Warm Hands at the Flip of a Turtle

 Disclaimer: I received a pair of Turtle Gloves Weather Protect Heavyweight Warm Mittens to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Look, I'm just going to come right out and say it - This time of the year really sucks for the outdoor runner part of me. I am a girl who loves her weather warm, sunny and well above the temperature most runners prefer. I just hate, hate HATE being cold!!! (No really, I've said it before: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-winter-running-blahs.html)

But Lissa, don't you live in SC? Isn't it like 40-50 degrees most mornings in the winter? Usually, but not this year for some reason. We are riding into week like 3 or it being below freaking freezing in the morning!! Seriously, it was 24 degrees this morning!! And this is a girl whose preferred running temperature is above 80 degrees. Saying I am have not been thrilled is an understatement!

So what's a cold-natured girl to do? Why layer up of course.

But... I will even be the first to admit that sometimes, just sometimes, I tend to get carried away in the layering. Because of this, I love me some items that can transition as needed, like my Turtle Gloves Flip Mittens 🐢.

I've had both pairs of Lightweight and Midweight Turtle Gloves for awhile now and they are amazing. Just recently, Turtle Gloves developed a new, Weather Protect Heavyweight Flip Mitten made with Polartec® WindBloc® Fabric that is 100% windproof, water repellent, moisture wicking, breathable and fast drying. They are perfect for outdoor sports in cold and below freezing conditions. 

So how do they work? I'll let Turtle Gloves tell you themselves:

WEATHER PROTECT HEAVYWEIGHT Mittens are perfect for very cold hands, extreme cold Winter running, outdoor sports and activities such as dog walking, X-C skiing, ice-fishing or just shoveling snow. Easy access to fingers when needed. For HEAVY FABRICS, slide mitten slightly off fingers and lightly curl fingers inside mitten before flipping elastic trim edge over all fingers and thumb, push and pull mitten as needed to expose fingers. Similar method to flip back into the mitten. - from: https://turtlegloves.com/product/convertible-mittens-warm/

Basically, they go from being full mittens, to fingerless gloves with a quick flip. So when I start out my run and am cold AF, I can have them in full mitten mode. Then a few miles in when (if) I warm up, I can flip them easily into fingerless mode without even breaking stride. And, when I start to get chilly, I can can flip them back just as easily. And I do, near constantly. Flip/Filp/Flip - easy peasy. Perfect for a girl like me who's temperature sensitive.

My favorite things about them are that they are easily convertible, and they come in smaller sizes, including XS, for people like me with small hands than most "sport" gloves I've worn in the past. It also doesn't hurt that they are cute! Mine are Heavy Gray/Silver. I just love the cute silver stitching on them. Functional and sparkly! What is not to love?

Interested in trying them out for yourself? You can order online at the Turtle Gloves website: https://turtlegloves.com/ They also have lightweight, midweight and fleece convertible mittens as well. 

Journey to Positivity: Exploring Affirmations

AKA: If I Say It, I Might Think/Feel It

So in my previous post here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2023/12/ending-year-low-but-im-gonna-start-next.html I talked about how I am in desperate need of complete overhaul in my life. Doing the same things that I've done before will not cut it. It's time to shake things up and try out some concepts and strategies that past me would never consider, or even scoff at. Things like Daily Affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements or phrases repeated consistently with the for aim of cultivating positivity and achieving goals. The are thought to hold within them an incredible force to shape thoughts, beliefs, and actions. From bolstering self-esteem to fostering a positive mindset, the practice of using Affirmations are said to lead to profound personal growth and empowerment.

Note: I had no idea what images to put in this post,
so I just went with some nice pics I took recently

Understanding Affirmations

The general thinking behind Affirmations is that our thoughts have a direct impact on our reality. By consistently repeating these positive beliefs and intentions, you can rewire your subconscious mind, influencing attitudes and behaviors and guide you towards a more constructive and optimistic outlook on life. And that is precisely what I am needing these days.

Harnessing the Power of Affirmations

According to those who believe in the power of Affirmations, their magic lies in simplicity and accessibility. Anyone can utilize affirmations to bring about transformative changes. If you dream it, you can do it. Here’s how my research has shown that they best work:

1. Define Clear and Positive Affirmations:

Crafting affirmations involves creating concise and affirmative statements that reflect a goal, desire, or quality you hope to embody. Affirmations work best when you focus on what you want rather than what you lack.

