How are we nearing the end of March already? I feel like we have been in the middle of winter all month and now suddenly April is days away. Of course the fact that it has felt like winter for much of March this year might have something to do with it. As we roll into April, I've suddenly realized I have a big deal race coming up in mid-June - my first ultra Ragnar. My horrible lack of running this winter has me a bit panicked and played a part in my runfessions this month. I runfess that I'm running my first timed race. And it's a trail run. That will probably be muddy. Why yes, I am going out of my comfort zone. I signed up for the three hour option of the Rise Run Shine race. If I run more than 13.1 miles, it will count as another … [Read more...]
#WhatsBeautiful : DNS, DNF, or DFL
Disclaimer: I’m part of the Under Armour campaign through Fitfluential and I got half off on my race entry from North Face. The North Face Half Marathon is coming up on Sunday. To say that I'm nervous about it is an understatement. I haven't run long since the Frederick Half. But, it's ok, there's a four hour time limit. I can make that, right? And then life happened. This week has not played out as planned. I was supposed to get in at least one 6ish mile run and a few shorter. The weather was supposed to continue to be cool and beautiful. Sleep was supposed to be a priority. None of the above is going on. I think I ran 5 miles sometime recently. And I managed 3 on Tuesday, I think. I'm planning for 3 or so on the treadmill … [Read more...]
Prepping for the North Face Challenge + a deal for a reader
The North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon starts at Great Falls. I've been there a lot of times over the years. I've walked around what I believe will be a part of the course. I've hiked it with a child on my back. I've even seen a copperhead there. (gah, why am I running this again???) But I've never actually attempted to run there. And the closest thing I've ever done to a trail race was one of the courses in the Dust Bowl Series. I'm kind of sorta starting to get a bit nervous. Perhaps it's a good thing I've signed up and they haven't put up the course elevation yet. Gulp. So, I turn to you, my faithful readers, to give me your best advice. I know some of you run trails all the time. Will I be … [Read more...]
State 19: Oregon AKA the accidental trail race
Some day I'm going to choose a race that's "flat and fast". But, that would require actually reading the race course description before I sign up. I recently completed Oregon by running the Deschutes Dash 10k in Bend, OR. I thought I was running a flat race on a paved path by a river. I was right about being by the Deschutes River. In fact, at one point, I was mere inches from said river. The race was a very low key part of a multi-sport event. There were also an Olympic distance triathlon, an Aquabike, and a duathlon going on at the same time. The race start was in a parking lot near the transition area - very few signs for it and no one quite knew where to go. Once we found the start, we were informed that there were no … [Read more...]
