In my age category, 2,233 finished. I placed 25th in my division and 2,332nd overall with a time of 3:15:57. The course was the usual route from Staten Island through all five boroughs of New York. The section in the Bronx was entirely different this year and featured a funky loop around a block and down an alley. I’d love to see what that looked like when the bulk of the 44,000 runner came through: I wonder if they had to take numbers to go down the alley?

As usual, there were some colorful characters in the race. Running near me for most of the race was a gentleman from Spain dressed as a bullfighter, complete with hat. I also had a Michael Jackson figure cruising along in my vicinity. The amazing part is that they were doing a fine job of running in spite of their unconventional garb. Lots of people do that for shorter races like the Bay-to-Breakers; doing that for 26.2 miles is really impressive! It also turns out there was another Follin running the race: Fredrik Follin from Sweden. Not very often does that happen!

It was my fourth consecutive NYC marathon and by far my best as far as how I felt when finishing. Unlike my previous NYC marathons, in which I had leg cramps or significant leg fatigue, I ran very consistently and finished strong. As for my Boston Marathon this year, I give a lot of credit to having changed my running from to be along the lines of the Chi Running (Danny Dryer) and Evolution Running (Ken Mierke) methodologies: I changed my foot strike to be mid-foot and almost directly under me, and increased my leg turnover. It seems to have really reduced the stress on my legs. Like Boston, I used a heart rate monitor and relied on it, not time, to pace myself. That really helped, especially early in the race, to keep from blowing myself up by running too fast.

A big “thanks!” is due to the New York Road Runners who sponsor the race, the thousands of volunteers, the spectators, the police, and all the others who make the race enjoyable and possible. Herding 45,000 people to Staten Island and getting them reunited with their gear and loved ones is not a simple task. This is an event that takes a year to plan and literally lasts for 10 hours. Finally, many thanks to my sponsors, the Dreambelieve TRI team and Mansfield Oil, and my coach, Kim Reistad.

We picked up our packets and Gin and I contemplated what to wear. Race clothing is still a mystery to me when it gets below 50 — I think I changed clothes three times before the start of the race. Kim and Tami seemed to have it all figured out, but I think it will take another winter of training for me to realize that I need to dress for the way I’ll feel :15 into the race. Rookie move #1: hat and long sleeves not needed after mile 1 in races above 35 degrees.

Somewhere between 300-350 participants showed up to run either 5 or 9 miles of trails (I was running 5). We started with a .5 mile flat around a small lake to thin us out and then headed onto the single-track trails. The first mile or so consisted of short uphill bursts, switchbacks and surges as we settled into our places. There were a good bit of rocks, in addition to roots, but nothing compared to what we saw at the NorthFace Challenge — these you could still run over and navigate fairly easily. I ditched my long sleeve shirt, hat and gloves about 20:00 in.

As we neared mile 3, the trail was slightly more technical with large stretches of rocks. Even though it was mostly flat, I found myself repeating “see the path you want to run” — it was technical but incredibly fun. By this point I had settled into the perfect position, about 15′ in front of a group of a dozen or so runners. I could hear them and see where I was relative to them but no one was running on my heels. At mile 3.5 was an aid station so I stopped and grabbed some water…this turned out to be rookie move #2. When I stopped, the entire group of people ran passed me so I threw my cup in the trash and took off. It took me at least half a mile to pass half the group, and the last mile I spent trying to pass the rest. It’s hard to pass on single track trails and the last part of the trail included a good bit of downhill and turns which made it especially difficult. The last 200 yards opened up into a wider rocky area so I was able to pass a few more people heading into the finish.

I saw Tami at the finish and learned she had taken a nasty spill but was OK. The results were coming in quickly and she learned she had placed third overall women in the 5-mile race. We changed our clothes and headed back to the finish to wait for Kim and Gin to finish the 9-mile race. By then most of the results were in and I had taken fourth — :05 back of 3rd. Rookie move #2: no water stops in races 5 miles or under unless absolutely necessary. Tami and I darted back and forth between awards and the finish line so we wouldn’t miss either, but we wound up missing her award announcement. We did manage to see Gin and Kim cross the finish line in strong form.

