Eva Runs Through It

I remember slogging around the North Coast 24, on it’s .9-mile track.   It was the race that I wanted to hit my first 75 miler.   I would have to go around that track 84 times.   Yeah…monotonous.   After running for about 12 hours, evening was descending.   A runner approached me, “Do you have anyone to spend the night with?”   In any other context, this would be absolutely inappropriate, but on this course, it was just his way of looking for someone to talk to while we went around, and around, and around.   He needed a friend. He was a very nice man, but was obviously struggling with the race.   He had suffered a stroke that left him with major holes in his memory and with speech deficits.   We spent hours talking about his recovery and obstacles that he has had to overcome. His finish line was at 50 miles, and he thanked me for the company and said, “If you ever want to run the HAT race, you let me know.   I’m one of the race dire...

I arrived in DC the day before the race.   A leisurely walk around Arlington National Cemetery helped me to cement my goal for this race.    I would run it strong, run it focused and be a metronome.   I wanted to prove to myself that I could run by perceived exertion (no watch) and maintain a steady pace over the entire 26.2.    If I could do it, it would prove to me that my training was on track.   I didn’t care what the pace was that I held; that would have to depend on the day, the crowd, the course, my diet, my training and of course Mother Nature.   I just wanted to cross the line with whatever stride I had at the start.   Even 10k splits—here I come. I got to the start line and I had a heavy case of   ‘I miss my kids’.   I ran the half marathon with my son and his friend last year, and I couldn’t help but feel the void created by his absence this year.   Dang broken leg!    A quick call home, and my daughte...

So, not finishing Oil Creek got to me me.   I was determined to run another 100, and fast.   However, my choices were somewhat limited, and I kept coming back to the Beast. Although, I did keep looking for ANY other race I could do, as   I’d already double buckled in the BoB.    Finally, I decided, what the heck.   I needed a race, and here was one right in my own back yard, surrounded by friends and on a known course. It would be nice to knock out an “easy” 100.   I didn’t really think through that “easy” part. The weather looked like it was going to be mild for the race.   The polar vortex had past.   No major storms were on the horizon.   I ran the course the week before with my friend Jim, and besides a bunch of downed trees and their branches, it looked pretty good.   I was even cocky enough to say that I didn’t think the weather was going to be a factor in this year’s race.   Jim told me I was an idiot and than...

That’s it!  I’m done.  I’ve run all I’m going to run in 2013.  2,746 miles.  Reflecting back, there was a lot to run through—much good, my fair share of challenges, and some things that took my breath away.   The good is easy to recall.   My children grew and prospered.   I learned to love my job again .    I completed three 100-mile races.   I traveled.   I laughed HARD and often.   I opened doors that I thought were shut.   I learned from mistakes.   I deepened friendships to levels that I never thought possible.   I felt love and gave it in return.   I grew. The challenges, while not as many, were deep.   I lost loved ones, both suddenly and slowly.   My son needed surgery.   My daughter got a diagnosis.   I went through a July, which I would just like to simply erase from my life calendar.   I missed a finish line that I whole-heartedly wanted to cross.    And,...

So Roger sent me a text.  He’s registered for a race, but has a family obligation.  Do I want to take his spot?   Oh yeah, I do.    I’ve been itching to get to a starting line.   It’s been a rough month for me, and I really wanted to run through it.   I laughed when I found out the name.   Oh well, it cant be that bad. I got up around 6 am to head out to Rochester.   When I let the dogs out, I realized that it snowed pretty hard last night, and the roads were not cleared yet.   I decide to get going sooner rather than later.   The roads were brutal.   It took me an extra stressful hour to get to the race site.    THEN, I couldn’t find the start.   Seriously, I was in the park and could not find the start.   Uh oh, I giggled as I thought of the name of the race. The website clearly stated that you had to check in by 9:45 in order to start the 10 am race.   I peeled into the pa...

This was not an easy race.  Which is good, I didn’t want it to be.  I truly felt blessed to be ABLE to run this race.  To know that even though it would be hard, I would get to the finish line.  I knew that there was a good chance I’d come home bruised, dirty, or cold, and I did—all three. I count my blessings, because today, I ran for my mother-in-law, Thelma (Thel). Heaven only knows if she has weeks, days, or just hours left, but Thel’s ticket to heaven has been purchased…we are just awaiting the departure date. This beautiful woman was once a power walker.   It was not uncommon to see her around her neighborhood or along the path at Niawanda Park.   She was active until she couldn’t be. Advanced dementia is a horrible disease.   Thel’s conversation skills during the past few years are akin to one of those amusement park rides.   You know, the kind where you sit in a cart on a track.   The cart passes a switch that activates s...

I spent most of 2013 on the roads, prepping for the Double Buckle.  I assumed the training would do double duty and prep me for Oil Creek 100.  In some ways, it did.  I was mentally able to take on the challenge.  I knew what I would face.  I knew how to prepare and to execute.  What I didn’t know was how to beat that damned clock. I just didn’t train the trails enough.   It bit me HARD at Oil Creek.   I needed it to. Enter, Mendon Pond 50k.   It was my first race back on the trail since OC, and I was determined to nail it.   As is custom, I somehow annoyed Mother Nature and she decided to play with her weather machine.    We had a windstorm the day before with 60 mph gusts.   It was cold, and it was predicted to rain—hard.   AWESOME!!!!   If I was going to prove myself, I wanted something to work with.   Thanks Mom! This is a small race.   Not long after I got my registration materials, ...