Lehigh Valley Health Network Marathon, Allentown, PA. 9/9/12.

Sidney was supposed to come with me, but as to be expected Air Force changed his schedule the day before.  We are used to this and I decided to just go alone.

The 5k I ran yesterday was exactly half way between my house and the marathon.  It was nice to break the hour and a half drive in to two legs and get a race in along the way.   The expo was on my way to my hotel, so I was forced to stop by to get my bib, stinking and gross from the race I just left.

After a quick snack, I realized I had tons of time to kill and was bummed that Sid wasn't there.  However, this gave me plenty of time to chat and text with Jim Plant about the World Championship 24 hour race taking place in Poland. For the rest of the night, Jim kept me busy with updates, until I discovered I could get info on my ipad.

I was up until midnight watching Mike Morton crush the 24 hour American record.  Very inspiring.

Just before I went to sleep I checked where i was heading, again... double checking.  I was thrilled at first that the Lehigh Valley Hospital was 1 mile from my hotel... until I realized that I had to get to a different campus about 5 miles away.  No big deal. I caught it in time, I just wanted an address for my GPS and after searching around for an actual street address I found one, mapped it.

I woke up early and left for the race... to discover my GPS was not functioning.  I am always afraid of relying too much on technology, so I had scribble out the directions i looked up last night and tried to figure my way there... not too bad, except the route I had scribble out took me to a road where a bridge was out and I had to detour.  Oh boy.  Now I was starting to get stressed... and then the GPS starting working.

30 minutes to the start, I finally arrive.  The weather is cool at 60 degree and I am happy.  The race was well organized with a half marathon, and several relay divisions.  The gun goes off and we head downhill on the road.  The hill was so steep at times it was hard to run as fast as I wanted to.  I clocked a few 7:07's for the first few miles and it felt great.  Once we settled down, I got comfy in a 7:35-7:45 pace for a while.  However at 10 miles we hit the tow path and I was suprised to see my pace drop by about 10 seconds per mile just from the change in terrain.  I was happy to hit 13 miles in just under 1:39 and thought I had a great shot at a great race.

I felt a little wonky as I ran through 14 so I took some sodium and this seemed to help.

Early a girl was running on my butt for a while, just outside of my peripheral.  I thought about pushing the pace but decided I was running fast enough and did not need to drop her.  I could hear her breathing and she sounded like she was working to stay.  When we hit the tow path, I decided to complement her and ask her to join me for some miles.  It is nicer to run together then fight someone for the entire race.  From 8-19 we took turns leading in the single tire track sections of the tow path.  It was fun to work together.

I took the lead at 19 and she dropped back as usual.  However I stopped hearing her and got sad that she was not hanging with me for the whole race.  I suspected she would be back.

I caught up to a guy at mile 21 who pulled out his headphones and asked "How are you doing?".  I responded, "I am doing as to be expected as this point in the race." I was tired.  I wanted to stay positive.  I dont like to lie, so I did not want to say good.  I was bummed that my pace was dropping to 8:15's and my 3:20 was gone.

I was drenched in sweat.  I was extremely thristy.  I knew I was hurting and even thought it started 60's the temps had risen and the sun was warm. I am terrible in warm weather so I was just trying to feel comfortable.  My shoulder blades and the lengths of both arms were painful.  I felt like the blood was not circulating well... I dont know how else to explain it.   I just felt really uncomfortable in my arms, but my legs felt good.


The guy asked me, "I dont have a watch, what pace are you running".  I shared that we are going to break 3:30.  He got excited.  "How close to 3:25?  Maybe this old guy can BQ" he said I explained that we are on 3:25 pace right now as our average pace is 7:46, but our current pace is slower, so if he needs a 3:25 (with no extra 59 seconds), he needed to pick it up.

I told him he needed to push now and use all the downhills he finds.  He asked me if I needed anything he could provide, as he had a hydration pack and some gels.  I just finished my last gel and told him I was good, but that he needed to not think and just run.  I saw the course elevation last night and knew we were going to get a few uphills before the end.  He dug deep and pushed himself and pulled away.  I didn't think I could get back down to 7:46 at this point with my arms aching.  His push was admirable but just not fast enough to get him down to 7:46s again.

He pulled away but hovered for a few miles. And then we hit a very steep brief uphill. Bummer.  I caught back up to him and he asked me if we were on pace.  I felt bad sharing that we needed to be about 6 seconds faster per mile overall, so that means running sub-7:46 to have a shot.   We both had faded to 8:15 -8:25 for the last two miles.  I told him that he cant quit because my watch could be wrong, to the markers could be off, so he needed to just go for it anyway.  Again he pulled away, but I sensed it was futile.

A older man ran past me, reporting that I could walk it in and still BQ.  I told him I already did this year so I am uninspired since I am really dehydrated.  He bounded past me as he shared that he needs a 3:55 so he is all set :)  He looked good.

Finally I could hear people and knew the finish was near.  Up the ramp from the river and onto the road, I could see in the distance the finish line.  I thought I was hallucinating.  I was grabbing cups from every aid station along the way and they were plentiful, but I was so very thirsty.  My shorts were heavy with sweat to the point that it had become obnoxious.  I may need to switch to compression shorts in the heat.  I saw a woman ahead and passed her.  I ran hard to the end getting back down to 8:00 for the last 1.2.  I finished right behind the almost-BQ guy.  He was beaming.  He didn't make it but he ran a 9 min PR.  Awesome.

I was spent.  Grabbed some water and just sat down.  After some time, I saw the chick I ran the first 19 miles with walk by.  I didnt ask her about her time.  I just told her she was great and thanked her for her company and for sharing the work.  She said she faded a mile or two at 20, but felt she got it back together.

It was a good race.

I finished 12th Female in 3:27:12
101 AO
4th AG.

USATF-NJ 5k XC Championship, 9/8/12. Readington, NJ

Short and sweet... as I am whopped from two races this weekend.

This was the first of the two.  A shorty at 5k, but on course where I am usually quiet slow.  I seem to keep my feet low to the ground.  This is an asset to me in long paved ultras.  This is a hinderance in rocky or rooty trail races.   This also makes me feel miserable when running in grass.  As I joked at the race, I feel like every blade of grass is trying to grab me by the ankles.  

In addition to the grass, the 10 am late start in summer heat and humidity made me feel that this was just not going to be my day.  However, I was prepared to try my best and see what happens.

We line up in the field and face a cone way in the distance.  About 250 runners take off, trying to secure a good spot before entering the mowed section of grass bound by generally unrunnable field that would make up a large section of the first half mile of the race.

On the way to the cone, I noticed we were runnin 5:55, but as soon as we hit the bottle neck I was down to 7:00 and stuck behind a row of people.   As soon as I had an opening, I snuck through and finally got running.  I felt sluggish, but clocked M1: 6:38 pace. 

Ok, not too bad, but I was suffering now and feeling the humidity making my chest hurt.  Due to the location of mile two spanning the end of the loop where there was a noticeable hill, and the start of the loop (on lap 2), where we hit the early gradual uphill, I slowed and clocked M2: 7:14. 

Wow, I felt so good after M1 but now I was hoping to regroup for M3.  Knowing I got some decline time and only one short hill left, I just tried to drop some speed where I could and try to hold it together by the end.  M3.1: 7:25 (6:59 pace).

Boy I was glad to be done with that race.  I was drenched in sweat and could feel tightness in my chest that was not very comfortable.

Overall, I was very happy.  Averaging a 6:52 pace for the run made me proud.  I fully expected a 7:20-7:30 average in this race.

I hung around for the awards and then got back in my car to drive to Bethlehem Pa to get my bib for the marathon.

Jimmy D, 5k, New Brunswick NJ. 9/2/12

So I am half-assing the USATF-NJ Long Distance Running Grand Prix Racing Series.  I am sorry, but there is really no other way to describe my barely-there participation in this year long challenge.  The series is incredibly well done and I don't know if other states do such a wonderful job getting racing to be a statewide competition.  (In my defense, I am racing more marathons and ultras and trying to do well there, so I have a good reason... I think).

The way the series works is first you must join USATF and you are automatically entered in the competition.  Every month throughout the state there are many options for races that are part of the series.  Most races have 500 points, but only a few are championship races worth 700 points.

Races are divided into 3 categories. Shorter races I believe 4 miles and under.  Middle distance under 15k through over 4 miles.  Category 3 is 15k and up... (or something like that... what do you expect from me?  I already admitted to half-assing this).

You get to count your best three races in each category.  You can only count two 700 points races if you got 'em.  There are not a lot of 700 points races, so they tend to be big and competitive.  If you win a race you get the max points.  Otherwise there is some convoluted algorithm that counts of the number of each gender in the race and then divides the point evenly through out the field, keeping in consideration that the points have a floor... you can't earn less that 100 points.  Ok confused yet.  It is really not that hard... you just race every weekend, show up at all the 700 points races you can, run all difference distances, spend like $1200 on race fees and you are bound to do well in your category and earn back that $125 prize money ;)... or something like that.

