured staying up late was not my thing. I was fine and I was myself and we didn't talk to much but we kept some communication going. I was so impressed because Jeff never complained not once. He ran 80 percent of the time because we had to make up some time. I was trying to keep up with him. I was not going to tell him that but his hike was my jog. It was so cool watching the sun come up and watching Jeff start to move with a spring in his step because now we knew he was going to make it and he did just that. He finished his first Western States 100 mile run. In 29 hours and 29 minutes.. It was a beautiful thing to watch. 

Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.  Oprah 

It was an amazing weekend . I love my friend C more because I got to see her shine taking great care of her man. I will forever be inspired by Jeff's performance. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to pace such a good friend. It was worth the 20 hour drive. So friends there is no dream to small you just have to start. Congratulations to #teamhooker .

Race Pictures

These are the pictures from The Old West 50k. I always look forward to getting the pictures back. I either look crazy or like I am dying or like I am having a great time. I look happy here and I was. I definitely want to go back next year. 

This is the finish line picture. Yeah I am done and thats the best thing that could happen after 6 hours….to finish !!!

Scrap Booking and Running

I thought it would be fun to share my running layouts. The reason I try to keep a good record of my races is because I picture myself  20 years from now sitting with my grand kids and my kids looking through these books. I picture them saying wow grandma you ran 50 miles. I don't know if they would really believe me if I didn't have proof. 

I have been doing this for about 12 years so it is really cool to look back and see what I wrote and what I was wearing who was with me and my times. These are the  layouts I did for the Hodges 50 miler. 

I love that its all here in one place because when you finish a race the way you feel needs to be recorded soon after because your usually on top of the world feeling great so its a very positive thing for me.

These are 8 by 10 pages. They are fun and easy to work with because there smaller than a 12 by 12. There you go scrap booking and running do go together.

December 4 th

December 4 . I am officially signed up for two races so far for 2015. Two 50 milers (deep breath).
 I am excited and when I typed tow 50 milers I got butterflies in my tummy. The kind that make you smile.

 I will be running The San Diego trail marathon and 50 mile race. It takes place January 17, 2015 and the course looks to be flat and really close to my house. The race director is a very cool guy Paul Jesse and he is also a really good ultra-runner. There are still spots left so if you want to run this one go sign up.

Then on May 9 Th I will be running the PCT 50 miler . This is going to be my mothers gift to myself. It has a 13 hour time limit so I should be fine. I am excited because as I am sure you know the PCT is magical and it has so much history and it is a dream place for me. I am a mom before anything else it is what I was born to do but getting to run this race its for the Gloria that loves to run. Every one should have something they just love to do for themselves. 

Happiness is different than pleasure . Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing.

-George Sheehan-