Buck Ridge Burn 1/2marathon RR

This was a free half marathon in its second year. A run through the woods of Pine Grove Furnace State Park. They asked for donations for Susan G. Komen organization. Interestingly enough, the RDs own sister was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and is currently cancer free between the first race last year and this years race. And they had double the turn out this year! I was glad to see a group of my Lancaster friends and a couple of York friends show up!! However, next year will be by registration because its just to hard for them to plan how many people will actually show up vs. sign up. Case in point...we had 1 bathroom for everyone today! Good thing we are trail runners. Lots of trees for me ;).

Anyhow, this race comes after a month of rough running for me including 2weeks of no running due to a bum ankle and then severe asthma issues for another 2weeks. I really needed a good run. The temps around here have been warm for March but this morning was alittle cooler which was good but humid and foggy. I wasnt sure how it would go.

The race was later start of 9am. We took off on time for a short 1/2mile loop to break up the group. Then headed into the woods on some single track. It wasnt long before I was in the back of the pack and we head up a long steady incline. I see Carli & Gary ahead of me and think I want to catch up and run with them. I am running good and breathing good. Even passed one or two people. But they are to just to fast and quickly fade away. At this point I am running with Angie & Amy. They are doing the talking and I throw in a word or two here or there. Angie is newer to trail running and is doing great.

Then comes the big hill. Its a good one. We basically hiked the entire thing. I really admire people who can run hills like that...someday! But I notice that I keep moving forward and at a pretty good pace. This is excellent! My breathing is great! We finally crest the hill and slowly start running again. I cant believe I didnt have to stop in the middle of the hill. My breathing has been so bad that I have been having to actually STOP midhill to regulate my breathing lately. Sometimes more then once. Not today! And this starts my runners high thats lasts the rest of the race and beyond :)

We head into the first AS where I grabbed a sip of Gatorade and kept moving. A group of 4 ladies hung out a little longer as did Angie & Amy. I figured I would keep moving down the stone road and they would all catch up with me, as usually happens with me. I ran down the stone road and left onto the most beautiful single track of the race. The fog was just beginning to lift so you couldnt see to far around you. This was a lollipop loop and little ups and downs with pine needles and rocks thrown into the beauty. I felt like I was cruising. I could hear some other girls but couldnt see them.

After I came out of that section I am still running by myself. I occasionally hear voices but never see anyone. At this point I kind went into auto pilot. Just running and running. Enjoying my surroundings and just how great I am feeling!

I eventually see another girl in red ahead of me. I follow behind at a decent distance. And here is where I need to get better. Most people see someone ahead and want to reel them in and pass them. Not me. Although I want to be a faster runner, the idea of catching up to and passing someone isnt really incentive for me! But I am getting better at passing people that are directly in front of me atleast. We come up to the steep decline that we were warned about. They said that you might have to butt slide it. But while I thought it was steep and happy to be going down instead of up it...it definately wasnt a butt sliding hill! And I was closing in on red shirt girl on the down hill.

Alittle bit more running and we come to the fire road. Alot of little rollers here (but mostly at an incline). It was just enough to keep a good pace going. And I hear no more voices from any of the girls behind me. Good sign! Then just when I am getting sick of the fire road we hit an AS where I grab a banana! Yum! Then hooray-single track! Great time to stop for a bathroom break. And I lose red shirt girl off into the distance...
I am running alone again and my pace has slowed but I am still feeling great! I just cant believe it! I kind of get lost in my thoughts and surroundings at this point. Run through a creek or two and the cold water feels great on my feet.

With about 3miles to go...what is that I see ahead?! Red shirt girl again! That gave me a little boost to pick up the pace again. And the fact that we are cruising downhill! I close in. Stomping full force thru the middle of the creek, fun! Until we hit the last uphill. Dang! Another hill?! You know how you think you are close enough the the finish that there cant possibly be another uphill?? And then there is one last uphill. Yeah, it sucks!

I make it out of the trail and onto the road and down into the park to the finish. 2:48:01. My goal was to be under 3hrs. Yay, I did it and I felt great the entire time!

It turns out red shirt girl is actually a friend of mine and she finished about 30seconds ahead of me. I had no idea it was her. It just never occured to me that it might be someone I know. I could have been running with her the whole time. That'll teach me next time...reel 'em in!!

