Great Florida Challenge Race Report

Where to begin...I'll start just briefly by saying Thursday night I ate almost half of a large, deep dish, Domino's Pizza and then on Friday, for both lunch and Dinner I had my usual, a Moe's burrito. After teaching most of the day on Friday, Irfan and I jumped into the far and drove to Clermont. We completed the usual: race meeting, bike check-in, etc. Then as the sun was setting we left out on what would tomorrow's bike course. We had a difficult time early on trying to find the route in the dark. After losing and finding the route a few times, I gave it up. I was exhausted, ready to eat and had seen all I needed to see. The course was hilly! As we were driving along we would say, "Surely they won't have us biking up this hill". Um, yeah, I wish. We biked up hills WAY worse than we saw on Friday night.

Anyway, we drove 20 minutes south to our cheap hotel that was one of the sponsoring hotels ($40/night!). We settle into the room; I choke down my burrito that I didn't really want, went through all my gear, which I seem to have a lot of these days and then jumped into bed, only to find a sharp pain in my shoulder blade. It hurt to lay on my back and on my right side. How was I going to race? I laid on my left side and was asleep before I even realized it.

The alarm sounded, and eventually I was up and moving. The breakfast I had brought from home sent me pucking to the bathroom. I had one taste, the food had spoiled. I was now forced to go check out the continental breakfast. Irfan and I headed down to find a lovely treat awaiting. Well, as lovely as a good continental breakfast can be. I had a bagel with cream cheese, a little bit of instant oatmeal and 1 small microwaved pancake that was not good at all. I chased it with some gatorade when I got back to the room.

After lubing up in all the right places and covering myself in sunblock, except for my forgotten arms, which are now slightly burned, I packed all my gear up and hit the road at 6:25. By 6:45 I was out of the car headed to transition in drizzling rain. I struggled with all my stuff, perhaps I have too much. I had to carry it about 3 blocks. Finally as I laid my gear out, the drizzle turned to a steady rain. They announced the water would be wetsuit legal. Damn it! I still don't have a wetsuit. Oh well! There was nothing I could do now. I finished laying out my gear not only in the rain, but in the dark too. I didn't even bother to check my tire pressure, I was freezing and ready for everything to be over.

I got weighed in and headed for cover under the pavilion. I stood close to people just trying to get some heat. Irfan finally found me and we waited together as the start of the Great Floridian (full iron distance race) approached. We stood overlooking the beach as the gun sounded and they were off, moving slowly into the water; then, the relays started. Finally it was my turn. I walked slowly down to the beach, waded into the water for the first time and went back to the beach to stand with my fellow athletes. The countdown started and we were off, wading into the water and finally swimming.

The water was choppy, making it nearly impossible to stay on course. I got several mouthfuls of water when I went to breathe. I continued trying to site, but found my blue-tinted goggles were quite a hindrance to seeing the buoys. I occasionally lifted off my goggles to be sure I was swimming in the right direction. The swim was slow. I tried to do freestyle, but every time I did a few strokes and then would site, I found that I had turned a couple of strokes off to one side and would then have to swim back. I opted then for breaststroke a good portion of the time. It sucked overall. It was nice though being in fresh water.

(more later)

Training Update

I should start with a big Thank You to my friend Peter, so THANKS! He sent me an email giving me a good verbal lashing and I needed it :)

Last week was tough as many of the previous weeks have been. Part of it has been dealing with pain. When I run and also when I biked the other day, my side hurts. It's not the normal side stitches. I run for a while, then it hurts and walking doesn't seem to help. It hurts to breathe. I want to double over and die, but that doesn't help either. It feels like I'm having a muscle spasm in my abs only it's higher. I suspected my gallbladder. Finally it wasn't intermittent anymore, it was constant and then it also happened on the bike. I was ready to go to the doctor, but decided to look at my diet first.

I opted to avoid all greens and the result was amazing. After not having any at all for several days, all the pain went away and has not returned. No more salads or spinach for me, at least not any time soon. I have had awesome runs and rides ever since.

That brings me to last weekend. I met my Plan B group and went for the usual Saturday ride only at the end of it, 3 of us got off and ran 4 miles. The run was slow and painful as the sun was beating down on us with no wind or shade. I drank a full 16 oz and went back to the shop and drank quite a bit more. Sunday I needed to run. My miles haven't been building the way I would like, but I've been getting a little more consistent in the number of days I'm running.

I got up early and left for 8 miles. It was still dark and rather cool for us. I decided not to look at my watch until 4 miles and just focus on running my best. When I looked down at 4 miles, I realized I was only 1 minute 17 seconds over an average 10 minute pace. I felt good and so I ran strong for another 2 miles and noticed that I had not lost any on my pace. Now it was time to make a move if I was going to. It started to drizzle. I picked it up. I ran a sub 10 and then a sub 9 and finished in 1:19:47, a new best. Afterwards, my biking buddy Mark wanted me to bike with him. So I hit the road for an easy 20 mile ride until we both got flats. That was a good ending point for the day.

Monday came and went. I swam a little, nothing too much. Tuesday I had planned a 10 mile run. Irfan and I started at 6 am. I was just out to cover the miles, but 1 mile in I was feeling really good. I stayed patient, but by 2 miles, I felt great and was running well. Irafn was ahead, but not too far. At 3 miles I had a pack of CarbBoom and as I neared 4 miles, I was closing in on him. At 6 miles, I again found that I was only about 1 minute over a 10 minute average pace. I took my second CarbBoom and was on the final stretch. At 7.5 miles I passed Irfan and took off. My finish time, 1:37:40. A full 12+ minutes off my previous best 10 mile time. I didn't mean for this to be a PR, I started off just wanting to cover the miles.

Thursday I did an easy 45 mile ride and then ran 3 at an easy pace. Today, I did my longest workout. I met my riding buddies and rode most of the way with them, but finished the last 10 of 57 miles by myself. Then, Irfan and I headed out on an 8 mile run just covering the miles. I was slow and walked some, but that was fine. All I needed was to finish and I did.

Why the long day? I registered for a half-ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) for next weekend. I was going to go to Tempe, AZ, in 2 weeks for a half iron race, but opted for the local race a week early and since I know I can go the distance, I need the race experience. This will be my last big triathlon this season. If I can get in another Olympic in early November, I might do that, but I want to wait and see how I feel.

So, for this week, everything will be slow and easy. I want to sleep a lot and exercise enough to keep me loose and feeling good, but that's it. No PRs, no long days, just rest and mental prep for this weekend.

The race is the 23rd Annual Florida Challenge in Clermont, Florida (about 20 minutes west of Orlando). The race is done concurrently with The Great Floridian, a full iron distance race.

I'm excited and know I can do this. Yes, it would be better if I could wait 1 more month, but there's not a local race next month that still has openings. So I'll do this one and then really focus on running and get ready for the OUC half marathon on December 1 in Orlando and of course, the Disney marathon on January 13. I'm also looking at a 30k in mid-November here in town. It will be a good/long training run (18.6 miles).

Thanks again Peter. Just so you know, I'm eating the world about every other day so I'm always prepared for training :)

Oh and I almost forgot, I got an awesome Tri-suit. The material is amazing and it's one of the most comfortable things I have ever worn. The suit doesn't creep move, at all, when I ride or when I run and it's amazing at wicking away all the sweat. If you're interested, it's the Descente Race Tri-Suit. The suit was also the #1 choice by Darren Cox, our local Kona qualifier. He's racing right now as I type this. Go Darren!

Escape 2 Miami -- Olympic Distance Triathlon

I'm sick! Thanks to my great students who have given me this rotten cold. Ugg. I dare say the 15k race I was going to run in the morning will not come to be, sadly. Nor will I train much at all. I am taking this weekend off to rest apparently and I guess it comes at a good time. I just gave my first exam today in my classes and now have almost 160 to grade.

Ok, now for the real stuff. My race went ok. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad either. I know that I have tons of room for improvement, so that's good. I would hate to go out and win everything the first time :) (Yeah right!)

Anyway, the distance wasn't an issue. I felt good about that, but the course was challenging. It started early. The alarm went off and I sprang into action around 4:30. By 5:15, Irfan and I were walking to transition in the dark. I laid everything out in the exact order I had mentally prepared the night before. Everything would be ready for me when I came out of the water.

Having things just as I wanted, it was time to trek down to the ferry boats where I would be kidnapped and dropped off on Escape Island in the middle of Biscayne Bay. It was dark as we pushed off the dock aboard a local pirate ship and into the bay. As we neared the island I noticed the song they were playing went something like this, "Jump! Go ahead and jump!" Coincidence, I think not. We were preparing to jump off the boat and swim to the island. A song or two later was "I'll send an S.O.S. to the world I hope that someone gets my...". Yes, they were clever and most around me were oblivious to the irony.

It was time and so I donned my bright pink swim cap with my blue goggles and plunged into the water. It was warm, almost roasty. I swam the 100 or so yards to the island and there I sat waiting and waiting to begin my escape. The swim was suppose to start at 7:30, but 7:30 came and went. It wasn't until somewhere between 8:15 and 8:30 before we finally headed out into the open water.

The swim was a mass start and there were approximately 1000 athletes registered. We had room though to spread out and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard or imagined. I had read to breath every stroke in the beginning of an open water swim until your breathing slows and you are comfortable. That was good advice. I occasionally switched sides, but found that breathing on my right wasn't working too well. The chop was right in my face, the sun was beating down on me and my goggles seemed to constantly leak after breathing to the right, so I stayed mostly with the left. I lifted my head every now and again to look ahead and to see my route through the other swimmers. During this time we were swimming mostly against the current and it was hard with the choppiness and so forth. In general I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I was thinking about how easy it would have been for anyone to drown out there, including myself.

