Pace with Purpose

100 miles for Myanmar

2012-01-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of reasons one might run. A child runs for fun. A fugitive runs for his life. An athlete runs for a touchdown, layup, or goal (not to mention endorsements). An idiot runs 100 miles for a bucket list. Yep, we are those idiots. However, I am a true believer that ignorance and bliss often collide. Typically there is a point in an ultra run where dileria and delusion set in and you are truly running because your legs don't really know how to stop ( or your brain is too glycogen deprived to send the right signals to stop them). You see a bear in front of you, but luckily your running partner is still in their sound mind and tell you its a trash can....and you are so thankful and happy. Suddenly a soggy banana the volunteer hands you tastes like filet mignon and the gatorade like champagne....again, life is great. Then at the next aid station you change your socks and shoes and it feels like you just visited the spa for an hour pedicure.....oh those wonderful Saucony designers, God bless them. You are so excited that you have only lost one toenail the first 40 miles..... I still have nine! THIS is when ignorance meets bliss!

Then there are the miles where you are still ignorant but not so blissful. It is during these miles that you must find your strength. Elissa and I laugh A LOT so I am not going to tell you that most of the miles are painful. Of course, I haven't ran 100 miles yet. I'm anticipating there won't be as much laughter miles 60-100. We have never ran until we had nothing to talk about. This race will truly test just how long we can talk :). Our training runs are becoming rather mentally tiring. You can only run so many times around the city of Evansville. We actually have been doing our long runs late at night and into the early hours of the morning in order to prepare ourselves to "run tired." The 100 mile race takes place in Umstead State Park in Durham North Carolina. It is a course of 8- 12.5 mi loops. Ok, we did a 50-miler that had 4 loops and the loops get really redundant. So on top of training from 8pm-3am we top that off by running a 5-6mi route over and over and over again just to mentally prepare ourselves for the boredom that will inevitably occur.

So it all sounds like so much fun, right? Actually, most of the time it is. There does, however, reach a point in the training run where we really want to just stop 2 hours early. In the early months of training, this problem seemed to be happening frequently just due to lack of drive. One thing I have learned is that running just to run does have numerous rewards. Obviously, it keeps you in great shape. It improves your attitude and energy levels. It relieves stress. But....you sure don't need to run or train for 100 miles to see these benefits. The running becomes just time on your feet to ensure that you don't drop dead at mile 60. While this a motivating factor, at midnight in the cold, it's easy to want to quit. This is what sparked 100 Miles for Myanmar.

In January of 2009, Brock and I traveled to Myanmar with a team from Bethel Temple. I did eye exams and Brock worked on a water system for the orphanages. The trip changed our lives in so many ways. I was so enthused about how God changed my heart on this mission trip that Elissa got excited as well. It was then that we started Pace with Purpose to use our love for running to help local non-for-profit organizations. Running became purposeful and we accomplished so many "bucket listers" along the way. We decided that our 100 miler should go back to where the idea for Pace with Purpose originated- Myanmar.

So on March 31st-April 1st, Elissa and I will be completing 200 miles (100 miles each (yes all at once) and together) raising money for our orphans in Myanmar. You truly have no idea how far even $10 goes in Myanmar. I could literally go on all day about the amazing work our church and missionaries have done to bring Christianity and hope to our orphans there. Still, there is so much work that needs to take place. Soon we will have a donation per mile set up on our blog site and if you feel inclined to give, thank you.

Here is a link to visit for more information about our connection with Myanmar:
http://1bethel.com/world-missions/myanmar/

Let the training continue.......

Oh the places we go......

2011-05-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

If you know Elissa and myself, we are slightly extremists. Running is obvious. We couldn't just stop with 26.2, we had to go further. I would bet that 50 will soon be surpassed as well. This tendency seems to carry over into other areas as well. Bibbity Running's pace seems to be going down this path as well and all I can say is it has been a fun ride so far!

Our first expo was the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. Elissa and I packed up her Honda Pilot with a crazy amount of skirts, racks, hangers, etc. and somehow we managed to fit in the vehicle. We literally looked like the Clampetts. We managed to make it to Chicago. I seriously didn't sleep the night before....I was a nervous wreck! We had a blast at the expo and met some great people! Saran Dunmore, personal trainer of MTV "I Used to be Fat", loved the skirts and even made us drop and give her 20 push-ups! She plans to wear it on next season's show this fall! We will be watching, Saran! Gary a reporter interviewed us for the Michigan Running Times and he put on a skirt. He liked it so much he decided to wear it to run the Shamrock in! He text me after the Shamrock and said it was so comfortable that he was wearing it to Boston. Gary represented Bibbity at Boston- BooYah!

Then we headed to Cincinnati to the Flying Pig Marathon. Again, we made lots of friends. Katie Rhodes, of Skinnymoms.com, introduced us to her group. If you have never checked out www.skinnymoms.com you really need to. Katie's blog is titled "Fit Diva Mom." They have tons of fitness tips, from the pros, as well as great mom tidbits. We are teaming up with Katie for Tri Joe. It is a triathlon to raise money for children with Down Syndrome. We will also be involved in the "No Drama Mama" fundraiser to raise money for neuroblastoma. I love how Pace with Purpose inspired Bibbity Running, and Bibbity Running is following in Pace with Purpose's plan. Love it! Thanks Katie for this opportunity!!!! The Cincy expo went great! Bibbity was a hit!

We had a huge 4 day break and then we were on the road to Indianapolis for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon. We had an awesome booth space right next to the main sponsors with an open corner. Plenty of room to spread out! Our tee shirts seemed to catch everyone's eyes. A little RTL baby! My most memorable moment was when Jenni came to our booth. Jenni's enthusiam for our skirts was so adorable! She was so excited to find a skirt with briefs, bib snaps and as light weight as Bibbity's. She seriously was giddy and it made my weekend. I really get excited when I see someone call our skirt "the best thing ever" or "someone finally got it ALL right!!!" Our response at Indy was unbelievable. We had a blast meeting all of you!

Honestly right now I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed with the success we have had thus far. I never dreamed we would get this response so quickly. I am not surprised about the good reviews. I am confident (not arrogant, confident) in our product. I am just so amazed at how many people have been looking for our skirt. Flattering running skirts that are amazingly lightweight and functional are few and far between. The testimony from Shawnie from Fishers, IN blew me away:

Ladies, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you yesterday at the Expo in Indy. I wore my Bibbity Skirt today and I am totally in love!!! I also got several compliments on it as well. The best running skirt I have ever owned...hands down!!!! Can't wait to get more! Thank you so much for all of your help and best of luck with your business!!!

To quote my cousin in a facebook post earlier today "Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon!" Now I need to remember that quote at the low point during our next ultra! Happy running girls and stay strong!

Take a little time for some RTL :)

Dean Fever (as opposed to "Bieber Fever")

2011-03-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

I find it really kind of funny when people ask me "why haven't you been blogging lately?" Funny in the fact that they notice. Honestly lately we have been too busy with the skirt biz to race since our ultra in October. I guess we have been in an off season mode. We haven't gone more than 3 months without a race since fall of 2008 so I think it was time for a little bit of a breather.
Well....breather over! We are going on an adventure run "sometime in April." The date is tentative. The hour in which we will start running is unknown. We may began in the morning or it may be late in the day. I am not sure if it will be one long stretch from dawn to dusk, or two entirely separate days? There is no starting line and no finish line. There also is no pre-determined distance. There is one mantra that comes to mind in our next adventure........

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.......just NEVER give up!"

Yes, those are the famous words of the famous runner we will be awaiting on I-70. Dean Karnazes is running across the country to raise money to fight against childhood obesity. He is sponsored by Live with Regis and Kelly. He is running 3000 miles, roughly 40-50 miles a day, from California to New York.
Shortly after we ran the Boston Marathon in 2009, Elissa and I read Dean's book "Ultra Marathon Man." This lunatic decided to just "go for a run" on his 30 birthday and ended up running 30 miles. The book went on to tell of all his crazy adventures of running without sleep, for 48 hours straight on a treadmill, etc. Yep, he's to blame for our 2am IHOP runs. He inspired us to just keep going. He made running an adventure instead of a training plan. He really defines the phrase anything is possible. People call him "super human." Don't get me wrong, I am really really impressed and in awe of all that he has accomplished. But, I don't think he's super human. I think he is super determined. Most likely, super stubborn. And without a doubt, super dedicated. Obviously I have never ran more than 50 miles in one stretch, however, I have hit that place where you are completely gutting it out. You have nothing left to give one moment, you dig really deep, and you keep going. Then, sometimes minutes other times hours, you are chugging along like that struggle never happened. And then.....the same pattern repeats (over and over and over). Welcome to the world of ultras!

So basically we will be awaiting (I prefer awaiting versus stalking) Dean on I-70 near Terre Haute and heading towards Indianapolis. His EDA is in the time frame of April 17-18th depending on how his journey goes. He has covered over 450 miles(unbelievable!) to date (he started on Feb 25th). If I can figure out how to video our adventure I will (in the case that law enforcement takes us out we could make some money for that tape footage :) ). I have no idea how far we will be able to go. However, let's put this in perspective. Dean is our equivalent to Justin Bieber in the middle school. We will be pretty star struck and that alone will carry us at least 50 miles!

A new adventure.....

2011-01-31T19:01:00.000-08:00

Since Pace with Purpose started in winter of 2009 there has always been one constant. Wardrobe. That's right....a skirt. A running skirt. We have tried them all. All of them had good qualities, but not ALL the qualities we were looking for. During a 50-mile run your clothes have to be flawless, functional, and if it looks good that's a plus too, right? During an ultra you have a lot of energy to carry. By that I mean, buffet bar. Essentially you are carrying a buffet bar in your belt, pockets, and skirt. Pocket placement is very important for comfort and actual placement of your skirt. Sweat + weight of GU = not pretty. I like to keep my skirt on my waist while I run, thank you. Another important functional property of a skirt is what is under it. The biker shorts are a no-no on my list. They ride up with every stride. Briefs, lollipops, undies- whatever the politically correct term is- are what you want. If you just gasped when you read this, I'd like to point something out. The Olympians wear essentially bikini bottoms to run. Well, I don't feel comfortable wearing this, but I do want to be as functional as an Olympian. So....walla....put a skirt over them and there you go! Speaking of "go"....when nature calls, the skirt/brief combo couldn't be more convenient. Ok, so point #1- function

On to point #2.....style. Let's face it, spandex anything is hard to pull off. Spandex with a brief under it is really hard to pull off....unless it is designed very carefully. The skirt has to give enough in the right places, yet not look to flowing. It cannot show an undie line or the lovely indention that accompanies it. This may not sound challenging but oh it is. The skirt has to stay down enough to cover the derriere, yet not be too tight. This was a major flaw in most skirts I tried. It either looked like I was wearing a potato sack (not pretty) or like I painted it on (straight up scary). Pocket placement....a huge area to be improved on. Even my favorite skirts couldn't get this right. Pockets on the side + GU = saddle bags. So not attractive. Pockets in the back? As if women want to add bulk there?! Pockets perplexed me and really left me dissatisfied. Oh and then there is the waistband. It is called a WAIST band because it is meant to stay there. From mile 20 on, I typically pulled up my skirt at the waist every mile. This wasn't because it didn't fit. It was because it couldn't handle the sweat. Ugh!

So, after much aggravation and many, many miles to discuss our "perfect running skirt" we decided to take action. Elissa and I designed a skirt that combines function and fashion. Our skirts went through many "test runs." We tested this skirt out in 100% humidity to make sure it was sweat wicking and stayed put on our waist. It remained weightless and didn't slip at all. We ran a 50-mile race to make sure no rubbing or chaffing occurred. It also passed the buffet test, our GU stayed put in our unique, flattering angle pockets. Another "extra" our skirt has is reflective outlining; both on the front and on the back right side for traffic specific safety.
The most unique feature of our skirt is in the name......the bib snaps. I absolutely hate pinning on my race number during pre-race jitters. Not to mention that excessive pinning ruins the material. Our skirt has two small discrete snaps at the waist band that snap securely into your bib number. I love this feature!

We are SO excited for you to experience our skirt. We have had great reviews from those who have raced in a Bibbity Running skirt. Don't take their word for it....try it yourself!

Bibbity Running......where fashion and function run together!
http://www.bibbityrunning.com/

***Pace with Purpose is currently working out the details to continue giving "purpose" to our running. Bibbity Running will be an extension of this....stay tuned to for more info on how Bibbity gives back.

These boots are made for running.......

2010-10-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

8 hours 35 minutes is a good night's sleep, a full day of work, a plane ride across the country.....or a 50 mile race on foot. When I put it that way it really puts it in perspective how weird I am. :)

We left on our girl's weekend for Nash Vegas on Friday afternoon (Elissa, Mandy, Laura, and myself). We headed to the race "expo" to pick up our packets. It was amazing that we got in and out of the expo as quickly as we did with the crowds. I think it took us 3 minutes total including getting in and out of the car. It reminded me a lot of the Chicago Marathon expo (minus merchandise, crowds, lines, food and motivational speakers). Then it was off for dinner. As I have mentioned before, we are creatures of habit and we always eat Chinese food as our pre-race meal. All the stars need to be in alignment before this 50 mile jaunt so naturally we head to Pf Chang's and a little ice cream to follow. I am pretty sure this goes against all of the rule books.

