Yeah so in case any one's forgotten or didn't hear I'm doing this little series this year called The Beast. Funny how the idea sounded so great in January during the middle of winter when these crazy ass endurance events were months away. "Sure I'll be able to do 8 of these, I'll have plenty of time to get in some swims, and get my bike mileage up, oh yeah while I am simultaneously trying to almost double last years run mileage..." Hmm thinking logically isn't always my strong suit. So yeah considering I can count on one hand the number of times I swam in the last three months, and that the longest bike ride I have done all year was 18 miles in a Duathlon, I woke up this morning quite a bit overwhelmed by the two events staring me in the face this weekend. (Oh and just to make sure I really am stretching myself thin I am also headed out to mark 5 miles of the burning rive course this afternoon. No worries I am sure that won't play a factor in the century ride I have to do tomorrow) :) WHAT WAS I THINKING???
So yeah this morning I was a nervous ball of energy. I wasn't sure if I was going to spontaneously combust, throw up, piss myself, or some combination of the above. I have never swam more than 1.2 miles in open water, and that experience is not one I remember fondly. (Longest Swim of my life I was so ready to be out of that water!) And oh yeah I was completely prepared for that having swam 2-3 times a week and got to wear a wetsuit to boot :)
Chatted up a bunch of my CTC friends as we watched them haul out the buoys for what was supposed to be an equilateral triangle based on the nice drawing they provided. Well we proceeded to watch as those buoys floated further and further east turning the course into an obtuse triangle. Not very good for the morale let me tell you! Oh and for the 2 mile you had to swim that thing twice, so if they didn't mark this thing accurately that was going to mean double the extra! Before we knew it it was time to get our asses in the water. We had to swim out a good 100 yards or so to get to the start buoy. My ankle chip holder felt loose (I have tiny ass ankles and the inside flap always seems to get loose since it isn't velcroed to anything) I was getting ready to adjust it when the horn went off signaling for us to start. Shit, forget the chip and get on your way!
I just wanted to swim comfortably. I knew I was in for a minimum of 60 minutes in the lake which seems like an eternity out there usually, so I relaxed and calmly made my way to the first buoy (the only one that seemed like a reasonable distance away) I was convinced I would be zig zagging all over the place with the long stretch between the 2nd and third buoys. But once we started I felt fine and actually really comfortable. I didn't push the pace, I just swam comfortably and sighted every so often, surprised that I was swimming in relatively straight lines.
A bit of confusion at the second buoy. In order to keep it from floating away they tied it to a sail boat. I intended to go around the boat but the closer I got I could see the boat was spinning and getting broadsided by a sail boat seemed like a bad idea to me so I swam to the buoy and slapped it then headed to shore. That third leg seemed a lot farther than it looked. Your depth perception gets all screwy out there. By this time I had gotten passed by a few swimmers from the one miles waves which started 5 and 10 minutes behind us. Man I would have a good deal of work ahead of me if this was my sport! But I had passed a few green caps from the wave before us and despite feeling like I was last I knew there were at least a couple of caps from my wave behind me.
Rounded the starting point and decided to glance at the watch. 31 minutes. Pretty pleased with that and figure at that point that despite the buoys obviously not ending up where they intended the course was legit. I had been swimming behind the same guy for most of the race and if I was a smarter gal I would have tucked in behind him to draft but I was content to swim at my own pace and not risk ramming into anyone. And as it turns out when we rounded the first buoy he looked like he was headed to Canada so I am glad I didn't follow him :)
Second time I almost reach the boat and I am looking to try and see if any swimmers are going around but I don't see any so I decide to slap the buoy again. A minute or so before I reach the buoy I hear engine in the water zipping around. Look up to see three jet skis racing right through the swim course. Freaked me the hell out. Certainly not how I want to go, ripped apart by Jet Skis? Not in the top ten most peaceful ways to die that is for sure. I had decided to push the pace from the boat til the end in hopes to even split the race so between upping the effort and freaking out about the jet skis I think my heart rate got pretty high. Definitely was sighting way more than needed this stretch because I was terrified of getting taken out by one of the jet skis.
Thankfully they ended up over to the west and away from the racers so I was able to focus on the next two caps ahead of me and push myself to try and catch them by the finish. I passed the green cap relatively easily but it was coming down to the wire with the pink cap ahead of me, I swam a bit to her right directly towards the finish chute and figured if I could get to the shallows before her I could out sprint her on foot to the finish. Unfortunately she spotted me and realized we were in the shallows before I did and got a few seconds head jump on me and I reacted two steps too late, running through the chute just behind her at 1:04:20something. We laughed and I thanked her for pushing me the last stretch, I know she was glad she saw me coming, girl was hauling ass when she got on her feet! Bridget said most of the other swimmers walked out of the water to the finish :)
So I am happy to be alive, and very grateful to know that I can swim 2 miles in open water without wearing myself out. Got my ass handed to me by those serious USMS swimmers, but not such a bad time considering the lack of training and no wetsuit. I'm very happy with the morning. Now if only I felt more confident about that century ride tomorrow! I can fake a 2 mile swim effort sans training but I have serious doubts about how I will fare tomorrow.
Now I am off to mark the burning river course!
Weekly Rundown 7/14/08-7/20/08
My left calf was bothering me after my Sunday run, that combined with wanting to be tapered resulted in only 3 runs for the week!
Monday
Bike to work and back
AM: 12.52 miles
PM: 12.46 miles
Tuesday
Bike to work and back
AM: 12.53 miles
PM: 12.45 miles
Wednesday
Trail Run 6 miles humid hot and calf was sore
Thursday
Swim 1 mile
Friday
5 mile recovery jog with 5*25-30 second strides
Saturday
5:01:37, 2nd female, 8th overall
Sunday
Volunteered at the XTERRA tri. Walked 2-3 miles back and forth from the aid station.
Run miles for the week: 42
2008 Summer Buckeye 50K Race Report
This post is freaking long and I have been at my computer all night so please forgive any editing errors until I have time to go through and re-read later!
It's been two years since my first experience with the Buckeye 50K in 2006. In 2006 I volunteered at Pine Lane and then ran the second half with ultra gal Officer JA. I think that began my true love of racing ultras and the trails. I was a muddy sweaty mess by the end of that run but I was inspired. Since then I have run 7 ultras, this being my 8th attempt and second real attempt at "racing" a 50k (Punxsy being the first). I was definitely nervous leading up to the race. My base mileage is obviously higher than it has ever been and I had a great race at Muddy Paws last week so I was feeling revved up. With some big dogs missing in action I knew I had a good shot at placing in the race this year. CG and KM were off at the Tahoe Rim to Rim 100 miler so the usual top two ladies were gone leaving an opening for some new blood to do well.
Ultras are starting to get more and more popular. I think the number of ladies racing from last year to this year almost doubled. The race had 185 starters this year which was a record. And despite almost 30 drops the largest number of finishers too. Quite a few "rookies" in the race including a speedy chick we'll call "96." I went to a few of the familiarization runs this year and 96 was there and she was definitely holding her own. She has only run a few marathons and this would be her first ultra but I knew she was quicker than me and was a potential for some serious competition. I think I let that get a bit too much into my head. Beforehand I had kind of convinced myself that this was my year with CG and KM gone and I was a bit too intensely focused on winning and not focused on just running a really good race. I spent a lot of time the day before pumping myself up and just reminding myself of all the hard work I have been doing, how much I love this sport, and how much fun I have racing.
Friday night I went for a 5 mile jog with 5*30 second striders. I got home covered in sweat and was starting to have doubts about my intentions to race this 50k the next morning. If I sweat that much on an easy jog what would the next day bring? I made the executive decision to put aside my time goals and just race for place. I knew 96 would probably go out at a good clip and I figured I would just hold onto her (or whoever took it out for the ladies) as long as I could and hopefully pull away in the later miles. Racing tactically is not really my forte, I guess I have more of a Pre mindset, but I figured heck it's 50k why not give tactics a chance. Well it seemed like a smart idea at the time ;)
Woke up on time but was a little sluggish and headed out a bit later than I planned. Drank some coffee for an extra boost and was on my way. Saved putting on glasses, shoes, sunscreen, bug spray until I got to the race site and picked up my goods. Cranked the stereo to get pumped up. "Back in Black" came on and that seemed appropriate since I would be decked out in my black VR outfit and black Nike skirt. Made it to the site and the lot was already full and we were lining up along the road into the picnic area. Got my registration and was super stoked to find my randomly assigned number was 77. Lucky 7's always a good sign! (Super bummed to find they had no small shirts and the medium was gigantic.)
Went back to the car and got everything ready to run. I remembered body glide and decided to try some moleskin on my big toes since they always seem to callus and blister. Sunscreen, bug spray and I was ready to race :) Chatted with RP and a new ultra guy before heading over to join the mass of runners at the start. Caught BBerk before he headed to Boston Store and gave him my extra handheld with water and a gel in it so that I could just grab it and go when I got back to Boston Store 26 miles later :) He kindly offered to keep it in the cooler for me.
A few announcements from Vince as we all stood around prepping for the start and we were ready to go. Daisy looked all cute in her pig tails and sports bra, I decided to roll up my tank as I was worried about the heat and a cool breeze on any skin seems to really help cool down.
Making sure the Garmin is ready to roll
Not sure maybe checking my laces?
Rolling up my tank
Smiles Pre Race with TKins
45 seconds and we were off. I tucked in behind 96 and we headed into the woods. The pace felt quick and we were right behind JU who holds the grand master record and ran a 4:40 something last year. 96 wasn't letting up as we headed down the bridle trail and onto the Buckeye Trail. I was keeping pace but when we hit the first two miles under 8 minute pace I started to have my doubts that this "tactical" approach was smart. My left calf had been bothering me since Sunday but had magically felt better Friday so I thought that I had healed it but it was rearing its ugly head so between the pace feeling aggressive and my calf complaining I was starting to rethink hanging on to 96. I stuck with this group a little ways beyond Ottawa Point, but at some point before 3 miles in I made the decision to back it off. I just couldn't see how going out at this pace would end in anything but blowing up. I figured 96 would either slow the pace, blow up, or go on to break the record, and in any of these cases I was not about to attempt to run her race. I had to run my own.
And they're off.
It's early and we're all smiles (Actually the two photos before this I am sticking out my tongue at Roots, not sure why, but the photos weren't flattering)
Shortly after I backed it off we were headed up hill and TKins caught up to me. He commented that we were going way too fast and I agreed. We didn't fall too far back from the group until we got to the muddy section and an area where you run along the side of a hill with a few downed trees. One of the trees was just a tad too high for me to jump over so I lifted one leg over and proceeded to get stuck straddling this log. Apologizing for slowing TKins up I rolled my way over the log and we moved on. Roots was out here snapping photos and he gave me the thumbs up and told me not to worry about 96 and just run my own race.
Thanks Roots for the trail photo.
Somewhere through here RP and a few other guys caught me. We talked about how we had definitely gone out too fast. TKins pulled away from us here and as we made our way into the aid station at Boston there were quite a few people catching up that did not go out like maniacs. As I was exiting the aid station PR scolded me that I had gone out too fast. I replied that I knew as I grabbed some crackers and pretzels and headed to the stairs. Got an update from C that 96 was a few minutes ahead.
