If you read my last post then you know that I injured my ankle at the Franklin Mountain Sky race. I was on crutches, totally off my foot. Then in a boot right up until a few days before the Flagstaff Sky race.
Tuesday before the race I tried to run and made it .26 miles before I was crying and in pain. At that point I really did not think I would be racing. I started weaning my self off the boot on Wednesday and Thursday managed to run a mile and a half in manageable pain. I had a session with my PT to decide if I could run or not. Charlie and I ran through some exercise and he performed a manipulation on my ankle. I got the all clear to run. Thursday afternoon my ankle felt much better. Friday it felt great. I even did a little running with my elementary students and no pain. Yeah Charlie!
Tuesday before the race I tried to run and made it .26 miles before I was crying and in pain. At that point I really did not think I would be racing. I started weaning my self off the boot on Wednesday and Thursday managed to run a mile and a half in manageable pain. I had a session with my PT to decide if I could run or not. Charlie and I ran through some exercise and he performed a manipulation on my ankle. I got the all clear to run. Thursday afternoon my ankle felt much better. Friday it felt great. I even did a little running with my elementary students and no pain. Yeah Charlie!
My really fun boot.
Knowing this would not be an easy day since I hadn’t run in 3 weeks, I made the decision to try to hold on to 1st place and run the Flagstaff Sky Race.
Friday I was meant to be in Flagstaff by 6:30pm. I left my house a little late and then got stuck in traffic right when I got on the highway by my house. 40 minutes to go 4 exits on the highway. I don’t tend to handle pre race stress well so this was not so helpful. My daughter Ava decided to travel with me again. When we finally arrived we headed to Whole Foods for dinner and finally checked in to our hotel. Knowing I had a 3:30am wake up alarm, I was not so thrilled to just be eating dinner at 8pm.
Friday I was meant to be in Flagstaff by 6:30pm. I left my house a little late and then got stuck in traffic right when I got on the highway by my house. 40 minutes to go 4 exits on the highway. I don’t tend to handle pre race stress well so this was not so helpful. My daughter Ava decided to travel with me again. When we finally arrived we headed to Whole Foods for dinner and finally checked in to our hotel. Knowing I had a 3:30am wake up alarm, I was not so thrilled to just be eating dinner at 8pm.
Pre race dinner with Ava.
I slept like crap. I had the oddest dream. Matt LeBlanc picked me up in a Ferrari. But instead of the horse symbol, there was an elephant. And I was trying to sneaky take a picture to post on social media. Also this little kid I have been babysitting was sitting in my lap. Not sure why. Matt LeBlanc lived in a crappy house and I found this confusing. I went to sleep, but Matt and his family stayed up all night drinking and forgot to wake me up. I woke up 5 minutes before race start. I call Hayley and she tells me they cannot delay race start for me. I sob loudly. I woke in a sweat that I had overslept! But I still had a couple hours to sleep.
In the 3 weeks since I haven’t been running I have put on a little weight. The shorts I usually race in were a little snug and uncomfortable. Luckily, I had anticipated this. Unluckily, the back up shorts I brought I had worn to clean house when my ankle was hurt. This meant I had been sliding around on my butt. The shorts were covered in dust and dog hair. I did a little cleaning of the shorts with a damp towel. It’s a glamorous life. (I usually race a North Face shorts, but my Oiselle shorts are also awesome.)
In the 3 weeks since I haven’t been running I have put on a little weight. The shorts I usually race in were a little snug and uncomfortable. Luckily, I had anticipated this. Unluckily, the back up shorts I brought I had worn to clean house when my ankle was hurt. This meant I had been sliding around on my butt. The shorts were covered in dust and dog hair. I did a little cleaning of the shorts with a damp towel. It’s a glamorous life. (I usually race a North Face shorts, but my Oiselle shorts are also awesome.)
My stuff all laid in a very unorganized way.