Alarm went off at 5:30am and I now know why Chinese food and ice cream are not on the same list with pasta and potatoes for your pre-race meal. All of our stomachs, those running and not running, were churning. Thankfully, after a cup of coffee and some food we were ok. We got to the race about 15 minutes before the official start time, dropped of our drop bags in their appropriate bins and prepared to start. That is when we met up with Elissa's friend Ashley from Knoxville (who Elissa has ran a few marathons with in the past) and our new friend Will of the East Nasties. Ashley was doing the 50k (smart girl) and Will was in it for the full 50 miles. Will belongs to a running group in Nashville who call themselves the "East Nasties." This runner's club started with a few people from east Nashville that did a van relay and the van smelled so nasty that they became the "east nasties." The group has grown to over 170 members! I think 6 or 7 east nasties were on the course and many of them were volunteering along the way. Kuddos East Nasties!

So at 7 am we took off. Immediately we realized that people from Tennessee have a skewed perception of "rolling hills" and "trails." The first 16 miles of the course was hill upon hill upon hill. It was a really pretty course, crossing lots of bridges and through some really pretty wooded parks of Nashville. We maintained an 8:30-8:40 pace the first 16 miles which was too fast considering the hills and the fact that we still had 34 miles to go. At this point Ashley and Will were still our running buddies. Our drop bag was not at mile 16 like it was supposed to be. The aid stations were well stocked so we were ok, but we were concerned that we may have lost our replacement shoes.

Mile 17 started the trails that we totally weren't expecting and the hills just kept coming. My ankles and achilles were not ready for the instability and I had a few aches and pains that I haven't experienced on the roads. There are some positives of trail running. First and foremost, they are surrounded by woods so endless bathroom possibilities. This beats a porta-pot anyday! Here is where I slip a Bibbity Running skirt advertisement in too, skirts are the ultimate easy access when nature calls. As much as I wanted to disprove the theory, trails are so much easier on your body. When we first started on the trail I thought it was miserable because my stabilization muscles were not ready for this. After a few miles though I could tell such a huge decrease on the impact on my lower back and hips. I may see a trail run in my future (did I just really say that????)! Mile 21 was slightly stressful because our drop bag was once again missing! I nicely (ha!) let the poor volunteer know that I was slightly concerned. Elissa would describe this the same way I'm sure as she kept apologizing saying "we know it's not your fault" to the volunteer. We said a quick prayer that 3rd drop station was the charm and our bags would be there. Ashley's turn around was around mile 23 and we kept on going with Will just a little ways behind us. We later learned that he was the smart pacer. :)

I can't exactly remember when we got back on the paved greenway but it seemed like an eternity. Switching back and forth between the pavement and the trails made me all too aware of the changes in impact. I know we were on pavement at mile 25 because the race began here. The sun was beating down and we began to run to downtown Nashville. Mile 25- 36 were by far the hardest for me. I looked over at Elissa (at this point she was on my left because I could only turn my head to the left because of a muscle spasm in my right shoulder) and she was bright red. Who would have thought mid-October that we would need to prepare for a sunburn? Not only were we both getting burned at this point, we really started to feel the effects of dehydration. I remember turning around at mile 31 to head back and asking Elissa "do you think I'd just get hurt or would I die if I threw myself down that hill into that fence?" This was probably my low point :). We continued on the levee to downtown Nashville from mile 31-37 and then hit the trails again. The one thing we kept repeating as the sun beat down on us for 12 miles was that we would be in the shaded trails for the last 13 miles. WRONG! Just because there are trees does not mean there is shade. My rock began to soften a little at this point. My rock being Elissa. She was feeling horrible and her exact words were "my quad muscles are ripping from the bone." In my mind I was freaking out at this point but remained calm for her. I really have never seen her in pain before so this really scared me. The recommendation of stopping was thrown out there and....BAM....she was back. She looked at me as if I just asked her to eat her first born child or something. Holding back tears she continued forward. The trails on the way back were not marked very well so we ran a little out of our way and met up with another weary looking runner who redirected us. You can imagine how happy we were at this point :). Elissa decided to voice how elated she was about her sunburn, dehydration, the bad trail markings and her quads. I think she felt better after she vented this to the all confused, barely moving runner. Our motivation now was "the bridge." The last mile was a straight up climb to a bridge that then proceeded to climb even more and then you had about 1/4 mile to the finish. The reason we were excited about getting to the bridge was not just the finish. It was because there was no way in Hades that we were running up that mountain! Yes our reward to get us through mile 47-49 was that the faster we ran there the sooner we got to walk! It sounds slightly ridiculous to run that far and then wimp out and walk the bridge. If you would like to meet me at that bridge sometime we can talk :). Will kept reappearing and then falling back behind us. Until the end where he conquered the bridge and finished 2 minutes before us. I wish there would've been some competitive bone left in me to chase after him but I think I said "look at him go....go Will.... I am walking!" We climbed the bridge and then approached the finish. I remember saying to Elissa "I don't care if I walk through the finish....I just want to finish this!!!" She concurred. Well....that didn't happen. We heard the people and the cheers and we full out sprinted across the finish. It really amazes me as spent as you can feel how you find it in you to sprint across the finish. I remember the speed, crossing the finish line amazed by our time, and then falling to my knees and puking. I will never forget the spectator that was sitting just feet away in a folding chair from where I finished and she looked at me and said "Great Jo......ewwww." Yeah, "ewww" was an understatement. I just smiled because I had been wanting to do that for about 20 miles!

I will have to admit, this was the ugliest race and finish I have ever completed. It's nice to blog about a wonderful race experience with great memories and an amazing finish. Sometimes though that's not the case. This was the toughest thing I have ever physically experienced (and Elissa will report the same). In the next breath, though, I am still so glad I did it and wouldn't trade it because it was a huge test. It tested our strength and mental toughness in a way I have never experienced. I saw so many lone runners and I have no idea how you run something like this by yourself. There were times that we needed to encourage each other, make the other one laugh, or simply yell at each other. I cannot imagine this journey solo. We are really pleased that our time was only 2 minutes behind our Chicago 50 because Chicago was much easier. We finished 4th and 5th (or just 4th because once again we crossed together) female overall and 19th out of 70 overall 50 mile runners.

After the race we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for some burgers. I dreamed about a burger from mile 25 on....which is weird because I rarely eat red meat but it was ALL I wanted! We then decided we needed to "go country" and get some boots to remember our journey. Thanks Mandy and Laura for the fun weekend and thanks Elissa for going jogging with me. :) Also thanks to the pack for the training! We have news for you though.....be prepared for some major hill work and some trails in the future! We were inspired by the "East Nasties" and may have to start a distance running club called the " 'Villedge Idiots " :)

Let the races begin (HOOOOOOWWWLLL)

2010-10-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

A big week is coming up for the "pack" :) Evansville Half Marathon AND the Chicago Marathon are on Sunday. GOOD LUCK to all running this weekend! The Chicago marathon is a (not so) fond memory of mine. Actually, it was more like a half marathon for me due to the fact that I completely shut down at mile 12. I am sure the girl in front of me remembers it too....eeewww. None the less, it is probably the most exciting race environment I have ever seen. I also am just so proud of what a success the Evansville half is every year. At the end of one of our 20+mile runs last month we ran past Wesselman park to see the Team 13 finishing up. It was awesome to see how that group keeps growing through the years! Hats off to the YMCA of Evansville for all their hard work each year to keep this tradition going and growing!

We are one week away from the Nashville Ultra. I realized today I don't even know where it starts (other than "Nashville"). Elissa and I decided to look more into that today and I think we got as far as talking about if we need to pack GU or not. I guess we will worry about the details next week. :) Why am I not surprised? It's like we have ADHRD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Running Disorder combined with OCD- Obsessive Coffee Disorder. These are not good combinations! Details, schmetails.....just run!

Good luck to all runners this weekend! If you are going to Chicago I hear there is a wolf running loose in the streets. He's "running around Chicago, looking for compression socks and a PR. And so tonight I make a toast".....GOOD LUCK! HOOOOWWWWLLLL!

Hamster in its Wheel

2010-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as much as I love to run (and run and run) I too suffer from the dreaded burn out. Our race is less than 2 weeks away and we are either really ready or doomed! None the less we are feeling stale. I am hoping it is because we are trained and ready and it's time to rest. Of course, no matter if you race 3 miles or 200 miles, you still doubt that this is the case. You wonder if you'll feel this way when the gun goes off. Well, typically at an ultra some guy just yells "go." There is very little hoopla at ultras. No frills or fluff. No awesome swag or merchandise. The cheering crowds......wait, what cheering crowds? You share the route with open traffic, dog walkers, rollerbladers, bikers, strollers, and vehicles. There is no finishing chute with music or an announcer. Typically there is a guy with a clipboard getting up from his lawn chair to write down your number when you finish. Chip timing? Not a chance! You'll be lucky if the results are up that week.
What you will find (and why I enjoy and am fascinated) at an ultra is a wide variety of very determined individuals. Some are there because they are running for someone they love or lost. Other's are there running to support finding a cure cancer or alzheimer's. You will see people who run with a limp or run with a handicap. While ultra running comes with bragging rights, few of these people do. In fact, I can honestly say, they are so much more friendly than any other distance race I have ran from 5k's to marathons. Everyone there has a story that is bigger than running. ( and let us not shout out to the wonderful volunteers)
So basically you are reading my pep talk to me. In 11 days I won't be running among the masses or cheered on from the sidelines or hear my name as I cross the finish line. I will spend a day with a select group of people who run ultras. So far, I have always finished refreshed an amazed at the strength I see. It is typically not physical, although that is there. It is the drive that is behind the body. The ability to run that far is not ability. It is raw determination and heart. It is so awesome to witness.
So for another 10 days we will feel like the picture.....just a hamster in its wheel. Side note: this wheel was in the middle of the road off of Lincoln Avenue. Yes, Saturday morning in the middle of the road?
I am hoping in 11 days the legs will feel fresh and the love will return! Let the official taper begin!!!!! (insert wolfpack howl here).

Street Warriors

2010-09-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

The street warriors conquered another running weekend victory...44 miles/48 hours. We took off in the dark at 4:30am...in the shadows of the dark the street warriors were on the move. The first 10 miles were pretty much a dark blur, which was good. We have decided that the miles pass by quicker in the dark. I can't really figure out why this is, because our pace is the same, but once the sun comes out the miles seem to drag on.
The street warriors came about because of our mid-run stretch. When our hip flexors are aching at mile18+ we find it fun for all of us to stop at random locations and strike a Warrior yoga pose. The middle of Lincoln Avenue, St Mary's hospital entrance grounds, the Donut Bank...we pretty much pose everywhere. This may not sound humorous at all, but at mile 22, slap happy juices start to kick in and it doesn't take much to laugh. We try to make it picturesque, you know, like the yoga poses at the top of a mountain or on the beach. Picture it. Now picture it in front of a Thortons gas station with fuel belts and a tall "lean" guy who will remain nameless (Marshall) :).
Our memorable stop was once again to fuel up in the St Mary's doc lounge. The doc lounge we visit is right next to the nursery. We can't walk by without stopping and awing and oohing over the new babies. I'm sure that looks normal to the nurses. A group of sweaty, exhausted people warrior posing and gawking through the nursery window. Well, this visit Elissa fell in love with Emilio F. (just in case his parents are looking for Elissa I will only abbreviate). He was adorable, however, Elissa was acting like we were at an auction and trying to bid on him through the glass. It didn't help matters that the nurse then brought little Emilio out to take him to his mommy to nurse. Elissa hovered over him and I was scared she was going to whip out her fuel belt bottle to appease him and make a run for it. I am expecting her picture on St Mary's wall under "WANTED." It may have been our last doc lounge fuel stop because of security issues. Of course I am kidding, Elissa. We will bring you something back while you wait in the parking lot:)

Thanks to the warriors for company and endless entertainment. I feel as though only heart felt words from a touching movie can express my gratitude to the street warrior group (the content may have been edited)

"So there was two of us in the wolf pack, I was alone first in the pack and then Elissa joined later. And months ago when I was introduced to you guys, I thought "wait a second could it be?" and now I know for sure I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves running around the 'Ville together, looking for Amp and GU. So tonight, I make a toast!"

Until next time.......

48 hour window

2010-08-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

As Sunday evening rolls around I am exhausted. Ultra running is similar to painful events, like childbirth, in the fact that you forget what it feels like and then you sign up to do it again. Tonight as I sit here and type I can feel the twinge of soreness in my quads. I inhaled a pizza and cupcakes like it was my second job. Minor blister surgery was performed twice this weekend. I become slightly narcoleptic at various times mid-afternoon. Yep, the memories are suddenly a little less dim.

I am trying to blog after every long weekend warrior running sessions. If I concentrate during the run on events to blog about it hurts less. This weekend was our first official "48 hour window" weekend. While we have researched the web and asked other ultra runners for plans and tips we came up with the "48 hour window plan" on our own. So far, it hasn't let us down. That being said I don't think I'll publish the plan....... yet :). We basically work up to the distance of the race in a 48 hour period. For example, this weekend we ran 10miles, 18 miles, and 12 miles within 48 hours. This totals 40 miles for the weekend and we will peak in a few weeks covering 50 miles in the 48 hour window. Many logarithms and calculations went into this formula....uh, yeah. What's funny is that Elissa and I really do train and race well together for reasons that aren't obvious or typical. It's not about pace or endurance as much as it is that where one of us lacks the other makes up for it. For example, Elissa just has it when it comes to running. She is a mental rock. I have never, ever heard a negative word out of her mouth during a run or race. This edge, I honestly believe, is a secret weapon. You psych her up enough and she will honestly out run just about anyone. She just has the "it" factor. Then there's me....not so much "it" factor. A lot more work than natural talent. I have to train hard to hang with her. My contribution to our running is the planning. Elissa calls me her coach. I figure out all the training- hills, distance, fuel, etc. So basically I tell her what to do and she gets me through it. I think I got the short end of the stick here, but I'm happy in the last painful miles to have someone yelling "you can, you will, you want to!!!!"

