Sunday, September 28, 2008

Spartathlon update



Whew! What a race! What a spectacular course! What fun!

What a drag to not finish.

I made it to just about 200k. I felt very good. Everything was "jiggy" as Allison says. I climbed Mt. Sangas at 100 miles. .... Uh...... WHOA? I have never seen anything a crazy (in a good crazy way) as that mountain. My ankle held up on the uphill but did not like the looooong incredibly steep downhill. After much battling with myself, I decided it was best to save the ankle for another day.

I am disappointed but in retrospect would not have done anything differently under the same circumstances.

It was a blast. I got to run with some of the best ultrarunners in the world. And my crew totally ROCKED!!

More later...

13 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

oops edit:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I needed to go to my mile converter and figure out how far you went...

Answer: 200 km = 124.274 mi. ISH :-)

ho humm 124 miles on an ankle that a few days ago looked like it wouldn't last moving 2 feet...

YOU so Rock!!!

Congrats Lisa and glad you made the smart decision to save it for another day...Can't wait to see the Pics from Glenn T and hear more of the about the Spartaaaaaaaaaa Adventure...

Congrats again to you and your awesome crew, way to go Chica :-)

Safe Travels back to the states...oh and grab me some Real Estate brochures after seeing the circus debate of the presidential candidates a few days ago Greece is sounding really good--haha

Journey to a Centum said...

Glad you were able to experience so much of the course. Bummer you were not able to complete the distance but amazing that you got so far considering your wonky ankle.

Congratulations to you and your great crew! Enjoy the rest of your stay and have a safe return.

marathanna said...

That's great news Lisa! You sure came a long way from the dreaded moment you sprained your ankle. Your attitude and outlook are golden. Enjoy the rest of your time in Greece!

-Anna

Olga said...

Wow, 200k!!! That is absolutely incredible! Now, I know it's no finish, but it so much more at the state your foot is in, I can't believe it! You are one tough chica - and such a great spirit at that! Lisa, my thoughts are with you and your crew, and congratulation to all of you - for the times before, the courage to start, the ability to make that far, and the smarts to stop. Love and hugs.

Lisa Smith-Batchen said...

Lisa...you did outstanding with a bad ankle. You make us all so proud!
Lisa

Jon said...

In addition to my email to you earlier...

You F#$%ing rock. :-)

JeffO said...

Congrats on 200k. To go to the other side of the world and sprain your ankle - I guess I would have tried too, but I would only have made it maybe 20k! You're very tough. Glad you could salvage so much for everyone!

Backofpack said...

Lisa,
That is amazing! Way to go - running so much on that ankle, then making the wise decision to stop. I'm so glad you got to experience much of the course, and I imagine you'll be back to finish. Way to go!

Anonymous said...

Doc.......You do not have to prove anyting to the world.....

You are an extraordinary ultrarunner....

You did right stoping the race!!!!!!

You Rock!!!

Mario

RunBubbaRun said...

Stellar performance. Most of us can't even run a couple of miles, let alone 200k on a bad ankle..

Congrats to you and your crew..

Peter F said...

Hi Lisa
I hope you had a good flight home and that you are recovering well.
In the end my flight was over 6 hours late.

Unknown said...

Great job Lisa!
You are amazing!
You are a inspiration for the runners and the people.
Thanks!

Hugs from Brazil