One Step Closer...

Saturday I ran the McKay Hollow Madness 25K for the third time.

In 2011, the first year I trained to run McKay (sort of), the race was cancelled because of a bad storm on race day. I went out the following Monday and ran it on my own. I stopped a lot and took video and pictures, until my phone died. It was the first time I had seen many parts of the course. (This is why I said I "sort of" trained for it, I didn't have any idea how challenging many parts of this course really are.) Funny...I was just looking back at my training log (AKA Garmin Connect). Leading up to that race I ran the NOLA Half Marathon in late February (my 2nd half marathon ever) and then didn't run more than about 4 miles until MHM. So...I really didn't train for this race. In my mind back then I had trained for it. That's funny!! Anyway...the total time was 4:10 and the "total moving time" was 3:36. It was WET that year. With all the rain there were streams and puddles and just a lot of water to navigate through and around. It was foggy, chilly, and I was alone.

In 2012, leading up to this race I was training for my first 70.3 (NOLA...see a theme?). I was doing a lot of running and biking and swimming. It's funny I didn't feel as "trail ready" that year. The course was a bit drier that year and it was warmer.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't dry, as you can tell from the pictures, there was mud, but I wasn't even wearing gators and the mud was barely up over the top of my shoe on one foot. That year I didn't stop to take pictures and had a finish time of 3:36. (My moving time was 3:22...the other 14 minutes was at the aide stations kissing my husband, refilling my bottles, and catching my breath at the top of Natural Well.) I remember it being really warm.

Sadly, I didn't get to race in 2013 because I was battling my shoulder injury. From September 2012 until...well, really until almost September 2014* this shoulder has been a major issue for me. In the spring of 2013 I was trying to figure out what exactly I needed to do in order to do what I wanted to do and, sadly, that didn't include running McKay. Then in 2014 I was recovering from the shoulder surgery I had in January of that year. Which brings me to this year, 2015.

Well, before we get to this year, I want to revisit my 2011 self. I had completed two half marathons and one trail race (Xterra Dirty Spokes 5K). When I went out to run the McKay course by myself I was feeling really spunky. I pretended to be David O'Keefe and fully imagined myself giving Katie a run for her money in 2012. Oh how I wish I could go back and talk to that 2011 self... When I first started running I was making such great improvements that taking off a couple of minutes per mile seemed like a normal thing. It's just a couple of minutes per mile.  HA! The faster you get the harder it becomes to take a couple of seconds per mile off your best time. But, I digress...

I started this year with the goal of setting a PR on the course. I planned to train on every section and train hard to find :30/mile to get my finish time down to 3:30 or less. I'll skip the details, but that didn't exactly happen in reality the way it did in my mind.

I went to bed the night before the race not sure what would happen, but I knew I wanted to give my best effort and be happy with the results.
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It was much colder this year than the past years I've run this course. I have developed Raynaud's in my feet and could feel them going numb from the cold before the race start. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a big deal but, with Raynaud's, when the feeling starts coming back it's very painful. I told myself to be ready for it.

......

I wrote the above right after the race but stopped writing it and haven't come back to it until now. The sad thing is that I don't remember the details of the race the way I would have if I had written about it right then. The big things that stick out in my memory are that I still didn't break 3:30. In fact I got SLOWER! My time this year was 3:43. At one point I thought I might have broken my foot because the pain was just getting worse and worse. It turned out that it really was the Raynaud's. One factor that made this year slower was the mud. It was ridiculous. Mountain Mist was muddier, but this was a very close 2nd.

Even though I was a bit disappointed that I didn't even come close to my goal,  I had to take a step back and realize every year presents new challenges, especially on trails. This year ended up being about pushing forward even when I desperately wanted to quit.

As I said, I didn't break my foot, but ironically, Bilbo DID in fact break hers on this course!! She apparently kicked a rock a little less than 1/2 way through and ran on a broken foot the rest of the time (about 9 miles)! We had to take her to the ER right after the race!!

Next up: what I have been up to lately!



*Funny, this was written in March and I apparently felt like my shoulder was doing pretty good when I wrote it. Maybe I hadn't really started swimming again? I have struggled with this stupid shoulder all summer and it's still not "right".  Here I am THREE YEARS after it first started causing me trouble and it's still a thorn in my side! :(

Mountain Mist (AKA Mountain Snow)

I have considered this post many times but haven't sat down to write it for a number of reasons, not the least of which has been time.

Mountain Mist was the hardest race I've ever done.  Yes, harder than IMLT.  Don't think I haven't given that a lot of thought.  IMLT took me right at 16.5 hours to complete.  It was 28* at the start.  My shoulder had been injured for a year.  It was at altitude.  There was close to 2 miles of elevation gain on the bike. I BARELY made the bike cut off.  Over half the run was freezing cold again.  I wasn't sure if I could finish it, but really only because I wasn't sure about the bike portion (climbing at altitude was a complete unknown to me).  Despite all of that I felt well prepared and I thought I should be able to finish it.

Grand Slammers "before"

I went into Mountain Mist having no idea if I could finish it or not.  My legs were exceptionally tired from the other Grand Slam races I had completed leading up to that one and I had been having trouble with my right IT band.  I had not been running very fast at all and I wasn't sure I was recovered enough from Recovery (ironic).  Mountain Mist is set up to be hard.  There are strict cut off times and you can not dally in this race or you simply will not make it.  I hadn't been on about half the course and to top it all off it was incredibly muddy on race day.  Other than IMLT I can't remember a race I was more nervous about than this one.

A couple of days before the race I ran across an article on confidence.  He said:

Effective confidence comes from within, it's not the result of external events. You succeed because you've chosen to be confident. It's not really useful to require yourself to be successful before you're able to become confident.

It got me to thinking.  Confidence that is born OUT of success is not confidence at all, it's pride. The very definition of confidence (Merriam-Webster) is: "a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something"... CAN DO/WILL DO, not did do once. Confidence always looks AHEAD and gives birth to success!  That was an epiphany to me.  I didn't have to be certain I would finish this race to be confident.  But I did need to have confidence to run the race with all I had.

"Bandit on Board"

I had run every other race in the series with my sweet friend, the girl with the broken foot, only this time she didn't have a broken foot, she had a bandit on board (about the size of a pea for the first race, an acorn for the second race, a cumquat for the third race and a peach for this race...are you getting what I'm saying here??).  We had talked before the start and she told me I needed to just run on because she might be slower to start out but when we hit the back half she would hit her stride and she'd be able to speed up.  (More on this in a little bit.)

The day before the race it POURED down rain (in fact, I think it rained two days leading up to race day).  The night before the race a light dusting of snow covered the mountain.  That sounds beautiful, and it was, but it was also a muddy mess.  I have never seen that much mud in my LIFE.  I was certain I would have nightmares about being swallowed up in a mud pit.  But I am getting ahead of myself

The race starts at the Monte Sano Lodge.  I was in the back portion of the pack at the start line so the announcer of pre-race instructions sounded more like the teacher in Charlie Brown (wha wa wha wha wa wa).  Then I heard the Star Spangled Banner start up.  It was pretty cool because the crowd of cold and excited runners quieted down from the front to the back in a wave as we heard the song.  At the end the only sound that could be heard were the sweet words of our National Anthem.  I love that.

