Change in plans, not in heart.....

Unfortunately our "Miles for Myanmar" has had a small change in itinerary. We will be running the Evansville SIC marathon on April 14th and are working out the details for "Miles for Myanmar." While our race plans have changed, our mission has not. Donations for Miles for Myanmar are still being accepted and due to the logistics we may have more ways to get involved on race day. Stay tuned.

100 miles for Myanmar

There are a lot of reasons one might run. A child runs for fun. A fugitive runs for his life. An athlete runs for a touchdown, layup, or goal (not to mention endorsements). An idiot runs 100 miles for a bucket list. Yep, we are those idiots. However, I am a true believer that ignorance and bliss often collide. Typically there is a point in an ultra run where dileria and delusion set in and you are truly running because your legs don't really know how to stop ( or your brain is too glycogen deprived to send the right signals to stop them). You see a bear in front of you, but luckily your running partner is still in their sound mind and tell you its a trash can....and you are so thankful and happy. Suddenly a soggy banana the volunteer hands you tastes like filet mignon and the gatorade like champagne....again, life is great. Then at the next aid station you change your socks and shoes and it feels like you just visited the spa for an hour pedicure.....oh those wonderful Saucony designers, God bless them. You are so excited that you have only lost one toenail the first 40 miles..... I still have nine! THIS is when ignorance meets bliss!

Then there are the miles where you are still ignorant but not so blissful. It is during these miles that you must find your strength. Elissa and I laugh A LOT so I am not going to tell you that most of the miles are painful. Of course, I haven't ran 100 miles yet. I'm anticipating there won't be as much laughter miles 60-100. We have never ran until we had nothing to talk about. This race will truly test just how long we can talk :). Our training runs are becoming rather mentally tiring. You can only run so many times around the city of Evansville. We actually have been doing our long runs late at night and into the early hours of the morning in order to prepare ourselves to "run tired." The 100 mile race takes place in Umstead State Park in Durham North Carolina. It is a course of 8- 12.5 mi loops. Ok, we did a 50-miler that had 4 loops and the loops get really redundant. So on top of training from 8pm-3am we top that off by running a 5-6mi route over and over and over again just to mentally prepare ourselves for the boredom that will inevitably occur.

So it all sounds like so much fun, right? Actually, most of the time it is. There does, however, reach a point in the training run where we really want to just stop 2 hours early. In the early months of training, this problem seemed to be happening frequently just due to lack of drive. One thing I have learned is that running just to run does have numerous rewards. Obviously, it keeps you in great shape. It improves your attitude and energy levels. It relieves stress. But....you sure don't need to run or train for 100 miles to see these benefits. The running becomes just time on your feet to ensure that you don't drop dead at mile 60. While this a motivating factor, at midnight in the cold, it's easy to want to quit. This is what sparked 100 Miles for Myanmar.

In January of 2009, Brock and I traveled to Myanmar with a team from Bethel Temple. I did eye exams and Brock worked on a water system for the orphanages. The trip changed our lives in so many ways. I was so enthused about how God changed my heart on this mission trip that Elissa got excited as well. It was then that we started Pace with Purpose to use our love for running to help local non-for-profit organizations. Running became purposeful and we accomplished so many "bucket listers" along the way. We decided that our 100 miler should go back to where the idea for Pace with Purpose originated- Myanmar.

So on March 31st-April 1st, Elissa and I will be completing 200 miles (100 miles each (yes all at once) and together) raising money for our orphans in Myanmar. You truly have no idea how far even $10 goes in Myanmar. I could literally go on all day about the amazing work our church and missionaries have done to bring Christianity and hope to our orphans there. Still, there is so much work that needs to take place. Soon we will have a donation per mile set up on our blog site and if you feel inclined to give, thank you.

Here is a link to visit for more information about our connection with Myanmar:
http://1bethel.com/world-missions/myanmar/

Let the training continue.......

Oh the places we go......

If you know Elissa and myself, we are slightly extremists. Running is obvious. We couldn't just stop with 26.2, we had to go further. I would bet that 50 will soon be surpassed as well. This tendency seems to carry over into other areas as well. Bibbity Running's pace seems to be going down this path as well and all I can say is it has been a fun ride so far!

