Hog's Hunt 25k

Saturday, April 14. Woke up at 4am, made coffee, cooked breakfast for the road and loaded my gear in the car.  Lucky for me, I had company for this trip, my granddaughter, my son, and my nephew.

Granddaughter, Juliana, had never been to a race with me before, though her dad has accompanied me on a couple of occasions.  My nephew, Bill, was running his first trail race, and it would also be the first time he had run more than 10 miles.  We were both signed up for the 25k.

The temps were a little warmer than usual for this time of year, so I cautioned Bill never to leave an aid station with a water bottle that was not topped off, at the same time making a mental note of that fact for myself.

For some reason, I still don't think I have the fueling worked out for these shorter distance events... not sure if I should be mixing fat and protein with the carbs.  It seems I either need to go into them fasted (I do my training runs/walks of up to 10 miles with no fuel and fasted), or fuel with the sweet potato mixture I have come up with for longer events.  Hammer gel mixed with some egg white protein just did NOT get it for me.  I was able to maintain a 12:11 per mile pace all the way to about 10 miles, then the wheels fell off.  I am still not sure if it was due to the heat and high humidity of the improper fueling.  One thing for certain, I did drink plenty of fluids.  Thanks to my friends from H-T Rex, I was able to cool down with 2.8 miles to go by dumping multiple cups of ice water over my head.  Man, did that feel good!

No pr for me this time because the last 5.5 miles were a lot slower than the first 10, but everyone knows you can't PR every time.  3:28 and some change... 42nd out of 80 total females is not bad in my book.

I will add a start and finish line photo a little later.

Seabrook Lucky Trail Challenge 2012

Finally getting around to writing up a race report covering my second go around with the Seabrook Lucky Trail Challenge.  The challenge?  Do a half marathon on Saturday (chip time 2:47:37.3) followed by a full marathon on Sunday (chip time 5:54:57.7).  The reward? Receive an extra special medal for completing both races.  The reason?  Proceeds from the race benefit “The Bridge”; a non-profit organization that assists victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

This race did not disappoint!  I had a great time as usual.  The volunteers are extremely helpful, the aid stations are top notch, the runner swag is awesome… a hat, a pair of socks and a tech shirt that fits perfectly, and the post race food seems never-ending!  The best thing?  My dear friend Mellody decided to come to Texas at the last minute and help me finish out my week long birthday celebration with a bang!

The prelude to race weekend was epic.  I spent the first part of spring break week in Austin volunteering for and attending ThePaleoFX Ancestral Momentum - Theory to Practice Symposium.  I already wrote a blog post about that one… I ended my day Thursday with a fabulous meal at the 24 Diner.  The bunless lamb burger was just what the Paleo doc ordered.  It was a little late for me to be eating dinner, but I had 2 hour drive home ahead of me.  So, I ordered my usual supercharger: quad shot espresso with heavy cream.  When the bartender served it up, he said that should last me til tomorrow night.  Of course, I had to tell him it was my 3^rd that day. LOL  Time to head back to my newly found friend Tannifer’s house, pack my car and head home.

I arrived home at around 12:20 am and barely had time to unpack from the conference and then re-pack for marathon weekend, which would also include a Broadway Across America production of Mel Brooks YoungFrankenstein at The Grand Opera House in Galveston.  Mellody’s flight was scheduled to arrive at around 8:15 am, so I really needed to hurry and get to bed.  I looked at my clock and was about to get into bed at 1:36 am, when all of a sudden, I heard a horrible noise outside.  My heart hit my feet and I said “Raymond, oh FUCK, something REALLY big just fell out of the tree in the back yard, and it sounded like it fell on someone’s car.”  I walked to the kitchen window in time to see a large blue flash of light and then watched the lights explode inside the duplex in my back yard.  Pow, Pow, Pow, starting at the back of the apartment, then finally the porch fixture… POW!

We cautiously went to the back yard and the smell of smoke was overpowering, so I called 911 to make sure they were close in case of a fire, then I made all the tenants come outside until I was sure it was safe.  We have a very large oak tree in our back yard… so large that two adults can’t join hands around the base of the tree.  We had a seriously dry summer last year and then lots of rain this spring, so the tree was weakened by the stress and a limb of about 18” in diameter fell on the electric service entrance in the back of the duplex, breaking the ground wire and causing everything in both apartments to blow out.  The amazing thing is that the electric company came right out and reconnected everything on the spot.  I think I finally crawled into bed at about 3:45 am.  Raymond woke me up when he came back in the house at 5am.  

Hahahahahaha… knowing what I know about stress and not getting enough sleep; that probably took a couple of years off my life.

This is certainly not much of a race report, but I really did enjoy the challenge in Seabrook.  The trails are immaculate, and what could be better than spending the weekend with 100’s of your craziest friends?  Well, maybe beating your previous finish time from 2010!

The Falls… 2nd in the Capt’n Karls 3 Race Series (8/6/2011)

So, I recklessly signed up for The Falls and The Shoe before I had even completed Ink’s Lake. The reason I say it was reckless? I might be doing a lot better at these 30k events if I would TRAIN for them. LOL


I tried to sleep late on Saturday morning so I would not get sleepy on the trail after dark and do a face plant. I ended up getting up at about 7:30. That would just have to do. Got up, got dressed and had to drive to Sugarland to pick up some raw dairy from a wonderful farmer, I bought the fresh heavy cream, fresh yogurt, and fresh butter, then headed back home to finish packing the car for the night race.

I think I left home at about 1:30, and then realized I had forgotten my Heed. I was not too far from home, so I went back to get it, and forgot the sleeping bag I was intending to bring. Oh, well, I would just have to nap in my chair after the race was over. For some reason, I keep thinking it takes me 2 hours to drive to Austin, but when I am headed just into town on 71, I get to the airport in about 1:35. Good! I picked up Deborah at her hotel; we put her stuff in the car and headed west toward Pedernales Falls. It is not a bad drive, and we made it to the park early enough to get our stuff settled and rest a while before the planned 7:15 start of the 30k. There was one lone tree, and runners were gathered around it like cows on a hot day, looking for the one place that was shaded in the pasture! We listened to the briefing for the 60k runners as we were following the same course as they were. They started at 7:00.

The race started on time, and we were off on the dusty trail. I knew I would have sinus trouble all night because it was soooo dry out there. We still have not had a drop of rain and the river was completely dry. Anyway, I was trying out my newest fueling recipe. Egg white protein mixed with hammer gel and a little coconut oil. It didn’t cause any stomach problems at all. I wore my camel back for hydration in this race because the aid stations were not evenly spaced on the course. The biggest problem with the camel back is that I have had a neck/shoulder problem for a while, and when my body found out I would be using the camel back, it rebelled and the shoulder pain flared up. Oh well… pain is relative to what we are willing to endure in order to spend the night on the trails with 300 or so other crazy folk! I was, however, glad to have that camel back, especially when I was able to keep it filled with ice (thanks volunteers!), it helped keep me cool!

I started out running a little when I could. I heard that this was a little less difficult than Ink’s Lake, but for someone who does a little running and a lot of walking, it was just as difficult. The loose rocks on the steep inclines were a challenge for me. I was having a great time anyway, and I didn’t really get too hot to be uncomfortable. At times, there was a nice breeze! The aid stations were just as we were told they would be… cold water at the first one, then a full service aid station at the second one (we re-visited it for the 3rd stop), then cold water only at the last one.

I started to have leg cramps again about 12 miles in. I don’t know what is causing this… maybe I am taking too much electrolyte instead of not enough. Since I don’t eat ANY salt in my regular diet, I kind of think I am over doing it on the Endurolytes. I have one more race to test this out, The Shoe. Anyway, the cramps were so severe at one point, my whole left leg seized up and I could not take a single step. I stretched for a few minutes, and am happy to report that things started moving normally again. The cramps at this race were not nearly as bad as they had been 3 weeks ago, so it was an improvement. I only had the same problem one more time and it was caused by my tripping and almost falling. When I caught myself, the left leg cramped up from the knee down. I had to massage the calf muscle pretty vigorously to get moving again. I don’t remember much about the course except for the rock staircase down to the river bed! When we broke through the trail and I saw the view, I said, “This is freakin’ awesome!!!” I do remember seeing a couple of those small but deadly scorpions skittering across the trail, and am happy to report, no tarantulas!

