Buffalo 'training' Run

That's what I kept telling myself. Lake Somoma 50 is in 3 weeks and is a big deal to me. I want to be in tip top shape, tapered and ready to give 100%. I debated doing this because I love to race and push hard but that would do me no good for Sonoma. But I needed a last long run so I promised I would work to keep the reigns on. This gave me more anxiety than racing, bring able to hold back in a race atmosphere. Probably wasn't the smartest to sign up, but I did. Race atmospheres are always fun and I figured even if I didn't race the miles, they'd be better quality than if on my own. Aid stations are always nice too.

Anyway, my husband Jeremy and I drove onto Antelope Island about 7pm, enjoyed our take out Thai food (mas mun for me), and watched friends running the 100. I crashed in the tent from 9:30pm-11pm before getting up to spend the night volunteering in the start/finish aid tent. Night challenges me and with my first 100 in June I figured it would be good practice in sleep deprivation then running after. I enjoyed helping them fill bottles, get them whatever they wanted to eat, finding chairs and other supplies they needed and just listening sometimes when they looked down. I enjoyed watching and learning from the 100 milers at night.  And it was a good learning experience but honestly left me a little more intimidated of the night. Coming into a warm, lit up tent with goodies and warm food and chairs and a sore body and often upset stomachs only to leave minutes later to go back out into the dark cold for hours and hours. Man. 

Talking strategy with Zac 

Admiring Craig getting ready to head back out at mile 69 I believe. Loved watching all of our friends help when someone would come in. From L to R: Josh, Matt, Zac, me, my husband Jeremy,, Craig in the chair and Mark behind the camera. 

I didn't get too sleepy overnight but after I bid good luck to friends doing the 50 mile race that took off at 6am I climbed into the tent and fell asleep for an hour. Wasn't sure if I'd wake up more tired or destroy the deprivation thing I was going for, but it sure felt good. I went to sleep when it was still dark and woke up when if was light and felt good!  I think the dark/light thing reset my body clock even though it was only an hour of sleep. Got dressed and ready for my own race and we took off at 8am. 

I got a little caught up in the race my first couple miles but let many people pass me. Once at the top of the hill around mile 2.4 or so I settled into a trot where I felt totally comfortable and couldn't hear my breathing at all. I wasn't pushing. I do long runs harder than this pace. But after talking with many friends the plan was to go super conservative the first 15 mile loop and then negative split (run faster) the second resulting in a 5:30-6:00 finish (I wanted 5:00 originally). I knew what the aid station splits were for a 5 hour finish so knew to be slower than that and could estimate what 6 hour splits would be so wanted to hit those splits first loop. All the aid stations are about 5 miles apart. After that initial 2 mile climb up it's a gradual down, sharper down where I got a hug from Mark who was running the 50m, then switchbacked up to the first aid. Hit the first one, 5.3 in 57min. Happy with that. Not happy with the poop stop I had to make that wasn't very productive. Grumpily knew I'd be stopping again. Loooong downhill after AS1 where I kept my eye on a close buffalo and ran in a hurry to the big rocks ahead for another stop. I invisioned crapping in my shorts if he charged, maybe that would have been the last stop at least.  One more a few miles later. Long down followed by lots of switchbacks back up then flattish back to aid. Hit that one also in 57min at 1:53. Figured out the math in my head and figured I'd be to the halfway turnaround at 2:50. That would work. Was shooting for 3:00 but 2:50 would be a lot slower than the 2:30 I originally wanted. 

Some neat views courtesy of my friend Jason Brockman who ran his first ultra Saturday!  You can find more in my Oct 2012 and March 2013 posts. Antelope Islamd is a neat place!

Heading north was always tough because of a headwind and much of the 11-15.5 mile stretch was heading north. So I was surprised when I hit the turnaround in 2:42. Whoops. I didn't feel like I was working too hard, but the problem with that split was I'd have to work even harder to negative split and my brain is pretty stubborn when there's an idea in my head. I figured I'd just run 3 or so minutes faster each aid station (AS) from 15.5-25 and then run the last 5 stronger. I calculated my place in the women and was around 6th with 1st being 13 minutes ahead of me at halfway. Ouch. But I wasn't there to win so I didn't dwell too much on it which I was pleased I was actually able to do, not dwell on it. I had only passed 1 woman in the first loop but as the second started I started passing more. I never pass people with a 'kill' attitude you see in Ragnar and other relay events where they mark off everyone they pass with tally marks on their van as 'kills'. Hate that. But I enjoy keeping my mind busy and motivated with spotting someone ahead and starting to count after they pass a simple landmark I can remember. I stop counting when I pass it and do that every now and then while the number goes down until I pass. Just works for me. Also put the iPod on around halfway which was nice except it kept shuffling to slower songs, it must have known the plan too, or my friends rigged it. Anyway passed a few strong looking ladies over the next loop. Back into AS4 at a 55min split which I wasn't thrilled with because we turned around about 2 min away from the Start, which meant I should have been under 55min to here. Decided I'd power hike stronger and run the downhills faster like I've been working on to drop time, but keep the flats conservative still. No buffalo this time and no stops so I thought I'd make it back to AS 5 early also. I made it 1 min faster than the first time. Hmmm. I really thought I was moving faster than the first loop and wasn't working at true race pace, but was working harder than before. Took off from that aid taking 400mg Ibuprofin. Wasn't going to since this was a training run and I wanted to feel any pain or discomfort to detect any injuries or annoyances to get them worked out before Sonoma. But I took it anyway, inflammation isn't really ever a good thing and I would be careful not to push TOO hard since pain was masked. Knew I needed to open it up and run fast in order to negative split since at this point I would only even split if I could make it in time. Finishing a long run strong is good training for race day too. Ran the last 5 or so at 7:30-7:45 I'd bet (didn't wear GPS, don't like it anymore, just wear a regular -and cute- orange watch for the stopwatch). Didn't push 100% still but was much closer to it than any point in the day. Estimated I'd need to be to the shirt I dropped by 5:16 to run 8 more min and get in under 5:24. Got there in 5:14 or 15. Finally got to the gate where there's 1/2 mile or so to go and was at 5:18, I'd make it. Eased up just a little to do as little muscle damage as possible and enjoyed running strong in to the cheers of a few friends at 5:20. 4 min negative split!  2nd place woman. Sure I made up time on that 13 min halfway difference but haven't seen results. Never thought I'd be happy to run slower than I was capeable :) but I was proud of keeping things under control. That 5:20 worried me a little because it was faster than planned and right now is all about staying healthy and strong for Sonoma but I feel good today and am happy that a fairly conservative (but not easy, don't let me fool you, I did work) run ended up in that time. I'm getting so excited for Lake Sonoma 50 where I will leave it all out there and push 110%!!

