Pacing Ray K in Great NY 100 Mile Running Exposition

The Great New York 100 Mile Running Exposition was happening for the first time ever this year. When American 48 hour record holder Phil McCarthy asked me to run it, I wanted to but thought it was too close to VT100 - only 3 weeks away. Turns out I got the dates wrong, it was 4 weeks away, but I thought pavement was probably a bad idea. In the days prior to the race, I was regretting not signing up -

but now, after the race, I'm glad I didn't.

The illustrious Ray K was running it, and as he's one of my good friends, and oh-so-entertaining, I decided to pace him. Mary offered to pace him 35-50, I'd pace him miles 50-100, and Wayne (on bike) and Mary would probably come together at the end so we could all do the amazing finish in Times Square. The course was pretty amazing - really pretty, tons of nice parks (Who knew there were so many beautiful greenways and parks in NYC?) - but all concrete. Ouch.

Wayne and I were following texts from Mary and ended up getting to Alley Pond Park (mile 50) an hour or two early - so we talked to other ultrarunners, paced Emmy and Paul for a while, ran with Mat for a bit. It was a lot of fun to see them, though they all complained abt the concrete. My favourite thing: when I asked Mat if I could get him anything he needed, he responded by saying, "Trails."

Finally, we ran into Mary and Ray, which of course involved in all of us screaming across a field at each other as I ran towards them. Ray showed us his shoe with a separated rubber bottom from the shoe - he used the electrical tape Wayne and I grabbed for him from our house and taped up his shoe. Oh my. And all those 5k runners throwing away their shoes every 300-500 miles and one of the top ultrarunners in history is running in shoes he bought at a thrift store that are held together with tape. We stopped every so often so he could retape.

Mary briefed me on how she was forcing Ray to eat, how he was doing. And then Wayne whisked Mary away in The Grey Fox (Wayne's pickup truck). And Ray and I were alone.

We were running, and doing the infamous "Ray K shuffle." I chatted with him about what Wayne and I had done that day, about training, about Burning Man. An extra ticket appeared and Ray was now coming with us, so we were all excited.

The course was pretty. We ran through parks, greenways, bike paths, occasionally pretty roads. It was really nice. We followed turn-by-turn directions and yellow arrows on the ground. The yellow arrows were mostly good, but there were a few times where they were scarce and it was hard to follow. Apparently, everyone got lost in the Bronx. Ray and I only got lost once, and of course it ended up with us running more. Grrrrr. Ray fell behind the cut offs so there were no aid stations - one time we passed a spraypainted H20 with an arrow and we filled up water there.

Ray started fading. It started getting dark, but luckily, headlamps were not needed because it's NYC and there are streetlights everywhere. Whew.

Ray was feeling down, really weary and in a lot of pain. It is so hard to see someone you care about in pain. My poor pacers at VT100, I'm going to be crying for sure for a while.

As the sky grew darker, the people grew drunker and weirder in the parks. Oh joy.

Luckily, the trees meant lots of easy spots to pee. :)

Ray needed food, so when we crossed Queens Blvd, we stopped and got sandwiches and a cookie for me. I was feeding him a homemade brownie every hour or so - I had a stash in my backpack and tried hard to feed him.

Ray got tired. Someplace close to Cross Bay Blvd, Ray crossed the street despite my scoldings and crawled into a park and napped for a half hour. I called Wayne, who was sick with worry, and worse, had lent his car to a friend so he couldn't even come out and support us. I assured him we were okay and told him I wouldn't leave Ray. "Well, you'll be by the A train soon," he told me. I told him we wouldn't need it - Ray would be finishing for sure!

Finally, Ray started and I was glad as I got chilled when stopping. We ran down Cross Bay Blvd and he got a frozen coffee drink and a Dunkin Donuts. He ate and drank while we walked. Finally, we got to the bridge, which was a hotbed of fishing and drinking. Then we had a nice long journey through the pretty Broad Channel bike path. I saw a dead fox, which wasn't quite as good as the raccoon family I had seen in Alley Pond Park earlier.

Ray was swaying and swerving and I tried to keep him awake by telling him stories, yammering on about Burning Man, my cat, work, my family, whatever. I was so tired all I wanted to do was sleep. I kept pushing us forward the best I could, trying to get Ray to drink Gatorade and go! It was rough because no one else was out there. The race was only 31 people (and apparently only 15 finishers) and we were behind and alone. It was not obvious what we were doing.

More drunk people, more swaying. C'mon Ray. I kept pushing forward, every so often texting Wayne or Mary to update them, posting photos on Facebook.

We arrived at Rockaway Beach! My dad taught here, so please don't tell my dad I was walking with a weary, swerving and swaying because he's tired man, down the boardwalk. Most people were very friendly, esp those who we told what we were doing. We saw bonfires and all sorts of fun parties. We were probably the only sober ones, though I was hallucinating due to lack of sleep and Ray was sleepwalking, so I don't know if we count as sober.

Ray kept wanting to sleep on a bench and I was fighting with him. "C'mon, I know what this area is like - you cannot sleep! When we get across the Marine Parkway Bridge." We pushed forward with him going towards the benches and me getting very worried. The sky grew pink - so pretty.

We got a little lost and then, the Marine Parkway Bridge. I hate this bridge. We talked about Ray's marathoning days (he ran a 1:37 en route to winning the 100k National Championships and has run 50+ 2:40-2:45 marathons). I got scared a bit because I hate the feeling like I could fall so we held hands as we made our way across.

And then, yay, we pushed on down a bike path. Ray began swerving. He wanted to nap. My feet were getting messed up - swollen and blisters. The socks were running socks, and because we were doing so much walking, it wasn't helping. Ouch. He fell asleep in the grass and I took off my shoes to inspect the damage. Pretty terrible. Red spots and splotches all over, blisters, ouch. When I put my shoes back on, I was in agony. I decided like Ray had said was okay to try to get a cab. Of course there was nothing around. I looked on my phone while he slept in the weeds. And then, like a mirage, a cab appeared. He turned around and waited while I woke up Ray and said goodbye.