To cherry pick a good series race, you want to run towards the front of the biggest races you can find, so you get the most points despite your placement.  A good plan is to have all you slower friends of the same gender as you show up and jog behind you ;)  A HUGE race could spread out fractions of points per placement, so you can place, for example, 5th and still get near maximum points.  A small race spread out the point in larger chunks, so a 5th place finish there will not be as valuable.  I used to be a really good cherrypicker :) but now I am lucky if I show up at a race I need.  Cherry picking is really an art and involves lots of research.  And despite it seeming shady to some, racing a well picked race is still racing and when a prize money (equally a fraction of the cost of your actual race fees) is involved I am going to use my feet and my brain to get to the top of my category whenever I can. :) All is fair is love and Grand Prix Racing ;)

So.....

Today was the Jimmy D Master's Team Championship worth 700 points in Cat 1.  I have three 500 points races in Category 1.  I did well in them, but without two 700 points races, I might as well have jogged them in.  I will never move up.  I showed up today hoping that I get some points.

However yesterday I ran 20 miles at 8:56 pace on a very warm humid day.  I lost a lot of weight and felt really odd after.  I rehydrated and decided this morning to get out the door and race. One mile at a time was my plan and we will see how it goes.

Gun goes off and the race starts off heading pretty much down hill.  Not a steep downhill, but enough to pick up some speed.  I looked down and realized I was sub-6.  I thought of John Phelan and our track practices ("Practice"- I got that right, right Jim O!?) and how we try to keep our intervals sub-6.  However, this was not track practice and I had a ways to go.  I settled down and tried to "rest" during this part by using gravity but not taking advantage too much.  I hit M1 in 6:29.

I was ok with that.  We were still headed downhill, on this long straight road. I could see the guys coming back towards me already.  The turn around was at the bottom of the "hill" (a decline which did have some flat parts, but seem primarily a decline).

I knew I was going to hate the return trip.

The gradual UP was not very steep, but it was gradually up or flat the entire way back.  I hit M2 in 6:49,  and could feel a female runner making a move on my shoulder.  She passed me.  I sat.  I was not thrilled with the idea of racing the last 1.1 mile up the inclined road drenched in sweat and overheating.  My asthma was killing me.  I was Whooping to clear my lungs, which just happens to help, but makes me sound like I am REALLY REALLY HAPPY to be racing a 5k!  People Whoop back at me often.  I tried to give them a fist pump when they do that. OMG, WTF and LOL all at the same time (Right, Jimbo Plant? ;) )

The runner made a great effort, but it was tough.  I keep pushing and crested one of the little peaks of up hill rollers and make a push on a flat ... to the best of my ability... which was really most like slow motion racing in a swamp of dampness.  I managed to move past her and wondered if she was sitting on me now? How long now until she blasts on by.

I was hurting by the time I had half mile to go.  My legs were dead and I had no kick.  My lungs were on fire.  I was all Whooped out.  What can I expect after a LR yesterday.  Truly, I was surprised I held it together this long!

We finished on the track and I was happy for a least a bit of flatness.  I tried to kick and I had nothing to give for a quarter mile.  I decided to wait.  I thought we had to go all the way around, then noticed that the finish was half way.  I kicked too late with whatever I could find.  Oops.  M3 and the .1 averaged 6:53 pace.  

Not too bad.  20:54 for the day.  One of my better 5k's.  I do NOT claim to be a good 5k runner.  I wish I could find more speed.  I keep looking, but I just can't find it.  I was a 61-64 second 400 meter runner in high school.  That suggests I might have more fast twitcher hiding somewhere, but they have rebelled, moved on, retired?  who knows?  Maybe they have been beaten down by my slow twitches. This leaves me standing at the start of every 5k more terrified than lining up for a 50k.  Maybe someday I will be less afraid and then I will run faster ... maybe not.

So the Stats:
20:54
87 Overall of 747 runners
10th Female of 315 runners
1 AG of 44 total (one being ahead of me in the top 3)

Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Marathon, Rockland Park, NY. 8/24/12

With a name like the Self-Transcendence Marathon, how could I not run it :)?

I am very grateful for Alanna, who picked me up at 5 am on Friday so we could drive up together.  The ride was about an hour and drives are always easy at 5 am... when someone else is doing it ;).  (Thank you).

As we arrived, a bus load of primarily non-english speaking (or not native english speaking) people also did too.  It was a fantastic experience being part of a small event that had such an incredible international following.

As we walked towards to the start, the mist over Rockland Lake was beautiful.  The energy coming from the masses of runners was so friendly and inspiringly positive to me. People seemed happy.  I didn't sense a huge competitive energy... just a bunch of people preparing for a long run on a Friday morning.  Despite feeling sluggish the day before, I was starting to feel ready to try to run a little.

The course was 9 loops, nice and flat, with the first one a little shorter than the remaining eight 2.93 mile loops.  About 500 people lined up.  I had to pee..  I thought about going back to the potty line, but wasn't sure I would have enough time.  After a moment of (complete and utter peaceful) silence, I still had to pee.  The commands were give about 7:07 am and we were off.  (I still really had to pee). I was immediately swallowed up by the runners as I was stuck behind a few less aggressive at the start than myself.  (Hurry up people! I really really have to pee!)  I was hoping that I once I started to run and I would forget about having to pee, but after a mile that was not going to happen. (Oh boy did I have to pee!)

I made it around the course, ran as fast as I could right to the course side port-a-potty and then finally I felt like I could relax.  On the second or third loop, I saw Arpan, who I met and ran with at the BUS 6 hour Birthday run.   He tried to run a little with me, but I was moving well (about 7:45-7:50 pace) and Arpan had recently finished running over 2700 miles in 52 days and was a little tired still. Slacker! ;)   (Yeah, um... that was not a typo. Go look at your log for the year.  How many miles do you have?  Arpan ran 2700 miles in less than 2 months and technically DNF... but at that level of awesomeness there is no DNF)  He ran this distance while competing affiliated Self-Transcendence 3100 race (the World's Longest Ultra).  Arpan could see I was trying to stick to my pace and let me go.  Later he passed me on a bike :).  I give him credit for not just riding a bike everywhere... like to the fridge, the bathroom, from the bedroom to the living room.  After 2700 miles in 52 days, I don't think I would be able to walk. It was nice to catch up with him after the race for a little bit.

Oh wait, this is about me.... so as I ran, I was surprised at how good I felt.  I was not shooting for a PR. I know I stink it up in the summer.  I also had already logged over 77 miles in the 6 days before so I was surprised I was able to hold just sub-8's.

Although it seems the 3 mile loop might get boring, this race was so interesting that I did not get bored at all.  Around many bends, we could find small simple gatherings of people or individuals singing acapella, playing the sitar, or their violin.  There was someone drumming.  There was a four piece band with electric guitar and a flute.  People were cheerful, and positive.  There was not a big deal made about or by these musicians.  It was not a highlight feature of the race.  Mostly it felt like they just happened to decide to just be there and make music.  For someone who runs without my iPod, this was nice.

The Aid stations were plentiful.  I believe 3 per lap.  Water and Cytomax were provided.  I noticed fruit and other snacks on some tables.  I tried some Cytomax but all I could think of was how Cytomax was very close to the word Cytoxan and this made me queazy.  Cytoxan was the name of my chemo.  I couldn't drink more than one cup.  I am sure it is a fine choice of sports drink, but not so much for me.  I stuck to water for the rest of the race.

I had 2 gels pinned to my shorts and a few more in my cooler which was set right next to the course.  I love loop courses and small races because of these lovely conveniences.  Often in ultras, you can park right next to the course and crew yourself from your car.  So wonderful.  Big marathons make racing so much more complicated than this sports needs to be.  This marathon was a wonderful exception.

I took some salt before the start, actually 4 e-caps.  I didn't feel like stopping to grab more.  I am experimenting with getting by with less, so I wanted to see how things went on 4 e-caps and two gels.

I took my first gel early on, about 6 mile in.  I felt ok.  At about 16 miles I took the second gel.  By then I was still on an 8 minute mile pace, but feeling sick and queazy and my stomach was crampy.  I was trying to wait it out but with 6 miles to go, I threw the gel away and made another bathroom stop.  At this point, it was very hot, and I was feeling the effects of the sun when in the shadeless sections.

Although one of the most interesting parts of this race was the small cups of seaweed the volunteers were handing out, I just could not bear to try it on a unsettled stomach.  Maybe next year.

