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I’m Running the Leadville 100!!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Camelbak, Hydration, hydration belt, Leadville 100, Maddy, running, ultra, ultra marathon on July 24, 2013| 2 Comments »

The legendary “Race Across The Sky” 100-mile Run is where it all started back in 1983. This is it. The race where legends are created and limits are tested. One hundred miles of extreme Colorado Rockies terrain — from elevations of 9,200 to 12,600 feet. You will give the mountain respect, and earn respect from all. – See more at: http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/page/show/311976-lt-100-mile-run#sthash.mgNYu2cl.dpuf

I just got word that I’m running Leadville next month!!!

Well, okay, I’m not running the Leadville 100, but my hydration belt is!

Many of you know, or know of, Maddy. She is one of the two amazing women who paced me to my finish at the TARC 100 a month ago.

Me and my pacers, Erica (center) and Maddy (right).

Without them I am not sure that I would have managed to finish in the allotted 30 hours.

At some point during the final 25 miles, one of the volunteers said that I would have to return the favor to Maddy some day soon by pacing her at a 100-miler.

I laughed.

Here’s the thing. Maddy is fast. I mean like threatening sub-3:00 marathon fast; I mean like she won the very first 100-miler she ever entered fast. Any pacing I would do for her would simply slow her down and cost her both time and place. Pacing her was out of the question. Last month however, she noticed my snazzy hydration belt (made by CamelBak but apparently discontinued). She asked me how I liked it (I loved it) and if it was heavy (it is not). Before acquiring one she asked if she could borrow it. After pacing me to my finish, I would have essentially done anything for her.

Turns out she loved it too, couldn’t find one anywhere else and asked if she could use it for the Leadville 100 next month.

Who was I to say no? Now a small part of me will be with her the entire way, keeping her hydrated, and hopefully pushing her to a strong finish and a big, shiny belt buckle!

Go get it Maddy!

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Gah!!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged #autismstreaks, 100 miles, 100-miler, Charity Miles, running, TARC 100, training, ultra, ultramarathon, ultrarunning, what am I doing? on February 22, 2013| 7 Comments »

A little less than a year and a half ago I crossed the finish line of the Vermont 50 – fifty miles through the mountains of Vermont.

It.

Was.

Miserable.

When I crossed the finish line in just over eleven hours, I made a bee-line for my buddy Doug (the guy who had convinced me this was a good idea) and yelled a string of expletives at him. I was never going to do this again, I concluded.

Ultra-Marathon could now be checked off on the bucket list – time to move on.

Never again.

…

About a half hour later, I looked over at Doug and said something along the lines 0f, “you know, if we had actually done any kind of training before this, we probably could have gone sub-10:00.” I started thinking of doing it again the following year.

As life will often do, scheduling got in the way and I could not participate in last year’s Vermont 50. I told Doug that 2013 would be the year of the sub-10. I hadn’t signed up for any marathons save New York City, so I planned on putting in some miles early and then getting serious about training over the summer.

Then #AutismStreaks began. My mileage through seven and half weeks hasn’t been huge, but I do feel like my legs are coming back – I may be slower than I once was, but I still enjoy time on my feet. Earlier this week I went running with my Super Sunday 5 running buddy JB. He is probably one of the easiest people to run with.

Yesterday he posted this on Facebook:

JB’s Facebook Post…

***

After Vermont and my experience at Around the Lake earlier that July, I swore I would never run a 100-miler until I had the ability to cover that distance in 18 hours or less. It wasn’t a speed issue, rather it was I had come to dislike racing at night. Around the Lake was miserable, absolutely miserable. The idea of running through the night, which, at my speed, I would have to do to cover 100 miles, did not appeal to me at all. I knew that at best I could maybe cover 100 miles in 24 hours, under ideal conditions, and the laws of time and space dictate that if that is the case, I would have to run through the night.

Nope. I wasn’t ever going to do that.

Wasn’t.

Going.

To happen!

***

To humor myself I clicked on the link – what kind of craziness was JB getting into? 100 miles? He’s crazy! Trail running madman he is. That’s just…oh, hey, look – it’s relatively local…and it’s flat…only 3000 feet of climb for the whole 100 miles…what was Vermont? over 9,000 feet over 50 miles? that’s six times the elevation per mile…and, whoa! $60??? that’s CHEAP!!!

I shook my head. What the HELL was I thinking???

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!!!

I left JB a comment: Are you entered?

JB: Yes sir.

Me: Do you have a goal time? WHY THE HELL WAS I ASKING??? And is 3000 climb for 100 miles or for 25 miles? STOP ASKING HIM QUESTIONS!!!

JB: its for the 100, and I think finishing would be a great goal! its pretty damn flat

My response? I am not actually considering a 100-miler…I am not actually considering a 100-miler…I am not actually considering a 100-miler…

***

Over dinner I mentioned to Jess that I might be thinking about running the TARC 100 – I began with I know I said I would never do one of these things, but you know, it’s relatively local and it’s flat, and JB and Doug are running it and it’s really, really inexpensive and I know I said I would never do one of these things but…

She looked at me as she interrupted me, You know how when I tell you I’m going to buy a pair of boots and I start to come up with all kinds of reasons why I “need” them when I really don’t and you roll your eyes as if to say just go buy them? I’m rolling my eyes…you’re nuts, but go ahead.

90 minutes later, this happened: