WI Trail Assail - Sweetest Day 10K

WI Trail Assail - Sweetest Day 10K - October 15, 2016
time = 52:54
pace = 8:30
placed 1st in my age group (40-44) out of 10
placed 6th in women out of 57
placed 23nd overall out of 91
link to strava data

i signed up for this race on a whim.  i just joined oiselle voilée, and there was some chatter on the private fb page regarding this race.  sounded like a good way to meet some new ladies, and to run a trail race... what could be better?!?  so i signed up for the 10K.  mainly i chose that distance because i've only run one other 10K and it was awful.  mostly it was awful because it was full on winter (we know how much i love racing in winter) and the course left a lot to be desired.  so i decided to run this distance for that reason and because i had 5mi on my training plan for that day.  what better way to spend those miles?  amiright?!?

on friday night the weather said it was going to be in the high 60's and sunny.  this was music to my ears.  i picked out my gear and got everything ready for saturday morning.  i woke up before my alarm on saturday morning (as is customary for me), let the dogs out, fed them, and did my usual morning things to get my stomach straight.  i got dressed and as i was getting my shoes on to leave the house i realized that i almost forgot my bib!  ugh... great start to the morning but at least i didn't actually leave the house before remembering.  just before all of those shenanigans the groupme messages started pouring in.  this chat group was set up so that all the oiselle birds could communicate and meet up before/after the race.  i messaged that i was leaving and was on my way.

the drive out to nashotah was uneventful.  i've driven it hundreds of times.  we take our dogs out here to the dog park fairly often, and when we lived in delafield we were regulars coming a few times a week.  it's a great dog park.  i've only run at nashotah once... it was thanksgiving morning with the lptr group.  that particular time there was at least 6 inches of snow on the trail and took a very long time to run a few miles so i had no idea what the trail looks like without snow on it.  i was interested to see.

the groupme app was blowing up the whole drive so i was excited to arrive and respond.  i got there and let the ladies know i had arrived so that we could meet up.  the parking lot was pretty full, but the place didn't look too crowded.  i was sure i'd be able to find people without difficulty.  i parked right in the front by the bathrooms facing all the action.  did i mention that it was freaking cold out?!?  turns out that the weather was not correct (surprise surprise!)... it was high 50's and super windy.  the wind made it feel so much colder than it actually was.  i decided to sit in my car to wait.  i asked where people where and only got the response that they were "here" so i opted to wait in my car until i got a more accurate location.  when parking my car i realized that I FORGOT MY GARMIN!  OH.MY.GOD... WHO DOES THAT?!?  i mean... of all the things i could forget... my garmin?  really?!?  ugh...

went to the bathroom 3 times between arriving and the start of the race.  mostly i went that many times because i simply didn't want to have to pee while running and i'm paranoid about that during races.  while in the bathroom line the last time dave and emma came up and said they had been looking for me.  it was great to run into them!  i saw jeff after one of the other bathroom runs... that was nice too.  never ran into the oiselle ladies tho'... that would come later.

i ended up sitting in my car to wait for the race because i was so cold.  after the last bathroom break it was time to begin.  i jogged over to the start and found dave.  i stood with him to begin and when we took off i had to goof around with my strava app on my phone to track the run.  what a pain in the keister.  got that situated (had to hold my water bottle in my mouth to get my phone in my pocket), bid farewell to dave, and started making my way through the hoard.

we began in a small meadow, ran around some cones, and then onto the trail.  the trails were wide and groomed mostly covered in grass, packed earth, and wood chips.   it is my understanding that these trails are used for hiking and snowshoes in winter.  there was a decent flat at the start and then the rollers began.  i'm not a fan of rollers if you must know.  they aren't hard per se... i just can't get a steady pace going because i'm not very good at running uphill.  there were a couple of big hills near the end of the loop (the 10K was 2 loops of the same trail) with a pretty nice flat to carry you to the end.  the course is beautiful.

everything is changing right now so the colors are all orange, yellow, and brown... very homey and comforting.  it had rained the night before... actually, several days leading up to the race so the earth was soft and pliable.  made for bombing the downhills a lot less strenuous on the joints.  we all started out together... the 5K, 10K, and the 1/2... then maybe 1.5 miles in we broke off... the 5K broke off and then the 10K and 1/2 stayed together for a bit longer.  when i started the 2nd loop i was with one woman (who turned out to be one of the voilée) who i stayed close to until just before the finish.  i left her when i bombed a downhill and she didn't.

my legs were fatigued on the 2nd loop.  i started pushing hard in the last 2 miles...  i came up on another woman and we were neck and neck passing back and forth on the hills (her running up the hills and passing me and me bombing down the hills and passing her) for the last mile or so.

