The Finish!

What an amazing experience. We raised $1000.00 for the Women of the Congo. There was delicious food, drumming, and women singing when I crossed the finish line. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I started the race after letting everyone, all 6 of the other 30-milers, go ahead of me. I wanted to take it really slow the first few miles. I ended up talking to Lisa, the organizer, for about 30 minutes. My heart rate was a low 120. I kept to my plan of walking if my heart rate got up to 140 for the first 15 miles. In hindsight...this may have been a little conservative. At the 17 mile turn-around I couldn't take the sluggish pace any longer. For the next hour I ran hard. Too hard, but it felt so good. With the trails so overgrown with ferns and other foliage crowding the trail I felt like I was running 6 minute miles. The truth is probably closer to 9:30's...MAYBE 9 minute miles. I finally came to my senses at the next aid station. I grabbed a salted potato chunk, filled my camelback, and set off at an average pace. That was mile 21, I had nine more miles to go. I felt good. At five to go my feet started really hurting. My glutes were also talking to me. I thought about finally putting the ipod on, but couldn't really be bothered with all the movement and adjusting. Then I realized if I ran faster my feet seemed to be on the ground for less amount of time. So during the downhills especially I ran fast. At mile 4 Brett came to meet me and pace me in. When I walked he tried to jog next to me. I wasn't having it. I told him he had to walk too if he was going to stay with me. I think at that point my mood dropped a bit with the climb to Pittock Mansion. At 2 miles left to go Brett took off for the finish. My speed slowed considerably!

At mile 1.5 I stopped to put my skirt back on. The task was daunting- actually lifting my legs, bending at the knees, AND bending at the waist. It seemed, and felt far more advanced a move than I should be executing at this point. I had taken the skirt off at mile 9 because it was falling off as I ran- I should have bought the medium. Anyway, I wanted to put it back on for the finish because I could hear the music and drums and it sounded like a party so I wanted to look nice. Carol Lee was waiting at the finish! It was sunny,I got a massage and had great pasta salad. :]

Finishing felt good. It's the farthest I've ever run. I look forward to the McKenzie River Trail Run and hope to improve on my time of 5:34 significantly. The ice bath afterwards wasn't so bad either. After about five minutes everything goes numb. Thanks to Stacey for the hint of staying dressed, with hat and sipping tea to pass the time!! Thank you again everyone for your support and donations to a great cause.

Emma shares her Ultra-napping techniques.

Big Day

The big run is tomorrow. Thank you everyone who donated so generously. I'm hoping by the end of the day our total will come to $1000.00 for the Women of the Congo. I will be thinking of all of you, the women we are running for, and probably be running a few fire scenarios through my head as well. There will no doubt be plenty of time for all of that and more. I pity the person running next to me. I may even break into my oral resume. With the assessment center next week it's been a stressful month. I look forward to spending time with all of you very soon. Thanks again, love Kris

Well-deserved rest

I feel like I broke through a wall. I've never run a four hour training run prior to yesterday. And I did it without music. I'm putting the Ipod away. I felt much more connected mentally, physically and relaxed without the music distracting me from the trail. It rained on us pretty much the whole time. But the day was warm enough to be pleasant. The trail is at it's greenest and in parts growing into the trail. It's a trip to be running through such a lush forest. We did an out and back on the Germantown side of Wildwood which is in no way as hilly as the Pittock Mansion (race start) side. All we can do is chip away at the distance and run with what we got on June 23.

My assessment center, assuming I did well enough on the test, will be the week of June 25 so hopefully I won't be hobbling into the room full of out-of-town Chiefs to explain why I would be a good leader. Keep you posted.

Mother's Day

Morning. It's 8:10am. I'm supposed to be studying. I've repeated this phrase countless times in the past three months. In two days I won't have to say it anymore, let alone act on it. The three months preparing for the Captain's exam has been not unlike training and racing in an Ironman. It has felt long, arduous, tiring and painful at times. And even though the finish line is in my sight. The finish line is not really the point. The point is what are you going to do when you get there?

After the test on Tuesday I will re-engage in my Ultra Marathon Training. I'll take a week off from preparation for the promotional process then begin again- this time for the Assessment Center. The assessment center is a half-day of scenario-based testing given by a contractor hired by the city. The contractor hires officers and Chiefs from surrounding departments to score candidates on our answers. If you are not prepared, it can be very stressful. If you've given the position a lot of thought, practiced your tactics and oral resume and have an idea of your leadership style and philosophy AND can brush aside the inevitable nerves it can be fun. I just keep telling myself this.

The sun has finally been covered with clouds. The week and a half off from work has been restful if not productive. These next two days will cement what I have absorbed and I will be ready for the written test. Then I will return to more physical endeavor posts. Thanks. k

UH-OH

Emma kickin' it at the beach after Zoe and I blew up on our run.

Zoe and I took to the course yesterday morning at 0900. We hoped to run for three hours while checking out the terrain of the 30 mile fundraising run for the Congo Women. We were armed with two water bottles, three duck and potato crunchy treats and three Gu's. Zoe asked that I carry this time and she promised she had next time. As we got out onto the parking lot of the Pittock Mansion, our starting point, I realized we were at the top of a very large hill. I didn't mention this to Zoe as we made our way to the trail head. My concerns were correct, the first 2 miles of the course would be downhill, a rather steep, swithcback trail to be exact. At roughly the .5 mile point into the route we crossed Cornell and were on the familiar territory of Lower Maclay and more down hill.

We didn't let this disrupt our energetic descent and progress. After descending we, what else? started climbing again. My plan of "walking the hills" to conserve energy was out the window. I had no intention of walking the 30 miles and this is what I'd be doing with that plan. I needed another plan. Zoe suggested sucking it up and running the whole thing. We climbed to the top of Fire lane 1 then had a brief snack , drink (myself from a water bottle, Zoe opted for the mud puddle) we continued down into the canyon. Then we continued up, out of the canyon, and finally we turned around at 90 minutes. We continued out ups and downs with a low point being a very long attempt at audience participation from Cake during their rendition of their song Jolene? I can tell you the first thing after writing this blog that sucker is coming off the ipod! Painful. We finally arrived at the 2 mile UPHILL finish. We walked. I'd like to say I tried to run it. I jogged parts, but mostly I walked. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least. I'd believed I would finish this 30 mile run in five hours. Now I know I will be lucky to complete it in 6 hours. I don't even like being on my bike for six hours. This will be an accomplishment in mental strength for sure. I'm hoping on the day of the run, the companionship and cause will carry us through. In the meantime, I will not be training on the flat and easy Leif Erickson any longer. We are heading to the hills...care to join us?

Rest Day!

Today Zoe, Emma and I took a recovery walk on Leif Erickson. I felt really good after yesterday's long run and felt I could have done another 30 minutes...which is what we will do next week. The girls are going to sleep and play in the sun while I commence to many hours of studying today. Beautiful sunny day.