The right company...

...makes everything more pleasant, even your longest long runs! I have been very fortunate to have great company for many of my runs this training season, and I definitely cite this as one of the reasons my training has been going so well. My gym buddy Jen has kept me motivated for my weekday runs (a big change from last year). My Striders friends, especially Val and Noreen, have kept my mind off my long Saturday runs. Then, this weekend, I had the opportunity to travel and do a long run with my good friends Krista and Ray, whom you may remember as the couple who had the triathlon wedding.

A few months ago, Krista contacted me about participating in a 40-mile ultra race/relay put on as a fundraiser for a no-kill animal shelter in Hanover, PA. Her husband, Ray, was planning to run the whole 40 miles (!) and she was looking for a friend or two to join her in a relay team. We are both marathon training, so I suggested that we just split the distance in half, doing 20 miles each. At the last minute, we changed our plans and decided to sign up as individuals so we could run together. We planned to do 16 miles (the race was in 8-mile loops) and then assess whether we could go further.

I was a little apprehensive about this race because it is almost entirely on trails, which makes for a very different (and harder) experience than road runnning. My apprehension was not eased when it rained cats and dogs (no pun intended) the entire day before the race. I kept thinking back to July 2010, when I tripped on a trail run and wound up on crutches. I set out for the race Saturday morning with several changes of shoes, socks, and clothes, fearing both mud and tree roots.

Fortunately, the race turned out to be low-key and fun. The trail was challenging (and full of mud and tree roots), but Krista and I were not worried about time, so we simply walked when things got too treacherous. We were able to laugh it off the few times we got turned around on the crazy race course (Krista commented that it seemed like they let an animal loose on the trail and simply marked where it wandered).  We even stopped to take some pictures:

We ran by this spectacular lake several times.

A little over halfway through lap 1 and still smiling!

This was my first experience participating in an ultra, and I definitely noticed some differences. The field was small, people were friendly, and the aid stations were unbelievable. When you intend to run for hours, you need a lot more in terms of food and gear. The aid stations were stocked with a staggering array of delicious food and supplies, to which we added what we had brought ourselves. Between laps, we made leisurely stops to eat, visit the restroom, and swap out wet shoes and socks:

Shoes and socks #2. Yuck!

Midway through our second lap, Krista and I began talking about how far to go. I was starting to have some aches and pains. I was sure I could go to 20 miles, but less sure that I should. When we finished the second lap (16 miles), we met up with some friends, including my sweet boyfriend Andrew who drove to the middle of nowhere to watch me participate in this craziness. After some discussion, Krista decided to attempt another lap. I still wasn't sure I should go along, and I wanted to show Andrew the park, so I asked if he was up for walking a half-lap of 4 miles. He agreed, and we all set out.

Taking a little break by the lake. Happiness.

At first, my victory lap/hike was a lot of fun. It was great experiencing the park again with Andrew. It was even better that he appreciated the challenge of the hike and, therefore, realized what a badass I am for running 16 miles on those trails. By about 2 miles in, though, the fatigue had set in. We tried some short cuts back to the car which didn't quite go as planned, and I started to worry I would be walking forever. In the end, though, we made it out. The sight of my car was one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Making it even better was the fact that Andrew agreed to drive home and bought me Five Guys for lunch. Krista, who is way more of a badass than I am, got all the way to 24 miles!

All in all, a wonderful way to do a long run!