Glenwood Gardens Night Race

I am back from New Hampshire (which I did manage to finish but not in a respectable time) and trying to catch up on a lot of things. And I realize I never wrote about the trail race I did a few weeks ago, nor about the State to State half marathon.

So this is about the trail race. Technically, not really a trail race. We ran around a park, and about half the race was on a paved trail, and the other half on gravel. But it was at night, so that should count for something. They are considering it part of the trail race series and it counts toward your points.

I was still recovering from the bronchitis so I didn't want to push too hard, but I also wanted to demonstrate that my placement in that last race was no fluke. So I ended up pushing it anyway.

Wore my new Petzl headlamp, and it seemed like everybody else had theirs on also. They gave us little red blinking lights to clip on our backsides so you could see the runners in front of you, and they had also marked the trail with little red lights. But other than that, it was completely dark.

For a warmup, I did multiple loops of a little grassy island up near the park clubhouse/pavillion-like structure where the race registration took place. I was one of the few people warming up, and many people were not even dressed in running clothes. Bob Roncker said we would have food after the race, which raised unreasonable expectations in my head. Turned out it was just the usual bagels, bananas and apples you might find at the end of a morning race. Bummer.

I had a brief chat with a woman at the start who had moved here from Minneapolis and she was all about how much better the racing scene was there than here. She was also whining about how she had nobody to run with because she had young kids and couldn't ever meet up with any of the groups. My heart bleeds for you. If you were looking to hook up with me, guess again because you are clearly too much of a whiner. Left her in the dust right away.

We started out downhill, and it was hard to figure the pace because I couldn't see. Just tried to stay out of trouble. We did about a mile loop on the paved part, and then came out of that loop and onto the gravel. I felt like there were plenty of people behind me. I was wearing my new Saucony Xodus trail shoes and they might have been overkill on the pavement but they were great on the gravel, and very comfortable.

On the gravel I was running next to a guy who started running on the side where the grass was. I gave that a try and decided the gravel was easier, and eventually I did leave him behind, although it did take awhile. It was so dark and I had never been in the park before, so I had no idea where I was or how much longer we had to run.

I had passed a bunch of men and a few women, and then about a quarter mile from the finish I passed an older, fit looking woman, who turned out to be one of the women from the previous race who is just a year older than I am. I want to beat her everytime. She is so much more fit looking than I am. I totally kicked her butt this time. She is still ahead of me in the standings because of me goofing off in the first couple of races, but now that has changed for good.

Really pushed it crossing the finish line just to make sure she didn't catch me, and I managed to both throw up and pee my pants. It's been a long time since I've pushed that hard! Official time was 32:39, my fastest trail race so far. This put me 14 of 33 women and 61 of 93 overall. But my age graded time put me 32 of 93, not too bad.

Notice that the smaller trail races yield a better point value towards The Dirty Dozen...wonder if they will adjust for that next year. I'm hoping that in my last two races I can wipe out yucky scores from the Ault Park and French Park races. Looks good for a better score in the 27k at least, since the field is limited to just 50 runners and there probably won't be that many women competing.

Got the updated Dirty Dozen rankings the other day, and I am # 6 woman, just behind the woman I have beaten in the last two races. I don't know if I can pull ahead of her or not, even if I do beat her in the next two races, because she has run well all the way through and I am just starting to figure this trail racing thing out.

Recovery and running out of time

I caught a nasty bug a couple of weeks ago and I'm still dealing with the aftermath. It started on the Monday after that last trail race, with a wicked scratchy throat that soon turned into a bout of bronchitis. I took a whole week off from running, then got back into it a little last week and figured I would be back to normal this week. Enough time off combined with the dearth of long runs to derail any chance of running a decent marathon in New Hampshire, but not a showstopper.

But then over the weekend at the dog show I started coughing more, and I guess I coughed so much on Saturday that by Sunday I felt like I had cracked a rib. Pain got worse as the day went on, and I almost went to the emergency room Sunday night. So Monday morning I called the doc and got in to see him that afternoon.

He said no cracked rib but I had irritated the cartilage that connects my ribs to my chest wall or something like that. And maybe a touch of something bacterial now too. So he gave me scrips for a Z-pak and some codeine-laced cough syrup and sent me on my way. Wasn't until today that I felt ready to try running again.

Did three miles on the treadmill. Not too much pain, and actually felt better after the run. So I guess I'm on the mend for real now. The marathon plans are in shambles though. I am going to have to do a lot of walking.

Next up, the nighttime trail race this Saturday, and then the half-marathon next weekend.

Powder Keg 5k race report

I have a wicked cold--first one since last October--so I am not in an especially jolly mood today, but I am going to take some time to write about Saturday's race.

This was another one of those trail series things, a new one they just added. It was actually more like 3.5 miles but they advertised it as a 5k. It was up in Deerfield Township, exit 25 off I-71, a place I never go voluntarily.

The race was on trails surrounding the old Kings Mansion property. If you check the link, you'll see it points to a plan that was commissioned to figure out what to do with this historic structure. Unfortunately, if you go there, as I did for this race, you'll see that the township was unable to execute the plan. At least, from the looks of things. Interesting old Italianate home, in great disrepair.

We had some nice cool weather leading up to race morning, and it was still pleasant for the race. As we have had no rain in recent memory, the trails were very dry. This was good since I was wearing shoes with very little traction. I've worn them to walk the dogs a few too many times. But they are very comfortable and have served me well in my last two trail races, so that is what I went with.

There was a bit of confusion and congestion at the packet pickup, but since this was just a 200-person race it was okay. I got there around 8:30, picked up my packet (which included a cotton t-shirt and yet another sport tote bag, nice swag but not like I need more of these things). Went for a little trot around the grassy mounds surrounding the mansion, and a little on a paved path. Was a little worried about my knee, and also traces of a cold that apparently was coming on since I am in the thick of it now. And had a weird twinge also in the left leg up where the hip attaches to the groin area. But after a warmup I felt okay.

Had to chuckle at the start as the race director told the people pushing strollers that this was a trail race, and he did not mean the Loveland Bike Trail, so if they thought they were going to run it pushing strollers they'd better think again. He even offered to refund their money.

I lined up behind a couple of older women. One was a little chunky (like me) but looked like she knew what she was doing. The other one had gray hair, so looked a little older, but more fit. Turned out to be a good position because they were both in my age group. What I wanted to do was stay as close as I could to the fit one.

We were off and running down the grassy hill, and then into the woods. It was quite congested at the entrance to the trails but because of my good position at the start I did not lose too much here. The trails were quite narrow throughout the race, and in many spots it was impossible to pass.

The first segment was what they called a lollipop loop, and the problem with that was when the fastest runners were coming back---finishing the bottom of the business end of the lollipop, as it were---they risked colliding directly with the slower runners who were just entering the circle. In fact, this almost happened to me---I almost took out a couple of the race leaders. So they need better course marshalling at that point because it is a bit of a blind corner and dangerous.

This segment of the trails wasn't bad to run on, but there was one enormous overturned tree that we did have to climb over. This thing was chest high, so I literally had to stop and crawl over it. At this point, Fit Old Lady in Orange was out of sight, but I was ahead of Chunky Lady in Black. On the way back over the tree the second time, I realized that Chunky Lady was right behind me.

Chunky Lady decided to engage me in a bit of conversation, including asking me my age. Okay, lady, if you think you really have a chance of beating me, then you probably shouldn't reveal that we are in the same age group when we are running the same pace midway through the race. Game on.

I stayed ahead of her for a bit but when we came to the water stop I let her get just ahead of me. The great thing about this was I could watch her on the trail and it helped me know where to safely step. It enabled me to conserve my own energy. It was especially helpful when we ran through an area of very rough broken pavement---must have been a little road in there at one time.

There were other interesting parts along the way. At one point we were on a very narrow ledge looking over the river--the Miami? The Little Miami? And if you weren't careful you could fall off and roll down a steep cliff into the river. And there was a very steep wooden stairway that we had to climb up, which at the top, had you literally climbing with your hands instead of running with your feet.

It was just after the top of this stairway that I was able to reestablish contact with Chunky Lady, who had become somewhat fatigued. Also at this point I was surprised to see Fit Old Lady. I ran the next stretch basically even with them, but sensing that when we got to the end I could absolutely outkick them.

We came out into a clearing and a course marshall told us we had a half mile to go, which seemed like a bit much. We did some turning and weird looping around through the grass, and before too long (not a half mile I don't think) we were approaching the finish line, at which point I could easily kick it in and leave Chunky Lady and Fit Lady in my dust. Uphill on grass, too, and I didn't even throw up.

My official time was 37:56, which is quite a bit faster than in my previous trail races. However, I know that I did run this one more aggressively, and despite the treacherous segments and a few climbs, it was overall less hilly than Hyde Park. I hope that explains it. I hope that I am just getting better at this type of racing. Because the race director, in his online results, said that some people were misdirected off course by one of the marshalls and this may have affected the results. I don't know if it made people faster or slower. I do know that I was with Chunky Lady for a large portion of the race, so if I was off course than so was she.

Anyway, I would have liked to stay for the awards, but I had to get home to the dogs. I did hang around for about a half-hour, munching on a bagel and a banana. They also had hot dogs but I was not in the mood. But I had to finally leave, since it didn't seem like they were getting ready to do the awards anytime soon. Too bad because it turns out that I did win my age group and I would have liked to have gotten that prize. My two competitors for it were in fact Chunky Lady and Fit Old Lady and I beat them by 6-8 seconds.

