From 100 pounds overweight to training for an ultramarathon...our very own Charles Thompson's journey

Sometimes you may be running alongside greatness and not even know it.  I know many in our group will feel that way after reading Charles Thompson's story.  We already knew he was a tough guy with a big heart, but now we get to understand just how tough he really is.  Check out Charles' story below.  WARNING:  Your excuses will seem pretty weak after this.

The display read 35 pounds. I had just put my bags on the scale at the heliport to go offshore again. As the woman behind the counter registered this, I filled out the sign-in log verifying that I had the certifications necessary to go out. Next was the part that I had come to loathe. It was my turn to step on the scale. Over the past months I had lost about five pounds, but had since lost my resolve. I stepped on the scale, making sure that the disappointment didn't register on my face. Still, I could not turn my gaze away from the scale's readout. 267 pounds. Five feet eleven inches tall and 267 pounds. "If I don't do something about this, my health will start to be affected," I thought.

 Up until that point, I really did not have any severely negative consequences due to my being overweight (obese if I am honest about what the height/weight charts read). My past trips to the doctor told me I needed to lose weight (I paid this man to tell me this?) and that I should keep an eye on my blood pressure as it was a little on the high side. The fact that I had not been to the doctor in about four years crossed my mind. "I've been fine; I AM fine," I had been telling myself. Never mind what I saw in the mirror. Never mind what I saw in the pictures of myself (I sure hoped the camera added about thirty pounds). "I'm overweight, but still healthy."

 Then my penny pinching side kicked in. My employer has a program designed to encourage you to live healthier. Each year you fill out a questionnaire about your eating habits and how much exercise you get. Tack in what your last blood pressure readings and what your cholesterol was at your last check and you can get a discount of $180 off the annual premium for your health insurance. Well, I had everything filled out except the last cholesterol readings. This was sufficient to get the discount, but my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to fill EVERYTHING in (a little peek into my personality here). This prompted a decision, I now had to go back to the doctor. It won't be that bad, right? Appointment made, they wanted me to go into the office the week before to get my blood drawn. This way, I was told, the doctor can review my results with me right in the room in case I had any questions.

 I was ready for anything the doctor had to tell me. It was going to be just like all of my other appointments. "Charles," he was going to say, "you need to lose some weight and your chart shows that you have a history of high blood pressure in your family so you are going to need to keep a close eye on that." Just like that I would have my numbers that I can fill in on the next questionnaire; problem solved! 

Charles and his wife, Daisy.

Everything went fine with the physical examination until we started going over my blood work. My total cholesterol was fine at 158 but my HDL numbers were quite low (a good goal for men is above 40 and I was sitting at 29). My "slightly elevated" blood pressure had escalated to pre-hypertensive, and my liver numbers were "really strange" so he wanted to send me back to the lab after my appointment to have more blood drawn to test for hepatitis (What?!?). "When I see you this time next year, I will have to put you on blood pressure medication and probably something to help you raise your HDL levels, if you don't do something about it on your own." I had finally done it. I let myself get unhealthy because of my eating habits and my weight. "What can I do, besides the obvious 'lose weight'?" He told me that the only effective way he has seen to raise HDL levels without medicine is strenuous exercise. Not just exercise, HARD exercise. I needed to get my blood moving hard and fast. In addition to raising my HDL levels, this would have positive benefits like improving my liver numbers and losing weight. "Great! One recommendation would fix all of my problems! It's too bad that it involves exercise."

 I did not enjoy the prospect of being on a pill for the rest of my life. Choose diet and exercise? This was quite the eye opener. Pills or healthy living? I chose to get healthy. First I started with the diet since I could not afford a membership to the gym. Being the technology geek that I am, I started searching out a way for me to track the calories that I consumed. Of course - "there's an app for that!" Setting up the app and telling it how much weight I wanted to lose per week (I opted to go the max of 2 lbs), I started my adventure; not an easy feat since I worked offshore and had access to the Galley there. The food isn't always good, but there is ALWAYS a ton of it (or tonne as my current assignment was on a Danish flagged vessel)! The first week was not bad - not good, but not bad. I lost more than my two pounds and was feeling pretty good. Then weeks two and three reared their heads and I realized that I was HUNGRY! I continued to follow the calorie restrictions that I set for myself and after the first month I had lost 12 pounds!

