It's Not Whether You Win or Lose, It's How You Play the Game

It's Not Whether You Win or Lose, It's How You Play the Game

C&O Canal 100 Mile Race

April 25, 2015

When does it become real?  For some people it is when you sign up for a race, for others it is at the start line.  For me, it got real when I least suspected it.  

I signed up for the C&O Canal 100 mile race with hopes of crushing my previous 100 mile times.  The course suggested it was mostly flat, except for going up and down a very large hill twice.   The race director even advertises that there are only two climbs and how hard could that be?  I grossly underestimated the hill.  I’d hate to see what the race director calls a mountain.  

Race day started with temps in the low 40’s.  I’m pretty sure the entire day it didn’t fluctuate more than a few degrees.  From the start line we crossed a field, then along a road followed by a gentle downhill.  What came after that was a long decent on single-track switchback trails.  At the bottom of the trail we crossed a small stream twice.  If you were nimble enough, you could make it across mostly dry.  But I’ve never been accused of being nimble. 

Shortly after the water crossing we started out on the canal towpath.  The first 20 miles were pretty uneventful.  Unless you count me constantly questioning why I sign up for these races and how I could possibly run 100 miles when this already felt so hard.  Thankfully the next aid station distracted me with waffles.  That was a new one for me on race day.  But I subscribe to the theory of if it looks good, eat it.  

     The towpath edges along the Potomac River.  It was flowing fast and I was surprised to see a few kayakers and paddle boarders out there.  We passed by Harper’s Ferry and connected with the Appalachian Trail.  It was pretty cool to be running on this historic Section. One of the most beautiful things I saw along the path were the fields of flowers I had never seen before, Virginia Bluebells. They were so thick at times they appeared as a blue haze hovering over the ground, like something out of a dream.  

I had decided that this would be my first race I would run solo, with no outside help from friends or family.  Some people refer to this as either running a race “crewed” or “screwed.”  I knew by doing this on my own, I would need to rely on my drop bags and the help of the aid station volunteers.  This was the perfect race to try it out as I quickly learned that the aid station volunteers here were as experienced and efficient as any NASCAR pit crew.  When I approached an aid station someone would grab my drop bag and get out whatever I asked for while a another person would take my water bottle and fill them.  Then a third person was busy getting food ready for me.  It was very impressive.  

Doing a race without crew and pacers can be lonely, but sometimes you get lucky and meet another runner and forge a friendship.  As I was munching on hot pierogi and making my way down the trail, I came upon a fellow that was walking at a brisk pace.  I ran up to him, introduced myself, and asked him how his race was going.  He said his name was Charlie and he offered me a piece of bacon to go with my pierogi.  Bacon?  Sure, why not.  At this point I didn’t know that he would turn into my race partner for almost 40 miles.  There is something funny that happens on the trail. You are stripped down to the most basic version of yourself.  You let your guard down and will tell a virtual stranger more than you might tell most people.  They see you at your best and your worst, sometimes only minutes separate the two.  Our conversations distracted us from what we were doing and it made the time pass more quickly.

We came into the 50 mile aid station well on our way to a sub-24 hour finish.  After replenishing our food and water, we grabbed our rain coats and headed back out on the trail.  A cold rain started and the cloud cover made it darker out earlier than expected.  Within a few miles we had to use our headlamps to see the path.  Charlie got a call on his cellphone from his wife to alert us of a runner about 3 miles ahead of us that was in distress.  The man had called his wife and said he was very cold and he that he could hardly stay awake.  We covered ground as fast as we could to get to this runner.  The temperature continued to drop below 40 and the rain and wind made it seem colder.  When we were moving at a decent pace it was ok, but when we slowed down the cold was quite noticeable.   We finally caught up with the distressed runner.   His flashlight had died and he was trying to make his way on the path in the dark.  He was wearing a trash bag over his clothing trying to stay warm.  He told us several times that he just could not keep his eyes open and he only wanted to sleep.  He was not shaking and he seemed confused.   I know the signs of hypothermia, he was exhibiting several of them.  

