trail running

yesterday i ran in lapham peak as i often do.  my work hours have changed so i didn't arrive until just after 5:30pm.  the temperature had changed and it was a comfortable high 60s or very low 70s... i'm not entirely sure. 

i pulled up to a mostly empty "evergreen grove" parking lot (the first right turn you can make after you enter the park) and parked my car.  this is the lowest point in the park and where i almost always run from.  it ensures that i will get the whole route... whichever i choose to run.  i generally run the black loop... otherwise known as the "moraine ridge trail", and today was no different. 

i began my run at a pretty brisk pace and because it felt good to do so... i continued on at that pace throughout the whole length of the languid meadow (which is just under a mile before the lumbering hills begin).  i felt so free flying along the open planes of the lush green meadow!  as i was running along i decided i was going to try and run up the whole length of the first hill named "south hill".  it is a particularly challenging hill in that it teases you with not one but two seemingly flat spots where you think you've come to the end.  you have not, in fact, come to any such completion until you've passed both of those blissfully almost flat respites from the hell you're quads are in.

i arrived at the hill feeling elated and strong and started powering up it.  my garmin read near an 11m mile on the hill which is pretty good.  while trucking up the hill i just kept reminding myself of the deliciously sweet downhill that comes next.  then... i made it!

i took a sip of my beverage (water mixed with orange gatorade) and sped down the next hill with wild abandon!  it was so fun.  i still felt strong and ran on.  i was maintaining at a pretty decent clip and enjoying cool air washing over me as i went down into the valley.  it looked like the edges of the trail were trimmed back which littered the trail with green and gold clippings (very "GO PACK GO").  there were many more hills to climb so i slowed my pace some and just really reveled in the movement of my body.

it was such an amazing run.  i felt so strong and free.  trail running is nothing less than magical... i promise you.  if you've never run trails i encourage you to do so. 

i finished my run in just over an hour (1:03:19 to be exact), and averaged out at a 9:37min/mi pace.  the trail says it's 7mi but only once has it measured out to that distance for me.  all in all i ran 6.57 miles and am going to do it all over again today.

18 miles! a first!

on saturday i ran the longest distance i've ever run!  friday night i started getting myself psyched up for the run on saturday.  i was mentally mapping out the route and hadn't quite decided on the distance except that i was scheduled to run 8 miles on friday and i skipped it to go see the butler with my youngest and my mother-in-law.  totally worth it but then i was feeling guilty that i didn't get my 8mi run in.  so i was thinking i'd add it onto my saturday run.  so that is where the 18mi came from.

saturday morning i woke up and was ready for my run.  i got dressed and checked the weather.  it was 65 degrees but i knew that once i began running that wouldn't matter.  it was also supposed to warm up over the next couple of hours so there's that.  i drank some juice with my vitamins, brushed my teeth, ate a banana, ate a couple of shot bloks, started my music, used the bathroom, and was almost ready to go.  there were 3 more things i had to get ready before i ran out the door:  start the garmin, fill my water bottle, and slather on some gold bond friction defense.  

NOW i was ready.

i stepped out into the beautiful overcast morning and appreciated my good fortune of a cool and sunless morning.  i find that it is considerably more pleasant to run without direct sunlight beaming down on me.  i generally run away from my house because i am fortunate enough to live in a mostly rural area where there are no sidewalks and there are tons of trails.  i ran to the glacial drumlin state trail and headed west towards dousman.  the run was going swell up until my bowels decided to hate on me about 3 miles in!  this is not a new problem... it is a problem that i thought i had thwarted by taking some imodium at 4am... no such luck.  as my poor luck would have it i was no where near any formal bathrooms.  therefore i pushed on in the hopes that it would crawl back up and i could have a run minus so much excitement.  about a mile later... the need was what i can only describe as absolutely desperate!  i looked both ways down the trail... i was alone.  i headed into the woods to take care of said business.

when that was finished i ran on.  i was maintaining a pretty good pace and saying hello to everyone in my path cuz that's how i do.  glancing at my garmin every few minutes and adjusting my pace.  before i bought the garmin i had the most difficult time trying to maintain my pace.  i tend to run as fast as my body will allow and then i have nothing left to give at the end of my runs.  it is truly my downfall.

i was maintaining a 8:45 - 9:00 minute per mile pace.  i wanted to go slow enough that it didn't feel challenging because i knew i was running farther than i ever had and i wanted to be sure i would have enough in me to complete the run.  it is so beautiful on the trail that i really get into running there.  it is mostly flat and straight paved trail... truly beautiful with woods on both sides and for miles in either direction.  the sun was coming in and out from behind the clouds and i realized in the midst of all that beauty... i needed to go to the bathroom again.  yes, AGAIN!  *sigh*

off into the woods i went once people were out of sight... it is seriously embarrassing but a runner's gotta do what a runner's got to do.  

i'm sure if you've made it this far you're asking yourself WHY in the world would i share that with the world?  well... 2 reasons.

