ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR MY FIRST HUNDO!
Rio Del Lago (November 9-10, 2013)
I normally put my acknowledgements after my race recaps but as I work on writing my race recap, I feel an overwhelming amount of love for all the people who helped me throughout the race. So, I decided to share this first. This is acknowledge and express my gratitude to my amazing team, fellow racing buddies, and other friends who helped me in my first 100 mile race!
Norcal Ultras - Thank you to everyone at NorCal Ultras for putting on such a wonderful event. All the support throughout the day and night was amazing. As with every race I do with NorCal Ultras, everything is top notch from a well marked course to well stocked aid stations and attentive, caring volunteers. Thank you!
James Barstad - Thank you James for all that you do with not just with NorCal Ultras but for the running community as a whole. I am grateful for the friendship we have formed in the past year and a half. You have truly inspired me as a runner and all the adventures that we have shared really prepared me for the race. When you told me that you and NorCal Ultras would be part of Rio del Lago, I knew this would be the perfect first 100 for me. You said to me once that you didn't ever worry about me as you know I always find a way to finish. Those words stuck with me during the Rio Del Lago, especially during some difficult moments in the race. And one of my favorite moments of the race was running into the finish and seeing you standing there with a big smile as I came in. I had hoped to see you when I finished and there you were. Thank you for everything!
The Day Crew
I had the best day crew ever!!
Barbara - Thank you Barbara for being a fabulous day crew captain! You were an excellent communications coordinator! It was great being able to text you as to what I wanted and knowing you'd make sure it'd get taken care of. As I went through each of the aid stations during the day, I was able to move very efficiently. You sent me great encouraging messages throughout the day. I thank you for updating my status for the rest of my friends and for reading to me the messages from my other friends. Those messages really help me. Thank you for all that you did and thank you for taking all the photographs so I have them to remember my experience. Thanks for everything!
Theresa - You really made the day crew awesome! You took my jackets, lights, gloves, etc... when I needed to unload them. You very efficiently replaced my electrolyte bottle each time I came into the aid station. You made me the hummus and tortillas I specially requested, which really helped a lot in the race. Anything I asked for, you were on top of getting it for me. Thank you for all that you did. You helped immensely! 
Janelle - At 8 months pregnant, you still came out to help me throughout the day. That alone makes you so awesome! But, you also made wonderful signs for me. You remembered to spray me down with sunscreen (which I have often forget to do). And even though you were part of the day crew, I remember seeing you help out at one aid station at night. Thank you for everything!
Misha - Thank you for helping change my socks and shoes at Cool, for helping me get my toothbrush and water to brush my teeth, for helping wipe me down with baby wipes, for getting whatever random food requests I had, etc. . . . It was really nice seeing you out there and thank you for everything you did to help take care of me!
Dani - Thank you for making me laugh. For really emphasizing to me that it was okay to poop. But, also thanks for not just helping me change my socks and shoes but also to help clean my feet as well. Thank you for giving me a baby wipe down when requested and tending to whatever I needed. Thank you for everything!
The Night Crew
The night was long and hard but I had the absolute best night crew ever!
Nicole - Thank you for being a great night crew captain! You were great in helping me change, wiping me down and cleaning me off, in giving me advil when needed, in making sure I ate and stayed warm, etc. . . When I started slipping into a bad place, I got irritated with you fussing so much over me but you put up with me snapping at you and kept doing what needed to be done. I was in a very bad place for a bit and it built up to me breaking down crying. I remember your soothing voice telling me I was doing great and it was going to be okay. I remember you wiping the sweat and tears off my face. You gave me such motherly love at a time I really needed it. And while I thank you for everything that you did for me throughout the night and morning, I really thank you most for the comfort you gave me when I was at my lowest low. 
Kelly - Thank you for taking care of me through a rough night! You said you would not go anywhere near feet but I remember you helping with the taping and changing of socks and shoes. You did whatever was needed even going to outside your comfort zone. You made sure I got my miso soup and my noodles. You helped me change and probably saw more of me than desired. You gave me pep talks including telling me my feet are going to hurt no matter what and that I needed to get moving. Thank you for everything!
Susan - Thank you for dealing with my feet through the night. I know it was not an easy task. My feet gave me the most pain and problems throughout the night and you were great in trying to do what you could to help alleviate my pain. Your advice about using paper tape was good advice and I only wish I had used more of it on the rest of my feet earlier on. But, you live and you learn. I do thank you for the advice about the paper tape. And, I thank you for taping up all my blisters, changing my socks and shoes and doing all that you could for me. Also, thank you for putting up with a very aggravated me throughout the night. I know I was not easy but I thank you for all that you did and for being there! 
