OMG!!! I really did it! I had NO doubt in my mind that I would finish the race, but when I actually came around the corner, saw the finish line and crossed it, I was in shock. Releaved. Happy. Excited. No longer a 100 miler virgin. (Yes, I thought about writing that line the last 10 miles:)).

It will take a few posts to fully do justice to the increadable feat of running 100 miles in 24:58. For now, I am going to answer some questions.

Q: How many pairs of shoes & socks did you use? ~ Jen

A: I changed socks only once.  I believe around mile 45. And regrettably I wore the same shoes the whole time. If I run this distance again I will change shoes. My feet REALLY took a beating. Ouchie!

Q: Were you surprised how much pain set in after? ~ Erica

A: I will admit, yes I was. I am usually able to bounce back pretty quickly, but 100 miles is NO JOKE. After the excitement of finishing then I felt (and saw) how much damage I really did to myself. The pain was intense for sure.

Q: Why were you not able to swallow? ~ Erica

A: Good question. I am not entirely sure why (maybe a doctor can help me out on this one). I think it had something to do with my auto immune condition. I have had this issue many times before. I was really hoping that it would stay away though! I was forced to drink & eat. Just was hard to do:)

Q: How did you keep your mind busy while running? ~ Amanda

A: Yes, what do you think about for 25 hours- STRAIGHT??!! My first thought was to make it to each aid station. My second thought was to remind myself not to die. Third, thought about how many life’s I would reach with what I was doing. Fourth, I thought of what I would do when I would finish. Fifth,  I just got in a zone (especially the last 50 miles) and kept one foot in front. Six, I thought about new business ideas. Surprise, surprise. Seven, I thought of all the people encouraging me. And I think a lot more:)

Q: What support did you have? ~ Sue

A: I will go more into depth on this later, but I must say I owe my finishing to my AWESOME friend Gregg. He was at every aid station. He took such great care of me. From ice cold towels for my head/neck to making me fluids (and forcing them down me) to asking me what I needed, to helping bandage my feet to cheering me on AND to also staying up for 25+ hours!!!  Gregg, let me thank you right now. You made my race a success.

Q: What was the hardest part of the run? ~ Jeff

A: It was the miles during the day. They sucked. It was 95 degrees in South Dakota and a VERY dry heat. I think miles 30-50 were the toughest.

Q: Did you know the recovery was going to be this tough before you started? ~ Fred

A: HELL NO!!! And I am glad I didn’t! I would have still ran it, but would have known what to expect after the fact:)

Q: How did you begin to trust yourself re: knowing when & what to eat while on long trek? ~ Amy

A: I had to trust Gregg and I also knew that if I didn’t eat or drink it would be very tough for me to finish. This is also where my training came in. I trained with food and fluids, it was time to trust that it would get me through. I also had to  have faith to change things up when the currant plan wasn’t working.

Do you have a question? Let me know! I will be happy to answer them!’

Photo by Bast

Where did the week go? Can it really be Thursday already? Another walk this morning. This taper thing can’t end soon enough!

I am happy to report that I have good running form. I went to a free running clinic tonight hosted by http://www.runningrehoboth.com/. They had a foot doctor there. I nearly fell off the treadmill from laughter when he said to me “so, you probably run about 60-80 miles a week”. I agreed with a shrug. He asked me when my next race was and he said “ok, I know you now. You are an athlete. Don’t need to prove it to us by that pace you running now”. I got off the treadmill:) I was told that I had good running form. I should probably change my shoe type. Too much motion control. I could be a better (and most importantly) faster runner if I would wear a different shoe! Music to my ears!

My friends, Andy O http://blog.andyobrien.com/ , Caleb http://bonkproof.com/ and Steve http://www.runbulldogrun.com/ better watch out. There is another speed monster in the house!!!

Photo by procsilas

Talk about a sweat fest! With 58% humidity it felt like 95 out. Sweet (or sweat)! Decided to bare it. As in wearing minimal clothing, i.e. short, sports bra, shoes, socks and hat. Sorry animals for scaring you. Just trying to keep cool!

My run was hard, no question about it. Kind of hard to breathe when you have a mask on your face. The first miles hurt like hell. And just like always, once I hit mile 10, legs got with the program. Phil ran with me, so it made the miles & the pain a little more bearable. That’s a happy thought.

I also did a bit of reflecting while running. Today was my last long run. I can’t believe that I am writing that! I have trained my heart, soul, mind, legs & body out for this race. Everything comes down to the next 25 days. And by everything I mean taper. I know I have put in the miles. The dedication. The early mornings. The kick butt speed workouts sessions. Which brings me to my final thought.