I cant wait to do this race again next year. Great race. Great trails. Excellently marked. And best of all great volunteers...many which were kids! AND Rik over heard them saying about longer distances in the future...next year?!

Oh, and I even won a Mary Kay pedicure kit at the end raffle! Just what every trail running chick needs!!

Thanks for reading! Happy trails!!

Squirrelly Tail Trail 1/2marathon-RR and ramblings

What a cold morning for a run! 6* at the start. Oh, and a slightly sore achilles. So I decide to still run the race but to run it slow and smart. I will warn you that I did not take one picture because I was to worried about my running on the snowy/icy trails to think much about it! And Rik didnt take any because he was actually running this race at a fast pace instead of just his normal bebopping along ;) So the pics are from Scott Newcomer, RD.  Here is the picture of the swag though...

This is a local race at Pinchot which is a park around a large lake. Its about 9miles around the main trail that goes around closest to the lake. So add a couple of extra trails and you have 13miles!

This weekend we had a couple inches of snow (1-3) and it was actually below freezing overnight. So a trail that is usually VERY nasty and muddy except in a drought was instead frozen with only small areas of mud. Perfect! Here is what the trail looks like most times of the year...


The race started at 10am and it was freezing with wind gusts over 25mph. It seemed like alot of people didnt show up but that was fine with me. Off we went up the road and onto the trail.
Another picture of the usually muddy but frozen today trail. This is of the flater area that run close to the lake.


I was running this at a slow and steady pace today because I have been having trouble with a sore achilles for the past two days. So I just wanted to get the miles in. It was a nice race everything was great, especially for a first year event. Except I will complain about the first aid station being at over the 6mile point which I thought was a little long for a half but not to bad. Here is a pic of a creek crossing that leads into the lake...


Everything went well until a little over the 8mile point where my achilles started to remind me that it was sore. This only lasted for about a mile and the subsided.


Then for the last 2-3miles are the only really hills of the course and these are small hills in comparison to most hills we run around here except, what makes them difficult is that it is where the water drains so alot of ice and loose rocks. I did pick it up for the last mile just because I wanted to get done and passed atleast 4 people...yay me!
I ended up finishing in 2:38. And thought that was a good days run...until I looked at my Garmin afterwards. I saw that my last 3miles were 2-3mins per mile slower then the previous ones! Not good because I think that my achilles was really bothering me but I didnt feel it because I was so frozen! After the race I felt fine, no pain. Until we drove the almost hour home...i got a shower...and warmed up did the stiffness and moderate pain of the ankle and achilles become apparent.
Needless to say, I iced and rolled. Tomorrow I will make an appointment to get it checked out. I dont want to wait and self treat like I did last year with my groin. I have a busy spring running schedule ahead!

BTW, Rik finished in 1:50 which was good enough for 9th place. He is really running well and I am so proud of him. Now if I could just figure out how to get some of that speed!!!

Thanks for reading...Happy Trails!

CHILLY CHEEKS 2012

BRRR!!
Luckily for us the race didnt start until 11am. Which means it was able to warm up to a balmy 10* at the start. Cant really complain because last year we had 2-3inches of snow.
Last year (2011) this race was my first ever race of any kind and had no idea what to expect except that it was very hilly, cold and fun!

At the start of the race you walk less then 1/4mile to the start on the road. The race start time was 11:00 and as we have found...that means start walking to the start at 11:00!! I find that my toes are already frozen after less then 20mins standing outside. After some quick musings all 600 runners took off down the road and onto a wide trail. After about 1/4mile you scramble up the first hill which has no actual trail...make your own!

Here is a short video of the first climb thanks to Christopher Hand!

It is a blast and is needed to try to spread out the hugh pack of runners!
Once you get to the top you get a few minutes to catch your breath while you are bottle necked for the single track. I think my first mile registered at over 18minutes per mile! Then you start to spread out again with the next climb. I feel good at this point and just keep moving along passing several people and others passing me.

The first aid station is at mile 2.5 which actually seemed to come pretty quick. As we are coming out of the woods to the AS was a slippery slope that everyone was sliding on and of course I tried to step gingerly and instead crashed to my butt and wrist. But jumped up quickly and sucked down some water.

