Big Goals 2021 because #COVID

 Well y'all. Here we are. December 1 2020. 

I will assume that your year has went as well as mine, on the racing front anyway. Nonexistent. From my previous posts, I had a huge year planned for 2020. I finally signed up for my first ULTRA! I had 3 half marathons, one 8 hour race and a 50k on my race calendar. All of which were canceled or postponed. 

2020 though wasn't as awful as it could have been. I actually had some pretty big moments!

First, I found JESUS! (can I get an Amen?!) The story behind this is interesting. I was really struggling with work. I felt very disrespected, not valued, often times laughed at. I was coming up on 4 years with this office and I just literally could not take another moment. I was laying in bed before work, crying, because I couldn't imagine going in to the office. For the first time in my adult life, I said a prayer. I asked God for help. Now, I was never a non-believer. I always believed. I just maybe was not a worshipper? I'm not sure what the right term is here, but I just wasn't on board with the whole religion thing. That prayer was my last option. I needed help. And boy did HE answer in a big way. That day. He wasted no time showing me that He had my back. I received a call for an interview! See below:

Second,  I got a new job! It wasn't easy though, because COVID came around and my employer began a hiring freeze. From the day of the phone call asking for an interview to the day I was offered my new job was FIVE months. God knew He had some more work to do on me so He made me wait and learn patience. But here I am working a bigger job, making more money, in my own cubicle. Win!

Third, I had to learn the hard way that friends don't always have your best interest at heart. I won't get into details here, but just know that my eyes have been opened and I am working towards genuine, honest friendships with people who want the same thing. It was a hard lesson to learn, but a valuable one that I wouldn't trade the world for. It shifted my entire thinking. For the better. 

Those are the great things that 2020 and COVID brought me. As for the bad? 

First, every race was canceled or postponed. What I thought was going to be an amazing year of running turned out to be an amazing year of drinking too much beer and eating too many tacos. 

Second, I lost some friends. (its ok. see above). 

Third, I've been struggling with what I would call depression. Most likely brought on because of this crazy year. I have lost every ounce of motivation and dedication. It's hard waking up in the mornings and I don't sleep well at night. My weight has increased (lack of activity and beer/taco combos). My hair is thinning. I'm a wee bit more emotional (i.e. I cry at the stupidest things). And I have a general feeling of "what's the point?" We are working through it though, and I have all faith that I will come out the other side of this a better person. 

So what does 2021 look like? A repeat of what 2020 was going to be! I have three half marathons, a 6 hour race, an 8 hour race and a 50k. Not too mention my (new) tradition of a run streak up to my birthday. Last year was my 37th birthday so I ran a 37 day run streak ending with a 3.7 mile run on my birthday. Turns out I really love run streaking and the streak continued for 134 days! This year will be a 38 day run streak. Who knows if I will continue after. I can't see that far into the future right now. 

All I know is that 2021 is going to be the year of many firsts. First 6 hour race. First 8 hour race. First 50k. I am excited and nervous and anxious but so so ready. I am ready to finally do it big. To prove to myself that I CAN go big and succeed. That I can drop a few lbs. That I can have a thriving marriage. And amazing friends. And a badass job. 

2021 is going to be epic. Follow along for the highs and lows and all of the beer and tacos. Love y'all!

**I forgot to mention above that my journey with Jesus hasn't stopped or diminished at all. I was baptized on September 27th and have been walking side by side with my Lord ever since.** 

Big Goals 2020

If you have followed my running journey, you know that I had surgery to remove a bunion back in 2014. My foot has not been the same since and usually causes pretty bad blistering on the ball of my big toe. After years of not getting answers from the podiatrist who did the surgery, I moved on to a new podiatrist and am finally getting answers. A little medical knowledge for ya:

Your foot has a bajillion bones in it. If you look at a photo of foot bones, you will see some tiny little bones on the bottom of your big toe joint, called sesamoid bones. These bones do a lot in moving your foot properly. Think about pushing off in a run. Your big toe moves in a certain way and propels you forward.

two little bones on the bottom of your big toe joint

One of my sesamoid bones was knocked out of place during surgery. I would always complain about a blister on the ball of my big toe, but there really was nothing there. It honestly felt like my foot was shredding apart in my shoe. I was basically blistering from the inside out. All because that damn bone was moved.
Flash forward to my new podiatrist. He immediately recognized the problem and gave me a funny little insert for my shoe. I have not had any blister problems since I began wearing my "Cluffy Wedge." The pain would normally come along around 1 mile, but I can run at least 3 miles now without any pain. (I haven't ran longer than 3 yet..)

cluffy wedge. this damn thing saved my running life

It has been such a long road and I am beyond happy to have my running back. So happy that I've set all sorts of big goals for myself for 2020. Hell, if I can run, I'm going to RUN!
I finished a 5k back in October with a pretty decent time. Decent being relative. Obviously, not being able to run for 5 years has set me back in the speed and distance isle. But a 37:06 5k made me happy. (It's a hard pill to swallow when I was consistently running 30 minute 5k's, but let's give some grace where grace belongs.)

