Two Months Away from the Second Half of My Life!!!!

It occurred to me that this WRITING thing has been missed.  When I look at the little guy in the green shirt at the front of my line,  I realize that I once wrote a letter to him via my blog...over 5 years ago,  that implored him to come to life outside of his mommy's womb.  I couldn't wait for him.  That Sparkle Pants, as I used to call him.  And...here he is at five and half years old.  In my kindergarten class.  At the front of the line on JOG A THON day.   Magic happens People.  Of course, the other cuties in line are close to my heart as well.  A friend's sweet son,  a grimy-faced dynamo girl,  a chatty-catty with MUCH spunk.  Delight. Again, magic.

This year has been filled with the three F's...fun running, fun family, fun living.  I've had just one hiccup so far(and when I use this term, I don't use it lightly).

Hiccup=an injury that keeps me from running and training and basically takes my breath away, makes me hold my breath and then, gasp for strength and air in order to move forward.

Thankfully,  the hiccup had me out of running for only 8 days BUT BOSTON training is BOSTON training and getting out there on the road is what I needed to be doing.

Being a runner who wants to CHASE personal bests at the age of ALMOST 50 isn't easy!  It takes a team; HUSBAND, chiropractor,  guru ART/illegal laser/massage/and stim user,  best friend,  surrounding running friends...and plenty of hope.  AND RECOVERY time.  I've also had to stop working with my fabulous running coach, Nicole, and dial it down a few hundred notches.  I was pushing SO HARD, SO MUCH and really losing sight of what my body could do, needs to do and wants to do....reasonably.  So,  I've come back to running and racing since September with a site called Runner's Connect.  Basically,  I follow an injured runners program which gives me ALL the strength training I need for my weak parts and also a schedule that is smart and 50's friendly.  So far, it's been great.  The one week that I decided to follow another plan,  I had the

HICCUP...learned my lesson and then continued back with Runner's Connect.  I'm in for the long run now.

So, with Boston in April,  I'm off to do a long run for 18 miles up lots and lots of hills.  Our running club does this one every year...SUPER excited to be back with them and attack some steep ones.  I'll have Heartbreak on my mind.

Happy Running!

LEADVILLE SILVER RUSH 50 MILER

This so happened.

Two days of driving one way,  Circle J's, Love's Rest Stops,  Rented Cottage,  Churches with crooked crosses, dogs that looked like wolves that looked like lions...

Leadville.

As we drove over 16 hours to get to the choosen land,  I couldn't help but remind Rock Star that THIS was his dream.  One that he had shared with me years ago.  An Ultra.  In Colorado.  In Leadville.  Dreams happen.  Lives change.  Strength grows.  Muscles perform and the elevation creates a drug fog that leaves a normal man weak and tired but deliriously happy.  Thrilled even.

Finished!

Coming in to the finish!

YOU did it!

Back on the trail!

The story:

We arrived in Leadville in the late afternoon.  It was pouring rain and as we drove through the highest mountains to get there,  I realized the "steam" coming from the rocks was really a group of clouds.  Yes, we were driving through clouds.  That's. how. high. we. here.  High as in way up in the Rockies.  I was car sick, tired, fed up with driving(oops, this is suddenly all about me-uh...)and couldn't wait to find our rental "cottage" and cozy up for the night.  It was a cottage...across from a church...with a crooked cross.  A scary little town on one hand because every single decrepid outhouse, barn and building was actually just left there to melt and desinigrate into the tall grass(or snow, depending on the time of year).  In this town,  time has stood still.  The downtown has WONDERFUL shops, restaurants and coffee houses.  We had a blast wandering through USED outdoor clothing and equipment shops and I scored a bike helmet that was originally $150!  However,  the quiet neighborhoods of Leadville want to keep themselves quiet.  Slumbering.  Aging in a normal way, naturally.  What IS...is in Leadville and that's the way THEY want it.  Once accepted,  the town became a little cozier.

