100K Day, such a GREAT day.

You knew it was coming, right?  A detailed log of the 100K adventure!  I have to say that this was such an amazing experience - so fun, so rewarding, so challenging. 

It all started when Kayla asked if I would be on her team; I had no idea that I would end up being the Team Captain, and Kayla would have to bow out due to injury.  We were making additions and substitutions to our team up until the very last week, but finally we had our 10: Kara, Anna, Andy, Nikki, Julie, Abbie, Karee, Valoree, Wayne and Me.  An unlikely group of misfits otherwise known as Team Lava: Not Very Fast, But Pretty Damn Hot.

Thank goodness my mom offered to come and drive us around, or I am not sure we would have made it!  We began the day at 5:30am, packing treats and fuel - granola bars, PB&J, water, bananas, and of course no race would be complete without cupcakes.  These happened to be chocolate cupcakes with chocolate blackberry merlot frosting.  YUM.

We met some of our team members pre-race in the field house, and at 7:30 am sharp - Kara was off and running!  She had an incredibly hard leg, but did an excellent job - handing off to Anna.  Anna made quick work of her leg, and we were looking good.  Then, due to a non-working cell phone, and uninformed check point operators, we had a little bit of a break until Andy and Nikki found us.  Once they did though, we were back in action!! 

Andy made super quick work of his 7.7 leg - coming in at 50 mins!!  Holy Cow!  Next up - ME!  I was passed by a freak of nature: 6'7", legs up to my shoulders, thighs that didn't touch, AKA human ostrich, and I didn't think I had anything extra in the tank to finish, until I heard Nikki yelling, "Cupcakes, Cupcakes!!" Let's just say I found a little something extra to round it out.  I finished my 7.8 in 66 mins.  Not too shabby!  Nikki had an amazing leg too - 8.7 in 71 mins, that girl was flying!!  Ah - Maz- Ing!!

... and then, death march music inserted here, the grade....  Poor, poor, Julie. That girl was a warrior!  She had 6.1 miles up a gravel/dirt hill, wind in her face, dirt flying all around, did I mention it was ALL up hill.  She finished though, and she said she didn't even stop to walk.  Karee was up next, and she was ready for her leg.  I just saw the flip of her ponytail, and she was off and over the peak before I knew what hit me.

Next stop, Colton!!  Ms. Abbie, who knew 5 days before the race she was officially "in", took off facing some serious wind.  She did such a great job, and in the words of her sweet little girl, "Mommy, you did it!!!!!"  She caught Wayne just in time, too.  One more minute and he would have been on bathroom break number 7 - so glad that I am not the only one that happens to.  Wayne also had some wind issues but did a great job - bum knee and all. 

The only leg we had left was the final jaunt into Pullman, and our last wogger Val was ready!!  She brought us home in an amazing effort jogging most of the way (and up a pretty good sized hill).  She got to run through the chute with half of us cheering her on, the time 5:45pm, and the added bonus - there were still teams behind us.  (as well as three ultras - booya).

This was such a FUN day.  I got to hang out with such a wonderful group of people; my face hurt from laughing all day (or maybe that was from wind burn...)  Either way, I am so in for another relay - and I would run any race with my team any day of the week.  This was the most perfect group of misfits ever built.  Three cheers for Team Lava!!

May your day be filled with the world's best team,

Andrea

Try Something New!!

I think sometimes we all get into a little bit of a rut.  Whether it be our workout, our meals, our snacks, or - as in my case - my play list.  Usually, I find my inner gangsta and all is well with the world, but this week - I was just bored.  I found myself switching songs faster than I was switching lanes.

By the time I logged my 5 miles, and 15 X 100 - I had my solution.  I would download some CLASSICAL music to run to.  Fast forward to the next day.  New music downloaded, running gear ready to go, shoes tied tight - let's do this!!

This might have been one of my best ideas yet!!  I found these musical masterpieces to be inspiring, motivating, fun, and delightful!  Because I wasn't running to a serious bass line - I found a groove that was a tad faster than normal, and kept it. 

I found myself breaking into mile wide grins every now and again, because there were times when I felt there was this huge inside joke happening, and I was the only one in on it.  I only caught myself directing my own personal orchestra twice - so that is a plus.

I don't know how long my new play list will last, but for now it is keeping me smiling.

May your ruts be uplifted with the joy of the unexpected.

Andrea

Huh, well that was new...

Good Morning Friends!!!

Yesterday, I had an intense workout.  Intense.

Intervals, tough ones.  Sets of hundreds.  Sets, and sets, and sets.  I finished; I did it; I felt good; I was on top of the world.  Usually, after one of these workouts I am ravished.  I turn into torpedo Andrea.  I have to hold myself back from eating everything in sight.

Fast forward two hours after my run.  The very thought of food made me want to barf.  I had zero appetite, and if you know me at all, that is the strangest thing in the whole wide world.  I had to force down some shrimp and green beans, and that was no easy task.

I have no idea what that was about (and no, I'm not preggers!).  Don't worry too much, though.  I am back to normal today!!  I am wishing my chair had a seat belt to assist in stopping me from stalking the vending machine.

May your day be filled with curious happenings.

Cheers,

Andrea

Kindly Choke on Your Sound Bite.

Nothing drives me more crazy than being in the middle of a great story, or an epic complaint, or a general this is how things are going, and somebody throws me a sound bite:

"Such is life."
"... and this too shall pass."
"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."
"The early bird gets the worm."
"All good things must come to an end."

Here's one for you!!  "Get stuffed!"  I am not talking to you, because I want you to recite the wisdom of the ages.  I happen to enjoy your individual personality, and want you have to think for yourself.  Using these sound bites just shows me that you are being lazy, and aren't really listening to me.  Which could totally be possible, but then say that!!! 

That's not to say there isn't an appropriate situation for some of these bites, I have been known to use "do, or do not, there is no try" a time or two, but sparingly would be fantastic.

May your day be filled with an original thought or two!

Andrea

On the Road Again...

Wowzers, it has been a crazy couple of weeks!!! 

Boston, CT, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Alaskan Airline Meltdown - and that's only the beginning.  I had to switch rooms, got seriously honked at, got mildly lost, and my hair thing caught on fire!!  No worries, I snubbed it out before the sprinklers or alarms caught on. 

During my adventures, and before I left - I had gotten a little lazy.  Lazy, in the sense that I was using the treadmill WAY more than appropriate.  I should have just put on my big girl pants and hit the road.

Well, this week I have made a promise to myself - no more treadmill.  Especially, after reading an article that explains how running on a treadmill is like cheating.  The machine pulls your legs behind you, leaving you to only do half the work.  I understand that when it is 42 below, and snowing like crazy, sometimes you just need to use it... but no snow was in the forecast this week - so off I went.

I have ran in rain and wind - and I am still here to tell the story.  I didn't melt and I didn't get blown away.  I think it is all just mind over matter, and if you don't mind than the weather won't matter.   I'll be running 80 mins on the Moscow/Pullman trail Sunday if anyone wants to join me!!

May your day be filled with positive thoughts,

Andrea