Get in the car, fool!

"Get in the car, fool" was my mantra for this past Sunday...Although I was signed up for the Lost Dutchman marathon, I had been injured and couldn't train for it. A 13 mile test run in January set back my stress fracture from healing. That's when I decided I would not run the marathon. Decision made. As my injury healed I started running "long" runs again, including an 18 mile run one week before the marathon. Still, in my mind, the decision had been made, as this 18 mile run was week 4 into training for the next marathon, in April.

The Lost Dutchman had a half marathon, but the course was lack-luster, just running out and back from Apache Junction. Toby pointed out that the best part of the full marathon was the first half, so why not run the first half of the marathon and drop out? My initial reaction to this idea was pretty vile, as DNF's in the running world are not highly regarded, but given some thought I realized this was a good plan. I could position the car near the half-way point the night prior, run the first half of the marathon,drop out at the car, then go check on Toby and Jamie on the course, and hopefully watch them finish too. That's when my brain went crazy. Could I drop out? Wait, with my 18 mile run could I actually finish? Did I want to try to finish on sub-par training? It didn't help that Mark Saxton was in the same boat, fitfully trying to make his mind up too.  What was worse in Mark's case was 1, his longest run (due to injury) was 12 miles, and 2, his brother was registered for the marathon too. If I thought Mark was having a hard time making up his mind, his brother Pete was worse, because at the start of the marathon I asked him if he was running the whole thing and he said, "I don't know". I am pretty sure that by race day morning Mark's mind was made up to run the whole thing. The night before the race I gathered up all the spare gels we had and seriously considered it. I worked through all the scenarios, but the final clincher was the car. It was already in place, and we would probably need the car to be at the finish. We'd get by if not, but it would make things more difficult, since we were checking out and leaving after the race. That's when my mind was made up to stick with my original plan, and in the end it turned out to be the right decision.

Ok, so race recap, here we go....The Lost Dutchman marathon in Apache Junction....an awesome marathon that should be on every marathoner's bucket list. Apache Junction is about 30 minutes east of Phoenix, and truth be told, it lacks charm. So don't expect much, except the fact that all the people associated with the race (mostly senior citizens) are extremely nice people. From the bus drivers to the volunteers camped out at the race start--all of them genuinely happy to be working the race for us.

The expo was small, which was to be expected, with only about 400 marathoners, along with a half marathon, 10K, and 8K. Runners got long sleeved tech tops, which were pretty nice.

The race is point to point, with the runners bused to the start at the base of the Superstition mountain before sunrise. As you arrive by bus there are individual little bonfires and carpet mats to situate yourself before the race start at 7:00 AM. I have to say this is probably my favorite marathon start. Very cool!

The race start was very low key. Toby commented that nobody wanted to be on the front line! So look for Toby on the race start photo when they come out. It did look like a lot of the runners were "seasoned" runners--some marathon maniacs and 50 staters in there for sure.

The race started without any fanfare, so peaceful and quiet! Really unusual!

The first 7 miles were on a dirt trail through the desert. The scenery was amazing. The sky had a pink hue to it at first, then the sun began its ascent. The air was dry to the bone and there was little to no wind. It felt really pleasant. I found running on the dirt required a little more effort, due to some traction loss, but nobody else complained about this. I am not known to be a good trail runner, so take that with a grain of salt. I just felt like on the uphills I slid a little. At any rate, I was happy to hit the asphalt. ;)

The course meandered through residential areas as it made its way to Apache Junction. The first neighborhood stretch was a steady uphill for a few miles, which surprisingly knocked the wind out of my sails. I really struggled at first, until I got into the groove, but I have to admit, the hilliness caught me off guard. Toby said it was the more of the same throughout the run, so be prepared for a hilly course throughout, not just on the Peralta trail. The neighborhood was really pretty though--still great scenery all around, with a few spectators here and there, some handing out bottled water or vaseline. Just all around nice people everywhere!

