Tragedy

Today I had a tragedy. Due to way too much snow/slush/messy crap still on the ground, I found myself on a treadmill at the gym again this morning. This makes like 95 times in the past week, or it feels that way.

One of the things that makes the ‘mill bearable is music. I put in my ear buds, and SHIT. Are you kidding me? No battery charge. When will technology get advanced enough so I never have to remember to charge stuff? I almost turned around, slapped the guy behind me on the bike (not that he deserved it, but someone has to get the brunt of my unhappiness), and stormed out the door. However, I dug deep for inner strength, found it, and began my workout anyway.

One of my favorite things to do on the treadmill to keep it interesting (besides playing the Outlast Game) is doing hill work. This is one thing that is much easier to do on a treadmill than on the trails or road. I put the setting on “random” which means that every minute or so the incline changes. I put it on a tough setting, so that when the incline does change, it's pretty significant. I then choose my speed and don’t change it throughout the workout. This means that whether the incline is 0% or 5%, I am challenging myself to keep my same pace. It is not easy. Today’s workout was five miles at 6.8 mph (8:49 min/mile), which is a piece of pound cake while it’s on 0% incline, and a piece of hard ass shit when it’s on 5%. Or, maybe I am just a pussy.

Damn! but a hard, sweat fest is fun and satisfying (TWSS).

I rushed home, showered, and threw some 15 Bean Soup in the crockpot (I soaked the beans overnight) before heading to work. Best hearty, winter soup EVER. Guaranteed to promote flatulence! Says so on the label.

On my drive I saw this bumper sticker on someone's car and it make me laugh out loud (LOL!!). Yes, I  am in fifth grade, thanks for asking.

By the way, the third installment of the Refuel with Chocolate Milk videos from Vegas was posted yesterday HERE. You can see what a dork I look like when I am trying to be serious and thoughtful. I do way better being immature and crude. The first and second episodes are HERE and HERE if you care. I find them entertaining and not just because I’m in them. Refuel did a great job putting these together. There are two more to come!

When the weather makes it almost impossible to run outside, do you treadmill-it or just skip it? Be honest. I usually weather the bad weather (wind, rain, cold temps, blistering hot temps, snow). But if it’s really slick outside I go indoors because no run is worth breaking a bone and being laid up for months with the pussy posse. I hardly ever just skip it.

Do you always run with music? I do. It motivates me. I only train without it if the race I’m training for doesn’t allow iPods.

Best bumper sticker you’ve ever seen? When I was a kid I loved “Save gas, fart in a jar” and “Is that your face or did your neck throw up?” Not sure why. Still pretty funny. Yep, still in 5th grade.

SUAR

Rock ‘n Roll Las Vegas 2011 Race Report

To start, I want to thank Refuel with Chocolate Milk for sponsoring me for this race weekend. Not only did I enjoy meeting my team mates (Skinny Runner, Runners Rambles, Hungry Runner Girl, Run Like a Mother Ladies, Run Eat Repeat) but working with Refuel was so effortless. I’ve been chugging chocolate milk after workouts for recovery for the past year, so it was a perfect fit to work with Refuel and to endorse a product I believe in.

Did I tell you the race started at 5:30 pm? This means no early wake up calls or struggles to get out that first dump of the day. It does mean, however, that while you have all day to make sure you clean the pipes, you also have  all day to obsess about the race.

I got my Team Refuel outfit all laid out:

Skirt: Mums Noir Running Skirt from Running Skirts
Shirt: Sweetest Tee Running Shirt from Skirt Sports
Arm Warmers: Pearl Izumi Thermal Lite Arm Warmers from REI.com
Capris: Reflective WorkItOut Knicker from Athleta 

I really like the way Refuel did the outfits. I was asked to select what I wanted to wear and they put their logo on it. Win-win!

We then spent the rest of the day looking for pancakes. That’s what I wanted for a bigger meal before the race. There was only one option:

I was a bit scared I would regret this grand slam. I only ate the eggs and about half of the pancakes. I knew the sausage would haunt me the whole run, so I left those itty bitty wieners on the plate.

During breakfast the couple beside us asked why the hell I was taking pictures of my food. I told them that I was a famous food writer and they could have my autograph if they wanted. We got to talking. Five minutes into the conversation I had one of those TMI moments. You know me, I am not a prude, but I am selective about when I bring TMI to the conversation. You have to know when your audience can handle it. The dude I was talking to told me he had had gastric bypass a few months ago and he was still only having one bowel movement a week. Yes, he told me that. Maybe that is why I didn’t finish my food.