First aid station, stop for crackers and pretzels and a bottle refill (I could have sworn everyone promised me no unflattering photos!) A bit disoriented obviously, and sweaty despite not really feeling all that hot.
I was with RP at this point as we trudged up the stairs. I did my best to scarf down my crackers, but had forgotten how impossible it is to get those darn things down! The pretzels were easier, but texture was kinda stale, I think the humidity was not kind to our trail food. Shortly after we crested the stairs Frank and PR caught us. I 'm afraid to say I wasn't pleased :) Much too early to be getting caught, all because of 2 measly miles ran too fast. But thankfully I broke out of my comfort zone and pushed to keep up with them as they paced. If it wasn't for them I may have never picked it back up again so I am glad they got my ass in gear. The pace felt hard but doable so I just did my best to keep up.
As we hit my favorite section of the trail (an area where you drop down near the river where there are some pines and shale formations and the temperature always drops about 10 degrees) it was obvious that PR was having some issues with his injuries. We climbed out of my fave spot and he let us know he was going to drop at Boston but that he would go back out to the top of Boston and wait to pace me back. At this point we still had intentions of closing on 96 if she faltered and PR knew I would be in need of some company as I would be feeling bad on the way back through here. I felt bad to lose PR so soon but was glad he would be waiting to help me later. We got some last advice from him that we should run up the next paved hill before heading across the road and through the last little section before you hit Boston.
Well we got to that paved hill and I did not feel like running it so I let Frank and the other guys who had been with us pull ahead. Played a bit of cat and mouse with Jerry Brandt here and caught up to a gentleman in grey. I think he said his name was Matt. We ran together down the trail past the "top" of Boston where it gets technical, windy, and muddy before you jump over a stream and head up about 88 short steep stairs. Once I was through that it was time to rock the downhills and get to Boston Store. I felt good as I cruised down the trails and into the aid station.
I was still pretty focused on keeping pace and wondering how 96 was doing ahead of me and how all the gals behind me were faring. I was here to race, and for the most part that was always towards the front of my mind. When you get to aid stations they write down your number so I yelled out 77 as I came in and shouted that I needed water. Clarified that I meant water in my bottle as I looked for something salty. A volunteer offered me heed and I don't know what came over me but I practically barked "no" at her and told her I needed salt. They gave me a pack of salt pills, convinced me to take a gel and I retrieved my bottle and was on my way. C was waiting to give me another update. He hadn't seen 96 go through which meant she had gained some ground on me. He took my used gel from me as I headed down the towpath and told him I realized I had been a total jerk back at that aid station. I was so damn focused I couldn't even remember if I thanked them. Uggh talk about rude and not like me at all.
I ran up some of the hills on this section and walked sections that seemed too steep. I scarfed down a gel and an electrolyte tab and was rejoined by my friend in grey. We ran at a good clip through this section and I kept hoping not to see the leaders coming back anytime soon as I wanted to be much further ahead than last year. Last year we had seen the first runner as we headed onto the section of the trail Pine Lane is named for. A half mile section of path covered in roots. Think football drills where they jump through those ropes, kind of like that. I've never had a problem with this section but if you aren't feeling sharp you could easily do a lot of damage here either falling or twisting something on one of those roots.
C was waiting just before this section offering to pour water for runners. My handheld was still good so I declined, again he missed 96 which meant she was still far ahead. What really was crazy is she wasn't even carrying any water! Tiny little thing, but you'd think in the heat and humidity she'd want more than what she could get at the aid station. Kam is the same way though and he usually wins this thing so what do I know? All I know is it was predicted to get up to high 80s and to me that was hot enough for a handheld. I went through all the water I carried in that thing every section so I was definitely glad I decided to carry.
Shortly before we got to the old road crossing we saw the leader and about 30 seconds later Kam coming our way. I yelled for Kam that he was 35 seconds back as we headed toward the old road where Wild Bill had appeared to cheer us on. He was very kind telling me I looked great and was rocking it. I told him too bad the first girl was rocking it even more than me :)
As we neared Pine Lane 96 finally popped into view coming down hill as I climbed up. She was still with JU and she looked strong. I shouted to her that she was on record pace and doing great, she gave encouragement to me as she passed. I gave props to JU as I headed up the hill. I believe at this point they were in about 6th or 7th but I can't remember. The aid station came quicker than I thought and I was ecstatic to be ready to turn around. I knew TKins and Frank were at the station and saw SH hanging out. I hollered at him that I thought he was taking it easy. Not sure why the heck he was still at the aid station since he had gone out with the top group. He told me to hurry and that I could take down 96, she was a newbie. I had my doubts and said as much but it was nice to know that somebody had faith in me. I grabbed some trail mix and got my bottle filled then headed out. Quick aid station for me and I was halfway done at 2:22. Holy Cow that was about 12 minutes faster than last year and about 4-8 minutes faster than what I had intended when my plans were to race for time (sub 5 goal).
I headed back towards the start/finish pumped up that I still felt pretty good and that although I had thrown out the time goal initially I was still lined up with the possibility of breaking 5 hours. I know I was running with another guy through here but I can't remember who. I know he said he was clumsy because he almost fell after the crazy log bridge that I am always terrified to cross and right before I complained about climbing a little area where if you are short like me you had to grab a hold of the ground to get over this small hill.
As we started into the pines I look ahead to see Frank and a young Solon guy walking. I wondered what the heck they were doing and said as much. Frank replies "We're Power Walking Through the Pines" This had me laughing pretty hard as I passed the pine power walkers. Of course they caught back up to us before we had even gotten back on the trail after the short road section here. Frank decided to join me for awhile and we chatted as we headed back to Boston. We talked about 96 and I commented that she was probably going to break a record. She had 9 minutes on me at the half and I wasn't far behind record pace.
This section of the race is such a blast because you get to see everyone behind you and since I know so many people on the trails it is like a long trailing reunion. It really gives me a boost to see everyone and cheer on all the runners. Of course competitive E-Speed was alert too, noting how far back 3rd was. I had about 20 minutes on 3rd at the half, which made me feel good that at least if I couldn't win I was in a really good position to hold onto 2nd. It was sort of funny heading back through here. Quite a few good ultra runners were behind us and I thought about how my fast first half was probably going to come back to bite me. There's certain runners that you just don't expect to be ahead of and being in that position made me a bit nervous. Also the shock when some of them saw me was amusing. I guess I have been sort of quietly improving and for those that hadn't seen me since last year this was a pretty huge improvement.
Frank was having some trouble with cramps starting up. He seemed in good spirits and energy wise he looked good. We made our way into Boston together but I got through the station a bit quicker, once again turning into this focused femmebot getting my water and some more trail mix and cola. It was funny because I would think of what I wanted before I got to the station but when I got there it was like I had no clue other than that I knew I needed water. At most stations I just grab a handful of food and head out because there is usually a hill ahead that you can eat while you walk.
That is the case after Boston big time. There is a long hill stretch as you head back up towards the road and the building where I knew PR would be waiting for me (I had mentally started calling him my secret weapon). I played cat and mouse with a few of the guys here but took my time up the last windy section after the river because I knew PR was waiting and would push me, I wanted to be ready to push the pace even though I knew this would be a tough section for me.
It was so nice having someone to pace me through the next section. Energy wise I felt pretty good and at some point my calf had stopped bothering me (or I had successfully tuned it out). It was starting to get hot though and my hips were starting to get stiff. Also could feel a blister forming on my ankle, and my toes weren't feeling great. PR didn't play around and he pulled me through the runnable sections. We passed a few runners and tried to pull them along too. I told PR I needed to get to Snowville under 4 hours to have any chance at breaking 5 hours. He informed me that 96 had pulled into 3rd place overall and she looked strong. There was no way we were going to catch her. He said he saw all the leaders go through and of them Kam looked good, she looked good, and I looked good. It was nice to hear I looked strong, but it was certainly surprising that 96 was rocking her first 50k so well.
We stopped to fill bottles at one of the unmanned water stops and then continued to push until we got to the stairs. We passed JChaney somewhere in here I think. He was having stomach problems but was still in good spirits. A few times PR pulled a little farther away from me. He promised we'd ease the pace when we got to the bridge, but thankfully I started to feel a little better and didn't have to back it off. The stairs were a bit brutal. I could hear Solar screaming her head off so I gave her a holler. PR realized I must not be running hard enough and yelled at me we had another quarter mile to the aid station, he meant business!
We pulled into Snowville and PR had to dump me, he was going to wait for Frank but he told me I had to drink some Heed. Uggh so I slurped some down, it was disgusting! Solar grabbed my fresh handheld for me and I grabbed a handful of trail mix and headed back out. My slowest stop the whole day but I needed to regroup. I came in a little under 4 hours and with the heat and my waning energy I knew sub 5 was going to be rough.
Last aid station. Moving a little sluggishly at this point.
Heed, yuck!
I did a good job through the grass but when I hit the hills I think I started to lose it. The next 3 miles are the hardest on the course (in my opinion) and if you aren't feeling well they can slow you way the heck down. My Garmin was making me very unhappy telling me just how slow I was. I thought I was losing my mind for about a half mile as I swore I heard a runner behind me but every time I looked back I would see nothing. Bad placement, as there was a runner there but every time I looked back he was behind a tree. He passed me here and I got caught by another guy. At this point I had convince myself that DM was going to catch me and I would have to settle for 3rd female. My mental math skills are weak at best when oriented. 26 or so miles into the race, I was definitely not doing a good job with the numbers. I asked the VR guy if he had seen the 3rd lady and he said no he thought she was pretty far back and that made me feel a bit better.
I sucked down a gel and got stuck on the same damn log again! I started to feel better (maybe the Heed) as I got done with most of the hills and picked up the pace. At this point I looked at my watch and figured I was not going to break 5 but I needed to hustle to PR regardless. I was doing pretty well but got a little turned around at one of the stream crossings. Debated leaping it but then realized what that would do to my quads and back tracked to the right trail. Lost about 30 seconds here (I always get lost here! This time it was because the trail marking had got knocked down and there was a stick laying across the path I was supposed to take). I passed one of the guys in this section and did my best to keep up with the VR runner.
I got a bit off track again through a muddy section before you pop out onto an old paved road. Redirected myself again and hammered. I was out of water and commented to the VR guy that I hoped they weren't kidding about the water at Ottawa Point. We reached the park and I didn't see any water and that distressed me a bit. As we hit the trail again though there was a sign stating 1.7 miles to go sitting near a bunch of water bottles. I stopped and filled my bottle and checked the watch as I headed out. I'd have to run well under 10 minute pace to break 5 at this point and I didn't think it was possible but I just ran as hard as I could glad to know that I would be done in less than 20 minutes.
Thankfully the trail was marked well so I didn't have to think much, and I was pushing the pace along the bridle trail when I came upon a horse, so I slowed to a walk until he passed and picked it back up again. Got to the mile to go sign and was pretty sure I would finish around 5:04. I was by myself but pushing hard, remembering how good I had felt the last 6 miles last year and how different it was this year those last few miles (Now I know how MT must have felt!). I still felt strong, but I was not feeling peppy! As I finally entered the Oak Ridge Parking lot the noon bells tolled making it utterly clear sub 5 was impossible. A bit heartbroken but still determined to PR I pushed hard into the finish. Solar was screaming her head off and I couldn't help but laugh despite running as hard as I could.
