Three Things Thursday

1.  All I talk about is the 24.  Literally.  I can't stop talking about it.  I, like the rest of you, are waiting for all the details.  So if it's not posted soon I'm singing like a canary...

2.  I'm having a little ITB issue.  I think watching someone run for 24 hours was just too much.  It's like a sympathy injury.  Like when the husband gains weight while his wife is pregnant....

3.  It's finally Spring here!  Went for a beautiful outside morning run at 6 am.  Loved it.

Emily

I have been having a hard time putting this post together.  I mean, really, what do you say about something, someone that is beyond words.  One of a kind.  Superhuman.  Amazing.  Awe-inspiring.  I know.  It just doesn't cover it.

To have the opportunity to be able to witness first hand her greatness and awesomeness just leaves me stumped.  I will be forever grateful for the experience of being there.  Without getting all girly and mushy and emotional...on that corner, of that hot Phoenix city block, you could FEEL the love and amazing energy that is EMZ. 

Em was all about the run.  All about the Sojourner Center.  And doing all she could to raise awareness and funds for them.  Yes, she is the most physically fit person I have ever personally met and known.  She made that 100 mile run look like an easy downhill 10K.  But aside from the physicality, her determination, focus and dedication and heart was what was so amazing.  Running is hard.  Running at the 16 hour mark is crazy ridiculous hard.  Running at the 22.5 hour mark is a thought process of 'is this really happening right now, cause this isn't real'.  And in all those moments, her smile never left her.  Her energy never left her.  She talked and joked with everyone that came up to chat with her.  Even complete strangers that were in disbelief and had to ask her what the heck she was doing.  

Her family is full of strength and love for their wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt.  Everyone was ready to do whatever necessary to help and did.  But I expected nothing less.  With a one of a kind like Emily, of course her family would be just as incredible.

One of my duties was to be in charge of social media.  To not only be able to feel the support and love in Phoenix, but to feel all the love and well wishes across blogland, twitter, emails and texts was awesome.  I usually shared them in intervals, mostly because they came non-stop throughout the entire 24.  We laughed and teased the entire night.  You have no idea how much all those thoughts and comments of encouragement helped.  Thank you to everyone.  Even though you weren't physically there, we could feel your presence and happy/positive vibes/wishes/prayers.

The last two and a half hours was when we saw her sheer will take over.  This was the point where, yes she was in the downhill stretch.  She could have just walked it out til the end.  She proved her rock star status, she had this 24 hours in the bag.  But there was the second goal.  The 24 hr she knew she had.  But without the 100, she would have been disappointed.  Everyone said the number didn't matter.  But it mattered.  She pushed through those last two hours, still running.  Running close to the same pace she started at!  She bottled up all that pain and fatigue, put it up on a shelf, and ran.  When she closed in on 100, I wept.  I am fighting tears right now just thinking about it.  To see her conquer her goal and with 3 minutes to spare, was overwhelming.  There was not a dry eye on that block.  For all of us to see her give every once of her being to not only such a worthy cause, but to accomplish such a huge feat was nothing less than stunning.  It was her heart that got there.  Her resolve to not only start what she finished but to do it with grace, compassion, sincerity, style and barely a drop of sweat.  Extraordinary.

I would imagine you want details of the day.  How it went down.  What she did.  What she ate.  When.  Did she walk?  How fast was she running? I don't want to steal her thunder.  I'll let her share the details.  And if she doesn't cover all of her awesomeness I'll fill in the spaces... : )  Until then, I will continue to try to process this insane weekend.  One I will never forget.  The gratitude I have for witnessing something so special is immeasurable.  I am grateful to have a friend like her.  To even just know a person like her.

If you haven't had a chance to donate, there's still time.  Pop over to her website here.  Whatever donation you can make will make a difference in the lives of the those that the Sojourner Center serves.

And one post can not cover this event, so don't mind me if a I babble on and on about it for awhile... : )

Is It 6 AM on Friday yet?

I'm in taper mode.  Which still feels like I'm running crazy hard.  But no long run this weekend.  I ran 21 miles on the treadmill last weekend...in honor of....

I'm heading down to Phoenix tomorrow.  I'm taking it upon myself to entertain the crap right out of her.  Well not literally...but you know what I mean.

I've got my Vogue, Glamour, US, People, Real Simple mags all ready to go.  I googled some good running jokes.  My own personal playlists. 

