Running is Bad for Me? WRONG-- Resting is Bad for Me!!!

Not too many updates lately because there haven't been too many races lately. These are my 2 non-marathon weekends and it's not easy! Last weekend was nice to stay in town and see friends, but now I'm getting a little antsy.

I'm often lectured on how "bad" it must be for me to be doing so many marathons in 1 year. The most recent gripe being from a trainer at the gym who told me I am "too skinny" and no longer had muscle-- that my arm was a "bone with a hump on it." Silly people-- if you only knew. Races keep me busy and keep me from getting hurt either physically or financially!

Case 1) When I don't race I have pent up energy. What do I do with said energy? A lot of grocery shopping (slash eating)-- and when I was at the grocery store this week I managed to drop a can of veggies from my cart RIGHT onto my pointer toes. I thought for sure it had broken and immediately started thinking of ways to cut the front of my sneakers so I could still run if the toes had to be put in a splint or something. Fortunately it was just a bad bruise and it bled a little-- but really, can you make my toes any uglier than they are already?? No sir!

No worries- I've already run on it. It was uncomfortable, but nothing I couldn't "tune out."

Case 2) My name is Stephanie and I'm a race-a-holic. When I'm not racing, all I'm thinking about is the next race, and how very far away it is. I have a spreadsheet of my marathons (yep grade A dork here!) and I probably look at it (no joke) 20-30 times a day. So what do I do? I sign up for MORE marathons. And lately they've been in states I've already completed!!! My last race was what?... 1 week ago. Since then I've signed up for...

MT- HURL 50K
MN- Walker/North Country Races
CT- Bimbler's Bluff 50K
and I've committed to...
NC- Thunder Road Marathon and possibly...
WV- Marshall University Marathon or IN Veterans Marathon.

All of those and all the travel gets to be Mucho $$... mucho not cool! What am I made of money?? No Sir! I'm mad of sugar and spice and everything BadA$$!

Sigh-- so nothing too wonderful to report. I'm going on a 13 mile run tonight just to exhaust myself a little. Speedwork tomorrow then another non-marathon weekend ahead. :( Next Race? The H.U.R.L 50K in middle of nowhere Montana! I'll be the first person from OH to ever run that race... cool, huh?

Happy Running... and if you're racing I DON'T want to hear about it, and no I don't care how childish that sounds! :(
Stephanie
"Run to Win" -Meb

Speed Work & Weight Training for Marathons

I have the next 2 weekends off from races and during these long *ha* lulls, I like to kick up my training and really focus in on speed work and resistanec/weight training. So to give a little sample of my "off" week, this is what's happening...

Day 1 Monday- Maintenance 6 miles- Still a little dead in the legs from Saturdays race (and the 4 race weekends before it) so I take a nice easy 6 mile run to give the legs a stretch and recovery. I do NOT bring a watch on purpose-- I'm far too competative to do an easy run with a watch.
Why? Maintenance runs are good for getting your milieage in without breakingdown your body further. They also help with recovery if done without too much stress on the legs.

Day 2 Tuesday- All stretched and recovered? Ok, good! Speed work Sess- Treadmill Mile Repeats!!!!
-1/2 Mile Warm up @ 8:40 pace
-1 Mile Repeat @ 7:30 Pace (0.15 mile rest between)
-1 Mile Repeat @ 7:20 Pace (0.15 mile rest between)
-1 Mile Repeat @ 7:15 Pace (0.15 mile rest  plus a jog to the water fountain)
-1 Mile Repeat @ 7:00 Pace jog down the stairs to the eliptical...
-1 Mile easy eliptical at high arch-- gives the legs a good stretch after the repeats
Why? Speed work will make a huge difference in your time! It will make your body more comfortable to run at faster paces, which allows you to run for longer at your target pace. My target time is about 8 min/mile (3:30 marathon). The above paces don't seem so hard, but the more intervals you add in, the harder it is to get the legs going again). I'll add in about 2-3 more intervals, then try and quicken the paces.

