Saturday, July 26, 2014

Let's Get WILD!!!

For our next adventure we decided to run the "Run Wild Idaho" ultra run.  We selected the 16 mile option and Kris agreed to join us, reluctantly.  Her wonderful husband agreed to drive us to the race start.  None of us were sure if we would be in any shape to make the 2 hours drive home after we ran.

Everyone was too busy to get to early packet pickup a few days before the race.  So my husband offered to do it on his lunch break.  It turned out that you got to PICK your race number.  He chose the numbers 1,2,3.  Of course since I am his "number one" he assigned my name to #1, then Michele #2 and Kris #3.  Kris was mad and said that SHE should be Number 1.  I admit it was fun to rub it in.

We had to leave at 5:30 AM.  We sleepily made our way to the race.  Kris was mad because there was someone else signed up in her age group.  She originally was the only one.  That was why she agreed to run because she could say, regardless of her time, that she WON her age group.  Then during the last week of sign ups, Sparkle Paterson signed up.  Kris wanted me to point her out so she could try and BEAT HER!!! As we pinned on our race numbers... I saw Sparkle.



Michele ran over and introduced herself and told Sparkle all about Kris' secret desire to beat her.  They became instant friends!!

Before the race began we had to help Kris with her indecision as to what to wear.  It was a cold start but we also knew it was going to get hot, very HOT.  She wanted to wear a long sleeve layer but was worried about stopping to take off her pack in order to get the shirt off.  This was her solution:



That got a vote of "NO" from both of us.  In fact I told her I would pretend I didn't know her if she did that and Michele said she wouldn't run with her!!  Kris ran in her tank top and was never cold :)

I had felt so good in the last week of training leading up to the race that I decided I was going to run fast ahead of them!  Sometimes I do this.  So when the race started I took off!  I realized I had NO clue what the course markings were.  When I passed the race director I asked what color of flags we needed to follow; he replied with a smile and no directions.  Well, here is to not getting lost!!

For the first smile I ran hard.  I was in third place overall and the first female.  WOW!  That wow quickly turned to "I think I am going to barf and my calves are going to fall off.  Not sure which will happen first!"  I had foolishly started on an uphill course, with cold muscles, going at a faster pace than I should have.  So......

I stopped.  I turned around and started walking back DOWN the trail.  I will admit I got some strange looks from the other runners and an "Are you OK?"  Yes, I am ok.  I just ran extremely dumb. I only had to walk a few minutes before I saw Michele and Kris.  They both looked concerned and asked, " What's wrong."  My answer was simple, "If this race is going to be as hard as I think it is, I don't want to do it alone."



To say that this race was tough would be a flat out lie.  This race was extreme, mondo hard, leg screamingly intense!!!  It was nearly impossible going up and deadly going down!  After about three miles our orange ribbons that we had been following suddenly tuned pink.  We were sure we had gotten lost somehow and now we were following the 50-miler course.  We stopped a few different times trying to decide what to do.  At one point I even yelled, "Are there any runners out there?" Receiving no response.  Finally the consensus was made that we would simply run/walk/hike for 8 miles.  Then if we did not reach the Aid station Turn around (because we were lost) we would turn around and come back.  Creating our own 16 mile loop.

Luckily, we were not lost and came upon an Aid Station.  HOORAY!!  Onward!  Well it was more like UPWARD, because at that point the trail went STRAIGHT UP for 2 miles.  We had to find sticks in the woods to use as walking sticks....it was that steep!!




Straight Up!!!

Taking a much needed break

Finally a place to sit!
After 3 hours of climbing we reached the Aid Station/ Turn around point.  The workers there were rock stars!  They were so helpful and attentive!  Michele and Kris drank Pickle Juice (gross) and I had a shot of Coca Cola.  We ate some Watermelon (tasted like heaven!)  It was time to descend the mountain.  I looked at my dear running buddies and said, "I will see you at the bottom."  Then I was gone.  Kris had to sit down to get the dirt out that had been collecting.  They decided to stay together.

I think I yelled at least 3 or 4 times at people as I came up behind them going down the hills, "I am coming up behind you FAST!"  That was my warning to let them know I was going too fast to stop. Most of them were really nice about it.  When I got to one of the REALLY steep slopes that we had a tough time climbing up, I realized too late that I was going too fast.  I could not slow down!  I felt myself beginning to lose control and knew I was about to eat dirt BIG TIME.  In desperation I reached out and grabbed for anything that might slow me down;  pine tree branch.  That did the trick.  I held on as I slid.  Then the branch broke off.  I slid the rest of the way down (luckily on my feet) while still holding the broken branch in my hand.  Wow that was actually fun!

