Evergreen Hall of Fame Induction

 I was honored to be inducted into my college athletics Hall of Fame this month. My alma matter being the Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. 

 I was not the fast kid. I was the last kid. I remember running at Junior Olympics, cross country. The official would say into a walky-talky when I ran by, “Last place has gone by me, last place has gone by.” When I would complain to my coach about this she said, “Oh they don't say that!” But they totally did.

 So to get to a place where I was setting school records, making nationals, and being honored with a Hall of fame induction still feels a little surreal.

 I was not the most naturally talented, but when I got to college I discovered a talent of sorts that I did have and that was that I was willing to run more miles than just about anyone.

 When I went to Evergreen I had a friend on the custodial staff, a man who mowed the lawns. He would see us at practice and read articles about the team in The Olympian. He'd see me running over the summer and would chat with me about the article about the team he'd read. We'd often do intervals in the field and in 2007 I was leading the girl's team by a lot. In 2008 our team got a lot better. We got some new girls. We were the best team in Evergreen's history- nationally ranked, third place in our competitive conference. We were really close in time and would pace each other at practice and it was great to be a part of a competitive team that made each other better. Except, my friend, the custodian, had a chat with me. He was concerned I had not run enough over the summer, and that was why my teammates were beating me. I tried to explain- it's not me, it's them! I had actually run more and was running faster. Simplest explanation tells us that it is more likely that 1 runner got slower than 4 other runners got faster, but in this case the simplest explanation was not correct.

 It was not my idea to be an ultra runner. It was my post collegiate coach's. But ultra running was the best avenue for my success because in ultra running the work horse is rewarded. It was less about natural talent and more about how hard you were willing to work. 

 I used to run 140 mile weeks. 

 30 mile long runs.

 Once, a 4 x 10 mile.

 8 hour time trial. 

 I used to run to work, run home. Run from my sister's house in Seattle to my parents' in Renton. This was actually when I was lazy, as I wouldn't waste time commuting and could sleep in!

 I wouldn't say I loved every minute of this. In fact I spent quite a few hours running whilst feeling very sorry for myself. I did it because I wanted to be the best runner I could be.

 When people say- oh it's just sports. Sports don't matter. The lessons I take from my ultra training help me in every area of my life.

 Hard work, perseverance, dealing with adversity, accountability, self esteem and confidence. I can't believe that most parents out there that haven't gone through ultra training!  

 I tell myself when I am not feeling well - once I did not feel well and then I ran 40 more miles. You've got this!

Track meets as a mom/athlete

 I'm racing through the entrance of civic field with a child in each arm. There's a line to check in. Three arm bands that will have to wait to be put on, only time to make 2 name tags right now. Running across the field with 2 children,  applying wrist bands mid run. Plop toddler down on the track within seconds of the start of the 2 year old hurdles. We're not going to be late for my race, ha! I may as well be running tomorrow. It's track season kiddos!

Track meets with kids: help 2 yr old with race, wait around while 5 yr old demands turn. 2 decides race was not long enough, is about 100 meters away. Aww, she's an ultra toddler. 5 is running circles around the javelin. Help 5 yr old with race. Suprisingly, or not surprisingly, after all that waiting 5 is not ready to start race, takes about a 5 second delayed start. That'll kill your 50 meter chances. Find 2 who is climbing bleachers. Long jump time. Except not really, it's really just a big sandbox. We need to go across the track for 2's next race. But I'm playing sand box! Mom you's a BAD GUY! Collect 2 and 2 and 5's shoes and run across field while getting hit for spoiling play time. 5 is playing in the bleachers. 2 is actually a pretty good racer ("I ran fast at track meet. I won!) At 2 if you can run in a straight line all the way to the finish line without being distracted you are 90th percentile. 2 loves blue! Now 5 has disappeared. Gather 2 to look behind bleachers for 5. There is no 5. There is no 5! 5 has disappeared! Ask officials if they have seen 5, run around carrying 2 in panic looking for 5. Finally see her at the other end of the bleachers, crying with an adult. 5 ran to other end of the bleachers near finish line to watch 2's race and was hiding for some reason and is now traumatized. Comfort 5. Dad, who showed up about 5 minutes ago declares time to leave. 5 is cheered up enough to run her race which has just started. Runs 50 meters. Despite the short race distance 5 finds time to chat with fellow participants who look baffled as to why someone would be bothering them while they are racing. 5 loves green! Dad takes 2 and 5 home. Ahhhh.