i ended up leaving her behind in the final flat stretch.  i think that running up that last big hill took it's toll on her and she just couldn't muster up the juice to sprint it in... i took off.  i had a goal of running this race in 53min or less.  there was one other man near us and i passed him too and then there was no one else around us.  as i was running the final stretch i saw the clock said 52 minutes... i opened it up and ran as fast as i could.  i really really really wanted to get in under 53 if i could and it looked like i could make it if only i pushed a little harder.

my legs felt a little burn-y but otherwise i felt pretty good.  i think i should have pushed more on the flats.  it was hard to know how fast/slow i was going without my garmin.  i had to rely on feel and i felt way too comfortable out there.  i should absolutely have been pushing harder.

i ran into the finish with everything i had... or everything i thought i had to give.  i love trail running so much.  the course was beautiful.  i would have enjoyed it more had i not been racing, and had been out for a run instead.  not sure i'll go here to run on my own though...  the loops are pretty short, and i don't drive out that way for something so short... i'd rather run at lapham if i'm going to drive out that way, but that's just me.

i would run this race again... maybe the 1/2 next time so i can really settle into a comfortable pace.  i'm not a fan of the 10K distance.  i don't like it because i feel like i need to sprint the whole distance. i feel like it's too long for a sprint and too short to not be a sprint.  so what do i do?  i try to sprint the whole thing...   on the other hand it could be a good learning experience for me to do this race (the 10K distance) again so that i can learn how to run it successfully and effectively.  there's always more to learn.

the cons... the only thing i am not happy with regarding this race were the results.  the timing company posted incorrect results at first (not really a big deal), and subsequently corrected them before i left.  however... i did get the wrong medal at first.  when they posted the corrected results i was able to give back my 3rd place medal and get the 1st place medal.  my thoughts on that are what about the people who had gotten their medals and left?  such a bummer...  additionally, they didn't post overall results either, and when i contacted them via facebook as well as email asking about this... i've so far today (monday) gotten no response to my inquiry.  that sucks.

i did calculate the overall stats myself and i'm pretty sure they're accurate.  i'm not sure if i'm supposed to count the top male/female in the results or even HOW i'm supposed to calculate them in so i counted them in the total number but not in the results number if that makes sense.

like i said... i'd run this again.  i don't think i'd do the series because there are other races that i'm already doing next year that it will interfere with.  i think if you like trail racing, or even if you've never run a trail race and would like to, this is a great race to do that.  it's not too hard that a novice couldn't do it and feel good about it and it's certainly not easy.  all in all it was a good race and i'm glad i chose the 10K distance.

my body feels good.  nothing hurts.  i'm running between 35-40 miles a week right now and it feels really good.  next (and last) on the calendar is the lakefront discovery run.

it's a 15K along the lakefront the weekend after next.  hopefully this weird warm weather will hold out and it won't be freezing...  

emma (dave's daughter), me, dave

jeff & i

the correct medal

what the hell is wrong with me?

so... i just signed up for the wisconsin trail assail sweetest's day 10K.  it simply doesn't take too much peer pressure when it comes to running and i'm totally on board.  

i figured i have 5miles on my schedule for saturday anyway... why not race a 10K instead?  ugh... what is wrong with me?

i'll tell you what's wrong with me... i wasn't able to race hardly ANY of my races this season due to being out of commission for 8 months, and now i'm rip roaring and ready to go!  i want to race!  i want to speed!  i want to RUN!

anyone else with these same issues?  please tell me i'm not the only one with this "problem".

Summerfest Rock 'n Sole 1/2 Marathon

Summerfest Rock 'n Sole 1/2 Marathon - June 14, 2014

time = 2:24:53
pace = 11:03
placed 170 in my age group (40-44) out of 230
placed 1572 in women out of 2102
placed 2904 overall out of 3581

ready to run!

this time around was very different than my first time running this race.  last year this was my very first 1/2 marathon and i was terrified!  this year, i decided to use this as a training run and pace my very good friend kellie.  as we all know i've been battling some stupid issue with my left leg, and haven't really been able to get in all the long runs i've been needing to for training. so to run this at full speed and try to race it maybe wouldn't have been in my best interest physically after having just done the ragnar relay.

my friend krista is home from colorado for the summer visiting her parents and she decided to run the 10K so we drove together.  i slept pretty poorly and was up at 4am.  even so i felt pretty good.  the weather was perfect.  low 50's and almost full sun.  couldn't ask for better weather actually.  quite chilly to start but once the body gets moving it is all good in the proverbial hood.  this year the race was beginning in a new location because there is construction being done on the hoan bridge.

