Decision is Made

I slept on it.  Then I thought about it more the next day as I drove to work.  I texted my friend Andi and said. " I think I can do it if we get hotels"  I had to have a bed to sleep in each night.  I remember what it was like when I ran past marathons.  I was recovering pretty quickly.  I can do this.  As soon as I got to work I registered for the Race Across Arkansas.

But things needed to be done:  Later that night I had to create our rundraising page, a team page where the three of us, Yoni, Andi and I would create a combined goal of $1200.  We decided that raising funds as a team would be the best way.  We created a name, opened a business account, came up with a logo.  I went on the hunt for hotels and created a spreadsheet with logistics, crew needs, reservation confirmation numbers and local restaurantes in each town.  This can be done.

Raising the money was not nearly as diffiuclt as I expected.  Aparently a lot of people want to see us attempt to run across the state.  We raised a lot of funds with a Beer Mile.  Yoni and her parents hosted it out at their property.  Participants ran laps around a pond, came across a bridge, dranke 4 oz of beer, then headed out again four times (roughly a mile).  We sold t-shirts, hoodies and hats.  it was not too lonu until we were just $50 from our goal and it was three days until departure.  It was done, we were doing it.  It was time to pack and drive down to Magnolia where we would stay during the first two legs of the event.  I guess it was for real.

What exactly is this Race Across Arkansas?

So I was meeting my friend in a coffee shop to listen to a poetry reading and she first mentioned it to me.  "Ya know, you should do Race Across Arkansas with me"....

So Race Across Arkansas is part of a larger Race Across the US put on by Run Walk Events. Run Walk Events is an organization that puts on races and provides sanctioning, insurance and fundraising portals for events to raise money.   The Race Across USA starts in Southern California and ends in Washington DC, a marathon every day ( with some rest days)  to raise money for the 100 Mile Club.  The 100 Mile club is an organization formed to help fight childhood obesity by encouraging kids to run 100 miles during the school year.

So, the fee to enter is $240 with a $400 fundraising goal.  No small commitment.  The Arkansas portion is 6 marathons in 6 days with a 2.77 mile run on the 7th day.  No small feat, right...

When Andi mentioned it I was a little speechless and could not wrap my brain around it.   I left the poetry reading in a fog trying to work it out in my brain.  I had not told her yes or no yet.  But  I was leaning toward a big fat NO.

Back in the Game!!!

So the last time I Blogged, I was recovering from a stress fracture.  That was quite a blow to my training.  Since then I ran the Three Bridges Marathon, quite gently, just to finish.  It was my first marathon experience since recovery.  After that I did the Loco Marathon in Conway and performed much better.  Something similar to my regular marathon times.   Then I took on the Syllamore trail 50K.  That was quite a hurdle to cross.

The Syllamore 50K is an out and back trail up in Northern Arkansas.  Again, this year it was snow covered.  It was cold and a little ways through I was feeling my hip flexor acting up.  I knew I was going to be running Little Rock the following weekend so when I got to the 15 mile turn-around I told the aid station volunteers I wanted to drop.  Well that was a fail.  The volunteers had one car and they all rode up together.  There was no room for another person.  So it's a good thing I did not have a bone sticking out of my leg, right?   Anyway.  I decided to turn around and complete the race, very slowly.  It was almost dark when I finished, but I was not last!

Next I took on the Little Rock Marathon.  The course was different than previous years and again, the weather was cold and drizzly.  I ran the first half under a 10 minute pace.  The next quarter of the race I was able to maintain that speed.  Then I hit the out -and back.  The worse part of this race.  This is where the pace dropped to 11 minute then 12 minute.  Finally I crossed the finish line with a reasonable finish then shivered my way all the way to my car.

I'm not sure when it happened, but my friend Andi Stracener mentioned this very strange and rediculous thing called Race Across Arkansas...

It's a new year and remembering a friend.

Well, 2014 did not turn out as I planned.  Maybe 2015 will see my goals realized.  I am finally healed from the dreaded stress fracture.

I ran my first post fracture marathon over the Holidays and it was so much fun.  The 3 bridges marathon is a local favorite.  It was created by a lovely person who is no longer with us and whom I will forever consider one of the best runners I have known.

It's not so much that he had Olympian skill, although we was very fast.  It was his spirit that made him memorable.  He loved the small, obscure races.  He loved the spirit of running.  He was the spirit of running.

I knew that if I was out in Two Rivers, on a blustery, cold, windy evening, he would be there.  I would always see him and he would smile, shout, and stretch out his hand for a high or low five.  Even if he was going in another direction, he would double back just for the high five.

He mentored, inspired, lead, and created the running spirit in everybody he talked to.  There was no escaping his light and that was what I celebrated on my first marathon running, coming back and recovering.

He is no longer with us physically but he is here, with us every time we go out in the rain, the wind the thunder and cold, keeping us motivated and happy and reminding us all why we do what we do and why it is so special.  I will never forget him and I see him in every curve of the river trail.  I will always continue on and try, attempt and probably fail to be just a fraction of the runner he was.  But he gives me something to strive for.  :)

You're always in our memory Jacob Wells.

Lisa Luyet

Today is the day.

So it has been 17 weeks since my diagnosis.  I have been walking very well and it is now really too cold to cycle like I was in the fall.  The temperature is 27 degrees outside.  :(

So I made an appointment with my friend Kristen to go walk/run this morning.  I am going to attempt a real structured effort to run.  We are going to do a 3 minute walk/ one minute run.  It is a schedule I saw on an injury recovery - get back off your ass - website. 

Lately, the last few days, I have felt like a sedentary person, not a person recovering from injury.  I sit all day at work and after work all I want to do is sit on the couch and veg.  It's bad.  Its not a direction I want my life to take.  It's time to try to get back out there.  It has been 17 weeks.  My bone density is good, my diet has been decent so there is no reason why my stress fracture is not healed by now. 

I'm giving it a try today. Wish me luck.

Cycling Crazy

So lately since I have been recovering from my hip injury, I have been spending lots of time on my bike.  It's a hybrid Fuji Absolute 2.1.  Very comfy to ride for the most part except for the tailbone pain.  Not sure what to do about that.  I think it may have to do with my posture on the hybrid, but until I can get that resolved I will keep my mileage around 70 to 80 miles per week.

Of course there is no way I can ride without having some type of documentation so I plan to ride in the Arkie 25 mile bike race this Sunday.  I know I will be out of place on my hybrid and probably the slowest person there, but I have to give it a try.  I can ride my bike for miles but unless I qualify that by having my name on a results list someplace I'm not really doing anything, right?  That is what separates me from the ordinary?  I think in my brain that is what it is.  This makes it more than just exercise.  It makes it special.  It's an event. 

I'll try to snap some photos. 

Morning's are way to productive. For all the wrong reasons

It's October.  Which means the temperature is dropping, which for runners is great because you can run without dying from heat exhaustion.  For me, since I am unable to run right now, I stay indoors because my new sport is cycling.  Yesterday I went to cycle at about 10:00 am and normally, for a run the temperature would have been perfect but for cycling it was chilly.  I hope I am able to continue training through the winter. 

I have however been planning to race my bike.  It's not a full fledged road bike, its a hybrid which I am very comfortable on.  I'm a little intimidated to move to a road bike.  Not sure I like leaning as much as you have to for riding those, but not sure if I will be able to ride in races on a hybrid. 

Anyway instead of getting up at  the ass crack of dawn to run this morning I stayed in and organized my pantry.  It was amazing.  I do plan to go ride today.  Later when it warms up.  I would have never said something that crazy as a runner...

whatevs...