H-Monkey Runs

Dumbo Double Dare 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 19:12:00 +0000

Next up on my fall running adventure schedule was the Dumbo Double Dare - two days of running totaling 19.3 miles at the Disneyland resort in California. I had been looking forward to this for a long time because the Dumbo medal is super cute AND it would give me a chance to see my Disney running friends. I have been very lucky to have made such a great group of friends over my years of running. It started out with my local running group and has gradually expanded to include runners from around the country. For all the stories in the news about the dangers of social media and how it's cutting people off from "real life" interaction, for me personally the opposite has been true. I've made at least a dozen great friends via the Internet who I have been lucky enough to run with from Coast to Coast.

The first race on the weekend schedule was the villain themed 10K. My running group had custom running shirts made this past summer that were black with red and yellow flames and a flaming Mickey Mouse skull. This is NOT my typical look but it seemed to go well with the race theme. I decided to throw it together with my ruffled Vixen skirt from Skirt Sports. We looked pretty awesome, I have to say, and got a ton of compliments from the other runners on the shirts.

I was a tiny bit worried about this run because I hadn't run at all since the marathon-to-nowhere and despite having run 100s of miles at Disney races by now I'm still never sure how my legs will feel after two days of being a tourist in a theme park. My other minor worry was running at a 2:1 interval instead of my normal :60/:30 since I hadn't done that in awhile. Luckily, the legs and the interval felt great and I had an awesome time with my friend Julie posing for photos all over the parks.

Posing near the tiny castle

Trying to become the new ruler of England:

With Queen's magic mirror.

After the run, in true Disney fashion, I spent the day running all over Disneyland and California Adventure going on rides, eating snacks and having celebratory drinks. (Exactly what one should NOT do when having to get up at 3:30 AM to run a half-marathon!)

Sunday dawned bright and early and I picked up some more friends to run with in the parks and on the streets of Anaheim. I can not express enough how much fun it is to go on a run with a bunch of people when your only goal is to see the sights, enjoy the course, and get to the finish line.

Eventually, close to the end of the run, I saw a pile of discarded costume parts and when I realized the pile contained a bedazzled hat with attached Dumbo ears and I just could not resist the impulse to trash-pick the abandoned item to wear across the finish line. We laughed our heads off in the last half mile about the ears and the reaction of my germophobic friend to the whole transaction. They do not call this the Dumbo Double Dare for nothing!

One of my team's favorite things to do at Walt Disney World marathon weekend is to ride the Expedition Everest roller coaster in the middle of the marathon. There's no chance to do a similar thing out in California so we decided that the next best thing would be to go directly to California Adventure and ride the Grizzly Rapids ride while wearing our race outfits and medals. OMG. There should be a flume ride included after EVERY summer run. It was so incredibly fun. I tried to take video during the ride with my cellphone inside a baggie and it looks like some kind of Blair Witch Project type movie. So funny and such a great memory.

I was in California for just over 4 days and I picked up four new shiny medals and tons of memories on the trip. It was worth all the time stuck in an airplane, for sure.

Next up: Bird In Hand race weekend in Lancaster, PA. This is a 5K/Half-Marathon combo and will feature hot air balloons and an entirely different cast of running sidekicks!

Marathon to Nowhere 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 16:04:00 +0000

On Saturday my running group was scheduled to do a 26 mile training run. This is part of the Galloway method of training and while I understand where the plan is coming from, I'm pretty well convinced that this level of preparation is overkill. Last year I did the 26.2 mile training run because I thought it would be fun to prove to myself that I was tough enough to run a marathon with no other incentive than that I could do it. Sure, it was on the training plan, but I knew deep down I could quit early and be in perfectly good shape to run my scheduled race. This year, it was coming up on the schedule again and while I remained skeptical, most of the others wanted to do the run.

On our long runs earlier in the summer we'd often talk about the 26 mile run. We plotted the best route, we discussed registering for virtual races so we'd get a medal on the big day, we thought about all of the reasons NOT to do it. It loomed large for all of us. As marathon Saturday approached, our group of five had dwindled to three runners: one had family plans in another state and couldn't make the run, one had a bad 23 mile outing and was timid about pushing all the way to 26. Personally, I was seriously considering skipping it. I have a habit of developing hypochondria before marathons. My typical M.O. is to imagine that I have a stress fracture about a week or so before a big event. This time though, I was fretting over a twinge or two I felt in my hip. Could this be the return of the problem I had two summers ago? I have too much on the line for that to happen! As I dug into the recesses of my closet looking for my super deluxe CW-X compression shorts, I seriously considered bagging the run for fear that it would jeopardize my trip to Disneyland for the Dumbo Double Dare one week later. As much as I thought about quitting, on Friday night I filled my hydration belt, gathered up my snacks and went to bed early.

Saturday morning was about as perfect a day as one could hope for when running a marathon in August. It was 54 degrees and chilly when I left my house, so chilly I actually wondered if I should change into something warmer (I didn't!) My hip ailment had disappeared and I chose my cute Skirt Sports skirt over my ugly but functional compression shorts. As I drove to the meeting spot, I started to get excited. Not quite race level excited but I was feeling confident and ready.

I'm lucky to live near a fantastic rails to trails system so we were going to spend the whole day running along the Perkiomen Trail and the Perkiomen Creek. It's a beautiful, green and shady trail and it's a wonderful place to run. Before I knew it, we were 8 miles into the run, refueling at a water fountain and appreciating the gorgeous morning. Things were still looking great at mile 15 when we passed a local convenience store and stopped for a quick hit of air conditioning and snacks. Everyone was in good spirits and as the day heated up we decided to work on keeping our spirits high and agreed that if things got rough we'd stick together. Slow the pace when we had to, take breaks when we had to, just get it done. Time on feet not time on clock. We chatted about books and vacations and sending kids off to college but mostly we talked about how much we were going to enjoy a chocolate milkshake when it was over. (One great thing about parking for your run across the trail from a diner is instant gratification when it's over!)

So what have I learned by running the Marathon to Nowhere? While running that far is never exactly FUN, it is satisfying in the way that only a long, long run can be. For me, who already has a lot of marathons under my belt, I think there is minimal benefit as part of the training plan but for those who are less experienced going the full distance gives them a boost and more time to experiment with nutrition plans. It's no secret that I think running a marathon can change your life and running a marathon when it's not a race builds upon that foundation. Pushing that far when there is nothing at stake takes a level of determination that I wasn't completely convinced that I possessed. I've done it twice now and I still think it's crazy but it won't surprise me if I wind up doing it again next summer. I was wearing a shirt during this run that says "I love running... just not while I'm doing it" and while that can be true for me on a homework run, on the long runs, when I'm out there for hours, I do love every second of it.

