Serious Case of the Runs

Giveaway! BTB Sport Optics: Serious Running Shades

2012-02-23T09:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, you read that right...it's a Serious GIVEAWAY!

In the relatively short life of Serious Case of the Runs I've managed one single giveaway (that was fun!). Apparently, I'm way behind the times in blogland :) Luckily the peeps over at BTB Sport Optics (based out of one of my most favorite places ever: Salt Lake City, Utah) caught drift of my lack of giveaway-ness and asked if I'd like to try out a pair of their sunglasses, and then give a pair away in celebration of said wear test.

I do love free (who doesn't?). But more than anything, I love free stuff that is relevant to me and my readers, and seriously running related (obviously). Those are my only two requirements. Well, that and I gotta really like it based initially on it's 'bookcover' (call me judgey). So, a Serious Case of the Runs BTB Sport Optics review was a perfect marriage.

I'm not going to get all technical...mostly because I don't know any techy stuff about sunglasses...and because really technical reviews bore the crap out of me. I just want to know the good stuff, and, if any, the really bad stuff. So here goes!

I was a tad apprehensive at first because I love the sh** out of my Smith District's, and have faithfully stuck with them a record 2-1/2 years. But, I've been curious about other brands of late so it was good timing I suppose :) I played around on the website to get a feel for the company and what they're all about. Holy affordable eyewear, Batman! Besides their low prices, I also learned that you can get shot with a .22 caliber firearm at close range and you'll receive a mere dimple in your BTB Sport Optics lens...so that means they're pretty darn tough, which is a really, really good thing for us trail runners and for anyone with a tendency to drop their glasses/not keep them in a hard case :) You can learn more about their glasses features HERE.

I played around some more and settled on a pair of their Running Sunglasses, specifically the BTB 850. When they arrived, I'll be honest...I wasn't totally hot for them based purely on aesthetic reasons (and it's really silly, actually)...the top of the frame isn't straight, it curves downward a touch, which I don't think really flatters my face shape. Does that even make sense? No? Well, ignore that then :) I refused to let that affect my thoughts on the glasses. I'm pretty good at being nitpicky about my running gear and I reminded myself of that little factoid.

Since we run in the early mornings, and this time of year it's still dark out for much of the run, I didn't get to test them out for a bit. But, as soon as I did I haven't hesitated to grab them on my way out the door for runs, or for anything outdoors for that matter. I LOVE these glasses! They even traveled to the sunny beaches of Mexico recently where they performed awesomely, as expected.

They are so lightweight, and the fully adjustable nose grips keep them right where I set them, so I forget they're even on my face most of the time. I don't have to keep reaching up to push them back up to the bridge of my nose (which is something I've always had to do, especially while running). And, they don't bounce around! They stay in place. Imagine that! And, I love how they sit on top of my head when I don't need them on my eyes (while inside or it's too dark out). The BTB 850s are relatively low profile and they hug my rather large cabeza very nicely :)

At first glance, and really every glance after that, you don't get the feeling they are all that well made. They are sort of...cheap feeling. You know when you hold something you can generally tell if it's well made or not? Well, I was wrong about my BTBs. They may feel cheap but they are very well made and are holding up extremely well. I've dropped those suckers on their lenses more than a few times, on varying terrain (not on purpose...I just have butterfingers sometimes :)), and still haven't been able to scratch, dent, break, or really do any harm to these sunglasses. It's quite astonishing actually. Color me happy! Oh, speaking of color, I really dig the amber lenses. I've always worn darker, smokey lenses in my sunglasses, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like the amber tint. Love it. Definitely lighter, obviously, but I'm still not squinting or feeling like I need a darker lense even staring nearly directly at the sun. (Hey, I needed to really test these suckers out :))

As a little bit of an incentive to try out their product, BTB has given me a code to share with my awesome readers, for 30% off a BTB Sport Optic purchase. Booya! Just use SERIOUS 30 at checkout and you'll save some bucks on a pair (or more!) of shades that are already seriously affordable.

Oh wait, I haven't even mentioned how freakin affordable these glasses are. Everything BTB sells is under $50. They believe that high quality doesn't have to be synonymous with high price. I can dig that. The BTB 850s that I picked out retail for $39.95. A polarized version would only put me out another $10. Ummm, yes, sign me up!

So, all in all, I give my BTB 850s a 9.5/10 stars. I dock a half star for that silly aesthetic reason I mentioned earlier. That's seriously the only thing though. I love, love, love these sunglasses and am looking forward to putting them to the 50 mile test at Zane Grey in April, and then, of course, the 100 mile test later on :)

Oh, that's right, the Giveaway! The lucky winner will receive a pair of any of BTB Sport Optics sunglasses, winner's choice!

I'll keep it nice 'n simple: You just need to leave a comment below in order to qualify. That easy!

I just need your name and a quick little snippet telling me where you'd first want to take your BTB Sport Optics if you win. Have fun with it!

I'll put each name I receive in a hat and my lovely husband, Geof, will get to draw the lucky name.

I'll keep this open for the next week or so (the more entries the better!) and then announce it right here on Serious Case of the Runs.

In the meantime, check out BTB's website, and don't forget to use the code SERIOUS 30 to receive 30% off your BTB Sport Optic purchase!

Good luck!

Paige, out.

Wintermission

2012-02-17T13:41:00.001-06:00

Chicago has a way of sucking in the winter, though this winter has been quite mild and, dare I say, lovely? Regardless, we felt the need to take our Serious Case of the Runs for a vacation, and border-hopped for six days. We were in serious need of some sun exposure and all natural vitamin D. Our feet were also in need of sandals and, of course, sand between the toes. So that's exactly what we did. And we packed just as much in the way of regular clothes/swimwear as we did running clothes :)

The resort we stayed at, just north of Playa del Carmen, is part of an eco park. It's huge, like something over 350 acres of pristine and protected land hugging the Caribbean Sea. Lush mangrove forests, 150+ species of birds, flowers, fresh water rivers flowing through the resort, and cool underwater caves that you could dive into. So it was totally up our alley. Anywho, we did one run on the treadmill because it was getting late that day and we were feeling vacation lazy. It was a great workout. I mixed in some decent climbing and worked my legs pretty good. One thing the 'mill is good for, climbing :)

The rest of the time, we ran through the eco park and discovered all the cenotes (the underwater caves) sprinkled about the park, peaked in the plant nursery, and dodged iguanas (those things are like squirrels down there). The runs were short, but it still felt good to get out and get the paper white legs moving, especially in such gorgeous weather (sunny, 80s, breezy!). After almost a week of no kale, too much sugar, and our fair share of Dirty Monkeys and Coronas, it was GREAT to get home and crawl back up on the wagon. And eat kale. I missed kale :) And tap water for that matter.

Anywho, here's a little vacation in pictures for your winter wearied eyes.

We headed to Tulum to check out the Mayan ruins on Monday. It was super pretty, and picture perfect...

It's Geof the Mayan!

Our tour guide dude was hilarious. He had the funniest accent. He claimed to be Mayan, but he sounded like a mix between an American "accent", Scottish, Irish and a touch Kiwi. It was like he couldn't decide what he wanted to be :)

Other than heading to Tulum, strolling 5th Avenido in Playa del Carmen, kayaking the rivers, running, and attempting to eat our way to a spare tire, we did a whole lotta this:

Under this:

And then got all pretty on Valentine's Day:

It was a great wintermission.

And now it's time to buckle down and get jiggy with this Zane Grey 50 training.

Paige, out.

Homo ultris runneris

2012-02-08T12:30:00.001-06:00

I feel human again. And it is such a wonderful feeling. I had forgotten how lovely it is to feel like a functioning member of society...particularly of the genus Homo and species ultris runneris.

Ultris runneri, as seen in the red rock wilderness, circa 2011

I have now had two wonderfully speedy runs in a row (I was worried my legs forgot how to turn over), and have enjoyed some fantastic running in general since my last post. And amen to that; Geof was on the verge of removing my Best Running Partner Ever title ;)

Saturday we headed to Palos to get in a short trail run, and some hills. The trails were in bad shape so we stuck to the gentler yellow trail, hoping to avoid causing too much damage to the soggy terrain. It was pretty nasty. Palos always feels gross as it is (on account of the horse manure, mostly), and Saturday was no exception, but after a couple miles, and knowing it was my last run in the shoes I was wearing, I allowed myself to fully embrace the gross. Soupy mud, soggy horse poop, sticky clay, and the moldy scent of a half-thawed winter combined with humidity. Ahhhh, Midwestern trail running at its finest! We ran clockwise so that we could have the good hills for climbing (rather than descending), and running all the way up Big Bertha was quite a treat! A couple of muscles in my right glute that had been on an extended leave of absence since Javelina 100 decided to wake up and join the fun finally. Breathing not nearly as hard as I have in the past pushing up that hill, we reached the top and both agreed we needed to do some more hill work before spring racing begins :)

Geof found out he got into the Wasatch 100 on Saturday evening, and immediately set about formulating a race strategy/plan on Sunday morning. I am so pumped to get to head back there and get in another round of pacing and crewing, especially because it's for my rockin' husband. It's a truly awesome experience and the course is disgustingly beautiful. So, we've got that on tap for September, and lots of awesome training to do before then!

I still need to figure out what my big race will be this year, but I've got other fish to fry before I make that decision. I look forward to having some supremely good news to share in the next couple of months; fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed!

I've recently culled a pair of really great road shoes. I like to try out lots of different road shoes, different brands, different styles. But I always, always find myself coming back to Brooks roadies. This time I picked up a pair of the Brooks Launch. They're pretty wonderful. Cushy, light, and downright comfortable. The Mizuno Wave Riders I was trying so hard to like are now out of the rotation. The ankle collar was too stiff and annoying. I dreaded running in them. In my opinion, you shouldn't have to work at liking your running shoes. You should LOVE them the moment you slip them on and prance around for the first time. There are rare exceptions, of course, but for the most part that's how it should be :)

It's great to feel like an ultris runneris again and I'm finally starting to look forward to Zane Grey in April. I'm sure there will be days where I'm cursing it, but for the most part I am really excited for a new challenge (and what a challenge it will be!). After a little vacation getaway this weekend we'll really crank it up again. On on!

Paige, out.

The Sophomore Slump

2012-01-30T16:50:00.001-06:00

Last year was a big year. Lots of big accomplishments, lots of strides made (literally and figuratively) in my running life, lots of awards, lots of miles, lots of PRs. Lots of things. I love looking back on it.

It was fantastic.

It was pure.

It was exactly what I wanted out of my 2011.

And it completely drained me.

How do you follow up a performance like last year? I know I can, and I know I will, but in the throes of a full-on burnout it's quite difficult to imagine. And almost as equally as exhausting!

But, I'm pulling out of it. I feel like I will be back in love with running very soon. I just needed to retreat for a short bit and just stop thinking about it all. Rather than fighting my loss of mojo and the burnout this time I just let it run its course. Sometimes that's all you can do to make it through with sanity intact. I feel remarkably sane considering my seven mile week last week :)

I also let a bout of the flu run its course. I'm quite lucky, though. My version of the flu is considerably less crappy than most others who've experienced it, thanks to all that running and good health otherwise. So I can't whine too much, but I sure am glad to crave food, and sunlight, and the smell of brand new running shoes again!

It was only a week of darkness, but it was a very long week. I called the time of death on my running streak on January 22nd after a particularly awful long run that morning, and claimed a 25 day streak as my very own. A pretty hefty achievement considering my usual streak lasts, at most, six days. My body was ready for a rest as I had run it pretty ragged, and that's probably how I came down with the flu. Live, learn, blahblahblah :)

So tomorrow I will attempt to pull myself out of this sophomore slump of sorts and get moving again. Maybe I'll love it, maybe I'll take some more time off. No sense in getting too crazy just yet. Though we do have all sorts of ass to kick come late April, at Zane Grey. But I feel very confident in my ability to be ready for that :)

Oh, I have another blog! I've kept it kind of quiet the last several months and didn't do much with it, until recently. I decided to make that a space to post tasty vittles I concoct in la cucina de Dunmore, among other non-running related tid-bits. Check it out if you like, or don't :) But I think you may enjoy it as a nice change of pace:

The Back Paige

I shall now get back to conquering the world and start dreaming up which shoes to lace up for tomorrow's run (I've got a couple new ones to choose from!).

