North Coast 24 Hour training weekend = FAIL! and the I2P fundraiser kicks off!

Impossible2Possible

My Impossible2Possible fundraiser has now begun! My goal is $500 and I have reached $150 of that goal so far. Please help by going to the following link to donate:

http://www.active.com/donate/laurieI2P

Special thanks goes to those that have donated so far! The following have been so generous in helping out, thank you!

Ron Kageyama - California
Cyrus Taylor - Ohio
Pam Rickard - Virginia
Kelly Matter - Ohio

Impossible2Possible is an incredible organization that reaches out to inspire youth everywhere. Please join us in donating to this wonderful organization!

North Coast 24 Training weekend = FAIL

This week started like all others have been. Running. Running. Running some more. This past weekend called for a big long run, and I was pumped. I've put in the hours I was scheduled to run before during this training period, and it was fast becoming my new favorite training distance/time. I had all my gear set out by Thursday, my potatoes boiled and I was ready for Saturday's run!

***DISCLOSURE!!***
Possible TMI for some people, but I feel I need to share it. One day it could be helpful to someone out there.

Saturday started out like any other. I woke up very early to get my long run in. Scarfed down my oatmeal and coffee and headed out the door. It was extremely humid and pretty warm out. I got to my starting location and off I went. By a mile I was drenched. Other than that I felt fine, except for this horrible feeling that I needed to go to the bathroom REALLY bad. And I did. Again. And again. And again. There are port a potty's and a gas station along my early a.m. route - the route I run before the rest of the group trickles in. They became my new home on Saturday. I was frustrated. Mostly because when I would go - I would STILL feel like I needed to go. I couldn't figure out why I felt this way. It was uncomfortable, but I could still run. Not fast, but I was doing it. It was more like - well it just pissed me off, basically. A couple hours into my run is when I started to feel somewhat concerned. It was still dark, but I could tell what little I was going was very very dark. And getting darker each time. All I could think of is the news clip on CNN that flashed up images of Badwater: urine cups all in a row, doctors checking them over and over. I started questioning myself. "Am I drinking too much? Am I drinking too little? Did I over do it with the electrolytes? WHAT THE HELL!" I met up with some NERC runners (thankfully) around 6:00. By then it was even worse. I told a couple of the runners that I didn't know what was going on - that something just wasn't right. I just had to watch, and if it got worse I (1/4 jokingly, 3/4 seriously) said at least I was close to the hospital. All this time in my head I'm still trying to figure out what the heck I was doing wrong. Well the run with the group didn't last long! We reached a turning point but I was close to the bathroom (about .20 miles away) I ran to the bathroom and most everyone ran on. I got to the bathroom on the path and there it was. Blood in the urine. Freakin awesome. It wasn't too bad yet, but that has never happened to me so I was pretty worried. I came out of the bathroom and told a couple running buds that had waited at the turning point to just run ahead, I had my cell. And that was it. I was pretty scared at that point. I can't even say how many times I called my son - waking him up telling him to check the internet for some sort of clues to what was going on. NADA. Husband was at work, where it's almost impossible to get ahold of him. I wanted in every way to call Ray, but didn't want to wake up him or his family, so I held off.

It seemed like it took forever to get down that bike path, uncomfortable and just worrying, not understanding, and just being plain pissed off. I had a time goal to fulfill - but I also had a goal within a goal - was really gunning for a certain mileage within my first goal (being time). Funny I was still thinking about running after what was happening. I'm such a stubborn ass (yes husband, I admit). I can never stop on my own. I always need someone to tell me to stop, or tell me I can't run. Hell last year I had pneumonia and still got my miles in! (Stupidly, yes I admit.) Pneumonia had me down for 2 days and I tacked the extra miles that I missed onto the first few days that I started running again. Also ran one day until my treadmill caught fire. NO JOKE. The poor thing started smoking, stinking, and here's me like an idiot: "I'm only on mile 5 I am not stopping!" Broke out the fire extinguisher soon after. All this being said I just shake my head and wonder what in the world's wrong with me. Still I can't stop on my own. Even if I have to walk, crawl, limp my way through - I'm NOT stopping. Sometimes it's not something I'm all that proud of, because it winds up being completely irresponsible.

