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Well, we did it again. A group of six friends ran an (almost) out-of-town race. This time it was the Annapolis Classic. Three of us ran the half marathon, two ran the 10K, and one couldn't run so she brought her bike and biked while we ran (but not on the same course). We left town fairly early and were able to enjoy walking around Annapolis. We got a delicious dinner and then chatted until bedtime.
Race start was at 7:30, so to give me time to eat and get ready, I got up at 6:15. Our biker gave us a ride to the start and within ten minutes, the gun went off. (It was a very prompt start, which I appreciate.) It was a chilly morning with a breeze, but not cold. I was happy with my clothing choices. The race started out just fine, but at about mile 6 the hills began. And then they didn't stop until about mile 12. A lot of ups and down. A LOT. But then it was over! My time was 2:12:53, so definitely not my fastest. But I have been running slowly during training runs (old age?) so was actually okay with this time. I didn't stop even once on the hills, and made sure to drink. And hey, it's not like I actually expected to win, even if my boys did.
Race start was at the Navy Stadium (hence the promptness of everything).
So what if I'm not the ridiculously photogenic race guy.
Race finished (hence the red face).
Because it's Annapolis and we're on the Chesapeake Bay, our post-race food included warm tomato soup and oysters. TRUTH: I'd never had oysters before. Because of this, I opted for the grilled (instead of raw) variety. These were grilled with bacon and cheese and hot sauce on them and so obviously, they were delicious.
And after finishing the run, we headed back to the house and ate our delicious breakfast. We had quiche, meat and crackers, fruit, yogurt and granola, and cinnamon rolls. So good. Then we headed home! It was a great way to spend 24 hours, even if we joke about doing the same ladies weekend without all the running.
After spending all last school year building up swimming stamina, I'm determined to do the same on the bike. I think we'd all agree that bike riding is a bit easier than swimming. You can go slowly, coasting even, and still get places. This is especially true when your route is flat; obviously biking is a bit harder with hills. However, like swimming, biking fast is hard. Also, bike racing, like what I'd have to do if I competed in, say, a triathlon, is really hard.
I recently went on a ride with a small group of women, most of whom belong to a triathlon group in D.C., some of whom have finished a half Iron(wo)man. I mean, these ladies know biking. This particular ride was billed as a "get comfortable on your bike"-ride which is exactly what I needed as I had only been on a road bike one other time. After a short briefing session, we headed out for an eight-mile ride. It was hard. Really hard, and I know they weren't going near top speed. When it was done, they asked, "Does anyone have any questions?" Um, DO I?! I do! Millions!
For example:
1. How does one train for the biking part of a triathlon?
2. How does one get faster on the biking part of a triathlon?
3. Does what I wear make a difference?
4. What routes in my area are good?
5. Gears! How do I use them to my advantage?
6. Can I really get better if biking is only a small part of my exercise regimen?
I had more, but have since forgotten them. I have nine months to learn this. Wish me luck!
I wasn't sure how many I could get, but six it is!
1. The frog run. Seriously the worst.
2. The first two runs of my Ragnar experiences. The road one was bad because (1) it was dark, (2) it was rainy, (3) it was on the side of a highway for seven miles. Blah. The trail one was bad because it was so muddy and after what I thought was two miles turned out to be only about three-fourths? My spirits were so very low. It was the longest 3.6 miles I've ever done.
3. As much as it pains me to say it, but that half-marathon last year was pretty bad for me. Had it not been for the great everything else, I would have been really bummed. But I went out too fast, wore a jacket (which I definitely shouldn't have done--it was raining too hard), and didn't train for speed. Plus, the RAIN. Oh that rain! Not sprinkles, not mist, just RAIN for two hours.
4. The run wherein I totally fell and got scraped like a three-year-old child. It doesn't help that I was running on a sidewalk next to a busy six-lane road (Rockville Pike, for you locals). I guess in 2007 this was the worst, but the other three have since eclipsed it. (HOLY CRAP. That run is almost ten years ago. I can't believe I used to be 29.)
5. I have no idea of the date, but there was a track run last summer and the weather was the WORST. And I mean WORST. It was probably still in the 90s with equal humidity, and this was at 7 p.m. I was so grumpy. I think we girls got in only three (maybe two?) miles before we went to Safeway and got Magnum bars, a much better decision.
6. And of course, there was the time I was running and ran right past a man masturbating in the bamboo along the trail. But that's all I'll say about that.
