Drop and Gimme Ten!

That's more or less what we've been doing of late.  We decided our training for Zane Grey did us well (despite any appearances to the contrary...i.e. the slow finish time) and have opted to continue on with it, and play around and tweak it here and there.  We don't have anything on the immediate horizon as far as racing goes, but Geof does have Wasatch 100 come early September.  I, however, have no races scheduled for the rest of the year...but that won't last very long :)  I wanted to wait until we knew where we were moving before I made any racing plans.  Now that that's squared away, I really want to race...like now.

What to do, what to do?  Well, until I figure that out, I'll just keep on training like I've got something coming up :)  Besides, racing is merely a vehicle for training.  I really love the training part.  Hopefully we'll happen upon some dandy looking race in our travels this summer and can drop in on it.  We'll see!

Meantime, the training.  It's very complicated and filled with numbers and formulas and big words that sound like they're made up, and lots and lots of weird runnery stuff and crazy sounding nutrition plans. 

Not.

Here it is: Run 10 miles.  Often.

There you have it!  We did maybe four actual long runs (20+ miles and one 31 mile run) leading up to Zane Grey this year, and the rest of the time it was 3-4 runs of at least 10 miles, and 1-2 runs of 3-4 miles.  The key?  Pushing the pace.  These were more often than not pretty fast runs.  Even the long runs were fast by my standards.  The 3-4 mile runs were our version of speed work and usually left me gasping for air.  The 10 mile runs started out very mildly paced back in February, and we've now dropped about a minute per mile off our former typical pace, and always end with a negative split in the second half. 

Generally, I'm running based on feel.  I try not to glance at the ol' watch too much, but it happens.  Curiosity and what not :)  But here and there I'll purposefully push it, or Geof will drag me along.  So it feels good to see such massive improvement on my part without really aiming for it.  It just happens.  You run a lot, and eventually you adapt and get better and better.  Put in the work, reap the rewards.  One of the many things I love about running!

Last week, we decided to run 10 milers every day.  My legs wanted a break bad by Wednesday, but we kept on keeping on and closed out the week with six 10 mile runs, taking Sunday off to rest and start again this week.  It was fun, and a little bit tough for some reason.  I felt the absolute best on Saturday, with 50 miles already in the tank.  Each run got a little better throughout the week, thus driving home the fact that I'm made for this stuff :)  But all this road running is making me ache. 

I love the 10 mile distance.  We haven't really been craving long runs lately, so this is a great way to still get in the miles and it allows for quicker recovery (as opposed to long runs).  A 60 mile week is solid for me as I haven't hit that mileage much in the past, but I am embarking on a new chapter and it includes higher mileage.  Time to remind my legs who's boss!  I aim to make 60 mpw the new 40-50 mpw :)

Hey, remember that time I ran my first 100 mile race on less than 30 mpw?  Yea, that was silly, and I can't believe I did that.  It works for some (like you, Brian!) but boy is it more fun to run more nowadays, and very rewarding.  My how I've grown.

Today, I am pooped!  I think the moving stress/anxiety/awesomeness is wreaking a bit of havoc on my running/general mental state so this week has been a little hard on the bod, but I have faith it'll bounce back just fine.  Just this morning I was lamenting my aching legs and body, to which Geof said to speed it up and everything will feel better (I think his exact words were,"we're going too slow and not running far enough."  True story.)...my head was trying to take the reigns.  So, I did just that, I sped it up, and I found my groove. 

Paige got her groove back.  At least for this morning :)

I sorta wish I were running Kettle Moraine 100 now, but not really.  I'd want to crush it and I'm not feeling totally crushy right now.  So, we'll settle for watching other people crush it out there next Saturday instead :)

Paige, out.

Choosing Our Own Adventure

All has been quiet on the bloggy front, but have no fear...we still have a very Serious Case of the Runs here, packing away the miles each day, and I hope to finally get around to writing about that soon :)  But, we've also been doing some other packing of late because...

We're moving!

If you haven't already picked up on this little tidbit, Geof and I are not-so-closet desert rats :)  We love the desert, and we love the mountains, and we lovelovelove being surrounded by like-minded folks who find nothing unusual about spending most of ones free time in the mountains/running/communing with nature.  We hmmm'd and hawww'd for a good long while, weighing all the options, dreaming up all sorts of places we think we'd quite enjoy (talk about a long list!), and we've finally picked our new backdrop:

Salt Lake City, Utah!