I have one more race to do in order to be in the running for the Dirty Dozen awards. These go to the top 12 men and women who do 5 of the races. I am scheduled for three more. Before the Powder Keg race, there were only four women who had done enough to be eligible, but that may have changed with this race. I checked the results and it looks like Fit Old Lady has now done five. And she was a lot faster than me in her other races. But now I know that I can take her, so Fit Old Lady, you are my new target at the next race!

Just missed it!

Official finish time of 55:15 for 4th place of 39 in my age group. Just missed third place by one second! Would have gotten it in a non-chip-timed race. I could have found one more second if I knew that was all I needed. Age group awards go to the top three.

Lady Distance Classic 2010

I had a good race this morning at the Lady Distance Classic 10k. My goal was around 57 minutes, and I finished in 55:16 (unofficial), so I am pretty pleased. This is a tough course and I'm still not in very good shape---though I am making progress. Last year I "ran" it while recovering from injuries and was about 12 minute slower.

It's the 8th year for this event, and I have participated every year, running the 5k for the first four years and switching to the 10k (to get a longer "training" run in, mostly) more recently. I did manage to place in my age group in the 5k a few times, but that's basically impossible in the 10k---although as I age, if I can maintain this pace, it might be possible through attrition. That's right, I just need more women my age to die off.

Besides just feeling the urge to keep this streak going, there are a few things that bring me back to this race each year:

• Nice technical tees in a woman's cut provided by Brooks (although they were that yucky gray color this year, what is up with that, I think this is the third gray tee I've gotten at a race this year);
• The "fitness festival" post-race, which usually has a better supply of eats than we see at typical races.
• And...that's it, really. Oh, except that there aren't that many opportunities to race at the 10k distance.

Picked up my race packet yesterday afternoon at the Fleet Feet store that sponsors the race. They were also having some sort of event sponsored by Brooks that included gait analysis and some weird travelling tour bus/museum thing, but I didn't go in that because it didn't look air conditioned.

I did, however, make some purchases at the store:

• A cute black running skirt with the race logo on it, at 20% off
• A bra top, not so cute in white with yellow piping, but at 40% off, and frankly I don't care what my running clothes look like as long as they are comfortable and fit.

Had to endure the "help" of a store clerk, who was basically the one who pushed me into making the purchases. I was lingering by the skirt display, and had about decided that they were too expensive, and I wasn't sure about the fit and didn't want to try one on. But she went on and on about how cute they were, and comfortable, and how I would love it. So basically I succumbed to the pressure. She was even pushing me to try it on in small. Flattery will get you everywhere. She kept wanting to see how it looked on me and said she would tell me the truth, blah, blah, blah, but no way I was modeling the skirt for anybody in my current fat state. I went with the medium, and arguably could have even considered the large. But I felt better about it when I found out it was 20% off.

I know, I do wear these things outside to run in, but I feel quite anonymous most of the time when I'm running so it's easier to appear in public half naked. Different thing when trying something on in the store. Bad enough that I had to look at my thunder thighs and the cellulite in my upper arms, I am not sharing that with anybody outside the immediate family.

Left the house at 6:15 this morning for the 7:15 race start. As the race has grown in size, they have had to arrange parking at Raymond Walters college, which is about a half mile from the start and maybe a mile from the finish. In the early years, we just parked in the lot at the rec center, Then gradually, they had to expand the parking to neighboring lots that belonged to businesses that were closed on the weekend. And now it's too big even for that.

Parked the car and headed towards the start in a slow jog. Didn't feel that great but I've learned you can't tell anything from the warmup.

Continued running up the the hill past the start line, until I had covered a mile, and then turned around to jog back. Was feeling better by that point. Found a quiet spot (well, relatively quiet spot in the huge crowd of lady penguins) to do some active stretching.

Oh, about the general ambiance. This is one of the things I don't like about this race, the female camaraderie and general yuckiness of it. I guess it would be okay if I was there with somebody to talk to, like the year I went with Susan. But by myself, it is no fun. I don't mind being alone, except in a crowd of people who are all there in groups.

Took my place at behind the start line and waited for the singing of the National Anthem. Usually they have somebody good, who can actually sing, like a voice student from CCM. But this year they had some kid that supposedly they enlisted just moments before, and she didn't sing it any better than I would have. Which I guess accounted for her request that we all sing along, as it was necessary to drown her out. But we didn't and it didn't, and she couldn't sing.

Tried to put myself in a more competitive position this year than the last few times, since I am a bit more fit and didn't want to get boxed in. There were a surprising number of hefty penguins even fairly close to the start. You get a lot of that at this race, plus women wearing the race tee and with their numbers pinned to their back. But I managed to find a good spot for a change.

First mile, mostly uphill, I settle right in to a pace that feels sustainable but quicker than a training run, Hit the mile marker in 8:40, at least 10 seconds faster than I expected. This was encouraging. Grabbed a cup of water at the first stop, walked for about 20 seconds and drank most of it.

Last year the "stroller brigage" (an actual, separate race category with prizes and everything---the top three women this year win new strollers!) passed me in the first half mile, and they start a minute after the runners. This year, I didn't get passed by the top three women until close to the two mile mark, so obviously I was having a much better race. Mile two was an 8:27. Woo.

Near the end of the third mile, I had to face the psychological pain of knowing that I would be done soon if i were doing the 5k, as we pass by the turn to the finish line and have to listen to the announcer cheering people home. I was encouraged to note, however, that my time seemed to be a bit faster than my 5k time from the Fairfax race last month. This is not an easy course, either, so that says something about how my training and general fitness has been going---even if I am still a fat pig.

 Hit mile three (and second water stop) in 8:58. That's 26:05 for 3 miles. The next mile begins with a repeat of the race start, so it's mostly uphill. Still wasn't feeling too bad. Just tried to keep a steady pace. The four mile mark is just inside a residential neighborhood. 9:03 for that mile. I would have liked to be keeping it under 9 minute pace, but I was already still way ahead of my plan so it didn't really bother me, and anyway, that mile WAS uphill. Saw old running buddy Bob Platt directing us around a cul-de-sac, and heard him cheering for someone named "Jennifer" who was coming up alongside me.

This Jennifer had a very heavy footfall and was really chugging for air, and I expected her to be some gigantic lady penguin, but one of those who despite appearances is still faster than me. When I turned to look at her, I was surprised to see that it was Jennifer Black, twin sister of my congresswoman. Far from a penguin. Both these ladies are pretty competitive age group runners. Jennifer is a little slower than her sister, but the fact remains that I've probably only beaten her in a race once, maybe not even once, and that was when I was in a lot better shape than I am now.

Anyway, I let her go by. She's not in my age group anyway. She's older.  Maybe I just gave up because I didn't think I should be able to keep up with her. So she gradually started to pull away.

I concentrated on more accessible targets. There was one woman, for example, whom I had noticed at the start. She had that kind of broad-shouldered, triathlete kind of body---fit, but with the extra fat layer of someone who spends a good bit of time in the water. She was wearing a little dark pink running skirt that was getting hiked up by her fanny pack, and now we all could see that the panties underneath the skirt were white, and oh this was so not a good fashion choice. So I wanted to beat this chick if only so I wouldn't have to keep trying not to catch a full-on glimpse of her ass. I'm sure Tommy would have loved this but it was not for me.

Mile five was 8:44. Maybe I had pressed a bit too much trying to keep up with Jennifer, and pass white panty girl, but suddenly I was in distress. This also coincided with the significant hills of the last mile. I slowed to a crawl. Continued forward motion but incredibly slowly. Gagging and wheezing and spitting. I was still going to get a better time than expected, just had to get through it.

After a little bit of heaving, I gradually started feeling better. Some women passed me but not white panty girl. Mile 6 was a 9:40, but I didn't look down at my watch just then. Got passed by some tall woman I hadn't seen before, but managed to kick past her at the end. Should make for an interesting finish line photo. Kicking doesn't matter much if you're in the pack at a chip-timed race, if you aren't sure that somebody crossed the start line at the same time you did. But I kicked like it was the Olympics, and I had to beat her for the gold.

And then there was some vomiting, you betcha. Good thing I had only one cup of coffee this morning and that was it. Coulda been worse.

Grabbed a water bottle and headed into the fitness festival. One of the irritating things about this is the heavy congestion getting in, with all the penguins finishing their 5ks right at the time I finish the 10k, plus all their penguin relatives who are there to cheer them on. I actually observed one penguin almost get into a fight with the volunteer who was cutting the chips off our shoes. The woman walked past the volunteer, and the volunteer said "ma'am I need to remove your chip" and I seriously thought the penguin was going to smack the poor volunteer. She did start mouthing off at her. I know. She was one of those big, tall, hefty, hostile types, and the volunteer was just this little blonde thing. I switched to another line so I don't know how it ended.

It's better if you do the 5k, because the penguins aren't back yet when you finish. Yes, I am fully aware that I am a penguin compared to all of the women who finished ahead of me. But I do try to be polite.

I guess it was a harder push for me this year after all, so I wasn't as hungry as usual after the race. All I wanted was a banana and a bit of bagel, something cool to drink and then to head back to the car. But for once, there were no bagels or bananas to be found. I did have a small piece of the traditional Cake by Margo, but just a tiny piece for a change and I didn't even enjoy it as much as usual. Skipped the Starbucks, too, because I was too hot still for coffee and there was a line. Ended up with a large lemonade in a big cup of ice from Penn Station, thought about a sno-cone, but instead had a small strawberry smoothie on my way out. Poured some of that into the lemonade so I'd only have one thing to carry.

