tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19582158260075300682024-03-13T06:58:07.467-04:00Running Adventures (And Everything In Between)Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-3725354854483765652015-02-22T19:41:00.002-05:002015-02-22T20:05:50.078-05:00Week(s) In Review! Hey everyone! <br />
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I hope everyone is pushing through the cold and snow! We've certainly had our fair share of nasty weather, but I'm so glad to notice that our area parks have been the busiest I've ever seen in winter! So proud of my NEO neighbors for sucking it up, not whining, and getting out and enjoying our parks in the winter time! Snow covered trees are a beautiful thing! Check out this list of 15 Natural Winter Wonderlands by CNN. The CVNP made the list! So thankful to have this National Park only an hour away. If you've never been to the CVNP please check it out! You won't be disappointed. <br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/travel/gallery/15-natural-winter-wonderlands/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/travel/gallery/15-natural-winter-wonderlands/index.html</a><br />
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Despite the nasty temps and conditions full on training mode has commenced for us. Speed work is on! It's amazing how you run so fast it hurts in every way, and all you want to do is stop - then when you finally DO stop amnesia sets in and all of a sudden you loved it. LOL. So glad to be doing speed work again! <br />
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In addition to running I've just completed week 2 of my 108 day Ultimate Yogi challenge. There were some challenges outside of yoga this week that could have given me the excuse not to do yoga OR run, but I stuck it out and am so grateful. The DVD's are great so far! I've noticed I can handle stressful situations with a great deal of calm (2 cars breaking down in one week, to such an extent that it forced us to replace BOTH). I've never experienced this level of calm in "crisis" situations before. It's unreal!! The last 2 weeks (and first 36 days) have me doing the following DVD's in the series:<br />
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Cross Train, Hardcore & 10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Cardio & 10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Strength, Hardcore &10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Yin & 10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Detox, Hardcore & 10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Vitality & 10 minutes of Meditation<br />
Mountain Pose & Pranayama Meditation<br />
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I really love it, and it's had no ill effects on my running. In fact, I think it's improving things! I am having a hard time picking my favorite DVD. But I do know what my least favorite is, it's Mountain Pose. It's a bit boring to me, but it's really good that this DVD is on a Sunday after two long weekend runs, so I really shouldn't be complaining. The Detox video comes on a perfect day - Friday (my running day off), after a week of good quality running workouts. I notice I'm getting stronger by the day. The hardest video for me is probably Yin of all things, because you have to hold the poses for the longest amount of time. I did notice an improvement already this week however, and I do like the video despite it being more difficult for me. The hardest out of ALL the material? The guided breathing techniques, not the poses! I've never really done any kind of breathing techniques, so this is all new to me. The first week I felt like passing out sometimes! It's going to take me a long time to master this. A VERY long time! That leaves the meditation. During the first week I decided to do my meditation portion while doing "Legs Up A Wall" pose. Sitting in mediation for me is rather uncomfortable, and "Legs Up A Wall" has so many benefits, especially for runners! It's working perfectly, and I find myself going well over the prescribed 10 minutes. Check out this article on the pose: <br />
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<a href="http://www.active.com/mind-and-body-yoga/articles/pose-of-the-month-heavy-legs-on-the-wall">http://www.active.com/mind-and-body-yoga/articles/pose-of-the-month-heavy-legs-on-the-wall</a><br />
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In non fitness news, I leapt into the new year with a decluttered space. It took a few weeks, but it got done! I saw a great article on Mind Body Green this week (great website) on the benefits of de-cluttering your life. I highly recommend it! It's so refreshing to get rid of old, unwanted items. And feels so great donating items! <br />
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<a href="http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17427/why-decluttering-your-entire-life-will-bring-you-abundance.html">http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17427/why-decluttering-your-entire-life-will-bring-you-abundance.html</a><br />
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I hope everyone has a great week ahead! I'll be staying warm by running and yoga! Just remember spring is near! <br />
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Happy Running,<br />
Laurie<br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-33333408764979059252015-02-08T16:15:00.002-05:002015-02-08T17:35:59.488-05:002014 news and what's in store for 2015. Before I begin please note I have also updated my Yoga, Family, and Huskies Tab! Check them out! <br />
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So 2014 was a non eventful running year. I only did a couple of races (and was ok with it at the time - however the lack of real goals bothered me and am back at it this year)! Other areas of my life were busy however - my little brother got married to an amazing woman! They live in Myrtle Beach, SC so we all went down for the wedding (which was a blast). My son was in the wedding and I had a (gasp) speaking part. My brother called me one day to ask if I'd do it, and this introvert put on a great face and said "OF COURSE"! But vomited a little in my mouth after haha. I was happy he asked though, and it turned out ok actually (except for the part where I could not hold in my tears). <br />
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Now, what was expected is happening...this amazing couple is having a baby! I'm going to be an auntie! We'll be going back to Myrtle for a few days this year around the due date. I can't wait to see my new niece or nephew! My brother and his new wife are going to make amazing parents xoxoxo.</div>
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As far as running goes in 2015 I have a pretty packed year scheduled so far. A road race in OH - April, a trail 30k in P.A. -May, a sky marathon in N.Y. -June, another trail 30k in N.Y. -July, a mountain marathon in P.A.-August, and a 50k trail race in OH -September. I have not yet planned for after September as I want to see how well I will recover from these mountain races. This is what I will work on this year, learning how to recover fast from crazy hard efforts. I'm also contemplating a trail 1/2 marathon in March which will be a good test to discover how training should go for the Sky Marathon. The trail 1/2 is 4,000 feet of elevation gain, and the Sky Marathon will be 9,000 feet of elevation gain. I'm leaning towards going to give me a better idea for June. </div>
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I also have been doing yoga on a regular basis for about 2 years now. I really love it and it's the perfect balance to running. (Sometimes I wonder if I love yoga more! (GASP) I'm not going to go into full detail here, (jump onto my yoga page to read more) however tomorrow I'm starting a 108 day yoga challenge - the Ultimate Yogi DVD set. I'm super excited about this! Again, I'll post updates and reviews on my yoga page of this blog. </div>
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Last up for 2014....my huskies. They've kept me insanely busy and are just so high energy. Runs with them left me fried beyond belief as they run incredibly fast. So, this year I decided to take action and get electric collars for them, for when we are out running. This is like a miracle to me! It's made my decision to have goals for myself once again real and attainable. Now I don't have them pulling me along at an ungodly pace. I can do speed work again, and I can do easy runs again! I'm so excited, and I think they are a lot happier as well! They can explore and sniff at their leisure, go off trail a bit - and catch up when they need to. It's made both our runs just so much more enjoyable. </div>
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I hope to see everyone out on the trails this year, and good luck with all of your races! </div>
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Happy Running, </div>
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Laurie</div>
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Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-29937099044688067292014-06-01T07:38:00.004-04:002014-06-01T07:40:34.830-04:00A POSITIVE WAY TO START YOUR DAY! Good morning!<br />
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Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on a new blog I've created! I'll still maintain my personal blog here, but this new blog is all about you! The blog will consist of short videos (between 1 and 10 minutes long). They are all scheduled to be uploaded every day at 12:00 a.m. PST (3:00 a.m. EST) so hopefully you do not wake up earlier than that to start your morning ;-) I have already uploaded the first month's worth of videos so they are all set to go!<br />
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The blog is designed to put a smile on your face as soon as you wake up! There will be funny videos, motivational videos, inspirational videos. All positive, all fluff and stuff. I hope to make you smile and cry happy tears every morning. Because lets face it - most of us wake up, turn on the news and hear about shooting after shooting, countries at war, thefts, violence, you name it. Not that everyone should ignore important local and world issues (never!) but we could all stand to start the day on a more positive note! So grab a cup of coffee or your favorite tea and save a few minutes to watch and think happy thoughts. Check it out and have an amazing day!<br />
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<a href="http://positivewaytostart.blogspot.com/">http://positivewaytostart.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-8006281886068217072014-01-05T07:43:00.000-05:002014-01-05T07:44:22.605-05:00New update to the Huskies tab!!! Head on over to check it out, complete with video! Happy winter all!Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-41170354867163740772013-11-11T20:29:00.001-05:002013-11-11T20:35:00.677-05:00Season in ReviewSorry all for being a major blog slacker, but my training and my pups have been keeping me pretty busy! Now that the season is over for me (I think) I feel like I finally have time for a recap of the season. <br />
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This year I started early on training for a road marathon and quickly found that I was absolutely bored out of my mind. I wanted to get back to trails. The shorter distance on the roads were great, exhilarating in fact, but the longer, slower runs on the road were a complete bore to me. So, I decided to change it up. I've been working on speed since we got back from vacation and decided to work on a shorter 5k goal, one that I've been thinking about for awhile now. This would allow me to get my both my longer runs in on the trails and the fun, shorter, speedy road runs that I like too! The 5k goal became my #1 priority over all other races, and I think it did me well to focus on that goal for awhile. I reached my 5k goal at my second 5k of the year at the Ritley Run in Perry.<br />
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After reaching my 5k goal my new goal was to focus on Bills' Bad Ass 50k in November. I set a time goal, but within two weeks reached that pace during training so I then had to re-evaluate and set a new goal. I could've just left it at that I suppose - but I wanted to work hard. What fun is setting a goal if you are certain you can meet it?! Setting a goal that you are sure you can meet is neither fun nor exciting to me. Working towards the unknown is such a thrill. I spent nearly every weekend on the Bills' course - at least one day anyway. The only two weekends I missed were weekends in which I raced longer races - The Green Monster Mountain Race (25k) and the Run With Scissors (marathon).<br />
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER IN REVIEW: <br />
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The Green Monster Mountain race is a race I scheduled, literally, at the last moment. I found out about it the week of the event, and signed up for it the last day of registration. I debated for a bit on signing up for this one, but in the end decided to do it with the sole purpose of going to PA to check out the area in a fairly controlled setting. I'll be racing Eastern States 100 in August in the same general area, so I wanted to get a feel for what I'm in store for, wanted to get a feel for what exactly I had to train for. This race was a true mountain race with 4,000 feet of elevation gain for the 25k. It was incredible! I wish I had that kind of terrain in my backyard! I went to the race with zero expectations, did not taper, and even did my regular hill repeats that week - but was very pleased to come out with 4th place for the women. <br />
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After Green Monster I ran another 5k. This one was a bit unexpected as well. I had come down with a cold and wanted to wait another day (Sunday instead of Saturday) before I ran my 25 miler for the week. I was hoping it would get better somehow in one day haha. I saw there was a 5k down the road so I started to think about running it. That night (Friday night) I was feeling so bad I decided that I would not set my alarm, and if I woke up in time to make it to the race fine - and if not then that must mean I needed my sleep and to do just that. As it turned out I did wake up in time (much to my surprise) and half grumpily headed to the race. I didn't run a great time there - but an amazing thing did happen (and probably will never happen again!) I took the race. Men's/women's, I came in first overall! This was truly shocking to me. It wasn't too shocking during the race - say for the first mile because I have a nasty little habit of starting out way to fast. ALWAYS. But once the first mile hit and I was still in front I was shocked. I turned around to see where the closest person was and got even more shocked. From that point on it was just adrenaline. I finally broke the tape at a finish line!! What an unusual and great feeling! <br />
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Next up: Run With Scissors Marathon<br />
I've always wanted to run RWS. It looked like a fun race. This year it worked out perfect with my Bills' Bad Ass training schedule - It would be my last long run before then. The week of the race I still had my nasty cold and was a little bummed by that. I went to the doctor, something I don't do very often, and was hoping he could do something - but knowing that he probably couldn't. Doc was honest and did not give me anything - and told me the normal "Get lots of sleep and drink lots of water". He even told me not to take any over the counter meds, as they could make the duration of my cold longer and symptoms even more severe-which surprised me. I enjoyed that honest bit of information! I followed orders and got lots of sleep (LOTS). I wasn't feeling 100% by Run With Scissors but I was definitely feeling MUCH better than before. I again had no expectations for this race other than trying to maintain my goal pace for BBA. Much to my surprise I wound up finishing in first place/females for the marathon! I received a nice trophy and got to pick out new shoes (which I gave to hubby). It was a fun race and I definitely would love to do it again next year if recovery from Eastern States and my brother's wedding ;-) go well. <br />
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Fast forward to Bills' Bad Ass 50k:<br />
Two weeks later and it was time for BBA! The first time I ran this race I was a bit unprepared, and BBA was a bit of a shocker! This time I told myself I would be ready! Again I spent nearly every weekend on the Bills' course trying to improve the previous weeks time. I met lots of new runner friends while doing so, and got reacquainted with old ones. There were group runs and solo runs. Long runs and short runs. Bad runs and good runs. Then just as fast as training began, it was over. Time for the race! Both Chef Bill and Wild Bill put on such a fun, great event. If you're lucky, you'll get screamed at during the race from the great bullhorn. You're almost guaranteed to get screamed at going up the hill for the last mile! Yes you're tired, but it really puts a smile on your face when you hear it. It almost makes you forget about the climb. Almost! It was great seeing so many runner friends at BBA. So many friends did so well - got PR's, ran their first 50k (congrats awesome newbies!!), ran a great race after running a double marathon 2 weeks before, and one strong lady running through cancer....hearing and seeing people's personal achievements is always so amazing! You just never know what you're capable of until you try! As for me, I had a good day - I came smack in the middle of my original goal and my revised goal. That got me a 50k PR, first female and third overall. Getting a 50k PR and on the Bills' course made my day even more! Two days later and I'm pretty shocked at my recovery time - it's pretty much nonexistent. No sore muscles, no aches and pains (I am milking some massages from the hubby though haha shhhhhh!!!) I'm feeling good and ready to get focused on Eastern States training. Lots of Ohio and Canadian running friends are going so it should be one fantastic party in the woods, and I just can't wait! <br />
<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-77399771139796801772013-07-10T19:49:00.000-04:002013-07-10T19:51:25.517-04:00Cleveland Marathon, Barkley & Yepa, i2P, Mexico, And Drinks to Keep You Cool!Pages that have been updated: Huskies, i2P, Travel, and Recipes. Check it all out! <br />
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I hope everyone is enjoying this fantastic (?) weather we're having! The hot and humid days have me longing for snow more than ever. I miss it so much! However this weather is here to stay for a bit, so I added some nice cool smoothie and drink recipes to my Recipes page. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!<br />
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My hubby is not like me. He does rather well in this nonsense. So well in fact that he qualified for the Boston Marathon when he ran the Cleveland Marathon! I couldn't have been more thrilled to see him cross that finish line! It was a hot and steamy day, but he pulled it off. I can't wait to go back to Boston and cheer HIM on this time! HOOAH! The hubs also recently had a birthday, in which he got treated to many surprises throughout the day: <br />
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But the best surprise of all came at night, when so many of our friends came out to the Willoughby Brewing Company for his birthday. Thanks so much to everyone for coming! <br />
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Check out my updates on Barkley and Yepa on their tab above, including details involving their first ever "race" at Muddy Paws this past weekend. I have also updated my Travel section with highlights from our recent trip to Mexico - and please check out the latest with i2P! My friend Ray is currently running about 70km a day in the Gobi desert, and a new youth expedition has been announced! <br />
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Happy Running to you all, and stay cool! <br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-16542857680369059702013-04-07T17:27:00.004-04:002013-04-07T19:31:06.273-04:00Stopping to smell the flowers Before I start this post, if you're interested check out my "Family" tab for an update on today's Perry Fire Department Pancake Breakfast! Also check out the I2P tab for a brief post on the "company picninc bwahahaa" Now for my run post: <br />