And then the sound of the gun went off and the racers were running...or shuffling as it were until the crowd thinned out a bit.  The course has been changed in the last few years to start on the road for a little bit before we head onto a gravel road in the woods.  This helps the faster runners get out front where they need to be before the trail narrows.  I was taking it nice and easy to start out because I knew I would be out there all day.  The girl carrying the peach inside of her was off like a bullet!  So much for "you better run off and leave me because I might be going slow to start"!

I can't say I remember too much at the start other than wishing headphones were allowed (they aren't but I sure did see a lot of them out there).  I don't usually run with music, but I also don't usually run for 8 hours either!  The really unfortunate thing was that I had listened to a catchy song from "Into the Woods" just before getting out of my car and the song snippet that lodged itself into my brain was "I really hate to ask it, but do you have a basket".  If you've seen the movie you should know the scene...Little Red Riding Hood is...well, I digress.  Trust me when I say it was the most ANNOYING ear worm that I could have had in my head THE ENTIRE EIGHT HOURS I WAS RUNNING!!!  Over and over and over again.  About once an hour, like the gong of a clock "AGONY, far greater than yours" would intercept (also a song from the musical), but it would quickly be replaced by "I really hate to ask it..."

Just when I thought the song snippet would drive me mad I heard a woman talking behind me to anyone who would listen.  Loud.  Incessantly.  Without breathing.  I didn't understand how she could be talking that much without inhaling.  I was stuck in a line of runners going down a hill in the mud on a single track of trail.  "AGONY, far greater than yours..."  I never wanted ear phones so bad on a run.  At some point I caught up with some friends but my experience with them was that they would conserve at the beginning and then take off at the end when I was beat down so I didn't want to stay with them.  I went into this race believing I would run my own race start to finish so when the trail opened up and we hit the first aid station, I ran straight through it since I was wearing my camelback.  I was far ahead of the average pace I needed, but I knew I would lose time later so I was grateful for the cushion.

Before long we were on unfamiliar territory, Powerline.  Everyone talked about how muddy it was, but I didn't think it was bad at all.  We had a GREAT view of what I found out was MY STREET.  I thought back to a time when I was in Officer Candidate School for the Army Guard.  I was NOT a runner then.  One morning we ran by my house and I made the comment that behind that window was MY BED.  I caught a lot of flack for that statement from my TAC officer and had to pay dearly later on because he thought I was saying I wanted to quit.  The thought on that day really was "what am I doing here, I could be in  BED" but the thought I was having on Powerline as I was looking down on my street was "WOW, I GET TO BE RUNNING UP HERE!!"  I loved it.  For a brief moment my thoughts were silent as I reveled in the sheer joy of running.

And then we hit K2.  "AGONY, far greater than yours....I really hate to ask it but do you have a basket..."  I really need to learn to pick my pre-race music better.  I chatted with a guy I had met a year ago not long after my surgery.  I was still in my sling and he had just had shoulder surgery of his own.  Here we were a year later taking on THIS challenge.  It dawned on me that my shoulder wasn't even a thought in my mind.  Even going up this beast of a hill I had to smile.  I am stronger than I was.  That is a wonderful thing!

Before I knew it I was at the 2nd aid station.  I had just emptied my camel back -right on time- so I refilled with water and my baggie of Tailwind.  I was so grateful for the aid station volunteers.  They helped me get the pack off my back and then filled it up, emptied the baggy, shook it up and helped me get it back on.  I was in and out in a matter of a couple of minutes!

Next section, Stone Cuts.  It was in this section I started having what I was hoping was a telepathic conversation with Bilbo (the athlete I coach who was also doing the Grand Slam races).  I was reminding her of how far she had come and how she didn't need to be scared of this section and how she didn't need to worry about the other sections that were to come later on.  She just needed to keep moving forward and stay on top of the average pace per mile needed to make the cut off.  When she didn't telepathically answer back the ear worm song crept back in.

Several times up to this point I had passed and then been passed by an older gentleman who I found out had done MM fifteen times!!!  Every time he passed me I was sure I wouldn't see him again, but then I'd catch up and pass him back, sure I would see him again in a little while.  Before long we were at the third aid station-the first cut off.  I was there in PLENTY of time but I still wouldn't allow myself to think I had it made.  At that point I was almost 18 miles in and still had the hardest sections to go.  My right IT band had started hurting any time I was going down hill.  It wasn't bad, but I knew what was coming up.

About that time I heard someone yell "GO DANA!!!!!" and then I heard a dog barking.  It sounded like my daughter but I knew it wasn't her because she had planned to go sky diving that day and we were basically in the middle of the woods.  But, as I got closer I realized it WAS MY DAUGHTER and my granddoggie!!!!! She had to look up the race, find the map, navigate all through the woods to find me just to cheer me on.   I hugged her neck, patted the dog and kept going...sobbing like a baby! Seeing family on the course when I expect it is amazing.  Seeing her out there at that moment gave me such a HUGE boost.  I found out later she had tried to find me at the first aid station but she couldn't find that one at all.  Then she hiked out to the second one but I had already gone through. All that trouble she went through to see me will probably be one of my all time favorite memories.

As I crossed the road I hear my peach-bearing friend say hi.  She was at the aid station feeding her little bandit.  I knew we were about to be on her favorite section of trail so she would catch up with me.  And that she did.  As we were going down Bluffline I was sinking into more and more IT pain as she bounded past me with more energy than she had any right to have at that point!  We caught up to two more friends and had a nice chat about how much we didn't like being out there at that particular moment in time.  But, what are you going to do at that point?  You can't sit down and quit.  You have to get out of the woods somehow.

I came into the fourth aid station with my camel back completely dry-perfect timing.  The plan was to refill here with a full baggie of Tailwind and then top off at the next station, skipping the last one altogether.  Once again there were volunteers there to help me, but the person who filled my pack this time was being careful not to overfill it.  Unfortunately it wasn't filled with enough water to make a good mix of the Tailwind (it was WAY to concentrated).  I decided it was fine because I probably wouldn't drink as much in the next section as I thought I would since it was the most challenging part of the course.

In short order I was running with my new friend, "Fifteen".  We played leap frog for a bit with him passing as we went down hill (because I was in a good bit of pain) and me passing as we went up (because that felt pretty good).

Then we got to Waterline.  If there is one reason I wouldn't want to do this race again, this section is it.  You climb a hill, cross a stream, then you have to ROCK CLIMB up the side of a mountain.  I was thankful for Fifteen being right behind me because he told me which trees to grab on to and where to put my feet.

You know when I said it only hurt going down...this was the exception.  It hurt to rock climb too.

I had "run" this section once before, but I didn't remember it being THIS horrible.  It felt like I was climbing a cliff.  When I FINALLY got to the top, and I was still under the average pace I needed, I allowed myself to smile believing I would certainly make it to the finish before the cut off.

As I came into the last aide station I made the decision to only top off with water because the Tailwind concentration was so high in my pack from the last fill up.  That was an error.  When the nice volunteer filled it, she filled all the way up.  Since I did drink more of the of the concentrated mix than I realized, when the pack was topped off it diluted the mix of Tailwind quite a bit.  Thankfully I had a Huma gel with me which I went ahead and took in.  I "only" had about 6 miles to go, but they were incredibly TOUGH --MUDDY-- miles.

