2022 Reads

 I read a lot more pages than I ran miles! What I read in 2022:

1. This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire by Nick Flynn (Goodreads counted this for 2021)
2. Unthinkable by Brad Parks
3. Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman
4. Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict
5. Apples Never Fall by Liana Moriaty
6. Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark
7. The Devil Wears Black by L.J. Shen
8. Win at All Costs: Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception by Matt Hart
9. Say Nothing by Brad Parks
10. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
11. Bewilderment by Richard Powers
12. The Science of Running by Steve Magness
13. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
14. The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell
15. Interference by Brad Parks
16. Daniel's Running Formula by Jack Daniels
17. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
18. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
19. Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah
20. No Exit by Taylor Adams
21. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
22. The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews
23. The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell
24. Luster by Raven Leilani
25. Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
26. Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
27. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
28. How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman
29. A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
30. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
31. The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
32. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
33. Thin Ice (Alaska Wild #1) by Paige Shelton
34. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
35. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
36. The Whispers by Heidi Perks
37. The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart
38. Cold Wind (Alaska Wild #2) by Paige Shelton
39. Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens
40. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
41. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
42. Book Lover by Emily Henry
43. Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee
44. Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
45. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
46. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
47. Honor by Thrity Umrigar
48. The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
49. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
50. The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony
51. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
52. The Last Time I Saw You but Elizabeth Berg
53. The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
54. Confess by Colleen Hoover
55. Count the Nights by Stars by Michelle Shocklee
56. Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
57. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
58. The Sanatorium by Sara Pearse
59. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
60. In Bloom by Fern Michaels
61. Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke
62. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
63. When She Dreams by Amanda Quick
64. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
65. The Maid by Nita Prose
66. Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
67. Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
68. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
69. The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
70. We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride
71. More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez
72. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
73. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
74. The Giver by Lois Lowry
75. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
76. A Star is Bored by Byron Lane
77. The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
78. The Measure by Nikki Erlick
79. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
80. The Love of My Life by Rose Walsh
81. Nothing More To Tell by Karen M. McManus
82. The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle
83. Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver
84. Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
85. The Dinner List by Rebeccal Serle
86. The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
87. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
88. Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless by Sarah Shepard
89. One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus
90. Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
91. As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
92. Gilt by Jamie Brenner
93. The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
94. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
95. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
96. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
97. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
98. Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
99. Divergent by Veronica Rogth
100. Geekerella by Ashley Poston
101. The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz
102. Legend by Marie Lu
103. What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline
104. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
105. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
106. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
107. Running Man by Charlie Engle
108. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
109. Bringing Out the Best in People by Aubrey C. Daniels
110. The Lies We Tell by Katie Zhao
111. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
112. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
113. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
114. The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Tinker: A Time Travel Novel by Paul Ibbetson
115. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

I also read half the Bible; I'm doing a 2-year reading plan. I've read it in 1 year before but it felt a little rushed.

I counted one in 2022 that Goodreads
counted for 2021 (started it in 2021,
finished in 2022)

The average book length surprised me

2022 Running Year in Review

Quick stats:

• Miles run: 4,241.7
• Teams/Support: rabbitELITE, UCAN, Nike, Miles from Mentor
• Races run: 14
• Races won (OA female): 8
• Races won (masters female): 12
• PRs:
• 6 hour - 42.575 miles (13 x 3.275 mile loops)
• Longest training run at 30.2 miles
• Yearly mileage at 4,241.7 (just 73.5 more than last year)
• Weekly mileage at 116.5
• Records:
  
• Missouri state road racing record for 20k for females age 41
• Missouri state road racing record for 25k for females age 41
• Kansas state road racing record for 50k overall female
• Prairie Spirit 50k female course record
• Missouri state road racing record for 10k for females age 41
• Highlights:
• Being inducted into the OMRR Hall of Fame
• 11th fastest North American female in the 50k in 2022
• 6th best North American female performance in the 6 hour in 2022
• Running in the professional field at the Boston Marathon
• Zero injuries!

I ran this race sick because I won't
ever have this opportunity again!

Longer impression:

My running evolves every year, and I'm not sure how to concisely sum this one up! Consistency in training was my strong suit, and I continued to enjoy masters running. I really appreciate having masters records and titles to chase, though in most races I enter I'm still hunting an overall female win.

I was happy enough with all of my races considering the circumstances, except for my marathons. While disappointing to have two rough marathons this year, I am still thankful for the experiences and I know that if/when I run another good marathon I will appreciate it more. I am definitely more amazed at all of the good or just slightly off marathons I had before this year now. I had good shorter races and good ultras, so I can't really blame the distance or the pace for my marathon bombs.