Our runs this weekend were really good for the first 48 window. The weather was about as good as you can hope for in late August. Our 18 miler on Saturday was supposed to be a 20 miler, but due to the many miles of steep hills we weren't too concerned about the 2 miles we bagged. We decided to try Newton shoe technology and we got our first pair of Newton Isaac S and ran all the miles in them this weekend. I am a believer! I was a Chi Running convert a few years ago and these shoes compliment it perfectly. A little blurb from the Newton website:

The genius behind the Newton running shoes is the patented Action/Reaction Technology™. When using the ultra-efficient Land-Lever-Lift natural running gait of a midfoot or forefoot strike, the technology absorbs and then returns energy back to you. It's a revolutionary way of building a running shoe based on Sir Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion: "For every ACTION, there is an equal and opposite REACTION

How it Works
When your midfoot/forefoot LANDS on the ground, the technology's four external actuator lugs are pressed into hollow chambers inside the shoe's midsole via an elastic membrane (ACTION). This movement absorbs shock.

As you LEVER inside the shoe, the lugs release their stored energy and propel you forward through a burst of energetic return (REACTION) from the Action/Reaction Technology™. You then LIFT your knee and begin a new stride.

Most running shoes use various forms of air, gel, foam or plastic to counteract the foot's impact and response with the ground. But none of these materials capture and return energy like our Action/Reaction Technology™. With independent laboratory testing, 9 US Patents (other US and foreign patents pending), two Ironman World Championships, numerous world records and personal records, Newton Running shoes are superior to any other running shoe technology. http://www.newtonrunning.com/

The only downside to these shoes is they are the ugliest shoes I have ever laid eyes on. Check out that hot baby poop green accent. If I ever have to do correctional work on the highway these shoes will complete the outfit.

One weekend down, seven more to go! Run, eat, run, sleep, run, eat......REPEAT!

Back on the wagon....

2010-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been awhile since I have posted about our running. We have had lots of fundraiser posts for other people, which is much more purposeful than our training. I am sure some people think it's strange, conceited, or just a total waste of time to blog about your running/training. For me, it's for the memories. I look back at our blogs from our last 50 mile training plan and I seriously laugh until I cry (yes, most of it is only funny to me). I don't know if it's the years of aspartame or having a kid, but if I don't write it down I typically don't remember it for very long. Honestly our long, long runs are typically like comedy hour(s) and as weird as it sounds I always have fun on our 20+ mi runs. One day, when my knees are shot and I am bobbing up and down doing water aerobics :) I can read the stories and remember the good times. So, that is really why I blog about our training runs.
Well, we have really been unmotivated this summer. Many a texts at 4:15 am that say "let's just skip today" or "how about running later?" have been sent. This heat has brought many nauseating, sluggish runs that leave you feeling drained about mid-afternoon. I am totally NOT a fan of summer running in Evansville. I also think treadmill running does not equate in pace or getting your body ready for road racing, so I rarely run on them unless it's a warm-up. Don't get me wrong, the dreadmill serves a purpose in bad weather conditions, but it does a lot of the work for you and leaves you with aching knees and IT bands.
Last week the weather dropped about 5-10 degrees and my motivation went up about 90%. Luckily, so did Elissa's :). We decided it was time for another 50 miler. It has been a year since our last 50 and we are ready for another. So we signed up for the Nashville Ultra on October 16th. It is it's 3rd year running, so it's rather small but sounds like a nice course. It goes through Nashville and is only a couple loops :). We are planning on running our first 100 miler in the spring of 2011, so we would like to get at least one 50-miler in, if not two before then.
So last Saturday we set out for an easy 20 miler (easy I mean pace). We had company, Marshall and Sara. The more people, the bigger the party. I told Marshall he would make the blog because we had so much fun. Our first highlight was our good Samaritan deed. A lady was in the middle of the road in a wheelchair with her dog's leash wrapped around a tire. I was really helpful in this situation, I talked to Max the dog during the rescue. Kuddos, Marshall and Elissa for the lift and execution as well as exhalation. :)
We got to do some window shopping at the finest consignment shops. One called "Big Chicks Consignment"...I wish I was kidding on the name. Then we moved onto the Budweiser Clydesdale's at Harpoles/Woody's parking lot. We stopped to say hi to the, ummm, boys. I did not know the Budweiser horses were on tour in the 'Ville. Nor did I know the had names and their own little personal stables (I guess this is pent house living in horse world). Rudy, was ticked and wanted some food. Don, was just "hanging out" (literally). The Clydesdale's are big....that's all I'm going to say about that.
Our fuel stop was much classier than our typical mile 17 Donut Bank stop. We were accompanied by the infamous Dr Howell, so we were guests of St Mary's doc lounge. We dined on bananas, cookies, and Dt. Dew. I don't know if I can go back to Donut Bank slummin?
I think we ran, in between assisting, horsing around, and eating? All I know is my Garmin said 20 miles were covered and I stopped the same way I started.....laughing.

100 miles for Christy - www.100forchristy.org

2010-08-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

On August 21, 2010 Jay Donosky will be running the Leadville 100.....

Christy's Story
Christy Rolley was injured January 30, 2010 while sledding on the city’s west side. Christy was with her four children, William, Ellen, Isaac, and Sam as well as with her sister, Cathy, and her two children, Jacob and Emma. In the late afternoon, Christy and her niece Emma struck a tree while sledding on an inner tube. While Emma was fortunately uninjured, Christy struck her head and back on the tree. She was transported to Deaconess Hospital where an MRI revealed Christy had fractured her T8 & T9 vertebrae and sustained a spinal cord injury. Tragically, this resulted in paralysis below her sternum.

Christy spent the months of February, March and April rehabilitating at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. The Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit, 132-bed hospital that specializes in the medical treatment, research, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and brain injury.

Christy is now home and continues to make progress. As you can imagine, the Rolleys continue to endure a great deal of challenges. The family is very grateful for the spiritual, social, and financial support from family, friends, and strangers.

The expected financial burden following spinal cord injuries is listed below:
» Initial hospitalization costs following injury: $140,000
» Average first year expenses for a SCI injury (all groups): $198,000
» First year expenses for paraplegics: $152,000
» First year expenses for quadriplegics: $417,000
» Average lifetime costs for paraplegics, age of injury 25: $428,000
» Average lifetime costs for quadriplegics, age of injury 25: $1.35 million

*Source: The University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center - March 2002

The purpose of this Jay's event is to bring continued awareness to Christy’s cause and provide financial support to the family.

Jay Donosky
Christy and Jay have known each other since mid-80s when he was getting his hair cut at Roger’s in Evansville, IN. Yes, the days of the Duran Duran soccer mullet. Jay’s mother continued to be Christy’s client at the time of the sledding accident. Throughout the years since leaving the tri-state area, most of the encounters have been chance in nature. He elaborated by stating, “There are certain people you meet in life that are just great people and who possess a certain aura or vibe that is full of positive energy. Christy is one of those people. My interactions with her have been limited throughout the years but I always recall a positive spirit and energy that is so rare nowadays.

Jay Donosky now lives with his wife and two boys in Flagstaff, AZ, a community full of runners, both professional and amateur. The community boasts miles of trails, world renowned coaches, and the ability to train at 7000 feet of elevation. "In many cases, an 'average' runner in Flagstaff is exceptional elsewhere. The competition at every level is tremendous." His running has been on and off over the past 2 years as he has focused on other obligations. Just days before Christy's accident, he established the goal to complete a 100 mile race as the motivation to train and get back to "running" shape.

Please visit www.100forchristy.org and pledge per mile online. It requires no payment now, just a pledge, until the miles are complete!

GO, JAY, GO!!!!!

July is Keegan's month

2010-07-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all that contributed to the Barnard's (http://www.barnardkids.blogspot.com/). They are dear friends of mine and it truly touched me to see how many people who have never met them contributed to help them. Thank you so much.
Unfortunately, I know yet another family in dire need of prayer and financial help. It saddens me to know another couple that is having to watch their baby fight for his life.

Meet 10-month-old Keegan.....

Keegan was delivered 6 weeks premature due to the Pre-E and was hospitalized in the NICU for 2 weeks after birth. At birth we found he had 2 extra digits, one on each hand and 1 extra toe. They also found out that he had a stroke in utero and possiably has an overgrowth syndrome callled Simpson-Golobi-Behmel Syndrome. He has had many test since birth and was monitored with bi-yearly CT/Ultrasounds to check for tumors.
Just recently, after many misdiagnosis, they found a tumor growing in the 4th ventricle of his brain and now it is pushing on his brain stem and causing his system to fail. Keegan is undergoing a 4-6 hour surgery today. Their oncologist told them they are looking at 6 months of treatment, in hospital, chemo (the most aggressive you can get) and even then our prognosis is less than 50%.
The month of July we are collecting for the Chupp family. Please say a prayer for this sweet little boy and his family. (http://www.karingforkeegan.blogspot.com/)

Fly to Jesus

2010-06-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have followed the Barnard's blog and prayed for sweet Rebecca Sue I would like to share with you the recent posts from their blogsite.

Our hearts break tonight to tell you that Rebecca has gone to be with Jesus. She passed away this evening in mommy's arms at 6:15pm est. Her condition continued to deteriorate this afternoon to a point that was irreversible. We were brought to a place where we had to let her go. Although the painful journey did not take us to the place we had hoped, we took it faithfully and accept God's destination. He not only brought the rain, he brought the worst storm anyone could imagine.

UC hospital NICU was kind enough to let us bring her to see her sister for a while before leaving for home. Jessica and I are on the road now bringing her to Evansville. We will post arrangements when they are made.

Thank you all so much for the neverending support. We will never forger it.

Thank you to Rebecca's nurses that showed her love and cared for her so much at Children's Hospital. You will always be remembered.

I would like to add that through this storm the Barnard's have remained so strong and their faith unwaivered. They held tight to their Savior and to each other. As they mourn for the loss of their daughter they continue to witness and share her purpose. In her 74 days here she reunited relationships and brought people to Christ. Brandon spoke at the funeral and shared his memories with Rebecca. At the end of his emotional and heartfelt speech he shared that Rebecca was here for 74 days and brought so many to Christ. Our days are all numbered. What will you do with the days you are given?
God bless this amazing family. Please continue to pray for the Barnard family that they have a comfort that only He can give.

Every little bit helps.....

2010-05-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

My heart has really been aching this week for the babies I have posted about. First and foremost, pray for their healing and for strength and comfort for the parents/family. Not only do they have sick babies, they also have to manage to take care of everything else in their lives that we take for granted daily. The Barnard's have 3 other daughters at home and they are taking turns each week in Cincinnati to try to meet the needs of all of their children. Jessica and Brandon are literally meeting on the road for a quick bite to eat and then heading in different directions to provide for their children. Brandon is doing all of this while trying to balance his career as a firefighter (and they have crazy schedules as it is). It is exhausting just to think about and they have been doing this since March 28th. I pray for their strength and their health as well.

Pace with Purpose would like to help out. Travel expenses from here to Cincinnati alone several times a week and accommodations will obviously add up over the long haul. They are staying at a Ronald McDonald House, praise the Lord, but even the requested donation would add up quickly.

The remaining month of May and all of June we will be taking donations through Paypal for the Barnard family. The month of July we will collect for Keegan Chupp's family. Every little bit helps! Donate directly to Paypal in the upper right hand corner.

We sometimes struggle asking each month for donations for so many causes. Then I step back and think"no, there are hurting people right here in Evansville that need our love, prayers, and support." We get so wrapped up in our lives and little things and take things for granted daily. These babies are fighting for their lives. These parents are sacrificing everything for them. I will say with all my heart that as a parent I cannot imagine how helpless they must feel. Please continue to pray for these families.

Praying for preemies.....

2010-05-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do about running. Pace with Purpose isn't just about running. We believe in the power of prayer. And as far as I am concerned....the more the better. Let me introduce you to a few babies that could use just that.

www.barnardkids.blogspot.com
Rebecca and Joanna Barnard - truly miracles from God. Mother, Jessica, was given the news early on that one of the girls, now named Joanna, would not make it past the first trimester due to extremely low amniotic fluid. Well, despite all odds, Joanna's little heart kept on beating. She kept on growing and developing. This did, however, take a toll on both babies and despite many ultrasounds and doctor's visits the girls were born at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital at 28 weeks gestation on March 28th. It has been a daily challenge for the girls and right now Rebecca needs prayers. She was born with a heart condition. Currently, her body is wanting to send too much blood to the lungs and not enough to the body. So they are trying to correct with several medicines. They feel this is all being caused by an infection or sepsis although they have not pinpointed it. The plan is to keep her stabilized with medicine until the antibiotics can wipe out the infection. Last night, Jessica and Brandon (parents), were told that they might lose their daughter last night. She did turn a corner after a couple of hours but her battle is a long one and prayers are definitely needed for both babies.

www.karingforkeegan.blogspot.com
Meet Keegan Chupp. Keegan was delivered 6 weeks premature due to the Pre-E and was hospitalized in the NICU for 2 weeks after birth. At birth we found he had 2 extra digits, one on each hand and 1 extra toe. They also found out that he had a stroke in utero and possibly has an overgrowth syndrome callled Simpson-Golobi-Behmel Syndrome. He has had many test since birth and will be monitored with bi-yearly CT/Ultrasounds to check for tumors. Just recently, after many misdiagnosis, they found a tumor growing in the 4th ventricle of his brain and now it was pushing on his brain stem and causing his system to fail. Keegan is undergoing a 4-6 hour surgery today. Their oncologist told them they are looking at 6 months of treatment, in hospital, chemo (the most aggressive you can get) and even then our prognosis is less than 50%.

