So You’re Going To Do A Mountain Race

My experience with mountains:  Went to Peru once, hiked up a mountain with my sisters.  This is the worst picture of me on the side of a rock on a mountain not knowing what to do with myself.  Then there was this one time I went to Colorado for a weekend and rode a mountain bike down a mountain successfully.  Another time Gretchen and I were at a race expo where there was a fake volcano mountain that she ran a toy runner up.  I’m sure these events totally have me prepared for Never Summer 100k this coming July.  However since I live in the mountain less Midwest I’m coming up with a few strategies for rocking this race.

-Upping my running to about 50-65 miles a week ( doing 40ish miles a week now)

 

-Lots of heavy weights

-lots of trail time with extra hill time

-the stairs at Liberty Memorial

-lots of step ups

 

Any other ideas?

 

 

2016 Goals

I realize it’s like the 5th day of the year already but I’ve had these goals running around in my head for a few weeks or longer.  That said you make goals happen by writing them down, visualizing them and telling people you are going to do this s**t!

Run a hard ultra- All ultras are hard for sure but once you have done one it doesn’t seem quite so hard.  This year I’m taking it up a notch and picked out a mountain race, Never Summer 100k in Colorado.  Running up and down some mountains, it will be epic.  After signing up it took almost no persuading to get a friend to sign up(training partner) and I think I have my sister (Courtney) persuaded to come out so it’ll be fantastic.

Pull Ups or Else- I can do 2 in a row but it takes effort.  I wanna be able to just walk up, grab the bar and bang a bunch out.

Be a Badass- Yes I think I already am but you can always be more.  The first two goals will clearly add to this goal.

Write or give positive reviews- I work as a waitress so I’m all to familiar with reviews.  Do you know when people like to give reviews or talk to managers?  When they are mad about something.  Usually something completely ridiculous.  Do you know who likes to write reviews or talk to managers?  People who get worked up over every little thing in life and it is always someone else’s fault.  Going to try and counterbalance this and increase my good karma.

Reusable bags- I used to be good at this but I’ve gotten lazy.  The bigger theme here is buy less and waste less.

 

Goals you’d like to share?  I love goals!

 

 

 

2015: The Goals Revisited

I love making New Years Goals(not resolutions), I find it really motivating. As this is the last day of 2015 I figured I’d take a look back and see how I fared from what I wrote out a year ago.

Run 100 mile race: Nailed it!  Finished the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler in 23:25:03. Had to walk more than I would have liked towards the end of the race but for my first 100 it went great!

3 pull ups in a row:  Ahh I’m up to 2 on a good day, 1 more than last year.  I think I’m strong enough for this I just haven’t focused on it much.

New marathon PR:  Nope.  Totally injured myself before the race and ran it anyway.  It was kinda painful and slow.  Only marathon I ran this past year and not a distance I’m focused on at the moment.

Run More Races:  Nope.  I ran 3 races this year, 4 if we count the 4th of July 5k with Gretchen.  Foot issues plagued me for most of the year but completing the 100 miler was totally worth it!

Blog more:  I don’t know, probably but I’m not gonna look since it is not a significant amount more.  Plan on working on that.

Ignoring the rest of my life and not goaling it out:  Kinda worked, made some mistakes but feeling like I’m better off at the end than of the year than the beginning so there’s that.

Still calling it a success for the year.  I make my own rules.  Ran and rocked a 100 miles.  Yes, training and running for a 100 miles contributed to me having a 6ish month long injury but I recovered and became very acquainted with the free weights at the gym while I couldn’t run.  I think this will make me more injury proof in the future plus muscles are awesome!

Anyone else look back at their 2015 goals?  Want to share?

 

Oatmeal Raisin Protein Bars

Was going for oatmeal cookie flavor.  Just like everything else I make, if you’re not eating oatmeal cookies all the time these totally taste like oatmeal cookies but if eating cookies is what you do probably not so much.  But we are trying to be healthy here.

Running KC in December

If like me you just can’t read enough about running check out my article Meditations On December Running In KC in the December Issue of Indie Fit.

Indie Fit is a new free monthly in Kansas City focusing on health and fitness.  Iv’e picked up copies at Run 816 and the Sunfresh in Wesport but it’s also available at other gyms, running shops and coffee shops in the KC area.

