Jacks 30k

Race: Jacks 30k
Date: October 22nd, 2017
Finish Time: 3:21 hours
Distance: 30k
Overall Total Climb: 148 ft
Elevation gain: 13 ft

Wow, my legs are tired! Yesterdays 50k kicked my butt. My body is very tired today, my lungs hurt and my chest is tight... this is going to be a tough race! With that said, thanks to my Altras and my Wiivv insoles my feet feel great, everything is just tired.

I slept OK that night, and didn't eat breakfast before heading to the race this morning. The race start for the 30k was 10:30am. This trail is local for me so I knew exactly what to expect going into it. Pretty easy 5 mile loop trail, with one tough portion that lasts about .75 miles long. I'd run it 3 times, then head back down the road to the finish line. I got this. As I took off running my whole body was telling me to stop. I couldn't breath. My skin hurt and my arms were tired, my legs felt like they had 20lb weights on them, everything was just tired. I carried on, entered the trail and started going. I decided to run as much as I could before I started integrating walk breaks, take it easy and try to loosen my body up some. We hit Cloud 9 (the tough .75 mile section of the trail) around 2 1/2 miles in. I had no problem running up the hills, but I could NOT run down them. I was nervous just walking down them! The muscles in my legs didn't want to work on the down hills! Hilarious. I did what I could and just took it easy, trying to run as much as possible. By the time I finished the first loop my body was feeling good and I was running more and more. My chest still hurt and felt tight so I was trying to be careful with that since I've never experienced anything like that before. As I finished my first loop I grabbed a couple avocado tortilla roll ups to try and satisfy the hunger I was starting to feel. It worked and I continued on! It was so hot and humid out my KT tape wasn't staying up on my calf. I was soaked. 

Heading out for my 2nd loop I was feeling pretty good overall. There was an aid station half way through the loop (just after Cloud 9) that had water/Scratch. A friend of mine was working the aid station so we chatted for a few. I was so excited to be half way done... already! After I left that aid station I struggled for the next 2 miles or so. My chest hurt a lot, so much that I was only running about 15-20 second segments, then taking 5 second walk breaks. I was wasting so much energy doing this, but couldn't seem to push myself to last any longer. I finally made it back to the beginning of the loop. One more loop? I feel good! I can do this! My body was loosened up and I was back to running, just having a lot of chest pain. I guess this is normal? Tired lungs? Not sure, but as I continued I ran more and more. Anxious and excited to finish my race. This was one of the hardest runs I have done. Such tired legs from the day before and pushing through. I breezed through the last aid station and had 1/2 mile to go to the finish line. It started pouring rain on me. Complete downpour I could barely see where I was going. It was exhilarating! I finished with a time of 3 hours 21 minutes. Not my fastest 30k but considering how tired my legs and body were, I was proud of myself for pushing as hard as I did!

The Race director Dawn was awesome. She always puts on very organized races, with well marked trails and amazing aid stations. She is out there from beginning to end cheering for people, encouraging people and making sure everything is taken care of. This is my 2nd year in a row running Jacks and I hope to make it an annual event.

I accomplished what I set out to do for my 100 mile training. This weekend I wanted to run my two long trail races, and push myself to not maintain a slow easy pace, and I did it. Now, to eat, sleep and recover!

Gate2Gate 50k

Race:  Gate2Gate 50k
Date: October 21st, 2017
Finish Time: 6:32 hours
Distance: 31.44 miles
Overall Total Climb: 1112 ft
Elevation gain: 848 f

"The northern portion of San Felasco is home to miles of high-quality single-track mountain bike trails, open fields, and rolling hills. Our course incorporates all of these stunning characteristics. After the first 5 miles of the course, runners will transition into the double track hiking and birding trails of the southern portion of the park. The southern portion of the race will follow the blue trail loop back to the connector between the northern and southern areas of the park as runners return to the start.

Runners competing in the 25k will complete the circuit once and 50k runners will complete the circuit twice."

I signed up for this race and Jacks 30k as my back to back long training runs for the week. 100 mile training involves a lot of long runs, every once in awhile it's nice to have aid stations set up and that race atmosphere to mix things up! I went into this race with a goal to come in between 6-6 1/2 hours. I wanted to push myself without killing myself since I knew I had another race the next morning. I didn't do any research and just assumed it was a semi-flat Florida trail race. BOY WAS I WRONG. This course was all rolling hills. Up 100 ft, down 100 ft. Up 75 ft, back down 75 ft. We took off and it was sing track trail at the beginning, then after a couple miles it opened up so people could fall into their own pace. Their website states the course is about 60% double track, 40% single track and over 80% being well shaded. I agree with this! The course was beautiful, and a fun course to run, but it was much harder than I expected. I ran the whole thing solo, and seldom saw other people on the course. I was worried with 300 people signed up between the 25k and 50k that the trails would be very crowded but this wasn't the case. The first 2 miles or so seamed pretty congested, but everything opened up not long after that and I was able to fall into my own groove. 