Hug your babies and pray for those who can't hug theirs due to ventilators and operating rooms. Pray for God's healing hands for these babies and the strength and comfort that only He can give.

Rolley Run a SUCCESS!!!!!!!

2010-05-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

What a great day! Thanks to all who came out to welcome Christy home. The cold didn’t stop the fun! We had such a great turn-out and are so thankful to all who came to show their support to the Rolley family.

Special thanks to our entertainers and vendors: Don Baggett (magician), Grover Towler (dj), Hadi Funster Clowns, Margaritas on the Move, Ultimate Fit, Greenlee Chiropractic, Starbucks, Rogers Hair Academy and Reliv International.

The results of the Rolley Run can be found on GERWC (www.gerwc.com) and also here below.

Congratulations to our top male and female winners- Jim Turpen (17:12.8) and
Faith Griffin (20:27.5). They both received Ultimate Fit gift certificates.

Rolley Run 5K
Bob's Gym - Newburgh, IN
05/08/2010
Race Timed by GERWC

********** 5K RUNNERS AWARDS LIST **********

********** FEMALE OVERALL 5K RUN RESULTS **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Faith Griffin F 30 Newburgh IN 20:27.5 6:36

********** MALE OVERALL 5K RUN RESULTS **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Jim Turpen M 30 Evansville IN 17:12.8 5:33

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 1 - 14 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Samantha Geibel F 10 Newburgh IN 30:18.4 9:46
2 Clair Strobel F 14 Evansville IN 35:31.5 11:27
3 Abbey Green F 10 Newburgh IN 37:06.0 11:57
4 Hannah Jamison F 5 Newburgh IN 43:33.7 14:02
5 Madeline Walker F 11 Newburgh IN 46:14.0 14:53

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 1 - 14 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Ethan Jones M 10 Newburgh IN 21:20.0 6:52
2 Zach Taylor M 12 Newburgh IN 24:15.0 7:49
3 Caleb Tichenor M 10 Newburgh IN 27:01.1 8:42
4 Hunter Arney M 14 Evansville IN 29:58.0 9:39
5 Matthew Lynch M 10 Newburgh IN 32:48.5 10:34

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 15 - 19 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Hanna Arney F 16 Evansville IN 24:16.5 7:49
2 Sidney Strobel F 17 Evansville IN 25:24.9 8:11
3 Shalini Chilukuri F 15 Newburgh IN 44:20.4 14:17

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 15 - 19 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Brett Walker M 15 Newburgh IN 20:29.3 6:36
2 Josh Myers M 15 Owensville IN 38:27.7 12:23
3 Zach Browning M 18 Newburgh IN 53:36.3 17:16

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Amanda Kloeppel F 23 Evansville IN 25:39.8 8:16
2 Jessica Hass F 24 Evansville IN 25:54.4 8:21
3 Maria Roate F 23 Evansville IN 31:22.5 10:06
4 Gretchen Helm F 24 Evansville IN 32:48.0 10:34
5 Rachel Mathew F 24 Evansville IN 35:28.5 11:26

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Aaron Springhetti M 24 Newburgh IN 21:00.0 6:46
2 Jake McKain M 22 Evansville IN 25:17.9 8:09

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Jamie Bingham F 29 Evansville IN 21:48.7 7:02
2 Tara Raibley F 28 Newburgh IN 32:04.6 10:20
3 Katie Welte F 28 Evansville IN 42:41.8 13:45

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 David Klauss M 27 Evansville IN 17:58.7 5:48
2 Terrence Owens M 29 Newburgh IN 32:11.7 10:22

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Amy Lau F 34 Mooreland IN 21:34.3 6:57
2 Cheyenne Buse F 32 Lynnville IN 21:48.2 7:02
3 Megan Feller F 33 Newburgh IN 24:29.6 7:54
4 Amy Belcher F 30 Evansville IN 25:13.1 8:08
5 Jessica Farmer F 30 Newburgh IN 27:18.4 8:48

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Mark Frymie M 34 Norris City IL 18:02.6 5:49
2 Chad Ritzert M 31 19:56.7 6:26
3 Tim Connaway M 31 Norris City IL 21:11.4 6:50
4 Jason Joice M 32 Newburgh IN 22:25.2 7:13
5 Nick Wade M 31 Evansville IN 23:08.7 7:27

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Paula Aishe F 39 Tell City IN 24:19.8 7:50
2 Jennifer Fitzgerald F 35 Newburgh IN 24:24.2 7:52
3 Kelly Kull F 37 Evansville IN 26:27.2 8:31
4 Tracy Gerth F 36 Newburgh IN 28:25.6 9:09
5 Sheri Quinn F 35 Newburgh IN 28:33.7 9:12

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Eric Jamison M 39 Newburgh IN 19:23.5 6:15
2 John Chapman M 37 Evansville IN 19:44.9 6:22
3 Melvin Moore M 37 Evansville IN 21:43.6 7:00
4 Troy Cunningham M 39 Evansville IN 22:06.2 7:07
5 Patrick Fouts M 37 Newburgh IN 22:34.7 7:17

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Leesa Danheiser F 42 Chandler IN 25:11.3 8:07
2 Michelle Walker F 40 Newburgh IN 25:12.3 8:07
3 Stephanie Berry F 40 Patoka IN 28:05.3 9:03
4 Deena Green F 42 Newburgh IN 28:10.8 9:05
5 Kim Arney F 41 Evansville IN 31:14.9 10:04

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Gary Scaggs M 44 Newburgh IN 25:15.2 8:08
2 Allen Walker M 43 Newburgh IN 26:37.9 8:35
3 David Cosby M 42 Evansville IN 27:02.8 8:43
4 Tim Vanzant M 43 Mt Vernon IN 29:01.2 9:21
5 Aaron Rhoads M 43 Washington IN 30:10.2 9:43

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Cindy Geibel F 47 Newburgh IN 29:58.5 9:39
2 Carol Guidry F 49 Newburgh, IN 30:10.9 9:43
3 Amy Strobel F 45 Evansville IN 35:42.5 11:30
4 Tracy Terhune F 47 Newburgh IN 48:36.2 15:39

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Mark Slow M 47 Newburgh IN 17:47.9 5:44
2 Jim Schreifels M 47 Norris City IL 20:18.0 6:33
3 Douglas Bays M 45 Evansville IN 27:15.0 8:47
4 Tom Whitehurst M 46 Newburgh IN 27:51.8 8:59
5 Todd Tichenor M 45 Newburgh IN 29:57.8 9:39

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Lori Corn F 50 Evansville IN 24:57.5 8:02
2 Jenanne Locker F 53 Newburgh IN 31:29.6 10:09
3 Linda Cason F 51 Newburgh IN 33:07.8 10:40

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Brian Turner M 51 Evansville IN 22:24.5 7:13
2 Dale Naylor M 51 Newburgh IN 28:03.9 9:02
3 Jerry Terhune Jr. M 50 Newburgh IN 48:35.1 15:39

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Deborah Pruiett F 59 Jacksonville FL 31:00.1 9:59
2 Mary Shelman F 55 Henderson KY 33:41.2 10:51
3 Sue Carlton F 59 Evansville IN 37:21.2 12:02
4 Tonya Hurt F 55 Evansville IN 50:54.9 16:24

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Charles Hurt M 57 Evansville IN 22:52.7 7:22
2 Jeff Pruiett M 58 Jacksonville FL 23:05.5 7:26
3 Jeff Okes M 58 Boonville IN 25:58.0 8:22

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Connie Devine F 60 Newburgh IN 42:44.8 13:46
2 Carol Miller F 64 Newburgh IN 52:41.9 16:58

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Russell Vance M 63 Evansville IN 31:01.9 10:00

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Annie Phillips F 66 Evansville IN 32:18.1 10:24
2 Pam Lucy F 67 Newburgh IN 55:42.4 17:56

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============
1 Ray Stuckey M 68 Patoka IN 24:15.9 7:49
2 Gary Lucy M 68 Newburgh IN 52:07.5 16:47
3 Randy Miller M 69 Newburgh IN 52:08.7 16:47
4 Darlene Lucy M 67 Newburgh IN 54:55.5 17:41

********** FEMALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============

********** MALE 5K RUN AGE GROUP: 70 - 99 **********

Place Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== =================== = === ============= == ==============

Rolley Run 5K
Bob's Gym - Newburgh, IN
05/08/2010
Race Timed by GERWC
Place Div/Tot Bib Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== ======== === =================== = === ========== == ==============
1 1/8 134 Jim Turpen M 30 Evansville IN 17:12.8 5:33
2 1/8 144 Mark Slow M 47 Newburgh IN 17:47.9 5:44
3 1/2 95 David Klauss M 27 Evansville IN 17:58.7 5:48
4 2/8 130 Mark Frymie M 34 Norris Cit IL 18:02.6 5:49
5 1/13 5 Eric Jamison M 39 Newburgh IN 19:23.5 6:15
6 2/13 99 John Chapman M 37 Evansville IN 19:44.9 6:22
7 3/8 106 Chad Ritzert M 31 19:56.7 6:26
8 2/8 131 Jim Schreifels M 47 Norris Cit IL 20:18.0 6:33
9 1/14 148 Faith Griffin F 30 Newburgh IN 20:27.5 6:36
10 1/3 23 Brett Walker M 15 Newburgh IN 20:29.3 6:36
11 1/2 158 Aaron Springhetti M 24 Newburgh IN 21:00.0 6:46
12 4/8 132 Tim Connaway M 31 Norris Cit IL 21:11.4 6:50
13 1/8 64 Ethan Jones M 10 Newburgh IN 21:20.0 6:52
14 2/14 167 Amy Lau F 34 Mooreland IN 21:34.3 6:57
15 3/13 2 Melvin Moore M 37 Evansville IN 21:43.6 7:00
16 3/14 133 Cheyenne Buse F 32 Lynnville IN 21:48.2 7:02
17 1/3 112 Jamie Bingham F 29 Evansville IN 21:48.7 7:02
18 4/13 4 Troy Cunningham M 39 Evansville IN 22:06.2 7:07
19 1/3 155 Brian Turner M 51 Evansville IN 22:24.5 7:13
20 5/8 36 Jason Joice M 32 Newburgh IN 22:25.2 7:13
21 5/13 100 Patrick Fouts M 37 Newburgh IN 22:34.7 7:17
22 1/3 91 Charles Hurt M 57 Evansville IN 22:52.7 7:22
23 6/13 141 Rodney Mileski M 35 Newburgh IN 22:53.6 7:23
24 2/3 110 Jeff Pruiett M 58 Jacksonvil FL 23:05.5 7:26
25 6/8 7 Nick Wade M 31 Evansville IN 23:08.7 7:27
26 7/13 223 Chris McConnell M 35 Newburgh IN 23:11.5 7:28
27 7/8 138 Adam Greenhoe M 31 Newburgh IN 23:16.6 7:30
28 8/13 159 Brett Flowers M 39 Evansville IN 23:42.2 7:38
29 2/8 120 Zach Taylor M 12 Newburgh IN 24:15.0 7:49
30 1/4 55 Ray Stuckey M 68 Patoka IN 24:15.9 7:49
31 1/3 398 Hanna Arney F 16 Evansville IN 24:16.5 7:49
32 1/14 1 Paula Aishe F 39 Tell City IN 24:19.8 7:50
33 2/14 108 Jennifer Fitzgerald F 35 Newburgh IN 24:24.2 7:52
34 4/14 115 Megan Feller F 33 Newburgh IN 24:29.6 7:54
35 1/3 96 Lori Corn F 50 Evansville IN 24:57.5 8:02
36 1/9 73 Leesa Danheiser F 42 Chandler IN 25:11.3 8:07
37 2/9 22 Michelle Walker F 40 Newburgh IN 25:12.3 8:07
38 5/14 145 Amy Belcher F 30 Evansville IN 25:13.1 8:08
39 1/10 154 Gary Scaggs M 44 Newburgh IN 25:15.2 8:08
40 2/2 124 Jake McKain M 22 Evansville IN 25:17.9 8:09
41 2/3 77 Sidney Strobel F 17 Evansville IN 25:24.9 8:11
42 1/8 34 Amanda Kloeppel F 23 Evansville IN 25:39.8 8:16
43 2/8 8 Jessica Hass F 24 Evansville IN 25:54.4 8:21
44 3/3 152 Jeff Okes M 58 Boonville IN 25:58.0 8:22
45 3/14 97 Kelly Kull F 37 Evansville IN 26:27.2 8:31
46 2/10 175 Allen Walker M 43 Newburgh IN 26:37.9 8:35
47 9/13 153 Chad Zilen M 36 Newburgh IN 26:53.8 8:40
48 3/8 413 Caleb Tichenor M 10 Newburgh IN 27:01.1 8:42
49 3/10 146 David Cosby M 42 Evansville IN 27:02.8 8:43
50 3/8 74 Douglas Bays M 45 Evansville IN 27:15.0 8:47

