Ice Age Trail 50k: When Things Come Together

Saturday, May 14, 2011 - the 30th annual Ice Age Trail Runs.  A day where it all just...came together. 

Ever have one of those days on the trail where you go, "Holy S#$@!  THIS is why I love this!  THIS is why I do this!"  I had one of those days on Saturday.  It could not have gone better in my opinion.  The results speak for themselves.  I went into the day with a very, very optimistic outlook.  While I was still going to shoot for finishing under six hours, as was my stated goal, more than anything I just wanted to have a really good day on the trail and just plain enjoy myself.

But when you have volunteers shouting "Number two woman, way to go, keep moving!!" at every aid station for the first three hours, it's kinda hard to relax!  I didn't go into the day with uber-competitive thoughts (I mean, I always have a competitive spirit, but this day I was supressing it...initially), but when you hear something like that, one can't help but think about kicking butt.  All over the place.  And picking up the pace, but just a little :)

Geof was running the 50 mile race and just planned to have a good day rather than worry about a time or pushing too much.  Our training hasn't been of the 50 mile caliber of late, so he was just going to be happy with a finish.  Geof ended up having a very nice day on the trail and finished in fine form and in much better shape than last year's race.

Hey, it's Geof!  Photo courtesy of the Brelly

 

He even made time for some kisses at Highway 12 from our favorite pups, Britton and Mia!  Photo courtesy of the Brelly

 

The 50k race started at 8:15, so I had two hours to kill after Geof's race started.  I organized stuff in the truck and farted around some, then decided to go watch the 50 milers roll into the start/finish area, which was also their mile 9.  Those front folks were burnin' it up out there, wow!!  I hung out and cheered on runners and waited for Geof to come through before heading back to the truck to finish my prep and fill my Nathan pack.  There was some on-and-off drizzle, but nothing to call home about.  I stuck a super thin rain jacket into the cables of my pack, but I never did end up using it.  Standing against the back wall of the bathroom building that was blocking the wind, I chatted with another woman before Jeff (RD) started his pre-race speech.  And then, without fanfare, we were off!  Oh boy, was I excited!  I started out nearly all the way in back in hopes of properly pacing myself from the outset. 

No dice. 

People were walking in back, so I picked up my feet and moved around a large clump of people and then slowly made my up, up, up.  I didn't know where the lead pack was at the time, but in retrospect that is because I was a part of it.  Ha!  Who does that?!  Eventually, it completely thinned out and we were rolling along on our way to the Horseriders turnaround point at mile 6.7.  This part of the course was totally new to me and I was loving every second of it.  Gorgeous, forested singletrack amidst tall pines and short shrubbery that was brilliantly green and lush from all the recent rains.  I had no idea where I stood in the line-up, nor did I care; I had yet to be told where I stood.  And I was running along comfortably in blissful ignorance, soaking up all the beautiful Kettle surroundings. 

The wind was light in the woods, but stiff in the wider, more open prairie sections of the course.  The drizzle tapered off to nothing and wouldn't return until I was nearly finished with my run.  Everything felt calm and serene and I was in this really happy place.  I was listening to my iPod Shuffle and I decided to play a little game...no changing songs, I had to listen to each song that popped up, and for some reason this really entertained me...  Then, I wanted to see if I could outrun the battery life of my Shuffle.  Again, this deeply entertained me.  By the by, no, I did not outrun the Shuffle.  I win!

There was nothing remarkable about the first half marry of the race, yet at the same time everything was remarkable.  Ya know what I mean?  I felt so consumed by the awesome of the day.  I pulled into Horseriders to the announcement of "Second Woman!  Keep it moving!"  Kevin Grabowski (aka Super Fast WI Dude) was volunteering and helped me open my first Honey Stinger Waffle while I pounded a glass of very watered down Heed.  He handed me my waffle and sent me on my way with some words of encouragement, "Get back out there so you can laugh at all the poor souls who still have to come see us here!  You're doing great!"  Funny guy, that Kevin :) 

Oh, my nutrition strategy was very unstrategic, but mostly because it was cold out and it was "only" 31 miles.  I ran with my Nathan pack filled with water and opted not to carry any bottles.  I wanted my hands free and relaxed.  I decided to just suck it up and stomach the Heed available at the aid stations, and relied on either one Waffle per hour, or 5 Honey Stinger chews (the Cherry Blossom flavor are my favorite!) per hour, plus one S!Cap for electrolytes.  I did nothing but take a couple sips of water the first hour.  I find I don't need much of anything the first hour, even on an empty stomach.  Anywho, Heed usually makes me gag and hate things like babies and butterflies, but for some reason I was willing to risk it so that my hands would be comfortable :)  It's a good thing that it actually tasted really, really good for once!  I drank a cup of it close to every hour.