Long rocky uphill/downhill

I passed the only porto-potty on course at mile 4 (and again around mile 12), and the first aid station around mile 5. They had a 1970's VW van out there playing music, it was a great pick me up. I didn't stop here to refill my water or anything and just continued running. The next aid station was around mile 8 (the half way point of the course). I had about half my bottle still so decided to continue through and not stop. This was a mistake. By the time I got back to the VW aid station again I was on empty and borderline dehydrated - already! I filled up my water and took in some electrolytes and continued. The 5 miles between that aid station and the finish line/50k turn around involved about 2 miles of single track, and 2 miles of power lines with rolling hills. I hit the power line section with no water and it was a long, hot portion of running. The 2 miles felt like forever. I hit the finish line area to turn around in 3 hrs 5 minutes. I wanted to be done and just wait for my husband to finish. I didn't, I turned around after a few minutes of regrouping and headed back out.

Long uphill climbs in the sun

I headed back out and around mile 20 I passed my amazing husband who was at mile 12 approaching the 25k finish line. This was his longest trail race ever and he was smiling as I passed him on the trail! I felt so proud and excited for him! He was looking strong. This gave me some momentum and I powered on! This 2nd loop felt so much easier than loop one did. I think I knew more of what to expect and made sure my water intake and salt was on point for the rest of the race. There was one hill that was probably the biggest on course and it was all rock. It was a hard climb up and tore up my legs coming back down.

The end of the loop you are running in single track trail, and it comes out onto the main dirt road. You run down the road to the start/finish line. Right before I came out of the trail I stepped on a big pile of spanish moss (I was too tired to try and jump over it). The moss was covering a stump and I ended up tripping. I couldn't save myself and went down! My 2nd time EVER falling on a trail and I did it 0.3 miles from the finish line! Gah! I was so frustrated, not only about falling but I landed in more of the nasty spanish moss, and was covered in dirt. My quads were on fire, and my legs felt like jello but I finished. 6 hours 32 minutes. I was darn proud of that time after being on the course. The coolest part was running into the finish line, the Race Director Patrick was standing there with his arms open ready to embrace you with a hug, and personally give you your medal and 50k finishers hat. This was really cool! He made you feel so important for finishing the race in that moment. We hung out for a little while after the race. They had food trucks out there and music playing, everyone was just hanging out talking about the race ect. After a bit we decided to head home. After all, I did have another race packet to pickup!  

 

 

Hurricane Irma = Cancelled trail races

I live in Florida so hurricanes are always a risk, but not usually a problem. Unfortunately for our beautiful trails, they became a problem this year. Hurricane Irma came barreling through our state and ripped our beautiful trails apart. We had a few get washed out, landslides that took out trails, pavement collapses and so much debris. Unfortunately, not only does that affect my weekly training runs, but several of my upcoming races have now been cancelled. That means I am left scattering to find a last minute race to register for, or doing more solo long runs. I love planning my long runs around races because it gives me the race atmosphere (I can practice having race adrenaline but not taking off too fast, and practice at running my own race while out running with other people). Also, they provide aid stations which just makes life easier to not have to stress on where to refill my water, pickup food ect.

Long story short, I had a few of my big races cancelled and I am going to have to improvise. Bronzeman 12 hour endurance run (which was an overnight timed run over sand dunes). And also Azalea 12 hour endurance run (very hilly pavement run, I ran this race last year and it kicked my butt so I was really looking forward to tackling it again). The beauty of Ultra Running is you have to learn to be adaptable when your conditions change, so I just consider this more training! I'm searching for a few more races to add to my next 2 months of training, but if I don't find anything I "love" I'll just have to take it solo!

On a brighter note my new training plan for food is working out well. I've been training and doing long runs without increasing my calories too much before, during or after my runs and by eating the "right" foods I have been able to manage my hunger levels and not overeating. I'm down 5 lbs, my goal was 20 by race day in January but I'd honestly be super happy with 10-12! So far by eating the right balance of carbs/protein before and after my runs I haven't needed to overdue it with calorie intake. I think that is where I ended up gaining weight last year during training. I'm hoping to go into this next race stronger and lighter than last time... it's getting close! 3 1/2 months!

River to Sea 12 hour Endurance Race

Most of us made the group picture!

