Did 4.25 today, outside, because it was sunny and in the low 40s. Woohoo! Did the route I call "Settle," which is 1 mile plus downhill to a paved bike trail (rolling hills for about 3/4s of a mile, and then back---which means the last mile is uphill. Felt pretty good but went slow anyway. Lots of wind in my face on the way back.
I'm including a picture of the shoes I wore today. I didn't wear them for St. Louis, but I did wear them for the Monkey Marathon. I like them except that the tongues are very short.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Trail I Run On
For today's run, I did a four miler that included a trip to the post office to mail my Christmas cards. After looking at last year's running log, it was exactly a year ago that I did almost the exact same thing, except I only ran 3 miles that day.
Then I came home, had some water and a GU, and headed out for a trail run. Wanted to do four miles but was pretty pooped out and only managed about three.
This is a pic of the flattest part of my trail run, in early fall two years ago when the leaves were still on the trees. Not like today. It warmed up from yesterday but there was still crunchy ice on parts of the trail, and other parts were quite muddy. I'll have to get some more recent pics up.
Then I came home, had some water and a GU, and headed out for a trail run. Wanted to do four miles but was pretty pooped out and only managed about three.
This is a pic of the flattest part of my trail run, in early fall two years ago when the leaves were still on the trees. Not like today. It warmed up from yesterday but there was still crunchy ice on parts of the trail, and other parts were quite muddy. I'll have to get some more recent pics up.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Running Resolutions
Did a little 3 miler on the treadmill, because it is in the low 20s and icy outside. Then I did 20 minutes of my Cathe Friedrich Core Max dvd---the second segment with the balance ball. One of my resolutions, which I've started keeping already, is to do an ab routine at least 3 times a week.
I don't really have any other running resolutions, except that I really would like to get some 20 milers in before a few of my marathons this coming year. But I do have a bunch of goals, including qualifying to join the Marathon Maniacs, and finishing that 50K race in Mt. Airy Forest later in the year.
I don't really have any other running resolutions, except that I really would like to get some 20 milers in before a few of my marathons this coming year. But I do have a bunch of goals, including qualifying to join the Marathon Maniacs, and finishing that 50K race in Mt. Airy Forest later in the year.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Treadmill Today
Skipped a local 5k race today due to snow (partly) and to avoid a creepy guy from the past (mostly). Of course, it turns out the snow kept the creepy guy away too, but maybe it was just as well I stayed home and ran on the mill. Did the Cathe Friedrich core/abs dvd afterwards (program #1). Then after Tommy got off the treadmill, I "assisted" him while he attempted the abs dvd for the first time. That was great fun!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Jingle Bell 5k
Ran the Cincinnati-edition of this annual fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation (a group near and dear to my heart, or at least, my knees) last Saturday morning. The race course is the same one used for one of our summer races, the Big K 5k, and it’s a favorite of mine because I set my 5k PR on it years ago.
The race starts and finishes at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, just across the river from Cincinnati in Covington. You run out and around the block away from the convention center, cross over a bridge, do a mile loop around an industrial area of the city, and back over the bridge to the start.
My goal today was to break 26 minutes, but I didn’t know if I was up to it or not. To place in my age group last year you needed a 27, but most years you need to run a 24-25. I haven’t run this particular race in few years. The last time I did it was in 2003, when I walked it with my dog, Logan, about 6 weeks after my knee surgery.
Last time I ran the course was this past June, when I finished in 26:44. I did place in my age group at that one but this is a much bigger race, with about 1100 runners and walkers. OTOH, they also go pretty deep in the age group awards, so there was a chance I could get something depending on who else showed up.
This morning was not too bad a day for a 5k race: overcast with temps in the low 30s, but not much wind and no precipitation. Got there about 30 minutes before the race, parked in the garage across the street, visited the ladies room (got the stall next to my Congresswoman, seems like I always run into her in the bathroom at this race, what is up with that, at least she kept her feet inside her own stall ), checked out the post-race refreshments (Starbucks, M&M cookies, bananas, water and goetta---no goetta for me!), tied my jingle bells on my shoes and then went out for a 10 minute warm-up jog around the block.
Felt pretty good on my jog. Finished up just in time to line up at the start. Chatted with old friend and former co-worker David J., who told me of some recent heart attack scares he had experienced (docs have given him a clean bill of health but is that a guarantee?). Then some woman came up to me and asked me if this was my “first one.” What is it about me that always attracts these people? Do I really look like I have never done this before? Am I that fat?
So I tell her, no, it’s not, but I haven’t done it in a few years. She starts yakking about the Thanksgiving Day 10k race and asks me if I did that one and I explain that I did another race some place else because I was out of town. And then she asks me about the race next week, am I going to do that one, and I say I am signed up but don’t know yet if I am going to do it. I guess I should have asked her about herself, and I might have done so but at that point I was rescued by the appearance of another old friend, Bob P.
Bob shows me his Garmin, and we discuss my progress towards the 50 states. Bob is now working on volunteering at marathons in all 50 states. It still surprises me when I show up at a race, no matter where it is, and I don’t see Bob there in some capacity.
And then we’re off. For once, I am lined up in the right place and it takes no time at all to cross the start line. Also don’t have to spend any effort running around people. Soon we’re starting to climb the bridge. My knee feels a little twingey but I think that is just nerves and also the temperature. Didn’t bother me during the warm-up. People are passing me on the uphill but I don’t worry about it.
Down the other side, around the corner and there is the one mile mark. My time is 8:28. I need to average 8:20s to get a 25:55, so I know right away that my goal is probably out of reach. So I just concentrate on running the best I can.
I know I’m working hard because I am huffing and puffing the whole way, just barely avoiding getting sick. I had two cups of coffee and a cup of yogurt at 8 am, and I hope I am not going to regret it.
Mile 2 is an 8:30. I am pleased that I have not slowed much. Concentrate some more and try to quicken the pace. Funny how when you try to run faster as the race goes on sometimes all that happens is you maintain the same speed! Coming back over the bridge, I can see the convention center and it looks very far away. I know we still have a quarter mile or more to go after we come off the bridge.
Mile 3 is an 8:29 (although I don’t know that until later), and I know for sure that I’m not breaking 26, so I decide it is not worth getting sick over, and plus there aren’t any women who appear to be my age in striking distance. I run into the chute just behind an older gentleman, George S., who was also at the Flying Monkey a couple of weeks ago. George says these 5ks are barely worth putting his socks on for, but we agree that this race is a festive thing to do this time of year.
With 46 seconds for the last .1, my official finish time is 26:14. I told myself that if I didn’t break 26, I wasn’t even going to bother sticking around to see if I won anything, so after a bit of water, coffee, cookies and a banana, I was in the car and headed for home. Now, if I had seen the age group awards ahead of time and they were something like coffee mugs, or beer mugs, or sports bags, I might have stayed just in case. But since I didn’t know, I didn’t think it was worth staying for some cheesy little medal, or worse, nothing at all!
Found out today that I did get 5 of 45 in my age group, and they went 9 deep so I would have won something. The web site says they are mailing the awards so we will see what I get. I was 74 of 508 women and 268 of 911 runners overall (and I also managed to beat all of the walkers, no small feat).
The race starts and finishes at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, just across the river from Cincinnati in Covington. You run out and around the block away from the convention center, cross over a bridge, do a mile loop around an industrial area of the city, and back over the bridge to the start.
My goal today was to break 26 minutes, but I didn’t know if I was up to it or not. To place in my age group last year you needed a 27, but most years you need to run a 24-25. I haven’t run this particular race in few years. The last time I did it was in 2003, when I walked it with my dog, Logan, about 6 weeks after my knee surgery.
Last time I ran the course was this past June, when I finished in 26:44. I did place in my age group at that one but this is a much bigger race, with about 1100 runners and walkers. OTOH, they also go pretty deep in the age group awards, so there was a chance I could get something depending on who else showed up.
This morning was not too bad a day for a 5k race: overcast with temps in the low 30s, but not much wind and no precipitation. Got there about 30 minutes before the race, parked in the garage across the street, visited the ladies room (got the stall next to my Congresswoman, seems like I always run into her in the bathroom at this race, what is up with that, at least she kept her feet inside her own stall ), checked out the post-race refreshments (Starbucks, M&M cookies, bananas, water and goetta---no goetta for me!), tied my jingle bells on my shoes and then went out for a 10 minute warm-up jog around the block.
Felt pretty good on my jog. Finished up just in time to line up at the start. Chatted with old friend and former co-worker David J., who told me of some recent heart attack scares he had experienced (docs have given him a clean bill of health but is that a guarantee?). Then some woman came up to me and asked me if this was my “first one.” What is it about me that always attracts these people? Do I really look like I have never done this before? Am I that fat?
