I forgot what it was like to be cold. Really cold. I am absolutely cold to the bone. It may be because I used up my heat reserves yesterday at the race or just because it is October. I don't know. The pic above reminds me of how I am feeling. I can't wait until summer arrives.......
Yesterday I ran the Firetrails 50 miler. It has a total elevation gain of (+)7,800 feet and loss of 7,800 feet. It was an awesome day and the trails and volunteers were just great. I finally got to meet Victoria. She was sitting with her pink cast propped up volunteering at the finish line. It was nice to see her as I always tend to shy away from running events when I have an injury. I hate to be reminded of what I can't do and she is using volunteering as a motivation to get her back to where she wants to be.
The Race:
My plan A was to finish in 8:38. Plan B was to finish in under 9 hours. I made out my pace chart for a 8:38 finish and held on to it for a 8:38 finish. Unbelievable!! How did I do that? Believe me, it was only a coincidence! But amazing just the same. I was 2nd woman overall and first in my age group. I broke the 14 year age division record by 48 minutes! Pretty exciting for me as this age thing really bugs me. I hate that I am as old as I am. History proves that women don't do as well as they age (running), as men their same age. How many fast 57 year old women do you see compared to 57 year old men? See what I am saying?? It's just a bummer. The important thing is to keep on keeping on. Enough said. Oh, and for the record, I am not 57, I was just using that age to make a point. I ran the whole 50 miles in my Drymax socks without one blister and not a hot spot anywhere on my feet or toes. Thank you Drymax! I wore their trail running sock which is a high density protective padded sock. My feet stayed dry and free of dirt and debris. I've had a history of blisters and very sore toes during all of my long runs and races. Wearing Drymax socks have completely taken away that problem. I love that I can run feeling confident in my socks. Check out the Drymax blog to see what your favorite athletes are up to!
Have a nice Sunday and happy blister free running to ya'll!
10 comments:
Kelly, Kelly, Kelly!!! It is so awesome to see you run like this, and to be an amazing example of what we can be, and you are great, beautiful, and kind, and I am just happy the Firetrails worked for you so well!!!
Funny you should mention that because I've been feeling cold all day. I was at the new California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate park and I was cold but people were walking around in short and t-shirts. Brrr... I too used my energy reserves.
Hey it was great seeing you out there and thank you for the kind words. I've been trying harder with this trail running thing inspired by the successes of friends. I thought, "if they can push themselves further I should be able to as well".
I've been running on Drymax socks since Olga gave me a few pairs and Donald hooked me up with them. I've been testing them out in training and races and I haven't had any blisters either. I promised them a report on my observations after training and racing with them for a bit. So far so good.
Hi Kelly....
Great run! Congrats!
As a 57 (well, almost) year old man with a 53 year old wife, I can attest to the fact that she is slowing down faster than I am and I don't like it! So anyway, I will slow down with her rather than train alone....we spend most of our time together on the trail, so is an important part of our relationship.
Again, good job!
Fellow Goat, Steve
Well it also seems like you are proving history wrong...you're definitely not getting slower right now! Plus, it's not like there were a plethora of men over 50 who ran faster than you. Let's just be real: There weren't a lot of people who ran faster than you, no matter their gender OR age.
I'm also pretty convinced that in the next few years the percentage of women who continue to get faster as they get older is going to go up-- because historically there haven't been as many women as men who kept running/training hard as they moved into their 50s and 60s. You're the "avant" of the "avant-garde" right now.
That's my prediction for the future and I'm sticking to it!
Great running this weekend! Can't wait to see what you do next!
Way to go, Kelly!
You're definitely reversing the trend! And to pick 8:38 and then run that exact time--amazing. Not just sub-9--8:38!
Thanks so much Olga.
Hey Rick, You rocked on Saturday! It was great to see you out there pushing. Keep it up! Spread the news about Drymax socks. They are the best!
Hey Steve, It's awesome that you and Deb do so much running together. That alone will keep you young. Thanks for the note. Happy trails!
Well thank you Victoria. I love those kind words:) It was great to see you out there volunteering at Firetrails. It will keep you motivated to get back to running ASAP. Take good care of that foot.
Thanks Peter! I hope that you have recovered from your race. What's next for you? I hope to see you on the trails soon.
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