Those last two laps were tough.  I slowed a lot (to about 8:30-8:40) and just tried to keep moving.  I was so happy to see that finish shoot on the final lap.

I crossed the line in 3:34, feeling over heated and needing to sit.  I staggered my tired legs over to the med tent and asked to simply just sit for a moment. Being one of the earlier finishers, there was not much for the med tent staff to do, so they gave me their undivided attention and had wet clothes and ice packs for me.  They had even filled a plastic pail large enough to climb into with cold water.  I climbed completely inside, dunking myself and feeling so amazingly refreshed (and grateful to have been one of the early female finishers so I got to dunk in fresh water).

I quickly felt cooler, got hosed off and went to look for Alanna.  While I walked around, my stomach just could not settle down.  I knew it was because I did not take in enough calories during the race and my body was all messed up from this.

While we drove back, I recall telling Alanna how I can't believe how easy running feels when things are going well.  It should seem that running faster should be harder, but sometimes it just feels easier to move quicker.  Sometimes when moving slower, the distance feels further therefore harder to deal with, but when moving fast, the miles sneak up and surprise you.  I love when I feel this way in a race.

It took a long time, but by the time we got home I finally started to feel a little better... just before I had to leave for my flight to South Florida so that I could spend the weekend with Tropical Storm Isaac.  LOL! Hey after a 50k and a marathon book ending my week, I needed some rest days.

I was incredibly happy to run a 3:34 at the end of 103.9 mile 7 day stretch.  I did not think I would be able to run so fast on such a tired body.

My time was good enough for 8th place female and 52 overall out of 499 runners.

Turkey Swamp 50k, Freehold NJ. 8/19/12

These last two weeks, my feet have been aggravating me... or I have been aggravating them (more like it).  I was getting frustrated and cutting runs short to try to recover.  After a week of this, I called the people I trust most about stuff like this for some ideas.  As usual, I talked to Ray who always gives me good advice.

I also gave John Price a call.  I like John.  He is a sweet man who makes me feel like a slacker.  When people tell me they think I run a lot, I think about John pushing his jogging stroller full of his own aid across the United States with no crew to help.  I think about him running, jogging, meandering through the UK on his own with a backpack full of gear.  This makes me feel like someday I really do need to stop squandering my time and start applying myself.

John, amongst a few others, inspired me to start streaking.  This happened when I decided to try to cover as much mileage in 2012 that John covered in the 87 days it took him to cross the country.  I knew I would need to run daily to do this (or quit my job, buy a baby stroller, and a one way ticket to San Francisco).

So I called John. He gives very well thought out advice.  What rang the most true to me were two points.  First that all the doubling, even at half the mileage was just not giving me enough rest anymore.  He also mentioned that all the other things in my life are likely disrupting my rest more than just my training.  Moret stress in life = less time to recover.

I had read an article about "over training" by Maffetone.  It concerned me.  I run so easy on most days, that I find it hard to believe that I could be "over-training." If so, the prognosis was so bleak (quit running, start walking, change diet, etc, etc, etc) that I was a sent off seeking confirmation that my slower training paces have protected me from crushing myself with hard-on-the-body mileage.  I know that if I asked most of the people I surround myself with, they would guffaw in my face and say "Oh, of course you are over-training!"  But I knew if John could transport himself on foot for over 3000 miles from California to Virginia, then he wouldn't "look" at my numbers and automatically tell me I am nuts... right?

Well he didn't, but he suggested I lay off the doubles and try to double up the mileage to get the same volume in. (That will be hard for me since my schedule is working so well night now and allowing two windows to train per day).  Ray agreed with me when I told him I thought I needed a rest week.  So I took it.  I ran about 40 miles last week.  That included a 12.25 miles on Saturday with a Steve M. with TNT who wanted a running buddy for his 20 miler.  I definitely tapped into some self-restraint when decided to call my run at 12 and not go for 20.  If Steve was slower, I would have likely stayed longer, but Steve's fast pace was tough so I called it early to save some energy for the next day's ultra. 

I woke up Sunday, on race day morning, and the weather was an absolute gift. I felt great. I ate well the night before. I was hydrated well.  I was ready to give it a shot.  I have a few lower mileage weeks and my confidence was lacking from this.  My last 6 hour included a lot of foot pain and my last 10.5 mile trail run ended with a lot of pain, just the week before.  I was not sure what was going to happen. I never really am. 

I knew I wasn't going to run low 4 hours, but I thought maybe 4:30-4:45 might be possible. However, what I really needed most was weekly mileage.  I threw on my Garmin, which is now becoming a habit in races, and 6 minutes before the gun was to go off it died.  I had my trusty timex in my car.  Ultras are great b/c you park feet from the start.  I grabbed my timex and still had time to pee before the start :) 

The race was tiny....  but a race is a race and when the gun went off I took off hard.  No idea what pace I was running, but I would guess 7:45-8:00 for the first mile.  At 4 miles in, I asked a runner with a garmin what pace he had us at and it was 8:15 pace.  I ran the 2.6 mile loops for the first 6 in a row in about 22-23 minutes.  I felt great until suddenly it hit me that i was tired. 

I recall clicking off laps and it feeling easy. I love cooler to cold weather (as do most people).  Once the humidity kicks in I am a slug.  I was drinking my fuel, running happy.  Lap after lap, it was like a game... get to my special checkpoints by a certain times and keep going.  No problem.. until lap 8... then there was a problem.  I was leading and had no idea where #2 was.

I ran past our mini-headquarters where John, Alanna, Bill, Margo, Patty and I left our stuff.  Carissa and Tricia had made it for support.  I saw Alanna and asked her to come with me.  She came out and I told her then that I could feel myself falling apart.  I just didn't feel "right", like when things click for me in races.  My energy was gone and it hit me like a ton of bricks, with 4 laps to go.  She encouraged me to just keep running and I tried.  At this point, all I could think of was 4 laps seemed so far.  My back, neck, and arms felt odd and tingly with pain and pressure.  I did not like that part.  My feet were achy but really not too bad yet.  

I didn't like the way I felt and knew I was falling off pace for a good race.  I decided I needed to just back off and make sure I got it done.  The most important thing I have planned this week is big mileage.  So feeling a little disappointed that I was backing down, I still did.  I already expected to be passed by number 2 at some point.  At the start of lap 9 I was now in 2nd.  I thought for a moment about responding to the challenge and fighting for 1st.  I was very low energy at that point and decided to just stick to my plan and complete the distance at a pace that would allow me to continue training the rest of this week.  

I have been reading Noakes' "Waterlogged".  I have not gotten to the part yet where he discusses salt.  Summaries and reviews discuss his conclusion that no salt is required during ultras, so today's race was a test.  No E-caps. No sodium (that was not part of an aid station drink).  I am not sure how I feel about this.  I may still stick with my E-caps.  I'll take the placebo effect if it makes me feel peppy.  I definitely was not covered in as much salt as in past races.  I did feel a lot more sluggish with about 11 miles to go than I expected.  However, so did a lot of people by that point.  The 8 am start placed us close to noon at that point and it did get more humid and warmer.  I am a terrible summer racer and I know this.  I accept this and train for winter time :)   

For this race,  I packed (6) 10oz bottles and extra juice.  I calculated about 5-6 hour of running at 10-20 oz per hour for 60-120 oz at 6 hours.  Four I filled with half juice / half water.  Two were plain water.  I carried fluid from the start and emptied about 4 of my bottles (2 juice and 2 water).  I got tired of my juice so I also grabbed cups from the aid station during the last few laps.  I must have consumed about 50, maybe 60 oz max during the 5:15 hour run.  Although I definitely drank to thirst, this still seems to be on the lower end of what is an ideal amount of hydration per hour.  However, I was sloshing at some points so I will not be forcing more fluids into me (first I will add back some E-caps).

I weighed in at 117.0 before I left my house and was 113.4 when I got home (after a BBQ) so I really did loose a lot.  However, I don't think I could have consumed more fluid and not threw up or had stomach issues.  I am not sure what to do about this amount of weight loss. I don't think I will do anything.  I don't think I need to worry until I start creeping towards 110 (if I start at 117).  I expect to lose weight in summer ultras, as well as any race.  Rarely, will people not lose something since we all tend to sweat more than we drink. 

At my lowest point with 10 laps done, I drank half an Ensure and this helped quickly.  I should have had this at 8 laps in.  This is a good thing to remember.

After I was passed, I was able to relax and simply enjoy the rest of the laps.  With each lap my feet hurt more and I was looking forward to icing them down when I stopped.  Finally, when I got to stop at 5:15, I was happy to have still held 2nd place.  The race emptied out and I believe many people dropped down to shorter races when they learned the course was long.  

