The forecast is for partly sunny skies with a low of 35 and a high of 65 - perfect running weather!
Only in Bandera all that rubble is covered in cactus! Yeehaw!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Bandera Overview
Karl Meltzer and iRunFar already did a run down of the field. Karl even did a pretty good job with the ladies this time around, so I'll just preview the weather and the course.
The forecast is for partly sunny skies with a low of 35 and a high of 65 - perfect running weather!
As for the course, well, it is kind of like this:
The forecast is for partly sunny skies with a low of 35 and a high of 65 - perfect running weather!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Looking Ahead: Plans for 2012
When I was 12, I started telling my parents I'd be going to college on the East Coast. By 14, I was already planning to go to medical school. I don't do a lot of last minute decision making! So, it should come as no surprise that I already have a good idea about my racing plans for 2012! Hey, I warned you yesterday that I was anal retentive!
Plans for 2012:
January: I am headed back to Bandera. I must really have a fondness for those rocks, as I keep going back!
Feb: Orcas Island 50k (Feb 4) and Hagg Lake (Feb. 18). I told myself I'd do fewer 50k's in 2012...so I signed up for two in February - haha! February is actually supposed to be my "down" month since I didn't take any time off this fall/winter. I'll definitely be doing Orcas as a "fun run". If it continues to be a dry year, I may have to get serious at Hagg as I'd like to see how close I can get to Joelle Vaught's CR.
March: I am toying with the idea of doing a marathon, but I am kind of hesitant with worlds in April. It doesn't hep that Napa is already sold out, so likely I'll just be doing lots of hard road running.
April: 100k World Championships in Seregno, Italy. The team isn't announced until January 22, but my Mad City time should keep me on the team for another year.
May: Time to switch it up and get some trail miles in for Western States! I am hoping to go on another running adventure like the R2R2R and Zion trips we did the last two years. I did sign up for the McDonald Forest 50k in memory of Dave Bateham, who passed away last month. I expect to see his smiling face on the label of my post-race beer!
June: Western States!! People are already predicting that we'll be going back to the slower "regular" course. That means I just have to work harder to get my sub-20 finish!
July: I was originally thinking I'd do the PCT50 to scoop up Oregon Trail Series Points, but I just found out Pine to Palm 100 miler got added to the series. With so many points available in a hundred miler, you really can't be competitive in the series unless you do it. If I am feeling good after WS, I may head to White River instead, as my first time there was a not so stellar day for me.
August: This is my year for redemption at Waldo! Aside from my DNF at Angeles Crest, Waldo 2009 was my worst race ever! Heck, it'll be an improvement just to finish in the top half of the field!
September: This is the really hard month for me to decide on. Why are there so many great races in September?? MacKenzie River, UROC, Flagline, Tahoe Triple Marathon, the new Run Rabbit Run hundred miler, Pine to Palm...so hard to choose, but I think I am probably leaning toward UROC. I love the 100k distance and I enjoy having a lot of good runners to compete against.
Oct/Nov: I do want to do another 100 miler this year. I definitely need the practice as I still have some things to figure out once things get past 100k. Pinhoti tops my list, only because my sister lives in Alabama and it'd be great to tie in a race with a visit to see her (and I may need more than one reason to go to Alabama!). Javelina is also on my radar.
December: Down time! No matter what the outcome of this year's race, I don't think I'll be headed back to Bandera next year. That'll allow me to take it pretty easy next December and get fat over the holidays without feeling guilty!
Ok, time to start planning for 2013! ;)
Plans for 2012:
January: I am headed back to Bandera. I must really have a fondness for those rocks, as I keep going back!
Feb: Orcas Island 50k (Feb 4) and Hagg Lake (Feb. 18). I told myself I'd do fewer 50k's in 2012...so I signed up for two in February - haha! February is actually supposed to be my "down" month since I didn't take any time off this fall/winter. I'll definitely be doing Orcas as a "fun run". If it continues to be a dry year, I may have to get serious at Hagg as I'd like to see how close I can get to Joelle Vaught's CR.
March: I am toying with the idea of doing a marathon, but I am kind of hesitant with worlds in April. It doesn't hep that Napa is already sold out, so likely I'll just be doing lots of hard road running.
