THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

I can hardly explain work last night.  I was on my ambulance, at post, a call came out about 1.5 miles a way for somebody  hit by a car on their bicycle, but another unit was closer and took the call.  I got called a few minutes later.  It was one of my former stepsons,  the 18 year old.  he is mostly okay, banged and bruised up and got knocked out, but okay.  He got hit by an SUV at 40mph.  Demolished his bike.  Didn't know what to do with the bike, so finally the other unit threw it into their ambulance and drove it to our fleet building, where it was dumped, ironically, right next to the demolished stretcher from my accident.  Anyways, talked to a few people I hadn't seen in a while up at the hospital, then finished out the night at work.  It was all a little unsettling and I feel strange today.

So anywho, I was stuck on the home treadmill, so I did some button pushing to pass time.  It seems like I'm doing a lot of speedwork lately, but my volume is so low and I am enjoying the lack of pressure, so maybe I am building my 5k engine.

Warmed up 10 minutes, then 5 x 45 secs on/75 off at 5:27 pace, 5 minute jog, 10 x 1 min on/off at 6:00 pace, than cooldown to 7.   Did a little bit of core afterward.  These paces on my home treddy are always a bit frightening...and loud.

I did an hour of weights at the Y with my Mom while Vanessa is in kidzone.  And now I have spent the last few hours looking at my treadmill.  I don't want to run on it.  I want to run outside.  I am so tired of the stupid treadmill.  My running options are:  run on a treadmill, or, be sleep deprived and run outside when Vanessa is in school, when I should be sleeping, because I work at night.  I am being a big baby today.  I think it is just because I am so so tired.  Oh how I long for the day when I can have a normal sleeping schedule.  It is definitely one of those days where I want to be defiant and "quit" running.  I ran so much high mileage and missed so much sleep training for this last marathon, it was a huge effort, and it didn't work out.  I honestly don't know if I can handle that kind of exhaustion again.  Burning the candle at both ends is literally killing me.  A body can only take so much. But now that I have wrote all of this and am feeling sorry for myself I probably will do some easy miles on the treadmill this evening.  I really hate working at night, and I am stuck with it for at least another 5 years.  ugh!

evening:  6. on the mill.  hated every minute, but was quite happy that I did it.  no regrets

I truly was being lazy and wasn't going to do anything today, but Mom called and wanted to go to the gym, so she picked me and Mini up.  I set the treadmill to 6:40 pace and made it 7 miles before she was ready to go.  I'm actually glad I went and did something.

Today I dropped Vanessa off at school then meandered easily for 5 miles, ending up at Nancy's house.  She loaded her kids up in the double stroller and I ran 6 with her, then ran 2 more miles back home.  Beautiful day outside!

very brisk in the rain by my daughter's school!  I am contemplating a 24 hour race on the 16th.  it sounds fun, I don't know why.  crazy??

I got off work late and had to sleep as soon as I got Vanessa to school.  I didn't get up when the alarm went off to run,  I just needed a little more sleep.  I picked my princess up and we cleaned house, I didn't want to dump her in kidzone and run on the treddy and i didn't want to semi-ignore her while I ran on the home treddy.  My single-working-Mom guilt is in full force today.

Nice and brisk in a cool 40 degrees.  I actually did wear a watch today.  6:59 AP.  When I got home I was at 13 miles so I sprinted the last .1 to make it a half.  :)

5 easy miles around my daughter's school, then as many weights as I could do in 30 minutes.  I also signed up for th 24 hour race next Saturday.

Got off work late, hurried and changed, then booked it up Rock Road and turned East on rails-to-trails, very pretty today with the autumn colors.  I intercepted Marcus and Jarrod as planned about 6 miles out and turned around with them.   Nice birthday run.  :)

I bought a new car.  no choice.  Drove my friend's car home then ran to the dealership to pick up the new car.  Really not under the gun to run much this week with the 24 hour race looming on Saturday.

I havent been running--very busy, sick daughter, and with this 24 hour gig on Saturday, I really didn't see any purpose!  I am now finally starting to get a wee bit nervous about what I gave gotten myself into.  Hoping to run for most of the first 12 hours during daylight and then switch to run/walking, although I am well aware the run/walking could start much sooner.  Hoping to make it 100 miles but no pressure.  Should be kinda fun!

I will definitely never forget about this!  I do plan to write a full race report late tonight!  This is the most incredibly difficult thing I have ever done running wise!  Very fun and I spent a day and night hanging out with the most awesome people ever, and meeting new people, but there was a fair degree of misery involved, the hours of puking and pain were a tough ending!  I got my Buckle!!

I hardly know where to start, this was a looong experience and a lot happened.  The race was a USATF certified 1.23 mile loop that winds through a local park on dirt and grass.  Person who gets the furthest wins--so there was a man who made it 107 miles, he is the winner really.  Only one other guy and myself made it to 100.  I was the first person through the 100 mile mark at 21:20 and tapped out there--good enough to get my buckle and only female to make it, plus I was in pretty bad shape as you will read on to see!