I finished in 5:01:37 and was shocked when Solar informed me I was 8th overall. I didn't remember passing that many people. Sure enough 96 had gone on to break the course record in 4:37 and 3rd overall! Nothing like running a PR race, coming in top ten, but getting crushed by the 1st lady to keep you humble. The SERC guys were all laid out at the finish, icing and eating. I asked Solar where TKins was and she said he was behind me. I didn't remember passing him, but I guess he was in the bathroom at Pine Lane. He like many others was suffering through leg cramps and had a long second half.
Eventually I managed to scarf down some great Chef Bill food, change clothes, and survey the damage to the feet. I think I had more blisters than ever before. I even had one on the bottom of my foot! And somehow the moleskin I had put on my big toes had disappeared. But I didn't get blisters on those toes, so it must have worked while they were on. I had a great time watching all my friends come in to the finish. Enjoyed a few post race brews with Nathan and Daisy and caught up with some trail friends I haven't seen in awhile. I saw everyone finish. It was really impressive. Of course Leo who is in his 70s had the loudest cheers of the day! That guy has more energy than anyone I know.
I am very proud of my efforts and I am more than happy with the result. I still believe there is room for improvement though, and I am not convinced I had the best day I could of. Do I think I could have hung with 96? No, but I do think I could have broken 5 if I had run a slightly smarter race. Huge thanks to PR for helping me through those late miles because without him I wouldn't have even been close as evidenced by my huge drop in pace the next three miles without him. Big thank you's to Solar for volunteering and being such a great cheerleader, she makes you feel like a rock star. Thanks to all my friends who were out helping (BBerk, Roots, Bridget, Steve!) and to all my friends who raced, you guys really make the sport for me, and that's what will keep me coming back for more long after the years when I will be chasing wins and PRs.
Congrats to Frank on his first ultra finish! If it weren't for those cramps Frank I would like to think we would have broken 5 together!
Finish Time
1st and 2nd females
Chef Bills Post Race Grub
Trench Foot
Solar and Me post race
3rd and 2nd Ladies (SERC Gals Rule!)
Stats! (As if this post wasn't long enough already!)
I am happy to note that even despite a major slow down my last leg of the race was still faster than last year! Interestingly despite being 25 minutes faster the slow down on both those last legs was almost exactly the same as last year!
Aid Station-2008 Split (2007 Split)
Snowville-52:53 (58:11)
Boston-49:16 (53:10)
Pine Lane-40:32 (42:46)
Boston-40:45 (45:04)
Snowville-53:22 (57:04)
Finish-1:04:48 (1:10:00)
Obviously need to work on those final miles. I was 16 minutes slower on the back half and all of that was late in the race. 4 minutes from Boston to Snowville, and 12 minutes from Snowville to the Finish!
It's been two years since my first experience with the Buckeye 50K in 2006. In 2006 I volunteered at Pine Lane and then ran the second half with ultra gal Officer JA. I think that began my true love of racing ultras and the trails. I was a muddy sweaty mess by the end of that run but I was inspired. Since then I have run 7 ultras, this being my 8th attempt and second real attempt at "racing" a 50k (Punxsy being the first). I was definitely nervous leading up to the race. My base mileage is obviously higher than it has ever been and I had a great race at Muddy Paws last week so I was feeling revved up. With some big dogs missing in action I knew I had a good shot at placing in the race this year. CG and KM were off at the Tahoe Rim to Rim 100 miler so the usual top two ladies were gone leaving an opening for some new blood to do well.
Ultras are starting to get more and more popular. I think the number of ladies racing from last year to this year almost doubled. The race had 185 starters this year which was a record. And despite almost 30 drops the largest number of finishers too. Quite a few "rookies" in the race including a speedy chick we'll call "96." I went to a few of the familiarization runs this year and 96 was there and she was definitely holding her own. She has only run a few marathons and this would be her first ultra but I knew she was quicker than me and was a potential for some serious competition. I think I let that get a bit too much into my head. Beforehand I had kind of convinced myself that this was my year with CG and KM gone and I was a bit too intensely focused on winning and not focused on just running a really good race. I spent a lot of time the day before pumping myself up and just reminding myself of all the hard work I have been doing, how much I love this sport, and how much fun I have racing.
Friday night I went for a 5 mile jog with 5*30 second striders. I got home covered in sweat and was starting to have doubts about my intentions to race this 50k the next morning. If I sweat that much on an easy jog what would the next day bring? I made the executive decision to put aside my time goals and just race for place. I knew 96 would probably go out at a good clip and I figured I would just hold onto her (or whoever took it out for the ladies) as long as I could and hopefully pull away in the later miles. Racing tactically is not really my forte, I guess I have more of a Pre mindset, but I figured heck it's 50k why not give tactics a chance. Well it seemed like a smart idea at the time ;)
Woke up on time but was a little sluggish and headed out a bit later than I planned. Drank some coffee for an extra boost and was on my way. Saved putting on glasses, shoes, sunscreen, bug spray until I got to the race site and picked up my goods. Cranked the stereo to get pumped up. "Back in Black" came on and that seemed appropriate since I would be decked out in my black VR outfit and black Nike skirt. Made it to the site and the lot was already full and we were lining up along the road into the picnic area. Got my registration and was super stoked to find my randomly assigned number was 77. Lucky 7's always a good sign! (Super bummed to find they had no small shirts and the medium was gigantic.)
Went back to the car and got everything ready to run. I remembered body glide and decided to try some moleskin on my big toes since they always seem to callus and blister. Sunscreen, bug spray and I was ready to race :) Chatted with RP and a new ultra guy before heading over to join the mass of runners at the start. Caught BBerk before he headed to Boston Store and gave him my extra handheld with water and a gel in it so that I could just grab it and go when I got back to Boston Store 26 miles later :) He kindly offered to keep it in the cooler for me.
A few announcements from Vince as we all stood around prepping for the start and we were ready to go. Daisy looked all cute in her pig tails and sports bra, I decided to roll up my tank as I was worried about the heat and a cool breeze on any skin seems to really help cool down.
Making sure the Garmin is ready to roll
Not sure maybe checking my laces?
Rolling up my tank
Smiles Pre Race with TKins
45 seconds and we were off. I tucked in behind 96 and we headed into the woods. The pace felt quick and we were right behind JU who holds the grand master record and ran a 4:40 something last year. 96 wasn't letting up as we headed down the bridle trail and onto the Buckeye Trail. I was keeping pace but when we hit the first two miles under 8 minute pace I started to have my doubts that this "tactical" approach was smart. My left calf had been bothering me since Sunday but had magically felt better Friday so I thought that I had healed it but it was rearing its ugly head so between the pace feeling aggressive and my calf complaining I was starting to rethink hanging on to 96. I stuck with this group a little ways beyond Ottawa Point, but at some point before 3 miles in I made the decision to back it off. I just couldn't see how going out at this pace would end in anything but blowing up. I figured 96 would either slow the pace, blow up, or go on to break the record, and in any of these cases I was not about to attempt to run her race. I had to run my own.
And they're off.
It's early and we're all smiles (Actually the two photos before this I am sticking out my tongue at Roots, not sure why, but the photos weren't flattering)
Shortly after I backed it off we were headed up hill and TKins caught up to me. He commented that we were going way too fast and I agreed. We didn't fall too far back from the group until we got to the muddy section and an area where you run along the side of a hill with a few downed trees. One of the trees was just a tad too high for me to jump over so I lifted one leg over and proceeded to get stuck straddling this log. Apologizing for slowing TKins up I rolled my way over the log and we moved on. Roots was out here snapping photos and he gave me the thumbs up and told me not to worry about 96 and just run my own race.
Thanks Roots for the trail photo.
Somewhere through here RP and a few other guys caught me. We talked about how we had definitely gone out too fast. TKins pulled away from us here and as we made our way into the aid station at Boston there were quite a few people catching up that did not go out like maniacs. As I was exiting the aid station PR scolded me that I had gone out too fast. I replied that I knew as I grabbed some crackers and pretzels and headed to the stairs. Got an update from C that 96 was a few minutes ahead.
First aid station, stop for crackers and pretzels and a bottle refill (I could have sworn everyone promised me no unflattering photos!) A bit disoriented obviously, and sweaty despite not really feeling all that hot.
I was with RP at this point as we trudged up the stairs. I did my best to scarf down my crackers, but had forgotten how impossible it is to get those darn things down! The pretzels were easier, but texture was kinda stale, I think the humidity was not kind to our trail food. Shortly after we crested the stairs Frank and PR caught us. I 'm afraid to say I wasn't pleased :) Much too early to be getting caught, all because of 2 measly miles ran too fast. But thankfully I broke out of my comfort zone and pushed to keep up with them as they paced. If it wasn't for them I may have never picked it back up again so I am glad they got my ass in gear. The pace felt hard but doable so I just did my best to keep up.
As we hit my favorite section of the trail (an area where you drop down near the river where there are some pines and shale formations and the temperature always drops about 10 degrees) it was obvious that PR was having some issues with his injuries. We climbed out of my fave spot and he let us know he was going to drop at Boston but that he would go back out to the top of Boston and wait to pace me back. At this point we still had intentions of closing on 96 if she faltered and PR knew I would be in need of some company as I would be feeling bad on the way back through here. I felt bad to lose PR so soon but was glad he would be waiting to help me later. We got some last advice from him that we should run up the next paved hill before heading across the road and through the last little section before you hit Boston.
Well we got to that paved hill and I did not feel like running it so I let Frank and the other guys who had been with us pull ahead. Played a bit of cat and mouse with Jerry Brandt here and caught up to a gentleman in grey. I think he said his name was Matt. We ran together down the trail past the "top" of Boston where it gets technical, windy, and muddy before you jump over a stream and head up about 88 short steep stairs. Once I was through that it was time to rock the downhills and get to Boston Store. I felt good as I cruised down the trails and into the aid station.
I was still pretty focused on keeping pace and wondering how 96 was doing ahead of me and how all the gals behind me were faring. I was here to race, and for the most part that was always towards the front of my mind. When you get to aid stations they write down your number so I yelled out 77 as I came in and shouted that I needed water. Clarified that I meant water in my bottle as I looked for something salty. A volunteer offered me heed and I don't know what came over me but I practically barked "no" at her and told her I needed salt. They gave me a pack of salt pills, convinced me to take a gel and I retrieved my bottle and was on my way. C was waiting to give me another update. He hadn't seen 96 go through which meant she had gained some ground on me. He took my used gel from me as I headed down the towpath and told him I realized I had been a total jerk back at that aid station. I was so damn focused I couldn't even remember if I thanked them. Uggh talk about rude and not like me at all.
I ran up some of the hills on this section and walked sections that seemed too steep. I scarfed down a gel and an electrolyte tab and was rejoined by my friend in grey. We ran at a good clip through this section and I kept hoping not to see the leaders coming back anytime soon as I wanted to be much further ahead than last year. Last year we had seen the first runner as we headed onto the section of the trail Pine Lane is named for. A half mile section of path covered in roots. Think football drills where they jump through those ropes, kind of like that. I've never had a problem with this section but if you aren't feeling sharp you could easily do a lot of damage here either falling or twisting something on one of those roots.
