From Alex With Love

This was the second year Shane and I took part in the Run For Alex, billed as the premier event of Washington County. It attracts a good number of runners and features a course that is 4 miles of rolling, mostly up, hills followed by a mile of sharp downhill grades. The proceeds from the race go to the From Alex With Love Foundation to provide scholarships for local kids in memory of Alexzandra Loos. Alex was killed by a speeding car on her way home from soccer practice in 2004. She was also a track runner and held the WPIAL record in the 1600m her first year on the team.

Last year the weather was cool and fairly forgiving which allowed me to run a 50:43 despite being out of shape. This year the weather was hot and the pavement was baking. After Monday's 5k, running a fast-ish 8 miler mid-week, and then running hill sprints and doing back squats Friday my only hope was to beat that time.

Elevation profile

 

Shane and I woke up at 6am and got the girls and ourselves ready. Then we dropped the girls off at his parents house and made the 45 minute trip to Bentleyville. We arrived in plenty of time except for a small SNAFU where I realized I had $24 in my hand, not the $25 needed for race day registration. Thankfully they let me write a check and all was well except for my stomach. I'm not sure if it was the heat or the recent overhauls I've been making in my diet but my stomach was not happy this morning.

 

I lined up at the very back of the pack this year with a plan of going out easy. I was aiming for 9:45 per mile for the most part. I found a couple of my friends and they had similar goals so we started out together but the heat, hills, and blowing allergens out in the country soon split us up. I started my watch late because I forgot there are no starting mats despite the large-ish field and chip timing.

 

Mile 1: 9:46

 

In mile 2 my stomach started to act up again. I started to consider bailing out at the water stop and just volunteering or dying in the grass until I could walk back down to the social hall. Right before the water stop my stomach eased up again so I dumped some water on myself and kept going.

 

Mile 2: 10:00

 

After that my stomach cramped every time I drank from my handheld so I gave up on drinking and just hoped to stay cool by throwing water on myself. We also encountered the largest hill portion here so I power walked up. Last year I jogged 2/3 of the way, today I didn't bother. It was shady and cool and I just didn't care to push.

 

Mile 3: 12:33

 

At the top of the hill there was a family with a hose. I sped up just to get to it faster. I've never felt anything so awesome in my life! And shortly after that was a sprinkler set up in the middle of the road! And then a family with water bottles misting runners! Oh, I was miserable but all that cool water felt amazing.

 

Mile 4: 9:55

 

From the last water stop to the finish is almost entirely downhill. I checked my watch and thought I could beat last year's time by a little bit if I really pushed. I let gravity have its way and I bombed down the hills ignoring the screaming in my dead legs. I passed tons of people on the way down and one girl latched on for the ride. At first my competitive drive kicked in and I began to push even harder. I even dropped her for a bit but then I realized I was being a bit of a witch. I wasn't out there to compete and I didn't feel well. I hadn't given it my all from the start so it wasn't really fair for me to out-sprint this girl in the final hundred yards just to improve one age group place. I pulled back and she blew by me.

 

Mile 5: 8:20 (best pace 6:37 - yay downhill!)

 

I crossed the mat and hit stop on my Garmin. I grabbed a cold water and chugged and then checked my watch. I saw 50:42 and I felt hope that I had actually beaten last year's time. Then I started to feel ill. I found Shane and got some fruit and more water and we sat in the shade but it wasn't long before I made a headlong dash to the nearest bathroom. Once it was over I felt mostly better. I was a little uncoordinated, dropping water bottles and such constantly, but not so icky.

 

By then all of our friends had finished and we were able to get everyone in for a picture.

 

Results were posted soon after and neither Shane or I had placed (knew I wouldn't). My official time was 50:45, so 2 seconds slower than last year. But when I think about the fact that it was hotter this year, I was nowhere near rested, and I lined up farther back than last year I am willing to bet I actually beat my time by at least a little bit. Good enough for me!

Oh, and we won a door prize.

It's a picture frame with a gift card to a local restaurant called the Spring House plus two coupons for a free appetizer and a free kid's meal at King's. Can't beat that!

Memorial Day 5k

Shane wanted to use the long weekend as an opportunity to race together. We haven't done one as a family since the Hustle for Heartreach 5k last month. And I haven't actually raced one since December of last year! So to say I expected a pain-fest was an understatement.

