Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Winthrop Marathon

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007

5K PR 24:37 2009

10K PR 52:58 2010

Have run 22 marathons to date.

No injuries, ever.   :)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years.  This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :) 


Long-Term Running Goals:

To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life.   To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs.  To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner.  To enjoy running more and more with every passing year. 

Personal:

Baby boomer generation.  Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's.  Started running seriously in 2002.  Low-carb runner since January 2010. 

I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather.  I don't believe in "junk miles."  I am an optimist.  I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order.  

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."  -- Joan Benoit Samuelson 


Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles: 891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles: 965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles: 198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles: 104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles: 536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles: 16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles: 219.53
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
98.7744.206.000.97149.94
Piranha II Miles: 11.13Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Miles: 5.59ST3-M Miles: 57.27Lunaracers II Miles: 9.12Asics Piranha Miles: 27.79Brooks ST3 II Miles: 19.24
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.640.003.000.007.64

55F, light rain.  Objective: tempo run.  3.5 mi w.u., 3 mi T effort on hills (9:07, 9:20, 8:36), c.d.

Satisfying workout.   The hills really killed my speed, but I wanted to just concentrate on even effort and sticking with that effort without any breaks.  

55F feels a lot cooler when you are wet, but for once I nailed the wardrobe selection w/ skort, long-sleeve tech shirt, nylon vest, gloves and hat.  

Came across two deer and got very close without spooking them.  Or perhaps it was just the deer-in-the-headlights-headlamp effect. 

First of September - always a happy day for me.  Comon' Autumn!!! 

Piranha II Miles: 7.64
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.090.500.000.005.59

48F, mostly clear.  Easy run w/ .5 @ MP.  20 min. weights.

This was our first dip into the 40sF for months.  The chill felt good to me, and the sunrise was very pretty.  Energy level good, legs felt great (which is why I decided to throw in that faster half mile).   

Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Miles: 5.59
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.213.000.000.0023.21

Mid 50sF up to ~60F.  Endurance run.

I warmed up with a little under 2 miles before our club meeting.  Another runner and I had planned to do the Rattlesnake Lake run again: from our meeting spot up and back is about 19 miles.  1-3% grade for 4-5 miles up - the return trip was when we got up into the MP range, so that's where the faster miles happened.  

We startled a little family of elk on the trail and they stared at us and then bolted into the forest. That was pretty cool, being up so close to them.  There was a huge bull and a little calf among them.

I'll admit, I am totally wiped out.  The last mile was torture. I think my running partner was a little too fast for me. I hope I get a training boost from all this pain!  

ST3-M Miles: 23.21
Comments(10)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.720.000.000.005.72

52F, cloudy w/ occasional drop of rain. Recovery run. 

Leg recovery index (scale= 1-5): Soreness 1, Perceived muscle strength 2, Monkeys per leg 4.

What a pretty morning.  There is just a hint of red coming in to some of the trees now.   

 

Lunaracers II Miles: 5.72
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.650.000.000.006.65

55F, fog and a variety of precipitation, from misty drizzle to downpour.  Easy pace run. 20 minutes strength work.

This was one of those days when the forecast for a single zip code just doesn't cut it. Our town is spread across two microclimates, one at about 400 ft elevation and the other up to 950 ft (and higher, if you count places I don't run to).  So I'm sure downtown got their nice 10% rain as predicted, whereas I got a reminder about wearing layers in non-summer months.  I got a soaking, but I did ok with it, thanks to going back home for gloves as soon as the foggy mist turned to misty drizzle.  (You know how Eskimos have dozens of names for snow? Well...) 

Legs feel much better today in terms of energy, but there is lingering soreness and a couple of Monkeys still clinging on.  They don't care about rain.  

Asics Piranha Miles: 6.65
Comments(8)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.102.000.000.007.10

53F, breezy, light showers.  3.5 mi easy pace, 2 mi MP, remainder moderate pace. 

