So The Louisiana Marathon...
It was a good race, a great course for the most part.
The drive is pretty easy. Two friends (Becky and Tala) and I took off in my car at about 7 am Saturday morning to head south. I used my iPhone to keep directions and it worked pretty well. Becky worked until 2 am that morning so she slept most of the way and Tala sat up front to keep me company. I have to say the drive was easy. The weather was nice and we only stopped a couple times, once for gas and another for lunch. Driving to Southern Louisiana is not straightforward by any means. It's not like driving to St Louis, Memphis or Dallas where you can hop on an interstate and cruise. Going to Louisiana takes you though every little town, slowing you down so you are sure to enjoy the scenery. Divided highways and two lane local roads keep the traffic flowing though the inner cities and there are no bypasses. In a way it's good because it forces you to see the towns, stop in the towns and shop in the towns.
as we proceeded south the pine forests were gradually taken over by lumbering expanses of branches of large ancient oak trees. The water level got high, the branches sunk lower and the Spanish moss floated with the wind. It is beautiful there.
we crossed the river into Mississippi, then hopped back into Louisiana, curved and winded and finally ended up on Interstate 110 that looped us around Baton Rouge. We pulled off the highway and I dropped the girls off at the door of the Belle Casino and Hotel while I parked the car in the deck. Our room was OK, it was sort of an older hotel, there was a casino where we promptly deposited all our available cash. The expo was simple enough (not very big, about 30 vendors) and we had our packets and belongings organized in our room before 4:30. We are pretty good at this race stuff by now.
We strolled down the street to meet up with some friend for dinner and drinks then on the way back took photos of downtown, some interesting river sculpture, a couple boats and chatted. Pretty low key and calm. After desert and drinks in the hotel bar we were ready to turn in.
The next morning was race day....
I apologize if this blog is boring. :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Today's run
So recently I have taken to escaping the office during the work day to get out while the sun is high and the temperatures are warmer. I keep one monitor affixed on Weather Underground temperature display as I do my work. Normally optimum running time comes around 11:30 to 11:45. That is when I'm able to break away and get just tired enough of my work to warrant jumping up and lacing up my running shoes. It also is when the temperature usually reaches its peak. I'm happy when it's over 45 degrees and sunny out. I think the sun does me good when running in the morning and evenings before and after work right now is done solely in the darkness.
Normally I start from my office and run down Capitol Avenue. This presents me with some challenges as there is lots of construction right now and you have to jump across the street, watch for traffic then dodge the construction on the other side cause the sidewalk is closed and there is a big hole you can fall it. Next you have to cross another street then traverse three very camouflaged steps in the sidewalk. There are park benches and large concrete planters to run around as well as the lunchtime pedestrians. Of course I don't hear anything because my iPod is blasting Cher Lloyd in my ears. I know, not the safest or the best taste in music. sue me.
After that I run North to cross the Broadway bridge. As I'm nearing the bridge I pass Robinson Center Music hall and imagine somebody famous is walking out of the backstage door. After jumping a few curves I cross the old bridge. This bridge is actually scheduled for demolition/refurbishment soon. Its understandable since the side railings are so low if you took a tumble it would be easy to accidentally fall to your death in the river. Also the road is too narrow for today's traffic and buses nearly blow you off balance as they pass, kicking up a whurrh of wind and dust that swirls around you. Once you cross that death trap you reach Dickey Stephens field. The brand new state of the art baseball facility build just north of the river in North Little Rock. It's beautiful, actually. With nice restaurants and lovely boxes and executive suites. pristine grass, an outfield park and statues of famous baseball players in brass all around. After that I run east toward Alltell Arena ahem...Verizon Arena...sorry. Passing the Argenta district with its swanky art galleries, theaters, wine bars and restaurants. After Alltel I cross onto the rivertrail and run west for a spell. Depending on who much mileage I want I turn around at the three mile or three and a half mile mark here.
Heading back east I cross over the Clinton Bridge at the Clinton Library to come back south. Then head west to the River market. If I'm hungry I stop in at this point and visit one of my favorite Greek eateries inside the rivermarket. I can't remember the name but its the only Greek eatery inside there, you cant miss it. I love running through the rivermarket, there are swarms of people and kids and students on fieldtrips to the Museum of Discovery. Its so much fun to whiz by them all feeling strong and powerful. I don't know why that is such a rush. Then I head back south on Cumberland to the office where I usually make a detour to the subway restaurant for a mostly healthy lunch plus a cookie. ok,....sue me..