We woke up at o-dark thirty and got ready. I was sorely tempted to stay in bed after running 30 miles in the last 4 days, 22 of which were on trail and included over 3 MILES of elevation change. I really wasn't in the mood to push myself at all. I also worried about my shoes. My Torins have around 300 miles on them now and I haven't gotten around to shopping for some new Altras.

On the ride I napped and consumed large amounts of coffee. We found the Blairsville Community Center pretty easily and I registered while Shane checked in. I was freezing since we set a new record low for May 27 with 37*F. It was about 43* at race time. I looked around and saw very few women who looked fast. I'm not one to really judge by looks since I often get beaten by the ones I least expected but I lined up where I thought I belonged... behind a cross country girl and next to three women in their 30's who looked pretty lean and mean.

The RD yelled 3, 2, 1, GO! and everyone took off like it was a sprint. I couldn't believe the pace the cross country girl and the 30-somethings were setting. I thought maybe my measure was off since I haven't raced a 5k in 5 months but a quick glance at my Garmin showed a 6:32 pace. WOAH! It was a downhill though so I went with it knowing the down meant an up was coming. My Garmin data shows 500 ft of ascent and almost 600 ft of descent so definitely a rolling course.

I continued to try to cling to the girl and women ahead of me but we began to stretch into a line. The first woman was disappearing into the distance and the cross country girl and three 30-somethings were strung out over about 50 yards ahead of me. I figured 6th place wasn't that bad but I felt like there was still a good chance to improve if I could hold off a fade. I just didn't feel confident that I could sustain my former 5k race pace since I haven't done speedwork in months. There were no mile markers so I was depending on my watch beeping to keep me aware of the distance.

Mile 1: 8:00 (according to Garmin)

At this point I was wondering what the heck is wrong with me. Why did I think I could hold this pace?! I'm training for ultras for crying out loud! Speed is a thing of the past for me right?! Then a miracle happened and the woman directly in front of me slowed to a walk. I chugged ahead of her and fought the urge to slow down myself, afraid that it would motivate her to overtake me again.

Anthony, Shane, and I

As we approached mile 2 I saw cross country girl take a walk break. I still wasn't caught up to her but it helped to know she was suffering too, apparently worse than myself. I poured on some speed and passed her quickly hoping to psych her out so she wouldn't come after me.

Mile 2: 8:19

After the second mile marker I focused on the third place woman but she never seemed to get any closer. I passed a cross country boy and then caught our friend, Anthony. We leap frogged for awhile and I begged my legs for more. My ears were buzzing and my sight was a little blurry and I knew I was pushing the limits of my abilities at this time. I glanced at my Garmin and saw 2.4 miles so I just hoped I could hold out until the finish line. The last little uphill completely zapped me and Anthony took the lead again. I tried to catch him but I had nothing left.

Mile 3: 8:09

I turned the last bend and could see the cones and the clock. I was so close to my PR of 24:27 but I just couldn't bolt to the line. I crossed and stopped my watch. Garmin time: 24:30. Official time: 24:29. It was bib tear timing so it really stings because I bet I could have shaved those three seconds for a new PR with chip timing.

Shirt

 

I guess I looked like death because the volunteer in the finish chute was pretty concerned. I reassured her, in gasping halting breaths, that I was okay, or would be in a minute anyway. I talked the the second and third place women while we waited for awards and I guzzled water like nobody's business. By the time the first page of results was printed I was fine.

 

The official results show Shane finished in 22:16, 8th overall, and 3rd in his age group. I finished in 24:29, 18th overall, 4th woman, and 1st in my age group (20-29). Our awards turned out to be paper certificates. Not really sure what to think about that. Do I frame it? Hang it on the wall? Stick it in a drawer? I like medals better. At least I know what to do with them.

 

awards

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my performance today. If I can pull off a time like that on fairly dead legs on a rolling course then I should be able to PR by a large margin with a little attention to speed work and tapering.Maybe next year I can catch the 30-somethings!

Trail Adventures

Taken on the trails of Boyce Park. Enjoy!

Hotter Than Hades

My plans for the Cleveland Marathon were vague at best. My friend and teammate, Lara, had invited me to room with her if I signed up. I never turn down a cheap marathon so I registered that very day with the blessing from my coach so long as I ran it as a training run.

The weeks leading up to the marathon were hectic. My job usually slows down during the summer but this year there's been no breaks. On top of that the weather has been swinging wildly, from snow and overnight freezes to baking 90* days with high humidity. Between work and the weird weather I didn't run much at all before the marathon. If I was smart I probably would have stayed home but I doubt there's much question at this point on my subjective intelligence where running is concerned.