Next up: DISNEYLAND!!!!!

Homework Runs

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 14:41:00 +0000

I know that the secret to success in long distance events is doing all the runs in the training cycle. I'm not a runner who is motivated by the clock so my homework isn't so much about tempo runs or hill repeats but more about logging regular weekly miles to build up my base so I can run a lot of races at a comfortable pace. I'm also a little bit unusual in that I tend to really look forward to my super long runs and think of them more as mini adventures. Short runs on the other hand are nothing but homework for me. Something I have to do but seldom want to face even when I know they are good for me and almost always turn out to be rewarding.

I have a pretty good routine with my running partners to meet twice a week after work to get in 4-5 miles and without them I'd find excuses to skip the run more often than not. Last night is a great example: as I mentioned, we're in the middle of a heatwave and temperatures were in the 90s most of the day yesterday. I live in the mid-Atlantic and most days are really humid as well as hot. This was not adding up for great running conditions - especially since our typical Tuesday takes us to Valley Forge National Park and it's five mile, hilly, mostly unshaded loop trail. Blah. The excuse maker in my head looks at those conditions and says "No sane person would run in this. Go home. Use the treadmill or run tomorrow." The committed running partner in me says "They will be waiting for me. They are not wimping out. Just go." And so I went.

Luckily, I have smart friends and one suggested a change of venue to a shady flat trail that runs along the Schuylkill River so things were looking better already.

We started off at a conversational pace and chatted about everyday life: vacations, frustrations with the cable guy, buying new furniture. Before we knew it we were at the end of the trail and had committed ourselves to a six mile run which is about a mile father than we usually go on a Tuesday. Amazingly, the humidity was not oppressive so even though it was hot the shade on the trail was enough to make the run pretty pleasant. The run back to the car was even better. Our pace picked up and we started having a more philosophical conversation about marriage and divorce and started to notice the trail itself a bit more: how many spider webs we were seeing clinging to the trees, how soothing the sounds of the cicadas were, how the foliage was ever so slightly starting to change from summer to autumn. And then we were back. Six speedy miles in the tank, homework done, relaxed and content.

In other news, I quite enjoyed all the feedback I got about my upcoming fall schedule! While most think I'm nuts there are a few out there who are doing similar crazy things. That said, I've already started to modify the plan. One of my scheduled runs is the Rocky Balboa 10K in Philadelphia in mid-November. I ran this one last year and it had an absolutely fantastic medal and it was a very fun day but I just found out that one of my husband's favorite runs is on that same day this year: The Foot Pursuit 5K and 5 Mile Run. His race is local, 5 miles instead of six, and costs a lot less. I'm leaning towards swapping out the Rocky run for this much more low key event that I can decide on at the last minute. By November I think I might need the time off and at the very least will enjoy NOT having to drive downtown for an event when I'll be doing that on Halloween for Rock'n'Roll and for the Philadelphia Half a week later.

The calm before the storm

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 16:02:00 +0000

We're in the thick of summer here in Pennsylvania and I am well into my marathon training for the fall. Luckily, as we enter yet another heat wave, I have an easy running week ahead of me: my normal mid-week runs followed by a Saturday "long" run of a mere 6 miles. Can you imagine? 6 miles is my long run. It's awesome!

But after that, it's crazy time. Due to my own overzealous love of the marathon, some lucky and unpredicted opportunities, and my desire to run with out of town friends, I'm about to head into a frenzy of fall running. Check out the weekends I have ahead of me:

August 29: 26 mile training run
September 5-6: Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland (19.3 miles of running)
September 12: Bird In Hand Half Marathon and 5K (That's right, I'm doing both in hilly Lancaster County)
September 19: Relief! only a 6 mile run!
September 25: DIVA 1/2 marathon in Virginia (with my friends from Skirt Sports)
October 3: New Hampshire Marathon (HILLS HILLS HILLS)
October 10: 14x1 mile repeats for MCM training
October 18: rest ( 6 miles)
October 25: Marine Corps Marathon
October 31: Rock N Roll Half Marathon Philadelphia
November 7: rest (6 miles)
November 14: Rocky Balboa 10K run
November 22: Philadelphia Half Marathon
November 28: rest
December 5: Rehoboth Marathon

In the upcoming 15 weeks I plan to run 3 official marathons and 1 unofficial marathon, 5 half marathons, 2 10Ks and a 5K

That's nuts. That's more than people do in a whole year.

And I'm nuts because instead of being petrified about all of this I'm actually looking forward to it.

A lot.

So much so that I haven't completely eliminated the possibility of adding another marathon (upgrading from 1/2 at Philadelphia) but I am hoping that I remain sane enough not to do that.

I'm hoping that my training has given me a great base so all of this activity won't kill me physically and that I will have enough distractions and each event to keep me mentally focused.

It's going to be a wild ride, for sure, and I plan to chronicle it all right here.

Now, I'm off to find myself a virtual race so I can get a real medal for the 26 mile training run I'm scheduled to do soon. I ran that far last summer and all I got was a date with the ice bucket challenge when it was over and this year I'm hoping for an upgrade!

Happy Mother's Day - Skirt Sports Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Sun, 10 May 2015 14:01:00 +0000

As many of you know, this is my first Mother's Day without my Mom. My Mom was not a runner (or much of an athlete at all) and she thought those of us who were runners were a little bit bonkers. She was however, impressed by all of us. She never could quite believe that my sisters and I were able to finish marathons and she was proud of us and glad that we'd found something that made us so happy. So, instead of being sad today, I'm running a contest in her honor. I think she'd approve of this for a lot of reasons:

1) She loved pretty clothes and I'm sure she'd approve of ladies running in brightly colored skirts instead of something less cute.
2) She loved presents (who doesn't?)
3) She REALLY loved cake and this giveaway includes cake at the finish line if you are lucky enough to run the event in person in Colorado. (If you run with me in PA I will provide a finish line cupcake!)

