Three Things Thursday (and a Giveaway Winner!)

1. It is 1 day, 15 hours, 46 minutes, 16 seconds until Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 8:00:00 AM (Denver time). AKA, the start of the Greenland Trail 50k. This all seems SOON. But...


2. "If you believe in it you can achieve it" - I can totally do this.

3. And what I bet you all have been waiting for... the giveaway winner!

With the winning comment...

So! I'm going to need CHRISTY @ My Dirt Anthem: A Running Blog (http://dirtroadrunner.blogspot.com/)  to email me at squirrelgirl44 (at) hotmail (dot) com ASAP so I can get your gear out to you!!!

As an aside. Working out the details, but I'm working on ANOTHER giveaway after I get back from China, so keep on reading!

Next blog entry will be the recap of MY FIRST 50K!!!!

Let the Freak Out Begin

What on earth was I thinking? A 50k??? Did I realize that is more than 31 miles?? Why would I do this?? Why??

The Freak Out is starting. I am finally starting to stress and worry about what I have managed to get myself into this time.

The Good:

• L and I will probably be the most colorful/stylish people on the course
• The race is less than a hour from my house
• The weather looks like it will cooperate. No predicted moisture... great since this is a trail run. Lows will be upper 40s and highs in upper 60s. Hopefully I won't have to experience much of the high end of temps.
• The course is a loop... (4 of them) - If I desperately have to quit, logistically it wouldn't be a total disaster.

The Bad:

• I have a pretty good mileage base. However. I haven't run anything longer than a half marathon since I ran the Lost Dutchman marathon back in February
• The course is a loop... (4 of them) - I'm going to have to run past the finish line quite a few times before I'll be done.
• If I am slow/struggling, it will be pretty hot out there.

The Ugly:

• 4 LOOP COURSE???? Yes, I did know this in advance. I've only done a loop course once, and I didn't like it at all. Hopefully this being a scenic course will make it less awful?
• Only 2 aid stations on each loop. UGH!!! I do have a 10 oz bottle on my race belt, but I am used to aid stations being at MINIMUM every 2 miles. I am going to have to go twice as long between them. I tested a Camelbak during a training run over the weekend and DO NOT think I can race in it. I bought a handheld, but don't think I should risk racing with it? Guess I could always dump if necessary.
• Altitude. Obviously I live in Colorado, at about 5,300 feet above sea level. This race is even HIGHER than that. Highest elevation is 7,400 feet. Can you hear me struggling for air? (I'm hyperventilating a bit just thinking about it).

The Plan:

• Hydrate. I'll be honest. I suck BIG time at this. I have always sucked at this. I am beyond addicted to caffeine. Most of my fluid every day comes from diet Pepsi. I drink water at the gym, and usually a vitamin water at night. Goal is to drink only one soda day before the race. (C'mon, I'm not quitting cold turkey).
• Carb Load. I'm awesome at this. I can eat more than anyone I know. I plan on hitting up my local Applebee's. (Surprise, surprise!)
• Sleep. This one will be a struggle. When I travel, I actually sleep really well. I do NOT sleep well when I am at home. Add to the mix that we have a new puppy... I really want to aim for 6 hours of sleep. (Crossing my fingers).
• START OUT SLOW... I plan on tackling this race the same way that I have my marathons. Start out at an "easy" pace. I don't plan on racing this at all. Anything I do will be an instant PR, so that is a load off anyway.
• Time Goals?? Well. I'm really hesitant to even address this. The finish line is 8 hours. So... here they are:
• Goal D - To finish. In under 8 hours so I can get that well-earned medal :D
• Goal C - Finish in under 6 hours
• Goal B - Finish in under 5.5 hours
• Goal A - Finish in about 5 hours & 20 minutes. That's about the pace I train for distance on the treadmill when I don't feel like I'm overworking myself.

I'll be honest. The wheels are turning and the crazy is coming out. I have just a few days left to prepare for this race.