So I tell her, no, it’s not, but I haven’t done it in a few years. She starts yakking about the Thanksgiving Day 10k race and asks me if I did that one and I explain that I did another race some place else because I was out of town. And then she asks me about the race next week, am I going to do that one, and I say I am signed up but don’t know yet if I am going to do it. I guess I should have asked her about herself, and I might have done so but at that point I was rescued by the appearance of another old friend, Bob P.
Bob shows me his Garmin, and we discuss my progress towards the 50 states. Bob is now working on volunteering at marathons in all 50 states. It still surprises me when I show up at a race, no matter where it is, and I don’t see Bob there in some capacity.
And then we’re off. For once, I am lined up in the right place and it takes no time at all to cross the start line. Also don’t have to spend any effort running around people. Soon we’re starting to climb the bridge. My knee feels a little twingey but I think that is just nerves and also the temperature. Didn’t bother me during the warm-up. People are passing me on the uphill but I don’t worry about it.
Down the other side, around the corner and there is the one mile mark. My time is 8:28. I need to average 8:20s to get a 25:55, so I know right away that my goal is probably out of reach. So I just concentrate on running the best I can.
I know I’m working hard because I am huffing and puffing the whole way, just barely avoiding getting sick. I had two cups of coffee and a cup of yogurt at 8 am, and I hope I am not going to regret it.
Mile 2 is an 8:30. I am pleased that I have not slowed much. Concentrate some more and try to quicken the pace. Funny how when you try to run faster as the race goes on sometimes all that happens is you maintain the same speed! Coming back over the bridge, I can see the convention center and it looks very far away. I know we still have a quarter mile or more to go after we come off the bridge.
Mile 3 is an 8:29 (although I don’t know that until later), and I know for sure that I’m not breaking 26, so I decide it is not worth getting sick over, and plus there aren’t any women who appear to be my age in striking distance. I run into the chute just behind an older gentleman, George S., who was also at the Flying Monkey a couple of weeks ago. George says these 5ks are barely worth putting his socks on for, but we agree that this race is a festive thing to do this time of year.
With 46 seconds for the last .1, my official finish time is 26:14. I told myself that if I didn’t break 26, I wasn’t even going to bother sticking around to see if I won anything, so after a bit of water, coffee, cookies and a banana, I was in the car and headed for home. Now, if I had seen the age group awards ahead of time and they were something like coffee mugs, or beer mugs, or sports bags, I might have stayed just in case. But since I didn’t know, I didn’t think it was worth staying for some cheesy little medal, or worse, nothing at all!
Found out today that I did get 5 of 45 in my age group, and they went 9 deep so I would have won something. The web site says they are mailing the awards so we will see what I get. I was 74 of 508 women and 268 of 911 runners overall (and I also managed to beat all of the walkers, no small feat).
Flying Monkey Marathon
Tommy & I traveled to Nashville this past weekend for my 31st marathon, 27th state. I have been looking forward to this one since I first heard about it. And it was indeed an excellent event, which I recommend highly to all of you, especially if you are not afraid of monkeys or hills. This one is going to become a cult classic.
Summary: The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon, held in Nashville’s lovely (but quite hilly) Percy Warner Park, is a wonderful little race. As the web site says, it’s not flat, not fast, and not certified. You can’t use it as a Boston qualifier, nor would you want to. But although the web site makes a bit of a deal about it being a race for purists who are all about the running and not about being coddled, the race director actually works extremely hard to put on a very high quality and well-organized event. I actually felt coddled, and you know how high maintenance I am, so that is really saying something.
The course covers two loops of Percy Warner Park, former sie of the infamous Tom King Half-Marathon (I hear that race continues, much changed, in a nature preserve, but don’t know any more details). 18 water/Gatorade stations, many with gel. Microbrew at mile 10 & 15 (not that I wanted it but it was there). Mile markers every mile and easy to spot! Portapotties on the course wit no lines! Microbrew at the finish! Homemade pies (made by the race director) at the finish. Even some of my own banana bread still left at the finish. Food at the finish. My kind of race! Monkey! Monkey!
What you get: No expo, but race goodies were handed to us at packet pickup in canvas tote bags donated by Publix supermarket, a race sponsor. Inside, each runner received a cotton t-shirt (with a hilarious graphic of a running stick figure being attacked by monkeys) as well as a long sleeved technical top, with your name printed on it. Repeat runners got a little symbol on their shirts to indicate that this was their second monkey. Also a sticker with the monkey logo, and a Yazoo (another race sponsor) beer coaster. We also purchased a race poster for $10.
Informal Pasta Dinner: At 5 pm, we joined a group of about 30 fellow monkey runners for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Caesar’s Restaurante Italiano. Pretty good, and did a decent job with the service considering it was a big crowd of people needing separate checks. Met some nice Nashville runners, as well as a few who had traveled from other locations. Our intrepid race director, Trent Rosenbloom, stopped by for a few minutes to say hello before heading out to another gathering.
(IMHO, Trent Rosenbloom is the best race director in the history of race directing.)
Lodging: We stayed at a Microtel about 3.5 miles from the park. It was okay. We bought a coffeemaker at Target because there was none in the room. The park where the race was held, and our hotel, were very convenient to shops, chain restaurants and highways.
Start: 7 am, but since Nashville is a different time zone from Cincinnati we got an extra hour. It was foggy on race morning, but somehow we managed to find our way over there anyway. We parked in a grassy field near the race start. While Tommy went off to verify where he needed to go for his volunteer responsibility, I hung out in the car as long as possible to stay warm. The temps were in the high 30s-low40s at the start, not too bad but I didn’t want to stand on the wet grass any longer than I had to.
At about 6:50, I left the car. As we gathered in the field, Trent made a few announcements. He reminded us all to take our time because he wouldn’t be able to tap the keg until noon. They took some group photos---the Marathon Maniacs, and a couple of other groups---and then we were off.
The Race: Here’s a link to photos of this year’s race. I’m not in any of these photos, but I ran much of the race either right in front or right behind the two women dressed in black making the flying monkey movements with their arms. Not too many people in costume, although there was one woman dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Notice how happy everybody looks. We are all under the spell of the monkey.
I know most people would describe this as an extremely hilly race, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. I just wanted to finish, and with my lack of training and given the hills, I figured under 6 hours would be just fine. As long as they saved me some food and beer. I didn’t even care if I came in last as long as I got to eat at the end. There was a potluck, and I had brought a few loaves of banana bread as my contribution (monkeys like banana bread, right?).
Tommy told me that he would working at mile 8. I gave him a bag to hold with a couple of extra pairs of shoes. I wasn’t entirely confident of my shoe selection, so I thought since he was out there waiting it would be nice to have some options if they weren’t working out.
Eventual winner, Chuck Engle, was dressed in shorts and a singlet. He is very muscular, and someone remarked that he looked like he belonged to a different species from the rest of us. Most people were wearing long sleeve shirts and gloves, if not jackets and tights. I went with capri-length tights, a thin long sleeve shirt and thin jacket, and my usual hat. I carried my gels but not water because there were to be 18 aid stations along the course and that would be plenty.
Race Director Trent, who ran the race right along with us, was wearing the race shirt. I guess it’s okay to do that and not bad luck if you are the RD?
Started out with the pack, running 10-ish pace. By the fourth mile, had to slow down to 11-plus. No Tommy at mile 8, but I did take a potty break at that point. No lines at the portapotty but that was a 13:23 mile anyway. Saw Tommy around mile 10, gave him my jacket to hold for me but decided to stick with my shoes. I was wearing my $39.99 orange Adidas Supernova Cushions, which I purchased at a race expo earlier this year. Lately they have been my favorite shoes, but I had never gone further than 15k in them.
Had a nice conversation with a Marine from Norfolk, VA, who told me he was running a marathon every two weeks this fall. His next one will be Rocket City. Also spent some time with a guy from Louisville who was running his first marathon in many years. The Marine ended up beating me but I did finish ahead of the other guy. We all talked about how we were just wanting to enjoy the beautiful day.
I hit the half in 2:32:34. I figured that even if I slowed down to 15-minute pace, I would still break 6 hours.
I felt pretty good for most of the race until about mile 20, when I guess I would have to say the monkeys slammed me into the wall. All I know is that I suddenly developed a nasty headache. I believe the problem was that instead of my favorite Espresso Love GU (with “2x the caffeine”---whatever that means), I was using Clif Shot Mocha (which contains caffeine but perhaps not as much). I wasn’t exactly zippy before mile 20 but I was at least cheerful. At mile 20, I got even slower than slow, plus I started feeling really cranky. That was also the point at which I suddenly ended up by myself, after running with company for most of the earlier miles.
So those last 6-7 miles were a lonely, cranky struggle, but I got through them. I saw Tommy again in the last mile. He was going to take a short cut to meet me at the finish, but he got lost and I reached it before he did.
For the last .3 miles, you retrace the same grassy path that you covered in the beginning of the race, and it seems to go on forever. Many of the earlier finishers were still hanging around, and as each new finisher approached the finish line, the previous finishers started chanting “MONKEY! MONKEY!” Perhaps they had indulged in a bit too much Yazoo microbrew. But it was a nice welcome, anyway.
