10 Year Return

 I'm Back!
10 Years... it's been 10 years since I blogged and honestly 10 years since I've taken on any type of running challenge. But that's all changing now. Why? After 10 years focused on family and work, I've done what a lot of moms do and lost myself a little. I poured myself into work and family and being a MOM. 

Before kids, I could set goals (and boy did I set goals (http://50marathonchallenge.blogspot.com/) and devote all my energy to hitting them. 

It's taken some time but I'm learning that you can find balance. You can be an awesome mom and still make time for self growth and challenge. 

It Started with a Pig

Before baby 1 (2015), I was up to 87 marathons & ultras. In 2021 (88) and 2022 (89) I decided to run our local marathon (The Flying Pig) with SOME training... and by some, I mean I went out and ran a little. No runs > 15 miles and no focus on speed. In the winter of 2022 I decided to actually try and do some real training. I found the Peloton Marathon Training Program and decided to give it a try. This isn't an easy task planning 4-5 20+ mile runs and devoting 5 days a week to running with 3 kids < 8. But I found I was able to really get my speed back up... maybe not to where I was in my 20's but I'm still a work in progress. I've added:

90) The 2023 Horse Capital Marathon - where I was the third place women at a time of 3:42

91) The 2023 Cincinnati Flying Pig swim Marathon. If you haven't heard about this race, it was POURING the entire race with thunder and lightening. One of the most mentally grueling races to get through. There was NOTHING fun about this with the weather condition and it was mentally exhausting to push through. But push through, we DID!

I have #92 coming up this weekend at The Vermont City Marathon! 

Current Challenges

I have a LOT left in me and this winter marathon training season has sparked that desire to take on the new, the fast, the difficult. Here is what's on tap:

Maybe you're saying to yourself "self, does that say ANTARCTICA?!?" And yes, you and yourself would be correct. So to address the typical Q&A:

1. Yes- there is a marathon in Antarctica... there are actually 3 but I'm aiming to do the Ice Marathon
2. You FLY there. You actually fly to Punta Arenas, Chili and await an "all clear" on weather. So this means the "date" for the marathon is more of a rough estimate and the race can actually happen anytime AFTER that date. Nerve wracking? YES. Still exciting? Also YES. 
3. How does I train for this? A LOT more of that coming up. But in short- train on trails and rougher terrain and train in cold (as much as possible in the fall/ early winter). 
4. What do you wear? OOOH REI and I are becoming FAST friends... layers, layers, and more layers... oh and trail shoes! 
5. Do I like running in the cold? HECK no. The cold is STUPID. But that's exactly what makes it a challenge!

So much more more to come on ALL of these challenges here in upcoming posts so stay tuned... hit that "follow" button in the top right to follow me on my journey!