Our first expo was the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. Elissa and I packed up her Honda Pilot with a crazy amount of skirts, racks, hangers, etc. and somehow we managed to fit in the vehicle. We literally looked like the Clampetts. We managed to make it to Chicago. I seriously didn't sleep the night before....I was a nervous wreck! We had a blast at the expo and met some great people! Saran Dunmore, personal trainer of MTV "I Used to be Fat", loved the skirts and even made us drop and give her 20 push-ups! She plans to wear it on next season's show this fall! We will be watching, Saran! Gary a reporter interviewed us for the Michigan Running Times and he put on a skirt. He liked it so much he decided to wear it to run the Shamrock in! He text me after the Shamrock and said it was so comfortable that he was wearing it to Boston. Gary represented Bibbity at Boston- BooYah!

Then we headed to Cincinnati to the Flying Pig Marathon. Again, we made lots of friends. Katie Rhodes, of Skinnymoms.com, introduced us to her group. If you have never checked out www.skinnymoms.com you really need to. Katie's blog is titled "Fit Diva Mom." They have tons of fitness tips, from the pros, as well as great mom tidbits. We are teaming up with Katie for Tri Joe. It is a triathlon to raise money for children with Down Syndrome. We will also be involved in the "No Drama Mama" fundraiser to raise money for neuroblastoma. I love how Pace with Purpose inspired Bibbity Running, and Bibbity Running is following in Pace with Purpose's plan. Love it! Thanks Katie for this opportunity!!!! The Cincy expo went great! Bibbity was a hit!

We had a huge 4 day break and then we were on the road to Indianapolis for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon. We had an awesome booth space right next to the main sponsors with an open corner. Plenty of room to spread out! Our tee shirts seemed to catch everyone's eyes. A little RTL baby! My most memorable moment was when Jenni came to our booth. Jenni's enthusiam for our skirts was so adorable! She was so excited to find a skirt with briefs, bib snaps and as light weight as Bibbity's. She seriously was giddy and it made my weekend. I really get excited when I see someone call our skirt "the best thing ever" or "someone finally got it ALL right!!!" Our response at Indy was unbelievable. We had a blast meeting all of you!

Honestly right now I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed with the success we have had thus far. I never dreamed we would get this response so quickly. I am not surprised about the good reviews. I am confident (not arrogant, confident) in our product. I am just so amazed at how many people have been looking for our skirt. Flattering running skirts that are amazingly lightweight and functional are few and far between. The testimony from Shawnie from Fishers, IN blew me away:

Ladies, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you yesterday at the Expo in Indy. I wore my Bibbity Skirt today and I am totally in love!!! I also got several compliments on it as well. The best running skirt I have ever owned...hands down!!!! Can't wait to get more! Thank you so much for all of your help and best of luck with your business!!!

To quote my cousin in a facebook post earlier today "Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon!" Now I need to remember that quote at the low point during our next ultra! Happy running girls and stay strong!

Take a little time for some RTL :)

Dean Fever (as opposed to "Bieber Fever")

I find it really kind of funny when people ask me "why haven't you been blogging lately?" Funny in the fact that they notice. Honestly lately we have been too busy with the skirt biz to race since our ultra in October. I guess we have been in an off season mode. We haven't gone more than 3 months without a race since fall of 2008 so I think it was time for a little bit of a breather.
Well....breather over! We are going on an adventure run "sometime in April." The date is tentative. The hour in which we will start running is unknown. We may began in the morning or it may be late in the day. I am not sure if it will be one long stretch from dawn to dusk, or two entirely separate days? There is no starting line and no finish line. There also is no pre-determined distance. There is one mantra that comes to mind in our next adventure........

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must.......just NEVER give up!"

Yes, those are the famous words of the famous runner we will be awaiting on I-70. Dean Karnazes is running across the country to raise money to fight against childhood obesity. He is sponsored by Live with Regis and Kelly. He is running 3000 miles, roughly 40-50 miles a day, from California to New York.
Shortly after we ran the Boston Marathon in 2009, Elissa and I read Dean's book "Ultra Marathon Man." This lunatic decided to just "go for a run" on his 30 birthday and ended up running 30 miles. The book went on to tell of all his crazy adventures of running without sleep, for 48 hours straight on a treadmill, etc. Yep, he's to blame for our 2am IHOP runs. He inspired us to just keep going. He made running an adventure instead of a training plan. He really defines the phrase anything is possible. People call him "super human." Don't get me wrong, I am really really impressed and in awe of all that he has accomplished. But, I don't think he's super human. I think he is super determined. Most likely, super stubborn. And without a doubt, super dedicated. Obviously I have never ran more than 50 miles in one stretch, however, I have hit that place where you are completely gutting it out. You have nothing left to give one moment, you dig really deep, and you keep going. Then, sometimes minutes other times hours, you are chugging along like that struggle never happened. And then.....the same pattern repeats (over and over and over). Welcome to the world of ultras!

