Baby's First 5k

Today I had planned to veg out and get some stuff done around the house. I knew Shane had planned to run a 5k and, at the last minute, the kids and I decided to go watch. We drove out to Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA in plenty of time.

Shane picked up his bib and shirt while the kids played on the track. I chatted with our friends, Bonnie and Herb, from the timing company, Miles of Smiles, and Harry of the Big Beaver Big Dawgs. It was cool, breezy, and overcast.

Kids on the track

 

At the last minute Gemma (8) decided she wanted to run too. So, of course, Ash (2) wanted to join in. We hurriedly registered and gathered on the track for the beginning of the race. Ash gave daddy a good luck hug and then we were off.

 

 

As the leaders took off around the track I counted Shane to be in 12th place. I figured he would do well. The girls and I were probably 12 from the back. Gemma decided to take off and run ahead while I walked and jogged with Ash. We headed off the track, through a parking lot, over a bridge, and around the Westminster campus.

 

Ash was doing well and I wondered how long it would be before she gave up. We came to the water station (which had no water, only some kind of orange drink) and I got Ash a cup. We carried it for awhile and she took a couple sips. I finally dumped it and stuck the empty in my pocket. It was beginning to get really warm so I took our coats off and tied them around my waist.

 

We came to an four-way intersection and a volunteer directed us to run straight ahead to a stop sign, turn around, and come back to the intersection. Then we turned right and ran a loop around a small block and came back down to the same intersection. Then we went straight through the intersection and ran a loop around a parking lot before returning to the intersection one last time and turning back the way we had run up. This cloverleaf cluster**** led to the front runners being misdirected, including Shane. The first 15 or so runners ended up missing the run around the block and instead ended up on the other side of a small lake before about 5 of them headed off another direction, getting more lost, and the rest reversed course.

 

At the back of the pack Ash and I had no problems but it was irritating trying to figure out which way to go from the same spot over and over again while not running into the runners in front of us and the walkers behind us who were heading in different directions. We finally headed back the way we had come and stopped at the water stop again. Right around here we caught Gemma and we all stuck together for a little bit until she decided to walk in with another little girl. Ash decided she wanted picked up so I jogged with her for awhile and we left Gemma a little behind. Shane had finished much earlier despite all the wrong turns and he walked in the rest of the way with Gem.

 

Warm up laps on the track

 

I jogged with Ash to the track and then put her down to do the last lap on her own. We ran side by side and then I pushed her through the chute. Shane made it in time to get a picture but it didn't turn out. :(  Her time was 48:27. Not bad at all for a 2 year old! Gemma finished about a minute behind her but didn't receive an official time. I don't think she has the competitve spirit. :)

 

We headed over to the finish line tent and quickly realized they had run out of water. Between the lack of water at the aid station, the misdirection, and the lack of water at the finish we were kind of upset so we just left. Turns out we should have stuck around because Shane did get first in his age group.

 

Overall, I'd say the race itself was pretty poorly planned and directed but the experience of running with both of my girls for the first time made it well worth it! Guess it's time to get them into some Altra Jr.'s!

Glacier Ridge Trail 30k

My coach and I chose the GRT as my last long run before North Coast. I had pictures of a sunny day, a light breeze, and runnable trails in my head. My reality was somewhat different.

The weather was cool, drizzling on and off, and windy. I changed my outfit at the last minute (literally, I probably flashed half the field) to capris, a tee, and a jacket. I wished I had brought gloves but I hadn't thought I would need them after a week of 70+ degree weather.

I pulled into Moraine State Park right at 8am and collected my bag, shirt, bib, and chip. I threw the swag bag and shirt in my car and visited the restrooms. Then we lined up and off we went!

I was excited and happy at first. We were on the pavement for about 100 yards and then turned onto a crushed gravel path. It was easy running and I was holding back at just below 10 minutes per mile. People were blowing past me but I figured I would catch a good many of them later in the race. Then I hit the first mud pit and all my hopes for a good day flew right out the window.