April: 100k World Championships in Seregno, Italy. The team isn't announced until January 22, but my Mad City time should keep me on the team for another year.
May: Time to switch it up and get some trail miles in for Western States! I am hoping to go on another running adventure like the R2R2R and Zion trips we did the last two years. I did sign up for the McDonald Forest 50k in memory of Dave Bateham, who passed away last month. I expect to see his smiling face on the label of my post-race beer!
June: Western States!! People are already predicting that we'll be going back to the slower "regular" course. That means I just have to work harder to get my sub-20 finish!
July: I was originally thinking I'd do the PCT50 to scoop up Oregon Trail Series Points, but I just found out Pine to Palm 100 miler got added to the series. With so many points available in a hundred miler, you really can't be competitive in the series unless you do it. If I am feeling good after WS, I may head to White River instead, as my first time there was a not so stellar day for me.
August: This is my year for redemption at Waldo! Aside from my DNF at Angeles Crest, Waldo 2009 was my worst race ever! Heck, it'll be an improvement just to finish in the top half of the field!
September: This is the really hard month for me to decide on. Why are there so many great races in September?? MacKenzie River, UROC, Flagline, Tahoe Triple Marathon, the new Run Rabbit Run hundred miler, Pine to Palm...so hard to choose, but I think I am probably leaning toward UROC. I love the 100k distance and I enjoy having a lot of good runners to compete against.
Oct/Nov: I do want to do another 100 miler this year. I definitely need the practice as I still have some things to figure out once things get past 100k. Pinhoti tops my list, only because my sister lives in Alabama and it'd be great to tie in a race with a visit to see her (and I may need more than one reason to go to Alabama!). Javelina is also on my radar.
December: Down time! No matter what the outcome of this year's race, I don't think I'll be headed back to Bandera next year. That'll allow me to take it pretty easy next December and get fat over the holidays without feeling guilty!
Ok, time to start planning for 2013! ;)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2959
I think most ultra runners are obsessive-compulsive. Or at least that is what I tell myself to make it feel like my own OCD is totally in line with my cohorts. So imagine my horror when I discovered my yearly mileage total was 2959!
Now in my training circles we would strongly frown upon ending a run with 19.85 miles or some other "partial mileage" distance. Yes, we are those anal retentive weirdos who run around the block one more time after getting back to our car just because we need our GPS to end in a whole number. I was totally against this practice when we started. I mean, come on, why should we let a piece of electronic equipment dictate the end of our run? But now it is such part of our thinking that I, too, am a slave to my Garmin.
So you can see my distress in missing the 3,000 mile mark by a mere 41 miles! Alas, I was not OCD enough to check the total until the waning days of 2011, when it was too late to rectify this tragedy! Still, this works out to an average of 57 miles per week. That is not exactly high mileage (and I don't claim to be a high mileage kind of gal, as ultrarunning goes) but given the amount of racing I did (with tapers and recovery) my actual training weeks registered a lot higher than the average. And the total is 500 miles higher than 2009, my first full year of ultrarunning. But next year, I'll be checking my totals on December 1st and so I can plan accordingly to get above 3,000 miles!
So who else wants to fess up to being a mileage slave? Did anybody cram in the miles last week to hit some arbitrary yearly total? How OCD are distance runners really???
Now in my training circles we would strongly frown upon ending a run with 19.85 miles or some other "partial mileage" distance. Yes, we are those anal retentive weirdos who run around the block one more time after getting back to our car just because we need our GPS to end in a whole number. I was totally against this practice when we started. I mean, come on, why should we let a piece of electronic equipment dictate the end of our run? But now it is such part of our thinking that I, too, am a slave to my Garmin.
So you can see my distress in missing the 3,000 mile mark by a mere 41 miles! Alas, I was not OCD enough to check the total until the waning days of 2011, when it was too late to rectify this tragedy! Still, this works out to an average of 57 miles per week. That is not exactly high mileage (and I don't claim to be a high mileage kind of gal, as ultrarunning goes) but given the amount of racing I did (with tapers and recovery) my actual training weeks registered a lot higher than the average. And the total is 500 miles higher than 2009, my first full year of ultrarunning. But next year, I'll be checking my totals on December 1st and so I can plan accordingly to get above 3,000 miles!