2. Consistent Repetition:

Repetition is key to embedding Affirmations into the subconscious mind. By consistently repeating affirmations daily—whether through verbal recitation, written notes, or visualization—you reinforce these positive messages within yourself.

3. Belief and Emotional Connection:

Belief in the affirmations is crucial. It’s not merely about reciting words; it’s about truly feeling and believing in their truth. When coupled with emotional involvement, affirmations become more potent in reshaping thoughts and behaviors.

4. Integration into Daily Routine:

Integrating affirmations into daily routines, such as reciting them during morning rituals or before bedtime, helps anchor them firmly into one's subconscious mind.

5. Adapting Affirmations to Evolving Goals:

As you progress or goals change, updating or refining affirmations ensures alignment with their current aspirations, maintaining relevance and efficacy.

 

The Impact of Affirmations on Personal Growth

The effects of incorporating affirmations into one's life can be profound and far-reaching:

1. Enhanced Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem:

Affirmations can instill a sense of confidence and self-worth, helping individuals overcome self-doubt and negative self-perceptions.

2. Positive Mindset and Resilience:

By fostering a positive outlook, affirmations empower individuals to navigate challenges with resilience and optimism, reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth.

3. Goal Achievement and Manifestation:

Consistent affirmation practices align the subconscious mind with one's goals, enhancing focus and determination, and ultimately aiding in their manifestation.

4. Stress Reduction and Mental Well-being:

Affirmations can alleviate stress, anxiety, and negativity by promoting a more relaxed and positive mental state.

So this year, I as a part of my whole life reset, I am going to try to embrace the power of affirmations. I decided to pick one statement per month to focus on. I will spend that month focusing on just one Affirmation. I will start each day both saying the month's Affirmation and writing it in my Self Care App, Finch.

My 2024 Affirmations (one per month)

1. I will get better every day.
2. I am getting better every day.
3. I have more strength than I think.
4. I know I can achieve anything I focus on.
5. Life is meant to be lived fully and deeply.
6. I am proud of myself and of who I am becoming.
7. There is power within me.
8. I am in control of my life.
9. My happiness depends on me and me alone.
10. I am taking steps to make my dreams a reality.
11. I am taking steps to make my dreams a reality.
12. I deserve to be happy, and I choose to be happy.

And while I am waiting until January to officially start this list of Affirmations, I am already starting off now with another until then: I AM READY FOR CHANGE. 

Have you ever used Affirmations? If so, what was yours? If not, what would yours be?

Ending the Year Low, But I'm Gonna Start the Next High

So it is again that time of year, the end of the year to be specific, where I look back on how the year went and wow, was this one not fantastic. I mean, that is a bit harsh, I do have a lot to be thankful for, I have a home, food to eat, friends and family and all that jazz, I accomplished some things and have some really great memories here and there, but if I am being truly honest, I just was not into 2023 mentally. 

Yes, it is so cliche to start a NEW YEAR, NEW ME kind of mentality, but for me, I need this. My self esteem has been rock bottom. My fitness is lower than it has been in years. My motivation has been non-existent. I've barely done any blogging this year because I just haven't been compelled to talk much about the life I've been living these days. In fact I feel like that I have not been really living this year, just kind of going through the motions and waiting for the next thing to happen. 

But you know what, it's not going to just happen. Not unless I make it. So this month, I've been planning. I've come up with what I think is a good, solid list of goals for 2024 to start digging my way out of this hole that I've gotten myself into. I really really need this to work for me, so I am trying to do this the right way, to not overwhelm myself and do too much at once thus ensuring that I fail at one thing and just give up. So I am breaking down the year into areas of focus, a different one for each month, along with an Affirmation, a kind of Mantra to guide that month. I will be posting some blog posts this month with some more concrete details on what some of my 2024 goals and focus area will be, but for now, I just needed to put out there into the universe that I NEED TO CHANGE. I am not happy and I need to take charge of well being, both physical and emotional in order to do better, feel better. I don't like me right now. I used to. And I want to again. 

And Yet Here We Are...

Trotting with 10,000 Turkeys

Despite living in the area for 25 years, this is the first year I have ever run the largest Charlotte area Turkey Trot, the CPI Security Charlotte Turkey Trot. As I have mentioned a number of times here and on social media, I coach with the local Fleet Feet Sports here in Fort Mill, SC and this Fall, I trained the Turkey Trot group. This was a crazy fun group of about 20 runners, half training for the 8K distance, the other half for the 5K. So, as any good coach would, I had to of course be there on race day, so this was the year. 