The lights of the finish line were a welcome sight and I was happy to receive my medal, and go sit down and have my recovery drink! Hammer citrus Recoverite and some Fage Total classic yogurt shaken together with a small can of pineapple juice. Sadly, they were out of hamburgers, but no worries! I enjoyed sitting out there under the stars for a while listening to the cheering as the 60k runners finished the race. I saw numerous shooting stars! Out there away from all the light pollution of the city, the sky is just spectacular! I think Deborah and I started back for Austin at about 3:30 in the morning, and I was jonesing for some protein. I dropped Deborah off at her hotel and found the closest Denny’s. 3 eggs over easy, 2 pieces of bacon and 1 tiny sausage link would just have to carry me home. I think I made it home at about 6:30 am.

Anyway, thanks again to the folks from Tejas Trails. They do not disappoint!

Day 2, March 27, 2011 Bataan!!!

We arrived at White Sands early enough to not have the worry of waiting in a long line of cars and were able to park very close to the starting area! That is a good thing; we could wait in the car while the wind gusted to at least 40mph and blew sand everywhere! Mellody named the wind Bob and Bob really blew that day! Bob blew so hard he seemed to move the rental car, and he forced the trees to bend over! Bob was however, good enough to blow a trash bag my way so I could wrap up in it in order to block some of the wind. LOL Bagpipes played for morning entertainment as we waited for the beginning of the opening ceremony. The three of us tried to stick together in the crowd and ended up near the front for the opening ceremony which began at 6:35am. The ceremony was very moving, as the role was called. First the survivors responded “here”, followed by the role call of all the survivors who have died since the last memorial march in 2010. No one answered. One of the survivors stood throughout the ceremony. He was wearing is full dress uniform with all his medals. What an impressive sight he was, and when the battle poem was recited, several cried out with a resounding YEAH! Then it was time for the fly over, courtesy of Holloman Air Force Base. The cannon sounded, and the group of Wounded Warriors started the march. 

 We had expected a wave start, but were warned during the opening ceremony that there were just too many of us to enforce corrals, so people just mingled and got into the starting chute when they were ready. No problems with all us civilians mixed in with all the military personnel! They seemed to be having as much fun as we all were!

I stopped to shake a few Bataan survivors’ hands on the way to the starting line. They are a proud group of men, totally deserving of this event to commemorate their suffering, and remember all the lives lost in service to our country. We were now out on the marathon course. The first part was relatively flat, though at a higher elevation than I am used to. We started out on the road for about the first mile before our turn off into the desert. This desert section was rolling and sandy, with little or no elevation gain. I started out running this section until I reached a team or group walking abreast, took a breather while following them, then ran to the next group of congestion, all the while trying to stay up wind of the blowing sand. I do not usually carry my camera with me during marathons, but really wanted to have photos from this one. I took several photos during this first section. I was making pretty good time under the conditions, averaging a 14:17 mile through mile 6. Then we turned out onto the road, preparing for the climb. I really expected the gaiters I was wearing to be a lot more effective at keeping the sand and rocks out of my shoes, but no luck. I had to stop here at the aid station and dump the debris out of my shoes, and needed a quick potty stop. There was a short climb out of the main base property, across highway 70, and then up the mountain into a 40mph headwind. Mellody caught up to me, (she took a lot more time shaking Bataan survivors’ hands than I did) and we made the climb together. I tried to take a picture of us with my camera and it would not open any more. Methinks me got sand in my camera.  I was amazed that the elevation did not bother me as much this time as it had at ET. I attribute this to Paleo. Of course, my big mistake that morning was not bringing any protein along for breakfast, (should have brought the turkey jerky or the buffalo jerky along) and the continental breakfast they were serving was all pastries, so no breakfast was presenting sort of an issue for me. I was fueling with my Hammer Perpetuem and Hammer Gel, eating a few oranges, taking my Endurolytes and alternating drinking Heed with water.

I had to stop at the next turn off into the desert to mix another bottle of Perpetuem, and it was still very windy, so I took a lot longer at this stop than I wanted to and Mellody took off ahead of me. It is all good when we do the same race, we can walk together, but we do our own race. I just enjoyed visiting with the soldiers, and took off when my fuel was mixed. We were still steadily climbing, and I was feeling strong… just slow. At this point, I already knew I was not going to break any land speed records, so decided just to enjoy the event. I had heard tales of an aid stop at mile 14 (the top of the climb) that would be selling hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cold sodas. I was glad that I tucked a $10 into my fuel belt, because I was totally out of gas. I walked up to the table and told the guy I would pay the whole $10 for a couple of meat patties. “I’m hungry, and all I need is some BEEF!” That got a good laugh and $5 in change. My maniac friend Nina was sitting down finishing her hamburger, so I joined her. Those were the two best hamburger patties I had ever eaten. Now as it is time to rejoin the marathon, I came upon a young man with a picture of a Bataan survivor on his t-shirt. When I asked if that was his grandpa, he told me no, it was his great, great uncle. The young man must have only been about 14 years old, and he was not the youngest marcher I saw that day. I thanked him for being so tough!

The course began to head around the mountain with lots of rolling terrain along the way. I was still running a little on the down hill sections, mainly because it was easier to run down than to try and walk, risking slipping as some of the downs were pretty steep. I found out later from my other friend Deb (she is a nurse practitioner and stopped to render aid more than once during the race) that one soldier had fallen somewhere in this section, breaking his leg. The view from this side of the mountain was amazing! We could see the Organ Mountains, named such because the vertical rocks on the mountain peaks look like a pipe organ! White Sands Missile Range was also visible off in the distance (at +/-4500 feet), and far below the +/- 5,500 feet we were now motoring at. A border patrol officer was stationed at one of these high points on the course, I guess his job was to make sure all the people out there had race numbers attached to their uniforms.

The course then headed back to the road, and a steep downhill. I racewalked down the whole hill, averaging a 12:30 pace at this point, which was still pretty good, coming up on 20 miles of this really tough course. My racewalking form provoked a little teasing, which I took with a grin, inviting the soldiers to “Walk this Way!” HMMM, only 10k to go, and the infamous sand pit was still to come. As I made my way through the sand pit, which seemed more like the consistency of cat litter, I came upon two soldiers who were having serious muscle cramping issues. I had enough Endurolytes for me and maybe a couple of extras, but I gave each of them 4. I really hope it helped these two guys make it to the finish! I am sure I will never know, but it was the right thing to do at the time. I thought I would be ok with what I had left and I did still have some Heed. One more time, I had to sit down and dump the rocks out of my shoes, and this time I turned my socks inside out. I was told to get up off my ass because there were only 2 miles to go. I got up and caught the sergeant who had ordered me to get up… let him know I was passing him now. LOL I kept playing tag with a couple of other soldiers and one kept threatening to jump on my back so I could carry he and his pack to the finish. I said, come on, jump on – we will go down together!

I started to approach the finish area, and even at 7 hrs 25 minutes, there were lots of cheering spectators. I thought I would try to run across the finish line, since I had done a fair amount of running in this race. My legs simply said HELL NO, and both of my calf muscles locked up completely. I was very lucky not to fall on my face. Apparently, I needed more Endurolytes than I thought. ;) I grabbed the fence, stretched out those lead calf muscles, and proudly walked to the finish line! I had the key to the rental car, so walked straight to it and my Recoverite, pineapple juice and Fage Greek yogurt recovery shake. I was feeling fine, and looking for some of my friends who were also doing the race. I found Lori Sherwood and Susan Bell, her husband Britt and their friend Terri. We took some photos, and then I went to get some of the post race food. I asked for a hamburger patty, bratwurst and sauerkraut. No bread, still Paleo all the way. I could not eat it all and was hoping I would be able to eat a decent meal later… All I kept saying all day was fajitas for two, just for me!

I also had the good fortune to meet the parents of the young man who created the Bataan Memorial March as his ROTC project. It has grown into an awesome thing over the 22 years it has been held, and this young man should be very proud of himself.

Finally, Mellody found me and we went to watch more finishers coming in. We were beginning to worry about Deb, but she finished while we were looking the other way. Mellody had a great race, shaving time off her first Bataan march in 2007, and Deb shaved a lot of time off her first Bataan march in 2006. I was just happy to have finished! I have recently completed my first 100 mile race, and the difficulty level of this marathon is right up there with that, but the difficulties we faced here are NOTHING compared to what our military face EVERY DAY. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

We had our celebration meal of Mexican food, and all I could manage was a fajita salad with fresh sliced avocados, sliced tomatoes, sour cream and a roasted green chile on top!  It was delicious... and I did have flan for dessert, because if you climb a mountain in the desert, you deserve dessert!

