I know it's been a while. I've been a bad blogger. Throwing newly hatched chicks into my life has made things terribly unbalanced, and uninteresting for the running world. However they're becoming more independent, so I will be more consistent, I swear!

The past few weeks weren't very interesting. I did lots of MAF runs, and one hill run. MAF runs have been slowly improving, but I'm sure the race I did today will knock it back to "damaged runner" state. I also got some new Hoka Valors which will serve as my daily (almost daily) road shoe for the next few hundred miles.

But there's a race report to tell, so let's cut to the chase, shall we?

One of the few races that I signed up for this year was the highly anticipated Dirty Dozen & Half Dozen that Brazen Racing hosts. Jon and I did it last year, and loved it so much that we gathered a larger crew and did it again. 

Jon and Johan last year

Like the name suggests, this run is a (dirty) trail run in Pinole, CA, and goes on for 6 hours and 12 hours for those that think 6 hours just doesn't cut it. I'm pretty set on 6 hours...but who knows what the future holds.

This race is great because everyone sort of sets up camp there. People bring tents, canopies, lawn chairs, coolers, dogs...you name it, and it's probably there. You can have a 2 person team for the 6 or 12 hour race, or a 3 person team for the 6 or 12 hour race, or run it individually. There's also a morning 5k/10k at 10:30, and an afternoon 10k/5k at 4:00. Pretty much everyone can run, from elite ultra marathoners to the casual 5k walk/runner. 

Tents from last year

Entry fees aren't too shabby either, considering you get a super sweet hoodie (for the 6/12 hour runs), tons of snacks and goodies at the 2 mile marker and the start, as well as a BBQ at the end with pulled pork and beef brisket. We registered our 2 person team at the last moment which was $160 total.

The course is relatively fast with rolling hills and partial shade. The trail is primarily soft dirt, and not technical at all. Our total elevation for the 3.37 mile loop was 180ft. The mini .67 mile loop which opens up in the last hour had a little hill that definitely serves as a good speed bump for the faster runners, but I would say that none of the hills would require walking as long as you were used to some moderate hill running. You get a decent breeze from the ocean, and the views range from oceans and mountains to beautiful forests.

Pinole tends to get pretty warm, so that's something that we were half expecting, but it still got uncomfortably warm for us and probably hit around an 80 degree high.

When Jon and I ran the race last year, we ended up snagging 2nd place even though we were just using it as a long run training for a marathon. That gave us some hope to winning it this year, so we organized some quick teams. Jon had our super fast friend Ko run with us, and they recruited a fellow PARC member, Charles, who was also quick footed. I was supposed to be on their team, but hopped over to a 2 person team with Rini since I wanted to get in more mileage and also really wanted Rini to join in on the fun and not sit out. 

Jon, Johan and I, all winners in 2014!

The farthest that I had ran was 13.7 miles at the Double Dipsea since the American River 50 in early April. I had no idea what I was capable of. Rini was in a similar boat, and had just came back from hiking the 220 mile John Muir Trail, and her farthest run since was 7 miles. Since I knew it was a slim chance of winning, I named our team Noot's wUnderdogs. Neutron is Rini and Brandon's Border Collie, and she just celebrated her 16th birthday this week.

THE RACE.

Jon and I rolled out of bed at 4:15am. It was rough. The first time I was up before the sunrise in many months. Charles, who is on Jon's team, carpooled with us.

Going over the Bay Bridge around 5:30am

We got to the race a little before 6am and set up our tent. All of our other friends joined us shortly after. Our area was pretty pimped out, complete with a canopy, dog pen, ice bucket, cot, foam rollers, 3 chairs, 2 food coolers, a water cooler, and some blankets.

Rini at our setup.

The race started a couple of minutes past 7am, which was great because it was already starting to get warm. I started the relay for our team.

It was a bit of an experiment for us, since we really had no idea what the best approach was. Do we swap every lap? Every 2 laps? We decided swapping every lap was the most ideal if we were going for a win.

