Old Goat's 50 Mile

At 6:30 AM on March 26th I met with about 123 other runners at Blue Jay Campground praying for good weather. Average temperature was 40 degrees with black clouds. At the blow of the whistle we began to run in a uniformed line into the Cleveland National Forest. The run started off with a single road track with rolling hills. The only problem was that it was single track so the road became backed up pretty quickly. I could see a line of runners in front of me anxiously waiting till the road became wide enough to pass other runners. About 10 miles into the race we came to halt due to a river passing. I could see runners using a piece of rope carefully walking across the running stream in knee deep water. Hmmm... I'm not usually the kind of runner that likes to run in wet socks but there was no other choice. I quickly walked across the river and suddenly felt a little worried once I could feel the weight on my feet from the water (and now mud stuck to my shoes). I snapped out of any negative thoughts...cranked up the music and continued my adventure. The trail was absolutely stunning. Pine trees, rivers, forest, and the cold weather felt refreshing. At mile 11 there was a turn around point and I shuddered the thought of having to cross the river again. Once I got there I some how convinced a crew member to give me a piggy back ride across the river.. lol. It was definitely a funny experience and very thankful for the man that helped me out. Fist big hill of the day was a 900 foot climb around mile 17. This one was tough and left me feeling pretty exhausted. I was feeling a bit discouraged because I felt a little undertrained (I trained for a 50k but missed it due to the flue so I signed up for this one instead..not sure if that was very smart). The clouds were turning black and the crew were beginning to hand out ponchos at the aid stations. At mile 27 the true nightmare began... a 3,000 foot elevation gain/ 5 mile climb. Average temperature was 40 degrees and my fuel was running out. I looked ahead and was almost laughing once I saw the snow! What?! I was not prepared for this! I was wearing arm warmers, tank top and spandex...oh and wet socks. With 1.5 miles to go I was literally running in the snow. I had to stop at some points and really try to put together what was going on. I was freezing! I suddenly pulled out my ponchos and wrapped it around me. I felt a little better and suddenly pushed through (I wanted to get the heck out of there!) Once I reached the top I was so tired and cold that all I could do was help myself to some hot coco at the aid station as well as a PB&J sandwich (I always stick to Gu's). I immediately felt revived and got my second wind. With my poncho wrapped around me I began to descend that beast of a hill. My legs felt so strong and I was so happy to be out of that winter mess. At mile 39 I was warm enough to throw away the poncho (wasn't the best decision) and was running at a great speed. Besides the 35 degree weather for the remaining 11 miles I was enjoying the scenery around me (wish I kept that poncho!). I bumped into a couple fellow runners and chatted here and there but I wanted to get into my warm car asap! I looked at my GPS watch and was pretty concerned with my time. I picked up the pace and was so relieved to see the last aid station. I was so cold but managed hauled ass for the remaining 3 miles. 20 minutes later I began to see the camp ground and began to sprint. I suddenly saw my fellow runner friends cheering & supporting me and was elated to finally cross the finish line. RD Steve Harvey handed me my completion medal and I was thrilled to complete. I was thinking the worst for this race and came strong through the end. After a 13,423' elevation gain, falling 7 times, running through rivers & snow, and completing in 11 hours!... I finished 7th Female overall. That was a great race and I truly am soooo excited for the next one!

Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race

Greetings From the Himalayans!!!