So basically we will be awaiting (I prefer awaiting versus stalking) Dean on I-70 near Terre Haute and heading towards Indianapolis. His EDA is in the time frame of April 17-18th depending on how his journey goes. He has covered over 450 miles(unbelievable!) to date (he started on Feb 25th). If I can figure out how to video our adventure I will (in the case that law enforcement takes us out we could make some money for that tape footage :) ). I have no idea how far we will be able to go. However, let's put this in perspective. Dean is our equivalent to Justin Bieber in the middle school. We will be pretty star struck and that alone will carry us at least 50 miles!

A new adventure.....

Since Pace with Purpose started in winter of 2009 there has always been one constant. Wardrobe. That's right....a skirt. A running skirt. We have tried them all. All of them had good qualities, but not ALL the qualities we were looking for. During a 50-mile run your clothes have to be flawless, functional, and if it looks good that's a plus too, right? During an ultra you have a lot of energy to carry. By that I mean, buffet bar. Essentially you are carrying a buffet bar in your belt, pockets, and skirt. Pocket placement is very important for comfort and actual placement of your skirt. Sweat + weight of GU = not pretty. I like to keep my skirt on my waist while I run, thank you. Another important functional property of a skirt is what is under it. The biker shorts are a no-no on my list. They ride up with every stride. Briefs, lollipops, undies- whatever the politically correct term is- are what you want. If you just gasped when you read this, I'd like to point something out. The Olympians wear essentially bikini bottoms to run. Well, I don't feel comfortable wearing this, but I do want to be as functional as an Olympian. So....walla....put a skirt over them and there you go! Speaking of "go"....when nature calls, the skirt/brief combo couldn't be more convenient. Ok, so point #1- function

On to point #2.....style. Let's face it, spandex anything is hard to pull off. Spandex with a brief under it is really hard to pull off....unless it is designed very carefully. The skirt has to give enough in the right places, yet not look to flowing. It cannot show an undie line or the lovely indention that accompanies it. This may not sound challenging but oh it is. The skirt has to stay down enough to cover the derriere, yet not be too tight. This was a major flaw in most skirts I tried. It either looked like I was wearing a potato sack (not pretty) or like I painted it on (straight up scary). Pocket placement....a huge area to be improved on. Even my favorite skirts couldn't get this right. Pockets on the side + GU = saddle bags. So not attractive. Pockets in the back? As if women want to add bulk there?! Pockets perplexed me and really left me dissatisfied. Oh and then there is the waistband. It is called a WAIST band because it is meant to stay there. From mile 20 on, I typically pulled up my skirt at the waist every mile. This wasn't because it didn't fit. It was because it couldn't handle the sweat. Ugh!

So, after much aggravation and many, many miles to discuss our "perfect running skirt" we decided to take action. Elissa and I designed a skirt that combines function and fashion. Our skirts went through many "test runs." We tested this skirt out in 100% humidity to make sure it was sweat wicking and stayed put on our waist. It remained weightless and didn't slip at all. We ran a 50-mile race to make sure no rubbing or chaffing occurred. It also passed the buffet test, our GU stayed put in our unique, flattering angle pockets. Another "extra" our skirt has is reflective outlining; both on the front and on the back right side for traffic specific safety.
The most unique feature of our skirt is in the name......the bib snaps. I absolutely hate pinning on my race number during pre-race jitters. Not to mention that excessive pinning ruins the material. Our skirt has two small discrete snaps at the waist band that snap securely into your bib number. I love this feature!

We are SO excited for you to experience our skirt. We have had great reviews from those who have raced in a Bibbity Running skirt. Don't take their word for it....try it yourself!

Bibbity Running......where fashion and function run together!
http://www.bibbityrunning.com/

***Pace with Purpose is currently working out the details to continue giving "purpose" to our running. Bibbity Running will be an extension of this....stay tuned to for more info on how Bibbity gives back.

These boots are made for running.......