Day 3 Wednesday- Legs Hurting? Perfect- now let's build 'em back up! Weight Train Intervals!
Note: Intervals include a hard mile+ of cardio at a fast pace to get toward max heart rate. This is followed by 2 types of weight training-- the first is usually some sort of total body lift and can get the heart rate going again. Between those sets I'll pick another lift exercise that is targeted on 1 body part. Then get back to the cardio and repeat! Why do this? Getting the heart rate to jump up and down is a great way to burn calories and prevent bulky muscle weight gain. Sound good? Good!

Interval 1:
-Cardio: 2 Mile warm up to the gym
-Full Body Lift: BOSU Ball Squat with Overhead Press (2 sets of 15-20) For extra fun I like to turn the BOSU ball over so I'm standing on the flat part and trying to balance on the dome. I found this fun video below...
-Target Lift: Rows- Standing with knees bent and bent over at a 45-degree angle, keep your back flat, raise and lower free weights held in each hand. Focus on pulling with your back muscles. (3 sets of 15-20). Optional: While you're already on the BOSU ball, stay on and do your Target lift on here to improve balance and work those stability muscles.

How to Do a Squat & Overhead Shoulder Press Combinations With a Bosu Ball -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Interval 2:
Cardio: 1 Mile on Eliptical
Full Body Lift: Single Leg BOSU Ball Squats with Barbell Row. 2 set of 8 on each leg
Description: Stand with 1 foot on the upside down BOSU ball (this may take some time to work up to) holding a barbell with your arms resting in front of you, palms in. Squat with 1 leg then as you rise, pull the barbell upward toward your shoulder and then lower back down and repeat the squat.
Target Lift: Reverse Flys 2 Sets of 15-20 Reps
I do these while sitting on a bench and leaning over so my stomach is pretty much touching my legs. This helps to really target those lats that help us use our arms to power through the marathon. Hold the weight with your arms at a 90-degree angle (while leaning over, they should be around your knees). Lift your arms out to the side, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then lower.
Note: Ryan Hall picked this exercise to highlight in his routine in a recent RW article.

Interval 3:
Cardio: 1 Mile on Eliptical
Full Body Lift: Walking Lunges with Overhead Press (2 X ~20 steps)
Description: I'm sure everybody knows what walking lunges are, but be sure to lift your leg up high and extend out as far as you can-- this gives you a little more kick to your upper hamstring, which is a hard place to target. As you come up, do and overhead press with either 2 dumbells are the barbell you should be holding on your back for your lunges. Wanna go crazy? Do the lunges backwards-- you may want a spotter.
Target Lift: Cable Rows 2 sets of 10 (10 right, 10 left, 10 together)
These can be done by simply sitting in front of a cable machine and pulling backward. To get a really good burn, I use the machine with 2 handle option. I'll pull with the right, then with the left, then with both at once. Really focus in on contracting the back as you pull.

Interval 4:
Cardio: 1 Mile on Arc Trainer (increasing the height every 30 seconds)
Full Body: None
Target Lift: Abs (mix it up)
Target Lift: Inner and outter thigh raises. I do these to help strengthen my hips, as they've been giving me issues lately.

Cool Down: 1/2 Mile Run Home (with very wobbly legs)

Why? Lifting makes your more powerful on hills, and does a great job at keeping you strong to avoid injuries!!! I do as many exercises on upside down BOSU balls so I can really work the stability muscles in my ankles-- which are highly prone to injury for marathoners. Note: In this workout I chose my shoulders and back for my "Target" muscle group-- these can be replaced with exercises for any target muscle group you want. I choose back, lats, and shoulders because they're helpful when running to drive you forward-- and it looks good in a baithing suit when your back is toned ;)

Day 4 Thursday- Long Run
Today I would either take a rest day then have a very long run on Saturday OR I can do my long run tonight (10-13 miles) if I'm feeling good. I'm a glutton for punishment, so I'm choosing today, wobbly legs and all.

Day 5-7 Plans?
Day 5: Maintenance run of 7 miles followed by some cardio and LIGHT lifting
Day 6: Rest!
Day 7: Tempo Run! Followed by a similar (but not as intense) weight routine as above. Total ~ 8-10 Miles plus weights.