I treasure all of my training with my local group, Miles from Mentor. Really every workout is a memorable one with them! I did the big 10 miles at MP+1:00 then 10 miles at MP workout that I've heard about for a couple of years for the first time this year, though I did 4 more miles after the 10 at MP for 24 on the day. My 4 hour training run was also pretty memorable, since I've never done that before! Even the speed workouts and track reps that aren't my forte were extremely fun this year. The every day easy runs always include inside jokes, fun facts, laughs, a lot of randomness, and a ton of endorphins. Running friends truly enhance my life.

I continued coaching several of my running buddies this year, and I love seeing their break throughs! Casey ran a long-awaited huge half PR at Bass Pro (1:21:58, also breaking my age 38 state record) and moved her marathon PR down a notch in Chicago (2:50:59). Colin blazed a 2:41:20 in the Des Moines marathon, even running most of it solo. Amy knocked out super impressive mileage and an age 50 state record in the 25k. Ann ran her second fastest marathon a week after having COVID, and we know she has a faster one in her, because a week off COVID! Spencer PRed with 2:58:24 at GO St Louis and was ready to run a 1:18ish half at Bass Pro but was derailed by illness. Sierra is now training for Boston, Sarah is conquering PA school, and Elise is practicing having two children, with the arrival of a new baby boy on Dec. 22!

I love running just as much as, or maybe more than, ever before. I don't know if I'll ever improve my current PRs, but that doesn't really change anything; I'll be running just as much, because performances are not what get me out there every day. I genuinely love every bit of training, and my marathons especially this year reminded me how valuable training is to me - I loved the process more than I can express, even though I was highly disappointed in my marathons. You'll find me running a ton and giving my all - and whatever that gets me on race day I will try to be happy with...even if I just know I have a better one in me, haha!

Many of the Miles from Mentor regulars

You can read my race recaps here:

• 2/12/22 - Cabin Fever Reliever 20K
• 2/19/22 - Run with the Wind 25K 
• 3/12/22 - Running of the Squirrels 5K
• 3/19-20/22 - Havin' a Crappie Weekend Challenge (3 races)
• 3/27/22 - Prairie Spirit 50K 
• 4/18/22 - Boston Marathon
• 5/21/22 - Bill Snyder Highway Half
• 7/23/22 - Heat Advisory 5k (time trial)
• 8/13/22 - Riverside 5000
• 9/11/22 - Plaza 10k
• 10/2/22 - Twin Cities Marathon
• 11/6/22 - CMC Recycling (Bass Pro) 5k
• 12/17/22 - Run for the Ranch 6 hour

Post-50k endorphins

You can read my monthly recaps here:

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Casey & Rebecca gave the best speeches at the
OMRR Hall of Fame induction

You can read my previous yearly recaps here:

• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016 
• 2015

Twin Cities Pro treatment

Run for the Ranch 6 hour: The Aftermath

The short version with links to the other detail posts is here.

I had checked the North America ultra standings prior to the race so knew if I hit my goal of 13 laps I'd be #5 overall - but oh-so-close to #3 and #4 so I wished partial laps could count. I have since learned that most time-based races like this switch to a small loop for the final hour or so, so that people can get the most of the time allotted (noted for future reference!). Another woman ran 44 miles on the same day I ran mine, so I ended up #6. I liked the course for my race but it wasn't flat, and the powerful wind really did not help things. As per usual when I accomplish a goal, I am thrilled with it, but I know I have a better one in me!

I plan to stick with the marathon and 50k for now though. I would like to run a 50 miler when I turn 50 (October 2030), and of course this race made me think very strongly about doing it sooner...because "it's only 7.4 more miles!". I could have run 7.4 slow miles after those 42.6, and I didn't really specifically train for this race. I have made a lot of running claims that didn't come to fruition, including "I'm never running an ultra" and "I'm never going farther than a 50k" (there was also "Once I break 3:00 in the marathon I'll be happy with that time forever." - we all know how well that worked out!) - so no promises.

The biggest surprise for me was that the end miles felt just like the end of a positive split marathon. I thought I'd be going to some new places, but it all felt awfully familiar. I knew I could keep going, but that the pace wasn't going to be what I'd been running. I fully expected to slow down in this race, and because of that it wasn't bothersome when it was happening - unlike in marathons when I slow down I am very bothered! I was a little disheartened that I slowed down before 30 miles, since I'd finished my 30 mile training run so strong, but maybe that day was just a bit better than race day.

I didn't do an actual training cycle for this race, but rather mostly figured I'd piggy back upon years of mileage and marathon builds. I'd been running speed work with my friend who won the Run for the Ranch 1 mile, so my workouts were very not ultra-specific, hah! I'm guessing those things caused me to slow down sooner than I would have if I'd had more focus on this race, but I also greatly enjoyed the feeling of doing "whatever".

The other surprise was that the next day I just felt like I'd run a marathon - actually I was much less sore than I have been after many of my marathons. I thought that my 50ks didn't beat me up too much because they were on rails to trails crushed gravel, but this race was on the road and it didn't beat me up any more. I credit the Alphaflys for a lot of that, but I also think I respond better to long runs and mileage than most. In a marathon it's not the distance that gets me, it's the pace over the distance - even when I have run crappy marathons I knew I'd finish them, just slower than I wanted. A big reason I ran this race to begin with was that running for 6 hours at a relatively slow pace seemed easier than running a fast marathon at the moment.

