Run Eat Tri Yogi

Can we just be real here?  With so many people getting offended on social media these days and having unwritten "rules" on what you can/should/must post, I decided to come here. At first I thought "I hate airing any type of laundry for public to see..." but this is real life. I am exhausted. Do you know the ingredients for making someone go crazy? 1) Do not listen to that person. 2) Make that person repeat themselves repeatedly. 3) Repeat 1 and 2 a few more time. In fact, do it 10 times minimum. EVERY DAY. 4). When said person finally loses it and starts screaming what they had said originally, call him/her (me) crazy and continue with 1 and 2. I am so tired. Beyond exhausted - it's mentally and physically exhausting. As a mom of a pre-teen and 2 very stubborn girls (which, I admit, they got from me).  As an employee who keeps getting pushed out and over. As a supposed family member who has been sho wn to not be an important part of their lives (for mo...

I was on my 3rd lap of the 7 mile loop and as I was trying divert my attention to anything else so as to forget about the tiredness in my legs at the time.  I thought "Well, this should be a very boring race recap.  Not even blog worthy... Captioned: I ran 7 miles over and over again and it hurt." But by the end of that lap, I was in a much better place. Last year's race. Loved it so much I came back! I arrived early on race day for packet pick-up and to get closer parking than I had last year.  It was dark and the handful of people there were wearing headlamps. After grabbing my bib and bag, I sat and warmed up in the car for awhile -- and charging my Garmin that I'd left in the car overnight. After 45 min or so, I grudgingly exited my toasty car (no, I didn't run it that long but it was warmer than outside!), grabbed my gear bag and headed to the main aid station area. This is what I enjoy about loop races -- I have access to my gear after each lap. ...

My biggest concern about Chicago was that it was a road race; I'm a trail runner. Even if you put me on a paved road, I will make my way to the side and run on gravel/grass/dirt. My other concern was how my ITB would hold up after my 50M a few weeks ago. When I last ran Chicago in 2014, I had so many injuries with ITB flare up being one of them that I was worried about running this one injury free.  About a 2 weeks before the race, I realized I should have added more road running to my training... I treated myself to room at the Congress hotel, which I knew was near the start/finish. What I didn't realize was that it was right across the street!  What a treat after my last experience where I got up at 3am to catch multiple trains and walking in the dark/cold just to get to the start line.  I highly recommend saving up some moola to treat yourself to a hotel right near the start/finish in Chicago.  I'd also reserved my parking through Park Whiz near the ...

Judging by the way I've been feeling and moving around (slooowly), one would assume I had one helluva rager weekend. And in a way, it was. But this one included camping, running and one sharp medal (literally).  It was the Ragnar Northwoods. It was everything that I thought it would be -- no sleep and madness. Alright, maybe it was due to lack of sleep that made it seem like madness.   I drove in and dropped my gear off before driving up another 3 miles ahead to park my car in a field.  Once I took the shuttle back, I met up with my teammates (who were awesome enough to carry my gear to the campsite!).  I only knew our captain but I have to admit, he did a great job of recruiting  a    wonderful group of runners.   After we cheered on our first runner, I decided to grab some dinner.  I was the last runner and wanted to get those last minute carbs in before my leg started. I wandered around the village and got lost amongst...

This is not what I had in mind for my next blog.  The thought of DNF never even crossed my mind. That's not entirely correct; I mentally prepared myself to push through 50 miles so I would not DNF.  I knew it would get ugly after 35+ miles but that's also what makes endurance sports enticing, isn't it?  You know you'll hurt and regret your decision at least once during your race but the glory of completing the distance with that gratifying cross of the finish line makes the pain all worth it.  And I was so ready to endure that cramping, blisters, fatigue and everything else that comes with ultra running.  The morning of the race was uneventful.   We had arrived for packet pick-up the day before the race, packed up our race gear, I noted all the food aid stations on my arm and unsuccessfully, tried to get some sleep.  I probably got about 4 solid hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 3:20am. The temperature was perfect - mid 60s - though th...