ultra...

So im not sure how it started but my running partner, Chris, and I started talking about how we missed doing trail runs... That conversation progressed to races...and what kind of races we liked and somehow the conversation ended that we both want to do the Leadville 100 trail run. For those that dont know the Leadville 100 is a 100 mile trail run that is considered an Ultra- meaning anything over the 26.2 miles, marathon distance. Not only that it is considered as one of the more difficult Ultra Marathons..because it is on trail and is at altitude...

Interestingly enough I had kind of decided in my mind that I wouldnt be doing a marathon for a while because the training is pretty significant and I had already done several. But for some reason this Ultra talk really got me considering it... Im not sure if it is just because I have never done one before but I have been thinking alot about it lately.

I was at work when I should have been working but what I was really doing was googling training schedules and race times for people who have done the Leadville 100.. The GOOD times for women that do the Leadville 100 are around 27hours... hmmm that really made me stop and think hmmm. Plus they said 75 percent of people that do the Leadville 100 have a pacer... So a pacer is someone who is not signed up for the race but they run the last..30-or so miles with the racer. This happens for a few reasons, you are running a significant distance an im sure by the time you get to 70 miles you are pretty delirious... there is a good chance it is dark at this time AND you probably need some serious motivation and cheering up at this point.

So based on all this I have been trying to convince my running partner that a 50 miler would be a much better choice for right now and we should train for a 50 and see how it goes. For some crazy reason...maybe it is a guy thing he thinks he should run this 100 miler.. Mind you this is a person... and im sorry Chris if you ever read this but it is true... seems to sign up for races and doesnt really train for the properly and ends up either A- dropping out or B- doing the race anyway but feeling completely miserable the entire time because he is not really trained.

I dont like to operate that way and I would feel much better committing to 50 miles to do on my own than 100 miles... who knows or maybe he will acutally get the gumption to train for the 100 miler and I will end up being HIS pacer..

Anyway...at this point im not sure what im going to do other than the fact that it intrigues me.. and Im not sure why. I had already decided I wasnt that interested in another marathon at this point...so why would my brain consider going even further...?

Canning

So this post is mainly for my over industrious sisters... because lately they have been posting and blogging about canning and doing super industrious stuff. I have an awesome garden... It is big and lots of flowers... EVERY year I plant tomatoes, squash, cucumbers all with the intent of canning them.

I have lived in my house 6 or 7 years and have never canned a single tomato. I love the IDEA of canning but, when it comes to the actual canning of foodstuffs...it never happens. I just can always find something else better to do plus, maybe I dont plant enough tomatoes but, I dont ever seem to have enough to have a true canning experience. I acutally have not done any tomato canning on my own it was always with my super industrious mother who canned everything. I think she acutally made crabapple jam.... have u ever seen a freaking crabapple?? They are supertiny and how many you would have to get and deal with to actually make jam out of seems completely a ridiculous waste of time to me... but maybe that is because she did not have a job "outside the home" until I was about 16 so other than relief society meetings ect..she had to find things to fill her day.

So every year although I know frost is coming.... I dont pick my green tomatoes or cover my plants because i think the time frost comes..im just done and a lazy gardener. I just tore out my tomato plants by the way and made a new resolution that next year I WILL so some canning... Why.... im not sure... will I save alot of money probably not.. I have a bunch of carrots in my garden that i planted and have not done ONE thing with...maybe i need to make some carrot soup....why did i plant so many freaking carrots.? What did i think I was going to do with carrots.? Help canning sisters..

As a side note... my 3 year old just peed all over our trampoline, like on purpose...not an accident... WHY did i have BOYS!