::_:Taper Anyone?:_::

My first Ultra Marathon is about a week away sooooo I am enjoying the world of tapering. I hate it so much. No, really it's the best. This is what you have to look forward to during this time:

Running on limited amounts of endorphin's

The most exciting extravaganza on your itinerary is drinking water out of your new water bottle. (whoop) 

Having the urge to organize everything in your house 

Scaling trying to scale back on the amount of food you eat

Agreeing to go shooting with your husband because you are the best wife ever good wife... (don't worry pictures to come-I have another week of tapering hell)
Random bursts of irritability-it's totally not your fault... I think 

Being grumpy for no reason...oh I've got reasons, and their good ones

You get to enjoy all of the amazing rest-<bleh>

Time to think about all the things that could go wrong in your upcoming race 

Pangs of intense jealousy when you see someone running down the street-nothing to be toooo concerned about ... you are probably a middle child and dont like to be left out of anything---> not really your fault-you didn't choose when you were born. 

Geeking out on as many running blogs, articles, and You Tube videos as possible

More time to do your hair and dress nice for work

Spending more time blogging due to boredom this wonderful free time

More time to watch the Portland Trail Blazer playoffs 

Your body will start to feel.....less beat up

You'll feel stronger.. I'm Shore

Oh, but later that day your knees will feel crunchy and you'll start noticing "phantom ailments"-nope they're real.

Moments of concern panic "How am I going to run a 50k!! I've barely ran this week!"

Don't worry, your body will still wake you up nice and early even though you don't need to be up so early. rude. 

Maybe you'll feel You are going to feel like you are being really lazy but just roll with it, it's fine

Speaking of "roll" ... you'll have lots of quality boring time with your foam roller

More time to obsess about your training that has lead up to the race... which is the best

Gah-you'll have plenty of time to change your race day game plan 27 times...so <phew>

I'm gonna get fat...this is how it happens. Tapering happens. 
Did I mention more time for unnecessary super necessary blogging? Or creepy runner blog stalking?

If you get cut off in traffic and want to crawl out of your car and attack the person who did it...don't-it's just due to high levels of pint up unused running fury... just don't-maybe go for a tranquil walk run instead ok? 

Don't forget about the hours you'll spend playing with a race pace calculator-- no you can't run a 50k in 2 hours...

Binge running meme research

More time for thinking about running....although, you could totally do that whilst running. 
Stop messing with your form 1 week before the race k? It's fantastic fine for now. 

You'll feel very protective of the time you do get to run.. like seriously...don't you plan anything during that time...things will get real intense, real fast. I'm kidding ofcourse.

Less time in that super cutesy hideous reflective safety vest and head lamp....does anyone ever look cute in those? Lolo Jones. Lolo Jones would be cute in that. Rude. 

<sigh> 

I make sarcastic jokes...I laugh about it lol...because it's hilarious to me how you go from running 45-60 miles a week and then your at Friday and you have only ran 20  miles for the week so far and it's like "What have I done this week?" Nothing you've done nothing you lazy bum. Not sure when this transformation of needing to run happened. 3 Months ago, that's when it happened.  They say it takes 21 days to create a habit...I think it took a little bit longer for me. Then whole getting up at 4:30 am and running before the stupid beautimus sun is up, took a lot of pushing. 
Tapering is what you make it- no it's dumb, that's what it is. I have found more time to spend with my family and more time to get some things done that have been stressing me out ...things I have understandably constantly left undone. And in the end...tapering makes you stronger and it organizes your closet-maybe the bookshelves?. It's like torture TLC for your body. It works hard for you...you need to give it time to be lazy repair and rebuild. But, in times of boredom it's essential nice to have a sense of humor. Half the reason I train for specific events is so that I can enjoy the "process". And tapering is alllll apart of the process. 

Sincerely, 

          -Misses running high mileage so much it hurts- 
           Embracing the rest and relaxation semi wholeheartedly

PS: Had a tiny milky way today---> and I don't even feel bad about it ;)-eh i kinda do

PPS: Stop taking this so seriously it's funny ok? No seriously, it's funny. 