The start was rough for me. I was very anxious, and after doing a hard effort 3.37 miler, my stomach was in my throat. I couldn't relax since I knew Rini would be back within 30 minutes. The A goal in my head was to do 20 miles each, but a more realistic goal was 36 miles, 18 miles each. I barely ever run under a 10 min mile now a days, so I knew doing that alone for 18 miles would be hard.

My first loop

Rini has the leg speed between the two of us, and her first lap was around an 8 minute pace! Her 2nd lap was around an 8:10 average. SO FAST. That really helped us in the long run. (no pun intended).

The fastest I could get my little legs to go was an 8:35 pace average. 

My 2nd loop

Surprisingly, after the first two loops I started feeling a lot better. My anxiety subsided and I started to feel more stable and calm. I would still get little butterflies in my stomach the couple of minutes before running, but I guess that's to be expected. It was nice to have another group there to keep me company instead of just me being antisocial in a tent like last year.

Ko and Jon talking strategy

Between the runs I would mix up dixie cups of water and unflavored Tailwind. I REALLY love Tailwind. It is by far my favorite sports drink, and I think I'm set on making that my primary nutrition for runs. The naked flavor had a bit of sweetness but was refreshing. I didn't take in any additional calories, and was completely fine. Seriously, if you have stomach issues with other drinks, I highly suggest giving this one a shot. Easy to drink, mixes really well, very simple and straight forward.

Random photo of Kali, Rini's dog, eating a celebratory cupcake for Neutron's birthday

I didn't track my heart rate for this event because frankly, I knew it was going to be insane. I didn't need anything strapped to my chest to tell me that. I think it would have just been additional weight and stress. I will say that I pushed very hard in all of my loops, and wouldn't be surprised if my heart rate was between 170-180 the entire time I was running.

By the time I was on loops 5 and 6, the temperature REALLY started heating up. I was no longer finding relief in the shade, which is never a good sign. My pace slowed to a 9:20 average by lap 6.

After loop 6, we had under and hour left, and Rini started out on the shorter .67 mile loops. This little loop was different than last year, and not as painful as I was expecting. 

I should mention that during all of this madness we had Jon's group of 3 people competing against this other super fast group. They were neck to neck almost the entire way, and it was thrilling to watch them catch up to them. Both teams gave a very hard effort that was inspiring to watch!

Ko was flying through the course!

Rini and I finished with 40.67 miles overall. I had done around 22.6 miles I guess? And Rini did 18? I don't really know honestly, I am really bad at math at the moment and too careless to add up all my miles in Strava.

Jon's team finished with 51.01 miles! Only .6 miles ahead of the other team. The other team congratulated them very quickly, and everyone was extremely friendly and supportive of each other. They had some seriously quick folks on their team, and everyone was giving it their all in the final laps!

Team Ko Dependent chatting with Team Third Wheel

Rini's husband, Brandon ran it with no training, and he managed to do over 27 miles! His farthest run in his life was a half marathon, so this was impressive to say the least. He is an amazing athlete, and does a lot of mountaineering, so I can't say I was exactly surprised that he did this super human feat. What an athletic pair!

Our other friend Johan ran 33.67 miles on his own, and got 4th for the men's category and second in his age group. He's a great ultra runner that is an inspiration to Jon and Me, that eats marathons for breakfast! High fat, low carb marathons.

Oh yeah, and both of our teams won first place! We were so excited about it, and really put in a lot of effort and energy. For sure we will be limping around tomorrow. Noot's wUnderdog's got 4th place of both the 2 and 3 person teams overall out of 32 teams, and 1st for the 2 person teams. 

Team Neutron's wUnderdogs

Team Ko-Dependent

We celebrated with the BBQ food that they provided. Delicious pulled pork, and beef brisket! Sorry, no photos...ate it too fast! Can I just request though, that they don't put cilantro in their coleslaw next year? Pretty please?