Not as many good freebies as in previous years, either. There was a sample size of Secret in the bags they handed us at the entrance,  to which I added a tube of chapstick and some hand sanitizer.

And now I await the race results. Last year I was 10 of 30 in my age group. It would be nice to think with this much faster time that I had improved on that a bit, but it depends on who else was there.

I don't like my new running log at all

So, it turns out I don't like it. Now, am I going to use it for the rest of the year (50 more weeks) or am I going to give up and order the kind I have been using for the past 15 years or so?

It is cumbersome, that's the main thing. I don't like having the week spread out over 4 pages. That is just ridiculous. And the "intensity factor" thing I am just using to record my shoe mileage. And I am missing the helpful charts from the Glover book, which it turns on I relied on a lot (pace and race time predictors, etc.)

Have been getting some good runs in lately, though. Have found a new way to get the long runs done on these hot days when I can't get started at 5 am. What I do is just a very short 1-3 miler outside and then I come in and do 1-3 on the treadmill. Well, what I actually do depends on the weather when I start and what happens to be on TV at the time. Like, if it's raining then I start on the treadmill, but if it just looks like it might rain any minute, then I start outside. Because it usually doesn't and then I get some miles outside before it does. And if there is something absorbing on the TV when I'm on the mill, then I might stay until it is over. Like that movie "Shaun of the Dead" that I got sucked into on Sunday afternoon. And I go back and forth, mill and outside, until I get the mileage done.

I don't have to carry water, I don't have to carry GU, I don't have to plan a route because I can just run wherever for a couple of miles (which opens up many intriguing possibilities for place I don't ordinarily run to and from that are a short distance away), I don't have to worry about bathroom breaks and where to take them, I don't have to feel guilty about leaving the dogs for long periods, I don't have to drive anywhere. It is great.

I got a 10 miler done last Monday, and another 12 this Sunday. And I didn't feel as beat up as I usually do after. That's something.

Another new thing I'm trying that I do like: GU Chomps. So far I've had the orange and the strawberry. Very satisfying. I don't know how they would be to carry on a long run, but with this new method that involves me having to walk through the kitchen every couple of miles, they work great.

Fairfax 5k race report

No one reads them anyway so I will just put it here. I did this one on Saturday morning. I haven't done it in a bunch of years. I guess the date conflicted with dog shows or something. It's in the neighborhood and even closer than I realized when I actually decided to run to the start instead of driving my car.

Yeah, so to make it a longer run, I ran to and from the race. It's a bit over 2 miles from my house. Last night I suddenly realized just how familiar I am with the course, since I have to drive about half of it everytime I go to and from the dog training club. And the route there is part of a 4-mile out and back that I do pretty regularly.

The nice thing about the run there is that it was mostly downhill until the end, which I walked so I would not be too out of breath when I went to pick up my race number. I was pretty sweaty and disgusting by that point, and feeling quite self-conscious.

It was a very small crowd this year, less than 75 people for the walk and the run. Don Connolly (race director) actually told us all at the start that they would just skip the award ceremony and hand us our medals as we crossed the finish line, since they had more than enough medals to give one to everyone there. That worked for me, because I didn't want to stay for the awards ceremony since I needed to get going on that jog back home before I stiffened up.

A newspaper article had said that they were hoping to get over a hundred people this year. I guess there was just too much competition, with at least two other 5ks going on at the same time this weekend. I know there were more people there last year, when Susan and Becky ran it. I think there was a high school girls team that showed up last year, and they skipped it this time for some reason.

It's a double loop course. They always describe it as mostly flat, which is ridiculous because it is more than half hills. For some reason, the hills didn't seem as long or as steep to me this year. I've done this one in the 23-24 minute range, but that was a long time ago. Last time, I was in the 27s, but that was on a year when I had already done the Madiera Mile and the Hyde Park Blast in the days right before this race. My goal time was 28:30 (9:10 pace), very modest but in line with my current training and racing.

At the start, lined up behind the fitter-looking women. Not too many of them, so couldn't go too far back. Went through the first mile under 9 minute pace, and was pretty pleased. Passed a woman wearing an Ipod right away, and happy with that too. Passed two of the fit women right before the first water stop at the halfway point back by the start/finish area. Just kept thinking, glide, glide, glide---that is kind of my new mantra, I guess. I am smooth and I glide. I just glide right past you.

Well, before too long the fitter of these two women couldn't take it anymore so she passed me back. I let her get ahead but stayed pretty close behind her. Sometimes drafting off her, sometimes just using her for shade. Second mile was in the 8:40s. Woohoohoo. And I wasn't even feeling too bad.

Didn't see a mile marker for 3. Tried to finish strong without throwing up. Could have caught that woman but that would have meant throwing up. Her friend was struggling and well back. They turned out to be younger than me anyway.

Finished in an official time of 27:24, which was much better than my goal, and even a little faster than the last time I did this race. Had a cup of water, walked around in circles for a bit to catch my breath, and then grabbed another cup of water to sip on as I started the slog home. I basically walked until the water was gone and then switched to a jog. It wasn't as awful as I expected, even though it was mostly uphill.

In the end, I was 8th woman overall (not saying much since it was such a small race) but only 3 of 3 in my age group. The women who beat me (by several minutes) were so far ahead that I never saw them after the start.

So, glad I got in this pretty good little workout close to home, and I will try to make it back there for this race when the schedule permits.

Trying to decide

Can't make up my mind if I will run today or not. Doing Fairfax Day 5k tomorrow. Not that I am going to be competitive. Well, I guess if I am going to run I should get to it.

My New Training Log

It is time to turnover to a new training log. For the past, what, 10-12 years I have been using "The Runner's Training Diary" from Bob & Shelly Glover. Obviously I must like it, or else I really don't like change. Or both!

I do like it, but they revised it a couple of years ago and I liked the previous edition better. Because I really don't like change at all! Mostly, what they did was put a bunch more info in the back. Good info but not really needed, and it makes it more difficult to flip back and forth between the diary pages and the yearly summary pages and the charts and schedules---all of which I use a lot.

So I decided to try something new. Ordered "The Runner's Diary" from Matt Fitzgerald. Will start using it next week. But have dipped into it a bit and not sure I like it better. There are a few things I'll like but other things I will miss.

What I don't like so far:

• Bigger, more awkward size, plus oversized cover pages that will get bent and look messy
• Doesn't have the handy marathon training schedules like the Glover book
• Has pace charts, but not the handy predictor charts that Glover has
• 4 pages per week vs. 2 pages per week in Glover, will make it hard to flip around from week to week
• Doesn't have the little spot to write in what shoes I wore, so I have to just put it in the regular notes

What I do like:

• Monthly Planning Calendar pages where I can record a summary of my planned runs for the whole month
• That's it, actually, I can't find anything else I like better at the moment

What I am neutral about right now:

• The spaces to record your nutrition for the day, because although it sounds appealing who knows if I will actually be able to keep up with it
• The "rating" space, because again, who knows if I will actually use that
• Intensity Factor, which might be fun to track if I can get the hang of computing it easily. You are supposed to take your current, "functional threshold pace" (the pace you could sustain for an hour in race conditions), convert that to seconds per mile, and then compare it to how fast you ran your workout. So you get an intensity percentage. Now who knows what my FTP is? So I am just going to figure it on a 60 minute 10k or something like that. Anyway, whatever you use, as long as you keep using the same thing I guess the Intensity Factors could be compared to each other. Doesn't this sound like too much work, though? That's what I'm thinking.
• Weekly Summary, again could be good if I use it, but will it be too much work.

Egg Nog Jog

I never wrote about the last 5k I did back in December so I wrote about it today. And here it comes, below. First, somebody just asked me for my blog address. Since I don't really want my blog to be a public thing, I told him I had deleted it! This is more like a diary and it creeps me out that strangers might find it. I would use an actual diary or journal but I've never found one I liked. And so, we blog. Once in awhile, in a great long while.

This is the 5k I ran back on December 19. I ran three 5ks in the month of December, because I missed racing and I was hoping it would help me gain some speed. This was the last of the three races.

This one takes place in the Cincinnati neighborhood known as Mt. Adams. That means it’s not flat, although the race route itself is not as hilly as it could be. Mt. Adams is an area of upscale shops and restaurants where Tommy and I spent a lot of date nights back in the day (or night). It is also the home of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Playhouse in the Park, and Krohn Conservatory (all located in Eden Park, part of which you run through during the Flying Pig).

My original plan was to bring my dog Eddy along for this one, as he had joined me on the previous two 5ks earlier in the month and we had a lot of fun together. But a snow/ice storm on race morning changed my plans. His feet are very sensitive and I didn’t want him running on the salt encrusted roads. I also didn’t want to take a chance on me losing my balance on the ice while I was also holding onto his leash. So Ed stayed home.

On the upside, this meant that I could hang out after the race in the coffee shop/wine bar that was the site of the awards ceremony.

Last time I ran this race was ten years ago, when I finished in 24:16 according to my records, and placed third in my age group. Two age groups later, I was not expecting a time that fast, but still hoping for a placement. The day before the race, I picked up my number and t-shirt (and chip, yes, chip for this relatively small local race) at the running shoe store, where I overheard the manager (who is one of our local studs) talking about how last time he ran it (when he was in high school), he and the other leaders took a wrong turn that resulted in the course being shortened. Turns out that was the same year that I last ran it! So I know I can’t expect too much.