The cab ride was long and expensive but I was glad to be off my feet. I felt bad leaving Ray but my feet were killing me - and I have VT in just a month. I need good feet!

I arrived home, waking up Wayne who had slept poorly due to worrying about us. I took a shower and we tried to figure out my feet - but because of callouses, the blisters cannot be penetrated. And the splotches, ugh.

I'm in pain, yes, but I'm so happy I helped out a friend. I wish I could've been there until the end, but alas, that would not be good for my tootsies.

Ray was pushing on. I left him at mile 74 and now I'm imagining he's approaching the Brooklyn Bridge.

GO Ray! Finish strong!

Pacing at a 100miler gave me a strong appreciation for pacers - but also for a clue on how completely insane running 100s are. Stay running shorter races - a lot less pain. Trust me.

Training for VT100!!!

Training has been going pretty well lately. I've been racking up the miles, in a responsible way, edging things slightly up, taking rest (though probably not enough my mom would say), strength training 3 times a week, sleeping, training, running home from work (much better than commuting on the train, though it's not always possible, especially if I need to bring my laptop home), working at home so I can have mid-day runs (my job is so awesomely flexible though my coworkers obviously think my training is insane), pumping things up. 


Some fun runs have included heading up to Rockefeller and putting in six hours, some with Tony and some with people from my running club. I had a really fun night run involving meeting at 11pm on the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan and having an adventure involving raccoons and prostitutes and good conversation with super eager and sweet Gabriel, pushing the limits Jackie, ready for anything new Jess, and the amazing John Budge.  


Right now, I'm tired and would like a nap!

50 Miles of Birthday Fun: Race Report of the North Face DC 50 Miler!

I set out to run my heart out, and I fully did that. Even if I didn't go as fast as I wanted, I ran fast, I ran with my heart, and I ran through the mud.


This was my way of celebrating my birthday.


Mary and Erin agreed to run their first 50 miler, and Iliana of course couldn't resist signing up too. The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in DC would be fun!


The course was full of ups and downs, and stream crossings, and an absurd amount of mud. Unfortunately for me, it was also full of nine bathroom stops. 


I started out as fast as I could, running below 9:30 pace. It felt good. I felt great. I ran, smiling, felt alive. There was a bunch of mud, I plowed through it.


Ups, downs, along the river - "Is this the Potomac?" "Yes." So pretty! What - this hill, the mud, I'm slipping - I'm sliding, AUGH!


Then I got to the 15 mile ish mark, where I would then do 3 7 mile ish loops, and then run back the 15 ish miles. Wayne was there, and I requested a 5 hour energy shot to be purchased for mile 40. He was all hyper, for some reason. He also asked me, "Is it muddy?" I simply stared, not sure why he couldn't see the mud on my shoes, legs, skirt, shirt, face, arms, and hands. "Yes."


The 7 mile loop was nice. Not too much mud, and I smiled, really enjoying it. The second loop was fun, and I saw Tennessee, who was running her first 50k. I got a giant hug, which lifted my spirits. I felt good, strong.


Oh, but I neglected to mention my tummy troubles. I kept stopping...to go. I stopped a total of nine times during the race. UGH. Why??? I ate everything "right." Who knows why I became the Poop Queen. Oh well.


The third loop, Wayne decided to pace me. He turned his ankle twice. Then he limped back to the aid station after only four or five miles. 

The funniest thing about Wayne pacing me was when a woman with two dogs off leash (not sure why she had two dogs off leash in a national park with lots of hikers and runners?) couldn't control her dogs when they began chasing me. "Wayne, do something," I said, pushing ahead. I'm afraid of dogs, especially strange ones that could bite me. Wayne bent over and began barking like a dog, out of control. It was pretty hilarious. Later, he wondered if the ankle turning was karma for barking at the dogs, but I told him it couldn't be.


I ran on. Through the mud and the streams and the pit stops and my hamstring was sore and oh god, the pad of my food and I ran on.


And then I saw something that made me quite angry. I kept seeing this man doing what he could to avoid running through the mud (which was hard - there was mud EVERYWHERE!) and the stream crossings. (At one point, he crossed a stream barefoot, shoes in hand, then sat on the bank, dried off his feet with a towel he carried, and put his shoes back on!) He spent so much time avoiding the mud and wet - but then he'd get all annoyed and want to pass me and I kept having to pull aside to let him pass. Well, I looked up at one point, and we were all struggling and could not run b/c it was so muddy and slippery and we were struggling to stay upright - when he was on a parallel paved path. I was so angry, I called him out on it. "You're not on the course. That's not fair! You're cutting the course!" He sweetly smiled, "Have a great race."


What a complete jerk.

But I pushed on. I ran my heart out, as usual.


I finished, tears in my eyes. It was my birthday present to myself. Through the mud and nine pit stops, all by myself (not counting the 5 miles where Wayne was running ahead and having his own fun in the woods, which I don't really consider pacing), I did it. Not my fastest, or second fastest, but third fastest. Still, pretty respectable. So happy - I'm getting back to the runner I used to be, the runner with so much heart.


I rinsed off and waited for Mary and Erin. They came in, side by side, spacey but so happy, followed soon by Iliana. I was so proud of all of them, so happy for all of us.


It was a wonderful birthday present.

Flipping for Flipside!

Word poetry that constantly changed

Aerial arts in the night

Amazing art car

If Flipside had a stock market...

Mustache Mistress

Ready for the heat

Huge sign. Really.

Live ice sculpture

The effigy- Earth

The effigy - Wind

The effigy - Fire

The effigy - water

the Burn


It's hard to explain an incredible experience. I had a snowball fight in mid-90s temps. I danced my heart out under flashing lights. I walked around, aimlessly talking to people. I watched aerials. I talked to strangers. I shared my story. I learned other people's story. I drank mojitos with mint and basil. I learned how Papa Hemingway liked his daiquiri. I played with cat toys. I sat on a moustache 

North Face DC 50 Miler!