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
So, sorry for the delay!
Hi All!
I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. I took a little time off over the Holidays. We had some terrible weather here over Christmas and I lost power to my house for 5 days. I have not done much since Pumpkin Holler other than some pretty terrific training runs and some 5K's for local charities! All in good fun!
So this weekend I head to Baton Rouge LA to run the LA Marathon. This will kick off a schedule of very ambitious running plans I have set forth for myself.
After Baton Rouge I'm registered for the Mississippi 50 in Laural MS, then I'm running the relay at the Hogeye marathon in Fayetteville AR with three friends I am proud to say I introduced to running! :)
After Hogeye, I have myself registered for my first ever race at altitude...yes...lots of elevation gain during this run. It's going to be interesting. I have spent about a week in Durango Colorado and I was able to run just fine until I started plowing up a hill. My pace slowed terribly, but if I walked I seemed to manage fine. I went up the foothills of Engineer Mountain just fine and ran down the hill without much trouble so I hope that if I take my time and don't get crazy I will be OK.
I have had good training as I stated before. I had a 20 miler followed by a 10 miler last month which was not supremely fast because I was nursing a cold. But I got it done and that's what counts. My hope is to meet this ambitious schedule this spring so I can go back to the Do Wacka Do and Pumpkin Holler again this year better trained. We shall see how it all goes. :)
and I will do a better job of keeping you posted!
LL
I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. I took a little time off over the Holidays. We had some terrible weather here over Christmas and I lost power to my house for 5 days. I have not done much since Pumpkin Holler other than some pretty terrific training runs and some 5K's for local charities! All in good fun!
So this weekend I head to Baton Rouge LA to run the LA Marathon. This will kick off a schedule of very ambitious running plans I have set forth for myself.
After Baton Rouge I'm registered for the Mississippi 50 in Laural MS, then I'm running the relay at the Hogeye marathon in Fayetteville AR with three friends I am proud to say I introduced to running! :)
After Hogeye, I have myself registered for my first ever race at altitude...yes...lots of elevation gain during this run. It's going to be interesting. I have spent about a week in Durango Colorado and I was able to run just fine until I started plowing up a hill. My pace slowed terribly, but if I walked I seemed to manage fine. I went up the foothills of Engineer Mountain just fine and ran down the hill without much trouble so I hope that if I take my time and don't get crazy I will be OK.
I have had good training as I stated before. I had a 20 miler followed by a 10 miler last month which was not supremely fast because I was nursing a cold. But I got it done and that's what counts. My hope is to meet this ambitious schedule this spring so I can go back to the Do Wacka Do and Pumpkin Holler again this year better trained. We shall see how it all goes. :)
and I will do a better job of keeping you posted!
LL
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sooooo whats next???? Cajun Land
So no sooner have I recovered from this 100K, I find myself looking for another run. I think I want to do the 100K again. It seems to be a great distance! So poking around on the Ultramarathon website I find several prospects. One quite close to my cousins down in Lake Charles. The Cajun Coyote. It's December 1 and 2. Yep, Its the same weekend as St Judes, Nope, I'm not registered for St Judes and I'm kinda glad now!
This one appears to be 3, 20 ish mile loops around the swamps of Chicot State Park. Pretty Flat, dirt trails....swamps...hmmm could be kinda scary at night...
But I'm contemplating it. I feel like I want to do another 100K before I ever consider increasing my distance.
Hopefully my recovery will go smoothly and I'll feel like running again in a week....heck, I feel like running now but I know better.
My recovery has been swift! Monday I felt terrible, fluelike, hungover and jetlagged. Also pretty sore in the calves and quads. Yesterday I felt good as new, with just a little residual soreness. I actually met my friend to walk after work.
Today I'm looking for another Ultra to run. This is a strange sickness....
This one appears to be 3, 20 ish mile loops around the swamps of Chicot State Park. Pretty Flat, dirt trails....swamps...hmmm could be kinda scary at night...
But I'm contemplating it. I feel like I want to do another 100K before I ever consider increasing my distance.
Hopefully my recovery will go smoothly and I'll feel like running again in a week....heck, I feel like running now but I know better.
My recovery has been swift! Monday I felt terrible, fluelike, hungover and jetlagged. Also pretty sore in the calves and quads. Yesterday I felt good as new, with just a little residual soreness. I actually met my friend to walk after work.
