Marathoner in Training

This was a shirt we picked up at the Dances With Dirt Race. They had a bunch of different shirts and onsies, but I saw this one and had to get it... who knows, maybe she'll be joining me on a run someday - even training for her own marathon...

Lost and Found

So, it's been a bit crazy the last few weeks. The week after the half marathon I did no running whatsoever. This was not planned, nor was I sore or injured, I was just buried in work... ugh. Then came Memorial Day Weekend.

That Saturday had us going to the 500 Festival Parade - the precursor to the Indy 500 (Mine and Lilli's first one). It was cool - we had great seats - right near the beginning and right up front and Lilli did so good. From there we went home for a quick nap - for most of us (not me) and then off to a birthday party for Steph's friend Jennifer whose son Drew was 1 year old. Another first for Lilli - her first birthday party invite...

And finally from there, we went to our good friends Tom and Carol for a cookout. By the end of this we were all pretty exhausted, but Lilli did so good. I, unfortunately, came down with more head congestion and ended up not being able to hear in my right ear... the creeping crud apparently still around (I ended up finding out it was an ear infection).

The next day we relaxed a little in the morning then we were off to the in-laws for the "final" cookout at their house. Their house has sold and they have both quit their jobs (last day is today) and are preparing to move to Arizona. On Monday we just hung around the house. I was feeling a bit cruddy still and just needed to relax.

The following week I got in two mid-week runs. Not terrible runs either, but not a long distance run that I felt I needed. Other than that, that was it for the week - not much else to report.

Then last weekend was our neighborhood's garage sale, so we spent Friday night getting stuff together - Steph's parents brought over a bunch of stuff to get rid of as well (including a van). Then that night we had awful storms that knocked out our power around 10:30pm and it didn't come back on until 1:30 pm the next day. But all through the day we worked the garage sale, selling most of Steph's parents stuff - including their van. We made 20% off of their stuff, which was good, since we didn't sell much of our junk... anyone want a drafting table?

Sunday was a blur and then it was back to work on Monday. I very stressful week with tons of work piling on top of me and no end in site. I got in two more mid-week runs but that was all. The weather is supposed to be lousy tomorrow, but I am hoping to get in a good long run some time this weekend - we'll see.

My youngest sister, her husband and my three beautiful nieces are coming in this Sunday and will be here all week. Steph and I are taking Thursday and Friday off to spend time with them. Thursday we are going to the Children's Museum. I am looking forward to going (for selfish reasons - being a big kid at heart). So a nice short work week, but unfortunately it is a short work week - i.e. even more stressful.

Race Report: Inaugural Geist Half Marathon

I am FINALLY getting around to my second race report in the last two weekends...

After my Dances With Dirt experience I took it easy for a couple of days - mainly to let my legs heal. Oh they were sore... anyway I got in one run mid-week and it felt just fine so I thought I would be okay for another race on the weekend. Besides, I did not have plans to PR, but just to finish without embarrassing myself too much.

I arrived an hour early to park and use the bathrooms. Then took a leisurely stroll to the finish line since it was a mile away from the parking. They offered shuttle buses, but I thought a walk/jog would be best. Of course, I could have been wrong too... on my way to the start line my ankle started aching and my hip... surely casualties from the previous weekends race. It wasn't painful enough to stop running, so I kept going and then stretched a little when I got to the start line.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, about 55 degrees with a good wind. The line up was not organized to the point where they had pace signs up to line up with, so I just lined up in the front-middle and decided to start out easy and work into a pace that felt comfortable.

The race started on time and out I went, slowly at first (10:00/mile pace), then settled into a very comfortable 9:00/mile pace. The course was very scenic - starting on a bridge over the reservoir and then winding through some neighborhoods, crossing the reservoir a few more times and finishing up right on the reservoir. One could not have asked for a more beautiful day.

My pace remained pretty consistent mile to mile. I checked at each mile marker because they had clocks at each one which was nice. The first 6-7 miles were not bad. I had my ipod going and I was just cruising along feeling good and enjoying the run. Just past the mile 7 mark, I met up with Brooke who said she'd join me for the last 5-6 miles of the race, which was great. We hadn't run at all since November so we had a little catching up to do. So for the next 5-6 miles we talked and ran like old times.

The next thing I knew we were approaching the bridge to the finish line so I picked up the pace because I still had the energy to do it (plus I wanted to make sure I finished in under 2 hours). We get over the bridge and turn the corner to the finish, Brooke drops off to the side and I head on in to finish in 1:59:31... not bad for no specific half marathon training... though not close to a PR, but it was a great day for a run.

The rest and recovery area was well organized and we hung around for about a 1/2 hour or so talking and stretching. Then we boarded the shuttle bus back to my car (about 3 miles away... probably could have run it back, but it was already the farthest run I had done in over 6 months).

I am actually looking forward to running this race next year, but for now need to set my sights on something closer. I am now debating the 42k relay in July, but will probably still do it... I need some more races throughout the summer to keep me motivated. More on these to follow when I find some interesting races to do.

Until then, keep on running...

Race Report: Dances With Dirt 100k Team Relay

It was a cool, crisp, foggy morning. We loaded up the van and headed to the start/finish area. We arrive to a sea of vehicles with people milling about, getting ready for the long day. We walked over to the start line and sized up the other teams. We saw a few serious teams, and quite a few not as serious teams wearing some interesting costumes.

