Hooray for National Hug a Runner Day!

Yay!  Hooray!  Yippee!!!

Today is National Hug a Runner Day.  Sure, why not!  Share the love, share the sweat, share the stink. 
If you know any runners (ahem... hint hint), you should go out and hug them today.  Hugs are free, but sharing the love is priceless. 

Let the hugging festivities commence!

of course, if you can't find a runner to hug, a runner can always hug a tree instead

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...

Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul and make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray, to places far away
I need a change of scenery
-The Monkees Pleasant Valley Sunday

It was another pleasant run on the trails at Bluff Creek.  My first run since last Sunday's marathon.  The wind was blowing rather fiercely today, so I was glad to have the coverage of the trees protecting me.  Things felt good out there.  Slow, but good. 

I noticed the tree up above a couple miles in.  How have I never noticed how MASSIVE it is before?  It has to be at least 5 feet in diameter.  I don't think I could even put my arms out and touch it from one side to the other.  I never remember seeing it before.  I mean really *seeing* it.  I know I've seen it, but I've never paid attention to it.  It's beautiful in so many ways.  I guess I need to look around more closely when I'm out there running.  Not just look around, but REALLY see and pay attention to things.

Like Ferris Bueller says: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Fort Worth Marathon 11-11-12

Happy Veteran's Day, America.  Wanna go for a little run? 

This weekend was the Fort Worth Marathon in, well, Fort Worth, TX (that wasn't really necessary to mention, was it?).  It was an easy course.  It wasn't easy on this particular day, but the course itself is flat and easy. 
I went into the race with a bit of a chest cold starting.  Coughing, tightness, coughing up my lung, etc.  I knew it would be a long race and it was.  But really, what's a triumph if you don't struggle a little, right?

You'd like for me to describe the course?   Well, OK.  It was 9 miles of the suckiest/strongest headwind, on a course that was poorly marked for those doing the early start, a nice 8 mile wind-block through a neighborhood and park, then a great tailwind for the last 9 miles, with a little coldfront/storm that moved in with heavy, cold rain, and really poorly stocked aid stations.  There you have it. Ta-da!!
The aid stations may have been very poorly stocked by the race staff (some had only a bowl of pretzels, others had bananas and oranges, others didn't have anything but water).  The volunteers were AMAZING, tho.  They were out there with smiles on their faces and cheers for us- even in the freezing cold rain! Thanks to the fantastic volunteers!!!

But I still had fun!  Even between the crying episodes I still had fun.  In the end, all the discomfort is worth it.  But this one was ESPECIALLY worth it because this marathon made me a Marathon Maniac.  MM# 6109.  Woot!!
I had to do 2 marathons within 16 days to qualify.  And that's to qualify for the lowest level of Maniac stature.  That's the basic.  So I did a 50 miler and threw in a marathon 2 weeks later for kicks and giggles.  Only there wasn't a lot of kicking or giggling.  Mostly just shuffling, crying, questioning my sanity, and praying that my body would hold up to get me across the finish line.  The kicks and giggles were all in my head.  They had the voices up there to keep them company.


But lets start at the beginning, shall we?

 Ready at the start (what is with this pose?)

 the early start had about a dozen starters

a blurry Fort Worth skyline in the dark

 most of the course was on the Trinity Trails- flat and smooth and fast (except for the 30mph headwind bitch-slapping me in the face)

 ouch ouch ouch ouch   This is FUN!!!  ouch ouch ouch ouch  I really do love running!!

I remember most of the course looking like this: blurry and unrecognizable

Wait... is that Bigfoot I see in the bushes back there??

  the only downhill and uphill part of the course

ruh roh!!!  The storm is moving in.  Heavy cold rain is on its way.  Batten down the hatches.

 My savior!!! There was only Gatorade at the turnound (13.1).  No other stops had any, or they ran out.  And it was REALLY humid and I was super crusty with salt.  I was even taking endurolytes and drinking plenty of water from my hydration pack.  I texted him telling him I really wished I had Gatorade and POOF! There he was.

He surprised me with 2 bottles of the good stuff at mile 22.  I love him!!!

Like the Kool-Aid man said "OH YEAH!!!!"

 Some crazy weird contraptions floating in the river- and there were more- these were just the few I took a picture of

My favorite bridge of many on the course.  It was so giant and majestic.  It also signified the last mile of the race.  Woo hoo!!!

 walking in to the finish.  I really didn't even have enough juice left to pretend to jog across (but I mustered up just enough to wog across the finish line).  A wog is a jog so slow it's almost a walk- in case that term wasn't obvious to you.

 DONE!  This marathon made me a MANIAC!!!  MM #6109 reporting for duty!

Holy Heck, Texas, that's one fine belt buckle.  My first belt buckle.  Pow pow (that's me firing off my pistols).  It's actually one of the cooler finisher medals I've ever earned!  It takes second place to the Tiffany silver necklace I earned in San Fran in '05.
 

 

We went back to the hotel right after the race, I took an ice bath and then we checked out and went to find something to eat.  I was starving, but nothing tasted very good, so I nibbled and we headed north back to the homestead.  On the way home we were behind this gem:

 

Yup, that's a dead deer wrapped in a giant brown tarp with it's hooves sticking out.

Keeping it classy, Texas.

I just imagined the horror of little children passing this thing yelling "Why is that deer riding on the back, Mama?  Is that Rudolph Mama?"

 

Poor damn deer.

 

 

Dancing with the Devil at the Ft. Worth Marathon

There is one song that truly defines my marathon today.  I must have listened to it at least 15 times (likely more).  I lost count after a while.  I listened to it when I was feeling down and in tears, and I listened to it when I was feeling happy and good.  It had totally different meanings depending on the mood I was in.  It was a melancholy song when I was tearful, and an uplifting "go get 'em" song when I was riding a high. 
I was seriously bi-polar during this marathon.  Moreso than most of my long runs (and that's really saying something).