Charlie and I both realized at this point we would have to bring this runner into the next aid station.  There were a lot of rocks and roots in this section and I couldn’t even imagine him trying to cross the stream and make it up the big hill without any light in his condition.  We slowed our pace to a moderate walk so he could keep up with us.  I walked a few feet ahead to light up the trail and called out if there was a rock or root that he might trip on.  Charlie stayed back and walked next to him.  We brought him about 4 miles into the aid station.  We were happy he was safe now and could get some help.  He dropped from the race here, it was mile 60.  A term commonly used in ultra running is Did Not Finish (DNF.)  A lot of people also say it stands for Did Nothing Fatal. 

I soon realized that I was shaking beyond control.  Someone brought me a cup of soup but it all splashed out of the cup because I couldn’t hold my hand still.  The race director brought me a blanket to try to warm me up, but it did little good.   They had a fire going at one point, but the rain put it out.  There was no place to get out of the wind and cold, only an overhead shelter so we could get out of the rain.  I sat with Charlie while he got ready to head back out.  I knew that that the next aid station would be another 7 or so miles and I would need to have some warmer and drier clothes to get to it.  I didn’t have that luxury.  Charlie was ready to head out and I told him I made the decision to call it a day.  I knew if I went back out I might be in the same position as the runner we brought into this aid station.  I wished Charlie well as he headed back out on his journey.  I called my husband to pick me up and told him my race was over.  The weather ended the race for a lot of other people that night.  About half of the runners dropped out.

The rain had finally stopped by morning and we found Charlie along the course.  We went to the path to meet him and walk a little together.  He was very happy to see us.  After big hugs he told me that I was the reason he was able to get as far as he did.  I told him to keep going that his journey wasn’t done yet.  

At the finish line it warmed my heart to see Charlie come flying up that big hill one last time. His face was filled with determination, pride and joy.  He was all smiles as he hugged his wife and collected his buckle.  He hugged me again and thanked me for helping him achieve his goal.  

I had hoped to finish this race.  I had also wanted a shiny new belt buckle to add to my collection.  Instead what I got was the satisfaction of helping someone in distress and getting them to safety. 

In the end I know that it isn’t whether you win or lose (not that I was going to win.)  It really was how I played the game.

Charlie and his wife Mary at the finish.

The 13er

The 13er

      Here is your chance to enter to win something from Skirt Sports!  It is my favorite brand of running gear.

       They are having a race in Colorado on June 14th, it is called the 13er.   It is a 5K, 10K and a half marathon- which is not half of anything!  The giveaway will be for either a real or a virtual race entry.

       This raffle will be for the Basic Entry ($85 value).  It includes a $50 gift certificate to Skirtsports.com, a race bib, a finisher's skirt, and sponsor swag.

       The contest will start on May 13th and run for one week.  Good luck to the tens of people that read my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


***Disclaimer: I am a brand ambassador for Skirt Sports.  They provide me with discounts on their products.  Regardless of this, I would wear their products and sing their praises.  It's a company I believe in and am I'm proud to be a part of their family.  

#REALwomenmove

#REALwomenmove

Real women move.  Yes, they sure do.  But what does this mean to me?  It means that it doesn’t matter what your body shape, size or fitness level is.  It means that you are getting off the couch and doing something.

When you think of an athlete do images of super fit people in Runner’s World come to mind?  Do you think of someone with either huge muscles or no body fat?  That is what media wants us to think.  But to me, it is someone that is strong.  Someone that has the willpower to get out there and try to weather their storm.  Someone who will try  to run their first 5K or a marathon, it doesn’t matter as long as they are becoming a better version of themselves.