Let's see, oh yes, leaving Horseriders you head back the same way you came, so I got to see everyone behind me, including the next few chicks.  I was warmed up and feeling really awesome by this point, powering down hills, maintaining cadence and moving well up hills.  People jumped to the side and I would come flying down a hill, shouting words of encouragement.  Peeps were all sorts of nice and it was yet another reminder of why I so enjoy the ultra world.  I caught a glimpse of the third and fourth chicks and noted the pretty big gap between us.  But I still made sure to maintain and keep moving.  Before long, it was just me and woods again, and my music.  I hummed along to my favorite songs and kept my eyes glued to the trail before me.  I would not be taking any dives on this day, no time for that!  There was one guy in front of me a ways and I decided to reel him in, slowly.  He was running everything and moving well, but he treated the downhills like a snakepit.  Before long I was within a few paces of him and we hit a final downhill before the road crossing taking us back to the Nordic loop, and I blew by him.  It felt good.  But mostly because it was one of those really lovely downhill sections that make one feel as though they could fly down it effortlessly, forever. 

Back on the Nordic, it's another 1.5ish miles back to the start/finish area, at which point the 50k runners head out for two full loops of the 9+ mile Nordic loop.  Pulling into the aid station I am greeted by cheers and smiling volunteers.  I downed a cup of Heed again, considered pulling off my right shoe to empty it of some rocks, but then decided I just wanted to keep moving.  Plus my favorite Coldplay song was on and it has the perfect running beat. 

MUDD Michele snapped a quick pic on my way out of the aid station

I got to the first bench on the trail, around a bend, and decided it would be a foolish, rookie, mistake to not empty out my shoe.  So I stopped and unloaded the 1/4 pound of trail debris and got back on my way.  I had to do this once more before I finished, but both times I made quick business of it and removed my ear buds so that I could hear if anyone was coming my way.  I was starting to feel that competitive surge.  I had no idea where the next chicks were behind me, and I didn't want to find out.  I turned up the music a little louder to try and drown out the thoughts.  I don't like thinking about that kind of stuff; I wasn't out there to win anything, I was only out there to achieve a goal, it just so happened that I was doing really freakin' well while working towards that goal.  I needed to keep my mind focused on the true task at hand and not let other things muddy it up too much.

Serenity now :)

Oh, look at that, it's time for another Waffle.  Nom, nom, nom.  Mmmm, soooo good!

I spent lots of time solo on the trail, until the half marathoners merged trail with us.  Then, there were lots of people strewn about the trail, but it was never bothersome and never got in the way as it's a wide, multi-use trail on the Nordic loop.  The first loop felt a little long to me, but that was no surprise because the Nordic loop always feels long.  And it's fraught with these really obnoxious rollers...steep down, five steps recovery, steep up.  Rinse and repeat.  And it comes kinda in the middle of the loop.  Then, you get to the most beautiful pine forest section, where you're running down the middle of rows of soaring pine trees, and the ground is covered in a soft bed of pine needles.  It is magical.  And it smells like heaven.  But, just when you think you're about done with the loop and you're singing with the birds and prancing with the bunnies and thanking whomever you thank for being alive and well enough to be running, the ground turns back into big gravelly rock and grass and you get a couple more steep ups and downs, just in case you forgot what the Kettle was all about.  It's sort of like a P.S., on the trail.  P.S. don't forget how trashed your legs are going to be.  P.S. that pine forest? It's done, now you pay.  P.S. suckfest ahead.  P.S. you love this, remember?  Well, I had my own little P.S. for those final hills: P.S. kiss my grits, I own you! 

Oh, I forgot to mention when I got passed.  It was a moment that will forever live in infamy.  No, not really, but I do remember that it was at exactly the 3 hour mark.  The number three gal just blew by me out of nowhere.  I made a point to never look behind me, I hate when people do that, so I never noticed her until that very moment.  She said something, but my bad manners music drowned it out.  Sorry about that.  It was mighty impressive, her speed.  It was about mile 20 or 21 when that happened and it didn't even phase me for some reason.  I actually was a little bit happy.  I was running a little less scared now :)  She blew past and never let up, eventually finishing 7 minutes ahead of me.  I thought the gap was going to be bigger, judging by how swift she was.  So, yea, that happened.  

I wrapped up that first loop, slammed another glass of Heed like a champ, and got back out for my final loop o' Nordic.  But not before everyone and their mother shouted, "third woman, third woman!!!"  That felt really good, and gave me another little surge.  I was feeling the hills a little bit, but nothing like I thought I would.  Actually, my legs felt flippin' good!  I should note that nothing I thought would bother me ever did come to fruition.  My IT band, hips and calves all played nice-nice.  My anterior tib thingy acted like it wanted to piss and moan on some of the downhills and flats, but I found that focusing on my form kept that at bay.  When I get fatigued, my mid-foot strike turns into a godawful looking heel-strike, so focus was needed to avoid that.  And avoid I did.  I absolutely cherished this final loop, and it helped that it just flew by.  The final loop of any run is almost always the longest feeling, but for some reason that wasn't the case on Saturday. 

I started to wonder if the Heed was spiked. 

