The Weekend Double, Recovery and the Upcoming 50 miler...Whew!

Well, the summer is heating up! With very warm temperatures, lots of family fun going on, and training ramping up, I am one busy mom!
Last weekend was my return to hard training after vacation double. Saturday I ran the Crescent Forest ultra at 27+ miles in Gig Harbor at a nice easy pace not worrying about my time and finished in 5:53. It was a nice variation of terrain and trail. Single track covered in foliage to old service roads.
I was trying out a new pair of Montrail Hardrock mid o9's. Thanks to my trail work requirement for Cascade Crest I spent time with Van Phan and Linda Barton working on trails. Van and Linda suggested I try these shoes instead of my Cascadias and lace up ankle braces. I have felt that I need the extra support after my ankle sprain in January. The Montrail Hardrock mid's are essentially a high-top trail running shoe. They felt good on my ankles but definitely need more breaking in. My right ankle was rubbing a bit on the side and becoming sore and the balls of my feet hurt pretty bad. I spoke with a sales person at a running store in Fairview, Wa who said that it takes about 50 miles or so to break in the hardrocks, so I am hoping that is so! I purchased some metatarsal gel pads to wear and hope that they will offer some comfort after long miles. I plan to wear the Hardrocks for at least half of this weekend's WR 50 miler.
After the run on Saturday I picked up Michelle and headed north to Seattle and Margaret's condo. We shopped at Title Nine, Road Runner and Super Jock and Jill then had coffee at Peete's and dinner at a Mexican Restaurant across the street. On Sunday, Margaret, Michelle and I headed north to Bellingham for the Wild Thing Summer Fling marathon at Lake Padden.( See Michelle's blog for photos, or my FB page) It was a great day. Beautiful weather and fun times wearing silly dresses and headbands for the first loop. I had a great time running with Michelle and Margaret in our sparkly green gaiters I made for our silly run! At the end of each loop we had to do a task of some sort. After the second lap we had to do "mountain climbers." Once we began running again, I noticed a tightness in my right calf and had to stop and massage it. Turns out to be a strained soleus.
Monday morning I woke up to find some bruising on my calf and decided to call my Chiropractic sports physician and have her help my with the best way to tape it with Kinesio tape. She also did some Active Release (torture) Therapy on the muscle which really helps. She suggested massage with comfry gel then to wrap with saran wrap and an ace bandage to reduce swelling, and to take Wobenzym supplements. Tuesday I woke with the bruising almost invisible and today it is all gone. I visited Dr. Doyle again and had more ART and a new kinesio tape job and was given some strengthening exercises. I'll see her again on Friday to be taped up for Saturday's 50 miler.
Another cool thing we found at the Wild Thing Marathon was Nuu-Muu exercise dresses! We tried them on at a bike shop in Fairview and I came home and ordered the Fleur Nuu-muu! I think I might wear it for White River this weekend!
After White River, which I hope to complete pain free, I have two training runs on the Cascade Crest course and then Eric and Rob are taking me up on the 2nd loop of the Plain 100 course for some crazy climbing torture, which I am told if I survive, Cascade Crest will be a no problemo! Then just about three weeks to recover with easy runs and then the big weekend. I know it will go super fast and I'll be done and back to school before I know it.
Grace and Peace to you.