Sarah Keyes introduced herself at the start line. It was nice to get to chat with her. She’s a really nice person and her Sportiva kit is cute! (In case you care about such things.) We line and chat with Kelly Wolf a bit. I am totally jealous that she is still in Colorado and training on those mountains. After being there for the summer, I know that it makes all the difference. But she is also a really good runner. I see a lot of good things for her in the future. We take off and it’s not light, but not dark. This is the worst for me. I have a hard time seeing. I am running slower than I want, but I can't see and I don't want to fall. I followed a guy into a wrong turn and now I am back further than I want to be. Up Elden we go. Down Hart Trail we go. Hart was not as bad as I expected so that was a pleasant surprise. Up Elden we go again and now the 39K runners are coming. There was lots of moving to let these people with fresh legs get past me.
I roll into the aid station at 13 with a blister that is killing me in a place that I have never had a blister before. If you don’t know this already, I love Squirrel’s Nut Butter. We use it for any and every skin problem. I lather on Squirrels Nut Butter and the blister never bothered me again. About mile 16 my body started to feel really tired. But I hooked with another under trained runner named Nigel and we kept each other company off on through out the race. I took a fall that wasn’t too bad. Some where around mile 20 (I think) we took a wrong turn and went about 5 minutes the wrong way. Ugh! The wrong way tape had wrapped up in the tree and we just missed it.
I was really falling apart. My body was just so tired. And of course I took a bad fall. I never even knew it was coming. I went down landing on two rocks right across my rib cage and solar plexus. Knocked the wind out of me. I have never been punched, but I imagine this is how it feels. It took a while before I could do any running after that. The rest of my day was rally slow after that fall. I My legs were tired, my chest hurt and wanted to nap.
At this race you come through the finish line and head back up for 4 miles. 2 miles up and 2 miles down. I was so happy coming in. 4 more miles seemed like nothing. What I didn’t know was I headed for the hardest climbing of the day. I was on all fours and miserable. I decided to pray, but the only prayer I really know by heart is the benching prayer for after eating wheat and even that I have to hum parts. Melissa Ruse was taking pictures and I told her I had been praying all the way up and it wasn't helping. Right after I passed her I started slipping backwards and it pissed me off. “I’m so fucking tired of this bullshit,” I yell. From praying to cursing, that pretty much sums me up.
In the end, I ended up 6th place for the race and 2nd in the US Sky Running series. But, in all honesty, I will admit it feels a bit like a participation award. There were only 2 of us with enough races to actually score for the series.
I roll into the aid station at 13 with a blister that is killing me in a place that I have never had a blister before. If you don’t know this already, I love Squirrel’s Nut Butter. We use it for any and every skin problem. I lather on Squirrels Nut Butter and the blister never bothered me again. About mile 16 my body started to feel really tired. But I hooked with another under trained runner named Nigel and we kept each other company off on through out the race. I took a fall that wasn’t too bad. Some where around mile 20 (I think) we took a wrong turn and went about 5 minutes the wrong way. Ugh! The wrong way tape had wrapped up in the tree and we just missed it.
I was really falling apart. My body was just so tired. And of course I took a bad fall. I never even knew it was coming. I went down landing on two rocks right across my rib cage and solar plexus. Knocked the wind out of me. I have never been punched, but I imagine this is how it feels. It took a while before I could do any running after that. The rest of my day was rally slow after that fall. I My legs were tired, my chest hurt and wanted to nap.
At this race you come through the finish line and head back up for 4 miles. 2 miles up and 2 miles down. I was so happy coming in. 4 more miles seemed like nothing. What I didn’t know was I headed for the hardest climbing of the day. I was on all fours and miserable. I decided to pray, but the only prayer I really know by heart is the benching prayer for after eating wheat and even that I have to hum parts. Melissa Ruse was taking pictures and I told her I had been praying all the way up and it wasn't helping. Right after I passed her I started slipping backwards and it pissed me off. “I’m so fucking tired of this bullshit,” I yell. From praying to cursing, that pretty much sums me up.
In the end, I ended up 6th place for the race and 2nd in the US Sky Running series. But, in all honesty, I will admit it feels a bit like a participation award. There were only 2 of us with enough races to actually score for the series.
