“The mountains are calling and I must go,” John Muir.

I wasn’t particularly excited about running Terrapin. Maybe it was the upset stomach the night before. Or the fear of bonking. Or the realization I had signed up to run 32 miles. Again.

Whatever it was, my heart wasn’t in it. For someone who loves turtles AND running, I was uncharacteristically ambivalent.

But the Mountains were calling…

At 7 a.m.,  300 trail runners disappeared up Terrapin Mountain. At Camping Gap, we divided into two groups. The crazy ones headed up Terrapin Mountain for the half marathon. The crazier ones descended the gravel road for the 50k.

I focused on the basics. Eat, run, drink. Eat, run, drink.

Somewhere in those miles, I found my mountain spirit. Or  it found me.  I was no longer fighting the terrain; I was passing through it, basking in the air, the light, the dirt, the sweat. I felt joy for the mountains, for my fellow runners and for the great gift of Life that allowed me to run this race.

During those last miles, I felt stronger than at any point in the race. As someone who is accustomed to bonking the last 5-10 miles, it was surreal.

I don’t how it happened at Terrapin, that transformation from start to finish, but I got my mountain legs back. And it felt good.

***

Time: 6 hours 8 mins 48 seconds

Place: 7th female, 55th overall

Distance: 50k

Elevation gain/loss: 7560 feet/ 7560 feet

***

Many thanks to a great race director, Clark Zealand, and to all the volunteers who worked the aid stations, marked the course and kept us safe.  This race wouldn’t happen with your hard work.

To my runner friends, see you at Promise Land!

Two days of heavy rain had turned our local cascades into Niagra Falls wannabes. Whitewater churned and thrashed down the rocks, sweeping away leaves and sticks in a violent current. The effect was stunning. The waterfalls were flush with danger and beauty.

Here are a few photos from my journey. I covered nearly 30 miles in 2 days, including “sidetrips” up The Priest and Three Ridges with a group of ultrarunners.

WATERFALLS:

Fallingwater Cascades with a view of nearby mountains. The last time I was here, it was drought season and the falls had been reduced to a sad trickle.

ABOVE: Another view of Fallingwater Cascades, the smallest waterfall I visited. Last week: not so small.

The descent to Apple Orchard Falls. Water was gushing down the mountain from all directions. In this case, the trail was overtaken by water and turned into a temporary stream.

Apple Orchard: A little waterfall that feeds into the Big Kahuna.

With the sun shining directly into my camera and the wooden viewing platform flooding with water, I failed to take a really good picture of Apple Orchard’s main drop. Here’s half of the main cascade.

The other half of Apple Orchard’s big drop, which is split by a huge boulder hung with icicles. It was exhilarating to hike to the falls but I did not linger long.

Upper pool at Statons Creek Falls.

More whitewater at Statons Creek Falls.

The BIG drop at Statons Creek Falls.

We snapped a shot on the summit of Three Ridges during our 23-mile run.  We warmed up with a 9 mile out-and-back on The Priest (highest peak in background). Then we conquered the unrelenting climbs of the Three Ridges/Mau-Har loop. There was about 10,000 feet of climbing packed into our route. It’s known as one of the hardest training loops in the land.

The pack of runners descending Mau-Har. Weather was beautiful.

Kayakers completing a run on the Tye River. I loved their bright colored boats!

Moral of the Story: It was a great weekend to do what you love in the mountains.

Climbing some ice…

Climbing some rock…

On the running front, I’m getting my mountain legs ready for the Terrapin Mountain 50k at the end of March. Can’t wait!

This being my second ultramarathon, I had three simple goals for the race:

1. Run with joy.

2. Take it easy the first lap to avoid bonking in the second.

3. Have fun.

Generally, I LOVE running. The miles. The forest. The people. Running puts a smile on my face and endorphins in my brain.

That is, until Holiday Lake  – the race that snuck up on me like a weasel and, in the moment, made me want to quit running for life.

The first lap was no problem. I made good time, and maintained a pace below my threshold (or so I thought). The running was smooth and light. I was never out of breath. I chatted with other runners. Smiled.  Laughed. By all accounts, I was on track with my goals.

PROOF. A smile in the following photograph documents me allegedly having fun and achieving goals 1 & 3:

At the halfway point, I ditched my useless hydration pack, which had deprived me of water for miles. The tube froze during the pre-dawn start and despite shoving it down my sports bra for a good hour, the ice never thawed. So I picked up my hand-held water bottle, stuffed some Pringles in my mouth and headed down the trail.

When I ditched my hydration pack, I also ditched the “crutches” I had packed to get me through the race. Gone was the Advil to relieve my aching feet. Gone were the Hammer Gels to boost my energy. Gone was my iPod to get me through the  doldrums. It was just me and the trail, mano-a-mano.

I felt good for a few more miles. The weather was beautiful. The sun warmed my face and visions of springtime dance in my head.

Then, without warning, my mood took a nosedive.  My legs seemed fine, but my pace was slowing with every step. Bliss was replaced with Misery as my spirit sunk low and lower. People passed me and I didn’t care. I tried to think positive thoughts, but nothing worked. I was bonking and the finish line was miles away.

When I crossed the finish line,  I wasn’t happy, per say, just relieved.

The Bonk lasted for a good ten miles, and I was relieved to be done. In retrospect, The Bonk was the worst AND best part of the race.  The worst thing about The Bonk was my inability to get out of the mental rut. The best part was my ability to dig deep and keep going. I also learned a Big Lesson about the need to eat more food during the race.