hoan bridge - milwaukee, wi

last year the race began in front of the art museum, went south over the hoan bridge, turned around at the end and came back north over the bridge again.  it is truly the best part of the race and the whole reason i ran it in the first place.  this bridge is iconic to milwaukee, and in fact, my father and grandfather had a hand in building this great structure so i feel some emotional attachment to it.  it feels like home to me.  getting the privilege of running over it was meaningful in a way i cannot accurately describe, and emotional in a way that almost feels silly upon first thought.  i feel bonded to my city.  it is a part of me and the joy of running over it as the city expands and contracts before my eyes is a journey i plan to take every year as long as the bridge is involved.  it truly is the best part of the run.  this course over all is really spectacular.  the race directors did a fantastic job changing the course this year.  it was really seamless and smooth.  i love everything about this race.  kellie and i started out really strong and stayed that way for the majority of the race.  i think she started to lose some steam near mile 7 and in hindsight i think it may have been fueling.  i'm going to have to ask her about that.  i feel like she was really really strong up until then and then it started to fall apart.  we did some walking so she could catch her breath but ultimately i think fatigue was just taking over.

splits

at mile 8.8 we were cresting lincoln memorial drive and hitting that beautiful downhill which couldn't have come at a better time!  it was a spirit lifter when a spirit lifter was necessary.  the most amazing part of being a pacer is helping someone through the most difficult and challenging parts of their run.  there were a few for kel.  i know that when i'm running a race and i get to the point of tears it would have been really great to have someone i love and trust tell me to keep going.  hell, just having someone there by my side might have been enough a few times to get me through the thick of it on occasion.  i'm not sure i did that for her but i like to think that i did. i try to be encouraging and maybe i'm too chatty most of the time.  i also try to be quiet when i think she needs me to be quiet.  it's hard to know what exactly someone needs when their in the thick of their pain.  hard to know what they need to triumph over their challenges and defeat the voice in their head that is telling them that they can't possibly take another step.  so we walked a bit here and there to give that voice a rest and quell it into submission.

splits

there was a point at about 11.8 (right outside the art museum) where i decided i was going to sing "eye of the tiger" for her so i was searching siri and once i found it kellie turned up her headphones.  apparently i think i'm funnier than she does.  i started making the hand gestures to the beat of the music and in that moment kel said something along the lines of i was ruining her life and that she hated me for it... well... not really anything at all like that but whatever she said i knew that the kidding must end because she was deep in her pain and i wasn't helping.  so i stopped screwing around and let her feel all the feels... there may have been some tears.  sometimes these things happen when the physical pain of exertion becomes too much.  happens to the best of us.  so we took a walk break to get the emotions and heart rate in check.  once those were in order we took off strong again to bring it home.

the volunteers for this race are second to none.  really great!  always cheering and smiling.  i always thank the volunteers.  if it weren't for them these races couldn't happen.  so make sure you thank your volunteers at the next race you run.  krista was a trooper and was waiting for us at the finish since she had run the 10K and (obviously) that wasn't going to take as long as the 1/2.  we went to check out the after party and use a REAL bathroom.  all in all i have to say this was such a fun time.  i think kellie had fun but maybe the jury is still out on that... i enjoy running with her and i'm really glad i got to experience this race with her.  running it with her was a totally different experience than when i ran it last year at my fastest race pace.  i'm not sure which i enjoyed more... i think i liked them both equally but for very different reasons.  i will always recommend this race to everyone as it is well put together, organized, fun, and has such great support all around.  you really get to see a beautiful portion of milwaukee when you run it.  until next year...

right before this picture was taken i asked krista
if the photographer was taking pictures
of people waiting in line for the port-o-potties.
he was.

me & krista - pre-race chill & banana

me & kellie @ mile 6ish still all smiles

F my face!

krista, me, kellie - happy finishers!

krista, me, kellie - happy finishers!

krista

kellie

it's been a WHOLE week and i didn't DIE!

it's been a whole week since i last ran and look at that... i'm not dead.

we did sign back up for the Y.M.C.A. since i can't run.  i won't be able to lift my arms tomorrow and i probably won't be able to bend over or stand up or walk up or down stairs.  i might not be able to move really but it is totally worth it!  i LOVE the squat machine!  i love any machine that makes it easy for me to work out in a shorter amount of time... that means i need weights.

