2018 Hachie 50 Mile Race Recap
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
August 15, 2018
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| Not sure what loop I am starting here, but this smile was on for the entire 50 miles. |
Side Note: Last year this race fell on my 34th birthday and I ran the 50k. This year it fell on May 5th, so the last day of my 34th year. It was the perfect way to close out a year and look forward to a new one.
Race Day
The morning started super early but mostly the same as any other race. I was meeting my dear friend, Neil, at his house so we could ride down to Waxahachie together. We enjoyed good conversation and coffee on the way. It was the perfect way to really wake up before a race. Once we arrived, we headed to check in and began getting our stuff set up next to the personalized chairs that each 50 mile runner had set up by the start line as part of our "race swag". I will say it is awesome to see your name and have a chair already set up for you.
Loop 1
At 5AM, the gun went off and away we went. It was still dark and so all I saw was the glowing head lamps in front of me. The temperature was perfect at about 68 degrees. I was feeling good; like really good. I settled into a pace and just decided to roll with it. I found myself alone the first loop. I knew there was a group in front of me but I was being patient. I had 5 loops to complete. Just before the turn around a group of men were on their way back and a few women. They were moving fast. I hit the turn around and was headed back toward the start/finish line. The thing I like about out and back loops is that you can see where everyone is behind you. I found myself smiling and giving encouragement to those I saw. With a mile left on the first loop I caught one of the women in front of me. But as I passed her, she quickly sped up and began almost sprinting toward the start/finish line. That's when I realized she was part of one of the 50 mile relay teams. I stayed on my pace and kept moving forward. When I came into the start/finish area, I dropped my trash, reloaded water and nutrition, grabbed a cold, roasted sweet potato and headed back out. Not realizing until much later that the announcer had said I was the overall leader at this point. Loop 1 done.
Loop 2 & 3 & 4
My nutrition and hydration remained on point. Prior to the start, I had set a reminder on my garmin for every 40 minutes for my eating intervals (In the past I always end up
Loop 5
I think the smile on my face continued to grow with each loop. I was feeling so good and moving smoothly. I quickly unloaded my trash and grabbed a few Spring packets and one last sweet potato. I could feel the temps beginning to rise at this point. It was time to switch into high gear and bring it in to the finish line. This loop seemed to go by fast. At one point I felt like walking the small hill in front of me and as I took a few steps, my calves began to lock up. Better to just keep running, I thought. I started back running & the cramping stopped. As I came into the second to last aid station, my friend Shaheen asked if I needed anything. "Nope, just finishing", I said. As I took off for the finish she yelled, "Get that sub-8!". I felt this amazing surge of energy go through me, I was going to get that sub-8 hour finish. I crossed the finish line in 7:52:06 and a 35 minute lead on the second place finisher. This was an hour and 3 minute PR from my last 50 miler! The smile on my face below says it all. THIS WAS A GREAT DAY!!
The Hachie 50 is one of my favorite races. It is fast and flat, but all on pavement. As a trail runner, I put a lot of miles on the pavement in order to get my body and feet ready for this race. I am so grateful to God that I was ready for this race and the conditions that day were perfect. I want to give a special thank you to the race directors of the Hachie 50. They are amazing guys and put on such a great race and make sure to make each and every runner feel special.
Thank you for taking the time to read my race recap!
Samantha, Blissfully Fit Mama
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| Is this not the coolest buckle?! |
Online Grocery Shopping
Thursday, May 3, 2018
May 03, 2018
Since I was 20, I have been living on my own. I have been
I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to be able to pick it up that afternoon, but being new to this amazing world, I was just excited that I didn't have to go to the store!
Tuesday morning, after dropping off my daughter at school, I received a text saying my order was ready for pick up. I clicked on the app and checked in and updated the color of my car and was on my way to the store. Once you check-in in the app will track your location so that when you pull they come right out with your groceries.
I pulled up and backed into a reserved online pick-up spot, the woman who did my shopping for me came out, confirmed my order, went over any items that were out of stock and/or were replaced with a different but similar item. I got to say whether or not I wanted the replacement item and then she loaded my groceries into my car, had me sign for them and I was back on the road on my way home. Now only if I could bring her home to unload them and put them away too....lazy. HaHaHa
It was really that simple.