At last I rounded the buoy and it was time to head back towards shore. After making the turn I was almost alone for the remaining 700+ yards of the swim. I took the side route out of the main stream of the people and got comfortable and took more strokes between my breaths until finally I was in so much pain. My top had rubbed against my neck to the point of removing the top layer or 2 of skin and it sucked. I began trying to breathe on my right more and only occasionally switched back to my painful left side. The swim seemed long, but I had finally found my rhythm and was feeling good, aside from the chaffing on my neck.

I headed out of the water and into transition. I stopped for a cup of water to rinse that saltiness out of my mouth. Ukk! I hate the taste of salt water! I had left a gu packet open standing in my shoe ready for me to slurp down. It was great. I have discovered my favorite energy gel is CarbBoom apple cinnamon or strawberry kiwi. They both are almost as good as candy! I attempted to be quick in the transition, but I'm slow. This is one of the areas I need to work really hard on.

At last I was off onto my bike :) The road was bumpy and the wind intense which was sometimes good (ie when it was a tail wind) and other times hell. I started off though feeling really good. I felt strong and knew I could have a good day. When I rounded the corner and headed for the first bridge the wind seemed to stop me dead in my tracks. Ok, I didn't stop, but the ride suddenly got really hard. I approached the bridge which is a little smaller than the one I bike over regularly. I got off my seat and peddled to the top passing many others (my local bridge climbing had paid off). As I rounded the top, I got low and cursed the wind for being so strong. There was another bridge a little smaller and then we were beach side with a crosswind. It wasn't bad. For the most part I was holding 18+mph. The turn around came and soon a long uphill entrance to climb back onto I-195W. Now the wind was at my back. I was loving it. After heading down the first bridge I was holding 25+ and then as I passed a few more people going up the second bridge I was flying. With the wind at my back and heading down the bridge, I hit 37 mph! I held tight and enjoyed the speed. Finally it was time to peddle again. I made the turn onto the last road, went about 1-2 miles, turned around, continued past the water stop and headed out for my second lap.

Heading into the wind sucked just as bad, wait it was worse, the second time around. It drizzled off and on which was nice to keep us cool, but made you keenly aware that a few more drops would make the roads slick and that would be nasty. There was already a wreck. I didn't see it happen, but I noticed the two guys not moving off the pavement afterwards. I also saw a few people walking their bikes back, probably problems with their chain. There were also the usual flats. Luckily I escaped with no harm.

I jumped off my bike and took way too long in transition again. I was right on time though. If I had a good run then I could beat the 3 hour mark. I had another gu (I also had taken one on the bike), changed shoes, put on my visor and eventually was off and running, but with much pain. I tried to regulate my breathing, but it didn't seem to help. I thought something was going to fall out of me. At least it felt like someone was going to pull it out of me, whatever "it" was. I kept a steady pace for the first 2 miles, but finally I couldn't hold it. I began walking off and on. I tried to do 5-1 (run 5 minutes, walk 1). After a couple of reps I decided to do 4-1. I felt horrible and was SO hot.

The aid stations made me mad. Either the water OR the gatorade was cold, never both! I always took a cup of each, but by the end I wished I had taken 2 of each. In addition to my pain, the run course wasn't all that easy either. After heading out of transition and down the street a couple of blocks, we headed up over another very long bridge. We were running directly into the wind. On the way back I was so tired, it didn't matter where the wind was, I was walking a lot. After climbing the bridge again, I made the commitment to run the rest of the way. I picked it up and finished strong in 3 hours 12 minutes and 41 seconds, but the run pace was slower than my slow marathon pace.

It wasn't a great race, but it was a good experience and overall, I'm happy with my time. On my next race, I'll try for a flat fast course and push to break that 3 hour mark I so desperately want.

Down but hopefully not out

Life is hard, but I knew that. It just seems increasingly difficult these days. Work is very demanding and my training is suffering as well as my mental well being. I'm busy working until near or past midnight many nights and then trying to get up and go for another day only to do it all over again and I'm not dealing well with it. I'm exhausted constantly and depressed that my training is so poor.

I've had a few days where I just wanted to say to hell with it all and quit and find a new something. I don't mind the teaching, but the prep work is what I hate. It takes me forever. Just like with running, I'm slow at it and it's miserable. I'm not sure if I'm eating enough and I know that I could improve what I am eating but everything takes so much time and effort that I would almost rather not eat than have to deal with it.

I feel weak these days, some physical, but I think that's just from lack of sleep, but mentally as well. I'm sure that's also from lack of sleep, but it's harder for me to deal with. Physically, I just cut back on my training. Mentally, I get depressed for not training hard enough, long enough, fast enough, often enough...

I've always set goals, but perhaps mine for now are too high and I'm putting too much pressure on myself to achieve them too quickly. And when I'm not having a good training session I find it difficult to keep going and often times, like today, I cut it short. This leads to me feeling weak and I hate it. Most of the time I stick it out, but increasingly I've not. I have debated on getting a coach. I know I could really use one right now and I've got a really good reference. I've been told that the benefits are well worth it, but for some reason I hesitate. I feel like it's a big step and right now I'm not sure that I'm ready for that step, although maybe that's what I need.

I'm getting tired of the exact same training routines. I could change things up, but I'm not sure how much is enough and what is too much. I want to improve and I know I have some limitations, but I know there's an efficient way to train to push out those limitations. I just don't know if a getting a coach would help with that right now or if I need to get a better training routine first.

On the other hand, there are a few bright spots. I met a really great person at the bike shop who has participated in triahtlons since the early 80s. We had dinner with the bike shop crew last Friday and talked about triathlons and training. He's out of town right now, unfortunately, but he's going to be a great resource. He seemed excited about being able to pass on his wealth of knowledge to me. He began laying out some running drills and said he would write me up some swim workouts that incorporate intervals. I know these things will be extremely helpful and I'm excited about getting started on them, but I'm not sure when he'll be able to get them worked out for me.

To help me set new/reasonable running goals, I think I'm going to go run a road race this weekend in Orlando. I'm looking at a 15k. It's been quite a while since I've done a road race and I think that it will help me see where I stand. I just hope I have a good race. Even though I want to use this race to set goals, I also have goals for this race and I hope I'm not disappointed if I fall short. I know it's not suppose to work this way, but this is fortunately/unfortunately how I work and who I am.

I set goals and worked like hell to achieve them and then am disappointed when I fall short.

I'll have a race report from Escape 2 Miami soon. I'll say this though, the course was tough.

Take Two!

TWO whole minutes off my previous best 5 mile time! I ran 5 miles at a 9:04 pace the other day. It was hot and so I figure that when the weather cools off a little I'll be running sub 9 pace (that's my hope anyway). The long bikes are paying off too by increasing my lactic threshold.



Also recently I did a quick time trial of 1000 yard swim. The goal was to finish in less than 19 minutes. I SMASHED it finishing in 16:30. This time trial was to 1) set a benchmark early in my training for me to measure my progress against and 2) to determine if speed and endurance should be my primary focus or technique. The result: technique. Now that I can swim 1000 yards in under 19 minutes, I should focus on my efficiency more according to Joe Friel's book "Going Long".



Coming up this weekend is my first Olympic Triathlon. It will be in Miami and is modeled after Escape from Alcatraz. Instead, it's Escape back to Miami. There's a ferry that takes you out to an island where you wait for your swim to start. Then you swim back to shore 0.7 miles, jump on your bike for 24.9 miles and run 6.2 miles. I'm really excited about the race, but not looking forward to trying to be ready to teach first thing Monday morning since the race is on Sunday 4 hours away. I'll have to stay really focused all week to get my work done so I can play hard this weekend.

A Passion to Go Long!

The workouts I enjoy most are not the short runs or quick swims; I enjoy the ones that push me to get stronger, mentally and physically. I am driven to go long and I love it! This past week I biked for almost 3 hours and then ran 3 miles. It felt great!

Last week I learned a very important lesson. Ok, I learned many important lessons. The first, being fit to your bike is not a luxury but rather a necessity! Nutrition is not optional; workouts are 10x better if you eat right before, during and after. Mental endurance is key for improvement. You must be able to stay focused and push yourself even when you are tired and want to stop. I know there will be times during the Ironman when I will want to stop, but I will never question why I am there or what I am doing. Mentally my will is strong and not finishing a race never crosses my mind. The real question is how long will it take if I keep walking. So I will have a plan to run again. During the swim there's not much option about stopping and the same is true on the bike. Besides, if you put the time in on the bike, you will finish the bike. It's the marathon at the end of 114.4 miles that you have to worry about. I can always walk, but that's one heck of a walk :) I plan on running most of it to finish it faster.

The bike fit that Steve at Plan B did for me on Friday night was awesome! He's fantastic! He moved my seat forward and down and lowered my handle bars to make me more comfortable and more efficient and it all paid off. There's quite a science to it and he was busy measuring angles, pointing lasers to check alignment and so forth. Anyway, on my usual Saturday ride everyone noticed the difference. I received several compliments on how much better I looked on the bike and how much more power I now have. And, on the sprint back from the lighthouse, I wasn't even huffing and puffing like last week. It was great!

Teaching and Training

These 2 things (teaching and training) are difficult to manage at the same time. Teaching is taking more out of me than I could have ever imagined. It takes me forever to make lectures, therefore, training time is much harder to come by than I would like. Overall though, my classes are off to a good start. I have 4 sections of Physics I for Engineers with a total of around 160 students. I'm on my feet for 5 hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday teaching, but my schedule is good.

