Becoming a Triathlete

This year has been about change and pushing forward with a new perspective. It's been a journey and it's only October, who knows what the next two months will bring! Earlier this year, I ran everything... I was on a high from Myrtle Beach and Philly Marathons from 2017 and went into 2018 ready to run more.  I tried distance trail runs and determined I'm probably not equipped to handle ultras, but I succeeded at the Asheville Marathon enough to pace a half marathon a few weeks later.  Injury crept in and I momentarily froze.  So I left marathon running, to try my hand at marathon swimming, and found a new joy.  Now in October I am back to doing both - I swim and run distance. Oddly, even though I'm happy having two distance sports to toy around with, I feel like something is missing.  It's like my training needs something else.  Is it the need to run a marathon, is it a desire to swim a 10K, or do I need another element?  It's the desire to add another element.  I want to cycle...so here I am... becoming a triathlete.

Next week I plan to start a 6 month training plan to gear up for a 70.3 - I just want to "tri" (see what I did there?) That includes: 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of cycling, and 13.1 miles of running.  I've got the running and the swimming in the bag... but the cycling? I've been asked a few times if I have ever cycled.  Sure, people know I have ridden a bike - but I guess they don't know I used to go on 20-30 mile rides with my Dad in Germany. Then, my Dad and I considered signing up to ride across NC and trained consistently during that time.  It's been years ago, but I can bring it back. I have that background.  While that may sound ridiculous, I brought back swimming.  Remember I was a junior olympic qualifying breast-stroker - took many years off - and then learned to use swimming as my cross training. Now, it's part of my life. 





So as I move forward, I am excited. I am ready to take on this journey. It's a new beginning. I am going to do this triathlon thing as well as I can - with lots of laughter, lots of love, and my full heart. That's how I roll.

Marathon Swimmer... What, What?

I'm not really sure how interesting this will be to others, but it is where I am and what I am doing. Using this platform to explain may be the easiest way to clearly get my point across.  Honestly, I've tried to explain my new "journey" and it's led to confusion, loss of interest in conversing with me, and just general blank stares... not because people or rude or I am weird (these statements could go either way), but because it's not normal to swim 6.2 miles.  Or is it? In fact, at the pool yesterday (I was there for 2 hours), I had two shout-outs from the water aerobics instructor while conversely another lady called me "crazy."

6.2 miles or a 10K is something tons of runners run... but who really swims it... and where? The 10K and beyond is called a marathon swim.  Marathon swimmers are evidently a thing, and I got warmly welcomed to a group of them by sending in an application with a description on why I deserved to be in the group in the first place.  It's gone swimmingly (see what I did there) since being elected into the group but I was nervous for a bit.  Marathon swimmers take the sport very seriously, as they should, it's tough work and the hardest training I've ever done. One of my goals is to get Lake James on the map as a place that has been marathon swam.  But I have to assemble a crew.   Being a marathon swimmer has a host of rules and regulations you have to follow.  From what gear you can have to what you can wear and what constitutes a marathon distance. Among other things. What I know is that I can wear a normal swimsuit, a swim cap, and goggles.  I can have a kayaker, canoer, boater, or paddleboarder with me for support (one pilot, one or more observers, and probably support) and we travel the lake.   A pilot will guide me through the lake as my navigator.  The observer will document latitude and longitude, wind speed, temperature outside and in the lake, make observations, and make sure I do not break rules - etc.  They are required to take photos of me in the lake every hour of my swim.  Any other support can time my feedings, make sure we stay on relative track, and just enjoy the day.  I am not allowed to touch the boats.  I must "swim" or "float" the duration.

Confused? I thought you might be. So I will break it down again. I will swim the lake, people will help me, Lake James will be on the map. Bam! Or something like that.

