Tag Archives: #ECSDC

North Face 50-Miler – Freedom Run

Posted on by
2

“She was born to be free, let her run wild in her own way and you will never lose her.” ― Nikki Rowe

On Saturday, April 9th, I ran my 4th 50-miler in DC. This was my 3rd time running the DC North Face Endurance Challenge. And for the first time in a very long time, I went into a race without a goal. As I started running ultras, I became more and more focused on goals (if that’s even possible for my obsessive brain) and the pressure of meeting these self-imposed goals started to get to me. Race after race, I would put myself through moments of despair and self loathing that I would come out wondering, why am I so mean to myself? I was afraid that I was heading towards being burnt out so I re-evaluated my goals for the year and frankly, they are pretty aggressive. After taking a look at the big picture, I realized that I needed a freedom run. I needed to toss out the goal of setting a PR and let my spirit and my heart run free. And so I did. Continue reading →

When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough

Posted on by
3

On Saturday, when I realized as I was driving to meet my friends to carpool to our 22 mile run that I still had my slippers on, I knew it was going to be one of those days. I made a quick call and sent a messages to my crew that I had to turn around. We had planned on meeting at 6:45 am, but they were kind enough to wait for me and I’m glad they did.

I woke up feeling great. I got enough sleep…although wearing my slippers out the door has me questioning that…and my mental game was on. As we started running, I quickly settled in the middle. Once again, I tried my best to keep up with the fast kids, but I just couldn’t keep up. Continue reading →

North Face Endurance Challenge DC 2015 50-Miler Recap – Stupid is as Stupid Does

Posted on by
9

Saturday, April 18, 2015 marked my third 50-miler race. I died a thousand deaths on that course on that hot humid day. Okay, so I don’t have to be so dramatic about it, but this was a tough one for me. I did everything wrong, and I knew I was doing it wrong, but I did it anyway. Stupid is as stupid does. I don’t understand why I couldn’t get my head in the game, perhaps it was because that I had such great runs after less than stellar training that I thought I could get away without proper nutrition, hydration, and pacing during the race. It’s a 50-miler for Christ sake…you HAVE to be diligent about all of those things. I wasn’t, I got lazy, perhaps cocky, and I suffered. Continue reading →

The North Face Endurance Challenge #ECSDC 50-Mile Race Recap – Part 1: The Highlights

Posted on by
26

Writing this blog seems to be harder than running 50-miles. There’s so much to tell you, but I really don’t want to bore you with the details, but I want to tell you everything! I’d actually be better off writing this:

Dear Diary,

I ran 50 miles.

It was awesome.

Will miss my toenails.

Love, me

I have a draft written that’s already well over 1400 words and I’m only at mile 15. I could turn this into a novel if I wanted to, so I think for now, I’ll break this up in parts and start with just the highlights and then follow up with details later. Continue reading →