Mountains to beaches makes 45 miles

This weekend was all about running and more running with
San Diego 100 so close by I am just trying to stay consistant with my milage and with my work outs. Showing up to all our Saturday runs in key at this point and coming up with a long run on Sunday too.. I think that is even more important. Its those back to back long runs on tired legs that get you ready. This Saturday we went to Black Mountain in or near Poway and the plan was to run 26 but we ended up with 25. something. Its a hard run because it has lots of hills and there super rocky !! Welcome to San Diego trails 

I really do love making new friends that share the same love as I do. You would think it would be hard to find other females that love to run these long distances but its not !! Each one inspires me to keep working hard . Just like this girl she is go getter and I love that. We will be sharing the trails at SD 100. 

I love having all sorts of coversations and sharing the mountains for hours at a time. Here is our Saturday group.
When you get the text that says group run 26 miles you kinda cringe and then think..that is such a long way to run. It is a long way right ?? but now I just let the number be and like with so many things in life I know that I just have to show up and the rest will fallow.
Sometimes when I have been out there for to long I have these crazy ideas and then I say them out loud and next thing you know. It is the day after your 25 mile run and I find myself at 5 am running to a run a half marathon. The craziest part is a couple of my friends joined me. 

I woke up Sunday morning after getting crappy sleep. I say that because I woke up every hour afraid I was going to be late or that I would over sleep. I set my alarm but sometimes things happen. I got up at 4am  and once I finally woke up got some coffee I got really excited. The plan was to meet about 6 miles away from the La Jolla half and run to the race. I loved getting there when it was still dark and hearing the ocean. I felt safe because I had two friends with me and it was that kind of morning weather that let you know it was going to be a hot day. We ran to the race and made it with 30 minutes to spare so we hung out and then we all ran the race separately. I like the run your own race thing. I have to say the more I run the more I like those just me miles. The race went really well. I ran a 1:54 . That is really good for me. I think about all the miles I put in the day before and I feel more secure about my training for San Diego 100. 

Its beer garden time !! I do not drink after races because migraines love me but I had a blonde ale and it was really good. So cheers to having awesome weekends while wearing running shoes.

My Cuyamca 100k Race report

 I woke up at 3am made some coffee got all my gear in the car and made my way to my friends house. We carpooled to the race because I know  that running a long race and trying to drive home alone can be really hard.  We made it to the race by 5:30am
As soon as we got there I felt better. We got great parking and had lots of time to check in and hit the bathroom. I got my number 119 and got my picture taken. Then got in line and ready to start. This is one of the best races in San Diego. The race director Scott Crellin really makes sure that everything is ready for us the runners. We had our morning briefing and then right at 6:30 am we where off.  I felt good and ready. I do want to say this.. I know I am not recovered from the Tahoe 200 and that I should not be running yet but I love this race and I love the ultra running community so much. That my will power lost and there you have me at the start. 

This course is beautiful but it will kick you ass if you are not trained.  The aid stations are amazing. They want you to succeed so they encourage you to keep going. They get you ready to keep going by feeding you good food or hugging you and believing in you when you stop.
This year my back and feet where not happy with me. I didn't carry any water in my pack and I thought maybe my back would be just fine. It still hurts from Tahoe I think the pack I chose for that race was way to big .
 I got to Cuymaca peak that was Angela Shartel's aid station. (she is this amazing ultra runner)  I wanted to quit because my back was on fire. I sat there and Angela in a very sneaky way got me back on the trail. She did that thing that helps you get your head back in the game with out letting your self know thats what your doing.  A young man at the aid station cracked my back twice and that really helped so before I knew it I was running again. 

I was not moving really fast but I was moving and I was loving running . I could manage the pain in my back so I was good to go. I needed to finish the first loop with a little bit of a cushion in order to be timed out. I was chasing cut offs ( almost chasing them) I finished loop 1. Becca and Nartaya got me ready and next thing you know I was off again. Loop 2 is hard even though its only 13 miles. The thing I told myself is its 13 miles G. You can run 13 miles.

