Today I can actually say I am an ultra runner. Maybe. It's still sort of shady.

You see, the Lake Natoma 50k that I have been planning to run for a couple of months now was cancelled last minute early Saturday morning. When I discovered the news in my morning emails, I just kind of sat in bed shocked and in disbelief. I already had my dog walker lined up, the hotel reservations made, and my bag packed ever so carefully to be sure I didn't forget anything important...like my disturbingly large collection of dark chocolate. 

The cancellation sparked a raging fire of angry comments on their Facebook page (on both sides). I'll admit, I expressed my disappointment but still kept it civil. I don't believe they handled the situation in the best manner, but I DID get my refund and I am grateful for that at least. I mainly felt bad for the people that travelled from out of state to do this race, and the ones that had made this their "A" race. I really wish the race director's responses were more professional, mature and above the angry retorts, but sadly they weren't and I will not be participating in future runs with them.  

After everyone let out some steam, a handful of us decided to turn the situation into a positive one, and we grouped up to form a fun run since we had hotel reservations that we couldn't cancel. 

I specifically wanted to go because this course is part of the American River 50 Miler and I hoped to get a glimpse of it. Jon and I met up with Rini, and we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Folsom. It was just a basic hotel. I thought it was decent, but I am glad I'm not staying there for the AR 50. I thought the walls were too thin, and the room kept getting really hot at night. When Jon would get up to turn the AC on it was like a polar vortex was swirling through the room, and then it would get hot again. Not the best night's sleep.

Our pre "race" meal was...sushi! We went to this really bizarre joint called Mikuni's. It was a chain restaurant that was packed FULL of people. The sushi was delicious but very untraditional and topped with spicy and americanized sauces. I didn't mind though (I'm from a rural part of Michigan after all). I remained pretty low carb and ended up feasting on about 4 types of raw fish. It was risky, I know, but luckily everything turned out okay. 

Bright and early at 5:30am, Rini and I woke up and prepared for the run at 7. My morning meal was a handful of cashews, and pouch of Tropical Orange Generation UCAN powder with some decaf coffee. Not exactly the finest breakfast anyone could ask for. The UCAN powder is sweetened with Stevia, and I don't mind the taste too much. My favorite is still the Vanilla Protein Powder mix.

Sunrise over the lake

We met up with the crew and all shared laughs about the cancellation. Some of us wanted to make t-shirts, and we joked about having a secret annual race before the Lake Natoma 50k.

Jon graciously provided a moving aid station after his run, meeting us a few spots along the course. I really was happy to see him, even though I didn't need any aid. Additionally, this wonderful guy, Darren, selflessly bought refreshments and medals. He also not only started us out on our run (he was familiar with the route and area) but also went back to wait for us to finish 5+ hours later to cheer us on. I think he deserves some kind of award for his kindness to strangers. And yes, this medal means a lot more to me than most of the ones on my medal rack.

Me, Darren, (a couple who I don't know their names!), Rini, and Brian

Our group was small, and some ran different distances. I ran with a really great guy named Brian who drove all the way from Oregon, and we shared our running stories. We started off a little faster than I wanted. I was going to try to follow strict heart rate for the first half, but it was tough with a group of people. Also it was really janky for the first mile, giving me false high numbers.

Eventually as the run continued I figured I needed to just ignore the heart rate completely and just treat this like a race. I stuck with Brian (and a big thank you to him for holding back on his pace a bit for me), and we meandered through the beautiful bike path next to the river. The path was really nice, mostly flat with some rolling hills, and partially shaded for the majority of it. 

A view of the river.

My fuel during the run consisted of 2 nuun tablets in 1 liter of water for hydration, 1 Pocket Fuel Chocolate Haze pouch, 1 Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Almond butter pouch, and 1 AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS Salted Caramel Gu. I have been raving about the Salted Caramel Gu since it graced my lips. Not only was it a really nice easy to eat consistency, but it tasted so good I'd probably top my ice cream with it. I should probably put a disclaimer here, saying that I have deprived myself from sugar and all things sweet for months so I might not be the best judge of taste right now.

The run went pretty well for the most part! I felt great, but from mile 18 and on the sun started to get a bit brutal. I could feel a blister developing on my little toe where the last blister was. A word of advice: NEVER leave bandaids on feet. It will spiral out of control!!! Not only did I feel the blister develop, but around mile 25 I actually felt it POP. And gush. It was the most disturbing, and then painful experience. I tried to keep running normally so that I didn't develop any injury from running all weird, but it was like I had a hot poker jammed between my toes. I'm going to be buying some Injiji Compression Socks ASAP to hopefully remedy this situation.

Around mile 28 my running buddy started to fall back and I had to leave him behind (mainly because I was afraid if I was going to stop that I wouldn't be able to get going again!). To his credit, he had only signed up and trained for the 26.2 distance, so winging a 50k is pretty ballsy. He did an amazing job and was such a pleasure to run with. 

My running partner Brian

I continued running alone, and managed to make it back up all the hills without walking. I was pleased to see that my average heart rate was at 160, and the highest was actually 178 (the false 193 number in my strava is because of the janky heart rate reading at the start). I finished with Jon, Rini, and Darren there to cheer me on crossing the invisible finish line. The most amazing part? Jon gifting me 3 slices of bacon at the finish. WHAT A GUY. 