At first the general trend was uphill so I was able to run and feel good (and even pass quite a few people).  But then we hit some (MUDDY) downhill sections that were increasingly PAINFUL.  Many of the guys I passed passed me back here, including "Fifteen".  I caught up with a friend who I thought would be about done by then.  On one uphill section her calfs seized up.  While I was struggling going down she was struggling going up.  We caught up with another grand-slammer and made a little train until we got to the base of the last up-hill section (Rest Shelter).

There is a bench on this section called "Kathy's Bench".  I found out there is a "thing" that once you pass this bench you "must" run the rest of the way.  Two friends (one of whom was REALLY sick with a cold/respiratory crud) were sitting, gathering energy to run up the hill.  But as our little train neared they decided it was time to move out.

The decision was made to that let that "thing" go and power walk up the hill.

As we got close to the top we could hear the aid station music urging us along.  There was an angel from Heaven sitting on the bench at the Rest Shelter who said "only 1.? miles to go!!".  That was all I needed (coupled with the familiarity of the next section of flattish trail leading to the finish) to push me right by that last aid station.

My goal was to run in no matter how tired I felt.  There was a gal up ahead of me who was doing a walk run interval so I made it my secondary goal to reel her in little by little.  Every time she walked I got closer, but every time I got close she ran.

Then I head the sweetest sounds from far away...CHEERS and COW BELL RINGING!!!  That sound was as forceful as the pull of winch drawing me in with a power that certainly wasn't coming from my legs.  FINALLY after a full day of "I really hate to ask it, but do you have a basket" and "Agony, far greater than yours" I was blessed with another thought, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary...they will run and not grow weary...I will RUN and not grow weary...I AM RUNNING and I AM NOT WEARY".  All I could do was smile and thank God for giving me this strength, this blessing, to run and not be weary.

Every time I heard the RING and WOOO WHOOO I was filled with energy to get to that finish line.   There was one little bit of down hill that I had to gingerly step down, but then it was a sprint to the finish (my average for the race was 15:31...my finishing kick went from 9:30 down to 7:15...it didn't just feel like a sprint, it was a sprint!).  I ran across the mat at 7:52:29, right into the open arms of a friend who scooped me up in a big ole bear hug as I cried my eyes out.

As I opened my eyes I saw Bilbo.  It took me a couple of seconds to understand what that meant...she didn't finish.  My first fear was that she was hurt, but then she told me she didn't make the first cut off and I scooped her up in a big ole bear hug as we cried together.  As strong as she is on that day it wasn't quite enough.  She wasn't alone, there were 32 starters who didn't finish that day for one reason or another.

Grand Slammers "After"

I know you are wondering...did the Girl with the Bun in the Oven finish?  Naturally.  Less than 20 minutes after me.  She is unstoppable, even with a bandit on board!

That was the hardest thing I've ever done to this point in my life.  I loved it.  If I could go ahead and sign up for next year I would.  For now I'm focusing on McKay Hollow 25K, and after that IM Chattanooga.


Thanks for stopping in.  Now go train!
:D

My shoes. Nuf said...

Doing Dizzy

I have intentionally put off making my post about the Dizzy Fifty 50K.  I was on such a high after the race was over I couldn't have been sure my perspective was clear.

It's been two and a half weeks and my perspective hasn't changed.

I'm SO glad I did that race.  Even with the "injury" and uncertainty leading up to it, race day couldn't have been a whole lot better overall.

Race Morning

I was uncharacteristically calm the night before and the morning of the race.  Well...that's not exactly true.  I was very detached from thought if that makes sense.  I felt like I was watching someone else's life paying out in front of me.  I was so unsure what was going to happen that I think I somehow disconnected from my perpetually busy mind.  I can't say my thoughts were quiet, but they weren't spinning.  It was very much like my mind was in a holding pattern.  Race morning I woke up, had breakfast, packed up my bags and stuff for the race and headed out with only enough time to park, unload and go to the bathroom.  I don't know if I would have recognized my own mother that morning.  Before I knew it we lined up, the gun was fired (literally) and we were running.

The Race Set Up

This race is called Dizzy Fifty because the course is set up in loops.  There is a little loop to start out, then you run a north loop and a south loop three times.  The north and south loops make a kind of figure eight with the middle point being the start/finish of the race.  So you come back to "home base" a total of seven times.  I honestly thought I would hate this because I generally truly dislike loops.  I don't want to come back to where I started during the race.  If I had my way I would probably run point to point races all the time.  The thought of coming back to the "start" SEVEN times was almost enough to keep me from registering.

However, I have to say, I LOVED it.  Shockingly it was pretty perfect for a first time 50K.  I had all my nutrition planned out and ready to go and the loops worked out so that all I had to carry was a hand held water bottle.  If I didn't like running with fluid as much as I do I could have easily not carried anything at all.  Not only that, probably because this is a trail run I didn't remember many parts of the course even the third time I ran it!  I noticed different things each time.  The group I was running with experienced the same thing.  We dubbed it "course amnesia".

The Race

When I started running all the thoughts that had been strangely absent the few days before the race came flooding in.

"Why am I here exactly?"  "Who do I think I am trying to run THIRTY ONE MILES?"  "I might have a stress fracture...or worse, a messed up tendon."  "What if I end up really tearing the tendon...they can't cut this one out."  "This doesn't feel good."  "This is just mile one...what will this be like after 30 more..."  and so on.  Mercifully within the first probaly quarter of a mile, I connected with a good friend I don't see nearly enough.  (Remember the girl with the broken foot who beat me at Iron Girl?  That's her.  She's an IRONMAN now but I'll call her Iron Girl here.)  We talked and talked the whole rest of the little loop which really helped calm my mind and allowed my body to warm up in peace.

When we made home base stop one I had to use the bathroom pretty bad so Iron Girl ran on while I did what I needed to do.  I don't know if the 1st part is the north or south loop because I'm directionally challenged, but the first part you do is the more technical of the two.  This whole course is fairly easy in comparisson to the only other long trail race I've done (McKay Hollow Madness 25K), but when looking at just this race, the first loop (not the little one) is the more "challenging" of the two.

There is a section that goes down hill and then there's a section that goes up hill.  ( have to say that section got longer all three times I did that loop.)  There were people in front me and behind me the whole time, but I mostly ran "alone".  I talked to some people but I wasn't running "with" any of them.  My mind had settled but I was paying very close attention to my leg and evaluating every tinge of discomfort.  I told myself that if a tinge held on for a mile, or got progressively worse than just a tinge, that would be the end of my race. 

First (half) loop done...back to home base.  One of the athletes I coach was also doing this race.  She planned to be a little slower than me so I left a dry erase board at "camp" so we could leave notes to each other.  I wanted to know how she was doing and leave her words of encouragement during the race.  I left her a note, refilled my hand held and headed out for the second half of the figure eight, the "easier" of the two.  This loop winds through the woods in such a way that it feels as if you will be lost out there forever. 

Without having any technical terrain to negotiate, trail running can get a little monotonous if you are alone...which I was.  That monotony began to wear on me quicker than I expected.  I started getting a tad worried.  I pretty much always run alone, but not for 6-8 hours. I quickly halted the return of the internal jibber-jabber and started pondering my usual things...my athletes and my kids' tri teams.  Before I knew it I caught up with Iron Girl and another friend who were looking at some frost flowers.   But, because I had to go to the bathroom AGAIN I told them I would see them back at home base and I went on my way.