The finisher’s medals are carved wood on a leather string, very unique. My finish time was quite slow, but remember I hardly train at all for these things and it was quite hilly. My time was 5:38:13, which put me 163 of 173 participants (yes, there were 10 people behind me!) and 15 of 16 in my age division. Woo hoo! Monkey! Monkey!
For dinner the night after the race, we visited a brewpub, recommended by our race director, near the Vanderbilt campus. I had an excellent steak. (I am just throwing this part in to rub salt in Ken’s wounds.)
Tommy enjoyed his volunteer stint. He said that Chuck Engle came back after he finished and stayed for a long time to cheer on the slower runners. (Not long enough to see me, though!) He told Tommy that this was the hardest marathon he had ever run. Apparently he started it last year but dropped out before the finish. I also heard people commenting throughout the race that they thought this was harder than some trail marathons they had done. Which is good news for me, since that’s what I’m planning to do next.
And I think we’re going back next year for this one, something we hardly ever do. It was that good. Maybe Tommy will run next year, and I will volunteer.
Summary: The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon, held in Nashville’s lovely (but quite hilly) Percy Warner Park, is a wonderful little race. As the web site says, it’s not flat, not fast, and not certified. You can’t use it as a Boston qualifier, nor would you want to. But although the web site makes a bit of a deal about it being a race for purists who are all about the running and not about being coddled, the race director actually works extremely hard to put on a very high quality and well-organized event. I actually felt coddled, and you know how high maintenance I am, so that is really saying something.
The course covers two loops of Percy Warner Park, former sie of the infamous Tom King Half-Marathon (I hear that race continues, much changed, in a nature preserve, but don’t know any more details). 18 water/Gatorade stations, many with gel. Microbrew at mile 10 & 15 (not that I wanted it but it was there). Mile markers every mile and easy to spot! Portapotties on the course wit no lines! Microbrew at the finish! Homemade pies (made by the race director) at the finish. Even some of my own banana bread still left at the finish. Food at the finish. My kind of race! Monkey! Monkey!
What you get: No expo, but race goodies were handed to us at packet pickup in canvas tote bags donated by Publix supermarket, a race sponsor. Inside, each runner received a cotton t-shirt (with a hilarious graphic of a running stick figure being attacked by monkeys) as well as a long sleeved technical top, with your name printed on it. Repeat runners got a little symbol on their shirts to indicate that this was their second monkey. Also a sticker with the monkey logo, and a Yazoo (another race sponsor) beer coaster. We also purchased a race poster for $10.
Informal Pasta Dinner: At 5 pm, we joined a group of about 30 fellow monkey runners for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Caesar’s Restaurante Italiano. Pretty good, and did a decent job with the service considering it was a big crowd of people needing separate checks. Met some nice Nashville runners, as well as a few who had traveled from other locations. Our intrepid race director, Trent Rosenbloom, stopped by for a few minutes to say hello before heading out to another gathering.
(IMHO, Trent Rosenbloom is the best race director in the history of race directing.)
Lodging: We stayed at a Microtel about 3.5 miles from the park. It was okay. We bought a coffeemaker at Target because there was none in the room. The park where the race was held, and our hotel, were very convenient to shops, chain restaurants and highways.
Start: 7 am, but since Nashville is a different time zone from Cincinnati we got an extra hour. It was foggy on race morning, but somehow we managed to find our way over there anyway. We parked in a grassy field near the race start. While Tommy went off to verify where he needed to go for his volunteer responsibility, I hung out in the car as long as possible to stay warm. The temps were in the high 30s-low40s at the start, not too bad but I didn’t want to stand on the wet grass any longer than I had to.
At about 6:50, I left the car. As we gathered in the field, Trent made a few announcements. He reminded us all to take our time because he wouldn’t be able to tap the keg until noon. They took some group photos---the Marathon Maniacs, and a couple of other groups---and then we were off.
The Race: Here’s a link to photos of this year’s race. I’m not in any of these photos, but I ran much of the race either right in front or right behind the two women dressed in black making the flying monkey movements with their arms. Not too many people in costume, although there was one woman dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Notice how happy everybody looks. We are all under the spell of the monkey.
I know most people would describe this as an extremely hilly race, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. I just wanted to finish, and with my lack of training and given the hills, I figured under 6 hours would be just fine. As long as they saved me some food and beer. I didn’t even care if I came in last as long as I got to eat at the end. There was a potluck, and I had brought a few loaves of banana bread as my contribution (monkeys like banana bread, right?).
Tommy told me that he would working at mile 8. I gave him a bag to hold with a couple of extra pairs of shoes. I wasn’t entirely confident of my shoe selection, so I thought since he was out there waiting it would be nice to have some options if they weren’t working out.
Eventual winner, Chuck Engle, was dressed in shorts and a singlet. He is very muscular, and someone remarked that he looked like he belonged to a different species from the rest of us. Most people were wearing long sleeve shirts and gloves, if not jackets and tights. I went with capri-length tights, a thin long sleeve shirt and thin jacket, and my usual hat. I carried my gels but not water because there were to be 18 aid stations along the course and that would be plenty.
Race Director Trent, who ran the race right along with us, was wearing the race shirt. I guess it’s okay to do that and not bad luck if you are the RD?
Started out with the pack, running 10-ish pace. By the fourth mile, had to slow down to 11-plus. No Tommy at mile 8, but I did take a potty break at that point. No lines at the portapotty but that was a 13:23 mile anyway. Saw Tommy around mile 10, gave him my jacket to hold for me but decided to stick with my shoes. I was wearing my $39.99 orange Adidas Supernova Cushions, which I purchased at a race expo earlier this year. Lately they have been my favorite shoes, but I had never gone further than 15k in them.
Had a nice conversation with a Marine from Norfolk, VA, who told me he was running a marathon every two weeks this fall. His next one will be Rocket City. Also spent some time with a guy from Louisville who was running his first marathon in many years. The Marine ended up beating me but I did finish ahead of the other guy. We all talked about how we were just wanting to enjoy the beautiful day.
I hit the half in 2:32:34. I figured that even if I slowed down to 15-minute pace, I would still break 6 hours.
I felt pretty good for most of the race until about mile 20, when I guess I would have to say the monkeys slammed me into the wall. All I know is that I suddenly developed a nasty headache. I believe the problem was that instead of my favorite Espresso Love GU (with “2x the caffeine”---whatever that means), I was using Clif Shot Mocha (which contains caffeine but perhaps not as much). I wasn’t exactly zippy before mile 20 but I was at least cheerful. At mile 20, I got even slower than slow, plus I started feeling really cranky. That was also the point at which I suddenly ended up by myself, after running with company for most of the earlier miles.
So those last 6-7 miles were a lonely, cranky struggle, but I got through them. I saw Tommy again in the last mile. He was going to take a short cut to meet me at the finish, but he got lost and I reached it before he did.
For the last .3 miles, you retrace the same grassy path that you covered in the beginning of the race, and it seems to go on forever. Many of the earlier finishers were still hanging around, and as each new finisher approached the finish line, the previous finishers started chanting “MONKEY! MONKEY!” Perhaps they had indulged in a bit too much Yazoo microbrew. But it was a nice welcome, anyway.
The finisher’s medals are carved wood on a leather string, very unique. My finish time was quite slow, but remember I hardly train at all for these things and it was quite hilly. My time was 5:38:13, which put me 163 of 173 participants (yes, there were 10 people behind me!) and 15 of 16 in my age division. Woo hoo! Monkey! Monkey!
For dinner the night after the race, we visited a brewpub, recommended by our race director, near the Vanderbilt campus. I had an excellent steak. (I am just throwing this part in to rub salt in Ken’s wounds.)
Tommy enjoyed his volunteer stint. He said that Chuck Engle came back after he finished and stayed for a long time to cheer on the slower runners. (Not long enough to see me, though!) He told Tommy that this was the hardest marathon he had ever run. Apparently he started it last year but dropped out before the finish. I also heard people commenting throughout the race that they thought this was harder than some trail marathons they had done. Which is good news for me, since that’s what I’m planning to do next.
And I think we’re going back next year for this one, something we hardly ever do. It was that good. Maybe Tommy will run next year, and I will volunteer.
Mason Mini-Marathon
Just a little bit about a race I did back on Nov. 3, the Mason Mini-Marathon. This one was a 15k in Mason, Ohio. Start and finish were at Mason High School, which is where I ran the Race for the Cure about 2 months earlier.
Susan came along to run it with me. This was her longest race to date. They had technical tops for people who signed up early. Susan didn’t, but I traded with her for the regular race t-shirt because I liked it better and the tech top was nothing special.
It was a little chilly at the start but we could hang out inside the high school, which was quite nice. It was not a very big race, so the lines were not too long for the bathrooms.