I already mentioned that I had zero chaffing, courtesy of great rabbit attire. I got two relatively minor blisters under my toes, but that happens to me in marathons too. My body was tired but I didn't feel any unusual or uneven pain. One reason I thought this specific race was the best to dip my toe into the 6 hour world at was because I didn't think I'd have any trouble stopping if I had any unusual pain, since I had very little invested (it was about 7 miles from my house - I have run the race course on long runs)! Fortunately, that didn't happen, but I would have called it if I'd thought I was getting injured at any point. If I travel to a race or invest a lot in some other manner I don't see pulling out happening, even when it probably should.

I think I did okay with my nutrition. I took in 1000 calories, which wouldn't fuel for every mile over 20 but with the slower pace I wasn't burning as much glycogen. Maybe it wasn't enough, but I was pushing what my stomach was used to already so I think much more would have caused other issues. If I had planned this further in advance, I'd have trained my stomach to handle more and to handle some real food. What I took settled well and I had no stomach or GI issues. I took either a bottle or a gel at the end of every lap. I had 2 bottles of UCAN energy + protein (90 calories each), 2 bottles of coconut water (45 calories each, with electrolytes), 6 UCAN Edge gels (70 calories each, all superstarch), 1 SIS gel (210 calories, sugary, tastes awful), and 1 Maurten gel (100 calories, sugary). I didn't take any caffeine, which is atypical for me, but with a 10:00 a.m. start time most of the race was in the afternoon and I knew it would wreck my sleep if I used any.

To sum it up: I am thankful that God gave me this opportunity to try something new and to push my limits! Now the hardest part: some days off.

But it hurts so good!

Run for the Ranch 6 hour: Laps 9-13

The short version is here, and laps 1-8 are described in detail here.

Lap 9 - After a little dip during lap 8, I was doing okay again. I felt like I needed to back off the effort some in order to make it 5 more laps, and running solo probably helped me at that point because I could go with my own ebb and flow. I knew I'd be at 29.5 when I finished lap 9, so even though I'd been having some doubts I knew I was going to keep going because I was sure not willing to run "only" 29.5 at 50 seconds/mile slower than my 50k pace. I was probably feeling my lack of an actual training cycle for this event - remember, I did 20 miles 3 weeks out and 30 miles 2 weeks out, but I hadn't done a whole slew of 20+ milers since my Twin Cities training cycle, or back-to-back long runs since early 2022 (plus I was doing track workouts during the 5 weeks leading up to this race, lol!). Julie was out running the course, and found me walking up the little hill about a mile out from the finish area and ran back with me. I asked her about Eric, and unfortunately he'd called it for the day due to stomach issues. From mile 29 on, my miles were all 8:37-9:25 and averaged about 9:00; I wasn't moving quickly but I never stopped plugging away.

Funny fact: driving to race I heard the song Save Your Tears on the radio, and while many songs cycled through my head when I was running solo, the lyric I sang to myself most often was "Save your tears for another day..." Not an encouraging one, but I never really felt discouraged. I didn't ever feel like I was knocking it out of the park, but I did always feel like I was doing it.

Just keep runnin'!

Lap 10 - Throughout lap 10 I was excited because I knew when I finished it I'd have a new mileage PR. The course marshals at the corner where Missy and Rebecca were cheering started getting into the race and saying something to me each lap, such as asking what the farthest I'd run before then was. My friends cheering was also amazing, and it was so kind of them to come out for a couple of hours in the brutal weather. I was so pumped up by my new PR when I came through lap 10, I thought that 9.9 more miles seemed completely reasonable. I had points in the race where I thought "Geez, I hope I make 32", "36 would be fine", and "39.3 is a marathon plus a half, that would be really good!", but I was always in a good place when I passed the finish area so never truly considered stopping. I was monitoring the course clock at each lap, and I still had about 1:36:20 left when I finished lap 10, so I knew even if I averaged 10 minute pace for the last 3 laps I'd get them in.

We ran through this and could see the elapsed
time at the end of each lap

Lap 11 - The course was really thinning out by this point, with most of the marathoners finished. I was doing well considering. I think laps 9-10 were my most difficult, then 11-13 were a little slower but felt better. I walked up the little hill during laps 9 and 10, but never needed to after that. I started thinking about how I felt better at that point than I did with 10 miles to go in Boston, so that was comforting since I knew I'd gritted through worse. The wind was extremely annoying but expected each lap. The aid station volunteers and course marshals felt like old friends at that point. I found humor in the teenagers chasing each other, the other kids who didn't know what gels were, the amazing volunteer at the 180* turn with two puffs on her hat, and the aid station that was scraping ice off their table with a windshield ice scraper. When I passed the clock I had well over an hour left, so I knew I was going to make my 13 lap goal.

