Oiselle Archives ~ TRAILMOMMA

May 2, 2016May 2, 2016

FALLING BEHIND

It has been an absolute whirl wind around here. Blogging has taken the back burner unfortunately but hopefully there is a light at the end of this crazy tunnel and I can resume some normal activity on here.

Let me try and recap the last month or so.

Nothing like bullet holes in a sign to wake you up!

To start, I had a great run in the canyons on the Western States trail with Pigeon. We only ran 17 or so miles but we climbed over 6,000 feet. We started at Michigan Bluff and ran to Devil’s Thumb and back. I love this trail and no matter how many times I have been on it, it never gets old and it never gets easier!

It will be a great run when your hat matches the sunrise. — You know it will be a great run when your hat matches the sunrise.

Super HOT climb back to up to Michigan Bluff — It was a super HOT climb back to up to Michigan Bluff

Then Jersey Dad arrived for a visit and to celebrate the Peanut turning 8 years old. I quickly jumped from running mode to mommy and hostess mode.

On top of all of this, Squeaker had the chance to try out for the swim team! Big sis was there in support (sort of) and luckily, she made it with flying colors! So proud of that kid.

Alas, that means swim team season has officially started with scheduled practices 5 days a week! We are working on a routine and balance right now. School comes first even though there is not much school left!

During Jersey Dad’s visit, I took a “mental health” day from work and joined Pigeon on her mid-week long run since I knew running over the Peanut’s birthday weekend wasn’t going to fly. It was a hot day and running long on a Thursday really threw me for a bit but we had fun regardless, as always.

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Shortly after that long run, it was time for the final long run of the training program! Pigeon and I agreed to meet on Saturday and kick out 30 miles as our last long run before our race in two weeks. The day started out nothing short of entertaining …

Within minutes of running we were startled by some base jumpers off of the Foresthill Bridge. Talk about taking your breath away. These guys were super nice. They landed right in front of us so we chatted with them for a bit before continuing on our run.

It was a beautiful day to run and we’d occasionally switch things up by picking a new (old) trail to follow to change the course a bit. There was also an equestrian race happening at the same time so that made things very interesting. I don’t mind sharing the trail with horses but I do admit, they give me a bit of a scare at times. I’ve met too many not so skilled riders who tend to not have control over their horse. Hence, my fear level always raises a notch when we encounter one. I am sure the horses can sense that.

We had to cut the run a few miles short to due to a small situation at home (nothing to worry about) but I was content in myself and the way that I was feeling during the run, that I could have continued on if need be.

I feel pretty darn good going into taper right now. Truth be told, I was mentally ready for taper about a week ago! My training this round, I feel has been good. I raced two solidly hard 50ks (not intentionally) and was able to maintain a higher mileage for longer than I normally would in a training period. That’s the nature of the beast when you choose races as ‘training runs’ and have life get in the way from time to time.

I feel comfortable in my ability to climb, mildly comfortable in my ability to descend (going to take it super easy on those to save my knees) and I feel somewhat comfortable in being able to handle the distance. A 100k is farther than I have ever gone before, so I can’t lie and say a small part of me isn’t a tad bit nervous about that but mostly I am excited and curious. I am curious to see what unfolds. I know there will be ups and I know there will be downs.

Pigeon and I have decided to run together. She has a set pace and a set goal in mind and since this is my first ever 100k, I am content to go with her flow. We both want to finish. So, for my first ever 100k, I am content to enjoy the experience, the company and the scenery so long as I finish, and finish smiling AND qualifying for the Western States 100. 😉 Can’t forget that little piece of the puzzle right? Although, that wasn’t my initial reason for doing this race … but it is a HUGE cherry on top.

Now, to enjoy my two weeks of taper. This should include taking care of myself with good quality food, some decent sleep and lots of stretching.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

March 13, 2016March 14, 2016

BACK TO WORK

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Sorry about that. I took a quick (5 day) trip back east just days after the race and then returned home feeling quite drained and a bit behind in work/life.

I ran the first weekend home and it was a bit of a struggle. I blame a lot of it on lack of sleep and allergies. The minute I landed in California, I’ve been attacked severely by seasonal allergies like you wouldn’t believe. I know I am not alone. Geez. I know rain is what we need but lordy has it caused a slew of allergic reactions in our house.