 That is where my life took a turn. I lost my initial 12 pounds…and that was it for almost a month. In the back of my mind, I hear my doctor's advice again - exercise, hard exercise. "Alright…I can do this," I told myself. I had no access to any weight equipment, which was my first choice. My second choice was a bicycle, which I did not have - strike two. I had a pair of shoes in my closet - running shoes. These shoes had an "interesting" history since I purchased them using winnings from a game…the McDonald's "Monopoly" game! Odd that I would get a pair of running shoes thanks to a Big Mac and a large fry and that they would change my life.

 I crammed my feet in my shoes and tied them too tight - a runner I was not. I was going to give it a herculean effort however. I hopped in my car and drove around the neighborhood to determine the distance around (Is my geek showing again?) and came up with 1/2 mile. "Alright, I'm ready for this!" I started with a brisk walk to warm up - down to the first corner of the 1/2 mile loop. "Here we go…" I began running…and breathing…sucking air…gasping. I had made it down the stretch to the next corner and achieved victory! I walked for a minute, turned the next corner and took off running again. I didn't make it down the next leg when I felt "nature's call". I gingerly made my way back to the house, answered and then decided to take a shower. Warning: weak stomach alert! At this point I turned on the water to the shower and promptly threw-up! Overdid that one there Chuckie! Next time, take a longer victory lap and cool down better!

 I continued this routine, running from corner to mailbox; corner to corner…corner to the house. I built my way up to a mile steady running over the next month or so and was feeling pretty good about that! My exhilaration also extended to the bathroom scale - I was losing weight again! I steadily trotted along, pushing myself further and further towards my goal of weight-loss. I had set myself mini-goals of 10 pounds to lose. I also allowed myself one "Bust!" day per week (can you say Seafood Friday). Using this regimen of fewer calories, more exercise, mini-goals and bust-day, I began seeing great results. Five months into my journey I had lost 45 pounds. Month six was another good month and the scale showed 54 pounds total! I finished my first 5k and my first 10k - both under my goals of 30 minutes and 1 hour respectively.

 I lost 80 pounds in the nine months prior to my annual physical/visit to my GP. I was thrilled…and PROUD! What was the Doc going to say when he saw my success? I went in to have my blood-drawn the week prior to my appointment…excited! It was finally time to see the doctor. The nurse showed my back to the room and took my vitals. My blood pressure was great and my HR was lower than it had EVER been - a result of my conditioning and a mini-victory! Then we wait…and wait…and wait. The doctor entered and sat down next to me. He reviewed my chart, looking over my blood-work and began asking me questions about how I felt. "Great since I followed your advice and lost all that weight." He re-consulted the chart and was shocked at the year-on-year comparison of my weight. "Wow! I always make that recommendation hoping that one-day someone will follow it. You lost a lot of weight!" He asked me how and I told him that I started running and pushing away from the table. "Do you have any races or anything that you are training for?" I mentioned that I was training for my first Half Marathon and that I was tremendously nervous about it being such a far distance! "With the weight you lost I know that you have the drive to make it at least that far." Boy did that make me feel good. It was time to review my results from the lab. Blood Pressure - NORMAL. Liver numbers - NORMAL. HDL level - 43! Total cholesterol was in the 130s! JUBILATION!!  

Charles at Chicot during a trail run.

All of my hard work had paid off. I was healthy and I felt great. I no longer felt that deep disappointment when I saw a picture of myself. I was committed now and had actually begun to like running - something that I NEVER thought would happen. I started it as a means to reach my end goal. I noticed though that I was less stressed and even looked forward to the next run. I finished my Half Marathon and signed up for its big brother the very next week - the Marathon! That is how I came to be where I am today - a multiple marathon finisher who has an Ultra-Marathon on the horizon. A man who successfully lost 100 pounds through discipline, effort, grit and sheer determination. This is my story (minus a few details for posterity of course LOL). 

Charlie (left) with Randy Carlson after a trail run.

Happy Running, Y'all!

Edie

If I look a little tired....