Ok back to the run. Finally! The path ends and I'm on the road, and get to the gas station I had visited many times earlier in the morning. It was 7 o'clock ish. I ran into the bathroom and that was it. I cannot even begin to describe the amount of blood. I almost started crying right there. Headed out the door, I dialed Ray's number. Hung up though, because I decided it was still too early. I walked to my car faced with an important decision. Should I give up for the first time ever? Telling myself not too be so stupid - I still couldn't help contemplating continuing my run. I knew I could not tell myself to stop. So again I called Ray. I wasn't sure if he'd answer because #1 - it was freakin early. #2 He was out of town with his family. Thankfully he answered! I could tell it was at breakfast time too and felt really bad about that. Like a smart runner though (not me!) He told me "Obviously you have to stop running, go to the doctor - and if you can't go to the doctor go to the E.R." By that time I was in tears (trying to hold it back) but I think he could tell, because he said it was most likely no big deal and not to worry - but was something that cannot be ignored. Feeling a little better, a little more calm (but STILL bummed about my run - seriously?) I left for home and called the doctor.

Fast forward to the doctor: Even the receptionist knew what was wrong! Oh it sounds like UTI to me. What? Never had that before. Nurse - same thing. Sounds like UTI. Really? I started to tell the nurse everything fell apart during my run and got the typical "How far were you going" question. I told her and she whipped around and said "WHAT?" So I lied and said a couple hours. (Did tell the doctor the truth though, since he pretty much knows how I am) Took tests and for sure: UTI. The doctor called it by a different name, hemorrhage something or the other but said: "It's not worse than regular UTI, just more dramatic looking." Dramatic is right! Sheesh! Freaked me out just a little! He gave me some meds and made me tell him I would not run Sunday. He just said "I know it's hard for you, and you run all this crazy amount of mileage, but please take off tomorrow. Can you just give me that?" Again - bummed. He also said if things don't get better, if what happened Saturday happened again to come in, and they'd check out my kidneys just because I run so much. That being said I'm feeling so much better now, the meds are working fast and I'm ready to go!

This is why, sometimes, I'm STUPID

I told my good friend Daniel what happened since I couldn't make it to the North Coast training run. Daniel knows tons, and he's heard of this happening before with worse consequences. I did a little research, too, and here's what I found:

#1 UTI's) are of particular concern to women runners, UTI's can involve the lower urinary tract or, in more severe cases, the kidneys. Antibiotics generally resolve the problem in short order, keeping after-effects at bay can be summed up in a word: hydrate.

#2 Untreated UTI's can lead to acute or chronic kidney infections (pyelonephritis), which could permanently damage your kidneys.


All I can say is thank goodness Ray answered his phone at a time when really, he should have just ignored my call. He continues to amaze me every day. I know damn well I would've kept running if I would have not gotten ahold of him (again, not something I'm really proud to admit). Sometimes I sit back and wonder how he does all that he does. HUGE Kudos to Ray for being there, and to his family for putting up with my early a.m. phone call! I am SO appreciative!

Check Ray out on CTV - good piece on hydration!
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/news/top-picks/drink-up/#clip337843

North Coast 24 Hour Training and the NERC XC Series - Race I

North Coast 24 Hour Training

Well how about this? I'm officially going along with everyone else and saying that I'm ready for fall. We haven't had a summer quite like this in a long time, and it's getting a little old really. Easy runs have turned into "I think I'm going to puke and pass out" runs.

NC training is going really well and I'm having so much fun doing it! I'm really liking this training! (Minus the puke and pass out stuff) This weekend was a blast as I ran with my husband and Eric Ford (Saturday) and Charlie Bolek and my husband (Sunday). Klutz me has fallen 2 weeks in a row now. This a.m. I got a mouthful of dirt and it was well, crunchy. Good stuff. I wonder if there's protein in dirt? Tops on the list for the weekend: seeing the biggest, most beautiful owl I have ever seen. This is the joy you get when you run early in the morning! After the rain subsided this morning we finished up back to school shopping for my son (hehe) and then it was off to the beach for some skimboarding action. The waves were great for it today! Back to reality though - blah - MONDAY!