It's already been a long report so I'll try to keep the rest concise. Congrats to everyone out there!  Many good races were had and many others just worked their tails off and persevered. 

THANK YOU to the many friends who talked me through my strategy -repeatedly since I need to hear things at least 8 times, ask my husband, drives him nuts. Many of you were getting ready for your own races or in some cases racing the 100 and still asked about my race in the morning. Mark, Zac, Jeremy, Duncan and Jen being my most yaked at victims. Thanks for being patient with me!

Things I learned -

1. Lay off the nuts close to a race. I snacked a little overnight since my metabolism wasn't asleep. Ramen, a few handfuls of crackers and a handful or two of peanut m&m's. That's it. Then right at 3 hours before start I ate my usual PB&J with thinner bread but with crunchy peanut butter I didn't realize I'd packed. I usually use smooth. I wonder if all the nuts between dinner, overnight and breakfast got to me, disrupting my GI and forcing me to stop and squat several times. I also think sitting in a classroom for 10 of the last 15 days stunted my metabolism and digestion. I have a new found respect and sorrow for those of you with full time desk jobs, even that much sedentary lifestyle took it's toll on me!

2. Speaking of squatting, I was reminded of the importance of selecting a spot off trail that keeps me modest from both directions of runners, not just behind me. Sorry guy running toward me....

Had a guy just ahead of me peeing on the go for about 30 seconds. Seriously?  We are not elites at an elite race. Stand off the trail please. 

3. Although watching the 100 milers at night intimidated me, settling into my trot Saturday showed me both mentally and physically that I can run for a long time in a longer race, like 100 miles in June. 

4. Half the race and I wore the Altra Olympus, our new trail/road max cushion shoe because I wanted to keep my legs as stress free as possible and knew the extra cushion would help. It did. I also thought maybe it would keep me slower which I don't know if I can agree with (for ultra length events anyway) since I never felt slow in it, especially once I figured out how to roll forward onto the rocker on push off. Holy cow it was like a rocket!  Anyone wanting a pair they run true to size for men and 1/2 size small for women (against other Altra's, women size up 1/2 a size). Used the UltraSpire Quantum pack which I love.  Also got to try VFuel's new Fudge Brownie and Cool Citrus flavors - yum!  3 cool citrus  with 1 vanilla tasted like lemon meringue.  Love V's easy down, steady energy.

5.  I think I liked negative splitting. I had never done it before except a few times growing up swimming. It was hard but not too hard letting everyone take off ahead of me. It was nice to not feel my lungs burn and legs take 6 miles before they felt good because I started out fast.  It was nice getting to halfway and not dreading going back out. If anything I was excited to push a little harder and race my watch AS to AS rather than watch the splits get slower and slower. When I'd pass people it felt strong and confident and not like they'd try to race me for the position. I don't know how it will work in fast races, but for longer or more casual races I think I'll implement it again. Thanks Mark!

6. People are good. I saw so many big and small crews taking care of their runners. And when there weren't crews we 3 volunteers or other strangers took charge of an incoming runner. 

Saw more people smiling as we'd pass than I have in a long time (3 different races along the 15 mile trail I was on that all started at different times which meant people were coming and going all the time). I try to always smile and say good morning or good job or at least give a thumbs up or smile when I'm tired but man there was a lot of it going around. Love it!  We're all out there for fun, 99% of us don't do this as a profession, it should be fun and friendly, and it was. A great day!

My favorite nutrition/supplement website

Shameless plug. I'm not sponsored by them or anything. Good prices, great brands, cheap and fast shipping. They usually give automatic discounts in your cart based on how much you spend. 

http://www.iherb.com/?&rcode=IDU422 

Red Hot 55k - woah

The temperatures were great!  Not hot, but warm enough I had to take my shirt off by mile 5 or so. Thought I'd come away with a nasty sunburn but barely any at all. We were lucky to have very little wind and overcast skies most of the day.

Mark and I after the race. Was fun having him drive down and stay with us!

Zac chasing my 10 year old Mckayla and I the next day at Delicate Arch. She gave us both a run for our money :)

Mark, Zac and I walked the 3/4 mile to the start and pretty much just as we got there but before I was ready they started the race. Oops. I assumed since I was wearing a timing chip that it wouldn't matter since your time started whenever you went over the mat so I started about a minute late and ran to catch up with everyone (turns out there was no start mat so I own that 1 min). This was probably a good thing because it got me moving quickly. I said hi to lots of friends in the first mile or two as I found my place. Felt like the pace was fast but comfortable for the first 4 miles and my friend Jen who I really wanted to be able to keep up with caught back up to me so I tried to hold on as she'd move ahead a little. The first 8 or so miles was mostly dirt road with a little bit of slick rock sprinkled in. 

Photo: Matt Gallegos

We got to our first big hill at mile 5 or so and I almost stopped to walk it but decided to keep riding the energy I had and to make a move and ran up it. Passed Kendall and Kelly and then immediately worried a little if I was going out too fast. Those guys are fast!  I felt like I was under control but a little fast and felt a few fatigue twinges by mile 7 so decided to reign it in just a little. Hit the first aid station around 45 min, 15 min fast (aimed for 10min mile average giving me a 5:42, or 10th place based on the last 2 years results).  Aid stations had great food and support by the way. I was focused on fast aid stations but the Reece's Peanutbutter cups were so calling my name. Wish they'd had them at the finish. 

We started going up and down technical slick rock mixed with dirt roads now, it was definitely time to pay attention. I really worked to push down those downhills, even the technical ones with fast lifted swift feet and I know it made a difference in my day. Around the first aid station I saw this lady in red and black with a nice pack on ahead of me, I watched her form. Looked like she was putting out energy of a 6 min mile yet was running an 8 min mile. She never walked any uphills even when they were certainly warranted. I thought there was no way she'd keep that pace up, but she did look talented so I could only focus on my race and let her go hoping to see her by the end. Helped me focus on running light and easy and efficiently (looking anyway).  I passed her around mile 10 once but she took off and I let her go. 

