Fall running- an up-date

It sure has been a long time since I wrote my last Blog. I guess like a lot of things, life gets in the way and time slips by, and before you know it it's been five months, and bang here we are.

Now it hasn't been all glum and doom. I've had some great runs this season. Ran the SF Marathon with my sweety Amy, and I also got in a few three 50k's and one 50miler, the Dick Collins fire trail 50. All were great runs, nothing to write home about, I didn't PR or anything.

Grizzly peak

Dick Collins

SF Marathon

50k

Angle Island

It was also a chance to run with my girl and just enjoy the trails and the out of doors. I think that this is a good time to transition over to something I've wanted to talk about for sometime now. That is the question of "What is the point?"

Perhaps that isn't even the right question. Maybe it's not a question as much as a bunch of rambling thoughts culminating into the "What's the point?" question.
I realized last year that I would never be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon, 3:38 is just way faster than I care to try and run, so Okay. Boston is out. Now in  the ultra world there's the Western State 100 mile race. To qualify you need to finish a 50 mile race in under 11 hours. Last year I qualified by running the "Last chance 50", however this year that race is not a qualifier. Which means I will not be qualifying for WS this year. That and the fact that I had two DNF'S this year, Miwok 100k and Mt Diablo 60k, I've started thinking, "What's the point?".  What am I running for? What do I want to achieve? What's my goal? Do I even really like running? I only started running two years ago, and I didn't start because I loved running. In fact I hated running, and at times I've wondered if I still do.

So what have I come up with?

Well here it is.

I hate running.   That said, I love to run. For example, I went on a picnic one day, with Amy. We ran 14 miles from Mill Valley, along the Dip Sea to Stinson beach, had lunch and then ran back. I mean that's a date. But it's much more. I'm an athlete now. I'm a ultra runner. I love that I can run all day long. I love that at 55 I'm able to do more than I could at 18. As I'm running, I ask myself what am I running for? I don't know that qualifying for anything is as important has I was thinking. Those runners at the head of the pack? I'll never run with them. And there is no point in trying to. So what am I running for? Well, I'm running for me. I like Paul Little the ultra runner. In my world, I am one bad ass Mother, I mean 50 miles is 50 miles. I don't have to run WS, I can run any 100 miler. I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't have to run. I don't have to prove myself, or qualify for anything. I push myself just because I can. My goal is to not hate running more than I've grown to love running. My goal is really to enjoy my time on the trails, to take advantage of  the time I have and to be a part of the whole.

Okay that said and done, I do have a big 50 mile run on Dec. 1st. The North Face Endurance Challenge. I have three goals:
                            1. Finish in the 14 hour time limit.
                            2. Finish in under 13 hours.
                            3. Finish in under 11 hours.
There are a few challenges I'll be facing. The Marin head lands are all hills. The whole race is about climbing up and breaking down. The other challenge is I won't have a support crew. Which means I'll be running all alone. I know.. ohhh poor baby..  But it's true I've found it harder to run alone. I should have my sweety at the end, though and that well give me someone to run to.

Anyway, I'll keep you up-date a little more often and I hope to see you all out on the trails. Peace.


Alameda at sunset