Today I'm looking for another Ultra to run. This is a strange sickness....
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Post Punkin'
So after the hoopla died down, the race organizer gave me my medal and took my chip away. Thank goodness... Phil went off to get restocked for his last loop. I assured him his last loop was going to fly by like lightning! I hoped it would.
The organizer told me to go step over by the camp fire and stay warm, it was 2 am and there were two early 100 mile finishers (yeah, they are not human) sitting by the fire with some others who had finished the 100K and the race director, a few friends and family supporters.
There were a couple of runners there who had been at the Do Wacka Do there ...I talked to them for a second, realizing I was in a little bit of a daze and needed to shake out of it. I was still sweaty from the run and needed to put on dry clothes before I cooled of in the night air. I knew Tala would be coming in soon, but still should change to keep from getting chilled. I hobbled over to my car and thought....."Return Text Messages"!.
I had seen Annette Blanton during my halfway point at the start finish and she emphatically insisted that I text when we finished to let her know we were OK. That was the first thing I did. I sat in my car and sent as many text messages as I could remember to send at that time. Then, I leaned out of the car and hobbled over to the showers that fortunately Eagle Bluff was kind enough to leave open for us. My hip flexer was killing me and I could not raise my right leg more than a half an inch off the ground. I got into the shower and attempted to rinse some of the trail dust off my feet to put on dry clothes. The water was semi warm and I did not want to spend too much time in there because moths were swarming around. I finally got dressed, put on yoga pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve jacket with a hood. Droped my stuff by the car and hobbled over back toward the fire. As I was approaching the fire a nice young man came up to me and said. "That's quite a limp, are you OK?" I said, well my hip flexer hurts pretty bad. "Thats typical" he said, where ya heading?" I replied, "Over by the fire" . He said, "Do you want a chair?" I said "Yeah, I guess, I have a chair over there with that bag on it. You can just put that bag on that ice chest and I'll use that"
He was so nice, he got the chair, sat it by the fire and then asked me if I needed anything to eat. He brought me a cup of chili, and a bottle of water, the chili was delicious, I ate almost all of it. And I sat in the chair and stayed warm waiting for Tala to get in.
Not long after Tala rolled in, and after some initial confusion over a lost timing chip she finished shortly after I did. Apparently she had forgotten her chip when she changed her socks at the half way point. Then I unknowingly disrupted the scene by moving the bag off the chair. We searched for the chip in the dark for about 10 minutes then I finally went back to the race director and asked if anybody had turned in the chip, finding it on the ground. He looked at me and said "don't worry about it. Go to your hotel and sleep. If it turns up it turns up, if not....big deal" I was so thankful to hear that, I told Tala what he said and we packed up and drove back to the hotel.
Finally after showers and texting, I got to sleep at 4 am....dozing off I was wishing I had closed the curtains on the window...but I was too tired and sore to bother....Oh well,
It had been a good day.
And just in case anybody was wondering....other than a sore hip flexer, her is a summation of my injuries from the 17 hour journey:
one scratch on my left leg....
That's it. Not a single chaffed place, not a single blister (which I thank the new shoes for) not even a bug bite....one tiny scratch that I don't even remember getting....
Yeah, strange! :)
The organizer told me to go step over by the camp fire and stay warm, it was 2 am and there were two early 100 mile finishers (yeah, they are not human) sitting by the fire with some others who had finished the 100K and the race director, a few friends and family supporters.
There were a couple of runners there who had been at the Do Wacka Do there ...I talked to them for a second, realizing I was in a little bit of a daze and needed to shake out of it. I was still sweaty from the run and needed to put on dry clothes before I cooled of in the night air. I knew Tala would be coming in soon, but still should change to keep from getting chilled. I hobbled over to my car and thought....."Return Text Messages"!.