Then up to the next single track!  Again, another hill. I felt like I was doing more of a fast hike then any kind of actual running. When someone behind me askes their friend if THIS is the much talked about  Mt. Whatdafuck. Friend says, "NO. You will know when we get to Mt. Whatdafuck!" As in- whatdafuck was I thinking ;) I just laughed.

The other AS quickly comes upon us. This is the one with the alternative beverages! I, however, choose water. And experience my first brain freeze of the race...ugg... After this 4mile AS comes a really nice and really runnable section! The trails are in so much better shape this year with no snow on the ground and I feel like I am cruising! Even passed a couple of people! But soon enough comes the next hill and find that I am in the front of a line of about 20 people. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to be in the front with people right behind me. And I really didnt like it because hills are my weakness. But I started up anyhow. Got about halfway with heavy footsteps behind me-I cant belive I could hear them over my incredibly loud breathing! So, I stepped off to the side and let about six people pass before I jumped back in line. Again, someone askes if THIS is Mt. Whatdafuck?! NOPE!

Ahh, but yes, we come to the top of this hill and before our eyes is Mt. Whatdafuck...straight up... It is short but steep. At the top you are on a 3ft high ledge that you jump down onto the road. Not bad except your legs feel like jelly! Took me a couple of steps to get my legs back and then took off running down hill and onto our last stretch of single track that is all down hill!

People were moving slow over the rocks so I passed and took off with about three other girls. Across the park and up the very last climb to the finish.
The last climb to the finish is very steep. Hand over hand steep. And I love it because all the crazy people are standing at the top yelling at you! Last year I thought it was just because I was so slow and they were already drunk and yelling! Indeed they are just having a great time cheering the runners in!

I managed to cross the finish line in 1:47 which is a 20min improvement from last year! I was very disappointed in my time. I thought for sure I was moving faster then that! 7miles in 1:47 YIKES!Oh well, it was a great improvement anyhow.

I come to find out that all of the after race candy and drinks are frozen! We had to dip our cups inside the container to scoop out our Gatorade. It was still that cold out. And then came brain freeze #2 hits. Dang that stuff is cold! The great thing to is that you are served a hot breakfast afterwards of egg, panckaes and sausage! Cant beat that.

I thought this would be the last year that I would do this race-that thought esp crosses your mind during the 2nd, 3rd, 4th hills. But infact it is so much fun that I cant wait to do it again next year and plan to improve my time even more...by ALOT...darn it!!

Happy trails :)
Stacey

PHUNT 50k 2012 Race Report

Whats better then getting together with 300 people to run on the trails in 50* sunny weather?!

Especially considering the fact that this race is a FatAss with a very well marked course and awesome aid stations. Run at Fair Hill Reserves and put on by TrailDawgs. Everyone was asked to bring canned goods for 2012 Runabundance for Philabundance to help local food banks and shelters. As well as something for the aid station. Thats the kind of race fees that I like!!


So everyone gathers at the start at 8:45am for the pre-run meeting. Yeah....no meeting. Which was fine because I used that time to get to know two new friends, Carol & Sharon who are running together. Carol has run this race before and says how poorly marked the course is. Yikes! I already told Rik that he didnt have to run with me and my biggest fear in running these long trail races is getting lost! I have zero sense of direction!


At the bottom left is Carol, Sharon, the back of me and Joe bending over stretching...

Finally at about 9:15am the race starts with a dud blow horn and everyone just decides to take off. And off we go. Its a nice start down a field and across a creek. People bottle neck at this point but it is really the only bottle necking of the race which was good. The ground was still frozen in this area and I over heard a guy say about how muddy this would be on the second loop. And his buddy mentioned how muddy it would probably be on the other side of the mountain...noted, but didnt think to much more about it.

Then the hills start almost immediately as did the creek crossings. This is a two loop race. So I was trying to run the smaller hills and walk the bigger ones trying to save my legs for the second loop. My legs were great, I was just having trouble getting my breathing under control with hills at the beginning...I have EIA and used my inhaler before the start but sometimes it still takes awhile for the breathing to find a rhythm. There ended up being so many creek crossings that I lost count in the first 5miles! It was mostly single track with some field crossings from one trail to the next. Beautiful day with the sun shining all day.

