Running &Triathlon

Rosaryville 25k July 17, 2011

2011-07-19T19:51:00.000-04:00

You may have heard the saying that running is 80% mental and 20% physical. I have seen many a runner be defeated in their heads before their bodies give out. Letting their thoughts, pain or unexpected challenge end their run or race before it should. I rarely consider dropping in a race, but for a moment I seriously did at the 25k Rosaryville Trail Race.

It was supposed to only be a training run as I prepare for the JFK 50 held in November. Low key and no pressure. Just for fun. I am pretty much a roadie, mostly the result of ease and location than preference. This race provided a great way to substitute my planned long run with the Annapolis Striders and get some needed trail experience.

I hadn’t planned on warming up, since I never do for long runs, and was going to take the first 5 miles very easy and then pick it up depending on how I felt. But, the excitement of the start took hold. My intended slow pace was replaced with lively conversation and a quickening of my feet. As we entered the single track, I knew I should slow. But on a narrow trail, in a long line of runners, slowing down messes up everyone’s momentum. In hindsight I should have just pulled off into the trees and let that wave go by. But, I didn’t. I hung on.

The trail was awesome. A beautiful twisty, rooty, roller coaster ride of a trail. A couple hops over some streams and a couple bigger hills, but in general a lot of ups and downs, lefts and rights on runable, hard packed surface. And thank goodness for the shade. It was hot and the canopy of trees overhead took the bite out of the heat.

After 4 miles, yes a mere 4 miles, I felt like poop. I had gone out too fast and, considering I still had 11 ½ miles to go, I needed to figure something out if I was going to make it to the finish. I slowed a lot, drank from my handheld and relaxed for the next mile. At the 5 mile aid station I was hurting. What the heck? Took in some Heed and seriously considered taking a right to the 10k finish line.

But, off I went thinking if things got worse, I could opt for the 10 mile distance a few more miles down the trail. Every uphill became an unexplainable torture. It was as if my body was rejecting what I was telling it to do. My legs felt weak, like Jell-O, and stung deep within. All the muscle fibers ached in pain as I lifted my knees. With things obviously getting worse, I opted (which is a nice way to say I had no choice) to add in walk breaks. I felt like such a loser. Defeated. Was I actually considering DNFing (did not finish) in a 25k? I had never DNFed. Ever. I resolved that would not be an option and I would finish walking if I had too.

I restructured my thinking at about mile 8. In ultras, there are always times when you feel like giving up and you may have 10, 20 or 30 miles yet to go. I would use this race as a way to keep myself going despite feeling bad less than 40 minutes into the darn thing. With that approach in mind, I added in walk segments as I would in an ultra with the idea of just getting it done. The 10 mile runners took off to the right, and I focused on the trail ahead.

My legs continued their lament at my decision to go forward. Getting a good breath in became an issue (I have a lung thingy). It was hard to lift my knees to clear the roots and rocks and I tumbled a couple times, but did not fall. A few other runners did fall and almost caused a chain reaction early in the race. Like a pile up on the highway. I hate the idea of falling, but when I do, the scars are worn proudly.

This race became a battle of my mind over my body. I always tell my runners you can do more than you think you can. And you almost always can. Though my pace slowed and the walks became more frequent, I was going to finish.

I sometimes get jealous of the people who always seem to be able to pull out an amazing performance despite some adversity, like being sick, lack of training or whatever. The ones who complain before the start that they haven’t slept in three days or have a nagging sprained ankle, yet somehow manage a PR (personal record). I’m not one of those runners. I have races that fall along all points of the continuum from amazing to downright horrible. Upon reflection though, I think I may be the lucky one. The struggle is a huge part of the attraction for me. If it were easy and the outcome always predictable, I probably wouldn’t do it.

Yes, I would have preferred a faster run over the roots and hills, but this day came down to just finishing. And that was good enough.

JFK 50 Miler November 20, 2010

2010-11-27T10:49:00.000-05:00

JFK was my third ultra and second 50. As was the case in the last two, saying I covered a certain distance just doesn’t accurately describe the race. Yes, I covered 50 miles, actually probably more like 51 or 2. (My Garmin watch died when it read about 45 miles, so I can’t be sure). The race is more than just the distance; it is also what those miles contain. Yes, 50 miles is a lot, but that’s only part of what makes these ultras hard.

The week leading up to the race was stressful. I was PMS-ing horribly. I was bloated and tender as well as irritable. A joy for my husband I am sure. I also have a weird condition called catamenial pneumothorax. To make a really long explanation short, I run the risk of lung collapse around the start of my monthly menses. Obviously this is something I want to avoid. The greatest risk seems to be about 2 days before and after day I start. I was right in the target zone.

Friday I made the roughly 2 hour drive up to the Hagerstown area in Washington County Maryland. The area is a rural one. I saw many farms, wide open spaces and small mountains in the backdrop. I picked up my race number and enjoyed the small expo with excited runners buzzing about.

I checked into my hotel, which was closer to the finish, and started to fret about the weather. My friend Connie Gardner, on her way from Ohio, would be coming in later than planned. She wouldn’t get in till 9:30 pm. Connie did make it and gave me some of her elite and veteran advice as we laid out our stuff for the morning.

5am came quickly and we were up and at ‘em. We got on the road quickly and made it to the high school in Boonsboro by 6:15am. One of the small joys of ultra running is the smaller percentage of women that do these events. Fewer ladies equal shorter bathroom lines than at shorter distance races. I made my final decision on what to wear and carry and handed the remaining items off to be recollected at the finish.

Still PSMing, I took 800mg of Ibuprophen and hoped it would help. I strapped on my Nathan hydration vest, loaded with lots of stuff I may want. I probably didn’t need to lug all that extra weight around but it provides me a sort of security blanket. We walked the 1000 meters to the start line and at 7am sharp ascended up the 2 ½ mile climb to the Appalachian Trail head.

The initial 2 ½ miles up took me about 30 minutes and was a combo of running and lots of walking up the steeper inclines. It’s frustrating to walk so early, but I heeded the words of many ultra veterans to let people go this early on and just take it easy. I entered the trail in 615th place overall.

The Appalachian Trail (AT) was tougher than I thought it would be. But honestly, I am glad I didn’t know. I was told it was rocky. And it is, but somehow “rocky” doesn’t fully capture the conditions. Connie told me to take it as a fast hike. I am not a good technical trail runner if for only the lack of experience on them. My goal was to stay vertical and not twist my bad ankle. That was accomplished. Others were not as lucky. One runner face planted on the trail, broke his nose, lost a tooth and otherwise was a bloody mess. I came across several runners who had also kissed the rocky terrain. One with a nice gash above his nose, another with bloody knees, many with twisted ankles and one poor guy wiped out right in front of me yards from the AT exit.

I grew weary of the rocks those last couple miles on the AT. I cannot tell you how much concentration it takes to make sure you cover the ground in such a pattern as to avoid your own collapse. My eyes were always looking down, looking at the runner’s feet ahead of me, eyeing for the next solid footing. If my mind strayed for even a second, I would stumble. I was in awe of any runner who pranced lightly past me, more dancing than running. They had a special skill indeed.

There was a segment that was asphalt between sections of the AT. I looked forward to this and thought I would be able to actually run more here. But, the road section was up, up and more up! Steep and long the mountain climb continued.

Towards the end of the AT came the switchbacks. In addition to the rocks you now have steep twists and turns with a substantial drop off the side should you misstep. So close to the end I opted to be careful and get off in one piece.

As I exited the AT, in about 3:45 (almost 16 miles), I was relieved to have made it through, what I thought would be the toughest part, injury free. I grabbed a couple cookies, refilled my hydration bladder and ran off to the C&O towpath.

The loose plan here was to alternate running 8 minutes walking 2 minutes. But I felt really good so I decided to walk when I felt like it and not stick to any structured plan. I did take my time at each aid station, which looking back probably cost me more time than I would have liked. I held on to a nice pace while running the next 27 miles or so, averaging 10-11 min/miles with the walk breaks and aid station stops. My goal going into this was a 12 min/m average, so I knew I needed to run faster than that now to make up for any lost time on the AT.

The Baltimore marathon gave out neon yellow shirts as their official swag for marathon runners. In 2009 I got a similar shirt at the Boston marathon. Neon yellow seems to have made a comeback from the 80s and appears to be the new black in the running community. I do not particularly care for this color and started playing a game of picking off as many yellows as I could. I’d focus in one a yellow and reel them in.

The C&O was my kind of running. What many runners call boring and flat, I call fantastic. I was mowing people down for more than a marathon. I looked for any neon yellow shirt to pass, and then looked for any women. Female and in a yellow shirt? Double points. I think I passed a couple hundred people on this section. I was feeling good, enjoying the themed aid stations, like Miracle on 34th Street at mile 34 with Santa.

As good as the aid stations were, the food was pretty much the same station to station. I was craving a salty boiled potato forever and never found one. (I did here later that they did offer some around mile 45). A couple nice guys were cooking Chicken Noodle soup on their driveway, and that was good. Funny what you will accept in such situations. The dry pretzel sticks were like chalk in my mouth. Thank goodness for the coke they offered. I was trying Hammer’s new Perpetum tablets as my main source of fuel. But those darn things turned to powder halfway through from all the bouncing around in the tube. I think this ended up being part of the reason I hit the wall later. I was not properly fueling.

The towpath was fairly uneventful. Picturesque and perfect temperatures. I kept buzzing by people. One lady used me as her human Garmin for a little while, continually asking me our pace and how far we had gone. Made me a little crazy so I sped up to get away from her. I saw some chickens running around, campers, and people with loaded bikes going on a weekend adventure.

Of course things were getting sore. I thought I felt something in my shoe. A pebble maybe had found a way through my gaiters? But, it didn’t move when I wiggled my toes. Maybe it was the band aids I used to tape up common trouble spots irritating me. Later I find that I was developing some huge blisters.

The outside of my knees started to really scream, right where the ITB inserts. My left calf had an ‘almost cramp’ which I somehow willed away before it turned into a Charlie horse. My back started to ache, most likely from my pack hitting it. I took another 800mg of Advil and chugged along.

I passed many inspiring people who had started with the 5am group. One gentleman really stood out and put my effort into prospective. I am not sure what his physical challenges were, but he leaned heavily to one side, his legs were rail thin, eaten up looking, veins bulging. Not a young man, his body looked like a trap to me. Yet, there he was. There he was. What I was doing was easy comparatively.

As the towpath was coming to an end I thought to myself that I would much rather be finishing the last 8 miles on this than hopping back onto the unforgiving asphalt of the roads. Off the C&O and guess what? A big ‘ole hill. Up I climbed. This is where I got that nice cup of chicken noodle soup from two guys on their driveway.

The roads were rolling and I walked just about anything that vaguely qualified as an uphill. Of course, NOW I had to pee. In the wide open farm lands, I had to pee. My radar was up for a semi-private area but none was found. Luckily the next aid station had a porta potty that I almost fell into b/c of my weary legs. More coke and a couple very dry pretzels. Bleh.

These seemed like the longest 8 miles of my life. I hugged the side of the road. Each mile marker seemed to take forever to get too. I had two side goals going into the JFK. One was to finish before the sun set and one was to finish before my Garmin died. The fact that I was given a mandatory reflective vest leaving the C&O didn’t make the beating the sunset goal seem as doable. Then at 45 miles (about 44 on the course) my watch called it quits.

The miles seemed to drag at this point. Up and down, rolling along, more walking than running. I recall passing a sign stating “4 miles to Williamsport”, our destination. It seemed so far still to go.

I was running with a group about this time. We were all quietly battling our own personal demons. I swear I smelled pot. A strong odor that didn’t seem to pass as I continued. Finally I asked if I was the only one who smelled the weed. Everyone started laughing. I wasn’t alone. Apparently someone was having themselves a good time.

With about 2 miles to go, it was getting dark and cold. I struggled for a moment out of my reflective and hydration vest to put my long sleeve shirt back on. Every attempt I made at running ended quickly with a wave of nausea. I can run through pain. Everything hurt to some degree. But it’s really hard to run when you feel like throwing up. In my mind I also knew that I was on my own that night. I had to be well enough to care for my post race needs. With about 1 ½ or so to go I walked it in. It was frustrating but I am sure the smarter thing to do. Somewhere along the way I didn’t get my race nutrition right. I am pretty sure that’s what the problem was.

Of course, I mustered up enough energy with about 200 meters from the finish, to run in through the finish shoot. Thank God I was D-O-N-E! Medal around my neck, tag removed from my bib and I was heading to the warmth of the school. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hug someone and collapse into a friend or family. But, teary eyed, I snapped a quick picture of myself holding my medal.

I was already worried about how I would get some decent dinner. Major props to Moe’s for showing up with the nicest people and serving the finishers a wonderful dinner. It was heaven sent. I inhaled it and headed to the locker rooms for a quick change. The locker room was equipped with showers, and actually sort of reminded me of a Porky’s movie. I guess many ultra ladies are not self conscious. I opted for the privacy of my hotel room.

Thankfully the buses that were transporting us back to the start line didn’t take too long to arrive. Half an hour later or so, I was wobbling around the school at the start looking for my car. It was a funny sight watching everyone shuffle to their cars. Once in my car it was another ½ hour to the hotel. I did not plan this very well, as you can see.

The tub stopper was broken in my shower but I took it as a sort of blessing. My plans to sit in a cold tub were thwarted. A hot shower it was with bags of ice rotating around various achy body parts as I ate some choc chip cookies, drank some recovery drink and watched reruns of House.

On Monday I feel alright. I was a bit swollen all over and especially my knees. I tend to gain a few pounds during these events as well. My biggest concern is a numb toe and corresponding pain on the ball of my foot. May be neuroma. The soreness already seems to be getting better.

And so ended the adventure! I am learning more with each of these. I learned that I am not a technical trail runner and will never be unless I get out on the trails a whole lot more. I like the flat, even, boring stuff.

Results:

486/1014 finishers

34/75 age group

10:22:58 12:28 pace

2/4 Crofton runners

top 20 local finisher

Baltimore Marathon 2010 (and a quick blog on the B&A trail marathon 2010)

2010-10-19T18:53:00.000-04:00

heading to the starting line

The 2010 Baltimore Marathon was held in the windy city this year. Wait... not that windy city, Baltimore just borrowed the term for the day. The series of events held on Saturday October 16th welcomed about 23,000 runners.

I woke up early with the goal if getting into town and finding a parking spot situated between the start and finish. I scored a nice spot right on Russell not far from the start and near the runner's finishing area.

Close to the 8am start I made my way up Russell looking for the 3:50 pace group. My plan was to run a consistent race as a fairly comfortable pace, yet pushing some, but easy enough to recover quickly. My ultimate goal is to run well at the JFK 50 miler, still a few weeks out. I have never run a marathon strictly as a training run, but I recommend it! All pressure is lost and enjoying the race was my main goal. Now, I would be lying that anything over 4 hours would not sit well with me, so that time was lingering in the back of my mind.

The Geico pacers, who have won praises by many, were pretty darn good. Having had experience pacing myself, it ain't easy and even if the pace is easy for you, maintaining it is not. They did a good job, a bit faster, but okay. I did lose them every once in a while after water stations, but stuck with them most of the run.

As we sung the National Anthem, a sky diver landed perfectly among the tall buildings in front of the finish line. Then a cannon sounded sending confetti on all as we crossed the starting line. The first 4 miles, or so, are up. We climbed about 350 feet in elevation those first 4 miles, but it bothered me little if at all thanks to all the adrenaline and excitement. I hit the 4 mile mark clocking an 8:41 min/mile average. A bit faster than planned, but I was feeling good.

Around Montibello Lake

We lost all that elevation from miles 4 to 10, but in a rolling manner. The streets are not in the best shape in Baltimore, so eyes were often down watching for pot holes and uneven pavement. Much of the course was actually on concrete, or similar material, rather than the more forgiving tar of the roads. This ultimately beat my knees up pretty bad. Miles 10 to about 16 were rolling but manageable. Aid stations were placed quite consistently throughout the course and I was never thirsty for long. I did learn that I do have a problem with over hydrating which is kind of ironic for me. I always thought it was nearly impossible to over hydrate and quite honestly never paid that much attention to it until ultras peeked my interest earlier this year. Then properly fueling was essential. As a result I believe I started taking in more fluids than needed. Once again this was the case and caused my hands to swell in the later stages. This was confirmed with a couple pound wait gain once I was home.

The course was crowded the entire way. Narrow, it never really allowed for much opening up. And just when you thought perhaps you would have some breathing room the 1/2 marathoners joined us at about mile 16. I did run into my friend who was running the half and we briefly ran together. But mostly I felt like I was weaving through slower 1/2ers and relay runners. I know this expended energy, but I tried to make up for it hugging corners and turns and running tangents as much as possible. Around 16 our pace leader said to get ready for the onslaught of hills to come. From 16 to about 23 you look to gain about 250 feet. Not as much as those first few miles, but more painful because you already have 16 on the legs. Plus, a few of these hills were steep. Up and up we went. About this time, the wind, which had be fairly calm to breezy, decided to pick up. Some sections were down right gusty. Wind is an enemy to the runner above all other running conditions (at least in my book).

Spilled a little something

We hit Montebello Lake around mile 20 for the one mile loop. Though it was a relief not to have hills to contend with, the wide open area allowed winds to have their way with us. I tried to focus on the positive and looked forward to seeing my neighbor who was manning the Annapolis Striders Station at 21. About this time I was drenched with a cup of Gatorade from a passing runner. Don't people look before tossing their cups?

Entering mile 22 I thought the hills were pretty much done. And if I believed the well-meaning spectators, I would have cruised downhill to the finish. Not so! We did have a net loss in elevation, but the hills still erupted along the way. I no longer trusted those on the side lines yelling that this was indeed the last hill. Yeah right! I knew better now.

I was feeling a little rough but no rougher than any other longer run. I started passing people left and right. That always feels good. The problem was the amount of people. Weaving in and out of the ever present crowds became a mission. I was scoping out a bit ahead for the shortest path to the next hole in the crowds.
I took mile 25 a bit easier with the intent of pushing it in that last mile a bit faster than what I had been running. Finish strong so to speak. At the top of what eventually was the last hill, was a guy standing on his car, dressed as a tiger, with "Eye of the Tiger" blaring from his car stereo. Good stuff.