21:37:10 05/13/2010

Page 2
Rolley Run 5K
Bob's Gym - Newburgh, IN
05/08/2010
Race Timed by GERWC
Place Div/Tot Bib Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== ======== === =================== = === ========== == ==============
51 6/14 59 Jessica Farmer F 30 Newburgh IN 27:18.4 8:48
52 10/13 114 Mike Feller M 36 Newburgh IN 27:20.2 8:48
53 7/14 140 Meghan Pyle F 31 Evansville IN 27:47.3 8:57
54 11/13 122 Matthew Bullock M 36 Evansville IN 27:47.6 8:57
55 4/8 166 Tom Whitehurst M 46 Newburgh IN 27:51.8 8:59
56 8/8 163 Scott Foreman M 34 Newburgh IN 27:54.2 8:59
57 2/3 164 Dale Naylor M 51 Newburgh IN 28:03.9 9:02
58 8/14 147 Amy Bartz F 32 Newburgh IN 28:04.1 9:03
59 3/9 9 Stephanie Berry F 40 Patoka IN 28:05.3 9:03
60 4/9 46 Deena Green F 42 Newburgh IN 28:10.8 9:05
61 4/14 19 Tracy Gerth F 36 Newburgh IN 28:25.6 9:09
62 5/14 156 Sheri Quinn F 35 Newburgh IN 28:33.7 9:12
63 4/10 105 Tim Vanzant M 43 Mt Vernon IN 29:01.2 9:21
64 9/14 88 Shannon Sellers F 30 Newburgh IN 29:13.2 9:25
65 10/14 125 Sarah Hamlin F 34 Newburgh IN 29:51.2 9:37
66 5/8 174 Todd Tichenor M 45 Newburgh IN 29:57.8 9:39
67 4/8 397 Hunter Arney M 14 Evansville IN 29:58.0 9:39
68 1/4 14 Cindy Geibel F 47 Newburgh IN 29:58.5 9:39
69 6/14 119 Elizabeth Taylor F 37 Newburgh IN 29:59.8 9:40
70 11/14 13 Erica Schlottman F 30 Evansville IN 30:09.1 9:43
71 6/8 161 David McCord M 46 Washington IN 30:09.4 9:43
72 5/10 165 Aaron Rhoads M 43 Washington IN 30:10.2 9:43
73 2/4 17 Carol Guidry F 49 Newburgh, IN 30:10.9 9:43
74 1/7 15 Samantha Geibel F 10 Newburgh IN 30:18.4 9:46
75 1/4 111 Deborah Pruiett F 59 Jacksonvil FL 31:00.1 9:59
76 123 Cindy Williams F 38 Evansville IN 31:01.1 10:00
77 1/1 139 Russell Vance M 63 Evansville IN 31:01.9 10:00
78 129 Matthew Browning M 31:04.7 10:01
79 5/9 113 Kim Arney F 41 Evansville IN 31:14.9 10:04
80 3/8 40 Maria Roate F 23 Evansville IN 31:22.5 10:06
81 6/9 126 Karen Browning F 42 Newburgh IN 31:25.7 10:07
82 2/3 60 Jenanne Locker F 53 Newburgh IN 31:29.6 10:09
83 12/14 6 Jessica Wade F 32 Evansville IN 31:30.1 10:09
84 7/14 11 Kathy Messersmith F 35 Newburgh IN 31:55.0 10:17
85 488 Doe IN 31:55.9 10:17
86 8/14 20 Kim Fields F 39 Evansville IN 31:56.1 10:17
87 7/8 10 Mark Berry M 45 Patoka IN 31:58.6 10:18
88 6/10 399 Kenny Fields M 43 Newburgh IN 32:03.4 10:20
89 9/14 102 Susan Fouts F 38 Newburgh IN 32:04.2 10:20
90 2/3 79 Tara Raibley F 28 Newburgh IN 32:04.6 10:20
91 2/2 80 Terrence Owens M 29 Newburgh IN 32:11.7 10:22
92 1/2 142 Annie Phillips F 66 Evansville IN 32:18.1 10:24
93 10/14 109 Faith Samuel F 35 Henderson KY 32:23.5 10:26
94 4/8 39 Gretchen Helm F 24 Evansville IN 32:48.0 10:34
95 5/8 414 Matthew Lynch M 10 Newburgh IN 32:48.5 10:34
96 3/3 103 Linda Cason F 51 Newburgh IN 33:07.8 10:40
97 12/13 41 Prince Samuel M 39 Evansville IN 33:19.3 10:44
98 11/14 72 Robin Fowler F 39 Evansville IN 33:26.2 10:46
99 2/4 160 Mary Shelman F 55 Henderson KY 33:41.2 10:51
100 6/8 478 Will Lucy M 8 Newburgh IN 33:43.8 10:52

21:37:10 05/13/2010

Page 3
Rolley Run 5K
Bob's Gym - Newburgh, IN
05/08/2010
Race Timed by GERWC
Place Div/Tot Bib Name S Age City St Time Pace
===== ======== === =================== = === ========== == ==============
101 8/8 25 Todd Lucy M 47 Newburgh IN 34:57.5 11:16
102 5/8 12 Rachel Mathew F 24 Evansville IN 35:28.5 11:26
103 7/10 143 Bryan Diehl M 40 Newburgh IN 35:31.1 11:26
104 2/7 78 Clair Strobel F 14 Evansville IN 35:31.5 11:27
105 3/4 76 Amy Strobel F 45 Evansville IN 35:42.5 11:30
106 3/7 472 Abbey Green F 10 Newburgh IN 37:06.0 11:57
107 3/4 157 Sue Carlton F 59 Evansville IN 37:21.2 12:02
108 13/14 75 Amy Warren F 34 Newburgh IN 38:24.7 12:22
109 2/3 135 Josh Myers M 15 Owensville IN 38:27.7 12:23
110 3/3 21 Katie Welte F 28 Evansville IN 42:41.8 13:45
111 7/9 30 Beth Newhouse F 44 Newburgh IN 42:43.1 13:45
112 1/2 31 Connie Devine F 60 Newburgh IN 42:44.8 13:46
113 471 Doe 42:48.1 13:47
114 6/8 162 Christine Wilkerson F 23 Newburgh IN 42:48.8 13:47
115 474 Doe 42:50.5 13:48
116 12/14 49 Kathryn White F 35 Newburgh IN 42:51.8 13:48
117 497 Doe 42:57.6 13:50
118 13/13 50 Derek White M 37 Newburgh IN 43:01.8 13:51
119 7/8 171 Blake Ciuffetelli M 9 Newburgh IN 43:05.1 13:53
120 8/8 172 Nick Ciuffetelli M 11 Newburgh IN 43:32.9 14:02
121 479 Doe 43:33.3 14:02
122 4/7 492 Hannah Jamison F 5 Newburgh IN 43:33.7 14:02
123 3/3 85 Shalini Chilukuri F 15 Newburgh IN 44:20.4 14:17
124 8/10 173 Vinnie Ciuffetelli M 42 Newburgh IN 44:28.3 14:19
125 13/14 168 Lois Curtis F 35 Chandler IN 44:50.4 14:26
126 9/10 169 Scott Curtis M 40 Chandler IN 44:50.8 14:27
127 14/14 37 Paxton Laubscher F 32 Newburgh IN 45:57.5 14:48
128 5/7 481 Madeline Walker F 11 Newburgh IN 46:14.0 14:53
129 3/3 54 Jerry Terhune Jr. M 50 Newburgh IN 48:35.1 15:39
130 4/4 53 Tracy Terhune F 47 Newburgh IN 48:36.2 15:39
131 7/8 56 Stephanie Durbin F 24 Evansville IN 50:15.2 16:11
132 8/8 3 Staci Anslinger F 24 Evansville IN 50:16.2 16:11
133 6/7 137 Stephanie Whitehead F 13 Owensville IN 50:17.3 16:12
134 14/14 136 Samantha Beadles F 36 Owensville IN 50:18.6 16:12
135 4/4 92 Tonya Hurt F 55 Evansville IN 50:54.9 16:24
136 93 Doe 51:05.1 16:27
137 7/7 94 Abbie Pruiett F 5 Newburgh IN 51:06.6 16:28
138 2/4 61 Gary Lucy M 68 Newburgh IN 52:07.5 16:47
139 3/4 26 Randy Miller M 69 Newburgh IN 52:08.7 16:47
140 2/2 27 Carol Miller F 64 Newburgh IN 52:41.9 16:58
141 8/9 57 Wendy Glass F 43 Newburgh IN 53:25.0 17:12
142 405 Doe 53:26.8 17:13
143 3/3 127 Zach Browning M 18 Newburgh IN 53:36.3 17:16
144 9/9 66 Gina Uloth F 41 Evansville IN 54:49.6 17:39
145 10/10 67 Jon Uloth M 44 Evansville IN 54:55.1 17:41
146 4/4 62 Darlene Lucy M 67 Newburgh IN 54:55.5 17:41
147 2/2 63 Pam Lucy F 67 Newburgh IN 55:42.4 17:56

21:37:10 05/13/2010

2010-03-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Rolley Run 5k and Kids Dash

On January 31st Christy Rolley, of Newburgh, was involved in a tragic sledding accident. This accident fractured vertebrae T8 & T9 and has resulted in paralysis. She underwent a lengthy surgery on Feb 5th to repair the vertebrae and stabilize her backbone. She was released from Deaconess Hospital and transported to Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation and therapy.

Christy is an amazing wife (to Randy Rolley) and mother of four children, William, Ellen, Isaac, and Sam. She is such a positive person and has remained strong through this battle. To quote Christy, " I am going to give this my BEST fight and I am confident that I am in the right place and I'm continuing to get stronger everyday." There is no doubt that she is a fighter and determined to come home strong.

The Rolleys need all our support and prayers during this time. Upon Christy's homecoming many accommodations will be necessary to make their home, transportation, etc., more accessible for her.
Pace with Purpose invites you, along with Bob's Gym of Newburgh and GERWC, to bring the family for a run/walk event with all proceeds for the benefit of Christy Rolley. The run/walk will take place on Saturday,May 8th at 8am at Bobs Gym of Newburgh. This will be a 5k (3.12 mi) run/walk and gift certificates from Ultimate Fit will be given to top male and female finishers. There will be a kids 50 meter Rolley Dash. All kids will receive medals. We plan to have food,magic (by Don Baggett) ,face painting & balloons (by Hadi Shrine Funsters), inflatables, and other fun activities for the kids.

PLEASE SAVE the DATE: May 8th with the 5k race starting at 8:00am at Bob's Gym Newburgh, the Kids Dash will follow at 9:00am and will be divided into age groups.

Please visit Christy's blog: http://www.christyrolley.blogspot.com/ and click on the Caring Bridge link on the left margin

We are trying to make all proceeds go towards the Rolley family. We are looking for food, prize, and entertainment sponsors/donors. Please contact runpwp@yahoo.com if you or your business would like to help make this event a success!!!

Running isn't what's tiring....

2010-03-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

traveling with kids is tiring! Running is an escape from that "mama are we there yeeeettttt?" or "I want out NOW" or " I'm.....fill in the blank (hungry, thirsty, etc.)....that's tiring.
It is 11:07pm on Saturday night. This morning I ran 31 miles at the Chicago Lakefront 50/50 Ultra Marathon. Yes, it was a tough run. We went out fast, we thought too fast, and managed to hold the pace. We also ran against 20 mph headwinds for 18-19 miles. We finished overall 2nd (Elissa), 4:17:57 and 3rd (Emily) 4:18:00 place females and 13th and 14th overall out of 200+ runners. So it was a good run day. We started off with the fast pack and I'll admit I was nervous. I remember looking down at my watch at mile 15ish and seeing that our average pace was 7:47. I really thought we would be doing more like 8:30s considering we haven't done any speed work since well before our 50 miler and really hadn't planned on running this race. I really continued to feel good until 22-24ish where we were running against some really strong headwinds. It was exhausting. We rounded a bend in the path shortly after 25 and the wind did change directions, of course not directly blowing in our benefit, but better. However at this point we were both exhausted from the battle. I asked Elissa, "how long have we been running?" She said, "I'll tell you in a minute." What? Then she said, "Congratulaions my friend we just ran a 3;29 marathon." This was a huge thing for Elissa because she has had a goal of 3:30 for her next marathon for the past year. Too bad it counts for nothing! Our last fuel stop was at mile 28. Oh, this is when I revisited my old friend otherwise known as.....the WALL. Now, I will have to admit, I sounded a bit like my 3 year old this weekend- cranky! I got so dizzy Elissa asked a complete stranger if I could have a drink and of course since I looked completely pitiful he said yes. This helped for about 3/10ths of a mile and then I crashed again. This is basically how the last 2 miles finished for me and I feel horrible that Elissa had to deal with me at this point. She just kept chanting to me "you can, you will, you want to." And I just kept chanting "I can, I will, I want.....to hit you." She is tough physically but I swear I have never, ever seen someone so mentally tough. She is unstoppable at the end of a race. She has an extra gear that she turns on and no matter how tired her legs are she can still crank it up a notch. We got to the last 3/10ths of a mile and I just remember yelling "you deserve number 3 more than me.....GO" of course she wouldn't, so I stopped and she yelled "you better not walk across that finish line!!!" Of course I didn't walk across the finish line. I picked it up too, but she definitely deserved at least a place in front of me. When we got done, to our surprise, we finished 2nd and 3rd women overall.

Then we got in the car and for the next 6 hours I got to hear my daughter whine. Yes, she was exhausted and it was a long trip home, I get that. One day, I will get to tell her the story about how mommy ran a 50k ultra marathon after walking all over the aquarium the day before, shopping at the American Girl store, and throwing my back out of whack because she wants me to "hold me." One day she will be a mom who is mortified at a meltdown in the middle of a public restaurant. One day she will understand that no matter how much you try to be the best mom you can, you will still always feel like you could be better. And hopefully, one day she will understand that running makes her a better mom. It gives her strength and freedom. It is the one time where she gets to be just her, no title, just one with the road. When she's done she will feel like she can do anything, even if that feeling is only momentarily. Because running is not tiring. Being a woman, a mother, at times can be the toughest job there is. And let me just tell you, the car ride home from Chicago was about as good of an example of tough as it gets :)

Returning to the Lake!