Overall it was a great day for the Women in Black: Tami finished 3rd overall female in 5-mile, Gin placed 3rd overall female in 9-mile, Kim finished 1st in her age group and I finished 4th in my age group. We all had Starbucks on the brain so after a few pictures we headed back to the car. It was a great morning with some truly amazing women. I’ve run trails for years as a way to avoid the monotony of the road, but I never realized how much fun off road racing could be. It’s been a great way to challenge my running skills and endurance in a new way and I’ve met some great people along the way. Dirty Spokes Productions host the Xterra trail runs — if you are interested there are several more in the coming months at http://www.dirtyspokes.com.

The freezing cold morning greeted us as we headed to the race site. Given that each of us had brought practically a suitcase of other running clothes, many discussions were had regarding exactly which combination of layering would strike the perfect balance of keeping us warm while still providing the necessary wicking needed to not overheat. This went on for some time, as we arrived with plenty of time to pee, oh say , 5 times each, walk around, walk back to the car and change layers again. It did occur to me at one point that if Nick, or any other man for that matter, had been there with us some choice words would have been selected for just this occasion.

Trail races bring out a different breed of runner, intense yet fun-loving with a good share of crunchy. During a quick warm up run with Kim R., it was refreshing to take in the visual of the circus surrounding me and in which I completely belonged. You see, I am first and foremost a runner at heart and, more specifically, am at my best when running on trails. It brings out in me a sense of connection with my surroundings and I become completely engaged in and part of the sights and sounds of the trail. In short, I become a flying squirrel.

This transformation started years ago while running trails when I noticed that I was literally being followed by a squirrel that was jumping tree to tree, flying in midair, beside me. I kept glancing over at the squirrel trying to make sense of it when, in a flash, the squirrel jumped on my shoulder, using me to propel itself to the other side of the trail.  The jolt of claws digging in my skin electrified me, rendering me stunned but then moments later, I literally woke up–on another level altogether. I spent the rest of that run hyper aware of my surrounding, visually taking in all that was around me and under my feet, noticing sounds that had escaped me before. Not that I was deaf and dumb to my surroundings before then but my approach was different: I had a run to get in and had things to do later, conversations to have in my head, and lists to make, and arguments to imagine. I barely had time to pay attention to the details in front of me. All of the sudden, with that squirrel in mind, I started to notice the sound of the leaves under my feet, the smell of the creek beds, the difference in the feel of pine straw trails over rooted, moist trails, the way the sun dappled through the trees and illuminated the forest floor. A simple run now felt altogether enchanted. It was the beginning of what is now my favorite form of play, when I am my most spontaneous self. I relish the chance to get into the woods, drop out of my head and into my surrounding.

Oh, yea, the race….Well we were off to immediate up and down switch backs, lots of rocky footings but nothing too technical. In spite ample opportunity to figure this out beforehand, I quickly overheated and let everyone around me during the race know that “I am so HOT!” All was well until THE FALL. I managed to bust it going downhill, hitting my right shoulder first, then rolled twice before sliding down hill on my left buttock. It knocked the breath out of me. A few friendly passing runners asked if I was OK or needed help given that I looked like a dead bug. I managed to get myself up and running again after a few minutes but not without being passed by 2 women I had seen at the start of the race. I was running a bit slower than I would have liked after the fall but nonetheless felt solid and finished the race a few minutes behind what I had anticipated. Turns out I was 3rd overall female and the 2 women that passed me took spots 1 and 2. Who knows if I would have won the 5 miler had I not fallen–it just didn’t matter. I was so grateful to be running again, let alone in my favorite element.

Traveling to races is such a blast with friends and I loved seeing all the girls come across the finish line. Kim Landrum took 4th in her age group in the 5 miler, while Gin took 3rd overall and Kim Reistad took 1st in her age group, both in the 9 miler. Albeit our post race clothing choices did not keep us warm enough, the cup of Joe on the way home did. Looking forward to the next trail race on December 4!

Back to the race. I had a great time and was hitting all my mile splits to have a PR. But a PR was not going to happen at this race. Despite a slow than anticipated finish I had a great time and know that I am capable of running faster.

