tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25731256669959197212024-03-05T16:45:01.208-08:00Small Steps, Serious Chafing~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-31079199876048405362014-08-11T13:40:00.000-07:002014-08-11T13:40:18.925-07:00The BIG Move...Months and months of planning, waiting, building, waiting, and excitement we are in the final stages of moving. That means we have 3 kiddos and a dog plus 2 adults living out of boxes in an attempt to pack and prepare since it looks like we will be cutting it close and moving right at the start of school. This whole process has been frustrating at times, exciting at times but overall an amazing experience knowing that we have had the opportunity to build a custom home for our family, and we are extremely thankful for this.<br />
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Along with an actual move, I am moving "virtually" to a "Like" page on Facebook during our transition since it is so much easier for me to post and communicate from my mobile phone this way. You can find me at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/smallstepssc">www.facebook.com/smallstepssc</a> along with my daily posts on Instagram (smallstepssc) and Twitter (smallstepssc).~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-12673206938637550302014-06-30T07:08:00.002-07:002014-06-30T07:08:20.118-07:00Mohican 50 Miler Recap: Part 2Continued from <a href="http://smallstepsseriouschafing.blogspot.com/2014/06/mohican-50-miler-race-recap-part-1.html" target="_blank">Mohican 50 Miler Recap: Part 1</a><br />
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<b>Miles 26.9 - Finish</b><br />
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There is not much I remember about this second loop, and not just because it's a week after the race, but it was a very surreal experience. After I changed clothes and filled up at the Mohican Adventures aid station I stopped at the indoor restroom and back into the woods I went. Within the first 1/2 mile I had slipped going up a hill and was simultaneously lapped by a 100 miler. Ugh, not only was I embarrassed but definitely took a punch in the ego. Thankfully the 100 miler was really nice, she offered some encouraging words and was on her way. Over the next 10/11 miles I walked when I needed to and ran when I could and rolled into the next two aid stations right on that 14 hour finish pace, even though I knew it was to late to actually make up that time and finish in 14 hours, I was sure going to keep giving it everything I had. I continued with the Tailwind and Nuun, and at every aid station ate one solid food whether it was a handful of pretzels or a 1/4 of a sandwich. My stomach felt great, my legs even felt decent at this point, other then a small spot on both my feet I really was holding up better then I expected. As I exited the woods to head to the Covered Bridge Aid station I saw Glenn and Lindsey's car, seriously, these two were awesome! They were helping out at the aid station while they waited for me and as soon as I got in they had my bag and were asking me what I needed. I also got a little help from Colleen, "The Purple Lady", who offered some help with my blisters and snapped a few pictures of the 3 of us. Colleen is sort of a legend at the Mohican 100, she writes an article every year chronicling the race and leaving it's mark in history. I got packed back up, threw on my headlamp. Glenn and Lindsey grabbed my drop bag and said they would see me at the finish, seriously kid free and they are following my slow butt around a course Glenn had run earlier! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm0CKA5uCUrhOAcIKEiACdwyQ6dDqVeFCJCeWr9Xlxt_cbpdftfhH6Hs-Yttk2YaP2yY4lExnhmxnx8ySQc7B1QtURZjYMIV-x5xhUT7KtbJzf-EezkgPquwgtCVGViX8-C5pwykORnI/s1600/image-22.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm0CKA5uCUrhOAcIKEiACdwyQ6dDqVeFCJCeWr9Xlxt_cbpdftfhH6Hs-Yttk2YaP2yY4lExnhmxnx8ySQc7B1QtURZjYMIV-x5xhUT7KtbJzf-EezkgPquwgtCVGViX8-C5pwykORnI/s1600/image-22.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A note on my drop bag-It wasn't until the next morning I figured out it came from David who was running the 100. Seriously my brain was not working at the time!</td></tr>
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After leaving the Covered Bridge and before Hickory Ridge I was once again able to call home and say goodnight to the boys and talk to the husband. It was nice, I told them I was taking forever but not to worry I was feeling fine. As the sun set in the woods I was really happy I had my head lamp and tried not to spook myself, even after I ran by several deer and a family of raccoons (who I was convinced were going to jump out of the tree and land on my head). I still tried to run during the last 7 or 8 miles, and it was nice only seeing the steps ahead of me. I also enjoyed looking up and seeing the different headlamps heading through the woods. I will say running in the woods at night is interesting and will take some getting used to. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXU8zAVBMxfh_e4-UwK6UseSp0dc5aOn7GJzw19hFd3ktfzM3MHOgM8X61HwT4RGfCVsxuKg98k7Mf9hIix2qLWFsTsy6YOWIspTb7LM4V6ZdtRkUZzBu10W7fy7Xty_eYA-LPwme8xQ/s1600/image-21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXU8zAVBMxfh_e4-UwK6UseSp0dc5aOn7GJzw19hFd3ktfzM3MHOgM8X61HwT4RGfCVsxuKg98k7Mf9hIix2qLWFsTsy6YOWIspTb7LM4V6ZdtRkUZzBu10W7fy7Xty_eYA-LPwme8xQ/s1600/image-21.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun beginning to set in the woods</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GZPxyuO5nyliHIwjoB6VSGy0Tr_w0lUaP0nvO0YUmpmpC4bFdIeH8otZ9Ukyqo0czWY1j71USx2aa9Pe92h1xDqfOIKJZ6Bq5kMHNWMgXrurSy2VLhd6rp7-sc0m-S5X2yIxuSQ7vFo/s1600/image-20.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GZPxyuO5nyliHIwjoB6VSGy0Tr_w0lUaP0nvO0YUmpmpC4bFdIeH8otZ9Ukyqo0czWY1j71USx2aa9Pe92h1xDqfOIKJZ6Bq5kMHNWMgXrurSy2VLhd6rp7-sc0m-S5X2yIxuSQ7vFo/s1600/image-20.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those 2 eyes belong to one of the deer I saw. The woods after dark is a creepy place in my opinion.</td></tr>
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The miles in the dark went by rather quickly it seemed though and soon I was headed to the main road to make the turn to the finish. Sure enough, there was Glenn and Lindsey cheering for me! They pointed me in the direction of the final turns and said they would see me at the finish. Similar to my Woodstock finish, I sprinted to the finish line, yes all on sprint, I needed the race to be over. I collected my medal and water, saw Colleen again, who photographed the three of us once more, picked up my last drop bag and was given a ride to my car. I said my goodbyes to Glenn and Lindsey and headed up the road to the McDonalds for french fries, a large coke and free wifi to tell those back home that I finished.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgwilQihWs04DjcQeusWrUlIQ-IS9LYizaGHo82HwDeFCsx1AhqQyeNjUC2ucnPN2-88zT7L16hPe_x39mabHq4kdp2HmULGXXvAQw-aTLvPz2ITnMiF2S_14xFUuNI5Q3KFi44cCeYI/s1600/image-19.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgwilQihWs04DjcQeusWrUlIQ-IS9LYizaGHo82HwDeFCsx1AhqQyeNjUC2ucnPN2-88zT7L16hPe_x39mabHq4kdp2HmULGXXvAQw-aTLvPz2ITnMiF2S_14xFUuNI5Q3KFi44cCeYI/s1600/image-19.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And DONE! Thanks to Glenn for the picture...crew/support and photog!</td></tr>
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After texts and Facebook posts I headed back to the hotel for a much needed shower, toothbrush, and muscle rolling. I enjoyed a "celebration" beer, rolled some more, and drifted off to sleep. I will say I did not sleep well that night, my legs kept twitching, I was dreaming about running in the woods and I woke up several times and rolled my muscles out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6ogS7fvxsWEHJvLk8uc360mczddvIHDmhC3OQVGN83przNhSqtdW9l6-McTSVn2j8X9ZcMXVagSEo5VSHVAU2ryIxDRpRNTB7phF3EzvY9opqUN0B7ZxMDmJDfj4CiK_FGrF4aq1uaU/s1600/image-23.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6ogS7fvxsWEHJvLk8uc360mczddvIHDmhC3OQVGN83przNhSqtdW9l6-McTSVn2j8X9ZcMXVagSEo5VSHVAU2ryIxDRpRNTB7phF3EzvY9opqUN0B7ZxMDmJDfj4CiK_FGrF4aq1uaU/s1600/image-23.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>What worked:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Nutrition-I used Tailwind Nutrition (200 calories per aid station variety of flavors and some unflavored Naked), Nuun (total for the day was 2 tubes of various flavors including Nuun Energy) & Picky Bars (total of 4 throughout the day) and I felt fueled and full. I drank Coke & Ginger Ale at most of the aid stations, a handful of peanut butter filled pretzels, some pickle juice, had a couple 1/4's of sandwiches around lunch and dinner time, and chicken soup later in the evening. I would say that Nutrition was spot on, at no time did I feel uncomfortable or have any gut bombs.</li>
<li>Hydration Vests-The combination of the Orange Mud Double Barrel and the Ultimate DirectionUltra Vesta worked nicely, I felt it distributed the weight differently for each loop and as a result my shoulders and back were not as sore later in the race and the day after.</li>
<li>Chatting along the way with other runners, even though this was one of the first races I threw in an ear bud, I had some great chats on the course with a handful of people. As someone who is not very "outgoing", I had no problem talking with other runners on the course, mainly the basic where are you from, is this your first, etc etc. It made the time go by faster and was nice when the conversation was there because overall it was a very lonely course.</li>
<li>Shoes, I would say that both the Lone Peaks and the Intuitions worked well for the 50, even though I ended up with one decent sized blister on my left foot, other then that I did not have any issues.</li>
<li>Headlamp: I really liked the Petzl Nao. It was bright and I felt it lit the way nicely. I will need to get another battery before Woodstock but over all I was happy with it, very comfortable to wear as well.</li>
<li>Training, even though I know time wise I could have benefitted from some more trail and hills in the cycle, the fact that I was only sore for the first 2 days post race and was able to run within a week was a win in my book. (I would have run sooner but a week filled with out of town family and out of town friends visiting, I spent the days with them and decided sleeping in was better for me then the 3/4 mile runs I would have gotten in)</li>
</ul>
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<b>What I learned:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Even though time wise I missed the 14-17 hour time frame I wanted to finish in it turned out to be a really good trail and training run. I got 17+ hours on my feet, even though I ended up with Glenn and Lindsey I was solo on the actual course, so this was the longest run I had ever done and the longest run without a running partner. It was my first real night time trail run and I feel pretty bad ass that I did it in an unknown woods by myself.</li>
<li>I really am stronger then I give myself credit for some days. I really wanted to quit, but at the end of the day I would have taken Dead Last (DFL) over a Did Not Finish (DNF), because there was not anything "wrong" with me and I really did not have any issues that were life threatening, so I had no reason to quit. (I did have a massive headache the entire race, which I had attributed to the heat and humidity, and tried to solve it by increasing my fluids. In reality, nothing I would have done would have fixed that headache. It was my once a month hormone headache that decided to show up 3 days early, because I my once a month cycle showed up on Sunday 3 days early. This actually was a relief, because it explained the fatigue and the headache that I could not shake.)</li>
</ul>
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<b>What I need to improve on:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Even though Woodstock is not as tough a course, I will need to add some more trail time in the next 66 days. This should not be a huge problem since it was the weather keeping me away from them in the winter. </li>
<li>Continue focusing on strength and yoga over the next 66 days, strengthening the core will help with the some of my fatigue.</li>
<li>Daily Nutrition: Honestly I ate like crap in the two weeks leading up to Mohican. Between not running because of injury and nerves I was eating nothing but junk!</li>
</ul>
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Want to help me say thank you to Lindsey? Vote for her until July 2nd to be on the cover of Women's Running: <a href="http://womensrunning.competitor.com/cover-model-contest?sg_sessionid=1402971153_539fa41159ebf5.54430673&__sgtarget=-1&__sgbrwsrid=cd5fc30d3b6b3a942371337f7bc5869a#sgbody-1697746" target="_blank">VOTE HERE</a> (And tell a friend or share the link on Facebook/Twitter/whatever social media you choose :) ) Thank you!</div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-48123415721082537032014-06-24T12:46:00.004-07:002014-06-24T12:50:02.584-07:00Mohican 50 Miler Race Recap-Part 1<br />
Once again it has been awhile since I wrote, life was certainly busy at the end of the school year, add in 2 boys playing baseball, and packing up our current home. Free time seemed nonexistent and when it was I spent it with the family. After we are moved and settled, I plan to blog regularly, I have a list of topics I am already brainstorming!<br />
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However I felt it was important that I take the few hours to sit down and write a recap of this weekends Mohican 50 miler, so here it is.<br />
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<b>Training:</b><br />
Training went ok for this race, due to weather conditions I did not run on the trails as much as I would have like from January - April, but I still made it work and got in all of my long runs. The longest run I had done for this cycle was 32 miles (on trails), along with a 26.2, a 23, some 20's, some 18's and a handful of 13-15 miles. The two weeks before Mohican I did not run though, my nagging shin pain had returned and I was not confident I would make the starting line if I kept just "pushing" through it. This break probably was harmful to training, I did not do any jumping and only a few short runs and mainly focused on Isometrix & Yoga from p90x3. The break however did help the shin, and I was able to run with only a minimal amount of pain at the beginning of the Mohican 50 miler. Looking back I should have figured out a way to run a few more hills, even if it meant some parking structures or just trekking up stairs.<br />
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<b>Packing/What I took:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Since I was going solo and without a crew I packed a little more then I needed just to cover every basis.<br />
<ul>
<li>Long sleeve jacket</li>
<li>Capris Pants</li>
<li>Extra Pair of Running Shorts</li>
<li>2 complete running outfits (tank/sports bra/socks/skirt/hat)</li>
<li>1 head lamp & Headsweats Headband (left in Covered Bridge drop bag)</li>
<li>Fruit/Water/Peanut Butter & Jelly/Pickles/Peaches</li>
<li>Marathon Stick </li>
<li>Beach Towel to change under/sit on</li>
<li>Ultimate Collection Jenny Ultra Vesta</li>
<li>Orange Mud Double Barrel HydraQuiver</li>
<li>Rain Poncho</li>
</ul>
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2 Bear II Drop Bags and both contained:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Bug Spray</li>
<li>Body Glide</li>
<li>Monkey Butt Powder</li>
<li>Aspirin/Tylenol/Benadryl/Arnica</li>
<li>First Aid Kit (bandaids/neosporen/liquid bandaids)</li>
<li>Tailwind/Nuun/Picky Bars (portioned into ziploc bags so I had enough for each section)</li>
<li>Hair Ties</li>
<li>Comb</li>
<li>Colgate Wisp Portable Toothbrushes</li>
<li>Sunscreen</li>
<li>Baby Wipes</li>
<li>Kleenex</li>
<li>Gin Gins</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIJqBWrCQ1-HIOs8erFzG0JSbe2QCNrKsJX5dkCb6dOCn3arDPuIUqUa31spK6ufA04h7iF1DsSXXstalcRWEQWTtRybkGfiS3ly9Gue2mLeuoFwtc3m8sT3cvq40YuHrwIlLG7kQDso/s1600/image-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIJqBWrCQ1-HIOs8erFzG0JSbe2QCNrKsJX5dkCb6dOCn3arDPuIUqUa31spK6ufA04h7iF1DsSXXstalcRWEQWTtRybkGfiS3ly9Gue2mLeuoFwtc3m8sT3cvq40YuHrwIlLG7kQDso/s1600/image-5.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b>Friday: Day Before</b></div>
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I spent Friday afternoon driving down in a rain storm. What should have taken 3 1/2 hours took roughly 4. I got into Mohican Adventures around 5:15 pm and picked up my packet. They had a nice little set up under a pavilion, which is a good thing because it was pouring at one time. At this point I was unable to get a signal on my At&t phone, I knew service would be spotty but did not know it was nonexistent. I know it sounds silly but I am rarely out of contact with either my husband, my family or my children. So as I started to worry, I knew that they would be worried at home as well about whether I arrived safely. (Friday was not as relaxing as I had hoped). While I was still trying to find the two people that were running the 100 that I knew from one of my running groups, I met Amanda from Twitter and chatted with her and her friends for a bit and enjoyed the pre-race pasta dinner that was included with our registration fee. There was also the Great Lakes Beer truck there for anyone that wanted to enjoy a nice cold one. By the time the pre-race meeting had started, I had found Lindsey and Glenn from <a href="http://outforaruntraining.com/" target="_blank">Out for A Run</a>. Both run with the Rusted Bears in Indy (which you may remember from last years epic Red Eye Relay adventure) and Glenn was doing the 50 miler on Saturday. We chatted for a bit and listened to the pre-race instructions, and I followed them to the Mohican River Inn where they had also booked a room. (Good thing to because there was no service within miles of this place and I did not have directions to get there!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x1-DM5hKO1JHfq8FJXQdbVP8v-g62-OM60qA4u-YQadYPPvDHMR0e8xm6cKhWZpO1kg0MUlmE8maPwn3oQEgC8fK3vtRMmDrv9LQ3UGsIYNAojsf_4EuO1UoYu0ZJGT2PLFWeRdmyj0/s1600/image-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3x1-DM5hKO1JHfq8FJXQdbVP8v-g62-OM60qA4u-YQadYPPvDHMR0e8xm6cKhWZpO1kg0MUlmE8maPwn3oQEgC8fK3vtRMmDrv9LQ3UGsIYNAojsf_4EuO1UoYu0ZJGT2PLFWeRdmyj0/s1600/image-9.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a "little" rain-despite the downpour the course was surprisingly "dry" the next day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2jkt96Hl3Xe_J_DixFqHLi0tVOipI7XwkaAqbWq8DFhF2izAqpOAG3f7QGK5zyu8PWDlYlb0pAbbxbbufwFKBeF2B-cSLmoWyhUTb1RJFiIt0ZQpHlKE0whccfWs7mD6MY43L52n18Y/s1600/image-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2jkt96Hl3Xe_J_DixFqHLi0tVOipI7XwkaAqbWq8DFhF2izAqpOAG3f7QGK5zyu8PWDlYlb0pAbbxbbufwFKBeF2B-cSLmoWyhUTb1RJFiIt0ZQpHlKE0whccfWs7mD6MY43L52n18Y/s1600/image-1.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beer Truck" Provided by Great Lakes who is a race sponsor</td></tr>