I took this picture at the point I knew I was not going to be able to compete this race.  My back was killing me, Tahoe caught up with me and my feet where so sore. I decided at this moment to count my blessings. I would end up running 48 beautiful miles at the Cuymaca 100k and that is a huge positive. I love this hard race and imagine this . Here I am in this beautiful field running and sharing stories with other runners. The part of me that really wanted to run this under 17 hours was let down but my heart is way bigger than that and running owns so much of my happiness that just being a part of this amazing event was enough for me this year.
Miss G got a DNF at the Cuymaca 100k this year and yeah a DNF always sucks but I love running so I will be back next year. 

What 331 miles !!

The month of September is gone . Forever I thought the Tahoe 200 would never happen and now its all in the past. Thanks to that crazy ,beautiful race I ran my biggest month ever. I ran 331 miles in September and maybe that is why my feet hurt. (ha ha) I am still having a hard time believing that Robert and I did it. We finished 200 miles in 99 hours. I was so scared going into that race. My biggest motivation was remembering what my friend Becca always tells me when we go into race. Trust the training G. When you put in the work and you don't cheat yourself your chances of finishing are really good and when your brain knows that and believes it . You finish what you start. The older I get the more I really get how good this running thing really is.
Sending you awesome blessings for next month.

Weekend Update and some running stories

This weekend was so rad !!! I have to first say thank you to my husband who loves me and thinks it is so great I love to run  and doesn't mind watching the kids  Saturday mornings and sometimes  that turns into Saturday afternoon.
I feel like we are deep in training for San Diego 100 miler. The miles are getting longer and the runs harder. It is also getting warmer. This weekend was an oh shit and yeah run weekend. Saturday I was up at 4:30 am and in the car by 5 am to get to the mountains by 7am. I had stop for coffee and a bathroom so the ride turns into 2 hours. I was grateful to be there on time and ready to do the training I find to be the hardest.  The Orriflame suffer fest. We run on the PCT for a couple miles and then down the canyon and then up again. 10 miles down and then back up it feels like so much work coming back up. I think that runs like this are so important for mental training if you are training for an ultra. Doing the long hard runs that scare you are the ones that make a difference. That was my oh shit run.. Then Saturday I had the San Diego half marathon . I love this race it was my 6th year running it. I saw a bunch of The Trail crashers before the race and ended up running with a friend Nartaya the entire race. It was a really easy race and I was so surprised I didn't have a-lot of pain. My legs felt better the farther we got into the race and we talked the entire time about our kids and just ran. We ended up with 2:02 and that was great time. I know we could of gone faster but I think both of us just wanted to run at a good pace. That put me at 70 miles for the week and well on my way to the right training I need to finish SD100 . I hope you had a great weekend and happy trails..

3 things I am LOVING right now

I thought it would be fun to start of the week with all the stuff I am obsessing over right now.  I had a great run yesterday. 16 miles on the trails with my awesome friends and it was just so good. Yes, they had to wait for me because there all faster than me but I did not take away from how good I felt. The cold made it feel more adventurous than it really was but it was so fun. So holding on to that spirit I though I would share some other things I have come across lately that have made me feel this happy.
1. I found this great website ..Simple Green Smoothies 
I signed up for the 30 day challenge and I am really excited about fallowing along and making some healthier eating habits a part of my life. I even bought a new Blender.. (thank you ladies at simple green smoothies )

I went to Sedona a couple years ago to spend time with some beautiful woman. What we had in common is we all loved to create. It's was there that I met Rachel Awes. She was light and had a lovely colorful nurturing soul. Her art is truly magical .
2. She just wrote a book. The Great Okayness and you can her and her book here. Rachel Awes  . You know how in life sometimes you come across someone and they leave an imprint in your heart forever . She does that in life and you feel her in her books. I can't say enough good things about her so I hope you take the time to check her out and pick up a copy of her book.
3. I have been trying to not sign up for any races for next year because I have been trying to give my body rest time but that is not really working out for me. So I have been looking daily at ultra sign ups. I just want to look and see what if anything moves me and yesterday something did. It moved me to sign up. The Moab Red hot 55k   I found this video on you tube and I do not know the runner but it is a really good preview of the race course. It looks like so much fun. and I feel really excited about having a race to look forward to in a brand new place I have never run before.. I love adventures in new places. So there it is 3 things I am all excited about !!