2010-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Lake Michigan, that is. When we decided to train (I say "train" loosely since it was a month before the event) for the 100k Mad City Ultra we somehow missed looking at the roster. As of today 27 people, wait...professionals, have signed up for this race. It is the 100k National Championships. Now, it's not like I plan to win or even place at these events. However, I don't really want to be 5 feet in front of the sag wagon. Also, we started realy thinking about Elissa and I driving home from Wisconsin after running further than we have ever ran. Lots of "what if's"....sickness, injury, exhaustion, would not make it easy for us to jump in the car and get back to mom world.
So....we are going back to Lake Michigan, the windy city, where I swore after the 50 miler I would never return. It is the same course as the 50 miler just shorter.
50k = 32 miles! So we are heading back to Chicago this weekend, with girls in tow, to the Lakefront 50/50.
But not too worry.....we have plans for 60++ miles in June!

Girls Gone Goofy!!!!! 1:49 and 3:48

2010-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Our biggest concern going into this 2 day, 39.3 mile race was the weather. This was the concern months before race day as well as hours before. The concern was much different hours before than during our training. The heat and humidity were a condition we knew would most likely be a factor on race day. However, as we watched the weather days and up to hours before the race we worried about sleet, ice and possibly snow? Seriously? We purposely did some of our training in a hot, stuffy gym on treadmills to hopefully simulate humid anticipated race day conditions. We had talked on our 18 mile run weeks before how the bitter cold training is the problem of this race because it just wouldn't prepare our bodies for the heat. WRONG!!!!

DAY ONE: Half Marathon

We woke up to freezing rain on Saturday morning. As we walked to our car in the parking garage it sounded like hail was hitting the roof. Nice. Yes, we were ready for this but it was still hard to get excited to spend the next few hours in these conditions. In our layers, gloves, earbands, and Mickey antennae (heehee) we headed towards Epcot (Brock was our chaffeaur). Our start to the half resembled our training.....pathetic! Our corral was scheduled to start at 5:50am. We reached the start position at 5:50am. Seriously we ran about a mile to the corral and then just kept on going. I could feel the pellets of freezing rain hit my eyes and mouth. They were actually salting the water stations because as people drank they then threw their cups and the remaining water was freezing and causing some pretty slick roads. I just knew if anyone would be the one to go run in Florida and slip on the ice it would be me.

Along the way we saw a lot of "disney freaks". I can label these individuals because I am of their kind :). (Note the antennae) We totally had TinkerBell costumes ready to run in but due to the weather our attire had to be adjusted. We saw a Jasmine and Aladdin couple- full costume. An entire Mickey Mouse including huge yellow shoes. And then we saw a fashion malfunction. You know how some running shorts have flaps on the sides so the slit actually goes up to the waist band? Let me just tell you I will never wear those again after witnessing this. Let's just say it got tucked in somehow and one cheek was fully exposed (and I am not talking face here). Some brave soul told this poor woman but she didn't seem to care or correct the problem. I have seen pretty much all the Disney movies and I do not recall a character with this attire??? Anyways, we headed to the Magic Kingdom and then returned back to Epcot where we started. We finished in 1:49 for our first third of the Goofy Challenge. We felt good and as though we reserved some for the next day but only time would prove that to be true. After we crossed the finish line was when the real race, both physical and mental, began. The traffic to get into Epcot was horrible. We didn't exactly have a good game plan with Brock to meet up after the race other than "see ya at 8:20." I guess we were trying to keep our theme of "unprepared" going. So we stood out in the rain, whoops freezing rain, for over an hour. I honestly can say I have never, ever been this cold in my life. I was so cold I couldn't talk. I know this is a lot to take in, yes I, Emily Ryan, was quiet. Eventually we got back to the condo, I took a scalding shower and about 9 hours later I finally warmed up. Yes, I do this for fun.

DAY 2: Marathon

Alarm went off at 4:15am. No sounds of hail pellets, so already the mood is up from yesterday. Bagel, powerade and mascara and we were off to the race! One would think that we would have learned from our start yesterday. Nope. We once again, ran to the start and ended up starting in the back of our corral. This was bad, very bad. Our first 6 miles were total zig-zagging and well above 9 minute miles, some as slow as 9:30s. After exhausting ourselves, we just decided to stop fighting the crowd and enjoy the ride. It was 29 degrees, but dry today, so it was much better. At mile 6, the roads opened up and we picked up the pace. I finally felt free! I think Elissa did too because we clipped along with some sub-8 minute miles before realizing we needed to pull back some not knowing how we would feel later in the game. We had a couple bathroom stops, but after the slow congested start we totally blew off any idea of finishing in good time so we just stopped without the typical panic rush feeling. The course takes you from Epcot to Magic Kingdom then Animal Kingdom, then MGM Hollywood Studios and ended through Epcot. The parks were such a pick me up. There were always characters, cheering crowds, and music with a Disney feel. The water stations were incredible- every 0.75 mile. They were salting the water stations again due to the cold. There were GUs, bananas, chocolate, etc. Disney is always first class and this race was no exception. We felt so good the whole way. I was hoping that the 50 miler endurance was still lingering in there somewhere and I now can say, without a doubt, the endurance was still there. We were truly in shock of our time of 3:48 after our slow, slow start and bathroom stops.

We finished the race and collected our hardware.....a Mickey Marathon Medal and a Goofy Challenge Medal to accompany our Donald Half Marathon Medal from the half the day before. Izzie calls these "my medals" and is constantly putting them all on.

We really enjoyed these races as well as our Disney vacation surrounding the race. The girls had a blast! I think we may have been more sore from walking the parks than running!

As if there was any question.....yes, we are GOOFY!!!

2009-12-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hello again! We have been slightly M.I.A. since the 50 miler. The race went great and I felt great right after the race. Unfortunately about a month after I experienced this thing called "burn-out"!!! I was just not motivated like I was before the 50 miler. Which would totally be no big deal...if we hadn't signed up for Disney's Goofy Challenge months before we signed up for the ultra.

What is the Goofy Challenge??? It lives up to its name. Basically Disney World hosts a Endurance Series the second weekend in January. A half marathon on Saturday (the Donald Race) and a full, 26.2 marathon on Sunday (the Mickey Race). Then a few years ago there was some crazy who signed up for both. And then another crazy did it. And so on and so forth. So Disney thought, "hey we could market this double race and these yahoos would pay for it....all for bragging rights, an extra medal and a couple more shirts." And yep, you guessed it, we are among the nut jobs that fell for their money making memory :). "Who's the leader of the band who takes all your money....M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!!!!!!!"

So back to the burn out. You might want to train to run 39.3 miles in 2 days. If you are familiar with marathon training you peak and then you taper. Well, we decided to actually train somewhere far from the "peak" weeks and edging on the "taper" portion. We have basically crammed all our training into the last month. Really smart. We really just want to have a couple "fun runs" and a great family vacation. We are taking the husbands and kiddos on this one. I am excited because Izzie really doesn't even know I run. She just knows when she wakes up I sometime have on a running hat and she says "you smell mommy." She's so soft spoken, you know.

So we shall see how our "slacker training program" works on Jan 9th. We are praying that some of our endurance from the 50 is lingering in our legs somewhere! I just keep telling myself "Disney is where dreams come true!" I'm dreaming of endurance!!!!!

A long, long way......

2009-11-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am writing these words......IT IS OVER! WE DID IT! 50 miles, yes, 5-0 !!!!!!!! It was an experience that I can't really put into words or describe but I am going to try to do my best!

My alarm went off at 5:00 am. We both grabbed a bagel and ate while we stumbled around getting ready. Ok, so we thought we needed to get up at 5 am to be ready at 5:45am. At 5:15am we were sitting there ready to go and wondering what the rush was? We then headed down to catch a cab to take us to the start. We got in the cab and told the guy the directions to which he said "I'm new, can you tell me how to get there?" We exited that cab like we were escaping a fire. This was not good for our pre-race nerves!

We got to the start line a little before 6 am....TOO early! Ultras are not exactly like any other race. There was no shelter to stand under and it was spitting rain with lots of wind. So we put on our trash bags and sat in a corner under a doorway. We didn't admit it until after the race but we were both wanting to bail at this point. 6:30 couldn't have arrived sooner!

The start was comical. There was a little over 100 people and the start went something like this..."GO!!!!" No gun shot was fired! The rain at this point had stopped, thank goodness, but we were fighting the wind off Lake Michigan.

We took off in the dark running toward the Chicago skyline. It was so awesome! The course was an out and back (6.25 miles each direction) four times. I will save my feelings on that route for later. There was a self serve water/coke station at mile 1.5, another around mile 4 and one more at mile 5.5. These are estimates but the spacing kind of sucked :) Bathroom accommodations were great. There were 3 actual beach houses on the course which was a refreshing change from the porta potties we were expecting. We had about 10 bathroom stops throughout the 8 hours, which we were happy about because if you don't have to go to the bathroom when you are running this long it only means one thing....you're dehydrated. We were not :)

Let's see what I can remember. I had some M&Ms at mile 4 that tasted really good......until they didn't. We had a small ravine that we had to jump over around mile 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48. Same large puddle, this just goes to show how many times we went out and back and out and back and out and back.......and out and back!!!!!!! By the time we got to mile 48, to say we were jumping would be a lie. We had no spring left in our step!

The good thing about this course is that we were able to change socks every lap; in other words 3 sock changes. We also were able to lose clothes and we switched out our shoes at the half way point. This really saved our feet. There were only 2 blisters between the two of us, one each! I was expecting multiple with a few lost toenails. I am happy to say I still have 10 toenails!

The wind was not our friend the entire day. Everyone said "Oh, you will run against it one way and then it will carry you the other way." So NOT the case! It blew east to west (not north to south) so we were basically always fighting it. I still am so thankful that there was no rain. I'll take the wind over the rain any day!

We met a lot of interesting people over the course of the day. Not to mention that you probably saw them 6 or 7 times so you exchanged many "keep it up" and "looking good" (even though most of the time you were lying through your teeth on that one). There was a blind guy named David who had a guide runner. Awesome. Lots of runners running for a charity-March of Dimes, Arthritis Foundation, and in memory of a loved one. There was a man who honestly I tear up when I think of him. He was handicapped and could barely walk and entered the 50 miler. I think he was completing his first lap when we were finishing our third. The back of his shirt had a big cross on it and said something about hope and grace. Unbelievable!

There were a couple ladies who held signs that said "You can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens YOU." They stayed the whole race!!!!! It's amazing how scripture can really lift you up!

Brock jumped in at mile 37.5 for the last leg. Our toughest miles were miles 37.5 to mile 44. Elissa and I both just felt a little mentally drained at this point because we were on the last lap but running AWAY from our finish line. Brock saved the momentum and we just kept putting one foot in front of the other. At mile 44 we turned around and the horses were off and running again. I got a new wind under my sails. Our hips were tight and we could barely push off the ground but somehow we gritted our teeth and managed to run the last few miles at about an 8:30 pace!!!! With 3 miles to go I looked at Elissa and said "I think I might puke...what's our pace?" My garmin was dead at this point. She said "you don't want to know." I guessed "8:45?" nope. "8:30?" nope "We are doing an 8:00 flat right now." WHAT???? I guess we did have some left to give.

We finished the race looking strong. No gimp to our strides, which totally amazed me. Brock just kept saying "You guys look great. Your form is great." He may have been lying but it worked. When we got to mile 49 it was euphoric, seriously. Lots of it was a state of delusion but this was truly euphoric. Scott took some pictures of us as we were approaching the beach house and we probably looked like idiots....I haven't seen them yet. We both were just so happy the end was near.

Then, together, we turned the corner through the orange cones and crossed the finish line in 8 hours 32 minutes and 45 seconds!!!!!!!!!! Elissa had threatened to turn a cartwheel at the end (this idea was discussed at mile 47) but decided she would be the girl who finished the race but ended up in the hospital due to the crashing cartwheel so she held back :) We came in 5th (and I guess 6th but we finished the exact same time) women overall. The results are not posted but we think there were about 40 women. We were just so glad to be done, injury free and feeling good.

The one thing that really got us through the tough times were how many people told us they would be praying for us. We focused on that every time it got tough. And you know what? There was never one moment where either one of us thought we wouldn't finish. We knew the same power of prayer that had gotten us to the start line would carry us to the finish. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. This journey was very long but I feel like I learned a lot along the way. "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.....but NEVER give up!

Headed to the Windy City!!!

2009-10-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning the car will be packed with GUs galore, 4 pairs of running shoes, 8 pairs of running socks, 2 garmin forerunners, bandaids, super glue, moleskin, salt tabs, bagels, clif bars, and of course the obvious running clothes. Oh and panchos so we can change clothes or ward off the weather. Whew....and I thought diaper bags were rough!

For fear of being parapalegic on Sunday, we are leaving early on Thursday to go take it easy (shop) in Chicago! The plan says "rest" but we are more into tradition than training plans! We have yet to "take it easy" before a race. Before Boston we walked ALL over the city even touring Harvard until our feet hurt. Memphis, we went to Graceland. Chicago, walked the city and the expo all day. Yeah, we stick to tradition so we feel obligated to do some site seeing (particularly on Michigan Avenue). Must not break tradition!!!!

I really can't believe that the run is this week! I am not nervous, more so in disbelief that we are really doing this. Maybe it's better to be oblivious to reality! No, seriously, this training has been such a journey and some part of me is sad to see it come to an end. I really think we are as ready as we can be. A marathon requires 3-4 hours of clear weather....we are praying for a 9 hour window on Saturday! I am also really hoping that the "windy city" can calm for 9 hours too :)

So if you have an extra minute PLEASE say a prayer for us to have strong bodies and mental toughness on Saturday. We would really, really appreciate prayer (no doubt we will need it)!