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<div>
I checked in and the desk let me use the hotel phone to call home and let everyone know I was safe and in basically the middle of nowhere! I got everything organized, layed out, bought a bag of ice and filled up my bottles and coolers, watched a few innings of the Tigers game and then I was sound asleep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGSPuR0SpnoSHj7-Pz8_c2J62uqrYobXf0Lzj3fORJT-nrNMVXddzdl19oKr-5gw3-bFoNaqFmi-y9OVuFotV21xx0DRrv1Pq6m6P-TrXnBqpRvq4ty4p2e7T_gk85t_vyJZxdM2EVhs/s1600/image-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGSPuR0SpnoSHj7-Pz8_c2J62uqrYobXf0Lzj3fORJT-nrNMVXddzdl19oKr-5gw3-bFoNaqFmi-y9OVuFotV21xx0DRrv1Pq6m6P-TrXnBqpRvq4ty4p2e7T_gk85t_vyJZxdM2EVhs/s1600/image-6.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Flat Jess"</td></tr>
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<div>
<b>Saturday: </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Race Morning</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I woke up before my alarm, after what was surprisingly a restful nights sleep. I changed, brushed my teeth and loaded up the car. I headed down to the race early because I remembered passing a McDonalds in the other direction, and I had hoped they had free WiFi like the ones at home. SCORE!!! Even though Katie was the only friend actually up and I was able to chat with quickly, I was at least able to send messages to the family and let them know I was ready and would contact them after the race since I now knew where to find WiFi!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I proceeded to start, and on the way dropped off my bag for the Covered Bridge Aid station and my finish line bag. I was uneasy, not because I was nervous, but I knew I still had no contact with my family and that was very unsettling to me. After a quick restroom break and a quick before race picture with Glenn, we were lined up and headed out.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qiwi3YJ-0bLh4xHk04f9EaBYJ2r92Fsshi_xiFt0tEMVgPgvM9_Kg-Kwi6vHN3u30F0R-ypMScvMAXF91z-DqrSDtRm8fx1cD1y8XrmbkpdSxqCjwvUIbH5vqQfbCJ8tbSw4yuemjxo/s1600/image-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qiwi3YJ-0bLh4xHk04f9EaBYJ2r92Fsshi_xiFt0tEMVgPgvM9_Kg-Kwi6vHN3u30F0R-ypMScvMAXF91z-DqrSDtRm8fx1cD1y8XrmbkpdSxqCjwvUIbH5vqQfbCJ8tbSw4yuemjxo/s1600/image-7.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glenn and I before the start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Loop 1 (Miles 0-26.8)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The start includes a small run through the camp ground on pavement before entering a single track, and it did not take more then 100 yards for my shin to start aching. At this point I immediately went to the "what are you doing, this is stupid, why are you running this if it hurts" place. I knew that if I was really serious about Woodstock 100, I needed this run, I needed to know how my body would handle 50 miles. I needed to know how my stomach would hold up, how my nutrition would work. I told myself to slow down, take my time and run when I could, walk if I had to and play it safe. With a 31 hour time limit I knew that I could take a nap if I needed to before finishing. I made it through the first two aid stations right on target for the 13-14 hour finish I had secretly been aiming for despite the nagging shin issue. However between the Fire Tower and the Covered Bridge the wheels fell off for the first time (Yes the first time, this race was not a positive experience for me like Woodstock was). I was physically feeling fine, but emotionally I was lonely, even though I had found several people to chat with along the way, I really just wanted to talk to home. For a small portion of this section I was distracted by the beauty of the course and the amazing waterfall and hand climb.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxbeOMqrPSZ0a4_rN11BHyDbgb6PUml61LM5Z3sGiSwKsgQeYWu3c8w9mngwdj2FtH7-6VDBZHpNEg0NW0c2QjrEJItSRoSYf37o7LZYBxgrGrK-0XQ4ZLokW12gVL947rOEpmxJD2xk/s1600/image-10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxbeOMqrPSZ0a4_rN11BHyDbgb6PUml61LM5Z3sGiSwKsgQeYWu3c8w9mngwdj2FtH7-6VDBZHpNEg0NW0c2QjrEJItSRoSYf37o7LZYBxgrGrK-0XQ4ZLokW12gVL947rOEpmxJD2xk/s1600/image-10.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a little muddy, this was actually better then I expected</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj103z0-tgeOJqgPpFYz3TwCs21lNr0fe-zrPR5dBkf3C8wG_svGcuoQeHVlF4dQXywFp3S9vCtlbS65BTfnp9JF3DN_NuYALBzbLCADRoQYkNy9uf0k0bNNFUeXBqn-PwKuktY4OiL11E/s1600/image-11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj103z0-tgeOJqgPpFYz3TwCs21lNr0fe-zrPR5dBkf3C8wG_svGcuoQeHVlF4dQXywFp3S9vCtlbS65BTfnp9JF3DN_NuYALBzbLCADRoQYkNy9uf0k0bNNFUeXBqn-PwKuktY4OiL11E/s1600/image-11.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4GR6p3AQ5EHX9nBVxPdPUdpm3NGnaHAwVykH5kauZVYlJkIzZ-yvvPfViquqdA-BmCp2udMGdEHj7dXFD_GRRxh5_6JHw7eKhqjU7-hy3Gxrz-tT2JKOb2eK5M0Th_H8zWZiCPk7Xfc/s1600/image-12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4GR6p3AQ5EHX9nBVxPdPUdpm3NGnaHAwVykH5kauZVYlJkIzZ-yvvPfViquqdA-BmCp2udMGdEHj7dXFD_GRRxh5_6JHw7eKhqjU7-hy3Gxrz-tT2JKOb2eK5M0Th_H8zWZiCPk7Xfc/s1600/image-12.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water fall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjUn30iEKHPazq8rExT7L2nEL9-Rm-po64H9ArSkuTBGqMjNvUZft1pUEd16hyphenhyphen8oW-eIvNzePI2YF_ZGvzFCJ2R5ADKyjWNnCcY4mX-womeOVLmFVCPtsSmJbFjF8JOf8AEMeSpMGloI/s1600/image-13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjUn30iEKHPazq8rExT7L2nEL9-Rm-po64H9ArSkuTBGqMjNvUZft1pUEd16hyphenhyphen8oW-eIvNzePI2YF_ZGvzFCJ2R5ADKyjWNnCcY4mX-womeOVLmFVCPtsSmJbFjF8JOf8AEMeSpMGloI/s1600/image-13.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand Climb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYgmcpNRakUcQdKxecGC-9Il8pRHKw3jWxdhpiB0cceS5qhT_8nIQYox7H6H5KoE7A50plwkHTG1YEVB6ftyPporkeXSDwWkJUR8fzlFmDsHx6Z2kD3t0eaBh53gt_HZdiM5ictB5BzU/s1600/image-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYgmcpNRakUcQdKxecGC-9Il8pRHKw3jWxdhpiB0cceS5qhT_8nIQYox7H6H5KoE7A50plwkHTG1YEVB6ftyPporkeXSDwWkJUR8fzlFmDsHx6Z2kD3t0eaBh53gt_HZdiM5ictB5BzU/s1600/image-14.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock formation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8ZwPZ0out7sRBf8EH1skix4B7pBs_No-lLSfloJInZbE3eRvpgSaWQ9nyKuSRPo4QSu2_Nt3YARKUaEf_3pwA87i4FRmlo7e0NGthTnMVS7uKoNOSdjpU8iWm8eYXIQihyphenhyphenp-FISP_3c/s1600/image-16.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8ZwPZ0out7sRBf8EH1skix4B7pBs_No-lLSfloJInZbE3eRvpgSaWQ9nyKuSRPo4QSu2_Nt3YARKUaEf_3pwA87i4FRmlo7e0NGthTnMVS7uKoNOSdjpU8iWm8eYXIQihyphenhyphenp-FISP_3c/s1600/image-16.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "trail"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8Z5qaNxuyPal-QlHljEs_GZlRQ8cHB9qGaNDolyUBH1EDn5Q9Qmiex6TR85jqWEMX6blEo9CkY5nZttn6azB3nWgDycKRhr49mHMXJWOKO7VeUjnO-Y0iJ2LCNUhkNE4syVP1yJwyJE/s1600/image-17.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8Z5qaNxuyPal-QlHljEs_GZlRQ8cHB9qGaNDolyUBH1EDn5Q9Qmiex6TR85jqWEMX6blEo9CkY5nZttn6azB3nWgDycKRhr49mHMXJWOKO7VeUjnO-Y0iJ2LCNUhkNE4syVP1yJwyJE/s1600/image-17.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down the steps to re-enter the woods to get to Covered Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec7aOlHMZFIS8w7HiuE9E2tyR9hXxmsMNfH7BErxIZSYRLEw2HGmPzlN1JjBY8KFL1Vx7FYWWeKxePVChFqSxZy1HdN-e4XkInQTsPJzOlLSrOE39PHRiGEN8XN3B5EGPfbXf1a5eIm8/s1600/image-18.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhec7aOlHMZFIS8w7HiuE9E2tyR9hXxmsMNfH7BErxIZSYRLEw2HGmPzlN1JjBY8KFL1Vx7FYWWeKxePVChFqSxZy1HdN-e4XkInQTsPJzOlLSrOE39PHRiGEN8XN3B5EGPfbXf1a5eIm8/s1600/image-18.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covered Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Upon arriving at the Covered Bridge aid station, I changed my socks and used the restroom again for the 3 time in the race. It was really humid, so I was drinking 24 oz of Tailwind and 24 oz of Nuun (2 tablets), between each aid station, but this meant I was also using the restroom every time there was one, because I did not want to have to use the woods. As I headed back out into the woods I actually threw in one of my ear buds and started listening to a little bit of music. I rarely listen to music when I run but I really wanted to bust out of this funk and have a good race. However, it seemed every song made me miss home even more and wish that I had someone there for me. (I was the one that thought it would be easier to go alone, since 5 people in a small hotel room is often more work for me, I did not however anticipate being that lonely) When I got to about mile 18ish, I was at what appeared to be the highest point in the forest, and took a chance that I could get a signal. Sure enough, one tiny little bar on my phone, but it was enough to call home! At this point I did not even care how much time I was wasting, I did not care if it was a race I needed that conversation. I needed to express my desire to quit and I needed to be talked out of it. I needed to hear the voices back home and know that they were ok. At this point I was seriously considering dropping after the first loop, I did not care I had made the trip, I was just done. I felt defeated as my time had gotten slower after the first two aid stations despite the terrain being tougher, and me taking it safer. At that point a DNF was looking better then a ridiculously slow time. After the chat with the husband, who specifically told me not to quit and just finish, I knew quitting was not an option, I had come to run 50 miles and I was going to give it all I had, even if all I had was slow in comparison to so many out there.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As I continued on my first loop and ran when I could, walked when I had to I was lapped by Glenn. He was flying! (I later learned he finished 6th at 8:06!! AWESOME!!) As I came through the first loop and passed the finish line heading to the Mohican Aid Station, Lindsey (who was cheering at the finish and sitting with Glenn who was already done) spotted me and ran across the street to walk and chat with me for a while until I made it the extra 1/2 mile to my drop bag.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I decided I needed to switch my hydration vests, I liked the Orange Mud Double Barrel, it was the first time I had ever worn it, and it was working great, but it was so sweaty and gross I want something dry. Same with clothes, I wanted dry clothes, everything was drenched (I love being a heavy sweater it's great!). I had my Ultra Vesta in the car and decided I did not want to wear the shorts I packed but wanted the skirt instead, so I made the trip to the parking lot, not ideal, and at Woodstock this will not be an issue since my car will be right there, but I was not going on until I changed and swapped vests.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
To be continued....</div>
</div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-22904739203919320872014-04-14T08:53:00.002-07:002014-06-11T08:06:45.264-07:00Ultra Vesta is the "Besta"Last year I used a backpack hydration system for all of my long training runs and also the first 16 miles of the Woodstock 50K. Did it work? Yes. Did it serve it's purpose? Yes. Did I love it? No. Was it the ultimate pack for me? No, and considering I have scars from where it chafed I knew I needed to find a solution. This is not to say it was not a good pack, it was well built, but it did not fit the curves of this women and I never could get the adjustment "just" right. It also had a reservoir, and during Woodstock this was a huge pain to refill, so I knew I wanted a bottle option that was easily refillable at aid stations.<br />
<br />
In my search I found the Jenny Collection <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-612-ultra-vesta.aspx?category=jenny-collection" target="_blank">Ultra Vesta</a> from Ultimate Direction. Made by a woman, for women and worn by Jenny Jurek and 2014 Female Ultra Runner of the Year <a href="http://www.dreamliverun.com/blog.html" target="_blank">Michele Yates</a>. Points for Ultimate Direction, they did not just take a vest, make it purple and call it a women's vest. The biggest problem I had was that I found this vest on the internet in late fall and had to wait until it's release in January to actually order it. After waiting so "patiently" (aka stalking the website and Ultimate Direction twitter account for the launch), I really was hoping that the Ultra Vesta did not disappoint and leave me chafed like the last one.<br />
<br />
I have had the Ultra Vesta now for 3 months, and have worn it for my long runs including several 18's, a 20, several 3+ hours on the trails and a handful of runs over 12 miles. I have worn it in -15 degree whether and 70 degree weather (thanks Michigan for that weather swing so I could do a full review).<br />
<br />
<b>Initial thoughts: </b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>After unpacking the box of course I had to hop back on the treadmill and run a few more miles just to try it out. My first thoughts were it was well made, sturdy, easy to fit right with a few pulls of the straps and lightweight. I got a M/L since I was right on the edge of the sizes and I am glad I went up a size b/c it fits perfect with summer clothes and also over layers of winter clothes.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL9pd7WxVUlIH6udEd0IA4TfCdcqGwbpWs9moGM4oxhzRB6sTokVw6EPG-Me6MLUSNZfqeywQ3RB7JZtUnBRYXcIVirBeFDoZt8RJrVWeJN_QztWSZ2FrWUQl6fj9fxLK3G93Z4jjpIo/s1600/IMG_3652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKL9pd7WxVUlIH6udEd0IA4TfCdcqGwbpWs9moGM4oxhzRB6sTokVw6EPG-Me6MLUSNZfqeywQ3RB7JZtUnBRYXcIVirBeFDoZt8RJrVWeJN_QztWSZ2FrWUQl6fj9fxLK3G93Z4jjpIo/s1600/IMG_3652.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First test run on the treadmill in a tank top & no extra Body Glide w/ no issues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>After testing it out over the last few months....</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Pros:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Front zipper pocket: This is actually large enough to hold my iPhone in a LifeProof case & chapstick (I like to have easy access to my phone, mostly for pictures but also in case I need to use it)</li>
<li>Adjustable front straps: Not only do they adjust length wise but they slide up and down the piping as well so the straps are in the perfect place for a women's body (read not directly across the chest region and smashing the "girls")</li>
<li>Adjustable side straps: With 2 side straps as well it makes it easier to get the fit that is right for you.</li>
<li>Bottle placement: The small lightweight bottles fit nicely right above the chest and right below the shoulder blades when adjusted properly.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Zj2HssMOp_ZzySgql7oPS23exRCAC9DRcX2MdgTrbQMG2dFF0Ravk5bHwPqiJCJilKsYUc8Iq4Mp1luVoqpUUu89A7ZkRD-0MZxV1DlBbQU7DEGVveH7QLOPbH_ke8zg46vWEg1T-w8/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Zj2HssMOp_ZzySgql7oPS23exRCAC9DRcX2MdgTrbQMG2dFF0Ravk5bHwPqiJCJilKsYUc8Iq4Mp1luVoqpUUu89A7ZkRD-0MZxV1DlBbQU7DEGVveH7QLOPbH_ke8zg46vWEg1T-w8/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once properly adjusted the bottles sit much higher so it's not squishing anything and the straps can be adjusted to go above and below the chest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="text-align: center;"> Sleek: Seriously without the bladder in the vest, even with other stuff like TP, Picky Bars and spare gloves it fits nicely against the back and is not bulky or have a "back pack" type feel.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDi35FwrvkeELsXmW6OXLdGtSf8xhuyKY0BgVBxfg42uSSYg4_HLUUthLcVuKdcBr7vTklK02rEupYppAG89hcJCmYDWQ6qfWW3zhRtqrFGk_DI8-rFFTz0WzZXrz6WN68SoG2inrH_c/s1600/IMG_4882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDi35FwrvkeELsXmW6OXLdGtSf8xhuyKY0BgVBxfg42uSSYg4_HLUUthLcVuKdcBr7vTklK02rEupYppAG89hcJCmYDWQ6qfWW3zhRtqrFGk_DI8-rFFTz0WzZXrz6WN68SoG2inrH_c/s1600/IMG_4882.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No added bulk even when it has stuff in the back pouches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Storage: There are tons of pockets, including a front zipper pouch, front velcro closed pouch, 2 large compartments on the back and a small zippered pouch for a key or other little objects</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Front Pockets/View</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUMWr8idG9NzcMaBpLc_NR9Xjiz2JrrAVhi4WU_88kPWGFzFKW04Ho1kiSVdYkO00pzMVaNbyCEbkZdZKAZs7x8ts21pcnbaF5G3TVWKsB0V72hAQuTM4Eq1DVx-OIhF5oPpFoTeYNfA/s1600/P4130884original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUMWr8idG9NzcMaBpLc_NR9Xjiz2JrrAVhi4WU_88kPWGFzFKW04Ho1kiSVdYkO00pzMVaNbyCEbkZdZKAZs7x8ts21pcnbaF5G3TVWKsB0V72hAQuTM4Eq1DVx-OIhF5oPpFoTeYNfA/s1600/P4130884original.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front w/ pockets "packed" -The 2 straps on the front of the vest slide up and down the piping for the perfect fit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidord88UH7taMc9zy__39N_I0_OEHb4qVZaPR5Icp-pSCGPqAPwLTcP59mdxNZ_UGEQdIghhfz6VP58nCqrNU_2bxBYGHwZkKt1kiY0DnjmNLj3HK6r3nhj8jzo-r9RQuU0BB3wLfRrX0/s1600/P4130885original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidord88UH7taMc9zy__39N_I0_OEHb4qVZaPR5Icp-pSCGPqAPwLTcP59mdxNZ_UGEQdIghhfz6VP58nCqrNU_2bxBYGHwZkKt1kiY0DnjmNLj3HK6r3nhj8jzo-r9RQuU0BB3wLfRrX0/s1600/P4130885original.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is packed in those closed pockets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Back compartments & bungee for clothing storage:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzam0daQCM30suvKh-IYPSSQKef2oUoxSl12KDeH5TocWmVF38dv-JAGc7TJOTEHc3caaUT9GUIH-_iLXzo1Sad89Yu3DcQ4yBCTfsU6xwxoUvD4iiK3A2IogcapsSNcykVo7uKLBMnFM/s1600/P4130892original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzam0daQCM30suvKh-IYPSSQKef2oUoxSl12KDeH5TocWmVF38dv-JAGc7TJOTEHc3caaUT9GUIH-_iLXzo1Sad89Yu3DcQ4yBCTfsU6xwxoUvD4iiK3A2IogcapsSNcykVo7uKLBMnFM/s1600/P4130892original.