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I mentioned in my last post that long runs were less than ideal for me. I really have been loving the short and fast speed sessions. However a run with a friend and some input from Ray on nutritional needs may have put the mojo back into my long run. <br />
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I've started my back to back long runs up again and have been less than enthusiastic about that. That is until last week when we happened to start a run at the same time Mike Nicholson was there. My hubby, Mike, and I all decided to run together. I've always liked and admired both Mike and his wife. Before we started, Mike had stated "I was going to run and take some pictures if you don't mind". Instantly I said "Hey I used to do that!" and inside I thought, <br />
"What the hell happened, why don't I do that anymore?" And that was the beginning of a run with a few realizations. <br />
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We ran and chatted and laughed the whole time. I haven't had that much fun on a run in a long time. (All the time wondering why). At what point did I start to show up at the trail head, put my head down, and decide to "Lets just get this shit over with"? At what point did I lose what trail running really is all about? In the end, I decided it doesn't really matter. What matters is that I knock that shit off and get back to how it used to be.<br />
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We run North Chagrin ALL the time. Seriously ALL the time. I thought I knew it inside and out. But apparently not! Mike showed us a few things that we both missed along the way, and the whole time I was both enjoying myself and kicking myself for being so lame. My "put your head down and get it done" mentality really sucked. I stopped noticing things, stopped exploring. And truth is - when I was doing those things -taking pictures, stopping to look at cool stuff along the way I was running better, I was happier, and loved running so much more. So I promised myself I wouldn't let it get to that point again. As a bit of a reminder of my promise to myself my friend Steve Hawthorne posted today "<span class="userContent">Perfect day to run with Fools and friends! Be sure to check out the little flowers popping up everywhere. It's going to be a great day :)" A perfect reminder. I also spoke to Ray about all this, and he wanted me to revamp my food stuff. He gave me an EXCELLENT breakfast recipe that I absolutely love. The combo of the run with Nicholson and Ray's nutritional advice seemed to do wonders! </span>What happened this week? Over 30 seconds faster per mile on the road on Saturday than last week and 2 MINUTES faster per mile on the trail the following day!! Woot! AND I stopped to look at the pretty flowers on more than one occasion. (And heard the beautiful birds, and noticed the beauty of leaves blowing in the wind.) Simple beauty. Thanks so much guys for making me realize I lost a little bit of something along the way! Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-80552270876277612592013-04-03T19:34:00.002-04:002013-04-03T19:35:26.104-04:00HUSKIES, FIRE EXPLORERS, NEW GIG, AND AUBURN! It's been awhile since I've done a "what's going on in my life" post so here goes! So many changes are happening, and all for the better. I've got a new job, ANOTHER new husky,started a fundraiser for the Perry Fire Explorers, and my son got accepted into Auburn's EMS program for his junior and senior year! So many good things to keep me busy along with the running! <br />
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Since I've done a blog reorg (business people cringe, but in this case it's good) you can pick and choose which items you'd like to hear about - check out each tab above and see for yourself!<br />
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My new job and running updates will be below. But the other info you can find in the following:<br />
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New husky = Check out my "Huskies" tab<br />
My son's acceptance into Auburn = "Family" tab<br />
New fundraiser = "Community" tab<br />
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So there you have it :) I'm going to enjoy filling up the photography tab. My wish is to take a new picture each week, but we'll see how that goes. Until then feel free to browse through the albums I've got links to. <br />
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NEW JOB:<br />
I'm so please to say I got a new job!! I started my new position on March 11, and so far so good. So very good! I enjoy coming to work, and don't even mind the 10 - 10 1/2 hour days I've been putting in! It's been such a relief - my stress is gone, my mood is better, and I realize now just how stressed I was at the last place. I've only had 1 stressful day at work so far (and this stress I really brought on myself, as I failed to recognize I was NOT in the old place anymore). This particular day my stomach hurt, I was exhausted, swelling - hmmmm sound familiar?! At the end of the day I realized what I did and was pretty mad at myself. But was a bit happy. YES happy! Happy because I realized I felt like this EVERY single day before and don't have to go through that anymore. FANTASTIC!! Just that thought alone lifted my spirits immensely! At the last place I tried everything. Meditating, Yoga, listening to comedy programs at work - nothing did the trick. I'm so incredibly relieved. The department is awesome, my boss is great, coworkers are fantastic - and here's the BIGGIE.....They are giving one of us the opportunity to work from home starting in June! I certainly threw my name in the hat for that one! Even if I don't get that chance it's ok, since my department is great. This first work from home employee will be a guinea pig of sorts before they open up more spots for the rest of us. Incredible!!! So glad I'm here! <br />
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RUNNING: <br />
Since the day after I found out I would be working elsewhere - BOOM. Got sick. Acutally I expected it and was not the least bit surprised. The stress was gone, my body didn't have to fight the stress anymore and it was just letting go. My cold lasted over an entire month though. That was a bit aggravating. I kept the runs shorter and did no speed work or hill work. Just tedious boring runs which were brutal. I wanted to feel my lungs burn, wanted to feel the ache of a good run in my muscles, but I was patient. As I said I expected this and there wasn't really anything I could do other than just get through it and that was mighty fine with me. Now the cold is gone and my awesome friend and coach Ray Zahab has given me my first 3 week training block back. This week marks the last week of that block and I've already seen improvements. ( And LOVE the fact that I'm back to doing speedwork again! To think I used to dread it in the beginning!!) I'm starting to really enjoy the gnarly, brutal, shorter speedwork sessions over the mega long stuff. I just love the feeling of working as hard as you can and those speedwork sessions give me that. To go on a long run and have to pace yourself so you save some for the end has been agonizing to me. I do have to say though, a recent run with one of our friends, Mike Nicholson really opened my eyes to some things on the long run - but will share that in my next blog. So there you have it! First three weeks back at real training and things are looking up! I'm pretty pumped and ready to get my next 3 weeks block! Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-10632242286486193322013-04-02T19:28:00.002-04:002013-04-02T19:40:57.036-04:00Battle against cancer: W O N <br />
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This is a must see piece on our friends Mike and Beth Shaughnessy! Job well done to runner friends John Telich and Doug Hermann of Fox 8 News Cleveland for putting this story together. I've long been wanting to blog for awhile about our inspirational friends but didn't want to touch on such a private issue with them while they were dealing with so much. But the good news is Mike is now CANCER FREE!! Our time was spent this weekend at Mike's "I beat cancer party" which was a blast. Mike and Beth are both such amazingly strong and inspiring people. Hugs to you both!! <br />
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Please check out the story on them here:<br />
<script ec="BzdHFuYToETpH-SAgF4EKkOlTxvKQX6R&pbid=b248f00b9d6e4d7ba21cbc796a85f61c"" http:="" iframe.js="" player.ooyala.com="" src="<a href="></script">http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=BzdHFuYToETpH-SAgF4EKkOlTxvKQX6R&pbid=b248f00b9d6e4d7ba21cbc796a85f61c"></script><a href="http://fox8.com/2013/04/02/marathon-runner-wins-battle-against-cancer/">http://fox8.com/2013/04/02/marathon-runner-wins-battle-against-cancer/</a><br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-12364232384190639382013-03-30T07:14:00.001-04:002013-03-30T07:14:53.856-04:00ChangesNew changes to the blog! Hope you like it! Since I always break my blog up in sections I have created separate pages for each of the items I talk about on a regular basis. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now and I finally took 2 minutes to sit down to try and figure it out (ha). So enjoy! Looking forwarding to adding more to each! <br />
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Happy Running,<br />
Laurie<br />
<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-18319350951287805402013-03-06T04:10:00.000-05:002013-03-06T04:27:26.844-05:00Faux Shamrock Shake! Running updates to come soon, but with St. Patty's day right around the corner I wanted to hurry up and get this out! <br />
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<strong>FAUX SHAMROCK SHAKE</strong><br />
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Driving and seeing a McDonald's every 5 minutes I'm sure you know that Shamrock Shakes are out! But wait! You CAN indulge in that great taste WITHOUT whatever the hell it is they put in those things. Don't let the spinach scare you off - you can't even taste it.<br />
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Recipe<br />
1 frozen banana<br />
3 cups spinach<br />
vanilla stevia to taste (I used about 10 drops)<br />
mint extract to taste (I like just a hint of mint, so I used 1/8 tsp.)<br />
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<em>*If you don't like your shake as thick as I do, you can add some water or coconut/almond milk to get the consistency you want. Just add a little at a time and blend until it's to your desired consistency and it really won't change the flavor. I made 3 different shakes to test - one with one cup water, one with one cup milk, and one without any added liquid at all and they all tasted the same. My personal preference in terms of consistency is no extra liquid :-) *</em><br />
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Put all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Simple and tasty, and perfect post run fuel! I'm thinking tomorrow I might add a tablespoon of chia seeds to the mix, just for the added health benefits. Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the taste! <br />
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Happy Running, <br />
Laurie <br />
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<em>(Please forgive the crummy picture, for some reason I just can't get a handle on photographing food. Just know it tastes delish!!) </em></div>
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Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-49329269626336105872013-02-01T13:06:00.002-05:002013-02-01T13:08:20.549-05:00Amazing runner friends doing amazing things! WOW! What wild weather we've been having! Our new pup didn't like the 60 degree days we had, but is thrilled (and doesn't want to come inside) now that our temps are once again below 30. Right now I have many running friends participating in some pretty fabulous adventures and wanted to wish them well. Each and every one of them are not only fabulous runners, but extraordinary individuals outside of the athletic community. <br />
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Our local Ohioan, Star Blackford will be running the Rock Raccoon 100 miler. Star is one of my early running inspirations and that is true to this day, along with inspiring my son. At home he's coined the phrase running "Star style" after seeing her run at the Burning River 100 miler. "Star style" is coming into the aidstations happy, kind, and full of life (even at mile 93!) ;-) <br />
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My Grand to Grand running friends Stefano Gregoretti and Davide Ugolini are traveling all the way from Italy to the great white north, Canada, to participate in the Yukon Arctic Ultra - both 100 mile distance. These two men are some of the kindest people you will meet, on and off the running field. (And Davide has one hell of a singing voice!) Stefano will be representing Team i2P! <br />
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More i2P mates, Nathalie Samson and Jeff Dean are currently running 200km in Cambodia in an attempt to raise enough funds to provide 200 families with a bio-sand filter, ensuring them reliable and safe drinking water. Each filter costs Just $60.00 - I encourage you to follow them and to donate!<br />
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Onefilteronefamilly donation page: <br />
<a href="http://onefilteronefamily.com/"><em>http://onefilteronefamily.com/</em></a><br />
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Facebook page:<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/One-Filter-One-Family/158115700898517?fref=ts"><em>http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/One-Filter-One-Family/158115700898517?fref=ts</em></a><br />
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Their blog:<br />
<a href="http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/blog-768889.html"><em>http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/blog-768889.html</em></a><br />
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The running community is filled with these kind of people - people who use this incredible sport to do good for others and expecting nothing in return. Please support all of them by cheering them on loud and proud wherever you are!! <br />
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Happy Running!<br />
Laurie <br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-13158642578621624932013-01-19T21:14:00.002-05:002013-01-19T21:20:02.431-05:00Welcome Barkley!I failed to mention in my last post that we have a new addition to the family. Welcome our new dog Barkley!
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We brought Barkley home right before Christmas. Then, she was 8 weeks. Now she's 13 weeks and already doubled in weight! Barkley is a Siberian Husky. What a beauty! Before we decided to get a husky we did a lot of reading on their habits, traits, etc. In some cases what we found out was astounding! Huskies can run up to 30 mph. (I knew they were fast, Idiatrod and all but WOW!) They can run fast and run long. I came across an interesting blog on an ultrarunner who actually runs her ultras WITH her huskies! WOW! You can find her blog <a href="http://sandrabowers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/running-with-humans-project.html" target="_blank">here</a>: <a href="http://www.sandrabowers.blogspot.com/"><em>http://www.sandrabowers.blogspot.com/</em></a><br />
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I have to say, huskies seem to be the perfect ultra running partner. But you MUST MUST MUST know what you're getting into. They're a huge ball of energy, and get destructive if not excersized. Two, three times a day even depending on how long you run. Barkley has been on introductory "feeler" runs with us so far, and she has yet to get tired on any of the runs. We are letting her go at her pace, so the runs turn into more of a fartlek running session. She sprints unbelievably fast, then stops for a sec to chew on some leaves. Such as been our runs thus far :-) </div>
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Thursday was the first quality workout she joined us for. She actually did hill repeats with my husband, our friend Crystal and myself. Needless to say, she beat us all and it was her first time! So incredible!! We definitely can tell when we are not quick to excersize her during the day, when we want to get some work done before we take her out she gets antsy. And, as I said - a tad destructive. Her form of destruction so far is chewing. She has chewed my garmin charger to bits, our bedpost, and some socks to name a few things. She's even taken a nice healthy dump right on my treadmill! So while huskies are beautiful dogs - do be careful if you're thinking you want one. For us, with three runners in the house she's the perfect fit for our family. Many of these dogs do wind up being rescued though, and in speaking with Barkley's vet during today's visit he did say that so many of these dogs just go crazy - stir crazy because they go into homes where they aren't taken outside, aren't run, etc. and that he was very glad when he saw her because he could tell by looking at her nails she was definitely getting excersize. </div>
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Despite what the vet said I was still worried we were running her too much, too soon. I explained to the vet - "Hey we're marathoners and ultramarathoners, even my son ran a marathon - so we can run for long chunks of time and I'm a bit worried that we're doing too much with her right now." The vet just looked at me and laughed and said not to worry, that Barkley will definitely let us know when she's tired, and that honestly we really shouldn't worry about it, because if she isn't already - then soon she'll be running so much that we'll be the ones tired when it's all said and done, not her. I can't imagine!! She really is an incredible dog and I'm glad we have her - and looking forward to many running and backpacking adventures with her in the near future! <br />
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Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-62376412007196269052013-01-09T18:37:00.000-05:002013-01-09T19:09:34.176-05:00Running and Beyond, New Happenings In The Non Running WorldLet me start out by saying I hope everyone had a great holiday season and hope you are all working on those New Year's resolutions whatever they may be! Be it run faster, get a new job, eat better - may all your wishes come true in 2013! <br />
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For 2013 I have a slight change of plans. I was originally supposed to run my favorite 100 miler, the Beast of Burden winter 100 - but family plans changed all that. I'm so grateful for all those who wished me well for Beast though! You guys are the best! I'm bummed I'm going to miss some of my favorite people and my favorite hundo, but it's all for the better from a non running point of view. In fact - I couldn't be more ecstatic! My son has chosen his career path and is so certain of it. He's so excited, and this is just something I've never seen before. It's incredible! All the days and all the nights I've thought, hoped, he wouldn't wind up like me. Behind a desk. Crunching numbers. (although if that's what he loved to do, GREAT!) But it is not in his blood to like something like that. I knew it. My husband knew it. And my son knows it. Over the years my son has watched my brother grow, develop, and become a firefighter. He slowly drew inspiration from that - visiting his firehouse(s) and hearing about his job. On a group run last year he mentioned that he *thought* he would be interested in firefighting as a profession. I stuck that statement in the back of my mind and waited to see if he was serious or just being a teen :-) He was serious. He became more so over the summer, so I then decided to call around to various fire departments to see if they let any youth come and volunteer at the fire station. I wasn't sure what he could, but was thinking maybe odds and ends like cleaning the fire trucks or silly stuff like that. Throughout the process I found out that Perry Township Fire Department has a free program for teens interested in fire fighting called the Fire Explorers.
