8 More Days

You would think I would be used to the madness by now, but new challenges mean new things to obsess over during a taper.

The Georgia Jewel is a familiar distance for me but I will be facing my first race with any kind of elevation gain.  So, guess what is occupying my mind.

Take a look.

It’s not much compared to the crown jewels of ultra running, but for this beach runner it is a significant step up in difficulty.  I’m estimating that I will climb a cumulative 9000 feet.  By comparison the most I ever climbed during a single run in training, running back and forth over the tallest bridge I could find, was just over 1000 feet over a distance of about 10 miles.

At least the weather looks like it is cooperating.  The extended forecast shows partly cloudy skies with a high of 78 and a low of 54.  That's more than 10 degrees cooler than my training conditions.

Just take it one step at a time and when all else fails - Suck it up Buttercup!

This is going to be interesting.

"Getting Chicked"

If you are unfamiliar with the term "getting chicked" check out this post on iRunFar.

What do you think? Is the term an insult or an expression of respect and friendly rivalry?  Is it praise of woman’s superior performance in comparison to her male peers or maybe a passive aggressive implication that she has surprisingly risen above her gender’s inherent physical inferiority?

By weird coincidence I have come across this debate several times in the past week, both in reading and in conversation.

I know in my case there are a number of women that I run with who are usually just a little bit faster than me.  With age group awards often just out of my reach and PR’s getting more and more difficult to achieve, often one of my goals is sometimes simply to avoid “getting chicked” by these female friends and rivals.  If I succeed I consider it a huge accomplishment in deference to their abilities but when they do "chick" me I find it incredibly motivating to try harder next time.

So let me know your opinion.  "Getting Chicked" – Yay or Nay? Pro or Con? Love it or Hate it?