I've been told that after the first 2-3 weeks my body will adjust to the new demands and I'll be much less tired. During this time though, I'm also increasing my training time. I did manage to squeeze in between 8 & 9 hours this week, but I also had Monday off. My goal was 10 hours. Next week I think it's 11 hours. I'm going to have a better plan this week though to work in the training.

This week I've just been exhausted, but I've pushed on and am seeing great things. On Friday night I finally went for a 5 mile run. I finished in 47:23, a new best for me in training. It was especially good because I was so tired and didn't really want to run. Then on Saturday morning, I met my group at Plan B and set out for a nice ride.

The ride was good, and I chatted with a few people I had met previously. Anyway, on the way back from the lighthouse (our turn-around point) the group usually picks up the pace and everyone more-or-less gets divided. Not this week. Mark, a young guy, told me to get up there on someone's wheel and draft. He knew from last week that this was not my strongest area, but I did as he said and found a wheel and rode it. We were hauling and I managed to stay with the lead pack ALL the way. We managed between 25 & 28 mph! It was crazy and I was exhausted, but it was really good for me to get that push to hang in there and see what I could do.

Then at the bridge, I usually go straight while the others head back to the shop. On Saturday as I headed straight I had 2 others come to get in some extra miles with me. Then finally it was just John and me. We had biked an additional hour and 10 minutes. At last I had my time in. We parted ways and I came home, 44.5 miles after I started. This is so far the farthest and longest (2 hours 23 min) that I have biked.

It was a fantastic training day for several reasons. I climbed the bridge well (not dropping under 15 mph) and it was noticed by Steve, our fearless leader :) I also am making friends with very experienced bikers who are taking the time to help me improve. I'm hoping to train with them through the winter months and come out really strong in the spring. These guys easily bike 25+ mph and most cover about 250 miles per week! They live on their bike, so there should be plenty of opportunities for me to find a training buddy that can really push me.

Now if I can just find some people that will help improve my running, I'd be set. For now though, I have elected Pinal as my personal running coach. She sets my goals with me and then I try my best to execute them. And since she wants to improve her times as well, she's done quite a bit of research on how to do that. Now she's passing it on to me since I'm really strapped for time these days.

Speaking of which, it's time to hit the bed. Sleep is such a precious commodity these days. I need all I can get! Good Night!

My First Group Ride

I've been really hesitant about participating in group rides because I've always felt I wouldn't be fast enough. The 2 local rides I've been suppose to go on average 17-19 mph. When I'm out on my own I usually don't average 18 mph. How could I possibly hang with the group?

This week I was in the bike shop, Plan B and Steve, the owner, told me again I should come out and ride with them. Well, finally I didn't have any more excuses. I'm in town and finished with the marathon. It was time to give in and go.

I showed up too late for the Tuesday night ride. It started at 6pm, but for some reason, I thought it started at 6:30. I was very sad that I missed the group. I went about on my own and vowed to show up on Saturday.

Saturday came and although I was tired, I was up at 6:45 and out the door by 7:00 am. I jumped on my bike, pedaling hard to ensure I wasn't late again. The ride began at 7:30 and I made it there with plenty of time to spare. There was a small group of 8 as we set out. The pace was easy. I stayed to the back, unsure of how well I could ride in the group. A few miles into it, the lady behind me came up beside me, and we chatted for a while.

As we headed down Nova Road and then up along the river, I was surprised at how effortless it was to keep up. We were cruising around 19mph. However, having the group ahead makes a huge difference. I even coasted a bit to avoid hitting the rider in front of me.

Finally we rounded the corner and began the trek up the bridge. It wasn't bad, but we were behind the group now. Steve had slowed down and waited for us and then began to "pull us up". This really means that he lets us draft off him, then when we were ready, we broke around him, sped up and re-joined the group. Next week, I won't need Steve to pull me up. I'll be ready.

There were several things I learned about riding in a group this week, and I also realized that I'm not that slow :)

Our turn around was Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Park. We stopped and some riders refilled water bottles, etc. As we headed back, the pace picked up, a lot, and everyone began to spread out. I made the choice to go as hard as I could for as long as possible. I managed to maintain 20+ for most of the way back to the bridge and then I split from the group and headed back towards home. I still needed 30 more minutes, and so I rode. I still maintained 19+ until near my turn around when I saw a group of cyclist headed the opposite direction. I immediately slowed down and turned around to catch them. They slowed long enough to talk to me. The nice guy I chatted with thought I had been cycling for quite a while and seemed shocked that I had only been cycling for a few weeks.

I was tiring and there was no hope of me hanging at 25+ mph when I wasn't close enough to draft off them. I fell back and decided to call it a day. I had cycled for 2 hours and traversed almost 35 miles. It was a great day! and Tuesday I'll be there for the group ride, this time at 6pm.

A New Spirit

I've been too many places in the last month to really do any kind of training. After the marathon we were all over Northern California. Then the next week I was in Alabama and just late Tuesday night I finally came home to stay, for a while at least. Wednesday morning came early, so I was a little late heading out but still managed to get 3 miles in and discovered the perfect loop. I realized on this run, I'm still in the final stages of recovery from the marathon.

Thursday morning was orientation for new faculty at the university. I had to be there around 8:00. I had hoped to get up and ride in the morning. I was good; I got up at 6 and had everything laid out to go. The only problem was, I haven't been getting up this early and didn't realize that dawn doesn't occur until around 6:35 and sunrise is at 6:50 or so. The problem, I don't have a reflective vest. I do have a flashing light on the back and a reflective seat, but I wasn't sure this was enough. I sat here sadly watching the time tick by and realized there was not enough time to get my ride in and make it to orientation on time. Instead, I opted for an evening ride to the lighthouse and back.

When I woke up this morning with the alarm blaring, I was not awake at all. It was 5:40 and I thought I had just laid down to sleep. Exhausted, I skipped the morning workout again today. I went out this evening instead. It was a mere 86 degrees :) The wind was blowing so hard it actually slowed me down quite a bit, but I welcomed it. It's odd though. I was delaying coming home because I knew I had to run and it's Friday. On Fridays I usually relax and hit the bed early: 1. because I'm tired and 2. because I should get up before the sun to set out for a long workout. Tonight though, I needed to run. As I walked through the front door I saw my running clothes hanging up and somehow, as if it were magic, a few minutes later I had them on. I looked down and thought, well, I guess I am going running. It was really weird. I don't remember making the decision to put them on. They just appeared on me.

Tonight when I left I was unsure of how far I could/should run. According to my training schedule, I should run for 1 hour. I was debating between 3 and 5 miles. Once I got out there though, I was feeling really good. Yeah, I was slow and my legs are still recovering, but my body and spirit felt good, so I passed where I would turn to finish 3 miles and kept running. I knew I could go for 5 and I did.

Doing this tonight has put me back where I need to be. I'm ready to ride, I'm ready to run and next week, I'll be ready to swim! I'm back to Iron Training and it feels great!

In other news. I'm bringing more people to the active lifestyle. In addition to the 6 people we have running Disney, a fellow grad student, Luis has signed up. I've also enlisted quite a few more to run 5k's locally. It's going to be a great fall!

Mountain Lakes 20th Annual Triathlon

Yeah! Another triathlon completed and a whole lot learned!

Sunday evening a week ago one of my cousins called and asked me if I wanted to come home and do a triathlon. I inquired about the distances. It sounded like it was going to be an olympic distance race (approx. 1.5k swim, 50k bike, 10k run). No way! I had just finished the marathon a week ago and this was only 1 week away.


I thought about it that evening and decided to look up the distances. What I found was surprising. It wasn't an olympic distance. Instead it was a sprint with 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. This I could do, maybe. It had already been 2 weeks since I swam or biked and I had yet to run after the marathon.

I did what anyone would do before signing up. I went and made sure I could run 3 miles. For the details on that, see the post "My First Run". Since I completed the 3 miles, I began thinking really hard about registering. I had been watching the registration numbers steadily increase all day. There were 825 of 897 particpants registered. Then it was 833, 842...876. Wow, less than 20 spaces left. I registered and hit the road driving.

The racers were lined up according to estimated swim times. Eeeks! I've never really swam open water, especially not 600 yards; so I look at other peoples times and decide to just make a stab in the dark. I chose 11 minutes as my estimated time. On race day, I began to think I was WAY off on my estimate. None-the-less, I was to start as #420. The wait seemed like forever since they started 1 swimmer at a time with 3-5 seconds between us. The sun was rising and it was getting hot. Finally though, I step up, they motion me into the water and I was off and swimming.

Even growing up in Guntersville, I never "swam" in the lake. Yeah, I got in it to tube, ski, whatever, but never just to swim. Now I was having to finally do something I had avoided my whole life. I did the "dolphin dive" for the first few strokes, until it got too deep, and then I decided I had to swim. I started with free, emptied my goggles and then changed between free and breast stroke. I had to swim free mostly to quickly pass someone (which I am proud to say I did a lot) and then I would cruise with some breast stroke. This is the first place I could save some time, do freestyle the entire way!

I couldn't believe it was so short. It seemed like just as I was getting started, I was finished! And, it took me 11:08; I didn't do too bad with my stab in the dark :)

I ran up the chute with my sister racing beside me to take my picture. I headed into the transition area where I wasted way too much time (a second place to improve and shed time). I have a couple of things in mind for reducing this transition.