I set out to run my heart out, and I fully did that. Even if I didn't go as fast as I wanted, I ran fast, I ran with my heart, and I ran through the mud.


This was my way of celebrating my birthday.


Mary and Erin agreed to run their first 50 miler, and Iliana of course couldn't resist signing up too. The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in DC would be fun!


The course was full of ups and downs, and stream crossings, and an absurd amount of mud. Unfortunately for me, it was also full of nine bathroom stops. 


I started out as fast as I could, running below 9:30 pace. It felt good. I felt great. I ran, smiling, felt alive. There was a bunch of mud, I plowed through it.

Eat in the Dark

Gwendolyn is my hip friend who always knows abt the new, interesting restaurants, or that great exhibit, or something else fun going on. For her birthday, we went to Dans le Noir. It was an incredible experience.

You pay a flat fee for your meals. You get there, order cocktails, and pick out one of four menu choices: meat, vegetarian, seafood, or surprise. You tell them any dietary restrictions.

Then, your server, who is blind, leads you into a completely dark dining room. Everyone has a hand on each other's back, and she helps you into your seat. Pitch black. You can't see your hand in front of your face. It's pretty freaky. Our server was super duper nice, raised in Georgia. We were having her experience for a little while.

She passed us water pitchers. Pouring water in the dark was hard. Then we were served rolls. It was interesting to identify what we were eating. Gwendolyn and I had different rolls, and when I was saying, "Salty and savory. Olives," she was saying, "Cinnamon and raisins and nuts." We shared rolls, which was hard, since I couldn't tell where her reached hand was.

Then we got salad. We were giggling as we tried to eat. "What's this slimy thing?" "A tomato." I think there was fresh mozzarella, tomato, some greens, fig and goat cheese and something else. All really good. I ate with my fork and hands.

We all felt the darkness. It intoxicated us. I had half a cocktail when I entered and immediately felt drunk. Wow. Everyone was giggling, talking, freaked out. It was really scary. I asked to be seated next to Wayne b/c I wanted to at least be able to touch him - no eye contact or physical contact would've been freaky. But it was great. It was actually fun - we made out sporadically during the meal when we never would have ordinarily b/c no one noticed. We were all having our own intense amazing experiences.

Then the meal. I think there was some kind of quinoa with chevril and this amazing eggplant Parmesan. I don't know what anyone else had - this was the veg option. I dropped sauce on myself. I ordered another drink and spilled some of it down my shirt. Drinking and eating in the dark was hard. 

I kissed Wayne some more.

I laughed with Gwendolyn. We told stories. The dynamics were different. It was fun.

Then, dessert. Tiaramasu, panna cotta, a cinnamon puff with cream. Amazing

We felt drunk with darkness.

After, they showed us photos of what we had eaten, telling us in great detail.

It was an amazing experience. Yes, a little pricey, but you're paying for the experience. And it was fascinating.

Brooklyn Half!

For some stupid idea, I signed up for the Brooklyn Half. The original idea was that I would do a bunch of speed work, train hard, and try to PR. Wayne even offered to pace me, but he ended up with a messed up ankle and rode alongside the course, biking, offering cookies to runners. However, a hamstring strain almost two months earlier meant I cut my mileage down and my speed work. I spent a lot of time at physical therapy.

I started out feeling good, running 7minute-something miles, all under eights. maybe i could hit my goal....hmmmmm....and then around mile 9, this horrible pain began on the pad of my right foot. it was excruciating. tears to the eyes. moaning while running. i kept it up, and was relieved to finish.

1:45. Far from what I wanted, but still, pretty decent for someone who hasn't done the proper speedwork in months, good for someone who ran a 50k the week before, and a 50miler the week before that.

After, NBR went to the beach for a picnic. Lots of alcohol, snacks, cold water, slight sunburns. Wayne and I ended up leaving tipsy - and napping for a while in the afternoon. A fun day overall.

Pigeon Update

The pigeon is gone, as is the egg.


The nest remains.


Part of me is glad that nature took its way. I think if Wayne had forced the bird out of the way and smushed the egg, I would have cried. I do hate pigeons and I don't want them nesting in my very small outdoor space, but I don't want to kill them either. I guess it's the vegetarian in me.


But despite not wanting them there, I don't want to kill them.


I'm not sure what happened. Wayne peered out the window to water the plants, when he noticed both were missing. My guess is Mama Pigeon left the nest for food when Mr. Squirrel came along and grabbed a snack. (Do squirrels even eat pigeon eggs? I don't know but I prefer to think that than a rat was on my fire escape, yuck.) And Mama Pigeon came back and was devastated and flew away. And she'll probably not come back to nest again, knowing it's a bad place.


More space for my tomatoes, but still, honestly, I feel a little sad.

Greenbelt 50k Race Report!

I LOVE RUNNING ONCE AGAIN!


I have had the first good race in say, a year and a half. Well, I had other good races, but this was the first race I'm supremely happy with!


I've run the Greenbelt Trail a bunch of times, but usually the southern (easier) part, mainly b/c it's easier to get to via trains and it's right by my aunt's. I wasn't trying to erase that horrible race that was the Bear Mountain 50 Miler last week, but was trying to run my own race - run however fast I wanted, take it easy if my asthma was acting up without anyone getting annoyed at me, just run my heart out. And I did.


My legs still were a tad tired from last week's race but were fresh enough to get my 3rd woman overall.


You start out on this annoying road out-and-back. But then you're on the trails, which are primarily single track with lots of rolling little hills. The hills aren't so putrid that you'd want to walk all of them, but you might walk some, especially the second loop. There's some rocks, sand, all sorts of fun stuff, even poison ivy if you're (un)lucky. I ran out pretty hard, to Mary yelling, "You're running too fast." The idea wasn't to race this race hardcore, but to see how much I could push myself on my tired legs. And I did a good job.