Lap 12 - On this lap I mostly kept thinking "I'm doing it!!!" I felt confident about completing 6 more miles, then 5, then 4. I was very insistent that I was not stopping at 39.3. I knew I would not have time for 3 more laps, so I didn't push because it was going to be 42.6 miles either way. I mostly felt like I was in the final 10k of a marathon that I was bonking - and I've had plenty of practice with that over the years! It's a feeling I'm familiar with; I can't run fast, but I can keep running.

Lap 13 - I knew I was going to do it, so this was kind of a victory lap. I also knew I had plenty of time to complete the last lap so didn't strain. I passed each volunteer and aid station for the final time. I thanked each of them profusely, and remarked that it was a really, really long time to stand outside. I updated the OMRR members who asked my distance. I lapped another woman who was in the 6 hour, and she said, "You are absolutely remarkable". I called back, "You are remarkable; you are running for 6 hours!" (she went on to be the second female finisher). About halfway through the lap, I suddenly had to pee pretty badly. I hadn't gone since lap 4. I went back and forth about whether or not to stop, and decided to hit the porta potty at the final aid station that was just a step off the road. I knew I had enough time cushion, and also that there was no way I'd have time for a 14th lap, so I went ahead and stopped to go. I was worried that I'd pee myself when I stopped running if I didn't!

Not actually the finish because the
photograph didn't stay all 6 hours

The finish - In my head this was a huge deal, but in reality it was anticlimactic. Well, I did see two marathoners heading into the finish ahead of me and decided I was going to outkick them, which I did - even though it counted for nothing except feeding my competitive spirit. Colin was waiting along with his friend Amy, and he was the only one around who knew how far I'd run. He ran the same distance, but faster - not fast enough to have time for a 14th lap either though. He and I won overall male and female, but no one really knew that either. The spectators had pretty much all gone home and even the timing guy was inside his trailer. I was bursting with endorphins but also started getting cold in the bitter wind real quick.

Colin and I grabbed our aid station supplies and headed to the indoor area. What I wanted most was to take off my shoes! I did so, and also went to the bathroom to take off my sweaty sports bra and inner layer shirt. I raced in last years rabbitELITE jacket because it's the warmest rabbit top I have, with this years thin tech short sleeve under it. I had ZERO chaffing anywhere from my clothing, which seems like a major accomplishment. I scrubbed my hands that were sticky from gels and milky from UCAN. I put on a sweatshirt, but then thought I needed my rabbit uniform on for photos, so I put my rabbit thin long sleeve on over the sweatshirt. It looked kind of ridiculous.

After I changed I wasn't sure what came next. What do people do after running for 6 hours?? Colin was also standing around aimlessly, and we both said we weren't sure what to do. I tried some leg swings halfheartedly, and drank some chicken broth with a few noodles in it. Once we got our awards, I made Colin take photos with me, which continued to feed my excitement. I couldn't really believe we'd done it - we'd run 42.6 miles! This wasn't a goal I even had until about a month ago, but it sure felt good to accomplish it, though it's kind of still sinking in. I'm starting to understand why this ultra thing is addicting!

This is how it started

The progression

He humored me

This one is my favorite!

The story continues here.

Run for the Ranch 6 hour: Laps 1-8

The short version is here, and pre-race is here.

The half, full, marathon relay, and 6 hour races all started together. Eric, Colin, Spencer, and I immediately settled in together as planned. Spencer had won the 1 mile that took place 45 minutes before the other races, and wanted to do 13 miles total so planned to run 3 laps with us. I was super excited and a race environment makes me want to race, but clearly no one needs to be racing a quarter mile into a 6 hour race. I aimed for that "run all day pace" feeling since we were, pretty much, running all day. I didn't look at my watch during the event, but early on Eric kept us updated on our splits. I think he was more concerned about going out too fast than Colin and I were, since he'd done 39.3 miles before with 26.2 being smooth and 13.1 being rough, per his report. Since I had no idea what I was doing, I didn't have that healthy fear. The paces we would run all seemed so much easier than any other race paces I'd done, it didn't seem like 7:30 was really any different from 8:00.

Lap 1 - This one consisted of non-stop chatter. We talked about a little bit of everything, laughed, complained about the hairpin turn, and wished away the headwind on the long stretch going west. It felt like just a normal easy pace long run. We were joined by a man who was running the marathon, looking to negative split a 3:20 - after he left us, we didn't pass him back, so hopefully he did it!

Looking happy...

...yet...

...very cold

Lap 2 - This was pretty much a repeat of lap 1, except without marathon guy. Lots of talking and I felt invincible. I was also trying to pose for photos when I saw Julie taking them.

Wahoo

Lap 3 - Another lots of talking and super relaxed lap. Spencer finished when he hit 10 miles and wished us well. I told him to tell the Miles from Mentor message group that we were in good spirits. Only 30-some miles to go!

