Bill's Bad Ass 50k: Officially an all weather ultra runner

Goal: 4:38-4:49 depending on weather conditions
Result: 4:50:40, first female, second overall
Strava map: Strava map

     I like running in hot weather. Not necessarily running fast in hot weather, but then in an ultra, you don't really run fast. Going into the BBA50k I worried that I would struggle in the cold weather. I spend every other winter run on the verge of hypothermia so this is not an unfounded fear. But if I ever actually want to tackle Hardrock 100 I'm going to need to get used to some cold weather ultra running. I was invited to apply for this race by Bill Wagner after the Buckeye Trail 50k. The race is free with a donation to the sponsored charity. Girls With Sole benefited from the donations this year.
     This race has the most gain that I've ever tackled. More than 4,000 feet of elevation gain in six five-mile loops with one last brutal mile up "candyass mountain" on the Furnace Run trail. That last mile has plenty of my nemesis...stairs. I can't even run up stairs fresh. After this race I've realized that if I continue racing trail races in Ohio I'd better get so that I can run stairs.
     I approach the first 15-20 miles of these trail 50ks in a relaxed manner. I do my best to feel out the personality of the area. Making friends with the trails is what I call it. Every area has a different feel. This trail had a pretty relaxed aura. On a loop course like this I learn where exactly to place my feet at every step and I copy this pattern for each loop thereafter. I think this is why I have such a good record with falls. I'm alone for a great majority of these races and I do a lot of strange things in my head as the hours go by. I create entire back stories for why I'm out in the elements running slowly for hours, usually involving a post-apocalyptic theme. I listen to a selection of songs on repeat for days before the race so that I get a "song in my head" that will be good to listen to in the later miles. For the later miles I get very focused. I stuff down the caffeine in the last couple of aid stations and tackle the final miles with intensity for the first time in three plus hours. Basically, I'm allowed to race at this point. This doesn't mean I get faster! The body is pretty tired at this point.
Loop description: through the covered bride, up the flooded single track along the river and through the pines, cross the road onto the first long incline. Down into the technical across four creek crossings, smaller inclines after #1 and #3 and then the steep incline after #4. The steep incline is the only place that needs to be hiked. Along the ridge for a mile or so, then down the stairs and through the pine forest, through the bridge back to the parking lot. My least favorite sections were the long, non-technical stretches along the ridges. I felt like I had to run too fast through here and it wore me out.

Starting out on the first loop. Photo credit: Mark Shelton

 
Loop 1: 42:13 Raining to start so I was soaked through in the first five minutes. Pretty sure I set all of the Strava CR on this loop. I had no idea I was going this fast! I ran most of the loop with an experienced ultra runner from PA. I was trailing him for most of it actually. My feet were wet and numb and I was generally cold so it was probably good that I was moving. Effort felt easy.
10 oz of watered down Gatorade

During the first loop. Photo credit: Mark Shelton

Loop 2: 43:57 Still raining for this loop and the flooded trail going out on a new loop numbed my feet completely. I couldn't feel them until I started coming down the stairs on the other side. My Saucony Peregrines were also pinching my feet because they were new. The guy from PA was still with me on this loop, running just ahead of me. It started turning to snow and I had my only doubtful thoughts of the day during this time. This is just too cold for me! You can get warm any time now, body. Hiking up the steep climb after the last creek crossing felt a little harder this time.
10 oz of watered down Gatorade and 1 Gu Roctane
Loop 3: 45:38 I started out alone on this loop and never ran with anyone from here on out. I started lapping people in droves and they were all friendly and stepped off the trail if it was too narrow to pass. I felt bad that a lot of them had to hike because I knew they must be cold. I finally started to feel a little warm running the inclines in the technical. It stopped raining and the wind dried me off a bit. I started the song in my head: Greenlight by Pitbull. This ended up being the smoothest feeling loop and though my feet still hurt, the rest of me felt good. And no knee wrenching!
6 oz of watered down Gatorade 
Loop 4: 47:02 This was my most cautious and worst feeling loop. My feet hurt so bad that I was sure I had sprained every one of my toes. I started flat-footing the climbs to alleviate the pinching but this slowed me down. I definitely had a few desperate moments where I fantasized about pulling them off and throwing them over a ridge, continuing barefoot. The Gu didn't feel good in my belly and I kept burping it up. It also started hailing and began to get windy. I managed to run every climb except the steep one and I made it my goal to run these hills on the next two loops, no excuses! The trail was getting mucky on the long ridge stretches and this slowed down those sections. I never once checked my watch the whole race until the last mile but I knew I was slowing down a lot this loop.
6 oz of Gatorade, 1 Gu Roctane, 2 bites of honey stinger bar

Does my smile look a bit forced? I think this was the beginning of the fifth loop. Photo credit: Mark Shelton

Loop 5: 49:22 This loop wasn't bad. My feet loosened up from flat-footing the climbs instead of toesing them and this improved my mood dramatically. My knees still weren't wrenching. The long first incline was pretty tough for this loop but I got up it with zero hiking. At every incline I visualized myself running it on the final loop. My glutes and hamstrings were getting zapped by all the climbing and the hike up the steep hill was ROUGH. A large tree branch came down on the side of the trail mid-loop, so that was disconcerting. I guess getting killed by a falling tree in the woods wouldn't be a terrible way to die. I think I lapped Angela during this loop and talked with her briefly as I passed. I saw at least two minors out doing this race and that is just incredible. The tenacity and endurance that they have will serve them well in both running and life!
1 cup of coke, 1 cup of water
Loop 6: 49:22 I came into the aid station and asked for coke and water. Kristy was there volunteering and the Bills started heckling about me taking her course record. I think they knew that it was pretty safe on this day! This was my longest aid station but I didn't linger too long. I felt amazing for this last loop. That's the caffeine kicking in. The inclines were tough to run up because my hammies and glutes were seizing up but then I would get to the top and all the blood would rush back into my legs and I'd feel great. I hiked five steps on the incline after the third creek crossing and that was it. I got into the mindset of "maybe I will just do this all day." Like it would be easier to just continue loop after loop all day rather than finish, have to get cleaned up and drive home and carry on with my day. That and I might have to socialize a bit after I finished, which is always unwelcome after being alone on the trail for hours. The flat section along the ridge was completely torn up at this point. Sticky, deep mud that was impossible to move through at a good speed on tired legs. One last zoom down the stairs and I said goodbye to the pine forest. I'll see you again next year!
Candyass mountain: 13:06 Complete disaster. I locked up on the stairs, almost sat down on them when the Bills made fun of me hiking them (I didn't really mind haha), then locked up AGAIN going up the regular hill. I finally reached the "candy" half a mile up, where I looked for the regular candy because I was hungry and wanting a Snickers bar. Nope, not going to snack on crickets on the way down! I booked it back down the hill at about 6:45 pace trying to break 4:50. Coming down the stairs I realized that I was FREEZING.

Finished! Photo credit: Felicia Fago

    

I swear I'm going to try these. Soon.

When I finished I kept repeating that I was cold. Then I couldn't find my drop bag because I had covered it with my coat and in my lethargic state I'd forgotten where I'd even put it. I hardly remember any of the conversations that I had with Hugh the timer, the Bills and Kristy. I was very, very cold. I hurried up to my car and turned the heat on high as I shivered my way home. I had about a half-hour hot bath then took the kids out to eat before I had to be at work at 4 p.m.