I was running along when Carol came up beside me and started chatting. Sharon was just behind us. I thought they were long gone but it ends up they were about my speed. That was kinda nice to run with other people and not be so afraid of getting lost! At about mile eight I took my first shot blok. I bit right down into it and out comes my brand new shiny crown that I just got about two weeks ago. Thank goodness I didnt swallow it! I stuck it in my pack pocket and kept on running. Then right before the 10mile AS was....THIS! Fun!

I wanted to hit the AS at 2hrs but instead it was about 2:10. Not a big deal, I still had plenty of time to hit the half way before cutoff. At this point my friends decided they werent gonna do the whole thing so I took off. I ended up running the next 5miles with a guy that was doing a run/walk thing. Kinda sucks when a dude is walking as fast as I am running!! Although, right after the AS we hit the MUD. Oh I'm not talking about up to your ankles mud. I'm talking about slippery as ice surface mud! I'm not talking about mud here and there. Oh no! This was miles of mud!

Needless to say, I was doing more of a power walk then a run most of the way with trying to run whenever I could on the berm of leaves for traction. At one point I crossed a bridge and then continued to focus on the trail immediately in front of me that after several minutes I looked down to my side and saw the bridge that I crossed and didnt even realize that I had been traveling uphill since! The trails were so slippery for me. I fell once but was able to catch myself with just one hand down and atleast  a half dozen almost falls. By now the speed walker dude was gone and I realized how slow I was moving and how much my knees were starting to hurt from all the slip sliding. I started stressing that I wasnt gonna make cutoff. I would try to run, slip a bit and then slow to a fast walk again. It just seemed like I was getting nowhere fast.

 Then I came upon a turn. It was a sudden turn as the trail seemed to continue straight but the sign/arrow said that I should turn right and go straight down the hill thru the leaves. As I stop to contemplate if this was really what I was supposed to do...speed walker dude comes up from behind me and says that he missed the turn and ended up doing a loop but saw me from above and was watching to see which way I went. So...down the hill we went...to another creek crossing!

I dont know how well you can see it but this was the trail of leaves that didnt seem to make sense. After the race I came to find out that several people missed the turn.
Finally we have about a mile that was fairly runnable with little mud to the finish. Of course this was uphill! And I realize that I will not make cutoff (missed it by about 20mins). Those last 5.6miles took me 1:30! What?!! But at that point I was almost thankful that I missed it. I was hurting and exhausted. These were the toughest 15.6miles I have ever run.
Me, exhausted, sitting in the grass at the end...

In hind sight I realize that I only ended up taking in about 300cals while I was out there because of the broken tooth. I didnt realize it at the time and 300cals for 15miles isnt so bad. Its the 300cals in almost 4hrs that might have been a problem especially considering I was fueling for 31miles NOT 15. That may have been part of my problem and not just the mud and knees slowing me down. Lesson learned either way.

Since I missed cutoff, that meant I could hang out and chat with friends while waiting for Rik to finish! Usually it is him waiting for me! He ended up coming in at 5hrs 56mins!

So even though my race was cut short I had a fantastic day! And I am so glad that I let Rik run his race and not hold him back with me. I am getting more confident in my running in races with less fear of getting lost and potential water crossings! I am thankful for new friends met today and friends I know from online but got to meet in person today as well...Sharon, Carol, XtremeTaper, Leon & Gary-even though I missed you at the end! And thankful to run yet another crazy race with Joe! Cant wait to do it again next year!!

Happy trails!
Thanks for reading :)

Freshmen year of racing in review 2011

2011 started innocent enough...I partied with some friends and rang in the new year.

And then the next day went for a run. The first run of what would be my first year of racing. Let me just clarify that racing just means running in races. NOT actually racing! This year would turn out great but definitely not what I had planned! In fact, I think it was even better.

JANUARY
1/16-Chilly Cheeks 7.2mile race in Reading PA put on by Pretzel City Sports. Very challenging course with lots of elevation. I had no idea what to expect since this was my first ever race. But was told that if I survived I could do any of their races. This is one of their harder ones. It starts with a big climb and we had several inches of fresh snow on the ground.

FEBRUARY
No races in February just lots of road running because of all the snow that PA received this winter! Got on the trails a bunch but just way to much roads.