NERC XC Series: #1

So I know I said no more races until NC - but this one was only $3 and my son had not run yet for the day, so we went. Going into it I knew I wasn't about to run like Speedy Gonzalez after an amazing training weekend, but it's always fun to run at Pen Glen. (My favorite time to run there, stupid as it may sound, is during wicked thunderstorms. The thunder just echoes off the old Halle remnants and is incredible!) In the end I wound up with 2nd place in my age group. This Tuesday brings race #2 with a potluck dinner at Guy Gadomski's house for NERC members. Last year he had 30 + people, so be prepared to eat if you're coming! I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it this week, it will most likely depend on what my son does during his XC practice for the day - but for everyone else interested: 3 bucks how could you go wrong? NERC does sell tshirts before and after the race if you'd like to purchase one. (Technical shirts! WOOT!)

Endurance Junkies

Check it out! Endurance Junkies has taken me on as a Guest Blogger. The first stories they are putting up are my race report from Mohican and a recipe of mine. The recipe appears to be going up first:

http://endurancejunkies.com/blog/2010/08/15/frappuccino-style-recovery-drink/


Everyone have a great week! Looks like temps will not be in the 90's, so that's always a plus! Happy Running All!

Northcoast 24 training and the NERC Cross Country Series

North Coast 24 Hour Training

So I've been busy. Running. And running. And running. Running in itty bitty circles, and running in big ones. My son is thrilled about this whole running in circles thing. He's been going skateboarding a lot! It works out nice as he can be at the skatepark while I am running and get to do his favorite activity - and I can see him every minute he's doing it.

I have come to a couple realizations this past week.

#1: Bats like my headlamp. And I do not like bats.

#2: Yes I actually have butt muscles, not just fat! And they hurt.

I was a bit bothered while running this weekend. The end of a run took me through a neighborhood in Concord. I was hurting. I was tired. I wanted to stop. Bottom line: IT WAS HARD. Many people were out doing things. Walking their dogs, landscaping, riding bikes. Now here I am - hurting, struggling, you name it - but every single person that I passed I made sure to say "Hi" to. I mean, that's what you do right? Be friendly? Dissapointment struck as not a single person said "Hi" back. Or even just threw out a smile. I'm used to the occasional person just looking at me like I'm a freak if I say hello to them, but everyone I pass? SHEESH! Maybe I looked like a crazy person, running along through their neighborhood - half dead haha! But this half dead person was still saying HI.


NERC Cross Country Series

The NERC XC Series begins this week! The series is a set of 3 5k's - cheap - $3 each! The runs are held at Pen Glen in Kirtland. They will held the next three Tuesday's and many XC kids attend as it's a great way to start to get back into racing for the XC season! Come down and have some fun, bring your family and have a picnic afterwards. Pen Glen is a beautiful park - come check it out!

BURNING RIVER 100 Mile Endurance Run and the upcoming I2P pizza party/fun run for kids!

BURNING RIVER 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN

Never before have I witnessed such an amazing event. I witnessed the end of a 100 mile race for the first time this weekend and I'm still trying to find the words to explain it. I witnessed tremendous acts of courage, bravery, and determination. I witnessed people who pushed themselves past their breaking point and keep on going. I saw both laughter and tears. I saw pride and a strong sense of accomplishment on the runner's faces as they crossed the finish line. Runners, you are incredible. You are INSPIRING. Congratulations to all the runners, and thanks to all the volunteers who made their day special. This race was well organized from top to bottom. I witnessed the RD, Joe Jurzyck, personally shake the hand of every runner that crossed that finish line. Incredible! Job well done - everyone!

