2015 LBL Race Report

     Last year, the LBL trail races proved interesting with snow and ice still on the ground and turning the singletrack into its own little river. This year promised to be similar, and after last year's damage to the trail with multiple volunteer days to repair the trail, I know some of us despaired as to what this year might hold. 

     Thankfully I live close to LBL, but I'm sure many out of town runners feared race cancellation.  Our forward thinking race director had other ideas!  Instead of canceling or damaging the beautiful Canal Loop, an alternate course was decided upon!  I was nervous about the change because the majority would now be on pavement, with a good amount of gravel thrown in.  Quad pounding pavement aside, this was still a beautiful course and with the multiple loop layout, you still had the feeling of the original course.  One of the perks of being a slower runner is getting lapped by more elite runners and having them give you a thumbs up and encourage you to "keep it up"!!!  

     This year started with me and my race crew (aka mom) at our usual Kentucky Dam Village overnight stay.  Parking is pretty tight race morning, so my "crew" dropped me off up the road from the start.  It was a good warm up!  

     "Western KY Moms Run This Town" was in full force for this race.  Here is our pre-race selfie. 

     Thanks Melissa, for our fun pic!!  You girls rocked the run!!  

     I also chatted with two gentlemen as we were getting ready to start, one from St. Louis and the other from Idaho.  It's always fun to meet new running folks. 

     Here is a pic from the start. 

     The first 1.7 miles was the traditional up the hill, past Litside Bakery, across Canal Loop bridge, onto Kentucky Lake Scenic Drive.  Instead of hitting the trailhead, we continued on the one-way loop, back to the Trace and proceeding to the North Visitor Center.  It still felt like trail running once we hit the bike path in sections, with plenty of roots, rocks, etc, to keep us focused on our footing.  

     The next few miles were on gravel with plenty of hills.  The hill up to Moss Creek day use area was stee-eep!  

The mist and fog shrouded the view of Kentucky Lake that morning, but it was eerily beautiful!  

The turn around was simple, without fanfare and manned by a photographer!  

     Shout out here to all the volunteers!  They always do a wonderful job, but only in west kentucky can you be one of 700 runners and a volunteer still say, "hey, you've ran this race before!"  This was my third LBL 23k, but each race is between 700-800 runners!!  Amazing volunteer!!!!  

     I knew i still had several miles to go and just needed to get the job done.  I put music in my ears for the first time of this race.  I've been learning to not rely on music but it still helps when I need motivation or distraction.  The scenery continued to be amazing. 

     Mom was waiting for me as I passed back through the North Visitor Center aid station.  I ate a piece of banana as my legs were trying to cramp anytime I sped up from shuffle to jog.  There were still a few hills and the rain had picked up some.  I gave my hat to mom since I was steaming up, but that was a mistake because then I had trouble keeping my glasses clear!  At some point, you just tell yourself, "get this job finished".  According to my Garmin watch, I actually improved my pace for the next couple of miles!  I think I was hallucinating on Kentucky Lake Scenic Drive on the way back because I smelled barbecue!!  Haha! 

     My left knee/IT band also acted up again this year, very similar to my first LBL 23k.  I'm going to blame it on all my treadmill sessions this snowy winter, but I really think I need to do my IT band exercises every week!  

     So to finish my longer winded than usual blog post, I truly enjoyed this year's LBL "trail" race!  I have some very specific running goals for the rest of this year AND 2016.  Stay tuned!

Running Friends

     I wasn't sure which direction I wanted my next blog post to go, so I browsed my pictures to get a little inspiration and one theme immediately became apparent: fun with friends and family!  I want this blog to focus on ways to be and feel healthy but also have some fun, which IS healthy!!

     One of the most fun things about living a healthier lifestyle is making new friends, finding something in common with old friends, or participating in healthy activities with family and friends!  Any of the above can inspire and encourage someone to make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle.  It may not even be someone you know but they may be motivated to try a new food or exercise that can be the key, leading them to better health.  What a gift that would be! 

     So here is a shout out to all my running friends for inspiring me, and others, and having fun while doing it! 

Me and Crystal Stangle and the Sole Challenge, Arrowhead Lake, Johnston City IL 5k/10k.  Crystal and I met during the Fly With the Eagles half marathon.  We got the job done in 15 degree temps!

