Posts
Giving Back
3 days ago
08 November 2009
Stockade-athon 15k RR
Got to the race later than I hoped, but still with plenty of time to spare. Got ready, stayed warm by the fire, then jogged ~2 miles to warm up. Walked over to the start... and waited... and waited. I really loathe races that do not start on time. Anyways, got going, took off at a good pace. I decided that it's *only* 15k so I'll push hard, even though I am not 100% (shock). The flat first 5 miles weren't quite flat... at least not by road racing standards. Ok by me. I pulled back on the uphills and let gravity do the work on the downhills, passing tons of people. Hit mile 2 at 14:55... ok, right on pace for 1:10. First 2 miles were pretty scenic, then we left that all behind and ran through the scuzzy - run down parts of town. Lovely. Then ran mile 3 in 7:10... yikes (5k was sub-23). Well, mile 4 was almost all downhill, so I was flying.... ran it in 6:15. Uh-oh... gonna pay for that. Sure enough, a bit before mile 5 I got hit with a wicked stitch. Dang, it's been a LONG time since I got a stitch. Ow, ow, ow, OW, OW!! Took about a half mile before I got it under control, but thankfully I did, b/c I could NOT have kept running with it. Then came the nice looooong uphill. Ugh. I felt whipped from the stitch, now a hill! Wait, what am I whining about?? This thing is NOTHING in comparison to what I run on trails. HTFU! Ok, up to the top of the hill... hmmmm... water stop... sounds like a nice idea, but no effing way I can drink anything with all this huffing and puffing. Heck, it's only 3.5 miles to the finish, I can do without. Hit mile 6 at ~44:05. Turning out of the scuzzy areas into... a park... oh nice... wait... a graveyard?!? Seriously? Ummm... odd. Continue to hold ~7:35/mile. Where's the finish?? Head back to the park we started in, loop around the park, then we're headed back to where the finish line is. Huzzah.. but wait, I didn't see the 9 mile marker... maybe I missed it. Just as I start to put in a finishing kick, I see that we turn away and run around the pond. Ack, slow down!! OMG, is it over yet?? Ok, almost there, almost there... rounding the end of the pond and finally headed for the finish. Start to kick, pass one woman, gaining on another.... dang, she saw my shadow and picked up the pace. It's over!! YAY!!! 1:08:48! Not gonna puke, not gonna puke... don't puke on the volunteer taking the chip off.... yes, I'm ok.
07 November 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/health/policy/08fat.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig
Oh, puh-lease! Granted, I accept that someone who is a bit overweight can be considered healthy, if they eat well and exercise... and that there are thin people who eat junk and have clogged arteries... but I think that tends to be the exception, not the norm. And I seriously cannot wrap my brain around the notion that someone who is 400+ lbs could be considered anything close to healthy, regardless of what they eat.
"A federally financed study by Ms. Bacon, published in the book ["Healthy at Every Size"], found that there were many people who could be healthy in fat bodies."
Ok.... how about we compare what percentage of sample populations are classified as healthy within "normal weight", "overweight" and "obese" groups. I'm betting a greater percentage of people in the normal weight range are health, compared to the other 2 groups.
I could care less about making overweight/obese people a "scapegoat" for anything... but the notion that we now have "fat pride" communities... seriously? I can't figure out what there is to be proud of! Maybe I'm just being close-minded.
Oh, puh-lease! Granted, I accept that someone who is a bit overweight can be considered healthy, if they eat well and exercise... and that there are thin people who eat junk and have clogged arteries... but I think that tends to be the exception, not the norm. And I seriously cannot wrap my brain around the notion that someone who is 400+ lbs could be considered anything close to healthy, regardless of what they eat.
"A federally financed study by Ms. Bacon, published in the book ["Healthy at Every Size"], found that there were many people who could be healthy in fat bodies."
Ok.... how about we compare what percentage of sample populations are classified as healthy within "normal weight", "overweight" and "obese" groups. I'm betting a greater percentage of people in the normal weight range are health, compared to the other 2 groups.
I could care less about making overweight/obese people a "scapegoat" for anything... but the notion that we now have "fat pride" communities... seriously? I can't figure out what there is to be proud of! Maybe I'm just being close-minded.