Now it's only 2 hours until the 5k. My first chance to sit down all day. Feel like I'm in college again. Just sitting at a track meet all day, waiting for my turn to run, while getting increasingly anxious, except now two thirds of my anxiety has gone home. Anyone who has ever been to a youth track meet will not be shocked to hear that the 100 takes longer than the 5k. Once the 100 is over most people have left. Yet somehow the 200 still takes 15 minutes longer than is allocated for it on the schedule. It is almost 9 o'clock, in the pm, yet still light out. 2 and 5 are probably still awake, ok, the 200 can last a little longer. 

My unofficial goal is to run under 21 minutes. That's about 1:40 a lap. This is basically sprinting for me. In some ways the 5k is harder than the half marathon. I say unofficial because I have doubts I can run this fast anymore. But my race goes really well. I ran 20:34, which is my fastest 5k since 2013. 

Running Mom Crazy

 A lot has happened since my last blog. In April 2018 my first daughter was born, and in November 2020 m second. I am now returning to running in my biggest comeback since 2016. I have been running 50-60 miles a week, long run 14-16 miles, and ran my first half marathon in 7 years in March. (1:39), 5k (21:26) Faster than high school!

Running is difficult, being a mom is difficult and running while being a mom to preschool age children is even more difficult. But where there's a will there's a way, where there is no will there is no way. I am so grateful for my treadmill for making my comeback possible. I have many running friends who say they couldn't bear to run on the treadmill. That is 90% of runs. It is my miracle running machine. I used to be the running machine and now I have my own running machine. It enables me to run all my crazy miles and miles and never leave my house. I can run AND watch my kids at the same time. Take that guilt! 

To achieve your running goals as a mom all you need to do is neglect other areas of your life. For instance- I could put the toys away but in half an hour (or half a minute) they'll just be on the floor again. If you skip it, no one will know. Tomorrow will still happen even if the dishes aren't done- usually a few hours earlier than there is any reason for it to. Don't sweep after breakfast or lunch, but dinner, ( if you sweep at all. Tomorrow also comes if you don't sweep.) After dinner is the longest you can go without stepping on wet cheerios. Don't fold the laundry- just throw it in their drawers- they're going to have so much fun later pulling every item out and tossing it on the floor anyways. By now you may be screaming- but I like having a clean house! Oh man, me too. I just can. Not. Have one. I could spend my entire day cleaning and it would still look like a tornado invaded my living room. Cleaning when you have little kids is one of the most unrewarding jobs there is. (Also writing.) I can have a clean house when I'm old. How much of a runner can I be then? 

The internet tells me, "Don't ever let TV be your babysitter." Oh yeah, well, TV is the only babysitter I can afford. 

Tempos are run at 9pm at night. I love intervals now! So much time to check on my kids. Give me a two minute rest break and I can make a quesadilla.  I got sick more this winter than I did in the past decade. On the plus side, on the rare occasion I run and I'm NOT sick, it feels amazing! Funny story- did I mention how I found out I had Covid? My 15 mile felt hard, I still did it, I just got chills afterwards. 

I ran my best races and my highest mileage between the ages of 20-26. By 27 I was completely mentally burnt out. I tried many times to recover to no avail. This comeback feels better in a number of ways. Running is not my number one priority anymore. And that's a good thing! It takes the pressure off. My whole life is a little harder and that makes running seem easier. Time goes by so much faster now. Have to do a hard workout? Well in an hour or two it will be over. It won't last forever- nothing does. Not even being pregnant during a pandemic, whilst locked in the house with a 2 year old. 

It is easier to run (and do everything else!) without children but then easy has never been my style.

Birch Bay Marathon

My legs are like the battery in my mp3 player. They can keep going once they are depleted unless you press any of the buttons. If you power that thing off it won't have enough juice to turn back on again. Luckily my shoe lace did not come untied in the last 4 miles like it was threatening to.
My friend told me about two months ago that we should do the Birch Bay marathon. I was like, oh, my long run right now is an hour, hmmm. I moved it up to two hours that weekend easily enough so I was like- you're on!
I live in a sort of good place for running. If you like running lots of hills. The Stimson Nature reserve is in my backyard, literally. From there it is a three minute or so vertical climb, the trail itself is a bit hilly and I can get to Sudden Valley from the trail which really should be called Sudden Mountain. If I don't want to run hills I have to drive somewhere else, so it boils down to which do I hate more? Driving, or running hills? Usually driving wins the most hated competition.
Running a marathon you have been training for for two months is painful! I have never done that before! I ran 3:47 which on the one hand is 30 minutes slower than I have run on the Birch Bay course before ( I actually did a 30 mile there that was a minute faster and felt much better), but on the other hand it is kind of cool that I can return to sub four marathoning in two months. Maybe I should train longer next time...It might keep the number one thought in my head from being- I want a car to hit me so I don't have to run anymore! (JK, please cars don't hit me again) Except my friend's boyfriend, Chikara Omine, who won the race said that was close along the lines of what he was thinking as well. Why do we all do marathons if we just want to quit the entire time?   