I took many photos of the finish line Sunday a.m. (Beginning at first light - I didn't want to blind the poor runners with my flash!) I have uploaded them all to the WalMart photo center, please feel free to purchase your photos for whatever the price walmart charges for them (I think 20 cents is the cheapest). You can also find the same photos on my facebook page.

http://photos2.walmart.com/walmart/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3814369002/a=15094613_15094613/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walmart/

Just a few of my favorite moments from the finish line:





















I2P Pizza Party and One Mile Fun Run

Saturday is the big I2P pizza party and fun run at our house! Bring your kids - this is an event created to inspire kids and educate them on I2P. Need more details, send me a message! We will have a one mile fun run, volleyball, human foosball, a bonfire, and the bigun: FOOD!!!! Please come, you are all welcome!



My I2P speech/flyer for Saturday, will be directed towards the kids:

Q: What is Impossible2Possible?

A: Impossible 2 Possible is an organization that was created by Ray Zahab, an ultra runner who lives in Canada. I2P’s goal is to encourage all of you to reach beyond your limits. They want you to realize that nothing is impossible. If you put your mind to it, hard work into your goals, there is nothing that you CAN’T do!

The impossible will become POSSIBLE. There are no limits. YOU have the power to change the world. I2P uses adventure to educate and inspire to make positive changes in the world.

I2P uses adventure to cultivate a generation of leaders. YOU. Kids who are old enough, usually 17 years old and up can apply to go on youth expeditions, at no charge. If you aren’t old enough – you can do the next best thing. You can ask your teacher, principal, school to follow along in school. All I2P expeditions will make use of t.v., film, and the internet to broadcast these expeditions and spread messages on human and environmental issues. Previous students have followed I2P’s expeditions to Baffin Island, Tunisia, and Siberia. You are considered part of the expedition team, and as you follow along you get to ask questions and do experiments based on what is happening during the expedition. Sound better than just reading some boring textbook? It is! And the best thing about it is it’s all free! There is NO cost to the teacher, NO cost to the school, and NO cost to you. I2P’s goal is to simply to reach 1 million young people that will become agents of change. That basically means I2P wants you to take action! Is there something wrong in your community? Think of ways to change it! Some examples of students changing the world are:

Trailblazer elementary: They are selling “Otter Pops” at lunch to raise money for GivingWater, an organization that helps people get clean drinking water. You know – we have it easy here in the U.S. We just go into the next room, straight to the faucet, and BAM! Magic – we have clean drinking water. We’re USED to it. What you may not realize though, is in many places it’s not that easy to get clean water. One billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water. 3.900 children die every day due to the lack of clean water. Some students at Trailblazer Elementary heard this, didn’t like it –and thought “What can we do to change that?” They took action and started selling their “Otter Pops” to help raise money to build wells for these communities. This is what being an “Agent of Change” is.
Riceville School decided to have a hat day to raise money for their well project. Students paid $1 to wear a hat to school.

D’arcy McGee School held an all night ball hockey tournament to raise money, and Southside Elementary school held a Candy Gram sale around Valentine’s Day.

All these students are making big changes in the world – and you can, too!

About the founder of I2P:

Finally, a word about the founder of I2P, Ray Zahab. Ray made history when he ran across the Sahara desert with 2 other runners, Charlie Engle and Kevin Lin. There’s a documentary movie about the run on Cinemax, or you can rent or buy the movie – but it’s very very good. It follows their entire run across one of the harshest climates on the entire planet. They ran for 111 days - nearly 40 miles every day through 6 countries. He also ran across Lake Baikal in Siberia and traveled 1100 km’s in the South Pole – he was the first person to do so without skis. He was just wearing his snowshoes.

Now, you can follow along on these same adventures, just convince your teachers! The next expedition will be to the Amazon. 4 youth ambassadors will be picked to actually go on the trip (they’ve already submitted their applications. The I2P team is in the process now of choosing the 4 kids who will go with them). You can still be a part of the team though by following along in your classroom. It’s free, just let your teacher know about it! Give them this flyer, or led them to the Impossible2Possible website. Many many schools have signed on so far – you guys are all missing out on all the fun! Your teachers will have questions, though. Lots of them – I’m sure. Just point them in the direction of the website - http://impossible2possible.com/education and they should find all the answers they need. They can also email or call any of the following people:
Ray Zahab - i2P Founder
• email: rzahab@impossible2possible.com
• phone: +1 613.868.2888
• web: rayzahab.com
Bob Cox - i2P Executive Director
• email: bcox@impossible2possible.com
• phone: +1 614.296.2736
Dr. Ewan Affleck - Education Director
• email: eaffleck@impossible2possible.com
Mark Dohn - Education Program Coordinator
• email: mdohn@impossible2possible.com
• 8.2460 +1 818.448.2460