Checking Out the Trails: Knob Noster State Park

I knew I’d be out at my parents Thanksgiving morning so I made plans with myself to check out a trail at Knob Noster State Park not to far from their house.  I had planned on checking out The Opossum Hollow trail but the gate to drive back to the trail head was locked.  Not sure why according to what I found online it should have been open however the gate across the highway was open so I drove in to see what was back there.  It accessed the McAdoo trail system.  I parked at the trail head and looked around.  I passed one parked car on the drive in but saw no one or any other vehicles while I was there.

The trail was really nice and super run-able.  I think when looking online to decide which trail to run I wanted to avoid this one since horses were allowed on it.  This trail was not all rutted out and you were not constantly having to jump over piles of horse poop like the horse trails I’m more familiar with.  It was a bit hilly in a good way with a few small water crossings I could easily jump across.

Starting at the trail head I ran the yellow loop twice.  The loop is super well marked with yellow plastic blazes on the trees and other than 2 connector trails inside the loop, really no way to get off the trail and lost.  My watch was measuring 4.75miles for the big loop but it always measures short on trails so I’m calling it 5 miles.  I wanted to do a third loop but thought I’d be cutting it a little close on dinner time so my third time out I took the 1st connector trail.  It was around a mile long. I added a bit more at the end to give myself 12 miles for my Thanksgiving Day run.

I would say I can’t believe that I lived near here the first 20 years of my life and never checked out these trails.  However I was 23 before I started running and not hating nature.  Looking forward to checking out the other park trails soon.

Get Your Thanksgiving Run On

Thanksgiving day is also a day I don’t have to work but do have to eat a lot which pretty much means it needs to be a long run day.  That run needs to happen before the food happens for obvious reasons.  I have very little interest in participating in the cooking part of the day.  Others might want you to help with all the cooking of it.  How do you make that run happen.

-State early on that you will be needing to get your run in that morning(because well you have to.)  This will keep everyone’s expectations low for you doing any cooking that morning.

-Get up and out the door before there is much going on in the kitchen.

-If you do pass someone on the way out the door just say “I’m going for a quick jog and will be right back.” (30 minutes, 3 hours whatever)

-Get yourself back about an hour out from dinner.  Time to shower and dress somewhat appropriately.  No one wants to be stuck next to you at the dinner table after you have been running for several hours.  If you miss calculate your time and can’t fit a shower in before dinner at least change and sit next to the scented candle.

-Fully enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.  You just ran double digit miles, eat all you want.

-Head up the clean up crew.  Don’t be the jerk who didn’t cook or clean.

-Foam roll and nap.

How To Be Ready To Run At All Times

My gym bag is always stuffed full of accessories for all exercise situations one might encounter.  I had all my normal gym stuff but then added for running outside and on a trail and in the dark.  It was getting ridiculous and super stinky if we are being honest.

I know a lot of other runners have their box of gear in the trunk so with it being trail running preparedness week* I thought I should get my gear together.  I am now ready to run at all times, no matter where I’m at, well assuming I have my car with me.

Spare pair of trail and road shoes, all weather clothing needs of running clothes I don’t really like but fit so I can run in them,  stocking cap, 2 pairs of gloves incase I make a friend, hot hands, Chapstick, soap, lotion, wet wipes, hair ties, Off!, spare flashlight, spare headlamps, batteries, aleve, spare water bottle, honey stinger chews, salt caps, Nuun, and Granola Bars*

After I packed up I added toilet paper, trash bags, a towel and spare body glide.

I think I’m all kinds of prepared now and box doubles as a roadside emergency kit.

*It really isn’t trail running preparedness week.  I just made that up, as far as I know there isn’t such a week.

*Fake box of granola bars.  I only have homemade bars in the house right now and think I should get some store bought ones for the box.  Since they are full of preservatives and will last longer.

What did I forget?

Protein Bars or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?

These bars came together real fast, only 5 ingredients mixed up in a bowl and pressed into a pan, done.  Then the best part, they taste like peanut butter cup candy.  I mean not exactly, they are less sweet for sure but to my taste buds thats an improvement.

I used the recipe found here.  I used a coffee grinder to turn regular oats into oat flour for the recipe and used regular dairy filled chocolate chips because I’m good with dairy.

First time I made them I did the melt chocolate thing and spread over but it’s messy and takes longer so this time I just mixed chocolate chips into the dough.

So good and so easy to make.  About the same calories as a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup but higher protein, less sugar.

Happy 5th To My Favorite Workout Girl!

I told her she could draw in my workout plans book if she drew a workout.  This is what she came up with, kinda hard core.