Hey, It's June

One of these days when I say "I'll keep up on this blog thing" I'll actually mean it, I swear. I mean, what else do I have to do? I'm not working. I've deemed myself a professional live-in chef to my husband. I'd like to think I'm the next Charity Morgan but minus the football team.  If you have no idea who I'm talking about, check out The Game Changers.

I think it's safe to say we are all riding the worst rollercoaster ever. I won't get political on here but let's be honest, we're fricked. We're in the midst of a pandemic, which I feel like many people have already forgotten about. Over 100,000 people are dead and cases are still on the rise. I can't even type that without getting upset and sad. I won't even go into the problem of police brutality. Everything is just as bad in every way. I can't be out there with everyone but Lord knows I stand here with them.

One subject matter that has come up quite often these past few months is mental health and how there has been a rise in those seeking help. I've never publically talked about this and just recently came out about it to my running coach but anxiety is something I've been dealing with for a while now. Due to recent events, it's pretty much been much more prominent in my life than not. Usually, I'm pretty good at making it subside or preventing it from coming on at all. I don't take medications or anything as I like to take a holistic approach to everything. It was suggested I take a gander at the application Headspace and it's been awesome. They are even offering a free year subscription to those who are unemployed, otherwise, you can try out a 14-day trial by clicking here. It might feel weird at first. Sitting still for 5-10 minutes is actually a lot harder than it may seem but after a few days, I've looked forward to it so much. Whenever I want just to sit and have a guided meditation has been wonderful and a big aid at emptying my thoughts. Mental health in the form of telemedicine is something that is slowly becoming more widely available but I still think the accessibility can be improved and the cost. Either way, it's okay to ask for help, even if you think whatever you may have going on isn't "as bad" as someone else. Just talking with someone can be such a huge weight off your shoulders. I've been journaling every morning for the past 21 days. I even set a "Digital Wellbeing" block on all of my social media apps from 5am-12pm though I'm considering making it longer. I absolutely love my Instagram family but sometimes, it's too much. It's too much to take in on everything being posted. It's too much to consistently try to seek validation so people can be like HEY LOOK WHAT I DID I'M THE BEST. I'm guilty of this and I know some of you that read this are too. We all are at some point. There is tons of positivity radiating on there but sometimes it's equally met with negativity. I've connected with a lot of people I wish lived closer to me and I've also become annoyed with those I wish would take a break and find out who they really are. Either way, remember everything else around you. Sometimes when you put the screens down and take a moment to look around, you do realize there is more to life than just scrolling your feed for 15 hours a day. It's been a wonderful choice I've made.

Phew, okay. That was a lot to get out. Should we talk about running? We haven't since I finished my ultra. The good news is that I'm still doing it. I took a week off after my race and just did yoga every day. My body felt fully recovered probably 2 days after but it's good to have that reset period. My coach had me start back up with some light work and cycling. I told her I wanted to incorporate more cycling into my training since I've really enjoyed it and it's really been a great help to my cardiac fitness and endurance. The NordiTrack is still amazing. One day I'll have a road bike but until then, I'm enjoying rides all over the world. Last week I rode in Tokyo. Tomorrow I'll hit up Colorado. My first attack was the McKirdy Mile. I wasn't setting big expectations on my time since I had only run twice and was only two weeks post-race.

Yeah, needless to say, I was quite surprised when I looked down after I hit the 1-mile mark. I told my coach that I'd be happy with an 8:30, even an 8:15. It was a great accomplishment. It also lit a fire under me wanting to work more towards becoming more efficient. Becoming faster is one thing but doing it in the most efficient way is important. I started looking at races coming up for the fall and winter. To be honest, I am not comfortable being around people and I highly doubt that will subside for the rest of the year. Sure, maybe I'm being too cautious but it only takes one person. I'm okay with riding the virtual race train for a bit. I registered for the SeaWheeze virtual half marathon and will attempt that in August. I guess you could say I'm currently in week 2 of training for that and my coach just started implementing speedwork in today. Have I mentioned how thankful I am for her? Because I am. 

Let's see if I keep up with an actual consistent schedule with this thing again. I'm trying to play around with the layout again since I got bored with the purple. I want it to look cleaner. I'm kind of OCD when it comes to graphic design. What can ya do? I hope you all stay safe. Stand up for yourself. Be grateful for what you have and pray.

