Welcome to October. I kind of love this month. Partly because it’s my birthmonth and while I don’t actually celebrate all month long you better believe I pull out the “but it’s my birthmonth…” whine on occasion! And partly because October’s weather means leggings + boots + sweaters + scarves are back to being a staple in my life…and will stay a staple for about 5 months because Colorado is just that awesome!
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Guess what?! Fall is here! The mornings are cold, the afternoons are toasty and the trees are getting yellow. Oh, the beauty of fall. Of course, the spiders are moving INTO my room and the tree out front is dropping it’s annoying pods all over the yard…but I’m going to go ahead and focus on the good parts of fall. Like how it’s time for the boots + leggings + scarf outfits to become a staple in my life!
Fall is the one time I really miss Wisconsin. In Wisconsin the fall colors are stunning – from red, to yellow, to orange, to purple, to… The rolling hills are covered in colorful trees. I’d walk through frost tipped grass in the morning and be stripped down to a tank top come afternoon. The bugs were finally gone and even the midday heat was bearable without humidity. And as a farm girl most of my fall memories revolve around moving calves/cows to their winter homes, winterizing the water troughs and claiming the “good” blaze orange layers before hunting season comes around. It was busy on the farm, but the good kind of busy, the excited kind of busy.
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I pinky promise this is my last [really long] post about the Run, Rabbit, Run 100 miler…seriously, I promise! In my defense I’m in full blown sit-on-my-butt-and-eat-ice-cream recovery mode so there really isn’t anything more interesting going on in my life. I have already written the basic recap of the race, from the night before to the night after. You can read all of that over here. This post is all about the nitty gritty details – the stuff that doesn’t fit nicely into a chronological recap, random thoughts I had along the course and an update on my cranky tendons.
As always – if this post leaves you with questions, ask ‘em! If I don’t have a good answer I’ll make one up…or I’ll shoot you a link to the next best resource. And if this ultra chatter is boring you I promise my next both will be full of mountain photos completely unrelated to running!
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Full Disclosure: I went into this race rather under trained — my “peak weeks” of training were spent off my feet with a bowl of ice cream in hand and included many visits to the PT for work on my left Achilles/Soleus. Two weeks before the race I was cleared to run again but if I took it slow, didn’t go far and stopped every mile to give my body TLC. Then the week of the race the PT proclaimed I was no longer injured, just under trained! I went into the race with ONE goal — finish with a smile. Spoiler: mission accomplished!
It’s been a week since I took on the Run, Rabbit, Run 100 mile race in Steamboat Springs, CO…and I’m still alive to talk about it! Since everyone I see in real life is getting sick of hearing my stories about the race so I guess it’s time to write a legitimate recap. How does one recap 100 miles? I have no idea, but I’ll start out with some stats + spoilers for anyone with a short attention span, because this is going to be a doozy!
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On Friday morning I started the longest run of my life – the Run, Rabbit, Run 100 in Steamboat Springs.
On Saturday evening I finished the race still running with a big ol’ goofy grin on my face.
I walked away from the race a smarter runner. I played it safe from the start. I was hyperaware of my body and addressed niggles as the popped up, not hours later. I ate consistently and consciously, without puking. I kept moving forward with purpose. I ran across the finish line.
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So, it’s here. Race week has arrived. The Run Rabbit Run 100 starts in less than 24 hours! And I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. You’d think that with the lack of actual training on the trails I’d have every other part of the race day prep mastered. Not true. Not even a little bit true. I spent a good portion of last night sitting on my bed staring at 4 mini totes nicely labeled but not even sort of packed…a pile of clean clothes was tossed on my pillows, a stack of half finished lists were scattered across the bed, two cats are crawling all over me and a half packed duffle bag was hiding behind me.
Rather than check the weather repeatedly I’ve decided to pack everything I own. That’s a valid compromise, right? It’s a good thing I drive an SUV…the list of things I need keeps growing! Yea, yea, I know ultras are all about making due with what’s available, which I can appreciate, but what if I need it before or after the race?! All this insane list making keeps me sane…or at least speaks to the tiny part of sanity I have left.
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Disclaimer: While this post does end with some chatter about communities and companies it is not a sponsored post. I’m sharing about Bold Betties because I think it’s a great community and about the Trail Running Camps + Conference because it’s a great opportunity to talk trails and get to know locals + athletes!
Sometimes life is terrifying. That moment when you are required to step outside of your cozy, cuddly comfort zone and into the reality of your decisions…it’s scary. But it doesn’t have to be. Well, maybe it does have to be a little scary, that’s where all the adrenaline and anticipation builds from. But it doesn’t have to be paralyzing.
In the past year I have done some pretty insane things, things I didn’t think were possible. I ran my first ultra marathon and loved it. I started a brand new job based around an adventurous lifestyle. I impulse registered for a 24 hour race and got a PDR in the first 7 hours. I survived my first 50 mile race, and my second. I hated my life for the last 8 miles of the Four Pass Loop. I DNF’ed my first [two] races. I made my first ever PT appointment and ended up experiencing dry needling on my first visit. And in a few days I’m taking on my first 100 mile race with an undertrained body but the confidence to cover the distance, no matter my pace.
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Disclaimer: At the bottom of this post there is a review of the FlipBelt. I received the FlipBelt through a Sweat Pink campaign; however, all opinions are my own.
It’s been a crazy busy week! Well, last week was crazy busy so this week is going to be spent playing catch up. And it’s the not-so-fun kind of catch up that involves lots of laundry, an empty fridge and the incessant need to sleep all day long. Of course, as I write that I’m laying in bed with a bag of chips. That urge to sleep is going to win but at least the dryer is doing it’s thing to produce some fresh smelling clothes! Last week was big for two reasons – work and running. On the work front it was a big week – we had the Grand Opening if our first Colorado retail store with Sierra Trading Post. This is a huge deal for us so we had all sorts of fun stuff planned. On Wednesday night we hosted a preview party for local bloggers with burritos and camping games. I don’t know about all of the bloggers but I had fun! Rebecca and Amy recapped the event if you’re interested!
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Saturday marked exactly two weeks since my last [attempted] run. That two weeks was spent off my feet and on the couch. Rather than losing myself on single track I got lost in the long list of “recommended for you” movies offered up by Netflix. I ate ice cream everyday, I spent more time with friends, I took very painful “naps” on the tables of both a massage therapist and a physical therapist multiple times a week, I cleaned and I organized…and I didn’t miss running, not once. If that isn’t screaming proof that my body needed a break I don’t know what is!
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I know very little about running a 100 mile race. I might have one on the schedule in a month but I’ll be the first person to tell you I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve soaked up as much information as possible and have high hopes for my abilities to complete the distance but there is a lot I still need to learn. And there is no better place to get a crash course on the reality of a 100 mile race than at the Leadville 100.
My weekend was spent doing just that – roaming around the mountains near Leadville chasing my runner, waiting for a pacer, encouraging strangers and sucking down caffeine. At the end of the day my runner did not make it across the finish line, but he fought hard on the trail and walked away knowing he gave the mountain trails his all. Even though my runner wasn’t able to head home with a finisher’s belt buckle I left Leadville with a wealth of knowledge and a new take on the reality that may go down at Run, Rabbit, Run!
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