I was actually moving even better than the first loop, and my legs started feeling fresher (is that a word?).  Now I kinda wish I had timed the two loops to see which ended up faster.  I bet the second one was faster :)  I don't think I walked a single step of that loop, except for that one really SUPER steep hill.  The drizzle began somewhere on this loop and it felt good.  I was actually getting a little warm due to the increased effort.  I could feel a smile plastered on my face.  What was I smiling at?  Why did I think I needed a reason to smile?  I was on Cloud freakin' 9 folks!  Every pretty, happy thought imaginable entered my mind in those final 9+ miles: I pictured myself walking down the aisle to Geof all spiffed out in his tux and I in my sah-weet dress, I pictured us lounging by the beach in Hawaii with sushi and foofy cocktails and cupcakes, I felt myself blushing at the memory of when he popped the question just 6 short months ago, visions of mountains and Colorado, and Grey's Anatomy popped into my head (hey, I love Grey's Anatomy, and since I had missed the previous week's episode I was very curious about what happened :)), puppies and babies with fat rolls on their legs, and even a vision or two of actually achieving my goal...doing what I set out to do and doing it well.  I felt a little hyperventilate-y (that is definitely not a word, but work with me here) as all these wonderful thoughts danced around in my runner's high mind.  Seriously, who spiked the Heed?

The pine forest came, and I marveled at its magic once more.  It's like the whole world stops when you run through that section.  Cyndi Lauper was singing in my ears about love being a battlefield (love that song) as I pulled into the mile 27 aid station and tossed some garbage, announcing "Hot Damn!!" when the volunteer there said I only had four more miles.  I surged up those next hills and kept on going.  I grabbed a final cup of Heed at the last aid station and then busted my move.  I saved up a little somethin' somethin' for those last 1.5 miles and I was excited.  I checked my watch (it was exactly 5 hours in) and decided that worse case, I'd finish in 5:20.  That got me even more excited.  So I ran the rest of the hills, and before I knew it I was rounding the final bend and the finish area tent and bonfire came into plain view.  Up the little hill and between the cones, I did a corny fist pump as I crossed under the finish line banner. 

Victorious.  I got to be a fastie for a day.

The final time on my watch? 5h:12m:50s.  That's a PR by exactly 1 hour.  The results say 5:13-something, but since I was in back when I started it took a bit getting over the timing mat.  Hey, every second makes a difference :) 

I felt...awesome.  Totally freaking awesome.  I just wish Geof could have been there when I finished, or finishing with me, but I found comfort in knowing he was enjoying his day as well.  After chatting with MUDD Michele and a few other folks, I made short business out of changing into clean dry clothing to avoid the ultra shivers.  I also slipped on my new pair of RecoFit Leg Compressors...now those babies can compress!  It felt like a big bear hug on each leg, from ankle to glute.  They felt sooooo good!  I love that they are sleeves, so putting them on and slipping them off is a breeze and I can leave my shorts on :)  Two thumbs up, give those babies a whirl!

I had a little time to kill, so I roamed around the finish area (which is very cozy and welcoming, with a huge tent, tables and chairs, a bonfire, warm food, cold beer, and front row seats for the finishline), noshing on the post-race BBQ, enjoying some local brews, and chatting with other runners and friends.  The results were posted as people came through, so I checked the board after a bit and was very excited to see I came in third woman overall, first in my 18-29 age group, and 27th finisher overall.  Hot Damn, indeed!  The 50k awards started at 3:00, so I was still solo at that point, but it was still fun to hear my name announced as first in my age group and getting my little ice sculpture-looking trophy.  I definitely was enjoying the moment.

I even got a little memento for my efforts

I really had a great time hanging at the finish area, and was pumped to see Geof rolling in for his finish smiling.  The drizzle was picking up a bit so we ducked into the truck so he could change into warm clothes and then we joined the Brelly and some other friends under the tent for food, beverages and trail talk.  We waited for the final 50 mile finishers to come through before hitting the road for home.

It was such a great experience and I still can't believe how much fun I had and how focused and in the moment I was throughout my run.  I never experienced any dips or low points in my race, and I can't believe how good that Heed tasted...  In the wake of it, I feel great, save for some good ol' fashioned leg soreness and post-race fatigue.  Just a couple reminders of how hard I worked, yet how effortless it all seemed in the midst of it. 

This is one of the best race experiences I've ever had.  Everything just went so smoothly and without a hitch.  All the training I've put in over the last 6 or 7 months paid off a little this past weekend and that makes me feel pretty darn good.  It's a really amazing feeling to state outloud what your goals are and then to actually achieve them.  Kinda cool, and something I highly recommend.  Everything just...came together :)

And now, it's just 4 days until THE big day!!  What a week!

Post-race chillaxin', GnP style

Paige, out.

Mojo A Go-Go

Boy is it exhausting to be exhausted, all the time! 

This just in: racing a marathon is WAY HARDER than running 100 miles.  Fact.  It's just plain taxing, and in a super sneaky way that you don't expect.

Oh, and this just came in over the wires, too: planning a wedding takes every last drop of energy you have and then some, especially on the days when you start out with an energy deficit.  Fact.  But, then, you get down to the single digits leading up to the big day and you revel in all the hard work and become so filled with excitement you can barely contain yourself.  It's a good thing the mojo was restored at right about the 10-day mark :)

So, after five mojo-less weeks of post-hard marathon effort my running mojo is just about back to a normal level.  Those were five long weeks of runs that were just fine, but nothing spectacular.  Weeks of waning motivation, feeling exhausted, lazy, etc.  No long runs happened in there, well, except for Horseriders where I got in 22ish miles, but that run was a total wash for me.  Geof was suffering from the same malaise.  We finally decided the only way to get back into our running and to regain our mojo was to simply...run!  Wake-up has moved to 4:30 a.m., Tuesday Ten has been resurrected in earnest, and runs are everyday (except for one).  It's been more than 10 days and restoration is nearly complete :)  We just needed to get over that hump of despair and get our butts in gear.

