Ultra Crazy!

Well, I did it! Yep, I signed up for the Whistler 50 coming up on November 5th. Less than 3 weeks away! I'm not exactly sure how I'm feeling about it yet... except for maybe, "Oh Dear God I hope it doesn't rain." I'll be staying 2 nights up there so I don't have to worry about traveling the day of (either before or after) the race. It's only a few hours a way, but I'd rather sleep as long as possible prior, and relax as hard as possible afterwards. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to walk post-race, anyway. I brought my distance up to over 100km's last week and this week I'm set to do about 90k. Honestly, I'm getting kind of tired, though. I love running and all but doing back-to-back long runs are really exhausting. I definitely won't be training for another ultra for a looong time. I thought Marathon training was tough... it's sort of a walk in the park in comparison. ...and a marathon is very challenging!

My biggest anxiety about the race at the moment is coming in last... or worse yet, not finishing the full 80km's within the 11 hour timeline. I haven't done much *clears throat* well, any speed work as that's when I seem to hurt myself. So I chose to forfeit that part of the training. Plus, it takes even more time. Regardless, I will feel like such a knob if they come up to me in the last 10k and I'm huffing and puffing, walking lop-sided, with sweat pouring off me and they say, "Excuse me ma'am, we need you to exit off the course as we're closing it down." That would totally suck. I'd probably start crying or something. ...or I could turn up my headphones and pretend I don't hear them. LOL. The worst part would be having people say, "Awww. You didn't make it, eh?" Then they tilt their head and ask me why I just didn't do the relay instead. BAH! ...kay, my fear is running away with my imagination now...

Anyway, before I think out loud any more ultra crazy anxious-loaded thoughts, I better go. This week, I'm up to 40k and will be taking a break tomorrow to rest and do some stretching and yoga. Thanks for Reading! :)

90k and counting...

Poco Trail.
Wow! It's been a month since I've posted?! So what have I been up to... well, running of course! Duh. LOL. :) This month I've "kicked it up a notch" in my training. On September 25th, I did the Trail River Half Marathon Run (Poco Trail). ...and even though I came in nearly 10 minutes earlier than last year, it still wasn't the time I was hoping for. It was a great morning for it though. The rain was nice enough to hold off until the afternoon and by then everything was all wrapped up. My daughter participated in the kid's 1k run and it was sooo cute. Her face was all red coming back and she was holding her side saying, "Mommy, I'm cramping. I didn't drink enough water." lol. Then with an intense grimace she ran for the finish line and got her ribbon. She looked so proud. I think it's awesome when there are children's events at the races. Really builds their self esteem, as well and encourages them to be outside.

On October 1st, I participated in the Grouse Grind Mountain Run. They added length to both the beginning and end so everyone's time was a bit longer than what it usually "logs" on at the timer. My best time has been 1:09 on my own and for the race it was 1:12, so that's about right. Again, it was a great day for it but WOW was it crowded. As I was in the "70 minute" category, I was in wave 14 (waves were 1 minute apart). What was irritating was when there were people who were 3 or so waves behind me and they were practically throwing themselves up the mountain huffing and puffing. They kept trying to pass me and then I'd pass them anyways 3 or 4 minutes later because they were bent over off to the side dumping water over their head. I'm assuming they haven't been accustomed to pacing themselves yet. In the end, I finished a good 4 or 5 minutes ahead of them anyway. They would have been better off just staying in their "wave". Unfortunately, when you go 100% and keep stopping, you're not really doing your body any favours and could potentially hurt yourself. However, I suppose everyone is different and some people may be able to work better in "spurts". When I got to the top, it was quite chilly and foggy and I started to freeze almost immediately. A change of clothes was in order.. and so was a hot chocolate!

Since the GGMR, I've only gone back up once (which made it Grind #16 for the season - not including the race). I've been focusing much more on road and trail running and getting the time/distance in on my feet. As it's now mid-October, I'm now seeing a lot of bears on the trail now, too - getting ready for hibernation. I'm getting a bit more used to them now (as I was pretty freaked out before) but it's still a bit unnerving when they decide to walk right past me. This week, I'm up to 90km, already - which is officially the most amount of km's I've ever done in a week! (I've never surpassed 80k). Thank goodness for discovering vanilla gel Clif Shots - they taste just like pudding. Well... at least I think so. lol. I still have my long run ahead of me this afternoon. *sigh* It's another gorgeous day though, so hooray for sunshine! As my runs have been getting longer and longer, I've been trying to find a better hydration belt (instead of wearing 2 and looking like an idiot). I can't stand having anything on my back (i.e. Camelbak) because I overheat/sweat pretty quickly. Anyway, I think I've finally found a decent one! The Talon 4 made by Osprey - it has tons of storage space (for gels, bars, etc) plus 2-20oz sports bottles. There's a lot of cushioning in the back, too. I'll be trying it out today so I'm hoping it does the trick!

I do have a particular ultra in mind that is coming up very quickly... I really, REALLY hope I'll be ready for it! :-)