We started in the high school parking lot, then ran a loop of an adjoining park on a narrow bike trail (rather hilly), then back out and around the outside of the high school parking lot, out along the big road where the Race for the Cure took place (only they kept us on the sidewalk for this one), up a side street to a turn around and back to the school.
Weather was pleasant, sunny and not too cold. My race goal was somewhere between 1:24 and 1:30---I really didn’t know what I would do but that was the range of what seemed likely. Our goal for Susan was about a 1:35, despite the fact that she tends to kick my butt when we train together.
I felt good and ran what I think was a well-paced race with an even effort throughout, and finished in 1:23:55 on my watch, 1:24:08 official time. This put me 5 of 13 in my age group, 55 of 139 women, and 155 of 278 overall runners.
I saw that Susan was well behind me when we I was running back towards the high school in mile 7, but she looked strong. After I finished and grabbed some water and bananas, I went back out to wait for her. 1:35 came and went and still no Sooze. You could see the runners coming in from at least a half-mile away on the other side of the parking lot. I was starting to get worried, when she came up behind me.
Turned out that when she got to the part where you were supposed to turn into the parking lot, there was nobody left directing the runners. So, Susan and another woman who was running with her just kept going straight past the high school. By the time they realized their mistake, they had run quite a good bit farther than 15k. So she didn’t cross the finish line, but she did get a 10 mile run in for the weekend. They did collect her tear-off tag at the end anyway, and still gave her an official time. She is not too happy about that extra and unfairly slow time being recorded for posterity.
Post-race, we stopped for breakfast at the Perkins that was just down the road. That’s a good place for a post-race repast!
Susan came along to run it with me. This was her longest race to date. They had technical tops for people who signed up early. Susan didn’t, but I traded with her for the regular race t-shirt because I liked it better and the tech top was nothing special.
It was a little chilly at the start but we could hang out inside the high school, which was quite nice. It was not a very big race, so the lines were not too long for the bathrooms.
We started in the high school parking lot, then ran a loop of an adjoining park on a narrow bike trail (rather hilly), then back out and around the outside of the high school parking lot, out along the big road where the Race for the Cure took place (only they kept us on the sidewalk for this one), up a side street to a turn around and back to the school.
Weather was pleasant, sunny and not too cold. My race goal was somewhere between 1:24 and 1:30---I really didn’t know what I would do but that was the range of what seemed likely. Our goal for Susan was about a 1:35, despite the fact that she tends to kick my butt when we train together.
I felt good and ran what I think was a well-paced race with an even effort throughout, and finished in 1:23:55 on my watch, 1:24:08 official time. This put me 5 of 13 in my age group, 55 of 139 women, and 155 of 278 overall runners.
I saw that Susan was well behind me when we I was running back towards the high school in mile 7, but she looked strong. After I finished and grabbed some water and bananas, I went back out to wait for her. 1:35 came and went and still no Sooze. You could see the runners coming in from at least a half-mile away on the other side of the parking lot. I was starting to get worried, when she came up behind me.
Turned out that when she got to the part where you were supposed to turn into the parking lot, there was nobody left directing the runners. So, Susan and another woman who was running with her just kept going straight past the high school. By the time they realized their mistake, they had run quite a good bit farther than 15k. So she didn’t cross the finish line, but she did get a 10 mile run in for the weekend. They did collect her tear-off tag at the end anyway, and still gave her an official time. She is not too happy about that extra and unfairly slow time being recorded for posterity.
Post-race, we stopped for breakfast at the Perkins that was just down the road. That’s a good place for a post-race repast!
Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon
The Race: The 27th annual Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, also a 4-person relay. Filled this year at 2,500 marathoners, 140 relay teams. In contrast to those much larger races occurring to the immediate south and northwest, directed by an all-volunteer organization (the Badgerland Striders running club) which is justifiably proud of its efforts. A very nice choice for my state number 26, marathon number 30.
Worst Part of the Weekend: Dealing with Chicago traffic. One hour to drive one mile on I-90, before we bailed out and went up Lake Shore Drive.
Where We Stayed: Although the race hotels were downtown, I found a Baymont Inn just a mile from the start line in Grafton. I’ll do anything I can to avoid a 26.2 mile bus ride on race morning. Since Tommy wasn’t running the race, it was no problem for him to meet me at the finish.
The Expo: Held downtown at the Kern Center (Milwaukee School of Engineering rec center). Nice little expo for this small race. Vendors with good deals. I bought some new shorts, and socks to wear during the race (because someone, perhaps the person who keeps coming over to my house to use my treadmill, keeps taking all my running socks!). Also picked up a little pouch that I could velcro on to my ancient fanny pack/water bottle carrier to enable me to carry items like my cell phone, extra socks (because I wasn’t taking any chances), chapstick, etc.
Sat down for a few minutes to listen to a race official give us a little chat on the course.
Bill Rodgers was the special guest this year, so we hung around a little longer for his usual somewhat scattered and stream-of-consciousness talk. Bill was a half hour late but at least we were sitting down. What was on Bill’s mind that day? Seemed like he was thinking a lot about Alberto Salazar. I thought about asking Bill how his cholesterol was lately---he mentioned he had bacon with breakfast---but did not.
Bill was running as part of a relay team composed entirely of Olympians. One of the other runners on his team was Bonnie Blair, the speed skater. I didn’t recognize the names of the other two people. This team, and another team composed of local Wisconsin elite runners, was running in honor of Jenny Crain. She is a runner from the Wisconsin area who was hit by a car in August, while training (I think) to qualify for the marathon trials. She finished 16th and was second American at the 2003 NY Marathon. At the expo, you could buy red “Make it Happen” wristbands as a fundraiser for Jenny. Her injuries were very serious and her prognosis is still uncertain.
Nice touches: They decided to keep the course open an extra half-hour and announced this the day before to eliminate stress for the penguins and turtles. Race t-shirt is long-sleeve technical top. Finishers’ shirts---a slightly fancier technical top---available for sale at the finish.
Where We Ate: Friday night, after that horrible drive up through Chicago, we had a late dinner at a little tavern near our hotel called the “Ghost Town Saloon.” We had steak sandwiches---8 oz. sirloin filet pounded flat and seasoned with lots of black pepper, on a hoagie bun. Saturday afternoon, we touristed in the little village of Cedarburg (almost stayed at a B&B there instead of our generic hotel, but it’s about 5 miles from the start) and had lunch at a little coffeeshop/café named “Fiddleheads”---pretty good turkey sandwiches and I suggested that Tommy might want to make note of it so he could be sure to secure my post-race meal.
Us being us, we eventually found our way on Saturday afternoon to Sendik’s Market, where we picked up some snacks.
Saturday night we dined at Messina’s in Saukville (about six miles from our hotel). Very good red sauce Italian place.
Pre-race: Since the race didn’t start until 8 am, we had picked up an hour traveling west, and we were staying one mile from the start, it felt like I was sleeping in! They had warned us there would be traffic congestion near the start and to arrive early if you were driving there yourself. But since we were just one mile away, this didn’t seem like much of a concern---although it had taken us an hour to go one mile in Chicago a few days before! I kept looking out the window of the hotel and joking about the traffic jam---on a news report at about 7 am it looked like there were maybe 10 people standing outside Grafton High School. So we left the hotel at 7:30 am, and arrived there a few minutes later. I like it!
The Start: At Grafton High School, in the parking lot. I lined up in between the “sub-5:00 and the sub-5:30” group, which was surprisingly big. Could actually hear the race director over the loud speakers. We started right on time. Many people lined the sides of the road and cheered us on. A great way to start a race.
The Course: Very gently rolling hills. First few miles through farmland giving way to suburban McMansions, followed by very nice residential areas, and the last three miles on a bike trail along the lake.
Stuff I remember a week later about the race (the old brain is not what it used to be):
I accidentally deleted my splits in the car driving south, so you are spared that for once. I remember that the first mile was way too fast, about a 9:45. I was just trying to keep up with the people around me who were supposedly trying for a 5:00-ish race. I guess the idea was crash and burn, then limp home in 5:00? There was a lot of humidity for the first few miles and I could tell it was going to be a long day.
Water stops were exactly where they said they would be, at miles 2, 4, 7.5, 9.5, 13, 14.5, 17, 19, 20.25, 21.5, 23, 24.2 and 25.2. I knew this wouldn’t be enough for me early in the race so I was carrying a water bottle. I had Gatorade and water at most of these stations. This was the first time I started drinking Gatorade at mile 2 in a marathon, because I figured I would need it in the heat.
The people all along the course were extremely nice, and many of them had turned on their lawn sprinklers or had hoses going. So much of the course was residential, so there was a lot of this going on. And nobody said anything stupid, like “looking good” or “you’re almost there” when it wasn’t true. Some people along the bike trail/lakefront were laughing at us from the decks of their boats, however. That’s fine, I think that’s appropriate! The road was not closed to traffic, but even in places where it was somewhat narrow there really wasn’t that much traffic, so it was not a problem.