MARCH
Again, no races in March. Just building my mileage for the Bob Potts Marathon that I am training for in May! Everything is going great except for that one run on the trail on 3/28 where I fall and pull my groin. Instant excruciating pain but walked a bit and even starting running again. Hmm, maybe not that bad after all?!

APRIL
4/2-Tyler Arboretum 10k trail run. Having a GREAT run leapfrogging with a group of girls until about mile 4 when we are running downhill with railroad ties and I am jumping over them and just barreling down the hill. I never felt an intense pull or pain but it just kinda came on gradual and my pace got slower and slower and the group of girls got further away...the pain got worse. By the time I finished the race I couldnt walk. This starts my 2MONTHS of no running while I heal from a severe pulled groin.

 The rest of April consisted of alot of rest with a little walking and flat biking on the rail trail. I missed a planned half marathon in NC with Rik. It was his first. And then another half marathon in Ocean City, MD that Colton ended up running with Rik. They finished together in 1:46 I believe.

MAY
By May I was spending a whole lot of time on the bike. So much that I talked Rik into finally buying us a tandem bike! I had wanted on for years! Fun!

 And of course I missed the Bob Potts marathon that I had been training for. Rik ended up still running it and did a great job considering he was never a runner before this year! He would occasionally run with me but mostly MTB and skate boarded.

JUNE
Sweet sweet June! I start running again...VERY slowly. It seems like the groin was okay if I went slow and on soft surfaces. And by the end of June I ran 10miles at one shot down at VA beach!

 You can see how happy I am to be running at the beach during sunrise. Life is good!

JULY
Very hot month around these parts. Spent time increasing my mileage and still alot of time on the bike. No races but we did spend a week at Jim Thorpe running and riding the trails there. I am starting to find that I can increase my running mileage without much problem but if I try to increase my speed, my groin retaliates with much pain. So I just keep it slow going.

AUGUST
8/20-First post injury trail race. On the Rocks 8.3miles 1:58. This was at Rocky Ridge County Park which is my home turf so I felt great going into the race and wasnt afraid of getting lost! It was a humid day but felt like I did good overall and only had mild groin pain after the race was over.

SEPTEMBER
9/11-My FIRST EVER half marathon!! We were supposed to run the Harrisburg half this day but had flooding the week of the race and City Island (where the race was to begin) was under water and it was post-poned! I decided that I had been training to hard and long for this and was gonna find another one somewhere, lol! Indeed I did...Sol Lipton half marathon in Pottsville, PA! It was billed as being a hilly road race and it was. But I loved it and ran my half marathon in 2:27.

9/17-Gunpowder Falls FatAss 50k. This was just to be a 18-20mile training run. But because of the flooding it was rerouted and we ended up only doing 15miles. But had a great time and no groin pain. Win!

9/25-Sloppy Cuckoo trail half marathon in Phila, PA. Again, this course was rerouted due to flooding and was 2 loops instead of the supposed 1 loop. This trail race was probably my favorite at the time because it was on the trail with alot of single track, not to many hills to handle and lots of climbing under, over and around downed trees and debris from the flooding. Will do this one again in 2012!

OCTOBER
10/2-HARRC in the Park 15k. This was around Pinchot Lake. A rather flat course but because of recent rains made it very muddy. It was a cold, rain, wet, muddy day! Loved it!! This race was a first year race not to far from my home. We camped the weekend at the campground in the park. All around good weekend.

By now I am increasing my mileage for a planned first marathon in Richmond VA. My original plan at the beginning of the year was to run Blues Cruise 50k in October but with the spring injury I knew that was out. So I had now been training for a marathon instead. But with all of my races I just kept thinking how mental it would be for a slow trail runner girl to spend hours on the road. SO...I decided on a trail marathon instead. EXCEPT, I could not find a trail marathon in November! Anywhere around here! SO...I then did what anyone else would do. Decided to do a trail 50k instead! Of course! And adjusted my training to get in some longer runs and off I went. Happy as pie :)

10/22&23-with my longer runs I decided to include a double race of sorts. Ghouls & Fools 6.5 mile night run followed by Oktober Fest half marathon the next morning. G&F was my first ever nighttime trail run and it was so much fun! It was another race put on by PCS and had the alt aid station with beer at the Pagoda high above Reading, PA

   And Oktober Fest half marathon was better then my first with a time of 2:19.

