Hokahey, Zombieland, Truffle Pig and other random thoughts November 14, 2009

I do not get it. I run 100 miles and my legs don’t hurt at all, but three sets of split squats at the gym and this morning it hurts just walking around the house??? WTF???

Otherwise it was a great morning. Went out to cheer all sorts of friends at the Hokahey 5K, in support of my friend and trail runner Dano who was diagnosed this year with CIDP and ALS. It’s hard to see someone you care about, someone who is so full of life, in this situation. But Dano is so brave, and it was just so heartwarming to see all these people who care about him out there to show their support. And the race raised over $30,000!!!

On a non-running note – I know, there aren’t many of those from me … I’m kind of a one-trick pony ;-) – if you haven’t gotten to the theater to see Zombieland yet, you are missing out! Went with my friend Michael to see it this week, and my stomach hurt by the end from laughing so hard. It was hilarious, suspenseful, with the requisite gross-out factor you need in a good zombie flick … and a surprise I won’t spoil for you because no one spoiled it for me, but trust me, you want to see this movie.

About a year ago I started doing something called Yoga Nidra, which means yogic sleep and is essentially a meditation technique. I do another form of meditation as well, but I really love Yoga Nidra and have gotten so many benefits from it over the past year.  It really has healing properties and it definitely helps me feel more balanced, both physically and emotionally.  Anyway, last weekend my yoga studio had a workshop with Richard Miller, one of the leaders in Yoga Nidra outside of India.  It was a pretty powerful experience to get to spend a few hours with such an authority, and to have him lead not one, but two Yoga Nidra practices during the workshop.  The whole experience left me feeling a little bit emotionally raw, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I think some of that is also leftover from Cactus Rose.  As you might imagine (if you can imagine it at all), running 100 miles is also a pretty powerful experience, one that I don’t think I’ve still fully processed.  And while the actual experience was less emotional than I expected, the aftermath has been more than I expected.  Again, not a bad thing … just something to be aware of.

And now for some laundry, couch time, and a nice cup of tea with some chocolate … yum!  My new favorite is a bar called Truffle Pig, which is both delicious and makes me giggle every time I say the name. :-)

Cactus Rose November 10, 2009

Let’s take care of the big news first … I finished Cactus Rose!!! 100 MILES!!!  WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You can read all about it here if you are so inclined. It’s not as epic as some of my past race reports … which shows amazing restraint on my part considering I had 100 freakin’ miles to write about. ;-)

I’m feeling mostly recovered.  I still get tired pretty easily … I’ve been averaging about 9 hours of sleep every night since the race. And my feet are still not 100% … but you should have seen them after the race. If you know me well, you know that I don’t swell … ever.  Seriously, I’ve had some pretty serious injuries in my life, and in general, I don’t get very swollen. Broken bones, sprains, surgery … I just don’t swell much.  So if you could have seen how swollen my feet were after the race … no definition at all, no veins visible, I couldn’t wear anything but flip flops for 3 days afterward.  They looked like little fat baby feet.  Of course, I was also holding onto about 7 pounds of water weight after the race as well, so it wasn’t just my poor feet that were swollen.  That all resolved itself after 5 or 6 days, thankfully. And the nerve pain in my feet as they got back to normal subsided after a few days, but wow! was it painful at the time.  Not to mention the blisters and the numbness … I still don’t have complete feeling in two of my toes and I have no idea whether or not that’s permanent. It’s not a big deal … small spot on two small toes.  But it does drive home just how much I put my body through to achieve this goal. I won’t rehash it all here – that’s what the race report was for.  But let’s just say it has definitely been quite a recovery process.

On the plus side (aside from RUNNING 100 MILES!!!), my legs were hardly sore at all after the race. I think all that strength training really made the difference here. Even though my training season is done, this is one thing I’m going to keep doing. Met with my trainer this morning in fact, to talk about where we go from here, and I’m excited about making new progress.

Other than that, I am taking it easy (for me) and looking forward to a few months of play time. Doing more yoga, running for fun and working on speed, throwing in some other stuff if the mood strikes … right now I have no plan and I like it that way. :-)

I did treat myself to a little present after the race … I finally broke down after months of contemplation and bought myself a snazzy new MacBook Pro. It’s so pretty, all shiny and new, and I’m still figuring it out, but so far I LOVE IT!

I am also so happy to report that after a short work trip to Houston last week for an advisory council meeting, I am done with work travel until February … at least that’s how it looks right now.  And since my racing season is over, that means much more time to just enjoy my life in Austin.  I am looking forward to a few days in Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and the boys.  Jolly is signing us up for a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day on Forbidden Drive, and Chad and my mom and the boys are going to do the 1 mile run/walk … a super fun family outing and I can’t think of a better way to give thanks!

I’ll leave you with a few pics from Cactus Rose, courtesy of Henry …

Here I am about 20 miles into race, still happy and looking fresh …

And here I am with Joe and Joyce right after my finish, not quite as pretty but not bad for 100 miles …

And here I am with my pacer Leah, who took care of me throughout the race and got me through the final 25 miles …

… and boy are my arms tired October 23, 2009

I’m still here.  Or maybe I should say I’m here, there, and everywhere.

I’ve had so much to post, so many things bookmarked to write about, so much going on. At the same time, it  sadly feels like I have been living the past month in hotel rooms and on airplanes (hence the very bad punchline title of this post), without the time or energy to catch y’all up on all the goings-on. And this post is not going to be that catch-up … only a brief interlude to assure you I am still alive.

I can’t complain too much … things are great for the most part. I had a great vacation in Charlottesville at the end of September. Caught up with Dad and Joan and a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen in far too long.  Had the best race of my life at the Great Eastern Endurance Run … until I got hypothermia from being in the cold, pouring rain for 8 hours.  Still got 52 miles under my belt though, which was enough to make me feel ready for the next big race (more on that in a minute).