C'mon, we're also a little bit city folk at heart, so we wanted to make sure we'd still have some of the access and convenience of a city, but with the ability to hop into the mountains at the drop of a hat.  Not to mention being within five hours in any direction of some of the most beautiful places in the entire country.  And, can we say world class trail running?  Hello Wasatch Mountains, you are my new friends! :)  (Heck, I may even learn to really enjoy downhill skiing and not be such a scaredy-cat.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.)  And, we've got such a great network of wonderfully amazing friends already in the area, so what's not to love? 

May 31st we are leaving the Chicago skyline in our rearview mirror for good.  That's gonna be weird...and totally thrilling, exciting, terrifying and motherloving awesome.  I'm pretty sure I'll cry.  It happens  This has been my home for sooooooo long.  But, it's time.

That's not all.

June and July will be spent taking in every last bit of some of the magnificient west's greatest treasures.  We'll be modern day vagabonds, but not quite as drifty...and with much better hygiene :)  We do have some places to be at certain points, including crewing/pacing for Gretchen at Hardrock in July, so we do have a very blurry plan.

But otherwise, we'll be residents of the road; choosing our own adventure along the way.  We do have a soft spot for americana, small towns off the beaten path, coffee shops with funky names and mismatched furniture, book stores, folks who still wear overalls, folks who call themselves 'folks', brick streets, towns with names that make you giggle, red rock formations and trails that go for hours.  Where will the road take us?  We shall see!

And, it gets better...

I'm going back to school!  I've just missed those textbooks and A & P flashcards too much ;)  Nothing too exciting yet, just catching up on some prerequsites before applying into a program for 2013.  This was really the main boot-kick to the pants.  We knew school was a big priority...but we also knew relocating west was another big priority.  So, why not do both at the same time?  That's just how we Dunmores roll.

It was hard giving notice at work...I have three completely awesome attorneys that I've been working for for the last five years (no, they don't read this blog as far as I know so I'm being honest, for the record :)), so it's hard leaving a truly wonderful professional environment...one which I would have easily retired from many many years from now.  But, we cannot ignore the call of the mountains.  It is loud, persistent, and quite lovely!  It could be a flop, but I sincerely doubt it.  We just aren't 'flop' people :)  We are make it happen people.  There have been just a couple naysayers (expected), but otherwise peeps have been enormously supportive and encouraging.  And for that, I say thank you!

Think on how often in life you have an opportunity like this.  I bet it's not often.  So when we saw it approaching we decided to take the leap (a huge long-jump-over-our-universe-landing-in-unknown-territory kind of leap...over burning coals, spikey things, naysayers and steaming piles of lima beans).  It's intense.  And downright cool. 

This is a wildly awesome adventure we are about to embark on, and I'm tickled pink to have the greatest sidekick in the universe to share the ride with!  And, of course, the greatest readers ever known to man to share our adventures with right here :)

So that's the skinny.

And now back to our regularly scheduled running excitement.

Paige, out.

(Bet you weren't expecting this one, lol!)

Zane Grey 50M: InZane in the Membrane...

InZane in the brain!

Sorry, I couldn't pass that one up. That was bad, even for me :)

Oh snap!  We did it!  Our street cred pretty much doubled as soon as we crossed the finish line of this beast, as well as for anyone else who has managed to stumble upon a finish at the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile Run.  And I mean stumble, because that's mostly what we did on the trail.

I've been trying to think of ways to describe our Zane Grey experience without sounding dramatic, but honestly that's just how it's going to sound because that s*** was crazy!  "How hard can it be?"  THAT FREAKING HARD.  This is one of the myriad things I love about this sport: it's ability to put life into perspective.  Nothing off trail is that bad.  Life is a dream my friends.  Battling through a really tough course reminds me of how wonderful daily life really is...not that I was in need of reminding.  The Highline Trail is a nightmare.  A beautiful, rugged, delicious nightmare.

And I look forward to returning to it.

Well, Brian, Kelly, baby Caleb, Geof and I headed down to Payson, Arizona for a day of running, followed by a few days of enjoying the northern Arizona sun and warm weather.  We arrived at the Best Western Payson Inn, where we were staying Friday and Saturday, in time for packet pick-up.  It was by far the most low key pick-up I've ever experienced, but I was expecting as much.  We sat out on the patio of Brelly's room relaxing before deciding to head to Wal-Mart for some supplies and refreshments for the weekend ahead. 

