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 :)