November

Well, I think 5 months is a long enough time to let a DNF sit at the top of my blog, don't you?

5 months. It doesn't seem like so very much time, but SO much has happened in my life. And, really, nothing out of the ordinary. Just a lot of it. There was my oldest's graduation from 8th grade and a bunch of races (including a 10k PR the week after a marathon) and summer school and the beach and a family vacation to Minnesota and school again, including HIGH SCHOOL for Jenna which included high school sports and Ravinia and time with my friends and running and spectating ALL THE RACES and meeting Ginny and now Halloween. All good.

I finished another marathon in June - Grandmas again, this time with Carly. I played drill sargeant. I had THE BEST TIME EVER. I didn't know a marathon could be so much fun.

I learned that not training for anything doesn't mean not running, and I had a fabulous summer running whenever I felt like it for how ever far I wanted.

So. Now I just need to make time for this place again. We have a lot to catch up on.

Race Report: Med City Marathon

I almost didn't even write about this. The short and bittersweet? Another DNF for this girl. But the reality was way more sweet than bitter, and it IS my reality, so I'm unable to pretend it never happened...

I know I said I wasn't running a marathon this year. But a while back, Jamie at Running Diva Mom was giving away an entry to the Med City Marathon in Rochester, MN and I tossed my name into the hat. (And before we go any further, click thru and read her account of this race - she ran it with her fiance, and it was his first marathon. They rocked it!!)

As you can guess, I won the entry. And who am I to turn down a free race? Especially one that runs so near the Mississippi river valley and where I spent my later college years. I was in.

I totally non-trained for this race. I told very few people (until the end, when I let more people in on my plans). I had no time goals. I just wanted a strong race from start to finish that I enjoyed every step of. After running it, I feel like I was definitely trained enough to complete this well. Too bad that is not quite what happened...

I drove to Rochester on Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. It was an easy trip, and I made it in time to check in to my hotel and walk a couple blocks to the Civic Center where packet pick up was being held and the 5k was just finishing up. This was also where the buses were leaving from the next morning, so it was nice to get myself familiar with the area. I got my stuff and wandered around the teeny expo for a few minutes and then headed back. I enjoyed a super quiet evening all by myself, ordering room service and watching the Hawks game.

I was up bright and early the next morning, and on the first bus to Byron, MN for the start. I made a friend on the bus and we chatted - her son was a patient at the Mayo Clinic and she was running to take her mind off things for a bit. It was sobering to talk to more than one parent of a sick kiddo before the race even started. It made me grateful for a lot in my life.

We got to hang out in the middle school, which was awesome because it was chilly outside. They had coffee and indoor bathrooms. I was a bit overzealous on the hydrating. I felt good, and even chatted with the pacers for a minute. I looked for Jamie, but we never did connect.

the start line - this was our perfect weather for the first 12 miles

After using the portopotties outside one last time, I finally decided to check my arm sleeves (ominous foreshadowing). It was near 50 degrees and overcast. I remembered to sunscreen like crazy (also ominous foreshadowing) and except for a little more wind than I like, the weather looked good. It was supposed to stay like this all day.

I chatted with another woman at the start line - a first time halfer who was nervous and excited. And also a marathon maniac who was well over 6 feet tall and I was joking and using him to block the cold wind. I wasn't even nervous - just ready to run! Soon we were off.

I settled in quickly with Dave, a local who was running the half. It was fun to distract ourselves from the miles, talking about our families, jobs, the area. He was getting on a plane that evening for Brazil, and wasn't looking forward to that flight!