On Saturday, I drove out to Cleveland and arrived at the expo right around 2:30PM. I knew Lara was arriving around the same time so I texted her. The reply came quickly and it happened that she was outside the expo with some other friends of ours, Bob and Jenny. I found them and we all chatted a bit before Lara and I headed back to our hotel room.

Saturday night was relaxing. Lara and I chatted, went to dinner at the Denny's next door, and then read quietly until lights out. I slept well after about an hour of tossing and turning and woke up ready to run. I had some small hope that I might accidentally PR because of the training effect of North Coast 24 Hour and my week of complete rest. The forecast called for 74* and slightly overcast so I wasn't too worried about the weather either.

I dressed in my INKnBURN denim shorts, my Altra singlet, and Altra Zero Drop Torins. I threw on an old long sleeve race shirt as a throw-away. We walked out to my Jeep and found that the temperature was already warm. By the time we drove into town, found breakfast, and parked I was no longer in need of long sleeve. I left it in my car and we walked to the starting line.

The Cleveland Marathon starts at the stadium which is great because there are a million INDOOR bathrooms which all have running water and no lines. There's also plenty of seating and places to plop down and rest, stretch, and wait. I wandered out to the starting line about 15 minutes before start time and lined up with the 10:07 per mile pace group. There was a father with a young son, probably about 9-10 years old, right next to me running the half. It raised my spirits a bit to see them chatting casually about pace and fueling. I wish more kids were into running!

Right before the starting horn there were some fireworks. I don't know who thought that was a good idea after the Boston bombings. A lot of runners jumped and a few let out shrieks. Once we realized it was just fireworks everyone calmed down in time for the national anthem but I'm sure it really messed up the concentration of some of the runners. The least they could have done was warn us!

The horn sounded and we were off. I popped in my headphones immediately. I just didn't feel like socializing. The first mile or two I was forced to walk or slow down often as I ran into walls of people who must have lined up too close to the front. I didn't mind too much as I wanted to go out slow and speed up later. I did end up adding about a quarter mile in this first section from swerving around people, however.

After 5-6 miles I realized I just wasn't hitting my paces and began to give up on a PR. I figured I could probably get in the 4:40's anyway so I kept pushing forward. And then the clouds parted and the sun shone down and the pavement began to take on the shimmering effects of a mirage....

By the half I was overly hot, had almost completely emptied my handheld water bottle, and just didn't care about time anymore despite being on track for a 4:40 or better. I walked a water stop to refill my handheld and drink a few cups of Powerade and cool water. I took a couple Shot Bloks (margarita flavor, YUM!) and wondered how Lara was making out somewhere way ahead of me.

At mile 15 or so I ran into a moving party celebrating Jim Tucker's 100th marathon. I decided travelling with them trumped continuing on my own so I jumped in and introduced myself. I met George and Robin who own Front Runner in Columbus, OH and a slew of other runners who were 'crewing' Jim by carrying signs, balloons, and gels. We kept running until around mile 16 and then we slowed to a fast walk. I didn't mind as I was enjoying the stories and lessons to be learned from such an experienced group.

As we walked I watched ambulances fly up and down the course loading heat exhausted runners into their doors and rushing off to the med tent or hospital. A woman joined us around mile 20 and she walked with us for quite some time. Around mile 24 she suddenly wobbled and looked quite ill. I quickly offered her my remaining water but it wasn't enough. Jim's amazing crew escorted her to a bus shelter on the side of the road and then ran ahead to the water stop to get help and water/Powerade. They then stayed with her until help arrived before running to catch up to Jim again. What an amazing group Jim's crew is!

As we neared the finish I didn't want to end up in Jim's pictures. It didn't seem right to have him look back at his 100th marathon finish photos and wonder who the random chick in jean shorts was so I sprinted ahead. I finished in 5:49:48, a personal worst, and about 30 seconds ahead of Jim. I got to hear the announcer cheer Jim in and tell the crowd about his accomplishment. Then I rushed forward to hug Jim and all of his crew. I enjoyed meeting them all so much and they really saved what could have been an awful day for me. I never thought I would have so much fun running my slowest marathon ever.

After I crossed the line I found Lara at the bag check and then we began the long walk back to our parking garage. We happened upon the woman who had dropped from Jim's group at mile 24 and I found out she had finished after taking some time to recover on the side of the road! We hugged and she thanked me for helping her when she needed it. I felt really good about her finish because I had been distraught at the thought of her being forced to drop at 24 miles. I'm so glad she pushed through and finished without any lasting effects.

