Coaching

I started assistant coaching at a middle school. They are weird around here and have track in the fall. So far I have been helping out with the high jump, which I know nothing about, the shot put, which I threw in 8th grade and that is the extent of my knowledge, and watching, or leading the running.
Watching running is fun. I get to stand there and tell other people that they have to run! Finally! Some of them are funny, like when they ask all wide eyed and innocent- you expect us to run for ten minutes? Without stopping to walk? Is that even physically possible? They are so innocent I haven't corrupted them yet, like by telling them how once I ran for ten hours.
They make me feel old, like when they are talking about when they are born and they used years like 2001 and 2002. What? That is a birth year? And because they have added new events to middle school track since my time- the 6x 200 meter relay, the softball throw instead of the discuss, and the triple jump. When I was in middle school they made me throw the shot put because we had about four 8th grade girls on our team. I ran the mile, the 800, the 4x2, the 100 and threw the shot put.
What I really want is to be on the team. 

5,215 miles!

7/1/12 - 6/30/13 I hit my dream goal- 5,215 miles in one year, July 1,2012- June 30, 2013. Average of 100 miles a week for one year!
I recalculated my math for the whole year on the 29th and somehow I only messed up in math the bad way- I was three under what I thought. That meant I had to run 18 miles the next day.

An ultra runner trying to sprint

"Do you ever do like sprint races?" my roommate asked me. Well yes, I replied, I am going to run the mile at this track meet. "The mile?" he says, "that's not a sprint!" Actually it's not even a mile, it's a 1500 and yes it is! It is a super sprint, the fastest I can go, and don't even get me started on the 800 meters. That is faster than I can go.
I have been really slow lately. I guess that is what happens when you just run long all the time, everyday, twice a day, for like a year. I ran Haggen to Haggen last month as my first 5k in a year and on Monday and Monday two weeks ago I went to the All Comer's meet at Civic Field and did something even crazier- I ran the 800 and 1500.
"This is a bad idea," I said while I was doing strides to warm up for the 800. "There will be blood!" I was never an 800 runner but I did run 2:34 once in college at practice. At the first meet I ran 2:54, which was my old 3k race pace and there was blood, everywhere. Yesterday I ran 2:49 or 2:50, it was a little ambiguous when I crossed the line so I am going to go with 2:49. Afterwards my legs ached down to the bones. I'd never had aching bones before. It wasn't long until I had them again- right after the 1500. Two weeks ago I ran 5:43, yesterday was 5:38. It made me quite dismayed that was my 5k pr pace. how? what? how?
Well I may be slow but at least I am getting faster.I don't know how anyone could consider the 1500 not a sprint though- this is as fast as I can possibly go!

Ski to Sea

When I told anyone that I was going to run Ski to Sea they got serious and grave and told me such things like- "well that will be the end of you!"
Well I am still here! And, I still want to be!
With all that in mind I was kind of concerned as I waited at the top of Mt. Baker for my snowboarding teammate to pass me the bracelet chip baton. Only kind of because really, let's be honest, what could be worse than the 24 hour run? I got the chip at about 8:46 and started tearing down the mountain. I missed seeing the first mile marker so I ended up not seeing a marker at all until the 2nd mile which I got to at 8:58. Now I was confused, that was waay slow for a mile. After seeing the next mile marker at 9:04 I was even more confused- could that have been three miles? It seemed too good to be true but about three minutes later I was coming up on the water station they said would be at 3.5 miles. That was when I decided- I don't care if I am going to die- I like running down mountains! It is so much more rewarding than running up them. One you have to do a lot of work, you have to be in pain all the time, it takes forever and you get a slow @$$ embarrassing time at the end. For the other I didn't feel bad at all (not yet), and I was flying faster than I ever had in my life! I got a 10k PR that probably would have been around 38:40. I ran 8 miles at 6:13 pace. It was over before my quads even had a chance to hurt. 49:51 for 8 miles, in a trail run that would have been 4 miles. No contest.
Ski to Sea is also fun because you are not alone- it is a relay. First leg xc skiing, then downhill skiing/snowboard, running, road biking, canoeing, mountain biking, and it finishes with kayaking into Bellingham Bay. I miss having teammates so it was fun to have some even if it was for just a day. There is someone to cheer for and someone to cheer for you. You don't feel like you have to do hard things all by yourself, rather there are lots of people there with you. My team finished the 93.5 miles in 7 hours and 50 minutes. We were an all women's team and we finished about 57th out of 500. I say about because the results keep changing.
Even though it rained all day and I had to stand around the run finish for two hours until my teammates were able to pick me up it was a fun day. And even though I was sore the next day I can't wait for next year. Goal- run under 6 minutes a mile!