I will bring Ultramarathon Man and Born to Run...to read exerpts when I deam appropriate.

So any suggestions?  What do you bring to a 24 hour run-a-thon?  What could keep her distracted from the crazy mileage that she will be collecting???

Oh and don't worry, I'm bringing my sneakers to get a few miles in too... : )



One of The Best Days Eva!!!

I do have a blog.  And a facebook account.  And a twitter.  And I text like crazy.  But I actually, really, honestly, consider myself a low-profile kinda gal.  I don't announce or really talk about my birthday. 

But thanks to my amazing family and social media I had one of the best birthdays ever!!! : )

I believe a play by play is in order...

My husband was out of town, so I started my day with this guy...

 

It was tough because it was so fast.  But I have to say when it was over at 40 minutes, I thought, really?  I think I held back cause I wanted to make it all the way through.  Next time, as in this afternoon, I know I can hold it in high gear the whole time.  It's not a marathon, it's more like a fast 10K.  And yes I have lots of this little hidden muscles that are sore today... :)

Birthday breakfast...

Work...

Birthday lunch...

I know.  I really know how to live it up.

Texted this crazy amazing lady and confided it was my birthday...

Went back to work...

I wouldn't normally work on my birthday but J-Lo had to have her lashes touched up for American Idol this week... She didn't even sing happy birthday to me...she had to save her voice... ;)

Came back to this and lots of comments, emails and texts wishing me a happy birthday...What am I going to do with that little Arizona birdy...she's one of a kind... :)

 Birthday snack...

Come on, I don't do this everyday... maybe just once a week... ;)

My husband got back into town and seriously for every holiday or every time someone asked him what he was going to get me for christmas/birthday/anniversary etc, his reply, 'She's had her party once a month for the last year!!!'  Yes, he's a teaser.  But I buy it hook, line and sinker everytime.  So honestly, I expected nothing.

He came home with this...

Chinese food...one of my faves.

And announced that everyone was on their way over!!! (Everyone would include my parents, sister, brother and his wife)  And of course my fam.  So fun. 

We had...

Chocolate/chocolate with raspberry filling.  mmmm.

We had gifts....

And one of the best birthday cards ever!!!

Please note the pull tab in top corner right. And when you pull the tab a little runner girl comes out.  My dad is quite clever.

My husband surprised me with way too many gifts that came out of this bag....

(sorry I couldn't get this pic to flip but we all know where this bag is from...)

And these...

 

That would be almond toffee...

Shaun T who?  Tempo run what?

Ended the day with lots of hugs from the kids.  Best ever.  And then watched DVRed shows til 1 am. 

Told you I'm a big partier.

And now, while I was cleaning up from last night's partay...

Johnny thought it would be a good idea to start peeling away all the shells of the Easter egss...Super fun.

I really had one of the best days.  Thanks to all of you that sent me messages yesterday...they were so appreciated!  Nothing like feelin a little love from all your peeps! : )

And now to finish off my 5 lb box of toffee...before everyone gets home from school...

The Countdown Is On

4 weeks.  4 weeks of training left til I am at my 12 in 12.  I'm going hard.  Not that I've really been slacking all along.  And not that I've phoned in any races.  But this is what coaches would call an 'A' race. 

Two weeks of hard tempo and speed workouts, two weeks of taper.  Today abs and core workout and I'm going to start the Insanity.  Shaun T is gonna be my new BFF.  I want the best body of my life in 60 days.  ; )

I'm not gonna lie.  I want a 4 hour finish this race.  Wait, I want a 3:59:59.  It's haunted me this past year.  One way or another I will be crying on May 21st.  This next four weeks is gonna be intense.  Crazy.  And with the help of my new bff...insane.

Let's do this.

Marathon 11 - Check... (Seriously... I just typed marathon eleven...)

I had the most amazing week last week.  Actually amazing doesn't quite cover it.  I'll do my best though...

In the last episode we may remember that I was stressing about my the lack of vitality bars in my game of life...

Well what better way to recharge than on the coastal trails of Half Moon Bay...

Yes, these are shots from my very own iPhone.  Not copy and pasted from google...  I was lucky enough to spend a couple days in Half Moon Bay with my husband and those were the views during my morning jog.  I know.  Breathtaking.  I loved every minute of it.  And there's definitely something to training in elevation.  My running at sea level felt wonderful.  Not necessarily faster, but easier.