On race morning, I drove our old Ford Explorer to the start because it seemed best equipped to handle to road conditions (and the chance that somebody might skid into me). Hilly Mt. Adams is not big fun to drive around in on a snowy morning. And even on a good day, it’s no fun trying to find a parking space there. I drove around the streets near the coffee shop a few times before I found a nice, big space in front of a townhouse about two blocks from the start.

Mt. Adams is just a couple miles from my house but I realized I had not been there in years. The wine shop where we used to go for tastings is gone, but the Blind Lemon where we used to sit on the back patio and listen to music is still there. The coffee shop and wine bar that we runners are hanging out in are new to me, though.

Warmed up my legs running around the block a few times from my car, and was especially glad that I didn’t bring Ed because the roads were heavily salted. Lined up at the start back with the old geezers. Race start was uphill but it leveled off a bit soon enough. I saw the “man who doesn’t wear shirt but should”---he was wearing a shirt this time though and I passed him sooner than usual, which was a good sign. Also dumped a number of the geezers.

We ran around the Playhouse/Museum area (relatively flat part) and I saw a guy running with a Beagle. He would have to win First Dog this time.

Missed the first mile marker. Mile two had a significant downhill section, and then we hit a flat out-and-back across a grassy (or rather, snowy and slushy) field (what?!) which was quite unpleasant. I am guessing this was the section of the course that was left out in 1999, because I know I would have remembered it. There was some lady in pink that I was trying to pass.

My time on my watch at the mile two mark was 17:18 but this included a little bit of extra time getting to the start. Mile 1 was more like 9 minutes, mile 2 with the downhill was like 8 minutes. In the third mile we had to climb back uphill, and I did manage to pass pink lady. The most unpleasant part of this mile was a section where we had to run up a little parking area ramp that had not been salted. It was quite slippery and I had to stop and walk up it carefully to keep from falling.

The finish line was near Rookwood Pottery and The Celestial restaurant, which is a few blocks away from the wine bar. I don’t know why they set it up that way but that’s how they did it. My official time was 27:22, which was slower than my two previous 5ks, but I didn’t have Ed pulling me and this was a more challenging course.

I got some dry clothes from my car, changed in the car (!) and headed back up to the wine bar. They were serving egg nog, which turns out to be a most excellent recovery beverage. They also had pizza but I stuck with bagels. Found a seat at the bar and waited for the awards. I get impatient with this stuff now but it helped that there was this rather cute, Jon Bon Jovi-like guy standing next to me. (Don’t tell Tommy). So while I sat there all gross and grimy and old and fat and disheveled and sucking down the egg nog, I could fantasize that Jon Bon Jovi found me cute as well, though we never acknowledged each other’s presence. I had never seen this guy before at a race---I am sure I would have remembered!---but he looked like a regular runner and he had friends there that he was talking with about training plans for the week, etc.---not that I was eavesdropping or anything.

Anyway, eventually they got to my age group, and surprise, Jon Bon Jovi is in my age group (just like the real Bon Jovi), which I find out because he gets a prize. And then, I get one, too. I am third in the age group. I get my hardware and head back for the car, humming… oohhhhh we’re halfway there, ohhh ohhh livin’ on a prayer, take my hand, we’ll make I swear-air, ohhhh livin’ on a prayer, livin’ on a prayer…( #1 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80’s per Wikipedia). (I tried putting up a link to the Alvin & Chipmunks version of this song, which the dogs find quite disturbing, but I couldn’t get it to work. Search for it if you dare!).

Anyway, I was 3/12 in the age group, 44 of 149 women, and 146 of 359 overall.

Not good

So, next Sunday I will be participating in yet another marathon that I am not properly trained for. Things were going pretty well until a few weeks ago. In addition to the 12 miler I posted about in December, I got in a 14 miler and a 16 miler. That last one was in mid-January. I got up to 8 Yassos, also not too shabby. Then things fell apart.

Got busy, got lazy and got injured. And for the last week I haven't run at all, trying to just recover enough from the stupid injury in order to be able to get my shoes on and start the race.

It's some weird thing with my right toes. And that right foot is bad enough without this new problem. It started about 2 weeks ago, when I noticed that during a short treadmill run my foot felt like there was a small stone in the ball of the foot or like my socks were bunched up or something. But when I took the shoe off, it was more like a big red cyst under the skin, or a blister except it wasn't a blister, if that makes any sense. I tried different shoes, but by the end of the week the cysts or blisters or swelling or whatever it is had spread to several other toes, and the baby toe was particularly a mess. Red and swollen and itchy.

No problems anywhere else on my body so not an allergy.

I think it may have something to do with having to wear snow boots for the dogs walks for much of the past 2 weeks. Maybe those boots are too tight in the toes and that is causing the abrasions? Anyway, Thursday I order a bunch of new shoes online. The ones that arrived, a half-size larger, did not solve the problem, and now I am waiting on a pair that is the same size as I have been wearing but in a D width.

On Friday, I went out to DFW shoe store and found a pair with a wide toe box to wear just for walking around. On that day, the only shoes I could get on my feet to go out were the huge snow slippers that I keep in the basement to step outside in the backyard with the dogs. Awful. Anyway, these new shoes are Merrills, which I have had trouble with in the past but these seem to be okay. More flexible than the Merrills I had before, and a nice wide toe box.

Am waiting for my shoes to arrive so I can try a treadmill run. If they are going to be my marathon shoes I have to test them before the race!

I did have moments of panic last week that I had some weird cystic foot disease, or diabetes, or gangrene. But with rest and wider toe boxes the toes are looking better, so I'm not running out to the doctor just yet. Plus he'd only tell me not to do the marathon and we can't have that. And I am too embarrassed to show my feet to anyone. So they have to get better without medical assistance.

But I'm not very psyched for my visit to New Orleans. I can hardly walk. So I don't think I am going to enjoy it much.

12 miles today

Finally got another long one in today. Here is how it went:
Warmed up with 1.35 on the treadmill. Then headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day with Ed. Did 4.5 with him---my 4-5 mile route that goes up Erie Ave. and back on Observatory. We turned at Stetiniums which makes it 4.5. Had a Powergel back home with some water. Then I took Maggie out for 3 miles around the park. This was maybe too much for her because she hasn't been running with me in a long time and she is kind of heavy now. And she's no spring chicken either. She wasn't in distress and she wasn't limping, but we had to go very slowly. Back at home, had another Powergel with water. And then I finished up with a slow 3.05 on the treadmill, which was pretty much agony the way the last few miles always is.

But I got it done! It took forever but I got it done!

In other news, they finally posted the results from our Reindeer Romp on Saturday. Well, I guess I should have hung around for the awards. Turns out I won my age group and they had me as third woman overall. Really I was fourth woman but they placed me ahead of that young woman who finished just ahead of me. They did give us the same time, and she wasn't in my age group so it doesn't really matter. But dang, I didn't realize the race was that small. I thought there were tons of people ahead of me, and I didn't know how deep they were going on the awards so I didn't bother to stay. Never thought I'd win my age group!

I was1 of 4 in the AG, 3 (really 4) of 44 women, and 22 of 82 runners overall. I guess one reason I didn't know how few people were really ahead of me is that the 10k runners were out there too, and there were about 30 of them ahead of me for most of the race.

Easy Sunday

Did a 3-miler around the park with Ed. Yes, almost 10 minutes slower pace then we raced at yesterday, but that's because I let him stop to pee and poo as much as he needs when we're on a training run. It's a dreary, drizzly day but not so cold, so it was good to do the run outside, and with Ed, of course.

The streaking thing is going really well. My streak is two weeks long! Maybe soon I will feel worthy to actually join the streak association and pay the fee. It is helping me keep my weekly mileage up, and that can only help.

So what is up for this week? Well, I really want to try to get a 12-miler in tomorrow. Wednesday I'll hit the treadmill for intervals again, this time at 7 mph pace. Then take it easy until later in the week, when Eddy & I will probably do the Eggnog Jog in Mt. Adams, which should be our last race together this year.

Reindeer Romp Race Report

Ventured west of town on Saturday morning for another 5k with my best running buddy. This was the 3rd annual Reindeer Romp, which includes a 5k, a 10k and a kid’s fun run. The races are on flat, fast, USATF-certified courses that are a nice mix of scenic country roads and a paved bike trail. The event benefits the Crosby Kringle Chest, which provides Christmas toys for needy children, and includes a post-race pancake breakfast in the Crosby Township Senior Center.

I would have opted for the 10k, but with Eddy I need to stick to the 5k. Had the weather been snowy with a risk of ice and/or salt on the roads, I would have left him home. But it was clear and dry, although quite cold (low 20s at the start). I had considered doing this race last year, but I remember the weather was really miserable that weekend so I stayed home.

This is about a 35 minute drive from my house. Eddy and I arrived slightly less than an hour before the start of the race, which I thought might be too early, but the small parking lot was already full and we had to park on a grassy field next to the building. I picked up my race packet, deposited my toy donation (Holiday Barbie), visited the restroom, and went back to the car to get Ed.

The race shirt (included with registration) is better than most. It’s long-sleeved navy blue cotton with a cute red & white design.

Eddy & I headed out for our warm-up on the little quarter mile trail in front of the senior center. After I was warmed up and I was satisfied that Eddy was as “empty” as possible, we headed back over to the registration area to hang out. Eddy was the only dog in attendance at this event. He got to meet some new people, and we did some “breed education” as it seemed that nobody there had ever seen a Flatcoat before. He was a good ambassador for Flatcoats.

