Summer Adventures: Burning River 100, Terra Sans Pave 8-hour, Jessica's 20 Miler

As fall quickly approaches, I've been looking back and reflecting on the awesome adventures I was lucky enough to experience.  Please enjoy a brief look at 3 running highlights from the summer.  Please note, not everything running related was a highlight this summer.  It was hot, there were days where I didn't want to run, and some days that I just didn't even get out the door.  That is the reality of being a busy adult trying to balance work, family, horses, hobbies, and my love for running long.  If you're just looking for pics, jump to the bottom! 

Burning River 100

Burning River 100 is an established, point-to-point, endurance run in northeast Ohio.  I had heard many wonderful things about the event and it had been on my radar for a few years.  Being the last weekend in July it fit perfectly into my work schedule when I signed up. (This ended up being the busiest summer to date with my work and involved me flying home after the finish and working the next day)

To keep things brief, as I said I would above, here's the short recap:

Crew: Steve, my mom & dad, Steve's parents Ralph & Alice
Pacers: Mom and Ralph
Fuel: gels, protein bars, salt tabs, water, ramen, but mostly fueled on pickles and watermelon.
Gear: Rugged Running tops and buffs, UD vesta, injinji socks, saucony ride, altra olympus, Road Runner compression shorts

The Highs:
* Going into the run well prepared from Michele Yates' Rugged Running customized training plan.
* Running in a new place
* Point to point, don't like that hill.... no worries you never have to see it again.
* Seeing my running role model, Bill Thom on course.  He ran so strong even while dealing with an injury and even waited at the finish line to see me come in.
* Having family support the whole day
* The Buckeye Trail
* Meeting my dad's old football coach and wife at mile 64 (they came out to the course just to see us!)
* Changing into fresh clothes at mile 50
* New distance PR of 101.3
* Running in the dark alone and being ok with it
* ZERO falls
* New finisher's buckle for my girl, Lucy

The Lows: 
* Underfueling
* Off and on crying the last 35-40 miles
* So much road running
* Stairs.... stairs late in the game
* Underestimating how challenging the course would be
* Not seeing family/crew at mile 71 (I think) We missed each other and it hit me hard emotionally.

All in all, I learned some important things on this one and was fortunate to still come away with a finish:  It's ok to want to use your pacers, they are there for you.  Fueling is so important.  You shouldn't finish 6 gels and 12 salt tabs short of the plan.

If you're looking for a well supported 100 mile event to run alone (it's a Western State Qualifier) or as a relay, check out Burning River 100.  You won't be disappointed.

Terra Sans Pave 8 Hour

I hadn't originally planned on running this event after Burning River but I was feeling pretty recovered and wanted to spend the day with the best RDs a girl could ask for.  Terra Sans Pave is a timed event in which runners run a 4km loop as many times in 8 hours.  It is put on by Bill and Michelle Thom and as I've mentioned in many posts, they are the BEST!  They make everyone feel like someone.  I checked in with my running coach, Michele Yates, to see if we could work this event into my training plan for Javelina.  She said as long as we use it for training and take it easy it was a go.  Take it easy... SURE!!!! Then when my mom said she would run the 10 mile option again, I was totally game. 

Fuel: Gu gels, protein bars, Pringles, pickles, water, salt tabs
Gear: Rugged Running shirt and buff, Saucony Ride, Injinji socks, Ultimate Direction Vesta, Road Runner compression short.

The Highs: 

* Best RDs around

* Seeing my friend, Ian, at packet pick-up, on course while he ran the 10 mile, and at the start/finish after he was done running

* Running with my mom and then having her stay all day and volunteer! 

* Running over 37 miles and feeling great the next day

The Lows:
* The longest parade route ever (about a mile due to week of flooding causing a course reroute)

This was really such a fun day.  I highly recommend Bill and Michelle's events.  The next one is the Paleozoic Trail Runs fall 25/50k.  I'll be there volunteering so if you're looking for a fall trail run, come on out!

Jessica's 20 Miler

So I used to run multiple times a week with Jessica.  We pretty much had a standing date of 5@5.  Let's just say since I moved, we've both missed those chats and miles.  So when I got a text asking if I would join her on her 20 mile run, I jumped at the chance.  She is training for the Chicago Marathon and wanted company on her longest training run.  Of course I wanted to be along for the ride, well, run!



The Highs:
* Catching up with Jessica for 4 hours
* Legs feeling fresh even after the Terra Sans Pave miles from the previous weekend
* Running our old 5@5 route (slightly modified) to start the run
* Running at Davis Creek

The Lows:
* Honestly... there weren't any.  This was a wonderful run with a dear friend.

On to Fall

I had other awesome running experiences this summer like volunteering at Shawnee Hills 100, long training runs at Swallow Cliff, and client mornings along the lakefront.  I'm excited for the changing weather and my upcoming Javelina Jundred.  I'll be heading back to Arizona for the Javelina Jundred on October 27-28. Hoping to take what I've learned from my summer adventures and translate that into stronger running this fall.

Extra Pics