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It's really an incredible program - they train just like the real firefighters, doing simulations and studying ems among other things. So great!! The head of the program, Brian, told me my son would have to come on a panel interview if he was interested - the interview would be done by him and all the other fire explorers in the program. After the interview they would meet and discuss, and then my son would get a call either way. Well - he went on his interview and did get on the Explorer team!!
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He was thrilled, and started in September! The group meets several times a month. He had one meeting before I went to G2G, his first...and another meeting during my time in Utah - and has been going ever since. The pride he has for this program is incredible, I've never seen him this way before. The group is already like a family to him, and he's excited each time he goes to the program. (The last time I dropped him off he was so pumped he jumped out of my moving car when we got into the parking lot. SERIOUSLY!!)
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So, needless to say this has all kept me busy. Add in the normal December volunteering he does as well as trips to visit Auburn our December was action packed but in a very good way. I just can't ask for anything more. If my son is happy with his career, with what he does in life - if he truly enjoys it that's all I want. Nothing more. And it really looks like that's going to happen.<br />
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On Auburn:<br />
Auburn is a 2 year vocational program he would go to, if selected. It is an EMS program. He has applied and will find out in March if he gets selected. Not only would Auburn save us money after high school/into college but he'll have hands on experience. (When visiting the instructor said within the first week of the program one year some students saw their first fatality unfortunately. Many people have spoken to him about this so he realizes what it is he's getting into.) With the program he would have a medic license as soon as he graduates from high school, which would allow him to become a Fire-medic right after graduation. (Most firefighters in our area are fire-medics). So right now the visiting is done, the application is in - and he's waiting to get an interview. Then we wait until March! Fingers crossed for my mini! It's not the end of the world for him if he doesn't get in - he would still be able to pursue his path of course but this would make it much quicker. During the visitations to Auburn the students in the program said they STUDY. REALLY study. They all said the program was extremely hard, and a few came up to him and said they usually are studying until 10 at night. The instructor told him it was the hardest program at Auburn. He listened, we discussed what the students and instructor said - and without hesitation he said he still wanted to do it, that he was 100% certain. OK then! Quite a few of the Explorers are in the program, and the ones that weren't applied with my mini. There is a 20 student maximum for the program. The program services several school districts in the area, with applications coming in from all of them. So again fingers crossed and hoping they all get in! The plan for after he graduates high school will be to find a job of course, but also attend college at Lakeland - they have a great Fire Science and Emergency Management program there. I've been in contact with the director of the program and he tells me there will be an open house soon. FUN!! <br />
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On the Explorers:<br />
Since my son has been doing the program since September, and he's going to be 16 in March he'll be going to the Fire Department a little more than usual, aside from the normal Fire Explorer class - to study up. Once an Explorer gets to be a Level 2 explorer (you have to test for that) they are allowed to ride along on firefighting calls. He can take his Level 2 test when he turns 16 so he is gearing up for it now. Aside from that - he's also going to be taking a Lifeguard Certification training class in April! (oh and his driving test lol)<strike></strike><br />
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So as you can see, ultras have taken a bit of a back burner for now. As always - FAMILY over running. Nothing new as far as that's gone for me. It's why I usually trained waking up at 2 a.m, 3 a.m. on a regular basis when nothing out of the usual was going on - to not interrupt family time in regards to my training. Family will ALWAYS take precedence over running. I won't run if it means I have to miss one of my son's events - things like that are far too important. We only have a couple more years before my mini won't be my mini anymore, and I don't want to miss a minute. There will always be runs, there's plenty of time for that. I don't NEED to run every race I hear of, I don't NEED to run xxx amount of races to get my fix. My family is my fix and my running will always be there. Whether it be a 5k or 100 miles, it will always be there. So the focus now for me, while my mileage is reduced by hovering in parking lots waiting for my guy to come out will be the marathon. I have a lofty goal to improve on my Boston Marathon time by a little over 28 minutes. I really REALLY don't know if I have it in me to do this. But - I'm definitely going to give it my all. The timing is right to do this, so I will work my hardest! I had to have a "crazy out there" goal if I wasn't going to run any ultras for awhile. You see, the thing with me is....I get excited, very VERY excited about a goal that I'm not sure I can accomplish. It's why I originally ran BoB winter 100 - because I was unsure if I could finish a nasty winter race with my asthma. First place was just the icing on the cake! <br />
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In between the marathon and now there will be quite a few smaller prep races. After the marathon, which will be in October, I will be looking into ultras again. By then my mini will be driving (and he's hoping he'll have a job) and I should have a lot more time on my hands. Potential ultra right now is Hellgate (100k), if I can figure out when/how to apply :-) Sounds like a good one, and would be enough time after the marathon for some good training. Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-70922222598996570242012-12-08T18:26:00.000-05:002012-12-08T18:26:19.461-05:00Grand to Grand Ultra So I know it's been quite a long time since running in the Grand to Grand Ultra in September - but time has been short, and I've been struggling to find the words to sum up this amazing event as well! So what's the best thing I can do? Will do a quick recap - but really summing it up with pictures I've taken off of facebook, via fellow runners and the G2G site. Pictures are worth a thousand words no?!
Short and sweet summary.....
If you have the means (time, money) to do this race DO IT. It's an incredible event, like no other I've experienced. I was worried about my performance a bit, since I had found out I was running it 20 days before but made my mind up to go there and enjoy the experience 100 percent! Big thanks to Ray Zahab and Impossible2Possbile for making the race happen for me. I traveled to G2G as an ambassador for them, and every minute was an amazing experience that I won't soon forget. Originally it was supposed to be team i2P but we wound up running as individuals - as the other team in the race, the Backpacker Magazine team was short one individual. (I found this out when I arrived in Utah and was somewhat relieved, as I was nervous about being the weakest link and didn't want to hold the guys (John Zahab and Brian Henderson) back!) Even though we ran the race as individuals we all ran together for the long stage - 47 miles. I caught up to them after a couple miles during that stage and that was that - we spent several hours running, walking, climbing, and (for me anyway) literally CRAWLING up sand dunes. The crawling was a tad embarrassing ;-) During this stage I thought lots of my dear friend Micah True as it was the 6 month anniversary of his passing. Before I shut off my cell, just before the race, my son had let me know that Micah's girlfriend Maria sent me some stones and a lovely memorial card. Still miss him every day and thankful for him, Maria and Guadajuko.
The days came and went - I spent most of the day after the long stage walking due to pretty serious shinsplints that lasted the rest of the race, but hooked up with some really great guys for the last 5 miles - Kanab Dave and Vincent. We laughed so much and had a great time b.s.'ing that all pain seemed to disappear for those miles. I'm so lucky to have run into them! Then - the final day. Even though the miles were short, I was dreading this day. Why? The map was showing it as all uphill. I have a hill complex. (translation - I suck at them) Although a little miracle occurred for me, and it was mostly thanks to my smart ass-isms. There was to be three waves of runners going off for the last stage. Ray wanted to put me in the 2nd wave, but I told them he better put me in the 1st as I thought I would probably be walking most of it. He did, and I heard him say later that night he was waking up in the morning and would be marking the course for us runners before we start. In my typical smart ass-ism manner I laughed and said "Hey aren't you worried that I'll catch up to you?!" hahaha. Looking at me he said "You know LC the thought actually crossed my mind." Hmmmmm. It was then that my new goal was set. Catch up with Ray and the others marking the course. Didn't know if I would, but hey - it was the last day and worth a shot! We started out early and it was dark. Bonus points for no sand. I got in front and never looked back, going as fast as I possibly could. Some parts were technical, and since I was trying to haul ass I did fall a few times. Got up, brushed myself off - and kept on. After awhile I saw lights ahead of me and grinned. I think I can do it!! Is all I thought. Well, dummy me I did!I say dummy me because #1 there was no aid station yet where there should have been one and #2 I made the mistake of thinking I would just casually trot up the hill with them while they marked the rest of the course. Wrong. I caught up, they were done with there glow sticks - and Ray said let's go now we'll run up together!! WHA??!! All I could think was this is what I got for always being a smart ass! There would be no casual la dee da up the hill. I had (or I thought I had) used up everything to catch up with them, but now I had to run even faster. And on hills. And with one of the world's greatest super athletes. I got over my "oh shit" moment and dug in to what I didn't know I had. My friend pushed me up the hills at a pace I didn't know I was capable of for hills. Granted I sounded like Darth Vader doing it (while Ray didn't even seem tired!!) - but did it! In the end it made me realize I can do more than I think I can. I am stronger than I think I am. Pain - the pain in my legs was still there but somehow I pushed it aside. The mind is an incredible thing. The greatest challenge in ultras is not necessarily physical, but mental. I had heard it before, but never quite experienced it. I came out of it LOVING hills (gasp!) I may not necessarily be the best at them, but am really looking forward to the challenge of getting better on them! Ray and I crossed the finish line as the G2G crew was just setting up the finish line banner. It was nice to see everyone finish and be able to congratulate everyone. Soon we all loaded up onto the busses and made our way to Las Vegas, for an amazing dinner and night at an amazing hotel. I was lucky enough to get my own room (which was amazing!!) thanks to Ferg Hawke. See I took his place on team i2P - and shortly before I left he sent me a message stating he had paid for a private room. He offered the room to me - and even though I offered to pay him for it he refused. SUCH an awesome guy!! When I opened the door to my room I couldn't believe it, had never stayed in anything so amazing before. Shortly after arriving the festivities began. (formal...GASP!!) I felt a bit awkward in a dress, but it was better than smelling like 7 days of funk. And I was with some pretty great people. What could be better :-)
G2G in pictures: None of them I took - but gives you a feel of what the race was like:
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<i> G2G TOP RUNNERS ON SOME INCREDIBLE SAND DUNES</i>
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<i>ADVENTUROUS ROUTES!</i>
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<i>ROPE ASSISTED</i>
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<i>MORE AND MORE CLIMBING!</i>
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<i>LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET PICKED FOR DANCING DURING A POW WOW</i>
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<i>WHAT A GUY!!</i>
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<i>TEAM I2P PRERACE</i>
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<i>KANAB DAVE AND VINCENT - ALL SMILES AFTER A HARD STAGE</i>
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<i>TEAM I2P AT THE FINISH LINE WITH OUR FEARLESS LEADER!</i>
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<i>CRAZY ANTICS FROM OUR AWESOME VOLUNTEERS!</i>
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<i>ONE LAST MEAL BEFORE THE MADNESS THAT IS CALLED FREEZE DRIED FOOD
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<i>G2G RUNNERS GOT TREATED LIKE CELEBS IN KANAB</i>
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<i>GREAT DINNER IN KANAB!</i>
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<i>MOST AWESOME GOODY BAG EVER!
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<i>RIP LUCY, ONE OF G2G'S MANY AMAZING VOLUNTEERS. </i>
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-10816360535989404172012-09-19T19:18:00.004-04:002012-09-19T19:27:12.471-04:00GRAND TO GRAND ULTRA - THE SURPRISE RACE
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160 MILES / 257 KILOMETERS
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6 STAGES
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7 DAYS
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UNSUPPORTED
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TERRAIN: Hard packed sand, soft sand, sand dunes, forest trails, shallow river crossings, rocky roads and slot canyons.
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START: North rim of the Grand Canyon
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FINISH: The Grand Staircase
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Total ascent over the entire course is 21,791ft (6,642m). Total descent is 17,965ft (5,476m).<br><br>
STAGE 1 -31 MILES/51 KM<br><br>
STAGE 2 - 28 MILES/45 KM<br><br>
STAGE 3 - 44 MILES/71 KM<br><br>
STAGE 4 - 24 MILES/38 KM<br><br>
STAGE 5 - 26 MILES/42 KM<br><br>
STAGE 6 - 15 MILES/24 KM<br><br>
CHARITY: Impossible2Possible will receive a portion of the proceeds from this event!!! <br><br>
How did I get sucked into this one?! It wasn't hard. I got a text sometime Sunday night less than a week before I was supposed to run Pine Creek 100. "Call me, 7 a.m." Whaaa?? An unusual text had me wondering. Was everything ok? What happened? Hoping it was nothing bad, I called Ray at 7 Monday. "Got any plans at the end of September?" Was the first thing I heard. Hmmmm - no I sure didn't! Ray then proceeded to tell me about G2G, how they were down a man on team i2P and could I join the team in his place? I was excited of course, but doubtful that work would give me the time off. So, I held in any excitement thinking I would get shot down - due to it being month end, and the fact that we've had a bit of a mass exodus of people out of our department recently. I went to my manager, who went to her manager - and quickly heard "YES". YES. HOLY SHIT! Game on. I let Ray know I was in and then actually started to think about it for a minute. Now I was very very excited - and very very scared! The teammate who can't make it? Ferg Hawke. I am DEFINITELY no Ferg Hawke!! Ferg is one of Canada's - and the world's top ultra runners. I hoped the other two teammates knew what they were getting in me!! Laurie who?! Ha. So there it is. I have joined team i2P, we are a team of 3 people. Myself, John Zahab, and Brian Henderson. This will not be a relay, but a joint effort with all three of us running each mile together. For a split second I thought of running both Pine Creek 100 and G2G but quickly changed my mind. These two guys have been training their hearts out all summer and I wasn't about to get selfish and greedy with races and potentially damage the run that they've worked so hard for. Pine Creek OUT, Grand2Grand IN. <br><br>
I had 22 days to prepare. Yes I had the miles in training for the 100, but none run with a 20 pound backpack! Trust me, that pack makes a huge difference. Hell, I didn't even have a pack!! (Since the race is unsupported, we have to carry all our food and gear with us for the entire journey - backpacks, sleeping bags, all of it)
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The first weekend was spent running with a 20 pound weight vest. Thankfully was joined for a bit by my hubby, Zack Johnson, and Tim Harber on one of the days. I ordered a pack, had it shipped overnight and the following weekend was spent running with that. (There's even an extrordinary difference between the weight vest and the pack, as the weight in the weight vest is so evenly distributed therefor making it a bit easier) **but both are killer workouts! ;-) This past weekend was no different, ran with the pack. And that's it. That's my training for Grand 2 Grand. AYEEEEEEEEE!! I spoke with John over the phone about the run, what we would be eating, drinking, and wearing and he sounds like a great guy. Just crossing my fingers and hoping I can keep up with these guys and their speed!