Power of the pack

Lap 4 - We had been dropping the pace just a tad as the race progressed - which is typical of an easy long run, but maybe not something we should have been doing in this race. My splits for miles 11-13 were 7:35, 7:39, 7:14. The 7:14 was because I jumped into a porta potty very quickly during the 7:39 mile (so that one was probably more like 7:19) then reeled the guys back in. I tried to take my time catching back up, but I was anxious to rejoin the group because it's always harder solo. Eric was monitoring our splits, and kept telling us we were a little fast, but no one did anything about it. I think we passed the half marathon point in 1:43.

After a few laps, I learned the
professional photographer's location

Ultra fun

Lap 5 - On this lap, I noticed a decrease in conversation, so I brought up my proposed game: we pick a theme word for every lap, and try to use it as many times as we can during that lap. I got the idea from the book Running Man when they had a theme word every day they were running across the Sahara Desert. I'd already talked to Colin about it and he wasn't interested, so I told Eric his vote would be the tie breaker. He said he didn't think he was going to be talking much more and that he wasn't feeling very well. I encouraged him that it could turn around any moment, and I offered him UCAN if his nutrition wasn't settling well. My word game was vetoed, and Eric stopped at the end of this lap. 

Lap 6 - By now, the field was thinning out with a lot of half runners finished. We lapped runners from all of the different events, and I never knew who we were racing, who we were passing, or who we were lapping - but I had a pretty good idea that we were leading the 6 hour race. I felt bad that Eric had pulled out but thought he would possibly sit out a lap then join back in; when I mentioned that to Colin he said, "That's an option??!". I've run many, many training miles with Colin, some of them on the same road the race was on, so it just felt like a normal training day at that point. I didn't think much about what was ahead, which I think served me well.

Lapping a marathoner

Lap 7 - On lap 7, our friends Missy and Rebecca showed up, and they were all-star cheerleaders! Colin and I continued a little faster than we should have, clocking 7:29, 7:19, 7:30, 7:28, 7:17, 7:20 for miles 17-22. I'd wanted no faster than 7:45 and preferably 8:00, but since I wasn't looking at my watch and we no longer had Eric monitoring splits I didn't realize we'd sped up. At about mile 22 we climbed the hill of the loop, and Colin pulled a little ahead of me. He is better on hills than I am, but he then continued putting distance on me. I didn't feel comfortable speeding up so I let him go. I was staying right around 7:30 - he had some 7:00ish miles in there! The clock was on 2:58 when I passed through for lap 7, so I told myself "you only have to do 6 laps in the time you just did 7". Nothing to it, right? Halfway there, time-wise.

Lap 8 - I was solo now, and the wind kept picking up. The marathon point felt like a good milestone, though during this lap was the first time I started having some doubts. To hit my goal, I had to finish a marathon then run 16.3 more miles...seems a little crazy, eh? I started thinking I should feel better than I did, considering I was running 1:15ish/mile slower than if I had been racing a marathon. I started thinking that I felt better during the 30 mile training run than I felt during this race (which was accurate, but probably not encouraging). I felt like I was running a little low on fuel, and started wondering if I wasn't taking enough to account for the cold weather, since you burn more glycogen when it's cold. I took a SIS gel, which has over 200 calories and is sugary sweet immediate carbs, at the end of that lap. Those are really hard for me to choke down, but I think it helped! I crossed the finish for the marathon at 3:23:59-3:24:00. That mark gave me a boost (plus reminded me that I ran plenty of marathons over that time in my 20s!), and I was off to chase my next milestone, a new distance PR.

The story continues here.

Run for the Ranch 6 hour: Pre-Race

The short version is here, and this posts starts the long version!

In early November, I started thinking about running one of the events at Run for the Ranch (R4TR). The race is put on by my local running club, Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners. I like to support OMRR, and the event location is less than 10 minutes from my house. The race has 4 different distances: a 1 mile, a half marathon, a full marathon, and a 6 hour race. I had reasons for doing each of them...the 1 mile state record is very attainable since there aren't many certified mile road races, it's been awhile since I've raced a half, I could use a sub-3 marathon this year, and I'd never run for 6 hours.

Then I got COVID and decided I wasn't doing any of them! But I ended up bouncing back quickly and after running 20 miles on Nov. 26 (because I was doing a mileage challenge that week), I decided that I was going to run for 4 hours on Dec. 3. If I could accomplish it and still wanted to run the 6 hour, I'd do it. Both things happened, and I was pretty amazed at how good I felt after running for 4 hours, which got me 30.2 miles. The other race options at R4TR seemed really fast, but running slowly for a long time seemed doable. I was also excited to try something different, with zero expectations (though not completely, because I looked at the 2022 ultra rankings before the event). I knew I'd likely have a lot of thoughts about what I should have done after the event, but much like with my first 50k, ignorance was bliss!