What am I giving away? I Basic entry to the Skirt Sports 13er race - a Half marathon/10k/5K (taking place in Louisville, CO or virtually anywhere)

The winner's package includes entry to the race (in person or virtually)
$50 gift certificate from Skirt Sports
Race #
Finisher's Skirt (Don't Sweat It Collection pull over skirt)
Sponsor swag

So how do you win? Sometime between now and May 20th comment on this blog and tell me about your favorite Half Marathon (if you haven't done a half yet, tell me about a race of a different distance that you have done or a race you WANT to do someday!) Then be sure to click on the Rafflecopter box to enter the giveaway! I'll be in touch after 5/20 to tell you know who the winner is and to explain how to enter the race.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Real people, real adventures, #REALwomenmove

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 16:13:00 +0000

Sometime during the year 2000 my oldest sister Mary saw a cable TV show where an overweight woman was showing off her recently earned Mickey Mouse shaped marathon medal. She looked like a regular, real person! Not some kind of super athlete like you expect all marathoners to be. That random mystery woman inspired my sister, a lifelong non-athlete, to sign up for the 2001 Walt Disney World half marathon. That decision set her on a course to lose a bunch of weight and to complete 50+ marathons. Watching her transformation had a trickle down effect on me and after I few false starts, I too did a half marathon and then a full marathon and 28 marathons later I still haven't stopped running.

Check us out here after finishing the Disney marathon together back in 2004 in identical Snowman hats. (We knew about Olaf before DISNEY knew about Olaf!)

Back in the late 90s Mary and I took a trip out west to the Grand Canyon we spent most of that trip in the car and walking maybe 500 steps at a time from the car to peek over the edges of some scenic vistas. Since then I've transformed from the kind of person who sits in the car to a woman who carried a 35 pound back to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out again. I've become the kind of person who will take a vacation to ride a mountain bike 70 miles around a national park, who will go night snorkeling in the middle of the ocean, who will hike to remote chalets where the only way to get there is on your own two feet. I have adventures.

Along the way I discovered that the people who run marathons and have adventures are NOT all young, super-fit people. They are people who are excited about life. REAL people who are committed to their own happiness and fitness. Sure, some are skinny and have perfect bodies, but more often than not they are a little bit squishy around the middle, they have aches and pains, they might be in a little over their heads. They might even be....old!

See the woman in the center of this picture in the orange hat? Her name is Sarah and she is almost 80 years old. That's her husband next to her in the green shirt. He actually was 80 -- they were at Glacier National Park celebrating his birthday. We are on the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail in this photo. To even get to this trailhead we had to hike about 8 miles and then we had to go straight up about 500 vertical feet to the overlook. And off of this at an elevation about 7700 feet. Let me say it again: they are 80 years old.

Here's a photo from the end of my 70 mile mountain bike trip at Canyonlands NP. I am in my early 40s and I was the youngest person on this trip. The bravest cyclist on this trip was an overweight woman in her 50s. The lady on the far right? This was her first vacation after her hip replacement! These people are proof that if you want to lead an active and adventurous life you absolutely can do it.

REAL people, REAL adventures. REALLY possible.

Look, not everybody has the genetic gifts to be a super athlete. Not everybody has the luxury of staying fit and perfect for a lifetime. Life happens to people. We fall out of good habits and into bad ones. We get older and slower and maybe a little sad about what we used to be. We start to think that maybe it's too late to change. But it is never too late. These random REAL people I have met over the years prove that getting out there and doing things is always possible. It's never too late. You might not be climbing mountains at 80 but you just might be if you do a little something today to set you on that path. Take a walk, ride a bike, just get out there and be awesome and see what the world has waiting for you.

Make it Happen

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 16:06:00 +0000

A friend of mine messaged me today saying he thinks maybe he wants to run a marathon this fall. It's not something he ever thought he'd want to do but now it is starting to look more appealing. We chatted a little bit and I encouraged him to pursue the idea. What I really wanted to do was jump up and down with glee thinking "YES! Another convert!"

I want every runner to finish a marathon.

There is nothing I like more than being out there on marathon day. The anticipation in the corrals before the start, the bliss of the first few adrenaline fueled miles and then settling into an easy groove. Feeling like a badass at mile 13 when the half marathoners take the turn to the finish line but you boldly keep on running in the other direction. Realizing around mile 17 that you are more than a little crazy for doing this, understanding how far you've come and how far you still have to go. Grinding it out in misery until around mile 23 or so when you start to feel lighter again because you know nothing but an act of God is going to keep you from finishing no matter what. Finally crossing the finish line and knowing that you did this supremely hard thing. A thing that everyone, even non-athletes, understand to be a hard thing. It's terrible and amazing all at once.

I know it's not the only important distance in running. I don't think it's the best distance or even the hardest distance but it's a special distance.

So if you are out there thinking about it -- get out there make it happen!

What should I do this fall?

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:11:00 +0000

Here we are on March 31 knocking on the door of spring so of course all my focus is on my running schedule for the fall.

Sigh.

One thing I hate about marathon running is how much time it takes to prepare yourself to run a good one. You have to decide months in advance what your A race will be and make all your plans around it. And when I say "all your plans" I don't just mean running plans I mean ALL your plans. Besides running, my other favorite pastime is travel and Brian and I are trying to plan our vacations for the rest of 2015 and that means I need to determine how many spare vacation days I will have for running trips vs. regular vacation trips and the dates of the trips will need to fall around big running weekends. It's all so complicated. This doesn't happen with a 10K!

Last Wednesday I found out that I was lucky enough to get chosen in the lottery for the 40th Anniversary Marine Corps Marathon which is great because it's my favorite marathon and I have a bunch of friends who also got into the race. This means a great weekend with friends on a beautiful race course. Sounds great, right? It also means that I probably won't be able to hit a PR at this race because there will be too many distractions - the huge size of the race field and those aforementioned friends. At heart, I'm a social runner, I prefer friends and good conversation when I run to pushing the pace. I can't be at a race with friends and PR. I know because I've tried to do it in Philadelphia in 2013 and the result was not a PR and the only marathon of my 28 where I finished feeling sad - not about the missed PR but about the missed experience of running with my friends. It was a lose/lose. So if I choose Marine Corps, I will be choosing to run for fun not for the clock.

