Sounds of Nature

Another 10 miles in the books and I'm feelin' fine!  Today's run was brought to you by the sounds of nature.
It started chill and crisp with feet crunching on the snow and frozen mud. We were feeling a little stiff from yesterday's long run and it was Leslie's first back to back longer run day so we agreed a slow roll was in order with taking the hills at an easy pace. I'm not sure how we missed that left turn at Albuquerque (Sign Post 5), we realized we were not where we thought when we passed the stone fireplace which should not have been on our route.

 Shortly after there was a loud hooting call followed by an answering call of a pair of owls.  We did not catch sight of them but they were very noisy in the quiet of the early morning.  Deciding on an out and back instead of the loop we had planned, we were startled (I jumped and nearly tripped) by a loud honk of swans overhead as we reached sign post 11.  The birds and critters were starting to greet the day and there was gradually more and more bird song.  Shortly after a lovely stream we scared a deer and it took off back into the woods.

It was such a nice run, my legs were feeling good after 8 miles, and I thought if I put 2 more in that would give me a marathon distance for the weekend.  So I did it and I am feeling great after 26 miles in 2 days woot!  Thanks to all the wonderful friends who joined me over the weekend and shared in the the journey.

Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

16 Miles and the need for a translator

Today was the longest run since I trained for the Trail Marathon last year.  16  miles on the Potowatami trail in Pinckney. Good times with friends, smiles, laughter, singing and cheering each other on. In many ways it was not as rough on me as last week's 14 mile, but I was still happy to finish.  The extra hydration and salt tablets I think helped prevent the cramping I had last week. After 14 miles, my inner thighs cramped so bad I couldn't stand up.  Last week I came home, showered, ate then collapsed on the couch for an hour and half nap.  This week I fared a bit better, no nap however my legs were a bit like jello and I had a need for a translator.  When texting a friend I wasn't catching either my typos or the auto correct before sending, and the conversation was a bit nonsensical.  This inspired the idea that we need a google translate for runners after a marathon.  I am pretty sure it may be just translating a series of grunts and groans at first, maybe something like this:

AAAAUUUGG-  Leg cramp!, Leg Cramp! get ice.

Mmmsohugry - Hungry, no really hungry.  Quick hand me a pickle or jar of olives or dump salt on something and I will eat it!

Oooyezz! Boorah!-  OMG I can stop now I did it! please move aside so I can fall over.

Oh my ass - My glutes hurt too much to squat to pee.

stairs?srssly? - where's the elevator, I don't think I can climb those.

Beerme - please hand me the alcohol of choice, I need muscle relaxant pronto.

That's all I can think of for now, maybe more will come to me later, really when you finish a marathon it's all about the food, drink, and falling over all the while laughing at yourself and your shaky muscles while reminiscing about the race with friends who where just as crazy and feeling just as thrilled to finish as you.