I ended up with 32.7 miles for the day which gets me about a 9:36 pace for the run.  Not too bad for a Sunday and not so hard that couldn't train today.  The sting of letting a race go before my eyes was eased a bit by my 4.75 mile run today at 8:36. (I haven't been able to resume training so quickly after a race of a marathon or longer that fast ever. I am sure the rest week and the slower pace at the end helped.)  I'll take the slower time for higher mileage... this week. :)

Thank you for reading!  

BUS Pajama Romp, Astoria Park, Queens, NY. 7/28/12

Last night I participated in the Pajama Romp.  This was a 1.27 mile loop in Astoria Park in Queens.  There were about 70-75 participants running this 6 hour event.   I drove up with Alanna and John. Two other TNT participants (Ann and Carissa) came to cheer us on.

Friday night, I checked the weather and saw T-Storms predicted to hit pretty much between 5 pm and midnight with the most chance of making appearance around 7 pm.

I really wasn't sure what to do, but I knew I could not sit around all day waiting to run, only to have the run canceled or called off due to weather.  Training is more important than racing right now.  I knew that after last weekend's mountain 6 hour race, my legs were less likely to carry me 40 miles or more.  Since I did not feel like I was set up well for a great race, I decided that this race would best serve me as the second half of a double training run day.

Sat morning, I met the Team In Training Team I train with at 7 am and ran a comfortable 13.6 miles with a few of our runners training for various marathons.  Pace was easy and comfortable but I could feel by mile 12, that I was getting dehydrated.  I drank and ate more than usual at this training run, but the warmth and humidity left me soaked with sweat.

I drank an Ensure and a Chocolate Milk immediately giving me about 400 calories, carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, etc as soon as I stopped.  I can't really digest more than this in a hour, so I drove the half hour home and then had a big bowl of cereal, orange juice, and a banana for more carbs, protein, and potassium.   At 1 pm, I made a big bowl of salty mashed potatoes for more carbs and electrolytes.  I wanted to refuel my muscles as much as I could. I wanted to take a nap too, but I just didn't have time.

On the drive up, I drank a mango smoothie and was ready with macaroon, cantaloupe, and electrolyte-enhanced water.  I felt like I still had a chance to run well and was open to the idea that I might surprise myself if I just tried to run like I did in my last 6 hour race.

I checked the weather once more, and still the entire night was marred by the prediction of T-Storms.  As we sat in the car at 4:45 pm to avoid the hard rain, before our 5 pm start, I called Sid to have him check NOAA. He advised that we should be getting hit hard soon, if not already at that moment, but that the rain will blow over us.  However, more storms could hit us in about an hour or so that seemed like they could have T-storms.  It was hard to predict from the charts.

With this information, and the fact that I wanted to run at least 15 miles tonight, I decided that I was going to start out hard (at 8 minute pace), get a good 10 miles in, and then back off to see what I could do after a morning run. I knew this was not the best way to start a 6 hour run after having depleted myself of energy and fluids this morning. However, it was likely to represent a little of what I will feel like at 5 pm at my next 24 hour race.  I don't plan to run 8's at a 24 hour, but I do expect to feel like crap so this will be good practice.

The race started just as some heavy downpours became worse.  The gun went off and the pack started moving.  I started fast and was the 4th runner out, behind the top three eventual male winners.  I knew it would be minutes before I was passed by the women. I expected nothing less.

I ran the first loop at just sub-8.  This was not too fast in theory.  My last 50k started out at 7:50 pace and ended at 8:09 pace. My last 6 hour started at 7:50 pace and ended at 8:44 pace. My last marathon was 7:36 pace. When feeling good, 7:50 is a nice pace to start one of these runs.  However, I would have been happy a little slower considering I was a little dehydrated and depleted at the start.

I stayed with the men for one main reason, to figure out the course.  The rain was washing away all the white painted arrows and I was not sure how complicated the course would be.  After 1 loop, we only passed about two places where I could make a mistake, I backed down to 8-8:10 pace per lap.

I held that for about 5 laps, then started walking the up hills. First, just the first up hill and then I added that second up hill.  Once I started walking the ups, they seemed much steeper.  I noticed that my legs went from feeling incredibly peppy to suddenly depleted and dead.  I had been trying to fuel and hydrate from the start of the run, but I don't think I was able to keep up with my pace.  I am 100% certain a slower pace would have yielded more mileage and less discomfort, but I just didn't want to risk stopping after 2 hour because of weather, so I keep up my speed until I couldn't run any more... I slowed a lot after 10 miles. I stopped to change my shoes and then continued to run. I hit 20 miles in just a little over 3 hours and decided that if I needed to stop then I could be happy with a 34 mile training day.

I added more walking just to keep moving and started to notice just how much my feet hurt.  This makes me sad.  I am tired of foot pain.  I am avoiding pain killers and just kept going.  Walking hurt, but  running showed me just how depleted my quads were of energy.  I tried to spit (to track my hydration) and it was way too thick to be productive.  I realized that even with my efforts to drink a little almost every lap, I was very dehydrated. I grabbed gatorade, coke, water with electrolytes, plain water and it wasn't enough. Pretty much everything was wrong and my morale suffered.

After walking a bit, at mile 22 I met up with Alanna and John, and declared with a forced smile "I am done! Now it is just about getting to 30 miles for the day."  The deficit of everything, I manage to get myself into, made me incredibly nauseated. If I tried to force calories or liquids I sensed I would throw up.  Acid type liquids (coke, juice, gatorade) were not appealing so I could not drink them.  High sugar drinks, like my mango juice made me queasy.  I grabbed a chocolate milk and ended up carrying it for a lap, not able to drink it.  I ate a few pretzels and that seemed to help.  Salty, dry, non-sweet, gluten free pretzels (thank you Ann) were the only thing I was able to tolerated.  I ate a few and kept walking.

At about 26 miles in, I realized I had stopped having fun for the last hour and I was approaching 40 miles for the day.  I walked with Alanna, who looked great, was moving well, and really supported me as we moved along.  I rationalized to her. I was in pain. I was not accomplishing anything impressive. I was disappointed. I could be doing damage to feet by pushing on.  I want to train tomorrow and it is not worth missing tomorrow's run for a low mileage 6 hour tonight.  27 miles is really just as good as 30 miles. An injury free-27 is better than hurting myself for 3 more...etc.  I had tons of "good" reasons to stop.  The reality is I wanted to stop, I wasn't having fun, and things hurt.  I decided I was done.

I completed the lap the was 27+ miles and walked to my car.  I called Sid and told him that I suck.  That I was done and my feet hurt too much to make it fun to move.  He tried to encourage me, but then settled on telling me he was proud of me no matter what I did.  I gave Ray a call and waited to hear him press me to get back out there.  I had just under an hour left. That is not a lot of time.  I was surprised to hear him tell me that I did good and that a good 20 mile run after almost 14 this morning was good Hinson Lakes Training.  It made me feel less like a quitter to get the support of Sid and Ray.

I walked back to the race, ate a few more pretzels and saw John run through, looking pretty beat up but moving and smiling (or wincing).  He forced out the words, with so much pride, ... "I am past the marathon distance! I am past the marathon!" This is awesome considering this is his first ultra.  We had a  few minutes to go before they let us do the short loop.  John said he wanted, needed to sit.  He sat, I handed him some pretzels, and told him that if he is going to just sit, we should just walk until it is over. We could walk 1 big loop and then do the small loop until we can stop.  A few seconds later we were moving again.

As we started our walk, John realized that after this big loop, he was going to be close to 30 miles. I was at about 28+ at that point.  He found some strength and we added some jogging.  We got the short loop and he realized he was going to make 30 miles if he just could run.  He started running...then running faster... then faster... and exclaimed "I don't know where this is coming from!!!"  He had 0.4 miles to go and 6 minutes to do it.  He was getting his 30!  My feet hurt less running.  I felt a little better after sitting and eating pretzels.  Running with John, running to help someone else,  renewed my motivation to be out there again.  I would not have gone out just for me.

When he hit 30, I saw that I was a little over 29 miles myself.  I wasn't sure how much time I had left, but just figured I would run as fast as I could to get as close as I could to my 30 mile goal.  I was running a low 7 minute pace for the last .7 miles and stopped at about 29.75 miles on my Garmin   That is close enough to 30 to bring me joy.  Thank you John :)

I am not sure what my official distance really is.  We all know Garmins can be off.  I did not count my laps, big or small, and I have no idea what the cone I stopped at measured.  However, 29.75 + 13.6 is 43.35 miles for the day.

That is a good day and I am happy.

Downtown Westfield 5k, Westfield, NJ. 7/25/12

So 4 days after Running with the Devil, 6hr, I find myself at the start of a 5k. I can't believe how nervous I feel.