After 20 hours of traveling and 4 plane rides later, I am finally in the Himalayans! The best part so far?... I would say flying past Mt. Everest! Last night I met a couple of the participants of the 100 Mile Himalayan Stage Race which begins on October 25th. We are currently at 6,000 ft and the altitude has not affected me as much as I thought it would (cross your fingers when I will be running at 12,000 ft come Monday!). After having my first bit of sleep in 2 days, I finally feel fresh and revived this morning. I enjoyed coffee with my new friends followed by breakfast (eggs, toast, baked beans?..Lol). During breakfast we could hear dinner being prepared...a chicken screaming in the kitchen. I think I can officially say that I am now a proud vegetarian... Lol. After breakfast I went on my first run with 2 new friends. We ran past the Lake, monastery, main village and enjoyed views of the peaks from a far off distance. The weather is very tropical and quite humid which I did not expect. I'm really looking forward to meeting all of the runners today as well as maybe visiting the local monastery. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Darjeeling to ride the toy train as well as visit tea huts. Well that's all I got for now... I'm just relaxing before the race begins!!!

DAY 1: 24 Miles

Waking up at 4am, 69 runners from all over the world put on running cloths and jumped in a bus to begin our journey. After a 1 1/2 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in a little town in Mirik, India. All of the locals were in the street cheering for us as well as local musicians. Before the blow of the whistle, each runner was given a white cloth to symbolize "good Luck & safe journey". At roughly 6,000 ft we were off! Boy was I crazy for signing up for this race! Only after running less than 1 mile of the monster hills began. For the remainder of the run, we climbed a total of 10,000ft! Now I usually average 24 miles every Saturday however climbing 10,000 ft in 1 day is a new challenge for me. To ensure I complete before sun down, I forced myself to run any rolling hills as well as speed walk up hills. Throughout the day I made sure to appreciate my surroundings and take pictures of Mt. Kachachunga and Mt. Everest. The Himalayans are absolutely breathe taking and even though today was the most difficult run I have EVER faced, I did have an amazing experience. After 6 hours and 8 minutes later, I came to the finish line. I know that sound like a long time, however I took 16th place overall and 6th female. Woohoo! Not bad for an American :)

Day 2: 20 Miles

Waking up was the most difficult part of the day (Sore & very VERY cold). All runners woke up at 4 AM to watch the AMAZING sunrise! As the sun came up, we had clear views of Mt. Whitney, Katchachunga and Lohtse. Katchachunga is covered in ice so at sunrise the mountain actually glows a lovely pink color. After sunrise, all runners gathered in the hut for breakfast, which included potato, porridge, hard-boiled eggs and toast. After breakfast we began the out and back course of 20 miles. The start of the run was near impossible. Running at 12,000ft left me feeling breathless and the cold was unbearable. As my body began to wake up, I finally got back in tune with my running. This was my favorite race yet because the majority of the race consisted of rolling hills. The scenery was gorgeous and I felt like singing ... Riccooolllaaaa!!!! While I was running through the shaded forest I noticed something black on the ground. As I got closer I realized it was a cobra! Cobras don’t have rattlers so I was so thankful to be cautious of my surroundings. Too afraid to run around it, I called for help and a local kicked it in the bush. I guess that’s one was to get rid of it… Lol.  I was averaging a very good pace and completed at 4 hours and 3 minutes taking 12th place overall and 6th female. After the long run (and lots of stretching) I took a shower, which consisted of a cold bucket of water in the same room as the toilet (hole in the ground). Afterwards I jumped into my sleeping bag and relaxed until dinner. Everyone has been feeling the altitude and everyone is starting to feel a bit tired. I faced some nausea however I did not need a drip, which a couple of runners did unfortunately. After dinner I went straight to bed (7pm) since tomorrow was the Mt. Everest Challenge. 

Day 3: 33 Miles (Mt. Everest Challenge)