It was finally time for the start. Our first team member headed out - a quick 2.5 mile loop with incredible hills. He returned well ahead of the majority of the other runners. Then our second runner headed out on the second leg - a 2.75 mile loop with more hills and plenty of water. She gets back and our third runner heads out for a 6.5 mile point to point leg. The rest of us clambered into the van and headed to the next exchange point where I would be the next runner.

Leg 4 Description: "Shoot Me Now (They shoot horses don’t they?) – 3.2 Miles – Follow Blue - Nature Center to Hoosiers Nest – Reverse of Stairway to Heaven (Leg 13), you go … down a ton of steps to shatter your quads, a quick view of the lake then bushwhack up and down a serious hill to a mucked up horse trail filled with horse remnants, muddy hoof prints and several creek crossings (rivers if it rains). You will leave this trail onto a poorly maintained trail that goes … straight up! At the top you will roll along up and down through some nice pines but tricky footing to the exchange. If you end up lame, the team might have to put you down!"

My adrenaline level was at a high point when it was my turn to run. As he description says, I took off going down a trail that led right to a set of steps that seemed to keep going down. When I got to the bottom I ran along the edge of a beautiful lake only to head back into the woods for rolling hills. I didn't keep track of my pace during this run, but I felt good until I hit my second hill that seemed to go straight up. It was then I decided to walk up it -- a strategy I thought would prove to keep me from fading too much at the end. I soon learned that no trail run I had done to date had come close to preparing me for this race. At the end of my leg, I ran from the woods out into an open field where I became slightly disoriented from the change in scenery and had to focus on where I needed to go. I made the exchange and then headed over to the van to change my socks and dry out my shoes.

We ran two more legs from this exchange point and then it was time to head to the next exchange where we ran two more legs. It was once again time for my second run.

Leg 9 Description: "Gnaw Boned – 3.1 Miles - Follow White - North Gate To Opry – 1.5 miles of good trail then right into a bushwhack. Some of it’s very runnable and all of it is beautiful, some hills. You will run along a thorny ridge before plunging down to the highway and the exchange to the left. May of may not be a river to cross at the exchange"

This started out as a great trail run - just as described - beautiful, some hills. Then it turned into the woods where it had me going through briers down a hill and then onto a trail with rolling hills until it turned once again into the woods where it headed straight down a hill through more briers (and with runners coming up the hill on a different leg of the race) only to kick me out onto the road side about a 1/ mile form the exchange point. I turn on the speed and head to the exchange point. A runner heading out on the next leg shouts out to me as I approach the exchange: "it's not that deep". I wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but soon saw what he was talking about. The exchange had me crossing a river that didn't quite come up to my waste, but nonetheless had me going through it and up the other side of the bank to tag my team member. He, unfortunately, had to start his leg going through it, while I was lucky enough to finish on it. It actually felt pretty good.

We end up at a couple of more exchange points and run our other legs and then end up back at an exchange point we had been earlier in the day -- in fact the one where I started out on my first leg, but this time I was running a 6.2 mile point to point leg back to the start/finish.

Leg 14 Description: "Boned Again – 6.2 Miles - Follow Blue – Billy’s 2, down the road behind the Dance Barn. The reverse of Leg 3, start with ½ mile of road then left on to funky horse trails all the way to “The Plunge”, deadly downhill and finish in the field a ¼ mile behind the Dance Barn."

I was still pretty anxious to run my final leg - and all of a sudden they call out "legal cheat!" Which allowed the remainder of us still waiting for our runner to tag us to go ahead and leave now so we could finish up the relay around 6:00 pm. So I take off, this time armed with my GPS so I could track my pace and distance. I look down once I started and saw a 6:34/mile pace... what? I couldn't possibly have done that... I calmed down and settled into a rhythm - about a 8:30/mile. The other thing? I was running on road. I was getting comfortable with this thought until about 1.5 miles into my run it headed onto a trail, but it was an well maintained trail, so it wasn't bad. But that didn't last long... after two miles, I was once again going through briers, but my legs no longer felt the scratches I was on a mission to finish. After surviving the briers, I was back on a trail - a horse trail. It looked familiar... in fact it was the horse trail John and I had ended up on when we over shot our turn around point a few weeks back when we tried to run the first leg. Unfortunately it didn't help me much to be on familiar ground because it had rained two days prior to the race, there was almost nothing but mud on the trail. It was next to impossible to actually run through most of it, and I had to walk through these patches so I could keep my footing. One runner had lost his shoe to the mud just as I was passing him. I was actually catching up to some of the other runners when we were going through the mud. We finally got past the "bad spots" and turn onto a quasi-logging road filled with ruts and roots. I followed this out of the woods make a turn and find myself looking down a 250' drop down to a field. At this point my calves are balling up into knots, but I take off down the hill and get to the bottom pretty quickly and felt a surge of energy as I ran across the field. I caught up with the last two runners I had been following and pass them on the road and then turn back into the field to the exchange zone to finish my final leg. As I approached the end my calves were on the verge of seizing up. I finally made it and it was all I could do to not just fall down -- 12.5 miles completed and it felt like a lot more.

It was tough, at times painful, but wow it was sure fun. I think I would do it again, but I would definitely train more and differently.

Dances With Dirt Photos

Here are just a few photos... plenty more and the race report will follow soon...

The Schwag

Umm, Slight disclaimer...

Cool Nike Race shirts

Team Shirts

Team "We've Got The Runs" (L-R): Ben, John, Dave, Paula and Jason