For a list of schools that have participated in the program so far go to http://impossible2possible.com/education/schools


i2P adventures:
What could be better? It’s free, it’s adventure, and teachers love it because it’s educational!
• Are challenging: physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually
• Push the limits of what seems possible to the adventurer
• Provide young people with a two way street of communication through a live website
• Young people are active team members whether through web communication and learning or active participation in an adventure
• Include a service component relevant to the adventure setting
• Challenge and improve the adventurer's knowledge, understanding, and ability
• Increase awareness of the environment's impact on humans, and humans' impact on the environment
• Expand the adventurer's personal definition of what is possible
• Involve risk (not to be confused with danger) including a risk of failure
• Require extensive intellectual, physical, and logistical preparation
• Require assistance from others
Push the adventurer beyond herself physically, geographically, socially

BT50k, Johnnycake Jog, and on to the North Coast 24 hour!

DNS.

My first one. I am feeling great now that didn't run it though. Stupid me should have thought. I have this super intelligent guy helping me, all I had to do was ask. But I waited. Thought I was superwoman or something. Thought that I could come out of a 50 miler running the same speed I ran going into it and also feeling 100%. LOL. SERIOUSLY. It wasn't until Wednesday that I asked Ray if running the BT50k was a good idea, considering NC24 training. He said, strong as can be: "Abosolutely not. I do not think it's a good idea". WHOA! That's all I needed to hear to throw in the towel on this one. Heck BT50k wasn't going to be a serious race for me anyway, just a fun thing so nuff said. I did feel bad I was going to miss running with some great people though! Running task for the rest of the week - was to run randomly. Whatever I felt - "Run with the family" Ray said. My family had some tapering going on so I took a couple days off and ran solo on Saturday while they had an off day. The run was slow - purposely, and it felt great! It was the first time since Mo that I actually noticed things again. Birds, squirrels, the way the sun was rising over an open field. Sounds corny, but it's true! It did a lot for me, mentally speaking. Since Mo I had been struggling and had not had a single enjoyable run. I had even started using my headphones again, something I didn't do at all during Boston or Mo training. I was doing it so I wouldn't have to pay attention to how I was struggling through each run. That is a big no no. I had really come to enjoy not using headphones during runs, being so in tune with everything, the way I was feeling, my surroundings, etc. and now I was trying to forget it all by turning on my music, "Disturbed" full blast. I hated the reason why I was using my music. So, Saturday was a treat. A nice, easy treat. I smiled a lot during the run (FINALLY!) I only looked at my watch a couple of times. 6 miles, 8:15/mile. I then came home and cross trained for one hour. Sunday I logged 14 miles early a.m. on the treadmill and felt good again. I then decided to run alongside my son in the Johnnycake Jog 5 miler, I was worried about him running in the heat. This whole "taking it easy" really seemed to work for me! (And not racing in 2 big races has now given me the racing bug, which I will not satisfy until NC24! I feel like exploding!) I'm so glad this rest has worked out and am completely pumped that week one of NC24 training started today! I went into my run this afternoon completely refreshed, excited, and ready to go! I LOVE IT! Thanks Ray! And hey - speaking of Ray don't forget Impossible2Possible has many exciting things coming up, including their expedition to the Amazon!

Check it out at:

http://impossible2possible.com/i2p

School registration is now open!

