I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise, to fly

Well guys, its official, I have finished my first ever ultra marathon! Couldn't have picked a more perfect race as well, Two Oceans, aka the most beautiful marathon in the world. 56ks around Cape Town, with views of beautiful beaches, scenic ocean overlooks, and two grueling climbs up Chapman's peak and Constantia Nek before finishing on the University of Cape Town's Rugby Fields.

The race weekend started off with supporting Pieter in his 20k (alright afterwards we realized it was half marathon distance) trail run. It was only the second running of this event but definitely one to watch. If you like intense scrambles and extreme terrain mixed into your long run, then this is the race for you. In order to just spectate his parents and I had to hike up to the King's Blockhouse, no easy feat. Perhaps not the best way to rest your legs for an ultra, but thus is life, you do what you want to :) Pieter's parents are seasoned ultra runners however, so they kept reminding me to sit down and drink water the whole day. Had an awesome chat with who ended up being the chairman of the local trail running team while waiting for the runners to come by. Spotted some of the runners way up on the exposed cliff section, definitely a race not for the faint of heart (P's mom had to look away lol). Did I mention this was his first trail race? So intense! Looked strong all the way to the finish, definitely deserved that medal.

The rest of the day consisted mainly of naps, hydration, and an incredible amount of pasta. Nerves didn't get too bad until it was time to go home and try to sleep. Thankfully I managed a few hours before waking up at 4:30 to get ready for my pickup at 5. My Hout Bay running buddies have an awesome business office in town just a block away from the start! Soooo ideal, especially when this means no porta jon lines. Had a bit of a struggle with bag check once we got there, but shimmying through to the front of lines has become a skill that I pull out in times like these and managed to get onto the start line with a few mins to spare.

Once in my corral (they assign you according to your qualifying time) I was able to relax for a bit and chat with people around me and altogether get excited about what was ahead. Your bib also shows if you are an international participant (bright orange instead of the usual green) and what country you are from, as well as your name, so it starts up many convos. The starter asked for all the internationals to raise our hands, which was pretty cool to see. Then they asked all the females to raise their hands...looking around I didn't see a single one....ahhhh! Guess not too many in the B group! Hearing the national anthem of South Africa at the start was a really special thing for me, and reminded me of how cool it was to just be here.

The race in general was awesome, and ridiculously tough. You kind of just need patience to settle into a rhythm and not freak out too much about how much longer you have to go. There is no, yes we only have 10ks left... its more like yes! we have made it 26ks, now... only 30ks and two huge climbs to go lol. Passed the halfway point in about 2:19, a good pace for the flatter, easier first half of the race. We started to climb Chapman's peak after that and started to start really feeling my legs when we hit the flats after a cruising downhill into Hout Bay, about the marathon mark. Made it there in about 3:38, so still on pace with what I was aiming for, but still had the more difficult of the two climbs to contend with. Constantia Nek on tired legs is one big struggle, but I had more pain coming down the other side. Hello sore feet. But music and great support along the way kept you going, along with the awesome treats they had for us runners to eat (potatoes around the 25k, ice cream and bananas at the top of chappies, and candy bars right before the summit of constantia, not to mention powerade and water sachets and coke all throughout the race). Seriously guys, these packets of water and powerade are AWESOME and so much better than cups (except when you accidentally squirt some up your nose). Digging in deep came when you hit the highway portion on the way to UCT, but the finish is so close you can taste it... and that feeling pushes you on. Coming into the stadium and seeing the finish was so rewarding, definitely something I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Left with a finish time of 5:02, not quite a sanisbury medal (sub five) but really can't be disappointed for finishing my first ultra, especially when I decided to do it about 3 weeks prior!

Other than a bruised toenail, some sore legs, a huge gash on my back from where sweat met my one and only seam of my shorts, and one gigantic blister, I am alive and well. Actually already started running again, and while the legs have lost a bit of their spark, they feel good and are ready for the next challenge :) Thanks everyone who sent up prayers and thoughts for me on race day, definitely appreciated them!