Javelina Jundred - "Diet"
Well, the researchers just emailed me what I ate... for me to verify. Suuuure... like I'm gonna remember! But it's neat to go back and look at what I ate! They'll be sending me a nutritional analysis soon. Good thing b/c I'm not motivated enough to analyze all this, especially since I lack the software I'd have to do it all by hand. Eeep!!
Loop 1:
8 peanut M and M’s
2 Gu gels (straw-banana, espresso)
30 oz water
Loop 2:
4 Hammer Endurolytes
1 brownie bite
2 vanilla sandwich cookies
2 Excel gels (1 chocolate, 1 vanilla)
66 oz water
Loop 3:
80 oz water
24 oz Gatorade
16 oz Succeed
2 S caps
2 Gu gels (vanilla)
8 pieces candy corn
3 brownie bites
Loop 4:
110 oz water
2 S caps
1 pack Clif Shot Bloks (margarita)
½ bean burrito
1 slice chicken pizza
6 oz Coke
1 slice watermelon
6 peanut M and M’s
Loop 5:
1 bean burrito
1 Gu gel (vanilla)
1 Odwalla bar (chocolate chip peanut butter)
1 turkey/cream cheese roll up
2 S caps
54 oz water
5 miles + post-DNF:
16 oz water
½ bean burrito
2 cups chicken noodle soup
Whew! Guess I could sum it up by saying that I apparently like variety... my drop bag was a mish-mash of stuff... and I obviously lack any sort of plan. Maybe I should try some sort of plan!
Loop 1:
8 peanut M and M’s
2 Gu gels (straw-banana, espresso)
30 oz water
Loop 2:
4 Hammer Endurolytes
1 brownie bite
2 vanilla sandwich cookies
2 Excel gels (1 chocolate, 1 vanilla)
66 oz water
Loop 3:
80 oz water
24 oz Gatorade
16 oz Succeed
2 S caps
2 Gu gels (vanilla)
8 pieces candy corn
3 brownie bites
Loop 4:
110 oz water
2 S caps
1 pack Clif Shot Bloks (margarita)
½ bean burrito
1 slice chicken pizza
6 oz Coke
1 slice watermelon
6 peanut M and M’s
Loop 5:
1 bean burrito
1 Gu gel (vanilla)
1 Odwalla bar (chocolate chip peanut butter)
1 turkey/cream cheese roll up
2 S caps
54 oz water
5 miles + post-DNF:
16 oz water
½ bean burrito
2 cups chicken noodle soup
Whew! Guess I could sum it up by saying that I apparently like variety... my drop bag was a mish-mash of stuff... and I obviously lack any sort of plan. Maybe I should try some sort of plan!
04 November 2009
Javelina Jundred Recap
Seeing how it's been half a year since I last posted, I figured I should give myself a kick in the butt. What better to post about than my trip to AZ for the Javelina Jundred!
I wound up flying out to CO a week before the race to visit with my parents in their new home. Fabulous... and cold and snowy! Didn't see a whole lot of CO as I only spent 2 days there before driving through Utah to see Arches National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument. I must say, it can be nice to travel with parents... they have a National Parks pass... and they like to eat out... and they pay! Woohoo!! We wound up getting snowed on in UT as well and it followed us all the way to Flagstaff. After 3 days of travel I picked up my rental car and took off for the Phoenix area while my parents headed for home in CA.
I rolled into the McDowell Mountain Park mid-afternoon on Thursday to find set-up was well underway. The truck (a ~25 foot UHaul, packed FULL) had already been unloaded, canopies were getting set up and food sorted by aid station. I joined in with all the work until almost sunset, then a bunch of us gathered around a table for dinner. Friday morning I was up early, before anyone else, so I headed to S-bux for a coffee run, as I hadn't brought a mug, coffee or press - oh no!! After coffee and breakfast I headed out with another volunteer, Gail, to mark 2/3 of the course. Had a great time previewing the course and in great company. Then back to camp for a cold shower, lunch, and more volunteering! By mid-afternoon pretty much everything was set up and I went to check in with the researchers.