While not the largest race I've ever run (that honor was the Cooper River Bridge Run) it was one of the largest, especially for this area that I have run. The race caps at 10,000 and sold out this year, but don't let that scare you, it was crazy well organized and it honestly didn't feel any bigger than other area races. Well, I can't say that completely, but well, I'll get there. 

Less than beautiful day to
pick up a packet outside

First of all, you get not just 1 or 2 days to pick up your packet, but WEEKS! Packet pickups can be done well in advance at a variety of locations all over Charlotte, which I will say, is awesome for the convenience, but does make it so that there is not really an Expo style pre-race event. You can even pay for day of event pick up for a bit more money when you register. I picked up my packet at one of the last pick up options which was at Symphony Park, where the race was held. It was raining that day, but the pick up was covered and I walked right up to the table, gave my info and was issued my bib, given a post-race beer ticket and my shirt. The shirts were long sleeve cotton T-shirts, not my favorite race shirts, but still a nice shirt. I wore it after I was showered post-race, but will probably not keep long term. I get so many race shirts each year, I typically on keep either really cute ones and/or tech shirts. 

How cute are my ladies here?!!

There are 2 distances for the Charlotte Turkey Trot, the 8K and the 5K. I was registered for the 8K. The 8K started at 8:10 am and before the race, there were lots of tents set up and vendors with coffee. There were also LOADS of potties. The 8K had the fewer participants and was an hour earlier than the 5K, so when I arrived there was plenty of places to park (race was next to South Park Mall and all their decks were open since the mall was closed for Thanksgiving). I found the Fleet Feet tent and took some pre-race pictures with the ladies who were running the 8K also. There was a costume contest and these ladies were dressed to impress. Me, I was cold which always makes me less festive. I was able to walk around a bit, go to the potty and get into a corral with plenty of time. There were 2 corrals, one for walkers and one for runners. When the race started, they let the whole runner side go first, then the walker side. This was repeated for the 5K and hour later.

Fred got him a shiny new PR!!

The course was a good one, fairly standardly hilly for a Charlotte race. While this was my first Charlotte Turkey Trot, I had run another race at this location (Charlotte Racefest) before so I knew what to expect. My only complaint was that there was no aid station on the 8K course until almost mile 4, and just the 1. Had I known, I would have carried water. The aid station seemed to be a bit past the halfway point for the 5K, which would have been fine, but for the 8K, it made for a long almost 4 miles. Also, right before the water station, was a Apple Pie Shots station, but I don't know if that was organized by the race, or just some kind souls who wanted to spread some cheer. I don't usually partake during a race, but this time, I did! I ran most of the race with a friend of mine who had told me what his PR for this course was and I realized pretty quickly that he would be shattering that number, so that was awesome to see. I was pleased with my time (9:10 pace) even if it wasn't a PR for me. My running has been a bit off this year for a number of reasons and I was just glad to have fun at a race.

I was able to run the 8K and get back over to the start before the 5K started. So here is where I kinda went back and forth on what I should be writing here as what I did next was technically not something allowed. Full disclosure, reader, I did something I have never done before... Y'all I bandited a race. 

I even took a pic the 2nd
time through!

The original plan was for me to pace my sole 5K runner that was running the race but with so dang many people I couldn't find her! I resigned myself to just watching and cheering at the start, but then a friend of mine was texting me his location and when he was gonna cross the start and I made the choice to hop in and pace him. I did not cross the start, and I exited the course before the finish. I did not take a water cup at the aid station (I still had the bottle I was given when I finished) and did my best to not interfere with anyone else's race, (okay, so yeah, I did take another Apple Pie Shot when the opportunity arose, but they were WELL stocked. And I'll admit it, I loved running with Gavin, even if he did complain like 80% of the run (it's who he is). I was talking to other runners and since I just ran the course, pointing out where the hills were, when they ended and what was coming next. It was a few degrees warmer (I shed some layers) and I was running a slower pace and the course was a bit less challenging so I was just chatting and laughing and running and it was honestly so fun. Though I will say, with WAY more runners running the 5K, the course never really opened up. Maybe it is because we started a ways in the back of the runners, but the course just seemed pretty full the entire 3.1 miles. Lots of people were walking right in the middle of the road and in large groups blocking the road. Not a lot of runner etiquette going on, but as someone who was full on banditing, I really couldn't say much. 

