Monday Mumblings

 

Yes.  I am still talking about the weather.  Stalking weather websites.  Blogging about the weather.  Photographing the weather.

 

All in an attempt to avoid thinking about the actual race.

 

 

 

In other news look what arrived today!  Some yummy goodies from the amazing multi-tasking Amanda at RunToTheFinish who recently moved and still made time to get her goodies from the Spring Booty Buster Challenge in the mail. 

Thanks Amanda!  I will be thinking of you during my 103.7 miles.

great!  now I'm thinking about the actual race.  I feel sick to my stomach.

 

 

Since I'm talking about every thing I might as well admit that I ran a bit more than "the plan" said I was supposed to.  But I also stuck with my squats, wall sits, planks and hand stands that I have been working on.  My wall sit and plank are both over 3 minutes now!  I'm completely excited about that.  It may seem like baby steps in cross training but for me it's like conquering a mountain. 

 

 

Have you heard about the Whole30?  Part of my distraction techniques has been to fully engross myself in this eating plan.  Which I will be starting the day after the race.  By that I mean Monday since I will not stop running until Sunday and then I might proceed to eat a small country's food supply and I will not care if dairy, grains, sugar or even alcohol is involved.  That is saying A LOT because I don't drink alcohol!

 

What do you say?  Anyone want to join me?

 

So Her Name is Sandy

I live in a bubble.

 

A cartoon filled, crayon colored bubble.

 

Inside my bubble issues like elections, taxes and weather have been replaced with finding stuffed animals, negotiating nap times and making sibling peace treaties.

 

So I was a bit under concerned when I first notice on FB that the word of the day was WEATHER.  And her name is Sandy.

 

 

 Still with only 2 more sleep until Fire on the Mountain.  I doubt I will worry too much.  There will be 31+ miles to run whether that be on dry bright trails frolicking in the sunlight or on muddy slick trails soaking up the rain.  Either way I am beyond eager to get out there and see what the day has to offer.

What's that?  Oh you wanna know about goals?  Lets see:

My I FINISHED goal:
To arrive on time. To start. To finish.

aka: Finish Feeling Fine having Fun

My I CAN goal:
Finish

(in under 7:00 )
I say this because barring an injury or major GI issues this course should allow even my tired legs to do that. Even with the questionable weather.  Should being the most important word to notice in that sentence.

My I LOVE IT goal:
To finish within 31 minutes of my course PR.
With a current FOTM PR of 6:32: my I LOVE IT time would be 6:01.
 

My I DREAM IT goal:
Under 5:59:33 hours. aka a new 50k PR

Honestly I'd love to simply run this course strong.  That would feel like a success especially if the weather is less than great for technical trail running.  This is a tough course at least for me.  I know it fairly well.  I know where the challenges are and sometimes that isn't something that helps me run better.  This will be a race to trust in my conditioning.  A race to see where I am in going into Stone Mill 50 miler.  A race to prove that I can go beyond what I can see.

900, Story Time and Being a BAMR

 

 

 It would be cool if 900 days made me look half this fit!

 

Today is my 900th day of streak running, our first day at story time and the day I am being featured at Another Mother Runner in their Follow this Mother series.  So it's been a good day so far.

 

I started my day with trying to get my morning miles in but LBM (Little Bug Man) decided that today he didn't think I should get too much time this morning so I only squeaked in 2 miles before he said, "MOMMY! I want you be done."  I was able to happily stop since those early morning runs are just a bonus when LBM sleeps a bit longer and the super secret spy says he will be home on time today so I can get outside without jogging stroller.  All that made stopping before I even got warmed up pretty painless.  Plus we had story time at the library to look forward to today.

 

LBM enjoyed the three book stories and then a flannel board story.  We enjoyed craft time and completely over used the glue.

Does everyone else had ladybugs taking over their house?

 

As if anyone could have missed it today but there could be those who did, guess who is the featured mother runner on Sarah and Dimity's post today?  You know the blog by none other than the authors of Run Like a Mother and Train like a Mother. 

It's me!

