HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

There's no better time for the following educational video:

Fall is the Fat Time of Year

Not that anyone cares, other than me, but I am highly capable and skilled when it comes to quickly packing on weight. My good eastern european stock compels me to prepare for the winter. Or that's my excuse anyhow. Every fall, at the end of the racing season, I seem to gain weight that I then have to lose in January. It's a cycle that seems like a bad one. But, somehow I seem to be full throttle in that insulation mode -- but I need to nip it in the bud. It concerns me only because I used to weigh about 30-35 pounds more than I do now, and dieting has left me damaged and somewhat overly preoccupied with these things.

I'm only declaring this publicly because I really need encouragement to stop being such a slug. Or maybe am just inviting people to commiserate. Do you have an insulation period? Does it keep you warm? :-)

JOANNA'S LITTLE GIRLS

Sorry that this has become baby central :-) I was just looking at the latest pictures of Joanna's daughters, and I thought this one was really cute. It's so funny to see Hedy, the older one, pretty much looking just like Joanna did when I first met her when we were 4 years old. Hedy's not quite 4 but she's not that far off either!

My Niece Stella

her smile just SLAYS me

Le Grizz 2008

where danni gets her zen on

(update -- I finished second in my AG! 6th woman)

By way of background, for those of you who are not familiar with this 50 miler that runs along the Hungry Horse Resevoir in northwest Montana, Le Grizz takes you along 50 miles of twisting and turning gravel and eventually paved road. There are rolling hills throughout the race, but the course is gentle and pleasant and, above all, gorgeous with views of the mountains and changing fall colors.
The race director is Pat Caffrey, who is a very funny and neat guy. He seems to enjoy firing the starting rifle. I guess I probably would enjoy that as well.
Last year when I ran this race it was the first 50 I completed and I was stressed out for much of the race and finished in 10:19. This year, I felt relaxed the whole day and did nothing more than enjoy music on my iPod, chat with the occassional runner and zone out. I ran whatever pace I could run without pushing too hard, and enjoyed each moment while in the moment. I finished in 8:53, which is about an hour and a half improvement. And, considering my "A" goal was 9:30, I'm thrilled that I was able to sneak in under 9 hours.

Leanne crewed for me, and Deb and Ruth came out and cheered and crewed for me later in the race. I love my friends! And these pictures were all taken by Leanne by the way. I have to admit I get by with a little help from my friends.
I've decided that solo road trips and ultra running compliment each other very well. Both utilize the same "zen" ability to relax and enjoy the moment without worrying about when one will arrive at their destination. It makes driving and running both infinitely more pleasant and relaxing. I've always been good about this on shorter runs, but typically on longer runs I'm ready to be done after a couple hours. It was really refreshing to do a run where I wasn't counting down the mileage until after many hours (I was totally ready to be done by mile 45 though, I can't lie). I think doing a 100 miler forever changed my perspective of how many hours are too many to be out on a race course. 32+ hours are too many! 9 hours, just fine.

Also, I've decided that music is downright delicious on a long long long run. Tired ears and brains get to hear music a little differently. Maybe a little like drunk ears and brains? :p The best music for Le Grizz, though incongruous, was "the Outsider" by a Perfect Circle (I sang out loud and yelled accusatory lyrics at trees and a narcissistic drama queen chipmunk), "Cold Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers ("I wanna hear some funky dixie land. . .") and NO! SLEEP! TILL BROOKLYN! by the Beastie Boys. I had a good time yesterday, yes I did. :-)

P.S. I attribute my huge increase in performance this year to 1) more running this year (duh!) and 2) crossfit :-)

RANDOMNESS

Le Grizz is this weekend and I'm not sure how it will go since I've been doing mostly Crossfit and little running, other than the 25 miles at Bear a couple weeks ago. I've been loving short and sweet runs -- where I can run all the uphills hard and not worry since I don't have to run all day long. Where I can run without any water. Frankly, I'm so ready for snow -- skate skiing, classic nordic with Ted and maybe Alpine this winter. (I scored at the ski swap and left with K2 Public Enemy skis, fancy bindings, poles, boots, a helmet and goggles all for $160. ) Anyhow, my "A" goal Saturday is 9:30 or better and my "B" goal is sub 10 hours. My "C" goal is to finish without whining and (temporary) plans to skip Western States and all races over 50k. We shall see. I am very busy at work the rest of the week and am travelling and stuff so we'll see how rested and prepared I am come Saturday.

Oh, interestingly, a former associate at my old firm is coming in from Chicago and running the race. Small world.

Funny