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 !

Julian Full Moon Run

Hi Peeps. I wanted to get this written while I still felt all excited about the event I was lucky enough to be a part of yesterday. I signed up for The Julian Full Moon 12 and 24 run . This was a fund raiser for SURF . San Diego Ultra Runners Friends . I was definitely excited about running in an event again.  This event started at 8 am. So since its an hour drive from my house I left early and on my way I went.

I was happy to see some of my favorite people there. Ricky and Becca. Ricky is one of the best runners I am lucky to call these people my friends. I love the early OK not to early but I love those 30 minutes before a race. The buzz in the air is beautiful. All the happy runners with dreams and goals running around in their head. OK so about this race. It was put on by the best race directors in San Diego. There was about 60 runners and I think that an intimate ultra. There was plenty of drinks and gels and salt tablets .Everything  you need when running for a long ass time. 

The course was a half mile loop on dirt and grass around a working farm. There was goats and donkeys I think. The course was well marked and everyone was able to set up there table and tent and whatever you needed the volunteers helped. This is Nartaya and me 2 minutes before it started. OK can you tell how hot it is and its not even 8am yet…It was so hot. 

Since I have never ran in a loop race or run before I did not really know what to expect or what to aim for. So here is my thinking. I get to go do this and be part of race that includes my favorite things. Good people, running, and lots of laughing .

The terrain was easy. There was no altitude or hills just some grass and dirt. It was an easy half mile loop. What was the hard part you ask ? The mountains came in the shape of Heat .. This race was held on a really hot day. OMG I felt like I was cooking. I think the high was 95 to 100 degrees. That was for hours and hours. 

There was people there who killed it in the heat but that did not include me. I had fun I got a great tan and I did run 72 laps.  I did learn a couple things about myself .. I do better when its a point to point race. If there is a chair with my name on it evert half mile chances are I will sit in it. If my friends sit in there chair chances are I will sit with them. If there are people walking and they want to talk  then chances are I will stop and talk. So that does not make for lots of miles  thats makes for G having a great time . Oh so thats 36 miles I ran .

My friend here killed it . She ran 108 laps and she ran for 24 hours. I feel so happy for her. There where lots of amazing runners that just kept going.  The race was awesome it was hot but you can't control the weather. I ran from 8am to 8 pm. Next year I think I will do 8pm to 8 am change things up. So there you go it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. If you ask me ? 

Running Camp Weekend day 1

I left Friday  morning for a much anticipated woman's running retreat in Mill Valley Ca. I went with one of my best friends. After we landed got our car and made a quick stop for a some food and then we drove to the house that we would be staying at for the next three days. We walked in introduced ourselves then sat down and talked races and running all night. It was really cool sitting with 10 other girls around the table talking running. So the deal was we would all meet at 6 am for a 7 am start. 

Saturday morning came very quickly. Specially because I sitting in bed with your girl friend chatting the night away. So all the girls met early and we all drove to  Mt.Tamalpais state park and the plan was hike or run to the top and meet back up at the parking lot. I met this really cool girl named Melissa and she became my running bud die for the day. I got to hear all about her 150 mile races. (holy cow ) and all the stories. It was awesome. I enjoyed every minute of our time together. 

With a couple miles to go Melissa went back with the group and Kathleen wanted to get a couple more miles in and so I joined her. One of my favorite things is meeting new people and enjoying there personality. Most people I run with are happy runners and love being outside and Kathleen was super positive just full of energy. She told me about her Iron men competitions and that came with some more great stories. We talked about our kids and life as a mom who can't get enough runs in and I loved it. Can you see it all these girls with the same passion.

This is what we ran though. It was totally different than anywhere I run in here in San Diego. So so so beautiful. The trees looked like they touched the sky. In some places you couldn't see the sky because the trees just kept going.

