Videos, barefoot ultras, and not a creature of habit.

"My approach to shoes is the same as my approach to clothes. Apply as necessary," ~Christopher McDougall~


  I was feeling a bit tired but loved being at the park relaxing with my family.  I have to come up with some other kind of hydration solution since the handheld throws off my form a bit.  Not drastically but enough that I don't like the inefficiency of my left hand crossing my body to compensate for the right hand holding the bottle.
Loving the way little Milo runs although he is a bit slappy with his feet!   Oh yes and gotta love the train horn as I run by!





October 30th race Endurance Equalizer

  I find it intriguing the idea of timed races.  You can stop any time you want.  Its ok to say "I am done" and its not a DNF.  Ah but to not stop and keep going, that is so sweet.  I can't yet imagine the pressure of signing up for a  50k or a 50 mile race or gasp, 100  and having to finish.  If I sign up for it and spend the money and talk about it and dream about it then I have to get my feet on the course and run said race and FINISH.  Such pressure.  What if I feel like total crap that day and what if I don't finish......... My head is just not there yet.  Someday yes, but for now its just not there yet.


  A timed race though, I can do as much or as little as I want.  I can set some goals in order of likelihood and circumstance and fight to go as far as I can.  I imagine working  through the mental games and that there will be help right there when I think that this time I am truly going to die!  


  I will embrace suffering just a mile or so away from my tent full of food and a car to drive home in.  
I also like loops.  The Endurance Equalizer has a nice paved trail to run on around Grays Lake.  Its well lit and well kept.  Its beautiful and the best part.....there are toilettes at both ends of the lake!  I can put up a tent and set up an aide station as well as the aide station the race organizers provide. My family can come and cheer me on or my husband can come and run with me for support.


  Best of all its in Des Moines not far from home.  I dream of mountain races and traveling to races far away however at this point in my life thats not an option but a 6 or 12 hour at Grays lake just might be.......


  I think I will treat the Des Moines Marathon the weekend before as a long training run.  It might end up that I run a barefoot marathon and a barefoot ultra on back to back weekends.  That would be uber cool.  Of course as the above quote states, if it seems necessary to wear shoes, I will.  Minimal shoes but the goal will be to run them with my piggies free!
I love that I can wait to sign up until the day before and I am thinking of signing up for the 12 hour so I can set a goal of 40 miles and just stop when I hit 40.  Its fun to think about regardless of whatever ends up becoming reality!

I am not a creature of habit.  I am pretty mellow yellow for a while and then I get a wild hair and pull off something awesome. Then I loose some steam and go back to mellow yellow and then do it all over again. It seems to work out since I am improving. That being said, I am needing to work on speed so I can get those long run times down. I also need to make friends with mornings. I say this and run in the mornings and then loose my steam.  This swing of the pendulum is in the direction of mornings again.

 I would really like to be up for a long run at any given time.  I don't like the idea that I work for 18 weeks and then there is a huge climax and then its over.   I can't hold out for 18 weeks and keep things the same.  Something is always changing and adapting in my life so I have to do things my way and stay flexible.


Diggin on this song lately.