Finally time to go. Met up with Aron, Page and Marjorie to head to the start.

I got to corral #4 as it was getting dark. It was a madhouse, pretty typical for the start of a Rock and Roll race.  I kind of liked the crowd because everyone’s body warmth and bad breath kept me toasty. I used my cheetah Walgreen’s blanket as a skirt until I had to give up my down coat.

Race started promptly and I was off and running by 5:32 p.m. I usually start slower, but I was so ready to get going I blasted out of the gate. I felt like I was flying for the first few miles, and I think there were all around 8 min/miles. I had very little congestion in my corral. It was not crowded, I had plenty of room. I later learned this was not the case for the later corrals, but mine was great. I had my music pumping and I was taking in the lights and energy along the Strip. It was invigorating to be running at night in a city that I had never seen from this perspective. You have to admit this is SUPER WAY AMAZING COOL:

I hit the 5K at 25 minutes. I cruised along, feeling great. No aches or pains. I silently praised Matt (Handled with Care Massage) who does my active release therapy. I think he saved me for this race. And, hopefully for many races to come.

I got to the 10K at 50 minutes. Almost halfway, I was still feeling good. I had a vanilla Power Bar gel (my favorite for both taste, texture and consistency. They are so runny, they go down easy). I saw a dude running in front of me with a huge load in his tights. I don’t me a “load” as in male prowess. I mean “load” as in EWWWW!!!

At about mile 8, as we headed back up the Strip, my insides started revolting a bit. This distracted me and I slowed. I looked everywhere for a porta potty and guess what? There were NONE. At least none that I could see. Even at the aid stations I could not find one. I clenched and hoped for the best. Then in full disclosure because that’s what I do, I crapped my pants just a tad. Dammit.

I hit the 10 mile around 1:22. I knew I was in the home stretch. I started to feel fatigued and realized that I was kind of under trained for this one. Due to injury, I’d only been doing 15-20 miles per week, with my longest run at 10 miles. I haven’t done speed work in ages. No duh I was fading.

I crossed the finish in 1:49:28.

Overall: 2,237/ 33,123 · Division: 93/3,600 · Gender: 584/21,051.

I was okay with that. I was still in the top 2% for my division and gender. Not my best showing and a few minutes off my PR of 1:46. But, I’ll take it.

Once I crossed the finish it was a cluster f%ck of people. I ran for 13 miles then, BAM, I was at a standstill with a million others. My stomach immediately started cramping. I pushed through, grabbed some water and my medal (which I’m glad I got because I heard they actually ran out of them for the runners who came in later. Are you KIDDING me??), skipped the food and made it to a porta potty. I was feeling pretty crappy and starting to get really cold. It was windy.

I found my team mates and Refuel gave me a big bottle of chocolate milk. I tried to get a few sips down. I started to really freeze and bid my team mates goodbye. Erika and I headed into Mandalay Bay for some warm tea and to find a cab. I knew the shuttles would be a nightmare.

(Runners Rambles, me, Hungry Runner Girl, Skinny Runner)

This is my mad, hard core face. I’ll take you down.

This is when the fun began.

We waited in the cab line for 90 minutes. I was FREEZING and not feeling well. I didn’t have any food, but don’t think I could have eaten anyway. I just wanted to get back to my hotel for a warm shower and my post-race ritual of putting my feet up, calming my stomach and getting warm. I hid out in some corner while Erika stood in line. We finally got to the front of the line. Lots of people were not doing well: shivering, sick. We saw several stretchers come into the lobby. I heard stories of people passing out. One guy approached us upset and sick saying he couldn’t find the shuttle and had no money. He was so ill and so cold he was almost incoherent. We invited him into our cab. We also invited in a mom and her daughter who were also not doing so hot.

I thought once we were in the cab, we’d be good to go. Nope. 20 minutes after getting in, we were still in the driveway of Mandalay Bay. Nothing was moving. The Strip was still closed. The meter read $15 and we’d barely gone a few feet. The guy we brought in was sick and I knew if he threw up I would have a panic attack (I have this vomit phobia thing). Erika and I decided to get out of the cab (my idea – not a good one), go back inside for a drink and try the cab line again after the Strip opened.