I won't bore you with the details of the trip home... except to mention it was uneventful.  No accidents, no speeding tickets, no heavy duty border patrol activity.  I am happy to report we were not searched by the border patrol at the point of entry! Whew!

Across The Years

So, I have been screwing around long enough. It is time to put some thoughts down on paper about my first 100 mile finish. Sucks I had to enter a 48 hour race to walk 100 miles, but if I had to do it over again, I would certainly do it at ATY!

Part 1: The Drive to Arizona
I was planning to leave early Sunday morning so that my drive through west Texas could be done at 80mph. I ended up having to work and did not leave Sealy until about 7pm. It was already almost dark and it takes a LONG time to drive through Texas when the night speed limit on I10 is 65. . I think I stopped at a rest area (where?) at about 1am and slept in the car for about 2 hours because I was just too tired to drive any further without resting. Started out again and just kept cruising until I stopped for breakfast and just to get out of the car for a little while in Las Cruces. The rest of the drive was uneventful and I made it to my friend, Lauri’s house sometime Monday afternoon. I rested a little, and had dinner with Lauri and her family. She was kind enough to let me use her cabana as my base camp for the week! It was very comfortable and afforded me some privacy.
Tuesday, I was able to visit my Aunt Cil and Uncle Bob who also live in the Phoenix area. We had a nice lunch. After that, it was back to Lauri’s to organize my things in the car so I could go out to Nardini Manor where the race was held.

Part2: Across the Years at Nardini Manor
I arrived at the race site, and went to pick up my race materials and wonderful assortment of gear that came along with the entry fee. Gear bag, North Face fleece, North Face long sleeve tech shirt, Moeben sleeves and race bib belt. I went out a day early to work the aid station day 1 from 8-2, as my race did not start until Thursday morning. I also wanted to check out the race setup I had heard so much about. There was a huge tent, large enough for all the race participants to set up their individual tents inside of it. Inside this huge tent, there were two smaller heated tents where runners could take naps or simply come inside to warm up. I had NO idea how cold it could get in the desert outside of Phoenix, but was soon to find out because I slept in the car Tuesday night. I froze my ass off, even with a sleeping bag for cover! I did not have a problem getting up early in the morning. It seemed warmer outside the car than it did inside when I got up to make my oatmeal and get ready to help those first day runners. What a great group of people. The Coury family knows how to put on an ultra event! They have a full outdoor kitchen to prepare hot foods which were really needed at this race. It never got over 40 degrees that first day, and it started to rain at about 11am. I really felt for the runners and did everything I could to help make sure they had all they needed from the aid station… from hot chocolate to coffee and hot tea, hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. When my shift was over at 2pm, I was wet and muddy all the way up to my knees. The track was a muddy mess, even though Nick, Jamil, Nathan and all the other volunteers did everything they could to try and drain the water from the surface. The weather just got worse throughout the day and into the night. My friend Deborah invited me out to dinner with another friend, and we ate some wonderful pasta at Macaroni Grill, then it was time to hit the sleeping bag because the three of us were all starting our 48 hour race Thursday morning.
Deborah had set up her tent, and the cot would not fit inside, so she allowed me to put my sleeping bag in the tent. I am sure happy she did, because during the night, the wind howled so fiercely through the large tent, that Deborah had to fight to keep her blankets on, though the cot was inside the big tent. I was sleeping on the cold hard brick floor, but at least I was warm! Listening to the wind howl and the rain pounding down, I felt like I was in a hurricane, not out in the desert! This weather is apparently very unusual for Phoenix.

Part 3: Let my 48 hours begin!
I woke up early and got my Hammer Perpetuem/Hammer Gel mixture ready to start the race. 9am and we were off after a short briefing on how the race is managed. We changed directions on the track every two hours and that ended up being my favorite part of the race. LOL We were following each other around in circles with our names on our behinds and it was nice to look at faces once in a while. They have a messaging system where runners can receive messages from friends and a live webcast of the race which I am sure not everyone knew also had a live audio feed to the race website. I was planning to follow the 5k/break 50k/longer break pattern that had worked so well for me at Run Like the Wind. So, that’s what I did, though instead of just taking a break after 50k, I took a nap. It was rather difficult to get going again after the nap, but I changed clothes in the heated restroom and got my arse back out on the track after what I would guess to be about 2:30 after I finished the first 50k. It was SO cold outside by then, I think about 28! Everything was covered with frost, even our jackets I think. I was dressed in multiple layers (3 pants and 4 or 5 shirts). I was still cold, but able to keep moving. The second 50k was complete at about 7:30 am or 100k within 22:30. I went back into the heated tent for another nap, just thankful that I had been able to keep moving all night! I knew when I went back out to begin day 2 that I would not reach my dream goal of 201 kilometers. I was fine with that; just knowing I was certain to walk 100 miles is all I was really concerned with anyway. Dream goals are just that, dreams that sometimes to our complete surprise, come true.
Things were still going well for me, and one thing about me, I always have fun. After all, if this was NOT fun, I would not be doing it. So, I wear loud polka dot tights and they call me Hot Pants. Whatever. It’s FUN! I even got to walk a while with Ed “Madhatter Fancypants” for a while. What a cool guy. He and Adreas were duking it out for first place in the 72 hour race, and then they decided to tie it up. They ran/walked I think the whole last 24 hours together. Every step! I was planning to take my next little nap at 91 miles so I would have less than 10 to go to make that magic number of 100 miles, but it was almost midnight. Another nice runner would not let me go in for my nap and miss the New Year’s celebration. The RD’s called us all in from the track where they passed out party hats and noisemakers. We had a choice of champagne or sparkling cider to toast the new year, and as we all walked a loop on the track together, there was our own private fireworks display! When I stopped for another nap I was at 93 miles and only wanted to sleep for an hour, Ed and Andreas entered the heated area when it was time for me to get up and there was only one open cot… I quickly got up and gave one of them the cot I had been sleeping in. It took a little while for me to get all my layers back on… by this time I had on 4 pants and 7 shirts! It was SO cold, and the only way to keep warm under those circumstances is many layers. I felt like that kid in A Christmas Story… I couldn’t put my arms down at my sides!
I crossed the timing mat for 100 miles at 5:50:03 am, 44 hours and 50 minutes after I started! I thought for a while I might try to continue, but why? I did one more lap for good measure, and then went in for one more nap in the heated tent. I did come out to see the last runners cross the mat and it was amazing! What an experience! If I had to enter a 48 hour race to get to 100 miles the first time, then this was the race to do it at! WOW!

The awards ceremony was great! Every single runner/walker was recognized for their achievement. No one was made to feel like they did not belong. There were some amazing stories… the 2,000 mile jacket awarded to Martina Housman, the 1,000 mile jacked awarded to Ulli Kamm, the youngest person ever to complete 100 miles at this race… 13 years old! WOW! When they got to me and awarded me my 100 mile belt buckle, I felt like I would cry…and they all cheered for me!
I actually had been tearing up off and on ever since I finished. I am ok with being weepy over such a huge accomplishment. I am also ok now with that let down feeling I got immediately after it was over.
We all packed up our things, wondering if the race will be held at this wonderful place ever again. The owner has moved and the place is for sale. So happy I was able to be there. Funny thing is that if this was the last year for ATY at Nardini Manor, it will be the second time I reached a milestone at a race that will no longer exist as it stands. I did my first ultra (a 50k) at the last edition of Sunmart.

Part 4: after ATY
The drive to Lauri’s house in Mesa was really tough. I went straight to sleep for about 4 hours… then was treated to one of the best blue cheeseburgers I ever ate! I was treated to a spinning session… Lauri spins her own yard from fibers she gets locally, then knits all sorts of wonderful things! Too sleepy for words, I went back to sleep and didn’t get up until around 9am on Sunday. My mind was all screwed up, I thought it was Monday already. Thank goodness it was not. I had to be at work on Tuesday and the drive home was not going to be fun. I ended up stopping for the night in Van Horn Texas and continuing home Monday morning.
BECAUSE YOU CAN DRIVE 80MPH in west Texas in the day time.
I called lots of folks on the way home to thank them for the wonderful and fun messages I received during the race via the mailbox system. Spoke to a few of them about how LET DOWN I felt immediately after the race. I started to feel like a failure because it took me so long to reach 100 miles, and HOW, just HOW I would ever dream to think I could walk 100 miles in less than 24 hours. That let down feeling did not stay with me too long. I am now on a new path, thanks to another friend. And, that Centurion goal does not seem as elusive any more.