8 hours 35 minutes is a good night's sleep, a full day of work, a plane ride across the country.....or a 50 mile race on foot. When I put it that way it really puts it in perspective how weird I am. :)

We left on our girl's weekend for Nash Vegas on Friday afternoon (Elissa, Mandy, Laura, and myself). We headed to the race "expo" to pick up our packets. It was amazing that we got in and out of the expo as quickly as we did with the crowds. I think it took us 3 minutes total including getting in and out of the car. It reminded me a lot of the Chicago Marathon expo (minus merchandise, crowds, lines, food and motivational speakers). Then it was off for dinner. As I have mentioned before, we are creatures of habit and we always eat Chinese food as our pre-race meal. All the stars need to be in alignment before this 50 mile jaunt so naturally we head to Pf Chang's and a little ice cream to follow. I am pretty sure this goes against all of the rule books.

Alarm went off at 5:30am and I now know why Chinese food and ice cream are not on the same list with pasta and potatoes for your pre-race meal. All of our stomachs, those running and not running, were churning. Thankfully, after a cup of coffee and some food we were ok. We got to the race about 15 minutes before the official start time, dropped of our drop bags in their appropriate bins and prepared to start. That is when we met up with Elissa's friend Ashley from Knoxville (who Elissa has ran a few marathons with in the past) and our new friend Will of the East Nasties. Ashley was doing the 50k (smart girl) and Will was in it for the full 50 miles. Will belongs to a running group in Nashville who call themselves the "East Nasties." This runner's club started with a few people from east Nashville that did a van relay and the van smelled so nasty that they became the "east nasties." The group has grown to over 170 members! I think 6 or 7 east nasties were on the course and many of them were volunteering along the way. Kuddos East Nasties!

So at 7 am we took off. Immediately we realized that people from Tennessee have a skewed perception of "rolling hills" and "trails." The first 16 miles of the course was hill upon hill upon hill. It was a really pretty course, crossing lots of bridges and through some really pretty wooded parks of Nashville. We maintained an 8:30-8:40 pace the first 16 miles which was too fast considering the hills and the fact that we still had 34 miles to go. At this point Ashley and Will were still our running buddies. Our drop bag was not at mile 16 like it was supposed to be. The aid stations were well stocked so we were ok, but we were concerned that we may have lost our replacement shoes.

Mile 17 started the trails that we totally weren't expecting and the hills just kept coming. My ankles and achilles were not ready for the instability and I had a few aches and pains that I haven't experienced on the roads. There are some positives of trail running. First and foremost, they are surrounded by woods so endless bathroom possibilities. This beats a porta-pot anyday! Here is where I slip a Bibbity Running skirt advertisement in too, skirts are the ultimate easy access when nature calls. As much as I wanted to disprove the theory, trails are so much easier on your body. When we first started on the trail I thought it was miserable because my stabilization muscles were not ready for this. After a few miles though I could tell such a huge decrease on the impact on my lower back and hips. I may see a trail run in my future (did I just really say that????)! Mile 21 was slightly stressful because our drop bag was once again missing! I nicely (ha!) let the poor volunteer know that I was slightly concerned. Elissa would describe this the same way I'm sure as she kept apologizing saying "we know it's not your fault" to the volunteer. We said a quick prayer that 3rd drop station was the charm and our bags would be there. Ashley's turn around was around mile 23 and we kept on going with Will just a little ways behind us. We later learned that he was the smart pacer. :)

