Next up - Route 66 Marathon Tulsa, OK November 20, 2011, state #20!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
State #19 11/6/11 City of Oaks, Raleigh, NC
19th State! Gorgeous fall day in Raleigh, NC, part of the Research Triangle of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Ran with Steve Hughes the first 18 miles and alone the rest of the way. He was running his 100th marathon that he had completed between age 60 and 63, his birthday was the next day, the RD gave him the race #100. Well organized race, plenty of aid stations, hilly, nice finisher's medal, non-crowded after race food area, plenty of parking. (Photos credit Steve Hughes)
Next up - Route 66 Marathon Tulsa, OK November 20, 2011, state #20!
Next up - Route 66 Marathon Tulsa, OK November 20, 2011, state #20!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Chicago Lakefront 50/50 10/29/11
The Chicago Lakefront 50/50 is a combination 50 miler and 50k race on the lakefront bike path south of downtown Chicago. The 50 milers start at 6:30am and do 4 out and back segments (about 6 miles each out) of the path. The 50k runners start 2 hours later at 8:30am and do 3 out and backs of a slightly shorter segment of about 5 miles each out (and thus back). I ran the 50k. It was a bit chilly until the sun rose over the lake but it was gorgeous when it did.
There is a similar race that is held in the spring. I started out as usual at the back of the pack and started out at a "coasting" pace and see what the day held. As I warmed up I gradually sped up through the first out/back segment. Runners costumes I saw were superwomen with yellow hair, raggedy ann, and a guy with a racing singlet that was muscles like out of a anatomy book. It warmed up quick and as I completed the first section I ran to my car to drop off my gloves and long sleeve shirt. I was able to continue to maintain my speed, chatted with runners along the way although tons of people had their headphones in which messes up the whole talking thing. My true goal for this race was to meet local ultra runners. At the halfway point I realized that I would be able to break 5 hours if I maintained the pace, and luckily I was able to stay mentally strong and push myself to accomplish the goal I set mid-race. I had also promised myself that I could take the day off from school work and I could get a large frappachino from the Starbucks at the Oasis (rest area with several restaurants along the tollway for those that do not live near a tollway) on the drive back to Milwaukee.
With less than a mile to go I very slowly had caught up to a lady running and I tell her when I get to her that "if we keep our pace we can break 5 hours." We start running side by side and keep our pace, and I immediately in my mind concede that I will let her pull ahead at the end (I was at the edge of puking at this point). Well, on the last tiny uphill before the finish I pull ahead and that was that. Just after the race guy pulled of my bib tag and the lady put the finish medal around my neck I turned and took a few steps away quickly and threw up the liquids (half water half gatorade at that point) from the last 6-8 miles. I went to sit down on the side walk for a few minutes, then headed to my car to head home. Once in the car I always get to be reminded that I drive a stick, which is always very apparent after a long run.
Slow traffic in downtown Chicago (this is about 2pm on a Sunday) but once I cleared downtown it was smooth sailing. I ended up stopping at a Culvers (burger and frozen custard place that is all over the upper mid-west) instead for a pumpkin spice milkshake. Got home, showered, put the legs up in the lazyboy chair, dinner at Beans and Barley.
Great run, great weather, great people, great run!
Time (not chip timed) per Garmin 4:57:40 (official race results not yet posted)
Next up, City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh, NC on Nov 6! If I complete the race it will be State #19!
Fox Cities Marathon Appleton, WI 9/17/11
*This race was about 6 weeks ago and I am just now getting motivated to write a brief race report after a good few weeks of running.*
Fox Cities Marathon was a Marathon Maniacs' reunion run. Despite that this was a repeat state I figured this would be a good race to pull me out of my typical low-mileage-due-to-very-hot-summer routine. I did not know how this race was going to play out but I knew I would be able to finish. Not to be confused with the Fox Valley Marathon held on the same day nearby in Illinois. Nice course, well organized, small confusing expo, good frequent bus shuttles from the finish area to the start of the race. The two best things were the Cottonelle TP (as Kimberly Clark is a main sponsor of the race) in ALL of the port-a-potties (!) and the Marathon Maniac race medal in addition to the marathon completion medal. I also loved that there were several people that had run the North Face 50 miler and 50k in Wisconsin the previous day and were up early for another long run.