3 sets of 15 reps on everything and i'm golden.

i will have the best ass in town in a couple of weeks and abs for days.  we'll see tho'... i'm going to be ripped!  mostly tho' i just want to have my body be strong so that i don't keep getting injured when i'm running.

i'm thinking i'm looking at another week of no running.

next week i'm going to try a short run and if it's pain free i'll start up again.  i've got the "luck of the irish" 10K  in just under 3 weeks.  i'm running it so i just hope i'm pain free by then.  i'm running it either way.  to compound my stubborn issues... i've got my very first marathon ever just 2 weeks after that 10K.  i feel like i should be more nervous that i am.  i don't usually get nervous about races.  i attribute this to the fact that i'm generally racing against my self... against my last time.  i don't really care (too much) about what other people are doing in the race so i don't really get all that worked up about it.  i mean... of course i want to do well and i want to do better than others thereby placing high in my age group but so far i am doing well in my age group so i feel pretty confident when going into races.  i haven't had any reason to feel nervous yet.  even when injured i've still placed high in my age group.  i feel confident that i can continue to attain my goals which are to get faster and finish in faster times than i've previously finished in.

i think that in order to do this i need to get stronger.  so there is a compound goal.  get stronger.  get faster. win.

easy peasey lemon squeezy.

now i just have to be able to run...

GLM Race #5 - The Big Chill Race (10K)

GLM Race #5 - The Big Chill Race (10K) - February 16, 2014

time = 50:48:95
pace = 8:11 average
placed 4th in my age group (40-44) out of 23
placed 28th in women out of 130
placed 102nd overall out of 250

i signed up for this race on a whim one week before because kellie twisted my arm.  it went something exactly like this:

kellie:  “you'll run 27 1/3 miles through snow sand in the woods when it's -4, but not 6 paved miles. crazy. Lol” 

nikki:  “it will probably be slushy paved miles and i will probably not be able to breathe and i will probably die. fine... twist my arm. i'll do the race next Saturday. i'm supposed to run 8 miles anyway so that will work.” 

kellie: “woot woot! not that we'll be any closer to running *together* we'll just be starting at the same time.” 

nikki: “close enough”

and then i was doing another race in winter.  (thanks a lot kel!)  here's a picture of the beautiful kellie so that you can put a face with the evilness.  see… she even has evil red eyes!  man, i love this girl!

me and kellie

*sigh*  ~ don't get me wrong… i enjoy RUNNING in winter but RACING in winter is a different animal.  it requires immediate running at breakneck speeds of light and i'm rarely warmed up enough to be running at light speed.

in cold weather it takes me, at the very least, a mile or two to get warmed up enough to get my caboose moving fast enough that you can't see it.  unfortunately, today i felt like i was running through molasses.   i went into the race with the intention of it being a training run.  i was going to run it at a comfortable pace and not push myself too hard but just hard enough to finish strong.  yeah… we can see how that worked out for me.  i'm way too competitive for that.  although, i didn't really feel like i was pushing myself too hard and my leg was hurting which is why i didn't feel as though i was going as hard as i could have been going.  honestly, i felt like i could have pushed harder after all was said and done but winter is really a challenge for me.  i don't enjoy racing in winter because i simply don't feel that i run my best, and if i'm being completely honest, i don't like to race if i can't perform at my absolute best.  i don't like my stats to be recorded if i'm not giving it everything i've got.  it is so important to me to crush myself in a race… otherwise why race?  why train so hard, eat so well, and prepare so intensely if you're not going to squeeze every last ounce of soul into it and drain yourself dry and then give it a little more?

does that make sense?  i just don't see the point in doing something if you're not going to do it all and do it as well as you're capable of doing and then pushing yourself past that to find out just how much further you are capable of going.  i'm very interested in seeing what my body can do.  what my mind can do.

ok… so the weather was perfect.  17 degrees, beautiful, and sunny.  there was a short stretch of slushy snowsand and a different stretch that had an awful headwind otherwise the course was ok.  it was paved as we were running mostly on a frontage road out of olympia that lead out onto a dead end and then back.  the course was a double out and back… we went out and back and then did it again (as if i didn't just explain that).  i thought that was going to be awful but it really wasn't except for knowing i was going to have to run on that short stretch of shitty slushy snowsand 4 times… and knowing that the headwind was coming the second time around.  it was cool seeing the leaders as they passed by the first time… man, they were fast!  impressive.  there were a couple of kids too who were really fast.  i am always impressed and inspired to be faster and try harder when i run races because of other runners.  i want to be better than i am and when i go to races the energy and the strength of the group is intoxicating!  it fills me with so much joy to just be in their company.  i love everything about running… even when i feel like i can't take another step i find it deep inside me to go harder somehow… the other runners give that to me.  today was a beautiful day.  my husband took a lot of pictures and kellie experienced a PR and this was my first 10K race so i suppose this is a PR for me too.

still smiling... heading out for the 2nd time

jeff, kellie, and me