Where do I even begin? So much has happened since I last posted and once again I am aware I only have two previous posts. I shall begin with my last trip to Mammoth Lakes CA. Matt's family for the last 17 years has camped in Mammoth, usually at twin lakes campground and I have ventured up a couple of times with my old high school cross country team so I knew the beauty of where we were heading. Not only was I excited to get out of Portland for a week, but I was beyond ecstatic knowing that for the next week I was going to have a running buddy... the one and only Ashley. We left Friday night after the work day ended and drove straight through the night to get into Mammoth mid morning Saturday. The best part about pulling into the campground and arriving at the campsite for the first time was watching Matts mom jump and scream and come barreling towards the car in a fit of joy to see her boy whom she rarely gets to see because of being a state away and all. Jack was just thrilled to be out of the back of the car he had just spent the last 13 hours in. We spent the morning catching up and getting settled in and then like clockwork Ash and I headed out for a lovely little run. Altitude sucks when you live at sea level. Plain and simple. We were there for a week, and by the end of the week I was beginning to finally feel OK. Regardless of the state of pain my wimpy lungs were in it was beyond fantastic to be running with my sister from anotha mister! The next day Ash and I were signed up for a 10K where she dominated and I was reminded that I am no speedster just yet. The week was so great that I can't even begin to describe all of my favorite parts without writing a mini novel. Fishing, bear sightings, hiking, beautiful running, camp fires, mosquitoes (sucked), Ashley's guitar playing, seeing old cross country pals and eating fantastic vegan meals thanks to Momma Beech who likes me enough to buy the vegan goods! It came and went so quick, but still every moment was cherished!
As much as this was a week for relaxation and fun, it was also a week of preparation for my Crater Lake Marathon that was happening the day after we were leaving. My pal Caroline decided a few months back she wanted to train for a marathon and needed someone to help keep her on track and have fun with her, and obviously I was the only well qualified friend for the job haha. The marathon itself was actually at an altitude almost as high as Mammoth so the previous week of training gave me a little edge in the competition. After Matt so gallantly took the reins, on his birthday mind you, to drive 10 hours to the campground where Caroline and her Grandpa were staying, we stretched our legs and did some catching up again. Caroline is such a light hearted person and being around her you can't help but be happy and make light of things at every moment. It was really refreshing after the drive! Matt, Jack and I camped out for the final night in the E (what we call our Honda Element), and woke up around 4:30 the next morning to fuel up and head out to the start of the epic 26.2 miles ahead of us. When Poppa Hugh and Matt dropped us off at the start they headed to the finish area to wait because they were closing down the roads in order to make way for the stampede of us runners. While we waited Caroline flooded me with Crater Lake info... Did you know it's one of the deepest lakes in the world and the deepest in the U.S. only being fed with snow melt and rain? Bet you didn't, but now you do! We laughed so hard and joked about people's outfits, styles, and anything else we found amusing like the powerbar Caroline stuck down her bra only to call it a powerBOOB. When the whistle blew signaling the start of the race I knew that I would only be able to stay with her for a bit because her plans for the race were to survive and finish and mine were to run faster than my first marathon. It was sad making the break from her but she smiled me off and promised to see me soon. As I breathed in the cool brisk air I was taken aback by the beauty of what was surrounding me. There was still so much snow that had not yet melted and the lake was reflecting the morning sun just right. I could hear the heavy breathing of almost everyone around me and once again I was so thankful for the week of altitude I had under my spandex. The first 8 miles went by unbelievably quick because it was all downhill which had me thinking I could run a blazing fast time overall. NOT! Right around mile 9 there was an uphill, and as far as the eye could see there was no end to it. I climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed some more, there was a point where I thought this must be a joke, there's no way when I turn this corner that there will be more uphill. I found out pretty quick that this was not a joking matter and there was indeed much more uphill around many more corners. Never once did I think that I'd win any kind of award for these miles, but as I came through mile 14 I had an aid station full of people cheering me on screaming "YEAH first girl though! You rock! Lookin strong sister! GO!" I had no idea I was leading the female pack. Finally mile 15 hit and the heavens opened up with downhill. To my surprise however, the downhill ended up hurting much more in the long run than the uphill, but none the less I wanted to kiss the ground that was taking me downhill. A man I was running with came up beside me and asked if I'd ever run the course before, and naturally I said "Nope!" He gave me great advice about what to expect in the miles to come, like the 2 miles treacherous climb right before the end and how the downhill we were currently running would last a few more miles. I thanked him and at the end of the race thanked him again for preparing me for the last climb, which was AWFUL. No sugar coating necessary. I crossed the line in 3:47:47 which like I said, was no blazing time, no course record, and not my goal time, but I somehow held my lead for the ladies coming in first female, winning my age category and getting some delicious watermelon to recover with. I've never had people pull me aside after a race for any kind of interview and as soon as I crossed I felt like I was a good smelling turd with flies flocking to me. I had people wanting to congratulate me, interview me for the local paper, talk