Bear Chase Trail Run 50K (Race Recap)

Lakewood, CO
September 28 29
Ultra Marathon #8
Bear Chase #3
Weather - Freezing at the start, sunny and warm

I love the Bear Chase. I will likely run this event every year. It is a well organized and supported race and I always know a ton of people that run. This year, they added a 100K to the distances and I had entertained (very briefly) running the distance, but decided with the time limit and just NOW getting my run love back, thought it wasn't a great idea.

Here's how the weekend was going to go:

Saturday - run the 50K with Hope (her first ultra!)
Sunday - volunteer at the race for the shorter distances.

Here's what REALLY happened...

So... this all happened at about 6:45 on Friday night... literally, less than 12 hours from when the ultra distances would be starting. For Hope and I, all this meant was that we would no longer be able to volunteer on Sunday. People, however, were LOSING THEIR MINDS. It is unfortunate that the race had to be rescheduled, BUT, in case you have missed it, we have LITERALLY had FEET of rain the last few weeks.

Instead of running on Saturday, I spent an hour waiting in line at the new Dunkin' Donuts (and was DISAPPOINTED with the donut choices), got A a few new pairs of shoes (that kid is GROWING LIKE A WEED) and sat around doing nothing.

Race Day

With the rescheduling of the race, we were no longer going to be starting at 7:15. We were going to be starting at 6:30. I had planned on picking up Hope and driving down with her to the start. That meant getting up at 3:58 (DISNEY EARLY!) so that we could catch the bus to take us to the start. We made good time and got there with plenty of time. It was obviously still very dark when we got there and there was NO wait at the bathroom lines. Peeing in the dark in a port-o-potty is still one of the most terrifying aspects of running.

It was FREEZING at the start. I was wearing sleeves and gloves and my teeth were CHATTERING. The longer distances were doing staggered starts a few minutes apart (for timing purposes, not necessarily for crowd control). We got this picture of us literally minutes before the start!

INKnBURN "50" shirt, INKnBURN jean skirt, pro compression socks, and Mizuno Cabrakan trail shoes

Due to all the rain Colorado has been getting, the course was going to be COMPLETELY different this year. Instead of a small 10K loop and the two large 12.5 mile loops, we would be doing three loops of 10.3 miles. Hope and I started in the back since we knew we were going to be some of the slowest people on the course. I stopped and snapped this beautiful pictures a few minutes in to the race:

No filter!

First thing I noticed about this course was the amount of pavement we were going to be running... I had heard that the new course was going to be about 20% paved, and it seemed more than that, which was kind of a bummer. Also, in previous years, we had three river crossings and this year, we just had one:

Hope - River crossing, loop 1

I simply could not wrap my brain around where we were and where the course was going to route us. Turns out, we were going to be running up the west side of Mt. Carbon (on paved road). I finally figured out one main reason the course was going to be totally different this year:

The top picture is what running up to Mt. Carbon looked like in 2012, the bottom with the red arrows shows where that part of the trail was this year

So... the back part up Mt. Carbon I didn't find that difficult. I did NOT enjoy running on pavement in my trail shoes. Had I know how much REALLY was going to be paved, I probably would have nixed the trail shoes all together. We got to the summit of Mt. Carbon and then next mile or so was the same as previous years. The gradual section of single track that I just LOVE SO MUCH. When we got to the base, instead of heading to the west for the shaded/trees/three river crossing section, there was the Homestead aid station. We instead went the opposite direction, running mostly on road and THROUGH a golf course (mostly just running by the parking lot). Not the most fun ever. We then ended up at Fox Hollow (where in the past there was an aid station, and the section from there to the aid station at Cattail Creek was the same as previous years (about 3.5 miles). There is one decent sized hill right at the start, and then a lower section that in the past I've hated, and this year, seemed like a nice gradual downhill. Grabbed a bunch of food at the aid station and according to the sign, 2.4 miles until we would be back at the start/finish area.

