Ohio Cycling Disorder (OCD)

Had to laugh at the line for the 100 MTB. After having a solid summer of running and feeling like I was back in the trail running game, I began to realize just how little time I had spent on my mountain bike leading up to my biggest race of the year. I felt like I was cramming for a college final exam, ill prepared with all of the anxiety and nerves creeping into my brain. I was fortunate to have two of my favorite teammates, Carey and Lisa, meet me in Ishpeming a month before the race to ride and run the course. This was a make or break trip for me. I was either going to get comfortable riding the trails or I would tuck my tail between my legs and bail. Ohio trails are not nearly as technical as what the MG trails offer, so there are no opportunities for me to quickly regain confidence. All that said, the trip was a success. I was able to get what I needed out of the trip from a riding perspective and got to hang out with two of the best in the business. #winwin Fast forward one month...

For the first time since my stress fracture injuries in 2020 I was feeling healthy and strong. My runs for the past few months have been great and I feel like I am starting to get some of my trail speed back. I have been wanting to get back to the bigger ultra races and this year things have been progressing rather nicely. I raced my first marathon trail race early in the year and followed that up with a 50k a month and a half later. I also completed a solo 40-mile run and some long runs out in Washington state with a lot of vertical gain. Thinking I was ready to tackle a 50 miler, what better than to do it in my back yard so I registered for the Burning River Back 50 which starts at 6pm and runs through the night. I really do enjoy the night running. Once Angie and I arrived at the start of the race we soon met my coach Sarah and her husband (I'm terrible at remembering names ... sorry Sarah!!). This is the first time I met them in person and what a pleasure. Such incredibly nice ...

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Post race treat from Angie!! It has been about two and a half years since I broke my body. More than just stress fractures. I had so much stuff going on that running trail races was a thing of the past. 2.5 years of working with a sports psychologist. 2.5 years of working with a Dietitian that specializes in REDS. 2.5 years of working with numerous physical therapists, doctors, that included several MRIs, dexa scans, and bone density scans. 2.5 years of countless niggles that would just not go away, get worse, and take weeks to recover from. 2.5 years of missing my trail running friends, missing out on the incredible fall weather running, the summer weather running, the spring weather running, and yes even missing the cold Ohio tundra weather running.  Out of the many, many lessons I have learned through this arduous and mentally difficult process, the ones that resonate the most with me are having patience with myself, patience with the process, and giving my self some grace. I am...