The 2015 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Err 9.39 Miler.

The 2015 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler was the first race in which I ever “won” a bib via lottery.  I was so excited the day I received the email telling me I had been picked to run the race! I was in the mix!

“Congratulations - you were chosen in the lottery for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.”

Granted it was a mix of 15,000 runners but it was the first one I had been chosen for and I felt so proud to be picked to run this famous DC spring race.

The way I figured it, I had already won just by being picked! But now I had to figure out how to race this iconic Ten Miler well.

No problem, race registration included a training program presented by New Balance. I had used the perfect and fabulous Hal Higdon plans for my previous 5 Half Marathon distance races, but I thought, why not give New Balance a try for the Ten Miler? The NB plan is easy to follow.

Each day they send you your plan  and you do it. And I thought, if I just follow the plan, I’ll be a star at Cherry Blossom.

For example, here’s one from early on in training:

February 2, 2015

Distance: 2-4 miles

Goal: Easy conversational running 

for the entire distance.


And here’s what I noted that day about it:

"Look at my nifty Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Training Program from New Balance! And now imagine me running w/o breathing heavily. Ha ha! I’m out of breath from just laughing about  it. Plus I’m working and I’m staring outside at a blizzard. Not sure how I'm going to get these 3 miles in today but I'll make something happen."

You know what? It’s tough to train outside in winter. I had yet to own a treadmill and at the time I lived in a tiny town in Virginia wine country that had no gym. But somehow I made it through a couple more snow storms and lots of freeze-your-eyelashes winter sunset runs, and before I knew it, not only was the race upon me, but I had signed a lease on an apartment in DC as well. I’d be running the race in my again-soon-to-be-home-town. I was going to be a local runner in a famous DC race. I was really in the mix.

But when I headed into the expo, I felt suddenly more than slightly intimidated by tons of people whom I surmised to all be the best runners in history, who likely had lots of experience running the flat and fast streets of DC. They were all surely faster than me, fitter than me, and I felt like they were all staring at me, wondering what I was doing there. I was a mountain girl, used to running trails on huge inclines over roots and rocks and uneven terrain, rather slowly. 

Of course, this is a ridiculous fear of mine. I had already won the lottery and was awarded a place in this race, right? I couldn’t help myself though. The fear of not being a good enough runner, not “belonging” in a race often overwhelms me. I appear confident on the outside most of the time, but inside I’m terrified that I don’t belong, that I’m not a good enough runner to race with everyone else.

There are 15,000 people of all running levels who participate in Cherry Blossom. I know this on a conscious level. I know I’m somewhere in the mix consciously.  But still, I have to remind myself to push the subconscious doubt away. I took a deep breath, put my shoulders back and down and told myself I belonged there and to enjoy it as a racer, as someone who had been chosen to be there and to run this race. 

Once I allowed myself to feel that way, I spent some time at the expo, soaking it all in. It was so great – hosted in the incredible National Building Museum and filled with lots of free running swag, and tons and tons of excited runners.  

I wore my I Run Steeps shirt to the expo. Trail Runner humor. I don't belong here! Ha ha! Gulp.

I woke up on race day ready to go. It was a gorgeous morning and just moments after I arrived on the National Mall, amongst thousands of runners milling around, I saw my friend Chuck Love. What great luck! Chuck is an AMAZINGLY fast runner. I'm always impressed by his feats of speed and his sweet and funny demeanor, even with the stress of a race in front of him. I wished him the best as he headed to the front of the race chutes. Next I found a group of ladies from my running group My Running Girlfriends. We had been lucky that several of us had been chosen for the lottery. We also met up with MRGF Beth, who had not been chosen in the lottery, so she was volunteering this year in order to secure a bib for 2016. I made a mental note of that genius idea, and proceeded to my starting chute with my friend Tora.

As we were lining up, murmurs were going through the crowd that the course was being shortened because of an accident on one of the bridges that the race crosses. Instead of 10 full miles there would be a cut in the course and it would end up being 9.39 miles.   

This news wasn’t that big of a deal to me (other than sorrow for those involved in the accident). I quickly decided there was no need to alter my race plan. Sure, I would push a bit more at the end, and maybe take a gel a little earlier. But otherwise I would stick to my plan and just execute it a bit faster. Many other racers were freaking out about the mileage shortage. I felt badly for their frustration, but I kept thinking to myself, we’re lucky to be running at all. We are all so lucky to be here. I’m not a competitive racer so my pacing wasn’t exact enough to be screwed up by the change, and mentally I figured, hey – shorter distance – that’s a bonus in some ways, like, we get to the beer faster. And as my first ever 9.39 mile race, It would be my 9.39 Miler PR for sure any way it turned out.  