Came back to Austin in time for the Austin City Limits music festival.  Jolly was here as always, and we spent a great weekend watching lots of bands (18 in all I think). I have pics to show at some point when I have time for that post. It was beautiful on Friday, rainy on Saturday, and a mud pit on Sunday. Oh yeah, that Sunday was my birthday … not bad to have Pearl Jam play my birthday party. ;-)  Also had a great brunch with good friends … the best way to spend a birthday!

Just when I started to feel recovered from that week, I left town again for a week-long conference in Washington, DC. The highlight of which was running into my friend Susan from law school while I was out running in Old Town Alexendria and getting the chance to spend an evening catching up with her and Mel. I’ve gotten lots of time in the past month to catch up with old friends and to spend more time back in Virginia than I have since I moved to Texas. It has been truly special … and makes me realize that as much as I love and miss Virginia, Austin is without a doubt my home now and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

And it has just been perfect here lately, when I’ve had the chance to enjoy it. The weather has finally cooled off after a summer of record heat. And we’ve gotten enough consistent rain that the creeks have water in them again! The drought isn’t over yet, but it looks like it may be on its way out.  The only downside has been what I call my Hypothermia PTSD.  Ever since the race last month, my body has had this visceral shivering reaction to cold and wet … understandable I guess after what I put myself through, but weird nonetheless.  Thankfully, it hasn’t been that cold and I’ve avoided much of the wet.  It has made running absolutely spectacular!  I’m not sure if it’s the time of year or that my attitude toward my running has gotten more relaxed, but I am really enjoying myself right now.

I’m enjoying all it actually … running, yoga, meditation. The only thing that feels out of whack still is my diet, and I’m working on that. I think staying in one place for a while might help.

Just got back from yet another work trip, this time to Midland where I have my first presentation at a legal education conference. I was pretty nervous, but thankfully it went well and I knew what I was talking about.  And now I’m home for over a week!

Next up is The Big Kahuna … Cactus Rose 100 Mile trail race on Halloween. I’m having a very weird combination of feelings about attempting my first 100. There’s the obvious concern that I have completely lost my mind.  Then there’s the excitement that I’m hopefully going to complete a 100 mile race (!!!).  I’m nervous, I’m impatient, I just want it to be over so I can have my life back, I’m looking forward to all the things I can do that I have put off while I’ve been training (like updating this blog more than once a month).  And I’m also oddly relaxed and detached and just looking forward to both living and observing the whole experience … to approach it with a plan and determination but with enough detachment to adapt to whatever happens and to enjoy the whole process as opposed to just waiting to cross the finish line.

Because it is going to be a LONG process. ;-)

Insurance Companies Need Love Too September 22, 2009

Will Ferrell and the rest of the folks at Funny or Die have done it again. This is a great send-up of the health insurance debate and shows how specious the argument against the public option is. Enjoy!

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Running in Heels September 15, 2009

I’ve had Brain Crushes, Girl Crushes, Car Crushes … but this one may take things to a whole new level.

I’ve been an Eddie Izzard fan ever since I saw him cross-dressing in his hilarious comedy routine Dress To Kill …

If you haven’t seen it, it’s three of the funniest hours you will ever spend. I know many people who can back me up on this.

Of course, the man doesn’t go around in drag all the time. Sometimes he looks like this … :-)

In addition to his own comedy routines, he’s done lots of television and films like Ocean’s 12 and 13 (Clooney and Izzard …  a totally crush-worthy combo!).

But I had no idea the man was capable of this … he recently ran 43 marathons in 51 days!

Yes, you read that correctly … 43 marathons in 51 days! So in addition to comic genius you can add TOTAL BADASS to his list of accomplishments. You can read an article all about it here.

Let’s see … smart, ridiculously funny and talented, not-at-all hard on the eyes, and now a serious runner raising money for charity. What more could a girl want? The man can even rock a pair of heels. ;-)

Headlands 2009 in Photos September 9, 2009

So much blogging to do, so little time …

But let’s start with Headlands, the 50 Mile race I completed on August 8th. Last year, Headlands was my very first 50 Mile finish, so I will likely always have a soft spot for this fantastic race in the the beautiful Marin Headlands of California.  This year the course had changed and was much harder, but no less beautiful. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the race … you can read my race report on my workout blog if you are so inclined. But I thought I’d do a little pictorial recap here. To give credit where it’s due, other people (mostly Henry and Brice) took most of these photos. I was too busy trying to get through this beast of a race to pull out my camera very often. But these photos will give you some idea of what I went through and why I love this race so much.

Let’s start at the very beginning, just a few friends hanging out before the big event … Jeff, Brice, Henry, and me.

And here I am just before the start, still fresh and full of energy (that wouldn’t last long) …

Here’s a view looking down from the first climb …

This is the trail coming out of the first aid station at Tennessee Valley (we would be back here several more times) …

This is the view I saw coming over the ridge about 20 miles into the race …

And here I am with this incredible view behind me, still looking pretty fresh …

This is pretty early on in our second loop, a nice day for a sail as well as a run!

So lovely! Let’s take another look, shall we?

The second loop was the reverse of the first, so we got to enjoy this view all over again …

And here I am with Brice … we ran the entire race together!

Hit a rough patch for a while, but finally picked it up heading back into Muir Beach, about 40 miles into the race. I’m on the right in the white shirt running down the hill …

This is Pirates Cove … getting closer and closer to the finish!

Ran the very last stretch of the race as the sun was setting over the water …

Looking considerably more worn out – and with a giant ‘fro in Brice’s case ;-) – after a successful finish!

Spent the next day recovering at Muir Woods. I don’t look too bad for having run 50 miles …

Muir Woods was absolutely beautiful!

I even managed a little bit more climbing … but it hurt! :-P

My 7th and hardest ultra so far! It was an epic experience … but I feel so blessed to be able to accomplish something so difficult, in such beautiful surroundings, with such great friends. Worth every one of the 810 minutes it took me!

See Jane Go. Go Jane Go! July 16, 2009

I think I now have a girl crush on Jane Fonda …

This fabulous lady is 71 years old, rockin’ a shirt with her mug shot from 1970!

Apparently the shirt and other items bearing her iconic image are for sale, with proceeds benefiting a charity to prevent teen pregnancy. I know people have varying opinions about Ms. Fonda, but I have always admired women who have plenty of attitude and don’t take sh*t … and so I just unequivocally love this.