This is me in the bar. I am wrapped in several mylars I borrowed from people in the bar, freezing my ass off. My knees are actually pulled up into my chest, but you can’t really tell. Erika thought I looked legless. And, a bit peakid, sickly.

An hour later the cab line was twice as long. SHIT. People were much worse off by this point. We walked through the lobby to see a girl in a stretcher and another girl puking into a trash can. People were laying around everywhere. Total refugee zone.

We decided to go next door to the Four Seasons to see if things were any better. It was like walking into first class from coach. Serene, warm, calm. The guy handling the taxis told us we’d be second in line for a cab. He said, “Go sit down by the fire. I will come get you. Would you like some water?”

We waited for about an hour, until midnight. By this time I had been done racing for 4.5 hours. Then WE GOT A CAB and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

Back at the Venetian, we stopped for dinner. I tried to get down some soup, but couldn’t eat. I just felt so sick. I blame it on the poor conditions post race because I’ve never felt this bad this long after a race. We had plans of going out for a nice dinner and doing some gambling, but at 1:30 a.m. and an early flight to catch, all we could do was go to bed.

Here’s what sucks. I thought the race itself was a blast. I was already planning on coming back to run it again with Ken. But the post race situation was so crappy, I don’t know that I can revisit this one unless there are some big changes. I noticed the race took a huge hit on their Facebook page yesterday.

I still will end on a positive note. Race weekend was a blast. You can read about it HERE, HERE and HERE. I got to meet so many bloggers who I’d never met in person. I’ve decided that running bloggers are an exceptionally nice breed (I like to think it’s because we run and that makes us better people. Thereby proving that running makes everything better).  I won $200. I spent time with good friends. I laughed so much I almost peed myself several times, just like the guy next to me on the plane. I learned about someone’s pooping habits in Denny’s. I got to run on the Strip at night in Vegas. And, I have a great story to tell my grandchildren about the time I was stranded after a race and almost died (it’s important to embellish).

Moral of the story: Stay at the Four Seasons.

SUAR

Road Warrior

Today’s run: 9 miles in 1:21.

I was excited to get out the door. Probably because I wore fancy gloves.

Yes, it looks like I have a mini-penis. I assure you I do not.

Do not be jealous. You too could have these gloves for $.50 from Target. I don’t talk about Target a lot because as much as I love it, I try not to go there. Just walking in the door and I am $50 poorer. It never fails. Yet somehow going there, like going to Costco, puts me in a good mood.

Conversely, going to Wal-Mart puts me in a horrible mood and makes me think the world is going to shit. It is the ongoing Target vs. Wal-Mart debate and Target will always win out for me. Maybe it is because you see a lot of this sort of thing at Wal-Mart, and I don’t care for it:

I swear I never see crap like that at Target. I’m not being uppity, it just hasn’t happened. Yet. 

Back to the run. It was stinking freezing when I set out. 25 degrees. Slightly overcast. I was going into the wind on the way out and I thought my face might fall off. My snot froze to my flaring nostrils. I ran along this road towards the foothills.

I passed this grave.

I don’t know who Cinnamon is. Person? Dog? Doesn’t matter, this being was LOVED.  I used to have a guinea pig named Cinnamon but I don’t think she was buried here.

At the halfway mark I had some watermelon GU Chomps, stretched out my ass and headed for home. I passed a bunch of peacocks which was totally random. I think they are lost because they are a long way from their homeland of Sri Lanka or India. I wanted to tell them, but I don’t speak Sinhala.

It was  decent run. Not perfect in terms of pain (I had some stiffness in the last three miles), but leaps and bounds from where I was four weeks ago. Plus, my pace was about 30 seconds per mile faster than on my 8 miler last week, and that was without trying in the least. I came home and chugged some chocolate milk while rolling on the foam roller. Good to go!

I do think the active release work with Matt is really working. I have also been doing yoga at least twice per week. I like to do the sweaty crack aka Bikram yoga - I think that helps to keep my muscles loose and supple.

So, the Rock n Roll Vegas half (2 weeks from today) starts at 5:30 p.m This is not my normal run time and I never have run a race at night. If I was smart like some people I would be doing my long runs in the evenings to get ready. But, I’m not. I just don't want to. I figure I’ll wing it on that day and hope for the best.

My toughest challenge will be to watch what I eat that day I figure if I have a huge plate of Mexican food at about 3pm I’ll be golden. What’s a SUAR race without a porta potty or squat story?