Ultra Dreams

"You've been out here for quite some time!" my neighbor yelled as I turned the corner, coming in front of her home.  She continued on to say, "You were out here when I left for work!" She leaves for work at 7:30am. It was now 11:00am. She walks dogs. "Yeah! I'm doing a race today!", I replied. "Where at?" she asked. "Right here. I'll be out here until 7:00pm." After I said that, I glanced down at my Garmin to check the countdown. There was still 8 hours left.

12 hours is a long time to be on your feet, let me tell you. I knew I wanted to complete an ultra one day, I just wasn't sure which one would be first. Last year, after reading my friend Rob's book, Training For Ultra, and spectating Javelina Jundred, it was time. I signed up for Hotfoot Hamster and texted my friend to put my name on the calendar to rent his decked-out Sprinter van for the race. Why sleep in a tent when you can sleep on a super comfy foam mattress inside a van? Obviously, this was all before we'd get bashed with one of the worst pandemics in history. The race ended up getting postponed to July but they gave me the option to complete it virtually, which I was all for. Obviously, you know, I ran the Mesa Marathon and felt amazing after. Not one bit of pain or soreness and then started training two weeks later for this race. I wasn't betting the same result here. I put in 10 weeks of work running roughly 5 times a week. I would do one day of speed work, some days of strides and drills, and the rest was recovery runs. I was so happy to finally be back with my coach. She really is the glue that holds me together. But enough of the training. How did the race go?

We'll start with 24 hours before the start time. I had a short run with some strides thrown in. I spent most of the day laying on the couch, doing some PT exercises whenever I'd get up. I prepped some food for my aid station, which would be in the garage. I cut up a big 'ol watermelon, cooked up some potatoes, and peeled oranges. I made some peanut butter sandwiches and put cans of coke in the fridge. I like to watch a movie that will pump me up. For some reason, The Game Changers ended up being the one. Some people would be confused by that but that documentary is just on point. (Shameless plug time: if you are an athlete or really anyone who is curious about how you can perform like a friggin' well-oiled machine on a plant-based diet, watch it. It's on Netflix for free so you have no excuse. Okay, back to your regularly scheduled recap.) My husband cooks me homemade spaghetti before all of my races so that's what was for dinner. I hit the hay around 8:00pm.

I actually slept really well. Maybe it's the fact that this race was so relaxed. I had nowhere to be except right outside of my own house. I woke up at 5:00am. Ate my typical race day oatmeal (Shalene style), drank some Nuun, and brewed some coffee. I had everything laid out the night before so I didn't have anything to do but chill. Time went by quick, though. I hopped in the shower, did my pre-run warm-up, and before I knew it, I was counting down the clock to start my attempt at my first ultra. Pressed play on my iPod Shuffle and the loops racked up. I ran on a 0.41-mile loop right in my neighborhood, passing my house every lap, which made aid easy, including the use of my own bathroom. No lines! Yay! The actual racecourse is 500 meters so I tried to keep it as true to that as I could. This just made the most sense. I tried to (remember to) change directions every hour. Clockwise was harder due to the slight incline of the street but that meant different leg muscles would get woken up every once in a while.

Now, as with most races, I had a plan of execution I would try to follow. I wanted to try and power through to a marathon, ease into a 50K, and anything after that was just bonus miles. I started very fresh as if I was just doing another long run. The heat came quick, though, and I knew I had to change my pace or I would burn out really quick. The forecast called for 97 degrees that day. I am not a heat runner. I run early in the morning when it's maybe 70 at the warmest. The sun here is much more intense, too. I would end up using about 30oz of sunscreen at the end that would give me some sweet tan lines that will probably never go away but no major burns. I think it took me as soon as mile 6 to know this would be a really long day and I would really have to fight through whatever thoughts may cross my mind of calling it quits early due to the weather. My husband was my aid station/crew chief. He had all of my food out, threw me bottles of whatever I wanted to drink, and a big bucket of ice-cold water. I'd dunk my buff and hat in it. At one point, I'd just put my whole head in. But what did I eat/drink?

Scarfing down a peanut butter sammie.