Blues

I have the running blues. I have been so burnt out by running I haven't even written in my blog! Since the 12 hour run I have been struggling to find any joy or reason to run. To be fair I am still me, so even when I am as destitute as this I still run about 65 miles a week.

I used to love running. I used to love working hard because I knew it would make me better. I loved how with every step I could say- I am getting better! I am getting faster!

It doesn't seem that way anymore. Now it feels like with every step I am just getting cold, I am just getting wet, I am just getting lonely, I feel like every step gets slower.

I don't know who I would be without running. Running is what made me special. I ran a lot- that was who I am. I ran A LOT! I ran super duper uber far. Everyday. That was me. I could handle it. I could handle anything. I miss that.

I miss my coach and I miss my teammates. I miss having races that I was excited about, that were fun, not just terrifying and seemingly insurmountable. I miss getting better, and I miss loving running.

Things people say running

-I bet you're faster than her! (man to little girl on a bike, pointing at Diann)
- We don't have to use hurdles, we can just draw a line in the dirt!
- Student athletes put school first, well then I am an athlete student.
-Real athletes don't do drugs, don't do boys, and they don't do homework.
-It's all about mind over matter, I don't mind and you don't matter.
- Pull ups are over rated, what are you going to do when you get up there?
-What I told myself when I was racing on Saturday was- Sunday morning will come, no matter what.
      -Sunday morning will come and I will still be running.

-How bad was it Bob?
      -Well, it was medium bad

I'm switching sports!

I'm a gymnast now. It's official. A bad gymnast but a gymnast. After months of trying to teach myself to do a cartwheel to no avail I went to my first gymnastics class yesterday.
What happened to me? I thought I was in good shape from running I don't know, like 14 miles a day for the past year, but that was before I tried to climb a rope and leap across a room. Let's just say I am glad there is no such thing as the 24 hour jump.
I spent the rest of class practicing doing a handstand into the wall and doing baby cartwheels while everyone else from age four to thirty five did back flips over me.
After about 8 failed attempts I'm able to kick my legs up against the wall. If I have one percent fear I won't be able to do it. Not even 1%. Hard to have that when you know all the five year olds are laughing at you!
I just want to be able to do a cartwheel! I could do this when I was seven! Seven was the highlight of my life in many way but I refuse to let it be the pinnacle of my athletic career. I am still alive which means I'm young enough to learn how to do this.
It only takes four failed attempts to get my legs against the wall by the end of class. Maybe there's a little hope for me, maybe not much, but a little. That's it I'm quitting running- I'm going to be a gymnast!
Justin Beiber song comes blaring out of the radio and no one else falls out of their handstand because they are plugging their ears! Yeah, okay, maybe not.

Lake Samish Half Marathon

Today I ran the Lake Samish Half Marathon. Considering it was only six days after my 30 mile time trial my time was decent in 1:36:15. my hamstrings had been sore when I was running all week and because of this I got to have a whole easy week! Or five days anyway! Do you know the last time I got to have five, five easy days in a row? It was May when I had a stress reaction. Though my start to my 2013 mileage has some catching up to do now!
Yesterday I did something I never want to do - I took an ice bath. I watched Titanic the night before so I was imagining myself as Jack dying in the water. It's so cold...i can't feel my body... I wonder if anyone has ever died of hypothermia in their own bathtub before? Anyway the horrible stabbing pain only lasts two minutes and then your body goes numb unlike what happens in the half marathon,
In the half marathon I felt very good for the first 4 miles, my hamstrings weren't sore, I was running about 7:00 mile pace, then for some reason it got hard. Phooey.
My legs were more fatigued than normal. It is normal to think at some point in the race- I don't  know if I will make it! or I don't think I should be a runner anymore! And the like, otherwise it is not a real race but there were a couple points like even at mile 12 where I was really wondering if my legs were just going to collapse. That was scary.
Well I made it and in first for women which was exciting. Considering how sore I was the beginning of the week that could have been a lot worse.