Mountain Mother Runner

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