There were 2 girls doing the Galloway we were leapfrogging. One was doing the half and one the full. We were joking around with them while they were near us. And 2 other guys who were both running their first full together - friends since college, one from the Minneapolis area and one living in DC. We were together for almost the entire first half (until about 10 when Dave dropped off the back) and it was nice to feel like part of a group for a while.

except the girl in blue, this was our crew for many miles

We were pretty determined to keep the pace in check, and together, we were doing a good job of staying steady and reigning ourselves in if it got too quick. The first half of the course looks way hilly on the elevation profile, but honestly it never felt that bad. My stomach and legs were all on board today, and I felt great for the entire first half.

guing at mile 11

At mile 12 or so, it started raining, just a little. It sucked when the wind would blow it into my face, but I was still doing ok. But it just kept getting steadier and steadier. The forecast said "chance of showers" so I was waiting for it to let up. That never happened.

At mile 14 I was starting to drag. I was having to talk myself into holding pace. I was cranky. During 15 I found the grossest potty with no toilet paper and peed for forever. (TOUGH while you are hovering!) But after that I was all proud of myself because I rallied for a while. I was feeling ok. I grabbed a twizzler from some little girls and kept on. Twizzlers rule, just sayin'.

But by mile 18, the rain was starting to wear me down. I was seriously cold. I chatted for a while with a guy doing the 20 in prep for Grandmas, and that distracted me for a bit, but I was starting to get pissed. And the rain just came constantly. And the wind made me pissed off at it. And I was so so so COLD.

At the relay station at almost 20 miles, I climbed on the bus heading back to the finish and that was the end of my race.

On a different day, in a different set of circumstances, I totally could have finished that race. I made a conscious decision to NOT that day. And I was completely ok with it. Looking back now, I'm a little pissed at myself, but there's no changing it now. Here's why I did it then:

• The biggest reason, honestly, was that I was out there to have FUN that day, no pressure, and I was miserable. It had STOPPED being fun.
• While I got a late checkout, their late checkout was 1pm. Not very late. And not much time to shower. If I'd had a great race, I would have had JUST ENOUGH time. I was not having a great race.
• I had to immediately post race clean up and drive more than 5 hours straight to a birthday party. The idea of doing that without a hot shower was UNACCEPTABLE.

So, that's that. I know there are some who'll judge me for stepping off a course I could have completed - part of ME judges me. I'm ok with that though. I was embarrassed for a minute, but you know what? It's up to me. These races are mine. And my friends know who I am and are ok with me, faults and all. Plus, so many things went RIGHT that I can't be upset. My legs felt good! I had no stomach trouble! I managed to come back during a race after hitting a low spot! (seriously - this is HUGE and a confidnece builder going forward). I had a great time!

Besides, it was a perfect training run for Grandmas. Which I'll be running with my friend Carly. Mostly because she and Kelli signed me up for it behind my back. It's good to be me. And it's always good to have nutso friends. It keeps life interesting...

Race Report: Stepping Up To Wellness 5k

Running for me this year has been tougher, mentally.

Well, that's not exactly true. RACING has been hard. Running has been awesomely fulfilling. And at a little 5k run/walk that I got talked into doing to support a friend, I started to see why that is.

Last year, my friend Sarah's husband Ray beat Multiple Myeloma. Their whole family was participating in this 5k, which benefits the local Cancer Wellness Centers. After a little prodding (and a green light from MY husband) I decided to run too, in support of this important fundraiser.

I picked up Riyanti and we headed for Independence Grove to get a few miles in before the race started (she ran with her family and extended family - they were quite a team!). We got in 5 hot and sticky miles before the race started.

I was wishy washy about this one - I was fairly confident that with the heat, a PR was out of the question. The park there is wide open with very little shade. And like I said, it was HOT. Hot in the spring always feels like death to me - I was in no way acclimated yet, especially since Mother Nature has been on the rag all spring 'round here. But we started, and amazingly enough, I felt pretty good! For a few minutes. Sarah's son ran past me and I cheered him on (half expecting him to peter out later). My running club friend's son Noah also passed me and I cheered him on too. We approached the first water stop about mile one, and I decided that was enough racing for me.

I got a cup of water (even tho I was carrying a water bottle) and turned around to see where Sarah was. I knew she had goals for this race, so I figured I'd help her out for a while. She was not far back, and we ran together for a bit, bitching about the heat.