My recovery has been slow and although I have no injury type pains, DOMS from running up and down a black diamond mountain for 6 hours has been rough.  Only yesterday I was able to take stairs like a grown-up, facing forward, with both feet taking turns, rather than side-stepping while holding the railing like a really large toddler.

I haven't run this race in a few years, and forgot what the course was like.  I did recall a mildly rolling course and was scared that trying to run hills on jello legs was going to push me over the edge of something bad.

I met John P. at just after I got my bib. He, Sid, and I tried to get a warm-up in.  It was just shy of a mile and a little short for me. I am finding I do well on at least 2 miles. Oh well.   We ran into more TNT runners and friends, including Bill, Margo, John R. and some new faces.   I spent a few minutes chatting, but got right to focusing on what I needed to do.

5k's scare me.  I have to run so fast, my lungs feel like they are pushing out my chest, my heart pounds hard, my asthma makes me wheeze, and I feel odd sensations in my body as I try to push myself as fast as I can.  I don't think I will ever run much faster than I do now unless I can get into great shape by winter.  I run better in the cold.  My asthma seems worse in the summer and I whoop uncontrollably while running anything under 7 minutes per mile when my chest tightens.

Even though this race has a starting mat, I decided I still wanted to be up front.  Over 2300 5k runners is a big race and I didn't want to get trapped.  John and I were about 2 rows back from the start when the gun fired.

I wore my Garmin again for data.  I was surprised at how fast so many runners got down to sub-6 pace.  I immediately mentioned to John... "5:53, let 'em go"...  I watched my pace settle down to 6:05, 6:11, then 6:45 instantaneous pace.   We hit mile 1 with John a few meters ahead.  I watched him do a double take as he saw the clock read Sub-6:30 for him. That was so cool to witness!  My M1 = 6:31.

The course had already gone down then up some. We still had some uphills to run and I felt my quads rebelling.  My asthma was winning and I just sat back, watching John move steadily ahead of me.  I wondered if he would beat me today.  I know he will someday.  It could be today and when it happens I am going to be so happy for him.

I looked at my pace and was not too surprised to see the pace for the M2 = 7:00.  I didn't feel spent, I just felt sore.  I wanted to regroup and get ready for Mile 3.

Once I started Mile 3, I was ready to see what I could do.  I opened my stride and realized nothing really hurt.  I passed several people, some passed me back.  Some I passed back again.  I felt I was steadily speeding up as I approached the finish.  I looked at my Garmin and saw I had .35 to go.

At this moment, I felt her behind me.  I had more left to give so I pushed the pace.  She was breathing down my neck.  Trying to pass.  I pressed forward, never letting her get even with me.  We continued to speed up. I was sure if I pressed harder, she would fall back, but she stayed right in my peripheral.  I wasn't sure I could hold it, but knew I couldn't let up until she passed me.  I was not going to just give it her if I had something left in my legs.  I pressed harder and finally I felt her slip off pace.  I could no longer see her from the corner of my eye.  M3 = 6:32

Ah ha! I have this.. or do I.  Is this a set up?  Is she backing off so I will too and then she will fly past me at the finish, before I have to respond?  Only .1 to go. No way.  Not today.  She let up and I knew I had to take the advantage she gave me and widen the gap, just to shake her of any ideas she may have of taking me at the line...  I kicked in as hard as I could.  She did not come with me.  My last .14 read as a 5:22 pace.  According to the results, I finished 5 seconds ahead of her. We shook hands, thanked each over for the motivation.

That type of finish is what racing is all about.  What a thrill!

Stats:
20:53 chip time.
147 / 2358 Overall
14 / 1186 Females
1st Age Group.

Complete Results: http://www.compuscore.com/cs2012/july/westnite.htm

Running with the Devil 6 hour, Mt Creek Ski Resort, Vernon, NJ. 7/21

New Jersey Trail Series puts on my favorite New Jersey race:  Running with the Devil.

There are many unique things about this race that makes it so much fun (as long as you are resigned to the fact that you will be doing a lot of hiking in order to make it up the hills).

This race takes place on a ski slope at Mt. Creek in Vernon NJ.  We actually start inside the building and run out the doors and up the mountain.  NJ Trail Series, first teases us with a short steep uphill that leads to a runnable trail that leads us to the Devil of a hill.

At about .7 miles into the race, we hit the kind of UP that makes time moving forward feeling like it is going backwards.  It creates a burn in my quads and calves that I only get to feel one time per year.   This section of the course travels up the steepest hill I have ever climbed in a race.  According to my Garmin data, I see that we travel from the base of the hill that begin at 845.7 ft and reach the top of the complete climb at 1154.3 ft before we get relief as we travel a runnable .3 mile ATV trail through the cool woods.   That works out us running up 308.6 feet while covering only 354 meters (1,161.42 ft) of ground.  It is intense.  Painful. Absolutely crazy.  According to rise/run, that works out to about a .30 slope... now I don't know what that really means... but it is steep!

I have been wearing night splints to help me loosen up tight calves and achilles so help reduce some plantar fascia pain.  I was shocked by just how much this hill hurt my calves on the first trip.  I only got about half way up before I needed to stop moving due to the burn.  I was sure that the next lap would be accompanied by fatigue that would make the pain worse.  I was hoping to get to 12 miles before I was unable to continue on.

As I slowly moved forward, my friend Diane caught me and we continued on together.  She is recovering from knee surgery and this was going to be her longest hardest effort since being able to run again some time ago.  We moved along together enjoying anything runnable, laughing at how chicken we both are on downhills, and cursing together under our breathes while propelling ourselves up the Ups.

At about 1.65 miles, we reached the summit.  I stopped to tighten my laces, as my feet were slipping out of my loosely tied Grits.  Once snugged up, my calves felt a lot better.

The total lap was a 5k.  Much of the return trip was incredibly runnable, if you do not mind the possibility of falling forward down a hill.  I seem to have too much fear to be good at this race, so I basically try to get momentum and keep moving, while also holding myself back from a face plant or a butt slide.  I think heel strikers may have an advantage over my "up on my toes" foot plant when running down steep steep hills.  I end up running like I am skipping with one leg being braver than the other.

The last section of the trail is a steep decline into a small loop under a walkway and back up into the lodge.  We run through the building, back out on to the porch, down the stairs, and out onto the loop.

I placed my cooler right next to the door to the porch which saved me tons of time refueling.  Actually I wasted very little time between loops.  I stopped to pee just once after loop 2.  After loop 4 I had to get a rock from my shoe and I filled an ice bandana that I wore for the last two laps.  Otherwise, I was just filling and grabbing a 10 oz handheld each lap.  I did eat a 3 cookies and took a few swigs of juice every 2 laps, but otherwise I ran this whole race on a water and a little sodium.  I felt great and actually ran my last lap faster the the ones before. I didn't plan to go low on fuel, it just felt right.  I ate a banana and 15 oz of juice before the start.

Diane and I stayed together for 3 full laps, where Diane veered off for the short loop.  She was in the 3 hour race and did not have enough time for 4 big ones.  I was so happy to see that she crushed her two lap goal.  The nice cooler weather helped us move faster than we thought we could.

I went out for lap 4 which was a bit lonely without a partner to commiserate with.  I managed to keep moving and find motivation in the fact that once I finished loop 4, I was over half way done with the crazy race.  A few more laps and the pain would stop.

In races like this, unless you have a crew with you to provide you with some intelligence, it is very hard to figure out what place you are in and where you competition is in relation to you.  A good crew will be able to tell you how fast your competition is moving and where they are on the course.   When alone in a race that starts with two races together, you can't recognize who you are racing against.  It is hard to know whether your competition has dropped out, took rest breaks, or ran to the bathroom while you ran by.

When I completed 5 laps I began to think about strategy.  In the last hour we can run the short loop.  The short loop is .5 miles, but I know nothing about it.  I know what the big loop looks like and it is isn't pretty.  I know Rick is unlikely to make a small loop easy, but he can't make it as hard as 306 feet up over 354 meters?  If I can run 7 short laps in 56 minutes, I would get more mileage than if I did 1 big one in the last 50 minutes.  If my nearest competition was on the same lap as me but less than .4 miles ahead of me, I could possible end up with more mileage by doing the short loop instead of the big.

However, my quads felt shredded and my body ached.  I wasn't sure I could do the short loop in 7 times in 8 minutes each since partial loops don't count.  I had no clue, except that part of the small loop down hill merged with part of the big loop's down hill and that steep down was a slow part of the run for me.  To help me strategize, I asked Rick if he had a choice 1 big or 7 little what would he do (since he marked the course).  He commented that I couldn't do 7 littles. This made me want to try to, but I knew since he knew the loop, he was probably right.