Run Like the Wind 24hr

Part 2 of my very busy day December 4, 2010:
Or as I like to refer to it: Walk Like the Breeze! Because that is what I felt like, the breeze! The Sealy 5k Jingle Bell Fun Run and Competitive Walk was such a huge success… I was on cloud 52! I don’t think it would have been possible for me to have a bad race. I don’t know what time it was when I left for Austin Saturday, but it must have been about 12:45 when I got to the race site. Race location and all information about the race are at this link: http://schrodifund.org/RunLiketheWind.htm.

What an awesome place! My first impression was turning off of a very busy Business 71 onto Old Bee Caves Road and finding wilderness within 1/4 mile of the highway! Saw my friend Mary Ntefidou just as I arrived at the race site. She is an amazing runner and an awesome friend! Soon after that I saw Deborah Sexton and not long after that, Debbie Evans, two more of my awesome ultra running friends. Deborah, Debbie and I are all getting ready for Across the Years http://www.acrosstheyears.com/ in December.

It took me a few minutes to get my gear ready and pick up my race packet and timing chip. Funny thing is that my goal for this race was to get in at least 100k. Guess what my race number was… 101. Anyone who knows me understands why I simply could not, would not stop at 100k. It had to be 101 or more. I fully intended to get on the course and walk until 10:30 Sunday morning. I gave the race director the leftover bananas and oranges from the Sealy 5k so they would not go to waste.

Next - hurry up and get on the course for a few laps. The loop was not really a loop, but a 1 kilometer meander through a beautiful wooded trail that was covered in mulch with a few well placed trip hazards (small tree stumps hidden in the mulch). After I walked the first 5k, I got my stuff from the car to set up my drop bag area with the other race participants. My plan for this race was to stop for a few minutes every time I completed 5k and look at the next one as a new 5k! I would certainly reach my distance goal if I only completed 5k an hour, and I was completing them just a teeny bit faster than that, including the stopped periods. I knew that I would probably slow down during the night, so whatever I could put in the bag before dark would be a huge bonus. Oops, just realized I forgot my headlamp. And I forgot to eat any solid food since really early that morning. Thanks to Deborah Sexton and Debbie Evans, who brought extra gear and had a headlamp I could borrow. Many thanks to RD Sam Voltaggio, chef extraordinaire… the race chow was amazing. When I realized how hungry I was, I asked for some protein and was given the most delicious burger I had ever tasted (only the meat, no bun or anything else). I don’t know where Sammy gets his beef or how he seasons it… but WOW!

The funny thing about me and race food is that I usually do not eat anything heavy during races. I usually totally rely on Perpetuem, Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, a spoonful of plain peanut butter every now and then, some bananas and orange slices, and some pineapple juice for variety, oh and don’t forget the black coffee during the night. But, that beef patty was just what I needed at the time. I never got any stomach discomfort or restroom issues through the whole race. When the sun started to go down, I put on a long sleeve shirt because the temperature dropped a little. I was not ready for the thermals until some time after midnight when I believe the cold front came through. Thankfully it was a dry front, so the wind just picked up a little and we were mostly protected from the wind by the woods.

Back to the race plan; I mostly stuck to the plan of walking 5 loops and taking a little rest break, from 2 to 5 minutes. I love that the loop was 1k, so I never had to carry anything. I could wait a few hundred meters if I got thirsty on the trail. I usually took a small drink of water or Heed at 3k, and then drank plenty every time I refueled. There were a few times when I just refueled, hydrated and kept moving, but that was not part of the plan, so I was very careful to take the breaks. After all, this was supposed to be a training walk… getting me ready for Across the Years. I didn’t start at the same time as everyone else, so no chance I was going to move up from last place.

I need to repeat once more what a wonderful place this was to have an event like this! Thinking about the things I heard and saw (?) in the woods after dark. I was listening to my usual heavy metal with only one earbud in and started to hear strange sounds so turned off the music for a while. I was just the wind making the tree limbs creak and groan. The strange things I was seeing turned out to be rather large spiders trying to make their way through the mulch bed on the path. Their eyes glowed in the light from the headlamp like tiny little green strobe lights. There must have been thousands of them. The reason I know they were spiders is I stopped to see where the little green flashing lights were coming from… and it was a huge honking spider! (Not really that huge, about the size of a nickel including his legs) So, I had fun avoiding crushing spiders and watching out for those hidden tree stumps. Let me tell you, when you walk the same 1 kilometer loop enough times, you begin to remember exactly where you will encounter the trip hazards. LOL… I know I said a few choice words but I never fell down! Amazing, isn’t it!

I know the volunteers and the RD thought I was totally crazy, but I REALLY had FUN at this race. I arrived in such a great mood and it is sometimes hard for me to contain myself. Several times I jumped for joy as I crossed the timing mat.

I don’t remember exactly what time it was, but I had to change into thermal tights and shirt. This dog training facility has a really nice house for their office space and allowed us to use the indoor restroom to change clothes. Yes, I am a trail racer, but I have a problem with getting naked in public, so I took about a 45 minute break to go indoors and strip naked. I cleaned up a little and put on dry clothes from the drawers out after 50k. Again, I felt like I was starting a new race.

I think I started getting tired around 4am, so asked for some solid food again. I ate half of a bbq chicken breast and it was delicious. Oh, I also forgot to mention that I ate some chicken noodle soup during the night. These things are all running together in my mind now so forgive the sporadic nature of this report. Thinking about time and pacing, 15 hours into my race (17:45 on the official clock) I had 16 5k’s complete, so I had one extra in the bag. Still feeling great I had been walking the kilometers anywhere from 9 to 10 minutes each, and then taking the break after 5k. I don’t know what time it was, but I had a burst of energy during the early morning house and walked 3 loops in a row in 8min30sec! I have NEVER felt this good at a race before! It was daylight when I reached 100k, and the race was to conclude at 10:30, and I was still feeling fine. So, I kept walking though I know I was slower. We had live results that we could check all night, so at one point I saw myself move up from last place to 7 out of 8 total participants. 6 were women and two were men (one guy dropped early due to injury). Then, I moved up to 6 out of 8. When I saw myself in 5th place, I started knocking out some really fast loops, not paying attention to the clock, just planning now to stop for a minute or two at 6k instead of 5k. I was taking extra Hammer Gel for energy it seemed to work for a little while, and then I regained my senses and just kept motoring forward and not trying to kill myself or cause an injury this late in the game. When I reached the end about 110k, I heard someone say “Wow, these women are kicking ASS!” Hearing those words really made me feel great. Sorry to say that the last man standing left at about 4 am or so because he had terrible stomach issues. I walked part of a loop with him a little while before he left and he is a very nice guy, competitive and really not happy that he had to leave when he did. He told me as he was leaving that he was practically walking into trees out there, so it was not safe for him to continue. I ended up with much, much more than I ever thought I would do at this race. I was imagining struggling to complete 100k and finished 113!

Here is the link to the final results where I ended up in 5th place overall, 4th place female: https://www.eventdatasolutions.com/2010_rltw_results/index.php?search_type=race_results&event=24H&gender=&division=&results_per_page=100. I NEVER dreamed I would do this well in this race, and I really want to thank Sam Voltaggio, Jeff Farrell, Jeff Linwood, Cheri Woldt (the winner), Mary Ntefidou (my dear friend who told me about this race), Deborah Sexton, Debbie Evans, Pat Shannon, Angela Ivory, the Schrodi Memorial Training Fund, and the owners of The Canine Center for Training and Behavior in Austin for allowing us 24 hour crazies to invade their space! I don’t know the names of the rest of the volunteers, but there were some high school students working on service hours and a couple of others whose names I don’t know. Everyone was awesome, and right now, I feel like I am writing an acceptance speech for an academy award or something.

The last huge thing I had to do was change clothes; load up the car and drive back home. I had planned to chill with Deborah and Debbie for a little while before going home, but changed my mind. Once I got going, I found Starbucks, then Sonic. A quad shot iced nonfat latte followed by a cheeseburger with jalapenos, some tater tots and a real Coke. I drove almost to LaGrange, and then had to pull over and sleep in the car for about an hour before I could make it the rest of the way home. I did not get to sleep until about 9pm, and I feel relatively good today. My legs are just a little sore, but here is the kicker… NO BLISTERS!!! The key to no blisters is changing into dry SmartWool socks about every 30 kilometers.

That is all.