With the change in course, we now would be running along the road a bit, by the pay station for the park entrance, but then FINALLY we got a tiny reprieve and a short area (maybe 3/4 of a mile) on soft trail in trees!!!

I was pretty impressed with how quickly we ran the first loop (about 2:18). Hope has been battling various injuries over the last month, from IT band to her hip, and we moved fairly easily.

I decided to leave my arm sleeves on a bit longer, as there were still some "chilly" sections on the course, instead of leaving them in Hope's drop bag.

Starting the second loop was a bit confusing as the half marathoners were running their smaller (about 3 mile) loop in the opposite direction we were. Thankfully, I knew that would be running the same loop three times and I kept us going the same direction - no getting lost for me!! Hope took this pictures of me at the river crossing for loop two!

I tried really hard not get my feet as wet this loop!

Took this picture on the way up Mt. Carbon. There was NO LAKE there last year! But so pretty!

We crested Mt. Carbon and I took off down the back side and went a good half mile or so before I realized that Hope was not right behind me. She told me that she wasn't really hurting that badly, but that she was trying to take it easy to not aggravate anything. So, about this point is when the running became mostly walking. I had planned to spend the day with Hope, so even though she told me to go on without her, I stuck with her. I hope I didn't aggravate her too much with my constant chatter!

Marshy area in the tree section, completing loop two

Loop three took forever. We didn't run much at all and it was HOT HOT HOT. (It was supposedly only about 70 degrees, but the course is very exposed and it really did feel hotter than that.

I walked through the river crossing the last loop in hopes that it would cool me down. The water was still just below the knee!

I spent a lot of time on my phone the last loop, texting with L and Heather. L had been racing in Granby, but came down to watch us finish, she got this picture of me crossing the line.

  

Me and Hope

Official Time - 8:07:38
Overall Place - 150/202
Gender Place - 70/95
Division Place - 37/45
Garmin Time - 8:08:01
Garmin Distance - 30.90 (measured DEAD ON)
Miles 1-5 - 12:52, 14:35, 13:34, 14:05, 13:06
Miles 6-10 - 13:29, 13:23, 14:34, 12:41, 13:32
Miles 11-15 - 14:43, 15:59, 14:02, 14:18, 15:50
Miles 16-20 - 12:44, 16:09, 12:40, 19:47, 14:02
Miles 21-25 - 19:32, 16:27, 17:28, 17:43, 21:26
Miles 26-30.90 - 18:41, 19:14, 16:40, 21:04, 15:38, 19:36

LOVE the ribbon this year!!

One of the best parts of this race is the finisher area. The pancake guy was there again this year, and he made me a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, which I generously shared with L since she hadn't eaten yet after HER race either. The beer choices were much better than in previous years, and I had two (I earned them!) and of course a soda, because that is my second favorite drink after a race:

Thoughts:

• I was NOT crazy about the change in the course, but it was a necessary evil due to the weather we have been having, and of course it was much better than the race not happening at all.
• The race shirt is awesome! Mizuno, gender specific. I'll be wearing it to the gym, as it seems light enough that I won't sweat to death in it.
• I was really relieved to see that they were not short-handed on volunteers since so many had to bail in lieu of running.
• The aid stations were great, as in previous years (chocolate chip cookies, oreos, m&m's, skittles, fig newtons, potato chips, pretzels, pb&j sandwiches, pickles, watermelon, coke, mountain dew, electrolyte drinks, etc...)
• It is REALLY REALLY hard to run with someone for this distance. In the last 2 years, I have not run WITH someone for any ultra distance. I'm a big fan of running when I want and walking when I want. It has been a long time since I have allowed someone else to dictate my pace. I'm not sure I will do that again, although I'm really glad I was able to help Hope get a finish (and I don't think she had the Worst Day Ever).
• Due to all the distances being on the same day, there were some congestion that would not normally be an issue.
• I will OF COURSE run this event again. Rumor has it that L would entertain running the 100K with me next year...
• The race director did an excellent job of communicating with everyone about the rescheduling, course changes, etc. 

