tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64615500329113070242024-03-05T01:43:07.033-06:00Iron DreamsThis blog started when I was chasing a dream of completing an Ironman. I acheived that dream when I finished the Florida Ironman in 2009. What's next? Join me and find out!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-80778768909946271252017-01-22T22:43:00.003-06:002017-01-23T10:50:13.630-06:00Challenge Roth Race Report<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why Roth?</b></div>
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Challenge Roth is a famous race in Europe set in the
welcoming Bavarian countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
regularly tops the list of best races in the world, even surpassing Kona, yet
most Americans have never heard of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had seen images from Roth when Chrissy Wellington set the women’s world record
there for an iron distance race in 2011 but I didn’t know much else about it
until Rev3 and Challenge combined forces for a year in 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had several Rev3 teammates do the race in
2015 and I followed their experiences online and was completely envious, so
when the opportunity to race Roth in 2016 was presented, I jumped at the
chance, even though I had been in long distance triathlon retirement since IMTX
in 2011.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leading up to Roth<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My first goal heading into 2016 was to successfully complete
a Rim to Rim to Rim crossing of the Grand Canyon in March (<a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2016/03/r2r2r-trip-report.html" target="_blank">see trip report</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of my training through
Mid-March was running focused, including running the Texas Marathon in Kingwood
on January 1 and completing the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until returning from the Grand
Canyon that I started my Roth (e.g., triathlon) specific training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started the week of March 21, leaving me
about 4 months to get race ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given
my large running base I was not worried about that portion of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also hopeful that the mental lessons I
have learned over the last 5 years of ultra running would help me at Roth. My
last 140.6 was at IMTX in May 2011, so I knew I had some work to do on the bike
and in the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My primary focus was
nailing my bike work outs and surviving the swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also nervous because Roth has a 15 hour
cut off vs the traditional 17 hour cut off most IMs have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My three previous races were all in the 12 –
13 hour range so I knew I was capable of completing the race within the time
cut offs but knew there wasn’t much room for errors or mechanicals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Traveling to an
International Race<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Logistics for an international race are slightly more
complex than traveling by air to a domestic race due to the significant time
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was definitely a
race-cation for my family so we wanted to get to Germany with enough time to
get race ready while saving the majority of our days in Europe for after the
race. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There is not an inexpensive way to get your bike overseas
via a bike transport travel company so I purchased a Ruster Sports Hen House
for my bike and packed all of my race gear in with my bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allowed me to leave my regular luggage
(a carry-on sized duffle and a backpack) for non-triathlon gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The case did its job - no oversized baggage
fees and it protected my bike and wheels, but it did get a bit beat up from the
travel and the wheels got slightly warped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The round trip with no fees nearly paid for the case and we will
definitely use it again so the case will end up paying for itself.</div>
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Luggage for a family of 4 traveling to Europe for 18 days plus gear for an iron distance race (all carry on size minus the bike gear)!</div>
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We departed for Nuremberg in the evening on Wednesday, July
13 and arrived around 2:00 PM on Thursday, July 14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was suggested to me by Roth veterans that
this was the absolute latest you should arrive to allow enough time for jet
lag, bike assembly, course preview, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I came across two people (and I am sure there were others) that had
major issues, including a broken bike frame and lost luggage, so having one
extra day is insurance if you are scrambling at the last minute due to
unforeseen circumstances. In fact, we thought we forgot my pedals at home and had to find a bike store to replace them and then ended up finding them, so yes, give yourself time for things to go wrong!<o:p></o:p></div>
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General Observations: This race is HUGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything about it is big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Largest expo I have ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing community and crowd support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Extremely well organized but things are
spread out (swim start / bike start are quite a distance from the Expo, the
bike finish and run start are some distance from the finish line (which is near
the expo) and there is not a lot of lodging near Roth, so traveling from
Nurnberg requires about 45 minutes each way).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Plan for the race: enjoy the beautiful German countryside, live in the moment and finish the race with a smile on my face ... and if the opportunity presented itself break 12 hours, but given my training, that seemed far fetched!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bavarian town welcoming triathletes (photo by Chris Jarc)</div>
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Line to drop off bikes in transition on Saturday afternoon before the pre-race meeting</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Athlete Meeting (Photo by Chris Jarc)</o:p></div>
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<b>The Swim – 1:27:12</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I went into the swim undertrained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being out of the water for the better
part of 5 years, I only gave myself about 9 weeks in the water to find my
stroke and endurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, after
a few sessions, I found my rhythm, although I was slower than before (to be
expected).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did a lot of straight swims
to work on my endurance and give myself the confidence that I could do the
distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All said and done, I was only
swimming once, sometimes twice, per week (I only hit the pool 11 times in
total, yikes), so I went into the swim expecting a slow swim time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t been in my wetsuit in years either
and I missed the practice swim (didn’t leave enough time to find it! – as I
said, the race is HUGE) so race day was my first time back in my wetsuit (a rookie
mistake and I know better!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My previous
IM swim times were in the 1:30 range, so I was expecting to be slower than
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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There were 550 women racing out of 3,400, not including the
relays, and there were two waves of women, which started after the Pros and the
men who expected to finish sub-9 hours (holy fast batman), and I was in the
first wave of women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The swim is in the Main-Donau
canal and is basically a large loop, swimming down one side of the canal for
1440 meters, back on the other side of the canal for 1970 meters, another short
turn and 390 meters to the swim exit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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View of the Main-Donau Canal from the bridge</div>
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Pre-Race Pics</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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When the canon fired for my swim wave, I attempted to start
swimming, but there were bodies all around me and I just couldn’t get into a
groove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart rate was really high
and I was starting to panic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t
catch my breath and while my wetsuit was giving me buoyancy I didn’t feel like
I was getting good reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told myself
that I would settle in after a couple of hundred meters and I just kept
going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Overview of Swim Course</span></div>
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<o:p>Not my swim wave, but this gives you an idea of the canal at the start of the swim before things spread out</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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When I finally got to some clear water I started to breathe
every three strokes versus every stroke and that helped settle me into my
normal rhythm, although there were only a few stretches that I really felt good
during the swim. I swallowed quite a bit of water and the swim seemed to take
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surprisingly, I was only hit in
the face once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At roughly the halfway
point I was siting to the shore and heard the boys call out to me with our
family call – what a great surprise to see my family mid-swim!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was definitely a pick-me-up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had mentioned to Douglas offhandedly before
the race that I hated the canal portion of the swim at IMTX because there was
someone walking along the canal following their swimmer and I felt like I was
not making any progress, so after watching me from a distance for a bit, they
took off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hey, looky-there, that's me!</div>
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As I was siting I tried to look around to see how many red
caps were still near me (women) versus green caps (men).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The men started 10 minutes behind me but I
knew it was just a matter of time before they caught me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was relieved to see red caps even though I
felt like I had to be the slowest swimmer and that it would never end! With that
said, I tried to stay in the moment despite my less than awesome feelings about
the swim and focused on swimming buoy to buoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, the course was laid out well with plenty of buoys
and markers on the shore indicating the distance completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The canal is not super wide so you were close
to an “emergency exit” and there were lots of kayaks on the course with scuba
divers on standby along the course, if needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were lots of spectators and tons of cheering. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I definitely felt safe on the course.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I finally reach the swim exit I was beyond
relieved!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my watch for the
first time and saw that I swam 1:27 which was a very pleasant surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard this was a fast swim course and I
can’t help but think that it has to be true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
"Thank God that part is over!"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>T1 – 00:04:40</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I peeled my wetsuit off to my waist and grabbed my bag (we
dropped them off that morning in number order so it was super easy to find my
bag and it helped that mine was the only one left in my number range) and
headed into the co-ed changing tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A wonderful volunteer helped strip off the rest of my
wetsuit and was extremely helpful as I got bike-ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put on socks, bike shoes, gloves,
sunglasses and ran to my bike, put on my helmet and I was off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Bike – 6:01:21</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We drove the bike course on Friday and I also did a short
ride, so I went into the bike with a good sense of most of the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bike is two loops, plus ~10K, which
includes the start of third loop and a short ~5K segment that takes you into
T2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only part of the course I was
not familiar with was the last portion into T2 . It was much hillier than I was
expecting so I was glad to have driven the course to familiarize myself with
what to expect, but what goes up must come down, so there was plenty of “free
speed” to help off set the long, slow climbs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Previewing the Bike Course</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After being slightly negative during the swim, I told myself
that I was going to be positive no matter what for the rest of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I repeated my mantra of staying in THIS
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prayed, I talked to myself, I
played the name game (lots of European names, so I would try to guess the
country), and I attempted to stay at a comfortable effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard it was easy to go out too fast on
this course and I wanted to make sure my legs had something left for loop 2 of
the bike, and of course, for the run!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Excited and surprised to see the friendly face of Chris Jarc and to be on the bike! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Photo by Chris Jarc</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo by Chris Jarc</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw Douglas and the boys on the bridge (a great spot to
see the swim and then the start of the bike) and then again at about the 35 km
mark, right before the long, slow climb at Greding hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was awesome crowd support nearly the
entire climb up Greding with people shouting “up, up, up!” and what turned out
to be a pattern, an aid station towards the top of the climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it is easier to do bottle exchanges
when you are going slow!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The course is quite pretty with a combination of long
stretches on quiet roads (the majority of the course is closed to traffic) with
turns through small villages that had beautiful architecture and invariably,
fun crowd support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was
overcast during the first loop and it started to sprinkle around the 45KM mark
of the first loop, right before a section with three big switchbacks on a fast
descent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took this section very
cautiously as I didn’t want to crash – they also had a flagger reminding people
to slow down and hay bales covering the corners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a major relief to make it down that
section in slippery conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
good and was feeling better and better as the day progressed (it took a bit for
me to get into my groove on the bike and let the slosh of the water I swallowed
on the swim to settle).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For nutrition, I
was drinking Infinit every 20 minutes or so from a concentrated bottle and
using my Speedfill for as much water as I wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you leave a town in Germany there is a sign with the name
of the town with a red slash through it, so you know that you are leaving and
it was a mental check each time I passed through a town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also used things I recalled seeing while
driving the course as mental checks – a pretty house, something funny the boys
said while we were on a section of the course, a scarecrow, etc – as
markers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am always nervous on the bike about getting a mechanical
of some sort, and riding 650 wheels which are frustratingly difficult (for
everyone, not just me!) to change in the event of a flat, I was happy to see
the incredible amount of on course mechanical support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a tent at each aid station, three
full bike support points and roving motorcycles carrying wheels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My back derailleur had been giving me problems
on Friday so I was anxious about that going into the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, I did not have to deal with any
mechanical issues. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were also a ton of refs on the course to prevent
drafting – you have to be 12m back to be legal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were 86 refs on roughly a 56 mile loop!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drafting penalty in this race is a 5
minute stop on the course at a penalty station PLUS an running an additional 1K
loop on the run course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never draft
and I certainly didn’t want any unintentional drafting penalties so there were
multiple occasions where I had to do a bit of interval work to pass a stretch
of riders so that I could maintain the effort I wanted. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a long descent as you start heading back into town
and I pushed the descent and hit 40 mph, which is a bit nerve wracking on a
bike, but I enjoyed the free speed after a relatively slower section on the
course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most famous part of the bike course is a hill leading
back into Hilpolstein called Solar Berg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I saw the boys one more time on this loop as I was approaching this
section – yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People line Solar hill so the bikes end up going up single
file through a human tunnel and everyone is screaming and cheering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is indescribable as words just cannot convey
the feeling of the experience – you have to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SAbrvWn3s" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">watch this video</a> to get a true sense of what I am
talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race leader, Jan
Frodeno, who was attempting to break the world record, had not yet caught me
(on his second loop) so Solar Hill was electric waiting for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The excitement of the crowd carries you up
the hill!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Short of riding in the Tour de
France, I am not sure you can experience this anywhere else!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo by Chris Jarc</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo by Chris Jarc</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Solar, you quickly work your way back to the bike
start to close out the loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on
this section that a bit of rough road caused me to lose one of my concentrated
bottles of Infinit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I realized
the bottle was gone it was too late to look for it – besides there was a good
chance the bottle was broken with my liquid gold nutrition lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those who don’t memorize my race reports,
I had a similar issue at IMTX on the bike course with my second concentrated
bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to figure out how to
avoid this!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never happened on my long
training rides.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With my nutrition gone, I knew I was going to have to
improvise for loop two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept a
positive attitude – I told myself that I now had room on my bike for another
Roth souvenir water bottle and I was going to get to try some new nutrition! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finished loop 1 and was starting loop 2 (but before you
take the turn to T2) when police cars and escorts started passing me – the race
leader – Jan Frodeno, was finishing his second lap and passing me on his way to
T2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lead car had a clock ticker
mounted so that he could see the cumulative race time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He flew by!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a pretty cool moment, especially since he went on to set the
world record in an iron distance race!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t look at my bike time until I finished the first
loop and I was under 3 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember,
it is not just two loops, but two loops plus 10 km so I figured I was tracking
for roughly 6 hours, depending on how my legs held up for loop 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was faster than I was expecting and I
got excited because based on my swim time, if I finished the bike in 6 hours, I
would have a fighting chance to break 12 hours, which had been an elusive
barrier for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly reminded
myself to stay in THIS moment and I went back to planning my revised nutrition
strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I decided to do three things for nutrition:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>first, I would nurse what was left of my
first bottle of Infinit, second, at the next aid station I would get a bottle
of the on-course nutrition 32Gi, and finally, I would start eating the 32Gi
chews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not knowing the exact calorie
counts of the on-course nutrition meant that I had to really stay in tune with
my body to make sure that I was not going into a major calorie deficit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second loop passed much the same as the first with fewer
crowds and a more spread out field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
picked up a bottle of the 32Gi and didn’t love it / didn’t hate it but kept it
for the calories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also picked up the
chews and I really liked them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
easy to chew and had a slightly sweet/salty taste that really worked for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised not to see Douglas and the
boys but stayed focused on executing my race plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall I felt good, was happy with my bike
pace and effort and my nutrition plan was holding together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrMRehw-PBgBmj47Jt6uTQVdt-Q-qlwROCbZL4PyTwwOUtPJxrKy15BJ6ZhkLYdIEJIOsB4Qu6xNH2otcbjAPubmGApT-zekK2MIW9m3zRMozzcxtTDLUQYm2PaJ1CCezGAgUamGGIgPW/s1600/orig-ROTM2648.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrMRehw-PBgBmj47Jt6uTQVdt-Q-qlwROCbZL4PyTwwOUtPJxrKy15BJ6ZhkLYdIEJIOsB4Qu6xNH2otcbjAPubmGApT-zekK2MIW9m3zRMozzcxtTDLUQYm2PaJ1CCezGAgUamGGIgPW/s320/orig-ROTM2648.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9QKKAjOLNdmMMEyCmNlsYW1Imy3p3mRIroPno3Ud0vxigTQIF8kN8Xv3o0GCFKQpbVKwHz2uZl51ghexvwh4VSwcWryPno-LBUYunATge7_6yqWsoDBS9RenkZFsz5OOwqh0NXcyBAuh/s1600/orig-ROTD9444.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9QKKAjOLNdmMMEyCmNlsYW1Imy3p3mRIroPno3Ud0vxigTQIF8kN8Xv3o0GCFKQpbVKwHz2uZl51ghexvwh4VSwcWryPno-LBUYunATge7_6yqWsoDBS9RenkZFsz5OOwqh0NXcyBAuh/s320/orig-ROTD9444.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I enjoyed the relatively fast first 35K of the second loop, slowly
climbed Gredding, still lined with a few fans, made my way safely down the big
downhill with multiple switchbacks, grinded out the open road sections and
finally saw the boys again around the 150 km mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Douglas was having trouble using the on
course tracking and had no idea where I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think the only thing harder than racing, is spectating! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After seeing the boys, it was round 2 of Solar Berg, which
was still incredible, but nothing like the first lap – spectators had clearly
made their way to the run course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this point I had about 25K left to go and I was getting excited to finish the
bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I reminded myself to stay
in the moment!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished the second
loop, and started the third, which takes you to the turn in Eckersmuhlen that leads
you to T2 instead of out for another loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was definitely horse to stables and everyone around me was chomping
at the bit to hit T2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During one climb in the last 5K or so I was moving from the
small ring to the big ring and my chain got stuck – and I panicked for a moment
- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I hopped off my bike (the first
time since the bike mount) and with one quick tug, the chain was fixed and I
was on my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I passed a lot of people in this last section because I
didn’t want to be in a drafting situation and they were going just a tad bit
too slow for my desired pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowd
started to build again and T2 kind of snuck up on me – and just like that, it
was time for the marathon!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>T2 – 00:03:08</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I dismounted my bike and it was immediately grabbed by a
volunteer, I took off my bike shoes and started running towards the transition
changing tent and another volunteer met me with my T2 bag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to the back of the tent and grabbed a
seat right near the exit and was greeted by a naked dude doing a full change,
only in Europe!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only needed to deposit
my helmet and gloves and to put on my running hat and running shoes, so T2 was
quick for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the port-o-lets
right outside of the tent and quickly realized I had forgotten to grab my
handheld water bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I was right
there, I went back into the tent and quickly looked for my bag in the stack
they had but didn’t see it, so I took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It didn’t have special nutrition in it, I just like to run with a
handheld to move more quickly through the aid stations and to have access to
water whenever I want it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back, I am surprised by how fast this T2 time is and
I thought I came in on the bike under 6:00 hours, so it feels like a couple of
minutes of my bike time belong in my T2 time, but it is all the same in the
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Run – 4:16:12</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was not worried about the run per se, so I made another
rookie mistake by not really studying the course map – that meant, I had no
idea what the layout of the course was, which sections were out and backs,
where the half way point was, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
hindsight, it wasn’t a huge deal not to know, it was just a bit confusing
because the course is T shaped and I remember once being concerned after going
through an aid station that I was going the wrong way (I wasn’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started the run and was surprised not to see Douglas and
the boys but put that out of my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this point I did some mental math – never a good thing for me at this stage in
the race – and it was clear that I could break the elusive (to me) 12 hour mark
if I just ran the marathon in a time I was more than capable of (at least on a stand-alone
basis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was 7:36:21 into the race, so
I needed to run sub 4:23:39 to break 12 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ironically, this was nearly the exact cumulative split I had at IMTX in
2011 going into the marathon (7:37:19) and I ran a 4:42 marathon to finish that
race in 12:20.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I haven’t trained for a stand-alone road marathon for time
since 2009 but I have been running trails and ultras for the last 5 years and
have done many road marathons as training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ran the Kingwood marathon on new year’s day in 3:51:51, so I knew I
was capable of running sub 4:24, but my previous IM marathons had not gone so
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran a 4:30 marathon at IMFL in
2009 after a very conservative bike split, a 4:38 marathon at Cedar Point after
going out too fast for the first half of the run and suffering through the
second half of the run, and as I mentioned before, a 4:42 marathon at IMTX
after a hard bike effort.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After doing the math, I reminded myself to be in the moment
and to just run the kilometer that I was in and not to think of everything yet
to come. I was keeping a fair pace that I checked on occasion but I knew the
real test would be to see where I was time-wise as the half-way point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was steadily passing people during the first 5K and had
sporadic conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after
the 5K point, I ran into another American (there were only 145 in the field) named
Matthew that I ended up running and chatting with for 6+ miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to talk while I run, so I was in the
zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was continuing to eat the 32Gi
chews every 45 minutes or so and they seemed to be doing the trick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a deal with myself that I could start
taking caffeine after the half-way mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Matthew and I were keeping a decent pace and keeping each motivated so
when he said at one of the aid stations that he was going to stop to stretch
his Achilles, I really wanted to wait for him, but I couldn’t risk the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wished me luck, as I ventured
off solo, still feeling strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The run is along the canal for a long stretch where there
are pockets of crowd support but the real party and support along the course is
at each end of the “T” and in the middle of the “T”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I finally saw Douglas and the boys at the half way
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just checked my watch and
saw that I had run the first half in over 2 hours (2:07:34) and knew I was
going to be cutting it close to break 12 hours, if I could keep up the pace.