Your shoes are your lifeline. Keep them on Renee!

Towpath Half 2016: Half PR two years later

Goal: 1:23-1:24:40, defend win, don't get passed by so many men in second half
Result: 1:24:22, first female, only passed by one man! Actually a 15 year old boy but whatever.

     2016 marks the year that I'll start visiting races for the third year in a row. This includes the Medina Half, the Twin Sizzler 5k, the Towpath Half and the Peace Race 10k. My goal is to create relationships with local races that I enjoy and promote them with social media and blog posts. These races deserve it! The Towpath Half is the only race that I've managed to win two years in a row. I have no idea how I keep pulling this off. There was some seriously stiff competition in 2014 and 2015. I'll admit that I wanted the three-peat. But you never know who might show up on the towpath. My coach offered the best advice: go for the win and have fun! The truth is I really do have fun on the towpath. It is as flat as can be, but because I'm surrounded by woods I feel like I could be on the trails. That and the forgiving surface is easier on the body. Especially when that body endured a rough marathon two weeks prior.
     I did a 12x400m repeats (400 rest) on Wednesday as my last workout before this race. I started at 89 but quickly worked my way down to low 80s and my last was a 78. It was my first good workout since Akron and a good confidence-builder. I'm beginning to love 400s just as much as 200s and 300s. Even though I'm a 50k/marathon runner I like the short interval track workouts. I have a naturally fast turnover that somehow translates to quick times for these repeats, though I struggle with equivalent times over longer repeats. One hundered percent of my training is public on Strava (Renee Harden) and on running2win.com (NeybugRuns). If you check these out, be prepared to see lots of slooowwww easy runs.
     I arrived very early to avoid the traffic and waited in my car as all of the runners came pouring into Brandywine Ski Resort in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. At about 7 a.m. I started my warmup with my speedy friend Alissa. We ran about two miles back and forth on the service road in the early morning chill and fog. It was a perfect temperature out. High 40s at the start, mid 50s at the finish. I skipped my drills and runouts because I was struggling with a tweaked left hamstring from pacing one of my athletes during her workout on Thursday. I babied it all week and it felt fine for the race.
     Miles 1-5: 6:16, 6:22, 6:20, 6:14, 6:23. I went out relaxed and was immediately in fourth overall, three men gradually fading away in front of me down the road. I could see them for most of these miles and the male winner ended up going 1:21. Too bad I'm not in low 1:20 shape because they would have been perfect pacers. The third place male stayed very close to me and I even upped the effort in the fourth mile to try and catch him so we could pace together. I was not looking at my watch but it felt a bit fast (it was) so I backed off again. These miles were a relaxed hammer-fest, if there is such a thing. I didn't know if there was a woman close behind me so I worked hard until I hit the turnaround.
     Miles 6-10: 6:35, 6:32, 6:34, 6:31, 6:40. I grabbed some Gatorade at the aid station right before the turnaround and within a few steps I hit the cone and the 180 degree turn. I basically came to a complete stop to turn around and tried hard to get right back into my hammer rhythm. Two men were quite close behind me but I ran a while before I saw women. Three women, including Alissa were more than a minute behind me at 6 miles. I pushed this out of my mind and made it a goal that no men would pass me since it was unlikely any women would make up the time unless I completely crashed. The stream of people coming the other direction started and I stayed focused during this part, only smiling in return to the awesome cheers of "you're first woman, go get those guys!" and "go girl!"A guy caught me during the 8th mile and I commanded myself to stay with him until the 9 mile marker. I did this and it kept my pace in the low 6:30s for these miles. Mile 10 was tough because I was tempted to look at my watch. I was afraid of what I might see. I felt too good, as if I wasn't working hard enough. I answered this thought with "don't get too excited, you still have miles to go. Just stay smooth."

I think this is around mile 11. Photo credit: Capstone Photography

     Last 5k: 20:22 (6:34). I had a 6:40 for mile 10 since I grabbed a Carb Boom!, sucked it down and grabbed a cup of water to wash it down. I did this in a very intense, focused way that I hoped jived with the aid station workers. I was in a hurry to get back to my race! By this time I knew I was having a good race. No more men passed me and I was far, far ahead of the women. The fourth place male was close in front of me. If he was a woman, I could have hunted him down. Now I'm wishing he was, because he ran just under 1:24. I made it a goal that he not get further ahead of me. The song in my head was playing the same chorus over and over (Star Boy by The Weeknd), I was getting tired and was annoyed by the sweat in my eyes. This race needed to be over. I passed the section that Alissa and I had done a workout on the week before and I knew I was within two miles of the finish. I passed the last aid station and heard Rachel cheering but I didn't break focus. I was definitely struggling a bit here. About a half a mile from the finish Todd and Ethan were out on the path with a sign that said "You're NOT almost there" and started heckling me to "run faster" and "hurry up." It was hilarious and I did my best to wave and smile. At the bottom of the only baby hill on the course, I started my kick. There was a big crowd of spectators at the finish, lined up on the Boston store porch and along the fenced off finish area. As I rounded the corner I saw the clock and it had my pr on it. I started breaking down before the finish line and cried for a few seconds after I crossed. I may have thought that I would never run a half marathon pr again. I'm so glad that I did! Cynthia was right at the finish as I crossed and I was a little embarrassed that I was crying but it was happy tears and she didn't seem to mind. I quickly hopped back on the course to go cheer in Alissa who I knew would be coming in soon. Sure enough she set another pr in just over 1:30 to win her age group and earn fifth woman overall. She managed to break 1:30 for the first time the next week at the Columbus Half!
     After I watched most of the top women come in, I needed to book it up to my car so I could call the kids and check in on them. I also texted my coach to let her know I finally pulled off a half marathon pr. This is the sixth time I have attempted this since Towpath 2014. It is a breakthrough in my speed endurance, something I have been working very hard on with Becki. It is my biggest weakness as evidenced by my faster lower distance prs and much slower marathon pr. My half pr now closely matches my mile, 5k and 10k prs so that is a step in the right direction!

Well I was trying to rep the Akron Marathon but then I go and cover the logo up. Photo credit: Canalway Partners

     I came back down to Boston store for the awards and ran into Jeff who was just finishing a long run in the area. He stayed for the awards and I'm kind of hoping it convinced him to run it next year! I stayed to watch the lead marathon men come in but I had to book it out of there after that. The kidlets were waiting!