I pulled ahead of her a little and caught up to Noah.  He was struggling a little bit. I was trying to decide if it was mental or physical. He was complaining about his leg some, but I kind of felt like he just wasn't FEELING it that day, so I stayed with him, encouraging him. This lasted for a while, me chatting to try to distract him. And Sarah was still not far behind us.

But during that last mile, after the last water stop (there were 2!!), Noah didn't look so good. He said he was going to walk. I started to pass him, but he said he was cold. That stopped me in my tracks and I gave him some of the water I was carrying. We walked a little bit, then started a slow jog. I knew that I wasn't leaving him now (the mom in me wouldn't let me, hehe).

Sarah had passed us, and I yelled at her to try and catch her son, who'd been holding a steady solid pace the entire race (so proud of him!!). Noah and I ramped our pace back up slowly. We were nearing the finish and he wanted to walk again, but I wouldn't let him. No way - just a tenth of a mile to go, I said. And I made him race me in. And he did it!

I got some water, found a shady spot on the end of the course, and cheered for people. I got a little nervous about Riyanti, but found her step-mom who told me she swapped girls and was now walking with her youngest. I hung out til everyone had finished.

And then we watched the awards. Noah ended up just missing an age group award, and Sarah took first!

I have so many running friends who say they are compelled to race every race. Who have to give it their all every. single. time. And while I respect this (even though it isn't at ALL part of my make up as a runner) I'd like to implore that they give up a race every once in a while. Because, for me, while racing my best garners me a sense of accomplishment and pride, the races I give to others make me infinitely prouder.

Helping another runner reach their goal fills me up like no PR can.

Try it. I bet if you try it once, you'll want to try it again.

Race Report: Wisconsin Half Marathon

So with the culmination of the "Birthday Month of Running All the Races" you'd think I'd be done racing for a while. You'd be wrong! On May 4, I ran the WI half marathon for the third year in a row.

And even better? I got to spend the weekend with ALL THE KIMS! On Friday afternoon, Kim (who graciously let us stay with her during the Veteran's Marathon last Fall) and Kim (who spectated that race for us with her son Miles, who had probably the MOST apropos race sign ever) drove up from Indiana. They didn't make fun of me for not cleaning my house and didn't mind going out to eat (Olive Garden! Yum!) and didn't mind my crazy gaggle of kids (Julia was thrilled to have more girls to love on). Which means I will love them forever!

Friday night was an early one, and race morning was uncomplicated (the benefit to living so near a race). We got there just as I'd planned, but I think this race has grown - it took forever to get through the potty lines and we barely had time for a quick blogger picture (which i don't have...fail). I didn't even get to see Kim (ALL THE KIMS!) as she prepped to smash her half marathon PR! I was stressing about meeting up with my friend Sarah. You see, I was pacing her to her first half marathon finish, which I totally couldn't do if I couldn't FIND HER.

Luckily, we met up 4 minutes before the start, tucked in to the 10:00 minute mile corral and were off without a problem. Sarah's goal for the day was the obvious one - finish - but I knew (and told her) that I was confident that she could finish between 2:15 and 2:20. We started slow on purpose (WIN!) and settled into a pace in the 10:20s and NEVER STRAYED. Sarah is a freaking ROCK STAR.

I love everything about this course (which I guess is why I keep going back to it). The first few miles through town were effortless and chatty. We were having fun. Then we headed north along the lake on the out and back section.  The weather was amazing and for the first time running this race, I actually could see the lake! This is my favorite part of the course - I spend all my focus on looking for my people. Well, my people and my feet - there are some giant potholes at the beginning of this part. But I probably knew 40 people running that day, so I spent a lot of time scanning the crowd and waving.

I carried NOTHING with me except a gu in my pocket. I felt naked - like something was missing. And when I stopped for water at the 6 mile stop, the volunteer HANDED ME AN EMPTY CUP. Doh. Not turning around and going back. But it wasn't hot out, so while it was annoying, it was not critical.