I found myself passing people, smiling, and feeling good. My hamstring felt a little sore, but my hammie behaved, so I ended up running fairly well. I dodged hikers and a boy scout troupe.


The weather was hot - it got to the upper 70s today. I ran in just a sports bra and running skirt and only had a handheld, which was fine, since the aid stations were so close. I didn't have enough food - only four gels, not even three of my chewy chompers, as I like to call any kind of chewy running snack. But I made it.


The course is two out and backs for the 50k, and one out and back for the 25kers. I got to see Mary, who unfortunately hurt her ankle, and Donald, and several awesome people from my running club were doing the 25k - Anna, who of course won it b/c she's just that awesome, Ken, Karen, and Tennessee. But besides seeing their beautiful smiles (and bloody knees), I saw everyone - multiple times, which was great for the spirits. Most everyone said, "Good job," or would tell me I was the third woman, that I was in the top twenty, etc. And of course, I would give them a wonderful response right back, "You look great" (though one guy told me, "I look anything but great." Poor soul.)


It was a lot of fun. Ups and downs and the heat. The road crossings suck (especially since it is a fact that Long Island drivers suck (I grew up there so I speak from experience) and most of them were driving way too fast) and sometimes it was incredibly difficult to cross a street. But overall, an absolute blast of a race. Besides the Burning Man 50k, which is really just dessert, this 5:55:08 is my fastest 50k time - and on MUCH harder trails. YAY!

Idiots Across the U.S. (This Time, In Utah)

As a woman, I have been sadly witnessing as my reproductive rights are being stripped away, as fast as republicans and anti-choicers are able to. Utah just installed a 72 HOUR waiting period.   

In case you're not so up on waiting periods, this basically means you for a first visit and then have to return to get your procedure 72 hours later. Why does this suck? A plethora reasons including:

• More time off work. This penalizes poor and rural and young women, and those who can't take time off work.
• Difficult to access. If it's far, and someone doesn't own a car, doesn't have the time to travel, can't get there easily - this just makes it harder.
• An abortion is not an easy decision. By insisting that women think about it, you know, because, as complete a-hole Representative Steve Eliason says, " "The focus of this bill is women having time to consider all of the information that is given to them when facing a life-altering decision that somebody else is making money off of." I don't think that my health food store is making money off me when I buy milk, that my physical therapist is making money off me when I get my treatment. Crass jerk, that Steve Eliason is.

The Truth

We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.


--Alexander Sozhenitsyn

A Race Report Not Easy to Write: Bear Mountain 50 Miler

I've done the Bear Mountain 50 Miler twice, so it should be cake. I know the course. I run here way too much. But that wasn't to be. Horrible personal problems that I won't go into prevented me from doing anything in the first 25 miles but moving forward, slowly. I was overwhelmed with sadness, and found my race ruined like never before. How could I run when -- how? I ran but I found my motivation slagging as my mind wandered into sad, dangerous territories.


But at mile 25, I ran into the amazing John Budge. I met John when he signed up to do the Burning Man Ultra, and we haven't really hung out tons. But here, we were able to hang out - for 25 miles. We talked about love, our first kisses, how he proposed to his wife, crazy times at Burning Man, what motivates us, that sort of thing. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have gone crazy. I probably would still be sitting on a rock, bawling my eyes out, muddy knees to my chest, dirt-tear-streaked face seeing nothing but my own thoughts. But John - he saved me. I told John, "I need to stay out of my head. You are saving my race." I think he really enjoyed the times too. We both agreed we made each other's day. I pushed both of us, and when I was weak, he pushed us. We worked together, and it was really a beautiful example of teamwork - and friendship. In ultras, the barriers fall down and people become close so quickly. When I finished, I was so happy - because I struggled past something that could have really held me back. Yes, there were plenty of tears, plenty, a sleepless night, crying on rooftops - but first, there was a strong hug for John.


A friend remarked after I reported on my turnaround, "X0 Cherie. You're one tough chicita bonita. You inspire me for so many reasons, especially your ability to "smile" through a sh*tstorm and turn things around to be positive no matter what." I thank Deanna for that, though sometimes, I wish there wasn't a sh*tstorm for me to be positive through - can't I just be positive on a sunny day and persevere? Like this woman told me about her first 50 miler (with a very generous cut-off) -- "I just got in my car in the middle and cried for two hours. I was so cold. But it made me stronger." I thought through my tears, "But I don't want to suffer so it makes me stronger - I want to enjoy and yes, suffer a little, but why can't I get stronger without getting my ass kicked again and again? Can I have a good race for once?"


Even though the day began and ended with tears, the middle part was full of friendship, cookies, and Burning Man tales.


Thank you, John. And thank you to all the beautiful strangers who pushed me with their love and help and kind words. You are true beautiful ultrarunners and I love that you are in my sport.

Bear Mountain 50 Miler, Third Time Around

I've done the Bear Mountain 50 Miler three times. I kinda hate it, since it's super technical and technical is not my strong suit. But it's close to the city, I have made it my race. Also, it challenges me like nothing else, and I do love a good challenge.


I ran it in 2009 and 2011, only skipping in 2010 to have surgery on my uterus.


But I'll be there tomorrow, running again in one of my favourite places in the world. Some of my best friends will be there (but sadly, most of them are running other races so I'll miss them, esp Iliana's hilarity and Mary's purpleness and Erin's wit during the race). Before, during, and after will be a giant party.


Can't wait to run another 50! My toenails are painted so let's hope I don't lose any!

Pigeon Nesting

I have a small fire escape and it serves as my garden. This year, I'm expanding and planting tomatoes, peppers, cukes, basil (LOTS), sage, parsley, cilantro, flowers, and some other things I forgot.


Wayne was pulling in pots for me to dig in when he said, "Oh...oh...tail feathers!" I immediately thought there was a dead bird on the fire escape and said, "Get rid of it! Just get rid of it!"


"No..." he said, a bit of awe in his voice. "It's a mother. A mother bird and her nest. A pigeon."


