The past couple weeks have been AWESOME! We've been blessed with a WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFUL fall. I still literally smile everytime I walk outside and see all the pretty leaves. I love the cool temps and lower humidity! ITS AWESOME. a trail runners paradise!
The first weekend in october, I drove up to Charlottesville to run the Wild Oak Trail with sophie and the VHTRC!
Sophie was nice enough to invite me up for a weekend of back to back runs. I stayed at her lovely home and met her beautiful family. I always say that sophie is the hostess with the mostest, and it's so true. I had such a wonderful time staying at her house ( I felt so at home and at ease with her family)
here are some pictures from the Q's flickr from the run.
Twot was NO JOKE. It was a challenging technical course with some big climbs and big descents. I was glad I decided to wear masochists for that run! MARLIN YODER! thanks for running with me ALL DAY LONG. THANKS For not rolling me off the mtn, even though I begged you to at one point.
Sophie and I then went on to Blue mtn Brewery for some Oktoberfest fun!
and the next morning we ran on the AT with Jack, Sophie's super Aussie! It was a GREAT training weekend.
Then a couple of weeks ago, I embarked on a training run with another tribe of trail runners whom I just LOVE the CAT's. ( Charlottesville Area Trail Runners) I say all the time that IMTR's love CAT's! I feel so much comraderie with these guys. Same way I feel at home, at sophie's house. I feel AT HOME running in the blue ridge mtns with the CAT's.
So I drove to lynchburg for the night and then met fellow IMTR, Guy Love sunday morning to go drive towards montebello and run the priest and 3 ridges! I have ALWAYS wanted to run this run ( well, for about 2 years now) and I was SO excited I was actually getting to run this, AND The weather was perfect! it was cooler about 40 at the start ( and windy and cold up on the 3 ridges) but about 70 by the time I descended the priest. I ran with Bob and Neil all day long and just had the BEST time talking to them about everything under the sun. The climbing the priest I got to run with David and Quatro, caught up with Guy ( because he waited for me) and so we had a great group on the overlooks at the priest.
post run, we had a lovely tailgate.. which is one thing I REALLY have grown to look forward to at the end of any run that Quatro Hubbard is attending. :) seriously, post run tailgate in the trail head parking lot is WHERE IT's AT people.
here are some pictures from that day:
tailgate party in the AT parking lot!
That was my last BIG long run then, I've ran a couple 17 milers in the hurricane gap section and I took some pictures of those runs.
And I ran bear tree gap loop 10 miler, the leaves were unreal, but didn't take my camera that day but fellow IMTR dennett dwyer did. If he ever posts pictures, I'll link them up. yes, dennett I'm writing your name in this blog post so all your e-stalkers can google you some more!! They'll be so sad I don't have any pictures... oh wait, let me see.. nope, no more pictures...
HERE is a link to my Picasa so you can see all my other oct running pictures.
okay, so somewhere in there.. all this blissful fall running, I'm supposed to be ready for MMTR. I know what I need to do, having run this course last year. I feel I am ready fitness wise. I'm MUCH fitter than last year. I have much more time on my feet than last year. and my recovery times are less than what they were last year. SO I hope that translates into a more successful run, a faster one-- and an more enjoyable masochist than the one I experienced last year! :o) I want to have FUN. I want to ENJOY the moment and just grab life with both hands and give it a bear hug. I want a JOYFUL 50 miles! That's what I want. Even if I don't obtain those things on Nov. 5th and things aren't idealistically like I envision them to be, the journey of getting to MMTR has been FANTASTIC this year. I have gotten in some super challenging and beautiful runs and got to share the trail with some of my favorite people. I love my ultrarunning ,trail running family-- and road running family. I am so blessed to have so many great friends in running. I love yall!!!
Can't wait to see all my friends at MMTR, it's going to be like a big family reunion! SO many friends running! good luck to you all! and hellgate 100k! i'm in! so I'm excited about that! my plan is to start slow, to suffer with dignity:op and FINISH!!