Photo: Matt Gallegos friend Steve I believe

Hit the 13 mile aid station about 2:00, 10 min early. After that I rolled my right ankle around the point where we look over the start line way below us. I did the whole quick hop up high in the air thing I do and kept going, but it gave me some pain a few minutes later. Had me worried, that's for sure, mostly for Sonoma coming up in 2 months. It calmed down but shortly after I rolled it again. This one didn't seem to hurt after (I have a theory that maybe I always roll that one because it's the foot I broke in 2010 after the tendons and ligaments around there refused to stretch any further). I was on my own around this time, several girls had passed me and it was a little lonely. Caught up to a few and with a quick stop at 17 mile aid station I was with them. Hit 17 just under goal time of 2:50. 

From there I met up with Courtney, a girl Who also ran the fruita 50 last year. I love her because she doesn't wear fancy clothes or gear but runs well. We chatted a bit while I messed around with my iPod getting it out and untangle and going. Probably slowed me down a few minutes, darn technology. Later I saw Zac up ahead. Had another "oh crap did I go out too fast" moment as he's a speedy, but something seemed off when I passed him. He was having a hard day with some heart rate issues. I wasn't keen to leave a good friend in a position like that, but I know he's a smart guy and there were lots of people around him. We were into the thick of the slick rock now. Steep up, down, some long some short, lots of keepin the eyes peeled for flagging as sometimes you had to go off a trail to stay on course and sometimes on slick rock there is no trail. It was well marked but kind of like where's waldo sometimes. I was grateful to run with a small group of 3-4 for almost 10 miles. We took turns sighting and leading. Thanks Brian and Courtney!    

Borrowing this photo from http://runjunkie.blogspot.com/.  It's a good representation of much of the slickrock.
Some was steeper and rougher :)

 Let's see, mile 21 aid was right on time at 3:30 and was at the top of a long steep climb, was nice to get to. Was the only place I grabbed anything besides water and coke from an aid station. Grabbed a small square of pb&j to help the 2 ibuprofen I was taking for my hips that were sore for whatever reason. From there there was plenty more slick rock to jump up on, down from, run sideways on, you make it.

Photo: Matt Gallegos

We got to the last aid staton at mile 28 on time at 4:40 and I was quick in and out and left. Had 3 or so big steep almost hands on rocks climbs to get up, ran down through a cool little canyon where I saw the only water pool of the day and then hit a dirt road where I turned it on!  I knew it was under an hour left and I ran. I felt in my recent road racing element and knew I was going about as fast as any women around me were going to go, so felt fairly safe but still ran hard because it felt good. Felt great to open the stride up and still have legs. I imagine I was running 7 min miles on the flats. Brian caught up again and I gratefully followed him through a little more route finding areas and he encouraged me to pass a girl up ahead. We got past her and after looking for hours finally spotted the red/black lady. I said I wanted to catch her and he said to go for it but that he may not be able to come. I kept my eyes on her and ran hard, not 100% but a strong fast pace. I wanted to approach her quietly in case she wanted to put up a chase, wasn't sure I had that much energy left. When I finally caught her she apologized for almost blowing snot on me and I told her no problem and took off up a hill faster than was comfortable but I had to. I ran the last mile of downhill switch backs worried she or Jen would catch up but I was pretty confident I had it. I can't believe I caught and passed her. And nothing against her, she was a work horse out there and turns out she's a pretty big deal (her name is Anita Ortiz) and I ran a race well enough to catch her at the end. I was thrilled to pieces! I wondered how far the finish was but as I saw older spectators and smelled food I knew it must be close and there is was, right around the corner. I ran hard with a smile on my face at what a great day I had had and to see my 2 year old Birthday girl waving and my other kids clapping up on the rocks above. So happy with the day! 

5:27, 11th place in a very stacked field!  Ahead of people I admire very much and just a few people behind women like Darcy Africa and Jen Shelton. Wow. Almost 20 minutes faster than I had planned and when I asked legend Karl Meltzer (who also took 10th in the men's race) if it was a fast day (meaning easier conditions) or just a fast field, he said a fast field, made my day. I overcame a few mental lows, one section of fatigued legs, a few minor ankle rolls and pushed a harder pace for most of the race but didn't blow up. This was not an A race, it was a somewhat last minute training race but I wanted to go out strong still, not sure I expected to feel this strong.  I just wanted to see where my ultra fitness level was. Nailed my nutrition and hydration (thank you UltraSpire Quantum belt (held 2 flask I filled with water every aid station), ViFuel (every 40 min), a few caffeinated GU's (every 3rd gel), metasalts, Gu salts, sport legs, hammer tissue rejuvenator) and loved my Altra Lone peak 2.0's which release in the summer (no slips at all, great to have confidence on the rock) and Injinji trail socks. 

I know many friends had a rough day out there, sorry guys!  I believe I had the kind of race I did in some part because of my marathon training and race at the end off last year. To learn to run at threshold was key for me, to learn I could push harder longer than I thought. I ran faster than my goal yesterday and saved myself some muscle and joint fatigue by not holding back on the downhills but picking the feet up quick, always reminding myself to not hold back, and by stepping quickly with less impact. I was very happy with how my downhill has improved and went and it gave me a lot of confidence to know that if I could keep up on the downs that my pulling ahead on the ups would not be for naught. I'm so thankful for the support of my family and friends, looks to be a great year!!

Handy winter pony tail trick

I had the chance to go skate (nordic) skiing today for the first time in several years. Truth be told I've probably only been half a dozen times total, and it's a crazy good workout especially for the arms ironically, but I really like the skating movement. Went with a friend Canice and his little girl Fiona. Got to try out the ski kit on a Chariot, a kit we haven't purchased thus far. It was harder for sure but would be a even better workout and fun to enjoy the nature with a little one. 

ANYWAY, sorry. So we were going along and my hair was down because I forgot an elastic, but I needed my ears covered with my buff (which are awesome to cover or head or pull down to cover your neck and are super easy to make if you can't buy one, it's just a 1 seam tube of fabric, knits don't fray) but I was getting hot and my hair was blowing all over. So I figured out how to tie it back and cover my ears. Perfect!

Just twist the buff in a loop in the back when it's on and pull the hair through, voila!

Ok so it's probably been done before but it was new to me so I thought I'd share. Get out and enjoy something different using this season off from high mileage and intensity. I plan to start my structured training for an event in April at the end of this month. Until then it's play. Base and cross training are good for the mind and body!