Back to triathlon training and the remainder of the season — outside of additional run miles I didn’t think much about the impending race. Except for the socks…I thought about the socks a lot. The Lake Lanier Sprint Tri came and went, and in my post race euphoria I started to think that I might actually fare pretty well on a trail race of this distance. I’d be distracted from the pain by the beauty of Pine Mountain: the changing leaves, the smell of fresh air and the proximity to Dean Karnazes. Wrong. As I came to find out, ignorance was bliss. Those socks better be AWESOME.

Our adventure began long before the race: football traffic, ATL traffic, driving in the dark, getting turned around following Google maps, a non-existent hotel reservation (followed by a totally luxe hotel suite), gal time and gabbing before bedtime, seriously bad directions on how to get to the race shuttle on foot – in the dark, driving like a maniac to get to the race shuttle by car – still in the dark, pre-race breakfast that thought my body was a drive through (be warned if Kim ever offers you coffee before a race!). What else? Pre-race jitters that felt more like waiting in a dentist office (no offense, Glenn) than a starting line – I began to wonder what in the heck I was doing there. Surrounded by running shorts, compression socks and trail shoes I started to contemplate my fate. Where were those socks…those socks that lured me in like a sucker. They were probably laughing at me from my recycled gear bag. I wouldn’t know, however, because we couldn’t retrieve our goodie bags until after the race. How cruel is that? I had to finish all 13.1 miles in order to get my hands on those socks. Argh.

The race was on. We ran a measly 100 yards before hitting our first water crossing. Oh jolly…this is going to be a glorious day. Up and down, up and down, up and down…it was so rocky and technical I wouldn’t dare listen to my headphones for fear I’d get distracted and seriously hurt myself. I settled into a little pack of folks and just kept moving. It seemed like half a day before we hit the first aid station at 5.5 miles – in reality it took me 90:00. That’s nine-OH. Sheeze. I took in back-to-back gels, fluids and got going. I realized my previous pace wasn’t going to cut it and started running as fast as I could given the terrain. Miles 8-10 were brutal and my stomach was growling – I had no energy, was seriously thirsty and could only manage walking. I was almost 2.5 hours in and had a feeling that Trail Queen was probably crossing the finish line about now. Holy cow. Just give me my freaking socks! As I approached the second aid station I was beat; I have never been that depleted and it was a horrible feeling. The thought of sucking down another gel was enough to make me vomit so I drank 2 cups of water and 2 cups of GU Brew. The sign said “2.6 miles to the finish” and one of the volunteers chimed in that it was mostly downhill. The rocky terrain continued but at least it was manageable and I was able to run again. It’s amazing how much better I felt with some calories and fluids. It probably took me 40:00 to run the last 2.6 miles but by then I was enjoying myself. The socks were within reach. I kept listening for the finish line music and finally, there it was…the end of the trail. Socks please!

Kim was waiting at the finish line looking fresh as a daisy. She had an awesome race (4th woman and 1st AG) despite not feeling well the week before the race – all I can say is Trail Queen is an animal and she deserves her victories. I picked up my shirt, my bag and my beloved socks, then got our race distance screen printed on our shirts…pretty sweet. At awards, Kim got to meet Dean Karnazes – he’s smaller than I expected and has beautifully veiny arms and legs. It was great just to see him in person and pretty cool that he was so accessible.

Thankfully, the ride back lacked the adventure of the ride down and we made it back to Athens without incident. Kim and I had a ton of fun swapping stories and laughing about our misadventures, and it was nice to get away for some girl time. In the days following the race my mobility has been limited due to all the climbing and descending. I’ve felt strangely emotional about the experience and can’t really explain why. Hands down it was the most physically and mentally demanding task I’ve ever completed. There were times I felt scared and totally alone out there, and times I felt safe among friends. I had reached my limit, exhausted my physical resources, but still kept moving. I was in pain for a large majority of the race but realized there is always more you can give – as long as I kept moving I was making progress. My quads still hate me but I would do it again and probably will. The strangest part is that almost a week later my recycled gear bag is sitting on the bathroom counter with my shirt and socks still tucked inside. Go figure.

Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived. – Dean Karnazes, Ultrarunner

Race morning was cold relative to the rest of the season. I did some quick sprints and dynamic stretching and ran into Ryan Whitley — I didn’t know anyone else from DBT was racing so that lifted my spirits. The water temp was wetsuit legal (73) but I chose not to wear one — I had every minute of my race mapped out and didn’t want to risk a slow T1 trying to get my suit off. The swim course was different than last year and not for the better — last year was out and around one buoy and then straight to the exit. Joel went off :20 before me and was 4th out of the water in his AG…way to go, babe! We started in the water (2 age groups combined) so it was crowded from the get go. My swim times in training have been steadily coming down all summer so I was shooting for 7:30, but my dad yelled 8:30 when I exited the water. Crap. This year I ran up the hill, opted for arm warmers in T1 and headed out on the bike.

Given the weather I thought it would be colder than it was on the bike; it turned out to be perfect. It took a few miles to settle in but I know this course fairly well (most of it is the same as IronGirl) and knew where I was capable of making up time. I was shooting for an average of 17-18 mph on the bike so I kept my eyes on the computer and tried to maintain it. The last mile+ is a long steady incline back to transition (minus a downhill by the water park) — I planned for it this year but my average still dropped from 17.5 to 17.1 coming back to the finish. Double crap.

Heading out of T2 I knew I had missed my swim and bike goals, but unlike previous races I wasn’t heading into the run with a head full of doubt and negativity. For the past 6-8 weeks I’ve been focusing on two things: my run (thanks, Kim!) and my mental game (thanks, Lee!). The run course has a slow steady incline starting .5 miles in and lasting until the turnaround but isn’t particularly hilly. By this time I was thankful for the cold weather as it was perfect for a morning run. I had the usual discomfort through mile 1 but kept thinking “by the first aid station I’ll feel great” and “this is just another run, I do this all the time.” I kept looking for Joel as we usually see each other at this point on the run. By the turnaround I DID feel great. I saw my friend Katherine Trapp who’s in my AG and a great runner…she was approaching the turnaround. I thought, “Cool, she’ll catch up and I can run in with her. She can set the pace and keep me going.” But I never saw her. I wasn’t wearing a watch, I was just running as fast and as hard as I could. I felt about as good as you can feel at that point and was pretty damn excited that I was having what felt like a solid run. I was in such a good place mentally that I was able to run the kind of run I knew I was capable of and never do on race day. Coming into the finish you have to zig zag through the barricades as you tackle a short hill — people were standing and watching but not yelling so I said, “Come on, I need some help!” People immediately started cheering and clapping and it gave me all the boost I needed to get up and around to the final stretch. Thank you for the support, peeps! You’ll never know how much that helped me.

I found Joel, Aidan and my parents immediately and headed straight for the chocolate milk. I tried to estimate my time by the finishing clock but knowing I had missed my first swim and bike goals I figured I had missed my goal time of 1:25:00. We packed up, headed home, napped, etc. Later that night I got an email from from friend Katherine Trapp…she said, “I finished :33 behind you at 1:25:39.” Wait a minute…if she finished in 1:25:39 and I was :33 ahead of her that means I finished in 1:25:06. Holy crap! That meant I hit my goal time! I had allotted for a 9:00 pace on the run since previously I considered myself a weak runner and thought that is all I was capable of. Once I changed my perspective and started believing in myself, I ran to my ability — an 8:20 pace. I was literally jumping up and down with excitement — Joel and Aidan were proud of me, I was proud of me, coach Kim was proud of me and it was a great night in the Landrum house!

All in all it was a :30 improvement over last year so I am thrilled at the outcome. I placed 13th out of 64 (15th out of 66 if you count the masters awards). It is hard to believe last year I pushed my bike up a hill in the same race because I didn’t know how to change my gears. The past 12 months have been an unbelievable journey of self discovery, friendship, trust, a fair amount of physical pain, a loss of almost 25 pounds, and more happiness than I have ever known. A great big thanks to Kim, the team and all the friends who encouraged me — you never once said I couldn’t do it. I will never forget this year and how much it changed me…how much stronger, happier and healthier it made me.

Here’s to next season and a goal time of 1:15:00!