20 miles.... Dude... Where did it go....

Well really 21 miles (or 20 miles according to Legend Lou Joline) at Dude.. Where's The Trail... where the race t-shirts are throwbacks and the highlights at the aid stations are orange and purple "drink" and Walmart brand fig newtons and well the whole point is not to get lost and generally speaking the map and directions should get you by but as you go from legs 1, 2, and 6 the directions go from coherent step by step, turn by turn directions to drunken ramblings- of course making it more difficult to navigate through the course- especially if you were running the 50K... all part of the journey though...  my journey was with Sophia, Erica Smackdown Honey Badger Carper and Tommy, and well without them and the humor and the desire to not get lost this day would have sucked... the team made it far more bearable to run 21 miles... three times the amount I have been running recently....

The journey started the night before with an unbelievable BBQ Pork Rib dinner and Birthday Celebration for Tommy... this rib dinner will become way more important later on... there was pink cake for Tommy... which of course generated the comment "Real Men Eat Pink" -Sophia; this would pop into my head several times throughout the run as well.... 

The morning came early- and after getting ready we were off to the QT (Quik Trip for those non-Kansians that may be reading this) Gas Stations tend to be a lot of fun for Sophia and me, especially when we are trying to rack up a $30 bill, although this morning was more about function, poo and bfast....  some of which we got and some of which we did not... then it was off to Lake Jacomo which there is much debate on the pronunciation- but we are going with Jack-Co-Mo in the spirit of the first man made lake in Jackson County Missouri- original right... or not...

A chilly morning- meeting up with the Nerds and other Mudbabes and of course Carper- who was thrilled to be wearing her AWESOME Team Tommy Bandanna- black with stripper dust covered letters... team assembled it was off to check in and get our photos by Dick Ross... mostly in focus- of course we would get a couple more opportunities to see Dick on the course... after checking in we started our running part of the journey which would prove to be WAY MORE FUN than last years lost in the woods approach...

Leg 1- 7.3 Miles- Off on the adventure- a very chilly start but we all warmed up pretty quickly- ahead of us were two young ladies whom we would see several times throughout the day- completely LOST and going the wrong direction- they looked like they were taking it too seriously though- the day was all about fun. So as we moved along the course- we ran into The Warrens (the pork rib makers and hosts from the evening before and the chili extravaganza following the race) after crossing the steel bridge- a little further down the trail as we headed to the animal enclosure we ran into Dick Ross- PHOTO OP time so we had a little fun- and our antics clearly had Dick laughing as a couple photos were pretty blurry- but the end result Carper had the confidence in the fact that I could carry her across a threshold or a puddle or whatever.... and we were off to run around the animal enclosure- this year I forgot to feed the animals an apple or two- oh well... we would finish leg 1 and run into Matty, Brian, Ashley, and some other dude I didn't know... Ashley had peanut M&Ms which complemented the fig newton wannabes and the purple juice well... off to leg two...

Leg 2- 5.6 Miles (total 12.9)- feeling pretty good we headed back into the trail where we were off to the maze, a book, and a mud tat or two... and of course what would be our only mis-direction of the day... so on our way to the maze- my stomach and intestines started to expand... nothing too bad yet...but I could feel the pressure building... so taking option 1 to get off the pavement and back on the trail- we ran a long a pretty cool rock ledge which was reminiscent of Flat Rock... liking the ledge a little too much we over shot the turn north to the maze... luckily we were able to bushwack back to the maze- where we ran into another team which we would see to the end of leg 2... making it through the maze we mud tatted up and I got the Chapter 4 page of the book " The Malaria $Millions" appropriate for the Malaria Meds I take every Monday... so most Mudbabe Mondays are replaced with Malaria Mondays... blah... and we were off to the bike trail and of course another photo op.... and the aid station- at this point the stomach was pretty ridiculous... super painful and bloated... but otherwise feeling pretty good....