So when Pigeon and Stonegate said they were ready to hit the trails for a nice long run this past weekend, I was super excited and hopeful that my allergies would give me a break for the day.

Trails and friends make everything better!

Wanting to get in some decent mileage we decided to do our usual loops adding and changing what we wanted to make the miles work.

Adding to the fun, my roommate from college mailed my girls her son’s Flat Stanley. I decided to include Flat Stanley on our run. 🙂

Flat Stanley checked out the Free Library stand in Auburn

Our first loop was about 7 miles plus and did not disappoint. We were able to see some amazing waterfalls.

Then we refueled and dropped some gear off at the car. It was getting warm and the rain was holding off for us.

We started our second loop up Stagecoach hill. Stonegate was waiting for a friend to come join us on the second set of loops but he had not arrived just yet. So the three of us took off hiking up Stagecoach with the plan that Stonegate would turn around when she received notice that he had arrived and would head back down.

Well, we all reached the top of Stagecoach and it was then that Stonegate got the text that Paul had arrived. So she headed all the way back down as he was working his way up.

Pigeon and I decided instead to work on our power hiking skills. We’d run about half way down and then turn and power hike our way back up. We did that three times before we caught up to Stonegate and Paul who were climbing back up.

Through Auburn we ran to the Overlook and then back down towards No Hands. I had to stop by No Hands to remove a rock from my shoe … once again, we decided to have some fun jumping around off the rocks (really we were making fun of this trail running video that made the Facebook circuit earlier in the week).

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We all refueled at No Hands and then started making our way up K2. K2 was actually quite busy! I ended up passing two men who were out there hiking. I am still working on my hiking skills to get ready for 13,000 ft of climbing come May.

Once we regrouped at the top it was time to fly down roller coaster back to No Hands. I thought that I would zoom like I have been lately but about half way down, my body just said, “Nope, not today!” The trails were super thick and sticky and every so often, we’d run into the trail maintenance crews out there so I took it a little more conservatively. My legs were happier with that.

When we all met at the bottom, we decided not to do another loop and to call it a day. I think we were all a bit tired. This was the longest toughest run I have done since FOURmidable three weeks prior.

We ended up finishing up at the perfect time as the winds started to pick up and the temps started to drop. We had perfect weather for our run but Mother Nature had decided enough was enough.

POST RUN FUEL

After I got home and showered, I warmed up some Split Pea soup that I had made earlier in the week along with a gluten free roll. It was exactly what I needed to warm up and refuel.

Overall it was a great day. I am happy with how my body responded during the run. I almost thought too much time off would hurt me but it was probably just what the trail doctor ordered.

I especially enjoyed all the laughs we had out there. Running with friends really can make all the difference in how you feel sometimes.

This photo makes me laugh so much so I had to include it. Before we climbed Stagecoach, I used the restroom and had left Flat Stanley outside (some things Flat Stanley doesn’t need to see).

Pigeon and Stonegate were trying to play a prank on me but I foiled it. My face cracks me up. 🙂

Laughter on the trails truly is the best!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

December 9, 2015December 8, 2015

CIM 2015 RACE REPORT

This past Sunday I ran my 7th California International Marathon and my 11th marathon to date.

Last year when I ran this race (you can read that race report here), I decided that upon crossing the finish line that I wanted another shot at actually “running” this race and not just finishing (even though I ran the past few CIMs with TiggerT and had SO much fun while doing it). I had decided, that even though I am on the fence about ever running in Boston, I’d like to at least have the ability to say, “Why yes, I qualified!”

So when my trail season ended, I began running roads and started “lightly” following an old training plan that I had from years ago. I ran long on weekends all solo. I did speed work on Tuesday nights a few times a month with my old crew, the Buffalo Chips (man I missed that group and their workouts). I still ran with my morning crew but mostly on Thursdays.

In the beginning, I was hitting my pace marks and felt strong and then, things started to fizzle. Either I lost motivation to run or was dealing with a few issues that my aging body did not thoroughly embrace.

Either way, for the last two months, my running has slacked. I ran Clarksburg but even then I knew, that the outlook wasn’t as positive as it had been earlier in my training. For various reasons that I won’t list here, I found myself waking up between 3 and 4 times a night.

Bottom line, I wasn’t recovering and I wasn’t hitting my marks. Still, I had faith and was determined to give it my best shot.