I was running very slowly, and one thing that struck me all through the race was that I never felt lonely back there. Generally, unless a race is gigantic, you will be pretty much alone if you’re in the 5:00-plus zone. So it was a pleasant surprise to have so much company at this relatively small race.
I was also surprised by how slow some of the relay teams were going. I was actually passing some of them, even late in the race. I wondered if the first three runners on those teams got there by crawling backwards? How could so many relay teams be slower than I was? A puzzlement.
Given my lack of training, I think I might have managed a 4:40 without the heat. I’m guessing---hoping really, since I have a much tougher race to finish in November---that the heat added about a half-hour to my time.
So, after that too fast first mile, I settled into some 10:30s, then some 11:30s and upwards from there. Got to the half in 2:21:43. Called Tommy around mile 15 to warn him I was going to finish over 5:00 for sure. 3:49:01 at mile 20.
It was amazing how much the temperature dropped when we hit the bike trail at mile 23 or so. I actually started to feel sort of cold, and I needed that space blanket at the end.
Tommy caught up with me at mile 25 and snapped some pics. The start of the last mile was a bit tricky, because we had to run a little stretch on gravel. I heard that the second place male runner fell down at this point! Then we had to go over a curb---equipped with a little wooden ramp and I needed it!---and across some grass before we hit the finish stretch.
Finish time was 5:13:49 chip time, which put me 44 of 62 women in my age group, 496 of 650 women, and 1355 of 1781 starters (I think about 1000 of these people didn’t finish).
Post-race: Finisher’s medal, not so special. Finish line food, nothing much. Had to buy the Finisher’s shirt but it’s a nice one. Tommy met me with no turkey sandwich, but plenty of other yummy provisions for our drive south, which he had picked up at Sendik’s, which Tommy was able to find his way back to even without using the GPS. This was good. I took a shower at the very nice downtown YMCA, and we headed south.
Worst Part of the Weekend: Dealing with Chicago traffic. One hour to drive one mile on I-90, before we bailed out and went up Lake Shore Drive.
Where We Stayed: Although the race hotels were downtown, I found a Baymont Inn just a mile from the start line in Grafton. I’ll do anything I can to avoid a 26.2 mile bus ride on race morning. Since Tommy wasn’t running the race, it was no problem for him to meet me at the finish.
The Expo: Held downtown at the Kern Center (Milwaukee School of Engineering rec center). Nice little expo for this small race. Vendors with good deals. I bought some new shorts, and socks to wear during the race (because someone, perhaps the person who keeps coming over to my house to use my treadmill, keeps taking all my running socks!). Also picked up a little pouch that I could velcro on to my ancient fanny pack/water bottle carrier to enable me to carry items like my cell phone, extra socks (because I wasn’t taking any chances), chapstick, etc.
Sat down for a few minutes to listen to a race official give us a little chat on the course.
Bill Rodgers was the special guest this year, so we hung around a little longer for his usual somewhat scattered and stream-of-consciousness talk. Bill was a half hour late but at least we were sitting down. What was on Bill’s mind that day? Seemed like he was thinking a lot about Alberto Salazar. I thought about asking Bill how his cholesterol was lately---he mentioned he had bacon with breakfast---but did not.
Bill was running as part of a relay team composed entirely of Olympians. One of the other runners on his team was Bonnie Blair, the speed skater. I didn’t recognize the names of the other two people. This team, and another team composed of local Wisconsin elite runners, was running in honor of Jenny Crain. She is a runner from the Wisconsin area who was hit by a car in August, while training (I think) to qualify for the marathon trials. She finished 16th and was second American at the 2003 NY Marathon. At the expo, you could buy red “Make it Happen” wristbands as a fundraiser for Jenny. Her injuries were very serious and her prognosis is still uncertain.
Nice touches: They decided to keep the course open an extra half-hour and announced this the day before to eliminate stress for the penguins and turtles. Race t-shirt is long-sleeve technical top. Finishers’ shirts---a slightly fancier technical top---available for sale at the finish.
Where We Ate: Friday night, after that horrible drive up through Chicago, we had a late dinner at a little tavern near our hotel called the “Ghost Town Saloon.” We had steak sandwiches---8 oz. sirloin filet pounded flat and seasoned with lots of black pepper, on a hoagie bun. Saturday afternoon, we touristed in the little village of Cedarburg (almost stayed at a B&B there instead of our generic hotel, but it’s about 5 miles from the start) and had lunch at a little coffeeshop/café named “Fiddleheads”---pretty good turkey sandwiches and I suggested that Tommy might want to make note of it so he could be sure to secure my post-race meal.
Us being us, we eventually found our way on Saturday afternoon to Sendik’s Market, where we picked up some snacks.
Saturday night we dined at Messina’s in Saukville (about six miles from our hotel). Very good red sauce Italian place.
Pre-race: Since the race didn’t start until 8 am, we had picked up an hour traveling west, and we were staying one mile from the start, it felt like I was sleeping in! They had warned us there would be traffic congestion near the start and to arrive early if you were driving there yourself. But since we were just one mile away, this didn’t seem like much of a concern---although it had taken us an hour to go one mile in Chicago a few days before! I kept looking out the window of the hotel and joking about the traffic jam---on a news report at about 7 am it looked like there were maybe 10 people standing outside Grafton High School. So we left the hotel at 7:30 am, and arrived there a few minutes later. I like it!
The Start: At Grafton High School, in the parking lot. I lined up in between the “sub-5:00 and the sub-5:30” group, which was surprisingly big. Could actually hear the race director over the loud speakers. We started right on time. Many people lined the sides of the road and cheered us on. A great way to start a race.
The Course: Very gently rolling hills. First few miles through farmland giving way to suburban McMansions, followed by very nice residential areas, and the last three miles on a bike trail along the lake.
Stuff I remember a week later about the race (the old brain is not what it used to be):
I accidentally deleted my splits in the car driving south, so you are spared that for once. I remember that the first mile was way too fast, about a 9:45. I was just trying to keep up with the people around me who were supposedly trying for a 5:00-ish race. I guess the idea was crash and burn, then limp home in 5:00? There was a lot of humidity for the first few miles and I could tell it was going to be a long day.
Water stops were exactly where they said they would be, at miles 2, 4, 7.5, 9.5, 13, 14.5, 17, 19, 20.25, 21.5, 23, 24.2 and 25.2. I knew this wouldn’t be enough for me early in the race so I was carrying a water bottle. I had Gatorade and water at most of these stations. This was the first time I started drinking Gatorade at mile 2 in a marathon, because I figured I would need it in the heat.
The people all along the course were extremely nice, and many of them had turned on their lawn sprinklers or had hoses going. So much of the course was residential, so there was a lot of this going on. And nobody said anything stupid, like “looking good” or “you’re almost there” when it wasn’t true. Some people along the bike trail/lakefront were laughing at us from the decks of their boats, however. That’s fine, I think that’s appropriate! The road was not closed to traffic, but even in places where it was somewhat narrow there really wasn’t that much traffic, so it was not a problem.
I was running very slowly, and one thing that struck me all through the race was that I never felt lonely back there. Generally, unless a race is gigantic, you will be pretty much alone if you’re in the 5:00-plus zone. So it was a pleasant surprise to have so much company at this relatively small race.
I was also surprised by how slow some of the relay teams were going. I was actually passing some of them, even late in the race. I wondered if the first three runners on those teams got there by crawling backwards? How could so many relay teams be slower than I was? A puzzlement.
Given my lack of training, I think I might have managed a 4:40 without the heat. I’m guessing---hoping really, since I have a much tougher race to finish in November---that the heat added about a half-hour to my time.
So, after that too fast first mile, I settled into some 10:30s, then some 11:30s and upwards from there. Got to the half in 2:21:43. Called Tommy around mile 15 to warn him I was going to finish over 5:00 for sure. 3:49:01 at mile 20.
It was amazing how much the temperature dropped when we hit the bike trail at mile 23 or so. I actually started to feel sort of cold, and I needed that space blanket at the end.
Tommy caught up with me at mile 25 and snapped some pics. The start of the last mile was a bit tricky, because we had to run a little stretch on gravel. I heard that the second place male runner fell down at this point! Then we had to go over a curb---equipped with a little wooden ramp and I needed it!---and across some grass before we hit the finish stretch.
Finish time was 5:13:49 chip time, which put me 44 of 62 women in my age group, 496 of 650 women, and 1355 of 1781 starters (I think about 1000 of these people didn’t finish).
Post-race: Finisher’s medal, not so special. Finish line food, nothing much. Had to buy the Finisher’s shirt but it’s a nice one. Tommy met me with no turkey sandwich, but plenty of other yummy provisions for our drive south, which he had picked up at Sendik’s, which Tommy was able to find his way back to even without using the GPS. This was good. I took a shower at the very nice downtown YMCA, and we headed south.
