Category Archives: ChiRunning

TRU Tribe: Member Spotlight Cindy Richardson

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

Every Saturday we highlight one of our members in TRU Tribe Running Club .  Cindy Richardson was our first one!  Since she’s been a member, she’s crossed finish lines she never thought possible including her first 50K on 9/27/19!

Cindy and Mellie completing their first 50K..at night! They are still smiling at the finish even if the sunrise beat them to the finish 💜

Why did you start running?
I needed a new challenge in my life and running had always been something I was scared of.

What age did you start running? 
58

How old are you now? 
59

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far from your running journey?
Just start and quit thinking about it. Even if I have a setback, I need to work within my own limits but keep moving forward towards my goals.

What advice would you give a beginner runner? 
Just start and quit thinking about it. Find a coach and stick to a workout schedule. Having an event as a goal will help keep you focused.

What would you do differently knowing what you know now?
I would try to be more consistent with my workouts.

What is your longest race distance and why?
50K – recently completed. It was a tough event but I finished within the cutoff time.

Do you have a bucket list race or distance?
Not any more. I am happy with the 50K, but may decide to do other 50K races. 

What has been your favorite race and/or distance so far?
I really enjoyed my first night race, it was a 9K at San Tan and beautiful weather with full moon, and I ran with a companion Melinda the entire race.

What is your favorite color?
None really but wear lots of purple now.

What is your favorite post race food and drink?
Beer garden is always fun to sit and visit with group, beer and something salty for post race snack. 

Anything else you want to share with the TRU TRIBE Online 🥰
Having the TRU Tribe group as inspiration and companions is a great way to keep focused and have fun. Lisa is a great coach — working on technique, running workouts and auxilliary excercises plus cheering us on the entire time.

Click here for more Member Spotlight Inspiration!

Race Report

Canyon De Chelly Ultra 55K Race Report 2019

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

This race is one of the main reasons I love running!  This was my most favorite race experience that I’ve had to date! (so hard to say this as I’ve had so many but overall, this one takes it!)

First I have to thank Maria Walton.   Continue Reading →


Race Report

Race Report: Old Port Shipyard Half Marathon

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

Another first time experience in Portland ME running in a new place!  I love having the opportunity to run in new places and the only reason I was there was because of my running friends.

Quick history on why I was there because it wouldn’t have happened for any other reason.  I was promoting my Moab Ladies Training Program and Amy, who comes to Running for Brews, emailed me and asked if she could join the program but not do the Moab race. She wanted the benefits of the program but was already committed to running this half marathon in ME because she was on a trip with her husband.  First time this happened so I figured why not.  I asked her to send me the race info so I could adjust her training plan accordingly to include hills or whatever the race profile looked like.  When I looked at it, I realized I was going to be back east during this weekend and only 2 hours away…….HMMMMM….I marked “Interested” in the facebook event and then a friend that I met while I was teaching at Kripalu with Danny last year, saw it and said that it wasn’t too far from her and maybe she would come too. Well before you know it, 3 friends from the Kripalu trip were doing the race too….so why not?!

Race Report

As you know, I love trails so another road half marathon 3 weeks after Moab may have been the only reason I wouldn’t have done the race.  But to be able to see Amy through her training and then get to be at the finish line and see my other friends was a huge motivator for me.

This was one of the most organized races I’ve attended.  As an out of towner, I got enough updates via email with info for the event. I was able to find an AirBnb for Laurie and I (that was another crazy experience that I can’t even begin to address here but nonetheless part of our adventure).  The race directors even did a facebook survey at one point to decide if people wanted t-shirts or tank tops.  Tank tops won!

The race website had all the info from addresses of the parking areas to how much each one cost. I was a little disappointed on race morning that the weather was cloudy.  I am not crazy about running in the rain but I was so excited to be running a new route, in a new city, with friends even if it was road!

We got to the start line early enough and all of the sudden I could hear the MC of the race motivating people!  OMG, this is the start line I was missing since Moab!  Completely opposite experience!  This guy was awesome!  So many motivating words to get us pumped up…and he looked so cool!  Dreads and barefoot…..Here is a quick video of him at the finish line doing his thing!  I would go to a race just to hear this guy do his thing!  His name is Michael Bernier and apparently he MCs many races and does some pretty cool stuff.

I usually always encourage people to run their own race and this is what I normally do.  Amy was doing her thing and the other girls said they were going to do Galloway for 1 min run and 30 sec walk intervals.  They hadn’t trained as much as they normally would like so seemed like a good idea for them.  They said they probably would finish in 2.5 hours.  I had no goals for this race at all. I just did the Moab Half in about that time frame 3 weeks ago (still haven’t officially checked my results LOL because it doesn’t matter).  I’ve never done intervals that short before so I told them I would start with them and see what happened.

At the start line all pumped up!

We started out together and it the first part of the race was in neighborhoods.  Apparently they changed the route but it was all new to me.  We had a few rolling hills and since I hadn’t seen these ladies since their ChiRunning training in Kripalu, I was able to share some reminders from class about hill technique and give them a few pointers on their form.  Then it started raining!  To my surprise, I was not concerned in the least bit!  Might be because it was a very light drizzle or because I was in good company or because it’s been awhile since I’ve had this opportunity so I went with it and enjoyed every minute of it.

Then we got seaside.  I was bummed that it wasn’t sunnier as I think it would’ve been a bit prettier but it was still beautiful.  Here are a few photos:

Beautiful views!

More beautiful views!

Was going to be a selfie but a runner insisted to take the photo!

Time was flying!  We hadn’t seen each other in a year and had a lot to catch up on.  We leap frogged here and there but I mostly stayed with them doing these intervals.  I’ll admit I wasn’t too crazy about them.  We skipped some when we went downhill or uphill going more on body sensing than timing (the ChiWalkChiRun way). By the end of the race,  I felt like Pavlov’s dog waiting for the walk intervals.

At about mile 10 I had an awesome surprise!  Vince (a ChiRunning Master Instructor from NH) was there cheering me on!  He drove an hour to do this!  Most of ChiRunning instructors work on our own so when we have a chance to see each other (we are like family!), we try to make it happen.

Here are a few more pics from the route:

Vince!!

Wish I could get a better pic of this but it just looked cool..

Always have to have some selfies 😉

Cool graffiti on a wall…

and on the ground!

and we were on this trail for a bit!

More graffiti on the ground…

We had a few more hills and could hear the finish line approaching.  The last 1/4 mile was on cobblestone and my least favorite part. I believe there was more cobblestone in previous years and this was one of the big changes they made.  I am happy for that because it was uneven and uncomfortable but as ChiRunners learn to do, we figure out how to neutralize our “opponent” rather than meeting a force with a force.  (In Tai Chi, warriors always neutralize their opponent rather than meeting a force with a force….in ChiRunning, our “opponent” is the environment so we use technique to help us flow with it rather than fight it). So, I picked up my feet a little faster while staying slightly on the forefront of my feet (I’m normally mid foot) to avoid the dips.  Vince was there again and cheered me on and I could hear Michael, the MC, doing his thing which completely drew me to the finish line (my audio ychi rather than visual!)