Painkiller and Other More Serious Preoccupations … July 14, 2009

My love for well-placed curse words has been vindicated.  According to a British research study, “swear words can have a powerful pain-killing effect.” There have been lots of articles written about this the past day or so, but if you haven’t read about this yet you can do so here.

An excerpt for you …

The researchers originally thought that swearing would make pain worse by focusing a person’s attention on the injury and its implications. To prove their hypothesis, they set up an experiment with 67 college students.

The students were asked to plunge their hands into frigid 41-degree Fahrenheit water for as long as they could stand the pain. Half were told to repeat their favorite curse word while their hands were submerged. The other half were asked to repeat a neutral word describing a table, such as solid or brown, while keeping their hands under water. Then the whole experiment was repeated with the two groups switching types of word. (Favorite swear words were, as you might guess, the ones starting with “F” and “S.” But since the subjects were British, the researchers also got an earful of “bollocks.”)

To the researchers’ surprise, the cursing group not only reported lower levels of pain, but also were able to keep their hands in the icy water longer. The men in the study, for example, were able to keep their hands in the water for an average of 190 seconds while swearing, but for only 140 seconds when uttering a neutral word.

The difference was even more pronounced in women. While men’s pain scores dropped by a point when they cussed, the women’s dropped by almost two full points.

So that year when I ran The Belt and stubbed my already broken toe and then ran off down the trail leaving a long stream of expletives behind me?  That was just some smart pain management. ;-)

That was the humorous part of the post. Other news this week is not so good …

I’ll start with the easy stuff.  I went back to the doctor last week to have more blood drawn, just to confirm that everything is fine now that The Virus From Hell has gone back from whence it came.  Well, everything that was off before is now fine (white blood cells, platelet count, and a liver enzyme) but now a different enzyme level in my liver is off , so my doctor is still worried.  The end result is I am off all meds except one allergy spray … no painkillers (OTC or otherwise), no Chinese herbs (which my doc is otherwise quite supportive of my taking), nothing … for a few weeks, at which time I get to go back for more blood tests. I’m hoping this is just from taking Tylenol for 10 days, since I almost never take stuff like this normally.  I wish I could blame this on something fun or naughty like a bender, but I’m so freaking clean-living these days I hardly even drink anymore.

It would be nice to just have my body back to normal.  I mean, I feel fine … I ran 28 miles this past Saturday, I’ve been doing great with my new strength training rountine, I’ve been stronger than I expected in Ashtanga Yoga classes … so I’m hopeful that the next test will not show anything still out of whack. It better not … the test is only 1 week before Headlands 50 Miler, and I’m already nervous enough about this race. My training is pretty good, but obviously behind where I had hoped to be right now, and I’m having to revise my goals in order to respect my body’s need to recover. Of course, they wanted to schedule the blood draw for the Monday after the race, but I vetoed that quickly … if I let them take blood after an ultra, they’d probably think I was dying when they got the results back.

Actually, in light of the past few days, that last comment really isn’t so funny. This is kind of hard for me to write about, but I’m going to write it anyway because I need all of you out there reading to send positive prayers, thoughts, vibes, whatever it is you believe in. I briefly mentioned in my last post that there was a new guy in my life. I hadn’t planned to elaborate, but this is a special circumstance. His name is Bo and he’s still as fantastic a person as he was last week … but Sunday he was in a pretty bad cycling accident, and it looks like he’ll be ok but he’s got some pretty serious injuries. After spending time with him yesterday I am less freaked out than I was when I didn’t know what was going on … he’s conscious and coherent, and most importantly thanks to his bicycle helmet he’s alive. But he’s got some surgery and some major recovery coming up, so all of your prayers, thoughts, vibes, support, etc. would be much appreciated.

I’m going to leave it there for now … except to say that I’ll try to update when I can, but I expect life to be a little crazy for the next several weeks, and I hope you’ll understand that blogging may not be a priority. Who knows, it could turn out to be a helpful outlet (as it has in the past), but right now I’m just taking each day as it comes and trying to hold it all together and thanking God and the universe and my lucky stars that we’re all alive to tell our tales.

The Virus From Hell and Other, Happier News July 6, 2009

The Virus From Hell

I don’t get sick.

Seriously.

I get injured … frequently. I’ve had two sprained ankles, a broken nose, whiplash (the last two resulting in my first hospital stay ever), and something called costochondritis (an inflammation of the joints where the upper ribs attach to the cartilage that holds them to the sternum), and that’s just in the past 18 months. I get headaches … not as frequently, but several times a year. Food poisoning … more times than I count. I have allergies … not as badly as I used to, but I still have ‘em. But sick? No … it just doesn’t happen.

I have had two sinus infections … one in 2007, and another in 2001. And other than that, I can’t remember any major illness I’ve had since high school. I’m not kidding.

Until now …

Two weeks ago I woke up on a seemingly innocent Monday morning. Everything was fine except that I felt kind of weak doing my yoga practice. I figured I was just tired from the weekend and from traveling to Chicago for work the previous week. The next day I woke up and every muscle in my body hurt. I was unbelievably tired, and I had a hot flash when I got out of the shower.

The Virus From Hell had arrived. It wouldn’t leave for another 10 miserable days.

I spent the next four or five days in a state of total exhaustion. My muscles hurt like you wouldn’t believe … it hurt to touch myself. My legs, my abs (the worst of the pain), my back, my shoulders … it all hurt. I went in and out of fever, and those hot flashes returned every single morning. Friday, it lasted for 2 and 1/2 hours … yes, 2 and 1/2 hours of being drenched in sweat while my fever broke. Even my doctor was concerned … because as I said, I don’t get sick, and I was definitely SICK. My blood work confirmed it.

The awful muscle pain finally went away, and the fever subsided a day or two later, but it took a full 10 days before I felt anywhere near back to normal. I didn’t even run … well, not much. One week after the onset, I tried a run. I made it 2 and 1/2 miles before I realized that it wasn’t going to feel better. And even on the first day that I felt normal, I managed just over 5 miles on the trail, but it was HARD.