In order to get ready for this, I've done a tremendous amount of training. I get up and hit the pool by 5:30 am lots of mornings, swim on my lunch break, and swim really long distance once a week.  Every time I swim I swim at least 2,000 yards which is approximately 1.2 miles or so (which I can easily do in less than 40 minutes); I swim the lake 2-3 miles, once a week, more if I can. I hit the pool more, since it is close and safe for me to go alone. My long swim started at 2,500 yards and crept up weekly; before this
journey I had never swam more than 2,500 yards in one stretch, now I consistently swim that far without stopping. Over the weekend I swam 6,200 yards (3.6 miles) and broke it down into 10x600 essentially with a short cool down. Yesterday I swam 3 miles, with 3000 yards of it being without stopping.  I've figured out how to breathe better in the water and it's weird but at times I feel my body completely melt and be at one with the stroke, the movement, and the water. It's almost like that feeling when you finish crying and your body just relaxes and the burden is gone; that's how it feels when I become one with the water, I kind of just "give".  It's catharsis; a healthy and wonderful feeling. Other days I snort water up my nose, get concerned about drowning, and cannot feel my arms. It's part of the process.

Then there's the part of the process where I've had time to think.  Because with swimming, there's lots of time to get stuck in your own head, and that can be good or bad.  In the pool there's hours of looking at one black line for all those yards and in the open water, it's all darkness (except when you breathe and see the light).  What I have processed is that I'm okay alone in doing this.  A good training partner got me to this point and I can continue onward.  I'm okay training alone.  Sure I have a kayaker to keep me safe in the open water, but while I'm swimming, I'm okay to be alone in my own head pushing forward.  I'm mentally tough, determined, and goal oriented and I love that about me.  I feared that transitioning from long distance running to long distance swimming, I would lose part of my identity, but I did not.  In essence, I gained a better part.  I'm not saying running is not similar because it is in some respects, but then it's a polar opposite too.  It is harder mentally to be a swimmer and I like that challenge.  I'm still running three days a week but enjoying the break from long distance runs. And that is okay too.  It's part of my journey.


A week ago, I excitedly accepted an offer to be a brand ambassador for New Wave Swim Buoy.  Maybe I'm an ego-swimmer, maybe I put too much time into social media to promote what I enjoy, but my goal is popularize exercise in general.  I'm not saying you need to run ultra marathons, climb 14ers, or swim the English Channel - although admittedly those all sound amazing! What I want to promote is people moving their bodies for longevity.  I also want to show the world what swimming is, what it can be, and what it has done for me.   I honestly never thought I'd be training for an open water marathon swim, but here I am, killing it!

Swimmer's Destiny

At 6 years old I started swimming on a swim team. At first it was fun and I went to practice, learned to dive into shallow water, and made a few friends. I loved swimming and was particularly good at the breaststroke. Eventually swimming turned into work and competition. A few of us were vying for slots in the Junior Olympics and consistently hitting qualifying times each and every meet. Medals did not matter anymore because the qualifying time was all that defined those swims.  There were two - a - day workouts, swim clinics, and out of the water work.  My parents spent their life watching me swim - I swam all over the state of North Carolina. Then one day I aged up and I could not hit the qualifying marks anymore.  I was still in the ballpark, but I did not have the desire to get there doing hard work. I guess I was tired.  So I settled for the high school swim team because it sounded more fun.  I figured at least I could win there but  always got put on the 1,500 yard swim (metric mile) because I had swim experience.  I never won, I was not a distance swimmer. I was a 50 meter breast -stroker. I remember telling my coach about my accolades and he said "you may swim faster in the breaststroke than the others, but we already have a breaststroker who can win, so we need you to try to win the distance swims." This bothered me, I was being used to fill slots no one wanted. I tired of this quickly and focused on my running.  I had started running around the end of 8th grade. I was not good at running, but I liked it, and it was something I could just enjoy.