Douglas was frustrated because he was not able to track me through the race
website and up until that point he had no idea where I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He handed me my phone so that he could track
me via find my friends and I reluctantly took it (audio devices are allowed on
the run but I had chosen not to use one).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had been enjoying squeezing the sponges they provided at the aid
stations over my head and I was not looking forward to managing a phone,
nutrition, sponges, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3G-MU28z_dBLRdhpRLrjmFs5CDKAV7z29Z3ds443RVqTE7h4_9OJT9JKA0J9amGoqkkl8ZJzEKap9CZpovlgTIseJkZM8H8FDtAmkApelKczncrFFmoZuekc1jrL7ezQY-wqse9gLJKI/s1600/IMG_9586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3G-MU28z_dBLRdhpRLrjmFs5CDKAV7z29Z3ds443RVqTE7h4_9OJT9JKA0J9amGoqkkl8ZJzEKap9CZpovlgTIseJkZM8H8FDtAmkApelKczncrFFmoZuekc1jrL7ezQY-wqse9gLJKI/s320/IMG_9586.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Note: absolutely zero race photographers on course, they were only at the finish line ... and since I only saw Douglas and the boys once, this is the only mid-race photo on the run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the high of seeing Douglas and the kids, I quickly
fell into a dark place as I was really starting to doubt my ability to hold
pace to break 12 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a short
pity party, a few things happened in quick succession that changed my outlook
(and likely the course of the race for me). First, I heard Mark loud and clear
in my ear reminding me that breaking 12 hours was completely within my
control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, I got a text from
Douglas telling his Mom that after losing me for a while, he had just seen me
and that I should be finished in about 2 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She texted back, “Run Anne Run”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nearly simultaneously, my friend Caroline, started sending me
motivational messages via What’sApp. I told myself (probably out loud), ok,
let’s do this and I picked up the pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From then on, I stayed in the moment and kept trucking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also started drinking a bit of Coke at each
aid station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw Linus from the US
Challenge FB group and he cheered me on and I ran into a former Rev3 teammate, Eric
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw him rocking the bike
course as well – he was crushing his first IM!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I really enjoyed the rest of the course and the big pockets
of crowd support, but I was a woman on a mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Garmin was showing the cumulative race
time and I allowed myself to check my progress every couple of KMs as a reward
for keeping pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I run mostly by feel
so I had a good sense of how I was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I made the turn to head back down the perpendicular section of the T
towards the finish I had my first realization that sub-12 was really in reach
and I had to choke back emotion and scold myself for not staying in the
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last couple of KM have great
crowd support and I was excited to be nearing the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew that Douglas and the boys would be
waiting for me before the finisher’s chute so that they could run across the
finish line with me and that – and breaking 12 hours - kept me very motivated!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I reached the chute, Douglas and the boys jumped onto
the course (this is allowed) and the boys ran hand in hand with me and Douglas
was right behind us taking pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
take a victory lap around the stadium, so it is not a particularly short
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laugh looking back at the photos
because it looks like I am dragging Tyler!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We ended up passing a couple of people in the chute, which I didn’t
really want to do, but it was awkward with the 4 of us barreling down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we approached the finish line, I turned to
wait for Douglas and we all crossed the line together in <b>11:52:30</b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a highlight for me because it truly
represents the teamwork that goes into finishing an iron distance race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFY5lqDXBoIX87PistBb9rrFbFx3n5IpbMGfgfSFZZbPrii0bgwJfLadYWOA-28PFzBqqKxMkDClX6LHSOhCaab_rBD1ibfA-YWW2poM03oC_JCFbaTSMjcM1aMde9Nrx5dmprtPIp0bav/s1600/IMG_9622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFY5lqDXBoIX87PistBb9rrFbFx3n5IpbMGfgfSFZZbPrii0bgwJfLadYWOA-28PFzBqqKxMkDClX6LHSOhCaab_rBD1ibfA-YWW2poM03oC_JCFbaTSMjcM1aMde9Nrx5dmprtPIp0bav/s320/IMG_9622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Post-Race<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The after party for this race is just like the rest of the
race – huge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Athletes are led in one
direction and families are led to a waiting area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my finisher shirt (they even let me
exchange sizes without a hassle) and beer stein (we had already received an
awesome backpack and a sub-par hat when picking up our packets).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I grabbed my post race bag that I had
dropped off race morning and went to the portable showers. There are separate
showers for men and women and each shower is behind a door, but there is still
a lot of nakedness in the waiting/changing area, so be forewarned if you are
shy!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is also a ton of GOOD food, drinks and beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After showering, I found my family, dropped off
my gear and grabbed some food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
been told that the finish arena party was not to be missed, so we decided to
retrieve my bike and transition bags and load them in the car before joining
the post race festivities, plus the kids were tired of waiting around and
wanted to be doing something, understandably so! Since things are so spread
out, this meant quite a bit of walking, which didn’t feel great at the time,
but was good active recovery!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After completing
this errand we made our way back to the finish arena, but it was full and they were
not letting people in, so we hung out just outside to wait for the
fireworks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it got closer to the 15
hour cut off, they started letting people in and we joined the masses in the
arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was music and dancing and
the energy was incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the
last couple of people finish and they passed out sparklers that illuminated the
arena, followed by a wonderful fireworks display and a video of the events of
the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really glad we stuck
around!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My only regret was that I didn’t buy any of the Roth gear
from the store when I had the chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
typically won’t buy any gear before I finish a race and I missed making it to the
gear tent after the race and the next day, in part because of the logistics of
making it back to Roth from Nurnberg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The gear options and quantities are limited, so if you see something you
like, buy it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You cannot buy it
online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am going to have to find
someone going to the race from the US in 2017 and beg them to buy me something
that doesn’t have the year on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Epilogue</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are lucky enough to get a spot in this
race, jump at the chance to do it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
a once in a lifetime opportunity that you will not regret!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As always, a HUGE thank you to my amazing husband and family
who encourage me to chase my dreams and believe that I can do anything that I
set my mind to do!<o:p></o:p></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-26276426919355486402016-03-22T18:19:00.001-05:002016-03-22T18:19:59.858-05:00R2R2R Trip Report - March 2016<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwoWweRanLxdTVJHUU1HNkRmd1U/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">R2R2R Trip Report</a><br />
<br />
I tried to post the words and photos here, but formatting was a PITA, so follow the above link for a PDF of my R2R2R trip report, photos and all!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-87132293151762009362013-05-21T08:43:00.002-05:002013-05-24T15:36:40.316-05:00Why Every Athlete Should Volunteer at a RaceI waited tables in college and worked in retail sales and today when I dine out and shop I have a special appreciation for those that are working in those professions. I have certain expectations as well, but when I receive excellent service I go above and beyond to show my appreciation. I am also, I hope, understanding of the demands of those jobs, and on most days, a little more patient.<br />
<br />
As the parent of two active boys, I also am understanding of children's tantrums becuase I have certainly been there.<br />
<br />
So, we as athletes, who depend so heavily on the volunteers who staff the aid stations at our favorite races, should take the opportunity to pay it forward by also volunteering at races. Not only will you be paying it forward, but I think it will make you a better, more well informed athlete. It will hopefully also make you more appreciative of the volunteers at future races who are working hard and who are certainly not receiving the glory the athletes do.<br />
<br />
The best races have volunteers who have experience, and in endurance racing, that experience can be invaluable to the athletes who are competing. When I ran the Rocky 100, the veteran ultra runners who staffed the aid stations were fantastic. They answered questions I didn't know I would have before the race (Is it normal to pee every mile late in the race, especially after a warm day and cold night? Apparently, yes, btw.) and they made suggestions as I encountered issues I hadn't in training (suck on a ginger candy to settle your stomach). <br />
<br />
I volunteered at IMTX this weekend at the Run Aid Station #1, hosted by Team Bicycle World and Fitness. My motivation was primarily to give back to the community of athletes that have given me so much and to get a front seat view to cheer on my awesome Rev3 teammates Ryan and Nina. I cheered for nearly every single athlete, I danced, made jokes, encouraged, fist bumped and when needed, offered specific help to athletes that seemed a bit lost. I know what I like in volunteers and I tried to be that person to the athletes on the course, and I hope that my smile and cheer helped just a little bit. I may have also annoyed the crap out of a couple of folks, but hey, they just had to keep running to get away from me! It was also great to be able to help a few people who really needed it and to know what questions to ask and suggestions to make because I had been in their shoes.<br />
<br />
Good races don't just happen. Having worked timing at a Rev3 race, I can attest to the endless hours that go in creating a pefect race experience for the athletes and the spectators, but the volunteers are critical to this success. The volunteers can make or break a race - period. So, give a little back to the tri, running or cycling community in which you live and race by volunteering at a race soon. It will be a great experience, I promise ... and if you live near a Rev3 venue or will be spectating at a race, I highly encourage you to volunteer with Rev3. You will become a part of the family, that's for sure!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-8558781170605963162013-05-14T20:15:00.001-05:002013-05-14T20:15:39.593-05:00Cautiously OptimisticIt has been a frustrating 3.5 months post 100 miler, but I am cautiously optimistic that things have turned for the better!<br />
I completed not one, but two rounds of rehab, had two cortisone shots in different places, wore a knee brace for 6 weeks and have done very little running. <br />
<br />
A few things that kept me somewhat sane during this process were:<br />
1) I completed my goal! It is much easier to be patient when you have already completed your goal. I tried to look at this time off as just a part of the process.<br />
2) I was able to spend lots of quality time on my bike and I was thrilled to have that outlet.<br />
3) I knew it could be much worse. I had a teammate break his back and another break her collar bone. Having spent the better part of 5 years training for and racing endurance events, having a forced couple of months off after accomplishing something that I thought was impossible a year ago, was not the end of the world. I have had other small injuries during this time, but nothing that kept me from training or racing for any signficant amount of time.<br />
<br />
I am going to be taking it slow and continuing the strength training for my knee and when I have a decent base I will start thinking about late season goals. As my doctor said, "Do half as much as you think you should and cross training is your friend."<br />
<br />
Patience, patience, patience ...Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-78180037232056002612013-03-11T21:56:00.001-05:002013-03-12T15:50:42.645-05:00LCL Strain and Plica SyndromeA month has come and gone post Rocky Raccoon and I am no closer to running 1 mile, let alone another 100 miles. The ART work and foam rolling I did got me feeling nice and loose but my knee pain has remained constant. I had x-rays which showed no issues so I made an appointment with an orthopedic knee specialist. As a side note, I also had an x-ray done to determine my leg length and found that my right leg is 3 mm shorter than my left leg ... more on that later.<br />
<br />
I saw the doctor for all of 2 minutes when he determined that I needed an MRI, which is what I was expecting. So, I scheduled the MRI for Thursday and received the results on Friday.<br />
<br />
<strong>Results</strong>: Low grade strain of Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) and likely Plica syndrome (determined by exam during the administration of the cortisone shot, not MRI)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLKv0ywdaHW9w6M3A9P-1uBUuBvGRnx55u-SU5RqvnD_jyTAxHgAxscVUHriH_cOmVTOgiZ2iDkw43wimFJGX5jj1l5rzIsLxzd2xRfxTg131fYVuXTIkjKE5souP2bcNnGa1QW0akbdc/s1600/Right+Knee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLKv0ywdaHW9w6M3A9P-1uBUuBvGRnx55u-SU5RqvnD_jyTAxHgAxscVUHriH_cOmVTOgiZ2iDkw43wimFJGX5jj1l5rzIsLxzd2xRfxTg131fYVuXTIkjKE5souP2bcNnGa1QW0akbdc/s1600/Right+Knee.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Course of Action</strong>: Knee brace for three weeks, anti-inflammatorties, PT and cortisone shot. No running for the next 3 weeks, cleared for cycling only. <br />
<br />
<strong>What is the LCL?</strong>: The lateral collateral ligament goes from the top part of the fibula (the bone on the outside of the lower leg) to the outside part of the lower thigh bone. The ligament helps keep the outer side of the knee joint stable.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is Plica Syndrome?</strong>: Synovial plica is a fold of the synovial membrane - the inner lining of the knee joint. These folds are normal structures which develop in the first eight weeks of a pregnancy when the embryo's joints are developing in its limbs. The plica are usually harmless and unobtrusive; Plica Syndrome only occurs when the synovial capsule becomes irritated, which thickens the plica themselves (making them prone to irritation/inflammation, or being caught on the femur).<br />
<br />
It then forms scar tissue which clicks as it slides across the surfaces of the joint and with exercise the plica becomes painful and inflamed. The process is on-going and progressively becomes worse with time especially after sporting activities.<br />
<br />
<strong>Next Steps</strong>: Re-evaluate in 3 weeks, if pain persists, arthroscopic intervention may be needed but (crosses fingers) is unlikely according to the doctor.<br />
<br />
If this all sounds clinical it is because at this point, I am just happy to have a diagnosis and a course of action. Stay tuned for recovery progress, but for now, my bike and I are becoming best friends again! <br />
<br />
Once I am cleared to run again, getting to the root of the problem to prevent future injury will be key. I plan to add a lift to my orthotics to compensate for my leg length discrepancy, focus on glute and hamstring exercises to address some of my muscle imbalance and finally, get a gait analysis completed to see what I can do to improve my run form.<br />
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If you have had a gait analysis done, did it help you? Any advice?Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-47971095612326058072013-02-23T23:41:00.000-06:002013-02-23T23:41:35.101-06:00Undetermined InjuryThe week leading up to a PR distance race - meaning the first time I race a new distance or racing into the unknown is particularly stressful because the self-pressure to finish the race is incredibly high. As for taper craziness, the week leading up to the 100 miler was a typical taper week for me - you know, worrying about things that are totally out of my control, like the weather, getting sick or anything that would keep me from getting to the starting line.<br />
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Once race eve arrives and the forecast is fixed and I haven't gotten sick or suffered a freak injury, first and foremost I am thankful, and next my thoughts move directly to worrying about sustaining an injury or getting sick during the race or anything that would prevent me from getting to the finish line.<br />
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So, naturally, when I get to the finish line, I am incredibly grateful -- and that is exactly how I felt when I received my buckle.<br />
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I needed that preface because the rest of the post may sound like whining ...<br />
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I realized going in that I might walk away (pun intended) from my 100 mile adventure with an injury of some sort, and honestly, I was just hoping it wouldn't be a broken bone from tripping in the dark. I was so incredibly grateful during the race that I didn't have even a single angle roll (big improvement for me!) and I only stubbed my toe a couple of times. I was hurting at the end of the race, but hey, it is a hundred friggin miles, it should hurt a little, right?<br />
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Well, here we are three weeks later and my knee is still hurt, and what's worse for me as a type-A planner, the ART doctor is not sure what is wrong with it. I have been foam rolling, stretching and getting ART a couple of times a week for the better part of two weeks now and my knee has not improved at all. <br />
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I can bike, do the elliptical, yoga and some P90x, but running? I can't make it more than a quarter of a mile without the stabbing pain that makes me pull up lame. I am thankful to at least have other forms of exercise that do not hurt, but I want to run again, or at least know when I will be able to run again!<br />
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The pain is odd - stabbing/fire pain on the outside of my knee and near the fibular head, that comes when my knee is bent, typically after walking downstairs, walking after extended periods of driving, crossing my legs for too long or sleeping with my knee bent. I haven't tried to run through it because I have been trying to be good and I certainly don't want to exacerbate it.<br />
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I have "passed" all of the clinical test, meaning I exhibit no pain when asked to push or resist the doctor at various angles. That should be good news because it should mean that I do not have a tear or anything "serious", but if it were my IT band, it should be getting better by now, and honestly, my right leg (the side of the injury), is feeling pretty darn loose otherwise. I do have muscle imbalances - strong quads and weak glutes, so I am working on strengthening my glutes, but my knee pain still eludes me.<br />
<br />
I had x-rays done, which as expected, showed nothing, other than my right leg is 3 mm shorter than my left leg, so I need to add a lift to my right orthotic. Good to know. X-rays were step one before potentially getting an MRI if the pain doesn't stop. So what's next in the mean time? A week of seeing how things go with a re-evaluation the first week in March, which will be a month post race.<br />
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So, while I not-so-patiently wait to get better, I try to remind myself that this too shall pass, to be thankful for a successful race and to enjoy some much needed unstructured training and time off. <br />
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Although, honestly, all of that would be easier to swallow, if I knew what was wrong so I knew how to fix it ... <end vent=""></end><br />