Akron Marathon 2016: Just Call Me Miss Positive Split

Akron Marathon: September 24th, 2016
Goal range: 2:58-3:06, place higher than 9th
Result: 3:12:37 for 9th female

     The training block for this race was nearly flawless. I hit most of my workout paces, including a 10 mile pace run two weeks before the race at a 6:41 average and a several wave tempos where I averaged in the 6:50s including the warmup and cooldown miles. Everything indicated that I was fit enough to tackle a 6:50 average for a marathon, even allowing a few minutes for the hills of Akron. Six days before the marathon I raced a 5k in 18:34, which translates to a range of 2:56-3:00 for a marathon. Racing that 5k may have been a mistake in itself. In August I raced the Classic at Mastick 5k four days before tackling the Rock Hall Half off an 80 mile week. I almost didn't finish that half marathon and experienced one of the most epic physical crashes I have ever had, not just during the race but for the rest of the day where I was so weak that I couldn't get out of my bed. The whole debacle was so bad that I changed my diet around to ensure I was getting the proper nutrition to fuel my training, something I have resisted doing for three years. Two weeks later I ran the race of my life at the Moebius - Green Monster Trail 50k, hacking 33 minutes off my trail 50k pr. So I forged ahead with training, convinced that I would have my first strong marathon at Akron.
     I felt pretty good the week of the race. Getting some taper jitters and fresh legs. I did a small workout on Tuesday (2 miles in 13:19, 0.25 jog, 1 mile in 6:25) and then ran easy 8 and 6 milers up to Friday, 3 mile jog the day before. Friday night I went to the elite athlete technical meeting and picked up my packet and bottles. I used grape Gatorade in three bottles that I had placed at miles 10, 15 and 20. I love the concept of the elite athlete program at Akron. It supports all of the local racing teams and sub-elite runners, including top masters runners. Brian Polen and his staff does an amazing job coordinating everything and communicating with the athletes. Two years ago when I was on a relay team I experienced the exact same level of expertise from the race, so it isn't just at the elite level.
     After about 7 hours of good sleep I woke up at 4:15 a.m. race morning. Had one cup of coffee and cornflakes with milk. Made sure I had all my stuff in my backpack and my gear check tag attached. It is only about a half an hour to Akron from Medina and there was almost no traffic at 5 a.m. As soon as I arrived I turned my bottles into the race staff and then went up to the elite athlete lounge to chill for a bit with my Team Ohio teammates. Amanda and Ro would be my company for the first third or so of the race and I was hoping Ro and I could stick together for even longer since she was racing the full as well. Amanda was tempoing the half so she would leave us at about 12 miles. I was feeling excited and ready to tackle my second Akron Marathon!
Start to 5.8 miles: average of 6:47. Shook hands with Meb (!!!) and countdown to the start, all the half marathon fasties and some marathon fasties going out at sub 6 min pace and spreading down the road like a human river in front of us. I found Amanda, Ro and Alissa right away and also fell into step with Laura, who was running the relay. At points we were running with Tracy from Team Ohio as well. We were a tight group all through these miles, talking occasionally and taking turns leading. Amanda warned me in the second mile that I was trying to run away at 6:30 pace and pulled back just in time. It felt so, so easy, as if I was on a controlled long run. I only looked at one split during this mile and it was a 6:36 fifth mile. I panicked a bit but Amanda assured me that our other miles were slower. I took my first Gu Roctane at the 5 mile aid station.
5-10: about a 7:00 average. After I noticed that fast split I realized that my legs didn't feel great. The pace still felt easy but my legs felt heavy from the constant up and down. I fell back from Ro and Amanda a couple of times but stayed mostly with them until about 10 miles. After working too hard on an uphill, I realized I needed to back off and gradually fell back. I now wish that I had waited to back off until I got to the half so that I could commiserate with Ro as we tackled the miserable double hills in the 13th and 14 miles. I'm sure I would have fallen back after that but it would have helped to get me through. Our teammates Alex and Maria were all over the course during these miles taking pictures of our awesome pack.

Rollin in our cute unis. Photo credit: Maria Moore.

Miles 10-14: well over 7:30 average with several minutes of straight standing. I would like to block these miles out but then I won't learn from them. I would say that the rest of my race was decent, though slower than I wanted, but these miles were a complete failure. I slowed down purposely to help my race but of course women caught up to me. Two women went by me in miles 11 and 12 and this left me feeling very defeated. One of my goals was to race for place in the second half but here I was not even through the half and not able to race. I definitely got in my head these miles but what was happening to my legs was not imaginary. My legs were utterly dead on the uphills and didn't really recover on the downhills. I realized that the rest of my race would be a dead-leg painfest and I wasn't sure I was ready to cope with that. I passed by Amanda Jamil and her babies before the half marathon turnoff and I waved and shouted to them. I passed the half in 1:31:31, more than two minutes off goal pace and my body let me know that the second half was going to be much slower. On the long uphill just past the half I stepped off the course twice. The 3:04 pacer ran by, along with Theresa, looking strong and determined and in the master's lead. Pretty much exactly where she passed me last year, but this time I was standing on the side of the road, trying to convince myself to keep going. It is so much harder for me to face pain when I know that my goal is not attainable. This doesn't apply to workouts because those are a series of events that lead up to the goal attempt. I'm in a lot of pain during each workout but a race is so much different for me. I shook my legs a few times, turned my watch off and stepped back on the course. "You're going to finish."
Miles 14-17: about a 7:30 average. I approached these miles cautiously so as not to fall into a mental funk and want to quit again. My main goal was to not walk or come to a complete stop. During mile 15 I caught and passed a lady who was having an even worse day than me and told her "Just do whatever you have to do to get to the finish." I saw Chelsea at her aid station around this time and waved and smiled, trying to look positive. I drank my Gatorade at mile 15 and it tasted delicious. I started feeling chilly during these miles as there was a cold wind blowing. I actually remember going through Stan Hywet this year! I had the company of a nice older guy up to about mile 17. He caught me during mile 15 but I ended up pulling away from him later as I began to feel better.
Miles 17-20.6: 7:30 average. I was feeling pretty good during these miles and I passed the point where I could consider dropping out. A few times the fear of running a slow time crossed my mind but I shut those thoughts down. The goal was to finish. I was accepting the Cliff energy gels that were being handed out and taking a small taste of them to get extra energy on top of my Gatorade. I don't think I stopped to walk at all during these miles. I was actually quite steady with my average pace, but my legs did not feel any better. I was basically forcing them through a very long, slow march. My quads and calves burned so badly with every step that I was cautious to keep my form perfect and hit the ground lightly on my toes to decrease the impact. I kept hearing people cheering for my by my first name, so that meant they knew me and I tried to wave and smile to them as I passed.
20.6-finish: average 7:22. Fun fact, this is my fastest last 10k that I've ever run in a marathon. Last year my last 10k was about 7:35 pace. I knew during these miles that I was finishing quite strong compared to previous races and there wasn't going to be a wall for me to get over. I was still mentally weak at this point however, because when a woman passed me on an uphill in the 23rd mile I was devastated. Shoutout to Katelyn Heun who I'd never actually met before for encouraging me right at this moment! I actually walked a few paces after the woman passed me but I shook it off and continued on. The lady was finishing strong and ended up passing Theresa right at the finish for 7th place female. This race was a good reminder to me to never bring other racers down in your mind for having a good or a bad race. Sometimes bodies deliver and sometimes they don't. Those who are doing well should be celebrated for their performances and those who are having a hard day shouldn't be looked down on. Before I knew it I was at mile 24 and into that beautiful downhill section. I'd been waiting for this section for 10 miles! I sped up quite a bit through here and passed some men. I refused to stop or walk for the next couple of miles even though my legs were in serious trouble at this point after pounding down that mile long hill. The last mile felt like it dragged on forever but soon I was making the right turn down into the stadium and when I first saw the clock it still had a 3:11 on it. I sped up slightly going into the finish but that was all I could manage. I launched myself across the mat and wobbled for a few paces before collapsing onto the finish area just past the mats. My legs were toast. Brian and the finish line crew picked me back up and I actually caught a glimpse of a wheelchair! No, I wasn't that bad off! I felt okay after a few seconds and was able to walk over to the dugout area where my teammates were looking on with very concerned faces. Marissa smashed her half marathon pr in a low 1:21 for 5th in the half, Amanda ran 1:29 for her tempo and finished 12th in the half and Ro finished 4th in the marathon! Tracy and Lauren also finished the half in 1:31 and 1:38. I'd say Team Ohio was good and present at Akron Marathon this year! Honestly, it made me excited for what the future holds with this team. I love training with them and sharing in the racing experience and I'm looking forward to a lot more of this in the future.