The Race:
The reason we'd come.  RS was nervous for weeks leading up to this race.  Ailments abounded and sleeping in an altitude tent seemed to alleviate more nerves than boost his resilience.  Still,  RS was excited and probably the most confident I've ever seen him.

Race morning started around 4 a.m.  Coffee was made,  rain gear(well, a jacket)was tucked into the crew basket and we headed to the starting line about a mile away.  Parking was easy and as is NORMAL for the ultra crowd,  people chatted, fretted about the weather and acted like they were already tired...and as ready as they'd ever be.

If you didn't already know,  the Leadville start is a screaming, steep hill going straight up to Heaven.  It's rocky and at the top,  two people hold two large coins.  The first to sprint the hill,  win an entry to LEADVILLE 100 miler in August.  Cruel but also funny.  One coin for a man and the other for a woman.  This was amusing because once the coins were scored,  the sprinters all slowed down to a walk and there was a huge turtle traffic jam at the starting pad, just steps beyond the hill.  Most smart 50 mile runners chose to walk at this point not to be seen for 8-15 hours later.  The fast ones took off with an innocent confidence.

We moved from crew spot to crew spot...our screaming, exuberant selves.  My BFF since elementary school and her husband hoofed it with me and our biggest job was keeping RS moving through the aide stations,  focused and positive.  With four passes through 12,000 feet elevation,  this wasn't easy but he came in with  a smile and left with a smile so I think we did our job.  The details I won't forget are when RS would come in and shout out his needs which by the next aid station, proved to be the complete opposite of what he really needed.  We followed his "orders," his COACH included, and then we'd be chewed out at the next station.  We chalked it up to MOUNTAIN CONFUSION which in other terms could be expressed as,  LACK OF OXYGEN.  And...it was really true.  RS's personality was not his usual personality...so we just pictured a shrinking brain in his skull as he traversed the mountain side and all was forgiven by the FINISH.  He wasn't the only shrinking brain...SO many runners seemed to be overcome with EMOTION at the finish line. Whether it was the lack of OXYGEN or the flood of the feelings of accomplishment,  I must say that after sitting for four hours at the finish,  I'd never seen anything like it.  IT seems like we were all overcome with the Rocky Mountain High.  I shed tears watching women and men who had overcome the obstacles and reached their dreams.  It wasn't a performance but a process.  That. is. ultra. running. period.

RS finished the 50 miles and proceeded to do more funny things that were totally out of character which made me see another side of him and appreciate his "self" even more.  After 27 years of being married it's a TREAT to see your *LOVE* in a different light.

Finishing his 50 miles in 13 something hours,  was an accomplishment in itself but HIS RECOVERY has rocked even more.  He is already jogging and feeling fit but a little tired.  I know there is a storm of plans, new goals, new races and adventures brewing in that now-oxygen-filled brain and I'm FORTUNATE to be a part of it...sometimes these adventures unfold as surprises so for now,  we recover and wait!

Happy Running Friends and THANK YOU Colorado and the COLORADO running/biking community for filling us with such awe and happiness for the beauty and splendor that IS Colorado.  Everyone MUST visit at sometime in their life!

*Special thanks to JILL PARKER for letting me stalk her all around Leadville and on the course.  IT was FUN to see you, Colorado Girl!

xoxo

WANTED: Abandoned Blog Update

Sparkle Pants Turns Five!

How does one catch up with oneself after not blogging for 7 months?  

Why start up again at all?

Who cares?

Suddenly, with NO warning, no prodding from BS, husband-runner-rock star MAN,  I decided I missed writing.  I missed amusing myself with the silly things that I do, say and notice around me.  Of course,  I'm the one only one who things these things are amusing.  And.  That's.  Ok with me. 

Then, BS-RS Husband asked me WHY I hadn't blogged and how much he missed my posts.  Which is strange since we have been married for 27 years, sleep right next to each other, run most days together, eat together,  hug, kiss and snuggle and text all day.  You'd think he'd know EVERYTHING that's going on.  BUT NO, we wants to know more.  Hmm...