Since I didn’t know much about the course, I had previously emailed the race director to make sure that Eddy would be welcome. She advised me that we should be sure to line up in the back of the pack, on the outside of the curve and just in front of the walkers, to avoid getting in the way of the faster runners. The race used chip timing but only for the finish line. Still, it wasn’t such a big crowd so I wasn’t too concerned about where we started, and I certainly didn’t want to cause any accidents with Eddy’s presence.

Even starting in the back of the pack, we were much less boxed-in than at last weekend’s race, so it really didn’t cost us much. Hit the first mile marker in 8:40, which was slightly faster than our average pace last weekend. Just like last weekend, my goofy boy was all business once the gun went off. He is a very focused racer!

I stopped at the water station for a drink. I assumed it was water but it was some sort of sports drink, which I really didn’t need for a winter 5k. I swallowed it and immediately realized it was a bad idea. Eddy just rolled his eyes at me. He really does not like to stop during these races! And then he took off like a rocket, seemingly intent on passing all ten or so people who had gone by us during the break.

Mile 2 was an 8:34. So now it was looking pretty good for us to beat our time from last week and get a new PR for Eddy. I started getting warm, so I unzipped my jacket and removed my hat. It was a pain to carry the hat in one hand and the leash in the other, but I just had to deal. The brim of the hat was too big to cram into my jacket pocket.

Eddy definitely had a lot left, and I had to hold him back a bit in the last mile, because I could not go that fast or I was going to toss the sports drink. Did not hit my watch at the 3 mile but our time was 9:01 for the last 1.1, about 20 seconds faster than last weekend at the end. The time on my watch was 26:15, or about 44 seconds faster than last weekend. The course was flat, and I am learning how to race again.

In the last half mile, we were passed by a tall blonde woman. I was pretty sure that she was not in my age group, so I let her go, but post-race it is really bothering me. In the last stretch, she was slowing down and we for sure could have caught her, even if it did mean I would have thrown up the sports drink. I am not letting that happen again. Letting somebody beat us like that, I mean. Throwing up, that just happens sometimes.

Post race I played some Frisbee with Ed in the field next to the senior center. Maybe we should have done the 10k after all. Then I put him in the car and went inside to change into dry clothes. The pancakes smelled really good, but I didn’t feel right about hanging out while he waited in the car, and so for the second week in a row I left a race without getting any food! I am going to have to start bringing food with me to these things.

Have no idea how we finished in the pack, because the results are not online yet. It would be nice to think that I placed in my age group but I really have no idea. But I enjoyed this little race, and I am loving running these things with Eddy, so I think we will be back next year.

My Foot Hurts

Did 5+ miles on the treadmill. First I did a little bit of the hill program at a walking speed. Ugh, remember never to do that again. Really aggravated the achilles. Then I did a bunch on the speed interval program at level 6. So, I'm glad I got the run in, but now my foot is really hurting. Maybe it's from the stupid snow boots.

Trying another template

I like this one better. Too bad I am not creative enough or knowledgable enough to create something on my own.

I just decided to add my personal records to the sidebar. Saw another blogger who had done that. Maybe it will inspire me. Of course, her PRs were fairly new as it looks like running is fairly fresh for her. My PRs are 7-9 years old! I don't know, it might still inspire me.

Want to make it prettier

I have been trying to change the colors of this blog away from the template, but have been unsuccessful. Maybe I am stuck with this.

Am going to try to do 5 on the treadmill today. It's cold outside, even if it is sunny.

Signed up to do the Reindeer Romp over in Harrison on Saturday morning, hoping to bring Ed. There is a 5k and a 10k, and if I was going by myself I'd do the 10k but with Ed it has to just be the 5k. But I wonder if I will really feel like doing it if it turns insanely cold by then, or even if I will want to bring Ed if there is a risk that they will have salted the roads.

I emailed the race director to ask whether dogs were allowed, and she said it was okay but would prefer I line up in the back so as not trip anybody at the start. I'm cool with that as long as we don't get impossibly blocked in. Mostly am just wanting to get Ed out of the house and away from Zen, who is in season.

Interval Day!

Did the same interval workout as last Wednesday on the treadmill, but a little faster. Long w/u, followed by 4 x 1/2 mile @ 6.9 mph (about 8:42 pace, or just about current 5k race pace) with 3 minute recoveries (1 minute @ 3.5 mph or walking, 2 minutes @ 5 mph or a slow jog), followed by a short cool down @ 5 mph and then the cool down setting on the treadmill for 5 minutes.

I feel better when I run faster than when I am slogging at 5 mph. Wore the NB 1130s again today, am loving them.

Consistency is hard

So I'm running everyday but I'm not blogging every day.

Yesterday I did 4 miles on the treadmill. I did the speed interval program on level 5, with a tiny bit of level 4 near the end. My foot hurt in my old stiff Brooks Addiction shoes.

Today I did the bare minimum to keep the streak alive. Just 1.15 on the treadmill. Was going to go for 5 miles but am distracted by thoughts of my little girl dog, Zen, who is having surgery this afternoon to remove a blockage.

Today's run

Today did the 4-mile "Mooney" loop with Ed. This was mid-day, after a morning 2-mile dog walk and giving Zen a bath. It was cold (low 30s and some wind) but sunny when we started. Glad we went out when we did because the sun was gone by the time we turned around, and if I had waited any longer I would have ended up on the treadmill.

We finished in 48:28 which is slow but that includes lots of pee breaks and one poop break for Ed. Had to let him have it since he was such a good boy yesterday!

Catching up

I am going to try again to post regularly. I am running regularly, I should write regularly.

So....first thing is, I have begun a running streak. This will enable me to become a member of the US Running Streak Association: http://www.runeveryday.com/ . Kind of a silly thing but what the heck? You only have to run one continuous mile per day to count it towards a streak. No reason I can't do that. And they let you do it on a treadmill. So why not do that? Even on the days I'm not planning to run, no reason I can't climb on the treadmill and do a mile. I don't even have to dress for that.

So I started the streak thing last Monday, and I've run every day since, and actually only Friday was a 1 mile day.

Second thing was I did the Born to Run race again in NJ the day after Thanksgiving. This year got my sister to do it. She resisted more and more the closer we got to the race, and even during the race tried to get me to leave her but I stuck with her because I didn't care how slow we went. She is always looking for a reason to quit. But we finished. I did not think our time was that bad for a jog/walk, but at that race it did put us pretty far back in the pack. 657 finishers and we were 643 and 644, so only a handful of people behind us. Funny, my sister cared more about that than I did. Well, if you want to do better, you have to train!

And third thing is, speaking of training, I decided I ought to get out there for a 5k, so I signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis on Saturday. Decided to bring Eddy along to run with me since he has turned into quite the running partner. And I knew that this race was okay to do with dogs because I walked it with Logan a few years ago. I would have left him home if we had snow though because I didn't want him to have to run through the salt on the roads. Fortunately, although it was cold we did not have precipitation.

Earlier in the week, I actually did some 1/2 mile repeats to see what kind of pace I could stand. I usually do them (Yasso 800s) for fast marathon training but I have found in the past they seemed to approximate my 5k pace also. So I got on the mill and did a few at 6.7 mph, which is just under a 9:00 pace. And that felt okay, not too challenging, so I figured I should be good for at least a sub-28:00 5k. I really hoped that I wasn't going over 28 minutes because I don't know if I've ever raced a 5k that slow in my life. I know I'm getting decrepit but I want to hold that off as long as I can.

Eddy was great at the race, a perfect gentleman. I kept him on a very short leash, and we were able to run in the thick of the pack without getting in anyone's way. He did not once try to pull away to pee on anything, and we took care of the pooping before the race started. Of course, there really isn't any nice grassy area to poop along that course anyway so it was especially important to take care of it ahead of time. We got lots of compliments on how handsome and well-behaved he was.

We had a good race, me and Ed. 8:55, 8:45, 8:27 and 52 seconds for the last bit, for a finish time of 26:59. This put me 7th of 43 in the age group, not enough for a placement (they only went 5 deep), but I was pretty pleased anyway. And Eddy was the first dog. Not that there is any kind of prize for that but it was fun anyway. As we came around the last bend, people started cheering for him and yelling "first dog" the way they do for the first man or woman. I am proud of my Ed and looking forward to many more races with him.

To run today or not?

Trying to decide if I will run today. At the moment I am still digesting lunch, so I don't have to decide right away.

Ran the State-to-State half marathon in Oxford, OH on Sunday. Had a goal of 2:25 to 2:30, horrendously slow but matched my horrendous training. It went better than expected, and I finished under 2:19. Seven minutes slower than last year and a new PW but nice, even splits, which I haven't generally seen in this race. It's a hilly out and back and usually you're running into the sun on the way back. This year it was quite cool and overcast, which helped tremendously.

I have a streak going at this race, having finished every year since the inaugural event. So I had to go do it even if I wasn't up for it. This was the 7th year, and I'm hoping that if I keep going I might eventually be the only woman who has done it every year. They gave us autographed copies of a book for the 5th year, and at that time there were just a handful of women who had done all five races.

So I was a bit worried post race when I checked the results and they didn't have my time recorded. Fortunately, I contacted the timing company and the race directors, and they got it straightened out and I am in there now. Whew!

Just a week and a half to Baltimore. Looks like my sister and niece will be joining me there. We need to find someplace good to go for the pasta dinner.