Happy Running... and Weight Training!
-Stephanie
"Run to Win" -Meb

University of Okoboji Marathon ~ Race Ratings (#36)

Tag line: "Race the Tornado!!!"

Ratings...

2010 University of Okoboji Marathon ~ July 17, 2010

Okoboji, IA ~ Pike's Point State Park
Year Running: 11th?
Registration Fee: $55 ($60 late) early
Charity Race? No
Runners:  118 Completed,  37 Females

Available Races: Marathon, Half Marathon, Triathlon, and 10K
Average Finish Time: 4:41:30

BQ %: 9.3%

Overall Race Ratings: 3.0/5.0

Average Calculated Rating: 3.1/5.0

~ This small summer race needs a little work, especially for the potential heat. With no road closures, no GU, and no food at all, I'm not sure what they spent out $$ on. Hopefully we'll see some improvements in the future, because there aren't many Iowa marathons out there and this one has pretty good potential given that the area the race is held is pretty fun/nice.

Race Director: Let's play race director...
~  For such a long-standing race, I'm a little surprised at some of the disorganization. Let's start from the beginning to the end. The start area has limited parking and once you leave your cars there, you're without money for the end of the race. The first thing I would do is have the runners park at the finish and shuttle them to the start. This would also alleviate the problem with the shuttles stopping and runners still out on the course.

Second, SOME of these roads need to be blocked at least on one side. Cars were speeding through and swerving in and out of runners. Also, there needs to be some sort of GU or SOME kind of supplement on the course. Port-a-johns-- I would put in 1 every or every other mile. At least point signs toward public bathrooms so we can find them! Finally-- FOOD! We payed $55 to be in the race and I'm not exactly sure what they used that money for. There needs to be something at the end for the runners, esp with the heat.

Aside from that, they should be doing a better job at playing up the vacation advantages of going. This race is held around a really fun lake with lots to do and the whole weekend has a "4th of July-Esque" feel about it. To get more people to race or spectators to come, they should provide more information on the area and how it could be a fun family weekend.. you know, once you actually GET to the area.

Event Organization: 1.8/5.0 (now broken into 2 parts, see below as well) As far as "event organization" we'll include things like Host hotel, website use, ease of travel to the event and to the actual race, etc.

Distance from Airport to Expo/Race: ~ 70 to 90 miles
Rental Car Required: Absolutely! There aren't any close airports to this race.
~ The website is a little all over the place-- it's mostly a store website with small page on the races. It doesn't provide too much information, so we relied on marathonguide info/comments. This race itself isn't too hard to get to but once you finish you'll need to take a shuttle back to the start, which is 5 miles away, but they take the long way, running the course backward. Also, the finishers awards-- they only give 1st place overall (although a pretty cool engraved clock) and they give A/G award, but they're the exact same medals as the finishers medals with "1st Place Women"-- they don't even write down that it's an age group. Kind of unusual.

The Good? When you finish, you're at one of the lakes and there is a beach area to take off your shoes and wade into the water. That's pretty nice. They city was also putting on a free concert at Arnold's Park that night-- not sure if that happens every year, but the race finish is at a pretty central location for anything fun you would like to do post-race.

Race Organization: 1.0/5.0

Hydration Color/Type: Red Powerade

Gel Type/Flavors/Availability:  None!
~ There are very few port-a-johns on the course and no gels at all. There were plenty of water stops with pretty reliable volunteers. There is no food at the end of the race, except the local places you can purchase something from-- that is, if you've carried money with you. Since you're nowhere near your car (parked at the start) you're going to have a hard time getting something to eat.

Aside from that, I was a little agitated at how they handled the finish area. The Triathlon was short and so pretty quick, as was the half marathon and 10K, so the marathoners were some of the last to finish. After they did the awards (around 5:30 clock time) they completely closed down the finish and there were still quite a few marathoners left on the course! No cut-off times were advertised on their website.
~Post Race Food: .None

Course: 3.4/5.0

~MarathonGuide Rating

Garmin Distance: 26.3!

~ The course starts with about 5-6 miles of serious rolling hills, then goes out to the highway on rail trails, and comes back to repeat the first loop of hills. The loop itself is pretty well shaded, but the majority of the course is pretty open in the hot sun.