I asked about tipping but the employees are directed not to accept tips and ask that you just fill out the survey that is sent to you after the order is completed.
I would love to hear about your experience with online grocery ordering if you have a one.
It was really that simple.
I asked about tipping but the employees are directed not to accept tips and ask that you just fill out the survey that is sent to you after the order is completed.
I would love to hear about your experience with online grocery ordering if you have a one.
XOXO,
Samantha
Blissfully Fit Mama
My "WHY" for 100 Miles
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
April 04, 2018
If you ask almost any ultra marathoner, they will tell you that you have to have a "why" when running ultra marathons. Once you pass the coveted 26.2 miles you officially enter into ultra marathon territory and that is no cake walk. I learned the hard way last year while being in the midst of my first ultra marathon (50k) that your "why" has to be powerful. That it has to be right in front of you at all times so that when you hit those "lows" you have something to bring you back out. At that first ultra, my "why" was to simply prove that I could do it. Not the right direction I needed to go in. It needed to be more personal and hold power. After that race and being disappointed that I didn't hit my goals, I thought long and hard about why I was running ultra marathons and what they meant to me.
At the time, running 100 miles was never even a thought for me. As the months passed by and the itch began to grow to continue to challenge the distances I was running, a new "why" came to fruition last May into June. I was in Michigan visiting my family with my daughter and spending Mother's Day with my Mom, when my world seemed to come crashing down on from all angles. My Mom was not feeling well most of our visit and the day that we flew back to Texas was the day she went to the ER and a soft ball sized tumor was found in her uterus. On top of that, my Grandpa took a fall and was in the ER that same day. A few weeks later we were back in Michigan. My Grandpa was diagnosed with lymphoma that was spreading rapidly through his bone marrow and put on hospice care and sent home. My Mom was scheduled for a full hysterectomy to have the, most likely cancerous, tumor removed. Talk about a s*!t storm all at one time. I was also gearing up to be the crew chief at The Badwater 135 for my friend, Neil, so my training was increasing weekly. I made it home in time to have a final talk with my Grandpa before he slipped into a coma and then slowly and painlessly drifted away over the next few days. My Mom was diagnosed with stage 3 carcinosarcoma of the uterus and was still hospitalized when my Grandpa had passed.
I didn't really know how to process all that was happening. As the realization set in that my Mom was going to be fighting a very aggressive cancer, I made the decision to dedicate my miles to her. I never want to know what it is like to have cancer...CANCER SUCKS. My Mom was given two routes for her treatment and she chose to take the most aggressive route. It was going to be tough. It was going to hurt. It wasn't guaranteed to work. She was going at it head on.
As the months went by and her radiation and chemo treatments took her hair and energy, she remained amazingly positive. In late October, after finishing my first 50 miler, I asked her if she would be at the finish line for my first 100 miler. I told her I was running it for her and the amazing fight that she was putting up. She tried to talk me out of running 100 miles 'cause she thought it was too much. But simply put, it was nothing in comparison to what she was going through. She agreed and we booked her flights. All of this was dependent upon her getting clearance from her doc as well. On Dec 22nd, my Mom's final scan and blood work revealed that she was cancer free. This was amazing news and she was cleared to fly to Texas.
On Feb 3-4, 2018, my Mom was there though it all. She helped my husband crew me as I made it to my 1st 100 mile finish. Knowing what my Mom's body had gone through the previous 6 months made the hurt that I was experiencing not seem so bad. Im' not going to lie, there were many times when I thought I couldn't take one more step. In those moments is when I had to remind myself why and what I was doing this for. Plus eating helped too...haha. I crossed the finish line hand in hand with my husband and my Mom waiting for me at the finish line with her awesome, and so fitting for her personality, pink wig on.
The reason I run all those miles has to be powerful because in those low of low moments, that "why" can bring us back out of that low. It can have the power to surge you forward in a way that you didn't think was possible. It can cary you to the finish line that seemed so far away.
Samantha
Blissfully Fit Mama
