I may be a failure at writing/remembering to post, but the RunStreak is still going strong. A quick summary of getting to Day 1250:
I started my runstreak with minimum 1 mile a day on February 4th 2019
Late November 2019 I upped to minimum 3 miles a day
May/June of 2020 I started to feel an injury coming on a dropped back to a 1 mile a day minimum on the advice of my PT
In November of 2020 I realized it had been a bit since I’d run less than 3 miles a day, so I looked back and found that I had been at a minimum of 3 miles a day since October 16th of 2020
So now with every day being at least 3 miles, it’s definitely routine for the most part. Some days are still definitely harder than others though. Even when I’m struggling on a run (or to get up to run) I know that my day will be better because I did it. I remember being super busy with work before the runstreak and choosing sleep over my run because I was so sure I needed more sleep. Don’t get me wrong- sleep is important- but if I skip my run for sleep, I’m still more tired and less productive throughout the day than if I get up to run instead.
I’m always so grateful that I basically wake up on my runs to beautiful views like this. It settles me for my day and the endorphins released definitely make my day better than if I didn’t run!
This pandemic has turned the world upside down. It has taken so much energy and motivation in so many ways and from so many things. I have definitely lost motivation to write much of anything. I’ve been telling myself for months I was going to get back on top of posting again…. oops. But there is one thing this pandemic has not taken – my runstreak! Today is my runstreakiversary, and I am so grateful!
As I wrote in my first blog post, I started my streak because I was tired of being lazy. I was tired of having a day totally free, being able to run, planning to run, then not making it off the couch. And while it was not the reason I started my streak, I also had weeks or months at a time when I’d be so busy, I wouldn’t find the time or make the time to run. If the option was get up early to get the run in, or get the extra sleep, I’d tell myself I needed the sleep.
In this past year, I have had multiple months at a time that I could look at and know, if not for my streak, I wouldn’t have run. At the beginning of the pandemic, I lost all motivation. I hated running outside because there were too many people and not enough of them were wearing masks so I didn’t feel safe, and I hated running inside because it was boring. But at the time I was doing minimum 3 miles a day, so I was able to push through at least that every day just to keep the streak. Then later in the summer, my job got super busy and I was working 12 hour days plus a 40 minute commute each way. If not for my runstreak, I know I wouldn’t have run, I would have said I needed sleep, needed to relax, and not recognized how much a run would help. How much it kept me sane. And I’m so grateful that my runstreak kept me going.
I have also learned to get the twinges checked out. Rather than wait for something to get bad, if I feel pain, I call my PT. Luckily I haven’t had to do it much, but in May, when I went to my parent’s country town for a bit and suddenly jumped into hills, my calves and shins screamed! Unfortunately that time I did let it go long enough to drop the 3 mile minimum I’d gotten up to for the prior 6 months back down to 1. But I was able to keep my 1 and therefore able to keep my streak! And mid October I was able to come back to 3 miles a day and hopefully I can stay there!
It’s been so sad to not have races, and to have so many races cancelled. But I am looking forward to when they can be resumed safely and I’m excited for all the beautiful places I’ll get to see. Everyone staying healthy is so much more important.
I have been lucky, so far, I have not contracted covid. My parents and my sister stayed healthy as well. While my brother, sister in law, and 2 of 4 nieces did get covid, they seem to be fully recovered and we’re hoping it stays that way. Hopefully the vaccine will be widespread soon and we can all resume normal running. For now, I’ll keep my streak. But most days will sadly be minimum days as running with a mask is challenging. No complaints though! I want to do my part to keep everyone safe.
I don’t usually plan my distance ahead of time. I like to run based on how I feel. However, last night, I decided I wanted to at least run my 7 mile loop today. Since I didn’t need to be out of the house at a certain time, I didn’t set my alarm. I let myself sleep in, and started baking when I got up.
My day started with a batch of brownies and lemon bars. After I made lemon sugar cookie dough and put it in the fridge to chill, I decided it was a good time to head out for my run. It was about 10:30, I figured I could run 7 miles, stop a few blocks from my apartment to cool down/ walk it off, and still have 20 minutes to shower and get dressed before my family’s zoom Thanksgiving chat.