At the far north end of the course I met (but didn't know it) Nicole and her husband. He was wearing a sign on his back that said "My wife asked me to run a half marathon with her for Mother's Day - Here I am!" BEST PRESENT EVER! Sarah and I had to comment on it. Seriously huge points to him!

By mile 10 or so, Sarah was quiet. And kind of right behind me (but since we run so much together, I know that this is what she needs when it gets tough). I just did my best to hold us steady. The last mile was really really hard for her. And I was really really obnoxious (I told her she could punch me in the throat but not til we were DONE). Haha! But honestly, she barely slowed. She has no idea how well she did.

As we came down the chute, I started screaming to the crowd that it was SARAH'S FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! They totally got into it, which was perfect. She finished, and even though she felt terrible, she was smiling! Here's my photo dump:

Flying preggo - she finished well before we did!

SMILING SARAH! and PROUD PACER!

Oh LOOK! more friends!

sad Kim in the middle

ALL THE KIMS (I was running extra miles during these...)

Me and Mark from EFitt who rocked the full

post race blogger redo (I stole all these pictures from Kim's husband Steven - best race photog around!)

Our splits (if you are interested and for posterity): 10:43, 10:36, 10:29, 10:23, 10:22, 10:12, 10:26, 10:27, 10:16, 10:32, 10:28, 10:19, 10:34, 9:50 for the last bit...

I ended up running 6.15 extra miles running the course in reverse and cheering for the speedy marathoners. It was a lot of fun, until I turned around and realized they were still running faster than I was at mile 24 of a marathon. Ha! But I felt great, and was truthfully a little sad I wasn't running the full. When I was finished and we were done cheering for all our people, we decided food was in order. Red Robin of course.

best beer ever

nom nom nom!

It was so nice to hang out with all the Kims and chill for the afternoon. And we ended up watching Pitch Perfect that evening, which I loved. I am so glad they could come for a girl's weekend and I really hope we get to do it again soon!

Race Report: Bear Trax 20k

I have THREE race reports to write! So behind! So let's get moving...

On April 28, I concluded the "Birthday Month of Running All the Races" with the Bear Trax 20k trail race in Wisconsin. A while back, Riyanti had asked me if I wanted to do this one with her. It was easy to get to and inexpensive ($25 I think?) so of course, I was in.

So, when you are running a race EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND for 5 weeks in a row, there are going to be some races when your race prep the night before is less than ideal. This one was that. The day prior we had dentist day (we still see the dentist where we used to live - we drive more than an hour and take over her office on a Saturday morning and get all of us done at once) followed by a giant plate of eggs benedict at our favorite pancake house there. Then we drove back, chilled for a bit, cleaned up, and drove an hour in a DIFFERENT direction to see our friends' band play. And ate bar food. And hydrated with beer.

When Riyanti and I pulled on to the highway Sunday morning, she looked over and said, "Bobbi! I didn't peg you as the kind of runner who puts on a full face of makeup to run a trail race!"

Busted. That would be last night's makeup.

We made it up there with no problems and got parked just in time. Not long after the lot filled up and we'd have been MUCH further away. We picked up our bibs and shirts (one of my favorite race shirts ever!) and ankle chips, hit the potties, and then figured out our vests. We were both testing out new hydration packs, so we were both a little clueless.

Our goal of the day was to have fun and catch up. Spoiler alert - we totally met that goal!

us at the start - on the left you can see the awesome race shirts - bright purple with bear paw prints down one arm

We had such a good time! We chatted, we swore at the hills (1300 feet of climb in 12 miles!), we ate the BEST chocolate chip cookies at one aid station, followed by not the best sugar cookies at another (not that the cookie was bad, more like our stomachs weren't happy with the choice post cookie).

We took a lot of pictures (so many that I got asked if any actual running happened, haha!)

