My Bear 100 Pacing Strategy

Randy Thorn is going to come to the Bear 100 (Bear100.com) as my pacer throught the night, or into the finish, or whenever I need him.  I gave him permission to use all means necessary to make sure I made it to the finish line....and this is what he came up with!  I like it, just what I need.  I have no idea how I will feel at the end which is why it will be nice to have someone there the keep me moving, eating, and hydrating.



The course has about 22,000 feet of elevation gain and drop, as if just going the distance wasn't hard enough!!

Randy told me this looked really crazy when he first looked at it.  I told him it's all in your perspective.  So, I made the following map and sent it to him for a second opinion.... (In case it's hard to read the scale goes from 4,800 feet elevation to 9,000 feet elevation)

OK, this seems more managable..........

Random Quotes

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Vince Lombardi



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOMEDAY is not a day of the week! ~unknown

Everything in Life is a Choice! ~my friend Jewel Warner

Big Roaring Lake to Hideaway Lake - PART TWO

Click here for Part One...

We went camping camping to Trinity the last week of August 2009 and I was training for another reason.  I was still in the process of losing my weight and on that particular week I was giving it everything I had to reach 100 pounds lost.  The week prior weighed in a 212.4 and 95.6 pounds lost.  I was certain I could lose 4.4 pounds if I ate right and exercised.  As it turned out I lost 4.2 that week which brought me to 99.8.

Fast forward to 2011.  I ran the exact same stretch of road and trail this year with a similar purpose, trying to get to 100.  This year it wasn't 100 pounds but 100 miles as I prepare for the BEAR.  What a difference 2 years makes.  Back in 2009 I didn't quite reach my goal when I got to 99.8 pounds.  Hopefully I can have EXACTLY the same results.

The Bear 100 is actually 99.7 miles.....

I don't think I have ever posted this but this is the 1 year goal chart I kept from the beginning (March 18th, 2009) to when I met my goal of 135 pounds lost (February 24th, 2010).  In the time between starting and reaching my goal I had 3 weeks when I gained.  The first was the week I had umbilical hernia surgery, the second was the week I ran my marathon in December, and the third was the week I attempted my first 50k!  One surgery and two carbo load weeks, not bad!

Big Roaring Lake to Hideaway Lake - PART ONE

I got up and was planning to run a loop on the Rainbow Trail near Trinity Lake. I Started at 3:40 and ran nearly the whole thing in the dark. I have been there many times so I wasn't terribly concerned about the rocky rooty trail. I was a bit concerned about the backside of the loop since I hadn't been on that part before.

Even though it was dark I remembered many place along the trail where I have stopped and taken pictures with my kids over the years. It was a real shame to run the whole thing in the dark because it is such a beautiful place. When I got to Hideaway Lake the trail just disappeared. It is so rocky that the trail is impossible to see in places and there was no moon. I wandered around in circles for about 12 minutes until I found it again and decided to go back the way I came and not risk getting lost, or worse fall down the 500 foot rock wall at the back of the basin!

Anyway, it was a beautiful morning and there were zillions of stars. When I got to the first pass I was greeted by my favorite constellation, O'Ryan. That is how I spell it anyway! I finally got to turn my headlamp off at about 6:30 (mile 9) and was back in camp by 7:00 to start a fire and make breakfast!

Good times

Winning and Racing

"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."  ~Amby Burfoot
 
I saw this today and had to share.

Strength and Courage Part II

This post is for my friend Christie who had the strength and courage to share part of her past with our friends on Daily Mile yesterday.  I know that it can be hard to do, but I am sure that there are many people who look up to you for your wonderful example and positive attitude. ☺

I found this poem sometime ago and posted it back in September of last year.  I posted it on my fridge so I could be reminded of its message each day.  My daughter liked it and came up with some of her own that I really like too, which I have added as part 2.

Strength and Courage

It takes strength to be certain; it takes courage to have doubts.

It takes strength to fit in; it takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to share a friend’s pain; it takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pain, it takes courage to show it and deal with it.

It takes strength to stand guard; it takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer; it takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to endure abuses; it takes courage to stop them.

~Author unknown~

 

Strength and Courage Part 2

It takes strength to finish something; it takes courage to start it.

It takes strength to write the words; it takes courage to say them.

It takes strength to be known; it takes courage to watch someone else shine.

It takes strength to join a group; it takes courage to be yourself.

It takes strength to dream; it takes courage to carry it out.

It takes strength to follow; it takes courage to lead.

It takes strength to stand on your own; it takes courage to ask for help up.

It takes strength to have feelings; it takes courage to truly feel them.

~Cami Anderson~