Melissa Crump, Arrowhead Lake Sole Challenge.  Melissa is doing the St. Jude's half marathon in December!

Thank you to Jennifer Gratz for taking my picture at the United Way 5k!  This year was Jason Gratz's first United Way 5k. 

Me and nephew, Zach Toon at the Camp Ondessonk Heepwah 5k. Love running trails!

My mom, Bonnie Hicks, is my main crew member.  I couldn't do the trail running and races I do without her!  This pic was taken on the Tunnel Hill state trail during practice for the Tunnel Hill 10 miler.

Here I am finishing the Tunnel Hill 10 miler!  I met Susan Skipworth during the race and this is her finishing just ahead of me, in the yellow jacket.  With her encouragement, I finished 15 minutes faster than I anticipated!  Thank you Susan!

This is me and my lovely co-worker, Angie Carder, after finishing the 2014 Iron Mom half marathon as a two-woman relay team.  We've also done the Talon Falls foam run and plan for her daughter and my nephew to do the foam run with us next year!

Here are me and Tammi Terry after our adventure into night time trail running at the Klaus Park trail series.  We still have the Meandering Turkey to complete, but at least it will be in daylight!

Here is Mr. 21, Hoops for Life, Shannon Aldridge, tackling the inaugural Tunnel Hill 50 miler!!  He and his wife encourage and inspire runners of all abilities!  

This ^ pic and the next, represent the wonderful people I've met in the online running communities.  Sonya Lapierre sent me the above pic!  She encourages folks on Facebook everyday to get moving and stay DETERMINED!

I'm currently enjoying an online challenge with my latest team, "Where's The Finish!?"  All the teams in these challenges have been supportive of one another, regardless of ones abilities.  You don't have to be an elite ultra runner to support and encourage one another to greater achievements!  Thanks, Captain Lisa Beale Cavanaugh and all my teammates!  We have a good time and make each other laugh and that's what it's all about!  

Rest and relaxation

     It was hard for me to grasp the concept that rest days were not only important, but CRUCIAL in regaining fitness and losing weight.  Hitting a plateau AND having an overwhelming case of fatigue, worse than the average fibromyalgia spell, led me to reevaluate my fitness plan. 

     I started my "reboot" at the chiropractor.  I firmly believe routine chiropractic care is crucial to fibromyalgia maintenance and overall health and wellness.  From a wise friend, "remember to honor your rest days." So, now I take one every week and maybe two if I have a longer run than usual or a race longer than a 5k.  I'm serious about these rest days.  I try to keep stress levels at a minimum, maintain my water intake as if it were an exercise day and I strive for the best nutrition possibly, all to give time and nutrients a chance to heal/repair/build muscles and other cells used to increase my fitness level.

     So, does this mean you do nothing while, say, on vacation?  Rest and relaxation can come in many forms. Maintaining a routine can be comforting in and of itself.  Don't forego your exercise routine while on vacation.  You might just find a new activity you love!

    

     Or renew a friendship with an activity you haven't done in a while....

    

     Maybe doing what you always do, but in a new place, will give you a new outlook on that routine activity!

HAPPY TRAILS

Finding the perfect balance

    I know most of my blog posts have been running or race related, so it seems like a good time to do a nutrition related post.  Both the dietary aspect and the fitness aspect of "being healthy" can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.  Two years ago this month, I joined a fitness program through work.  With the knowledge and guidance of professionals, I have been able to lose 75# and continue to slowly lose.  There have been so many pieces to the "puzzle" that it's difficult to choose just one thing that has had the biggest impact on losing weight.  

    One key "puzzle piece" has been using myfitnesspal to track calories in and calories expended.  This app makes counting calories easy and helps the user monitor the balance of fat/carbs/protein.  It's been my best and most favorite "tool" is reclaiming my health and fitness. I often give this example of how I use myfitnesspal in making decisions on what to eat; let's say I have 200 calories left for the day.  Instead of choosing a food randomly, I look at my fat/carb/protein ratio and see which food choice is needed for proper nutrition, fuel, and/or maintenance.  If there is still room for a choice, I look to my needs in relation to the days activity or the next day's fuel needs.  If I've had a vigorous workout or long run, I'll choose to fill the gap with protein.  If I have a long run or race planned for the next day, I'll choose to "carb up".  Rarely do I get to actually choose a fatty food.  I never fail to meet my fat quota for the day, haha, but it IS important to make sure you choose GOOD fats in your daily food choices. 