Unfortunately a few of the ladies had to leave right after the race so they missed one of the best race after parties!  As part of our race entry, we got a slice of pizza, an ice cream and two beers from Shipyard Brewing Company…..you know where I went first, right?!  BEER! and I had extra tickets for Vince too.  There were 2 beer gardens!  After the first one, we decided to go to the second one because a disco tribute band, Motor Booty Affair, was playing and they were awesome!  I did a facebook live from there and I clearly had a few beers 😉  While I was on the coast, I had to get some clam chowder and try some lobster so we did that and called it a day.  Here are a few more pictures:

Amy finished and PRd!! So proud of her!

Kripalu gang finishers!

Cool signs! https://www.runawaysrunclub.com

Best name for a porta potty company ever!! Genius marketing!

Lobster traps

Yummy oysters!

Motor Booty Affair! This band was covering 70s music and were killing it!

Laurie and I…one of the official race pics…they won’t let me post the others ;(

Aha moment: An interesting side bar on my soreness a few days after the race….I was sore on both legs in a place I am never sore:  the bottom of my hamstrings, close to the back of my knee. I was trying to figure it out and I was talking to Danny about it and eureka!  In ChiWalking, you straighten your leg behind you not in front of you.  Because I walked much more in this race and changed my form frequently from ChiRunning to ChiWalking, I was extending my leg back which caused this to happen.

So do I recommend this race?  Hell yes!  I am posting this blog 5 days after the race and they already sent a survey to get feedback.  Beautiful half marathon course, very organized event, amazing MC and the best after party!  If I happen to be back east at this time of the year again, I would definitely redo it!

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Measuring Your Running Success: (HINT) Speed Has Nothing To Do With It

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

What?  Not use speed or pace to measure your running success???!!!  That’s just crazy talk…..

Maybe for some people but not for me!  First of all, let me put you at ease if you do measure your running success based on speed.  This is probably the most common way most runners do it.  Again, not a bad way but also not the only way.

As a running coach, I hear this all the time with beginner and recreational runners.  They are constantly deflated because they are not “fast” enough or “I’ll be the slowest runner out there” and apply a lot of pressure on themselves because speed is what everyone talks about when it comes to running. This could ultimately lead to big disappointments because they get injured from trying to get fast or just decide to quit because “running is not for me”.

WHAT IF……
What if there were other ways to measure your running success?  Guess what? There are! Here are some of the ways I measure my success after a race, not in any order as they are all equally important (for me!):

  1. FEEL GOOD FACTOR:  my goal for just about any race is to feel good the entire time. This goes against the competitive grain of “go all out” and “give it all you got”.  Again, nothing wrong with this at all, but this doesn’t sounds like a way I want to spend my time. When I can finish a race and feel like a million bucks, that is a GOOD race!  Don’t get me wrong, I like to push myself here and there.  But generally speaking, I like to get into my body when I’m running.  I like to have my mind and body connected so I can feel what is happening. I like to see what kind of adjustments I can make to make it more effortless and feel good.  I don’t understand this idea of “suffering” through a run that many people talk about.  I’ve learned to respect that every runner has different goals.  If I’m suffering, I’m not having fun and what’s the point?  My first 100K is a great example.  I used the word epic to describe it.  My goal the entire time was to feel good and have fun….and I did! (by the way a much easier goal to achieve than worrying about speed!)

    My 100K took me 19 hours and 46 minutes. The cutoff was 20 hours. And here I am still smiling at the end….affirming that I was going to have fun and feel good, and making it so, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! If I would’ve set a speed goal for this, it would’ve changed everything for me.

  2. FUN!:  If a race is not going to be fun for me, why bother.  Many people don’t consider running fun but I do (of course there is a love/hate relationship with it!). If I’m not going to have fun, why do it?  Strictly my opinion but pushing myself to a point of complete exhaustion doesn’t sounds fun to me at all.  This means I’ll stop and smell the roses. I love to take pictures, especially if I’m in a new location.  I’ve hung out with friends I haven’t seen in awhile volunteering at aid stations . Heck, I even stopped at an aid station for 20 minutes because they had some good alcohol!

    Crown King Scramble 50K, getting ready to climb a big hill…yes, I’ll hang out and have a few drinks before I do that. Some people say why, but I say why not?

  3. LACK OF INJURIES:  If I can run as much as I want, have fun and enjoy it, and not get injured too?  Well, that’s just the icing on the cake!   Now I can keep doing what I love to do and not get sidelined by injures.  Last time I had a running injury that kept me from running was in 2014.  Keep in mind that I’ve done one 100K, one 50 miler, one 40 miler and a bunch of marathons and 50Ks along with many miles since then.  I give the biggest credit to ChiRunning as it’s completely changed my life.  Poor running technique is one of the reasons runners (especially newer ones)  get injured.  Everyone assumes you put one foot in front of the other and you are good to go.  If that were true, 65% of runners wouldn’t be injured every year. It’s not running that causes injuries, it’s HOW you run that does!  I also stretch regularly, strength train and follow a training plan which are all factors in my running success.

    Writing this post on 5/9/18 and this is how long I’ve been running (ultra running) without injuries…

Running has always been a competitive sport due to speed.  No matter how long you go, there will always be a first place winner.  Technology doesn’t help either.  Now there are software programs/websites like Strava, Athlinks and UltraSignup that keep public records of your race performance.  I’ve seen people have to explain on Strava posts why their run might’ve been slower because they were running with someone slower than them.  Heck, Ultrasignup even ranks you and forecasts how you will finish based on past performances.  This is a lot of pressure for beginner and recreational runners and it doesn’t have to be this way!

Imagine going into a race with no major nervousness about how you’re going to perform?   Imagine going into it thinking about how much fun you’re going to have and how good it’s going to feel?  Huge weight lifted off the shoulders!   This is how I go into just about any race and it’s almost never failed me!  When I go into a race thinking about PRing (setting a personal record), it changes everything.

So how do I do it?