See you at Terrapin.

I’m feeling confident going into the Holiday Lake 50k, my first ultramarathon of 2011. As with any race, I’m nervous about the unknowns, but feel as prepared as possible.

To recap, I made a strong recovery from the Disney World Marathon and am injury-free for the first time in months.  I’m not in peak shape, but I’m not undertrained, either. My legs are ready to run. The rest is mental. 

Here are my race goals.

1. Run with joy.

2. Cruise through the first 17 miles and turn up the gas during the second half. (I need to restrain myself from going out too fast because I’ll pay for it later, as I did in the DW marathon.)

3. Have fun! (Yes, I believe it’s possible to enjoy a 32-mile race.)

Disney World Marathon 2011.

Here’s an excerpt of the column I wrote for The News & Advance.

Link to full story.

Under dawn’s rosy glow, I ran toward the Magic Kingdom, fueled by adrenaline and a giddy joy comparable to that of a 5-year-old on Christmas morning.

Oh, the celebrities I would meet during the Disney World Marathon.

Mickey Mouse. Donald Duck. Maybe even Buzz Lightyear, in all his space ranger glory!

A sharp wind disrupted my reverie. The gale cut across the road, whipping my fairy wings akimbo.

“Darn these wings!” I muttered, thrusting them back into position.

It was my first marathon, and I was determined to run all 26.2 miles in full Tinkerbell costume.

My sequined green skirt fluttered gracefully as I ran, and a dusting of glitter gave my cheeks a sprightly glow. The centerpiece of my ensemble was 4-foot-wide fairy wings, which I bought for a staggering $25 at a Disney World gift shop.

I knew the fairy wings were a risk. I had heard the marathon horror stories of chafed armpits and unbearable blisters.

But Tink cannot fly without her wings. I was determined to forge ahead.

Click here to read the rest of the story…

Running through the Magic Kingdom at sunrise. They start the race at 5:30 a.m. to get the runners through the parks before they open to the general public.

I was on a mission to take photos with as many characters as possible.  I posed with 15 by the end of the race.

I ran the entire 26.2 miles in fairy wings! It was a fun race and I fully milked the Tinkerbell celebrity. (Read story for a full account.)

The aftermath:

After 26.2 miles pounding the pavement, I could barely walk the next day. I am not exaggerating. Walking has never been so difficult in my life. Even getting up from a seated position was a arduous task. Within 2-3 days, my legs were mostly recovered, though I’m taking it easy and focusing on recovery.
I’m still healing from a foot injury that cropped up when I was running a lot of road miles in December. However, I am on track from my next race: Holiday Lake 50k.  My goal for 2011 is to focus on recovery, cross training and injury prevention. I had a several injuries this past year, and it was very frustrating.  I’m really looking forward to staying healthy in 2011.
Cheers!

My family’s dog loves shoes. The smellier, the better.  As soon as I came in from a run along the Potomac River, Leia stole my sneaker and paraded it around the house. Then she settled down in her favorite spot by the window. She guarded the shoe with her ferocious paws like a dragon guards its treasure.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to my friends, family, running buddies and blog readers!

For the past four hours, I slept in a Jeep parked along the Blue Ridge Parkway. As I slumbered in the relative warmth of my sleeping bag, 120+ runners ran through the night, navigating ice, snow and relentless elevation change.

Hellgate 2010 was well underway.

Just before 6 a.m., I went to the  nearby aid station to wait for my runner. Rebekah was long gone. She had passed this mile marker 20-30 minutes earlier than expected, on her way to conquering Hellgate.

A few hours earlier…

The madness began at 12:01 a.m.  The starting line was a sea of  headlamps.  After a prayer from Horton and the Star Spangled Banner, the runners were off.

Barely a minute passed before the trail was quiet, and the last of the headlamps drifted into darkness.

Just passed first light on Saturday morning… Even the sky looked cold.

Later than afternoon: The triumphant trio makes their way to the finish line!

Rebekah finished fourth place for females and set a PR!  Rick (in all black) was in high spirits at every aid station. With Hellgate, he conquered the formidable Beast series. (I’m sorry, I don’t know the third runner in this trio.)

I enjoyed crewing for Rebekah, despite the cold. A shout out to all the wonderful aid station volunteers, especially the LU crew at the last aid station. Going on 30+ hours of no sleep, the LU crew got some laughs out of the weary runners with their crazy antics (including but not limited to ”Tunnel of Victory,” “Fire dance of Victory” and “Twizzlers of Victory”).  And a shout out to all the race director, sweepers and other volunteers who made this race safe and successful!

This race is known as the 100k that runs like a 100 miler (meaning, it’s long and hard). It’s going to be cold and brutal and mountainous, but that doesn’t deter runners from entering it year after year after year.  (Ultrarunners tend to suffer from “memory loss” that allows them to forget the pain of previous races.)

I’ll be on the sidelines, providing crew support for my running partner Rebekah Trittipoe.  Good luck to Rebekah and all the runners!

 November sunset. Old Rag Mtn – sunset climbing area.

Eighteen miles deep, we emerged from the woods and turned down a dirt road.

The moon was full. The gentle slope made for fast running.

My legs felt stronger than when we began.

 (11/ 20/10 training run Promise Land/Hellgate coures + Apple Orchard Mtn + AT)