(This is an actual picture from my own myfitnesspal.  One of those rare days where I had the perfect balance!)

     I hope this little tidbit of information helps inspire my readers to make a commitment to their health.  Everyone's journey is different but each step you make towards better health is leading to a better you!

Bad Ass Derby Day!

     What happens on Derby Day?  Racing, right?  So bright and early, me and mom headed to Ozark, IL.  Oh, wait, the Kentucky Derby isn't in Illinois.  The Bad Ass Trail Dash is though!!  This is the second time I've travelled to this beautiful property for one heck of a trail race.  2013 was my first experience with this race.  I had only been doing 5k races for six months when I first entered this race.  I had just completed the LBL 23k and thought "this 5k will be a piece of cake."  Boy, was I wrong!  We had two knee deep creek crossings and downed trees as our obstacles.  We had three hills that were so steep, I practically had to slide down on my behind!  Below is a pic from before the race.  It was March and still pretty chilly.  It was super tough and I was just glad to finish!

     Now to Derby Day 2014!  The Bad Ass Trail Dash had a "mystery distance" this year.  Somewhere between 3-5 miles.  The race this year was MUCH tougher than last year!  Crazy ups and downs, smaller creek crossings,steep ass hills, all leading up to the grand finale...drum roll...mega cold water crossing! 

Thank you to Lindsay's son who took my picture AND delivered my phone to me at the finish line. Thank you to mom, Shannon, and Crystal.  You guys make craziness like this fun!  Check out their Facebook page for upcoming race dates!

5 Trails in 5 Days

    Each spring, me and my mom take a bird watching trip.  It isn't always a long trip but a couple of times we have travelled all the way to Dauphin Island, Alabama.  This year we decided to do several small day trips.  I thought it might be fun to combine this with some trail running, a different trail everyday!  

     I started day one at Columbus Belmont State Park with my sister, Dyanna.  We walked and ran the trails and paths for 3 miles and concluded with some good birding in the river bottoms. 

     Day 2 finds us headed to Reelfoot Lake for more bird watching and a quickie little trail run.  It was sad to see the Airpark Inn closed.  We did see some good birds and a snake! Here is a pic of the trail before we headed to Bluebank Resort for lunch. 

     Day 3 was a planned long run at LBL's Canal Loop.  6.43 miles on the Lake Barkley side, with my fastest time in that section!  We checked out the visitor center and got some awesome new shirts.  One has a map of the Canal Loop trail on the back.  It was kinda like getting a race shirt!  I took lots of pics on this day, but this was my fav. 

     Day 4 was a day for "home trails."  You don't always have to travel far to enjoy Mother Nature.  I save my runs at home for trying out new foods or workout gear.  If it's a food that really doesn't agree with me, I'm close to home, or if a clothing item (like new running socks) isnt working I can stop and change.  I think my home trails are as beautiful as any!

     The final day of my "5 trails in 5 days" challenge was soggy.  Matthew and I dodged the storm clouds on more home trails to do some birding.  We may not have logged many miles, but we had a couple of hours walking with some good birds.  This self-challenge truly does end in happy trails! 

When races get close to your heart...

          I'm no competitive runner. I never have been and never will be.  That being said, I still do the best I can for each run, each race, given the strength and energy (and plan) I have for that day.  Anyone with any chronic pain or illness knows this also applies to everyday life.  

     So, with challenges and trials on our minds, let me tell you about my last two races.  Recently, mom and I travelled to Cape Girardeau, MO, for the Unforgettable Perseverance 5K Challenge.  We found ourselves turning onto a road paralleled by a beautiful stream that looks like it belongs in the mountains, then turning into Shadow Rest Ministries, a scenic spiritual retreat center.  The purpose of this race was to support persecuted and imprisoned Christians.  Each runner wore a bracelet with the name of a Christian who is in prison.  The bracelet helped us remember to pray for that person.  "Pray for us" is the number one request of persecuted Christians.  I made new friends and got to run for the best of causes.  It was a chilly and muddy trail race, but I think I'm getting used to the mud this spring.  Very much looking forward to this race again next year!