My number one strategy is detachment and making a conscious choice not to care about how fast I finish a race.  I first heard about the Law of Detachment when I started meditating.  Definitely not the easiest thing to do in the world but like everything else, it takes practice and is great because it effects all other areas in my life as well.  I basically go into a race being detached from any speed goals. I may say “I’d like to PR this race” but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world and I’ll focus on celebrating what I did do well which usually ends up being the 3 bullet points above.  This just happened to me at the Sinister Night Runs.  I LOVE this course!  I figured I had plenty of training since ultra season just ended for me and I’ve been feeling great. I pulled up my stats for the last few years and knew what I had to finish with.  However I also decided I wasn’t going to look at my Garmin watch once to see where I was (I’ve done this before and it causes a lot of stress when you keep looking at your average pace and how far you still have to go.  Then I tense up, I’m not relaxed AND I’m not having any fun again).  I had one of the best races as far as Fun and Feel Good Factor!  I mean I felt so amazing the entire time!  Imagine my disappointment when I crossed the finish line 3 minutes later than my PR! Yes, I went there.  I started getting a little bummed. But according to the Law of Detachment, another factor is dealing with uncertainty.  Who would’ve known that I replaced my headlamp batteries with old ones so my light was so dim that I could barely see the ground (this was a night trail race).  I was grateful for other people’s headlamps and the full moon that night. I couldn’t account for that.  How many times do things not go as planned that you had no control over what so ever?  So even though I didn’t PR, and I started with a bit of disappointment, I knew that I had a fabulous race that night and did not let my speed (or lack thereof) bring me down and suck the fun out of it for me.

So if you measure your running success based on your speed, I challenge you to take your Garmin off and go on a run without caring about how far or how fast you go.  Just go run and see if any of the measures above work for you.

If you are a beginner or recreational runner, take a big sigh of relief now!  It’s your running story and you can do what you want.  I am a coach and say this! As someone who does this for a living and has finished DFL (Dead Effin Last) before and is a back of the pack runner in general, trust me, you can make our own rules!

I would love to hear how you measure your running success!  Please share!

(This post was inspired by one of my recent Facebook Lives called: Why I’ll Never Qualify for Boston)

I love this!

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Race Report

Race Report: Crown King 50K Scramble 2018

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I have a love/hate relationship with this race!  It’s my 3rd year in a row and for some reason, that evil hills keeps calling me back.  Last year,  Aravaipa Running had a Women’s Ultra Training Program for the race and I was lucky enough to be the coach…unfortunately I never wrote a blog for last year but I did write one for my first time in 2016. Continue Reading →


Race Report

Race Report: Black Canyon 100K & My First Buckle

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I DID IT!!! And it was the amazing experience I absolutely expected it to be!  Where to even begin?!  It’s been 3 days and I am still flying high from completing this race!  My longest distance ever and one of the most amazing experiences of my life! (WARNING: there may be a lot of exclamation points in this blog and maybe some swear words too)

I’ve been wanting to cross this finish line for the last two years and I finally did it.  You may recall that last year I attempted it and had to drop to the 60K due to the awful weather.  I was disappointed but it was the right call and I don’t have any regrets.  I will share some learning lessons and then a race report with pictures sprinkled in between 😉

My favorite picture of all! This at about 3am with my pace/crew team that helped make it all possible! I love that we are still laughing at the end!

Learning Lessons….

Be prepared:  Leading up to the race, I had logged about 900 miles, completed two marathons, two 50Ks and one 40 miler as part of my training. The longest I had been on my feet was a little over 11 hours for the 40 miler at Across The Years in December.  Needless to say, I felt ready going into it.  This is a great feeling to have and something I try to impart with my runners.  When you follow a training plan, and do all the work, there is nothing else to worry about but do the race!  The week before was strange as I never got nervous…I had never really felt this prepared for a race.  I also ran on the entire course on 3 different occasions so this helped. However, running each leg on 3 separate occasions (a month apart each time) was definitely not the same as running it all back to back (and at night time).  This was more challenging than I expected and caused me to finish 2 hours longer than I expected.  I also prepared a detailed spreadsheet with my expected arrival times to each aid station and finish and met with my crew/pace team. There is no better feeling for me than going into a race feeling prepared.

Get technique down:  No way I would ever be doing ultra marathons if it weren’t for ChiRunning.  This course had a negative elevation profile but still had some good amount of uphills too (while I was running, it did feel like there were more uphills than downhills though).  I focused on my technique on many of my training runs (I purposely did some races that had more hills).  I am a geek about running technique.  I love being present and focused on what my body is doing and how can I tackle the environment coming at me as efficiently as possible.  One of the things I love most about ChiRunning is I get to constantly get better the more I practice. This keeps me more process oriented vs goal oriented. Even though I had a finish goal, I was not attached to it. So long as I finished and got my buckle!

Have fun:  I can’t stress this enough!  The week before I was visualizing and I kept telling myself that I GET TO go run around our gorgeous desert for a “few” hours.  I was not attached to any expectations and truly just wanted to enjoy every minute of my event. I know that if I get too focused on time, it starts sucking the fun out of a race for me and why bother? I am never going to win the race…and personally I run because I truly enjoy it and have fun so I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.  If it starts feeling not fun, I won’t do it, bottom line.  Fun factor is a huge necessity for me during  a race, especially one this long!

Race Report:

Even though I had paid for the shuttle to take me to the start line (the race was a point to point which means we were dropped off at Mayer High School and then ran 62 miles south), I decided not to take it.  I would’ve had to wake up an hour earlier (3am vs 4am) and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in a bus with a bunch of excited runners. I know I need some quiet time before an event this big so I can get centered and relax.  The 1 hour and 20 minute drive was a perfect way to do this.

Jubilee, the race director, giving the pre race briefing before the start

I arrived with 30 minutes to go, did a facebook live in my car and then headed to get my bib.  I saw several friends who were running as well.  After the race briefing, we headed to the track to start.

Startline selfie!

I knew the first part of the course had more downhills and I wanted to take advantage of that but also need to make sure to conserve energy for later in the day.  I started at the back of the pack (as usual).  I had projected finishing around 12:30 in the morning. I had my spreadsheet in my pocket so I could check it at each aid station and text my team to keep them posted. At this point, I was loving this trail.

So much fun running down switch backs.  I also welcomed the uphills as that’s where I tend to rest more with ChiWalking/Hiking.  One of the things I don’t like about this trail is that it’s a single track. The 60K runners started an hour after us but the faster runners quickly caught up to me.  I had to move over to the side of the trail many times to let them pass by me so that was a bit annoying. I’d get some momentum down hill and then would hear footsteps behind me and have to stop and let them pass. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of their race but it got old after awhile.

I was so focused on the trail that it took a few moos from the cows to get my attention and notice them!

Part of the jeep road trail…then we would go down the canyon on some fun switchbacks and up again…and repeat…

Ran into one of the Aravaipa race directors, Noah, who was running the 60K with his brother. Love the night Insomniac Series that are part of his races!