Spectators: 4.1/5.0

~ There isn't a huge number of spectators, but the ones that are there are pretty excited for the race. MB had a spectator take her into her house to use the bathroom when there were none around.


Pace Group: /5.0
~ NA

Runner/Corrals: 4.2/5.0

~ No corrals needed. Runners were all very nice and supportive-- I think we had to be to get through the heat wave we were all facing. There was a guy running that was a Iowa fan and tried to start a fight with me cause I'm a Buckeye fan. Silly man... nobody cares about the hawks! Not even on the radar, buddy! Since it's a small race we were easily able to find the few marathon maniacs there and cheer each other on!

Expo: NA/5.0

~ The packet pick-up is held at the affiliated "University of Okoboji" store that carries all sort of University clothing but not really anything running related. I wasn't able to make it (MB picked up my packet) so I'm not going to rate it.

Swag: 4.2/5.0

~T-Shirts: The shirts are one of my favorites. They're great quality and they have big colorful writing with the University of Okoboji crest screened on. The fun part was that all the races had the same shirt, but it had a big "MARATHON" written on the back or "10K" or "TRIATHLON"-- whatever race you were doing. Lauren is gonna kill me, but I don't have a picture of the shirt and I'll have to wait until its out of the wash, then I'll post it, promise!!! 4.9

~Medals: The medals were pretty standard circle medal with the marathon name and the crest. 3.6

~ Goodie Bag: Nothing crazy extra given at the races

Results: Stephanie
Chip Time: 3:54:54
Place: Overall- 21/118, Gender- 3/37, A/G (20-29)- 1/11

Injury/Mileage Questions & Pedicure Power

First let me say that I may have found my 2 favorite mega-marathoners in the world and they're solving all my problems. As mentioned in the last post, this weekend I met Gary and I haven't MET Morgan yet, but we've exchanged a few notes. Well separately they gave me tips to help solve my 2 biggest marathon issues. Issue #1 is... #2 while racing! I couldn't understand how Gary could run all of his sub 3 hour marathons and not lose the lead by stopping to go to the bathroom. Well he broke out 2 little tablet-- Imodium! Says it works great and he never has to stop. I WILL be trying this on my next race. Time in the bathroom can be the different between 3:39 and 3:41... not cool.

Problem #2: You've seen them-- the Toes. Orrrr my talons o' shame. Most of the toe nails are black and have started consistently falling off. They're pretty good at growing back... that is, until I do another marathon. Since Saturday I've lost another 2 nail. Morgan suggested dark pink nail polish. It covers the black and you can't tell the difference between painting nail and painting skin where nails should be. I tried it last night, as well as some cuticle clipping of the lose, hanging, dried skin from blister upon blister... TMI? Sorry, if you can't handle it, do NOT scroll down to the pictures. I think my quick little pedi made a huge difference, don't you?

Before (Yes I'm pushing my toes out so they're not clawed up like talons as per usual)

After... There are still a few open sores, but beside that they almost look like normal toes. GUESS how many toenails are real (vs. painted skin) and you win the contest of the day!

Thanks Morgan & Gary for your wonderful insight!

Q and A on Mega-Marathoning...

Think back 30 marathons/ultras ago-- to June 2009. I was getting ready to do my first *gasp* back to back marathon weekends. Yep- 2 marathons in 2 consecutive weekends. At the time this was crazy... now, I'm not too sure there is a number of weeks in a row that I would call "crazy." Anyways, as I was approaching my back to back weekend of marathons, I wasn't sure how to address my running needs properly. Should I train in between? Should I rest? What should I eat? What should I do right after the race to get ready for the next. Most running books and Mags DON'T address the questions of back to back marathons because they don't want to encourage it. I found it very difficult to find advice on similar questions like these as I picked up my marathoning and dove into the world of (what I like to refer to as) "Mega Marathoning"-- taking 0 recovery time, consecutive races, limitless miles.

I'm no expert on this crazy approach to marathon running, but I've definitely learned some things over the past year and I wouldn't mind adding to the few resources out there on mega marathoning, by answering some question... Hey! If that penguin guy from Runners World can do it, so can I!