So who else wants to fess up to being a mileage slave? Did anybody cram in the miles last week to hit some arbitrary yearly total? How OCD are distance runners really???
2011- The Year In Review
2010 was the year of the 50 miler for me: American River, Capitol Peak, White River, and JFK. In 2011, my focus shifted to the 100k. The highlight of the year was definitely the 100k World Championships in the Netherlands. Even though I didn't score for the team, it was an honor to represent the US and to call so many great runners my teammates. And I got a lot of great experience on a big stage; I can't wait to put it all to use in Italy this April!
Here's my quick race summary for the year:
Jan 8: USATF National Trail Championships in Bandera, TX, 2nd place. For the second year in a row, I went under the previous course record (10:33)but didn't win. Liza Howard was just too nimble on her rocky hometown course, running 9:35 for the win. My 9:46 was a 50 minute improvement over 2010 and a sign of good things to come.
Feb 19: Hagg Lake 50k, 4:22, 1st. Had a great run and became the first repeat winner for the 50k on the women's side. This was definitely a MUD year and it slowed the course down quite a bit. I was 4 minutes slower than 2010 and a far cry from Joelle Vaught's stout 4:10 CR.
March 12: Gorge Waterfalls 50k in the Columbia River Gorge, 4:49, 1st female. This inaugural race was tougher than I expected with some good rocky footing and a few good long climbs. The website currently lists the course with 6700' gain but that was definitely NOT advertised ahead of time! Special bonus for winning a first time event: automatic course record - woohoo!
April 9: USATF 100k National Road Championships at Mad City, Madison, WI. 7:53:17, 2nd place. Again under the previous course record (8:00:52) but no win. But it still felt like a HUGE victory as I earned my spot on the US team with this one! This was my number one goal for 2011 and I was psyched to accomplish it!
May 7: Miwok 100k, 9:39:57, 1st. I was a little skeptical about this one, coming just four weeks after Mad City and with almost NO trail time on my feet for training, but race day, I just felt good and ran particularly well from about mile 25-50. I still had a huge grin at mile 54, but the last 6 were run on pure determination and fumes!
June 25: Western States 100, 20:40, 10th. Eked out another top 10, but I was really hoping to go sub-20 on this one. I know I am a "slow" learner - one of those people who have to chew things over before it sinks in, and well, I guess I still have some mental masticating to do at this distance. On the bright side, I was 50 minutes faster than 2010 and nowhere near as physically destroyed.
September 10: Run Winschoten 100k World Championships, 8:16:45, 16th. I struggled with GI issues and just didn't have the race I wanted to have. But the experience was incredible! So much support and energy for ultra runners - what a different scene than any ultra in the US. I absolutely loved sharing the roads with people from all over the world with ultra-running as our common bond. The women's team took home the silver and we celebrated the US men's gold medal efforts! Way to go Team USA!
September 24: USATF 50k National Trail Championships, 4:41:15, 3rd. I entered this on a total lark because I was enticed by the idea of running near Mt. Bachelor on a beautiful sunny day. The weather and the course did not disappoint, but I just wasn't recovered enough from the world championships and I felt like I was missing a gear on the climbs. Still the $200 prize money covered the cost of the trip and it was a great day on the trails.
October 10: The Good Life Victoria Half Marathon, 1:25:06. The only goal was to meet the 1:26 "elite" standard for CIM. Mission accomplished.
October 29: Autumn Leaves 50k, 3:46, 1st, CR. This run was more about rocking a costume and winning a friendly bet with my husband, but I felt great all day and surprised myself by running that fast on untapered legs.
November 20: EWEB Run to Stay Warm 10k, 37:20, 1st. Who says ultra runners can't be fast? This was a tune-up for the marathon and a confidence booster that all the tempo and track miles were paying off.
November 24: Springfield Turkey Trot, 41:52. Ok, this wasn't really a race for me, but still another huge running highlight for 2011. My six year old daughter Megan rocked her first 5k and some awesome Christmas socks and the whole family was there to share it with her.