First figure eight done!  Only two more to go.  I used the bathroom (again), refilled my bottle, and checked the dry erase board.  I won't share the note my athlete left me (I have to come up with a name for her...) but it was HILARIOUS.  I left on for her and then started running loop two with Iron Girl and the other friend.  The other gal can walk faster than a lot of people can run, she also has an adorable child, so I'm going to call her Fast Momma.

Photo credit.

Starting that loop I had the first bit of course amnesia.  There's a trail that goes beside a Japanese Tea Garden.  I don't understand that part of the park.  Who put a Japanese pagoda in an Alabama State Park??  I remembered running out that way, but not really seeing the signs.  Just as I started getting worried that somehow I had gone the wrong way the first time I saw something I remembered from the first time.  (Not to mention there really is no way to get off the course because it's so well marked.)  We went down the steep part...through my favorite part of the course, and up the hill, talking the whole way about all kinds of things.

I decided very quick that I wanted to stick with them.  They were out there to finish not compete and were doing an undefined walk/run.  It was probably a little slower than I might have tried to go if I were alone, but it was super comfortable and that's exactly what I needed.  Plus the talking made the time FLY by.  An hour felt like 10 minutes and before I knew it we were starting the second half of the second loop.  Another friend came out there to get some miles in for an upcoming Disney marathon (she might be doing the Dopey Challenge, I can't remember), so three became four.  Then four became five when we met up with another gal.  We had little trail train going and I realized why people are getting together to run trails all the time instead of going it alone like I usually do.  It felt like I had been out there maybe a couple of hours but when I checked it had been 5 and we were starting the third and final loop.

I could tell I was getting a little tired and I was very glad this would be the last time I would have to go down that steep part...and up that hill that seemed to double (maybe even triple) in length this time.  Every little stump, every rock, every limb that I ran over I mentally said my goodbyes to.

When we got back to home base before starting the last half of the last loop I had a huge surprise...my Knight in Bald Head was there!!!  He had gone out to do his run earlier and had planned on coming out to run some with me.  Unfortunately he hurt his leg on his run.  ((Side story...I haven't talked about how COLD it was that morning...funny that I didn't think about that detail this long after the race...but it was probably one of the coldest mornings we had all season.  Well, Dwayne got four miles away from his car and hurt his leg to the point he couldn't keep running at all...and had to walk back FOUR MILES in the freezing cold, soaking wet with sweat.))  I told him I was fine because I was running with the "train of awesomeness" and only had the last half of the last loop to go, about five miles.  At the rate we were going it would take about an hour longer.  He asked about my leg and I had to laugh...at that point I told him it was the only thing that didn't hurt.

I was feeling surprisingly good in fact, except for my pubic arch.  It felt like I had been riding a skinny horse, or a horribly fitting bike with a terribly uncomfortable saddle, all day long.  I haven't researched this yet to try to figure out why...but I'm fairly certain it stems from weak hips.

As we started out on the final section I could feel, and hear, the fluid in my stomach sloshing around.  It sounded like a half full gallon jug being jostled around.  I fueled the whole race with a product called Tailwind.  I'll write up another post on it, but for now I'll say it worked like a complete charm.  No stomach discomfort and I had more energy than I expected to have.  It's a powder you mix with a  certain amount of water (you MUST drink with it for the fuel to get to the muscles). I had dialed in the amount I would need, but I didn't account for running much slower than I am used to.  I also didn't account for how cold it would be.  Cold and going slow meant I was sweating MUCH less than usual (and using a bit less energy).  Consequently, it created a bit of a "back up" of fluid in my stomach.  And that back up was sloshing around so loud the gal in front of me asked if she was hearing my water bottle!!!  Nope...that would be my stomach.  

How embarrassing...

As we hit the point of the trail that turns and takes you back toward the finish we all cheered a little...headed HOME!!!  Fast Momma was walking so stinking fast we couldn't walk fast enough to keep up, but it was just slow enough we couldn't run either.  We were doing this accordion thing but none of us were willing to break the train.  Everyone was tired.  Combined with the strong desire to be done, we all had an almost fall from tripping over holders and tree trunks (okay...they were pebbles and twigs, but they seem much bigger when you are that tired!).  Thankfully none of us fell.  (I found out later almost everyone had a spill at some point).

We were going to hold hands and cross the "finish line" together, but Iron Girl had gotten pooped on by some tree-dwelling animal like half a mile before we got there and unfortunately found it by reaching her hand up to see what had just hit her head!!!  We could have moved around so that the poopy hand was on the outside but we were all more interested in being done.

Thirty one miles in seven hours thirteen minutes and fifty eight seconds (13:59 pace overall).  I had an unbelievably great experience.  I loved the race, I loved the friends, I loved the day.  My leg didn't hurt that day, and it didn't hurt the next day.  (It hurts off and on and I'm not quite sure what is going on although I have a theory it's inflammation from eating certain foods...more on that in a later post.)  I am more than thrilled I made the decision to run the race.   After it was over I was in a bit of shock. I was in a daze the rest of the day.  I don't think it had anything to do with food.  I think I just couldn't believe it was over and that I had actually done it.  I didn't even have to go home and crash.  It was a really good day all the way around.

Until next time...
:D

SLURP....(that's me drinking the Koolaid)

Thursday at ITF we got to use the rowing machines!  I know it's silly, but these are the nicest rowers I've used (that's not saying much, I haven't used many...), and I was rocking the row.  And we learned how to do a proper dead lift.

Unlike rowing, I've had experience with the dead lift.  But, as I told my coach when we got started, I know I've never done it correctly because I have NEVER felt it anywhere (except sometimes my lower back, but not in a "oh that's working a muscle" kind of way, more like a "that's not supposed to feel like that" kind of way).  The theme of the day was "you can't recover from a bad set up"...so we spent a LONG time on proper set up for this exercise.  We build the move from the ground up starting with where our feet belong all the way up to our head.  Since there were only three of us there we got a lot of individual attention along the way.

The WOD was three rounds of rowing/dead lifts/squats-for time.  I came in second (the guy beat me so I'm not crying over it...).  I realized when it was over that I really could have lifted a good bit more weight...but I didn't know what to expect so I went with the standard "women's 101 weight".

I have to say...I'm three classes in and I'm hooked.  I love it.  I absolutely love it.  It's short enough that it's not onerous.  It's varied enough that it's not boring.  It's tough but doable.  And, since you are doing it for time there's an element of competition (with your tribe mates and with yourself).  I love that we encourage each other, we push each other (well, I see the regular classes doing that with each other...we are just starting out so we aren't really there just yet with each other....well, I do it because that's just who I am...)

I can't say that I'm at the point I will tattoo the logo on my chest (I'm not even there with Iron Man)...but I have definitely hit the "Koolaid Point" and I'll be downing another big pitcher full this week.

***

Running update:  After Thursday's workout I did my long run (18 miles and they were pretty decent trail miles).  Friday I ran another 14.5.  But yesterday I didn't do my run because I am in fact listening to my body over the slurping of the Koolaid.  I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep all week so I went to bed early Friday night and slept late Saturday (6:30!!).