I headed out nicely on the bike and didn't have any problems getting clipped into the peddles. I was surprised to see my sister here taking another picture. She had sprinted all around the course trying to be a good photographer, and she was GREAT!

I finally settled in on the bike. It seemed much shorter as I biked it than the previous night when we drove the course. That was good. At one point, I had a guy pass me (there were lots of these men flying on the bike) only to see him eating the pavement 2 seconds later. It was sad, but he was fine thankfully. Shortly down the road, there was another guy on the side of the road changing a flat.

I cruised along on the rolling hills thinking about all the guys who passed me. I am very much a beginner biker, which leaves ton of room for improvement. I am happy to say though that only 3-5 women passed me on the bike during the 16 miles. I passed a few men, but not many.

I unclipped as I was rounding the last corner, rested my feet back on the peddles and hit my breaks to launch myself forward to dismount, only instead of dismounting, I too bit the pavement. My left shoe had apparently reclipped. I quickly got up with cheers of "good recovery" and walked (not ran) most of the way through the transition area (another area where I can shed some time). I'm toying with leaving my shoes clipped to the peddles and just taking my feet out for the dismount. I had previously dismissed this thinking it wouldn't save much time, but oh what I have realized.

By leaving your shoes on the peddles, 1) I won't risk falling on the dismount (this has also happened in training) and 2) I can actually run with my bike to my shoes. If you've never worn clips, you may not realize how hard they are to run in. So I'm going to practice this and see how it goes. Then I would also save time on taking off my shoes once I racked my bike.

Finally I started the run. I was so full of water from the bike that I was sick. I kept thinking I was going to have to step off the course. I still ran for almost half a mile and then decided my stomach hurt so badly that I needed to walk. I did but put a time limit on it. I tried running before my time was up, it didn't last long. I walked another few seconds and then took off. Yet, another area I have identified where I could take off some time. Don't drink too much on the bike. The run will go much better and therefore, I'll be able to run faster, sooner.

It was getting hot, but the aid stations helped. I poured some water on me. It was very refreshing. I picked up the pace and was excited the race was coming to an end. Nearing the finishing stretch I saw my youngest cousin and as I approached I told him to run with me. He was outrunning me, but that was ok. We ran together until the chute.

I crossed the finish line 1 hr 40 min and 3 sec after I plunged into the water. It was a great day with an overall successful race. To think, I had just done a marathon less than 2 weeks prior to this race, I hadn't swam, biked or ran and...I finished. I am eagerly awaiting my next race which will be sooner than later!

Buidling a Team

Here are a few other random things that have come up lately.

Pinal has decided that she really would like to join me in pursuit of the Iron Dream. I am very excited about this! We have so much fun together and love to sit and talk about our training more than anyone else wants to hear about it. So now we'll continue to have each other to share with over the course of the next 9 months.

Also, we have rallied troops here at school to run the Disney Marathon. Thus far we have 6 people and we're still trying to increase that number (Peter, you and Patty should join us). It will be the first for everyone except Irfan and I. It's already very exciting having these other newbies around to talk about training. We're also planning on running a few local races before the marathon. The more people you know running in a race, the better I think it is. We'll see as things progress.

Pictures of me from the marathon can be seen at:
http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?OID=27892007M1&CustomerNumber=D95801&BFI=192jjvc81w&Currency=USD&Language=EN

I also have a web gallery that I haven't posted the link to from my blog yet, but pictures from recent travels as well as a couple other marathon pics can be viewed at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MaryKate12

I still have a couple more albums to add from our latest national park trek, but hopefully over time I'll keep adding to it more regularly than I have in the past.

Thanks for your continued support in my crazy endeavours!

My First Run

After spending a week hiking in Redwood, Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks Irfan and I felt pretty optimistic about our first run when we got back to Florida. According to the plan, we would get up first thing Monday morning and go for a short 3 mile run. 6am came and went, as did 6:30 and then 7. It was getting late and we were both still exhausted. We opted to just head to work and try running tomorrow.

Just the day before though, my cousin had called and asked me to come home and do a triathlon next weekend. "Are you kidding?" I thought to myself. I just ran a marathon last weekend and haven't run yet and have heard about the horrors of post marathon running. Before registering for the triathlon I would need to know if I could run the distance or not. Therefore it became imperative that I run, today! The triathlon had only 25 of 895 spots left, there's no time to wait.

Finally last night it happened. We got home around 6 and were out the door around 7. I'm not an evening runner at all, but there was no time to dally. It was hot, but mainly the humidity was the real killer. I kept thinking that maybe I could cut through the heat, pull back the curtain and step to the other side where it would be cooler. I was dreaming.

We started off slow to be sure we could run. Our IT band ached where it's reinserted just below the knee. It was only a dull pain, nothing too bad. We continued. Then, the lower half of the outside of our shins hurt. What is this? I've never felt pain there before in my life! Odd. We pushed on, legs tired, pouring sweat. By mile 1.25 my calves were tight and tired. Overall, I came to the conclusion that I was still tired, everywhere. On the other hand, we both finished the 3 miles we set out to do. We didn't finish with record pace, but we weren't that slow either. It was good.

We followed with a nice dip in the ocean. It was so warm it almost felt like a bath. It was a great night. And I signed up for the triathlon this weekend: 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. It will be challenging since I'm not really ready for it, but I'll give it a go anyway.

Finally, the San Francisco Marathon!!!

Yeah! I am officially a marathoner (although Pinal and I have been declaring this from day 1 of training per instruction from our training guide). There are a few things that I would like to share with you about my marathoning experience.

Marathoning: Life Changing?

Everyone says that finishing a marathon is a life changing event. I will definitely agree that my life has changed, but was it finishing the marathon that changed me? For me personally, I would have to say no. It’s not the running and finishing of the actual marathon, it’s the commitment to yourself to train for the marathon. It is 5 months of 4 days per week running when you don’t really like to run. THAT changes you. You may ask, “Why run when you don’t enjoy running?” It sounds crazy! I was motivated by the long term goal of actually finishing a marathon. As Peter (my blogging buddy who also ran this marathon as his first) put it, “You’re approaching this as a life list. Marathon. Check.” While he was correct, this is no longer my approach.

These months of running have changed who I am and how I view everything. The empowerment one gains from this experience is definitely life changing. It’s odd though, I still don’t love running. I begin each morning with a positive attitude about getting out there and getting my mileage in, but once I get to the start, I stall and temporarily dread the distance ahead of me. On the other hand, not running makes me almost feel agitated. I have all this energy bottled up waiting to be released and internally I tremble when there’s no outlet. I enjoy my days off, but I find myself looking for something else active to do. This is perhaps why I think I will enjoy my ironman training even more than marathon training, there’s simply more of it. There’s little down time with at least one workout 6 days a week and many days have 2.

This newly found life has rekindled my spirit and excitement for live. I have always loved competing. Growing up, I competed to win, but if that was my goal now, I would have a hard time training each day. I now enjoy participating and only compete against myself. I strive to better my own times and my own health. In the end, I just love being outside, being active and surrounding myself with other people who are doing the same thing. We're all winners now for challenging our self to get off the couch, out of the office and out there moving.

About the actual marathon (a little long, like always)

The day started early like with most long runs. We were up around 3:15am and out the door shortly after 4:30. It was really great. Jared, my brother who had come up the night before, rode his motorcycle down to the starting line. Irfan and I, bundled in sweats, took a nice easy 1 mile jog to meet him. When Irfan and I started out it was just us and 1 other man in front of us. As we got closer and closer, more and more people started appearing from no where. It was as if we were silently taking over the city.

At last it was time for us to begin our trek around San Francisco. The darkness had just given way to the rising sun, but the air was still chilly. Pinal, Irfan and I joined our group and headed off on what would be a very long day. Irfan took off immediately leaving us in his dust. Pinal and I started off slowly and wound our way through Fisherman’s Wharf and up to the first hill. No problem. We were smoking! Approaching the bridge we were excited, but that excitement soon ended. The bridge was so crowded, there was very little room to run, and thus we spent way too much energy maneuvering around slow runners. The bridge was windy and it had begun to drizzle. By mile 7, Irfan was already a mile ahead. I yelled as he passed us headed back over the bridge, but he was in his own world. Pinal and I ran to the turnaround, waved as we passed Jared and headed back over Golden Gate.

The wind was so strong by now that it was almost blowing us sideways. Oosh! We cheered on the other racers stilled headed over the bridge and finally got relief from the cold as we ran along a tree lined road.

As we were running up the next hill, I heard a man call out, “Go! MK! Go!” I had the words written on my tummy so people could cheer me on personally and it had worked! It was awesome! I needed this energy boost. My run wasn’t going so well. From the beginning of the run, my calves were tight like a rubber band and my pre-race meal had been a disaster. Anyway, I thanked the guy with some cheers and picked up my speed. Pinal made a pit stop and I ran on.

She didn’t take long to catch back up to me. We exchanged a few words of encouragement and off she went. It was awesome to run with her though for almost 2 hours! Now the rest was up to me.

I trudged along, moving slowly and feeling sluggish. The weather was nice for running, not much else, but wreaked havoc on my fueling. With the temperature being so much cooler than I was used to, I didn’t drink as much and my gu (energy gel) from my bottle didn’t flow as easily either. This lead to me not getting what I was used to during my training runs. By the half marathon point, I was already tired. My legs were heavy and remained so for the rest of the day.

The crowds along the route were awesome. Time and time again, people where cheering for me who had never seen me and will probably never see me again, but they were there, “Go Mary! Go MK! Looking good! You’re over half way!” They were always so positive and supportive and it was great. The other runners were great too.