Approaching mile 21

I ran that last mile, cruising past quite a few runners, in about an 8 min/mile pace. Good for me for the 26th mile. I intently checked my watch as we neared 26 miles. My watched read "26" but I saw no mile marker. Maybe they didn't put out a 26? Then I saw it, way ahead. My watch read almost 26.2 when I got to that sign. Bummer! Still .2 to go. My watch officially clocked 26.31 miles, which is to be expected. It's almost impossible to run a course exactly as measured. And given all the weaving I was doing, I wasn't that far off. Nonetheless, the garmin watch has added a new element to these longer races. I often think back to my dad's marathoning days and wonder how far he actually ran and how fast in those pre-chip days. I am sure he could take a couple minutes off his 2:59 Marine Corps Marathon PR.

I came across the line and needed a drink! My lips were painfully chapped from the wind. But Mylar blankets and the enormous medal were handed out first. The crowd moved slowly and eventually I had a bottle of water in my hand. I headed into the finishers area and briefly looked around. The winds had seriously picked up (almost knocked me sideways that last stretch into Camden Yards) and I was getting cold in my wet clothes.

The lines for food (general fare: chips, fruit) was long. I snuck in line and grabbed a banana. The beer line was long too as was the soup line (which was what I most wanted at that point). I am just not one to wait in line. Call it lack of patience, but getting home was suddenly more appealing then shivering in the wind, beer and soup in hand.

I ended up walking about a mile, looking for my car I had so carefully parked before the race. I wandered off in the opposite direction quite a ways before realizing that nothing looked familiar. Good grief! I turned around and ambled back eventually spotting my car. A quick clean up and change and I was headed home. Running the marathon without my family was a bummer, but each of my kids had activities planned for the day that I was not going to ask them to give up. The JFK 50 will be for that!

Almost done!

So, all on all, I think Baltimore did a good job. It was well organized. They have a ton of races going on and it seemed to all run pretty smoothly. The course itself is quite challenging. Probably the toughest road marathon I have ever run. Really beat up my joints (knees, hips) because of the bad street conditions and concrete surfaces. It was super crowded. I know some runners enjoy the energy from a larger group. Not me so much. I don't mind running with others, but I enjoy finding my own space, not having to have a strategic plan to pass someone and just room to get in a groove. That said, I did get to run and meet some neat people.

And if I am being picky, the shirts are a bit loud. They are made of a wonderful recycled material that is butter soft but the color! Good Lord. Remember the neon yellow of the 80s? Yeah, that loud.

Today, the first day post race, I feel good expect for my knees and a few other sore spots. I am very happy with the effort as it puts me in a good place for the upcoming ultra.

Here are the stats according to my Garmin watch:
26.31 miles in 3:49:25 (8:43 min/mile average).
Official time was 3:51. I believe my watch. :)
I placed 26 out of 185 in the 35-39 age group (top 14%) and 174 out of 1,234 women (top 14%). Out of the 3,353 marathoners, I came in 782 (top 23%).

B&A Trail

2010 B&A Trail Marathon March 7, 2010

I never blogged about my marathon earlier this year, mostly because it was fairly uneventful. I was running it as a way to ensure my readiness to pace a runner during the last 40 miles of the famed Western States 100 during the summer.

I enjoyed the marathon a lot and this will be one of the few I would consider running more than once. It's a smaller event, and cold conditions prevail, but the weather was nice that day (despite a snow storm the week before). I started way to slow with the halfers, my fault. But ended up with the following stats:
26.33 miles in 3:50:32 (8:45 avg pace)

Gunpowder Keg 50k at Gunpowder State Park Maryland 9-18-2010

2010-09-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

on the trail

As of September 2010, I have one 50 miler to my name (as well as several pacing experiences at some high profile ultras). As part of my training for the JFK 50 miler, to be held in November, I planned on running at least two 30 mile training runs. I heard the Baltimore Road Runners were hosting a Fat Ass event on the trails at Gunpowder State Park, and thought this was the perfect way to not only get in a 30+ mile run, but also get myself out in the trails in prep for the 50 miler. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

The Fast Ass event basically requested a $5 donation to the state park and a gallon of water to share with fellow runners. Nothing fancy, just come and run. I packed up my car's trunk with some food, various Gus and other "ultra" stuff thinking I was going way overboard for a measly 30 miler that was solely functioning as a training run.

There were maybe 75 people there, if that ( I am horrible at eyeballing numbers), lined up in the parking lot. The course would consist of 3 loops of about 10 miles each, with options of stopping after each. I was debating whether to wear my hydration vest and carrying Gus since a simple aid station had been set up around mile 5. Luckily decided to strap it on. That 5 miles would take me much longer than planned.

In my Leopard print Moeben dress I headed off with the group into the forest. We were reduced to a walk as we fell in line on the single track trail. I felt some pressure to keep up my pace to not slow those behind me! Gradually we all spread out and had plenty of room to navigate. After one mile I knew my goal of a sub 6 hour finish was no longer reasonable. This trail was more technical then I had predicted and, as I would soon find out, this early portion was the most runnable.

One of a couple sets of stairs

I took that first loop to get to know the course. I struggled to find a rhythm. I was continually surprised at what was thrown at us and how much it varied mile after mile. Rocks, boulders, roots, streams, large tree trunks to hop, mud, tall grass where the trail wasn't even visible and the steepest hills I have ever climbed in a race situation. The steepest hill, as recorded by my garmin, was 65% grade! Is that even possible? The amount of climbing per loop was unexpected (for me anyway).

I am not a good technical trail runner, if only for the fact that I don't run on them often enough. The last 50 miler I ran (North Face DC), I fell hard. I was nervous there would be a repeat performance today and I was determined to stay sure footed. However, I had a bad feeling, after a dozen stumbles and quick saves from face plants, that I would inevitably kiss the trail below my feet. I told a runner, Charlie, behind me to watch out so I don't take him down too. My toes started to hurt from all the toe jamming I was doing. I start to envision creating a trail shoe with a steel tip.

After the first loop I stopped at my car for 5 minutes to apply bandaids where I could already feel blisters developing. I guess the movement of my feet in my shoes going up and down such extreme inclines was rubbing some areas raw. I also threw some Heed into my pack and took a few extra Gus along.

stream crossing

Loop two actually felt a ton better than loop one. Although I stumbled along, my ability to catch myself and spare eating dirt, amazed me. I had fun on this loop. I was mostly alone, which I enjoyed. Me intertwined with nature. Just the two of us. I did worry a bit about the foliage that was constantly in contact with my bare skin. "Leaves of three, stay away from me" kept running through my head. I have never been good at identifying poison ivy or oak. I saw many leaves of three. I started singing "leaves of three are all over me"!

Some of the hills were a bitty. There was no way I could run up these suckers. And a few of the declines were so steep I wish I had skis to just slide down them. Knowing you had to do it once again (for loop 3) was hard mentally. The stream crossings were not bad. I dipped my hands in the cool water to freshen up. I finished the 2nd loop 10 minutes slower than the first, which surprised me. I felt so much stronger and better that loop. I was now 4:35 into this thing! A sub six was out, so I set my sights on a sub 7 hour.

see the man way up ahead?
up, up and away

I spent 5 min at my car again and assessed my body. I added a few more bandaids and ate a rice crispie treat. At this point I wished I had packed my ankle brace. A while back my ankle was severely damaged in an accident. As a result I have what's called a floppy ankle. I have worked hard to rebuild strength and have only recently stopped wearing my brace religiously. But my ankle was hurting now. The technical trail was making mush out of it.

I was eager to start the third loop. It looked like most of the runners had already called it quits. I am not sure how many did the full 50k, but will post results when I get them. I had a great mental attitude going in for my final dance with this forest. I felt like I had gotten to know the trail enough to successfully navigate this last loop and get in under 7 hours. I would run all the runnable parts at a good clip, and did just that for the first 3 1/2 miles. As I was feeling like maybe I had this trail whipped, my foot caught a root or rock, and I hit the ground hard. Left side again (as at NorthFace), but no rolling this time. Just a solid thud to the earth. Should a 39 year old woman be falling like this? I was alone and there I lay for a moment figuring out the damage. My knee hurt and quickly developed a swollen knot. A couple scratches and a bruised hand was all I saw. I dipped my hands and knee into a stream to clean it up. I was coming up on a portion of the trail that was within a quarter mile of the finish line and my car. I seriously contemplated heading in. Twenty-five miles is good enough, right?

As I crested the hill at which the decision to go home was to be made, a volunteer was standing there. I told him I had fallen. He said it looked fine to him and to keep going. As simple as that, I did. As I ran I realized that my left side was hurting. I later find bruises on my clavicle, shoulder, arm and butt. Not bad though.

in true ultra fashion: a sharing of
the battle wounds
I'll spare you pics of
my bruised bum

Another 6 1/2 to go and into the woods I head for the last time to battle that damn 65% grade hill. I saw runners coming back home and knew I still had the hardest part ahead of me. Determined not to fall, I did slow some and was more cautious. I started to notice things I had not before. Was that a snake I heard slithering through the grass? Did those happy boy scouts tubing down the river know I was 25 miles into this thing? Why are there so many worms on the trail and why are they so big? I mean baby-snake big.

I prayed, as I always do, for a safe finish as well as family and friends. I started to get lonely. I texted my husband and eventually talked to him. I was ready to be done but knew I had at least an hour to go. One step forward at a time. Just keep moving.
Something snapped in me with about 4 miles to go. I would run as much as I could, falling be damned, and get my ass done with this Fat Ass 50k. I caught up with a couple runners, with whom I hiked up our last major hill. Then it was down that super steep hill. I don't know what I was thinking, but I let lose and barrelled down that thing like I was being chased by a cougar. As I came to more level ground, I kept up the pace. This seemed like a good plan, and was going well, until that final climb the finish line. The distance was maybe 1/2 a mile, maybe shorter, but the zigzag to the top reduced me to a walk right at the end! I swore out loud and got going again. Then walked again. Damn. One more run attempt and I ran into the finish area where one person clapped.

felt worse than it looked
prettier as the days
went on

I had just run the toughest 50k, really any race, of my life and no one was there. There were a couple race volunteers and a couple runners. I felt like the last to finish, but a couple more dragged in after me.

That night my body had fits, reacting as if in mid fall. I dreamed I was still running the race. Seeing the trail under me. I would feel myself stumble and jolt awake just as my body hit the ground. Do other runners have these dreams post race?

This race was a lot more than I bargained for. But it also gave me a lot. Who knew I could throw down 30 miles under these conditions? I have no doubt that I can handle the JFK 50 miler after this. And the Baltimore marathon, which I am also using as a training run, will feel like a freaking gift.

The day after I am sore but also thankful for the experience. My quads are beat up after my downhill blitz. My entire body aches from the effort. But I welcome the pain and enjoy it. Few people understand this. Ultra running and trail running has taking me to places I would normally never venture. The mental strength I gained, the drive to persist, makes me feel strong and able. My only wish is that I cannot share it with my love ones more directly.

Western States 100: pacer's view

2010-07-02T13:24:00.196-04:00

Like a kid in a candy store I approached the Western States 100.3 mile trail run with wide eyes. I was completely honored to be present at the race considered as the "it" event in ultra running. Much thanks to Shannon Farar-Grieffer for asking me to pace and making it all possible.

As I planned this blog I didn't want to bore readers with too many pre-race details. But, honestly, some of my most memorable experiences came before the shot gun fired that had runners head out on their journey from Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA.

Elite runner Connie Gardner and her friend Wayne picked me up at the airport. Once at Squaw Valley (which is not the easiest place to get to from the east coast) I was in complete and total awe of my new surroundings. How beautiful the mountains were that were topped off with snow. Natural rock structures lined the streets and mountains. Trees, though sparse at this elevation, looked strong and defiant in their intent to live and grow up here. Even the darn pine cones were enormous. Almost packed one home to show the kids.

I stayed at a condo in the Village with Maria Clementi (who paced elite racer Connie Gardner) and Jenny (cannot recall her last name) who was crewing for another runner. Our view was that of the start of the race which is all up. I decided then that I would run to the top of the mountain before I left Squaw Valley.

I had dinner with our gang as well as Jenn Shelton and her boyfriend Erik Skaggs. Jenn would be pacing eventual second place finisher Anton Krupicka. He is such a beautiful runner to watch.

Saturday morning I helped at the packet pickup sizing and handing out Moeben arm sleeves to participants. I got to meet so many amazing runners, and the elite moving right along the line with the others. Nikki Kimball was all smiles. Meghan Arborgast, Devon Crosby-Helms came through. The men were equally impressive. I recall Kilian Jornet Burgada unassumingly gather his swag. The one and only Gordy Ainsleigh(originator of the event) and I shook hands. Representatives of Zoombie Runner and Running Warehouse were running. Neat stuff.

Then I was off on my own adventure up the first 3.5 or 4 miles of the course (didn't wear my garmin so had to guess on the distance). I started at the official starting line and, no joke, with 4 minutes decided to hike. Good grief I was sucking wind. Between starting at 6200 feet elevation and running up what usually is used as a downhill ski slope, I determined the smartest thing to do was not run. So, as I struggled for air, I enjoyed the slowly passing landscape and captured some scenes with my blackberry phone. I felt so lucky and alive on that mountain. Difficult to put words to it. The pictures don't do it justice either.

The snow caps were melting and water was flowing everywhere creating beautiful creeks and waterfalls. Little furry creatures (woodchucks maybe) scurried in their holes but seemed comfortable with my presence. I stopped to make conversation with a woman who turned out to be housed along with Hal Koerner. Cool! Most people were walking up and jogging down. There were a couple crazy cats who ran to the top (and took my picture for me). Mostly pacers were taking advantage of this day before the race to get in a run.

It took me about an hour to get to the top. I considered continuing along the course but after about a quarter mile trying not to bust my butt in the sloppy snow, I turned to head back down. Didn't want to risk getting hurt. Took me only half the time to run back down but the loose gravel did pose it's own set of challenges.

Once down I quickly headed to the mandatory race meeting with Shannon and Tamara (also pacing). Again, the depth of runners there this year was inspiring. They called up the top 10 men and women. We gave a special hoot and holler for Connie.

Race morning: Up at 4am. At Shannon's room by 4:30am. Head to start and give last words of encouragement. Count down and she's off with the other runners up Squaw Peak under the glow and guidance of a full moon. The start was exciting and full of energy. But, I knew I would have to settle myself back down and get some sleep to avoid being overly tired when my pacing duties took effect later that night.

Lots of details go into a race this long. I won't bore you with too many of the details, but Tamara and I spent the day checking out and in hotels, traveling, getting our pacing bib, lining up Shannon's requests for various aid stations, keeping track online of our runner, etc...All while trying to keep my own activity level in check to make sure I can pace later. 38 miles was only a small chunk of the 100, but still a lot to cover. I wanted to be ready and rested for Shannon.

We first saw Shannon at Michigan Bluff (about 56 miles in) and she was looking great! Complained a little of some pains, but when you've run this far something is going to hurt. I didn't make much of it. After weighing in and some refueling she and Tamara were off for the 6-7 mile stretch to Forest Hill where I would assume the pacing duties for the remainder of the race.

I do want to mention here how neat it was to see people coming through the aid stations. I did get to see Alan Geraldi and his wife a few times throughout the day. Alan and Cori were both troopers to endure a crazy weekend. It's nice to finally meet people that I have corresponded with.

I drive to Forest Hill (which required navigating a crazy twisting road in Shannon's huge car), set up my camp and waited. I ran into and hung out with friends Jimmy and Kate Freeman. Jimmy had paced Gordy Ainsleigh up to FH.

I guess it was about 8:30pm or so when Shannon and Tamara come into view. I rush over anxious to see how she is doing and to start pacing. Shannon is smiling and Tamara said she was doing well. After a few minutes filling up bottles we head into the darkness with headlamps and flashlights.

Shannon's back and feet are bothering her. She continually is adjusting her waist pack with no relieve. But, despite that, she pretty much hauls butt on the downhill start of my leg. We run on a narrow dirt path and have to watch our footing.

The most memorable part I ran was also the most terrifying. Long stretches of the course paralleled the American River. It was dark and although the moon was full it was so far away and small it's contribution was dim. The river traveled loudly way below us to the left. The trail seemed to be wedged into the side of the mountain. No room to rest on the right unless you wanted to lean into the uphill gradient. I quietly prayed that if either of us fell we would do so to the right. Falling left in a dark pit with raging waters somewhere below worried me. I tried to look to see how far down such a fall would be, but felt dizzy trying to find something for my eyes to focus on. There was only darkness.

The course continued to twist and turn sharply and throw us uncontrollably downhill and humble us to a slow walk on the it's steep ascents. Everything seemed to be going fairly well until right before the river crossing. Shannon was in some serious pain. Her stomach and back were screaming. She was also having problems peeing. We get to the Rucky Chucky aid station and she is weighed. Gained a few pounds and told she needs to up her sodium and pee.

The crossing this year was by raft, which I had mixed feelings about. I both wanted to have the experience of crossing this great river but at the same time was relieved that I wouldn't have soggy shoes the rest of the way. The river was too high to cross on foot, so we were chauffeured across. We get off the boat and are at the 78 mile mark!

The next aid station, Green Gate, is only 1.7 miles away. BUT it's all up. I start to worry about Shannon. She requests a 5 minute nap and curls up with the dusty trail and nocturnal bugs. I flick a spider trying to mingle in her strands of hair. Shannon couldn't care less.

This 1.7 miles is slow going. Shannon starts to double over in pain. I encourage her that we have to make it to the next aid station. I can't do much for her out here. I am don't know how long that 1.7 miles took us (not sure when I stopped my watch), but I think it was about an hour. We got to Green Gate around 5am. Forty minutes to make a decision to continue or call it a day. Heart wrenching to say the least.

She'd made it 80 miles and now the last 20 seemed insurmountable. We had her looked at and tried a variety of things to get her pain level down. Nothing worked. With about 5 minutes left before the aid station closed, we talked. Shannon has Badwater 135 in 2 weeks. Her feet were eaten up. The pain was not going away and could be an indication of something serious. We opted to be smart and drop. EMT showed up to look Shannon over, and although vitals checked okay, they recommended a trip to the hospital or doctor.

The aid station leader asked me where our crew was. I said 'you're looking at it.' We caught a ride back to the hotel from a super nice couple who had been volunteering at the aid station. Thank goodness for them.

Shannon is now recovering and preparing for Badwater. We put a sticker on the back of her car that reads "Badass Bitch" and that's the truth. She's so tough.

I made it back home on the redeye and slept for the next day recovering from the journey.

50 mile North Face Challenge DC: Saying we ran 50 miles, just doesn’t accurately describe what we did.

2010-06-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

June 5, 2010

Cat and I met in the hotel lobby at 4am along with other foggy eyed runners ready for the North Face 50 mile Challenge in Sterling, VA. We questioned our sanity as Porter, my husband, drove us to the start only a few miles from the host hotel to Algonkian Park.