Which brings me to Option 2: Steamtown Marathon. I haven't run this one but I've heard from many running friends that it's a fantastic race. It's a great course, it has wonderful support, a great medal and it has a reputation for being VERY FAST. This would be a great option for me to run this fall as my A race. This is the clear winner if I want to run for time on the clock. What's the catch? It's two weeks before Marine Corps. I could choose this one but if I do I will probably lose out on the camaraderie at Marine Corps weekend. I have run full marathons two weeks apart before but I can't say it was the smartest thing I've ever done and I'm not sure I want to do it again. But then again, maybe I do?

Option 3: Have I mentioned my friends who are trying to run marathons in all 50 states? I have a few of those. I might be one of those people myself (I've got ten states but haven't joined the club....yet) That crew is planning to run the Outer Banks Marathon in early November. I'd love to see these people and run with them again. Most of them I only interact with online but I've run marathons with all of them in the past but this race is two weeks after Marine Corps. It's a flat, fast course, which is good for PR but then I have the friend problem again. If I run in North Carolina I pick up a new state. (Does that go on the Pro or Con side of the list?)

And then we have option 4: the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in December. A good friend is planning to come run this one as part of her 50 states quest. I'd love to join her since I've run the half here in the past and enjoyed it enough that I want to come back for the full. But this run will be with her so again, no PR option.

Let's not forget Option 5: the Philadelphia Marathon. Probably my second favorite race. The race where I set my PR. The course I know the best. The old standby. Easy to do, easy to skip over because it will always be there.

Odds are good that I will run at least two of these races - maybe even three of them. I can't run them all. I don't even want to run them all. (Well, I do, but I know that I can't actually pull that off.) I don't know how to choose. I don't know what's the most important thing to me right now.

Registration for Steamtown and Philadelphia starts tomorrow. Time to start flipping some coins...

Bringing Back the Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 20:57:00 +0000

Wow! Looks like I haven't updated my blog in more than five years! I'm acting surprised about that but I'm really not - when I stopped writing it was a conscious decision just like today I'm making a conscious decision to start doing it again.

Back in 2009 I decided to stop writing here because so much of my blogging was about my running life and I was taking on a leadership role in my local running group that made me feel very uncomfortable about putting my feelings about running and the group out into the world. I felt like I had to keep all that buttoned up. Times have changed, that group doesn't exist anymore, and I'm finding that I'm in a bit of a running rut and I think that this blog might help me get out of it.

What have I been doing in the past five years? Running a lot! I've continued to do marathons and half marathons and I've also taken up cycling although I haven't been quite brave enough to tackle an organized cycling event. I am hoping that might change this summer. I'll have to go somewhere official to tally up my running stats for the blog bio but I know I'm closing in on 30 full marathons and I crossed the 50 half marathon milestone a couple of years back. I still talk often about retiring from marathon distance running but I love it too much for that and I'm reminded of my how much every time I'm out there on race day.

I've been lucky enough to become an Ambassador for Skirt Sports (my long time favorite apparel company) and that's one of the reasons I wanted to resurrect the blog. Lots of the other ladies on the Ambassador team have blogs and I thought I might as well join the mix.

But I mentioned a running rut earlier and then I changed the subject. (I don't like to talk about my rut.) I'm not tired of running but I've lost my focus. I don't know what I want anymore. I've long known that chasing PR on the clock doesn't really motivate me most of time -- I'm much more of a social runner -- but I think the urge is coming back. This winter has been a tough one around here with lots of bitterly cold weather and icy trails and that combined with my mother's illness and death combined to give me about a month with no running at all. I feel like this spring I'm going to be starting from scratch with my training and that makes me want to REALLY reboot what I've been doing. That's not so easily done though because I belong to a training group that follows a specific training plan (Galloway) and while I want to run with my BRFs (Best Running Friends) I'm not sure that I want to follow the group plan and that makes life a little difficult. Maybe not so much if I push myself more in my weeknight workouts. We shall see. Plans have yet to really form.

I'm also trying to choose a fall race to focus my attention and training on. I've entered the Marine Corps Marathon lottery again with a bunch of friends and I would love to run it again but I know that's not the race for me to set a marathon PR. I will need one in early October where I can run solo and push myself OR I might just try again at Philadelphia, a race I know like the back of my hand and the course that I set my current PR on. I don't know what to do but I'm glad to be thinking about it all again.

General Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:38:00 +0000

Saturday's run went pretty well. I did 10 miles at a good pace with a new member of Philly Fit who was a perfect running partner. Then I chatted and drank gatorade for a little bit too long so when it came time to do my extra five miles I wasn't motivated and my legs had tightened up just enough to convince me it would be easier to walk. So I walked the last five. Better than nothing but not ideal, for sure.

Sunday the weather was awful so I didn't get any exercise in, not even my situps/squats. I am such a wimp!

Monday I went for a 5K run around the neighborhood. I really don't know why I don't do this more often. It's just hilly enough to be a challenge but not enough to make me have to walk. I think it's a good training place for me and I'm pretty sure doing these loops were what helped me run so well at the PDR last summer. I'm going to try to do more of this between now and Baltimore, and maybe even longer.

Now, if I can make myself do it BEFORE work, it would be ideal!

This week shows 13 for Philly Fit and 10 for Balitmore so I'm sure I'll do the 13 with the group. It should be a tough run - starting and ending on the loop with the easy river trail in the middle.

Calorie counting is a pain in the neck but I think it's helping.

Friday Update

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:10:00 +0000

Not much going on around here. I finally ran last night - first time since the Ultra. It was fine but the humidity was gross.

I've been tracking my calories with my new, awesome, iPhone, and hopefuly this will help me lose a little bit of weight before the Baltimore marathon but so far it's not deterring me from eating lunch out all the time. It has steered me away from a couple of late-night pop tarts though.

Tomorrow I have 15 on the schedule for Baltimore but USA Fit is only going 10 so hopefully I will have enough motivation to log the extra five miles. If I don't, I'll probably wind up doing more miles on Sunday than I am currently planning.

USA Fit Philly is now sending 6 red team members to the Goofy Challenge -- how awesome is that?

I'm considering starting the 200 sit-up challenge and the 200 squat challenge. More on that later....

20in24 - The Aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:28:00 +0000

As I said, I was home in bed by 4AM.

Before getting my shower I spent some time on the couch using The Stick to rub my calf muscles. This hurt a little too much so I gave up and went to sleep but as I was laying in bed I was just AWARE of them. They didn't really hurt, they weren't in active spasm, but I could tell that they were angry with me. I was concerned but mostly just tired.