During the Rocky Raccoon 100/50 Mile Trail Race

I ate my usual breakfast of peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread and a banana and drank several cups of coffee. Hilde and I met Joni in the lobby and we headed out to the park. It was a beautiful clear morning, and not as cold as the weather people had predicted. So, I only needed the one pair of tights, my two long sleeve shirts and a light jacket.We checked in at the start and as we were waiting in line, we were talking to a guy named Paul who had flown in from Florida and had no support crew like Hilde and I. He set up his gear near my chair and used it as a pit stop along with Hilde and I. The funny thing… it turns out that he would be taking Steven back to the airport after the race. Now, what are the odds that I would offer a stranger a ride from the airport, and out of 700+ race entrants, the stranger that offered him a ride back would be the guy in line with us at the pre-race check in? Joe gave a few pre-race instructions and we were off to a good start! It was dark at 6am so we were out either with our headlamps or hand held flashlights. Even in the early morning dark, and all day… I was getting comments on my polka dot tights. Running Funky rocks!!!

20 mile loop #1 completed in 5:10:13, yes, that was a lot faster than I trained for. Aren’t we supposed to be a little faster during a race? Anyway, I did not waste any time at any of the aid stations which was my plan from the beginning. I was carrying enough water, Perpetuem, Hammer gel and Clif bar to get me through the loop with minimal aid station stops. My right knee started hurting at about mile 17 or 18. I was hoping that this would not happen so early in the race, but we take what we get on race day. It only hurt when I walked down hill, so I planned to gut it out for as long as I could before the leg actually started to lock up. I only took 5 minutes in the start/finish area to ready myself for the second loop and I was off with 45 minutes in the bank for the night hours on the course.

20 mile loop #2 completed in 5:30, this was my training pace and just right, even with the pain in my knee. I must have been about 6 miles into this second loop, or at about marathon distance when I figured out a way to get down the hills without knee pain. I simply turned my right foot outward at 90 degree angle when I walked down hill. The Hammer plan was working beautifully! Every two miles I would take one ounce of pre-mixed Perpertuem, and then the next two miles I took a slug from the Hammer gel flask. I was drinking plain water, and taking an endurolyte when I noticed my fingers swelling. I also had the aid station volunteers put Heed in one of my water bottles, just in case. And speaking of Hammer, I saw Amanda McIntosh working the Nature Center aid station through at least the first two of my loops! The only thing I picked up to eat at the aid stations was an orange slice or a piece of banana. I cruised into the start finish area at 10:42:03, cleaned my feet, changed my socks and shoes, and headed back out right at 11:00:00, now with a whole hour in the bank for the night hours.

20 mile loop #3 completed in 6:06:39, a lot slower than the last loop. The pain in my knee was getting worse, and was beginning to migrate to other places… the right groin, top of right foot, lower back… but I was still determined to walk this 100 mile race. As long as I could still move, I was going to continue. A couple of people offered me ibuprophen, aleve, etc. I politely refused. Those of you who know me well also know I don’t take anything for pain before or during an event. I may take it after to help with the inflammation, but only do so if absolutely necessary. My nutrition/hydration plan was still working well, but I was getting hungry. I ate one of mom’s fig cookies (AWESOME), and asked for hot coffee and a spoonful of plain peanut butter a couple of times at aid stations. The peanut butter on a spoon was a great idea and really hit the spot. Things began to get interesting on this third loop because it got dark at about 5 miles in. So, I was out there mostly by myself in the woods in the dark for about 15 miles. I stopped at Dam Road and got a clean pair of socks out of my drop bag because I didn’t have my gloves and it seems like it was in the high 30’s at this point. There was one other walker who traded places with me several times during the first 3 loops, and we had conversation for a while. It kind of takes the mind off of what you are going through when there is someone out there to trade stories with. When I walked in to the start/finish area, Kate was waiting for me. She refilled my water bottles while I put my thermal camouflage tights on over my polka dot tights put on two warmer long sleeve shirts and a light jacket and found my gloves. As soon as I put on those camouflage tights, I became invisible on the course… the folks at the Dam Road who had been razzing me all day about seeing spots didn’t recognize me until I showed them my dotted tights under my thermals. LOL Anyhow, Kate and I discussed my knee problem and I told her under the circumstances I knew at that point I would not be able to finish this 4th loop in 7 hours. I was simply hurting too badly and did not want to do any permanent damage. I called Richard, my 5th loop pacer and told him I knew I would not make the time cutoff to start loop #5, but I was still planning at that time to limp the miles from 60 to 80, and Kate was there to back me up. We took off for the 4th loop after I threw my watch in my drop bag.

20 Mile loop #4 would prove to be very interesting. It was getting colder and the first part of the 20 mile loop goes right down to the lake shore. The frogs seemed to be laughing at us in the dark… I mean, the frogs really sounded just like humans laughing. It was the strangest thing I have ever heard. We would go a few yards down the trail and wait for it… wait for it… there, they are REALLY laughing at us.

I was still in full control of my mental state, but at that point began to wonder. Kate and I were cracking up! We heard others commenting about the laughing frogs as they passed us, so we knew it wasn’t only us. On down the trail we go, and I commented how it was really funny that I had not fallen all day even though I had tripped really hard a few times. Next thing I knew, I was face down in the dirt. Kate offered me her hand and I told her just a second, let me make sure everything is still in tact. I got up and we kept going. I was getting progressively slower and apologized to Kate a couple of times, because I don’t want to be that sissy on the trail pissing and moaning about how this hurts and that hurts. The only time I would wince in pain was when I would hit the outer side of my right heel on a root. I always get a blood blister there after walking a lot of miles. It didn’t hurt at all as long as I didn’t bump it. That was my only blister… Smart Wool rocks!!! I didn’t do anything to my feet… no Body Glide, no taping or anything else and no blisters save that one that is most certainly caused by the insole of my Adidas Trail shoes, and only on the right foot. I still did not have any stomach issues, and knew when I needed to drink some Perpetuem and when to take some gel. We met Melanie, the 50 mile winner working the Nature Center aid station. I was so impressed to see her out there volunteering after winning her race earlier that day! We headed out to our first pass through Dam Road and the mud seemed to be multiplying on the trail. I know for sure there were more bogs than the last time I passed through. I ate some leftover lasagna (just what I needed at the moment) and Kate and I headed out for the 10k loop that would take us back to Dam Road for the second time. We were still having fun, but I was getting slower and finding it more and more difficult to bend my right leg. The more stiff legged I became, the more the rest of my body started to hurt. Top of right foot, right groin, right hip, lower back, etc. and the right knee would just not bend any more. Kate asked if I wanted her to push me to get to 80 miles and I told her I was finished.

The Dam Road volunteers thought otherwise. I still looked great… was having NO stomach issues, and was not too cold. I just could not move my right leg any more. The volunteers told me I would just have to sit and wait for them to break down the aid station to get a ride back to the start/finish if I didn’t just get moving and walk to the next stop 3.4 miles ahead. When they realized I was on my 4th loop and not my 5th, and it was already 4am, they relented and I sat in a chair, waiting for a ride. There were others there who were in worse shape than I was, so as rides materialized, I waited. Another injured runner and I were finally taken out with the trash run at about 9am. It was the perfect end to the race, being hauled out from the Dam Road aid station with the garbage. So, there it is… 72.22 miles, though the official results show 60 miles. They were not recording actual splits at each aid station, and I know where I was when I threw in the proverbial towel. I turned in my timing chip and race bib to let the race officials know I was out of the race. It was a real challenge gathering up my drop bag and chair and carrying it to the car. As I was limping through the wooded area close to the finish, there were a couple of folks looking about as bad as I did and they offered me a hand stepping down off that 16” high curb! I saw lots of folks walking like Frankenstein that day!

still to be continued...

Before the Rocky Raccoon 100/50 Mile Trail Race

I guess it’s finally time for me to put my thoughts about this race into words. This will be a 3 part blog… before the race, during the race and after the race.

The weekend before the race, Raymond and I went shopping. I needed a few new pair of Smart Wool socks and had been looking everywhere for a stuffed raccoon. I finally found the stuffed raccoon at Bass Pro Shops, and the Smart Wool socks at Sun and Ski Sports. The raccoon is a really cute fluffy stuffed toy, and in order to psyche myself up for the race, I fashioned a real hangmen’s noose and proceeded to kill the raccoon.