I'm thinking that I'll earn a full tank of mojo after this coming weekend's Ice Age Trail 50k.  It'll be my first running of this particular race.  I've crewed it a couple times, but never actually ran it.  A bunch of New Leaf Ultra peeps and CHUGs will be out there running as well, and Geof is running the 50 mile version again this year.  We figured it would be a nice way to ring in the final straightaway to the wedding one week later.  That's so ultra.

Newsflash: I've been seeing a new chiropractor for some ART treatments on the ol' glutes, IT bands and calves.  My insurance changed earlier this year, and my old doc was no longered covered, so that sent me in search of a new doc recently, blah.  I hate doctor hunting, but I got really lucky and found a great one on the first try.  Enter: Dr. Roy Settergren.  His work is fantastic, and he's more than just a back-cracking chiropractor.  He's got mad ART skills and doesn't nannypant around pretending to be an ART practitioner, doing little more than a glorified massage.  No, he really knows his stuff.  He also does acupuncture, massage and some other stuff that I haven't utilized.  The best part, Dr. Roy looks at you as the whole athlete, rather than one isolated issue.  He listens to me describe my situation, then explains his theory on why I'm experiencing discomfort or pain, then gets to work with the ART, explaining what he's doing each step of the way.  Did you know your hip flexors insert way up in your abs?  They do, and what a release it is to have those guys loosened up!  Then, instead of sending me on my way, he showed me a bunch of exercises to do to help with the muscle imbalances I have going on in the hips and glutes, then he had me perform each exercise to make sure I was doing them correctly.  I was feelin' the burn!  Anywho, if you're looking for an ART practitioner in the Chicago Loop area, I highly recommend him.  His approach is very unique and he's very focused on each athlete as a whole.  Now that is how it should be.

So, my glutes and hips are ready to rock it tomorrow.  I'm not really sure what to expect from the day, but I will still be aiming to finish under 6 hours.  More than anything, I aim to enjoy myself and just have a really good run out there in the woods of the Kettle Moraine...me, my mojo, and nearly 600 of my closest running buddies :-)  This morning's final shakeout run turned into a really awesome 3 mile tempo run.  My legs felt great!

Let's do this!  Last ultra as a single chick with an end-of-the-alphabet name, holla! 

Paige, out.

Chi-attle

The heavy veil of a good night's sleep slowly lifts itself as I come to and realize the very loud quacking and barking are not, in fact, in my dream...but rather the sound of two alarms blaring from either side of the bed.  Grabbing my phone, I turn off my quacking alarm just as Geof does the same for his barking alarm.  Ah, blissful silence.  (Though, I must admit there are few funnier sounds to wake up to than a quacking iPhone duck :)  Talk about waking up smiling.)

My, is it bright in here.

My, what have we here?

Breaking through every crevice of the blinds are thin streams of...light.  What could this be?  The pall of winter/wannabe spring finally lifting?  Noooooo, it couldn't be.

Pulling back the blinds, I squint but I can feel my pupils suddenly shrinking in response to the bright light.  What is this light?  What is that large, glowing orb hanging just above the eastern horizon?  Why is it so warm on my face?  Why do I suddenly feel filled with hope and promise?  Why do my legs feel a rush of joy knowing they will get to feel that same warmth soon enough?  What IS this mystery ball?!

c/o Google Images

The sun, you say?  Nonsense.  We are Seattle No. 2...Chi-attle :)  We don't get no stinkin' sun here! 

Oh, a happy dance, I can feel a happy dance coursing through my veins, making its way down to my feet, and then it happens...a little jig!  THE SUN IS SHINING, REJOICE!

The coffee's bubbling up on the stove, the sun is pouring in through the windows, warming our hearts and warming our souls.  My foam roller does a round of IT band massage, Geof is practically singing in the kitchen, and we both are nearly foaming at the mouth knowing we get to run sans rain jackets on this day!

Needless to say, the run was glorious.  It was just what we needed.  Light and fast, our favorite 3-mile route flies by, but not without notice of the beauty of the morning.  We got a late start, hence the shorter route, but we reveled in every last possible second, squeezing out the very last drop of morning freedom before heading off to work.

What a difference the sun makes.

And what a difference a new pair of shoes makes.  I'm cheating on my old Brooks Glycerins with a younger, thinner (soled) pair of Brooks Ghosts...they make me feel young again, what can I say!  So far, after only two runs, I dig 'em.  I like that they are a little lighter feeling, and less bulky than my Glycerins, and they are just a sniff wider in the forefoot, so hopefully that translates into less/no rubbing on the outsides of my big toe and pinkie toe during long runs :)

As I finish this post, four or five hours later, the sun is still shining.  What a day!

May your weekend be magical and filled with delicious running things :)

Paige, out.