I also realized that no one else really needs to know about my silly life anyway,  the reader is intriguing to me but I don't write to impress any reader(except my ROCK STAR)but it's FUN to put my silly thoughts to print and send them out into the universe.  THIS IS HOW blogging differs from the beloved FACEBOOK experience.  On FB,  I want to tell you all the spicy stuff that's going on...BE IMPRESSED READER...think I'm all that and then LIKE me 102,000 times so I know how great I am.  THEN,  I'll take a selfie and you can comment on how YOUNG I LOOK and how hot I am!  Baby,  FB is the place to make me feel AWESOME...

However,  blogging is words.  Blogging is expression.  Something I've missed for a while.  Blogging is not always perfect, nor the 100% authenticity that we need but it is expression of some form...and I like it.

OK, enough of the rationalization.  I'd like to say I'M BACK and truly mean it but life happens.  So for now,  I'll enjoy the sweet ride.

WHAT'S THE SAME:

Most things.

Sparkle Pants is still the light of my life.

Still teaching kindergarten and loving the wisdom of a five year old, the transparency of our interactions and the honesty of a clean and happy heart.

Still running and also not running(depending on how hard I go out and then how many days I need to spend recovering from said run).

Still cheering on ROCK STAR and watching him push himself to the limit.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT:

Not much.

Rock Star is running an Ultra in Colorado(Silver Rush)in mid July!  He has been sleeping in an altitude tent which is hilarious and HOT but he is filled with more confidence than he has red blood cells(which are not rapidly multiplying as I write this)SO that's all that matters.  I look forward to him doing his thing...what ever that may mean.  He does his thing in style.  That's just him.

I'm training for a marathon in Nov. and will officially go for a PB: 3:15-16.  THERE.  Said it.  I have found HOKA'S(angels trumpets sounding out)and they have pretty much saved my running career.  I sing the PRAISES of Hoka's every chance I get...MOST cover their ears but the chosen few are coming over to the dark side.  Or should I say, light side...can't wait for the lightest HOKA ever...the Clifton to be released next week.  BLISS.

What is not different is my stubborn determination to keep running and living life to it's fullest.  Running happy,  love.

More Boston, More Boston!

I think I am twelve weeks out from Boston?  The weeks are so busy,  I lose track.  I am not obsessing nor perseverating about my training.  It is a part of my day, my week,  my life but it is NOT MY LIFE. I have so many things…

Last weekend was spent with twins from my class a couple of years ago, their buddy, her mom and our friend Shad…he ran the Lake Hodges 50 miler.  Tough guy.  Stoic.  Calm.  Pulled off another 50 miler and he didn't even need the cow bell.  

 Last week also yielded some SNOW in Encinitas…ha, ha…out of a snow making machine.  Some parents from our kindergarten brought ice and make snow for our Kinder Pretzels.  They were SOOO funny!  Some had never felt snow melt through their fingers.  They were shocked it was so cold and many just sat and ate it until it was gone.  Joy.  I love shocking kids and watching them react to something so ordinary to some, yet, completely foreign to most Southern California babes.  Loved that day.

Back to training!!!
The dead leg syndrome has a name now.  An origin.  A source.  Kind of sad.  Kind of strange but definitely not something to stop me from being superhuman!

I guess the 45 X-rays show that I had a fracture on my spine when I was born.  I was born breech and my mom says I was stuck with my legs and head inside of her.  After forceps and lots of pulling, I was born.  Possibly causing that fracture.  Anyway,  during adolescence,  I started to feel the pain as I grew and stopped riding horses competitively.  Only to have the fracture rear it's head once I started running longer distances!

The dead leg is actually referred pain from the nerves in my back, protecting the fractured spine.  Hmmm.

Once again, I'm back to pain management and feeling better knowing what's up.

Boston training is incorporating HILLS, HILLS and more HILLS.  Yesterday's workout was 14 miles, 7 up a hill with 6x5 min. spurts up the hill at goal marathon pace.
7 down hill.
I know the hills going up are great for my fitness and my back issue but going down took it's toll by mile 13.  Baby steps…

I've yet to determine my goals for this marathon.  At this moment, I'm obviously grateful to just be running.