The scene was dark and the energy was calm as 203 runners readied for the challenge ahead. With headlamps lighting our way, we descending on the course with a couple whoops and hollers. The Potomac was rushing next to us, but was unseen in the moonless early morning hours. We were directed to the Potomac Heritage Trail. The surface seemed to change often. From crushed rock, to single track to dense weeds that stood 7 feet high and licked us as we passed.

Cat and I planned to run the first 25 miles easy and stay as comfortable as possible. The first two hours flew by as the conversation kept us afloat without much effort. We did start to run into some obstacles along the course that I guess is why it’s called a 50 mile “challenge” and not just a run. We scaled up rocks, leapt over logs and tried in vain to cross streams with minimal shoe immersion.

Cat and I found ourselves in last place being trailed by the sweeper on a mountain bike. We started to get a little stressed about making the first of the two hard cutoffs on the course. We had to be at the 22 mile aid station within 5 hours and 42 minutes. What seemed a ridiculously slow pace on paper the day before and now suddenly began to look more daunting.

The course was muddy, due to recent rains, which made the steep climbs and descents that much trickier to navigate. Lots of stumbles later, we made it to the 15 mile aid station, Great Falls, which also was the start of a 7 mile loop that to be completed 3 times with another aid station in-between. Cat and I decided to pick it up over the first loop for fear that we would miss this first cut off. Initially the course seemed quite friendly. Wide and soft. A family of deer appeared next to us. Before hitting the mid loop aid station, called Difficult Run, was a single track so narrow that traffic had to be directed to avoid colliding runners going in opposite directions. It was a decent drop into the rocky river waters below.

With a name like Difficult Run, you can’t help but wonder about the significance of the name. I quickly put it out of my mind. Soon I would know. We were getting hot and they had a tub of ice which we scooped into our hats and clothing. Quickly consumed some fluids and food and we were off. This is probably where the course became the most challenging. We turned onto the River Trail, which is described at the most technical portion of the 50 miles. We had to follow little orange ribbons to stay on the right path (which we diverged from twice, but luckily for not too long). As we made our way to Mather Gorge and the river, the trail starts to become quite rocky. And I am not talking little tips of rock sticking up through the trail. I am talking about trying to make a trail over boulders. One orange ribbon would be tied to a branch at the bottom of a mound of twisty large stones and then you’d see the second ribbon at the top.

The prize for our efforts was an amazing view of the river and of Mather Gorge. Breathtaking really. Cat and I both agreed that this was one of the perks of doing this. Seeing things we would normally never see. Many more climbs and tip toeing later, loop one was complete and about 22 miles done. We’d made the cut off with quite a bit of time to spare. We relaxed just a bit longer at the aid station, meeting with our husbands (Mike and Porter) and our kids (Primo, Addie and Thomas). I was not expecting them as I turned the corner to the station and it was a special kind of happiness and joy to see them at this point. Cat and I were both feeling great.

Quick change of socks, extra lube, delicately applied band aids on developing blisters, a rice crispy treat, electro tabs, and a 6 hour energy drink and we were set for the next round. I felt like a boxer getting ready for my next fight.

During the 2nd loop, miles 22 to about 28 ½, our conversation fell into a lull and focus increased on the task at hand. We knew what lay ahead this time. We were passed by eventual 2nd place finisher Michael Waridan and amazed at the swiftness of the top runners. We saw members of the CAF (Challenged Athletes Federation). One woman, beautiful, strong and so inspiring, told us she was going to have to drop due to mechanical problems with her prosthetic leg after mud got into it.

Cat, listening to music, would sing out loud so I could hear too. We sang U2’s mysterious ways running through the jungle like forest. But, mostly we ran, stumbled and hiked our way to the completion of the 2nd loop.

Once there, with 28 ½ miles under our belt, our aid station pace decreased. Cat was starting to feel a little rough and I was still feeling surprisingly pretty good. Mike, Cat’s husband, had planned on pacing this last loop, and Cat and I had agreed that we would separate if one felt better than the other. That said, those first 28 ½ miles were the best. My friendship with Cat deepened as did my admiration for her strength and determination.
Off I went on the last loop keeping in the back of my mind the 2nd hard cut off at 35 ½ miles. I picked up the pace and passed many runners. As we had all gotten to know each other, runners kept asking what happened to my partner. The ultra community is wonderful. My husband said it reminded him of a Grateful Dead show. I made it to Difficult Run station for the last time, clocking some paces in the 8:30 to 9:30 min/m range, anticipating the slowdown that would soon come in the rocky section. At about mile 32 or so, along a big and wide descent, my foot clipped a root or rock and I went flying.

Mid air it seemed there was enough time for me to wonder if this was really happening. I was feeling so great and not having any major problems. Why?! Then I hit the ground, hard, on my left side, hand, knee, lower forearm, elbow, shoulder and upper back. Then I rolled, a few times, banging up my right arm, low back and other hand. I lay there stunned for a moment. Alone. I assessed my injuries. Bloody knee, scrapes and developing bruises. My only real concern was that I had large lumps on each side of the inside of my elbow, as well as a smaller one on my elbow and a bonus one on the top of my shoulder. Knowing that adrenaline and endorphins were pulsating through my veins and deadening any pain I may have otherwise felt, I worried that I had done some serious damage.

With few alternatives, and feeling lucky it wasn’t my ankle, I got up and started again. Within a half mile I ran into a course patroller. She agreed it looked a little weird and said the next medical was at Great Falls, 3 or so miles away. Now, three miles may not sound very far, but considering the upcoming technical terrain and my current condition, it could take an hour. So, I put my head down and pushed on. I didn’t feel sorry for myself as I thought of all the other bloody runners I had passed so far. Falls happen in trail running. Part of the gig. The next three miles I had other runners here and there, which was nice. Most commented on my Moeben Cheetah print dress. The dress actually became my identity in a way. I was the lady in the cheetah dress.

Upon the completion of the last loop, which was also a hard cut off at 35 ½ miles, I walked up to the medical tent and showed the paramedics my damages. The young lady, wearing latex gloves, pressed lightly around my arm and shoulder and said it seemed mostly soft tissue but having it checked by a doctor may be a good idea. An older paramedic pointed out that the back of my shoulder was all scratched up. I hadn’t noticed. He assured me that I would feel it all tomorrow.

Fifteen miles still to go and I had somehow assumed the hard part was over. The trail back tracked along where we had run earlier with one added little loop at the end. Aid station #10 (Fraser) was almost 7 miles away. A huge chunk of distance at this point. Lots of twists, turns, sharp inclines and slippery descents. Shoe sucking mud, stream crossings and a couple suck the wind from your pipes uphill climbs. Each hill that I encountered started to seem like a cruel joke. I didn’t recall this one on the way in. And the downhills hurt just as bad as my quads felt like they may buckle after each foot strike.

It did start to sprinkle lightly and the mist felt wonderful on my skin. Although I appreciated the shade the trees had offered before, I wished now to escape their cover to feel the rain. The dampness that made it through the canopy made the forest feel more like a jungle. I can’t tell you how many spider webs I wiped off my face, how many unidentified bugs crawled underfoot or flew into my face. But, you get to a point where you just don’t care.

Now most of my forward movement was reduced to a fast walk. My Garmin watch had died around 10 hours, so I have little idea of the pace I maintained, but it compared to a slow jog and felt a bit more comfortable.

I was thrilled when I finally saw the Fraser Aid Station at 42 miles. I called Porter to let him know where I was. My hands were very swollen, due to an imbalance of how much water and salt I was taking in. I took some additional salt tabs and made some soup from the cold broth, cold boiled potatoes and a few tablespoons of salt. I declined a medic offering to clean me up.

Two more aid stations to go and I would be home! I only focused on getting to the next one, #11 at Sugarland. I’d be there in a little over three miles and what a long three miles it was. I started passing a ton of people. I was so determined to make it and can honestly say I only had one moment of wondering if I could do this before I shrugged that notion and told myself, what I had already said a hundred times that day, that “I can do so much more than I think I can”.

Once at Sugarland, there was a mini loop of about 2 ½ miles off the main trail until heading to the finish line. The volunteers at Sugarland were so nice. One fellow actually jogged with me a bit chanting encouraging words. I attempted to keep my hands above my heart, hoping that may help with the swelling. I am sure I was an interesting site, hunched over in a fast walk, slight jog, with hands held up.

Back at Sugarland for the last time, we turned and headed down the last 2+ miles on a flat open path. There were more people around me that I had caught up with. Two guys were running 30 sec, walking 30 sec. That’s what 50 miles can be reduced down to. Running just 30 seconds. I picked a tree or flag to jog to. It was an incredible feeling to know that I was going to make it. A little bit of competitiveness had crept up over the last 20 miles and I was driven to pass as many people as possible and let no one pass me.

I rounded the last turn on the grass to the finish line. There were people still there cheering and I felt quite humbled. Suddenly I was flanked my Addie and Thomas who ran in with me. I smiled a big satisfying grin and was so grateful for everything.

I was also grateful to my sister Jenny, with whom I spoke with a couple times while out there. I felt so blessed that she cared. And I have to thank all my facebook friends who encouraged me through that means. Believe it or not, I checked in with FB a few times and felt very encouraged by the responses people left as the race stats were posted.

After the Race:

Once done, Porter had the Diet Coke I had requested ready for me. He told me he had to seriously protect it from other thirsty runners. I really wanted to meet Dean Karnazes. But he was on the stage busy handing out awards. I did yell “I love you, Dean!” and he yelled back that he loved me too and cheered "Go Mom" as I ran through the finish.

Once at the hotel, I went straight up to our room for a cold shower. Porter went to get a couple burgers and some pizza (I was starving as you can imagine). He got to meet Dean and have a nice conversation with him. Damn. Then again, the next morning, as he was loading the car, he saw him again, leaving the hotel. Double damn.

Cat ran the rest of the way with her husband, who had only planned to run 7 miles and would now be running 20! At the last aid station they missed the cut off time and were told to skip the final 2 mile loop and head in. So, although Cat didn’t get an “official” time, she is officially an ultra runner in my book!!

My Stats:

141 out of 203 runners

12:29:00 chip time (a 15:01 min/m average)

9 out of 15 age group, women 30-39

29 out of 39 women total (so few women)

Chip times at various points:

Mile Time

14.8 3:37:38

21.7 5:11:46

28.6 6:54:37

35.4 8:33:41

164 runners finished within the 13 hour time frame.

2010 Rocky Raccoon 100: My Experience Pacing and Sort of Crewing

2010-02-11T16:29:00.000-05:00

In the days leading up to the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile trail race I was a ball of nerves. I read everything I could get my hands on about ultra running, the course, pacing and crewing. Not knowing what to expect was my greatest aggravator. My purpose was to pace ultra runner Shannon Farar-Griefer from miles 80 to 100 and ensure she finishes.

Thursday afternoon I landed in Houston and met up with Shannon and her Moeben ultra running team. Among them would be 50 mile winner Dominic Grossman and third place 100 mile female Connie Gardner. I was in awe of Connie has she showed up toting all her USAT gear bags, I knew I was in the presence of a great runner. Our group consisted of both ultra babies and ultra pros.

Once settled in our accommodations at the La Quinta Inn in Huntsville we headed to Chili’s for some eats. I mention this because I learned that ultra runners is they like to eat… A LOT! It was all about taking in calories for the challenge that lay ahead.

Thursday night I got to share a room with elite runner Connie. She had recently come back from representing the USA in Belgium in the 100k. I was so super excited about rooming with her and wanted to pick her brain about everything running related and otherwise. Connie turned out to be such a humble and gracious person who is genuinely in love with the sport of ultra running. I could hear that love and excitement in her voice as we talked. It didn’t take long for her to start to compile a list of potential ultra races for me to run. In fact, as I crossed the finish line of the RR 100 Sunday morning the first thing she asked me, big smile on her face, was if I liked it and would do a 100 miler next?
Besides discussing running and only scratching the surface of Connie’s accomplishments, we also talked about our families and lives outside of running. Connie is a devoted mother of two girls. Her older daughter was at a dive meet and her younger one was in constant contact via texting. On top of working, she also coaches a trail running group for the youth in her area whose success has spread through word of mouth.

Friday brunch at IHOP only confirmed my observations of ultra runners liking to eat a lot. Shannon pleasantly greeted and was greeted by fellow ultra runners left and right. Everyone knew Shannon. This was her attempt at getting the coveted 500 mile jacket, indicating that the runner has successfully completed 5 RRs within the allotted time limit. It turns out that the RR 100 was also Shannon’s very first 100 miler, so it held special significance.

Back at hotel, Shannon, who is owner of Moeben ultra clothing, outfitted all of us in her cool threads. Some were not even on the market yet, for us to test and give our feedback on. Shannon likes to test all her wears during ultras before making them available to runners. That’s some kind of service! Connie and I had fun trying on the cheetah print dresses, fleece pants, hats and neck gaiters.

That afternoon, Shannon’s other pacer, Cat Greenleaf, flew in from Brooklyn. She came into our hotel room feeling like the new contestant in a reality show she said. Funny, because although it had only been a day, I did feel connected to my new friends. Cat is a super cool NYC girl with oodles of talent. The girl is famous for her achievements.

Cat’s pacing assignment was from miles 60 to 80. She mentioned that she was considering running from 60 to 100. She had run a couple marathons but 40 would be the furthest she had ever gone in one shot. Honestly I didn’t think she would go on after mile 80. Why on earth would she?

We all huddled in Shannon’s room and went through a quick tutorial on what to expect and what Shannon was packing in her two drop bags. Each of these drop bags probably weighed 30 lbs. This is no exaggeration. Drop bags come in many sizes. Some just small with the bare essentials. Not Shannon! She packed every possible need she could have and then some. Calling her well prepared is an understatement.

The major points I walked away with, from our prerace session, were as follows. The chair is evil. Don’t let your runner sit for too long or linger at an aid station. Make sure your runner is getting in their calories and hydrating. Not always easy when stomach issues arise. Salt intake was also a big deal. When they want to quit, you don’t let them. Lying to your runner is acceptable. They have usually dwindled down to a mental marshmallow by the time lying is really important anyway.

The Moeben group drove to the Walker County Storm Center (which is next to their famed Prison Museum) to pick up packets, drop one of the bags and get briefed by the RD. I heaved Shannon’s bag over my shoulder and carried it to the proper location, starting to assume some responsibilities now. Shannon was kind enough to get me a RR 100 fleece. And thank goodness for it because I ended up wearing it as an additional layer the entire night of the race.

Race morning, 4 am, my alarm went off. I quickly dressed and went to knock on Shannon’s door to make sure she was awake. No wake up was needed. She answered the door, fully dressed in racing attire and her number pined right in the middle of her black Moeben dress. Wide eyed she said she’d been awake since 3:30 or so because of a fight going on outside.

By 5am we were on the 10 minute drive to the Huntsville State Park. Passing through the front gate of the park sent an urgent surge through me. This was really happening. Crew Captain, Kate Freeman was an amazingly organized person who was in charge of crewing several runners in both the 50 and the 100. She secured us a picnic table and even made a bed of sorts with hotel borrowed blankets and pillows on the ground. What looked like total chaos to me worked like a well oiled machine.

6 am and the 300 or so 100-milers were off. It was dark and most were carrying flashlights or headlamps to light their way. An hour later about 400 50-milers would also be on the course. The next spot I would see our runners would be around mile 15 at the Mardi Gras aid station off the main road. It was freezing outside so I opted to divide my wait time between the actual station and my heated car.

It was fun to see everyone coming through, feeling good so early on. The sun had come up by this point and people were in good spirits. Shannon came through having already fallen at mile 2! She was told that her finger may be broken and she lost some sking from her knee. Everyone pretty much took a tumble on the course at some point. Shannon just decided to get it out of the way early.

Much of the day was spent waiting, eating and trying to stay relaxed for Cat and I. Finally around 7pm we were all geared up and ready for Cat to take Shannon on loop number 4. 60 to 80 miles on the dark trails. Shannon showed up happy and alert, got changed, ate some pizza and headed back out with Cat.

Standing and sitting in cold weather was not fun. It was freezing. Sometime in the car with the heater on helped. Shannon had been slowing a bit, but I was fearful of being in the car and missing them for the final loop. So I headed outside and sat at our table from about midnight on. Luckily my new friend Alvin stayed with me to keep me company. You can find out a lot about a person in the wee hours of the night, or morning as it was.

At about 3:15 (6 hour 4th loop I think it was) I found Cat staring at me through the darkness. I didn’t even recognize her! I grabbed the latte that was requested and headed to the tent. Shannon was O-U-T! Slumped over in a folding chair with her face covered by her hat. Cat said she had requested a 20 minute nap. I set my stop watch to time the rest. Alvin, Cat and I got her some soup and upon waking tried to get her to drink some of it. Not an easy task when your runner is falling asleep between mouthfuls.

After some coaxing, Shannon, Cat and I were off for the final loop. Cat looked amazing and wanted to continue on. I was thrilled that she was there. Shannon was chattering with cold. Her teeth loudly clanking together. We took a blanket to give her some extra warmth and I hoped that once we got moving she would warm up. We also gave her some ‘no dose’, coffee as walked a bit. I tried to encourage her to run the flats and down hills (that were not too rooted) and walk the hills and more technical terrain.

Only a few minutes into this last loop I could see Shannon was having a rough time. She was hacking up the remnants of her flu and fatigued to the core. She was not walking/ running straight, like her alignment was off. I wrapped my arm around hers to ensure she stayed on the path. My biggest fear was her fallen and not bracing herself. Sometimes she would rest her head on my shoulder as we moved forward.

Shannon was actually falling asleep as she was walking. She’d be moving along fine and all of a sudden be a zombie. At other times she would suddenly stop, flop down to the ground, curl into a fetal position and beg for a nap. It was heart wrenching to make her get back up. The mom in me, my heart, wanted to give her a blanket and let her sleep. But I knew she would be so upset. I used my instincts to determine if she could go on and it seemed that she could. Plus I had prepared myself for her wanting to drop and I was prepared to get her to the finish line.

Shannon was dealing with some stomach issues and having a hard time eating. I was worried about her calorie intake. At one of the aid stations I was determined to get some food in her. Shannon ate about a quarter of a banana and peanut butter sandwich. She also had about half a cup of soup. Success in my book. I let her rest a few minutes. When it was time to go, she looked at me and said that she didn’t think she would make it. She was ready to quit. Without any hesitation I told her that was not an option. To me she had too much energy still in her voice. Later Shannon tells me if I had only said okay it would have been over.