Back in our room, Geof and I set about getting everything ready for the next morning.  We decided to forego drop bags and instead carry everything we thought we'd want.  Drop bags are a P.I.T.A. and it's less stressful to be fully self-sufficient.  I stuffed a change of Injinji liner socks, enough Honey Stinger Waffles and Chews for 12 hours, extra batteries, my headlamp, ginger, S!Caps, sunblock, a bandanna, long sleeve shirt, and my iPod Shuffle into my hydration pack.  Then add in 70 ounces of water and I had one hefty pack to carry around all day!  I also opted to carry one water bottle so that I could put electrolyte drink (provided at aid stations) or extra water in it if needed.  Thank goodness I had that bottle...I needed it. 

Race morning came fast, but luckily we slept pretty good.  The weather forecast was calling for near record high temperatures...90 degrees and a totally cloudless sky, and that is exactly what we got.  But of course it's the mountains so that means it's a little chilly when the sun is down, a brisk 43 degrees.  I decided to wear a short sleeve shirt with my North Face arm warmers underneath a totally unnecessary long sleeve shirt.  I, of course, wore a trusty old pair of my La Sportiva Wildcats (Sporty Cats) and they did not disappoint.  I knew it was going to be rocky and thus mean possible shifting of my feet in my shoes, so I wore some Hydropel on my tootsies and Injinji liner socks (the super thin ones). 

The start is 20 minutes from the hotel in Payson and we arrived in plenty of time for check-in, a pit stop and a few minutes to quietly freak out inside my own head.  As we lined up at the start I glanced around and confirmed my initial assumption coming into this experience: I am a fish out of water.  Completely out of my element.  This terrified and excited me all at once.  You could see muscles rippling on the mountain worn legs of the chicks around me, and the guys were just as ripped.  They all seemed to have that hungry "I eat rocks and mountains for breakfast" look in their eyes.  I want to eat mountains and rocks for breakfast one day, too :)  After a simple countdown, 126 watches beeped to a start in unison and we headed up the trail.  After a grueling 20 yards we had to pull to the side of the trail...and link up Geof's Garmin.  Oops.  His GPS would become a beacon of hope throughout the day.  I didn't realize how helpful that thing was going to be mentally.

Before I get to far in, here's a really good map showing where we were running: http://hikearizona.com/images/maps/pay/HTC4.png.  The dark squiggly line is the Mogollon Rim, and we were running on the trail marked with the number 31, just below the Rim.  The race begins around 5,300 feet and ends somewhere close to 7,000 feet, and between those two points we were going to rack up nearly 11,500 feet of elevation GAIN.  Forget elevation loss, this was an uphill race and while there was more than enough descent to keep you focused, climbing was going to be the movement of the day.  Oh, here's a nice shot of the Mogollon Rim from a fellow runner:

Photo: Brian Ricketts

That's pretty snazzy, no?  I had no idea we were actually ON the Mogollon Rim.  It was pretty amazing.  Looking at the map above, and matching it with memory is a fun little exercise.  I am pretty surprised by how much I remember of the day and the trail.  It was one of those incredibly lucid experiences.  I am going to assume the high level of lucidity was due in a big way to the fact that you COULD NOT space out even for a moment...'cuz that would be really stupid on this trail.  I was hoping to keep all my teeth intact and my bones nice and not broken, so intense focus was in high demand.  How exhausting!

Once the Garmin linked up, we were back at it, focusing on the dim orb of light cast by our headlamps.  The trail is entirely singletrack, and we quickly began to see what all the fuss is about.  It's singletrack rocks with a little bit of dirt or sand mixed in here and there.  With climbing, and downhilling, and stream crossings every few miles (but these were all easily crossed without getting wet), and the steadily rising temperature I got to work lowering my expectations and preparing myself for a very slow day.  There was no way we could have been prepared for this given our geography and lack of real trails.  It was intense!  But, when we're given lemons...we make lemon electrolyte drink :)

Around 1:45 into the race we pulled into the 8 mile aid station, Camp Geronimo.  Kelly was there with Caleb ready to help out however she could.  Brian had come through about 20 minutes before us.  I peeled off my long sleeve shirt, packed my headlamp back in my pack, topped off my bottle and opened a Waffle for my first meal of the day. 

