where to start

I guess I will start by saying -- great job to everyone that ran the buckeye 50k on saturday. I am so impressed by all of you - what a hard race - what a HOT HOT day. So Steve and I worked the mile 26 aid station. That was soooo much fun. Working a waterstop on a road race isn't all that fun - you stand there with a cup in your hand while someone grabs it from you. In an ultra- you are somewhere between an annoying cars salesman and an annoying mother hen. It's funny - these people would kind of pop out of the woods - and you would say what can we get you - and some people were so tired and hot - that they would just kind of look at you. You'd say - ice? and they'd so oooh ice - yeah that would be good - and you'd say how bout a peanut butter and jelly - ooh peanut butter and jelly that would be nice - i swear you could offer these people tuna fish and they would be grateful. It's really fun helping out - when you know the people really truly appreciate it. One guy went blowing by us - and we tried to stop him - being that we were the last stop - but he kept going - well some how one of the guys talked him into coming back and at least letting us fill up his camelback and we got some food in him. Good thing - or else he would have run out of water long before he reached the end. So - don't know if i am inspired to do the summer 50k - but perhaps the winter one. we'll see-- i really need to get out on the trails.

I had to get my 20 miler in on sunday - the plan was to get up at 5 and run loops around the neighborhood at a 9:20 pace - so if i did my math correctly.. 3hrs 7min. Well i didn't get up til 6 - and by the time i got the water and gu and everything layed out on the front porch - it was almost 6:30 - but - still better than starting at 8. The plan was to run 4 x 5 mile loops - but i knew that that would drive me crazy - so i extended the first loop to 10 miles - which took some creative weaving through the streets. finished the first 10.2 in 1:32 - so about a 9:05 pace - cooled off for a few minutes took some e caps and headed back out for a 6 mile loop... from my crazy math i think those 6 were at a 9:30 pace - but the garmin was having trouble - so i think i ran more than 6 - which would put me a little close to the 9:20 goal. Came back to the house - woke steve up and told him to get his bike out to come with me for the last 3.8 miles. I'm so glad he did - by this point it was getting hot! Finished with a total time of 3:05 -- but I think the garmin was about .25-.5 mile short when i actually mappped out my route. But - in typical me fashion - as hot as i was i had to run back and forth in front of my house until the garmin flipped to 20!
As for this upcoming week - I was planning on doing 18 with solar on the towpath - but we're doing the sweet corn hellish hill challenge on sunday - and steve's signed up for the 2 mile open swim race on saturday - and i want to go see him swim - i think it will be fun. So... that means a nice 18 miler on friday night... anyone interested??? :) let me know!