I had a depressing thought today.  (Right on schedule, marathon in less than 3 weeks.)   Let's just say that for any runner there are different effort levels that correspond to their paces.  "Very, very difficult" for 5K, "Fairly hard" for 10K pace, etc.  And let's say that marathon pace could be called "hard but sustainable."  

Now what if those effort levels are the same for a really fast runner as they are for a slower one?  (The ad with Ryan Hall's face is glaring at me this very moment.)  In other words, what if the effort I use maintaining a 9:15 pace is the same as Ryan's effort at, what, 5:10?  Or the same as a 2:50 marathoner (I'll call him George) churning out 6:30 pace miles.   

So, are we all running as fast as we can maintain for 26.2 miles or as fast as we can for the length of time we will spend running?  What if it's the former?  That would mean I have to work as hard as Ryan, or as George, but for 40% to 90% longer time!  I was trying to wrap my brain around this when Whitney Houston came on my iTunes singing "One Moment In Time."  I've laid the plan / Now lay the chance / here in my hand. Shut up Whitney. You have no idea. 

I don't know how I can verify this depressing theory, or more to the point, how I can nullify it.   I can't get inside Ryan's or Gloria's head and feel how hard they are working when they run "marathon pace."  And of course, I'm not talking about just some random pace that gets you across the finish line before they close the course. I'm talking about PRs and BQ's and such.  The best I can do is to tell myself that they are working harder than I am, because time matters and they don't have to keep it up for over 4 hours.  But there is something illogical about that, from a physics point of view.  26.2 miles, X mass....   Shut up, brain; sing on, Whitney. 

Brooks ST3 II Miles: 7.10
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.620.000.000.004.62

54F, raining in 1st couple of miles, light fog.  Easy pace run with hill fartleks (thanks, Dale, for the term). 

I'm calling this "an early fall," and I love it!!!!! 

Asics Piranha Miles: 4.62
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
11.806.002.000.0019.80

Low 50sF, rainy in 1st 10 miles.  Objectives: endurance, stamina (in Bold type for readers who just want to see the nitty gritty.)  

After about a mile and a half of warming up around my neighborhood, I went over to the Leg Builder Hill to see what kind of damage I could do to my quads.  ;)  Two miles of moderate to steep downhill at a pace between half-m and 10K (8:38, 8:15) left my legs literally shaking.  I don't usually run fast like that without at least 2 miles warm-up and the first mile felt really stiff. Wake up, Sno!

Next I ran a few miles at a moderate pace to make the legs stop quaking in fear.  Ran to the club meet-up.   It is always a real pleasure to see whoever shows up and chat for a bit, but then I had to head out with only my invisible friends for company, as usual.  I ran another half mile re-warm-up (much needed after stopping for 10 minutes), and then ran 3 X 2 miles at MP effort, pace about 10 seconds off until the last rep. 

I enjoyed a few miles of "happy pace" (ie whatever I want, no Garmin Gazing) before tackling the LB Hill again, starting at mile 17.25.  Two miles up, on very tired legs.  [Moaning and whimpering omitted.]  Walked a bit on steepest parts.  The energy was there, but I kept feeling all breathless, with Legs Ala Lactic Acid.  Then I'd walk a bit and feel fresh and zippy, only to meet defeat again 2 minutes later. 

That's all for the nitty-gritty. The rest of the day will be more like knitty-giddy (me, tea, Addi "turbo" needles, silk/merino worsted weight, and a couch).  There might also be a nap. Ah...   :) 

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.490.000.000.003.49

60F cloudy. Recovery run. 

The difference between mile 1 (hobbling, wincing) and mile 3 (enjoying, albeit) was extraordinary.  That's always a pleasant surprise, and affirms my sanity in choosing to go for a run at all.  

Piranha II Miles: 3.49
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.730.000.000.004.73

55F, fog. Easy pace run. 