     I had no plans for races in April, just training.  A friend sent me a message that she was going to walk her first 5k on April 5th to help her grandson's ball team raise $ for uniforms.  I told her I would love to walk with her.  Sadly, her husband experienced a stroke the very next day :(. I'm glad to say he is on the mend!   I found myself wanting to run that race for my friend and her husband!  The finish line was an awesome site!  Seeing those young boys cheering every runner in was so heartwarming!  Best high 5's ever!

I'm glad I ran the race for those who couldn't!  God is good!  All the time!

LBL 23K Race Report

     Snow, mud, and I wasn't last.  That should be the title for this blog post, haha! The weather has been a moody girl this year, and after the last half marathon, (see previous blog post) I hoped Mother Nature was done with her nastiness, but I was oh, so, wrong. She was a teasing temptress as I went to the Canal Loop one week before the race for my last long practice run. 

     It was a beautiful day on the trail and I had high hopes that race day would dawn just as warm and sunny.  The weather report called for rain, ice, snow the Sunday/Monday before the race.  I don't think anyone anticipated the mess staying around as long as it did, but cold temps dominated once again and the trail went from the pic above to this a week later...

     "A brown snowcone" is what I heard one runner call it, and rightly so.  I put my yaktrax on for the second half of the race, and though they helped with footing I do think they held snow on top of my left shoe, and I couldn't feel my toes for about an hour.  I shucked the yaktrax when I came off the trail to finish the trip into town on the road.  I never went back for them.  

     My only real goal was to finish with a better time than last year.  I beat last year's time by 32 minutes!  In the muck! Hard work and training pays off!  Now if the trail/weather cooperates next year, I'll see just how much my time really has improved!  

     Due to the harsh weather, the trail condition took a big hit.  West KY Runners club, along with LBL staff and other volunteers, met this past weekend to do trail repairs.  (I'm in the grey jacket)

      I learned a lot by working on the trail with these people and was honored to do so.  Doing this work gave me a new insight into this beautiful trail and makes me love it even more.  

     LBL is a very unique place and we are blessed in western Kentucky to have such a place.  One of my goals for 2014 is to run at least 500 miles.  I plan on many of those miles occurring in the Land Between the Lakes area!  And with views like this, who can blame me.

Take The Long Way Home

    The weather this winter has certainly made every training run feel like "the long way home".  (All you 80's peeps cue the Supertramp soundtrack!).  I decided more than a year ago that I wouldn't let the weather be an excuse for not exercising (except lightning, safety first!).  I was very hard pressed this winter to keep my end of the bargain.  I had to maintain my "safety first" motto and dusted off the treadmill on days when the footing was just too dangerous to stand much less run or even walk!  As long as it was not too slick to risk injury, I still walked and ran outside when I could.  The winter weather has certainly made life interesting...for all of God's creatures!

     I signed up for the Crab Orchard "Fly with the Eagles" half marathon on Feb  8th, a month before the LBL 23K.  "It'll be good practice" a friend says (you know who you are, lol). The weather continued to be atrocious and the race was postponed a week due to road/trail conditions.  My mind began its little hamster wheel turning, "are these two long races too close together for me? Will I be able to adequately recover in between? I consider the LBL 23K the pinnacle of my race calendar.  I didn't want anything to affect me beating last year's time!  

     The morning of the new race date dawned cold as (*insert your favorite colloquialisms*) or to be honest, plain ole 15 degrees!!!!  Crab Orchard lake was frozen solid.  The noises coming from the ice were amazing!  Mother Nature's music at its most freaky!  I even saw 2 eagles flying overhead around mile 11!  I had a lot of leg cramps those last couple of miles, but still enjoyed this race! 

     Here is Mr. 21 himself, after the race.  Thanks for always encouraging us to be the best we can be!

     

     Here is my race photo, about mile 3. 

