How to Stop Being a Wannabe: Signing Up for My First Ultra

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The ultrarunning world has its own lingo, its own customs, its own podcasts, its own “major” races, its own stars, its own running clubs.  It also has its own website: ultrasignup.com.

For the past few months, I’ve secretly held an account on Ultrasignup, lurking in the background without actually having run or signed up for an ultra race on the site.  In other words, even though I’ve run a good bunch of trails, and even though I’ve fallen and gotten “best blood” on a run or two, and even though I took an official rite-of-passage full immersion dunk in the swimming hole with a crew of badass trail runners this past summer in Southwest Virginia, and even though I ran in Colorado in the dark and in the snow for the last few months of 2016, I am not an ultrarunner.   I’m a wannabe, a noob, an interloper, a poser.  But that’s going to change…

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Year in Review 2016

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Dear readers,

2016 has been a doozy — filled with epic highs (emotionally and in terms of altitude), big life questions, one terribly disappointing election, and many miles in the air and on my feet.  You can check out my goals for 2016 here  and my upcoming goals for 2017 here.  Thanks a million to all of those who supported me and brought joy to my life this year.

To recap, here are a few facts about 2016…

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Goals and Race Schedule for 2017

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Each December, I like to sit down and write out my goals for the coming year.  Last year I set several goals, outlined here.  I hit many of them, including my goal to run four marathons in 2016 (I did six), go camping (check!), hike and run trails (I did that a bunch), read Move Your DNA (done), and run a marathon under 3:45 (woohoo!).  A few others, not so much.

But I have only one goal for 2017:  B. Q.

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Renaissance Periodization… for a Body-Positive Vegetarian Runner?

I believe that “diet” is a bad word.  I believe that there’s a lot of evil happening at the hands of the diet industry and their co-conspirators (looking at you, women’s mags).   I believe that our society has done a shamefully good job of teaching girls and women that they should always be “trying to lose weight” and should never be happy with their bodies.  I believe that men need to speak about women differently.  I believe that women need to speak about themselves and each other differently.  I believe that girls need to be raised differently — including but not limited to changes to shape of their toys and the appearance of their Disney characters.  I hope my kids never go on diets, and I don’t plan to use that word in front of them.

I set this all up to say — I’m going on a diet.  A real one.  With rules.  And Excel charts.  It’s not touchy-feely.  It’s not “eating by intuition.”  It’s actually the opposite of how I’ve been peacefully but unsuccessfully “trying to lose weight” for the past several years.  Which is exactly why I chose it.

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Last Two “Peak” Weeks Before the Kiawah Island Marathon

IMG_2722.JPGA few weeks ago, after my Chicago Marathon recovery, I mapped out my mini, 5-week training plan for the Kiawah Island Marathon.  The first week of real training was a high (for me) mileage week, with a record 54 miles (!!!!!!).  I had two other higher-mileage weeks planned after that one.  Then the election and tons of work (gotta make that hours requirement for 2016…) and the darkness of daylight losings time and maybe some fatigue from those 54 miles and a head cold and various other excuses happened.  (If you haven’t seen my listicles about backpacking, DC, and vegetarian airport food, which I posted over the past couple of weeks, check them out.) But here I’ll report what I got done in terms of training…

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The Best Tips for Healthy Vegetarian Eating While Traveling

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I’ve been traveling a lot for the past few months, commuting between DC and Colorado each week for work.  I’ve spent a lot of time in airports, and a lot of time hangry on airplanes.  But I’ve figured out a few tricks for how to eat healthfully (and as a vegetarian or vegan) while on the road or in the air and avoiding that gross-I-just-ate-a-ton-of-junk-and-now-sit-the-rest-of-the-day-on-an-airplane feeling as well as the I-am-going-to-eat-my-luggage-because-I-am-so-hungry feeling.  Here’s what I’ve learned.

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Top 8 Washington, DC Fun Facts for the Rest of America

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As I was traveling out west and various other places this summer on my 50 state adventure, I noticed that when it would come up that I live in DC, I would get one of a few different reactions.  One: the look of disgust and assumption that I worked in politics (aka was part of “the swamp” that needed “draining”).  Two: shock that I lived in the city.  You know, where there are people that don’t look like me.  Three:  the ever-classic, DC’s part of Maryland, right?   Kind readers and countrymen, I’m here with a listicle to help clear up a few things about this place!

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Top 10 Tips for Your First Backpacking Trip

img_1970This summer, I developed a strong desire to spend some time in the wilderness.  Real adventure that gets me out of my comfort zone.   (For the record, I had done one real, adventurous, very legit camping trip in Alaska when I was in high school, but I was along for the ride with some camping experts and didn’t do any of the planning, so it didn’t feel like that counted.)  So bought a bunch of stuff at REI, researched online, and planned a short, beginner backpacking trip for my husband and our dog in Shenandoah National Park.  Of course it rained on the planned weekend and we had to cancel our adventure.  A few weeks later, I did some camping in Wyoming at formal campsites and really loved sleeping outdoors, but I didn’t want winter to arrive without having done a real backpacking trip.  So I somehow persuaded my wonderful husband to head out in much colder weather than originally anticipated (it was now October instead of August!) for a backpacking trip.  We survived!  Even with just one little weekend trip, I’ve already learned a ton, and I wanted to share it with other aspiring adventurers.  Without further ado:

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Five Weeks Until the Kiawah Island Marathon!

img_2619Next month I’ll be running the Kiawah Island Marathon, which will be my 20th marathon in my 15th state!  (Nice round numbers.)  I’m hoping to keep the momentum going after Chicago and come home with another PR as I inch my way towards that coveted BQ…  Here’s my training plan, plus what I did this past week — my first week of real training.

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One Week Until the Chicago Marathon!


I am running the Chicago Marathon in just one week!  If all goes well, this will be my 19th marathon and my 14th state!  Woohoo.  I had signed up for this race hoping to make a big jump in my PR and finally snatch a BQ.  But taking over four hour to finish the Mesa Falls Marathon was a big reality check for me.  Sounds like a BQ might be a few races off…

But what are my race goals?  And what have I done to try to hit them?

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