Swag

 

For the next 9 miles I slipped and slid and walked and tried to gingerly pick my way around the above-the-ankle deep pits. Sometimes it was a quarter mile of mud, a small runnable section (like 100 feet), and then more mud. I gave up on picking my way around and just began sloshing through. My feet were freezing and felt weighted down. By the time I hit the turn-around at 10 miles I was wishing I had stayed in bed.

 

Elevation profile from the back of the shirt

 

After the turn-around the runners took a shortcut back to the trail we'd run out on. The short cut was in good shape and I began to hope that the return trip would be nicer than the out section, at least for awhile. My relief was short lived as the shortcut trail linked back to the main trail in less than a mile. It was back to mud and puddles.

 

I began to get really depressed and feel like this was never going to end. I ran Just A Short Run 30k in 3:07 just two weeks ago. Today I was only 13 miles in at that time. I was freezing, miserable, and probably surly. I just wanted to be DONE!

 

My shoes post-GRT

 

As I got closer to the beginning/finish and began to recognize landmarks I had passed on the way out I increased my pace but it didn't do much with having to walk every muddy hill. Finally I broke out onto the gravel path and then the blessed pavement and I was free! I crossed the line in 4:40 according to my Garmin. I collected my medal and quickly headed for my car to drive home shoe-less with the heat blasting!

 

medal

 

Official times and photos will probably take a few days since the 50k and 50 mile won't be finished until later so I will update when I have those! For now I'm just glad I survived!

Run Like Bigfoot is Chasing You!

This weekend Shane and I ran the Bigfoot Half Marathon in Kittaning, PA. It's a small race and very low key. The price is good thanks to cotton race shirts and no finisher medals. I had a small hope that I might be able to take an age group award at such a small event.

Race morning I woke up about 10 minutes before we needed to leave. I decided to roll over and go back to sleep but Shane dragged me out of bed. I threw on some clothes, took breakfast into the car with me, and somehow managed to get us to the YMCA in one piece and with a little time to spare. We checked in and I hit the rest rooms and then we lined up to start. The 5k and the half marathon started together but there was roughly 125 runners total so it really didn't matter.

Here's a pic from last weekend's Just A Short Run 30k

I lined up about 1/3 of the way back from the starting line to allow the faster 5k runners some space. I probably should have moved up a little because I was dodging people from the gun until the first mile marker. I had planned to hold back and make this just another long run but I started to feel competitive as I looked up the trail and saw very few ponytails. I also could see another runner that I beat by just a bit last week and I couldn't help wanting to beat him again.

I ran with another woman for the first 4-5 miles. We were putting out a good pace, right around 9:10-9:20 per mile. I couldn't help worrying that she would surge and I would lose her though. So I made the first move, left her, and caught my rabbit. I passed him just before the turn around and then gapped him by maybe 1-2 minutes. Counting women on the way to the turn around I was in 11th place but I could tell the 10th place woman was fading quickly. Top 10 sounded like a good way to start my day.

This is Shane's bib, shirt, and medal but I'm too lazy to take my own pic.

As I approached mile 8 I started to feel the effects of all the miles and racing I've been doing. My will and my legs were fading but I was slowly closing the gap on the 10th woman. Just as I caught her the woman I'd been running with at the beginning blew by us. She had to be doing sub-9 minute miles. I passed the now-11th woman and increased my pace again but I couldn't catch the new number 10.

I started to drag again as I approached the 10 mile mark and the woman increased her lead. At this point my rabbit popped up right behind my shoulder and scared the heck out of me! I hadn't expected him to catch me but I was ready for some company. We stuck together through the last 4-ish miles and put the hammer down, laying down a 9:05 pace for the rest of the way.

I kept trying to catch the woman ahead of me but she kept her pace steady and maintained her lead through the finish. I managed to surge at the end and beat my rabbit by 7 seconds which was somewhat satisfying although I wouldn't have held that pace without him so it kind of evens out. 