***

"Diet" update:  (I really dislike that word...maybe I'll call it the "lifestyle update"?)....Well....I should probably change the title of this blog post to "drinking the Kombucha", but I won't since only a few people would get it.  I have become "that person".  I had a "big cooking day" today in order to get ready for the coming week.  I made a chicken and deboned it.  I made a huge batch of sausage.  I made tuna and chicken salad.  And I have a menu planned for the week.  All-in-all I think it's worth the effort I'm putting into it.  I haven't seen any change on the scale but I have seen a slight change in the way pants are fitting.  More than that, I've felt a change in my brain (no brain fog) and in my gut (although that isn't great yet...it's better than it was).  I think the reason it's not great is that there is a group of foods (FODMAPs) that cause digestive issues for a lot of people (i.e. gas, bloating...irritable bowl syndrome...).  Cleaning up my diet has almost spotlighted the fact that FODMAP foods give me trouble.  I have hit a decent groove with food right now so I'm not going to complicate things more by taking that group out too right now.  But I am trying to pay attention to it as much as I can.

Now...let me get back to my Koolaide/Kombucha....  

SLURP

Until next time... 

:D

The Madness

If you remember, last year I registered to run the McKay Hollow Madness 25K but storms that day cancelled the race.  Since I had been training, and looking forward to that day for so long, and since the shirt we were given is a "finishers" shirt, I decided to "earn my shirt" by running the course the following Monday.  I set out to run it as if I were racing, until I saw how beautiful parts of the course were overflowing with water and I couldn't stop myself from stopping to take pictures and videos!!  I didn't pause too often but ended up with a time of 4:11 and change.  I was happy...and made it to lunch (almost) on time.  (That will make sense if you read the recap.)  More than numbers on a watch, I had a FANTASTIC time running the course.

This year I've been training for my 70.3 race (WHICH IS IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS!!) and haven't put much time in on the trails.  Additionally I've been battling some stomach issues.  I'm not sure what's going on in my gut, but it feels like digestive war!  I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I've been weak all week (longer really, but there have been times I've rallied).

I went to bed Friday night not knowing if I would race/run the next day or not.

Saturday I woke up feeling better than I have in a long while...it was the first day all week I woke up without a headache!  As soon as I opened my eyes I smiled knowing I would certainly run.  I ate some super oatmeal (minus the protein powder, raisins and banana...so maybe I should call it almost-but-not-quite-super oatmeal), got my fuel belt armed (with EFS Liquid Shot, Nuun-water, and water) and took a not-so-quick wake-me-up-and-get-me-ready-to-get-muddy shower.  (I learned this trick from Katie and love it; taking a shower before a race is like a pre-warm-up!)  Since my sweet husband had agreed to come out to the race with me, we left early enough for him to grab breakfast and enough diet coke to last the morning.

Before I knew it we were all moving out to the road for the start of the race.  As I visited with friends, without warning, we were off and running!  I found myself beside the "Ocular Triathlete", a member of Team Rev3, a long course triathlete and Team Rocket Tri's president.  I don't know her very well so I was glad to get the chance to chat a bit as we ran.  As we were running along the road that leads to the trails we heard something in the woods to our left.  Looking over we saw a HUGE deer!!  All of the sudden it shot out in front of us (well, not right in front, there was about 25 feet and 15 people between us and the deer) and crossed the road.  **What a cool start to a race!!**

I've heard time and time again how important it is to get out in front on trail races because once you get to the single track areas it's hard to pass.  However, since I had been battling stomach issues and since this was not going to be a major race for me, I decided I was not going to worry about that and just have a good time.  Kristen had the same idea so we stayed together about 3 miles or so until I realized my steady pace was her warm up and she slowly pulled away from me.  (I think she may have gotten tired of hearing my bear-like breathing.)  I told myself it was okay and that I'd be happy if I finished within 15 minutes of her.  (Yes, I do gauge myself off others...because there are people who I respect as athletes and I feel like they are a good litmus test for me.)

Within a short time I was toward the front of a train of people.  It was nice because we had settled into an even pace that was comfortable for me, but still faster than I would have been going if I were all alone out there.  Being a "middle car" in a train of people, I was "forced" to keep running through the places I would have normally resorted to walking, but at the same time I was "forced" to slow down just a touch on the places I would normally be "flying" slightly completely out of control down rocky inclines.  It was a good compromise.  After a particularly difficult (for me) uphill section, I peeled off to the side to catch my breath and allowed the train to pass me up and took the spot as the caboose.  I didn't stay there long as I passed some of the slower "cars" once my breath caught up to my body.

Just before the first aid station is one of the tougher sections, Warpath Ridge.  The name is misleading because the trail basically goes up TO the ridge not ALONG the ridge.  Our train got a little scattered on this section.  When I got to the top I was so happy to see my husband waiting!  The aid station is on a trail and not in a spot you can drive to.  He had walked out to it with a chair and had been waiting for me (because I shamelessly begged him to be there!).  Seeing him always gives me a shot of energy and this time was no different.  I  refilled my water bottles and ran off to find "my group" who had all left because they didn't have spouses to kiss!!

Each section of this course has some challenges.  One challenge in the second section is a very rocky down hill narrow path.  I had to keep in mind I would have my "A" race in less than a month, so I intentionally took this part a little cautiously.  This course is beautiful from start to finish and it's hard for me to not get caught up in wanting to "hike", taking time to look around and soak in God's beautiful handy work.  But, I kept reminding myself it was a race and I could come back without a number on my belt if I wanted to take my time to sight see!!  I could tell I was getting a little tired, but I also knew I was getting close to the second aid station (mile 10), where I hoped I would be able to snag another kiss from my husband!  Sure enough...he had made it there in time.  He said he had JUST gotten there so it was a good thing I was a little slower than I had hoped to be!  I got a shot of cola and started out on the last section.

I thought I had lost my "train" and was feeling a bit discouraged when I run up on them not too long after leaving the aid station.  I think that coke, and seeing my husband, really gave me a boost because I was able to pass a few people and get back in the game.

Just after the 2nd aid station is "SOB ditch".  It's really not a "ditch", it's more like a ....well, after spending 15 minutes looking for a word to accurately describe this thing, I'll just have to let a picture suffice.  (This was taken from my Garmin data map...)  The marker is right at mile 10, if you follow the red path line to the right you can see the "ditch".  If you compare it to the roads on the left, you'll see it's wider than a two lane street!  This is one of the better known spots, but FAR from the most difficult to navigate.

The hardest section to navigate is the VERY LAST mile!  You have to travel up a little more than 700' to the finish.  As we got closer the little group I was "running" with started saying we were not going to run when we got up to the top...we were DONE and just glad to be finishing.  However, there's a point on that climb when the spectators can see you and they start cheering for you.  Combined with the fact that once you get beyond the steepest part you still have about .2 miles of flat ground to cover, makes for a good "race to the finish".  I lost the person I was with as she stopped to hug some friends who were waiting for her when I found my "finish the race" gear and ran it in.    My time this year, 3:36:10.  I didn't get any cool video this year, but 45 minutes off last year?  I'll take it!  (And, it wasn't NEARLY as pretty this year anyway!)

****Yes...this is being posted nine months late...but better late than never!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon! :D

Coach Hubby

My husband has been feeling a little under the weather the last few days but yesterday he decided it was time to get out and breathe some fresh air.