I raced in my Saucony Kinvera road shoes. I still love them for all conditions. I had two bottles with Skratch during the race and the rest of time ate PB&J off the table. After a rather unfortunate encounter with a PB&J that contained banana too, I switched to peanut m&m’s. For me, I have discovered the less food is the answer. Trying to eat on a schedule just doesn’t work. I run the majority of my miles on an empty stomach and I think I have just adapted to not needing a lot of calories. I did carry 2 packets of almond butter, just in case, but I didn't need them.
There a few people I have to thank. Mark Cosmas at iRun has been so helpful. Not only is it my go to place to shop, but Mark has helped me research races and pick the right products. When Mark isn’t available I always know I can count on the staff to go out of their way to help me. I tend to last minute panic and iRun is a great place to get what I need and get talked off the ledge. Thank you to Charlie Boeynik! Without his help I would probably not be running, For two years he worked to get me back to running and racing. He understands how important racing is to me and goes above and beyond to help me. He is an awesome physical therapist. If you want someone who will take time with you and understand what it is like to be an athlete, you want Charlie. Thank you to Skratch! The one product that doesn’t make me want to hurl every where. Not only is it my go to during a race, but also the key to recovery after a race. Thank you to Chris and Squirrel’s Nut Butter. It is the best anti-chaffe product I have ever used and made by really awesome, caring people. Thank you to Cheryl Miller! Without your guidance and support I probably would not have given sky running a chance again. Cheryl is always a shoulder to cry on and a great sounding board. Thank you to Jamil, Hayley and Aravaipa Running! I appreciate all of your help and support. I love being on the team. It is so much fun to be at a race and have people tell me about their great experience at an Aravaipa race. Thank you to David Roche! We have never met, but I read everything you wrote as I wrote my training plans for myself. Your 5 day taper was the answer to my tapering dilemma. I am a better runner thanks to your words. Thank you to my students. I think they want me to win race almost more than I want me to win races. But they are the cutest, most supportive group I could ask for.
But most importantly, thank you to my husband, Norm Brouillard and my awesome kids Enzo, Ava and Sinjn. They follow me around to train and race. They deal with the emotional ups and downs that are my racing life. They have learned to ignore my pre race bitchiness. They are always supportive and always proud of me. I am lucky to have them as my family.
I find it interesting that as the Jewish year ends, my mountain racing ends. I loved mountain racing, but I am looking forward to the change to road racing for a few months. Shana Tovah!
There a few people I have to thank. Mark Cosmas at iRun has been so helpful. Not only is it my go to place to shop, but Mark has helped me research races and pick the right products. When Mark isn’t available I always know I can count on the staff to go out of their way to help me. I tend to last minute panic and iRun is a great place to get what I need and get talked off the ledge. Thank you to Charlie Boeynik! Without his help I would probably not be running, For two years he worked to get me back to running and racing. He understands how important racing is to me and goes above and beyond to help me. He is an awesome physical therapist. If you want someone who will take time with you and understand what it is like to be an athlete, you want Charlie. Thank you to Skratch! The one product that doesn’t make me want to hurl every where. Not only is it my go to during a race, but also the key to recovery after a race. Thank you to Chris and Squirrel’s Nut Butter. It is the best anti-chaffe product I have ever used and made by really awesome, caring people. Thank you to Cheryl Miller! Without your guidance and support I probably would not have given sky running a chance again. Cheryl is always a shoulder to cry on and a great sounding board. Thank you to Jamil, Hayley and Aravaipa Running! I appreciate all of your help and support. I love being on the team. It is so much fun to be at a race and have people tell me about their great experience at an Aravaipa race. Thank you to David Roche! We have never met, but I read everything you wrote as I wrote my training plans for myself. Your 5 day taper was the answer to my tapering dilemma. I am a better runner thanks to your words. Thank you to my students. I think they want me to win race almost more than I want me to win races. But they are the cutest, most supportive group I could ask for.
But most importantly, thank you to my husband, Norm Brouillard and my awesome kids Enzo, Ava and Sinjn. They follow me around to train and race. They deal with the emotional ups and downs that are my racing life. They have learned to ignore my pre race bitchiness. They are always supportive and always proud of me. I am lucky to have them as my family.
I find it interesting that as the Jewish year ends, my mountain racing ends. I loved mountain racing, but I am looking forward to the change to road racing for a few months. Shana Tovah!
