Outlaw Trail Ultra Half Marathon

A half marathon that is considered an ultra?  Well this one was.  We started at Diamond Jack Campground just outside of Twin Falls.  We were pumped to run, all be it super tired.  We had left Boise at 4:15 AM yawn!

Please note:  I have been looking for these bottles for WEEKS!!!!

We are getting pretty good at our pre-race "selfies"!

Kris made a HUGE mess in Michele's car!!

We are ready to run!!

Start line race directions.  We actually didn't really pay attention!

The race started and we soon realized that it was a lot of uphill to start.  So we played it smart and WALKED!  Some running when it allowed.  But we are smart runners now and we know...save your legs for the downhill!!

When we reached mile 3.5 it was the first, last and only aid station.  I didn't need aid yet, neither did Michele.  But Kris needed to use the bathroom.  Michele told me to keep running and said, "Kris said she will catch up."  So I did.  When Kris came out of the porta-potty she had no idea we had left her.  She couldn't believe we ditched her.  So she thought, she will catch up.

From here there was more running.  There was a lot of over growth and we were running through sage brush, low hanging branches and other vegetation.  Michele said she was glad I was in front of her because that made me Tick patrol!  They would either attach to me or I would knock them off the bushes as I ran by.  So glad to be of service to a fellow runner!

Here is the problem I learned with having Michele run behind me. I would run until I would get to the base of a big hill or a hill that was covered in loose rock.  Then I would start walking.  Michele would start walking IMMEDIATELY when I started to walk.  I assumed that she would also run to the base of the hill and THEN begin her walk.  This would not be too big of a problem if she stayed consistent with this practice.  That would mean when I started to run at the top of the hill she would then start running WHEN I did.  No.  She would wait and run when she passed the landmark at which I began my run.

I slowly began to notice this problem during the race.  I began to notice what she was doing.  So..... I stretched my walk after the hill until it was flat for both of us.  Then I started to run thinking "ok it's flat" that she would start also.  Nope she would wait until the landmark.  She was killing me!!  But since this race, I have lectured and corrected her and it should NEVER happen this way again!!

Some of our beautiful scenery:

A few fun things we will always remember about this race:

1.  If you run smart, you will pass people.  We passed 10-12 on the final downhill.
2.  If you yell hello to Michele when you are below her on a switch back, she will look up in the air thinking you are a bell.
3.  When Michele falls, she does it Ninja style!
4.  Kris saw a runner fall and saved the runners life!!
5.  I half-fell but I am more than ninja and didn't fall.  Hurt my hip.  Later when I was stretching it I could not walk and my dear friend Kris LAUGHED AT ME!
6.  Michele got a ride back to the start line where the car was from a 15 year old boy who JUST got his license
7.  The shirts and medals were gender specific which was really nice.
8.  Michele CANNOT drive in construction when it is dark.

Our finish times:
Jodi 2:53
Michele 2:56
Kris 3:01

AWESOME DAY Great RACE!!

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)

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!

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.

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!!

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!!

River of No Return 25K

The distance listed for this race is deceiving.  It may have only been a 25K, but it felt MUCH LONGER!!

When we headed out of Boise Kris treated us to Jimmy John's sandwiches.  We put it into the cooler with intentions to eat it somewhere on the road.  We left town at about 10:30 AM.  I was already hungry.  By 11:30 I was STARVING!  Michele could NOT find anywhere to pull over so we could eat.  By 1:00 I was about to eat my pillow if we didn't not pull over soon.  Michele found a campground and pulled over.  The sign said "fee area".  Michele stopped the car, "We can't stay here to eat. You have to pay."  Kris insisted that we COULD stay there to eat and that we WOULD stay there to eat.  We were just eating our lunch, not camping!!

We had not been eating all but 5 minutes when a portly man in a white truck pulled up and KICKED US OUT!!  That's right, we were kicked out of the campground!  You do have to pay, even if you are taking 20 minutes to eat.  (I know that to be true because that is exactly what Kris asked him!)  As we drove off (me still starving) Michele made sure we knew "She was right" for several miles.  (Do not worry, we did find a FREE picnic area and I did not have to eat my pillow).

