Eva Runs Through It

So, the night before Oil Creek, I leaned over to Roger and I said, “if one more person tells me to ‘have fun’, I’m going to lose it.”  He looked at me, like I had lost my mind. It didn’t take him long to realize that I HAD lost my mind.  Oil Creek gets in my head like no other race.  I train hard for it, and it is in my mind during every race I do.  Heck, I even dream about it.  Have fun?  Not a chance.  I was obsessing about pace, and gear, and weather, and bears.  I was going to attempt the 100-mile distance, and KNEW I could get the job done in 34 hours.  The problem was that I was only given 32.  (Roger—you know you were out of your mind telling me 30, right?) The race started at 5 am.  Rog had been telling me to stay on his shoulder from the start until sunrise or AS1.  I stood right next to him, and lost him immediately.  Dammit.  I was worried (imagine that) about the condition of the trai...

Beast of Burden Summer 100 I LOVE the Beast.  It is as much a reunion of friends, as it is a running event.  It is a four loop (25 miles each) course along the Erie canal.  It is pancake flat and there is NO protection from the environment.  As pretty as it looks, it is tough and unforgiving.  It scares the hell out of me.  The first loop was fun.  I was battling some stomach issues, but I was able to stick to the race plan.  I started with my traditional cry.  I really don’t plan to do this, but I get myself so worked up during taper, that I’ve got a lot to let out once I can finally do what I do.  Jim and Marco know that once I say, “give me a minute”, that I’m going to take off and let loose.  I do my best mile splits during those times… During the second loop, the wheels fell off.  First I didn’t make the bridge.  Uggh—up and over I go, which is REALLY painful after running 26 miles.  Things we...

What a long strange race this was.   I had been stalking the weather report for weeks.  The temps were hovering in the mid 90’s with an index well over 100.  The final report said that the race would have a heat index of 110 and severe thunderstorms in the evening.   People kept asking me if the race would be cancelled.   I would give that that look, usually reserved for my son, when he tries to comprehend something non-literal.   ‘Ultra races don’t get cancelled, runners just have to adapt’ was my reply.  See where this is going…. So, on the road I go to Philly.  About four hours into my ride, I get a series of messages from a friend that the race is changed from a 24-hour race starting on Saturday to a 12-hour race starting on Sunday.   I’m annoyed that I hear this message from a friend and not the race itself, as by this point packet pickup is already underway. Okay—I’m mildly bugged, but I can a...

I come from a big, close family.  Well, close in feelings, but geographically we are about 500 miles apart.  Thanks to Facebook, we keep in touch on the little tidbits of life.  It was through Facebook that I started to see several members of my family have started to run/walk to get in shape.  It got my wheels turning, and it gave me what my husband calls my "make shit happen" face. I was going to recruit as many Kaloshi as possible to run their first 5k.  It started with the normal family stuff:  I will if she will, I don't want to be last, you'll just laugh at me, I really don't run that fast, etc., When all of that settled, I got my SIL Beth, niece Heather, her husband Joe, their baby Logan, my nephew Mike, and my son Noah to toe the line.  My (now 30 pounds lighter) sister Danielle wanted to run, but hurt herself lifting a patient and had to bow out.  At least she wore a Chara shirt to the race...

I went to the Dr. office on Monday.  He said the words that I’ve wanted to hear, “yes Eva, you can run”.  He said lots of other words too, but I must admit that I wasn’t nearly as focused on them as I was on my clearance.   Yes, there are more things to do with my “treatment plan” and yes, I’m not fully healed…cartiledge tears take time…but I can resume training.  YES! Next, I had to decide how much I wanted to push it on Saturday.  It killed me to miss Segahunda after my injury, and I searched the internet  to find another trail marathon.  It was between a race in Philly or Mohican.  I NEEDED to race.   I was willing to travel, and I wanted hills, mud, roots, single track---the whole nine yards.  Rog and I both had a couple DNS's that were bothering us.  We both ultimately decided to run Mohican.  He was doing the 50 miler and me the marathon. The problem was, he was working his subtle powers of pe...

So, I ended up in the emergency room last week.  One minute I was walking, the next…not so much.  The doctors haven’t shown all of their cards yet, but have issued me a shiny new pair of crutches as my first step in treatment.   Oh yeah, the second step is that term that is like hell on Earth for me….rest.   I’ve been a good doobie, and have heeded medical advice.  I missed a race I was hoping to tear it up on (and that has a really cute hoodie).  But, that was okay…I was “saving” myself for this weekend when I could run the Finn McCool obstacle course race with my son Noah, and the Girls on the Run 5k with my daughter Natalie.  If I had to hobble, I was going to do it for my kids.  Last night, I decided Finn was just going to be out of reach for me.  I could probably handle the running, (I’m already finding a way to work that back in) but I was worried about the obstacles and the mud making worse that which is s...

I’m finding it very hard to put the 3 Days at the Fair race into words.  There is just too much to cover.  Essentially,  it was both a grueling physical endeavor and a great escape with friends, The 100-mile distance has scared the hell out of me for years.  It took me a long time to work up the training and courage to even sign up for this monster.  I finally did, and have finished it twice.  Both times took all I had to give, and annoyed me more than elated me.  I felt as if I survived them versus conquered them.  That changed with this race.  I finished strong…strong enough to take a victory lap.  I knew how to manage my nutrition, clothing, supplies and moods.  I’ve learned survival skills, how to adapt and persevere, and that no matter how bad it gets, it will pass.    I’ve learned that I’m tougher than I think. Now for the camaraderie.  Jim and Marco---ah, what to say about these two. ...