There is a giant tree near my home.  I run by it as much as possible.  It is America’s largest Bebb Oak on record.  Some call her Grandma Bebb Oak.  She has her own Facebook page.  To me, she is strong.  Her limbs are heavy and her bark is brittle, but she still stands.   She is said to be well over 200 years old. To me she is strong and she is real.  

I used to be a slave to the scale.  If a certain number didn’t come up, I wasn’t happy.  If my pant size wasn’t the right number, I was disappointed.  Now I realize that my body is strong.  I might not have the perfect amount of body fat.  I might be slightly overweight at times.  I have never been accused of being skinny.  On the flip side, I have been labeled as determined, hard core, and relentless.  My legs are more like tree trunks, like that Bebb Oak tree.   But those tree trunks get me to the finish line of 100 mile races.  I think that if you can believe it you can achieve it.  

So get out there and do the impossible.  Do what you think you cannot do.  Don’t let others establish your limits because they see you in a different light.  Redefine yourself. Accept yourself, love yourself.   Prove people wrong.  Be strong and prove that #REALwomenmove!

#REALwomenmove is a new campaign by my favorite clothing company, Skirt Sports.  It is based on REAL women, REAL bodies, REAL inspiration.  Skirt Sports believes we all can and should embrace fitness and health.  We should be strong, confident and not judge, but rather encourage other women.  You can read more about #REALwomen move and check out their great running skirts and other great clothing items at skirtsports.com/realwomenmove


***Disclaimer: I am a brand ambassador for Skirt Sports.  They provide me with discounts on their products.  Regardless of this, I would wear their products and sing their praises.  It's a company I believe in and am I'm proud to be a part of their family.  

Be Fearless

BE FEARLESS

The Boston Marathon is iconic.  It is the Holy Grail for most runners.  When you tell some one you run marathons, they almost immediately ask you if you’ve run Boston.  My answer has always been, “No I’m not fast enough.”  

What if one day I gave up the fear of failure.  What if I decided I was fearless and that nothing was impossible?  That is exactly what Katherine Switzer did almost 45 years ago when was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.  I have seen the legendary photos of her wearing bib number 261 and being attacked by a man trying to remove her from the course because women were not allowed to run the event.  She had to have been fearless that day.   

In honor of Katherine’s fearlessness that day, Skirt Sports (skirtsports.com) launched a clothing line called 261 Fearless.  Some of the clothes are modernized versions what Katherine wore.  Her baggy, shapeless gray sweatsuit is now super cute and fashionable.  Her classic wrap shirt is transformed into a tank so cute you could wear it to dinner.  Skirt Sports is also having a virtual run on April 18, 2015 called the 261 Fearless.  I’ll be joining the movement and doing my virtual run on a trail near my home.  Skirt Sports goal is to unite with women everywhere to express their freedom to run. No matter if it is your first mile or your 100th mile, be fearless and be free.

The Bigger Picture - Destin Beach 50K

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Destin Beach 50K

February 15, 2015

Running can be a selfish sport.  Training for a marathon takes several hours away from your family each week.  Long runs typically take place on a weekend when you could be doing something else fun with your loved ones.  Sometimes it requires your spouse to watch your children (or in my case border collie puppies) while you run for hours on end.  Then you get home and all you want to do is kick your feet up in your recliner and relax.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy running.  The time I spend on the trail or road is my church, time to reflect on life.  I’ve always ran for my own benefit, until this year.

       I decided to sign up for the Destin Beach 50K Ultra Run.  It takes place in Florida in February.  My original plan was just to sign up and run on the beach in Florida and get away from the cold and snow of Michigan.

        I knew that the race benefitted a charity, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.  As an Army Reserve veteran, I felt this charity fundraiser was something I might want be a part of.  I looked into the organization and saw it rated very high on CharityNavigator.com, it scored higher than nearly 98% of all other charities in the United States.  That was important to me know know that almost all of the money raised whet to the cause.  In this case, the funds go to provide scholarships to the children of special operations personnel that have died in operation or training missions.  It also provides assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.  