C was waiting just before this section offering to pour water for runners. My handheld was still good so I declined, again he missed 96 which meant she was still far ahead. What really was crazy is she wasn't even carrying any water! Tiny little thing, but you'd think in the heat and humidity she'd want more than what she could get at the aid station. Kam is the same way though and he usually wins this thing so what do I know? All I know is it was predicted to get up to high 80s and to me that was hot enough for a handheld. I went through all the water I carried in that thing every section so I was definitely glad I decided to carry.
Shortly before we got to the old road crossing we saw the leader and about 30 seconds later Kam coming our way. I yelled for Kam that he was 35 seconds back as we headed toward the old road where Wild Bill had appeared to cheer us on. He was very kind telling me I looked great and was rocking it. I told him too bad the first girl was rocking it even more than me :)
As we neared Pine Lane 96 finally popped into view coming down hill as I climbed up. She was still with JU and she looked strong. I shouted to her that she was on record pace and doing great, she gave encouragement to me as she passed. I gave props to JU as I headed up the hill. I believe at this point they were in about 6th or 7th but I can't remember. The aid station came quicker than I thought and I was ecstatic to be ready to turn around. I knew TKins and Frank were at the station and saw SH hanging out. I hollered at him that I thought he was taking it easy. Not sure why the heck he was still at the aid station since he had gone out with the top group. He told me to hurry and that I could take down 96, she was a newbie. I had my doubts and said as much but it was nice to know that somebody had faith in me. I grabbed some trail mix and got my bottle filled then headed out. Quick aid station for me and I was halfway done at 2:22. Holy Cow that was about 12 minutes faster than last year and about 4-8 minutes faster than what I had intended when my plans were to race for time (sub 5 goal).
I headed back towards the start/finish pumped up that I still felt pretty good and that although I had thrown out the time goal initially I was still lined up with the possibility of breaking 5 hours. I know I was running with another guy through here but I can't remember who. I know he said he was clumsy because he almost fell after the crazy log bridge that I am always terrified to cross and right before I complained about climbing a little area where if you are short like me you had to grab a hold of the ground to get over this small hill.
As we started into the pines I look ahead to see Frank and a young Solon guy walking. I wondered what the heck they were doing and said as much. Frank replies "We're Power Walking Through the Pines" This had me laughing pretty hard as I passed the pine power walkers. Of course they caught back up to us before we had even gotten back on the trail after the short road section here. Frank decided to join me for awhile and we chatted as we headed back to Boston. We talked about 96 and I commented that she was probably going to break a record. She had 9 minutes on me at the half and I wasn't far behind record pace.
This section of the race is such a blast because you get to see everyone behind you and since I know so many people on the trails it is like a long trailing reunion. It really gives me a boost to see everyone and cheer on all the runners. Of course competitive E-Speed was alert too, noting how far back 3rd was. I had about 20 minutes on 3rd at the half, which made me feel good that at least if I couldn't win I was in a really good position to hold onto 2nd. It was sort of funny heading back through here. Quite a few good ultra runners were behind us and I thought about how my fast first half was probably going to come back to bite me. There's certain runners that you just don't expect to be ahead of and being in that position made me a bit nervous. Also the shock when some of them saw me was amusing. I guess I have been sort of quietly improving and for those that hadn't seen me since last year this was a pretty huge improvement.
Frank was having some trouble with cramps starting up. He seemed in good spirits and energy wise he looked good. We made our way into Boston together but I got through the station a bit quicker, once again turning into this focused femmebot getting my water and some more trail mix and cola. It was funny because I would think of what I wanted before I got to the station but when I got there it was like I had no clue other than that I knew I needed water. At most stations I just grab a handful of food and head out because there is usually a hill ahead that you can eat while you walk.
That is the case after Boston big time. There is a long hill stretch as you head back up towards the road and the building where I knew PR would be waiting for me (I had mentally started calling him my secret weapon). I played cat and mouse with a few of the guys here but took my time up the last windy section after the river because I knew PR was waiting and would push me, I wanted to be ready to push the pace even though I knew this would be a tough section for me.
It was so nice having someone to pace me through the next section. Energy wise I felt pretty good and at some point my calf had stopped bothering me (or I had successfully tuned it out). It was starting to get hot though and my hips were starting to get stiff. Also could feel a blister forming on my ankle, and my toes weren't feeling great. PR didn't play around and he pulled me through the runnable sections. We passed a few runners and tried to pull them along too. I told PR I needed to get to Snowville under 4 hours to have any chance at breaking 5 hours. He informed me that 96 had pulled into 3rd place overall and she looked strong. There was no way we were going to catch her. He said he saw all the leaders go through and of them Kam looked good, she looked good, and I looked good. It was nice to hear I looked strong, but it was certainly surprising that 96 was rocking her first 50k so well.
We stopped to fill bottles at one of the unmanned water stops and then continued to push until we got to the stairs. We passed JChaney somewhere in here I think. He was having stomach problems but was still in good spirits. A few times PR pulled a little farther away from me. He promised we'd ease the pace when we got to the bridge, but thankfully I started to feel a little better and didn't have to back it off. The stairs were a bit brutal. I could hear Solar screaming her head off so I gave her a holler. PR realized I must not be running hard enough and yelled at me we had another quarter mile to the aid station, he meant business!
We pulled into Snowville and PR had to dump me, he was going to wait for Frank but he told me I had to drink some Heed. Uggh so I slurped some down, it was disgusting! Solar grabbed my fresh handheld for me and I grabbed a handful of trail mix and headed back out. My slowest stop the whole day but I needed to regroup. I came in a little under 4 hours and with the heat and my waning energy I knew sub 5 was going to be rough.
Last aid station. Moving a little sluggishly at this point.
Heed, yuck!
I did a good job through the grass but when I hit the hills I think I started to lose it. The next 3 miles are the hardest on the course (in my opinion) and if you aren't feeling well they can slow you way the heck down. My Garmin was making me very unhappy telling me just how slow I was. I thought I was losing my mind for about a half mile as I swore I heard a runner behind me but every time I looked back I would see nothing. Bad placement, as there was a runner there but every time I looked back he was behind a tree. He passed me here and I got caught by another guy. At this point I had convince myself that DM was going to catch me and I would have to settle for 3rd female. My mental math skills are weak at best when oriented. 26 or so miles into the race, I was definitely not doing a good job with the numbers. I asked the VR guy if he had seen the 3rd lady and he said no he thought she was pretty far back and that made me feel a bit better.
I sucked down a gel and got stuck on the same damn log again! I started to feel better (maybe the Heed) as I got done with most of the hills and picked up the pace. At this point I looked at my watch and figured I was not going to break 5 but I needed to hustle to PR regardless. I was doing pretty well but got a little turned around at one of the stream crossings. Debated leaping it but then realized what that would do to my quads and back tracked to the right trail. Lost about 30 seconds here (I always get lost here! This time it was because the trail marking had got knocked down and there was a stick laying across the path I was supposed to take). I passed one of the guys in this section and did my best to keep up with the VR runner.
I got a bit off track again through a muddy section before you pop out onto an old paved road. Redirected myself again and hammered. I was out of water and commented to the VR guy that I hoped they weren't kidding about the water at Ottawa Point. We reached the park and I didn't see any water and that distressed me a bit. As we hit the trail again though there was a sign stating 1.7 miles to go sitting near a bunch of water bottles. I stopped and filled my bottle and checked the watch as I headed out. I'd have to run well under 10 minute pace to break 5 at this point and I didn't think it was possible but I just ran as hard as I could glad to know that I would be done in less than 20 minutes.
Thankfully the trail was marked well so I didn't have to think much, and I was pushing the pace along the bridle trail when I came upon a horse, so I slowed to a walk until he passed and picked it back up again. Got to the mile to go sign and was pretty sure I would finish around 5:04. I was by myself but pushing hard, remembering how good I had felt the last 6 miles last year and how different it was this year those last few miles (Now I know how MT must have felt!). I still felt strong, but I was not feeling peppy! As I finally entered the Oak Ridge Parking lot the noon bells tolled making it utterly clear sub 5 was impossible. A bit heartbroken but still determined to PR I pushed hard into the finish. Solar was screaming her head off and I couldn't help but laugh despite running as hard as I could.
I finished in 5:01:37 and was shocked when Solar informed me I was 8th overall. I didn't remember passing that many people. Sure enough 96 had gone on to break the course record in 4:37 and 3rd overall! Nothing like running a PR race, coming in top ten, but getting crushed by the 1st lady to keep you humble. The SERC guys were all laid out at the finish, icing and eating. I asked Solar where TKins was and she said he was behind me. I didn't remember passing him, but I guess he was in the bathroom at Pine Lane. He like many others was suffering through leg cramps and had a long second half.
Eventually I managed to scarf down some great Chef Bill food, change clothes, and survey the damage to the feet. I think I had more blisters than ever before. I even had one on the bottom of my foot! And somehow the moleskin I had put on my big toes had disappeared. But I didn't get blisters on those toes, so it must have worked while they were on. I had a great time watching all my friends come in to the finish. Enjoyed a few post race brews with Nathan and Daisy and caught up with some trail friends I haven't seen in awhile. I saw everyone finish. It was really impressive. Of course Leo who is in his 70s had the loudest cheers of the day! That guy has more energy than anyone I know.
I am very proud of my efforts and I am more than happy with the result. I still believe there is room for improvement though, and I am not convinced I had the best day I could of. Do I think I could have hung with 96? No, but I do think I could have broken 5 if I had run a slightly smarter race. Huge thanks to PR for helping me through those late miles because without him I wouldn't have even been close as evidenced by my huge drop in pace the next three miles without him. Big thank you's to Solar for volunteering and being such a great cheerleader, she makes you feel like a rock star. Thanks to all my friends who were out helping (BBerk, Roots, Bridget, Steve!) and to all my friends who raced, you guys really make the sport for me, and that's what will keep me coming back for more long after the years when I will be chasing wins and PRs.
Congrats to Frank on his first ultra finish! If it weren't for those cramps Frank I would like to think we would have broken 5 together!
Finish Time
1st and 2nd females
Chef Bills Post Race Grub
Trench Foot
Solar and Me post race
3rd and 2nd Ladies (SERC Gals Rule!)
Stats! (As if this post wasn't long enough already!)
I am happy to note that even despite a major slow down my last leg of the race was still faster than last year! Interestingly despite being 25 minutes faster the slow down on both those last legs was almost exactly the same as last year!
Aid Station-2008 Split (2007 Split)
Snowville-52:53 (58:11)
Boston-49:16 (53:10)
Pine Lane-40:32 (42:46)
Boston-40:45 (45:04)
Snowville-53:22 (57:04)
Finish-1:04:48 (1:10:00)
Obviously need to work on those final miles. I was 16 minutes slower on the back half and all of that was late in the race. 4 minutes from Boston to Snowville, and 12 minutes from Snowville to the Finish!
Buckeye 50k Coming into Snowville
Thanks Brian for the photo and thanks Paul for pulling me through to Snowville! Post coming. Just know I am alive and I had lucky number 77 as my bib so as you can imagine the day went well! Details to come soon. Right now I have to mow the lawn and try to relax for a few minutes before the weekly grind begins again.
BI-Weekly Run Down 6/30/08-7/13/08
Playing catch up here once again. What can I say I have just been downright busy!