I didn't have any specific training for this race aside from the 4 hour run two weeks before it, but I figured I'd had 3 years of running 4000+ miles a year so that should count for a lot. I also rationalized that the way I gutted out both of my 2022 marathons had to have been good training - seems like I'm really good at running 7:15-8:15 pace when my body has nothing to give [spoiler: the end of this one would be slower than that]! Between the Twin Cities Marathon and this race I did one 20 miler the 30 miler, and on all of the others weekends I was running 14-18 milers so I wasn't unprepared - just not as prepared as if I'd focused on this race in advance (even before a marathon I do multiple 20+ milers, and before a 50k I do a lot of back-to-back longs runs). I didn't do any long race specific workouts; actually I did a speed block with my friend who was training for the one mile at this race.

I managed to talk my running buddy Colin into most of my 4 hour training run and this 6 hours event. He ran the Dogwood 50k (technical trail) last month, so had a recent run with 4:20 on feet, and I kept telling him that meant he was better prepared than me. Neither of us really knew what we were doing though. I talked to my friend Julie a couple of weeks before the race and found out her husband Eric was also running it, with similar pacing ideas as me and Colin. Eric had run it before, covering 39.3 miles, so had a better idea of what he was in for.

With Colin, Eric, & 6 gels in my
tights side pockets

Before the event, I asked the race director several questions, and he was kind enough to help me with all of them. He also told me I could set up a table by the course with my drinks and nutrition, a personal aid station of sorts. I took advantage of that and set up a TV table with my nutrition, a change of shoes, and extra clothes. Colin and Eric also placed supplies by the table, but the photo below is of just mine. My fueling plan was to take a gel or bottle every lap, plus water at the race aid stations as needed. I also laid out some UCAN bars in case I was run/walking at some point and wanted them.

Running forever takes a lot of stuff

On race day, after I set up my aid station, I sat in my warm car until 10 minutes before the start, when I got out to pee in a porta-potty that I was parked 20 feet away from. I then got back into my car until 5 minutes before the start. The wind chill was 13* at the start, with a brisk west wind of 20 mph. It was weird doing zero warm up, aside from foam rolling before I left my house and walking to the starting line, and it also made for a much colder bit waiting for the gun to go off!

I planned to run by effort, and fully expected I'd slow down sometime after 25-30 miles. I don't think anyone negative splits ultras this long. I also figured that Colin, Eric, and I would probably go through rough patches at different points, but as long as one person felt okay at any given time, we'd keep each other going. When I ran my 30 mile training run, I didn't feel that good at mile 15, but then at 20 I felt like I could go forever, the last 10 miles were a breeze, and I didn't fade one bit. That experience was helpful to think back on. I figured I'd go through similar phases in this race, and knew that things could always turn around from a bad patch. I also knew that there was a lot I didn't know - but I had 6 hours to learn it!

The story continues here.

Run for the Ranch 6 hour: Finally, a PR in 2022!

The short:

Even marathon pace seems fast and intimidating in my head right now, but running slowly forever seemed like something I could do! Enter the Run for the Ranch 6 hour race. It entailed running a 3.275 mile loop as many times as you could or wanted to within a 6 hour time frame, and the most loops won. If two people ran the same number of laps, the one who did it faster won. I'd never run a 6 hour before, so as long as I surpassed 50k for distance, which I felt very confident about, I was in for a PR.

It's good to have training buddies
 who are just as crazy as you

8 laps was a marathon, 12 laps was 39.3 miles, etc. Only full laps counted, so if you wanted to run over 40 miles officially you had to run 42.575 miles. I kind of felt like, "Who wants to stop at 39.3??" and set my goal at 13 laps - plus I thought 42 miles would be neat since I am 42 years old. I really had no idea how my body would respond to running for 6 hours, but I did a 4 hour (30.2 mile) training run 2 weeks before the race that made it seem reasonable. I'm sure true ultra runners are laughing at my random goals and rationales!

I managed those 13 laps for 42.575 miles and 1st overall female on December 17. This ranks me #6 on the North America female 6 hour list for 2022, so not too shabby for my first go at this - especially in a wind chill of 13* on a course wide open to the 20 mph wind. However, I realized that if all ground covered in the full 6 hours (instead of only full laps) counted I could have been #4. #5 only ran 0.025 farther than me and #4 did 0.625 farther, which I know I could have covered in the time remaining, especially because if every bit had counted I would have pushed more on the final 2 laps and wouldn't have stopped to pee at the final aid station. I have since learned that a lot of timed races have a smaller loop in the final hour for this reason. I am also #2 for women age 40-49, behind world record holder Camille Herron.

The things I had to do to get a PR in 2022! I was fortune to run about half of the miles with my running buddy Colin, who also ran 42.575 miles, but faster than me. His performance is #17 for men's 6 hours this year, but he could have been #9 if partial laps counted or there was a shorter loop option at the end.