The night running was a new territory for me. The trail, that looked wide and doable when we surveyed it the other day, looked thin, treacherous and tough to follow. I was trying hard to shine my head lamp so Shannon could see where she was going and not fall. Our way was only defined by the occasional glow stick hanging from a tree or on the ground. Stumbling along became the norm for all of us, but especially Shannon, and it scared the heck out of me. But no one fell on that final loop.

The night was mostly quiet occasionally broken by the howls of coyotes and the laughter of the water birds. Mostly we were alone, us three, running in silence. I wasn’t sure what was appropriate to say as Shannon grunted in pain and fatigue. My only words were little encouragements to get her to jog or off the ground and going again.

About 2 hours or so into the loop Shannon started asking quite often what time it was. She was focused on the sunrise to come at 6:30. That became our unspoken goal. Make it to the sunrise. We plugged on what seemed like days but yet minutes. Hard to define time out there. Cat ran steady behind us now having reached further than she has ever run and experiencing some knee pain. In Cat fashion, she totally sucked it up and cheerfully said she was great whenever we asked.

At Dam Road, Shannon was sure we wouldn’t make the cut off. I don’t recall what time it was, but we were well within the station cutoff and I saw no issue in getting in under the 30 hour time limit. (Although that thought also horrified me). A pancake and some coffee later, we were off to run the 6 miles that would take us back to Dam Road.

The trail varied so much along the way. There were parts that were completely passable and easy. Then there were sections of total mud puddles that you could not avoid. You would just sink right in and try not to slip. The roots in some sections were crazy big. There were holes and divots to watch for. I stepped on a branch which came shooting back to me and left a bruise on my right calf. My knee hit something. I felt like I was in a maze and had to keep my focus down to avoid a face plant.

Shannon complained of having something in her shoe. I had her sit down and I took her shoe off to find ½ a cup of sand and dirt in there! I had to laugh when I told her that she indeed did have “something” in her shoe.

All night long we battled to regulate our body temperature. It was odd to feel so frozen that my fingers were numb and then a few minutes later feel so warm that I needed to shed clothing. My nose became painfully red and raw as I constantly wiped it with gloved hands. In fact the skin on my face seemed to be on fire and my eyes ablaze after the race. Had we been running during the day I would have sworn I was sunburned.

The sun slowly started to break the darkness of the night around 6:30 am and within half an hour the morning had arrived. I cannot tell you what the sunrise did for Shannon, for all of us. We happen to be running right along the edge of Lake Raven, along a flat section, that allowed our gaze to take in the rippling water. As the fog was lifting we all commented on how beautiful it was. That this is what it was all about. With renewed determination, we started running longer and more often.

Once back at Dam Road, we knew we would make the cut off. As the countdown got to 5 miles, the celebrating started in some respects. We knew we would make it. It wouldn’t be a great time for Shannon, but given all the circumstances, she was thrilled and looking forward to her 500 mile jacket.

As we came down the final stretch Cat said, and I quote: “I have never been so happy to see people I don’t know.” I sprinted ahead and took pictures of them crossing the finish line. Friends were waiting and congratulated Shannon on her achievement! The RD handed her the coveted 500 mile jacket, and for a moment the pain left and was replaced with pride and a smile.

I have to give major kudos to Cat who ran her first ultra! 40 miles and about 13 hours of running. Here she is testing the potties. They were still okay the day before. Don’t ask about race day potty conditions though. That was okay as she preferred the trees anyway.

I also have to send strong praise to all the volunteers who were absolutely super! Thank goodness they were there to help us with the heavy drop bags.

Metric Marathon October 4, 2009 in Harwood, Maryland

2009-10-10T19:40:00.004-04:00

I felt like I was entering another world as I drove through the farmlands of Maryland, ironically not far from my house-on-house neighborhood, to the town of Harwood, only 12 miles away. I was expecting a small crowd at this event hosted by the Annapolis Striders, but the wonderful weather may have brought some last minute runners to the course that ultimately totaled almost 250 people . Two of these last minuters were my friends Kathleen and Kelley.

I was told the course was hilly with significant hills at miles 12 and 14. The course did not disappoint and lived up to it's "hilly" status. And that hill at mile 14, it was mile 14. According to my Garmin we totaled 2183 feet of ascent/descent during the 16 plus mile race! I was surprised and my knees felt it the minute I crossed the finish line.

Kathleen, Kelley and I started out conservatively, mid pack, with no time goals other then to complete the distance. We all settled into a comfortable pace and the miles literally passed by quickly as we shared conversation and laughs. I was really having fun getting to know my new friends better.

I did not carry any fuel except for one Gu. The water stations were spread out every 2 to 4 miles (I believe) which in general was fine. Got a little anxious for water once. Kelley was kind enough to share a few jelly beans later in the race.

Around mile 14 or so, I started thinking that maybe I was feeling too good. With only a little more then 2 miles left I decided to pick up the pace and see what happened. My motto of "I can do anything for 20 minutes or less" was in the back of my mind as I tried to finish strong. Which, I believe I did.

I am super pleased with this race. Not so much for the time, but for the real joy I had in the event. I am not sure I smiled more during a race then this one. The company certainly had a lot to do with it. Running is about so much more then a fast time. Sometimes the best races may be your slowest. I feel really good about where I am right now. Enjoying the runs and feeling that drive again.

A big hip-hip-horray for race director Melissa Currence! She and the volunteers did a fantastic job.

Okay, so time may not be the most important but here are the dirty details. I hit my lap button at every mile marker, which are never exactly 1 mile, so the actual distance I ran is noted:

1m: 8:45

.99m: 8:23

1m: 8:14

1.03m: 8:36

1m: 8:37

.99m: 8:42

.99m: 8:34

.99m: 8:24

1.01m: 8:38

.99m: 8:36

1.03m: 9:07

.95m: 8:04

1.01m: 8:17
1.02m: 8:32
.98m: 8:32
.98m: 7:51
.31m: 2:18 (a 7:32 pace). So, looks like I did pick up that last little bit.

16.24 miles in 2:18.23 (8:31 avg pace)

112 overall out of 240
18th female overall
5th in age group of 30-39

Recap of Summer 2009

2009-09-13T17:02:00.002-04:00

My lack of blogging is in no way reflective of my running and racing. I have been quite active since the last post, but just not as eager to share the specifics. After the Zooma 10k, I continued to be caught in the rut that has been ever present since Beantown.

Addie and I ran the Father's Day 10k in Severna Park on June 21st. She did great! Me, not so much. Basically I just jogged the 10k. I wasn't feeling like myself and had zero desire to race that day. Addie placed first in her age group though!

Through the rest of June I focused on coaching my 5k group for the Women's Distance Festival 5k (July 11th) in Annapolis. It was a great race and everyone ran a PR! I had a lot of fun running with each of my runners at some point over the course.

July 18th I ran the John Wall Mile. My goal for the summer was to participate in all the Annapolis Strider Race Series events. This, as the 10k, was one of the them. My expectations were low, but I did warm up properly and I did try. Before my 1 mile race I paced Addie though hers. She did awesome and once again walked away with a medal. My sister, Jenny, was there too. She raced and did awesome! I came across at 6:27 and peed in my pants during the last 800 meters. I had my period and thought it was blood dripping, but alas, it was urine. Never had that happen before. Either way, a litte depressed with the finishing time and the fact that I didn't bring a change of clothes.

Since July I have started to incorporate circuit training into my mix. I wrote an article about it for Women's Running Mag (due out in the Nov-Dec 09, I believe) and I am hooked. I feel stronger overall.

On to August. Addie and I head to the next race of the series, the Dog Days 8k at Annapolis Community College. Apparently it uses part of the XC course, which is on trails in the woods behind the college. I have not run on trails in forever and had some reservations given my ankle. But, I strapped on my ankle brace and off we went. Describing conditions as humid is doing an injustice to that day. It was soupy! Addie felt faint afterwards. My time was horrible, but I guess you can't compare a strictly road race time to a part trail race time. Both Addie and I walked away empty handed that day. Addie just barely getting 4th. But the frozen freezy pops were awesome.

At the end of August came the Annapolis 10 Miler (or A10). This is not a series race, but one that gets a lot of press and has been mentioned in Runner's World. Last year I was closed out, so this year I made a point of getting in early. As with all the races this summer, this was done without any specific training. In fact, I had only run one 10 mile long run a couple weeks before. I ended up doing alright. Ran a 1:25.30. Not horrible considering the training and the freakin' hills on this course. Some of the course was similar to the Zooma. It is so hilly back in those Annap 'hoods. Beautiful, but tough. I vowed that day to add more hills into my training and toughen up.

People along the course were amazing. Locals have really embraced this race. Many were giving out food and drinks (one had a table of beer which a runner gladly stopped for) as well as playing music and being very supportive. All in all I had a lot of fun at this race, but not sure I would do it again. I, personally, don't like fighting crowds for the first half of a race. The start was very narrow for the 5000 runners. I know many runners that love the lively, festive and crowded atmosphere, and if I do run it again it would be strictly as a fun race with no race intentions. I just like the smaller venues. That said the long sleeve race top was amazing!

This month (September) I will begin coaching an 8k and a 10k group in Crofton. I am starting to up my mileage in anticipation of the Metric Marathon on Oct. 4th (part of the series) and as prep for a March marathon. I hope to do the B&A Trail marathon. After that I am toying with the idea of an ultra.

I feel like maybe I am starting to get some of my old drive back!

Zooma 10k Race Annapolis MD May 31, 2009

2009-06-01T14:45:00.008-04:00

5 am wake up call! This was an early race with a scheduled 7am start. With the possibility of it being warm in late May, the early start was fine with me. Plus I can get back home at a reasonable time. However, I bet the early start had more to do with city and county issues with the race then heat concerns. More on that later.

Well, it wasn't hot, but rather rainy with some rolls of thunder. I was nervous they would call the race. Arrived by 6:10 or so. Car line to get into the stadium was long for the main gate, so I cut around to the back one and was able to get in more quickly. Love being local.

At about 6:30 I left the car for my warmup. One of only a handful of the 3,000 runners actually warming up. Most ladies (and a few guys) huddled under small areas of cover trying to stay dry. One mile, some dynamic stretches, strides, pit stop and I was as ready as I was going to be. My shoes were already soaked. Not the ideal way to start a race, but what can you do?

The ladies that had parked next to me actually left the race after sitting in their car for half an hour. I tried to talk them into staying, but they said it wasn't worth it. I do not understand that type of thinking. For me, if I get up out of bed, I am doing the darn race! Part of the excitement of racing is dealing with the conditions the running gods throw at you that given day.

The announcer kept us enthusiastically informed of the start time and they certainly started on time. Many people were still in potty lines and there were still quite a few still trying to park or get to the starting line. I am not sure if that was their own fault (arriving too late) or too congested (big backups on the road and potty line).

The start area was pretty slim consider the number that would pass through. Maybe 10-15 people wide. Orange cones were set up right in the middle to help people avoid one of the bigger puddles that had developed. So the starting line was sort of split. I stayed on the left a few people deep. As we headed out, it was one giant puddle after another and by the time we exited the Navy Stadium parking lot, I am sure everyone's feet had gained a couple pounds.

I hit mile one in 7:26. No surprises. Familiar with that area and ran it before (Annapolis Olympic Triathlon). I was pleased with the split and had hoped to stay in the 7:30-35 range for the race. Missed the 2nd mile marker. I hate that. It was somewhere before the base of the bridge. I was mentally prepared for the bridge and have crossed it's pain before. I knew it would be hard, and it was. Holy Schnikey, was it hard. Tried to make up for my major slow up on the down side by letting gravity have it's way with me.
On a side note: That is one thing I really need to work on. Hills. Despite running them all the time in Crofton, I still have issues with how to successfully conquer those boogers.

Covered miles 2 to 3 at a 7:50 pace. Let me tell you "why" I slowed. Past the bridge, I assumed we would hit some more favorable terrain. I was not mentally prepared for the massive rolling course that lay ahead. Call me a wimpy, but it appears more people than not had the same issues. And considering how I placed overall (and the winner's time) my guess is that everyone suffered a little and were certainly slowed by the course. Plus it was still raining. (No excuses though.)

Mile 4: 7:48. Mile 5: 7:57. Mile 6: right around 8min/m. A slow and rapid decline in pace. Positive splits are never a good sign. I did take advantage of the 200 meter downhill to the finish and picked it up to a 6:24 pace (according to the garmin).

Final results: 6.3 miles in 48:50 which works out to be a 7:45 average. I like using the garmin distance here b/c it makes me feel better about the effort (vs. 6.2 miles). :) This is one of the slowest 10ks in memory, but I am not upset.

After the race I made some new friends (two fellow Annapolis striders) and jogged the mile and half back to the start with them. The bridge was no fun on the cooldown either. Ouch! I finished 27th overall (out of 1267 10kers), 23rd female (not a lot of guys in this one), and 4th in my age group. That's a top 2% overall finish. I am pleased with that.

I did love the fact that a woman won both the 10k and half outright.

We waited what seemed like forever for the results. Initially they were supposed to be available at 8:45 but we waited another hour after that. I passed some of the time with Strider and Coach Evan Thomas. I had assumed that awards would go 3 deep in each age group (not that that would have ultimately helped me). Only the first in each age group was awarded. They never posted the results up anywhere for the runners to view. So, at the time I had no clue how I had done.

We did all get cute silver necklaces with a round charm that had the date and race name engraved. I personally like that better then medals, which end up in a pile in my closet (except my marathon ones). :)

Luckily the weather turned for the better and it was beautiful as I waited for results. I was actually the very first to get a massage. A perk to running the 10k and finishing ahead of most. And jogging back (instead of taking the bus from Jonas Park back to the stadium) helped too. After the massage, which was wonderful, I headed to the wine area and, during my wait, tried each of the three varieties a couple times. First time since my college days that I can say I was a little tipsy by 9am.

A local bakery offered mini cupcakes. I snagged a couple extra for my kids. They also had a really good band playing (not sure who it was) and offered boxed lunches, bottled water, and other vendor goodies. I stopped by Arbonne and got rubbed down with some muscle relaxing creme and am now signed up to host a spa party. I am such a sucker, especially after some wine and cupcakes.

Regarding the course: I actually spoke with one of the race coordinators . She said that the course wasn't exactly what they envisioned. I know it is easy to blame the directors for a bad race course, but I have learned that it can be difficult to negotiate all the city & county red tape. Annapolis is know for being difficult with events like this. Most recently the Annapolis Tri was axed b/c they were denied bike course permits. A couple years ago the Cherry Pit 10 miler had similar issues and had to re-route to some awful muddy path/trail (more like a cut through). I ran that and it was crazy.

I would say overall I enjoyed this race a lot. Being it's second year, I am sure there will be improvements made in the years to come. I'll be more ready for the hills next year!

One thing I did learn about myself, is that I have lost a little of my drive. My competitiveness. I don't mind putting myself in a position of pain, and in fact look to put myself there. But, I hit a certain level of push and I just don't feel like pushing anymore. A good example is that I used to always try to reel in the runners ahead of me and I would try to fight off anyone who tried passing me. I just don't give a poop today about that.

I certainly want to finish a race with a feeling that I tried. But I don't know if I want to lay it all out there, at least not right now. I think this will change again at some point. I want to try to be a locally competitive master's runner in a couple years.

I have also felt frustrated with various issues that have certainly slowed me down in the last 4 years. But, isn't running for the sake of running the whole point? Does it really matter how fast I am? Everyone of course will say "No, it doesn't matter if you finish last, as long as you are out there." But, it does matter to me. Maybe that's why I am holding back right now. Maybe I am scared of the results, or lack of results, I will get with a full on effort. I don't have expectations to run like I did 10 years ago. My lungs, ankle, etc.. (not necessarily my age) just don't make that possible. Or maybe I am still just mentally still distancing myself from the Boston Marathon.

Okay, enough of that. Next up is the Dawson's 10k which Addie will also be running. I have no clue about the course, but I have my fingers crossed that it won't be quite as hilly as this one.

Two Mile Bates Track Race in Annapolis, MD May 16, 2009

2009-05-25T21:43:00.010-04:00

I have a love-hate relationship with my Garmin watch. Or maybe this was an inaccurate track. I would love to hear from other runners who wear their Garmin running on the Bates track and what they get as far as distance.

Anyway, took my Running 201 group to this track race as a practice session. We are working towards running a 5k faster then their last (which for most was their first). I thought this environment would be a nice way to talk them through warming up, dynamic stretching, etc.. And the track would allow me to run my race, yet still keep an eye on them as we go around and around.

It was humid. Really humid and pretty warm. I believe this was the first humid day we had in our area and certainly the first these ladies would be running in so far this spring. We went through the warmup, stretching, strides and lined up. There was going to be a "fast" heat run after the "slow" heat ( which I am pretty sure no one appreciated being called slow). I wasn't sure where I fell. The starter said the cut off was right around 7 min pace. Well, that's right about where I thought I would be. So, I decided to go in the slow heat.

As we rounded the first curve, 200 meters into the race, I realized I should have started in the next heat. There was no one with me and I felt bad, so I pulled up after the first lap. Call me a rabbit for the first heat.

It actually ended up being a good thing b/c it allowed me to actually "coach" the runners on every lap! Loved this. They all did amazingly well despite the humidity. Only lost one runner, mid way through, who looking quit pale told me she wasn't feeling so good. I told her to stop, which she did and promptly made it to the restroom to puke. Gotta love running.
A second runner, bless her heart, ran one lap short of the 8 total. We were responsible for keeping track of our own laps and she just lost track. She did finish that 7th lap with a heck of a kick!

Then came the "fast" heat. Off again I ran and this time being out in front was not an issue. There is a little 10 year old girl in our community that rocks these races. I do fear how she'll fair training and racing like she is at this tender age. But, that's a discussion for another day.

Off I run, trying to maintain a doable pace. Officially 4 weeks post Boston, there is no real fatigue in my legs, but certainly a lack of speed work to expect any blazing times. I miss running fast. I finish the race in 14:11 running mile splits that are pretty darn even. Here's where my Garmin, or the track, messed up.

Officially I ran 8 laps or 3200 meters. 1 mile is actual equal to 1609 meters, so technically 2 miles is 3219 meters, 19 meters longer then what we ran. This info only complicates what the Garmin gave me. My Garmin Forerunner 305 tells me I ran 2.13 miles. The track tells me I ran less the 2 miles, whereas the Garmin tells me I ran over 2 miles. And that .13 makes a huge difference in average pace. 7:05 vs. 6:40 min/ mile.

I really don't know where to lay my faith. Training paces will obviously vary greatly based on either race result.

