Terri Roemer Paramus Run, 10k/5k Double, Paramus, NJ. 10/21/12

(http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Former_Ramapo_College_alumni_star_in_Paramus_Run_races.html?page=all   Article in the Record, by Bruce Weber)

The Terri Roemer Paramus Run, is an annual run that benefits the Paramus Scholarship Fund in Paramus, NJ. Runners have the option of running either the 10k at 9:05 am, the 5k at 11:15 am.  This gives runners plenty of time to race both.  http://www.paramusrun.com/index.php The race description explains: "Both the 5K and 10K courses pass through scenic, tree-lined residential neighborhoods." Um, they forgot to mention the hill.

Yesterday I ran an easy paced 22.5 miles, most of it with Team in Training.  It took just under 4 hours and worked out to 10:35 pace.  I don't care what anyone else thinks, I know that for me slower, longer running seems to make me stronger and takes very little out of me. I knew I wanted to race something today, so I was happy to take it easy.  But during the last 3 miles of the run, the allergies I thought I had been suffering from began to feel more like a cold.  My throat felt inflamed and the gatorade I refilled my bottle with was burning as a swallowed, badly.  Each swallow felt worse.  I was getting goose-bumps and felt like crud.  I could not wait to just get home.  This run no longer felt easy!

Even feeling sick, I still combed the race calendar for options. I was really happy to see a 10k USATF-NJ points race scheduled.   I am short on Category 2 races (those btw 4 miles and 15k) so it was nice to get another set of points for my score card. Once I realized I could run both the 5k and the 10k I was sold! 

So after getting registered I barely had time for a little warm up.  I knew nothing about the course, had no expectations, realized that if I just ran 18 miles at 7:09 pace and a half at 7:01 pace, so I should be shooting for about 6:40 for this race. I felt achy and had a lot of congestion but I have raced much sicker and still ran PR's so I didn't think it was going to make this worse... and if it did, it did, so what? It will still be a workout. 

The 10k

Gun goes off and I try to find a comfortable pace.  As I now look over my splits, I am surprised at what I see.  I take splits, but dont always look at them until later.  I thought my first mile was faster, but it was actually M1- 6:38.  I continued on cruising along thinking that I would try to run a pace that I could pick up the speed from in the last 2 miles.  M2-6:38.  (Cool! I had no idea I was that even!)  

And then came the hill!  I am actually glad I did not know about this until I had to run it. I am sure I would have not run the first two miles as well if I was trying to save myself for this.  I have to look at the data, but the hill was long and steep and one of those cruel tricks RD's play where you go up a steep hill to a turn and hope that you will go down after the turn... but you DON'T, you get to go up more instead.  I hunkered down, reminded myself that I run a lot, so I am strong and just tried to minimize the havoc this incline was going to wreck upon my pace.  As I passed mile 3 mark I convinced myself that we just got rid of all the Ups at once, so the next 3 miles will just all have to be downhills now!  :)  M3- 7:05.  (Ok, not as bad as I thought!)

I got back into my stride and found my rhythm.  I was now coughing out phlegm from my congestion and it was choking me at times,  As I a started to feel crappy, it was then that I heard it...in my head... the song from two weeks ago that propelled to a 18 miler PR.  Awesome!  

We we making our way back downhill, but I felt like it was a little too steep for my legs to just fly.  I still needed a minute or two to recover from grinding up that incline.  I managed to salvage this mile and hit M4 in 6:38.  I noticed the clock reads 27:01, a time a few seconds faster than my 4 mile PR, although I have run a 4 mile split faster in an 8k. 

At this point, I started to get tired. I was told by the girls directing us that I was first female!  I didn't want to loose my position.  As we turned a corner, I peaked over my shoulder and saw only one guy in the distance. (Yeah, I know you aren't supposed to peak, but I dont like rules and I like to have information, so I look all the time especially when I cant gather the information I need without looking back).  I relaxed this mile focused on pushing in mile 6. M5 6:48.

I hit mile 6 and realized that if I can just hold my pace, I may actually win my first 10k race ever!  At some turn in the final mile, I had the chance to scan back and again saw no women. (oh boy, there she goes looking back again!) ;)  But the course was very turny so that didnt mean I was going to win it.  I figured if I just don't slow down, if there is a chick chasing me down and if she flies past me the she deserve that win.  I just didn't want to give it away.  M6: 6:37

At this point in the race, I was pretty thrilled that I was about to win. I looked at my time and realized I could be sub-42 and I picked it up, running the last .2 in 1:19 and securing the win :) 

10k Stats

TIme: 41:46 (6:43)

Overall: 24/448

Gender 1/197

http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%18%7CD&EVENTID=98325&PWD=0&BIB=1052

So I get some water, talk to the RD, jog back to my car and text Sid.  I put on some warm clothes and head back to the race hoping to jog around between the races.  It was at this time I debated even running the 5k.  I had felt a large hot spot on the ball of my foot and it was getting more aggravated as I walked around on it.  I jogged a little and it actually felt better when running than it did when walking, so I decided to go for it.   I had worn a brand new pair of T7 Racers, which were great.  I love these flats.  The spot form after I had experienced some rawness related to the way I had taped up my plantar fascia.  The skin peeled recently there, and now I was racing fast, mostly up on my balls of my feet.  The turny, downhill running seemed to heat up the area.  I had my Connects with me, but I felt no need to change them for the 5k, b/c when running or jogging the hot spot wasn't an issue. 

Awards were announced btw the races, so instead of logging more miles, I socialized.  Hey after all, isn't this the fun of racing :)

I dropped my plaque off at my car, took off my warm up clothes, headed back to the porta pottie line and then off to the start.  This race had almost twice as many as the 10k.  Even though I felt stiff and tired, I still lined up towards the front. The gun went off and we ran the same way we did for the 10k.  I recognized several men who were just ahead of me in the 10k, also just ahead of me in the 5k.  

I wasn't even sure how to handle this race.  At a few tenths in I started to feel like this was not one of my brightest ideas!  My legs were tired! I was stuck behind runners and not sure I wanted to move beyond them when opening presented themselves (but I did). 

