I Signed Up for What?

So, in keeping with the theme of consistency this year and one of my concrete rules of not missing a race that I have signed up for, I find myself preparing to "run" a 100K outside of Austin this Sunday.  To say I am undertrained is an understatement (pun intended).  How did this happen?  Well, one night after a little too much wine (yes, there is a theme developing here), I got online and thought, what the heck, I am sure I will need a long run that weekend.  This seems like a great way to satisfy that requirement for the week.  Fast forward 4 weeks and while I have been "consistent," I am in no way ready to take on a 62 mile race.  I have done a few greenbelt runs of 16-17 miles and pretty much the only other distances since the Austin Marathon (uh, that was a loooonnnng time ago) have been 7-10 miles.  I have focused on strength training and hill work, but let's face it, that stuff doesn't make or break you in a race in Texas.  Plus, I had the brilliant idea of calendaring two of my strength training workouts back to back this Thursday and Friday....I am "sure" I will recover nicely by 5am Sunday. And Hell actually WILL freeze over......Not only am I extremely undertrained, but my "race" nutrition plan is a disaster....in that I: 1) have no plan and 2) have not been training with food at all this year.  Add the fact that I actually don't even have a pair of trail shoes that would cut it in this race and the last time I used my headlamp was when I paced a friend at Leadville in 2012....this sounds like a horrible idea.  So, I am undertrained, nutritionally challenged and have some equipment issues for lack of a better word.  Nevertheless, I plan on waking up at 2am this Sunday - yes, 2 FLIPPING AM.....because the race starts at 5am and is about an hour from my house.  I must say, I have not missed the ridiculousness of waking at such obscene hours to run.  While I am up drinking coffee and stumbling in the dark around my house, my sweet husband and three kids will be sound asleep and for the first time in months, there is nothing on the family agenda this Sunday, so they will wake and leisurely enjoy their day....a rarity in our house.  I will go out and run because I committed to myself to do it.  It will most inevitably suck at some point - hopefully later rather than sooner in the day.  However, the irony is, I actually do these races because of that point during the race when it does suck - when you are done - when you can't run or walk one more step -- and yet, you do.  We all have busy lives - work, family, relationships, commitments - being on the trail is an opportunity to focus on one thing...putting one foot in front of the other.  Having a good race means leaving everything out on the course....whether you are walking, running or crawling.   There is something very cathardic about the entire process.  At the end of a good race you may be beat up, but you feel renewed.  So, I will line up on Sunday, and I can't say that I will finish all five loops, but I plan to do as much as I can and push forward to renewal.  If nothing else it's just a damn good way to start a week.

Running in Guatemala…Not So Much

One of my best friends invited me to join her and others on a trip to Guatemala for her 40th birthday.  I was more than happy to help her celebrate in a country that I had not traveled to yet.  I told her and the other girls that were going to be sure to pack their running clothes, because we would be getting in at least 3 runs while we were there.  As an aside, I always pack my running clothes when I travel and I use them less than 1% of the time….I just can't seem to wake up early to get the work in when I am on vacation….I'd rather leisurely drink my coffee and plan the day's activities.  BUT, I was re-committed, surely this was going to be my time to make this happen!  As usual, I was indeed overestimating myself and this time my schedule for this vacation.  Did I run?  Not one single time in the 5 days that I was gone.  However, after a little reflection on my activities on this particular trip, I don't feel guilty at all…..  

Day 1: My alarm went off at 3:45am last Thursday for my 6am flight.  I was determined not to check a bag so that I could get in and out of the airport quickly, so my carryon weighed about 50 pounds.  Arm workout - check.  When we arrived in Guatemala, we immediately set off for a "walking" tour of Antigua.  Our guide was very informative and was a fast walker.  We followed him around the city for a few hours.  Cardio - check.  When we arrived back at our hotel, one of the girls traveling with us said she had to plank for 8 minutes because it was part of a 30 day challenge she was doing.  I decided to join.  Core workout - check.  Day 2: Wake up, have coffee - plank.  Core - check.  Hike an active volcano outside of Antigua ("Paycaya").  Hill work - check.  Walk to and from dinner in the rain.  Cardio - check.  Day 3: Hour+ bike ride through several villages outside of Antigua on cobble streets for 3/4 of the trip and on the highway/dirt roads for 1/4 of the trip.  Arm/Leg/Cardio - check.  We then set out for our next destination on Lake Atitlan.  After arriving by boat to our hotel we encountered a sign that said: "350 steps to the entrance of hotel."  Hill work - check.  Day 4: Hike Cerro de Oro in small village on Lake Atitlan.  When we arrived at the top of Cerro de Oro, our native guide told us to wait while he asked the gods if we could go to the top.  Apparently we passed the test and were allowed up.  (This little town is made up of the Maya people - we encountered a Maya ceremony on the way up Cerro de Oro where several Maya "priests" were making a fire and later in the day villagers would arrive at the fire to ask the priests for things they needed….super cool).  After arriving at the top, we asked our guide if the gods would mind if we planked - so, on the top of a mountain on the side of a lake in Guatemala, we dropped down for a plank.  Cardio - check.    Hill work - check.  Core - check.  Cool factor - check.  We then headed over to the zip line in Panajachel.  I had never really done a zip line like this before…..another hike, 8 different zip lines down and then an obstacle course of swinging rope ladders and swings to top it off.  Cardio - check.  Arms - check.  Arrive back at our hotel for another 350 steps up to the entrance.  Hill work - check.  Day 5: travel back to the States.

So, no running, but pretty sure no fitness was lost on this vacation.  Happy Birthday Heather Sasser…it was quite an adventure!!