All the days of my life I have been waiting for this time Could you believe now it's right before my eyes

What do you do when you are trying to focus on the longest race of your life?

Step One: annual hot dog run with the club. Had an awesome extra 2 hours of sleep this Saturday, didn't have to get up until 6:30am for the training run, another look at the final stage of the ultra (Constantia Nek hill aka my legs worst nightmare come April 23). Its the killer that comes after the marathon mark, but this weekend on fresh legs it was nbd. Lets hope that it feels the same in a weeks time. Regardless, had a great last long run with the club followed by the traditional breakfast of champions. It's a very strange feeling to have two hot dogs in your system before 10am.

Step Two: find every running/ athletic/ outdoor store in the mall and drool over awesome gear. Seriously. I have decided that my future house needs no real decoration, just to be kitted out with outdoor gear. Also, buffs are my new favorite things. I really hope they catch on in the states because they are ridiculously awesome, especially my new multi colored gem.

Step Three: get totally pumped for the race by chatting with people who have run the Two Oceans before. A family dinner at a friend's house quickly turned into race strategy central complete with the pulling out of photo albums from past Two Oceans and Comrades marathons as well as timing predictions and goals for the upcoming event. Don't think I will ever tire of race war stories, and always helpful to listen to how other people have figured out how to conquer The Most Beautiful Marathon in the World.

Step Four: taper. Ok well I am not so good at this apparently. First weekend off of running I managed to still do a 5 hour hike up Devil's peak while doing a little race route recon for the Two Ocean's trail 20k. What beautiful trails! Had no idea they were hiding out there. This city seems to have an endless supply of awesomeness perfect for exploring. Also couldn't resist a scramble up Lion's Head Monday night for the full moon. Ooops, sorry legs, I will try and give you some time off now.

Step Five: get totally psyched up for racing by hearing about all my running friends back home dominated Boston. Awesome job guys! Wish I could have been there to cheer you on in person. Looked like an amazing day for an epic run. Brings me back to last year, who would have thought that race would be my qualifier for this ultra. Crazy.

Step Six: finally understand the difference between my pancakes and South African style pancakes. What I make is considered flap-jacks here, and pancakes are more of a crepe hybrid that can be sweet (we had cinnamon sugar with lemon juice) or savory (hello cheddar cheese) and are thicker, pan sized, and rolled up with the filling inside. Pancakes, flap-jacks, crumpets, crepes, I approve of them all. Great way to carbo load, that along with my Easter candy I got today. Winnnnnnn.

this is my life and i only got one yea

Confession time... I told myself that I wouldn't do super long races until I got older and lost my "speed" and gained "patience" but I severely underestimated the persuasiveness of my new running guys. EVERY weekend I met up for a long run I got nothing but reasons why I should change my registration for Two Oceans. I held strong, unsure if I could actually do it for one but also because I wasn't sure if I could still enter (you have to qualify with a marathon time). The week I did a training 40k I finally broke down and emailed the race director. Within hours I was told international registration was still open. Yikes. So now I guess I am officially registered for my first ultra marathon. Look out.

So this weekend the club and I ran the last 20ks of the race, mostly in the dark (5am start ensured we were less likely to be hit by cars speeding down the mountain). Really glad to have previewed the entire course (all 56ks) before race day, will be good for the mental game I will be playing to finish this sucker. Waking up so early kind of made the rest of Saturday extremely lazy, total approval. Nothing like knowing your work is done for the day around 8:30am... I have also come to the realization that I sleep in more on weekdays than the weekend... strange.

This weekend was also a cool tour of some new parts of cape town for me. Had a great dinner in Big Bay visiting a new friend, and was totally impressed by all the kite surfers rocking it in the ocean. Put that on my list of things to do. Also was able to spend some quality time at the V & A waterfront checking out boats, laughing at tourists and enjoying the beautiful sun all my s.a. friends had said was long gone. Excuse me but the sunburn I am rocking right now begs to differ. Summer lives on!