I am joining a winter training group that will train Tuesday and Saturday throughout the winter.
I am signed up to run the Nashville Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in April.
And I have a huge goal of running a 50k in July. Race to be announced later, although I already know which one. (50k is equal to just over 31 miles. holy crap.)

I feel like I have been struggling lately trying to find "my thing." Everyone I know has something that makes them so happy. Cycling, art, whatever it may be. With running taken out of the equation for me for so long, I felt like I lost "my thing." I always identified as a runner. And I was stripped of that title after surgery. I tried fitting in with the cyclists and don't get me wrong, I love them very much. But I do not identify as a cyclist. I like riding. But it is not what drives me.
Running was my thing. And I think I finally have it back. And I am going to make the most of it while I can!

Follow along as I document my road to Big Goals 2020!

Vanishing Act

Has it really been over a year since my last post? Time just gets away from me, I guess. Here is an update of the latest goings on in the land of Fritz.

1- We sold the camper and bought a van and are converting it into a camper. Her name is Big Red and she has her own blog. Maybe that's where I've been? Blogging about Big Red? On our way back from Dirty Kanza (last blog post) we decided that a van was the best move for us. It the year since that decision, Big Red has come a long way and we are always excited to get her moving down the road.

2- One year after Mister completed DK200, I completed DK50. He put his name in the lottery again but wasn't chosen. I, however, was chosen for the 50 mile race. 

3- Patrick and wife had a beautiful baby boy, Briar, whom I am so in love with!!

4- We drink too much with a rowdy crowd of MTB'ers. (see photo below)

As for my physical goals, I am starting to run again, slowly. I have a 5k on the schedule in 4 weeks and a 10k in 8 weeks. My hope is to make it to the 10k in good shape, able to run the majority if not the full distance. It is a hilly 10k and I am taking that into account. #imrunningforpat is still a thing 

Cycling happens occasionally. I do not have any goal races or rides coming up anytime soon. At some point, I would like to complete a century. Maybe that will be a goal for next summer or fall. 

We have a long Christmas break in Big Red planned. Savannah, GA is the main location for the trip. We will boogie down there in one shot, spend a few days and then slowly meander our way back home. As always, I want to hit the Appalachian Trail for some hiking and Mister wants to hit some gnarly MTB trails in the Asheville area. Breweries and bikes and hiking and sight-seeing and Big Red. 

That is what our life is. And I couldn't be happier about it. 

Dirty Kanza Race Report

This is going to be a bit of a different post. I am going to enlighten you to an event called the Dirty Kanza. My husband, whom we call Mister, raced this event this past weekend and this is my race report given as a SAG crew and supporter.
One thing that you should know about me is that my greatest achievements do not come in the form of personal athleticism. I get my joy from supporting my husband in his events. From the moment that we started dating almost 15 years ago, I was at every race, cheering and supporting him from the sidelines. This is what I am good at. This is where I shine. I have had cold water (and usually beer) at the finish lines of motocross races. I have had a strong arm to hold him up after triathlons. I have carefully attended to his hurt ego and pride after races that didnt go well. I have held fire extinguishers during pit stops at road races. I have wrapped and unwrapped road racing tires. I am the epitome of a race wife. And I love it.
The chance to ride Dirty Kanza is one that is hard to pass up. It is the ultimate endurance gravel road race in the country, maybe even the world. The 206 mile race through the Flint Hills of Kansas beckoned for Mister's attention. He put his name in the lottery and was chosen, along with a couple thousand other riders, to make the journey to Kansas. The last 4 months have been focused solely on this adventure. But for the first time ever, I was not Mister's support. He purchased the SAG For Hire, which gave him all access food, drink, and mechanic support for the entire race. I instead was SAG for a couple of friends, the Trotts. The Trotts needed a SAG (which is mandatory at DK) and I was available.
We left for Emporia Kansas Thursday after work. The camper was packed and ready to go as soon as I got home. We drove across Indiana, all the way through Illinois and made our way into Missouri before we pulled off for the evening. We made our camp in the parking lot of a truck stop in Bevier, Missouri. As the morning sun popped up, we hit the road again with just about 4 hours left until Emporia. Once in town, we set up camp and relaxed for a few minutes. In the afternoon, we made our way into town for check in. With everything all set for the big day, we made our way back to the camper and tried to get some sleep.
Our wake up call was at 0400 Saturday morning. With any type of event that occurs outside, the one thing that cannot be controlled is the weather. Wouldnt you know it, a severe storm was rolling through when we woke up. Indiana has some pretty gnarly storms and they typically dont bother me. However, watching The Wizard of Oz will make you look at a Kansas storm from a different angle. I would have sworn up and down that a tornado was going to pop out of the clouds and blow us all into a dreamy land far far away. It didnt. But it did postpone the race start 30 minutes.