And don't forget about the I2P pizza party at my house, August 7th for kids!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=727743691&v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=134414096586793&index=1

If anyone's interested in speaking at the event please let me know :-)

BT50K

As I mentioned above, I did what I needed to Saturday a.m. and then it was time to turn on the webcast to the BT50k! It was so neat seeing the webcast, finally watching one where there were people that I knew who were running. This kind of made it worse at the same time though! I wanted to BE there. Never mind that I wasn't running, I still wanted to be there to support everyone and cheer them on! I was quite literally pacing back and forth, just wishing I was there. My husband came home from working third shift and told me he was going golfing before he went to sleep for a few hours - and that's all I needed to hear - I WAS OUT! My son and I drove the one hour drive to the CVNP and made it with a little under an hour to spare before the first finishers crossed the line. My plan was to take pictures if no one needed my help, but Vince from Vertical Runner snagged me and gave me the best volunteer job ever! Giving out the medals! My son and Steve's son had fun talking together until it was time to leave, and then he helped a bit with the medals as well, when runners started coming in one after another. The first man to cross the finish line was Kam, in I believe 4 hours and 3 minutes. Shaun Pope came in close at second place, followed by Mark Godale. On the women's side, Beth Woodward amazed me when she came in at 4 hours, 30 some minutes - not looking tired at all! She looked as if she just ran a 5k - not 50! It was amazing, and not an ounce of fat on her. AT ALL. (Mental note, don't sign up for any races Beth will be running!! LOL!!) Second place female was Shanna Ailes, and third went to Star Blackford. After that it got a little hard watching runners come in. Most looked exhausted, it was hot, it was humid, and you could tell. I held off a couple seconds after runners crossed the finish line before I gave them there medal. I didn't want to shove a medal in their face when they felt like collapsing, puking, drinking, or just wanting to lay down. Many of the runners ran straight through the finish line to a shaded area underneath a tree nearby. I'm happy to report though, that many of my girlies did well! Terri Lemke received first for women's masters divison, Rachel Nypaver won first for her age group, on the men's side Ron Ross got first for his age group and Niall Corrigan got 2nd for his age group (and ran the Presque Isle 1/2 marathon the next day!) My buds Joe, Carole, Mark, Bob, and Brian toughed out the nasty heat and humidity and came across the finish line smiling! When Mark came through it was time for my son and I to leave, unfortunately. I wanted to stay the whole time, see everyone finish but my husband was waking up soon, so we made the drive back to Pvlle. HUGE KUDOS to Vertical Runner, Vince, Steve, Joe, Lloyd, and to Chaney Events for putting on a great run. I heard no complaints whatsoever. Way to go guys! (Plug - Vertical Runner is the best running shop EVER!!!!) And Congrats to all the runners who pushed through, battled their own demons and NEVER GAVE UP through some nasty running conditions. You are all so inspiring!

Johnnycake Jog

It was another hot one! My husband and son ran in the jog along with many of my Northeast Running Club friends.



I was worried about my son so I ran alongside him, carrying his water, dumping water on his head and eventually carrying his sweaty shirt. Gross! We got there, met my husband's Lincoln Electric running friends and headed over to the NERC tent. I dropped off some homemade energy bars for people to try (recipe courtesy of Wayne Kurtz - www.racetwitch.com) and we hung out for awhile. Guy, Geoff, Kevin, Nick, Kevin, Carl, Carole and others hung around for awhile - then some of us split up to do a quick jog before "The Jog". I was a little bummed I wasn't racing this one, as I have done this one for many years, but knew it was for the best. The race got going and yeah, thanks to construction was very crowded for the first mile. My husband took off at a blistering pace (a family problem) and my son and I ran as mid packers, both passing some and getting passed by others. Then comes the Mentor Ave. stretch. I warned my son this stretch would mess with his mind. We got to Dunkin Donuts/Kohl's and he said "OHMYGOD we are only HERE!" I let him know we were over half way done, and this straight stretch was just messing with his lil' nugget. The shirt came off. He was struggling a bit and cramping up, so he stopped twice to walk for a few seconds. He had hoped to finish in under 50 minutes, and he came in at 48 minutes, 22 seconds! My husband had a great run and finished in 35 minutes, 14 seconds. Running friends of mine to take top spots in their age group were Erin Gaugler (2nd, women 35-39), Cathy Johnson (2nd, women 50-54), Jeannie Rice (1st, women 60-64), and Jean Toth (1st, women 70-74). The overall male and female winners were Ryan Kienzle and Jessica Odorcic (with Jessica winning her 4th Jog title). BIG Congrats to all the runners who battled the heat and toughed it out!

