My First Forty

My alarm went off at 4:40a.m. Saturday morning, and for the first time in a long time, I had no idea what I would experience and no idea if I could actually complete what I was setting out to do. Several months prior, I signed up to run the Dizzy Fifties 40 Mile Trail Run, and trained for it as best as I knew how. When race day arrived, I hoped to be ready and part of me believed I was. But the other part of me knew I’d never run an ultra marathon, I had very little trail running experience, and I had no idea what the day would bring.

Jason got up early as well and drove me to the race. I shared my butterflies with him and he shared his confidence in my ability to run the 40 miles. In no time we arrived at the aid pavilion on Monte Sano, I checked the box next to my name on the race list and waited with my friend, Kristi, for the race to begin.

We would be running a 2 mile loop, which we would only run once, and then we would begin the figure 8, that I hoped to complete 4 times. The figure 8 consisted of a north loop and a south loop. The north loop was rocky with some steep declines and inclines. The south loop was curvy, mostly flat and mostly smooth. After each loop, we would show up at the pavilion where our aid was kept and let the volunteers check us off before beginning the next loop.

The first two loops were pleasant and uneventful. Kristi and I stuck together, going slowly on the north loop and picking up the pace to a steady rhythm on the south loop. When we reached mile 20, I felt good, and I wasn’t discouraged at the thought of running another 20. When I reached mile 26, I smiled because I had reached in “new territory” and with each passing mile I allowed myself a little more confidence in my ability to finish the race I’d set out to run.

Kristi and I talked most of the time we were together, growing quiet only when we became weary or needed to focus on difficult terrain. There were pieces of paper taped to trees along the course containing a few encouraging words from a Psalm. I few times I chanced looking up from the ground to read them. When I grew tired, I thought of the day I’d be given a brand new body that could run all day and never grow weary. I thought of soaring on wings like eagles, bounding over the rocks and roots that caused me to slow along the race course. The words of the Psalm posted on the trees reminded me that there was Strength to count on beyond my own…and on I ran.

Jason cheered me on between most of my loops and seeing him was extremely encouraging. Mom came out around mile 23 and it was wonderful to see her every time I completed a loop. Knowing that Mom would be at the end of each loop kept me going, giving me something to which I could look forward.

The hardest loop was my very last north loop. Around mile 30 I found myself alone in the woods with a little over 4 miles to go before I would see anyone. I was moving more clumsily due to my tiredness and the terrain slowed me more and more. Going uphill was easier than going downhill because my “brakes” weren’t working as well by that point. When I would slow down to maneuver over rocks, my body would sigh in relief. I had to remind myself (aloud at times) to pick up my feet and keep moving.

As I climbed the steep hill of the north loop for the last time, I saw Mom standing at the top. Jason was waiting for me at the aid station and he asked if I wanted him to run with me on the south loop. I said I did and off we went. This was my very last loop and by this point I KNEW I was going to complete the race. I was tired, but excited that I would actually complete 40 miles. Even though we were running around 11:30 pace at this point, it felt like an 8:30 pace.

Throughout the race, there were times when I tripped or stumbled, but I never fell all the way down. I saved that incident for the last few feet of the trail. Just as I was about to step onto the road that would take me to the pavilion for the last time, my foot caught a root and down I went. I landed hard on my hands, but I wasn’t hurt. I hopped up, said, “I’m okay!” and kept going. At that point, NOTHING was stopping me.

I completed the race in 7 hours and 54 minutes, finishing at least 6 minutes faster than I’d planned (although even in the planning I figured I’d be well over 8 hours). I was ecstatic to have completed the race and thrilled with my finishing time. Mom and Jason congratulated me, along with a few running friends who were still hanging out at the pavilion.

As I write, it has been a week since I completed the race and I am still amazed that I did it at all. My feet and legs are fine with day to day use, but my quads begin to argue after more than 4 miles. I will give them time to heal before revving things up again. I don’t really mind having to rest and recover because I’m reminded of my amazing first ultra marathon on the trails of Monte Sano. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and I am grateful to my sweet husband, my supportive mom, and my awesome God who saw me safely through it.

The Red-nosed Runners

One thing I love about running (and there are MANY things, but I will stick to just one for now), is getting to run with a team. I’ve run relays where my team is depending on me to complete my leg, sometimes as expediently as possible, and to pass my baton (or bracelet) to the next runner. That is an amazing feeling. I feel a strong sense of responsibility because I am not just running for me, I am running for my team. I love that.