Quick Stats
6/30/08-7/6/08
Goal for the week to run everyday at least 60 minutes and hopefully hit 65+ miles
Monday- 6 mile run with Daisy, Salty, and CJ, and 10 minutes quick strength building for the upper body
Tuesday- Lunch 7 mile run at lunch with Daisy. Hill repeats
PM 3.3 mile run to the library and back EZ
Wednesday- 7 mile run with CJ to Edgewater- Medium Effort
Thursday- 6.5 mile lunch run EZ with Salty and CJ
pm- 60 minutes yoga with JC
Friday- 21.5 mile run 8:35 pace Pops joined me on the bike. Wonderful morning for a run.
First run with the Garmin, seemed to work pretty well, mileage was almost exactly what my dad got on his bike computer. Auto pause was iffy during bathroom stops, going to stop using auto pause for runs, I am in the habit of pausing the watch for breaks anyways, but this feature will be great on the bike when I want to start the watch and forget about it!
Saturday- 10 mile run with dad easy
Sunday- 15 mile road run easy (12 miles with MJ)
Just under 77 miles and my biggest week ever (1 more than the week before!)
7/7/08-7/13/08 Goal mini taper week and 50 miles
Monday- Rest (after 15 days in a row of running and 7 days in a row of pavement I figured I earned it)
Tuesday- 12.5 mile bike ride into work
6 mile easy run in the evening
Wednesday- Speed workout with Daisy 8.25 miles. Attempted to do a ladder around 5k pace but the heat and humidity thwarted that plan
instead
400- 1:32
800- 3:05
Mile- 6:45
Plenty of rest on all of these but my heart rate increased about 10bpm for each of these so we called it and just jogged it in after the mile.
PM- 2 mile walk with David
Thursday- 6 mile run with Daisy and Salty easy
Friday- 5 mile run with 6*100 strides
Saturday- 2.5 mile warm up easy
10 mile trail race
(Thanks Chef Bill for the photos!)
3 mile cool down
Sunday- 9.5 miles in Solon with Frank and Hawthorne. Pushed the pace a little too much following such a hard effort on Saturday. Left calf is sore but should be fine for Saturday with taper in full effect this week.
Total for the week 49 miles
Looking forward to some more high mileage and adding in some more goal oriented speed work following the 50k! But this week it is time to enjoy a few extra rest days, get my butt reacquainted with the bike (all easy riding), and prepare mentally for a kick ass 50k.
Quick Stats
6/30/08-7/6/08
Goal for the week to run everyday at least 60 minutes and hopefully hit 65+ miles
Monday- 6 mile run with Daisy, Salty, and CJ, and 10 minutes quick strength building for the upper body
Tuesday- Lunch 7 mile run at lunch with Daisy. Hill repeats
PM 3.3 mile run to the library and back EZ
Wednesday- 7 mile run with CJ to Edgewater- Medium Effort
Thursday- 6.5 mile lunch run EZ with Salty and CJ
pm- 60 minutes yoga with JC
Friday- 21.5 mile run 8:35 pace Pops joined me on the bike. Wonderful morning for a run.
First run with the Garmin, seemed to work pretty well, mileage was almost exactly what my dad got on his bike computer. Auto pause was iffy during bathroom stops, going to stop using auto pause for runs, I am in the habit of pausing the watch for breaks anyways, but this feature will be great on the bike when I want to start the watch and forget about it!
Saturday- 10 mile run with dad easy
Sunday- 15 mile road run easy (12 miles with MJ)
Just under 77 miles and my biggest week ever (1 more than the week before!)
7/7/08-7/13/08 Goal mini taper week and 50 miles
Monday- Rest (after 15 days in a row of running and 7 days in a row of pavement I figured I earned it)
Tuesday- 12.5 mile bike ride into work
6 mile easy run in the evening
Wednesday- Speed workout with Daisy 8.25 miles. Attempted to do a ladder around 5k pace but the heat and humidity thwarted that plan
instead
400- 1:32
800- 3:05
Mile- 6:45
Plenty of rest on all of these but my heart rate increased about 10bpm for each of these so we called it and just jogged it in after the mile.
PM- 2 mile walk with David
Thursday- 6 mile run with Daisy and Salty easy
Friday- 5 mile run with 6*100 strides
Saturday- 2.5 mile warm up easy
10 mile trail race
(Thanks Chef Bill for the photos!)
3 mile cool down
Sunday- 9.5 miles in Solon with Frank and Hawthorne. Pushed the pace a little too much following such a hard effort on Saturday. Left calf is sore but should be fine for Saturday with taper in full effect this week.
Total for the week 49 miles
Looking forward to some more high mileage and adding in some more goal oriented speed work following the 50k! But this week it is time to enjoy a few extra rest days, get my butt reacquainted with the bike (all easy riding), and prepare mentally for a kick ass 50k.
Muddy Paws 10 Mile Race Report
Cool down by Kendall Lake.
So Solar emailed me Wednesday and asked if I was doing the Muddy Paws 10 mile trail race this morning. I hadn't planned on it but decided since it was a VR race and I am a VR gal and I needed to get in 10-15 miles anyways I figured I might as well go and do the 10 miler as an aggressive trail run. Pace has been slow the past few weeks as I hit two 76+ mile weeks in a row and though I am in mini taper mode this week with 50 on tap my legs were feeling pretty sluggish. All runs averaging around 8:35-10. Not exactly in speed mode :) Figured the race would be a nice controlled atmosphere where I could push the pace a bit and get a gauge on how I should handle nutrition and hills next week at the 50k.
Turned out to be a good plan!
I woke up around 5:30 and decided to splurge and have some coffee. Caffeinated E-Speed can get a little out of control but with the dead legs this week I figured an extra boost wouldn't hurt. Hopped in the car around 6:20 about 20 minutes later than planned and made my way down to the valley. I have run on some of these trails before but never started at this area so I wanted to leave plenty of time for getting lost. Race started at 8 and I had intentions of getting in a 5 mile warm up.
It was hot and humid this morning. I got to the site a little after 7. BB pulled in behind me and we went to get our bibs and packets. I was a slacker and waited to sign up today. I hate paying extra to sign up online and didn't have time to mail it in since I didn't know I was doing the race until Wednesday. Signed up for the 10 miler and went back to my car to put on my new toy, chat with Daisy, take a gel, hit the restroom, then finally started in on my warm up. With the heat, warming up did seem kind of ridiculous, but I knew my legs have been heavy the first 20-35 minutes of all my runs lately so I wanted to ease into things before the race. Got in about 24 minutes with Bridget, Daisy, Brett, SS, Tkins, and Solar then headed to the start.
Found out from Brett that the race was Hilly and it was a two loop 5 mile course. Sounded good to me as I figured I could use the chance to hammer some hills to prep for next week.
Moved up towards the front since I knew it would get crowded on the trail quick and despite not technically "racing" I wanted to run a good hard trail effort, and didn't want to get stuck passing people. TM was toeing the line as I moved up so I asked her if she planned to run the 5 or 10. My luck she was running the 10 ;) She had creamed me by about 35 seconds at the Mom's Day 5K so I figured with my plan to not race hard she was going to crush me today. We both mentioned how we wished we knew who was in the 5 as we didn't want to waste energy chasing down any 5 milers who went out hard. Turns out we needn't have worried about that, most of the fast ladies were running the 10 mile.
Apparently TM isn't as into the trails as much as me so we actually stayed pretty close together for the first 3 miles or so. Mile pace was relatively quick, but I felt good and was surprised she was letting me get off this easy. Apparently the hills had zapped her a bit around mile 3 so she had backed it off and walked a few hills which gave her the juice to come back and hammer past me around mile 4 once we hit a stretch of long grassy hills (yuck!). I let her go as I had no intention of pushing pace and was honestly surprised she hadn't gone out faster. She gapped about 2 minutes on me within a mile and stayed there the rest of the race, gotta hand it to her she is a great technical racer, she knows when to surge and what to do to beat her opponent. With all the hills it was very tempting to call the race at mile 5 knowing I had to hit them again and this loop I would be on my own. Would have been nice to take the easy 5 mile win and then go back out and just run the last 5 for training. But I figured that was cheesy and a cop out so I stayed in the 10 mile race (If I had only known first place got free shoes! Doh!)
The trails were pretty technical the first 4 miles. Lots of roots, rocks, some mud, lots of stairs, pretty much a little of everything. I took it easy the first 3 on the ups and down, just tucked in behind TM. Chatted a little but not too much, laughed when I realized that I had forgotten to turn off auto pause on my watch and despite us hammering up one of the hills my watch thought I was standing still, I was luckily able to turn off the auto pause on the next flat section.
Mostly I was just getting a feel for how it felt to run a bit more aggressively on the trail, and trying to figure out what a feasible pace would be next week. My Garmin lined up the first mile just a tad beyond the marked mile and TM and I were both pretty surprised to clock a 7:45 on this one. Apparently adrenaline and a few down hills made for a speedy first mile that thankfully didn't feel that hard effort wise. Second mile lined up with my Garmin too and we had settled into a reasonable 8:30 pace. With the hills that was still pretty impressive. Next mile had some stairs and some serious roots and pace slowed to a 9:30. Here my Garmin started to diverge from the marked mileage. I ended up with 9.7 for the day based on my watch, but I like the races pace better so I am still calling it 10 ;) As far as I was concerned shorter was better than longer with the heat and hills so I wasn't going to complain :)
After the second aid station we wrapped around the lake and back towards the Sound of Music Hills where we started. TM caught back up to me here and started to pull away once we hit the grass. I still felt good but didn't feel like pushing pace. I hate running in the grass, and the added elevation did nothing for my desire to pick it up. I must admit it would be nice every once in awhile to be able to show up to a local race and win, but if I am going to go to an unplanned race, train through it, and still place at all, I know I can't complain about that. So I watched as TM pushed ahead and took solace in the fact that I was still in 2nd and I was running the race exactly how I had planned to, and didn't get wrapped up in racing too hard and blowing my chances for running well next week.
So with the first lap down I was back out to do it again, this time virtually alone. Almost took out the guy in front of me at the aid station. He had plans to stop there and then move on, I had plans to grab on the move. He made a move to catch me about a mile later on one of the downhills, but I managed to get away from him on the uphills and didn't see him again. I didn't see another runner until over half way through the loop. This didn't help my motivation to run stairs much and I did end up walking 2 of the steeper stair sections. Just wasn't worth it to sky rocket my heart or push my achilles today. And it is a good note for me, as now I know what sort of hills I can push next week and which ones I will be better off walking to save energy.
I did run the downhills a bit more aggressively this lap but eased off on the ups. With no one in front of me it was nice to run my own pace on this loop, which ended up being a bit slower than the first lap on the trails but I made up for it in the last mile upping the pace and coming in just a few seconds slower than the first lap. Caught a young man coming up one of the sound of music hills but he ended up re-passing me before the finish and I didn't feel the need to up the anti and try to re-"chick" him. For not seeing anyone most of the lap I surprisingly wasn't too far back from the 3 or 4 runners in front of me. DP was waiting at the finish line and I assumed he had been done for awhile but he claimed we were just behind him. I guess he was the white shirt I saw at the top of the grassy hill as we headed into the last mile! No other girls gave me a run for my money on the second loop so I gratefully came in 2nd overall. Not a bad training run if I do say so myself ;) Apparently the cut back in mileage this week paid off because I really did feel good today despite the 38 hills (JC counted) and the heat!