The last few miles down the mountain were hot.  The temps had increased greatly and the shad was non existent.  You could really feel yourself getting overheated.  This is where races are more mental than physical.  You had to really get out of your own head at this point in the race.

I finished the race in 4 hours 29 minutes.  Holy cow!  This was only a 16 mile race, so that finish time seriously indicates how tough this was!  I was proud of my performance since I passed 10 people on my way down the mountain.  Kris' husband was there at the finish line with a small slushy Coke for me!  I stood in the river for a long time with my coke waiting for my feet and legs to just go numb.





Michele and Kris came in about 45 minutes later at 5 hours 11 minutes.  As we stood there cheering for them I noticed, Kris only had ONE SHOE ON!! Turns out she had a horrible blister pop and it was so painful she took her shoe off and finished the last 2 miles in a few socks only!



This race was HARD; MONDO HARD.  Definitely the hardest I ave ever done.  It was four days after the race before any of us could walk without grimacing.  But I am glad we did it!  Kris however informed me that this is the last Ultra that she will run with me again, EVER!

RESULTS

JODI:  6th overall   - 5th Female   -  5th in age group
MICHELE:  19th overall  - 12th Female   -  2nd in age group
KRIS:   20th overall  - 13th Female  - 3rd in age group

(My age group is too competitive.  I will be 40 in a couple weeks, then I will be in Michele's age group! YAY)





Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Just when you thought you have seen everything....

I have seen all types of creatures while running;

bears
fox
snakes
raccoons
skunks
owls
deer
mice
swan
heron

....you get the idea.  But today was a first.  In fact I NEVER would have guessed that I would EVER see this creature while running in my Idaho town.

We helped it safely to the river!!
You never know what you might see out there!  So keep your eyes open and enjoy your run!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sometimes you just run....

There are some days when my trail run is very uneventful.

No one falls.
No wild animals scare us out of our wits.
The only major obstacles are cow pies scattering the trail.
No one nearly dies of heatstroke.
Kris doesn't yell at anyone.
No one gets a phone call or text.
We don't solve the world's problems.
We don't see ANY other runners.
No one has a close call with a speeding bicyclist.
No one announces half way through the run that THEY ARE DONE!
No one runs out of water.


Sometimes....you just run.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

I have a friend who falls!

My running buddy Kris is a faller.  Now, we are not just talking about a yearly thing, or even a monthly thing, we are talking about....she falls quite often.  Today her and Michele went on a run by their house.  I get the following text message.....

"Well, we are walking.  Kris just fell. BIG TIME!"

Now, I did send the "Is she ok" text message BEFORE the LOL message.  But, I couldn't help laughing because, Kris always falls!

So I decided to do some research as to why some runners fall.  This is what I learned:

1.  Face it, some people are just not as agile as others.
2.   Aging can contribute to changes in your vision, thus       increasing your risk of meeting the ground up close.
3.  Lack of concentration.  If while running we are busy      yelling at our running buddies (or even those buddies      who are not there) we lose focus on the terrain and        SPLAT!
4.  Some runners do not lift their feet off the ground high      enough which often causes them to trip over                  "nothing".
5.  Running faster than your legs can handle.  This can        almost guarantee a 'yard-sale' on the trail!
6.  Cocky-ness.  Often times runner's feel that they are         invincible and will mouth off to running partners of        their greatness.  This is when gravity becomes the          great equalizer.
7.  Balance.  As we age so does our balance.  Practice      standing on one leg several times a day to improve        your balance before heading out for that run!
8.  Your imagination can cause you to fall as well.  It can be very dangerous.  Never imagine that you are running on "pillows'.  That will assuredly result in a face to face meeting with some dirt!
9.  Kharma - it happens to most of us (never me).  You see someone fall and laugh at them.  The result?  A painful chest bump with a trail post!!

Be safe out there runners!  And don't FALL!!




Friday, July 4, 2014

We run in such a beautiful land!!

To celebrate the Fourth of July, we always begin the day with an early morning trail run.  It is nice to be outdoors in God's beauty.  For the past few years we have had a tradition of doing the same loop each fourth of July (Shane's Loop and Buck Tail).  Today we decided to try something different.



We started at the Upper Corral's trail-head.  The plan was to run an out and back.  Less than a half mile on Corral's we came upon the new trail that had just been finished this spring... Highlands.  Immediately we headed right to try it out.  SO glad we did!  It was a wonderful single track, downhill, full of switchbacks.  I LOVED this trail!!


It brought us out to a parking lot where we were able to jump onto Bob's Trail and head back up to Corrals.  Well we did have to stop for pictures first....of course!

There are some really rocky parts on Bob's.  Michele hoped we could avoid any "Kris"-tastrophe's!  She was laughing so hard that she could not pronounce it correctly.








We really had a great time, 8.6 miles.  Love where I live!!