I had seen Annette Blanton during my halfway point at the start finish and she emphatically insisted that I text when we finished to let her know we were OK. That was the first thing I did. I sat in my car and sent as many text messages as I could remember to send at that time. Then, I leaned out of the car and hobbled over to the showers that fortunately Eagle Bluff was kind enough to leave open for us. My hip flexer was killing me and I could not raise my right leg more than a half an inch off the ground. I got into the shower and attempted to rinse some of the trail dust off my feet to put on dry clothes. The water was semi warm and I did not want to spend too much time in there because moths were swarming around. I finally got dressed, put on yoga pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a long sleeve jacket with a hood. Droped my stuff by the car and hobbled over back toward the fire. As I was approaching the fire a nice young man came up to me and said. "That's quite a limp, are you OK?" I said, well my hip flexer hurts pretty bad. "Thats typical" he said, where ya heading?" I replied, "Over by the fire" . He said, "Do you want a chair?" I said "Yeah, I guess, I have a chair over there with that bag on it. You can just put that bag on that ice chest and I'll use that"
He was so nice, he got the chair, sat it by the fire and then asked me if I needed anything to eat. He brought me a cup of chili, and a bottle of water, the chili was delicious, I ate almost all of it. And I sat in the chair and stayed warm waiting for Tala to get in.
Not long after Tala rolled in, and after some initial confusion over a lost timing chip she finished shortly after I did. Apparently she had forgotten her chip when she changed her socks at the half way point. Then I unknowingly disrupted the scene by moving the bag off the chair. We searched for the chip in the dark for about 10 minutes then I finally went back to the race director and asked if anybody had turned in the chip, finding it on the ground. He looked at me and said "don't worry about it. Go to your hotel and sleep. If it turns up it turns up, if not....big deal" I was so thankful to hear that, I told Tala what he said and we packed up and drove back to the hotel.
Finally after showers and texting, I got to sleep at 4 am....dozing off I was wishing I had closed the curtains on the window...but I was too tired and sore to bother....Oh well,
It had been a good day.
And just in case anybody was wondering....other than a sore hip flexer, her is a summation of my injuries from the 17 hour journey:
one scratch on my left leg....
That's it. Not a single chaffed place, not a single blister (which I thank the new shoes for) not even a bug bite....one tiny scratch that I don't even remember getting....
Yeah, strange! :)
Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd Part 2
So I left the start finish area, slowly, slowly....at a slow walk. My Garmin had been showing low battery so I left it at the start finish area because it would most likely die before I completed the second loop. I did not want to carry the extra weight of a dead garmin around for 20 miles.
I decided to try a caffeinated Gu to get me over this hump. A risk because Gu can make me nauseous in the heat. I slowly sipped on it and let it dissolve on my tongue as I walked the gravel road. A man passed me in a red shirt, he had a 100 mile bib on. I did not envy him.
As the Gu kicked in I sped my pace some and eventually caught up with him. We walked and talked and when the downhill hit we ran. I decided at that point, I would do my best to stay with this person. If he did not mind. He had to reach certain goals by certain times or else he would miss cut off times. This would keep me on pace. I stuck with him and we talked about the course and the heat and other things and he said "It will get better when it cools down" and I took him at his word and carried on.
We got into Mad Dog aid station where I had a bathroom break and got my camelback refilled. My friend got away from me some as the aid station people had a little trouble with my camelback and it took them a while to refill it, but I caught him on the large downhill out of the area there and continued to follow him. I did eventually ask if it were OK if I stuck with him and he was said "of course!"...His name was Phil.
Phil and I continued our walking up hills and running downhills and flats to 6 mile aid station at the out n back and the sun was setting. This aid station had chicken soup. I was still partially recovering from my sick feeling from the heat earlier and finally felt I could take some soup and I'm glad I did. The broth was warm and super salty. It hit the spot! We headed out on the out n back and decided it was headlamp time. I had my Black Diamond in my pack and a bandana. I slipped off my headband and tried like an idiot to tie the headband which blocked my view. Next time I'll do this a little earlier in the day for sure! I was veering into the ditch, blinded trying to tie my bandana. Phil was laughing and trying to keep me on a straight course. Finally getting that situated and my headlamp adjusted I decided to keep the setting on low beam, as the high beam could signal aircraft.
Coming back from the out n back I saw that Tala was very close behind me and that made me feel better. I knew she was close.
We got back to the 6 mile aid station, got more soup then carried on. Phill was beginning to lament a rock in his shoe so I noted that at the 13.4 aid station I had a drop bag and I would restock my gu and stuff and that would give him lots of time to get the rock out. He thought that was a great idea. We made it to 13.4 and did out things, got our soup, restocked and refilled and carried on.
Getting out of the aid stations was the challenge and I was glad Phil was with me to keep me going. I did not want to hold him up and he was quick out of the aid stations. That was a real help. I'm sure I would have added at least two extra minutes to my time per aid station if he had not been with me.