Veronica - Thank you for helping me change my pack and making sure my pack was loaded up with whatever I might need. Thank you for helping me with all my lighting equipment including lending me your flashlight to use when I somehow lost my own flashlight. Thanks for making sure my electrolyte bottle and water pack were refilled. Thanks for grabbing whatever was needed and encouraging me along when things were rough. And thank you for checking up on me after the race! Thank you for everything! 
Cathleen - Thank you for being a great night crew communications coordinator. From updating my status for others to reading me messages to letting Craig know where I was to taking pictures. I remember when I was having a rough time looking at you and you gave me a look of such understanding. Understanding what I was going through and you gave me such comforting and encouraging words. Thank you for lending me your long sleeved shirt so I would not be so cold. Thanks for giving me the m&m's in the morning. Thank you for everything and being there! 
Blaine - Thanks for being out there all night for me and helping my night crew. Thank you for helping grab whatever additional thing might be needed including grabbing some granola bars for me.
My Pacers
Scott - My wonderful trail running husband! You were yet again a wonderful pacer for me. It was great having company as we headed down from ADO. I enjoyed some of our conversations about football, Western States, etc. And, you were great in trying to push me to shuffle along when I started to slow down, especially when I was resisting you. You were great in putting up with me when I started going into a bad spot and started getting snappy at anything and everything. You kept encouraging me along and doing whatever you could to keep me going. You were great in telling my crew what I might need. I know it wasn't easy as I know I went from good to bad to worse but you were great in keeping me going. You were with me in my first ultra, my first 50 and it meant a lot for you to be there for my first 100. Thank you so much for being such an important part of my first 100 miler. I hope to return the favor for your first 100! Thank you!!
Paul - Thanks for being so patient in waiting for me as I arrived much later than expected. You were a great pacer. You walked on the right side of me to try to block the cold wind blowing at me on the levees. And when I started falling asleep on my feet and my pace slowed to a very slow stumble and I started becoming incoherent, you revived me by pulling the GU out of my pack and forcing me to eat it and to keep moving. You were patient with whatever pace I went at, be it a walk or a running shuffle. When I started stressing about the time, you assured me that I was doing okay yet still encouraged me to keep pushing as best as I could. It was nice having you there when I finally reached the point in the race where I knew the finish would happen. You have been there for most of my running life from a short distance road runner to a marathoner to an ultra runner. We have run many races together and it meant a lot to have you here with me for my first 100 miler. Thank you for getting me through a very rough night and to the finish! 
David - You have been there through pretty much all of my running. You were there for my first meetup when I struggled just to get a 5 mile run done and I was in awe of you doing the lake loop. You helped me a lot when I was trying to become a runner and you taught me so much in those early days. You showed me so many trails. You were even the one who introduced me to hills, the Cavitt hills, which was kind of special that we ended up running those very trails to get to the finish line in the race. You are the organizer of a very special running group, the Java Joggers. The Java Joggers have become family to me in the few years that I have been running with you and the group. And, it meant the world to me that we would run that very last mile of my first 100 mile race. Because after all, we are Java Joggers....good to the last mile! Thank you for everything you have done for my running including being part of my first 100 mile race. I would not be the runner I am today had it not been for you. Thank you!
Fellow Racers
Clint, Jared L., Tina, Patty, Jay, Joel, Dave, Shane, Tate - It was great seeing many of you during the race. Seeing friendly faces throughout the race definitely pepped me up. It has been great training with some of you. And congratulations to all of you on finishing the race!!
And, I give special thanks to two fellow racers....
Dan Foley - We did many training runs together including some tough night training runs. I think through the training, I made a wonderful new friend. It was fun getting geared up for the race with you and it was great that we got to run some of the race together. When we ran together in the morning for the first sunrise, that was a lot of fun. We huffed and puffed our way up Cardiac together complaining about how the hill seemed longer than in training. It was nice having a friend there to share in the misery with. When I was struggling and feeling sick on the second Olmstead Loop, you came by and we ran together for a bit. That helped immensely lift my back up my spirits. Thank for that. And, I am ever so grateful for your company as we trekked up from No Hands Bridge to ADO as it started getting dark. I think being alone in the dark would not have been fun so I was very grateful to have your company at that point. Those moments we shared together in the race are some of my favorite moments of the race. Thanks and congratulations on your first 100 mile finish too! You did great! 