The start, located in downtown Emporia, was a really cool sight to see!

Once the 200 milers took off, every SAG crew hurried to their vehicles and made their way to the first check point, located at the Madison High School. From here, the story is pretty boring. As a SAG, you hurry up and wait. It took about 3 hours for Mister and the Trotts to make it into CP1. Making good time and in good spirits, the gravel roads of Kansas were apparently playing nice. I refilled water bottles, had food and tools ready, gave pats on the back and words of encouragement and sent them on their way. 

Steve and Lydia are feeling good!

Mister coming through CP1!

Check Point 2 was at the Eureka High School. I set up shop and waited. The Kansas sun must have a little more power than the Indiana sun. I ended up with a terrible sunburn! Its my fault; I didnt have any sunscreen on. Mister came in feeling good. He replenished his drinks, ate a sandwich and some snacks, drank some pickle juice and headed out! Steve and Lydia sat down and had lunch, and recharged their batteries a bit. I did my SAG duties and made sure that their waters were refilled and ready to go. Off for the third leg of the race and off to CP3! (I didnt get a photo of the Trotts at CP2... I suck)

Mister wiping off the dirt at CP2.

I made my sunburnt way to CP3, located in downtown Madison. Luckily the direction that I was parked allowed for a tiny bit of shade where I hid for the majority of the time. This was a long leg. From CP2 to CP3, it was about a 5 hour wait. I honestly started to worry that Mister pulled out of the race. It was hot and the sun was relentless.  Lydia wrote me when they were about 5 miles out from the CP. I set up the chairs and food in preparation for them. Mister texted me and told me that he had made in into the CP also! I was so relieved! The Trotts were feeling a little less enthusiastic, if you will, at this point. There may or may not have been some tears from Lydia when they pulled in and got off the bike. I sat them down, fed them, watered them and encouraged them. At this point, there were only 44 miles left of the race. As far as that sounds, in the grand scheme of a 206 mile race, they were almost done! (no photos of Mister this time around..)

Maybe a couple of tears...

So excited to get to the finish line!

Mister came through CP3 with a new found friend, Gene. Both Mister and Gene were on the struggle bus, but some encouraging words and a hug, they were off for the final leg of the race. The next time that I would see any of them would be at the finish! 

The finish of the Dirty Kanza is something that is hard to explain. I have been at a million finish lines, but this one takes the cake. The streets of Emporia were lined with hundreds of people, cheering for every single racer who came in. Cowbells and whistling filled the air until the wee hours of the morning. Every racer has his or her name called when they cross the line. The race director hugs the majority of them. The DK finish line is enough to bring even the strongest men to tears. It is truly a moving experience, even for the supporters.

The crowd at the finish line is amazing!

Just after the 17 hour mark, Steve and Lydia made their way through the chute and across the finish line. I ran up to them and gave them big hugs! 

A moment they will never forget!

Mister came in just moments after them! 

He did it!

I could go on and on and tell the stories from these amazing racers, but it wouldnt do them justice. I am sure that there will be plenty of race reports emerging in the next week. The thing that you should take away from this is that 2700 racers took to the mean gravel roads of Kansas and overcame an epic event. (there were some DNF's and probably some DQ's) To just show up to the starting line takes an amount of courage that I cannot fathom. To show up with 20+ mph winds, with mud and heat, is something beyond special. These men and women killed it and inspired everyone who was a part of this day. 

Here are some photos from the finish that I was lucky enough to snap.

Mister and Gene! 

Kiel, Lydia and Mister

Dan and Kiel

Dear Patrick

Dear Patrick,

Two years ago I signed up to run a marathon in your honor. I wanted to show you that I stand with you in your fight with Type 1 diabetes. I wanted you to see that you are not alone. I wanted to raise money and awareness for the disease.