Edited to add a few of my (FREE) professional race pictures!

Normal (Week 4)

Tuesday - 2ish mile bike ride with A, and the three videos (core, legs, abs).

Russian Twists!

Wednesday - 7.15 mile run on the treadmill.
Thursday - 3+ miles of "speed work" - which was basically really slow 400's, 8 sets. Man. I just don't think I can run ALL THE MILES annnnd try to incorporate speed. This killed me dead. Also did the three videos (arms, core, legs).
Friday - Nothing!!!!
Saturday - Prairie Dog half marathon
Sunday - Spent the day helping a friend decorate their house for Halloween. WOW is all I can say. I usually feel pretty festive if A hangs a few colored pumpkins on the door. We had to make two trips to her storage unit to get all the stuff. Nixed a run and did the three videos (arms, core, legs)
Monday - Pretty decent 7+ mile run on the treadmill.

Gain - 1.0 pounds

• Well, I really don't watch what I eat anymore, so this all makes sense. As long as I don't gain every week and it just fluctuates, I feel like that's pretty normal.
• Food splurges this week - Yogurtland, pizza (twice), pretzel burger
• Beer - same
• Candy/chocolate cravings ALL WEEKEND.
• So... I downloaded the ios7 for my phone. I love the fact that I can now block numbers and messages with ease. I am NOT loving that I apparently can no longer sync with iTunes? I have a 3-4 year old mac and apparently I can't install the newest version of iTunes as my OS on the computer is too old. I tried updating the software and keep getting a fatal error. WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT. So annoyed :(
• Work is going... ok I guess. The paralegal that just had the baby in July apparently got another job and is not returning from maternity leave. Especially annoying since no one was even hired as a temp to replace her. D'oh.
• And as promised.... the finished remodel of J's old "man cave" - ignore A's weird expression.

Online Dating Updates

• I am down to talking to one person. He asked if he could friend me on Facebook. All his pictures on match are from 2010 or 2011, nothing recent. He uses fairly regularly but doesn't post any pictures. I think I offended him by not being a big enough fan of Breaking Bad. I mean, I enjoy the show, but life is NOT going to be over when the show ends on Sunday.
• I don't really get on match anymore. It seems like way too much work and it seems like no one is what they seem and/or they are unwilling to work around me and A. Which, obviously, is a deal breaker anyway.
• I'm not going to settle just to not be alone, soooooooooooooo... I'm giving up on the online crap and will just see where life takes me.

Prairie Dog Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Westminster, CO
Saturday, September 21
Half Marathon #94
Colorado Half #33
Weather - Sunny and mild

I had zero plans to run the inaugural Prairie Dog half marathon. Then, the day before, Hope decided to join L in racing. Hope very generously race day registered me so I could join in the fun. And fun it sure was...

L got home from work at 7 and we drove up to the race start, conveniently located only about ten minutes from the house. The course is pretty much the same as the Redline Westminster I ran in April and the Mother's Day race in May. We met up with my mom, who was going to watch the kids for us. First thing was meeting up with Hope to get my bib, and then, the kid's race!

A and I before the start of the kid's race

The kid's race is not very long, maybe 100 yards, but A smoked ALL THE OTHER KIDS. She looked so great out there, I wish I had some better pictures of it.

Apparently, this is what WINNING looks like :D

By the time the kid's race got done and we got in the bathroom line, there were only a few minutes until the start of the race. Knowing I'd rather start late than have to find a bathroom on course, we all cycled through the line, which meant that we started the race about 5 minutes late.

L was planning on running with Terry, Hope's husband, and of course Hope and I were running together. Even with our late start, we started passing people at the first mile. My calves were a bit tight in the beginning, but I loosened up within a few miles. The goal for the day was to just get some miles in and take it easy. Hope has been battling a hip injury, so our pace was extra slow and we walked a bit more often. But we had a great time. Apparently, even when I'm not in a Disney race I do weird things when I see a camera:

Courtesy of 3W's Facebook page - at the turnaround

I have run on this trail a billion times, so the scenery is nothing new, but I figured I would throw a shot in anyway... this is somewhere around mile 7 or 8?

