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.

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..

Back to the Mountains I Go

This weekend was crazy busy. Crazy busy.. I want to start this post by saying that I have been just so tired lately and have thought to myself maybe this is way to much. Maybe I can't run this much and still have a life so what I decided was I am getting my miles in but on the weekdays I am going at whatever pace I go at. I am not worried about how fast I go. I am putting in the miles and some are at a great pace and some are slow. I have come to an understanding within myself and thank you running for teaching me this very important lesson. I am not running to win a race and the truth I can't run that fast. I am not going to lie and say I wouldn't love too run super fast because I would love to know what that feels like but I am an average pace runner and I love it. I am always enough when I run because I am giving 100% and that is enough. I love the humility I am taught by the distances I run. This is kinda funny or sad I don't know but so many times when I do the longer runs I do not want it to end. I feel like when you go out with your girlfriends and you know you all have to go home but its just getting good. That's the feeling I get. Just one more mile please….
My big race is really coming up. June 6th my first 100 miler. Holy Shit !!! I am training with an amazing group of runners. This weekend we had a 22 mile run on Saturday. It was a challenging run and its was mostly up hill. We ran the first half of the PCT 50 miler. It was beautiful to be back in the mountains. Have I mentioned I love the mountains. One day when my kids are grown I will move to the mountains. I just feel like I am supposed to be there. I loved everything that surrounded me on our run. Yes, I felt like I got my butt kicked but that's good. I am just going to keep on going to the mountains and running and eventually I will get it. I am not giving up and when I go out to run the ultras I have chosen to run this year I will be bringing with me all these hard training runs that kicked my butt and it will be because of them I can confidently show up. 

So here I am sitting and resting because we still had 7 miles to go. Becca took this picture of me. See I am a happy runner. A very happy tired runner. The best thing to be for me. 

Weekend update

I found a way to make myself get outside and run and have fun..I ran with friends. I made plans and committed to joining them for my long runs and it really helped. If you read my blog you know this last month I have not been excited about running. I would rather be in my warm house or sleeping in :(  Winter has been known to do this to me. 

Here they are the group . They are really nice people and very motivated runner. I can tell you one thing for sure if I keep running with them I will become a better runner. So today's run was hard for me we ran Mission trails and it was so hard. The hills were the real deal and the down hill had those slippery small rocks and they were all over the place. The really sad part is I was the last one every time on today run and they had to wait for me every time. 

This was the view it was amazing and that's one of the reasons we run right.. To see views like these.

So guess how they got this picture. I was the last one. The positive side is I will get stronger and now I have a group to run with on the weekends so this will motivate me to get outside and run. I ran 32 miles this weekend .  How was your weekend ?