Horsing Around

I almost wasn't going to write anything about this because we didn't run the entire race, but then I decided there were too many good pictures to go without a post :) 

This past Saturday was the very first running the Horseriders 34M Fat Ass run, put on by Brian Gaines/New Leaf Ultra Runs.  The day turned out to be BEAUTIFUL which made for fun hanging out, but the recent heavy rains left the course supremely muddy and gucky (yea, I made that word up).  Think: McNaughton Park.  With horse poop.  

The standing water on the course was so prevalent that attempting to get around it (futile) or avoid a full on dunk was totally useless.  Geof and I gave in to this immediately and reveled in running straight through all the big puddles (i.e. small lakes) that took up much of the single track loop.  There was once doozy of a pond near Schaumburg Road, however, that a brief jaunt along the road allowed you to avoid, thankfully.  We steered clear of that one solely for hygiene purposes...it was murky, and thick.  I had no interest in tearing through a standing cesspool of equine waste.  Ick!  Suffice it to say, our feet were soaked within the first 1/4 mile, and stayed that way.  Gotta love the essence of horse pee and rainwater on your favorite trail shoes ;)

The first couple o' loops (of 6.75 miles, run 5 times, for 34 miles) went by just fine, and pretty swiftly.  We were moving well, especially considering our exceedingly slow recovery post BQ marathon.  Then on the third loop, we both began to deteriorate almost out of nowhere.  It was as if our bodies said, "okay, that's it!"  My entire left leg began to ache and tighten up from my hip to my knee.  I could literally feel my IT band turning into a knot, and pulling my kneecap outward.  Owie!  I'm not sure what the dilly was, but I decided it was probably a good idea to call it a day early.  So when we pulled into the pavilion after our third loop, and 20+ miles, I checked out almost completely.  Until, of course, Geof convinced me to try one more loop.  Oooohhhhh, fiiiiiiine :)  We made it a mile in when we both suddenly decided it just wasn't worth it.  Not this day, not this race.  We ran/walked the remainder of the brown trail (2.5 miles) and cut back to the pavilion instead of continuing onto the yellow trail.  Good decision!  With about 22.5 miles in the bag for the day (and longest run in three weeks by A LOT) we were very happy to change into dry clothes, pull up a chair and kick back with some cold beverages while enjoying the warm sun and awesome company.

So, that was our day.  The best part was hanging out at the pavilion watching runners come and go.  I think there were more of us hanging out than there were actually running :)  Here are a few pics from the day (thanks to Kelly Gaines!) for your viewing excitement:

Me and Leslie, before the start

Geof and I on the black trail connector, Loop 1

Geof and Ed kickin' it

One of the gajillion pools of water to run through.  That poor woman on the left...I think Geof soaked her when we passed her ;)

Hey, it's Val and Juli Aistars!  Yes it's THAT Juli Aistars :)

I was so close to winning the Muddiest award (the picture doesn't quite capture it enough)...

...but then Scott appeared and TOTALLY showed me up!  He wanted the Muddiest award so bad that he literally bathed in a mud puddle, LOL!!  Kudos to you, man!

Chillin' like villains in the pavilion at the start/finish

Afterward, I noticed what a killer Third World Squat Scott had (on the far left) and a few of us decided to try it out and see how we did.  It's very comfy, and way harder than it looks!

Ooo!  Before I forget, if you're looking for a new mp3 player, or just love keeping up on techie stuff, my dear, dear Blogger friend, Gretchen, is giving away two Sony Walkman mp3 players on her blog.  Check it out HERE to find out how to enter to win one of two music players!

Paige, out.

Darrin C. Has A Serious Case of the Runs!

And is a "Running Freak" who likes to "Run Dirty" on "Rails to Trails".  Hey, who says you can't judge a runner by their bumper stickers? ;-)

RnR

The last couple of weeks have been some serious rest and recovery from the marathon and it seems as though it's paying off.  I really needed some time off and to step back a bit.  Playing around on my training log, I noticed I had five straight weeks of 40+ miles, and not a single one of those miles was what I would classify as "easy."  Every run was really solid, even when I didn't feel all that great, I was still pulling off very decent pacing.  Just for the record, I have never had a streak like that...in the past, I've only been able to pull off two weeks of 40+ miles before needing a step back.  So I'm pretty psyched to know I can actually handle a little more than I thought.  I'm also realizing how much potential has been left untapped all this time.  Whudda thought?!

That said, I needed some rest :)  I had some residual aches and pains left over from the race that I needed to give some time to work themselves out.  I ended up taking a full 5 days off from running...GASP!!  I've been easing back into my routine, and even got Stiletto out for a couple of rides now that the weather is getting better. 

Speaking of, last weekend was the gazillionth running of the Shamrock Shuffle 8k downtown.  It was forecast to be in the 80s and sunny, so Geof and I dusted off the bikes and rode around catching the front-runner fasties at major intersections before heading to the finish to watch the winner cross the line in under 23 minutes (I believe).  Simply amazing, those guys are FAST!  We noodled around on the bikes awhile longer, grabbed muffins and sat in the middle of Grant Park, people-watching and enjoying the sunshine on our arms and legs.  The day was too awesome to be inside, so we dropped off the bikes and headed out for a run.  Mmmm, delicious day!