We did really well until the last couple miles. The good news was that we both pooped out at the same time, so neither one of us minded a little extra walking. But the Kettle Moraine hills are NO JOKE. Walking up some of them winded me! That said, it is just gorgeous there. I can't wait to go back again...

Some things of note:

- I need to figure out how to run DOWN hills. Up? No problem. Hike as necessary. But I'm so timid running down. Riyanti suggested running like Phoebe (from Friends) and that really did help!

- We saw lots of people out hiking. One man towards the end asked us just how far this race was, anyway? He must have been seeing lots of runners. When we told him that it was 12 miles he exclaimed, "Twelve MILES!?!?!" and the look on his face was so awesome. We giggled about that the rest of the race.

- Riyanti looked adorable. She got no less than 5 compliments on her Ruu-Muu.

- We met a girl on the trail who was struggling - I shared my McD's salt packets with her - I hope it helped some!

- I baptised my brand new vest with Gu. Oops. But the vest? Was a win! Loved it!

As we were heading for the finish, it wasn't super clear which way we should go. To be fair, there weren't very many people finishing when we did (they were all eating, haha!). We kind of held our hands out in a "huh??" gesture and the volunteers yelled, "DON'T FOLLOW THE NAKED GUY!"

This, of course, completely cracked us up.

the naked guy

We finished in 2:40 or so, and had a fabulous time. I adore running with Riyanti - we always have the best conversations. Can't wait to run more with her this summer.

done!

Race Report: Earth Day 15 Miler (in which she falls head over heels in love with the trail)

I have been sitting on this one for a bit. I have been struggling to find the right words to truly capture what happened in my head and in my heart somewhere on the second loop on Sunday, but it's proven difficult at best. I'll try...

Sunday morning, I woke up bright and early, and headed out to Crystal Lake, IL. The Earth Day 50k/15 mile trail race starts and finishes in Veterans Acres park. I'd never run here before, but some running club friends had, so I'd heard a little bit about what to expect. Mostly that it was tough. I arrived in good time, parked super close to the pavilion where the volunteers were busy setting up for the day, and headed out to get my stuff.

It was cold. Upper 20s to start, but it was supposed to warm up some throughout the day. I hadn't even made it out of the parking lot and a woman introduced herself to me. She was one of the timers, so I'd be seeing her face after each loop. We walked together towards the packets, and even though my stuff wasn't where it belonged, in minutes I was heading back to my warm van. On the way, I ran into a couple friends of my sister, and I ended up starting and finishing near them and chatting on and off along the way.

We started right on time after a trumpet rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and I immediately was flustered because I can't figure out my new watch. So I lost a little of the beginning, but quickly got it working. Then I didn't look at it for the rest of the day. I was out there to experience this, and immerse myself in the beauty of the day. No time goals. No expectations.

The course was a 5ish mile loop that you did 3 times for the 15 mile race and 6 times for the 50k. About halfway through the loop, we did a little lollipop loop (they called it "Legbone Loop, but I never did see the leg bone - it's rumored to be hanging from a tree somewhere) and on the "stick" of the lollipop was the only place on the course where there was oncoming runner traffic. Incidentally, it was also the only place on the course that was muddy. With all the rain we've had, that was simply amazing - other than that one spot, the course was in beautiful shape. (To see my garmin map, click HERE)

I am an inexperienced trail runner, at best. I've run "real trails" only a handful of times, so starting out by myself, I was a little nervous. We'll call the first loop the "getting to know you" loop. It was kind of like a first date. While I was sort of paying attention to my surroundings, I was mostly paying attention to my feet. And to the feet of the person in front of me. And because we all started out together and I started pretty far in the back, for a good long while my pace was completely dictated by the crowd of people in front of me. I was 100% ok with that for the time being, though. I fell in behind some 50k runners and listened to their stories and walked ALL the uphills (even the teeny tiny ones) and just got used to the terrain.