After running that amazing trail run in Arizona, it got me thinking about my favorite runs ever. Here they are:
1. The half-marathon I ran in 2014 where I broke the two-hour time. I trained for it, and it felt SO good to achieve it!
2. Ragnar trail's last run. Note: this applies only to the last run. The mud slowed everyone so much, Ragnar let everyone run together at the end just so that everyone could get their runners off the course. I think three of us ran together, in the day, on the drying ground, on a beautiful trail.
3. Arizona's trail run (Beardsley Trail)
4. All but the run from the 2016 St. Michael's Half (Does that count? The run itself wasn't great AT ALL. I went out way too fast, and came back weighing 20 pounds more due to all the rain I was carrying. But everything else about that 24-hour period was the BEST.)
5. Christmas Story Run. Sure, it was a slow race time, but it was such a fun race environment and doing it with my family was awesome (except for the part when Rhett was bawling about that dumb trash bag).
Next Tuesday I'll do my worst runs.
I have no idea how this happened, but I failed to post about my half marathon last May. While I can forgive myself for forgetting the race (which was pretty terrible), everything else was perfect.
We left Friday afternoon and headed straight to our airbnb. We were able to snag this incredible place with an even better location. It had a kitchen, dance studio (which we didn't use, but still), plenty of bedrooms, a pool table, and a movie theater. Oh, and a slightly-nosy host, but more on him later.
After checking out the house a bit, we headed to dinner. Chuck and I ate here in 2014 and so we came back for good reason. The food is delicious.
In the morning it was race time! We could walk to the race start in about one minute, which was super convenient as it was raining. Not just raining, but pouring, and it continued to pour the entire race. The race itself was pretty terrible. I didn't train for speed but thought, HEY! I'll try to run fast anyway. Big mistake. Ha. My time was a 2:03:11, not bad thanks to my speedy start, but I felt that run for days. I swear I ended up weighing 20 pounds more than I did at the start because of all the rain I was holding in my hair and clothes and shoes and socks and...
The race was definitely the worst two hours of the trip for me. After we finished, we headed back to our place and made breakfast. We all brought something and it was quite possibly my second-favorite breakfast ever. Cinnamon rolls. Quiche. Yogurt and homemade granola. French toast casserole. Fruit. Just everything delicious. Turns out our penthouse didn't have an oven, so our host let us come down and use his, but that meant he stayed and chatted and ate our food. Ha. But the food was incredible, and probably would have been so even if we hadn't just run 13.1 miles. In the pouring rain.
I love that I have these women in my life. For reals. If I didn't run, I think I'd consider starting just so I could run with them.
As mentioned, we picked Tuckahoe and this particular weekend because they had this super cool "triathlon." I think I mentioned that it was a two-mile run (on that fun fitness trail, but no, I didn't stop to do the rings), a ten-mile bike, and then a one-mile paddle. It was so fun! Except when it was boring.
Turns out biking is super boring (for me, obviously). I usually listen to podcasts while running, but I don't do it during races. But man, I could have used something during the bike. I was so bored that I started counting lines in the road. But then they turned to double yellow and I was back to bored. Clearly I just don't bike enough. I know the theory behind race running and I know my pace. But only have done a handful of non-kid bike rides this year, left me very bad at this. Ha. So even though I finished the run in the about 12th place, I stopped counting the number of people who passed me while biking. Clearly I should have kept counting as it would have given me something to do.
But even through that, it was still super fun. Only about 100 people participated and the state park did a great job organizing. I love a well-run race!
Riding away. I had no idea of the boredom to come.
The finish line was in the water. Pretty cool.
My big buddy and me. Next time (you know, after I can psych myself out for handling the ticks) it's Chuck's turn! Or, we wait until the boys are a little older and we enter two doubles teams.
Sure, we just finished Thanksgiving. Sure, I have some fun pictures. BUT way more pressing is this:
Chuck and I are running "A Christmas Story" movie-house run on Saturday. (Cousin Melissa, if you're reading, feel free to stop and move on to something far more interesting to you.) But because we've been so busy with Thanksgiving plans, I put forth no time or effort in preparing for this race. Sure, we've both been running, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about our costumes. What should we wear? Any good ideas for quick, easy, and cheap things we could do to make ourselves more festive? Or maybe something for the boys, (seeing as though we'll be pushing them in a stroller)? You know, our two little versions of Ralphie and Randy? Help!
P.S. These boys are ridiculous. I hate when this is the best shot you get, you know? I might actually miss 12:30 church just a little; it'll mean less time to whip up new ties before church.