I had signed up to participate in the study on Hyponatremia during the run, which mean a few blood draws during the race, sweat patches every loop, and peeing in collection bags. Mostly it was from personal experience (Massanutten this year) that I was interested, but I do kinda enjoy being a lab rat - free tests! They got all my information, weight and a pre-race blood sample. Then I waited around for packet pick-up to begin. Got a spiffy duffel bag with water bottle and a long sleeve wicking tee - great schwag! Then waited around for dinner and chatted with other runners I knew. Dinner was uneventful (and not filling enough). Afterwards I took off for some last minute shopping at Safeway - namely a pre-race beer!
Race morning arrive far too soon. I was woken up before my alarm by the steady stream of people shuffling past my car to the restrooms... ugh... 4am. After a bit I pulled myself out of the warm comfort of my sleeping bag to begin getting ready... dressed, breakfast, get a few toes taped (2 toes started randomly falling apart the day before.... big hunks of thick skin falling off... eeep!!), check-in, get weighed again, lay out gear, etc. About a half hour before the start I bumped into Donato, a fellow ultrarunner / triathlete who lives in San Francisco. I'd met him ~2 years earlier at some races while I was still living in CA. Before long they were calling the runners over to the starting area, just a few minutes to go before the start!
And we were off!! Woohoo!! I found myself running along at a conservative pace, chatting with Donato. This was his first attempt at 100 miles, with his longest previous run being 58 miles at the SF One Day the previous fall. The first 5.2 miles was the only section of the course I had not seen while marking the day before. It also happened to be the rockiest/hilliest section... relative to the rest of the course... but by no means is the course hilly or technical! Eventually we made our way around to the aid station, quick stop, then on to the next. The early miles passed relatively quickly, with the last 5 miles of the 15.4 mile loop being a gradual downhill. Donato set off to change into his French Maid dress while I headed for the research tent for a weigh-in, change of sweat patch and to record all the food/drink I had consumed. After a ~5 minute stop we were off again, heading out on the same loop, but in the opposite direction.
The second loop went just as well as the first. We ran most of the gradual uphill to the first aid station, getting may cheers for our costumes - more so for Donato the French Maid. At the first aid station I stopped to "Pee for Science". Turns out, peeing in a bag is not an easy task... and I should have chosen the gallon sized bag rather than the quart sized bag... bigger opening makes things easier! That stop took waaaay to long and I had to kick up the pace to catch up to Donato. After a mile or so I pulled up to Phil (I had met him a month earlier at Delaware 100), with Donato just ahead. I chatted with Phil a bit, who seemed to be running well despite a lack of training before pulling ahead and taking off up the trail. I ran alone for the next several miles until Donato caught up to me with less than a mile to finish lap 2.
Back to the research tent... new sweat patch, food diary, weight... and a blood draw as well. Refiled my pockets with food and headed out for lap 3. The weather was beginning to heat up and despite the sunblock I had been applying, I was feeling crispy-fried (partly due to sunburn from Friday). All the way up to the first aid station I played leap frog with another runner. The heat, not enough food the first lap, and dehydration were making it tough for me to keep a reasonable pace. I wasn't able to do much running while drinking enough to prevent dehydration. The entire loop I drank both 24oz bottles dry between each of the aid stations (~5mi apart). That's 144oz in <3.5 hours! I forced myself the run the 1.2 mile flat/downhill stretch into the second aid station, where I again stopped to pee in a bag. Amazingly, despite all the fluids... things were not looking good... they were looking... ummm.. dark yellow... yikes! I can't drink anymore! Grabbing more food and water from the aid station table I realize Donato is there - he had taken off ahead of me after the 2nd loop. We head out with another (annoying guy) close behind. Although the path is slightly downhill, we walk pretty much the entire 5 miles back to headquarters. Probably from the heat and running the previous lap hard, I'm feeling really trashed and wondering how the heck I am going to run another 60 miles!
