Tag: ultramarathon

When Ironman Becomes The New Normal

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After a few years of racing Ironman, John and I have got a solid rhythm. We have a routine that works for pre-, during- and post-race. I’m not saying that Ironman has gotten boring–because for me it definitely hasn’t–but I will say that much of the mystery and uncertainty has been revealed. The unexpected still happens, but in general, we know how the system works. Nutrition, gear, spectating – we got our routines and they work. So what do you do to shake things up? Well, if you are my crazy husband, you sign up for a 100 mile ultrarun. …

How can we fit it all in?

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If you are going to train for an endurance event, you need time. No shocker there, right? Preparation for distance events, such as marathons and triathlons, can require anywhere from 10 to 25 hours a week. With family, friends, work, household chores and so on, it is challenging to find that “extra” time for focused training. Even more daunting still are the hidden time costs that come from doing extra laundry, preparing food, traveling to races or group training sessions, ensuring proper recovery, and of course, blogging and logging training milestones. While I wrote about time management last year, an …

All training and no playing makes me a cranky pants: Thoughts on the holidaze

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I love this time of year: Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, each complete with gatherings of family and friends. Yet, all of this merry making, combined with  colder temperatures, dark mornings and evenings, and busy days, comes with a price with respect to training and health. I’m by no means an expert in overcoming these holiday hangups with training and nutrition. But, I have few key guidelines to keep in mind during the holiday offseason. All training and no playing makes me a cranky pants. We can’t train hard every day, all year long. Well, I guess we can if we …

What will I learn today?

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About a year ago, I met with my University’s public relations guru, Barbara. (She is a media coverage rainmaker!) She had heard that I was training for my first Ironman, and that I would be raising money for a scholarship during the process. She wanted to help me promote the scholarship. We had lunch, during which she asked a series of questions about my athletic and academic history, about the training, about my motivation for raising money for the Iron Scholarship. At one point she asked, “Has this training helped you be a better teacher?” At the time, I said …

This is what we do: The Vermont 50

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  “Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond what we thought we could do. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.” ~ Pattie Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian Race morning… We stayed in a hotel that smelled of cigarettes and flatulence. The cigarettes were from the people who had the room before us. The flatulence, well, I guess we have to own up to that. John and I joked as we fell off to sleep, “At the starting line, people are …

The first time finish line

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I’m addicted to the first time. You know: The first marathon. The first triathlon. The first 50k. The first ironman. And, this weekend, my first 50-miler: The Vermont 50. Crossing the finish line of any race is exhilarating. The feeling of accomplishment, of achieving a goal that you’ve set and steadfastly worked toward. Only you made it happen for yourself. Of course, finishing feels wonderful no matter how many times you’ve done that race before. But, hold up a minute. When you cross the finish line of your first attempt at a new event, the feeling is absolutely and overwhelmingly …

Stumpy’s Marathon: A 10 year old’s birthday party

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In the process of training for the impending Vermont 50, John and I have completed several organized trail races. There are definite advantages to entering races, even if you are just doing the race as a training day. For example, the excitement of a race day along with running in a completely new place can help break up the monotony of training. I just love the feeling of waking up on a race day morning, and the excitement of wondering what’s around the next bend in the trail. Another key advantage is aid station support, which means you don’t have …

My bucket list isn’t getting any shorter…

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Despite the fact that I have been systematically checking things off my bucket list (marathon, ultra, Ironman, and so on), it continues to grow. The newest addition? Thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. The latest desire is a result of a training run that John and I took last weekend along 20 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Apparently, the bucket list is a little bit like knowledge: the more you know, the more you realize you want to know. The more we do, the more we realize we want to do. We had traveled to Vermont seeking a training weekend in preparation …

PHUNT 50k Race Report

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I woke up this morning, put my feet on the floor, and struggled to stand up. Ah, yes, I did run that 50k yesterday. Now I remember. My quads are almost useless, as I have to use my arms to pull myself up and help myself down. My right leg wants to know exactly what I did yesterday because the ITB is tight, my shin is on fire, and my cranky tendon is, well, cranky again. But, I crossed the finish line in yesterday’s PHUNT 50k in a just a breath under 6 hours (5:59:32 to be precise). Was it …

From 2009 into 2010: Places, races & goals

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In terms of my athletic goals and experiences, 2009 has been an excellent year. (It’s been a great year for other reasons as well, just not necessarily central to this blog :)). I have met some of the coolest runners and triathletes,  some of which I have been fortunate to develop relationships with, others who passed through my life for a day, as I did through theirs. So many smiles, so many words of encouragement. Peace, love and light to all of you in 2010! I’ve enjoyed interacting with all of you here on my blog, on twitter, at races …