For the month of July I set a goal of running AND cycling 1000 miles. Yes, 1k miles. Well, with 6 days to go and traveling 2 of them, I knew that I could do it. But die in the process. Didn’t really want that to be the goal. So after much thought & pray last night I decided that I would not go after the 1k goal this month. I am going to be so freaking close that it will be tough to not go after it. But I know my body will thank me. After all, my main goal is a little something on August 22.

Ran 26 miles in 4 hours. Nice training run done. Must. Focus. On. August 22.

Photo byMikeBaird

Training for today was a 12 mile run. Didn’t think that it would be that hard. Well, I was wrong. Somehow 41% humidity was hotter then I thought. My plan was to actually run 13, then hike/climb 2 miles, then run another mile back. Clearly that did not happen. I ran the 12 in just under 2 hours. It should have taken me 1:43 or so. So, it was WAY slower then it should have been. I decided to go back later this afternoon and tackle the climb.

It was a beautiful day. So beautiful in fact, that I was able to get in 3 sweat fests! I did go back and finish up the 4 miles on the trail. I love to climb this section. It really rocks (no pun intended)!

THEN. I am so proud of myself. I dragged my butt to the pool. I didn’t have much time, but I warmed with 200′s. Then did 5×200. Ah. A fish is born. BUT. Then the fish had to get back onto dry land. Sigh.

Photo by JennyHuang

So, today’s run was a total surprise. A total shock. A joy. And an honor. You see, I had no idea who I was running with until AFTER we started.

It all started out with me sending an email to the local running group asking if anyone would like to join me on my runs. Well, a guy named Phil emailed me and after we talked (yes, I did warn him that I talk. A lot. He said that was cool. Really, I don’t think he knew what he was saying, lol!) He said he could keep up with me. 16 miles at 9 minute pace.

Well. Phil could keep up with me alright. You see, I was running with Phil Rosenstein. Google him. No, seriously, do it. In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit about him. He has run across America. SELF SUPPORTED. He ran Badwater Ultra Marathon. Google that too. AND he ran that after being in the hospital for 2 months. I asked him “why are you running with me again?” He has done 30 100 mile ultra marathons. Triple Ironmans. I will stop there. Needless to say getting to run with him was a complete honor and delight. So, it wasn’t a matter of him keeping up with me, it was me keeping up with him.

Our 2:28 run was enjoyable. A learning experience. A honor to run with someone who has accomplished so much. Even though I felt like a shrimp, he never made me feel like one. No matter how much “you” might have accomplished, always remember that you are human. And remain down to earth. Speaking to myself here. I know that some of you look at me and think I am “superwomen”. I might be doing some crazy things (see I admit it), but I NEVER want to lose touch with reality.  People. Life.

An elite? Yeah, some might say that. But I don’t think I am. I am just me.

Here to inspire others through my little life.

Screenshot of badwater.com

May 23, 2009

Chicago, Ill.

So, today, I ran the Soldier Field 10 mile race. I haven’t run this short of a distance in quite sometime, so while I was fully trained, racing hard+fast for 10 miles was going to be a nice little challenge! I was also just coming off of 100 mile training weeks. But I had a goal….

4:45am. UP! Had my usual breakfast of Kashi with soy milk. Got dressed, prayed that the weather would be a little warmer then last night. It was pretty chilly!

5:45am. Bright sun welcomed Kate & I as we walked outside. It was a beautiful morning! We left via a cab to pick up Amy who was also running the race.

6:30am. Arrived at Soldier Field. Lots of people, pre race stretching, warm up laps, gear check, excitement in the air & the sun was up and shinning brightly on us all!

6:55am. Kevin met up with me to help pace me. Said good bye to Kate & Amy and away we went to warm up. Kevin was a former pro hockey player and 58min 10miler PR, so I knew I was in good hands. Ran for about 12min, then he had me do some FAST (6min) strides. Felt great. Ready to rock, roll and run.

7:15am. Time to get in corral. Stretched while in line. Itching to run. Wanting to finish fast. Praying the wind keeps calm in the WINDY city.

7:33am. Music over, gun off, away we go! Kevin met me just after the start line. Feet+legs noticing the surface, concrete. Cringing. Going to hurt. Going to be really, really sore when this is all over. Kevin to me: my coach told me this & I advise you to do the same: “shut up & run”. I replied, “do you know me’? But knew he was right, so I focused on breathing & using my engery to run. Run fast. Run hard.

Mile 1. Legs already feeling the concrete. Only 9 more. I can do this. 7:36 for first mile.

Mile 2. Ran under the Soldier Field bridge. Sun is out. Eying my competition around me. Concrete STILL NOT liking me.