As I headed out, I started my normal loop for 7 miles, but then around 2 miles in, I added a hill loop without thinking too much about it. Then a bit later I added another small scenic loop my sister had shown me on a previous run. I didn’t think much of it til I was getting towards mile 6, when I realized I’d upped my total distance from 7 to 7.5. Some days I have no problem ending on a decimal, though I prefer quarter miles or something ending in a zero at least. But some days I really want my miles to end even. Today, I wanted to end on a round mile, and I was feeling good. So I started adding sections.
Before I knew it, it was noon, and I was still out running. Oops! I called in to family zoom with my mic muted and video off intending to listen in until I got home. At that point I had figured out I was going for 10 miles and still had almost a mile to go. My mom started saying “we can see you’re on but you have no video and we can’t hear you” a cousin added “but other than that everything’s great”! So I ended up turning on my camera and mic to fill them in on my game plan. I said that I had timed everything perfectly for a 7 mile run, the issue was, now it was a 10 mile run so I’m late!
It was a pretty perfect day for a run, 50s with rain. I would have loved sun, but the rain meant fewer people were out. 50s are my ideal running temperature; I can run in a tank top and shorts and be perfectly comfortable. Because of the rain, I added on a baseball cap. The downside was that I finished my run soaking wet and was on zoom with my family so I couldn’t shower and warm up right away. I got home and settled in on the floor of the bathroom with the space heater pointed at me and stayed like that for the next hour til our call ended and I could get out of my wet clothes and shower!
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I’ve been lucky, my family, friends, and I have remained healthy. I have maintained my runstreak. Even though I haven’t been maintaining distance as much as I would have liked, I’m still running, still going strong, and for the most part it still feels easy and comfortable. I was thinking on my run today how great it is that I can head out for 7 miles and feel good enough to do 10! I could have done more but I wanted to see my family. As I told my family on our call, I’m thankful that we’ve started doing weekly zoom calls. I have now seen some family members more on zoom this year than in person my entire life. I know more about what’s going on with them in general and it’s great! I still have my job. It’s in a different location with a bigger commute which I can’t claim I appreciate but I’m thankful to still have my job and to get to have a fun job where I enjoy what I do and the people I work with. And of course I can’t forget my cat. Goblin is 18 and such a little loud mouth demanding attention. I love her and am so grateful she’s still doing well. I’m very lucky and very grateful for the life I have.
I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your Thanksgiving. Please stay safe and healthy! And take pleasure in the little happy things!
2019 Running Stats: One sandy 5k One 8k One muddy trail 10k One hilly 10 miler Ten half marathons Two 6 hour races started- 8 hours run between the two
In addition to the scheduled races, I started a runstreak February 4th and hit day 331 of minimum 1 mile a day December 31.
I ran a total of 1085.6 miles in 2019 and December was my highest mileage running month ever at 164.1 miles. This is the first year I made it to my 1000 mile goal and I’m so happy to succeed and surpass it!
By the new year I had already signed up for a 7 mile run, 6 halfs, a full and a 6 hour all by the end of April.
In addition to what I’ve signed up for in 2020, I already have decided that 2021 will be the year I complete the Dopey Challenge at Disney, so in April I look forward to signing up for that and all the running that comes with it!
Since I signed up for the Biltmore Backyard to Vineyard Challenge, I’ve been trying to increase my miles. Coincidentally, I also joined a gym near my job which allows me to run to and from work (3 miles each way) and shower when I get to work before I start my shift. Due to that, the Marcothon challenge, and wanting to increase my miles anyway – this month has been the highest mileage month that I’ve ever run! And that is in addition to this being my highest mileage year as well.
I wanted to run 1000 miles in a year for the last 5 years. The first year, I just fell off track and when things got busy at work, my running lessened and before I knew it, my goal was out of reach. I ended 2015 with 676.5 miles. Year 2 the same thing happened – but I made it a little farther – 725.6 miles. Year 3 was the year I got plantar fasciitis and was out for over a month due to that and had another 2 months recovery with super low mileage. 2017 ended with 678.0. Year 4 I got a stress reaction and was out for 2 months but I still managed 769.8 miles. This year, year 5 – I have been lucky and have been staying on top of any little twinge with my PT, and have managed to avoid injury. Earlier this month, I hit my 1000 miles for the year. That day was so exciting for me! And since then – I’ve managed to run 75 more miles! At minimum 3 miles a day – they add up quick! And running to and from the gym or work make those days at least 6 miles. As of today I’m at 1075.9, but there’s still another day….. I don’t think I have it in me to do anything crazy… but I’m pretty excited to be over 1075! With my 3 miles a day, at a minimum tomorrow will be at least 1078.9, we’ll see if it ends up being more. Based on today… I’m thinking it will be at least a little more!