Geronimo Aid Station, Mi 8...I had food in my mouth

Photo: Kelly Gaines 

And like that we were out of there.  We kept our aid stops pretty short and sweet throughout the day, but that was easy because there were only five stops and we were riding cutoffs a little too close for comfort :)  I haven't done that in ages, so it was a little alarming at first.

Miles 8 -17 were nice, but I no longer had the pleasant distraction of Honey Albrecht and Jon Roig behind me.  They left us behind at Camp Geronimo.  They were a lot of fun to listen to those early miles and kept my mind off of anything negative.  They went on to have great races from what I can tell!  Not much stands out at this point, other than a lot of head down running/hiking.  I knew the worst was yet to come so I was working on keeping up on my hydration and calories in order to avoid any mental dips or bonks.  Those are pretty much completely ruled by nutrition so I kept on top of that stuff even more than normal.  A good day on this trail was going to be fricking hard, but a bad day on this trail could kill.  I also made sure I was peeing enough.  I was drinking so much water that I wanted to make sure I was processing it enough before taking in more salt.  Lots of peeps were having very visible issues with over/under hydration and I did not want to be one of them.  My routine worked out great.

Typical Trail...
Photo: Brian Ricketts 

Hey, it's some smooth trail!
Photo: Brian Ricketts

Pulling into the Washington Park AS (mile 17) with only 30 minutes on the cutoff we were surprised to see Brian still there, sitting with Kelly and Caleb, and we made our way to the table down below.  Greeted by the always awesome Coury brothers (Jamil and Nick) we loaded up more water in our packs, I downed a cup of Coke, got some ice in my bra and hat, and grabbed Brian to head back out on the trail.  Nick told us to smile at the river crossing for our trail portrait.  We had been warned that miles 17-33 were going to be some of the worst miles, and the aid stop at mile 23 was the only stop in there.  We had taken to dunking our hats, bandannas and arm sleeves in each of the creek crossings and I quietly hoped we'd have more of those coming up as I wasn't sure how well I'd fare in the now blazing heat on nearly totally exposed trail for the next 16 miles.  

This is basically what miles 17-33 were...hot, rocky, exposed, HOT.  In other words, a very near replica of my version of hell.  But dang it was beautiful!

Photo: Brian Ricketts

Miles 17-23 were tough with a LOT of hiking and slow moving as the climbing grew ever steeper and erratic.  Downhilling was getting harder due to the influx of rock on the trail.  Where does all that come from?!  Everyone ahead of and behind us was moving at a molasses slow pace.  That's all we could muster.  Creek crossings were the only thing pulling me forward at points and I could feel myself becoming very indifferent towards the whole day.  Not negative or down, in fact I never felt like that at any point during the race (thankfully!), but just...indifferent.  Geof was getting worried about cutoffs and with about a mile out from Hell's Gate Canyon he asked me, "Are you committed to this?"  My mind flashed quickly to Leadville and that loser-ish breakdown I had right before my DNF.  There was no way I was going to do that again.  No way.  We had plenty of time.  "Yes, let's do it."  And that was that.  We picked it up just enough to pull into Hell's Gate/Mi 23 with 30 minutes to spare.  Brian decided he was calling it a day there, and hung back as we made quick business of packing ice into everything we could.  I downed more coke and swapped out the Gu Brew in my bottle for plain water and ice.  When I asked what to expect in the next section the volunteer said very seriously, "It's a very HOT, very EXPOSED, very SOLID 10 miles."  Okay then, bring it!

We said our goodbyes to Brian and got out of there quickly.  We had 3.5 hours now to make it the next 10 miles...and we weren't sure if that was going to be enough!  Good grief, this was the theme of the day!  It was very quickly obvious that the volunteer's description was spot on.  The hard part about 23-33 was how exposed and rocky it was.  There was almost no shade the entire way, but lots of creek crossings that we very happily dunked in.  Jim from Texas was with us the whole way and it was nice to have the extra company.  We swapped spots depending on who was feeling stronger at any point, and waited for each other at creek crossings.  We had a nice little rhythm going and it made the time fly.  Of course, the miles nearly stood still, but the hours went by in an instant :)  At some point I pulled my bandanna off my neck, dunked it in a cold creek crossing and placed it on my head, under my hat, so that it would shade the sides of my face and neck.  What a difference that made!  I've never tried it before, but have seen plenty of runners do it in hot races.  I looked like a goof but I sure was comfortable :)