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ES0AgVR_MfxpKilR3fdDmg422qmyfphmf89uoN2iaZu-VrWbuwBPtIwxNAEH6m3HKa0m50Qtn_Dut5ShsTWjN1Zrsbdn0je8gJe3JhyphenhypheneNY8Gwm2AmMAZfdt6U5J1UWCD0j0YDihuU8/s1600/P4130890original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ES0AgVR_MfxpKilR3fdDmg422qmyfphmf89uoN2iaZu-VrWbuwBPtIwxNAEH6m3HKa0m50Qtn_Dut5ShsTWjN1Zrsbdn0je8gJe3JhyphenhypheneNY8Gwm2AmMAZfdt6U5J1UWCD0j0YDihuU8/s1600/P4130890original.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGjCLCBLAFLaEJ56gbAb05Vg6R1dmj1DroJe-oECmtK0Nsel4wB5u_diCnMZqp4TH9zSF0-GJmSopZeZNpj_GO4HObyw8F5Tvci2Nb4vB7p_XiNa5b07by-yFPySEtd4G-2_hyfrTRek/s1600/P4130891original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGjCLCBLAFLaEJ56gbAb05Vg6R1dmj1DroJe-oECmtK0Nsel4wB5u_diCnMZqp4TH9zSF0-GJmSopZeZNpj_GO4HObyw8F5Tvci2Nb4vB7p_XiNa5b07by-yFPySEtd4G-2_hyfrTRek/s1600/P4130891original.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small zipper pouch & the extra hair tie included (it's the little things people!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Chafing or lack of: So far I have had no issues with chafing and now that it is properly adjusted for warm weather running (tank tops and humidity) I do not see an issue in the future either. The material is soft and does not have an harsh seams that rub which makes it really comfortable to wear.</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxQ4_RQ0SfO98J5LXnvxWHJMGxOyjFft3rJ01Tc-SAtHiPd6eXt_CgYS7cZNeivB3qvidV2Y97a2QoNxvu2qojYM0Ood1DG7UXdF9i9vlM-2OD9Sehyphenhyphen78fN-0VQ7rX67J3IutwjeocWs/s1600/IMG_5573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxQ4_RQ0SfO98J5LXnvxWHJMGxOyjFft3rJ01Tc-SAtHiPd6eXt_CgYS7cZNeivB3qvidV2Y97a2QoNxvu2qojYM0Ood1DG7UXdF9i9vlM-2OD9Sehyphenhyphen78fN-0VQ7rX67J3IutwjeocWs/s1600/IMG_5573.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3.5 hour trail run in a tech shirt w/ no issues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Cons:</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Bottle Size/Fluid Capacity: Because of where the bottles sit you are limited to the smaller sized bottles. This is not saying you cannot throw a 20 oz bottle in there, it just may jab you in the chin a few times. The 10 oz bottles will not be a problem on race day either since aide stations are close enough together that 20 oz will be enough. However, on unsupported long runs 20 oz is not enough unless you are looping several times. There are 2 fixes for these however both do require separate purchases. The <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-598-70-oz-reservoir.aspx" target="_blank">70 oz reservoir</a>, then I could fill the small bottles through out the run or the new <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-631-body-bottle.aspx?category=bottles-essentials" target="_blank">Body Bottles</a> that are 14 oz (adding an extra 8 total onces, and possibly carry 2 spare bottles in one of the back compartments so I would have 48 total oz of water) This is a minor detail though in my opinion since it can be remedied with the additional purchases. (I will update my review once I pick up these items and try it on a few unsupported, non looping long runs)</li>
</ul>
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Overall I am really happy with the Jenny Collection Ultra Vesta, it was worth both the wait and the money in my opinion. I would recommend it to any women looking for a new hydration system.</div>
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<b>UPDATE: </b>The Jenny Ultra Vesta has done a good job in all of the training runs and the self supported 50k on a looped course. It still has not caused any chafing and held up well so far. My concern is still the smaller bottles (I did purchase both the reservoir and the body bottles and have used both). As I pack and plan for the Mohican I am having issues trying to figure out where to put the Tailwind Nutrition, where to put water and how to carry as little as possible since there will be aid stations ever 4-8 miles. As of now it looks like I will have Tailwind in the front 2 bottles and carry the water in the reservoir, this is not actually ideal, 20 oz of Tailwind is not enough to get me to my 2nd drop bag so I will have to mix at an aid station or on the trail, which can be a pain with the smaller bottles. I had thought about just carrying the reservoir with Tailwind, but then what happens when I want to rinse off or just want water, I wish it was a double chambered reservoir. I will update once I finish the Mohican, by then I may have it figured it out.</div>
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<b>Have you checked out the new Jenny Collection Ultra Vesta? Do you have any questions about the vest that I missed in my review? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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(Note: I purchased the Ultra Vesta with my own money and reviewed it without compensation from Ultimate Direction)</div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-52615220907910542582014-03-25T08:07:00.001-07:002014-03-25T08:07:09.148-07:00Rock CF Race Week!!I am so EXCITED! It is <a href="http://www.outruncf.com/" target="_blank">Rock CF</a> race week, in fact it is less then a week away now, and I am over the moon excited. Originally I had high hopes for this race, since it is fast and relatively flat, I was really hoping to shave off those last 4 seconds and break 2 hours. I let go of that goal last week though, I have a goal of completing a 100 miler this year and this is my primary goal, so that meant letting go of the official sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon (I ran a sub 2 on a training run last year, but it was not "official"). It meant dialing back the mileage and laying of the speed work to allow my nagging shin pain to subside. I am at "peace" with this decision, since the long term goal is more important then a temporary win. I am looking forward to having fun along the course and leaving my Garmin 310XT at home once again, allowing me to run by feel, not by a number.<br />
<br />
<b>Why is this race so exciting?</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The funds it raises for Cystic Fibrosis!</li>
<li>Smaller scale, beautiful course on Grosse Isle, great community support.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nuun.com/" target="_blank">NUUN</a> is the official course drink!!! (WAHOO!! A race in Michigan that is serving Nuun!!)</li>
<li>Cookies at the finish line. Seriously these cookies are amazing and homemade. The ladies on Grosse Isle work hard making these tasty treats.</li>
<li><a href="http://elguapogrill.com/" target="_blank">El Guapo</a> food truck at the finish line. Ok, do you see a trend? Food and drink always gets my attention. El Guapo is one of my favorite food trucks that can normally be found at Eastern Market on Saturdays, so I am excited it will be out on a Sunday, and that might just add some pep in my step.</li>
<li>Forecast: I know the forecast can change several times between now and race day, but fingers crossed it really is 50 degrees and sunny. That would be the best way to kick off the spring racing season here.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Night Before Race Day Plan:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I do not have much of a plan for the night before, other then volunteering at packet pick up in the afternoon and then returning home to watch The Last Mile. Not only is it an inspirational running movie but the race director and founder of Rock CF, Emily Schaller, is featured in it. If you want to get pumped up the night before a race (or even race morning if you tend to get up super early) this movie will do it. </div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/57525597" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/57525597">The Last Mile</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/redtideproductions">Red Tide Productions</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
<br />
<div>
<b>Race day plan:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Outfit: Not sure at this time but I am hoping that it will be skirt and t-shirt weather, so my outfit will most likely include arm sleeves, Nuun visor and maybe some throw away gloves.</li>
<li>Nutrition: Since this is a half marathon I will be relying on <a href="http://www.energybits.com//vitalitybits.html" target="_blank">Vitality Bits</a> and a <a href="http://www.pickybars.com/" target="_blank">Picky Bar</a> before the race and 3 <a href="http://islandboost.com/" target="_blank">Island Boosts</a> and Nuun to fuel me throughout. (and because Nuun is the course drink I do not have to carry my handheld!)</li>
<li>Gear: I will be trying out a <a href="http://www.fuelbelt.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1086/.f" target="_blank">Race Number Belt from Fuel Belt</a>. I am looking for something to wear during Woodstock that can easily be worn and transferred when I change clothes. (I would like to avoid safety pins for my race number) I may or may not have my iPod Shuffle with me. I have been enjoying running without music but if I end up in funk music might help if I'm on the course alone.</li>
<li>Leave the Garmin at home and run by feel. (Good thing it's a certified course so it won't technically be over on mileage, just what I make it since I can't cut a tangent.)</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Are you racing this weekend? Are you putting in the last of your long runs for an upcoming spring race?</b></div>
</div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-83683488235085543122014-02-27T16:06:00.000-08:002014-02-27T16:06:40.367-08:00Life and Running….<h3>
Life:</h3>
Once again it has been awhile since I sat down to write. I have been spending the last month focusing on being a better mother/wife and a more present mother/wife. I really felt that I was missing so many moments in our daily lives trying to be a part of social media and the blogging world. I know I was searching for a purpose outside of the home because that is what I was used to, and that is where I believed my worth would come from. However, what I have discovered over the last couple months is that every day with my boys, even though it does not earn a pay check, has a purpose. <br />
<br />
I spent a few nights reading "<a href="http://www.handsfreemama.com/" target="_blank">Hands Free Mama</a>" (both the book and the blog) by Rachel Mary Stafford awhile back. Really, it was exactly what I needed. It has helped me shift perspective, love & forgive (mostly myself even though I am an imperfect mother who makes mistakes) and most of all I have put down my phone and stepped away from the computer. The memories we have created over the last few months having "Hands Free" meals and being "Hands Free" while we wait for the bus or appointments are so wonderful, they are not amazing, in fact many would just call them ordinary. But it is in the everyday, ordinary conversations and moments that I am finding the greatest joy in these days. It is in the hand holding, uninterrupted conversation, the giggle or smile, the little discoveries they make each day as they explore this new world. All of the things that I can honestly say I was missing as I read blogs, checked various social media, and focused more on the laundry and dishes then the kids. That does not mean we live in a messy house, in fact laundry is on it's way to being caught up daily and cleaning is getting done as well. I have found the patience to incorporate the boys into these tasks even though they do not do them "perfect" or even the way I would. I have learned to breathe, take a moment, just sit and snuggle and be in the moment without worrying about the to do lists or all the things I "need" to do. Becoming "hands free" has been and will continue to be a journey. There will be days that I make the right choice, some days I will not, but every day I am trying to make memories and remember to breathe.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Running:</h3>
<div>
Mother Nature has not given up. She continues to make this winter one of the worst I can remember. It is cold and exhausting to go for a run, in fact a quick run takes almost all of my running gear and turns into a load of laundry. February will end up being less then 100 miles for the month (90ish depending on if I get out tomorrow or not). A few weeks ago my treadmill literally started smoking and it needs a new motor. On days that I am the solo parent I have resorted to strength training and using the elliptical. It's not running, but it works. I have managed to get all my longer runs in outside including a back to back double digit weekend, some 18 milers, and a 20 miler yesterday. I still am amazed that almost 2 years ago I dropped down to a half marathon because I could not handle a 15 mile training run and now 15 is almost "normal". Consistency has paid off, I am still not the fastest, but I would definitely consider myself a runner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As of now the plan is to run the Mohican 50 miler in June as my training run for Woodstock, and at least 1 to 2 unsupported 50k's before then once the trails become decent again. I have had some fun over the last few weeks trying out my new <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-612-ultra-vesta.aspx?category=jenny-collection" target="_blank">Ultimate Direction Jenny Ultra Vesta</a> (LOVE! This vest fits fabulous, no bouncing or weird back chafing), experimenting with my <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/" target="_blank">Tailwind nutrition</a> (Other then <a href="http://nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun</a> and the occasional <a href="http://www.pickybars.com/" target="_blank">Picky Bar</a> before I start), this is all I have been using for fuel and so far am loving it. Not stomach issues and drinking it every .5/1 mile it helps me avoid crashing) and even tried out some Zero Drop <a href="http://www.altrarunning.com/" target="_blank">Altra</a>.</div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-57259853599652149322014-01-27T17:56:00.002-08:002014-01-27T17:56:23.514-08:00I'm still here...I have not posted for some time now. Seriously it has been a few weeks. Not because I do not have anything to say but lately I am trying to figure out what I really want to say, need to say and how to say it.<br />
<br />
Life is good right now. Running is going really well even though the Polar Vortex is putting a cramp in my style and forcing me onto the treadmill more then I would like and away from trails. Each week I feel stronger and ready to take on the challenge of a 100 Mile Race in September. The rest of life is going well also, the Polar Vortex is cramping my oldest school routine and we have faced a record number of "snow days" which leads me to some creative camp counselor like behavior when the oldest is home unexpectedly and we are stuck inside.<br />
<br />
So I promise I will be blogging regularly here soon when I get everything organized and all of the jumbled thoughts together neatly so they make sense.<br />
<br />
In the meantime I stay active on Instagram (Smallstepsseriouschafing) and Twitter (@Mywalkonmoon) if you would like to follow me there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MZIEDPOmulkkWzjIdQqEBOrFCuRM2vymREsoFQ-zo7Awtox-bBTS0tgMEwG906W-f3bgA5AvWXDlP7ZPAfwtYdjZ5-Fqvvat2o1Ke3wfyGr0rQV9fO6WwVBtOIsC9ZbbXp1mJQoU2Po/s1600/IMG_3736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MZIEDPOmulkkWzjIdQqEBOrFCuRM2vymREsoFQ-zo7Awtox-bBTS0tgMEwG906W-f3bgA5AvWXDlP7ZPAfwtYdjZ5-Fqvvat2o1Ke3wfyGr0rQV9fO6WwVBtOIsC9ZbbXp1mJQoU2Po/s1600/IMG_3736.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles after a recent 18 mile long run in my new Jenny Ultimate Direction Vest & fueled by Tailwind and Nuun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-61874027668981984982014-01-05T07:55:00.002-08:002014-01-05T07:55:54.766-08:00Logging the miles on my treadmill...After we had our second child the husband and I rejoined the fancy gym by our house. We had high hopes of attending all the classes and getting our workouts in while our two bundles of joy played happily in the state of the art child center. See that is not really how it worked out, child #2 hated the child center (and bless the hearts of those workers because they really tried to calm the tears) and making it to the classes never really fit into our schedule. After awhile we stopped even attempting. Adding child #3 to the picture did not help our gym experience and basically we kept it only so our oldest could take swim lessons. Last summer though we came to the decision that we were going to cancel the gym membership and put that money towards a treadmill. It was better then nothing when an outside run was not possible for whatever reason, but I honestly loathed the thing. I used it a handful of times up until recently when I decided that it if I really wanted to run a 100 miler this year, run a 4:20 marathon and a sub 2 hour half marathon I would have to get to know my treadmill and start logging the miles.<br />
<br />
Over the last week I logged 30 miles on the treadmill, including a 7 mile interval run, a 4 mile speed work session, a 4 mile easy run, and a 15 mile long run (and I still have a 6 mile easy on the schedule for today). Was it ideal? No. Did it work? Yes. Was it hard? Unbelievable hard, both physically and mentally.<br />
<br />
<h3>
How I have made "friends" with my treadmill and actually started enjoying the miles:</h3>
<br />
1. Running while the kids are sleeping/napping/happily entertained by daddy or the electronic babysitter (This is big because a run is not really relaxing if there are fighting kids or nagging kids hanging on the gate asking for things.)<br />
<br />
2. Finding a new movie/TV show to watch. I have a list of TV shows I would like to see but don't have time for, so now that I am spending some time on the mill I can catch up or watch some of those must see TV shows.<br />
<br />
3. Being caught up on housework. It was hard at first for me to run on the treadmill knowing that 100 ft away was a sink full of dishes, or that just upstairs there was a pile of laundry. In the past there were times the guilt of choosing running over housework was overwhelming and I stopped runs early. (Guilt was self inflicted and I know taking the time to make myself strong and healthy is just as important as the laundry being put away.)<br />
<br />
4. Reading a new book. On the easy runs I find that I can read on the iPad pretty easily if I make the text bigger. This has been nice since normally I do not have time to just sit down and read.<br />