I made a decision to go for mileage since I had no idea if I was even competitive with anyone.  My guess was that I was probably in 3rd place or worse.  So just as I reached the fork requiring a choice between big or small, I headed out to the big. If it took me too long and my last lap didn't count, I would still get 21.7 miles run and that had more value to me than 20 miles and quitting.

Off I went to say goodbye to the big loop until next year, but that steep hill would not let me say goodbye.  I held me there on it side, stuck in time, frozen.  I tried switch-backing over the steep double wide track. It worked to take the pressure off my aching muscles but it too way too long to go up.  But when I tried to go straight up, my legs burned so bad that I would have to stop.  I could feel the time ticking away and feared my delay would cost me the lap.  I dug deep, started grunting my way up and made it to the top. I knew there was two more up hills to face before I hit the down.  Running was hard.  The burning was distracting but I was proud to still be running.  I was winning this fight against myself! I felt strong and weak at the same time.  Up that last hill I went knowing that if I hit the top with over 15 minutes to go, I was sure I had it.

I got to the top of the ski lift, refilled my bottle for the first time at the summit and saw that I have over 20 minutes to get down.  I kept moving, trying to decide if I would have enough time for a small loop too.  My body was burning and it would be close.  If I had 10 minutes left, I would try for 1 loop.  Less than that and I would call it a day.  I don't know what I could do a short loop in, but at this point I was breaking down and mentally was satisfied with my effort.

I crossed the mat with 8 minutes to go and decided I was done.  It felt good to stop.

Turns out I was 3 short laps behind second place and 1 big lap behind first.  It was a really nice surprise to be 3rd woman, and 8th Overall.

Now to take the year to recover and forget.... Good Bye Mountain, I will see you next year. :)

Stats:
Time: 6 hours
Distance: 21.7 with 14000 ft elevation change (1000 up, 1000 down per 5k loop)
Female Place: 3rd
Overall Place: 8th

Link to photos from the event: http://www.backprint.com/view_event_photos.asp?PID=bp%1EsBz&EVENTID=105251&PWD=0

Woodbridge Run for Pizza 4 Miler, Woodbridge, NJ. 7/11/12

I haven't raced, truly, since I blew up my foot in a 15k in late April.  I did go out to Ice Age 50 Miler in Wisconsin, but I knew before I even left New Jersey that I was not ready for the distance.

I have spent time recovering, rebuilding, and recently hitting the track for speed work.  Wednesdays are speed work days.  However, when I discovered my town had a 4 miler 2 miles from my house, I had to make this my "base-line"speed test run and see where I stand.  

The last fast race I ran was a 5k in early April, where I hit a 6:35 pace. I was a little lighter and a lot more confident then.  I hesitated about this race all day, because I did not want to put on those same racing flats I wore when I tore up my foot at the 4 mile mark of a 15k and do it all over again.  Also, I was pleased with my last 5k and I did not want to go out and discover that I lost to much speed.  I could not believe how anxious this race made me.  I decided to wear my Garmin so I can have data to help me pace.  That was a comfort.

I thought about running over to the race, but I wanted a few warm up miles in my trainers before swapping into my racing flats.  I also did not want to be stuck having to hobble home, if I blew up my foot again.  Once there, I learned that miss racing local runs.  This race had about 300 runners and I did not see a lot of familiar faces.  I have been out the local racing scene a little too long.  I need to do this more.

I met my friend Martin, who I haven't seen since the 15k.  We did our warm up together.  I always love hanging out with Martin at races.  

I wasn't sure where to line up.  At the start, I saw Ross, who calls me "Asthma" since he met me in a race while my asthma was so bad he thought I was going to need help.   I got in the second row, behind Martin, who is good at clearing the way.   Ross asked what my goal was.  I said I wasn't sure and he said "Really, YOU have no idea?"  :)   I confessed that I had a range... any where from sub-8 through sub-7 pace.   Secretly, I did want to break 7 but I wasn't really sure I could. 

I was grateful for the cooler temperatures, in the mid-80's today. It was still a little humid but not too bad at all.  The race started and I filed in behind the first place woman.  Just like last year, in the same place, I pulled up next to Esly whom I haven't seen since last year.   I asked how he felt (noticing the one calf sleeve) and he said "Good".  He asked me how I was, and I said "So, so".  Then he dropped a little psychological grenade which I can only assume was him trying to give me an edge.  He asked "So, you gonna break 25 today?"  I smiled and said "Not today.  Today I am playing."  He said, "We are on pace for 25?"  I said, "Yes, well, you know me.  This is how it starts.  This is how they all start. Then I fade."  First place woman pulled a little bit away and Esly whispered, "Just sit on her til the end"... I whispered back, "That's the plan." Then I pulled away from Esly. 

We hit the overpass and I looked at my pace and it had dropped too slow.  Sitting wasn't going to be a good idea if running easy would allow me to pass her.   I made a move, but settled back into 6:45 pace.  

I grabbed a cup of water at the mile 1 stop.  I usually wear my Garmin on the inside of my wrist, but I moved it to the top of my wrist today.  Don't know why.  When I saw the Mile 1 mark and needed to split the watch, I had just got handed water.  In a move of sheer brilliance, I grabbed the water in my left hand and proceeded to instantly DUMP out almost all of it as I turned my wrist so I could tap the split buttons.  I am sure the cup lady was either LOL or WTF as she watched my excellent decision making skills.  I hit split, salvaging a small swig of water.  I immediately recalled why I wear  the watch "upside down" and vowed to never wear the Garmin the right way again.  Mile 1 was 6:38. 

First place woman made a move back and passed me.  I decided to try the "Sit and Wait" strategy again.  I kept her in range as we moved along.  I ran a pace that felt like I was almost running too fast.  I made an effort to feel challenged but comfortable.  My middle two miles were 6:51 and 6:52 and very relaxed. First place woman would pull further ahead, then I would make up ground, and she would pull ahead again.  But as the minutes passed, I could sense her drifting out of range.

Mile 3 was clicked off at the top of the return trip over the overpass. As we hit that last mile, we both picked up a bit. It was here my asthma finally made an appearance. I felt tingly and uncomfortable.  I knew I could not kick the entire way in.  I decided that when I had a half mile to go, I would try to catch her.  At a half mile to go, I caught the guy ahead of me, who then battled me back and beat me by a second.  However, first place woman was a wonderful competitor and dropped the hammer in that last mile, taking the lead by 11 seconds.  My last mile was 6:43.  I looked back and Esly was just 1 second behind.  

It was a fun race. Having her there always 5-10 seconds ahead of me really motivated me.  Having my Garmin did help me run an evenly paced race.  I love the feeling of a good road race and I think I need to pop into a few more of these! :)

Stats:

16 OA/ 303 runner

2nd F

27:04

6:46 pace

http://woodbridge.patch.com/articles/running-and-pizza-finally-together#photo-10637422

  

Things I Learn About People (maybe just Ultra Runners) from my Dog

So we took Enzo to the Canal for another canoe trip.

Anyone who knows Enzo knows that he is a very vocal pooch.  His baseline reaction to anything that strikes him as potentially dangerous is to bark as loud and hard as he can at it.  Sure, this sound like a normal dog reaction.  I know he is just being a dog.  The only problem is I am not always sure what he will interpret as a threat.   Mostly any size dog at any distance is a threat.  A shrimp used as bait on a canal in Florida was a threat.  The Sheephead Fish we caught off the shrimp was a threat, but in Enzo's defense that thing had horse teeth and I was kind of scared myself.  Duffle bags or bat bags at baseball fields are threats. Once a fire hydrant in the dark was a threat.  Sometime shadows are threats.

We pull into the dirt lot and exit my car, just as a group of teenage guys with tackle boxes and fishing poles walk by the car.  They are a few steps ahead of us and look at Enzo.  They couldn't help it because Enzo decided they were a threat and started barking at them.  If Enzo ever barks at people, it is always from a distance and once he get closer to them he softens up and becomes friendly.

One turns back to see this yappy pooch in a life jacket and melts...."Awwwwwww! Look at that dog with the vest on!!!"  He turns back and keeps walking towards the canoes.  We are going the same way and we are right behind them.  We end up in a small group as we cross the canal over a foot bridge.  Enzo stops barking and takes a spot right in the middle of the group.  I can feel his body language soften as he seems like he likes being in the middle as we all move along.  I comment to Sid, that I think Enzo thinks we are a pack.

We get our canoe before the guys get theirs and we head off down the canal.  Enzo finds several more threats along the way... a bullfrog, a large grey heron, and what seemed to be a group of partridge or some other small set of birds walking along in the brush.

As we travel back to return our canoe, the guys are in theirs floating in the center of the canal.  Enzo spots them.  The guy who commented about Enzo's vest at the parking lot quickly, with great joy, says "Hey! Cool! There's the dog again!" Enzo barks back, but with his friendly bark... the bark he gives when he sees someone he knows coming towards him.  It is his "Hey There! In know you!" bark. The bark with no fear or anxiety.  He was just talking.