Indi from Overland Park, KS writes... 

"...I have two questions? 

- What is the worst injury that has sidelined you? and

- How the heck do you manage to keep that kind of mileage up without getting injured....any tips and tricks to share with someone who is looking at doing their first marathon in spring 2011...i'm pretty injury prone:("

Dear Injury-Proned in KS, (hehe.... I thought that was clever)
1) Biggest Injury: If you scroll back to my double in January, I actually managed to hurt my posterior tibialis. This is a tendon that runs around the ankle, close to the achilles, but not exactly. During the 2nd race I fell and hit my knee. To make my knee feel better I ran with my foot purposely over-pronated (crazy idea, right?) and managed to do a little damange to this tendon.
- Solution? This was the one time this year I took about a week and a half off from running. I did a lot of cardio-style weight lifting as well as a little bit on the eliptical and some additional classes offered at my gym, including cycling. ALSO, I found Vibrams. This is when I started reading up on minimalist running. With minimalist running, instead of stuffing a bunch of extra cushion in your shoe, the idea was to allow the body to run as it should. Because of this your hips, knees, legs, and feet will align themselves better than with cushioned shoes. Also, without the cushion your foot/ankle will learn to strengthen itself! Since changing to vibrams and Nike Free's, I've found my ankles legs and calves to be much much stronger.


2) Increased Mileage Injury Free? Well there are a few things I found to be pretty important when ramping up mileage, whether it be from 5K's to half-marathons or marathons to 50-milers...
A. Do it slowly- Throwing on a couple extra 10-milers will put you out of commission for a few weeks from overuse.
B. Mix it up- I don't run more than 4 days per week. The higher the daily mileage you get into, the more you're getting into the "overuse" category of training. The body can get used to most things if you force it, but it still needs rest. I spend another 2 days on the eliptical or bike as well as free weight training, speaking of...
C. STRENGTH TRAINING! I attribute this to 90% of my lack of injuries. It not only makes your legs stronger to plow up hills but the FREE WIGHTS (not the machines) allow you to strengthen all the small stability muscles that tend weaken as we run. I try to do a lot (if not all) of my stregth training while standing on an upside down Bosu ball to give an extra workout to my core and and stability. I do squats and 1-legged squats as well. My favorite exercise: turn the ball over and stand on it. Grab some lighter weights. Squat and as you come up do a shoulder press. Repeat 15-20 times for a set. Do 3 sets somewhere between cardio sessions.
Note: This is NOT me... pic, from beginner triathlete site.

D) Listen to your body. This is the biggest lesson I've learned. Runners don't get hit like football players and receive injuries, we feel them coming up over time and finally when we ignore it long enough, we're forced to take more time off than if we dealt with it from the beginning! If something is hurt and heat/ice/ibuprofen can't help... take a day or 2 off. If that doesn't help... take 3 days off! There is nothing a runner likes to be told less than "stop running," but the most important goal here is to MAKE it to the START of the race! Since you're now listening to Advice "C" you have plenty to do on these off days... at the gym!
 E) Free Clinics-- but Beware! A lot of local running stores will hold weekly or monthly free clinics where local podiatrists will come in and answer any injury questions you may have. This is a great source if you're unaware of what's causing an injury. HOWEVER, I caution you... a lot of these Dr's (esp the ones that DON'T run) tend to jump to conclusions and tell you that you're an overpronator and need to get more support in your shoe. If you ask around, 99% of runners have been told they overpronate... maybe it's because of all this stuffing we put in our shoes?? I used to be declared an overpronator and after 5 months with the frees and vibrams, I not only run straight, but I also no longer heel strike!
 
Hope I covered all of your questions Indi. If you need anything further, please feel free to email me... there is a link in the nav bar above. :)
 
Happy Running,
Stephanie
"Run to Win" -Meb

University Of Okoboji Marathon~ Post Race Thoughts

Saturday was The University of Okoboji Marathon in Okoboji, IA-- Marathon/Ultra #39 and State #36! This was my 4th race in the past 4 weeks, including RnR Seattle and Foot Traffic as well as the 50-miler last weekend. I get the next 2 weeks off from marathons, then we pick it back up again with the HURL 50K trail race in Minnesota.