Tsamina mina Zangalewa Cuz this is Africa

Hello weekend full of sporting adventures. Perhaps I was feeling a bit nostalgic for good old MRun, (shout out to all my awesome runner friends back in Michigan who ran 182 miles across the entire STATE this weekend in under 30 hrs!) but for some reason I was channeling the outdoorsy vibe. It started with Saturday, when I decided to tag along with some Hout Bay Harriers for their long training run in preparation for Two Oceans. They had planned out running 40ks of the race route, from Newlands to Hout Bay, and the offer to wake up at 4:30 and be running by 5:30 seemed too tempting to resist :) Who would say no to running thru Wynberg in the darkness with nothing but glow in the dark silly bandz and the odd street lamp to light your way trying not to get run over by the early morning mini buses? We reached Muzinberg (center photo) just as the sun was beginning to rise, giving one of the most breathtaking views I have ever experienced on a run. No wonder why they call Two Oceans the "most beautiful marathon in the world." Nearly a marathon run before 9:30, ideal way to start a beautiful day.

Day two of our outdoor adventure series came with watching the prologue of the Cape Epic, often described as the Tour De France of mountain biking. Its a 5 day challenge where (for a price) you can rub shoulders with national champs and olympic medalists while trying not to die (literally) as you make your way along some of the most challenging trails you can find (the route designer is actually referred to as dr. evil). For the race spectating, we made sure to situate ourselves in the middle of a really technical single track bit and were definitely not disappointed with the near spills of the novices and the epic maneuvering of the pros. This is a race where it is all to common to walk away with a broken clavicle or extremity impaled by sticks. Really enjoyed seeing a Colorado jersey amongst the competitors, made me think of all the Whiners back home! Yay Americans! But seriously, still amazed at how intense everyone is over here. Michigan "trails" have nothing on these suckers, and anyone off the street knows what you are talking about when mentioning Two Oceans or Comrades (another really famous ultra marathon). I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to adjust when I get back home where there are no cliffs/ mountains/ oceans/ rocks/ intense feats of sportsmanship to break yourself on. I will probably have withdraws big time.

Sarah's South African Tour of everything hardcore continues... :)

See I'm trying to find my place

So here I am again, back in South Africa. Its a strange feeling to be back to Cape Town, but also bizarre figuring out Hout Bay for the first time. Where I live is considered a suburb of Cape Town, about 20km from where I used to live as an intern. Now I am in a flat that is directly connected to the office that I work at, giving me about a 30 second commute to work! One of my favorite aspects is the proximity to the beach, a great way to cool off after a run in the burning African sun! (seriously, my skin is already getting upset with me).

The initial scary/ intimidating adjustment to a new place is now pretty much over and I have been really enjoying figuring out this new place on my own. Today I even found some trails for the first time that I can run on! Also looking forward to Tuesday night when I will get to find out what the local running club is all about. For those of you that don't know, my new training focus is a 20km trail run included in the Two Oceans series in April. Definitely going to be a challenge, totally didn't realize how tough it was going to be until after I entered lol. Ah well, probably would have done it anyway!

What is the most strange is not having all the interns and friends around that I have come to associate with this place. I have been able to get together with a few that are left, but as with most adventurous sorts they are about to move on to the next exciting location. I am welcoming this opportunity I have now to meet even more people and experience a different South Africa.

Work has been going well, everyone is adjusting to the new office space but we are all very excited about what 2011 will bring for our NGO. The most exciting of these is the development of an environmental program to bring into schools much like our HIV & Me lessons. I am still responsible for research on companies but the great thing about small offices is that there is lots of room to develop and help others when needed.

One more thing, fingers crossed for no hassle with my visa... hate these silly things, always a struggle!