Paige, out.

I'm a Morning Runner

2012-01-19T09:31:00.001-06:00

Last night's run sucked a**.

I know we all have 'em, it's just been so long since I've had one: a crap-filled run. I said to Geof that I couldn't remember feeling more awkward running, other than my first run back after Vermont 100 in 2009 (my first hundie).

Everything felt off. My feet felt like balloons. My ankles felt brittle and ached. My knees ached, too. My hips and hamstrings felt tight. My stomach was sour. My mind, good grief my mind, was on a rampage. The wind howled on the way out, but pushed us along nicely on the way back. We both grunted and grimaced most of the way, otherwise running in silence. At least we were in the same boat :)

Four miles never felt so long. My legs never felt so slow. The night never felt so foreboding. City noises never annoyed me so much. All I could think about was getting home to warmth...and pizza.

I am definitely a morning runner. Especially in winter.

This morning's run was infinitely better. But the bitter taste of a crappy run still sat on my tongue. Good thing it's nothing a hot cup of black tea can't snuff out!

I can't wait for tomorrow's run :)

Random Nature Note:

Last night we came home to our mini-tree/plant-that-we-are-unsure-of-what-it-is (aka "Stella") drooped at a 90 degree angle, leaves pitifully limp and dangling ominously. I never realized how attached I am to our house plants until that moment. My heart began to sink. "Stella!" I poured her a tall drink of water as we left for our run. When we came back, I hopped into a hot shower and Geof burst into the bathroom, "Stella just shot straight up!" When I finished, I stole a peek and sure enough, she was standing fully upright, leaves once again wide and firm. Stella was once again stunning :) Isn't that incredible?

Nature, my friends, is awesome.

Paige, out.

Grass-letes

2012-01-17T12:28:00.002-06:00

WARNING: Shameless Plug Follows!

It's official, Geof and I are now officially grass fed grassletes!! We've really been grass fed for well over a year now, but as of last week we are now on the Amazing Grass Athlete roster. Exciting!
(*I made up the term 'grasslete'. I must take full blame for eye roll inducing words/phrases. I felt pretty clever when I came up with that one ;))

We've been Grassheads for awhile and have really enjoyed the myriad benefits of getting a lot of our organic superfoods from Amazing Grass. When we finally decided to make a healthy balanced diet a part of an overall lifestyle change it really only made sense. Amazing Grass is a rockin' little company that makes some seriously awesome product, the benefits of which roll over nicely into our running lifestyle. Have you ever tried any of their stuff? Check it out if you haven't! They sell "sample" versions online of a lot of their drinks and bars, so it's cheap and easy to try out. I also know that Whole Foods sells Amazing Grass if you prefer the brick-and-mortar experience.

We like to nosh on the AG Green SuperFood Energy Bars after long runs, or even just on long car rides where my need to eat incessantly gets in the way of making progress (as well as my need to use the ladies' room every 30 minutes...c'mon, I have a very lady-like bladder!) :) And 2-3 scoops of the Berry Green SuperFood goes in our daily morning smoothies. It tastes so GOOD! Looks disgusting, for sure, but seriously the flavor is awesome.

So, shameless plug aside, I enjoy being able to represent completely awesome brands (see the Serious Support tab above for evidence), and when this opportunity presented itself we could not resist. We actually use the stuff daily, and love it. So I feel pretty good about plugging it all here.

For transparency's sake, there is absolutely no financial gain on our part by endorsing these guys. The only gains are warm fuzzies, knowing we get to represent a brand we love and believe in. How 'bout them apples! If you're curious, I suggest checking out Amazing Grass if you feel like getting your personal health philosophy rocked n' rolled by a completely Amazing experience.

And in other running news, we had a totally Amazing T10 this morning! Warm, windy on the way back, drizzly, and wonderful! Today marks day 20 of our running streak, a PR by about 15 days, heh :) Legs are feeling pretty good, and mind and body are very, very happy. Onward!

Paige, out.

Fastest Guns in the (Mid)West

2012-01-11T12:44:00.001-06:00

Okay, not really, but that's what popped into my head when I started dreaming up the title for this post :) But, it's not totally unrelated to the content...!

Saturday morning we're up at the crack of yeehaw dreaming up our run for the day. We were planning to head up to the Kettle Moraine since the weather was phenomenal (full sun, 30s, rockin' awesome) and began to make motions towards that goal. Some mid-winter camping had been on the agenda as well, but we scratched that idea upon waking Saturday morning. We also wanted to make our usual stop at the La Grange General Store for lunch, so that meant we needed to get the show on the road.

For as early as we got up, we didn't end up heading out the door until close to noon :) What on earth were we doing all that time? I have no idea. So, to the Nordic trail we headed! We're within 20 minutes of our final destination when I decide Facebook needs to know what we're up to, so I post a quick little status update. Almost instantly (not really, it just seemed like it) I got a reply from Brian telling me to check out a post from someone else and to "be careful out there." Ummmmm, what?

I couldn't see the post so I asked what it said and he sent me a text with the information...basically, there was a gunman on the loose on the Nordic trails and a fellow runner was greeted by 20 some odd policemen with their guns drawn when she came off the trails after her run. She ran right by the guy!

In any event, we had no idea what the trail situation would be so we started altering our plan a bit. We pulled up to the Nordic trailhead only to see that it has been blockaded and an officer steps out of his truck to speak with Geof while another officer is off to the side doing nothing out of the ordinary...you know, just strapping on a bulky bullet proof vest and tossing an enormous gun across his back. Gave me chills!

So it turns out, allegedly, some dude not wearing blaze orange (i.e. in plain clothes) shot directly at a hunter and his son, the hunter shot back, and then the dude took off. Police were on the hunt for him, choppers were called, area houses were put on lockdown, and the Nordic trails were closed off. But, according to the gent Geof spoke with, it was okay to run the trails across the street. Seriously? How was that expected to be safe? Heh.

In the end, all we could find out was that the search was "called off" later that evening. No explanation of what happened, or why it was called off, or if they caught their perp. Nothing. Isn't that strange?

We ended up driving up the road to the Highway 12 trailhead and ran to Rice Lake and back. It was AWESOME! Lots of hunters out on the trail, which is always creepy feeling, but they are always very nice to us. I love this section of the KM100. It's technical, it's hilly, it twisty-turny. Lots of rocks, a miniature pine tree alley that makes me feel extremely tall as we run beneath the stunted canopy of pine. I endeavored to run the entire way out; running every up and every down, maintaining a consistent cadence the whole way. I did it, too :) It burned on some of the steeper climbs, but I was able to keep moving at the same pace regardless. We reached the turnaround at Rice Lake and headed back the way we came. I kept the same goal in mind, but at two of the sections with railroad tie stairs (going up this time) I let myself reduce to a brisk hike for a moment, but still the same cadence. It felt so good. The weather was just fantastic, and other than the sprinkling of hunters alongside the trail near County Road P, we more or less had the trail to ourselves. Some spots were a little mucky, but for the most part it was in great shape.

I wore my La Sportiva Quantums and enjoyed a solid ride the whole way. When you step in tacky mud it sounds like peeling velcro as my foot leaves the mud. It sounds pretty funny, but it also means I'm getting great traction even on the slippy-slidey stuff.

After wrapping up our run we quickly changed and headed for the warm goodness of the General Store. We shared a hot Fajita Pita for lunch, and I enjoyed my very first kombucha tea (ummmm, holy deliciousness!). There was a specific dinner spot we had in mind on the way home, so we didn't want to spoil our appetites before we got there.

After sufficiently relaxing our legs and bellies we hopped back in the truck and headed for Woodstock, IL an hour or so away. The Woodstock Public House has the sort of charm and ambiance I think only exists in movies or made-for-TV-dramas. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it before (when we went apple picking back in the fall), but the town square is so perfectly perfect it makes me squeal with delight when I see it. We parked on the far end and walked around the Square to the Pub where we grabbed a high-top in the front room (it has the best people watching :)). I ordered the most divine pumpkin harvest soup and melted into the bowl as I drained it of every last drop.

A nearly full moon over Main Street

We walked around the Square once more on the way back to the truck, and we dreamed up Sunday's run/workout. The day wasn't even done and I was already chomping at the bit for the next day's run :)

And, in closing, I stumbled upon Joe Grant's blog yesterday (if you don't follow it you should consider it :)) and fell in love with the writing. He's got great style. He wrote a short post on his 2011 streak and I cannot get this clip from his post out of my head...it's some serious truth:

"There's something special about devoting, even the smallest amount of time, each day to something that you love. In many ways, it is no longer a question as to whether or not I will run today, but rather about the excitement and anticipation of what the run will bring."

And that is yet another reason I run...for "the excitement and anticipation of what the run will bring."

Paige, out.

The Art of Running

2012-01-11T09:09:00.000-06:00

Remember the Bumper Stickers from back in February? I'm looking into getting some more on hand so I can do another giveaway, but in the midst of my looking into this they asked me if I'd like to try out a product from their sister company, Easy Canvas Prints, in the meantime. I checked it out, played around on the site some and decided I could make it pretty running related. So, I said sure (one of my new years goals: say yes more!)!

The company name is pretty straight forward and leaves nothing to the imagination, as they are exactly that...easy canvas prints. You upload a photo you want...canvased? (is that even a word?)...select the size you want, and then fork over some moola. Pretty simple, and a great way to memorialize a favorite photo in a slightly different way than you would likely normally do. It was fun!

I picked the 8"x10" size and uploaded one of my favorite race pictures. Geof and I liked it so much that we even included it on the backside of our wedding invitations :) Here's a pic of the final product:

The lighting in the living room wasn't that great this morning, but the print looks really great in person, just like the original photo but with an artistic touch to it! I am blanking on who shot this photo originally, but it was either Kelly Gaines or Gretchen. It's from the 2010 Rio Del Lago 100. Geof is walking with me across No Hands Bridge around mile 40 of the course. It was hot, hot, hot that day and when he let go and waved me on I began troubleshooting my situation, preparing to lose my cookies for the first time in a race before pulling it together and finishing up in fine fashion. It was a fantastic day, and a great race. This photo makes me smile so much :)

If you've got a picture you want to do something special with then I definitely recommend your checking this out. I think Groupon and Living Social have a lot of deals for this sort of thing, too. So keep an eye out, or hop on over to Easy Canvas Prints to see what they can do for you.

Now who ever said running isn't an art?!

Paige, out.

NON-RUNNING CONTENT...But Still Pretty Cool

2012-01-05T12:57:00.001-06:00

Now it's at four posts in five days...amazing! :)

Here's a little peak into my non-running life (does such a thing exist?!)...My older brother, Tate, has a band called How Far to Austin and I just received their newsletter containing a link to a music video they made recently.

It's AWESOME! I got goosebumps watching it, then I wanted to dance so I watched it again! It's their version of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" and it'll give you a pants party.

How Far to Austin - Proud Mary Video

My brother is the guitarist, in flannel (how many of you were able to pick him out??). He looks just like me so you can't miss him :) Except I have a flatter set of abs currently (shhhhhh, this'll fire him up!) and he is quite a bit funnier. I have much to learn about the written word from him.

Me and my big brother

My sister-in-law, Katie, is the female vocalist. She's got some serious chords. My niece has some big shoes to fill!

Anywho, I was just so dang proud that I wanted to share it here. I remember Tate's first electric guitar and watching him play the first few chords of some Jimmy Hendrix song over and over and over because I'm pretty sure that's all he knew how to play. Now he's a bonafide Chicago rockstar. Pretty neat. Makes my running seem so...pedestrian :)

Enjoy!

Paige, out.

Here and There

2012-01-04T17:13:00.001-06:00

Wow, three posts in the span of four days...it's like the old days of blogging, when I'd post every time I batted an eye ;)

It's been pretty cold here the last week or so...I'm talking downright arctic blast. At least for me; at this point; compared to, like, Southern California. Or maybe not. I have no idea what SoCal's weather is currently like :)

We've resolved to train through the winter, as usual, which means running in friggin' cold temps since the new year. Good thing I've learned how to dress for the cold. Except for my hands. I managed to under-think it yesterday and didn't grab my windproof mittens for our Tuesday Ten and my fingertips were in pain for far too long afterward. Lesson learned.