I had a little scare this weekend. I was nervous about building up to Biltmore and the idea of multiple long runs in a row. I didn’t really have time to do a true long run, but had the idea of at least long ish mile days. So I ran 3.25 miles to the gym Saturday morning, we did leg day, and then I took a route home that took me 7 miles. So lowish distance runs, but two and running on tired legs. I planned to do a 12-15 mile run before the gym on Sunday. But then later on Saturday I went to get up and had a shooting pain in my shin any time I put pressure on my foot. I iced, put a compression sleeve on and went to bed scared. I adjusted my plan to going out for at least a mile – if that felt good running the 3 to the gym but bringing my wallet so I could take the bus home if needed. Plus I needed a few potatoes and onions. I ended up running 4.2 to the gym, stopping at the farmer’s market outside the gym for my potatoes and onions, and then running home 8 miles! Might not have been as many as I originally planned, but it was pain free – mostly… there was some chafing – and it was longer runs on the second day than the first. Looking at totals it was 10.25 and 12.2. Not ready for the half and full yet – but reminded me that I can do it and still have time to train.
Today, I felt like I needed a rest day, and I was up to late last night. So I ran 3 sleepy miles this morning, went to my PT, and talked to him about the shooting pain. We’re hoping everything will be fine. But my body has adjusted so well to the 3 mile minimum days and multi run days, that it feels too much like a rest day and I want to run more! I feel like I haven’t done anything today and my body is ready to move. It’s been so exciting for me having my body adjust and be comfortable going on multiple runs, most times recovering enough to have forgotten the first run by the time of the second run. I’m so excited to see what the new year brings for miles! I feel silly starting with a goal of 1000 miles for the year again when I’m going so strong right now, but I’m afraid of overdoing it. I think I’ll start with 1000 and have some stretch goals in the wings for 2020.
For various reasons, I did not get nearly enough sleep Wednesday night or Thursday night. So getting up early to fly out Friday didn’t really help me and led to me being very overtired. I typically say if I’m grumpy I need a run (happens a lot less now that I’m on the streak but when it happens – I need a LONG run!) and if I’m crying, I need to sleep. Well when we landed in Charleston and every little thing made my eyes well up – I realized just how overtired I was.
When we signed up for the Kiawah Island Half, I saw there was an option to also sign up for the 5K glow color run as well that would be the night before the half. I don’t know why but I love race combos like that! So I signed up for that, and my sister said she’d come hang out on the island with me when I did it. About a week before the race my sister realized that she was planning to do a 3 mile shake out run the day before the race, so why not sign up for the 5k as well?
We had an early flight in, so we landed around 1, got our rental car, and headed to the hotel in the rain. The forecast for Friday to Saturday afternoon was all rain. My sister had a conference call scheduled for the next two hours, so I decided to go out and grab the snack food/fuel that we would want pre and post runs and also just take some time to decompress alone. I wandered around Michaels long after I found the shirt my sister needed, and then realized there was a mall nearby that a Target was in. I figured target would have the food we wanted and ended up getting lunch at the mall. Might not have been the sleep I needed to feel like me again, but it did give me the decompression time that I needed to get through the rest of the day.
I headed back to the hotel, got changed, and we left for packet pickup. They had a much larger expo than expected and we ended up cutting it close on the 5k. Some sections had huge really great deals. We got long sleeve, mid-weight, quarter zip tech shirts for $13 each – cheaper than TJ Maxx (which might be where about 98% of my running clothes are from). So we decided to come back after to check out the rest of the expo after the 5k.
We ended up being late enough to miss the pre-race color party, but we were able to catch up to the other runners on the way down to the beach. And lucky for us, we seemed to hit a break in the rain that we hadn’t been expecting! We got down to the beach and it was such a fun atmosphere. There were so many people out – many with glow bracelets, necklaces and sticks. And a man juggling glowing bowling pins. He also ate fire a few times – I didn’t get my phone out in time for a picture of that one…
The 5k was on the sand – oops – I should read more before I sign up for things… Fortunately with the rain all day, the sand was packed down pretty well so it wasn’t as tough to run in as it could have been. Marli didn’t want to push herself too hard before the half the next day, so she decided she would run at my pace for the 5k. The only downside of this is that Marli running at my pace is actually her running slow enough that I can just keep up, which means much faster than I necessarily meant to run the day before a half. As we ran it got fully dark and it was really cool seeing just the things people had glowing on them. They also marked the course out in glow stick arrows on the ground. The first one we hit, Marli just thought were loose glow sticks and wanted to pick them up so she’d have some. She almost did before I was able to show her that it was an arrow pointing the way. We really enjoyed the 5k overall, then went back to see the rest of the expo.