The prizes were Brazen Racing hats that they had in a box. The most hard earned hats ever!

The medal was also great. I have to say that the artwork for Brazen Racing is impressive and some of the best. Oh, and the hoodie is one of our favorites. It is so warm and cozy that I don't ever want to take it off!

Would we do it again? YOU BET. We're going to be regulars! This race was well organized, had a great friendly vibe, wasn't too painful on the wallet, and has some of my favorite swag! My only complaint is that I found the course to be a little bit confusing. There was one moment where I ran off course (right at the start by the bridge) and I wasn't the only one to do that either. I also accidentally ran through the wrong funnel at the end of the big loop, and it was counted as a little loop. Luckily the customer service for Brazen is spot on, and it was resolved within minutes of me emailing them. 

Congrats to all that competed this year, and a giant thank you to the wonderful hard working volunteers and race directors. I know it's not easy putting on such a large race with so many categories, but you pull it off well and we appreciate it.

One last note: splitting up the relay into swapping every lap was ideal for us. There's no way I would have been able to keep that pace running it in one go. I was able to recover pretty well within the 30 minutes, and went much farther than I was expecting.

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Brazen Racing's Dirty Dozen and Half Dozen! Race Report

HeatherIhn 0

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It finally happened. My tiny bucket list has one less item. Saturday, April 04, I ran my first ever 50 miler at the American River 50 that runs from Folsom to Auburn, CA. I've finally earned THIS beauty. Ultrarunnerpodcast threw in the >26.2 for free (thank you!) but I plan on just using the FIDDY.

Let's cut to the chase. Friday, Jon and I headed up to Folsom, and checked in to NorCalUltras at the Fleet Feet in Fair Oaks. I grabbed my cinch bag filled with my bib (#322), a green tech tee, some Gu Chomps, a Clif bar sample, some stickers, and my favorite - the American River 50 buff. 

The AR50 Buff

Look how round my head is!

We stayed at the Larkspur Landing hotel in Folsom, since it was affiliated with the race, and had a special discount. Our studio room was really nice, and the bed was fluffy and comfortable. It included breakfast at 4am for the runners, and the shuttle was just a quick walk across the street at the Hilton. The only negatives that I would give is that the air conditioning was a little intense, and the tub was very very slow to drain which can be kind of gross when you're covered in dirt and sweat.

My awesome running twin Rini, her husband Brandon, and her friend Lori met up with us and booked a room three doors down (yes, like the band). We ate our pre-race meals at Scott's Seafood Bar and Grill, and I indulged in a filet mignon and shrimp on a bed of rice. We all seemed pleased with our meals. Rini clearly had the most...ornate one of the bunch. 

After dinner, we made a quick pit stop at Walmart to get some last minute crucial items. Crewing isn't complete without a bean bag toss game, fancy folding chairs, and a cooler for the bacon flavored hot dogs and beer. 

Jon with his lawn games, arm chair, and rolling cooler.

Bedtime was around 10pm, and I was back up by 3am. It was painful. I rolled out of bed and strapped on the 50lbs* of running gear I dragged with me. The most notable items were my shoes, the Hoka One One Cliftons, the Hikers Wool for my feet, and my Garmin 920XT watch. Nutrition wise, I armed myself with Gu's, Pocket Fuel Naturals, and Nuun Tablets in my spiffy Salomon vest that held two 16oz soft-flasks (One for water, one for electrolytes).  *it wasn't really 50lbs

My race gear

Not happy at 3am

My five star breakfast was a gross boiled egg, some coffee, and half of a banana. Then we crawled on the shuttle with a large number of fellow zombie runners. The shuttle was a school bus, driven by a super nice lady that let us take shelter on the bus after arriving to keep warm. The weather wasn't too bad, but the wind made the start a bit chilly. There was also a tent available, but being in that tent made me very aware that people need to wash their gear. Runners stink. Present company included.