Feel Like Giving Up

The running has not been going well the past few months. I'm not even making 20 miles a week lately. I haven't gone further than 6-8 in over a month. No way I am ready for the half-marathon this weekend and the marathon in a couple of weeks.

Issues with my foot

Have been stuggling a lot lately with my sore right foot/bone spur/plantar fascia/achilles/whatever it's all connected anyway. Probably was not a good idea to run that 5k 36 hours before the Delaware Marathon. Also probably wasn't a good idea to run every day the week after the marathon, which I thought I had to do because after that I would have almost two weeks off at dog shows.

Then I really aggravated while we were at the FCR Nationals, running around the conformation ring with Zen. Felt a pain in it after I showed her the second day, and I could barely walk on it after that.

Then I got home, and before I had a chance to get better, I stupidly ran a fast 5k. Got sucked into entering by my daughter. It's a race in the neighborhood that I do like but it was a bad time for me to be racing. I told myself I was just going to jog but in the end the competitive fires got the better of me. It's one where the top 25 men and top 25 women get nice glass beer steins. I have two of them from previous years and I wanted a third. Bummer, I finished 31st but worse than that, I could barely walk afterwards. In fact, I couldn't walk home. We had to hitch a ride from a kind stranger.

So since then (early June) things have been bad. I got so desperate I even spent a ridiculous amount of money on off-the-shelf orthotics from The Good Feet store. What a rip off. Anyway, it's been six weeks or so now and I think that maybe it is slowly getting better. As usual, time off from running does not seem to help at all. I feel worse after skipping a day than if I run, somehow.

Am thinking about making and keeping a little log of my footwear and activity to see if there is any pattern, because it seems like I have to wear something a little different every day to keep it at bay. Some days I need the mega-inserts from The Good Feet store. Other days, I get relief from mere Powerstep insoles. And some days, I even feel best wearing just the insoles the shoe came with. I don't really see a pattern to it, so I'm wondering if there is one.

Delaware Marathon Part One

Got on the plane Saturday morning and flew to Delaware. Quads were a little sore, right foot was a lot sore. Took some Aleve.

Cathy picked me up at the airport and we headed to Wilmington, and after some confusion with the GPS (apparently Wilmington actually has two streets named Delaware Avenue!) we arrived at the Sheraton, where they let us check in early. Pretty good for a race hotel, with self-parking for just $12, only a mile to the start of the race (and we needed to drive to avoid the slums), and a spacious, comfortable suite for $99.

The small expo was down at the park where the race started and finished. First we hit the Riverfront Market for lunch. Kind of like a food court with a vegetable market in the middle, and like much of Wilmington, seemed a little down on its heels.

At the expo/packet pickup, I purchased a nice black water-repellant cap from the New Balance shop selling race logo wear. I also bought a t-shirt that had the names of all the registered marathon runners on the back. Kinda silly because the first time I wash it you probably won't be able to read my name anymore. Cathy also bought a hat. Not too much else there, just that logo-wear shop and another vendor selling running attire. Oh, and a booth with some local personal trainers or something of no interest to us travellers.

In addition to our race t-shirts, which were New Balance technical tops but unfortunately for me in a man's size and cut, the race goody bags also included a souvenir beer glass and a sticker for your car window.

I needed sunscreen and vasoline and snacks and food for Sunday morning breakfast, and Cathy had forgotten to pack underwear. I decided the food court did not have good enough quality fruit, so we headed off in search of a mall or supermarket. Found a large, new Shop-Rite supermarket down along the riverfront area, where we were able to fulfill all our requirements. For snacks, we ended up with Pepperidge Farm Mint Milanos and Chips Ahoy cookies, along with a quart of skim milk. For breakfast, I got some bananas and some chocolate iced cake donuts.

Then it was back to the hotel where Cathy took a nap until it was time to head for the pasta dinner (she had been up until 4 am gambling in Atlantic City that morning before she picked me up).

Around 5:30, we headed to the pasta dinner, which was held at the Joe's Crab Shack, about a mile from the race start. Should have been a clue about the quality that they had chosen this as the restaurant. But the race organizers had made it sound like it would be a fun time. And how hard is it to serve up a decent plate of pasta and sauce?

I guess it was too hard for Joe's Crab Shack. Absolute worst pasta dinner I have ever attended. Just disgusting.

First problem was, we had expected that there would be a private room or section set off just for the runners, but in fact it seemed like they had us all mixed in with other people. We were seated outside, with two guys, a father and son who were also doing the race. The promised band was playing, a group of doctors from the local hospital (race sponsor), and it was impossible to have a conversation over the din of their "music."

While we were waiting impatiently for service, I suggested that we go somewhere else, but Cathy didn't agree, perhaps because we had already paid and would have to push to get our money back, or she didn't want to make a scene.

The guys sitting next to us were served first as they had been seated before us. Teeny little salads, but I wasn't expecting that much from the salad so was not too alarmed. But then their pasta arrived and it was cold! So they older guy sent his back.

They were having the marinara sauce, which is bad enough cold, but we had ordered the olive oil. The pasta was available with and without shrimp, and we went out on a limb and ordered the shrimp. We were of course expecting full-size shrimp. But no, we got just those tiny little prawns. And worse, in a luke warm and rancid tasting sauce. Not sure if it was even really olive oil. It was truly disgusting. So after eating a little and pushing it around on the plate, we said goodbye to the guys, wished them luck on the race, and got up and left.

On the way out, I stopped at the registration table and let the guy taking people's money know that it was the worst pasta dinner ever. Didn't try to get my money back because we had already eaten half of the food, but we did tell everyone waiting online that they would be better off going someplace else, and some of them did.

We ended up at a brew pub right next store, and got a table at the bar just in time to watch the Preakness, which was better anyway. This food was pretty good and didn't cost much more than we had already spent on the pasta dinner. I need to remember that few of those pasta dinners are really worth attending.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to watch a little bit of TV before going to bed early. I forgot that the Adidas Track Classic was on ESPN2, and I only got to catch a few minutes of it before bed.

Sunday morning, I got up at 4 am for my pre-race coffee and breakfast. Cathy got up at 5 and we headed down to the start around 6. Cathy had already decided that she was not going to do the half-marathon she was registered for, because she really was not trained for it. So she was mostly just there to support me, and she did an excellent job.

We had to drive to the start even though it was not that far from the hotel because the area in between the hotel and the riverfront is basically a slum. There was a race shuttle from the hotel but seating was limited, so they were encouraging people to drive. Plus the shuttle was leaving at 5:20 and that was too early for me. Everyone we had spoken to the day before had said that we should park over by the Joe's Crab Shack and walk from there, but I was skeptical because that was almost a mile away. So I suggested we drive down close the start and see what we found, and in fact there was a lot directly across the street from the start where we could park all day for $3.

We sat in the car until about 6:30---it was quite cold and a bit rainy---before we went over to the start area. I was wearing a throw away old cotton t-shirt and nylon anorak over a short-sleeved technical top and my CW-X capri tights. And of course, a hat---this time, the hat from my most recent marathon in Chickamauga because it was fairly water repellant and even matched my shirt (light gray).

Ducked into a portapotty where there was no line. Found out after that was because it was reserved for people with medical "issues." Cathy said this was okay because I am crazy and that counts as a medical issue!

Then we found a park bench where we could sit and wait for the race to start. There was dj playing upbeat tunes from the 80s, but otherwise it was all fairly low key. The race was full but they put a pretty low cap on it because I guess they wisely realize that the course will not accomodate a very large field. Most of the out of state runners are, like me, members of the 50 States Club or the Marathon Maniacs or both.

Just before the race was to start, of course the wind picked up and it started raining harder. I had ditched the throw away cotton shirt but had to keep the anorak. Ended up putting it on and taking it off throughout the race as we turned corners and faced headwinds and rain. It's really quite a mess, shredded on the bottom and at the cuffs, and now with some gigantic holes from one occasion when Zen got a hold of it. And at one point it got stuck in the zipper of my fanny pack and I yanked it out so now it is even worse. But it survived to come home with me again anyway.

I am getting tired and will finish this later.

Note to self: it is not a good idea to race a 5k 36 hours before a marathon

So I did go ahead and enter the Kilgour race, and though I thought I was going to just jog it, somehow I ended up racing anyway. Was feeling pretty good Friday afternoon and decided to go for it. Okay, did not run all out down the hills like I would have if I didn't care about my knees and didn't have a marathon to run in 36 hours. But pushed it pretty hard.

Ended up with a 27:10, which is a little slow for that race in the direction we ran this year, but still hard for me in my fat and untrained state. 2 of 4 in my age group (first race as a 50 year old) and 21 of 161 women, 75 of 200 overall runners. This is the first year I didn't finish in the top 10 women, although it was not my slowest time ever at this race.

A Rare Good Day

Had a good run today. Haven't felt this good in months. It was just a four-miler, including a lap of the Kilgour 5k route. I took the Powersteps out of my shoes and put the original insoles back in. I think the Powersteps made the shoes too snug, so they were causing more problems than they solved. Anyway, it was nice to feel good on a run for a change.

Felt so good that I am now thinking about entering the Kilgour 5k, even though that is the Friday night before the Delaware Marathon on Sunday. But I already know that I am going to suck at the marathon, because my weight is way up and my training is way down. So it's not like I am going to blow a Boston qualifier by running that 5k less than two days before. And it is a pretty fun little race. And I don't have to run it hard. She says.

Back at it

The cold cost me a week of training. Well, to be honest, the cold plus dog shows cost me a week of training.