The car was actually parked along the 15th mile of the course, just as it turned onto the highway. Right before I got to the car there was an aid station with people cheering for me, which made me feel sick, as I grabbed a cup of water and walked off the course. It's really is hard to do this folks, even if it's planned beforehand, or even if you are sick or injured and it's the right thing to do. It is never easy! But...I did it...walked to the car as I took off my race bib (I am sure people were eyeballing me as a potential Rosie Ruiz). Off I drove to the 21-22 mile area to spot Toby and Jamie. I knew I was cutting it close for Toby. My cell phone alerted me of his 21 mile split as I pulled into position. I only had 5 minutes to spare! The course looked pretty desolate and not very attractive at this spot, so I seriously hoped they were enjoying themselves and not hating me for choosing this marathon!  Toby approached me and said something about "just surviving", and off he went. I got the mango Gatorade ready for Jamie and, while waiting, checked the updates I was getting on Mark. He and his brother had checked into mile 19 at a 4:33 pace! They were running the whole thing!

Jamie's image appeared in the distance, so I started jumping up and down. So cool to see your peeps on the course! She really tore into the Gatorade, said she was loving the course (whew), and having a great run. (I need to point out that after the race both of them said the last 4 miles were pretty boring). I made my way to the finish to hunt down Toby, as the phone told me he had finished with a 3:18. I found him sitting on a curb with white gauze all around his right fist like he had been in a bar fight. WTH?
He told me as he rounded the corner near the finish he whacked his hand hard on a barricade, slicing his hand open. That's when I noticed all the blood on his shorts and right shoe! Ew! What a gruesome finish line photo he'll have!

Jamie finished with a 3:53 and still had energy to spare, so we wandered over to the finish area to check out the food status. Just the usual snacks, some little breakfast burritos, but no fluids other than water, not even beer. Still, the finish area was laid out nicely enough. All in all, the organization of the race was great! There were no glitches that I can think of.

We had to miss Mark's finish because Toby had to go get stitches and we had to get ready to head out of town, but we all did meet up later to share war stories over burgers and beer. I was really impressed with Mark's run. He ran a 4:43 on no training on a difficult course. Zelda, Mark's wife, ran an impressive 10K as well!

Overall, it was a great trip. It was really nice to hang with Zelda and Mark, especially since they are from Arizona, and were able to point out a lot of interesting things about living in the desert. There's a lot of beauty to be seen here, and I'd love to go back and run the whole thing, so if you are reading this and want to run it let me know!

The world of "non-running"

Yes, it's been awhile. It's hard to blog about running when you aren't running all that much. What I thought was a tendon issue turned out to be a calcaneal stress fracture. (A stress fracture in the heel). I was able to run a little bit, but my main source of cardio had to come from other forms. Ugh. 

My "go-to" back-up cardio is cycling, and with that I mean OUTDOOR cycling, not mind-numbing spinning on my trainer while watching TV, or holed up in my torture chamber (wine room/cycling room/cat litter box room) strapped up to the Computrainer software --after a few winters of that I can honestly say I will never do any of that again...At least this has been an unseasonably warm January, so I have had a few good opportunities to get out on the bike, but not enough!

My next choice of cardio is the "stairmaster" at the gym. This is the contraption that has the revolving staircase, and it is a monster machine. There is nothing else in the gym as "badass" as this thing (with the exception of the dust-covered Nordic climber in the corner, which is downright scary looking). What do you get when you put an injured runner in need of a serious endorphin fix on this machine? 45 minutes of level 8 on the fat burner plus mode. Sweat everywhere. Not pretty, but very effective. Still, I can only take so much of the "gym scene". People preening about, the bodies draped across the cardio equipment with their legs flailing out of control, the crap music that I am trying to drown out with my own...just the whole scene is a bit depressing. Every once in awhile I spot another injured runner and we give each other that knowing look. We really want nothing more than to be outside, running. Pitiful.

So I tried a "fitness elements" class, which is a ramp-up to "Crossfit"....
I only did the one class, and I think this needs more research, as in actually going to a Crossfit gym and giving it a try. I liked the "circuit weight" aspect of the class, but my main problem was in trying to label this as "cardio". Did this actually count as cardio? Because I am so OCD about counting cardio I could not get past the fact that I was not taxed enough cardio-wise, long enough. So does it count as weight-lifting? What is it? I wanted to label it, put it in a box, but like yoga, it is its own category. Like yoga, it will benefit me in some way that running can't, of that I am sure. 