Another lesson learned. A really good running jacket makes the world go round. Or at least it makes the cold miles fly by. I went out on a limb and snagged a jacket that cost more than $40, and wasn't on the REI clearance rack :) I bought the Brooks Inifiniti Jacket. Me likey. This isn't a product review; I just love this jacket so much I wanted to share it with the world. It's pretty thin and very lightweight (no lining), and has really awesome windproof-ness and some waterproof-ness. I also like that it has what I'm calling 'wrist gaiters'. I don't know what they're really called, but I love them, and they have thumb holes. Which I also love, but don't use much since it's buttass cold and I'm wearing gloves anyhow. Since it's not insulated you do need to layer up underneath, which I am a big fan of. Layers, that is. I'm also a big fan of walnuts these days, but that's neither here nor there.

So, if you're in the market for a new winter running jacket, and already are a fan of layering, I recommend this jacket.

Speaking of running, Tuesday Ten was fabulous. We ran a modified route due to ice and crap covering our usual route, and due to my paralyzing fear of ice. Our runs are a fair bit slower during times of frozen stuff, but that's okay; it teaches me patience...and how to settle down quickly when my heart rate has spiked through the roof because I merely saw a patch of ice off in the distance. (Imagine what it's like when I'm actually running through ice. I get instant hot sweats and my heart pounds ferociously in my chest whilst breathing heavily. Oooo, even just thinking about it gets my heart pounding!)

In any event, we've been enjoying playing along with 31 Days of Adventures! It's so simple and fun, nothing crazy, just ways to help you see and exeperience your world a little differently. If you want to join in, it's not too late! You can do make-up work :) Today's adventure is to learn something new. I'm going to learn how to make mashed cauliflower (like mashed taters, except different :)).

Photo: www.buttermilkpress.com

See, nothing crazy, just fun. I'm documenting my 31 Adventures on Twitter, so if you want to keep up you can follow me there. My twitter name (or whatever that is called!) is @paigeruns. Fitting, no?

I've got a fun little giveaway in the works, so stay tuned for that! Oooooo, a giveaway! And it's running related, too :)

Happy First Week of 2012 (aka The Year of Woohoo!)!

Paige, out.

2011: You Were Good To Me

2012-01-02T09:18:00.001-06:00

I'm a big fan of reflection. I like glancing back at all things awesome, and I like sharing it here, whether you like it or not :) It's a new year, so that grants me a brief window of time in which to indulgently reflect on the past year and appreciate all the friggin' amazing things that happened.

We ran a LOT (for me, anyway), went to some really great places (Moab, Salt Lake, Park City, Denver, Hawai'i, Arizona, Arches National Park), did some cool things (ran slickrock, through slot canyons, through the desert; got married (!!); got to watch our good friends Brian and Kelly become parents for the first time (!!); earned some PRs; took some leaps of faith; paid off debt; earned a pair of Boston qualifying times), made some great new friends, and said yes more than no.

It was an all around magical, fantasy-sequence kind of year. If I were to do 2011 all over again I wouldn't change a single thing. And I can say that with absolute confidence. That feels awesome.

Instead of recapping some highlights of the year via the written word, I thought I'd take a card from Meghan Hicks' stack and try something a little different...explore the year via photos. You should read her recap post HERE. The music, the photography, is beautiful. Thank you for the inspiration, MH!

So, come, follow me along on a quick journey through the last year :) Thank you for being a part of it and thank you for reading. I sincerely appreciate it!

January:

Windburn Six in the Stix...brrrrrr! Photo: Kelly Gaines

February:

Moab's Red Hot 55k...holy tough course! Photo: Rob Corson

March:

Horseriders 34 Miler...oh the MUD! Photo: Kelly Gaines

April:

Crossroads of Indiana Marathon...hello Boston! Photo: Action Sports Images

Bachelorette Party!! Photo: Tilly Troelstrup

May:

Ice Age 50...my second favorite PR :) Photo: Michele Hartwig

We got married! Photo: Matt Dunmore Photography

Hawai'ian Honeymoon...ooo la la

June:

June was a whole lot of post-wedding and honeymoon rest and getting ready to start Javelina training, and apparently it was a non-photogenic month for us :)

July:

Sunburn Six in the Stix...First Female Overall! Photo: Kelly Gaines

August:

Palos Hills 32.4 Mile. Photo: Kelly Gaines

September:

I turned 30!! And, I discover a love for apricot beer via Pyramid Brewery's Apricot Ale :)

Hiking just above Nederland, Colorado with Julia, Charlie dog, and Geof

My first 50 mile PR of the year (North Face 50 - Madison): 8:35, and a photo with Dean Karnazes. I'm pretty sure his legs were more shaved than mine that day...

October:

Our second/new 50 Mile PR (Des Plaines River Trail Races): 7:44! Photo: Bill Thom

November:

My favorite PR of the year: Javelina Jundred: 22:40. What a day! Photo: Vens

December:

December was focused on finishing up Mission: 2000, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the season. We're both suckers for the holiday season :)

Our tree! Brrr, it was chilly that day, but completely wonderful

Christmas Eve with the Kings! Photo: Kevin King

And our traditional Elf Yourself skit with Brian and Kelly, and now baby Caleb, too!

But out of all the amazing things I got to do and experience this year, the absolute best thing was this:

Marrying the dude of my dreams :)
Photo: Matt Dunmore Photography

Happy New Year!

Paige, out.

Mission: 2000: Accomplished

2012-01-01T10:34:00.001-06:00

I did it! Two thousand miles, DONE! Well, 2000.6 to be exact.

I knew it could be done, but the immune systems gods tried their best to keep me down...I hacked and coughed, and blew my nose the majority of the final 22 miles this week, but I made it. And found that a temporary cure for a head cold comes in the form of running. Works better than any over-the-counter remedy out there :)

And now I'm going to get all number-y on you :)

Previous highest mileage year: 2010 - 1,341.5
2011: 2000.6 miles (659.1 miles more than 2010, bam!)
Hours running: ~311
Run entries: 244
Average run distance: ~8.2 miles
Average pace for all 244 runs: 9:18 (that's a considerable drop from 2010's average pace of 11:36, yowza!)
If I ran west from my front door for 2000 miles, I could get to: Bend, Oregon
If I ran east from my front door for 2000 miles, I could get to: Portland, Maine and still have 600+ miles to cover...but Google maps won't let me run across a glacier for some reason, so, Maine it is!
Races: 9
Race mileage: 402.6 (I liked focusing less on racing and more on high quality training...and I think it paid off pretty well. I plan to do this again in 2012: less racing, more training and loving it.)

It was a highly successful year over here, too, and I'm mostly going to outline the below items for my own personal need to document so that when I'm old I can look back and reminisce about the days of yore...and chuckle and say, "dang, I used to be so slow and lazy when I was younger!" :) So skip this brag-y part if you like.

PRs:
Marathon: 3:39 (Crossroads of Indiana)
50k: 5:12 (Ice Age)
50 Mile: 7:44 (Des Plaines River Trail Races)
100 Mile: 22:40 (Javelina Jundred)
Pairs of running shoes in my closet at one time: 12
Number of Honey Stinger Waffles before I thought I'd toss my cookies: 12 (I need to work on this)
Number of falls on the exact same spot on my right knee, drawing good blood: 2
Number of injuries: 0
Number of sissy pains that my awesome ART/chiropractor worked on: 2

And that's a wrap folks!

What a fantastic year 2011 was! I sincerely look forward to all that 2012 has to offer, and I plan to take advantage of every bit of it...and running better than ever. It doesn't get much better than running a full year injury free, faster than I have before and farther than I have before...except for being able to repeat that same formula, and then some in the following year :)

So now that I've made you gag with this post, I'm simultaneously working on a different sort of 2011 wrap-up post, with pictures this time :)

I honestly wish you all the best in the new year, and I hope that you find and/or continue to cultivate your Serious Case of the Runs. We are a lucky folk who find joy in running. Now get off your computer/phone/tablet/whatever you're reading this from and go for a RUN!!

Paige, out.

2012...I'm comin' fah YOU!

Photo credit: K. Troelstrup

I Am ALIVE!

2011-12-29T10:13:00.001-06:00

I survived the unthinkable, all out war, pure massacre on my immune system...the combination head and chest cold.

Okay, so it's really not that big a deal, but for someone who just plain does not get sick, it's a pretty big deal :)

This was the first time I've had to call in sick to work in over two years. I probably could have taken one more day today, but when I woke up and felt better than I did yesterday I was too excited! Work, oh glorious work! World, people, sun!!

I am really terrible at being sick. Really. I must have slept about 14 hours worth of naps yesterday. And in between hour and a half nap stints I would walk around our empty apartment, stare out the window, flip through an Ultrarunning magazine for about two minutes, stare at the wall for another couple minutes, boil water for a cup of tea, then crawl back into bed for another nap. I don't know how people do it. I work with people who call in "sick" every week. They must get reallllly bored ;)

In any event, I haven't run a step since Monday afternoon, and I am really looking forward to running, and wrapping up Mission: 2000. Just 18 measly miles left on the radar before I can call myself a 2000 mile runner. I will love every step; I always do.

I did ponder 2012 goals a bit, while cooking up some quinoa for dinner last night, and today I checked into Gretchen's blog and found THIS. I dig it. That's a good way to start the new year. Thirty-one days of adventure. Sounds right up my alley. I'd also like to set a higher mileage goal for the year. Those are always fun to do. And some time goals for a couple of races. But, I'll save that for a forthcoming post. 2012 is going to be another really amazing year with loads of adventure awaiting us, including a really, really big adventure. But I can't write about that until it's really set in stone :) How 'bout that for a teaser?!

For now, I'm looking forward to putting pavement to feet later this evening with my number one :)

Paige, out.

Mission: 2000...Update Ver. 2.0

2011-12-20T15:49:00.001-06:00

This is generally the time of year I enjoy E-reflecting upon the previous 330+ days and spin off into a vaguely (read: entirely) self-centered, excited ramble about all the glorious things we've seen and done over the course of the year.
(I just physically winked as I typed that, FYI.) (I also had my tongue firmly in my cheek.) (Here's a grain of salt; would you like more?)

I digress.

However, I am still hard at work on one final goal for the year, and will thus hold off on the aforementioned excited rambling. But, have no fear, it is forthcoming, in some form or another. What's a calendar running year without a blog post summing up all things awesome? Exactly.

I digress, again.

Mission: 2000 is getting close to wrapping up, ooooo-weeeeee! Today I pole-vaulted over 1,960 miles. Boom. We've been keeping things short and sweet and aiming for simple maintenance and quick recovery. Though, we have been pushing the pace pretty hard most days as a result of the short distance runs :)

Sunday, we headed back to the Little Red School House loop in Palos Forest Preserve and staged a smackdown with the 8.3 mile loop, finishing more than 2 minutes faster than we ran it the week before. And this week we had the "pleasure" of slip-slidding along the trail in what was easily the muddiest I have ever seen it. Of course, we felt pretty guilty running such a muddy trail (you're supposed to stay off the single track when it's wet). We're rebels without a cause. Please forgive us, trail gods! The trail repaid us by smothering us from mid-thigh down in thick muck, and the prickly plants alongside the trail reached out and scrapped my pale sun-starved legs. I have a few scabbed lashings to prove it.

It was totally worth it.

Despite the terrain, we still showed it who's boss and we finished up in fine time. I was sucking air so hard I thought my lungs would explode. I knew we were close on time, and Geof had been pulling me along as it were, but I unearthed a hidden reserve of power lingering in the shadows as we found ourselves in the final mile. Geof was smooth and appeared to exert almost no effort as I cranked it up alongside him, turning the legs over as fast as I could muster at that time, letting the finish reel us in. In just over 8 miles I managed to leave it all out on the trail.

That felt really, really good.