Come race morning, Stonegate and Burning Girl arrived at my house at 5:30 ready to whisk me away to the start. Their jokes and laughter made me smile, I was ready.

I had some pre-race laughs at the starting line with the McBride crew who always make me laugh, no matter what. They are, to put it simply, real good people.

Soon it was time to find my pace group. I needed to run the marathon in 3 hours and 40 minutes to qualify for Boston. My CIM personal best was 3 hours and 56 minutes ran in 2008 when the Peanut was 8 months old and I was about 15 pounds lighter and still full of prego hormones. That would have been a major hail mary of a PR to pull off. Yet, I am a way different runner now than I was in 2008.

I decided to run with the 3:40 pace group. When the race started it was a crowded madhouse. I haven’t run in such a tight knit elbow to elbow race in a very long time. It was a little unnerving and I got slightly pushed away from the pace group.

I didn’t panic as I knew it would eventually clear out. My pace group started off pretty darn quick though. Our first few miles were jockeying between our needed pace and a little bit faster – 8:16, 8;24, 8:10, 8:23, 8:11 went the first few miles. Our pace should have been 8:23 but I understand how it works and was hanging in there just fine.

Every so often it would dump massive buckets of rain on us and then stop. I completely over dressed for this race. I should have gone with my instinct but I didn’t.

Mile 7.5 we were passing an aid-station area with lots of spectators and they started blaring Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer and I just started smiling and rocking out. It was a sign for this Jersey girl and I let the music carry me.

Fast forward to mile 13, when my quads started cramping and I decided to let the pace group go. I always, ALWAYS carry a salt tab with me and I didn’t have a single one.

I hung in there running just behind the 3:40 group, closer to the 3:45 group until about mile 17 when I decided my quads were going to either seize or fall off. From that moment on, I let myself walk through the aid-stations. Just that small adjustment alone brought some life back into my legs.

I was still smiling mind you. I had decided not to beat myself up about it and to just keep running. What will be will be. I knew if I could get to mile 20, that I’d see Vans and my girls which would help a lot and if I could get to about mile 22 (I think) I would see my Oiselle Volee team and get another boost.

I pretty much walked here and gave them high-fives. It was Vans who said, “Ok, keep moving, get moving.” Thanks honey. 🙂

I saw and heard my Oiselle team cheering for me as I ran by in my singlet. That helped, a lot.
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Running through downtown I tried my hardest not to look at the numbered street signs. I know how defeating that can be to not see them get smaller faster.

There were a few really SLOW moments in there between 23 and 26 where I just wanted to lay down and sleep. My quads were SCREAMING at me to stop. I just kept telling myself, “You can’t walk here. You can’t stop here! You have less than 2 miles to go!”

At one point, I said, forget this and starting pushing myself, hard … or at least it felt hard .. and then a wave of nausea hit me. I looked around and both sides of the street were lined 4 deep with people cheering us on. I thought, “Oh god, if I hurl here that would be really really bad!” 🙂

So, I slowed ever so slightly, enough to push the nausea away.

I crossed the finish line in 3 hours and 54 minutes. 2 minutes faster than my last “real” marathon and a sub 9 minute marathon. I know I have it in me to run faster, I know it … I just need the motivation or the determination or perhaps maybe a coach to actually keep me more honest and more on track.

Overall, I am pleased with those stats. My quads had nothing left. I was a sweaty mess at the end because I dressed too warm and I haven’t quite figured out how to fuel in a road race yet compared to ultras where you have the time and the convenience of fully stocked aid-stations.

Depending on our plans in 2016, the chances of me running CIM 2016 are pretty darn high. I love this race. It is right in my back yard and I know it inside and out and yet the outcome is never quite the same. Road racing keeps you honest. It pushes you beyond limits you didn’t think were possible.

As much as I love and adore trails, the competitive part of me loves to challenge myself and try and exceed past attempts at things.

My whole family was there at the finish. My heart was full. My girls and Vans were in good spirits and the weather was great.

I was happy. No matter what my time was, I was happy. And that is all that matters.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

November 11, 2015November 12, 2015

CLARKSBURG COUNTRY RUN 20 MILE RACE REPORT

Sunday was the Clarksburg Country Run. I opted for the 20 mile nonsactioned race because it is a great 20 mile training run before CIM (California International Marathon).