One of my favorite parts of the trail is seeing the windmill that is pictured on the belt buckle

I was tracking 30 minutes ahead of schedule at each aid station (my estimates were conservative so I knew this would happen at the beginning).  During this time I kept myself entertained several ways:

  • I love being in nature so I started and spent quite a bit of time just being present, focusing on my technique and enjoying the scenery.
  • I listened to a few motivating podcasts:  Trail Runner Nation’s Intuitive Training with Courtney Dauwalter and Final Surge’s with Camille Herron.  I was hoping to see Courtney at the start as I was lucky enough to get a picture with her in the middle of her course record on the Coldwater 50 mile course. Huge amount of respect for both of these ladies and love that they both mentioned beer as part of their nutrition (more on this later!)  I couldn’t get beer out of my head after these podcasts!
  • I went back to nothing and then decided to listen to some ChiSchool to keep me focused on technique again. I have about 105 lessons on shuffle on my phone and ironicallly, the first one that came on was the lesson called, Dealing with Fatigue.  Perfect timing to get refocused.

In between this, I got to the Bumble Bee Aid station ( Mile 19) and it was great to see some familiar faces there. The key at aid stations is not to spend too much time there.

So great to see my friend Nancy at Bumble Aid station with her husband Bill. Also some Surprise Running Club peeps!

This was an awesome aid station (I think Bumble Ranch..maybe a dude ranch?) At any rate, they had a bar that was open! So tempted but too early in the game!

Had to get a photo opp with the “man eating cows” for my Run Heifer Run friends!

My next aid station was 4.5 miles away and my new friend Denise was there with Will and Mike. I switched my socks out here because they were rubbing (they were a new brand and I know better than not to try new stuff on race day but I brought a back up pair in case. Glad I switched when I did because I did end up getting some hot spots that impacted me later in the day).  Another couple volunteering at this aid station were asking me about Girls On The Run (I had my hat and shirt on) and I started getting into it when Denise said to me “This is about you today, you need to keep moving.”  As much as I love talking about GOTR, she was right and I need to stay focused (one of the hardest things for me to do at aid stations LOL).  By the way, icing on the cake, thanks to all of you that donated in one way or another to Girls On The Run!  I raised about $2,600 for our local council!

Getting into the aid station to change out my socks that were rubbing and bugging me. Glad I planned ahead and brought an extra pair with me!

I look at my pictures and love that I truly was smiling and having a good time pretty much the entire time! Taking a break at the aid station for sock exchange 😉

At the next aid station (last one before picking up my pacer at the 60K exchange), I was still 30 minutes ahead of schedule so I decided to take my time here.  My Garmin was running out of juice and I had brought a charger for it. I put it on the charger and put it in my pocket. I also choose to do another facebook live here.

I knew all I had to do was get to the 60K aid station and that’s where I would pick up my first pacer, Elaine.  I took my Garmin out of my pocket and realized it had paused.  Ugh, not sure how long it was paused but now I couldn’t update my crew on where I was.  This leg was harder than I remember so that ended up taking me 15 minutes later than I expected.  Good news is that I was able to text them when I was a mile away due to a course sign. I have to admit, the markings on the course were great!  One of my biggest fears in ultras is getting lost.  I’m not even sure how at one point in my life, I was actually an Underwater Navigation instructor! (yes I used to teach scuba diving!).  Navigation is definitely not my strong point.

Part of the single track uphill trail…this was one was clean with rocks on the side but a lot of it, especially towards the end, had lots of rocks filling the trail.

River crossing before the 60K aid station. The cold water felt good on my feet…I didn’t even try to keep them dry…I knew I would be at the next aid station soon to change shoes and socks again.

I was excited about seeing my team at the aid station…and what an amazing surprise when I got there!  In addition to my crew, there were several other friends that came out to cheer me on!  At first I saw my friend Heather and her daughter who were waiting a big ahead and ran in with me…As soon as I crossed the mat, I noticed the bigger group. I was so excited that I stopped and took this picture of them!

A picture of my crew/pace team and friends waiting to cheer me on! Wasn’t expecting this (and there are more friends not pictured like Heather and her daughter)…Elaine is already yelling at me to hurry! LOL

Got a little chaotic here because of all the excitement but I needed to stay focused.  I changed my shoes, socks and got some warmer clothes. One of the things that I had been thinking about for awhile was a cold beer!  Both Courtney and Camille had mentioned beers in their podcasts and I figured a little beer would keep me relaxed.  My friends had one in the car but further away…and this is what I love about trail runners…all of the sudden, this girl I’ve never met before walked up to me and brought me two Lagunitas! I only drank half of one but it was the best beer ever! I stayed a little longer than I projected but it was so re-energizing to see my friends. And I have to admit, I still felt pretty darn good!

That was one of the best beers I tasted! Only had half of one but was perfect! Cheers to Courtney and Camille!

They finally kicked me out with Elaine.

Not before I could try to get another selfie with my friends!

OK Elaine and I are finally really leaving!

I’ve blogged about Elaine before here as she did my first 50 miler with me.  We were 30 minutes behind my projected time but at this point, I didn’t care at all.  We started running but this is when the trail started getting rockier than I remember.  It was single track with lots of loose rocks so it was hard to get any momentum going.  Plus those hot spots on my feet seemed worse when I was walking but I just couldn’t get any momentum and run on those rocks.  Even though we were hiking mostly at this point, we were still keeping a good pace.  Any time the trail got smooth with no rocks, we’d start running (which felt so much better) but we would literally go for 20 feet and then ….the Mother Effin’ rocks again!!  This happened a lot on this last 25 mile stretch!  OMG, it was getting frustrating but Elaine kept telling me not to focus on them.  As much as I love running alone, having Elaine to talk to really helped time go by! At one point she said, we’ve been out for 4 hours!  I couldn’t believe that much time had gone by because it only felt like one.  We hit one of the aid stations and I had the best tortilla filled with peanut butter, some coke and M + Ms.  It was night and getting cold and there were several people at the aid station that looked like death warmed over.  I was grateful that I was feeling pretty darn good still at this point! Elaine did about 13 miles with me which included a few river crossings but they were not bad at all.  At one point we stopped and turned our headlamps off to enjoy the night sky!  What a trip to be out in the middle of the desert running a 100K!  We reached the next aid station and she switched out with Lori.

This aid station had sausages and Somoas!  So crazy how you never know what your body is craving under these conditions!.  It was great to see my honey again and my friend Vicki who kept me on track and filled my water pack at the aid stations so I could focus on food and clothing.  Lori paced me for the last 12 miles.  How can I be at mile 50ish of a 100K and talking about upcoming races?  I think I had this conversation with Elaine too.  Weird thing about ultra running is that it can get addicting.  The terrain was the same…..we’d get a little momentum running and the Mother Effin’ rocks again!

My crew/pace team did it again with an awesome cake the next day with my Mother Effin’ Rocks on it!  They added candy rocks and love the purple sneakers to match my favorite color and business logos!