Fifteen years ago, you were diagnosed with a disease that runs in our family. I remember the day that you told me. I cried because as a medic in the military, I understood what you were up against. My medical training crossed paths with diabetic Sailors and Marines who were struggling to keep their insulin levels in check. I gave them shots. I showed them how to give the shots to themselves. Fifteen years ago you told me that you were T1 and I knew the struggles that you would endure. I heard your wife talk about your seizures in the middle of the night. She would have to get your insulin pen and inject you to regulate your blood sugar. I heard you talk about counting carbohydrates. I was so amazed at how simply you calculated how many beers you could drink. I loved that you figured that into your sugar counts. I love that you still do everything better than me, even though you are the "sick" one. You run faster than me. You are smarter than me. You are far wittier than I will ever be.

For 35 years, you have been my big brother. You were annoyed with me when we were in school. You kind of liked me when I came back from the military. Now we are as thick as thieves. I married your best friend. I have always squished our faces together to prove to people that we look almost identical. We are basically twins born 13 months apart. I would murder someone for you. I am dedicating my biggest physical feats to you.

See? We really do look like twins! 

Running and I haven't always gotten along. I have ran multiple half marathons and always dreamed of a full marathon. But let's be honest. I don't have that in my legs. Not right now, anyway. After some long thinking and talking with Mister, I have decided to forego my place in the Marine Corps Marathon. Here are my reasons:

1- I suck at running. Maybe some day I can actually get back into long distance shape, but I have too much stuff on my plate to dedicate the proper amount of time to training.
2- I would be traveling alone. I have never been to DC and traveling alone to a new city terrifies me.
3- I would be crossing the finish line alone. What a terrible feeling to cross the biggest finish line of my life and not have Mister there to congratulate me! I cannot imagine that.

I started this journey almost two years ago. I created a pretty cool hashtag. I had shirts made up. I promised people, you in particular, that I would cross the finish line of a marathon. I am not going to turn that into a lie. Or a broken promise. I am going to honor you in some way or another. It just isn't going to be the Marine Corps Marathon. Here is my plan:

1- Keep rockin' the #imrunningforpat and cross the finish line of Rock n Roll Chicago half marathon. (I am totally capable of half-marathon distance with minimal training. I've done it twice before.)
2- Cross the finish line of a long distance bike ride. I have some ideas for which ride, but I need to do some more research before announcing it. A 6 hour run could cover 26.2 miles. A 6 hour bike ride could cover almost 100 miles. More miles = More work =  More dedication
3- Continue raising money and awareness for Type 1 diabetes.

Maybe I can even talk you into coming on a bike ride with me. How cool would that be? Maybe we can get Joey, our other brother, to join too! Make it a Baker Sibling Bike Ride to raise awareness for T1 diabetes.

Either way, I hope you aren't disappointed in me for dropping out of the marathon. I am going to do something epic in your honor. I just need to find the right event for me. I love ya, big brother.

Laura

Donations and Ho-Hum Moods

Im not feeling super creative today, so I think this post will be short and to the point. Im actually a little, I dont know, ho-hum? Either way, let's just recap the last few weeks.
I am officially partnered with Team Type 1 and have my online platform set up and accepting donations. I am starting with a small goal of $250. A good portion of my friends donated to Diabetes Action when I was up and running with them, so I don't expect people to make multiple donations.
The people over at TT1 have been amazing and I am so excited to partner with them for this race. You really should go check them out.
www.teamtype1.org

Please go donate! I, in no way, benefit from any donations. I am simply spreading the good word about this amazing charity. Link below to my personal fundraising page!

https://secure.qgiv.com/event/account/622184

I took a couple of weeks off of training in order to get through the last couple of weeks of school. I am one of those adults who thinks it is a good idea to go back to school. Well, that new found knowledge, I ended up putting myself in a pickle with time management. I had the busiest month at work mixed in with the busiest month in school. Something had to give, and that was running or training of any kind. Official half marathon training started last week and I have done okay with my runs. I hit two during the week and my long run on Sunday. I call that a score. I did have a very action packed weekend with mountain biking, yoga, running and hiking. My run today was less than stellar.

I am done with school this week and will find myself with plenty of time to train. And maybe even hit my $250 goal! (hint hint...) I had these cool shirts made up to train in. I mentioned it on my Instagram post, but I don't really think my butt is that big. I think I have a funky angle with my phone.