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I've not had enough time to research lightweight gear, packing, etc as much as I wanted since it's so last minute - but I have had some help in Ray as he's letting me borrow some of his stuff. Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and Canada Goose jacket - all super lightweight stuff. (A friend is someone who lets you borrow their jacket to wear day after day when you'll be completely nasty and sweaty and won't be showering!) We went over some things via Skype video this weekend and he'll be looking at my pack when I get to Kanab, as I think it's heavier than it really should be. <br><br>
This month has been a whirlwind of activity, planning, coordinating, you name it since I found out. Lots of phone calls and texts to Canada ($$$ !!!!) It's been stressful but exciting at the same time. That's what makes this great. The unknown. The fear of not knowing. Wondering what it could possibly be like. Wondering if I can do it. Wondering if I can keep up with some great dudes. And - nothing beats your first time. You will never have another first marathon, first 50k, first 50 miler or 100. The raw emotions experienced on the "first" of anything completely pump me up. There's just nothing like it. So - my first unsupported stage race. Grand2Grand. WONDERFUL! <br><br>
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For those wishing the follow along during the race, the race website will be updated at: <i>http://www.g2gultra.com/race-coverage</i>
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For those who wish to send me some positive vibes during the race, you can actually send me emails! (Trust me, running with these 2 speedy guys I'm going to need all the positive vibes I can get!) All you do is send an email to <i>competitors@g2gultra.com</i> In the subject line put "Name of Participant - Laurie Colon" or whichever participant you choose to contact. (it would also be awesome if someone can send me updates on my NC24 friends and Steve and Rachel at Virgil as well!!! Please!!!!)
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The Grand to Grand facebook page will be updated as well, look them up, "like" them on facebook for info! <i> https://www.facebook.com/g2gultra</i>
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I leave tomorrow morning. I will be flying out of Akron/Canton at 11:25 and arriving in Las Vegas around 3:40 tomorrow afternoon. I will spend one night in Las Vegas (paid $44 for a room - ummm I hope I am NOT getting what I paid for with that)! Friday afternoon I will meet up with other runners and we will all get shuttled to Kanab, Utah. We'll spend one night in Kanab and the next morning wake up and do some prerace briefings, check ins, etc. Following all the neccessaries, we will then get shipped to camp site one where we'll enjoy a catered dinner and one last sleep before the race starts on Sunday. It ends the following Saturday and is finished with a great celebration in Las Vegas. Wish me well all! I'm gonna need it! I definitely don't want to let the team down so I'll be giving it my all and then some out there! I'm so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, there's just no words I have to describe how excited and thankful I feel! And nervous. And scared. But you know what - no matter what happens, I'll be running happy :)
Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-7516392356041364732012-09-03T17:14:00.001-04:002012-09-03T17:23:45.660-04:00Burning River 100 and Beast of Burden Crew/Pacer Reports! Lots has happened since my last blog post! My family and I visited my brother in Myrtle Beach and my husband has run his second 100 miler. I paced hubby at Burning River and my friend Kathy at Beast of Burden, my son started school again as well as cross country - and got accepted into the Perry Fire Explorers program. The little bugger is getting his temps in a couple weeks. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Busy as always!
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<b>BURNING RIVER 100</b> <br>
After a very good running season my husband was more than ready for Burning River. The race was held at the end of July.
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Like a big dummy, I forgot to charge my camera. So this is the only pic that we have. (Thanks Chaney!)
The week was like any other, busy - and the night before the race my son had an interview with the Perry Fire Department's Fire Explorer Team. (HE GOT IN!!!)
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Being the interview was late at night and after work - I had tons to do to prepare for the weekend. Hubby went to bed early as he should have, however chauffer duties and crew duties kept me up for quite a bit of time. Long story short I got a whole 3 hours of sleep the night before I would be up 24 hours plus! In the end lack of sleep wasn't an issue though, as I had not had any caffeine for a month, and just a small amount of coffee sent me through the roof. Problem solved. One of them. In the morning I woke up, jumped out of bed and felt a stabbing pain shooting through my foot. Not knowing what it was I tried to keep it to myself as I had to pace the old man for 38 miles. I was hoping it would go away FAST. I pushed it into the deep dark part of my mind and got the family ready and off we went! BR 100 start! The foot hurt during pacing duties even after popping one Aleve before pacing (do not recommend) at some point after we finished the pain went away. *POOF*! Like magic. I don't know what the heck it was but glad it didn't last. <br><br>
Many friends were running this race so it made time at the aid stations fun. Eventually though everyone spread out and settled into their pace.
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<b>THE MIDRACE CURSE</b><br>
At the halfway point my sister came out so we could take my car to the finish, and so she could drop me off at the next aid station, all in time to pace my hubby. Maybe not such a bright idea, as I already know - every single race, no matter what the distance halfway in hubby starts the mental business. He gets nervous, starts to think about how bad 100 miles hurts, etc., you name it. Sure enough when I was at the parking lot at the Nat I got a phone call from a poor volunteer at an aid station....Husband said don't forget this, husband said grab that, blah blah blah (bless her heart for satisfying him and calling me!) All I could do was laugh and say "Ok". My sister dropped me off at the aid station and I waited, talking with some friends and waiting some more. This time last year I was waiting for him in the dark here, but this year there was PLENTY of daylight to go around! All of a sudden I saw him, grabbed my gear and we were off - 38 miles to go! It was nice running through the ledges when it was light out. Hubby was feeling tired, but really pleased with the time he was making. He was so far ahead of what he did last year - just amazing!
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THE SHUFFLE </b> <br>
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Enter in the hubby shuffle. He slowed to a walk, but mostly it was just mental. I could tell from last year, he was still feeling strong. So I had said, "Well just try and walk every minute, then run the next. I'll tell you when it's time to start and stop". That worked for awhile, but I could tell when I started to annoy him with the whole "RUN" now "WALK" bit. Quite frankly, I was starting to annoy the hell out of myself, too! Soooo I decided to trick him a bit :) I started to make a shuffling sound, like I was running - and thought maybe that would work. VOILA ! Sure enough it did! Every time he stopped, I'd wait a minute or two then break out the shuffle. (Now that he knows what I was doing I don't think that will work again, ha!) Soon he didn't have long to go (don't recall since I'm a blogger slacker but it was 3 miles I believe). He really picked up the pace during this portion. As if he got a bit of an adrenaline rush, or just a rush because "thank god this shit's about to end" or something, I'm not sure - but he really pushed it through to the end to get a near 6 hour p.r. on the course! This race ends his running season for the year and so proud of him! He's really come a long long way. Way to go babe!!
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BEAST OF BURDEN 100 MILER
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One of my favorite races, Beast of Burden was held at the end of August in Lockport New York. What makes this race so awesome? Bottom line: the people. Just extraordinary. It's like a family! (Funny in running, you gain more than friends but family - it's great! I've got i2P family, Copper Canyon family, BoB family - love all of it!) <br><br> Early in the morning I volunteered at my son's XC fun run 10k - manned a water station and took some pics for the team. <br>
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My hubby got off of work, met us at XC and we were then headed off to Lockport! I had the awesome job of pacing my friend Kathy for part of her first 100 mile finish, which was incredible! We got to the finish line and waited for Kathy's husband, Ray Zahab. In the meantime I snapped pictures (of course!) and talked with some friends - no wait - -family!!
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Not too long after Ray showed up with his friend Nathalie. Her husband Jeff was pacing Kathy, we got the low down on what was going on and chatted for a bit. Then Kath came and her, Ray, and I were off for the next 12-ish miles! They're fun people to run with, easy going and just great people. We soon got to the turnaround and I went with Kathy for the next 25 miles. I can say out of everyone I've paced, I have NEVER ever seen anyone run so much as Kathy during! She was amazing and got a kick butt time out there! It was great getting to know her more and be out there with her - truly an inspirational woman, and seeing her cross the finish line was extraordinary! And I might add, a mother of two young kiddos....apparantely to someone's surprise at the finish line - I just heard a gasp and..."WOW, she's a MOM?!" from someone. I smiled and thought... Heck yeah man! Moms are TRUE Badasses :) CONGRATS KATHY!!!
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Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-35610690658673321312012-06-29T19:40:00.001-04:002012-06-29T20:51:00.472-04:00Training, I2P Updates, Eat and Run Review, Salomon Pack Review, and More!<br />
<strong>ON TRAINING:</strong><br />
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The last few weeks of training have been going great, I have an awesome schedule thanks to Ray Zahab and have also been going to a self myofascial release class. My running schedule has been building up in intensity and miles slowly but surely, just the way it should be. All my pieces and parts are feeling fabulous and I'm getting more excited every day! The self myofascial release class is great, and I have learned a few handy tips. All of a sudden I'm finding myself more flexible than I have ever been at any point in my life. For the first time ever (EVER!!!) I can put my palms on the floor when stretching my hammies. VICTORY!!! <br />
Before going to class due to many years of running and not stretching,etc I felt a bit like this: <br />
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And NOW I feel like this:
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PUMPED!! <br />
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<strong>IMPOSSIBBLE2POSSIBLE UPDATES</strong><br />
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The youth ambassadors for Expedition Africa 2012 have been announced! Congrats to all the youth who will make the extraordinary journey with the<a href="http://impossible2possible.com/i2p"> Impossible2Possible</a> team! These youth will travel for free to Africa, and will be running in Botswana! Throughout their journey they will be relaying tons of information back to classrooms that have signed up for I2P's free program. Teachers please don't miss out on the chance for your class to particpate in this extraordinary learning adventure!! The expedition details can be found <a href="http://impossible2possible.com/docs_pub/Botswana%20Youth%20Expedition_Details_v5.pdf">here.</a> Teachers - to sign your classroom up you can go to the <a href="http://i2p.force.com/AfricaSchoolRegistration">Impossible2Possible</a> site! Check them out!<br />
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Congrats kids! Enjoy your journey! <br />
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<strong>EAT AND RUN BOOK REVIEW</strong><br />
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I've finished reading Scott Jurek's book "Eat and Run". It's a great read - has some recipes that I'm excited to try and is written well. It was a bit strange for me reading the book and reading about some people I know (Leah, Caballo, Valmir). The book wasn't terribly long (translation: working, training, mom, wife can read in a respectable amount of time). Grab the book and check it out! You won't be dissapointed! <br />
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<strong>SALOMON XT SKIN PRO 3 SET HYDRATION PACK</strong> <strong>REVIEW</strong><br />
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I've had a few hydration packs in my day - but this one so far is the best. Previous hydration packs of mine have all been Nathan and Camelbak products. Those served their purpose, but they weren't fabulous. I had been watching my hubby run in his Salomon pack for almost a year now, and longingly looked at the way it just seemed to form to his body. It looked so comfortable, I had to try it. <br />
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">When I received the pack I immediately thought it was made just for me, as their was a special little spot just for my chapstick! (FYI, Yes I am a chapstick addict.) From this point forward, it was instant love.....</span><br />
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I hadn't run with a hydration pack since October, so I assumed I would come off the first run having sore shoulders, as that typically happens with my Nathan and Camelbak. I was relieved to feel no pain at all! The pack, true to what I saw on my hubby, formed so well to my body and was so comfortable. There are many little pockets for extra things, with the larger pockets more torwards the back (If I would change anything about the pack, it would be to move those larger pockets closer to the front of my body). Due to this even distribution of items due to the locations of the pockets, etc, etc. there is one small problem. Anytime I fell while running on the trail with my Nathan or Camelbak, the one single main compartment would be so full of crap that when I landed it felt like I was landing on a pillow! During some races it was damn near comfy and I wouldn't want to get up. (seriously) With the Salomon pack everything is so well distributed, I don't get that big pillowy cushion :) Hopefully that translates into faster running times since I'll get up faster! <br />
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<strong>MY SIS - TRAIL RUNNING!!!!</strong></div>
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Big shout out this week to my sis, Kelly - who came running with my son and I at Girdled Road. Her max distance thus far has been 5k, road. She hit the trails Tuesday with determination and grit, and conquered those hills! CONGRATS SIS!!! <br />
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<strong>YOUNG EAGLES 2012</strong><br />
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Last Weekend was the traditional <a href="http://www.youngeagles.org/programs/youngeagles/">Young Eagles</a> free airplane rides operating out of the Geauga County Airport in Middlefield, Ohio. I've taken my son nearly every year since he was old enough, and he always has a blast!<br />
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This year we took my son's friend Christine along for some airplane action - it was her first time on a plane and when she landed she was all smiles. These pilots are quite extraordinary as they use their own money for fuel for these flights, with most of them flying kids around for 4 hours - each group of kids getting 15-20 minute flights. The lucky kid who gets to sit in the front of the plane gets to fly for a bit as well! Kudos to EAA Chapter 5 -thanks guys for another great flight!<br />
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<strong>OTHER HAPPENINGS: </strong><br />
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With no volunteering duties we were lucky enough to have LOTS of free time last weekend! On top of the Young Eagles flight we were able to see my friend, Dan Holt, perform at the Beck Cafe in Lakewood. It was SO unbeilevably nice just sitting outside, relaxing and listening to great music. Thanks for the invite Dan! Hopefully we can come out to more of these! <br />
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Yesterday was my husband's birthday. He awoke to a car decorated to the fullest extent!<br />
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Party pooper that he is he drove his motorcycle to work. Booooooo. <br />
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Father's Day was spent with my hubby. No car decorating involved. We went out to eat, played some mini golf, and went to the movies. My husband's movie of choice: Men in Black III. I groaned a little bit on the inside when he told me that's what he wanted to see, but it actually wasn't half bad. (Not really worth a trip to the movies for though!) <br />
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The day before Father's Day we went to Cedar Point, but not before going on a 3 a.m. "Goodbye Run" for Scott McGrew! Scott and his wife Bri moved to Washington (state). I wish we would have had more time to hang out with them, as they are really great people who we're going to miss. Scott had paced me at Beast of Burden 100, summer - and I paced him at Oil Creek 100. My family and I met Bri and Scott at the Cleveland Marathon last year, right before my son was heading out to run his first marathon. <br />
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McGrew family we will miss you! But remember......<br />
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Happy Running all! <br />
Laurie <br />
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-12984113381016348152012-06-15T20:34:00.000-04:002012-06-15T20:34:26.098-04:00Updates on well...EVERYTHING!!So where to begin? There's so much to say it could fill 10 pages, but will try to keep it short. (yeah right) Life has been much too busy for blogger time but is about to slow down now. Today I find myself with plenty of time as my son is here at home with 6 of his amigos banging on their musical instruments :) Pretty much all that's left this summer for me is summer fun with the family and training for the Pine Creek 100. I guess all I can do is go in order from after the North Coast 24 Hr. <br />
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<strong>50's FOR YO MOMMA</strong><br />
My hubby had another race, called 50's For Yo Momma which was a 50 miler located in Circleville, Ohio. This time some friends joined in on the ultra fun, too - tackling both the 50k and 50 miler distance. <br />
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<em>Some of our buds:</em><br />
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Looks were deceiving in little old Circleville. Even at the start/aid station (10 loop course) I sat there thinking how flat the course must be. As each runner came in they remarked how hilly it was, unexpected, and the comments didn't stop the whole race. My husband wasn't feeling as well as he did at Glacier Ridge or running as strong but he kept on. About half way through the race I noticed his typical "wtf" look he gets and told him to knock that mental shit off. He did, and prevailed. Despite a slower time from Glacier Ridge he came out 3rd overall!! <br />
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<em>The finish line:</em> <br />
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<em>Getting treated to a massage after the race:</em><br />
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After watching/crewing for my husband at both Glacier Ridge and 50's I realized he needs much more electrolytes than the average Joe. It's just the way his body works. Case in point: As soon as he got off that massage table it was covered in nothing but salt. LOTS of salt. (Sorry massage dude!) <br />
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<strong>ONE WEEK LATER: THE CLEVELAND MARATHON</strong><br />
My husband decided to run the Cleveland Marathon, because his work paid for his entry, and I was already helping out coaching/crewing for Team Moving Spirit, which helps raise money for the fight to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Duchenne's is a fatal progressive disorder that causes loss of muscle function and independence. Check out their website <a href="http://www.joainc.org/Pages/default.aspx">here</a> to learn more about Team moving spirit and the fight to stomp out Duchenne's!<br />