The red hoodie was our race shirt (coolest race shirt, ever!) and I was glad I decided to wear it because it never got above freezing that day.  One of my secrets for cold mornings is in the fuel belt you see me wearing in the pic; it's lemon ginger echinacea juice!  It's carb and sugar enough to give a boost of energy and the ginger seems to warm me up!  I'm glad I didn't back out due to the temperatures/weather and I'm glad I didn't quit due to the leg cramps.  I may not be fast but I have as much determination as the fastest! 

     

Commitment

     Sorry it's been so long since the last blog post.  The holidays and training certainly take a toll on blogging! 

     Since the last post, I did the Pearl of the Purchase 5k and placed in my age group!  Sharon Downs received the women's masters award! 

     Then it was off to Missouri for a couple of trail races.  The Klaus Park "Meandering Turkey" was a new experience for me.  This 4.5 mile trail is designed more for mountain bike types. It's a lot of trail in a small space, "meandering" through a beautiful woods.  It was also "no earbuds allowed" which was a first for me.  I placed in my age group and LOVE my award!

     The Perryville "Turkey Burn Off" was 3.5 mile trail race around a beautiful lake and was exactly the type I like! A variety of terrain, a few small hills, and good people. Definitely one race I'll be doing again!  Stay tuned!

10k, 5k, Birthday!

       Fall has descended upon us!  The temperatures and foliage make for an ideal time for walking, running and hiking!  After recovering from the Moccasin Gap 10 Miler, some fun was in order!  First up, the Jost Running virtual 10k.  Virtual races are fun, convenient, and often support deserving charities.  The charity for the Oktoberfest virtual 10k was the Midwest Foodbank.  You can run virtual races anywhere and for this particular run, I chose my favorite trail, the Canal Loop at Grand Rivers, KY. For this particular virtual group, you take a picture with your bib # and email your time in on the honor system, then they mail you your finisher's medal!  My finish time was 1:46 and check out the bling!  It has a bottle opener on it!!! 

     The Saturday before Halloween was the Carlisle Co. Project Graduation fundraiser, the "Boogity Boogity Boo" 5k! It was great to have a "hometown" race.  I got my best personal time and had a great time with friends.  I hope they do this one every year and maybe have runners dress in costume next year!

     To complete our "fall fun" tour, I took my mom to Henderson KY for a weekend getaway to celebrate her birthday.  Mom has been my lead crew member over the past year at almost every race (shout out to Bobby and Zach for also being crew members) and she deserves more than this.  We visited Mantle Rock on the Trail of Tears, John James Audubon State Park and downtown Henderson.  

     Here is a section of trail at John James Audubon State Park.  Henderson is a cool river town and we had a great time. I highly recommend CKB (Commonwealth Kitchen & Bar) downtown.  The shrimp and grits along with my "smoked" bourbon was an epic meal.  I really try and focus on eating with a purpose, (nutrition and fuel for activity). I think doing that helps me truly appreciate when a special meal like this comes along!  Cheers!

Moccasin Gap 10miler Race Report

     Saturday dawned cloudy and cool with some rain on the local radar.  Thankfully, the rain moved out as we made our way to Ozark, IL.  

     The race announcer confirmed that the trail was significantly muddy from the previous night's rain.  There would be three aid stations and we would be following the pink signs and ribbons for the 10miler.  We started at 10 AM on the dot!  (I'm in the blue hoodie)

     I started strong and was even able to keep other runners in my sight for the first couple of miles!  The scenery was stunning!  I would love to go back to this trail for a hike and truly take it in!   

    There is a gentleman in a red jacket in the bottom center of this photo.  I think that shows perspective on just how big that rock/wall/cliff is!!!  

     The singletrack was perfect for trail running and I was having a lovely time until I started sucking mud! Somewhere after the first aid station, the trail became increasingly intermittent.  When you hit mud, it was a quagmire!  I was kind of glad when I hit a big rocky uphill, because the mud decreased, but I was also forced to begin mostly walking.

     At the top of this ridge was the halfway point, with a goody filled aid station #2, a big forestry lookout tower, and a water refill. I took a handful of pretzels and kept moving.  I now wish I had stashed a handful of that candy in my hydration belt!  Didn't I learn my lesson at Bernheim?!!  I still have a lot to learn about my fuel needs.  

     My next picture is of a lovely wooded singletrack.  There are pink ribbons on the trees to the right.  And my phone battery died right after I took this picture. 