All in all not a bad race, either way. I placed first in my AG and had two of my runners also place. I came in 3rd female OA. I would like to know the darn truth though. But as my husband says, a few years ago, running without all this added technology, the answer would have been known right as I crossed the line.

I want to mention my daughter Addie, who also ran the 2 mile and did so well that she placed 2 nd in her age group of 19 and under. And my son, Thomas, who is participating in the kid's running series, ran the 400 meters like a champ! He was joined by many of the children that belonged to my group of ladies. We all went home smiling with a sense of self accomplishment!

Boston Marathon 2009

2009-04-22T10:37:00.025-04:00

Leading up to Boston, my training was going great. Everything seemed to fall into place, despite the constant nagging ankle injury. Wearing the cumbersome brace an aggravating necessity. Out of a planned 5- 20milers, only one was cut short, in part due to my ankle. The rest were beautiful with a couple going sub 3 hours. The training also mixed in plenty of speed and tempo runs, hill work and strength training. I had no doubt in my ability to run a sub 3:40 marathon. Worse case scenario I would run a 3:45 and still requalify. Since running my qualifying race, I have incurred this ankle injury and hoped it wouldn't slow me down on race day.

We flew in on Saturday, explored the area that evening and had dinner out. Sunday we picked up my bib number and shopped at the expo. I was almost hyperventilating as I got my race packet and was so thrilled to be a part of something this big. We had a lot of fun looking at all the vendors and their wares for sale. Because it was also my 38th birthday, I felt I could over indulge a bit on marathon gear. My daughter even got a future Boston marathon qualifier shirt.

After a couple hours of walking around, the kids started to get tired and I was worried about spending too much time on my feet. We headed to a nearby chapel that offered a mass for the marathoners. I was glad we found this as I needed some spiritual reassurance. Thomas fell asleep and I prayed for God to be with me tomorrow, no matter the outcome.

Before laying down, I set 2 alarms and scheduled a wake up call for 5am race morning. I didn't get much sleep the first night and anticipated less tonight. I was so nervous. More nervous then I can recall for a race ever. I am not sure where the butterflies were coming from. Maybe because I knew so many people would be tracking my splits, or because it was Boston with all it's history or the sheer number of people in the race.

I slept okay and woke up before any of the alarms had a chance to do their job. Before 6am I was in the lobby with other runners waiting for the hotel shuttle to take us to Tremont. Our shuttle was full with people and excitement. The Best Western Running Team was off. By 6:30am I was standing in line for the school bus ride from Tremont St in Boston to Hopkinton.

The bus ride took about 45 min to an hour. I met some nice people and tried hard to relax. I actually was having trouble keeping my breathing and heart rate normal. I was so anxious, it was all I could do to remain seated.

Once at the high school fields a.k.a. athlete's village, I set up my temporary home of plastic bags and a towel near one of the tents. Under the tent was already spoken for, but it wasn't raining (thank God) as initially feared, so I was okay.

I sat down, forced myself to eat a cereal bar, read a trash mag and tried to relax. I closed my eyes, but with the music blaring and the announcer announcing, I decided to just soak it all up. It was fun and interesting to hear about birthdays and weddings as well as about a runner running his 190th marathon. Crazy.

With an hour to go before 2nd wave was to head to the start, I stood in line for the potty, yet again. I delayed this as long as I could and would have used a tree, were there one available. During my 45 min wait in line, I met some really cool ladies. Each inspiring. After sharing toilet paper and good luck wishes, we parted ways to the start.

The starting line is another .70 mile walk from the athlete's village. After handing my bag off to volunteers (who were awesome), I began the final leg of my journey to the start of the Boston Marathon. One final stop at the last possible potties about 10 min before the the start. I probably shouldn't have gone, but again I waited. I shed all my throw away clothes knowing I would have to move quickly to the start after I was done here. I exited with a mere 3 min to get to the 3rd corral. I didn't realize that an uphill hike and dodging people would be the only way there. I made it to the back end of my corral and hopped in at an opening between the metal barricades.

My body was overflowing with tension and strong emotions. To say I felt overwhelmed is an understatement. Then we started to move. Jog, walk, stop, walk, jog. I think I heard a boom, but I can't be sure. I later found out that Bill Rodgers led our wave. Very cool.

The race went downhill right at the start. My concern about going out too fast was not an issue. The start reminded me of triathlon starts. We were all elbowing and running into each other fighting for a spot. I didn't want to expend energy weaving around runners, so I just went with the pace dictated by those ahead.

I had been told that the first 16 miles is down. And this is what I was mentally prepared for. Well, imagine my surprise when a hill popped up within the first mile. And then more and more up hills as we went along. It turns out that although there is a net drop in elevation, the net drop occurs over rolling terrain.

As I hit the 5k mark at 26:39 I was concerned that I still didn't feel good. It's not unusual for me to take 3 to 5 miles to get into my groove on long runs, but races were often different. My pace was slower then I had hoped, but still within requalifying. At 10k (53:19) I had maintained an even pace, but still didn't feel "good". I tossed the split sheet I had laminated and tugged in my sleeve. I knew then that a sub 3:40 was not in the cards for me today.

15k at 1:20.06. My three 5k splits thus far were: 26:39, 26:40, 26:47. 20k at 1:47.08 with a 27:02 5k split. I still wasn't feeling comfortable, but I wasn't feel horrible either. Some minor stomach cramps I had earlier seemed to have eased and I thought a 3:45 was possible.

I crossed the half way point at 1:53.03. This was actually a fun spot. The cameras were set up and everyone was posing for the photogs as they ran by. I could hear all the clicking as I passed and tried to smile.

It was at this point that my quads started to ache. No biggie. I can deal with pain. Then, somewhere around mile 15, I think it was, I knew something bad had happened. My right IT band and especially at the insertion point on the outside of my right knee, gave a sharp shooting pain accompanied with a feeling of weakness, like it was about to give out on me. My ankle quickly followed suit with pain and weakness. I had a moment of panic. The ITB was a completely new sensation for me, especially doubled with the ankle. Each step down on that right leg caused pain and a feeling of weakness. The pain grew and worsened as the marathon continued.

At the 25k mark in 2:15.22. A 28:30 last 5k. The slowing was starting. 30k in 2:46.53 with a 31:31 5k split. Now I knew I was in undesirable territory. I was really hurting and wondered if even finishing this thing was now possible. Walk breaks began, I think, about now. I decided that I would finish no matter how slow. I wanted to cross that line and wear the medal.

I cannot recall exactly when, but it was certainly once I was dealing with the pain of the ITB, that I came upon the Hoyts. This was their 1000th competitive event together. The Hoyt Team consists of dad who pushes his (now adult) son through races. If you think the marathon is impressive, he has also taken his son through the Ironman. I crossed over to the side of the road they were on, and briefly gave a word of encouragement and a wave to his son. For that moment I didn't feel my own pain, only the joy of running and the realization of how lucky I am to be running at all. Facing the difficulties of the physical challenges of this last year are nothing compared ot the lifetime of challenges these two face head on.

35k in 3:21.27 with a 34:34 5k split. 40k in 3:58.44 with a 37:17 5k split. I walked a lot in the final 10k. I wondered with each right foot strike if I would end up stumbling to the ground. Everything from my ankle up was very weak. The wind was fierce, especially towards the end. The temps had dropped and I was getting cold. I climbed the final hill and rounded the last turn to see the banner up ahead. I knew I would make it. I did not want to walk in. I jogged through the finish in 4:16.23. Overall average pace was 9:47.
(My DC National Marathon last year was a 3:41. 35 min faster).

Once you cross the line, the marathon is done but you are no home free yet! I felt nauseous and woozy. I toyed with the idea of wrapping up in a warm blanket at the medical tent I was passing. But, I needed that medal around my neck. I hoisted my leg up on a cop cart and, as my leg involuntarily shook, weaved my shoelaces to free the timing chip from my mizunos. I traded it for my medal which I immediately placed around my neck.

I was asked by a volunteer if I was okay. I had problems forming words properly. Like when you come in from a really cold run and your face is frozen. I asked where we could pick up our bags, and although I am sure it was less then a quarter mile away, it seemed too far to go. I wrapped my foil blanket tight to shield the wind and headed to the bag buses realizing I had forgotten to include clothes to change into afterwards.

All I wanted was to find Porter. He would take care of me. I could feel the emotion, or was it nausea, swelling up. I was worried because we had decided that if we didn't find each other by 3:30pm we would meet back at the hotel. I had no energy to get back on my own. Luckily Porter had been keeping up with my performance via his blackberry with the athlete tracking and knew that something had gone wrong.

I found Porter near the letter "C" in the family meet up area after a brief but tense scan of the crowd. I called his name 3x before he looked my way and we embraced. I finally felt a sense of release and cried. He gave me his coat when I told him I had neglected to think about packing something warm. The kids looked at me with concern. Poor Thomas didn't know what to make of his mommy. He kept telling me that he loved me and kissed my leg.

Cabs were hard to come by, as many runners had the same idea. We walked what seemed like forever, to get away from the most runner congested area to finally flag down our chariot back to the Best Western Roundhouse.

Once in our room, Porter helped me into a tub of cold water. I was able to sit in it for only a few minutes, but knew it would be good for my legs. After a hot shower there was more icing and hydrating. I also developed some monster blisters.

Finally I was ready to wear my medal and walk (a.k.a. hobble) across the street for dinner. It was nice to be around other runners, wearing their medals, jackets and race shirts and celebrate our achievement.

That night, as I replayed the race in my head, I was dissatisfied with how it had gone for me. I knew, and still know, that I have the ability to run a sub 3:40 (or faster). I also get angry because I wonder how much of my ankle injury caused my unsatisfactory performance. Now, a couple days post marathon, I am starting to take a different perspective, thanks in large part to the wonderful support and encouragement I got from friends and family.

My dad ran Boston in 1982 (the "duel in the sun" marathon). He told me he ran 20-30 min slower then his qualifying time and that some marathons are just about finishing. It was important to me to have this Boston link with my dad. Addie, my 11 year old, says she would like to continue the tradition and run the race herself one day.

The last 4 years have thrown some crazy stuff my way. From a condition that causes my lungs to collapse (and thus reduced my lung capacity) to ruptured and herniated disks in my neck. Most devastating was severely injuring my ankle and wondering if I could ever run again at all. This was truly a scary time in my life both professionally as running coach and as an athlete driven to compete. Running is a huge part of my life and how I define myself. I am so blessed and so lucky that I can run.

Random Boston Stuff:
My actual distance covered was 26.53 miles which ends up being a 9:40 average pace.
Some of the items I was offered during the race: lots of high fives from kids who kept count, tissues, water, Gatorade, variety of candy, oranges, Popsicles, beer, mimosa, kisses, wet wipes, wet sponges.
One frat boy told me he loved me and high fived me so hard my hand was stinging.
Saw one male marathoner stop to kiss a wellsley girl.
Saw one lady runner take a guy up on a beer offer.
The runners were able to keep up with the Red Sox game by fans holding up signs with the score.
Here I am right on top of heartbreak hill, at mile 21ish. I am 1:56 into the video:http://wbztv.com/video/?id=75675@wbz.dayport.com
(I am a bit delirious).
The amount of spectators is massive. We pretty much had wall to wall fans cheering and screaming the entire way. It bothered me some the last few miles.

Early 2009 races

2009-04-22T10:23:00.005-04:00

Feb. 14, 2009: Valentines Day 5k: 23:07. Was running a nice pace but fell apart the last mile. I attribute this to being fully engaged in marathon training. Had a long run before the race. BUT, Addie also ran the 5k and did great! She ran a 32:48. I am so proud of her.

March 15, 2009: St. Patrick's Day 5k: Brought my running group home for their first 5k finish! They were awesome despite cold and rainy conditions.

March 21, 2009: National Half Marathon: This is where I ran the marathon last year and BQ'ed. Ran a 1:44.35 and was satisfied. Training run for Boston and to see where I am right now. My estimated marathon finish time, based on this race, put me at 3:38. Right where I'd like to finish in Boston. But the question remains on how my ankle will respond when doubling this race distance.

Open Mic Sprout

2009-03-22T22:01:00.001-04:00

Been a Long Time and Road

2009-02-11T16:15:00.008-05:00

I have not written a thing since after Iron Girl Tri 2008. I think I needed a break from reporting disappointing results. My ankle is a bit better, but I still have to wear an ASO brace for any athletic activity. When the time is right, I will divulge all the gory details. But, I can't right now.

I also had continued pain in my glutes and hamstrings. I have finally been able to find some relieve after a visit to RehabtoRacing in VA. They made some biomechanical suggestions, stretches, wearing superfeet, etc.. and I can honestly say that my glute issues are 80-to 85% better. Some days it feel 90%.

So how did 2008 wrap up for me?

The Annapolis Triathlon ended up getting canceled due to the city and/or county being ridiculous with there demands. It was initially downgraded to an aquathlon and then canceled. Really a shame.

In October I ran the Run for Kathy 5k in Bowie MD. Since this was the 10th and final running of the race, it was quite an event and larger then last year. I was given a free entry and a seated number b/c of my 2nd place finish in 2007. I felt a bit unworthy b/c I knew I wouldn't be able to run as fast due to the ankle and other injuries.
I ran a long warmup, about 2.5 miles to get my achy muscles ready. Ended up running a 23:02. I was pleasantly surprised with that, despite running positive splits. I think I won something in my age group, but not overall.

Later in October, I took my 11 year old daughter, Addie, with me to a Halloween 5k. Just for fun. Ended up coming in 3rd overall in 22:56. There were no mile markers on the B&A trail/course, so I have no clue how that played out. Ankle was painful, but pushed through. Addie ran an amazing 27:50! Unfortunately, her age group was 11 to 19!

A week later I ran the Downs Park 5 miler. This is an Annapolis Strider Champ Series race. Even though I had missed so many (due to the ankle), I thought, what the heck. I got lost driving there and literally showed up about 5 min before the start. I ran to the bathroom and then to the starting line. I decided to relax and took the first 2 miles slow (8:06 and 8:17). As I felt better I picked it up (7:24, 7:54, 7:33). Came in at 39:15 and got 2nd in my age group. Pretty course too.

November brought the Cold Turkey 10k, which I did last year and liked. I decided that I would use this race as training, shooting for T pace or so, and not stress about actually racing. Always a good thought beforehand, but one I often have problems carrying out.
Conditions were far from ideal. Very cold and very windy. Wind is the worst running foe!
My first 5k was a 23:26 and the 2nd a 24:13 for a grand total of 47:38. I was 2nd in my age group (so no frozen turkey for me this year) and 15th female overall. Not too bad considering.

Then December brought a race I would rather forget. The Anniversary 15k. Ugh! I was still recovering from the flu and had my period. I started out okay, but was dealing with general fatigue and things just seemed to hurt. I pretty much threw in the towel at 5 miles. I slowed to about an 8:25-30 pace and just held on. I was very uncomfortable and just wanted to be done. Time: 1:15.40, 3 min slower then the year before.

2009
Now I am in full Boston training and am happy to report that it is going pretty well. I have a V-Day 5k on Saturday that I hope will reflect this. Pray the ankle, glutes, etc.. hold up!

Aflac Iron Girl Columbia August 24, 2008

2008-09-03T19:19:00.012-04:00

After May 1st (ankle spraining day) and an eventual MRI that showed 2 torn ligaments, a torn tendon and a bruised bone, I had to pull out of my planned events for the rest of the spring and summer. With virtually no training I toed the line at IG knowing this would make for an interesting experience. Since Annapolis Tri was cancelled, this was my one and only chance to complete a triathlon for the year! So, I thought I would just look at it as a training day and use it to assess where I stand with my ankle and ham/glute injury.

But, as most of you athletes know, trying not to "race" is tough.

The swim pretty much sucked. I am not complaining here, just my lack of time in the pool and how I positioned myself made for a crazy first third of the race. I could not find a rhythm and was constantly being hit and running into others. This made my breathing rate sky rocket. I finally hit somewhat of a groove after the first turn, by swimming way out. I have used this tactic in the past. You swim a bit longer, but the benefit is that you don;t have to fight and swim at the same time.

I was happy to exit the water and head up for the bike, which I assumed would be my strongest leg. I tried to be careful with the uneven footing through transition. Once at my bike it took me FOREVER to get my ankle brace on. My T1 time was almost 5 minutes! But, as others flew past, I kept telling myself that it was better to be safe then sorry. In the end I am glad I took that time.

Once on the bike, I actually felt pretty good. I tried hard to use the downhills to my advantage and be consistent on the numerous climbs. My quad started to ache right off the bat, but I just ignored it and kept moving. Only 2 ladies passed me on the course and I lost count of the women I passed. But, most were in the older age group that was a wave or two ahead of us.

I rode into dismount feeling pretty good about the bike effort and wondered how the run would go. It was getting hot and this run is hilly (just like the bike). T2 went a whole lot smoother and faster.

Out on the run course, I immediately started passing people, despite that it felt like I was crawling. My ankle was not happy about being asked to run, but it wasn't painful to the point of needing to stop. In fact, the pain shifts around depending on the terrain. What really hurt was my left leg (the original chronic injury). My entire hamstring and butt were in pain and I felt like I was dragging the leg along.

I visually latched onto a lady in my age group and focused on her back. She was going a decent pace and I curbed the desire to try to pass her. The hills were as expected. Painful. Especially "Gatorade Hill", but they had lots of little perks like a ice cold wet sponge at the top.
The last 1/2 mile, of the 3.4 mile run portion, was out in the sun. I was glad I was one of the early waves. I came across the line with mixed emotions. But heck! At least I could do this! A few months ago it was all in question. I had some hope. I know I have a very long way to go, but this was something positive.

Overall I was 5 min slower then my attempt at IG Columbia last year. 2 of those minutes were the first transition. So, without training, I was able to only come in about 3 min behind last year's attempt. Plus, I finally got to wear my cool Annapolis Tri outfit!

Official Results:
.62 mile swim - 17.5 mile bike - 3.4 mile run

Overall Place: 176
Overall Time: 1:56:51
Gender Place: 176
Athletes in Gender: 1665

FEMALE AGE GROUP AGES 35-39
Division Place: 25
Athletes in Division: 332
Swim Time: 22:17
Swim Place: 525

Transition 1 Time: 4:24
Transition 1 Place: 1040

Bike Time: 59:52
Bike Pace: 17.5
Bike Place: 143

Transition 2 Time: 1:37
Transition 2 Place: 427

Run Time: 28:45
Run Pace: 8:13
Run Place: 158

National Duathlon Festival, Richmond, VA, April 27, 2008

2008-06-01T19:07:00.009-04:00

I write this with heavy heart. Since this race I have become injured and have only run once and it was painful. I would have had this posted earlier, but have been dealing with the injury. But, I will leave that for another post and talk about the Duathlon.