Not all teams, however, are relay teams. Many races are held for causes such as breast cancer or arthritis. For these races one can go to a website, start a team, and recruit runners to join that team. Teams win, not because they have a group of the fastest runners, but because they are the largest team or have raised the most money for the cause. I love these too.

I love organizing a group to support a cause. I love watching my numbers rise as people sign up to join my team. I love promoting health and exercise to the people I love and the people they love. I love the sense of community races offer. I love pulling together all the people I know from all the areas of my life for one main cause.

This Sunday the cause is the Arthritis Foundation. The Jingle Bell 5k is being held Sunday, November 22 at 3:30pm in Research Park, and I have a team called The Red-nosed Runners to join me in running for the cause. I have friends I run with in Madison, friends from Mayfair Church of Christ, friends from work, friends I’ve met through the No Boundaries Program, my dear family, friends I’ve had for so long, I can’t remember where we began (camp, Auburn)… and then I have the friends and family of THESE people.

So far I have a team of 28 members, and together we have raised $775.00 for the Arthritis Foundation. I am so pumped! Every time someone joined my team, I would get an e-mail. “Congratulations! Someone has joined your team!” And even if I knew who it was and knew the number of team mates, I’d still go to my team webpage to see how much farther my little red thermometer had moved toward my goal.

I watched my thermometer reach the top and keep going. My goal was to have 25 people to raise $500.00. I know everyone has busy schedules and are pinching their pennies with Christmas on the horizon, but I was blown away by the generosity and willingness to support the Arthritis Foundation and me and my team.

My team and their families have been invited to my house after the race for hot chocolate, hot cranberry tea, treats and chats. Hopefully the afternoon will be cool and clear, providing a great day for a 5k.

And now for the shameless plug. It is not too late to join my team. It costs $25.00 to enter, and I can’t guarantee they will still have t-shirts available, but it will be a wonderful opportunity to support a cause, get some exercise, and spend time with friends. Not to mention my sister’s AMAZING hot spiced cranberry tea.

Things Get in the Way

Lately I’ve been a busy girl. Sometimes I think I’ve bitten off a bit more than I care to chew. I mean I can chew it, but do I want to? That is the question. However, if I’ve started chewing I mean to finish, so for now I am busy and chewing big mouthfuls.

When August showed up I was working as usual, coaching No Boundaries, taking two classes for my Master’s in Public Affairs, and attempting to train for various races. No Boundaries (which is a program in which I was helping coach new runners to run their first 5k) ended in October and that opened up an evening for…usually more running and cooking.

So that leaves me with working and going to class two nights a week. This is no big deal, really, except that classes are 3 hours long and work is 8 hours long and for some reason, my professors want me to do a bunch of reading and paper writing and studying. Which takes up more time.

You want to know what I really want to be doing? I want to be running, reading good books, running some more, and hanging around with Jason, with maybe some day-dreaming, writing, and wandering in the mix as well. And while I’m wishing for all of that, I’m going to add that every day in which I’d be free to do these things would be the perfect fall day like what I’m seeing through my window right now.

I read the blogs of others who write on a regular basis and I remember a time when I did that. It was the one month of my unemployment. I wrote, I thought, I ran and went to the gym. I cleaned our house within an inch of its life. It was fun. I had a lot of extra words that weren’t used in meaningless office chatter but were used, instead, for what felt like more meaningful words put on paper (or the computer screen).

While I like my classes (mostly) and I like learning (some things), I don’t like sitting for long periods of time and listening. Some call this ADD. I’m not sure what I think it is. I can listen for about an hour, but I don’t want to listen much longer than that, and I don’t want there to be too many hours (consecutive or otherwise) when listening is required. This does not include listening to a friend. Or to a song. But I get to be involved in those listening activities.

With the gorgeous fall mornings greeting me every day, I don’t want to come into the office. With so many good books hitting the shelves, I don’t want to read the Federalist Papers or Polling for the Public. With races to run and so many miles to traverse, I don’t want to sit at a desk. And with a husband at home, I want to be where he is.

I don’t really mean to complain. Work is good and a Master’s Degree certainly can’t hurt. But, alas, sometimes these things get in the way of what a girl really wants to be doing. I guess that is just life.