Leg 6- 6.8 Miles (21 Miles total- yep I know it doesn't add up)

So by this point my stomach was expanded to max capacity- feeling like a Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon- you could have stabbed me in the stomach and air would have come out... lesson learned pork ribs- not a good pre-long-run meal... we headed towards the Audoban Society- where the bathroom would be clean and help with the pressure built inside... after the stop there- we would be serenaded by Sophia's wonderful singing... a little PBR, Ginger Ale, and Gas-X provided by awesome mud babe Jen Ogden and then out to the pavement to the finish... turning a corner Carper moons a truck as she goes to pop a squat... a truck that we would see as we ran into the finish for some luke warm hot cocoa, amazing peanut butter sandwiches... and warm cars...  and then off to the chili extravaganza!

renewing the contract....

okay- so it has been awhile since my last blog- but the internet in Afghanistan really is that bad- combined with the frequent "black out" times when Soldiers from our task force get wounded or worse yet killed... but on a more lively note- I find myself sitting in the O'Hare airport- my least favorite of airports- although the newly renovated bathrooms are very eurotastic.... I am impressed... either way I am awaiting my flight to Kansas City- which is super exciting- heading to Sophia and the Mud Babes...  and by this time tomorrow morning I will be on a 20 mile quest at Lou Joline's Dude, Where's the Trail... a fun super low threat race which will- I am sure- prove to be a test of my less than stellar training over the last 9 months.... but being relatively injury free I am hoping that we will have more fun than last year- there was much getting lost and a really nasty ITB issue...

Which sort of brings me to my next topic- getting back into running... really running... so to motivate myself I am reading the Dean Karnazes book- Ultra Marathon Man- silly I know but in many ways I can relate- having been a pretty good runner in High School and at West Point- afterward running was fun- but the pavement running and constant stress really took a toll on my body- the final straw was the stress fracture in my femur... a year away from running... and then running just became a necessary evil to accomplish my job in the Army.. and now it is time for a renew on the contract with myself...

I ran a little on my second deployment to Iraq- it was a good stress reliever.... then I redeployed and started getting set up in California... new job new area- there did not seem to be an open community of runners in Stockton- so I started doing other stuff... in come adult fighting... and then it was off to Kansas... where I found trail running and the Mud Babes- albeit six months into my assignment but so happy I did... how did I jump back in.... a ten-miler at WYCO- insane- completely! and with Rippin' who was in way better shape than I... it got me thinking- and so I signed up for the Free State Marathon- and then the Psycho Psummer 50k- which the goal was to finish- I did and it wasn't pretty... and then Flat Rock where I learned about calorie deprivation (not a good thing) and then started training for Rocky Raccoon... that was quickly thwarted by the deployment to Afghanistan...  a really bad storm... and I can't forget about that pesky ITB...

Now...  well a little mandatory (only for my section) run in costume for Halloween- and a Soldiers desire to run a marathon has fueled desire to run... and at the age of 35.... well I think it is about time- it has been about 13 years since I was busting out sub 18 minute 5ks on the track... so it is possible I can find it again- although this time it is about running farther and in more insane locations- really testing the limits of my mind and resolve to get 'er done in the words of my buddy Chris McLean...

The Test... well that is the ability to get up everyday and run... the next goal... not so sure yet- April is looking like a fine month to push the limits... and the Marathon- well that will be in May and I am super excited to help her run it... I mean my first marathon was really assisted by Bill- Bill Barnett. I think I ran about 24 miles with him- he was giving me pointers the whole way... so it is time to pay back... and maybe get another one hooked... okay  enough for now...  I will give a good report on Dude....

Cycles... Fabrications... and the wait out....

So the new job seems to have the same sleep cycle as the old one... just a difference in workout time... now with the can't run by yourself and night if you are a chick cause you might get rolled up by a Afghan, Keynan, Indian or Chechen.... or some other random nationality that lives with us here on Forward Operating Base Pasab, I am stuck heading to the gym... and then I go to bed and wake up (very reluctantly) about 5 hours later head to work and start the day with the cup of joe... or what I like-  Black Tiger, made with bits of Tiger, so you know its good... really I am not kidding and here is proof...  This is the reason I am addicted to my Keurig and the K-cup.

It is pretty wicked awesome and gets me going in the morning... as I am not much of a morning person to begin with. That is followed by sometimes what seems like a relentless string of endless meetings that sometimes have no structure- and most people seem to be preoccupied with everything else... like trying to guess how long a package will take to get here in the mail... running calculation after calculation in their heads...or writing down the state capitals (while timing oneself)- yep we got one of those here...

So the mail I mentioned earlier is definitely a morale booster- it is amazing how good you feel even when you get packages you send yourself.  I could see people getting addicted to online shopping because of the emotional uplift you get when getting a package here... but when there is no mail for three days coming from Kandahar   it pretty much sucks because right now I am waiting on my armband for my ipod to get here- so that I can get back on the treadmill without causing serious damage to either the equipment in the gym myself or my ipod.  

