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. 

Good wine and new best time!!

Happy fall ya'll 

Autumn is definitely in the air and that means lots of races on the calendar!  I'm bouncing back from Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever, which must have been what almost stopped me at the Bernheim 7 miler.  I'm waiting on a second round of bloodwork and an appointment with the infectious diseases doc.  I'll report back on that later. 

     Meanwhile, I'm still walking/running and training.  Training now includes cycling!  The stationary bike was getting a little old, so I've stepped up the game by getting a bicycle! The old saying is true, "just like riding a bike", some things you just don't forget.  I'm going at it cautiously (my middle name) and religiously wearing my helmet.

There are lots of places to bike in our area!  Some are the same places I run!  How convenient!  My mom and myself have been researching some different areas to go biking and trail running and it looks like I'll be checking out the Tunnel Hill trail in Illinois soon!  

     While checking out Illinois natural areas, we found SO many wineries to visit, that we'll be able to make the most of each and every visit across the river!  We recently visited Owl Creek winery and and took in a concert at Rustle Hill Winery.  I have been wanting to see the bluegrass band, The Steeldrivers, in concert for years!  I was not disappointed!

     So from the good wine, to the best time, now I wanna brag...I beat my own personal best 5k time by 3 minutes this past Saturday at the United Way 5k!!  I am so pumped!  I worked really hard and now I'm seeing that hard work pay off!  

     I've got a couple of trail races this fall and a couple of 5ks.  A couple of races have been cancelled, sadly, but it just means I'm going to be focusing on longer distance runs.  I've already registered for the 2014 LBL 23k Trail run, with bettering my time from last year my only goal!  Happy Trails!

     

Temptation

     I had difficulty bringing this blog post together, but I resisted the temptation to just skip on the idea and wait until next weekend to write a post.  

     I also resisted the temptation to quit during yesterday's trail race!  It's coming up on one year since I started doing 5k and other races.  The only other race I even considered quitting was the 23k in March, due to IT band (knee) pain.  (But I resisted the temptation then). Yesterday was different though.  My feet and knees felt great!  I'm not sure how to describe the temptation to quit...maybe it was low blood sugar, maybe my immune system is under siege from a recent infestation of tick and chigger bites.  Either way, I seriously thought I might not finish this race.  I did learn at the Badasstraildash to always have a little something stashed for a boost of energy.  My fruit leather (healthy fruit roll up) and almonds were put into action, but the problem is, I felt the need to eat them 1.5 miles into a 7 mile trailrace!  How on earth was I going to make it 7 miles in the middle of nowhere!  There was only one aid station and that was at mile four! This is where I resisted the temptation to quit!

Look at that bench, beckoning me!  There were no other benches along the rest of the trail.  Why was it here, out in the middle of nowhere?  I think God put it there.  He wanted me to put my trust in him, not my water belt or my fancy fruit roll up.  When I made the decision to continue on, I knew I was totally leaning on Him.  I truly believe that, but I still argued with myself, knowing my only other chance to stop would be at the four mile mark, the only aid station for this race.  As I continued to struggle with energy, or lack of, I began to wonder if they would still be at the aid station when I arrived.  I knew I HAD to make a decision about continuing for three more miles, unsupported, at the aid station.  God knew what I needed.  When I reached the aid station, I was greeted with encouragement, plenty of fresh water to refill my belt pack and HEED electrolyte drink.  Temptation stares at me again.  Stop here and admit defeat, or rest a few minutes and GO FOR IT!  I'm still feeling like my feet and legs can do it, but my inner energy has doubts.  I knew I couldn't do it without divine intervention.  It was different at the LBL race, because there were SO many chances to stop.  I could tell myself, "if you just make it to the next station, then we'll see how you feel".  Once I left this aid station, I had to be committed to the finish.  So me and God hiked the rest of this portion of the Millenium Trail, to finish the Bernheim 7 miler.  And with Bobby waiting for me at the finish line, I'm so glad I resisted the temptation to quit! Psalms 40

Running Community

    There are many areas in our nation that are considered "running communities".  I automatically think of Colorado, or maybe California, even Oregon or Washington.  I'm sure there are many great communities near our state and national parks that cater to runners, hikers, and various outdoor enthusiasts.  Even the most recent issue of trail runner magazine has an article on "top trail towns" (watch out Lynchburg, I see a visit in out future!)

     I didn't see any western kentucky towns listed in that article, but you could've have fooled me Friday night, if you informed me Fancy Farm KY wasn't listed!  The Fancy Farm 5k (my first in its 32 year history) felt more like a street party than a 5k running event!  I've done several 5k's, a 10k, and a 23k, but the spectator gallery at Fancy Farm was incredible!  I did have my personal best time, by only a few seconds, but I will continue to strive to break that 45 minute mark! (Haters don't hate, I'm old, and have improved my 5k time in the last year by 10 minutes, I'm getting there!)  

     Here's a pic of me with my nephew Zach and friend Sharon Downs, before the race.

Here's a picture of Tammy and Blair Terry and Sharon after the race.  Both of these ladies did a fantastic job!  Keep up the good work girls!

And I do want to give a shout out to Grand Rivers KY.  Their little village comes out full force in March of each year for the LBL trail races!  I'm looking forward to reporting on that race, for 2014, with a better time at the 23k.  Meanwhile, next is a pic of me at the end of this year's 23k.  I not only want to finish with a better time, but less pain, too!!

So come on West Kentucky, (heck, the whole quad state region) lets become a running community!

30 years ago....

My husband graduated from high school! This weekend was the Carlisle County Class of '83 reunion. In my opinion, it was their best reunion yet. There was a great turn out and we all got to catch up and share a great meal together. Below is their group picture.  

Bobby is on the far right.  

     We are so blessed to have many friends in his class and we're looking forward to my 30 year class reunion next year! 

     I also got to run on the Canal Loop trail this weekend! I needed practice for the upcoming Bernheim 7 Miler, near Louisville. It will be the furthest I've traveled, so far, to participate in a race.  I hope my readers don't get tired of my trail pictures, because I love going out on the trails and taking them. 🏃

   

     The Fancy Farm 5k will be this Friday night. Maybe I'll see you there!