Joel Wants You to Think He is Nice Now

He says that on the phone-
I have learned my lesson. I'm nice now.
What is that lesson?
That I shouldn't make people run what I want them to run, but let them run what they love,
I'm paraphrasing, I don't remember exactly what he said, but I wish I did, because the way I remember it that sounds like I get to run the steeplechase now!
He's had lots of practice acting nice while coaching other people, namely college children. He tells me a lot about how nice he is to his college children. He does things like let them talk and he just listens, huh. You have to be nice to college children because their tuition kind of pays for the athletic staff, they have overprotective parents and school officials and they just can't handle ultra running. I'm totally not jealous, btw. Even though they get to do fun things like cross country and the steeplechase and team practices. They also have to go to school. Euw.
So Joel's trying to lure me back into running by doing things like saying "good job" after I've run 6 miles. I don't know who you are anymore. I am training small, goal right now just to run the Birch Bay marathon with my friend Diann at a leisurely pace. That still requires long runs. But an amazing thing has happened the last few long runs- they weren't totally terrible. I've run two and half hours and two forty five and even though my 2012 self would not have considered that a long run, that's still a lot of running. Being able to recognize that may be the first step to recovery. I'm at the second step- I can do that distance again and only sort of not like it, just a healthy normal amount. Part me thinks it's kind of an exciting challenge to run far and it can go by quicker than I think. Another amazing thing has happened- I've gone on an 8 mile run and felt good about it. I didn't feel like I should go curl up in a ball and die for being such a lazy bad runner. 8 miles is good, I thought. Another day I ran 11 just because it felt good to be in the woods, not because I would feel guilty if I ran less than 10, I was running for a reason other than guilt. Guilt is not a good reason to run btw, it might seem like it because it can last for several years but it is a miserable experience and will fail eventually.
   Joel says- I am sorry, he used to be a little umm insane? He says he's learned now that athletes have to keep wanting to run. You can't physically force someone to run especially when you are in Milwaukee and can't drive right behind them with a whip. (Disclaimer- ok Joel never did this. I'm sure he thought about it though.) He says- I want you to love running again.
He says all this but he is making me write my blog when I am sick and have woken up at one in the morning. I fell asleep though and finished the next morning. And I don't feel too bad about that, ha!

I'm coming back

One day last May I scared myself with a fleeting thought dancing past my brain- what if I didn't wake up every morning and with a big 0 hanging over me that I had to turn into a 20? What if I just stopped? It made me scared how deliriously happy that thought made me. It made me sad how ridiculously happy that thought made me. It was the first time I allowed myself to think it. It gave me an identity crisis.
One day a few months later I did stop. I was at four miles and I wanted to go home. So I did. For the next 11 months or so I ran sometimes as much as I wanted to, sometimes more, occasionally not at all. I tried doing speed workouts, I tried doing ultra runs without really training for them. I tried every team in town.
Many days I thought about what my old life was like. There were things I missed, there were things I did not miss. There were some things I missed an awful lot.
Like having dreams. Before running turned into a waking nightmare.
It wasn't one day but over the course of all those days that I began to hate running less, to like it some, to love it some, I only hate running occasionally, dislike it a bit, like it some, love it deep down. So I am back here. To my blog page I guess, is a good place to start. To my coach, Joel, to the 50k, to New York. I made the decision to train with Joel again, for the 50k, for the National Champs in March.
I don't want to go back to the hating place so we are taking it slow, 100 mile weeks. I think I could get used to that. I never quite got used to 140. Joel says you don't actually have to do 140 unless you want to be a 24 hour runner. I don't, nope, nada. Not today.
Sometimes it takes one day. Sometimes it takes 11 months.
BTW- I'm never going to run the 11 month race. 