We stagger into HQ at the end of 3 laps (46.2 miles) at 3:40p and again I head for the research tent. I think by now we had reached a silent agreement to stick together as long as we ran about the same pace. Despite encouragement from volunteers and statements about the temperatures cooling, I am not really looking forward to heading back out, but stopping isn't an option. Since it is uphill back to the aid station - and still warm - we take off walking. After 4 miles or so, Donato got a 2nd wind and we start running. Ugh! I hadn't gotten my second wind yet, so this seemed like a LOT of effort. And by running, I really mean shuffling along at what must have been slower than 12:00/mile. But hey, we'd covered over 50 miles in under 11 hours, cut us some slack here! Onwards and upwards, over rocky and rolling terrain to the next aid station. A mile or so from the next aid station we heard feet coming up fast behind us - another runner who was flying downhills, but not going so fast up. We chatted briefly and I thought he seemed a bit familiar - turns out I had run a bit with him (or rather, he was following me) at my first 50 miler 2 years previously. Shortly after, the leader Dave James caught and passed us, now 31 miles ahead of us!! We continued together to the next aid station where I found the pizza had finally arrived. Huzzah!! Pizza and coke was just what I needed. The 3 of us took off together, racing the setting sun, and my 2nd wind finally arrived and I left the guys in the dust. Heheh!! :-D It felt goo to stretch out my legs a bit - downhills helped - but I also knew it wouldn't last long. Sure enough, as I slowed a bit a couple miles later, Donato caught up to me. Unfortunately, it was now starting to get a bit dark. The moon was up, but we were running downhill over a rocky path. A light would have been nice, but I was managing ok, however Donato was still wearing his prescription sunglasses, also no light. I stayed in the lead and tried to point out as many obstacles as possible, hoping I wouldn't head the *thump* of him tumbling onto the trail behind me. We made it down off the rocky section and walked most of the flats in to headquarters.
100k done and time for another blood draw. I had been feeling better, but the long stretches of running had taken their toll. Ok, so it wasn't a great idea, but it felt really good at the time. As we set off back up the trail neither of us has the energy or will to run - hey, it's uphill! Getting to the aid station I check my watch and see it took us nearly 2 hours to get there - only 5.2 miles! Uh-oh! I was still holding onto hope of a sub-24 hour finish, which had still be within reach at the beginning of the lap, but was now beginning to fade. Heading onto the next stretch we made a few attempts at running, but it definitely took time to settle in. Eventually we got the momentum going to run the last mile to the aid station. About a mile or so out of the aid station Donato's wife joined us in running back to headquarters. We made it a solid 1.5 miles of running, then walked the rest of the way in. 77.4 miles done!
Things were feeling worse, but I felt like 5 of 6.5 loops was the point of no return - so close to the finish that there would be no stopping. I took my time changing my shoes and grabbing my lights, food and water before we took off for loop 6 with Brian (Donato's friend) pacing us. We had made good time on the previous loop so I was still desperately clinging to hope of a sub-24 finish. After a couple unsuccessful attempts at running I began to accept that just finishing, even if it took 25-26 hours would be fine. But as we continued over the next few miles the pain in my hips and knees intensified and the ibuprofen was no longer doing anything. Not good. I was really hurting and dropping sounded nice, but it was tough to think about after covering 80% of the distance. A long stop at the aid station (mostly me waiting for the port-o-john and stripping off the socks & gaiters that were shredding my ankles) then we started shuffling out. We made it less than 100 feet before Donato announced he was done. His hip had locked up and he was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, even with the space blankets we had gotten. "Oh thank god. I'm stopping too!" We inched our way back to the aid station and announced we were dropping. They asked if we wanted to walk the 5 miles back to Headquarters. Hahahahahaaaaa!!! No way!! So we waited around for about an hour to get picked up and driven back.
I stopped back at the research tent for a final blood draw before they wrapped me up in a giant sweatshirt, the space blanket and laid me out on a chaise lounge under a sleeping bag. I lay there for a few hours, taking short naps but not really sleeping - my left hip was hurting too much to really allow sleep. Morning arrived and I got up to shower and eat before breaking camp and heading out. After some aimless driving around in search of compression socks, a nap in my car and more driving I settled on a lunch spot. A local Mexican restaurant where I ordered a margarita and the huevos rancheros breakfast. Wow! The margarita was like a fish bowl and the breakfast came with pancakes. Margarita and pancakes on the same table!! Awesome!!! Stuffed myself silly and headed for the airport.