I started with some gels and energy chews, then Larabars, then needed actual food. I'd eat my peanut butter sandwiches and put potato chips in them. So salty but so good. I had some vegan ramen which actually tasted amazing. Maybe it was because, at that point, I'd take anything that would keep me going. The cold watermelon and oranges were lifesavers. What was the MVP, though? Coke. I'm not a pop (Soda if you're not from the midwest) drinker much. I love having glass bottle Mexican cola with my burritos or a Zevia every now and then but I never have it stocked up in my pantry. Today, Coke was the dream come true. Around 1:00pm, I was taking a longer break to kick my feet up for a bit. "Do you need anything else right now?" My husband asked. "I really want a cup of coffee." He ended up telling me that probably wasn't a good idea and he was probably right. I opened up what would be first of like five cans (the baby ones) of Coke I'd drink and I literally said out loud, "Holy crap, this tastes perfect!". When you don't drink or eat specific foods for a long time, they taste so much better. Later in the afternoon, I'd have some potato burritos which, for how simple they were, hit the spot. I never had issues with hydration or stomach pains. I never lost my appetite. Dean Karnazes had told me about ginger chews when we talked a few months back. They help settle a bad stomach. I ate one at some point not because I needed it, but it sounded good. I took one of my longer breaks (roughly 20 minutes) when I hit a marathon. After that, it seemed like every mile took forever to get to. It was really hot then. I changed my clothes and shoes. My husband wiped my feet off with a baby wipe and put some new socks on them. That felt so good.

Once I hit the 50K mark (31.some change), I wasn't sure what would happen after. I was so happy and astonished with myself at that point already. 31 miles is a long way to go. But what else could I add on? My coach was the only person I kept in contact with that whole day. She told me, "movement is miles, no matter how fast or slow it is" and she was right. The beauty of a fixed-time race is exactly that. Some people do try and go balls to the wall but this was my first one. I'll admit, I wanted to try and get to 50 miles but I didn't let that goal be my make or break moment. I had my A, B, and C goals. Given the weather conditions, I knew that wasn't going to happen and I was completely fine with it. I was already an ultramarathoner at that point. Nothing could make me upset. I reevaluated my love of running earlier this year and I told myself I'd never let pace or time ruin my dreams. If it happens, cool. If it doesn't, you tried and that's more important than anything.

It felt like the sun was never moving and stayed directly above me the entire time. I walked a lot after mile 31. I ended up meeting more people that lived in my neighborhood than I had ever talked to. Guess that's what happens when you're out in the middle of the day. One couple was from Michigan, too. Someone was moving into a new house down the street and as I walked by I said, "Welcome to the neighborhood!". He was from Florida. He didn't ask what I was doing but I know he was curious. I got a lot of weird looks as cars drove by. I wave at everyone. Eventually, I'd get sick of listening to music and would turn on the audiobook I was in the middle of; Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain. 35 miles would come. At this point, I had a little over an hour left. My coach said she could totally see me get to or close to 40. She was right.

My husband hopped on his bike and said, "Come on, let's get you to 40.". It was as if the second wave of energy came out of nowhere. I was running, slowly, but I was running after being on my feet for 11 hours.  Determination was fueling this. Every time my watch beeped, I was closer. 36....37....38. "I'm so close", I said out loud to myself. I wanted to allow at least 30 minutes of extra time, in case I needed it. My watch went off at 40 miles and it was almost 11 hours, 30 minutes on the dot. I had done it. I wasn't finished with the race but 40 miles was completed. I walked the rest of the way. I was so proud of myself and how far I had come that day. I also wanted the sun to go down because I was sick of being in it. It's also as if my body knew that I was almost finished because I instantly got really tired. Right at 7:00pm, my watch stopped, and I was a winner. I walked up the driveway with my arms up like Rocky Balboa.

How did I physically feel afterward? Aside from my feet being a little store, I was fine. The next day, I got out of bed, walked out to the kitchen, made coffee, and stood there, not even thinking about it. "I just ran 40 miles less than 24 hours ago. How am I not walking like a baby giraffe?". Seriously, my legs felt fresh already. I took an ice bath anyway, did some stretches and foam rolled. I ended up going for a walk. I'm seriously impressed with myself for feeling the way I do. Call me crazy but ditching meat and dairy was the best thing I have ever done for my recovery. It's been roughly three days now and my body feels completely recovered and is ready to get moving again. However, I'm a compliant athlete, and what coach says goes. I'll be hitting some yoga practices for the rest of the week and that's it.