As always, "Run when you can, walk if you have too, crawl if you must....but NEVER give up!"

37 miles...really????

2009-10-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post, but I am going to today because I have to give props to Emily and myself:) Nothing like bragging a bit, but I can't believe we really ran 37 miles in one day AND 50 miles in 48 hours (3 on Sunday and 10 today)!! I can honestly say that I didn't think I would ever run that far in my life an we actually did it, and we did it without much pain.
I am really looking forward to our race in Chicago. I think this is going to be an experience that I will have to tell my grandkids-if I actually live to tell about it:)
Training has been fun and to quote the Beatles, "we got by with a little help from our friends". So a shout out to all those who have been logging miles right along with us, we couldn't have done it without your company!!
We have added a new member to the running group, Sasha Kendall, and it won't be long until she is trekking along with us on 30 miles runs (she just doesn't know it yet:P)
Come November 1st, we will be looking for a new challenge- Western States 100 Emily?!?!?!

37 miles, 6 hours and feeling GREAT!!!!!

2009-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so up until this point I have been a skeptic. In the back of my mind I just wasn't sure I could really complete a 50 mile race. Today is a new day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had an awesome run. I honestly felt better than I have on our short runs lately. 2 hours after I feel totally fine. The weather was perfect, we had great company- thank you Angie and Sasha. We joined Angie who is training for a fall marathon for her 20 mile run and then Sasha ran miles 20-25 with us. So I only had to put up with Elissa for 12 miles :) Just kidding! The craziest thing about the run was that by the end I really couldn't remember the beginning of our run. I totally forgot where we had been, or in this case, been 2-3 times. You can only do so much with a 37 mile route. I think we were on Washington Avenue and Stockwell Rd three different times. I am pretty sure the soccer teams were wondering what in the heck we were doing!

Our overall pace was a 9:43 per mile. I am really excited about that because our walk breaks were 2 minutes every 15 minutes ( every 10 min for the last hour) and this pace included our walk breaks!

We originally had no time goal....which I am still trying to not have a time in mind. HOWEVER, ultras are just like marathons. There is an ultimate qualification time. That time is always in the back of your mind once you know it. To qualify for the Western States 100 you need to do a 50 miler in 9 hours or under. Well, today we covered 37 miles in 6 hours. That gives us 3 hours to do 13 more miles. I really wish I didn't know this?!? But, I will be happy to cross the 50 mile finish line no matter what the time!

Thanks for the prayers! Today was honestly a turning point in training for me and I am finally excited about this race!

Super Glue???

2009-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Prepping for our 6 HOUR RUN TOMORROW!!!! Extra shoes (check), vasoline (check), GU (check), extra socks (check), tylenol (check) AND

SUPER GLUE ????? (CHECK).

Below are instructions for fixing a blister before it's too late!!!!

Step 1
Remove your shoe and sock when you feel a blister forming. Wash the area thoroughly with soapy water. (ok so the soap thing is probably not going to happen)
Step 2
Sterilize a pin or needle (or safety pin )with alcohol or fire, and poke the side of the blister with the needle as close to the foot as possible.
Step 3
Squeeze out liquid from the inside of the blister by applying firm, even pressure to the top of the blister. Make sure to leave the skin intact.
Step 4
Open your Super glue and squeeze it over and around the blister. Cover the entire blister and several centimeters around it with Super glue.
Step 5
Wait 60 seconds to ensure the super glue is dry.
Step 6
Replace sock and hiking boot. Walk around a bit to ensure the foot feels OK before you continue running.

Again, we do this for fun, right?

Amazed by Our Supporters

2009-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Less than 1 month to go!!!!! I have never felt so nervous and so ready for a race. Ready in the fact that I am ready for it to be over :) The training itself has actually been really fun. Ok, let me rephrase that....really entertaining. If there is one constant in our training it would be laughter. Too bad it's not pace :) There is NO way I could do this alone. Comic relief with Elissa is the only thing that makes me forget that I can no longer feel my lower body! Well, that and the snacks! Just one more long run to go before our taper (insert choir of angels singing in the background here)!!! Honk if you see us on Saturday morning! We will be out there for 5-6 hours so there's a good chance you might :)

We are totally amazed at the outpouring response from our friends and family to help support our mission. We truly have put our hearts, prayers and bodies into raising support for this family. In the past 2 weeks we have raised slightly over $1300 through donations. WOW! We are training and praying to hit our goal of $5000. Thank you so much for your prayers, encouraging words, monetary support and letters.

We will keep you posted on our success!

Night Life

2009-09-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

First off 30 miles- woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!! This run stands out the most to me not because of the distance but because of the timing. We always run in the early morning, but decided we would actually get more sleep if we had a night run. By more I mean 6 hours, but hey, it's better than 4 or 5! However, my kid is on the good list today because she slept in really late and I got 7 hours (yes, I am rubbing it in again Elissa).

So here's the top ten list of things we learned about night running (insert drum roll here):

1) Black dogs (Great Dane's none the less) blend in with the black night.....SCARY!!!!!

2) Elissa really doesn't have a clue about Newburgh roads/geography....again, SCARY!!!

3) Corn fields sound really creepy in the wind......are you sensing a theme....SCARY!!!

4) The flashing lights we wear do nothing for traffic but do seem to attract dogs.....SCARY!!!

5) Starbucks is open past 10pm

6) Fat guy on a little bike (I mean a kids bike here).....just picture it about 9pm

7) Peppermints help nausea

8) Hotel receptionists are very alert....they never notice when you walk past the desk to use the bathroom

9) You become slightly delusional in the dark after being awake for 21 hours

10) IHOP's omelets are amazing!!! I'm not really sure how I know this considering I inhaled it!

Overall feeling pretty good today! Until next time........

Focus on the Family

2009-09-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night and I am beat! We are now in week 8 of 16 of this ultra training and I'm not going to lie....its tiring. Marathon training often left me feeling a little sore but this is a whole new level of stale legs! 65-80 mile weeks some days get the best of me. My best friends are now a foam roller and Biofreeze. Is that my new perfume?....yes it's called Menthol. Don't get me wrong this training has been a blast (if you like pain) for the most part. It's just those mornings after a long week where you don't want to get out of bed let alone run!

So after an attitude of BLAH this week I decided to post my pep talk to myself! The focus will no longer be on my tired legs or humid weather or the question of "how many more miles today?" No, my focus will be on the family we are helping throughout this process. It will be the example we are setting for our children. It will be the seeds we are planting as we share the meaning behind our organization.

So tommorrow morning when the alarm goes off I will get up with a smile. Remembering.......I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me - Phillipians 4:13

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.....but never give up!!!!!!!!!!

Wet Dog

2009-08-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's 3:30pm and my car now smells of a wet dog. Hmmmm....I don't have a dog? Today's run started at 4am (we were REALLY sleeping in today) with a clear starry sky. Plan was to run 3.5 hours.....remember, God laughs at "our plans." Started out nice, while it was warm and humid there was a nice breeze. That should have been a red flag. We knew the rain was supposedly coming but how many times have we heard that forecast in the past week?!? Of all days for the forecast to be right!

We headed west from TriState Athletic Club towards Hwy 41. As we ran west we noticed that the stars were no longer present and saw a few bolts of lightening but no rain so.....game on! We crossed the Llyod and crossed Lincoln Avenue and headed toward Bosse High School. The breeze started to pick up. Then about 5:45am we were crossing Alvord Boulevard and BAM.....the sky opened up and a torrential down pour began. Oh well, at first you care but then you are just so soaked it doesn't even matter. We started up Washington Avenue and the lightening began.

So here we are on the road, running through puddles as if we are daring the lightening? At this point, because we think so logically :), we decided to call it a day outside and finish up our miles on the treadmill later in the day. So we began to bolt (no pun intended here) up Hebron and cut over Lincoln Avenue to Greenriver to cut back. I am sure the people in the cars thought we were crazy. We wouldn't have argued; we had to look like idiots! We were zig-zagging all over the place trying to avoid the puddles and failing miserably! We passed Shylers BBQ on Greenriver road, and as I looked up from my concentration to avoid the puddles I saw a large city bus coming toward our path. No big deal, we are on the side walk, right? Wrong. The bus hit a large lake on the shoulder of the road and the tsunami hit. But seriously, at this point, I don't know why I even cared. My shoes had about an inch of water in the bottom and water was dripping from my hat like a faucet. Elissa decided to take a running plunge into a puddle at the end of our run just to make sure not an inch of either of our bodies were dry....and she succeeded.

We got back to TriState with 2 hours and 15 min total running time. The remaining 1 hour and 15 minutes were after a change of clothes on a treadmill. So today's 22 miles were not ideal but we lived. As far as I know there are no electric currents running through my body. My vehicle, however, could use a little fresh air!

Happy Feet!

2009-08-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ok.....today's run was really an uneventful 3 hours. We did have a change of scenery, we started on the east side and ran downtown by the river which was nice. There was a donut bank stop as usual and as always, Donut Bank delivered! Uneventful runs are really what you want, no stomach issues, no injuries, and no accidents involving moving vehicles or stationery truck trailer run ins (sorry Elissa, I had to mention that one). All in all, just more miles to cross off the calendar....nice.

The day for Team Pace with Purpose, however, was VERY eventful! I need a BIG shout out....B-I-G shout out to Jim Nolan of Gilles Cycling and Fitness!!!!!!! He first and foremost is AWESOME at his job. I have had numerous injuries over the years and once my feet found Jim my running days returned, THANK YOU! He truly looks at the whole picture when he fits you with running shoes. No special mats or machines or gadgets, he just knows his stuff and he has the resume (both running experience and shoe expert) to back it! If you run, he's your man to fit your shoes!

Today he called me to let me know that Brooks has decided to sponsor Team Pace with Purpose!!!!! I am sure he had to be very influential for this to happen and we appreciate it soooo much, as do our feet! We are now converts from Asics Kayanos to Brooks Trance and man oh man they feel good!!!!!

Remember.....Boys and Girls Club run on Aug 22nd, 8 am , Wesselman Park :

I'll take whatever she's having!!!!!!!

2009-07-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

OK, so I decided to blog as soon as I could before I forget the past 3 hours and 56 minutes. Like childbirth, you forget the feeling at mile 25.3. That tight hip and sore gluteus maximus just seems to disintegrate and you finish saying "that wasn't so bad." That's what I say at least. My cohort says, "I feel fine" or " that was awesome" or my all time favorite "we're halfway there!" I get a little cranky (to put it nicely) towards the end and it is at times like this where we have a love/hate friendship.
I've said it once and I'll say it again.....she is not normal. I'm talking running here just to clarify, Elissa. She seriously is superwoman on these runs. In the 4 years that I have run with her I remember 1 run that she didn't feel that great. ONE RUN in 4 YEARS! I have decided to test her blood for illegal drugs! Do you think she will think it is odd if I ask for a urine sample?
In all honestly today was a great run. Except that it was 26.1 miles. And we got rained on. And it was stinky humid after the rain passed. But, really it was good :)
We had our first practice meal today. English muffin and honey around mile 18ish. English muffin passed the safe test for future mid-run ingestion. I think the McDonalds workers on Lincoln think we are nuts! I don't know what would give them that idea?!? One of the regular cashiers is a runner and he asked about our upcoming run on Aug 22nd......thank you Courier & Press for the exposure!
After I got home I took a nice ice bath. I had on one of Brock's sweatshirts and the water covered my legs- OUCH! Isabelle was very disturbed by the fact that I had on clothes in the bath tub. She was so upset about it that she stood there for the whole 15 minutes screaming "Mommy take off your shirt!!!" I hope everyone read that quote in context :) I really am not sure why I run to de-stress????
26.1 miles, 3hour 56 min, 1 latte, 1 bagel and an ice bath. Can I just call it a day ???????

On pace to race for causes they believe in.....

2009-07-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jul/24/on-pace-to-race-for-causes-they-believe-in/

Thank you for all the positive feedback on the article. If you are new to this site this article will give you a little background. Thanks for the support....we are excited to see what is in store for Pace with Purpose!

It is all Emily's fault!

2009-07-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

There was an article about our 50 mile adventure in this past Saturday Courier and Press. I feel like the article was well written, but it did miss out on the charity part of our running and who we really are. We really decided to do Pace with Purpose so that we could help others and give more meaning to something we really enjoy. I really wanted to give back in to the community some way but never really knew how to get anything started, or rather was to scared to do anything and afraid of failure. Then along came Emily, little did I know that when I met her four years ago that she would be so instrumental in my life and my development as a Christian. I really can't say enough nice things about her- she is a great friend, motivator, comedian (sometimes without asking), athlete, the list goes on. This whole thing was really her brain child, I just jumped on for the ride. What a ride it has been! It has had a slow start, but really is picking up momentum now. She has really continued to work hard on making this club work and she puts in a lot of effort without ever complaining. I really feel blessed to have her in my life and I know that we were meant to be friends for a greater reason that we may not even know yet.

We are so excited to share this with the community and hope that we can continue to make a difference in other's lives along the way.

Thanks Emily, you are the best!

Elissa:)

p.s. she is such a good friend that I will even forgive her for all of her bathroom breaks:)

Red Bull is not for the weak....