In the end, it was Eastern medicine that did the trick … antiviral Chinese herbs were what it finally took to kick TVFH’s a**. TVFH also prompted me to find a good acupuncturist, and even after just one appointment I could feel a difference … she also gave some herbs to strengthen my immune system, and I am happily gobbling them down daily. Even my doctor thinks this is a good idea. I had to go back today for some final blood work, which will hopefully show that everything is now fine … should be, I feel fantastic today.

I joke sometimes that it takes a team of people to keep me going … I put some pretty serious demands on my body, and I am so thankful for all of people I can call on to put me back together when I break. In the past two years since I started ultrarunning I have worked with all of the following at various times: a general practitioner who is also a sports physician, a massage therapist, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, a nutritionist, a running coach, an allergy and asthma specialist, a speech therapist, and now an acupuncturist. Oh, and I start work with a personal trainer tomorrow morning.  Now that TVFH is gone, it’s time to look forward and focus on increasing my power and stability so that I can kick some butt in my summer and fall races!

The Windy City

Other than a couple of layovers at O’Hare, I have never spent any time in Chicago. That is until a couple of weeks ago, when I spent 6 days there for a gift planning conference.  I have to say, it’s a beautiful city. It also didn’t hurt that after leaving triple digit heat in Austin, I arrived to 70 degree temps, which persisted throughout the entire week that I was there.  My hotel was right off Michigan Avenue, a sort of large boutique hotel … and somehow I got myself assigned a suite, complete with leather couch, flat screen TV, and iPod sound dock. I had several really nice runs along Lake Michigan, and I got to have dinner three of the nights that I was there with my friend Dutch, who has been my friend since we met at summer camp when I was 13 but whom I hadn’t seen in probably 15 years.  Catching up with him was just completely worth the entire trip.

The conference was really good … not at all boring and I learned a LOT. It’s good that I enjoyed it, because we were a very small group, and we only had two instructors, one of whom is my boss.

The best part of the conference though was the half-day off they gave us.  I spent the afternoon wandering Michigan Avenue and shopping, followed by several hours in the Chicago Art Institute. I had no idea what an amazing collection they have there!!!  It was just fantastic!  People had told me about the Impressionist collection they had, but it turns out that a lot of the works in that section are really Post-Impressionist … which is one of my favorite periods. I just roamed the galleries drinking in all the amazing works by Van Gogh,  Seurat, Manet, Gauguin, etc.  As I wrote in a FB post, it was a total visual feast for the senses!  And that was just the beginning … I won’t bore you with a recap of all the art I saw that day, but let me just say that it was a balm for my soul.

Sadly, the trip lasted about a day or two too long for me and by the end I was dying to get back to Austin.  One reason is just a food issue. I’m used to a pretty structured diet.  It’s not that I don’t snack or eat junk food … but I’m pretty careful with what I eat. I have to be, I’m fueling myself for some major activity. So being out of my element where I had little control over my options got pretty tough to deal with after a few days. My system felt compeletely out of whack … I know this contributed to my getting sick. Not to mention that it was at some point on this trip that I contracted The Virus From Hell.

Coming Home

It’s funny … I’ve always loved to travel and I still like to go places and see new things.  The past year I’ve taken trips to San Francisco and Jackson Hole, and managed to combine some great trail races with some equally great vacations.  But I have also realized that when I’m not traveling with my friends or family, I miss Austin so much more.  And I think there’s a good reason for that …

I love my life.

I am a lucky girl. My life in Austin is just so much more than I deserve … I have the best friends a person could ask for (here and elsewhere), a job that I love, a house that is a sanctuary for me (complete with Miss Jas Kitty who always makes me happy to come home), a sport that is my physical outlet, my social life, and my passion.  There’s even a new guy. It’s been about 6 weeks now and he’s pretty fantastic and I’m pretty smitten and I’m sitting here at my computer with a big ol’ grin on my face just thinking about him … and that’s all you’re getting out of me for now. :-)

Basically, even on my worsts days, I have moments of total happiness. My life is not at all the way I thought it would turn out, but it is so much more than I could ever ask for. And so I really never feel the need to get away from it. And when I do get out of town, I miss my life.  Like I said, I am a lucky girl.

So that’s the news for now.

Lots of other smaller things happening … I finally hired a cleaning service to take care of my house. I am just too busy, and it just takes too much energy that I could use for other things. I like to clean, but there are other things I like to do  more. And the service I found did such a good job there wasn’t even anything I had to go around and do after them!

I’ve managed to catch some great live music lately … Henry and I had a musical double feature the night before TVFH struck.  Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson finally came back to Austin after having to cancel their show last September during Hurricane Ike. It was my first show at Cactus Cafe, and it did not disappoint.  We sat like 10 feet from Kasey and Shane … it was just a great show.  And we followed that up with Jenny Lewis at Stubbs … she was just as good as when we saw her at ACL. Next Monday it’s Pete Yorn … lots going on and lots to look forward to.

And of course, my next race is in less than five weeks.  I’ve got some catching up to do in my training … The Virus From Hell set me back a couple weeks. But I managed 20 miles this past weekend, which isn’t terrible given the heat and that I was recovering from being sick.  And as I mentioned above, I start work tomorrow with a personal trainer. It’s time to get stronger so that I can power up the hills, and time to work on my stability so that I can fly down the hills.  This has been the missing piece of my training for a while now, and it’s time to get to work.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  Summer has already meant a month of triple digit temps here in Austin, so I’ll leave you with some parting advice that you can take both literally and figuratively … stay cool.

My Inspiration May 20, 2009

I originally saw this video on my friend Larry’s blog, and I loved it so much I have shamelessly appropriated it for my own ends.

The races shown in this video perfectly capture all the things I love about trail and ultrarunning … the amazing views, the beauty and challenge of rugged trails, the support and friendship of other trail runners. I’m not familiar with all the races shown here, but I’ve run at least one of them (Grand Teton) and hope to someday qualify for another (Western States). The video is only a few minutes long, it’s absolutely beautiful, and it’s got Coldplay in the background … so go ahead and watch it … I’ll wait …

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I could watch this over and over again and not get tired of it. It makes me want to hit the trail right now. It makes me want to train as hard as I can for my races. It makes me dream of all the races I want to do in my life.