Believe, work, achieve - What I learned from my last birth

I gained a lot from my youngest daughter's birth*.  This was my 4th birth, and the previous 2 had been natural. It was and is important to me for several reasons. I believe it is the healthiest for myself and my baby, it doesn't interrupt or numb vital and fascinating hormone activity going on within a laboring body, and I can labor and push more effectively since I can move my body around. I recover much better and it puts me more in control, aware, and a part of this beautiful and powerful experience that I definitely don't want to numb while I play cards or play on the computer like I did with my first birth. 

Birth is hard work, no doubt, both physically but also mentally. Other than educating myself deeply on all the mechanics of birth, I didn't particularly prepare for my 2nd and 3rd, just used a midwife, and breathed deeply and did my best to keep calm. I had great births, much better than my first medicated and everything but a c-section delivery, but I knew there could be even better. I knew I could have less fear and more control. Fear can crush you.

So I got to work training my mind. I looked into and purchased a Hypnobabies program and learned to train my mind and body calm, but more importantly, programmed myself to believe that all was well, I was capable, and that my birth would go smoothly and that I would handle it well. There is much more to it than that, but the biggest thing I gained was positive affirmations. Daily positive affirmations crush fear. I knew I could do it and that all would be well. I never exposed myself to negative birth stories or videos. Any fear or doubt I exposed myself to could have snuck into my subconscious. Now before you think me irresponsible, I was and am very educated in all things birth and I surrounded myself with qualified midwives, who are so very smart and wise with birthing mothers and babies.  More so than doctors in my opinion save truly high risk situations.  Midwives know what to watch for and see any complications before they are a problem and then care appropriately. I knew they would take care of us if needed, but it was my body that would do this important work and I trained my mind to know that this is what my body was designed for and that it would. 

And you know what?  It did!  I had the most controlled and comfortable birth I had had yet. I never lost it, never wanted out. I did it!

I was so empowered and inspired by this and have taken into other aspects of my life the last two years. Particularly with racing. I simply believe in a particular goal and that my body can do these things and that I'll handle anything I need to along the way, and I do. I work hard of course, educate myself, and surround myself with people who know what they're doing, can help me, and inspire and lift me. Just like with my births. 

Believe you are strong, believe in your goals, post them saying 'I can or am or will do x' before it happens, and keep repeating them and other positive affirmations daily. Surround yourself only with good and go out and work hard and enjoy yourself!

* http://jlmtk.blogspot.com/2012/02/ellas-birth-story.html

TriStates marathon - new PR

 So I wrote in an earlier post about wanting to see what some real marathon training, real on the road/track speed work would do for a marathon for me.  I have gotten very strong in muscle and endurance from all the ultra miles I've run over the last year, but I knew my aerobic and lactic acid threshold was not as high as it used to be and my legs needed a refresher course on getting moving fast again.  The training was going to have to hurt and it did, but not as bad overall as I expected.  By the time the 6 weeks was up and it was taper time, my body was ready for it to be done though.  That much time spent doing speed work (3 days/week) for 6 weeks was about my limit.  But almost all of it went well and I was excited to give Tri States a go!  Tri States is a marathon that starts in Utah, runs though Arizona, and finishes in Mesquite, Nevada.  Kind of neat to get to run through 3 states in one day!

Sunset on my way into St George

Now I am a 30 year old wife and mother to 4, but I still feel (and yes I know I am) very young.  I had never been on a long drive solo before, but the way things worked out, I would be on the way down to the race.  I was worried a little about being able to stay awake and not bored, but it actually turned out to be the easiest and best 5 hour drives I'd ever made.  Not that I'd trade my children...but on a road trip?  Ok, maybe I would  ;)

Made my way to the hotel and checked in, again, feeling so grown up doing it all solo.  So grown up I took a teenage girl selfie in the mirror.  I know, I know.


So my husband you see, a co-founder at Altra Running and now over marketing, had been away working at
The Running Event in Austin, TX all week.
I charmed him into flying into Las Vegas Friday night
and taking a shuttle into Mesquite so we could spend the night, I'd do the race, and he'd drive my sore self home.
So, I picked him up at a classy roadside diner 10 minutes from the hotel and that was that, awesome!

He brought us home lots of goodies that we went though, including some surprises for race day for me!

So happy to have him join me!

On to race morning.  One of those handy surprises was a pair of prototype Altra's fresh from being shown off but never run in at The Running Event.  Show was over, time to put them to good hard use.  So yes, it's traditionally not good practice to try new things on race day, but I used brand new shoes for the first time in a marathon (technically I ran 5 minutes on the treadmill early that morning, but close enough) and spoiler alert - I LOVED THEM!  You know it's a good shoe when you put it on for the first time, run 26 miles, and never even feel it.  And I've been critical as a tester about other shoes we've made in the past, but this one really hit the spot.  The Altra One2 (One squared), watch for it this summer I believe. 

Pre-race:  Busses picked up from the hotel we stayed at, awesome.  The RD's had the busses leave late enough that we'd get up there with only minutes to spare so we didn't have to stand around in the cold.  Smart. Thanks guys!  Talked to some really cool older runners sitting next to me on the way up.  The weather that weekend was extremely strange and cold for Mesquite.  The picture below is several miles into the downhill race so as you can see, there was obviously snow up top.  Not enough on the road to complicate things any, thankfully, but it was brisk, probably 25 degrees. 

I started with my SLS3 compression socks, Icebreaker wool underwear and new Icebreaker Run Rush wool bra I bought the day before because I didn't want to get sweaty and cold in the cold, tights, Icebreaker wool tank, arm warmers, Old navy fleece long sleeve 1/4 zip top, neck gaiter, headband, 2 pair of cheap stretchy gloves and my Altra Headsweats visor.  And the most awesome Ultraspire Quantum belt I had on, I'll get to that later.  I shed all but the arm warmers and visor by mile 12 or so.  Was I overdressed?  A little, but the layers were cheap and easy to shed and leave at an aid station.  Worth the warmth at the beginning.  Probably never needed the neck gaiter.