Around 8 AM my husband woke up and I woke up too, I spent a little time talking with him (he hadn't had an update from me since about lap 4) and he was about to head out on a bike ride so I had him bring me a dose of Advil and big glass of water before he left. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep until around 11:00.

Getting out of bed was a challenge. I was afraid to set my feet on the ground for fear of what it would feel like. Luckily, things weren't much worse than the day after a marathon. My quads, which are usually sore, were just fine. My hips were tight, my calfs very sore and my feet were kind of swollen and stiff. They didn't really hurt so much as they just felt worn out and stressed.

I spent most of Sunday sitting with my feet up, drinking lattes and relaxing. I was pretty tired all day long but not horribly exhausted. I ate alot too. Random stuff, mostly healthy, but alot of food. (eggs, toast, tuna fish, pastry from Starbucks, steak & potatos for dinner). I made myself stay awake until 10PM before turning in for the night.

Monday I felt really good, aside from the one small heel blister I'd developed on Lap 6 and my swollen feet I was in pretty good shape. Stiff and zombie like when getting up after sitting but mostly feeling good. Still tired.

Monday night I slept with my feet propped up on a giant pillow and by Tuesday the swelling was gone. Not sure if that was coincidence or not.

By Wednesday the muscles & feet seem fine. Blister still there.

Still don't want to run.

Here it is Friday. I'm still obsessed with the event. Over the last few days I've come around from "never again" to pretty sure I'll be back next year. I'm not sure I have the motivation to do a 50 mile race without the cushy support sytsem in place along Kelly Drive. It's nice being able to duck into the air conditioning to rest every 8 miles. I think I'd like to RUN a shorter ultra event someday. A 50K seems feasible. No matter what I'd like to be better prepared for my next ultra endeavor.

It was hard, but not as hard as expected. It was fulfulling but also not quite as fulfilling as I expected. It was a good challenge and a good experience.

20in24 - The Final Loops

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Laps 5 and 6 were when this really got hard.

The start of Lap 5 was great. We were in our night-time gear, reflective vests, headlamps, glowing arm bands etc. It felt silly and fun and like we were some kind of warrior people sticking this crazy race out no matter what.

It was also nice to hook up with my sister at this point. We'd both been alone all day and it was good to have a buddy to talk to - especially one where you didn't have to start with the really basic small talk like "what's your name and what's your goal for today?".

She was on her 6th lap which meant she was 8.4 miles ahead of me and moving towards her 50 mile goal. We agreed that we'd take it easy on this lap and do mostly walking. We stuck to that plan, only breaking it up a few times to relieve pressure on my toes that were feeling sore again. Oddly, for me it felt better to run at this stage than to walk.

As the night wore on, I was starting to get really tired. I'm sure quite a bit of the fatigue was related to the race, after all by the end of lap 5 I'd have covered 44 miles, but mostly it was because it was approaching my normal bedtime. On the 2nd half of the loop I was having a really hard time trying to decide if I should press on to get to 50 miles.

What was the point? I kept asking myself. I don't get a medal or a t-shirt. There is no finish line, this was just an arbitrary goal I set for myself. I'd already accomplished a PR for one day distance. There wasn't much incentive to continue other than it sounds a lot more impressive to say 50 miles than it does to say 44 miles.

But I was tired. I felt OK physically, but I wanted to stop. I couldn't find it in myself to decide either way what to do. I could see good reasons (well, reasons anyway) for choosing each way. My sister wasn't much help. She'd hit 50 but was feeling some pain from blisters and was willing to stop if I really wanted to quit.

Checking into Lloyd Hall I collapsed into the beach chair still undecided about the plan. I took another Tylenol. I ate a couple slices of pizza. I talked to some college girls who were running the relay. They were impressed enough with the 44 miles that they sort of made me want to throw in the towel.

Luckily I decided around that point to check my cell phone for messages. I had two texts that both were encouraging me to press on to get to the full 50! Thanks Joan and LaDonna for helping me make the decision! About that same time, I got a call from my friends Tom & Maureen who were there to run the Midnight Madness Loop.

He won the prize for the best costume "Most Illuminated Runner". We could see him clear across the river!

Anyway, seeing them and getting the texts pushed me over the edge so around midnight we struck out on our last lap of the night. By this time our Garmins were dead so we were just out there on our own hoping that we were maintaining some kind of normal pace.

We did OK, not slowing down much over the last lap even though it felt like we were walking though molasses the whole time. I don't think there was much if any running on this lap.

The Lone Rangers were all tired and cranky and SILENT at this point. You'd see groups of them chugging along together but nobody was saying much of anything.

About a mile from the finish line my left calf started to feel funky -- like it was about to go into cramping spasms or something. That was how I knew it was smart to to quit at Mile 50.

By the time I sat down in my beach chair the right leg was getting the same feeling. Luckily they didn't really get much worse. A few twinges on the way home but nothing too bad.

What did it feel like to finish? Kind of anti-climactic! Because everybody stops this race at different times there was no finish line hoopla or anything. I went from the finish area (where the nice volunteer did mark my bib with exclamation points and a happy face) to Lloyd Hall were everybody was sprawled on the floor sleeping. I was happy but kind of in a state of total disbelief that I'd done this crazy thing and that I didn't feel too bad.

I was dreading packing up all the junk and lugging it back to the car so we ended up abandoning some stuff there in the gym. The cooler, the aerobed and some other stuff I think. I sat there taking in the scene and drinking another Slim Fast before heading SLOWLY back to the car and driving home.

I was showered and in bed by 4AM.

Video (after lap 5, kind of sad):

Video (after Lap 6):

20in24 - Even MORE about the race (it's a really long race)

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Can you believe how long it's taking to tell this story? It's a really long race!

So by now I'm on lap four, still feeling good and still in somewhat familiar territory. I've done this distance before at the Brandywine Trail End-to-End Hike but only one time. I took some Tylenol 8-hour during my rest break after lap 3 and that really helped with my sore toes. They didn't really rear their head again until late in Lap 5.

I stuck to the same plan of walking mostly on West River Drive and running mostly on Kelly Drive and was still maintaining that 14 minute pace. My breaks were about 15 to 20 minutes between laps. Mostly due to shoe changes and the a memory of a blog I read about a guy who did Lone Ranger in 2008 who rested that long and said he didn't think it was long enough.