And then, once it spread out a little, I found myself alone. And the most surprising part of that was that I WAS SO HAPPY to finally be running alone. I'm a pretty social runner normally. But once I could run the way my body wanted to, and not pay any attention to the runners around me other than to smile and say hello, my heart sang. It felt enormous at the time, but I was just so HAPPY to be out there. Running. I commented to lots of volunteers (who were OUTSTANDING, by the way) that it was gorgeous there. That I was so happy to be running there. That it was a stunning day for a run. That I couldn't wait to come back and run there again.

It sounds all cheeseball, but it was my truth that day.

The second loop, I felt great. I learned that I'm a much better uphill runner than downhill. I practiced bounding down after a while, but I'm kind of chicken. I had a lot more confidence, simply because I knew everything that was ahead of me. I only got off course once, and that was only because I followed the pack of runners in front of me (lemmings, we called each other, laughing) but we quickly righted ourselves. I thanked the aid station family (they had one remote station about 3 miles in) and smiled at the little girls working hard and cowbelling for us.

I had FUN.

The third loop, I was still feeling great, but I slowed down a lot. Mostly because I was determined to get at least a few pictures of the day. They really don't do the course justice, but I'll share them anyway. The course was a mix of gorgeous wooded areas, pine forest with needle covered trail, hills (I felt like we were always going up or down), and the one muddy area leading to a flat section of single track. There were only a couple times we were on service road going from one section of the course to another. I loved every inch of it.

the guy on the right had the most amazing plaid shorts. I sang "thrift shop" in my head in his honor for lots of the day

beautiful trail

heading into the pine forest

I loved this part...

don't fall off the edge!

they dubbed this "Boston Common" in remembrance. got a little choked up here...

they had a camera set up on a tree. I didn't even notice it the first 2 loops

...but by the 3rd time around I finally saw it

better pic of the awesomeness of his shorts, haha!

Here's a link to probably my favorite race pic of all time. I might even buy it! He did an amazing job...

I wish my pictures were better than crappy phone pics, but hopefully you can see a little of why I'm so in love with this. I run many many "trails" around here, but mine are crushed limestone paths. While I am so glad they are available to us here, it just isn't the same as a real trail. And I'm sure lots of hard core ultra runners wouldn't even consider this "real" trail - it wasn't all that technical and was easily runnable for the most part.

But it made me SEE why ultra runners do what they do. It made me feel it.

I kind of want to do that.

In the end, I finished in just under 3:20. Pretty much smack in the middle (48/63 finishers, 15/26 women) and good enough for 4/9 in my age group. The medals and awards were "upcycled" and were so so cool...(stole these pics from their fb page)

aren't they awesome!? he finished in 1:46. insanity. he earned it!

medals!

I will definitely do this event again. Maybe even 50k. It could happen! This weekend I'm running another 20k trail race in Wisconsin. This time with Riyanti. Can't wait! I am feeling a great sense of peace about NOT chasing PRs and NOT worrying about splits and taking in all the beauty of the trails. If you haven't, I recommend it. It's healing.

Race Report: Muddy Monk Double Down 20k

Oh, look, I'm behind again. No surprise there. But this week has been full of bombs and puke and flooding - not a single day where all my kids were where they should have been (SCHOOL) - and consequently, things are a bit out of whack. MOVING ON.

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of running the Muddy Monk Double Down, which is a local trail race (one of a series - if you haven't run a Muddy Monk race, check them out and DO IT NOW. So awesome!). This race was unique in that you run a 10k loop, and then, if you're feeling great, you can run it again for a 20k. You get to decide this MID RACE.

The night before, I'll admit to not really feeling it. I was still pouting over missing out on everything fun that day due to a puking James, and was rather meh about the whole thing. UNTIL they posted an awesome picture on their facebook page of 50 yards of ankle deep water we got to run through TWICE and suddenly I was all giddy about it again. Bring on the MUD!