After the race, we met up with another friend and picked up our free beer from Suffolk Punch Brewing. You could order whatever you wanted, and while I cannot remember the name, I got a nice Hazy IPA that I would totally recommend to anyone. I'd never been to Suffolk Punch before, and would recommend. Had I not had my family at home waiting for me, I might have stuck around longer to hang out and had another (I had been given several free beer cards from other runners, but I just passed them along to some guys). The post-race was super festive and all smiles. There were lots of fun photo opps and everyone was cheerful.

Overall, the race was fun, lots of people cheering and I had a blast. After, there were loads of vendors and lots of free beer opportunities. I would for sure recommend this race, and happily run it again.

I Run 24 (ummm... Make that 16)

The last weekend in September, I went for a run. When I finished, I had put in a total of 54 miles, which while a lot, it was 9 miles less than my goal. This is the epic tale of my failed attempt at 100K at The Hinson Lake 24 Hour Classic. 

Have you ever had a race where you had so much FOMO every year, that even though everything about it seemed crazy, you just HAD to do it. That was Hinson Lake for me. As long as I have been a runner, I have had friends that ran and loved Hinson Lake. And this year, things finally lined up for me to participate. 

The race consists of a 1.5 mile loop around a beautiful lake in the Rockingham, NC woods. It starts at 8:00 am Saturday morning and ends 8:00 am Sunday morning. You run as much as you could/wanted to in that 24 hour period. Your distance was totally up to you. All you had to do was not stop. 

Spoiler alert: I stopped.

On the Friday before the race, my fellow Fleet Feet Fort Mill runners Robin, Katie, Bonnie, Nicole, Gail and Pat arrived to Hinson Lake and set up camp. We had a camp area a bit away from the loop so we could get some sleep on Friday overnight while others set up and if we so desired during the race. For dinner we ate wood fired personal pizzas from a food truck on site and hung out at camp with a shot of peanut butter whiskey and all went to bed fairly early. We had a big day ahead of us. Everyone in our group had a goal to finish 50K. 2 of us were shooting for 100K (Katie and me). 

The intrepid Fleet Feet Fort Mill Team

At 8:00 am sharp Saturday September 30th, the race started. There were around 450 runners, which you can image made for tight squeeze for a 1.5 mile loop, so the first half mile or so, I kind of fast walked/jogged until it thinned out enough to get a run going. After than, for the first Half Marathon (or 9 loops) I kept a steady run. After that, I took a short break. The muscles along my right knee were starting to bother me already which kind of freaked me out a bit, so I stopped in to see the onsite massage therapist to stretch it out for me. Luckily for me, after a quick session, it didn't bother me again, and I set out for another Half Marathon distance, this time run/walking. 

My strategy was this: For the 1.5 mile loop, after crossing the timing mat, I walked .25 mile. This area contained the "Hinson Buffet" 2 table flanking the course that had tons of food, glorious food and every manner of beverage. The left side was many processed foods (cookies, candy, crackers, chips and sodas) and the right side freshly cooked foods that rotated throughout the day like sandwiches, quesadillas, burgers, pizza, pancakes and more and your Gatorades and water. I tried to grab a bit of something plus a drink every time I walked through. After the food were the team tents. My team's tent was overlooking the lake and had a few chairs, our drop bags (mine had sunscreen, some snack and Vaseline) plus a white board for us to mark off our loops. There was a big dip right before the first turn in this section and at the top was my friend Shannon's tent. I stashed some water there as well in case I forgot to grab some in the excitement of the Start Area (which I did more than I should have). 

I would then run the next just over a half mile until I crossed the long bridge over the lake. Right after the bridge was the longest hill which at the top was a rather sandy area. I walked this .25 mile stretch. Then, I ran the next half mile back to the timing mat. So for the next 9 loops it became, walk .25, run .5, walk .25, run .5. At 18 loops total, I had surpassed a Marathon distance and it was time to take a bit of a longer break. I walked 1 full loop with no running and then set out back to camp.