Rini trying to sneak in some extra Z's before the race.

On the bus

The guns went off at 6am. Most of us had headlamps on, which you could conveniently kiss goodbye to at mile five. And in my drunken tiredness, I forgot to pick it up and will never see it again. *sniff*

To my surprise (and obvious lack of research), the first five miles were on a trail. I wasn't prepared to run in the dark on a single track. It also blew my low heart rate plan completely out the door since I was starting off with a 160-170hr from all the little hills and focusing on not falling and being trampled alive. One notable highlight was the lunar eclipse that we all got to see. It was beautiful, and on the way out the moon was hanging low and it was still partially eclipsed. 

The Eclipse at 4:30am

About 5 miles in, post single track

Miles 5.5-20 were easy breezy for me, mostly flat and on a pleasant bike path. I was holding a steady pace, and felt good. I met our crew (Jon, Brandon, and Lori), and like a well oiled machine, they had my liquids replenished and sent me off for another nine miles.

Brandon running me in to the rest of the crew

I met them again at mile 29, a little more disheveled than before, but still holding up. My problem at that point was that I could not handle any of my Gu's that I brought. The only thing I ate up to that point was half of a Pocket Fuel and a Gu that I forced down. I don't know what happened because I never had issues eating these before, and I actually looked forward to them in training. 

The real fun began after mile 29. My vivid imagination painted a relatively flat course, with some happy little trails on some happy little slopes, but the cold reality was a lot of single tracks with seemingly endless hills. The terrain ranged from a soft soul sucking sand, to rock hard paths that were torn up by mountain bikes, to some loose rocks and big steps. I'm probably exaggerating here, and the ultra runner pros are probably laughing at me, but I thought it was surprisingly technical terrain.

The worst part for me were all the giant steps and stones. I swear some of them were a foot and a half or two foot drops, which are usually okay on fresh legs, but at over 30 miles in was just cruel. Especially with my stumpy legs. By mile 35 I was cursing like a sailor. Alone. In the woods.

Speaking of the woods, one thing to watch out for is the absurd amount of poison oak lining the trails! Luckily I don't seem to be susceptible to it, but I know some people are. I also heard through the grapevine that there were rattlesnakes on the course. Eek!

My classily titled Strava run, and the elevation my Garmin estimated.

Now here's the biggie. See the elevation total here? The website listed it as 3100' total, and I swear prior to that I saw numbers online ranging between 1500'-2700'.  After all, the reason I picked this course was because it was supposedly one of the fastest and flattest out there! Actually, it still is, but I'm a baby. As soon as my Garmin passed 3000', a bit of my soul died and I gave up on hitting anything near 9 hours. The best metaphor I could come up with is, imagine yourself waiting in line for a slightly thrilling but mostly serene ride on Splash Mountain, but then realizing after you sat down that you were actually on an extended version of the Tower of Terror.

The REAL course elevation

I hit the last crewed aid station at mile 40. They were worried about my lack of calories, so they mixed me a special brew of Carbo Pro, salt, and water and wouldn't turn me loose until I drank every last drop. They also cooled me down with a wet towel, and threw a cold wet bandana over my neck since the temps started to get a bit uncomfortable out there. All I could do was stare blankly and try to convince them at how hard it was, but only received the "yes dear" and pat on the back response that you'd give a delusional person.

My super hot double chin photo while getting my bottles refilled.

I turned to go back up this god awful hill that the aid station was below. On the way up, a runner that passed me on the way down shouted "LITTLE GOAT!?" and I got to meet a fellow instagrammer! I never thought I'd respond to the name Little Goat, or that anyone would even recognize me! Thanks for that little boost of energy Wingedling! 

The carbo pro kicked in, thank God. I was fading from only taking about 200 calories for the first 40 miles. I got some new found energy and managed to whip through the next three miles without too much of a struggle.