I've been running for over 30 years now, so it's not terribly often that I get to try new things. I am thankful for this opportunity less than a 10 minute drive from my house! It's pretty incredible what God made our bodies capable of. Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners did a great job putting on this event, and if you ask me volunteering at an aid station for 6 hours in that weather sounds a lot harder than running in it for 6 hours.

Official results are here (search for my bib 3012).

My Strava activity is here.

North America ultra rankings are here.

Details:

Pre-Race 

Laps 1-8 

Laps 9-13 

The Aftermath 

Overall male and female!

The Bass Pro 5k was A-okay

I wasn't sure about running a Bass Pro Marathon weekend event. After TCM, the half and full marathons seemed like bad ideas (though I did consider the full as a "redemption" attempt!), so I thought the 5k was my best option, even though I am definitely not a 5k runner. I rationalized that I'd be at the event even if I didn't race; I love seeing so many members of my local running community and the hometown vibe is great! I also figured even if things went poorly I should be able to win masters in the 5k. And of course I'd be running that day anyway! I signed up for the 5k the day that online registration closed, with low performance expectations but high excitement expectations!

These two dominated the half!

I knew the course wasn't certified and from running it in training knew it would read long (it uses the same start line, finish line, and final ~2 miles of the half and full courses, so logistically it makes sense but it either has to be long or short to work within those parameters) - so I had a little anxiety thinking that I probably wouldn't be under 20:00. Then I gave myself the "no one else cares" pep talk! 

I really didn't know what I was going to get pace-wise, and the course is mildly hilly, so I did know I wouldn't get even splits from even effort. I currently have a free trial of Strava Premium, so my main goal for the race was to run even grade-adjusted (GAP) splits by feel. I didn't know what that would look like in actual splits, but it didn't matter - if I had all GAP splits of 6:30 and worked hard, it was going to be a successful day in my mind. In general the 5k is the least competitive distance of marathon weekend, but I found out a couple days before that Claire, a former Drury runner who is now training with the University of Arkansas, was running (she has college track eligibility left but not cross-country). I knew she'd recently run another road 5k in 16:11, so it was clear I would be racing for second female even if I was at my best! I think knowing that I wasn't going to win going in made me less worried about how it would go.

Team photo, that most of the team missed

Team photo part 2 - caught a couple more

On race morning, after running group team photos, I warmed up with Casey and Spencer, who were both running the half. We also did drills and I jogged more while they did strides. The half and full started at 7:00 a.m., and I thought that I had plenty of time between then and my 7:15 a.m. 5k start, but between cheering while waiting for all of the runners to go by and running back to my car, I actually had very little time. The race announced that it was 3 minutes until the 5k start when I was opening my car door with all of my warm up gear and training shoes still on! I got my warm ups off and shoes changed as quickly as I could in a slight panic, while also debating whether I had time to pee or not. I really needed to and almost just went right next to my car on the asphalt (lolol), but was able to tuck into a construction porta-potty then do a ~200 m sprint to the start. Several runners make jokes about me really jumping in at the last minute. I had no time to think, because then we were off!

There were a lot of middle and high school boys in the race, so for the first bit I was pretty far back. I also saw about 5 teenage girls ahead of me, along with Claire who was out in front of everyone right away. I settled into the effort that felt manageable for a 5k and moved into second female position by about a half mile into the race. The really fun thing about 5ks with teenagers is that if you run even remotely close to an even pace, you keep passing them the entire race. And that is just what I did - passed a teenage boy then reeled in the next! My competitive instincts kicked in and I really enjoyed pushing myself.

When we ran the course recently in training, I told my running buddies that it didn't play to my strengths. The hills are minimal but I am not good at running fast up any elevation. Threshold to marathon pace is fine on hills, but 5k pace - oof! However, during the race they actually felt alright. I think passing boy after boy helped. I've raced the final 2 miles of the full and half numerous times on this route, and it's gone both ways different years - sometimes I don't really notice the hills and can negative split, other years they seem like mountains and I fade. Based on how I've been doing lately, I just expected they'd be horrible, but they felt better during this race than on any of the easy pace training runs I did on them this season!

Another thing about 5ks is that they are over really quickly. I got into a final kicking battle with a teenage boy on the homestretch (which I lost), and saw the clock just ticking over 19, which was a nice surprise! My watch read 3.19 miles at 6:02 pace, which was also a nice surprise! That's not an exceptional performance for me and I have run a half marathon at close to that pace before, but for what I expected on this day, it was fantastic! It was one of those cases of Happiness Equals Reality Minus Expectations. Plus, I did not have any dizziness symptoms during or after the race, which was a victory in itself.

I felt even happier about it when I looked at my grade-adjusted paces, to see mile splits of 5:57, 5:58, 5:57. One could only get a tiny bit more even than that! That also means that my GAP average was sub-6, which I would for sure not have predicted. I was at about 18:44 at the 5k point on my Garmin. My official time was 19:13 though.

Proof I can still do this
when I feel normal!