With a total of 15,000 runners, everyone had warned me that the start at Cherry Blossom is a nightmare, and that you find yourself winding and weaving and walking through throngs of people for a long time before you find the space to hit your pace.

Did I stress about this? No WAY! Anytime I’m in a race where I’m “in the pack” I’m psyched. I choked down a gel and before I knew it, my heat was called to begin and we were off in a huge group, shuffling through the starting gate. I was able to quickly pick up to my pace, and then something amazing happened, I ran shoulder to shoulder with thousands of people for 9.39 miles.

To try to explain the joy that a Back of the Packer feels when she is actually in the pack would be impossible.   I would venture to guess that it’s the same feeling that a front of the pack runner feels when she finally breaks free from the pack and is out there in front alone, on the road to winning. It felt so good to be in the pack. To be racing with people who run my pace, to be surrounded by so many who were going for the same goal. 

I passed people, people passed me, I passed them again, I listened to conversations, and felt great. I was a part of the pack. A pack of runners! Maybe I did belong in this iconic race after all!

I do all of my training runs alone, which I love, but for some reason, racing amongst others just feels so good. Perhaps this one felt even better because in many of my races I’ve been alone, at the back of the pack. The spectators were amazing too – so many people lined the streets and bridges of DC on that pretty spring morning, cheering us on. I smiled for 9.39 miles. 

I came running into the finish chute to see my training partner Matthew, and my old friend Sarah who had come into DC just to see me race. That in itself absolutely made my whole day. All runners know what it’s like to finish a race without a spectator there for you, and all family-members-of-runners know what a pain in the ass it is to get up and go to a race to see your loved one for just a moment on the course or maybe not even at all till the end. I am forever grateful to anyone who comes out to my races and seeing Sarah there just melted my heart and made my smile even bigger.

Sarah came into DC via the dreaded subway to see me race - she deserves a medal as well!

And it was a PR! A 9.39 Miler PR, as well as a fast time for me in any race distance. The running crowd had carried me along and the spectators had cheered me on. I was a very happy runner.

My running group girl friend Mary Beth came to race from Roanoke, VA (bonus thumb in pic as well)  

The post race celebration commenced with beers at Elephant & Castle (thank you Elephant & Castle for opening early because beer tastes delicious at 10AM!) where I met up with My Running Girlfriends* and brunch with old and new friends, John and Kristina (John ran Cherry Blossom in an Oxford and khaki pants and looked quite preppily perfect doing so), and the most wonderful couple, Tania and Heather who I found out would be my new neighbors in DC, and who would both turn out to be major inspirations to me in my running future. We recovered with beers and we talked about our runs and how lucky we were to be chosen for this race. I was part of a pack. In the mix. I won the lottery. I am a runner.

With Tora and Mary Beth, putting our beers down for a sec to show off medals.

2Toms Stink Free Sports Detergent Review

You know when you first get married and everything is all wedded bliss and like, we do everything together and this is so romantic and your husband even washes and dries the laundry for you and then he washes and dries your bag of dry cleaning?  After that, Jeff and I started doing our own laundry. 

It felt weird at first. Cause you know, we're a couple and we do coupley things. Together. Like eating popcorn at the movies. I’m a secret fan of the Butter-Like-Substance on Movie Theatre Popcorn. Jeff is not. But rather than each getting our own popcorn, we always share. Because we’re a couple and we do coupley things. Together.

But we do not do each other’s laundry any more. No, no, no, because work clothing that is supposed to be dry-cleaned doesn’t do well in the washing machine nor does it survive the dryer. 

Here’s how Jeff does laundry:

1. Grab all clothing and stick it into washer, wash it all together with towels.

2. Put everything into the dryer, but on cool setting so everything comes out wrinkly.

3. Fold at some point or maybe not.

Here’s how I do laundry:

1. Make piles of darks, lights, delicates, running clothes, towels.

2. Wash each pile separately with hot or cold water depending on the type of items.

3. Hang dry 90% of items.

4. Smooth and fold items when dry.

5. Dry towels, jeans and socks in the dryer on hot setting.

6. Fold while warm.

I won't argue that my method is superior, because honestly Jeff looks a lot better than I do most days. Clearly his clothes are not suffering by being washed together and dried in the dryer on cool air and maybe not having been folded and put back into the correct drawer. But I like my method. It’s a meditation of sorts.