The gym is a pretty interesting place here- I go there after work every night- usually sometime after midnight- and normally it is not that busy... tonight was a little busier- and it just cracks me up the contract guys who work in the gym are of course in really good shape- one is African- Keynan I think and the other dude is Indian and he is pretty jacked- just kind of funny to see-especially when they walk around in their really tight t-shirts and act really tough with their Spartan Brigade T-shirts on... like really- you work in a gym... sorry for the stream of conscientiousness on the blog... but I am sitting in my bed after my workout- getting ready to sleep and well- get up in 5 hours and do it all over again tomorrow... sort of like groundhog day... should find out my exact leave date by the 22nd of this month- oddly enough they keep pushing that date further and further closer to my leave date... kind of annoying since I have been here since the 22nd of February... which is about 194 days... and I would love to know... and I am sure others would too...

Over the past weeks we have been doing all sorts of stuff- like installing a flagpole on the top of Ghundy Ghar - which is on top of a pretty big hill... I helped install it- mixing concrete with the Solders out there, unfortunately I did not get to see the result first hand but here is a photo of it...  The flagpole was fabricated by our welders in the BSB- they do great work- they built a grill that kicks ass too....

 of course when I visited this place the day before I was all about seeing the potential to run up and down the hill... it would kick your ass everyday... the Afghan Soldiers like to drive by in their Ford Rangers packed with the Afghan National Army (ANA) Guys crammed in the back and honk the horn at our Soldiers as the careen up the mountain- going way too fast... but they had a Captain helping us with putting the flagpole in- he was very proud of his blister... and I was pretty surprised as most of the ANA just stared at me... and I actually found myself staring at one of them who looked like he was in the IRA- I mean this dude looked straight up Irish- Red Hair Green Eyes... makes ya wonder....

Enough stories for now- must get to bed.... Nighty Night...

new beginnings in the middle....

So it is always interesting to get a new job in the middle of a deployment... it shakes things up a bit to say the least. I left Kandahar Airfield a little under a month ago- leaving the crazy dust and the poo ponds and stinky smell for Forward Operating Base Pasab. An old Canadian outpost enlarged by 100 times and now a flurry of American and Afghan Army activities... living shona-ba-shona (or shoulder to shoulder) definitely has its draw backs... like it limits my ability to run by myself at night and well as a woman you get stared at... a lot...
Although, the Mullah for the 5th Kandak or our Afghan partners and I had an interesting discussion through our interpreter during our partnership dinner- religion and politics in Iraq and Afghanistan... I am pretty sure neither are supposed to be discussed with a woman- so I felt pretty confident that it was a good sign... well until the interpreter told me that the Commander told him that he was going to send a picture to his wife! Apparently he only has one, and the commander has a couple and like 10 kids... crazy right...

 but my job is a little different than the last and it definitely keeps me on my toes- I now have the opportunity to make things simpler, easy and better for the Soldiers in the Spartan Brigade.

Living conditions have definitely changed- I live in a tent now- I got a memory foam mattress pad- that is definitely improving things- and well oddly enough I have commercial internet- yeah- so my blogs will be a little more frequent I hope- as will my running- the last month has been crazy with change! went from running 9 miles to not running- and now to the treadmill... not so much fun especially when I drop my ipod and it hits the treadmill and goes careening into the elliptical machine behind and cracks the screen- but god love it- that may be the best ipod ever- it has survived being submerged in ice water for hours- and now a giant dent- and it is still working fine (as long as you don't want to watch a movie).... I will just have to wait until it cools down  so I can run in the middle of the day.

The food here is a lot better- I can make a wrap sandwich... the little things in life make us happy- that and mail- we like getting mail- even if we send it to ourselves- that is how I get coffee for my Keurig- which I am now addicted to! and a travel mug- because my last one got stolen... it would be nice to have one again- easier to put in the vehicles than a real coffee mug- or styrofoam... note I am still waiting on it to come- and well I might be happy about it tomorrow- we are getting three containers of mail in tonight! Yea!

I have been out on patrol a couple of times since being here at Pasab- going to some interesting places. We are in the Zharay District of Kandahar Province , in the Arghandab River Valley- the river is pretty much dry right now and the locals use it as a thoroughfare for the most part- it is kinda neat that I have seen it.  We try to find the humor in things like the other day- some guys were on patrol and saw a Donkey-Borne- Improvised-Explosive-Device; luckily they saved the Donkey- we of course named it the Ass-Borne IED- maybe humor that some of you may not get- but it just furthers my theory that hell is actually being a donkey in a third world/developing nation...