Sunrise Run Race Report, I2P Pizza Party, New Recipes

Alright, before I get into it - just a quick BT50k training update. One word. TAPER. Not too much to talk about here! Saturday is the big day, and I'm pretty excited! I'm running BT50k basically to have a good time, not to race - as NC 24 training will be on as soon as BT is over! Tons of awesome people have signed up to run the 50k, so it should be good times! I can't wait to see everyone!

Impossible 2 Possible Pizza Party and Fun Run!

This event is geared toward children, and everyone is welcome! Please come to our home on August 7th. We will have speakers here that will be talking about everything from ultra running to ultra mountain biking to ultra giving. We will have pizza and s'mores. Weather permitting there will be a bonfire, along with music and an AWESOME 1 mile fun run for the kids. The run will be through the woods - so bring extra clothes. The woods can get pretty muddy after a rain, so hopefully it will rain LOTS that week! Adults are welcome to stay with their kids and run the fun run as well. All I ask is that everyone bring a dish to share! We'll have tons of fun while learning about the non-profit organization Impossible2Possible! Please let me know by August 1st if you are coming, and how many people who are coming with you. Hope to see you then! View the invite at:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=727743691&v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=134414096586793&index=1

Sunrise Run Race Report
Well my goal for the run was to beat my hubby, and I did not. He blew me away! He's getting faster every day! I ran with both my husband and super fast Geoff Weber for awhile, then it was kind of like: "See ya!" My time for this race was almost 1 minute slower than last year :-( I came in first for my age group, 4th woman overall. I'm a bit bummed but still had fun. I haven't got my road legs back 100% yet, but it's coming! Just one more trail race and then it's mainly road training for NC24. The race today was my last lower mileage race until after the Northcoast 24 hour race, as it is just too much trouble to fit in training days and rest days for these races. It was almost miserable this past week trying to pack all the miles in during the week so I could have a couple rest days. There was definitely some overtraining going on as I didn't take a rest day after my 25 miler on Sunday. Booooo! No more of that business! I have my goal and I am completely focused on that and that alone. I will be at Johnnycake on Sunday to cheer on my NERC peeps though! My husband and son are both running it, so I'll see everyone there and be cheering for all of you!

It was great seeing everyone today at the run, and was great meeting new people as well. The NERC seems to be growing, and that's great! There are tons of great people in the club, and it's so much fun standing around talking with everyone before and after the race. The Painesville race is a very low key race, but seeing everyone made it worth it. There were some aggravations today - as the city did not have any t.p. in the port a potty. (Officials were told early on - but that was pretty much ignored.) One port a potty, no t.p. SWELL. No mile markers, no people calling out times during the race. Ah well. Like I said before, at least a lot of NERC people were there and that made up for everything! After I finished I walked the course in reverse until I saw superwoman Jean Toth - an awesome lady! In her 70's and still running marathons - she did great today! 55 mins finishing time, and smiling! When I saw her I turned around and ran with her until she got to the finish line. She's an amazing lady and a great person to talk to. I enjoy hearing all her running stories so much! :D Jean's a superstar!!!!!!!!!!

Recipes

So thanks to the heat my garden is exploding! I had to do something with all my zucchini. These things were ENORMOUS! I found some great recipes online, switched a few things around to make the food healthier, baked everything and separated it all into single size servings and froze it all. Three recipes I tried were zucchini bread, zucchini cookies, and zucchini cake. The bread will make for a good healthy breakfast meal, and the cookies and cake will make for a nice small snack when we are crazing something sweet. Here are the recipes - ENJOY!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup plus tbsp Splenda sugar blend
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
1 cup vanilla non-fat yogurt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 bag dried cranberries
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, sugar, and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Spread zucchini onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Press down firmly to remove excess liquid.

Combine yogurt, egg, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in zucchini.

Add zucchini mixture, pecans, and cranberries to flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Zucchini Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup SmartBalance light butter
3/4 cup Splenda sugar blend
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to zucchini mixture. Stir in nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, and transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.