By the way, I wish you a very supremely merry Holiday! Whichever and whatever it may be, I hope you find a heaping serving of joy, love, happiness, and many, many miles :)

Paige, out.

The Trail Poet Cometh

2011-12-14T09:14:00.002-06:00

Stepping out of the warmth of the truck,
the cold nips at my cheeks and nose.
I yank at a zipper that won't come unstuck,
as a high-speed chill runs straight to my toes.

Breath comes out in big white puffs,
as we step onto the trail to begin our run.
Thankful to have remembered my gloves,
as frozen hands are just no fun.

Ah, the feel of a half frozen trail,
beneath our road weary feet.
It's sort of like the runners' holy grail,
when a wintery trail you do meet.

A thin blanket of winter layers the ground,
and the forest flora has taken its leave.
With hardly a glance and barely a sound,
we move through the forest with a bob and a weave.

The trail twists and takes a turn,
rolls up high and descends down low.
Oh for this how long I do yearn,
for winter's first run covered in snow!

The cold air burns my lungs and stings my face,
and my smile is frozen in time.
But I couldn't care less as I aim to embrace,
this loveliest of runs along a moraine spine!

We pick up the pace and push the hill,
winding down the singletrack.
With joy and excitment my heart does fill,
I savor these moments and don't look back.

A nice easy trail run
has officially become fast.
But hey, a little fartlek can be fun,
especially when you're already having a blast.

Before we know it we reach the end,
"Wow, that was fast! What time did you get?"
Oh how I've missed the trail, my dear friend.
"Lets get burrittos before this stomach does fret!"

There's little I love more than trail weary legs and Saturday's trail run was just what the body ordered. First trail run since JJ100 over a month ago. The Little Red School House loop did not disappoint :)

Paige, out.

Pocket Change

2011-12-08T17:01:00.001-06:00

I was contacted by a cute little website called PocketChange earlier this week about being included in their weekly "Best of the Web" feature. I'd never heard of these folks before, so I decided to do some research and find out what their dealio is. Pretty interesting, a complete mish-mash of pretty much everything. I like the vibe, so I obliged. I dig it, so I wanted to share it with you :)

You can find the feature (and other neat-o blogs featured this week as well) right HERE.

Hey, it's almost Friday, and, this week, that means Holiday Party!

Paige, out.

Mission: 2000...update

2011-12-07T12:43:00.002-06:00

Today's run officially pushed me over 1,900 miles. Only 100 more miles to victory! The official "start date" for Zane Grey training is also fast approaching, so hitting this milestone will be a nice way to kick off the new training season.

Goodness gracious, I sure do love running!

And now for a photo completely unrelated to Mission: 2000...one from the JJ100 course:

Photo credit: Manoj Nagalla

I can't believe it's only been 3-1/2 weeks since JJ100. Seems like a lifetime ago!

Paige, out.

Mission: 2000

2011-11-30T10:18:00.000-06:00

This morning's run marked the official start of winter running for the Serious Case of the Runs household. The mercury would only reach 27 degrees before we stepped out the door. And, as Rob C. would say, the "real feel/sissy temp" was a weak 22 degrees. This was definitely going to be a long tights sort of run. Ah well, it was going to happen sooner or later :)
That said, I do love cold weather running! As long as there's no ice I am a happy camper. Less sweating, faster turnover, fresher legs, happy lungs. It's all good.

Oh yea, I've been running :) Recovery post-JJ100 has been a whole new experience for me this time around. It's been really good! We took a full week off right after the race, then started back nice and easy the following Monday, and have taken just one day off since. I am pleasantly surprised (as is Geof) with how well recovery has gone. Legs feel fresh, and certainly not as if they ran over 100 miles less than three weeks ago. The body has bounced back like a friggin' champ. Not to mention my melon. Usually, post-100, I am mentally wiped and really looking forward to the time off from running. Not so this time! Geof and I were both ready to get back at it a mere three days later, so holding back for a week was harder than we expected. But we were good little athletes and didn't run a step that week, not even across the street. Though, I may have broken into a run if a block of manchego cheese had been waiting for me on the other side ;)

I have a new goal now. One last little thing to squeeze in before the new year :) This year has been so good to me, and I managed to achieve every single one of my goals set back in March. So I figure, I'm so close now, I may as well just go for it. I am going to place a little bit of blame on Jennifer Leslie for encouraging me ;)

I'm shooting to hit 2000 running miles by the close of December 31, 2011. Before this year, my highest yearly mileage was 1,314 miles. I'm now knocking on 1,900 miles. I can easily lay out 100+ miles in the next 4.5 weeks :) Jennifer and I plotted it out casually at the last New Leaf Ultra Runs club run two weeks ago (where Geof and I cheered everyone else on, and stuck to the sidelines). She is just as close as I am and has also never hit this high of mileage. So we're both aiming to hit or break 2000. Yeah teamwork! Yeah good bad influences! ;-)

Yesterday we managed to sleep in a little bit and were unable to get in our morning run, so I decided a night run was going to be in order. Two thousand miles don't run themselves. However, Mother Nature was P-O'd yesterday and was whipping waves over the path and onto lawns and such, in addition to blowing winds in excess of 50 mph. So, I decided it would be prudent to stay inside, especially since it was dark already and Geof had a work function to attend...and I tend to get thrown around like a rag doll in winds that strong. To the treadmills! I haven't run on the treadmill since maybe February when it was really icy outside. It went very well though. I was ready to pull the plug at 3 miles out of sheer boredom, but then I found some fun mind games to play and keep mentally occupied through 6 miles. I played with the incline (our building got new treadmills I think because now they go up to 15% incline, hellz yeah!), and did some interval work. That was fun! I almost forgot what it was like to sweat, but this run reminded me I can sweat like a dude when on the treadmill ;)

Oh, I almost forgot! Speaking of bad influences...Brian Gaines... April 21st we'll be running the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile in Pine, Arizona. It's going to be a birthday run for Brian, and Geof and I are along for the celebration and masochism. Kelly and Caleb will bear witness to the insanity. I mean really, what are we thinking? Geof and I hmm'd and haw'd about it for awhile, but Brian reminded us it was going to sell out so we made a snap decision and signed up. COMPLETELY outside our comfort zone, and for that very reason I am very excited about it! I figure, you need to do at least one big thing per year that really terrifies you. Zane Grey sorta terrifies this flatland, nontechnical Midwesterner. And the snakes give Geof the heebie jeebies. So that'll be interesting! The average finish time is 13.5 hours. The Hardrock Honey, Diana Finkel, ran it in 11.5 hours this year, holy EFF! She lives and trains in the mountains. The winner does it in about 8.5-9 hours. This could be a nice LONG day of speed hiking for us. And totally awesome :)

We're still working on our schedule for next year, and I'm mulling over new goals. I'm finding that setting reasonable but worthy goals and making them public makes a big difference. I highly recommend it! More on that later.

Paige, out.

2011 Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Run: Desert Dancing

2011-11-18T13:55:00.002-06:00

Before I get started, here's a quick peek inside the contents of my mind this past Saturday as we ran around the Arizona desert. I'd like to call it the 100 Mile Mental Montage:

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine/blah-betty-blah/'Cause baby you're a firework/Come on, show 'em what you're worth/Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"/As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a fiiiiiiiiirework/blah-betty-blah-blah/Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"/You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe/blah-betty-blaaaaaahhhhhh/brighter than the moon (courtesy of Katy Perry)
*record scratching*
I wish nothing but the best for youuuuuuuuu/Don't forget me, I know I re-emember you saaaaaid/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts insteaaaaaaad... (Courtesy of Adele)
*record scratching*
Welcome hooo-ooooooooo-oh oh oh ooommmmme, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah (Courtesy of Radical Face)
*record scratching*
I'm too embarrassed to admit the fourth song that was stuck in my head. I don't know how it got there. What music happens in my head in the desert, stays in my head for fear of e-laughing and e-pointing. For shame!

I must admit, the segues into each of the above four songs got smoother and more creative as the day went on. It was like I had a professional mixmaster in my head. Except that the mixmaster only had four songs to work with. For 22+ hours straight. I'll also admit that the above lyrics are verbatim from my head. I don't know any lyrics beyond the above, so don't hold me accountable for any inaccuracies. And I'm convinced that "blah-betty-blah" is really in those songs. Who can understand what they're saying anyway?!

Moving on.

The 2011 Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Run (that is actually 101.4 miles) was a mindblowing success! I don't even know where to begin, so I'll just start and see where I end up :) Oh, and it's going to be realllllly long. Grab some hydration, something to snack on, and a warm fuzzy to cozy up with :)

Geof and I flew into Phoenix Friday morning and hooked up with Brian and Kelly (aka "Brelly") and baby Caleb at the airport. We hopped in our rented hoopty, Caleb between Geof and I in the back seat, and I commenced with the goo-goo ga-ga'ing with Caleb while everyone else held intelligent, adult conversation, of which I heard nothing. I was very engrossed in the insane adorableness of Caleb.

Exhibit 1 of Insane Adorableness

After checking in at the fabulous Holiday Inn Express - Fountain Hills, we decided to get lunch at Fireside Grill (which is conveniently located inside the hotel). YUM. If you plan on running/crewing/pacing JJ, ever, stay at the Holiday Inn and eat every meal you can at the Fireside.

After doing some arranging of things, doing leaps across our awkwardly large room, and sniffing the really nice hotel toiletries (coconut lime verbena Bath and Body Works products, hello!), we met back up with Brelly and headed to McDowell Mountain Park to pick up our packets, hang out, enjoy the pre-race dinner and sit in on the pre-race meeting. This year (compared to 2009) was super relaxed and laid back. I ran into lots of peeps who read my blog (which always makes me blush), and finally met JojaJogger! We gathered with other Chicago-area runners in town for the race, took some pictures, and then got in line for some grub. P.F. Chang's was catering the dinner, and it was actually quite delish. Rices, noodles, veggies, some other stuff that I didn't touch, and then three huge sheet cakes. The ratio of rice and noodles to cake was somewhat...skewed...on my part :) And oh so delicous!

After we wrapped up dinner, the five of us headed back to the hotel. We said goodnight to the Brelly family, and immediately set about organizing our one drop bag (at the midway point of the loop, Jackass Junction), and our bag for the start/finish area. JJ100 consists of six 15.4 mile loops, and a seventh loop of about 9.4 miles. You always come back to Jeadquarters and then turn around and run in the direction you just came from (called 'washing machine' loops). This means you get to see everyone throughout the day, and keep tabs on the front of the pack, which is amazingly fun to watch unfold.

I felt a little parched, so once we finished our OCD race prep, we moseyed down to the Fireside Grill to enjoy our traditional pre-race libation: Coors Light. Nothing better :)

We both slept like babies. It was amazing. I woke up really awake, and really nervous. Geof went about his bid'ness and I about mine. We met up with Brelly outside and drove the 20 minutes over to the park around 5:00 a.m. I stared out the window at the full moon, pondering such things as mortality, why I'm about to do what I'm about to do, what kind of cheese I want to eat when we're done, and things of that nature. When we arrived at the park, we made a beeline for the shelter at the start/finish to set up our bags and ensure that we'd have a dry place for our things in the event of rain, which had been forecast for Sunday morning early. While we certainly took the possibility of rain into consideration, for some reason I didn't take it very seriously. We decided to leave our rain shells in the trunk of the car, so they weren't taking up room in our bag, but still accessible if needed. The start was cool, but warmer than I thought it might be, in the low 50s I believe. But combined with nerves and not a ton of sleep, it felt cooler than that. I cuddled up to a cup of hot coffee and walked around some, in a complete daze. I was reciting some go-to positive affirmations that I've found to be beneficial when its crunch time. Settling the mind and easing the butterflies.

For the first time ever in a 100 mile race, I felt ready, determined, and completely confident in my ability to achieve what I was setting out to do. There was no way in hell we weren't finishing under 24 hours. Just no way.