Jenna On The Swim

Those who follow my adventures on facebook may remember my mentioning a breakthrough in my swim training.  I had thought I solved my water up the nose problem by using nose plugs and found I could finally keep my head under water without fear as I swam.  After a few weeks of being comfortable with my whole head and face underwater I was still struggling to time my breaths with my strokes, with the encouragement of friends (Thanks Kim!)  I felt brave enough to find a swim coach.
        First of all the coach, Melissa is a wonderful woman with lots of experience and she kindly instructed me in the basics I had been missing.  Everyone in the group made me feel welcome and there were no strange looks about my lack of experience and what was I doing there with a "Masters" team.  Unfortunately the first thing Melissa did was take away my nose plug.  Then she took me back to the basics of breathing which was something I really couldn't pick up from YouTube videos.  I hated it.  Not the coaching which was excellent with tips on how far to turn my head and how to sight to keep water out of my nose.  Also having someone there to watch how I'm doing things and tell me how to fix them was exactly what I've been needing.  What I hated was the water getting back up my nose, and the burning in my nose, and the coughing and choking. There must be enough subconscious panic in the back of my head when it happens that my larynx starts closing up and then my breathing in is a high pitched whistle, I had to reassure Melissa that it's a type of exertion asthma and normal for me.  We spent about 10 min on just breathing at the side of the pool, then adding in an arm stroke with the breath, then finally doing laps.  Somehow the coordinating legs, arms, head turns, and breathing was still a struggle, and maybe I was just trying too hard.  I could get 3 sometimes 4 strokes to go smoothly with the breath but then water would start getting up my nose and I couldn't get it to stay out once it starting coming in.  I kept having scenes from a Dr. Who episode about killer water go through my head (which did not help).  Having everyone cheerfully ask how it went and expect me to be just as excited as they were about swimming was also a bit disheartening, I felt like I somehow failed because it was not a joy, it was a struggle.
        At this point I needed to step back and do some mental work before I talked myself out of being able to accomplish my goals.  I remember reading that 80% of endurance sports is mental and I agree, most of my bad runs have been from mental not physical sabotage.  Here is a good article on mental training: http://www.runnersworld.com/sports-psychology/train-your-brain-to-run-your-best
What I started with is just reminding myself that running was once (and still is on speed training and long runs) very tough.  I didn't have good breathing, it wasn't very enjoyable and 1 mile without walk breaks was a struggle.  Now I have strategies for breathing and most days I can kick out 4 - 10 miles and feel great afterword.  I can learn to do the same with swimming.  I spent the next two nights working on breathing as I lay in bed trying to go to sleep.  I held an image of myself swimming a lap and tried to regulate my breathing with my arm strokes. I tried to make it relaxing and meditative.
          Two days later I was in the pool again, thankfully early enough in the morning that I had it to myself and wasn't embarrassed to start with practicing the breathing before I even started swimming laps.  The first few laps were not as much of a struggle as the other day. The next step was to distract my mind by counting.  I tend to get so caught up in thinking about form and breathing that I lose track of what lap I am on.  This time I timed the lap count with each arm stroke that I was breathing with.  It became a bit meditative for me and by the 10th lap I wasn't really noticing how far away the other side of the pool was, I would get started, keep counting and suddenly I was at the end. By the end of the the 16th lap I was actually a little disappointed and wished I had more time before work to keep going.  I still got water up my nose and had a few times where I mistimed the stroke with the breath and ended up choking, but it didn't panic me. I still have a lot to learn and work on with swimming, but now I can see it becoming enjoyable again.

PLRA Letterboxing hike

The day started sad and gloomy with the weather matching my mood and thoughts for the morning.  The Letterbox I was looking for was not on an easy path with both physical and directional challenges.  More than once I had to double back quite a ways to see where I had gone astray.  I took my time and enjoyed the distraction of the challenge, and the quiet of  the woods.  I even took the time to sit in meditation in a piney glade for a spell.  It was exciting to finally find the letter boxes, both beautiful carves and well worth the effort. (Thanks Fritz!) Rather than retrace my steps I decided to continue on the horse path and then turned onto the bike path to make my way back to the trail head.  I thought I was done discovering things along the trail.  But I found this cute, little, lonely mushroom standing straight and tall like he's guarding the path.

   

I also found a small multitool that must have fallen off someone's bike. Then I came to an overlook on the bike path, (scene above) the sun had come out and a capricious blue dragonfly was zipping about too fast for me to photograph.  On the last mile back I thought about all my turn arounds and extra hills and miles added to my journey;  The wolf's song from Into The Woods was playing through my head...

"...Just so little girl, many paths, so many worth exploring.  Just one would be so boring, and just look what you're ignoring..." 

Lesson's on the trail:

1.Stay patient with yourself, it's OK to make mistakes and have to go back a few or even a mile of steps to find where you need to go.  It's all just part of the journey.

2. Take bug spray...no REALLY double check the car and maybe pack 2 cans in case one rolls under the seat.

3. Even when you have reached the goal, keep your eyes open for other new discoveries.  Some of the best discoveries are not sought after, they are simple pleasures and surprises.

One Fish, Two Fish

We decided to try out my new stamp I carved by stopping at Hartwick Pines on the way home to find letter boxes.  We have been to Hartwick pines many times, but the letterboxes are hidden along the Au Sable trail which we had not been on before.  It was a beatific trail, more remote with less traffic and unfortunately more bugs.  The Mosquitos were horrid and I had to walk quickly back and forth along the trail while trying to stamp and log in the log books.  It's a good thing I can laugh at myself!  I imagine I looked pretty funny, and I am surprised there aren't any smashed bloodstained carcasses in my log book.   The trail was somewhat more enjoyable once I had found all the letterboxes and we could go much faster.  I would really love to come back to this trail in late fall or early spring when I can saunter and enjoy it more.  Highlights of the trip included seeing some beautiful early summer flowers, I especially loved the pink lady slippers which I had not seen in the wild before.  We met a botanist from MSU who was thrilled to hear there were pink lady slippers ahead on the trail.  We only met a few others out there but it occurs to me that we are all out in the woods on our own quests.  Steve and I to find letter boxes, a botanist to find elusive wild flowers, a family with their dog to find some time together away from the busyness of home, and a runner probably out to find some piece of mind.  