The challenge was 100 miles to get the buckle, and I thought it was doable but didn't know what I was getting into and didn't really have any expectations.  The race started casually at 7am and I was good to go for the first 31 miles or so, trotting loops and talking to people.  After that the sun had risen, the wind was battering at over 20mph, and it was an uncomfortable 73 degrees but not terrible.  I was doing good with water and some coke, snacking on pb and j and potato chips, taking my sodium pills, etc...

I don't know precisely when the first crash happend, but it was somewhere between miles 40 and 45, suddenly my back and legs started to hurt and I was incorporating walking intervals.  I really wanted something besides water but the Gu brew being served was nasty.  Right at the 50 mile mark I was starting to feel pretty rough and already considering tapping out at 50 and calling it good.  However, about this time  a few friends showed up to cheer for a few loops, and Marcus went and got me some gatorade to put in my bottle, and I took two ibuprofen.

The ibuprofen was like cocaine or something.  10 minutes later I was no longer walking and was running through loops without difficulty and felt like a million bucks!

This didn't last long.  Around mile 60 or so the ibuprofen high wore off and I was having sever lower back, knee, and hip pain.  My legs hurt sooo bad.  I was undertrained and definitely feeling every bit of it.  I was also in the lead by several loops, and well on track to get 100.  It was bad, the pain was pretty intense, I popped two Aleve and had to walk a few laps and then it kicked in, and like the motrin, was a miracle drug and soon I was back at it cranking the loops out again at a run.  Night had fallen and it was eery in the dark with my headlamp, and I kept stubbing my toes on roots and almost biting the dust, but miraculously never actually fell.

This was where we all go to really know each other,  I had great conversations in passing and sometimes running side by side with the few of us that were still out there struggling along.  The wind had died down and the temps had dropped.  I had changed shoes and socks at mile 50 and threw a long sleeve shirt over my short sleeve one.

Around mile 75 or 80, I don't know for sure, the ball dropped and the wheels completely fell off.  I got nauseated, and this ended up being the driving problem for the entire rest of the run.  I was so sick.  I came into the aid station, terribly nauseated, fortunately by now my friend Jason had arrived and he was a miracle worker.  He calmed me down, and got me some ginger ale and crackers and told me to get going.  It got pretty tortuous, a few loops later the vomiting started.

For the next 4 hours, I threw up everything that went down.  Jason worked overtime to keep me sipping at calories and eating saltines when I couldn't bear the thought, but obviously a little something was absorbing from time to time because I kept on peeing.  The physical misery reached it's peak.  My legs and back hurt so bad I could barely stand to be upright.  I was still managing run/walk intervals, not sure how, but knew the faster I covered ground the sooner I could get to 100 and stop.  Jason and crew put biofreeze and aspercreme on my legs and back and somehow convinced me to just keep going.  It turned into run/puke intervals,  I would walk, pull of to the side of the trail and barf, and then run while I could enjoy the brief nausea-free existence after puking.

Finally at mile 90 the miracle happened, I had a huge vomiting session and then afterward jogged into the aid station and Barry had brought Sprite at my request.  What a great friend!  The sprite was amazing, and suddenly, for the first time in hours, I was nausea free.  I began to run through laps again and knocked out a few bottles of sprite, my body was desperately in need of the calories.  Of course, the pain in my legs and back became unbearable, and the last two laps I was reduced to nothing but a painful, slow walk, but it was almost done.  And then I crossed at 100.86 miles and was soooo happy!!  I did not consider continuing, if I had I probably could have won outright with the most laps and beat John, who ended up running the full 24 hours and put in 107 miles, but I was more than thrilled to be first person through 100 miles and get the buckle, and my body. was. done.

I was given my buckle, the race director was very nice, and then Jason and Barry helped me to my car and I drove to my best friend's house where my daughter was and took the long-awaited hot shower.  Going to be didn't go so well, everything basically hurt too much to sleep, and my stomach was queasy so didn't sleep much.

The volunteers and my great ultrarunning expert friends were amazing at this race.  They all worked overtime to take care of me as well as the other runners, fixing up feet, doling out pepto, working with everyone to get them through.  as I sat by the heater for a few minutes after finishing and watched as the few others came through, it was so strange to see them hunched over and in just as much pain as me, and still moving.  What a beastly group of people.  The last 4 hours of the night, passing each other was usually a "how are you doing?" with various answers.  I remember dry-heaving Colleen being jealous because I had actually vomited.