Run happy,
meg

BOSTON TRAINING BEGINS, Dead Leg Syndrome and Living in San Diego

Ok, let's get the inevitable out of the way.  I live in San Diego.  Yes.  It's gorgeous right now and yes I feel guilty about it.  I cringe when I see a friend has posted another incredible sunset.  I was there to enjoy it.  I know how gorgeous it was and how the pink, purples, oranges and reds lit up the sky.  I was the one who sat at Swamii's Beach and decided to abandon a run and just melt into the bench, watching the show before my eyes.  Unable to separate myself from the moment.  Ugh.   Sorry…living in California isn't that great though.  Well, despite the weather anyway.  For instance…

despite the fact that my dear friend lives just steps from the beach,  she  can't get a new microwave oven.  Hey,  it's expensive to live here.  We pay three times the amount for a home so we have ghetto microwave ovens and

we use lots of duct tape so our furniture lasts longer.

Hey…SNOW or using our imagination and duct tape.  You decide.  We already have.

Speaking of warm weather,  Boston training officially began a few days ago.  I have a sort of calm and didactic approach to Boston this year.  I know I will be there.   I have been off of steady training since my ultra in November.  December was a mix of massages, acupuncture, random easy runs, SUNSETS, and just running by feel.  Somewhere in there I realized that my hip and left leg were STILL sore from the race and not responding to much of anything…even rest.  So,  I have been doing a lot of stretching, yoga and am seeing a specialist again this week.  It is possible to run through this and even train for a marathon.  At 48 years old,  we call it MANAGEMENT.  I just manage pain through lots of RECOVERY and stretching.  I've done this for the past three marathons and still improved my times but I DO NEED to seek some help from a specialist this week just to recover for good from my nasty left leg issues.  Done.

So,  yesterday was my first 12 miler and the end of my first week of Boston training.  I'm excited and hopeful for the spring.

Wishing everyone WARMER weather, nice sunsets and healthy training in the New Year!

Run Happy,

meg

Sparkle Pants, my daughter  and I during the holidays!!  Can you believe he's already 4 1/2??  

Ragnar Relay #1 … Vail Lake Ultra Trail Race

Ahhhhhh!  Barely a month and a week after my last marathon,  a crew of three fast runners(and me), took on a Ragnar Relay race in the hilliest terrain I've run,  in the dark,  for over 24 hours.

Let it be stated here and NOW…

1.   I need 10 hours of sleep at night, at least.

2.  Relays scare me.  Am I going to let these peeps down?  What if I want to quit and can't?  What if I'm the slowest of the group and they all "play nice" and secretly sigh and click elbows when they see the results?  What if I can't run around the clock, what if I'm cold, what if I get grumpy and start to cry…what if, what if, what if.

3.  I like anything cozy once the sun goes down.  Bed, pillows, yellow afghan,  husband, Jack Russell Terrier.

4.  My legs have been TIRED and lifeless since St. George.

Despite my above frailties, irrational fears and whining,  I DID want to do this race.  My three Andaleg Peeps are some of my favorites; honest, fun, uplifting and enthusiastic.  PLUS,  my passion and LOVE for running in the dark would be addressed at this race and I knew it would be a night filled with light from a full moon, TRAILS, hills and magic.  Magic happens when you run at night, under the moonlight.  Time stands still.  The world closes in and life just seems a little smaller.  You feel a little smaller, some how less significant.  I think we could all use a little dose of feeling the humbleness of feeling smaller.  It puts everything in perspective and leaves one grateful for the light of day and new beginnings.  Ah, so philosophical…

Anyway,  the race started at 4 p.m.  We camped out on a HUGE grassy knoll that faced the gorgeous Vail Lake.  I really don't think it was THAT gorgeous, I'ves seen some hot lakes, but the whole vibe was SO Ragnar that you couldn't help but take in beauty.

Spice Cake aka Chi Chi

Andalegs

 JosA

 Andalegs!

