25K Tomorrow!

Haulin' in the Holler!

Tomorrow is the day! My first 25K and first trail run!! Oh Dear Lord, Help me! haha

After getting bad blisters from my Nike Trail shoes and not having enough time to figure out what will help, I've decided to just wear my Brooks Pure Flows and hope I don't lose too much traction.

Thankfully the weather looks like it's going to cooperate. High 62, which is fantastic! There is a 30 percent chance of rain, but hopefully it will hold off! The shoes won't be a big deal, I'm thinking, unless it gets really muddy. As of right now, the trails should be dry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they stay that way!

Day Mar 22

62^°FHigh

Few Showers

Chance of rain:

30%

Wind:

W at 9 mph

Cloudy with a few showers. High 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.



Also, to cut down on some weight, cause mine is back up a couple of pounds (I don't know why, I've been tracking, but it's whatever), I'm going to just use my handheld water bottle instead of the pack that goes around my waist. It just gets too heavy and gets on my nerves! The jacket I'll be wearing has plenty of pockets for my GU and Clif Shot Blocks. I'll also carry my headphones in case I want to listen to the new playlist I put together.

So any goals for this race?

1. Finish under 4 hours would be nice.
2. Finish under 5 hours.
3. To Finish.

Not lofty I know, but really what can you expect from a first time race. Any finish is a PR!

I'm still really nervous though. And for some odd reason, I'm really sore. I went over my scheduled mileage on Tuesday, but I don't think that was it. I rested yesterday and today. I'm hoping with some ibuprofen, I should be good to go tomorrow.

Well I should get back to work ;) I'll update tomorrow if I can lift my arms and I don't get lost in the wilderness of West Virginia!

Quite the Trail Run

Yes I had quite the trail run on Saturday.

I had about three hours of running ahead of me, so I started my day off with a bagel and some water at Panera. It was yummy! I went straight to the trails after that. Within the first half mile, I had to pee something fierce. Let's just say I marked my territory. Hey, don't judge...at least not yet.

So I was plodding along, just watching my footsteps when all of sudden a dog was just a couple of yards in front of me barking at me!

Source

 



This is definitely what the dog looked like.

 

Okay maybe it looked more like this....

The owner came around the bend and the dog was obviously very friendly after it got over the surprise of seeing me. I was just glad I had already stopped to pee or I may have went right there in my pants. The owner apologized profusely, saying that there usually weren't people on the trail that early. I told him it wasn't a big deal and went on my way.

I should start this next part by saying the night before I went out to dinner with my family to a Mexican restaurant. I was starving by the time we went so I ate way too many chips with salsa and then had three tacos! Yes, three.

So, of course, on my second loop, out in the middle of nowhere, came the stomach pains. And then the sounds. And then the feeling of oh my goodness, I'm gonna poop my pants. I again, had to find a tree. I'm so sorry tree, I know you will never be the same. All I have to say is thank God I had a baby wipe thing in my pack. (You can now judge me). Does this mean I'm a real runner now?

But that's not all. On my third loop, my legs must have started getting heavy because I fell flat on my face! I had tripped over the tiniest root you've ever seen. But at least it was soft dirt and not wet mud or hard concrete! I spent the rest of the third loop continuing to get tripped up on root after root.

Despite all that though, I feel a little better about my run two weekends from now. It will take me forever, but with walking up steep climbs, I'm hoping I make it.

I spent the rest of the day enjoying the spring-like 55 degree day with my family. We enjoyed a nice farmer's market, a trip to a local state park, and then to a fabulous restaurant that makes everything from scratch! If you're ever in southern West Virginia, I recommend the Secret Sandwich Society. I ate soo much including the best burger I've had at a restaurant, but we won't talk about that!

 

My sisters and family at the park.

 

 

Hopefully it will be as nice as it was this past weekend for my race!!