Edd Ligsay - I think I spent the most training time for RDL with you. I feel like we went through this journey together. On the night training runs when the other guys would take off ahead of us, you would always stick with me so I wasn't left alone in the dark. It was really nice to start the race with you. It pepped me up when I saw you on the Olmstead Loop. When I started fading badly out near Granite Bay, you came running by. You saw how bad I was doing and you patted me on the back and told me to keep going. I felt my spirits lift a little seeing you. When I was able to get a second wind again and able to catch back up to you, it was nice sharing the second sunrise with you as we had the first one. And what joy I felt seeing you finish the race. Thanks for joining me in this adventure and congratulations to you! You are awesome!
Others
To all the friends who sent supportive messages before, during, and after the race, thank you so much! I am overwhelmed by all the love and support! Your messages of support do help me greatly through the race, especially through some of the rough moments. Thank you all!
Mitch K. - I am not sure if you remember but earlier in the year, we ran together through the meat grinder. During that run, we chatted about various things but I remember talking to you about your first 100 mile experience, which happened to be RDL last year. I had been pondering doing a 100 mile race this year so asked you about your experience. I remember how you told me everyone should experience a 100 miler. You told me how you will go through a range of emotions and learn so much about yourself. I remember your enthusiasm about it. That conversation has stuck in my mind throughout my training. And, all four times I went through the meat grinder in the race, I thought about our conversation we shared on that section of the trail. I thank you for sharing your experience with me and inspiring me. 
Joanne - Thanks for coming out to Granite Bay the first and second morning to help cheer me on! Thanks for helping grab all my extra gear when I was unloading all my night gear! Thanks for always being there for me!
Charito - Great seeing you out there and it was nice getting to run with you and Edd on the second morning! Thanks for always urging me on when needed! Thanks for all your support through all my adventures!
Diane and Cathy - Thank you so much for coming out there to Granite Bay and to the finish! It was a pleasant surprise to see you two when I came into Granite Bay that morning. You two have been part of my running since the very beginning and a huge part of helping me when I was training for my first marathon. My running roots always goes back to you two. As you have said to me, you are family to me and it meant a lot to me to have you there for my first 100 mile finish! 
Tom and Monsters of Massage. When I started training for RDL, I also started going to see Tom at Monsters of Massage on a regular basis. As painful as some of those "massage" sessions could be, because of Tom, I was able to recover faster and run harder. After hard training runs or races, Tom would fix me back up so I could trash my legs all over again. When I started having some knee issues or hip issues, Tom would fix things. Before the race, he gave me a good massage to make sure everything was in good working order. While I had feet issues during the race (due to bad shoes/socks), my legs felt pretty strong and good throughout the whole race. I thank you Tom for helping me immensely through all my training and helping me be ready for race day. I don't think I would have performed as well as I did without the help from you. Thank you so so very much for everything! 
Folsom Trail Runners - I thank all the FTRs who were out there volunteering, crewing, pacing, cheering, and/or sending supportive messages! I can't list everyone's name so I extend a thanks to all of you FTRs. I also was a bit out of it when I came through Granite Bay at night so I don't remember seeing people that were there but I know many of you were. Thank you for being part of an AWESOME running group! Without you guys, I would not have become the crazy ultra runner that I am today. We always have fun training runs together and races are always a blast because of you guys. While I did go through some very bad patches, I know the Granite Bay Aid Station was the best aid station of them all! Thank you for everything you have done for me before, during, and after the race! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 
Java Joggers - Before I was in FTR, I was a Java Jogger. And while many of us are in both groups and my thanks above will be the same for Java Joggers, I cannot forget to thank you guys for your part. Thank you Java Joggers for being out there to support me and other runners! And thank you so much for the signed Java Jogger shirt. And, I made sure that last mile was a good last mile! :)
Craig - To my love Craig, thank you so much for all the love and support in all the crazy things I decide to do. I love you just let me run and race as much as I do. And for my biggest crazy adventure so far, you were there at the beginning to see me off, there for me through some of the rough times, and there for my finish. Seeing you in Cool lifted my spirits up. You were great in getting me the Jamba Juice I requested and bringing it to me to ADO. When you saw what a hard time I was going through at night, you stayed up to be there for me at Granite Bay. I know I worried you when I started going through my bad patches but you keep encouraging me and saying the things I needed to hear. You were the shoulder for me to cry on. And not only were you so great to me, you were great to my crew including bringing them donuts in the morning. Thanks for being so wonderful! I love you so very much and so grateful to have you in my life! :)
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