I thought about getting back in the pool. For about a second. My elliptical trainer at home has been convenient. I thought about trying out one of those P90X or Insanity tapes. Or maybe a class at the gym. Sigh. I can see how people become demotivated. It all comes down to doing something that you enjoy! Thank God I love to run! 

Anyhow, I'm happy to report I'm back to my regular running routine, more grateful than ever! So when's the next marathon? 

Top 10 Runs of 2012

One of many fun times in 2012

2012 was yet another great year of running of which I am very thankful for. I had very few injuries and managed to train for and finish all the races I had planned on. (With the exception of the Jogger Egg Nogger 15K a few weeks ago). We all shared our stories as we looped around the lake and up and over the hills in our neighborhoods. We had some highs and lows in our lives, per usual, but in summary, it was a great year overall.

Here are my top 10 runs, in calendar order.

1. Jan 8th: The First Light marathon in Mobile, Alabama. Although I had wanted to run this marathon for a long time, I was pleasantly surprised by the charm of Mobile, and the beauty of the course. Jamie and I ran, while Toby followed us along the course, providing us with mango Gatorade from time to time! (Yes, even in January it was a little warm). The residents of L'Arche Mobile (L'Arche is an international federation of communities in which people with an intellectual disability and those who help them can live, work, and share their lives together) hand-made our medals and handed them to us at the finish line! Even though our visit to Mobile was brief, it was a great one.

Jamie and I placed in our age groups!

2. Jan 28th: The Texas Half marathon. I'm always happy to survive a marathon and resume running and make a local race, such as this half marathon at White Rock Lake. Although the race itself wasn't all that spectacular, Laura Patterson and I had a good time running it. Afterwards we realized they had ran out of medals with finishers still on the course. We went to the finish line and gave our medals to two finishers who came in last.  It was a good day to be a runner!

3. March 3: Trinity River Levee Run. The race started and finished across the city's new Margaret Hunt Hill bridge. Seeing this bridge's construction from afar, I thought it was ugly, sticking up into the sky like a plastic straw, but up close I realized this bridge is spectacular! This was the first time in a long time that I'd ran a 10K, which used to be my favorite distance back in the day. I forgot how much I loved running 10K's. Even if these days the best I could do is get in under 50 minutes, it still felt "fast" and exciting! I vowed to do more 10K's during the year, but that never happened!

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge race day morning

4. April 20th: The La Jolla Half Marathon in San Diego. Jamie trained on hills for this race, as I told her how hard it was 12 years ago when I had run it, but I had no idea that I would be going to run the race myself at the last minute. A month prior to the race they removed a cancerous mole from my foot, and since it was melanoma they cut a hole big enough to hold two quarters. (No, I didn't confirm this). With bandages still on my foot and no hill training to speak of I was in no shape for this race, but what the hell, it's San Diego, and I didn't want Jamie to go all by herself to San Diego! This course is stunning. It's a kick in the pants, but well worth it. I will not wait 12 years before I run this race again!

5. June 16th: Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. Wow, what an incredible trip this was. Jamie, Laura, and I loved everything about this marathon. In fact, this marathon is now one of my all-time favorites. I still well up with tears when I think about running that stretch through downtown Duluth with all the locals cheering their hearts out for us.

Marathon finish line marker

6. July 15th: Trail running out at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve: This ended up being my only trail run of the year, as there is just too little time to do it all! Cindy and Michael took Jamie and I out there for a loop around the preserve, and it was really fun! We planned to go out there again, but that didn't happen! Next year, we must get back out there!

Trail running is dirty!

7. Sept 2nd: My 17 mile solo "journey", of which I blogged about. I ventured out from my front door to get a long run in and it seemed like an eternity of running. Not that it was fun, so much as it was memorable. I certainly prefer to do my long runs with others, but every once in a while a long solo run is just good for my soul.

8. Oct 20th: "Susan's 20". Susan mapped out a 20 mile route that would give us a much needed break from White Rock lake. Heading out into the darkness, several of us, down the Katy trail to the American Airlines Center, with the Dallas skylight above us, that was cool, and having Kelly with us for her first 20 mile run: "When do we get to eat", and "I'm feeling not so good right now. I feel weird", and later, "I think I'm going to make it"...I really loved the diversion, and this stands out as one of my more favorite training runs of the summer. (And yes, it was still summer in October!)