Even though the man smoked me in the final yards of last year's Turkey Chase, he hasn't run for any extended distance in a long while.  He has however been getting up almost every morning to work out on the elliptical, finding it increasingly harder to ramp up his heart rate.  He figured it was the right time to test out his legs on real ground so we went up to Monte Sano for a cruise around the South Trail.  His plan was to run a little, walk a little and just take it nice and easy.

I was a little nervous because he is quite a bit faster than I am.  I was certain I could take him in the long run, but I wanted to stay with him the whole time.  If he decided to have some sprint intervals I might actually be in trouble trying to hang on to him.  My fears were allayed when we started jogging at a nice, easy pace.  After about a mile he decided it was time for a little break so we walked for about half a mile then started jogging again.

I was following him at a nice easy pace when I started to realize he was pulling away just a bit.  My first thought was that he was just taking some longer strides to get over some obstacles...but I quickly saw that was not the case and had to push myself to stay with him.  I had to remind myself he wouldn't hold this faster speed for long and was relieved when he started walking again.

After another half mile break we reached the gravel road section of the trail.  He said he wanted to kick things up a notch or two and have a short, fast interval.  He told me to start running and then pick up as fast as I could go up to a certain spot (maybe 100 yards).  I knew what was about to happen...he was going to blow by me like I was standing still...and I was okay with that, but I wasn't going to go down without a fight.  I started running and picked up just as fast as my legs would go.  He said, "THAT'S GREAT DANA!!!  THAT'S REALLY GOOD...NOW FIND THAT NEXT GEAR!!!"  ...and then he blew by me like I was standing still!!

Uhm....for the record, that was my highest gear!  I felt very discouraged because it felt like I was going SLOW.  It felt like I was going at maybe an 8:15ish pace, but that was seriously as fast as my legs would turn over.  I told myself it was because I just ran a marathon a week and a half ago...but that didn't really help much.  We walked a little and then jogged a little until we got out to the road.

As I was telling my sweet husband how much I was enjoying our run together...the man started talking smack.  Knowing how competitive I am he was saying how he was going to beat me back to the car and how there was nothing I could do about it.  I told him there was NO WAY he would beat me if I was willing to leave him right then because there was NO WAY he could hang with me the whole distance.  And then he said it... "you THINK so, huh??"  Really??  You're going to challenge me on what I consider my home turf??  I run that route ALL THE TIME.  I even tried to tell him it was father to the car than what he thought it was.  You know what he did??  He LAUGHED at me!!

So I did what any loving, sweet, kind and humble wife would do in my situation...I took off running!!  I picked up to a pace I thought I could hold the whole way (about a quarter of a mile).  I started getting worried because he was right with me for longer than I expected.  I didn't want to speed up too much because I didn't want to peter out and let him pass me, but I wasn't willing to ease up either.  The man actually even started saying he was having a heart attack.  (For the record, I knew he was joking, but it really did almost work.)  He even tried telling me, "Okay, you win, I give up."  (For the record, I knew he was trying to get me to stop so he could blow by me and win.  That almost worked, too.)  I kept going until I got almost to the very end.  I couldn't hear him anymore so I turned around.  He was walking.  (For the record I did start to go back to him so we could walk it in together...that almost worked, too, but when I realized it was a TRAP I turned back around and pushed it in to the "finish" line.)

I felt like I had achieved a decent pace (maybe 8:00 with a finish around 7:00)...and it felt great.  When I got home and uploaded my Garmin data (I didn't look at the whole time we were running)...I found out I was wrong then and had been wrong about my earlier pace.

At the end of that second running interval, when I felt like Dwayne was speeding up and I had to push to catch him...I sped up to a pace of about 7:20 (for a very short distance).  In the little sprint we did (when he flew by me)...I was running at about a 5:00 pace (again, a very short distance).  In that last little stretch until I turned around (about a quarter of a mile) I was running at an average of about a 6:45 pace, and then kicked it even faster in the sprint to the "finish line".

As Coach E sometimes says, data or it didn't happen:

Now, I'm very aware Garmin pacing can be off...but I know what it usually looks like in those sections for me and this was the fastest I have EVER finished that course.  Sure, I wasn't running hard the whole time, but it's still very encouraging to me, and I'm THRILLED.  (Best pace of the run:  4:55!!  ...sure it was all of maybe 20 feet, but I'll take it!) 

If you have noticed, my fastest pace ever was 4:19, and that was when I was racing my husband.  I'll sure be glad when he's running for real because when that happens, you'll see me on the podium a lot more often!!  I say it all the time, but I'll say it again here...he makes me a better me in so many ways.

Thanks for stopping in...come again soon!
:D

Up for the Challenge

Somehow I pulled my right soleus last week and ended up going to a CHIROPRACTOR.  The fact I spent over ten years in the insurance adjusting field should tell you why this is "said" in such an incredulous "tone"...  However, to my pleasant surprise, Dr. Olsen took such great care of me I was back up and running (literally) the very next day!!  He didn't do the pop and prod type of chiropractic adjustments...he did Active Release Therapy (think focused massage while moving the muscle). 

Although he told me to stay away from hills...I sort of didn't really listen to that part; this past Sunday I CONQUERED Cecil Ashburn on foot.

Well...maybe "conquered" is a little too strong of a word...but (for the locals) I ran from the Rave theater to my house (just over 9 miles), so it was the "easy" way.  For non-locals, here's the elevation profile from my Garmin (you can see why the direction I ran was "easy", right?  (I did go VERY slow and I walked a couple of times-but only about 30-45 seconds total.)  Wow...this is the first time I've looked at this...makes me realize just how much I didn't listen to the good doctor!

But, as Coach Eric always says, "WE LOVE HILLS!!  HILLS MAKE US STRONG"...today I got some (more) proof of how right he is.  My day started at the pool but that's not the "proof" I want to talk about.  Afterwards I went for a run on the trail I usually take with Daisy (who, sadly, was not with me today).  I am pretty sure our best time together on that trail to date has been 35:XX minutes.  I think my very best time alone has been about 34:XX minutes.  Today.........THIRTY TWO MINUTES AND THIRTY SEVEN SECONDS!!! 

The whole time I was running I felt like I was moving through mud.  It seemed as though I couldn't make my legs GO.  When I would look at my pace it was almost always under, or right around, 9...but I didn't believe it.  I thought my Garmin was not being honest with me, just trying to keep me from quitting.  (The pace usually seems off on the trails.)  When I STOPPED TO TIE MY SHOE and when I STOPPED TO TIE MY SKIRT (because it kept trying to fall off)...I considered walking since I "knew" my time would be so slow.  I decided I had to keep going if only for the experience of slogging out a tough run when I didn't feel up to the challenge. 

I've talked about the part of the route where the trail meets the road before...it's where Daisy used to tell me, "it's only SIX minutes to the car from here".  When I got there I thought I might just slow down to a jog, but THANKFULLY I checked the time instead of just looking at my pace...27:??.  My thoughts at that point: 

"REALLY???  TWENTY SEVEN???....plus 6 is only 33...that's a PR on this route....REALLY???  AS SLOW AS I HAVE FELT ON THIS RUN???  NO WAY I'M SLOWING DOWN NOW!!!"