Years passed, and I continued to run.  In 2013 I dedicated my time to training for a marathon. My first marathon.  Everything was going wonderfully until I fell and ended up injured nearly 12 weeks into an 18 week program. I panicked! What was I to do? I had to keep my endurance up.  It had been 15 years since I had swam in a pool. Sure I had gone to friends houses and swam, could still do blackflips off a diving board, but I did not even own goggles. I decided I had to go back to the pool. I did not have a proper swim suit, but I had a tankini, I bought a pair of goggles, and I headed to an indoor pool. I remember hobbling in and feeling like a foreigner. I got into a lane and started my swim. I was bound and damn determined to finish 50 yards. When I got back to the wall I was winded. I swam around 1,200 yards that night, not really knowing much of what I was doing.  The next night I went back and met a friend.  It so happened my friend was a swim team coach.  He asked me about my strokes and said "were you ever by chance, a competitive swimmer?" Emotion flooded from my voice, "yes!" I exclaimed.  He said "stick at it, you'll get back!"  I ended up purchasing several new swim suits, a swim cap, and a membership to the pool.  I swam until I could bear weight on my leg and ran the marathon later that fall.  I ended up using swimming as a cross training tool for the next few years, using swimming as my main form of exercise during my twin pregnancy, but maintaining at least a 1-2x weekly swim while running daunting distance.  I learned to flip turn again, learned about drills, and even practiced starts. At some point I found an adult swim team and met my friend Ed, who keeps me accountable.  His motto is "refuse to sink," and he is the biggest supporter for swimmers that I have ever met.  Ed emails me (us) weekly, meets me at the pool when needed, and encouraged me to try my first "open water swim" 2 years ago.

The open water swim created a fierceness in me.  It took some time, but one day I decided that if I could train for and run 7 marathons, I could surely train for and swim 2.4 miles in a lake.  So here I am, training for my first open water swim race.  Part of me feels as though this was my destiny.  That all my training - starting at age 6 in a metered pool, to running my first marathon at age 32, made me ready for swimming distance at 37.  

At present I train by going to the pool 4-5 days a week, running 3 times a week, and trying to hit the open water when I can (2-3x a month).  My friend Ed is pushing me through practice on Saturday and swimming the lake with me occasionally, Kayla is powering me through the runs,  and I've even enlisted my husband to kayak with me while I swim.  I've got several friends who are up for the kayak challenge!


I've never felt so empowered, so strong, and so amazing. I'm  excited about this journey, this opportunity, and fulfilling my destiny.   "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." ~ William Jennings Bryant

Being Flexible

Yesterday I posed to Instagram:  "All these thoughts and ideas... what I knew I’d get done tonight... but nah. None of it happened. I had planned to cook a nice vegan meal with fresh veggies... nah, ordered Japanese. Planned on helping Ava start a blog... nah, gave her colored pencils and a journal instead. Planned on bills, laundry, and rest... nah, instead we ended up with a nose bleed that almost never stopped. I was covered in my daughter’s blood and tears. It’s over now, we are clean, I’m sipping a hot cup of kava tea, the kids are playing, and it’s all over... the point of this is, as adults we have to learn to be flexible. And here I am, trying to figure out if I did something right, trying to be flexible as a freaking straw, and still full of doubt. I’m an adult who freaks out when there’s no order, when there’s chaos, and when we have to eat Japanese. Omg. True story. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty amazing... ever changing, chaotic, consuming, emotional, and amazing." 

This post made me interested in exploring flexibility and an adult's ability to freely change midstream.  Being the mother of three, you would think I was pretty flexible but I'm not. I adhere to routine.  Routine is good, in fact, for children, routine and structure is recommended... but to me, in this case, I'm the variable, I have to adapt to change to fit in to their moods, whims, and wants. Even within this structure - I have to be flexible.  



So what is routine? Routine is a series of habits.  Good routines for me include: wake-up, coffee, run, breakfast, work, swim, eat lunch, work, grab a snack, get the kids, cook dinner, shower, sleep. I have rituals tossed in (a ritual is a routine with assigned meaning): morning musings / meditation and nightly tea or wine. Paradoxically, because I have a good routine, I should never have to make a decision - but wait - I have too... because flip it all, I have three variables that are constantly changing myself.  And let's be honest here... I'm a mother. I live in their world. So I have to be the one who is uberflexible. Which means sometimes I miss that run, I miss that breakfast, I do everything during work hours, I miss cooking dinner, and I miss that shower. The ritual even loses meaning when I decide I want that second glass of wine or I forgo morning musings (what I call my meditation) to sleep 15 extra minutes. 