Usually I'm a quick decision maker. Hemming and hawing is not my thing. Sunday night, however, I got into this quandry: To Run Another Half Marathon or Not To Run.
I'll be in Utah for a couple of days surrounding our anniversary trip. On one of those days, there is a half in Utah County. My sister is considering it and now I am too. Here is my list of pros and cons:
Pros:
1. I get to run with my sister!
2. I get to run in humidity-free Utah!
3. I get to run in beautiful American Fork Canyon! (Alright, enough of the exclamation points.)
4. It's all downhill (except for a tiny bit), but not leg-killing downhill (unlike this race closer to my childhood home).
5. It's early, so we wouldn't miss out on too much of the day's activities.
6. It's partially sponsored by Creamies, so you know there will be some at the finish.
7. I could eat an unlimited number of Maverick ice cream cones that day.
8. Emily is not at all concerned with getting a certain time, just finishing.
9. I'd get another cool medal.
Cons:
1. My flight from Victoria gets in the night before at 10 p.m.
2. It's early: a six a.m. race start! The amount of sleep I will have gotten the previous night is not lost on me.
3. It costs $75 (which is not unreasonable for halfs, but still).
4. It's long. Thirteen miles and then some.
5. All long, training runs out here are now filled with humidity.
6. Even though it ends early, let's face it: I'll still be tired that day.
7. I fly back to Maryland the next day.
8. My flight from Victoria gets in the night before at 10 p.m. (Important enough to repeat.)
9. Again: a six a.m. race start!
ACK! You see?! You understand my hard choices?! What to do, what to do...
Before I forget, I want to document exactly how I ran a sub-two-hour half marathon. The 12 weeks of training were as I mentioned on Monday. But on the race day, here's what I did:
- Woke up about two hours before the race started and ate a banana with some peanut butter and drank a pint of water.
- Got one of my running buddies to french braid my hair. No swishing ponies!
- Warmed up with mile walk to race start.
- Forwent headphones because I usually listen to podcasts and I was afraid the talking would slow me down; I just wanted to focus on my speed.
- Drank small amounts at every water stop, including those at the beginning.
- Ate one sport bean at every mile.
- Set my Garmin to beep at every mile so I could monitor my pace.
- Started out slowly, and then picked up the pace.
- Ignored early warnings of dehydration and just kept going. I had goals, body!
But now that it's done, I've been asked what my **new** running goals are. For summer, it's all about just running. The heat and humidity are usually run killers, so as long as I'm doing something, I'll be happy. But maybe come fall, I'll work on my 10K pace in preparation for this race. Because you know I'm doing it. Or maybe I just need to practice running in a bunny suit.
Oh, Rhett. There you go again, photo bombing our picture.
When I started training for this race 12 weeks ago, I chose to do Hal Higdon's intermediate training program. I'd used his programs in the past and really liked them. But this time, I really wanted to do better. Faster. And by faster, I wanted to finish in under two hours.
But two hours?! Eek! That's fast, and I'm not fast. I've got endurance, sure, but not speed. I knew I'd have to take training seriously. So I did the pace runs. I did the tempo runs. I did the interval training. I did the strength training (yes, with real hand weights.) And I did the long runs. So come last Saturday morning, I knew I really had done all I could. While I knew my goal was do it in under two hours, mostly my goal was to run as hard as I could for the 13.1 miles and hope it was enough.
AND I DID IT! I'll be honest: it was wicked hard. I started getting really tired around mile 10.5. And at mile 12, I really really really wanted to walk. But because I had my watch, I knew I had zero time to spare. So I kept going. My final time? 1:58:57, with mile splits of 9:05. Chuck joked that I could have sat down on a bench for 60 seconds. Um, no. But I did it. It was crazy hard, but I did it.
Other than the hardness of the race, it was a super fun weekend. I went out there with three other women from church. We got a break from our families and enjoyed the beautiful small town of St. Michaels. We had perfect weather. I had perfect company. The only imperfect thing about the weekend was when the hotel water source started delivering sandy water in the pipes. But otherwise, it was such a good time. We've already recruited two others to join us next year.
Immediately after the race.
At the BBQ party. We clean up nicely, don't we?
I'm running a half marathon tomorrow. I've set a lofty-for-me time goal and am kinda freaking out. I'm nervous about everything and just want to be able to say, "I ran as hard as I could for 13.1 miles." Hopefully that'll be enough.
Race report on Monday...or Wednesday, whenever I recover.