I didn't PUSH it as hard as I could because it was supposed to be an "easy" run today...and I know speed work is tomorrow.  I kept telling myself I didn't have anything to prove, it wasn't a race, and more than that, it was a TRAINING RUN that was supposed to be EASY.  I was not running as if racing, but I certainly wasn't holding back either!  I wanted that PR...and you should have heard me WHOOP when I stopped my watch and saw I had made it even faster than I expected. 

Yup, again...Eric was right.  I guess it's only five minutes to the car now, huh??

Thanks for stopping in!  Come again soon!
:D

Big Girls Do Cry...

...but trail-running big girls wait until after they finish their workout!

Remember my story about The (Almost) Princess and the Blister?  I told you my theory on pain--it's relative.  For the princess, sleeping on a pea caused her GREAT discomfort (and bruises if I remember the story correctly) whereas someone who was used to sleeping on rocks would have been able to rest like a bear in hibernation on that "lumpy" bed.
I went on in that post to tell you about a blister that had me limping around until I saw a picture of Eric Charette's, foot which caused me to realize just how much of a ...princess... I really (was).

 That post was written in May of last year. 

Since that time, I've written several posts about pain and how running through it has helped me find out what I'm made of.  My very last post (ironically) was on the Pain Garden.   I talked the big talk about how I planned to toughen up, find my pain threshold and get comfortable being uncomfortable.  (I didn't use those exact words, but that's what I meant.)

***FOR THE RECORD***  Let me be perfectly clear...there is NOTHING about pain that should EVER be associated with a garden, unless it looks like this:

Well, you know how the saying goes...be careful what you wish for....

The inside of my elbow..

I started my yesterday at the pool.  Several times during my 50 (long course) laps, I smacked my elbow on those things they mislabel as "lane ropes".  Who are they trying to fool?  "Ropes" don't hurt like that!  I remember thinking how bruised I was going to be all because I wanted to take up as little space as possible in the lane (since I was sharing with four very fast men).  I dressed to go run trails and winced with pain as my clothes brushed against my near-hematoma.

I made a note to self:  don't write about pain again.

My running buddies are both out of town so the plan was to RUN HARD.  It was early but already hot and humid.  I did not get enough shut eye the night before (for some reason I haven't been able to sleep well after our group workouts).  I'm struggling with "fueling"...one banana really isn't enough to get me through 2500 meters and a 3.something mile trail run.  I was dragging, but fighting it.  I kept thinking pain wasn't the right word to describe what I felt...more like just pain TIRED.  I kept trying to increase my heart rate, but fatigue held me back.  It seems I usually tire out LONG before I hurt.  I wondered how to get past THAT.  I mentally smirked over how easy it is to push past pain, but much harder to keep going when you're depleted of all energy.

As I occupied my mind with thoughts like, "listen, run hard just three more minutes and then you can walk" and "pick those feet up girl, get some pep in your step...you don't want to---"  IT happened.  I became a full-fledged, honest-to-goodness TRAIL RUNNER as I tripped over a root and flew through the air with the greatest of awkwardness...sliding on my hands and knees, all the while praying I didn't break anything.  ((Go back to this post where I tell you my greatest fear, related to solo trail running, is having to limp/crawl out of the woods!))  As soon as I stopped sliding, my second thought was for my new watch and my phone (which was strapped to my arm).

I'd like to say I got up and just started running again...and I did, but not without yelling out a pre-school curse word (...fart...) MANY, MANY, times.  Unfortunately for me this couldn't have happened in a secluded section of wilderness.  Oh no, it had to happen RIGHT NEXT TO OCCUPIED CABINS.  How did I know they were occupied?  Because the people were coming out as I was blasting my quasi-obscenities!!  I'm sure they were having a good laugh...or maybe they didn't see/hear me because no one even asked if I was okay.

Anyway...after only a few seconds (enough to say the word of the day about 6 or 7 times), I told myself I needed to get back to the car.  My first thought was to walk-okay, who am I kidding, hobble- the rest of the way.  That's when it hit me!!  THIS was my chance to push through pain.  I remembered all the stories I've heard of runners who have fallen and gotten up to finish strong.  I remembered a video I saw not long ago...


and I pushed as hard as I could to finish STRONG (much harder than I imagined possible for a "princess").

When I got back to the car, I washed off the blood and proceeded to call my husband... and to cry like a big baby!  He basically told me to put my big girl panties on and thank God for the opportunity to work through some PAIN allowing me to toughen up!!  (But only after he asked if I wanted him to come home and take care of me...I LOVE THAT MAN!!)

I know I've whined in the past about minor issues, and I know it could have been a lot worse...but, see for yourself, this is more than just a scrape.

...after I washed it off...

For the record, this morning I rode 29 miles with the big boys (on average they were at the low end I was at the top end of easy, pushing middle effort at times).  I then spent 30 minutes on the elliptical.  All proof I am NOT actually a princess.  Just don't tell my husband!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon! :D

Trail Fail!

I had a doctor appointment today (for a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad ringing in my ears) so I couldn't make the run with Daisy and our third (I have to think of a name for her).  I had decided before the appointment to take my clothes with me and go for a solo trail run in order to start preparing for my next BIG race.....drum roll please.....

"Extremely Difficult"

This year the McKay Hollow Madness Trail Run is going to be a 25K (increased a bit from years past).  There's a McKay Hollow trail, and this race includes that section, among many others, so I decided I would explore it a bit.  I had planned to go out two miles and then come back.

I knew it wasn't going to be the nice, mostly flat, plateau loops I've been used to, but I was woefully unprepared for what I found.  It's not a running trail...it's barely a hiking trail!!  The pictures won't do justice to what I saw in the .12 miles I ventured out on my own before deciding I needed a hand to hold in order to check it out further!!

Trail??

Have I lost my mind?  Am I really going to do this race??  What on Earth am I thinking?

Well...maybe I have lost my mind.  I am really going to do this race.  And...I'm not really sure, except that it's "only" 15.5 miles....just 2.4 miles further than I've already gone.  I love the trails.  There's a 5 hour cut off, but that seems very doable, especially since there are several runnable portions (according to the detailed coarse description).  I think I can do it....just not today!

"DANGER"

After my trail fail, I ran a couple of miles on the cushy plateau.  I'm not sure how exactly I'll train for the race since I know Daisy and our third will NEVER go out there with me (and I can't say that I blame them at all!).  I'm going to have to drag my husband out there on a hike so I can get a better look at the course.  (No, we won't go all 15 miles of it, but if I can at least see parts of it I'll be "happy".)

It's worse than it looks.

....BTW, this isn't my next race, I have four before then:  The Turkey Trot (hopefully) on Thanksgiving (in Blufton, SC), the Rudolf Run (5K) on December 18th, the Rock 'n Roll Mardi Gras Half on February 13th (NEW ORLEANS HERE I COME!!) and the Rocket Run 10 miler on March 19th.  McKay Hollow is March 26th.  Yes, in case you missed it...I'm NOT running Rocket City on December 11th.  I don't think I actually ever posted it here, but I decided some time ago that it was too lofty a goal and I let go of it.  I don't know if that will be my first marathon or not.  Ask me after March 26th!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!
:D

Dirty Spokes Xterra 5K Trail Race...Alabama Series

My traditional (yes, goofy) pre-race pose!