About the Race
I didn't do a RUNdown, so I'll sum it up here. This is a small race in Okoboji, IA (Milford technically) that goes around the lakes that are central to the area. This is NOT an actual University but a store with "university" gear holds events all year. This weekend was the "homecoming" weekend which included the marathon, half marathon, triathlon, etc. Check the website above for more on the "university."

Race Morning

The marathon started at 6am at a small park and looped around the lakes to finish at Arnold's Park which is about 5 miles from the start. So yeah, we run 26.2 miles to make it a whopping distance of 5 miles. MB, myself, and Brent (another maniac) all carpooled to the start and got to meet the few other maniacs there.

This area is BUGGY! Prior to the start I think I lost a pint of blood from mosquitoes. It was in the 80's when we got the the start area with 90% humidity-- and the sun wasn't even up yet. Uh oh! The start line is a spray painted line across a the road. We all lined up, they counted down, then we were off.

The Race
As soon as we took off we realized that NONE of the streets are blocked for this race. So, we shared the road with some speedsters as they came flying through. Not only that, but to run the proper tangents to only run 26.2 miles, you HAD to constantly be crossing the roads as they winded through the area. If you failed to do so, you could have added up to a half a mile (that's the most I heard somebody recorded on their garmin). I risked it (what's new) and managed to add only 0.03 miles onto my race. This race was HOT! SO hot. The course did loops around the lakes and suburbs and would have been very pretty to appreciate if it weren't for the thick humid air and the blazing sun.

Judging from the notes on marathonguide water, GU, and bathrooms were a pretty serious concern and as it turns out, the last 2 are STILL a concern. They actually did an excellent job with water/powerade stops about every 2 miles. However there was 0 GU (and you REALLY needed something to recover some electrolytes out in this heat) and on top of that-- almost 0 bathrooms. There was supposedly one around the 13 mile mark, but I didn't see it. I found 1 spot along the cabins on the lake that had a girls/boys room and ran in quick.

As we made our way out to the highway around mile 17, the sun came out in full force-- as did the triathletes! They started a few hours after us and had (I believe) a 5.5 mile run. As their leaders came barreling through I was a little confused, thinking I must have slowed down a lot-- then I realized it was another race. This got even more confusing as the half-marathoners then 10K runners (also starting after us, but their course intersecting with the marathon) started coming up from behind. It made it impossible to tell what place you were in until the end.

Around mile 20 I noticed a few of the lead women I was once with were starting to come back and looked pretty bad. 3 of them, I had noticed, were not carrying water bottles and I guess relying on the partially filled cups they had at the stops. However, due to the note above, I still had no idea how I would finish. Speaking of...

The Finish
The end of the race re-wrapped us through the first 5 miles of roller-coaster hills. There was a little more shade, but by then we were all very much overheated. I came to a finish at a sluggish 3:54, but happy because sub-4:00 means I can cross IA off my list! I found Gary (another maniac) at the finish who had not only won the race, but had finished just under 3:00! If you think I'm crazy, Gary is trying to do all the states in under 3 hours. Oh and the GF, Morgan, is currently doing all of her marathons on crutches because she broke her hip. These 2 are much more maniacal than I'll ever be!

After grabbing a water we found Brent at the finish who had finished in just under 4:00-- no more Iowa for him! Then, the search for food! We heard there wasn't any food at the end, but could that actually be possible??... YEP! There was 0 food except for bananas. Albeit there were places to BUY food around, but the start (and our cars) were 5 miles away, so unless you carried $$ on you, you were SOL!

Go Maniacs!
They had computers to check the results. We confirmed that Gary had won and SURPRISE... somehow one of the slowest times I've had this year, managed to get me 3rd woman overall and 1st in my A/G. Apparently I wasn't the only one affected by the heat. Not a bad day for Marathon Maniacs at this race. They had a little awards ceremony while the race was still going on. They only gave out award for 1st overall but handed out 1-3 for A/G (little weird). Unfortunately the A/G award was the EXACT same medal as the finishers medal with "1st place women" written on the back." Hmmm... Kind of weird.