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<em>Just a small portion of Team Moving Spirit's team members!</em> <br />
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My hubby and I went our separate ways and I knew we'd see each other at some point. I just didn't realize how fast :) </div>
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The JOA coaches headed out to the course to first cheer on the 10k runners who were rockin' their distance and then headed out to the 1/2 marathon and marathon portion of the course. Soon after we headed out my husband blew by us, hooting and hollering and looking good. Not tired in the least, in the heat, a week after his 50 miler! We discussed his electrolytes after Yo Momma and he upped his dosage. It worked like a charm!! I silently guesstimated his finish time at 3:20, unless he really blew up - but definitely no more than 4 hours. He looked really REALLY good though and happy, so I was hopeful! We carried on to cheer on team JOA and help them if needed. The head honcho and brainchild of Team Moving Spirit Runners was Joe Vasil - who wound up not only helping team JOA runners with supplies/goods (gels, Vaseline, etc) but anyone on the course who needed it. Many runners were SO thankful! <br />
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<em>Joe the great to the rescue!</em> <br />
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It was just so hot at CLE and I think it caught many runners off guard a bit, new runners and vets alike. Team JOA crushed the course though! For many of the runners on the team it was their longest distance ever. People such as my gal pal Peg - who conquered her first 1/2 marathon! </div>
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<em>Peg in great spirits for her first 1/2!</em> </div>
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The whole set of pics I took for the team can be found <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150854549718692.422282.727743691&type=3">here.</a> Congrats to the whole team, you guys are extraordinary!! </div>
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As for my hubby....</div>
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When my son and I were done with our Team Moving Spirit duties I looked at the watch and hurried to the finish line. With a beautiful stroke of luck we got there just in time to see my hubby cross the finish line and hoot and holler for him! His final time? A Personal Best at 3 hours and 16 minutes on tired legs! AMAZING!! </div>
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<em>Holla....</em></div>
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<strong>THE OTTAWA MARATHON</strong></div>
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Some time ago my friend Agnes Jung whom I met through the non-profit <a href="http://impossible2possible.com/i2p">Impossible2Possible</a> mentioned her plans on running her first marathon, the Ottawa Marathon! Excited for her I looked at my schedule, and saw it just happened to fall on Memorial Weekend! Added bonus! I started thinking well maybe the kiddo and I could make it down to cheer her on. (Hubby worked that weekend. Boooo) Well we worked it out and made our way down, we HAD to! This gal pal of mine came down to Beast of Burden 100 - winter to cheer me on in the snow and wind, the VERY LEAST I could do for her was to go someplace that was all warm and sunshiney and cheer her on lol :) </div>
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One of my most favorite things in the world is watching someone tackle a new distance, cross the finish line for the first time - doing something they never thought they could do. Agnes was all smiles! I loved it! We ran with her for a tiny bit towards the end, and my son seranded her with his new Eukele (did I spell that right? Don't even know....). </div>
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We cheered on tons of other runners as well, er um...all the runners and while I was being lazy by not running my arms and hands did kinda hurt at the end from all the clapping (sissy). </div>
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Congrats to Agnes on an extraordinary finish and for letting us tag along!! Both my son and I had a great time hanging out with her and her amazing son Robert! </div>
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<em>Way to go Agnes!!!</em></div>
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In between visiting and the marathon my son and I visited the Gatineau Trails (I seriously had to get out of the city, heard about these trails and so it was, we headed out for some hiking)</div>
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OHIO WE DO NOT HAVE HILLS. WE HAVE BABY BUMPS. </div>
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Happy as he looks here, I really thought he would pass out at times on the trail. </div>
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Despite my son's death stare every time we saw a new hill it was great getting out of the city. Ottawa is amazing, fun, and cute but I just wanted to be in the woods :) </div>
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<em>Wilderness</em></div>
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<em>City</em></div>
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Which would you choose? </div>
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My son and I stayed in Ottawa until Monday. Monday morning we woke up and headed to Ray Zahab and his wife Kathy's house. (Super close to those Gatineau trails I learned!!) Finally I got to meet the awesome guy who has been helping me for so long!! It was great spending time and chatting with them - they are truly amazing people! So incredibly busy and they just do so much for so many people. (Example....Ray was in Vancouver until Sunday morning, came home - and headed out to Mexico after we left Monday. MORE than extraordinarily busy!!) And as if they don't do enough for me I left rockin a pretty sweet pair of custom Oakley's :) All I ever had before these sunglasses were the cheapo glasses that you get from WalMart, Target, or yes....I'll go ahead and say it, the GAS STATION. What an incredible difference! (duh) Now I actually find that I lock my p.o.s. Nissan just because my shades are sometimes in there. *love* Thanks Kathy and thanks Ray for a great time! (and my kick ass shades. wooooo)</div>
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<strong>SCOOBY, MY LITTLE RUNNER DOG</strong></div>
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Last week I lost a great friend. More than a great friend. If you were ever close to an animal, you know what I'm talking about. Scooby was an extraordinary dog - intelligent, strong, and caring. Caring in every way. </div>
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Scooby helped me through the worst time of my life. Not too long ago, about 6 years back. Something in my life happened that threw me into a deep depression. All I did basically was cry, stare into space with this crazy ass glared out expression, eat Hot Cheetos and drink Smirnoff ice (seriously). I would lay around for hours, and hours, and hours. Despite my dogs very active nature she stayed by my side every day, every minute, every second. So that meant she laid around for hours, and hours, and hours as well. She would lay there and stare at me, lay on me, lay next to me...whatever she was there. And almost all on her own pulled me out of the rotten miserable state I was in. I did have a great deal of help from the kiddo and my brother, but ultimately I didn't want to place my burdens on my mini (even though I'm sure I probably did to some extent) and my brother who did not live by me. So, there was Scooby. We became closer than we had been, and I truly knew what it meant to have a best friend from that point forward. In more recent, happy times she trotted through the woods with me, through creeks and around logs. She sniffed horse poop galore and loved every minute of it. </div>
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Her favorite thing? SNOW!! (Oh yes you know she's mine now!!) She could spend forever out in the fluffy white snow. Unfortunately this year we had very little snow, save one 2 foot snowfall. We spent that day running a loop around our house, at times she would just dive head first into the snow, eating up every single cold snowy minute! </div>
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There were only a few times she would get a little mad at me, and I'm not quite sure why......</div>
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The Saturday before she died she saw me pull out my "shoes with the three stripes" and she got sooo excited. I was bummed because it was the furthest distance I had run in awhile and she wasn't quite there yet, so she couldn't come along. She always got excited when she saw the shoes, but this time she was much more excited that usual. </div>
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I promised to take her out for a jaunt when I got back, and that's what we did. It would be our last run together. It was probably the most enjoyable one yet, and she was just SO excited to be outside. I never would have guessed it would have been the last one. I went to take her out after my run on Tuesday and something was different. I should have known then. She didn't want to run, she just wanted to walk. It was unusual, but I thought to myself "Hey dogs can get tired too". Except she never did. We walked and when it was time to go back inside she didn't want to go - she wanted to walk more. Eventually of course, we had to go back into the "prison". Wednesday morning I woke up and she wasn't her peppy self. But, again not acting anything other than just not "peppy". My son called me at work and said he thought Scooby was acting strange too - and wouldn't come inside. As soon as I got home however, she ran inside - and then it happened. As soon as she got to me her legs gave out from under her and I sat there, holding her, wondering what the hell was happening. She was not coughing, not throwing up, no diarrhea - she just was very weak. She didn't even seem in pain, although I wonder now if she was perhaps masking it. I laid with her as she laid with me all those months, holding her, staring at her - thinking she would get better and wondering what this was. I decided if she was still acting strange in the morning I would take her right to the vet. Unfortunately I never got that chance. Somewhere between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. she passed away. Seemingly peaceful, still in her blankie. Love you Scooby.....love you forever. Words can't even describe what you've done for me. We'll all miss you so much. </div>
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<strong>THE LAKE HEALTH 1/2 MARATHON</strong></div>
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Once again the family and I volunteered at the LH 1/2 Marathon. This year my son and I had navigational duties (GASP!) which was a chill job, just making sure no one turned down the wrong way at our given stations. My hubby had that job as well, and was also course sweeper at the end picking up cones and what not. It was great seeing a lot of running buds as well as Metropark buds (part of the proceeds benefit the local metropark system, the Lake Metroparks). It was another hot day and part of the course included a nice hill to go along with the heat. I wish I would've taken my good camera but only had my cell - however still managed to get a few shots in. I was surprised to see a runner in I2P gear out there and was thrilled! It was former youth ambassador Bridget! Love seeing the ambassadors rockin the I2P gear!! </div>
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Congrats to all who ran the 1/2 marathon or 5k out there. And thanks for letting me volunteer....I got a <span style="background-color: yellow;">serious </span>suntan! ha. Seriously though, this should be the last volunteer duty for us for awhile. We have to really cut back and not spend ALL our time on running stuff, even though we love it there's lots of other stuff to do, too. We'll still volunteer - but are scaling back. Hints of volunteer/crew burn out are evident in the following pics and helped push the decision along: </div>
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<em>Lake Health Distance Classic:</em> </div>
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<em>Cleveland marathon:</em> </div>
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<em>50's For Yo Momma:</em> </div>
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Nuff said. </div>
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Like I said, definitely won't be stopping volunteer duties altogether, volunteering is really so rewarding, but we are seriously cutting back. It's been such a busy spring! </div>
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And finally....the end! Thanks to you if ya stuck in there through this long junk. wooooo. </div>
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Happy Running!</div>
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Laurie </div>
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<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-12689019347602308392012-05-07T16:48:00.003-04:002012-05-08T04:20:48.696-04:00The North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run Crew Report and Sabrina Moran Breaks the American Woman's 24 Hour Mileage Record!The North Coast 24 Hour USATF National Championship was held in Cleveland this past weekend. The National Championship was switched from fall to spring this year due to the timing of the World Championships. (There will still be a fall North Coast however it will not be the National Championship). Unable to handle both events, the Medina County Road Runners petitioned other clubs in the area to take over the spring version and this eventually fell into the hands of the Cleveland West Road Runners Club. <br />
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This event brought quite a few of my ultra runner friends down to Cleveland. David Ploskonka stayed at our place the night before the race and we met up with Jacqueline Choi at Edgewater the day of the race. My plan was to stay and help them through the race, do whatever they needed me to do to get them through 24 hours of running. When it was all said and done Jackie logged a total of 102.69 miles and David logged 49.54 miles. Other out of town friends that made the trek down were Jameelah Abdul-Rahim Mujaahid (81.97 miles), Anne (87.37 miles) and Robert McClain, Sabrina Moran (147.72 miles), Derek Murphy (66.66 miles), and Valmir Nunes (55.85 miles). Local ultra runner friends toed the line as well, to include Debra Horn (124.30 miles), Cyrus Taylor (44.14 miles), Brad Polman (132.41 miles) and more. <br />
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Straight from work on Friday I picked up David from the host hotel - Days Inn of Lakewood. He drove down with a couple of runners from his area, Serge and Christian. (Ultra runners are ultra drivers, too - driving 8 hours from Maryland the day before the race, as well as 8 hours back the same day the race ended!) I had "met" Serge before in passing when I ran North Coast but had never met Christian (met as in exchanged a few words around that monotonous .9 mile loop). Super nice guys and amazing runners. Anyway, David and I drove back to my house and chatted for a bit, David crashed for a nap and I cooked dinner. (Talk about worry, just cook for an elite ultra runner the day before their race!)<br />
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The morning of the race I woke up, hobbled out for a short run, cooked breakfast and then my son, David, and I were off. My husband headed out for a race of his own - the Diversity 5k downtown (p.r. at 18 minutes and change!!) and came to the race later. As soon as we stepped out of the car at Edgewater we noticed #1 How much colder it was compared to temps at my house (not unusual) and #2 The wind. The wind was horrible! <br />
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<em>Case in point: Kite surfers and surfers were out in full force on Lake Erie</em></div>
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All anyone could hope for was the wind would die down at some point. (It took awhile) Pre race time was spent catching up with runner friends. The first one I saw was Sabrina, we chatted briefly and wished her luck. We then hooked up with Jacqueline and saw Derek and wished him well. Soon the runners lined up at the start and with a simple yell "READY - GO!" the runners were off on their adventure, running around a .9 mile loop for 24 hours. As for me I proceeded to set up "camp", which consisted of 3 folding chairs, a cooler, and lots of blankets for me, my son, and any runners who needed them, as well as a picnic table that held Jacqueline and David's items. (no tent this time around) I then plopped my lazy bum into my folding chair next to my friend Charlie, who was crewing for Derek. </div>
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<em>Charlie and his brother-in-law Derek, who completed over 66 miles!</em> </div>
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Watching the runners, everyone seemed in good spirits (especially at the beginning - HA!) I could tell right away that Serge would have a great race. During the day he was running strong and smiling every loop and was pretty impressive to see. Jacqueline was her typical self - so happy and smiling, so grateful to be just in the moment and having so much fun. I loved it! Throughout the race there were quite a few people who came up to me and said how inspiring she was, and that her smile was just lighting things up in the cold dark night. I think I can safely say there wasn't a time when she didn't flash a smile when she came by! Due to a crazy chain of events (work, sick, travel, etc) David stopped at 49 miles - which was a very smart thing since he has MMT coming up and was traveling to Israel for work immediately after the race. (And I do mean immediately - straight from the race I took him to the airport so he could catch his 12+ hour flight. OUCH!) Valmir stopped as well, and afterwards told us he'll be taking a bit of a break in June and July to rest up a bit. He knows what he needs and knows what he has to do. He's a spectacular runner who holds such times as 5 hours and 38 minutes for a 50 mile run, Badwater winner (and course record holder) at 22 hours and 51 minutes, Beast of Burden 100 miler (winter) at 14 hours and 56 minutes, and so much more - so yeah he knows what he's doing and knows what he needs to do! Sabrina looked strong and incredibly focused from the get go, Anne was looking strong as always and Derek was all smiles and came with a "git er done" attitude and a PR goal to shoot for. </div>
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Night came to Edgewater and brought a welcome change. Everyone was worried the wind would get worse at night, but like a switch the wind died down considerably and made many people happy. It was still cold, but no wind was such a relief to everyone - runners, crews, and volunteers alike. Earlier in the evening my son had been playing his guitar by our "camp" and while a bit shy moved a few steps closer to the edge of the path with his guitar as time went on. </div>
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Not too long after he got brave enough to get about 5 feet from the path and break out a song my husband and son left for the night leaving Charlie and I in silence and darkness. Boooo! We huddled under our many blankets (I was being quite the candy ass - 3 coats and 4 blankets.) How could I have run a 100 mile race in the middle of winter and be cold in 50 degree weather was completely beyond me! I tried to catch up on some reading but due to a nasty cold all week and very little sleep my eyes started to get heavy and I couldn't read anymore without drifting off to sleep. Despite the fact that my hubby had brought a thermos full of coffee earlier it was pretty hard to keep my eyes open through the night. (again, candy ass - I wasn't running! Shouldn't be tired!!) Charlie was making coffee runs as well, but I had already overdone it on the caffeine and just told him to get me decaf. (Decaf coffee because caffeine seems to really aggravate my adrenal system, so too much of a good thing is so so bad!) The coffee was a big help in keeping me somewhat warm, and was so grateful for Charlie's coffee runs and was always so bummed when I saw the bottom of each cup. The hours went by and I continued to find myself falling asleep, taking small cat naps under my "blankies" and at times coughing uncontrollably from my cold. Each time my body jolted me awake I sat there and stared at the path, waiting to see the incredible things everyone was doing. At one point I saw Serge (who was still running strong) stop - throw up, and start running again. THAT is pure heart and guts right there! Sabrina was incredibly steady and strong, and didn't even look tired! It was really fantastic to watch. Every lap just brought the word "WOW" to my mouth, and that doesn't even describe what she accomplished this past weekend. To me it appeared that both Serge and Sabrina sped up later in the race versus slowing down. Incredible! As I said before Jackie was all smiles every step of the way and passed us on many laps shouting "WOO HOO!". So great! </div>