I put a couple of pictures in just so you could see what I look like when I head out- lots o' Armor on this girl- and weapons of course- an M4 Rifle and a M9 Berretta. The last one is one of the bomb-sniffing dogs that comes in to visit us every once and while- they definitely cheer me up and everyone else too...

Well I am off to the gym to get on the treadmill.... arrgghhh... hoping for cooler days ahead...

Dust Sun and Ponds, of the Poo variety... (July 2011)

Okay- so it has been about a month since my last effort was put forth to the blog… I am happy to say that my running has been about as steady as it can be here… despite the ceremonies for fallen Soldiers, purple heart awards presentations, and well a whole other litany of random events that have interrupted the nightly run…  But things here are starting to settle into a rhythm which makes it easier and easier to break away during the day to get a good 6 miles in or so.

So I left you guys back in late May,  I think my longest run had been a 5K or 4 miles… and really with no one else but me… but a Captain, Caitlin Hall, who came in from the FOB, and she wanted to run… so we did and we went by the most famous of land features here on Kandahar Airfield, the Poo Pond.  It was about 100+ degrees out that day- Caitlin was kicking my ass after we had both done intervals the day prior… My legs were a little heavy, and well we went about 3.5 and that I think was the longest run up to that point…  As you can see we are really afforded the opportunity to run in about the most uncomfortable running clothes ever… the Army Physical Fitness Uniform… the shorts are super scratchy and the t-shirts are usually huge and don’t forget the mandatory reflective belt to further add to your annoyance while running in broad daylight.  Luckily the Army decided awhile back to actually let us wear all white ankle socks of the running type, before it was all mid-calf old man socks.


Oddly enough the Poo Pond doesn’t smell when you are right next to it… it really smells several feet away or even way across the airfield depending on how the wind blows. I have smelled it while running over a mile away and almost heaved- it is that bad…  Now that it has gotten really hot I am pretty sure I will not be running by there anytime soon.  Apparently the Poo Pond dates back to the Russians in Afghanistan.  It is alleged that the Poo-Pond has been emptied before. There are also many an urban-legend about people swimming, diving into, and doing various other things in the Poo Pond. I have not confirmed the truth of any of them… nor would I want to find myself swimming with the fishes in said poo filled pond.



There is a small off shoot of the Poo-Pond; I like to call it the Poo-Canal.  The Poo Canal runs in between the airfield and the road, sort of moat like,  and you get to run next to it for a good half-mile on the six-mile route here; that route also takes you by the  Tim Horton’s Coffee shop, although sometimes I really am tempted to stop in on a run, sort of like an aid station, I have refrained.  Maybe if I tackle the Airfield Loop twice (18 Miles) I will stop!

     So as you can see it was fairly clear out that day, and not too dusty- normally it is super dusty- which is why we sport the “eye pro”  I also chew gum which is weird, but it seems to keep your mouth from getting all sandy… As it is getting hotter and hotter every day, the dust seems to be getting worse.
The pictures below are from my other out and back lolli-pond, which is the tail end of the 6 mile loop too.  I call it the NATO Pond 4- out to the pond and back- you can vary the mileage by the number of loops around the pond…
  


The NATO Pond, as I call it, is a drainage pond and there are all these weird little things in it, a cow, the Eiffel Tower, to name a few… but it doesn’t stink and there is generally a cool breeze coming off of it at night… funny the first time I ran by it at night, I turned the corner and the little weird things had little lights on them… and one was playing music, random.

    So most of the Soldiers in my headquarters think I am just a little nuts/crazy/insane for running in the evenings when it is still about 100degrees or sometimes hotter, and that I am not inside in the AC and running on a treadmill… and at the same time a little proud, bragging to some that hey that is my Major right there running...  I say no way to the treadmill, even though it is super dusty and hot, I still enjoy running on the weird gravel/moon dust mix and outside where I can see the mountain range in the distance. And I say wait till the rains come!!! Bring on the MUD!!!  Okay back on track… so this of course motivates the heck out of me to run more and more and more…
       Like I said earlier, there have been some events that have derailed my generally consistent evening run.  The most recent, and humorous, was the escape of a Military Working Dog named Max*.   My day started off with this email….