Just before the start!
Photo credit: Jen Birkner

What's up Javelina Jundred, I'm gonna make you my b****! I thought that to myself as we lined up behind the start line. And suddenly, I wanted to dance. But I didn't, so I did a dance in my head :)

With a little fan fare, but an intense buzzing of excitement, 396 brave souls set out down the trail, running in the clockwise direction. Headlamps glowed in the dark morning air, bouncing up and down, side to side. I noted how very little chatter there was. Everyone folded up inside themselves, contemplating the task that lay before them. It felt very dream-like those first few minutes. Geof and I started near mid-to-back of the pack and were encased in a heavy clump of bodies, worming our way along the double-wide trail, seemingly as one entity. The soft plod of feet on loose churned sand. I was thankful for the slow start, being stuck in such a dense pack of people. Plenty of walking in those first couple of miles up to the first aid station (Coyote Camp?). After that first aid station, the trail turns rocky. It was far rockier than I recall from pacing in 2009, and a lot longer than memory served. But, runnable nonetheless.

The clump finally broke up some and we were able to bob-and-weave our way around people. Chatter began, and I pieced together numerous tidbits of passing conversations into one complete thought in my head. A humorous way to pass the time :) Geof mentioned he wasn't exactly 'keen' on my sprinting ahead of large groups of people. I just wanted to get ahead of the social peeps and settle into a nice quiet spot. I didn't want to get roped into any conversations just yet. I was still seeking out my happy place. But, I tried my best to even things out a bit and slow some :) I tried. Before long, dawn turned into morning and the headlamps were shut off for good. A guy named Dallas caught up to us, scaring the bejeezus out of me. He apologized for the rampage and said he had been trying to catch us for a long time and wanted to see what it was like to run with #16 (me)...I refrained from mentioning that I picked my bib number, it wasn't a number given to me for being a fastie :) I just smiled to myself. He was sweet and held onto us for a bit before we cut ties. I think he passed us up, but don't quite recall now.

And just like that, Lap 1 was done. I knew we should keep pretty close to 3 hours, if not a little less, at first. We finished the first lap in 2:41. Boom. A little faster than I thought it would be, but totally rockin' because I felt awesome.

Rolling into Jeadquarters, 15.4 miles down
Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

I grabbed a few more waffles for my waist pack, dropped off my headlamp, and topped off my water bottle while Geof did the same, and we were out of there in a few minutes. Quick turnaround is absolutely key.

Heading in the direction we came from (counter-clockwise this time) we started to see everyone who was behind us. This is the coolest part of the course, seeing other runners. We ran all the way into the first aid station (Rattlesnake? Not sure), stopped for a quick porto-john visit and were out in a flash. It was very overcast, but still warming up nicely. We were moving really well and I was stoked about how good I felt, but still very cautious. One hundred miles is a loooong way to go, and nothing is guaranteed. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

Geof and I are pretty quiet runners, but early on we were chatty and gossipy. I could tell Geof was debating something internally, but I didn't prod. Verbalizing things sometimes makes them worse. It was somewhere in this second loop that I enlisted a saying that Marshall Ulrich mentions using in his book "Running on Empty" (which you should absolutely read if you haven't already). When something started to act like it was going to bother me, I told myself, "Not my problem." And within moments, whatever it was would be gone; proof of how powerful the mind is. I know that a lot of the time most of the things that bother me are manufactured by my mind. So, I let it know it simply wasn't my problem. That twinge in my ankle? Not my problem. That could-be-a-hotspot starting? Not my problem. All that gas? Definitely not my problem...but certainly a problem for whomever was behind me ;)

We started a habit of discussing what we were going to do at each aid station before we approached it. I'd ask, "what do you want to do here?" and Geof would list out his tasks, and then I would follow suit. This was a handy little tactic. It kept our minds occupied, and it ensured we kept on task in aid stations rather than dilly-dallying.

And, once again, just like that we were back at Jeadquarters. I decided I would change my socks here for the first time. I had a couple hot-spotty areas on my right foot, so I did a quick wipe-down of the feet, reapplied Hydropel in key areas, and put on a fresh pair of Injinjis. This would end up being the only time I changed my socks. I freakin' love Injinji liner socks. Of course, I was wearing my usual La Sportiva Wildcats, and I never once changed out of those. First time I've worn the same shoes all the way through a 100 miler.

Re-affixing my gaiters after Lap 2
Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

This stop was a touch longer, and Geof changed his socks, too. He was having some very minor stomach woes and general blahs, but we were out of there in maybe 5 or so minutes.

Lap 3 started out well, and somewhere in the middle, in the seemingly interminable section between the 2-mile aid station and Jackass Junction (a really loooooong feeling 6-6.5 mile stretch of rocky, rolling, crap) we both mentioned feeling a bit off...sorta tired, sorta not, sorta blah, sorta not...a general malaise. We determined caffeine was in order. The best way I can describe how I felt was allergies. A stuffy head feeling. Once we FINALLY reached Jackass Junction (it only felt longer as the day wore on), we both downed some Coke. Holy EFF that was good! I'm not a soda drinker generally (I'll imbibe once in awhile, at Chipotle, with a burrito), but especially not during long races. The carbonation doesn't play nice with my tummy usually. But this time it really worked for me. Coke would end up being a staple for me during this race. I was downing a cup of it at every single aid station. And boy what a difference that made! I felt like a billion bucks a few minutes later, and so did Geof. We were in the warmest part of the day, and the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. Each time it peeked out from the clouds it felt incredibly hot on my skin. It was uncomfortable, and enough that I thought about ripping off every last bit of clothing and dunking myself in an invisible oasis of coolness, but thought better of it, mostly because I knew that oasis of coolness was only a mirage rippling on the horizon... I kept my RecoFit Armcoolers on because there was still a very nice breeze blowing on my sweaty arms creating a really awesome cooling sensation. I also kept on my RecoFit Calf Sleeves because they make my calves so dang happy, and now I have a really sexy calf sleeve tan :)

Somewhere on this lap I noticed my stomach sloshing. Normally, I know exactly what to do when this happens, and I acknowledged that in my head, but for whatever reason I couldn't extract that information. I asked Geof about it and he noted we were running pretty fast, in the heat, with a lot of liquids going in, so blood was getting shunted to the extremities and not enough was getting to the gut to aid in digestion and fluid absorption. I married one smart cookie :) So, we slowed to a ridiculously pedestrian walk for a number of minutes. And, sure enough, my stomach got its act together. I was able to answer nature's call, then I took one S!Cap (noting the time so that I could keep track of when to take another one), a small drink of water and then we picked it back up. I ended up doing this once or twice more throughout the run, and every time it worked like freaking magic. I eased up on the salt, even though it was still hot, and went from once per hour to once per 1.25 hours. Keeping track of that timing and calculating when I need it next also keeps the mind nicely occupied. Double bam.

Photo credit: Manoj Nagalla

I decided that the heat was "Not my problem" and kept my head down and my feet moving. We tore up the remainder of the loop and pulled into Jeadquarters in fine time, slowing a bit as expected. Here we decided to grab our headlamps as we weren't sure how long the fourth loop would take and wanted to be prepared just in case it stayed cloudy or the full moon didn't make it out in time.

Per my mental plan, we were officially halfway done with the "full-time" portion of the race. The first six laps were like working a 9-5. The final, seventh, lap was going to be our "over time/party" lap. Overtime is fun because you get paid time and a half, and who cares how long it takes, you're getting paid for it! ;) That's one way I kept it fun in my head, and one way I broke things up into bite-sized chunks. These are the things I think about on the trail.

Exhibit 2 of Insane Adorableness: Caleb giving Geof a pep talk, "listen, dude, you got this, just keep following that awesome wife of yours!" ;) Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

We also decided to grab our jackets, just in case it cooled off while we were out there. Not rain jackets, just something with some wind protection. We tied those around our waists and set our headlamps on our heads...and never once touched either of these things on our fourth lap :) But, better to have what you need on the trail and not use it, than to need it and not have it I guess!

Lap 4 was great. We traded places with fellow Chicagoan, Daniel Robinson. It was his first 100 miler and he was doing awesome! He was playing a similar game as us...run to that cactus...walk to the next ribbon...run to that sticky-outty bush...walk to the top of the hill...run to that cactusfeeling it the way I normally would. I could tell I had been running for quite a while, but my legs still felt fresh and springy. I was really surprised how loose and comfortable everything was. I was just a touch tired, as expected. I was keeping my mind in the present and thinking of nothing but the next hundred yards. I rarely looked up or ahead by much; my focus was very intense compared to prior races. I felt so comfortable, and my stride effortless. My breathing was even and conversational, and my mind was positive.

I felt happy.

I consciously smiled from time to time, to remind the rest of my body how happy I felt. I would get a surge of energy each time I did this. I also made sure to recite the things I was thankful for at any given moment. Cheesy, but highly effective in times of need: "I am so thankful for this perfect running weather...for the ability to run 100 miles...for my health...for the ability to run this race with my incredible husband...thankful for the ability to burp really loudly to release all that carbonation in my belly...the ability to pee frequently so that I know I'm properly hydrating...thankful for having four not totally awful songs stuck in my head...thankful for my DNF at Leadville last year and all the lessons I learned from it, like that quitting was in no way an option, petty weaknesses are not welcome on this day..." thankful for simply being.

And then we were at Jackass Junction, lookie here! Coke!

Jackass Junction...which was a total jackass to get to...

Photo credit: Manoj Nagalla

From Jackass, we landed a cozy spot behind a gal running an amazingly comfortable pace. THE perfect pace in my opinion. We clipped in behind her and matched her stride-for-stride. I was in a zone, completely off in my own world, concentrating only on the gals feet in front of me and making sure not to run her over. I could hear Geof making noises behind me but I wasn't registering them. I didn't want to pass her because I knew she was running everything and the rolling hilly section was upon us, which we would walk. Once the rollers started, we lost her for awhile. The gal said she'd see us again soon, and Geof said we'd make sure not to tailgate her next time...oh, oops. I was totally one of those runners just then. That's what he was chirping about :) Turns out, perfect-pace-gal was Jess Mullen. Boom. That was cool. I can't believe we were running stride-for-stride with her!

The darkness began to set in fairly quickly, around 5:30 or so, maybe even before then, but we kept pushing on refusing to turn on our headlamps. Our eyes adjusted and we rolled into Jeadquarters, 100k done, at precisely 6:06 p.m. (12h:06m for 100k...that's a dandy mid-100 PR!). I was on cloud nine and ready to kick some more ass and take a few more names. We took a little time here to reset and get Geof's stomach geared up. He seemed to be doing better, but a little cautious still. It was at this time that Kelly told us that race officials announced that they were expecting "significant rain" after midnight. We asked her if she could grab our rain shells from the car and put them in our bag at Jeadquarters so they'd be ready when we got back. Kelly is the trooper of all troopers, let me just say this now! She had Caleb with her all day, but carrying around, and feeding, another human being didn't stop her from being star crew and support for anyone who needed it in our group.

I decided against changing my socks at the 100k mark, as originally planned, since we were now going to encounter rain...what's the point? I told myself I'd change them after the fifth loop. I never did end up changing them again. Once your feet are wet enough it isn't uncomfortable. I got comfortable with being uncomfortable. After swapping out my arm sleeves and wet short sleeve shirt for a dry short sleeve under my favorite Icebreaker, and deciding against re-upping my stock of Honey Stinger in my waistpack, we were outta there.

Somewhere near the end of the fourth loop I decided my waffles and chews weren't sounding appetizing anymore. I've noticed this happening around the 45 mile mark in races of late, so I wasn't surprised when it popped up this day. It came on a little later, though, which was nice. I was thrilled to pieces when I saw that aid stations were stocking CarbBOOM! energy gels. I've only had this brand of gel once before, but I loved the flavor and texture of it, and that it's made of more natural ingredients. The apple cinnamon, peach banana, and grape pomegranate became my best friends, along with cups of Coke. I grabbed a couple gels at each aid station and stocked them in my skirt pocket. Eventually the gel texture made me want to gag, but it was way easier to just pour those down my throat rather than chew a waffle, so I stuck with the gels the remainder of the race and choked them down on schedule. I normally start to shirk my eating duties in the final few hours of a race and that always makes for a not-hot feeling, so I kept on top of it this time.