 Solid Rock and Chi Chi

 Go Chi Chi!

 JosA and JosB

 Go Dawg!

Masters of Disaster Team!

The plan was for the four members of our Andaleg Team to take on 3 loops, 2 times.  The green loop was the first, the yellow the second and ending with the red.  Green and red loops were HILLY both down and up.  WALKING was a given in parts and grabbing onto bushes and plants as you climbed was often necessary.  Down hill was rugged, rocky, slippery and often scary as you navigated trails and roads covered with three inches of powdery dust.  You never really knew what was under that dust and with the headlamp light,  I often imagined seeing small rocks, boulders and trees under the film.  Scary at times but also thrilling.  Close to 30 miles in 24 hours.

Each loop ended with my Solid Rock cheering me in, congratulating me on the time and whisking me off to change into dry clothes.  I hit our camp totally HIGH on the night running and complementing the trail.  I respected those trails and because I never FELL, TRIPPED or got lost,  I wanted to marry them.  I will definitely go back to reignite the flame next year…being that I formed a love affair with this race. Don't worry, Solid Rock is well aware,  I haven't STOPPED talking about this race all week.  Anyhoo,  once changed into my next dry running outfit,  I'd head to "the couch," snuggle in with my BRP(best running partner)or with one of the guys and rest up for the next loop.  DID I MENTION THE HEAT LAMP???  A priority for any night relay runner…it ran on propane and heated us on that little couch all night. I wanted to marry the heat lamp too.    We felt like we were in our living room gazing out at the stars, surrounded by 200 tents and even more crazy runners and support crew.

On into the night we ran,  mostly running alone on desolate peaks and through valleys…where I experienced the MAGIC of the night.  As I headed up a long winding hill,  the valley was suddenly filled with moonlight and one by one,  the runners up ahead turned off their headlamps.  We all wanted to feel that isolation and smallness that only night running can bring.  As I crested the top of the hill, the lights had been popped back on as we flew down the other side, eager to finish the yellow loop.

Goals were met.  Dreams were realized.  Friendships reinforced.  A marriage filled with some more love, respect and fun.

Special thanks to Trasie, Team Andalegs Captain, BRP, and especially the Solid Rock who served, cheered, ran a loop with me and paced me to a better time with his fresh legs, fresh attitude and loving support.

Recovery you ask?  Always a slippery thing when you're 48 years old and have just run two races over marathon distance within a month or two.
1.  Legs are tired
2.  Lack of sleep fatigue lasted 6 days
3.  Massage, acupuncture, foam rolling over the last week

Grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this fun…Happy Thanksgiving!  Run towards your dreams.

Javelina Jundred; Scariest Race Ever

Have you ever had one of those experiences that filled you with adrenaline all day?  Kept you from sleeping, eating, and doing anything NORMAL like reading, playing scrabble on your iPhone or flossing?

Javalina Jundred HAPPENED on Saturday.

a true life event

I usually need about 10 hours of sleep a night, every night.

Somehow,  I functioned off of three hours and managed to stay in some sort of Javelina Jigh without the use of any substance.

Before you read on,  let it be known that I DID NOT RUN THIS RACE.  I was the wife.  It was a strange and unusual role for me because I'm usually the one racing but I FINALLY got my chance to be Sherpa, Tony Robbins,  Bad Grandma and medic to my 100 ultra attempt-er, Boy Scout.

He's the "giver" in this relationship and he likes to flaunt that over me... A  LOT.

Finally, a chance for me to be THE GIVER.  

I couldn't wait.

I'd rally.

I drink copious amounts of coffee to stay awake.

I'd make him leave the aid station after 5 minutes, max.

I was ready.  I'd read blogs on how to be the best pacer imaginable.  I had jokes, jingles and funny antidotes ready to share with him in the middle of the night.

Game on. I ,too, could be "t"he giver.