Pretty sluggish. I hoped that a day off would move me further along. Birthday number 52 is just around the corner and I seem to be feeling it. 

Brooks ST3 II Miles: 4.73
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.932.500.000.006.43

54F, mostly cloudy. Spectacular red sunrise ("sailors take warning!").  G-A run w/ 2.5 mi MP. 

Nice run.  Pretty morning.

Completely off topic, but since we are also a quasi social group....  If you have never taken the Myers Briggs personality test, here is a link to a quickie version of the test.  Then, take your "type" over to this site to learn more about what it all means.  I cannot say I'm completely true to my type (INTJ), but inasmuch as I do "fit," it is very satisfying to have validation for some traits that the world, in general, may not always value.  Enjoy!

Asics Piranha Miles: 6.43
Comments(20)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.430.000.000.003.43

58F, raining. Easy pace run.  

When I first went out, it was raining very hard. At 58F that's a tricky call re: apparel.  But since I was just doing short, easy miles, I went ahead and wore the jacket, knowing I'd get hot.   The heavy rain tapered to light showers by the end of the run.   Just for the record, I like getting more sleep.  

Brooks ST3 II Miles: 3.43
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.294.000.000.8010.09

60F, cloudy, humid, patchy fog.  Objective: "quality over quantity."   I ran about 2.5 miles easy warm up, then did 6 x 1 min hard w/ 2 min. rest on hilly terrain.  Then I ran 4 miles at MP effort, again on hilly terrain.  Legs very zippy, no monkeys in sight.  Fun, fast workout. And those two f words don't usually come in the same sentence for me!  :)

Asics Piranha Miles: 10.09
Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.400.000.000.003.40

58F, cloudy w/ patchy fog.  Easy pace run.  Calves are a little sore; I hope I didn't overdo it yesterday. I will spend the last taper week very carefully.

Lunaracers II Miles: 3.40
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.210.000.000.174.38

57F, heavy rain, breezy.  

Easy run for about 3.7 miles, then 8 x 10 second hill sprints w/ 40 sec. recovery between.  Legs feel good.  (ETA - also spent about 20 min. on weights.) 

Taken Sunday, some early fall colors in the 'hood...

IMG_0048

ST3-M Miles: 4.38
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
2.980.001.000.003.98

49F, thick fog in most of the neighborhood, partly cloudy in others.  Two easy miles, 1 mile b/t 10K & HM pace, c.d.

Fog isn't quite the joy-of-my-heart when it's dark out and there is a headlamp blazing from my forehead.  The light just comes right back at me.  In fact, I rather scared myself, imagining shapes in the shadows.  Fortunately there were a lot of runners out this morning so I wasn't quite alone.  

My legs have felt so good lately, except today.  I'm not sure why.

Brooks ST3 II Miles: 3.98
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.480.000.000.003.48

ST3-M Miles: 3.48
Comments(3)
Race: Winthrop Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:21:47, Place overall: 59, Place in age division: 3
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.20

50F up into the high 70s at times, when the sun came out. Partly cloudy skies with a couple of drops of rain in the first few miles. 

The short version...  In spite of a few setbacks, I had a wonderful morning at the Winthrop Marathon.  I got another 4:21 - that's 3 of them in the past 12 months if you are counting.  I truly thought I'd be a bit faster today, but the early downhill, with the first 4 miles on dirt, no actually it was sand, really chewed me up I guess.  This is a stunning course in terms of scenery. If you like big crowds and you don't like pine forests and babbling brooks, this would not be the marathon for you. An excellent choice for introverts and naturalists.  If I didn't have such a thing for coastal scenery, I'd scoot Big Sur into the number 2 spot for this marathon.  I loved it. 

Long version... We took the buses up at 6:30 and I got to sit next to Pirate Man, who seems to be at all my races, especially the marathons.  I really enjoyed talking to him - he is an 80 y.o. running machine who races constantly. (Recently did the Pikes Peak "double.")  I call him Pirate Man because of his skull-n-crossbones head scarf thing, which he always seems to wear.   

