What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? (Vincent van Gogh) I'm back folks. No report yet, but the really short version is I DNF'd at Mile 22. Didn't make the first cutoff. It was a tough course, the altitude was brutal, but nutrition was my undoing. Joe - Hope your run went well. Arla - Sounds like a fun trip! Cindy - How'd TNT finish up? Farmer Jim - How's the harvesting going? Jewels - How's the groin? I'll write more later, but it's time for a shower and bed. Later!

Aaahhh, Leslie! I'm sorry! What happened??! Ref weekend fundraiser event ~ very good! from a day & 1/2 of seated massage for donations to LLS/TNT - $353.25 cash + $100 item donations towards the silent auction in 2 wks + vendor director donated the space ($50 value) when she realized that I was doing it entirely for donations/not personal gain & then another massage therapist came over to give me a 15 min chair massage as a thank you for doing it! Bonus: got in just over 9 miles @ altitude while up there - was supposed to do more per schedule, but the schedule doesn't recognize 10,000' if I feel really great in the morning...we'll see how far I take it....still have a little "crunchy" something in my left foot (I believe residual from not replacing my shoes expediently enough) so, trying some little PT exercises to help strengthen that... Night!

Hi guys and gals! Leslie, you're a champ in our book regardless. Also brings to mind one of my favorite quotes "DFL > DNF > DNS". Given that the vast majority of the population never even thinks of attempting what you did, I for one am extremely proud of you. I also "cyber know" you well enough I think to know that you will use whatever happened as a springboard for the next adventure. Cindy, great job on the fund raising, and on winning that vendor director over. Is that the same one who sent out the ambiguous e-mail? Crunchy is good for snack foods, not for feet, so be careful. As for the 10K feet, I think just breating in that is a workout Jim, 10 miles is 10 miles...way to go! And nice ride Lynda's got there. Joe, racing? I musta missed something, so look forward to hearing all about it! Ultrachick, you sound like a great coach and encourager, in addition to being super-fit-woman! Thanks for hanging out here a bit...we all benefit. OK, so I had a really sucky run on Sun. morning...was already 80something when I got started around 7am, and the humidity was high. But somehow, I'm feeling inspired to set a goal and get back on a training plan. So I'm doing Hal Higdon Novice....combo of the 10K schedule (for a few weeks to get my legs back under me), and then easing into the half marathon program. I think it's right for where I am at the moment, and a bit more conservative approach (more cross training and rest) than the program that resulted in my hip injury last year. Goal races are the Tour des Fleurs 10K on 9/20 (ran that one last year in one hour and some odd seconds), and the DRC Half on 11/2 (signed up for it last year but had a DNS due to said hip issue). Also re-starting the gym membership (has been on hold for a couple of months), so I have an indoor option at least for the cross training. I'm in a "need some structure" mode right now, so we'll see how it goes.

Hey Folks, popping in briefly (omg I need a nap....riiigghhht!) ... Not feeling particulary perky, but looking at my log, I'm thinking this am that I really really do need to at least try to get that 12 miles in ....speed work starts this week (at 95*F it looks like!) right smack btwn boot camp sessions! sooo, after prying my lazy self outta bed & sloggin' around the house for over an hour, I hooked up Mairead w/coolie vest cause I'd slept in till 5:30ish....11.99miles @ 12:24 pc (okay, 10 miles @ 11:20ish then walking!)...65° F, Sunny @ the start..80's at the end....tired! left foot still achey! TOM! getting too warm....ran outta gas...really need to try doing a long run somewhat rested! I don't feel like I slept well at all....not that I'm whining (well, maybe just a little) but I really like this alot better when I'm "feelin' it!" not draggin' it! Jim: kewl video! is that in YOUR cab? you almost make that look fun! ..... & then to get runs in during harvest!!! OMG! Carol: good job setting up a schedule & easing back into it I'm personally trying to get up earlier to beat some of the heat - although it IS a bit cooler here..that's also part of my motivation to get up to the mtn house for some running...peak heat up there this time of year is rarely up to 80*....I could be wrong, but I think I could power up to elevation running much more easily than heat! I'm always amazed when I see runners mid-afternoon around here in the Summer!! Oh, & no - that other email was from the Trans Rockies people...end of August. I've decided to plug in my massage chair to some other events to try to raise funds that way....so far, so good! Leslie: I'm still processing that! You worked so hard!!! ....beautiful pictures! I'm still working on the nutrition/hydration balance myself! so I don't know what to tell ya....days like today, I really gotta wonder if I can sanely get to 26.2 in just 3 more months! ...Coach Kelly! Could you weigh in on this?(the nutrition thingy).... Ref: results page ~ Yah! & the lead male was 28yoa!!! running a 7:10 pace.....I'm more impressed by the 42 yoa woman 30 mins behind him! Laters! C

