Tales from the Trails

The big race is coming up this Saturday! I've started packing. I've bought nutrition. I've picked up some sour patch kids. I'm caught up on laundry. I've planned the childcare and kid activities for the weekend. I've made my spreadsheet to predict when I'll arrive at each aid station. I've studied the maps and the elevation change. I’ve prepared my husband to crew me (first time!).  I’ve arranged for my friend Amy to pace me for the last 20 miles. I've packed my hydration pack and included all of the mandatory gear in it too. Pulling things together for the big day, and reviewing things from my 50-miler too. The course is hilly and has some very steep climbs, including a monster climb starting at around 11 miles. There are some other substantial climbs too. Overall, this will be similar to Siltstone and Superior. I train on Siltstone.  I’ll stick with my proven strategy for nutrition. One piece of nutrition (100 calories) ever

Last night I went on a quick happy hour run on the trails at Cherokee - our urban park not far from my house, which has a 5ish mile loop with some small hills. I was solo and I took the time to think. Which sometimes is not really thinking - it's a clearing of the head and focusing just on the task at hand. I enjoyed the sunset and pretty leaves and reflected on the beauty of this local park I have at my fingertips. Before it got dark, I stopped to revel in the dusk, by myself. And capture the moment. I don't usually run on Fridays but I had some mileage to catch up on from earlier in the week, and I had the time (and I had a rest day on Monday). I kept my pace easy, though I was underdressed for the cold temperature and had to go a bit faster just to stay warm enough. Anyway, I'm training again. After 3 weeks of mostly rest after the 50-miler, I decided it was time to plan what was next. 2018 is planned with two big races and a 24 week training plan was built fo