State to State Half Marathon
Traveled northwest of Cincinnati on Sept. 16 for the 5th annual running of the State-to-State Half-Marathon in Oxford, OH. As one of just 38 people who have finished all four previous editions of this race, I had to drag myself across the finish line a fifth time in order to receive a special gift--- a copy of “C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Foot Race,” published by Rodale Books and signed by the author, Geoff Williams.
Well, I had planned to be there anyway but it was nice to have a little added incentive.
The race is an out-and-back over rolling hills that takes you across the state line into Indiana. There are a couple of detours on the way out, through an upscale neighborhood and the campus of an assisted living community for seniors.
Picked up my race packet a week ago at our local Fleet Feet store. Volunteer automatically assumed that I was walking the 5k rather than “running” the half, no doubt due to my excessive girth. She spent much time instructing me on directions to Oxford and where to park, etc. (I did mention that my daughter went to college up there and I had done the race before!) all while forgetting to put my t-shirt in the bag. Had to remind her at the end. It’s a white technical t-shirt, and although not as nice as last year’s (this year they only had men’s style shirts) I wanted it.
Found out that even though I had my number, I needed to arrive early in order to pick up my chip. Chip timing was added this year even though with just about 600 finishers they hardly need it. Arrived in Oxford at 7:30 am, just as the walkers were starting out. As always, ignored official parking instructions (for a lot about a mile from the start) and found a convenient spot on a side street a couple of blocks away. Picked up my chip and returned to my car to obsess over my shoe selection. Kept going back and forth between Brooks Adrenalines and Nike Structure Triax 10s. Literally kept going back and forth, as I would alternate between the two on my perpetually problematic right foot, and jog a bit up and down the street. The Adrenalines are very supportive but lack cushion. The Nikes have good cushion but less support. Since I expected my form would deteriorate rapidly, I finally went with the Adrenalines, a good pair of go-slow shoes for fat girls.
Strolled up the street, stopped at the portapotties, and lined up near the back of the pack. Had an overly ambitious race goal of breaking two hours. Planned to start out with a cut down: 9:30, 9:20, 9:10, and hit goal pace in mile 4. But that’s hard to do on a course with these rolling hills.
I noticed that while my race number had my name handwritten on the tear off tag by the goofy volunteer at the running shoe store, most of the other people around me had computer-generated labels. This bothered me, because it made me feel less “official.” I wondered if I was for sure, and accurately entered in this race, and if my official time would be in fact recorded, so I could officially have five finishes and be entitled to my free book. I know some might call this “immature” but I can’t help it. I guess I am just not yet so enlightened a being that I can race just for the sake of running without recognition or some form of prize as an incentive. And I probably never will be. J
I thought I was starting out conservatively, and I tried to hold back in the first mile. Even though I was starting near the back, it still seemed like most people were passing me. The first mile is mostly downhill, and the first quarter of it is on red bricks. I didn’t feel like I was going that fast, so I eagerly awaited the first mile marker so I could know for sure. Hit mile 1 in 9:12. Faster than I planned, and it wasn’t all that comfortable. Not sure what to make of this.
It was a chilly morning, overcast and in the low 50s, so I had worn an old windshirt to the start, which I kept on during the first mile. Finally got warm enough to take it off, and tried to tie it around my waist but it wasn’t that comfortable so I ditched it by the side of the road just before mile 1. It was something I picked up at a race expo years ago for $5, from a race that I had not run, so I didn’t mind throwing it away.
Mile 2 has a lot of uphill, and my watch said I ran it in 9:31. So much for the idea of a cut down. In retrospect, I probably should have taken it a bit easier in the first mile, but not sure how much difference it really would have made in the end.
In mile 3, we ran through the senior citizen complex, where cheery older ladies reminded us to be careful going over the speed bumps. My time was 9:13.
More uphill in mile 4, and a time of 9:42. I realized the sub-2:00 was out of the question, so I tried to just relax and enjoy the day. At least I was starting to pass some of the walkers who had started a half-hour early!
Mile 5 was 9:15 and mile 6 was 9:34. We crossed into Indiana at the Flying Pig aid station, and turned around past mile 7, which I reached in 10:08.
Noticed how few people were behind me, which is always a bit disheartening. I really was in the back of the pack!
In the prior years, the weather for this race has always been warm and sunny, and the way back has always been a struggle for me, with the sun in my face. This year, faced with a chilly headwind and slight drizzle, I found myself longing for the sun. I know it was perfect long run weather for most people but not for me. I seem to run relatively better in hot weather than in cold. At this point, I was wishing I still had my windshirt, and envying the people running in long pants and long sleeve tops---all of whom were passing me.
Mile 8 went by in 9:05. Must have had a lot of downhill in that one. By mile 9, I was starting to wish my shoes had a little more cushion, or maybe a few less miles on them. It was now death march to the finish time (10:28, 10:38. 10:48). Wondered if my wind shirt would still be on the side of the road where I left it.
Hit mile 12 in 10:33 and started looking for my shirt. There it was! Had to cross the street to get it but it was so worth the effort! Thus heartened, I picked it up a tiny bit for the last mile and even passed a couple of people with a time of 10:10. Then it was just a little climb up those red bricks to the finish line in 51 seconds, for a final official time of 2:09:11.
I heard my name announced as I crossed the finish line, which was a bit of a relief, but I thought they might say something about me being a five-time finisher and they did not. Oh well. It’s a relatively small race and we five-time finishers are still a relatively large percentage of the field, after all.
Good thing I had my windshirt because there were no space blankets and for once we could have used them at this race. I got my medal, and then before even hitting the food I started trying to find where I could pick up my book. Had to ask about five different people before finally being directed to a small table in a corner where author Geoff Williams was sitting with a stack of copies.
I told him that I had read the excerpt in Runners World (August issue), enjoyed it, and was looking forward to reading his book. We chatted for a minute about the weather, and he mentioned that he wondered if the runners were cold. He was bundled up in a warm jacket and he looked cold. I do not think he is a runner himself---see Jen, I am making the same assumption based on his appearance that I get so offended about when people make it regarding me! (well, if he were a runner, wouldn’t he want to do the race?) ---but anyway, he is a good writer and this was a nice touch on the part of the race director to arrange this special book signing for the five-time finishers.
My final results put me 14 of 21 in my age group, 151 of 224 women, and 415 of 532 runners---this really was pretty far back! There were also about 150 walkers, who got that half-hour early start. Funny thing about this race, relative to other local races, is that it does not seem to draw many people over 55. So if I can just hang in there until I get into the upper age groups, I might actually get hardware at this race some day. Plus someday maybe I will be one of just a handful of 20-year finishers, and possibly the only woman because most of the five-time finishers, even now, are men. It’s a war of attrition and I am going to win!
Well, I had planned to be there anyway but it was nice to have a little added incentive.
The race is an out-and-back over rolling hills that takes you across the state line into Indiana. There are a couple of detours on the way out, through an upscale neighborhood and the campus of an assisted living community for seniors.
Picked up my race packet a week ago at our local Fleet Feet store. Volunteer automatically assumed that I was walking the 5k rather than “running” the half, no doubt due to my excessive girth. She spent much time instructing me on directions to Oxford and where to park, etc. (I did mention that my daughter went to college up there and I had done the race before!) all while forgetting to put my t-shirt in the bag. Had to remind her at the end. It’s a white technical t-shirt, and although not as nice as last year’s (this year they only had men’s style shirts) I wanted it.
Found out that even though I had my number, I needed to arrive early in order to pick up my chip. Chip timing was added this year even though with just about 600 finishers they hardly need it. Arrived in Oxford at 7:30 am, just as the walkers were starting out. As always, ignored official parking instructions (for a lot about a mile from the start) and found a convenient spot on a side street a couple of blocks away. Picked up my chip and returned to my car to obsess over my shoe selection. Kept going back and forth between Brooks Adrenalines and Nike Structure Triax 10s. Literally kept going back and forth, as I would alternate between the two on my perpetually problematic right foot, and jog a bit up and down the street. The Adrenalines are very supportive but lack cushion. The Nikes have good cushion but less support. Since I expected my form would deteriorate rapidly, I finally went with the Adrenalines, a good pair of go-slow shoes for fat girls.
Strolled up the street, stopped at the portapotties, and lined up near the back of the pack. Had an overly ambitious race goal of breaking two hours. Planned to start out with a cut down: 9:30, 9:20, 9:10, and hit goal pace in mile 4. But that’s hard to do on a course with these rolling hills.