What's next? I'm signed up for the McKirdy Mile. I had to miss the first one due to race day but will pick up with everyone else on May 16th. That mile will be pretty slow but I'll have two other chances to see what my legs can give me. I also plan to do some virtual Ironman challenges. They've been doing duathlons and I've been very interested in participating, especially since we have an indoor bike now. But what about other races? Well, I won't be registering for any proper races until we're in the pandemic clear zone, which I don't see happening for quite some time. I haven't been trail running since the virus hit because I don't want to be around people. This will probably impact my decision on running Javelina but that's quite alright. Worse case, I'll find another virtual run to crush! I honestly like running solo. I pretty much always have so it's not new for me to be alone.

Another chapter is written and successfully closed in my running career. I hope you are all still determined to crush goals even with the conditions given. It can be hard to dig into that inner motivation when we aren't traveling to races but don't let that stop you from becoming better every day.

Keep On Keeping On

Today is the beginning of week 4 of basically not leaving the house. No going to the grocery store. No going out to eat. Hell, I even just drive the car out of the garage only to put it back in after going around the block to make sure it still runs. How are we getting food if I'm not going to the store? Delivery, when it's available, which seems to be never nowadays. I pretty much order multiples of whatever I can get of the essentials: almond milk, bananas, apples, eggs for my husband. I have a plethora of chickpea cans, which has come in handy to make hummus and "egg" salad sandwich spread. We even started making our own almond butter!

 

Why I never did this to begin with blows my mind. If you have a high-powered food processor, you can do this too. Bake 3 cups of almonds at 350 for 10 minutes. Let them cool for a little, at least until they aren't hot. Throw them in and spin it around. It takes a little while to really get it to the creamy consistency so be prepared to have some patience. It's much more rich than the stuff we buy in the store, mainly because there's no oil or any other added ingredients. I probably just saved myself $20. Holla!

 

My husband is a pro Redditor and found a link to a local service who supplies food from local farms. It's like "farm to table" but to your house. Your Farm Foods has been a life saver. I revolve all of my meals around whatever vegetable I plan on cooking. Plus, to have access to different types of potatoes, onions, and even beans is awesome. I also scored two loaves of fresh baked sourdough. Makes me feel good to support the farm families and I plan to keep ordering from them even after this whole pandemic is over with. 

Okay, but what about running? It's still happening! I started week 7 of training today. The (now virtual) race is still on. The only time I leave the house is to go for a run or a walk with my lovely other half. I've pretty much stuck to the surrounding neighborhoods as much as possible with the occasional route through our little town area to say hi to the shelter cats. I haven't been on the trails in a few months now. While this would typically make me sad, I'm surprisingly okay with it. I'm okay with it because I think people are being morons and overcrowding outdoor spaces like our trails and parks. The last time I checked, being outside doesn't make you immune. You can't social distance yourself when you're on one of the most popular hikes in the Phoenix area. It's like watching the news in the summer and wondering how many people they had to airlift that day from Camelback because they didn't take any water. I saw someone post the other day basically pleading with the Phoenix government to keep the trails open because "we need them". But we really don't. They'll be there when this is all done, which won't be for a while because of non-compliance. If you ask me, you are part of the problem if you find yourself driving into a park or trailhead and decide to carry on even if other people are there. You can easily go outside of your own home and run on the road by yourself way away from other people. Some will say "well that's not what I do!". Guess what? It's time to make a new normal for the time being. Phew! As you can see, I've been a little red in the head lately about this. Social media has made me literally scream from the stories I see of people still running in groups. "Look at us social distance running together!" as they stand apart. No. Just stop. Your group can wait. Your health cannot. Flatten the freakin' curve already. /rant

Virtual racing is huge right now and it actually makes me super stoked. Some will say it's a joke and always has been. I beg to differ. It's funny because the other day I reminded myself that the first race I ever did was a virtual race and then I did another one right after that. 