I totally felt a connection with Melissa and Kathleen and that's always a plus. I am sure we will keep in contact. All together we ran 18 miles and a-lot of that so crazy hard. There are a couple things this retreat taught me and I that is that it is OK if I am near the back. What I can do is just right for me.

Here we are day one. A very nice and super smart group of bad ass running chicks. 

Back to the PCT

This past weekend we hit the trails again because that is what you do when you are training. I feel like I can not miss any training runs right now because the race is getting closer . The long runs are the really important ones to me. They help with my self confidence. These are races that for me I need to believe 100 percent I can do in order to be successful. So back to back long runs in my book just can't be missed. I drove back up to the PCT to meet my friends. 

I was the only girl and the only slow person to show up. That meant this guys because they are total gentlemen would be waiting every couple miles for me. I always feel bad when I hold people back. In my head I just pushed and looked at the bright side at least they cared enough to wait and you can only apologize so many times for being the turtle. So I embraced it and just kept plugging along.

Here we are again. My friend Robert and me. He was the lucky one who waited most of the time . My IT band hates the trails. It has been really bothering me. I really hope it clears up soon because I am going to run either way.

The guys ran 25 miles I ran 22. It felt like a long day but I was always feel so lucky to be out here. It was a fun not to hot kinda run day. I love that. I had to push myself because all I wanted was to take nap many times. I hope you had a good weekend full of movement too.

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 !!!

Ragnar race report

Here they are my new friends I made and bonded with over the weekend. 8 very cool chill human beings. I felt very lucky and happy to be a part of our Team. The Ragnar Del Sol took place in Arizona. We did a 9 person really and coverers 205 miles. Totally fun. I felt like a big kid playing outdoors for 30 hours. It is also nice getting to know completely new people that have a common interest as me. Running

Here I am running my first leg and feeling happy. We got super lucky because it never got to hot. The weather was perfect and a little overcast. We had blisters going on . People sleeping while others ran. Lots of bathrooms stops we ate a-lot of snacks and we made more u turns than I could count.

My favorite part was getting to cheer your team on. Being right there when the trade of happened. This is John handing of to Chris.

The views are always amazing when your talking about the desert in the winter. We mostly ran on the pavement but some of us got lucky and got some short trail runs in there. Mine was at 2 am. Running at night is a very cool experience. I highly recommend it. Talking about each others run every couple of hours is so much fun too. There is excitement in the air . Your a little nervous about running your leg but when you come back you are totally excited about the experience. I really loved running The Ragnar and I think the company did a great job putting on the race. 

Crew Time

This past weekend I went to Arizona to help crew a friend that was running The Coldwater 100 miler. This was my first experience helping out like this during a race. The Race started Saturday morning at 6am. We woke up at 4:30 and made sure that we had everything we needed. You need a-lot more stuff for 100 miler than any other distance I have experienced . Luckily my friend had everything well organized in ziploc bags so all I needed to do was set everything out in the tent . 

This race consist of 5  20 mile loops. The course was hard and very rocky. I was a pacer for 1 loop and I found it difficult to run in this terrain. I think it was more of short runs and fast hikes. I did what I could but it took us almost 6 hours to go 20 miles. The night running part was very cool . I loved how bright the stars looked but once again I could do with out the freezing cold. So two guys from my running group ran in this race. Sal and Richard and I was crewing Richard. To me the craziest thing about being a spectator was how every time the runners finished a loop they looked so tired and just done. This race had a huge amount of runners that did not finish. They just couldn't go anymore. 100 miles seems to be another type of animal. This is not for the faint of heart.

This is Sal coming in after his first loop. He looked really strong and he was in top 10. It is so exciting when your friends start running in. All I  could do was scream and jump in excitement. 

This is Richard. I can't imagine how happy you must feel to be done with every loop. It must be like heaven only to have to go back out to run again .

There was a-lot of down time so here I am.. Selfie time in the tent. Yes this is my cool shirt I got from Richard for being part of his crew. The best thing about pacing and helping out someone like this guy is he was such a great listener. He let us help him. When we ran together he took his GU every hour and drank water and ate at every aid station. He looked strong but looking strong during running 100 miles comes with ups and downs. 