     So I'm with no phone, no music, no GPS lady reading off my times in my ear, no problem!  My feet felt great, so I buckled down for some serious hiking!  I would "wog" (walk/jog, a Karla Hogancamp term, lol) along where I could and slog through mud like a pig when I had to!  I think the mud is what started getting to me towards the end of the trail.  I was sick of it!  I was also out of fuel and water by this point and I began to enter a dark place:(.  It's hard to explain but everything seemed larger than life!  This mud pit was just too much, or this one gorgeous woods just seemed unreal!  I was able to clean my shoes of most of the mud at a lovely stream.  I just wanted to stay there but a pink ribbon said, "no, come this way".  It was the last pink ribbon I remember seeing.  After I went up a huge boulder hill (also bigger than life) I came out on a camp road but there were no pink signs or ribbons.  Which way to go? Where was the third aid station? (I never did see it).  What time is it?  I'm hungry and feeling a little mad.  I pick left and trot on!  It seemed like forever before I found some cabins and campers who said they had seen runners earlier and to keep going in 👉that direction.  If they had offered me food, I would have taken it!  (No more pity party, lol, just describing how I was REALLY feeling at the time). 

     The last incline was made brighter by seeing my mom coming down looking for me!  I was so tired and hungry, and she walked with me to the finish line.  I should have hugged her, but all I could think of was eating.  I rested a moment next to the time keeper and another volunteer who handed me my finisher's badge and a door prize!  I really wanted to hug them, too!  On my way to the food, a trail running friend congratulated me on finishing and I confessed I lost the pink ribbons, and I remembered at the beginning of the race he had said "you can never have enough trail markers!"  Well said my friend, well said!

~

(A special thanks to my mom, the finish line time keeper, the awards giver, and my trail running friend, Shannon, you all waited for me and that meant a lot!  

     Oh, and the fella in the red jacket in the second picture?  We met him and his wife at a local restraunt!  We all recognized each other immediately!  They were so encouraging and inspiring!  Safe travels back to Wisconsin!)

Back to the singletrack

     It's been two months since I ran on the Canal Loop singletrack and I've missed it so much!  The Central Hardwoods Trail has been smooth and bug free, but just doesn't give me the same mental and physical workout that the Canal Loop does.  

     I purchased some high percentage DEET bugspray and hit the trailhead Saturday with high hopes that the storms would hold off.  The storms held off and the sun peaked through several times as I traversed the east side of the Canal Loop Trail.  

   

     I posted this pic on Instagram and shared a little info about having a favorite poster (when i was 12), that I would have loved to "be in", especially the summer I had my lawn mower accident.  The poster was this lush green trail with a deer on the trail.  Saturday's trailrun reminded me of that poster and I just felt blessed, like my dream came true!!  

     For lack of a better word, I would also describe Saturday as "whimsical".  There were the usual number bikers on the trail, but I also saw a gentleman out training his treeing cur pups, GPS collars included!  Not your average trail user, lol, but a welcome change from the usual hikers and bikers.  

     The sun peaked in and out and birds were everywhere, but I hope the next picture shares the "whimsy" I felt while on the trail...

     The little fella in the foreground is an ornate box turtle according to my knowledgable nephew, Blake, and trust  me, he knows his turtles!  

     I had plans on doing the entire loop to prepare for the Moccasin Gap 10 miler coming up, but decided at the halfway point to do some crosstraining/biking instead.  I don't want to share the details,  but my bike is now being worked on at Dicks Sporting Goods, and I may invest in some elbow and knee pads! 

     Here is the map/recap of my trail run.

     I'm also registered for a virtual 10k later this month, the Jostrunning Oktoberfest!  Virtual racing is a different kind of fun, with the freedom to walk/run on your own day.  Most virtual races are connected to a charity.  The ones I have done so far were for Shriners, Celiac disease, and the upcoming virtual race will be for a food bank.  Here is my race bib for the Oktoberfest...

     And here is the medal, which I will receive in the mail, after I run my 10k and turn in my time and a picture with my bib # to the Jostrunning website. 

     Also check out Anywhere 5k for more virtual 5k races.  Both Jostrunning and Anywhere 5k can be found on Facebook and twitter.