Being a winner

This video was sent to me by my friend Jeff. I think you will enjoy it. As runners competing in races, we are faced with all kinds of situations. This video shows what it means to be a winner. It shows character and class. It shows us that by stepping up and doing the right thing, at the right time, can mean all the difference to someone's life. Whether we are running on a trail, or walking on the trail of life, we must remember to be winners whether we reach the finish line first or last. These girls epitomize what the spirit of humanity is all about. Let's remember this the next time we stand at the start line of our next race. I want to be a winner, don't you?

My training has been going well. Unfortunately, my legs have been feeling really stiff and uncomfortable. I am not sure if my diet has been low on protein, or if I am running more than I think I am. My brother and I have been running together lately, and the pace is sometimes faster than I usually go. Could that be it? Just in case I needed more protein, I ate a hamburger last night. :)

Saturday begins the Western States training weekend. That is always a favorite "must do". This year, I am only running on Saturday. I will miss the excitement of running the rest of the weekend with friends. We will run from Robinson Flat to Foresthill. It always is a great time.

I am running a 50k on June 8th. It is the Auburn 50k It will be my first race as a 50 year old. (I can't believe that I actually just wrote that) but that is just the way it is. I turn 50 on June 6, and it will be a great birthday present for me to be out there doing what I love to do.

I'm off to the pool for a short swim to stretch out these stiff legs. I hope to see some of you on Saturday at the training camp. Have a great day!

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." Diane Ackerman

Massanutten 100 Rocks!

This is my friend Chris Garcia running the Massanutten 100 mile race in Virginia. This was taken this morning. I just may have to do this race next year. I hear it is tough and full of rocks! He is in great shape and I know that he will do well. I can't wait to hear all about it. Good luck, my friend!

A coyote, a pig, and a hot training run

Yesterday, I finally made it into the pool. With 100 degree weather, it seemed like the right thing to do. It felt good to feel my body skim across the water and my arms felt fine after a long layoff. Maybe the push-ups are working after all.
A co-worker told me the other day that my arms were so skinny and that they were practically just bones. She knows that I have been working my arms, and it was just a mean thing to say. I was so happy to feel that my arms felt strong swimming after that comment. Secretly, I think she is jealous.

Suz and I ran 25 hot miles at Lake Sonoma today. We saw among other things, a large spotted pig, and a coyote. That is just one of the many things that I love about trail running. There is so many beautiful animals out there that we would never see if we were not running in the mountains. Running 25 miles today two weeks after running Miwok, set me up for a very tired body. I thought I was totally recovered, but running in the intense heat and exposed trails just kicked my butt. I was definitely sucking donkey balls. I came home and took a nap!

Tonight I made spaghetti for dinner. Yeah, I ate meat tonight. After my low energy run, I felt that maybe I was not getting enough protein with my vegetarian diet. Frankly, I was running out of ideas of what to eat. I certainly will continue to try and eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but maybe eating a cow every once in a while will do this body good.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. My friend Chris is running Massanutten 100 tomorrow, so Good Luck, Chris!

Happy Mudders Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mothers Day tomorrow. I am spending Mothers Day with my family. It will be a great day! I am going to miss spending time with Caleb and Chelsea who are in school in Southern California. I hope they remember to call me and say hi. I will be hurt if they forget. :( Oh, and all you men, don't forget to call the Mothers in your life. We are important don't you know. Even Egyptians love their mummys. Ha Ha.

Miwok 100k

Saturday I ran the Miwok 100k race in the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This was my 6th running of this race. I started out slow as my plan was to pace myself and finish feeling good. I concentrated on eating and drinking early and often. I held myself back when my friends ran faster than me. I really tried to run a smart race and I succeeded!

The 100k distance (62 miles), is a difficult distance. There is just something so hard about running 62 miles! Why? I don't know. If any of you know the answer, please tell me! My brother Wally paced me the last 20 miles and that was certainly the highlight. It meant a lot to me to have him run with me. He is running his first 50k in July at the TRT. We thought it was important for him to experience an ultra by pacing me. Matt crewed for us and did a great job as always. I finished in 11:32. 14th female and 66th overall. I am happy about my effort there and felt good right up until the end.

I am still a vegetarian. I think it has been about 3 months now. I will continue to eat that way until it doesn't work for me anymore. So far, so good. I can't believe that I haven't even missed a hamburger or a chicken burrito. Thinking about eating meat right now, almost makes me sick. I started this vegetarian thing on a bet with a friend. See messed up after about 3 weeks and I just kept going. I am one of those people who decide something and then I stick with the plan come hell or high water. That's how I stopped drinking alcohol over 27 years ago. I made a New Years resolution to never drink again and that was that! I can be very strong when I put my mind to it. I always am trying to figure out what my "gift" is. Maybe having a strong will power is it. I have always wished it was creativity, beauty, power, charisma, the ability to decorate a room....you know, something I could wrap my hand around. I always laugh and think, well, I do have the gift of gab. I am not a suzie homemaker or creative in anyway, but I can talk to anyone! I am comfortable with people and I have FORTITUDE. Yeah, I guess I do have a few gifts. Oh, and running. That is a gift too. Running is a gift I give myself everyday when I run on the trails and feel the wind in my face.

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.