Mile 3. If I had been running a 5k, would have PR’d. Could have run 19min 5k. Feeling like I was floating, wait am? No, my feet quickly reminded me, you are pounding some pretty HARD ground. Run faster so we can get done, please they replied. Noted legs, run on.

Mile 4. Kevin was awesome. He asked me how I was feeling. “Great” I responded. Thinking that I only had 6 miles left. Feeling like I was not running, but hitting really hard cinder blocks with rubber soles. Yeah, concrete was really fun….

Mile 5. Halfway! 38min! Turn around point….right into a head wind. A fairly strong head wind. Fun. Kevin helped by letting me draft. SWEET!

Mile 6. Brett joined in. I said “hello” & kept on running. 65 min goal was going to be tough.

Mile 7. Wind still alive & kicking. Picking up pace, going for negitive split.

Mile 8. Brett let us battle it out with the wind, concrete and other runners. Kevin kept me motivated by saying, ” you see that girl/guy in blue/gray shirt? We are going to get them. And get them we did. We started picking up the pace. Took down a few women & a few men. Some started to walk. I was still running.

Mile 9. No water stop, picked up my pace, Kevin told me to sprint & not to let the women behind get me. I could hear the crowd in the stadium. Cheering. Yelling. Screaming. I could smell (yes smell) the finish line. Running down in the cave of  Solider Field. Dark. Concrete almost over. I could see the finish line & clock. Had to round a corner as I entered the field onto the track. I didn’t  look behind me, but I could FEEL that women right on my tail. I sprinted towards the clock. Every second counts!! Crossed the line. Time: 1:12:58. Not my goal of 65min, but good job none the less.

Here are the stats of my performance!

Age group #30/1000

Overall #488/10k

Top 3% for women

Top 6% overall

Pace 7:18

Race done! Glad to be done with the concrete. Happy with time, PR’d by 4min. Chicago you haven’t seen the last of me. I will be back. 10miles, a girl, a goal, a run well done!

Photo by Robert R Gigliotti

So, I received a LOT of feedback on my “shoes, yay or nay part 1″. Let me first clear a few things up

#1) I love bare feet! I grew up a barefoot girl and my feet were tough from walking on any surface (yup, had a few nails and some bad cuts from sharp rocks) so, let it be known, that I LOVE bare feet:)

#2) I wrote my THOUGHTS on the subject. If you are a barefoot runner, that is awesome!! I think that is great!!

#3) I also kept in mind that someone might be new to running/exercise and trying to lose weight, if I told them to go out & run barefoot they would end up with an injury. After they drop the weight, then they can see if barefoot running is for them. Heavier people getting back in shape need support from the “ground” up

#4) I thank you for your comments!

Happy running!!

Photo by luiginter

Part one on SHOES

Recently, there have been some articles on “running” shoes…..so I figured I may as well add my 2 cents worth:)

In the articles, there are 2 sides of the fence, running barefoot (or a “barely there shoe”) or wearing footwear. Both have good arguments. Running barefoot may get your feet dirty, land you in a hospital because you stepped on nail, but YOU ARE running natural, so therefore taking a high risk of self inflicted injury is ok for ya. Running/walking in shoes may not be natural, but you are would like to protect your feet from what is on the ground. Shoes with proper inserts (Super Feet) may also help your body.

Some say that shoes are just a waste of money, others claim that the Kenya’s also run barefoot, so we should as well (will it make us faster? I don’t think so).

I would like to point out that in these articles I have read, not one has mentioned HIGH HEELS. These kind of shoes are clearly the worst kind of shoe, so before we start running with naked feet, maybe we should spend less time in high heels (guys you have it easy in this area) and make sure that we are in supportive footwear.

While I do support the naked feet concept, I do feel that the proper running shoes will help you not only with your running/walking/exercise, but also may protect you from diseases & unnecessary hospital/ER visits.

I think growing up barefoot is a great idea…your feet have room to breathe, grow & avoid squeezed toes! And walking in the fresh grass is just plain fun with bare-feet!:) Going barefoot at an early age also helps prevent issues later down the road (just my personal thoughts though).

On the shoe’s side, I do recommend that shoes that you are “fitted” for. This means going to a specialty running store & I also highly recommend Super Feet. These are inserts that go inside of your shoes (take out the wafer thin liner, it doesn’t give your foot any support). They give your arch support & help to give your body alignment.

While the Kenya’s & other people may train in bare-feet, we are not all the super elite runners, so I think sticking with shoes is a good idea. These are just my thoughts….I know I am going to stick to wearing my shoes ’cause I don’t feel like visiting the ER for self induced trauma.

Part two to come soon!

disclaimer: these are my thoughts alone, feel free to take or leave it:)

Photo by Sling@Flickr