Race: So the plan from my friend and coach for this race Mark was to run 7:20's the whole way and then push at the end to get a 3:12.  To bank energy, not time, despite this being a downhill first half and flat and uphill second half.  Well, I'm not a very good student because I started running with the lead lady and eventual winner, and we just went at a pace that felt good for the downhill.  Mile 1 - 6:30 or something like that.  Whoops.  By 4 or 5 miles in I had banked almost as many minutes.  I backed it off at this point just a hair because I could feel my quads twinge a little and settled in to a pretty consistent 6:45 pace.  I knew I was pushing, but things felt good.  I wasn't doing what Mark said, but it felt right.  I just had a feeling going into this that it was going to have to be pushed and hurt the whole time to get a time like I wanted.  I wanted to get a time I wouldn't want to better for a while. Truth be told, I probably didn't have enough trust that I would be able to negative split.

Mile 3 or 4 I think. Chatted with the taller guy on my right for several miles.
He was supposed to race in Houston that day, or maybe it was Memphis, but due to the freezing rain the race was cancelled.  Not wanting to not use the fitness he'd built up for (he wanted to go under 3, was very close last year at that flat race), he found this race and booked flights and a hotel....THE NIGHT BEFORE the race.  He was nervous all these hills would thwart that plan, and I was SO happy to see the results and see that he got his goal!

So around mile 7 the course is out of the small canyon it starts in and starts on one of several long straight stretches of road.  By mile 13 things were flat.  I hit the halfway point in 1:30, 1 minute off my half PR from several years ago (the last time I ran one) with far less effort.  THAT was a good sign despite the beginnings of worked legs I could feel coming on.  I knew I could work through that discomfort and that it was there early because I'd pushed harder. I also knew there were hills coming up and I was grateful to be 6-7min ahead of my goal. 
I hate to do it, but I ran into an empty port-o-potty there at the half marathon start because I figured I had the minute to spare (think I got in and out in under 40 seconds, yes, I timed it).  TMI, or maybe helpful hint, you decide - I grabbed someone's basically full water bottle off the ground before I headed in and while sitting down taking care of business, fished out of my pack and took the electrolyte pill and 2 ibuprofen I was due for.  No fumbling, multitasking at it's best. 
We turned toward a small town and started the rolling hills around mile 15 and came to face these beautiful temptress mountains pictured below.

Trying to peel ear warmer and neck gaiter off to throw to Jer I think.

Those mountains above were big and pretty and I would have loved to be in them exploring, but I was there focused, with work to do.  Ran into my husband about mile 15 and he didn't recognize me with my visor backward.  I didn't like the darkness of the brim on a cloudy day so I turned it around.  I made very little small talk when I'd pass by him, but was grateful to have him around.  

So I mentioned how this course had uphills the last 10 miles, right?  I was really proud of how smooth and strong I was running, not feeling any need at all to walk or slow down,

But there were definitely some good hills for a road marathon

Lots of long straights too.  My mind was still doing ok though.

Although I believe I started complaining a little about the hills at this point.  I was still charging up them steady, but they were a bit annoying.  The worst were still to come.

While the scenery was generally not super impressive, we went over this bridge and into neat sandstone walled roads like below.

My only real complaint with the course is that there was, for me, a faster paced marathoner in relation to the rest of the field, a 30 minute stretch with no water.  Almost 20 miles into the race.  I was relying on aid stations for water because they were typically around every 2 miles.  That's just fine, but I was totally dying for one by the time this 4+ mile stretch without one was over.  Yikes.  I hope those behind me did ok.  I worried for them.

So by mile 22 my mind was starting to get ancy.  Body was still doing ok, I was losing a little bit of time from my bank, but I was still on track to run 3:08-3:09 by my calculations.  I was starting to catch up with the lead woman too.  Eventually closed a 4 minute gap from her down to about 1.  Last long straightaway at about mile 24 and I can see to where we must turn off before the finish because clearly there's a big steep hill way up there and there's no way we go up that at the end of a marathon.  Right?  Right??  Ok, I see people not turning off before it.  I bet it's that street just partway up the hill.  Nope.  The turnoff for the last .2 was at the very top of a very steep hill.  Kind of cruel if you ask me :) and that's ME talking, who loves uphill.  But this was a road event, walking doesn't apply the same as it does in ultra and I really wanted that sub 3:10, but oh baby, that last 0.5 miles my body was absolutely toast.  Legs were heavy and tired, stomach was pukey, it wasn't fun to push, but I had to now for fear of now not even getting that 3:10.  I think the course may have been a tad long, don't know, don't race with GPS, not that watches are always accurate, but either way, I got through the finish line at 3:10! 
2 minutes under my goal time, 16 minutes faster than the SOJO Marathon 7 weeks earlier. 

I did it!  I had a couple of friends run similar times in St George this year and that sounded like a real fast marathon time to me, they inspired me to want to train for it and do it and I did!  This goes a lot along with the recent article I wrote about simply believing and working hard.  I hit the training times, knew I could, and knew I could manage my nutrition and that I was strong and smart and could do this.  I love that a friend Jen made me think about the fact that I never wanted out.  I never wanted it to just be over or thought "why am I doing this" as I have in other races.  I handled it.  I was prepared.  I love the time I achieved.  Do I want to go under 3 hours?  Silly question :) Of course I do, but I don't have a burning itch to right now, maybe winter of 2014 after ultra season is over like I did this one.  I really feel like I needed the focus only on this kind of training and race if I'm going to go for that goal.  So we'll see.  Right now I'm just super happy that I was able to push a strong pace the whole time and not be scared of it, not have my body break down badly until the last half mile where in the past it's been mile 16-18 (I mean my legs hurt at 13, earlier than usual, but nothing I couldn't handle).  I'm happy with the weather that turned out to probably be a blessing.  Temps in the high 30's low 40's for much of the race is better than 70's.  Turned out to be a great day!  So thankful my body has been so good to me. I try to take good care of it and I could do better but it's really hung in there with my mind and allowed me to train and race hard and have fun.

BAM!  Happy to have done what I trained for

I let Jer hold me up when I finished and then we went and sat down on the curb.  Small race, not a whole lot of post race pampering, but that's ok, that's not what I went for.  Had a very hard time getting back up, like had to be lifted up, couldn't even engage enough muscle to be pulled up things were that sore.  Stomach hung in there ok after, not great, but ok.  I've had a rough time with my stomach after the last couple races, it just wants to shut down like the rest of my body.  We collected my 2nd place overall prize of a cowbell and headed back to the hotel for an hour where I promptly landed like this.  Jumped Hobbled in between the hot tub and cold pool for some contrast bath while shivering away, then a quick shower and a LONG snowy in southern Utah drive home.  Those are never comfortable.  We had to get back to our kids, but when will I learn it's worth it to stay the night of a race before heading home. 