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Daylight broke and all was still the same. Except one thing. At this race there's always something that everyone can laugh at (or be fascinated by, you make that call). The last North Coast 24 there were Kite Flying Nuns. This time around it was a very different scenario - a group of young people (20 somethings) came down after a late night of partying I presume and proceeded to de-robe and jump in the lake. We couldn't make it out that well, but have reason to believe two of the adventurous swimmers were completely butt naked. It was somewhat amusing to see from afar, and we definitely heard their hoots and hollers when they jumped in the 40-some degree water. </div>
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<em><br />Nudey pic courtesy of Charlie Bolek! (tee hee)</em></div>
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Aside from the rowdy swimmers, Serge and Sabrina were still as steady and as strong as ever. Jackie was still smiling, and Derek was pushing on. At about 8 a.m. I started packing up my car and helped the race's Physical Therapist take down his tent. After all that I sat on the edge of the path and watched the final laps of the race unfold and it was spectacular as always! I love seeing the look on runners faces knowing that #1 They're FINALLY nearing the end and #2 The look of incredible accomplishment and pride. This is well deserved. Every one of the athletes out there put their best effort forward, accomplished amazing things and pushed it. They fought mental battles. They fought physical battles. They overcame all barriers within themselves to complete an extraordinary task. They made the Impossible Possible. </div>
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Soon after the race everyone headed to the pavilion for the awards ceremony. Jackie got her feet worked on, and yes was STILL smiling as if she were relaxing and getting a manicure! I love her!! Serge was tired, cold and shivering from just running 153 miles (2nd place overall!!) and I ran and got him some blankets from the car. We waited for the awards to begin and Jackie, David, and Valmir and I hung out, chatting and enjoying each others company one more time before we parted ways once again. While Valmir speaks very little English (He's from Brazil where the national language is Portuguese) it was still possible to have a good conversation (this is something I also encountered when I visited Mexico). </div>
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<em>Valmir and Jackie, post race</em></div>
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<em>A good laugh - finding amusement in the fact that Jacqueline's bandaged toes match Valmir's pants and shoes perfectly :)</em><br />
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Before we left I said goodbye to Sabrina and congratulated her on her stellar victory and then David and I helped Serge and Christian pack up all of their belongings (no crew and packing up your own things after logging mega miles would just plain suck, not to mention the drive ahead of them). Soon David and I were off to the airport. We said our goodbyes and he was off on another endurance adventure, over 12 hours of flying. <br />
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<strong>SABRINA MORAN BREAKS THE AMERICAN 24 HOUR WOMAN'S RECORD!</strong><br />
I didn't find this out until this morning, but Sabrina broke the American woman's record at the race by logging an unbelievable 147.90 miles!!! I was wondering at the event if anyone had broken any records, but didn't find out until I woke up and saw this article:<br />
<a href="http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/features/news/sabrina-moran-breaks-amer.shtml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"><em>http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/features/news/sabrina-moran-breaks-amer.shtml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter</em></a> <br />
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While I didn't know it at the time, it doesn't come as that much of a surprise because I had never seen anyone run like that before. Not even close! She was completely focused every single step of the way! Again I have to say it was truly an amazing thing to watch. Her last lap I guess-timated was a 9 minute mile. She came through the aid station with (going by my watch) around 9 minutes left. A woman who was helping runners all night (Tania) started shouting "I WANT ONE MORE LAP OUT OF YOU! DO YOU HEAR? ONE MORE!" I stood and waited, watching for her - and soon saw her round the bend to make her way back to the finish line once more! FANTASTIC!!! Who says ultras aren't exciting to watch!!! All of this couldn't have happened to a nicer more deserving person. Her sponsors should be extremely proud of her - not just because of her running but because of her positive attitude and sincerity in general. Case in point: When congratulating her at the awards ceremony she wished me a speedy recovery from my injury. That AFTER running 147.9 miles and being up all day and night to do it - I wouldn't have even been able to think!! She's one incredible lady all the way around and very deserving of everything this weekend. She worked hard, pushed it, and it paid off in a big way. <br />
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Congrats to Sabrina and everyone else who endured 24 hours of running and walking this weekend. You all are absolutely inspiring and should be soaking up your hard work and efforts. It's not easy to do this stuff. At times, training is miserable. But you pushed through and accomplished what many people don't. For that, be proud. We certainly are proud of you! <br />
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Happy Running, <br />
Laurie <br />
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<em>North Coast 24 Hour Unofficial Results</em><br />
<a href="http://northcoast24.org/news/"><em>http://northcoast24.org/news</em>/</a><br />
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<em>Sabrina has a great blog - follow her at </em><br />
<a href="http://notallergictoadventure.blogspot.com/"><em>http://notallergictoadventure.blogspot.com/</em></a>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-55095200091743365452012-04-20T06:12:00.010-04:002012-04-20T12:10:05.999-04:00Caballo Tributes and Hubby's 50 mile race<div align="center"><strong>CABALLO TRIBUTES</strong></div><br /><br /><br /><p>As the running world remains in shock regarding the untimely death of a great friend, some really beautiful tributes are showing up online. A memorial fund has also been created to help with funeral expenses and carrying on the CCUM - to donate go to <a href="http://caballoblanco.org/">http://caballoblanco.org/</a>. </p><br /><br /><p>Links to amazing tributes: </p>Scott Jurek video tribute: <strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43cJM0XqZYE&feature=share"><em>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43cJM0XqZYE&feature=share</em></a></strong><br /><br /><p></p>Scott Jurek/Runners World article: <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511--14280-0,00.html">http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511--14280-0,00.html</a><br /><br /><p></p>Steve Edwards, blog: <a href="http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2012/04/if-you-knew-caballo-blanco-you-won.html">http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2012/04/if-you-knew-caballo-blanco-you-won.html</a><br /><br /><p></p>Fun pic Mike Miller created: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2831035946959&set=at.1087738685617.2013105.1590945114.727743691&type=1&ref=nf">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2831035946959&set=at.1087738685617.2013105.1590945114.727743691&type=1&ref=nf</a><br /><br /><p></p>Many people wrote beautiful things about Micah, and I'm just wishing I could post them all. Seeing how he touched so many people is just extraordinary. Love you man......<br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>HUBBY'S RACE: GLACIER RIDGE 50 MILER</strong></div><br /><strong></strong><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733428697806731586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgKO6vLJ5BY/T5E7Bg3M-UI/AAAAAAAAA24/wIAJBLCTh34/s200/grt.jpg" border="0" /> This month my husband took over running my 50 miler, the Glacier Ridge 50 miler in Pennsylvania. I tweaked his training a bit (he also has 50's for Yo Momma in May as another training run for the Mohican 100) and bugged him about tapering (really bugged him - he's damn stubborn) and soon it was time for his run! I expected he would do much better than his first 5o miler that he ran (Mohican last year) because he's being doing lots of quality work. I really wasn't prepared for how much better he did though! He obtained a PR of over 2 hours, got 5th overall and an awesome finishers medal for his efforts (and what I believe is a permanent smile). He finished in 9 hours, oo minutes. I barely had time to make it from aid station to aid station and set up all his stuff.<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>My son still found time a bit of time to have fun though</em>:<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733428590668440658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UtgHtt7lnqM/T5E67RvcZFI/AAAAAAAAA2s/PcVFq83LrIw/s200/grt2.jpg" border="0" /> OUR RULE<em>:</em><br />Get in and out of the aid stations. Don't linger. Have everything set so it can be grab and go. The temptation at aid stations is too great. Temptation to sit, temptation to overindulge in garbage, temptation to take it down a notch. I worried a bit when I saw him at the first aid station with the lead pack (a total of 5 runners). I worried even more when I saw him at mile 29 in 2nd place and extremely salty. *Error* Hubby did not pick up any ecaps or scaps before the race, he bought some horrible electrolyte tablets from the Vitamin Shoppe that he has never used before (NOOOO!) because he did not want to drive out to Vertical Runner. Tis' his only mistake of the race. They didn't work and he needed more salt and he needed it fast. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733428984067200130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKAhZhltIi8/T5E7SLRBFII/AAAAAAAAA3E/ujxXPzN7oik/s200/grt1.jpg" border="0" />Luckily the first place runner's crew gave us 4 ecaps to use and I spread them out for him throughout the remainder of the race. In the end their were minimal problems and he ran strong, with a smile on his face the whole time. (The only thing that matters!) The PR he got was just the icing on the cake! Congrats to my guy on an amazing race, and thanks to the race director and all the volunteers who were out there for so long and took good care of all the runners! Great people and a great race.<br /><br /><br /><br />Happy Running,<br /><br />LaurieLauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-54223488672605654102012-04-03T05:14:00.044-04:002012-04-03T20:05:25.537-04:00Caballo Blanco: Gone But Not Forgotten<div><div><div><em>"Caballo Blanco is no hero. Not a great anything. Just a Horse of a little different color dancing to the beat of a peaceful drum and wanting to help make a little difference in some lives. If i were to be remembered for anything at all, I would want that to be that I am/was authentic. No Mas. Run Free!" - Caballo Blanco<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 134px; height: 200px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727323859447432786" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xvb99FQjcGM/T3uKtJv7xlI/AAAAAAAAA2U/ffH_zFJcnMk/s200/caballo.jpg" /></em></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>As most of you who read this may already know <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blanco</span> (Micah True) went out for a run and never returned. He was found lying peacefully at a stream, water bottle half full by his side. A white horse named Tequila carried him from the wilderness, where his friends could all say goodbye. One <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> post I saw pretty much sums it up: "The world needs more <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blanco's</span>, not less of them." (I apologize, so many amazing posts in regards to Micah and all he's done I don't recall who said it)<br /><br />I've been struggling to put my own words down, reflect on our friendship. Whatever it is I write here won't be good enough. To know him was truly an honor. To be around such a genuine, caring person is a rare thing in this world. His name is fitting - "True". He was as real as they come. He never sought out fame, fortune, or glory. Fame fell in his lap and he did the best he could with it, all the while protecting the people who he loved and cherished, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> of Mexico (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tarahumara</span>).<br /><br />My story with Micah began at the site of my first 50 mile race. I met him when he was speaking at a library. When I heard him speak about the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> and the beauty of the canyons I knew one day I needed to make it down there. What I didn't expect was how soon one day would come. We became <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> friends and continued on with conversations that way, and he then offered me a race entry into the canyons. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo's</span> offer of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span> inspired me and amazed me so much that I knew I had to get down there. It took me awhile to determine if I had enough money to do so, and finally due to my husband's hard work (he received "Man of the Year" which included a bit extra cash) and hubby's generosity sent me to the canyons. Upon telling <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> the news I did tell <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">him know</span> however, I must pay at least the suggested race entry - that I would not want take away from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>. And so it goes.....<br /><br />In 2011 my friend Crystal and I made the trip to the canyons, and it's an experience I'll never forget. It's during this trip that I realized just how real Micah was. Conversations about the canyons, area politics, and laughs about a certain movie in the making (who would play <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span>?) play out now over and over in my head.</div><div> </div><div><em>"Some Hollywood dudes wanted me to set up a sequence for them in a Raramuri community in the Copper Canyons for a film. Of course I said no thanks. No doubt, somebody else will take their $$$ to do it for them--But it will not be me. Guess I am a fool----and proud of it." - Caballo Blanco, May 2011</em></div><div> </div><div> Conversations about companies wanting to sponsor the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">CCUM</span> and his distaste with that and desire to keep the race pure, real, honest - and about one thing, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> and the act of "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">KORIMA</span>". What is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span>? It's simple. It's the act of giving without expecting anything in return. It's true beauty at it's finest. Give out of love, out of respect - not out of necessity or desire for something else in return. It's pure. It's what <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> did quite frequently - with not only the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>, but to his friends - including myself.<br /><br /><br /></div><p><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 200px; height: 134px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727199747466075618" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEo_yBgPwUs/T3sZ04lsHeI/AAAAAAAAA2I/opcoyFFLJGs/s200/btr.jpg" /></p><p><em>"Quien es Mas Loco? acting out of love and doing things for no good reason but for the act itself the Earth needs Mas Mas Locos".... Caballo Blanco</em></p><p><br /><em><strong>MY PERSONAL <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">KORIMA</span></strong> </em><br />I'm not an eloquent writer, and right now am at a loss for words. How do you write about someone like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span>? How do you tell everyone just how amazing he really was? There aren't any words good enough to describe <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> so I'm just going to give my personal account of what <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> was to me. Many know of his work for the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> - but he also cherished and loved his friends dearly.<br /><br />Noted above, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo's</span> first act of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span> towards me was race entry to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">CCUM</span>. I'm just an average runner, there are plenty of women out there faster than me, yet he offered all this to me because that's just the kind of guy he is. One incredible person doing for many.<br /><br />The second was an offered to pay for race entry in Luis <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">Escobar's</span> race - Born to Run. Many Mas Locos were having a bit of a reunion down there, but it was so soon after the canyons, and I had no vacation days left. My son was running his first marathon that same day as well. Again I was so touched by the offer, his generosity, his friendship - I just can't put into words how much I appreciated it.<br /><br />Fast forward to 2012 - My family and I were not in a good spot financially. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> knew this. We discussed the race a few times and he offered a race entry again, but also to pay my way on Diego's shuttle. Again, I was so moved - and wanted to go more than anything in the world. I crunched some numbers on more than one occasion - but alas, the plane ticket and food would still overwhelm us and I had to decline. This is a decision I'll regret the rest of my life. I let money come in the way of seeing my friend this year. This decision will always weigh heavily in my heart. Upon learning of his death - I also learned of MORE <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span> he had in the works for me. The day they found his body in the canyons Maria called and spoke with me, told me how much he loved me - and let me know that he was planning offering all the same for me AND my family for next year, and was trying to work with Maria on getting plane tickets as well. This brought me to tears as we talked - He was such a giving person, all the way to the end.<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 200px; height: 134px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727327407421437346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KSyXWub6hTY/T3uN7q-2taI/AAAAAAAAA2g/9u4WBM-T24g/s200/guad.jpg" /></p><p><em>"Act out of love and good things happen:</em> <em>El Caballo Blanco is such a fortunate Horse. No dinero, but the best little Dog friend I could ever have;Guadajuko! I love him." - Caballo Blanco </em></p><p><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>. It is what it is. It is what he loved. He practiced it, lived it every day. It's so rare to find someone like that. I hope to be even half the person he was. I don't know if he had any idea what he did for me, just being him. There wasn't a day that has gone by that I haven't thought about my time in the canyons and all I learned from him and my trip down there.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>THE FINAL CHAPTER</em> </strong><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> loved the Gila Wilderness, loved the lodge he frequented. Before heading to his girlfriend Maria's home in Phoenix he went out on a run and did not return. A massive search effort began with many Mas Locos invading Gila. They would not stop until they found him. I wished I could be there with everyone, helping, searching. Instead I fought every bone in my body to stay home. As I'm currently injured, would've hindered the search more than helped. So I sat. And sat. Sat in front of the computer, sat by the phone. Looked at old pictures. Cried. Chatted with fellow Mas Locos who could not make the trek to go search either and likewise were worrying and hoping for a better outcome. All of us were so grateful for those that were able to go down and search for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span>, as well as grateful for the search and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">rescue</span> teams that were created. Everyone involved in the search are heroes in my eyes.