I wound up flying out to CO a week before the race to visit with my parents in their new home. Fabulous... and cold and snowy! Didn't see a whole lot of CO as I only spent 2 days there before driving through Utah to see Arches National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument. I must say, it can be nice to travel with parents... they have a National Parks pass... and they like to eat out... and they pay! Woohoo!! We wound up getting snowed on in UT as well and it followed us all the way to Flagstaff. After 3 days of travel I picked up my rental car and took off for the Phoenix area while my parents headed for home in CA.
I rolled into the McDowell Mountain Park mid-afternoon on Thursday to find set-up was well underway. The truck (a ~25 foot UHaul, packed FULL) had already been unloaded, canopies were getting set up and food sorted by aid station. I joined in with all the work until almost sunset, then a bunch of us gathered around a table for dinner. Friday morning I was up early, before anyone else, so I headed to S-bux for a coffee run, as I hadn't brought a mug, coffee or press - oh no!! After coffee and breakfast I headed out with another volunteer, Gail, to mark 2/3 of the course. Had a great time previewing the course and in great company. Then back to camp for a cold shower, lunch, and more volunteering! By mid-afternoon pretty much everything was set up and I went to check in with the researchers.
I had signed up to participate in the study on Hyponatremia during the run, which mean a few blood draws during the race, sweat patches every loop, and peeing in collection bags. Mostly it was from personal experience (Massanutten this year) that I was interested, but I do kinda enjoy being a lab rat - free tests! They got all my information, weight and a pre-race blood sample. Then I waited around for packet pick-up to begin. Got a spiffy duffel bag with water bottle and a long sleeve wicking tee - great schwag! Then waited around for dinner and chatted with other runners I knew. Dinner was uneventful (and not filling enough). Afterwards I took off for some last minute shopping at Safeway - namely a pre-race beer!
Race morning arrive far too soon. I was woken up before my alarm by the steady stream of people shuffling past my car to the restrooms... ugh... 4am. After a bit I pulled myself out of the warm comfort of my sleeping bag to begin getting ready... dressed, breakfast, get a few toes taped (2 toes started randomly falling apart the day before.... big hunks of thick skin falling off... eeep!!), check-in, get weighed again, lay out gear, etc. About a half hour before the start I bumped into Donato, a fellow ultrarunner / triathlete who lives in San Francisco. I'd met him ~2 years earlier at some races while I was still living in CA. Before long they were calling the runners over to the starting area, just a few minutes to go before the start!
And we were off!! Woohoo!! I found myself running along at a conservative pace, chatting with Donato. This was his first attempt at 100 miles, with his longest previous run being 58 miles at the SF One Day the previous fall. The first 5.2 miles was the only section of the course I had not seen while marking the day before. It also happened to be the rockiest/hilliest section... relative to the rest of the course... but by no means is the course hilly or technical! Eventually we made our way around to the aid station, quick stop, then on to the next. The early miles passed relatively quickly, with the last 5 miles of the 15.4 mile loop being a gradual downhill. Donato set off to change into his French Maid dress while I headed for the research tent for a weigh-in, change of sweat patch and to record all the food/drink I had consumed. After a ~5 minute stop we were off again, heading out on the same loop, but in the opposite direction.
The second loop went just as well as the first. We ran most of the gradual uphill to the first aid station, getting may cheers for our costumes - more so for Donato the French Maid. At the first aid station I stopped to "Pee for Science". Turns out, peeing in a bag is not an easy task... and I should have chosen the gallon sized bag rather than the quart sized bag... bigger opening makes things easier! That stop took waaaay to long and I had to kick up the pace to catch up to Donato. After a mile or so I pulled up to Phil (I had met him a month earlier at Delaware 100), with Donato just ahead. I chatted with Phil a bit, who seemed to be running well despite a lack of training before pulling ahead and taking off up the trail. I ran alone for the next several miles until Donato caught up to me with less than a mile to finish lap 2.