But mostly, it makes me feel enormously grateful that I have this thing in my life that inspires me, challenges me, tests me, brings me joy, and makes my soul sing every time I do it.

Back in Form May 18, 2009

It has been quite a week!

I started my new job last Monday, and it was a wonderful, if overwhelming week filled with new and familiar faces, lots and lots of meetings, and new information coming out of my ears (once again, my brain is officially full!). The whole thing had a slightly surreal quality … moving into a new office, but in a building where I’ve spent lots of time over the past 3 years … a completely new job, but surrounded by the familiar faces of all the development staff … and Wednesday was the second annual Professional Advisors Day. Last year, at the inaugural event, I was one of the guest presenters … and now here I am, one of the team.

The event was great, and I got to meet some good people with whom I will likely be interacting quite a bit in the future … but the highlight was probably the post-event tour of the athletic center used by the Longhorn football team. The gym areas are state of the art, the trophy room with all the National Championship and Heisman trophies was just amazing. We even got to tour the coaches’ offices, which led to this photo …

Yes, that’s me sitting in Mack Brown’s chair at Mack Brown’s desk! Pretty cool, huh?

The other big news this week is of course on the running front. I’ve been trying to ramp up my training for the past month or so, but it has seemed to be progressing more slowly than I wanted. Granted, I’ve had a lot going on, so I do have to cut myself a little slack. But I have a pretty serious race calendar coming up, and I need to be in the best shape of my life to successfully complete my ultra season … Headlands 50 miler on August 8th, followed by Great Eastern Endurance Run 100K on Sept 26th (complete with 15,000 feet of climb and a 19 hour cutoff!), and then the grand finale … Cactus Rose 100 Mile starting on Halloween.

This past weekend I had a 20 mile run on my training calendar … my first 20 miler since I took a break from training after Bandera 100K in early January. I was honestly pretty nervous. I posted the run to the club in the hopes of having some company, and I just hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t feel awful. Well, I got my wish … it was a great run! One of the best I’ve had in a while! 21.5 miles at a good steady pace and I finished feeling like I could have gone farther (although I was happy to be done). I followed it up with a nice 10 miler yesterday on some more hilly, rugged terrain, and again I felt great!

I know as the Austin summer rears it’s ugly, hot, humid head, that I will have plenty of runs that just drain all my energy … but to have a 30+ mile weekend at this point in my training and to feel great pretty much the entire time? It’s a huge confidence boost, and really has me motivated to step up my training, work hard but smart, and aim high for my races.

I also decided that since my training is really going to pick up from here, that I would do something I’ve put off for a while … I went back to get tested at the UT Fit Lab. I did this two years ago, right before I started my first trail training program … waaaay back when I just a little trail newbie. :-) I was pleased with the results back then. Well, I was pleased with the aerobic testing … the body fat results left much to be desired.

So after 2+ years of training … going from a relatively new trail runner to having completed 6 ultramarathons … I was really interested to see how the results had changed. I went in Tuesday morning to meet with the director of the FitLab. I had brought Phil in to speak at the May Hill Country Trail Runners meeting, and his talk was a huge success, and I was looking forward to my testing. Phil had the results from my previous testing, so we could compare results and see how far I’ve come.

We started with the body composition … and once again the results surprised me, and not in a good way. The good news is I’ve dropped nearly 10 pounds since my last testing … but the bad news is my body fat is still several percentage points higher than I want it to be. So back on the diet for me. It’s not vanity … I’m fine with how I look. But performance-wise, I really need to drop another 5-10 pounds. If I’m serious and careful, I have time to drop this weight and let my body adjust to it before Headlands … but I’m going to have to get serious about my diet. So for the next couple months, it’s going to be all about getting the right foods, in the right amount … focusing on fueling my body with the healthiest foods I can get, without getting more than I need.

The good news? My aerobic testing was way better than I expected! My VO2 Max has gone from 41 to 48 … this is not a number that you’re supposed to be able to change much, so a 7 point jump is huge. When I was at 41 it put me in the 99th percentile for women my age, so 48 is really a tremendous result. That being said, I’m not in elite athlete territory, which starts at about 55 for women (the highest-ever recorded female VO2 Max was 74), but I’m well off-the-chart for regular folks.

There were lots of scientific numbers related to my Lactate Threshold, but the big news from that is the number that determines how long you can run at your LT (the pace at which you switch from aerobic to anaerobic) … and in that category I did score with elite women athletes. The average percentage for this for elite women is between 70-85%, and I scored between 77-79%. This means that I can maintain the pace just below my LT for a lot longer than most people … which kind of makes sense when you think about how long and far I run.

The testing also uses VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold to predict race times from 5K up to marathon distance. I’m not giving the exact numbers, but suffice it to say that it appears I could be running a LOT faster. I wasn’t the only one surprised by these results. The testing is done by taking a drop of blood during intervals on a treadmill, gradually increasing the speed until Lactate Threshold is determined, and then increasing the speed every minute after that until you basically feel like you’re going to die or go flying off the back of the treadmill. Well, I managed to get up to a 6:20 mile … surprising both myself and Phil!

Now, I’m not training for short distance races, so speed is not really my overall goal … but it is interesting information to have, and it does motivate me to keep going with my speed/hill/tempo workouts, in addition to the long, slower runs I need to get ready for my races.

Okay, that’s enough geeking out on running for one day. Lots going on and lots to look forward to.

Next up? Memorial Day weekend in Philly with my sis and my two favorite 4 year olds. :-)

Car Crush May 8, 2009

So I say I’m going to post more often, and then I go to lunch and am completely inspired!

Walking out of NXNW, I spot this seemingly ordinary (?) purple Chrylser LeBaron convertible …

But then I look a little bit closer, and I spot this …

I admit it, I find this funny and charming. And then I see this …

And now? I’m totally smitten.