So I was pretty sure that I really didn’t want to end up running by myself around the airfield, and have some crazed Belgian Shepherd take me down and then maul me with no one around, I mean really that would not have been cool.  I affectionately nicknamed  him Cujo, as throughout the day I had visions of him standing outside my door as I woke up to use the bathroom, or jumping through the window of my sweet Toyota Prado to eat my innerds… one of my Soldiers read the email really fast and transposed the letters of MWD to WMD… Max/Cujo the new WMD…
    So I opted to wait it out… well 36 hours passed before they caught ol’ Max.

*I am sure that Erica “Smackdown” Carper could really run with this story line if given the opportunity!

No worries though I started right back up with only a two day delay…

     My job is pretty cool sometimes, I get to meet lots of cool, tough Soldiers who give their all daily out in the grape rows in the Arghandab River Valley, tough terrain for even the toughest of the tough… most of them think I am crazy for running out here too…  A lot of these guys are coming in to go on R&R Leave, and some others have been injured in battle, and generally we have some cool conversations, not usually about what goes on in the grape rows, but what goes on before and after… and these guys have me cracking up in seconds with their stories and antics- whether it be Johnny Situation (a mannequin dressed as a Soldier) that shows up all over the little Combat Outposts they live on, or the laughing, prank playing and interactions that they have when they aren’t out patrolling…
         Today, one of our Wounded Warriors here, a Staff Sergeant in the Cavalry Squadron, decided he was going to run with me, he is one of my favorite guys out here, he takes no crap from anyone and he runs like a fricken’ gazelle...  I was a little hesitant at first because I really wanted to have a nice slow-ish run by myself, his Soldiers looked at me like “are you afraid to run with him too?” of course that did it, and we were off in about 5 minutes… He normally clips along at about a 6 minute pace, but he was nice enough to run 8:50 pace with me- about 30 seconds faster than I wanted to go tonight… we only went about 3.5 but I felt pretty good the whole time and was able to keep chatting along.  Things are looking up!
       On a more random note… I have been hooked on another thing I would have never thought would appeal to me… the toe sock… for those of you who know me- I have some humongous feet, and my toes are super long, well I have revisited a problem I seem to have had last year…. The one-time-use sock,  here is a picture from Flat Rock 50K last year… one time sock use… I think I have come back from almost every run with a holey sock… until now… those toe socks are some crazy goodness… and they come in Army specifications- all white and no visible logo… yippee… I just ordered 6 more pairs…

Well that will do it for now....

The Creation... (May 2011)

I deployed to Afghanistan in February 2011, leaving my running friends, mainly the Mud Babes and my Dog Rippin’, behind in the States and landed safely in Kandahar on the 24th, hoping that I might get some running in before the brunt of my unit hit ground- I was sadly mistaken. As days turned into weeks and then into a couple of months, I finally got my act together… and that was it- I went out running… and it sucked… mainly because of my running shoes… I had packed in such a rush that the wet soggy Ascends and Cabrakans sat drying by the door while my nice and clean other ones got thrown in the bag. Of course probably with the intention of ordering or shipping my trusty Mizunos… well that didn’t happen initially… 
So the motivation came when I started to feel REALLY, REALLY out of shape, out of energy and generally angry about most things… so I ran… it was only two miles but it felt like twenty… it was hot and dusty and well running on the gravel was killing my feet… I got back emailed my mom and had her send the Garmin… and then another run- this time in the morning- thinking maybe it was the heat… but nope… my feet and legs were killing me… and that three and a half made the difference- and I ordered the Wave Ascend 5s… two pair! 
I patiently awaited the arrival of my new shoes. I continued to suffer through several days of running - constantly asking the main clerk if they had arrived…. And finally the day came… and I was SUPER EXCITED! And I was not disappointed a bit… 
The next day was a bit rough for us here in Afghanistan- we lost a Soldier. Part of my job here is to participate in a “Ramp Ceremony” which is the send off of our fallen brother or sister in arms as the remains are loaded into the back of a military Aircraft bound for the states. A somber ceremony that really brings you back to reality… this was unfortunately not the first one of our year here… it was that day when I was out for a run- a short one- three miles or so- and the thought came to me… maybe a blog could be the best way to communicate my story with my friends and those who maybe want to read about a ultra-marathon-ing trail running dog loving Major in the Army while deployed to Afghanistan... There are not a lot of outlets for a woman like me deployed in a predominately male organization… so my thoughts on a run are how I bring myself back to center… sp this might get interesting…
I hope my blog does not bore you- but brings you along on my journey… a journey to survive twelve months or so away from family and friends, and to reach a goal for training- not sure what I am going to train for- but maybe we will start with a 50K… I might be able to find one of those on leave to run with the mud babes…