As for Lara and I, we went back to the hotel where I quickly packed and left for home. I was saddened that we couldn't spend more time together but I had finished so late that it would already be dinner time before I could get home and I had to work first thing Monday morning. We hugged goodbye and I made an uneventful trip home.

Minus some sunburn and a sore left hip I had no ill effects from my 7th marathon. As disappointing as my time was, I still had a great day and made a lot of new friends. I am also grateful that I didn't end up in the med tent. The news reported that over 200 people were treated for heat related illness on site and over 20 more were taken to the hospital. Conditions being what they were I'm just glad I finished upright and healthy.

And sorry for the lack of pictures but I really can't justify buying my race photos for a personal worst time where I walked most of the last half and looked like a broiled lobster to boot! ;)

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I chose North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run  (NC24) as a test of my ability to complete Burning River 100 in July. With a little over 3 months between the two races it seemed like a perfect test of my training and a confidence booster. Leading up to the race I was neglecting some of my training due to being overworked but I was still improving and training harder than ever before. I also managed to pull or pinch something in my back moving some heavy things around in our lab. I had no illusions that I would somehow do anything impressive. I just wanted to cover a minimum of 80 miles with an achievable goal of 90 miles. My stretch goal was to break 100. Being that this was a 24 hour race there's really no way to make this short so grab a coffee and pull up a chair.

Pre-race

I asked my boss for Friday off and he said I could only have it if I finished up all my work. I didn’t think that would happen so I asked for Monday off knowing I would probably be wrecked (this is important later). I ended up getting all my work done so I drove out to Cleveland Friday night after spending the day packing and frantically fighting with my bank over a hold on my direct deposit (who does that?!). I drove straight to the park and scoped out the course before heading to my hotel. One of the first things I noticed was the white caps and heavy winds along the breakwater. I really hoped it would calm down by morning. I arrived at my hotel just in time to watch the coverage of the second Boston suspect being pinned down in the boat and then taken into custody. I fell asleep quickly and slept pretty well.

 

Waves were crashing over the breakwater

 

Race Morning

I woke up before my 6am alarm. I checked the weather and saw cold temps predicted so I chose pants, a tank top, and a long sleeve over top. I also wore my trusty Altra Zero Drop Torins for the entire race. I was anxious and full of nervous energy so I headed out before the continental breakfast was laid out. I went over to the local Starbucks and got a decaf (I avoided caffeine for the week before the race). I sat and talked to some older gentleman until 7:30 and then headed to the park for packet pick up. I found my friend, Anne, almost immediately so I set up my little station next to hers. Most people had tents but I didn’t want the temptation. I had brought a sleeping bag and a camp chair, mostly so if I got hypothermic I could warm up or take a nap after the race before I drove home. I also had a duffel bag stuffed with running clothes, jackets, and gloves as well as a small cooler with two Red Bulls in it. That's it... no crew, no shelter, and no extras. Racing by the seat of my pants!

 

Tent City (and me in my pink hoody in the background)

I picked up my bib and chip, slipped on my hoody over my clothes, and then crawled into my sleeping bag to wait for the pre-race brief. The wind was howling and shortly after it started to snow. Then it began to pelt us with hail. I pulled my bag over my head and seriously considered just getting back in my car and going home. The hail and snow stopped just before 9am and the pre-race briefing went on as planned. So I sucked it up and lined up with everyone else despite the biting wind. The high was 41 degrees with a low of 33 and winds around 30MPH.

 

snow in my lap

Race

Heidi, the RD, sent us off with a bullhorn at 9am on the dot. I was surprised at how many people took off like it was a shorter distance race. My plan was to run as evenly and consistently as possible for as long as I could maintain it. I didn’t wear a watch so I didn’t worry about pace or times. I just tried to keep my effort low and even. We were running the .90075 mile loop clockwise which meant a short incline along the edge of the lake and then running along the breakwater at the top before turning away from the lake and heading down to the line to start again. The wind was gusting diagonally across the park and the freezing spray from the waves crashing against the breakwater would mist us with every loop. The wind was from the side on the uphill, mostly behind us at the top of the loop, and directly in our faces as we returned along the sandy beach which meant the sand blew into our eyes, noses, mouths, and shoes relentlessly.