Of course I was using the real word and our joke is how much I swear.  Lori was trying to count them but she must be used to hearing me swear because at one point she said I was at 4 and I know I had to have least swore 10 times.  I was really surprised at how good I felt considering I had been on my feet for 15 hours (this is how long my 50 miler took me).  My original goal was to finish by about 12:30 am but that last 25 miles was so rocky that it slowed us down considerably.  At one point I realized my food alarms were not going off.

I set food alarms to remind me to eat 150-200 calories every 90 minutes. I’ve posted about this before and thanks to Fuel To The Finish (Brooke Schohl) who changed my nutrition world when it comes to ultra running and my regular diet. http://www.therunninguniversity.com/2016/02/25/50-miles-of-gratitude-2-nutrition/

I had set them to go off every 90 minutes as a reminder to get 150-200 calories in me.  I looked at the time and I realized it was 1am and I had only set them through 11 with the assumption I was coming in at 12:30.  This is when I started to panic. I looked at my spreadsheet and we were cutting it close.  We could barely see the the last aid station…a light far away…a mirage and depending on how we were winding on the road, it would disappear and reappear.  It seemed like it was not getting closer.  I was worrying because the last leg was showing to be 4.8 miles and we were really cutting it close. There was no way I was going to be able to run 5 miles in the last hour…not with those rocks!  I am sure I could’ve done it on smooth trail because running felt pretty good still.  Thankfully when we reached that aid station, they told us it was only 3.5 miles and we finally got more relief with less rocks so we could run more.  This last section was surreal…I couldn’t believe I was doing it and almost done!  In a weird way I didn’t want it to end….but a the same time I was ready for it to end too.  I kept looking at my watch and was saying “I really don’t want to have the same dramatic finish from my 50 miler”! (I came in with 12 seconds to spare on the clock!).  We could see the lights where the finish line was and I was starting to get excited.  We could hear Elaine calling out to us and I knew we were going to make it in time.  And before you know it, there was the finish line!  Before getting there, I was trying to figure out how I would feel when I crossed…would I cry, get emotional?  I was surprised at how excited I was to cross it….as a matter of fact, when I crossed the finish line, the official picture didn’t come out so my friend Kisha (who volunteered at the finish line just to see me finish!) had me run back through it for the picture. She also gave the buckle to my honey so he could give it to me.  I did a Facebook live in my car on the way back home!

Still smiling big at the finish with my first belt buckle! I finished in 19:46:01 with 14 minutes to spare on the cutoff! I was out there from 7am Saturday to 2:26am on Sunday. And I loved every minute of it! (mostly, except for the mother effin’ rocks!) There was a 20% DNF (Did Not Finish) rate so pretty proud that I finished!

with Jubilee, the race director! What an amazing, well organized race!

This blog took me several days to write.  It’s 5 days after the race and I am still on cloud nine!  I describe it as one of the most epic experiences of my life…part of it is because I affirmed that and wanted it to be that way!  I know they can’t always be this way but one of the pieces of advice I received from fellow ultra runner and Chirunning Instructor from WI was “You’ll have highs and you’ll have lows, just ride the waves.”  Greatest thing about this event is that I never really had a low.  Don’t get me wrong, those Mother Effin’ rocks were getting on my last nerve but I kept a positive attitude all day and felt great the whole time!  Of course I was sore for a few days afterwards and I know it will take me a few weeks to truly recover but today I feel great!  And no injuries during my 900+ miles of training or at the race! Thank you ChiRunning!

A huge thank you to all the aid station volunteers, Aravaipa Running and race director Jubilee for making it a great event, and most importantly to my crew:  my best friends Lori, Elaine and Vicki for crewing and pacing me and my boyfriend for crewing as well but also for supporting me throughout my crazy training schedule.  I seriously don’t know that I would’ve made the cutoff without my pace/crew team keeping focused and moving!

I DID IT!!

I celebrated my finish and 47th birthday the next day. NO one escapes a cake in the face from Erica! And yes, I AM WEARING THAT BUCKLE!

Yep, I’ll show my buckle off! Hanging with fellow 100K finisher Chris Worden. He was the last one to come in to get the lottery entry for the Western States!

Wearing the buckle a few days later with my shirt at Running for Brews. I’m the Organizer so I picked the theme: Favorite Medal 😉 Hehehe (funny is that I don’t wear buckles so I had to buy a belt for one. I did it last minute and it arrived 30 minutes before my party….then I realized I got the wrong size so Greg had to make a new whole it in for me too)

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Race Report

Race Report: Sedona Marathon

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

This was my 3rd time doing the Sedona Marathon (did the half marathon as well once).  I absolutely love this race!  It is incredibly scenic and even though I really don’t like road races, the middle part of the marathon is on a jeep road so trailish.  I also love the fact that it is a hilly course.  I love this because I get to use a lot of my ChiRunning skills and this is one of the reasons I love running. I am definitely a geek about this technique but I love having my mind and body working together to tackle the course as efficiently as possible. Click here to see the elevation profile.

Night before the race. Since the race starts at 9ish for all distances, you could come up the day of but I alway like getting there the day before. Don’t like sitting in a car for a few hours and then run 26.2 miles…plus it adds to the experience!

Thanks to Connie for this great pre race photo…just love that scenery!

Here my roses and thorns about this race:

Roses:  

  • Scenery is gorgeous!  I think you get the most bang for your buck on this if you do the half or the full marathon.  It’s an out and back course (this could be a rose or thorn) so you don’t get back as far with the 5K or 10K.
  • Nice small town feel of a race. I’ve stopped doing the Rock N Rolls because they are too commercial and too big.  First time I did this race was 2014 and it has grown but not to an extreme.
  • Hills, hills, hills! I love using my ChiHill techniques and Chirunning in general.  This marathon is my PR (2014) with a 4:58:49 and it was mainly due to form and strategy.    Even though half is on road, it’s technical enough for me to feel like I’m on a trail because I have to match my running technique to the variety of the road coming at me. This makes running fun for me because it’s a fun challenge to see how I can use my technique to be as efficient as possible.
  • The finish has always been small but this year they added a few food trucks and a BEER garden!  My favorite beer is Piehole Porter from Historic Brewing Company and minutes after my finish, I got a nice cold one and it was possibly the best beer I’ve had 😉  I did a Facebook live at the end…but not before I got my beer!

This was Piehole Porter #2 of the day. We’ve enjoyed stopping at R.I.O.T. in Cottonwood on the way back home which has great craft beer and food!

  • I like the out and back because I love to see the elite runners on the top of their game. It’s fun to be able to yell great job at them as they run by you.  Although I will say, road runners are not the same as trail runners.  Most of the time there wouldn’t be any acknowledgment to the “good job”s where on trail, you normally get a “thank you” and/or “you too.”
  • Lots of energy at their aid stations. They have a contest for this but it did dwindle on the way back.  Aid stations provided water, Gatorade, Cliff gels and bananas.