There was a young couple walking together and I happen to be passing them when he had said to her, “Yeah! It’s going to hurt.” I ran by and told her to ignore her body and run. Later she passed me and said “Ignore the pain! Come on and run.” So I ran. We ran together for a while and then I had to walk. My legs were giving out. We ended up continually passing each other for the last 10 miles and would always offer up words of encouragement. In the end, we resorted to “Tag! You’re it!”. They were a lot of fun to have along the way.

Also in Golden Gate Park I had a bystander come and run with me to ask me my pace. I told him, he ran a few more steps and then stepped off the course. I tried to always encourage those around me when they looked like they were struggling because I know just how far someone’s words can carry me.

Towards the end, around mile 23, there was a girl who was upset about how slow she was going and wasn’t sure if she was going to finish. This was also her first marathon. Others around her were telling her about their first marathons and she was feeling better. Then I turned to her and said, “We’ve all come this far, we’re all going to finish.” She yelled back, “I like your positive attitude; I’m going to run with that”.

By mile 24 my left foot had such tremendous pain with each step that I felt like every step was going to shatter all the bones in my foot. I decided it was time to walk. Once I started walking, my calves got even tighter. I decided and tried to accept the fact that I may not run for the rest of the race. It would be ok, I would still finish. I walked and walked for what seemed like forever. During this time, I met up with another racer also walking. We walked silently together. Finally I told him to come run with me. He said he couldn’t, he was in too much pain. “Where?” I asked. He proceeded to tell me he was dizzy and needed to sit down. I gave him a bottle of my Gatorade; he drank it and still wasn’t ready to go.

I was nearing 25 miles and decided I should give running a try. I took a few steps. It was painful, going from walking to running when you are that far into a run is always painful. I trudged on and finally settled in for my last 1.2 miles. I crossed the finish line in 4 hours 58 minutes. Not the greatest of times, but I finished and I left tons of room for improvement for my next marathon.

I crossed the finish line and almost started to cry. I was so overwhelmed, mentally and physically exhausted. I was happy to be finished. I was touched at everyone cheering for me now and along the way. I was so happy Jared was there to see me finish and at so many other stops along my 26.2 mile route. I was just barely keeping it together.

I received my medal and my thermal blanket and found Irfan. We had a nice exchange, had some pictures taken and then headed to meet with Jared.

I was the last in of the bunch. Pinal was having a message which I desperately wanted too. I headed for the message tent while Irfan hit up the food line. We met up and had a nice post race gathering with Pinal’s friends at a local pub. It was wonderful!

Finally things were winding down and we headed out. Irfan and I walked together avoiding any changes in elevation. I’m talking about curbs, stairs, any up and down.

After a good night’s rest we were ready for a big breakfast. Irfan and I headed out, arm-in-arm in search of food. We would see a curb we needed to step down from, cringe and then look for the dip you would use to roll a cart or wheelchair over. That small step seemed so big and was very painful. For the day, if I needed to raise my left leg for anything, tying my shoe, curbs, to get into the shower, I had to physically reach down and lift it with my arms. For the first time in my life, I felt truly disabled. Obviously I wasn’t, I had just completed a wonderful journey and needed to recover. By Wednesday, Irfan and I were out hitting the trail of Redwood National Park; we had recovered!

I am very grateful for all the volunteers that provided much needed support. Without them, there could be no race. So to them, Thank you!

Our next marathon we’re planning is on January 13 at Walt Disney World! We’re very excited! We would love your continued support as we set out in our newly changed lives.

Celebrating my 1st week of Training with my 1st Triathlon

Ok. Now at least I can say I have done a triathlon, even if it was a very short one (1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike and 1.5 mile run). It was nice and short :) There were no places or t-shirts, just lots of fun.

I found this event on Thursday and talked to Irfan about doing it on Saturday. On Friday, I still wasn't sure, but as the day grew to an end, I knew I wanted to try it, even if I came in last. So on Friday evening when we got home, I began packing up all the gear I would need: goggles, swim cap, bike shoes, socks, running shoes, my garmin watch, visor, helmet, towels, gatorade... there seemed to be so much stuff to remember. Finally by 8 pm, I was finished packing and headed to bed. After a while I finally fell asleep even though the sun hadn't fully set. By 2 am I was hungry, something you should never be before a race. I got up, had some cereal and attempted to sleep some more, but didn't until 3. My alarms went off at 3:47 and 3:51. I turned them both off, said something to Irfan and then promptly feel peacefully back to sleep where I began to dream about getting ready for the race and then I realized I wouldn't be able to make it because I had forgotten my racing shorts and by this time, there wasn't enough time to go back and get them. I woke right up! It was 4:23 and I thought that maybe it was going to be too late. Irfan asked me if I thought we could make it, and I said, "Maybe, but it might be tight." The race was to start at 7am near Clermont, FL (about 90 miles from Daytona). By 4:37, my bike was mounted on the back of the car and we were pulling out.

Thankfully we made it to the site around 6:20, not much time to register, rack the bike, lay out gear and determine how a triathlon operates. I didn't know where the even water was (you can't see if from the parking lot), which way the bike or run course started. I felt a little lost. Irfan and I found a place for K2 (my beautiful bike) and I headed over to registration. I made it through the line and was marked with #225. I proceeded then to lay out my gear like the pros next to me did. I was already taking notes on how to do this. I asked a gentleman about the bike course, he explained how the transition worked, and I started to feel a little better.

We decided to trek down to the water and see where that was, but it was already 6:40. I asked several people about the swim course, but no one really knew, until maybe the 6th person. They proceeded to tell me it was probably faster to just run the swim course because the water was so shallow.

We set up in waves and watched the men go out first and then finally it was my turn. I stepped up to the end of the water, the horn sounded and we were off and running, literally! Later I saw people doing a "dolphin dive" and decided to join in. Then I ran, swam, ran, swam, swam, swam, ran, dolphin dived, ran, ran. I was back at the beach and headed to my first transition. Prior to the race, I had done exactly one, today I would do 2, more than doubling my experience :)

I ran barefoot up the beach, on the boardwalk and finally through the parking lot to K2. I geared up, had a sip of gatorade and took off. This transition was slow: 1) because I have never done it before and 2) I decided since this wasn't for anything other than fun and experience I would take the time to put on my GPS/heart rate monitor watch and gear. I fumbled with this, but finally managed to get out and onto the bike course. I still haven't mastered my clips for my bike shoes either, so I struggled with the left foot for a while and finally decided I would just have to ride unclipped; it was taking too much time.

The course was hilly, but with K2 I was flying. I passed 1 person then another, then another and then, well, I just kept passing people all the way to the end. I topped 25mph and shifted seamlessly even though I had never gone over a single hill on K2. Besides I had only taken her out twice, this would make the third time. For me, the third time was a charm. Everything felt so natural. Before I knew it, the bike leg was over. My time was looking really good. I thought I had a chance at breaking 1 hour. I settled into my run, trying to get a rhythm with my breathing. Since I had put on my heart rate monitor, my heart rate hadn't dropped below 180 bpm and running sure didn't help. In fact, I maxed out at 193 bpm.

I ran what I think was a pretty steady pace for the first half and continued passing people, then came the turn around. I headed back, having a great time. Then I decided to cheer on the others still working their way to the half-way point. I would yell out all kinds of crazy things like, "Let me see those smiles!" or "We're having fun!". To my fellow female athletes I might say, "You go girl!" or "You ladies rock!". It was a lot of fun and a lot of people smiled as a result. During this time my pace picked up. The winding road seemed like it was never going to end. At last though I saw my cheering section and I knew the end was near. I picked up the pace to go around the final bend and then I sprinted as hard as I could, almost falling over because I couldn't keep up with my legs; over the finish line I went, 1 sec ahead of the guy I overcame with my mad dash. I felt fantastic, but winded :)

I looked at the clock, 53:17. I was thrilled, but even more so when I remembered that my wave started 6 minutes after the clock started. Therefore, my actual time was 47:17, WAY above my expectations! It was awesome! K2 and I are a match made in heaven and my little cheering section was there for me when I left the water, headed out on the bike, returned from the bike and then for the start and finish of my run. Irfan is great!

What a wonderful day this has been! I'll sleep well tonight with a big smile on my face. Ironman, here I come! (Thank goodness I have months to train!)

"Ironstruck"

It's official. I needed a new goal and a new challenge, and I have found it! As you may have noticed, the title of my blog has changed to reflect my next adventure which officially starts today and unofficially a month ago. I have registered for the 2008 Ironman Arizona to take place on Sunday, April 13, 2008; mark your calendars and if you are able, come and cheer me on in Tempe, Arizona!

The Ironman is a grueling 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in one very long day. The course has a time limit of 17 hours so my goal is to complete the race in less than 16 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds. I know I can do it if I dedicate myself to training as I have shown I can do with marathon training. The training plan I have is 30 weeks and I have almost 40, plenty of time (if there is such a thing in Ironman training) to prepare for my big race.

I'm sure many of you wonder if I've lost my mind. Nope! I've been "Ironstruck" as they say. Over the past month I've missed many hours of sleep lying in bed dreaming about this adventure. I've spent hours researching online for books and other triathlon information and finally decided it was time. If not now, when? Live life to the fullest and don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Life's too short to fulfill all my dreams so I must lay out a path to reach these dreams one at a time.

Most of you who know me are probably wondering, "Has she ever even done a triathlon?". Nope! I haven't, but I had never run a road race or even more than 3.3 miles prior to training for the San Francisco Marathon and yesterday, I ran 23 miles! I've got several races penciled in beginning in August and running through November. These races will be great practice and give me a chance to gain some confidence in my triathlon ability. I'm not here to win (that should be obvious), I'm here to have fun, participate and enjoy the spirit of the competition.