The Bridge at the halfway point of the loop

By then is was almost 2:00 and my strategy had been to break the run into four 6 hour segments. I made my way back to our campsite area, and into my tent to get undressed. I did my best to dry out, not to be gross or overshare, but I was hella sweaty as I was 6 hours and 27+ miles in and the day was heating up. I laid on my air mattress for about 30 minutes sipping water. I had grabbed a half a burger when I went through the buffet as well. I didn't want to stay out of it too long so, begrudgingly, I got dressed in fresh everything and set back out. I was back on course around 3:00. 

Post Wardrobe Change, ready for 6 more hours

I kept to the strategy that I had planned before, walk .25, walk .25, run .5, walk .25, run .5. Every few loops, I took a 5-10 minute break at the team tent on the lake. No real rhyme or reason to when, just when I felt like it. The hours kind of blended together during this part and soon it was 8:00 pm, time for me to take another trip to the campsite to change clothes and grab my lights as the sun was setting. 

I didn't say in camp long as by then I was coming to terms with just how tough this race was. And if I am being 100% honest, I wasn't doing so well as far as keeping myself fed and hydrated. I was forgetting to grab food. I was eating a few bites, a couple of gummy bears, a sip of Coke. By then my plan was to keep moving as best I could until Midnight. I was still run/walking but not as strict as my previous strategy. For example, some laps I'd just run as much as I could. Or I would run the bridges, as they were solid footing. I never walked a full lap until the last one before midnight, managing to run a bit here and there. But it became a blurry slog of just keep moving around in the dark, illuminated by my chest light. The number of people on the course had greatly thinned and most were walking. 

I did some quick math and figured that I could get in 36 loops, which totaled 54 miles by Midnight. And if I could start loop 36 by 11:30, I would let myself walk it completely. At 11:29 I crossed the timing mat. I walked a final 1.5 mile loop and at 11:58 I crossed the mat and walked over to my team tent and promptly sat down. Shortly after, one of my friends, Katie, arrived, also with 36 loops completed. "Let's go get some sleep," she said. "Gladly," I weakly replied.

This is where, dear readers, our hero is defeated. Around 12:30 I had made my way back to my tent. The camp was quiet except for Katie and I. The rest of our group had tapped out earlier for the night and were already sleeping. I again undressed in my tent, but rather than changing into running gear, I put on some cozy leggings and a t-shirt, intending to sleep for a few hours. I figured I had 9 miles left, if I got back on the course by 4:30 - 5:00 am I would be golden. But alas, it was not to be. 

Full Moon over Hinson Lake

After laying there for an hour trying to calm myself down enough to relax, I realized that sleep was not going to come easy. I couldn't get warm. I couldn't stop shaking. I kept randomly cramping different places in my legs. My mind was frantically racing about everything and I felt like a panic attack was just on the horizon. And most importantly, I WAS NOT SLEEPING!

I laid there for 3.5 hours like that. I heard Katie get up and go to the bathroom and realized that she was getting ready to head back out at 4:30 like she planned. I tried to get up. I fell back down. I tried again. Fell again. I texted her saying that I was going to try to get some rest still and go out in an hour. I thought if only I could get ANY sleep, I could knock out those 9 more if I was out at 5:30 am. Just let me get a SINGLE HOUR of sleep. 

I didn't take many night pics, so here's a daytime shot of our campsite

Another hour passed and whelp, more of the same. It was then, at 5:30 am I made the decision that I was done. And you know what, I was strangely ok with it. It was over and I knew it. And that acceptance, is what I think finally let me fall asleep. HARD. As in the rest of my camp got up and ready and headed out for some final laps and I heard NOTHING. I had finally just completely shut down. 

I slept for about an hour and a half, waking around 7:00 am. At this point, I made my second major decision concerning the race - I had an hour left still, I could have gotten dressed and back on course and knocked out 2-3 more laps. Nope, I decided. I'd come to terms with being done so that was it. I'd rather my results say I competed 54 miles in 16 hours than 56 or 57 in 24 hours. I slipped on my sandals and made my way to the team tent so I could watch my friends finish (and hopefully find some coffee). I sat down at the team tent, took a deep breath and the promptly broke out hysterically sobbing. 

Sitting in the Team Tent, just finished a nice long cry

Apparently all of me was not 100% on board with the "I am ok with this" mentality. Mostly I think it was the exhaustion finding the only outlet that it had. I was, and I still am okay with the decision I made to not go back out. I honestly do not think I could have made it back on course without incident. I had made too many mistakes in my preparation and execution of the race. And you know, 54 miles really was a lot of miles. Like a lot. Was I happy, no, I can't say that, but I was okay. I do not think I honestly could have done more than I did. 