Got in a nice 3 mile cool down split between my SERC buddy BB who placed first in her age group, and with TM who ended up crushing me by about 2 minutes. Nice to get out with the gals and chat about racing. I'm getting anxious for next weeks 50k so this morning was a nice distraction from that, and talking it over with all my gals is helping me to devise a race plan (which hopefully I will have the self control to stick to).
Splits for the math junkies. Once I figure out how to get these fancy Garmin charts in here I will have to add those whenever they seem interesting. So far I have tracked my heart rate on most of my runs, but I have no clue what it means! The pace and distance data has been such a nice change from begging friends with Garmins for their mileage or google mapping every run. So far I am giving the Garmin 405 two thumbs up. I love it!
Garmin claims I pretty much even split the race, but looking at the chart the math makes no sense since I had a 10+ minute miler on the second loop and all the miles were slower, but I guess my watch having the first loop at 4.8ish makes the miles harder to compare, must have run the last .2 of that 5th mile at blazing speed, possible as it was downhill. 1st half based on my watch was 42:31 (Likely 42:32-42:34 with that brief auto paused hill, so I may have even negative split, bizarre) and second half was 42:34.
Garmin Splits
Mile 1- 7:45
Mile 2- 8:31
Mile 3- 9:29
Mile 4- 8:22
Mile 5- 8:30
Mile 6- 8:33
Mile 7- 9:08
Mile 8- 10:02
Mile 9- 9:06
Mile 9.7- 5:33 (Pace 8:05)
Official Time 1:25:05
Must admit it was great to be back out racing. I am getting stoked for next week!
Mamas got a new toy
That's right folks I finally caved and got the Garmin 405, rather my sister got it for me and I am reimbursing her for it. As I have been told the band is a little awkward and doesn't lay quite right on my freakishly skinny wrists but I am super excited to see how it holds up to a 2-3 hour run this morning. I'm even trying out the heart rate monitor, talk about information overload after 14 years of perceived exertion workouts and guesstimating pace and distance!
On that note I am finishing my tea and me and my pops are heading to the park. Wish me luck!
On that note I am finishing my tea and me and my pops are heading to the park. Wish me luck!
Bi-Weekly Rundown 6/16/08-6/29/08
Well not much to say running wise for the week of June 16th. I took Monday and Tuesday off as my achilles was bruised and felt awful. Could barely walk on it and I was worried I had done some serious damage, but I iced and massaged and Wednesday tested it on an easy 47 minute run with Salty. It felt stiff but no pain and it felt all right after the run so I decided I was in the clear to get back on track...best laid plans my friends. However that was also the last week my coworker would be in Cleveland so we were hitting up lunches and happy hours and my free time for running was taken up by social commitments with the coworkers. Fun times but not really helping me to achieve running greatness ;) The multiple beers weren't helping the waistline either, at least we were getting in a lot of walking! Friday we drove to Cinci and I downed 2 last quick beers with the coworkers before heading out to say good bye and to ease my normal hyperventilating that occurs while being a passenger in rush hour traffic. Another tall beer at Applebees half way through the ride got me to Cinci in one sane piece. Then it was time for some serious gaming and a few more beers. Saturday was my 5 year anniversary, my sister in laws shower, and my sister in laws bacherlorette party. Between staying up late drinking Friday, waking up early Saturday to shop for shower goodies, the shower, and the party not much time was left for running. I'm happy to report that I did drag my hung over ass out for a 2 hour run on Sunday though and the achilles only flared up a tiny bit whenever I strayed from the pavement to the dirt path. Surprisingly despite my week long binge of non running and heavy drinking (for me) I managed to negative split the run finishing it out at 7:30 pace (helped that my hubby called to tell me I was going to miss out on some guitar hero action if I didn't hurry up).
With a miserable running week behind me I decided to jump right back in and was aiming for 65 miles this week. I knew it would be rough coming off a 19 mile week but figured if I kept the pace easy I could jump right back into higher mileage. Considering I had drank more the previous week than I have all year I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised that most of my runs this week I felt like shit. My legs were just not cooperating and my stomach was being downright awful, usually not a problem for me. I ran every day with Tuesday being my only "hard day" the rest done at an easy to moderate pace. Well my hard work paid off and I ended up with my biggest week ever just shy of 76 miles (previous best was 70)! Granted I only did one cross training activity but still, a very good week for me to deposit in my endurance bank. It is my intention to continue the streak of high mileage this year hopefully getting to the point where 60 mile weeks are easy for me.
6/16/08-6/22/08
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 47 minutes easy
Thursday: 1 mile open water swim AM, 60 minute yoga PM
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 2 hours, fast finish run
6/23/08-6/29/08
Monday: 6.5 miles easy with Salty
Tuesday: Track 7.58 miles total, mile repeats (6:14,6:12,6:18)
Wednesday: 60 minutes easy (6.64 miles)
Thursday: 1 mile open water swim AM
8.25 mile lunch run with Janet, felt good first half but was suffering late in the run
Friday: 10.8 miles downtown in the morning, got attacked by a red winged blackbird!
Saturday: 3 hour trail run with Jen, Sam, and AF. Intended to run 6 miles easy, settled for 16.6 with friends. First run I really felt good on this week so I decided to take advantage of it.
Sunday: 19.2 miles on the Buckeye trail. Took it easy but tried to run most of the hills. Felt great until about 17 miles. Had a coughing attack as something was lodged in my airway and about 2 minutes later my stomach revolted. Perhaps my body telling me I pushed a bit far this week? Feel great now so I am not going to worry about it.
The past three runs have all been double digits and were all done early in the morning on less sleep than I normally get and I still felt surprisingly well. Not sure what that means, hopefully it means I am finally detoxed from last week and am headed towards a PR at Buckeye 50k ;)
Enjoy the slideshow of June fun with the Hansens.
Explanations: Paivi our rambunctious "child" hiding in my linen cube, Kendall Lake, attempts at gardening (before the seedlings got ate by small creatures and weeds took over the bed), shakes in Coventry, More of Paivi getting into things, my beach run at Sandusky, SERC Guys goofing off, Lake Erie Swim, Coworkers last day, Ticket to Ride game, SIL shower and Bacherlorette Party, Chilling Sunday after a long run and Guitar Hero madness
With a miserable running week behind me I decided to jump right back in and was aiming for 65 miles this week. I knew it would be rough coming off a 19 mile week but figured if I kept the pace easy I could jump right back into higher mileage. Considering I had drank more the previous week than I have all year I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised that most of my runs this week I felt like shit. My legs were just not cooperating and my stomach was being downright awful, usually not a problem for me. I ran every day with Tuesday being my only "hard day" the rest done at an easy to moderate pace. Well my hard work paid off and I ended up with my biggest week ever just shy of 76 miles (previous best was 70)! Granted I only did one cross training activity but still, a very good week for me to deposit in my endurance bank. It is my intention to continue the streak of high mileage this year hopefully getting to the point where 60 mile weeks are easy for me.
6/16/08-6/22/08
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 47 minutes easy
Thursday: 1 mile open water swim AM, 60 minute yoga PM
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 2 hours, fast finish run
6/23/08-6/29/08
Monday: 6.5 miles easy with Salty
Tuesday: Track 7.58 miles total, mile repeats (6:14,6:12,6:18)
Wednesday: 60 minutes easy (6.64 miles)
Thursday: 1 mile open water swim AM
8.25 mile lunch run with Janet, felt good first half but was suffering late in the run
Friday: 10.8 miles downtown in the morning, got attacked by a red winged blackbird!
Saturday: 3 hour trail run with Jen, Sam, and AF. Intended to run 6 miles easy, settled for 16.6 with friends. First run I really felt good on this week so I decided to take advantage of it.
Sunday: 19.2 miles on the Buckeye trail. Took it easy but tried to run most of the hills. Felt great until about 17 miles. Had a coughing attack as something was lodged in my airway and about 2 minutes later my stomach revolted. Perhaps my body telling me I pushed a bit far this week? Feel great now so I am not going to worry about it.
The past three runs have all been double digits and were all done early in the morning on less sleep than I normally get and I still felt surprisingly well. Not sure what that means, hopefully it means I am finally detoxed from last week and am headed towards a PR at Buckeye 50k ;)
Enjoy the slideshow of June fun with the Hansens.
Explanations: Paivi our rambunctious "child" hiding in my linen cube, Kendall Lake, attempts at gardening (before the seedlings got ate by small creatures and weeds took over the bed), shakes in Coventry, More of Paivi getting into things, my beach run at Sandusky, SERC Guys goofing off, Lake Erie Swim, Coworkers last day, Ticket to Ride game, SIL shower and Bacherlorette Party, Chilling Sunday after a long run and Guitar Hero madness
Quick Update
My achilles is A-OK so far, although I haven't attempted trails since the injury, we'll see how it holds up this weekend. Between that and going away happy hours, bridal showers, and bacherlorette parties last weeks mileage took a huge nose dive, so this week has been like climbing a mountain. Apparently you can lose fitness quick, that or the liquor still isn't out of my system... Will post more with photos when I get a chance to come up for air!
Weekly Rundown 6/9/08-6/15/08
Just another week of trying to boost mileage. Ended up a little shy of my goal as on Sunday I tweaked my Achilles pretty good. Stiff, bruised, and a bit worried about it I called it a day 4 miles short of my goal. I'm on day 3 of no running and it seems to be healed (i.e. I am not hobbling around anymore), I may go test it today, but I will try to be smart and wait one more day to ensure the injury is gone.
Monday-45 minutes ~ 5 miles. 5*25 second strides. Intended for this run to be 8 miles but about 4 miles in the sky's opened up and proceeded to thunder and lightning directly above my head. Scared the living snot out of me so I called the hubby so I could bail. Felt bad as I was a drowned rat by the time he got me, but that lightning was terrifying!
Tuesday-Rest
Wednesday- AM 4 miles easy
PM 25 minute warm up
Flag Day 5k-19:34 3rd overall female
Thursday-AM:60 minutes easy at a State park near Sandusky. Took some fun photos I will post. About 6.5 miles, just a relaxed run
PM Yoga aka magic stretching. My left glute has been driving me crazy, not sore but just annoying for a few weeks, and it has not bothered me since Thursday night. I'm going to make this part of the routine again.
Friday-60 minute run from the house, ~6.7 miles. Didn't feel like running at all so I grabbed the i pod. I wasn't the only one out with an I pod in the hood that night, I got to witness a little old lady breaking it down as she moved along the sidewalk. She was even singing out loud. Glad someone was having a good night although she did look at me like I was strange. Also had some old man make some comment to me which I didn't hear through the i pod but I swear he said you should quit doing that, it'll make your feet big. What?
Saturday-2 hours 20 minutes on the trails. Long boring start on the towpath and then we finally hit the buckeye trail. We did Lock 29 to Highland rd via the towpath, then jaite to snowville, snowville to Boston except we took the road from the old building, cutting out the mud slide and about 1 mile, then Boston Store to Pine Lane via the buckeye trail and then we hit a bridle trail back to lock 29. Somewhere between 15 and 16 miles. Either way a hard fast trail run for me.
Sunday- 11 miles trails. About half way through my right Achilles started to complain. I am guessing either the mud or the multiple hills I ran Saturday and Sunday was the cause. Note to self I do not need to run trails both Saturday and Sunday. Especially not the same darn section of trails :) Other than the Achilles I felt really good though, pace felt easy and I felt strong. Damn weak Achilles tendon!
