As of this past Saturday at approximately 3:15 PM, I earned the title of ultramarathoner 🙂 I crossed the finish line of my first 50K at The North Face DC Endurance Challenge tired, covered in mud, and solidly on cloud 9. It was an incredible experience.

I’m planning to have a full race recap next week, but I’m going to take my time with it to make sure I do the day justice. In the meantime, here’s a recap of my week of training leading up to race day, as part of the Weekly Wrap link up.

This link up is hosted by the wonderful MissSippiPiddlin’ and HoHo Runs. Click on either link to see who else is joining in and to link up as well!

Monday – Super light cross training – a few planks and some ab stuff.

Tuesday – 3 mile run on the treadmill. I was already starting to freak out about packing for race weekend and I chose to just run on the treadmill after work to save time.

Wednesday – 3 mile trail run in the evening at a nearby park. This was my final run before my race. I took it nice and easy and thought about race day.

I also made a point to run the quarter-mile long ‘inspiration trail’ at the park to pick up a little extra inspiration/motivation for my big day. 😉

And I finished my run watching the sun set over the mountains. This short, easy run helped calm my nerves in that moment and I felt at peace with and excited for the challenge that lay ahead.

Thursday – Rest.

Friday – Rest. Picked up my bib for race day!!

Saturday – The North Face DC Endurance Challenge Series 50K! I had an amazing experience. The course was beautiful, despite the extreme mud conditions we ran through for over 20 miles. We also ran through rain, wind, sleet, and snow (multiple times, on and off) and temperatures ranging from the upper 30’s to mid 40’s. I finished in 8:11:54. It was slower than I expected, but I’m still darn proud of that finish. Those were tough race conditions any day, but especially for my first ultra. What a day! I can’t wait to share the whole story with you.

A HUGE thank you to my husband Barry, my dad, Debbie, and my friend L and her fiance for being out there to support me. They crewed for me, cheered me on, gave me things to look forward to during the race, and even ran with me. My day would not have been what it was without them!

Also thank you to all of those who supported me during training and who sent me well wishes before the race. It meant so much to see so many cheering me on!

Sunday – Rest. I was pretty sore and stiff when I first got up, but the more I moved around the better I felt. Basically all of the muscles in my legs were pretty sore, especially all of those little stabilizer muscles in my core, hips, and ankles. The crazy thing is I felt better than I have after either of my road marathons. Sure, I’m sore, but I don’t have that deep ache you often get from running long distances on pavement.

Total Miles: 38 miles

Who else got some spring snow this weekend?

This is it! Barry and I drove up to the DC area last night for my first 50K tomorrow. It’s finally here and it’s feeling more real. This morning Barry and I headed over to The North Face store to pick up my race stuff. Packet pickup was a breeze, but I still managed to spend enough time in the store to purchase a new rain jacket. I’m freaking out about the weather tomorrow and my favorite rain jacket has holes in it from a recent tangle I had with thorns while running.

I’ve been trying not to fret over race day weather, since it is completely outside of my control. But I have been a bit worried about it (hence the impromptu jacket purchase – but I saved $12 with my bib!). Over the past ten days they have gone from predicting 50’s and raining to mid-60’s and sunny to 30’s and SNOW! Yes, snow. What. The. Heck.

Most recently, they have settled on mid-30’s, a rain snow mixture, and gusts up to 50 mph. I told Barry maybe the meteorologists are just rotating through all types of weather so that come race day they can say they were right no matter the outcome. All I can really do is make sure I bring the right clothing for the day.

Obviously this forecast has changed what I plan to wear. I hadn’t initially planned on wearing capris, but I will be now. I don’t mind them, I just had it in my mind that I would wear my fun, purple shorts. Boo.

I realized, though, that this weather forecast is only fitting  for my first ultramarathon. I have a history of crazy weather anytime I try something new. This is a photo from my first trail race:

2014 Green Legs & Hamstrings Trail Half – the overnight freak ice/snow storm

When it comes down to it, I’ll just deal with whatever race day brings. Everyone is dealing with the same conditions. And it’s an ultra after all… we wouldn’t want it to be easy.

What are the worst race conditions you have ever dealt with? I think this will be my first super windy race

Another Wednesday means another Wednesday Word linkup with Debbie! Each week Debbie gives us all a word prompt to write about. This week’s word is brave and it’s perfect timing with my first ultramarathon happening this Saturday. Naturally, that’s what I’m going to talk about because I can’t really think about anything else.

Here are some of the mantras I have come up with for myself on race day. I am actually planning to write these down and carry them in my pack to refer to as needed…

You dreamt it, now do it.

Don’t give up what you want most for what you want right now.

That voice in your head that says you can’t do this is a liar.

One step closer.

I am lucky, I get to experience this.

When you feel like giving up, remember why you started.

Be brave.

Sometimes I feel kind of silly thinking about these. When I’m sitting here well rested and comfortable, it’s hard to imagine needing these mantras. But I know that the mind is a powerful thing and I’ve definitely defeated myself mentally in the past. When the going gets tough I hope that these phrases will help me stay strong and keep going.

How do you stay strong when the going gets tough?
Bravery: something you’re born with or something that can be learned?

P.S. This week marks one year of the Wednesday Word link up. I’ve had fun linking up each week and seeing other’s take on the word prompt. Thank you, Debbie, for hosting and congratulations on a fun and successful link up!

It’s race week, y’all!!! How is it here already!? It feels like it was both a long time coming and got here in the blink of an eye. This is real, though, and on Saturday I’m going to step into the unknown world of ultrarunning for the first time. Ack! I’m simultaneously excited, nervous, anxious, and terrified. But most of all I’m thrilled.