Aid stations compete for the best one. This one had a circus theme and had the most energy in my opinion. I also went under the lady in the stilts! Camera was probably fogged up when I pulled it out so not a clear picture ;(

Superhero theme aid station….this was on the way back so I was in chill mode…was trying to get selfie but then let the aid station volunteer get a better shot 😉

  • Friends!  I went up with a few friends and met other friends that I didn’t even know were going to be there!

with Connie and Aaron at the start…ran into several other friends but forgot selfies!

Thorns:

  • I am not a medal person but it doesn’t seem fair that everyone gets the same exact medal.  A 5K person gets the same medal as a marathoner and that just doesn’t seem right to me. I think they can step up their game for sure on this one!
  • Not crazy about the shirt you get for the race. I know they have to give props to sponsors but way too many sponsors on front and back.  Not crazy about the color. I wouldn’t normally buy another shirt but since I love this race, I sucked it up buying a purple/pink tank top that has the map of the course on the back.
  • I am normally a back of the pack runner and this was a training run for me.  This was one of my longest marathons because it was just a training run for me but I got to the last aid station and they barely had water (no more Gatorade or food).  It seems like the energy at the aid stations really dropped on the way back when you need it the most.  There was still people at the finish and maybe because this year it was bigger…but the cutoff is 7 hours for the marathon and I don’t know how much support the other back of the packer received.  I remember getting bagels, bananas, etc at the end and didn’t see any of that this year unless I missed it.
  • I think for the price you can get a bit more swag in the goodie bag.
  • I love the smaller feel of this race but I don’t remember that there was as much traffic on both the paved and non paved road.  RECOMMENDATION: I am really glad I had my buff around my neck because the cars made a lot of dust on the dirt road so I would pull it over my mouth and nose when they passed by. Again, seemed like more than usual traffic there.

My Experience

I love this course because I get to really practice my ChiRunning technique. For some people, running is just a means to an end and is goal oriented. ChiRunning is process oriented. This means that it’s a practice (like yoga is a practice).   The more you focus on your technique, the more you’ll have breakthrough “aha” moments and continuosly get better and better.  So when I’m running on a technical course (many hills) I love working on my technique.  In Martial Arts/Tai Chi, your opponent is a person…in running, your opponent is the environment coming at you.  In Martial Arts, you don’t meet your opponent with a force but you cooperate with that force to neutralize it…..we do the same in ChiRunning.  Most people will use way too much leg muscle to propel themselves up a hill (meeting a force with a force) and then get to the top and walk down because they are so tired.  In ChiRunning, we use specific techniques that help us cooperate with the uphills and then crank down the hill because that’s cooperating with gravity all the way down.  Every time I do this race I always chuckle to myself because I will constantly leap frog with people doing this.  They pass me on the uphills and then I run right past them on the downhill using less effort up and down.

I knew this was supposed to be a training run. It was my last long run before my first 100K (2 weeks after Sedona).  I wanted to really PR and even though I told myself I wouldn’t do it, I did try to PR through the first half of the course.  When I reached the half point, I was on schedule to PR….then I forgot the next 5 miles were back uphill…..then I remembered this was only a training run…… so I quickly decided to chill out because the 100K is my priority.  The second half of the race took an extra 30 minutes which was absolutely fine with me.  My legs were feeling like I had pushed myself and I also felt that I was still recovering from the 52K a few weeks before.

All in all, if you like beautiful scenery and a challenging course, I highly recommend this race!  May become an annual tradition for me…maybe it will be my A race next year so I can really train for it rather than use it as a training run.

some amazing scenery!

more amazing scenery

 

 

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Race Report

Race Report: Coldwater Rumble 52K Fun!

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I think I found another favorite 50K! Well actually a 52K 😉

On Saturday, I completed my 10th 50K??  (I seriously can’t keep track…technically my 10th 50/52K not including the 60K/64K?).

Anyways, it doesn’t really matter.  I picked Aravaipa Running’s Coldwater Rumble because I’ve done the 20 Mile event 3x and I wanted to get more mileage so I figured why not?  This race is in the Estrella Mountains which are my old stomping grounds when I lived in Avondale.

The highlight of the entire run was being able to get a picture with Courtney while she was in the middle of her 52 miler (she still won the race in 7:10:22 , broke the course record and was 2 hours and 12 minutes ahead of the 2nd place runner!).  She is truly an amazing athlete (she did the Moab 240 miler last year, placed first and the 2nd runner was like 10 hours behind her!).  She had an amazing stride and my friend Nancy just yelled out and asked her to take this picture with us and she stopped and did!  How cool is that?!

The amazing Courtney Daulwalter stopped to take a quick pic with us and she still placed first!

A few of my favorite things about this race:

  • There are distances for everyone: 4 miles, 20K, 20 Miles, 52K, 52 miles, and 100 miles.
  • Because of all the distances and some looping on the course, you get to see people doing the various distances. You can tell by their bib color which one they are doing. Trail runners are one of the friendliest people and there is always a “good job” or “way to go” as you pass someone or they are coming toward you.

Thanks to Surprise Running Club for being at the key aid station where we crossed several times on the course with the other distances.

  • This trail has so much diversity: uphills, downhills, sand, rocks, gravel, single track, wider trail, etc.  Lots of cacti, chollas and white quartz too.

Great views and cholla forests!

Mounds of quartz!  I love this spot! As you approach it, especially when it’s sunny, you can see it sparkle and it looks like 2 big mounds of snow in the middle of the desert.

 

  • Aravaipa just puts on a damn good race! Volunteers and staff are amazing and the aid stations always have great food and drinks.

I don’t really have anything negative to say about this race.  It might be a bit of a drive out to the west side for some people,  I’m not big on loops but the 52K was the 20 mile loop and a smaller one that was reversed so it looked like another trail in my opinion, I loved the diversity of the trail but I heard some people didn’t.

This was a true training run for me.  I was so excited to see how many friends I had that were doing the 52K!

 

Kisha did her first official ultra trail race! Like a true ChiRunner, before the race she said she was oddly nervous because she felt so prepared for it. I stayed to watch her cross the finish line and she finished in exactly the time she expected to! Great planning and congrats!

ChiRunners Emily and Tricia at the start. Both are training for their first 50 miler (Antelope Canyon like mine!)

Always fun to see old friends and make new ones!

Sometimes I may get in “race” mode because I want to PR that event…since it was my first time doing this event, I wasn’t concerned about PRing but wanted to have a solid run.I am always prepared with podcasts, audio books, ChiSchool audios for these long runs.  I did the first 9ish miles by myself and in silence. Sometimes there is nothing like being one with nature on the trail which is one of the many reasons I prefer trails over road.