Final Results

I will be going back to Hinson Lake in 2024 and next time, next time I bring home a medal (only 100K finishers get a medal). I learned a lot from this first experience that  I will use to make some changes that will better prepare me for success. This post is long enough already, so I will do another about what I plan to do differently next time.

Peace Out til next year, Hinson Lake

The Ultra that WAS

Once upon a time ago in early 2020, back before the world came to a halt due to Covid, I trained for an Ultra that I never got the chance to run. The story of that adventure is here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-ultra-that-wasnt.html. Well just over 3 years later, I can now finally say that I am an Ultra runner as last weekend, I ran the Landsford Canal 50K.

Much like the previous Ultra I trained for, I did not speak or write much about doing this. I tend to do that when I am going to attempt something scary. Enough people already think I am crazy. So other than the couple of friends I was running the race with, I didn't talk about it much. I mean, I was planning to run 50K (31.5 miles) in August, in South Carolina, with nowhere near adequate training. Even I knew this was all a bad idea! 

THE IDEA

It all started in the most unlikely place, one of my saner friends, Marlene. I was included in group text saying she heard about a free 50K that was coming up soon and would any of us be interested in doing it with her. Of those in the group text, I was the only one crazy enough to take her up on it. I then of course contacted some others to see if they wanted in, because of course misery loves company. A few of my Fleet Feet friends were also in. Honestly a few more than I actually expected! All in all, there were about 12 people I knew that said yes to this adventure, though a few went in knowing for sure that they would not do the entire 50K.

For timing reference, I received the original text message on June 25th. Race day was August 12th. And I was planning to be out of town about half of the days in between me registering for an running the race. So yeah, extra bad idea. But we were all taking the attitude of we plan to do what we could and if we didn't finish the full 50K, then so be it. But deep down I knew that if I started, I wouldn't let myself not finish. 

THE TRAINING

I was not a fan of these stairs
on the trail portion

I wish I could tell you all about how I jumped into an intensive training program like last time where I put in lots of hours and miles preparing. I did not. I traveled a bunch and ran very little. A couple of long runs here and there, but nothing really over 9 miles during that time frame. The closest to any kind of preparation whatsoever were two runs a the site of the race. 

The week of July 4th, the company I work for closed for the full week. I took advantage of that and planned a mid-week visit to Landsford Canal State Park, the site of the race. I had never been there before so I decided to check out the terrain. Armed with a Garmin Course map that I found that claimed to be the Landsford Canal 50K route from several years ago, I did my best to follow the course and document for the others what we were in for. I knew the course was a just over 4 mile loop and that the beginning had a weird out and back portion in order to get the correct milage, but I wasn't sure on the correct direction of the loop. 

You can see just how UP the Up was! 

Turns out, I chose wrong that first time. I ran the loop clockwise, first running the trail portion along the canal, then up a hill to the main road, down the main road to the park entrance and down the hill back to the canal. My watch kept telling me I was off course, but according to the map I wasn't. That's how I kind of figured out that I was running the incorrect direction. Plus, after running the loop and ending at around 4 miles, I started to figure out about the out and back portion, which was UP the steep hill leading from the park entrance to the main road, not down it, twice before running the loop counterclockwise. So I ran that up and back plus a bit more to get the lay of the area. Overall I ran about 8 miles and took a ton of photos. 

The only other run that I would consider a purposeful Landsford Canal training run would be 2 weeks before the race, I met another runner at Landsford Canal to run the course. The plan was to run 2 loops - the up, down up and up again followed by 2 loops. It did not go that way. We didn't start until almost Noon and it was HOT. I managed 1 loop and it was rough going. I was not feeling so awesome about this race. But I wasn't backing out. 

THE RACE

Team Fleet Feet

The Landsford Canal 50K started at 7:00 am on August 12th. It was 70 degrees out, but the sun was hiding in a thick fog that morning, making it not super hot, but super humid. The race capped at 50 runners, and I believe 45 runners actually started the race including me and 8 of my friends. I came to the race armed with a bag of clothes to change into as needed, an extra pair of shoes, my Drankful Adventure Pack full of water plus an extra gallon to refill and a bag full of snacks (pretzels, peanut butter crackers, krispie treats and 4 UCAN Edge gels. Oh, and a mild panic attack. I had that as well. Just kidding - a little. There may have been a few tears before the start. I knew I wasn't really ready, but it was now or never. My Fleet Feet crew snapped a quick picture (you can see how happy I am in it on the end) and we made our way to the start. 

