"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? ... So use every part of your body to give glory back to God..." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Monday, June 18, 2018

Mohican Trail 50 Mile Recap.

Photo courtesy @KeithK

Part of the adventure in running is pushing your body. Being depleted of everything.

For me it is very spiritual. I feel God, I hear God, I feel weak, vulnerable, fragile, feeble and so humbled.
It is the moment that lets me be reminded of how small I am. It is a welcomed humbling moment. To be modest and lowly.
To feel fear, to be diluted of security and self confidence.

Being in the elements of Gods canvas makes me feel so minuscule, a beautiful picture of Gods love for me. I look around and see everything HE created not polluted by man and in my mortal self I have nothing to aid me through His raw masterpiece.




MOHICAN Trail 50. 
Date: June 16-1-2018
Where: Ohio, Mohican State Park.
Start Time: 6am
Distances: 100, 50 and marathon. I registered for the 50.
Temperature: Starting temps 62' and HUMID

My alarm chimed at 3:30 am. 5 hours of sleep. I took one of Laceys "PM.s" to give me a little nudge to sleep the night before.
With only 1- 3minute snooze I snuck out of bed trying not to wake Lacey and Claudia.
Our 50 mile crew were heading out at 4:35am.
With an less than an hour I was able to get dressed, grab my drop bag and hydration pack. I enjoyed some of Paula's homemade banana bread and coffee for breakfast.
Paula, Lacey and Claudia got to sleep in, the marathon didn't start until 12.
I met Keith and Doug on Friday. Those two are running partners and stayed at our hotel too. I was in another league with Matt, Keith and Doug. I was hanging with the BIG DOGS. I was so nervous. I am just a pipsqueak in comparison.

MY GOAL: To get to Lacey and Claudia by NOON. At that point, I would drop my pace, take photos and have fun with the girls. So I thought.
1. 12 hour 50.
2. Sub 13.

It was still dark out when we arrived at the park. Time went by fast. We dropped off our drop bags, I had extra shoes, chaffing cream and clothes in mine.

I didn't know these guys very well, I took a chance and asked if I could say a quick prayer before we started. I could have prayed by myself but I wanted them to know that I was praying for them as well.
As we lined up with about 150 other runners the sun began peaking out. We were scheduled to have 90' weather but the morning temps were very pleasant resting at 62 degrees.
The four of us headed out together.

I felt great. I tucked in the middle of the guys hoping I could keep up and not destroy myself.  Mohican is made up of loops. I would be doing 2 loops. I needed to get through the first loop in under 6hours and I was concerned.

THE FIRST LOOP:
It was just a few minutes of running and the inclines began. About a mile in, I see runners snaking up a very large incline. The runners closer to the top looked smaller, making the lush structure more measurable and me more panicked!
The woods were beautiful with green foliage scattered on the foundation of the woods. Tall looming trees shaded us from the morning sun.

The four of us took off at a steady pace. I tried to look around when I could but the trail was entangled with so many tripping hazards.
The temperatures allowed us to run freely, joyfully even. We all conversed and joked with one another distracting ourselves from the never ending hills. The inclines and descents were NO JOKE. Roots creeped across a lot of the trail inviting each of us to a good tripping session.  I had to keep reminding myself to "PICK your FEET up".
The forest offered many different landscapes. From sections of towering pines to a dense forest, lush and saturated with vegetation it was stunning. We ran across a ridge that collapsed on both sides of you, this section was sobering. At one point,  we were face to face with the tree tops, I took a second to walk to the edge and look at nothing less than beautiful.

We ran through a section of massive rock structures. Water crossed all around us. We crossed over countless bridges listening to the gentle trickle of the river below us. We actually walked down a large staircase right into a waterfall. My heart melted, I was so overwhelmed with awe. I was breathless and not even running.


Because the Mohican trail is tucked so deep in this dense forest the humidity was unavoidable.
Within just a few hours we were all drenched in sweat. My skin was a slick, my tank top was saturated and the beginning stages of chaffing was inevitable.

The aid stations were set up about every 3-5 miles. The volunteers did a fabulous job taking care of you. Each aid station recited your bib number to another volunteer who wrote it all down.
I never had to ask for anything, the volunteers would take my hydration vest off me and fill my bladder, then place it back on me as I was grabbing food to eat. We didn't spend much more than a few minutes in each of the rest areas, eat, drink, and GO!
I nibbled on pickled beets, potato chips, pretzels and ICE. I drank water at each of the aid stations. I held Gatorade in my pack.

At about 4 hours of running I knew we were crushing it. I was giddy but realized I was WAY ahead of schedule to get to the second loop by 12. The last 2 miles of the loop the humidity was brewing. The trail finished through the camping area with steep hills and the downhills were wicked, deep crevices and large loose rocks threatened to break your ankles with no remorse.
And just when you think you have made it out unscathed you are spit out into the camp ground back up a deathly long hill made of gravel with the sun beating on you. My body quickly shut DOWN. "WALKING" I yelped more than once through this mile stretch.