The point I want to make here is that many of us are trying to be perfect in an unperfect setup. Things change, we change, but we have to adapt. It's okay to be upset that something did not go as planned, it gives you the opportunity to make it different, count blessings, and still express gratitude - things work out anyway, right? Anymore, hardly anything goes as planned for me. I just have to learn to roll with the punches; that's the definition of being a mother.  And for that I'm grateful!

Internal Chatter

Injury for me is very daunting, hard, and painful. Not physically, I handle physical pain fairly well... it's mental pain... anguish, torment, and chatter.  After my last marathon I started noticing some tiredness in my body, I vowed to take it easy.  I did, for the most part, scaling back on mileage, but I upped the pace.  I ended up with iliotibial band syndrome (IT band syndrome) and lots to think about. I decided to forgo some races, skip group meetings, and even took 9 days off of running... and it's been hard. The 9 days off is not the issue, in fact, it's been fun - I've owned the pool and been deemed queen of the chlorine... it's the post marathon blues tied in with my own negative chatter that's been my downfall. 

Chatter is described negative self-talk and an inability to enjoy the present moment... Buddha described this mind chatter like a bunch of drunken monkeys flinging themselves from tree branches, jumping around, and chattering nonstop. He meant that our minds are in constant motion. For me, it's been constantly negative. I've filled my mind with anxiety, self-doubt, anger, jealousy, and even sadness. I've let comparison steal my joy! I've lost the ability to slow down and enjoy the present moment. In addition, all this negative talk has kept me from concentrating on what it important right now - and that my friends, is REST.

I've allowed myself to think my support systems are my enemies... and they are not at all.  In fact their love and gratitude is there in abundance, I just could not enjoy it... because I was too caught up with my own personal chatter.  And for that, I express the highest gratitude and love. Now, do not get me wrong, people are allowed to process and handle pain however they like, sometimes it takes time to figure it out... but on my journey, I process my feelings... and I think that's healthy.  I'm okay that it took me a few weeks to process how I feel about this injury and really dissect what is bothering me because now I can move forward and grow.

Chatter will always surround us, it's just what we learn to do with it... and I've learned to put it in the past, enjoy the present, and wait to see what the future holds. It shall be beautiful!

Carolina's Donut Festival Half Marathon Recap

I don't particularly love the half marathon distance.  I don't know why, it's just not my favorite. I'm somewhat partial to the marathon; but the nice thing about half marathons is when you run long distance all the time, it's a race you never really have to "train" for, unless you want to beat a goal.

A few close friends were signed up to run the Carolina's Donut Festival Half Marathon, Bob to Bob's, on April 21, 2018 from Old Fort, NC to Marion, NC.  I toyed with the idea of running it, but never committed.  Then an opportunity arose and I decided might as well try something new - pace leading.  My friend Morgan, who happens to be the race director, was looking for pace leaders for the race.  You may ask what is a pacer and what is a pace team.   A pace team is a group of runners led by an experienced leader (pacer) who run together during the race. The pace leader runs a steady pace and keeps track of that pace so that the group can achieve their goal of finishing the race at a particular time.  When pacing, you select a time that is slower than what you run, so you can stay on track, be positive, and help others finish.  It seemed like a doable job for me.  I'm pretty consistent when running and thought I could easily pace a 2:45 or 3:00 hour pace group.  My friend Kim was interested and runs slightly faster than me, so I gave her 2:45 and I decided to pace the 3:00 group. I'll let you guys know, I practiced my pacing for several weeks after running the Asheville Marathon. I took the job seriously.  I memorized my split times, tried intervals, drove the course twice, and focused on positive mindset... the rest is a glorious story. 

April 21st rolled around.  I got up around 4 am to start my journey to the race.  Deanne offered to come and get me and I rode up to Marion with her and Kathleen.  It was awesome to catch up with my friends and just chit chat about running, racing, and life. We arrived to Marion by 6 am and were whisked to a shuttle (school bus) to ride up to Old Fort (the starting point of the race).  It was so cold outside.  We were dropped in a parking lot of a business and left. I'll have to admit, I was miserably cold and just trying to stay warm.  We walked circles of the parking lot for the hour before the race.  When Kim showed up, in her husband's truck, Kathleen and I piled into the truck to warm up a little.  John had to leave to get to the 5K back in Marion.  So we all got out of the truck and prepared for the race.  I met a few girls who would eventually fall into my pace group and was introduced to others who wanted to keep me in sight. I was excited! I had a pace sign that I had to carry and one that I had to wear, I felt super official.