Monday-45 minutes ~ 5 miles. 5*25 second strides. Intended for this run to be 8 miles but about 4 miles in the sky's opened up and proceeded to thunder and lightning directly above my head. Scared the living snot out of me so I called the hubby so I could bail. Felt bad as I was a drowned rat by the time he got me, but that lightning was terrifying!
Tuesday-Rest
Wednesday- AM 4 miles easy
PM 25 minute warm up
Flag Day 5k-19:34 3rd overall female
Thursday-AM:60 minutes easy at a State park near Sandusky. Took some fun photos I will post. About 6.5 miles, just a relaxed run
PM Yoga aka magic stretching. My left glute has been driving me crazy, not sore but just annoying for a few weeks, and it has not bothered me since Thursday night. I'm going to make this part of the routine again.
Friday-60 minute run from the house, ~6.7 miles. Didn't feel like running at all so I grabbed the i pod. I wasn't the only one out with an I pod in the hood that night, I got to witness a little old lady breaking it down as she moved along the sidewalk. She was even singing out loud. Glad someone was having a good night although she did look at me like I was strange. Also had some old man make some comment to me which I didn't hear through the i pod but I swear he said you should quit doing that, it'll make your feet big. What?
Saturday-2 hours 20 minutes on the trails. Long boring start on the towpath and then we finally hit the buckeye trail. We did Lock 29 to Highland rd via the towpath, then jaite to snowville, snowville to Boston except we took the road from the old building, cutting out the mud slide and about 1 mile, then Boston Store to Pine Lane via the buckeye trail and then we hit a bridle trail back to lock 29. Somewhere between 15 and 16 miles. Either way a hard fast trail run for me.
Sunday- 11 miles trails. About half way through my right Achilles started to complain. I am guessing either the mud or the multiple hills I ran Saturday and Sunday was the cause. Note to self I do not need to run trails both Saturday and Sunday. Especially not the same darn section of trails :) Other than the Achilles I felt really good though, pace felt easy and I felt strong. Damn weak Achilles tendon!
2008 Flag Day 5k
On Tuesday I received an email out of the blue from one of my really good high school friends. MP was an exchange student from Montreal Montreal Sandusky Wednesday and heading back to Montreal Sandusky 
Old Friends Ready to Race
My sights on the clock I watched as a PR and my Mom's Day 5k time passed and I clocked a 19:34 pumping my arms as hard as I could in response to my husbands cheers. I was a bit disappointed not to beat my Mom's Day 5k time as I felt I ran a better race but with the heat, hills, and turns this is probably a slightly slower course. And I was very happy to place 3rd overall and go sub 20 for the 3rd time.
Chatted with my hubby then headed back to pick up MP and Salty but didn't have to wait long as they both came cruising in before I could even get to the hill. MP was crushing it, running about 3 minutes faster than her high school times and Salty was making all baby mommas proud kicking it in and out sprinting 3rd in her age group.
We hung around for the awards and hooted and hollered. Unfortunately Allanjel had a bad night, but I tell you what, chick is fierce and I have no doubt she will be heading for a BQ in Richmond this fall. My friend MP snagged second in age group and I picked up Salty's second in age group plaque for her. A good night for the gals.
Waiting for the Awards
3rd Overall Female (Plaque actually said Male so I had to peel it and trade with the Male 3rd overall!)
2nd in Age group!
Awards are fun!
Then it was off to Baker's Square for dinner and back to Sandusky. A night very well spent!
I am pretty happy with my race. I wasn't exactly 100% focused and I am boosting mileage right now so I can't expect to race extremely well, especially at short distances. I ran over 60 seconds faster than last year (granted last year I was coming off the GMR relay) and I was able to go sub 20 relatively pain free. In the future I want to get the second mile faster, it's something I have always struggled with and it is my new goal to run my second mile much closer to my 1st mile (although at mom's day 5k I did that and died, so we will see). 5ks are rough, go out too fast and you burn out, too slow and there isn't time to make it up. You'd think since I have been doing this for about 12 years I'd have it figured out by now, but I guess that is the thrill of it!
All in all a great night. It was great to catch up with my friend and awesome to share our joint love of running by doing the race. Also cool to share it with all my new Cleveland friends. It was a year ago this race that I first met Salty and I am so excited that we are now close friends. I've got such a great group of girlfriends in Cleveland and I guess seeing MP made me realize that although I have moved far away from most of my high school and college friends I am still blessed with many great relationships, old and new.
So Wednesday afternoon I left work early to go to
Old Friends Ready to Race
I tried to go out relaxed and just latch on to Evie since I knew that last year she ran under 19 here. I figured she would kick my butt but I wanted to try and stay relatively close to hold onto 3rd and hopefully another sub 20. (First girl is a local stud, consistently running sub 17s, I don’t even know what I would do with myself if I was that fast)
First mile was perfect at 6:06. Toying with sub 19 here but the first mile had a large downhill and I knew there were some hairpin turns and uphills to deal with that would probably shoot that down. Got a little complacent the second mile, falling back into my old ways. Fell back a bit from Evie but still pushing. High fived MP and cheered for her and Salty as they came up the hill I was heading down. I think it was around here last year that I missed Salty coming downhill. It felt good to be in her shoes this time around.
Second mile was slower than I intended around 6:26 and I heard my hubby cheering a few seconds too late as I passed and headed into a turn and up the last long hill. During the warm up we ran the hill and it didn't seem too bad, but my legs have just felt tapped lately on the uphills and I could feel the energy drain towards the top as we wound through the woods. Last year I had toyed with this girl through the woods trying to pass her at every attempt but this time around Evie had a good gap on me and there weren't even any men to pass so I just picked up my pace and hammered as best I could. Once again I forgot that we head back into the woods and not straight down the hill but I stepped up the effort trying to close the gap on Evie. Got to the last downhill stretch and I was pushing hard, but felt strong. Evie had too much of a gap on me to catch her and I knew from a glance over my shoulder after mile 2 that there weren't any girls close to me.My sights on the clock I watched as a PR and my Mom's Day 5k time passed and I clocked a 19:34 pumping my arms as hard as I could in response to my husbands cheers. I was a bit disappointed not to beat my Mom's Day 5k time as I felt I ran a better race but with the heat, hills, and turns this is probably a slightly slower course. And I was very happy to place 3rd overall and go sub 20 for the 3rd time.
Chatted with my hubby then headed back to pick up MP and Salty but didn't have to wait long as they both came cruising in before I could even get to the hill. MP was crushing it, running about 3 minutes faster than her high school times and Salty was making all baby mommas proud kicking it in and out sprinting 3rd in her age group.
We hung around for the awards and hooted and hollered. Unfortunately Allanjel had a bad night, but I tell you what, chick is fierce and I have no doubt she will be heading for a BQ in Richmond this fall. My friend MP snagged second in age group and I picked up Salty's second in age group plaque for her. A good night for the gals.
Waiting for the Awards
3rd Overall Female (Plaque actually said Male so I had to peel it and trade with the Male 3rd overall!)
2nd in Age group!
Awards are fun!
Then it was off to Baker's Square for dinner and back to Sandusky. A night very well spent!
I am pretty happy with my race. I wasn't exactly 100% focused and I am boosting mileage right now so I can't expect to race extremely well, especially at short distances. I ran over 60 seconds faster than last year (granted last year I was coming off the GMR relay) and I was able to go sub 20 relatively pain free. In the future I want to get the second mile faster, it's something I have always struggled with and it is my new goal to run my second mile much closer to my 1st mile (although at mom's day 5k I did that and died, so we will see). 5ks are rough, go out too fast and you burn out, too slow and there isn't time to make it up. You'd think since I have been doing this for about 12 years I'd have it figured out by now, but I guess that is the thrill of it!
All in all a great night. It was great to catch up with my friend and awesome to share our joint love of running by doing the race. Also cool to share it with all my new Cleveland friends. It was a year ago this race that I first met Salty and I am so excited that we are now close friends. I've got such a great group of girlfriends in Cleveland and I guess seeing MP made me realize that although I have moved far away from most of my high school and college friends I am still blessed with many great relationships, old and new.
Weekly Rundown June 1st-7th
Just trying to bump my mileage back up to get ready for the Buckeye 50k and build some base for my Richmond marathon training. Surprisingly the heat hasn't seemed to phase me too much although Thursday was pretty brutal downtown and my legs felt like tree trunks. An unplanned Friday off remedied that and I felt great on my Saturday and Sunday medium long runs.
We even got to see some wildlife!
Monday- 56 minute run easy ~5.6 miles
Tuesday- Track 7 miles total, Pretty happy with the splits, rests were a bit longer than usual for me so I wanted them to be on the fast side.
Rainy night
2 mile warm up
4*100 strides/100 meter recovery
1600 (6:11)/800 recovery
800 (3:02)/400 recovery
800 (2:58)/400 recovery
400 (1:28)/400 recovery
400 (1:23)/400 recovery
800 cool down
Wednesday-
Lunch- 45 minute body sculpting class
PM- 6.5 miles easy trail run
Thursday- 7 mile easy run downtown HOT!
Friday- Rest
Saturday- 13 mile trail run (fast finish, sub 7 on the towpath) under 10 minute mile average
Hot day, but I felt pretty good. A bit muddy in spots but overall a pretty nice run. We lost our way a few times but thankfully ended up where we intended to go. Probably my quietest trail run ever. The guys claimed we were on private property, but I'm guessing they just didn't want to hear me going on and on the whole run. Added bonus my girl Daisy made it out too!We even got to see some wildlife!
Sunday- Calling this one an Epic Sunday for getting some time on the run, bike, and swim
14 mile road run 8 min pace, felt really good other than my stomach the last two miles. Starting to feel really pumped up for this fall. Got my ego boosted a bit by the guys at the bagel shop commenting on how tough I am getting to be.
15 mile bike ride
Enter my bike ride with Wild Bill. I had planned to do 20 miles easy on my own but Bill had rode his bike to the bagel shop from his place so I decided to ride back with him and hit the pool for a bit before riding back solo. It was about 15 miles and I figure it would be easy since Bill was on a hybrid sans clips and I was on my road bike. Well I had my piece of humble pie served up Wild Bill style. He kicked my ass! I survived but it wasn't an easy ride that is for sure! My legs were pretty much toast on the up hills.
500 meter swim. Feeling pretty lazy when we got to the pool but decided to do a few laps. A littl backstroke, breast, and freestyle, all easy.
15 mile bike ride back to Solon. I tried to just keep it easy and managed to get back in the same time it took me to get there, but I had a tailwind.
Week Totals
56 miles run for the week, right where I want to be.
30 mile bike (need to boost the time in the saddle for that looming century ride)
500 meter swim (need to get in the lake to get ready for the 2 mile open water swim)
45 minute strengthening just need to add a day of yoga to this and I will be happy with it
Bus Musings
I will have taken the bus to work every day this week and all but two days the past three weeks now. So far so good! I wish they were spaced closer in the evening (after 5 they only come every 30 minutes), but there are plenty of options in the morning which is good because I am always forgetting one thing or another :)
I think I am starting to get into a schedule now, although I have been feeling rather lackluster midday lately. I am going to blame that on the heat and not my new schedule which mostly involves running at lunch and gardening in the evening with an earlier bedtime before I get up to do it all again. Bridget was kind enough to give me a ride in the evening to the Solon Track on Tuesday this week so I even got in a track workout with company without having to drive!
