Runners: Tearing up the Track, Trail, and Treadmill 06/21/2010 - 06/27/2010

[mrgarak]

Welcome Summer!

Dean

[mrgarak]

Originally Posted by debbiedo

When I ran the race today I had a women who wanted to beat 30 minutes attach herself to me. My goal was to come in under 30 and not push to hard. So I ran around 9:25 pace most of the time. The start was really crowded it took a while to I could break free from the group. It was also very warm and I don't handle heat well so better I didn't try to PR. I felt really strong. I didn't feel pain. The only hard breathing was on the uphills. None were really steep just the length of the last one got to me a bit. I can never do hills fast. I just make up for it on the down. The women was overjoyed with her pace. So I helped her hit her goal and I didn't over extend myself. I will see if that is really true when I run tomorrow morning.

Nice job Deb! No matter how hot it gets near me, I have to remember it's hotter by you with being further south. It looks like you weathered the crowds and heat very well.

It is hot in my neck of the woods. Yesterday I ran 45 minutes in the State Park easy. I thought about going to the trails, but I thought mixing it up along roads and paths would be better. Some of the run was in the direct sun so the heat felt more intense. With two triathlons next month and a 25K cross country race in August, I think running in the hot conditions is good in the event race days are tough. That way I should be used to it. I was well hydrated so I felt okay.

Dean

[mrgarak]

Yesterday I did a full triathlon workout at the park. I started with a 25 minute swim, then a 16 mile bike ride and finished with a little more than 5 mile run. It was hot on the bike and during the run, but I felt descent. Hopefully I can get a few more of these workouts in.

Last night, I received the sad news of a running friend passing away. She was a beautiful loving woman who was taken from the world way too early. At 34, she leaves behind two little girls. All of us who knew her are shocked and devastated by the news. I met her about 4 years ago while doing cross country group runs. Our schedules got difficult so the group runs stopped, but we stayed in touch. Over the past few years, we've had some contact and running into each other. This year we started talking more, did a race together last month and ran on her lunch hour. We were becoming better friends and now she is gone.

This Friday's cross country race will be dedicated to her. She asked me to run it the past two years because it is for a great cause - free mammograms. It will be hard not seeing her there and I know emotions are going to be high, but the race will go on. She would have wanted it to.

Dean

[mrgarak]

Wow! I got the thread to myself thus far. I guess everyone loves running in the heat and their is no time to post.

Speaking of heat, I ran 7 miles today into the trail leading to the next town. Part of this route was along the course of the cross country race I am running Friday (minus the rugged terrain).

Dean

[debbiedo]

This heat is brutal but we are still training. I did 7 last night and got caught in a thunder storm with torrential rain. Tonight we did track but we didn't run fast due to the 96 degree heat. We just did laps at LSD pace. Two of the miles we did Indian drills so there were little fartleks in there but nothing really hard. I am tired. I think I will walk tomorrow night if we aren't rained out since they predict some big storms and run Friday morning with the 5am group. I am off of work and can come home and go back to sleep. I think it will be much cooler.

Dean, I have been in classes the last two days and then off to run so not much time on the computer.

[mrgarak]

Deb - Glad to see you back and keep up the great work with the training. I read a cold front is supposed to bring storms in tonight and cool things down a little near me. I hope you find relief in your neck of the woods.

I'm hitting the gym today and saving my running energy for tomorrow night's cross country race.

Dean

[mrgarak]

This evening's Summer Solstice Cross Country race was a milestone in my racing career. It was the 100th event I have participated in since I started racing again six years ago. More importantly, it turned out to be my most emotional race to date. I dedicated the race to my friend who passed away earlier in the week. She was supposed to be there helping out and possibly running. She was sadly missed. My Facebook Status following the race was updated to reflect my feelings on the race:

Today's Summer Solstice Cross Country race was my 100th event since I started racing again 6 years ago. More importantly, the race was a tribute to the memory of a wonderful friend (and runner) who was taken from us earlier this week. I gave my all along the trails in her memory and beat last year's time by nearly a minute. This one's for you Alexa. You will always be in the minds and hearts of the many you touched.

That pretty much sums up how I handled this race. It is more than 5 miles on cross country trails with big hills in the latter part. I spent most of the race with a girl from our running club. It was her first race longer than a 5K, so she was a little nervous. I'm proud to say she stayed me with me most of the way. I was pushing it in spots I could like along the flat former railroad bed and areas where I could pass people. It was hard to do the latter at times in the woods, but I was able to get people to move over most of the time.

The first big hill in the last two miles was the hardest, but after that it was all mental. I just thought of Alexa and was able to push up the other and sometimes a lot bigger hills. There was some nice down hills after the 4 mile mark and I didn't trip going down. In the last part after the hills the course flattens for the most part and the terrain is pretty safe. It was here I pulled ahead of the girl. I knew she'd be okay. She was running great and was going to finish strong. I sprinted to the finish and passed a few people. I screamed across the finish line and my time was 46 minutes. This was nearly a minute faster than last year.