Shane got a pic of me crossing the line

My official time was 2:02:14. So freaking close to sub-2! If only I hadn't slowed down from 8-10! I was 31/44 overall and 3/8 in my age group so I achieved my dream of getting a medal. Shane was 13th overall and 2nd in his age group so it was a good day for both of us. I celebrated by doing 7.5 more miles after lunch to make it 20.6 for the day and then doing 15 more today. I'd say a 62 mile week is a good way to celebrate my first AG award in a half marathon! ;)

Just a Short Run

Ever since Shamrock Marathon I've been trying to figure out what went wrong and find my mojo again. I think I've come to the conclusion that it was just a bad day on a course that didn't suit my strengths and there was really nothing I could have done to change it. Thankfully redemption was only two weeks away.

I wasn't planning on doing Just A Short Run but my friend, John, told me he wanted to run with me. Since we had such a blast at Spring Thaw I decided to go ahead. It helped that my coach assigned me 20-25 miles for this weekend and I didn't want to run it alone.

And since I don't have pics from JASR yet, I'll include the halfway decent ones from Shamrock that MarathonFoto FINALLY got uploaded....

Altra Floater

 

Just A Short Run is held every spring and has several distances: 5k, 8 mile, half marathon, and 30k. I chose to do the 30k since it would allow me to get the closest to my prescribed long run for the week. John and several of our other friends were also in it for the long haul so at least I wouldn't be lonely.

 

The race started at 8:30am and I *just* squeezed onto the last shuttle bus from the parking lot to the boathouse in the knick of time. I grabbed my bib, stuffed my swag bag into my drop bag, and headed over to the starting line. I left my drop bag in a planter and lined up with John, his wife, our friend Mike, and 400 or so other runners for the 30k.

 

While Shamrock was still fun

 

We started right on time and John and I ran together from the start. I quickly realized we were going faster than our planned 10 minutes/mile pace but it felt good and I just didn't care to slow down. The race starts with a mostly uphill 5k+ loop which we completed in 35:16 (this doesn't seem right to me but I think it's gun time, not chip time). After that we went out for three 5 mile loops around the lake.

 

John and I chatted and joked as usual. I felt pretty good and John said he felt surprisingly good considering he'd taken a pretty good tumble on his mountain bike last weekend. So we continued with our faster-than-planned pacing. First 5 mile loop in 49:45.

 

Done!

 

Our second 5 mile loop I could feel the residual fatigue from Shamrock and trying to amp my training back up. I decided to finish off this loop with John and then drop back. It worked out just fine with my second loop clocking in at 47:49.

 

The final loop I dropped down my pace and walked for about 5-6 minutes right off the bat. I took an extra GU, drank some extra water, picked up a Gatorade at the aid station, and got my iPod going. I lost a lot of time walking for so long but my legs felt practically normal again when I started running again. I walked most of the uphills on this loop but still made pretty good time. Final loop completed in 55:39 for a total time of 3:07:46.

 

I wore my new Altra tank for JASR

 

I crossed the finish line with plenty of gas left in the tank and felt ready to go out for my solo miles. I grabbed my medal and some Gatorade, caught up with John and our other friends, and then headed out to make it 20+ miles for the day.

 

JASR swag

 

I ran about 1/4 of the way around the lake from the boathouse to the traffic signal and then up the hill to the pool where my car was parked. From there I did two laps around the pool which were about 3/4 of a mile each. I didn't push the pace at all. I stayed comfortable (aside from the fact that I had a giant medal crammed in my sports bra). and ended up with 22 miles in 3:49. I could have continued on to 25 no problem. In the end I was just bored and I wanted to go home and spend time with the kids so I figured 22 was good enough.

 

 

Happy Easter from Team Brunazzi!

 

 

 

Shamrockin' and Beer Drinking

Due to our stalker issue I haven't posted in a bit. I didn't want to remind the crazy that Shane and I would be leaving our house mostly unattended for three days. Sorry about that!

Chesapeake Bay

Shane and I left Pennsylvania on Friday night after taking the kids to my mother's and then furiously packing our own belongings. Shane had booked us a room in Frederick, Maryland for the night and we made a fairly uneventful trip to that point. Saturday morning we were up bright and early to finish our journey to Virginia Beach for the Shamrock Marathon.

