This weekend I kicked off my running season with a 20K trail race in Bucks County, PA. I had originally anticipated the Philadelphia Love Run to be my first event of the year, but found an inexpensive trail race just under the half marathon mark in a park we love to visit in the warmer weather for the trails and fantastic playground area Eamon enjoys.

When we arrived for check in it was a balmy 27 degrees with some wind and still enough snow and ice on the grassy areas to sink your feet into. Anticipating warmer weather, I had planned on wearing shorts and a long sleeved wicking top, but luckily I am an over packer for everything and had some warmer tights and my rain jacket. Brrr. They boys actually ended up waiting in the car the entire time from check in until the near end - who could blame them. Icy ground and sub freezing temps are not something you can really have fun in.


The race was both a 10K and a 20K Double Run and took place mainly on the horse trails at the park. I was only familiar with the paved trails and one section of wooded trails prior to this day, so running in the grassy horse trails was a new challenge for me. The ice covered divots in the ground were grabbing at my footing so, tiptoeing around, I made sure to be extra careful since I already have a foot injury I am nursing and I was not about to mess myself up further while preparing for my marathon next month.

Miles 3 and 4 crossed a snow covered field with a nice view. The ground crunched under my feet with every step, and I tried my best to scuttle across while still maintaining a decent time. I originally wanted to complete the race in under 2 hours, but that was not happening with the conditions. There was only one or two actual hills, about a mile on the road, but the terrain was slick with more holes than Philadelphia's streets.

As I was forcing myself to pull my pace under ten minute miles in the snow and mud a mother an her little girl were ahead of me doing their 10K run. I would not push past them (even though another girl so rudely did without announcing herself). They were adorable in their every step and it was nice sharing the track with them. The mother asked her daughter about halfway through their run if she was having fun. "Remember, there's no point in running if you are not having fun," she reminded the little girl. It was a nice reminder of why I like running the trails. They are hard. They are miserable at times. But the sights are beautiful. The trees, the wildlife, the sunrise starts. You don't get that with neighborhood runs. And at the turnaround for the double, I got to give that smiling little girl a high five because she was awesome.

During the run I felt great. When I am on the dreadmill I get tuckered around 10 miles, but that might just be because I am bored. I had recently changed my fueling strategy after the Hammer gels I had been using the past year suddenly starting giving me terrible pains in my stomach and I was worried about taking something new into the first run of the year. I tried so many different brands and different powders for fuel, but nothing helped me in longer runs. It is so weird how your body can change, but I knew that I needed to hurry up and find something that works or I would never be able to be ready for my first marathon this April.

My USAT membership had given me a coupon to try SIS gels at a discount, so I gave it a go. Now, it seems that they are the only thing I can use without feeling sick. They are isotonic gels, so the density of the gel itself is much different that brands like GU or Hammer. They are more liquid in consistency and do not require consumption of water in order to properly digest, so I can alternate sipping on water or electrolyte drink and taking a sip of my gels from my flask every 20 minutes or so. They are lower in calorie and lower in carb per gel than others, so I always carry an extra with me on runs or rides going over 2 hours. I packed two of the caffeine gels in my flask to sip on and stashed an electrolyte gel in my vest with my water in case I needed more, which I did because, in Karla fashion, I ended up missing a turn in the final miles of the race on a road section and having to backtrack to where I was supposed to go. In the first loop there was someone pointing at the intersection since there were no trees to hang the green ribbon to mark the trail, and I didn't see anyone there the second time around, so, I, and a few other people, instinctively went straight because there were runners on the road - they were not part of the race apparently :)


I was actually kind of mad that I lost ten minutes and added a mile to my run, but it made it a true half marathon and I still ended up placing third in my age group. I'll take it.

There were lots of pancakes and sausages at the end of the event left over for the double runners, along with awesome pom pom hats, t-shirts, pint glasses, plastic cups, and other fun stuff. You definitely got your race fee worth of swag and the on site crew froze their bums off waiting for everyone to get done, hydrate, and fill them with carbs.


I was so ready to leave after my pancakes: not because it was not a fun ride, but the weather just wanted me to curl up in clean clothes. We made it a family fun day, went to see Black Panther in the theater, ate a lot of popcorn, and went a got a toy for the little man who put up with the wait while I ran!

Hoping next year's run will be a little warmer. <3

4AM.

Well...more like 4:15. By the time I shake the cobwebs out of my head thanks to that restlessly sleeping 6-year old who needs lots of cuddles waking me every other hour, that 15-minutes snooze sometimes feels better than 6 hours straight.

Coffee. Then feed the cats. Those needy bastards have been banging their heads on the door for an hour already. "Feed me, mom." "Nigel drank all of the water again."

Slam down a waffle with some cashew butter and chia, fill the water bottles, then drag myself down to the basement and slug out the next 1.5 - 2 hrs on the bike trainer that changes resistance on its own now that it is twelve years old and has been slammed around a few times since buying it on clearance for a hundred bucks at Breakway Bikes back when I bought my first road bike.

Working on three sports can feel damn near impossible. I drink my coffee and eat my waffle while warming up my legs, check emails and Facebook alerts and find my Spotify playlist as I pick up my cadence. Or will it be a YouTube morning? I need something motivating.

Being a working mom (or parent in general) can be demanding, but there is also that overwhelming guilt if you are not present for every moment that your child is home from school or daycare. In addition, there are non-stop chores, laundry, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and all of the other responsibilities that come with day to day life. How is one supposed to fit in the endless hours of training involved in preparing for multi-sport events?

4AM.

Once the legs are done moving there may be a few minutes to stretch, even shower. Get the boys ready for work and school, breakfasts out, maybe pack a lunch for hubs and I, otherwise it will be a visit to Saladworks at lunch time. Then off to the gym.

Part II.

Swim or Run...or maybe a weight day. Five to six days a week, it's one or the other. Doing my best to keep this tired and wearing body as healthy as I can. With five or six nagging injuries and/or disorders I have been fighting over the years, I need all the help I can get.

From gym I head to work for my regular 9 - 5 in a law office, where every day can vary. Some days it is a lot of standing, some I will be at the desk all day (which only adds to my already imbalanced core), some days I will be tired by 2 and others I will be bright eyed when I leave at 5. When I leave, though, it doesn't matter how tired I am. I have to head home and begin my responsibilities as a wife and parent. My husband works all day and we have a small family contracting business to run at night, so quick dinners are sometimes necessary. In addition to my job, I (try) to have a small craft business on Etsy and my son loves to make YouTube videos every once in a while, so adding that into my evenings means that I pretty much never sit down.

By 9pm I am beyond spent, so once my son goes to sleep, we are all pretty much asleep in minutes.

Until tomorrow.

4AM.

They say the most productive people are those who rise before dawn and st out on their tasks before most people get up. I cannot function any other way. On days I sleep past even six, my body hates me and my mind beats itself up. If you had gotten up you wouldn't feel like crap; those toys would have been picked up, dishes done, and breakfast made it says. I feel lazy, unmotivated, and, mostly, unaccomplished. That is the worst feeling. Feeling like I have gotten nothing done, nothing checked off on that list. Feeling like I am just dragging through the day, not really focused on anything, wanting to just go back to sleep, praying for a do-over. My endorphins are all off and my hormones probably even worse. It's like my body requires that release and my brain requires that focus I get after a few miles. the peace it brings, and the satisfaction of knowing that my body is strong. It might not be the prettiest, but it can ride over a hundred miles in 90-degree heat and can run through rocks and tree limbs all morning. It can do things I never though it would be able to do, and I know it can do more.

Thanks to those 4AMs.