Love that I can now take panorama pictures with ios7!!

L got this pic of us about .1 from the finish line. I look so HAPPY!!

There was a jaunt up a decent sized hill, and then we were done. There were tons of pastries at the finish, I had the equivalent of probably two muffins. Delicious.

Bib #1805

Official Time - 2:45:29

Overall Place - 217/245

Gender Place - 126/149

Division Place - 59/67

Garmin Time - 2:45:30

Garmin Distance - 13.21 miles

Mile 1 - 11:09

Mile 2 - 11:50

Mile 3 - 11:55

Mile 4 - 11:54

Mile 5 - 12:20

Mile 6 - 11:41

Mile 7 - 12:39

Mile 8 - 13:37

Mile 9 - 12:56

Mile 10 - 13:05

Mile 11 - 13:07

Mile 12 - 12:29

Mile 13 - 14:18

Mile 13.21 - 11:52 

Look how cute the medal is!

No, I did not win, unless you count winning at looking awesome!

 Thoughts

• Even though this race was an inaugural, the group puts on a ton of other events. Everything went very smoothly.
• HOWEVER, there were NO WHERE NEAR enough bathrooms!! In addition to the half, there were the kid's events and shorter distances. And only 5 port-o-potties... should have had at least 2-3 more.
• TONS of aid stations. They were all themed, all very well stocked with FRS and water. I don't care for the Powerbar gels, but they were at at least 2 of the aid stations (which we hit twice).
• Unisex long sleeve shirt. However, the small size actually fits me. I may or may not wear it, it is kind of cute.
• LOVE the medal!!
• May or may not run this again. I have a hard time paying for a race that is on a trail I run all the time.

Normal (Week 3)

Tuesday - Ran 4.5 miles on the treadmill. I don't really remember much about this run, but just the fact that it was so short probably means it was a little rough. I also did three of the videos - arms, core and butt/thighs. SHOCKINGLY, they are still hard. Probably because I haven't been doing them with any real regularity.
Wednesday - Ran a total of 9.11 miles for the day (for 9/11). This was TRICKY to get in. I left work a little early for a few reasons. One, because the server went down AGAIN, and there isn't a whole lot I can do without getting on our network. Two, because I still needed to drive down and pick up my car. So I was hoping to squeeze in some early miles AFTER getting my car and before run club, sneaking in a few miles with run club and then going to pick up A. Well, it had been raining like crazy, and I did run a few miles in the neighborhood where run club is, but I got POURED on. Then I ran another few miles with Heather and Dan and finished up for the night on the basement inferno treadmill at home. LONGEST 9.11 MILES EVER.

Picked up this cute hat at run club!

Thursday - NOTHING
Friday - MORE NOTHING
Saturday - Area 13.1 half marathon
Sunday - Oh hey, more nothing. However, A and I decided that we were going to do a complete makeover on J's man cave. Here is a spoiler, pictures of the finished product to come later.

Monday - 7.5ish miles on the treadmill. Started out a little rough, tight and tired legs, but after I warmed up it was a pretty decent run and I wished I had more time to get in a few more miles. Did two of the videos - arms and core.

Loss - 1.4 pounds

• Down from last week, but still up a bit from the final #NotEatingAllTheThings challenge. I am in a minor detox right now, not because I think I need to lose anything, but because I got in the habit of making poor food choices way too often. Le sigh.
• Appetite is DEFINITELY back. Food splurges this week - pizza buffet, pumpkin pancakes. Yum.
• Beer - Not super out of control this week.
• Out of the blue, I get some communication from J - where he claims he thinks he wants to work things out and that he really misses us, blah blah blah. I stupidly respond and SHOCKINGLY, he backed down from this. I don't even know what the point of all that is. Anyway... 