December 3: California International Marathon, 2:55:48. This race was far from perfect, but still cleared the 3 hour barrier by a comfortable margin. I stand by my claim that marathons are way harder than 50k's. But despite my best efforts to spread the word, Salem runners aren't giving up the marathon for ultras. I guess they are tougher than I am! Well, they still make for great training partners. I am super thankful for the three awesome ladies who were training alongside me day in and day out for this one, and for so many other runners that I was able to share some miles with during the year.
Well, that's a wrap for 2011 and my 518 miles of racing. Besides the racing, I worked aid stations at two ultras, went on an epic running trip to Bryce/Zion and paced Aliza Lapierre as she threw down a smoking fast 10:33 at the Waldo 100k. All in all a great year and a lot of fun times.
In addition to my training partners, I owe a lot to family for these accomplishments. Mac puts up with more insanity than he should have to bear. He is super supportive and has really learned how to control his eye rolling when I add new races to the schedule. ;) My parents were a huge help at Western States and CIM, and Mac's mom parented our kids for twelve days when we were in Holland. She did such a good job, Liam now repeatedly tells me that Mamaw is his favorite parent!
Happy New Year! I am looking forward to many more miles in 2012!
Here's my quick race summary for the year:
Jan 8: USATF National Trail Championships in Bandera, TX, 2nd place. For the second year in a row, I went under the previous course record (10:33)but didn't win. Liza Howard was just too nimble on her rocky hometown course, running 9:35 for the win. My 9:46 was a 50 minute improvement over 2010 and a sign of good things to come.
Feb 19: Hagg Lake 50k, 4:22, 1st. Had a great run and became the first repeat winner for the 50k on the women's side. This was definitely a MUD year and it slowed the course down quite a bit. I was 4 minutes slower than 2010 and a far cry from Joelle Vaught's stout 4:10 CR.
March 12: Gorge Waterfalls 50k in the Columbia River Gorge, 4:49, 1st female. This inaugural race was tougher than I expected with some good rocky footing and a few good long climbs. The website currently lists the course with 6700' gain but that was definitely NOT advertised ahead of time! Special bonus for winning a first time event: automatic course record - woohoo!
April 9: USATF 100k National Road Championships at Mad City, Madison, WI. 7:53:17, 2nd place. Again under the previous course record (8:00:52) but no win. But it still felt like a HUGE victory as I earned my spot on the US team with this one! This was my number one goal for 2011 and I was psyched to accomplish it!
May 7: Miwok 100k, 9:39:57, 1st. I was a little skeptical about this one, coming just four weeks after Mad City and with almost NO trail time on my feet for training, but race day, I just felt good and ran particularly well from about mile 25-50. I still had a huge grin at mile 54, but the last 6 were run on pure determination and fumes!
June 25: Western States 100, 20:40, 10th. Eked out another top 10, but I was really hoping to go sub-20 on this one. I know I am a "slow" learner - one of those people who have to chew things over before it sinks in, and well, I guess I still have some mental masticating to do at this distance. On the bright side, I was 50 minutes faster than 2010 and nowhere near as physically destroyed.
September 10: Run Winschoten 100k World Championships, 8:16:45, 16th. I struggled with GI issues and just didn't have the race I wanted to have. But the experience was incredible! So much support and energy for ultra runners - what a different scene than any ultra in the US. I absolutely loved sharing the roads with people from all over the world with ultra-running as our common bond. The women's team took home the silver and we celebrated the US men's gold medal efforts! Way to go Team USA!
September 24: USATF 50k National Trail Championships, 4:41:15, 3rd. I entered this on a total lark because I was enticed by the idea of running near Mt. Bachelor on a beautiful sunny day. The weather and the course did not disappoint, but I just wasn't recovered enough from the world championships and I felt like I was missing a gear on the climbs. Still the $200 prize money covered the cost of the trip and it was a great day on the trails.
October 10: The Good Life Victoria Half Marathon, 1:25:06. The only goal was to meet the 1:26 "elite" standard for CIM. Mission accomplished.
October 29: Autumn Leaves 50k, 3:46, 1st, CR. This run was more about rocking a costume and winning a friendly bet with my husband, but I felt great all day and surprised myself by running that fast on untapered legs.