I hit mile 1, so grateful to only have 2 miles left, not 5!  M1- 6:42  Because I had assumed my first mile of my 10k was a lot faster (I thought the clock read 6:29, when it read 6:38!) I was really concerned to have run my first mile so much slower than before...(actually only 4 seconds)...  I was wondering how this was going to go.  

Then I saw Jim O, who called out 4th woman and 46th OA.  "Seriously! No Way!"  I either thought that or said it out loud.  A guy next to me, clearly much fresher than myself, attempted to help me out by making some race related small talk about what I need to do and where the other women ahead of me are.  I was so tired and congested that all I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears.  I believed I grunted something at him, as he pointed out the 3rd place woman directly ahead of us.  I moved ahead and passed her before 1.5 miles to go.  

I no longer was worried about my pace and I became focused on trying to hold a top 3 for the next 1.5 miles.  I had now passed a few of the men who had beaten me in 10k.  I felt proud to have the strength to run further faster than those who can run faster than me shorter.  It gave me hope that I have a new marathon PR in me that wants to come out soon. 

As I hit mile 2 it seemed surreal to only have 1 mile left to go. I could feel that I had the energy to maintain my speed but I wasn't sure I could catch anyone or run any faster.  M2- 6:45

I could see the first place and second place females ahead of me.  The really were not too far, but it looked like an eternity.  If I sped and they faded I could catch them in the last mile.  I tried to dig for something and it was rough.  I was depleted.  I was still gaining on the women.  I was actually reeling them in, but the straight away as so long, that they were really 10-20 second ahead of me. 
M3- 6:39

Every step felt like it was in slow motion.  I was truly working hard for this.  I could hear them announce "First woman... Here comes second woman"....I tried to dig for anything  and as I approached, they announced that I was securely in 3rd.  Final 0.1: 0:41

5k Stats
Time: 20:53 (6:44)
Overall 29th/708
Gender  3rd/373

The coolest part about this double is that my 5k time was exactly half of my 10k time.  Clearly I have 1 speed... now if only I can just hold that pace for 26.2... look out! ;)  

Armed Forces Freedom Run 2012, "Revised to 7 hour", Burlington County Fairgrounds, NJ. 10/13/12

Alanna and I had a great day at the Armed Forces Freedom Run "7 hour" Relay  (originally planned to be an 8 hour) put on by the Burlington County Military Affairs Committee.

I stumbled upon this one night while combing the race calendars, as I so often do.  This was a brand new event.  First it was advertised as a Relay with a humorous comment that read, "Maximum team size is 8 runners (Minimum size is 1 runner, but that will make for a long day!)" After reading, what I clearly interpreted as "Teams of ONE are allowed", I mentioned this to Alanna to see if she wanted to show up as solo runners and race against teams of runners for 8 hours.  Of course she said Yes.

Race Day:  So Mother Nature was messing with us a little.  We woke up to temps below 30 degrees. Brrrr!  My car windshield was covered in ice. I had to revise my racing wardrobe to include some winter gear for the start.  Temps were only supposed to reach the 50's.  This was about a 20 degree sliding difference btw the 50-70+ degrees it has been lately.

Because this was an inaugural event, I expected glitches.  The first issue was that parking was in a different part of the fairgrounds, a few minutes away by foot.  Not a big deal for a 5k, but when they advertise that you can set up a canopy or tent for your supplies, it would have been nice to park at the race location to unload (where parking was extremely plentiful along the entire course).  I had my rolling cooler, and some clothes.  But Alanna had a large bin of her ultra gear.  She just pulled out the essentials (fuel, clothes, a chair and her cooler) and this was manageable.

We had a pre-race meeting where the Timing Guy, Mike, asked each team to grab a clipboard so we could manually record each lap time as we completed it.  There was chip timing, but this was his back-up. This is not an issue for teams handing off running duties at the end of each lap, but for Alanna and I we had to stop each lap to record for ourselves.  At this point, it was starting to sink in that Alanna and I would be running Solo.  Mike asked if we had friends to help, which we both sadly reported that we have no friends (hehe).  He suggested we recruit others to helps us.  We opted not to.  This was not actually a big problem at all and took about 5 seconds to swing by the table, stop, look at the clock, write down the time, and go on.  No biggie.  It broke up the lap. The only negative thing it did was make us both acutely aware of exactly how long we had been running and exactly how far we had run.  Sometimes it is nice not know.

I expected Alanna and I to be the only 2 ultra-runners present.  To steal Alanna words, "We get to be ambassadors of the sport today." We tried very hard to not seem too crazy.  I personally tried my best to not throw up and scare people.  ;)  (I found out later that one other guy decided to run the 8 hour as well, although he was also part of a team?).

As the run started, for maybe the first 2 hours I was asked to verify to my fellow runners that Alanna and I would actually be trying to run this entire run solo.  People seemed to not believe us.  It made me appreciate just how extreme ultrarunning is in some ways.  It also made me aware of how people tend to set artificial limitation on what they perceive as possible or impossible.  Ultrarunners know that 7-8 hours of running is not truly a HUGE deal.  It is a lot, but not impossible.  But for people who only run a few miles a day, a few days per week, the concept could seem unimaginable.

A another issue was that we needed to wear a D-tag on our shoe b/c there was chip timing.   I had two pairs of shoes so swapping the glued-on chip strip could have been an issue.  But it wasn't.  I just safety pinned it to my second pair of shoes when I needed a change.  I was hoping to just pin the D-tag to my shorts but I was told it had to be on my shoe.

Yet another glitch was the loop.  It varied for the first 4 laps.  The volunteers were a little confused as to which way the relayers ran vs the 5k'ers and we were getting a chance to explore various sections of the course. :)  By lap 4 we had sorted it all out and the loop was about .96 miles.  Alanna and I were tracking our own mileage with our Garmins, so out total distance run is unofficial.  The race was scored by counting completed laps, since we all ran the same lap distances, regardless of the differences between the first few.

As we ran along, I believe many expected us to stop after about 2 hours or so.  By 3 hours in people started to comment that they were impressed by us.  By 4 hours in, we were getting positive comments.