If I remember correctly, this was in 2014. It was a 5K and a 10K. I remember being so proud of myself for running a 10K. Back then, I think it took me well over an hour. Little did I know I'd crush my next go round in 2017. You know what's awesome about virtual racing? Lots of things. You can wake up whenever you want to. You have your own private bathroom (depending on where you run), no getting on a bus, no drop bag issues, no crowds, no getting annoyed at that one person you knew lied about their pace to start earlier. I actually would love to do more virtual races in the future. I think it still gives those something to work towards. I know many need the atmosphere of cheering crowds, crossing the timing block, going through the finisher chute, but I guess I've come to be grateful for whatever, at this point. I'm about to run for 12 hours around my block. Is this what I wanted for my first ultra? No. Am I not going to take it seriously because I think it's "not really a race"? NO. It is a real race and we're really doing the damn thing. All I want to say is, keep on keeping on. Run as if virtual races were now all that we had offered to us until forever. Create your own atmosphere of encouragement. I told my coach today that I'm falling back in love with road running. Back in February, I told myself I was so over this. That would be my last road marathon. Never again. Yet, here we are, in a situation none of us could have predicted. I've become grateful that I have two feet that can carry me for miles. I appreciate the open road. I have new goals that are getting fired up in my brain that don't involve trails or ultras. Guess I'm going back on my word. A new pair of Hoka One One Clifton 6's showed up today. Guess that means more road miles. Guess that means I'm still making myself feel like a champion no matter what the future brings.

"Never give up something you can't go a day without thinking about." - Winston Churchill

Times Like These

"It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again..."

I figured it was appropriate to start this entry with a Foo Fighters song for two reasons. The current circumstances of probably every one of us are totally off schedule and we're learning to adjust to a (hopefully) temporary normal. The second being that I had tickets to their upcoming 25th-anniversary tour and it's been postponed until December. That really put an imaginary dagger in my heart but it's definitely for the best. 

Before we go way into that rabbit hole, let's glance over how training was last week. Strides were the magic word for week three and I loved every minute of it. It's been quite some time since I've done an actual prescribed workout of any type of help with speed or drills. When my coach put it on the schedule, I was so amped up! Strides aren't anything long but to really get your legs fired up for those short bursts just feels so good. Here's a clip from Friday's run which was probably the most consistent, pace-wise.  

We had a real s-show of weather during the week. It rained for roughly four days. Wednesday (3/11) was met with some light drizzle, to begin with, followed by a downpour as I got halfway into my strides and drills. I don't have access to a treadmill anymore so not going out isn't an option anymore unless I opt for biking instead. You never know what race day will bring. Don't be afraid of a little weather. 

I started week 2 of the Argentina series on my bike. This endurance ride was quite the challenge and boy did my legs start talking to me. Once you finish those last few minutes before the cooldown, it's like that fire just grows and grows! It's definitely been a great compliment to my running.

So yeah, about this crisis we're living through right now. Crazy, ain't it? I've seen some majorly disappointed people on the internet after races getting postponed and canceled. I mean we're talking major races, people. Boston, London, even the Barkley Marathon! While my race wasn't scheduled until May 2nd, I wasn't really holding my breath. Sunday, our governor put out a statement of limiting groups to 50 people or less. "Well, it's only a matter of time now," I said to myself. Sure enough. Sunday evening, I received word that my race has been postponed. Now, last year I dealt with my first deferment but this is totally different. While at that very moment I felt super upset/sad, I quickly shifted gears. This is for the better. I've definitely learned that you can't think of yourself in these moments of bad news after bad news. I texted my coach and told her I'll keep training and I'll run on my own on May 2nd if I have to. They are offering a virtual option so that's what we'll do. The actual in-person race did get rescheduled to July but twelve hours in that summer heat? I'm not about that. We'll still carry on and break so many barriers! 

We have a joke in our house right now and the saying goes, "Covid-19 is sponsored by Amy's". 

Amy's is really the only "premade" food I buy. That pizza is SUPER good, especially if you throw some vegan feta on it. The Indian-flavor burrito is my new favorite. I stopped doing my full grocery shopping in the store a while ago and now do delivery with Amazon Prime but decided to make a trip last Friday to Whole Foods myself. The cashier asked me if this was "doomsday prep" and I said, "Nope. This is a typical day!". She laughed. I don't believe in keeping major access amounts of food in your home. I never understood why people had pantries full of crap all the time but never ate any of it. I also hate the thought of wasting food. If you come to look at my fridge on Friday's, it's typically empty minus some beer or other beverages. Did I grab a few extra things that I otherwise wouldn't this time around? Guilty. But, trust me. We'll eat it all. As a runner, my metabolism works like a stage 4 Audi S6. You probably don't know what that means but it's a super-fast car. Just because we're being told to stay home doesn't mean you can't eat like a normal human being. I still have plenty of produce and am still eating my normal staples every day: oatmeal, almond butter toast, this new shake recipe that's THE BOMB. 