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Oh, and ironically, I vaguely remember telling my pacer Eric I wasn't go to run for 2 months after the race - runner's intuition?<br />
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Have you had an undetermined injury and how did you overcome it?Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-29090597549365464322013-02-15T18:15:00.001-06:002013-02-15T18:18:13.764-06:00Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Trail Race - Race ReportThis is likely the longest race report I have ever written … the race took me 29 hours, so I had lots of material!<br />
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If you don’t want to know about how I ended up signing up to run 100 miles, my training, the Buddy Agreement or Pre-race, but want the gory details on the race, skip ahead to Race Day or just look through the photos because they tell the *real* story. There is also a bulleted <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2013/02/rocky-raccoon-100-mile-trail-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Short Report</a>.<br />
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<strong><u>Preface</u></strong><br />
My road to the starting line of the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler actually started back in 2009. After finishing Ironman Florida in November of 2009 I was looking for a short term goal before ramping up training for Rev3 Cedar Point 140.6 and my running partner Mark wanted to run the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February 2010. I agreed and started training in earnest, but by early December 2009 it was clear I had not fully recovered from IMFL and my piriformis was being a literal pain in my butt. Rather than risk injuring myself and jeopardizing my triathlon season and races that I had already committed to, I chose not to run the RR 50 with Mark and I ended up crewing instead. <br />
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Crewing for Mark was my first real experience around trail/ultra runners and I loved the vibe, how welcoming everyone was and I knew then and there that I would be back to run Rocky one day, although I assumed it would be the 50 miler! Mark ran the RR 50 again in 2011 but I was training for IMTX so no Rocky for me. I wanted to run Rocky when it was my “A” race, not as a filler.<br />
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Thankfully, we both had conflicts in 2012, the year of torrential rains during Rocky. <br />
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Fast forward to the Spring of 2012, Mark and I were on a long weekend run and Rocky came up. He told me he was considering the 100 miler and I told him, without much thinking about it, that I would do it if he was doing it. I think he replied with something to the effect of, “Who said I wanted to run it with you?”, yet, at the end of that run, we had agreed to run the Rocky 100.<br />
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When we pulled the trigger to register on May 27, 2012 my trail experience was limited to two 50Ks from the Fall of 2011 at Huntsville State Park and almost zero other trail miles to my name.<br />
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<strong><u>Training Leading up to Rocky</u></strong><br />
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I started ramping up my weekly mileage right after I pushed the registration button, but I didn’t hit the trails. Everyone says that Huntsville is flat and fast and you can train for it with road running … I humbly disagree. Maybe an experienced trail runner can get by training for a rooty trail run by running on the road, but I quickly learned that I lacked serious confidence running on trails and that my ankles were weak. This became most obvious to me at the <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/09/tejas-trails-captn-karls-60k-night-race.html" target="_blank">Captain Karl’s 60K at Reveille Ranch</a> over Labor Day weekend. I survived the race, but I walked (limped) away from that race with a new respect for trail running and a plan!<br />
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Photo post 60K, my longest run up to that point and likely my wost race ever - but we finished!<br />
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I hired Joe Prusaitis of Tejas Trails to guide the rest of my training to Rocky and our plan was to get to the starting line injury free and not over-trained. I work full time, travel for my job and have two young kids, all while trying to stay happily married, so family balance is important to me. We discussed my overall goals and then Joe sent me a training plan. <br />
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One of the number one questions I got in the months leading up to the race was “how do you train to run 100 miles?” Well, there are certainly people far more qualified that I am to answer that question, but I will share a glimpse of what my training looked like. Let me stress that my way is not the “right” way, it was the right way for me. There are lots of plans to get you ready and you have to find what is best for you.<br />
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• 3 key workouts a week – 2 speed days (sometimes a hill workout) and 1 long run. I did not run back to back long runs, which is popular with the ultra crowd. Other days were depending on how I felt, my travel schedule, kids sports schedules, etc.<br />
• Every 4th weekend off from running (no long run)<br />
• On my “off” weeks, I ran an average of 35 miles during the week<br />
• On a “typical” week, I ran an average of 50ish miles per week<br />
• My peak weeks were 80 miles, which I hit twice<br />
• My longest runs were two 50-milers, one in early December and one 3 weeks prior to Rocky<br />
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I also moved all of my long runs to the trails. It was important to me that I go into Rocky with total confidence and experience running off road. I did a lot of races as training as well, including <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/09/tejas-trails-captn-karls-60k-night-race.html" target="_blank">Reveille Ranch 60K</a>, Little Rocky 50K in Huntsville, <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-road-to-cactus-rose-100-mile-relay.html" target="_blank">The Cactus Rose relay</a> (25 miles in Bandera), <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/11/wild-hare-50k-race-report-4-miles.html" target="_blank">Wild Hare 50K</a>, <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/12/run-like-wind-12-hour-race-report.html" target="_blank">Run Like the Wind 12 Hour</a> (54 miles), The End of the World Trail Marathon, and the <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year-texas-marathon-race.html" target="_blank">Texas Marathon</a>. The coups-de-gras was an <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2013/01/50-unsupported-miles.html" target="_blank">unsupported 50 mile run</a> in Huntsville 3 weeks before Rocky. This was so important to me because I finally learned the trail system and I got very familiar with the course.<br />
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<strong><u>The Buddy Agreement</u></strong><br />
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Meet my buddy Mark aka Blue Steel<br />
(photo at Park Road aid station mile 75.6, I had a mouth full of pancakes)<br />
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Running Rocky with Mark was awesome. The shared experience and company can’t be beat, but if you are considering committing to a race – of any distance – with someone, you need to have “the talk” beforehand. The talk entails deciding before the race how committed you are to actually staying together for the entire race, includign what each of you will do if: <br />
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1) One of you is having a bad day (stomach distress, injury, feeling like crap, just “off”),<br />
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2) One of you is off goal pace (too fast or too slow), or<br />
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3) In a worst case scenario, one of you has to DNF.<br />
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Mark and I decided before the race that we were committed to run the entire race together, for better or worse, and only in the event that one of us needed to DNF (which we would both do everything we could do to keep the other person from doing), would we separate. <br />
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<strong><u>Pre-Race</u></strong><br />
I took the Friday before the race off from work to pack my drop bags and head up early to Huntsville to pick up my packet, drop my drop bag, set up our canopy, and listen to the trail briefing. My boys had a school holiday, so as a bonus I got to spend the morning with them. They each picked a superhero temporary tattoo to put on my wrists so that I could think of them during the race when I needed extra encouragement since they were spending the weekend with the grandparents.<br />
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Spiderman and Black Widow courtesy of Tyler and Andrew<br />
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Packing my drop bags was a bit overwhelming, but ultimately, I decided to err on the side of being over-prepared and I had duplicates of everything (one for each drop bag). Waiting until the last minute to do this caused a lot of unneeded stress. Mark picked me up at 2 PM and because I wasn’t ready, I just threw everything into a big bag with the plan to sort it out on the drive to Huntsville. I didn’t have time to make my peanut butter balls, so I grabbed the ingredients with the plan to make them at the hotel that night. I was ready to roll at 2 PM, but I was so not ready. <br />
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Traffic made us late for the trail briefing but we got the Cliff’s Notes version, picked up our packets, set up the canopy for our crew and said good night to the park, a mere 12 hours until race start. <br />
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We had dinner in Willis at the Pizza Shack, which we all enjoyed and then it was straight to the hotel to wind down. We stayed at the Fairfield in Conroe and they were very accommodating. The night manager let me use the kitchen facilities to make my peanut butter balls and they opened a limited breakfast early the next morning for us. This allowed me to toast bread for my Nutella which made me a happy girl. <br />
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I fell asleep reading lot of well wishes from friends, family and teammates and this overwhelming support stuck with me throughout the race.<br />
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Over breakfast at 4:45 am, Mark informed me that he had gotten a whopping 30 minutes of sleep – obviously, not ideal before a 30 hour race. His lesson learned for the future is to have some sort of sleep aid (with which he would have already tried successfully prior) available. We left the hotel at 5:10 am for a 6:00 am race start.<br />
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<strong><u>Race Day</u></strong><br />
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We arrived at the park just after 5:30, paid our entry and parked. It was all pretty seamless and we were just a short walk to the starting line. We had just enough time for one last porta-potty stop, a photo-op and a kiss good luck from my #1 fan and biggest supporter, Douglas, before rushing to the starting line. <br />
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Do I look scared? If not, I am doing a good job of hiding it!<br />
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The 100 mile race is five 20 mile loops with aid stations at Dogwood (start/finish), Nature Center (3.1 miles), Damnation (6.2 miles), Damnation again (12.2), Park Road (15.6), and back to Dogwood (20). The 100 mile runners have access to drop bags at Damnation going both directions and at Dogwood and crews have easy access to their runners at Dogwood, Nature Center and Park Road.<br />
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Our race strategy was to mentally break the race into 3 segments, the first 60 miles, the fourth lap aka “the beast” and the last lap aka “the victory” lap, and within each lap, aid station to aid station.<br />
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The race started at 6 am and the last thing I remember was the 30 second count down and Joe saying, “30 second and 30 hours to go …”<br />
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<strong><u>Lap 1: 4:08:17</u></strong><br />
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I was a nervous wreck. The enormity of running 100 miles weighed heavy on my mind as the race started. I hate running in packs, especially in the dark. I like to be able to scan the trail and choose my own path, not be stuck running on someone’s heels because I tend to trip in these situations. It always takes me a few miles to find my trail feet so I did my best to settle in. For the better part of 3 miles the guy behind was trying to clear his nose / head and the noise he was making was beyond distracting and if I am totally honest, a little disgusting. I am sure my anxiety was not helping matters becasue later in the race this would not have even phased me.<br />
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Two good luck messages I received before the race really stuck with me in these early miles and throughout the entire race. The first was from Meredith who reminded me that you can eat an elephant one bite at a time and the second was from Steven who reminded me to enjoy every single step. <br />
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When we rounded the corner to Damnation for the first time the volunteers welcomed us with excitement and cheers and I felt myself relax and genuinely smile for the first time all day. I finally settled in and started to really enjoy the race. I ran with a handheld bottle (to keep things light and more easily gauge how much water I was drinking) and I wore my Nathan hydration vest to carry essentials, including a waterproof digital camera. Yes, the camera was an essential. I took photos all day and asked others to take photos of us as well and I am so glad that I did - the photos really tell the story of the day better than I can and they helped me remember how I was feeling.<br />
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First real smile of the day!<br />
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Runners turning the corner at Damnation<br />
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Drop Bags at Damnation<br />
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We ran into some old friends – Happy Feet and Bacon and Eggs from Run Like the Wind – and made some new friends on the Damnation loop too, including Blue Mohawk Guy from Colorado. I think he dropped three f-bombs in the first sentence that came out of his mouth, and I knew he would be great company! We ran in a small pack of 5 or 6 experienced ultra runners who told tales of Leadville and Javelina which made me thankful to be running Rocky at sea level in February Texas weather!<br />
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Back at Damnation, minus headlamps - 12.2 miles<br />
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As the conversation picked up, the lap really flew by. It was great to see Doug again at the Park Road aid station, snap a few photos, and then it was back to Dogwood. Doug spent the day chasing us down between Dogwood, Nature Center, and Park Road and updating Facebook and Twitter with pictures and updates on our progress.<br />
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Peanut Butter Jelly Time with my guy at Park Road - 15.6 miles<br />
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There are a couple of miles along the lake and various other points in the race where runners coming in/going out are sharing the same path, including the section leading back to Dogwood. This can be mentally exhausting trying to watch where you are stepping and dealing with on-coming traffic, and as one would expect, this traffic was greatest in the first couple of laps (especially while the 50 milers were still racing). <br />
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Before rolling into Dogwood, we passed the research study in which we had agreed to participate before the race. Essentially, they had a video camera recording us as we ran by and we were to call out a number between 6 (sitting in a chair) and 20 (most difficult you can imagine) that represented our effort level at that moment in time. First lap effort level was 11, I think, or "fairly light" on their scale. Shortly after this, we rolled into Dogwood, and as will be the story for the entire race, took far too long at the stop. We took off our cold weather gear, grabbed our sunglasses and hit the porta potty before heading out for Loop 2. Doug joked that we were on pace for a 20 hour race and I had to remind him that our laps were going to get progressively slower ... but he was only joking, he knew I was expecting to come in around 27 hours.<br />
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Photos - 20 miles<br />
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<strong><u>Lap 2: 5:10:32</u></strong><br />
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It was really starting to warm up at this point in the race, so we made a conscious effort to be diligent about staying hydrated and taking in enough salt. At Nature Center we saw Erin, one of our pacers for the 5th loop, for the first time. Despite lots of email and Facebook conversations, I had only casually met one of our 4 pacers before, including Erin. So Erin and I actually took the opportunity to do quick introductions. We let her know that we were expecting to be slower than our pre-race emails indicated so she would be starting her leg later than projected. <br />
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Seeing Erin was also a reminder that the “real” race wasn’t going to start for another 37 miles. I knew that barring injury, we could run 60 miles, so I had to fight my mind to enjoy the moment and to not feel as though we were going through the motions to get to 60 miles. <br />
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One of the many bridges in Huntsville State Park<br />
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We were feeling pretty good when we hit the marathon mark at Damnation – over a quarter of the race (in mileage, not time!) done. Not unexpectedly, our legs were getting a little sluggish, but experience told us that they would bounce back – and they did.<br />
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All smiles and Blue Steel at the marathon mark ...<br />
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I grabbed an extra hand held bottle for this Damnation loop (and dropped it back at my drop bag at the end of the loop) – as I did for each of the next 2 loops – to make sure I had enough water, especially once it started getting hot.<br />
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We consciously walked more of the up hills on this lap, trying to save something for the end. On the Damnation loop we met another newbie chasing his first 100 mile buckle. We ended up laughing about how annoying Ted on How I Met Your Mother can be and how our kids love the fun Disney family show Good Luck, Charlie. I dubbed our new friend, Marshall (like Marshall from HIMYM) and we leap frogged with him for 5 or so miles before losing each other back at Damnation. <br />
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For most of the first 40 miles we ate a combination of PowerBar gels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter balls (my last minute balls made at the hotel were terrible) and PowerBar chews. I drank water with NUUN for extra electrolytes and flavor and occasionally grabbed a handful of Pringles. My goal was about 200 calories an hour and I purposefully avoided caffeine, which I normally train with, until dark. I really enjoyed the new PowerBar gel flavors Orange Dream and Pomegranate Blueberry Acai.<br />
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Mark and I were both developing headaches around mile 32, so we took advil and pressed forward. The Damnation aid station made quesadillas and grilled cheese during the day, which were yummy diversions from the PBJ.<br />
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Mark and I tried to play a round of the movie game – name an actor and a movie and then the other person has to name another actor from the same movie or name another movie in which the actor you named has appeared – but I am terrible at it, so that didn’t last long. <br />
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We did end up going through two rounds of the alphabet band game (A – ACDC, B – Beatles, C – the Cure, etc.) before deciding there was no way we could go three rounds.<br />
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When we made it back to Park Road we saw Doug, Mark’s family and some of his friends who came to spend the day with his wife and daughter while we were running. It was great to see the crew after 12 miles on our own. <br />
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What a greeting at the Park Road aid station!<br />
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Who's happy to see her hubby? This girl!<br />
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After leaving Park Road, we passed the research crew again and this time my effort level was a 13, or somewhat hard.<br />
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When we made in back to Dogwood I got to meet Stan, one of our loop 4 pacers, who was so genuinely excited to be there. He couldn’t wait to join us and he came prepared with songs and stories! I was pumped to have him join us and his presence geeked me up for the laps to come. <br />