The 5 members of Team Fleet Feet headed out together, planning to hang together the best we could. We started out going up for a mile. Then back down a mile. Up again and then embarking on the loop. Most of the run was on road so it was faster going than your typical trail 50K but we tried hard not to go out too fast knowing it was going to be a long day. We walked the steepest parts of the mile up even on this first loop. After 6 miles, 2 of which were very much uphill and 1.5 on trail, we were finished with our first loop with 6 more to go. 2 of the group hit the bathroom and 3 continued for loop 2. On loop 2 I started to fall back on the trail portion so when Katie and Robin stopped to use the bathroom, I kept going knowing that they would catch up to me, which they did. I'll spare you the complete play by play, but the 5 of us ended up being 3 groups the majority of the race - Katie and Robin leading, me in the middle, and Nicole and Gail behind. 

One of the few pics I took during the race
My phone was too wet most of the time

After 3 loops I had to stop and change my socks and shoes. I was sweating so much due to the heat (the sun fully out by now and nearing 85 degrees) that my socks and shoes were soaked through and squishing. I changed my shirt also but didn't bother with anything else. By this time I was mostly running on my own but saw a few others on the course. I ran as much as I could and walked when I had to. I tried to eat a little bit each time I went through the aid station/loop check point, but eventually settled on mostly drinking Coke for calories and caffeine. Another friend had set up a cheering station at the top of the big hill and I checked in with him after loops 5 and 6 for some fruit snacks and peanuts. On loop 6 a friend who came to check in on my met me on the trail portion of the loop and kept me company (very much appreciated) for about a mile before making it back to the checkpoint where I finally embarked on loop 7, the final loop. 

By loop 7, I was walking a lot, but still did my best to run when I felt I could. It was hot, I was exhausted, I was soaking wet, my shoes and socks were squishing again (I didn't have another pair) but I knew this was it. One more time around and I would be finished. I would be an Ultra Marathon runner. All my brain could think at this point was Run 20 steps, Walk 10 steps. Just keep moving forward. 

THE AFTER

I was deliriously happy to finally see the finish line and a couple of my friends there, one who had volunteered at the race and another who had finished before me (Katie) and her husband and kids. I gulped down a huge cup of Coke but couldn't bring myself to eat anything quite yet. I knew I shouldn't sit down but did anyway. My main thought was I HAD to get my wet shoes and socks off. Even if that meant walking around barefoot, I didn't care. I was halfway through pulling off my 2nd shoe when the RD came over and handed me my finisher plaque. I tried to text my mom to tell her I had finished but the cell signal was spotty and my phone and fingers both too wet to make the touchscreen work. My quads started cramping terrible. But, despite all of that, I had done it. I was an Ultra Marathoner!! 

I AM AN ULTRA MARATHONER!! 

So did I learn anything? I learned I am really stubborn, though I pretty much knew that already. I learned that I should have better prepared, which I also knew as well. I learned that in the would of Ultra running, endurance is vastly favored over speed. Finishing was way more mental than physical. Of the 45 that started, only 24 finished. I was one of them. And I wasn't the last one even, though I would have been proud of myself even if I had been. 

I was asked after if would do another. I am actually registered for another Ultra event next month, though it is a different sort of race - a 24-hour event where you put in as many miles as you can - The Hinson Lake 24 Hour Classic. It is a sort of choose your own adventure style race. Want to run 5K, go for it. Want to run 100 miles, best of luck to you. I've not decided my goal yet, but I am toying with the idea of 100K. Many of the same runners from this past week will be there. Plus tents for potential napping. And hopefully, some more training before.

But after Hinson Lake, I may retire from these long distance style races. After the race, I felt great. But during, during I felt pretty garbage. And 7+ hours is a long to time feel bad like that. I am just not sure if the after is worth the during. Maybe for others, but I don't think it is for me. So while I am looking forward to Hinson, I've watched other do it for several years and always wanted to, I think that might be the end of my Utra Marathoning career. I may change my mind at some point, but currently, my head space is not where it needs to be to be an Ultra runner.