Cruel Jewel 50 & River of No Return 100k

I broke all my rules - I raced without posting about the previous race!

Truth be told, I've been enjoying the summer in the PNW and having fun racing.  Blogging is important but Mr. Trails always wins in my books.  :)

In May, I ran the Cruel Jewel 50 in Georgia.  I went into this race hoping for a top finish and had almost everything fall apart before and during the race.  On the plane to Atlanta I developed a rash - which proceeded to give me swollen joints and swelling for days.  My son had Fifth's Disease a few weeks before the race and I caught it.  I think the virus impacted my stomach and ability to properly fuel myself early on in the race and I ended up with severe gastrointestinal issues the whole race.  It was a beautiful course and tough like I like them to be, but I just couldn't get into my racing groove and suffered the 56 mile trek.  In the end, I finished 4th.

In June, I ran the inaugural River of No Return 100k in Challis, Idaho.  This was a fun trip to Idaho - I got to camp with my friend Tony and his family and enjoy the amazing scenery Idaho has to offer!  The race was my first use of liquid fuel for calories and I also had to deal with some altitude (no easy feat for a sea level dweller).  The race went well - I felt like I nailed the nutrition and my stomach was in a happy place the whole race.  This was a big boost after the race in Georgia where my stomach had been south the whole race.  The altitude definitely slowed me down - efforts began to feel too much even though I wasn't moving very fast.  I enjoyed the run and met new friends along the course - and that's always the sign of a great race with a great community.  The race was stacked with fast women and my best efforts on the course landed me 5th.  Altitude hurts sometimes!  :)  It was a really fun trip and the race was done right - a definite course to return to someday!