I am getting excited for the race. For all of the times I’ve been to Vegas (way too many to count), I’ve never run the Strip at night. I’m also excited to be working with the Chocolate Milk campaign as a Team Refuel Road Warrior. SUAR the Warrior. Has a nice ring to it. Be very afraid.

For more info on the science behind why chocolate milk rules after a long workout, look HERE. Basically, you’re getting the perfect ratio of carbs to protein for recovery and helping to build leaner muscle mass. Hello! Who doesn’t want that?

Which do you prefer to shop at, Wal-Mart or Target?

Ever run an evening or night race? How do you recommend eating/fueling during the day of the race?

Do you do the sweaty crack version of yoga? I’ve been doing it for about two years now. Love it. Something about the sweat and the intense heat. Maybe I should move to the equator.

SUAR

PS: Check back tomorrow for the SUAR Christmas shopping extravaganza! There will be a long sleeve tech shirt (with a new design) and a couple other new stocking stuffer items.

Not a Dumb as Sh!t Athlete (DASA)

Today’s workout involved 3 miles on the treadmill at a 3% incline, then an hour of yoga. I then headed down  to see Matt Schaub at Handled with Care Massage for my second active release session. I told him I am gumby, I am running pain free, I am invincible. No, no. I am not those things. Once I start thinking I am those things, that is when I get injured. Bad SUAR. DASA SUAR (Dumb As Shit Athlete).

My body is not perfect (unless you like small boobs and a flat ass), there is still some discomfort and achiness, but I am encouraged because the pain is much less. I am beginning to feel “normal”again when I run.  This is a huge improvement. So, if you’re dealing with an injury and are in the Denver area - run (if you can) to see Matt. You won’t be disappointed.

Look! This doesn’t hurt. Is that gum on the bottom of my slipper?

The Las Vegas Rock ‘n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon is only 19  days away, but who is counting? This won’t be my best showing in terms of race times, I can promise you that, but I it will be my funnest. And, yes, funnest is a word and so is funner, so get off my back. I know I’ll be in good company with Jason, EMZ, Aron, Sarah, Jess, Marjorie, Janae and lots of others. The great thing about having a blog where you tell all your secrets is that when you meet new people, they already know everything. Nice breaking the ice. Basically it goes likes this:

Me: Hi! Nice to meet you! (explosive fart)

Them: Hey! You are just like you are on the blog! (waving hand in front of face, backing away)

Another cool thing about Vegas is that I will be spokesperson for the Refuel with Chocolate Milk/Got Milk? campaign. This basically means getting the word out throughout the weekend about the benefits of low fat chocolate milk after a tough workout. Want to know more? Click HERE.

I’ve been with Team Refuel for a few months now and they’ve supported me in doing several races and have given me many other cool opportunities.  For me, working with Team Refuel is a no brainer. I’ve long been a fan of chocolate milk as a recovery tool, so to pair up with these guys is a match well made. You can find them on Facebook HERE.

At the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon

Other Refuel friends: Hugh Williams (@Runner Bloke), Running Yogini, and me.

Are you a chocolate milk fan after a tough workout? (There is a lactate-free version, you know). Around here we buy it by the gallon. I love the stuff. But I don’t drink it unless my workouts are greater than an hour and have been fairly strenuous.

Who will go from the Biggest Loser tonight? Please let it be Bonnie. Please let it be Bonnie.

SUAR

Breaking the Speed Limit

Look! 1967 followers. The year of my birth. Must mean something. Like, I’m old?

Great day for a ride, so I pushed the kids out the door with some frozen pancakes in their tummies (no, I did not even defrost them). By the way, the Eating Right brand from Safeway is pretty decent if you don’t have time to make your own. I just do not show my 13 year old the box or he would never eat them.

Kids were gone and we were off. I love this ride  up to Rabbit Mountain, which is also called Rattlesnake Mountain (for obvious reasons) if you are really cool and a local like me.

Ken and I cruised to the turn off, then started climbing. I have a love/hate relationship with this climb. It is steady for the first four miles, then you turn a corner and holy sh&t that mother is steep. It may be a short climb, but it is a doozy and I always feel like I am going to pop a vein, puke, cry or fall over. But I never do. If I don’t do one other productive or meaningful thing in my day, at least I know I have conquered this bitch.