When we arrived at the aid station, finishing out our first loop my time said 5:22. I had almost 40 minutes to kill.
Lacey was waiting for me at the picnic table with the rest of the guys. She looked at me and knew. Like she was part of me. She quickly took my hydration pack off. She was assessing me and taking care of me in ways I didn't know I needed.
My back was chaffed from my sweat soaked tank. Shamelessly, I removed it and went with only my sports bra.
I guzzled water and chewed on my ice cubes. The ice was getting really low and was getting hard to find. Most of us runners were so overheated that the ice was being put in our pack, our handhelds and wrapped in towels to cool us off.

The guys took off with the clock ticking. I was still trying to work on my plan. I had 20 minutes. I decided I would grab food and take it with me. I would leave before the girls and get a head start on them. I knew that if I stopped too long I would start cramping up and the girls would be running on fresh legs and catch up to me soon.

SECOND LOOP: 
The problem with the second loop is I remembered the impending sufferfest just ahead of me.
I looked up at that first massive hill, said a couple choice words and dug my heals in, another 6hours to go.
About 4 miles into my run the girls caught up to me at the aid station. It was perfect timing.
We laughed, enjoying the sights, the sounds, the smells and the emotion of it all.
We came into a aid station only to discover that our company was to be split up again. The marathoners seperated into a 5 mile loop and I went to the right to run a 2 1/2 mile loop solo. I told Lacey I would meet her at the next aid station. That was my hopes.

In the next 2 1/2 miles, I wouldn't see ANOTHER person. The forest got very dark and treacherous. It was as if I was running in the middle of a dried up river bank that cut deeply into the earth. Sharp rocks made footing very difficult.
My quads were FIRING hatred at me. I took my time and took in the wonderous canvas surrounding me. A small river ran along side me with fallen trees and multiple bridge crossing. The river bed had massive stones scattered across mixed with thick vegetation and soaring trees.
Magnificent. My physical was was so trivial. THIS is what I run for. THIS Anita. This is worth all the pain, all the sweat, this is a treasure chest available to those who want to suffer.

I ran across the covered bridge down into the aid station. I knew I would be here a while waiting for the girls. It was a opportunity to regroup. Each of the girls came in separately.

As soon as Claudia and Lacey arrived and refreshed we took off again together.
The three of us were all struggling in our own way but cruising at a good steady pace.

Suddenly, with about 9 miles to go Lacey dropped off to the side of the trail.
Her sugar suddenly dropped.
Claudia didn't know we had dropped back but I could hear her "MARCO". I responded "POLO" hoping she would continue on.
She was running great and I was so excited for her. She kept moving.
It took Lacey about 40 minutes to recover. She is a tough cookie.

With about 5 miles to go, we were moving steady again. My strengths were her weaknesses and vise versa. We really challenged and supported each other.

I already knew how this trail would finish. It was not going to be pretty. My stomach was turned inside out. Every pounding of my foot, my belly churned.

We came out of the woods into the camp ground and took a wrong turn. I missed the turn. Thankfully a runner had enough energy to scream loud enough to get us turned back around!

We could see the finish, the sun beat down on us, the heat of the evening was almost suffocating but we moved forward together.
We crossed that finish line together.

Time: 12:43



Thank You everyone that have called me, text me and checked on me. LOVE you all.

Anita
My back chaffed and only healed worse.


Thursday, June 7, 2018

Dream on: BoyWonder

My college son is home for the summer. He is a crazy Boy that Austin.
When he came home from college he had a couple goals.
  1. To "Get Lean" run over the summer, run a bit
  2. Work, A lot. 
He has been working a lot but the running, not so much. 
A few days ago I asked him if he would run "Wings of Mercy" 5k with me. I HATE 5K's. I never catch my breath, constantly feeling like I am going to keel over and die. 
He said "NO". 

I wasn't that surprised. But I am the continual optimist. I always keep a little HOPE in my pocket. 

***********
It was a beautiful day to hit the trails. We had a huge group come out to play, about 8 of us. 

I had it in my mind that I was only running 2 loops, 12miles. 
Then I had a brain fart, I needed 3 loops. Mohican wasn't for another 10 days, not quite time to taper for my 50 miler. 

We were hitting our 6 miles (1 loops) at about an hour and 15 minutes. This is about our average.
With 2 miles to go, I heard my phone make its goofy "KERPLOP" sound notifying me that I had a message. 
I checked my Garmin and saw a message from Boy Wonder. 

"Guess what I am about to do?"
I responded "Do I dare ask? lol" 
The last time I asked this he was with his friend doing back flips off a 20ft bridge. 
I sent him a couple selfies and texted "Just finishing up my 18 miler"



And then I got this...
"I'm about to go run!! Two miles baby haha"

He finished it up saying he might just run that 5k with me!

THROW UP:
I got home and Austin was laughing and telling me about his 2 miler. "MOM, I almost puked....I kept dry heaving..."

I love that kid. He doesn't doing anything mediocre. 

