Oorah!

So I'm finally getting around to my post about the Marine Corps Marathon (ran October 30th)!

Leading up to MCM I had decent training, supplemented by swimming and cycling (i.e. triathlon training), so I felt pretty good going in. I didn't have any high expectation of running a PR, but it wasn't out of the question. My family flew in a couple of days early and I had Friday off (due to my work schedule), so we hung out Friday and then left for DC on Saturday afternoon. We stopped for breakfast on the way, where I also picked up some girl scout cookies for myself (yum), as they were selling them outside Bob Evans.

When we got to the expo at the armory it was really crowded and the weather left a lot to be desired. It was cold and rainy, so my dad and I (my sister and brother-in-law had gone to the expo Friday) wanted to get inside quickly as possible. However, due to security (I guess because it's an armory?), we waited in line for a few minutes outside - and then once inside we learned that we had to go across the drive to the tent to pick up our numbers first! When we got out of the tent it was sleeting. Needless to say it wasn't very fun waiting outside another couple minutes in the security line again. Finally we did the whole expo thing, I took a picture with the Geico Gecko and we were ready to leave. Except my mom was driving around and couldn't find her way back :)

Eventually she did find her way back and we made it to my mom's cousin's in VA, our gracious hosts for the night. We visited for a little bit before the pre-race dinner, and noted the comical situation - it was SNOWING outside...and sticking!

Luckily, it didn't stay overnight or anything, but it was quite amusing. Speaking of amusing...we went to this Italian place for dinner (duh), and we must have gotten there right when it opened for dinner because the place was completely empty and they were all putting up Halloween decorations. After we had been seated we heard some Christmas music and then learned that they serve Bolivian food for lunch. What a strange place. But not a bad meal.

Race morning came quick and we got in our "taxi" (my mom's cousin drove us) and headed to the start, which was near the Pentagon. We drove around to get closer, but actually ended up getting out on the other side of the Pentagon, so we had to walk all the way around! The crowds before, and the walking, were a little bit of a pain, but at least the crowd is to be expected for this size of race (20,000+). They did a flyover of some military helicopters (cool and different, since they usually use jets!) Since we had to walk so far, we were a little late getting to the start, so after a "quick" port-a-potty stop, we shed our sweats and handed them off to my brother-in-law, who wasn't running due to injury (Thanks Alberto! Hip better yet??), and ran off to the start. My sister and I didn't get quite to where we should have started, but sort of close I guess. I had to do a little weaving the first couple miles, but not an exorbitant amount (am I allowed to use that word if it's not money-related?).

I started off gunning for that 7:15 pace and PR because I knew that if I didn't give it a shot I'd be upset with myself. It was that or run an 8:00 pace pretty consistently. I felt great through the first half and barely noticed the couple little hills in the first half of the course. The next couple miles went well too, but by Mile 16 I knew that the PR wasn't happening. I really started to hurt around 21 and the last 3 miles or so were pretty painful, but oh well. I ended up averaging an 8:00 pace anyway (go figure), and finished in 3:29:34. All-in-all, not bad.

It was inspiring to be running around, past, and up to some of the different monuments in DC, and to have the whole Marine/military "aura" around the race. It's a flat, fast course and has a fair share of both natural scenery and monumental (?) scenery, which starts at the Pentagon and ends at Iwo Jima. They do throw in a tough (steep) little hill at the very end. And I mean very end. The crowd support was fantastic, as was the overall support. The logistics are not great, as usual with a large marathon it seems, particularly the expo (I think they may have had to move it to a smaller place this year for some reason?) and the mile you had to walk after the race to get to your bags and meeting spots. The medals are great! Very attractive and unique - and my first spinner! Bonus is that a Marine puts it around your neck and shakes your hand. One of the other advantages of MCM for me was that it was nearby and I didn't have to spend money traveling. I took Monday off anyway to spend time with my family. I'd say it's a "do once" type of marathon, at least for me - but then, most of them are I suppose, given my goal...

Congrats to my sister and dad and friends, and all the other finishers! No plans on the next one yet... 15 down, 35 to go!

Taper Madness

Unusual extra energy. Somehow still tired. Lots of time to waste. No more wasting time. Resting up. Kicking butt in gear.

Feeding Frenzy!