Last step of Akron Marathon 2016. Photo cred: Andrea White

Post race: This was nearly as big a fail as after Erie. Not quite as bad. I'm pretty sure I damaged my kidneys after Erie with three days of dehydration that included peeing blood and a total weight loss of 5 pounds during the race (weight was 98 at the start, 93 at the finish). I'm at a healthier weight now and I don't lose as much during a race but I wasn't able to get anything down after Akron for fear of puking it up in front of my teammates. So I drank just half a water bottle of water and a few sips of Powerade in the hours after the race and that all got puked up after I got home. I was dehydrated until the late afternoon and didn't pee from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not good! One of my goals for the Towpath Half in 10 days is to work on my post-race fueling. I tend to skip all the food and barely drink for hours after a race. That needs to change. I'm basically recovered from Akron four days later and excited to tackle a half marathon pr there. I have a race plan and the speed in my legs to do it, so we'll see how it goes! I'll keep working with Becki Spellman as my coach through the fall and into the winter where I'll be going after a sub 18 track 5k in a series of indoor races. Next summer I'll attempt and hopefully conquer my first 50 miler at the Mohican Trail 50 mile. And yes, I'm going back to the Akron full next year. Despite my struggles on this course I can't wait to give it another shot. Maybe I'll even become one of those Akron streakers. I'll see how long I can stay in the top 10 female finishers and then in 7 years I'll be in the masters field.

Moebius - Green Monster Trail 50k: Runnable 50k = lots of running

Moebius - Green Monster Trail 50k on August 27th 2016

Goal: 4:30s and first female

Result: first overall in 4:17:27, women's course record

     I think this is the quickest I've ever written a race report after a race but I want to get this down while it's fresh in my memory. I learned a lot about running a trail 50k yesterday and I don't want to forget! 

     A few quick observations on the race and the course. This is a small race put on by Steve Godale (yes, that Steve Godale) and is staged at the Sunny Lake Park picnic shelter. Runners navigate through five 10k loops that roughly loop around the lake on single track trails, cross country-type grass paths and some paved bike path. I've heard nothing but good things about the race and Steve let me know that it was a fast course. He estimated about 20 minutes faster than the Buckeye Trail 50k. So my goal was to run about a 4:30. I thought I might be able to average around 8:30s on a very good day, which would put me in the 4:20s. 

     This week's mileage goal was 90. Because I did my long run of 22 miles on Sunday (7:20 average) I would be putting in 111 miles in 7 days after completing this race on Saturday. I wasn't worried about mileage fatigue during a 50k though. The effort is not hard, simply long lasting and I knew as long as I didn't push the first 20 miles that I would feel strong to the finish. That is if I kept up on my nutrition! What it comes down to is I can run 8:30 pace for a long, long time as long as I feed myself. I'm not even sure how long I could go but by the end of this race I knew I could have kept going for another loop if I needed to. The day before the race as I was getting through my busy day of work, practice and taking care of my kidlets, I was so excited to wake up the next day and go race this. I swam a mile at Lake Medina in the a.m. with Todd and then ran a 6 mile recovery run with drills and strides and felt amaze. 

     I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and had my usual pre-race meal of cold cereal (raisin bran this time) and half a cup of coffee. I got on the road by 5:15 and arrived at Sunny Lake by 6:15. Did a quick 2 mile warmup, talked with a few people and then headed to the starting line.

Do we all look properly chill? Photo credit: Dawn Harrison-Drasner

     I immediately zeroed in on the veterans in the field and built my race plan around pacing with them for as long as possible. Mike Ryan and Mike Epp are local ultra legends with many 50 and 100 mile top finishes and Mike Ryan has run one of the fastest times on this course (4:10 in 2015). He recently ran 35 minutes for a track 10k at the master's championships so I knew he was in good shape. The race started and I fell into step with "the Mikes." Another rookie ultra runner named Andy went with us. Starting fast and far ahead of us was Brian, who put 10 minutes on us by the second loop. 

Loop 1: 8:28 7:49 8:08 9:22 (aid station) 8:38 7:43

We had a nice little group with the four of us and we started talking about running, goals for running, past running adventures...ha what would you expect? I mentioned that I was very curious to see how the fast start for the lead male would turn out. The Mikes didn't know him, and that is usually a sign that someone is a rookie. We made our way through the single track, the grass path around the pond and then into the wooded roller coaster path that I love. My least favorite section is the grass path after the roller coaster. It was hot in this section and I felt like I had to push as if I was in a cross country race. We took turns leading throughout this loop. At the middle aid station at mile 3.5 I drank one cup of Gatorade and one cup of water. I did not carry a handheld for this race.

Loop 2: 9:23 (aid station) 8:22 8:10 9:33 (aid station) 8:15 7:26

At the start/finish aid station our group was still tight. We all waited for everyone to finish getting their nutrition. I drank one small cup of Gatorade and a cup of ice water, water over my neck and face. I realized during this loop that I felt good. We were maintaining a pretty ridiculous pace for a trail 50k and yet I felt relaxed and easy. Mike Ryan dropped back during this loop and I was sad to see our group lose a person. Mike Epp led most of this loop and I paid attention to where he placed his feet on the path in case I lost him soon. I thought that I would be the one to drop back next but I was still fast through the rollercoaster. At the middle aid station I ate a small fig newton, one cup of Gatorade, one cup of water and water over my neck and face. During the last stretch of grass before the loop ends, I realized that the soft grass was a relief to my feet and I decided to embrace the grass sections as places to relax and rest my feet. Not easy when your mindset is "race the cross country course!"

Loop 3: 9:21 (aid station) 8:25 8:16 10:16 (long aid station, waited for Mike) 8:33 7:39

Start/finish aid station: Gatorade, ice water, grabbed a Powerbar gel for later. Our group was still together and I commented that I was afraid I was going too fast. The splits were so much faster than Buckeye trail. But this makes sense. There is no place where walking is needed. The course is very gently rolling and the hills are so short that you can tip toe up them quite quickly. Andy took over the lead during this loop and Mike began to drop back from me. I realized that we might not be able to stay together for too much longer. The middle aid station took a while because Mike had to get extra nutrition and I waited for him. I took the gel and washed it down with two cups of water. Mike stayed right behind me all the way to the following loop. We lapped a bunch of people during this loop and they were all great, moving to the right so we could pass and yelling "nice job!" 

Loop 4: 9:31 (aid station) 7:46 8:15 9:08 (aid station) 8:25 7:46

More Gatorade, water and ice in my sports bra at start/finish aid station. Grabbed a gel for later. I can't remember if Mike left this aid station with me but I was pretty much alone as I got into this loop. At about mile 19 I realized that I felt really good. I felt much better than I had on the previous loop. I decided to go with it and pick up the pace. During the 7:46 20th mile I caught Andy and he commented that I was really moving. I let him know I was going to pick up the pace for a while but he didn't go with me. I rolled into the aid station in straight up marathon mode, inhaling my gel and washing it down with two cups of water. I still felt good all the way through the sun-exposed bike path and grass sections. I relished the grass now that my feet were feeling a bit bruised. All through this loop I told myself I would only see these places once more. I made a pact with myself that I would not walk once during the final loop.