I forget how beautiful the Clarksburg area really is. It hit me driving in as the sun was rising on the river, that this truly is a hidden gem not too far from home.

My training plan going into this race was supposed to be “Predicted Marathon Pace PLUS 30 seconds” but secretly, I wanted to see if I could hold my marathon pace the entire 20 miles. Of course right? 🙂

I arrived super early. In all the years I have run this race, I never recall being the first to arrive. I think the participant number may have gone down slightly because I was the second person to arrive. Second. That scored me a killer parking spot mind you and I really didn’t have to wait all that long. But my parking space was kind of crazy. I should have taken a photo it was so good.

The temps were chilly and there was a good chance it was going to rain about half way into the race.

Finally it was time to head to the starting line. I saw McFunny as I was getting out of my car. She was also doing the 20 miler and is doing CIM. She always makes me laugh and it proved to be the perfect thing to calm my nerves before the run. McFunny agreed that Clarksburg, while a pretty race, usually leaves sour thoughts in your head when you are done because it is well, 20 miles of flat paved roads. Ouch.

They started the race and off I ran. I bobbed and weaved my way to a clear spot in the pack. I had my headphones and old iShuffle in my pocket. That was a last minute decision. I haven’t touched my shuffle since I loaded it for AR50 earlier this year.

As it turns out, I grew really tired of the conversation around me at about mile 4 and put in my ear buds. Normally I thrive off of the surrounding conversations but not this time.

I did fall in behind one woman. Did you ever just run behind someone and they seemed to float effortlessly as they run? This woman had nothing on her, no water, no music, no fuel yet she had ideal form and just was plugging away never showing any sign of fatigue.

I stuck with this woman for a long long time. At one point I pulled ahead, I think she may stopped at an aid-station but eventually she’d catch up to me again.

At about mile 10 the rain started coming. At first it was just a light sprinkle and then it grew stronger. Then, we changed course and were running right into a headwind with sideways rain.

I slowed to try and grab some fuel from my pocket hoping that would give me a boost and it did but it also put some distance between me and that girl.

I also started to just slow ever so slightly here. Prior to this point I was on point to run my marathon pace. After the fueling stop, I was leaning more towards what my training pace had called for.

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A few more turns on the course, more wind and more drenching rain and I was starting to lose my faith and mojo ever so slightly. I kept that girl in my sights even though she was down the road. She never faltered in her form. So many times I wished I was her or I thought, “Wow she is trained and you my friend, are not.” But I never gave up.

The final 2 miles were not fun but I could feel the finish. The last mile I even tried to picked up the pace a bit. When all was said and done, I ended up with the pace my training plan had called for … exactly.

I look like I might cry I am so happy to be done

I was frozen to the core when I finished. I had been battling an upset tummy since about mile 10 and when I finished I stood for a moment trying to figure out what it was my body wanted.

As I was standing there, the girl I had been following came up to me. She introduced herself and asked how I did. She was so sweet. She is training for CIM and it will be her first marathon. I told her she had amazing form and looked effortless when she ran. She said she had been so nervous for this 20 mile run. She was pleased with her finish and I told her she’ll have a great CIM if she runs like she ran today.

It just goes to show that everyone has some inner turmoil and demons. Not everyone shows it or wears it on their sleeves but we all have something. The only person you can rely on in a lot of these situations is yourself and your training. I know my training hasn’t been 100% on par and that I have been relying on my strength and stamina to try and make certain goals happen.

Come CIM, I am still hoping my strength and stamina will get me through whatever should come my way that day and I know deep inside this is the most I have actually trained for CIM since 2009.

The road is a hard mental beast sometimes. My body has been craving trails lately missing the fun and the ease that one can sometimes have on a dusty single track.

Yet the road can be also super rewarding when you hit your marks. It just takes hard work and training to make that happen.

I have one more race before CIM, our annual Thanksgiving Day race that Vans and I do together. That race is the week before CIM so usually I either feel awesome or I feel every ache and pain along the way. Whatever comes though, I am ready for it.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

November 7, 2015November 7, 2015

FOLSOM BLUES HALF MARATHON RACE REPORT

Wow. It seems that I completely skipped the month of October from blogging. My favorite month of the year and I didn’t blog once? I guess that means maybe I was busy enjoying it. 🙂

With Halloween and other odds and ends, life was busy (duh). Life is still busy, so I am going to keep this short.