To round out my trio of races is the Ragnar DC Relay: 12 people, 198 miles from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC. Straight. Overnight. FUN! So the story starts when I asked around to find a skydiving buddy, and my roommate countered with the offer to run Ragnar with his team. I couldn't say no :)

Ragnar Relay: Washington DC
Cumberland, MD to Washington DC
FRI/SAT September 23-24

He was the only one of the other eleven that I knew, and I was in Van 1 with five other girls - wasn't sure if that would be good or bad, haha. We met down in DC last Thursday night for a "team dinner" of sorts in DC's Chinatown. It was a place called Vapiano, and it was an interesting setup - you swipe your card that they give you and runs you a tab. Then you pay on your way out. Anyway, good food and I got to meet the rest of the team. I stayed over at a teammate's house because 5am comes nice and early.

Our wave started at 11am, so we left with enough time to get us there by 9am. Stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts on the way - their hash browns were not good. We got there, checked in, went through the safety instructions and then we decorated the van! I should clarify here that our "vans" were really SUVs, but I'm going to call them vans anyway. Our team name was "Feeding Frenzy" so we kind of had the whole shark/Jaws theme. We had dorsal fins and teeth. It was awesome.

I was our second runner, so my first one was Leg 2 from Rocky Gap (where the start was - Leg 1 just circled the lake) to Flintstone. It was raining lightly and was basically 2 miles up and 4 miles down (6.3 total). Managed to run it at a 7:08 pace - good start. Then it was time to cheer on the rest of the team for a while. Legs 3, 4 and 5 were especially hilly, and 4 & 5 were on the gravel/dirt roads that had since become mud. That made running and driving on them very difficult. In fact, they ended up having to cancel Legs 4 & 5 for teams after us at some point because vans were getting stuck! Hooray 4-wheel drive! Props to Laura, Amelia and Sarah who championed through those legs. Laura even got a belt-buckle for conquering the toughest leg on the course - pretty cool.

Finishing up Leg #2

At Exchange 6 we handed off to Van 2, who got to sleep in a little, and headed over to Exchange 12 for some food and rest. Exchange 12 was at a local high school, so they had spots to sleep inside, food at the cafeteria and showers for $1. I chose not to shower and just cleaned up. We had a good meal including spaghetti, apple sauce and cake! Didn't really sleep due to the noise and hard ground, but I wasn't all that tired yet either. We learned at the exchange that Van 2 had downloaded the Jaws theme and were circling other vans in the parking lots :)

My second leg (Leg 14) came around 11pm. The night legs were interesting because of the dense fog and rural areas - made it a little creepy! I tend to run a little bit faster in the dark, and that was no different. I averaged 6:32 for 4.6 miles. We met Van 2 at the creamery (Exchange 24). Who doesn't love a breakfast sandwich from a creamery at 3:30am? Mmmmm, bacon... and tasty chocolate milk!

I started to get a little tired toward the end of my van's legs, so it was a good thing we decided to split a hotel room for...a few hours...haha (checked in at 5am, left around 7:30ish). Nice hot shower, nice quiet power nap on a bed... refreshed me enough for the next day, but my stomach didn't seem too happy before my last leg.

 I used the disgusting port-a-potties at Exchange 24 before my last leg (Leg 26) around 8:45am. My stomach actually settled down during the run and my legs responded better than I could have asked for. The annoying thing was the red light RIGHT before my finish! GAH! So weird stopping at a red light during a race... 4.35 miles (book said 4.2) at 6:44 pace. It was sure nice to be done! The last leg was easiest to cheer since you get to tell them they're almost done :)

We handed off to Van 2 at Exchange 30 (after we found out we had gone to 31...haha) and headed to the finish line to await the team. We explored a little, had a snack, and watched other teams come into the finish. Our team came in after about 29 hours, 18 minutes of running - placing 78th of 261 teams and 24th of 115 teams in our category (open mixed). Go Feeding Frenzy!

Overall, it was a great experience and a lot of fun. After my sister did Hood to Coast a few years back, I've kind of wanted to do a relay like this, so I guess thanks to my ex-roommate for inviting me to the team! Looking forward to doing another one. Learned a few things and what to bring next time. I want to do Wasatch Back Ragnar at some point. Legs surprised me (yay). I need to sleep a lot afterwards though, as I got sick this week!

Ole!

Back 2 Back

I had 7 "off" (read "light training") days after my 70.3 before my next race. The day after the triathlon my dad asked if I wanted to run a Half Marathon the next weekend while I was home. My answer (of course)? Sure, why not!?

Romeo2Richmond Half Marathon
Romeo/Richmond, MI
Sunday, September 18th

I was home for a cousin's wedding for the weekend and got "talked into" running a Half Marathon on Sunday morning before flying back to Baltimore. I put that in quotes, because it's pretty easy to talk me into a race :) It was a beautiful morning for a run and a flat, fast course.