I ran into my friend Tricia, Ragnar Ambassador and ChiRunner and gave her some tips as we ran in sand (see below).  We picked up Nancy and one of my newest running friends, Aaron at the aid station at 11 miles. Unfortunately Tricia was having some cramping issues so she stayed at the next aid station to work through it.  The three of us ran from mile 11 to the finish together.  If it works out that I’m with people who can stay at whatever pace I am doing, I am happy to run with others. This running season I’ve done more long runs than normal on my own so I was happy to have some company.  We had many conversations over those 22 miles while hiking and running that really helped the time go by! Before you know it, we finished our race in about 9 hours.  Here is a video of our finish.

Lessons Learned/Technique Tips

  • I did this Facebook live after the event. I’ve talked about this before: the difference between attending a race and using it as a training run vs actually racing the event.  When I’m in race mode (which only happens if I’m trying to PR the same course of a race), I have an entire different process: I taper the week before, I check my previous stats and know exactly what pace I need to average to get the PR, I’m more focused on how long I stay at aid stations and try not to waste any time on the trail. I usually prefer to stay by myself on these types of runs.  If it’s just a training run, I treat it exactly as that. It took some practice to get to that point but you have to mentally just decided it’s just a training run.  I love doing races as training runs because you have aid stations and you get to see friends and more runners on the course. It’s really just a mindset that you can decide!
  • I’ve done several training runs and races in sand and have learned a few things.  From a ChiRunning standpoint, you always want to move your body to flow with nature rather than fight it (like in martial arts, you never meet a force with a force).  When I’m in sand, I work on keeping a faster cadence (strides per minutes).  The slower I move my feet, the more time I have to sink in the sand…so although walking was tempting, by increasing my cadence, I didn’t sink in the sand as much.  I also work a lot on peeling my foot and leaning rather than pushing out of the sand.  When pushing, calves are overactive, they are smaller muscles and I prefer not to burn them out.  It’s still a work in progress but I felt this was the easiest time since I’ve done this part of the course several times so something is working!
  • My abs were more sore than my legs yesterday!  I always take this as a good sign!  ChiRunning is about learning to engage gravity while in good posture (requires working the core muscles) and using legs for stability NOT propulsion.  My abs worked hard on Saturday!
  • I could also feel my upper back and shoulder muscles.  This is typical for me when I do uphills (use more arms than legs to propel me up the hill) but I noticed in several photos (including the finish line video) that my shoulders were hiked up.  I try to work on relaxing them but looks like I will be focusing on this more as I train for Black Canyon.  One of the things I love most about ChiRunning is that you are constantly focusing on becoming more and more efficient with your body movement.  Running therefore becomes a practice and not just a means to an end on race day. I get excited when I have a new “project” to work on with my running form!

With all of this said, this was truly one of my favorite races…not just the course, but the entire experience!  Thanks to the volunteers, Aravaipa, and running friends for an awesome time!

Connie was ahead of us on the 52K but the great thing about this course is that she had to come back towards us on her 2nd loop so we got to take a picture. It was fun seeing people going in both directions completing various distances!

Gorgeous sunset after our finish! Apparently I didn’t take any pics with beer or Fireball after the finish but it happened 😉

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

She’s such a loser!

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I wrote this original blog post on 9/9/2014.  I am updating it because it’s 3 years later and Diane is still rocking it!  I am sure she will agree when I say running is a great way to not only lose weight but keep it off.

“Nearly 65 percent of dieters return to their pre-dieting weight within three years, according to Gary Foster, Ph.D., clinical director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The statistics for dieters who lose weight rapidly, according to Wellsphere, a website sponsored by Stanford University, is worse. Only 5 percent of people who lose weight on a crash diet will keep the weight off. ” (Livestrong.com)

Since the interview on 9/9/2014, Diane completed 2 marathons, 15 half marathons and “lots of 5ks and 10ks”..

This weekend she is completing her 16th half marathon at the Arizona Rock N Roll and she’s been on TV inspiring a lot more people!  Check out Part 1 (3 min 48 sec) where she talks about what propelled her to start running even though she felt like she was never athletic,  Part 2 (4 min 17 sec) where she talks about what running has done for her and shares inspirational tips for weight loss.  And another one here too!

As a ChiRunner, Diane has been able to keep running and stay injury free and not become one of the 65% of people to regain the weight back.  It keeps her consistently active and it’s become part of her lifestyle now (only way to keep it off is to make it a lifestyle).  And she’s met so many new friends since she started running it’s almost impossible not to keep running when you have fun friends to do it with.

Read the original blog below:

__________________________

9/9/2014

No, I’m not about ready to start bashing anyone but just wanted to get your attention. Honestly, this will be probably my favorite blog post yet…Why?  Because this story is EXACTLY why I do what I do.

Meet Diane.  I met her in March this year when she attended Danny Dreyer‘s ChiRunning workshop.  I remember hearing her say at one point that she lost 100 lbs. As a fitness trainer, I always love to hear these stories. We became facebook friends and she joined my Running for Brews group a few times and met at other running events across the valley.  This weekend, I had the honor of being with her on her longest run to date. Not only was it her longest run (15.5 miles) but she did it on a trail…and at night time!  Let’s go back a bit though…

Here is a before/after picture of Diane:

dianepotterpic2

Since my passion in life is to help more people get into walking and running because it’s one of the easiest things you can do for weight loss/maintenance (if done correctly), I asked Diane if she could answer a few questions for me.  I was in tears reading her answers and I asked her permission to blog about it because I know she can inspire others!

How much weight did you lose?  
“I lost 100 lbs in a year and 105 lbs to date.”

When did you realize you need to make a change in your life?
“I was lying in bed one night and I was concerned because my heart was beating really hard and fast. It had been doing that for a couple months and I was scared I was going to have a heart attack and have my daughters find me. So that was my defining moment of when I decided to make a lifestyle change.”

What did you do?
“I was very strict with my diet by cutting out fast food, junk food, and sweets–I basically detoxed. I allowed myself to have one splurge meal a week.” (if you calculate it, she lost about 8-10 lbs a month which is healthy amount to lose)

When did you start running? Why?  When was your first 5K?
“I started running in September 2013. Even though I had lost a lot of weight, I felt like something was missing in my life. I decided to start walking. One night on a walk I started wondering if I could run. So I tried it–it was really tough and I could only do it for maybe 30 seconds at a time. Three weeks later I ran my first 5K.”  (I love that running can provide people with so many first time experiences: distances, trail, night trail, triathlons, etc. I see people pushing their boundaries all the time!)

Why did you keep doing it if it was hard?
“I was hooked on the race experience and found that I could channel my stress and anxiety through running. I ran my first half in May 2014 and am currently training for my first full in January. I’m still pretty careful about what I eat, but running allows me to enjoy brownies every once in awhile!”