Loop 5: 8:44 (aid station) 8:32 8:28 9:30 (aid station) 8:42 7:39

I decided to not get any more gel and stick with Gatorade for the final loop. More ice water and ice in my sports bra. There was no one in sight in front or behind. I found out later that Brian still had eight minutes on me heading into the final loop. As I approached each landmark I told them goodbye. Some sections I was sad about, but that awful grass section was hotter than ever and I was glad I wasn't coming through there again! I did not second guess my energy and let myself keep the pace strong. I was not going to bonk. I felt fine and had plenty of energy. As I came into the last aid station I was shocked to see Brian, the male lead runner, leaving. I grabbed half a cup of coke, Gatorade and water and booked it after him. I think I also told this aid station that they were the best. I passed him in the next few minutes. "Try to stay with me, less than three miles," I shouted to him. "No way! I'm done for," he replied. I felt bad that he was struggling so much but I didn't slow down. At this point I was in full on finish mode. I get very focused and pretty much nothing is going to stop my relentless drive to be done. As I came into the final grass section a mile from the finish I started to push pretty hard. My last mile was 7:39 and my last stretch to the finish was at 6:38 pace. I felt good! There was definitely more in the tank but I was happy to be done. It was getting hot. The first thing I said when I finished was "I broke 4:20!"

Incredulous at the time. Photo credit: Dawn Harrison-Drasner

     I waited for Andy (just two minutes behind me), Brian and Mike to come in and then went to my car to get dry clothes on. I was a little in shock at what I had just done. I had no idea I was physically capable of being this strong in a 50k. My overwhelming sense though was that this was the type of race I belong in. I loved every step, even when I was feeling tired. Every time I entered the single track trail I felt like I was going home. Apparently if you win this race you get comped entries for life, so it looks like I'll be running it again!

Check out this unique finisher's token! Absolutely love.

2016 Buckeye Trail 50k: one foot in front of the other until you're done

Goal: sub 5:00 and defend win 
Result: 4:50:54, first female, 5th overall
2016 results

     First of all I need to add in that I love anything and everything Peter Pan related. I've had much more focus on this childhood fairytale in past years but my love for it is still there. Here's a great quote for why Peter Pan is so beloved from The Gods Are Bored blog: "Now I know, of course, that Peter Pan exists in the ethereal world, that many cultures have met him and befriended him, and that he's ancient as the universe but still playing, playing like a happy child, mothered by Goddesses when necessary. Always his band of Lost Boys grows larger, because you see, they aren't lost at all. They're saved." So far I think the best movie adaptation is Peter Pan from 2003. The movie from last year was a little too elaborate with it's back story but it was quite good as well. There is also a very cool Syfy mini series called Neverland. More on this later.
      Twelve days before this race I did my final "long run" in preparation by summiting Pikes Peak. I absolutely counted this as a long run because I was on my feet for nearly 4.5 hours and was working hard the whole time. I also had run a 5k pr at the Twin Sizzler just six days before, so I knew I was a bit faster than the year before. Adding to these positives, the trails were in excellent condition compared to last year. The calf deep mud was all I knew of the Buckeye Trail with last year being my first time on it. There was so little mud this year that I almost felt like I had to run too fast. 
      We started promptly at 7 a.m. and I tucked in behind the lead men, which included David, the men's winner from the year before and Steve, the experienced ultra runner that I had paced with. They announced before the start that he had run every one of the Buckeye Trail 50ks! It was warm out at about 70 degrees but not oppressively hot yet.

Nice, conservative start. Photo credit: Steve Pierce Photography

   Start to Snowville:  I had decided to wear my Garmin 220 for this race even though I knew it would not be completely accurate after a few miles. I had low 8s for the first three miles, just trailing behind the guys. On the steep downhill in the second mile, still on the bridle path, I passed a guy and another guy came up from behind and passed me. At this point I was in 5th place overall and that is where I would finish. As we dropped into the technical portion I started my evaluation of effort and commanded myself to stay easy. One of these days I will be more aggressive with this distance, but for now I am cautious. Especially after the epic bonk of last year at mile 29. I love the section before the Snowville aid station. Lots of technical downhill and few ups and the bog is in there too. It was hardly a bog this year! There's also creek crossings, which are my favorite. The only thing that I dislike about this race is those goddamned stairs. I hate those stairs so much. Somewhere in this section I passed Steve and put a little bit of distance between us. I took a Gu, filled my water bottle and drank a Tailwind at the Snowville aid station and also stopped to tie my shoe. My Pinkie Saucony Peregrines were working beautifully besides untying in the thick, long grass that leads to the aid station. 
     Snowville to Boston: This is the toughest section for me on the way out and on the way in. The ups and downs are longer and mostly all runnable so I'm moving at a good pace through changing elevation. I started catching early starters in this section and they were all awesome, stepping off the trail when it was too narrow for me to pass. I tried to talk to most of them. Steve started catching me in here but stayed right behind. I had my only near fall in here. I tripped on a root and launched myself onto and around a tree with both arms to keep myself from falling. I hopped off the tree and kept moving but it probably looked pretty silly. I constantly turn my ankles while running this pace. My ankles are used to it and the only result is a little soreness in the tendons on the outside of them. My stomach started turning on me in this section. I felt nauseous and the thought of ingesting another Gu at Boston was revolting. 
     Boston to Pine Lane: I skipped my Gu at Boston but I filled my water bottle with half Tailwind and half water. I did not feel good. I was soaked with sweat from the warm temps and I knew I wasn't taking in enough electrolytes or calories. Sure enough as I worked my way through the up of the next section I began to feel weak and depleted. I had 20 miles to go! As I followed along behind Steve, who had passed me in the aid station, I promised myself that I would force down a Gu at the turnaround. I seriously questioned if I would make it there without puking or just laying down on the side of the trail to take a nap. I copied Steve's every step, knowing he was more familiar with this trail than anyone. Before I knew it we were passing through the meadow where the black raspberries grow. There were piles of them just asking to be picked. No time right now! I stayed right behind Steve and even talked with him a bit. I told him my goal was to run the last two miles instead of walk so I was staying conservative on effort. "We are going pretty fast," he warned me. I had been looking at my watch at every mile but by this point it was about a half a mile off. I came into the turnaround at 2:17 elapsed.
     Pine Lane to Boston: Steve observed that the third place guy was not very far ahead of us and took off like a bat out of hell after the turnaround. I forced down an entire Gu and filled my water bottle, momentarily losing my lid as I threw it in the trash bag with my used Gu pack. As I started off I resigned myself to the fact that I might not be feeling great for this effort today. This was fine. This type of distance and terrain is all about putting one foot in front of the other until you're done. I described it to my sister, Amelia, as any other type of hard labor. The job has to be done, so you finish it. You don't have to feel great doing it. I began passing all of the people that were coming the other direction. My Gu kicked in. Suddenly I was feeling the best I had felt all race and was smiling and waving to the people I passed. I love the huge amount of downhill in this section and my knees had not even started wrenching yet. My stomach still felt sick but I had energy. I also started experimenting with getting a song in my head, which is very important for when things get hard. I rejected a few and finally landed on "Lost Boy" by Ruth B. This is where Peter Pan comes in.
Lost Boy by Ruth B