In addition to researching books (which I've bought several but still need several more) I've spent a lot of time looking at bikes. Over the weekend I finally ended that search with K2, my new baby. She's amazing! I don't have a picture of us together yet, but it's on the way. For now, I'll just post a picture from online. I scored a great deal on the ALL CARBON triathlon bike! K2 is actually the K-Factor made by Kuota. It's not a brand any of you have probably ever heard of, but they're one of the best. In fact, the winner of the 2004 and 2006 Ironman Hawaii (Normann Stadler) rode the higher end version (Kalibur) of the bike I bought. See how sweet she is in the picture below.

Sure, it doesn't look all that exciting if all you see is a bike, but K2 is amazing to ride, very smooth, very fast and shifts effortlessly. I can't wait to start training on her, so I think I'll start tomorrow, maybe tonight if it's not too dark when I get home.

If there's something you've always wanted to do, I encourage you to make it a priority today. Lay out that plan and make your dream a reality!

23 Miles of Pure...

JOY!!! Today was an awesome run. We started early, up at 3:45 and running at 4:30; we ran for almost 4.5 hours including 2 water stops to refill our bottles. The weather was much nicer than we've been having. It was in the mid to high 70s and overcast until around 8:30 which means that the last 2 miles maybe weren't quite as joyous as the first 21.

I decided today was about finishing and having fun on the last of the long runs before the marathon. I feel that I accomplished both of those goals. I took it much slower than I have been, but I was able to run 22 miles before stopping to walk for 0.2 miles followed by a slow jog to the finish.

At the finish I still had about 1/4 mile or so to walk to meet up with Irfan who had finished several minutes ahead of me. We stripped off our shoes and all unnecessary extras and headed into the ocean for a quick dip. It was soothing. Finally we picked up our stuff and headed up to stretch and begin the ice baths. After a short bit we then trekked back downstairs and enjoyed some aquatic stretching in the indoor pool.

Now, several hours after our run, we still move like the oldest of the residents here in our building, but with youth on our side, tomorrow we will be back to normal, well mostly anyway.

I did it!

Whew! 20 miles is a long way to run, but Irfan and I did it!

After the failed attempt on Friday, Sunday turned out to be a winner. That's a relative statement. Maybe winner isn't quite the right word. Yes I finished, but it was a struggle from the beginning.

The alarm sounded at 4am for the 3rd day in a row. I think my mental preparation for this long run was already exhausted. I've learned that when you mentally prepare for these long runs, running them on schedule helps, a lot. Everyday it's postponed means you are that much less likely to actually complete the original mileage.

We had a little bit of a late start, 5:20am, and so the sun was up just a little over 1 hour into the run. I lost/dropped a gu within the first 3 miles so was going to be one short, but thankfully, the guy at the runnning store told me to always take an extra, so I was fine. It was hot and humid, but it seems to always be that way. By mile 3 I was already drenched. It was bound to be a long day and it was every bit of that.

Part way into my run when a car would pass from the opposite direction I would raise my arms up to cheer and the drivers were nice, they did the same. So there for a small stretch I found a few strangers to cheer me on. It was nice. I need all the help and motivation I can find on a run like this.

When crossing the 4th and final bridge of the day I was at mile 16.5 and a nice fisherman said good morning and told me he runs in the evenings. I told him what mile we were on and that we were going for 20 and he yelled to me as I passed "16.5 Miles! You must be crazy!". "Yep!" I replied, I am crazy.

I plug along, one foot in front of the other, just trying to pass the time and more importantly, the miles. As I neared the end I came across a couple that was walking and taking up the sidewalk. I ran up behind them and walked for only a few seconds. They let me pass and I told them I was at mile 19.5, only 0.5 more to go. The man replied, "You're running 20 miles!". "Yep!". He responded "God bless you" with a very bewildered look on his face and I ran on finishing the last of my 20 miles.

I'm greatful to have finished with very little pain. My knees were in good shape and overall I felt great. My legs from the knee down though did ache, but what would one expect who just spent 3 hr 40+ min running. Just go and walk for that long and let me know how your feet feel. Everything was a little sore, but no injuries.

After streching for a bit it was time for an ice bath. I had bagged 2 bags of ice each for Irfan and I. I ran the water in the tub on as cold as it would go and sat down in it as it filled. Once filled to my knees, I dumped by 2 bags of ice in and sat for 10 minutes. I'm sure this sounds horrible to you, but it felt great! I was almost sad my time was up. I wished I'd had more ice to make it colder. The purpose of the ice bath is to reduce swelling from the trauma of the really long runs which helps speed recovery. I do think it helped.

Around the corner is my last long run, 23 miles. I'm not sure how I'm going to finish, but I will, and in 25 more days I'll run the big race, 26.2 miles. I'm almost there and it's very very exciting!

A New Magic

This week has been a roller coaster. Last week I didn't do a long run because I was out of town and everything there seemed to make it hard. My sleep was off, my food, the weather, things just weren't going too great. There weren't great/safe places for me to run long distances and I refuse to run laps; it's just not for me. I turn miserable in a hurry. Perhaps that's an area I need to work on improving.

Sunday I drove 8+ hours back to Florida to start my week. Monday morning I was suppose to run but thankfully (I shouldn't say that) I woke up to a small thunderstorm and opted out. Later in the morning I headed to Orlando and bought myself a new pair of shoes. Yeah! My feet were very thankful.

Tuesday I went out and decided that I had enough energy, somehow, to run a tempo run which I haven't done in a really long time. I ran 5 miles in 48:45, not too bad. I was happy since like every other day here it was 80+ and humid at just past 6am.

Wednesday I set out to run 8 miles. At mile 2.5 I thought about turning around and cutting it to 5, but my head told me I was being lazy and I needed to push on. I continued, counting the tenths of a mile as they past because I was feelong so badly. At the 4 mile mark, I turned around, walked for a minute, drank my water and decided I should run again. By mile 5 I had had it. I just couldn't go on. I was hot, hungry, bored, tired... everything I didn't need. I decided it was ok to walk home from here, 3 miles :( I walked and walked, occassionally running a few feet and then walking. Near the 7 mile mark there's a cold water fountain. I stopped for a drink and decided I would run the last mile, mainly because I would be passing one of my cheerleaders and I didn't want them to see me walking. So, I ran the last mile and was so thankful to be done. I had completed what I think is possibly the worst run of all my training.

Thursday was an off day! Yeah. Because of events in town I wanted to run my long run on Friday and possibly a 10k on Sunday. Thursday I ate tons :) I wasn't over stuffed, just happy.

All week my sleep has been off after recovering from my trip last week and so I knew getting up early on Friday would be a challenge, but that was still the plan. So here goes: 4 am, alarm sounds, 4:09 am, alarm sounds again, but I'm already up. I bodyglide from head to toe, seemingly, put on my clothes, stretch, and put the final touches on it all. By 4:45 Irfan and I are heading out the door. We are set to go.

50 ft into the run, yes only 50 ft! My belt falls off and my garmin goes flying. It's happened before. I reach down to pick it up and see the pin popped out that holds the strap. Great! Now what?! Irfan fixes that. In the mean time I realize that one of my gu packets also fell off. I work trying to get that fixed and finally settle on a different arrangement. Fine. I'm now flustered, tired, my stomach ached today, but I was still willing to give this another shot.

I run about 0.1 miles and my belt is so heavy it's bouncing like crazy. I feel like it's going to fall any minute and so I stop. I can't have this belt bouncing for 20 miles. I'll have no skin left or sanity. I stop, sit on a bench and yell to Irfan I'm not running. He's a great guy and comes back to find out what the problem is. He tells me to tighen my belt and try again. I already know how this works, but to humor him, I comply.


We start running again, now we're really ready. I hit the road, because at 5am there are very few cars. Something in the back of my mind just kept telling me this wasn't a good idea. Everything seemed to be going wrong and I felt like today could be my last. I just some how couldn't get the picture of someone running over me, most likely a drunk driver, out of my head, but I kept running anyway, focusing on getting started.

At 0.8 miles my belt flew off for the last time today. I had had it! I couldn't take it. I wanted to cry. I had gotten up so early and was suppose to be having this great run, but nothing was working. This was a sign. I turned around and walked home. Irfan decided to join me. Today I will have to trouble shoot what to do about my belt coming apart repeatedly. I have a couple of ideas. I hope one works.

Irfan wanted to jog back, I did not. Instead I suggested we ditch our belts after walking home and run a magic mile (1 mile sprint to gain an estimated finish time for the marathon). We are always commenting on how much we would like to run one, but it's too hot; we really need to do it while it's still dark. Today would be perfect. We settled on that plan.

We set off running north. Irfan takes off, but I stay a few feet behind. As the seconds pass, he moves farther ahead but never really leaving me. I wanted to stop at around 0.25 miles then at 0.33 and so on. I kept telling myself to focus. There's a lot of information that comes out of this one mile sprint. I need to do it. I want to do it. Run! Run! Run! The chase is still on.

It's nice because around 0.33 miles, we round a slight bend and then can see the finish line, a well lit glass enclosed bridge over the road. I tell myself it's just a little farther. I need to stay focused. Focus! Focus! Run! Run! I start guessing what I think my time will be, but resist the urge to look at my watch. At last I see Irfan stopped, leaning on a fire hydrant. One would have thought he had been there for minutes instead of less than the 40 sec ahead of me that he finished.