Precisely three hours later we made it into Fish Hatchery/Mi 33, maintaining our 30 minute cushion.  I immediately sat and changed my socks (avoiding looking at my feet because they both felt like giant blisters), then refilled my hydration pack, which I drained all but 10 ounces of on that last stretch, and my bottle.  I grabbed a full cup of Coke as we walked our way out of the aid station.  It was here that I had what has got to be one of the more defining moments in my running career.  The Belch Heard 'Round the World.  Don't even bother trying to compete because I win.  That Coke does wonders for the gastrointestinal tract, and I'm pretty sure leaves far above my head quivered as I let out that rumbling burp.  I think my gut became concave after releasing it.  Unbeknownst to me, Joe Grant was walking beside and behind me as this happened.  I turned to apologize and the look on his face was absolutely priceless.  My bad :)  But boy did I feel better!

I was a little fuzzy here, but the caffeine perked me right back up, and I had grabbed a caffeinated gel from the aid station as the next stretch was 11 miles of steep climbing and rocking descents.  Technically, this was the most difficult stretch of the race.  We climbed, we ran, we hiked, we kept quiet.  We lost Jim at the aid station, so it was just Geof and I now.  The climbs took us straight up to hot exposed ridges, then dropped us straight back down into the cool and lush valleys of green.  

Around mile 36 we came to the biggest creek crossing of the day.  It was a rapid and rushing stream, and I made my way down to it immediately, peeled off my shirt hat and bandanna and dunked them all in.  I actually got a chill for a moment :)  It felt amazing, and the area was incredibly beautiful, green and mossy.  We had to balance our way across a few logs to get to the other side.  The miles ticked by so amazingly slowly.  The climbs and descents were so steep that you barely gained any horizontal forward progress, but they took forever to get up and down because we were so physically exhausted.  It could have been incredibly deflating, but I managed to keep my head on straight and remind myself this was not a race against anything but a ticking clock.  I didn't care how long it took as long as it was under the cutoff, even by a second.  We were going to finish this thing, we just had to keep moving forward. 

The two miles bringing us into See Canyon/Mi 44 were awesomely smooth downhill-ish running and we managed to pass a handful of people who looked rather corpse-like.  It was nice to know that given the opportunity to run we still had the legs to do it, and rather quickly.  Brian, Kelly and Caleb greeted us at the aid station; I could not have been happier to see them.  And we made it with 30 minutes to spare...again!  Talk about consistent :)  Brian grabbed my handheld from the car, and we dropped our sunglasses with them.  I downed another cup of coke, a caffeine gel and topped off my water.  The sun would be setting soon and we wanted to get in as much of the final 7 miles as we could before using our headlamps.  As we made our way out of the station we both breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank goodness we made that cutoff!"

"Holy s*** we're actually going to finish this thing!" 

A huge weight was lifted.  We now had three hours to cover the final 7 miles.  I had heard Honey explain earlier that the initial three miles had two very big climbs, but the last 4 miles were great downhill running.

See Canyon Aid Station, Mi 44
Photo: Kelly Gaines

This section was amazingly beautiful...really, the entire course is amazingly beautiful.  Have I mentioned that?  I was in awe of it all.  It was even better than I had imagined it being.  These last 7 miles were higher up and had slightly different flora, a little greener, and a little cooler as we dipped down into valleys before making the final two big climbs (and they were big!).  I could smell the barn though so I laid down the hammer.  When we reached the crest of the final climb, we began the nice and (relatively) easy run down towards the finish.  The trail was now slightly less rocky, and very gently undulating.  It was super runnable compared to the rest of the day, and after walking for a short stretch behind a runner and his pacer, we decided to git 'er done.  We passed them and took off.  Headlamps now on, we had just a couple miles more to go.  It was pitch black...so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face.  I was glad to have my headlamp and a handheld :)  A red flashing light was ahead and as we pulled up to it we read the sign below it, "One Mile To Go!"

Oh sweet relief!  We really really  are going to finish this thing!!

The sound of the finishline generator never sounded so sweet.  We held hands and made our way across the finishline.  Brian was there smiling and congratulating us.  It was such a perfect finish.  I was so dang happy.  Our official time was 15h:05m:53s.  Every step, every second of that was hard earned and happily gained. 