On our way into town we encountered a tunnel. Being from Pittsburgh this really isn't odd to me whatsoever. Shane, however, freaked out. Apparently a tunnel that runs under the Chesapeake Bay is much scarier than a tunnel through a million bajillion tons of rock. SMH!

Shane's Tunnel Face

 

Our first stop was the expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. It was pretty organized and we were able to quickly pick up our bibs, bags, and shirts. There weren't a whole lot of vendors and there wasn't a lot to see either. I was kind of disappointed but I told Shane it was better if we didn't destroy our legs walking all over.

 

Convention Center

 

After the expo we met up with our friends, Jenn and Dan, who were getting married the next day, AFTER running the Shamrock half marathon! If that's not a running match made in Heaven then I don't know what is! We hung out for a bit and caught up before Shane and I headed to our hotel.

 

Marathon morning dawned cold and grey. The prediction was low 40's, cloudy, and possible showers. I decided on my INKnBURN leaf shirt, a long sleeve tech tee as a throwaway, and my INB capris along with my Altra Zero Drop Superiors. I added some cheap gloves and my SPIbelt and I was ready to go.

 

 

I also wore an orange bracelet that says "Running for Jenny". Jenny is a very brave (and speedy) fellow runner who is battling cancer. Having her 'with' me throughout the tough points helped me to remember that my pain was minimal and limited in the bigger picture and allowed me to push through.

We parked at around 6:30am a few blocks from the start and finish. We were right next to a grocery store so we took advantage of the warm and dry bathrooms several times while we waited for our 8:30am start. If you ever run Shamrock, arrive early or be prepared to walk several blocks (or miles) to get to your corral and car. We wandered to our corrals around 8am and met up with a couple friends before we all went our separate ways. I was in corral 3 and Shane was in 2 so I wouldn't see hime again until the finish.

There were seagulls everywhere!

A few minutes late we were off. I latched onto the 4:15 pacer with that being my 'goal'. I really thought I could do even better, maybe a 4:10. I figured a 4:20 was the worst I could do. The first few miles I relaxed into the 9:45-ish pace and waited for my body to warm up and everything to begin to 'flow'. Well it never happened. I warmed up enough that I removed my long sleeve shirt but didn't throw it. The wind was finicky, changing directions and alternately freezing and soothing me.

Miles 1-5:
9:56, 9:50, 9:34, 9:38, 9:46

I continued to shadow the 4:15 pace group intermittantly chatting with fellow runners. I found out I was running with a fellow Pittsburgh runner plus a friend of mine from Twitter. That was pretty cool! We talked about our goals and I voiced my desire to run a 4:10. Maybe I jinxed myself.

Miles 6-10:
9:43, 9:34, 9:51, 9:43, 9:39

Around mile 10 we entered the boardwalk. I thought this would be my favorite part but I think it was actually the opposite. There were 15 MPH winds blowing sand and salty mist in my face and the ocean looked cold and grey instead of warm and inviting. Not exactly the way I'd envisioned beach running. I stayed on pace with the 4:15 group but I wondered to myself if fighting the wind was a good idea. I tucked in behind two taller runners and hoped it would save some much needed energy for later.

Miles 11-15:
9:40, 9:32, 9:44, 9:37, 9:34

I crossed the half in 2:08 and my legs were already dragging. I started drinking at mile 14. Yuengling, Guiness, whatever was being offered by spectators, I started tossing back. Thankfully I have a stomach of steel but no amount of carbs and alcohol could put the missing bounce in my legs or lift my flagging morale.

Around mile 15 I started thinking I should start taking some walk breaks. I took a minute at a water stop to walk, take a GU, and drink a little bit extra. I had a little trouble catching up to the pace group and I got the feeling they were beginning to speed up. The pace group leader confirmed my suspicions less than a mile later when he stated he was a little behind and wanted to make up some time. I quickly realized a 4:15 may not be in the cards for me on such a craptastic day. I figured a 4:1x was still doable so I didn't fret too much though.