<br />
5. Spotify and Itunes have provided music for several of the miles when I wanted to zone out and just listen to music.<br />
<br />
6. Playing with speed and hills throughout the workouts has helped with the boredom and gives me a mental game to play.<br />
<br />
7. Knowing that I do not have to worry about cars or my surroundings allows me to focus on my form throughout the run. I can take the time to "reset" and "realign" throughout the run.<br />
<br />
8. Changing my attitude and perspective. Instead of looking at it as the "dreadmill" I started focusing on all of the positives of being able to have/use a treadmill and just like most things in life when my attitude towards it changed, so did my experience.<br />
<br />
9. Found inspiration via Twitter. There are some insanely awesome people on twitter that I follow and anytime I want to talk about how tough a 6 mile treadmill run is I just hop over to <a href="http://www.runemz.com/" target="_blank">Run EMZ</a> and check out one of her 100 mile treadmill runs, or when she got off the treadmill and kicked serious ass at the Javelina Jundred 100. (And I also may have "stole" her catch phrase to repeat in my head when things get tough "You've. Freaking. Got. This.")<br />
<br />
10. I have practiced my counting skills. Seriously I start counting with the 100th place value in the miles towards the end or doing speed work. I have gotten really good at counting by 2's.<br />
<br />
I am starting to see my treadmill as a valuable tool in my training and I will most likely log a good number of miles on it in the coming year. While it is not a true replacement, since nothing beats being outside and running in nature, it will work and will allow me to log the necessary miles to accomplish my goals.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Do you run on the treadmill? Avoid the treadmill? How do you fight treadmill "boredom"?</h4>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-89374503398553817812013-12-27T11:14:00.002-08:002013-12-27T11:14:46.681-08:002014 - News, Races, & Goals<h3>
<b>News:</b></h3>
2014 is shaping up to be a stellar year already. A few weeks ago I got an exciting email letting me know that I have been chosen to be a <a href="http://www.nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun</a> Ambassador for 2014. WAHOO! I honestly love Nuun, I will say that not only has it helped my training/hydration but it has also helped me kick my soda addiction. It has a great taste (much better then many of the sports "drinks" out there) and I love the fizz it has right after the tablet dissolves. I have a tube of Nuun in my purse, car, and Bear II at all times. Applying to be an ambassador for Nuun was a pretty easy decision, not only to I believe in their product but since discovering it over a year ago I have seen all that they do for the running community. I am really excited to be a part of this extremely hydrated and motivating "family"!<br />
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<h3>
2014 Races:</h3>
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January 11: PoHo Hot Chocolate 8k</div>
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March 1: Pazcki 5K</div>
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March 30: Rock CF 1/2 Marathon</div>
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May 10th: Weekend Warrior Full Marathon </div>
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August 23: North Country 50 Miler</div>
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September 5: Woodstock 100 (need to register when it opens)</div>
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There is a possibility for a relay race in July but as of now nothing is set in stone so I am not planning on it. But overall that is the extent of my 2014 "racing". I will be spending some time on trails for a few Fat Ass 50k's and hopefully a 50 miler, plus almost every holiday our local running group does a Fat Ass Half Marathon so I will be getting in the distance. Since we will be moving sometime next Spring I am hesitant to pay for/commit to any races and then not be able to make them, plus in all honesty I hate paying for races when I can run for free.</div>
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I am perfectly happy with this race schedule and the few races that are on it for now (yes there may be 1 or 2 added throughout the year if the timing works) I look forward to running the 2 new races and returning to the other 4 for another go at the course.</div>
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<h3>
2014 Goals:</h3>
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1) Sub 2 hr at Rock CF in March-I do not know that I want to just sub 2, I really want to crush it. Being only 4 seconds away last year at Bayshore really has been bothering me because I cannot help but think I could have given just a little bit more.</div>
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2) Sub 4:20 Full Marathon in May-I have not run a full marathon since 2004 so I am not sure what to expect for the 26.2, I know that I will be racing it much differently then my 50K last September. I do want to run it in less then 4:20 since that will take an hour off my first (and only) marathon time.</div>
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3) Complete both a 50 miler and 100 miler in 2014. These 2 will be tests of perseverance and sheer determination. I will be attempting the 100 miler only 2 weeks after my first official 50, so it is going to be tough, but if I train properly and stay safe I can do it.</div>
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With the help of my <a href="http://www.believeiam.com/products/the-believe-i-am-training-journal" target="_blank">Believe I Am journal</a> and both the online and local running communities I have become a part of I can cross all 4 of these goals off my list by the end of 2014. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
What do you have for 2014? Any exciting news, goals or races?</h3>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-21166284331378525832013-12-07T18:54:00.002-08:002013-12-07T18:54:45.854-08:00When they cancel the race...<br />
For the last 6 months I have been looking forward to a trip to Dallas. It not only included a girls weekend with a runner friend from Michigan but also are friend who lives down there now and I have not seen since last spring but also the Dallas Metro PCS 1/2 Marathon.<br />
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However as the 10 day forecast stalking started so did the realization that the trip may not actually happen. There were icicles hanging off clouds on the forecast! (I rarely see that in the Michigan forecast) This could not be a good thing. Never in a million years did I think when flying in December my problem would be flying into Dallas, if anything I worried I would not be able to fly back into Detroit Metro.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep it was going from 77 to 37 in a matter of days!</td></tr>
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Thursday night though I remained hopeful, packed my suitcase, got the last few things together at the house and went to bed early. I knew things were already getting bad in Texas and that the weather was already causing problems. However are flight was not landing till 10:45 am on Friday, so there was still time for things to clear up.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a little weather advisory</td></tr>
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Friday morning I woke up, checked my flight, it said it was still on time, so I got ready, picked up my runner friend that was traveling with me, and off we went. We got the car parked, through security, grabbed a coffee and headed to the gate. Sure enough close to 7:56 am they started boarding our plane. WHAT!?!? It's really going to happen. I was so excited even though I was still a little nervous about the weather conditions but obviously if we were flying out things could not be that bad. That's when things changed, the people that had just boarded were being escorted off and Delta was announcing that the flight was cancelled. Within 5 minutes we had already been rebooked on the 5:25 pm flight. Ok, just a delay, we can still get there. Since we had already parked the car, we decided hanging out at the airport was the best idea and we knew we had an extra set of workout clothes so why not find a treadmill. Luckily the Westin Hotel that is connected to Detroit Metro Airport has a very nice exercise room (4 treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes, free weights, and a pool/hot tub). For $15 a person we were able to access the fitness center for the day, which included the locker rooms and showers. Was this ideal? No. It was better then sitting in the airport though. We changed and managed to each log 7.5 treadmill miles, plus some core/strength work before soaking in the hot tub and chatting for over an hour and a half. Uninterrupted adult conversation with a friend, honestly it was great.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie in the fancy Westin lobby</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie after 7.5 sweaty treadmill miles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the treadmill</td></tr>
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As the day went on, the conditions in Dallas only seemed to get worse and before the Dallas Metro PCS Marathon had made the official announcement to cancel, we had collectively decided that making the trip was not the best choice or the responsible choice. Not only was the weather still awful, there were (and are as I write this) that did not have power. There were countless accidents already because the roads were so horrible. Even if the flight to Dallas had taken off on Friday night, having our friend or her husband make the 20+ minute on a good day drive from Southlake to pick us up was not safe. Even if the race actually happened on Sunday, it seemed selfish to expect emergency workers or city personal who could be better used elsewhere, blocking off traffic and monitoring a race. It seemed selfish to have bottled water and finish line food, when there are people in the city that could use that at that moment more then me. It seemed selfish to take a seat on an airplane, to make a trip that suddenly had so many more cons then pros, when there were men and women just trying to get home to their families who were suffering the storm alone. It was not an easy decision, and really sometimes being an adult and making a logical choice stinks, but it was the right decision. <div>
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Am I sad that I was not able to make the trip, sure, I was looking forward to a girls weekend with my friends. I was looking forward to a long overdue run with my friend. It will happen, there will be time around Christmas and we are already looking at a reschedule weekend (this time not in December).</div>
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Ultimately the race was canceled and in my opinion it was the right decision. </div>
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PERSPECTIVE! This whole adventure was really a lesson on perspective, and honestly a much needed lesson because lately I have apparently forgotten how important perspective is. It was about finding the positive in a negative situation. I was reminded that how I felt about a situation was dependent on how I looked at the situation.</div>
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So this weekend instead of sitting around a pouting (which I will admit I did Friday night for a short period of time after the kids went to bed and allowed myself to be a little sad I was not going), I decided to make the best of it. It has included a sunny 10 mile run around the beautiful city of Detroit, a stop at RUN Detroit, breakfast from Avalon Bakery, a nap, some quality time and dinner with the family, the MSU game and tomorrow includes a big day of lounging around, snuggles and the Lions.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 10 wonderful miles w/ our friends Alia and ACE from RUN Detroit</td></tr>
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<b>I hope you all have a great weekend! Any big plans?</b></div>
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~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-22779337190400635352013-11-24T15:42:00.001-08:002013-11-24T15:42:21.631-08:00New Trails and 3 weeks of Ultra Training Recap...This weekend totally kicked butt! Seriously! I spent Saturday afternoon on a new trail system with a few runners from a Facebook group I had joined after Woodstock. I had heard only a few things about Stinchfield Woods and what I had seen was beautiful so I threw it out there as a possible meet up and trail run location. I had planned out an 8 mile route, but the map was not the greatest and the trails were not marked, so the map that we had quickly became a "reference". The 7 of us headed out and as we got to intersections someone basically just picked a direction. The good thing about Stinchfield is it really is not that large and has a few key land marks, like the observatory, to help guide you out of a trail. After 3 hours and 10.75 miles (there was a ton of stops, picture taking, overall marveling at the beauty of the woods), we were all starting to get cold and it was getting late so we called it a day. It was really awesome to explore a new place with some really cool fellow runners. However after looking at the Garmin data, there are still so much more to explore and I cannot wait to check it out again soon.<br />
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Now for a little ultra training recap. It is looking like Land Between the Lakes will be my first 50 miler next March and I am training like that's the plan. So far the first 3 weeks have been great, the first two weeks I hit the milage and actually exceeded last weeks by 1 mile, however this week ended up being 12 miles short. This shortage came from only reaching 10.75 on the trails yesterday, and skipping a 6 mile run all together today and using the elliptical instead. My right shin has been bothering me for several weeks (looking back it has been a nagging cramp for months), and the muscle next to it is constantly cramping during runs, so I decided it needed a break today and would benefit from a low impact workout followed by some rolling. I know for me to run 2 50 milers and 1 100 miler next year I have to train and race smart. It is going to be a matter of trusting my gut when it comes to training as well. I know that some days the miles will be important, but as we head into a Michigan winter, hours on my feet will be taking precedent to actual miles logged once the trails become snow covered. It is going to come down to putting in the work, and if I need a rest day taking, not because I have an excuse to not run but honestly asking myself if I can benefit from something else like rest, yoga, cross training, or an elliptical. The biggest problem I have had over the last 3 weeks is my appetite! The increase in miles has made me hungry, like EAT ALL THINGS hungry. So next week my goals is to make 100% clean eating choices when I get hungry, not just 75% of the time and then raid the pantry for sweets the other 25%. Getting my eating habits under control again is going to be important because the last thing I want to do is carry extra weight for 100 miles.</div>
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If you want to follow my daily training I can be found on Dailymile (<a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/JessE12#ref=tophd" target="_blank">click here</a>).</div>
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<b>How was your running weekend? Do you run for time or milage or both?</b></div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-66019131262470712372013-11-09T05:19:00.003-08:002013-11-09T05:29:56.379-08:00Inside My Bear II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A few days ago Alex on Instagram asked me what was inside my <a href="http://victorysportdesign.com/?product=bear-ii-6" target="_blank">Victory Sportdesign Bear II</a>. I picked up the Bear II back in August before Run Woodstock after hearing about it on <a href="http://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/" target="_blank">Ultrarunner Podcast</a>. It was the best bag I could find to keep me organized and hopefully minimize time at aid stations looking for whatever I needed, and considering it was designed by ultra runner Victor Ballesteros, I figured he knew what worked. (Which by the way it did work and I did not have trouble finding anything at Run Woodstock during the 50K) Right now since I do not have any ultras for a few months it has been converted from a "drop bag" to a pick up and go running where ever and whenever bag. (This saves me time for the stupid early runs because I can easily grab my headlamp/my handheld/or anything else I may "need")</div>
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<b>Overall opinion on the Bear II</b>: Sturdy construction, color is bright so it is easy to find and also does not make things "lost" in the bottom of the bag like bags with darker colored interiors, lots of pockets for organization and clear outer front/top sleeves to "personalize" the bag (perfect for those that like to visualize their goals).</div>
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<b>Biggest Concern:</b> Everyone is going to catch on to the awesomeness that is the Bear II and next thing you know it will just be a sea of red drop bags. I also wish it was just a tad larger and have thought about eventually purchasing another one for clothes/shoes at races. (But I am holding out to see what their new bag the Grizzly looks like first)</div>