Race:  River to Sea 12 hour Endurance Race
Date: July 29th, 2017
Finish Time: 12 hours
Distance: 41.44 miles
Overall Total Climb: 392 ft
Elevation gain: 0 ft

Start line with RD Dawn

"Whether you’re looking to complete your first 50k or 50 mile distance or looking to set a pr, this is the race for you.  At the River to Sea 6/12 Hour Race you will have a completely flat, shaded, non technical trail to put in your miles. We will offer a fully stocked aid station , manned with experienced volunteers, to keep you moving. River to Sea 6/12 Hour Race is put on by RD,  Dawn Lisenby, who has 9 years experience conducting ultras, and 12 years coaching and running races.  Our race is put on in an old school way where we care about our runners, as we want to make sure you not only have a smooth race but enjoyable time in the process." 

Ready... Set... Go!!

I ran 100 miles in January and took a few weeks (2 months) off to recover... March 11 I attempted a 50k and fractured my ankle about 13 miles in. Took another 8 weeks or so to heal from that, then my husband was out of town, and we went on vacation... next thing I knew it was July 29 and race day. My longest run in the last 6 months has been 13 miles... this was going to be a rough run! I just started my new training plan for my next 100 mile race and needed an 18 mile run this weekend. I decided I would shoot for 18-20 miles at this race, and just support all my friends who were there shooting for distance PR's. I knew I would get some extra miles in throughout the day just "supporting" friends but my real goal was just to hit my 18-20 miles.

Race day temperature was 99 degrees with real feel temps in the 105-110 range. In true Florida fashion we had "blue skies for days". Fortunately this course was 75% shaded which was a beautiful thing. We ran between the ocean and intracoastal which also provided a lot of nice breeze most of the day. We took off and I used my run/walk strategy from the get-go. Taking it easy I ran with people chatting about anything and everything. By 10 am (3 hours in) it was really getting HOT. Everyone was starting to suffer and there was a lot of misery on the course over the next few hours. I stayed positive and encouraged everyone as much as I could. Did great at staying on top of my fuel and hydration (which is ALWAYS a challenge for me). I ate almost as many calories during this race as I did over the course of my entire 100 miles 😆 Geez! I learned so much from that race! 

Beautiful shaded trail

Omg it is SO hot and miserable

Our amazing little tent area
and some of our support crew

Around 2pm dark clouds rolled in, wind started blowing like crazy and the thunder came. Best part was the temp dropped a good 10 degrees during the storm. Instantly there was a heavy downpour of RAIN! So much rain! The whole course was 1-2 inches under water almost immediately. I kid you not when I say this was the most fun we had ALL DAY. Our miserable hot run turned into a mud run and we played in the rain for a good 45 minutes or so. Then it cleared up, and got so hot and even more humid... Just like that we had blue skies and misery again. Surprisingly, being soaking wet all day from sweat, and then absolutely drenched from the rain I didn't get a single blister (thank you to Altra running shoes, Injinji Toe socks and my Wiivv insoles)! I managed to conquer 41.44 miles in 11 hours 13 minutes. Yes, I stopped early and had a beer while cheering in my fellow runners. 41 miles far exceeded any kind of goals I had, I am so surprised by what my body is capable of. Thank God for muscle memory!! If I had any doubts before, I am sold on it now! 

The starting of the flooded trail

So. Much. Rain!

Jason and I in the DOWNPOUR of rain

I am grateful for this race. Over the course of the day, I watched 1 friend become an ultra runner at the 6 hour race, which was amazing. Another friend conquered the 6 hour race running way more miles than expected and taking overall first place, she even beat all the boys! 5 other friends either PR'd on distance, or met their crazy goals for the day... overall it was such an amazing day to be apart of. This race is WELL ORGANIZED, has an amazing RD who truly loves ultra running and the community involved, shaded flat trail, incredible aid stations with everything you could ever want and a crew of volunteers that are eager to help you with anything they can. Running in Florida in July sucks, but if you are going to do it I HIGHLY recommend this race, even if you haven't been training! Just being apart of this event was awesome. 

DONE!
41.44 miles and still SMILING

These two were so much fun on course, so
 grateful I got to run for 12 hours with them!

This girl powered through and
achieved over 50 miles hitting
her goals she had set!

I want ALL THE FOOD

Me and my baby running "melt my heart" 

My husband brought my kids down for a couple hours, and it was really neat to see them there each time I passed by. My son even came out and ran a mile with me which was so awesome. Having my family be there supporting me means so much. My kids seeing their momma pushing through the discomfort of ultra running, and enduring the heat. It was so awesome having them there.

Quick shout outs because it is now the day after the race and my body still feels good, no foot pain or crazy leg fatigue. I honestly cannot say enough good things about these new Wiivv insoles I've been using, I am beyond surprised about my lack of foot pain and leg pain running so many miles with so little training or preparation. I also believe my Injinji socks and Altra shoes helped prevent blisters.