Online Dating Updates

•  So remember last week I said I was going on a lunch date? Well... Let's call this guy "Evan"
• ZERO attraction to the guy. Conversation was nice, but he seemed unable to make eye contact, which made it a little awkward. However, he was nice.
• He sends me a message later saying he had a nice time and hoped we could talk later.
• Then proceeded to send another half dozen messages. I didn't respond to these right away because I was dealing with the rain, my car, working out, etc. His last message was "or not" (in regards to hoping we would be talking more).
• Finally, around bedtime I get a chance to deal with these messages and I say something along the lines of, I had a long and busy day, I've only known you a few days, this many messages is a bit much.
• He keeps sending messages over the course of the next few days, and says, (as is) "Honestly, it's bugging me that your done with me over me saying "or not." I'm sure in your version I'm somehow a crazy person but I can't see how. If it's not too much to ask I'd love a brief explanation of why you think this doesn't work, please." So, I felt bad for not answering earlier messages and responded with "after meeting there was no attraction for me. Also there were the excessive texts."
• He responds with the LONGEST TEXT MESSAGE OF ALL TIME - I'll summarize - He calls me rude, shallow, dishonest and judgmental. He goes on to say that I have masculine (??) legs and that I sound extremely selfish and it's no wonder I am single.
• Oh. So I respond with, "ok, best of luck!" - to find out "The wireless subscriber you are trying to reach is not accepting incoming messages at this time" - which means he blocked my number. lol.
• I think my response was concise and honest, and he was super personal in his response to what he asked for.
• Guy number two - Let's call him "Possible steroid user"
• Initially I responded to him because he said he "works out" and he was sort of cute and "built" in his pictures. Our text exchange was also a bit... awkward. A few back and forth "hey, how are you" and then I get this: "?" - that was for real the message. So I respond with "? I don't know what that means" and he responds with "got a number?" and I say "I don't feel this level of communication warrants me giving out my number." Him "ahhhh the emailer" Me "ahhhh The End. Keep looking"
• You'd think that would be the end of it....
• Him - "It's not cool to sit around and email someone. Go get a prison pen pal."
• And that was STILL not it - he sends ANOTHER message later about me stalking his pictures??? What?
• I had to block that guy.
• Guy number three - "Randy"
• On Saturday, the 8th, he sends me a text asking if I want to go on a date that weekend, either Saturday or Sunday. I say sure and to let me know what he has in mind so I can get a babysitter.
• NOTHING. For over a week.
• Sunday morning - Hey, do you still want to go out?
• UM NO. Do you remember asking me out over a week ago, then not even bothering to contact me to tell me not to worry about it?? WHAT.
• Guy number four - "Chuck"
• Asks me out - but says he has his son on the weekends and so it will have to be during the week. Again, I say, sure, but I need to get a babysitter so let me know, etc.
• NOTHING for like 5 days. Then, he sends me some messages about being at the gym, and he has to take a shower but will talk to me in a bit. Almost two days later, finally gets back to me and asks if I still want to go out.
• NO. What the hell??
• Ok.............. so far here are my thoughts on Internet dating.
• LAME LAME LAME. Guys are lazy douches. DO NOT ask someone to go out and then have ZERO contact with someone. If this is your best first impression, KEEP MOVING. I can't even imagine how ridiculous these guys get after they STOP trying to impress someone.
• The one guy did not look like his picture at all.
• Am I not supposed to tell someone I was not attracted to them? I feel like if I'm PAYING to meet someone, I have a right to be picky and if there is no attraction/chemistry then what is the point???
• THESE DUDES BE RUDE AND CRAZY.

I am ready to give up on all this nonsense and let the universe decide if and when I should no longer be single....