The RD did arrange for some games and raffles to take place during the run.  Poker cards were handed out and the best hand would win.  There was a bingo card and a person pulling numbers each lap.  I didn't participate in the games because I didn't want to stop to wait for winners to be announced.  Had I had a crew with me, I would have played more games.  There was a band for the first few hours.  A DJ from a radio station for the the afternoon.  There was a Car Show and food vendors.  It was a little like time lapse photography for me out there.  I watched everyone set up, do their thing, and then break down and leave... all in snippets of time 10 minutes apart. The fields were empty when I started. Empty when I finished.  But full of life during the 7 hours of the event.  Families would have had fun.

At 4 hours in a decision by the RD was made to reduced the event by 1 hour.  I am not sure why, but I didn't complain.  I was tired.  We now had 3 hours to go and not 4.  I was glad for this.

But at 5 hours in, I noticed some concern for me developing.  I fully believe that some did not think it was safe for a person to run 5 hours straight.  I had an odd conversation with one person who stated that he was concerned about me because I was not sweating and he worried about dehydration.  This was odd because I was standing at my cooler drinking a gatorade at the time, smiling and telling him I was feeling great.  I was at about 28 miles at the time, which is really not excessively fast at all for me (but he doesn't know this).   I didn't want to try to explain that I wasn't sweating b/c it was about 48 degrees and I had shed all my layers so I was running in a sports bra and capri pants.  I was cool.  I also know what it feels like when I am dehydrated and that was not a pressing issue at the time.  Others were still in winter gear (because they were not running the whole day and standing around was cold).  People running in more layers will be warmer and sweat more.

I did my best to assure him I was fine, and raced to find Alanna to ask if she was getting any flack for running for 5 hours.  She said No.  But she was taking more breaks than I was.  Maybe they didn't realize she was only a little bit behind me in distance run.  I asked her if I looked OK.  Maybe I appeared like I was struggling and didn't know.  I actually felt great considering I was approaching 29 miles and logging 10 minute laps almost with perfectly even splits.  She assured me I looked ok.  I told her I was getting a vibe like they may ask me to stop running. I did not want to get pulled.

Sid had a break from his duties at McGuire AFB (a few miles away) and appeared.  He ran a lap with me.  I told him my concern that I might get pulled simply because I don't think others understand that people do actually run this far.  He told me to tell the RD to google my name, race results, and ultrarunning magazine. That would be a good idea if I needed to convince others that running far was not unhealthy for those trained for it.

However, by 5:30 into the race, the Timing Guy seemed more supportive. He had checked the results and reported that I was leading for the most laps.  I made every effort to "not look tired" when passing the timers and the spectators, but I was very tired and it was tiring to try to not look tired.  Heck, who wouldn't be tired after 5.5 hours of running at a 10 minute pace.  LOL.

I had my heart set on a "leisurely" 40 miles for the day, and this was back when I thought I had 8 hours to do it.  I really felt 45-50 was possible in 8 hours if I really gave it my all.  However, with this not counting for anything official, trying for 50 miles was not going to happen.  I spent more time chatting with runners than focusing on hauling butt.

There was a med tent set up on one side of the course and at this time, they asked me who else was running with me.  I reported "no one" and they became very supportive of me.  Each lap, they asked how far I had run and cheered as I passed.  This really helped.

With 6 hours to go, the crowd support became awesome.  People started to realize that I was, in fact, going to run the entire race solo.  People began cheering for me by name.  They counted down the minutes for me (50 minutes to go!).  Some asked if I needed any fuel or water.  The Timing Guy logged my laps when he was there.   The Army guys in uniform applauded as I passed.  A woman carrying her toddler rushed to the side of the course telling her child "Here she comes! Clap for her! She has been running for 6 and a half hours!"  I was appreciative and motivated.

At 6:48, I crossed the 40 mile mark and knew I could get one more lap in before the end.  Alanna had stopped, completing 34 laps.  She met me with a few yards to go and kicked it in with me.  I finished that lap and ran the balance so my Garmin could flip to an even 41 miles in 6:58.

I walked back to the clipboard recorded my lap and sat down.  People clapped and someone gave me a water.  It was really a great day.

They gave out a prize for the most laps completed by one runner, which I won with 44 laps.  Alanna a was second.  I did notice the military team won with 66 laps and the civilian team won with 55 laps.  They each had teams of 8 runners.

I think we did a good job introducing the sport of ultrarunning to a crowd of people who thought we were crazy at the start.  By the end, they realized we were just a little extreme.  I was tempted to report that both Alanna and I are also Cancer Survivors, just to add one more layer of awesomeness to our day, but decided we did enough. :)

I did talk to the RD about suggesting to him some changes that could make this event a very attractive option for ultra runners.  There were glitches, but all were manageable.  He was very receptive to making changes so next year's even will run much more smoothly!

I look forward to returning!

Stats:
41 miles - 6:58
Most Laps award

My award from today. Reads: Armed Forces Freedom Run 2012. Burlington County Military Affairs Committee.  Most Laps.  (41 miles worth in 7 hours)

Long Beach Island, 18 miler, LBI, NJ. 10/7/12

http://youtu.be/qQkBeOisNM0 - The soundtrack in my head :)

Gun goes off.  Cold wind blows rain in my face. And the music in my head starts.  I immediately know I am ready for a good run.  Redemption!

I race without music, but I may start bringing some 24s.  There is nothing more inspiring than good music. My best races all have one thing in common.  The music in my head is awesome!   However, usually it is just the refrain of a song, since I rarely know all the words.  (Just keep refreshing that link and that was the soundtrack to my entire run!)

LBI 18 miler is a point-to-point race across a barrier reef island along the New Jersey Shore.  It is a pancake flat road course that runs in a straight line until mile 17.5, when you finally get to turn left, run around the block, and end at Old Barney, the Barnegat Lighthouse.

There is usually a head wind when running north and today was no exception.  The weather report was not the most pleasant. I left my house with temps in the high 40's, but I had an hour and a half drive to get to St. Frances' Community Center to get my bib by 9:00.  The race starts at 10:30.  The Community Center is about halfway between the start and finish.  Busses take runners to the start.