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I grabbed a blueberry muffin from the hotel at breakfast and I decided that 40 miles in was the perfect time to enjoy it – and it was divine! Seriously, at that moment, it might have been the best tasting thing I had ever had. I asked Doug to pick me up more muffins when he left to get his dinner, which he did, and I enjoyed those later too!<br />
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We knew it would be getting dark on this lap, so we made sure we had our headlamps (we did) and then we were off to tackle our last lap without our pacers.<br />
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<strong><u>Lap 3: 5:48:43</u></strong><br />
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Despite the fact that our laps were getting progressively slower (more walking up “hills” and longer aid station stops), Lap 3 was probably my best lap all day. We saw Doug and Mark’s family (who were saying good night to Mark) and the rest of our pacers, Erin, Jennifer and Eric at the Nature Center. I got hugs from Jennifer and Eric, despite my smelliness 43 miles and 9+ hours into the race – a heck of a nice to meet you! Seeing everyone and hearing their excitement to be a part of our adventure gave me so much energy that I was on Cloud 9 and physically felt awesome most of this lap. I ran with the biggest smile on my face and annoyed Mark, who was pretty tired at this point after getting no sleep the night before.<br />
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Pacer crew, minus Stan who was holding down the fort at Dogwood, I am giddy with excitement!<br />
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I have no idea why Mark was hiding in this picture ...<br />
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Guess who is in a good mood?<br />
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Mark and I also decided we needed runner’s couple counseling since we were at odds on how long to spend at aid stations (my gripe) and the frequency, timing, and ad-hoc nature of our walk breaks (his). Mark is actually trained to counsel people so we spent at least an hour putting ourselves through therapy, which was funny and helpful at the same time, and best of all, it passed a good chunk of time. End result – I agreed to be more communicative and deliberate about our walk breaks, and Mark, well, I am not sure if he agreed to anything …<br />
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We also met two great women on this lap as well, Betsy from Seattle and Malea from the Dallas area. Betsy was running with a monkey on her back, literally, because she had to drop last year at mile 90 (chasing aid station cut offs) and she was determined to finish this year. It was a great reminder that you are not finished until you are holding your buckle - spoiler alert - they both finished (and beat us too!).<br />
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As we started the Damnation loop, we saw a 50 mile runner coming back towards us who had missed the 50 mile cut off. I hope she found Joe at the end to pay for her extra mileage! :)<br />
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Mark tripped and landed gracefully on this Damnation loop, but that was it for both of us in terms of falls, I think. I stubbed my toe several times and caught myself on a few trips early on, but thankfully, no ankle rolls or blood.<br />
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We stopped to take a picture at mile 50 and celebrated that every step after 54 miles was uncharted territory and a PR distance for us. We told stories and laughed – so much so that a guy pulled out his earphones and said that we were more interesting than the music he was listening to.<br />
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Poor planning on the 50 picture ... you get the idea<br />
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We had to turn on our headlamps on the way back to Damnation and we stopped to grab jackets as the temperature was going to drop quickly with the sun down. Night fall also meant that my ban on caffeine had been lifted and it was time to switch to the PowerBar gels and chews with caffeine! <br />
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Damnation - with headlights and jackets<br />
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Guess who is still in a good mood and who isn't?<br />
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When we made it to Park Road, I was thrilled to find they had pancakes and syrup. They were delicious and unexpected and just what I needed. I told myself that I could make it another 20 miles just for more pancakes!<br />
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Guess who woke up and is in a silly mood now?<br />
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Never mind, did Mark just fall asleep standing up?<br />
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We passed the research crew again and my effort level was the same as lap 2 – 13, or somewhat hard.<br />
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I was literally giddy as we ran back into Dogwood - I was super excited to have our pacers join us and to start the “real” race! Bring on the beast!<br />
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These pictures of Mark crack me up, check out the progression ... here we are with Eric and Stan (L to R)<br />
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Is Mark doing the Cougar growl?<br />
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Wait, what are we doing?<br />
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Finally, a normal picture! Notice how different my eyes will look in 20 more miles and 7 hours later (Scroll down)...</div>
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<strong><u>Lap 4: 7:06:55</u></strong><br />
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As you can see in the photos, I started the beast lap all smiles and I ended the beast lap in a dark hole. <br />
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The first miles with Eric were great. We kept a great power walking pace and had lively conversation. Eric fell once and for some reason, this was funny to me, maybe because he made a joke about it, but Eric, I am sorry if I laughed at you! Mark and Stan spent these early miles together and we all met back up at the Nature Center. Mark’s feet were really starting to hurt and after changing shoes at Dogwood, Mark took his shoes on and off many times over the next 40 miles. So, while we were keeping a decent moving pace, it was our stops at the aid stations that really slowed us down.<br />
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Nature Center gave me the first inkling that my stomach was starting to turn sour, but for the time being I was ok. With night fall, we began eating potato soup, ramen noodles and instant mashed potatoes, again, all welcome changes to all things PBJ. We saw Doug and he told us to wake him at Park Road because he was going to park there and rest in the car while waiting for us. <br />
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We all left the Nature Center together and Stan sang us a humorous, self-written song about fire ants. It was really well done and I was impressed with his ability to sing and shuffle along at the same time.<br />
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When we turned on the stretch to Damnation I had to stop in the trees to hit the bathroom again – another foreboding sign, and took some Tylenol for aches that were developing.<br />
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When we got to Damnation, Mark wanted to change into his other set of extra shoes, so I used the opportunity to change my socks. I discovered large blisters on a couple of toes, but they weren’t bothering me, so I didn’t pop them even though Eric really wanted me to. The new socks felt awesome!<br />
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This is what the blisters looked like after the race since I didn't get a photo during the race :)<br />
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What I remember most about the 6 mile loop from Damnation to Damnation was having to stop to in the woods – a lot - and losing a glove, which coincidentally was found by Stan. Eric and Stan kept us entertained and we generally all stayed together. On one section, Eric and I got ahead and I stopped to pee and in the balancing act that followed I dropped a glove on the trail. When Stan and Mark caught up I lamented that I had lost a glove and Stan said he had picked one up because he saw one on the trail and didn’t want to leave any litter behind. He didn’t realize it was mine, but I was so thankful to have it back because my hands were cold. <br />
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When we got back to Damnation I asked one of the volunteers if the frequency with which I was having to stop to pee should be a cause for concern as it is not my normal habit, but she said that she would be worried if I wasn’t having to go and that my body was just letting go of the water it retained during the heat of the day. It was also on this section that I realized my stomach was starting to feel worse and I began to worry about how much worse it would get. I was getting cold after our stops and then too warm as we got moving again, although on occasion I would get really cold for no reason. Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t put on a long sleeve shirt under my windbreaker, I had plenty of clothing options in both of my drop bags and a clean, dry shirt would have likely helped (certainly on lap 5)!<br />
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On the route back to Park Road, Stan regaled us with another song, this time about cereal. It was another creative masterpiece using pretty much every cereal you could think of. I told him after this experience he would need to write a song about body functions since that seemed to be the topic of our loop, given my frequent bathroom stops.<br />
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When we made it back to Park Road, Eric went to wake up Douglas while I hit the porta potty and attempted to get excited about the pancakes that made me so happy a mere 20 miles ago. I made myself eat a couple of pancakes despite my protesting stomach, knowing that I needed the calories.<br />
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I think that this is the only photo from this lap, except the one right before we start lap 5 ... I blame that on it being the middle of the night? I have a mouth full of pancakes I am attempting to chew ... 75.6 miles in.</div>
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In reading this report, it sounds like a lot of food, but we typically only ate a little bit at each aid station, and a single serving of a quarter PBJ, a triangle of quesadillas or a serving of mashed potatoes, for example, are no more than 100 calories, if that. I tried to eat solid food at the aid stations and PowerBar products in between aid stations on the trail, that way I was taking in calories at least every 30 minutes. Despite my best efforts all day, there were at least two times my stomach growled and I realized I was HUNGRY. When that happened, I just loaded up on calories the best I could and thankfully, that did the trick. <br />
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Eric or Doug also took the opportunity to let Erin and Jennifer know that we were on our way so that they could be on deck and ready to go. <br />
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We tried to run a little bit on this stretch which actually felt good, but I don’t remember much else as this was the beginning of my darkest point in the race. As we were approaching Dogwood, I remember seeing Dat Le on his way back out for lap 5, another friend from RLtW who we had run into several times over the course of the first 80 miles, and he left us with sage advice … “don’t stop for too long.”<br />
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Check out my "deer in the headlights" look ... 80 miles in, ramen noodles in hand<br />
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<strong><u>Lap 5: 6:58:15</u></strong><br />
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Eric and Stan had done an excellent job leading us through what is considered by many as the hardest lap, and they passed the baton to the very capable Erin and Jennifer.<br />
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Eric and Stan laid it out for the girls, we needed to finish this lap before Noon – which gave us roughly 7 hours and 45 minutes to finish the loop, and we had taken over 7 hours on the last loop. Erin checked with Joe on the aid station cut offs and she and Jennifer memorized where we needed to be by what times. Our goal was to stay in front of the cut off times by an hour and half, to play it safe, and Erin and Jennifer took this job seriously. <br />
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There was something liberating about starting the last lap, but in terms of how I felt, the first 6 miles of this loop (Dogwood to Damnation) were probably my darkest miles. My stomach was still not feeling “right” as if I was on the verge of feeling really nauseous without actually feeling nauseous, at least for more than a few moments at a time. I call this a nervous stomach. I didn’t want to throw up because I was worried about having enough calories to keep going and despite the fact that I was not watching our cumulative time or the time of day, I knew we had many hours before making it back to the finish line so calories definitely still mattered. I ended up power walking with one hand cradling my stomach and doing a deep Lamaze type breathing for a good portion of those 6 miles. The deep breathing was calming more than anything else, as if I concentrated on just my breathing nothing else would hurt, including my stomach. This was also the first time all day that I really felt tired, but thankfully the sun rise was just around the corner and it was what I needed to wake me up and shake me out of my funk. I know I talked to both Erin and Jennifer during these miles, but I have no idea what we talked about. <br />
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It was during this stretch that Mark had his first hallucinations, which were recounted by Jennifer to us at the Nature Center aid station as I had been walking with Erin. Apparently, Mark tried to convince Jennifer that there was a snake in the path. Of course, it was a root, but Mark gave it a wide berth because he still thought it was a snake, despite Jennifer’s insistence that it was not.<br />
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After the brief stop at Nature Center I got really cold, teeth chattering, shaking cold. This had happened earlier in the race for brief moments, but I quickly warmed back up as we got moving, so much so that I often actually got hot, but this time, I stayed cold. Jennifer was kind enough to offer me one of her layers, which I put on over my pack, so it was basically covering my arms and upper chest, but it did the trick and warmed me up immediately. I looked ridiculous, Mark called me hunch back, but I was warm! Around this time, not far from Damnation, I had to stop to pee again, and Mark and Erin went ahead. <br />
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Erin and Jennifer did a great job switching back and forth between Mark and I throughout this loop in an effort to keep both of us moving. I was so happy to see Damnation, mentally checking off one more stop on the lap. My Garmin died around 85 miles so I also lost the ability to judge time and distance.<br />
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While Mark was stopped at Damnation, I was ready to keep moving, so I took off and Jennifer followed me, and Erin and Mark decided to catch up. I did that a lot on the last lap, I would just take off when I was ready without saying anything to anyone, but Erin and Jennifer kept an eye on me and I was never alone for long. It wasn’t planned, I think I was just doing what my body told me to do, which was thankfully “keep going!” I remember starting a conversation with Jennifer on the climb out of Damnation and when Erin and Mark were within conversational distance Jennifer telling them that “Anne is back”. I guess I was in a darker place than even I had realized. After the race, Douglas told me that he had been worried about me when I left Dogwood and Nature Center because I had a lost look in my eyes (see photo above).<br />
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When Mark and Erin caught up to us, he said that they had picked up a stray … and that is how Hannah joined our ranks for the last 14 miles of our 100 mile adventure. Hannah, an experienced ultra runner, was doing the 100 miler solo and had no pacer so she joined our band of misfits and we were all the better for it. For me personally, having someone who had completed this distance before and could validate how I was feeling made a huge difference, especially when the tears started. <br />
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Mark and I spent a lot of this lap in varying degrees of “dark places”, but Erin, Jennifer and Hannah kept the conversation going and the miles ticked by, albeit slowly. I was still stopping to pee every mile and half, but Hannah swore she was too and that it was totally normal, so I stopped worrying as much about that. My stomach settled a little bit more and I decided that I was going to just take in PowerBar gels and forgo the solid food for the rest of the race. I was just done chewing, and the balanced nutrition and easy to swallow gel were exactly what I needed.<br />
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Hanna also doled out hard candy that sucking on seemed to help calm my head and my stomach. This is definitely something I will keep in my pack for future races. <br />
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The sun rose on the Damnation to Damnation loop and it definitely woke me up. I had heard that there is something indescribable about a sunrise during an ultra – the dawn of a new day, renewed hope, the light at the end of the tunnel – and I can attest that all of those things are true. It didn’t hit me right at sunrise, but around 91 miles into the race when we crossed the dam and saw the still lake and sunlight literally pouring down on us, I was moved to tears. This is one of the only spots you get full sunlight on the course and the sun warmed me to my soul – I don’t think I realized until that moment how cold I had been. I actually had to hand the camera to Erin and ask her to take photos of the lake because I thought it was so incredibly beautiful but I was too overcome with emotion to take the photos and I didn’t want to stop moving! So I cried and power walked and the moment passed, but I knew in my bones, we would get our buckles. <br />
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Look how still the lake is and how everything if perfectly reflected in it? Beautiful!<br />
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See how the sun is steaming in on the right side of the photo - I swear, it was beaming directly into me to warm me up!<br />
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A lovely day to fish ... or finish 100 mile trail race!<br />
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Here we are walking ahead ... the sun was so bright and warm it was almost spirtual!<br />
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When we got back to Damnation, I grabbed something to eat and took off again solo. We had done a good job on sticking to the schedule of staying in front of the cut offs thanks to excellent pacing by Erin and Jennifer.<br />
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Walking with Hannah to Damnation<br />
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Finally, a picture with our pacers and Hannah (Jennifer, Hannah, Erin L to R) before leaving Damnation - I was so out of it at 80 miles I forgot the group photo! Great shot of my half attempt to put on Jennifer's shirt.<br />
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I forgot to thank the volunteers before I left so I turned around and yelled “Thank you!” and one of them responded, “Congratulations!” … which, you guessed it, made me cry again. They were happy tears. Tears of joy and accomplishment not tears of pain, although likely tears of an exhausted person. Hannah told me she bawled her eyes out earlier in the race and that my reaction was totally normal, driven by out of whack hormones from being exhausted. Regardless, I didn’t let the tears slow me down. <br />
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One of the things that I love about ultra runners, is that they are so supportive of one another. At one point, while I was walking and crying somebody passed us and said that I “looked great!” I am sure that I looked like crap, but I appreciated the sentiment all the same.<br />
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The 3.4 miles from Damnation to Park Road were all about getting to see Douglas for me. I was doing a good job power walking or walking with purpose, but my right IT band had seized up and it was difficult to muster much of a run. I knew I would cry like a baby when I saw him, and that is exactly what happened. Thankfully, he wasn’t concerned by the tears at all, he understood my emotion and he told me later, was thankful to see the tears because that meant that I was back from whatever dark place I had been in the last time he saw me. With the sun out and just over an hour to go, I took off my layers, my pack and my headlamp and gave everything to Douglas, leaving me with just a couple of PowerBar gels and my handheld for the last section. <br />