I drove up to the expo the night before and back in time for dinner, then drove up that morning for the race.
Chip Time 4:36:50, Pace 10:34
I completed the Chicago Lakefront 50k 2 days ago, race report to follow. Next up is City of Oaks Marathon next weekend in Raleigh, NC.
Fox Cities Marathon was a Marathon Maniacs' reunion run. Despite that this was a repeat state I figured this would be a good race to pull me out of my typical low-mileage-due-to-very-hot-summer routine. I did not know how this race was going to play out but I knew I would be able to finish. Not to be confused with the Fox Valley Marathon held on the same day nearby in Illinois. Nice course, well organized, small confusing expo, good frequent bus shuttles from the finish area to the start of the race. The two best things were the Cottonelle TP (as Kimberly Clark is a main sponsor of the race) in ALL of the port-a-potties (!) and the Marathon Maniac race medal in addition to the marathon completion medal. I also loved that there were several people that had run the North Face 50 miler and 50k in Wisconsin the previous day and were up early for another long run.
I drove up to the expo the night before and back in time for dinner, then drove up that morning for the race.
Chip Time 4:36:50, Pace 10:34
I completed the Chicago Lakefront 50k 2 days ago, race report to follow. Next up is City of Oaks Marathon next weekend in Raleigh, NC.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Grandmas Marathon Duluth, MN 6/18/11
State #18
5:08:36 Chip Time
Part One - Road Trip
This marathon started out as a road trip from Milwaukee to the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin to celebrate my birthday with some car camping and a kayak trip to the caves, leaving 2 days before the marathon to tackle the 6 hour drive. We camped overnight at the state campground on Madeline Island, took the ferry back to the mainland the next morning for a guided sea kayak tour. When the guide started out by explaining this was his first group to lead, I was thinking he was going to say for the season. But he continued to share that this was his first ever trip to guide, ever. He did fine but I think he needed to check with each boat individually before we launched to make sure everyone was set-up. Neat area to explore.
Garmin Track (activity was kayaking, not running)
Lessons learned
1) Thruhikers have a hard time converting to being quality car campers. We (mainly me) brought way too much stuff.
2) Double kayaks are usually not a good idea when more than 1 captain gets into the boat.
3) Kayak rudders are Good, with a capital G.
4) Solitude is unrealistic when kayaking the same weekend as the kayak symposium is in town.
5) Lake Superior is cold.
Part Two - Grandmas Marathon
This was my first experience exclusively pacing a first time marathoner. Typically when I am running a marathon I chat with the runners going the same pace and if they are first timers then offer them encouragement and check in with them to make sure they are fueling and hydrating properly, at least in a way that will help them not bonk and get them to the finish. In this case, my boyfriend was attempting his first marathon with a rapid decrease in running mileage the 5 weeks leading up to the race due to a sprained ankle from a long run on the treadmill. I was very nervous to say the least and gave him several bail out opportunities beforehand and one as we passed our cabin at the halfway point.
The course is a point to point race along the shores of Lake Superior on roads from northeast of Duluth with the finish in downtown Duluth. You are not allowed to park at the start so we got up really really early to park at the finish line and take the train to the start. It was raining and overcast as we walked from the parking lot to the train, I was worried that the rain would persist for the entire marathon because that usually makes things pretty miserable. The train ride was an hour, we brought scones and coffee to fuel us up for the challenge. The race started a few minutes late, with the rain dissipating about 20 minutes before the start time. Luckily the rain held off for the race with clouds sticking around to keep temperatures cool. For most of the race, they had the "change of hypothermia" weather banners at the aid stations. My favorite aid station was a rogue one in the first few miles that a local coffee shop set up and they had mocha frappachino type drinks in small cups they were handing out.