My Wiivvs and Altras<3 nbsp="" td="">

Wiivv insole 6-month update

I have now been wearing my Wiivv insoles for almost 6 months and I am loving them. I am currently wearing Wiivv 3/4 insoles in my work shoes, and full length insoles in my running shoes (with roughly 800 miles on the full length pair). I have noticed a tremendous decrease in overall foot fatigue and reduced arch/ankle pain associated with my tendinitis. Greatest thing is, I have had ZERO pain or discomfort from my Achilles tendon (which I tore last winter) after switching to Wiivv insoles. I still do my PT exercises to keep my hips and tendons strong and healthy, but before I received my Wiivv insoles, I was still experiencing bouts of pain and discomfort surrounding my Achilles injury. No more Pain!

I highly recommend these insoles for runners, but I also believe so many people can benefit from these custom printed insoles. Anyone who is on their feet for any amount of time (doctors, nurses, teachers, servers, bartenders ect). Also if anyone has plantar fasciitis, tendinitis or another ailment such as that.

I am sold that these insoles work, and I am so excited to go into this next training season with my Wiivv insoles. As my miles have started increasing I have noticed how good my feet are feeling. That is exciting! I have some big races coming up this fall including one 50k, three 12 hour endurance races (where I'm hoping to get 40-60 miles at each), and getting ready for my next 100 miler in January 2018... and reaching for that sub-24 hours finish 😍 Excited to have my Wiivvs with me through this next season!

Let's talk money, Insoles are $60-$80 *without using my 20% off discount*. I feel like they hit a sweet spot in the price to value ratio, because you couldn't get custom orthotics for that price anywhere else. I was skeptical at first that these would work, especially just by taking pictures of my feet would work, but I'm very happy with the final product.

DISCOUNT CODE: ToniY20 for 20% off your purchase

Now, just in time for summer, they have released custom printed insole SANDALS. I cannot wait to get my hands on a pair of these!

Wiivv Sandals

First DNF. That's tough.

Race:  Swamp 50k

Date: March 11, 2017

Finish Time: DNF
Distance: 12.9 miles

Elevation gain:  606 ft 

I love running the swamp. I train out there several times a week and so love the difficulty of running several loops of the course. I tackled it last fall at Jacks 50k and was anxious to PR this time. I had a great plan but after my 100 mile race in January I haven't been keeping my miles up. I dropped to the 50k in hopes of an awesome PR for the course. I woke up with a crazy sinus infection and cold 2 days before the race that made it hard to breath or even think. Race morning I woke up and set out to run but knew I should've probably stayed home. Everything just felt a little "off". I went out and watched my pace the first loop (so I didn't go to fast). My goal was 70 (ish) minute loops for the first 3 loops, then closer to 75 minute loops the final 2 (if I couldn't maintain the 70 at that point). Loop 1, mile 1 I rolled my ankle. It was just a twinge I shook it off and kept going. Phew that was close I thought! Loop 1 went well I paced myself with a group that was going about the right pace, came in at 68 1/2 minutes. Perfect! Grabbed some more water and headed out for loop two. 

 Mile 10 I rolled my same ankle again but this time it knocked me to my butt. Ouch, it really hurt. I kept going but had sharp pains to put any weight on my foot. No! I made my way slowly to the finish of the loop at 72 minutes. I stopped, took my shoe off iced and elevated it for 10 minutes. I thought maybe I could shake it off and keep going. After the 10 minutes my foot had swelled so much I couldn't get my shoe back on, it hurt so bad :( I weighed my options to risk really injuring myself, and decided I had to call it. DNF at mile 13 of a 50k. My FAVORITE 50k. I can't believe this happened. I was so bummed, disappointed and angry! I sat there sulking, nursing my foot (with a beer).

I wasn't even sure how to blog about this race, or if I wanted to. I am embarrassed that such a stupid little thing caused me to DNF when I had the "home court" advantage. Thinking about a DNF and wondering if a DNS would have been better... Every race I try to learn something from, I realized I could still learn something from this. I learned through this race that there is a difference between quitting, and deciding not to finish. I decided not to finish but I did NOT quit. I feel like my decision was a smart one, and one that I made not from fear of pride or failure, but one based off weighing my long term options and making an educated decision. Turns out, I fractured my ankle and the force and impact running has could have caused a full break. I'm at 3 weeks recovery now, hoping to be back to running within the next week or two. A full break would have set me WAY back. I am grateful I decided not to finish and to end my run early. 

Once the race was over, I got to celebrate a great friend finishing his FIRST 50k and becoming and ULTRA RUNNER! I sucked up my sulking and celebrated his great success finishing a challenging course!!! Great job to all the finishers that day.

Swamp = 1 - Toni = 1... it's a tie game ladies and gentlemen!