Yep, that's a quality picture I took with my phone of a YouTube video so I could remember it. I know, please give me an A for effort. Paula Findlay shared it and I don't know when I'll make something different because it's been super refreshing after my workouts. Side note: the word 'triathlon' keeps toying in my head. Future endeavor? 

I will share a tea recipe I tried today. In the midst of all of this sickness going around, you better be keeping up on that immune system. If you don't eat like an idiot all of the time, hydrate, and maybe get a little movement in, you'd be surprised how much you can fight off. I've incorporated turmeric into my daily diet almost every single day in the past 6 months or so. It's a great anti-inflammatory! I buy the actual root of it but you can also buy the pre-ground stuff in the spices section at your local store. A little goes a long way. I just throw mine in smoothies most of the time and add in a little pepper. That aids in the absorption of turmeric. I recently found this tea recipe and had been wanting to try it. I'm big into herbal teas and it's pretty great! 

It's super easy to make. You just need a lemon, ginger, turmeric, and a dash of cayenne or pepper. Heat it up, strain it, and voila, you have tea. Super easy, super cheap. I'll link the real recipe here. 

Well, for now, we carry on. I hope you do too. 

Ready, set, go!

The two weeks following the Mesa Marathon actually went fairly quickly. When you throw in a little vacation in there, it really helps you not go stir crazy from laying low and not doing any activity. I did my daily yoga practices, kept my body pretty mobile, and felt pretty dang amazing. I'm still kind of shocked at how good I felt after the race. My body doesn't hate me after all!

We'll touch base real quick on that lull time. We went to California for a week for my husband's birthday getaway. We're only around 2.5 hours from the border of the state which still blows my mind. It seemed so far away when we lived in Michigan BECAUSE IT WAS. I honestly hate traveling to California, mainly if we're headed to the Los Angeles area. Everyone drives like a crazy person and traffic sucks 24/7. We drove somewhere that was only 6 miles away and it took us over 30 minutes. So we stayed in Universal City for a few days and visited Universal Studios. Neither of us had been there before and I'm a big Harry Potter nut so I was pretty jazzed on the idea. Hold for photos:

 

 

The first stop was Voodoo Donuts. Now, this isn't the original location but it was as close to them as we could get for the day. Their vegan donut selection is LEGIT and they actually taste super good. We ended up there the next morning as well. Then we explored the park. We saved most of the Wizarding World for the second day. The studio tour was my favorite attraction. The Minions ride was super cute and fun. I could give you a review on everything else but I'll save you the time. Harry Potter world or whatever you want to call it was great. They did a fantastic job on Hogwarts. Overall, I definitely like Disney a heck of a lot better than Universal. Disney just knows how to do it up and create an overall amazing experience for their guests. Would I go back to Universal? Probably not. We headed to Ventura for the rest of the week and visited Ojai, which is an awesome little town. I would definitely go back there. We hung out a local vineyard for a bit (Old Creek Ranch). It was such a cool place. We headed home that Friday and then came time to snap back to reality, Eminem style.

The one announcement I'm super excited to say is that I'm back with my coach, Kristen Griffin, of Find Your Stride Coaching. Kristen has been such a great help to me in the past and I missed working with her so much. She's an amazing athlete herself but also an incredible mom and wife. I think she was equally as excited as I was when I messaged her and told her the news. Week one started on February 24th. Since then it's been base building. Slow-paced runs to get the legs turning. I program my Garmin for the length of time I should be out as well as what pace range I should stay in. While I am not a fast runner by any means, I have a hard time staying in that recovery pace area. It helps to have that thing yell at me to keep within my limits. Remember when I said I felt amazing after my marathon? My first day of training included a 2-mile time trial and boy were my glutes sore the next day but that definitely means the activation is there. The first week went by great. It took me a few days to get into the groove of that recovery pace but it set in about midweek. I told Kristen to make sure I kept up on my PT exercises and keep me out of therapy. I'm a huge advocate for physical therapy, as it's helped me tremendously, but I will do whatever it takes to keep myself injury-free. I do my exercises EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. This is non-negotiable. I do a big dynamic warmup before every run and do a stretching routine after. Most people say they "don't have time" and skip this but let me tell you, you can take as little as five minutes to do something that will help. A little goes a long way. Your body won't stay in tip-top shape forever. Save yourself now before you can't turn those legs anymore. *steps off soapbox*