Water and/or gatorade at every aid station, Gu Shot blocks with 1 package about every 8 miles, fueling was going pretty well. Hedgehog brought his nano to listen to music for late in the race and put it on around mile 18 as he said it was getting to him thinking about never running that far ever. He took it off 3-4 miles later when I started chatting with another runner, and when we were starting to approach town and the scenery changed with more houses and people cheering. The last mile in town was a convoluted series of twists and turns where you couldn't actually see the finish line until the last 0.2 miles, very challenging to the mind of a first time marathoner. Finish area was very crowded, they ran out of finishers shirts in my size, and the area was confusing and largely by pure luck we made it back to the car without any extra walking. We avoided the recovery area and grabbed chocolate milk, mountain dew and potato chips at a gas station heading back to the cabin. Showers, naps, then dinner at the mall with frozen custard for desert (custard shops are EVERYWHERE in Wisconsin/Minnesota).
5:08:36 Chip Time
Part One - Road Trip
This marathon started out as a road trip from Milwaukee to the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin to celebrate my birthday with some car camping and a kayak trip to the caves, leaving 2 days before the marathon to tackle the 6 hour drive. We camped overnight at the state campground on Madeline Island, took the ferry back to the mainland the next morning for a guided sea kayak tour. When the guide started out by explaining this was his first group to lead, I was thinking he was going to say for the season. But he continued to share that this was his first ever trip to guide, ever. He did fine but I think he needed to check with each boat individually before we launched to make sure everyone was set-up. Neat area to explore.
Garmin Track (activity was kayaking, not running)
Lessons learned
1) Thruhikers have a hard time converting to being quality car campers. We (mainly me) brought way too much stuff.
2) Double kayaks are usually not a good idea when more than 1 captain gets into the boat.
3) Kayak rudders are Good, with a capital G.
4) Solitude is unrealistic when kayaking the same weekend as the kayak symposium is in town.
5) Lake Superior is cold.
 |
| Madeline Island Ferry (held about 10 cars) |
 |
| Local coffeeshop in Bayfield, WI |
This was my first experience exclusively pacing a first time marathoner. Typically when I am running a marathon I chat with the runners going the same pace and if they are first timers then offer them encouragement and check in with them to make sure they are fueling and hydrating properly, at least in a way that will help them not bonk and get them to the finish. In this case, my boyfriend was attempting his first marathon with a rapid decrease in running mileage the 5 weeks leading up to the race due to a sprained ankle from a long run on the treadmill. I was very nervous to say the least and gave him several bail out opportunities beforehand and one as we passed our cabin at the halfway point.
The course is a point to point race along the shores of Lake Superior on roads from northeast of Duluth with the finish in downtown Duluth. You are not allowed to park at the start so we got up really really early to park at the finish line and take the train to the start. It was raining and overcast as we walked from the parking lot to the train, I was worried that the rain would persist for the entire marathon because that usually makes things pretty miserable. The train ride was an hour, we brought scones and coffee to fuel us up for the challenge. The race started a few minutes late, with the rain dissipating about 20 minutes before the start time. Luckily the rain held off for the race with clouds sticking around to keep temperatures cool. For most of the race, they had the "change of hypothermia" weather banners at the aid stations. My favorite aid station was a rogue one in the first few miles that a local coffee shop set up and they had mocha frappachino type drinks in small cups they were handing out.
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| Pre race sleepy photo in our rental cabin |
 |
| Marathoners! |
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Ice Age Trail 50K May 14, 2011
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| 3rd and 4th place females, I slowed down after this first section finishing 13th female |
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| Kept each other company once the field spread out |
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| Finishing together |
~ 2,000 ft of gain/loss
Lots of little ups and downs
5:58:14 Pace 11:32
Female 13/49
Overall 55/142
Rain held off until the last 2 hours of the race, temperature in the upper 40's but muggy so all the runners were warm and sweaty and the volunteers and crew all looked freezing cold. Well organized race, great long sleeve tech shirt, the 50k finishers got key chains that looked like the finisher's belt buckle that the 50 milers received.
Maybe next year I can be in better shape and place higher! One of the classic American Ultras!
American Oddyssey Relay Gettysburg to DC
4/29-30/11
I had the pleasure of being asked to join my running friends from Chambersberg, PA to run in this relay under the sponsorship of the local running store, The Runner's Sole. We were a team of 9 ladies and recruited a running friend and his wife to be our drivers.
We ran the most indirect route between Gettysburg and DC, saw some amazing parts of the area that we would not have otherwise seen. We ended up being started too late for our actual overall team speed and quickly found ourselves running alone, and once night fell we were running into transitions stations that had long packed up and gone home.