 

snow on the path

After the first few loops I could tell my back was going to be an issue. My right SI joint was sending shooting pains down my leg with every step. I told myself it was just nerve pain so there was no reason to pay any mind since there was nothing I could do about it. It did slow me down though. I decided to try to hold 5 loops per hour for as long as I could in order to get close to 100 miles. I began to walk the short incline from the start/finish up to the breakwater each lap so I could eat and drink and save my legs. Then I would run the remainder of the loop and do it again. I would walk an entire loop every 15^th or 16^th lap.

I was staying right on target and prettily easily keeping my 5 loops per hour average despite the wind and cold. After 25 or so miles I decided to change my socks to relieve the sand friction in my shoes. It helped immensely and I made a plan to change my socks every 25 miles thereafter. Around 30 miles my back pain suddenly disappeared which helped me stay on pace and even improve slightly. I whiled away the hours talking to other runners and watching in amazement as the men ran themselves into the ground trying to beat the wind. Johnny Cash (yes, his real name) was going for 135 miles and he was just blazing. Hearing him lap me again was better than a clock. He was ridiculously steady!

 

 

waiting to start

Around 40 miles in my coach stopped out to cheer me on for awhile and check in. I was so happy to see her. She got me some warm food and broth, walked with me for a minute and helped refine my plans. We felt confident 90 miles was in the bag. After a few laps she had to leave but it kept me going at a better rate for another hour or so. I began to notice that my right foot was getting tender along the ankle. I tried to shorten my stride and improve my form which helped a little so I kept chugging along, knowing a 50 mile PR was in the bag.

 

My coach and I

I should have hit 50 miles in 11:30 or less but the pain in my foot was becoming annoying. The balls of my feet were getting tender and I blamed sand so I stopped to change my socks again. I passed 50.5 miles in 11:4x. I set my focus on getting to the 100k mark but began to lose steam as the sun set and the temperatures plummeted.

 

Running some laps with Ronnie

 

I stopped around 55 miles to add layers. I had two pairs of tights, a tank top, a long sleeve tech tee, two jackets, a hoody, and gloves on and I was still shivering uncontrollably. The top 10 or 12 men were still plugging away and 3 or 4 women remained on the course but everyone else seemed to disappear as soon as the sun set. I renewed my focus on not leaving the course for anything short of a medical emergency and pressed on. I tried to run more to get my temperature up and it became a battle between the pain in my right ankle/foot and my need to stay moving and warm. Occasionally someone would be running at a pace I thought I could sustain so I would hang with them for a few laps until I either got too warm in all my layers or my foot began to protest. Pretty soon all of the women had disappeared and I gave in to the urge to check the leader board. I believe I was in 4^th place at that point and around 21-23 overall. I wasn’t too far from Anne in third place so I decided to put in as many laps as I could while she was off the course.

 

Sunset

I picked up a 3 hour marathoner in a Boston jacket named Bruce and we put in a blistering 3 or 4 laps before I fell off his pace. Every few laps he would grab my hand and pull me along for another couple laps until I was gasping or limping and then I’d walk. I hit the 100k mark in around 15:30 and I felt pretty confident that 90 miles was very doable. I walked some very brisk laps with another runner named Jason and ran a few with another named Ronnie. They were both on pace for well over 100 miles so I’d enjoy their company while it lasted and then walk again.

 

Cleveland skyline at twilight

Sometime in the middle of the night I began taking caffeine: coffee, Mountain Dew, Coke, whatever. The week without any caffeine made the effects potent and I was wide awake despite the darkness. I ran without a light using the light of the moon and my familiarity with the course to guide me instead. It felt like hours before any other women rejoined me on the course but they later told me they only left the course for about an hour. I had taken over third place and I was now running scared that Anne would find her second wind. The winds calmed down and changed direction overnight which was a nice change and helped keep my spirits up. The appearance of a fox raiding the park garbage cans for our leftovers also gave me a boost. Of course, no one else saw him so maybe it was just a hallucination?

 

Plugging along

My coach wanted me to try to catch second place and I got fairly close when she left the course again for a short time. She came back out and finished a loop right behind me. She got a look at my numbers and let out a curse and took off like a bat out of Hell. By this point I was more than happy to let the chips fall where they may. I had hoped the sun coming up would rejuvenate me but instead I was becoming a walking zombie. My only goal was to keep putting one foot in front of the other until the end.