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Stripping!<br />
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Full on tears seeing the hubby<br />
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This is it, Mark and Anne - 95.6 miles in.<br />
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The volunteers at the Park Road aid station congratulated us, although I am not sure they knew what to think of my emotional display, and we were off. It was 4.4 miles to the finish line and while we knew we had plenty of time to get there, we were ready to get there. We passed the research crew for the last time and I gave them a score of 18 out of 20, equating to “very difficult” on the difficulty scale. They told me that I looked great compared to others that had passed by, whatever that means 97 miles into a race!<br />
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Shortly after we saw Erin’s boyfriend, Manuel, running towards us. He had camped out in Huntsville with Erin all weekend and would have liked to run with us, but it is only one pacer per person. We introduced him to Hannah and congratulated him on entering the ranks of pacer. I seem to recall all of us playing a bit of the Movie game, laughing, walking with Mark – both of us acknowledging without words that we were hurting. Mark’s feet were really hurting, so he had trouble walking at my pace, but he was still able to run / shuffle / trot whereas at this point my right leg was really in pain and I definitely preferred walking for pain management. Looking back, I wonder if I had pushed myself to try to run it out if I would have been able to mentally move past the pain, but at the time, I knew I didn’t need to run to finish, so I didn’t. <br />
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At some point, my pace took off from the group, again really just doing what was comfortable for my body, and Manuel joined me. I think the first thing I did was apologize in advance for an emotional outbursts that he may witness in these last miles. He was great company and he ticked the miles off one by one for us since his Garmin was working. We talked about triathlon and this race and God knows what else. When we turned away from the lake towards the main park road which is the route to the finish, I could almost taste being done. I knew we had one more rooty climb, and that I would wait for Mark and the rest of the crew at the road crossing right after that. It was a long last mile.<br />
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Waiting at the road crossing with Manuel<br />
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When we got to the road crossing I got a little emotional again. I had a brief conversation with a 12-ish year old boy who was pacing the last bit with his Dad and asked him if he was so proud of his Dad – and of course, he was. It didn’t take long for Mark and crew to catch us and for the last half mile (or less), Mark, Hannah and I walked it in together, with the pacers sort of falling back.<br />
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When we finally got within sight of the finish line, we talked about trying to run it in but the consensus was walking it in was just fine. I really wanted to run it in but my right leg didn’t want to hear it. Of course, I cried, as we crossed the finish line in 29:12 and I received my hard earned buckle. <br />
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Last stretch<br />
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We did it!<br />
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Still crying ...<br />
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A smile!<br />
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Sweaty hugs and thank yous were exchanged and then I hobbled over to our canopy and sat down and took off my shoes and socks. I quickly got cold in the shade, but Douglas thoughtfully got me into the sun and it felt heavenly. My body also quickly got stiff, which made my subsequent trip to the porta portty and the car quite humorous and painful. As I sit here typing, my right knee is still out of sorts, but my heart is happy and hopefully my knee will be happy soon again as well!<br />
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I have to end this report with gratitude – I am so incredibly thankful for the endless support and encouragement my husband tirelessly gives, he truly deserves his own buckle. I feel incredibly blessed for the support of our pacers, Stan, Eric, Erin, Jennifer and bonus pacer, Manuel, for their willingness to sacrifice their weekends to be a part of our adventure and for their relentless commitment to help get us to the finish line. To Joe, for showing me the way. To my friends and family for the following along all day and for cheering us on for us from afar. To my Rev3 teammates for the endless encouragement and my sponsors, especially PowerBar for keeping me well nourished, Tri Slide for keeping me chafe free, and for Normatec MVP for helping me recover after every hard work out and race. And, of course, to Mark, whom I am incredibly grateful to have shared this experience. <br />
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If you made it this far, thanks for reading!</div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-82697675430365645112013-02-13T21:34:00.002-06:002013-02-15T18:17:33.084-06:00Rocky Raccoon – 100 Mile Trail Race Recap (Short Report)Here is the short report for those of you who don't want to read the <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2013/02/rocky-raccoon-100-mile-trail-race-race.html" target="_blank">novella ...</a> (aka the longest race report ever written).<br />
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<strong><u>Preparing to Run 100 Miles</u></strong><br />
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• To prepare for a trail race, run trails<br />
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• Run the course before the race<br />
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• If you are going to run the entire race with someone else, have “the talk”<br />
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• Waiting to pack until the last minute is stressful<br />
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• If you may have trouble sleeping the night before the race, consider practicing with Tylenol PM or Ambien before race-eve to avoid a sleepless night<br />
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<strong><u>Running 100 Miles</u></strong><br />
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• You can eat an elephant one bite at a time (courtesy of <a href="http://meredithrunningworld.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Meredith</a>)<br />
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• A smile can go a long way to help you relax<br />
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• A camera is essential gear<br />
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• If experienced 100 mile runners are power walking the hills, it is probably a good idea<br />
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• Seeing familiar faces on the trail is fun (so do more trail races to meet more people!)<br />
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• Playing games helps to pass the time<br />
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• Be prepared to get sick and tired of your staple food<br />
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• A good pacer is worth his/her weight in gold<br />
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• Peeing a lot and crying are considered normal in an ultra<br />
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• Make new friends on the trails and share a few words of encouragement to those you pass<br />
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• Sitting down makes you stiff and everything hurts more – so glad I didn’t do this until I was holding my buckle<br />
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• Thank those that helped you get to the finish line<br />
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<strong><u>Post 100 Miles</u></strong><br />
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• Respect the recovery process, listen to your body, enjoy your accomplishment<br />
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• Pick another race!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-58939972079266568392013-02-01T09:01:00.000-06:002013-02-01T09:04:04.334-06:00Rocky Raccoon - Tracking Information<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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Tomorrow is the big day - our 100 mile trail adventure starts at 6 am Saturday in Huntsville! I am equal parts excited and nervous and the fact that I am putting off packing tells me I am more nervous than I am actually admitting to myself!</div>
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Mark and I will have a support crew cheering us on all day (and night!) and four brave souls have agreed to pace us for the final 40 miles. The crew will be providing updates and pictures on FB and Twittter (@irondreams) so definitely check in there to follow our progress if you are interested. The <a href="http://edsresults.com/rr100" target="_blank">race results link</a> will go live tomorrow and should at least show loop times (5 - 20 mile loops), which should take between 4 to 6 hours each. Race goal? To finish uninjured! Perfect day? Sub 24 hours.</div>
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I appreciate all of the prayers, mojo, good thoughts, positive vibes you can send our way! Let's do this! Race report to follow ...</div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-53310475844039986082013-01-29T23:02:00.002-06:002013-01-29T23:02:25.619-06:00Introducing: Racing with Babes<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
The best part about the Rev3 summit was getting to know my teammates. It was such a great opportunity for serious team bonding without the distraction of actually racing! My roomie for the summit was Tonia (Toe-Knee-Ahh) from<a href="http://www.racingwithbabes.com/" target="_blank"> Racing with Babes</a>. She is new to Team Rev3 this year and I am so excited that she has joined the team! We hit it off right away and it turns out we have quite a bit in common - young moms with young families, but even more than that she is just a very cool chick! She is training for her first 140.6 this year at Rev3 Cedar Point, be sure to go over to her <a href="http://www.racingwithbabes.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> and say hello! </div>
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Welcome to the team, Tonia!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-82504306248031105822013-01-27T09:18:00.001-06:002013-01-28T11:47:08.970-06:00Rev3 Team SummitI am sitting on the plane in Denver waiting to head back to Houston after an incredible weekend with my Rev3 teammates at the Team Summit in Boulder. What an incredible weekend full of laughter, new friendships and awesome sponsors! <br />
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I think this is going to be the best Rev3 year yet! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in Knoxville ... What Rev3 races are on your calendar this year? <br />
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More fun things to share on the Rev3 front soon, including highlighting some of my incredible new (and old) teammates! Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com6Denver International Airport Denver39.857245 -104.677031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-3774810155470352812013-01-20T11:03:00.002-06:002013-01-20T11:03:28.525-06:00Weird Pre-Race DreamsI know a race is quickly coming up when I start dreaming about it. Yesterday I did my last long run before Rocky Raccoon 100 and last night I had the oddest dream about the race. Well, it started as a dream about the race and in typical fashion as these dreams go, I was late.<br />
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I had to park really far away from the start and I left all my gear in my car and I rushed to the start. I was 15 minutes into the run when I realized that I didn't have any nutrition or water, so I turned around to go back to my car. When I got to my car I was scrambling to find everything I needed for the race. I remember thinking in my dream that I needed to ask Joe to reset my chip but also freaking out that I lost an hour to the cut off time. At some point the trail race turned into a street race, but the course was not really marked. The aid stations near the start/finish line were food trucks. It was the middle of the night during the race when I realized that I had missed a two mile section of the course because it was not marked, but it was also around this time, when Joe told me that this was not Rocky, that Rocky was still two weeks away, so it was ok if I only ran 90 miles instead of 100.<br />
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I was happy to wake up and to put the stress of the dream behind me! Have you had any weird race related dreams?<br />
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I am hopeful that two weeks from now I will be holding my RR 100 race buckle!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-2972386466397099422013-01-13T23:40:00.000-06:002013-01-13T23:40:42.656-06:0050 Unsupported MilesIf you had told me a year ago that I would spend a Saturday running 50 unsupported miles through Huntsville on a humid day in January I would have called you a liar. <br />
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Humid in January? No way!<br />
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Running 50 miles? 50 miles ... maybe, but unsupported?!?!<br />
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Well, WE DID IT! I feel like I just got my membership passport stamped!<br />
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Mark and I made it Hunstville around 8, dropped some water at key access points along the 20 mile loop and started our day. Our packs were a bit heavy, knowing that it would be 4 to 5 hours before returning to the car.<br />
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We expected the first loop to be slow because despite the fact that we have run Huntsville plenty of times, we have never run it not during a race. During a race there are lots of markers telling you where to go ... not so much on a normal Saturday. So we carried the Rocky Raccoon course map and did route finding when necessary. We consulted the map quite a bit, and generally, we nailed it. The few times we missed turns, we re-traced our steps to get back on course, adding miles, knowing we needed the extra miles anyway (doing 50 miles on 20 mile loops). <br />
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It was humid and my legs felt sluggish at the beginning. I think running purposely slow at the beginning hurts sometimes, but it is far better than starting out too fast! Did I mention it was humid? The forecast called for rain and thunder storms, which thankfully didn't materialize, but we were still drenched thanks to the humidity. <br />
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We finished the first loop with about 23 miles according to my Garmin, which seemed right with our few wrong turns and our purposeful additional mileage to access water at the camping area near Amy's Crossing. We ended up taking a bit more water down to Amy's Crossing, re-fueled, I did a wardrobe change (my compression tights were HOT), grabbed our head lamps and we were off again.<br />
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Lap 2 was faster and slower. The beginning was faster because we knew we were going and had to consult the map a lot less. It was slower at times because around 35 miles I was feeling a bit depleted, which thankfully, with the help of a few extra calories, reversed. Parts were definitely slower in the dark and we walked more of the up hills. Yes, in my humble opinion, there are hills in Hunstville. I know that anyone who lives or races in the mountains is laughing at me right now, but for this flat lander, there is plenty of incline in Huntsville.<br />
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We managed to stay in pretty good moods all day with only once or twice each of us getting a bit quiet. Mark knows me well though and quickly tells me to "get out of my head" when I get in a funk. This is also a big sign that I need more calories. We were near the Dam aid station (or where it will be) around 35 miles into our day and I was pretty depleted. Mark stopped to reference the map and I leaned down and got a bit light headed and decided it was time for the reserve calories. PowerBar chews to the rescue. Literally not 2 miles later I was laughing and in the best mood. It is amazing what a shot of calories and caffeine can do. Such a balance between not enough and too much!<br />
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We took our diversion at Amy's Crossing and I called my husband to check in. He was at home taking care of our sick kiddos, but was supporting me as usual, even if it was from afar. I mentioned the headlamp didn't seem as strong and he suggested I change the batteries. Good call! The batteries were no where close to dying, but the fresh batteries made a huge difference.<br />
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We finished the second loop with 44 miles - 6 miles to go. It was dark and late and we needed to leave the park before 10 pm when the gates close, so we opted to run the last 6 on the road to just get it done. My good mood from miles 35- 44 had evaporated and 6 miles might as well have been 600 miles in that moment. But, I got "out of my head", started running and my legs felt good. The next 3 miles were quiet, but we re-grouped for the last 3 miles and laughed and talked it in the rest of the way. <br />
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Mentally, it was great to familiarize myself with the course, which will also help me better prepare my crew. I tried out a few new things, gear and nutrition, and found some things that worked for me, and others that didn't. Most importantly, despite the humidity and the challenges (read: extra time required) of route finding and re-fueling on a self-supported run, we managed to finish the 50 miles in 12:30. Double that and our projected finish time should be around 25 hours!<br />
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Oh, and a heads up for those who might be headed to Hunstville, the park ranger pulled me over twice! The first time, he waved me over and suggested that someone had complained a car of my description was driving too fast. Mark and I were confused becasue we had not been in the car all day except the quick trip from the Lodge to Amy's Crossing to drop water and we certainly weren't driving fast enough to cause a complaint. The second time it was as we were leaving the park and he was on his way back to close the gates, I assume. It was super dark out so I was using the extra lights I have on my Jeep to better illuminate the road. I turned them off as soon as I saw another car coming my way, but he pulled me over, with flashing lights this time, to let me know I had too many lights on. Officer Friendly even said, "Hello again". No tickets, just a nice scolding and "information sharing" both times. <br />
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Let the the taper begin!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-67205312890745526442013-01-07T20:42:00.000-06:002013-01-07T20:42:03.367-06:00Rights of Passage - Ultra VersionThere are all sorts of rights of passage in life ...<br />
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Learning to walk, your first words, learning to ride a bike, learning to read, learning to drive, your first kiss, graduating from college, your first job, getting married, having a baby ... just to name a few.<br />
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Then there are sports rights of passage like racing at new distances, qualifying for a special race, or trying a new sport.<br />
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In training for Rocky, I have added quite a few rights of passage to my sports resume, including a few unexpected ones. Blood, blisters, twisted ankles - check. Finding a bush to serve as a porta potty - check. Over night run - check. Completing a race and then adding mileage - check. Running further than I ever have before - check. <br />
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However, until now, in my last peak week of training, I have been able to avoid one big right of passage, but alas, this weekend, I will be crossing this one off my list as well. A long (as in 50 miles long), unsupported training run. <br />
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I was able to align all of my long training runs with races until now, and while there are several races this weekend, I think that mentally, I need this. I need it for the distance, for the unssupported nature, for the terrain (I am running the course) and most importantly, for the mental challenge. <br />
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The last right of passage in this journey? .... Running 100 miles.<br />
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What rights of passage have you had lately?Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-5641925137642337292013-01-02T19:08:00.000-06:002013-01-02T19:08:00.107-06:00Countdown - One Month!Today marks one month until the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler! One more long run on the schedule and then it is taper time! <br />