Ski to Sea

I really forgot that this was a bad idea. Why are bad ideas so much fun?
I'm not sure exactly why Ski to Sea is fun. I have to get up at 4 in the morning, (surprisingly there are birds up at this hour, who knew? Ugh, who wants to know?) The cross country skier starts the race at 7:45 at the top of Mt. Baker, then hands off to the downhill skier. Lots of runners do the downhill skiing leg I learned this year because the leg consists of running up hill in the snow in ski boots and then downhill skiing back down. If I had skied since 8th grade that might have been a better option. I get to race third. They called out my number- 79 very early this year. I take off down the mountain with a pack of super fast guys behind me and no one slow to catch. My ankle injury took a lot out of me and I have to work really hard to run fast and it's not quite as fast as last year. I expect it to be fast this year so I don't get to be pleasantly surprised like the year before. I run as fast as I can to get the chip to my teammate bike racer. It hurts more than last year too, especially the last half mile which is the only part of the 8 mile race that is not downhill. The first 7.5 miles are so downhill that it hurts. It is flat but after all that downhill it feels like running uphill.
My legs are not that sore yet. That will come tomorrow so I am able to walk around and stand and wait in the rain (it is always raining on ski to sea day) for one hour until the cars are released from the top of the mountain, and then one more hour for them to drive down the mountain, (it takes longer to drive than to run.)
I am cold and wet and tired but still having fun for some reason.
We drive to the finish and this is the first year I get to watch the finish. After I passed off to the road bike, he passes off to the canoe leg, they pass off to the mountain biker who passes off to the kayaker. The kayaker finishes the race at Fairhaven park by jumping out of the kayak and running up the grass to the finish line, ringing the bell. The entire race is about 93 miles. My team finished in 6:55 for 26th place overall, out of about 500 teams, and 2nd in our division.
When I go to bed I can still move, my legs don't feel too bad. When I wake up the next morning I can hardly move. I don't think my quads are supposed to be this big. I have to crawl down the stairs. That still hurts. I have to pick up my legs with my hands if I want to move them. That still hurts. It doesn't feel better the next day either. That is delayed muscle soreness- it is delayed coming and it is delayed going. I feel a bit better on Wednesday. I have post Ski to Sea blues though, that feels worse than my quads.
I know why this is fun. It is fun because for one day a year I get to have teammates and I want to be on a team and have teammates even more than I want to be fast. But as soon as I get some they are gone.

Mt Vernon 50k

Jim said- "you're the only person I know who would be willing to run a 50k to get out of helping." That was why I said I was going to run on Saturday, it was either that or be drafted into volunteering at the event which included a 100k and I was pretty sure was going to include a lot of rain and yuck. Because what is volunteering without that? And for the most part it was worth it- except from about 10am- 11:23.
I wasn't nervous or dreading it all which is rare. That's because I hadn't run a 50k since the 12 hour run in March 2013 and a marathon since the Last Chance on New Year's Eve. Your body forgets things, even mine. I was naive enough to think up to right before the race that, I will just jog and it won't be that bad! Until the race started. Apparently jogging means running 7:57 pace, around 8:07 pace for 20 miles. I had one long run of around 20 miles since New Years and I could tell as soon as I hit 20 miles, the last 11 were tough at any pace, actually jogging ish now at around 9 minutes per mile, but feeling bad, not not that bad. Several minutes were lost at water stations because I was too thirsty to stop from drinking 3 or 4 cups. Stopping that late is just brutal, takes forever to get your legs moving again and then they are even more cranky.
Around and around, 6 times a 5 mile loop then a cruel little half mile out and back. The first mile long, out into nowheresville, then the second mile quick, next to the aid station, around the corner at halfway, then three miles by the farm sign, head down, make it to four, don't want to look, the last mile running back through the town, end of loop, do it all over again, times 6, mile marker 1 becomes 6, becomes 11, 16, 21, 26.
The 50k felt like a very cruel distance on Saturday. Not much longer than a marathon you think at the start, twenty one miles later it is twice as long as a marathon, 10 miles left when 5 sounds oh so much sweeter. Then 30 miles, 30 miles is a nice even number, the end of a lap, but the 50k has to be thirty one miles. Always have to remember that one extra, sticking out like a sore thumb. Don't forget about me, while you're on mile 22, 23, 24, 29, always have to add that extra mile to the list of miles left to run. Stupid 50k.
I ran faster than I was expecting for having not been training for the 50k, 4:23:04 with aid stops. Not bad for "jogging."

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.