We are making our way up, up, up the sandy wash section of the clockwise fifth loop, pushing hard and I'm starting to sweat now. Headlamps are on as it's full-on dark and no moon in sight. I have a handheld in my hand. I never did end up using the handheld, but I kept it in my hand or pocket all night. Just in case :) We pulled into the 2 mile aid station and grabbed some Coke, and Gatorade for our bottles. And then the rain came. I look down at my watch and see that it is 10:30 p.m. WHAT. THE. EFF. Underneath the tent of the AS it sounds like it is just coming down in buckets. We put on our rain jackets, zipped up to our chins and set out into the wet night. Not 200 yards out from the tent the rain stops. "Bring an umbrella and it won't rain...forget it at home and it'll pour."

So, back around our waists our jackets go. This happened a few times in the next couple hours. The rain couldn't make up its mind. But whatever, we had work to do, and rain certainly wasn't going to stop us. The full moon began to push its way through the clouds to boast its mighty glow. My headlamp began to flicker a touch, but was still bright. I announced I'd like to change my batteries at Jeadquarters, before lap 6. By the Rattlesnake AS the rain became steady. It sounded ferocious underneath the tent of the AS, and was puddling beneath our feet. I was thankful to only have to run, and not have to stand still in the chilly, wet night for hours and hours. Those volunteers are saints of the highest order.

Pulling into Jeadquarters after a little more than four hours, almost an even split with the fourth lap. I swapped out my batteries and wiped my face off with a wet wipe. Heaaaaavenly. We both decided to brush our teeth after slamming a Starbucks Doubleshot. I was feeling great still, and that toothbrushing made my mouth sing. I was looking forward to our sixth lap, and saying goodbye to the parts of the course we'd not see again...Rattlesnake, flat runnable non-sandy part, Jackass Junction (sweet mother of love was I glad to say goodbye to that section). The rain was really coming down now, and it was heavy enough that it was creating large puddles across entire portions of the trail. Getting around them was tricky, and eventually futile. My headlamp kept flickering so I moved it underneath my hat so that the brim protected the lamp, and suggested it to Geof as well. This helped a lot, and thanks to the almost featherweight-ness of our lamps (we were both wearing our Black Diamond Spots) it sat comfortably on our bare foreheads and never caused any bouncing issues. Score. Adapt to your environment. I pulled my hood over my head as well and from there I was completely in my own little world. I could hear nothing but the sound of my Goretex hood flapping next to my ears, and my own breathing. The beam of my headlamp spread out wide before me, rain drops gleaming in the light. My hands were exposed and wet, but not cold thankfully. The feel of my footsteps along the rocky and submerged trail. I could no longer hear Geof's footsteps behind me with my hood up so I'd glance back every so often to make sure we were still together. We pulled up to the Tonto Tank water stop and filled our bottles once more. We told the volunteer there that we'd be seeing him again soon, for the last time.

I would glance at my watch from time to time, but never absorbed the information except for at Jeadquarters, and noting when the rain began. Thus, I had no idea what sort of pace we were on, I just knew we were still on sub-24. Leaving Coyote Camp, the rain was still heavy, but I was glad to know we had less than two miles to Jeadquarters. The loose churned sand was now fully saturated and turned into some of the most ridiculous "mud" I've ever experienced. I've run McNaughton...and I thought that was bad? This stuff was super slick and glued itself to your shoes. My feet must have weighed an additional five pounds by the time we made it out of this section of trail (about a mile long). Oh well, we only had to deal with that one more time. We stamped our feet to try to remove the stuff, but it was useless. The rain began to let up enough that I removed my hood and pulled up my sleeves a little for some relief. Smiling the smile of 92.4 miles successfully covered, and still under the cover of night, we rolled into Jeadquarters for the final time during the race and finally got to that which I've been daydreaming about all race...the coveted final loop glowstick necklace. It's like being knighted, on your birthday, which is also Christmas, while eating Kyle King Carrot Cake, wrapped in fleecey warmth, surrounded by all your loved ones on top of a mountain of wildflowers. It's THAT amazing. I was smiling ear to ear. Only 9.4 miles to go!!!!

We grabbed a couple more gels from the table, refilled our bottles and grabbed some extra batteries just in case. Geof got something hot to drink and we began walking out of the station. I was now in full on inner-reflection mode. I thought about everything...all the training, all the running, all the good sleep, all the lost sleep, all the Honey Stinger Waffles and Chews, all the aches and pains, all the anxiety, the packing and unpacking, the silly-hot days, the blisters, the number crunching, mileage tracking. Logging into my running log was one of my favorite parts of the morning, entering in our miles and time for the morning's run. Getting up at 4:30 every morning to squeeze in our run. All the Tuesday Ten Milers, all the long runs in the Kettle Moraine and lunches at the General Store. The gross hot runs at Palos, and the humid and interminable Waterfall Glen runs. It was all about to be worth it. Not that I ever questioned that.

I knew I wanted to reach the Tonto Tank water stop by 22 hours. No real reason, other than that I wanted a full two hours to run it in if needed. We wound our way along the trail after Coyote Camp and caught up to Daniel and his pacer Jim O'Brien (another Chicago area fastie). It felt like this rocky crappy section wouldn't end, and Dan and Jim expressed similar sentiments. We ran behind and beside them for a bit, then the rain picked up again and I put my hood back up. I was shut out from my surroundings and resolved to just run how I felt. I put some space between me and the guys...I could smell the barn; it was strong, and I wanted nothing more than to just get there. Geof caught up to me as we made our way along the ridge that lets you know you're almost to Tonto Tank. I was being pulled in by the light of the tent. A little more water, and then we were off. Jeff Browning was pacing a guy that had been running near the front all day. They were just a touch ahead of us, but not for long. We passed them up and never saw them again. Now Geof was in front of me, pulling me along. He was putting down the hammer. But first, I needed to pee one last time. A quick pit stop and we were back at it. This section is a really smooth and wonderful downhill section and we used it to our complete advantage. I knew we hit Tonto Tank at exactly 22 hours (bam!), but after that I stopped looking at the watch. We were moving fast. I couldn't believe how well my legs were moving, so fluid and smooth still. I paid close attention to them all day and made sure to never break good form. Clearly, this was paying dividends now. It felt like Geof was upping the pace a little bit every few minutes, and his determination was now palpable. I was waitin' for that to come out :) Geof knows how to seal the deal towards the end of these things, and I was thankful we had his resolve at this late hour. I would have been content to just cruise it in comfortably at this point. But Geof, he was on a mission that I was unaware of. And I loved it. I loved feeling my legs turn over as fast as they were after 99 miles, feeling like I could go on a lot longer.

It felt like we had just left the Tonto Tank water stop, and we were already coming to the turnoff, hopping back onto the Pemberton Trail. We knew what this meant...one more mile! I still hadn't looked at my watch. It didn't matter to me. It was still pitch black out, and that meant we were still in sub-24 hour territory.

OH. MY. HEAVENS. WE ARE STILL IN SUB-24 HOUR TERRITORY!! I couldn't believe it, but at the same time I totally could. I set out to achieve this goal, did the work, and we got it done. This is what success tastes like at this moment...gel residue, Coke bubbles, and the cold desert air in my lungs. The rain had slowed considerably by this point, so I pulled up my sleeves once more, and removed the hood. The stop sign at the road crossing was in view, and that meant just a few hundred more yards. The flagging appeared, along with the torches, and people lining the chute leading us to the finish.

Then that song popped into my head one last time, for old times' sake...Come on, show 'em what you're worth/Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"/As you shoot across the sky-y-y/Baby, you're a fiiiiiiiiirework/blah-betty-blah-blah/Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"/You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe...

And just like that, we ran it in together, glancing up at the timing clock, and crossing the timing mat for the final time...22 hours and 40 minutes after starting this journey. I wanted to scream and shout words of joy and exitement, but a smile and a thank you to Jamil as he handed me my oversized, sub-24 buckle to me was all I could muster. I didn't even feel teary. I just felt...so dang happy.

With Jamil, RD, at the finish
Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

I still can't believe how good I felt ALL DAY LONG. Other than that little spell of tired/blah-ness early on, squelched by heavy intake of Coca Cola, I never felt completely off. I never fully craved a nap, and resolved early on to not take a nap (a first for me!). I made sure to not sit for very long at AS stops...mostly because it made my legs buzz and I know nausea usually follows shortly thereafter, but also because I didn't want to get comfortable or cold. I let Geof have his low points and didn't bother him with too many questions about it, and I didn't let his disposition affect mine in any way...which I tend to let happen in these races. Any discomfort that popped up I kept to myself so as to not weigh him down with my issues...and it helped reminding myself that my "issues" were "Not My Problem", and therefore they left just as quickly as they popped up. Keeping my mind on track and not letting it lose sight of our goals was key. Paying attention to the body, but not too much attention, kept me balanced and feeling overall pretty good. Humming those four songs over and over in the night while it was pouring down rain, and the only other sound was my hood against my ears. Blinking my eyes continuously and moving them around to avoid getting hypnotized by the beam of my headlamp at night helped in a big way, too. I find I get dizzy or nauseous if I focus too much on the narrow light beam, and thus generally require more than one light source. Not paying too much attention to those showing early signs of DNFing also made a difference. It's easy to get sucked in by the negative field of energy that surrounds a DNF...that sounds really cold, but it's very real. Maintaining focus on our task at hand was all I had the energy to do, that and running.

I couldn't be happier with how everything went. A 5.5 hour 100 mile PR...that's ridiculous! And in a race where less than 45% of the field finished. We missed snagging a PR for Geof by mere seconds. That's the mission Geof was on as we pounded out the final miles down Tonto Tank Trail. He knew we'd slide under 23 hours, and was looking to PR, too. I bet I could have turned the legs over a little faster if he had shared that tidbit... Guess we'll have to snag that one next time :)

Well, recovery has been amazing, best I've ever felt post-100. Today the legs feel as though nothing happened last weekend. My hardcore cankles have disappeared and I can see my ankle bones and the tendons in my feet finally. That's pretty exciting. Six pounds of water weight/gel/Coca Cola have exited my body and I'm back to pre-race shape. I earned a total of three blisters, none of which were enough to warrant messing with, so I let them be and they are nothing more than callouses now. Boom. I'm a huge lover of my Injinji toesocks these days. The tendonitis in my left ankle never bothered me once, and still has yet to bother me post-race. I did tape it up a touch with some KT Tape, and broke up some of the adhesions with my trusty golf ball before we left the hotel for the race. That hurt like a sum-bish, but clearly worked out. Everything decided to work together with me and I couldn't be more grateful to my body for that. What a rush, finishing in the dark, in less than a day.

I'm not gonna lie, I like this psuedo-fastie business! Now the question is...how fast can we get?

Almost done, just a couple more photos. I was hoping for some on-course pics, but those haven't been posted yet. Perhaps I'll update this with more photos once we get those.

Ever wondered what a post-100 mile fog looks like? Exhibit A:

Photo credit: Kelly Gaines

And now for the requisite shwag photo:

I think that's about all I've got right now. My fingertips are more sore from all this typing then my legs were from our little desert dance! ;)

You can read Geof's account of the day HERE.

Paige, out.

Gettin' It Done

2011-11-15T20:49:00.000-06:00

There is a whole lotta stuff to write, and a whole lotta pictures to post, but I wanted to let you know that things...pretty much worked out for us at JJ100 :) There was a high level of kickass-ness going on. Lots of good decisions, almost no bad decisions, and enough urination to keep the kidneys happy.

And the buckle...

...almost weighs more than me.

More to follow...but right now, I need to elevate these cankles.

Paige, out.

Jello Taper, Jappy to See You Again

2011-11-08T17:12:00.000-06:00

This is a Javelina inspired post, jence the use of "J" rather than the usual "H". Work with me jere :)

Once upon a time I crewed and paced my now jusband at the 2009 Javelina Jundred, and this year we've decided to run that little race together, pushing each other to the edge of our limits, in joly matrimony :)

Jey, it'll be our first 100 mile race as a married couple! (We are very cheesy and get a kick out of pointing out each thing we do that is our "first as a married couple"...)