We left out of the 13.4 and I was thinking....I'm 3/4 done....I'm 3/4 done. Unlike poor Phil who still had another 31 mile loop to go after this one. I did not want to gloat too much, but at this point I was feeling amazing. No stomach issues, not really tired, I felt peppy and alert! It was great!
The two miles of pavement came upon us. It was not nearly as bad as it was before. Being dark and much cooler. It never got cold enough that I though I needed a jacket though.
After we passed the pavement we came upon that 20 mile aid station again. The one with the bathtub rocks. When we passed the chairs to get to the food table to get some soup I saw a young kid sitting in a chair with his head between his knees.....Yikes I thought....He went out too fast, got hot, can't eat....now feels like shit....At least that was my assessment. I was pretty much right. He was in the 100 mile race so had, like Phil, another loop to do after this one.
We chatted, had soup and I was in a really good mood , knowing I was withing single digits of my finish. We headed out and the kid decided to go with us.....Yikes!
Phil had to help me over the bath tub rocks this time. I nearly fell in. We hopped and jumped to the other side and the kid hopped and jumped with us. He had sat still for so long he was shivering in the cold. I was hoping beyond hope he did not fall out on us or get really sick. As selfish as it sounded, Phil and I were making good time and I did not want anything to mess that up. ( I know....It's really bad of me). But when I found out the kid had not done more than a 50K before registering for this 100 mile run I had no sympathy......nope....
There was one more aid station between me and the finish, 6 miles of darkness. I was getting anxious and there were a couple steep climbs I had to get over. My right hip flexer started to give me problems. It hurt when we walked, so oddly enough, it motivated me to run more. We continued our walk run, not holding back for anything. Downhills get run, flats run, uphills, walk.... After another hour the dark started playing trick on your eyes, the headlamps made it worse. I was walking on the left hand side of the trail near the brush and shadows do strange things to the overly fatigued. As We got closer, my spirits began to lift to annoying levels. I was laughing and talking and making jokes. I'm sure Phil and the kid wanted to knock me down in the poison ivy.
We got to the lollypop stick of the course, a mile and a quarter from the resort. I was running almost 100 percent at this time. I could smell the hay! (sure I had been smelling hay for 15 miles, but this was actually the good kind of hay).
Getting to the iron bridge, the kid was infront of me walking. I knew I had to get ahead of him because he was not going to be in my photo puking his guts in the back ground nor walking in front of me. I told Phil, "I'm running it it!" Phil was like OK and went with me. Phil was welcome in my finish photo cause he had let me stick with him for 31 miles! Had it not been for him I would have been rolling in an hour later. for sure!
We ran around the park, past the cars and tents, I saw the orange colored pumpkins and through the chute! I was done. It was such a great feeling...Done! and I felt great! Of course my hip flexer was screaming, but who cared!!!
Done!
I decided to try a caffeinated Gu to get me over this hump. A risk because Gu can make me nauseous in the heat. I slowly sipped on it and let it dissolve on my tongue as I walked the gravel road. A man passed me in a red shirt, he had a 100 mile bib on. I did not envy him.
As the Gu kicked in I sped my pace some and eventually caught up with him. We walked and talked and when the downhill hit we ran. I decided at that point, I would do my best to stay with this person. If he did not mind. He had to reach certain goals by certain times or else he would miss cut off times. This would keep me on pace. I stuck with him and we talked about the course and the heat and other things and he said "It will get better when it cools down" and I took him at his word and carried on.
We got into Mad Dog aid station where I had a bathroom break and got my camelback refilled. My friend got away from me some as the aid station people had a little trouble with my camelback and it took them a while to refill it, but I caught him on the large downhill out of the area there and continued to follow him. I did eventually ask if it were OK if I stuck with him and he was said "of course!"...His name was Phil.
Phil and I continued our walking up hills and running downhills and flats to 6 mile aid station at the out n back and the sun was setting. This aid station had chicken soup. I was still partially recovering from my sick feeling from the heat earlier and finally felt I could take some soup and I'm glad I did. The broth was warm and super salty. It hit the spot! We headed out on the out n back and decided it was headlamp time. I had my Black Diamond in my pack and a bandana. I slipped off my headband and tried like an idiot to tie the headband which blocked my view. Next time I'll do this a little earlier in the day for sure! I was veering into the ditch, blinded trying to tie my bandana. Phil was laughing and trying to keep me on a straight course. Finally getting that situated and my headlamp adjusted I decided to keep the setting on low beam, as the high beam could signal aircraft.