At that moment, it became so clear to me that a relationship developed between this guy and my dog.  I find this fascinating because it happened in moments only.  There relationship began when Enzo barked and the guy acknowledged Enzo with positive regard.  It was solidified when we all walked as pack over the foot bridge and Enzo got in the center of the group.

That was all it took to bond in a positive way.  Just seconds of moving along together with a common goal in a common direction and at a common speed.  Now my dog and this guy were friends.

This made me think about ultra runners.  Rarely do two or more ultra runners spend time running together at race, moving along with a common goal, in a common direction and at a common speed and not emerge from that experience immediate and fast friends on some level.  There must be someone primal about pack running that immediately solidifies friendships in moments.

Rambling

ram·bling  adj.

1. Often or habitually roaming; wandering.

2. Extended over an irregular area; sprawling: a large rambling country estate.

3. Lengthy and digressive: a rambling speech.

rambling  adj

1. straggling or sprawling haphazardly; unplanned a rambling old house

2. (of speech or writing) lacking a coherent plan; diffuse and disconnected

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) (of a plant, esp a rose) profusely climbing and straggling

4. nomadic; wandering

I enjoy the running I do with Team in Training because I get reminded about just how many questions new marathoners have.  In the past we have discussed shoes, hydrations packs, stomach cramps, and other common concerns.  

Today as we physically rambled along the trails and paths of a beautiful NJ park, I got to verbally ramble with the group about fueling and bonking and what to do to avoid this. I enjoy this topic because in order to understand how attempt to avoid bonking, we have to discuss a whole lot of related topics, like hydration, electrolytes, and fuel consumption.  

My position on most things related to running is to quote Sheehan and explain that we are all an experiment of one.  I also like to use myself as an example of someone who has done absurd things which turned out to bring me some success.  For example, I fueled my best marathon with 6 gels.  This seems excessive to most people.  I took 1 before the start.  I opened 1 at the gun and sipped it through mile 4.  By mile 5 I opened my third, by mile 10 I opened my 4th, by mile 15 I opened by 5th, and by mile 20 I opened the last one I could tolerate.  I drank water and gatorade at each water stop.  I took a few e-caps at the start and half way.  I ran a 3:15 and took 3rd place in the race.  

This admission of gel gluttony often gets some reaction.  This leads me into my next question which is how well do we understand how many calories we burn per mile and how much fuel we need to succeed.  Most new runners have no idea how many calories are in one gel let along how many calories we burn per mile. 

In general, most runners think a good rule of thumb is to guess 100 calories per mile.  So that suggest that without counting a few ounces of gatorade or anything (usually liquids) that I consume pre-race, I am burning 2600 calories during a marathon, while consuming 600 calories in gel.  It no longer seems so absurd to consume so many gels for a marathon.  It even seems like maybe I should be taking more. 

This leads us to discuss how much energy the body stores.  We know that carbohydrates are the primary energy source for muscles.  Specifically, glucose, the product from breaking down carbohydrates is the fuel we use.  Glucose get stored in the body as Glycogen.  Apparently we store glycogen in our liver (100 g) and in our muscles (500 g).  The 500 g in our muscles will provide us with close to 2000 calories worth of energy.  If you don't fuel up properly or allow your body to be depleted, you may have less.

 http://www.livestrong.com/article/264767-how-is-excess-glucose-stored/

Ok, so  this suggests that the 2000 calories of energy stored in my body plus the 600 calories I consume during the race is enough to get me through the marathon.  It seemed to work for me that day. 

However, I recently learned that the 100 calories per mile rule is not so accurate. Apparently this information has been floating around for years, but I did not know it.  According to the cited article the most accurate formula for determining your "net calorie burn" (calories burned minus basal metabolism) is to multiple your weight in pounds by .63.  So a 120 lb woman burns about 75 calories per mile.  This information is not terribly crucial.  It could help with making sure your recovery meals are not more than your net burn if you are attempting to lean up.  http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304-311-8402-0,00.html

After spending all this time pointing out how I consumed a bunch of calories and ran a bonk free marathon, I then like to share the story of my PR 50k from 2011.  During that race, I consume some real food prior to the event and only fueled en-route with 2 gels and about 20 oz of gatorade.  I ran a 4:15 31.06 mile race with a 5 second negative split with my last 5k faster than my first. 

How can it be that a ton of gel was just as good as two.  My only explanation is that the body burns energy in mysterious ways.  Weather may be a factor to help us stay hydrated and tolerate fuel. Also I am a fan of occasional depletion training.  I tend to trained depleted when I run with TNT.  I believe that as we training more, we use less fuel because we get more efficient, but what do I know?

I share my 50k low fuel story after seeming to suggest that tons of gel is the way to go to show that there are many ways to fuel a race. I believe that good training helps us run more efficiently so less fuel will be needed.  I believe that good pacing can help avoid a crash at the end.  But most importantly I believe that we have to just experiment with what works for us and it may vary as we get fitter.  Newer runners, who may run slower and less efficiently may need to fuel differently than leaner, lighter, faster, more efficient runners.  

I have found success and failure with both consuming a lot and consuming a little.  I am sure there are elements that can't be identified that do influence what each runners needs.  So I encouraged those I was with to alternate their fueling.  Some runs train by consuming more fuel.  Other runs, train by consuming less and just see how it feels.  

I have no idea what is the absolute right way to fuel a marathon, but what I do know is that we need carbohydrates, electrolytes and water.  Give the body those things in moderation and it should make the experience of running a marathon much better than if you fail to supply one of these vital elements. 

American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Woodbridge NJ. 6/9/12 - 6/10/12

Every August 5, I reach another anniversary of my cancer diagnosis.  I began the journey towards survivorship with the discovery that something was wrong on May 13, 2005 (yes, that was a Friday).  To celebrate another year of survivorship, I sign up for my local ACS Relay for Life which is always in June each year.  This is my third year.

I often don't make a huge deal about this event.  I don't beg for funds.  I don't "organize" a team.  I realize the ACS would love to see big teams and lots of donations.  However, due to the underlying emotional nature of my quiet celebration, I am not interested in becoming the director/coordinator of a large number of people.  I would rather be present, attempt to stay up all night (which in itself is becoming more of challenge), share the night with others also touched by cancer, and pay my respects to those who are no longer with us.

So instead of making a huge project out of this event, I simply sign up as a team of one. I post some links asking anyone who would like to join me in some laps to please join my team, make at least the $10 donation, and then meet me at the event at their convenience. This works for me.  Many people wish they could make it, also donate.  I know some very generous people.  Thank you again for your contributions to the ACS on my behalf!

Each year about 5-7 people, some very close friends and some very new friends, show up at various points in the night to walk or jog with me around the park.  Each year I raise about $600, which I think is quite good since I usually don't know if I can commit to the Relay until about 2 weeks prior to the event.

This year was the first year I got to the park alone.  I set up my tent, my table, my chair.  There was a moment when I felt overwhelmed by a sense of loneliness in a sea of people playing games and having fun, so I called Tamra :).

One wonderful gesture that truly helped me feel less lonely occurred as I walked in the back of the pack of 17 survivors, and I passed the luminary dedicated to me by Jacqui.  To see my name and a lovely message helped me know that even when we walk along we are not.  Without fail, every time I go to this event I find myself getting overwhelmed by emotion that sneaks up on me.  As I completed the survivor lap, I was grateful to get the emotions out of my system, especially before my people arrived to join me various shifts.

At 8:30 pm,  Sidney was the first to arrive and wasn't staying long.  He had to be up by 5:30 am to head to the base and needed to go home to sleep.  He walked a few laps, saw Jacqui's luminary and was pleasantly surprised as he showed me what he found.

Just before 9:00 pm Ann arrived.  I "met" Ann on the Team in Training Alumni page and was very flattered that she would come to join me for my run.  It was wonderful to discuss her plans as new marathoner with an NYC marathon entry.   Sid left as Ann arrived.

By 9:30 Tamra arrived as I ran with Ann.  The thing about running at night, is that you can't help but automatically become fast friends.  All I can say about Tamra is that I can always count on her to be around for the extreme ridiculousness I come up with.  She is just an awesome friend and I am always grateful to see her.

By 10 pm Kerry arrived and we continued on the journey.  Walking, running, talking.  We sat for breaks after a few 0.8 mile loops.  Kerry is one of the funniest and smartest people I know.  Her wittiness always catches me off guard and some of the things she has said over the years end up filed away in my mind as some of the funniest things I have ever heard anyone say.  I was so happy to see her.