Wow.  So it's all true.  Everything you read or hear about this race is true.  We both agreed this was the hardest race we had ever done, and it felt like we ran 100 miles.  It's pretty incredible.  I really can't imagine moving any faster than we did on that course.  But I hope to return one day with a whole lot more specific training under my feet.  You just can't properly train for that on the flat Chicago bike paths :)  I am super happy with how it all went, though, and that we were able to pull out a finish.  It's a great feeling overcoming a course like that.  It's also a good reminder that I really enjoy running at this point in my life.  Flat out running is so gratifying.  And this is not a runners' course.  It's a hiker's course :)

One day...

Nutrition, emotional health, physical health, everything went so well.  I will return one day!  I loved the organization, the course, the weather, the people, the extremely low key experience.  All of it.

 

Finisher awards are decorated rocks from the trail; I love this idea!  I named mine Dot.  Doesn't the bird poop look like a Sunday hat?

We also got a framed photo of ourselves taken at a river crossing, and a nifty finisher's sweater...unexpected little treats at the finish!

Sunday, we grabbed breakfast at Cafe 260 in Payson before we drove up to Sedona to spend a few days in the sun.  The food was crazy good!  I love little mom n' pop restaurants and this one did not disappoint in any way.  We did some hiking, a lot of eating, some rehydrating, and lots of relaxing once in Sedona. 

Bell Rock Trail - Sedona, AZ 

Photo: Brian Gaines

Taking a stroll after a big breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe in Sedona

Photo: Brian Gaines

On Monday we did a three hour hike along the West Fork Trail...beautiful!  It was the perfect way to get the legs moving post-race.  A nice easy hike with lots of cooling stream crossings and amazing views.  Check it out if you're ever in the area.  The Barking Frog had a killer happy hour that we enjoyed out on the patio in the setting sun afterward.  It was an awesome day.

We ended the feeding frenzy with an amazing breakfast at Red Rock Cafe, in Sedona on Tuesday.  Hands down the best huevos rancheros I have ever had.  The waitress said they are known for it and I totally get it.  I am currently re-craving said meal.

All in all, a very successful runcation! 

I still can't believe we made it through Zane Grey...it sorta blows my mind.  If you're ever seeking a ridiculously humbing experience, give it a go...but don't say I didn't warn ya'!

Check out Geof's take on our Zane Grey adventure HERE.

Paige, out.

Downright Zaney

Holla, Zane Grey 50M is in four days!  First race for us in since November when we ran Javelina.  We're heading back to more or less the same area once again.  We must really enjoy Arizona, or maybe it's just the whole deserty wilderness thing that we love.  Yea, I think it's that.
I feel like we are pretty gosh darn ready, physically. Maybe mentally.  I guess we'll see.  This has been the best 50 mile training I've ever done.  It has very closely mimicked the training I did for Javelina 100, but with more hills, and longer daily runs, and less racing, and just three months of training rather than four. 

But otherwise it's the same :)

Neither of us really have any expectations for this race given that we have not a clue what to expect, other than it's technical and really, really hard.  But what does that mean?  I'm guessing that just means a sorta long day on the trail :)  Basically, we just want to enjoy ourselves and live to tell the tale of the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50M. 

And I want the shirt that proves I did it :)

I've been out of the Blogger loop of late.  I check in once in a little while on folks, but otherwise my brain has been completely fogged by life.  And training.  Oh, and lots of reading.  It's all good life things and I look forward to writing about them sometime soon :)  Hopefully I haven't missed any good stuff out there! 

I have some really big decisions to make in the next handful of days, like do I wear my hydration pack from the start, or do I start with two bottles and upgrade to my pack  at mile 18? Or do I make the switch at mile 33?  Do I wear my older pair of Sporty Cats and run them out, or wear my newer pair and introduce them to some gnar?  Jacket, or vest with long sleeve shirt?  Local brew or mass produced watery beer afterward?  I guess, whichever is colder will be best :)

These are the things that would keep me up at night if I weren't already so doggone tired :)

Downright zaney I tell ya.

Paige, out.

Cloudy with a Chance of Hills

I noticed something different on the walk to work this morning.  Big poofy cotton ball clouds had entered the atmosphere and hung completely motionless in the sky.  The sun was shining, and the sky was otherwise blue.  The clouds, though, they just sat there.  No movement whatsoever.  I stood at a stoplight and stared up at the sky.  Nothing.  Stood outside my office building to check once more; still no movement.  Cool. 