I finished in a mere 7 min 21 sec, my best mile time since the 6th grade! That far exceeded my goal of 7:30 (a lofty dream I thought) or a more realistic 7:45-55 mile pace. It was magic! That invisible string that pulled me though my half marathon, pulled me though this mile and hopefully I'll find a lead for the marathon too. According to the calculators, I should be able to run the marathon in 4:08-4:10. There's so much that it depends on though, but it's nice to think of what the possibilities are.

So what started as a bad running day, ended up with a really great finish and tomorrow we'll try again for 20 miles!

300 Miles!

Today I reached 300+ training miles! I find it so hard to believe that I've run 300 miles in less than 4 months! My training is going wonderfully well!

I want to take a minute and say thank you again to all my friends and family that have been so supportive and have endured hours of endless rambling about running.

Yesterday, I finally bought a new pair of shoes to finish my last 2 long runs in and of course my marathon. The big day is just over 5 weeks away. I'm getting really excited. Pinal and I laughed as we both talked about how much we're ready to start packing our bags for S.F. We don't want to forget anything and there are so many things we should take. It's difficult to think of everything you "might" need. It's much more than just your shoes and running clothes. Thankfully we both have found several lists of "must haves" for the big day. We'll compile our lists and take way too many things, but it will be fun.

Overall, I'm in really good shape, but recently my heals have started to hurt a little. At the running store, they told me I can have no more bare feet until after the marathon. I was very sadden by this, but I know that it is best. So today, I retired my first pair of training shoes to daily wear. I wore them all day except when I was sleeping. I do think they help, especially when I'm cooking. They even help my back, so perhaps after the marathon, I'll keep wearing them around the house.

To many of you it won't be a surprise when I announce my next big athletic/life challenge as I have hinted about it to a few of you. For those of you who don't know, hopefully I'll be able to wait a little longer and get my plans finalized. Look for the announcement in the next few weeks. I'm already getting really really excited.

My Most Amazing Run Ever!

The alarm sounds, it's 4am. I hit snooze, just a few minutes more. 4:09, snooze. 4:17, it's time to get rolling, many miles lie ahead just waiting to be covered.

Irfan and I begin our rituals. The first stop, scale. It's important to have an idea of how much weight is lost on the long runs so you can be sure to refuel enough at the end. I weigh in and am happy to see that I've put on about 1.5 pounds. It seems necessary to have a really good long run. Your body needs fuel for 3+ hours of running. Next, it's time to put on my running skirt and top, no shirt. It's too hot. I like to be as naked as possible. If I could run completely naked, I would. I take my time stretching for about 15 minutes. If I skimp on this, the run starts off badly and getting started is one of the hardest parts of it all. I can't afford to skimp. Trip to the bathroom. Fill-up on liquids, not me, but the bottles. I fill my four 8-oz. bottles, 3 with gatorade, 1 with water. I pack my pouch on my fuel belt, contents: student ID, condo keys, $3.75, 1 paper towel, 1 raspberry cliff shot, 1 vanilla cliff shot. The pouch barely closes. Another trip to the bathroom. Put on my shoes, then my belt. Humm, maybe one last trip to the bathroom. You may wonder how many times one can make use of such facilities in 1 hour. If you're running long distance, a lot. Finally, I put my belt back on, I think I'm ready, finally. Oh, grab my gps watch a Garmin 305 Forerunner. Now it's out the door and to the start.

5:05am on the sidewalk in front of our condo; the tide is too high on the beach. The sun won't rise for another hour and a half, by then, I'll be almost 9 miles into my run. I learned a valuable lesson last week on my 16 mile run. I started at 5:50am, and by mile 14, the sun was so hot and the air so still, it was almost too hard to run. I had to start earlier.

Today, the air is cooler at 74 degrees. Shortly after the sun rises, it will be 80. I press start on my watch and I'm off moving at a rather brisk pace. Irfan takes off and I chase after him, knowing he'll be out of sight in only a few moments. The sidewalks line the street rising and falling with the shops. I venture to the road, there are no cars. I pass a family walking, where could they possibly be headed at 5am?

I complete the first mile in just over 9 minutes, not too far behind Irfan. I reach the top of the bridge and pass a tall scruffy looking man walking up, I continue. Ahead I see Irfan who waits to be sure I pass the man uninterrupted. We continue in the dark with only an occasional car.

I'm keeping good pace and only slow around mile 4 to take my first gu shot (vanilla). What's gu? It's a high concentration carbohydrate sodium mixture to help keep energy high over long duration exercise. Previously I had tried gu only 2 other times. The nice people at the running store who have provided good general guidance on a few things informed me that taking gu was not so easy in the beginning. I had been told it was hard on your stomach and didn't taste very good, so to try to adapt to it, mix it with water. On my first 8 mile run, I did that. And immediately after, my gag reflex set in. I stopped running, doubled over and hoped the feeling would pass. I didn't have any more gu that day. On a later run, I took the rest of the gu-water mixture and drank it just fine. Don't get me wrong, it tasted horrible, they weren't joking, but I managed to get it down.

This was my first time taking the gu straight. I struggled with the packaging and eventually managed to rip a small hole where I could squeeze it out. I squeezed more than half into my mouth. I was so thick and gooey. I don't even know that I've had anything to equate it to. It's a very unique texture. I hold it in my mouth and finally swallow. My mouth is still gooey. I take a nice big gulp of water to wash it down, then I finish off the packet followed by some more water. It really wasn't that bad. I kept wondering why everyone made such a big deal about it. Oh well. I find a trash can at taco bell and discard the packet.

I'm still within eye shot of Irfan, barely. I'm running on the road (actually the parking lane) and he's on the sidewalk. Every once in a while, he ventures to the road to get a clear look back at me. Yep, I'm still here, still plugging away. We are passed by a few cars and motorcycles. On a park bench was a homeless man slumped over sleeping.

After the gu, I begin to feel amazing. I think I finally reached 'flow'. As described in my training book, it's like feeling almost weightless and running seems near effortless. I sit back and just enjoy how easy the running is. I see sprinklers watering a parking lot. I don't think they are going to get more parking spaces by watering it, but none-the-less, they continue watering. I think it's a great opportunity. One of the sprinklers looks broken and it appears more like isolated rain. I venture off the road for a brief shower and laugh as I feel so child-like running though the water. My glasses are covered and seeing is difficult. Oh well, it will dry.

Finally our route turns and I think I saw Irfan round the corner, then another as I continue the chase. I see he's 100-200 yards ahead. I'm relaxed and feeling well. The cooler morning has really helped although the sun is starting to rise. I see I'm closing in on Irfan. I pick up the pace since I'm feeling so great. I'm very focused on my breathing and my stride, always keeping my arms low and loose. At last around mile 8 I'm only a few yards behind and I yell for Irfan to change his route. He was nearing the turn off and I was going to be going on alone. He was shocked to see me. He asked if I had sprinted to catch up. No! I'm just moving so well. He usually runs 1-2 minutes faster than me per mile! For me to have caught him, he must have been having a bad day and/or I was having a good day. It doesn't matter though. For the first time in our training we ran together, each at a comfortable pace.

He changed his route to run with me; we ran side-by-side for the next 4 miles. It was really nice to have his company, but now it was time for me to turn back. He was running 15 miles while I was running 18. I finished the first 12 miles at an average pace of 10:26 min/mile. I was at my scheduled water stop. My belt holds 32 oz. not enough to finish all 18 miles. I stop at a park that has a restroom and soda machines. I put in $1.25 and get 20 oz of cold water. It feels GREAT! I refill 2 of my bottles and drink the rest. I take a third gu. Luckily for me, Irfan brought one that he wasn't going to use, so he gave me his. What a nice guy :)

I start running again and am not feeling so well. Too much water and probably too much gu. I push on, but finally I have to walk for a minute to try and let my stomach settle. I make it over my 3rd bridge and I'm back on the street where I caught up with Irfan. I smile and push ahead. My overall energy level is waning. I cross over the last bridge, it's more like a small bump in the road at this point. I approach the intersection where I parted ways with Irfan and prayed that the light would turn red so I could cross without stopping, and it did. I celebrated to myself and headed down the ramp to the beach.

Once I reach the beach, I know I'm on the final stretch. By now the sun is high in the sky and I'm rapidly approaching 15 miles. I flash back to last week at this time. It was around mile 14 when I learned that I too suffer, like most female distance runners, from extreme bloating and cramps on long runs. The pain became so intense I thought my intestines were going to fall out. I could no longer run. I would double over in pain occasionally and look frantically for a bathroom, but there are none on the beach. I would hobble a few minutes and then walk, hobble and walk. Finally I got home and laid on the floor curled up, in too much pain to move. Somehow, I eventually pulled myself from the floor and went to the restroom. I did feel better. The solution, as given repeatedly online is a quick does of imodium before a long run.

Today, it had done the trick. By mile 15 the only thing that hurt was my right knee which has never fully healed since before my half marathon more than 1 month ago. The pain came on slowly and I pushed on until it was screaming. When the pain shot through, I finally walked then hobbled, but quickly walked again. My pace was really good, why did this have to happen now I wondered to myself. I obsessively watched my time. I wanted to finish with a sub-11 pace. I wanted it badly. So after a little more than a mile of hobbling, with 1 mile to go, I ran. By this time in my training I know there are going to be times of discomfort, but I also know that running is no longer a matter of physical endurance, it's mental endurance. This was not about the physical pain, it was mental now and I had to get past it. I started slow for the mile and tried to maintain a constant pace. I set visual targets to get me through, but after 0.35 miles, I needed a break. I walked. I took one last glance at my watch and new if I wanted to make my time goal, I had to run. I ran.