THE BLOG IS NOT DEAD! May 8, 2009

It’s just been dormant for a while.

But after a not-so-subtle and much-needed kick in the pants from a friend (thanks Amy), I realize that it’s time to drag myself away from FaceBook and get back to posting. FB was never meant to be a substitute for the blog … I love writing short little status updates, but sometimes it’s nice to get a little free-form and say as much as I want.

It’s been almost two months, so this could take a while …

Jolly Good Fun

March wrapped up with a visit from my sister, and as usual we packed all sorts of food, fun, and festivities into a very short weekend! Kicked off Friday night with the requisite dinner at Chuy’s, then spent Saturday doing all manner of fun stuff … shopping at Betty Sport, packet pickup for the Cap10K, much more I can’t remember, some porch time of course, and finished the day off by going to see I Love You Man at Alamo Drafthouse. A perfect Austin day! Unbelievably, the one thing we didn’t do on this visit was go to Omelettry. That’s right, we passed on blueberry buttermilk pancakes this time around. Instead we opted for a crowded run at the Cap10K … was it always this packed? … and then skedaddled off to meet Faith and Rebeka for brunch at Maudie’s. That was followed my some more porch time for Jolly while I attended a baby shower for some friends. And the fabulous weekend finale? Crashing on the couch with some Pei Wei watching Sex and the City. Sigh …. just perfect.

And because I love seeing my sister but really can’t get enough of her gorgeous boys, I’m heading up to Philly in two weeks to spend the holiday weekend with my two favorite guys!

Zoom Zoom!

This may be hard to believe, but on April 4th I raced my very first 5K at the Zooma Austin 5K, part of the Zooma Women’s Race Series. Obviously I’ve run that distance before, and I’ve done a couple 5K races for fun, but this was the first time I raced one … where I had an actual time goal in mind. I can’t say I really trained … my sprained ankle in early March had put the kibosh on any real speed work … but I had in general spent the months since Bandera focusing on running faster. I had also dropped more than 10 pounds in the past couple months (on purpose), and I hoped that would translate into some additional speed.

The race took place at Hyatt Lost Pines resort outside of Austin. There are some great trails in that area, but this race was run on the road (there was also a half marathon taking place at the same time). I felt kind of nervous as the minutes counted down to the start of the race. I had set a goal to finish in under 25 minutes, which translates to running roughly 8 minute miles … a pace I hoped I could run but wasn’t sure. Oddly enough, it was my race number that calmed me down and gave me the confidence I needed to decide I was going to do this … Number 888 … one 8 for every 8-minute mile I would need to run. It had to be a sign, right? Right!!!

I positioned myself right up near the front, did the requisite waiting around, and then finally, we were off! I took off toward the front of the pack, with only a handful of people ahead of me, and not many close behind. This seemed weird, but my pace felt comfortably fast, so I just tried not to worry about it. I passed a few people, ran by the water stop, and then I saw the lead runner coming back towards me. I couldn’t believe I was almost at the halfway point! I hit the turnaround and headed back, and now I could see all the other runners heading towards me. One woman yelled out that I was the 6th female … seriously??? I just kept running, although my legs were starting to feel tired, and that great downhill was about to turn into an ugly uphill. My breathing started feeling labored and my legs were oxygen deprived but I just hung in and kept running. It’s only 5K damn it! Thankfully, the top of the hill came quickly, and then I got to the nice gradual downhill. Once again, I let gravity do the work as I focused on trying to regain my breathing.

I kept telling myself I had hardly any distance left to cover, and sure enough that flat soon turned into the last turn toward the finish. One more short downhill and then up and I was back where I started … except it wasn’t the finish line. I still had to run all the way through the parking lot … and then to the resort … and then around the resort. Would this ever end? Meanwhile the minutes were ticking by and I was starting to think I’d miss my goal after all. I passed the sign that said 13 miles, which meant I only had .1 to go … no time to slow down now. My watch said 24 minutes, and I was determined to make it. Around a curve and there was the finish line. One last push and I was across … in 24:57!!! Yippeeee!!!

I was gasping for air, but who cares? I had done it … a sub-25 minute 5K!

It gets even better than that. Turns out that I finished 11th overall (out of 379 finishers) and was the 7th place female (out of 357)! Granted, this wasn’t the fastest field … I’m excited by my finishing time but have no illusions that I am suddenly an elite athlete. But still … just like my 2nd place finish at Doogies back at the end of February, this is pretty exciting for me. I’m not used to seeing my name that high up in the race results. And I’ll take it.

It gets even better! After 9 years of racing, I finally got a race photo worth buying!

Okay, so the facial expression leaves a little bit to be desired (but give me a break … I’m breathing!), but the rest? I look like a real runner!

Primordial Sound Meditation

The rest of that weekend was taken up with something I have wanted to do for myself for a long time. I haven’t really written too much about it, but the last couple months have been a pretty transitional time for me. It’s all been pretty positive, but I just had some changes I needed to make … personally and professionally, externally and internally. And I’ve worked hard to make it a time of transformation as well as transition, if you will. I’ve written before that meditation has taken a more prominent role in my life, and in order to move my practice forward, I signed up for a course in Primordial Sound Meditation. It’s pretty similar to Transcendental Meditation (but this course is about 1/10th the cost), and instructors are certified through the Chopra Institute. It was a great course … Priscilla was a terrific teacher, and I ended up with mostly individual instruction. I’ve been working on my practice for the past month since, and while I’m rarely able to fit in the recommended twice a day, I am trying to create a dedicated practice and meditate at least once pretty much every day. I love it, and I hope it continues to be a regular part of my life.