Late starts are crazy.  I never know what to eat.  I generally eat before a shorter race like this.  I knew I would be hungry by 10:30, so I tried a Cherry Almond Bonk Breaker bar I picked up on a whim.  It was gluten free so I figured why not.

I had an hour until the start, which by then should be about 50 degrees.  For me that is still sports bra and shorts weather, but add wind and rain and I am easily confused, so I brought a bag of clothes. I ended up wearing one of my favorite mesh singlets, with arm warmers.  I used the race T-shirt as a throw away.  I was glad to have packed some throw away gloves too.  I wore a new pair of shorts that I accidentally discovered had two secret gel pockets in the waist band! They rocked!

Because it was raining, I was happy to bust out my Senna hat for the run!  This was awesome b/c the brave spectators would cheer for me by yelling "Go Senna!" which was really cool!

So the gun goes off and I am easily sub-7:00.  I wasn't sure how recovered I would be, but I had about a 60-70 mile "recovery week" and know nothing about me was broken down.  Based upon my last half marathon on Sept 22, I predicted an 18 mile time (fresh) should be about 7:15.  A 6:45 mile isnt really going to be wise, so I slow up a little.  M1 6:58

I settle down and a teeny tiny woman made pretty much of just muscle cruises up next to me and we chat.  I ditch my throw away shirt and report that I really love the rain.  She mentions she forgot to start her watch and I offer to call out the seconds off mine as she reads hers so she can figure out how much to add to her watch time to be accurate.  At M2 we hit 7:05

I already like this woman.  She runs so smooth and effortlessly.  She reports that 7:00's is just about what she needs. I wonder how long I can stay with her.  I miss a mile and we average 7:02 for the M3 and M4.  I feel good and hit M5 at 7:02 as well

The rain is cold, but the wind is not terribly strong at this point. I notice the flags so I know we are running into it and I know it will never be at my back.  I decide that the pace is a little faster than I may be able to hold, so I wish Maggie (as I learned later) luck and let her go ahead.  M6 -7:06

I tried to think about this race as three 6 mile runs.  The first 6, I wanted a good start.  I wanted to relax in the second 6 and the work for the last 6, no matter how ugly it gets.  As I hit mile 6, I reach back, slip a gel out of the pocket and it goes down easy.  I am happy about this.

I ran the middle 6 miles pretty much alone, listening to the refrain of the song in my head while trying to run to the rhythm I created at a speed I could cruise at for miles.  It was just three weeks ago that 7:09 was my new half marathon PR.  Now I am running about this pace as a split in an 18. Sure, I could blow up, but I may not!  I know that being leaner is helping me to find my speed.  M7-7:10, M8-7:10, M9-7:08, M10-7:07

Eight miles to go.  I start to feel like I am working hard (two miles too soon). My legs feeling heavy.  M11-7:17, M12-7:13, M13-7:13.  

In response to the fatigue, I grab the last gel in my waistband.  It is very warm, thin, and gooey. I bite the tab.  It is Lime flavored.  It is also bright flourescent green. And it also SPLATTERS all over my face, arm, and singlet.  I am covered in green slime.  My only regret is that I made this maneuver AFTER passing the camera guy.  I would have loved to have captured that mess on camera! LOL!

I hit 13 miles at 1:32:54 and smile!  I pass a guy, who had passed me earlier, and encourage him to come with me. "Five to go!  We got this!!!"  He wishes me luck

A spectator reports: "Great job number 6!"

Huh, my bib is 856, not 6?  I look back. Confused. He yells. "You are 6th female!  4th is 20 seconds ahead!"

The 5th female is just ahead of me.  I can see 4th place up ahead and it's Maggie!  I pass 5th place and she is unresponsive even with me fading. M14-7:12

I get excited about being in the top 10, but the wind has kicked up some and I am really getting tired of it.  I need a break from fighting it.  I see Maggie looking back at me.  I know she feels it too.  I think that if I can just reel her in, I may have a chance to get her.  The wind is too much and we are both slowing equally. M15 -7:20, M16-7:18.

I see a guy run across the road towards Maggie.  They pick it up substantially and she starts to pull away.  For some reason, maybe because she is just alittle older than me and seemed so geniunely nice at the start, I am really happy to see her recover.  She is hauling!  I try to respond.  M17-7:07.

Maggie passes a guy in a blue singlet and I work my way up to him as well.  Maggie is gone and I know I cant catch her, but maybe I have a shot at catching this guy.  A truck drives by and a woman yells out "You got this! No one is behind you!" I glance back and see two men too far back to catch me in less than a mile.

The guy in blue is moving well. We make the turn towards the finish and he drops a little more speed.  I can't find a gear fast enough to match his speed at the very end.  We have a nice peppy finish and I log my fastest mile of the day! M18-6:50.

I am almost in tears as I realize that I just ran 18 miles in 2:08:54. 

Stats:
Time: 2:08:54 (7:09 pace)
41/806 Overall
5th/ 384 Females
1st AG

Hinson Lake 24 Hour, Rockingham NC, 9/29-9/30

Sigh.... I would like to begin by reporting the deep sadness I do feel about what I considered to be a failure.  On the bright side, only one thing failed, not several things, so theorecticaly I am doing better :).

photo by Frank Lilley

I first thought about Hinson last year.  I decided I wanted to run a race for a friend's (Liz) charity called "One for the Books." (http://www.oneforthebooks.org).  One for the Books is an organization that believes that reading is a "starting point for all economic and social opportunities the world has to offer." Over the years I have known Liz, she has selflessly used all her vacation time and her own financing to travel to South America and other countries in order to participate in volunteer programs.  These programs worked to enhance the literary skills and interest in books in those children living in underprivileged communities.