Coming back from the out n back I saw that Tala was very close behind me and that made me feel better. I knew she was close.
We got back to the 6 mile aid station, got more soup then carried on. Phill was beginning to lament a rock in his shoe so I noted that at the 13.4 aid station I had a drop bag and I would restock my gu and stuff and that would give him lots of time to get the rock out. He thought that was a great idea. We made it to 13.4 and did out things, got our soup, restocked and refilled and carried on.
Getting out of the aid stations was the challenge and I was glad Phil was with me to keep me going. I did not want to hold him up and he was quick out of the aid stations. That was a real help. I'm sure I would have added at least two extra minutes to my time per aid station if he had not been with me.
We left out of the 13.4 and I was thinking....I'm 3/4 done....I'm 3/4 done. Unlike poor Phil who still had another 31 mile loop to go after this one. I did not want to gloat too much, but at this point I was feeling amazing. No stomach issues, not really tired, I felt peppy and alert! It was great!
The two miles of pavement came upon us. It was not nearly as bad as it was before. Being dark and much cooler. It never got cold enough that I though I needed a jacket though.
After we passed the pavement we came upon that 20 mile aid station again. The one with the bathtub rocks. When we passed the chairs to get to the food table to get some soup I saw a young kid sitting in a chair with his head between his knees.....Yikes I thought....He went out too fast, got hot, can't eat....now feels like shit....At least that was my assessment. I was pretty much right. He was in the 100 mile race so had, like Phil, another loop to do after this one.
We chatted, had soup and I was in a really good mood , knowing I was withing single digits of my finish. We headed out and the kid decided to go with us.....Yikes!
Phil had to help me over the bath tub rocks this time. I nearly fell in. We hopped and jumped to the other side and the kid hopped and jumped with us. He had sat still for so long he was shivering in the cold. I was hoping beyond hope he did not fall out on us or get really sick. As selfish as it sounded, Phil and I were making good time and I did not want anything to mess that up. ( I know....It's really bad of me). But when I found out the kid had not done more than a 50K before registering for this 100 mile run I had no sympathy......nope....
There was one more aid station between me and the finish, 6 miles of darkness. I was getting anxious and there were a couple steep climbs I had to get over. My right hip flexer started to give me problems. It hurt when we walked, so oddly enough, it motivated me to run more. We continued our walk run, not holding back for anything. Downhills get run, flats run, uphills, walk.... After another hour the dark started playing trick on your eyes, the headlamps made it worse. I was walking on the left hand side of the trail near the brush and shadows do strange things to the overly fatigued. As We got closer, my spirits began to lift to annoying levels. I was laughing and talking and making jokes. I'm sure Phil and the kid wanted to knock me down in the poison ivy.
We got to the lollypop stick of the course, a mile and a quarter from the resort. I was running almost 100 percent at this time. I could smell the hay! (sure I had been smelling hay for 15 miles, but this was actually the good kind of hay).
Getting to the iron bridge, the kid was infront of me walking. I knew I had to get ahead of him because he was not going to be in my photo puking his guts in the back ground nor walking in front of me. I told Phil, "I'm running it it!" Phil was like OK and went with me. Phil was welcome in my finish photo cause he had let me stick with him for 31 miles! Had it not been for him I would have been rolling in an hour later. for sure!
We ran around the park, past the cars and tents, I saw the orange colored pumpkins and through the chute! I was done. It was such a great feeling...Done! and I felt great! Of course my hip flexer was screaming, but who cared!!!
Done!
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd! Part 1
Alarms went off at about 4:45 and I got out of bed and headed to the shower. Tala was up as well and milling around in the room.
I got dressed, in my black LuLuLemon Pacesetter skirt and Swiftly Tech t-shirt. My camelback bladder was in the fridge filled and ready to go as well as my Pedyalite drinks. We muched on a bagel with peanut butter and had coffee from the hotel breakfast area. The morning was very quiet and uneventful. We got up, got ready and gathered our things for taking out to the car. We stepped out side into the 39 degree weather....yikes...much cooler than I expected but I guess that's a good thing. As we were leaving I filled up one last time on coffee and grabbed a banana.
Just for grins, I tossed the new shoes I had purchased the day before into the car, thinking, it would have to be a really really bad situation with my current shoes before I decided to change them, but I'll take them just in case. I'm glad I did.