Like any good New Yorker, I know what pigeons really are. They are rats with wings. Rats in the air or on the ground, both gross.


"Ugh!"


"Why?"


"Wayne, I don't want it in our teeny garden. I'm afraid it's going to fly in, and it's also going to crap on everyone's heads as they enter and leave the building."


Wayne shook his head. "You're right."


I didn't want to kill the egg; I just wanted it someplace else. Wayne went out with a broom to try to scare the bird away. The pigeon tried to attack the broom.

We have a stupid pigeon nesting on our fire escape.

Sometimes, urban wildlife sucks.

NYC 26.2

I got in. I wish I hadn't applied Adi someone who wanted it could have gotten a spot. Sad i'm not going to do pinhoti 100.

Six and ten day races

Wow. Wayne and I were completely blown away by Pete stringer and others at the transcendental races...

Why Don't I Care About the NYC Marathon Anymore?

In a moment of stupidity, I signed up for the lottery for the NYC Marathon. Even worse, my boyfriend (who has a half PR faster than me) agreed to pace me in the Brooklyn Half to qualify me in case I didn't make it.

But now, waiting for the results of the lottery,

I don't want to get in.

It seems sacrilegious; the NYC Marathon used to be my favourite race. Yes, it used to be. But now, I prefer trails. I prefer the chill helpful amazingly fun kind community of ultrarunning. I prefer to spend much less on a race - for four times as much distance. I prefer the beauty I see in nature. I also don't like road running, don't like the "OMG I was off by three seconds per mile!", don't like the energy, the vibe as much. Of course b/c it's NYC, it's a blast - the people are what makes it awesome (the crowds of diverse people, the music...). But honestly, if I get my choice, it's Pinhoti.

But if I get in...the entry fee is more than any race I've ever done. To throw it away...no, I'll just instead run it in a tutu as a speed workout for whichever 100 I want to do! 

My backup 100 choices are:

• Cajun Coyote, which I did last year and loved, mainly b/c the RDs and volunteers were freaking SO MUCH FUN!
• Chimera 100 Miler, which is supposed to be hard but beautiful!

What's in your hydration pack?

So I head out for a day on the trails - water, gus, some chewy chompers, maybe some pretzels or cookies if I'm getting fancy, endurolytes, tissues if I remember, maybe lipbalm. And I'm set - right?


Well, not exactly. Lately I feel like I am lacking with my equipment out on the trail. Iliana fell and bloodied her knee and broke her finger and I had nothing to help her. It struck me that I should carry more band-aids and duct tape for such incidents.


So I again reached out to the Ultra List and asked, what's in your pack? Here are some fantastic responses:

• 2nd skin, lighter, safety pin, rolled up garbage bags, lube, hand warmers, espresso bonk bars. --Lynnor
• Iodine, lighter, dryer lint (fire starter), compass, small flashlight, drum liner (poncho alternative), buff, phone. --Joe Lea
• Crazy glue, band-aids, whistle, moleskin, antiseptic. --Karen
• Alumninum blanket, fire steel, water proof matches, compass, whistle, bandana, huggies wipes, flare gun, rocket launcher, anthrax, bull horn, silver bullet, Victoria's Secret lip gloss. --Lisa Marlene (I'm pretty sure she was kidding about SOME of these!)
• Bandanna. --Micah Hoernig
• Matches in a baggie; a survival knife; pepper spray; sometimes borrow asp from a police friend; a baggie and baby wipes; KT tape; duct tape. --Deb
• Change of shirt & jacket; cell phone; cash. --Robert Self
• Epipen, duct tape, ankle support, pepper spray. --G
• Map of Frozen Head State Park. --Peter Frisk (hahaha Barkley Marathons!)

Some other things that are useful:

• Heat emergency blanket
• Ibuprofin
• Mini first aid kit
• Phone
• Water purification tablets/method

Plyo-huh?

The main reason I do plyometrics is because I adore the looks people give me...no, kidding, but that's always funny! 


I do plyometrics once a week and tend to do it around a park which is always nice. This is one of the rare occasions I'll run with my ipod (though I don't always do it with my ipod) and I generally enjoy this experience.


Here's my routine:

• High knees
• Butt kicks
• Squats (while walking)
• Grapevine
• Skipping
• Leaps/bounds
• Sprints

I do these for as long as I can stand -  maybe 50 meters, maybe more, maybe less. It was a lot less when I started and when I'm sore....and I do three sets of these. YAY! And I run in between each ones.

My friend Anna leads this series of plyometrics for NBR and they are killer but great:

--2 sets of 10 each:
1. Single leg hops: On one leg, 1) hop up and down; 2) hop forward and
back; 3) hop side to side.
2. Double leg bound: From a squat position with both legs, jump
forward as far as you can.
3. Alternate leg bound: In an exaggerated running motion, bound (which
looks like a combination of running and jumping) forward from one leg
to the other.
4. Squat jumps: With hands on hips in a squat position, jump straight
up as high as you can. Upon landing, lower back into a squat position
in one smooth motion and immediately jump up again.
5. Depth jumps: From a standing position on a 1-foot tall box, jump
onto the ground and land in a squat position. From this squat
position, jump straight up as high as you can.
6. Box jumps: From the ground, jump with two feet onto a 1-foot tall
box, and then immediately jump into the air and back down to the
ground.  

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be....

I met up with an athlete friend of mine today and he told me what could be some terrible news, but with a smile on my face. "They laid off my entire department. Everyone. Come June, I'm out of there." He worked for a giant bank (no surprise) but was delighted - he had been sick of the changes at his bank, and now, he gets to focus on training, on doing his athletic business.


"I wish my ultrarunning could become a career," I told him.


"Maybe, someday, it can. This is my dream," he told me.


(I hope he got a good severance too, to help him fund his dream!)


In the midst of all of this, my boss has asked us to brainstorm what we'd like our department to look like. It's more of a business plan, but I'm calling it "My Dream." I'm reworking my role here, hoping to make my job even more interesting and useful and something new and fun, hoping to get it nearer to my dream, but it will get there eventually....or I will.