Back to the research tent... new sweat patch, food diary, weight... and a blood draw as well. Refiled my pockets with food and headed out for lap 3. The weather was beginning to heat up and despite the sunblock I had been applying, I was feeling crispy-fried (partly due to sunburn from Friday). All the way up to the first aid station I played leap frog with another runner. The heat, not enough food the first lap, and dehydration were making it tough for me to keep a reasonable pace. I wasn't able to do much running while drinking enough to prevent dehydration. The entire loop I drank both 24oz bottles dry between each of the aid stations (~5mi apart). That's 144oz in <3.5 hours! I forced myself the run the 1.2 mile flat/downhill stretch into the second aid station, where I again stopped to pee in a bag. Amazingly, despite all the fluids... things were not looking good... they were looking... ummm.. dark yellow... yikes! I can't drink anymore! Grabbing more food and water from the aid station table I realize Donato is there - he had taken off ahead of me after the 2nd loop. We head out with another (annoying guy) close behind. Although the path is slightly downhill, we walk pretty much the entire 5 miles back to headquarters. Probably from the heat and running the previous lap hard, I'm feeling really trashed and wondering how the heck I am going to run another 60 miles!
We stagger into HQ at the end of 3 laps (46.2 miles) at 3:40p and again I head for the research tent. I think by now we had reached a silent agreement to stick together as long as we ran about the same pace. Despite encouragement from volunteers and statements about the temperatures cooling, I am not really looking forward to heading back out, but stopping isn't an option. Since it is uphill back to the aid station - and still warm - we take off walking. After 4 miles or so, Donato got a 2nd wind and we start running. Ugh! I hadn't gotten my second wind yet, so this seemed like a LOT of effort. And by running, I really mean shuffling along at what must have been slower than 12:00/mile. But hey, we'd covered over 50 miles in under 11 hours, cut us some slack here! Onwards and upwards, over rocky and rolling terrain to the next aid station. A mile or so from the next aid station we heard feet coming up fast behind us - another runner who was flying downhills, but not going so fast up. We chatted briefly and I thought he seemed a bit familiar - turns out I had run a bit with him (or rather, he was following me) at my first 50 miler 2 years previously. Shortly after, the leader Dave James caught and passed us, now 31 miles ahead of us!! We continued together to the next aid station where I found the pizza had finally arrived. Huzzah!! Pizza and coke was just what I needed. The 3 of us took off together, racing the setting sun, and my 2nd wind finally arrived and I left the guys in the dust. Heheh!! :-D It felt goo to stretch out my legs a bit - downhills helped - but I also knew it wouldn't last long. Sure enough, as I slowed a bit a couple miles later, Donato caught up to me. Unfortunately, it was now starting to get a bit dark. The moon was up, but we were running downhill over a rocky path. A light would have been nice, but I was managing ok, however Donato was still wearing his prescription sunglasses, also no light. I stayed in the lead and tried to point out as many obstacles as possible, hoping I wouldn't head the *thump* of him tumbling onto the trail behind me. We made it down off the rocky section and walked most of the flats in to headquarters.
100k done and time for another blood draw. I had been feeling better, but the long stretches of running had taken their toll. Ok, so it wasn't a great idea, but it felt really good at the time. As we set off back up the trail neither of us has the energy or will to run - hey, it's uphill! Getting to the aid station I check my watch and see it took us nearly 2 hours to get there - only 5.2 miles! Uh-oh! I was still holding onto hope of a sub-24 hour finish, which had still be within reach at the beginning of the lap, but was now beginning to fade. Heading onto the next stretch we made a few attempts at running, but it definitely took time to settle in. Eventually we got the momentum going to run the last mile to the aid station. About a mile or so out of the aid station Donato's wife joined us in running back to headquarters. We made it a solid 1.5 miles of running, then walked the rest of the way in. 77.4 miles done!
Things were feeling worse, but I felt like 5 of 6.5 loops was the point of no return - so close to the finish that there would be no stopping. I took my time changing my shoes and grabbing my lights, food and water before we took off for loop 6 with Brian (Donato's friend) pacing us. We had made good time on the previous loop so I was still desperately clinging to hope of a sub-24 finish. After a couple unsuccessful attempts at running I began to accept that just finishing, even if it took 25-26 hours would be fine. But as we continued over the next few miles the pain in my hips and knees intensified and the ibuprofen was no longer doing anything. Not good. I was really hurting and dropping sounded nice, but it was tough to think about after covering 80% of the distance. A long stop at the aid station (mostly me waiting for the port-o-john and stripping off the socks & gaiters that were shredding my ankles) then we started shuffling out. We made it less than 100 feet before Donato announced he was done. His hip had locked up and he was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, even with the space blankets we had gotten. "Oh thank god. I'm stopping too!" We inched our way back to the aid station and announced we were dropping. They asked if we wanted to walk the 5 miles back to Headquarters. Hahahahahaaaaa!!! No way!! So we waited around for about an hour to get picked up and driven back.