I had lots of extra time to rest and relax last week and I think it really made a big difference.  Blah, blah, blah though, right?  On to race day...

Skyline to Sea Marathon!!!

Race morning most of the runners met up at this drop off...  Beautiful ocean sunrise.  They then bussed us up to the start of the race... the skyline...

We were literally on the highway and to the left of all these runners is where we just cut in on a trail and started running!  Kinda crazy...  It was mostly single track so the first few miles, while extremely beautiful, were painfully slow.

But really, who can complain about this...

The view from one of the high points that we peeked out on...

I was literally in heaven.  We all know how much I LOVE trail running, but this was just gorgeous.  The weather was perfect that day.  Clear and probably in the 50's.  Lots of cover from the trees so you never felt hot but never felt cold.  I felt pretty solid through the majority of the race.  There were two long incline sections that were over a mile in distance each that really took some extra time to conquer, but the downhill navigating was a blast.  Hopping across streams, over logs, dodging rocks and handling switchbacks...  aaahhh.... loved it.  I will admit that I almost ate the trail three different times.  Sometimes those tree roots just come up and grab ya... 

Through the last three miles the downhills, as well as the coca cola I drank at all the aid stations, took a toll on my insides.  I slowed down quite a bit at the end, but really, what else is new... : )

Throughout the entire race we were running through redwoods.  Lots of them had fallen over the trail and sections had been sawed out so that hikers/runners could pass through.  Tons of moss covered trees and little waterfalls, streams and soft trails to run through. 

I was waiting for Orlando Bloom's father to come out of that tree root... like in Pirate's of the Carribean...  That tree root is bigger than my Ford Explorer!

At the finish we came out to this open grassy field and as you look west you have the ocean view...

An amazing day.  I finished in 5:22 Garmin time... 5:23 official (I started at the back of the pack - no chip timing...)  Finished right in the middle of the bunch, 33 out of 69 marathoners.  It should be noted that 150 runners completed a 50K that day!  Good on ya 50k'ers!  And the marathon winner was a woman!!  I think her finish time was 3:39!  So awesome!  There's always a couple sections you wish you would have taken faster but overall I was happy with my time and loved, loved, loved this race. 

I will say though, you always want the honest opinion, right?... This race was extremely similar to Napa Valley Trail Marathon that I did back in October.  And if I HAD to choose I think I'd choose Napa.  Both are amazing, but I just remember Napa being so much greener.  I don't know.  I'm pretty loopy these days.  My memory fades.  However, I will definitely be back to Skyline to Sea.  Have I said yet how much I loved it?

As my sister and I headed out to the car after the race we watched about 50 parasailing surfers.  So cool.

Few more tidbits to come... but really?  Seriously?  #11 Done.  Holy Crap.

Thank You!

Has anyone told you lately that you're all awesome.  Well you are.  Thank you for your thoughtful comments last week.  They were much appreciated.  Thank you, thank you.

I should have mentioned that I actually did go to my regular doctor about a month ago with these concerns and he did a comprehensive blood work-up.  He mailed me my report with 'AWESOME' written on it.  So, yes, my Vitamin D is in check, Iron in check, as well as 100 other things.  Still don't have the answer for the fatigue.

The HGH complex that I picked up from the Nutrition shop works.  I wake up feeling great.  Well rested, ready to go.  However it only takes me til I get to the gym and start running and my body forgets that I felt great just fifteen minutes ago.  And the supplement doesn't really take me through the day. 

So still searching.  Pretty close to trying the tiger's blood washed down with narcotics.  We'll see how this week goes first.

Oh and by the way... It's RACE WEEK!!!!  Skyline to Sea Marathon baby!  Can you believe I haven't even talked about it?!?!?!  So crazy.  This is another one I've definitely been looking forward to.  A few months ago when I was planning out my spring schedule nothing was really fitting together and clicking.  I got an email from Kovas saying he, Jill, Chris K and Patrick were all running this race.  So yeah that would be fun to make it work.  So, here I am heading off to Santa Cruz and guess who I'm meeting up with????

None of em.  Seriously.  It's feeling like a prank.  Like I'm going to show up race day and no one's there.  'Sucka' is what I'll hear in the wind through the trees....

It's gonna be great...  I can already feel it.  I'm planning on fitting in as many naps as I can this week to be ready to hit the trail this weekend...  If you come upon any more energy giving ideas, you know where to find me...