As I'd be walking along I'd stretch out my shoulders and arms and upper body and try to keep myself feeling pretty loose. I was still shocked about how good I felt at this point.

Getting back to Lloyd Hall I'd find notes from my sister who was also out on the Lone Ranger course. She was taking fewer and shorter breaks than I was and therefore was a full lap ahead of me! The system of writing on a clipboard to one another was great. Very good to keep tabs on one another in a super easy way.

There was a great aid-station around mile 2.5 that tried to keep things light and fun all day long. At some point folks from Baltimore BOMF were there in costume cheering us along. My favorite part was the tribute to Brian Dawkins they had for awhile. For those of you who don't follow the Eagles, Brian Dawkins was the heart and soul of the Eagles for many years. He gives everything he has every game and he's also a big fan of the X-Men. I loved this sign that was at the aid station next to a B. Dawkins jersey.

I finished Lap 4 around 7:30 at night. It was cooling off and I knew that the next lap would see me in the darkness. My sister had left on her 5th Lap at 6:16 so I decided to take an extra long break and wait for her so we could do our night-time laps together. This was great because it gave me time to change my clothes and eat some stuff while I waited. I'm sure the rest was good but it also kills some momentum. It's a mixed bag but as I said, mostly good.

Food/Hydration: Only thing of note is that I had a Chocolate Slim Fast after Lap 3 (marathon distance). Went down easy and tasted really good. I felt great on Lap 4 and I think it might have been my fastest lap of the day. During the very long break before Lap 5 I ate about half to 3/4 of a ham on wheat bread sandwich that the race people provided. didn't want to eat it but I thought the protein & salt would be good for me. Continued with the hand held Gatorade bottle and water refills out on the course. During one of my laps (probably lap 3?) I lost between 1 and 2 pounds even while mostly walking and drinking along the way. Dehydration is pretty amazing!

Before leaving for Lap 5 I put on my reflective gear.

Video (Lap 4 recap):

Video (starting Lap 5):

20in24 - More about the Race

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:40:00 +0000

The first three laps (up to about mile 25) were just fine. Beautiful weather, nice conversation, little to no fatigue.

I found myself walking at first out of the base camp area and in the narrow section along West River Drive and then jogging some until getting close to the medical station where I would try to slow myself down and relax before having to check in (This never worked...my only good readings were on loop 4 when I was walking & talking with another Lone Ranger who was by my side until they slapped the BP cuff on my arm. No time to worry...totally normal BP.) Once clearing the medical tent I always took off jogging and I'd usually jog most of the 4 miles of Kelly Drive -- especially the parts where I was able to run on the soft dirt path that paralleled the sidewalk.

The bottom line was that I was averaging right about a 14 minute mile and that was well within my range of acceptable pace for this event.

Finishing lap 3 was essentially marathon distance and I felt great, not at all like I usually finish at the end of a marathon. It was different physically and emotionally. Really strange to have there be not one bit of fanfare or relief at crossing that distance milestone. I was doing so much more walking than I am used to and my body could really feel it. Tension in my hips and rear end that I never feel when running and SORE TOES that I haven't felt since the long end-to-end hike or my walking marathons.

Food/Hydration/Other Stuff: Between laps I would duck into Lloyd Hall to cool off and refill my bottle with Gatorade. They were serving Gu2o on the course which I thought tasted like poison so I avoided it as much as possible. I also changed socks between each lap. A couple of times I reapplied sunscreen and body glide. (No sunburn or chafe marks at the end of the day, yay!)

I had another Roctane at some point but mostly I was eating small bits of food at Lloyd Hall base camp or at the stocked aid stations. Snacks included soft pretzels, regular pretzels, salty popcorn, peanuts, trail mix, raisins (LOVED the little boxes of raisins) and some bananas.

Video (during Lap 3):

Video (after Lap 3):

Video (start of Lap 4):

20in24 - the Event itself

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:19:00 +0000

We were super lucky to have the storms blow through on Saturday night to clear out the horrible humidity. Saturday was a gorgeous day: blue sky, puffy clouds, even a breeze. Just ideal.

The course is along a public use trail in the middle of downtown Philadelphia along the banks of the Schuykill River. It's busy with tourists and locals and people rowing on the river. It was a great place to do this type of long race because there was so much to look at to distract you from the matter at hand.

I was really anxious in the morning, mostly because of the medical stuff, and I successfully hid from the medical team in the early hours. We arrived well before the 10AM race start and set up our base camp and I sipped some Gatorade and ate a banana during the pre-race meeting. My nerves were calmed when I literally ran into the St. Joe's Hawk in the middle of Lloyd Hall. The Hawk is awesome and he seemed like a great omen for me today. A few times over the next 16 or so hours I had to remind myself that The Hawk Will Never Die!

Just about 10AM after the Star Spangled Banner we were off. After about a minute of slow jogging most of the Lone Rangers near me slowed to a casual walk. This was great and allowed me to get to know a handful of people and learn their strategies for the day. Most were planning to take it slow for the daylight hours and then pick things up later when the sun was heading down. Many had plans for 50+ miles or for staying all night but some, like me, were in it with 50 miles as the goal.

At about mile 4 we came across the first medical tent where some of us, like me, were dragged aside for a mandatory medical check. Of course, I freaked out. I was wearing my Garmin and watched a 20 beat spike in HR walking from the trail to the medical tent. Isn't that crazy? They weighed me, took pulse and BP, and commented that it was high. After swearing to them that I was OK, not dizzy, flushed, headachey or anything else they let me go. This would happen on every lap of the event. I think being able to show them my low average HR and knowing facts about my normal resting HR and BP helped them come to grips with the fact that I was OK. Plus, I was clearly never in any kind of distress other than being tired late in the day. I do think it's great that they pay this much attention. There wer 15 maybe 20 people who were made to do these mandatory lap check-ins.

I finished the first lap feeling great but went inside to record a video and to change my socks just because that was the race plan.

Food/Hydration plan: I was carrying a 20oz hand held amphipod bottle, drank this plus water at the aid stations. I think I filled the bottle up with water on the 2nd half of the loop. (I carried this thing for 5 of my 6 laps and it never bothered me a bit.) Had a Roctane gel at mile 4.5. Did not eat any food at the well stocked aid stations on this lap.

