Amish Country Fun Run, Johnson 5-0 Trail Run, Halloween Fun Run, Beast of Burden 100 miler

I know I know, lots to report on - and still busy. I'll try to make all this short and sweet, but I have to give huge kudos to my friends Jeannette, Zach, And Eric who have accomplished their furthest running distances ever! I'm proud of all of them! (Eric did the Run With Scissors double marathon, Jeannette the Amish Country Fun Run, and Zach did the Johnson 5-0 Trail Run)

Amish Country Fun Run: 10/23/10
some photos taken by Eric Ford - thanks Eric!

I wasn't sure how this one would turn out, how many people would show up - but we had a nice group!
I offered sleeping space in my house the night before, and friends Frederick Davis III and Charlie Bolek took me up on the offer. (Cue the nerves - as Fred is vegan! I have never cooked for someone who is vegan before!) I wound up not cooking, so I still have never cooked for anyone who is vegan ;-) I ordered pasta and picked up bread from the Great Harvest Bread Co. Simple! Having Fred was good, as my husband starting to think about a vegetarin lifestyle. (Crystal and Chris Basich then made him think even more about that the following Sunday - but we'll save that for another blog!) Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and we sat around talking until our eyes were puffy and we couldn't stand to be up anymore. It was neat watching Frederick get ready the night before - being able to see how an experienced vet prepares for a long run. The next day, arriving well before dawn were friends Jeannette, Crystal and Eric. Eric took some awesome photos of our run! Thanks Eric! (And big congrats on your first Ultra!) Away we went!

The reason for the run: I just HAD to run to this sign when I saw it!







I spent my time running back and forth between people and wound up with about 25 miles. I have to say, my energy level was zero. I was exhausted as I have not caught up with my sleep in the last couple weeks. That didn't stop the hills though! They were there whether we liked it or not. Jeannette was trucking along - giving it her all and Crystal was absolutely killing it up the hills. Charlie was being Charlie, running with a smile on his face as usual. Frederick had an incredibly steady pace throughout the run which was just amazing. Me, I'm all over the place in terms of pacing, but Frederick was running strong with his steady pace. It was very impressive!


We had an aid station along the route courtesy of most awesome NERC Mary! Thanks Mary! Closer to the Middlefield area we were met by Guy Gadomski, Emily Terlop, and Janet Edwards. Guy and Emily both were doing shorter runs due to the marathons they did this past weekend. (which they killed by the way!) Our run ended at Mary Yoder's Amish Restraunt, and we all chowed down on some good food. I was proud of Jeannette as she had just accomplished her farthest distance ever!
And it wasn't an easy run with all those hills, she did great! I definitely see a repeat of this run in the future. Congrats everyone and thanks for coming!






Johnson 5-0 Trail Run: 10/24/10
some photos taken by Zach Johsnon - thanks Zach!

The day after the Amish Run me, my husband, Kevin, "Buttercup", Crystal and Chris Basich met Zach Johnson for his first 50 mile run. (after we left some others joined in the fun)

The story goes like this: Every ultra running parent's dilema - find a race that fits with your families schedule. It can be quite difficult, and this was Zach's current dilema. He was itching to run 50 miles - but no ultras worked out for him date-wise. So what did he do? Made his own run up! I commend him for putting his family first and was so glad that we could run with him for part of his run!

Crystal, my husband, and I joined Zach for 19 miles - Chris stayed on for 5 hours of the run. Zach took us on "new to us" trails and they were amazing! Thanks Zach and congrats on your first 50 miler!













Halloween Fun Run: 10/31/10
some photos taken by Kattya Romero Mora - thanks Kattya!

So we all typically have to do long runs on Sunday, right? Well - with Sunday being Halloween I thought why not dress up? I wasn't sure if people would go for it, but a few did so it was on! Seriously, I haven't worn a Halloween costume since High School!

After searching for awhile (and almost having a heart attack over the price of costumes) I found one - a skirt and some wings. My husband was dressed as a nerd, Jeannette as a cat, Charlie as a martian, and running friend Kattya was in orange & black. Chris, Dave, and Kevin dressed up as runners.
HA! We had a great time on the trails Zach had introduced us to. There were a few people on the trails hiking, taking pictures, etc., etc. I can't even begin to imagine what they were thinking! One older man lectured me (jokingly) and said I should have been leading the pack since I had wings. It was tons of fun that may have to become an annual tradition!









Beast of Burden 100 Miler








So I've done it. This morning registration opened for the Beast of Burden 100 miler that will be held in Lockport, N.Y. on February 12 of 2011. February? New York? Snow Belt? LAKE EFFECT!!! I'm excited! The first thing I did when I woke up is registered myself for the race. Training has begun and I'm hoping the snow will start to fly soon. I have my winter gear ready and it's just sitting and waiting for snow! BRING IT!!!!

Have a great week everyone, and Happy Running!