The one thing I didn't really line up properly was the fact that I had forgotten I signed up for a local race. If you remember, last year I ran the Mountain 2 Fountain 5K as a "comeback race" after nursing an injury. It was awful and I said I'd never run it again. Well, here's my finisher's medal.

I should preface I did this for my Volée team. This time, I signed up for the 15K, which made us eligible to win our weight in beer. You need a team of at least four people to qualify for this and finish in under 2 hours. While we ended up not having a full team, it was nice to meet up with two of my fellow members and hang out for a bit. The race was basically a fun run for me. The hills hit hard as I had not run any in two weeks. I don't understand why they don't close the road down for this race from the point you leave the park to where you enter back into town. Running the majority of it on the shoulder of a road which is essentially two feet wide is uncomfortable. The road slightly slants at parts to allow rain to run off. Needless to say, my right ankle got a workout. I did finish pain-free, which is all I ever want nowadays. One of my teammates and I determined we won't run this race again and I actually mean it this time. I think the organizational skills of whoever runs it nowadays is way out to sea and they cut costs in areas they shouldn't. Don't advertise there will be Nuun on the course when in fact, there wasn't. I carried my own water and Nuun in my vest but many runners didn't. Last year, I spectated after I ran my race and many runners were dying because they had run out of water. Anyway, I won't rant too much. It's over! We had amazing weather. I got to hang with two amazing ladies. The end.

Okay, I think that's the best update I can give you right now from the past few weeks into week one of training. Unrelated but I hope to get back to recipe sharing soon. I have a few new things on my list to cook so we'll see if they make the cut! 

Across The Years

Anyone else still writing 2019? Hope I'm not the only one. All of the Christmas decorations are put away, the house is back to normal, and the days are slowly getting longer. We're now 30 days away from the Mesa Marathon. The full is sold out! I'm getting pretty amped up about this race for many reasons. This will be the first race I'm running for fun. Now, that wasn't always the case. When I first started training, I had a set time goal in mind but I also didn't want to rely on hitting specific paces. I basically just wanted to show up and see what would happen. When my knee issues set in, I threw that out the window and while I was bummed at missing so much running, it almost felt like a big weight was lifted off of my shoulders. No expectations. No keeping of time. Show up and run like this is the one thing that makes you the happiest person alive. It will also help having company along the way! My friend and fellow Volée bird, Trinity, who hails from my home state of Michigan is flying out to join the fun. Party pace!

Alright, let's get to Across The Years! If you aren't familiar with Aravaipa, they put on some of the most popular races in the Southwest, including the 'Burning Man' of running: Javelina Jundred. 

That's Rob (Steger) up there, mid-200 mile race. I had the privilege of crewing for him and his endeavors. Rob is a very established ultra runner, with his most recent accomplishment of the Triple Crown in 2019. I met him via the wonderful world of Instagram right before his book launched. I really appreciated his approach to becoming a runner and representing us middle pack runners. Fast forward to about a month ago and he messaged me asking if I'd like to help out at the race. He stated it'd be a great way for me to learn a lot as I'm about to start my own endeavors into the ultra distance.  I jumped on the opportunity right away. With a few weeks of back and forth, specific planning of what his expectations were, fueling, timing, and everything in between, he was landing in Phoenix. We met up Friday (1/3/2020) morning, picked him up from his hotel, and set off to the race. The vibe was very chill. This specific race is set on a loop that's just over 1 mile in distance. When we arrived, there were many other participants that had been running since the previous weekend. That was 6 days ago! And they still had 4 days to go. 10 TOTAL DAYS OF LAPS. So epic. We set up shop right along the course, just feet from the timing block corral. Time flew by and before we knew it, Rob was off. It was great to watch him in person. He's a great athlete and has an even better sense of humor. Now, Rob was actually attempting two races at the same time: 200 miles and Last Person Standing. This was the first year they added Last Person Standing and it was definitely an interesting race to watch. Remember, I had the best seat in the house. With LPS, you do one loop at a time with a 15-minute time limit. If you finish your lap in, say, 8 minutes, you have 7 minutes to basically just relax and wait. Sounds great, right? It's not so great when you're coming off being in flow with a different race that has no rule except get your miles in a set amount of time. Rob ended up DNF-ing Last Person Standing after 3 laps with a little advice from me and his own head. 