Video (at base camp):

Video (at starting line):

Video (start of lap 2):

20in24: The Night Before / Packing up

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:01:00 +0000

The Friday before 20in24 was just plain gross. Super hot, super humid, disgusting haze. We drove downtown to collect our t-shirts and numbers and were surprised that they wanted us to check in with medical.

I was a basket case at this point. Heart Rate was off the charts and of course, my famous white-coat hypertension was in effect. I sat down and they tried to calm me down by telling me that everybody was nervous and was getting abnormally high readings. Perhaps not as crazy high as mine, but still high. They sent me home, told me to get some rest, and to check in again in the morning when it was cooler and when I'd be more relaxed.

I did not relax. Instead I went home to run around like a maniac packing up my junk and fretting about how they might not let me do the race at all. (Which would be sort of awesome and sort of awful.)

We were thinking like relay people and packed A TON of stuff to take with us. Here's what we took and my verdict on if it was a good item or not:

Big cooler with ice (contained Gatorade, diet Coke, Slim Fast and uncrustables). Verdict: Good. We used everything in it, including the ice. The flaw was it's size. We ended up leaving it behind when we drove home because we were too tired to lug it up the hill to our car.

AeroBed/blanket/pillows Verdict: Bad. Ours didn't inflate but even if it did we probably wouldn't have used it. Only good for relay teams or those truly planning to stay at LLoyd Hall all night.

Sleeping Bag Verdict: Good. Opened this up and used it as a big cushy beach blanket. A nice place to sit in between laps.

Beach Chair Verdict: Good. Who doesn't like a chair? Especially after 50 miles!

Changes of Clothes Verdict: Mixed. We brought changes for each lap. This was because our experience for this event was 2008's 100 degree day. This year was cooler and breezy and we were not as disgusting as in years past. I changed my socks between each lap, so that I'd do again. I changed my entire outfit after 4 laps (about 33 miles) but I don't think I'd need more than one complete change of clothes.

Extra shoes Verdict: Good. I changed from old shoes after 2 laps and wore newer shoes last three laps. I think my feet were happy with that.

Extra Food Verdict: Bad. We had pretzels, cheetoes, and pop-tarts but didn't open any of it. There was plenty of food on the course and at Lloyd Hall. We didn't need this stuff.

Medical Stuff Verdict: Good. Used glide, sunscreen, a couple of band-aids and Tylenol. Didn't need most of the other stuff but it was good to have it handy just in case.

Baby Wipes Verdict: Mixed. Not really needed but nice to have anyway.

Towels Verdict: Mixed. Big beach towel not necessary because small hand towel would get the job done. Was nice to wash face a couple of times and to dry off.

Camera Verdict: Good! Used it to take some photos and to record video.

Here's a video from the night before. I look pretty tired and miserable and be warned, it's an extreme closeup!

20in24 Lone Ranger. Pre Race Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Before the Race

I didn't post much about this here on the blog but I did my first real ultra event this past weekend at the Back on my Feet 20in24 event. Last year I did this event as part of a 5 person relay team and had a great time but in 2009 my sister and I decided to enter as Lone Rangers. What does that mean? It means we agreed to do as many loops of the 8.4 mile course as we could in 24 hours.

I've had a really spotty training plan this year. I never quite got it together to train properly for the Seattle Rock'N'Roll marathon (which was great, by the way, and I nearly ran a PR) and therefore never trained properly for the Lone Ranger. As race day approached I was surprisingly not worried. I think I decided that I was so ill prepared that I would set a few goals and just take it as easy as I had to in order to accomplish those goals.

Goal #1: Complete marathon distance (no reason at all why I couldn't do this)
Goal #2: Go farther than I've done in one day, so that meant 35 or more more miles
Goal #3: Finish 50 miles (6 loops of the course)

I knew that goal #1 and goal #2 were manageable, even if the weather was bad, but I really didn't know if I'd be able to get to 50 miles.

Seattle - I'm ready to Rock'n'Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:49:00 +0000

So I went for my 20 mile run yesterday and I FEEL GREAT!

After the 17/18 mile run I felt awful, like I could barely finish and like doing the marathon was a big mistake. Yesterday I did the 20 at a better pace than the 18 and I felt like I could have kept on going and my legs feel awesome today.

I paid more attention to my pace, and especially my hydration and nutrition, and the weather was certainly cooler and less humid, but whatever it was, it was great.

I can't wait to get to Seattle!

June 10 - VF loop run

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:10:00 +0000

I met one of the new folks from red group (USA Fit) tonight at Valley Forge. It was a good think that Sam & I had plans or I would have skipped the run because it was gloomy and humid and looked a lot like rain.

She's at the fast end of red, and I think she might be a yellow, and she was pushing the upper limits of my pace. It was good though, to feel like I was working hard. We eased off a little on the 2nd half of the run (thank god!) and averaged about 11:30 miles even with all the walking at the beginning. It was a good outing and I'm glad I had her to meet or I would have missed it for sure.

Legs are feeling great and I'm looking forward to big miles this weekend as a last push for Seattle. Hopefully I can knock out 20 on Saturday.

My mysterious ankle injury seems to have spontaneously healed itself after the 18 miles this weekend. Thank goodness!

I'm super excited about the upcoming trip.

General News

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

On Sunday, Brian & I went out for a nearly 18 mile run. Well, it was kind of a run, kind of a walk, kind of a hike. No matter -- we were out in the sun moving for about 4 hours and very close to 18 miles. It was hot, it was sometimes fun, and ultimately I think it was good prep for Seattle.

We started out with the plan to do the Audobon Loop (hilly 4 miles) then an out on the Perkiomen to Pawlings Road connecting to the River Trail and then heading over to the Valley Forge loop before heading back to the car. We ran into a little trouble connecting to the River Trail because we decided to try to use VF trails instead of the road and they weren't very clearly marked and the grass was super high and overgrown. That part was fun and frustrating and ultimately we wasted so much time that we decided to forgo the loop for just a straight out and back along the Schuylkill & Perkiomen trails.

We also saw three snakes! One big dead one, one big LIVE one, and one tiny cute one that I had to rescue from being smooshed by zooming guys on bikes.

Running was mostly good, sometimes difficult. Tried run/walk for the last five miles and learned that my intervals were too much running for when I was tired. Galloway suggests 2/1 for my pace, which I thought seemed too wimpy, but now I think that's probably right on.

Hopefully the weather this weekend will be good enough for another long run and some more experiments.