Sometimes a song speaks to you in a certain situation.  Today this song was it.


Florence + The Machine:  Shake it Out

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

Our love is pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it's always darkest before the dawn'

 And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'caust I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn
 

And it's hard to dance with the devil on your back

And given half the chance would I take any of it back

It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone

It's always darkest before the dawn

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't

So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road

And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope

It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat

'Cause looking for heaven found the devil in meLooking for heaven found the devil in meWell what the hell, I'm gonna let it happen to me

 

The ghouls coming out to play, every demon wanting his pound of flesh, and the dragging the horse around for me are all the DNF's I've had in the last year. Redman (my Ironman last September DNF'ing at mile 18 of the marathon), my DNF at Midnight Madness in Tulsa in late June, and DNF'ing at Palo Duro last month).I carry those around with me, and even if they don't always bother me on the surface, they are still there. Lurking and waiting to pounce on me when self-doubt comes creeping in.

I was introduced to Florence + The Machine by another blogger, Jill. Of all the songs on the Ceremonials album, I like this one the best (although there are about 6 others that tie for 2nd best). It just speaks to me. Especially when I'm suffering.

So even though my body revolted against me around mile 14, I knew I had no choice but to finish.  There were about 8 miles where you wouldn't have wanted to speak to me because you probably would have witnessed a really juvenile mental breakdown.  I listened to this song and cried.  I listened to it and smiled.  I walked when it hurt to run.  And then I ran when it hurt to walk.

Sure I wanted to give up many times, but I had no choice but to make it back to the start.  I had to bury that damn horse in the ground.  Is that the greatest line ever or what?  "Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground."  Just the idea makes me giggle.  Digging a horse-sized hole?  That would be really hard during a marathon.

In the end, I danced (mostly WITH the devil on my back), and marathon #7 is in the books. It wasn't pretty, but not everything in life is.
Obviously most of my races aren't pretty, but then again, I've never liked being the pretty one.

Here is the video if you care to listen to this amazing song:  http://youtu.be/WbN0nX61rIs

 

I'm blurry because I'm trying to shake that damn devil off my back

To run or not to run???

 



What to do... what to do???


I'm pondering doing a marathon this weekend in Ft. Worth, TX. 





I know it's pretty soon after my 50 miler, but I have my reasons.  They are listed below for your consideration:

1. I want to become a Marathon Maniac

OK- I guess there's only 1 reason I want to run the marathon this weekend.  If I do 2 marathons within 16 days I qualify to become a Marathon Maniac.  Why would I want to do this?  Who the hell knows?  Why do I want to do most things I do??  There's no explaining it.  I guess it makes me part of an exclusive club of a few who have done something so cuckoo and crazy. 
It makes perfect sense to me.  Maybe ONLY me, but I'm the only one who really matters anyway.  Right? 

So I'm on the fence. Today is Thursday.  The race is Sunday.  I need to make my decision by tomorrow. 
I mean, I've run 6 miles in the last 2 weeks.  I'm ready.  It's just 4 times that far.  I only have to average 16 min/miles to finish in 7 hours (the cutoff).  That's not hard at all.  I can walk that.

I don't know what to do...

but I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to be driving down to Ft. Worth on Saturday...  

Hey it's good to be back home again...

"Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend, yes, hey it's good to be back home again. "

Don't ask why, but this song was in heavy rotation on my run this morning.  And no I didn't have my iPod with me.  It was just floating around in my head during my run.  I couldn't stop it.  I tried. 
But you know what- I admit it. I like John Denver.  I'm not sure what that makes me (super-white? a hippy?  sympathetic to pot smokers? Rocky Mountain lover?). 
No matter, I freely admit that I have JD on my iPod.  I have this particular song on my iPod.  For 6 miles it floated in and out of my head.
Sometimes you just have to go with it...but I guess it's appropriate. 
These trails are like home.  They are the closest to my house and the ones I always go to.  I spend more time here than just about anywhere else. 

"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rolling in, the afternoon is heavy on your shoulders."

"Oh, the time that I can lay this tired old body down, and feel your fingers feather soft upon me."

" It's the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you. It's the little things that make a house a home."

Recovery is coming along.  Everything felt pretty good out there today and after about 1:10, it all felt just fine and I was sailing along. 
Love my trails.  Love being outside.  Love feeling "at home."

Feels good to shake out the cobwebs

I did my first recovery run after the race this afternoon.  I went to the trails and did a short 2 miles. 

I've been REALLY slothful this week, although everything I read said to take it easy and rest as the body told me to.  I took lots of naps, ate just about anything and everything I wanted since I was ravenous all week, and was generally one lazy bum.  And that's what's supposed to happen.

But today my legs got to itching at work.  They started talking to me telling me they were ready for a run.  Not a long one, but just long enough to shake my muscles loose and get moving again.  The first 10 minutes was hard, but it always is.  We've had this discussion before about how it takes me over an hour to warm up and get in a groove.  The body felt surprisingly good out there.  Really, nothing hurt and everything that was a little stiff loosened up pretty quickly.  I fell into a groove rather easily and even though it felt slow, it was a comfortable and sustainable pace.

My breathing, however, was pretty labored.  I had a hard time getting comfortable with my breath.  I felt like I was gasping the whole time; like it was the first time I had ever run in my life. 

So it was no surprise when I looked at my watch as we finished the 2 mile loop and realized we had run it in less than 28 minutes.  Um.... OK.  That explains it.  I usually run that loop in closer to 30. And that's when I haven't done a 50 miler less than a week earlier.  No wonder Bluff Creek took my breath away today. 

Feels good to be back out there again!