We made the 15 minute drive out to Eagle Bluff resort and parked in the ever growing lines of cars parking in the lots near the cabins at the start/finish area. We got a good spot, right at the end of the sidewalk that led away from the congregation area, we could watch what was going on without even getting out of the car. It was perfect. We got there in plenty of time, got out of the car to wander up to the tables an tents where the registration/packet pickup/ chip pick up was. We got our chips and ankle straps, put our drop bags in the appropriate places for transport out to the 13.4 mile mark and headed back to the car. .
After that we just waited and watched people come and go, looked for our other Arkansas friends, chatted with them. Got back in the car....it was cold outside!
When 7:50 rolled around we got our camelbacks on and headed up to the start finish area. Took some photos and then at 8 am we were off!
So this was the plan....Run no faster than a 10:00 minute pace...ever. When I walked, try to stay as close to a 15 minute pace as possible. Eat and Drink....Have Fun! That was it.
Tala and I positioned ourselves toward the back of the pack. Avoid the adrenalin of the front runners. We began at a comfortable pace out of the park and across the iron bridge that went over the beautiful Illinois river.
I have to stress how beautiful this course was. The leaves were changing, the sky was clear and blue, there was a warm breeze cutting into the chill. We ran through vast pastureland with marshmallow shaped bales of hay dotting the hills. Cows munched grass and stared at us in amusement as we ran past. Broken down barns and old horse trailers slept along the roadside, and the grass was still green and lush. Every turn held a beautiful picture. I was completely in awe of this course.
There were hills , rolling hills, and one very steep hill that was added as an option. The Great Gourd Challenge. This would bring your race to 63 miles instead of the mediocre 62 you may have settled on. After the slow climb up the hill you signed your name on a large poster board with a sharpie...as PROOF that you completed the challenge. Back down again, you got your Challenge Completion button. I pinned mine on my skirt with pride! :)
There were Aid Stations! Great Aid stations, and since it was a two loop course, I got to visit them twice. The Mad Dog had ginger snap dog biscuits that were the most delicious cookie I have ever eaten on the run! I had two. They also had peanut butter and jelly sandwich which I enjoyed. At 6 mile aid station before the out n back they were frying up pancakes. I passed on them and chose to munch my mixed nuts and candy corn instead. I had another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I had cheese nips at mile 18 and a pickle. All the while munching on my nuts and candy corn.
Between miles 13 and 18 Tala and I chatted with a lady named Susanne. That's the fun of these long runs, you meet the most interesting people, and make new friends.
At mile 18 I ended up getting separated from Tala. I listened to my Ipod most of that time. When the afternoon rolled around, in rolled the heat. It reached 81 degrees on Saturday...completely not what I was expecting. I kept working at staying hydrated as I crossed the most horrible part of the course. Two miles of pavement. It was terrible, hot, lonely and ....terrible. I did my best to run the downhills and flat parts, but the heat was killing me. Seeing the end of that pavement and the next aid station at mile 20 was a welcome site.
I got to the aid station and talked to the volunteers a bit. I probably stayed there the longest recovering from section in the heat. I had an entire orange. It was wonderful and cold and drank cold water ...then moved on. Over the bathtub rocks, an interesting phenomenon where the river carves out bathtub shaped bowls in the rocks over time. It was a little scary to cross. with deep drops between the raised sections you had to hop over. I stopped for a minute in the middle and looked down into the pools. It was like nothing I had ever seen. But I had to move on....there was one last aid station before I was back at the start/finish area. I felt terrible from the heat. I wanted to quit when I got to the start area. I got my bag and drank my pedyalite, restocked my gels and candy corn. Then went on. I went passed my car on the way out and at the last minute I took stock of how I was feeling. The worst of my pain was in my feet. My feet were rubbing, painful and hot. I decided to take a risk...a calculated risk...
I changed into my new trail shoes, purchased from the day before....
It was and Asics, lightweight trail-shoe with more cushion in the sole. They were clean and dry and felt great on my feet. It was a quick decision, but one I would appreciate. As I was leaving the park I saw Tala, she was carrying on...and so was I.
I got dressed, in my black LuLuLemon Pacesetter skirt and Swiftly Tech t-shirt. My camelback bladder was in the fridge filled and ready to go as well as my Pedyalite drinks. We muched on a bagel with peanut butter and had coffee from the hotel breakfast area. The morning was very quiet and uneventful. We got up, got ready and gathered our things for taking out to the car. We stepped out side into the 39 degree weather....yikes...much cooler than I expected but I guess that's a good thing. As we were leaving I filled up one last time on coffee and grabbed a banana.