Race morning was uneventful - easy drive, picked up my stuff, and plopped my butt in the backseat of Ed's car (where he and Kim were waiting for the start) to wait it out with them. So far, the only thing of note was that it was freaking SNOWING. That water crossing was going to be chilly. Also of note was there was a birthday present waiting for me, which was a COMPLETE surprise (but really shouldn't have been - she DID tell me she was getting it for me, but I didn't believe her). A Nathan hydration vest!!! CAN'T WAIT TO RUN WITH IT! SQUEE!!! I don't think I could have been more excited. :)

My race plan was easy: play in the mud all day and have loads of fun with Kim and Rachel. (spoiler: EXACTLY how it went down!) To that end, there were lots of pictures taken. Not by me. All photo credits go to Kim and Muddy Monk (who let you have your pics for free!).

potty line! remember how I said it was snowing? yeah, Mother Nature is on CRACK this year

We made it to the start line JUST as the race began, and just like that, we were running. And chatting. And laughing. I can't remember when I've had more fun DURING a race. I see lots of trails in my future...

the first time through the water....brr!

So there was all kinds of talk about the water - everyone sounded a little nervous about WHEN it would show up on the course. The general consensus was that people were hoping it was at the END of the 10k. Um no. We got through that pretty early on. And it was cold, but it was FUN.

Smiling!!

mud!

it was thick and sticky and shoe sucking

our shoes/legs were hilariously muddy

I would say that most of the course was pretty easy to run. It was all very flat. But the last mile of the loop was ridiculously muddy. It was a blast trying to get through it without losing your shoes and without ending up on your ass. It was sticky and slippery and awesome.

So of course we went for round 2! On the second loop, it was really quiet - I think there were only 89 20k finishers. So Kim was determined to get some good pics of the water crossing. Her plan was to run ahead and catch me and Rachel running through, but she convinced some guy to take some of all 3 of us ("DON'T drop my phone!") and she ran back through it so she could run through it AGAIN with us for the photo. Kim = badass!

I'm not sure I can convince you how much fun this was

and for the record, it was WAY deeper the second time through

Towards the end of the second loop, we picked up another runner, Joan, for a bit. She had tucked in behind us listening to our inane chatter, and we introduced ourselves while dancing at an aid station waiting for more water. LOVE that, too, about trail races - super friendly.

We did manage to finish, and not even last!

coming into the finish line

And then there was lots of hot dogs (the best wiener I've had in FOREVER) and beer for everyone!

me, Brian and Ed (who waited for out slow asses) and Kim chatting with Art, the RD

This race had everything I love. It was fun and laid back. I had a super time catching up with Rachel and Kim for the morning. The mud and water just made everything better. I would DEFINITELY do another Muddy Monk race, and I recommend them to all of you - if you are local, don't miss out.

Next up: the Earth Day 15 miler this Sunday. More trails! Post flooding, so they should be awesome!

The Right Way To Feel

Yesterday was my birthday.

And part of me really really wants to whine about what a shitty birthday it was - I mean, Friday my birthday massage with Kim got derailed by a puking child, and yesterday brought on 2 more puking children - but really, it all seems so insignificant.

Even with the puking children, I spent the day doing what I wanted to do, at first. I plopped my butt in my computer chair with my coffee and watched Shalane and Kara go after the Boston win.

But as runners, we all know how the afternoon went down. And I've been torn about whether to post anything about how it all made me feel, because I feel like how I FEEL is all wrong. But we can't really control how we feel, and my feelings change minute to minute, so I guess I'll just own them as mine and move on.

I spent the afternoon and evening checking up on every runner that I knew out there. Just like all of you did.

I turned away from it when I had to - it's all so overwhelming, especially as a member of a huge running community. We are ALL posting about the same thing, enough to where it feels almost self-indulgent. But then I'd remind myself that we're ALL runners, and we ALL feel so strongly about what happened. Again, struggling with how to feel.