November 20: EWEB Run to Stay Warm 10k, 37:20, 1st. Who says ultra runners can't be fast? This was a tune-up for the marathon and a confidence booster that all the tempo and track miles were paying off.
November 24: Springfield Turkey Trot, 41:52. Ok, this wasn't really a race for me, but still another huge running highlight for 2011. My six year old daughter Megan rocked her first 5k and some awesome Christmas socks and the whole family was there to share it with her.
December 3: California International Marathon, 2:55:48. This race was far from perfect, but still cleared the 3 hour barrier by a comfortable margin. I stand by my claim that marathons are way harder than 50k's. But despite my best efforts to spread the word, Salem runners aren't giving up the marathon for ultras. I guess they are tougher than I am! Well, they still make for great training partners. I am super thankful for the three awesome ladies who were training alongside me day in and day out for this one, and for so many other runners that I was able to share some miles with during the year.
Well, that's a wrap for 2011 and my 518 miles of racing. Besides the racing, I worked aid stations at two ultras, went on an epic running trip to Bryce/Zion and paced Aliza Lapierre as she threw down a smoking fast 10:33 at the Waldo 100k. All in all a great year and a lot of fun times.
In addition to my training partners, I owe a lot to family for these accomplishments. Mac puts up with more insanity than he should have to bear. He is super supportive and has really learned how to control his eye rolling when I add new races to the schedule. ;) My parents were a huge help at Western States and CIM, and Mac's mom parented our kids for twelve days when we were in Holland. She did such a good job, Liam now repeatedly tells me that Mamaw is his favorite parent!
Happy New Year! I am looking forward to many more miles in 2012!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
California International Marathon: Huge PR, Huge Bonk
2:55:48...If you had told me that ahead of time, I would have happily signed on the dotted line to guarantee it. My previous PR (and last marathon) was at CIM in 2008, when I ran a 3:10:37. (Unofficially, I ran a 3:09:52 marathon split at Autumn Leaves). I trained for a 2:55 and so to be within a minute of that seems like a big success. Indeed, I am very happy to finally be part of the sub-3 hour echelon on runners. Happy, but not satisfied as I had thought I would be.
***
In 2008, I was still a marathon runner and like any marathon runner my main goal was to PR. I missed my goal at Portland, signed up for CIM as a second chance and then spent 2 months obsessing over a couple minutes. When I crossed the line at CIM with a 3 minute PR, I was ready to be done with the marathon for a while and my attention turned to ultras. But after a couple of years running ultras, I came to believe that I could do better at the marathon, that really I was a sub-three hour kind of girl. But beyond just believing it, I realized that I actually wanted to be a sub-3 hour runner, to be able to legitimately say it. Because when I started running utras, I needed a break from the clock's objectivity, but as time passed and I got better at ultras, I realized I wanted a yardstick for my progress. And even in the ultra world, people still ask about your marathon PR.
But it wasn't until three other Salem women committed to running CIM that I cemented my 2011 sub-3 hour marathon attempt. As I have already mentioned, I loved the marathon training, but a big part of it was having wonderful fast women and awesome friends to train with. It also meant that race weekend was girl's weekend! Woohoo!
We flew down Friday and spent the day Saturday at the expo and around downtown Sac, fretting a little bit about the residual strong gusts of winds after all of the severe storms. We even made a trip over to the "elite hospitality suite." Why? Because we could! The four of us were taking great delight in the fact that we had all gotten in to the "elite" field (they finally let me in) even though we are a far cry from elite marathoners. We also did a little shopping for some special running accessories.
.
***
In 2008, I was still a marathon runner and like any marathon runner my main goal was to PR. I missed my goal at Portland, signed up for CIM as a second chance and then spent 2 months obsessing over a couple minutes. When I crossed the line at CIM with a 3 minute PR, I was ready to be done with the marathon for a while and my attention turned to ultras. But after a couple of years running ultras, I came to believe that I could do better at the marathon, that really I was a sub-three hour kind of girl. But beyond just believing it, I realized that I actually wanted to be a sub-3 hour runner, to be able to legitimately say it. Because when I started running utras, I needed a break from the clock's objectivity, but as time passed and I got better at ultras, I realized I wanted a yardstick for my progress. And even in the ultra world, people still ask about your marathon PR.
