Push The Reset Button

S0........

One afternoon disaster and my year is forever changed.  I need to quickly reset my goals so when those key  races come and go and I'm not participating, I'm won't go into a funk.


A holiday horse ride has changed everything.  I don't know what happened because I have a concussion from whiplash and I don't remember.  I do know I was enjoying several days of riding with my neighbor here around home, and now I have a broken collar bone and I'm not running for a few weeks.

With only a month till the 50 Miler and then 12 weeks till the El Vaquero Loco 50K in Star Valley, WY.  and 4 - 6 weeks of no training, I have to push reset and figure out how to have a good attitude as those races come and go and I'm not on the starting line.  Yesterday the idea of not being there was easier to deal with than it is today.

Here are some of my thoughts:

I was going to take 6 weeks down (maybe 20 - 25 miles a week tops) to rest and recover in January for next year's season.  Well, maybe now is the time to take that down time.  I need to research and see if downtime for injury is still a break for recovery purposes.  So I can call this downtime now and really be fit and strong for Athens Big Fork and Cass White Rock 50k early next year.

One can't really work toward losing weight and endurance train at the same time.  Now I have 6 weeks to loose some weight before I start training again.

I  can volunteer for those local races in which I was going to run.  I still get the family lovin' and get to serve these people I love so much.

Now remind me of this for ever starting line I miss.

Ouachita Trail 50 (50K) 21 April 2012

Ouachita Trail 50 (50K) April 21, 2012

Elizabeth Quinn, Lisa Gunnoe, Andi Stracner, Mark Cato, Susan McCourt,

Have you ever had one of those races where nothing went wrong, but nothing went right?  Well, I have now.

My goal was to achieve a PR (personal record) on this course.  My current PR on this course is 9:08:40, and after today's race it is still 9:08:40.  My time today was 9:19.18

The weather was perfect for this run.  I didn't go out too fast, dialed in on hydration and nutrition, saved my music for the second half, everything, but it wasn't meant to be.  I got to the 50K turn around almost 30 minutes slower than last year. 

(22 Apr 2012)

24 hours to reflect on this race and I think I know what is behind my frustrations during the race.

I did everything perfect in preparation for this day, and nothing went right.  With every race I can look back and see what I could have changed, done differently and had a better race.  I can't do that with this race and it really set wrong with me.

My plan was to run the race as much as possible with Susan, Andi & Mark.  Mark dropped us all shortly after the start.  I got left behind with my first "comfort stop", dang I don't like races when many stops are needed.

I met Elizabeth about a mile before we started climbing Pinnacle Mountain (800 ft in .3 miles huge rock pile).  She was running her first 50K.  I very much enjoyed our time together.  She dropped me as we were climbing the mountain.

Most of this race was spent running alone.  I was saving my music till at least the turn around.  With frustration growing at not making the desired times I was shooting for I decided to listen to a podcast.  Trail Runner Nation was just the ticket.  They guys and Faith (guest Kate) had me laughing in no time.  Everything went well, I didn't fall, nothing hurt, hydration going right, but I got to the turn around a full 1/2 hour later than last year.

Solid food really didn't interest me much.  I ate fruit at the aid stations and that is about all.  I used 2 Hammar Gels, 2 Strawberry Ensure and 2 cans of V8 at the Hash aid station, 1 pickle and 2200 calories of Vitargo.  

For the outbound trip I used Injinji socks and Altra Lone Peak running shoes.

For the inbound I changed socks and shoes, another pair of Injinji and Hoka One One Bondi B

 This combo has been working great to keep me running injury free and keep my feet happy.

About 3 miles before the turn around I caught up to Elizabeth.  She had lost a contact lens at about mile 7.  She had a bandana tied over her blind eye and was determined to continue.   She reached the turn around aid station right as I was leaving.  She said she had left her tears, for this race, out there on the trail and was going to finish.  

After the turn around I started using my music.  I felt frustration building again, this race should be going much better, nothing is going wrong, but nothing right.

I had a very good MAD on by the time I caught up to Andi, Mark and Susan.  I told them I was in such a crappy mood that I wouldn't be good company so I just kept running. 

I ran most of the uphills, all the downhills and all the flats.  By the time PoDog caught up to me I had about 6 miles left.  While racing my time I also race PoDog.  He does the 50 miler while I the 50K.  I always try to be a bit closer to the finish line than the year before when he passes me.  This year I was way behind schedule!  He asked me how my race was going, I told him awful.  He then reminded me, in not so many words, that I could choose to have fun.  I needed that spiritual boost! 

By the time the trail portion was done and I got back to pavement I was toast!! no motivation left at all.  I did mostly a run/walk/run back to the finish line for my finisher's medal and Chrissy hug (don't tell Chrissy, I would run it just for the hug!)

My amazing running friends finished shortly after I did and they had fun.  If I would have just re-set my goals after I knew I wouldn't make my PR I could have had fun with them.  

So my lessons are these:  

Sometimes even with perfect preparation things will still not go right

Its okay to reset goals during the race, having fun is a great goal to have.

Elaine ran with me a few times on and off.  She is amazing to run with, fun, inspiring, she is just the best medicine out on the trail!  

Elizabeth finished her very first 50k (running it before her first marathon) with one eye covered.  She is my new favorite superhero!  She is amazing! 

Along with the finisher's medal and hug I got a sore throat, head cold and ick lungs!  LOL

With this super whiner race report, I have to say that if knowing in advance that I would have had a miserable time I still would have run it again.  