What is my dream job? What's anyone's? I have a bunch of ideas and nothing that I'll be accomplishing this year. But at least my job is interesting, challenging, lots of learning, making a difference in the world, and I like most of the people I work with - all of these things are HUGE for me.


Remember when you were little and people asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. Maybe you said an astronaut (but then you realized physics was too hard) or a ballerina (but you suffered from arthritis at the age of 17) or a cop (but then you realized cops don't always want to help people) or a lawyer (but you realized the barriers against women lawyers are insurmountable) or the president (that's a stainless steel, not a glass ceiling, for women) or a doctor or, or, or...


What did you become? Why?


When I was little, I said a writer or a poet. I still want to be that.


What's your dream job?

Put Things Into Perspective

Work has been stressful. My asthma is bad. My running has been exhausting. The house is a wreck. There's too much to do, not enough time to do it.


This guy was sitting in front of the health food store, right after I left my pharmacy with my $50 birth control. $50 for a stupid Nuvaring so I don't menstruate out of control!? (And the birth control part is an added bonus...this is all actually on handling my period, the reason I'm on the pill.), asks me for money. I shake my head no. I'm cranky. I just spent $50 on medicine, not to mention $30 earlier today to go to the pulminologist. Why isn't getting healthy free and easy? The guy yells, "You're really pretty." I don't feel pretty. I'm cranky. I'm stressed about money. I have to finish cleaning my house. I have to --


I buy my milk, bananas, bread. I feel like I'm missing something but I'm not sure what.


"Stupid Republicans, like I want to be on birth control," I mutter to my mother on the way home.


And I get home. Fifty dollar birth control...


And then a good friend calls me. His mother is in an irreversible coma, the result of a stroke. He is dedicated. They are waiting...waiting for the inevitable.


And I feel stupid.


I feel stupid worrying about my expensive birth control, annoyed at the mess in my house. 


I'm glad I have my mother. And my father. And my grandmas, my sister. Very glad I have my Wayne. Glad to have Luna, my friends, my family. 


I stopped feeling so self-absorbed and instead feel glad.


Live each day with meaning.

Traprock 50k - where rocket scientists kicked out of North Korea, raw penguin eaters, and the only person to grow up on a science base in Antartica

A few years back, I was visiting a friend in Hartford when I met two super rad guys while running, Steve (aka Pretty Boy) and his friend Kevin (aka Goat). They  mentioned wanting to start a 100k or 100miler in CT bc they were disappointed at the lack of one in their state. I encouraged them and told them I would come up and run it for sure. I ended up visiting them a few other times when I journeyed up to Hartford.


They started the Traprock 50k two years ago, and racing Umstead and other races interfered - and I'm glad I was finally able to do it this year. I convinced my boyfriend who has only done one 50k to do it as a good training run for Bear Mountain 50 Miler, and Mary and Erin jumped into it too. Unfortunately, Mary woke up sick and couldn't run, but the three of us started the 50k, along with Jess who ran the 17k version of the same course.


Wayne and I started out running about 10 meters and then, like everyone else, we walked up an incredibly ridiculous and steep and rocky hill. My asthma was NOT behaving and this made every single climb horrible. Instead of my usual two puffs before I run, I ended up taking 18 puffs or so the entire day. Pretty horrendous.


And then we had some ups and downs and Wayne hammered the ups and the downs and really anything with rocks. My goal was to have asthma attacks, tell stories, and push it on the flats and fall on my face or trip multiple times. We make a good team, as you can tell.


As the ultra started, I was reminded of why I love ultras. The camaraderie, the jokes, the chill atmosphere, the fun. This is what's lacking in a lot of road running so I feel like I could never go back to just running marathons. That's not for me.


Then we hit the stairway to heaven. Rocks, uphills, rocky "stairs" at times tumbling down...Someone began shouting about why has the good lord put this stairway here as we climbed it the first time, to everyone's laughter. And then when we got to the top, someone was singing "Stairway to Heaven." Yes, this was my kind of race...fun, good atmosphere.


The first three miles are HARD, lots of ups, lots of ups, lots of rocks...but once that's done, you know the rest 7 or so miles of the loop aren't quite as wicked. So that makes you have a smile on your face when you reach the top. Then another mile or so and you hit the first aid station (Mmmmm strawberry Heed, mmmmmmm), then you do a "lollipop" loop which was appropriately marked with giant cardboard lollipops. That's about a mile, you hit another aid station, and then up, and a few more miles ups and downs and then the "rock n roll aid station" which was sans Elvis despite some who sang in hopes of that. We got to see Mary there twice, which was nice...


And then a few more miles back down, down, down the same way we struggled up, to the start/finish/aid station. I sucked down coconut water, joked around.


It was nice because there were a few spots where you got to see people going in the opposite direction.


And then we did one loop and another. I ran the whole thing with Wayne, despite him being faster and my asthma and other issues making me slower. Some days are just not my days, but I'm glad my hamstring behaved.


After, I sucked down some more coconut water while the Goat narrated the finishes. When I came in, he announced to everyone that I was the RD of the Burning Man Ultra and that everyone should run it. He announced that this one guy finishing was only here because he is a rocket scientist who was kicked out of North Korea after his nuclear rocket failed to launch. Some other woman was "known for eating raw penguin" which was news to her. I helped him with our friend Erin, and invented that she was the only person to ever be raised in Antarctica on the science base and she wears black all the time because it helps her stay warm, as is a habit in Antarctica. So yes, it was very fun.

The race was a blast - besides the crew I came with, I got to see my RD friends, Chippywich, Scott, people from the Jay Challenge (I swear, that race is so special - I constantly am running into people who ran it, even in Argentina - that was my 1st and 3rd ultra). It made me happy to be part of such a fun and amazing community...despite the bruises from falling, the blister on my big toe, and the dirt everywhere!

How do YOU prevent injuries?

Injuries suck.