Just for grins, I tossed the new shoes I had purchased the day before into the car, thinking, it would have to be a really really bad situation with my current shoes before I decided to change them, but I'll take them just in case. I'm glad I did.
We made the 15 minute drive out to Eagle Bluff resort and parked in the ever growing lines of cars parking in the lots near the cabins at the start/finish area. We got a good spot, right at the end of the sidewalk that led away from the congregation area, we could watch what was going on without even getting out of the car. It was perfect. We got there in plenty of time, got out of the car to wander up to the tables an tents where the registration/packet pickup/ chip pick up was. We got our chips and ankle straps, put our drop bags in the appropriate places for transport out to the 13.4 mile mark and headed back to the car. .
After that we just waited and watched people come and go, looked for our other Arkansas friends, chatted with them. Got back in the car....it was cold outside!
When 7:50 rolled around we got our camelbacks on and headed up to the start finish area. Took some photos and then at 8 am we were off!
So this was the plan....Run no faster than a 10:00 minute pace...ever. When I walked, try to stay as close to a 15 minute pace as possible. Eat and Drink....Have Fun! That was it.
Tala and I positioned ourselves toward the back of the pack. Avoid the adrenalin of the front runners. We began at a comfortable pace out of the park and across the iron bridge that went over the beautiful Illinois river.
I have to stress how beautiful this course was. The leaves were changing, the sky was clear and blue, there was a warm breeze cutting into the chill. We ran through vast pastureland with marshmallow shaped bales of hay dotting the hills. Cows munched grass and stared at us in amusement as we ran past. Broken down barns and old horse trailers slept along the roadside, and the grass was still green and lush. Every turn held a beautiful picture. I was completely in awe of this course.
There were hills , rolling hills, and one very steep hill that was added as an option. The Great Gourd Challenge. This would bring your race to 63 miles instead of the mediocre 62 you may have settled on. After the slow climb up the hill you signed your name on a large poster board with a sharpie...as PROOF that you completed the challenge. Back down again, you got your Challenge Completion button. I pinned mine on my skirt with pride! :)
There were Aid Stations! Great Aid stations, and since it was a two loop course, I got to visit them twice. The Mad Dog had ginger snap dog biscuits that were the most delicious cookie I have ever eaten on the run! I had two. They also had peanut butter and jelly sandwich which I enjoyed. At 6 mile aid station before the out n back they were frying up pancakes. I passed on them and chose to munch my mixed nuts and candy corn instead. I had another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I had cheese nips at mile 18 and a pickle. All the while munching on my nuts and candy corn.
Between miles 13 and 18 Tala and I chatted with a lady named Susanne. That's the fun of these long runs, you meet the most interesting people, and make new friends.
At mile 18 I ended up getting separated from Tala. I listened to my Ipod most of that time. When the afternoon rolled around, in rolled the heat. It reached 81 degrees on Saturday...completely not what I was expecting. I kept working at staying hydrated as I crossed the most horrible part of the course. Two miles of pavement. It was terrible, hot, lonely and ....terrible. I did my best to run the downhills and flat parts, but the heat was killing me. Seeing the end of that pavement and the next aid station at mile 20 was a welcome site.
I got to the aid station and talked to the volunteers a bit. I probably stayed there the longest recovering from section in the heat. I had an entire orange. It was wonderful and cold and drank cold water ...then moved on. Over the bathtub rocks, an interesting phenomenon where the river carves out bathtub shaped bowls in the rocks over time. It was a little scary to cross. with deep drops between the raised sections you had to hop over. I stopped for a minute in the middle and looked down into the pools. It was like nothing I had ever seen. But I had to move on....there was one last aid station before I was back at the start/finish area. I felt terrible from the heat. I wanted to quit when I got to the start area. I got my bag and drank my pedyalite, restocked my gels and candy corn. Then went on. I went passed my car on the way out and at the last minute I took stock of how I was feeling. The worst of my pain was in my feet. My feet were rubbing, painful and hot. I decided to take a risk...a calculated risk...
I changed into my new trail shoes, purchased from the day before....
It was and Asics, lightweight trail-shoe with more cushion in the sole. They were clean and dry and felt great on my feet. It was a quick decision, but one I would appreciate. As I was leaving the park I saw Tala, she was carrying on...and so was I.
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