Run till you are dry heaving? 

NO REGRETS: 
The biggest risk we can take in life is NOT taking one! 
I smiled knowing Austin was trying to meet his goals. Austin is a meat heat. He hits the gym 7 days a week. He eats great and takes great care of himself. But running is out of the box for him. He used to run and was pretty good at it. 
He set goals.
He got uncomfortable. 
And he put one foot in front of itself. 

OUR MIND IS THE BEGINNING OF OUR DREAMS. 
"The decisions we make control us much more than the conditions we meet"

Dream BIG, Dream small...But don't stop a DREAMING. 
Then make intentional efforts and choices to strive towards those dreams. 
And remember Don't let Others Kill Your Dreams. 

As a mom, I get so excited to watch my boys have goals, grit and get after it. I want them to work hard for greatness. Greatness isn't a destination, its a journey. 
Its not delivered, it is earned. 
It isn't material, it is interpersonal.

Anita!

Monday, June 4, 2018

Nothingness


Ever have those days you feel like you have nothing left? Days that even a smile feels out of grasp. Your tired, your beat up and even a bit discouraged.

I have those days.

Running is such a great illustration for being beat up, worn out and overall discouraged.

I have these days when everyone around me appear to be pumped full of sunshine.
Days my running partners are all rock stars. They are running like gazelles and I am in the back panting like a dying dog and running like Yertle the Turtle.

My training has me running 20 miles all the while I am running out of gas to even turn my engine over.

But I press on. With all I have and sometimes that is Nothing at all.

This is not a blog that I post to advertise my miles I run or the pace that I run or even the races I have accomplished.
It is designed to share my Nothingness.

To show my transparency, my Love to the Lord for making me, a nobody, a somebody to HIM.
Allowing Him to use me through my running to just encourage one person.

Yesterday morning at church they sang all the old hymns.
"Amazing Grace...how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me..."
I came into church smiling and within minutes my heart was bleeding.
It was just moments when I caught my breath and balanced my emotions when the next song echoed.
"How Great is our God..Sing with me...how Great is our God...."
I felt myself getting angry. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to smile and my heart trembled with tears. We sang this over and over when Ariel was alive. It was our camp song, out ministry song, it was the popular song when we were together. Summer camps and retreats they always played this. Ariel would be next to me with Mo beside her, best friends.
But Ariel is not with me any longer. But what I have left is what I sowed in her. I gave her all of me and in return I have her memories, her words, her love. I had NOTHING to Give her but my LOVE.
The same for my mother. I had NOTHING to give her but my LOVE.

Nothing. I had nothing left in me. But....
LOVE.  In my tears I had LOVE. In my sadness I had Love. My bleeding heart was pierced with LOVE.
I have NOTHING to great to give anyone, I have NOTHING amazing to share. But I have sweet sweet memories of LOVE.

Galatians 6:3 "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone and not in regard to another." 

At the end of the day people aren't going to remember how many miles I run, how many age awards I receive or what races I have ran. These all mean NOTHING.
But they will remember how I LOVED them. They will remember how I treated them.

I am Nothing, not because I think I am something. Because trust me..I know I am just a little fish in a big pond. I rest in the shadowlands of greatness.

Examine your own work: It doesn't matter what others do or do not do. Be inspired by others. This is always a tough one.
Today, I found my place in the back. I ran behind the others. I watched as they ran freely
through the trees, the breeze flowing through the woods, perfect, majestic.
I reminded myself to keep my eyes in front of ME. Focus on my running, my breathing. To stay strong for myself. Do my best for ME.
I thought this is how life is. We have to do our best because it is the right thing to do, not because others are or are not doing that.

THE CATS out of the BAG: 
I haven't made this announcement yet....BUT here GOES...
LACEY kept a big secret this past week. She snuck to Traverse City and ran Bayshore Marathon.
She was hoping to qualify for Boston but didn't want me to know. She didn't want the pressure.

AND SHE DID!!
This is all she has been wanting for 2 years. For  both of us to run Boston together. I am sooo proud of her.
The week she ran Boston, 5 weeks ago and didn't qualify she was broken. Discouraged, sad, angry and a barrage of emotions. I was scheduled to run that following week, Glass City.
She called me the day after her Marathon and told me "YOU run that marathon, and you run FAST..."
She still wanting me to give my all. She wanted me to do my best for ME. Not for her, Not for any other reason but because that is what I trained so hard for.
I didn't want to run hard, I wanted to throw the towel in. I didn't want to hurt. I didn't want the pressure. I didn't want the suffering.
But she was RIGHT. This is what I trained for. I had to do it for ME.

Do it for YOU. In your Nothingness, in your brokenness, in your heartbroken, self Don't Quit. Keep doing what is right, what you have worked for, what you have pressed for, what you were designed for...
In our NOTHING we are SOMETHING.
But Examine YOURSELF. Your intentions, Your motives, your heart.

RUNDOWN:
Distance: 16.8
Where: Highland Rec trails
Time: 3:22


Anita~