Got a little in last week, still felt a bit weak.

Then, travelled to NJ to visit my sister and run the MORE half-marathon in Central Park on Sunday. Yeah, I should have been doing a 20-miler. What else is new. I figured the race would be enough. Could have done the full as a long run, but had heard enough bad things about the event to make me shy away from that. Two laps of Central Park would have to be enough.

Well, it turned out to be unseasonably hot, so they cancelled the race at the last minute. What they did was, they totally cancelled the full marathon (so glad I wasn't signed up for that!) and told us that we could all run the half-marathon as a "fun run," and we should turn in our chips because they wouldn't be timing us. Oh, and they were now only going to keep the course open for 3 hours instead of 6 1/2, so if you were a walker who would take more than 3 hours (or if you could not make it to mile 7 in 1:45) you should only do one lap.

I decided right then that one lap would be enough for me too. So we decided I would run my one lap, then maybe run back to Cathy and walk in with her. She was definitely only doing one lap. I had previously set a goal pace of 9:00 so I would theoretically break 2 hours. Don't know how I thought that was going to happen after I couldn't even run sub-9:00s for the 15k a month ago. And then after I got sick and was so under-trained anyway, I just thought I'd go out there and see what would happen. Still thinking I might pleasantly surprise myself.

Not. Anyway, it was immediately evident that the race organizers had no choice about the cancelling of the race. It was pretty damn hot. I started with Cathy back in the 10:00 corral. It took us over 6 minutes to get to the start, mostly walking. I was passing people the entire way but I wasn't exactly tearing it up. First two miles were both 10:27s. I took water and Gatorade at the water stops, and walked through those. They had water stops every mile and they were well-staffed and well-stocked, but I wonder what it was like the second time around (and what it would have been like for lap 3 and 4 if you were doing the marathon).

In miles 3 and 4, I picked it up a bit with a 9:31 and a 9:29. I guess those must be the downhills? Then I remember we were going uphill and there was no shade and I started thinking maybe I was risking heat stroke, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I was really sucking down the Gatorade at the fluid stations.

Mile 5 was 10:17, mile 6 was 10:24, and I was wondering why they didn't just make it a 10k. I was still passing people, though. Coming up on mile 7, I started looking for a place to drop out. Looked like everybody else was going around for a second loop. I was just about the only one quitting. But I just couldn't see any point to continuing. By dropping out, I would enable us to get home sooner and get lunch! It wasn't a race anymore anyway. Plus, I was cooked.

So finally, I cut over to the grass, and started walking toward the finish area, just in time to see Magdalena Lewy Boulet win with a time of 1:18 or so. She was the unofficial winner because it wasn't a race anymore. That's right, she almost lapped me! I ran 7 miles in 1:10:33, she ran 13.1 in 1:18.

I headed down to the food tables and I was probably the first person there, because most people were still going around for their second lap, and the fast women don't eat. I had a delicious chocolate chocolate chip bagel, a banana, and more Gatorade.

Tried to call Cathy but she wasn't answering. Walked back to look for her, but eventually got bored with that and was too tired to walk or jog towards where she might be, so I headed for a bench near 64th street where we had parked the car, and hung out there until Cathy showed up. She said she did her loop in around 1:45, with a sub-15:00 pace, so she was pretty happy. Honestly she was in a lot better shape than I was. She kept talking about how nice the downhills were. All I remember were the uphills!

Today I made it out for a little 3.1 mile jog on the route I call "Shady Lane." It was slow. It's still really hot, and this was mid-day after walking the dogs. Have put Powerstep insoles in my shoes, which seems to help but now I am wondering if I need to go up a half-size in the shoes, back to a 7. With the heat and the Powersteps, it's getting pretty snug in there.

no running today

Caught Susan's cold. Actually it started for me yesterday, so this is day 2. Yesterday I definitely knew I had a cold but I managed to get out for a walk in the rain with the dogs anyway. Got progressively worse during the day and miserable last night. And now I'm in that weak state, with the chills. So didn't even make it out for dog walks today. On Ed's insistance, we did manage 45 minutes of backyard frisbee, however.

Susan wants to try her 20-miler on Thursday afternoon. I might join her for five miles of it if I recover enough.

Pavillion Loops

Yesterday I wanted to do 15 miles and, if remotely possible, 20. Had originally planned to do 20 at Lunken Airport with Sooze, but she got sick. Thought about trying to do my three loop ten-miler twice. But that is mostly on sidewalks and couldn’t deal with the pounding.

Prompted by a guy that Tommy and I (or actually, just Tommy because I was oblivious to it until he pointed it out) have seen running loops around the pavilion in Ault Park, I decided that maybe I would give that a try.

I figured out that it is about .75 miles from my house up to the pavilion, and that the pavilion loop is about .65 miles around. A 20 miler is about 30 loops. Somehow that did not seem insane to me sitting here at my desk contemplating it.

The reality was far different.

Anyway, it was a pretty nice day for a long run. Temperatures in the upper 40s but bright sun and not too much wind, and the temps were climbing to the low 60s later in the day. But it was still in the 40s when I headed out.

I wore my CW-X tights, a black short-sleeved technical tee shirt from the New Year’s 5 mile race last year, my light blue hat from the Lady Distance Classic, and my hydration vest filled with ice water. Had not worn that vest for awhile, and it was more comfortable than I remembered. On my feet, I was wearing the NB 763s.

My knee felt a little worrisome as I ran up the street. I attribute this sudden rush of knee disability to moving the furniture around the living room on Friday night, and a couple of days of running with Ed. Yes, Ed was staying home for this one. Anyway, by the time I had gone a half mile, the knee was okay.

Started the first loop in my customary direction (counter-clockwise) and all was well. Took 9:44 to reach the start of the circle and 7:10 for the first lap, which included a one-minute walking break soon after I started the loop. Decided that 7 minute pace per loop would be acceptable. Decided to change direction at the beginning of each new loop. Had considered changing less often but that was the easiest way to remember. Kept track of my laps by using the split counter on my Nike running watch.

Well, I only made it 12 times around. It was a lot harder than I expected. Part of the problem was psychological. With it being Easter Sunday, and a lovely day, the park was unusually full of people, and I became acutely conscious that it was obvious to some of them that there was a crazy lady running loops of the pavilion. Also, there were at least two guys doing something similar, except they were walking, and that weirded me out too because I kept lapping them. I really would have preferred to be alone out there. Or else with some company, like Susan.
Splits were: 1) 7:10, 2) 6:53, 3) 6:26, 4) 6:39, 5) 6:57, 6) 6:47, 7) 6:46, 8) 6;57, 9) 7:10 (at this point decided that if I had two loops over 7 minutes in a row I would quit), 10) 6:40, 11) 6:53 and 12) 7:09 (at which point I decided I was really sick of the park and wanted to at least go someplace else).

Oh, also there was this old guy on a bicycle also doing loops of the pavillion. I've seen him before so that didn't bother me, but what did creep me out a bit was that he decided to change his route the same time I did and I ran into him again twice on my way home.

So I headed out of the park the way I normally would on my 3 mile loop, then decided that maybe I would try to see how much of my regular 10 mile run I could fit in, now that I was all warmed up. So instead of stopping at the top of the stairs the way I usually do, I headed back down the hill and the trail to my house.

But when I got to the house, I saw Susan’s car was here so I decided I should go in and see her. I thought maybe she was over her cold and we could go out for another five miles. Well, turned out she was just here to do laundry and hang out, and still sick so she couldn’t run. And by that point I didn’t really want to go back out so that was it.

Anyway, I got in about 10.25 miles, which is better than nothing. And now I have a cold too, so that might be it for the week. We’ll see. Time was 1:55:12, which is quite slow but it is a hilly run, and I thought my loop times were pretty consistent if you consider that the walk breaks occurred at various places on each loop. I think I might try this strategy again on a day when I can have the park to myself.

Broadview with Ed

Another run with Ed. I have actually run all seven days this week. Not far but something. Today I wanted to go out for just a little one right after our morning dog walk, and Ed insisted that he wanted to come along even though we had just returned from a two-plus mile walk.

A nice, sunny morning, temps in the upper 40s. Very pleasant and not too warm for Ed. I wore an old, white turtleneck and an old pair of thin lycra tights. We ran the route that I am calling "Broadview," which is down the hill, a loop around Broadview, back up the hill, and a little side jaunt through the neighborhood. Ends up being about 3.1 miles. Our time was 32:54, not too bad on this hilly route and again, with plenty of pee breaks for Ed.

Shady Lane with Ed

Ran the route I call “Shady Lane” this afternoon with Ed. This is a 3.1 mile loop with a turnaround here. I call it Shady Lane because that is the street where you turn. Temps in the high 50s. Wore my old blue and turquoise print capri Moving Comfort tights, and a royal blue turtleneck. I know I didn’t need the turtleneck, but thought it would make me feel a little more like Ed if I was hot.

Ed is a wonderful running buddy. If I could just get him to stop cutting in front of me and stopping to pee on every other tree during the first mile.

Our time was 32:35, which is pretty good considering all the times he stopped to pee!

So much for that

Well, so much for that idea. I did run yesterday, but ran out of time to blog about it. Well, I’m doing it now. And I might not run today.

Anyway, I was once again out in the mid-afternoon, but this time by myself because I deemed it a bit too warm for Ed. Did the 4.25 mile loop that includes an out-and-back on the Murray Ave. bike trail. Wore capri tights and a thin long-sleeved shirt---the one from the Thanksgiving Day race a few years ago that has my name across the back. Was a little warm on the way out so rolled up the sleeves. Did put on sunscreen. Nice breeze on the way back so the sleeves were back down.