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Words that describe my emotions right now:<br />
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Freaked out<br />
Excited <br />
Scared<br />
Nervous<br />
Many other similar synonyms<br />
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Did I mention freaked out?! In a good way, really.<br />
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Putting emotions aside, the other thing I feel is READY! Let's do this!<br />
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-32923158871101306462013-01-01T23:03:00.000-06:002013-01-01T23:03:32.591-06:00Happy New Year & Texas Marathon Race ReportHappy New Year!<br />
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If you have read the blog lately, you can likely guess what my #1 athletic goal is for 2013 - the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile trail race - and preparation for it started 6 months ago. With a goal like that hanging over my head, I am not going to even think about goals for later in the year. It is definitely one step at a time around here!<br />
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To that end, I started 2013 by running 26.2 this morning at the Texas Marathon in Kingwood. When I signed up early last year it was on a whim and because I really wanted the race medal. See why? <br />
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This race competes with the Little Rock marathon for the "world's largest race medal" every year. This year's medal weighs in at 3+ pounds!<br />
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So, when I registered I didn't know what my goal was going to be for the race and as it turns out, I was able to use it as a training run for Rocky. I have not run a stand alone road marathon since 2009, so I was not sure what to expect in terms of time goals. We decided to run comfortably (conversation pace) and see where the cold and wet day took us.<br />
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The race was four 6.55 mile loops. The marathon started at 8 am and the half marathon started at 8:15. The course was only crowded for the first half mile or so, and had we attempted to move the front of the field for the start, we could have, but we were in "this is just a training run" mode. <br />
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The course was well supported with volunteers and the Kingwood Greenbelt is a great place for a race. The race directors, Paula and Steve Boone put on great races with nice swag. His pre-race emails have all the information you need to know and I love the smaller marathons - specficically, picking up my packet race morning and not dealing with crazy crowds. <br />
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I woke up at 6:15, left my house at 6:45 and arrived at 7:30 for an 8:00 am start. I picked up my packet, retrieved my timing chip, dropped my bag, hit the porta potty and still sang the national anthem. That sure beats getting up at crazy pre-dawn hours to make it to a race. Don't get me wrong, sometimes the fanfare of a larger marathon is nice, but generally, I think it is a headache. <br />
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Overall, it was a well run race and I definitely recommend it, if not for the medal alone! As for results, we came in #56 and #57 with a time of 4:09 or so in a race to the finish line that Mark halted at the last second to let me pass first. In addition to the awesome medals, we also got little squeeze mice with our race place finish that you can see in the photo below. These are fun to put on the trophy shelf!<br />
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We averaged 9:30s and I was happy with that. We had four or more bathroom stops between us, nutrition grabs and a slow start with the crowds. My PR is from the Houston Marathon in 2009 and it is 3:57, so running a 4:09 without a lot of effort on New Year's eve food, drink and sleep without a real taper was a win! It also tells me that if I raced a marathon I think I could shave some time off my PR. That might be a good 2014 goal to hit 3:40 so that I can qualify for the 2015 Boston Marathon, I am waiting to age up! In the mean time, I am the proud ownder of this supersized medal!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-89231041286822557282012-12-30T23:31:00.000-06:002012-12-30T23:31:36.949-06:00Run Like the Wind - 12 Hour Race Report<br />
Training for a 100 mile trail race means lots of long, self-supported training runs, which can be challenging to execute without significant planning … or, my preference, finding races that match your training distance and enjoy a long, catered training day.<br />
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My training plan called for a 40 mile run on December 1 or December 8, so I had the choice of running either the old Sunmart 50 miler in Huntsville or the 12 hour Run Like the Wind (RLTW). <br />
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Running Huntsville would have been great prep for Rocky (same course), but Mark (co-conspirator for Rocky 100) was only available December 8. I could have run Huntsville solo, but if you are going to run 100 miles with someone else, you better train long with them as well. Also, secretly, I really wanted to try RLTW … the .6 mile loop really appealed to my anal retentive nature and I liked that it was a format that I had never tried before.<br />
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The .6 mile loop had a lot of character, twists and turns and tree coverage so it was actually quite enjoyable. It only took 89 laps to have it fully memorized!<br />
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I have to say I was a bit unsure how to mentally tackle the 12 hours, other than to break it into smaller segments, which was still a bit overwhelming the first couple of hours. There were four races happening simultaneously – the 3, 6, 12 and 24 hour races, so for the first 3 hours the course was pretty full. There was a significant drop off at the 3 hour mark and then again to a lesser extent at the 6 hour mark. Mentally, at 6 hours, I had to stop myself from saying, “you are ONLY halfway there”. There were probably 20 of us between the 12 and 24 hour race so for the last 6 hours the course was pretty quiet. The nice thing about the short loop though, is that you still see people often.<br />
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Ultimately, we broke the race into 4 mile blocks (that’s when we stopped for food), trying to mimic the distance between aid stations at Rocky Raccoon. Ironically starting slow made my legs feel heavy, like they were missing much needed pep in my step, but I knew it was going to be a long day and that most of the people flying by me in the early laps were running much shorter races. It was a pretty warm day too and I just wasn’t feeling awesome, I was ok, but tired. I ended up taking a 5 Hour Energy around the 3 hour mark that definitely helped my mood and thankfully it didn’t make me sick (I had tried 5 Hour before, but not running).<br />
<br />
It’s funny, the first 3 hours felt long, but when the clock actually hit 3 hours, it was a bit of “wow, already 3 hours!” The next 3 were similar. It got dark between 6 and 9 hours and the race totally changed. With the drop in temperature, Mark and I both started to feel a lot better. If there were any “bad” hours they were early in the race and then again somewhere in the 8 to 10 hour range. The last 3 hours felt like they passed the fastest with the last hour passing in a blur.<br />
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Our families who dropped in and out throughout the race were there for the last hour and a half, and that helped too. We typically walked the .6 mile after eating and my boys joined us on one of those laps and loved it. Flashlights in the dark on a foresty trail – how fun!<br />
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We passed the time by coming up with funny names for the various turns on the course and coming up with nicknames for some of the other runners – mainly the 12 and 24 hour crew.<br />
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The turns were named (in order):<br />
<br />
-Breezeway<br />
-Trashcan Turn<br />
-Trash Can 2, Electric Boogaloo (aka The Sequel)<br />
-Orange you glad there are chairs there (aka the retreat)<br />
-Smoke'em if you got'em<br />
-Peek-a-boo<br />
-Agility Alley<br />
-It’s all downhill from here<br />
-Delirious decisions<br />
-Wrong Turn<br />
-Toilet Turn<br />
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These names evolved over the 12 hours and two of the names came in the last hour, so it really was an all day activity.<br />
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Some of the fun nicknames for the other racers – Happy Feet (Austin who was always in a good mood), Bacon and Eggs (dude had cool skull tattoos on his triceps that were made out of bacon and eggs), Vibrams (Dat who did the race in Vibrams) and we were named by Austin the “Dynamic Duo”. <br />
<br />
Speaking of Dynamic Duo … one big realization I walked away with was that the only thing harder than running 50 miles (and later 100), is running those miles with another person (or more specifcially the same other person). The company is great and to be clear, I wouldn’t trade it, but the flip side to that is that it is unlikely you will both feel good at the same time, bad at the same time or have to stop at the same time for things like bathroom stops. This works for us but it takes serious commitment to stick together. Just ask Mark how he felt when I was sick in the woods earlier this summer at Reveille Ranch and he watched the majority of the field run by.<br />
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Back to RLTW, the race director, Sam, is an AMAZING cook, and he does a heck of job catering this event. We ate well every 4 miles (and obviously could have done so every .6 miles). Gourmet grilled cheese, ham and cheese, burgers, veggie burgers and the staples like PBJ and boiled potatoes … and so much more. I seem to recall various pastas and lasagna. Oh and delicious potato soup!<br />
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Bottom line, I highly recommend trying out this race format and I give this particular race an A+ for support! We got t-shirts (not technical, which is my preference) and medals (all finishers received the same medal) but the real gem is in the core support crew that was ready, willing and able to make sure we had everything we needed.<br />
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Oh, as for results, we ended up with just under 53.4 miles (my longest run ever!) in 12 hours, which was good enough for 2nd and 3rd place overall for the 12 hour race (in an admittedly small field)!<br />
<br />
Another step closer to the Rocky Raccoon 100!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-6410072394088924082012-12-30T01:42:00.000-06:002012-12-31T04:10:10.870-06:00Top 12 of 2012The end of the year for me, like many others, brings reflection. In years past I have totaled my mileage for the year or graded myself on goals set versus progress. <br />
<br />
I came into 2012 without any major goals, <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html" target="_blank">a fact which I struggled with quite a bit</a>, so that means no report card ... and I didn't keep track of my mileage as well as I have in the past (I seem to be getting a bit more relaxed), so my reflection of 2012 is a look back on reminders, lessons learned and pearls of wisdom I gained over the last 12 months. <br />
<br />
Oh, and for those of you who are new here, I did finally stumble across a few goals for 2012, including a big one which will spill into 2013. This summer I raced several short triathlons (even placing in my AG!) in an effort to go fast and have fun while searching for a bigger goal ... which is running <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/07/100-miles-of-epic-awesomeness.html" target="_blank">100 miles</a> at Rocky Raccoon on Feb 2/3, 2013.<br />
<br />
Without further ado, in no particular order ...<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">1 - Completing a race and racing a race are very different feats. </span><br />
This one might be obvious to the rest of you. I "knew" this already, but I really experienced it this year. In my 100 mile preparation I have used a lot of races as training runs. Going into a race that is really a training run means finishing the race with something left in the tank, sometimes a lot left in the tank. This makes a huge difference in how I feel the days after the event.<br />
<br />
I did do some racing this year, mostly short triathlons and the Chicago Half Marathon. I PR'd the Chicago Half at 1:44:14 without a lot of speed work to prep. I had a good mileage base because I had already started my Rocky 100 training, but the weekend of the race I played tourist walking around Chicago and the weekend before I did a 60K. Race morning I decided to jump in with the 1:45 pace group and hold on as long as I could ... and I held on! My legs, however, were trashed for days after the race. Compare that to the 12 hour race I did in November where I logged 53 miles and felt absolutely fine the next day.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">2 - Making time for recovery is important.</span><br />
I never used to pay much attention to recovery, in fact I lamented about not having time for recovery back in <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2009/09/recovery-whats-that.html" target="_blank">2009</a> when training for IMFL. I don't know if my age is catching up to me or it is simply what I am asking my body to do, but I am finding that I need recovery. Rest days, foam rolling, the stick, and most importantly, my <a href="http://www.normatecrecovery.com/" target="_blank">NormaTec Recovery Boots</a>. I can say with confidence that the boots have made a HUGE difference in my training and recovery. Check out my <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/12/normatec-recovery-boots-product-review.html" target="_blank">product review</a> on the boots for more info.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">3 - Learn to be flexible with your nutrition. </span><br />
Consider this ... you spend your season dialing in your nutrition. You have it down to a science and you are ready to execute your well researched plan on race day. You start the race and all is going well ... but at some point become turned off by your nutrition of choice. Now what? Practice variety and you will be ready. I know that I will be racing for 24 to 30 hours at Rocky so I am planning for the unexpected. My staples will include a variety of <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/12/powerbar-energy-blast-product-review.html" target="_blank">PowerBar products</a> (link for product review), PBJ, boiled potatoes and potato soup. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">4 - It's all in your head. </span><br />
Fear. Doubt. Pain. Your mind will play tricks on you if you let it, so don't let it. In the words of Christopher Robin to Pooh, "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."<br />
<br />
I put this into practice at the <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2012/09/tejas-trails-captn-karls-60k-night-race.html" target="_blank">Reveille Ranch 60K</a> when I was sick to my stomach with a twisted ankle and a blister the size of a half dollar. Check out the linked race report on my experiences of overcoming pain and adversity during a race.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">5 - There's more than one way to skin the cat (no offense to the cats). </span><br />
Another obvious one. For every person training for a triathlon, marathon, ultra, <fill blank="blank" event="event" in="in" of="of" or="or" race="race" the="the" type="type">there are another 10,000 people training for the same aforementioned event and they are doing it differently than you are. Find what works for you and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing. I have to repeat this mantra when I find myself comparing my weekly mileage and race schedule to others training for Rocky.</fill><br />
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<span style="color: red;">6 - It's all perspective </span><br />
Whether I am running 4 miles or 50 miles, the last 2 miles are my "victory lap". If I set out to run 4 miles, running more than that would feel like a chore, but if I set out to run 20 it isn't a chore. It's perspective because it's all in your head (see #4).<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">7 - Everyone needs a little help sometimes</span> <br />
Everyone starts as a rookie. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I feel really lucky to be a part of some pretty incredible organizations like <a href="http://rev3tri.com/" target="_blank">Rev3 Triathlon</a>, <a href="http://bicycleworldofhouston.com/" target="_blank">Bicycle World and Fitness</a> and more recently <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/" target="_blank">Tejas Trails</a>. I learn so much from my teammates and other athletes that I race and train with. Social media makes it so easy to get connected to others that have the same interests and goals that you do. Finally, to quote Dr. Seuss, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."<br />
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<span style="color: red;">8 - Support those that support you</span><br />
See #7 and #12<br />
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<span style="color: red;">9 - Don't just go through the motions </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I know that I am guilty of this one. Do speed work on speed work days and hills on hill days. Time on your feet, in the pool or saddle all matter, but pushing yourself is what makes your better, faster and stronger.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">10 - Size matters</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">If your dreams don't scare you, they may not be big enough ... also see #4.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">11 - Don't be afraid to try something new </span><br />
My kids are so bad about this, I have no idea where they get it? <br />
<br />
Kids: Mom, that looks soooo gross. <br />
Me: Have you tried it? <br />
Kids: No.<br />
Me: Try it! (followed by bribes or threats)<br />
Kids: Hmmm, that is good. I want more, please.<br />
<br />
Once upon a time there was a girl who did all of her running on the road because she didn't think she liked running on trails (or even a dirt path). That girl is running 100 miles on trails in just over a month.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">12 - Pay it forward</span><br />
I love this one. A good reminder for all of us. Pick up a piece of trash on the trails, give away that encouragement you got when you really needed it to someone else who needs it. Give away a gel if someone is without, share your extra batteries, tissue ... you catch my drift!<br />
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That's it ... those are mine. I would love to hear a few of yours!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-42923274365292191842012-12-17T04:04:00.000-06:002012-12-31T04:04:53.995-06:00PowerBar Energy Blast - Product ReviewSince starting my 100 miler training, the most frequent questions I get are: <br />
<br />
1 - Why?<br />
2 - How long will it take?<br />
3 - How and what do you eat?<br />
<br />
I don't have a noble answer for #1, really it is just because I want to do it. #2, Rocky allows you up to 30 hours to finish. Other 100 mile races have different cut offs.<br />
<br />
Now, for #3 ...<br />
<br />
I am a big believer that being open to variety when training and racing these distances is important. You never know what your body will crave or worse, not desire, at any point.<br />
<br />
For me, the backbone of my nutrition plan are a handful of my favorite PowerBar products coupled with some solid food I will enjoy along the course. I plan to eat at regular intervals, but I never know when I will need extra fuel, so PowerBar products are in my pack and at the ready. The PowerBar Performance and Harvest Bars, Energy Gels and my favorite the PowerBar Energy Blasts in Cola flavor with 2x Caffeine are my staples.<br />
<br />
What I love about the PowerBar Energy Blasts gels is that I can take my calories in gradually, enjoying one energy blast every 10 minutes or so. This works great for me as small rewards for making progress and as a way to take in fewer calories if I just need something to hold me over to the next aid station. Six Energy Blasts gel filled chews are the energy equivalent of one PowerBar Energy Gel.<br />
<br />
Also, unlike my experience with Cliff Shot Blocks, they don't get hard, even in cold weather, so they are easy to chew and they don't hurt my jaw. They remind me of my favorite cola gummies I used to eat when I was growing up!<br />
<br />
What's important to me and why I use PowerBar products is they are specially formulated for athletes to provide our bodies with what we need while we are pushing ourselves. I know that I can trust PowerBar to provide the balance of nutrition I need to perform at my optimal level.<br />
<br />
The science behind PowerBar's Energy Blasts filled chews ...<br />
<br />
They're formulated with PowerBar® C2MAX dual source energy blend, a 2:1 glucose to fructose blend found to deliver 20–50% more energy to muscles than glucose alone and improve endurance performance by 8%.<br />
<br />
Key features: <br />
<br />
- Taste great!<br />
- Provides more energy to muscles with C2MAX<br />
- Resealable pouch<br />
- No preservatives or artificial flavors<br />
<br />
PowerBar Energy Blasts gel filled chews are available with or without caffeine. My favorite, the Cola flavor contains 2X caffeine which is 50 mg per 6 pieces, 75 mg per pouch.