Miles 43-46 were PRETTY slow. It got to the point where I was telling myself to run every tenth of a mile. I had done the math in my head and was just trying to keep a 15 minute mile so that I could stay under a 10 hour finish. I had no clue how long the last three miles would take me, considering that the race ended with a notoriously killer hill.

I hit the last aid station, right before the big hill at mile 46. It was blasting some much needed metal music, and was decorated with a giant Red Bull archway. The volunteers were so incredible throughout the entire event, and gave the runners first class treatment. They ran out to every runner eagerly, and happily filled their waters or got them whatever they needed. Not only did they serve us like waiters in a fine restaurant, but they also shouted encouraging words like, "YOU LOOK SO FRESH!" even if I was walking crookedly with a limp with my sweaty hair in my face.

Part of Cardiac Hill. No fancy camera angles here.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know when you hit "Cardiac Hill". It was STEEP, and I was making desperate attempts to make it a little less horrible by trying walk backwards, or just swearing the whole way up. This is when my hamstrings began to threateningly twitch and were on the verge of seizing up. I took this picture of 3 miles left to go, simply because I clearly had the time and was not moving fast enough for it to be blurry.

The hill did round out after about a mile, and I managed to keep running even though it was still slightly uphill. I felt pretty encouraged, thanks to the mile markers. I managed to "fly" through the last three miles at a 12 minute pace.

Energetic and encouraging spectators were lined up along the finish line that I crossed at exactly 9 hours and 47 minutes, snagging me 159th place overall from over 600 finishers. I was handed my new shiny medal, and fluffy pink Patagonia jacket right away.

I thought I was running, but apparently not.

I was greeted with my wonderful crew too! The finish line "festival" was well executed as well. I was poured some piping hot beef chili and then sat for 10 minutes in these fancy air compressed recovery boots. They really did help get the blood flowing through the legs, but were out of my price range.

Rini is a natural at this long distance stuff, and despite getting lost for almost two miles, she still managed to surge ahead and finish with an awesome first 50 miler time of 9:37! She's an incredible person and athlete, and I am so glad we met each other last year! 

After chatting for a while, I went back to the hotel and did the big blister reveal. I had three blisters, all in the usual spots (two on the outside of my big toes, and one on my pinky toe). Nothing too horrible or surprising, I've had worse at marathons, but man my feet were FILTHY from the trail! I took a much needed ice bath, and then we went to eat at Hawks where I indulged in chicken, french fries, wine, and dessert. 

Yes, I was wearing shoes and socks!

So how do I feel post race? Well, my quads were completely blown out for the first couple of days. I actually got stuck on the 2nd step of our three step stairway to our driveway. I had gone down a stair, but couldn't bring myself to go down another, or back up because it hurt so bad to hold any weight on a bent leg. I just stood there laughing until I cried, and then Jon got out of the car to help me down the last step. Everything else is good though. Like...really good. Suspiciously good. 

Would I do it again? Ask me in a month, but I think I got away with a pretty ideal first 50 miler experience. The weather was perfect, my training was seamless, no major issues, and I was with a wonderful group of people. It was about 2000 feet more of elevation than I was expecting, but I guess the lesson learned is to REALLY do your homework. And oh, never believe the elevation charts. 

I'm glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and it was nice to experience that nervous/excited/unsure feeling again that I was beginning to lack with the marathon and half marathon distances. I should also mention that the course was profoundly beautiful. Wildflowers galore, the American River, and butterflies so numerous they literally hit me in the face!

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my boyfriend Jon for taking such good care of me! I think he might have been more nervous than I was, and even made sure to poke me on the shoulder in the middle of the night to make sure I wasn't dead from the lack of movement. He also carried all of our stuff back to the car, and made me a fancy omelette in the morning.

Jon with one of the crew dogs - Kali!

I think we overpacked.

Oh, and just because.

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Race Report - American River 50 Miler

HeatherIhn 2

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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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