I saw this poster in the subway in NYC. I really liked it. Wouldn't it be cool to have your picture on this poster?

Our trip to NYC was just fantastic! We had a tour of New York University and we just loved our time in Manhattan. A beautiful city. As I've said in this blog before, we went to NY to see NYU. Courtney had narrowed her college choices between NYU and USC. Last weekend she had spent in Southern California and then we were off to NY. I kept my opinions and my thoughts to myself because I didn't want to influence her either way. I was secretly hoping that she would choose USC. After spending several hours at NYU, she told us that she liked USC and wanted to go there. Phew! We all thought that NYU would be a great place for Graduate School. Courtney feels like it just isn't the right fit for her at this time. So now she will be a USC Trojan!

Saturday I am running in the MiWok 100k in Sausalito, Ca. I have run it several times. The 100k is not a distance I do well in. There is something about running 12 miles longer than a 50 that gets me. My strategy this year is to go out much slower and try to pace myself so that I can run stronger the second half. I think that if I can keep the calories going in and be smart about the race, I can run a smarter race. I would like to run under 11:30 for 62 miles. I feel confident that I can do that. Olga is running MiWok too. It will be fun to run a race with her again.

If you happen to see me at the race on Saturday, please introduce yourself!

The hardest part - Coldplay

Last night this video made me smile and it made me cry. Wow, I want to be Barbara when I grow up! An amazing lady. If she doesn't inspire you, check your pulse. Enjoy

A College Journey

Today my daughter Courtney visited the University of Southern California. (USC). She was so impressed with the school and was so excited telling me all about her time there. On Wednesday, Courtney, and Matt and I are going to New York University. (NYU). She will visit and tour that University and see how she likes it there. It will be a first time visit to NY for Courtney and she is so excited. Matt and I are super excited too. She has narrowed her choices between USC and NYU. I hope she gets a clear understanding of what school fits her best. I am partial to USC, as she will be so much closer to home. Both her brother and sister go to school in Irvine so they would be close to each other also. Courtney's boyfriend, Cameron is going to go to University of Santa Barbara and they would be fairly close too. NY is so far away. I hate to think of my baby being all the way across the state. I pray that whatever school she chooses will be the best school for her. I just want her to be happy and to thrive.

Wasatch Speed Goat Mountain Running Team

Well, it's official. I am now a member of the Wasatch Speed Goat Mountain Running Team. It is going to be the best team yet!! Scott Mason is the director with co-director, Tim Barnes. Team sponsors include Wasatchspeedgoat.com, Nathan, First Endurance, Nuun, Petzl, and Backcountry.com! There are also some shoe companies coming forth with pro deals too.

This new team consists of good solid ultra runners from all around the country. Each and everyone of the team members comes to this team as true ambassadors to the sport of ultra running. It will be great to see them all out on the trails.

Ultra Mistakes on Race Day

Almost a week has gone by since Lake Sonoma 50 miler. I have had time to reflect and see the mistakes that I made.

The classic mistakes when it comes to hydration and fueling according to five time winner of the Western States 100 Mile Run, Tim Tweitmeyer, are: First, not drinking early enough. Second, is not taking in enough calories early enough, and the third is not paying attention to the need for salt or sodium (electrolytes).

I think that I was taking in enough water. I prefer water to sport drinks and I try to take Succeed regularly. I made the mistake of not taking in enough Succeed and my hamstrings and low back were cramping. It was very hot out and I was sweating profusely. I kept reminding myself to pick up electrolytes at the next aid station, but then would forget once I got there. Big Mistake. As the heat, duration and the intensity of an event increase, sodium loss becomes critically high. Sweating leaves the blood thicker, making the heart work harder to pump it sending your pulse rate very high. Start early with electrolytes and don't get behind.

