Jamie has asked me to do a debriefing of the VT 50K since sadly he was unable to participate:( I am two days past the event and emotionally and physically wasted. A lot of physical, mental and time management (having three kiddo's under 7) went into this event.
I have never considered myself an athlete. I ran a mile for the first time back in college: to the 1/2 mile marker at the Blvd. and back Yipeee!!! From there went on to do a couple 5k's, 10k's and eventually a Marathon in 2000. In your 20's it's amazing how easy this is, as your body can take a ton of abuse and still keep going with very little injury.
Fast forward nine years and three kids later. I had no core strength to hold my pelvis together. Between that and hormones everything would just clunk out of place. I went to a great physical therapist to learn how to strengthen my core, and with the help from my wonderful husband I was able to get my body back into balance. Last year I had dabbled in triathlons, doing two sprints, one olympic and two half marathons. Still was having left hip /knee issues- I felt fit not stellar- lower middle of the pack finisher -that's okay still breast-feeding. Over the winter Jamie and I started to hear more and more about trail running and we became intrigued. We signed up for the Pineland 25K-loved it!!!
These events are perfect for me: endurance, mother nature, and cookies at the aid stations. However my whole left lower side of my body wasn't so happy. Hello ITB-you suck! So began my further education into the world of single-legged bridges, planks of all shapes and sizes, CORE, hip flexor stretches and barefoot running. I'm not saying my body is perfect (nope) or super strong (it helps that I am married to sports chiropractor) but she done good in Vermont!
Whenever we test ourselves or dare to climb out of our boxes, we journey and grow. This was my Odyssey! The self-doubt I had going into this plagued me for two weeks with insomnia, irritability and irritable bowel right up to packet pick-up when I thought I was still a fake and some how these people can tell. I slept well Sunday night, thanks to the Harpoon Brewery and a great talk with Jamie that boiled down to: It is my choice to do this. It's my choice to be here and participate. So buck up; be present and do it. And that is what I chose to do.
We woke up to rain and temp's in the low 50's. Six hundred mountain bikers and about 100 50 milers had hit the trails before we started. The mud was so deep you were in danger of losing your shoe. Many times we had to walk because running was too dangerous. A smart-aleck friend had told me prior to the race not to worry, that Vermont is mostly all downhill (I'm not going to say much more on that topic.) Between the rain, mud, and cold, I didn't get warm until mile 27.
And guess what... I loved every minute- actually all 8hrs and 42 minutes of it. My body was strong and she held up for me. By choosing to be there and be present today I am an athlete....... Until that next darn box comes!