Since coming off the marathon, I thought I could just kind of coast through and do well at the duathlon. I didn't do any heavy bike training during marathon prep, but I was on my bike 1-2x a week as cross training. I naively thought this would be enough prep. Just b/c you are well trained in one discipline doesn't mean you can do well in another.

Plus, having run the "Muddy Pit 10 miler" a week post marathon and then trying to get in some harder bike efforts to be prepared for the Du, I did everything I would tell my runners not to do. I lined up fatigued.

My main objective for this race was to see my good friend Susan. We went out the night before and had a glass of wine and some pasta. The wine isn't something I usually do, and won't again. Not b/c of my lack of performance but I think it may have contributed to stomach problems that morning.

The morning started rough. I woke up late! I had set up for a wake up call which didn't come! What a mess. That combined with stomach issues, I called to tell Susan I would have to meet her there. You don't want to feel rushed when your stomach hurts. Since I had taken lightly to the importance of this race, I was ill prepared. Luckily Susan had some Immodium in your transition bag that I was grateful for!

Though the day before had been very sunny, hot and humid for the off roaders, today was cooler, cloudy and drizzled with rain. Perfect conditions if we were only running. Biking on slick roads can be tricky. And this was certainly the case as I have never seen so many people wipe out, have flats or other biking disasters.

Although duathlons may seem like an easier sport then triathlons, the opposite is actually true. I find that duathlons offer a whole different and more difficult challenge then triathlons. Running first is the kicker. Learning to pace that first one can be tough.

With my transition set up, I do my usual running warmup and a few extra stops at the port-a-potties. Susan and I line up. She had tried to cancel on me a couple weeks ago, but I wouldn't let her. I knew her 50 year old butt would kick every one elses! And I was right. She ended up qualifying for World's!

The first run, a 10k, felt real sluggish for me. I had no plan and no expectations really. The course was rolling with short hills. Lots of twists and turns. I decided to just try to keep Susan in my sites. Well, that plan didn't last too long. I came in at 51:36, frankly a little embarrassed.
T1 was 1:18. Not bad since I felt like I was moving in slow motion.

The bike was tricky. The wet roads, windy conditions and hilly ass course made my thighs cry for mercy. The bad thing was that it was a 10k loop, so we got to revisit those monster hills a few times. There were also a few hairpin turns and tight turns. One guy wiped out right in front of me. My husband, Porter, and kids, Addie and Thomas, saw a really bad one-man accident at dismount. He ended up in the ER.

I managed the bike, although admittedly with caution for a good portion of it. I tried to open up on the downhills to make up for it, but the wind on the bridge, coming back, was a killer! I finished the 40k in 1:33.09, a 16 mph average.

I walked into T2 with my bike. I wasn't about to run yet. I was feeling pretty darn beat up at this point, so I figured what the heck. Somehow, and I have no clue how this happened, this transition was faster then the first! 1:11. I can never really figure out where the transition time starts and ends. Maybe it started later then I thought and the walk with my bike was included in the bike ride leg?? I don't know.

Run two was the same as run one but only one loop to make it a 5k. Mentally I wasn't really fighting anymore. Just wanted to finish and eat something, like a big fat doughnut. That's not to say I didn't put some effort into this last run, I did, it just didn't show itself as such. I finished the run in 26:40. Blah!

I would like to try to do well in a Duathlon one of these days. I'd consider going back to this one, but it'll be right after Boston next year. Below are my official results:

Christine Hinton #1236

Clock Time: 2:53:51
Overall Place: 231 / 284
Gender Place: 60 / 87
Division Place:11 / 13
Divtotal: 14
Sextotal: 94

Run1Time: 51:36
Run1Pace: 8:19
Run1Place: 238

Tran1: 1:18

Biketime: 1:33:09
Bikemph: 16.0
Bikeplace: 248

Tran2: 1:11

Run2Time: 26:40
Run2Pace: 8:35
Run2Place: 203

Cherry Pit 10 miler April 6, 2008

2008-04-07T09:33:00.010-04:00

Cold, wet, windy, muddy, slippery, HILLY and tough 10 miler.
The Striders had to alter the normal road race due to restrictions on getting permits at the last minute. What's up with that county officials?

The plan was an easy recovery 10 miler one week post marathon. Despite the seemingly slow pace I ran, this run was a booger!

My Results:
107/266 overall
3rd in 30-39 age group
16/90? females
01:24:34.09

Pictures speak louder then words. So, instead of my usual commantary, I'll let the pictures talk.

The National Marathon March 29, 2008

2008-03-30T17:21:00.009-04:00

Wow! What a day and what a race.

My training for this event had gone pretty well except for a good solid week or so off dealing with the flu. I also had the help of my chiropractor, Dr. Kibby and also some last minute help from Dr. Lee with a couple trigger point injections in my glutes, which had been causing some pretty bad pain.

I arrived at the start with about an hour to spare and took care of a few things, got dressed, ate a snack, etc.... I had worried about the weather, but although colder then normal, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was cold and breezy enough to warrant ear warmers, a long sleeve shirt and gloves for most of the race. I ended up tossing all but my gloves around 18 or 20. For runners is was pretty good. For spectators a bit cold.

About 15 min pre gun, I am in line for a final bathroom trip. Time was ticking and those of use in line were stressed. Right after exiting the stall I had to run, climb over the barricades and hop into the race which was already moving to the start! But, it was all fine in the end.

The start was crowded as most of the 7,000 (I think) were half marathoners. They were easily identified with a big "HALF" bib on their backs. Trying to find my groove, I weaved in and out some, slowed, picked it up. Basically, trying to find my own space. This lasted most of the first 10 miles or so.

The course was more challenging then it appeared on paper. Rolling would be an accurate description. I felt like I was either climbing a hill or coming down a hill the entire time. I tried very hard to relax on the uphills and use the downhills to pick it up.

Right before the half way mark the half marathoners headed to the finish and the marathoners continued on. I asked a half-er for a spare GU, before he parted. There was suppose to be GU on the course and I had not seen any. I had only tucked one in my shorts, that was already consumed. I was stressed. Turned out that GU was offered during the 2nd half of th race. This was a relief b/c I had planned out all my fueling details based on what they said would be available. I am not one to carry my supplies. All in all my hydrating and GUing went perfectly. I alternated Gatorade and water and took a total of 4 GUs. One pre race and then one every hour.
Note to organizers: red Gatorade is not the best choice to offer runners in the later stages of a marathon. I think I do fairly well getting most of the fluid in my mouth, but even the best can have trouble when fatigued. There was no mistaking my miss on my white shirt! It ended up getting thrown on the side of the road anyway.

The only issue I had, that started in the first half, was stomach related. There were port a potties on the course, but I was not going to stop! So, I kept telling myself that the feeling would pass and it did, for the most part. It came and went for the rest of the race, but I just tried to ignore it.

The second half gave me more room, but also more wind to face on my own. I tucked in where I could, but found myself passing people and not wanting to slow to get wind relief. I checked my watch every mile (that I didn't miss) and compared it to the pace tattoo I had on my arm. If I followed those splits I would go below 3:45 and qualify for Boston!!

I also paid close attention to each mile split to make sure I was as close to an 8:23 pace as possible. Sometimes having to control myself and sometimes having to remind myself to pick it up. I liked my Garmin for that reason. Although I did run through some tunnels that caused me to lose reception. Luckily the Garmin is capable of connecting the dots, so it kept the pace, time and distance nicely.

I hit my lap button at each of the mile markers on the course (that I saw). Almost right away I noticed that my watch was not clocking an even 1 mile b/w markers. Many miles were .01 to.o4 longer! I started to worry a little b/c I feared the extra distance may dash my Boston dreams. I decided I need to take this into account, change my race strategy and pick it up ever so slightly. But, even with the extra distance I was able to gauge that I should make it in time (thanks to the pace tattoo).

After the race, with some help from some knowledgeable friends and my husband, we determined that the extra HALF MILE that I raced was most likely due to just running a little extra each mile. The course had many turns and people, so that could account for the extra distance. As my friend Steve put it: " 1 mile is 5280 feet, 1/2 mile is 2640 feet. Divide by 26.2 is right at 100 feet. So it is only 100 extra feet per mile, that is not a lot on a course with lots of turns."

It would be interesting to see the actual distance the elite runners run, vs. more average runners, during a marathon... or any road race.

Back to the race:
I was feeling good, aside from some aches I had expected and could deal with. Coming up to the dreaded 20 mile mark and I was fine (well, you know what I mean. As fine as you can be)! 21 miles and fine! 22 miles and my thighs were aching on the downhills. 23 mile started (I think) on a pretty steep climb and I slowed a lot, my hamstrings and hip flexor started to hurt a lot. I forced myself to look up, use my arms and keep the pace. I felt so focused the entire race. I was anxious every once in awhile, but I never had any strong sense of self doubt or negative talk. I prayed almost the whole time, and kept telling myself that as long as I did, I would be alright. I didn't freak if my pace was too fast or slow, I just adjusted and continued to focus on the task at hand.

I tossed all the extra clothes I was wearing. I didn't care if I was cold at this point. Miles 24 to 25, were windy, I think. I can't remember. I know that I hit my lap button at the 26 mile marker, which lay flat on the road. My garmin read .74 mile for the split. I wondered if the wind had blown the sign, that looked more like a kite, from further up the road. A cruel joke. I had more then the expected .2 still to go.

There was a lady in front of me that seemed to be feeling pretty good. I locked my eyes on her and used her to pull me along. We ran up the final hill to the finish. I considered passing her, but why? I could see the clock and knew that I had "won"! (I was also shocked to later see that my final mile was in the low 7s pace.) Upon crossing the line, I thanked the lady who I had clung to. We hugged and congratulated each other. Both of us smiling.

I finished right behind DC mayor Fenty. My husband and kids ran up to me to congratulate me. Seeing their excitement and love was a better feeling then just having crossed the line.

My Garmin Results:
26.70 miles covered
3:41:40 (8:18/m)

Official Race Results:
26.2 miles
3:41:38 (8:28/m)

I placed:
15th in my age group, out of 75
426th overall, out of 1386 marathoners

Now I am sore (the next day) and am trying to get my kids to massage my legs for me! This day is something that really made me realize that we can all do so much more then we think we can. Don't ever let your thoughts limit you!

Rest of 2007

2008-03-30T17:09:00.003-04:00

Here is a summary of the rest of my races in 2007:

10/13/07: Run For Kathy 5k in Bowie, MD 2nd place female OVERALL!! 22:51
This day was interesting as I planned the race as part of a long run for the day. I ran 4 miles before the 5k another 3 afterwards to give me a total of 10 miles that morning. Finding myself in 2nd place was a total bonus! I got a dinner at a fancy resturant in DC that I have yet to use.

11/18/08: Cold Turkey 10k in Edgewater, MD 1st place in age group. 46:26
A challenging course! Event was run very well by the Annapolis Striders (who I have since joined). Won my age group and was awarded a big frozen turkey!

12/9/08: Anniversary 15k in Annapolis MD's Quiet Water Park. 5th in age group. 1:12.58
Through the twists and winding paved trails of the park. It was raining, almost icing/snowing during the race and, obviously, pretty darn cold. Did this one just for fun. Won a big tin of Christmas popcorn! Just barely though. Some fast ladies were out there! Enjoyed having my sister and daughter cheering me on.

Big Lick Triathlon at Smith Mountain, VA 2007

2007-10-01T14:21:00.000-04:00

September 22nd

1500k swim, 40k bike, 10k run
Big Lick was my last race of the triathlon season and one to do strictly as a fun event with a good friend of mine Susan Airheart. Susan and I had not seen each other in a couple years, so I was very excited to get together. I give credit to Susan as the person who got me initially interested in doing a triathlon.

Susan, driving from NC, and I met at the Fleet Feet in Roanoke, VA to pick up our race packets. Then off for some lunch and to her in-laws house to get everything organized. Jack and Sarah Airheart's house reminded me of a Bed and Breakfast. It was absolutely lovely. Susan and I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning our bikes and getting our stuff together for tomorrow.

Since the race didn't start until 9am (BONUS) we didn't have to get up super early like for most other tris. But we did make sure that we got to the race site early enough to park close to the transition area. I knew that I would have to take it easy b/c I was within my window of possible lung collapse. I usually don't workout or compete during this time, but Susan and I had been trying to get together for so long. I wasn’t going to miss this chance. (I had planned on devoting a Blog post Catamenial Pneumothorax, but have yet to get one together.)

I warmed up in the water which was refreshingly cool. It felt really good. In my second race ever in a wetsuit, I tried a sleeveless version of the neoprene and liked it. I was in wave 5 and started with the collegiate women. Wonderful.... I don't feel old, until I'm lined up with 20 year olds! It was an in the water start, waist high, so no treading water. Right from the first stroke I struggled. Struggled to catch my breath, struggled to find a rhythm. I usually swim 3 strokes b/w each breath. Maybe b/c of my lung issues and the time of the month it was, but I was unable to feel like I was getting in enough air. This causes instinctual panic on my part. My heart rate and respiratory rate sky rocketed. I tried calming myself down and decided that I would have to breath every 2 strokes. That had me pulling with the same arm almost the whole way. I ended up with a nasty little burn on my neck from the wetsuit rubbing where my head turned to breath. But, the good news was I swam less off course then in prior tris and I made it out in 29:21, which is faster then at Annapolis. Swim PR! (Easy to come by when it's only your second Olympic).

T1 was, as usual, a lot slower then I would like. 2:23. I’d like to see something under 2 min.

The bike course was hilly. You had to run uphill out of transition, and most people ran up a bit further b/c of the difficulty of starting on an incline. I thought for sure I would catch my breath now and hammer out a decent ride. But, once again, I was struggling to breath and could feel my lung was not happy to be doing this. There were a couple hills requiring me to get out of the saddle. I had to remind myself that I am not racing this thing, I slowed down and relaxed. After a few minutes I felt good again and was able to pick up the pace. So, although it started rough, my bike ride felt good and I finished strong. Susan caught me on the bike and we pretty much rode in together. Unfortunately, there was a not so lucky guy who wiped out right in front of us in the turns and twists of the finish. It took me 1:21 to cover the 40k course. I don't know what that is for an average, something like 17-18 mph?

T2 was, again, not that speedy. 1:09. I would like to see that under a minute. Susan went flying past me in transition and I never caught her again. She ran an amazing 10k.

Now, let me tell you, this may have been one of the hilliest 10ks I have ever run, let alone attached to a swim and bike. It was getting hot and the shade was minimal. It started along the bike course. The first mile was up, except right at the start. I kept telling myself that this will make for a nice finish. I did not push the run, b/c of the whole lung thing, but didn't jog it either. I would guess it to be a tempo pace. Breathing heavy, but not going as hard as I could. I tried hard to enjoy the run, but the hills were killer. There was one hill that I would say was just plan 'ole mean to include. We shot down one road for, like a quarter mile, then turned around and came right back up that monster! I was down to a shuffle but did not give in to the walking demons. I tried to pick it up slightly in the final mile and shuffled up that final hill and then down to the finish. I ran a 53:32 (8:37). I was happy with that b/c it felt a heck of a lot slower.Once I crossed that finish line, I was so hot, I grabbed a bag of ice, bottle of water and ran right back into the lake. Ahhh.....

Susan ended up winning her age group! I got 8th in mine. Total time was 2:48:21. We enjoyed the Outback lunch and awards. It was a bunch of fun.

Annapolis Triathlon 2007

2007-09-13T13:45:00.000-04:00

Annapolis Triathlon
Olympic Distance
September 9, 2007

I was super excited to be participating in the first running of the Annapolis Tri and running as a member of the Annapolis Triathlon Club! Go Crabs!

On Friday, the 7th, I was one of the first athletes to pick up my race packet. Saturday, I had to go back to the Stadium to pick up my parking pass (I didn’t have the cash for it on Friday) and to set my bike up. I must admit the 2 transition thing kind of messed me up. My brain was a bit scattered that weekend anyway. I looked at all the empty racks at the Stadium and was surprised that no one had set up yet. It was already 3:30 pm. My husband began to make me doubt that we were supposed to pre rack our bikes. Then suddenly, like a brick falling on my feeble mind, I realized I was staring at T2, where we would be coming in with our bikes. Before I could take my bike to the correct location, I had to detour back home to get my bike number. I told you my brain was not working properly that weekend.

Finally I am at City Dock. Hurray! People and bikes were a plenty. I did a practice run through and examined the water from the dock anticipating my swim (and possible Sea Nettle encounters).

I was up at 4:30 am Sunday morning and was out the door a bit after 5am. Things were already hopping as I pulled onto the dark grassy lot at the Navy Stadium. I gathered my items, one more sip of coffee, and headed to T2. It took no time to find my spot and set up my running stuff. It felt kind of sparse and I was sure I had forgotten something. But, satisfied I headed for the school buses that would take us to City Dock. My (race issued) big white hefty trash bag was burdened with all the items I needed or could possibly need.

At T1, music was blaring and I could see weary eyed hotel guests peaking out from behind curtains wondering what these crazy people were doing at this insane hour. I found my bike and started to set up all my “stuff”. My general rule, with regards to tire pressure, has been to slightly over inflate the night before and then leave it alone. But, caught up in the moment, I decided to borrow a pump. I attached the foreign pump to my valve and, to make a short story even shorter, I broke that valve right off. A fellow crab member, Agnes, quickly calmed me and had me heading to the Bike Doctor tent for help. I don’t know who ended up giving me a new tube, but God Bless You! I was about to cry. I was not the only one dealing with a dilemma. One guy was anxiously running around asking if anyone had an extra pair of goggles and an announcement was made asking for an extra pair of bike shorts. Stress!

Okay, so back in good shape. Still plenty of time until my 7:30 wave. Everything was laid out. I nervously shifted my items around my mini canvas. Setting up transition is kind of like painting a picture or decorating a Christmas tree. You tilt your head, examine what you have done and tweak it until you are satisfied.

Time to apply the SafeSea, a thick creamy lotion that, I found out, really can sting your eyes. And if you are looking for a good way to remove your race number markings, this will do the trick. Before I realized it I had black smudge all over my race top.

I borrowed a wetsuit from the folks up at TriSpeed. Nice people. I practiced swimming in it once the Thursday before the race. I also strolled around the house to get a feel for it. My 3 year old son thought I looked cool, like a super hero! Love him!

The wetsuit wasn’t that hard to get on. I used some Body Glide but I don’t think it was as tight as it probably should have been. Once on, I started to sweat. Those suits are hot! I put mine on about 30 minutes too early. Not wanting to take it off or fiddle with it anymore, I just dealt with it.