I have never noticed that before.  It seems like clouds here are always on the go, kind of like most of the inhabitants of this fair city :)

It was a good reminder...to stop and take it all in; enjoy the scenery.  Clearly, even the clouds know to do that :)

That said, we took it all in this morning and knocked out another great T10 with some added spice to make it interesting: 4 miles of hill repeats.  I definitely could have worked it a little more, but I was going easy on myself today...after last week's awesome set of runs I'm easing up a bit this week (but not too much ;)).  I have to play a head game so as not to get bored with the workout, and so far so good.  I break it up into smaller numbers, sets and repetitions and boom, 40 minutes go by like nothing.  The run back was too easy, so that's how I know I didn't work hard enough on the hill.  Next time.

Geof, on the other hand, made that hill his %$*&# today. 

Zane Grey 50M = 18 days away.

Paige, out.

Friday Fifteen

I'm pretty sure stars were still out when we left for our run this morning.  And if the moon was in the habit of appearing 'round these parts this time of year, we would have seen that too for sure.  It was 5:30 in the morn' and we were headed out for our run.  A decent enough wind blew in our faces from the south as we headed for points unknown.  Unknown because we weren't entirely sure where our turnaround was, we just had a general idea.
Geof had the fun idea to run 15 miles before work today so that we could go home and just relax tonight before our long run tomorrow morning, rather than doing a double.  I dug it and agreed to not hit snooze when the alarm went off at 4:25 a.m.

Waking up was surprisingly easy given how awesome we slept last night.  I could get used to going to bed at 9:00 :)

The forecast called for raining cats and dogs but we decided to play roulette with mother nature and leave our rain jackets at home.  Luckily, the wind from the south was relatively warm and I didn't hate it the way I usually hate wind.  The lights along the path were spotty but at least some of them were on.  The Canadian geese were perched along the edge of the path, waiting for the sky to lighten before venturing into the choppy waters below them for their morning float.  A pair of seagulls were duking it out over a fresh caught fish beneath the eerie glow of one of the lamps.  A few other daring souls ran by in a mad dash to beat the rain.

As the sky lightened we could see the ominously dark clouds hanging over the city, but we were heading south and apparently away from the saturated grip of mother nature.  The legs and mind felt good and we both reveled in the fact that we were doing this before work.  If we did nothing else all day we would at least have achieved this much.

I worked some numbers in my head to try to determine our turnaround point (fact: I should never "work" numbers...it never ends up good/accurate).  We decided to turn beyond what we thought might be 15, just in case as anything less was just unacceptable this day.  With the wind at our backs, though considerably less intense, we headed for home and towards the foreboding clouds.  We felt a few drops here and there, but nothing threatening.  The pace picked up some and it was welcome finally.  I sensed some pep returning to my stride.  I also sensed the need to release some of the water I downed before heading out for the run.  This need only intensified after two attempts to utilize proper facilities (they were locked!) were foiled.  A large evergreen became the focus of my attention.

And then all was right with the world again.

Before we knew it, we were rounding the last museum of the campus and only had a couple more miles to go.  I could feel it in my glutes and my stomach began to rumble.  Hunger was upon me.  We were now enveloped in dark clouds, giving the impression of night, and the rain trickled ever so slightly.  The ground was saturated, evidence we had dodged a bullet momentarily.  As we crossed the bridge one last time and zig-zagged our way through traffic, emerging from the cover of the highway overhead, the rain began to fall in earnest.  I couldn't help but smile.  So close!  We crossed the lot, rounded the last corner before finally making it to cover.  Barely wet compared to some of our running compatriots on this morning. 

Turns out we got in just shy of 16 miles in just over 2 hours.  A darn fine way to start a Friday I do say. 

And, I'm glad we left the rain jackets at home this time :)

Paige, out.

Kettle Moraine Spring Starter 50k

A confidence booster, that's what we needed.  And, the New Leaf Ultra Runs' Kettle Moraine Spring Starter 50k is what we decided would provide that boost.  It fit quite nicely into our respective training "plans" so with a spring in our step and some coffee in our mugs we headed up north to frolic in the 'sconsin woods.