I am really excited to get training and make my way to MCM18. I am nervous and there are days that I think that the goal of a full marathon is dumb. The scary part is that I am not even a quarter of the way there yet, mileage wise. The journey is just beginning. If you live in the Lafayette area, come run with me! Ride your bike next to me while I run. Meet me at the bar for a beer afterwards. Send me positive text messages randomly. Do something to cheer me up because there are going to be really bad times in this journey. Most importantly, go donate to TT1.
See, the thing is this.. You know someone who is diabetic. I promise! You might not know it, but you absolutely interact with these people all the time. Do you know my brother Pat? Have you ever heard him talk about his disease? No! The only time he talks about it with me is when I ask him questions.
T1 diabetes is cruel. It hits little kids who are absolutely going to struggle with shots and blood sugar checks and learning the math behind carbohydrates turning to sugar. It hit Pat when he was 23! Swings of low blood sugar and high blood sugar can have detrimental effects on the body.
Go donate some money to teach people how to manage this disease. Go donate some money to support young diabetic athletes. Go donate some money to get medical supplies to other countries. Go donate some money so that we can find a cure and never have to worry about this again! So that I won't have to run a full friggin marathon in honor of my diabetic brother.. Because geez guys, 26.2 miles is far!

TNN and TT1

After my last post, I did some thinking about running for a charity. With Diabetes Action pulling out of Marine Corps, I needed to find another charity to raise funds for. Not only do I want to honor Pat by running the marathon, but I also want to get everyone else involved in the fight against diabetes.
Back in 2014, Mister and I rented a camper and followed the Tour of California bike race around for a week. Just like people at the Tour de France. We lived in a camper and drove around the bay area for a week. It really was such an amazing trip!
At the first stage of the race, the California sun was scorching my face. So I went off on a mission to find a hat. I could have easily bought a hat from one of the big teams, but there was one team that instantly touched my heart. Team Novo Nordisk.

Atop Mt. Diablo rockin' my TNN hat!

Now let me tell you about Team Novo Noridsk. In the years since 2014, I've followed this team. I've done my small amount of research on them. And I have concluded that they are the best cycling team out there. For the only reason that in order to be on the team, you MUST be diabetic. This team's sole purpose is to let you know that diabetes is not a reason to stop living life. Diabetics are just as able-bodied as everyone else. It is a matter of education! You really should check out this awesome team.
https://www.teamnovonordisk.com/about/

When I needed to find a new charity to run for, Team Novo immediately came to mind. I reached out to them and was directed to another non-profit that works hand in hand with Team Novo. I will officially be fundraising for Team Type 1.
http://teamtype1.org/

Now don't go sending me money just yet. TT1 is currently launching a new online platform for donations, which we will be using once it is up and running, which should be about 2 weeks. Do some research on this organization, save your pennies and support my journey to 26.2. I know most of you reading this are cyclists. Most of my friends ride bikes! You can relate to Team Novo Nordisk simply through your love of bicycles. I mean, they are a professional cycling team! And they work side by side with Team Type 1.
Type 1 diabetes, for those of your who are not familiar, is the kind of diabetes that you are born with. It is genetic. It is also called juvenile diabetes, because people are usually diagnosed in their young years. Patrick was diagnosed at 23. There is absolutely nothing that he can do to cure his disease. He can only manage it, which he does with a Novo Nordisk continuous insulin pump. Money raised goes directly to education, research and support. TT1 offers scholarships for young athletes who fight this disease. How cool is that?!
Ok, now that I have done my solicitation for the day, let me tell you about the race this past weekend. I ended up dropping from ten miles to seven miles and I killed it! Mother Nature has been a little bipolar this Spring and the weather was 24 degrees at the race start. I was the first runner on the team and started right at 0900 in the stupidly cold weather. The first three miles were a little uncomfortable. I couldn't get my clothes to stay put and things were moving around too much. After I finally got my clothing situation under control, I knocked out the next four miles without much fuss. I actually ran more than what I would have guessed, close to 90% of the entire seven miles. Once my leg was done, it was a waiting game. As a team, we crossed the finish line just under 5 hours for a marathon. We all killed it!

7.2 miles done! Check out those cool AF sunnies on my face, too. Goodr is a brand of running sunnies that are designed to stay put while you are on the move. I can't say enough good(r) things about them! 

https://www.playgoodr.com/

Looking ahead, I have about three months until my next race. Rock N Rock Chicago half marathon on July 22. After that, its another three months until Marine Corps Marathon!! Training is going to start getting heavy, so if you see me outside of here, tell me a joke to keep my spirits high. Come run with me! Join me for a ride (which is going to be my cross-training activity). Buy me a beer. Or some tacos. Or better yet, donate to Team Type 1! More info to come once the platform is ready to go...
#imrunningforpat
#mcm18