2009-07-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

Another run down....25 miles. 24.63 to be exact but calling it close enough. I think I could have thrown in the towel at 10 miles. We started off today at 2:30am. Not even going to go there. Slightly groggy I think a Red Bull would do the trick. Mistake #1. Sip it on my way down Green River road and I do feel a bit more alive. Now, you would think at 2:30am Green River road would be dead, yes? No. We forgot that bars close at 3am. Mistake #2. I'll be honest when I say I was a bit concerned about this, but we ran in well lit areas and all was well.
Around mile 3 we decided to go off roading. "Mudding" would be more accurate. Epworth road north of the Lloyd was a mess! Once we crossed the Lloyd I emptied my socks and shoes of gravel and scraped about 2 inches of mud from the treads of my shoes. My feet suddenly felt pounds lighter. Life is good....so I think.
About mile 5 I have a cramp in my stomach. No big deal these things happen and go away. On these long runs pains come, go, come back and then numb. It's the beauty of the human body. Submission. However, this time no luck it just got worse. To spare you of the details I was miserable until mile 8 which is where 24 hour Walgreens became a saving grace! Bathroom stop and half a pack of Tums and back on track!
I didn't feel all that great the rest of the run and was couch bound for a few hours when I got home. Izzie told me "I'll be your Mommy. Do you need medicine?" After Dora, Diego, Backyardigans and a bowl of cheerios I was feeling much better. Dr. Isabelle definitely saved the day!
Sorry to my running partner....I did have a few extra walk breaks today! In the future there will be NO pre-run Red Bull!

The Human Grocery Stores!

2009-07-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Emily and I had our weekly long run today, which is now up to 24 miles, and it went relatively smooth considering that we both looked and felt like a local Schnucks Market!

We knew that we needed to be prepared and that was what we were going to be! So both of us stepped out of our car with our water belts in tow (shout out to Fuel Belt) along with 14 salt tabs, 6 fruit nuggets pack (which, by the way, are awesome) 4 packs of GU and 2 big packs of Sharkie Fruit snacks! I slightly resembled Martin Lawrence from Big Momma's House. Thanks goodness for our skirts(shout out to runningskirts.com), which is one of our sponsors, with their 500 pockets! We ran 7 miles in the dark and met up with some other friends for about 7 or 8 more, then we were on our own for the remaining miles. I am glad that we can actually stand each other, because if not, this would be a LOOOONNNGG race:)

We weathered the heat and humidity (gotta love summer in E'ville) for a 3 hour and 45 minute trip around the East side of Evansville. By the end of this adventure we should be able to navigate most of the city and will then not only be human grocery stores, but human GPS'!! We can already tell you where most of the best bathrooms in town are:)
Every week brings us a new adventure and I look forward to each and every one of them- and I plan to have Emily right there with me:)

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

What a day for Pace with Purpose!!!!!

2009-07-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? Oh yes, I start again at 3:23am....right foot first because that's what is natural for me, right foot first. It is dark (again) and humid (again). There was a slight breeze...emphasis on slight.

The run really went great today. No aches or pains worth mentioning. There is definitely something special about the Donut Bank off of Hwy 41 & Lincoln. If you recall, last stop we met Alicia who totally rocked in her marathon years! Today we met Coach Dave Mitchell. We were once again inhaling our donut holes (mile 16.5) and at the counter a man turns and says "Are you girls out for a 20 miler today?" Now, the average Joe would ask if we were out for a jog or training for the upcoming half. But he very matter of factly asked if we were logging the big miles today. He then went on to tell us his coaching days and past race days. He still runs here in a lot of local 5k's. What is with the Donut Bank? What are the odds in our 5 minute stop that we meet past big time runners on 2 occasions????
The sun came out at mile 18 and that's when the run really started for me. I was tired and hot anyways, and the sun beating down at the end didn't really help. But we finished our 24 miles today and had a good time (as much as you can) doing it!

Ok, not only did we knock out a 24 miler today......we got more sponsorships! A few local sponsors to mention:

Greenlee Chiropractors, Roly Poly, Aveda Rhythm Salon,Gilles Cycling, MaxMuscle, Mark's Matress, and Epic Photo & Design!

Also we got word from another corporate sponsor...RunningSkirts.com!

Elissa and I only run in their skirts......before you knock running in skirts you have to give this brand a try! I will NEVER run in shorts again, EVER! And not all skirts are created equally my friend! Anyways, definitely check out their website: http://www.runningskirts.com/

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!

Also we opened a Pace with Purpose account and will have a Paypal option for donations for the upcoming fall and winter fundraising events! We are getting excited about what's in store for Pace with Purpose!!!

Shout out to..........

2009-07-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

Thanks so much for GU's support, sponsorship, and encouragement in Pace with Purposes Ultra Challenge! We were ecstatic and honored to have this great corporation as a team sponsor! We can only imagine how much of their products we will be consuming......and now promoting! Just one more reason for me to change my Doubting Debbie attitude !!!!!

Good Times:)

2009-07-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

We have another 22 miler under our fuel belts and it feels great!! Too bad we have one every week for the next 16 weeks and they only get longer:) I am not sure how my feet are going to like this considering I already have 2 blisters the size of Texas-which actually now look a little more like the Grand Canyon since I had to pop them!!! I learned that shower soap and popped blisters don't really mix- OUCH!!! Just and insider tip for those of you who invest in the stock market, may I suggest buying shares in both the makers of Band-Aids and Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, because Emily and I will be stocking up!! The rest of my poor, abused body is actually feeling pretty good today and I am hoping that all the long runs continue go this well!

Yesterday was a little rushed, which sounds absurd since we got up at 3 a.m. !!! We did, however, get started a little late and we had to get back home in order for Emily's babysitter to get to work on time- doesn't everyone understand that we are running and they need to schedule things AROUND US???? Just kidding!!! We weren't able to make our pit stop for donut holes and a chat with Alicia at the Donut Bank or get Starbucks which was a real let down!! I was excited to get the 22 miles in though because for a brief moment we were thinking we were going to have to cut it short. I became the running witch (actually another word is more appropriate) that I have been known to be, and sped us up for the last 6 miles. Let's just say Emily (a.k.a. Debbie Downer) was not pleased, but we got in our miles didn't we??? We finished at a 9:07 pace which includes our walk breaks and stretches-so not too shabby. It is rather difficult to get used to running at a slower pace than usual, but I just have to keep telling myself (or rather, have Debbie remind me) that this IS 50 miles!!!

I am still trying to get used to this Blog thing- everything always sounds better in my head and then when I type it out it doesn't make sense!! I guess I just think Emily and I are funnier than we really are!!!! I am hoping to get better and more creative at this in the coming weeks, so bear with me:)

22 down....how many more????

2009-07-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am sooo tired right now (but am awaiting a phone call so I thought blogging might keep my eyes open). My alarm went off at 3am this morning.....3am! Our long run options are not good due to 1) Brocks job, 2) my job, and 3) the HEAT! Life sometimes seems to interfere with my running career (heehee). Brock reminds me often of how much income I bring in running. Goose egg.

So we got a late start....3:40ish. By late I mean we intended to start at 3:30am. Mistake #1- Nyquil at 10pm last night. Mistake #2- no Dayquil for 3am. Training is necessary not only for cardiovascular endurance, but also for these valuable lessons. What to eat and more importantly what not to eat. Where to apply bodyglide is by far the most valuable lesson. Never fun when the shower teaches you that one. Today I learned that it is better to not sleep than to medicate yourself to sleep.

Weather today was actually as good as July can get. It was so dark when we started..... but then again it was the middle of the night. Luckily there are other crazy people who were starting at 4:30am and we joined up with them for a few miles. Seriously, Elissa and I can talk (and talk and talk) but it sure is nice to have a variety of conversations for awhile. Thanks TSAC morning group!

By the time the sun came up around 5:30am, I felt like I had ran through the night. Yes, thanks again Nyquil. Again Elissa's little peppy voice says at this point, "I don't feel like I have been running very long, do you?" YES. YES. YES....I do. I felt like I had ran through time zones. I think we started in PST and ended in CST. Seriously, 28 more miles????

I feel fine tonight- very little soreness, which surprises me considering we were just 4 miles short of a marathon today. I just can't quite get my head around 28 more miles?!? I am not a Debbie Downer. I am a Doubting Debbie. Hoping to become a Hopeful Helen or a Spunking Suzy....but at this point in the training you can call me Debbie. Thank goodness I run with Suzy :)

"You're the Inspiration..."

2009-07-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not quoting the band Chicago here....my man Dean! Dean Karnazes the "Ultra Marathon Man." He is amazing! Little bit of his resume....50 marathons in 50 days, numerous wins at the Western States 100 (as in miles) and a 200 mile relay race. BUT he didn't relay....all 200 miles on his own and showed up the next day for work at 8:00am after running 200 miles straight!!!!! He da' man! If it wasn't for this book we would not be even attempting this adventure! So I guess you can ask me again on November 1st if he is my Hero or my Nemesis!

Anyways, nothing special to say other than a quote from Dean that is now our mantra....

"Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.....just NEVER give up!"
- Dean Karnazes, Ultra Marathon Man

Friday, 22 miles.....I am now going to refer to above paragraph and repeat mantra

Holes in Her Story

2009-07-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Okay. After reading the first post from Emily, I have decided that it is mostly true with one BIG inconsistency in her story. I do believe she is the one who suggested the 50 mile run, I was more on board for the 50k. I think it went something like this, " I think it would be cool to do an ultra- how about we do a 50k (31 miles)?" Emily's response was, "if we are going to do a 50k then we might as well do the 50 miler!" It took me several days and several chapters in the book Marathon Man (a story about my hero Dean Karnazes) for me to agree to this crazy feat!!

My husband, and everyone else in my family, thinks that I have lost my mind. Pretty soon I might start agreeing with them, but I think this is going to be very exciting and I can't imagine doing it with anyone else besides Emily. I can honestly say that she has helped me become a better runner. She has such dedication and enthusiasm that you can't help but to follow right along with her! I think that God puts people in your lives for certain reasons and I feel that he has brought her in my life not only to have such a wonderful friend, but also so that we can do things together to glorify him. I would be too scared to do something like this alone, but Emily has a way of making you get all pumped up about things and before you know it you are agreeing to do something crazy like a 50 mile run!!

I am looking forward to blogging about all the crazy things we experience and encounter on this journey and we will be giving you all the scoop- along with photos- so this may not be a blog for the faint of heart:) Stay tuned for more interesting stories (we will keep them G rated) and honk if you see us out there running!!

More than a donut hole....

2009-07-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

So 20 miles today. This still sounds long to me which isn't the mind set I need to be in. We set out about 5am from the "mother ship." After numerous gels we thought at mile 14 that we would try a couple donut holes. We have read that in an ultra you can't just rely on sports drinks and gels so you better get used to some real food. Real food obviously= donut holes.

So we literally run into the Donut Bank on Lincoln and Hwy 41 and scope out our choices. If I had a quarter for how many people said "that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it" or "you better run further now." It was fun to watch their reaction when we told them why we weren't too concerned about it!

We are getting ready to pay and the cashier asks, " Are you training for the half?" When we told her what we were doing surprisingly she didn't give us the "have you considered in patient therapy instead?" look. Alicia was her name. She said, "oh, I ran Chicago back in the day and then qualified for Boston and ran it. I ran a 3:18!!!!" She then told us she was 45 at the time! Shout out to Alicia you ROCK girl!

Amazing would not describe the taste of the donut holes at that moment. I am sure I looked ridiculous to those just enjoying their morning coffee and donuts. I basically inhaled them while saying "Wow, these are amazing. Aren't these awesome? Oh my gosh these are good!" Mind you I was shoving them standing up, straight out of the bag, and dripping in sweat. I am sure it was so appetizing to watch!

As usual there was humor on the run. Elissa was looking down at her watch trying to slow down our pace (we are bad at sticking to the slow long run rule). And out of nowhere a semi trailer truck jumped out at her. Now, let's just totally set up this visual. It was a parked trailer. There was no truck or bed attached. It was NOT moving. Couldn't have moved. Just sitting there parked. She looked up, screamed and threw her arms up. It was like the trailer was attacking her. I hit the ground laughing. I shouldn't make fun of her because I am known for tripping over the ground,,,,but her flailing arms and squeal may have topped it!

So we finished, as usual, Elissa looking like she just finished walking the dog and me walking like I got off a horse. I am not sure what they put in her coffee but I think it is similar to kryptonite. I would love to say that we have peaked at our long run but we have only just begun. Excuse me while I go throw up now thinking about it!

See you next week Alicia!

A new challenge.....

2009-06-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we have decided to take a new twist on Pace with Purpose. Ok, so twist makes it sound fun.....I am not convinced entirely yet :)

It all started after Boston. We were on a high....a runner's high. It does exist and when you are "high" you make irrational decisions. Sometimes decisions of the heart, but still illogical, out there, and on the verge of insane decisions.

A scenario recap would go something like this. We just finished a run (it must have been enjoyable or this conversation wouldn't have happened). We are leaving the mothership - otherwise known as Starbucks, which is a whole other blog- and Elissa says to me, "hey we could do that ultra and raise money per mile for a family in need." Yes, I said ultra. I wish I meant michelob but no, I mean ultramarathon as in 50 miles!!! My answer must have been a result of runners high followed by a shot of expresso, "yeah that would be awesome!" So not only do I agree but I then proceed to commit- I call a friend who has recently been caught off guard with some major medical bills and 2 new babies and a cut back financially and say "hey, would you like us to run to raise money to help you?"

And that's pretty much where we are now. 16 miles yesterday in the blazing heat thinking we are completely crazy. But you know what.....I LOVE crazy! I thrive off of pushing my limits. I also love planning where we are stopping for mid-run refreshments!

So Pace with Purpose is going on a new mission. Please help us by pledging $ per mile towards a one income, christian family with 4 kids (2 new babies) and some major unexpected medical bills. We will provide the sweat, blood (ok, blisters hopefully not blood) and tears and would so appreciate any pledge you can give to help out this great family. This will be our fall Pace with Purpose event.

Stay tuned for our training blog.......