So, here I find myself at the two highest mileage months on my calendar.  Boy this sure did sneak up on me.  The good news is that I have some fun things added into the schedule, so it helps to break up the long weeks some.  This weekend, I am doing the Cajun Country Half Marathon right here in Lafayette!  Well, actually, I am running 7 miles with friends then we are doing the half, since it is a 20 mile training day.  There are alot of twenty plus milers in my training season.  18 to be exact. 18 days of 20+ milers, including 2 - 50 mile races, and 2 - 50k's (31 miles) and one road (or hard packed dirt according to the website) marathon.  From now until February 2nd, I have 7 more 20+ days left before the celebration of all of my training - the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler!

I mentioned the Cajun Country Half Marathon - a GREAT local race with a little twist thrown in.  Here's a hint: you might get your shoes a little muddy on this one, folks.  Then, the weekend after I am joining some friends in Texas for the Day After the End of the World Marathon.  I am not a fan of road marathons, but this one is just quirky enough to make it interesting.  It is 4 loops on hard packed dirt.  There is the End of the World Marathon on the Friday then the Day After on the Saturday.  Some are doing both halves or both fulls - one is enough for me.  I am an optimist, but I am also a realist.  I chose the Day After so if the world does end, I get a rest day. :)

I also managed to talk some friends into doing a trail marathon with me in Chicot one Saturday.  That is when you know you have some crazy friends.  I didn't even have to beg!!

Here is my weekly mileage up until Rocky:
Dec 9 - 15 = 50 miles
Dec 16- 22 = 64 miles
Dec 23 - 29 = 64 miles
Dec 30 - Jan 5 = 37 miles
Jan 6 - Jan 12 = 47 miles
Jan 13 - Jan 19 = 76 miles
Jan 20 - Jan 26 = 36 miles
Jan 27 - Feb 2 = 110 miles (Race week)

The key is an 8 day period from January 12 through January 19th where I will have a total of 107 miles.  When I was training for my 100 last year, I read that it was recommended for an ultra that your peak week's mileage equals the distance of your race.  It was hard with work, family, etc., to fit it into a 7 day period, but I could make it into an 8 day week.  I did this, and I really feel like it helped.  Yes, that 8 day period kicked my ass, but once I was rested and tapered for the race, I felt very strong.  That is creeping up on me much quicker than I would like to admit.

So, if you see me pulled over on the side of the road taking a nap, you will understand. :)

Happy Running (and running, and running, and running) Y'all!

Edie

Lots of Loopers!

Six names were added to the short list of crazy running-type people who have run the whole 20+ mile loop of Chicot State Park on Sunday, August 26th.  Here's the whole group:

From left: (standing) Tim and Karin Gill, Lonny Gaspard, Eric Gravish, Randy Aymond,
Me, Emma Valentine, Christina Gravish, Jason LeBlanc
(kneeling) Sandi Hernandez, Tara Greer, Kristi Mire

Three of this group had done the whole loop (20+ miles) the day before, but came out to grab a little more trail with us on Sunday - it's a sickness, folks. :)  Lonny, Randy, Emma, Jason, Colin and Sandi would all be looping for the first time.  They had all done trail runs of shorter distances in preparation, but this was the big day.  No out and backs for them, it was all or nothing.  Okay - that makes it sound a little more dramatic than it was, but it is a really big deal when folks make the whole loop for the first time.  It is NOT an easy run, and when it is hot, it is REALLY tough.  But, holding firm to looper tradition, there were no wimps or whiners in the group.  

We set out at a reasonable pace (walking the uphills from the start), knowing that it was going to be a tough day without us starting it out by making bad decisions.  Everything went as planned.  When the group would spread out a bit, we would bunch up at set points, then take off again.  We saw a huge family of hogs, but luckily they had no interest in some very smelly runners.  Everyone carried their own stuff - for me it took about 80 oz of water, and 2 gels.  For others it may have been less water and more gels - everyone is different.  But, everyone who was out there had completed long distance runs before, so they had taken the time to figure out their formula.

Even when we split up, it was easy for us to hear Emma.  Every time she saw a big mile marker, a yell could be heard throughout the forest.  It made me laugh every time.  The last mile marker on the trail is at mile 19, so it is tradition to get pictures with first time loopers there.  Some folks were ahead of me, so I missed them, but here are a few:

Yep, she yelled for this one too.  And yes, that is a
tiara on top of her hat.  This was her birthday present to herself -
her first 20 mile run EVER, and it happened to be a
very tough run.  Great job, Emma!!!

Randy at 19.  

Sandi at 19.