Congrats Leslie on the 22 miles that you did run! Look back 2 years ago, look at today, now look ahead 2 years. You, my "cyber friend" (as Carol put it) have accomplished so much in so little time. You will be amazed at what lies ahead for you. Your spirit will be challenged both physically and mentally and you will have some great races ahead of you. MTA: Great pics by the way......very, very pretty. O.K., nuff said there...... Carol, Carol, Carol, nice to hear from you. Your approach sounds smart. The gym idea sounds great. Good luck with that and the HH training plan. Cindy, glad the fundraiser went well. Take care of that foot will ya! No more TOM's for me. It's been about 9 months now of no monthly's so.......I figure I'm either pregnant or I'm just gettin' old! Hope it's the latter! Jim, nice 10 miler for you. Ya the heat is a killer. It is tough to run thru. NICE buggy Lynda! Did an easy 3 miles yesterday. So far so good! Yay for me! P.S. It truely is amazing to see some of the times at Leslie's race and other races. How the heck do people run a 50k in less than 4 hrs.? Especially a very tough course to boot! My best memory last year at the Space Coast Marathon as the dude ran thru the chute and clocked in a 2:32x marathon time. Do you realize what the pace is for that? It's less than a 6 min. pace. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Maybe I'll be running in the half, ya never know. Heck, I'd like to clock in a 2:32 for the half! Ha! Incredible athletes! Jewels

The nutrition thing-a question that doesn't have a good answer. Unfortunately, it's very individual. I was surprised at how much Karen ate at the 50K. I had soda at my 50 miler but I only had half a cup at a time. I emailed my fiend Joey, he does the VO2 testing, and he said he would have fired me if I was paying him to coach me because according to his rough calculations from what I said I consumed maybe about 2500 calories while I burned 6000. In my internet travels today, I subscribe to Training Peaks as a coach and came across this blog entry from Joe Friel who has done a lot of research and has coached a bunch of endurance athletes. It's all about fueling for long races and what's going on with your body during an endurance event. Here's the link http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/blog.html . I found it interesting. I'm a GU fan myself. Vanilla Bean and Expresso Love (w/2x caffeine for a little boost). Ate 5 of them during the 50. I drink Amino Vital Endurance Formula-not very sugary tasting, lots of electrolytes and 130 calories for 20 oz. I think I drank about 90 oz of this. Otherwise, 3-4 1/2 cups of soda, 2 bites of a pbj quarter (mouth too dry to get it down), a couple Pringle potatoe chips and a piece of banana that seemed to really fill me up and some water. My thoughts about Leslie and her training-not to dis your coach but I don't think your long runs are long enough. I think you have to go by actual miles and not time. I just took a peak at your log and you need more miles. It's great you get out onto these trails but I think sometimes you would benefit by going out on dirt roads and getting some miles in. With the technicalness of trails taken out you'll be able to move along faster and simulate race conditions with HR and experiment with different things to eat. If you make some loop course, your car can be the aid station where you practice getting in and getting out. I hear you about fooling with the hydration pack. Jack wears one too but usually for the start of a race. He knows how long it will last him and then switches to a fuel belt and keeps switching bottles. His belt has a little pocket on it and he always wears shorts with pockets to keep his e-caps and succeed pills. This is where you really start looking at the race, looking at where the aid stations are, planning drop bags or if it's a loop course setting yourself up an area for your stuff to grab and go like I had at the 50. You'll learn a lot crewing for Kate MD at her 100. And look at what you're carrying-I've never carried toilet paper. Look at my log-I'm not saying you have to run as much as I do-I've got self-confidence issues, those miles are my security blanket so to speak. I had 3 GUs on my 20 miler Sunday (I wasn't going to have the 3rd but my tummy started rumbling) I think you may have to revisit some of those carb gels you don't like and keep trying and like it says in Joe's blog the higher the intensity the more you need to rely on liquid fuel so it can be digested easier. I got off on some tangents-sorry-hope I didn't hurt your feelings either. The pictures are great and those trails are so runnable I'm not surprised by the times-Katie Semmick the 1st woman is an awesome runner! You have to go back to this next year with some more miles under your fuel belt and kick butt! Email me at kellypersonaltrainer@yahoo.com if you have more questions. I'm not an expert but will share what has worked for me so far. After rereading all this I didn't really say much about nutrition but it's so individual and what works at one race may not work at another. At the VT100 2 years ago, Jack wasn't feeling good and threw up around mile 50, felt much better after but could only drink his electrolite drink, ice cold coke, gummie bears and choc cookies for the rest of the race and still finished 4th overall. Go figure. Hope this helps somehow and that I didn't offend you. Coach Kelly

