I remember in my 20s and even early 30s when a holiday weekend would come I’d look forward to sleeping late and sitting on the couch. That doesn’t happen anymore.
I got up at 6:30 a.m. and after a quick breakfast and a walk with the dog I put the bike in the car and drove down to the beach to really test out my new wheels (and my bike riding confidence). More »
Hi all! It’s been a while….hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend (holiday weekend for all the US peeps)
This winter has been one wild ride! We’ve been hit with storm after storm. Somehow I’ve managed to maintain just about every workout. I’ve been very crafty 😉
Saturday morning some of my glorious running peeps came to Staten Island to run the Cold Feat 10K, a local trail race. We ran it together last year and had so much fun that it was a definite to have a repeat performance. In the world of overpriced races this is a breath of fresh air. $30 and you get lots of great swag and hot chocolate too….great volunteers and a really tight knit community of runners. If you’re local and interested you can learn more here.
swag! instead of a t-shirt we got nice fleece ear warmer/headbands
Lisa, Mike and me at the start
Me and Elvia along the course
Mind you, last year it was warmer and MUDDY! This year, snow….LOTS OF SNOW! Fresh fallen snow on top of older snow. Probably at least a foot on the ground (although the trail we ran on had been packed down some from the runners in front of us) and just as we began the run it started to snow even more! My Garmin said we actually only completed 5.66 miles but it felt like forever. As a matter of fact it took me an hour and 27 minutes to complete but I felt like I had been sprinting. Effort level was through the roof. The race director said we’d feel as if we ran a marathon in the sand when we were done. He wasn’t kidding.
Both Mike and Elvia placed in their age group (50-59)
Winning! (3rd place)
Winning! First place
And Lisa gave new meaning the to event title. Cold Feat became Cold FEET. She had some major foot carnage. Multiple blisters led her to make the dramatic finish by removing her sneaker and sock. I think she was trying to one-up Mike from his blister situation last fall when we were running in Nebraska on day 5 of the Center of The Nation Series.
ouchie!
the start/finish area…this is actually a golf course. so pretty.
there were some fallen tree limbs. Lisa opted to climb over. I crawled under =)
after the race. snowflakes still stuck to my hair.
A great shot of Mike almost at the finish. Photo by Neil Flip (King of the Mountain Events)
Stepping gingerly…Photo by Neil Flip (King of the Mountain Events)
After the race we came back to my place for lunch. Eggs, Bagels, chips, nuts, fruit and coffee.
Yesterday morning I started the day off with a walk with the dog in the woods… I let him streak naked (no winter coat) out in the snow. He doesn’t complain about wearing a coat but when I leave it off he’s definitely happier!
i stepped in something cold ma!
mmm it tastes delicious too!
Then, around 11am when the temps warmed up to the mid 20s I finally set out for my 14 mile training run. I have to admit, it wasn’t anywhere near as hard as I was expecting it to be. Thank god! It’s nice and flat there (a national park/beach area). The running paths weren’t cleared so I just ran on the street like I did previously. I had to do 4 round trips of the same route to get to 13.75 and then ran a quarter mile past my car to hit 14.
i was still trying to decide which sneakers to wear.
This boat name describes my run perfectly.
hello happy!
looks like about a foot of snow. LOL!
I averaged a 10:51 pace. And that’s even with walking through some slushy areas that were a bit slippery. Flat makes things so much easier. And since I’m training for a marathon that’s pretty flat I don’t have to feel bad.
With all the running, navigating uneven snowy and icy terrain, and shoveling I spent since being on vacation I’m actually exhausted and sore and can’t believe I go back to work tomorrow!!!! I plan on getting to bed super early and I’m skipping my run tomorrow. I’ll try and just take a walk instead. Must recharge.
So that’s my long weekend recap. How was your weekend? What exciting things happened?
I’ll let you in on a little secret….12/26 is my favorite day! I’m always happy to be done with the holidays. I find it’s just a whole lot of pressure…finding the right gifts and determining who’s house I’ll be going to for the eve and the day. I’m a little like a nomad. =)
I ended up spending both the eve and the day at my brother and sister-in-laws. I didn’t take pictures but I ate more food in 48 hours than I did all year:
This morning, I continued the “health kick” with some french toast casserole that my sister-in-law made.
french toast casserole
I ran another 4 miles and then walked 2 1/2 with the dog.
I really love these 4-6 mile runs. I know in a few weeks they will be my “short” runs, but right now they are just enough to feel good physically and mentally but give me enough time to get other stuff done on my days off.
While I bought most of my own gifts this year (the trampoline, jewelry and sunglasses to name a few), my friend bought me one really cool gift that I had my eye on. It’s the HB Tuneband, a phone holder that straps to your hand.
jazz phone hands
I am not a big fan of arm bands because they feel more like a tourniquet. So usually I use a phone pouch (I have this one from amphipod) attached to my spibelt to hold it. Mostly I use my phone for races where I need to be able to meet friends before or after and need to text or call them. This is a nice alternative to the phone pouch/belt combo! There’s only one fly in the ointment….I was hoping to be able to have easy access to the phone for taking pictures while running. #fail! It does have a clear touch screen so i can send a quick text if I had to while running. But the camera lens on the back of the phone is covered and the strap is a bit too cumbersome to undo and free the phone while running (unless of course I want to trip and fall flat on my face =).
you can access the screen ok but can’t take pictures….the lens is covered 🙁
For races where I’m planning on focusing on time and not picture taking i’ll definitely use it. Of course having a new phone contraption to add to my arsenal left me with the itch to clean out my electronics/running gear catch-all drawer. I think I had one too many iPhone cases…
I think my sunglasses and earbuds multiplied too. I found some phone chargers from the 2 flip phones I had years back (Can you say MotoRazr? LOL!)