We headed to HEADQUARTERS on Thursday before the race.  There was already a tent city erected on top of the very place where many scorpions, tarantulas and coyotes call home.  Runners and support crew peeps rent out these tents and put up their own homesteads.  Some were draped with Halloween decorations,  so many in fact that I felt like I was back in elementary school at our annual Halloween Carnival.

As the weekend progressed,  I was proven correct.  This WAS a carnival.  Runners in costumes were everywhere!  Spooky running mummies,  clowns, jesters,  brides...they all attended the event. 

*Junk in a Box*

 I spent the whole weekend wondering how they kept their costumes on; sweating in the 95 degree heat.  Wings melted,  wigs wilted,  make up ran...a horror show if I'd ever seen one.

And then the bodies.

A 100 miler can do a horrible thing to bodies...in 105 degree heat(which was recorded at one aid station).

I should know.

I spent over an hour in the med tent with Boy Scout as he recovered from a violent case of vomiting and dehydration.

Or was it heat exhaustion?

Moaning was the predominant  sound coming from this haunted house med tent.  Runners were cramping and screaming.  Some writhing.  Some white, waxen and  WAY TOO SILENT.

When Boy Scout was ready to stagger,  I scooted him out to the start/finish crossing and seated him where he could watch all the runners coming in, refueling and heading out once again.

What better motivation?

He cooled down.

He refueled.

He re energized.

And I played Bad Grandma.

*Ready to head out once again*

And, the day(and night)continued.

I had no way of knowing where he was during the next loop.  I could only hope and pray that he hadn't been sick and wasn't  throwing up under a cactus, curled up in a ball along the trail with scorpions and tarantulas and rattle snakes crawling all over him.  I had actually heard(afterwards)that there were some runners in this condition(minus the reptiles).  This vision became too much for me and  at about 4:30 p.m. ,  despite the fact that BS's two SUPER PACERS were about to arrive(and my cell phone died),  I took off  running up to the next aid station to check on my Haunted  Hubby.  

After a few hours,  a run back with an un-costumed, very nice man,  I returned to Head Quarters with the news that, yes,  BS had been sick and couldn't continue without a headlamp and a shirt.  

It was now NIGHT TIME.

In the desert.

Still 80 degrees.

Super Pacer #1 was off.  With his invisible  cape and mask,  he was driven by four wheeler  up to BS with head lamp and shirt in hand and then continued on with  the death march.  BS  was NOT eating, not drinking and felt like *&)(*).  Never, ever a good sign in an ultra at mile 40.  However, relentless-forward-motion happened.

**About this time,  I headed back to our hotel to eat and *try* to sleep. Then returned to Head Quarters.**

Super Pacer #2 assumed duties and let BS take a nap in the tent for 20 mins. Then, filling him with a hot dog and chicken soup which was a total B-12-like experience for him ,   sent him on into the night ready to fight.  Or not.  The night got long, the trails were rocky, words and moans  were spoken(well, maybe no one heard those words and they were just in his head)but somewhere along that long, long, hot trail,  BS decided he'd settle for the 100k.  So he did.

No regrets.

No tears(or at least Super Pacer #2 didn't tell me about them-it's a guy thing I guess).

No pouting.

Earned  a 100k  belt buckle.

We packed up at 3:30ish a.m., headed back to the hotel and SLEPT like zombies until mid-morning.

So now, the NEW plans and plotting have begun.

The next 100 miler is being pondered and planned.

The NEW training for the next  HOT 100 Miler is being studied.

Moving Forward and not looking back is in play.

My husband appreciates punishment and wants to beat this 100 miler thing.  

SOOOOO proud of my ghoulish man.

I must also express my admiration and gratefulness to ALL of the Javelina Jundred runners, those that finished and those that met their demise but will rise once again.

Although often eeri,  I saw faces of joy, anguish, determination, fortitude and love out there in the  Arizona  desert and I will never forget some of the finest performances of athletes anywhere.

Truly a carnival of tough, BIG HEARTED runners, volunteers and the finest ultra event planners ever.

Congratulations HONEY  and everyone!  I KNOW that Javelina will be an ultra that we'll want to attend every year.

Hauntingly Amazing!