We actually arrived a touch early at the Emma Carlin parking lot and went about making final preparations for a nice day in the woods.  Brian gave a quick speech about the course and the aid every 7-8 miles on the route, and reminded us to turn around at Esterly Road.  Though it's only a fat ass event/group run, Brian still manages to pull together a great event.  That's just what he does :)

We set out on the trail to a symphony of 25 watches beeping 'start' signaling the beginning of a great day.

The weather was cool and damp and we ran the first 3+ hours in a persistent mist under gray skies.  The trail was perfect and we clicked along in quiet contemplation.  Four guys ran up ahead and stayed there all day, while Brian carried our threesome forth with me in the middle and Geof behind.  The three of us moved along as if on a rail.  Smooth and effortless.  The ground was soft and tacky, perfect for traction on the plentiful ascents and descents of this stretch of the Ice Age Trail.  The misty air only intensified the color palette of the forest surrounding us.  Geof and I decided it was how we imagined trails in western Oregon :) 

Trees and underbrush were just sprouting their spring layers and the green was intensely bright set against the gray sky.  Tiny flowers nosed their way upwards through dead leaves covering the side of the trail.  Tiny spider webs dangled between reeds of tall prairie grass, dotted with dew drops.  How tiny must the spiders be that built those webs?  The rustling of leaves on the forest floor alongside us caused more than a few glances throughout the day, but whatever it was kept itself hidden.  Birds were singing and dancing above us, and the frogs were chattering monotonously as we ran past hidden ponds and lakes.  I could sleep soundly surrounded by this woodland symphony.  The forest felt more alive than I can ever recall it feeling.  Nature is king and this day reminded us of this. 

The Ice Age Trail from Emma Carlin to Esterly Road is a delicious combination of hilly technical singletrack through towering trees, and flat and fast pine needle padded winding singletrack beneath an aisle of pine trees reaching for the sky.  It is beautiful.  You can feel yourself coming back alive as you take it in.  We were gettin' ourselves some serious nature :)

Brian, Geof and I stuck together all day and I must say it was an absolute delight working together.  We made it to the turn around, exactly 15.5 miles out, in just under 3 hours.  We must have looked like starved beasts as we ransacked the aid set up at the turn.  I guess we were hungry, and not a little bit thirsty :) 

As we headed back out the mist began to dissipate.  The temps were in the low 60s and a cool breeze forced my wind vest back on after standing still for a few minutes at the aid stop.  I kept it on the rest of the way.  The mist had left us pretty well soaked and fairly grimey feeling, but for some reason it felt good.  It felt good to not care and to focus on one thing: running. 

I didn't have any goals for the day, other than to have a great time.  I knew we would before we started; I could feel it.  And I was right.  As we clicked off the miles I decided it would be great to finish first female, why not?  But I knew it wasn't going to be a fast finish.  We were taking it easy and I knew I would have a great deal left in the tank, which is exactly how I want my training runs to go at this point.  Everything was working so well and my legs responded better than expected.  We haven't run more than 20 miles in one sitting since JJ100 back in November so we weren't sure how it would all pan out.  I tell you what, it's awesome to just be able to knock out 31 miles whenever we want.  Geof mentioned this during the run, and I totally agree :)

I focused on pace and maintaining a comfortable stride on the ups and downs, and pushing a little more on the flats.  I pulled ahead and led our pack along for the final miles and found I had to reign myself in to keep us together, but it was good to know I had plenty of turnover to spare so late in the run. 

After what seemed like an inordinately long final 1/2 mile we could see the Emma Carlin parking lot through the trees.  The three of us finished together in a fine time of 6h:12m.  Knowing how much I had left in the tank I could have certainly pushed a lot harder, or kept on going.  But, I was happy to be done because I was really hungry and ready for the La Grange General Store :)  We all finished feeling really good and very happy with how the day went.  I was also happy with how well it went wearing my new La Sportiva Wildcat 2.0s for the first time.  Those shoes rock my world every time.  I did end up getting first female.  Not that this was a race or anything ;)

Brian, Geof and I made our way to the General Store and enjoyed some good eats and shared a choose-your-own six pack...I tried out a new Belgian white by Alaskan that had me clicking my heels; it was delicious...as was the requisite Spotted Cow.  I love me some 'sconsin brew.

My legs bounced back like a couple of champs and after running around the city a little the next morning to watch the front runners in the Shamrock Shuffle 8k I felt pretty well recovered.

Just a few more weeks of quality training before the taper.  I love this stuff.

Paige, out.