<br /><br />In the end, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> was found by a mutual friend, Ray Molina. Natural causes are suspected. It was fitting that he was carried out of the wilderness by a white horse. My dear friend Maria and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo's</span> dog <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">Guadajuko</span> were able to say goodbye. It is her that I think of now, hurting - missing the man she loves. I can't imagine what she's feeling and just wish I could be there to hug her tight and not let go. There's a reason why <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> and Maria were together. Her playful spirit is matched by no one, and her caring and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">generosity</span> to people matched <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo's</span>. In my eyes, they were the ultimate couple. Loving life, caring so deeply for those that surround them. Great forces of nature.<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo's</span> dream will live on. His work, his demeanor, his life has touched many people. His spirit lives on, and always will. And his smile - that lovely smile - will forever be in our hearts.<br /></p><p><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 200px; height: 150px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727119541328486146" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F92AxsjpjlI/T3rQ4RcVHwI/AAAAAAAAA1w/He6mQ8Q6SFs/s200/patrick.jpg" /> <em>The Photo above taken by Patrick Sweeney. On the day they discovered <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blanco</span> "White Horse" his team was driving and spotted some rock formed into a figure of a white horse. Hard to tell on this small picture, but believe me when I tell you the larger version shows it very clear. There were quite a few of us Mas Locos who exchanged various "signs" we received during the search. Now I am not a religious person, but all of it was simply amazing to me. And then this picture. It's given me great peace to see. </em></p><p>There have been many articles I have seen about Micah - but this one, an unpublished memoir of the man we call a friend is the best one yet. Please take the time to read it, as it so accurately describes Micah and the person he was: </p><p><em>ONE BLIND MAN'S VIEW OF THE ELEPHANT - <strong>BY MIKE MILLER</strong></em></p><p><em>I considered Micah to be friend but I don’t claim to know him well.I am sure that there are many who knew him as well or better than I. My gut feeling, however, is that we all were like the blind <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">men describing</span> an elephant. We all had a piece of the puzzle of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">man that</span> was Micah True but nobody, except possibly Maria, has seen <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">the big</span> picture. I am OK with that and I think Micah would be too. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">I have</span> enjoyed hearing about the piece of the elephant that others have seen, this one is mine. Like many others I read “Born to Run” and was inspired. I changed <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_49" class="blsp-spelling-error">my running</span> style and my knee problems went away, I began to consider the possibility that I might actually be able to run longer distances. and I signed up for the 2010 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_50" class="blsp-spelling-error">CCUM</span>. I wanted to push my limits physically but I am not a natural runner, I struggle to achieve mediocrity and if I finish a race in the top half I am pleased. I was more interested in experiencing the area and its culture which I had been hearing about for over 20 years and I was interested in meeting new people.The kind of people that pick up a book in a bookstore and end up running an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_51" class="blsp-spelling-error">ultramarathon</span> in Mexico a few months later. My kind <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_52" class="blsp-spelling-error">of people</span>. Mas Locos.Experience prepared me for the fact that the reality of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_53" class="blsp-spelling-error">CCUM</span>, the canyon, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_54" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>, and of Micah himself would be very different from the book but I was completely unprepared for what a life-changing event it was to be. I drove to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_55" class="blsp-spelling-error">Urique</span> from Colorado with my dog,Lola, and spent over two weeks at the bottom of the canyon for the 2010 race. I think I was the first runner down and the last to leave. I wanted to experience the entire chain of events, the sleepy little town before the race, the build up of craziness leading up <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_56" class="blsp-spelling-error">to the</span> race, and the return to normality after the race. I hoped to experience the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_57" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> culture outside of the context of the race. Leading up to the race Micah was busy as expected and our interactions mostly revolved around our dogs. Even so I found him kind, generous,supportive, and friendly, even to me who had no expectation of even finishing the entire event and who had applied at the last minute after the race was full. “The race is full”, he said. “But I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_58" class="blsp-spelling-error">suppose we</span> could fit you in”. After the race, most of the other runners had left and I got to spend more time with him. What struck me was the strength of his conviction that the purpose of the race was to honor and support the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_59" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> and to celebrate the joy of running rather than to see who was fastest. It was clear that he was not comfortable with the trappings of fame that came from his inclusion in “the book”. Once I went into <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_60" class="blsp-spelling-error">Keiths</span> to check my e-mail and he was there working on the computer and he said “This is what ‘Born to Run’ means to me. I have to spend all my time sitting at the computer instead of doing the thing that got me in the book in the first place”. It was clear that he was not entirely comfortable with the way he was portrayed in “the book” and he had grave misgivings about being viewed as a mystical barefoot running hero who could run for days on a bottle of water and a pouch of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_61" class="blsp-spelling-error">pinole</span> and could kill a man with his <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_62" class="blsp-spelling-error">bare hands</span> (and bare feet). I know he was not comfortable being portrayed as being in opposition to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_63" class="blsp-spelling-error">narco</span>-traffickers, a stance that has gotten many people dead in Chihuahua in the 21st century. More than once I saw him make <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_64" class="blsp-spelling-error">air quotes</span> when using the word “non-fiction” in reference to the book but despite his discomfort he was grateful that the book had been written and written well enough that so many would read it. He saw an opportunity to promote the race not for his own edification but to provide assistance and awareness to his <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_65" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_66" class="blsp-spelling-error">soulmates</span>, even if it meant the loss of his valued privacy and the simplicity of the life he had built for himself. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_67" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>. 2010 was the first year of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_68" class="blsp-spelling-error">CCUM</span> after “the book” and its popularity had skyrocketed. This was all new ground for him and I know he struggled with how to handle its success. He was a tireless defender of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_69" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>, working hard to ensure that they were respected and not taken advantage of while at the same time trying not to miss an opportunity to help them. A fine line to walk, and one that I know he struggled with, and others involved in the race and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_70" class="blsp-spelling-error">Norawas</span> struggled with it, and sometimes him, as well . It is difficult to judge people’s true motives and he was suspicious. It had not been easy to gain the trust of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_71" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>, and he was very protective of that as it was his true life’s work and the race would not work without it.With the success of the book and the race came many people looking to cash in on it, making movies, writing articles, taking pictures, etc.Micah insisted that they all partake in “<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_72" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span>” a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_73" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> word whose closest translation in English is “sharing without the expectation of anything in return”. Although the success of the book and the race made it attractive to commercial interests and there were companies actually pursuing him to be allowed to sponsor it, he rejected all commercial sponsorship. He insisted that the sponsor of the race was“<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_74" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span>”. The race was about sharing not profit. There was an unwritten rule that the gringos who ran well enough to win cash and/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_75" class="blsp-spelling-error">or corn</span> would not keep it but rather give it to a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_76" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> of their choice as “<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_77" class="blsp-spelling-error">korima</span>”. The gringos entry fees went to support <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_78" class="blsp-spelling-error">the Raramuri</span> by providing 500 lbs of corn to everyone who finished, that was the extent of financial involvement. On a deeper level the interaction between the gringos and the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_79" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_80" class="blsp-spelling-error">benefitted</span> both sides. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_81" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>.The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_82" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> have been under assault from all sides ever since the Europeans came to their country. As a peaceful people they responded not with warfare but by simply moving deeper into the canyons. During the Apache wars in the US there was a bounty paid for Apache scalps.The Apaches were some of the worlds finest <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_83" class="blsp-spelling-error">guerilla</span> fighters and theirs s<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_84" class="blsp-spelling-error">calps</span> were not easy to come by. In what may be one of the worst examples in the history of the world of the horrors humanity <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_85" class="blsp-spelling-error">conflict</span> on itself in pursuit of selfish greed, American bounty hunters traveled into Mexico to hunt the peaceful retiring <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_86" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> in order to turn their scalps in for bounty as “Apaches”. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_87" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> survived into modern times but always under constant pressure <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_88" class="blsp-spelling-error">frommining</span> interests, logging interests, road building, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_89" class="blsp-spelling-error">uncurtailed</span> violence of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_90" class="blsp-spelling-error">narco</span>-trafficking, and in general the constant <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_91" class="blsp-spelling-error">onslaughtof</span> “progress”. And perhaps worst of all, centuries of being looked down upon by their own government as lowly Indians. It all takes its toll and the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_92" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> struggled to adapt, many would leave the canyons for work and lose touch with their culture. Years of disrespect by the world led to a corrosion of the pride they had in their culture and running became something the old folks did long ago rather than something the children were doing today. Micah wanted to change that,and he did. He knew that they would benefit from material support in the form of cash prizes and corn at his race but he also knew that they would benefit most of all, not from handouts, but from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_93" class="blsp-spelling-error">the knowledge</span> that there were many people in the world who looked on them not as “Indians” but as inspirations both as runners and as people.He wanted them to know that people thought they were cool, to change their mindsets and instill pride. Based on my interactions with Micah I would say that this was the real motivation for the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon. I saw him encouraging the gringos to go visit their encampment and even if they <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_94" class="blsp-spelling-error">couldn</span>’t carry on a conversation, at least to say “<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_95" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kuira</span> Ba”, “We are one” and touch their hand in the soft gentle handshake of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_96" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>. To let them know that we honored them and their culture of peace, sharing, and brotherhood, even if we <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_97" class="blsp-spelling-error">couldn</span>’t express it to them. I saw him struggle with broken promises of support from the government, in the form of food and housing for the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_98" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> runners. I saw the gringos respond by opening up their wallets and offering their help in any way that they could. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_99" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>. And it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_100" class="blsp-spelling-error">wasn</span>’t just the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_101" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_102" class="blsp-spelling-error">benefitted</span>. Us gringos, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_103" class="blsp-spelling-error">MasLocos</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_104" class="blsp-spelling-error">benefitted</span> more than you can know. We encountered <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_105" class="blsp-spelling-error">kindred spirits</span> everywhere we looked. Not just as runners but as human beings involved in something bigger than a race. We saw the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_106" class="blsp-spelling-error">example of</span> Micah. We saw the example of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_107" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>, we saw the examples <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_108" class="blsp-spelling-error">of the</span> other Mas Locos. We all began our journeys with a little trepidation due to the constant barrage of negative news coming from Chihuahua but we went anyway and we found peace, beauty, love,brotherhood, and joy. We returned as changed people, inspired to live simpler, more peaceful lives and to give back more than we got, and to run freely and joyfully. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_109" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>.We all know that Micah was an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_110" class="blsp-spelling-error">accomplished</span> athlete. We all know that he loved to run but to me, his message was not about running, it was about freedom and brotherhood. Running was simply the venue through which he found freedom, the venue through which he had met and earned the trust of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_111" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span>. He had been a competitive racer but the race was not about competition but simply the venue through which he could best bring attention and support and pride to his <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_112" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> brothers. This race is unlike any other in the states. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_113" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> are mostly shy and distrusting of strangers for obvious reasons.Micah met them first when they were brought to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_114" class="blsp-spelling-error">Leadville</span> and he <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_115" class="blsp-spelling-error">pacedthem</span> to win against the best American <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_116" class="blsp-spelling-error">ultrarunners</span>. He was appalled by their treatment as were the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_117" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> who never returned. Instead he went to them. I am sure that he spent many lonely years running through the canyons. I’m sure that he has many stories that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_118" class="blsp-spelling-error">will never</span> be heard of close calls with dehydration, falls, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_119" class="blsp-spelling-error">narco</span>-traffickers, animals, and loneliness. Gradually he earned their respect, later followed by their trust, and finally by their love.Anybody who knows the race director of an American <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_120" class="blsp-spelling-error">ultramarathon</span> understands how much time, effort, and planning goes into the event,often with little recognition from those of us who <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_121" class="blsp-spelling-error">occasionally</span> pay the piddling entry fees for a chance to test ourselves and run with aid stations. What Micah did was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_122" class="blsp-spelling-error">immeasurably</span> harder and required more dedication than any of us can imagine. A true labor of love,with very low probability of getting anything in return. When the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_123" class="blsp-spelling-error">Raramuri</span> learned of his death they said simply, "What can we do to help our brother". <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_124" class="blsp-spelling-error">Korima</span>.The man I knew was a man of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_125" class="blsp-spelling-error">contradiction</span>. He gained fame by being a recluse but he had five thousand <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_126" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> friends. A private man who took a public role as race director and speaking events in order to benefit his brothers. A <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_127" class="blsp-spelling-error">professional</span> fighter who valued peace and love above all. A free spirit who sacrificed his freedom for others. A <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_128" class="blsp-spelling-error">luddite</span> who shunned technology but spent more hours than he would admit using technology to serve a greater purpose. A proud man who provided an example of humility to everyone he met. A humble man who accepted the adoration of thousands in order to change the world a little bit. A competitive athlete who cared not a whit how fast you were as long as you ran with joy and respect. Not a perfect man as he would be the first to admit but a wiling vessel. Korima.I saw Micah a few more times after that first race. I returned forthe 2011 race and did the extended program and I saw him at other races and speaking events and always it was the same. People would ask him about running, about footwear, about competition, about the book and always he would respectfully turn the conversation around until they were talking about freedom and joy and beauty and peace and the Raramuri people. From where I stand, that is the man I knew as Micah True. Although I regret his death and mourn for those who loved him, I take heart in knowing that nobody will ever regret his life. He lived well and died well and accomplished more with less than anyone I have ever known.