On the last day of the year

I ran a 30 mile time trial in 3:51:54. I ran in Mt Vernon, 6 times around the 5 mile skagit ultras course. Jim came and helped me out and shouted things at me that Joel said all the way from North Carolina. Just kidding, Jim doesn't shout at me! And someone else would shout so loud that I could hear him without any help. I finished 10 miles at slightly under my PR pace in 74:xx, something something, but my hamstrings started complaining early- actually at about 8 miles and the day just wasn't getting any warmer. I managed to run the rest of the way at around 7:40-7:58 pace and finish at around what would have been a 4 hour 50k. But don't tell me that, I did not want to run another 1.07 miles! I don't know why but for some reason that sounds really far right now.
I need to do some more speed work and more leg strengthening activities. I'm usually able to touch my toes but that hasn't been the case for the last month or so.
On Christmas day I hit 5000 miles for the year! Today I hit 5100.  I basically ran 5000 miles in 11 months because of the one month I was injured and only ran 80 miles the entire month. Next year I hope to be able to run 5215 miles and beyond.

Fairhaven Frosty 10k

Aww remember when there was this widdle biddy race called the 10k? I don't!
I ran the Fairhaven Frosty 10k on Saturday and I don't remember how to run this race. It is like a sprint right? Or at least it feels like you are sprinting but you are really running 6:53 pace? Right. Maybe I do remember this.
The course was hard in that there were four pretty good sized hills- twice up Chuckanut road and twice up the Interurban switch backs. Also because it was extremely w word. ( I can't actually say the w- word because when you say the w- word it will start w-ing right in your face.) But anyway the w was so strong I could not breathe unless I turned my head sideways for some of the race, and it felt like it was pushing me backwards. We only got the negative effects of the w because it was blowing north which meant it was beating us face first up Chuckanut Drive but wasn't giving back as when we were running north because we were in the trees of the Interurban by that point.
This race is so short there were only two times I felt like crying- one when I was running up the Chuckanut Drive hill  with what felt like a hurricane beating the will to live out of me and the other time when I had rounded the final corner and could see the finish line about 200 meters away and the finish line clock rapidly approaching 43 minutes and the w picked me up and dropped me like 100 meters backwards.
With the hard course and the w I feel like my time was all right, especially since I don't do very much speed work right now.

Running with Goats

On Thanksgiving I was running like I always do, and I was on a busy road, yuck, when I ran into a goat. He was just chilling on the side of the road eating some grass. When he saw me he started to follow me. I was worried about him being on a busy road so I stopped for a second to see if I could see where he belonged but as soon as I stopped he started head butting me with his horns, not in an unfriendly way, and the only way I could get him to stop was to start running again. Hmm, Joel is behind this perhaps? The goat started following me as soon as I started running again but fortunately he was out of shape and only made it about a hundred meters.
This was not the first time I have run with goats. When I went to Evergreen in 2007 or 2008 I was running to practice when I passed a little backyard farm. All of a sudden I hear "baaahhh!" behind me. When I looked back two little goats were running after me. They followed me for about two miles! They were both panting and I was scared they would give themselves heart attacks or something but they kept following me down the Evergreen parkway, past the dazed onlookers in buses, bahhhing all the way. When I was almost to school I got worried as obviously they could not come into school with me and I was still worried they would collapse and die but luckily some guy came by in a truck and exclaimed- "those are mine!"
Whenever I get a bit lonely out running I think about my goat friends and pretend I hear a little "baaaaahhh" behind me.

First Call Veteran's Day Marathon

Saturday I ran in the First Call Veteran's Day marathon for the third year in a row. I had a good time and finished first in the field again although my time was slower than the last two years where I ran 3:15:58 in 2011 and 3:12:22 in 2010. This year I ran 3:17:45.
It was below freezing at 7:15 in the morning when I got out of the car to "warm-up." I wore three jackets and my rain coat on my mile warm-up and didn't get that warm.
My time difference comes in the first half of the race. The course consists of two out and backs along the Sammamish river trail that are 6.55 miles and 6.55 miles back. In 2010 I ran my PR for a half marathon in route to my PR for the full in 1:31:30. Last year I was 1:34 something, this year I was 1:36:40 something. I run more consistently and I have way better endurance but I'm not as speedy. In 2010 I used to do lots of speed work and 21 mile hard runs. That was before I was a 50 miler or 24 hour runner. I ran the first 18 miles of the marathon at about 6:59/ mile pace and then crashed and ran about 8:00s, or in the 30 mile time trial I did that year 9-10:00s. I do not die like that now, or get nearly as sore afterwards as I did then but I would like to have some more of that speed I had so maybe I should go back to 21 mile hard runs. Sigh. Sometimes I wish I picked an easier profession.
It was weird to think when I was running that I was running only my third actual official marathon. I have done four 50ks, also four 10ks. It goes by a lot quicker than it used to. And my quads are not even sore at all so maybe the wall sit is actually helping!