Zucchini Cake

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8” cake pan with cooking spray. In medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs and stir in oil. Beat dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with yogurt. Stir in vanilla and zucchini. Pour batter in baking pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Xterra Race Report, Shoe Review, BT50K, Recipes That Work

Ok, be ready for a long one. I've been busy since Mohican trying to catch up on yard work and other things so haven't got a chance to write. Lots to talk about!

XTERRA RACE REPORT-CHAPIN FOREST

I'll try to provide as much info as I can about the Xterra race last week, I imagine I forgot a lot. I have been trying to forget that my husband passed me. It's not working though! I keep seeing him running by me, laughing, booty shaking, - chest pumped up ready to make Tarzan sounds! HMPF. He beat me by 10 seconds. And he won't let me forget it. Speed work on!

My son and I got to the race early to help with registration, and then it was time to line up! My legs were still a bit heavy from Mohican the week before, but I had decent times during my last day of speed work during the week so I decided to run. I kept up for awhile, but started to get slower as the miles increased. I wasn't really worried about placing in this race as it was just a recovery run for me. HOWEVER....I saw my husband coming up behind me after a few miles. I did not want him passing me! I pushed it but he caught up with me, big ol' grin on his face, shaking his booty as he ran by. BLAH! I'm happy he's going faster - but it's on now. SERIOUSLY!!! I have a new goal in my races now!! HA! In the end I got second in my age group and if I'm remembering correctly 5th overall female.

The Painesville 5 miler is this coming Sunday and I am ready to take my husband on again! I've doubled, even tripled my running workouts this week in order to get my BT50k miles in and also be able to get 2 rest days. I want those rest days! My last long run before BT50k will be tomorrow - 15 miles. Rest Friday, Rest Saturday - and by then I'll be more than fired up for Sunday's 5 miler! That behind said - I do have to say this will be my last short race until after North Coast 24. It's just too much of a pain to try and squeeze in all my required mileage and save some rest days before races as well. My main focus is the North coast 24 hour baby! I'll be glad to go back to a regular training schedule once the BT50k is over. And I'll be glad to have strictly one event to focus on.


SHOE REVIEW

I will never quit Adidas. Never again. I knew I shouldn't have done it. I should never have clicked on that little icon on the North Face site. But I did. Deep down I knew it was wrong, and I suffered the consequences. I am glad I am not out of money, since this was part of my prize from the Mohican race. I used some North Face bucks to purchase new trail shoes. I should have bought a coat or something. I can't even say that the problem was I ran 25 miles in them the first time I wore them. I can't say that because I felt the blisters a little over mile 1. I kept on running, but it wasn't a good run because I was pretty ticked at myself for what I did. I KNEW better. I have the perfect shoes in Adidas - both road and trail. I NEVER should have got these North Face shoes. Why fix something that's not broken?

I have to admit the shoes do look pretty.
Northface/W Betasso shoes:



Doesn't matter much when you get blisters like this though:

BT50K TRAINING
Just as soon as it "started" it is almost finished. I had a long run this past Sunday, 25 miles. I mixed it up and gave myself a small taste of NC24 as well. The first half of the run was spent running a mile loop over and over again for 13 miles. I then met up with my husband to do the remainder of the run on the hilly trails. Tomorrow will hold my last long run, only 15 miles. I'm kind of looking forward to tapering!

RECIPES THAT WORK
Ok so I'm a sucker. Especially this time of year. I love Frappucino's, Frappes, chocolate shakes, ice cream - you name it. I needed to do something and I needed to do it fast! I also needed a recovery drink for my early a.m. runs. "But I still need my coffee!" I thought. So I decided to try and make my own Frappe style drink - healthier version. It tastes great and almost just like the McD's version. (The only thing missing is the whipped cream!)

Here's the recipe:

8 oz black coffee
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
2 tablespoons of fat free, calorie free chocolate syrup (I use Walden Farms)
1 banana
ice to your liking

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency. You can put a little ice or a lot, depending on how thick you want your shake. The only calories come from the protein powder (100 - 20 from fat) and the banana. Drink it right after your a.m. workout before you head off to work. ENJOY!