I felt a little bad because immediately after the awards (around 5:40 marathon time) they closed down EVERYTHING. They took down the clocks and just left the "finish" spray painted line on the ground... and there were still quite a few runners out there!

Fun in the Sun
The finish is at Arnold's Park, which is on a huge lake. They had a beach area not far from the finish line where you could go and cool off. They also had boats, jet skis, kayaks, etc available for rent. MB and I played in the Sun, then later that night they had a free country concert in the park! Woohoo!

The Curse of MB takes out Okoboji...

After the marathon MB was commenting on how lucky we were with weather/flights/etc that all the marathons we've signed  up for went off without a problem (except my Myrtle Beach marathon that got cancelled) and what happens?.... The Curse of MB! The night of the race, the whole area gets hit with a huge storm and a Tornado! As we were sitting in the basement of our hotel with no power, I asked MB if she really HAD to mention that today. Oh and I'm sure there are some children in the hotel that still believe in Santa Clause if she wants to squash that too. I had to leave early in the am, so I didn't get to see the whole aftermath of the lightening/winds/tornado but MB did. She said the piers where all the boats were had been torn up and were all over the place and there were signs/trees/etc down ALL over what would have been the course, had the race been on Sunday instead of Saturday. Woooah! Close call!!!

A little storm/tornado aftermath...

1) The beer tent that the weather gods crumpled up. 2) There WAS a dock here...

Wrapping up this Months Marathon of Marathons

This month has been a little bit of a challenge with 4 marathons/ultras in 4 weeks. That wouldn't be so bad, but the first 2 were my fastest 2 marathons to day (RnR Seattle and Foot Traffic Flats)-- meaning more recover needed, but most definitely not taken. The 3rd was my 50-miler and the 4th is coming up this weekend in.... Okoboji, Iawa!!! I know, I know-- please try not to be too jealous! No worries though, this is just a normal marathon distance and I hope 26.2 feels a heck of a lot easier after 50! After this I have a whole 2 weeks off then MT then ALASKA!

Recovery
The past 3 weekend have done a number on me and active recovery was most definitely required if I was going to run again this weekend. Here are some of my remaining issues/injuries/general "ouchies" and how I've been working to recover...

1) Upper Quad Pain/Strain- Last weekend put a number on my quads with so much trail running. I'm not a trail runner and haven't mastered the art of running DOWNhill on trails easily without killing myself. I'm too concerned with tripping over all the rocks on the twists and turns that I definitely pull back, which can seriously trash your quads from the pounding. I'm usually a good downhill runner on roads... trails are a whole new world.
Current: There is still a little soreness, but it feels more like a leftover bruise rather than a real pain.
Recover: The first 2 days I did some elliptical and some running to try and stretch them out. I took yesterday off and I'll do some biking/running today to hopefully finish getting the knots out. I've also been using a heat pack on them before running to try and give them a little more flexibility.

2) Heat Exhaustion?: I was definitely a little ill after the 50-miler and I felt like I couldn't get enough liquids in/couldn't cool myself down for about 24 hours.
Current: I'm feeling much better now
Recovery: Drinking a LOT and staying out of the sun-- not that I have a choice at work! I S/B getting a lot of rest as well-- but I haven't been doing a great job at that. Tonight (2 night before the race) is the most important, so I'll be sure to go to bed at a reasonable hour... reasonable enough. :)

3) Poison Ivy oak sumac Something Itchy: I still have some of the poison w/e on me. It doesn't exactly resemble poison ivy as I've had it about a million times in my life.
Current: I have some patches left on my legs, but it's off my face (thank god) and my arms are pretty clear.
Recovery: I AM trying to get rid of it because it itches while I run, esp when I sweat and that could get annoying during the race... not to mention it's kind of unsightly. I'm just using calamine lotion and ice packs-- I spent a month on steroids last month between poison ivy and teeth issues, so I would prefer not to go back on them if I don't have to!