That said, I have to admit, since I started doing ultras, especially since I started doing 50 milers and 100 milers, I have a lot less injuries. 


"Wait, back up? Your knees are supposed to be destroyed. C'mon, I got shin splints training for a 5k last autumn." I've heard this before. But it's true.


Why? Well, I've been running since I was 13 - that's 19 years. I know my body. I know when to replace shoes (which can go a lot longer for me than for most). I know when to take a day off, even when I don't want to. I strength train, which has made a lot of my less-utilized muscles not have to freak out and strain the others. I cross-train. I stretch. I eat during and after running. I sleep a decent amount. I drink lots of water, eat very well (including chocolate, which is key to lifelong happiness).


But it seems like ultrarunners are injured a lot less than road runners. I hear a lot more pain stories from my local road running club than my ultrarunning friends - some of whom quadruple or more the others' mileage. Why? I think it's experience and we got all the minor injuries out of the way earlier, but I decided to ask ultrarunners what their secrets are.

I reached out to the Ultra list and got some great responses:

• Drink lots of whole milk, and to keep from getting sick, eat lots of habaneros. --Lazarus Lake 
• Running within your limits, whatever they may be. The older I get, the more restrictive these limits become. --Dan Baglione
• Plenty of rest days, plenty of sleep. --Julian Jamison
• The top three things are: 1. I've found that ice is one of the best approaches, but I apply it for far longer than most, often for 3-4 hours at a time. (Never use a gel pack - they are the work of the devil. Only use ice in a plastic bag.) 2. Massage is critical IMHO. I use the stick, the foam roller and other body parts (knee to calf, elbow to quad). 3. I believe that minimalist running and good form are significant factors.--from Jonathan Savage who maintains an awesome wiki on injury prevention
• Form and building my base mileage with LSDs. --Chase Williams
• Whole chocolate milk and habaneros have healing powers. --Naresh KN
• You need fat in your diet. --John Price
• Understanding the difference between discomfort and pain. Generally, discomfort can be overcome with training: that same generalization leads to the idea that pain is a hint to find out what has gone wrong, fix the problem, then continuing. Rest. Rest is good for me (us?). And looking back - understanding that all the stuff I did last week, last month, and especially the last few years is intended to be remembered and used. Run gently out there. --John M, who also reminds us that naps, naps, and chocolate chip cookies are good too
• The biggest thing that I face personally is when to back off...I have a hard time telling myself that it's okay to take a few days off. I have even more of a hard time doing something else, like core work or upper body for those days. Mainly because I don't get the same "fix" from anything other than running. Really letting myself take a couple of days is hard. --Vinny Capp
• Another vote for LSD/RGOT. [FYI, that's Long Slow Distance and Run Gently Out There.) Lots of slowish miles on dirt.--Mark Swanson
• Step 1: Run a lot (Read: whatever it is you're trying to do, be it run, ross train, or pogo stick, do it consistently, keeping in mind that making drastic changes in mileage, running days/week, weights lifted, or hops on said pogo, are all forms of inconsistency.) Step 2: Rest when you need to (Read: most people have a very funny definition of need, but if you can master the primordial art of listening to your body rather than listening to other people's bodies, you'll know when to rest.) Step 3:  adapt as necessary (read:  if you successfully apply Steps 1 and 2, you will necessarily proceed to Step 3, which will mostly be accomplished involuntarily by your body's magical healing/rebuilding/repairing/adapting abilities, but can - and should - be augmented by the application of the second ancient lost art of common sense) Should you successfully complete these 3 easy steps, you'll remain injury free, and you'll turn into a rather impressive runner to boot...-john nevels (who is apparently feeling a little snarky this morning...)
• Rest is greatly underrated...YMMV. --Patrick McHenry
• My oneaveragerunner's perspective: 1. I run every day. 2. I listen to my running self; on days I fell like running, I air it out; on days I don't, I just run. 3. When I'm in a race, I give it everything I've got. (That said, my last race was pathetic-had a pretty good string of 25 or 30 going into that one though.) Anyway, I get training mileage in, and when I race, I race, even though I'm never better than an average racer. 4. TRX. Cross train/ strength training ojn TRX/ RIP 2-5 days per week. 5. I always have a race on the schedule, usually within the month; I run a lot of races. I think that makes me a lot more durable. 6. Aging and the aging process; I flat-out refuse to participate. --Tim Hardy, who refuses to grow up, just like Peter Pan :)
• My big thing is recovery.  I used to force myself to get out the door everyday no matter how crappy I felt, but now I'm much more kind and forgiving of myself.  Not stressing out about having to run EVERY day, equals a happier and calmer me with less fatigue and hence less injuries. I also have to agree on the fat topic.  I've stopped caring about eating high fat foods.  Bring it on!  I now buy full fat dairy, I make myself 4 eggs every morning with a generous amount of butter.  I eat an avocado every day.  I eat spoonfuls of coconut oil and almond butter.  I eat lots of red meat now and sausage. I love me some brats!  When I first switched to high fat foods, I thought I would get fat. The opposite happened.  I've lost 3 lbs and 1% body fat.  That never happened when I was eating the lowest fat diet I possibly could.  Oh, and skim milk isn't milk at all, it's basically murky water. --Sarah Jurgaitis
• For me, three strengthening exercises keep me from getting injured. 1) stand on the edge of a step, go up on your toes, then while on one foot slowly drop down until your heel is below the height of the step.  I work up to 4 sets of 10 for each leg 2) leg extensions.  From a sitting position with a light weight (6 lbs or less) hanging from the end of my foot, extend my leg so it is straight out (parallel with the floor) then lower it 45 degrees, then back up.  I work up to 5 sets of 20 with each leg 3) IT band.  Lie on your side, then with a light weight on your ankle (5 lbs) raise your leg.  I also work the inside on my leg while doing this.  I work up to 3 sets of 10 for each leg. --Kurt
• I don't know that I have just one item for injury prevention and I really don't know that any of what I do truly works.  I do think some people are just more injury prone than others.  I try to run with good form, eat a healthy diet, vary training paces (uses different muscles and helps to avoid repetitive stress injuries), vary my shoes (again uses different muscles and helps avoid repetitive stress injuries). Run on softer surfaces if I am feeling beat up.  I still do some of my running on roads and I think the variety of working different muscles is good. I don't drink that much milk but when I do I use 1%.  I don't mind the fast I just don't like the taste of whole milk. I also eat LOTS of dark chocolate, get sleep, avoid stress, and see my chiropractor every 2 - 3 weeks.  He likes to work specifically with athletes and he addresses any problem areas although he says it is amazing how well aligned I am considering what I put my body through.  Also, at least 2 - 3 times per year take 3 - 4 days in a row off.  At least 1 - 2 months per year train without a plan.  I also lift weights but not sure that keeps me from getting injured. I've only been so injured I didn't run 2 times since I've been running marathons and over in 8 years.  Started running ultras in 2007.  The first time was after my second 100 miler in 2010 and my medial tendon felt like it was sprained so took about 2 weeks off. The other time was just this year in January with my 3rd metatarsal stress reaction which I think was from running too many miles in shoes that were too light.  I took off 8 days and then cut back on my running.  I've had a few other injuries but was able to run through them and get better fairly quickly. --Andy