Did you know that the house used in "A Christmas Story" is now museum dedicated to the movie? The inside-the-house parts were shot on a sound stage of course, but the house itself was recently purchased and redone to make it look exactly like how it was used in the film. Super cool, right? So the other night when I'm looking to see where the house is (because, c'mon, admit it, you want to go), guess what I found? A 5K/10K "A Christmas Story" race. I'm totally going. If it wasn't already sold out for this year, I'd go up Friday.
I mean, seriously. Did you see how awesome it will be? You get to drink rich, chocolatey Ovaltine. You get a stellar leg lamp t-shirt. And you get a medal. Plus you get to be at the Christmas Story house. This is incentive enough.
Who is with me? Linda, want to make a family road trip out of it and meet us? Anyone else? Because no lie, I'm totally doing it.
We did it again. After all the work and prep and lessons learned from last year, how could we not? But get this: it wasn't as much fun this year. Apparently I really like all the planning. Making lists, brainstorming, coming up with fun ideas = super super fun time for me. But redoing what I have already done? Meh. But we did it anyway and hopefully people had fun.
At least the people that weren't carried away on a stretcher, into an ambulance, to a hospital. That's right: We had a runner down. I repeat: a runner was down. Was it the intense heat? Low 80s in October, so wrong. Was it the intense humidity? Probably into the 90s on the wooded trail. Was it the donut eaten at the half-way point? Of course not, don't be silly. Eating donuts while running is always a good and safe idea. For whatever reason(s) a good friend went down about 1/10th mile from the finish line. I am happy to report that after her day in the hospital, she is recovering well.
Will we do it again? Uh, probably not, but not because of the downed runner. Like I said, it just wasn't as much fun for me this year. And of course, it's all about me. I think we'll focus on British New Year's or Pi Day 2015. Don't worry; there is planning a-plenty to keep us busy.
P.S. The government is still shut down, but it looks like I'm going to get paid regardless. And if I'm going to get paid, so is our babysitter. And if the babysitter is going to get paid, well, she's going to be doing some babysitting. And if she's babysitting Ollie and Rhett's at school, that leaves me...home...alone. Oh I can get used to this.
I still have so many thoughts on this. But rather than say, "This totally sucked!" I am going to word it "How it could be better."
1. Better team name. Our official name as known on the Ragnar records was "The Church Ladies." Chuck came up with it on a whim, and we never bothered to change it. But while running my third leg, the perfect name came to me. It's so perfect I don't even want to share it; but if we run again, I will definitely go public with it.
2. Better camp situation. Most of this year's crappiness was due to the wet conditions. There's really not much you can do after two inches of rain and about eight inches of mud. But next time I'd really want a shelter (like this) and a table. We could set out the food and chairs, and it would be a more communal space that would encourage visiting. It has to be better than hanging out in a water-logged tent.
3. Better team spirit. With a better team name and a better camp, this one would be easy. Decorating would be super fun, and I'm sure I could find something to sew for it. Banner? Table cloth? Costumes? Who knows and who cares. It would be awesome. I want that baton.
4. More people. Instead of a team of eight (for the trail Ragnar you only need eight, which is unlike the road Ragnar teams of 12), we'd get a team of 16. That way everyone has a buddy for every leg. When we realized that our running paces were not likely to get us finished before the required 4 p.m., we ended up doubling up on some of our legs. Can I tell you how much more fun it is to run 6.2 miles with friends? So much more fun. Imagine if every leg was with a buddy. That would be awesome. My first leg nearly brought me to tears. But if I had someone to commiserate with on just how horrible it was, I'm sure I'd be able to laugh about it far earlier than I did.
5. More realistic expectations. About twenty minutes into my first leg, I thought I had gone about two miles. I looked at my Garmin and imagine my surprise when it told me 0.89. I was convinced it was broken. You know, I was in the wilderness and it wasn't registering; I was sure I was somewhere around two miles. I continued to be delusional about the watch until I reached mile 5.2...at which point I reached the sign that said, "One mile to go!" I about died. Seriously? How had five miles taken this long? Oh right: the nearly-impassible muddy trail. Next time I will not be so disheartened by the (much, much) slower pace.
That's it! I think that's pretty good, right?! Of course, number six should be the weather, but there is no controlling Mother Nature.
Looking back, it really is easy to say it was fun. But you better believe that I could not say that statement until I crossed that finish line..
P.S. So did I do anything right? Yes! I brought three entire changes of clothes, one for each of my legs. Because of the rain, this was key. It meant dry outfits for every run. Also, I brought two pairs of running shoes. This meant that if one got soaked, I had another dry pair waiting for me. But when both got soaked, well...
