Peaks and Valleys

Training has been going pretty stead except for some travel this fall which threw off my training plan.  The tendonitis comes and goes and I've been reacting a lot better / listening to my body and backing off when needed.  I've had several long runs in the 12-14 mi range that were solid and quite enjoyable actually.  I LOVE Fall in the Carolinas :)  Yesterday I headed out to Salem Lake to get in 2 laps (14 miles) on a crisp fall day.  Some trees were still color splashed with vibrant leaves, others bare.  A reminder that the cold weather is moving in and soon the leaves on the trail will be replaced with snow.  Jazzed by my long run yesterday and a revamped training plan to take me through the Asheville Marathon in March (which I signed up for a few weeks ago), I signed up for the Frosty Fifty 50k at Salem Lake today!  And with that, I've got 2 months to finish training for my first ultramarathon.  I'm not worried about times or paces - the goal the last 6 months has been to get back to a healthy, high mileage running routine.  I'll be happy to cross the finish line with a hard effort and a smile on my face.

Speaking of smiling - here are some peaks and valleys from yesterday's long run at Salem Lake:

Peaks:

• Colorful fall leaves on trees / trail 
• Salem lake has water in it!  (hadn't been there since the dam was finished so that was a pleasant surprise - made the view on the trail even better)
• Catching myself smiling periodically at nothing in particular #RunWithJoy
• Around mile 6 I was running up over a hill and the sun was shining down on the trail when just ahead of me a huge hawk/falcon/large bird of prey swooped down and started gliding down the trailpath up to the peak of the hill in front of me.  Who gets to see sights like that?  So cool!  It was such a neat sight and reminds me to be thankful of the time I get to spend outside while running
• Ducks in Love...there was a cove with several mallard ducks all paired up every 10 yards or so.  Glad I didn't have my bird dog with me or we would have both ended up in the water together!
• Seeing a Pudelpointer on a walk around the lake.  Neat breed - will have to add that to the list of potential sisters for Oliver (current list includes:  another GSP, Griffon pointer, wirehaired pointer, Pudelpointer - whats up with all the pointers?)
• Pumpkin cheesecake (was waiting for me at home - Not really a peak on the run, but talk about motivation to earn some calories!)

Valleys:

• Copperhead crossing the trail around mile 4 on my run.  Eeeek!  Fortunately it was small (maybe 14-16") and not moving all that fast.  I wasn't moving all that fast either so I was able to adjust course and run AROUND it before I ran ON it.  I swear I spent the next 5 miles with my eyes glued to the trail for snakes.  I HATE SNAKES....figured they'd be settled in for the winter but not quite yet...

Only 1 real valley and it wasn't in the realm of falling apart on the run, or face planting, or hitting a wall - so I guess I'll take it.*

*No I am not encouraging snakes to meet me out for a run...

Big Doings

A while ago my delusional self decided a 50K was in the cards for me...and since then it's been all injury all the time.  Since completing the OBX marathon in Nov 2010 I have recovered from hip flexor tendonitis, peroneal tendonitis (outside of left foot), and most recently anterior tibialis tendonitis (inside of left foot).  It has been, to say the least....frustrating...

This spring I was finally able to start lightly running more consistently as my tibialis tendon permitted and was able to complete the Biltmore 15k with a goal of finishing of healthy.  I decided to run an easy 10-10:30 min pace with a 30 sec walk after every 4:30 of running.  This method worked extremely well as I was able to complete the race (goal #1) and coming in several minutes under what I thought I would do that day.  Furthermore, no pain during OR after the race (#winning!). It was a good bit off my mark of 2 years ago when I placed in my age group at the race, but I was able to take time to enjoy the course and be happy - something that had been missing with all of the frustration.

After Biltmore 15k, hubby and I jetted off to Seattle and Portland for a week to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.  It was a week filled with running in new, fantastic places, great food, amazing beer/wine, and about 50 miles of walking in the cities (a good bit of which included a 35# pack I was carrying).  Picture "urban backpacking" and that about sums it up.  We stayed in great neighborhoods in both cities and perhaps the highlight of the trip was the Trailfactor Half Marathon in Forest Park (Portland).  Unfortunately, the 10 miles of weighted pack walking the day before the race flared up my tendonitis and I had to make the tough decision of whether to race or not.  The morning of the race we packed our race gear and I purposefully left my gels and Gatorade at the apartment.  So there I was at the start line, race bib in hand, regretting that decision as the time to Start ticked down.  With trail shoes on and a clutch of water in hand, I decided to put on the bib and get a good run in since 13.1 miles of trail would be out of the question with my foot.  The first few miles of the course were mostly low grade climb and the trail / park was amazing.  I had put my camera in the clutch and started at the back of the pack, letting all pass me on the trail so that I wouldn't impede anyone's race.  I deployed the 4:30/0:30 strategy again and made it to the first trail turn after about 3.5 miles.  After a solid run to that point I turned around and had FUN.  I took my time going back but it was mostly because I would FLY down the trail for 5 min then see something beautiful and grab the camera for some quick shots / video.  My primary goal on the return was to grab pictures and be back to the finish before many of the elites returned (again, didn't want to ruin anyone's race).  I chatted with some trail walkers on the way back and warned them that in about 20 min they would have about 50 seriously fast people come flying around the corners followed by about 100 more.  They were all appreciative of the warning and leashed up their dogs in anticipation.  I'll post pics and videos sometime soon.

Since the trip I have been going back and forth with good weeks and bad weeks on the foot but have gotten some good solid mileage under me that it's time to get it right.  Today starts Week 1 of my 50K training.  It is also the first week of summer and first week of 90 degree days we'll be seeing here.  (Guess who's super excited about that!)  I'm targeting the New River 50K as my race - it's one that hubby did a few years ago and loved and it is very well managed.  Hubby is starting his training for the JFK50 and will likely run some of my 50k with me as a training run.  The fall is going to be busy with weddings, school reunions, and other obligations but the key to training for me is flexibility.  My goal is not speed but rather healthy running and getting back in tune with what works for my body.  It's going to be an endeavor for sure, but one that I have been looking forward to for quite some time.  Well I guess that's about it for now...117 days until I'm knocking at the Ultramarathon door...