There were quiet spots when no one was talking when you knew there was some suffering going on, but there was no complaining, and everyone maintained a positive attitude (this is more important than you realize out there).  I have said it before folks - say what you want about other sports, but trail running only attracts the toughest and most humble people.  Those that are lacking in these qualities never last.  They may come out and crush the loop one time to say they did it, but they will never be a regular on these trails, and they will never have the discipline and smarts that these folks did to gradually work themselves up to running 20+ trail miles.  

There is no fancy equipment to buy for this.  You can't go out and spend hundreds of dollars to get the latest shoes that might be a little lighter, or made from carbon, or more aerodynamic, to help you out.  There is basic gear that everyone has that is pretty much the same stuff.  The results of your efforts are BECAUSE of your efforts.  If you run faster one loop than you did for the previous one, it can not be attributed to the gear or fancy bells and whistles.  It is because of YOU.  It is your legs that carried you forward, and your heart that kept you from quitting.  That is why it is so satisfying to me to bring people out there and watch them do something that is completely out of their comfort zone.  That is where the good stuff is, folks.

I have been glowing all week, just thinking about how proud I am of Sandi, Emma, Lonny, Randy, Colin, and Jason.  There is something very empowering about conquering something this difficult.  It makes you start to wonder what else you might be able to accomplish that you never even considered trying before.  I can't wait to see where this leads.  All good, all good.

Randy finishing.  It is so damn good to see those
cars, and know there is cold beer in your near future!!

Sandi finishing.  Sandi has brought most of her family
out with us to either run or hike the trails.
She is definitely paying it forward.

Special thanks to Lonny for the ice cold fruit at the finish.  That was such a great surprise, and much appreciated.  And special thanks to Randy for having beer iced down for when we got off of the trails.  The best tasting beers are those after a hard effort.

So if you are wondering if trail running is for you - there is only one way to find out!  Try it!!  It should be cooling off soon, and the insects should be chilling out some, so if that is what has been holding you back - EXCUSE CANCELED. :)

Have a great holiday weekend, and Happy Running!

Edie

Training Update:  Solid 50 mile week last week.  Felt strong, and no issues.  Staying on top of my stretching and cleaning up my diet.  Hurricane derailed me a bit this week, but no worries.  Got in a 13 miler today, and while it sucked, it was yet another deposit into my running account.  Cactus Rose in late October is a BIG withdrawal  so I have to build up my accounts as much as possible before then.  Hill training starting in September.  Tower of Terror runs looming!!  I'll keep you posted in case any knuckleheads out there care to jump on board.

Business Update:  Well I continue to be ignored in my requests for the same monthly reports that I sent my "partners" every week while I was working at the store. I guess they think that if they ignore me long enough, I will just give up.  :)

You never know what to expect.....

Sorry it's been so long since my last post.  Things blew up for a bit, and are just getting 

back to what I consider normal now. The last trail run was very well attended (as you can see).

18 runners, including a few first timers, joined us on the trails.  Three made the

whole loop (20 - 22 miles, depending on who you ask, and how much you suffer), and the rest

of us did out and backs for anywhere from 8 to 16 miles.

What was different about this loop?  Well - let's start by going over the expected during the run:

There were trees down.

There were lots of smiles.

There was quite a bit of sweat.

And there were lots of laughs.

What we didn't expect - the freshly killed bunny on the trail.  Definitely no pictures of that one.  I just wanted to get away before whatever killed it came back for its snack.  Besides, that would just be gross.

On the return leg of the 16 mile out and back, the group broke up a bit, and I was able to run by myself for a while.  As much as I love running with my buddies, I treasure these moments when I am sort of alone on the trail.  I say sort of because there is no one as far as I can see or hear, but I know that there are people both ahead of and behind me, which is comforting should something go wrong.  Being alone in the middle of the woods is the purest form of meditation for me.  This is always where I feel the closest to God, when I am surrounded by so much of the beauty he created.  I am always humbled by the enormity of all of it, as well as the attention put into the smallest details.

So when my phone rang about 5 miles from the exit to the trail, it startled me because I was in such a peaceful place in my mind. (Even though my ring tone is a nature sound - ducks quacking. :) No, I don't hunt, it just cracks me up every time it rings.  I stopped and took my phone out of my Camelbak and saw that it 

was my 13 year old son calling.  I had my answer to his question planned before I even answered - "Yes, Jeffrey can come over tonight."