It all came together nicely as I think about it. At first it was hot when I arrived at the park, but it cooled down a little. The turnout was great and the race officials had to hand write numbers because they ran out. The food after (fruit and pizza) was awesome. I'm glad I was able to run for a great cause (raising money for mammograms) and in memory to a friend who I will never forget.

Dean

[debbiedo]

very meaningful run Dean!

I think Western States 100 miler has started. I wonder if they track runners with GPS.

[westside]

Western States 100 - 2010

Debbie

You can follow the runners live from the website. There are 24 aid stations and the website will give reports from most of the aid stations when the runners pass through.

The temps should be just about average for this time of year, not too hot, maybe 90 in the lower canyons by mid day. There was still too much snow at the higher elevations and they couldn't get in to two of the aid stations so they are using he alternate snow course. The runners will still run through snow for the first 11-12 miles or so. The snow course is suppose to be a little faster.

I out of here in a little while.

[mrgarak]

Best wishes to all those running the Western States 100 miler. I can't even think about running such a distance yet. The 26.2 mile marathons were long enough for me.

Today was cross training in the state park with a nice 40 minute swim. It felt great to be in the water and I had a lot of energy. At one point, I had to take a break because my watch almost fell off. It looks like the velcro isn't sticking as well. I may be buying a new watch prior to next month's triathlons.

Dean

[debbiedo]

ran 12 mile point to point. I felt good. Heat not fun but I am dealing with it better going a little slower.

Mike Broderick who ran WS100 finished and did around 27 hours and 50 minutes. He is the coach of our experience marathon program, he trains coaches and did my husband's certification class. He practiced law and quit to do personal training and coaching.

[mrgarak]

Deb, it is hot here in New Jersey and the humidity makes it feel worse. I also take it slow and it helps with dealing with it. Nice job getting out there for 12 miles.

Today was the first of two long days. I hit the gym in the morning followed by a hot 40 minute trail run. Then I attended the viewing for Alexa and it was very sad. There was a nice touch of putting some of her running shoes and medals near her. It seemed only fitting since she loved the sport. Afterward I had dinner with my family. Then I ran another 40 minutes around town. I haven't done a two a day in a while. The second run felt better than the first. I guess I needed it.

Dean

[westside]

Dean, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

Debbie, congrats to your friend Mike who finished the Western States run. I made it to the finish line this morning just after he passed through the gate.

As it turned out, my runner had some problems around mile 45 of the race . He was running really well up till then and on schedule to get to Foresthill where I would meet and pace him at around 10:45 pm. He pulled into Michigan Bluff at mile 55 with about 5 minutes to spare before the aid station cutoff and was shaky when he got on the scale, didn't really know where he was at the time. That was it and he layed down on a cot and was given an IV. End of race. He was OK about an hour later.

The race up front in the mens competition was one for the ages. Kind of like Salazar and Beardsly in the 1983 Boston Marathon but with a third runner. Keep in mind that a 100 mile trail race is perculiar to North America and really, it's an endurance run, a test, more so than a race for nearly all of the 400+ participants.

Kilian Jornet is considered in Europe to be the best mountain/ultra runner anywhere and was suppose to demolish this course although he has never raced in North America. Anton Krupicka and Geoff Roes are argueably the top two ultra runners in North America. The race went with all three running at a blistering pace through the high country for 30 miles and into the canyons with all three coming into the aid stations together. Around mile 40, Roes started having some issues, probably stomach and pulled off the pace. I saw the runners coming into Michigan Bluff at mile 55 and Krupicka and Jornet were right together as they would remain so till mile 85 but Roes had fallen 6 minutes behind. Things didn't get better for Roes at Foresthill, 7 miles later as he had fallen behind to 16 minutes. Krupicka and Jornet were businesslike or smiling but Roes, when he came in had a hurt look on his face.

After Foresthill mile 62, they are out of the steep canyons and this is where the race starts, if you still have legs, and opens up with some nice, gentle downhill to the river for the next 16 miles with 3-4 short uphills thrown in. In this stretch Roes was able to hold his ground and didn't lose any time. Krupicka and Jornet were still neck n' neck at mile 78.

I stayed in Foresthill for the duration, waiting for my runner who was going to come in much later and kept going to the time board to see runners positons. Leaving the river at mile 78, the course makes a steep climb for 2 miles. In that stretch, Roes closed his time on the two front runners to within 11-12 minutes.

Somewhere around mile 85, Jornet dropped off and Krupica was in the lead and from out of nowhere, right before the mile 93 aid station, Roes blows by Krupicka for the lead and the two battled it out for the last 6-7 miles. Roes was soo on fire that he dropped his fresh legged pacer Dave Mackey, who is argueably among the top 5 ultra runners in North America, on the final uphill and this is after Roes ran 97 miles.

Roes came in for the win with a 30 minute course record, (15Hr06Mn) and Krupicka finished 6 mintues behind. Jornet took third and was an hour off the winning time. He was somewhat dehydrated and word has it that he might have spent his money (quads) in the canyons.

[mrgarak]

New thread.

Runners: Tearing up the Track, Trail, and Treadmill 06/28/2010 - 07/04/2010