My Fifth Lap

Running TARCkey Trot 6 hour trail race was all about finding my footing.  It wasn’t easy.  This 5K loop originated from the lovely Wright Locke Farm in Winchester, MA and wound us through Whipple Hill in Lexington, MA.  It was runnable, but included a number of decent hills and countless rocky/rooty sections.  The weather was perfect:  chilly 7:00 am start, and onward to a warmer, 60 degree finish.  Finally, throw in chickens, goats, and the supportive and chill vibe of the ultra/trail running community, and you’ve got yourself a good day!

My goal heading into the last-minute trail race was wishy-washy at best.  Somewhere during the 1.5 hour drive to the start, I decided on the following:

1.  End the day with the feeling in my legs that I’ve worked.  Hard.

2.  Complete a minimum of 4 laps.

Mission accomplished!  I completed 5 laps and ended the day with hard worked legs.  Goals met did not come without challenge and obstacles.  I haven’t practiced my longer distance fueling in some time, and it showed.  I knew early on that I wasn’t fueling enough, yet couldn’t seem to find the right recipe.  My jelly sandwiches just weren’t cutting it.  The aid station had its usual buffet of everything imaginable, but still, nothing looked good.  I didn’t feel sick; but because I wasn’t eating or drinking enough, I felt off most of the day.  That lead to some sloppy feet, when…..BAM, I fell.  And with that fall came a double calf muscle cramp…OUCHHHHHH!!!!!  I didn’t lay there for dramatic pause, but because I needed to let it pass so I could get up.  A fellow runner stopped to make sure I was OK, helped me dig my bottle out of the trail, and wished me well.  I went on to finish that lap and went back out for my fifth lap.

At the end of my race, I was happy that I met my goals, but definitely hungry – for both food and for the command/confidence of the trails I used to have.   Reflecting on this race, I feel like this past year has seen a lot of my “finding my footing” as well. 

This year started out with a number of big changes:  accepting a new job in NC, selling our home in MA (where I had lived for 39 years – gulp), moving to NC, starting new job, and then deciding the area wasn’t for us.  Next stop?  NH!  I started yet another new job, and we bought a home.  Typing all of that in one paragraph was easy.  Living it was not.  Much like my race yesterday.

During this transition time in our lives, we encountered different hills too high to run.  Missing our family and friends was a big hill.  The culture was another hill.  The new job just didn't fit.  I couldn’t find my footing.  All the hope and promise of this new place felt like my fall on the trail.  But each time I “fell”, I got back up to try again. At the end of the NC “race”, I came to a realization that my goal wasn’t NC; it was the experience of having tried.  And the reward? I will never wonder, “What if…”

I’ve learned important lessons throughout my different “races”. 

• Falls will happen; get up and continue on!
• If you get lost, find another route!
• Accept help; whether in the form of encouragement or of digging out your bottle from the trail!
• It isn't always about the time/distance/destination, it's about the experience!
• And most importantly, be open to the experience...no matter what the end result!

Having completed my fifth lap at yesterday’s race was a bonus.  I headed home grateful for the experience and for the ability to run.  This year has been an experience I never thought I’d have.  Whether setting off to run a new trail or to live in a new state (or two!), it took a confidence and a bit of courage I didn’t know I had.  The fact that I tried (and keep trying!) represents my ultimate fifth lap, where I finally found my footing.

Living in a heads down world

I’ve always heard “keep your head down” as it translates to a “stay out of trouble” sort of message.  Keeping your head down shows focus, right?  Keeping your head down shows determination, correct?  What happens if you keep your head down too much?  I’ve been thinking about what we miss when our heads are down, deeply entrenched in our phones, in our focus, and in our routine.

When we think “heads down” in the most literal sense, I immediately think of many of us “head down” in our smart phones.  Monitoring social media and reading or responding to text messages or emails.  And we know what happens when we try to walk while head down in our phones….

Aside from the funny moments of someone walking into a pole or a fountain because they’re so transfixed by their phone, what about what we’re missing when one or all are dialed into our phones at dinner or other functions that typically depend on physical interaction?

As we go through our daily grind, our drive to/from work often becomes so routine that we may not notice what seems obvious.  Recently, I showed someone a picture my husband took of a beautiful bridge.  The person asked where that was; I replied that it was right down the street.  On her next drive into work, she realized she had been passing that bridge every day and had never noticed it.  I know for me, the drive in to work is a time for thinking and for resetting my brain (getting ready for the workday or decompressing on the ride home).  I can easily find that I don’t remember the ride because I’m on autopilot.  Wonder what I’ve been missing on my daily drive…

Let’s face it, when running or hiking, it’s fairly important to keep our heads down to watch our footing.  Even when we focus on our footing, we still stumble and fall.  As important as it is to keep good footing, it’s equally important to see and appreciate the beauty around us.

This is not something I’m preaching about.  Nosiree…I have just become increasingly aware of how much I don’t want to miss.  I don’t want to miss a beautiful stone bridge on a New England Autumn day, great conversation over dinner with my husband or friends, or the chance to hike a mountain in time to view a gorgeous sunset and a super moon – while sharing hot cocoa at the summit with new friends.

Cheers!

Signs

The sun setting a touch earlier each day is a sure sign of the ending of summer…

Empty boxes are a promising sign of moving into our new home…

An important unpacked sign of celebration…

An exciting sign of an upcoming race…

A grateful sign of the love of friends….

A welcome sign of our new “home sweet home”…

Ode to the 20 miler

No matter how many marathons or ultras  I run, the 20 miler always symbolizes “legit training”.  Since I’ve been trying to make myself a morning runner lately, I’ve racked up more weekly mileage than usual.  I’ve had a couple of 18 milers, but today was the big 20 miler.