Out With the Old, In With the New … Job That Is

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of this whole transformation process has been my decision that it was time to move on from my job. I’m not at all sorry that I took this job and moved to Austin, but it had become increasingly clear to me over the past several months that this was a situation that was never going to really meet my needs, and would always leave me feeling drained and not really happy. So after much soul searching, I decided that I wanted to stay at UT, but really wanted to get back to my pure development roots. And after six years, I also decided that I wouldn’t mind putting on my lawyer hat from time to time … and so I decided that Gift Planning was the path for me. I won’t go into the whole long story, but the short version is that I went to the Executive Director to let her know of my interest, and in a crazy example of the serendipity that often guides my life, a job had opened up the day before. I am not kidding. I never cease to be amazed at how when we put something out to the universe, once we define it and call it by name and ask for it, the universe gives us exactly what we want and need. And so I start my new job this coming Monday. More great adventures to come!

On Top of the World … Or Texas, Anyway

I could tell lots more running stories, but I’ll limit myself to this year’s trip to the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. The altitude got me on the first day, but the second day was fantastic … well, the whole trip was fantastic, but I’m just talking about the running here. Saturday I took my first trip up to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.

If I were just a few inches taller, I could have been the tallest point in Texas!

Here’s Elizabeth and I on our way to the top with some great views beyond us …

And here’s some happy runners at the top …

But this one might be my favorite …

You can see more on my Facebook album if you wish.

Lots more on the horizon, so y’all check back and I’ll try to be better about posting.

Stabilization March 19, 2009

Between Facebook and my running/yoga/health blog, it feels like these days there’s not much leftover to post about here … but I love this blog, and it still serves a purpose the other sites don’t, and so I am determined to keep it going, even if you don’t hear from me as often as I’d like (although perhaps you don’t care about the infrequency). Maybe one day soon I will have the time and energy for more posting … we’ll see.

For today, the big news is that my ankle is solidly on the mend. It was thankfully a minor sprain to begin with, and I was able to run on Town Lake within just a few days of twisting it. So far, Town Lake runs and Ashtanga yoga classes have been treating it just fine. But last night was the big test … my first trail run since spraining my ankle on the trail two weeks ago. Yes, two weeks isn’t much time to heal from an injury … but it feels like a long time. I’m happy to report the run went very well. I didn’t run fast, and I was pretty tentative with my foot placement in a lot of spots … I don’t know how much of that is my ankle and how much is just the fear in my head of getting hurt again. But I made it through the entire 6 mile loop without any problems and only a few twinges of pain in the ankle. I haven’t had any twinges at all for over a week, but trail is a very different animal than almost anything else. It works your ankles hard … so much of trail running is about constant stabilization on uneven terrain. It’s good for strengthening, but it can also be hazardous if you’re struggling – like I am – with any sort of weakness or injury.

Anyway, the point is, it went well. I still have much recovery to do … standing on the stability disk at home shows me how ridiculously unstable I still am. Until those nerve signals start firing again, and the proprioception comes back, I’m going to have to go easy and be careful. But I am on the mend, and it feels great.

A friend wrote on one of my FB posts that I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t running … and I have to admit, I can’t entirely disagree. I hope that if the day came when I couldn’t run (and I shudder to even consider the possibility) that I would find solace in yoga or other activities. And I would probably still remain a part of the trail community, volunteering and so forth.

But it’s true … I define myself as a runner. And while I may be lots of other things as well, being a runner – an ultrarunner – is a huge part of my identity. There was a time in my life when trail running literally saved me. And through trail and ultrarunning, I have finally found a healthy outlet for the risk-taking part of my personality … a positive way to direct all that stubborn, reckless energy that used to manifest itself in self-destructive and not-so-healthy ways. I love being an ultrarunner … and that’s why I’m trying so hard to take my time rehabbing this ankle and making sure I’m healthy and not pushing too much. Because the goal really isn’t Rocky Hill Ranch, or Headlands, or Great Eastern, or any one race … the ultimate goal is to still be doing this in 30 years.

Laugh ’til it hurts March 8, 2009

When was the last time you laughed so hard and for so long that your face hurt?

For me, it was last night. I went to the Paramount Theater to see Cinematic Titanic, a live show from the original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (or MST3K for those of you who were fans of the old Comedy Central show).

Our movie for the evening … The Dynamite Brothers, a suitably awful 70’s film that lent itself perfectly to MST3K-style humor.

I laughed so hard I cried, my cheekbones hurt, and I was exhausted by the end. Perfect … just perfect.

In Like a Lion … March 5, 2009

How … HOW … did it get to be March already??? I know February was a short month, but still …

Clearly I am behind in my postings … pancakes and Cheez-Its really don’t keep y’all apprised about my life. Of course, I blame Facebook for much of this. It’s such a fun and easy time-suck, but I never intended it be a substitute for the blog. So let’s do some catching up, shall we?

Rocky Raccoon

February started off with a weekend in Huntsville, Texas, volunteering at the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Trail Run. I love working races! It’s a chance to not run, to see lots of friends, and to help and celebrate other runners achieve their own racing goals. It’s also a way to give back to the sport that I love and that has given me so much. I spent all day Friday and Saturday morning working packet pickup, meaning I got to check in every single runner … I spent a lot of time sitting down, but it was great to see so many friends! The highlight of the weekend, however, had to be pacing my friend Naresh for the last 20 miles of his race … his first 100 mile finish! I get so much joy out of pacing … being a part of someone else’s race success is just so gratifying, and this experience was no exception. Naresh had a great finish, and being there and being a part of it … wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.

The Neck

Unfortunately, the next couple weeks after Rocky Raccoon were spent dealing with brutal and chronic neck pain, leftover from my fainting accident in December. It culminated in a CT Scan, which thankfully showed no fracture or arthritis. I’ve been spending lots of time rolling my back on the foam roller, stretching out my neck, applying ice and heat … and it’s doing much, much better. Turns out the key is to avoid all that chiropractic and massage therapy … my neck does not like to be touched. It still hurts occasionally, but nothing I can’t handle, and it’s usually a sign that I haven’t been working on it enough and have let my back get too tight.

Doogies Run 25K

Of course, no month would be complete without a trail race! It’s probably a good thing I hadn’t done a 25K before now. If I’d known how much fun shorter races can be, I might never have started running ultras. ;) I’m mostly kidding … I get a lot of satisfaction out of pushing myself over long distances. But after Bandera 100K, I decided it was time to back off a little and focus on some shorter distances … with the goal of hopefully getting a bit faster. This race fit nicely into my spring plans, so I decided to give it a shot and see what it felt like to run a shorter distance race.