I noticed that while my race number had my name handwritten on the tear off tag by the goofy volunteer at the running shoe store, most of the other people around me had computer-generated labels. This bothered me, because it made me feel less “official.” I wondered if I was for sure, and accurately entered in this race, and if my official time would be in fact recorded, so I could officially have five finishes and be entitled to my free book. I know some might call this “immature” but I can’t help it. I guess I am just not yet so enlightened a being that I can race just for the sake of running without recognition or some form of prize as an incentive. And I probably never will be. J
I thought I was starting out conservatively, and I tried to hold back in the first mile. Even though I was starting near the back, it still seemed like most people were passing me. The first mile is mostly downhill, and the first quarter of it is on red bricks. I didn’t feel like I was going that fast, so I eagerly awaited the first mile marker so I could know for sure. Hit mile 1 in 9:12. Faster than I planned, and it wasn’t all that comfortable. Not sure what to make of this.
It was a chilly morning, overcast and in the low 50s, so I had worn an old windshirt to the start, which I kept on during the first mile. Finally got warm enough to take it off, and tried to tie it around my waist but it wasn’t that comfortable so I ditched it by the side of the road just before mile 1. It was something I picked up at a race expo years ago for $5, from a race that I had not run, so I didn’t mind throwing it away.
Mile 2 has a lot of uphill, and my watch said I ran it in 9:31. So much for the idea of a cut down. In retrospect, I probably should have taken it a bit easier in the first mile, but not sure how much difference it really would have made in the end.
In mile 3, we ran through the senior citizen complex, where cheery older ladies reminded us to be careful going over the speed bumps. My time was 9:13.
More uphill in mile 4, and a time of 9:42. I realized the sub-2:00 was out of the question, so I tried to just relax and enjoy the day. At least I was starting to pass some of the walkers who had started a half-hour early!
Mile 5 was 9:15 and mile 6 was 9:34. We crossed into Indiana at the Flying Pig aid station, and turned around past mile 7, which I reached in 10:08.
Noticed how few people were behind me, which is always a bit disheartening. I really was in the back of the pack!
In the prior years, the weather for this race has always been warm and sunny, and the way back has always been a struggle for me, with the sun in my face. This year, faced with a chilly headwind and slight drizzle, I found myself longing for the sun. I know it was perfect long run weather for most people but not for me. I seem to run relatively better in hot weather than in cold. At this point, I was wishing I still had my windshirt, and envying the people running in long pants and long sleeve tops---all of whom were passing me.
Mile 8 went by in 9:05. Must have had a lot of downhill in that one. By mile 9, I was starting to wish my shoes had a little more cushion, or maybe a few less miles on them. It was now death march to the finish time (10:28, 10:38. 10:48). Wondered if my wind shirt would still be on the side of the road where I left it.
Hit mile 12 in 10:33 and started looking for my shirt. There it was! Had to cross the street to get it but it was so worth the effort! Thus heartened, I picked it up a tiny bit for the last mile and even passed a couple of people with a time of 10:10. Then it was just a little climb up those red bricks to the finish line in 51 seconds, for a final official time of 2:09:11.
I heard my name announced as I crossed the finish line, which was a bit of a relief, but I thought they might say something about me being a five-time finisher and they did not. Oh well. It’s a relatively small race and we five-time finishers are still a relatively large percentage of the field, after all.
Good thing I had my windshirt because there were no space blankets and for once we could have used them at this race. I got my medal, and then before even hitting the food I started trying to find where I could pick up my book. Had to ask about five different people before finally being directed to a small table in a corner where author Geoff Williams was sitting with a stack of copies.
I told him that I had read the excerpt in Runners World (August issue), enjoyed it, and was looking forward to reading his book. We chatted for a minute about the weather, and he mentioned that he wondered if the runners were cold. He was bundled up in a warm jacket and he looked cold. I do not think he is a runner himself---see Jen, I am making the same assumption based on his appearance that I get so offended about when people make it regarding me! (well, if he were a runner, wouldn’t he want to do the race?) ---but anyway, he is a good writer and this was a nice touch on the part of the race director to arrange this special book signing for the five-time finishers.
My final results put me 14 of 21 in my age group, 151 of 224 women, and 415 of 532 runners---this really was pretty far back! There were also about 150 walkers, who got that half-hour early start. Funny thing about this race, relative to other local races, is that it does not seem to draw many people over 55. So if I can just hang in there until I get into the upper age groups, I might actually get hardware at this race some day. Plus someday maybe I will be one of just a handful of 20-year finishers, and possibly the only woman because most of the five-time finishers, even now, are men. It’s a war of attrition and I am going to win!
I hate charity races
Not really. I just hate the part where it gets to be more about the charity than about the running. So here is my race report from the local edition of the Race for the Cure that I ran back in September:
The Cincinnati version of this race has seen some changes over the years. It’s always been more an “event” than a real runner’s “race,” despite the inclusion of a separate, timed, “competitive” start. It’s exactly the type of race that I typically don’t enjoy as a runner, despite the worthy cause that led to its inception.
In this latest incarnation, the Cincinnati Race for the Cure is more fundraiser than race. In previous years, they’ve given out age group awards to the top three finishers in each division of the competitive race. This year, they simplified things for themselves by limiting clock timing and awards to just the top 50 men and 50 women. From my perspective as a hardware hound, this really sucks. Even though I don’t really expect to be fast enough to crack the top three of my age group, it would be nice to get an official time and see where I really stood versus my competition.
There’s another thing I don’t like about the race this year. Instead of holding it downtown, which is a short drive from my house, this year it’s up in Mason, OH, a good half hour drive on the highway. This is farther than I usually like to drive for a 5k. And, although the race doesn’t start until 9:30, they want us all up there at 8:30 because that is when they are going to close the roads. Since this event doesn’t offer my anything spectacular in the way of a race for me, I’m not too pleased about this.
Why did I bother to enter, then? Well, I had thought my daughter might accompany me, and I thought this would be a nice mother-daughter event for us. But instead this weekend she is white-water rafting in West Virginia with her boyfriend. I could have skipped the race, but figured it would beat another run on the treadmill and be a little more entertaining than running outside on my own, so off I went.
Departed from home at 8:00, arrived at the Luxottica (race sponsor) parking lot at 8:30---neatly circumventing a long line of cars slowly pulling into the parking lot by driving in the other lane and hanging a 270 in a subdivision across the street. I do not like to wait on line. As I drive into the far reaches of the parking lot to look for a spot, I see long lines of people waiting for the shuttle bus to the start. I had been thinking that I would jog the mile and a half to the start and this confirms it. One good thing is that they send the race packets by mail several weeks before the race, so I already have my number and my shirt and won’t need to return to my car.
But it’s too early for a warmup run, so I mostly walk along the wide, paved path towards Mason High School. With my blue competitor’s runner bib, I am clearly in the minority. It’s a long walk to the school. We pass several well-groomed, newish subdivisions, while I think about suburban sprawl, the chemicals required to produce these unnaturally perfect lawns, and the effect of our lifestyle choices on our chances of developing cancer. I feel guilty about driving my minivan to the race alone. It is not the only minivan in the parking lot but I am probably the only runner who traveled there alone.
But it’s clear to me why we’re running up here instead of downtown. It is much more efficient to have us all park in the Luxottica lot than scattered about downtown, and they only have to close part of two, wide flat streets to stage the race as an out-and-back. But the biggest reason, I bet, is that Mason wants to have the race here. Mason is happy and proud to have the race here. Mason needs events like this to support the image that it is a “real” place. Downtown Cincinnati probably made life too difficult for the race directors. Mason probably bent over backwards to be supportive. And probably more money goes to the Komen organization as a result, which means more money, I assume, for the cause---and that’s all good.
And I have to admit that even I didn’t mind not having to think too hard about where I was going to park. Or, have to walk around the homeless people on my way to the race. Mason, it could grow on me.
It was still quite a hike from the outer edge of the school campus to the race expo. We had to walk across another big parking lot and the sports complex before we reaching it.
Tommy’s mother died of breast cancer and yet he has never done this race. As I make my way around the expo, I know that he would really hate it this year. It’s jampacked with people. I walk all the way around---still got a half hour until the race---and am surprised at the variety of booths. Basically, if it can be made in pink, it is represented here. I have $20 with me to do some shopping post race, and also think I might make it back for some Chik-fil-a and some Starbucks.
Finally, I realize I’ve been on my feet for 45 minutes and this does not bode well for my race, so I sit down on the curb. I give up the idea of doing a warm-up run. I guess that to crack the top 50 women I would have to run sub 24:30, and I know I don’t have that in me. So warming up seems silly. In fact, I’m even considering dropping out when we swing back by the Luxottica parking lot around the halfway mark.
But I tell myself that is silly, too. Finish the race, and get in that jog back to the car, and I can log it as a 6-miler!
Finally, it’s time to line up and I do my best to get close to the front. I am embarrassed to get too far forward because I know I won’t be “fast” but I also know that neither are most of the other people here. At least I try to get in front of the very heavy set people wearing a lot of clothes, the people who aren’t wearing running shoes, and the ones with their race numbers pinned to their backs.
The race begins, and as always in these type of events I realize that I have indeed started too far back, as it takes 17 seconds to cross the start line, and that is far too long in a local 5k. I’m boxed in for a good portion of the first mile, but that’s okay because it keeps me from going out too fast and blowing up. The morning is overcast but quite humid.