I can't exactly remember when we got back on the paved greenway but it seemed like an eternity. Switching back and forth between the pavement and the trails made me all too aware of the changes in impact. I know we were on pavement at mile 25 because the race began here. The sun was beating down and we began to run to downtown Nashville. Mile 25- 36 were by far the hardest for me. I looked over at Elissa (at this point she was on my left because I could only turn my head to the left because of a muscle spasm in my right shoulder) and she was bright red. Who would have thought mid-October that we would need to prepare for a sunburn? Not only were we both getting burned at this point, we really started to feel the effects of dehydration. I remember turning around at mile 31 to head back and asking Elissa "do you think I'd just get hurt or would I die if I threw myself down that hill into that fence?" This was probably my low point :). We continued on the levee to downtown Nashville from mile 31-37 and then hit the trails again. The one thing we kept repeating as the sun beat down on us for 12 miles was that we would be in the shaded trails for the last 13 miles. WRONG! Just because there are trees does not mean there is shade. My rock began to soften a little at this point. My rock being Elissa. She was feeling horrible and her exact words were "my quad muscles are ripping from the bone." In my mind I was freaking out at this point but remained calm for her. I really have never seen her in pain before so this really scared me. The recommendation of stopping was thrown out there and....BAM....she was back. She looked at me as if I just asked her to eat her first born child or something. Holding back tears she continued forward. The trails on the way back were not marked very well so we ran a little out of our way and met up with another weary looking runner who redirected us. You can imagine how happy we were at this point :). Elissa decided to voice how elated she was about her sunburn, dehydration, the bad trail markings and her quads. I think she felt better after she vented this to the all confused, barely moving runner. Our motivation now was "the bridge." The last mile was a straight up climb to a bridge that then proceeded to climb even more and then you had about 1/4 mile to the finish. The reason we were excited about getting to the bridge was not just the finish. It was because there was no way in Hades that we were running up that mountain! Yes our reward to get us through mile 47-49 was that the faster we ran there the sooner we got to walk! It sounds slightly ridiculous to run that far and then wimp out and walk the bridge. If you would like to meet me at that bridge sometime we can talk :). Will kept reappearing and then falling back behind us. Until the end where he conquered the bridge and finished 2 minutes before us. I wish there would've been some competitive bone left in me to chase after him but I think I said "look at him go....go Will.... I am walking!" We climbed the bridge and then approached the finish. I remember saying to Elissa "I don't care if I walk through the finish....I just want to finish this!!!" She concurred. Well....that didn't happen. We heard the people and the cheers and we full out sprinted across the finish. It really amazes me as spent as you can feel how you find it in you to sprint across the finish. I remember the speed, crossing the finish line amazed by our time, and then falling to my knees and puking. I will never forget the spectator that was sitting just feet away in a folding chair from where I finished and she looked at me and said "Great Jo......ewwww." Yeah, "ewww" was an understatement. I just smiled because I had been wanting to do that for about 20 miles!

I will have to admit, this was the ugliest race and finish I have ever completed. It's nice to blog about a wonderful race experience with great memories and an amazing finish. Sometimes though that's not the case. This was the toughest thing I have ever physically experienced (and Elissa will report the same). In the next breath, though, I am still so glad I did it and wouldn't trade it because it was a huge test. It tested our strength and mental toughness in a way I have never experienced. I saw so many lone runners and I have no idea how you run something like this by yourself. There were times that we needed to encourage each other, make the other one laugh, or simply yell at each other. I cannot imagine this journey solo. We are really pleased that our time was only 2 minutes behind our Chicago 50 because Chicago was much easier. We finished 4th and 5th (or just 4th because once again we crossed together) female overall and 19th out of 70 overall 50 mile runners.

After the race we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for some burgers. I dreamed about a burger from mile 25 on....which is weird because I rarely eat red meat but it was ALL I wanted! We then decided we needed to "go country" and get some boots to remember our journey. Thanks Mandy and Laura for the fun weekend and thanks Elissa for going jogging with me. :) Also thanks to the pack for the training! We have news for you though.....be prepared for some major hill work and some trails in the future! We were inspired by the "East Nasties" and may have to start a distance running club called the " 'Villedge Idiots " :)

Let the races begin (HOOOOOOWWWLLL)

A big week is coming up for the "pack" :) Evansville Half Marathon AND the Chicago Marathon are on Sunday. GOOD LUCK to all running this weekend! The Chicago marathon is a (not so) fond memory of mine. Actually, it was more like a half marathon for me due to the fact that I completely shut down at mile 12. I am sure the girl in front of me remembers it too....eeewww. None the less, it is probably the most exciting race environment I have ever seen. I also am just so proud of what a success the Evansville half is every year. At the end of one of our 20+mile runs last month we ran past Wesselman park to see the Team 13 finishing up. It was awesome to see how that group keeps growing through the years! Hats off to the YMCA of Evansville for all their hard work each year to keep this tradition going and growing!

We are one week away from the Nashville Ultra. I realized today I don't even know where it starts (other than "Nashville"). Elissa and I decided to look more into that today and I think we got as far as talking about if we need to pack GU or not. I guess we will worry about the details next week. :) Why am I not surprised? It's like we have ADHRD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Running Disorder combined with OCD- Obsessive Coffee Disorder. These are not good combinations! Details, schmetails.....just run!

Good luck to all runners this weekend! If you are going to Chicago I hear there is a wolf running loose in the streets. He's "running around Chicago, looking for compression socks and a PR. And so tonight I make a toast".....GOOD LUCK! HOOOOWWWWLLLL!