I grabbed some Honey Stinger Energy Chews and we looked through the rest of the clothes. Unfortunately we found the best deals earlier and the other items that we hadn’t looked through yet were the overpriced ones. Happy with how the evening went we headed back to the hotel, showered and got ready for a good night’s sleep before the race. Unfortunately, we did have to get up before 5 and be out of the hotel at 5:15.
I didn’t manage to get a great night’s sleep so I rested my eyes as Marli drove us to the parking area Saturday morning. There were comfy tour buses to take us to the race start – though our driver got a bit lost and we ended up turning around on 3 separate occasions. Oh well, more time in the warm comfy bus. We didn’t mind. When we got there, we were happy the conference center was open and we could stay in the warmth for as long as possible. Though the bathroom line was super long, we still would rather wait in that than go out to the cold portapotties.
We stayed inside until about 10 minutes before start, then we made our way to where we wanted to be in the starting pack. Marli headed up to the 1:50 pacer, and I started around the 2:15 pacer, hoping to stick with them but knowing I might drop off. I was tired. My legs were tired. And my calves were tight.
I started off and found myself by two women who were friends. One was on her 12th half (not doing a states challenge, just happened to be her 12th) and she was pacing her friend on her first. As I chatted with them I found out that the woman on her 12th was traveling to a lot of races with her husband who was working towards 40 marathons by his 40th birthday! He was also making sure the 6 major marathons were included in his venture.
About a mile or two in I came across another woman in the Fifty States Half Marathon Club. She had her shirt and it was mostly filled in! I started asking her about races and the miles flew by for a bit! We got halfway without even realizing it! Around that time my legs were feeling a bit fatigued, but I pressed on, partially cause there was no other option, but also because having good company is a great motivator and I knew would keep me going faster than I otherwise would!
We kept pushing but my new running buddy was feeling a bit fatigued too so we both tried but we struggled and conversation dropped a bit. Early miles I felt my calves, they eased up but then around 7/8 I was feeling fatigue in my legs, then for mile 9 my knees acted up a bit, after that my feet started hurting. It was like playing a game of musical discomfort! I try not to use the word pain in regards to running unless it’s really bad. I feel that it is very important to be able to differentiate between pain, sore, discomfort, etc. Especially since I am a total baby about being uncomfortable. If I let myself categorize everything as pain I may never not be in pain!
I really appreciated all the distractions they had on the course. There were some spots where they had jugglers. They had a guy on a super tall unicycle. Quite a few people on stilts. And a guy in an alligator costume that made it look like an alligator was eating him! I tried to get a picture but couldn’t get my phone out in time and didn’t want it badly enough to stop.
A little before we hit mile 12, a woman came up blasting Taylor Swift’s You Need to Calm Down! Yay! Let upbeat music carry us! My other 50 states friend wasn’t up for it but I followed the music. It really helped and the next song was The Man which also is a great running song! When we hit the lyrics “I keep running as fast as I can” we commented on that being how we were really feeling. However next came Lizzo, and while I appreciate her political stances and some of the messages she sends in her songs, her songs annoy me. We had just over half a mile left and I took the last of my energy to try to push myself away from Lizzo, towards the finish! When I hit the final stretch, I think I had the strongest finishing kick I’ve had in a long time!
The post race party was pretty impressive. They had a wide variety of beer and cider options. I got an Angry Orchard. The lines were a bit too long for me to justify waiting for a massage or stretching help. I caught up with and exchanged contact info with the woman I had met in the race so I could continue to ask her advice on halfs. They also had a huge variety of gourmet food. As a picky eater, I didn’t have many options. But I did recognize that most people would have loved the spread they had!
One of my favorite things along the course was seeing all the different types of trees growing next to each other!