The other issue is that Jeff likes to wash his clothing with unscented detergent. I’m more of a Clean Breeze scent kind of girl. I even have one of those “fresh laundry” candles. Fresh laundry should smell clean! Like a candle! So we each do our own laundry.

Recently my friends at 2Toms sent me some Stink Free Sports Detergent to try, which I was pretty excited about, so I grabbed my pile of running and cycling clothes and got to work. My first thought was one of minor concern. The Stink Free Sports Detergent, which by the way, promised to remove all odors and stains thankyouverymuch, didn’t really have a scent. Hmmm. Clean laundry is supposed to smell clean! Like a candle! But I figured I would give it a try anyway, mostly because, well, it was sent to me to do so, and I happen to love all of the other 2Toms products I have used before. 

So, you’re dying to hear what happened right? Is this the best laundry story you’ve read today or what?! Let me tell you first, my running clothes are DISGUSTING. I am a totally gross sweaty girl. I may shower up alright, but after a run or a bike ride I am like, ugh, gross. So I was thinking, this Stink Free Sports Detergent had better have some kind of miracle ingredient in it. 

You guys? It totally DOES! 

The first thing I noticed after the wash cycle was, even though the detergent itself didn’t really have a scent to it, my running clothes smelled REALLY LOVELY. Like, really fresh and clean. Like they had been ionized or something. I’m not sure what ionization really even is but my clothes smelled super amazingly clean. And I immediately thought, this fresh and clean but not really scented thing is so much better for running clothes because when I wear them again and start to sweat, I won’t smell like a sweaty fake clean breeze, I’ll just be sweaty me! And that’s a lot better really when you think about it.

I hung everything to dry except my running socks which I popped into the dryer, and waited for the final results. Which were fabulous. Everything dried perfectly. Clean, folded running laundry is such a nice thing! It really beats dirty running laundry in a big huge way.

Another cool thing about 2Toms Stink Free Sports Detergent is that you don’t need a washing machine to get your running clothes clean. 2Toms made it so the detergent works just great without an agitator, and you can buy it in packets so you can wash your running clothes when you’re traveling, right in the sink of your hotel room or at camp or wherever you’re staying. This was a game changer for me on a recent 17-day trip where I normally would have brought several changes of running clothes and…gross girl alert (!!!) I would have worn them over and over all supergross and grossly gross. 

I packed 2 sets of running clothes for 17 days. 2Toms Stink Free Sports Detergent saved me from having to over pack, and saved the world (or at least most of California) from being exposed to me running in dirty running clothes. For this, 2Toms Stink Free Sports Detergent deserves the Nobel Prize or at least a Pulitzer or a commendation from President Obama or the Dalai Lama. 

Amazingly clean and fresh smelling running clothes thanks to 2Toms. 

So my advice to you is, share the popcorn, even if you have to give up the Butter-Like-Substance, but do your own laundry.

You can find both 2Toms and me on twitter. Give us a follow!

I Run to Live

Running is not something I do for others. I totally get it that people use their athleticism to raise money and awareness for charities. I do volunteer work too – just not while I’m running. Maybe it’s a selfish thing. Maybe I need running to just be mine. 

I did raise $4,000 for each of my marathons, for the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training but I’ll admit, I did it for the training. I asked others to donate and they did. But the marathons were mine. I didn’t have a personal connection to the charity. I finished the marathons for myself. 

Recently I showed up for a charity race and even forgot to bring my toy donation. I was joking this morning about how people run for cancer kids, and I run for pizza. People run for fallen heroes and I run for my next beer. People run to find a cure for Parkinson’s, or for autism awareness and I run to burn off cake. I run to burn energy and to gain energy, and it’s always for myself. 

I started running to lose weight, to get in shape, to prove that I could be the athlete I wanted to be, to be an attractive person on the outside, to figure who that person was who had become buried under 100 pounds of extra weight. 

That's me. I know, right? 

Maybe my goal was so big that I couldn’t give anything to others. Maybe I had to keep it all to myself so I could survive. So I ran for pizza. And beer. And cake. I ran to burn energy and to gain energy, always for myself.

