It’s official: I’m tapering for JFK. I’ve been training for 4 months and have run three marathons, two ultras, and roughly 650 miles to prepare for this event. I’ve been hit by a car and been diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia. I’ve met a lot of cool people and even got my first sponsorship (thanks, Sugoi!). This has been one heck of a training cycle and it peaked with an awesome weekend of lots of running and friends.

Friday

I started Friday with a quick 5 mile run commute where I rocked a meeting and entertained questions about ultrarunning posed by my social development professor who seems so curious about my sport. That night I carbed up with the most ridiculous penne with shrimp, arugula, and sundried tomato dish. Make it, it’s so good!!

Beautiful trees on Fifth Avenue on the way into Oakland

Saturday

I was up at 5 to meet my friend Rich at 6:30 for a 30 mile training run. Yes, I realize how crazy “30 mile training run” sounds. I’ve known Rich since before I was a runner (yes, that Kat existed not too long ago) and he must be one of my biggest cheerleaders. He’s also a professional endurance athlete with major sponsorships who has gone after world records and just a few weeks ago finished in the top 10 at the US 50 mile National Championships. I did my very best to make it very clear to Rich that I just needed to get 30 on the books and I didn’t care about speed- in fact, I wanted to intentionally go out slow. I was worried that Rich wouldn’t be able to run as slowly as I needed to run, but he stuck with me the whole way, even through the wind that stole our words and the torrential rain that filled our shoes. We caught up on mutual friends and recent races, all the while keeping our first 5 five mile loops within 45 seconds of each other. He kept commenting on what great shape I was in (based on the consistency of our splits), how much potential he saw on me, and his belief that next year I’m going to qualify for Boston. I’m not sure I believe Rich, but I sure like him! We were entertained by a costume 5K with costumes that included: a porta potty, the Pittsburgh pierogies, and three blind mice. We also spotted and befriend Eric, another runner in training for JFK who was IDed as an ultrarunner when we saw him running while eating a piece of pizza. At the end of the day we stretched our 30 miles to a 50K and for the first time in the last four months I realized that I might be able to do JFK. Having those glimmers of hope and confidence were welcomed but overwhelming.

Check out the incredible sunrise. This was the only time we saw the sun all morning. Shortly after I took this, the clouds rolled in, the temperatures dropped and the rain fell.

Sunday

I slept in on Sunday. Rich had organized a trail run with some Pittsburgh ultrarunners at Ohiopyle, a state park an hour and a half away. Even with an extra hour thanks to daylight savings time, I needed every single hour on Sunday. In place of Ohiopyle, I ran 10 miles of trails around Frick Park which was just idyllic. It was serene and I felt cloaked in the vibrant yellow leaves. I was so moved that at one point I just stopped to absorb all the beauty around me.  The air was crisp, the leaves were crunchy and the sun beams found holes in the canopy to reach down and kiss me. There was never a better day for a run.

Homewood Cemetery across from Frick. You can tell what a beautiful day was from the bright sunshine and clear blue sky.

Total for the weekend: 45.75 miles. That’s a lot of running, but the miles were wonderful and I recovered well enough to wear heels on Sunday. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I value balance and people, so I can assure you that this weekend was not only about running. On Saturday night I was able to partake in Halloween festivities, on Sunday I finished my run in time to enjoy some amazing pumpkin pancakes at a brunch hosted by a friend and I spent Sunday afternoon drinking beer and eating chili with the Pittsburgh Triathlon Club.

I’m really surprised that all the hard work is behind me. It didn’t seem like work because I was so busy making it fun. I just hope that I can have as much fun at JFK as I did while training for it. Stay tuned: three weeks until my JFK race report!