Liz needs funds to do good deeds and I wanted to help her.  She knew about my cancer history and decided that if I can raise money for her charity then she would use that money to provide books to children in cancer treatment.  The idea is that books offer diversion, they educate, they are an escape, they can teach about coping with cancer, or be used as a tool to cope with cancer.  They are lightweight and mobile and can be carried from place to place where they make waiting rooms and hospital beds more enjoyable. They require no special strength, they can be interactive and shared.  Books are wonderful resources.  In my own cancer treatment, I found great pleasure in reading books for fun, for therapy, and for educational purposes.  Together Liz and I decided to provide books to children who may not be able to do much else as they endure cancer treatment.  http://www.razoo.com/story/Shannon-Mcginn

I began fundraising and training back in December 2011. Month by month I requested donations to support my effort to run 100 miles.  In addition, I tried to prepare myself the best that I could to make that distance.  The goal is below my personal best, but a distance milestone I have not seen in some time.  I knew it would be hard, but I believed with hard work I could do it.

photo by Frank Lilley

As Hinson neared,  I was on track to raise the $2400 I promised to raise.  I was running with less pain in my feet than I have in years.  I was setting personal best times in short races, on consecutive weekends.  I was leaner and lighter than I have been in a long time.  I felt I was physically prepared for a great race.

I was concerned that North Carolina could get too hot for me.  I run best in the cold.  My best 24 hour was at about 32 degrees for most of the race.  Snow covered the ground, and damp air almost freezing air saturated our gloves and hats and clothes, but I managed to run well.  Heat and humidity, dehydrates me fast and I tend to get nauseous. Anything above 70 for me is heat. Once nauseous, I cannot eat or drink anything without feeling ill. In addition to the heat/humidity concern, I am convinced that nerves also make me nauseous.  At this point, I feel like I have created a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I am so worried that I am going to throw up that I end up throwing up.  I am working on ways to break that incredibly fun cycle.

photo by Frank Lilley

So I tried many things this time that I never tried before.  But first I must add, that when you have trouble in the 2nd half of 24 hour race, the only place to test ideas is in races.  So for this race, I pre-medicated with an OTC treatment used to treat GERD.  I took a pepcid AC before the race.  I used Tums when I got queazy.  I hoped to treat this and be done with it.

So the race starts and I feel great.  I easily cruise through a sub-13 minute loop 1 (1.52 mile).  I start planning my walks. I add a walk break in to the next lap, hitting 13:40.  I still need to burn off time, so I add another walk break and come through in about 15:06... perfect.  I wanted 15 minute laps.

By 2 hours in I had already finished 8 laps and "was working 9" :).  I hoped to keep this pattern.  But by 3 hours in, I was already starting to feel ill.  This was very upsetting to me.  My drink mix wasn't going down.  I was feeling dizzy and lightheaded.  I didn't know why.   Everyone around me was chatting about how cool it was and how it was such a great day!  I noticed that my clothes were saturated in sweat.

When I saw Jim's friend Deanna, I recalled her giving me a hug before the start, stepping back and saying "Wow, you are so warm!" Then I saw Alanna and remember her telling me she had plenty of ice if I needed it.  I also remembered the note pad next to my bed last night and it had only one item listed as needed for the race: "Ice."  It all clicked at that moment.  Even at 70 degrees or so, I am overheating!

By 3 hours in, I was already falling off my pace and struggling.  But with a cup of ice in hand I ran off again.  I started chomping on ice chips.  Within minutes, I was feeling better.  In fact after eating ice while I ran, I was back on pace and completely elated!  I felt I had found the solution to my problem, I was too hot!  The dizziness stopped. The nausea left me.  OMG, was this the secret?!  Sucking on ice while running?  No way!

I filled an ice bandana. Tamra had bought me dixie cups and a bag of ice.  I went out for loops carrying a paper cup, crumpled over so the ice would not fall out.  Sometimes I stuck the cup in my sports bra.  I did this lap after lap, as the only thing I could consume on the run was ice. I was tickled by the fact that this was the most LOW TECH intervention I had ever made in a race and it was working!  I have 4 handheld bottles and I am carrying a crumpled paper cup.  I have sports drinks, drink mixes and juice, and I am sucking ice.

I was happy to get some cooling and a bit of hydration from this, but I needed more calories and more fluid.  I started icing down some Mt. Dew (the only thing I could tolerate) and getting calories in me between laps.  I tried chilling down an Ensure (thinking more bang per swig) and that just made me feel ill. I tried coke and ginger ale.  I was able to get them down, but not as easily as the Mt. Dew.  In the first 4 hours or so, I did manage to eat 8 pringles and about a cup of mashed potatoes.  However I had a lot of trouble swallowing anything, so I tried to stay on liquids.  I took 2 E-caps every two hours or less.  I had a lot of trouble swallowing the tablets.

I was still running well despite this key issue.  In fact, I was surprising myself that I was going so steady lap after lap on mostly ice.  After learning that 66 laps was 100 miles and I was at 35, I was thrilled.

photo by Frank Lilley

For the majority of the race, I consumed mostly ice. I would slam a shot or two of Mt Dew between laps, get more ice in a cup and run.  I was still sticking with the lead women. Despite the drama, I did not feel like I was working very hard at all.  I wasn't worried about catching anyone but rather just wanted to try for 65 miles in 12 hours.

I was so pleased hit 40 laps (60 miles) with about 13 hours to go.  I was still on my plan.  However, I already knew that if I could not eat, I was not going to make it much further.  I tried again to take in fuel.  A pretzel turned into a solid block of mashed pretzel that I could not force down (another sign of how dehydrated I was).  I couldn't even chew up gummy bears, they seem so stubborn without the attack of saliva.  So I went back and forced down some sips of ensure.

As it got close to dusk, I asked Tamra to get me a cup of coffee.  I thought if I sat with something I found comforting, I could possible change things.  I few sips of lukewarm coffee and off I went.  It was not long before I asked Tamra to walk a lap with me.  As we walked, I threw everything up.  Tamra asked what it was about her that made me puke.  I reminded her that I only ask her to walk with me when I feel like puking.

Once I throw up, I can walk more miles, while cycling through rounds of throwing up, dry heaving, and attempts to eat/drink, but then I shut down.   I usually try very hard to avoid puking when I feel like it may happen.  Regardless of people reporting that throwing up makes you feel better, it makes me feel worse.  In fact, I believe that throwing up messes up my electrolyte balance, makes my heart palpitate and makes me unable to function properly.  I get to the point where I cannot will my legs to take another step, often finding myself stuck hundred of meters from where I need to go and certain I will never get there.