Not only did I run, I ran the last quarter a mile at just over a 9-minute mile. So after 18 miles, I still had it in me to run hard and to finish and oddly enough, my knee quit hurting. I will take this lesson with me on my last 2 long runs and eventually to the finish line in San Francisco.

Despite the pain, this was an amazing run. At the finish, like I do each week, I throw my hands into the air and celebrate. Today, a lady and her husband were walking by watching me when I finished and as I celebrated they smiled. It was almost 8:30am and they had no idea I had come so far. I finished in 3 hours 17 min 45 sec, a pace of 10:58 (including my 5 min water stop). I met my goal!

The Slump

After completing the half-marathon trail run, I knew I was in for it. I could barely walk my knee was hurting so badly. The race was on Saturday and I spent ALL Sunday on the couch. My fiance was out of town and it was miserable being in so much pain all alone.

It was on this day that I more or less cancelled my "big" wedding. It really wasn't ever going to be "big". We were inviting about 80 people, but on this day, everything seemed over whelming and on Monday I sent out the notice, that only family was invited to the wedding. A few people didn't take this so well. Without Irfan around (he had already been gone for 2+ weeks and there was still another week left) I was falling apart, at least I felt like it. Knowing that I couldn't run for some time (unsure of how long that would be) was a bit unnerving and upset me a great deal. Put that together with me missing him; and I had fallen apart.

The following week, day-by-day my knee pain eased and then I allowed a few extra days of rest to be sure I wasn't going to re-injure myself. After 9 days off running, I'm not sure I felt like I was missing much. I had so much free time and was less tired. I think I was getting lazy. Luckily for me everyone knows I'm training for the marathon and a few ask about my running from time to time. A nice guy at work happen to stop by on Tuesday to ask me how my running was going. I had to tell him that I wasn't running...not for the past 9 days :( This didn't feel very good.

That night I went home and decided it was time to quit making excuses and being lazy. In the morning, I went for a short 2 mile run just to check things out (I was trying to get over my laziness more than anything). Oh my goodness!!! I never imagined taking off for a little more than a week could be so devastating! My upper back hurt, I was winded, etc but my knee didn't hurt, not much anyway.

The next day I went for 5 miles and my knee was a little sore, but nothing a little ice wouldn't fix. At last the weekend arrived and it was time for the real test. I was suppose to be running 16 miles, daunting having not run much for a couple of weeks. I went out for a ran 12 mile run instead. It was pretty good overall, but my knees were very sore afterwards, as were my muscles on the outer portion of my hip. I iced my knees and hoped for the best.

At least now I was running and the slump was over! :)

ASC Greenway Trail Half Marathon

The week following my 14 mile run from hell was not so great either. On Monday, I went for my 5 mile run and just past 2.5 miles the pain came with a vengeance. My right knee had stabbing pain. I stopped and stretched my quads hoping that my muscles were just tight. I hobbled along and tried to ignore the pain. Luckily Tuesday is an off day.

On Wednesday, I was visiting a friend in Maryland and ate yummy waffles before my run, probably not the best idea, but I did. The run was uneventful though, my knee ached, but there was no stabbing pain. Thursday rolled around and my knee was rather tender on the inside, so I opted out of my run to give it some extra rest. Tuesday off seemed to help, so I'll take 2 days off this time and hopefully everything will be ok.

At last it was Friday and my knee was mostly better by noon. So I jumped in my car and headed N 475 miles to Rock Hill, SC for the half marathon I had been eyeing for the previous month or more. It was a long drive, but the weather was peaceful and NPR was great company. Just after dark I located the park where the race would start in the morning and then checked into my hotel. It was 9:00 pm and I still needed dinner.

Cracker Barrel would do the trick. I had French toast and for dessert (which I never order) I had an apple strudel. Everything was yummy and I was sufficiently full. It was bedtime :)

I slept very well, just like any other night and woke up in time to complete my rituals: stretching, eating, etc. I gathered up all my belongings not knowing if I would complete the race fast enough to make it back for a shower and I was unsure whether I would be staying a second night at this point. It would greatly depend on how I felt after the race.

I had the misfortune of waking up and realizing that I needing female supplies prior to the race. No problem, I'll just get something from my emergency stash in my car. I get to the car and find there's nothing there. Eeeks! This is not what I need. No problem I thought, I'll just stop someplace after I pick my packet. I don't want to be too late getting it.

I hurried out the door running about 15 minutes behind my desired schedule but still with plenty of time. I entered the Greenway and the attendant pointed me towards a field that had a few cars in it. I parked and got out of my car; it was freezing! I walked over to the pavilion where things were just getting set up. I was the first person to show up to register on the race day (and probably the first one to get a packet at all). I would be sporting # 124.

I headed back to the car and left in search of supplies. I was a little paniced after stopping at a couple of places. Would I be able to find what I needed before the race? Finally I found someplace that was open and had what I needed :) Now I was ready to run!

I show back up at the race pavilion and sat in my car. I was by myself and most people were with 1-4 other people or their dog. I felt very alone and these people all looked so serious and fit and .... I was a little worried and began wondering what I was doing here. What was I thinking?

At last it was 10 minutes before the posted start time; people were headed to the starting line (I didn't even know where that was). I stoped short of the start in a group with others warming in the only small patch of sun. There was less than a minute from the start and no one was lined up. Finally we mosied over and in 3-2-1, we were off.

Everyone started moving pretty much together. I knew there was a creek crossing just 0.25 miles in. I also knew there was a bridge that had been roped off that no runners were suppose to cross. I trotted along talking with a nice lady. As we neared the creek there appeared to be confusion. Many people were crossing under the rope and using the bridge. The lady beside me told me it was better/safer and much faster to run through the creek, so I did.

Upon crossing the creek, which came up to the middle of my calves I felt accomplished and ready to tackle the challenge that lay ahead. I continued on passing some goats, then cows with bells hanging from their necks. We rounded the bend, crossed a road and headed down into the woods to never see the light of day again. Ok, that's not really true, but at times I felt that way.

The path was well packed dirt, occasionally sandy, always rocky, rooty, hilly and very narrow. Most places were barely wide enough for 1 person and passing initially was very difficult. You had to plan at what place to make your move. I passed a few people early on and then I was alone.

My feet were sliding in my shoes as I was "flying" uphill, downhill and around the curves. I felt great and was having a blast! .... Until I rolled my left ankle. I got up, hobbled a few steps, cursed for having this happen so soon and wondered if I would be able to go on. I was fine, just a little shaken. I pushed on. It was still early in the race.

It wasn't long after this, I was running down a hill that ended with a sharp curve lined with a large stone and a tree. As I started falling, I reached and latched onto the tree and slid down it finally stopping with my knee on the rock and dirt/sand everywhere! I was now being passed by a runner who would take me with some invisible thread through the race. She's yelled to me I was ok, just get up. She told me she too had fallen already. I looked back at her as she approached and saw nothing but blood from the knee down. She didn't stop, but kept going and so would I.

I got up, more shaken than before, but managed to chase after her. I began to count how many times I had almost twisted my ankle. I lost count. The rocks, roots, twists and turns were almost too much for me, but I was hanging on.

Prior to falling, I was all alone for what felt like quite a while. There was no one in front of me and I wasn't going to look behind to see if anyone was there. I couldn't hear anyone. After the fall it was just the nice runner, Anna, and I. We ran and ran. Up the hills, down the hills, over one bridge and then the next. There were few water stations. Thankfully I wore my fuel belt full of gatorade. I spent most of the race feeling exhausted. My legs weren't used to the elevation change. According to my gps there was a whopping 9800 ascent total in the race and it recorded only 10 of the 13 miles. The other 3 miles were spent gaining satellite locations after crossing though tunnels.

As the race progressed, I would occasionally pass people and sometimes, someone would pass me too. To ease the pain, because there's no doubt about it this race was painful, I walked...a lot. A whole lot. I would run fast to catch Anna and then I would slow down and walk up the hills. She ran a nice even pace the whole time. My goal became to always keep her in sight, which meant I could never let her get more than about 30 or so feet ahead or else I would lose her. This is what kept me going mile after mile. It was the "invisible thread" that I felt was pulling me and pushing me to keep going.

At the second creek crossing, Anna took the bridge, I chose the creek. Besides, my feet were hot and it was refreshing. I passed her as we climbed up the bank. I told her to go ahead. She told me it was my turn to lead, but I waited for her. She was what motivated me to run and without her in front of me, I would have slowed down a long time ago.

At the last water station, Anna ran though it. I did not. She was gone. I, by this time, was ok with that. I was just too tired to keep up any longer and I needed to pee, but there was no time, nor place. Yes, of course I could have gone into the woods, but I didn't want to waste the time.

I pushed on, walking quite a bit from this point on. The final stretch of the course was uphill. What were these guys thinking!?!? Oh well, I finished in 2:20:03. I have nothing to be ashamed of and all to be proud of. I finished my first half marathon and it was a trail run and according to others who run "lots of trails", this one ranks up with the best of them: rugged and very tough.

Incidentally, I spoke with Anna following the race and she runs lots of these. She couldn't believe this was my first. Since I trailed her for almost the entire race, she predicted my time for a road race half marathon would be much closer to 2 hours. Wouldn't that be thrilling to try!

I hung around, ate some bagels, had some water and a glance at my watch told me I wasn't too late. I headed to the car and sped off for a shower before my long drive back to Florida. What a day!