Ok, system's cooking and my customer left the computer room for a spell so here's a quicky race report- Saturday I ran the Belmar 5 mile race for the second time. Last year I did well for myself, finishing in 43:02 for an 8:37 pace. Ran each mile at almost exactly the same pace. This year's goal was to beat that time, but I didn't really care by how much. Any July race along the ocean is going to be hot,and this was no exception. Start time at 8:30am and temp was about 82* with 85% humidity . Serveral bad omens preceeding the race.Worked till 11:00pm in NYC the night before. Bad tuna fish sandwich kept my stomach queasy all night too. Left the house(disguised in work clothes so Buddy didn't know) and got to town(20 miles away) in time for a good warmup. Felt pretty good at the start considering all the above. The course runs along Ocean Ave for a mile, around a lake, back up the beach road, through some shaded neighborhoods,then ends back at the beach. Problem with Ocean Ave is that it is very slanted. So,like last year, I headed for the sidewalk.Unlike last year, a quarter of a mile into the race, I caught my foot in a rut between the curb grass and the sidewalk. Twisted it pretty darn good I did. Well, if this was a training run ,I thought,I would definately stop. As it was, it was painful but the pack was moving slow enough that I couldn't really move faster anyway, so I monitored the pain. After about a mile it seemed alot better so I kept on going. Short story long, I did the first mile in 9:40 pace, then went faster on each subsequent mile. The average for the remaining 4 miles was a smokin' 7:53 per ! So I ended up with a time of 43:11 for the race but was pretty pleased that I stuck it out and that I got faster each mile. No long term effects with the ankle but next time I think I'll head for the center of the road instead! Time to reboot some stuff, I'll c ya's later.......

Hi All- still going on buckets of coffee here but nothing to do while the tape restore runs.. Jim- nice picture and way to go on your long run in the heat. Lynda's got one smokin' lookin' ride Happy for you two that the weather cooperated for your harvest. Sounds like you're buying the beers this week! Leslie- don't beat yourself up! Like Jewels and Carol have said, you'll learn and grow from it. I'm sure Kelly can teach you some good things about going those mega distances. In the meantime, I think we all look at "DNF" to mean "did not fail". It takes alot of balls guts insanity Courage just to try something like that! BTW, the pics look beautiful. You should be proud of yourself. Jewels- I agree with you when it comes to those "fast" people. The guy that won our 5 miler finished in 24:02 !! I can't imagine what that's like. Hope your runs are going better and your hip is healing. Carol- Way to go and Best of Luck in your " new season " of running! I love how you phrased that because it really sums up what we are all trying to do.Just take our running to different levels and places. Don't beat yourself up because of the heat. It really does effect us alot. Kelly- you have a wealth of knowledge that really can help us all.I don't think anyone here thinks that they can do what you do(ok, secrectly, I am trying to catch up) but like Carol says,we all benefit. Keep up the good work! Cindy- a-ten-hut ! How's boot camp going? Did you get a crew cut ! You really have some swing in temps up there. Did you say 36* the other day? Love your new picture of Máiréad .She's a beaut! Hopefully finishing up today and flying home tonight. Can't complain about living in a hotel cause I haven't even been there much! It will feel good to get home though and I can certainly feel a mental health day off coming up for sure. Have a Good Day folks ~