We got around and I decided again to sit down, drink something, anything (which was a failure), and then try for more laps.

At this point, I had about 10 hours to go.  Things were touch and go, with my feeling of hope slowly being usurped by the black cloud of negativity, justified by the fact that I knew I was facing the impossible. There was no way I was going to be able move well in the last 10 hours of a race when I have managed to deplete, starve, and dehydrate myself in the first half.  I had already begun throwing up.  I knew it was over and made me incredible sad.

I know that from the first throw up, I have about 4 hours of movement left in my body.  If I throw up at 20 hours, I could manage.  If I through up at 14 hours, I am not in a good place.  I can't move fast because the bouncing irritates my stomach and creates more problems.  Last 24 hour resulted in me puking up black curdled blood.  I am reduced to a walk.  So I walk.

I tacked up lap after painful lap, just counting time until it hit midnight.  I am a streak runner, so I need to run one full mile each day to keep my streak alive.  I wanted to make an effort to run a lap after midnight to see what I could do and to make it count if I discovered I couldn't run again.

As I came out of the woods with Tamra at about 11:30 pm, I saw Jon K, (Ray's son walking in the lot). I asked him to come with me for a lap.  It was a great decision. Tamra, Jon and I walked a lap and Tamra let me know it was midnight.  I was dry heaving already but knew I had to try.  At the start of the next lap, John and Tamra decided to wait at the tent and I took off.  I thought I could do the entire 1.52 mile loop, but just before the end of the loop I started to throw up again, but I did not want to stop running until I hit at least 12 minutes, just to be sure I got the mile done.  I was not sure where the mile mark was, but I am sure I more than covered the distance.  I have never thrown up WHILE running but I did today.  It was horrific.

photo by Frank Lilley

I got back around and asked Jon to come with me again.  But first, I wanted to show him my hat, because I knew he would love it!  It was  the hat I bought in case there was rain and it said SENNA across the front (because Ayrton Senna was known to be one of the best racing car drivers in the rain in Formula 1 history.)  Since Jon is also a racing car driver, I knew he would appreciate my hat.  He did.  There was something so refreshing about walking with someone who was talking about racing cars instead of racing ultras.  He was funny and distracting.  He told me crazy things about his super memory skills and told me I looked like I was drunk.  He said things to try to make me throw up on purpose (Because he knew it would help me get the loop done). Because of my friendship with his dad, I already feel like I know and like Jon even though we met only once before and for most of that time I was racing.  Because he was there, we were able to walk 25 minute laps while laughing in between groaning and moaning.  He was a great pacer!

However by the end of our 4th lap, I had to tell him to walk ahead of me.  It suddenly became clear to me that I dont really know Jon that well and didn't want him to stand there and watch me puke my guts up again and again.  It isn't like he could help me.  He walked off and gave me my space.  I threw up everything in my stomach and dry heaved some more.  I was surprised there was stuff coming out.  It was as if my stomach had not emptied any of the little sips of everything and was waiting to return it to me.

At 79.xx miles, I decided I needed to lay down.  The wretching was making my abs sore.  The acid in my throat burned.  I just wanted to crawl in a hole.  I asked Jon to wake me up in a hour... but in an hour, I had less motivation to get out of the tent.  It was colder out (great for running but not for sitting) and I was not feeling strong enough to move.  I did it all wrong. I was supposed to eat and drink then sleep but I was so afraid of my stomach I did not consume anything. Now I was awake an hour later and probably worse for it.

photo by Frank Lilley

So I stayed in the tent thinking about what I could eat and everything made me feel sick.  I just could not bring myself to consume anything. So I waited.  By 7 am, I finally decided to walk a lap to get me over 80 miles.  I then began to clean up the camping area.  I could still move, but Tamra and I had a flight that we needed to rush to make.  I was not running anything amazing, so I cleaned up a little so we could leave earlier.  At 7:24, I asked Jon to do one more lap with me and then I would grab the banana for the banana lap.

We got in with about 7 mins to spare (I think the race started late), but I wasn't planning on going halfway out, so I dropped the banana at my tent site and continued with my slow motion attempt to collect the massive amounts of cups dropped by the several people all sharing our area and still racing.  Tamra broke down the tent and packed up most of the stuff (Jon taught me the racing term for this, but I forgot it - I apparently do not have an audio-graphic memory), and after the banana lap was done, we rushed out to take quick showers and hurry to Charlotte.

I was not able to eat much again until 4:00 pm Sunday.  I was repulsed by food and my stomach felt so irritated that food consumption actually hurt. I did get in a cup of hot cocoa and part of a coconut chocolate chip cashew hammer bar.  After a small sandwich and some fluids at 4:00, I weighed in a saw I was still 4 lbs lighter than my 115 lbs the day I left for Hinson.  I can't remember that last time the scale read 111 lbs.

However, nothing hurts.  My body is strong and I woke up this morning feeling very much recovered.  Sid and I took Enzo for a 7.6 mile jog/hike on one of our more technical and hilly trails.  I did it in the same pace I do it when not a day (or is it two) off of an 82 mile run.

I swore off 24 hours at Hinson.  I concluded that even though I am the fittest I have ever been probably ever, that I am running the fastest times I have ever run, and I am the lightest/leanest I have been in years, I just may not have the physiological processing system required to run longer than 12 hours at a time.

We'll see.  I don't feel good about walking away from a failure.  I know the trick is to walk away from success.  I have this problem about falling my on face. I am a glutton. I am just compelled to continue to get up again and fall repeatedly, hoping to just one time find some glory in a job well done.

However, this race broke my spirit a little more than the others. The race itself is wonderful. It beautiful, well-run, and perfect course for big mileage. I trained hard for this and hoped the digestion problem in the past was a by-product of sub-par preparation.  But my defeat at Hinson made me want to just lay face down in the dirt (or in the tent) and play dead forever so the pain from being repeatedly knocked down hard would finally just stop.