I'm pretty pumped! I can't believe it jas been four months already since we decided to take this one on. Four months of jard training, long miles, short miles, mind-blowingly awesome miles, total crap-ass miles, a couple of PRs, some character building runs, some light-as-a-feather runs, some jighs, some lows, some serious cases of the runs. What a ridiculously amazing training block it jas been. I've enjoyed it all. Even the crap-ass miles :)

I feel ready. I feel strong. I feel nervous. I feel excited. I feel anxious. But mostly I feel so totally ready.

It's about damn time.

Jere are a couple shots from our adventures in the Arizona desert back in 2009. I like to think about all the fun things that jave jappened since we were last there (*enter: mental trip down memory lane*)...

I guess that's about all I've got right now :) I jave more or less exhausted myself with this taper, and it jas squelched my creative juices. My legs like to freak out in the week before a big race. They are definitely not a pair to break routine, so I'm javing mini panic attacks with every single twinge and niggle. It's a darn good thing no one else can jear my thoughts; I'd be committed for sure ;)

I jave a costume that I wore while volunteering at the race back in 2009, so I may be wearing that at the start and see how I like it through the miles. But, we'll see. It will be a game time decision.

Wooooo, I just got butterflies!

Paige, out.

Des Plaines River Trail 50 Mile: Sandbagging Ourselves

2011-10-26T11:17:00.001-05:00

Honest to goodness, we had no intention of doing anything even remotely surprising during Saturday's race, the Des Plaines River Trail Races 50 Mile. Good friends, and co-crew members at Badwater 2010, Ed Kelly and Terry Madl race direct this little shindig, in its second year now, and we were psyched to see the guys and to get in one final extra long training run before the JJ100 taper began. Once the final price break deadline came and went, we went back and forth about whether or not we run it, or volunteer. When push came to shove, we decided it would be a most excellent day on the trails and the best way to get a reading on how our training has come along.

Turns out our training has gone better than we thought (oooo, foreshadowing!).

The race starts in Lincolnshire, IL with a short little out-and-back (~2 miles) heading south, then heads north along the Des Plaines River Trail into Gurnee, IL turns around and finishes where we started. Geof and I had only ever been on the trail once before, in Libertyville (a section we did end up running through during the race), and it was on the coldest, most depressing-looking day in Illinois history. Easily. And the trail was covered in ice and wintery crap. So we didn't have a good feel for what the trail would be like or how it would look.

Turns out the DPRT is a gleaming little gem of a trail!

The race started at 7:00 a.m., just as the sun was making its first appearance. The ground was covered in a blanket of frost and our shoes squeaked as we shuffled across a grassy area to the starting line. Brrr, it was friggin' cold! But that wouldn't last long.

The 50 mile start...you can see the frost in the grass...Photo: Bill Thom

There was also a marathon and half marathon that would start later in the morning, but for the time being we had the trail all to ourselves. I'm not sure how many peeps started, but 55 fine folks finished the deed when it was all said and done. Zach Gingerich was the early (and correct) pick for the win, and he didn't disappoint with a blazing 5:37:17 finish. In case you don't want to do the math, that's an average pace of 6:44/mile...for 50 miles. That makes me want to yak just thinking about holding that pace for that long. He looked cool and comfortable both times we saw him.

Anywho, there's a short little out and back to the south that you run before heading north for the day so that the mileage comes out to a little over 50 miles. We started in back, chatting with a couple peeps, then gradually worked our way up by mile 2 or 3. Ahh, we had the trail to ourselves...and that was pretty much how it was much of the day. We passed some folks early on that we thought we'd get passed by later on but that never did come to fruition. In fact, we managed to hold onto our 8th and 9th place pretty much the entire day, and others came and went. It's cool to look at the splits and see how grossly consistent we were throughout the day. We slowed a smidge on the way back, but that was expected. Otherwise, we were like a pair of metronomes out there :)

The trail was gorgeous. Did I mention that? All the leaves were bright yellow and explosively colorful once the sun came out for good and burst through the forest canopy. The trail was probably 40% exposed, 60% forest cover. Maybe less, maybe more. The exposed sections were just as lovely and the sun felt so good on the face and arms :) It warmed up into the 60s and I was able to remove my long sleeve shirt somewhere after the turnaround. The terrain is crushed limestone, so I was very thankful for having thought to unearth my gaiters for the first time all year. The trail is also very, very, VERY flat. There were two inclines where we thought to walk, but only because we would have killed for an excuse to walk. There are a few minor road crossings, but most of the time the trail goes underneath the roads, so we were nearly uninterrupted.

We were clucking along all fine and dandy, having clipped into a comfortable pace after the first 10 miles or so. My glutes and hams felt fatigued pretty early on, but they never got any worse. It was like they just wanted to cut to the chase and settle into their low level discomfort for the day early on. So that gave me plenty of time to get comfortable with the discomfort. That's a big battle in 100 mile races...getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Somewhere before we hit double digit miles, though, we came to an aid station that Adrian Belitu and Maria Clementi were manning. Very excited to see them, it's been awhile! Adrian announced I was second woman, to which Geof shouted behind us as we took off, "don't encourage her!" :-)

I knew I was in second, but I didn't really care this time. Like I said, I wasn't out there to do anything surprising; I was merely out for a long training run. So, I let it be. And that felt good.

There were mile markers for the first 15 or so miles, to cater to the short distances, but it was fun to use the markers to calculate splits and to otherwise occupy the mind. Somewhere near the 14-15 mile mark, we came upon the first place woman standing alongside the trail, futzing with her stuff. We said hello as we passed by, and for the few minutes that followed I let myself fantasize about running in first place :) But then she caught up to us and proceeded to do something very odd... The trail is a very wide, multi-use trail. As in, you could conceivably run four across, comfortably. But this chick decides she's gotta have some Dunmore. Geof and I run side by side, leaving plenty of room to the left to pass. She was literally so close that if either of us moved our legs or feet slightly differently she would have stepped on our heels and down we all would have gone. If there hadn't been a breeze, I probably would have been able to feel her breath on my back. Um, WTF? And she was breathing heavy, slapping her feet with each footstrike. Was this supposed to be some sort of intimidation tactic? It wasn't working; it just made me want to throw an elbow up behind me. But instead, Geof and I just held tight where we were and figured she'd pass. She wouldn't pass. We held our pace, not pushing anything. And she continued on our heels. Geof eventually stepped a little to the left and she took that moment to step between us, run a few strides beside me, then take off. She must be new to ultrarunning. That was some BS. Who does that? She was moving very strong and that was the last we saw of her until the turn around. That was bad trail etiquette on her part. But, whatev, we have much bigger fish to fry :) Even if we didn't, I'm not sure I could have kept up with her. She totally smoked us, finishing almost 40 minutes ahead of us, LOL!

In any event, we continued on our merry way, sticking to our comfortable pace and reaching the 26.4 mile turn around in 3:47. Perfect. I had "budgeted" four hours for the first half and only stocked enough fuel in my waist pack to cover that. At the turn around, we had our longest stop of the day, maybe a few minutes. I changed into my Wildcats as my La Sportiva Quantums don't breathe very well and my feet were really sweaty (I think I'll reserve the Quantums for really cold days). We pounded a Starbucks Doubleshot each, resupplied my Honey Stinger Waffles and Geof's Gu's and then headed out of there. It took a mile or so for my feet to get used to the feel of my beloved Wildcats...they are much less cushiony and have a thinner upper than the Quantums, but they felt oh so good! My feet could air out now, and they weren't rubbing the fresh blister on my right foot.

We continued on, business as usual. Taking in the beautiful fall scenary, loving the warm sun on our skin, marveling as a couple different freight trains whooshed by us...those things are HUGE when you're down below them! I giggled like a little kid, loving the rush it gave us as they flew past.

The aid station volunteers were wonderful. We only stopped at a couple stations on the way out (there were 15 total), but stopped more frequently on the way back to refill our water bottles. I was pretty thirsty and making sure to keep on top of my water. That meant I needed to pee more often :) There was an awesome bathroom just before the 50k mark that we stopped in and I relished washing my hands. It's the little things in life. We farted around a minute there so Geof could empty his shoes and I stretched my glutes. We hit the 50k mark, and I looked down at my watch...a 50k PR, sweet! We covered the first 31 miles in 4:54, and after working some fuzzy calculations in my head at that point, I realized we would likely break 8:30 for the day. But, I didn't want to get ahead of myself. That's not what we were out there for.

Much of the rest of the race was very uneventful, which is always a good thing in these races. We stayed very, very comfortable, never pushing the pace. We walked in a few spots to eat or change up the movement, stopped to refill our bottles at Adrian's aid station, and found some more awesomely familiar faces there, too. What a great day, filled with great peeps! We were now in single digits, and the next aid station we were looking forward to seeing Brian, Kelly and Caleb. I was feeling the cumulative miles and time in my legs and was now having to work a little to maintain our pace, but that was fine by me, we were almost done!

With three miles to go we pulled into Brian's aid station, goo-goo gaa-gaa'd with baby Caleb, caught up on Kelly's race (she ran the 1/2 marathon; her first race since having Caleb!), and then we were off. I noticed we were just a little over 7 hours in with only three miles to go. This was in the bag.

Apparently, my calculations had been off...we weren't just going to go sub-8:30...we were going to go sub-8:00 even if we walked the rest of it! Buy why walk when you can run :)

I started to feel really excited, and Geof was feeling the pull as well. We passed the "1 mile to go" sign and we picked it up to kick it in strong, crossing the finish line in 7h:43m:47s, in 8th and 9th place overall. I snagged 2nd woman overall, and Geof was 7th male overall. Hot Damn!

Crossing the finishline...totally bamboozled! Photo: Bill Thom

We pretty much sandbagged ourselves. Where did that come from? We didn't even really work for it, we just ran nice and easy. Bill Thom, of RunRace.net, congratulated us on our run and marveled at our finish time. "Yea, but it's a flat course..." to which Bill replied, "Yes, but you still covered the distance; 50 miles is 50 miles!" Hmmm, good point. I find myself often defaulting to that thought when considering courses and finish times. Why? I don't know, but I do know I need to change my thought process on that because it's totally lame :) It's pretty awesome to know that I can more or less run 50 miles, and run it well. That gives me a lot of confidence going into JJ100, which is now two and a half weeks away, holy smokes!

We were both pretty sore the next day in spots we aren't usually sore due to how much more running we did. By Tuesday we felt pretty fresh again, but I held off until this morning to go for a run. I was pleasantly surprised by how good everything felt today. Except for one pesky little shit of a blister on my left big toe. Nothing a little lambs wool wrapped around it can't fix :)

Picking up the September issue of Ultrarunning magazine on Monday evening, I read Tia's editorial for the first time in awhile, and boy was it timely. The topic focused on how different ultrarunning has become and how we automatically default to thinking harder courses are the "real" ultras and easier courses...don't count. She wondered why being able to RUN a fast time on what is considered an "easy" course is somehow less of an achievement than hiking/running a slower time on a "tough" course. Ultrarunning is all about being able to RUN long distances was pretty much what I took away from her short write-up. I was a little surprised by just how timely reading that article was, especially since we've had that issue since August and I'm just now getting around to reading it :)

So that was a pretty awesome experience, and one heck of a 50 mile PR for both of us...again. What a year! I was extremely content to let our 8:35 PR stand for a good long while. I had no illusions whatsoever of getting a PR on this day. It just sort of...happened. So, I'll let that 7:43 stand for a good long while :)

Sub-9 hour finisher's buckle

I'm super stoked for how everything went, and how even-keeled my mood and stomach were. I am now really, really looking forward to JJ100, and really, really happy with our training this time around. What a difference a training plan makes!!

Paige, out.

Humble Beginnings

2011-10-20T16:01:00.003-05:00

I don't know what exactly stirred up this particular trip down memory lane. Maybe it was the crisp fall air with that hint of urban leaf decay floating in the air, or the runner who whooshed past me. Fall always reminds me of it.

It was my freshman year of high school, and I finally decided to join the track team. Fall 1995. The cross country season had just ended and indoor track was about to begin. My friends convinced me to join. You didn't have to 'try out' for track at my school, you just had to show up :) Tryouts for the pom squad weren't until January, and I had some free time on my hands. So I...showed up.