Because I'm already bored of telling the story, this will be short. Plus, my arms are killing me and holding them up to type is proving quite hard.
We arrived at camp shortly after 11 a.m. on Friday, which is the same time the rain began. Our first runner headed out promptly at 1:30 p.m. and came back shortly after 2, but that is, sadly, not when the rain left. I'm not sure it left even before dark. And when you're running a Ragnar Trail race, well, rain + dirt = MUD. And a LOT of rain + a LOT of dirt = a LOT of mud. But for 16 miles (split into a 3.6- and two 6.2-mile runs), we each ran in it. Through the dark of night, through the rock scrambling, and mud slides, we ran. For 22.5 hours somebody was running.
As soon as it was done I could finally say (and mean), "That was fun!" But not until then.
Sharon, runner 2, finishing her first leg.
Hanging out while runner 3, Angela, was out.
This was the route between the race village and our tent. We had no sun until the hour we left. Of course.
After my first (and worst) leg. I cannot even convey the amount of mud.
Chilling in the tent that ended up lake-like with all the water.
See all the clothes that we're hoping will dry?
Right before our last leg.
The mud. The evil, evil mud.
Kim, our awesome back-up runner, finishing her last leg.
Jennifer finishing one of hers.
At the very end. So tough.
Last Monday I ran a race. I have no hubris about my running ability; rather, I am fully aware that I'll need to be running when I'm 70 if I ever intend on winning my age division. But I do have hubris about my counting ability. I'm a mathematical statistician with degrees in math and statistics; I should be able to count, no?
On the course of this race they place little American flags in the ground. While running, you count them and then report your total when you finish. The closest to the correct number wins a prize. I was uber-confident going in; I thought I had this. I mean, three years ago I did have this.
Alas, I did not have this. Not even close did I have this. My reported number was 89. (My estimation of it was super awesome. Next year I'll have even a better plan of estimation, however.) The true number was 126. This is where I can't stop thinking about it. How in the world did I miss 37 flags. THIRTY-SEVEN. The only thing I can think of is that 75% of the race was on Rock Creek Trail and the remaining 25% was on a surface road. I didn't count any flags on the road, but maybe I should have. It's the only plausible reason. I didn't take my eyes off the ground once I was on the trail; there's no way I missed 37.
Do you see why I can't stop thinking about it? No? That's okay. My logical side tells me it's not a big deal. But my emotional/prideful side is totally maimed. It's good for me, I guess.
P.S. I included this picture to further humble myself.
A friend of mine owns a bike shop. She knows that I sew and has offered to sell some of my stuff. (With the caveats that the products be good enough and applicable to cyclists. Duh.) Seemingly unrelated (BUT NOT!) is the fact that I'm running a Ragnar Trail race this June. Since we'll need some sort of reflective gear for the night runs, someone (me? bike shop friend? running friend? I wish I remembered!) suggested a Miss America sash made from reflective fabric. I thought this sounded perfect; I'll take those two birds (Ragnar and bike shop gear) and kill them with one sash.
I tracked down some of the coolest reflective fabric you'll ever find and constructed, and tested, my first prototype last week. It was way too big and kept falling off my shoulders while running. Tuesday night: adjust; Wednesday morning: re-test. Better, but still not perfect.
So now I'm doubting myself. Will it ever work? Do you think this is cool? If you ran in the dark, would you wear this? How much would you pay for it? Any ideas for other cool reflective items? What would you name a Ragnar team of girls all wearing this? If I didn't use velcro, what could I use as a closure?
P.S. How awesome do I look sporting it? Why does my left arm look the exact same as my right, given I wear what-looks-like-a-20-pound watch while running? Aren't the azaleas going to be beautiful in a couple of days? Do you think the cicadas will kill me this summer? Do you think I'll ever get used to one space at the end of a sentence?
P.P.S. Yes, that is a super-short ponytail I'm wearing. Aren't short ponies the cutest?!
01. It's over.
02. I set a PR: 2 hours and 5 minutes.
03. The biggest miracle of the day: no rain!
04. They didn't have nearly enough port-a-potties at the start.
05. Running fast (for me) is hard.
06. 30,000 runners on one course is a lot.
07. I want to make one of these.
08. I'm going to get a pedicure this morning. My feet need it.
09. Eating a homemade pop tart from Ted's after the race was a super good choice.
10. Training with these women was awesome. I'm so glad our Thursday night workouts are being continued.