My wave of neon (you’ll never wear again) pink capped ladies jumped into the water from the dock. The water felt refreshing as it rushed to fill my suit. I was certain I heard Mr. V say we had 2 ½ minutes. I was adjusting my goggles, ear plugs and cap as we suddenly were counting down from 10! Holy Poop! Within the first few strokes my left eye goggle was leaking. I planned to just deal with it, but the water stung my eye and I had visions of bacteria laden water seeping into my body through my eye balls. I pull up, adjust goggles and go again.

The 1500k swim felt pretty good. My goal was to stay relaxed and save energy. I didn’t want to tussle with the other swimmers, so in my attempt to avoid that, I ended up swimming a bit too far out. I could not stay on course! I had a hard time sighting and swimming straight. Instead of dodging legs and arms I was trying not to run into the ships and the people on canoes. The funny thing is, I still ended up getting kicked right as I was pulling up to the finish.

The people pulling us out of the water were awesome. I am sure there would have been a lot of face plants if those wonderful volunteers were not there. As I ran to my bike, a girl was spraying a hose at us. I open my mouth wide to get the yuckies out from swallowing some bay water. I finished the swim in 31:38. I was hoping for under 30, so not too bad.

If there is one thing I really need to work on it is my slow transitions. I am such a turtle. It took me 3:32 to get off my suit, get my bike stuff on, dump all my belongings in my bag and in the box they provided and get my bike out. I even attempted to be speedier by having my shoes already attached to the bike. They were not that easy to get on while trying to ride. I’ll have to rethink that.

I loved the bike course. It’s beautiful, challenging and canopy covered for most of the ride. There were some narrow spots, but all in all I enjoyed this leg the most. My goal here was to extend myself but make sure I had enough left to finish the 10k respectfully. I kept a steady pace, held back some, and ended the 40k bike in 1:14:02. That’s a 19.1 mph average. Very happy with that! My cycling has improved a lot this season. I enjoy climbing, but that one booger of a hill (on Herald Harbor?) was a beast. Ouch!

Into T2 I was ready for the run. Thankfully someone put a pink bandana on the rack I was using, so I could find it within the sea of people and their choosen machines. Rack, shoes, hat and go. I thought I was moving pretty fast, but it still took me 2 min to get out!

The organizers had issues with the city and county when sorting out the details of the run course, so even though I had run what I thought was the course the weekend before, it had almost totally changed. But the change made it slightly less hilly, which was okay for me. We started with some loops around the stadium, then an out and back to the central circle, and then up the Naval Academy Bridge, to the turn around, and back to the finish. The bridge offered a beautiful view, but at a painful price. It was also getting quite hot. I drank as much as I could, even slowed down at each water station, but did not walk a step, despite many folks around me. I felt like I was crawling at a snail’s pace but was pleased with the finishing time of 52:46, an 8:30 pace.

Running into the Stadium, down the field to the 50, picture on the jumbotron, announcing your name was really fun. Despite all the resistance that was felt putting the triathlon together, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of spectators along the entire course. The bike course was lined with people holding signs and ringing bells. People were everywhere and cheering! I felt very supported by the people the race affected. I also have to give kudos to the numerous and awesome volunteers! They were amazing!

Results:
Swim: 31:38

T1: 3:32

Bike: 1:14:02; 19.1 mph average
T2: 2:00

Run: 52:46; 8:30 pace
Total time: 2:43:54

16th out of 58 on age group

100th female out of 377

581 finisher out of 1258 total athletes ( a lot of men)

IRON GIRL COLUMBIA, MD AUGUST 19, 2007

2007-09-01T17:31:00.001-04:00

Iron Girl August 19, 2007

The build up for this event was quite something. Emails counting down for weeks and pre race activties starting 3 days out. I was mentally exhausted, and ready to race, when I finally toed the line.
I woke up at 4am Sunday morning after several dreams of sleeping late and missing the race. I was out the door by 4:45 am and, although it was a pain to rack my bike the day before, it was nice not having to deal with it now.

It started to drizzle on the way there and I just hoped it won’t start lightening. But, the weather remained overcast and rainy, which are conditions I enjoy. A couple miles out from Centennial Park, at about 5:25 am, I was surprised it was already backed up with cars. But, things moved pretty smoothly and not too much later I was directed to a spot.
I grabbed all my gear and headed to transition. Quite a site to see almost 2000 bikes lined up. After being body marked I set up my area. You always feel like you are forgetting to do something, but finally I left satisfied.
I really wanted to get into the water to warm up. I walked the quarter mile or so, to the start. I didn’t see anyone in the water and asked an official if we would have a chance to get in prior to the start. Looking frustrated she told me no and that I can warm up by walking back and forth! This was not acceptable and apparently I was not the only one who felt this way. Off in a corner of the lake, were a few ladies testing the waters. I felt a little like I was a kid trying to get away with something, but I had to! So, I got in about 5-10 min of a warmup.

I was the third wave to start after two older groups. We were called to get in and jumped off a wooden dock into the waters. I swam around trying to find a good starting position and settled on the far side, near the bouy. I was trying to limit the amount of people near me. We had to tread water for about 3 min before we were sent on our way.

THE SWIM: was crowded, despite my attempt to stay out of the congestion, I found myself surrounded. IG is known to attract newbies. I’m not sure if this is the reason I was kicked and punched more then I recall at other tris. Once in the face and once in the abdomen! Took my breath away and messed me up a bit. The turns at the bouys, for some reason, always turn into stopping grounds for people. Lots of physical contact going on at each turn since people would come to a halt or switch to breast stroke. When I finally seemed to find a spot I could call my own, I started picking up stragglers from the other waves that had left before me. God bless these older ladies doing side and breast stroke the whole way! The water itself was great and temp felt wonderful.I am not a fantastic swimmer, and had a couple things slow me down along the way, but I finally exited the 1k swim in 21:30. This was the 61st fastest time for my age group.

THE TRANSITION: kind of sat in a bowl. So, it was up a grassy, damp slope, pushing the bike, before being allowed to mount (T1) and a decent, after dismounting, coming back off the bike (T2) and into the run. I almost busted my butt trying to control my bike running down the slope. I’m sure someone fell.T1 took me 2:48 and T2 took me 1:22. I really need to work on these.

THE BIKE: was a lot of fun. I was determined to use the knowledge I had of the course to my advantage. I knew the hills we would encounter and was ready. I worked the downhills netting a max speed of 40 mph. I felt good and didn’t let the fear of wiping out slow me on the downhills. There were also some serious climbs that slowed me to 8 mph. There were a lot of ladies out there, encouraging each other, which was nice. I mostly passed people, but was also passed by a few. I finished the 17.5 mile ride in 58:19, giving me an 18mph average. I am happy with that. And it was good enough to give me the 21st fastest bike time in my group. At this point I was in 17th place overall for my age group.
THE RUN: was slower then I would have liked. I really pushed the bike and could feel that exertion trying to run. The drizzle and overcast skies, my ideal running environment, felt good though. The course took us on mostly paved trails though the canopy of Centennial Park. The majority of the course was rolling with short climbs and descents. I started to feel better a few minutes into the run and clipped along pretty well, I believe. I’m not sure where I began my decline, but I think it had something to do with a couple ladies flying past me and a hill they named Gatorade Hill. A hill that has been honored with a name, is usually not a good sign! We got to run down it before struggling back up. I think here, on this hill, I mentally let the the discouraging voices have their way with me. The run was a total of 3.3m and I finished it in 27:15, which is an 8:01 avg. It was the 28th fastest time in my group. Being a runner, I had hoped to do better here. But I am still learning how to balance the disciplines and evenly distribute my effort during a triathlon. It’s not that easy to figure out. I also should have had a gel or goo or something along the way. I didn’t think I would need one, but looking back, it would have been smart to do so during the bike. Crossing the finish line was festive. Your name was called over the loud speaker. I received a metal and a nice visor! I also enjoyed a free massage and quick results.

POST RACE: My only disappointment in the event was how the post race festivities compared to a previous one that I did in Florida last year. I expected the same, which was a banquet type atmosphere, food and goodies, but got the usually bananas and bagels. Nevertheless, how the race is organized is what is most important and that was very well done. My personal finish results were:1:51:11 finish time82nd overall / out of 167115th age group/ out of 361

Blackwater Traverse Long Course Duathlon 2007

2007-07-16T21:06:00.000-04:00

Cambridge, Maryland
Run 12k- Cycle 73k- Run 8k
July 9, 2007

This was a crazy event! The weather on race day was hot, sunny and humid. The right mixture that many athletes fall prey to and did. I got up at 3:30am and arrived at the race site by 5:30am. The fog on the way in was thick at times, so I knew it would warm to a humid day.

My ‘all women’s’ wave took off at 7:05am. The run was a flat out and back stretch and the sun and humidity were already doing some damage. I took water at every aid station in an attempt to be ahead of the game. I was surprised at the pace the front ladies were pushing as they quickly disappeared from my view. The plan was a conservative first run and I hit the first mile in 7:28. Faster then I wanted. I slowed a bit to my planned 8 min/mile pace and ended up averaging an 8:13 b/c of a slow last mile. I anticipated that I would finish the first run somewhere near the top, but was surprised when I counted 23 girls ahead of me as they past the turn around point. The competition was amazing!

During the final mile, of the first run, I started to get chills. It was way too early in the game to be getting dehydrated. I planned on really loading up on the bike.

In T1, as I leaned over to change my shoes (this is gross) and I peed in my shorts. I have never had such a lack of control, so I just let it flow. Hopefully no one noticed! I didn’t rush T1 too much and headed out for the first bike loop.

The riders, at least around me, were pretty strung out and I had no one to follow. I was nervous about going in the wrong direction (I heard someone had later). I was actually happy when someone passed by that I could follow. My plan was to average 19-20 mph. Well, that fell kaput almost immediately. I’m not sure what the cause was, maybe heat and fueling issues, but my inner thighs went into this precramping mode almost constantly for the entire bike ride. Getting into aero position made it worse. I kept fiddling around trying to get comfortable. Stood up and stretched and stuck my leg out to loosen up. Nothing worked.

It didn’t help that I was being passed repeatedly. One nice lady offered some advice, but I couldn’t hear what the heck she was saying. I got excited when I finally saw that I was coming up on someone, until I saw “78” on his right calf! I couldn’t catch a break on the bike so I muscled through. The second loop pretty much was a repeat of the first. Lots of pain. I’m not sure what I ended up averaging because my bike computer is messed up and I heard the course was actually a little shorter then 73k. I am guessing it was 17mph or so.

I drank and took in gels on the ride, but the second run was torture. I got off my bike and my inner thighs screamed at me to stop. The first few steps were interesting to observe I am sure. I passed quite a few people on the run despite my dismal pace. One guy was trying to deal with leg cramps and most people were doing a mix of running and walking. I decided I would walk through the aid stations, but actually ended up taking more walk breaks after the turn around. Each aid station was an opportunity to dump ice down my top and shorts. I put a handful of ice cubes under my hat in an attempt to stay cool. Thank God they had ice! It was so hot and the sun seemed to be relentlessly shining a direct beam on me.

I was determined to run the last full mile in and did so finishing the last run in 51:48, a 10:26 pace. That’s embarrassing to say. It actually felt slower with all the walking I did. It seemed like a death march for all the competitors around me. Every single person was walking at some point and guzzling water and Gatorade. I just wanted to finish.

When I came across the finish line someone offered me a spot to sit under the tent. I knew if I sat down I may never get back up again. There was a sprinkler mid field, of the track we finished on, with kids running through it, my son and daughter included. I walked over to it and stood there for a few minutes cooling off in its spray. It was a relief to be finished.

It turns out that I dropped another 10 spaces from the first run to the finish. That didn’t surprise me. There were also some DNFs and a couple people needing medical assistance. So I am happy that I finished my first attempt at the long course Du under these conditions and learned a lot that should help me improve greatly for next year. Yes, I plan on going for it again in 2008.

Official results:36th female overall, 8th in age group, time: 4:27 (ouch).

2007-05-14T17:03:00.000-04:00

Maryland!!

In December of 2006 my family moved to Maryland from Florida. My husband received a promotion so off we went. Unfortunately our home in FL has yet to sell! Anyone interested, let me know!

I had to get used to the colder weather running quick and actually felt very invigorated by the cooler temps. It was really nice not to have the sun beating down on you and sweat stinging your eyes constantly. I also had to get accustomed to the hills. But, like the weather, I found ways to make the experience a positive one.

I set off to familiarize myself with local groups, stores and races. I decided my first local race would be the Cherry Pit 10 Miler in Edgewater, MD. It was scheduled for April 1st. I trained solidly for this race and the week prior to the event my lung collapsed for the fourth time. I did what I would never recommend, and that was nothing. I had not established myself with a pulmonologist here and wasn't even sure where the ER was. I monitored myself and could tell from the past experiences that it felt about the same in severity. All week I was wiped out and any hope I had of mustering some strength to run the 10 miler was gone. I was pretty upset and immediately began looking for some race, anything, so at least my training wouldn't be a total waste.

April 21st I jumped into the Earth Day 5k at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. It was a sunny but chilly morning and I had zero expectations since it has been a few months since I had done any racing. The course had some short rolling hills and winded through the paved trails in the wooded park. Very pretty. The biggest hill actually came about 400 meters into the race and surprised my legs a bit. But I went out easy knowing it was there.

The 5k was a small race, a couple hundred folks I would guess. A group of kids shot off like they were on fire when the race started. I caught all of those boys, except one. He may be the runner in that mix. Well, after the first half mile I found myself within eye sight of the lead women. I was in about 5th place. I easily caught the next two ladies and kept the lead two close. I started thinking that perhaps I could win this race. During the second mile I decided to pass the lady in second place. She didn't give me much of a fight. Stayed with me for a bit and started to drop off. Hmmm... could I catch the woman in first?

I told myself I probably could if I play the game right. Wait to pass her. So, I held back until I was about half a mile from the finish and I passed with confidence, even though I was starting to tire. She tried to hang, but after a short attempt receded. I was kind of shocked at how easy it was. Now I run with fear to the finish line. Scared someone will suddenly come up from behind and steal the race. But, that doesn't happen and I come in with a nice gap between me and the next woman.

My time was 22:38. For me, at this juncture, is satisfying. It is not close to what I was once capable of, but I am thrilled with winning (it's only the second time I have won a road race). Considering the move, lung collapses, etc.. I am pleased.

May 6th was my next planned race, the Governor's Bay Bridge 10k run. This is one of the area's largest events with tens of thousands of people showing up for the run or the walk across the Bay Bridge. It's a point to point, starting on Kent Island and finishing in Sandy Point State Park. I got up before 5 am to make it there in time to pick up my packet and get on the bus that would take us to the start. It was very windy and chilly that morning. In fact, windy doesn't adequately describe how breezy it was. It was blow-your-hat-off kind of wind. It was sand-blowing-and-stinging-your-skin kind of wind. It was not comfortable and people started mumbling that the race may get canceled.

As I sat on the bus, next to an older runner, helping him get his chip on his shoe, the bus driver came in and said the winds on the bridge were too strong and the race was canceled. I was on one of probably a couple hundred buses, all full with runners. This started a mix of mass exodus and then those of us who wanted to know if an alternate course (as stated on the site) would be run.

Well, after much confusion, it was confirmed that a race would be run in the park. First it was a 4 miler, that became a 5k, that actually officially measured out to be 2.93 miles. Whew! It was a mess but I tell you, some really neat people stuck it out. The real runners! :)
During all the confusion I went exploring and put in a good 3 miles. I was very warmed up when the race started at 8am. The wind was bad on the roads, but when we ducked into the woods it was calm. The park really is a nice place to run. My plan was just to have fun and enjoy it as much as I could and give a decent effort. I finished 5th female overall, 2nd in age group with a time of 21:55. I then ran an easy mile to cooldown and counted the day as a nice 7 miler.

I have to give my thanks to the people who volunteered and organized this race. I know it was as much a disappointment to them as it was to the runners.

IronGirl Pic and Results

2006-10-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

5K Top Ten
1. Christy Phillips - 44 - St. Petersburg, FL - 19:29
2. Tracy Parker - 36 - Odessa, FL - 20:03
3. Judy Maguire - 47 - Clearwater, FL - 20:21
4. Donna Nesslar - 44 - Largo, FL - 20:33
5. Karolina Skourti - 38 - Dunedin, FL - 21:34
6. Loni Smith - 25 - Lakeland, FL - 21:41
7. Christina Simpson - 44 - St. Petersburg, FL - 22:10
8. Stella Valitutto - 32 - Tampa, FL - 22:24
9. Christine Hinton - 35 - Dunedin, FL - 23:00
10. Alyssa Franks - 15 - Lutz, FL - 23:09

I guess once they took out the three team runners I went from 12th place to 9th. :)

IronGirls 5k in Clearwater, FL Sept. 30, 2006

2006-09-30T20:13:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed this race very much! It seems like it has been awhile since I have run a 5k (only) race. This was first class from the onset. I was invited to attend, which basically meant they graciously paid for my entry into the race. This was based on running in some past local races.
This past week my training was on the super low side due to my lung issues, which I promise to explain further one of these days. My expectations were to run somewhere in the 23 minutes range. I wasn't sure how my recent tri training would effect my road racing, so it was hard to set a goal. Then, I learned the course would include 4 hills. 2 shorter and steeper ones and 2 going over the causeway bridge. These were longer... a lot longer. So, I gave myself a bit of a time cushion upon learning this. It may not sound all that daunting, but to us here along the flat Gulf Coast, the biggest hill we get is going over a speed bump!
The start was a little delayed due to getting all the proper streets closed and safe. Waiting is never easy before a race, but the MC helped to keep us motivated. Once off, and on our first hill right away, I tried hard not to go out too fast. The running sin I usually commit. Down the road and up the bridge I was feeling really good. I missed the first mile marker, so I wasn't sure of my pace. I told myself to go with how I am feeling and not worry so much about the time.
Up hill number three, seemed the longest to me, I dug my eyes into the lady in front of me. She seemed strong and I envisioned being an extension of her. 4th and final hill was quick but still hurt. I knew it was flat and down from that point and tried to give what I could.
I hit the turn for the final stretch and saw the clock below. It read 22:40. I thought, "Darn, I have got to be more then 20 seconds from the finish line". Then something in me said, "What the heck, go hard and see what happens." I crossed the line in 22:58.
Although, in the realm of my entire running career this would be considered a slow time, I was pretty happy with how I did and that I met the goal I had set for myself.
I ended up 12th overall and 3rd in my age group. I received a neat sterling silver pendant with the IronGirl logo and year on it.
This race was one of the best races I have run. Not because of the course, but because of the obvious effort that went into making this women's only event fun, high energy and friendly. Everyone I came into contact with was super nice. Afterwards I had a chance to visit the vendor tents that were set up. There were free samples galore. I received a complimentary massage, food samples, drinks, free pictures from Ryka shoes (that they took and printed within a few minutes of finishing), free magazines, and a gorgeous and huge buffet of fruit, muffins, breads, and hot breakfast wraps.
The results were quickly posted and the awards went smoothly.
I will definitely seek out this event to do again in the future.