It’s a very flat course. This used to be farmland, after all. There’s a slight uphill grade along the road by the school, then a slight downhill grade towards Luxottica, and then you retrace your steps, so there’s a slight downhill to the finish before you swing off into the school parking lot.
I reach mile 1 in 8:35 (plus that 17 extra seconds, damn). I’m passing lots of people but the road is still crowded. This might be the most crowded 5k I’ve ever done. I don’t see that many women coming back on the other side of the road, and I wonder if the humidity is getting to people and maybe I can get a top 50 award after all. And soon we are at the Luxottica parking lot and I have to decide whether to stop or keep going, and I keep going because I just want to run the best race I can.
Mile 2 is 8:32. I am pleased by the consistency of my pace. But it’s not easy and I wish we were done. Mile 3 seems to take forever---I’ve trying not to look at my watch---and I begin to wonder if there is no mile marker for it. But finally I see it in the school parking lot. Mile 3 is 8:22. Woohoo, but I’m slower than I’d like to be.
I decide not to pick it up for the last .1 because I don’t want to be sick in front of all these people. Just as well, because it turns out we can’t actually “run” across the finish line. There is a lot of congestion in the area, and people are just stopping a bit before. The volunteers are sort of blocking the way, and as some of us try to tear off our tags to hand to them---reflex I guess---they tell us that they don’t need them because they already have their top 50. Okay then.
So, my final time on my watch was 26:35, but my actual time was probably closer to 26 even because of the delay getting to both the start and the finish.
Post race, I decide not to hang around after all because it is an awfully long walk back to the car. I grab two bottles of water and one banana to sustain me. I can’t jog back after all---another pair of shoes have proven to be unraceworthy! So, I walk on the sidewalk, because the “non-competitive” event is now in full swing on the road. I’m not walking fast but I’m still passing people. Finally, I have to cut through them so I can take a little shortcut across the Luxottica landscaping. No way I’m walking all the way out to the intersection if I don’t have too. It still takes me 24 minutes to get back to the my silver minivan, including some time spent looking for it in a sea of similar vehicles!
The Cincinnati version of this race has seen some changes over the years. It’s always been more an “event” than a real runner’s “race,” despite the inclusion of a separate, timed, “competitive” start. It’s exactly the type of race that I typically don’t enjoy as a runner, despite the worthy cause that led to its inception.
In this latest incarnation, the Cincinnati Race for the Cure is more fundraiser than race. In previous years, they’ve given out age group awards to the top three finishers in each division of the competitive race. This year, they simplified things for themselves by limiting clock timing and awards to just the top 50 men and 50 women. From my perspective as a hardware hound, this really sucks. Even though I don’t really expect to be fast enough to crack the top three of my age group, it would be nice to get an official time and see where I really stood versus my competition.
There’s another thing I don’t like about the race this year. Instead of holding it downtown, which is a short drive from my house, this year it’s up in Mason, OH, a good half hour drive on the highway. This is farther than I usually like to drive for a 5k. And, although the race doesn’t start until 9:30, they want us all up there at 8:30 because that is when they are going to close the roads. Since this event doesn’t offer my anything spectacular in the way of a race for me, I’m not too pleased about this.
Why did I bother to enter, then? Well, I had thought my daughter might accompany me, and I thought this would be a nice mother-daughter event for us. But instead this weekend she is white-water rafting in West Virginia with her boyfriend. I could have skipped the race, but figured it would beat another run on the treadmill and be a little more entertaining than running outside on my own, so off I went.
Departed from home at 8:00, arrived at the Luxottica (race sponsor) parking lot at 8:30---neatly circumventing a long line of cars slowly pulling into the parking lot by driving in the other lane and hanging a 270 in a subdivision across the street. I do not like to wait on line. As I drive into the far reaches of the parking lot to look for a spot, I see long lines of people waiting for the shuttle bus to the start. I had been thinking that I would jog the mile and a half to the start and this confirms it. One good thing is that they send the race packets by mail several weeks before the race, so I already have my number and my shirt and won’t need to return to my car.
But it’s too early for a warmup run, so I mostly walk along the wide, paved path towards Mason High School. With my blue competitor’s runner bib, I am clearly in the minority. It’s a long walk to the school. We pass several well-groomed, newish subdivisions, while I think about suburban sprawl, the chemicals required to produce these unnaturally perfect lawns, and the effect of our lifestyle choices on our chances of developing cancer. I feel guilty about driving my minivan to the race alone. It is not the only minivan in the parking lot but I am probably the only runner who traveled there alone.
But it’s clear to me why we’re running up here instead of downtown. It is much more efficient to have us all park in the Luxottica lot than scattered about downtown, and they only have to close part of two, wide flat streets to stage the race as an out-and-back. But the biggest reason, I bet, is that Mason wants to have the race here. Mason is happy and proud to have the race here. Mason needs events like this to support the image that it is a “real” place. Downtown Cincinnati probably made life too difficult for the race directors. Mason probably bent over backwards to be supportive. And probably more money goes to the Komen organization as a result, which means more money, I assume, for the cause---and that’s all good.
And I have to admit that even I didn’t mind not having to think too hard about where I was going to park. Or, have to walk around the homeless people on my way to the race. Mason, it could grow on me.
It was still quite a hike from the outer edge of the school campus to the race expo. We had to walk across another big parking lot and the sports complex before we reaching it.
Tommy’s mother died of breast cancer and yet he has never done this race. As I make my way around the expo, I know that he would really hate it this year. It’s jampacked with people. I walk all the way around---still got a half hour until the race---and am surprised at the variety of booths. Basically, if it can be made in pink, it is represented here. I have $20 with me to do some shopping post race, and also think I might make it back for some Chik-fil-a and some Starbucks.
Finally, I realize I’ve been on my feet for 45 minutes and this does not bode well for my race, so I sit down on the curb. I give up the idea of doing a warm-up run. I guess that to crack the top 50 women I would have to run sub 24:30, and I know I don’t have that in me. So warming up seems silly. In fact, I’m even considering dropping out when we swing back by the Luxottica parking lot around the halfway mark.
But I tell myself that is silly, too. Finish the race, and get in that jog back to the car, and I can log it as a 6-miler!
Finally, it’s time to line up and I do my best to get close to the front. I am embarrassed to get too far forward because I know I won’t be “fast” but I also know that neither are most of the other people here. At least I try to get in front of the very heavy set people wearing a lot of clothes, the people who aren’t wearing running shoes, and the ones with their race numbers pinned to their backs.
The race begins, and as always in these type of events I realize that I have indeed started too far back, as it takes 17 seconds to cross the start line, and that is far too long in a local 5k. I’m boxed in for a good portion of the first mile, but that’s okay because it keeps me from going out too fast and blowing up. The morning is overcast but quite humid.
It’s a very flat course. This used to be farmland, after all. There’s a slight uphill grade along the road by the school, then a slight downhill grade towards Luxottica, and then you retrace your steps, so there’s a slight downhill to the finish before you swing off into the school parking lot.
I reach mile 1 in 8:35 (plus that 17 extra seconds, damn). I’m passing lots of people but the road is still crowded. This might be the most crowded 5k I’ve ever done. I don’t see that many women coming back on the other side of the road, and I wonder if the humidity is getting to people and maybe I can get a top 50 award after all. And soon we are at the Luxottica parking lot and I have to decide whether to stop or keep going, and I keep going because I just want to run the best race I can.
Mile 2 is 8:32. I am pleased by the consistency of my pace. But it’s not easy and I wish we were done. Mile 3 seems to take forever---I’ve trying not to look at my watch---and I begin to wonder if there is no mile marker for it. But finally I see it in the school parking lot. Mile 3 is 8:22. Woohoo, but I’m slower than I’d like to be.
I decide not to pick it up for the last .1 because I don’t want to be sick in front of all these people. Just as well, because it turns out we can’t actually “run” across the finish line. There is a lot of congestion in the area, and people are just stopping a bit before. The volunteers are sort of blocking the way, and as some of us try to tear off our tags to hand to them---reflex I guess---they tell us that they don’t need them because they already have their top 50. Okay then.
So, my final time on my watch was 26:35, but my actual time was probably closer to 26 even because of the delay getting to both the start and the finish.
Post race, I decide not to hang around after all because it is an awfully long walk back to the car. I grab two bottles of water and one banana to sustain me. I can’t jog back after all---another pair of shoes have proven to be unraceworthy! So, I walk on the sidewalk, because the “non-competitive” event is now in full swing on the road. I’m not walking fast but I’m still passing people. Finally, I have to cut through them so I can take a little shortcut across the Luxottica landscaping. No way I’m walking all the way out to the intersection if I don’t have too. It still takes me 24 minutes to get back to the my silver minivan, including some time spent looking for it in a sea of similar vehicles!
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