I stopped back at the research tent for a final blood draw before they wrapped me up in a giant sweatshirt, the space blanket and laid me out on a chaise lounge under a sleeping bag. I lay there for a few hours, taking short naps but not really sleeping - my left hip was hurting too much to really allow sleep. Morning arrived and I got up to shower and eat before breaking camp and heading out. After some aimless driving around in search of compression socks, a nap in my car and more driving I settled on a lunch spot. A local Mexican restaurant where I ordered a margarita and the huevos rancheros breakfast. Wow! The margarita was like a fish bowl and the breakfast came with pancakes. Margarita and pancakes on the same table!! Awesome!!! Stuffed myself silly and headed for the airport.
27 April 2009
Escarpment Trail
2 weeks ago I had such a great time running/hiking in the Catskills that I decided to go back. Despite the weather forecast for 85F weather (ok, I know, that's not that hot, but when you've been running in <60F, it's a shocker). And silly me didn't get to the trailhead until after 9am. Gathering up my gear and filling my Camelbak, I was chatting with a guy who had been waiting in his car. Turns out the person he was waiting for was out training for the same race that I'm doing - Massanutten Mountain Trails 100!! Wow! Pretty amazing considering they only allowed 180 people into the race. Anyways, I got all ready and joined him in waiting, then the 3 of us took off together up the trail. After a few miles, he split off to loop back to his car. Around 2 hours into the run, we were on the north side of a lake, I split off and continued north on the Escarpment Trail while she headed back south to the cars. I wound up climbing to another peak, past an old plane crash, then down to a spring where I got more water.
Found this little guy in the spring.
Then back up and over, around the lake and back to my car. Whew!! All told, 7 hours on the trails covering ~30 miles (maybe less). It was pretty slow going at times due to the ruggedness of the trail. Not sure if I've ever seen a trail quite like this one. You'll be running (or more likely, hiking) up a rock strewn path and suddenly the trail disappears. You stop, look around, and realize the trail took a hard right UP a series of rock ledges. Alrighty then!
Like that!! You call that a TRAIL?!?!
Found this little guy in the spring.
Then back up and over, around the lake and back to my car. Whew!! All told, 7 hours on the trails covering ~30 miles (maybe less). It was pretty slow going at times due to the ruggedness of the trail. Not sure if I've ever seen a trail quite like this one. You'll be running (or more likely, hiking) up a rock strewn path and suddenly the trail disappears. You stop, look around, and realize the trail took a hard right UP a series of rock ledges. Alrighty then!
Like that!! You call that a TRAIL?!?!
22 April 2009
New gear!
I think I've been trying to turn the economy around single-handedly this month, looking around at all my new gear! It started with all my shoes wearing out at about the same time. So I bought 1 pair new road shoes and 1 pair trail. I ordered another pair of road shoes online (didn't have my size in the store) as I usually have 2 to rotate. But they wound up being backordered, so I also bought a pair of racing flats. Then at Boston I bought the Vibram Five Fingers. Yikes!!! And... some trail running gaiters and Moeben sleeves (also backordered).... a new 3L Camelbak (gonna need it for my Grand Canyon adventure and peak bagging) and a SureFire flashlight for trail running at night... and Zoot compression shorts and a tri top.
You'd think I had just gotten into this sport and had no gear. Ok, so I don't have gaiters, and new shoes are really necessary... but yeah, I could probably live without the other stuff. Actually, the Camelbak and flashlight were purchased with my REI dividend... so they were basically free (yes, excuses, I know).
Looking forward to a run/hike this weekend. Not yet sure where I'll go, but I definitely will be testing out the gaiters and with temps predicted to hit the mid-80s, I may also take the new Camelbak - some trails don't have very many water stops. And maybe test out the compression shorts too... see if they help with the downhill running or recovery... though I gotta say... they are really really snug at the top (not sure how I'm gonna wear them while running and eating!).