So far the bus rides have been pretty uneventful. Just one crazy guy who decided he wanted to stand and rant in front of the bus one evening downtown. (He thankfully moved after the bus driver hollered at him) The bus seems to be getting more and more crowded but since I run at lunch I usually take a later bus home and those don't get quite as much foot traffic. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to start standing on the way to work though. I'll just have to learn how to read and stand and hold on at the same time!
I have started to catch up on a lot of reading with the free time on my hands. Figured I would keep a list here and any fun notes about the books I am tackling. Reading is one of my other favorite hobbies and I am so excited to have a legitimate time to do it now that isn't taking away from other important tasks I should be doing each day. Started my bus trips with some lighter fantasy reading (what can I say I am a bit of an escapist at heart), and have moved into some outdoorsy fiction, some non-fiction, and some gardening books to help with my empty garden beds.
His Dark Materials Trilogy- Excellent trilogy in my humble opinion. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how they adapt the 2nd and 3rd books into movies. Was disappointed I had to finish this one, would have loved for the story to keep going. Good book for thoughts on how religion, politics, and the organizations that run them affect our daily lives with a great fantasy tale to keep you from getting too depressed by it all :)
A Walk in the Woods- Wow. I loved this book. I am so excited about the Appalachian trail now it isn't even funny. Informational and funny take on a novice hiker attempting to thru hike the Appalachian trail. Dreams of thru hiking dancing in my head...
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons- Second time reading this one and still loved it. I think I am going to pick up a few of her other books and see if they are as good. Just a very good novel about the special bonds a special group of women can have when brought together by love of a similar hobby, in this case reading books.
100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants: For American Gardens in Temperate Zones- I would really love to plant an entirely native garden (a rain garden if I could swing it even). This book was extremely useful, now if I could just find the plants that it helped me to pick in local nurseries. Hmm apparently planting native may not be quite so easy!
Bird Gardens: A Year-round Guide to Creating an Alluring Haven for Birds- Just started into this one. Mostly just some amazing photos of gardens that will successfully attract birds year round. Reminding me that I need to put up our blue bird box!
The pitiful gardener's handbook : successful gardening, inspite of yourself- Just perused this so far. Kind of a boring read but good advice for gardeners like myself who seem kind of hopeless sometimes. Now if only I would practice some of it ;)
Trowel & error : over 700 shortcuts, tips & remedies for the gardener- Cute little book with lots of fun illustrations and tons of little gardening tips. Way too much for this gardening dummy to remember but I will write down the tips that stand out as being most helpful for my situation.
I think I am starting to get into a schedule now, although I have been feeling rather lackluster midday lately. I am going to blame that on the heat and not my new schedule which mostly involves running at lunch and gardening in the evening with an earlier bedtime before I get up to do it all again. Bridget was kind enough to give me a ride in the evening to the Solon Track on Tuesday this week so I even got in a track workout with company without having to drive!
So far the bus rides have been pretty uneventful. Just one crazy guy who decided he wanted to stand and rant in front of the bus one evening downtown. (He thankfully moved after the bus driver hollered at him) The bus seems to be getting more and more crowded but since I run at lunch I usually take a later bus home and those don't get quite as much foot traffic. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to start standing on the way to work though. I'll just have to learn how to read and stand and hold on at the same time!
I have started to catch up on a lot of reading with the free time on my hands. Figured I would keep a list here and any fun notes about the books I am tackling. Reading is one of my other favorite hobbies and I am so excited to have a legitimate time to do it now that isn't taking away from other important tasks I should be doing each day. Started my bus trips with some lighter fantasy reading (what can I say I am a bit of an escapist at heart), and have moved into some outdoorsy fiction, some non-fiction, and some gardening books to help with my empty garden beds.
His Dark Materials Trilogy- Excellent trilogy in my humble opinion. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how they adapt the 2nd and 3rd books into movies. Was disappointed I had to finish this one, would have loved for the story to keep going. Good book for thoughts on how religion, politics, and the organizations that run them affect our daily lives with a great fantasy tale to keep you from getting too depressed by it all :)
A Walk in the Woods- Wow. I loved this book. I am so excited about the Appalachian trail now it isn't even funny. Informational and funny take on a novice hiker attempting to thru hike the Appalachian trail. Dreams of thru hiking dancing in my head...
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons- Second time reading this one and still loved it. I think I am going to pick up a few of her other books and see if they are as good. Just a very good novel about the special bonds a special group of women can have when brought together by love of a similar hobby, in this case reading books.
100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants: For American Gardens in Temperate Zones- I would really love to plant an entirely native garden (a rain garden if I could swing it even). This book was extremely useful, now if I could just find the plants that it helped me to pick in local nurseries. Hmm apparently planting native may not be quite so easy!
Bird Gardens: A Year-round Guide to Creating an Alluring Haven for Birds- Just started into this one. Mostly just some amazing photos of gardens that will successfully attract birds year round. Reminding me that I need to put up our blue bird box!
The pitiful gardener's handbook : successful gardening, inspite of yourself- Just perused this so far. Kind of a boring read but good advice for gardeners like myself who seem kind of hopeless sometimes. Now if only I would practice some of it ;)
Trowel & error : over 700 shortcuts, tips & remedies for the gardener- Cute little book with lots of fun illustrations and tons of little gardening tips. Way too much for this gardening dummy to remember but I will write down the tips that stand out as being most helpful for my situation.
Weekly Rundown May 25th through May 31st
All done with recovery mode now and onto training for the Buckeye 50K, Pacing for the Akron marathon, and racing the Richmond Marathon in the fall. Oh and I should probably do something to prep for the century ride and 2 mile open water swim I plan to do for the Beast series too. Wanted to get over 50 for the week and I squeaked it out thanks to Monday's medium long run.
Monday- 2 hours trail ~12.5 miles
Tuesday- Rest
Wednesday- Recovery run with Salty ~5.75 miles
Thursday- ~7.5 miles with 7 25 second strides with Salty
Friday- Morning solo tempo effort. Opted to just do an out and back and estimate distance. Wanted to get in 6-7 miles (depending on time left before I had to catch the bus) with 2-3 miles at a good hard tempo effort. First mile was 8:20 something so at 26 minutes I estimated that was 3 miles and turned around and started into my tempo effort. I ran the next "2 miles" back in 14:04 then ran easy the last mile back to the house. Mapped the run later on the USATF site and it was actually closer to 6.34 so I was running my tempo a little too hard (~6:25 pace, I was aiming for 6:45-7).
Saturday- 60 hot muggy minutes in Cinci. Holy cow was it hot down there. I'm calling this 6. I had no idea where I was most of the run, just winding around the suburbs. The first 10 minutes or so I thought, eh it isn't so bad out here. By 30 minutes I was ready to jump in many of the neighborhood pools fully clothed. My face was beat red by the time I got back and I was a sweaty mess. I am not ready for summer running! Thank goodness the Galloways had AC! (The beers and long island ice teas I had Friday night as well as the ginormous apple pancake with ice cream I had for breakfast made this hot muggy run even less pleasant. Pigging out and drinking excessively stops now!)
Sunday- Medium long run with my SERC peeps. Not sure where the heck all the ladies were but my intention to go out a bit quicker with some of the guys was go as there were no ladies to change my mind. First mile went out with Hawthorne and PR. Forgot to start my watch but thankfully PR has a garmin so I got the mile split from him then started my watch. Hmm 7:36 and they were just warming up, I knew I wanted to pick up the pace but this might be a bit aggressive. The next 5 miles to the water stop I hung out with Frank who was aiming to have an easy day and didn't dust by me like the rest of the group. He kept making comments about how fast the pace was and I told him I did not want to know until we got to the water stop. Turns out we averaged about 7:10 the first 6 miles. Yeah a lot closer to tempo pace than long run pace for me. We hadn't got back from Cinci until midnight and the Indian food (which was divine) was not sitting pleasantly in my stomach. I informed Frank I was easing the pace way off and was going to hit the trails. I wanted to get in 15 but with the humidity I decided to do the 12 and then tack on 3 at the end if I still felt okay. Thankfully Frank didn't minding slowing way up so we hit the trails and finished out the 12 mile loop. Picked up TC for the last few miles at the top of the hill and Frank showed us his digs and gave us some water to tide us over for the last 1.5 miles or so. Ended up with 2 hours on the dot and what I am going to call 15 miles but I have a feeling it was a little more.
53 miles for the week and 180 for the month. I'm hoping to see that go up quite a bit over the next few months. I'd really like to get so 60s are comfortable and 70s are more common.
Monday- 2 hours trail ~12.5 miles
Tuesday- Rest
Wednesday- Recovery run with Salty ~5.75 miles
Thursday- ~7.5 miles with 7 25 second strides with Salty
Friday- Morning solo tempo effort. Opted to just do an out and back and estimate distance. Wanted to get in 6-7 miles (depending on time left before I had to catch the bus) with 2-3 miles at a good hard tempo effort. First mile was 8:20 something so at 26 minutes I estimated that was 3 miles and turned around and started into my tempo effort. I ran the next "2 miles" back in 14:04 then ran easy the last mile back to the house. Mapped the run later on the USATF site and it was actually closer to 6.34 so I was running my tempo a little too hard (~6:25 pace, I was aiming for 6:45-7).
Saturday- 60 hot muggy minutes in Cinci. Holy cow was it hot down there. I'm calling this 6. I had no idea where I was most of the run, just winding around the suburbs. The first 10 minutes or so I thought, eh it isn't so bad out here. By 30 minutes I was ready to jump in many of the neighborhood pools fully clothed. My face was beat red by the time I got back and I was a sweaty mess. I am not ready for summer running! Thank goodness the Galloways had AC! (The beers and long island ice teas I had Friday night as well as the ginormous apple pancake with ice cream I had for breakfast made this hot muggy run even less pleasant. Pigging out and drinking excessively stops now!)
Sunday- Medium long run with my SERC peeps. Not sure where the heck all the ladies were but my intention to go out a bit quicker with some of the guys was go as there were no ladies to change my mind. First mile went out with Hawthorne and PR. Forgot to start my watch but thankfully PR has a garmin so I got the mile split from him then started my watch. Hmm 7:36 and they were just warming up, I knew I wanted to pick up the pace but this might be a bit aggressive. The next 5 miles to the water stop I hung out with Frank who was aiming to have an easy day and didn't dust by me like the rest of the group. He kept making comments about how fast the pace was and I told him I did not want to know until we got to the water stop. Turns out we averaged about 7:10 the first 6 miles. Yeah a lot closer to tempo pace than long run pace for me. We hadn't got back from Cinci until midnight and the Indian food (which was divine) was not sitting pleasantly in my stomach. I informed Frank I was easing the pace way off and was going to hit the trails. I wanted to get in 15 but with the humidity I decided to do the 12 and then tack on 3 at the end if I still felt okay. Thankfully Frank didn't minding slowing way up so we hit the trails and finished out the 12 mile loop. Picked up TC for the last few miles at the top of the hill and Frank showed us his digs and gave us some water to tide us over for the last 1.5 miles or so. Ended up with 2 hours on the dot and what I am going to call 15 miles but I have a feeling it was a little more.
53 miles for the week and 180 for the month. I'm hoping to see that go up quite a bit over the next few months. I'd really like to get so 60s are comfortable and 70s are more common.
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