It ended up being a great experience … a fun course and I was able to run pretty much the entire thing. I was a little more tired than I’d hoped to be, but still finished the race in 2:43 … which was good enough to finish 3rd place overall and the 2nd place female. It was a small race, but I’m still excited … it’s the first award I’ve gotten in a race. :) Next up is Rocky Hill Ranch 25K in about 6 weeks … a similar type of course, but a little more challenging. With a little speed work, I’m hoping to equal or beat my Doogies time.

The Ankle***

Of course, all my grand plans for Rocky Hill Ranch are entirely speculative at this point … since I sprained my ankle during last night’s Wednesday club run on the greenbelt. I haven’t had a chance to see the doctor yet, so I don’t know how bad it is. I can walk on it pretty well, and the pain is not too bad. But it is very swollen. I’m trying to look on the bright side … I just finished a race, don’t have another one (other than some fun road stuff I don’t care if I have to walk) until RHR, and I don’t have to start training for my summer/fall ultras until the end of April. Hopefully with the right therapy and a smart approach (meaning not to push too hard) I can rehab quickly. I’m hoping I won’t have to take too much time off from running, and that I can at least do yoga in the meantime. And even if I can just run on the road for a bit, I can live with that. But right now, I just have to wait and see…

The Board

It should come as no surprise to people that I’m a really active member of the local trail club here in Austin, Hill Country Trail Runners. I’ve helped put on several club events, I volunteer at races, I host a trail run for the club every week … and I do all those things because the club and its members are one of the most important things in my life. I’ve never known a better group of people, anywhere. And I am truly blessed to count them as my friends. This next year, I will have the chance to give back to the club that means so much to me … as of the April meeting, I’m going to be serving as Vice President of the club Board. I’ve never really been the kind of person who joins clubs … I even resisted joining HCTR at first. But I think maybe my lack of involvement in clubs was because I just hadn’t found the right one. I’m so excited about this new challenge! It’s a chance to really make a difference and do something good for a group of people and for a sport that has become the biggest part of my life in the last two years.

Go Deep

The other big thing I’ve been doing for myself lately is getting back into meditation. I’ve got a lot going on right now … I’m in a bit of a state of transition with a number of things in my life, and while I think most of the changes coming down the road will be good changes and healthy ones, even positive change can be overwhelming. What I love about meditation is that it helps me get to that quiet, still place inside me, where all the answers eventually become clear. I’m even doing a weekend class next month to help me develop my own practice, and I can’t wait.

That’s about it … lots going on and lots to look forward to. My friend Karen is in Austin all week, and I can’t wait to catch up with her. And Jolly will be here in 3 weeks, so obviously I can’t wait for that!

Keep me in your prayers that my ankle is not badly sprained! I’ll keep you posted!

*** Just got back from the doctor, and the situation is even better than I had hoped. My ankle is definitely sprained, but it’s not bad. The range of motion is good and it’s not too loose. Basically, I can just let the pain and swelling be my guide. I can walk over the next few days, and then if that feels ok, I am cleared to try running on the road or Town Lake. If that all goes well, I can try hitting the trail again in 10 days to 2 weeks. And I absolutely need to start ramping up my balancing exercises … the ones I did to rehab the other ankle last year. I’ve been letting those slide, and while that’s not what caused this sprain, those exercises will be the key to a successful recovery.

Pancakes and Diet Coke February 24, 2009

HAPPY NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY!!!

This post is for Jolly … my favorite pancake fan. :) Sis, tell that husband and those sweet boys of yours to take to IHOP tonight and get yourself some free pancakes … sorry, the Diet Coke is extra.

But really, who isn’t a fan of pancakes? And if you’re not, then you clearly haven’t been to the Omelettry here in Austin, which despite the name is known for the most amazing buttermilk pancakes in the whole wide world. I prefer mine with blueberries. And lots of syrup.

Again for my sister … only 31 more days and then you too can be indulging in some delicious Omelettry pancakes!!!

I’ve already told them you’re coming. ;)

Teach Your Kids the Alphabet While You Get Them Hooked on Crack February 24, 2009

Did you not know that Cheez-Its contain crack? That they are one of nature’s – well, really some food laboratory’s because there’s nothing natural about these babies – most perfectly addictive foods?

Go ahead … add the letters of the alphabet and call it Scrabble Junior. Create a whole new generation of addicts under the guise of teaching kids to spell.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Happy Birthday! … um, no … Happy Groundhog Day! … um, wait! What? February 2, 2009

Happy Groundhog Day! I love Groundhog Day … it’s the silliest “holiday” which is what makes it fun of course! Jolly loves it even more than I do. :-)

I think we adopted it first because of the silly, fun factor … how can you not love Punxsutawney Phil?

But it’s also a much better February alternative to Valentine’s Day … my least favorite “holiday”. I won’t belabor this one … I wrote all about it in this post last year. Suffice it to say, Cute ‘N Fuzzy beats Compulsory Romance every time.

So this year for Groundhog Day, I gave myself a birthday present. Yes, I am aware that my birthday is not for another 8 months. But today registration opened for the Great Eastern Endurance Run (GEER) 100K trail race. And as one of the first 100 people to register, I got in for half price … sweet! :-)

The birthday present part comes in because this race is held the weekend before my birthday … but wait, it gets even better than that!

The race is held right outside Charlottesville! So I get to spend the weekend before my birthday running a trail race in the mountains outside one of my favorite places on earth! Woohoooooo! And with any luck, I’ll be able to extend the trip so I can get in some good visits with friends and family! Are you starting to understand why I am so excited?

And to just make it a total explosion of birthday madness, I get to return to Austin to spend my actual birthday hanging out at ACL with Jolly, Henry, assorted friends, and dozens of cool bands!

So today may be Groundhog Day, but all I have to say is Happy Birthday to meeeeee! ;-)

High-Five Inauguration January 24, 2009

More excellence from Funny or Die … You won’t believe all the people they got to do this one!