Speeding on the down to the creek crossing after Pine Lane. Photo Credit: Steve Pierce Photography

     Boston to Snowville: This was the toughest section. I blew through Boston aid station, forcing down half a Gu and re-filling my water bottle. I was well into the 8s for this mile while most of my miles stayed in the low to mid 9s, with hiking sections in the low to mid 10s. I lost satellites for this entire section so these miles are not accurate on pace but the 220 can pick up my stride and approximate the split. I was getting tired despite having a good amount of calories in me. I tried to appreciate how beautiful the trail was and how much I love running through the woods. Not only was I singing "Lost Boy" in my head I was working up an entire story about being a lost boy and running through the forests of Neverland. The mind does strange things to cope when it gets tired. I felt like I would never reach Snowville. I had completely forgotten about the other road crossings, so when I reached one, I thought it was Snowville but then realized I still had to pass Blue Hen Falls! Talk about discouraging. I was being very careful about not falling during this time and hiking every steep climb. 
     Snowville to Finish at Oak Grove: I was in and out of this aid station quickly. I forced down an entire Gu and filled my bottle with full strength Tailwind. I also ate a slice of water melon and this was heaven. The volunteers at Snowville are especially awesome. Their theme was "highway to hell" and I laughed when I saw this because it is the clear truth. I felt pretty good leaving this station. That confusing puddle from last year...I hopped right over it. No crashing today. I was plenty tired but at this point I was focused on finishing strong. Even though I had about six miles to go! I was moving at a great pace on the downs, gradual ups and flats and hiking the steep ups. I refused to feel guilty for hiking these. I needed the break and the hamstring and calf stretch that it provided me with. My knees started wrenching in this section and I noticed it as I tried to accelerate on the downs. Before I knew it I was plowing through the light mud of the bog of despair. It smelled beautiful and I always love running straight through the mud, like I'm walking on water. At one of the creek crossings I gave into the heat and dunked my head in but I resisted the other creek crossings.

Always jump the logs! Photo credit: Mark Godale

     I had been alone since I passed the last place runner back before Snowville. I actually was not looking forward to seeing people at the finish. But I would be able to stop running there. I reached the split rail fence and ran down the road to the turn off where Steve's last water jugs are. Last year my race pretty much ended here. I started walking and struggled to finish. This year I ran the last two miles right around 9 min pace and kept looking for the pink ribbons to make sure I didn't take a wrong turn. I wasn't overworking the effort in fear of suddenly bonking. "Stop thinking that! You feel fine!" I really did feel fine! Finally I crossed the road, ran up the path and heard the finisher bell start ringing. I looked at my watch for the first time in miles. No way. 4:49? I started kicking and ran about 6:40 pace for the final stretch, so happy to be done and to have crushed my goal time. I was elated at the finish and probably spewed my good feelings all over the place. David had taken his third win in 3:57, just minutes off the course record and Steve had finished in 4:45, not quite overtaking third place. 

I look way too happy. Photo credit: George Themelis

     I stayed just for a little bit after the race (forget cooling down), just enough to see the 5:30 people come in. The second female came in right around this time. I got introduced to Bill of Bill's Bad Ass 50k fame and as a result I'm now entered in that race as my fall 50k. I had to book it home to the kids who were waiting patiently for me. My muscles recovered quickly but eight days later I still have lingering fatigue and some blood sugar issues. I only ran 42 miles this week. The lowest mileage week I've had since 2014. The next goal race is the Akron full on September 24th. Can't wait to give that course another try!

Summiting Pikes Peak

Route: Barr Trail from the Barr Trail trailhead entrance

Time for summit: 4:28:49

     The one thing I wanted to do while I was on this year's Colorado running vacation was summit Pikes Peak. It is a fourteener that is good for a flatland runner to attempt because it is all trail from bottom to top. Even though it's long, there's the option to summit and then take the COG railway back down or, as we did, have friends drive to the top and pick you up. Mike was my hiking companion for this and pretty much dragged me up the mountain for 11 miles until we hit 13,000 feet. I wasn't convinced that I would be able to do this. Every time I attempt something that I've never done before I stay cautiously optimistic that I can actually reach my goal. Most people who hike this trail will split it into two days. Like Mike said on the drive down the mountain "who are you calling most people?" So true!

From the barrtrail.net site.

     The day before we did this summit we ran five trail miles at 8,600 feet and hiked 12 miles round trip to reach Lake of the Clouds in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We didn't end up at Lake of the Clouds, rather a smaller lake just below it, but it was an epic hike. You would think that we'd be tired from that day but what it did for me was give me confidence that I could actually survive a mountain hike of that length.

     The guys dropped us off at the Barr Trail entrance and after securing our food in the pack and making sure we had our water bottles filled we started off up the trail. I was carrying the pack for the first three miles but ended up giving it to poor Mike for the next nine miles. Those three miles with it made me so sore that I couldn't imagine carrying it any farther. If this had been on my own I would have taken it off my back and dragged it behind me. 

     The first three miles of the trail are a series of constant, punishingly steep switchbacks that were crowded with hikers. We tried to run here and there but as soon as I started running I quickly approached oxygen debt. The grade is an average of 13 percent here and it took a lot of effort just to hike fast. And hiking fast we were. We were under 19 min miles for that section and I ended up with some Strava top overalls for these segments. I would say we hit the first section pretty hard. It was very hot too. About 85 degrees when we started. After we went through the keyhole at around mile 2.5 the people traffic slowed down a lot and by four miles there was barely anyone else on the trail. Miles four and five were straight up easy and we ran sections of these miles. I had given Mike the pack by now and felt much better without that weight on my back. We took one quick break at three miles, if I'm recalling correctly. Just to switch packs and eat a half a granola bar each. I took on the camelback and continued carrying my lifestraw filter water bottle. 

     As we approached Barr camp we came up on a creek to the right that was a good spot to fill up the filter. We stopped for only four or five minutes to eat another half granola bar, drink some Gatorade and fill the water bottle. The creek water was beautifully cool. We were low enough that it was still very hot out. We didn't stop at Barr camp at all but I was refreshed by the short break. Every once in a while we would catch a glimpse of the peak through the trees. It seemed impossibly far away. 

Yup, we're going there. From barrtrail.net

     The next three miles were tough for me physically. I kept lagging behind Mike who would stop every once in a while and let me catch up. We did stop for a couple breaks in here. Once to fill the water bottle again and eat the last snack and drink the last of the Gatorade. The switchbacks were never ending and we started running into large rocks that were difficult to get up and over. My effort was quite pronounced. If I was moving, I was breathing hard. We began catching hikers and blowing by them as if we were flying. This was a good confidence booster for us. 

     As we got over 10,000 feet the air started to cool and this was so, so welcome. I didn't feel any altitude sickness, just a persistent fatigue and inability to move fast up the trail. The fauna changes as you go up. Near the bottom there were plenty of aspen trees but as we got higher this mostly changed over to scrubby pines that seemed to be clinging onto the mountain for dear life. As we approached 12,000 even these hardy trees thinned out and before we knew it, we were to the A-Frame shelter just below the treeline. There's a sign that says "Three miles to the summit."