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So here is what I am currently storing in mine at the moment:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1C2J6jbg4DSQJ4CeQwOvqdQyL5ibcYPplHs7KVg9rBEtXPkMbfB56Zw4VgR3cZa0Bp6G-axWJxCXmNamCDmzTRufwXNXbKYba3ZeE2Wmcbh8yF8hF3LmAPBXeV4qgFTPArDmzWeD42h4/s640/blogger-image-1171737158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1C2J6jbg4DSQJ4CeQwOvqdQyL5ibcYPplHs7KVg9rBEtXPkMbfB56Zw4VgR3cZa0Bp6G-axWJxCXmNamCDmzTRufwXNXbKYba3ZeE2Wmcbh8yF8hF3LmAPBXeV4qgFTPArDmzWeD42h4/s640/blogger-image-1171737158.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything packed up nicely (There is still a good 2" at the top that I can fold up a shirt/shorts/socks and throw them in there)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left side of the bag & contents from the "Food" and "Misc" pockets (not shown is 2 pairs or gloves which are drying w/ the laundry & a Simple Hydration bottle which is in the washer)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right side of the bag with contents from the "Personal" and "Safety" pockets (not shown Garmin/Road Id/Endorphin Warrior Bracelet b/c they are next to my computer) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6pJqNtpjccRycxEu61AM297PT77kuxCCAYElH_vxFpekdpO2aNROSWB3jTiSrRAS13V9ajMWQlB7PSH0Hfp8f5SlkMoEWSu95EZLf2zFgPSG3PunXDZK8IvvtQLFxTY8mG3Wtf1BCys/s640/blogger-image-1752915150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6pJqNtpjccRycxEu61AM297PT77kuxCCAYElH_vxFpekdpO2aNROSWB3jTiSrRAS13V9ajMWQlB7PSH0Hfp8f5SlkMoEWSu95EZLf2zFgPSG3PunXDZK8IvvtQLFxTY8mG3Wtf1BCys/s640/blogger-image-1752915150.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top little pockets for meds/batteries/misc little things</td></tr>
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For a small and compact bag it stores a ton of stuff and it is all easily accessible. It even came in handy on our recent family vacation when the oldest kid was having allergy issues. We were able to take care of it at a rest stop with some allergy medicine from my Bear II (which I had brought incase I could squeeze a run in). I would recommend this product to anyone looking for either a drop bag or an all purpose running bag.<br />
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<i>Disclaimer: Pictures were taken with my less then stellar phone at 6 am but you can get the idea of what the bag is all about. I purchased the Bear II and was not in anyway compensated or instructed by Victory Sportdesign to write a review. Opinions as always are my own. </i><br />
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<b>How do you store all of your running stuff and keep it organized?</b></div>
<br />~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-77361905562647047592013-11-06T05:17:00.003-08:002013-11-06T05:17:43.090-08:00Mash up and wrap up....<b>First up the winner of the Island Boost Giveaway:</b> There is no winner because Rafflecopter is acting funny & telling me it cannot pick a winner so the people that entered will all get a sample of Island Boost to try, be on the look out for an email coming later today. (These samples are from my own stash because that is how much I believe in the product Island Boost did not sponsor this giveaway or provide me with any compensation to giveaway their product)<div>
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<b>Second: </b>My guest post ran this week over on www.michiganrunnergirl.com: <a href="http://michiganrunnergirl.com/going-long-michigan-runner-jessica-ericson-on-making-the-transition-to-ultra-running/" target="_blank">Going Long & the transition to Ultra Running</a>...check it out, it was a fun piece to write.</div>
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<b>Third: </b>Working on my 2014 plan and finalizing the races that I would like to run, planning out training schedules and getting started in my quest for a 100 Mile Belt Buckle. Stay tuned for a detailed plan in the next few days.</div>
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Now off to catch up on laundry and housework since while mini vacations are fun they often mean 2 times as much work when I get home. (The memories created are totally worth it though). </div>
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Happy Wednesday & Carry On!</div>
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~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-31615258965923741952013-10-22T10:07:00.004-07:002013-10-22T10:07:40.037-07:00Island Boost ReviewI have always had really hard time with certain gels and they always lead to stomach cramping and heavy stomach feeling after I washed them down with the recommended water. Back in June I saw <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/" target="_blank">Island Boost</a> pop up on twitter feeds and in a few blogs. Upon researching the company and product (see their FAQ page <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/index.php/faq" target="_blank">HERE</a>) I found out two things that peeked my interest: 1) It was not necessary to take Island Boost with water and 2) It supposedly worked quickly so it would no longer be necessary to take it 15 minutes before I needed it. I was placing an order with REI anyways so I added a few Island Boosts to my cart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij03T2wWRNwEljZ18FPXXzVUYtHjnejz1w948nt1L9IymY1rbw-e05na4FBy8G8R1G5dAgoEvwz-AeCfUfSXrq7IbqXLQBWbV2a6PiWGpIyT7ddCfEfgbqc-ThyphenhyphentAeBlf6Si00a9TPQHk/s1600/20130913062824-IB-WEB-TRIPLE_FLAVOR_FRONTSM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij03T2wWRNwEljZ18FPXXzVUYtHjnejz1w948nt1L9IymY1rbw-e05na4FBy8G8R1G5dAgoEvwz-AeCfUfSXrq7IbqXLQBWbV2a6PiWGpIyT7ddCfEfgbqc-ThyphenhyphentAeBlf6Si00a9TPQHk/s1600/20130913062824-IB-WEB-TRIPLE_FLAVOR_FRONTSM.png" height="282" width="320" /></a></div>
I have been using Island Boost since July as my primary source of fuel for my runs (I say primary because during my ultra training and 50K race I did need actual food like sandwiches, nuts, fruit etc) So here is what I think:<br />
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<b>Taste</b>: I can taste the coconut water in all 3 flavors but it is not so over powering that I feel like I am eating/drinking sunscreen. Overall all 3 of the original flavors are good, with Passion being my favorite, and all 3 taste fabulous frozen.<br />
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<b>Consistency</b>: This was the biggest surprise, because it really is not sticky or gel like at all, in fact it is a liquid.<br />
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<b>Does it live up to it's claims?:</b> YES! Island Boost essentially saved my butt at mile 14 of my 50k when I ran out of water and still had 2.6 miles to go until the next aid station and all I had left was some nut butter and 2 Island Boosts. I never take it with water and I have never had stomach issues. I rarely take it "early", and most of the time wait until I am starting to feel a bit fatigued between miles 6-8 (this past weekend I did not take it till almost mile 8.5 and never worried that it would not work fast enough to keep me going).<br />
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BRAND NEW CHOCOLATE FLAVOR</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn-8RVSf5euAhDgB3UBvlsX_xoOraN6nFpnO8xVWVUtHJhlbezBj-C_8QK9DcVbufzMXX03ufq9RQ78DrukMQLxnFAtwdYfsYg4uDAi6QjOKap8G9kCHJTka6tyn3CH9k0WdikGWoI2U/s1600/chocolate-pr-indiegoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn-8RVSf5euAhDgB3UBvlsX_xoOraN6nFpnO8xVWVUtHJhlbezBj-C_8QK9DcVbufzMXX03ufq9RQ78DrukMQLxnFAtwdYfsYg4uDAi6QjOKap8G9kCHJTka6tyn3CH9k0WdikGWoI2U/s1600/chocolate-pr-indiegoo.jpg" height="274" width="320" /></a></div>
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About a month ago I was contacted by Island Boost and asked if I would be willing to taste test the new Chocolate Flavor, in exchange for my honest review I was provided with 2 packets of Chocolate Island Boost to try and 2 packets of Passion as a thank you (um my favorite!). While I was provided these free I was never required to give anything but an honest review/feedback.</div>
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I used my 1st packet of Island Boost before a 10 mile training run. The run itself was a disaster, but not because of fuel but because of tired and sore legs that were struggling to get back into road running after the 50k. I hoarded my 2nd packet in the freezer for last Sunday to use before the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon, because I wanted to give it a good test run before writing a review.</div>
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<b>Taste:</b> YUM! I love chocolate however not a big chocolate gel/gu type runner because most of the time it's a bit to heavy or tastes to artificial. Chocolate Island Boost tastes like chocolate pudding, but with a thinner consistency. (And if frozen would taste like a fudgesicle)</div>
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<b>Did it work?: </b>A big YES! I used the Chocolate Island Boost approximately 10 minutes before the start of the race and did not need my 1st Passion Island Boost till mile 8.5, and never ended up using my 2nd Passion Island Boost. My not so scientific theory is that because the chocolate has a little thicker consistency then the original flavors I felt "full" longer (I'm sure it was a little physiological too).</div>
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<b>Did I PR?:</b> NO...BUT I would not say I was racing and had tons of energy left in the tank after. I will be using Island Boost to train and definitely during my next goal race where I am going to break the 2 hour mark for a 1/2 marathon.</div>
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<b>Would I recommend Island Boost to a friend?:</b> YES and have. I will not recommend a product I do not use or a company I do not believe in just because. I highly doubt I will every use another gel when I run, in fact I still have about 10 packets of my former gels sitting in my fuel basket that have been there for months, yet instead of using them I keep ordering more Island Boost.</div>
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Interested in Island Boost check out their website to learn more about them: <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/">www.islandboost.com</a></div>
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Want to order some Island Boost and help get Chocolate Island Boost on the market check out their Indiegogo Campaign: <a href="http://igg.me/at/IslandBoost">http://igg.me/at/IslandBoost</a></div>
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Want to try Island Boost? Leave me a comment and enter with rafflecopter as to what is one thing you like/dislike about your current fuel source and I will send one lucky winner 2 packets of Passion Island Boost from my stash. (Contest ends Oct 31st 2013, no purchase necessary, etc etc)</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5bf45a3/" id="rc-5bf45a3" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-58829697875154139762013-10-21T06:50:00.002-07:002013-10-21T15:05:57.228-07:002013 Detroit International 1/2 Recap<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday I completed the <a href="http://www.freepmarathon.com/" target="_blank">2013 Detroit International Half Marathon</a>, that includes the crossing of the Ambassador Bridge and a return to the USA through the underwater tunnel. While I have ran this race 3 previous times, yesterday was my first Detroit Marathon Day "Experience". As I wrote about last week I went into this race without a <a href="http://smallstepsseriouschafing.blogspot.com/2013/10/detroit-international-half-marathon-plan.html" target="_blank">plan</a>, knowing that reaching any PR time goal may still be to much for me as I am still <strike>suffering</strike> recovering from a few minor aches I picked up during the 50K race/training. What I did not talk about was the two private goals I had which were to run the entire uphill of both the Ambassador Bridge and the exit of the tunnel. In my 3 previous attempts I would become winded and at least have to walk part of both. This was a personal struggle for me, knowing that even though the extra taper weight is still there I needed to prove to myself I was still stronger then ever and it seemed like a fitting goal. My recap will not include splits or times because I did not know our approximate finish time until less then a mile from the finish, and did not know our splits until late last night when John sent me the Garmin link. It was a very different experience running a race and looking at the course, not my Garmin, focusing on how I felt and not what the time said.</div>
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Eve of the Race: Normally the night before a race I would have been in bed at 9 pm to get a good nights sleep, however the Tigers game did not start till 8 so of course that was not happening. In fact I enjoyed a nice Mayan Mocha Stout and stayed up well past 11 pm. That was followed by about 3.5 hours of broken sleep with the littlest needing some vicks and snuggles for a stuffy nose.<br />
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3:45 am: Up (b/c sleep wasn't happening) had some coffee, a banana and a <a href="http://www.pickybars.com/" target="_blank">Picky Bar</a>, got dressed, packed up and headed out to stop at Tim Horton's for a road coffee (need both the caffeine and warmth) and then headed to our meeting spot to pick up the car pool.<br />
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5:15 am: Depart with a van full of runners (Here is a race morning tip: If you shut your lights off while waiting for your friends to arrive, it is always wise to turn them back on before driving even if you are used to the "auto" setting or else a nice Police Officer will stop and remind you)<br />
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5:40 am - 6:45 am: Got parked and everyone got on their last minute gear, and we all headed to the Fort Street Church to stay warm, potty breaks and a group photo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GP Runners ready to run the D! (Photo w/ John Martin's camera taken by random stranger at the church)</td></tr>
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6:50 am: One last potty stop and an <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/" target="_blank">Island Boost</a> (my hoarded new chocolate flavored one, stay tuned tomorrow for a full review of Island Boost but YUM) and we were off to the starting line. John (who once again was carrying his camera & got some fun/awesome pics), Val and I had planned to run together since we were out there for fun and no time goal. We jumped in Corral E, figuring it would be a good place to start and we were with a few other GP Runners.<br />
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7:07 am: START TIME!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting Line (Photo by John Martin)</td></tr>
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Miles 1-3: I felt awesome, I had switched my race outfit at the last minute from a skirt to capris pants and I am glad I did. The wind was cold and the capris pants kept my legs warm. It was a nice paced run up Fort Street to the bridge, where we proceeded to make our way up the on ramp for mile 2 and finally onto the bridge by mile 3. (This is one of the most deceiving parts of the race because you don't just run up the bridge, no you have to run up the on ramp for a mile first and then run up the bridge)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9BuODQ5Uhg2dq783gvuHnKAccRTVbvvQJZ_52EKb20sA-vn-scJspNoV6NwEqeivsGoee3RO3FKnNzt9Tbg-cf2TDeTaZM2aW52-qkFJ5kechdaKUoJ99wQKKEjlgF30D6d3Krqxuik/s1600/1412224_10202315458348592_820249243_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9BuODQ5Uhg2dq783gvuHnKAccRTVbvvQJZ_52EKb20sA-vn-scJspNoV6NwEqeivsGoee3RO3FKnNzt9Tbg-cf2TDeTaZM2aW52-qkFJ5kechdaKUoJ99wQKKEjlgF30D6d3Krqxuik/s400/1412224_10202315458348592_820249243_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVRUjKLuv-3mfHargXblz197RVHRmRtHDcPi_tFFeCuYszbMQLqr6FchpE570v2cFKBG5kvBRM1YH3uem7r13BbZGrGc8uNwvHYtmcdcqOlkph2bCYY7FhdUFm3nOHafJUIDRAida8Yo/s1600/1150597_10202315458708601_1996580069_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVRUjKLuv-3mfHargXblz197RVHRmRtHDcPi_tFFeCuYszbMQLqr6FchpE570v2cFKBG5kvBRM1YH3uem7r13BbZGrGc8uNwvHYtmcdcqOlkph2bCYY7FhdUFm3nOHafJUIDRAida8Yo/s400/1150597_10202315458708601_1996580069_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photos by John Martin)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Miles 3-4: Up and over the bridge! I did it! Ran the entire up ramp and up the bridge without having to stop and walk! Focusing on form, shortening my stride and "pulling the rope" with my arms. It is really an amazing view (even though yesterday's view was accompanied by a cold wind) from the top of the bridge. You can see the sun rising over Belle Isle, the beautiful fall colors of the trees as you come into Canada, the Detroit River. We even saw a few more GP Runners up there!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlNeXBXyMpGigOVZdk4jkRjcPsBonUB-JstFr9oePQR7hrkykeEwKO_TY9wzgrTwdmx4FbSeyrzKLO6tJs2itjoN8uA6rMlNY3H5hezJmd65y3i7CA2Ayq6OOSk7W6xTH_uymTyrMvZo/s1600/1053452_10202315459028609_816480583_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlNeXBXyMpGigOVZdk4jkRjcPsBonUB-JstFr9oePQR7hrkykeEwKO_TY9wzgrTwdmx4FbSeyrzKLO6tJs2itjoN8uA6rMlNY3H5hezJmd65y3i7CA2Ayq6OOSk7W6xTH_uymTyrMvZo/s400/1053452_10202315459028609_816480583_o.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming back down the Ambassador (photo by John Martin)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Miles 4-7: Still feeling great, legs were nice and warm, no shin or hip pain. I was still very relaxed and I won't lie at a few points I was looking for a clock to see approximately where we were at time wise. No such luck. I knew I felt better then my last long run so that was positive and I was having fun enjoying the music, bands, spectators, and the view of Detroit from across the river.<br />
<br />
Mile 7-8: The Underwater Tunnel mile. The dreaded Underwater Tunnel mile in my mind. It is not a well ventilated mile at all, so upon entering the tunnel I rolled down my arm sleeves. Even then by the 1/2 mile mark I was starting to sweat so bad. Using the gloves I had shed about mile 3 I wiped up as much as I could from my neck and face knowing once we exited that would only contribute to chills. Then it was up the 1/2 mile out of the tunnel, looking forward to the fresh air and the open course again. As we approached the exit I pulled my arm sleeves back up, because while the fresh air was nice it also can make you really cold really quick. Goal #2 accomplished! Ran the entire tunnel! Shortened my stride and focused on breathing and next thing you knew we were out of there.<br />
<br />
Miles 8-10.5: Included a walk through the water station right outside the tunnel and another Island Boost. I was in good spirits and crowd support this year was awesome! Cowbells, signs, cheering...IT WAS A-W-E-S-O-M-E!<br />
<br />