But it wasn't until three other Salem women committed to running CIM that I cemented my 2011 sub-3 hour marathon attempt. As I have already mentioned, I loved the marathon training, but a big part of it was having wonderful fast women and awesome friends to train with. It also meant that race weekend was girl's weekend! Woohoo!
Fast Chicks from Salem, ready to run! - Mariko, Steph, Tonya and me
We flew down Friday and spent the day Saturday at the expo and around downtown Sac, fretting a little bit about the residual strong gusts of winds after all of the severe storms. We even made a trip over to the "elite hospitality suite." Why? Because we could! The four of us were taking great delight in the fact that we had all gotten in to the "elite" field (they finally let me in) even though we are a far cry from elite marathoners. We also did a little shopping for some special running accessories.
Balloon Rudolf and "Elite" runners (The "VIP" elites all got numbers less than 100)
Getting our fill at the elite hospitality suite
Salem Sock-sleeve solidarity!
My mom very kindly got up with us a 5 am and drove up to the start. We "oohed" and "aahed" (and maybe did a few other things) at the Great Wall of Port-a-potties. Seriously, I have never seen so many portable johns! Then we headed to the elite tents, where we giggled over the fact that every other woman in the tent was trying to hit the Olympic standard.
The race itself went great for me, until about mile 21. I clicked off smooth 6:35's, feeling great and way ahead of my 2:55 goal. I came through 13 at 1:25:27 - not too far off my 1:25:06 PR. I was still feeling strong and on pace through mile 20 and then the wheels just fell off. My legs didn't feel sore or tired, but I was just drained. My pace fell almost a minute per mile and I struggled mightily for the last 5 miles. With just over two miles to go, Tonya flew by me, looking great. And then in quick succession Todd and Jerry passed me effortlessly as well. I didn't begrudge them their good days, but it made me feel even crappier to see people I knew running so well around me. I averaged 7:15 for my last 10k and had a not so pretty 4:30 time difference between my first and second halves for a finish of 2:55:48. Tonya had a stellar day at 2:53:54. Steph and Mariko were a little duped by the 3 hour pace group, which did NOT pace runners to a sub-3 finish. They finished just a few seconds apart at 3:00:10 and 3:00:24 (pace leader finished around 3:00:20).
Mile 18-still feeling good
While it is possible that I went out to fast, I don't think that was the case. I think 6:35 is within my capabilities. My best guess is that I had a major "bonk" and I just ran out of fuel. I think coming from an ultra background, I didn't respect the distance enough and I think I didn't account for the increased glucose needs of that fast pace. I remember thinking that I can easily do 3 hour runs without much food and so I ate only two gels during the whole race. It is funny because I usually eat on the high side for calorie intake during an ultra. Losing a few minutes in the marathon itself, doesn't bother me too much, but I feel like I've made several nutrition mistakes lately and as a perfectionist and planner, that pisses me off! I think being "experienced" may be working against me right now, as I don't really get that worried about races any more and as such I haven't been fretting over "minor" details ahead of time. I need to get back to the point of over-analyzing everything and being overly cautious.
After CIM, I was ready to sign up for another marathon immediately, on a quest to shave off another 3-4 minutes. I KNOW I can do it, but with running you can't claim it till you do it! I am considering LA or Napa in March, but I am a little less gung-ho about the whole thing considering the 100k World Championships are in April. So not sure when my next marathon will be just yet, but probably sooner than I expected going into CIM.
A well deserved post marathon soak.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Turkey Stuffer 5k
Thursday, it was off to the races again for the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Stuffer in Springfield. I was coming off a big PR four days earlier at the 10k, but that paled in comparison to this 5k race, which was one of my best running experiences ever!
I finished the race in 41 minutes and 54 second and I could not be prouder! My six year old daughter Megan completed her first 5k and it was awesome to support her as a family in this awesome accomplishment.
Since I had raced Sunday, our plan was for Mac to "race" the 5k, while I ran along with Megan and pushed Liam in a borrowed baby jogger. Since I was running for fun, I thought I'd wear a pair of cutesy Christmas socks, but when I got them out Megan started fawning over them and begging to wear them for the race. OMG, could this get any better?!? She wants to run and dress up! She is SO my daughter!
