I'm outa here!

Well, the time has come to leave for my adventure. My action packer is organized and packed and we are so ready to be in Costa Rica. Please send me positive vibes and good thoughts, and prayers if you want to. I'll need all the help I can get! See you all in two weeks! Pura Vida!!

The Challenge is ON!

Taper time has begun as the Coastal Challenge is just one week away. I have practiced putting up my tent and breaking it down, and I think I have every thing that I could possibly need. Thanks to Drymax socks for supplying me with great socks. My hamstrings remain tight and painful. My IT band and butt are also rearing their ugly heads too, but I hope that with a massage and a chiropractic appt., AND REST, my legs will hold up just fine. Hell, everything feels great except for my legs! Come on taper, work your magic!

Matt and I leave on Thurs. for Costa Rica. We are going to have a Blast! We will spend 15 days exploring this beautiful country.

As many of you know, I will be running in a 6 day stage race called The Coastal Challenge. I will be competing against an international field of very fit endurance athletes. I will be tested and pushed to the limits of human endurance they tell us. I will be navigating wide river crossings, rainforest's, jungles, windswept highlands, beaches and rock outcroppings. I will HAVE to put up a tent every night and take it down in the dark, EVERYDAY!! Now, that sounds stressful! I am excited and ready for this adventure. The race starts on Sunday, Feb. 1st, and ends Friday night, Feb. 6th. It is going to be a fun filled, very hard week of doing what I love.
If you are interested, you may check out my progress at:http://www.tccadventures.com/index.php?option=com_idoblog&view=idoblog&Itemid=197. You can also send me an email through that website and they will make sure I get it every night. I would love to hear shout outs of encouragements from any of you. I look forward to sharing my pictures and stories with all of you when we get back.

Thank you, Matt, for making this possible for me. I love you.....

2 weeks to go, but who's counting.......

In 14 days The Coastal Challenge will start. I am so excited! I have begun packing my Action Packer, a large 24 gallon box that will serve as my suitcase with everything that I will need for the race put in it. Today I bought a tent and a travel alarm clock. I think I have enough food and I am trying to be good and only bring a few different running clothes. I should be able to rinse out my dirty clothes and re wear them so I don't over pack. Decisions, decisions, decisions. It's hard to figure out what exactly to bring when I have had no experience with anything like this.

Yesterday, Karen and I ran at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. We ran for almost 3 hours and it was a gorgeous day for the middle of January. We both wore short sleeve tops and never once felt cold. The sky was clear and the ocean just sparkled. About a half mile from the finish, we ran into Rick and John. They had just completed a
40 mile or so run. You know, just a jog in the park. John is running the Rocky Raccoon 100 in 3 weeks. It was nice to run with those guys. Both Rick and John are fast runners who live in San Francisco. They love to run in the Marin Headlands and know these trails like the back of their hands.

Today I went to the gym and did some free weights for a very short 15 minutes. I then got into the pool and swam for another 20 minutes. It felt so good to swim today. It has been months since I have been in the pool, but it felt wonderful. I think today was definitely a rest day.

The Coastal Challenge has a new updated website. Please go to here to check it out.

Suzanna Bon, my "twisted sister", finished the HURT 100 today. She came in as 2nd woman with an awesome time of 30:32! I will have to find out the details about her race as soon as she is conscious enough to talk! Have a wonderful weekend!

Training for TCC

Last Saturday's 10 hour planned run turned into a 7 hour run for me. 14 friends and I met at Rodeo Beach for a long day of running. This was to be Suz's last really long run before HURT 100. It was a beautiful day for a run. The sky was so clear and the city of San Francisco glistened in the distance. We all kept commenting on just what a perfect day it was.
It was 31 degrees at the start, so it was a bit nippy. It's funny how fast you warm up though, when you are running. Everyone ran different distances, with only Suzanna running the whole enchilada. I bailed with 3 hours to go, my PF and my right ankle kept reminding me that they were tired, so I decided to be smart and stop. My friend Pete gave me a ride back to my car at Rodeo Beach. I ran about 30 miles that day.

I got the most amazing camera for Christmas from Matt, but I didn't bring it along because I thought it might rain. Oh well, I think I will have to use a picture from Ricks blog to show you just how pretty the city looked.



Beautiful, huh? This pic was taken at the butt crack of dawn.

I ran with Wally today and I felt good. I saw a lot of Mountain Lion tracks on the trail and it always amazes me that we never see one. Suz did see one the other day at Annadel and she said it was just HUGE. She couldn't believe how long it's tail was. I'm jealous that she saw one on one of the days we didn't run together. Boo hoo.

24 more days to TCC. I can't wait. Staying injury free and healthy are so important now. I just read on the internet that Costa Rica had a big earthquake today. I just HATE when that happens! I hope that the earth stops shaking by the time we get there. Have a great day!

"Be willing to let anything happen" Dr. Wayne Dyer

With less than a month before TCC, I am preparing myself for an amazing adventure. We are required to bring a 24 gallon "action Packer", a large lockable box, to put everything in that we will need in the race. Figuring out my fuel needs and how much of this and that I will need is difficult. Taking care of my feet, fuel and hydration needs, and recovery are going to be very important. Trying to plan ahead for what I may need is crucial.

Tomorrow is a LONG run of about 10 hours. It will be slow, with the emphasis on, "time on my feet." Hopefully, the weather will hold out and the rain will wait until Sunday.
We will start at Rodeo Beach and proceed from there.

Happy New Years to everyone! I am assuming that you are starting to think about goals and races for this coming season. As usual, I want to continue on my path to good, if not better, health. I have a few personal goals too. Trying to be a better person certainly is one of them.

I will keep you posted on my race plans for TCC for those of you who are interested. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!