Mountain Mother Runner

It has been nearly three months since my last blog post and I'm FINALLY able to write a recap of the BIGGEST race I'd ever trained for! I can't believe that I wrote a weekly wrap (final training recap can be found here ) for an entire 18 weeks (or 654.04 miles) of training and then left you all hanging without knowing the outcome of the race. If you didn't already know the cause of this delay...I replaced my 'title' of stay-at-home-mom with full-time Massage Therapist student. I have had the teeniest, tiniest amount of "free" time during these months and the hierarchy of what to do with this time has been the following: family, sleep, salt baths, running, reading, eating, blogging. Yes, the idea of writing any sort of blog has been on the bottom of my list and luckily I have felt zero guilt about that. I'm coming up on finals week at school which is followed by a THREE WEEK winter break which I plan to fill with running and fun family adventures.

The final recap of Ultra (?) Training is here! If you hadn’t read my post last week , the taper time of rest and reduced running was really driving me crazy. I had read other runners’ stories and experiences of dealing with the ‘Taper Blues’ or the ‘Taper Tantrums’, but I hadn’t ever gone through it myself! My last three training runs were shared with Eisley in the stroller. We did 6.34 miles on Monday, 6.10 miles on Tuesday, and a short shakeout run of 3.04 miles on Friday. Not sure about you, but I am a numbers person! I love keeping track of everything so I can look back and compare. After going through each of the 18 weeks of training, I was very surprised at the numbers that added up from my mileage logged... Solo Miles: 446.39 Stroller Miles: 207.65 Total miles: 654.04 Are you kidding me? I can't believe Eisley cruised around for over 200 miles this summer listening to music, eating snacks, taking naps, and telling me to run faster. We've had so much fun to

The end of this long training cycle has turned into a strange relationship. I have found myself looking at my workout plan and feeling a slight dread about the run, whether it’s a hill repeat day, tempo, or even a 90 minute easy run. I’ve reached the point of HAVING to run, like it is some sort of chore. Pushing Eisley in the stroller for 2-3 runs per week helped me gain strength in the beginning, but lately it just seems so hard. Is she gaining weight? Am I losing my mojo? A major factor has been the later sunrise and the rising temperatures. The heat is a total energy drainer and makes a run feel slightly miserable, having me wonder how long until it’s over. Maybe it could be because my energy levels have been less during this taper, or maybe it’s because I’ve never really trained this long for anything. Early apologies for the TMI, but have you heard or read about female athletes training so much that their menstrual cycle stops? Here is an informational article from Runners

Summer’s end is slowly approaching as we will soon be welcoming fall. Lately, during my runs, I’ve noticed the leaves already changing from greens to yellows and oranges, sometimes falling from a strong breeze. The seasons beginning to change has me reflecting on the fact that this cycle of race training is nearing the end as well…which means the big race is soon! When I made the decision to take on the Hamster Endurance Runs as my first ultra, I started a blend of two 16 week training plans. About halfway through I realized that the race was actually 17 weeks from when I began, but that gave me a little wiggle room for possible toddler sickness, injury, and traveling. Speaking of…we just returned from a nine day trip to Oklahoma, where I lived during my college (plus a little longer) years. Week 14 SUNDAY: RAN 5.09 miles @9:00 pace w/ stroller MONDAY: Rest TUESDAY: RAN 24.02 miles @10:07 pace WEDNESDAY: RAN 5.08 miles @9:47 pace w/ stroller THURSDAY: Travel day t

This past week was full of smoke, and thankfully this week is starting to clear up (a little bit). Between the numerous wildfires north of us in Canada, to the two wildfires south of us, thick smoke has filled the skies. Luckily the ones south of us have been over 50% contained, but there are so many in Canada, I am unsure of their current standings. It is easy to mistake it as Pacific Northwest fog, but don't be fooled. The mountains have been difficult to see and I've heard people down in Seattle have had days where the mountains can't even be seen at all! Our air quality has been rated poor and the weather has given us hot days with no rain in sight. People with heart disease or breathing problems have been advised to stay indoors whenever possible, which left me heading out for a run as a test to see if my lungs would freak out or if it'd be somewhat normal. Thankfully the air hasn't affected or bothered me at all, so I am happy about that! Week 13

Have you heard of the "KISS" method? You know...keep it simple stupid? Well, that's how this post is going to be, so you've been warned. There were two exciting events from this past week! The first was running 8.01 miles at a 7:24 pace, which finishes up in 59:19. I was SO stoked to keep up with that speed since my previous training goal had been to run 8 miles in an hour, but was a couple minutes too long. It seemed to help my motivation by knowing the childcare at the YMCA ended at a certain time, and if I wanted to finish those 8 miles in time, I had to pick up the pace! The second super exciting event was the longest training run to date, finishing 22.04 miles at a surprisingly quick (for me) 9:09 pace, ending in 3:21. My previous run of 21.05 miles was in 3:20, so when I ran an additional mile in just one minute more of time, I felt amazing! SUNDAY: Walked 1.36 miles MONDAY: RAN 7.01 miles @9:07 pace w/ stroller TUESDAY: RAN 8.01 miles @7:24 pa