YMMV...No gain until no pain

I don't like waiting. I would have to say impatience is one of my worst qualities, so not running for a week was torture. Well, I didn't not run, I ran and suffered and ran a lot, lot less.


After my injury at the BUS 6 hour, I moped a lot. Instead of heading up to Bear Mountain, my boyfriend and I ate brunch, did home improvements, and I ended up soaking in Epsom salts and stretching and writing while he ran. I was jealous, even though it was raining.


And I listened to Ray K's advice: "Just shuffle. It'll help with the healing process." So I ran 8 minutes Monday, 20 minutes Tuesday, 29 minutes Wednesday, 41 minutes Thursday. Still pain. The shuffle wasn't helping.

Duh. What was I waiting for? I walked over to the new physical therapy that opened around the block from my place and immediately began working with a physical therapist. The usual - electrostim, stretching, heat, ice, massage, ultrasound. I went in again the next morning and he massaged the hell out of my leg. Ow.

But you know what?


Come Saturday, I ran/hiked (albeit slow) 4hours18minutes at Bear. And Sunday, I ran about 3 hours on trails in Connecticut (though I was in a strange mood and kept hiding behind trees, and poor Wayne told me I'm a bad hider, just before he made me cross some raging rapids). No pain. I ran with a bandage, ran slowly, iced after, stretched, but you  know what? It worked. Medicine does, sometimes.


I feel good. I swam (well, didn't drown is a more accurate description for what I do in a pool) yesterday, swam and went on the elliptical and ran this morning, and I'm going to run easy again this afternoon. I have the KS tape on my leg and I feel happy. I feel back to normal.


And you know what? Sometimes, normal is a good place to be!  

Why Can't I Walk Down the Street Free of Suggestion?

All I was doing was walking home with milk and coconut water and an ace bandage, looking forward to chilling in my house with my boyfriend and his wood workshop/our apartment and maybe doing some writing and reading and icing my hamstring. And the assholes can't let me be. 


They have to whistle.


Have to say something.


Have to show me that they think I'm sexy.


Honestly, I don't need some sleazy men to let me know that I'm sexy. (I know that already.) 


Why can't they leave me alone?


Don't they have mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, sisters, cousins, friends?


Do they think it's a compliment?


Do they think I want to hear it?


Do they think I'll be flattered?


Do they think I want to interact with them?


I just don't understand some things in this world full of sexual harassment.

Why Do You Run?

My teammate Mishka sent me this video, which I actually sent out last year or so. I know I posted it in the past, but it once again brought tears to my eyes...so why do you run? 





I run because nothing else makes me feel more free, more alive, happier in the world.


(And that's partially why I'm in love with a runner. He knows how it feels.)

Hamstring Hurt at BUS Six Hour

I persuaded Wayne, Mary, and Erin to run the Broadway Ultra Society's 6 Hour Race on Saturday. I figured I'd take it easy, do 10 minute miles, as I just ran a 50miler last weekend. I had been feeling tired, but nothing too terrible. However, things went downhill after a while.

Wayne and I started off, running sub 10 minute miles, talking, joking. I was feeling overall pretty crappy - tired, head out of sorts, not that great. But still thought I'd easily run the 6 hour, just complain a lot. (Poor Wayne.) 


We ran into Ray K who was cruising - and my hamstring started feeling a little sore. And then we slowed down to grab food - I was not feeling great nutrition-wise - and then my hamstring got worse. It didn't feel like cramping. It felt BAD. Nothing snapped. But it was painful.


After 3.5 hours, anytime I tried to run, it was painful. Wayne and I walked two laps of the slightly less than a mile loop, and I kept trying to run but pain forced me to stop. I was limping. I had tears in my eyes but I knew what I needed to do.


I stopped.


"I've never DNF'd," I wailed to Wayne. He held me. "You didn't DNF, you can't in a timed race." He also stopped to be with me. "Also, because I'm lazy," he joked.


I did all the things. Epsom salts. Resting. Elevating leg. Stay off feet. Icing. Even alcohol. But nothing is helping. I feel it ever-so-slightly. No 8 hours at Bear Mountain today. But will it heal soon? What can I do? I'm trying to NOT feel panicky...just not sure what to do. So scared. I know I've been lucky - I've trained smart and cross-trained and strength-trained and those things have helped. But now here is a hurt hamstring.


I'm going back to bed with some ice and my leg up on some pillows and a book. And my cat.

RIP Micah True

The ultrarunning community is very sad at the recent loss of Micah True aka Caballo Blanco. Known well for being the hero of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, Caballo Blanco took the path less traveled in a very nontraditional lifestyle, including living and training with the amazing ultrarunning indigenous community in Mexico's Copper Canyon.


Here's more on it...