:_:Bend Marathon & Half:_:--2016

This past weekend I ran the Bend Half Marathon. A challenging and visually rewarding course. It really was beautiful. I would say 70% of why I run is to see what's out there. To be able to see the views that I wouldn't normally be there for. That is why trail running is so rewarding for me. After I have been running up hill for over 6 miles, climbed over downed trees, climbed over boulders, waded through snow and crossed over trail rivers....that view at the top can be so incredibly rewarding. 

The Bend Marathon & Half was VERY organized and so beautiful. The volunteers were amazing, the vendors were great and the runners even more so. It was very chilly but beautiful. A couple miles into the race it did snow and hail...that was a little surprising. And the hills were a lot more frequent than I thought they would be. And did I mention 4 other times that it was beautiful? No? Oh, welllll, it was. 


I signed up for this race after my friend Barb asked me to come with and support her while she ran the Bend Full Marathon. I figured it would be a great opportunity to get an idea of what the higher elevation is going to feel like during my Smith Rock Ultra in 11 days. Despite the challenging course and the fact that I was taking it a little easier than I usually would for an organized run ( #tapering) , I still ran a personal best. Ran the half in 2:04:14. If it had been a flatter course I definitely would've been under 2 hours. Overall, very happy with my time. After I crossed the finish line I was coughing quite a bit though-I am guessing it was due to not being used to running 13.1 miles at 3,200ft. Don't worry I wasn't the only one, I swear!. Been concerned about my running cadence recently. I have been averaging about 130 or so for the past 10 runs.... Not great when you are shooting for within 20 of 180. Well not only did I have a personal best on a challenging course at higher elevation but also got my running cadence to an average of 166 spm. So, I am not mad about that at all. 

Barb also ran her personal best for the Full Marathon. She did really really great. Running the full with a time of 4:24:00. And she didn't really seem to be that beat up afterwards. It really was an amazing running day. Very proud of both of us and cant wait to see what new heights we reach. This is only the beginning and I am going nowhere but UP!

:-::Lost Girl::-:

-------Week 13 of training for my first ultra-------

This is the beginning of my tapering. I only did 27 miles this week. I have some pretty tight sore muscles at the moment and I didn't help things by doing the super intense trail run up Larch Mountain yesterday. Going to need to really baby my body for the next 3 weeks before my ultra. #myachilleshatesme

::Recap of Saturday's Long run::

A friend of mine who is also training for the Smith Rock Ascent 50K told me how hard that run was going to be...when I told him I was running from Multnomah Falls to the top of Larch Mountain.  I have been getting more and more nervous as the Ultra gets closer. So I wanted to do another really challenging run to gain a little bit more confidence. Mostly, my confidence took a beating. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the fact that I chose a run that had an over 5000ft elevation gain over a 17 mile span, or maybe it was the fact that it really was just a very very challenging run. Now, my ultra is almost the same elevation gain over a 31.5 mile distance. Soo...it should be more gradual. My left achilles and calf gave me A LOT of trouble-not up hill but alllllllll the way downhill. I literally had to repeat to myself outloud for a good hour "pain is temporary, pain is temporary, pain is temporary."

That run was supposed to be 6.8 miles to the top with a elevation gain of 4074ft. I forgot to turn on my gps for 1.5 miles coming down the mountain...luckily I knew how far that huge fallen tree was from the top since I glanced at my Garmin every 3 seconds going ever so slowly up that last 2 miles. I also got turned around and somehow ended up on the Oneonta/Franklin trail and at some point got turned around on the Multnomah Spur trail. Still not really sure how that happened. When you are hiking slowly I think its easier to keep track.....buuuuut when you are running down hill only watching the ground to make sure you don't trip on rocks or roots or boulders or trees or your own ankles...it can be easy for one to miss a trailhead. There were quite a few moments that I would realize....oh crap...I am not going the way I came. Oh well.....in the end I had burned almost 3000 calories and had an elevation gain of over 5000ft and around 17 miles and got to see an amazing view as I made it to the top. Incredible. PS: Tried brining a PB&J on my run instead of relying mostly on Perpetuem. I had absolutely NO stomach aches while out. It was nice. Apparently, your body WANTS real food.

Not liquid calories only. 