Well, that wasn't what the call was about at all.  Instead, it was Josh telling me that I need to call my sister right away - there's an emergency.  My dad is 92, and ever since we lost my mom last year, all he has wanted was to join her, so I had a pretty good idea what I would hear when I made that call. Sure enough, my sister told me that Dad had eaten his breakfast, pushed his tray away, and stopped breathing.  The paramedics were at his house doing chest compressions at that time.

I told her to keep me posted, I hung up the phone, and I started to RUN.  I knew the odds were against me making it in time to tell him goodbye, but I had to try.  I ran for 10 minutes, all out.  During this time I jumped over two snakes, one of which I came REAL close to stepping on.  Talk about adrenaline.  With the hurdling of the second snake, I am surprised I didn't need chest compressions.

When I hit the 10 minute mark, I had a very strong feeling that there was no reason to hurry anymore.  I slowed to a walk, and called my sister back.  They had just declared Dad dead.  Of course, all of the expected emotions were there.  I was very much a daddy's girl.  My brothers and sisters were all much older than me, so I was pretty much raised as an only child.  I spent most of my childhood working with my dad and following him around.  If he stopped too suddenly, I would run right into him.  He was an amazing man, and an EXCELLENT role model.  Dad didn't talk about it, he just did it.

The note we found in his desk the day after he died.

In fact, I credit him heavily for my ultra running.  He instilled in me an adventurous spirit.  When I was afraid to try something, he would always say, "What's the worst that can happen?"  It's amazing how far those words have gotten me.

So, I stopped running and I listened.  It was so incredibly peaceful.  All I heard was the rustling of the leaves off of the side of the trail (which I walked away from quickly - better safe than sorry), and the birds.  It really was the perfect place to receive such news.  The peace I feel every time I run through the woods is the peace Dad feels all the time now.  I can't think of a better way to feel close to him than to return to the spot where I was when his soul was taken home.  Just when I thought I couldn't love Chicot more.

So, I walked and Emma caught up with me.  I told her what had happened and she was crying before I was.  We walked the rest of the way, talking about my dad and her bubbling stomach.  Then, as if I needed more comic relief, when we get off of the trail, Randy is holding ice on his face.  He was ambushed by wasps - not on the trail but afterwards when he was checking out the trail map.  I understand he put on quite the show when he was stung.  Just thinking about it makes me laugh. :)  Sorry Randy.

So, this last week was spent burying my Dad and taking care of final arrangements.  I only ran once -  Sunday for 11 miles.  But, it was a run with friends on a never run on before route.  All good.

And, once again this season, I find myself knocked off of my schedule a bit.  I am really not too torn up about it.  I will pick up where I left off as if last week never happened.  I never try to make up mileage.  If it is missed, it is deleted.   Move forward, don't look back.  

I started this blog to bring you along with me on my training journey, so that you could see that I am just a regular person who happens to run long races.  I get derailed, and I have to improvise.  Nothing in my life is set in stone, I just do my best to roll with the punches.  I really think my ability to adapt is a HUGE part of the reason that I am able to complete ultra distance races.  

I am adding a few more pics from the trail run on the 12th.  My next blog post will include an update on the business part, as well as a review of next Sunday's loop - a bunch of folks will be making the whole loop for the first time!! Can't wait to share it with them (and Dad!).

Have a great week, and Happy Running!!

Edie

Renee's first trail run!!  So happy she joined us!

Ahhh - the bridges!!

Running into the sunrise.

Colin learned that long legs are not an asset on the trails.

Smiles and more smiles!!

No, Keith, we are not making fun of your backpack.

Lonny leading the way.

Shane - a trail veteran now, and he just signed up for his
first trail race!!  Yay Shane!!

Great week running, and other funny stuff

First let's get the foolishness out of the way, then move on to more important things.  Maybe I am not understanding what it means to be terminated via text (which I saved copies of, as well as all of the other lovely texts I have received) and banned from the store that I am still part owner of (not sure of the legality of that).  Maybe some are realizing that things were handled poorly.  Maybe this would have all been cleared up sooner if handled in person, or if any of the parties involved would choose to speak to me in person instead of hiding behind texts and emails.  Funny that now I should receive a letter asking me to formally resign my position as general manager when I was "terminated". ( I can't say that word without picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger. )  Since I am being ignored otherwise, but I know those interested are following this blog, let me respond to their letter here.  Let's see....ummmm....NO.