There was no requirement to take part in the fundraising. You could raise as little or as much money as you wanted.  You could just sign up for the race and not fundraise, even most of your entry fee benefitted the charity.  

I have always been reluctant to fundraise because I didn’t want to ask all my family and friends for donations.  I had read about other running events and that you had to raise so much in donations to participate.  Some events require you to provide your own credit card and whatever you don’t raise will be charged to your card.  I was not comfortable with signing a contract and securing an amount upwards of  $4,000 on my credit card for a race such as the Boston Marathon.  Don’t get me wrong, they have great charities involved, but I just wasn’t in a position to pay that amount if I was only able to raise $1,000 or so.  

       A few months prior to the race I set up a fundraising page through the  charity and the race websites.  I made a post on my Facebook page and informed everyone that I was going to be doing a fundraiser for the next few months.  I gave a brief explanation of the charity and let my friends and family know that any donation was appreciated and no donation was too small.  The donations trickled in at first but closer to the event they came flooding in.

There were 152 finishers in this event.  Forty-five people in the group took part in the fundraising.  The previous year the event raised over $34,000.  This year the race director set a goal of $55,000.  I set a personal goal of $1,000.  There was no penalty if I didn’t reach my goal, so I set it higher than the amount I expected to raise.  As incentives, the race director said he would refund half of your race entry fee if you reached $1,000 and all of your entry fee if you reached $2,000.  If you were able to reach $5,000 he would refund 100% of your entry fee and give you a free entry to the event next year.    

The event was amazing.  The entire race took place on the beach.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the temperature was close to perfect.  The waves rushed in and splashed on my shoes.  I felt a part of something bigger, something better.  When I crossed the finish line, the race director handed me my medal and a lady approached me.  She said her husband was killed in the line of duty and she thanked me for my participation in the event.  She told me that her children had benefitted from the college scholarship provided by the charity.  The look on her face was enough for me to know that I made the right decision to fundraise for this charity.   She more than willingly accepted a hug from this sweaty runner.  

At the awards ceremony, the race director announced that as a group we raised  $55,000.  Due to the generosity of my family, friends, coworkers, employers and a few total strangers, I was able to raise $2,330 to help this amazing cause.  I cannot believe that I achieved more than double of my goal and at the time of the event I was the third highest fundraiser for this year.   

I was afraid to try something different.  I was alway running for myself.  It felt really good to raise money for fallen brothers and sisters.  That day we all ran together.  We were runners, military and civilian and part of the special operations family.

Born to Read - My Top Picks for Running Books

Born to Read

People have often asked me, “What do you think about when you run?”  Oddly, the answer is that I think about everything but running while I am doing it.  I think about what I am going to have for dinner, what I need to buy at the grocery store, and sometimes I think about nothing at all.  The opposite is true when I am not running.  If I’m driving to work and I see someone running, I wish that was me running.  If I hear a marathon is being held that I am not at, I am jealous that I’m not there.  So what do I do to pass the time when I cannot be running?  I read about it.  Here are my top picks I feel every runner should read.

Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports by Katherine Switzer

I’m amazed by Katherine’s courage and passion, she paved the way for women in the sport of running.  The journey through her training and racing at a time when women weren’t even allowed to participate in some running events is mind boggling.  She proved to the world that running will not make your uterus fall out.  

Flanagan’s Run by Tom McNab

This is the lost classic of running books. It is fictional, based on an actual footrace across america that took place in 1929.  The tale involves two thousand hopeful participants that will race through incredible terrain and weather to try to win a large cash prize.  They come from all around the world to accept this challenge, each one with a different dream and hopes for a brighter future if they win.  The author was an olympic coach and he did an amazing job capturing the mental and physical pain of the runners. 

Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon by Neal Jamison

I read this book while training for my first ultramarathon.  I’ll admit these stories scared the pants off me.  I could only read one chapter at a time as my butterflies would get the best of me and I’d break out in a sweat just thinking about my upcoming event.  If you want to learn more about why someone would run fifty or one hundred miles, run all day, night and then part of the next day, then this book is for you.  

Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dic Beardsley, and America’s Greatest

Marathon by John Brant

This story is running rivalry at it’s best.  Somehow I missed out on this book until a few years ago.  I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it.  It chronicles the two men training and competing in the 1982 Boston Marathon.  They each have their own personal struggles prior to the event, but the aftermath of drug addiction, accidents, and depression was shocking.  The author did an amazing job describing the race, it almost felt as if I was there watching it unfold.

To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley and the Mystery of Endurance by Kirk Johnson

Badwater is commonly known as the World’s Toughest Footrace.  It is 135 miles across Death Valley.  The race takes place in July and the course starts at the Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and ends at the Whitney Portal, 8,360 feet in elevation. It’s so hot that the participants have to run on the white painted line on the road to keep the soles of their shoes from melting.  The author’s brother, a runner, committed suicide.  Johnson then started running to try to cope with his brother’s death.  He had not even run a marathon prior to Badwater.  This is basically his couch to Badwater account.   

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes

This book is the single reason I got into running ultramarathons.  I absolutely devoured this book.  Who knew a mortal man could run these crazy distances?  Who thought you could have a pizza delivered to you while on your run and you could roll it up like a burrito and eat it while running?  Dean is an inspiration. His book helped push myself out of my comfort zone and complete distances that I had before thought would have been impossible.  

Each of these stories embrace the physical and mental toughness involved with running and completing challenges.  Through sheer determination and grit you can accomplish whatever you set your mind too.   There should be no limits on where your running can take you.  Create your own story.  

Convert to the Skirt - Why I Wear a Running Skirt

CONVERT TO THE SKIRT

I’ll confess, I’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of person.  Getting dressed up is not my thing.  Dress clothes make me feel uncomfortable and don’t event talk about high heels.  I am not a “girly” girl.  

So why do I wear a skirt when I run?  I don’t remember how or when I stumbled upon the Skirt Sports brand of clothing. I’d never even seen someone run in a skirt before.  But when I saw the “tattoo” print skirt, I knew I had to have it.  It was pink, had slits cut up the side, and the hem that was well above the knee.  It was nothing I would ordinarily pick to wear ever, let alone for running.  I was not even sure I had ever owned anything pink in my life.  

The package arrived and I tried it on.  I instantly felt like a different person.  Then I went for a run.  The sides swished up and gave a little flip at the end of my stride. It felt breezy and light.  It was fun, cute and a little sexy. Did I mention my husband loved it?

How can a piece of clothing change you? Well, I’m not rail thin and I don’t like the way typical running shorts put everything out there to be seen.  Every lump and bump visible to the world.  Running skirts made me feel different about myself, stronger and more confident.  I felt like the cool kid in high school, which I assure you I probably wasn’t.  I started wearing the skirt to races, and eventually to my first 50 mile trail race.  Sometimes when a girl passes a guy on the trail he will say he was “chicked.”  I heard one guy say when I passed him that he’d just been “skirted.”  

     My friends now can tell it is me from a great distance on the trail because of the skirt.  I’ve even been recognized from behind, I hope that is a compliment.

I know that I am a better person when I run.  It clears my mind and refreshes my soul.  My Skirt Sports running skirts have helped define me.  They created an even better version of myself because I feel great when I wear them.  

     To sum it up in the words of Nicole DeBoom, the Skirt Sports founder, “When you look good, you feel good.  And when you feel good, you perform better.” 

***Disclaimer: I am a brand ambassador for Skirt Sports.  They provide me with discounts on their products.  Regardless of this, I would wear their products and sing their praises.  It's a company I believe in and am I'm proud to be a part of their family.