I headed out Friday to pick up my new friend Hilde at the airport. We had been corresponding online and via Facebook for quite some time and I was really excited to meet her! I was waiting for her at baggage claim. We gathered her things and went to have coffee and a little something to eat at Starbucks. After the coffee, we went back to the cell phone lot at the airport to wait for Steven. The funniest thing was that he and one of the people who had volunteered to pace me, Kate, knew each other from online ultrarunning groups; it was a strange coincidence. Speaking of Kate, she and I met up at Huntsville 2 weeks before race date to walk the 20 mile loop together. Kate is a really strong runner, so I was wondering how suited we would be for each other… but we hit it off and she said she really wanted to spend some time out on the trails after dark.

With Steven’s gear in the rocket ship, which I washed and hand dried for the occasion, we headed north to Huntsville on I-45. There is a sign along a stretch of I-45 to let drivers beware… there are more fatal accidents on this highway than any other in the area. As a matter of fact, when driving home from the Sunmart race in Huntsville, December of 2008, I saw what looked like two fatality accidents between Huntsville and Conroe, a distance of only about 30 miles.

We made it safely to Huntsville, I dropped Steven off at his hotel and Hilde and I headed to ours. She wanted to make sure we were comfortable while in the hotel so she made reservations at the Comfort Suites, and we were not disappointed! Very nice accommodations, with a full breakfast buffet, not just continental style. We began to organize our gear and get ready to go to the race briefing and pasta dinner at the Walker County Storm Shelter. It was really a shock to see 700+ participants in the 100 and 50 mile races this year, when there were a total of 439 last year between both races. I think everyone was really worried about congestion on the trails. We listened to the pre-race briefing, had the trail markings and timing system explained to us, and then lined up for the dinner. The new caterer for the event did not disappoint! The pasta was nicely seasoned and there was a meat sauce as well as a vegetarian sauce, salad, garlic bread, and either German chocolate cake or fruit cobbler for dessert. Everything was very tasty!

I was able to meet up with Richard, who had offered to pace me from 80 to 100, provided I made it that far. The second strange coincidence was that Richard is originally from the same area near Akron Ohio as I am. I met several other folks, including Debora and Debbie from the DFW area. I also introduced myself to Joe, the race director. He and Joyce, his wife, along with all the volunteers and running groups who volunteer their time and running expertise to put this race on… they are all awesome in my book! They say they do it for us… but we keep racing because of them!

We headed back to the hotel to make sure our gear was all ready for the race in the morning; including mixing all my Perpetuem so I didn’t have to mix it during the race, and filling my flasks with Hammer gel.

I went downstairs to get some ice for my little drop bag cooler, and met another Rocky Runner, Joni from California. We talked for a few minutes, and planned to meet in the hotel lobby in the morning. We went to bed really early. We both had our reasons for getting up really early - 2:30 or 3:00 am. My Hammer nutrition plan dictates that I eat breakfast 3 hours before the start of my race.

to be continued...

Dave’s World Class Race Walking Clinic

October 9-11, 2009
The drive to Dallas proved to be very interesting. There was a cold front on the way, and I was not sure when or where I would drive into the leading edge, where cool air meets warm and humid air. Turned out, I met the storm while driving on a two lane Farm to Market road with no shoulders. Texas Farm to Market roads usually have a speed limit of 70 mph even where there are no shoulders. I drive a 2dr Honda Accord Coupe, and cars like this usually don’t do so well in severe weather. I had to pull over to the shoulder once in the recent past during a severe thunderstorm with high winds. So, back to the trip… I was headed north from Roans Prairie (taking the back road) to connect with I45 in Madisonville. That’s where the wind started gusting and the rain was coming at me in sheets. Some lovely person in a large SUV was right on my tail, I guess expecting me to drive 70mph. That was not going to happen. When I hit standing water on the highway in this car, I am usually pulled all over the road. 50mph was really pushing the envelope of safety, so that @$$4073 behind me was just going to have to wait. Then random trees started breaking apart on either side of the road. The tree damaging winds were short lived, but that scared the hell out of me. Finally made it to Madisonville and was able to get out of the car for a few minutes. I got back on the road, I45 this time, and drove in intermittent heavy rain all the way to Dallas. Funny, though, the rain stopped when I was about 10 miles south of Linda’s house.

Linda is a wonderful new friend. She invited Kim (my friend from Arkansas) and I to stay at her lovely home for the weekend! Linda has a beautiful water garden and lovely well placed plants and walking paths in her back yard that seemed to emanate peace and tranquility!

I helped Linda, who was co-hosting the racewalking clinic together with Jerry Kerr, get a few things ready around the house, then Kim arrived. I was really happy to see her again. The last time we met, it was very brief. We both did the Bass Pro race in 2008. Kim did the half marathon and I did the full. She was really speedy and her husband missed her at the finish line. They were so kind to stick around and wait for me to finish the full! I was very surprised to see Kim and David with my Mom and my Aunt Fran. Anyway, we certainly got to spend a lot more time together during the racewalking clinic, and we had a blast.

Kim and I had planned to go to the Oak Lawn Luke's Locker when she arrived, so we headed out. It is always a challenge to get the right pair of shoes for racewalking. Salespeople hear 'walk' and they always bring out some huge, heavy, clunky pair of shoes. Well, then you have to go into a discussion of what racewalking is. I finally gave up letting the salesperson decide. I just go in and ask for racing flats... Running racing flats. Apparently, we found the right salesman and he brought out several pair of shoes for Kim to try, I was initially worried about them having any to choose from because Kim has really small feet and most racing flats are unisex sizing (men's sizes). Anyway, she ended up with a great pair of shoes.

I also made a fantastic purchase. I have been talking about trying CW-X compression tights for a long time. I just could not find a store anywhere where I could try on the men's small in either the pro or expert model of the tights. I buy men's running shoes because my feet are wide, and I buy men's tights because I have a wide waist. Men's shorts are also a usual choice for me because they are not so darn short like women's running shorts usually are. Anyway, the tights were expensive, but they fit like a glove. I am happy to have them!

We stopped to eat lunch, and then headed back to Linda's house to help her prepare the dinner for everyone who was participating in the racewalking clinic. We had baked ziti, one vegetarian and one with organic fresh ground beef that Kim had brought from her farm. My mom made home made french bread for us and all we had to do was heat that up, make a salad, and bake some brownies for dessert.

Jerry picked Dave McGovern up at the airport and brought him to Linda's house. Patty and Jean-Maria, friends of mine from the Dallas area, and lots of others showed up for the dinner and informational meeting that followed. Everyone just loved mom's home made bread! Especially the beer, jalapeno and cheese loaf! They all asked for the recipe! I still have to get that from mom and pass it along!

Saturday morning was cold and damp, but thankfully the rain held off, or simply stayed south of us. We went over to the track for our first workout, and Dave was going to try and film us individually, but he was having a problem with his camera. It was filming, but did not have a view finder and the lcd screen was black. I really should have been wearing tights because it was rather cold and I may have done too much standing around and then sprinting and pulled a calf muscle. We all finished our workouts, and then it was time for lunch and a trip to the Lukes Locker on Legacy in Plano. We descended on that running store like ants. Dave found the location manager and we all learned a lot more about shoes for racewalking.

The next stop was a quick bite for lunch. Rose, Dave and I stopped at a little pizza by the slice place across the street from Luke’s. The pizza was very tasty, and the slices were huge. Our next mission was to find Best Buy so Dave could try and replace his video camera. He had no luck at the Best Buy we were closest to and decided to try another location where we might actually find someone who knew a little about what they were selling. Back at Linda’s house we all sat down and watched the video that Dave was able to tape while we were working out on the track. We watched video of Olympic class athletes and then compared what we are doing to what they are doing. Of course, we have lots of miles of practice ahead of us. While we were watching film, I worked on the calf… found the irritated spot, and dug in. Whatever was going on there… I was able to work it out.

Now, it has been almost 2 whole weeks since the clinic, so forgive me when I ramble around a little. I think we went back to the track to work with the ladders for quick step drills, did some skipping, etc. Dave said I was a dainty skipper. I think it was due to the fact I was wearing a running skirt. One thing I have never been accused of is being dainty. We also learned several drills to help us with flexibility and then Dave showed us some very effective stretches, etc.

Dinner time… we went to a place called Uncle Julio’s and the food was very good. The big joke of the evening was that my reading glasses were left at Linda’s house, so I was planning to pretend I was illiterate. Maybe not so funny, so I just made fun of my old age eyesight and asked the bartender to stand across the bar and hold the menu for me so I could read it. I ordered a mixed platter of shrimp, beef and chicken fajitas. After dinner, we stopped off at another Best Buy for Dave to purchase a new video camera. I think he finally got what he was after and I, of course, bought another CD… Anvil.