I guess there's not much to report, but I was extremely surprised how well my legs held up the whole way. I started a little tentative, not knowing what to expect, but quickly picked up the pace and managed to come in the first mile at 6:48. I kicked the "chip" off my shoe around 1.5 and had to stop and pick it up, but that was the biggest problem. There were a couple stretches on dirt/gravel roads that were a little tough, and I thought they'd slow me down or tire me out (or both), but they didn't. I kicked in the last mile in 6:33 and finished in 5k-type sprint pace.

I finished a minute off my PR time in 1:30:01, which I'm ecstatic about, considering I had done a Half Ironman a week before! I finished 13th overall and 2nd in my age group :) And my friend who was doing this as part of a 23-mile "easy" run only beat me by 4 minutes...haha. My dad ran well, my sister won her age group and PR'd, and my brother-in-law also PR'd! Good day all around!

 My sister and I showing off our medals at lunch

Afterwards we went to Moose Country Grill in Richmond for some large and unusual burgers. My dad had grilled cheese sandwiches as his buns, and I had pulled pork on top of my burger... yum.

Triple Threat

Well, I'm sitting here sick, so I might as well do some updates... and perhaps getting sick was a result of racing the last three weekends. And I'm not talking 5ks...

Quakerman 70.3 (Half Ironman)
Quakertown, PA
Saturday, September 10th

A hurricane and tropical storm couldn't stop this race. Initially I was concerned that there would be flooding preventing me from even getting to the starting line, but everything went off without a hitch. Other than having trouble finding the hotel! I took half a day off work on Friday to drive up to PA. I took the local route rather than the toll road (interstate). It took a little longer, but oh well. I was tired of paying tolls! One thing it did screw up was finding the hotel, since it was right off the interstate, and not located where I expected it to be.

Lake Nockamixon, PA

I arrived Friday evening, checked in (eventually) and headed over to Lake Nockamixon to check out the course. The lake looked nice, and the hills didn't seem too big when I was driving them in the car... but as I found out later, it was a rather difficult course! I had a nice dinner outside at McCoole's (est. 1750!), prepared for the race back at the hotel and tried to sleep.

My dining partner

I slept okay, for the night before a race at least, and made it to the start in plenty of time. I got everything set up in the Transition Area and made my last minute preparations, including putting the wetsuit on (water temp 71 degrees). It was only my second time swimming in the wetsuit, and first race, and I must say that it was much easier than without. It makes sighting that much easier for me. After final instructions, they lined us up in two straight lines to enter the water via the slick little "cliff" (only casualty of the flooding), and it was so quiet it felt like we were marching to our deaths - would it kill to get a little music going!?

And we're off! During the swim I concentrated on staying relaxed and making sure I had enough to get the full 1.2 miles. It was a double-loop course, which ended up being okay (I was worried I'd want to stop halfway). I felt like I was going fairly straight and relatively quick, but I think I was just so concentrated on relaxing... I could have gone faster. I came out of the water in just over 60 minutes. At both T1 and T2 I felt like I was fairly efficient, but clearly not, since I still had some of the slower transition times - I'll need to work on that...

The bike course started off with a climb out of the park and onto the roads. The course was a 3-looper basically doing an outline (rectangular) of the park. I made it through the first two loops no problem, though I realized the hills were more than expected - including one tough mile-long (approximately) uphill stretch. I did drop one of my bottles but luckily it was towards the end of a lap. By the time I had finished the second lap, I had now ridden further than I ever had in training (38 > 36 miles) and still had another 18 miles to go! (Or so I thought - it ended up being about 57.75 miles according to my Garmin, rather than 56.) That last lap was tough but I made it out okay. Note to self: Fig Newtons get squished easily!

I loosened up fairly quickly on the run, enough to come in the first mile at 8:14. I slowed down after that, since it was a challenging course. I also managed to drop my gel somewhere in the first lap (was a double out-and-back). I found out with about 2 miles left that one of the aid stations had gels - go figure! I did a lot of walking on the uphills and even some of the flats towards the end, but I made it! I was hoping originally to break 6 hours, but I came in joyfully at 6:37:48.

FINISH!

My first piece of advice for your first 70.3? Pick a flat one!

Overall, it was a decent race. Not many frills, so find a bigger one if you need those. Organization was good for the most part, though it would have been nice to know about that gel stop (nobody said anything)! It was really hard, but in some sense it was not as bad as I thought. I guess I am used to running my legs into the ground. It was the rest of the body getting sore that was different... Finishing this gives me a lot of confidence heading into the winter and training for Ironman Austria - July 2012!