 

I liked this tree when it wasn't blowing pollen in my face

 

Thankfully my friend, Glenn, showed up at 6am and took over caring for me when I could no longer care for myself. He forced oatmeal and coffee into me and walked several loops, taking pictures and calling out encouragements. I just blindly followed behind him and the doc (who ran the med tent but also put in 34 miles) and tried to give convincing smiles when other runners talked to me or encouraged me.

 

That tiny speck in the water is a surfer. The waves were that big!

 

Around 8am I realized my position of third place woman was in no danger with a 9 lap lead over 4^th place Anne. I had moved up to 18^th overall and I couldn’t change that with both Karen and Allene directly ahead of my by about 10 laps in 16th and 17th place. Knowing that there was nothing to do but cause further damage I allowed Glenn to hustle me into the med tent to have my foot tended to by a group of podiatry students all the way from St. Louis, MO.

 

Bruising just below my ankle

 

All three students took turns palpating and digging and nothing really hurt. Finally their teacher came over and pushed in just below my ankle and also from the bottom up on the outside. The searing pain almost knocked me out of the chair. Diagnosis: dislocated Navicular bone. It seems my Navicular fell in and my cuboid pushed out causing a bruise along the side of my food and the inability to run due to the impact jarring the bones. Once my foot was reset and all taped up I hobbled outside to watch the last couple laps. Doc decided he wanted to get one more in so I accompanied him on a slow hobble around the loop carrying our popsicle sticks. (You are given a popsicle stick with your number on it to put down on the ground when the horn blows signaling the end of the race.) We were rounding the last bend when someone said we had less than 2 minutes to the horn. I wanted to finish with one more complete loop and maybe a few more steps beyond so I ignored the pain and ran but it wasn’t enough. The horn sounded and I stuck my popsicle stick in the sand about 20 feet shy of the mat. Doc was a few feet back and Allene, now in first place, was a few more feet behind him. We all limped back to the pavilion and I climbed into my sleeping bag to await awards.

 

Post Race

I huddled around with Anne, Glenn, Jason, and a few others as we collected our medals and the guys collected their 100 mile buckles. Shortly thereafter awards were announced with unofficial results (our extra incomplete lap was not measured or added yet). I was awarded a plaque for being first in the 0-39 age group, 3^rd overall woman netted me $100, and I was 18^th overall with an unofficial 84.7 miles. I officially ended up with 85.57 miles after my almost complete loop was added in.

 

The goodies

As soon as awards were over I hugged everyone goodbye and loaded up my car. I made the 3.5 hour drive back to Pittsburgh uneventfully despite being awake and moving for 30+ hours. Once home I showered and fell into bed for a fitful 3 or 4 hour nap. I kept being awakened by my sunburn and windburn as well as sinuses that felt like half the beach was stuffed in them. After some aloe gel, an Advil, and blowing about a pound of sand out of my nose I began to feel more human. Aside from being stiff and a little sore I don’t seem to have any damage besides the bruised foot. Of course, I expect I’ll feel more tomorrow since my boss revoked that Monday off deal! I’m going to be the most useless body in the plant for sure. (Side note: I actually was fairly productive for about 5 hours today!)

Thoughts

This was tough but for all the reasons I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect snow, hail, and gale force winds in April. I didn’t expect to be alone for long stretches of time overnight. I didn’t expect to be wet from freezing spray blowing off the lake. I expected to be tempted to go too fast but I wasn’t. I expected to be exposed to sun and heat but there was little sun and no high temps. I expected to be the one who fell apart overnight but I was one of the very few who held it together for the entire time.

I know that it was a ‘disappointing’ race to many of those tracking the event because not a single woman broke 100 miles and the winning male had ‘only’ 130 miles but, really, with the conditions and weather I’m absolutely amazed at what every single person at NC24 accomplished. Running a 10 or 11 minute mile pace for hours is one thing, running that for hours against a 30 MPH headwind is completely different. Every runner out there for the entire 24 hours absolutely put in a 100+ mile effort even without the results to show for it.

In the end, I didn’t get my 90 mile goal and I definitely missed 100 by a pretty good margin. But I’m thrilled with the results. I couldn’t have asked for better proof of my mental toughness than being the only woman that never stepped off the course for a nap or to hide from the weather. I wouldn’t have dreamed of placing in my age group let alone getting onto the podium in my first 24 hour race. And I have no doubt that I will collect my first hundred mile buckle at Burning River so long as I don’t suffer any serious setbacks. I guess it turned out to be a perfect day!

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!