Good luck on your own quests my friends!

I am not on the run today.  I decided to try letterboxing with Nylah at the Huron Meadows Metropark.  For those unfamiliar with letter boxing it's sort of like a treasure hunt where you find "Letterboxes" containing a rubber stamp and a log book.  You carry your own stamp and ink and log your stamp in the book to prove you found it. Learn more at this link:  http://www.atlasquest.com/
I have not done letter boxing since Leanna was in girl scouts and her troupe went out a few times.  It was a bit topsy-turvy trying to get supplies, and get myself and Nylah out there. But once I finally started it was a lovely day on the trail.  It was fun and exciting discovering the clues ( no spoilers) and thinking "oh yah, this is the right place." It made me look at a trail I have been on many times in a very different way, I was looking closely at the shapes of the trees and rocks to see if they could possibly match the clues.  After the adventure Nylah and I spent time down by the river bank and enjoyed a snack and watching the birds, snakes (who knew Nylah could jump that high?) and a turtle who were also enjoying the sunny day.
Lessons learned:

1. Double and triple check that you packed a print out of the clues. You really don't want to have to go back home for them.

2. Invest in a stamp pad, the ink will work better than markers in the hot sun.

3. Bring a small towel to dry off the letter boxes, I'm sure it would work better than my pants cuffs.

Trail Marathon, Pinkney MI 2016

People refer to golf as a nice walk through a park ruined by a small white ball.

A trail race can be a great day in the woods ruined by the perceived need for speed.

I have now done the Trail full marathon twice.  Both times the first loop was easy going, filled with camaraderie and laughter.  It also went by much faster than I expected.  The second loop is when the real test seems to start.

I turned my ankle in the first mile of the second loop.  It wasn’t a really bad turn, just enough to really slow me down.  It was especially annoying going down hills on an ankle I couldn’t trust.  Three miles later I was stung by something black and fuzzy on my other ankle and I thought “Shit this trail is out to get me!”.  The next several miles I felt as slow as syrup; I could not seem to go any faster.  It became a mind game of staying positive as I was being passed by run/walkers and speed walkers.  There were lots of bright spots to the day to enjoy and be grateful for. Perfect weather, the smell of wild lilacs, may apples sprouting and the violets, trillium, and forget-me-nots sprinkled the sides of the trail.  Then the race director Randy happened to be at one of the aid stations, he took one look at me and said “You’re a sight for sore thighs!” 

I tried to enjoy my day and not let self-doubt destroy my run, but I was often caught in thought loops of “I guess my body just isn’t made for marathons.” and “Maybe I should just focus on half marathons since the first half went so well.”    I really, really wanted to quit and my body kept saying. “We could stop any time now”  But I didn’t stop, I didn’t quit, I kept pushing and I kept moving no matter how slow.  I used my mantras and looked for those bright spots on the trail I had missed the first time through because I was too focused on the path to notice the beautiful day. I knew if I made the 22 mile aid station I could finish.  I sang songs in my head and I told myself “I have a Toltec heart, I am worthy!”  At mile 22 my friends were shouting my name as I picked up pace and ran up the hill.  The heat was getting to me and I turned down a beer and begged for something cold.  Amanda scooped up handfuls of ice from the cooler, and Brian told me to shove it down my sports bra and I would feel better.   I tried it and I started to feel a lot better.  Brian looked at me and said it’s only 3.5 miles you’re finishing this I am not driving your ass to the finish line.”  And he was right. 3.5 miles is the distance of a typical after work run, where I am used to pushing through the exhaustion.  I remembered my friends from BARS and Running lab runs and told myself over and over “It’s just a BARS or Running Lab run, I got this, I can do this”.

I did actually feel way better, I was able to pick up pace to 14 min/mi with less walking.  I started to meet random hikers on the trail who cheered me on.  I caught up with some 50k runners on their last 5 miles and they seemed to have had a rough run as well, and I felt better about my own struggle.  In the last half mile I caught up to and passed one of the walkers who had passed me many miles back.  Steve was waiting for me as I rounded the bend to take the last hill up to the finish.  I managed to kick it up to a final sprint as Steve ran me into the finish line. I finished short of my goal of under 7 hours, however I did finish 30 minutes faster than the last time I ran it.

I did it in spite of my brain trying to sabotage me with gloomy thoughts.  I joined my friends at the finish party and enjoyed stretching out in the sun, boozie popsicles, laughter and moans as we recapped our adventures.  I know I can do this.  I know I can survive the trail and conquer my self-doubt to run 26.2 miles again.

Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul!