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Showing posts from May, 2012

My first 100k - Born To Run Ultra Marathon

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Photography by Larry Gassan - Mile 50 Heading out on my last loop. I'm surprised he caught me with half a smile on my face . The DNF Banner at the Born To Run Ultramarathon had all sorts of excuses. My favorite was "I'm just a Grade-A Pussy." And... "Puke. Puke. Puke." There were some hardcore runners out there. Some barely hanging by a thread in the middle of the night to finish 100 miles.  My post race restless sleep was interrupted by either the throbbing in my legs or the occasional runner being assisted by friends and family on their way in from their last loop. Salsa music blared late into the night while runners were still being announced by Luis Escobar himself as they finished their loops or headed back out. It was the music and party at the finish line that lured me in from those last miles. And the way that the cheering and music glided over the hills through the dense dark was seriously seductive, pushing me on to run the last four mil

My Little Black Strap

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Getting my black strap on.  The assisted "couch stretch." I have a black rubber strap attached to the base of my bed. I know this sounds way kinky and like I've got a bedroom bondage fetish going on, but before ya'll go on an epic mental tangent about this mystery strap and its myriad of naughty uses, understand this: This little mother fucker takes mobility to a whole new level. This hardy piece of rubber is like having your own PT or sadist dominatrix, whichever floats your boat I guess. Although my husband and I joke half seriously about its potential as a marital aid, I actually use this stretchy black rubber strap to facilitate joint distraction in my hips. I know. B-O-R-I-N-G.  That little black strap is all about the distraction without the sexual benefits. For now, anyway. Distraction of a joint separates the joint surfaces without pulling ligaments out of place or dislocating anything. For people like me, with tight hip flexors and junky joi

100k - Born To Run Ultramarathon Prep

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In about two weeks I will be driving about six hours to run for about twelve hours (actually, I have no idea how long I will be running. It could be seventeen for all I know so I plan on bringing my headlamp just in case.)  The Born To Run Ultramarathon is the perfect opportunity to test my training and endurance and I almost missed it. Whew. That was a close one. Am I ready to run 60+ miles? Who knows? My plan is the same as always. Get my ass to the first aid station and see how I feel from there. My only real big question mark right now is whether my feet will hold up. I plan on wearing my Merrell Pace Gloves. Its by default, really. I don't have any other option other than barefoot or my Invisible Shoe huaraches, which might be a possibility at any given point. We'll see. I also plan on bringing some socks that might add a little cushion if my feet get a little battered. This trail is probably not as technical as my last few races so I may not get the fatigue I'm