Okay, confession, that’s not really the road. But I swear it is just like that.

And, the view from the top? Well, it’s pretty special.

I will NEVER look cool on my bike. It’s just not in my DNA. Especially with that tumor I have in my lower back. I need to get that checked.

Today I broke the speed limit and got to 41 mph going down that sucker. Usually me and my little self cannot get going that fast, but I am getting more fearless on the bike these days on the downhills. Not sure if that is a good thing because there are no local orphanages around here for my children.

My better/studlier half :

It was only 21 miles, but we kept a fast pace (well, Ken paced me so we all know that means that my pace doesn’t count according to the IAAF). I got SO hungry the last few miles and came home chugged a huge glass of milk au chocolat as the French say (I was a French major so I know these things and am very sophisticated).

I look possessed or in pain or like a meth addict. Can’t decide which.

After I work out (and it was HOT out there today), I always get freezing. Queue new jacket just sent to me by Refuel with Chocolate Milk. LOVING this thing. Although they should be called Refuel Avec le Lait au Chocolate, like in Paris.

This is my attempt to not do a boring pose. Are you bored? You probably can’t see my legs because they are camouflaged. But, rest assured, they exist. Yes, we keep our bikes in the dining room even though we have a perfectly good garage. Doesn’t everyone?

I am proud that my hair can provide a nest for the birds around here:

Tonight I am hoping Ken will take me on a date that doesn’t involve wearing Garmins and eating Honey Stinger Waffles.

What are your plans for tonight? I'm hoping to eat some tapas and drink some good wine all for $1 or at least for pretty cheap.

Do you FREEZE after your workouts? YES! Does not matter if it is 8 or 80 degrees outside. Does not matter if I’ve run .1 miles or 15 miles.

What was your major in college? Are you using it? I was French and Poly Sci. I am using neither (except on this blog). I was an interpreter for awhile after college, but then I got my MSW and am proud to say I am using that. 

SUAR

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon Race Report

Grab your coffee and settle in for the good, the bad and the ugly…

The day started out in the most unspectacular of ways. I am so type-A that I set my alarm for 4:10 a.m., recheck it 20 times, then end up waking up at 3:00 a.m. Overachievers don’t need alarm clocks, is what I’ve decided. I could not poop before leaving home, because in the SUAR world, morning dumps arrive at 6:30 a.m., not 4:30 a.m.

Joie picked me up at 4:45 a.m. and we hauled ass to the start line, a 90 minute drive. This race is a point to point course, so you are supposed to park at the finish and take school busses to the start. I did that two years ago and learned my lesson. With that plan, you end up sitting in the cold for 90 minutes at 9,000 feet waiting for the race to start. I was so cold, I went into the gross porta potty to warm my hands over the steaminess coming from the deep dark hole. That is desperation. So, now we park at the start and have a second car at the finish. Genius.

We stopped at McDonald’s so I could poop. Perfect. I knew McDonald’s was good for something other than Oreo McFlurries and lard.

We sat with the heat on, cranking up our seat warmers. I farted a lot, which on a seat warmer is especially luxurious. Joie was not a fan.

The sun started coming up, it was time to race!

Home-made throwaway arm warmers are the bomb!

For the first two miles I ran with Marshall Ulrich, famed ultra runner and author of the recent “Running on Empty” book (see my review HERE). Marshall told me he was going to Nepal for some trekking and then to South America (I think?) to climb 20,000 foot volcanoes. I told him I might watch Bachelor Pad and eat microwave popcorn. He seemed impressed.

The miles flew by (8:04, 7:55, 7:49…). My goal for this race was “no goal.” I had no clue how I would feel after my half ironman six days before, so I decided to see how my legs felt and go based on that. The air was cool, my legs were strong, so I paced accordingly. I exerted myself, but kept some in the tank. I walked through every aid station, took a strawberry Clif Shot at the halfway mark and made the 10K mat by 51 minutes.

This is about the time where I realized gravity had taken its course. Not to get graphic, but my “down there” region got damp. I won’t go into detail about a “time of the month” surprise or other things, but suffice it to say, NASTY business. This was a distraction, but I was already at mile 8 and figured I could deal with it for the next five miles.

I came into the finish and saw my family while Sam snapped this photo. Still smiling despite the “dampness.”

I finished in 1:46:33 (8:05 avg), which is a PR for me by about a minute. I was 15/215 in my division, so can’t complain about that.