4) Feet/Knees: As you saw earlier this week, these were a little banged up... My knees more from landing on rocks and my feet from-- well running my whole life.
Current: My feet will never be normal and I've accepted that. My knees? The swelling is gone and the bruising. There are a few battle scars still on there, but that makes me look BA for this weekends race!
Recovery: Not much I can do here for active recovery, but I may be able to help my feet. One of the runners in the 50-miler suggested those Injinji socks with body glide underneath. I have to pick up a pair and see if that helps. Also-- I'm hoping to get a pedicure to help the damage done so far. Who thinks Iowa will have a nail place? Hmmm...

For your entertainment: My trail running picture... I've decided that I either look...
1) Bad @$$
2) Girly as hell--who wears that much pink?? Note both my water bottle AND my spy belt are that obnoxious bright pink. And I really didn't plan all this.
3) Blind... In this picture my racing glasses look really weird.

Gearing Up!
Okoboji this weekend means some "mild tapering"-- I'll only run about 6 tonight with an easier 4-5 tomorrow. The race is on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be able to get some recovery miles in on Sunday. I'm trying to drink plenty of water as well. Now... to figure out exactly what people do in Okoboji Iowa. Hmmm...

Happy Running!
-Stephanie
"Run to Win" - Meb

Ultra Fever... if you can Run 50, you can Run 100??

Why Ultra?... Why Not?
It's been all of 3 days since the 50-miler and thoughts of further distances are dancing in my mind. I've always told half-marathoners "oh if you can do 13, you can totally do 26! It's all the same hurt after the first 10 or so." So does this apply to ultras? "If you can do 50, you can do 100?" Well I found after the first 35 it pretty much WAS all the same hurt. When I got to the mid 40-miles I was shocked that my legs were not only moving, but I was still running! And no, not a little jog-- when I was actually running, I was going at a decent clip! The only issues I ran into were heat, lack of salt, and a little lack of energy-- all of which can be fixed with a little more ultra experience and finding what supplements/aid/food works best for me. So, reason #1 to try for a 100-miler...

1) I can handle the pain. I've felt the hurt and... I've run through it!

I'm under the strange belief that I can be half dead on the side of the road and somehow the mind is strong enough to will the body to keep moving. Maybe I SHOULD try out a 100-miler to prove to myself that I'm NOT super woman or a robot like mel says. Orrrr... maybe I'm proving to myself that nothing is impossible.

2) To do the "impossible"

Running is an automatic topic of conversation for people once they find out exactly how much I do. I'm a little hesitant to tell new people about it because, well... they tend to judge! MOST people are very nice about it but some like to lecture me on how "bad is must be" for me... Really?? And your sitting on the couch in front of the tv every night is some sort of health conscious activity? Some even tell me it's stupid. Some say it is BOUND to take years off my life. Well at least I did something with the years I had... what did you do?

3) Because other people CAN'T! Being stubborn enough to push through pain and finish is something not a lot of people can do. I happen to have a talent for stubborn!

As Phil pointed out in my comments, I've qualified for Western States- 100 lottery with my time. The time requirement isn't anything crazy, but it definitely caught my eye. If you don't know, Western States is one of the oldest and most well known trail ultras in the world. The race is in June, which would work well into my schedule, 3 months following my (knock on wood) hopeful completion of the 50-states. 

4) Because I've qualified!

If you haven't heard of Badwater, it's been called THE most challenging endurance race in the world and the 2010 running is going on RIGHT NOW! 135 miles in the desert heat of Death Valley and up Mt. Whitney. This race isn't a lottery, but a selection process for only 90 people-- and it also happens to be one of my lifetime goals! Nobody knows EXACTLY what you need to be selected, but running Western States (above) is something almost all the accepted runners have done...

5) To be able to Run on the Sun!

So am I thinking about running a 100 miler?... what do you think?? I'll throw my name in for WS next year and hopefully *fingers crossed* get in. If you get rejected twice, however, you automatically get into the 3rd or 4th year of applying. Until then, 1 goal at a time... 50 states! Currently I'm at 35 states completed and this weekends 50-miler brought me up to 38 marathons/ultras completed to date. What's next? Well as soon as my legs start functioning properly, I'm doing the University of Okoboji Marathon this weekend! No, it's not a real University... but I'll give you more details later this week. Until then, lots of icing and leg roller for me!

Happy Running!
-Stephanie