The race started.  I tried to fall immediately into pace, but felt like I may like to bank time too, in case anything happened.  No one was rightfully running with me, so it worked in my favor to run ahead.  I still ran slower than my normal pace, which felt amazing.  By the 5th mile I had banked 8 minutes of time.  I needed to be at 1:08 and I was right at an hour.  I was feeling good about my banked time and was making plans to slow down around mile 8 and then walk after mile 10... but then I realized I had made a wrong turn.  How I realized this, I don't know.  It's probably that I had driven the wrong way, during my drives along the course, and now was stuck turning that way mentally... but it just didn't feel right.  Plus I didn't see anyone.  When I turned around and ran back, I had added a whole mile to my journey.  I was 1 mile off!   This meant I was anywhere from 4-5 minutes off of my pace because I had luckily banked 8 miles. I was devastated.  

I started sprinting.  I had to catch up.  I made the 10K by 1:22, which was my pace goal.  But I was just on pace time.  I had catching up to do, to bank a little for the upcoming hills.  By mile 8, I had rocks in my shoes, I was hot, and I was hungry. I had brushed off the first three aid stations because I did not need aid the first 5 miles and then I had to catch up through mile 6.  I took my shoes off and sat down, I put my shoes back on, took off my long-sleeved shirt, drank some Nuun, and committed to get my butt back on track.  And that's when the magic happened.  I came up on the 9 mile aid station and saw some of my pace group. I had the aid station refill my handheld water and I took off.  I was catching back up.  I committed to run as long as I could to get back on track.  I passed two fellows who laughed at my story and encouraged me to go on.  It was so inspiring.  They were happy to see me! They paced me... not me them. Runners are incredible people.  Then came the huge hill at mile 10.5,  I ran a little of it then walked.  I knew once I came to the top the rest of the race would be run-able for me, with some rolling hills, flat, and down portions.  

At the top of the hill there was the final aid station... I jokingly said to the volunteers "that hill will make a tiger out of a kitten," the volunteers laughed.  They offered fuel, but I continued. I had just enough gas in the tank for the final distance. 

The next two miles I ran pretty flat out.  I was right on pace to make the 3:00 mark. I saw the girls I met at the beginning and I sprinted to catch them.  I came in at 3:02:04.  My friends were like "Good job,  you did it, you were on pace!" I laughed, "Actually, I got off course and ran 14 miles today."  Everyone stopped, looked at me awkwardly, and then immediately laughed.  We have all joked about this for days.  The running joke is "Carly always has to run more miles than everyone else."  Thankfully, I'm trained for distance, so it was no big deal.  But still.  Glad no one was following me when I made the wrong turn. 


So what can I say about the race?  The organization of the whole event is remarkable.  I have no idea how Morgan does it, but it will blow your mind how well - oiled the race is.  The course is beautiful, cathartic, and a grand mixture of flat, downhill, rolling, and uphill to fit anyone's desires.  The race medal, race bib, and t-shirt are very cute.  The aid stations are stocked, the volunteers are friendly, and there are even spectators on the course who cheer you along the way.  The race is in conjunction with the Carolina's Donut Festival, so donuts are offered along the course and at the end.  I did not eat a donut, but I heard they were fabulous.  

On Sunday I woke up feeling good.  My arm was a little sore from holding the pace sign, that's it.  I had a nice walk with my dog and kids and practiced some yoga flow later in the afternoon.... it's Monday now,  and I'm ready to run again.  I am now officially off training until the fall and it feels great.  My first experience as a pacer is one I will never forget. I hope to pace more races in the future.  It's an experience of using your running expertise, knowing your body, incorporating positive mindset, and friending others along the way that makes it so incredible... in fact, it's quite fantastic.