After we ate, we headed back to the shuttle to our car. We decided to go for one stop on the way back to the hotel – the Angel Oak tree on John’s Island. It was beautiful. While we tried, we couldn’t quite get pictures to capture it as beautifully as we saw it.
We went back to the hotel, showered, changed, and headed into Charleston to explore. We walked around to help make sure that we wouldn’t have stiff legs later and explored the Charleston City Market, the French Quarter and the Battery with a stop for lunch. We got a lot of beautiful views, and when we were tired and felt we had run out of places to walk, we decided to go see Frozen 2! We timed it so that if we were hungry after the movie we could grab dinner anywhere, but we weren’t really hungry. So we headed back to the hotel, signed up for a couple more halfs, and went to bed. I think my race schedule between now and the end of April is FULL!
I can’t claim to have had a great night’s sleep yet again Saturday night, but when we got up in the morning, we went to go run. I’ve gotta keep my streak and why not run in South Carolina instead of Massachusetts in December! We found the West Ashley Greenway to be gorgeous and it was less than a 10 minute drive from our hotel. So after our run, we headed back to the hotel, showered, packed, and headed to get real southern biscuits before the airport. We were lucky enough to have an easy trip home, and Monday I had my first year of hitting my goal of 1000 miles for the year! I’ve had this goal for 4 years and this is the first time I’ve gotten over 800! I’m feeling pretty great about my running accomplishments for the year.
When Marli and I decided we were going to run a half in every state, one of her friends got especially excited about it. He made sure to tell her that for our Vermont race, we had to do Covered Bridges, a June race. There was no other option.
Covered Bridges Half in Vermont is a very coveted race. We had already been warned that in 2018 it had sold out in 14 minutes, so we were ready, with alarms set, to sign up to run for 2019 at precisely 7pm. That being said – as ready as you can be… somehow I missed my alarm. I was cooking dinner with a friend, realized it was 7:04, and raced to log on and register! I just barely made the cut off. My sister texted to tell me she had finished and asked if I had while I was working on it, and I just waited to text back until I was done – couldn’t risk missing it by seconds! I got lucky. The race sold out in 7 minutes, but I was one of the lucky ones that got in.
About a month later, Marli texted me that she couldn’t come for Covered Bridges. The very same friend that told her she had to do Covered Bridges, invited her to his wedding in California, that happened to be the day before the race but the same weekend as Covered Bridges! For some reason she didn’t like my idea of a red eye back after the wedding…. but I guess we all have our priorities!
Race weekend, I managed to find a cheap hotel that was only 9 minutes from race parking. I took the 2 hour drive to Vermont Saturday afternoon as the race was Sunday morning. Now that I spend so much time standing and moving – I hate being in the car! I can’t stand it. I get bored out of my mind as well as stiff and uncomfortable super quickly. The ride took me less time than the race would, but it felt 10 times longer! It’s amazing the way time moves when you love something verses when you hate it.
I got to the hotel early evening and just settled in for an early relaxing night. Because I get so sick of being in the car, I make sure to bring lots of piecey snack foods to eat while I drive any time I take a trip. Due to all my snacking, I didn’t end up bothering with dinner. I just called my mom to let her know I arrived safely, then I curled up with a book to read until I was ready for bed.
Morning of the race, I got up, got ready, and headed out early. I’d always rather prepare for extra time than risk running out! I used the address listed for my GPS and got a little lost so I was glad for the spare time, but I still arrived at parking relatively early. It was a lovely day for a run. We were shuttled from parking to the race start, and we all picked up bibs then gathered to wait for the rest of the runners to be shuttled over from parking. Everything was organized, except they were trying to give away shirts from the previous year. Most of us didn’t want extra things to run with so the only ones they managed to give away were ones that people wanted to use to keep warm til race start and then toss.
While they didn’t have early packet pick up, they had it planned well so that when you finished and went through the shoot, someone checked your bib and gave you your race shirt then. It worked really well.
I don’t remember what pace group I went to run with, either a 2:15 or 2:20, but I remember the pacer was a very nice woman who was a teacher at the local schools. She had been pacing this race for the last five years. She had everything planned out, including running every mile about 10 seconds faster than should be done for that pace. She told everyone at the beginning about that plan to bank and extra minute an a half for the big hill in the race at mile 9. I managed to stay with that pace group for about 6 or 7 miles. A lot of the pacers students were volunteering at the race and she greeted each one.