 

Well, there it is.  Had a great race and a totally awesome performance for me, almost perfect - if I'd gotten that 3:09 I'd probably call it perfect...maybe ;)  None of this would have been possible without the following:
Mark for writing out 6 weeks of speed work for me to follow.  Would not have done this without your help Mark!  Thanks to you and Zac for running some of the training with me too.
Altra shoes off course!  The One2 is a dynamite shoe!  Light, flexible, but good cushion, a little more than the original, but a lighter shoe.  Super soft barely there upper.  No foot pain, lower leg pain, blisters, nothing!
Ultraspire for the Quantum belt.  Zac wore one at Leadville and thought their smallest wouldn't fit me.  Thankfully I must have more hip than he does because that belt didn't move an inch!  Holds 2 flasks in the back (or several gels or 24 hour energy in each flask pocket) and a front zip pocket that could hold 5-6 gels, no joke.  I believe I started with 5 in it and my bag of pills and it wasn't bouncy or buldging.  No hooks, velcro, no closures, just soft air-y belt all around you step into and pull up.  I can wear it lower than traditional belts too, I like that.  I will totally be using this tri's, road races, and for well supported/dropbag ultras in the future.
Vfuel is and was my gel of choice.  Goes down easy, peach cobbler and vanilla are tasty, and I like the 10mg of caffeine, keeps digestion going.  Never any stomach upset.  Because of the higher energy output in this race, I took a gel more frequently, every 30 minutes.  2 V's, a higher caffeinated GU, V, V and a 24 hour energy about mile 16.  I strangely don't notice a big surge from caffeine despite my size and lack of daily usage, but I think it kept me steady.  Also got to try GU's prototype electrolyte pill that has ginger root in it!  Ginger is said to be good for upset stomach or nausea and I didn't have much but had a little something going on around half way, took one, and didn't have anything stomach wise after.  Not saying it was all the pill, but I am excited to test them out more.
And my family of course!  But I will say that these runs were a lot easier to fit in because I ran most from my house and they were shorter duration than ultra stuff so I did most while the crew was sleeping.  I am thankful for the means to be able to enter and travel to a race though

So there you have it.  TriStates was a good race that I would recommend.  Thanks for reading!  Hope your New Year is off to a good start!  Would love to see a comment!

Speedwork + marathon = ?

So in September I jumped into the Sojo marathon wanting to see what a years worth of much higher mileage yet no speed work would do for me in a road marathon. Would the strength translate into speed?  I found yes, but during the race I wasn't sure how it would turn out so when I was running the last 6 very fast I knew I could have done more. So I decided to recruit friend Mark to write me a 6 week real marathon training schedule. 3 runs a week, all structured, all faster than I was used to. Tempo runs, intervals, track work, Yasso's. Hard threshold work!

So this is the 'what can I do in a marathon if I train speed' race. Tri States Marathon starting at Utah Hill which is 26 miles NE of Mesquite. One turn the whole course, downhill the first half but then some decent rollers the next half. Oh, and around 20 degrees. 

I don't think this is as fast of a course as others, and I don't love the idea of downhill aided courses but truth be told, that's what most races around home are. I am happy with how training went. My goal pace I trained at was 3:12, so that's the goal. My current PR is 3:26 so I would definitely like to be under 3:20. Sojo felt comfortable for the most part. I'm guessing this won't be. I'm hoping for a time and performance I am so happy with I won't feel the need to better for a while. I can't wait to get back to the trails!  Here goes nothing!

UROC 100k

Picture heavy post, all beautiful.  A little late, probably a little dissorganized and missing details, but should be pretty good.

What a fantastic day!  2 weeks ago I had the pleasure of running the UROC 100k, Ultra Race of Champions, a race deemed an ultra running world championship (although of course not everyone in the world was there, but the elite field was stacked heavier than probably any other event like it).  It was 65 miles weaving in and out from Breckenridge, Colorado to Vail and up over and down 4 big 12,000ft+ mountain passes. 13, 245 ft of elevation gain, 12,379 of elevation loss.  Much of the race over 10,000ft  My husband has been traveling a lot for Altra lately (he is a co-founder and now over marketing for Altra footwear) and I originally had no intention of going with him to UROC, although he suggested it.  I'm not huge on road trips, we had just gotten back recently from a Colorado trip, and and finding babysitters for our 4 kids, 3 of them in school can be tough.  But the stars aligned and I decided (like the week of,

story of my life) to go out with him and race.  We took my great friend and pacer Zac and his super fun wife Caitlyn out with us.  My husband wasn't flying in from his last trip until the afternoon of the expo, so it was good to have Zac there to help me drive and work it.  We arrived to snow dusting on the mountain and rain all day.  I wasn't too worried, as race day forecast looked good but it took a lot to stay warm at the outdoor expo, I think I had 5 layers on at one point and was still chilly.  That definitely influenced me to dress warmer for the start of the race.

I stayed with my typical race nutrition you can see detailed in my Katchina report but basically a gel every 40 min (ViFuel are my favorite, I'd take a caffeinated GU every 2-3 Vi's simply for the extra caffeine), a Metasalt every hour, 2 Sportlegs every even hour, 1 Hammer Tissue Rejuvenator every odd hour.  Didn't eat much solids, a couple potato pieces at a couple aid stations, PB&Nutella half sandwich, quesodilla slice, and coke of course at all aid stations except one that didn't have it.  I would have taken what sounded good, nothing much did and I did fine with gels.
I started wearing my Altra Lone Peak 1.5's, wool socks, Icebreaker undies, tights, short sleeve tech shirt, heavy gloves, beanie, and white pack jacket.  Kept all of that on except the heavy gloves that came off early at mile 6, the beanie I traded for a headband, and the pack jacket which came on and off when needed.  I wore arm warmers and a light vest in the afternoon and evening when done with the pack jacket.  Used my Nathan Vaporshape hydration pack for most of the race and 2-10oz Nathan handhelds instead, for a break in the middle.

