Run Eat Tri Yogi

My friend Billy wanted to do a 50M. And not just any 50M; one of the hardest 50M (56M) races.  I was still riding the post-Ironbaby high (that time I did an indoor 140.6 by myself) so I happily agreed to join him in GA in May. Never mind that I don't have many hills where I live. To get a nice hike in, it's about an hour drive. And that state park is closed for most of the training months since it's winter in Wisconsin.  My training consisted of hill running with snowshoes on whenever I had the chance, hill repeats in general and lots of stair climbing, mixed with high-incline runs and fast walks.  The entire training period, I had a lot of doubts. I had days when I knew I was going to crush it and those training days when I thought the race will crush me and I'll end up as the sherpa. And for a time, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this race due to health issues. I think that was what I needed to fuel that fire. Every athlete knows that...

I have written this post 3 times now, deleting 2 and starting over in one sitting alone. The reasons always changed to this question. It can change from morning to afternoon. And to be completely honest, I haven't wanted to really run this past month. The flu really set me back, and then I lost all motivation. The question of why I run would plague me during the runs if/when I finally did force myself to lace up and run/jog/walk. I welcomed any and all "reasons" to not train every day - which is not the easiest to do when your job is at the gym! WI winter may have something to do with it... I really questioned why I keep doing it. Not just running but the training itself. It put me in a dark place where I felt I had no business posting on social media, showing my "just barely getting it done" training posts and trying to be supportive of others. With the right group of people, running 50M is actually fun! Met this crew along the course: Ann, Mandy,...

Indoor marathon. 95 laps around a track. No personal music allowed. Sounds enticing, doesn't it? I ran this last year with friends and said I'll never do it again. It's not the track so much as I'd done two 12 hour races on a high school track before - and overnight, no less. But most, if not all, ultra runners will agree that marathons have a different atmosphere than ultras. That's another post in itself! And I hate being subjected to other people's music (they play music from runners' requests). But after so many months of freezing temps, snow and ice keeping me from decent long runs here in Wisconsin, I gave in. My desire to get in a long run without slipping, twisting my already-fragile ankle or losing feeling in my fingers due to the extreme cold took over. I want to point out that the race is very well-organized. The race director and the entire team are phenomenal. I got updated emails and the packet pick-up and race day instructions were...

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to ECSWI race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! I've had a few days to let this race sink in. I was hovering between the highest of runner's high -- successfully completing one of the most anticipated races of my running season -- and exhaustion of completing the race and decompressing once we returned home. I had run this event 3 years in a row before I received a free entry for this year and I had planned on running it again anyway! I had signed up 4 years ago to do my first 50k here (but then I got anxious and ran a 50k beforehand!) and it was also here that I ran my first 50M with my running friends. My daughters and I had an opportunity to meet Dean Karnazes at my first pre-race panel and it's something they'll never forget.  I knew this year would be just as amazing. Packet pick up & Pre-race ...