I was feeling really nervous today because I have never run 20 miles in a row (and definitely not an Ultra in between). My legs were feeling extremely sore and I was feeling a bit tired from all of the running. At 6 am the director blew the whistle and we were off to a long day. The course started off as the same direction as the out and back from the yesterday plus 8 more miles. The scenery was gorgeous and after 20 minutes of running my panting slowed down (still at 12,000 ft) and the pain in my legs and blisters began to fade. I was averaging excellent timing and by mile 20 I was feeling very energized (believe it or not). So the most difficult part of the day.... For the remaining 13 miles the course descended 6,000 ft! You would think going down hill would be easy... Well it's actually very difficult. The beginning of the descend was fun. For the first 40 minutes I was running through the rain forest jumping over logs  & small rivers laughing at myself for it being so easy. I stopped eating because I thought I was almost done... Well than the road began to look more like cliffs. I had to literally use my hands and butt to get down some of the trail. On top of that, the trail was going everywhere. I was concentrating so hard on following the red arrows that I almost felt like I was on a wild goose chase! 2 hours later I realized that I had not eaten anything and I could definitely feel it. I forced myself a couple of shot blocks and continued the race. I wanted so badly to just be back in my sleeping bag already! I finally saw one of the journalists taking photos and he assured me that 300 meters were left. FINALLY I crossed the finish line at 6 hours 40 minutes. Yes...that's a long time… however I still finished 15th overall and 5th female. Hewww... That was a crazy one!

Day 4: 13 Miles

I seriously believe this was the most difficult day yet! I woke up this morning so so SOOOO SORE! My legs are so tight and I have the blister the size of golf ball on the bottom of my foot. The race began at 9 AM, which was very nice however at the blow of the whistle, my legs could not move. My brain was saying, "GO..GO..GO"... but my legs were saying "I don't think so!".  The worst part of the race is that it began downhill. Now that may be easy for some… but trying to run downhill made my legs feel like they were ready to snap in half! After about 20 minutes I could not feel the pain any longer and my competitive spirit was at it again. The road was stunning today. We are in a tropical atmosphere which looks a lot like Costa Rica and there are waterfalls EVERYWHERE! The heat is out and the humid is high. It was a very short day and after 2 hours and 10 minutes I crossed the finish line... 25th Overall. I know... Not my best... but tomorrow is the last day and I'm sure I will have a spur of energy :) This evening we had a cultural entertainment event. All teams & locals joined around the campfire to represent each country by either singing a song or doing a dance. US represented by doing the hokie pokie… Spain sang & danced to The Macarena… The 3 Argentinean men salsa danced while singing a song (Lol)… the Irish girls made a pyramid…. Germans sang a song with a glasses of beer…. And the Austrian made everyone do push ups! After the team members did a performance, the locals sang songs, played music and everyone enjoyed by dancing around the campfire. I guess even I can’t turndown dancing…. Even if my legs are SUPER sore. Lol

Day 5 - 17 Miles Left!!!!

I woke up at 4 AM and was feeling sooooo sore!!!! I knew it was the last day but with the giant blister on my foot, the sore throat and the VERY sore legs, I was ready to finish the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race! After 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 banana and 2 pieces of toast with honey.... I was ready! All of the runners gathered onto a bus which took 1 hour through the town to the starting point. At the blow of the whistle we were off! The first 8 miles were uphill on a windy road through the rain forest. I actually appreciated the uphill because it gave my legs time to repair (or for them to loose feeling!). The remaining 9 miles consisted of rolling hills with partial up hills. I was feeling very tired and I definitely was ready to end this race! I reached the last station and was overjoyed to hear I only had 1.5 miles to go. I began to sprint the remaining mile and was so happy to hear music ahead. School children were playing flutes & drums and everyone in town came to cheer. At last I crossed the finish line! I hugged my new runner friends and continued to cheer for the incoming runners. After everyone was finished we took the bus back to Mirik Lake lodge to get ready for the awards ceremony & supper. The final results came in... I took 1rst USA, 13 place overall and 6th female! I did not win a placement award however I took home the award for "Most Beautiful Smiled Participant!". Lol... It was an AMAZING experience and a trip I'll never forget!