INVITATION TO POST A RESPONSE!

2006-09-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

Okay all you runners, cyclists, swimmers and triathletes:

What race would you list as the BEST? Is there one of you have done that has the best course, support, t-shirts or post party? Spread the word so others know which dates to hold in their race calendar. Feel free to include pictures.

And, always feel free to post a question or topic that you would like to see discussed.
Coach Christine

18th Annual Tarpon springs Triathlon 2006

2006-09-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

1/4 mile swim, 10.5 mile ride, 3 mile run

Well, I now have another triathlon under my belt and felt more confident with this one.
Anyone who is familiar with Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs FL, knows how pretty and "one with nature" you can be there. The waters offer lots of grassy areas that are home to all kinds of sea creatures. On more then one occasion I have seen dolphin mere feet from me. Quite amazing.
But, on a morning with low tide, it can be kind of gross to swim in all that. The sand in the grassy area is very mushy and unstable. And there basically was no water over the grass. So, we all swam through the grass. Each stroke brushed along the sea garden and bumped into various critters and wild life. It motivated me to try to swim faster and get the heck out of there. Lots of people were getting the willies in the water. The swim was crowded too. I am glad I had a couple swims in me before this one. I was knocked around a lot.
When we exited the water, we were covered with little slug-like sea bugs. I later named them Sea Boogers, b/c that's exactly what they looked like. I guess they were in the grass.

I transitioned pretty quick, for me, and headed onto the bike course. The course itself was quite nice. Through the park and into some of the more wealthy neighborhoods. We also went through the downtown area that is really cute and known for it's Greek food and sponge docks. I even could call the course rolling for Florida. It had a couple decent little inclines. My concerns with the bike course are that there are a lot of hard turns. I heard about three wrecks after the race. There was quite a bit of gravel on these turns that, had it been swept away, would have been safer. I ended up on a sidewalk trying to take one hard left. It was also very narrow and I seemed to always be fighting for a space among other competitors.

T2 went well and I set off for the run. I was determined to hold my own on the run, since I am a runner! I was not going to let anyone in my age group pass me. I hooked up with a younger girl and we started to pick off people. Then a group of ladies came up to pass us and one was 38. So, I had to go with her. I did and eventually she couldn't hang anymore. So, as far as I know, no one in my age group passed me on the run. I felt good until about the last half mile, which is on the way back to the beach and in the direct sun. It was very hot and it took a toll. No one threaten me, I let up some, which disappoints me now.

All in all this was a fun and learning experience. They had a ton of good give aways afterwards and excellent Greek food samplings for a donation.
Here are my results (I placed 5th in age group):

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 Place O'All No. First Last Age City St Finish Rank Swim Tran 1 Rank Bike Tran 2 Rank Run ===== ===== ===== ============ ============== === =================== ======= ====

5 142 135 Christine Hinton 35 Dunedin FL 1:07:18 12 8:46 1:36 6 31:38 1:02 7 24:18

2006 Ride for the Way North Carolina

2006-08-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

Race reporting by Steffen Fohn:
Both the 50 and 100K started at about 8:10am from Finch Park in Lexington. The course was advertised as challenging and in deed became just that for me as the ride progressed that day. The morning was sunny and slightly humid. The first several miles were rolling with a significant amount of uphill. There was an immediate break-away group of ten to fifteen riders, the sight of which I lost within the first 7 miles. Coming up on the 10 mile mark I closed-in on fellow of oriental descent riding one of those "old-timey" bikes...you know...the kind with down-tube shifters :) ... we'll call him "ole school" in the remainder of the report. I presumed that he had started out with the initial break-away group...only to be eventually left behind. He caught my draft as I pasted him and we cycled together, "pulling" each other through mile 15 at which point we came upon a cycling accident that had occured moments before...apparently, a group of about 5 or 6 cyclists were cranking away at 25 to 26 mph when they noticed they should be turning onto a road on the right. The attempt to make the turn caused one of the cyclists to fall. After stopping at the scene of the accident for a few minutes and ensuring help was enroute, we proceeded with the ride. From reports heard at the next rest stop, the cyclist had luckily only sustained minor injuries Soon thereafter, we found ourselves in a 5 man group. We worked efficiently together as a group, taking turns pulling and maintaining a fairly aggressive pace. We stopped at the 20 mile mark rest stop for fluid replenishments and continued onward with our momentum. The latter half of the ride had us on the return route to Lexington from the High Rock lake area...as you can imagine this entailed a significant amount of uphill climbing. As chance would have it "Ole school" was quite the cyclist...weighing no more than 120 lbs and consistently spinning at 95 rpm made it impossible for us larger guys to keep up with him on the uphills. As we rode, some of the guys from the group were consuming miscellaneous gels and tablets for fuel and electrolyte replenishment. Not stopping at the 40 mile rest stop we pursued our return route sustaining our average speed of 18.5 mph. This continued to the 43 mile mark...where suddenly my body informed me that we'd soon be dipping into the reserve tanks and that I better start conserving what I had left. The 5 man group broke into two groups: a 4 man group and a 1 man group (me)...the 4 man group slowly disappeared in the distance in front of me. The next 21 miles were grueling...characterized by long climbs, 95 degree temperature, full sun on the back, pedaling in my lowest set of gears, and yes...empty water bottles. At mile 59, (unknowingly) at the top of the last significant climb...the grim reaper of dehydrated bodies stared me in the eyes. With 3 miles to go, I could go no further (my body began to feel "shakey" inside and my legs were beginning to cramp)...I pulled over into some shade, called Lori...and asked her to bring me fluids. I waited, disheartened by the passing of several cyclists that I had passed earlier, until one of the race organizers brought me an ice-cold 16 ounce bottle of Gatorade. I climbed back on the bike and started to pedal while replenishing my fluids; amazingly I began to feel better rather quickly. Well...I did eventually make it in...finishing in 3 hrs. 40 min with an average speed of 17.0 mph.

Lessons learned:
- Watch out for the "ole-school" riders, that is anybody you see riding on that classic hardware...it's really just a ploy.
- Keep those water bottles full.
- When riding 100K on a 95 degree day, bringing your own fuel and electrolyte replenishment is a good idea.
- Don't ascend Stone Mountain (or anything like it) a few days before this race.

Hurt, Pain, & Agony Metric Century Ride, Traphill, North Carolina

2006-08-30T10:09:00.000-04:00

Race Report
By Steffen Fohn:
Well...when I reached the registration table and had to make the choice (32 or 64 mile)...the surrounding mountainous views (not to mention...my wife) inspired me to choose the "32" (...sorry Stoney).

The race starts up the dreaded 6 mile climb with little to no time to warm-up. The climb starts up a nearby parkway and then turns onto Oklahoma Rd...the infamous part of the route known for its steepness and hair-pin s-curves. Approaching the crest some of the cyclists were walking...my goal was to making the climb without having to dismount the bike...with each turn of the crank I was congratulating myself for having purchased that triple chainring. At this point I was standing on my cranks...lowest possible gear...inching forward at a blistering 4mph. Several yards before reaching the crest...one came across the word "Hurt" spray painted on the road...followed by a few more yards and the word "Pain" followed by a few more yards and the word "Agony". After having completed the first 10 miles...I felt about the same as after one of our 30-40 mi Saturday morning rides. Once having cleared the ascent the route "rolled" through the Blueride Parkway and Hwy 21 before descending the same hills climbed at the beginning of the race. I approached the Oklahoma descent cautiously...unsure and inexperienced with this type of course. Once reaching the parkway, the view and the straight-aways opened-up, allowing me to descend more "freely". I finished in 2 hours 10 min.s...average speed of 14.7 mph, maximum speed of 40.4 mph....good thing the CatEye doesn't record minimum speed.

Below is the race summary with results...funny thing, I ended up with my first win...good thing I elected to go for the "32".

http://www.bmcc.us/id87.htm

Coca Cola Fort Desoto Sprint Tri, August 2006

2006-08-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

Held at the world famous Ft. Desoto park, it was beautiful but hot. Waters were flat and the course was well marked and easy to navigate. Learning my lesson from my first tri, I started off to the side and stayed further away from the crowd. I think I ended up swimming extra, but I exited the water without any new bruises. The swim was 1/2m mile and I came out 6th in my age group.
A long run to T1, and watching my step on the black top, I shaved off quite a bit of time from before. Mt transition was 1:35, which I was pleased with. The course was flat, but we had some head winds to contend with. On my husband's bike, since I have not replaced mine yet, I paid the price for reaching into an areo position. My arms, neck, shoulders and back were killing me. The ride covered 11 miles and I had the 10th time in my age group.
Finally the run, which is suppose to be my strength. I was starting to feel the effects of the heat and humidity. My wave started 30 minutes after the elite and it was quite sunny now. Within the first few minutes of the run, you encounter a nice set of stairs. Probably equals about 3 flights. And those steps are more like half steps, so it is hard to keep up any kind of rhythm. Running steps on bike legs was a shock!
The rest of the run course was flat, but offered zero shade. I'd rather have hills and cooler conditions! I struggled through the run and passed a few folks walking. My lung was feeling a bit achy, but not bad.
I crossed the finish with the 11th fastest run time, which wasn't fast at all.
But the effort managed to get me an 8th place age group finish out of about 30 women. Not too bad for my 2nd triathlon.
Afterwards there was lots of good fruit and beverages available.

If you plan to do this one next year: bring change for two toll booths you have to pass. I had to beg for coins from passing cars. And be prepared for the stair climb.

Morton Plant Mease Triathlon at Sandkey, FL

2006-08-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

1/3m swim, 13m bike, 5k run

My first triathlon and I was so excited. My goal was purely to have fun and enjoy the experience.
The water was perfect. I waited nervously with the other purple caps which identified us as first timers. I was intent on watching the other waves go off, watching how they swam the course. Then came our turn. We were the last to set off.
I exited the water in 8th place, in my division, after only a view kicks and slaps from my swimming neighbors. I had actually caught up with some other colored caps. That gave me some confidence.
The run from the water to T1 was quite long. At T1, I took my time as I got suited up for the bike. I unfortunately was using my husband's bike, b/c I had just discovered mine to have a crack in the frame.
The bike course took us over several bridges. Hills are a shock for anyone in Florida and by the time we hit the last, and steepest bridge, lots of folks were getting off their bikes. I promised myself not to do that.

The only real surprise came earlier in the bike leg, as I was crossing a draw bridge. The bells started ringing and the red and white stripped barrier started to come down. The bridge was planning to open for a passing boat. I looked at the guy next to me in disbelief and then, in a split second decision, I decided to go for it. Certainly it won't open if I am on it!
I was gunning it across and yelled at the draw bridge guy not to do it, since there was a race in progress. I'm not sure how that turned out for folks after me.
As I approached the dismount I decided to try to take my feet out of my shoes and ride in on top of them. As difficult as everyone always says this is, I didn't really have any problems. I had the 3rd fastest bike time. I dismounted the bike and felt surprising good.
As a runner, I was confident that this leg would go alright for me. It certainly is an added challenge dealing with wobbly legs from the bike! It was hot now and the run course, although flat, offered no shade. I just plugged away, picking off people as I could and enjoying myself very much. In fact, I can't recall a time I have had this much fun in a race.
I finished the run with the fastest time for the female first timers division. I ended up with a 2nd place overall in the female first timers and was very proud of my effort. They served beer and pizza afterwards and had some nice giveaways.
I would definitely recommend this tri and plan on going again next year.

Sand Key Aquathlon June 2006

2006-08-24T21:39:00.000-04:00

My third official multisport event! And I totally blew it!
I had joined the SUN Masters swim team at the Highlander pool in Dunedin a couple months ago and my swimming was coming along really well. I had even gotten in some open water swimming. I felt very prepared and ready to show my stuff. The Aquathlon consisted of a 1.5m run-1000 meter swim- 1.5m run.
I was right on during the first leg. Then I got in the water. It was not flat, as every other experience had been. Now, we don't have waves to break through on the west coast of FL, but these were some big swells that I was not accustomed to. Every time I turned my head to get a breath I got a mouth full of salt water instead. I panicked a bit and swam breast stroke. Once I got to the first buoy, I put my head down and made myself go. I only turned toward shore to breath.
One lesson I learned from this swim, was that you should actually take the time to know where you are swimming. I had no understanding of the course. Thus, I followed some other clueless swimmer as we turned to shore at the second buoy. Apparently people were yelling at us to go back, but I was so concerned with finishing the swim, I heard nothing. I get to where I can walk and am told that we need to head back out and go around the last buoy. I couldn't believe it! I had to subject myself to those swells again.
I turned back in, as did the other swimmer and I was pretty much the last one out. I was in the transition with some much older lady feeling like a loser. I jogged in the last run and chalked it up as a learning experience.
I am such a multi sport rookie!

2006 5ks

2006-08-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

My first 5k of the 2006 year was in February at the Suncoast Classic in St. Petersburg, FL. I really enjoyed this race a lot. It was really a test of my fitness and current running abilities since having my son a couple years ago. Even though I never stopped running, I was not racing or training in that manner since I had become pregnant. My PR prior to my son was a 19:50. I'm not sure I'll ever get under 20 again.
I ended the race in 22:57 and 3rd in my age group. I was happy with that.
On March 19 I ran the Bay to Bay 5k in St. Petersburg, FL. Ran a 22:40 and placed 2nd in age group. I was happy that I seemed to be improving. Maybe a sub 22 would be possible soon.
April 22, The Beach to Bayou 5k at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, FL. I absolutely love this location. The park has a beach that I like to call an aquarium that you can swim in. There are always fish swimming around and hermit crabs by the rocks. And I have been feet from groups of dolphins swimming by. Beautiful! The race, although flat, has you battle some head winds along the out and back course. I ended with a 23:35 and thought that was respectable, although not an improvement from the last one. Got 3rd on my new age group (35-39).
May is Hog Hustle 5k time, held in Dunedin, FL, where I live. It winds through neighborhoods and ends at the Knology Baseball Stadium where the Toronto Blue Jays spring train and the Dunedin Blue Jays play. Fun games with a small town feel. Anyway, I had planned on strictly running this one at an AT pace, which is somewhere around 8min/mile for me. I did a 2 mile warmup and ran the course again afterwards with a friend to make for a good workout.
Father's Day 5k was run in Palm Harbor at one of the parks. We ran the course as a family. My husband Porter, my 8 year old daughter Addie (who set the pace), and me pushing my 2 year old son Thomas in a running stroller. Addie did great and brought us home in 31:40. Not to shabby for an eight year old.

Palm Harbor Duathlon July 2006

2006-08-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

I actually had another collapsed lung (pneumothorax) 2 weeks prior to this race, but decided to go for it anyway. It was a 3 mile run-10 mile bike- 1 mile run. The first run went alright, lung was burning and I slowed up, but was okay. Bike portion was horrible. I was on my QR Monitor Tri Bike that I had bought from a friend a couple years ago. The problems started during the transition. It was set up in a sandy and muddy area. It had rained heavy during the first leg, so it was really messy. My shoes got clogged up with all the mud and sand that I could not click into my peddles. I tried to clean them and shake them clean, but nothing worked. So, I rode that way. I kept slipping off every time I changed a gear. I almost bit the dust on 2 hair pin turns. The bike was hard enough to handle in perfect conditions.
I made it to the 2nd run, barely, and felt like someone had beaten me up with a baseball bat during that last leg. One mile sure can be far. Mental note to self: do more BRICKS.
I did place in my age group (the awards went deep).

Second multi sport event foiled

2006-08-24T16:46:00.000-04:00

I had planned on participating in the Safety Harbor Florida Duathlon in December of 2005. I was going to attempt a run-bike-run. I had signed up and was ready to go. Unfortunately early in December I suffered a Pneumothorax. I have since been diagnosed with Catamenial Pneumothorax which I will explain in another post.
So, I was side lined for a solid 3 weeks. There is nothing worse then for a runner or triathlete to be told to take it easy. I hated every minute of it.

Strangman's Beach Biathlon 2005

2006-08-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

My very first experience with any type of multi sporting event was at the Strangeman's Beach Biathlon in 2005. I had decided that I would experiment with a few double sport races before moving to the triathlon. This event, held in Clearwater, Florida seemed like a good place to start.
To prepare I had jumped in the local pool and gotten in a few laps the week before the race. Pretty sad looking back. I wanted to make sure I could complete the distance. I was not concerned at all about the running, since that is my background. I had planned to just get through the swimming parts and cruise through the run parts. Oh, and I had never swum in open water and the 2 swims are in the Gulf of Mexico. Sounds like a set up for disaster, but it actually turned out okay.
The event is unlike any other. It starts with a 2 mile beach run, then a 1/4 mile Gulf swim, then back out for another 2 miles on the sand and finally once more into the water for another 1/4 mile and a dash to the finish line on the beach.
The first 2 miles were cake. No sweat... (well actually lots of sweat 'cause it's hotter then Haiti here in Florida). I took my time at the first transition. Put on my cap, goggles and ear plugs and off into the Gulf I went for my first open water swim ever! I was kicked a couple times, punched too. So, to be fair, I kicked and punched a couple folks too (not on purpose off course). It's an out and back swim and at one point I was swimming into oncoming traffic. That hurt.
Run out of the water. Transition again into my running shoes. I took a bit longer during this transition. Wet feet into dry socks is rough!
Okay the second run was hard. I was surprised at how I felt. All I did for those 2 miles was worry about that last swim. Was there a graceful way for me to bow out? I had to tell those voices in my head to stop!
3rd transition, I sit for a few minutes getting on all my swimming gear.... AGAIN! I sucked it up and went back into the water. I had to finish this darn thing! At the turn around buoy I knew I had it. I came out of the water and sprinted to the finish line they had set up 50 meters away. Well, maybe "sprint" is an exaggeration. More like some form of walk/jog/crawl.
I ended up with 5th in my age group and was very proud of myself. They had a great post race party at the Palm Pavilion and gave away of ton of freebies.
This year will be the 14th running of the event. It is being held October 14, 2006.