Blog
Return of the Flying Squirrel
Headed out early Saturday with DBTers Kim Reistad and Kim Landrum, along with killer first time trail racer Gin Fleming, to the Battle at Big Creek Trail 5 & 9 mile race. This is one of six races put on by Dirty Spokes Productions as part of the XTERRA Georgia trail race series. It was my first race of any kind after seriously injuring my right leg and hip followed by 3 months of PT, sports chiropractic treatment and more resting, foam rolling, stretching and icing than I thought myself capable of doing. Frustrating and hand-ringing time, yes, absolutely; beneficial experience, in physical and personal ways, too many to list.
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!
Great day at the Silver Comet Half Marathon
It was a great day on Saturday. The weather was perfect for running and the fall colors on the trail made for a great back drop. Prior to the race my family and I stopped by Atlantic Station to look at the Bodies exhibit. What an amazing experience. I would encourage you all to go see it. After viewing the complexity of our bodies it made it even more of a great experience and appreciative of what our bodies are capable of.
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.
NorthFace Endurance Challenge: It Was Worth the Socks
A few months ago I was perusing races on Active and looking for something to prolong the race season – something fun, something different. I happened on an ad for the NorthFace Endurance Challenge series which offered 50 mile, 50k, full marathon, half marathon, 10k, 5k and 1-mile trail races in five locations across the country. It sounded fun, and different…so I emailed it to trail queen (aka Kim Reistad) to see if she was interested. I must have been high on race schwagg fumes because the idea of a technical shirt, recycled gear bag AND NorthFace socks made 13.1 miles of trails sound like a good way to spend a few hours. Anything less than half marathon distance and you didn’t get the socks, only the shirt and bag. I wanted those socks so we registered. That was that.
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.
Adventure race weekend!
This past weekend my friend and teammate Kim Landrum and I went to Pine Mountain to race in the North Face Endurance Challenge, it was a weekend of various endurance races in the trails. Kim and I signed up for the half marathon in the trails. We had many laughs throughout the weekend which is why we can capitalize on ADVENTURE race weekend.
On Saturday, we left later in the afternoon and stopped at Whole Foods for dinner in Atlanta on route. As we started to near the Pine Mountain area it was pitch black. I was telling Kim as we were nearing the hotel in the dark that, do you question if the hotel is actually there…. And if it’s not what would we do? Sleep in the car? Just after saying that we approached the Days Inn bright sign, we walked inside to get our hotel room and ready to relax and crash for the night. As I told the nice lady my last name she said we don’t have a room for you and proceeded to say we have no rooms at all. Kim and I looked at each other, now what? The small town didn’t have a large selection of hotels to choose from, which threw an adventure into the situation. We called Callaway Gardens and Resort in desperation for a room. They had one! We got there and were so pleased to have beds to sleep in and not only that but an AWESOME resort! We enjoyed each other’s company and had lots of laughs and stories throughout the night.
The morning came and we were ready to roll. So we left the room with 25 minutes to catch the last shuttle to the race sight. The hotel receptionist told us, head out the door, stay to the right of the pool and follow the asphalt path to get to the beach and catch the shuttle. So we did just that…..HOWEVER, the path took us to nowhere and it was so dark we could hardly see our fingers in front of us! After looking at our watches and realizing how little time we had we starting to run….. and still no sign of the shuttle. So we ran back to the hotel and asked the hotel receptionist can we drive there? She gave us directions and we dashed off!
Well we got to race start in penalty of time. After the introduction to all the racers the gun went off and we were on the many miles of trails!
Trail running or trail racing is so different than any other type of race. I love the moments I get in the trails, the love of the nature, the crunch of the leaves, the hoping over creeks, the breeze on my checks, dodging roots, jumping over rocks or trees that have fallen, the long climbs where you question if you could walk faster than you are running, the views at the top, the breath taking moments of the scenery, the increase in heart rate as you near the top of a climb and the moment where your heart rate comes down and you fly on the flats, the awesome competition along with the many peers that are encouraging and inspiring, the individuals that are talented and can race through the trails for 50 miles or those that may have a prosthetic and still dash through the trails. I love the trails because it challenges you physically but more than often in these endurance events it challenges you mentally. You have moments where the natural terrain beats you up, throws another hill at you, another tree branch to jump over, step after step of stones to climb, creeks that take your breath away when the cold water hits your feet, where your legs get so tired your afraid you may not get it over the next root and you want to be done with the race but what choice do you have? You either embrace the mental challenge or you let it get the best of you. My favorite moment of the trail race is when you come out of the woods to see the finish line you take that fresh breath of air, knowing you earned every step, knowing you embraced the challenge, and took on the love of nature for the past few hours!
This past weekend was awesome! It was a fun adventure from the beginning, but honestly my favorite moment was seeing my friend and teammate Kim finish the race! This was her first trail half marathon and now she can share with me the breath taking, exhilarating, challenging, inspiring, and growing moments the trails bring!
Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived. – Dean Karnazes, Ultrarunner
Family, Friends and Fun at Lake Lanier Sprint Tri
Last Saturday Joel, Aidan and myself headed to Lake Lanier for our last race of the season, and our 1-year anniversary of triathlon. The weather was beautiful so we headed over early to enjoy the day. Last year we stayed off site so this year we rented a lake house complete with our own hot tub. Aidan is now a big fan of skinny dipping! We had a great dinner at Third Coast Grille (best fish tacos EVER) with my parents and good friends, Clare & Andy, and Clare’s parents. LL Resort had a Halloween carnival and light show so we took Aidan to ride an airplane and pony, and still made it home by 9:00 to watch a little football before bedtime.
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!
Follow Us On Twitter- Tri To Beat Cancer Triathlon Training Program 15% off! - http://t.co/nAvORSBK
- Thanks @TotalCyclist for the great job announcing at Twilight 5k this morning & for sharing the mike for kids 10& under awards. Was fun!
- Today is the day! Bring your kids to meet Olympian @gwenjorgensen at YWCO Kids Tri the Y free transition clinic from 3-4. Great fun!
- Don't 4get 2 bring kids 2 Athens YWCO to meet Olympic triathlete @gwenjorgensen at Tri the Y youth triathlon clinic 4/28 from 3-4:00 pm.
- Tons of fitness opportunities for the family this weekend during @AthensTwilight: 5k, kids bike races, adult 30/60k rides & more.