Week(s) In Review!

Hey everyone!

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.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/travel/gallery/15-natural-winter-wonderlands/index.html

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!

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:

Cross Train, Hardcore & 10 minutes of Meditation
Cardio & 10 minutes of Meditation
Strength, Hardcore &10 minutes of Meditation
Yin & 10 minutes of Meditation
Detox, Hardcore & 10 minutes of Meditation
Vitality & 10 minutes of Meditation
Mountain Pose & Pranayama Meditation

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:

http://www.active.com/mind-and-body-yoga/articles/pose-of-the-month-heavy-legs-on-the-wall

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!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17427/why-decluttering-your-entire-life-will-bring-you-abundance.html

I hope everyone has a great week ahead! I'll be staying warm by running and yoga! Just remember spring is near!

Happy Running,
Laurie

2014 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!

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).

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

I hope to see everyone out on the trails this year, and good luck with all of your races!

 

Happy Running,

Laurie



 

 

 



A POSITIVE WAY TO START YOUR DAY!

Good morning!

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!

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!

http://positivewaytostart.blogspot.com/

New update to the Huskies tab!!! Head on over to check it out, complete with video! Happy winter all!

Season in Review

Sorry 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.

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.

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).

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER IN REVIEW:

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.

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!

Next up: Run With Scissors Marathon
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.

Fast forward to Bills' Bad Ass 50k:
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!

Cleveland 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!

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!

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:

 
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!

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!

Happy Running to you all, and stay cool!

Stopping 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:

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. 

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,
"What the hell happened, why don't I do that anymore?" And that was the beginning of a run with a few realizations. 

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.

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 "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!  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! 

HUSKIES, 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!

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!

My new job and running updates will be below.  But the other info you can find in the following:

New husky = Check out my "Huskies" tab
My son's acceptance into Auburn = "Family" tab
New fundraiser = "Community" tab

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. 

NEW JOB:
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!

RUNNING:
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!

Battle against cancer: W O N

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!!

Please check out the story on them here:
http://fox8.com/2013/04/02/marathon-runner-wins-battle-against-cancer/

Changes

New 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!

Happy Running,
Laurie

Faux 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!

FAUX SHAMROCK SHAKE

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.

Recipe
1 frozen banana
3 cups spinach
vanilla stevia to taste (I used about 10 drops)
mint extract to taste (I like just a hint of mint, so I used 1/8 tsp.)

*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 :-) *

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!

Happy Running,
Laurie

 

 

(Please forgive the crummy picture, for some reason I just can't get a handle on photographing food.  Just know it tastes delish!!) 

 

Amazing 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. 

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!)     ;-) 

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!

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!

Onefilteronefamilly donation page:
http://onefilteronefamily.com/

Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/One-Filter-One-Family/158115700898517?fref=ts

Their blog:
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/blog-768889.html

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!!

Happy Running!
Laurie

Welcome Barkley!

I failed to mention in my last post that we have a new addition to the family.  Welcome our new dog Barkley!

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 here:  http://www.sandrabowers.blogspot.com/

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 :-)

 

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

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!
 

Running and Beyond, New Happenings In The Non Running World

Let 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!

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. 

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!!

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!!) 

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.

On Auburn:
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!!

On the Explorers:
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)

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! 

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.

Grand 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:

G2G TOP RUNNERS ON SOME INCREDIBLE SAND DUNES

ADVENTUROUS ROUTES!

ROPE ASSISTED

MORE AND MORE CLIMBING!

LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET PICKED FOR DANCING DURING A POW WOW

WHAT A GUY!!

TEAM I2P PRERACE

KANAB DAVE AND VINCENT - ALL SMILES AFTER A HARD STAGE

TEAM I2P AT THE FINISH LINE WITH OUR FEARLESS LEADER!

CRAZY ANTICS FROM OUR AWESOME VOLUNTEERS!

ONE LAST MEAL BEFORE THE MADNESS THAT IS CALLED FREEZE DRIED FOOD

G2G RUNNERS GOT TREATED LIKE CELEBS IN KANAB

GREAT DINNER IN KANAB!

MOST AWESOME GOODY BAG EVER!

RIP LUCY, ONE OF G2G'S MANY AMAZING VOLUNTEERS.

GRAND TO GRAND ULTRA - THE SURPRISE RACE

160 MILES / 257 KILOMETERS

6 STAGES

7 DAYS

UNSUPPORTED

TERRAIN: Hard packed sand, soft sand, sand dunes, forest trails, shallow river crossings, rocky roads and slot canyons.

START: North rim of the Grand Canyon

FINISH: The Grand Staircase

Total ascent over the entire course is 21,791ft (6,642m). Total descent is 17,965ft (5,476m).

STAGE 1 -31 MILES/51 KM

STAGE 2 - 28 MILES/45 KM

STAGE 3 - 44 MILES/71 KM

STAGE 4 - 24 MILES/38 KM

STAGE 5 - 26 MILES/42 KM

STAGE 6 - 15 MILES/24 KM

CHARITY: Impossible2Possible will receive a portion of the proceeds from this event!!!

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.

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)

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!

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.

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!

For those wishing the follow along during the race, the race website will be updated at: http://www.g2gultra.com/race-coverage

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 competitors@g2gultra.com 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!!!!)

The Grand to Grand facebook page will be updated as well, look them up, "like" them on facebook for info! https://www.facebook.com/g2gultra

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 :)

Burning 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!

BURNING RIVER 100
After a very good running season my husband was more than ready for Burning River. The race was held at the end of July.

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!!!)

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.

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.

THE MIDRACE CURSE
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!

THE SHUFFLE

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!!

BEAST OF BURDEN 100 MILER

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!)

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.

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!!

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!!!