9. Nov 19th: Tulsa's Route 66 marathon: Although this was not one of my favorite marathons, I had to list it, because even ugly marathons are a blessing and I am always grateful that I have the ability to run them. I know I won't be able to run marathons forever, so I consider every one a gift. I didn't have a disastrous marathon either, and some of it was enjoyable, but mostly it was work. Marathons can be like that! It was great to be on the course with lots of friends, especially Laura Hebert, who ran her first marathon!

Priceless moment of 2012

10: Dec 25th, Christmas Day.Toby and I watched radar all morning until we thought we saw a window of opportunity to get a loop around the lake in. Well my friends, that was a really small window. Rain, small hail, strong bitterly cold north winds, and just after we finished-snow! Still, it was a top 10 run of the year, as this was my first loop since the Tulsa marathon because I had been injured with a strained tendon on my foot. So, no matter the weather, I was right where I wanted to be!

Here's to 2013 and many more great runs for all of us! Below are a few more priceless 2012 moments caught on film:

At the start of First Light, but we are always like this!

Ouch!

Beautiful bridge!

Pre-race dinner in Duluth

Pit-stop on yet another hot training run!

Getting it done!

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve on a beautiful morning

Finally, a marathon together, well at the start anyway...

Crazy 2012 Weather

2012 has been yet another interesting year in the world of running. As the fall marathons started hitting the calendar the weather became the headliner. From stories of people who ran the Marine Corps marathon only to be stranded at airports, to the NYC marathon cancellation debacle, we witnessed something unprecedented, but becoming increasingly more common. The week after we ran the Grandmas marathon in June, Duluth had torrential downpours and the worst flooding they had seen in years. Look at the weather here in Dallas the past two years at the White Rock marathon: A horribly cold and rainy day last year, followed by higher than normal temperatures and extreme humidity this year. Marathon directors are starting to look at moving their races to less volatile dates, but it seems to me that no matter the date, the weather is a hit or miss. This is a sign of our times. Fretting over the weather has always been an issue when running marathons, but we never had to worry over extreme and potentially dangerous weather conditions. We never had to worry about marathons being cancelled. That was simply unheard of. This is no longer true today, and with good reason. The NYC marathon did indeed need to be cancelled, as would have Grandma's, had it been held one week later.

So what to do when planning to run marathons? Obviously, planning has gotten a bit more complicated. First of all, don't book anything that's non-refundable, or at least partially refundable. Secondly, have a back-up marathon a week or two later if possible. Third, and most important, pay close attention to the forecast and pull the trigger when it's becoming obvious that the weather is going to be potentially dangerous. (In the case of the NYC marathon it was after-the-fact, and the weather was actually picture perfect on race day, so I am not talking abut NYC here). Pulling the trigger on NYC would have been a really hard call!

Odds are that in 2013, no matter what, we will be running races in less than ideal conditions. We will be dealing with more unpredictability than before. On any given day we can get extreme heat, flooding, snow, storms, and possibly frogs, who knows? Be prepared for anything to happen!

What to Wear Cheat Sheet

In the summer what to wear is a no-brainer--as little as possible, but trying to figure out what to wear this time of year can be tricky. I have used this post-it note for as long as I can remember. I need to update it, as I wouldn't get caught dead in a jog bra without a shirt on anymore no matter how hot it gets!  When there is a wind chill I use the average between the actual temperature and wind chill. If there's a heat index temperature I use that value. Obviously, everybody's temperature ranges vary, so these values only work for me, but you get the idea.

Marathon #34: Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa Oklahoma, Nov 2012

Finally, a race "together"

First of all, I want to point out that this marathon is one of the most organized marathons I've ever ran. Everything was top notch. If I had to point out any glitches they would border on nitpicking. We stayed at the host hotel, the Holiday Inn downtown, which was right next to the starting line and within walking distance to the race expo. They offered all marathoners a 3:00 pm checkout on race day, and treated us like royalty. The expo itself wasn't huge, but they had a collection of vintage cars on display, which I thought was pretty cool. I was disappointed that they had a limited supply of official marathon gear, especially since it was Brooks race apparel, but in our race packets we received a really nice short sleeved tech tee, so that was enough.