My time was a very slow 48:15. Felt pretty good at first and didn’t even have foot pain when I started, and was all congratulatory to myself about how my new strategy of wearing old running shoes to walk the dogs instead of my stiff trail shoes seemed to be paying off. But then after about a half mile the pain started and continued pretty much until about 2.5 miles in. Very sad.
A nice afternoon for a run though. Passed a young mother with a baby in a stroller, a balloon, and a pretty little toddler girl. Passed a young women with two German Shepherds pulling her around---gave her a wide berth! Thought about giving her instruction in how to properly hold the leashes when walking two big dogs. But kept my mouth shut.

3 miles with Eddy

So here is the new thing I am going to do to make myself blog. I am going to write about my run each day. Today’s run was just a little three miler around Ault Park with Eddy.

Time: A little after 3 pm.

Place: As I just said, Ault Park.

Distance: About 3 miles, maybe a little over.

Company: Eddy

Weather: Sunny, high 50s. Kinda nice. Not too warm for Mr. Ed.

Attire: Long gray tights, long sleeved-technical tee shirt from Dayton half-marathon (2002?), light blue hat from Lady Distance Classic.

Time: 32:32 (pretty good on this hilly course)

Ordinarily I start this one by running up the street from my house to the stairs. But my neighbor had just gotten home and was walking her Boxers up the street. I didn’t want to run by them with Eddy because it would just be too awkward. So instead we started out by going up the trail into the park. I suppose Eddy thought we were going trail running for a change and I considered it but I was not wearing my trail shoes, and you never know whom you are going to run into on the trail (i.e., could be other dogs who don't get on with Eddy).

So after we got to the top of the hill we just proceded on our normal route around the park. Eddy seems to understand the difference between our running route through the park and our walking route. Without he me telling him, he made the turn to go around the pavillion counterclockwise. When we walk, I always go clockwise. In fact, we did that walk just this morning.

We did encounter a few dogs out walking with their owners, and he did give them the stare, which of course generally made the other dogs jump around and bark at us while he just kept trotting along beside me. He is so full of himself.

Anyway, it was a nice little run and I didn't even have any major foot pain for a change. To make up for not running the little piece up the street, we kept going down the stairs and back down the street to the house.

Trail Run with Tommy

We did Tommy's 3 mile loop of the trails by our house today. Although I am quite slow and a bit sore from yesterday, we were two minutes faster than the last time I ran it with him---which was all the way back in September, but I'll take it.

Carrot Run

Actually had time to get a long run in this weekend instead of attending a dog show. Planned to run with my daughter. She needed to do 12 and I needed more like 15 but decided 12 with company would be good enough. Anyway, earlier this week I realized there was a 10k race scheduled on a bike trail not far from our home, and I suggested maybe we could do the race and then hang around and do another lap of the bike trail as a cool down. Combined with a warmup mile, that would give us about 12.

Susan agreed so we signed up for the race. The event is put on by a group called the Nutrition Council. This is their web site: http://www.nutritioncouncil.org/ . They promised that there would be a lot of good and healthy snacks post race, and about that more later.

The bike trail where the race was held goes around a municipal airport, public golf course and park. It's mostly flat, and a fairly boring place to run. Nonetheless, I have done a number of significant long runs there over the years, including some memorable 3-4 mile loops of the trail. But that was back in the day, as they say. Nowadays, I don't go there with the intention of doing more than one loop because I just can never seem to make myself get back out the second time.

So I knew this was going to be tough for us but figured with company it would be easier.

We did a one mile warm up prior to the race. Susan had never done that before a race, so she was skeptical, but I think she would admit now that it was a good idea. As for the race, we decided not to run together, but instead that I would run back towards her after I finished and then we would head right back out on our second loop.

So while I was saying when we signed up that I wasn't going to "race" the race, I had pretty much decided that racing was the only way to go. My goal was about 54 minutes, which according to all those little predictor tables translates into a 4:04 marathon---I need a 4:05 to BQ. So, about 8:45 pace.

But, my left knee has been acting up, and my right foot is not great. Plus it was unseasonably warm, all of a sudden. I mean, it went from about 11 degrees the other morning to over 70 this afternoon. And there was the subtle mental pressure of knowing that I was going to have to run another five mile loop after I finished the race.

So I wasn't going to run hard right from the gun, and blow the doors off in the first couple of miles. I was definitely going to run harder than I do on a training run, but nothing crazy.

They had a big crowd for this race and the bike trail is pretty narrow, so there was a lot of congestion at the start. I lined up with the pace team leaders for the 9:00 team. I could stay with them but it wasn't as easy as I might have hoped. First mile was 9:13, plus another 10 seconds to cross the start line. I was wearing my old water bottle carrier/fanny pack, and I've never worn it in a race before, and it felt a little snug. Second mile included the short, steep uphill. Time was 9:10, and I was beginning to wonder where the water stops were, and was glad to be wearing my fanny pack after all. It was getting warm and I realized I was overdressed in my capri tights. And though it was flat, there was a fair amount of wind.

Third mile was 9:04, and shortly thereafter I came upon the first aid station. Had some water along with a GU, since this was now mile 4 of my 12 miler, and I needed to fuel up.

Mile 4 was 9:23, and I'm not quite sure what happened except I guess I zoned out a bit. Mile 5 was 8:55, and just as I was thinking that this was a very sucky race with only one aid station, I found they did have a second one. I started to increase my pace and see if I could pass a few people. Mile 6 was 8:29. I did pass 5 or 6 people in the last mile and then another two in the chute before the finish line as they slowed down. Last .2 was 1:41, for a final time of 56:05.

So, not what I had hoped and not as easy as I had hoped, but not too awful. The plan was that I would try to grab some food and stash it in the car before running back to meet Susan, but I just could not deal with the thought of food at that point, so I immediately turned around and started my slow and painful jog backtracking the last mile of the course. This was a lot harder than I anticipated, but I was afraid that if I stopped I would completely stiffen up.

Finally found Susan, probably over a half mile back at that point, and could just barely keep up with her trudge to the finish. She finished in a little under 1:14. We took a quick look around for the promised "delicious" soup and bagels and other food items. All we really found were styrofoam cups of water and some sad bananas. Once again, a race fails to deliver good eats at the finish line.

So we stopped by the car so I could refill my water bottle. Susan doesn't carry water and she is really going to need to work that out before her marathon. Plus she needs to figure out the GU thing, or if it is going to be Gatorade for her or Gummy Bears or what. Anyway, I got more water. I also needed to change shoes. I had been wearing my Adrenaline 7s that have pretty much lost all their cushioning, and so I switched to my new NB 763s.

We had a hard time getting going but soon settled into a steady plod. For me, it was quite a dramatic difference from my earlier race pace, but for Susan it was not as much of a drop off. But since she hadn't pushed herself in the race, she was feeling surprisingly good and there was much less complaining than usual. So, while it took forever, it was overall a pleasant mother-daughter time.

Now just waiting to get the race results to see where I placed, and trying to console myself about not getting the 54 minute time and the reasons why. A BQ is not looking good for me at the moment, however.

Write like I run

I am so dedicated to my running (except for the continuing battle to get those long runs in) but I seldom do any writing anymore, much less blogging. But that is all going to change. I just signed up for NaNoWriMo, and I am going to write even more than I run in the month of November! I like that it doesn't matter if it's crap. No pressure there.

So, I ended up skipping the trail marathon because we got a new puppy that weekend instead. And then I ended up skipping the trail ultra marathon because I just never got adequate training in and the finish time was too tight for me. But I am registered for the Indy Monumental Marathon next Saturday and Chickamauga Battlefield on Nov. 8, so I am finally going to become a Marathon Maniac.

Races I have done in the past few months included a July 4th 10k, a woman's only 10k, a half-marathon in Oxford, OH and another one in Dayton. Oh, I forgot, I did also run Oklahoma City Memorial in late April. Can't believe I didn't blog about. Oh yes I can, because I run more than I write! But that is going to change this month. My longest run going into this marathon will be 16, which I did last weekend. That's enough for me to know I can finish.

Trail Shoes

What are you supposed to do about the mud on your trail shoes? I mean, are you supposed to clean them off some in between runs or just let them be? My shoes have less than 40 miles on them but you sure wouldn't be able to tell from looking! It seems silly, but I am thinking that maybe you are supposed to brush the mud off them. I have heard that the mud can affect the performance of the Gore-tex. And we wouldn't want that! Especially if I have to wade through any little creeks. Hmmm, maybe I will try that after they dry out. Also, right now it doesn't look like there is much mud on the shoe laces, but I tell you, when I have to tie them it definitely is not like tying a regular pair of running shoes. Laces are very... stiff.

Hardware

At "Run for the American Dream" on Saturday morning, I was third woman overall in the 10k race. Don't be too impressed. As you might imagine given how fat and slow I am, this is a teeny weeny little race. There were just 24 runners in the 10k. I was 3 of 11 women, 2 of 5 in my age group (not even the fastest woman in my age group!) and 10 of 24 overall. If you think my trophy is ridiculous, you should have seen the huge, honking trophy you got for first place. I wasn't that far behind the first 2 women, at least. I was just 40 secs behind second place and less than a minute behind first. If I had wanted to bust a gut, I could have taken them. I did have the lead for the first two miles.