By 10:30 Lauri arrived.  I was looking forward to Lauri's arrival.  After a recent passing of her dear friend, I wanted Lauri to come Relay with me.  We didn't get to spend enough time talking about the amazing things Angela has done, but I know we both had her in our minds.  I was glad to have Lauri there to make me laugh with her hilarious sense of humor.

By 11:30 or so, Rich had made it.  I met Rich through the Wickatunk Track Club running group page, after my friend Jim Plant sent me a message that I should join the club.  I mentioned in passing that I was doing the Relay and he signed up to run some laps at night.

Jim Plant is a member of the Mangum Track Club in NC, and the Wickatunk club started by Rich is modeled and inspired the North Carolina organization.  As we discussed NC running and who Rich knew on the Mangum Track Club, Rich mentioned how he ran the last bit of his shirt run with Jim Plant.

Almost on cue, as if he knew we were talking about him, at 12:30 I get a text from Jim Plant who was running the Boogie marathon in NC and we got a brief race report.  Awesome timing Jim!

By 2:00 am Jess texted to report she was lost b/c the GPS park street address I found online actually sent people up the block about 1/4 of a mile.  By 3 am she had arrived just as Rich needed to get home.

With a little break in the tent at 4 am for rain, Jess and I walked a few laps through sunrise. At 5:30, she needed to get going to meet the TNT running at the GWB run.

By this point I had 29.9 miles and I decided that 50k would be a nice place to stop.  Tamra had taken a nap and woke up for my final laps.  As I hit 31.06, I stopped my watch noting that it took me over 6 hours longer to complete this 50k than my best 50k effort.  Tamra noted that out of all the crazy crap I come up with, this night was one of the most pleasant.  I agreed.

I moved my car closer and thought about how I tired I was.  I didn't have much to pack but I thought about how nice it would be if Sid was here to help me carry my gear to my car so I could make just one trip.  And there in the distance, I saw Sidney walking towards me. He decided to stop over before he left for work just to see if I needed any help.

That was nice.

One Step at a Time...

I sat across from Barbara (yes the names have been changed) and asked her to draw a boat, a lighthouse and a storm.  She protested that she can't draw a straight line.  I insisted this really isn't about the drawing and if she humors me she will see I am being honest with her.   I explain that she is free to tear up her artwork at the end of our session if she wishes.  It made her feel better to know she could destroy the potentially embarrassing evidence of her childlike expression.  She trusted me, sorted through my art materials and gave this a shot.

It took months for me to be in this seat, the one across from Barbara as she sat in her recliner in the bay where she gets infused twice per month for hours.  She has colon cancer that spread to her liver.  She has been getting treated at the Cancer Center from before I started last March.  Since then, I often walked past her bay, occasionally asking her to give art therapy a try.  She would wave me off, politely, say no thank you and tuck her wig-covered head down into her word search.  She would busy herself with puzzles while the pump whirred in the background for hours.

Something about her changed a month ago. I could feel it.  She made longer eye contact with me as I walked past.  I could tell she wanted to share her thoughts with someone and she was sizing me up.  I offered my services again.

Despite feigning resistance for consistency's sake, I knew she would create something.  I gave the directive to draw a Boat, a Lighthouse and the Storm and she got to work.  I picked this topic after reading about it in compilation about Favorite Therapeutic Techniques. I have been experimenting with this one in a variety of settings and learning how it reveals a person's attitude towards adversity.

I could have asked Barbara to stand on her head and we would have likely gotten to her story anyway.  It didn't matter what I asked of her, she was clearly ready to open up.  After some time working with all the materials (magazine photos, water color paint, markers, colored pencils, etc) I had to offer, she presented me with her image of a boat collaged over a picture of a lighthouse, with watercolor painted rain falling over half the scene. A bright sun shined on the right half.  The boat was far to the left headed though tumultuous waves as it neared the shore.

I asked her what was going to happen.  She shared that boat wants to get to the shore.  I asked what it needed to make sure it made it.  She immediately shifted to first person (I love when this happens), explaining "I need to navigate carefully through those rough waters near the coast since I don't know what is under there and it looks dangerous.  Also, I need to pray."  I asked if she thought she would make it.  She beamed that she believes she is almost there.

I asked how her treatment was going.  Here was her moment. This is why I was here.  She shared that she had a scan recently and that all those stubborn lesions that had threatened to take her life had shrunk!  In fact, only one small one remained. This meant the the treatment was working.

We talked about the relationship between her picture of the storm and her treatment. She recognized the powerful parallels.  She appreciated being able to see that she was still concerned about booby-trapped coast lines that are tricky to navigate. She fears getting to close to success and then crashing because she wasn't careful.  She can see the sunshine and knows where to go.  She is so close that she finally feels safe talking about feeling better.  About feeling lucky. About feeling stronger.  She dated the picture and packed it away to keep.

Barbara was just one patient I saw today, prior to preparing for my run home at the end of my shift.  I love running home from the Cancer Center.  It makes me feel like I have come a long way.  When I see my patients in the waiting room and they observe me on my way to run, I see them smile because I know they know I had cancer too.  I don't even mind that my run is through some urban areas that are quite the opposite of running through the natural beauty of woodsy trails.

Today was special, not only because I got to be a witness to Barbara's joy, but because just before my shift ended I was gifted by our dietitian a package of wool hats donated to her by a charity.  She gave away the hats to everyone who would take them, but about 20 remained.

As I shared my plans to run/walk all night at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life to celebrate my 7 years of being cancer free this weekend, the dietitian insisted I take the hats to the relay and pass them on.  Hats really are a big deal. I still have all my hats, especially the rainbow striped one my brother gave me to keep my head warm and brighten my day.  It was a hat, glove, scarf set. I wear the gloves at ultras now.

Twenty handmade knitted wool hats are a little bulky and we scrambled to figure out a way for me to get them home. She found a small apple store bag in her desk that held them perfectly. This, of course, made me think of Steve Job's recent passing from Pancreatic Cancer.  He was able to buy the best care and it gave him about 8 years.  Cancer does not discriminate.

I changed from my work clothes to my running clothes, which today consisted a neon yellow shirt given to me by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults at the Half-Full Tri Relay last October.  The back of the shirt says Wanna Fight. I didn't know this for the longest time.  I often wondered people behind me in races would comment that they really didn't want to fight me.  I often wonder what I was I doing that made so many people say this to me.  The front of the shirt says boldly 'Team Fight!"  I feel strong when I wear this shirt.

I secured the apple store bag of hats to the back of my running pack and took off through the urban jungle, getting the raised eye-brows I have become used to.  Clearly running down the streets of Elizabeth is not usual.

I am not sure if it was my outfit of the bright yellow Team Fight shirt with loud navy blue shorts and red shoes, or if it was the apple store packaged wool hats for cancer patients, or if it was the fact that I was running home, relatively fast, from the cancer center that made me feel like a cancer fighting superhero.  I felt like I had a purpose.  Like I was on a mission that was meaningful.

What I do know is that this feeling changed as I passed the mile long stretch along the cemetery.

It was there that I wondered just how many people were in that cemetery that were not as lucky as me. Cancer sucks.  It is brutal.  It is unpredictable.  Some of us recover.  Some of us beat it because we catch it early and/or treatment works.  Some of us beat the crap out of bodies in the process.  Cancer somehow has a way of even making those who manage to escape it's clutches feel badly.  Survivors Guilt.

I am grateful that I did survive but I honestly don't feel that I had to fight hard for it.  I feel more that I was lucky and for that reason I try to give back.  In addition to possibly helping others, I also want to be sure I am ready to fight again if my own cancer returns.

This is how I ended up running through a tough neighborhood, carrying hats and dressed like superhero in a hydration pack.  But as I pass the cemetery, I am overwhelmed by the sense that a few hats or some art therapy or a little fundraising may not do as much as I would like to believe.  Sometimes things feel futile.  However, I am very much aware that doing nothing is certain to help no one.

As I turned onto my street, I was a little surprised by my run.  It took me just over 1 hour and 2 minutes to get the 7.5 miles home.  That is about an 8:16 pace while lugging a few pounds of gear.  This was my fastest commute yet.  I was inspired.  Usually, I feel like the wind is in my face whole way.  Today I felt like I was running downhill.  It felt incredibly easy, as it should.

I am lucky. I know this. I am grateful.  Seven years out and I am able to run strong.  Seven years ago I wasn't sure what would happen next.  I wish there was more that could be done to help others hurry up and feel the way I do today.  My success lies in early detection and a personal ability to decide on the most aggressive treatment I could tolerate.  Even as a lucky survivor, remnants of trauma remain as I often wonder how long it will take for me feel like I don't have to worry about feeling like I did seven years ago again.

So for now, I run and hopefully I will figure out what I am doing one step at a time.