Did anyone else run through the eclipse? It was not a hard decision for me to choose heading for the trails during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. I live in Missouri. Yep, like in the path of totality for the eclipse. I ordered eclipse glasses online for our family and payed for…
Success!
A solid training cycle combined with cooler race temperatures were a winning combination for me!
Take Two at Black Hills 100: Learning from Last Year’s Mistakes
Having birthed three children through long labors the natural, unmedicated way, I have to say that I can see a few resemblances between birthing and running a 100-mile race. For one thing, in both events you are likely to have prolonged suffering, and at some point you want to quit. When you are deep into…
Maybe Next September . . . Fall 2016 Races: FlatRock 50K
This past fall, I ran two 50K trail races: FlatRock 50K and Sanders Saunter 50K. In September, it has become our family tradition to run FlatRock 50K on the beautiful Elk River Hiking Trail near Independence, Kansas. It is a deceptively hard 50K for the Midwest because of the relentless rocky terrain. If one finishes…
Run the Race of Life, Part 5. Diligence and Endurance
The trail grew rougher with larger rocks and potholes. My stomach was churning. My attitude was crashing. I started feeling like I was stuck in a nightmare of darkness, rocks, and nausea that would go on forever. My race was unraveling, and I seemed powerless to stop it.
Run the Race of Life, Part 4. Boldness & Courage
I grew up being afraid of mountain lions, only it was never a problem living in Missouri. Now I was alone in the twilight, deep in mountain lion territory. What was I going to do?
Run the Race of Life, Part 3. Setting the goal and staying on course.
“Does anything look familiar?” Aaron kept asking me. On the way out it had been daylight. I had been traveling in the opposite direction, following the flagging and the runners ahead of me. No, nothing looked familiar. We were lost.
Run the Race of Life, Part 2. Using our individual talents to work together.
It wasn’t enough that I studied the course and the rules and that I trained hard. There was one more thing I needed to successfully finish this race—a good crew.
Run the Race of Life, Part 1. Knowing the rules of the race and obeying them.
Just like sports such as baseball, soccer, and even ultramarathon races have rules that must be followed to successfully participate and win, so life has rules for successful completion, too.
Black Hills 100: My first 100-mile race
Friday, June 24 through Saturday, June 25, 2016 (Get comfy. It’s long.) Our son Aaron, who has run two 100+ mile races, told me that you can’t really comprehend what it is like to run a hundred miles until you have done it. He also said a 100 does not feel like two 50-mile races…
Eight questions you should ask yourself before tapering for a marathon or ultramarathon
There is NOTHING scientific about this quiz! But I hope it will make you consider some factors that will affect your taper! 1) Are you over 40 years old? Over 50 years old? Over 30 (1 point) Over 40 (2 points) Over 50 (4 points) Over 60 (5 points) 2) What is the distance you…
Practice What You Preach, or Feeling Invincible = Trouble!
I can’t believe it’s been six weeks since I have updated this blog, but training for a hundred takes a LOT of time! Every spare moment—and quite a few moments that were not spare—has been devoted to running or hiking or gym class or more running. Laundry, dishes, and vacuuming have been happening only on…