I'm going to type in between all these photos to help jog my memory, hope it's not too cluttered to read.  We drove into Breckenridge early that morning and the race started without too much fanfare at 7:00am.  The first 4 miles were all uphill, most of it very steep going up a ski slope.  Ouch.  Not my favorite way to warm up.  No I definitely wasn't running, but even just hiking up it hurt.  The next few miles were flat and downhill, but they were icy.  My goals going in were to get sub 15 hours and to try for top 15, they earn Skyrunning points, an ultra that goes up and down mountains can be referred to as a Sky race, there were 11 elite women listed, so I figured why not shoot for a spot after them and get points for fun.  Friends Mark and Zac as well as my husband Jer talked me into going out harder the first 10 miles and seeing if I could stay around 10th place.  If it felt too fast I'd back off, if not I'd keep it up.  6 miles into the race I had no idea where the leaders were but I didn't feel good so was sure they were gone.  Didn't expect to see my crew (my husband Jeremy, Zac, and Caitlyn) for another couple hours, but there they were!  A nice surprise, and even nicer to hear I was in 9th!  I really needed that, to know I was where I wanted to be.  Now if I would just remember that every single race I take at least 6 miles to warm up.  Things would get better, and they did.

 

While we were in snow for the first 6 miles, crossed many beautiful wood bridges like the one above, we soon ran into less snowy trails with beautiful yellow leaves.  I didn't do the best job capturing it below, but it was nice.  You could finally feel some sun (it was close to freezing when we started), and this little stream ran along side us for a few miles.  The guy in the picture below, Dave I think his name was, stopped on the trail in front of me.  I asked if he was ok and if there was anything I could do.  He asked if I could unbuckle his pack because he couldn't use his hands. I of course obliged, and insisted on helping him more but he said he was ok.  A few minutes later he came up behind me with socks on his hands over his gloves, still unable to feel anything below his elbow.  I remembered I had a hot hands warmer and we stopped and I opened it and stuffed it into the palm of one hand under his layers.  We ran along side each other for quite a while and it was nice to chat.  He went on ahead of me eventually when I stopped to tie a shoe I think, but I passed him again a few hours later.

 

The girl in the above picture passed me about a mile after the crew told me I was in 9th, booting me to 10th.  Was a little bummed, but it was still a long day.  The section to the mile 13 aid station in Frisco was kind of a long one, didn't see many people.  Had a good downhill section then some paved trail (boo) then finally into the town.  Was good to see the crew and they were great and right ready for me, although the only thing I did was hand them my neck gaiter after realizing that aid station - in a city mind you - didn't have Coke.  Arg!  I meant to go to the bathroom there, but rushed out too quickly, I need to remember to slow down sometimes and get done what I recall in my head before getting there.  It was a goal of mine to move faster through all these aid stations than Katchina.  I wanted to race this, not just run it.

  

Left Frisco and got back on trail and started heading up, up, up.  From Frisco to the big pass (climb 2) was a little more than 5 miles which doesn't sound like a lot, but it was all up.  Some up worse than other.  A very wooded section before the below picture was especially challenging, just so steep.  I hiked/ran behind the guys in the picture below for several miles, and they were slowing down, and I was getting itchy to go ahead and use my powerhiking and not let any more ladies get close.  Right after I took this I passed about 4 of them.  In the photo below do you see the pass/dip to the left?  That's where we were headed.  It doesn't look that bad in the photo, but I remember looking at it and being in awe, it looked big.  Here we got into a lot deeper snow too, 6-18 inches.

  

The photo below shows the top of that pass.  Boy was it windy up there, I couldn't believe a couple was up there holding a cowbell.  I think they said they were headed down.  It would be very cold up there just hanging around not moving much.  The lake in back is the big lake in Breckenridge.  Now we would go around the Breckenridge side of the mountain we started on, but much higher.

  

Below is the lake farther away (and farther below) as I'm heading toward the big pass of the day.  It was windy and snow blown in places and not super runnable.

  

We were literally just traversing the side of this steep sloped mountain.  Did feel kind of cool, being way higher than the tree line.  I passed a couple more people while on this section, including a woman I hadn't seen before but who looked good, and my female friend from before!  Was very excited to see her, get closer, and then pass.  I always make it a point to say hi and good job and ask how they're doing when I pass.  I'm grateful for my well working body, not that they may be going slower.  I appreciate the friendliness of ultra running.  I thought triathlon had it, but not nearly as much as trail/ultrarunning.

  

 Breckenridge is below me in the picture above.  The photo below is the last mile of climb.  It may not look that far, but it switchbacks a few times.  The guy right in front of me was from Mexico, a native Tarahumara runner.  The poor guy had to sit down at the top of the pass, I suspect from altitude issues.  We were at 12,341 ft.

 I could not believe the view at the top (photo below)!!  It was so amazing and started the super high excited feeling I would carry for the next couple hours.  It was just so epic and unreal and cool.  A true tundra.  Very very windy, I was thankful to have my friend Mark's pack jacket with it's tight hood.  I wasn't cold at all, just sheltering from the wind.  In the photo below you see the trail heading off toward the black spot.  The next series of 4 pictures shows me following that trail starting to descend.  I thought it was pretty neat to see us go from the rocky tundra, to a few more plants, to the seeing the tree line, and then finally getting back into the trees. You can see the road heading down the middle of the picture in the photos too, that is the freeway heading toward Vail.

 

They probably don't, but I hope these pics show how big I was smiling.  I was having THE BEST TIME going down that mountain!  Highlight section of my day was from the top down through this section.  I would have loved to stay on it, but adored what I was seeing, how I was feeling, how I was running.  I ran so well.  I've been working on my downhill, really needing to improve it, and improved it for sure on this 5 miles down into the Copper Mountain aid station.  I could go on and on about what a fantastic high that was.  I was running well, happy, fed, warm, and in 8th place!

 Minus a few (20 minutes) of being a little frustrated feeling like the aid station should have been there a while ago (I was behind my time goals at this point, maybe they didn't take into account all the snow up top) and being out of water, I was so stinking excited running into that Copper Mountain aid station.  Zac and I are below.  I hadn't seen an aid station in several hours, and hadn't seen my crew in even longer.  I was running well, was excited about my position, and happy to see people.  I was so giddy, and while I don't relish in people having a bad day at all, when Zac told me 7th place was puking at the aid station, I got a little excited :)  That sounds bad I know, but I was excited I could move into 7th, not that she was sick.  I moved very quickly in and out of there taking the chance to move up another place, and I was off dragging Jer and Zac with my a minute up the next ski slope hollering out instructions for when I'd see them next.