Asheville Marathon

This post may be gut-wrenching, sappy, and weird... but what the hell. I ran another marathon.  Last year my friend Deanne asked a few of us girls if we were interested in doing the Asheville Marathon at Biltmore Estate with her. We are all familiar with the race as it is a local and we all have run it - either the full (in my case) or the half (the other girls)- at some point in the years it's been held.  I told Deanne I would but I had to get through Philly first. I was in the midst of training to RACE Philly and not thinking about the future; running allows me to live in the present.  During that time I was focused on pace, what was going into my body, and fundraising... not dreaming about future races. I could only see one foot in front of me. The other girls fell out, due to different things, and Deanne was left wondering if I would commit. Of course I would... and I did.  She just did not realize the level of crazy she was working with.

Two weekends after Philly I did my first long run for Asheville. Deanne and I decided to train together and I told her my dreams of traveling different places to get the miles in... evidently I was working with a certain level of crazy too, because she listened and agreed.  We ran a bunch. I kept running with Kayla throughout the week as my base runs and speedwork  - hello, she's my ride or die running partner! And Deanne met with some of our other friends to do her weekday runs.   On Saturdays Deanne and I committed to running all of the 828.. and I think we were pretty successful. We ran Newland, Brown Mountain Beach Area, Blowing Rock, Hendersonville, Morganton, Rutherford College to Granite Falls -- our Garmins picked up counties rather than cities because we ran so incredibly far.  And it was so much fun.  I cried a few times thinking about it coming to an end because in reality the training is the hard part but we made it magical.  My 37th birthday fell on one of the long run days, the 20 miler, and we had a traveling party.  We invited my former running partner Kim since she was also training for Asheville.  (This is another crazy chick, she was training for 39.3 - the half and the full!) We had a blast on that run and celebrated with cake, beer, and the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ever at Brown Mountain Beach afterward.

Moving forward, we took full advantage of the marathon's offerings and made Kim join us as she was part of the epic adventure. We stuffed goodie bags, did everything at the expo, and soaked up the Asheville sun on that weekend.  It was incredible.  In fact, so was the marathon. Deanne had never run a marathon and Asheville was to be her first.  Asheville was number 7 for me and my goal was to just enjoy the day out on the course. I had not planned to race it, I just wanted to finish strong. Deanne is an ambassador for the Asheville Marathon, so I got to hob knob with the race director, volunteers, and even meet the Mario olive people. (I love olives and the olive people were at the expo, ha!).  I kinda rode on Deanne's coattails - stayed in the hotel room, ate lots of olives, texted Kim a bunch to boast about my posh marathon experience, and followed Deanne around... that kind of thing. The night before the race we met another race ambassador and friend, Crystal, and her friend, Angela, for pasta. We ordered a beer, ate tasty food, and enjoyed talking with each other - it just made the evening less stressful. It cut the edge so to speak. 

The day of the marathon, we embarked on our journey very early .  The alarm went off at 4 am and the whirlwind started... trying to decide what to wear, the weather had changed over night, drinking coffee, bathroom trips, forcing myself to eat...  laughing, crying, panicking about the race.  We left early from the hotel and headed over to Antler Village at the Biltmore House. One thing you should know about this race is that it is well protected - you need day passes, shuttle passes, tickets, etc -  but the Asheville Marathon staff will gladly help you figure it out and the ticket is provided with the registration.  We drove on to the race, rather than ride a shuttle... parking was not an issue as Deanne wanted to arrive early.  She had to take an Ambassador race day picture so I followed her to the heated barn to await that. I ambled around while Deanne was talking and eventually found Kim hanging out in the heated barn too.  Her husband, John, volunteered so she was enjoying the VIP treatment like me too (aka coattail riding).  (By the way, John was one of my favorite volunteers). At this point, the three of us bonded together like glue.  We all were nervous, excited, but ready to run.