This is a tiny race, probably about 200 runners (though I am sure that will grow when word gets out to the introvert naturalists).  We arrived at the start with only 30 minutes to spare (though the race started 10 minutes late). Most of the women got in line for the 3 POPs and most of the men headed for the woods.  

Incidentally, I loved my new trick of sacrificing some old knee socks to their Higher Purpose in Life: cut off the toes and wear them on the arms until the day warms up. Ditch them at an aid station.  :) 

I was among those in the first bus, and the first dozen or so in line for the POP.  Next to the POPs was parked a van, and next to that was a campfire blazing, a tent, and a beach umbrella. Some poor old (ie my age) hippy had set up camp next to what he thought was a very lucky find (the POPs), and came out of his little tent half naked to find 200 runners swarming out of three school buses.  "What the h-- is going on?"  We cordially invited him to run the marathon, but he declined.  

The start area was situated in the midst of a part of forest that recently burned. Several young firefighters were killed in that fire and there is a memorial up there to them.  The "forest" right there is charred snags.  

The start line was, literally, a line scratched across the road with a stick. It was great - funny, but also appropriate. Keep that entry fee low!  Who needs chip mats between friends. It took me all of about 2 seconds to get to the start after all. 

Those first four miles are where I believe I made my only race mistake.  I wish I had hung back a bit.  The road was made of what looked like white sand, with gravel here and there.  Every 14 inches or so a little ridge crossed the road; it looked like the pattern you get when snow melts and freezes repeatedly, which is probably why it was ridged.  The road was very windy and I was trying to cut the tangents while navigating through these constant ridges - very difficult.  I might have done better through the hills at the end if I'd saved my legs in this first part, but I didn't want to hold back too much on the downhill either.  Live and learn.  

At around mile 4 we crossed a little bridge onto blessed asphalt.  The story of the next 14 miles goes like this: forests, more forests, views and more views of the "wild Chewuch River" (which the course follows), and smokin fast downhills followed by many more uphills than I though possible along a river.  Every uphill gave me that feeling you get after eating too much of something too rich.  "Why oh why did I indulge!?" I did drive 21 miles of the course on Friday, so there really is no excuse other than my own optimism: "This hill isn't so bad! And look at all the downhill!"

Speaking of eating, just for the record, I got three bugs directly in my mouth, and one actually down my throat.  Eastern Washington is mostly dry, mostly hot, and mostly populated by bugs. We have also seen an abundance of mule deer, which are everywhere, and a grouse.  The only non-bug wildlife on the marathon course, however, was a dead squirrel on the road and a blue jay.  Those pesky front runners probably scared the rest away before I got there.  

At around mile 11 I realized my feet were making that awful floppy sound you get if you drag them.  I had just finished telling Mr. Sno how bad that is, how much energy it wastes.  So I stopped spacing out over the lovely forests and paid attention -- it was not my feet swishing the ground -- it was my shoes!  Both soles were coming off at the heel.  This pair is practically new! Arg!

I remembered that the race website promised duct tape among the aid station amenities (I now regret that I laughed at that).  So I scared the two older ladies at the next aid station by running at them with the following battle cry: "I need the duct tape! Quick!"  It was still in the package and we all fell on it like wolves trying to tear it open and find the start. Little good it did, since by mile 19 both the rubber and and duct tape were making that horrid swishing sound on the ground. 

Just before mile 20, the course pretty much leaves the forests and the real hills begin.  The terrain turns to farm and ranch land, with more open spaces and what seemed like an impossible amount of up hill.  When I get home I will post the one picture I took on the course, where I had been climbing for what seemed like most of a mile, crested the hill, and saw -- another uphill.  