 

From this aid station it was time to run 12 miles on a paved bike path.  12 paved miles.  Pavement is not normal for most ultras and frankly it's not normal for me much anymore.  The first half was fine, but it was getting windy and a little cold rolling into the next aid station where I'd pick up Zac as a pacer.  Top 5 women earned prize money but they cannot have a pacer and it was crazy to be having to consider if I'd put myself in danger of being ineligible of 5th place or DQ'd because I was planning on getting a pacer.  I had been running pretty hard and wanted Zac with me, and was fine not getting money, so we as a crew agreed the worst they would do is just not give me the money.  Deal, fine.

So I picked up Zac, traded my hydration pack for 2 small handhelds just for a change, lost the music I had been enjoying the last 5 hours in trade for great Zac stories, and off we went.  Decided not to change out of my tights like I thought I would.  We had some warm sections, but it cooled off nicely quickly.  Leaving that Vail Pass aid station at mile 33, Zac made me eat.  I did what I could but then tossed the rest.  This 5-6 mile section of the pavement was along the freeway, downhill, and my feet were getting tired.  Not painful like at Katchina, but tired.  I was ready to get off the pavement.  We came to an intersection where we were unsure of which way to go, luckily a cyclist pointed us the right way and not too long after, earlier than I was expecting actually, we got back onto trail!  Two Elks Trail.  A lady at that aid station took my picture, told me I looked great and asked my name and it's spelling so she could put it on iRunFar, a big ultrarunning website!  That was pretty cool! 

I was thankful for Zac's conversation about everything to keep me motivated through the road and now back on the trail.  We passed a pretty waterfall and started powerhiking again in thick woods.  I was thankful for the powerhiking break, easier on the feet and legs, and I love it.  The 3rd big climb of 4 wasn't bad, we handled it well.  We pushed well and I was pleased how fast I was moving and we passed a bunch of people.  Took a while to get to the next aid station and Zac unfortunately sipped off a rock there and tweaked his knee.  I tried to go to the bathroom at that aid station but with no success.  From here my low started. 

I was getting grumpy and unmotivated.  I didn't have the pep in my step anymore.  I wasn't at all considering DNFing or anything, I just felt like it was taking forever to make any progress.  I also stopped to squat every 10 minutes or so.  SO annoying to stop and even more annoying to not have any result.  TMI I know, but it is not comfortable jostling and running while feeling like the poop is right there.  Hate that feeling.  Hate not being able to get it out so I can get on with my race too.  It's not an anxiety thing, I can squat anywhere ;) I don't know what the deal was.  On about the 5th stop I finally had success (aren't you grateful for these details?) and hollered it up to Zac....and the next girl behind me.  Darn!  And not because it was embarrassing, but because someone passed me.  7th felt great, I wasn't thrilled with 8th.  I know that's only one place back, but I had run in 7th for so long.  Zac tried his hardest to keep me happy and moving on, which wasn't an easy task. I was a grump.  It was starting to get dark and I wanted to get to the darn Minturn aid station.  From there it would be 10 miles to go, I would see Jer, it was the last big milestone.  I really wanted to get there.  When we finally got off the trail and had 1 mile on the road to the aid station I started moving.

 

We moved so fast in and out of Minturn and I was smiling, so happy to be on the last 10 miles (above).  Realized that 7th place was only a few minutes up, and that 5th and 6th place were a lot farther ahead, enough not to worry about.  That was good actually.  But I did want to try for 7th.  We are good powerhikers and that is what we had coming with this last 4th climb, so I gave Jer a kiss and ordered Zac out of the aid station.  It was funny as we were on the road we ran past a guy who overheard us talking about pills, and whether I wanted to feel sustained or pumped up (caffeine pill), he said he wanted one too :)

So off we went up the hill at a good trudge for a couple miles.  Then I started getting tired.  I wanted to be able to see and know where we were headed, which is hard in the dark.  I got a little choked up at one point which is bad news for my breathing.  Was a scary minute or two trying to get calmed down so I could breath.  Zac motivated me to keep going and promised if I finished top 10 I'd get a big ol Zac hug (and they are great!), reason enough to keep moving.  We finally got to the last aid station to find out 7th was more than 16 minutes up, she had made a lot of ground so I wasn't going to worry about her anymore.  That again was good, we just needed to focus on running strong to finish. 

It was cold but not too cold.  At the prerace meeting they pointed out that the finish was below a switchbacky road.  I saw the road then, figured we'd see and hear the finish line for a while and know it was close.  I wish that were the case.  I was very impatient and what we thought would only be 20 more minutes, turned into more than 40, it just kept going!  So many switchbacks, didn't seem like we were getting any lower, even though we were.  I know I was bugging Zac complaining so much, I was just anxious to be done.  I was happy to have my top 15, heck, top 10 finish, but I was also focusing on my time goal of under 15 hours.  Because the course turned out long, 65 miles instead of 62, which I didn't know at the time, I was cutting it close.  It was 14:50 and I still couldn't hear or see the finish.  Finally, not more than 2 minutes before the finish we saw it (coudn't hear it because no music or announcing....).  I got a little lost finding the actual finish chute (not the best last 10 miles of glow marking) but got through it - just under my goal!!  14:57! 

 And after I finished in the time I wanted I could get super excited about my finish place - 8th woman in a starting field of 11 national and world elite runners!!  Holy cow!!  I never really saw that coming, top 15 really was my goal, to get top 10 was just a dream.  I had an overall fantastic day!  It opened my eyes to maybe what I could do someday.  I had my couple somewhat brief low points, and thankfully I had Zac to help me get through it, but it's also good too, because some of it I can change in the future and improve a future race.  I was so happy to have Jer crew me, it was great to see him and have him take such good care of me.  He never complained during the race which was so great as it's not the easiest thing to just hang around all day waiting to see your runner for a minute or two.  Caitlyn was a great help too while not feeling well herself.  It does take a village and I've got a great one :)
After the race the cold set in and so did the backlash or working so hard all day.  I felt absolutely yucky at the condo.  Just wanted to curl up in bed but everything was uncomfortable.  Found myself in the bathroom both sitting on the toilet and holding a bucket, never did need the bucket though.  That isn't all that much fun, I was up till 2am when I decided to take a warm bath that may have helped me get a few hours of sleep later.  The next morning though I felt ok, just stiff, and my recovery was great.  I was sore for a few days, but didn't feel any long term fatigue and didn't get injured.  Easier recovery than Katchina.  Pleased about that.  Probably my last long race for the year, and so happy with it.

In my most mature voice - what a challenging but freaking fantastic and epic day!!!