It hurts.
                  A lot.
                                  To fail.

I just wish I knew what was wrong and how to fix it.

Newport Liberty Half Marathon, USATF-NJ Half Championship, Jersey City, NJ. 9/23/12

So I talked John P. into signing up for this race by making him a bet that he could run a 10 minute PR and if he did not I would pay him $10.

I had just run my lifetime best half PR last weekend at the RnR Half.  There, I ran a beautifully paced race on a great course with no weather issue to contend this.

Today's race started equally beautiful, except for the wind which was going to be an issue, especially for all those sections along and over the water.  I was torn up about what to do.  It took me three years to get this new half PR.  I never run fast in JC and I am not sure why. Usually there is a lot of rain when I run this race but not this year.  So maybe I could run fast.  I only run PRs in Philly and I just did so what am I doing here? Oh Boy!

I thought about pacing John.  I have my goal race next week so racing hard is not be necessary. However, I also felt that it would be better for John to crush this course on his own.  He doesn't need a baby-sitter and I knew he could run fast without anyone's help. He has learned to train well, he is fast, and he is strong.  He has gotten his volume up to his lifetime highest.  He is ready. He told me he wouldn't mind a pacer but he wouldn't mind if I ran hard for me as well.

Finally, I thought about my Do Runners team.  I wasn't sure who had showed up for our women's team.  There was about 2500 runners so it was not easy to find everyone. I would feel bad if I showed up to a Championship Team race, and then ran a slower time that I could have if I ran hard.   So I told John I would go out at my goal pace and if I find that I am struggling and it isn't working out, I may decide to hook up with him for some pacing.

The gun goes off and we are crammed into the street heading to the first turn around.  It was a slow start, but then I was running easily. I saw I was hovering about 6:50-7:00 once I got settled into to a run pace.  The weather felt great and I took advantage of any down hill I could find.  The course was very flat, but there was some undulation to play with.  M1 7:10

I ran behind a few ladies for a mile or two who are generally around me in races.  I thought about sitting behind them for a while, since we were all running about 7:00.  M2 7:03. However, I felt like I could pick it up a bit through the city streets before we hit the windy park.  I new the park miles were going to be tough, so I took advantage.  M3 6:56, M4 6:59, M5 6:58.

At this point, I felt great and knew I was running a little faster than last weekend. I would glance down at my watch and see 6:40s and make an effort to get back to the 6:50's since it was very early still.  I was hoping to have something left to give to the last 4 miles that might get me a new PR (if the wind wasn't too bad).

By now we were in the park running on a bike path.  There was some puddles that people avoided, which I ran straight through.  They weren't deep but my feet and the KT tape I use on my Plantar Fasciitis go wet.  I run on the balls of my feet and it works for me.  However, this race had more sharp turns and turn around than most races I run.  By mile 6, I could feel a blister forming on the ball of my foot.  I don't really have blister issues anymore, but they can become an issue at any time.  Today was that day.

Each step I could feel the hot spot getting bigger.  Every turn around a cone or corner resulted in pain and a sensation that I was tearing the skin off my foot.  Regardless, I just ran.  It hurts, but I can tolerate it, and that is that.  M6 6:59, M7 7:02, M8 7:03. 

By Mile 8 we had already run thought one very windy stretch over a unobstructed walkway over the water.  I felt like it was a good part of a mile before we got out of the wind.  I was happy I held my pace, there but I took a lot out of me to work harder for the same pace.   Now at mile 8 we were doing it all over again.  It helped to have the wind assist for part of the out, but it seemed to not be enough to compensate for the wind in my face for the back part of this stretch.  M9 7:08.

One off that walkway, I picked up the pace, but with each stride on my toes, my foot was getting more irritated.  I had to alter my gait completely and sit back on my heels.  It was ok.  It relieved the pain. My pace was fast enough and I felt like I was using fresh muscles.   M10 7:01

Miles10 through 11 was another windy section and I was getting so very tired of wind.  I was running as fast as I could and starting to feel like I was on the losing end of an ultimate fighting match.  I felt pummeled and beat up bad.  It was relentless and I needed a break from it. As we turned into the street I hoped we would get a rest.  Well, we didn't get a break from the wind, but we did get to run back up the one incline I was so happy to descend earlier. M11 7:10 

Ok, only two to go and I see that clock say 1:17.  So I figure I can hold 7's for 2 miles and kick for the last .1 I got a new PR.  I flip my watch to Average Pace mode to check to see if I have a chance at breaking 7:00 for the entire race.   It says 6:57, but I am long on distance, so I know I need to run about 6:55 pace to ensure a sub-7 race pace (once I take the race time and divide by 13.1... regardless of how sloppy I ran that race or whether it was measured long or both).

I try to pick it up and I feel no pleasant response.  I sense I already going as fast as I can maintain for the final 2 miles. It seems too soon to go faster.  I decide to get to 12 and then dig for a kick.  M12 6:58

Ok, here we go.  Last mile and we are along the water again.  I am trying my best but just hating the headwind. But, I am catching women, so I focus on placement.  After all, where you place matters in the USATF Grand Prix series.  I pass a two girls and see another one who usually just crushes me in 5k's.  I wondered what a battle in the last stretch would be like against her.  I know she has more speed than me, but maybe not if she is tired. I reflex on my yearly mileage, remind myself that I am strong.

I work my way up to her over the last half mile. I try set myself up to overtake her if can get just a little closer before the last 10th.  M13 6:55

I pull up on her side and she responds to my presence.  We are now racing. We have one last sharp turn  at a corner, that I know is going to tear up my foot now that I am back up on my toes.  I come off that turn, unfortunately on the outside of her since I could not get past and tuck in before it,.   I dig... hard... and I find what I need.  I am ahead by a nose and inching more. I have the edge now.  But I am afraid she has enough time to come back from my pass and take me back before the shoot... unless I can find just one more gear.

Last .15 (yeah garmin reads long here) in 38.9 second.  I have become a sprinter running the 50 meter dash.  I found that gear and she doesn't get me.  I held her off!