I think my favorite part about this race, besides being part of the action, was watching all of the other people running. I saw so many different abilities and people with so many goals. At one point, I was in the aid station around 1am Saturday morning, and one of the athletes, who was from Australia, had clocked in over 500 miles. The oldest participant was 84. He clocked in just over 100 miles. Seriously, so amazing. People will ask me, "well, you see people of all ages at road races too" and yes, you do. Something about this community, though, is different. I basically felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of my closest friends yet I had just met them. A girl, who's table was set up next to ours (Aisling), was all alone. Unsupported 200 miler. While those many hours might seem lonely, she kept a smile on her face, went whatever pace she felt like going, and was so nice. I still wish I would have gotten her contact info. So, fast forward to Rob's 68th lap. He started feeling it. The disadvantage of a totally flat course was getting to him. Now, I know some of you will read that and think "how is that a disadvantage". It is when you aren't used to it, especially after running on it for like, forever. I'll skip over a bunch of little details but he ended up calling it quits, which I found smart. Pain is temporary but injuries suck and that's not what we needed, especially since he'll be running Black Canyon in February. I downed my 7th cup of hot water, which I was basically using to keep warm, made sure he was ok, and headed to the van to sleep. It was 2:30am. I was awake for 22 hours. I can't remember the last time I did that for fun. 

Side note: I can't wait until we have one these guys ourselves (this is a friend's). This is seriously the ultimate way to transport to a race. With a full kitchen set up and a big bed, what more do you need? Okay, back to the race. Takeaways? I have a lot to learn about fueling for a race that's longer than 6 hours. Be organized. Strategy. Lube. Baby wipes. Vegan grilled cheeses. That last one is an inside joke. Will you see me at Across The Years 2020-2021? Probably. Crewing or running? We'll have to wait and see! 

If you want the audio recap, Rob has a podcast you can subscribe to via Apple, Google, and on his website. You can even witness my podcast debut and what my running goals are for this year. I'll give you a hint, they're epic! 

Did I mention the port-o-potties had entertainment of their own?

Let's shift gears here. I've decided to go dry for January. I would think most of you know what that means but just in case, to clarify, I'm not consuming any alcohol. It'll actually continue into February leading up to race day. Why am I doing this? Because I want to. I'd like to keep my epinephrine levels up so I can have better and quicker recovery. I don't like feeling like a sack of rocks during my long runs because, let's be honest, what day of the week do we normally consume adult beverages? Fridays! What day is my long run? Saturdays! It just doesn't work. I've also noticed that I feel a heck of a lot more sluggish after not a lot of drinks. A sign of getting older? Maybe. Now, I'm not a regular drinker at all. I maybe consume one drink a week, if that. Yes, I have a big wine collection, but I'm not busting corks every day. It's been 10 days and I feel good. It's coinciding with Veganuary very well. That's vegan+january. Yep, another month! I went Vegan in November, why not do it again. I'm actually finding it way easier this time around than last. My body feels great. I don't feel inflamed or "fluffy", as I like to call it. I don't go vegan to "detox" or lose weight and if you think going vegan is the key to both of those, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. For the record, I'm vegan for ethical reasons. Watch Dominion and then we'll talk about it.

*Steps off soapbox* See how I distracted you with a photo of bread? Hello beautiful loaves of carbs. This is the first vegan dessert (if you want to call it that) that I've ever made. I had some VERY ripe bananas chilling and instead of freezing them, I baked! I present to you, vegan banana bread. 

I have baby loaf pans, so I made two. I'd be lying if I said they weren't already half gone. They came out perfectly moist and delicious. They pair well with some coffee. Just make them already! I'll link the recipe here.

I think that's it for now. We'll chat soon. Adios!