"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

So I'm sad I won't be running McNaughton park 200 miler. Rocky being sick last week and his expensive vet bill really didn't help much. I thought how the heck can I afford to go? Both Andy and I decided that the unplanned expense was enough to make us realize it's best not to go, and that we could do it next year. As it turns out now there is no way Andy could go since something with a project he is working on came up, and he needs to be here.

Like I always say everything happens for a reason.
Rocky is doing great I take him Saturday for a vet check.

So since I am very well trained I will keep my miles up and get ready for my annual solo Ohlone 100, I think I am going to run 131 miles again since I'm not running McNaughton 200. I just need to work it out for a night pacer Friday night and I would need to have someone pick Andy up at the airport Friday night.

Hopefully I can get it all worked out. Andy is pacing me the last 64 miles it should be fun.
This weekend should be a good training weekend starting tomorrow with a 20 miler, Saturday 30 & Sunday 40. woo hoo!!!! the good news is I don't have to taper for a couple weeks ;-)

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras
My furry son had me freaked out this weekend. Wednesday night he knocked some things off a dresser but my roommate said he didn't think anything hit him. He seemed fin running on Thursday. Thursday night he knocked over my hamper. I took him running on Friday 4 miles he seemed ok. I went and got my hair done and came home and I noticed the white area of his left eye was bloody red like a vessel burst.
He was moving his head weird and I thought maybe something did hit him in the head. I rushed him to the vet. I just assumed he got hit in his head above his eye.
They needed to do x-rays and blood test and keep him over night. The head looked good no fractures. So they just kept him to watch him and gave him something for the swelling.
He seems to be doing well the eye still is red and he's taking antibiotics and pain meds. Good news he's on the mend bad news no running or vigorous walking for a week. He sees the doctor on Saturday and hopefully he will be able to get out for a short run soon.

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine

Yes I know this picture looks odd. After all these years we have found the wrecked truck out on Mission peak. Actually I have only been looking for it for maybe 3 years. A few weeks ago I was on my run when something caught my eye in the distance. I thought could this be the mystery truck I have been looking for? The story is two young boys where driving and lost control on a sharp turn and the truck flipped and they died. I think it was around 1968-1971 that it happened.
I told my roommate where I saw it in the distance, i didn't have time to go find it. He ended up climbing down to it.
I wanted to go to it on our 20 mile run Friday so we did. What an epic to get to it. Super steep and lots of poison oak. Jerry had carved his name in the truck last time so this time he carved mine. It looks like the last person who was down there and carved their name was in 91.
We still don't know the full story of who the boys were and what they were doing out there.
We ran on a cow trail to discover a new area in the Sunol its a secret so I cant tell you where it is, but in a couple weeks the most beautiful wildflowers will be popping.
Saturday Jerry and I ran the Western Pacific marathon in Fremont. It was at Quarry lakes and followed the Alameda creek trail. I had already run 60 miles for the week and had run 20 miles the day before. I was just wanting to run it as training and planned to run 10 miles home too.
I surprised myself after not running a marathon for 10 years I ran 4:20 5th woman 2nd in my age and 16 overall.
Jerry took first in his age and 15 overall. We had a blast.
Brazen racing puts on a first class event with food every couple miles and the finish line set up was amazing. And the medals were beautiful.
Ran a total of 115 miles for the week. This week will be my last big training week for McNaughton 200 mile run. I'm feeling pretty good about running 200 miles, lets see what this week brings.
I love this last photo of me sizing up the competition. LOL

"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost


I did it! I finished my 4th Umstead 100. Wasn't my fastest time but I still managed to push hard at the end to go under 23 hours. My time was 22:58.

I will write my report later which includes a deranged lunatic who attacked a few runners, I saw him but he knew better then to mess with me ;-)

Oh BTW way Andy PR'd he ran 18:33.
Stay tuned for more.