When I lost that pace group and slowed a bit, the next pace group showed up behind me very quickly and passed me shortly after that. I could tell from my watch that the woman I was running with originally was perfectly on her splits. I felt really bad for the next pace group and for the people trying to keep up. I could very easily tell from the times that he was pushing the group way too fast for their estimated finish. A few minutes after that I came across some poeple who were really discouraged that they had lost him and were afraid that their goal times were out of reach. They weren’t wearing watches either so had no idea of the situation. I was happy to be able to let them know that their goal times were still in reach and that the pacer had just been fast. I think that pacer had been a 2:25, I didn’t see him again on the course and I finished before he was supposed to. One of the biggest challenges in having pacers is human error.
As we were going up the big forewarned hill at mile 9, there were volunteers offering us ice. They were great! Even recognizing that we were tired and they knew all the best places for it. “put it in your hat, in your bra, here, have more!” I never would have thought to put the ice in my bra on the run, but it was awesome! I also rubbed it on my face and neck.
After the hill at mile 9, I remember a few more hills, each with someone saying “this is the last hill”. I don’t know if I have ever actually heard someone say that when I was on the last hill. Just when there were a few more to go.
I finished the race, and it was just as organized as the start. They had PTs helping out and lots of little booths! I went and got stretched out a bit by a PT, then headed to find the shuttle back to parking. I got late check out from the hotel but I still needed to get a move on.
I got the shuttle back to my car and then the parking lot was a nightmare.
I got my car out of the parking spot and then was unable to move. We moved less than 6 feet in the next hour. I had to call the hotel and tell them I needed later check out because we weren’t moving. There were no visible routes out other than the way we came in which was gridlocked and no one seemed to be escaping.
There was an area wide enough for cars near me but there were traffic cones blocking in. One runner ran down and checked to see if a car could make it out or if anything would stop us. They came back saying they moved all the cones and it was clear for us to go. It appeared to have been blocked off so that some runners could walk back, but at that point the race had ended long enough ago that everyone who wanted to had already walked back.
We took that route out and were out in under 5 minutes! The rest of the day was uneventful. I made it back to the hotel, apologized at the desk, made it up to shower and headed back home on another drive that was less time than the time I spent running but felt way longer yet again.
Overall it was a very scenic pretty race. I did forget to take pictures though! Ooops!
I got to bed later than I meant to, so waking up was a challenge this morning. I went through my morning routine and getting ready to run in a fog. Right when I was about to go out the door, I realized I should take out the cat litter, so I went out the back door to the parking lot and the dumpster on my way to start my run. There was so much black ice in the parking lot that it made me nervous about successfully running 3 miles without major risk of falling.
I got lucky and while my parking lot was full of smooth, slick ice, the rest of my run had almost none! It was a beautiful winter wonderland again. But unlike yesterday, it was about 10 degrees colder with a wind chill making the real feel another 5 degrees colder than that! Within a mile I was out of my groggy, half asleep state and felt alert and awake. I’m going to credit the cold, crisp air for that. It let me soak in the beauty of everything around me.
In the first few minutes, I had been worried that I had under dressed for the weather, but by mile 2 I knew I was wearing the perfect amount of layers.
When I’m running I get warm fast. The normal charts that you can find online of what to wear at different temperatures are all way too warm for me. I’ve been working on creating a chart for myself because every winter I forget what works at what temperatures. I’ll have to post it when I finish it. But I was reminded about what to wear for the low 20s today!
This morning started out a bit rough. I got up – a bit sleepy, very sore, and got ready for my run. We had some fresh snow last night and it was still snowing when I went out to run, which I didn’t mind. I love running in snow, it’s so pretty plus a great ankle workout! Though since I had been to the gym twice in two days and I don’t normally go to the gym at all – I’m not sure I needed the extra work out! I’m sore enough already!
I went outside to the beautiful winter wonderland – started my watch, and started walking as I waited for GPS to find me. I was a solid 6 feet from the road, in the center of the sidewalk, when a car sped by through a giant puddle and soaked me in slush! All I could think was that if this was a sign for how my day would go – then I was going back to bed!
But I sucked it up and went for my run. My watch got signal, I started moving, and the water slowly warmed enough to that it didn’t feel miserable anymore. Plus – my run lead me to a winter wonderland! I slipped in the snow once and landed on my hip, but fortunately not hard, and other than that, I just got to enjoy the gorgeous views the rest of the run!