We walked to the start and found our corrals/our pace groups, and mentally prepared for the race. Then it started. I was busy goofing off so I missed the start and vaguely recall Kim saying the same thing, spoiler alert - she was goofing off too - with me nonetheless.  We settled into our paces.  I followed Deanne for a few miles, and then settled back.  Along the way, I made friends as per usual.  I ran a mile or two with a girl named Sarah, who left me around the 7 mile mark, and then I ran miles 10-18 with a girl named Renee.  There are some significant rises the first 12 miles and my recommendation for anyone going out for this race is to just suck it up, those hills are worth it in the end. At  mile 16 I remember cascading the vineyard with 7 other bad ass ladies... our squad goals were to be awesome... and running with 7 other women at that point was incredibly empowering. At 18 we caught up to Sarah and stayed together until mile 20.  At 20 I took off at a faster clip.  I ran alone until mile 23 when Renee caught up with me.  Then we kind of finished together.  Of course, I was with the bad ass lady gang the rest of the race too and we all stayed within a few minute proximity of each other to the finish.  The day started cool but the temperature did rise to about 68 degrees in the full sun, I got sun burnt, but that was the worst of my ailments, believe it or not. 
The course offers several out and back portions and that's when I received power from Kim and Deanne. We would wave, yell, and high-five.  (Kim can't high-five by the way, it was all air).   I came to the end and saw Kim and Deanne yelling for me.  I remember screaming "number 7 is in the bag!" Then it was done... Our friend Kacie gave me my finisher's blanket and some man put the medal around my neck.  I looked around and spotted my friends! I hugged the girl beside me and then hugged Renee. Deanne and Kim then walked with me to get a beer. We partied with the volunteers, had a jello shot with a unicorn (well former unicorn, she had the costume off by then), and just goofed off.  It was a great feeling!  After the marathon, we met Kim and her husband for pizza in town.  Just an all around fantastic day.

A marathon for me is old hat. I know how hard to run that far is, I know how daunting the training can seem, I know how to fuel to finish a race... I've been through all that 7 times. But what I gained from this experience is an understanding of friendship.  Deanne and I became very close through training, she's become one of my closest friends.  Deanne also helped mend a relationship too.  She brought Kim back into my life. You see, three years ago, Kim and I trained for Asheville. We ran all of our runs together, finished strong, and then fell apart.  We ended up losing 2 years of friendship because we refused to work through a bump in the road.  This marathon meant something different for all of us. It was Deanne's first marathon, it was a chance for Kim to prove she could do something incredible by running 39.3 miles, and it was a chance for me to mend my heart.  I'd say we all succeeded.  And for that I'm extremely grateful.


"Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams, and never give up, things will turn out for the best." - Meb Keflezighi

Yeti or Not 25K Recap

Yeti or Not is the operable phrase... I'm not sure I was ready for that... but I did it anyway. Being a long time, long distance runner, I have logged many miles along the road, in the woods, and on the beach. I've run and trained for 6 marathons... but nothing could have prepared me for a 25K of this magnitude.  A 25K is 15.6 miles for all you non-runners. It's an unusual road race distance, but seems to be pretty popular in the trail world.

On February 3rd, Deanne and I woke up early (as always) and made a trip to Hendersonville, NC - about an hour drive from Asheville.  We pulled into Dupont State Park in plenty of time to snap selfies, pick up our packet, and hit the porta-john line (yes, this is protocol, you guys know this by now). The race did not start until 10:00 am, so we met up with other runners and our Skirt Sports Ambassador friend Laura before the race. Y'all it was so cold, like 19 degrees at the starting line, but that never stops us.  We were busy talking, goofing off, and it seemed as though the race started like that. The first two miles were relatively flat to downhill, we maintained a decent pace despite having to wait in line cross a creek.  Then came the up... at first I thought "this too shall pass," and "this will pass quickly," but it didn't.  The next 5-6 miles were uphill.  We'd run, walk a switchback, run a minute, climb a hill, run a minute, cross a creek, run a minute, curse... for a good bit.  I was tripping on everything and becoming increasingly frustrated by the second, but my "no quit" mentality allowed me to push on through. Deanne and I talked a lot and just kind of made due what we were given.  I remember laughing a ton and thanking her over and over for the "experience."  But here's the thing... the course is indescribably beautiful and today was just another training run, thank God for another training run. 

