Eat Drink Run Woman

First of all, I survived once again! But boy, was it TOUGH. Actually, only the first day was tough; Sunday’s race was no more tougher than any other marathon. Saturday was the Lake Young’s Ultra — 28.8 miles comprising three loops around the Lake Youngs reservoir in Renton, Wash. I had run one loop around the lake in January, so I knew what to expect. In fact, I was goaded into doing the double-double after talking to a couple of fellow Maniacs after that race.

After my experience with last weekend’s double, I figured I’d run alone for both races. But my Maniac friend Jessica assured me she too would be taking it slow since she was also running a double that weekend. So once again I decided the company would be nice. We were joined by Shannon, one of my Runner’s World forum buddies, who was running one loop.

Since Matt is hoping to BQ at Seattle Rock ‘n Roll later this month, he didn’t run the race but instead manned the aid station on the other side of the lake. It was a real boost to see him each loop. He brought his camera along and set up some lights so we all have some pretty awesome pictures.

While I knew the course was somewhat hilly, it seemed worse this time, perhaps due to the fact we ran in the opposite direction (yes, I know it shouldn’t make much of a difference, but the uphills seemed steeper!) Jessica and I felt pretty good, but Shannon, who’s not as experienced, started to struggle toward the end. However, she appreciated being pushed. I also made her take one of my gels at about mile 7 and that perked her up.

We took a short break after the first loop to visit the potty, replenish our fuel and kick a few pebbles out of our shoes. We bid Shannon adieu and headed out. I could tell from the start this loop was going to be tough, so I told Jessica I’d be needing a few more walk breaks. But we still managed to chat our way through.

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I survived!  In fact, I feel no more creaky than I normally do after running just one marathon.  But I’m not going to get cocky — I still have another double this coming weekend.

While I rarely get pre-race jitters any more, my trepidation over these two races intensified as the date neared.  I made the mistake of mentioning my plan to the owner of my gym and one of her personal trainers; as expected, they not only thought I was crazy, they were concerned I’d injure myself.  While I’ll cop to being crazy, I certainly was not being reckless.  Still, I had needling self-doubts in the back of my head.

Fortunately I have many enablers mentors among my Maniac brethren.  Not only have they proven my plan CAN be done, they provided excellent advice.  I tried to get as much sleep as possible the week before, and I ate well and heartily.  (I think that was my favorite part — planning out each day’s meal!)  Seattle was hit with a heat wave, so I fired up my grill on several occasions.  We ate lettuce from our garden and spring braising greens from the farmer’s market up the street.  I also made a delicious barley salad with Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, green onions and a lemon vinaigrette that served as both a side dish and a couple days’ lunch.  As for laying off the hooch?  Well, I succumbed, but kept it in moderation (I figured it might ease my anxiety).

Exercise-wise, I took it easy, running just over 13 miles at a 10-minute pace.  While I made it to yoga and did my arm weight routine twice, I skipped the stretch class as it was too darn hot.

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