Kim and Dave have both traveled much more than I have, so the after dinner conversation at Linda’s house was very interesting.

Sunday morning, it was cold again, and I decided to wear my tights and that was a good thing. We did our lactate threshold test after warming up, doing the drills and stretching well. The test consists of 3 - 8 minute intervals of walking as fast as possible with good technique and taking the HR every two minutes, our partner gave the Hr info to Dave. There is a two minute rest between the intervals where we check out recovery HR. I was in the first group and was able to get my HR up to 177 at the end of the last repeat. So, I was the apparent winner of the HR test… My max HR is 193 and if you subscribe to the 220 -age =BS formula, I am 27! WOO HOO!!! When the next group did their test, there was a soccer game on the football field; so, I had to do lots of running in order to be able to get some good photos of the folks on the track while reporting my partner’s HR to Dave for her test. More stretching before leaving the track to eat lunch and then wrap up the clinic with a lecture on training schedules for specific distance races, and more discussion on HR based training. Dave commented that my recovery HR was still kind of high… He did suggest that I refrain from drinking 4 cups of coffee right before an interval workout. Typically, I wait until after my workouts to drink coffee, or I do my workouts late in the evening, after the coffee has worn off… LOL

So, the workshop was wrapping up, and everyone was saying their goodbyes. Jerry and I helped Linda put some things back in place, and I packed up my things to return home. I bought one of the Chrons and Colitis Foundation Team in Training shirts from Dave… “The Best Craps in Vegas”, said my goodbyes and headed south. I was about 5 miles south of Linda’s and the rain started. What should have taken 4 hours at most to drive, took me almost 6 hours, including one stop for restroom and to gas up the car. I got a message from Dave… “It never rains at a World Class Racewalking Clinic… that is until after the last guest leaves”. I told him that my only consolation was that he was getting wet, too. Dave was leaving for a workout when I was driving away. LOL

The drive home was not as treacherous as the drive to Dallas, with the exception of the people who choose to drive 80+ mph, no matter how hard it is raining. A funny thing happened to me when I stopped for restroom and gas in Madisonville Texas. I went in to use the restroom before pumping my gas because I had been on the road for a while. There were 4 or 5 women just standing around in the restroom, so I kind of bent down to see if anyone was in the stalls. They were empty and as I started to enter one, some woman says: “Hey, did you just pick up two dollars off the floor?” I go, “WHAT???”, because I was kind of hypnotized from the long drive in bad weather. So, she asks me again and if I had been on the ball, I would have asked her if I really looked like I needed her two dollars. Anyway, I just told her I was merely looking under the stall door to see if it was occupied. TWO DOLLARS… would I be driving a rocket ship if I was in serious need of two dollars?

Anyway, I made it home safely and had a great weekend. The major thing I learned about myself:
I may not actually be cut out for racewalking because of my physical limitations which include degenerative disc disease in my lower back and a left hip that is perpetually out of place.

Sunday, September 6

so... 2 mile warm up, stretching, then a 10k race.

The warm up went well, I was able to get some real speed going in the second mile, then I had time to stretch and do some flexibility drills before the race started.

We got a little late start... remember I said I was not going to do the judged race because I am still not sure of my racewalking form. Well, I should have thrown caution to the wind and let them judge me. Both judges said my form was looking much better and neither would have dq'd me. Anyhow, it was still a great race. 10k in 1:13:06.54 with an average pace of 11:46. Average hr was 167bpm, max hr achieved was in the neighborhood of 190. I have my max set at 194 right now, that may need to be adjusted a little higher. So, this was 2:35 better than my best for the distance. I'll take it! A new PR!

one thing to add... I was so happy to see a good turnout at the race. There were several youngsters who are being coached by AC Jaime from South Texas Racewalkers... and two of them came in first and second place. It was an awesome thing to watch those youngsters with a love for the sport that is so often misunderstood and made fun of!

April 26, 2009 - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

I will start out by saying this was the BEST large scale marathon I have done to date. The aid stations were full of volunteers and well stocked with all manner of things. They had enough GU for an army and an army of people to hand it out. I HIGHLY recommend this marathon. Yes, the climate can be tough in Oklahoma City, and the course is kind of hilly, but if you are well prepared for the conditions, you will have a great time!

Now, I will start at the beginning. Of course I didn’t get enough sleep the night before I left for Oklahoma City. I finally went to bed Friday night at about 11 pm after putting my things in the car. I set the alarm for 2:45 am, because I intended to leave by 3am. I live about 450 miles from Oklahoma City. It was part of my plan to leave so early because I was going to take the early start for the marathon (4:30am) on Sunday and since I am not a morning person, getting up early Saturday would force me to be in bed early Saturday night. I was on the road by 3:10 am. I reached Bryan/College Station at around 4:30 am and there was a terrible storm in the area. Cars were in the ditch, and several were stopped, I assume they were waiting for the storm to subside a little. I continued on because I didn’t want to lose any time. I slowed down, of course, and good thing, because water was pooling in places along the road. I made it safely through the storm, thank goodness. The lightening show was impressive.

The expo was not as large as I expected, but well laid out. First, we were directed to the back of the room to pick up the packet and pre-scan the timing chip, then around the other side of the room to pick up the t-shirt and goodie bag. After I collected my things, I went for a look around to see if there was anything I could not live without. The only purchase was a buy 1 - get 1 half price special on Thorlo socks. I listened to a couple minutes of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s pre-race comments, and then went on to the hotel to eat lunch and finish getting my gear ready for the race. I still had to mix my electrolyte drink, and put my food and gels in the right pockets. That all done, I was leaving to go back downtown and Laura Leigh arrived at the hotel. I was glad to see her! We left for the pasta dinner together after she brought her things in to the hotel.

Before dinner, we had a little walk around town and through the memorial. When Laura Leigh explained the significance of the Memorial to me, I was really moved by its simplicity.

As we arrived at the pasta dinner, my cell phone started ringing, and I saw Jean-Maria before I could get my phone out and answer it. Patty, Jean-Maria, Laura Leigh and I had dinner together (pasta, no protein, a nice light sauce, salad, breadstick, and huge chocolate chip cookie ;-) and got to know each other. Good thing Jean-Maria had her camera because I forgot mine as usual. We found someone to take the group photo, and then it was time to go back to our hotels. We were fortunate enough to find the porta potties near the start. It is a great honor to be the first to use one of those things… and these were the deluxe models. There was plenty of paper, and they even had hand sanitizer dispensers.

Once we arrived back at the hotel, there were a few things left to do, and it was difficult to get into bed. Once in bed, I fell asleep immediately, just like I planned. I never even got up to use the restroom. The alarm went off at 3 am, and I was ready to get up. I didn’t expect much hoopla at the early start, but the race director was there to welcome us, getting us pumped up for the race. They played God Bless America and The National Anthem, and it was time to start. After a few pre-race instructions, we were off. They had plenty of protection for the early starters in the form of motorcycle police and course marshals on bicycles. There were even a couple of the water stops open for us. I didn’t expect that at all. The volunteers all along the course were the most enthusiastic I have ever seen at a race. Some were even begging us to take their water, like some must be better than others. One station was set up to look like the Big Top, with large stuffed tigers and such in cages. I have never been cheered on by so many volunteers, every time I thanked someone for volunteering; they thanked me for participating in the race. If I said: “YOU’RE AWESOME,” they said: “NO, YOU’RE AWESOME!” What a race. There were children along the course giving high fives to runners and walkers; I don’t remember one part of the course where there were not spectators present. There were even spectators where the course went along the lake path. There were Indian drummers as we exited the lake path and headed back toward the city. The wind was awfully strong all day, but that didn’t deter the spectators. The closer I got to the finish line, the more spectators were present. I started hearing the cheers of the finish line crowd about a mile away. The announcer was very enthusiastic, he was reading our names and calling them out to the crowd as we finished. 6:49:59; my slowest marathon to date, but this was a training walk.

The post race food was great; they had all sorts of Keebler cookies and Carl’s Junior cheeseburgers. I was feeling pretty crummy; the right knee was hurting pretty badly after the post race stretch. I pretty much limped back to the car for the ride to the hotel. Once there, I iced my knee for about 20 minutes and took 3 Ibuprophen (which I don’t normally do). The knee was still a little tender when we went to dinner to celebrate another marathon completed. We went to a local landmark called Cattleman’s and I had a sirloin (something else I don’t normally do). The steak was really good, so were the buttered baked potato and the huge buttered yeast roll. Did I say butter??? When we got back to the hotel, Laura Leigh had to leave so I was on my own. I thought about going to see Patty and Jean-Maria at their hotel; but we were under a tornado warning. I didn’t want to be stranded at another hotel and not get any sleep, so I just stayed put. Once I went to sleep at about 9pm, I didn’t get up until about 8am the next morning. I loaded up the car and started driving south.