Today was another picture perfect day, though not quite as warm.  I met up with fellow CHUGs Kelly, Sarah, Deanna and Jennifer for a run along the path before heading to brunch at Orange.  I ran with Sarah and I think we got about 7 or so miles in before we all reconvened and got our nosh on.  I have to say, the Tijuana Benedict I had for brunch was awesome and a great post-run meal :)  Hanging out, just us ladies, was a blast and it was fun to catch up and talk about upcoming races and training.

When I got home, I stood in the window observing the still-cloudless sky and decided I couldn't possibly be inside (especially when snow is expected this evening, yuck!) so I took Stiletto out for another ride.  Ah, it was gorgeous!  I did forget to put on my padded bikes shorts (wore my running tights) so I'm pretty sure my butt is going to fall off.  I'll need to sit on a pillow for a couple days, lol ;-) 

Picture perfect afternoon on the way home

  

Well hello there!  My bike has nice pipes :)

Next weekend is the Horseriders 34M fat ass run, one of the myriad races put on by New Leaf Ultra Runs (check 'em out on Facebook).  I'm not sure what I'll put in for the day, but I'll at least do a couple of loops.  The beverages and friends hanging out at the pavilion/aid station may be more enticing than logging big miles that day :)  But, who knows.  If I'm feeling it, then I may go for it, but I want to keep my eyes on the prize; I've got goals to reach!

Looking forward to Geof getting home tonight...he's been in Moab for the last three days for his bachelor gathering (aka Mancation).  Nothing but mountain biking, hiking, running, rafting, 4x4ing, and his best buds in the desert.  So jealous!  I love Utah :)

I'll catch you on the flipside.

Paige, out.

Crossroads of Indiana Marathon: When In Rome

Oh for the love of all things good and sweet, that s*** was hard!  I would easily place this effort in the top two hardest things I've ever done.  Running 100 miles being the only other thing physically harder, but equally as mentally difficult.  But boy did we have a blast!

It is so insanely rewarding to set a goal (not to mention a whisper goal that I was too afraid to make widely known) and then to actually achieve it.  I can't say that, in my running, I've really ever done that before.  I've made loose goals that I knew would require little more than a natural disaster to keep me from achieving it; those were easy, safe goals.  But, this time I stepped it up a few notches and, without any really solid supporting evidence to bolster my reasoning for setting this goal, I leaped way outside my skin.  I decided to run a road marathon (my very first) at more or less the last minute and aim for a Boston qualifier (BQ).  I'm pretty sure I won't get into Boston since it's become so freakin' popular and everyone and their mother wants to run it, but just to be able to say that I qualified would be an honor.  For reference, as a female between the ages of 0-34, I would need to run a 3h:40m marathon (that's an 8:23 minute per mile pace, for 26.2 miles) in order to BQ.

When in Rome!

This was the inaugural running of the Crossroads of Indiana Marathon, in Lowell, IN, and I found out about it through a CHUG member that was recruiting volunteers for the April 3 race.  This was less than two weeks out from race day.  I checked out the website, and for some reason had the sudden intense desire to run this thing.  I dunno where it came from, it certainly hasn't been something on my radar (running a marathon, that is).  So before the excitement faded, I e-mailed Geof to see if he'd want to run it too and he was immediately on board!  I registered us for the race that night and with that the anticipation began to build.  My line of thought was, "hey, we've got a long run to do anyhow, may as well make it a race." 

Geof is a major fastie (fast runner) and has a marathon PR of something like 3:02, and this race was going to mark his 31st marathon race.  It had been a few years since he ran one, and this was only going to be my second marathon (my first one was a painfully slow trail marathon a couple years ago), and first one of which run entirely on the road.  I had no idea what I was shooting for, but I knew I wanted to run under 4 hours.  That sounded mighty nice to me, and like a very reasonable goal, 4 hours.  But as Geof and I discussed it more and more over the next couple of days, we both concluded that we'd really like to try and BQ.  That meant Geof needed to run a 3:15 or faster, and I needed that 3:40 or faster.  We've done no actual speedwork, and zero marathon-specific training, but our 50k/50M training has been going so well all winter and we've had such solid long training runs that we figured it was entirely possible for both of us.  Easier said than done?  Yes!  Suddenly my goal went from sounding 'very reasonable' to 'holy crap, what am I thinking?!'

We woke up Sunday morning at 4 a.m. to make the hour or so drive down to Lowell, IN.  The weather forecast was incredibly crappy with 20-30 mph winds and thunderstorms all morning.  But, at least the temps were going to be in the upper 50s to lower 60s.  We were warned in advance by fellow CHUG/Indiana-ite (Indianan? Indiana-ese? Hoosier?) Connie that the course was reasonably flat, but jam packed with rolling hills in the final five or so miles, and to be ready for serious wind.  How true this warning was!  Since it's in its first year, the race was small with only 109 Maries (marathon runners) finishing the marathon, and 381 Halfies (half marathon runners) finishing their 13.1 miles.  The course wound around Cedar Lake and Lake Dale, along very quiet country roads that went on and on as far as the eye could see, rolling up and down and around sleepy residential areas near the lakes, and left the runners completely exposed to some seriously wicked wind.  The good news? NO RAIN!!!  The skies were fairly ominous for awhile, but eventually things started looking friendly and the sun even popped out a couple times around my mile 22/23.  All in all, we were very lucky with the weather.

