20 mile run gone to the dogs

Let us say conditions were not ideal, 45 degrees and intermittent pouring rain is not the best weather for me to run in.  Keeping my feet and hands warm enough becomes a challenge when they are soaking wet and then throw in a tough 20 mile slog through mud with intermittent foot pain and it's rough to keep my spirits up.  I think it would have been miserable if I had been alone and I am very grateful for the companionship of great friends Leslie, Cindy, and Erin who helped cheer me on and gave me a reason to keep my  positive juices flowing as I cheered them on in turn.

Fun parts of the run:
Pacing along with a group who had a Blue Heeler.  That crazy cheerful dog raced up and down the line of us checking in on the lead runner, pacing along side Leslie for a bit, then chasing into the woods then racing back to travel up and down the line of us, checking we were all there.  It must have been putting in three times as many miles as we were with a happy grin on his face in spite of mud and rain.


Taking goofy photos

 Climbing the Jurassic park fence. Leslie: "Are you sure it isn't an electric fence?" Me: "I'm sure it's not but if you hear a hum let go quick!"

Cindy also took a movie of me dancing and singing "Singing In The Rain".  I'm actually pretty proud that I had the energy left to dance at the 16 mile mark. Honestly it had just started to pour again as we were waiting to take turns at the outhouse and the singing and dancing was an attempt to keep warm and not cramp up.  It worked rather well and got a laugh from Cindy.



We ran into another dog about a mile from the finish, a beautiful Shepard husky mix who's owner gave us treats to hand out.  I was mean and made him work for them.  He was happy to sit and shake for treats and was a good reminder of the simple joy of just being out there on the trail.

They say you learn more about yourself from your bad runs than your good.  I'm not sure I would classify this as my worst run, but it was definitely not my best.  It is nice to know I can still laugh, sing, cheer others on and appreciate the stories and cheerful greetings of those I meet on the trail. Even when cold, wet, and in pain I can make it 20 miles.  The next 20 may not be easier but I know I will have laughter, stories, and friends to get me through.

Dark, Wet, and Sloppy

It was 5:30 am when I locked my car and turned to a very dark woods to start a cold sloppy run to get my 10 miles in before work.
I started laughing and thought, I really am crazy; This is something a crazy person would do. Why am I getting up at 4 in the morning to start running at 5:30 on less than 5 hours of sleep and then working a full 8 hour shift? Oh yeah, the training plan for a crazy race in 6 weeks. Yikes!
Somehow I ignore the voice in my head that says "It's too cold"  "The trail is too wet" "you should go back to bed and get some sleep before work!"

 I was there and the trail was waiting.

The really neat thing about running through the dark with a flashlight is your world kinda narrows down to the lit path.  I found myself noticing different tracks in the snow and trying to guess what animal they were from.  Are those big paw prints from a dog or was there a coyote passing through?  I have heard coyotes howl out here so I know there are some around.  Are the little hand like paw prints raccoon or possum?  And these large bird prints could be the sand hill cranes.  I would probably be a terrible tracker as the only prints I really know are rabbit and dear and I didn't see either one.

There are points where it is good to stop and shut off the flashlight and just admire this hushed solitude that surrounds you.  I did that on top of a hill and noticed the moon come out from behind a cloud.  Then again when I reached the mill pond, and the sunrise was just the faintest blush on the horizon, and a dark glassy lake reflected the blush and shadows of the trees. You can't really capture any of this with a camera.

I wish I could say I had a great time but it really was a hard slog with very cold wet feet that were completely numb by the end.  I try to share the moments that I chose to appreciate, not the constant battle with cold and my negative self talk.  I would like to add that it's amazing how fast I can pick up my pace for the last 3 miles when my feet are freezing and I am desperate to get back to get them warm before I get frostbite.

Smart choices with foot pain

I think my reoccurring foot pain may be metatarsalgia.
See Mayo Clinic link: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metatarsalgia/home/ovc-20262199
The symptoms seem to match, and I am going to try new shoes with better padding and see if a combination of better padding, manual work, icing down and kinesiotapping will help relieve the pain. If these don't work then I will get my foot to a sports doctor to make sure it isn't a stress fracture.
 Here is a Youtube of how to tape for metatarsalgia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xmVRFkh7o4&t=8s     There are a couple of different ways to tape so I will do a little experimenting and keep you updated.
Part of making smart choices was to skip my longer run today.  I am up in Frankenmuth and there really aren't good trail options here.  Whether it's metatarsalgia or a stress fracture I shouldn't be running 13 miles on pavement in older shoes with less padding.  I am opting for running tomorrow very early morning on trail before work.
The two shoes I am considering are the Brooks Caldera and the Saucony Xodus, for those interested
here are the reviews from The Running Shoes Guru, and Gear Institute:

http://www.runningshoesguru.com/2017/02/brooks-caldera-review/

http://www.gearinstitute.com/running/item/saucony-xodus-5

Sorry for the dry report, but hope this may be helpful info for some.

Cheers!
-J

18 Miles on the Poto

Once again Leslie and I set out on long run adventure on our road to the Trail Marathon.

The morning was a crisp and balmy 16 degrees at 7:30 when we started our run.  After all my water froze on last week's run I took the precaution of filling my bottles and bladder with hot water and putting my jacket over my Nathan pack, I am pleased to report this method worked and my water line did not freeze this time.  

I was nervous and about this run, I haven't run 18 miles since last year's marathon training and the end of 16 miles was a little rough 2 weeks ago.  I was also pretty worried that some foot pain that has been plaguing me would make this a tough slog.  I told myself to stay positive, sing songs, walk when I needed to and try to enjoy the sunny (if a bit chilly) day.

What an adventure!  Wind storms have turned parts of the trail into an obstacle course of downed trees and tangled branches.

I felt bad for the bikers who had to make their way through the tangle carrying their bikes.  I was really impressed watching two of them get through faster than we did, carrying bikes over their heads!  Way to go Mountain bikers!

This is also the first time I have run the entire 18 mile mountain bike loop.  It was fun times seeing new parts of the trail.  The miles passed a little quicker as we joked about the "Jurassic" fence area, enjoyed new bridges and hills, and wondered several times if we were still on the correct trail.  The uncertainty is half the fun.

We had a discussion about hallucinating on long runs and then happened a crossed this monstrous looking tree, that would fit right in a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon with it's gaping maw.

I did have some foot pain around 11 miles in. The frozen bike ruts were hell on my feet and I had to walk off and on a bit.  I had a mantra going in my head at that point: "Soft ground, soft ground, my kingdom for soft ground" but it seemed to resolve itself a few miles later and I found myself able to run without sharp stabbing pain for most of the rest of the route.  I even felt up to sprinting the end. In fact I felt so good after 18 miles I briefly toyed with the idea of adding 2 more miles to have an even 20 for the day...I decided to stick to the training plan and not push it.  Hopefully a wise choice.

Strangely I had random songs going in my head. Some I sang, most I tried to spare Leslie from.  I may actually make this into a run list:

Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles

Walk the Dinosaur - Was Not Was (Thanks Joe for that ear worm!)

Just around the River(trail) bend- Pocahontas

I've Got Sunshine - The Temptations

We are the Champions - Queen

Fields Of Gold- Sting

Swinging On A Star - Frank Sinatra

Sh Boom Life Could Be Dream - The Crew Cuts

And the last half mile I had the Theme from Rocky going through my head.

Thanks again to my trail sister for braving the Poto with me, I am happy to report that 18 miles feels great and I am looking forward to 20!

#REALwomenmove, #Itsallabouttheskirt, #skirtsports