We got out of the house a wee bit later than planned for the 75 minute drive to Springfield. I think we had a conversation 50 miles into our drive that went like this:
Mac: What time does the race start?
Me: 8:30
Mac: Oh, we are so f*cked!
But we made it with about 13 minutes to spare. I sent Mac to get our numbers and told him I'd meet him at the start with the kids and stroller. I made it to the start in plenty of time but then just stood around waiting for Mac. Megan (who is a bit OCD) kept asking where was Daddy and Liam was trying to run over other runners with the baby stroller. Finally, the race started, but no Mac. Whatever. I figured he was up front and just didn't have time to find us.
Holy back of the pack congestion! Megan was pretty frustrated at first as she just wanted to run. She was weaving in and out of people, which was tough for me because I had to maneuver with a gargantuan jog stroller! But finally it thinned out and Liam even got out to run. That kid runs just like he thinks - all over the place! He kept getting in and out of the stroller depending on his energy level.
About five minutes in, Mac jogs up to us with a fistful of numbers and timing chips, "Hi, fam!" It turns out a few too many people tried to do last minute check in on Thanksgiving - oops! But it was a happy mistake, because then Mac decided to run with us, too. I pinned on our numbers and threw the chips in the baby stroller pocket.
Megan still needs to work on pacing. She doesn't do slow! Sprint-walk-sprint-walk-sprint, but we seemed to be making pretty good time. Liam got out of the stroller with 3/4 of a mile to go and ran to the finish, too, so he probably did about half the run on his own. My two kids are SO different. Megan had really wanted to wear my Garmin (another OCD runner in the making, I tell you) and she kept looking at the watch and giving us odd splits: "We're at one fifteen" (1.15 miles). When she'd try to catch up with somebody (Liam, a lady with a dog) she was so focused. Liam has no focus. He was trying to follow all the cracks in the road. When the cracks zigged, so did he. "Mom, we have to run on these cracks so aliens won't get us!" Ummm, whatever, dude, just keep running!
The race had free admission to the local water park after the race, which was the reason we chose this race over all the other Turkey Trots in our area. This was great fun for the kids. Even Mac and I took a few runs down the slide!
I finished the race in 41 minutes and 54 second and I could not be prouder! My six year old daughter Megan completed her first 5k and it was awesome to support her as a family in this awesome accomplishment.
Since I had raced Sunday, our plan was for Mac to "race" the 5k, while I ran along with Megan and pushed Liam in a borrowed baby jogger. Since I was running for fun, I thought I'd wear a pair of cutesy Christmas socks, but when I got them out Megan started fawning over them and begging to wear them for the race. OMG, could this get any better?!? She wants to run and dress up! She is SO my daughter!
We got out of the house a wee bit later than planned for the 75 minute drive to Springfield. I think we had a conversation 50 miles into our drive that went like this:
Mac: What time does the race start?
Me: 8:30
Mac: Oh, we are so f*cked!
But we made it with about 13 minutes to spare. I sent Mac to get our numbers and told him I'd meet him at the start with the kids and stroller. I made it to the start in plenty of time but then just stood around waiting for Mac. Megan (who is a bit OCD) kept asking where was Daddy and Liam was trying to run over other runners with the baby stroller. Finally, the race started, but no Mac. Whatever. I figured he was up front and just didn't have time to find us.
Are you sensing the pre-race jitters??
Holy back of the pack congestion! Megan was pretty frustrated at first as she just wanted to run. She was weaving in and out of people, which was tough for me because I had to maneuver with a gargantuan jog stroller! But finally it thinned out and Liam even got out to run. That kid runs just like he thinks - all over the place! He kept getting in and out of the stroller depending on his energy level.
About five minutes in, Mac jogs up to us with a fistful of numbers and timing chips, "Hi, fam!" It turns out a few too many people tried to do last minute check in on Thanksgiving - oops! But it was a happy mistake, because then Mac decided to run with us, too. I pinned on our numbers and threw the chips in the baby stroller pocket.
You Go, Girl!