The funniest thing happened. I called Jean-Maria to see how she and Patty were doing, and found out they were only about 5 miles ahead of me and stopping for breakfast. I didn’t tell them I was going to stop, I just found the place they said they stopped and walked in. I wish you all could have seen the look on Patty’s face when I walked in. It was priceless. The rest of the drive home was uneventful, except for more thunderstorms.

Today, I feel better. My knee doesn’t hurt anymore, and I am not over tired. I will be back out there training for Mohican tomorrow.

Angie’s Half Crazy Half Marathon, Clear Lake Texas

This was the second edition of Angie’s Half Crazy. The first edition had a little more than 300 participants. This year’s race proved to be a lot bigger than anyone anticipated. I don’t know what the final numbers were, but I think there were around 900. That is a significant increase for a race from one year to the next. I expected to experience some negative aspects due to extreme growing pains, but I don’t have any real complaints.

My pre-race ritual was interrupted by several things going on around the house on Saturday, and this is what I had to say on another message board I participate in:
This is how you all know that I am really crazy... It is 11:36 pm, and I have my clock set for 3:30 am... I have to leave at 4am to get to Clear Lake by 5:30 am. Last year, this race had only 339 participants... It is approaching 1,000 this year, and the chips weren't in the race packets. I didn't pick up my packet early because I have been working 6 days a week, and couldn't make it to any of the scheduled pre-race packet pickups... So, there will be 1,000 CRAZY runners and walkers all trying to get their timing chips at the same time. Oh boy is this going to be CRAZY!!!

I was able to get up early enough to make it to the race site, University of Houston Clear Lake Campus, by 5:40 am, and park right along the finish line. It was a perfect day for a half marathon. Temps in the low 40’s for the start. Folks were getting ready for the 6am early start, and I didn’t have any trouble collecting my race packet and timing chip. Since I was one of the first 100 to register for the race, I got an extra nice tote bag and a coffee mug with the race logo. There was also some SPF 15 Green Apple lip balm. I thought that was a nice touch.

I went back to the car and waited a little bit for the RD to announce the early start. I went to cheer on the walkers and a few runners who wanted to finish early so they could make it to work on time. They started only a few minutes behind schedule. I went back to the car and ate my banana, pinned on the race number, attached the timing device to my shoe, and waited in the car until about 6:45am. Then all I needed was a trip to the porta potties and a short warm up and stretch. ROTC presented the colors, a young lady sang the national anthem, and we were off.

One of the Houston walkers passed me at the start, and he gave me the incentive to go ahead and race this one instead of take it easy. I only kept him in sight for about 3 miles, though. He is really speedy! I chose to try and do the half marathon with only GU, electrolyte and water instead of trying to eat Clif bars or other solid food. I took the first GU and mile 2 with some water, I drank electrolyte at mile 4, GU and water at mile 6, electrolyte at mile 8, GU and water at mile 10, electrolyte at mile 12, and on to the finish! I was passing back and forth with some Galloway run/walkers, and then one group got away from me. The other group was going at just about my pace, and it became kind of problematic. One of the ladies even cut me off at a water station. I was coming through, just grabbing the water and moving on, and she came to almost a standstill in front of me. I kind of laughed and said, please excuse me ladies… I have to keep moving. She was really nice and I think we both just took it in stride. My first 4 miles were all sub 12 minute miles… the next 7 miles were anywhere from 12:10 to 12:29. I thought there was no way for a PR, and then I finally really looked at the Garmin… It showed 2:13:44, and my dream goal was to finish in 2:40. I started feeling better; I only needed to walk 2.1 miles in 26 minutes. I put the speed back on and walked my fastest two miles to finish in 2:40:51 for 13.28 miles (this is the distance the Garmin registered). My Garmin shows an average mile pace of 12:06, I think the official chip time result will be about 12:17. I didn’t ask the timing folks to look it up for me; I will wait until the results are posted on the race website. The course was certified the distance, it is just impossible to follow any course that precisely. The temperature was only in the low 60’s when I finished the race.

The finish line chute was a little unorganized. I had to look for the person who was retrieving the timing chips, and I couldn’t find the medals. Then I heard someone say they had run out. That’s ok, I know the RD, and she makes my t-shirts for the fun run I host in December. As I said earlier, I don’t think she expected such a fantastic turnout for the second year of the race. My Houston walking friend came up to congratulate me, and I congratulated him also. He let me borrow his medal for a finish line photo, which the photographer insisted on due to my outfit. I was wearing a crazy looking getup, and that made the race kind of fun. My running funky polka dot tights were a hit, even when worn with a mismatched black, white and yellow top with a pink do-rag on my head. I got more comments on those tights than I can even begin to count. I gave http://www.runningfunky.com/ lots of advertising!

I went to the car and got my non-fat quad shot iced latte. I just have to drink one of those quickly after the race is over. That seems to make a real difference in my recovery. I went to the post race snack table and ate some cookies and went to sign up for the massage. I heard that more medals had been located. So, I ended up with my medal today after all.

I had a quick massage; they only had a 5 minute time limit. Then I went to get my bbq plate. The post race meal was brisket, chicken, baked beans, potato salad and all the trimmings. Good times, good food, good fun for the day! Everyone stood up to cheer the last finisher in, and then it was time to head home. I was able to thank Angie the RD and congratulate her on a fantastic production.

My DH called me and asked me to get some bbq stuff on my way home. I had to go to Wal Mart dressed like this... When I got home, he had gone and bought the stuff, too. I was really pi$$ed. I don't mind going to a race in a CRAZY getup, but you all should have SEEN the looks I got at Wal Mart. Good thing I decided to go to a store where I don't know anyone.

My previous half marathon PR was 2:47:09, this one was (by my garmin) 2:40:51. What is that about 6:18 better? I think so. I am not sure how this works, but I am going to try to put a few pictures on the blog so you all can see my outfit and the awesome race stuff I got at the packet pickup.

Gulf Championship 20k Racewalk March 8, 2009

First things first. I looked at some information on the linear progression of pace as race distance increases. I am by no means an elite athlete, and probably never will be, but I believe the linear progression will hold true with most people - but at their individual level. I had a huge 90 second pr at the 5k distance last weekend (6:47mpk or 10:55mpm). So, I used a formula to calculate what I thought my pace should be by adding 5% to my 5k pace to get a projected pace for 10k (7:08mpk or 11:29mpm), and another 5% for 20k (7:30mpk or 12:04mpm) which should have had me finishing 20k in 2:30:00.
Second… Judging. There was only one judge present, and I know if there had been 3 judges I would have been disqualified. When I took Dave’s clinic in Mesa, I only had a little time with Dave, and he helped me to improve my form to a point where I could probably do a judged 5k without too much trouble. Well, this was 20k. The judge told me today that during the first part of the race, I was looking pretty good. This is what I expected, to start out doing really well, then to kind of fall apart little by little towards the end of the race. Knowing this in advance and still doing the judged race was the hard part. I had no way of knowing that only one judge would be present on the course, but I still went. I had a great time, and really worked hard at keeping the knees straight.
Miles 1-6, I was feeling pretty good… Mile 7 was my slowest mile (12:48), then I decided that I wasn’t going to finish at my projected pace if I didn’t get my butt in gear. During miles 8-11, I walked progressively faster each mile with the exception of mile 11, and mile 12 was the fastest mile of the whole race. The last 4/10 was only a little slower than mile 12.
Anyway, my finish time was 2:32:04 (7:36mpk or 12:14mpm), only 2:04 off my projection which is 6 seconds slower per kilometer, and 10 seconds slower per mile.
I did my last 20k two years ago, the day after I had raced a 10k in Houston. I came away with a pretty sore right hamstring that interfered with my training for several months. That was probably one of the dumbest things I have ever done, and won’t do again. My finish time at that 20k was 2:47:26. So, today’s race, done smarter, was a 15:22 pr at this distance.
I realize that I still have lots of work to do to improve my form, and get my pace down to where I can really compete seriously at the local level; although I am still proud of this performance… I looked at the age grading calculator at http://www.philsport.com/narf/aagegrdc.htm, and a 47 year old female with a finish time of 2:32:04 for 20k is age graded at 61.77%