journey to DTER50k

"I'm building a fire and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match." -Mia Hamm

I registered for DTER 50k, a January 2017 race. I showed up not knowing what to expect, put my heart into moving forward, but still came up short on finishing. It was painful and so much fun! I promised myself that I would go back in 2018 and finish what I started. 

I'll be spending a lot of time on my feet and getting my climbing muscles ready. There's approximately 5,000 ft of elevation gain for the 50k distance. 

I'm finishing up the first week of training and will be sharing my journey with you via this space of the internets. It's going to be a grand adventure. 

Week 1 Training Log

Autumn has finally showed up around the Mid-South, which lowered humidity and brought a chill to the air. This helped these miles not be so stupidly awful. 

Mon: rest

Tue: 4.1 miles avg pace 10:58

Wed: 9.2 miles avg pace 10:54

Thur: 4 miles avg pace 10:46

Fri: rest

Sat: 12.1 miles avg pace 10:05

Sun: 5 miles avg pace 10:44

Total miles for the week: 34.6

Tuesday and Thursday calls for a stupid o'clock morning alarm. Gotta get my training done before I get the littlest off to school and myself ready for the workday. When I go out that early, I make sure to wear bright reflective gear. I also add blinking lights to my shoes and a headlamp to make sure that I am seen. People out driving at that time of the morning are not aware of  anyone out running. Be safe and be super aware of your surroundings. Ain't nobody got time to be hit by a car. #BeSeen 

Running on Wednesday with Allison has been so much fun. We meet up different places and chat, sing, dance, take silly photos, talk about our husband's budding bromance 😂and feed off each others stubborness enthusiasm.😁 Running with her the last few weeks has helped me find the joy in my own running. 

Saturday and Sunday's are dedicated to back to back long runs (also with a stupid o'clock alarm time). These runs are designed to not only build up mileage and endurance for the physical aspect of the race, but to prepare mentally for the exhaustion, pain, and strengthen my will to keep moving forward. 

Saturday's run, I spent the first hour in complete silence. I turned my thoughts inward. Focusing on my own breath, the rhythm of my feet on the pavement, the mechanics of my legs, and just silencing everything around me. I felt I could run forever, so I opened it up and pushed myself a little harder to go faster but stay in control without tiring out. Finished up with some gas left in the tank. Success! ✔

 Sunday morning wake up call was to go work the #bestwaterstopever for the MRTC 2017 Road Race Series. I love being the loud mouth that heckles encourages fellow runners to do their best and keep moving forward. Bonus points if I can give them a laugh as they run by. "Come and get your free water flavored vodka!!" After all the race participants came through my table, I got myself together and ran the hills around the Forrest for an hour. The drizzling rain was perfectly timed for those last 2 miles as I pushed forward up and over all those steep climbs. I foresee a lot of Shelby Forrest runs over the next few weeks to get these legs in shape! 

This week's adventure in training was about focus and fun. Paying close attention to your body is very important. The body will tell you what it needs to keep moving forward. You must tune in and actually listen. Running is hard, and sometimes running is dumb. Always find a way to make running fun. The fun part overshadows the hard part and you end up with better results. 😊 

I'm looking forward to next week's adventures that get me closer to race day!