Area 13.1 Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Castle Rock, CO
Saturday, September 14
Half Marathon #93
Colorado Half #32
Weather - Chilly and rainy, wet

The Area 13.1 half marathon is put on by Zulu Racing. This was the inaugural year for the Denver area. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that Denver/Boulder has been getting POUNDED with "Biblical" amounts of rain. This stuff is NO JOKE. For example, here is a picture of the trail that I ran my 22 miler on LAST WEEK:

The drive down was a bit rainy... (don't worry, I'm the passenger):

And we got a ZILLION Emergency Alerts on the drive down. I think we actually got a few more than this and I just didn't get an updated screen shot. But, I kept checking the race's Facebook page and the event was still on. Maybe it would just be another really memorable race!

We pulled up the Fairgrounds with about 45 minutes until the race started, which gave us plenty of time to put on all the fun glow in the dark stuff L got to accent our outfits. This picture doesn't do it justice, but we have glowing necklaces, bracelets and rings. Sadly, our super bright neon yellow shirts weren't so bright once it got dark out.

It was still drizzling, although the rain had let up A LOT, and Hope and I had both opted to wear arm sleeves. CRAZY to think that just a week ago we were melting and running in 90 degree weather.

About 15 minutes before the race was supposed to start we are told that they are delaying because of thunder and lightning. But, it was still on! Thankfully, the race did get started at 7:15. They had been saying that if there was too much flooding on the course that they might have to turn the race into a 10 miler instead of a half. Thankfully, they were able to find a safe route for us to get in all the miles.

Because of the dark and the rain, I did not take any pictures on the course. In fact, I didn't even take my camera with me. The course was on the same "trail" as the Castle Rock half marathon that we ran in June. I was really surprised that there weren't more puddles and that the course was as dry as it was.

L started with us as she is still crippled and taking it easy. The first mile felt great. Slight downhill and cooler temps. Hope was concerned that we were going a bit too fast and mentioned that she has been having some hip tightness. We slowed it down.

There was a 5k along with the half marathon and it was a bit congested at the start, as an alarmingly large number of people actually came out for the event, but it wasn't too bad. The aid stations all had water and I think Cytomax. The volunteers that made it out were super friendly and energetic. The aid station at mile 4/8.5 also had Hammer gel in a variety of flavors.

Not much to say about the race itself... L took off ahead of us somewhere around mile 4 or 5 and I stuck with Hope. The course is really hilly and neither one of us was really "feeling it" so we walked quite a bit. I ended up keeping my arm sleeves on the entire race. I'm sure I would have been fine without them but I was comfortable having them.

We did the 10 miles out and back, and then we had to re-do the 5k route (out and back on the same trail) to get the mileage in.

Awesome medal!!

Official - 2:49:29 (not sure how this is SO far off from my Garmin)
Garmin - 2:44:04
Mile 1 - 11:15
Mile 2 - 11:22
Mile 3 - 11:21
Mile 4 - 11:20
Mile 5 - 13:18
Mile 6 - 12:53
Mile 7 - 12:27
Mile 8 - 12:40
Mile 9 - 12:39
Mile 10 - 13:45
Mile 11 - 11:52
Mile 12 - 13:29
Mile 13 - 14:18
Mile 13.12 - 11:48

Thoughts:

• Excellent for an inaugural. Especially considering the circumstances, they really did a great job with this event.
• The starting area at the Fairgrounds was perfect. We cycled through the bathroom lines three times and never had to wait. Plus, I like washing my hands.
• The aid stations were well stocked and plenty of cheerful volunteers.
• The course was very well marked, and they had tons of cute decorations on the course (glow sticks, inflatable aliens, etc.)
• A shockingly large number of people carried no headlamp. And wore all black. Why?
• LOVED the shirt and the medal. The shirt is gender specific and CUTE (I should have a picture) and I will definitely wear again). The medal is awesome.
• This group put a lot of work into this event, I maybe would run again, although I am TOO OLD to be running at night! By the time we finished and drove Hope home and got the kids and got back home it was after midnight!!
• Pho was probably NOT the best pre-race food (2.5 hours before race time) - mildly upset stomach most of the race.