One of my biggest mistakes was that I did not take in nearly enough calories. To delay fatigue and keep performing at your best during an ultra you need to replace carbohydrates BEFORE your glycogen stores get depleted. The average maximum amount of carbohydrates you can absorb and burn during exercise is about 200 to 250 calories per hour or about 1 gram per minute of exercise. Taking in less than your ideal amount of carbohydrates means you can not "catch-up" on energy when you begin to feel fatigued and hypoglycemia takes its toll. Start early and don't get behind. Remember to "eat early and often", even if you are not hungry! Try to stay ahead of the fueling game. Have a plan but be prepared to be flexible. Stable blood sugar directs calories to muscles so try to fuel yourself with small amounts continually.

I hope the mistakes I made will help keep you from doing them yourself on your next race. Most of us know what we need to do. Doing them, on the other hand, is sometime difficult. I know that I have to remind myself to eat before I feel the need to do so. Getting behind on calories does not make for a pretty run. Remember: Calories = energy.

Practice and use this information so you can have a strong and comfortable finish at your next race.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain

A Bridesmaid again

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Lake Sonoma 50 mile in Healdsburg, Ca. It was the hottest day of the year and I was told that it was 93 degrees out there. It felt like we were running in the desert. Very few people, if any, were heat trained and nausea and cramps were striking everyone. It was a beautiful challenging course and I think many people were surprised at the difficulty of the race. I felt that I ran a strong race but as usual I found myself low on salt, hydration, and fuel. I bonked several times but food just didn't look appealing. I kept telling myself to, "eat early and often", but I didn't take my own advice. Yeah, I know, that was Stupid, with a capital S. Besides bonking, cramping hamstrings, and sweating every ounce of liquid out of my body... things went well. No really, they did. I got passed by the second place women sometime around mile 30 and the rest is history. I watched her until she was just a figment of my imagination. At mile 37.9 she was 4 minutes ahead of me but she was running strong and I was content with being 2nd women. Fast Andy Black and I ran together for more than 45 miles. I enjoyed running with him very much. At the end, he kicked my butt too, but that's okay. I was 10th runner overall with a time of 9:53:06. Being a bridesmaid isn't really that bad. In fact, I rather like it. :)

This pic is Andy Black and I at about 45 miles. Thank you, Steve Patt for this photo.

Matt and I on the top of Bald Mt. A favorite mountain that we all love to run up to. On this particular day, I carried a 15lb dumbell in my pack and hiked up to the top. Don't ask why....I am not sure why. I think I thought that it might make me stronger. What was I thinking? My upper and lower back ached for days after that crazy idea!!

On Saturday, I am running in a 50 mile race around Lake Sonoma in Healdsburg, Ca. I am a little nervous, as it has been a long time since I have run a race. I am not feeling particularly ready, as I have not gotten in the miles necessary to execute a good race. The weatherman promises hot weather and the course is tough. My plan is to just go out conservative and see what the day brings. I hope things go well, but I am really happy to be out there regardless of what happens. You can't really have a bad race on a beautiful day in Sonoma County, can you? (I'll let you know).

There is one grand lie - that we are limited. The only limits we have are the limits we believe. Wayne W. Dyer

My kids and I

Here is a pic taken last year of my three kids. I am one proud Momma. I thank God every day for the gift he has given me. I am truly blessed!

April is here!

The last weekend in March was a good running weekend. I ran with John and Mark at Lake Sonoma on Saturday for 25 miles. The trails around Lake Sonoma are quite deceiving. The continual up and down single track trails are really tough. There is nothing really steep, but it is a real butt kicker. I am glad that we familiarized ourselves with this trail as we are running a 50 miler there on April 12th. I feel very under trained, but I am feeling a lot stronger than I was a couple of weeks ago.

On Sunday, Matt and I ran at Sugarloaf for about 8 miles. It was a nice recovery run for me. I was a little tired, but felt good for the most part. Matt is training for the TRT 50k in July. He has run it a couple of times before. His last race was two years ago at Old Pueblo 50 mile. He is looking forward to the race and so am I. I am planning on running the 50 miler, but if I feel like I am in 100 mile shape, I may run the 100! Who knows!

I love summer and April always reminds me that warm weather is just around the corner. I am going to plant some tomato's, and some pink and purple bacopa plants in the next couple of days. I can just feel the days are getting longer and warmer!