And then I'd go back to whining about my shitty birthday. But then I remembered that a guy from my running club shared my birthday. And he was IN Boston. And I'd shut myself up.

Sorry this is so disjointed...I almost didn't post at all. But I feel like I need to mark this event. I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt yesterday - ALL the ways I felt yesterday.

Praying for peace for all of us. For all those in Boston. For runners. Spectators. Volunteers. First responders. We all know that the good will prevail...

Race Report: Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Yesterday, I got the chance to run the Shamrock Shuffle 8k for the first time. I am openly not a fan of gigantic city races, so this one (while it looks fun) has never even been on my radar. But the Essential Fitness Multisport Club (YES I belong to a multisport club - DON'T LAUGH. Maybe someday I'll get on a bike. No really - it *could* happen!) put together a team, so I decided to run.

Being the year to "run all the new distances" this fit right into my plans. I've never before raced an 8k. And what a way to kick off the April "Birthday Month Of Running All The Races."

For me, the clincher was that I didn't have to drive into the city for packet pickup, and I didn't have to drive myself into the city race morning, since we all rode together. Easy!

Getting into the city was a breeze, and it was fun chatting the morning away with my friends. We parked, got our bibs situated, and made our way to gear check and our corrals.

we are a good looking crew!

we got special bibs with our team name. it was super fun reading others while running

Then we waited in the gigantic clusterfuck all trying to get into the corrals. At 8:06 we were in this huge throng of people. The problem was, no one was moving! The corral gate was right in front of us, but we couldn't get to it! This would have been no big deal in a normal race - race time, after all, was 8:30. But in the biggest 8k in the world? Yeah, they close the corrals at 8:15. As in, WHILE WE ARE ALL STANDING THERE TRYING TO GET IN. Are you effin' kidding me?

We pushed forward anyway - it was close to riot status. The poor dude with the megaphone was trying really hard to calm people down. And he was taking a helluva lot of abuse. I was feeling a little bad for him, until he yelled out (in his megaphone, for all to hear), " Don't call me an asshole!!!"

Then? Then I was laughing too hard at him to feel bad for him.

So we made it through, only to find that they DID in fact close the second set of gates. It was hop the fence or hoof it back to the end of corral E. That was a no brainer. Up and over (I'm sorry I don't have pictures of that part. It was over too quick!) Then it took a few minutes for my heart rate to get back to normal.

quick pre race photo

The actual race went off without a hitch. We were in corral C, so we still had a bit of a wait before we actually started. But once we did, I just cruised. The weather was stunning. PERFECT race weather. And my only goal of the day was to run well. I figured anything with an average pace in the 8s would make me happy. So I settled in around a 9ish pace and worked.

The race for me was perfect. I worked hard, but I felt good. I ran really decent tangents (my Garmin showed 4.99 miles at the end). And I finished strong. What more can you ask for? I felt like I was lined up in exactly the right spot for my pace. As crowded as this race is, I was never weaving around people or annoyed by other runners. It was so smooth...

We managed to find each other after the race (and our team ended up coming in 9th out of 86 teams in the mixed open division!) and even managed to get a photo with the Green Guys!

 

 After that, we headed towards the beer line. We had to get "over 21" bracelets, which required some fancy behind the back moves towards the one of us who forgot her ID. Ahhh, memories of my 19 year old self...

BEER!

my awesome socks turned arm warmers

enjoying the Freddy Jones Band (who rocked!)

Chris enjoying the band

 So, to be honest, I didn't think I'd like this race. And I DON'T think it's a race I'd like to do alone. But with a group of great friends, I had a fantastic time! It's definitely worth it. I even heard later that they were forced to reroute the course because of a bridge jumper DURING THE RACE. And you'd never have known - they managed it seamlessly. So other than the clusterfuck that was getting into corrals, I would recommend it for sure.

And there ends the only April race I'm actually racing! The rest are all trail fun! Can't wait!

(photos from Brian and Chris - thank you!)