NOVEMBER
11/12-Rosaryville 50k in Maryland! You can check out my blog entry for that but it was by far my biggest accomplishment of 2011. It was billed as a great race for a first ultra. And there were in fact, many first timers there. Total elevation was only like 2200ft for the whole 31miles. Nice smooth dirt single track with some roots and little rocks. Everything about that day was perfect! I finished with 6:37 and Rik finished in 4:55.

11/19-Twisted Turkey Tussle 10k. Yep the following week I did a 10k that had about 1000ft elevation and finished in 1:32. My legs were fine with the running but wanted no part of any hills! I walked every entire hill. Lesson learned? Probably not....

11/27-Dirty Bird 15k at French Creek State Park. Very nice run with some HILLS! Ran this one with a newer friend that I met thru running! We didnt run together...just start and end at the same place ;) I have been very lucky with weather at the races I ran this year and this day was no exception.

DECEMBER
12/4-26.2miles on the Appalachian Trail. Not really a race. But I decided that since I did not run a marathon this year that this was infact my marathon! I ran it with Rik and another running friend (Joe) and his dog. I think that 3people and a dog qualifies it as a FatAss marathon! Its my story, I can tell it like I want!

Me, Joe and Griffin coming into the finish line!

12/17-I did not run a race this day but instead I volunteered at one! This was another first ever for the year. Since I dont really like road running, my local running club was having a 10k just 2miles from my house. Rik and I volunteered and we were stationed at an intersection that was so cool because we got to see everyone right after the start when they were fresh and again right before the end...coming up a long hill. And loved cheering everyone on. I was okay with traffic control (luckily a lightly traveled road) but much better with the cheering runners on, lol! Will definitely be doing this again!

12/18-Horse-Shoe Trail FatAss 50k. This one was a sort of last minute thing that we were invited to and used it as a training run for a race coming up in January by only running 20miles of it. I have to say that this course was harder then I thought it would be and glad I stopped at 20miles to save my legs. It was the perfect distance. Cant wait to do the full 31 next year. Since this was a first year race everyone got finishers medals regardless of distance done.

SUMMARY: What a wonderful crazy year of trail running. From having a plan in January. To the injury in April. And the depression that followed by not being able to run and thinking I would never run again (we all know thats not true but you feel like it at the time!). To the rebuild and discovery of long distance and ultra running! And to finish out my freshman year right, I am 4days away from being voted runner of the month at my local running club (im about 400votes ahead) thanks in part to my good running friends Troy & Sheri.
I love trail running and just being alone out on the trails. But have to say that I met some really great people this year that I wouldnt have otherwise without this thing they have called trail races!!

2012 GOALS: To become faster. Atleast just by a little so that Rik doesnt have to wait so long for me at the end of races. And I can actually run with other people without having to make them double back around to make sure I still alive!!

Happy Trails! Thanks for reading!
Stacey

Horse-Shoe Trail 50k (*20miles for me)

What a better way to spend a Sunday! How about getting together with 20 crazy trail runners for a first time ever HST 50k! Even better when I woke up bright and early to this...

24* and snow!!
Now I had never been on the HST before but heard good things about it. It runs east-west 144miles across PA. And being a first year event I knew this thing was gonna be fun!

This is everyone getting ready...

And at 8:30 sharp we were off for a 2mile loop of the park and then onto HST for an out & back. As with tradition of most trail races, it started with an uphill...

We had three water crossings each way that were neither to wide or to deep. Lots of stepping stones and lots of mud on either side of them...

Rik crossing a creek...

And at about mile 9 we came upon Hopewell Furnace National Historic site. We ran thru it...

We ran across the wood bridge to the right. Then up to the right of the buildings with the red roofs and then the trail makes a left. We followed this about another two miles to the aid station/turn around for the 20mile people!

This is just a pic that Rik took of me coming up on a down tree that you have to climb between the branches...

Then across the road...

To some more hills with lots of loose rock, covered with leaves and snow...