     The last three miles are kind of a blur but I'll try to pick out moments. The trail is very soft, crushed rock and you slide back with every step. As the altitude goes up you increasingly get the feeling that you're walking through water that is up to your waist. We maintained about 25 min hiking miles all the way to the summit and that includes a couple of breaks, so we were moving well. We started catching and passing groups of people who had hiked down from the summit and were making their way back. Mike observed that there was a clear short cut straight up the scree field. We didn't take the shortcut but it sure was tempting. We passed the memorial to Inestine Roberts, an 88 year old lady who died near the tree line on her fourteenth hike to the summit. Talk about inspiring. Not a bad way to die! In the last mile there was this long, flat switchback that led to "The Cirque," which is an overlook that drops 1500 feet straight down to the mountain floor. It looks like a great place to base jump. Or if that last mile was too much to face I suppose you could launch off sans parachute. Around this time Mike started feeling the 13,000 plus feet of altitude and dropped back a bit. Just by a few yards and I didn't have to stop and wait for him to catch up. I was basically into the "last stretch of a race" mode and was forging ahead with obsessed determination. As we got close to the summit we saw Dylan, Evan and Ian waving at us. We were pretty short with them when they started asking us questions. We weren't to the top yet! I ran the last couple of short switchbacks, elated that I had actually summited my first fourteener. It was an incredible high that is even better than pr'ing in a race. I can't wait to summit my next one. 
     After sitting for a bit to catch our breath we took pictures, including the one below and then I headed to the summit base to use the bathroom. The place was crowded with people and I felt claustrophobic weaving among them to get the bathroom. I could get used to the mountain solitude that was just a couple of miles below. I went back out to the parking lot to the wait by the car and realized I was FREEZING. It was in the low 40s at the summit. Evan had given me his coat to wear and the car keys were in the pocket so I had access to the warm car and my clothes in the car but I didn't realize this. I sat outside the car waiting for the guys to get back and in that short amount time I nearly got hypothermia. I just wanted to go to sleep so badly. Once I got into the warm car I felt fine and started drinking Powerade to get my electrolytes back in balance. I felt fine the next day and even did a short interval workout on the dirt roads behind our condo at 9,000 feet elevation.

We don't look tired enough! Photo credit: Dylan Dombi

2016 Medina Half Marathon

Goal: run by feel and stay hydrated but...go out with Chelsea initially and see if you can hang
Result: 1:27:34 for second female, 39:54 at 10k
2016 Medina Half Results

     Where to start with this race? I love it and hope it continues to be held every year as long as I'm still racing. It's a reasonable price, very well organized, has great aid stations every 1.5 miles, provides all the post-race food you could ask for and even provides pacers from 1:30 to 3:20 pace ranges. In the last couple of years I've been happy to have good races and I was hoping to have a decent one again, especially after the Cap City Half debacle. Just like last year, I had regionals to get to directly after the race. I had even less time to get to the bus this year and didn't even stay to see Todd finish just minutes after me.
     I know the course like the back of my hand after running it in full at least five times, most times with Todd dragging me along at a healthy tempo. My fastest training run on the new and improved course was 1:32 (that time mostly with Evan while Todd ran 1:30). The first 10k is deceptively easy with a net downhill of around 180 feet. Then the hill on Foote Road hits, then another couple miles of gradual uphill and then the fun really starts. Miles 7-12 have net gains with the exception of a few sharp downhills in mile 10. If you can get up the hill right before mile 12 with some pep left in your legs, the final mile can really be torched with a nice three quarter of a mile downhill. Of course you still have to climb the hill to the square, but you can see the finish line by then so it doesn't really count. The main thing about this course is that it has personality. It is a very Medina course.

I'm not usually a medal hound but these are cool.

     Chelsea, the women's winner from last year was back for the race this year. I had two goals that were actually incongruous with each other. I wasn't going to wear a watch so I could run by feel but at the same time I wanted to see if I could stay with Chelsea and have her drag me along to a fast time. I knew this was a long shot and I probably wouldn't be able to pace with her but I wanted to try. I got to warm up with my friend Amanda who is 26 weeks pregnant and still ran a 2:00 half marathon! I did very light drills in my favorite back parking lot spot. I felt pretty good and not nervous. Maybe if you run a race enough times the nerves go away.

2016 start. Photo credit: Jim Blake

     I started very reasonably this year. No dragging off the back of the male lead pack! I fell into step with Chelsea just for the first downhill. There was a young girl running way out ahead at about 5:30 pace and by the time we turned down my street Chelsea caught her and was moving ahead quickly. I wasn't wearing my watch but Jeff's watch had us at 6:07 for the first mile. This is probably slower than last year, but still too fast. I knew there was no way I should be keeping this pace and when I went through the 2 mile in 12:13 I backed off to about a 6:30 pace. One of these days I will run an evenly paced half marathon. I think that will be the key to breaking my half pr. Steady 6:20s from start to finish. I caught the young girl by mile three and passed her quickly even though I was slowing down considerably myself. On the Reagan Parkway bunny hills I made sure I didn't expend too much energy going up them fast. I had a quick mile on Granger Road since that is a good opportunity to pick it up. The Lake Medina mile was pretty quick as well and I went through the 10k in 39:56, actually a decent 10k time for me. I saw a bunch of people cheering at points throughout this first section and tried to wave and smile. By this point I was running completely alone. From 3 miles to the finish I didn't pass anyone and no one passed me. The closest person behind me was the first 1:30 pacer guy who came in at 1:29. He and Todd were pretty close behind me at 10k so I knew I wasn't running that much below 1:30 pace. This is the one thing that kept me from completely relaxing for the second half. I didn't want to run over 1:30 no matter what!
     The best way to describe the way I approached the rest of the race was that I stayed in control of the effort. I accepted one of the Carb Boom! packets just before 10k and used every aid station to either drink water or Gatorade or splash water on my face. I stayed quite cool and hydrated and never felt thirsty or hot. Every once and while I felt guilty about staying in control and not going after Evan and Ian who were running close ahead of me, but then I would look behind me and see nothing but a desert with not a person in sight and feel okay with my decision. If there had been a woman close behind me I would have raced harder, of this I am sure, but as it was I had a long day ahead of me and I just wanted to have a positive race where I felt good. The hills were still hard and I had to use some self talk to get up the 12 mile hill at a decent pace. I skipped the final aid station and started the long decent down route 3. There were a ton of friendly 5k runners coming down at the same time and a lot of them cheered me on. I did not blaze this final mile. In one of the training runs I had 6:21 13th mile but I'd say this was more like a 6:30. Before I knew it I could see the finish line and all of the awesome MCRR volunteers including Dan, Angie and of course race director Beth! I congratulated Chelsea at the finish and got my medal from Angie. I waited for just a few minutes to see if the third place girl would come in but by the time the clock got to 1:30 I started feeling frantic about missing the bus and booked it up to Second Sole to get my stuff and head over to Buckeye.

I saw the clock and was going to make sure I finished in the 1:27s. Photo credit: Black and White Photography

     I recovered from this race really quickly, just in time for my first week of training with my new coach. I was able to do a track workout, a tempo run and a long run in a 79 mile week after this race. My endurance is THERE, now I just want some more speed to bring me those prs!

Check out these adorable awards!

