haliburton 50 miler

i think i was one of the last runners to sign up for the haliburton 50 miler last weekend.   i was on the fence for ages.  what made me finally decide?  well, a few things.  first of all, i felt like putting myself back in the pain cave for a couple days.  second, i was experiencing a little bit of 'unfinished business' after fatdawg, so i wanted to complete something a bit substantial to boost my confidence.  and third, i wanted another fucking pizza.  seriously!  and besides, haliburton is a great great place to run!

i worked the morning and after packing a few things and loading up a cooler, i was on my way.  the good thing about driving for 3 hours, is that you basically eat for 3 hours!  man that was awesome!  even more awesome was the krazy rain and hail storm i hit on hwy 11 just south of 118!  it was nuts!  i actually had to pull off the road for ten minutes, and sat there listening to the huge chunks of ice bouncing off my car!  once that settled i resumed my journey and made it to base camp just after 4pm.   i got registered and hung around chatting for a bit before finally making my way over to my new buddy oliver's place.   he had offered me a room for the weekend, and i gladly took it.   especially considering how shitty it would have been sleeping in a tent with more thunder and rain storms throughout the night!  i do still feel kinda bad about backing my car into his house though ...

i was up pretty early saturday and got the to start around 5:40.   after giving birth to a small animal just before 6 i was good to go!  it was a little drizzly and somewhat humid, but overall a great temp for running.  the first hour or so was in the dark and a bunch of us ran together.  and of course it wouldn't be an ous race without a straw from this guy!  the incredible ronny gehl!

i also spent a lot of miles chasing these two - steve and adi - before ultimately having to let them go, as i was getting tired towards the end.
 

#bestcoachever - derrick - was at almost every aid station. i looked forward to and loved seeing his sorry mug each time i came in for water and snacks!

speaking of snacks - gary and aid station 6 rocked!  here's a shot of him, me, francesco and chris on the way back, or the way out, i can't remember ...

i was really happy to see this sign ...

and holy krap!  check it out!  rainbow chips ahoy cookies!  i for sure had to sample a few of these ...

my favorite trail in the forest ...

the last few miles were very challenging for me and i was lucky to have chris to run with.  he kept me entertained all the way around the normac loop and then on that final 6k of road.  he was doing the hundred, so after a hug and a picture, we parted ways so he could head back out ...

my time was 12:36 and i was okay with that.

i was real happy to sit my arse down on the bench for a few minutes ...

my only regret was that i didn't get to visit and spend time with 'skinny white boy', who was volunteering all weekend.  here is is with the amazing helen malmberg ...

so yeehaw!  another 50 miler in the books.  overall i can say it was fun, but i was suffering the last few miles.  and the really great thing is that i think i'm finally getting my mental toughness back.  so in other words, i can 'suck it up princess' once more ...

when i got back sunday i went over to gerrrrrr-rrrry and tara's house for a crossfit crew gathering.   mmmmm pool party and BBQ.   jason p brought his adorable little girl erica who was an instant hit with everyone!!

rose, anthony, gabriella and mike.  check out gabriella's frilly bikini ...

and of course i do NOT own a bathing suit, so gerrrr-rrry lent me one of his.  love this shot with kim n and josh!  hiiiiiiiiiiii josh !!

lori and tara ...

gerrrr-rrry and josh ...

i had a super great time and it sure felt good to soak my poor old legs in salt water for awhile!  thanks for inviting us guys - that was awesome!

so what's next - hmmm - maybe a trip to the east coast ...