Miles 16-20:
9:54, 9:34, 10:55, 11:45, 9:47

Around mile 18 I fell off the back of the pace group and I couldn't catch them. I was running a 9:20-ish pace and they were pulling away so I quickly gave up. I took a longer walk break to try to get my legs to wake up. It seemed to help a little as I was able to see a 9:4x pace again for mile 20 but that was the end of my energy.

Miles 21-26:
10:57, 12:45, 12:20, 11:48, 12:04, 11:04

Last .2 (.42 according to Garmin): 10:43 pace

The last 6 miles I was absolutely dying. My legs were like lead. I would force myself to run a half mile and then I would walk for a minute. An 11 minute mile felt like 9 minute mile effort. I had a weird ache in my chest and I started envisioning dropping dead just shy of the finish line. I told myself I would find some way to make it across before I let death take me.

People were passing me left and right. I was getting more and more upset every minute but when the 4:30 pacer passed me I totally lost it. I started sobbing right there on the course somewhere between miles 25 and 26. I managed to choke it back after a minute and chase him down. I got in front of him for maybe a quarter mile and then I fell apart all over again.

I finally came back onto the boardwalk and I bargained and pleaded with my body to just let me hold on to a little dignity and make it to the finish line without walking. Thankfully it cooperated even though I could feel every step was more of a lurch and I wasn't looking fast or smooth. The finish line never seemed to draw nearer until suddenly it was actually there and I managed to take the last few strides across it. And then I moved to the side, fell on the ground, and bawled my eyes out.

medal

A very nice volunteer named Ken picked me up and handed me a kleenex. I sensed he was about to drag me off to the medical tent so I quickly explained I was just upset with myself and that I had trained much harder than my time showed. He still wouldn't let go of me but he walked me through the medal line, Gatorade table, and bananas before I finally was able to reassure him enough that he let me go in peace. I appreciate his concern looking back but at the time I really just wanted to be left in the sand to fall apart and process the complete reversal of fortunes.

Swag

In the end I was happy enough. Marathon number 6 was over and I finished in 4:33:02 which is an official PR of 1:03. I know I can run a much better marathon and I just had a bad day on a tough course. Apparently pancake flat is tough for me. I am more sore then after Baltimore or Marshall University. I know that I will do better when the weather improves and I'm not fighting a sinus infection and I don't have two kids with the stomach flu at home asking for me. I know that fighting sea winds didn't help anything either. I also know that there's a big PR just waiting to happen and now it will be even bigger because I have more time to train. Running is good!

6 states plus D.C. checked off!

Strapless is Sexy

I have been given a really cool opportunity through Mamavation to test out an Omron strapless heart rate monitor. I never dreamed something like this existed but I am SO glad it does!

So far, I've taken it on two runs with the goal being to run a 5k (PR!) with it in a few weeks. It's no heavier than my Garmin and the strap is more comfortable. The biggest issue I've had so far is getting it positioned correctly to get an accurate reading but once it's in the right spot I'm good to go.

With this sexy little watch I get instant feedback on my heart rate. After I stop the workout I can see my max, average, calories burned, etc. The backlight turns on with the touch of a button which is great in my dark basement. And the battery seems to last forever. It is still full despite having only been charged the day I received it and having used it twice between.

There's also a way to sync all the data with your computer which I haven't had a chance to play with. But the data geek in me is doing a happy dance over being able to watch my heart rate at different paces and over time.

There's so many features and gadgets on this little piece of tech that I really can't wait to explore them all. Thankfully taper ends this weekend and then I can get back to running the big miles and use this baby to make them count!

A Sordid Tale

If you noticed, my last post was taken down after a day. If you didn't notice... well that's okay too.

I feel like I'm living in a bad reality TV show, maybe a daytime soap. Things like this just don't happen in real life, right? Before I get ahead of myself, let me just start at the beginning.

A little over 2 years ago Shane and I went to a volunteer clean up for a conservation area near our home. We spent an entire day mending and painting fences, signs, and benches. We cut apart fallen trees to clear the trails and picked up litter. It was at this event that we met the president of the Mon-Yough Trail Council (MYTC) and pitched our idea for a race on the trail.

