Congrats Babe

When Amber told me she was going to concentrate on becoming an ultra-marathoner this year and step away from triathlon I thought she was crazy. The only thing I really knew about ultras were two things I couldn't stand; 1. Running through the night without sleep, and 2. having your feet look like hamburger afterwards. She was very excited to take a step in this direction but I was a little afraid for her. I didn't want to be nursing her feet back to health after every long run and live with someone who's always grumpy because she is so tired from running all the time. However since she's been training for her first 50km event since 2006 the opposite has happened. She's still been a little sore after the long runs but not nearly like she has been after a marathon, and her feet and calves have held up really well with just a little massage.

It's just a different mindset going to an ultra as opposed to a triathlon. Last Monday I was having a difficult time turning off my 'competitive nature' for HER race. I was ready to start giving her splits and tell her what place she was in and how far away she was from other women in the race but I could tell that none of that was important. She had successfully become an ultra-runner and had learned that racing like a triathlete is not going to mean you will do well and in fact it probably means that you won't finish. The secret to ultra-running is all about consistency, start the race like you finsh it and you will be able to go the distance. We've both read a few books about ultra running and bought a great movie about Badwater and those have really helped put this type of racing into perspective. In fact I'm not sure you can call it racing because its more of a strength of will that does well rather than pure physical ability. They should call it a battle of wills, who ever collapses last wins.

I'm very proud Amber went into her first race with the right mindset and came out feeling pretty good considering the conditions. It was a tough slough with snowy, icy trails but she battled it out with her good friend Celine and completed the 50kms in 5:08. Great work babe, don't worry I'll definitely be your support crew for the next challenge the Blackfoot Ultra in May!