Now, I've never actually "raced" a distance race...meaning I've never really pushed myself to the max.  I generally just go out and run on what I have in the tank, never coming close to tapping the reserves, and just aiming to finish.  Not on this day.  I was heading into this race with the intention of pushing it the entire time, emptying the tank, then emptying the reserve tank and finishing completely spent.  I was aiming to find my true potential and see what I was made of.  No more pussyfooting.   

And that's exactly what I did.

It is freaking exhausting going all out like that with no hope for rest until the finish line!  Physically, my body was pretty much ready for the effort, but mentally I had no clue what I was getting into.  To be in the moment for every single step of the way, and keeping focused on pace was mentally exhausting.  I wasn't running scared because I knew I had it in me, but I've never paid such close attention to maintaining my pace.  I don't wear my GPS anymore, and I rarely look at my watch until I hit stop at the end of a run.  So this was pretty new for me.  And kinda stressful!  I was looking down at my GPS every so often at first, and staring at it in horror when I saw that my first 6 miles were each run between 7:47 - 7:51 pace.  I didn't know what to do...it was WAY too fast, but it felt totally effortless.  I tried pulling back, and resolved to stay behind the gal who ended up winning it (in 3:31), but even that was something I had to work to do.  For some reason, slowing down was hard.

I was listening to my iPod for pretty much the entire run, and boy am I glad I had it.  I needed the musical distraction.  I wouldn't say the course was totally scenic from what I could tell, but I was barely paying attention to my surroundings as I was so grossly focused on pacing myself.

Around Mile 4...thinking happy thoughts :)

At some point, of which I couldn't tell you, it just seemed to happen suddenly, the marathon course merged with the halfie course and I found myself surrounded by swarms of people.  It was bizzare and I couldn't figure out what was going on at first, but then I put two and two together :)  The Halfies were very supportive and encouraging as I passed by them.  It was a bit of a lift to be in the midst of that!  But I needed to concentrate, so I turned up the volume and put my head back down, running into the wind as we wound around Cedar Lake.  Eff, that wind was something else!

I passed a woman that had been ahead of me for some time right at the halfway mark.  She stopped to do a wardrobe change and she never did catch back up to me.  That was kinda fun :)  I had noticed that I cruised through the half marathon point in 1:46, which is a major PR for me (my halfie PR had been 2:01, back in 2008 I think).  That was pretty exciting to me and I did a little cheer outloud when I saw that :)

I read the course description a little bit, but none of it sank in so imagine my surprise when I saw Geof running towards me on an out-n-back section.  Yay, my sweety!  And, he looked amazingly good, moving so smoothly!  We high-fived and continued on our respective paths.  This gave me a much-needed lift. 

 Geof is all business running around Cedar Lake, looking smooth and cool :)

 
I noted that now I'd be able to see what the field looked like in front of me since we had this out-n-back section.  I counted women as they passed in the opposite direction and counted two before hitting the aid station at the start of the lolli-pop loop.  I didn't see her, but there was a third on the loop already, but in my head I was thinking, wow, top three?  This lifted me a little further and for the first time I considered the possibilities that laid before me.  I could actually, reasonably come in top 5 women overall.  How sick is that?!

I was running with three Honey Stinger Waffles in my jacket pockets, a small baggie of S!Caps for salt, and relying on the aid stations for water and Gatorade.  No bottles, no pack.  The stations were close enough together (about every 1-2 miles) that carrying liquid wasn't necessary.  At two hours, I ate another waffle and started day dreaming about the finish line.  Man, I was getting tired. 

I noticed that my splits were slowing down some, finally, to around 8:05ish or something of that nature.  For some reason that worried me.  After the lolli-pop loop and the return to the main road I started pushing more, though my pace wasn't changing for some reason.  It just felt harder.  My mind was reeling.  God this sucks!  I wanna walk so bad, but I can't!  B-Q, B-Q I would chant in my head, followed up with sub-3:40, sub-3:40.  I turned off the tunes for a bit, enjoying the serene quiet and brief break in the wind.  Have I mentioned how friggin' windy it was?  It was insane!  Very much like the wind we experienced at the Red Hot 55k, and similar to Chicago, storm-front-moving-in wind.  At least it was warm-ish wind.  Somehow I managed to totally blank for a number of miles, maybe 3 or 4?  When we came around a curve and there was an aid station right there.  I still had another 20 or so minutes before I would need more fluid or salt, so I sailed on by, smiling at the really happy-looking volunteers.  One woman was standing away from the tables and shouting numbers to someone else who was taking them down.  As I passed by she yelled, "8-3-2, looking GREAT!!  You're 4th woman overall, keep it UP!!"  That confirmed it.  And suddenly, I had new life in my legs.  I felt my torso straighten more, my hip muscles contract and my chin lift.  I didn't want to know the distance still so I made sure to only note my current pace as I glanced down once more at my GPS.  8:00mpm.  Solid.

