This link up is hosted by Debbie. Each week she provides us with a word prompt to write about. Be sure to click on the button above to join in and see who else is linking up. This week’s word is judgemental.
I think we are often our toughest critics, and we judge ourselves more harshly than others judge us. This past weekend at my race, I kept hearing people saying “I’m just running the 50K.” Wait, what? When did 50K become a ‘just’ and why are you diminishing the challenge you are about to take on? I realize there was also a 50 miler going on, but I think it’s important not to take away from your accomplishments just because there’s someone doing something better.
Last year when Barry and I ran the New River Trail 25K there was also a 50K distance associated with the race. When we were talking to the owner/operator at the campground about the race, he said “oh, you’re just doing the 25K.” And that didn’t feel very good. When you don’t give credit to the things you are doing on that day (i.e. I am running the 25K versus I am just running the 25K) others follow suit.
Mostly unrelated photo of the NRT 25K start/finish next to the river.
Even if you’ve run 100 marathons in the past and you’re ‘just‘ doing the half today, own it. For one, you may make others around you feel bad. And two, it’s still 13.1 miles and there are probably a lot of people who would like to be able to complete half that distance. So it’s not just. If you think about it, anything you do could be a ‘just’, because there’s always someone running longer, running faster, or doing bigger things.
We are our harshest critics, and most of us would do well to cut ourselves some slack.
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.
This is not a good picture of the sunset, but it was pretty.
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!
Somewhere between mile 21 and 22, I think. PC: Debbie
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!
I am an ULTRAmarathoner!
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.
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.
The overnight “RealFeel” low Friday night is 17 degrees! It is going to be a cold start on race morning.
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:
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.
"I've opted for fun in this lifetime." -Jerry Garcia