Miles 10.5 - 13.1: We ran into a training partner who was running her first half marathon. It was clear (Because I have been in that place before, that "I want to sit down possibly cry and say screw this" place. Last year that was me with that same look, that same struggle, and that same frustration at roughly the same spot) Being that we had no time goals, John, Val and I fell in next to her. These last 3 miles are both my most hated and favorite. I love running through Mexican Village and running past what is left of Tiger Stadium, I love the turn into the homestretch and seeing the finish line. It is also where for the last 3 attempts I truly wondered if I would finish, and several times included tears. Really though they were uneventful miles, except for the M&M's around mile 11, that is always one of my favorite spot. Together we put one foot in front of the other, and reminded me that even though I love my solo runs, why being a part of a group, particularly this group is so important, because if that was me someone would have done the same. That's the beauty of running with a group, of those early morning runs, those good runs, those bad runs, those relationships that are formed are priceless.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5atXOMpVmBugVjrKHyCjHfnRXWK1xrwrjitxF9rK4ZZBrAe04zc_4IXEc0sgMVj2pKq679nBihnYlo6ymAE0Yn4JMu1KtKiDMiaOAfTew6dlnQbwqGgJMy7pe8e9Lam-34M40SvqhKU/s1600/1383290_10202317845248263_857688742_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5atXOMpVmBugVjrKHyCjHfnRXWK1xrwrjitxF9rK4ZZBrAe04zc_4IXEc0sgMVj2pKq679nBihnYlo6ymAE0Yn4JMu1KtKiDMiaOAfTew6dlnQbwqGgJMy7pe8e9Lam-34M40SvqhKU/s400/1383290_10202317845248263_857688742_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seconds after we finished (Photo by John Martin's awesome photog friend)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After getting our medals and solar blankets we headed back to the parking lot where we changed. The parking lot was in a perfect spot for cheering, we were at about mile 25.75 on the Full Marathon course. As we waiting for "our runners" we stood on the sidelines and offered cheers and high fives to those that past.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLobubSyYcGeRuCEpv8xVOR3VmCYALgv0yTu2guwttU971JU9V42xcICUFjv_tn3JHJm1ReWorWVWHbYqWaK4SYFkhNKoL2HQn0SFMO8h1wED_Osct_qUomYIYJ5wSczNEEuYQF456r-U/s1600/1381172_10202315470468895_767973287_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLobubSyYcGeRuCEpv8xVOR3VmCYALgv0yTu2guwttU971JU9V42xcICUFjv_tn3JHJm1ReWorWVWHbYqWaK4SYFkhNKoL2HQn0SFMO8h1wED_Osct_qUomYIYJ5wSczNEEuYQF456r-U/s640/1381172_10202315470468895_767973287_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GP runners cheering and GP Runners running in some full marathoners, including a 1st timer (Photo by John Martin)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwbx6rayX8aot9Xn5r4XvMpPTocN-gAuEYpy1XV9AdE26ErD_sGwRniRomNYxCVcNA878Hnd76Y_rn4HJCJFsx_QBIgaZr2rSI68P-GcM4nIrxhC9VMdfas1dMXf1W_A_ceXH7XrZVu8/s1600/1378583_10202315475709026_1558124112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwbx6rayX8aot9Xn5r4XvMpPTocN-gAuEYpy1XV9AdE26ErD_sGwRniRomNYxCVcNA878Hnd76Y_rn4HJCJFsx_QBIgaZr2rSI68P-GcM4nIrxhC9VMdfas1dMXf1W_A_ceXH7XrZVu8/s640/1378583_10202315475709026_1558124112_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tailgate party GP Runner Style (Photo w/ John Martin's camera)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We hung out, talked, drank some recovery type beverages and cheered on runners till after 1 p.m. It was an amazing experience to run the Detroit 1/2 and celebrate with this group on Sunday!<br />
<br /></div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-55135567925138641262013-10-11T16:39:00.001-07:002013-10-11T16:40:04.305-07:00"Follow This Mother" Feature<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD891VPr5VgoUKnf-ziHf5RF7Nq4knmSqy1kSMBziqg2mbTxEEGv7UUQtUg0x_B_DG84rf-3SMYVmef1ow3gC-FKo3JbeEQaDjHqGPD1zrK6UCNa9vhuqSBIUA1GBjFybpqo10JtN3UU8/s640/blogger-image--470659408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD891VPr5VgoUKnf-ziHf5RF7Nq4knmSqy1kSMBziqg2mbTxEEGv7UUQtUg0x_B_DG84rf-3SMYVmef1ow3gC-FKo3JbeEQaDjHqGPD1zrK6UCNa9vhuqSBIUA1GBjFybpqo10JtN3UU8/s640/blogger-image--470659408.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am excited and honored to be this weeks "Follow This Mother" mother on Another Mother Runner.(www.anothermotherrunner.com) I have read both Run Like a Mother and Train Like A Mother by Sarah and Dimity and listen to their podcasts regularly (and always try to convince them they should throw an AMR party in Detroit if they ever come this way). So basically I geeked out when I got the email Monday from Heather one of their writers. (Heather can also be found at <a href="http://www.michiganrunnergirl.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://www.michiganrunnergirl.com/</a>) When I started blogging I wanted to write (a creative outlet for me) and keep a little journal to look back on, I feared no one would read it but hoped maybe it would influence or inspire at least one person. Here it is less then a year later and I have been given such an amazing opportunity to tell my story! Thank you so much Dimity, Sarah, Heather and all the Mother Runners who have shared stories and blogged before me that kept me going & inspired me when I was not sure I could juggle running and a family!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Do you have any questions for me that I did not answer on Another Mother Runner? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">*I highly recommend the books Train like a Mother and Run Like a Mother...they are both informative and humorous...</div>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-10375772077824457802013-10-10T15:39:00.001-07:002013-10-10T15:39:12.591-07:00Detroit International Half Marathon Plan<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"I'm not making any plans. I'm just going to let the universe surprise me." -John Cusack</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
YES! That is right, I do not have a plan for the <a href="http://www.freepmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Detroit International Half Marathon</a> I am scheduled to run on October 20th 2013. Every single race that I have ran up until this one I have had a goal, a plan, a strategy but honestly I have got nothing other then have fun going into next Sundays race. Normally 10 days prior to an event I have clothing picked out, pace charts, split times, studied the course map, and put all of my fuel and accessories in a little ziploc so I am overly prepared. This time, not so much. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div>
<b>So here is what I do not know:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What my splits will be or what my predicted finishing time will be. In fact I will not even have a Garmin on for the race. Last year I lost signal through the underwater mile and it messed me all up so this year I will sport my Road Id and my "Relentless" Endorphin Warrior bracelet and that is all.</li>
<li>What my body will do on race day. With the up and down runs of the last several weeks, I could wake up with a sore and painful hip or I could wake up and feel great.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>So here is what I know:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>I will finish, and I say this knowing that unless something tragic happens I will finish 13.1 miles. That is a very strange shift in my mind set that has occurred since the 50k and 13.1 was considered a short long run. Having those longer training runs, I am pretty used to a fueling plan of <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/" target="_blank">Island Boost</a> right before and again at 6 or 7 miles and I can easily make it to 13.1, even though I will carry an extra one just in case. Running early I am also pretty used to my pre race "breakfast" of a banana, <a href="http://pickybars.com/" target="_blank">Picky Bar</a>, coffee and 24 oz of <a href="http://nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun</a>. No need to plan there anymore since it's become second nature.</li>
<li>I will get the same medal if I finish sub 2 (which is highly unlikely given my difficulty returning to speed after the 50k) or 2:30. (I do however want to finish closer to the 2 ish side knowing I have friends about to crush the full and I want to get to the sidelines, change out of my stinky running clothes and be ready to cheer for them.)</li>
<li>I have enough running clothes and shoes that I will be able to dress appropriately whatever the temperature is race morning. And if all else fails I will go to my basic running "outfit"-Under Armor black tank, Moving Comfort black capris, Brooks black PR Skort, Saucony's new <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/PrimoArmwarmerswithMitt/4-114520/catId/cat10002/stockNumber/90449-STE/skuId/***4******90449-STE00**L/subCatId/cat360254/showDefaultOption/true/productdetails" target="_blank">armwarmers </a>with built in mittens, a pair of Pro Compression Socks and more then likely my <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/Women'sKinvara4/4-113410/catId/cat10002/stockNumber/10198-2/skuId/***4********10198-2*W070/subCatId/cat1220398/showDefaultOption/true/productdetails" target="_blank">Kinvara 4</a> since they are lighter then the <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/Women'sRide6/4-113490/catId/cat10002/stockNumber/10200-3/skuId/***4********10200-3*M115/subCatId/cat1220398/showDefaultOption/true/productdetails" target="_blank">Ride 6's</a>.</li>
<li>I will have fun! This will be my 4th time running this course and the three previous times I was so focused on or struggling to finish I forgot to enjoy the experience. That is not going to happen this time, I will slow down at the top of the Ambassador Bridge to enjoy the sunrise, take in the spectators on the Canadian side and enjoy the beauty of the Detroit from the other side of the River. I will take the time to high five the customs agents who not only are keeping us safe but cheering us on. Since I do not plan on running this race again next year I want to run this year for the experience.</li>
<li>I will not stress or have anxiety about the race, now that does not mean I will not be getting excitement butterflies but I refuse to let myself stress about little "what ifs" and seconds/minutes.</li>
<li>I am very excited for this race, I cannot wait to see friends cross the finish line of their first 13.1 or 26.2 and celebrate their accomplishments with them!</li>
<li>I am enough! A number on a clock does not define me as a person or a runner, it does not define the handwork and miles I have put in over the last year. I have ran farther and faster then I ever thought possible since the Detroit 1/2 Marathon in 2012 and I could not be happier with how strong I have become. (Thanks to <a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank">Brene Brown</a> and her books Daring Greatly & The Gifts of Imperfections for some eye opening aha moments this last year)</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtOb86ZGnSJRetwp9_SFacBI0UjkBGNvT843P7gSYzeQDl6tsACBGb4imuSXcv_c6Ls98JFypUxtU2HV-MwYkZ_zYg9g7zw0BZ4lqDBk7-f_T9XawtEMm8nwTKYPPHGSJN19ID5vRAjg/s1600/IMG_8294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtOb86ZGnSJRetwp9_SFacBI0UjkBGNvT843P7gSYzeQDl6tsACBGb4imuSXcv_c6Ls98JFypUxtU2HV-MwYkZ_zYg9g7zw0BZ4lqDBk7-f_T9XawtEMm8nwTKYPPHGSJN19ID5vRAjg/s400/IMG_8294.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See you at the starting line...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Have you ever raced without a plan? Have you ever just let go to see what you could do? If so how did it go?</span></h3>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-89997294720863888352013-10-07T16:42:00.002-07:002013-10-07T16:42:38.348-07:00Ultra RecoveryIt has been just over a month since I finished the Woodstock 50K and am pretty close to a complete recovery. I say pretty close because I still have a tiny pain near my shin that appeared a few months before Woodstock and still shows up before and after runs. It goes away while running and when I am diligent with the muscle rolling. The two weeks following the ultra I was still on an emotional high and things seemed awesome. However these last two weeks have been difficult. Without another large race until next August I feel a bit lost when it comes to training. I have also realized that the two week taper before and two week reverse taper after have not been so kind to my waist line. Gaining 10lbs in a month because my appetite forgot that my body was not running as much is "tough to swallow". This has not helped my mood, which in turn means I run for the peanut butter instead of the carrots.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are two problems that really bother me. The first is that I have doubted my ability to complete a 50 miler. While this doubt has only creeped in a few times, it has made itself known. While reviewing the training plan for next year I see that the 50 miler is only three weeks after a 50K training run. WHAT! There is no possible way I could have done that after Woodstock. Maybe that is why I did not attempt it after Woodstock though, I knew I was not ready and did not want to over reach. This doubt was enough to scare me and send me into a little panic, creating a 40 week training plan. Can we say OVERKILL!?!?!? I have 11 months, that is plenty of time to take myself from 50k ready to 50 mile ready. I really just need to relax and have started looking into coaching services to possibly help me out with some of the training and preparing. The second problem is my road pace. For the love of all things it takes everything I have to run a long run at a 9:09 pace which I could easily do back in May. After talking with Justin at RUNDetroit this weekend it sounds like this is pretty normal, since I have been training to go long distances, walk up hills, etc. instead of the speed work and quick turnover. This really made me think about the importance of keeping speed work or tempo runs a part of my training plan next time. I wonder if that would help me maintain some of that speed? I also would still like to crush a 2 hour 1/2 Marathon in the near future (planning on this goal for Rock CF in March), so I think speed work and tempos are a must.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyways I am taking the week off from running and just sticking to some Jillian Michaels and the elliptical. Then it's a few short runs and my 4th Detroit International 1/2 Marathon!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>How do you recover from a race? Do you ever take time off from running?</b></div>
<br /></div>
~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-4834442779498451582013-09-25T06:59:00.002-07:002013-09-30T12:10:01.160-07:00For the Love of Trail Running...The good people over at <a href="http://www.trailandultrarunning.com/">www.trailandultrarunning.com</a> are giving away an <a href="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/p-601-sj-ultra-vest.aspx" target="_blank">Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Ultra Vest</a> (which I have been eyeing) and all I have to do is write in 400 words or less why I love trail/ultra running. So without wasting anymore words here is why I love trail and ultra running and the community that goes along with it:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>T</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">raining:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Training for my first 50k was tough, but I have never had so much fun running in my life, even when I was beyond exhausted.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<b>R</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">espect:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>The ultra running community is filled with a tremendous amount of resepect for not only the trails & terrain they run but for each other including the newbies like me.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>A</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">dventure:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li> Different trails, routes, locations and distances</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>I</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">nteresting:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>As a whole the community and the sport is interesting which makes it even more fun to explore and to get to know other runners and hear their stories.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<b>L</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">imits: </span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Allows a person to find their limits and surpass them.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<b>A</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">id Stations:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The aid stations at ultra races are so much better then just gels and a sports drink!</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b>N</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">ature:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>So beautiful and peaceful when you explore nature on foot.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>D</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">NF:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li>What I once had viewed as the ultimate failure (pre ultra running) I now see as a learning experience and proof of how bad ass these trail & ultra runners are every time they get back out there and attempt it all over again.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>U</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">ltimate Direction Scott Jurek Ultra Vest:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Shameless plea to pick me...I am in need of a better vest (one that has both a bladder and water bottles) for longer unsupported training runs.</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b>L</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">aughs and friendship: </span></h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Friends I have made and memories that include some really good laughs will last a lifetime.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>