So, any guesses on how many individual chews I will eat over 100 miles? :)Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-36965115631737747352012-12-01T23:29:00.000-06:002012-12-31T04:05:27.469-06:00NormaTec Recovery Boots – Product Review<br />
This product review is long overdue. If we are friends on FB or your follow me on twitter (@irondreams) you have heard me talk about spending lots of quality time in my <a href="http://www.normatecrecovery.com/" target="_blank">NormaTec Recovery Boots</a>. The boots have become an integral part of my training and recovery program in my preparation for the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. <br />
<br />
As a “weekend warrior” I have been guilty of neglecting my recovery - I even blogged about not having time for recovery in <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2009/09/recovery-whats-that.html" target="_blank">September 2009</a>. What I have learned since then is that recovery is not just important for optimal racing performance but it is also incredibly important for injury prevention. I firmly believe that I have been able to ramp up my mileage and execute important workouts with minimal recovery time after long runs thanks to my <a href="http://www.normatecrecovery.com/" target="_blank">NormaTec Recovery Boots</a>. <br />
<br />
The best part about the boots is that I can put them on and then just sit back and relax while they do all the hard work on my legs. I have even been known to fall asleep with them on. This may not seem like a big deal to everyone, but I know that there are others like me who know they should use TV time to stretch, foam roll, do core work, etc., but I just like to be lazy sometimes and the boots let me be lazy while engaging in serious recovery! <br />
<br />
Bottom line, I highly recommend them. Look for them at your next race, they often have a recovery tent where you can try out the boots after you race … and they are at all of the Rev3 races.<br />
<br />
Finally, I am not a scientist, so I will leave the science to NormaTec, but take my word, these boots work!<br />
<br />
The science behind NormaTec boots …<br />
<br />
Sequential Pulse Technology is based on normal physiology, and it synergistically combines three distinctive massage techniques to speed the body’s normal recovery process. <br />
<br />
1) Pulsing: Instead of using static compression (squeezing) to transport fluid out of the limbs, Sequential Pulse Technology uses dynamic compression (pulsing). Our patented pulsing action more effectively mimics the muscle pump of the legs and arms, greatly enhancing the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs after an intense workout.<br />
<br />
2) Gradients: Veins and lymphatic vessels have one-way valves that prevent backflow of fluid. Similarly, Sequential Pulse Technology utilizes gradient hold pressures to keep your body’s fluids from being forced down toward your feet by the pulsing action in proximal zones. Because of this enhancement, Sequential Pulse Technology can deliver maximum pressure throughout the entire limb and the effectiveness of the pulsing action is not diminished near the top of the limb.<br />
<br />
3) Distal release: Because extended static pressure can be detrimental to the body’s normal circulatory flow, Sequential Pulse Technology releases the hold pressures once they are no longer needed to prevent backflow. By releasing the hold pressure in each zone as soon as possible, each portion of the limb gains maximal rest time without a significant pause between compression cycles.<br />
<br />
While a healthy athlete’s body eventually will recover from an intense workout, using the Sequential Pulse Technology found only in a NormaTec Recovery System for just 20 minutes can speed recovery.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-38629801820633385652012-11-19T20:30:00.000-06:002012-11-19T20:30:39.874-06:00Wild Hare 50K Race Report + 4 miles<br />
Short report: <br />
This was by far my favorite trail race yet. I LOVE this course! I loved the mixed terrain and especially the fast down hills where I felt like I was a little kid dancing in the woods. Honestly, I was a bit amazed with my own confidence in how fast I was maneuvering the down hills and the rocky terrain by the 4th loop, it was almost an out of body experience. Oh, and I love the loops. I would do a 100 out here if given the chance – Joe?? It is definitely a well supported, well run race with great volunteers, plus fun goodies (cool race medal, technical shirt, great burgers and Shiner beer). I highly recommend it!<br />
<br />
Long report:<br />
Wild Hare is held at Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, Texas. It is a 7.85 mile trail that is used mostly by mountain bikers and it is a great mix of semi-technical single track, with sections that roll up and down with a good mix of flat and open trails. Note, I am flat lander, so what I call rolling up and down, others may not even notice. There are only two big climbs on the course, both in the second half of the loop.<br />
<br />
There were 4 races going on simultaneously – a 50 miler, 50K, 25K and 10K. The 50 milers started at 6 am, 50Kers at 7 am and 25Kers and 10Kers at 8 am. I like this set up because it brings more people out for the races, but I do wish there was an easy way to distinguish which race any given runner was competing in … this will become important later in my race report.<br />
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The 50K was 4 loops on the course with aid stations at 3.5 miles and at the start/finish line. It is pretty spectator friendly because the aid station at 3.5 miles is within sight of the start finish line, so spectators can easily walk back and forth between the two spots to cheer and support their runners.<br />
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My goal for this race was to keep my lap splits as even as possible, run strong but not blow up and to not lose too much time at aid stations. I skipped my hydration pack for this race and opted to just carry a handheld and used that and pockets on my clothes to carry a couple nutrition items. I had easy access to my gear and crew (my patient and devoted hubby, Doug) at the aid stations so I didn’t need to carry much. I had peanut butter crackers for my pre-race meal and joined the 100 other 50K runners on the starting line.<br />
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Race morning was chilly, so I layered up in a beanie, gloves, running capris, running tank, bolero and running vest. I knew I would be taking layers off as the day progressed, another reason I loved the looped course. I started with the top 25% of the field and waited to find my stride. It takes me a good 5 miles for my body to take over for my mind when running trails. The first 5 miles are typically when I will have an early ankle roll because I am over thinking, so I was diligent and a happy that I was not running in the dark. I don’t like to run bunched up with a lot of other runners because I like to have full view of the trail, especially in the early miles. This becomes less important as the race progresses after I have found my stride and I am in my comfort zone. So, surprisingly, after just a couple of miles I found myself, well, by myself. Basically I was in between the top group and the rest of the field and I stayed here most of the day.<br />
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Loop 1: I found my stride and locked into my race pace (which varies depending on lots of factors, including how I feel on any given race day). The cool weather definitely helped on Saturday. I ran the entire lap, even the two steep up hills. I have run this course before, so I got re-acquainted and was happy to not have any issues. I stayed on top of my hydration and nutrition - PowerBar Energy Blasts for calories.<br />
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Loop 2: Got rid of the beanie and gloves, filled up on water, added sunglasses and a headband and inhaled a quarter PBJ at the start/finish before taking off. Felt a lot more confidence heading into loop 2. I chatted with a few more people on this lap, which I always enjoy (yes, I am THAT runner) and was happy to see Doug at the aid station. I ran the entire lap again, but was a bit slower on those steep uphills. PowerBar Energy Gel and a quarter PBJ fueled this lap.<br />
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Loop 3: I took off my remaining layers and felt awesome in the brisk air in a running tank and my leggings. At this point, I started to wonder how many women were ahead of me … hmmm. I passed a few and I knew there were a few ahead of me, but how many? I tried to ignore my competitive inner dialogue (like a devil on my shoulder) reminding myself to run my own race (the angel), to keep moving forward but I still found myself stalking a woman in a yellow t-shirt ahead of me. It was great to have a pace bunny. I ran into more traffic this lap and chatted briefly with the people I passed, some doing the 50 miler, some 25Kers. I passed the woman in the yellow shirt towards the end of the lap but it was because my natural stride and pace dictated it was time to pass. More PowerBar Energy Gels and PBJs. I had a few random cramps, but ran through them ok. I ran the entire lap, but walked the two steep uphills, which I swear were getting steeper each lap. The brief walks and change in my stride helped me stretch my hamstrings.<br />
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Loop 4: Doug was supportive as ever and wished me well on my last lap. I stopped to re-tie my shoes because they were loose and I didn’t want so much play in my shoes. While I was adjusting my shoes, the lady in yellow shirt passed me. Crap! I had to tell myself that it didn’t matter, I was racing my own race. The start of this lap hurt. My hamstrings were getting tight and I had a few random aches and pains, but I kept telling myself to keep moving forward, that my competition was running and I should be too (in this case, it was good to use my competitive spirit), and that it would feel better if I just kept going … and it did. It didn’t take long for me to pass the lady in yellow again. Once I hit the aid station, I took off knowing that I had just over 4 miles to go. There is a three quarters of a mile open section of trail as you leave the aid station to the next technical portion of the trail – the gas pass. I took my time here, and then let it ride in the gas pass, knowing my horse to stables adrenaline would get me home. Again, I power walked the steep up hills and enjoyed one last PowerBar Energy gel to power me to the end.<br />
<br />
With three or so miles to go, I got passed by a woman that I was hoping was running the 50 miler because she seemed like she was flying (turned out she was in the 50K). Towards the end of the lap, I saw a woman in a green hat that I thought might be in the 50K but I was not sure. I had reeled her in for most of the last lap but I thought that she was too far ahead to reach, and I was trying to run my own race. Well, with less than a half mile to go, I was on her tail and she started to pick up the pace, so I kicked it into high gear, but it was not quite enough to catch her (she was in the 50K … remember me saying it would be great to know who was running each race, maybe I need to pay more attention at the start!). I came in 6th by 6 seconds and missed out on the cool rabbit trophies, but enjoyed a Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale as a consolation prize after tacking on 4 bonus miles as training for Rocky Raccoon.<br />
<br />
It was a great race. I tried to be encouraging to every person I came across all day long, competition or not and to thank all of the volunteers who were so helpful. I had a great chat with the two ladies who came in fourth and fifth afterwards and then took off for my bonus miles. I thought they were going to hurt, but turns out, I was so relaxed now that I was no longer racing, they were actually faster than my times on my fourth lap (lesson learned – RELAX to go faster)! I finished my 35 miles feeling strong and knowing that I could have kept going, I will call that a positive training and race day! Oh, and I PR’d the race by 18 minutes!<br />
<br />
Race Results<br />
6/34 Women<br />
23/98 Overall<br />
Lap 1 – 1:19:04<br />
Lap 2 – 1:21:51<br />
Lap 3 – 1:25:53<br />
Lap 4 – 1:28:31<br />
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50K Total - 5:35:19<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-24701386321104352052012-11-04T16:16:00.002-06:002013-01-29T09:21:28.195-06:00My Road to the Cactus Rose – 100 Mile Relay Race ReportShort report – Doing things that scare you help you grow so much more as an athlete. Experience breeds confidence. Running in the dark makes the up hills less intimidating. Bandera was actually fun!<br />
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Gory Details:<br />
After Reveille Ranch, I thought my future trail running was going to be limited to the equivalent of soft green fields. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating but the course definitely got the better of me and my initial post race reaction was to avoid similar terrain in the future. <br />
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Once my ego healed, I realized that it was my lack of experience on trails, especially more technical trails, that left me vulnerable on the course.<br />
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The very first thing I did after Reveille Ranch was to hire Joe P as my coach to prepare me for the Rocky Raccoon 100 in February. It was clear that I have a lot to learn and I want to be completely prepared come February. Joe P is not only an incredible race director but he is also a seriously experienced trail runner. <br />
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The second thing I did was to start doing all of my long runs on trails when possible. I needed the confidence that only comes from experience. I know that Rocky is not a technical course by trail running standards, but having run the Little Rocky 50K and Escape from Huntsville 50K there last year, I am here to tell you, coming from only road miles, even Huntsville can feel hilly and technical. Plus, even for a non-technical trail, I imagine that the roots start to jump out at you after 60 some odd miles. <br />
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So, under Joe’s guidance I started adding specificity to my weekly runs. Intervals, hills, race pace. I also realized getting out of my comfort zone would only make me a stronger trail runner. I did long solo runs in Warda and ventured out for hilly runs in Tulsa and Little Rock, on trails when possible, on my business travels. <br />
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I had zero intention of running in Bandera. I had heard nothing but crazy things about the course and to be honest, it scared me a bit. Then I read about the history of the Cactus Rose race and that a relay option was available. My curiosity was definitely piqued. Then I started seeing requests on the Tejas Trails FB page for requests to help fill spots on relay teams. A quick call to Joe later, we both agreed, doing something that pushes me would be great experience and I was signed up to run 25 miles of the Cactus Rose.<br />
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My team agreed on how to split up the legs, and I ended up with the third leg. The good news was that I was able to show up in Bandera mid-afternoon on Saturday (less time away from home and the kids), the bad news (or so I thought) was that most of my 25 miles were going to be run in the dark.<br />
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Due to the lack of cell coverage around the race site, I had a difficult time locating my team (whom I had never met before), but I quickly realized I could check the log books at the Lodge and Equestrian to see where our Leg 2 runner was on the course. <br />
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We ran into town to grab some dinner for my husband aka, my crew, which gave me the opportunity to text my team. We finally met up at the Lodge around 5:30 and I felt much better. We also chatted with other runners and cheered on folks who were coming in finishing 50 miles or continuing on their 100 mile journeys. It gave me the opportunity to get some real time feedback on the course as well. <br />
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The Cactus Rose is run clockwise and counterclockwise every other loop. This allows runners to see each other more frequently and adds a fun dynamic to experience the course in both directions. Doing leg 3 of the relay meant that I had a clockwise loop.<br />
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In talking with Joe and looking at the course elevation map, I knew that the most challenging part of the course would be the last 10 miles of my 25 miles – and that section would certainly be in the dark. My plan was to run as much as I could during the daylight in the “easier” sections not knowing how much I would be able to run in the more technical sections, especially in the dark.<br />
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My nervousness and uncertainty was driven by my unplanned walking at Reveille Ranch with a nasty blister and a turned ankle (caused in part by my inexperience on the technical course) and having never run in Bandera, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of my ability to actually run the more technical portions.<br />
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Right around 6, I made myself a PB fold over and I was about to have it for dinner, when our leg 2 runner appeared. A quick change of the timing chip and race number and I was off, still eating my fold over. <br />
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With aid stations every 5 miles, I set out knowing I would have about that much time before sun down. As I set off, I felt fantastic and I was running strong on the course. There was one steep, rocky climb up and descent in the first five mile stretch that I hiked rather than ran, but other than that, I was able to run the majority of the time. This definitely boosted my confidence. <br />
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My only mistake in these early miles was misreading the aid stations. I told Doug that the Equestrian station was 10 miles out, but it was only 5 miles out, so when I arrived there, I thought that I had missed a turn. A few helpful folks assured me that I was on the right track, so I signed into the log book and knew that Doug would figure out what happened. I couldn’t even text him to let him know.<br />
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One of the negative things about running the third leg is that a lot of the 50 milers were finished so there were fewer runners on the course. Of the runners I did pass or come across I couldn’t help but feel like a bit of a poser. Running 25 miles in Bandera is still a great accomplishment, but when someone running 100 miles tells you that you are looking great, I felt like I had to clarify that I was running the relay. Maybe it stems from my own issues, I just know that when I am doing a long run and someone blazes by me it can be demoralizing, especially if I am in the midst of a bad spell. I usually tell myself (whether it is true or not) that they aren’t going as far so that is why they are passing me like I am standing still. Nothing against fasties, this just helps me feel better :) Anyhow, I tried to encourage everyone I came across and I found that as is the case in the ultra community, everyone I came across on the trails was encouraging and inspirational! <br />
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As night fell, I found that my new Black Diamond Icon 200 Lumen headlamp made a huge difference. I had plenty of light and was pleasantly surprised with the course. A good portion of the course was trail that was very runnable and I even got comfortable with all of the rock. The darkness definitely helped to mask the elevation changes. I really think there is something psychosomatic about seeing how steep a hill is and making it seem harder – as they say, it’s all in your head, and when you can’t see it, you can’t psyche yourself out! <br />
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I got to see Doug and Indy when I made it back to Equestrian and it was just the boost I needed for my last 10 miles.<br />
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I knew these last 10 miles would be challenging and they did not dissapoint in terms of sotol, steepness and no shortage of rocks. At one point noticed a headlamp off in the distance that looked like it was on top of a mountain, and that gave me a clue about how much climbing I had ahead of me. However, besides the sometimes very steep, rocky climbs and descents, which I carefully hiked, I was able to keep running. The sotol was prolific, but my legs stayed generally protected in my running tights <br />
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Overall, my three biggest surprises were how comfortable I was running alone, in the dark and on the terrain. Shockingly, besides one near slip on a rocky downhill and one toe stub, I had no issues at all. There were no ankle rolls or blisters like at Reveille Ranch and I felt really good. <br />