Run Ytown 10 miler and Cap City Half/USATF Half Champs: a good race and a really, really bad one

Run Ytown 10 miler
Goal: beat 10 mile pr of 1:06:14
 Result: first female in 1:03:57
 results link

     Second Sole Youngstown gave me the opportunity to race at this event. I love racing in Youngstown and I heard that the course is beautiful, running through Mill Creek park for the majority of it. I decided not to taper and came in with a 70 mile week, a short track workout of 6x600s (ranged from 2:07-2:01) and a short 5k tempo at 6:17 average. I wasn't sure who I might be racing, but I figured that a couple Second Sole ladies would show up. I was right! Sara and Molly from the Canton store raced.
     I warmed up three miles, did drills and a last minute pre-race pee and tried to stay warm by running a couple of circuits around the Second Sole building. At the starting line I asked Molly and Sara what their race goals were. It turned out that they were using the race as a workout, where they went out around 7:00 average for the first half and then dropped to goal half pace for the second half. I knew I couldn't do this and realized I might be pushing by myself for a good amount of the race. I didn't ask what the goal pace for the second half of the race was, but I figured it was fast enough that they might catch me. I definitely didn't want this to happen!
     The race started on a nice gradual downhill. All races need to start this way. I went out at what I thought was a reasonable effort and was in third place overall. Really?! I didn't have my watch but I knew I wasn't going that fast. By the time we turned onto the all purpose path into Mill Creek, a fast masters runner named Todd caught up to me and I decided I would pace with him. He turned out to be a perfect pacer and kept the miles smooth all the way to the hills in mile six. We also had a friendly Second Sole employee with us on a bike. After Todd dropped me in mile six the bike guy stayed with me and I realized he was supposed to pace the lead female.
     The first five miles had a nice net downhill with some rolling hills scattered throughout. These miles felt good, yet honest and Todd kept starting up a conversation, which I haltingly tried to participate in. I was moving pretty fast for me and had a hard time talking! We came down to the five mile clock at 31:26, which is a 6:17 average. I tried not to get too excited and refused to mentally double that time. I knew there were hills lying in wait in the second half. Sure enough the hills started as soon as we turned around. There were some good rolls in mile six and seven and I watched Todd fade away in front of me. He ended up with very close to even splits while I averaged about 6:28 pace for the second half. I went very slowly up the hills and then worked hard on the downhill and flat. I tried to stay positive and be as honest with my effort as I could. I grabbed water at the 7 mile water stop and waved hi to Doug from Boardman. Seriously, this is what I refer to him as! I was starting to really hurt on the last big hill approaching mile 8. The bike guy let me know that was the last big hill and as we passed the 8 mile marker, I started to feel pretty good. The next couple of miles are a gradual uphill as we come back to the finish line. I looked behind me once to make sure Sara and Molly were not right on my tail. I couldn't see them so I figured I was safe to bring it into the finish smoothly and not overwork my kick. When I came off the path into the neighborhood there was a half mile left and I started to work a little harder. I took a hard right turn to the finish line and when the clock came into view I realized I was barely going to be under 1:04 so I started to move with a couple hundred meters to go. Just barely made it in the 1:03s! This is about a two minute pr so I was thrilled! I was looking forward to Cap City and taking down my half marathon pr.

Cap City Half Marathon/USATF Half Marathon Championships
Goal: "A" 1:21:56 "B" 1:23 "C" just pr (sub 1:24:42)
Result: 1:27:56

     I'm keeping this short because I don't want to dwell on it too much. I'll be honest, I'm only writing a blog about it because my pics are dope. I sure look like I'm in good shape. That counts for something right? Um, no it doesn't! But seriously, my Team Ohio uni is really cute (see below). Thanks Oiselle and Fleet Feet Sports!

Staying warm in the starting area. Photo credit: Salty Running

     I had to leave our home relay meet a bit early to book it down to Columbus in time to get to bed at reasonable hour. I shared a hotel room with my awesome teammates, Amanda, Scott and Jeff. I got an okay amount of sleep, probably six hours worth. I woke up just after 5 a.m. and was pretty excited. I honestly had no fore-warning of the race carnage I was to become. I'm thankful for that! After a light breakfast of cornflakes and coffee (and some star sighting in the elite athlete lounge) I changed into my uniform and pulled out my last pair of beautiful Virratas. I was hoping they would bring me luck, a pr and a respectable performance at my first ever national championships.
     I warmed up for two miles with Amanda. I really felt fine on the warmup, though my watch was not accurate so I decided to turn off the gps and just split my miles. The only slightly concerning thing was that I was just getting my period. This hasn't been problem in the past so I thought nothing of it. I was able to use our hotel room for one last pre-race pee and then I booked it down to the starting line to do some quick drills. There were lots of guys milling around but not many women. I kept wondering when all the women would show up. We were on the starting line with our fingers hovering over our watches before I realized that this was all of us. A very tiny field of 26 women. A feeling of dread swept over me during the countdown to the gun. I was standing awkwardly at the back and was certain I was going to get swept into a very uncomfortable and very long sprint. Sure enough everyone took off at a crazy pace and not wanting to drag along behind with my lonely self, I hung onto the back of the pack. I knew it was too fast but I figured I could settle down in a bit and hang out with one of the slower ladies. I passed the first mile clock in 5:58 and really started to panic. My race plan was to strictly stick to a 6:15-6:20 pace and I already felt like I was in over my head. I passed the two mile clock in 12:10 so my second mile was still too fast. I saw Shari and her daughter cheering at this point and waved and smiled, trying to look like I had things under control. It honestly was so nice to hear people cheer, even when I was completely over this race.
     I watched as the one lady who I was near faded away during the third mile, which I slowed down to about a 6:30. It was all over after that. I kept trying to convince myself to bring the effort back up but even when a lady passed me at mile six I couldn't summon the energy to pick it up and go with her. By mile 8 we came back into the square and I could see my hotel. I wanted to drop out so badly and I was oh so close to doing just that. Each clock showed an increasingly slower time and I was sure I was running in last place. Cap City men and and even a few women from the regular field were flying by me like I was standing still. Instead of dropping out I let myself completely cash it in. I fell into about a marathon effort and told myself to imagine a full marathon ahead of me. Easing up on the effort worked and I got past the mile where it was easy to drop out. I went through the motions of taking water and my Gu Roctane but I didn't feel like that helped much. It did help to have a few turns and hills. The worst part of this race was the long, flat straightaways. I felt like they would never end. At about mile 11 point something I was passed by a couple of Cap City men who were running 1:22. I latched onto them and told myself that I wasn't going to keep running 6:50 to finish. I just needed to work for a little over a mile and I would have this horrific ordeal over with. So my last mile was one of my faster ones. I actually felt fine coming into the finish. I welcomed the final uphills and turns that broke up the relative monotony of the course. I saw John and Shari at the finish, where I'm afraid I was quite shell shocked and kept saying "That was so bad."

See? Somehow this is a good pic. I'd take a pr over a good pic any day.

     After the race I tried to cheer in Amanda but somehow missed her. I kept waiting as people streamed in over the finish line but I finally went back to the hotel. As it turned out, none of us had a good race. Amanda was just as disappointed with her time as I was with mine. Before I went back up to the room to take a consolation bath, I introduced myself to Esther Erb (Atkins). I am a huge fan of her and love following her training log on running2win.com. She was so friendly and of course asked how I did, which I wasn't prepared for!
     This race was a huge lesson. I do not belong in a national championship field. I don't think anyone with a pr in the mid 1:20s belongs in a field like that. If Team Ohio is offered entry into this race next year I will come back and run in the regular Cap City field where I'll have plenty of company from people at my pace.
     Oh and this just in: I'm going to have a coach starting in June! Becki Spellman will be guiding my summer training and hopefully beyond.