:::After:::

Every Saturday on the way home from whatever trail I have been training on I go straight to Youskyme Teriyaki and get Gyoza. This time I picked up my Gyoza and went home and crawled into a hot bath and ate my gyoza. I was so tired, hungry and sore that I couldn't fathom a different way of doing things at that moment. So I (without shame) ate my gyoza in the bath. My feet have never taken such a beating. I took off my shoes and all of that aggressive down hill pounding had left holes in the tips of my brand new running socks. ::That's a first::. My feet also looked like i had been in the bath for 3 hours. Prunes, bruised and beat up. It's safe to say that my Brooks Cascadia 10 trail shoes are now broken in. I don't want to turn this collection of running thoughts from my long run into a trail running shoe review...but I absolutely love those shoes.

In the end it was an incredible memory that I will forever remember. I was a little scared to go by myself...but I have gotten stronger, braver and a lot more self sufficient. I am learning thing about myself that I never knew were there... I have always been someone who is trapped by fear. Fear of making a fool of myself, of being ignored or forgotten, of failing.....----Now my biggest fear is not pursing my goals, of not even trying and of giving up when things get hard. My goals have gotten so much bigger. I have HUGE plans for me. I don't want to be ordinary. I don't want to wake up one day and WISH I had given 110%. No more talking myself out of the things I want to accomplish. I am the only one in my way. So, I'll move.

::Jumping Back::Portland Marathon 2012::

::Portland Marathon 2012::

My first marathon I ever ran was with my friend Barb. I was training for a 20k in Hawaii ( to run it with my sister Mallory) and she was training for the Portland Marathon so for a while our training plans were at the same mileage. We did our long runs together until her training plan dramatically increased. Then, she asked me if I wanted to just keep training with her and then run the Portland Marathon. My first thought was "EW no. I have no desire ever to do that distance." But then all of a sudden I did have the desire. I mean, I had already ran a 16 miler...so what was 10.2 more miles? So, I said yes and signed up. I remember being at work and pushing the submit button. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for.
 It was pretty great having a running partner for my long runs....seeing as now MOST of the time I run alone.  I think that when I pushed that submit button...I was mostly thinking about the fact that I wasn't going to have to train alone.....I wasn't going to BE alone.....not the fact that I was going to be training for a FULL Marathon. 


At the time I was at the end of a crumbling marriage. I needed something. I needed something to focus on and to work towards. Something that honestly made life worth living again.The training alone was life changing. I was very aware of how tired I was and how much everything hurt. At that time, that was the hardest I had ever pushed my body. ......  Looking back at elementary school, middle school,  and high school and even after----- I was a quitter. If I was uncomfortable or something hurt I was sitting out. If my lungs hurt I was walking. I never made the choice to push myself past that point of discomfort. At that time...during the training of my first marathon.... I was dying. I truly felt like I was dying. And that training saved my life. I  wasn't feeling anything. I was numb to everything in my life and it was killing me. Training and the actual race took me thru the all time highs and the all time lows. It helped me feel again. Helped me cope. And I am so grateful for that experience and for the friend I was able to run it with. There's a quote I absolutely LOVE "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek

-Portland Marathon 2012-

Hawaii 20K One month before the Portland Marathon

::Jumping Back-Portland Marathon Take 3::

October 6, 2015

Portland Marathon

Looking back on that day I was on track to get a PR. It was my 3rd Marathon and never had it felt so good. Until it didn't. True...I am smiling in these pictures. But truth be told I had never been so disappointed in my running self ...as I was after that run. The whole last 5 miles was a huge battle for me. And I felt like I failed even tho I had finished. However, looking back I never trained the way I was supposed to. I didn't limit the indulgences that slowed me down. I didn't commit and that's why I broke down and lost momentum. I let my mind get in the way and my body started to shut down. So not only had my body given up so had my mind. 

These long runs I have been doing to get ready for the ultra have taught me a lot so far. But, the biggest thing it has taught me is that I have NEVER been ready for the marathons I have ran. It was kinda a miracle that I had finished all three. I never committed fully to the process. Imagine what I could do while giving 110%. I guess we will see what happens on May 7th. Because, I have definitely given myself fully to the process. I am so excited to see what the changes in me as I get stronger and tougher; mentally and physically.