Frozen Trail? Muddy Trail?

I've entered another race. Perhaps beyond my best judgement, but perhaps just the right race to keep me warm and the pounds off during the holiday season. Today I ran a little of the course with Tim and the dogs. Muddy running, fall down, slide down hills covered in leaves, and newly created waterways. Rainy most of the run, but soooo fun. Tim and I were laughing at each other and ourselves at our lack of grace as we navigated the steep muddy slopes only to find out we had come upon yet another hill - where did these come from? We have run Mt Pisgah for the three years since we moved to Eugene and today, we saw a brand new Mt. Pisgah. Lots of fun to finding new adventure in an area you thought you "knew".

The race is in about 3 weeks. 50k (I think). That is, I signed up for the 50k, but lately have not put the effort into the training I should be putting into it. So perhaps when race day comes, I may choose a shorter distance. One I can have fun with and enjoy the memory the next day without an extra ice bath.

I'm not sure if the trail will be frozen or muddy, but if it was like today, it will be a Mudfest instead of a Frozenfest.

I won!

Last week I got an email from Wilderness Running Company saying I had won a $50 gift certificate - SWEET! Immediately, I went on line and tried to find the perfect item. Then I started thinking, I should really use the money for a Christmas gift, but heck, my first contest win, (confession) I ended up useing it on myself. New trail running shoes - La Sportiva Wildcats! I've never run in them before, but I figured this might be the best opportunity for trying something new. They came in the mail on Friday and I wasn't about to wear them at the Lithia Loop Marathon, but this week, I plan to get them good and muddy. They feel dreamy walking around the house.

I have great expectations for the coming year running in these beauties.

Lithia Loop Marathon Race Report

Today I woke up with sore calves, reminding me I ran the Lithia Loop Marathon on Saturday. Preparing for this race was a lot different than others in that I was also recovering from the Pine to Palm 100m. Each week after the P2P I vowed to get more serious about my training. Willing myself to put more miles in and find the motivation that had become a distant memory. I’m not sure if the motivation ever got over 75%, but in the final weeks, when I should have been tapering, I enjoyed several 17+ mile runs with friends and Tim. I had found by running with others, I could find my lost enjoyment that I remembered all too well and wanted back!
I drove to Ashland with my friend Laura in her new red Prius. My first ride in the econo wonder, and it was good. My step sons play prius punch (instead of slug bug) whenever they see a Prius or a VW bug, but no punches for Laura.

First stop was Rogue Valley Runners store for packet pick up and a little bit of oggling at Hal and Erik. Later we met up with my friend Beth to have pre-race pasta . At dinner, I was thinking to myself how wonderful I felt to be with my friends, getting to know Laura better and being able to do something I love to do. I can’t say at this point the excitement for the race was there, but I felt more of it brewing and was happy enough with that.

In preparing for this race, especially because I knew I hadn't put in the miles I needed to, I tried visualization. This helped me so much at P2P that I thought if I could just follow myself through the course, by way of maps, I would "see" myself to the finish, Unfotunately, I think my visualization was a little burnt out and in need of recovery too.

But after a great night of sleep, I woke up ready to start running. I was a little worried about the course, not only because of the minimal training, but the course was 8-10 miles uphill, 10- miles flatish and then 6 miles or so downhill. I was worried because I wanted to have enough to enjoy the downhill and I hadn't run this type of course before. As usual, worries were unwarranted. The uphill wasn't that bad, and I found myself saying "just get to mile 8 and then the hard stuff is over" Sometimes I amaze myself at the mind games I play especially because most of the time they work. I'm good at breaking apart the distance and relating it to runs with friends and different parts of races that now I can pretty much talk myself out of any funk or negative thinking. (I hope this ability lasts for awhile).

So the uphill was over before I knew it and then the flat was a repeat of my birthday run, so the mind game began, remembering the bear tracks, where I peed, where Tim peed, where it started snowing, where I met the other woman who was running her age on her birthday, and then the flat was over. Downhill here I go. The downhill part of this course was a blast! It starts out rolling where I could build up speed and fly effortlessly over the next little hill. Then it shifts to a raging steep hill which has great switch backs. Banking my turns I felt like a ninja as I stepped on the upturned corners of the trail. This was also the section I passed several people which always feels great.

By the time I hit the pavement, I felt my lack of training and I put my concentration into overdrive to keep my legs turning over. It wasn't that I couldn't run, because

my pace was still pretty decent for me, it was more that what I really wanted to do was to lay down in a warm cozy bed and be done.

I finished in under 5 hours. I had wanted to get closer to 4:30, but no sweat considering the effort I had put in to train.

Hal puts on a great race with great goodies. The awards were fun, water bottles, packs, visors a flying. One goodie was free admission to a spa in town which Laura and I readily took advantage of. Cool soaking pool, warm pool, hot shower and soap! After making one last stop to the Ashland Co-op for some road food, off we went back to Eugene.

Great to hang out with my friend & long distance training partner, Laura and to share what we love to do. On our trip home we both said perhaps this would be the last time we did this race, but now I'm not so sure!