Satsanga Yoga Retreat - Goa

Oh Satsanga.... How I will miss you soooo much! Waking up every morning at 7am for a 1 hour meditation class followed by drinking Marsala Tea & enjoying mornings with my new Yogi friends really starts a morning right! When I felt like exploring Molly from St. Martin and Ava from Hungray and I would rent scooters and drive to Brahman Yoga Studio for either Vinyasa or Hatha Yoga class... other days Owner Jody would conduct a Vinyasa yoga class for us at Satsanga in a beautiful shala open to the rainforest. I even on one occasion joined a class with a German yoga instructor... I had no idea what he was talking about but it was definitely fun to experience!..Lol. In the evening my new friends and I would either drive a "tuk tuk" or scooter to a great little shack on the beach or enjoy a vegan meal at Satsanga. This place was literally right on the beach! We ate our delicious meals on bed like tables and enjoyed the live music and sunset views.... it was difficult to leave (I found myself there at least 3 nights). Throughout the days I would either go to a local beach while enjoying a coconut on the sand or exploring a local market (I had to come back with some gifts for the Family of course!). The markets are completely overwhelming but it was worth it. I found a couple of hand crafted over throws for my bed... spices (saffron, cinnamon, marsala), jewelry... One day there was a CRAZY storm that left me in my room reading all day. The storm was absolutely in sane! One moment it was sunny... and the next it was down pour raining with very loud thunderstorms. The electricity went out a couple of times and Satsanga actually had a direct hit of lightening! The hit caused the internet to go out.... and thankfully no one was hurt :) My last day in Goa was a very sad day.... I woke up feeling very  heartbroken... I attended a yoga class in the morning and laid out by the pool with my new friends that I had to leave very soon. The taxi picked me up around 3 pm and I had to leave my beautiful Satsanga and friends. This was THE BEST TRIP EVER and I WILL BE BACK.... but for longer :) Good by India... Until next time.. Tear...

Bulldog 50K ULTRA RUN

I have to thank my sister for finding this one :) Throughout the year I have contributed to fundraising for Huntington’s Disease (HD) by running the Himalayan 100 mile stage race. My sister raises funds for this horrible disease and along the way we have met AMAZING individuals who are unfortunate to be some way affected by HD. After receiving a call from my sister who was at a yearly convention for HD I decided to sign up for Bulldog 50k ultra run. Some of the individuals affected by HD told my sister about this race and suggested to her that I add it on my to-do list. I thought it was an excellent idea (looked like A LOT of fun) and shortly there after signed up.... Beginning at 6:30 AM at Malibu Creek State Park, 200 runners began at the blow of the horn. Slightly laughing to myself as the course started off pretty flat, I figured this 50k would be the easiest race yet. Shortly thereafter I began to climb heavy fire road hills for over 5 miles straight. Once reaching the top of Bulldog mountain I was faced with rolling to heavy hill climbing for the remainder of the half way point. At 15 miles I was making excellent timing (2.5 hours). I called my supporting mom and told her I would see her in 2.5 hours. Well, by 9 am temperatures began to rise. With over 90 degrees, I shortly found out that the course was a double loop and that I had to repeat the same course! Ahhhh!!! I was crushed to find out that I had to run the same course twice and I especially was not looking forward to the extreme heat. My second time around was a bit more difficult. With the hot heat and heavy hill climbing I began to overheat and cramp in my legs. As I was running/walking up the monsterous hills I began to feel goose bumps all over my body. I was suddenly freezing and that was NOT a good sign since by then it was reaching over 95 degrees. Once I arrived at the aid station I immediately grabbed a sponge in the ice bucket and drenched my cloths to cool down. I consumed salt tablets to take away a bit of the cramping in my legs which eventually kicked in. At mile 28 I was exhausted but pushed myself to complete the last 3.5 miles. I ate a couple of orange slices, drank some electrolyte beverage and pushed myself off of the bench chair to complete the race. Finally 6 hours and 11 minutes later and after eating 5 really warm Gu’s I completed the finish line. Heewww.... What ever you do... don’t let a 50k trick you! That run kicked my butt!