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My hydration pack was great so I was able to run empty-handed and I had easy access to my PowerBar Gels. My gels of choice are Tangerine and Berry Blast because of the caffeine, which is great for night running! Also, there is not a better gel on the market in terms of consistency. These gels are thin, taste great and easy to swallow and they gave me just the energy I needed for this course.<br />
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I finished my 25 miles in 5:43, which given the terrain, made me happy and Leg 4 of our relay took off just before midnight. I would definitely like to run in Bandera again in the daylight to enjoy the beauty of the terrain.<br />
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Photos by my relay teammates Niti and Jeanne.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-86577777564573577092012-09-30T20:03:00.000-05:002012-09-30T20:03:35.243-05:00PerspectiveWe all juggle a lot to manage our lives. <br />
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Families, jobs, training, school ... the list goes on and on ...<br />
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When I get wrapped around the axle about fitting in my training around my busy work travel schedule or our crazy weekend family obligations it is easy to forget that there are people in our tri and running community that are doing all of the above while overcoming cancer or a degenerative disease.<br />
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Through my relationship with Team Rev3 Tri, I have had the amazing opportunity to meet and support the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults through the Run Across America last Spring and again at the Half Full Tri next week. <br />
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Most recently, I had the opportunity to virtually meet <a href="http://www.beatinglimitations.com/" target="_blank">Donna</a> and learn about <span dir="auto">Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) disease. Named after those who clinically described it (so not dental related), CMT is the most common neuromuscular disorder impacting 1 in 2500 people. In general, CMT impacts the way the nerves transmit signals to muscles, leading to muscle atrophy, reduced sensation, and muscular imbalance. CMT patients slowly lose normal use of their extremities as nerves degenerate and muscles weaken because the affected nerves no longer stimulate the muscles. Many patients also have some loss of sensory nerve functions.</span><br />
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<span dir="auto">Wait, what? CMT is the most common neuromuscular disorder and I have never heard of it?</span>I bet you hadn't heard of it either ... but you have likely heard of Muscular Sclerosis (MS) and Muscular Dystrophy. <br />
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<span dir="auto">September was CMT awareness month and since my training this month was so inspired by Donna and her spirit of beating limitations, I wanted to share <a href="http://www.beatinglimitations.com/" target="_blank">her story</a> with you. Donna's outlook on life and dedication to raising awareness and<a href="https://www.cmtausa.org/index.php?option=com_jdonation&view=donation&Itemid=93" target="_blank"> funds</a> for CMT is remarkable! </span><br />
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<span dir="auto">As I struggle through my next interval workout or hill repeat, I will think of all of those who are fighting much more difficult fights! </span>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-6903921476271115962012-09-03T23:17:00.000-05:002012-11-04T16:20:04.309-06:00Tejas Trails Capt’n Karl’s 60K Night Race at Reveille Peak Ranch – Race ReportI was really excited (and nervous) to race a new distance and to do it primarily in the dark as training for the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler in February. I honestly didn’t know much about the race or the location, but I have heard nothing but great things about Tejas Trails so I knew it would be well supported, and well, the terrain will be what it will be (this would come back to bite me).<br />
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I should have known the course was going to be particularly challenging when Mark (running and race partner) was nervous about the race. We were both nervous about running in the dark, but I didn’t appreciate that he was also respecting the challenges of the terrain.</div>
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Heading into the race, I used my last two 50Ks as a barometer for how long the race would take. Both 50Ks took about 6 hours, so I figured that an additional 6 miles and the majority of the race being at night would add 2 hours to that time, making an 8 hour race. </div>
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The race itself was full of lessons for me and while it took much longer and I did far more walking than I wanted or expected, it was a success because we finished and walked away (pun intended) with invaluable knowledge.<br />
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The race was 3 loops of 12.4 miles and it started at 7 PM. The short race recap is below, followed by a more lengthy lessons learned.<br />
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Obligatory Before Photo<br />
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Lap 1: Holy terrain, batman. Hills, roots, granite rock, oh my! Beautiful course. Heart rate spiked early, which is common for me as I settle into the terrain. It was really warm, even though it was after 7 PM. 3 unexpected visits into the woods (GI issues) and nauseous (both firsts for me in racing, or even training). Worried about ability to race with tummy distress. Wow, it got dark fast. Rock in shoe? No that’s a big ass blister. Handheld flash light died. 3:06:34 for Loop 1, time to adjust expectations. 10:00 PM<br />
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Lap 2: Major morale boost thanks to seeing hubby and amazing volunteers. Feeling MUCH better, attitude and tummy! Running and walking, good tempo and mix. Met Haleigh on the Dome. Ankle roll #1. Ankle roll #2 (and #3 maybe?). Nervous feet after multiple trips. Blister growing. More walking than running. Met Danny. Lots of stories and laughing. Ankle roll AGAIN. Seriously?!? Pick up your damn feet! Headlight getting dim. Battery change. 3:47:52 for Loop 2, time to seriously adjust expectations. 2:15 AM<br />
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Lap 3: Time to start worrying about cut off times. Still more walking than running (ankle). Less talking and laughing. Counting down the miles. Popped blister on fourth toe of right foot on a rock – yowza! Limping. Pain assimilation and back to (almost) normal gait. Counting down the miles. Met someone who was doing an extra lap (so lapping us). Blisters on both feet. Mark decides it is time to roll. Let’s finish this thing! Running feels so GOOD. Cheers! 4:15:31 for Loop 3, so happy to be finished. Major mental victory. 6:10 AM<br />
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Summary: 11:09:57 for 37.2 miles. Or 5 additional hours for 5 additional miles from my <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2011/11/rocky-raccoon-50k-race-report.html" target="_blank">32 for 32</a>. What a difference terrain can make! 85 people entered the 60K and 66 people (78%) finished, of that there were less than 15 women.<br />
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My Personal Lessons Learned<br />
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1. Respect the terrain – Long ago when I first started racing, I learned the hard way about respecting the distance. After running two marathons and doing an Olympic distance triathlon without following proper training plans, I learned how much a finish line can hurt. I was probably lucky to finish at all. I have been fairly smart about picking races with terrain that is similar to the terrain on which I normally train. The terrain at Reveille Peak Ranch was quite varied, but the majority of it was vastly different than anything I have run before. Rooty and rocky (and hilly) single track and large granite, hilly rock. I was physically ready for the distance, but definitely under-prepared for the terrain. <br />
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2. Be prepared for anything – this one goes without saying. Extra batteries. Baby wipes (thank God I had those!). Enough nutrition that if your race falls apart and you are on the course longer than expected and the aid stations are running low you are still ok.<br />
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3. Don’t wear new shoes – I know, I know, I know … I know better. I really thought switching to the trail version of my normal running shoe would not be that big of a deal, and maybe on a different course it would have been ok. Heck, my blister problems (back of the heels) and ankle turns may have happened in my other shoes because of the terrain. Running and walking / hiking up and around uneven rocks moves your ankles in different ways and I think this contributed to my problems. I will definitely be experimenting to determine what shoes will be best for me for the 100 miler.<br />
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4. It’s all in your head – I would not describe myself as having a high tolerance for pain, but I am stubborn as all get out. The first lap I questioned whether I could keep going with my stomach problems. Mark even asked if I wanted to quit (actually, I stopped him before he could finish his sentence and told him I was not quitting). Mentally I was not in a good place. The ankle turns and blisters did not feel good. Every step starting at about 10 miles in, I could feel the blister on my right heel. Then, at mile 17 (I am guessing here), after turning my ankle again and again, every step I could feel the tweak in my ankle and the blister. Then at mile 31, I inadvertently popped a blister on the pad of a toe of my right foot and I thought I was going to have to limp the rest of the way … BUT for as yucky as I felt on the first lap, I was a different person on the second lap. Amazingly, for as bad as my feet were hurting, my body seemed to assimilate and after a bit the pain became more manageable. I think that with even more trail running experience, I may even be able to shake off ankle turns and not let it affect my confidence as I am running more technical sections. <br />
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I have heard from a lot of experienced endurance athletes that you can go from feeling like crap to feeling like a rock star to feeling like crap to feeling like a rock star over the course of a race. I have experienced this a bit in training but not much in racing. It was good to experience that during this race as I will be able to draw on it in the future. I definitely drew on the experience from my ankle turn at the <a href="http://annesirondream.blogspot.com/2011/11/rocky-raccoon-50k-race-report.html" target="_blank">Rocky Raccoon 50K</a> last year to remind myself that I had been there, done that and overcome it before. I am listening to Chrissie Wellington’s book right now and she discusses GI problems she has experienced during races and I definitely drew on that during this race. <br />
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I am not saying that there are not injuries that cannot be overcome, that is obviously not the case, but I think those types of injuries are less common.<br />
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5. Be flexible / adaptable – adjust expectations when necessary; don’t mentally beat yourself up if your race is not going as planned. <br />
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6. Hubby thinks I need cooler, brighter lights. I think he just likes getting cool gear :)<br />
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7. Remember to look on the bright side – 11 hours moving and on my feet is good training for the 100 miler! Obviously our pace will need to be faster, but the weather should be cooler and the terrain far more manageable!<br />
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Overall – great, well supported race. I loved the location, even though I was not prepared for the terrain. My hubby mountain biked the course the next day and loved it and came back saying he had a new respect for us after experiencing some of the terrain first hand. Side note, he saw lots of wild animals (road runners, wild boars, a dead rattle snake, a doe) – so glad I did not know about the wild boar ahead of time (we were cautioned about the rattle snakes). The spiders and scorpions and tree roots that looked like snakes were scary enough in the dark.<br />
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The volunteers were FANTASTIC! Top notch service. Example - at the end of both loops, a kind volunteer took my sweaty Nathan vest and refilled my pack with water and ice and wouldn’t let me help him at all (first lap, I kept trying to take over and he kept telling me to do other stuff; second lap I just gave it to him while the medic bandaged my blister).<br />
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It was great to meet Haleigh and Danny on the course - I really enjoyed talking and laughing with them, it made the time pass a lot faster, especially on the second loop.</div>
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After Photo with Mark and our new friend Haleigh - all smiles!</div>
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Sunday my ankle was pretty bruised (coloring) and swollen but it is already doing much better. The blisters on my heels are going to take a bit longer. Thankfully, this week is a recovery week, so low mileage! </div>
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Blister and Ankle</div>
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I only slept for three hours on Sunday morning after finishing and I was surprised that I was actually ok energy wise for the rest of the day. I got a good 8 or 9 hours Sunday night, and have been ok all day today (Monday), but I feel exhausted now. Time for bed!</div>
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As always, I am so thankful for the support of my team and sponsors, Team Rev3, PowerBar, and Normatec MVP were all a big part of my race and recovery. Mark is a great running partner … perfect blend of patient, protective and sarcastic big brother type. Last but not least – my hubby is the most supportive and amazing partner anyone could ever ask for, thank you for everything you do, especially staying up all night to support us!</div>
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My #1 Fan</div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16686396399794699689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6461550032911307024.post-24185660582863984152012-07-10T22:38:00.000-05:002012-07-15T21:00:03.124-05:00Du the Polar Bear Duathlon Race Report<div>
Sunday, February 26, 2012<br />
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I wrote this post, lost it (which if you have a blog you know is sooo frustrating!) ... well, it miracualously re-appeared in my drafts! So, pretend that this was actually posted in February. :)<br />
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In the spirit of trying new things and working on speed, on a whim, I signed up for the Du the Polar Bear Duathlon. The race was sponsored by my local bike shop, Bicycle World and Fitness and it was conveniently 5 minutes from my house, which made for a laid back race morning.</div>
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The race was a 2 mile run, followed by a 15 mile bike, ending with a 2 mile run. The race started at 8 am and transition closed around 7:40, so I was able to accidentally oversleep and still make it to transition with time to spare. It was a cool and crisp morning so I went back and forth on what to wear. I hate being cold on the bike so I erred on the side of staying warm, which was ultimately too much.</div>
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I have been doing a lot of running training so I was planning on pushing the run pretty hard, with a goal of keeping the average pace sub 7:00 min miles (fast and hard for me). I have NOT been on my bike, but I was still planning to push the bike as hard as I could and I was counting on my base fitness to get me through it.</div>
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The race started at 8:00 AM with the men and the women started five minutes later. I took off behind the lead pack and occassionally glanced at my Garmin to make sure my pace was sub 7:00 min. I was definitely in the red zone, but I focused on passing one person at a time and maintaining my breathing and pace. Plus, two miles is my favorite distance to push hard and I regularly run a 2 mile loop through my neighborhood, so I have a good feel for the distance and pacing. </div>
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<strong>Run 1 - 2 mile time - 13:43, average pace - 6:52, AG place 4/17</strong></div>
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I kept my run pace up into transition and was breathing heavily as I got to my bike. I was wearing gloves and I had a hard time putting on my shoes and it took me way too long to buckle my helmet. I was about a minute long in transition and I hated to see all the people I passed on the run starting the bike ride with me. I am a big believer that races can be won or lost in transition and my pitiful time almost cost me hardware at this race!</div>
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<strong>T1 - 1:36, AG place 12/17</strong></div>
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It took me too long to clip in on the bike - damn toe covers - but once I finally got clipped I hit it hard and also started hydrating. I felt pretty strong for the first 5 miles and I was passing people the entire first lap. The second lap I started to feel the burn in my legs and it became immediately clear to me that I was paying for all the time I spent away from the bike. The third lap I could feel myself fading and I fought to maintain some speed on the bike. My average pace for 15 miles was 19.3 mph versus 18.7 mph average pace for 112 miles at IMTX. Clearly, I need to spend some time on my bike, especially working on shorter, harder sets.<br />
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<strong>15 Mile Bike- 46:42.8 - 19.3 MPH - AG Place 5/17</strong><br />
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I was much happier with my T2. Very efficient, just how I like it! <br />
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<strong>T2 - 0:49.2 - AG Place 3/17</strong><br />
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I knew the last 2 miles were going to hurt and I decided to take the first mile at a 7:00 minute pace and let myself kick the last mile. I was pushing hard and passing one person at a time. With a half mile to go I really wanted to ease up, but I fought back that urge by channeling two of my Rev3 teammates - <a href="http://kacietri-ing.blogspot.com/2012/03/quick-post-race-and-your-questions.html" target="_blank">Kacie</a>, who had just before completed a DOUBLE Ironman, and <a href="http://ugwi.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-minute-matters-ironman-arizona-race.html" target="_blank">Laura</a>, who came in 3rd in her AG at IMAZ, missing a Kona spot by less than a minute. I will never forget her Tweet the next day "Can't sleep- nightmares of watching my kona slot BLAZE by 800m from finish after I had it for 20mi & beat me by 59sec #truestory #racing" (I know she will ger her spot in 2012!). So I ran my heart out and I just focused on passing one person at a time in that last half mile, including someone in my age group!<br />
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<strong>Run 2 - 2 mile time - 13:19.8 average pace - 6:40, AG place 2/17</strong><br />
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<strong>AG Overall Place - 3 /17!</strong><br />
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Overall, the race was great and I was happy with my performance, especially for a last minute decision to race with not a lot of training. The race had great support (thanks Bicycle World and Fitness!) and good food and schwag afterwards. My only complaint was in the timing. Somehow the computer picked up my timing as well as the person who came in 1st in my AG, but our results were not showing up on the print out (and they didn't write us in). Ultimately, they announced the awards correctly, but I felt terrible for the two athletes that saw their names in podium spots only to be totally surprised at the awards presentation. I understand that these things happen though, and I will definitely do this race and Du the Bear in the Fall in the future. <br />
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<strong>Lessons learned from this race: always double check your timing chip, don't give up a lot of time in transition and push hard until the end - I came in third by a whopping 23 seconds!</strong><br />
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