Bricks or Jello?

Last Sunday (7/31) I competed in my first triathlon, and let me tell you...I had a blast! Probably because it was a new experience for me, and finishing each event and transitioning to the next was like completing a task or finding a clue on a scavenger hunt. In running, you have the sense of accomplishment when you finish the race. In a triathlon, you get that THREE times!!

It was a sprint triathlon, which I am sure are much more fun than the long ones, really...right? Doesn't mean I'm not going to do the long ones though! While it took me an hour and 45 minutes (1:45:22, officially) it still felt like a true sprint. Of course, being a marathoner, doing any event for less than an hour (each) feels like a sprint...

I signed up as a "novice" so I was in the last of five heats to start the swim. Probably a good idea, though it would have probably saved me from getting kicked by the guy doing the breaststroke less than 200m into the race... Of course in the novice division there were a bunch of other first-timers to make me feel at home. We all were laughing at ourselves when we entered the water for the start, and a little even once we started swimming. I did have to tread water a couple of times to re-orient after getting kicked or a little off course, but I made the distance (750m) without any real problem. Who knows how far I actually swam, because, well, let's just say I need to work on my sighting and learn how to swim straight in open water! Made it out of the water happy and in 21:05 - slightly better than the goal of 22-23 minutes.

I was so happy that I made the swim that I took my grand ol' time in T1 (to the tune of 5+ minutes), but who cares. I got my bike gear on and headed out for the bike portion. The bike course was fantastic - some hills on the scenic "back country" type roads. I was passing people constantly it seemed, which made me feel even better. I felt good the whole way and finished the 16+ miles with an average speed of 19 mph (per my Garmin). But boy am I glad I took my water bottle with me (I had considered not doing so). T2 was much quicker, because I just had to rack my bike and change shoes, essentially (and take off my helmet and gloves of course).

I made my way out to the run, taking a much needed glass of ice water. I have heard people say their legs feel like Jell-O coming off the bike, and I have heard people say their legs are like bricks (specifically the quads). Now, it takes no genius to realize that those are two completely different feelings (duh), but whatever. Mine were definitely in the brick category, though not too bad since it was a short ride. It was my first significant run directly after coming off the bike, so it took a couple minutes to kind of catch my breath, and almost a mile for my legs to loosen up and get going. It was warm, but the course was nicely shaded. I felt better as I went and finished on a 6:33 last mile to do the 5k in 22:28.

I was ecstatic to cross the finish line, grabbed some refreshments, and stood in a pool of ice water to soothe the achy feet. All-in-all, it was a great experience and I can't wait to do another one! The sprints I think I can handle relatively often even after check "IronMan" off the list - they are so fun. I was pumped and ready to commit to a Half (70.3) this Fall -- I just had to decide which.

Finally, this weekend I made the decision to do the QuakerMan 70.3 out near Philly on 9/10/11. Here's to hoping that's a lucky date for me :) Triathlon progression scheduled and registered (sprint, 70.3, Ironman)! I'll want to do SavageMan and MooseMan 70.3s someday too...

Okay, that's enough writing (typing)...lots of work to do in a month's time!!

Running Music

Some songs have the perfect beat. Some have the inspiring words. Some have the passion in the rhythm and tune. Some have the sentimental adrenaline boost. Everyone has their own songs to pump them up, to get the adrenaline going. The theme from "Chariots of Fire" falls in the passion category and is one of my many adrenaline boosting songs. It's really the exception for me, because it's usually all about the beat. Here's a few that get my legs going or amp me up:

I Like To Move It (preferably lemur version!)
Disturbed - Indestructible
Elizabeth & The Catapult - Race You
Eminem - Lose Yourself
Godsmack - Awake
House of Pain - Jump Around
Ill-Famed - Bison Anthem (yeah, that's right, son)
Katrina & The Waves - Walking on Sunshine
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
The Knux - Bang! Bang!
Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations
MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
Muse - Uprising
Nelly - #1
Nickelback - One Last Run
Rusted Root - Send Me On My Way
Rusted Root - Ecstasy
Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
Trapt - Headstrong
U2 - Elevation [Remix]
White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Special Meaning and a few "standards"
Augustana - Boston
Cake - The Distance
Gonna Fly Now (Rocky Theme)
Europe - The Final Countdown
Top Gun Anthem
Smash Mouth - All Star
Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil
Vangelis - Chariots of Fire