Since packet pickup was at the race site just prior to the start, and I was paranoid about being late, I decided to go to the race alone and let my husband come a little later.  I was really hoping it would be a small turnout so I would at least have a chance of placing in my age group.  When I got there I started looking at every female face in the crowd, trying to decipher ages!  The only problem was, there was a 15K going on at the same time and all the race bibs were the same; there was simply no way to size up the competition!

When I picked up my packet, I was just a tad disappointed to see the shirt was a MEN'S medium, meaning it was going to swallow me up.  There was a really cool little sample size of Degree deoderant in the bag....men's as well.  Don't these people think women run trail races, too???? (*See note below.)  But, although slightly annoying, these both felt like clues that maybe there really wasn't going to be too many other women runners to stand in the way of my (age group) VICTORY!!  However, as the race time drew closer, I saw more and more females, dashing my hopes.


My goals:  don't get lost, and finish fast enough to get home, shower and make it to church on time!  Anything else would be gravy.

I decided to warm up by taking a look at the start of the course--a section I had never even seen before.  As I was trying to figure out exactly where it started, a couple of women who looked about my age came up with a map.  We all started out together, but they decided the course turned at a point I decided it went straight.   I wasn't sure, but I felt confident the pink ribbon in the trees wasn't there by chance....  After about a half mile I headed back toward the start where I was delighted to see my husband!!

I'm much further back

I saw several friendly faces and had the chance to get a few good luck hugs and smiles of encouragement before the start.  Since I had been out on the beginning of the course, I really couldn't understand how it was that all 200 of the runners were going to "RACE" on a single lane trail.  (I'm not a good judge of numbers when there's a mob crowd, but there were quite a few of us there; the 5K and 15K racers would be running together for the first 3/4s of a mile or so.)  I quickly found out we wouldn't...we just basically fell in line like trail horses and you moved ahead any chance you got!

I passed several people early on who I hoped I wouldn't see later on passing me, but most of them had fuel belts, which I took to mean they were "15Kers".  I chatted with a couple of people here and there, and before I knew it, we were at our first road crossing.  My sweet husband was there to smile at me and cheer me on!  (It is amazing to me just how much it means to me and how encouraging it is to see him when I'm racing. ) 

I was overjoyed to see the majority of runners taking the split off for the 15K..but dismayed to see the 5K course take a decided incline!  I tried, but couldn't hang on to the fairly aggressive pace I set and had to walk a bit.  A couple of men passed me, but I didn't see any women moving in front.  I was keeping my eye on a short dark haired women who had been ahead of me and was relieved to see her walking as well.  She must have heard my foot steps quicken because when I started running again, so did she.

They had cautioned us before the race to stay on the marked course.  They said there were markings, but if it didn't say turn, DON'T TURN.  I think that's why short dark haired lady kept straight, even when the arrow on the post pointed left.  I called out to her and said the marking was on the post to turn left...but she said, "Oh no, we have to keep straight."  I saw the same pink ribbons (the ones they told us to watch for) up in the trees, so I knew I was right....

When I realized I was now ahead of HER, I picked up my step, knowing it probably wouldn't take her long to figure out she was wrong and I wanted to put some distance between us!!  When I saw racers up ahead, I called back to her, but I never saw her again.  (She could still be lost in the woods for all I know....)

I started losing steam a bit so I pretended Daisy was beside me!  I decided she was running very strong, and I didn't want to let her down by walking again.  I could hear her telling me, "YOU GOT THIS!!"  That worked for a while, until I hit an all too familiar section of the trail---the part that goes steeply up!  I reminded myself the best part of the trail was just after that, but the anticipation didn't keep me running.  As I was making my way up, I was passed by a couple of men and a very young woman.  The Daisy in my head told me that was just fine because I was going as fast as I could make myself go at that point!!

When I got to the section of the trail I really love, I realized I wasn't going to be on it for long when it took an unfamiliar turn....into another section I had never seen before.  I came to a fork in the path that, from what I could see, wasn't marked!  I looked up ahead to the right and saw some pink ribbon!!!  But, at the same time, I could see runners who had made a left turn.

Would I follow the pack, or my instinct??  I paused to take a second to decide until I heard someone coming up behind me, and I then charged off to the right.   The ribbons don't lie--that's why they are there!!

I realized I had just made my way in front of all those people who had run off to the left!!!  But, then for a very long time I didn't see any pink ribbon....and the trail got progressively more technical....and narrow.   I was about to panic, thinking I had made a bad choice, when I saw some hikers coming toward me.  I asked if they had seen other racers up ahead and they said yes, about 25 or so.  I knew I only had about a half mile to go, so I told myself to try to speed up a bit because I'd been keeping about an 11:30ish pace; I didn't think that was going to win any awards...but I just couldn't make my legs go any faster.

View from the finish area!

About that time I woman passed me and I told her, "you're doing great!!"  She said, "YOU'RE doing great.  I've been following you the whole time, come on!!"  ...That's all I needed to hear, I kicked my legs back into run mode, and fell in line right behind her.

We made our last road crossing before the finish, and in doing so, I kicked a big stick with one foot right into the back of my other leg!  OUCH!!  It immediately starting stinging....but I didn't let up.   I had decided I would NOT let this woman beat me, but there was nowhere to pass her.  As we got closer to the finish, I knew it was about to open up.  I told her, "I just want you to know, I'm going to do everything I can to beat you!!"  About that time, it did, and I kicked in my killer sprint.  We raced neck and neck to the finish mat!!  (Thankfully, my neck was a little longer than hers!!)

I thanked her profusely for encouraging me, and apologized for wanting so badly to beat her!!  She laughed and said I had kept her going and it was great to race.

After I caught my breath, I looked around to see who all might have finished before me....but I didn't see as many as I expected.   I asked my husband if he knew how many there might have been, specifically how many women who looked my age!!  I saw some ladies I know near the finish, but I couldn't tell if they just came in, or if maybe they had already finished their post-race bananas and were just chillaxin before the awards ceremony.  (They are all three much faster than I am so I figured they had been there a while.)

Since my A goal was to make it to church on time, I wasn't overly interested in the awards ceremony, unless there was a chance I would be in them.  When we found out the preliminary results had been posted, we went over to check them out.  My husband was the first to see my name on the sheet....

IN FIRST PLACE IN MY AGE GROUP!!!!!

Yeah, that's right, I WON my age group!!!  The woman I came in with was younger than me; she won her age group, too!  My official time was 36:05--not a great pace, but not too bad all things considered.  Let's not forget, it was good enough to WIN my age group....and I was the sixth place woman (out of 25)!!!

Not a bad finish for my first trail race!!  I took a look at the 15K finish times; there were only two women in my age group, so I would have placed no matter how long it took me!  (But, again, I wouldn't have made it to church, which was certainly part of my "A" goal.

McKay Hollow Madness, here I come!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!
:D

*By the way...let me just say...they did exchange the men's medium for a men's small t-shirt--and it's an AWESOME tech shirt-probably the nicest race shirt I've ever gotten.  AND...they had better goody bag booty than the "ultimate goody bag" from the Women's Half!!  (In addition to the men's deode, they had a Bluebeerry Pomegranate Roctane Gu, an Xterra temporary tattoo (I'll wear it next time), $10 off at Sports Authority, and $2 off RoadID.  Not bad as far as I'm concerned!)