After Kansas, we had a break from half marathons for a bit. We went to NY to run a 6 mile muddy trail race called the Leatherman’s Loop. They intentionally go through the trail before the race and anywhere that has a bridge over mud, they get rid of the bridge. It was our first time running it, so I didn’t really know the course, but there were so many people it was impossible to get lost. For a good chunk of the first 3 miles, I was near a father and son. It was clearly the son’s first Leatherman Loop. The father kept telling him if he wanted to be a real Leatherman, he had to go through the mud, no cheating and trying to go around it. The son – maybe 9 years old – would always heartily reply that he was going to be a real Leatherman. Some of the times, I was following the people in front of me, and the father and son would crash through the mud next to me – I hadn’t realized I wasn’t on the “real” course because so many people were shifting around the deep mud. We even had maybe a quarter mile section of 8 inch deep mud that there was no way around. I’m sure there were other but I saw one guy near me try to pass someone he knew and faceplant in it!
Overall a super fun race and one I definitely want to do again! Unfortunately it won’t be in the cards for 2020 as I will be running the Sioux Falls Skedaddle in South Dakota the same weekend as the Leatherman. If you’re willing to get some mud on you – it’s definitely a fun trail run!
Somehow I managed to rip my compression sleeves in this race!Before attempting to cleanWe didn’t realize quite how dirty we were til we started cleaning
I also took a trip to Connecticut to run the Enchanted Forest 6 hour. This is a race that I had tried to do in 2018, but then had my stress reaction and couldn’t. The RD was kind enough to offer me a discount on his fall race, the Forgotten Forest 9 hour, which I wasn’t sure I was ready for but was up for trying. Unfortunately, it was scheduled to be 2 weeks after my Tennessee half and 2 weeks before my Rhode Island half. So if you want to read why I withdrew registration from that one, see here. Lou Loban, the RD, is so nice and pays so much attention to detail that he noticed that I withdrew from that race two weeks before. So then in the winter, he reached out and offered me free entry to Enchanted in 2019, given that I had paid for two races now that I had been unable to run in. Lou is so sweet and I cannot speak highly enough of him or the races he puts together. They are incredible!
Now between starting my streak in February and lowering my miles to adjust to it, and the fall on my knee just before Kansas, I didn’t really get as much training in as I meant to before Enchanted, but I knew going into it that I spend enough time on my feet that if I needed to walk the whole thing I could. One of the perks of a job in customer/food service.
I showed up in the Enchanted Forest an hour before race time, and Lou was personally going over the course map with runners. He wanted to make sure that we knew, even though it was labeled – we needed to know to turn around before the bridge. He said there have been many to miss it and also every once in a while one of his neighbors messes with the signs. After he showed us the map, he pulled out some light up flower head bands and some Mardi Gras beads and randomly put them on several of us. I didn’t expect to be able to run with it, but then I did and it became my new favorite accessory!
The run was absolutely gorgeous. The trails were lovely. Lou went around dressed as the Friar. There was the perfect amount of signage/trail markers to not risk getting lost at all (and I’m a decent risk of that). Twice this week, I’ve zoned out on a run and then when I came back to the present did not understand why I was where I was. I knew exactly where I was, and I was safe, but I just wasn’t paying attention and took a different route, one time actively extending my run, without trying to when I had every intention of running a different route. I’m really good at zoning out on my runs and it isn’t a problem, but can sometimes make me worried about getting lost on trails. Fortunately for this race I had no reason to worry.
I made it 6 laps in the 6 hours. A bit less than I hoped but I also felt good about it considering my lack of training. For the most part, I ran the first two, ran/walked the second two, and mostly walked the last lap. I met a lovely woman from central NY and we ran/walked together for about the last two and a half laps. We both knew as we finished her fourth, my fifth lap that we had extra time for our last lap but not enough extra to fit two more laps in. So we both grabbed our oofos from our cars and put them in our packs for the last lap. There was a stream about .2 miles from the finish, and so when we hit it in our last lap, we soaked our feet for a few minutes before continuing on to finish! It was the first time I finished a race in oofos!
Over the course of the day, I met a lot of really nice, great people! Everyone was cheerful and encouraging and it lead to a really amazing day. I can’t wait to do this again next April! At the end – Lou writes on each medal the distance and poses for pictures with every runner!
Raina's Run Streak 