I tried to clean up in the porta potty best I could, but that was futile. That’s when the pain set in and I realized I had CHAFED TO HIGH HOLY HELL (bikini line area). In my three years of running, I’ve never chafed. Honestly, I didn’t know what the big deal was. Now, I get it. I am starting a support group called, “Race Chafers” where we can all share our war stories.

On a side not, the chafing was not the skirt’s fault. I wore this skirt for a full marathon and many other training runs with no issues.

I found Hugh and Angela (Running Yogini) from Team Refuel (Refuel with Chocolate Milk) and we took some photos.

Refuel was a sponsor of this race and a sponsor of me running the race. They did a great job giving out chocolate milk right as you crossed the finish line and providing milkshakes for milk mustache photo-ops! Hoping to see them at lots of future races.

Got some more pictures with Joie.  I like her shirt:

By this time it was hot and I was getting REALLY uncomfortable. I hobbled to the car and knew I had to get my cheetah skirt off ASAP because it was rubbing in all the wrong places. I did not have a spare pair of shorts and I was desperate. I did the only thing I could do: stripped down and wore my race t-shirt like shorts.

Bake side view “2011 Finisher.”

It was not pretty, especially with the neck hole hanging down (good ventilation), but I did it. Normally, this would have been VERY funny, but I hurt too bad to even care. Later when I went into Starbucks wearing this (yes, I did. I am serious about my coffee) I was given looks like I’ve never been given in my 44 years on this earth.

The ride home was long and torturous for me. I am not being dramatic. This shit hurt. And, I knew it would hurt much, much worse when I got in the shower.

I tried to distract myself by noticing how pathetic my huge second toe looked. This “Mortons” toe takes the brunt of my running. The toenail is long gone and the toe tip is one big blister. I try to put polish on it just to spice it up, but it’s no use. I can, however, flip people off with it when they cut me off in traffic:

First thing I did at home was get in the shower. The water alone (no soap) brought on such intense stinging that all I could do was cry like a baby. It was like 100 bee stings all at once. Fortunately once I put on some Aquaphor, all was well.

Running is so damn humbling. Injuries, chafing, cramping, pooping. All I can say is, we must love it a lot if we all keep doing it. Despite it all, I would still say this was a GREAT day!

SUAR

What’s Next?

I know I posted this pic on my Shut Up and Run Facebook Page, but had to post it here too because I am just that full of myself. The smile on my face shows how I felt throughout the race with the exception of when I thought my colon would explode. I’m in my bliss right here:

Photo courtesy of my friend Jennifer – www.artemisphotography.com

You guys crack me up. I barely had time to wipe the sweat off my brow and rinse my undies after the 70.3 race when you all asked, “What is next?” and “Are you going to do a full Ironman?”. Of course these are questions I’ve already asked myself! Do you all read minds for a living?

We age group athletes are an inspired and over-achieving bunch. It’s all about that next goal, the next race, the next PR. Don’t get me wrong: it doesn’t mean that we are out rightly killing ourselves all the time (don’t be a Dumb as Shit Athlete – DASA), but it does mean we always have – tucked back in the recesses of our brains – what our next attempt is going to be.

I’m going to avoid the “full Ironman” question for now, but I will fill you in on my next race. I have a half marathon on Saturday – the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half. I usually wouldn’t race back to back weekends, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

A couple of weeks ago, I became a member of Team Refuel, associated with Refuel with Chocolate Milk. I’ve long been drinking chocolate milk as a recovery drink (perfect when you need quick protein, but your stomach doesn’t want solid food), so when I met these guys at the Health and Fitness Bloggers Conference, it was a match made in heaven. They invited me to race this weekend as part of Team Refuel, along with Running Yogini.

This is from their website:

The cool thing about Team Refuel is they are looking for more team members. They are giving out grants to individuals ($250) and groups ($500) to help pay for race entry fees, etc. You will also receive training gear. Interested? Apply HERE and join the team!

Anyone else racing this weekend? This will be my third year doing this race. I am really not gunning for a PR, just out there to enjoy the amazing scenery (it starts in the mountains at about 9,000 feet) and to be with friends.

2009

I like to run like I’m about punch someone in the face.

What’s your favorite recovery drink/food? Mine is obviously chocolate milk, but I always crave eggs. This is sometimes not pretty if you know what I mean.

SUAR