Woaa Happy December! 😳 Every year around this time, the beginning of the “off season”, i post less, run less, and care less. I blame daylight savings, but for me, personally, it’s also nice taking a break from thinking about running so much. Although... the western states and hardrock lottery drawings are tomorrow!! May the odds be ever in your (those who entered) favor... Also, ran the @pocanticohillsmarathon a few weekends ago and was fast enough for a 2nd place female finish! 🎉 I had no idea what to expect since i hadn’t raced this distance in years. My time was pretty decent (4:14) but what was truely magical (and new/weird) to me, was waking up the next morning with no soreness or fatigue. At all. It was as if i hadn’t even run the day before. 🤯✨ Compare that to my first trail marathon in 2014 where i had to stop and stretch to keep my calves and hamstrings from cramping up every few min starting from mile 20, and ended with a minor stress fracture in my right foot that had me in a boot for several weeks. Mountain ultras make your body strong 💪 or numb? 😆 I ran mostly by effort and heart rate. The trail had rolling hills that never got too steep so i never had to walk. Probably my longest continuous run since at least 2019! Super interesting! But also tells me my cardio sucks compared to my legs 😅 Thanks as always to @coachzandy who suggested i run this local race 🙏 I used to think that coaches were only for pros, but have learned that that’s not true! I usually have a ton of things i want to do each day, and being able to look at my schedule with a plan already set, no effort/decision making on my part, i can’t even describe how much free-er i feel, every single day. i used to stress about training plans, not knowing what i was doing. Being consistent now requires much less self-motivation because i just gotta check off what’s on my schedule. And a plan that works! It’s been a mental/emotional game changer for me. Thankful for you coach! and @chaski.endurance 🙏🙏🙏 📷 @ewenku last pic: brunch celebration the next day @flippersus , fiiinally tried japanese fluffy soufflé pancakes! tasted like sweet air. Balanced w/ a smoked salmon omelette 😋😋😋