Run/Walk plan

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:14:00 +0000

I walk plenty when I run, especially long distances like the marathon, but I've never tried to do a structured run/walk ala Galloway.

I know I'm going to have to employ run/walk at 20in24 so I thought last night was as good a time as any to test the plan. Thinking of my run as a science experiment helped me get out there because I was really not at all motivated to run last night despite the fabulous weather.

I was at Valley Forge and faced with the hilly loop trail. I jumped right in and started running up the hideously long first hill. Amazingly, I finished my four minutes without keeling over! The minute of walking was a nice recovery and I was surprised how well the walking/running segments worked out with the hills at the park. It wasn't perfect and I found myself walking uphill a few times during the run portions and continuing to run on a downhill if it was part of a walk segment, but overall I tried to stick to the plan.

I hated listening to the beeps from the Garmin, and I'm not sure if I'll like that over a long, long period of time, but I think the system did help me with my overall speed. It seems strange but I found that was able to push harder on the run segments knowing that they weren't very long and I'm guessing that the walk segments were shorter and at a better pace than usual.

I'm hoping to do some long runs this weekend and will be testing out the intervals on a flat trail to see how it works out.

Experimenting is fun!

Delaware Half Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Yesterday I ran the Delaware Half Marathon. It was the first time for this race (prior years they had a 10 mile run) on a new course that took in all different parts of Wilmington. I had no idea that there were so manu beautiful sections of town!

This course was more challenging than the loop used when then DE marathon was 4 loops but less challenging than the Caesar Rodney Half-Marathon in March. I really liked the course a lot. There are a lot of twists and turns to navigate but over all it's just beautiful and while it's hilly, there is enough flat and downhill to make it all even out.

I was really, super undertrained for this race and the weather wasn't so great yesterday and I wasn't sure it was such a great idea to be running. During the first 3-4 miles, when it was pouring rain and cold and windy I thought I should just quit when we ran past the finish line. But I kept going, and as it turned out, I had a pretty decent run. I walked the uphills, since I knew I didn't have the fitness level I needed to run up them, and then I ran most of the rest. My legs felt great, my mental game was just fine, and I felt awesome at the end of the race -- probably because of the long downhill finish!

I also used Roctane gel for the first time yesterday and it tasted OK and my legs feel great today. Not sure if that's related to the roctane or just a coincidence.

This gives me hope that I can get my act together for the marathon in Seattle without being a miserable wretch by the end of the run.

Hmonkey Runs Again

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:49:00 +0000

So it's been awhile, huh!

The new season for USA Fit is about to start so it's about time for me to shake off the horrible funk I've been since the Philadelphia Marathon. I've been exceptionally lazy this winter since I didn't have any races on the schedule so I allowed myself to completely slack off on my training.

I managed to finish the MORE half marathon in late April on the first blazingly hot day of the year and that sort of jump started my enthusiasm. Since then I've been trying to get back on track and salvage what I can of the training weeks before Rock'N'Roll Seattle in late June. That race is going to stink because I'm so undertrained, but I'm determined to complete it just to log some miles so I can survive the 20in24 race in July. I think 50 miles is a complete pipe dream at that event but I want to try to beat my previous personal best of 34.9 miles in a single day. We'll see...

This Sunday is the Half marathon at Delaware and I'll be there "running" as best I can. I'm really looking forward to it so here's hoping the rain holds off and it's not a completly awful day. The weather looks good as far as temperture so it has to be an improvement over MORE.

I'm hoping that my efforts to talk up USA Fit have been working and that we get a good turnout this weekend. I really want the group to prosper.

I'm going to try to be good about blogging this summer.

A runner's Thanksgiving Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:54:00 +0000

[b]A Runner's Thanksgiving Prayer [/b]

It is Thanksgiving, and runners have a lot to be thankful for. First and foremost, we are thankful for healthy bodies that permit us to run; for little aches and pains that prompt us to slow down; for boundless energy that carries us through each day; and for medical staff who mend us fast when injuries get in the way.

We are thankful for the bounty that feeds our body and soul; for pasta that gives us energy for the long run; for bagels that refuel us when we are done; for the bananas that protect us from muscle cramps; and for coffee that picks us up when we feel down.

We are thankful for energy drinks that give an extra boost; for flavored granola bars that we carry along; for sticky gel in little pouches half-way into a race; for glucose tablets and chewy sticks for a quick sugar fix; and for clean water before, during and after every run.

We are thankful for garbage bags that cover us in the rain; for reflective vests and flashing lights when we run in the dark; for headbands that keep the sweat out of our eyes; for padded socks so soft and smooth to cuddle our toes; and for mittens that keep our fingers warm when it is cold outside.

We are thankful for lightweight shoes that carry our weight; for ankle supports and stability bars that protect our feet; for multi-layered EVA that cushions from the roads; for carbon soles that wear so slow and give us lots of miles; and for pointed spikes that move us forth in the cross country mud.

We are thankful for orthotics when our arches fall; for glasses that absorb UV light when we run in the sun; for mesh singlets that wick the seat and keep us cool; and for colorful jog bras that keep things in their place.

We are thankful for high-tech gear that makes us look cool; for monitors that keep our hearts in their target zones; for nasal strips that hold our noses open in the wind; and for water tanks that wrap around.

We are thankful for vaseline that keeps our thighs sliding along; for band-aid strips over our nipples that save them from rubbing raw; for bags of frozen peas to heal the swollen heels; and for loads of ibuprofen.

We are thankful for directors who enter us on race day; for volunteers that we abuse in the chute; for loving spouses who claim we look good when we feel awful and sick; and for children who endure hours of standing in the cold and pouring rain.

We are thankful for running partners who wait when we are late; for roads so flat we run each day in our wake and our sleep; for workers who fill cracks and potholes, and save our ankles and feet; for truck drivers who plow the roads, yet see us through the snow; and for sleepy motorists in the morning who wave.

We are thankful for trails so soft that give our knees a break; for trees that shade us from the sun and cool us in the heat; for streams and fountains cold and clear that refresh us when we tire; for birds that sing, squirrels that climb and deer that bound around; and for all those who work so hard to keep these trails well groomed.

Finally, we are thankful for the joy of running; for that patient first coach who got us out of the door; for the runner's high that shapes our moods; and for the healthy way of life that shapes us every day.

By Dr Kamal Jabbour, Contributing Writer