We wondered why the RD had not called us yet, as we had to turn in all our cell phone numbers of every van member at the team leader meeting the night before the race. We figured that nothing was wrong and to keep on trekking. Once we arrived at roughly the halfway point where I am supposed to start my second leg, the transition guy stops us and tells us since we are so far behind that we are going to need to skip the next several sections to catch up. We ask if we are disqualified and he tells us that we are not. He also tells us that in no uncertain terms can we allow the runner to go ahead alone without the van closely behind since we "keep getting lost," when in fact we had only 1 runner get lost 1 time, sheesh. We are tired, we are upset, and we need a bathroom break, rest break and to gas up the van. We call the RD back to ask if we can skip a few more sections to allow for time to complete these tasks, we get the green light and assurance that we get medals at the finish line despite the skip ahead.
We restart, running through an old battlefield in the dark that is normally open only during daylight hours, it is eerie and neat at the same time. Before long, daylight comes about the same time that the long C&O towpath section begins, we get a second wind and for the first time in several hours we are running with other people now, joking that this wasn't just a Candid Camera sort of thing and that in fact we were actually running a relay with OTHER people.
Next year while I will not be joining the team or probably joining in another similar type relay, I can be fairly certain that the team will be sandbagging next year and predicting very slow times to secure an early start time and more relaxing adventure, with other runners.
Thanks to my Appalachian Trail friend Keegan for joining me on the towpath section heading into DC along on his bike after not seeing him for almost a year.
I had the pleasure of being asked to join my running friends from Chambersberg, PA to run in this relay under the sponsorship of the local running store, The Runner's Sole. We were a team of 9 ladies and recruited a running friend and his wife to be our drivers.
We ran the most indirect route between Gettysburg and DC, saw some amazing parts of the area that we would not have otherwise seen. We ended up being started too late for our actual overall team speed and quickly found ourselves running alone, and once night fell we were running into transitions stations that had long packed up and gone home.
We wondered why the RD had not called us yet, as we had to turn in all our cell phone numbers of every van member at the team leader meeting the night before the race. We figured that nothing was wrong and to keep on trekking. Once we arrived at roughly the halfway point where I am supposed to start my second leg, the transition guy stops us and tells us since we are so far behind that we are going to need to skip the next several sections to catch up. We ask if we are disqualified and he tells us that we are not. He also tells us that in no uncertain terms can we allow the runner to go ahead alone without the van closely behind since we "keep getting lost," when in fact we had only 1 runner get lost 1 time, sheesh. We are tired, we are upset, and we need a bathroom break, rest break and to gas up the van. We call the RD back to ask if we can skip a few more sections to allow for time to complete these tasks, we get the green light and assurance that we get medals at the finish line despite the skip ahead.
We restart, running through an old battlefield in the dark that is normally open only during daylight hours, it is eerie and neat at the same time. Before long, daylight comes about the same time that the long C&O towpath section begins, we get a second wind and for the first time in several hours we are running with other people now, joking that this wasn't just a Candid Camera sort of thing and that in fact we were actually running a relay with OTHER people.
Next year while I will not be joining the team or probably joining in another similar type relay, I can be fairly certain that the team will be sandbagging next year and predicting very slow times to secure an early start time and more relaxing adventure, with other runners.
Thanks to my Appalachian Trail friend Keegan for joining me on the towpath section heading into DC along on his bike after not seeing him for almost a year.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Promise Land 50k DNF
April 23, 2011 - First DNF
As I have been self rehabbing a right IT band overuse injury from January, I have been more cautious about paying attention to twinges in my body. My right knee on the consistent downhills were getting twingy and I decided to bail at the aid station at mile 13ish, then ran 6 miles back to the start down the end of the race trail.
Gorgeous area, gorgeous course with lots of up, and down. Probably won't try to run this to completion next year as I won't live in the area, but maybe in a few years....
As I have been self rehabbing a right IT band overuse injury from January, I have been more cautious about paying attention to twinges in my body. My right knee on the consistent downhills were getting twingy and I decided to bail at the aid station at mile 13ish, then ran 6 miles back to the start down the end of the race trail.
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