Sunday I'll be packing it all back up to get ready to move into my new apartment - YIPEE!!! It's a less populated area and closer to trails. I might just be able to run trails on weekday evenings! WOW!! But it's a heck of a lot bigger than my current place... so I'll have space to get a sofa and a dining table! Looks like I'm not quite done with the spending...
You'd think I had just gotten into this sport and had no gear. Ok, so I don't have gaiters, and new shoes are really necessary... but yeah, I could probably live without the other stuff. Actually, the Camelbak and flashlight were purchased with my REI dividend... so they were basically free (yes, excuses, I know).
Looking forward to a run/hike this weekend. Not yet sure where I'll go, but I definitely will be testing out the gaiters and with temps predicted to hit the mid-80s, I may also take the new Camelbak - some trails don't have very many water stops. And maybe test out the compression shorts too... see if they help with the downhill running or recovery... though I gotta say... they are really really snug at the top (not sure how I'm gonna wear them while running and eating!).
Sunday I'll be packing it all back up to get ready to move into my new apartment - YIPEE!!! It's a less populated area and closer to trails. I might just be able to run trails on weekday evenings! WOW!! But it's a heck of a lot bigger than my current place... so I'll have space to get a sofa and a dining table! Looks like I'm not quite done with the spending...
21 April 2009
It's been a few weeks...
... ok... 3 weeks... since I last wrote an entry. I guess I've been pretty consumed with work, training, apartment hunting, etc. Most of my training to prepare for Massanutten 100 is done and the race is 25 days away! After my 50 miler in VA, I headed back down the VA the following weekend, with a fellow ultrarunner, and ran 25 miles of the MMT100 course. It'll be slow going at night, covering rocky terrain (ad looking over my shoulder every 5 seconds for bears), but it's nothing I can't handle.
With a 3 day weekend for Easter, I headed up to the Catskills for the first time and did a bit of running up there. Not as rocky as what I was running in VA, but there were definitely some really nice climbs. I'll have to head back up there more often and explore other trails. I did get a few nice photos while I was out, but I expect it will be even better this fall with the vibrantly colored foliage, rather than the naked trees I ran among.
This past weekend I was in Boston for ~2.5 days for the 113th Boston Marathon. Truth be told, I wasn't all that psyched up about it heading up there, as I expected it to be ridiculously crowded - and I hate crowds and waiting. Yes, it was crowded and there was waiting... but it was entirely worth it. Seeing almost the entire 26.2 mile course lined with spectators was AMAZING! I also was very impressed with the city itself - soooooooo much nicer than NYC. I'd actually like to go back and visit again at some point. Spent a good part of Sunday wandering around, snapping pictures of pretty buildings, went to see the USS Constitution and drank some good beer. Had a great race. Qualified to go back next year and set myself a new PR! I'll write up a full RR this week. Suffice to say that I'm quite happy with my time.... and I have now set my sights on qualifying for the NYC marathon.
With a 3 day weekend for Easter, I headed up to the Catskills for the first time and did a bit of running up there. Not as rocky as what I was running in VA, but there were definitely some really nice climbs. I'll have to head back up there more often and explore other trails. I did get a few nice photos while I was out, but I expect it will be even better this fall with the vibrantly colored foliage, rather than the naked trees I ran among.
This past weekend I was in Boston for ~2.5 days for the 113th Boston Marathon. Truth be told, I wasn't all that psyched up about it heading up there, as I expected it to be ridiculously crowded - and I hate crowds and waiting. Yes, it was crowded and there was waiting... but it was entirely worth it. Seeing almost the entire 26.2 mile course lined with spectators was AMAZING! I also was very impressed with the city itself - soooooooo much nicer than NYC. I'd actually like to go back and visit again at some point. Spent a good part of Sunday wandering around, snapping pictures of pretty buildings, went to see the USS Constitution and drank some good beer. Had a great race. Qualified to go back next year and set myself a new PR! I'll write up a full RR this week. Suffice to say that I'm quite happy with my time.... and I have now set my sights on qualifying for the NYC marathon.
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