Moving on to a more interesting topic - Danielle's first run at Chicot! (AND her longest run to date!!)

13 miles run!!  Awesome job Danielle!

I would say that this past weekends run didn't go according to plan, but I never really have a set plan when going out to Chicot.  I was aiming for my last 20 miler, but the morning of the run, a couple of people had schedule conflicts which would have had us rushing to finish so they could make it back home for another event, so we all agreed to do an out and back for 12 or 13 miles. (I really didn't need another 20, since my race is next weekend, so it was easy to agree to this).

I should have known this would not be just another trail run.  From the beginning, it was like the trail gods were trying to tell me something.  When we get to the park, the first stop we always make is at the park bathroom before we get to the trail head.  There are always deer around the area, since there is a feeder nearby.  The deer in Chicot are very bold.  They are protected, and they know it.  But this weekend was a first.  There was a herd of 5 or 6 does crossing the road ahead of our truck.  When we got close they just looked at us, and kept walking across the road.  We actually had to stop to let them get by, and as the last doe was crossing and we were about to start moving, a buck ran in front of us. It was like trying to drive through the parking lot of WalMart.  Crazy.

When we got to the trail head and I took my Camelbak out of the back of the truck, I noticed the bottom of the pack was soaked.  I fooled with it a bit and found that the bottom quick release valve was leaking.  I couldn't get it to stop completely, but I figured since I had filled the pack with enough water to do the full 20 miles, I should be able to make 12 or 13 even with a leak.  I was wrong.  As soon as we started running, it really started leaking - pouring out the pack, down my legs, and into my shoes.

By mile 2.5 or so, the pack was almost dry.  I knew it would be a bad decision to go in too far and risk running out of water completely, so I turned around at this point.  At first I was aggravated that my mileage goal would not be met, but it turned out to be a great run back.  Since I wasn't accomplishing a whole lot with this run, I decided to take this opportunity to take some pictures along the way.

This is my favorite!

Lots of trees down this week from the storms the night before.

And it sounds and smells just as relaxing as it looks.

So, my last long run turned into a 5 mile run/walk/photo shoot.  I didn't stay aggravated for long.  It is so peaceful out there, it has a way of washing any negative feelings right out of you.  I enjoyed waiting at the finish and getting to see all of my friends (new and old) pop out of the woods.

Emma finishing.  Evidently she ran so fast, her shirt
flew off.  A common occurrence on the trails.

Liz finishing strong as usual!

Sandi dancing.  Or having a muscle spasm.
Either way, pretty cute.

Run, hike, skip, prance -
All are welcome, regardless of your chosen
form of locomotion.

Taylor, Kristofer and Tara sweating and smiling!

Everyone did between 8 and 13 miles on this outing.  Three newbies were introduced to Chicot, and there were 10 of us in all.  What an awesome trip!!

Don and Christina tearing up the trail

"That spider was THIS big!"

Liz and Randy doing Chicot yoga.

Randy on the trail.

L to R
Kristofer Harrington, 12, first time trail runner!!
Tara Greer, first timer, Taylor and Sandi - veteran
trail monkeys.

So, this week ended with 36 miles.  About 20 miles short of my goal.  I'm not thrilled with that, but I am not all tied in knots about it either.  Keep in mind, the race this weekend is not my "A" race by any means.  It will be 31 miles of suck, and I am looking at it as a training run/learning experience.  I am also looking at it as a great break over race to lead me into training for Cactus Rose, my first 50 miler of the season, in late October.  I did 31 miles in 3 days this week - all in the hottest parts of the day.  Ouch.  I am not expecting to do anything spectacular with this race, I am just really looking forward to getting there, and being surrounded by other ultrarunning fools.  I know there will be some GREAT stories!!

A big group of new trail runners are planning on doing their first loop of Chicot together on August 26th.  I can not wait for that day!  They will finally get to see all of the beauty of Chicot, and see what it feels like to pop out at that finish line with one heck of a tough trail run under their belt.  I am VERY excited about sharing that with them!!

I will try to get my pacer blog done this week some time, and I will put together a full race report after my 50k this weekend.  As always, there will be stories to tell!!

Happy Running!

Edie