Then it got sunny out.  And there was a dude just ahead of me that kept walking every single mole hill.  I was super tempted to do the same as the miles were finally wearing down my legs a little.  I found a nice little technique that worked pretty darn good.  It almost always works on trails, but I've never tried it on pavement inclines before.  Pull the brim of your hat down to your eyebrows so that you have to physically move your head up in order to see ahead, and look straight down at the ground in front of your feet.  Run.  It's not great on Hope Pass sorts of inclines, but on normal hill climbs it's great.  Something about not being able to see the incline tricks your legs into thinking they're running flats.  Try it, it works. 

The mile 22.5 aid station appeared as I rounded another corner (this section was twisty-turny and along really quiet residential roads.  I grabbed a cup of Gatorade and a cup of water and walked it out of the station as I gulped them down.  Ate my third and final Waffle and took a final S!Cap as I moved back into my stride.  This final waffle made me feel a little pukey for an instant.  I wasn't keen on eating at that moment, but I needed to.  And I needed to be running. 

Eventually I passed walk-every-incline dude for good and came back out on a road we had already run in the opposite direction.  Now I knew it was getting close to the end.  Yesssss!  Back down toward the silo, I suddenly had another pick-up in my pace and I cranked out an 8:01 for mile 24.  Shazam!  A left turn put the wind at my side and it pushed me around, side-to-side as I made my way along the road.  It felt like it really picked up even more at that point.  There was a shorter guy in front of me that had gotten a ways ahead, but I began to reel him in as he slowed in the wind.  One final righthand turn, followed shortly by a lefthand turn and we were on the final straightaway to the finish line. 

The wind switched directions and was now a full blown headwind, and it was intense.  My eyes were watering like crazy and it felt like running in place.  I kept my head down and eyes squinted to avoid anything getting in my contacts.  I saw the 25 mile marker spray-painted on the ground and felt a little crestfallen knowing I still had just shy of 2 miles left to go (the course is actually 26.8 miles long, according to the website).  There were a bunch of walkers up ahead, Halfies, and I picked them off one by one.  I made a goal to pass up the shorter guy in front of me, and I did so with maybe a 1/2 mile left to go.  It felt like a million miles away, but I could see the finish area.  I looked at my GPS and noted I had just a few minutes to go to get under 3:40.  Holy CRAP!  I can do this, I can do this!  It's a 1/2 mile, just push it!  You can do anything for a 1/2 mile!  The road undulated, rolling cruely along.  I peeked my head up to see where the finish line turn was and saw Geof walking towards me with the camera.  What a wonderful thing to see!!  As I passed by him he said it's just a little ways up, and a left turn into the parking lot.  I groaned very audibly and put my head back down.  It hurt so much, my mind was saying walk, walk, walk! and I refused to slow even though the wind was so strong it actually made my quads ache to move forward.  I remember thinking how unbelievable it was that I could even move my legs in the wind and not have them swept out from under me.  I felt a little pukey again.  I'd never pushed so hard in my life.  So this must be what it feels like for all the fasties...painful! 

The guy behind me is the one I finally passed for good.  So close to the finish!!

There was a large crowd of on-lookers and the race director standing at the entrance to Freedom Park, and the finish line chute.  As I rounded the corner the RD shouted my number and said, "It's your 4th place woman everyone!  Congratulations Number 832!!" 

I noted the timing clock as I ran through the chute and was handed a finisher's medal...3:39:23.

I did it.  Holy mother-eff, I did it!

Geof hugged me and announced he made it by the exact same margin...with 37 seconds to spare.  We both qualified!! 

After some stretching and changing into warm, dry clothes we made our way to the shelter to get some nutrition and to check to see if we won any awards.  It was very informal and the woman handling awards just took your word for it and assumed you were who you said you were.  We each gave her our name and she handed Geof a 2nd place age group award, and I got a shiney 1st place age group award.  Yippee!!  They are supremely cheesey trophies, but we earned them and we were both pretty darn pumped. 

Geof really did an incredible job out there and knocked out a 3:14 finish, good for 4th place overall (booya!), so we were like race twins with our finish times and placement :-)  Awww, how cute.

We stopped for pizza at a place called Zuni's House of Pizza, in Dyer, Indiana, on the way home.  It was delicious, and salty.  Perfect post-run food that day :)  I love pizza.  I decided I didn't want to deal with DOMS again, so we picked up three bags of ice before getting home and I indulged in a 10 minute ice bath.  Geof felt the peer pressure and decided to give it a try as well.  It was hilarious, and totally adorable :)

In the aftermath, I'm feeling pretty great and getting around just fine.  I think I can credit that with wearing my RecoFit calf sleeves throughout the race, the ice bath, then changing into full-length compression tights for the rest of the day.  I will admit though, racing a marathon, in the wind, with hills, is almost more painful than just running 100 miles.  Almost ;)  It's a whole 'nother kind of mindset.  The focus isn't on just finishing, it's on pacing, strength, form and never losing sight of the task at hand.  It's not giving into the demons in your head; it's not slowing down even when it hurts ('cuz, usually, the 'hurt' is mostly just in your head anyway).  I kept telling myself I could do anything for 26 miles, not the least of which was run faster than 8:23mpm.  Beyond that, I'm not sure what my legs would do to me, but I knew I could at least do that much for that distance :)  So I did.

Goal = achieved.  And basking in it, I am. 

Like I said, when in Rome!

Paige, out.

P.S. You can check out Geof's race report HERE.