I look at my time and it makes me smile!

New PR: 1:32:07 (7:01 pace) for 13.1 miles!

A few minutes later, I see John P hauling towards the finish and I smile knowing that I have a $10 bill in my car that I will gladly hand over when we get back to the garage! :)
(he left before me, but he knows I am good for it)

RNR Half Marathon, Phildelphia, PA. 9/16/12.

Woke up at 4:15 to drive  to Philly, feeling unsure.  A long time ago, I thought maybe this race could be a PR race.  After all, with the exception of my first half, I have set all my half marathon PR's on this course and nowhere else.

Some Race History:
The first time I walked into a corral at the Philly Half in 2007 (Philly Distance Run, PDR, back then), I stepped on the course as "Someone who likes to run." But after running a 20 minute PR (1:41:44 at only my second half and the very first time I ran 13.1 miles non-stop), I walked off as "A Runner!"

The next year I ran a new PR at 1:39:32 in 2008, then a 1:34:29 in 2009.  At this point I stopped running the PDR because it conflicted with the National 24 Hour Championship.

I also stopped running the PDR because I didn't want be disappointed. I was pretty proud of that 1:34.  I raced my friend Susanne and we were both on fire!  It was one of the most exciting races of my life.  We ran hard, pushing ourselves beyond what either one of us expected to be able to do at the time.  I think we both set PR's in every distance as we split them, from 4 miles, 5 mile, 10k, 15k, 10M, 20k through half marathon as we when along.  It was an amazing race!

So after a 2 year break, I decided to go back.  I was not set up for anything spectacular this time.  I ran 90.5 miles the seven days preceding this race.  I ran an easy paced 16.6 miler the day before.  I even raced a 3:27 marathon one week ago.

Today's Race:

Today's race was no longer the PDR, but now the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It was the presence of Brooks Running as a sponsor of this race that inspired me to participate.  I was assigned to Corral 2, behind Corral 1, and behind the Elite Corral. Just before the start, a man dragged a rope in front of me and announced that he was dividing Corral 2 from Corral 3.  Wait? What?  I am in 2, but he just put me in 3.  However, I actually would prefer to start at the front of 3 than the back of 2 so I stayed.  Many others around me appeared to have felt cheated out of starting in their "more prestigious" or "faster" corral, seemed to frustrated and ducked the rope to get back in Corral 2.

The Gun goes off! And all the runners in the street in front of me move.  Overflow runners from the side of the corral file in and fill the empty spaces left from those now in motion.  When all those runners moved through the start, my new Corral 3 buddies start flipping out, yelling GO GO GO! Runners start jostling and many duck under the rope and start bolting towards Corral 2 runners who got those few seconds "head start."

As Corral 3 runners slip under the rope to my left and to my right, and the guys behind me continue to yell AT ME, to GO GO GO, I finally submit and duck under the rope as well. Just behind me I hear the guy in charge of the rope command the rest to "Just Wait!"

I wasnt about to turn back.  Within seconds, I was trapped in the wall of people, many of whom should have never ever lined up in the first wave.

As I watch my Garmin throw fits between buildings, reporting 9 min miles, then 5 min miles, I just ran how I felt.  I hit M1 in 7:20.  Oh boy.  I remember my best PDR, where  I called out our mile 1, mile 2, and mile 3 splits as all sub-7.  Today's 7:20 start did not put me a good place to run the best half of my life.

The next mile was more roomy and I was able to make up some time.  M2 clocked in at 6:50.   Knowing that I was at least sub-7:12 (my old PR pace) helped.  But having only 2 seconds per mile was not enough considering how I faded to a 1:34:29 when at my best.

At this point I began to notice a man sticking to me like glue.  If I cross the street to hug a turn he was right at my side.  If I crossed back, so did he.  We were both seeking out the tangents, so it made sense that he was running the same lines, but he was just so close.  I mis-split my watch at M3, so M3 and M4 were useless to me.  All I knew is this guy was hanging and we had found a steady rhythm together.  I was starting to get used to him.

By M5, M6, M7, M8 I knew I was hitting 7:10s within a second or two.  But at 8.8 we started to head towards the bridge and my guy faded back for a gel.  I pressed forward wondering where he went.  All this time, he was right at my side... So close... No eye contact... No words... and suddenly he was gone.  So sad....

As I crossed the bridge, I looked back and saw him.  I raised my hand, and called out "Get up here!"  He called back, "I'm coming!"  I was happy again!  LOL.

He caught me on the down hill and I said, "We are doing good together. Good energy!"  He said, "You sure can nail those 7:10's!"  I said, "I'm trying!" and then I introduced myself.  He told me his name was Patrick.  I then decided talking was tiring. "No more talking until we are done. 4 to go! Lets do this!"  He gave me a nod and we picked up the pace.  We used any decline, hugged the turns, found the best lines to get through clusters of people.  We moving better than almost everyone around us.

I felt good, but wondered if I would crumble at 10, 11, 12...  I wondered when Patrick would start his kick and if I could hang. I wanted to run hard through the finish. We hit M9, M10, M11 and the pace was 7:05 or better.  I felt good!

We hit M12 and I knew I had more to give.  I picked it up from the start of the mile and tried to hold it. I passed a woman who passed back.  She was just out of reach.  I was trying to get her.  It was like she had eyes behind her head and knew that I was trying and would not let me near her, but was not pulling away either.  I didn't have it in me to catch her.  I felt defeated, but I figured I likely started behind her, so technically I was probably beating her.  And then I saw the M13 and felt a new life in my legs.

There was an incline to the finish.  I felt strong, so I made one last push and passed her fast. My last 0.1 was at a 6:00 pace.  I was proud to not give up a place because I felt defeated.  I dug and there really was something there.  I had more when I thought I did not.

There is no better feeling than believing you are empty and finding a false bottom!

I hit stop as I crossed the line and saw my reward: 1:33:42. New Half Marathon PR.

Once home I got to see the beautiful results of my work today: my masterpiece of pacing --->

Stats:
661 out of 15,116 OA
128 out of 8843 Women
10 out of 1528 in my AG

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)