Being able to stay in the hotel room race morning instead of standing in porta-potty lines was priceless. The starting of the race went off without any problems, and during the first half of the marathon we ran with the half marathoners, which wasn't too congested. All the water stops were flawless, with consistent set-ups from station to station, and all were almost exactly 2 miles apart (1 mile apart on last 6 miles). There were local bands on the course and spectators all along the course, cheering and having a great morning. Flash forward for a moment to the finish, where we received gorgeous medals and free beer in a nice set up in Veteran's Park. Buses promptly took us back to our hotel. Perfect race in every way. Except one. The course is butt-ugly! I'm sorry Tulsa! I know they don't have much to work with, and they tried to highlight all the points of interest in town, so it's not fair, but I am just being honest.

Actually, the first half was somewhat scenic, as it traveled through their cool Brookside area of town, along Swan Lake, through some high end neighborhoods and along the Arkansas River, but once we left the river the picture turned pretty bleak; old warehouses, freeway crossings, desolate areas of town, and add to that a lot of concrete on the course. I thought that once we reached the University of Tulsa (mile 21) the scenery would improve, but sadly, this ended up being another dead area of town. Dreadful scenery combined with one of the hilliest courses around (but hey, I knew it was hilly so no excuses there), and throw in occasional gusty south wind stretches, and it made for a very rough day.

As for the "Center of the Universe Detour", I somehow managed to run right past the turn without even seeing it, so no dilemma for me. I had actually forgotten all about it, so I wasn't even looking for it.Those from our group that did it said it was pretty cool.

Still, I am glad I ran this race. Sometimes the tougher the race the more appreciative I am about being able to work through the rough spots and make it to the finish. Our visit to Tulsa was great too. We had great food everywhere we went, and really enjoyed the Brookside area of town--wish we had more time to hang out there.

Everyone in our group ran great times. Even though some are unhappy about their times, they did awesome on a really tough course. I am especially impressed with Laura Hebert's 4:00:17 marathon, her first! She's a natural. It was great to be able to be a part of that this week-end.

Other group stats:
Jerod Honrath 3:14
Toby: 3:16
Erin: 3:39
Mark: 3:54
Jamie: 3:55
Me: 4:06
Kathy: 4:21

Zelda ran her first half marathon! Her time was 2:20, beating her goal of 2:30 by a long shot. Mike ran a 2:01. I wish I had seen the mad hatter sprint to break 2 hours! 

So in conclusion, would I recommend this marathon? At first I said no, but now I would say yes, knowing that the course is really hilly beginning to end, ugly for the majority of the 2nd half, and has a lot of concrete. Other than that, perfect.

November Marathon of the Month: Richmond Marathon

The Richmond marathon has been on my marathon wish list since I ran the half marathon back in the early 90's. As with most late fall New England marathons, the fall foliage is gorgeous, although the weather can be somewhat temperamental (especially these days)!
The course is quite scenic, starting in historic downtown Richmond, traveling through historic neighborhoods, along Monument Avenue, the James River, and finishing on Brown's Island. It's touted as "America's Friendliest Marathon". I've ran a lot of friendly southern marathons, so I consider this a challenge!

The general stats are good: great expo, easy race day logistics, well organized, no issues with the corresponding half marathon and 8K races, a relatively flat course, great tech apparel available, and it's a decent sized marathon, with approximately 5,000 marathoners. Also, it's a Saturday marathon, which I prefer over Sunday.

The cons? I touched on one, the weather. Come to think of it, it was pouring rain the year I ran the half, and there's been a few really warm years as well. Being later in November, they seemed to miss the wrath of the now somewhat famous storms Ivan, Irene and Sandy, and last year's weather was perfect, so as with all marathons, weather is a hit or miss. As for other cons, seriously, I scoured the submissions on marathonquide.com and their facebook page and couldn't find much of anything to complain about. One person complained that the colors of the bibs were boring! FOR REAL! The only legitimate complaint was that there were a few boring and lonely stretches.

Reviews raved about the downhill finish into the park on Brown's Island. This is a new addition since I ran the half. Apparently it's a beautiful park and the organizers had plenty of food and beer for the finishers. This appears to be a great improvement over the downtown finish I experienced, which wasn't bad--just not as scenic and possibly a little too congested.

I'd love to finally make it back to Richmond. Maybe next year? Who's with me?