A girl in my running group named Jennifer is running to get in shape too. She has challenged herself with “Running the Year” – 2016 miles in 2016. Whether she achieves the 2016 miles or not, she is out there, getting the miles in, day after day, running for whatever she is running for. 

Yesterday she was out on a run she and overheard a conversation that two other runners were having behind her that one can only assume they thought she could not hear.  They were discussing Jennifer’s weight and looks. “You see that fat girl in red? You don’t want to become like that...” And they went on.  

I’m sure they didn’t mean for her to hear them. I’m sure they would be horrified to know that she did. We all know, she knows, to brush comments like that off. To let them go. We can rationally understand that this is a shortcoming of theirs, and has nothing to do with her. But she heard it. And it hurts. Badly. I know. You want to forget comments like that. You try. You know you should. You are tougher than that. You’re better than they are. But you hear it over and over in your head.

I heard Jennifer’s story and it took me back to a similar experience I had at a lacrosse game in college. I managed the men’s lacrosse team, and at this particular game my brother’s university had come to play a game at my school. One of the guys on my team was taunting my brother during the game, as guys do in team sports sometimes. He was trying to get my brother riled up on the field. Nels Benson was his name. I remember his name all these years later just like I remember his comment. He shouted over to my brother “What about your fat sister!?”  

I did become really fat. 

I wasn’t motivated to lose weight until many years later when I had gained even more weight.  I never forgot the feeling, the hurt, the shame that that comment brought me.  Nels apologized. I’m positive he meant nothing by it. I know that by even repeating the comment now I give it power that it doesn’t need. I know he wasn’t thinking, he certainly didn’t mean for me to hear it, and only meant to rile up my brother in order to distract him during a game. 

In a weird way, these days, I happily let the comment have some power. Of course I have a lot more confidence now. I may not be able to forget what he said, but I can understand that it isn’t important. Even though it’s a part of my life, it didn’t shape my life. I shaped my life. I allowed myself to become 100 pounds overweight and I chose to do something about it. I became a runner. I became an athlete. I run for pizza. And beer. And cake. I run to burn energy and to gain energy, and it’s always for myself. Sometimes after a great run, I’ll remember what he said, I’ll recall that moment, let the hurt wash over me and then let the joy of the present moment take over. I’ll feel so happy that I’ve made it this far. That I am no longer fat. That I am a work in progress. That I lost 75 lbs, not because of Nels’ comment, but in spite of it. That I still have a ways to go but I know I can do it. I run to live. 

There are very few photos of me that do not include beer. Because beer is delicious!

I am motivated by pizza and beer and cake and positivity and I gain strength from positive experiences instead of living in the shadow of a negative comment made pretty much unintentionally, years ago. But it's not easy to forget. I learn from people like my friend Traci who I met through running. She taught me that I can do anything. I can achieve any goal. I can lose weight, learn to run, I can learn from hurtful comments, I can climb mountains, whatever I want to do. I learn from both but Traci's amazing outlook is in my thoughts much more often.  

That's my friend Traci and me meeting up for a run. Traci is amazing and I'll write a blog entry about her one day soon.

Another girl in my running group decided to set up a virtual run for Jennifer to show her that there are a lot of people out there who support her. Today everyone in my group who participates will wear red and simply log miles to support her, to make her feel less hurt, to let her know that people care. To let her know that she can do anything. 

We all have our motivation to run. To run for the cancer kids. To run for fallen heroes, to run for a cure for Parkinson’s, for autism awareness, or just so we can stay alive ourselves. I run for pizza, for beer, for cake. I run to live and it's always for myself.  And today I’ll put on something red and run for Jennifer as well. 

2Toms Sport Shield for HER! Roll On Review

I have two vivid memories from the first time I watched a marathon, which was in the mid nineties, long before I became a runner. I was at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, working for a marketing company that had me handing out flyers at the marathon. I had no interest in running of any kind, and no concept of running 26.2 miles. 

I placed myself close to the finish line figuring I could hand out my flyers to people as they finished running, and before I knew it I became entranced by the runners passing by. People of all ages, shapes and sizes were approaching the finish line, and I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world they had been able to run that far. Why did they want to work that hard to accomplish something like this? What was it doing to their bodies?

I remember an overwhelming feeling of emotion, of pride and amazement for these running strangers. I stuffed the flyers into my pocket and started clapping and cheering for every runner. I cried that day, for the runners, and also for myself for not being able to even conceptualize the feat that these runners had undertaken. What had compelled them, both physically and mentally to get to that point, 26 miles, on foot to achieve something that felt impossible to me? I was so proud of every one of them, crying and laughing and feeling joy about something I didn’t even understand. The memory is so vivid, even all these years later, that I can recall it in an instant. 