<b>T</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">each & Share:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I have learned a great deal in the last 7 months from seasoned (and even new) trail and ultra runners. It is a pretty awesome community of people who want others to succeed as well.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<b>R</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">eflection:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The time on the trails has allowed me to really reflect on life, what is important, and who I am. It has allowed me to discover my own strength but at the same time to reflect on the beauty of the world in which we live.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<b>A</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">mazing:</span></h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Trail & Ultra running is just plain amazing! If you do not believe me try it for yourself!</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu5qcXPKCGST0Qadnl74iomeE83LdLM_wasExTmklGaOxOfjSzxwDdI_CzO2o38biBcesqDWegLawcSJHSlHdTzx9-K50b4AFNakFpdl5nJAbTBcpxempk1pc-C0jOf185N8cR0RhQbI/s1600/stony+trail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu5qcXPKCGST0Qadnl74iomeE83LdLM_wasExTmklGaOxOfjSzxwDdI_CzO2o38biBcesqDWegLawcSJHSlHdTzx9-K50b4AFNakFpdl5nJAbTBcpxempk1pc-C0jOf185N8cR0RhQbI/s400/stony+trail.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early spring run at a local trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTRaR2Zrl987DPQCvSFgtr3UXiliKw7f4WjW9y31ORFNU4r_h4zQzIRgjSvURTJh9IE8U9UIALHBqUaOg2E51_ZPQCY885Zjm2bkNxAdgUHsnXSNiFQIUjX9jpWwv0me-KVVuL3kEfis/s1600/sunrise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTRaR2Zrl987DPQCvSFgtr3UXiliKw7f4WjW9y31ORFNU4r_h4zQzIRgjSvURTJh9IE8U9UIALHBqUaOg2E51_ZPQCY885Zjm2bkNxAdgUHsnXSNiFQIUjX9jpWwv0me-KVVuL3kEfis/s400/sunrise.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning sunrise from the woods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRZ_iuZB7CSi7ot3HuMtjrCRtgYyRp5vg2Mybk1EWbJLNKCIzJQrT1HneCRNMBZ_wWZt1VgG5DTJpAOhWnEfDfgO29cXGF9nRxeZ6HgjfjHUWGccQtTamZNe3QNCVgnr29DopypMWc1k/s1600/rain+trail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRZ_iuZB7CSi7ot3HuMtjrCRtgYyRp5vg2Mybk1EWbJLNKCIzJQrT1HneCRNMBZ_wWZt1VgG5DTJpAOhWnEfDfgO29cXGF9nRxeZ6HgjfjHUWGccQtTamZNe3QNCVgnr29DopypMWc1k/s400/rain+trail.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcoming the rain during my 50k (it was starting to get HOT!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7wa3AVmnH3v4N-iLzz7YLhMQZmklkCYxTvljPu-aFG3fuDiuIEKKv5Z3nRtKBFB_oecr0fKog2zZPLn6oxZHWG4u7UdQyJd4T3BGtGI-3Rmr1fhMMdhCOUeI6pCh5qL3o9INr_TJJgY/s1600/finish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7wa3AVmnH3v4N-iLzz7YLhMQZmklkCYxTvljPu-aFG3fuDiuIEKKv5Z3nRtKBFB_oecr0fKog2zZPLn6oxZHWG4u7UdQyJd4T3BGtGI-3Rmr1fhMMdhCOUeI6pCh5qL3o9INr_TJJgY/s400/finish.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 1st 50k finish</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW9ykoVmbJDVxTgpTPlQHIMWZlmE_gJ8fUogIzdLF7I1hVbcAtBsmyxKlbNs1brRfzbNtdj3uz1A3z3CL87ttgnOtOnOKl0suc8cqhQN3TsRMMrh7eVtOu6IeUXgUBBW2D-traZNpwUI/s1600/IMG_9110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW9ykoVmbJDVxTgpTPlQHIMWZlmE_gJ8fUogIzdLF7I1hVbcAtBsmyxKlbNs1brRfzbNtdj3uz1A3z3CL87ttgnOtOnOKl0suc8cqhQN3TsRMMrh7eVtOu6IeUXgUBBW2D-traZNpwUI/s400/IMG_9110.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspiration for my 50k finish picture?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj529lwDVhI7NzHPEJd80fbZhGfDcFDh8l3y8t1YRHhxxoyIyQ70-2WTaUd9UTrw8X6bcPL1VrC5hw1ZysAOllRjnGdpOjtxM-SL1III1AJaZrNTSLCjfOIcAkZfpPd5iF7trc_g6Md8Lo/s1600/IMG_8349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj529lwDVhI7NzHPEJd80fbZhGfDcFDh8l3y8t1YRHhxxoyIyQ70-2WTaUd9UTrw8X6bcPL1VrC5hw1ZysAOllRjnGdpOjtxM-SL1III1AJaZrNTSLCjfOIcAkZfpPd5iF7trc_g6Md8Lo/s400/IMG_8349.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local trail scenery</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuO_hR5pipK69mGzaZHiZKQh-uM7rq5G9dXSLEVD_RHTMdIaPPcYQmAKQf6Qm3MaUoDho1IJ95QnTv-p_ViHB1BTkknjWiHVF3-7N0GjWUQ9jVWU9LACFP48tBg9Id_pa34Vn61OIDKU/s1600/IMG_5285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuO_hR5pipK69mGzaZHiZKQh-uM7rq5G9dXSLEVD_RHTMdIaPPcYQmAKQf6Qm3MaUoDho1IJ95QnTv-p_ViHB1BTkknjWiHVF3-7N0GjWUQ9jVWU9LACFP48tBg9Id_pa34Vn61OIDKU/s400/IMG_5285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I "blame" them for getting me into ultra running</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Nml9yPx29XgZLmZFb-b52BNC7waNEyJlJtKxNQLUgj-F_q1OW-RsOcvkBFtjFSU-15QvH-q9227-dMgtklUgobAldU_onymGTIH7gnWAAwDdTQWNYZgqtJPsbosNsUtHML-BCOF0co/s1600/gp+runners.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Nml9yPx29XgZLmZFb-b52BNC7waNEyJlJtKxNQLUgj-F_q1OW-RsOcvkBFtjFSU-15QvH-q9227-dMgtklUgobAldU_onymGTIH7gnWAAwDdTQWNYZgqtJPsbosNsUtHML-BCOF0co/s400/gp+runners.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiles after miles and medals</td></tr>
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~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-25865604563736716042013-09-12T15:53:00.001-07:002013-09-12T15:53:24.629-07:00How I Trained For Run Woodstock Freak 50KI started training for Run Woodstock on June 3rd, so basically I had 14 weeks to take myself from 1/2 Marathon shape to 50k shape/endurance. Most plans recommend that you have already been training/complete training for a marathon before jumping into a 50k, well I figured if I was going long at Run Woodstock I would go the extra 5 miles and get the aid stations with the better food. (<i>I do not recommend this for everyone and before beginning any exercise program consult your doctor/health care professional</i>) John (my pacer for Run Woodstock) shared the training plan he used for his 50k in April that looked something like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQa-sm8ksNwGcoN2y-OIlXWOmKa_7F1nDgJBsbA66caCnoEi6J1VVnwZcEgYNHyHe51FnEJZbdOvrx1soFrcAo2wiZ6pCf1pc89EZ6Y72S12vlTsIVxtJ-RWN-BVdcyhSezMJSbu8Kz0/s1600/ultra+schedule.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQa-sm8ksNwGcoN2y-OIlXWOmKa_7F1nDgJBsbA66caCnoEi6J1VVnwZcEgYNHyHe51FnEJZbdOvrx1soFrcAo2wiZ6pCf1pc89EZ6Y72S12vlTsIVxtJ-RWN-BVdcyhSezMJSbu8Kz0/s640/ultra+schedule.tiff" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Not sure where it originally came from, it was forwarded to me if you know the original source please let me know so I can link it-Thank you!)</td></tr>
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I then combined that plan with the 50k training plan I found on Competitor.com (<a href="http://running.competitor.com/files/2012/11/46_nat_r1.pdf" target="_blank">Click here for the plan</a>). I liked that the Competitor one had not only mile goals but also time goals for certain runs:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU0h5cYgBhy1HT8xU_7VskyBUvku-MKfY92pVEt_HFuaNfd1Tt9qfOwDOWD3FEhiPI4yaFmFlff5Nxqk8Fr1MJ3o5cktSWigGvzXs4dOBdlmTHvPNw0NiSmWN4sCqkKN6rE4coC0r5Qc/s1600/50k+time+plan.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU0h5cYgBhy1HT8xU_7VskyBUvku-MKfY92pVEt_HFuaNfd1Tt9qfOwDOWD3FEhiPI4yaFmFlff5Nxqk8Fr1MJ3o5cktSWigGvzXs4dOBdlmTHvPNw0NiSmWN4sCqkKN6rE4coC0r5Qc/s640/50k+time+plan.tiff" width="515" /></a></div>
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Especially on the second long run of the week the time worked out better because I did not get discourage when my pace was so much slower then normal on heavy legs.</div>
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For the most part I stuck to my plans and did the running portion. My longest run was a 24 miler, and I substituted one of the 20+ runs for my 23 miles at Red Eye Relay.</div>
<h3>
What worked:</h3>
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<ul>
<li>3 Week Taper: I ended up tapering for 3 weeks. While this may not be ideal it is how life worked out and all I could get in those last 3 weeks. I think it worked out for the best because my exhausted legs had plenty of rest and were ready to go on race day. (Maybe there is something to be said about being undertrained and rested then overtrained and exhausted for a race. Even though I did not feel undertrained, I did worry a bit that 3 lower milage weeks was to many)</li>
<li>Previewing the course: I was able to run the actual course two times. This was nice since I was able to get a feel for the hills, terrain, and what to expect. </li>
<li>Long runs/Back to Back Runs/Tired legs: This part of training seemed essential to me because I became familiar with the exhaustion I would feel around mile 25/26 during the actual race. I learned to listen to my body, walk when I needed to a run when I could. I also became comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling I would experience in my legs and with my body.</li>
<li>Ditched the Garmin/Pace: I often times threw my Garmin in my Camelbak or covered it with a sticker or left it at home. I had been so time focused for so long I noticed the first few weeks I would get discouraged if my pace was not fast enough. Being discouraged and thinking that I was not enough was the last thing I needed when I was heading out for a long run so I took pace right out of the picture when I could.</li>
<li>Different shoes: I had read an article a while back about running shoes and it talked about how heavier shoes were better for recovery runs because they actually slowed down your pace. Makes sense, so when I was running on the road I would wear my lighter <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/productdetails?subCatId=cat5830100&showDefaultOption=true&stockNumber=10197-3&skuId=***4********10197-3*M055&productId=4-113410&&frminv=true" target="_blank">Saucony Kinvara 4's</a> for runs less then 7 miles and would wear my heavier <a href="http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/Women'sRide6/4-113490/catId/cat10002/stockNumber/10200-2/skuId/***4********10200-2*M110/subCatId/cat700252/showDefaultOption/true/productdetails" target="_blank">Saucony Ride 6's</a> for longer runs. This actually worked out really well, for my shorter runs I was able to turn over faster because my shoes were much lighter.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.believeiam.com/products/the-believe-i-am-training-journal" target="_blank">Believe I Am Training Journal</a>: I started using this journal with a month left in my training and it worked out fantastic. It helped me set goals, see the week & month ahead and a place to create a visual page/quote collage. It helped with the mental aspect of training and the race itself, I knew that if I ever let doubt enter my mind my chances of finishing would decrease.</li>
<li>Reading and Learning: I read everything and anything I could get my hands on about 50k's and Ultrarunning. I read blogs and forums, participated in Ultrachat, listened to podcasts. Anything and everything so I felt like I had not only the inspiration of all the people that had done it before me but also a little bit of an idea of what I may face or would experience throughout the race. </li>
</ul>
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<h3>
<b>What I would add/change:</b> </h3>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Core & Strength: I definitely will be adding this to the schedule for this winter/upcoming season. I know I say that every time I start a new plan but honestly I will be adding this!</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Hills & Speed: I focused so much on being able to run for a long period of time I did not add these on a regular basis. Training for the 50 miler I will be adding both because I know they would have helped tremendously this time.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">For the 50 Miler I will be using the lower milage plan from the book <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/rfp" target="_blank">Relentless Forward Progress</a>, it still has some decent milage weeks but it a little more doable with a husband and 3 kids.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Nutrition: My nutrition sucked for the majority of my training, I definitely need to get it back under control like before our trip to Hawaii when sugar was kept to a minimum as was junk food.</li>
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<h3>
What was something you learned, something that worked or something that you would change from your last training cycle?</h3>
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~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-81770673273327274102013-09-11T08:56:00.000-07:002013-09-11T09:28:07.566-07:00Run Woodstock Freak 50K Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I did it! I completed a 50k (31.06 miles for our non metric loving friends) this past Saturday in Hell, MI. The race was called the Freak 50K and was put on by Running Fit as part of the<a href="http://www.runwoodstock.com/" target="_blank"> Run Woodstock</a> weekend. Let's see if I can recap this without using the words "awesome" or "amazing" to many times.<br />
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<h3>
Friday Night:</h3>
The races all start at Hells Creek Campground and all of the campsites are taken over by runners, volunteers, and their families. Honestly I am not a fan of camping normally and the night before my first 50k I definitely did not want to risk not getting enough sleep. Before checking into our hotel room in Brighton we (The Husband, the Oldest kid and I) swung by the campground, picked up my race packet, found a few friends, said hello and watched some 100 milers and 100k racers come through the aid station. We did not stick around long since I was already getting tired, we stopped at Firehouse Subs on the way to the hotel, and relaxed while watching the Tigers before I called it a night at around 9 pm.<br />
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Race Day:</h3>
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3:40 am - Up bright and early to take a quick shower, get last minute things together and get the Husband and Oldest on the road early enough that we had time for a Tim Hortons stop. (The 20 min drive was much better then the would be hour and a half drive from our home)</div>
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5:30 am - We made it to Hells Creek with enough time to park, use the port o johns one last time, snap a picture at the start and get lined up. I was anxious, ready for it to start and looking around looking for the few other people I knew were running the 50k/50m. (This was a lost cause since it was dark and difficult to see anything)</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpkAm_oNTl47_GwKQ2N7J4SBk5K1_-HqllEbw-RuWqlx7paC8rHJy7SgrVhfs_IkvCjdvqYMYPKAIibkcLDRxFvlMcMkgEoN1rRn8JwgCn70VJXKSHrOFIHGIPmf-fjM4x4vEj506ZUg/s640/blogger-image-1324465520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpkAm_oNTl47_GwKQ2N7J4SBk5K1_-HqllEbw-RuWqlx7paC8rHJy7SgrVhfs_IkvCjdvqYMYPKAIibkcLDRxFvlMcMkgEoN1rRn8JwgCn70VJXKSHrOFIHGIPmf-fjM4x4vEj506ZUg/s640/blogger-image-1324465520.jpg" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start with the husband & oldest</td></tr>
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6:00 am - After race director Randy said a few things we were off, I waved to the husband and oldest as I passed them, took a tour around the campsite before hitting the trail where I saw the friendly face of one of my running buddies from Red Eye and into the woods for 16ish miles I went. The plan was to run the first loop solo, carry my own food and have enough water in my camelbak to last me between the aid stations. </div>
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Miles 0-4: It was dark, so it helped me go out slow because I was so worried about tripping. I was glad I had a head lamp since there were many runners who had nothing. I chatted with two runners from Baltimore and enjoyed the beauty of the sunrise in the woods. As we approached the first aid station we started to see 100m/100k runners on a return loop back to the creek. It was inspiring to watch these men and women who had been up all night running these trails in the dark. I stopped briefly at the aid station to put away my headlamp and to drink some water to wash down the <a href="http://pickybars.com/" target="_blank">Picky Bar</a> I had eaten. I opened my Honey Stinger chews so I could easily eat a few between the next aid station. I was trying really hard to eat early and often.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun starting to illuminate the trails<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Miles 4-8.5: These were pretty uneventful miles. I continued to put one foot in front of the other and enjoy the scenery. Several times throughout the day I would find myself in a group with other runners. This was nice because I was able to find a rhythm with them. I ate about 1/2 a package of chews and an Island Boost during these 4.5 miles, then had a 1/4 of a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich at the aid station. As much as I was trying to eat, I was not hungry.</span></span></td></tr>
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Miles 8.5 - 12: On our way back to the aid Station Grace the 50k was given a "short cut" (turns out I am not sure how much shorter this made our course but it is a trail so I figured it would have been a little off). This stretch was mostly run on Kelly Rd. and the rolling hills of the gravel road. Met another female runner from Michigan and ran a few miles with her as we had the basic "where ya from, first race, how ya feeling", chat. I remember thinking "Wow the miles seem to be going by quickly", breaking the race down into aid stations was a good way for me to view it. It became less overwhelming and broke everything down into 4 mile segments (and I can run 4 miles!).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpyFSN3PztDJppAMhjC1AM8eGaVMJLT0lcNE1dkzJ-emsyEtVNji2ZmSTkv7Mpf_2kyKzhfqBAMiP7Td5NvR3xRHYhyphenhyphenvap1fho44SGJD2C1q_6LapEsQNEhReqeg_uAJIHc-qx4_A3X8/s640/blogger-image-150922885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpyFSN3PztDJppAMhjC1AM8eGaVMJLT0lcNE1dkzJ-emsyEtVNji2ZmSTkv7Mpf_2kyKzhfqBAMiP7Td5NvR3xRHYhyphenhyphenvap1fho44SGJD2C1q_6LapEsQNEhReqeg_uAJIHc-qx4_A3X8/s640/blogger-image-150922885.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 50k "short cut"</td></tr>