Normal (Week 2)

Tuesday - Last day in California. Womp. We didn't do much except get MORE donuts and then Chili's for lunch. Our flight was mid afternoon, so we pretty much had to head to the airport right after lunch. Flight was uneventful. However, get to Denver and the lot tech at the parking lot I always use neglected to write down my car's location... THANKFULLY, one of the other people on the bus was parked in my same row or we could have been driving around all day. Beautiful sunset on the drive home.

Wednesday - 8.17 miles on the treadmill at a sub 10:30 pace!! WHAT!!!! I'm so happy I picked up the Tokyo Pop shirt at the INKnBURN warehouse sale. I just love it so much, it is so "me." Also did the arms, core and butt/thigh videos. Especially after taking a week off from doing these, they were The Hardest. I am so weak!!

Thursday - Munchkin mile with A at Lake Arbor. I was too weak to bother with anything else. The heat is so draining!

Friday - NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.

Saturday - 22 miles of The Hottest Hot ever. I had been registered for a local half marathon, but since I have done the event before, I chose to skip the race and run with Runners Edge and Hope instead - to get in more mileage. The group run started at 6:30, but with highs forecasted to be in the mid 90's, we opted to "moonlight" and start at 5:30 instead. The first 1.5 hours were great, and *almost* chilly. But then the sun came out and we roasted. We ran a nice section along the Louisville Trail and the turnaround was on Marshall Mesa - exposed and HOT. The last aid station ran out of water, and the second half was MISERABLE trying not to die. But, got it done! Later that day A and I met up with my friend from work and her son and sat at a park while the kids played FOR HOURS.

Sunday - American Heroes Run half marathon in the morning. Then A had a birthday party at the local amusement park. We went right after lunch, getting there about 2. We didn't leave until almost 7. She had a blast. The night was spent doing laundry and picking up EVERYTHING off the floors as we were having our carpets cleaned for the first time since we have been in our house (4.5 years). After all THAT, I did the three videos - arms, core and butt/thighs. DEAD.

Monday - Three or so weeks ago, the passenger window in my Mini decided it no longer wants to stay shut all the way. As soon as it hits the top, it drops back down. If I manually tick it up, I can get it to stop CLOSE to the top. I had this SAME issue last March. Long story short, I get to the dealer and they claim they have NO record of me ever having this issue before and they want to charge me $125 just to look at it and I SNAPPED. Finally a manager came over and said that I'm "barely" out of warranty and they will take care of it for me. I did get a loaner car - THE GIANTEST VEHICLE EVER, the Mini Countryman. HUGE. (FYI, as soon as I got home I found my service records and in fact, DID find the paperwork for the window issue). Did NO exercise again.

Gain - 2.6 pounds

• So... I skipped my weigh in last week since it was the day that we got back from #eatallthethings in California. I'm up 2.6 pounds in the last two weeks, even though I have run a jillion miles. So, apparently, I need to remember that I simply cannot eat everything. So disappointing.
• Beer was a bit higher intake the last few weeks after sort of leveling out, so guess I will have to watch that a bit too.
• After a lot of internal debate, I shelled out the money and joined match.com. I have not had a ton of creepers contact me, but I've had a lot of responses. There are a few guys that I even gave my number to that I have been texting with. One in particular is going to be my first "meet up." We were supposed to have lunch Monday, but rescheduled for today, so hopefully it is good!
• Work has been INSANE. In addition to being busier than usual, I am still not caught up from the days I took off from Disney. Time has been going by fast, which helps.
• I have one half marathon (a night race!) scheduled for Saturday, and then the next race is the Bear Chase 50K! I am really excited to be running with Hope for her very first ultra! (I hope she does not hate it, since I am the one that encouraged her to run it!). I love the event and have run the 50 mile (in 2011) and the 50K (in 2012). I am sure I will be back next year too.
• And... I think I am ready to attempt a 100 miler again. I have been in touch with the race director for the 100K I am registered for and think that I will be upgrading to the 100 mile. L and Hope have both offered to pace me, as well as another friend. It is  a local race, and I feel I'm as trained as I will ever be.