My other incredibly vivid memory from that day is of bloody nipples.

I remember seeing runners come by with bloodstains on the fronts of their shirts, nipples bleeding from 26 miles of chafing, and that memory, even if you have not felt it yourself, is one you cannot forget. 

Before this story becomes too horrifying, I’ll tell you that I also remember seeing a funny guy dressed in full costume as Uncle Sam, “running” on stilts, and Big Bird from Sesame Street came running by as well. Neither seemed to be suffering from bloody nipples (but who knows what was going on under those costumes).

See? Even distractive thoughts of funny costumes and birds running marathons can’t make you stop thinking about bloody nipples, right? I know. Because years later when I started running, I would recall that day at Marine Corps, and think, no, no, no. No matter how much I love to run, I must do whatever it takes to make sure I never suffer from bloody nipples.

So, now that you’re here in TMI-ville, grab a comfortable seat and a drink and I will further entertain you with the unnecessary little piece of information that, once I started running I would faithfully apply bandages to ensure the avoidance of bloody nipples.  And the one time I forgot them, for my first Half Marathon, I regretted it sorely. You know that post run shower and how good it feels until OHMYFUCK the hot water hits a chafe spot? Yes. I did not forget the bandages again. Over the years I became a bandage machine. I would strategically place them all over my body where I thought I might possibly get a hot spot. I looked like a neon clad Frankenstein.

Recently though, I met the people at a company called 2Toms. I was the lucky recipient of samples of their products they were offering through a group called RunChat on Twitter. 2Toms makes products that prevent blisters and chafing. So, wow! I have to tell you, using a powder or a liquid to prevent blisters and chafing is a lot easier than sticking (and unsticking, ouch) preventive  bandages all over your body. A few months later, when 2Toms said they needed product testers, I raised my hand and volunteered.

The first product I received was 2Toms Sport Shield for HER! Roll On. This product is specifically for women, but guys, keep please reading as well, and I promise I’ll try to work in another nipple reference or two.

Let me just say up front, the product is genius.

I LOVE IT. I can effortlessly roll it wherever I need to. It feels great. The effectiveness is 100%. I tested it on many runs under various types of clothing. One of the spots on my foot where I tested it was on a hot spot that a particular pair of shoes had been giving me and it was the cure. I tried it on my quads where my shorts end and under my arms where the underside of my skin hits my shirt as well.

I was really happy to see that it didn’t leave a residue on any of my clothing and though it feels silky and smooth on the skin, it’s not greasy at all. Once it’s applied, you don’t even notice that its there. You can use it everywhere, and I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear, it does a perfect job protecting nipples! It’s a great size to use at home before a run or to tuck into a race pack or drop bag. 

By the way, 2Toms makes Sport Shield Roll On for guys too.  The difference is that the “for HER! Roll On” has added calendula, Shea butter and green tea extract - which I think are lovely for both men and women, so if you guys are interested, try the ladies product as well! And likewise, ladies, you are more than welcome to try the original Sport Shield Roll On. Seriously, why not get one of each and switch back and forth? You can't go wrong, because 2Toms offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. 

Before I end this 2Toms infomercial, I’ll add that Sports Shield comes in individually packaged towelettes as well, which are easy to stick in the pocket of your running shorts in case you feel a hot spot during a long run.  You can open the towelette, slide the end out and swipe it onto your skin, then tuck the towelette back into the package to use again later.

I had no idea while watching the Marine Corps Marathon all those years ago, that I would one day become a runner. I would finish 2 marathons of my own. I would feel that overwhelming sense of physical achievement and hard work paying off for myself the way I had felt it for those other runners that day.

I had no idea that the full circle of the bloody nipples would culminate in a blog entry that mentions them this many times, and that mine would be prevented by a product that a cool company entrusted me to test and share my opinion about. So, here’s to chafing and what it can do for you! May you feel emotions about the achievements of others, may that lead to your own achievements and may all of  your hot spots be always protected. 

2Toms is on Twitter, right here.
And I'm on Twitter too, right over here.

Stump Jump

We were checking into our Air B&B and Jeff was not happy.

“This house has no furniture.”

“I know. Remember I told you –“

“There’s nothing in the kitchen. It’s empty.”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be, remember I said we were going to – “

“There isn’t even a shower curtain!”