My ankles were great because I am used to rocks but these loose rocks were killer on my knees! I passed some guy walking dogs that said that watching me run hurt his ankles, lol :)

The race actually finished with a 1/2mile uphill of road then back onto a 1/2mile downhill of field/trail. Yes! A downhill finish!!!

And this is Rik & I with our yellow horse shoe finishers medals! (the trail is blazed yellow and an occasional yellow horse shoe)

Thank you to Rik for running this race with me! He is much faster but knew I was afraid of getting lost...which three of us did! Well, we didnt get lost, Rik & Rob were yapping and missed our turn. Of course I wasnt paying attention either...
And THANK YOU to the RD Josh for putting this thing together as well as his three volunteers who were better then awesome!!! Cant wait to do the full 50k next year...

Happy Trails! Thanks for reading :)

Appalachian Trail Marathon! (*its my story)

Sunday morning came early. And it was a cold one. Wasnt sure how to dress for a long run that would start around freezing and end in the 50s. Not only that but, i would need to carry whatever i decided to shed later....So I decided on shorts and a long sleeve Nike shirt with gloves to start. I knew I would warm up quickly.

Headed out for the one hour drive to the AT conservancy...where Rik & I would meet our friend Joe and his dog Griffin. We all got there at about the same time and headed up the hill to the start of the trail around 8:30am. But then it had warmed up nicely to about 38*.

We started out nicely for what we planned to be a 24ish mile long run. I felt great and moved along at a good pace. The first 9miles passed by pretty quickly except for a minor ankle tweak that was so minor that I didnt think anything of it (that would come back to haunt me). Then we came upon the cow pasture pass and lets just say...it was muddy...We continued on past Scotts Farm and along the river. We had alot more mud for about the next 3miles that really wore on my ankle. It was stiff and sore but I kept plugging along.

We got to the rt944 tunnel where we were gonna turn around for our out & back. Joe gave me some Advil for the ankle and he said he was gonna continue on for another mile to make it 26.2 by the time we got back. I couldnt pass this up so Rik & I walked the mile while eating my Mojo bar and drinking the rest of the water in my pack. We all met up at the one mile mark and starting running back.

My running started getting slower as the ankle was bothering me and my legs were feeling heavy. I dont know if it was the 50k three weeks ago or if I was just having a bad day but I was definately slowing my pace. We finally got back to Scotts Farm where we were able to refill our packs and have another snack before continuing on the finish. By now there were several other people that we would pass in both directions on the trail. Right past Scotts Farm is a wooded boardwalk over what must be muddier then the other areas. I love hearing the running on the boards :)

By now the Advil had kicked in and my ankle was feeling much better. To bad I cant say the same for my legs. The more I ran, the heavier they became, the more I walked. By about mile 18 I was doing some kind of walk/shuffle and wondered how I was gonna make 6 more miles back to the car. But I just kept moving forward...

I think it was after mile 23 that I finally started to come back to life. I think it was knowing that the end was near. We went back thru the cow pasture. Back thru the fields. I love how the steps over the electric fences are much harder on the way back thru! Rik decided with about 2miles left that he was gonna run ahead and meet us out at the road. Joe was still talking about going the full 26.2 distance and I was just trying to get done...

I started to pick up the pace as we neared the road and I know the end was near. Out onto the road we got a pretty good jog going down the hill to the conservancy and cars. By the time we reached the cars I saw that my Garmin said exactly 25.2miles. I yelled to Rik that I was going to do one more mile with Joe & Griffin! He looked at me like I was crazy and I knew he wasnt coming along. Haha! Off we went down along the lake, over the bridge and up onto yet another field! Then turned around and headed back to the car. When I finally reached my car again my Garmin said exactly 26.2miles! I threw my arms in the air and yelled!!

What a tuff run. Not sure why. It was a perfect day with perfect weather and good company. Here is a pic that Rik took of me and Joe coming in to the "finish" of our marathon!!

And yes...that is me eating a bag of M&Ms. What a way to spend the day!

So yes. I ran a marathon today. I did not pay $100. There were no chips or an official clock. There were no cheering fans. I did not get a finisher medal or even a t-shirt. I just ran 26.2mile per Mr. Garmin. I ran an unofficial marathon today because I dont want to be one of THOSE people who are known to just go out and run 26.2miles for fun ;)!!

Thanks for reading!