Fast forward a few months and our dream became a reality. Team Brunazzi teamed up with the MYTC to create what is now known as the Boston Trail 5k & Half Marathon. About this time Shane and I began experiencing our first 'trolls' but we quickly realized it was just one person who seemed bound and determined to find ways into our lives.

Since the first year of this race Shane and I have been targeted by this person. Fake Facebook accounts pop up and add us as friends or 'like' our event pages and then start complaining about the event or trying to sabotage our relationships with other community-minded people. We realize the pages are fakes when this happens (and the name on the account was never a registered participant at the event, etc). In the past we have always reacted by 'unfriending' the account and moving on.

Now a line has been crossed. This person created a Facebook page for the Mon-Yough Trail Council after last year's race. No one realized it was not created by the MYTC and the Brunazzi family and many of our friends 'liked' the page. The page pretended to be the real MYTC for almost a year, posting about upcoming events, council meetings, and the like.

At one point the page sent Shane a message asking him to submit an article for the MYTC newsletter. Shane spent hours writing and rewriting his article and then sent it off to the trail council by snail mail. Because he sent it to the true MYTC the article was published (without them questioning why he sent it) and we never questioned that the page that asked Shane to write it was legitimate.

This false sense of security in the false MYTC page almost cost us our relationship with the council. A few days ago Shane created an event page for the Boston Trail race and began inviting friends and family to attend. A few hours later the supposed 'vice president' of the MYTC used the Facebook page to ask us to take down the event page stating that we couldn't advertise the race because it's 'not ours' and their sponsor wouldn't like it.

Shane apologized and took down the event page but questioned why free publicity was suddenly frowned upon. In years past we have bought banners and signs (with our own funds) to promote the race and never been asked to take them down. The response was that Shane and I are 'arrogant' and use the race to promote ourselves instead of the MYTC and should leave the race to the professionals. We quickly retaliated by asking our friends and family NOT to attend the race. Of course we were angry, justifiably so, but we were also wrong.

The next day I spoke with the true MYTC board members and learned that the Facebook page was false. We were stunned to say the least. For over a year we had been duped and sabotaged unknowingly. This person managed to set it up to look like the real MYTC by asking Shane to submit the article which was then published. They posted about every event and meeting diligently just like the true council would. Never once did we doubt the authenticity of the page, until it almost ruined an outstanding event.

We quickly apologized to everyone for the mix up and took down our posts about it. This led to the next deception. The person behind all of this obviously had access to Shane and I's personal Facebook pages. The messages we received referred to posts we had made on our private accounts so we began to hunt for 'suspect' friends. We unfriended dozens of pages and people simply because they didn't have mutual friends or we didn't know them on any personal level. We began to feel a little more secure in our online world again but it was short lived.

You may remember Shane and I's first 'Team Brunazzi' event, the Boston Harvest 5k, from last year. It benefits a little boy, named Rex, in our community who suffers from Batten's Disease. We had the pleasure of meeting many family members and friends of Rex at the event and some of them became our Facebook friends too. One of these 'people' claimed to be Rex's grandmother.

For the last year 'she' has been privy to our private Facebook pages and all of our posts. 'She' has commented on our events and 'updated' us on Rex. But today we found out 'she' is not real. We spoke to Rex's family and mentioned this 'grandmother' and quickly realized it's another fake page. The Brunazzi stalker strikes again.

Right now we are just blown away by the length of time, the amount of planning that went into the fake MYTC and 'grandmother' pages, and the amount of hate that must be behind such an effort. So I hope you will forgive us if we are not as active or open as we would normally be online. Until the investigation into these matters is completed and the person behind it is facing legal consequences we won't be very trusting.

Not to fear, however, there will still be race reports, running pictures, and some product reviews coming up. There just will be no updates on our personal or charitable lives. We need to protect ourselves, our children, and our events. I'm sure you understand!

Thank you and love you! <3 p="">