So back in October I turned 40 and my parents offered to have the inside of my house painted as a gift. I’ve lived here 13 1/2 years and most of the rooms are still “builder’s white”. I’m not very good at committing so choosing colors has taken me months. But I’ve finally made progress…
I find it ironic that the main living space color I chose is called “meditation”. Hmm, maybe I’ll be calmer finally! Today I have to work, but I’m going to start adding my marathon training runs to my calendar. I officially will begin training in 10 days! WOO HOO!
I hope you all had a lovely (and somewhat stress free) holiday. And I hope you’re not working today like me.
SO, Tell me what gifts you got? Anyone else in a food coma? Anyone gearing up to train for a race or other event soon?
This brings us to our final marathon/half marathon in Chadron, Nebraska.
We drove straight to Chadron after completing our marathon/half marathon in Montana and checked into a glorious Hampton Inn with some desperately needed FREE WiFi and a nice little restaurant next door called the Country Kitchen (where I had my one and only serving of pancakes the entire trip!). It’s the simple pleasures!
After a good night’s sleep we were off to Chadron State Park which was just about 10 minutes away.
This was our first “loop” course of the week. Many runners initially were worried that we wouldn’t get to see as much of each other as we did with the “out and back” courses which had become one of the best parts of the week. But then Clint, the most fabulous race organizer said we could switch directions! How awesome is that?! And so our big happy family still had multiple opportunities for cheering each other even as we ran at different paces, directions and lengths.
A couple of pre race photos:
Getting ready to run the final 13.1 (Hey that rhymes!)
Mike and Lisa
Let me go back to Wednesday for just a moment. After completing their 26.2, Mike and Lisa took their shoes off and planted them into an ice bath that had been set up using a child pool filled with ice and water.
a lovely ahhh turned into a horrific AHHHH
All of a sudden Mike realized he had a very big blister on his toe right under the toenail. OUCHIE! It was so bad that he actually went to the medical area where an EMT tended to it and gave him some gauze.
He later added duct tape to his arsenal of “dressings” as he was told that it is a great way to protect compromised skin and good thing because there were more than just the 1 blister. After further examination he had more of those little suckers. So now fast forward 2 days (and about 50 miles later) and with less than 3 miles to go the pain got so unbearable that he decided he just HAD to remove his shoe. We were all in AWE that not only did he run with one shoe off and one on for the last couple of miles, but we couldn’t keep up!
minimalist running shoe: AKA the duct tape thong
Roger, Mike and Lisa were ahead of me after the first loop but waited at the aid station for me so that we could run together for the final day. I am so glad that they did. This course was very hilly! I mean we’re talking Mt. Killamanjaro steep! (ok slightly exaggerating). We walked up the hills and then ran everywhere else. The course went through a wooded area that we called “the enchanted forest”
The Enchanted Forest
At the top of the big hill we got to see our “turnaround crew”. Lisa gave them a hug on her final loop to thank them for all that they had done to help.
Finally! The “turnaround guys” (AKA the “ice guys”)
I finished my half with the same time as the day before (2:38) and then went to collect my goodies….
and this time i am REALLY FINISHED!
HAPPY GIRL! 5 half marathons in 5 days COMPLETE!
a bumpersticker…
65.5 miles done!
and the final state medal as well as a bonus crystal medal for completing all 5…
Nebraska….finish time….state medal…crystal medal
oh, right, and my celebratory cupcake…
I love sweets!
When the rest of my team was coming up on their last loop (the loop that Mike ran with his duct tape thong) I jumped in and joined them for their final miles. I ran ahead to get some really great finishing photos…
Roger, Lisa and Elvia DONE! 131 miles in 5 days…they are DA BOMB!
this hug says it all!
Elvia and Lisa with their new friend Clyde
They DID IT!!! 5 FULL MARATHONS in 5 states in 5 days!
Duct tape thong. The new trend for next summer!
that’s a long medal!
the fancy shmancy crystal finishers medal
There was one last thing to do before driving back to our cabin to pack…
all done….lay down dead and head back to South Dakota
Nebraska was a great day!
We returned to the cabin, drank some champagne and packed up. What a sense of accomplishment!
a toast to reaching our personal goals!
Back at the cabin and after a glass (or two or three) of champagne I started to do a cheer routine until I realized I’ve never been a cheerleader. LOL!
Cheers!
a vignette of memories
I cannot say enough wonderful things about the week. I laughed. I cried. I reached personal goals and I was inspired by so many. I made new friends and found out more about the amazing friends I traveled with. With just 5 weeks to spare before turning 40 I squeezed in seeing Mt. Rushmore which was on my bucket list, and proved to myself that I AM an endurance runner. Not just a recreational hobby but a deeper thread that makes me who I am. It’s taken a while to get here. Always felt like I was impersonating a runner. But now I truly feel it. I look forward to many more wild and crazy journeys.
And the biggest achievement…..NO ONE OVERSLEPT and WE WERE ALWAYS ON TIME FOR EACH DAY’S RACE!
Question: Do you like adventurous vacations or more relaxing ones? How many State line signs have you had your picture taken at? Bucket list items?
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