This is him leaving for his last loop. I can't imagine what you think about when your at mile 80 going to 100 but he did it. The other thing I feel you need is a bad as pacer. He had a friend pace him for 40 miles and she was amazing. Super positive and smart and so strong. I was very impressed by this lady. She is the real deal. 

Here we are Richards crew. He ran a good race and he had a good time doing it. It was really great to be able to help someone outside of my family. I feel like I made a difference. Next thing I want to do is volunteer for a race soon.

30 hours and 30 minutes later he crossed the finish line and got his very first belt buckle. It was really inspiring to be there and to watch the whole thing happen and to be part of something so crazy special. 

My Lake Hodges 50k race review

Hi guys :) sorry it has been about a week since my last post but Jack and I had a really bad cold. I was actually looking forward to Sundays run when I was sick because there is nothing like a long run to clear you up. So Sunday morning the Hodges 50k started at 7am. That is such a good time to start a race because you can have  everything done by 7am. I had breakfast and I didn't forget anything. (that is a big deal for me ) I parked on the street and walked about a block to the start line. The weather was perfect. Not to cold not to hot. I saw a bunch of people I knew and that is always nice. I like hearing familiar voices. Specially the Oh Hi Gloria so glad your here.. Always nice.

We took of at 7am and the race director Jesse gave us a good morning send of with some directions and off we went. I have to say that everyone was really nice. Saying good morning and how are you ? Here and there. I felt good and I was excited to be able to run a 50k locally and actually because the weather was so great I was really looking forward to running so close to my house. Right after I took this picture I saw my friend Jeff running out there too. So that was an excellent surprise. 

I did not listen to my music for about 15 miles. I was really trying to work on having my breathing in control and good posture. I find when I run relaxed I can run farther . That's what we want people.. Long easy runs that don't hurt. The only thing that bothered me was my right knee and that's where I fell a while ago.  The scenery was beautiful and it was a flat race. I found out flat and cool was okay with me.

I ran behind this girl for a while she had a good pace and good form. Those are things I always work on. 

I did not stop at any aid stations . I had my Camel back with me and it was full of water and Trailwind with caffeine. I love caffeine. I did grab some bananas but quickly ran away. I am finding my body really likes bananas when I run.

I promised myself I could listen to some Dave Mathews after mile 15 and I did and it was good it helped me think about other stuff.. I honestly felt great the entire time. I prayed and I felt like my heart was so full of gratitude.. I got to be outside and I felt good and I was running. All things that make me happy. 
Around mile 27 I knew I needed to just push and not walk at all.  Its difficult in my mind when I see other people walk to not really want to walk. I only walked up Raptor Ridge because there was so many people walking I had no choice but in all reality there is no way I could run up that hill anyway. (one day ) after I came down I just played the game. 
 I kept finding the next person in front of me and try to catch them. That's always a fun way to keep yourself motivated. I got new glasses too. I could se everything clearly. That was nice too.

Here I am almost done. This is me being a total dork and saying hi to my dad. I wore orange and black for Halloween and I was really happy the whole time. My mantra was  Don't stop trying G. 

It took me 5:45 minutes. Not bad hu.. Last time I ran a 50k it took me about 7 hours so I did way better. Mike and Jack were also waiting for me. I was very happy with my time but most importantly my experience was awesome. I highly recommend this 50k. Its put on by Off road pursuits and the director is also an Ultra Runner. Really nice guy and the entire race went really well. 

The winner did it in 3:40. Crazy fast times. I saw the winner running and he was just flying by and it looked so easy for him. Love that. So here I am my medal my new glasses and me. 

Jack likes my pint glass and we had Subway and a bunch of good food after the race too. I am so thankful for my health and that I am able to run races like this. Its also nice to have my family waiting for me at the end. What I learned this weekend is you just have to keep trying and not give up. Oh and my cold is gone. See running is good for your health it made my cold go away…Happy Trails Peeps..