IMG_0190 

I need to just say right here that my quads have never hurt as bad in a marathon as they did around mile 23.  By 24, I would have drunk whiskey straight from the bottle if someone had handed me some.  And I hate whiskey.  

But even in these last, painful miles, the scenery was so lovely.   My legs were thrashed, but my energy level was good. Other than the Legs O' Torture, my only complaint is that it got so blasted hot every time the sun came out, which was quite a lot at that point. No puking though!  A bit nauseous from time to time, but always saved by a passing cloud.

With just a little under a mile to go we entered the town of Winthrop.  (It is a charming Western themed town, as you can see on the marathon website.) Rounding the final corner into town, Snoflake and Mr. Sno were there with cameras and they ran parallel to me for a block.  I am so lucky to have so much support from those two.  The medal was adorable, a western style badge shape. 

IMG_0201 

Ponderings...  I am not sure what my future marathons will bring. I know I will always hope to get a faster time, a new PR (3 years is really a long dry spell), or a BQ.  But I am starting to wonder if it should be just a hope and a motivation for certain training runs, but not a race day goal.  Once upon a time I ran marathons only for fun.  I had a lot of fun today too, but more so after I realized I wasn't on course for a BQ and I relaxed a bit.  There came a point when I thought, "I can suffer on a nightmare level and maybe - only maybe - take some minutes off my time, or I can do my best but also relax enough to enjoy this beautiful place that I've come so far to see and experience."  Maybe I am not a BQ runner because that's what I tend to choose, and people who get a BQ choose the suffering.  And maybe BQ runners are simply faster athletes because of their everyday choices - or their background & genetics, over which of course I have no control.  I have no regrets about my choices (except maybe those first 4 miles), so what does that say about me?  I don't know the answer here, I just think these are questions worth asking.  I'm leaving my BQ goal on my blog for now, and maybe for all the time I blog here.  ...I know someone very close to me, in her 50s, who has climbed a corporate ladder to get to a certain position at her company, has suffered greatly and given up years of happiness, not to mention aspects of her health, and now she "has arrived."  Guess what? She is miserable.  The goal did not make her happy, as she thought it would. And look at all the happiness she gave up along the way to get the goal.  That will not be my story.  I will try not to be sad over what seems like my unendingly mediocre athleticism, though sadness is always there on the edge of my thoughts.  But there is no point for me in running marathons if I cannot choose to savor each one and whoop it up at the finish, even if I keep racking up 4:21s.  And I got an awesome shirt.  Thanks for listening. :)

The view from where I stayed... 

IMG_0195 

ST3-M Miles: 26.20
Comments(26)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

I walked! Twenty-five minutes. It was very wobbly.  I crack myself up sometimes.  Never mind, you had to be there. 

The official results of the marathon are posted now.  I came in 3rd in the 50-59 AG, out of 6. (Chuckling, still.) Only #1 in each group got some kind of physical reward, so no bling for me.  A perfect example of why you always want to carry your own fun with you at all times. 

The overall marathon winner came in at 2:39, and 2nd place at 3:02.  (Interestingly, 4th place overall was a woman, at 3:10.)  Are those times kind of slow for a "fast downhill course," or is it just that the race was so small?  (Only 100 runners after all.)  Maybe I'm not the only one who got caught in the sand. 

Tidbits...

Nothing to do with my recent discussion of goals, but an interesting Ted Talk about keeping your goals to yourself: http://www.wimp.com/goalsyourself/

And for all my blog friends who are interested in minimalist footwear (personally, I am not speaking to my ST3-Ms, and the other two pairs are on probation too, just for spite), here is an un-shoe review: 

 http://www.barefootrunners.org/images/barefoottj/Run%20Free/MinimalistFootwearReview.pdf


Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
98.7744.206.000.97149.94
Piranha II Miles: 11.13Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Miles: 5.59ST3-M Miles: 57.27Lunaracers II Miles: 9.12Asics Piranha Miles: 27.79Brooks ST3 II Miles: 19.24
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