I started out running with the sprinters for some reason. It was quite the sight. I was barely 5 feet tall, skinnier than a stalk of asparagus, and nearly translucent after a summer of avoiding the sun. Everyone else was exceptionally tall, muscular, healthy looking, and FAST. But, I wanted to try it. I wanted to be FAST like the others.

I hated every bleeping minute of it. And, I was so not fast.

I could not for the life of me figure out the starting blocks.

These should be called Death Blocks...

I constantly fumbled with them, tripped, fell a few times, and was always, always the last one out of their block. And trying to run fast after starting from a near-kneeling position was ridiculously hard for me. I approached them with the same level of apprehension that I approach getting off of ski lifts. Gripped with the fear of a thousand hells.

But I kept after it in that arena, and after a few weeks I found my calling. It just wasn't where I thought I needed to look.

Our warm-up was a two mile run to Taylor Park and back (one mile each way). Every single time I made it back before the rest of the sprinting team, and ready for more. All the other girls came back gasping and worn out. Coach D suggested I practice with the distance team for a couple of days and see what I thought. Coach D scared me. He was a stoic and critical man. So any way to escape his critical eye was a most welcome escape.  The next day, I was with the distance team, working with a wonderful woman of a coach. I can't believe I don't remember her name...but I remember what she looks like and how kind and welcoming she was to me. I was instantly hooked. Of course, it now meant workouts were longer, more difficult and I was never the first person back from a warm-up :) Speed workouts, fartleks (hehe, fart...lek...), hill repeats, funny stretches (which I still do to this day), striders, and best of all, no starting blocks!

I wore some chunky Reeboks with a bright purple and silver whoosh on the side. I saved up my babysitting money and allowances to purchase these coveted running shoes, and at $40 it nearly cleaned me out. My how times have changed.  I was just glad to not have to wear the godawful clumsy Asics my parents bought for me from a sidewalk sale at the Competitive Foot in downtown Oak Park. They were two sizes too big and looked geriatric.  But, all the other girls wore spikes on the track. So, I still managed to look geriatric next to them, in my Reeboks ;)

I started and finished every workout gasping for air. The cool and damp autumn air stung my lungs. My quads always itched from the wind burn, and my sides always cramped. I loved it. I often wondered why we did all our workouts outside for indoor track...

We had to set a goal for ourselves to reach by the end of the season, at the conference finals (assuming you were invited to run). I desperately wanted a six minute mile...I just wasn't very good at initiating an action plan. But, I set that incredibly arbitrary goal (I had no idea what I was even capable of at that point) in stone one afternoon as we did a core workout using playing cards off to the side of the indoor track in the field house.   It smelled heavily of rubber and sweat. The sound of squeaky shoes on the basketball court echoed around the cavernous room. The boys' track team was gathering opposite where we were, gearing up for their workout. We were running to Concordia University a few miles away, doing some 800 meter sprints around their track, and then running back for a cool down. Colleen ran beside me the entire way there. She was a senior varsity runner, and she taught me how to run softly, how to roll my foot from heel to toe, rather than slapping. I think of that conversation almost every time I run. It is funny the things that stick with us.

I worked hard during practice, but I never ran outside of practice for some reason. At least not that year. I ran the 800 and the 1600 in various conferences and track meets, garnering modest times, but never coming close to winning any. I looked on in awe at the girls running the 3200. I wished so bad that I wanted to race that far! But I didn't for some reason. I only enjoyed practicing longer distance; I didn't actually want to race those distances. Again, how times have changed :)

The conference finals rolled around and I was invited to run in the 1600 meter event. It was at Hinsdale Central. My dad showed up to watch. It was cold, and a slight drizzle came down off and on throughout the meet. Nora offered me her spikes for my event. She could tell how much I wanted a pair. She was running the 3200 and there was plenty of time between our two events. I was downright giddy! They were a size or so too small for me, but what did I know? I jammed my feet into those gorgeous Nike spikes and lined up at the start with a smile so big I could have floated out of there. There were nine other girls on either side of me, and I glanced around to see what my competition looked like. I felt like one of them.  A girl in a green uniform shook my hand and wished me luck. With the gun, we were off.

I don't recall much of the actual event, but I do remember how much it hurt. My feet ached, jammed uncomfortably into those spikes. My lungs burned as they always did running on cold days. Each time around the track I saw my dad standing there, umbrella in hand, waving and smiling.  The tank top and shorts of my uniform were sticking to my skin as the drizzle picked up into a light rain. As I rounded the final curve and eyed the finish line, the girl in the green uniform caught up to me. We ran neck-and-neck, but she nudged her head forward as we crossed the line. She totally beat me. I felt so ripped off.  But, that was quickly disbursed as I was told my finishing time. A 6:09 mile, good enough for 8th. Not quite my 6 minute mile, but considering my previous best had been an 8 minute mile, I was pretty damn happy :) I just couldn't believe I came so close.

Coach D came over and congratulated me. I was stunned to say the least. He said he wanted to tell me 'I told you so', that he knew I'd be a good distance runner. My dad walked up to us and shook Coach D's hand, "every time I watch her around the track, all I see are those blue shorts and legs for days. She's a distance runner!" boasted Coach D.  The giddiness in my dad's voice, and the look on his face made me immeasurably happy.

I never did go back to the track team after that season. I made it onto the pom squad that January and never looked back. But obviously I was bitten. I enjoyed shedding the structure and rigor of the team and just going out for runs as I pleased. I do love looking back on that season, though. I learned a lot of things that have stuck with me through the years.  Ah, such humble beginnings.

But, I still can't use a starting block properly ;)

Paige, out.

Big Mileage, No Whammies!

2011-10-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

So, I did it :)

I ran a big mileage week...and, it felt pretty good! Well, it's big mileage for me, anyway. I know I'm just hitting the tip of the big mileage iceberg, but you have to start somewhere.

I kept glancing at Week 11 on my training spreadsheet with equal parts apprehension, and giddy excited curiosity. Week 11 held me by the ankles. It forecast a 70 mile training week...no races, no group runs, just plain and simple running. Gettin' 'er done type running. No matter which side of the bed, so to speak, I woke up on, it was time to run.

I won't lie. I'm tired as all getout, but it's a cool kind of tired. Like, I did something. I like it anyhow :)

It went pretty well. I came in just under 40 miles for the week after Friday morning's run, then we headed out to Palos on Saturday morning to do our long run and finish the job. Geof cranked out his 40 miles and I did a little over 32 miles before calling it a day. That's the longest long run I've ever done (not including a race) in training for a 100 miler. And, it was at the end of a big mileage week for me. It felt pretty good getting that notch drilled into the ol' training belt :) Everything felt the same as usual, except that I noticed I was exceptionally tired, and my ankles were creakier than normal. That's about it. Saturday morning my body felt ready to tackle the task at hand, but mentally I was dangling.

Maybe that's the thing about big training miles; it's more of a mental juggernaut than it is a physical one. Which is amazingly apropos when it comes to this ultrarunning thing. But, I'm guessing one can adapt to it pretty well over time. I, however, am loving my step-back week this week, and grateful for the mental break. When I saw 50-something miles on tap I was overjoyed. Downright deliriously thrilled! Next week is one more big mileage push, so I'm going to revel in my 'baby' miles this week :)

Geof and I got 90 minute deep tissue massages last night to work out some training kinks. Um, wow. We left there completely mentally fogged and feeling as though we were literally floating. My body felt weightless and rubbery. They could have told us they were selling us into slavery when they were done and we would have been cool with it. We were THAT relaxed. "Right on, dude."

Can an amazing massage be considered a drug? It should be labeled: Warning: Mind-altering manual techniques will cause happiness and relaxation, and may be addictive. Proceed at your own risk. Okay, maybe not, but seriously it was the best massage I have EVER had. We will both be back.

Speaking of weightless, the winner of the 2011 Chicago Marathon, Moses Mosop, appeared pretty weightless on his way to a CR 2:05:35...

We rode around on our bikes catching the front fasties at as many spots as we could. It was hard to keep up, even with bikes! We caught Mosop bustin' his move in the final 800 meters here. He looked cool as a cucumber.

And now back to our regularly scheduled step-back week, Week 12...

Paige, out.

Running is My Alibi

2011-10-06T11:08:00.001-05:00

Run, run, run, work, eat, sleep, repeat as directed.

That's pretty much the skinny for the next few weeks. It's October (holy eff!) and we're in the midst of Week 11 of JJ100 training. It's coming along quite nicely. Last Saturday, we headed up to the Kettle Moraine once again for our long run, and to get some much needed kicking-around in.

It was a kickass 25 miles of...kickassness. The weather was perfect, the sun was out, the trail was semi-soft from the recent downpours, but not wet, lots of dogs towards the end of the run. Everything was clicking, and things felt great. I wore my newest trail shoes, La Sportiva Quantums, for the entire run and they totally rocked. I brought along my Sporty Cats just in case as figured I would need to change into them at the 16 mile mark (when we returned to the truck for a re-supply), but the Quantums were too busy blowing my mind! Not a single hot spot, not a single complaint. Very, very impressed. We started a little late, and, judging by the large number of vehicles in the parking lot, figured we'd see a lot of folks on the trails, but we had it pretty much to ourselves for the first 16 miles. Other than the lone hunter standing on the side of the Ice Age Trail, holding his shotgun across his chest as we ran by, staring up into the canopy above. That was a little bit creepy...

Per tradition, we headed straight for the La Grange General Store for lunch afterward. I was particularly jazzed about our run that day. My legs didn't feel like I'd run anything until about mile 21, then it just felt like it usually does after our faster T10s. Finishing up the run, and the rest of the day, I hardly felt like we had done anything. Fresh as a daisy! So that's a good thing and a bad thing...good because it means I'm adapting well and ready for more, and bad because it means I could have a) gone longer, or b) gone faster :) In any event, the run was awesome!

After we shoveled our lunch, and traditional post-run brewsky, we headed down to Woodstock, IL to play in an apple orchard, gorge on apply pie, hot apply cider and hot cider donuts at All Seasons Orchard. It was the perfect day for picking honey crisp apples. After we bagged our booty, we hiked back to the orchard kitchen for more donuts before heading out to find the adorable town square in Woodstock. Supposedly, Groundhog Day was filmed there... We are suckers for really cute town squares :) On a whim, we decided to duck into the local pub, Woodstock Public House, for some hot soup and people watching. Everyone knew everyone, and they were all so darn happy! Great way to finish off a great day.

It's Geoffrey Appleseed! I caught him mid-pick...

Anywho, it was a successful Saturday! And some of those honey crisp apples quickly became an apple crisp on Sunday. Talk about success, if I do say so myself!

This week is my highest (non-race) mileage week for JJ100 training. Last week I hit my highest weekly (non-race) mileage ever, and this week will top even that. Lots of PRs this year, heh. I'm pretty excited, and looking forward to a 32 miler on Saturday. Next week is a step back week, followed by one more high mileage week (including a 50 mile race) before the taper begins. Can you believe it, only 5.5 weeks left? Where has time gone?!

The creeky-sore muscles have become the norm, and a thin veil of exhaustion has swept over me this week. Signs of hard work :) You know you're doing something when you wake up each morning having to shake out the rigor mortis in your lower half. Next week's step-back will be welcomed with open arms, and lots of ice packs.

Paige, out.

Serious Case of the Runs

**Giveaway!** BTB Sport Optics: Serious Running Shades

Wintermission

Homo ultris runneris

The Sophomore Slump

I'm a Morning Runner

Grass-letes

Fastest Guns in the (Mid)West

The Art of Running

NON-RUNNING CONTENT...But Still Pretty Cool

Here and There

2011: You Were Good To Me

Mission: 2000: Accomplished

I Am ALIVE!

Mission: 2000...Update Ver. 2.0

The Trail Poet Cometh

Pocket Change

Mission: 2000...update

Mission: 2000

2011 Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Run: Desert Dancing

Gettin' It Done

Jello Taper, Jappy to See You Again

Des Plaines River Trail 50 Mile: Sandbagging Ourselves

Humble Beginnings

Big Mileage, No Whammies!

Running is My Alibi

Giveaway! BTB Sport Optics: Serious Running Shades