That was freakin' hard.  I have never hurt like that, never, nor have I combined that much puking and running before.  Will I do it again!  Heck Yeah!!  But this time with adequate training and a nutrition plan my stomach can handle.  Today I walk funny and appetite is still not quite there, I went to Old Chicaga and ordered this giant Calzone and could hardly eat any of it.  Seems I should be much hungrier but probably in the days to follow it wil catch up with me.  I walk funny, but am still getting around.  Still absorbing the whole experience!

Well, now I have had a few days to reflect on Saturday's surreal run.  The soreness is dissipating, although not completely gone, and my stomach has finally returned to normal--I ate a full meal for the first time last night.  I didn't really expect to go out and run 100 miles, so the whole thing really is surreal, and I couldnt be more thrilled.  That race broke me to my core, both mentally and physically.  But, it was running broken down to its elements, the real reasons I run, the reason I suspect many people run.  It was not just me, but a band of us, all in pain, all struggling, all fighting their way through the night to cover this monstrous distance.  Then there was the volunteers, our crews and friends, the people who wouldn't let us quit.  The atmosphere and community feeling at this race was like nothing I have ever experienced, and I can say, without a doubt, that ultrarunning is my niche, and it is where running is happy for me.  I have struggled this year with expectations and doubts about myself, a lot of crisis, just a lot of crap.  Saturday it wasn't about that, it was about fighting the good fight along side friends, and pushing myself to a new level.  It wasn't like other races, which I do alone, this race I did not do alone at all, I was assisted and carried by friends who understood even more than myself why I had to finish it out.  I remember flopping onto a chair at the aid station, almost in tears, when the pain and nausea had really set in fiercely.  Jason had squatted by me, looked me in the eye, and said, "I'm not gonna lie to you, it's gonna get worse.  But you're gonna get to 100, and you're gonna win, and me and Barry are gonna be with you."  And they were.  Not just them, everybody!  All those crazy volunteers and runners, they were all with me, all night!  and I was with them!  So, basically, when I strolled to the starting line of this race,  I really had absolutely no clue what was going to happen.  I had not trained, I had no plan, I just showed up for the ride, and what a ride it was.   I feel rejuvenated and peaceful, like this was a hardcore re-set.  I am excited to run purely for the joy of it, because it is a joyful activity and part of who I am.  So maybe in a few days I can jog a few miles, when my body has decided it is ready, legs aren't quite there yet.  I'm excited for what the future will bring!

Went for a nice jog in the cold by Vanessa's school.  Legs are not particularly perky, but all systems a go!  Today I had to bust it all out, tights, hat, gloves, underarmour, everything.  Apparently there is a big storm moving on.  I am done racing for the year, for sure, but eager to get back to daily joyful running and the gym.  Oh the gym.  I feel like a blob.  I am eyeballing Rocky Raccoon 100 in February, and Praire Spirit 100 in March.  Apparently I have caught ultra disease.There is Boston in April, but some financial miracles better start happening soon to afford that trip!

23 degrees and windy.  brrrr!  Beautiful run on the k96/rails to trails loop.

Ran a 1:37:19 half with Kyle as his last pre-marathon training run.  felt decent in the cold temps.

Went to the Y with Mini and ran at 6:40 pace for an hour on the treadmill

Easy in the cold wind with Nancy.  Maybe I will get around to some core work tonight!

5.5 through the 217 with Jarrod before work.  Great company.  It was cold and windy....my brother-in-law is dragging me to a crossfit gym in the morning...should be interesting, I haven't done anything with strength or core for a few weeks, maybe this will get me rolling with that stuff again.  I am hoping to get a run in afterward and cheer downtown for my Thanksgiving 5k running friends if work isn't too crazy and I'm not exhausted!!

Got off work and went to crossfit with brother-in-law, boy my shoulders are angry lol!  Next I drove downtown to hold stuff and cheer for my running buddies at the Thanksgiving 5k, and warm up with them a little bit.  I finally made my way home and into bed a little before noon, but then at 1:30 someone was persistently ringing my doorbell.  I finally got up and answered and it was the little Iraq family from the apartment across from mine, I drive their daughter to school with mine since she doesn't drive.  They were all smiling and presented me with an entire roasted turkey.  Wow! I don't speak Arabic and they don't speak English but I know they understood thank-you.  It was a very humbling gesture.  soooo, I had to stay up a while and carve the turkey and put it away before I got a few more hours of sleep and now I am at work.  We will do our family thing tomorrow!  Happy Thanksgiving!

8 in the early 29 degrees after work.  It was still and crisp, dark, very nice run.  7:30 pace, felt pretty groovy.  I am sore from the crossfit adventure yesterday.

Between family obligations and time with my daughter I had a little time on the home treddy while she watched My Little Pony.  Warmed up 10 minutes slow, then 5 x 45secs on/75 off at 5:27 pace, immediately followed by 10 x 1min on/off at 6:00 pace, then cooldown to 6 miles.  I am STILL sore from my crossfit experience, which I clearly overdid in my attempt to do what all the other experienced crossfitters did.