(Don't forget about my 50K Giveaway)

Great Wall of Westminster Part II (and a product review)

Is this really our last training run outside before the 50k? Before we go to China? Yep. (Obviously I will still be doing my regular treadmill runs, but this is our very last opportunity to tackle an insane amount of stairs).

Really the only concern I have been having about my first 50k, is staying hydrated. My favorite races are half marathons that have a water station every 1.5 miles or so. Looking at the course for the ultra? Only SEVEN total water stations!!! My solution was to try the Camelbak hydration pouch (the style designed specifically for women). It's cute, lightweight, and seems comfortable. Here's what it looks like on:

And a close up of my newly crimped hair. (It's an 80s thing, you will find out more about this in a few weeks). Awesome.

We also decided that just running up and down the stairs a bunch of times might not be the best workout, since the course isn't really going to be that way. We had someone to watch the kids at the playground nearby, so the plan was to do a loop on the path around the soccer fields and then do 5 sets of stairs. Repeat. Times five.

It certainly helped to have the break after each set of stairs. It felt like we were moving pretty fast, but every time I checked my watch we were pacing closer to 10:30 minute miles. Eh. It's just training. It was chilly and windy, but better than being ridiculously hot.

I'm not going to lie. Stairs are tough. I cursed a lot. I know it is a good workout, but I really don't LIKE to run stairs. At all. If I wasn't running with L I probably would have given up at some point.

Best part of our workout today? A woman asking us about an hour in to our workout "Aren't you girls tired yet?" Yep. Sure am.

Back to the Camelbak. While it might be good for hot days and training runs, I don't think that I can race with it next weekend. I could not seem to get the straps adjusted right. To get it tight enough it rubbed the side of my neck, and if I loosened it, then it seemed to rub the inside of my elbows. Also part of the fail in testing this was my clothes. I always race in a tank, but for the run today I was wearing short sleeves.

I'll have to test it out another time, but so far, not 100% pleased. Sad about that.

View from base of stairs

Stairs, stairs, stairs

After a quick lunch, we head home, and A decides she needs to get her run in for the day too. Heh.

Yes, her hair IS crimped, and that IS a ladybug dress

Also... don't forget about my 50k giveaway!!

Three Things Thursday (and then some)

1. My foot/ankle is feeling a lot better. I am continuing the use of the KT tape (today's colors are red/white/blue). Light icing and the Strasburg sock.
2. Training... first is of course the 50k. That is more of a mental game as I haven't added distance to my training. But, I think I have a pretty solid base and I'm sure I can do this.
3. and second is the Great Wall, which is only 2 weeks after the 50k. (It took me a while before I realized that. I must be insane). Anyway, I've been doing the Stairmaster at the gym, ran stairs last Sunday and plan on running more this weekend. That's about the extent of that training. Just in the last few days I've been bombarded with emails from the travel coordinator, which means it is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER... psyched.
4. My headphones finally stopped working ten minutes into my treadmill run last night at the gym. Which means I ran for an hour with no music. I've never done this. Ever. The good news is that I don't breathe nearly as loud as I think I do, and the workout wasn't as tragic as I dreamed it could be.
5. P90X - I started again this week, and man am I sore. Crazy how just taking a few weeks off when I was sick set my base so far back. As for the Ab Ripper X? I can now do 98% of the reps. For a long time, the mason twists were my biggest struggle. Now? The backward bicycle. I swear it is just too unnatural feeling. Even placing a mirror next to me to watch my legs doesn't help. My mind can't comprehend. Sigh.
6. NYC Marathon... I didn't get in. I shouldn't be surprised. The NYC half was also a lottery and I *did* get into that one. I just realized that running for charity isn't even an option. They all require that you provide a credit card so if you don't raise the required amount they can charge your card. I no longer have credit cards. This is a bummer. I guess I'll try my luck at the lottery next year. (With that said... I am tempted, SUPER tempted, to run the San Francisco FULL marathon instead. Thoughts??)
7. I've added another item to the 50K GIVEAWAY, which means more opportunities to win! Check it out!