In mid-October I ran the Folsom Blues Half Marathon. This was the first time I have ever run this race before. It isn’t actually that old of a race (maybe in its 3rd year?) but it used to be the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon (I ran that race way back in 2011 after Squeaker was born). They changed the course quite a bit but it does ultimately run around Lake Natoma. In my opinion, Folsom Blues is WAY easier than Four Bridges but it was still a fun race.

Stonegate is the Folsom Coach for a group called Runnin for Rhett and she had special privileges which allowed her to drive her car right up to start line. She offered to give me a ride to the start of the race if I didn’t mind waking up and going at 0’Dark Thirty to help her set up her Running for Rhett tent. Of course I didn’t mind at all!

I helped set her stuff, met some great Runnin for Rhett people and watched the sun rise as the racers trickled in. I even fell asleep for a quick 20 minutes or so in the car before the race started.

Soon it was time to head to the starting line. It was chilly and windy so I wore my arm warmers which ultimately was a poor choice as I ended up carrying them the whole race but they are easy to carry.

My goal was to start off easy and not go racing out. Leading up to this race I was not feeling my best. My training has slowly been slipping (in my opinion) and as the darker chillier nights arrive, my motivation is slowly trickling away. This always happens as CIM nears (at least for me).

I just fell into a pace and tried to stick with it. I was trying not to look at my Garmin too much. There were a few runners around me that I just decided to stick with. I ran the hills which was one of my goals. I was feeling “ok” … not super strong but ok.

Long story short, I kept a decent pace. Near the end I could hear the finish line and I really started pushing the pace. I passed guy after guy and a few girls. I was just eager to be done. It was chilly and cloudy out and probably the first real day where it looked gray and rainy … so I pushed it and was surprised that I had some fuel left in the tank.

Road running is always tough as I never really carry much fuel with me and I am used to carrying lots of fuel on the trails. So I had stuffed a few chocolate covered espresso beans in my pocked and a salt tab. I took both probably 3 miles from the finish. I wasn’t sure if I needed them but I figured it couldn’t hurt. It helped. 🙂

I crossed the finish and heard Stonegate yelling my name! I finished with an 8:05 pace which is above my desired CIM pace although I wasn’t sure I could go another 13.1 miles at that pace haha.

Soon Vans and the girls found me. The race ends in Old Folsom and the parking is insane.

One of the perks of this race is a free entry into the “all you can drink” beer tent (which does me no good but Vans seems to enjoy it).

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Vans really enjoying my beer over the fence line

I won’t lie, I was pretty sore from that race. Road racing really seems to tighten my hamstrings and really work other muscles that I don’t use while running trails. I also run way harder when I am running on the road.

CIM (The California International Marathon) is looming over my head. I have a few things playing around in my brain. Some days I feel like I am on track to make my personal goals for CIM and other days I think, “no way, just try and finish.” So the story it seems will just unfold on race day. I can’t really predict what will happen at this point. I am trying to keep my head out of the mental game. Lord knows I have other mental things going on right now (haha) racing doesn’t have to be one of them.

To end October, the girls enjoyed Halloween. The Peanut was Princess Leia and Squeaker was Anna. They were super cute.

Squeaker also tried her hand at soccer, t-ball and now basketball with our local community district. Her first basketball practice was this past week and she was the only girl!

She cried again but THIS TIME she cried because “it is hard mommy!” But she stuck it out. The tears came within the first 15 minutes and then quickly disappeared. She wants us to buy a basketball and practice. 🙂 I am in heaven right now. Soccer and t-ball came easy to her, basketball definitely takes more hand-eye coordination than she’s used to.

Overall, life is moving on. I am hosting my first ever Plant-Based 101 cooking/seminar/I don’t know what to call it at my house next weekend so I have been in prep mode for that.

I traveled for work twice in October, once to Calistoga and once to San Diego. I am finally done with the traveling and looking forward to just getting into the holiday spirit and enjoying my girls.

But first, I have my last race before CIM tomorrow. I am running the Clarksburg Country Run 20 miler (it is a sure fire way to get 20 miles in – with hundreds of other people). I haven’t run this race since way back in 2011 as well. You can read that report here, that’s when my ankle was at its worst and I remember how painful that race was.

Here is hoping for a better outcome!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

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