I love this photo. Megan is totally on task. I look like I have just said something very grave to Mac: "Yep, your whole town has been stricken by the plague." Mac has a complete look of shock on his on his face: "The plague? What?! Nobody gets the plague anymore!" And Liam is like, "Hey, is that a piece of garbage in the gutter?" Also, did you notice there is SUN!?! (That makes the plague a little more tolerable).
Unfortunately, when we crossed the line our chips were still in the stroller pocket and didn't register on the timing mat, so don't look for us in the official results.
After a couple of hours of splashing we headed back to Salem for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner at home. I am very thankful for our happy, healthy family. I am looking forward to many more Turkey Stuffers together.
Salem Salty Sistas Storm Track Town
I am super lucky to be training for CIM with three other awesome women from Salem. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I decided now was the time to do a marathon - because of readily available training partners. We have more or less been doing Pfitzinger's training plan at the 70 miles per week setting. I really love the long run component to the plan, though I can't say I have really read much on the reasoning behind the plan. But Steph said she wanted to try it and we were all game. It's been great with lots of marathon pace running. But last Sunday (11/20) we decided to skip the long run a do a 10k. I am not sure if this was supposed to serve as a "tune-up" or a reality check!
We headed down to the EWEB Run to Stay Warm in Eugene where the 10k makes a big loop around Alton Baker park (which I accidentally called Alton Brown park at one point, but alas, no foodie commentary at this 10k). Basically, you run a mile upstream, cross a pedestrian bridge, run three miles down stream, cross another bridge, and run back up the river to the start - very scenic and all on bike path, made even better because there was no rain!
Tonya, Mariko and I all started together in our matching Salty Sistas singlets. Salty Sistas is the Salem Hood to Coast team. I have never actually been on the team, but Mariko said I could wear her hot pink singlet. I joked that I was the illegitimate salty half sista! Please note that I did NOT plan to wear hot pink with red gloves!
We came through mile 1 in 6:03. Tonya blurted "Oh, shit!" because she was aiming for 6:15 pace, but I wanted to push myself to try and hold that pace. I felt great till about the 5.25 mile mark, but pushed through to the finish for the win and a huge PR in 37:20 (6:03, 5:53, 5:50, 5:56, 5:57, 6:06 -oops!, 1:36(5:41 pace)).
My friends Gordon Cully and Michael Libowitz from LongRun Picture Company were out snapping photos on the day...it almost felt like I had the paparazzi following me around!
Thanksgiving Day, I was off to the races again. This time the Turkey Stuffer 5k...but that's tomorrow's story.
We headed down to the EWEB Run to Stay Warm in Eugene where the 10k makes a big loop around Alton Baker park (which I accidentally called Alton Brown park at one point, but alas, no foodie commentary at this 10k). Basically, you run a mile upstream, cross a pedestrian bridge, run three miles down stream, cross another bridge, and run back up the river to the start - very scenic and all on bike path, made even better because there was no rain!
Tonya, Mariko and I all started together in our matching Salty Sistas singlets. Salty Sistas is the Salem Hood to Coast team. I have never actually been on the team, but Mariko said I could wear her hot pink singlet. I joked that I was the illegitimate salty half sista! Please note that I did NOT plan to wear hot pink with red gloves!
Michael got this shot and despite the Rainbow Brite outfit, this is probably the best running photo of me ever! Plus, it makes me think the push-ups may be paying off (although, note that I still do not have big enough biceps to keep extra small sleeves from falling down!).
The Salty Sistas stormed through Track Town, going 1-2-4-5. We have an 8 year age span so we cleaned up in age group wins (including master's overall)!
The Salty Sistas (and illegitimate salty half sista!)
We won these nice hoodies, except they say "WINNER" on the back. If your sweatshirt says "winner", doesn't that make you a loser?? I wore mine to the gym all week (yes, I am a loser) and got several comments about that back, which I think confirms my loser theory.
"Winning!"
If this was our reality check, I have to conclude I am ready. In two weeks, the four of us head down to Sacramento. And I found out this week, that I'll be joining my friends in the elite field. I guess a few spots opened up, so I got in!!
Thanksgiving Day, I was off to the races again. This time the Turkey Stuffer 5k...but that's tomorrow's story.
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