Throughout these miles, the funniest things happened. I may or may not have almost died one time crossing a small stream... Deanne envisioned me cascading down a waterfall into a ravine and I just remember sliding on a rock before heroically jumping to save my life.  I'll let the reader decide what truly happened.  (It's always an adventure with D&C).

The first aid station came and went. It was fully stocked and supportive. I tried GU Stroopwafels for the first time and would highly recommend them as a race fuel to all you guys out there! They are super delicious, and remind me of a Girl Scout cookie and the Netherlands combined.  At mile 7ish, we were given some relief and could run downhill for a significant portion. In fact, the next 7-8 miles to the finish were rolling hills.  But from the workout on my quads from the first 7 miles, I struggled on the back half.  Deanne and I ran the rest of the race within a minute-two of each other, I ran back-behind and watched for her to make sure we were both making the correct turns.  We yelled to check on each other and just enjoyed the rest of our run.  I don't think I have ever been so happy to cross a finish line. I told the race director that all the roads I've run could have never prepared me for that! He laughed.  All in all, we crossed 4 creeks (they said 2), we climbed 2,216 feet (vertical gain), and I found bits of the run to be more technical than I expected.  This was the hardest thing I've ever done. Seriously. Maybe I was yeti for the race, maybe not... but it was an experience for this road runner!

Highlights of the race: the racers are friendly and encouraging, the race is well organized, the t-shirts/bibs/medals are awesome, the aid stations are well stocked, the course is beautiful, you feel pretty badass, and it's a great training race for a spring marathon

Lowlight of the race: It's hilly - you run up a mountain. (That's all I got folks, the race is damn near perfect)


"If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done."

Journey, Marathon Blues, and Life

I woke up in the middle of the night on January 2nd and felt so ill. I had caught a stomach virus from one of my three children.  It had swirled around the house effecting all of us dramatically, with the exception of the dogs who were happy to have cuddle buddies in the bed for long hours of the day.  It was so cold outside and Christmas had just passed.  All those happy hugs, large glasses of wine, and family dinners were gone for another year.

My memories of the Philly Marathon are slowly passing and now I just remember only the greatness and not the pain; not the daunting training, not the chafed armpits, not the exhaustion - just the fun time and super friends I met.  I'm back full force, training for marathon #7... running daunting miles, fueling my body with gels, and trying to smile in the midst of it all. Work has been semi-stressful with changes that needed to happen, yet no one is ever ready for change, and this makes me extra tired at times.  I started thinking about life and what I wanted over Christmas.  My intention word came to me immediately after the Philly Marathon when I was running a few miles solo.  I knew 2018 had to be about a JOURNEY.  Finding an intention word is exciting and almost life changing, goals started flowing and I felt so alive... then I woke up sick on January 2nd.  I missed work, I slept all day, my long time running partner begged me to take some time off and reevaluate my running goals.  I cried.  I was so sick.  I thought back to two other sicknesses I had caught since October and cursed myself for being so "out of shape."  This is the woman who just PRed a marathon, this is the woman who just made great strides in her own personal growth and development, this was the woman who pushed others for greatness... and yet I felt lost. I cannot let it over take me. After a marathon, I struggle momentarily with the change, the loss, and just basking in the sheer awesomeness... I struggle from Marathon Blues. It never helps to jump right back into one, because I never lived the last one down. But at the same time, I struggle just resting too.  So I have to focus.

Yesterday I posted on social media: "Excuse the language (I’m a wordsmith not a princess), this is raw emotion my friends... if someone can have an epiphany I may have had one. I’m over trained. Burnt out. Tired. I’m sick. My diet isn’t working. I cried thinking I had to take time off of running for a mere week. But alas, here I am. Today I ate vegan AF, I practiced hatha yoga, and my heart feels so damn alive. Just a few more days and I’ll be back to normal, but for now I rest, realign, and center. Namaste."

And to be honest, that's my plan. I will rest. I will realign and in the process my JOURNEY will begin.  My goals continue to develop... but first I need a trip to the library for a book on Buddhism, I need to center myself in some yoga,  I need to honor the lives of animals and not eat their by products, I need to feel humble and grateful during each day, and I need to be present in my actions.  That's where I am now.  Peace, love, light.