<br /><br /></em><br /><br /></p></div></div>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-23182711368813176102012-03-31T14:27:00.009-04:002012-03-31T23:25:18.446-04:00Out of love for Caballo Blanco: Mas Locos invade Gila<div>Micah True, otherwise known as Caballo Blanco has gone missing in the Gila wilderness area of New Mexico.<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 134px; height: 200px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726165735580535714" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2IpRRQA_aec/T3dtZeJKi6I/AAAAAAAAA1k/-TPlN8vFu_U/s200/caballo.jpg" /></div><div> <em>Caballo Blanco - Copper Canyon Ultramaration 2011</em></div><div><br /><br />My friend is missing. I can't think of anything else right now but that. Usually my phone and me are not exactly connected, yet since I heard the news my phone hasn't left my side. I can't think about anything else. Sitting here, hoping he's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span> - wishing, thinking, trying very hard to be positive. Micah True (otherwise known as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blanco</span>) went out for a 12 mile / 2 hr run on Tuesday and has not returned.<br /><br />Without going into all the details, Mas Locos know Micah is a private person - there have been many Mas Locos that have stepped up. As soon as I heard I knew that people such as Nick <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Coury</span>, Jamil <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Coury</span>, Patrick Sweeney and many more would drop everything to go help in the search and that they did. That they ARE. Micah's girlfriend Maria is there as well. I wish I could hug her right now, tell her everything will be <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>. Words via phone and text are not enough.<br /><br />Many skilled people are out there right now, searching the area - looking for clues, looking for Micah. Before the Mas Locos arrived there were search teams, planes, helicopters, and dogs from immigration were searching. Now the search is 100 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">x's</span> stronger than it already was.<br /><br />Whatever your religion, whatever your beliefs are - please think of Micah and all those searching for him. Think of Maria, send her your love from afar. Think of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Guadajuko</span>, Micah's beautiful ghost dog and send all your love and positive energy their way.<br /><br />I'm comforted by the fact that friends are down there. Strong people in mind, strong in body, and stronger in heart and I know they won't give up, won't quit until they find <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caballo</span>. Thank you is not a strong enough word. I love you guys.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/03/29/born-to-runs-caballo-blanco-reported-missing/">http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/03/29/born-to-runs-caballo-blanco-reported-missing/</a></div>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-34114253888534298482012-03-09T05:48:00.011-05:002012-03-09T06:46:38.379-05:00Glacier Ridge Training, I2P updates, Cleveland Schools Shoe DriveYIKES! Haven't been on here for awhile, most of my spare time has been spent reading, so time to quit slacking and get to it. Tons has happened since my last post, too much to all put in here!!<br /><br /><strong>GLACIER RIDGE TRAINING</strong><br />My buddy Ray Zahab gave me a kick ass running schedule to follow until he gets back from running across South America. The runs are going well and I pretty much feel like dying when I'm done. As it should be! By the time Thursday's run is over with I'm MORE than ready for Friday's rest day. Working hard and loving every minute! (Although I do procrastinate a bit before Thursday's run - KILLER!!)<br /><br /><strong>IMPOSSIBLE2POSSIBLE UPDATES </strong><br />So as I mentioned Ray took off, headed to South America for another I2P expedition. Joining him on the expedition are Bob Cox, Kevin Vallely, and Jordan Thoms. It's been quite an expedition to follow! It seems like the guys have had everything happen! Flooding, gas shortages, injuries, crazy traffic, you name it - they had it. If you haven't been following along you can catch up! Kevin has a great blog on the Andes run site( <a href="http://www.andesrun.com/">http://www.andesrun.com/</a> )<br /><br /><a href="http://impossible2possible.com/sa/tracker/journal">http://impossible2possible.com/sa/tracker/journal</a>.<br /><br />You can also see short videos of the day to day happenings of the expedition - <a href="http://impossible2possible.com/sa/home">http://impossible2possible.com/sa/home</a>. Between both the journal and the videos you really get a sense of what these guys are going through. They have really persevered, and have now made an important decision which is explained in the Day 17 video to stop a little short due to threatening conditions on the road. They will then meet up with ambassador Connor Clerke to finish out the rest of their run. An extremely wise decision the guys made - as tons of school age kids are following them. I2P is all about promoting health SAFELY. I couldn't be more proud of these guys and the entire organization than I am at this moment! Such positive role models - it's rare in sports, but these guys really know how to do it. Keep on following and watching for I2P's big announcement in regards to the next youth expedition! This will be announced soon so stay tuned!! Congrats to Ray, Kevin, Bob, and Jordan for all their hard work on this expedition - and thanks for being such great role models to not just the youth that follow but to athletes everywhere!<br /><br /><strong>CLEVELAND SCHOOLS SHOE DRIVE</strong><br />I'm not even sure where to begin for this one! This was an incredible experience and really showed the power of the internet. I guess I'll just start from the top.<br /><br />#1 A copy of an email was put on the NERC facebook page. The email was from Rob Mathis, a parent of kids who attended the schools. The email:<br /><em><span style="font-family:courier new;">I know everyone is busy getting ready for the running season ahead but I need your help. My daughter runs for Rhodes high school and my son runs for East Tech ( both inner city high schools). They both had their very first track meets today. I thank God that I am very fortunate enough to be able to buy them shoes to run in. It made me feel bad to see the ...other kids from both high schools (girls & boys) running in boots and basketball shoes. If any of you have any old running shoes that you do not have a need for, please email me back with a location I can pick them up from. I will donate them to Rhodes and East Tech high school to help out the kids. It doesn't matter how old or dirty they are.</span></em><br /><br />#2. So after seeing this I set up a group fun run on facebook to collect shoes from whoever wanted to donate. I figured I'd get maybe 10 people tops to show up to the run - but there were many more than that! There were also those who expressed the desire to donate their shoes, but couldn't make it to the run since it was scheduled so last minute. Thanks to my friend Emily these people were able to drop their shoes off at the Bicycle Hub in Mentor. This saved me so much running around and I was REALLY REALLY grateful :)<br /><br />#3. I also sent an email out to my coworkers and to my running group at work explaining the situation. Thanks to my friend Joe Vasil's help the fitness centers at work put out a collection box, and at the end of the drive I picked up these shoes (LOTS!) Joe also told his wife about the shoes, who told her coworkers, one of which was a graduate of Rhodes school - one of the schools we were collecting for. This graduate (anonymous) then pledged to buy the entire Rhodes track team BRAND NEW SHOES!! UNREAL!! I started crying at work when I got the email. (yes I'm a softie haha)<br /><br />#4. Fox 8 news heard of the shoe drive and the run and came out! Me, Rob, and Joe all got interviewed before the run. I was so nervous! But I did calm down a little as one of my friends (I will not mention who Mike Shaughnessy) started shakin' his butt behind the camera! (Then I was just worried about not laughing!) I heard when it aired it was a nice piece, but I haven't seen it as we no longer have cable (no not even basic). I also heard there were more requests for shoes, and Rob states that now he'll be able to help 5 or 6 schools. (And I still have TONS of "surprise" shoes that I picked up to give to him!)<br /><br />#5. Finally I contacted my bud Steve over at Vertical Runner to see if we could get a possible discount for this anonymous donor. Of course he and Vince agreed! (And I recently saw the invoice for the shoes - it was an ENORMOUS discount). Vertical Runner took their inventory and went straight to Rhodes. This was really great they could accommodate the students by going out there like that! I saw some pictures of the kids and it looked like they were excited and had a good time. By the time it was all said and done this anonymous donor bought 40 pairs of shoes for these kids. UNREAL!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GqzYYtw1XX4/T1nqrXHnGAI/AAAAAAAAA1M/oPVt4LlQB1s/s1600/shoes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717859232584767490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GqzYYtw1XX4/T1nqrXHnGAI/AAAAAAAAA1M/oPVt4LlQB1s/s200/shoes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZVEURMuQJg/T1nrKeolFNI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/xf6cCz9dQu0/s1600/shoes1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717859767178040530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZVEURMuQJg/T1nrKeolFNI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/xf6cCz9dQu0/s200/shoes1.JPG" border="0" /></a> In conclusion, this experience was incredibly overwhelming to me. Just using the internet made so many people aware of an issue, and take action. All these people who donated their shoes, time, and money simply amaze me! People are really truly extraordinary, and I thank everyone so much who participated. I'm still trying to grasp how everyone came together to help these kids - so much so that other schools will be helped too. INCREDIBLE!! THANK YOU EVERYONE! And of course,<br /><br />Happy Running!<br />LaurieLauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1958215826007530068.post-8936274414344843142012-01-27T06:25:00.026-05:002012-01-27T10:58:58.180-05:00NERC, GRT Training, and I2P Updates, Recipe and More!<div align="center"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NERC</span> UPDATES</strong> </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702282265108037394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 121px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0KBDASsrw3I/TyKTghTGPxI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/Oh-THC6Uq_Y/s200/nerc.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TRI</span> PARK TRAIL RUN AND THE <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">NERC</span> WINTER BANQUET </strong><br /><br />Saturday there were a couple of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NERC</span> events that we attended. Saturday morning was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">NERC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tri</span> park trail run hosted by Guy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Gadomski</span>. This run was various distances. Before the run fellow friend and runner MAC pulled out an enormously huge camera. He works at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WKYC</span> - and wanted to film the runners for a commercial for the station. (Should be released soon, our scene did make the cut!) Our group (of about 20ish) ran back and forth in front of the camera a few times screaming "Go the extra mile!" I have to say, it was a pretty good warm up actually :) After the taping my husband, son and I ran with fellow runner Peg who is training for her first half through team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">JOA</span>! Peg did great out there on the snowy trails! Later in the evening my son and I attended the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NERC</span> winter banquet (husband had to work). I used this as my cheat day, but still did well. I did not have any meat, but did have a piece of cake which I would have to guess included the typical eggs, cream, etc. My son on the other hand got a whopping plate of roast beef. And when I say whopping, I mean it! Anyway the event itself was a success - special thanks to Terese Dennison and Julie Weber for coordinating it all.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>GLACIER RIDGE TRAINING UPDATES</strong> </div><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702282802255319266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 131px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-h3KlgYeps/TyKT_yU_UOI/AAAAAAAAA0k/JB23o8glEDo/s200/glacier.jpg" border="0" /> </p>This past week in training brought the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">NERC</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Tri</span> Parks fun run and another trail run the following day. The trails were still quite snowy on Sunday, and for the first time this year I saw some cross country skiers out there. There were quite a few, I can imagine they were trying to get all the skiing in that they can given the way the weather's been! Overall this week went quite well and I'm pretty pleased. I just wish the snow hadn't melted!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><strong>I2P UPDATES</strong></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702339174946998642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 93px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 97px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wu_CrT9vSUU/TyLHRG-CiXI/AAAAAAAAA08/vxTKeZkbbZU/s200/i2p.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><p align="left">Check out this article in Breathe magazine on the upcoming I2P expedition, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Expreso</span> De Los Andes! <a href="http://www.breathemag.ca/news/general/expreso-de-los-andes"><em>http://www.breathemag.ca/news/general/expreso-de-los-andes</em></a><br /><br />The Expedition website is now up and running as well, check it out here! <a href="http://impossible2possible.com/sa/home"><em>http://impossible2possible.com/sa/home</em></a></p><br /><p align="left">The website is full of great stuff! There's an 8 week challenge that students can sign up for and this time they don't have to sit around and wait for their school to start the I2P program, they can do it at home for free! Finishers will get an I2P bracelet and certificate of completion. There's also a teacher's challenge, Science of the Run page, and when the expedition starts you can go to the website for the live tracker, photos and videos. It's such a great program and one I strongly believe in. Parents check the website out with your kids! You'll be amazed! </p><br /><p align="left"></p><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><strong>VEGGIE UPDATES</strong></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702322478201832018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 131px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dNeBt-lQe-Y/TyK4FOvyAlI/AAAAAAAAA0w/rlhrBMGPQeo/s200/flav.jpg" border="0" />So far so good still, things are only improving! My husband was getting a little antsy and craving a bit of meat, so I bought him the fake stuff - but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">no</span> way am I touching that! I add it to his meals after everything is cooked. My husband is now at his lowest weight since Junior High. Incredible! As for me the weight loss is slower, but am feeling really excellent and that's what counts the most! And I got an added bonus the other day, I walked into a store and the cashier asked if I attended college at Lake Erie. I had no makeup on, and my hair was still wet from running outside in the rain, so I'll take it! It's been almost one month now without any type of caffeine and it's still unbelievable to me that I don't need it. There's a great store by us which helps - we don't have to go all the way out to Whole Foods. It's a small shop and the people are very friendly. It seems I'm always getting free stuff when I go there, too! Last week I got an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">eco</span> shopping bag, this week they gave me treats for my dogs. Really excellent place and if you live in the area you should check it out:<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.heartlandnaturalfoods.com/"><em>Heartland Health Foods</em></a><em> </em></div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702274112050358194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KiuEJiYNCXI/TyKMF8yq57I/AAAAAAAAA0M/vPk1aequlK0/s200/heartland.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em>1477 Mentor Ave. Unit D<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Painesville</span> Twp., OH 44077<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Painesville</span> Commons Shopping Center</em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Hours: </em></div><br /><div align="center"><em>Mon 930am-7pm<br />Tue 930am-7pm<br />Wen 930am-7pm<br />Thur 930am-7pm<br />Fri 930am-7pm<br />Sat 930am- 6pm<br />Sun Closed</em></div><br /><p align="center"><strong></strong></p><br /><p align="left"><strong></strong></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><strong></strong></p><br /><p align="center"><strong>RECIPE</strong></p><br /><p align="left">On my quest for a healthier Pizza Crust I've decided to just use Ezekiel Tortilla Wraps. It's working out great! I love the Ezekiel bread and wraps and am purchasing them weekly. The bread can be purchased at Giant Eagle or Heartland Health, and the wraps I've purchased at Heartland Health. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702272676335130066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Relk33qvKwY/TyKKyYVfFdI/AAAAAAAAAz0/nprbNDKWINw/s200/ez.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="left">Pizza</p><br /><p>Bake tortillas in 350 degree oven until crisp.</p><br /><p>Take tortilla out of oven and top with the following ingredients:</p><br /><p>Eden organic pizza sauce</p><br /><p>red pepper</p><br /><p>yellow pepper</p><br /><p>green pepper</p><br /><p>banana pepper</p><br /><p>red onion</p><br /><p>spinach </p><br /><p>olives</p><br /><p>grilled eggplant </p><br /><p>garlic </p><br /><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Daiya</span> cheese (vegan) and meat substitute if desired. </p><br /><p>Place back in oven and bake until cheese is melted (or if cheese less until vegetables are cooked according to your preference) </p><br /><p>Enjoy!<br /><br /><strong></strong></p><br /><br /><p align="center"><strong>LUNA SANDALS </strong></p><br /><br /><p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702273276188747906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-66avbQ85wd0/TyKLVS9u6II/AAAAAAAAA0A/w6-vkMQNGGM/s200/luna.jpg" border="0" /> I've been meaning to order some sandals from my Copper Canyon buddy Barefoot Ted since we got back from the event last March. Time slipped away and #1 I'm forgetful, and #2 I'm slow. FINALLY I placed an order for some sandals after getting advice on which ones to get from my friend Patrick Sweeney. I recently received my order and the sandals are incredibly beautiful! I can't wait to use them! If you want to check out some of the sandals (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">huraches</span>) you can go to Ted's website at <a href="http://www.lunasandals.com/"><em>http://www.lunasandals.com/</em></a><em> .</em> They also have shirts, extra laces, and bracelets you can order as well. Good stuff! Thanks Ted, Patrick, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Bookis</span>!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04247968894513039176noreply@blogger.com0