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Miles 12-16ish: Got a little "rough", I was trying to pace myself enough that I had energy but knew I was on the last stretch before I saw family and friends. It did not help that at a few points we were sharing the same path with the half marathoners and the full marathoners and sharing the trail got tricky on the single track with many of them actually running while most of the Ultrarunners were walking hills & conserving energy. About mile 14 I ran out of water/Nuun in my Camelbak, thankfully I had forgotten to eat the other 2 <a href="http://www.islandboost.com/" target="_blank">Island Boosts</a> I packed earlier in the loop so I was able to drink those down (unlike most gels you do not need to wash it down with water) and make it to the end of loop 1. From the time I started I never felt like I would not finish the race but as we got closer and closer to the end of the first loop I knew for sure I would. I was feeling good, I felt like I had played it safe enough that I had enough energy to get me to the finish. I did however start to worry about my stomach, I had not eaten everything in my pack (I had packed enough so that if I ate everything I would have taken in a sufficient amount of carbs/calories) and knew I had not eaten any "extras" at the aid stations, however I felt bloated & full.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkW1lAEYT63SWn-BDbkoR3be4Y2HHyegBP1Ff645e4SRD7o0Juuo_QH6svXHycBOHm9BOa8EHgjnWgRbbWCzNUN0sygmD356mC_7nNREHXo8_Obs7GJVijKecuslH0dbzjFgCrWZE1bo/s640/blogger-image--1809583288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkW1lAEYT63SWn-BDbkoR3be4Y2HHyegBP1Ff645e4SRD7o0Juuo_QH6svXHycBOHm9BOa8EHgjnWgRbbWCzNUN0sygmD356mC_7nNREHXo8_Obs7GJVijKecuslH0dbzjFgCrWZE1bo/s640/blogger-image--1809583288.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a pretty view during the last 4</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMMgRQVSWJGJ4Je4XIOuNWz0joPhgnXarmoGWvBxNsC2PFOAUiwlFS51UA5Uj3qQHep7X4e9Lhf2o56VVyn8r_rBvlSnyrZCqo0nELaBVr84ZkQRWHkg-Uwc9aXJ98cJyOlkOKWJAIqM/s1600/gp+runner+signs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMMgRQVSWJGJ4Je4XIOuNWz0joPhgnXarmoGWvBxNsC2PFOAUiwlFS51UA5Uj3qQHep7X4e9Lhf2o56VVyn8r_rBvlSnyrZCqo0nELaBVr84ZkQRWHkg-Uwc9aXJ98cJyOlkOKWJAIqM/s320/gp+runner+signs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5REUmsohFzG-QIXObB6KUNHNtbQ8kSfPYRFahTuO8Fv2t1U6dgNXvz_kjOsc0soch-r-CtVtOvU1wLfGEWX_BKCmTzLeGN0w4d9tsSqhhiNWBdeHyxh9xaTr9eeo7KN9v6sYdvSAFBY/s640/blogger-image--177832322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5REUmsohFzG-QIXObB6KUNHNtbQ8kSfPYRFahTuO8Fv2t1U6dgNXvz_kjOsc0soch-r-CtVtOvU1wLfGEWX_BKCmTzLeGN0w4d9tsSqhhiNWBdeHyxh9xaTr9eeo7KN9v6sYdvSAFBY/s640/blogger-image--177832322.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite parts of Poto (notice the pink flag on the right-well marked course)</td></tr>
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When I came through to finish the first loop I saw John right as I came out of the woods, then saw Rachel & Erz. It took me a minute to realize the Husband and Oldest were with them too (they originally had said they were setting up camp near the registration tent so I was still "looking" for them ahead). I was a bit overwhelmed, knowing that I was halfway done, that I still felt good, that people were there to cheer me on. I changed my shirt, used the port o johns, refilled my camelbak bladder, ate a Honeystinger Waffle, chatted, hugged and off I went into the woods again.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOv6bpXu-L7xbi_8gqdxcoVCBZsC0IVESRFmrO1fK7ie5gwmg0vdCoq1B7kvSAbKD45D6tx02rFAXY4vJ39EO7rEd5D7cS_QPyd6BW4FC8O4rDiMdXw4TO4P6qxyMP32lV_DVfPzLuzE/s1600/donewithloop1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOv6bpXu-L7xbi_8gqdxcoVCBZsC0IVESRFmrO1fK7ie5gwmg0vdCoq1B7kvSAbKD45D6tx02rFAXY4vJ39EO7rEd5D7cS_QPyd6BW4FC8O4rDiMdXw4TO4P6qxyMP32lV_DVfPzLuzE/s640/donewithloop1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goofy face-but really so happy to be coming into the loop and seeing friends and family (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKvVhHA77Lut_uiYN1NHuuO7MEvB7rSlmnhOhDB5YQvaI6JpODwQlTWooM0vDVM8rChecea97Dk7pWx_nsZl0_ayECGn1_O12kNkt2fPMaCSiJOlkqBXEAKx8wrnwPUHQxVoxBWu7DBY/s1600/loop1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKvVhHA77Lut_uiYN1NHuuO7MEvB7rSlmnhOhDB5YQvaI6JpODwQlTWooM0vDVM8rChecea97Dk7pWx_nsZl0_ayECGn1_O12kNkt2fPMaCSiJOlkqBXEAKx8wrnwPUHQxVoxBWu7DBY/s640/loop1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look it's Erz and Rach! GP Runners who came out to cheer! (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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Miles 16ish -20: I turned on my Iphone for these miles and listened to some music on speaker. I was not down, but starting to feel tired and my hip was aching, so I figured I a little music would help. I also met two other runners during this time, one who had dropped from the 100m to the 100k after a rough night and a police officer from Ohio who was running the 50m. Meeting people on the trails was nice, especially during these last 4 solo miles. </div>
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Miles 20-28: Picked up my friend/pacer John at the 20 mile aid station. I exchanged the Camelbak for an <a href="http://www.amphipod.com/products/hydration/bottles-handhelds/handhelds/hydraform-handheld-lite" target="_blank">Amphipod Hydraform Handheld</a> and grabbed a package of chews out of my drop bag the Husband was carrying. (I used a <a href="http://victorysportdesign.com/?product=bear-ii-6" target="_blank">Victory Sportdesign Bear II</a> and can I just say this bag was AWESOME! Kept everything organized and easy to find at the aid stations)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJsAlFEI_USOeefFLqWd9cuQ9DYvqqWtp_32Ho3oE4BpsulBr-F8oqP1ftsJwf1AblgQ779airk0irLpIBR8e5slwB46vDDqFW9emZFT666Q5lGLp1m5s87muWj3EvuN0rR-A7CG3mNI/s1600/drop+bag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJsAlFEI_USOeefFLqWd9cuQ9DYvqqWtp_32Ho3oE4BpsulBr-F8oqP1ftsJwf1AblgQ779airk0irLpIBR8e5slwB46vDDqFW9emZFT666Q5lGLp1m5s87muWj3EvuN0rR-A7CG3mNI/s640/drop+bag.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory Sportdesign Bear II drop bag</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Because I would see the Husband again at Mile 28, I did not carry much with me and refilled my handheld at the aid stations. Having a friend with me was nice because there was always someone to talk to when I need to talk and also he brought his little camera so I had a personal photographer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH3L4V_ISjyTE0orBSBH4YCAmYVIO_ZdqkpdmcZyB5vtoImTw_B3GvkLnvR5G_POUlGHi_O4KW1tHTfMaltkr42Z57hjfqXLM4fSgul_eZbxesNxjMSlOp_BWCkTeoPmJU_bWpyTstqA/s1600/yes+it+is+a+photo+op.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH3L4V_ISjyTE0orBSBH4YCAmYVIO_ZdqkpdmcZyB5vtoImTw_B3GvkLnvR5G_POUlGHi_O4KW1tHTfMaltkr42Z57hjfqXLM4fSgul_eZbxesNxjMSlOp_BWCkTeoPmJU_bWpyTstqA/s640/yes+it+is+a+photo+op.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why yes it is a photo op! (Selfie credit to John)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">The part of this stretch that was on the Potawatomi Trail was rough, mostly due to the mountain bike club that hosted a ride on Saturday. I am pretty understanding about sharing the trail but 90% off the riders were going extremely fast and refusing to move for runners. Luckily I still had enough sense and control to move on the side, however this was pretty dangerous for those that had been out there longer, just moving forward was starting to get tough for some of the 100k/100m I was meeting out there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ2VZMGeSvrYMuEA7vz2AX-UUN14IwrrTDTYZeFmNpknARJb4STMnb9c3S6Te8touBx4rYuCB_Zemmo-qyd7rGC0_Pka-E9pwi9J7RlbJYD5HY2X6AkHwgaXmNJhmrnl9kA6iDyaB5Bw/s1600/me+and+my+friend+the+mt+biker.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ2VZMGeSvrYMuEA7vz2AX-UUN14IwrrTDTYZeFmNpknARJb4STMnb9c3S6Te8touBx4rYuCB_Zemmo-qyd7rGC0_Pka-E9pwi9J7RlbJYD5HY2X6AkHwgaXmNJhmrnl9kA6iDyaB5Bw/s640/me+and+my+friend+the+mt+biker.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh hey look a Mt Biker going about 30 mph with delusional 100m runner on the course! (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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I felt like while I was in good spirits and having fun out there, I was struggling. My left hip and hamstring were bothering me, my stomach was still very full feeling and I knew at this point had not eaten enough solid food, but of course had no desire to eat. I ran when I could and walked when I needed to at this point. I was slowly crossing aid stations off my list (not an actual list the one in my head), and I am so glad I broke the race down like that because it really became manageable for me. I also remember thinking just keep moving forward, you will get there. During this stretch I had stumbled a few times, never actually falling but that was a sign my legs were getting heavy. Once getting to the "Grace" aid station for the last time I sat down and the Husband stretched out my hamstring while I forced down another Picky Bar. My oldest was a trooper still cheering but had found some bugs and ants to keep him busy. I refilled my handheld with some water and threw in a NUUN tablet and off John and I went for the last 4 miles.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4jRxiCaTXrn_s_2bBboSdG_kwEuJApNqcROKVPtbu7HlqylnFQkttzMbwmuKmiJ1sppxO9ypxmuMbUxJUVtva-DuRDkdScD6RUy3azSaGqaOxgLc42fupAs-5PS5W85YZp1Dx4kZDE0/s1600/mile+28.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4jRxiCaTXrn_s_2bBboSdG_kwEuJApNqcROKVPtbu7HlqylnFQkttzMbwmuKmiJ1sppxO9ypxmuMbUxJUVtva-DuRDkdScD6RUy3azSaGqaOxgLc42fupAs-5PS5W85YZp1Dx4kZDE0/s640/mile+28.jpeg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At mile 28-I know beware of the chair but I needed to stretch my hamstring it was killing me! (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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Miles 28ish - Finish: <span style="text-align: center;">It was starting to get warm so when the sky opened up somewhere around mile 28/29 it was refreshing and I literally welcomed it with open arms! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlzpMHFDQ_cjfh_xmST_Qb4p4ALu2lkYo_badZ1GMCERgcdaXyVOgHWiJtd-VQt41eqHccrwxXRnJ_ha4ZpiFi9aD5TOo6KyUNUesFxhC-IYju4W6aCj_61QLvoC0zV9Q8OZyRB7C258/s640/blogger-image-609683737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlzpMHFDQ_cjfh_xmST_Qb4p4ALu2lkYo_badZ1GMCERgcdaXyVOgHWiJtd-VQt41eqHccrwxXRnJ_ha4ZpiFi9aD5TOo6KyUNUesFxhC-IYju4W6aCj_61QLvoC0zV9Q8OZyRB7C258/s640/blogger-image-609683737.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me celebrating the rain mile 28-29 (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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Yeah there were some "rolling hills" on the last 4. Most of the last 4 was walking, I tried to run but it was hard and did not seem much faster then my walking pace. A few times John ran in front of me so I had someone to "chase" as opposed to me leading and him just making sure I did not sit down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well that hill sucked (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwijz3ndV4URMZ1O09NB5SlhVBUksgDYlyu9Dm0SxC6aCZD5TuvAN6lovOEMiKcrESvBiifRrM1GPyr77fVBzOv-tCjCSCtz45IYgCYEhV9RcsHHPCA6J16-8j1Qyurxsr1guI6I8eao/s1600/Elevation.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwijz3ndV4URMZ1O09NB5SlhVBUksgDYlyu9Dm0SxC6aCZD5TuvAN6lovOEMiKcrESvBiifRrM1GPyr77fVBzOv-tCjCSCtz45IYgCYEhV9RcsHHPCA6J16-8j1Qyurxsr1guI6I8eao/s1600/Elevation.tiff" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Chart from the course</td></tr>
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Since the rain had gotten the sticker I was wearing on my Garmin wet, it had fallen off and once I saw the milage read 31 I was getting both antsy and annoyed (because I wanted to be sitting down and enjoying my accomplishment) There was one small aid station with water and Gatorade and John noticed a sign saying .8 miles to the finish. Ok .8 miles, I can run that, the closer we got and the louder the music got the faster I would start running when the ground was "flat". Once I hit the opening in the woods I started an all out sprint (average pace for that .10 of a mile was 7:29), I seriously felt like I was flying. Tears started well before the finish line, and I was so happy/excited/proud/felt so strong it really was overwhelming.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV32DMSc8JD7TAxnaAXw9OqXq6z_10yMpxa-7uimIm4MArNBmF1dK8eklwhPYFdxeW3AOE-jlB3afYv1p70SeRvOFZUmE04hfgwXzBI_8K7UHVbaD-PCGCDOX68kMTeKnUPsxmMgHtMAg/s1600/finish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV32DMSc8JD7TAxnaAXw9OqXq6z_10yMpxa-7uimIm4MArNBmF1dK8eklwhPYFdxeW3AOE-jlB3afYv1p70SeRvOFZUmE04hfgwXzBI_8K7UHVbaD-PCGCDOX68kMTeKnUPsxmMgHtMAg/s640/finish.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line (Photo credit to the Husband)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ2uI8xuH9IL1QZKNRwAEJf593UF0fTM-IMRRSqlDfPg2t99Dtg4icCqaX6ASBQCbk8o4-obvTm_sjVqxSReV3gxNpL0jVYjUx3zn_j25IbevLQodQdAnXElZxGX-mOFRemG7ULR8jwg/s1600/all+done.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ2uI8xuH9IL1QZKNRwAEJf593UF0fTM-IMRRSqlDfPg2t99Dtg4icCqaX6ASBQCbk8o4-obvTm_sjVqxSReV3gxNpL0jVYjUx3zn_j25IbevLQodQdAnXElZxGX-mOFRemG7ULR8jwg/s640/all+done.jpeg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hug from the husband (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvuGE6dwdhoF5sntyFxxDuJpg3pHrjprGsJXas9Qn69ptqQ0zRWJP568PBinCkToH5XJDBOjtUObbhuTXh8ENB2-FNzbWzgWUTO5eBcNgjimm6J_1L9U9vXQEQyF3oD2lG7-ptP4SqQI/s640/blogger-image-1816791790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvuGE6dwdhoF5sntyFxxDuJpg3pHrjprGsJXas9Qn69ptqQ0zRWJP568PBinCkToH5XJDBOjtUObbhuTXh8ENB2-FNzbWzgWUTO5eBcNgjimm6J_1L9U9vXQEQyF3oD2lG7-ptP4SqQI/s640/blogger-image-1816791790.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me SO happy as I finished and got my medal (Photo credit to John)</td></tr>
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I can honestly say that crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings I have ever had. If you would have asked me a year ago if I had the heart, motivation, strength or even the mental toughness to complete a 50k, I would have laughed and responded with a "Hell No!" Honestly I had no interest up until last April to even run one and Ultra. John had asked me while we were on the course if I would have ever done this if he had not done it first. Honestly, no. Not because I wanted to compete with him or do what he did, but when I joined him for those training runs and then for the Ultra back in April I fell in love with the trails. I had run Stony Creek trails before but never ventured out much further, I was always intimidated by the trails, fearful of getting lost or getting injured. However what I found was a place of peace and quiet, a place where I felt empowered and confident. I fell in love with the beauty of the woods, with going out and running for hours like Katniss in the Hunger Games (except not being chased). </div>
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Overall this was an awesome experience for me. The race itself was well run, course was marked nicely and the medals are pretty sweet too. Leading up to the race Running Fit had hosted two training runs at Hells Creek which was a great chance to preview the course and have a feel for it. (This helped me tremendously because I knew what was coming up for the most part, so I was able to run/walk etc). The aid stations seemed to be running out of certain things like coke and coffee by the second loop, but if you were not to picky they had plenty of other options. My only complaint was the mountain bikers, but that was out of Running Fit's control. Would I run this again? Definitely! It was a great course for my first 50k, not sure I could handle the loop anymore though, when the time comes to do a 100 miler I will be looking for a bigger loop. So that probably answers your next question of will I run another Ultra? Yes! I have the <a href="http://www.northcountryrun.com/" target="_blank">North Country 50 miler</a> next August and will more then likely find a 50k sometime earlier in the year if I cannot make the <a href="http://www.trailmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Trail Marathon/50K</a> Running Fit hosts in April.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-sMgFhaUJ8_ZemJQusfXvnZ7i6CcZcOyn2f4yUv1cyAWrR_N4n35R5fBKP623GNXC9kHTuwUGa8RsfdKHRyi_IAXOsIQZINWkomdbYbeRb4zaMj28YRQZwdnJWhc5TIFbCnlBI0H9cU/s1600/gp+runners.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-sMgFhaUJ8_ZemJQusfXvnZ7i6CcZcOyn2f4yUv1cyAWrR_N4n35R5fBKP623GNXC9kHTuwUGa8RsfdKHRyi_IAXOsIQZINWkomdbYbeRb4zaMj28YRQZwdnJWhc5TIFbCnlBI0H9cU/s640/gp+runners.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 first time 1/2 Marathoners, 1 full marathoner, 1 bad ass pacer and Me (Photo credit to the husband)<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The 50K finish is my greatest running accomplishment to date. What is one running accomplishment you are most proud of? Have you ever done a trail ultra? Do you want to?</span></h3>
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~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-53618736343409471432013-09-10T10:42:00.001-07:002013-09-10T10:42:59.644-07:00Catching a nap so we can stay up for #SonsofAnarchy tonight! #Jax #Charming #SOA<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/33ec53da1a3a11e3a2ce22000a1fa411_7.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/eFmJZtxf-W/</div><br /></div>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-45553920918954034842013-09-09T08:39:00.001-07:002013-09-09T08:39:36.535-07:00Being 2 is exhausting! #momtoboys #parenting #cutekid<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://distilleryimage9.s3.amazonaws.com/81ebce7a195f11e3a49a22000aeb0bdf_7.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/eCy_eERf29/</div><br /></div>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-9264027501001655322013-09-08T13:41:00.001-07:002013-09-08T13:41:04.495-07:00B/c I can't wear my #runwoodstock 50k finisher medal daily I picked up 2 new @alexandani bangles to wear instead #persistence #strength #heart #energy<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/3552800018c311e385e022000a9e51fb_7.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/eAy841xf1G/</div><br /></div>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2573125666995919721.post-9275285383508840672013-09-08T07:40:00.001-07:002013-09-08T07:40:04.608-07:00Taken yesterday by my friend/pacer JFM-welcoming the downpour at mile 28-29! #ultrarunning #trailrunning #runwoodstock #runmichigan<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img style='max-width:586px;' src='http://distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com/c099d0c2189211e3b2e322000a1f9a5c_7.jpg'/><br/><br /><div>via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/eALQZtRf-m/</div><br /></div>~Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534183179381245978noreply@blogger.com0