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

Posted on June 11, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

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 →

8 Days Until Race Day

Posted on May 30, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

There’s been so much that I have been wanting to share with you as far as how my training has been going, but I just haven’t found the time to sit and write. I blog in my head all day long, while I’m at work, while I’m training, while I’m sleeping and I just haven’t found the hour or so that I need to get those thoughts down on virtual paper. I have about 4 or 5 drafts started, but nothing complete. Continue reading →

North Face Endurance Run 50-Miler Training Week’s 2 – 3 (The Good, Bad, and Almost Ugly)

Posted on April 28, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

Has it really been two weeks since I last blogged? I can’t believe how fast this is going. I’ve also realized that my “weeks” are mis-numbered, so I’m actually heading into week 4. The past two weeks has had it’s ups and downs. I’m finding it hard to keep up with the training schedule and my asthma had decided that it doesn’t want to play nice. Continue reading →

No Guts, No Glory.

Posted on April 6, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

I haven’t blogged in over a week. After the HAT Run, I visited old friends in Savannah, Georgia and ate myself silly. Would you expect any less from me? I tell you, if you want great food…head South. I gained 4 lbs…FOUR GLORIOUS POUNDS! Here are just a few snapshots from vaca.

Continue reading →

HAT RUN 50K – Part 2 (The Best Adventure EVER!)

Posted on March 26, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

This is probably the longest post I have ever written. Hopefully I don’t bore you with the details. You might be better off saving this as a bathroom read. Hoping the pictures will break up the monotony of my writing.

When I woke up on race day I was anxious. I had everything laid out but I couldn’t get my act together. So, I started with coffee. For me, coffee gets “things” moving in the morning and after all of the food I ate yesterday, “things” needed to move. I was still full from everything I ate but I prepared my morning breakfast of two eggs and an egg white scrambled and a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies anyway (hey, they said eat the cookies). Continue reading →

HAT RUN 50K – Recap Part 1 (The Day Before The Race)

Posted on March 25, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

I don’t even know where to begin, but I guess I’ll start with my pre-race day prep. All week I was doing what I could to make sure that I was hydrated by drinking coconut water, which I don’t particularly care for, Gatorade, and of course, water. I was also trying to eat whole nutritious foods to carb up. According to Jeremy Hoefs of Livestrong.com, “Marathon runners follow a carb-loading approach to nutrition during race week and the day before the marathon. This temporary diet change calls for an increased carb intake that results in your body filling the muscle glycogen stores that supply energy as you run.” Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 14 – (Well, that didn’t go as planned.)

Posted on February 22, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

Today’s goal of 4.5 hours (approx 20 – 22 miles) did not happen. And it’s not that we didn’t try…we tried really hard! After an hour of schlepping through ice and thick crusty snow at a pace of a 26 minute mile, we decided to take it to the road. It was way to dangerous and it wasn’t worth yet. Yes, yours truly took a spill on the icy path (and I wasn’t the only one), but I only ended up with a little bit of an ice burn or is it ice rash? Whatever it’s called it wasn’t bad but definitely annoying. Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 12 (Sure, Let’s Add Ice Skating While We Run!)

Posted on February 8, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

I’m happy to say that I did NOT fall today! Yay me! I had a couple of slips and close calls considering most of the trails were a sheet of ice, but that was it. We set out to do 2.5 hours and I think we came up a little short, but that’s okay. Next week’s run is going to be a doozy, so I’ll take all the easy runs I can get. Easy. Yep, I said it! I can’t believe that trail running is getting easier. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a challenge, but I’m still keeping up with the group and I’m running all the hills that weren’t a sheet of ice and I’m still feeling strong. Again, I’ll take what I can get. I know next week this will most likely not be the case. Continue reading →

HAT 50K Training – Week 11 (Basking in the Glory of a Great Run!)

Posted on February 2, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

As a runner, you know to appreciate any good run you can take during training season. It seems like a long time since I had a great long run, but yesterday – it was GLORIOUS! I don’t know what I did different to make yesterday’s run better than any other run I’ve had since I started ultramarathon training, but who cares! Continue reading →

HAT RUN 50K Training – Week 8 Part 2 (Happy Place)

Posted on January 20, 2014 by SoWhatIRun

Went out yesterday for a 2 hour run on the road and trails and it was fantastic. Kendra and I haven’t been able to run together in a long time and it felt like coming home to run with your sister who you haven’t seen in ages. We were both in our happy places. We caught up with what has been going on at home and we talked about how much we actually liked trail running…yes, it’s really growing on me. We talked about how we were worried that we were going to get bored with road running with marathon training season began.

I took this picture of Kendra while we were running. It is unfiltered and perfect. The best part of being at the back of the pack is seeing and having the ability to capture your friends enjoying their happy places. With the exception of the picture of me and Kendra crossing the finish line in Philly, below are other unfiltered pictures I’ve been fortunate enough to capture.