After I grabbed lots of goodies from the finish chute then dropped them at my car, I joined my friends David and Amy to run-cheer for the other races. I loved running around the course and cheering for the half and full so much that it made me just want to run the 5k followed by run-cheering every year, hah! I know the course well so was able to see runners in many places, especially since I ran about 12 miles spectating. My top training buddy Casey, who I also coach, ran a PR half of 1:21:57 and was 2nd overall female, and looked amazing doing it! Rebecca was 3rd overall female in the half. Kimi won the marathon by 20 minutes. I saw so many Ozark Mountain Ridge Eunners and friendly familiar faces out there - I want to do every long run like that.

All in all, this went about as well as it realistically could have. I'm not back to where I want to be, and I still experience dizziness every morning when I first get up, but I'm trending in the right direction. I have an ENT appointment on Dec. 5 since all things point to inner ear, so most likely I will be fine by Dec. 4, hah. I'm thankful I had this race and got to experience the magic of Bass Pro Marathon weekend with my training group, who brightens all of my 5:30a's.

Official results are here. 

My activity on Strava is here.

Articles about the race are here and here, and I also stumbled across this one about last year that I hadn't seen before.

Additional update: I got a sore throat the day after the race (11/7/22) and tested positive for COVID on 11/8/22. I then found out I was exposed at the race expo by one of my running buddies. After not getting it for almost 3 years I sure thought I was in the clear! 

Expo fun

Found myself in the start photo on the registration website, from 2014

TCM Pro Perks

I was blessed to be accepted into the professional field of the Twin Cities Marathon. I had the open and masters qualifying times (2:47:30 and 3:00:00), but I applied only 3 weeks before the race, when the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon cancelled. They didn't have to let me into the filled race, but they were generous enough to do so!

TCM was held in conjunction with the USATF 10 mile championships, which drew many big names in the sport. You can see the start lists here. One of my highlights was sharing an elevator with the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials Champion Aliphine Tulimuk! I also saw most of the professionals at some point during the weekend - including Emily Durgin, Annie Frisbie, Dakotah Lindwurm, Fiona O'Keffe, Lauren Paquette, and Nell Rojas. Kim Conley was probably the biggest name in the marathon, and I saw her all around the event!

On Saturday, my parents and I got to spend some time in the professional hospitality suite, which was also where I picked up my race packet. I didn't go to the main expo, which was nice - I have been to hundreds of expos and they usually tire me out more than anything. We were supposed to get one friends and family pro pass, but they were kind enough to give me two so both my parents could accompany me in pro areas! We ate lunch in the hospitality suite, which had about 10 different kinds of sandwiches, lots of sides, and any extras you could have wanted. It was also available for Saturday and Sunday breakfasts, but since we were staying in a different hotel due to only knowing I was entering this race 3 weeks before, I didn't partake in those.

After lunch we went to the marathon professional meeting, which was somewhat similar to Boston's but without top tier elite. The race organizers had everything planned well and instructions were clear.

On Sunday morning, I rode one of the pro busses to the start. They left from the host hotel, which would have been super convenient had I been able to stay there, but they were still pretty easy to drive to and board. The busses were school busses, just like the main field had, but the drive was pretty quick and the weather good. Our bus driver got lost and turned on her iPhone navigation at one point though!

The pro bus dropped us off at a hotel near the start, where we had a staging area. Despite getting lost, we were still pretty early, so everyone sat around for awhile before heading out to warm up. It was nice having an indoor area to wait around in, do activation, organize our drop bags, etc. - not to mention indoor bathrooms! We all walked over to the start together, where we had our own porta-potties, a block of road to warm up on, and a gear drop. They had two volunteers monitoring the bathrooms, and they checked everyone's bibs before letting them into the special area.

Then there was the race...

Immediately after I finished, a man met me and walked me to the nearby pro post-race area. He also had my gear bag to me by the time I had my shoes off! There was food, drinks, a private changing area, and massage tables. I usually don't get a massage post-race, but there was no waiting so I did - just after Kim Conley! My parents were able to come into the pro area to meet me, so we easily connected post-race.

Although I give my race a D, the pro experience definitely gets an A. Now I need to run another fast marathon before all of my 2:4X races are too out of date to use for pro field apps!

-------------------------------------

Update on what happened during the race: diagnosis, a vestibular balance disorder. When tested for it I did several exercises that a person with a fully functioning vestibular system can do without getting dizzy, and I became so dizzy I was also extremely nauseous. I feel immensely better having a label and plan of attack for this, especially because I've continued to feel abnormal and unstable. I will be treated with the Epley Maneuver, sleeping at 45* angle for awhile, and doing exercises to help normalize my vestibular system. I have dealt with vertigo before (see November 26 here), and it's pretty much the same thing. My mom also deals with it, and her mother did as well, so mine seems to be genetic. It's not harmful in and of itself (it can cause falls and other accidents), but uncomfortable - and not beneficial for racing performance, that's for sure.

Aliphine is in the side of this photo!