What else has running done for you?
“Running and losing weight have given me the confidence and inner peace that helps me to be successful in all areas of my life, personally and professionally. The best part is I have become a good role model for my daughters, and they’re very proud of me!”

Any advice for anyone who would say to you “I could never be a runner”
“My advice to those who feel they could never be a runner is to take it slowly in the beginning with both pace and distance. If you try to do too much too soon, you could injure yourself or get burned out. Running is a huge lesson in patience. Accept the days when running feels impossible, and embrace the days when running feels effortless. Progress is gradual so don’t give up!”

Any advice for anyone who would say to you “I’m too overweight to be a runner”
“As far as those who think they’re too overweight to run, not true! Runners come in all shapes and sizes. There are plenty of amazing runners who don’t fit the mold. Fear is a prison. Don’t let it hold you back from being successful and accomplishing your dreams! It’s also important to focus on good running form so you learn how to run with minimal impact to the joints. I haven’t had shin splints, foot pain, or muscle pain since I started ChiRunning in March.

And for all new runners–don’t get hung up on being fast. Just get out there and enjoy it!”

Thanks so much to Diane for sharing a very brief summary of how weight loss and running has changed her life!

Here is a picture of us from this weekend.

javelinajangover

Both of these ladies broke records by surpassing their longest runs to date.
Both of these ladies never thought they would be running 15 miles on a trail at night (same goes for me!).
Both of these ladies never thought they’d be running a full marathon!
But both of these ladies had the courage to listen to their heart (don’t listen to your mind because it will tell you otherwise!) and just go for it.

So whether it’s weight loss or starting a walking/running program, remember this:

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” ~Brian Tracy

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” ~Thomas Edison

From My Running Story to Yours….

(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Race Report

Race Report: Xterra White Tanks: Did I PR?

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

Apparently I wrote a blog post about this one last year too.  I like to write race reports so if people want to find out more about an event, they can have someone else’s perspective. This is something I learned in ultra running which was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received.  Before picking an ultra (or after you’ve picked it) start googling “race reports ‘race name'” or “blogs ‘race name'” and you will get reports from runners that have done this race. Great way to get different perspectives and advice! (just have to remember it’s someone else perspective though!)

This is one of my favorites for a few reasons:

  • I love White Tank Regional Park!  Always fun to be on trails I don’t get to see often.
  • This is a tough course.  There is something about the challenge that I love about this race.  I also get to use a lot of different ChiRunning skill because of the terrain changes.
  • Xterra supports Girls On The Run and I love to support them back!

This race is no joke from an elevation profile. Their website describes it as:

“For those who prefer a course with pain and punishment, the long course is 20k of grueling single track with over 1500 feet of climbing. Starting from the group campground, runners wind their way up Ironwood to the Waddell trail. Once you reach the first aid station be prepared to go up, the next three miles are all climbing….”
I won’t do much detail on the race course as you can read it in my previous race report.

Volunteers rock! The Hansons are always out there supporting Girls On The Run events. Ricci and Joshua are Running for Brews regulars and volunteer a lot too. Thank you!

Pics don’t do the views justice!

Girls On The Run Advisory Board Member, Julie, volunteering too! Missed another photo at registration with more board members. If we are not running we are volunteering!

Still smiling after all the uphills! Was just feeling it!

I decided I wanted to try and PR (set a Personal Record) my time from last year which was 2:57:37.  Last year my goal was to get in under 3 hours.  I also had to remember that this is a training run and that I did 40 miles just last Saturday at Across the Years.  However, I was feeling great and ready to take on the PR challenge.

ChiRunning always plays a huge role in my runs and race.  I’m always looking at ways on how to approach the environment coming at me as efficiently as possible.  Sometimes it almost feels like a fun game I am playing with Mother Earth.

Some specific things I focused on from a technique perspective:

  • I focused a lot on uphill and downhill technique.  I love hilly courses for this reason.  Lots of upper body with uphills, some ChiHiking (it was steep and if I can walk it faster to save energy and not tire myself out, I will).  Tried to relax as much as possible on the downhills.  A little hard due to the rockiness but it was the best I felt running downhill.  I also need to give credit to Greg Riverdieu from the High-Altitude Training Institute. Last year, I took a technical trail running class from him and learned quite a bit.  But one of the things that stood out the most, and you probably had to be there, is he would say, you just go down like this…“boom, boom, boom” for 3 consecutive footsteps.  So that was in my head as well as Danny talking about “dancing down the trail” and “be the water”.  Using imagery and visualizations are fun when running!
  • Worked quite a bit on ankle lifting.  Rocky courses are great for this.  This course is known for taking some blood as people fall but I was determined to stay upright. Most common reason to fall on a rail is clipping your toe on a rock because you have a pendular stride instead of a circular stride (part of lifting the ankles).  This was my nemesis when I started ChiRunning and love to practice it as much as I can.

Some specific things I focused on from a mental perspective:

  • I realize I make this part of my “pre race” ritual. I get mentally psyched up for a race.  I am not going to win and my goal is to get a good training run in, enjoy it and have fun.  I was so excited to get out on the trail today.  Oddly, even with a hard course, “only” 12.4 miles wasn’t going to be too bad after 40 last week!
  • I set a goal to PR last year.  I rarely get attached to those goals though.  I think having a goal is part of race mentality but I also see too many people beat themselves up about it or setting unrealistic goals based on their experience and training. As mentioned a PR sounded reasonable but I had to consider other factors in my training like the 40 miles on the previous Saturday and my 50 mile weeks of training.
  • I rarely listen to music and XTERRA doesn’t allow headsets (which I really appreciate, especially on a technical, single track trail).  For some reason, I had an old playlist I hadn’t listened to in awhile so put my iPod on speaker and jammed out all the way up the hill. As soon as I started going down though, I really wanted to focus on relaxing and not falling on this technical trail so that’s what I did.

I couldn’t believe how great I was feeling.  Back to the PR story….I forgot to mention that I just got a new Garmin which I love, but I hadn’t really set up my display screens properly.  I new what my average pace had to be to PR but didn’t create that option yet.  So I just decided to body sense and do the absolute best I could.  I was sure I was going to PR until I passed the last aid station and found out I had 1.8 miles….it was going to be really really close!  I really started focusing on my form even more at this point because I was literally going to make it or not by seconds…..I crossed the finish line at 2:57 (same time as last year).  At this point I forgot to check for my results because I had a sushi date with my boyfriend.  As much as I stayed focused during that race to PR, I was still detached from the goal:  I hoped I PRd but if I didn’t, all good.  I even did this Facebook live and talked about goal detachment.

Well, 2 days after the race and after starting this blog, I finally know my results!  I PRd by 8 seconds!!  I finished at a 2:57:29!!  What this means to me is that I am right in line with my training for my 100K in 5.5 weeks.  Bring it on!!!

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)