Running through the invisible finish line

Heart Rate Data

It shows that I ran over 1300 ft of elevation and 32 miles total 5 hours and 30 mins (I admit to pausing about 3-4 times for short bathroom breaks and "hello to jon" breaks). At the end I was tired, but I had a lot more energy than I thought I would. I didn't even need to sit down. My Garmin told me that I had broken all of my previous records: the 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon, and Longest Distance ran. Oh! I also used the Garmin courses for the first time and that was incredible. I drew out a course prior to the run and it would tell me when I ran off course (which only happened once...). It also allowed me to see myself as a little triangle on the course and would tell me the distance and predicted time left. BEST FEATURE EVER! Seriously, it kept me so entertained through most of the run.

My running partner in crime, Rini...well she did amazing, as expected. She flew through the course and her average was well under a 10 minute pace. I expect her to do amazing things for this 50 miler! 

I think that's it for the recap. You can find my splits at my Strava page. I couldn't be happier with how the run with (aside from the blister) and I'm a bit more confident about the 50 miler coming up in less than 5 weeks. EEK! Not terribly sore today but it doesn't mean I want to climb any stairs. Let's see how the runs this week go.

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Lake Natoma 50k Recap...kind of.

HeatherIhn 1

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It's amazing how much you can get done on a weekend when you're not running a combined 30+ miles. This past weekend was a "short" one, and included two "baby" runs of 10 miles each. The week was rough for me, so the shorter milage was welcomed with open arms.

Not to be giving TMI, but I need to say that I get CHRONIC kidney and bladder infections. I think it may be hereditary (which honestly I have no idea since I was adopted), but either way it is a giant pain. Quite literally. Like, the worst imaginable pain...ever, aside from maybe childbirth which I hear has a real "ouch" factor. And maybe being engulfed in flames. That would hurt too.

So in result, I have been on a week long course of antibiotics. This is the first time since my diet make over that I have been on any meds, so I was really disappointed that I had to resort to them. I knew it was going to effect my runs, and it did. My heart rate was higher, and I felt like my muscle recovery wasn't happening. 

The midweek runs were all slower than I had wanted. I forced myself to do some hill work on Friday, and managed to crank out over 600 feet of elevation with MANY 50 foot hills. We have this little hill near our house known as "Hay Hill". It's pretty small but also kind of visually stunning since it's in the middle of nowhere. In the summer as the ground gets dry and dead the hill turns a really beautiful hay color, and in the winter and spring when we get more rain it's a very lush green. 

It's a great place to get a workout done because there are so many options to go up it! Some of the ways are VERY steep and I have to basically go at a crawling pace to keep my heart rate low. There are a couple of spots where it is a very long and gradual incline. I can usually run up most of that at a very slow pace. There are some that are in between the two, and then there's a side with stairs. At the top of the hill are plenty of benches and pretty wind sculptures. I know the thing like the back of my hand, and hope to make an illustrated chart some day. Is that geeky? I don't know. 

Hay Hill

I did one of my long runs at a trail that I used to run on almost religiously. It's known as the Sawyer Camp Trail at the Crystal Springs Reservoir. I love this trail for numerous of reasons. It is a great 12 mile out and back with rolling hills, and includes a mile long hill at the 5-6 mile mark. The path is paved and well maintained, and on the sides are some dirt paths that are easier on the legs. I always see deer roaming around the area, and it's decently shaded once you get past the 2 mile marker. It also has several bathrooms, as well as a water fountain at mile 6. If you wanted to run longer, there's an additional path at the top for an extra 2 or so miles. The only real negative is that sometimes on the weekend it can get crowded, which include a lot of walkers walking four abreast, or a lot of @$$hole cyclists blowing through everyone at 25mph. Not cool. Oh and the bathrooms get REALLY stinky.

Crystal Springs Trail

I really struggled through that run. My body was not feeling it, and it was the first run that I've done on this training that I REALLY wanted to quit on. I had to ignore my heart rate and just go above it because it was just making me angry trying to go so slow. I don't regret going over my MAF heart rate. I know not to stray too far from it, but I try not to freak out if I need to do a run and go over. I need to prepare myself mentally to go well over it for when the race comes up.

Aside from my crappy running week, I was surprisingly productive on the ol' homestead. I got a LOT of gardening done. I prepared both of my gardening beds, and my boyfriend helped me build this indoor grow light shelving area for my seedlings. Yeah, it looks pretty fishy from my neighbor's perspective, but they're tomatoes, I swear!!! I also single handedly cleaned the whole house, and made a trip to the farmer's market! Not too shabby if I must say so.

All of that gardening made me REALLY sore. Granted, I am super weak from my lack of strenght work, but I swear you don't need a gym if you have outdoor chores to do. Weed pulling, soil turning, lifting heavy bags of dirt. My goal in life is to move to the country, have a farm with chickens, goats, little cows, and bees. I think I'd be fitter, happier, and healthier. I would also grow these luscious heirloom tomatoes. Meat, milk, eggs and tomatoes. That's all anyone really needs, right? I think that growing your own food is important, if not only to realize how much work and energy really goes into making your food. I wish more people understood and appreciated that. 

I'll get off my soapbox now, but I highly encourage you to start that garden that you've always wanted to dabble with! Even if you have a patio you can have a small container garden. 

That's about all the news over here. This weekend is a BIG weekend for us, as it will be my very first 50k in Folsom. I can't believe I'm running a 50k as a TRAINING run. dontfreakout.dontfreakout.dontfreakout.

You'll be hearing all about it. Oh, and if you haven't done so yet, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and maybe some day I will update my Twitter! 

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Gardening > Gym

HeatherIhn 0

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