PCT 50 MILE TRAIL RUN

After completing Catalina 50 mile ultra in January I began to feel very anxious. It took two weeks for me to realize “It’s Sunday and I should be running!”. I missed waking up at 6am to run 7-8 miles. I missed the energy and endorphins from my previous running schedule. I especially missed the 20-24 mile runs every Sunday that would take me a little over 3 hours to complete. I came to a consensus... I need to train for another ULTRA!!!! After buying a new pair of running shoes I was back and ready for another race. I came across PCT 50 in San Diego which gave me 2 months to train. Driving up to the race was interesting. For one thing, I have never ran on a trail before and second, all I saw was a single dirt trail leading to the middle of the mountains.  At the blow of the horn, runners began running on the single trail in a uniformed line. Within a couple of miles runners were running past each other and eventually I was alone in the middle of nowhere again. After passing the first aid station I felt strong and energized. On my way to the next aid station I felt uncertain because the road looked a little strange. I identified shoe track marks which gave me some assurance however once I saw another runner pass me going the opposite direction I knew I goofed. I finally realized I ran 4 miles out of the way and the only way of getting back on track was backtracking another 4 miles! I was so bummed, discouraged, horrified!!! Well, I took a deep breath, turned around and hauled ass! Once I began to see runners again my confidence came back to me. I was feeling nervous because I only had 1 water bottle and almost reached 16 miles with heavy hills. I reached the half way point at mile 25 however by that point I already completed 33 miles. I didn’t allow negative thoughts to enter my head and I just continued to stay focus and run. The trail was amazingly beautiful. (Besides getting lost) I was already planning the PCT 50 run for next year as I was running through pine forests and rolling hills. I hit a wall the last 10 miles. In my head I was telling myself I should already be done. With heavy climbs and the heat beginning to rise I pumped up the music, called my sister and told her I would be there in 1 hour. With 2 miles left I was so excited to be almost finished that I tripped over the rocky surface and took a spill. After picking up my music and water bottle on the dirt path I began to sprint. I finally saw the finish line followed by my cheering sister and brother-in-law. After 10 hours and 30 minutes of running, 58 miles and 10 Gu’s I completed the PCT 50 in San Diego. Let’s just say I’ll definitely be back next year.

Avalon 50 MILE BENEFIT RUN

Catalina was the first of many following ultra marathons. I never thought in a million years I would even attempt one and it only took a close friend of mine to say “Audrey, it’s only 50 miles”. With that I agreed and signed up for my first ultra. After training for two months which consisted of weekly Saturday runs ranging from 20-24 miles it was time for the big day. Beginning at 6 am in pitch black (with only the light on my cell phone!) I started with 178 other runners. Although it was exciting running in the middle of the woods climbing over 1,600 ft in pitch black I was thankful to see the sun finally rise 1.5 hours later. The power in my legs were strong and I was feeling over joyed with excitement. I was averaging excellent timing and at the half way point I already ran a little over 4 hours. I began to feel tired around mile 33 especially when I looked around and saw no other runner in site (There was a herd of buffalos though!). I finally ran into another runner at mile 35 and together we talked each other through 10 miles. I came to the last aid station at mile 46. I remember feeling overjoyed when I heard the volunteer say that I had 1 more big hill and than the rest was down hill. I ate one more Gu after the treacherous hill (which I barely could swallow) and than began to descend. I could feel the increase of pain in my legs as they were trying to break down hill. I increased my pace even more once I began to see the city of Catalina. Once I reached the city streets I saw the finish line and began to sprint past my cheering family. I couldn’t hold it any longer and tears became to stream down my face. I have never felt so strong. My family ran up to me and instantly began hugging and congratulating me. I felt completely empowered, exhausted and blessed to have an amazing family all at the same time. After running 9 hours 7 minutes and eating 9 Gu’s I completed my first (and many more to come) ultra and collected my first award ever, 2nd place.