This training cycle has really had more of a “get back in the saddle” focus.  Today’s 20 miler was the first of that distance (or greater) since my accidental ultra in January.  After that, all hell broke loose (in a good way of course) in the form of our move to NC.  And then our move to NH.  So this cycle has found me rebuilding not only fitness, but muscle – including mental muscle.

There are times when I feel like I’m painfully plodding along a 5 miler and I think back, “C’mon Lees, you ran Ghost Train 100 in 2014…..you can run 5 now”.  It’s great to reflect and even to use that reflection to further fuel today, but it can also be a bit of a downer when it reminds you that your fitness/stamina have taken a nose dive.  It sure is a journey.

Fret not!  Enter today’s 20 miler.  It wasn’t super fast and not my strongest, but hey, long runs aren’t supposed to be (not in my world anyway).  Today was about the basics:  getting up and out early, eating/drinking to prepare (I opted out of the free hotdogs at work on Friday – yay me), and most of all, keeping myself moving through 20 miles.  I nailed all three components and have the spent legs to show for it. 

Add all the recent Olympic moments and my first run this week in a group run setting and I can’t help but get jazzed about running again.  Getting back in the saddle has had its frustrating moments, but overall, I’m enjoying the journey and believe that that enjoyment shines through.  In fact, I found myself smiling during today's run.  Can't beat that.

Unplugged

There’s nothing more recharging than unplugging.

Tonight, this was our backdrop to an evening walk/hike.  There’s no real elevation, but the trail is rocky/root filled, so that’s why I feel like “hike” is appropriate.  What isn’t seen in the picture (too far away to capture), was a beaver swimming mightily across the pond, and a loon hanging out a short distance from the beaver.  We later heard the singing of the loon. 

We also came across this tree.  After the other night’s ferocious storm, we wondered if it was struck by the crazy lightning.  Check out the vertical “stripe”

The trails are Bella-approved! 

Trail time is the best time.  Time to unplug, to talk, to swim, to think, to reflect, and to recharge.

OK, ready to tackle tomorrow!

Checking the Box

I’m extremely task oriented.  Right down to creating nice, neat little checkboxes on my myriad of lists.  Yup, that’s me.  It serves me well for the most part, keeping the last couple of inter-state moves organized for one.  Checking the box feels like winning to me and provides a sense of satisfaction that I’ve accomplished something.  

Trying to balance the “to do’s” with other more “warm and fuzzies” is a constant challenge I often struggle with.  It’s not that I don’t want the warm and fuzzies, but the checkbox is enticing.  It begs to be drawn neatly, only to be checked off with a bold checkmark.  Some warm and fuzzies from this past weekend...

Mom and Kenny came to visit and stay the night on Friday, so we jumped into my car and headed to dinner. 

After a nice dinner, we were ready to show them our new house, until this happened –

Apparently, I should have had “Change original car battery” on my to do list!  Lucky for us, a nice family pulled into the restaurant lot and, before heading in for their dinner, tried to help us via jumper cables.  Also lucky for us, we have AAA, so when their jump didn’t work, AAA took care of the rest.  With so much bad behavior in the world, it’s reassuring when strangers try to help strangers and AAA goes out of their way to get you a new battery and get you on your way.  Even without the neat checkbox.

Later on in the weekend, Scott and I were returning from working on the new house when we were distracted by the sky.  We were tired from the day, but oh that sky!  We chased down the sunset, knowing it would be a brilliant one.  It was worth the chase and the time spent –

Warm and fuzzy isn’t supposed to fit neatly in a check box, so I will continue to balance my need to “check the box” with continuing to capture and live in these moments.  Moments much more beautiful than a check box!

Doing, dirt, and demolition

I love doing things around my house.  Whether it’s weeding, painting, planting….I love doing it all.  Very rarely do we hire people to do for us.  This weekend found me reveling in my new yard, including weeding and cutting grass.  This weekend also found me agonizing over paint colors for both interior and exterior.  This included a couple of last minute color changes for a bedroom and a knock on a stranger’s door.

Driving to work each day currently, I pass a house that has the color scheme I want.  Scott took a picture of it and we proceeded to try to match the colors.  After a number of color samples purchased, we weren’t close at all to matching the magical colors.  I may love to paint, but I find the paint color choice process extremely frustrating.  After all, it’s a big commitment and not cheap.  Scott decided to knock on the door of this house that I want to emulate and asked if they wouldn’t mind sharing the name of the colors.  The owner took Scott to his garage and let Scott take pictures of each label of the paint cans.  Scott thanked him profusely and added, “I’m pretty sure you just saved our marriage!”. 

Thank you for sharing your colors!

The weeding and grass cutting is a lot more natural to me than picking out paint colors.  I can spend hours weeding – I just find it relaxing and immediately gratifying.  Add a freshly cut lawn and that’s home.  While I was weeding and getting my fingernails grimy with dirt, I came across this little guy.  And I mean little.  He was maybe 1 inch long.  Cute, in an alien sort of way.

Cute Newt!

In preparation for the paint crew (we ended up hiring a company since the job is huge), we demolished the kitchen counter top.  

Cross training!

Since the cabinets will be painted, it made sense to remove the counter top now.  Once we add granite counter top and new hardware to cabinets, I expect this kitchen to go –

No weekend would be complete without a good run.  Scott and I ran 15 miles yesterday in the rain.  It’s hard to focus on running, since we have so many other things tugging at us right now.  But there’s this matter of a couple of races coming up that require some sufficient training.  And the running helps keep the head clear while we tackle the house tasks.  So, “doing” continues to include the all important running!