Oh yeah, I told you that already.  But in case you missed it, go check it out

at Another Mother Runner.

I'll be running giddy on the thought of being featured while I get in my evening run tonight.  Those thoughts will sure beat the ones that keep trying to sneak in and cause worry about this Sunday's race.

 

A Runner's Sin

 

The radar map this morning told that story.  It was going to be a day in the house.  While I already know thanks to FB that there are those that did not welcome our current weather, I am thrilled by it. 

I miss my treadmill. 

I realize I probably just committed a runner's sin but I really do miss it.  Those regular long runs without the worry of carrying water or where I might need to duck if I have a corn field emergency.  I'm thrill at the thought of watching something I want to watch while I run in one place.  Thanks to my mom I now have a treadmill here in VA to use until I decide what I want to do about a permanent one that can handle my abuse.  Thanks to the weather and the inability to get up and run before the super secret spy goes to work today I will be running on my dad's old treadmill.  Even if the miles gets hard and awkward I will enjoy knowing that my dad used that same machine. 

 

So today while LBM rides his hot wheel around the basement, builds imaginary worlds from cardboard boxes and scatters a million toy cars around the floor, I will be happily running in one place and thankful I get to do it every single day.

 

How do you get your sweat on when the weather doesn't cooperate?

Are you happy for the change or use it as a rest day?

 

Three Things Thursday ~ Naked Truth Edition

The WEATHER: 

It's hard to imagine that on Tuesday night LBM was running around outside in snow and last night he was running around outside in only his Crocs.  I'll spare you the second photo.

The RACE:

I haven't even picked out a race day outfit.  It's Thursday.

  Maybe that would make it too real for me. 

I am nervous, no. 

I am excited, no. 

I am scared sh**less, no. 

I'm going puke, well maybe. 

In this blogger world filled with so much confidence it's hard to be brutally honest but I need to be.  I'm a bit freaked out about the possibility of running 50 miles.  But I am even more freaked out about the possibility of not running 50 miles.  But mostly, I'm completely freaked out about what I am going to need want to do after I prove to myself that I CAN run 50 miles. 

The GOALS:

My I FINISHED goal: To arrive on time. To start. To finish.

aka: Finish Feeling Fine having Fun

I say this at each new race but it's true.  My biggest worry is getting to the race start.  Because as you now know, I am geographically challenged.  I have a card. It's a club.  This time I will be meeting Hubbs at the hotel and he and kids ~ all three of them ~ will be hopefully able to be at the finish line.

My I CAN goal: Finish in 10:30 - 10:45.

This goal is a hard one.  I have never ran on these trails.  I have never gone this distance in one day.  I know the course is technically challenging but I have done the 2 5+ hours training runs (aka my 6ish hour 50ks) and that is a requirement so I'm told for being able to complete a 50 miler.  I feel as ready as I can be.  So based off of my most technical course I set a goal range.  The lower end of this goal is to account for more experience and better training.  The higher end is a bit of reality that so many things can happen over the distance.  I hopefully can make this goal. 

 

My I LOVE IT goal: To finish near 10 hours.

Meeting this goal would be beyond amazing.  This time would ensure snotty-nosed finish line photos from all the tears I would be crying.

My I DREAM IT goal: Under 10 hours.

As I often say, on any given day you just don't know what you are capable of until you amaze yourself doing it. I will take all the positive experience I can from this race and it's runners and volunteers no matter how my body chooses to perform on Saturday.

Just beat the rain

I got out for another short run 3.5 miles with littlest in the jogger.  I am so glad I did!  Now it is raining and flooding and trying to blow the house away.  Ok only a few things that were left outside actually blew away but it feels like the whole house wants to go!

Hubbs and the kiddos went to his folks to visit so I may use the remainder of the afternoon to finally rest from my race.  (spend large amounts of time searching for my next fix trail race!) 

But what better weather to do it in than a rainy cold windy gray day?!

EricaH is hosting a Oiselle Giveaway! Don't miss out.

The weather I'll be running in...

...and the reason I won't care.

Have a speedy weekend everyone!