Bigfoot 50k

So I can officially say I'm an "Ultra runner".
But let me be the first to tell you that within the first 5 miles I was thinking "WTF IS THIS!" It was a very difficult course for me. I'm sure more seasoned runners thought it was a cake walk but for this novice-not so much.

I had a great time though. I even smashed my knee by tripping over a root on a decline and if no one was around I would have cried/screamed but since there were people around I sucked it up and simply answered "I'm fine."

Despite the pain I was experiencing I had a really good time out there.

The volunteers were so nice, you really couldn't ask for better people. I even got to run alongside a couple of great people for 2/3rds of the race and although I'm a loner in life and in running it was a really nice change.

Gone to Cambridge/Lore City

The Bigfoot 50k will be taking place promptly at 7am in the morning and....I'm running it. I will be the first to say I am HORRIBLY underprepared for this: my first ultramarathon.
The longest I've ran since my marathon 6 weeks ago was 15 miles.
Not good.

The drive to my swank 48 dollar a night Days Inn hotel room I'm staying at was 3 hours, only during half of the trip was it snowing. Yes, indeedy, I go all out for these race events. The hotel has a prime location being in between a Ruby Tuesdays and a Bob Evans.
Hollller!
J/k I don't eat that...
Anyway, I'm exhausted and I'm kind of dreading driving to pick up my number but I'd rather do it tonight then have to worry about it in the morning PLUS they are giving away free water bottles to the 1st hundred people that pick up their race packets. Sooo, I'm in.

Wish me luck, interweb world.

The Aftermath of a Marathon

Wear and tear and... I'm tired.
I took a week off after the marathon from running.
This past week I've only ran 3 times. Although I've been working out of the gym I still feel that my level of fitness has deteriorated.
Also, my groin is hurting, sporadically, very unpredictable. It's also very painful. Sharp shooting pains and whatnot.
I had no idea that a groin problem can even be an issue for women. A groin is a muscle Ive always associated with men not women.
So my goal is for this week to run between 4-5 times back at my old 40-50 miles a week routine.

Dude, Where's My Runner's World?

I think my neighbor is stealing my Runner's World magazines from my mailbox.
I have my suspicions.

So, a little over a week til my first marathon. Blarg.

I volunteered at the white tail trail marathon that my bf was running in. I woke up late, did NOT dress properly for the cold weather and spent about 6 hours shivering alone at the aides station.
Oh well. Grim, but it was nice to have a feeling that I in a very tiny microscopic way helped out. I had never been to Ceasars Creek and I must say it was beautiful. Wish I had learned about it sooner. Maybe after the marathon I'll find my way back there to run on those spectacular trails. Its a 40 minute drive but completely worth the time getting there.

National Geographic: Beyond the Movie/informational/documentary type shows are pretty entertaining in a hilarious kind of way. Apparently, my love of documentaries has landed me with a netflix full of national geographic. This is a sign I need to watch other genres more frequently.

Fall Weather Running

Here, in Ohio, Fall is finally starting to set in. I think as a runner you tend to notice the subtle changes in nature a lot quicker because you tend to spend hours outside running at a time, sometimes deep in the trails. I started to notice the leaves turning back in August-not all-but some. Now, the sides of much of the bike path that I run one are gathering little mounds of leaves from where the trail maintenance crew sweeps the foliage over.

The temperatures are beginning to drop to the 50s and 60s. Its a change of pace from some of the heat waves I was running in during the summer.

I ordered the Asics arm warmers today from Runners Warehouse. These arms are getting chilly for real! This is leading me to wonder what the weather will have in store for me come marathon day =/

On my never ending job search I ran across this little Ultra race gem in Minnesota. www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php

Holy 135 mile freezing temps run! The finishing stats from last year speak for just how difficult this race is. I would love to try my legs out on the course.
One day. Maybe 2012?
We'll see.

Columbus Marathon and December 50k Worries

In just a few short weeks I will be running my first marathon. I don't feel prepared. I mean I've followed a marathon training schedule (for the most part) I've done an 18 mile run a few 16 mile runs. I'm just worried that I won't have it in me to run the entire thing. I'm hopefully going to run with a pace group. I have paranoid thoughts like "What if I cant keep up with the pace group?!" or "What if my my Nike watch and the mile markers I've been relying on to track my pace have been completely off ?!?!"

In other news I got an e-mail about the 50k I'm running in December warning us runners to wear bright orange or similar bright colors as there will be hunting going on that same weekend. I've never run a trail 50k before so maybe this is a normal concern? At the same time I'm thinking wtf will I be shot? Is this the Most Dangerous Game or something?!

Green Silence

So since my last post I've run in the Green silences 4 times all between 6-7 mile runs. They are so light on my feet! I didn't experience any blisters or any discomfort although The tongue part of my right shoe ( one half of the tongue is fully connected to the rest of the shoe while the other side is not) on the side that is not connected to the shoe kept curling up a bit but this could be because I didn't tie my shoes tight enough? I don't know. I really like these shoes. I would run in them more but I don't own a Garmin or an iphone and use a Nike sports watch/sensor with a pair of Nike frees to track my pace. Since its so close to the Columbus marathon I don't necessarily want to completely change things up yet.

Brooks Green Silence: September 2010 Women's Release

I've been waiting for Brooks to release the Women's Green Silence since the original February 2010 release. Not only did Brooks create a women size specific option but they ALSO updated the colors from the original Ronald McDonald asymmetrical yellow and red. It's not that I wouldn't have wanted a pair based on those colors, but unfortunately due to my small feet all the available men's sizes were too large.

I was very impressed with the women's color combination. For myself, it seems that Brooks often creates women's shoes in colors that are mainly in pastels and in my opinion not as vibrant and overall "cool looking" as the colors that they create the men's shoes in. Example: I love the style/color of the Brooks Mach 12-let me rephrase this- I love the style/color of the Brooks Mens Mach 12s. The women's color-eh.

The long awaited Green Silence shoes will be on my feet Wednesday morning for my scheduled 10 mile run. I'm very excited and will post a review of the shoes ASAP. I suspect I will LOVE them.