I had definitely mentioned to him that we were getting a really good deal on an...um...empty...Air B&B in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that was to serve as Base Camp for the upcoming Stump Jump 50k/11 Miler. 

I couldn’t blame him for not remembering. A key to the success of our marriage has been that I only expect him to hear 40% of what I say. This must have been part of the other 60%.  

I’m sure it went down something like this: I was rambling on and on about this race (he was most likely not listening during this part as I tend to talk about running a lot) and how awesome it would be to go to Chattanooga (which likely sparked his interest a bit because he loves to travel and we’d always wanted to visit Chattanooga) and then I likely mentioned the Air B&B (which he would have been quite happy about) and by the time I mentioned the fact that this particular Air B&B was an empty house and we would be kind of camping inside of it, he had probably started thinking about something else and the last bit of this plan probably sounded to him like Charlie Brown Teacher Speak. So when I then said, “Ok, great we’re going to book it!” he most likely said, “Sounds good.”     

Flash forward and well, it wasn’t super good.

“How am I supposed to hang out in this empty house during your race if there’s no furniture?”

“You’re coming to the race! It will be so fun! You can hang out all day and watch runners come in and then when –“

I could tell he wasn’t listening.  I suggested we buy a shower curtain on the way to the race expo.

The Stump Jump is a 50k (some years they have had an 11 Mile option as well) trail race on Signal Mountain with 4,400 feet of gain on crazy single track and rocky terrain with amazing views. Rock Creek Outfitters is a sponsor of this race as well as a lot of other great Chattanooga trail races. The Stump Jump is legendary.

We arrived at the expo, being held at the Rock Creek store, the mecca for trail runners in Chattanooga. It’s such an awesome/terrible idea to have a trail race expo at a genius gear store, especially with a sale going on.  I couldn't resist “just trying on” a new pair of Hokas and I’m sure you know the end result of that – I was, in quick order, the proud owner of yet another pair of Hokas.

As we were browsing shoes and gear and picking up packets and looking around, Jeff wandered off and then reappeared. With a race packet in his hand.       

We all stared at him. He stared back. “What?” he asked.

We stared more. At him and the race packet, complete with an official bib number, in his hand.

It’s not that Jeff can’t run. He just doesn’t particularly like to run. He’s an epic hiker. He has hiked 550 miles across Spain twice, hiked 100+ miles of the C&O Canal as well as nearly every trail in Shenandoah National Park and countless miles of the Appalachian Trail.  

But he really doesn’t like to run. He likes to stop and take pictures. Of every flower. And he likes to identify plants. All the plants. He’s not a hurrying sort of guy. He’s a yoga teacher and the woods are a meditative place for him, not a racing place. 

So, you can imagine that we were all slightly confused when he appeared to have, on the fly, registered for a race that we had all started training for months before.

“Well, I can’t hang out at that empty house and I’m not going to sit around at the race all day waiting for you guys, so I decided that I’m going to do it too.”

Jeff and the brothers Tolbert officially registered for Stump Jump. Jeff is thinking, you people are insane. 

Oh, and that's me ready to make my 11 Miler debut

It kind of made sense. This is the part of the story where every runner should stop reading and thank any non runner who ever came out to cheer, hang, crew, be at a race for you. It's a lot of waiting around and may not be quite as exciting as we feel like it would be for someone who is likely to only see you for one second, crossing the finish line. We told Jeff he’d be amazing and we helped him pick out a hydration pack (carrying your own hydration is a requirement for this race) and went out for a pre-race dinner.

The next day arrived in the night and we huddled around bonfires waiting for the race to begin.  The vibe of this race is what I call Classic Ultra. Ultra laid back, ultra cool, ultra friendly, ultra amazing coffee and snacks available. All of that and we were about to spend the day running on some of the most beautiful trails in the southeast - it's pretty much my idea of heaven.  

Waiting for the sunrise to warm us up

Before we had a chance to think too much about it, we were off and racing into the woods with close to 500 other runners. And when it was all over Matthew, Michael, Jeff and I all had PRs. As we cheered Jeff across the finish line he smiled and said, “I took some amazing pictures and I beat a girl who twisted her ankle.”

Four started and four finished. Success for all. 

We all decided we'd be back as soon as possible to hang out in the great city of Chattanooga and that we'd definitely all race Stump Jump again. And Jeff said that next time, he'd pick the accommodations.