to me about why I wanted to run this particular marathon, and even had some runners thank me for pushing them through the last few miles. If I wasn't hooked to distance running before I am 100% hooked now. Caroline came across the line with the biggest of smiles and I couldn't wait to wrap her in a hug and tell her how proud I was of her. She decided that she too is also a lover of the 26.2 mile distance after that race. I don't experience glory and even overall success that often so this was a special moment for me and with this race I felt like a forever changed person. I feel strong and alive and so fortunate to be healthy and even able to run in the first place. I am charged up and ready to dedicate myself to the sport of distance training, whether fast or not, it's truly what I love. The experiences are once in a lifetime and you learn something new about yourself every time. I admired everyone that crossed the line that day and realized that every single person there had accomplished something that most people will never be able to boast. I saw a quote the other day that really put things into perspective for me and really inspired me to take the reins of life into my hands and charge forward with no looking back. After this marathon I have come to realize that there is so much to learn not only about myself and others around me, but about living life with everything you've got and making your journey what you really want it to be. "
The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it - Anon”
For those of us that run, we run because nothing else gives us that feeling. You know the feeling I mean. The strength we feel course through our bones after we've pounded the ground for countless hours during the week. The high at the end of a run that makes us feel like we've accomplished so much and the feeling of how much more we can do. Then the feelings of anger and frustration. That muscle cramp that won't go away, that new pain just when you thought everything was going according to plan. How badly it hurts us when we can't just go out for that run we think about so often during our day, and how we thirst for a time where injury will be no more. A bad race. A great workout. Even better food. There just isn't anything else like it. What makes it better though? A friend that suffers right next to you as you hit your pace for the mile interval and pushes you even harder through the next. Someone that will keep an eye out while you take the necessary squat behind a bush on the best of runs. The one who will ground you and remind you that no matter how much running is who you are, it isn't everything you are. I met Kelly my second year at the junior college I was attending in California. It was just an ordinary day at practice and I noticed a girl that wore really odd shoes (Vibrams) and ate strange foods after her runs. She ran with everybody, the guys, the girls, and sometimes just off on her own. Our very first conversation of introductions with each other I knew I'd fallen in love with this chick. She was so simple and humble, genuine and beautiful. She taught me about minimalistic running and how to sweeten everything with coconut. She was the star of the team, heck, she was almost the star of the guys team too! There was something different about her though. As fast as she could run, as strong as she was and is, she despised racing. Not because she was slow or bad, in fact she usually won every race she ran for the school, but just because it wasn't the reason she ran. She used collegiate running to get her into schools and further her academic career, but eventually quit her teams all together because the atmosphere they provided was not the life she wanted running to be. As Forrest Gump would say "Kelly was my best good friend." Even though she was far exceeding my running abilities she still would make me feel that I was superior and strong and I could do anything I put my mind to. I've never met another one like her. Our friendship, even though we live miles apart now, has blossomed over the years, and I look at her now as more of a sister and someone I care so deeply for that it goes beyond the simple word of friend. She came to visit this thanksgiving and I was in heaven! I run alone more so than not, I don't belong to a team or club, so it's just me. This can make me a little crazy at times. I often question what I'm working towards, to much time to think in my own head! When Kelly got here I was in ecstasy. I could actually verbalize my thoughts on my runs with her, I could laugh and be silent, she would always talk back and have something to say. It was so refreshing. We caught up on life on the miles we put on the trails getting lost in time together. We both decided it would be fun to do a turkey trot on thanksgiving morning. We signed up for a 10k and got ready to have some fun in a "non competitive" event for ourselves. The problem with that. We saw that the awards for the top 3 female finishers were pies. 
1st place got 3, 2nd place got 2 pies, and 3rd place got 1. That was enough for us to decide to give the race a bit of an effort. There's always that one serious racer in a local racing event, and we definitely spotted the girl vying for our pies. She had the race pony tail and ribbons in her hair, and not to mention arm warmers on. That sealed the deal. We duked it out with her for a bit and she pulled away. Kelly went with her and looked back at me for the nod of approval. Of course I gave it to her... Kelly Barmann racing competitively is a beautiful thing! Coming around our second and final loop of the course I noticed Kelly running back towards me, and I though she had taken a wrong turn. Nope, she just didn't want to fight the competition anymore and she came back to sweep me up! We ended up coming in 2nd and 3rd and winning the age category. Needless to say, we got pies and didn't feel bad about not taking it to seriously! Having her there to share this experience with is what made it the experience it was, and what it always is when we're together. So this is a shout out to my best good friend Kelly B, I love you and miss you like crazy! Don't ever forget to thank the running pals in your life that make you're experiences what they are. You never know what it's like to not have them until one day you don't!