In Challis, we picked up our race packets and I saw 2 people that I know; my sister-in-law and an old friend.  Michele said that I have to go out of town to find friends..... oh haha.  Then we toured a little bit of downtown Challis.

The weather was extremely windy.  We were all hoping for that to change when we woke up in the morning.  We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner (not worth $13) at the Tea Cup Cafe in Challis and then called it a night.  After watching a marathon of "Pickers" we decided it was lights out time!  Once again we froze all night with e A/C on full blast proving that we are both afraid of Kris just enough to risk getting pneumonia in a cheap hotel room, than turn off the A/C and face her wrath! Our race distance started at 9:00 AM.  We woke up to nice clear skies, and WARM!  Oh boy was it warm!  It was already in the low 50s when we were lining up to being.  That is already 30 degrees too warm for me! To say this race was tough would be an understatement. After a 2 mile start along hwy 92, running on an old rutted 4-wheeler trail, we started climbing.  We climbed ... and we climbed .... and we climbed .... and we climbed. Then after we climbed a while - we climbed some more! We started the race at around 5,200 feet and climbed to 7,700 feet in the first 8 miles.  We stayed together until about mile 6.5 and then we started to slowly pull away from each other.  Michele's hurt leg was feeling better than she thought it would.  It was Kris who struggled.  The elevation really got to her.  So her new nickname became "Iron-Lung". Even with all this tough, HOT climbing.... we still had fun!! I hit the Aid Station at mile 8.6.  This was a happy surprise because it was supposed to be at mile 9.  As I was there I ran through my checklist: 1.  Do I have enough water in my pack? Yes 2.  Need to use the bathroom? No 3.  Slice of orange, yum.  Everything else looks gross. 4.  "Hey, can I have a shot of Coca-Cola?  Just a tiny bit!  Thanks!  Perfect." Michele hit the aid station next, about 5 minutes later.  Her list: 1.  Biofreeze the legs.  That feels good. 2.  Chips? Sure.  Oh gross that was sour cream and onion flavor! 3.  "Can I have one inch of Coca-Cola please?  Perfect." Kris followed next.  She of course was her usual fun self: 1.  Bananas?  Taste delicious the rest of your food does not look appealing! 2.  Oh look!  A wipe station!!  Face wiped clean- check 3.  "I will pour my own Coca-Cola thank you. Oh wait , mix some of that endurance drink into it.  Hold my cup until I'm ready!" 4.  Handful of pretzels to take with me? Don't mind if I do. After the aid station it was going to be downhill until we came back to down town Challis.  We were all looking forward to being able to open it up and tear down those hills! Unfortunately that only lasted until mile 10.5 or so, then the trail became not really a trail anymore.  It was more like a field of loose rocks.    At mile 12 there was an intensely steep downhill, completely covered in loose rock.  I called it "rubble hill". It was so awful, you could barely even walk down it! You know a trail run is bad when you are happy to see the road.  I was so thrilled to hit a flat surface that didn't move underneath me.  I picked up the pace a touch but not too much.  It was so HOT!! We all finished relatively close together: Jodi - 3 hours 27 minutes Michele -  3 hours 47 minutes Kris - 3 hours 57 minutes He race was harder than we anticipated, but we all agreed we felt quite proud of ourselves for completing it.  After a free "shower" in the Challis high school locker room we hit the road.  Once again with me STARVING!! Some things we reflected on during our car ride home: 1.  We don't have many photos of the end of the course because Kris, our photographer, announced she just wanted to "get off that blasted mountain!!" 2.  Great news realized..... Kris did not fall! 3.  Challis is all rock and desert, very few trees! 4.  We saw ZERO wildlife, unless you count grasshoppers and crickets. 5.  Kris likes Bob Hope movies.  Most likely due to the fact that she is older (this was revealed by Michele). 6.  Michele will forever be friends with Deedra.  They were instant BFF's 7.  We were disappointed to not receive a midnight call from Dan.  That's NOT amore! 8.  When driving on mountain roads, the center line is optional. 9.  When we were about 30 miles from home Kris announced that "was fine as long as I don't have to run it!"