Other Good Up-tempo Songs (some may be a little unusual)
BTO - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Boogie
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day
Boston - Smokin'
Bruce Springsteen - Dancin' in the Dark
C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat
Chumbawumba - Tubthumping
Darude - Sandstorm
Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round
Doobie Brothers - Rockin' Down the Highway
Doobie Brothers - Long Train Running
ELO - Don't Bring Me Down
Eric Clapton - After Midnight
Fastball - You're An Ocean
Gloria Estefan - Conga
Goldfinger - Superman
Great Big Sea - Jolly Beggarman
Green Day - American Idiot
Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Hanson - Where's the Love
The Hives - Hate to Say I Told You So
J. Geils Band - Freeze-Frame
Jamiroquai - Canned Heat
Janelle Monae - Tightrope
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
John Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man
KC & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight
Kenny Loggins - I'm Alright
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
Mary J. Blige - Family Affair
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Say Hey (I Love You)
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get
Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels - Devil With A Blue Dress On
Nelly - E.I.
Nina Sky - Move Ya Body
Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad
Peaches & Herbs - Shake Your Groove Thing
Pointer Sisters - I'm So Excited
Prince - 1999
Quad City DJ's - C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe
Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
Robin S - Givin' U All That I've Got
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Hora Zero
The Romantics - What I Like About You
Sasquatch - Rattlesnake Flake
Shalim - Se Me Olvidó Tu Nombre
Social Distortion - California (Hustle & Flow)
Spencer Davis Group - I'm A Man
Spin Doctors - Off My Line
Steve Miller Band - Rock 'N Me
Stray Cats - Rock This Town
Suicide Machines - No Face
The Ting Tings - Shut Up & Let Me Go
Todd Rundgren - Bang the Drum All Day
Trammps - Disco Inferno
U2 - Beautiful Day
Van Halen - On Fire
Van Halen - Jump
Village People - YMCA
Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Will Smith - Miami
ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin'
ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man
2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This
2 Unlimited - The Twilight Zone [Rave Edit]

...and anything else techno/dance or disco usually works...haha

Any good suggestions out there? I need some more/better songs! Pleeeease :)

U-S-A! U-S-A!

If you haven't been watching USA in the Women's World Cup, you're missing out. Playing a (wo)man down for almost an hour against Brazil in the quarterfinals, they scored in the final minute...third minute of added time...in extra time... to tie the game and went on to win in penalties (i.e. shootout, for all you non-futbol fans (i.e. non-soccer fans, for all us Americans!)). Heck of an inspiring comeback. Then this afternoon they scored the go-ahead goal late (78') and went on to beat France 3-1 for a spot in the finals. Another exciting, well-played game. Luckily, Wednesday is my work-from-home day, so I got to watch! GO USA!!

It's hard to not get goosebumps and be inspired watching games like that. I also have been watching a little bit of the Tour de France. Or, as you might call it this year, Tour de Crash. That must mean I'm now a triathlete nerd instead of a running nerd? :) But I'll always be a runner first.

That said, I made 600m straight in the pool this morning! If it was a 750m race like my sprint tri in 2.5 weeks will be, except in the pool, I could have made it. Considering when I started 3 months ago, I could barely do 50m, I'd say it's quite an improvement!

Without Limits

I watched Without Limits recently, one of the movies about running legend Steve Prefontaine. I thought Prefontaine was a little better, and maybe that's because I saw that one first. Maybe I was expecting too much, as I had heard Without Limits was the best one (or maybe just the most popular?). Without Limits seemed short. Like everything was glossed over and characters that weren't developed enough (look at me the movie critic). Surprise! Without Limits is 11 minutes longer. Huh.

Either way, the dude was a beast. I similarly pride myself on heart and guts, but I wish I had that speed to make it even more meaningful.

I did chuckle at Frank Shorter's role in the movie. No, not the guy who played Frank Shorter. The guy that Frank Shorter played. Go figure he would play someone besides himself in the movie...

Next up, Fire on the Track.

Twenty-Six

So yesterday I turned 26 (on the 26th). I guess people call that your golden birthday, or champagne birthday, or whatever-else-birthday. Hadn't heard that before. I usually write about what I learned and my firsts over the past year, but I'm going to change it up a little this year:


June Carter Cash
Marathon 
Rhombicuboctahedron
Iron
Johnny Oates
Z
Walt Disney's Oscars
Number of bones in the human foot/ankle
Kingsport, TN to Atlantic Ocean
Honeysuckle and Rose
Coney Island's Cyclone
Abner Doubleday, Derek Jeter and Michael Vick 
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
Madagascar
Seven Days in Sunny June


Okay, maybe that wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.


Maybe I should try something else. Something a little more different. Maybe it would be sort of fun to write a short story that contains exactly