Here is a recap of my last full week of training before race day. This recap is part of the Weekly Wrap link up, hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin’.

Monday – Rest.

Tuesday – Cross training: 30 Day Shred Level 1 DVD workout.

Wednesday – 4 mile trail run at the state park. I forgot to bring my inhaler, which was not good, but it was a really nice evening to be out for a run on the trails. There are some early season campers staying in the park already, so I got to smell campfires while I ran. If the below picture was scratch and sniff you could smell it, too.

My legs felt great and I took the run nice and easy but my lungs were not feeling great still. I think if I had remembered my inhaler I would have felt much better. On the way home I drove with the windows down and listened to a Garth Brooks live album. All in all, a pretty good evening.

Thursday – Cross training: core work, planks, and push ups.

Friday – Rest. I spent the morning giving our dogs baths. Then I got to meet up with Debbie for an early lunch as she drove through my area on her way home.

Saturday –  10 mile trail run at Pandapas Pond. I took this run super easy and focused on staying in my aerobic heart rate zone, since that’s the plan for Saturday. For the most part this run felt good. I remembered to use my inhaler before starting my run and I never needed it during the run.

For some reason both of my knees felt kind of creaky and a bit sore during this run. I have no idea why, as they felt fine after the run and have not hurt at all during training. Hopefully it was just one of those weird pains/twinges you feel during your taper when you’re cutting your mileage back.

During my run I was running around the actual pond and I got hissed at by a goose. It stood its ground as I ran by, and I’m guessing it had eggs or babies nearby to protect. It made me laugh, though. However, I was not laughing about the four snakes I encountered throughout this run. They don’t freak me out, but I also don’t really care to have any interactions with them. I nearly stepped on this guy, who was sunning himself on the trail, because he blended right in!

This run seemed to fly by and 10 miles felt short. I hope that’s a good omen for race day. I’m pretty sure in the past my long run the weekend before the race has never felt great. But I finished the run feeling like I could keep going and honestly it felt like I hadn’t even really run 10 miles.

Fun side story: I hung out with a group of friends the rest of the day Saturday and through the night to celebrate my best friend’s birthday. Everyone in the group fell asleep by 3 AM, but I was still up so I started flipping through TV channels. I happened upon live coverage of this year’s Paris Marathon. How about that!?

Sunday – 4 mile run with Kim in the afternoon. I was feeling pretty sleepy after all of the birthday shenanigans the night before (and less than four hours of sleep). This run still felt really good, though. The miles flew by and as always the company and conversation were great.

Total Miles: 18 miles
March Total: 89.89 miles (my lowest month of the year…. stupid flu!)

So that’s it! All of the work is truly in the books now. I’ve got a couple of really short runs this week and then we’ll be headed up to race central – aka dad’s house. Things are about to get real.

Who else is racing this weekend or raced this past weekend?
Have you ever watched live coverage of a marathon on TV? I like watching Boston and I can’t wait for the summer Olympics!
What is your favorite spring/summer-related smell? I love the smell of campfires.

Happy April Fool’s Day (and watch out for those pranksters)!

I normally do my weekly recaps on Mondays, but moved this one to Friday since my race recap was more interesting than this will be. 🙂 Last week was about recovering and getting back into the swing of things after having the flu the week prior. It’s been a bit rough going. My legs feel great, and for the most part my body does too, but oh my lungs. It’s just going to take some more time for them to get back to normal. In the meantime I’ve been using my inhaler again, and that’s helping some at least.

Monday 3/21- Rest.

Tuesday 3/22- Cross training – just some light strength stuff including push ups, planks, and lunges.

Wednesday 3/23- 3 mile run by the river. It was nice, but it was very hot and I swallowed my first bug of the year. Yuck. My run was primarily on a paved trail, but I did find some dirt to play in along the way.

During this run I felt like I was trying to breathe underwater (doesn’t make sense, but it’s the best way I can explain it). At the same time my mouth and throat felt super dry.

Thursday 3/24-  Cross training – push ups, planks, core stuff.

Friday 3/25- 3 mile run with Kim. We met up in the morning for a nice jaunt (she had both of her kiddos with her). The weather was great – low 50’s and cloudy. I was still having some issues with the whole breathing thing, but my legs felt good.

I also wore my new trail shoes for this run to test them out. After my recent shoe debacle I continued to scour the internet, particularly eBay, in case a pair of my beloved Stinson ATR’s (which have been replaced by a new model) popped up. As luck would have it, a pair showed up on eBay in my size. The previous owner wore them one just one run and they’re as close to brand new as you can get. They felt great and I’m so glad I’ll be able to wear them for the 50K!

Saturday 3/26- Montvale 10 Mile trail race. I had a great day out on the trails, although my lungs are definitely still recovering from the flu.

On the plus side the rest of me felt pretty good the whole way and I hope to be fully recovered before my first ultra in two weeks.

I also went on and wore my new shoes for this race. Although they are new, they’re not a new model for me, and everything felt fine with them. I’m so glad I was able to find another pair of the Stinson ATR’s to wear for my 50K!

Sunday 3/27- 3 mile hike with Barry over on the local mountain bike trails. I hadn’t been on these trails for awhile because I don’t like to use them by myself. So it was nice to be out there and it was a good day for a hike. My legs weren’t too sore from the race, either.

The view from the overlook isn’t too shabby, either. 😉

Total Miles: 19 miles (including the hike, which I’m counting)

Anyone else swallow any bugs yet this year??
What was the last lucky thing that happened to you?