I'm sure I'm not finished learning what there is to learn from this race.  I will think of is some more.

Little Rock Marathon - March 4, 2012

05:30:06

In short: My goal, coming off a trail 50K 2 weeks ago, was a time of 5:30. I'm very happy with how the race went today. Managed pace, ran strong.

In full: My race 2 weeks ago left me with doubts about my ability to work a physically strenuous job and run. The only element of life I had to adjust was my diet. I have been eating totally clean, no junk food, no fast food, no soda for the last 2 weeks.
With the 50K being 2 weeks ago and with my best marathon time being 5:26.54 on a flat course in Houston in January, this being a hilly course, I had a goal time of 5:30 and knew I would have to work hard for it.
The clean eating was a miracle for recovery and preperation for today's race. I had energy, I ran the hills with a 30 steps run/15 steps walk on every hill. I perfectly managed pace and fueling and had an amazing race.
It got kind hot out there in the afternoon with highs in or near 70 degrees F. (21.11 degrees C.) and even with sunscreen I have burned ears :) Life is happy and I will sleep well tonight, should I take that BIG medal to bed with me? to work tomorrow? shopping? LOL

7 days till Little Rock Marathon

I'm sick of being tired!

I'm sick of being slow!

I'm sick of breathing difficulties!

I'm sick of hypothyroid!

I can see I'm in need of some blessing counting to get back to smiles and a good attitude! 

Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a ligament attached to the heel bone (calcaneus) that divides and fans out to attach at the base of the toes (metatarsals). Layers of muscles, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels run over the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia covers these layers and acts as a bowstring on the bottom of the foot, helping the bones of the foot maintain the arch. A fat pad covers the plantar fascia beneath the heel bone; this pad cushions the heel as it takes the force of each footstep.*   (from webmd)

This is a very normal injury for runners, for many people who are on their feet most of the time.  I didn't recognize this as the problem till I had been running for about a year.  But now that I have suffered, I know now that I have had this ailment for years.  I have worked as an independent contractor cleaning a local business.  This injury first occurred then.

After about a year running I thought I had bruised the bottoms of my feet running on the trail with too little support in my shoes.  My doctor told me otherwise.  We started on finding a solution to plantar fasciitis (PF).
Our first solution was a night boot, some relief, but no cure.
Prescription insoles, some relief, but no cure.
Rolling feet on frozen (full) water bottles, some relief, but no cure.
Spending $1,000's on different shoes for running and work, some relief, but no cure.
At this point I started looking for solutions online:

New icing technique:   Fill bucket with ice, then water.  Dip feet for 10 seconds in, 2 minutes out x 10.  2x a day.
Find softer baseball (not softball, not t-ball, not tennis ball) but the softer of a real baseball.  Stand on the ball and roll it around.  Your weight will be completely on the balls... yes it hurts like hell till you get used to it.  But this type of rolling and icing helped better than any other method.

At this point I decided close my business and find employment.  Knowing I was crippled and knowing that I would probably have a job that I would be on my feet for the job.   I found, on a hunch, Sketcher's Shape-Ups Work.  I wore them for two weeks before I got hired at  Wal-mart.  By the time I was working there my feet were feeling better than they had been in years.  Sketcher's Shape-Ups gave me my life back!

I do get twinges of pain from time to time and in the late miles of ultras, but I am not disabled anymore.

Now I run barefoot a few times a week to strengthen the muscles in my feet.

Joe Taricani of The Marathon Show sent me a video of a stretch he learned to help heal PF.
 This stretch is very helpful to easing discomfort when it rears its ugly head.

Chris Russell of www.runrunlive.com and the runrunlive podcast has posted this video of PF self-massage
Thank you Chris and I suggest giving his podcast a spin, great info.


Now I'm running in: Hoka One One Bondi for the road

 And for the trail Altra Lone Peak Trail shoes

 Yes minimalist for trail and maximum for road!  LOL  we will see how this works.

I hope this helps someone keep running.

Happy Running,
Lisa

Sylamore Trail 50K

After being perfectly tapered (or so I thought) I was so completely ready and excited for this, my very favorite trail race.  My goal time was 8 hours.
By the time I was at about 4 miles I knew my goal wasn't going to happen.  I'm completely exhausted from work.  I can't recover with work and ultra training.  Its just too impossible.

I slogged along and just enjoyed the race till the turn around.  Then I met up with Susan.  Susan is an amazing runner who was in the middle of her first 50K.  She had fallen, busting up her knee pretty bad, but she was determined to finish the race.

We ran back from the turn around together.  I thought it was totally amazing that she was so determined to get this done while really hurting!  We finished together, we run the last mile, every step together finishing in something like 9:26.

So many of my running friends were there!  Nicholas drove all the way there from Little Rock, even though he wasn't running, just to cheer.  How amazing was that!

I think the only way I can get this right, the only thing in which I can tweak is my diet.  I'm not getting enough calories as it is, so what am I to do?  I'm going back to eating clean. 

training runs

29 Jan 2012

Pinnacle Mountain training run with Mark Cato and Andi Stracner.  We went up and over Pinnacle Mountain 4 times.  Oh my goodness!  My butt and calves were screaming!  What a great workout!  Andi and Mark are training for a 100 miler in Oct this year.

5 Feb 2012

Sylamore Trail 20 mile training run with Andi;

Amazing Andi makes every run better!  This was my last long training run for the Sylamore Trail 50K.