1.  its funny.

2.  i want others to know that they aren't the only one this happens to.

i have read all the articles i can find on "runners' trots"  (in fact, it reminds me of this) and i just don't think people talk about it enough to make other people not feel like they are a weird anomaly who can't control their bowels.  i learned all sorts of things and most recently had all sorts of blood and fecal tests at my doc's office only to learn that my issues might be caused by a "weak positive" gluten intolerance.  now... don't get me wrong.  most people don't have a gluten intolerance (or maybe they do) and changing one's diet to be gluten free is proving a very difficult challenge for me (that's a story for another post).  

i digress... 2 times in the woods and i feel much better.  i figure i can hold anything else until i get to the gas station on hwy 67 and i go on my merry way.  the weather is warming up and the run is going smoothly.  i've eaten my shot bloks at the beginning of my run and again at mile 4.  i intend to have one every 4 miles as that seems to work the best for me.  i arrive at the gas station after the trail winds around a corn field, along hwy 18 and then around the corner onto hwy 67.  

i enter the gas station and ask to use the bathroom (the bathroom that says "for paying customer's only" right on it's door) and the crochety, rotting in her flesh, old woman at the counter doesn't even look at me as she points a gnarled finger at the key on the counter.  i grab it, say a gracious thank you, and dart to the bathroom.

on my way out i again tell her a very sincere thank you and she doesn't even look at me.  sheesh!

back on my way!

i cross the street back to the trail and step my right foot in a culvert submerging it in water!  awesome...

no matter... i'm RUNNING and i am IN LOVE with running so a wet foot isn't going to dampen my spirits!  besides, i'm just over 7mi in which means only 2 more to go before i'm half way!  the day is going great!  harley riders are all over the place as well as in the gas station i was at so that was a highlight too!  

i'm flying now!  running much too fast for the distance i'm at so i slow back down to an 8:20.  slower still to an 8:45 and settle in for the next 2 miles.  

i'm passing dogs and people and a huge stream of cyclists saying hello to everyone!  i love the way my body feels when i'm pushing it.  i love knowing that i can do things i never thought possible!  

at 9mi i make a u-turn and head back the way i came.  in no time at all i'm back at the gas station and hwy 67 is teaming with harley riders out enjoying the freedom of the road... just like me!

i stop and stretch my hamstrings and quads because i'm beginning to feel the tightness building up.  it is a glorious feeling!  then i RUN!

i run all the way back home (walking up the hills) and am so proud of myself and pleased with my performance that i can't wait to do it again.  it is a beautiful thing.

Badgerland Striders 1/2 Marathon

Badgerland Striders 1/2 Marathon - August 24, 2013
time = 1:51:02 (1:51:12 official results)
pace = 8:25 (8:30 official results)
placed 9th in my age group (40-44) out of 61
placed 58th in women out of 408
placed 226 overall out of 792

based on my experience with the Summerfest Rock 'n Sole i decided to approach this race a bit differently. i have a tendency to take off too fast out of the gate and then poop out near the end of the race. so this time i decided to pace myself. it was a really (seemingly) easy task because i bought this awesome garmin a couple of weeks ago! let me just say... I LOVE LOVE LOVE my garmin! best purchase i've made in a long time.

so... one would think that it would be a cinch to pace my running with this lovely addition. let me tell you... IT WAS NOT! my mileage looked like this:





evidently i am incapable of maintaining a steady speed! the first couple of miles i was going so fast but it didn't feel uncomfortable or taxing but i kept telling myself to slow down and then i'd try that and the next time i looked at my watch i'd be going faster again. it was a continuous adjustment. the first 8 miles were pretty easy but then my legs started to get tired and i found that it was incredibly challenging to maintain the 8:20 speed i was trying to stay at. i really wanted to beat my time (1:48:17) from the summerfest 1/2 so i figured that if i run at a steady 8:20 i should get that or a minute or so better. too bad i couldn't maintain that pace. the last 2 miles were the worst! i was so slow!

this was a great race! really well organized and beautiful to boot. the one thing i didn't like about it was that there were no timing chips. that would have been nice for accurate and actual times. although... when i finished the time on the clock was close to the time on my watch so i guess it really didn't matter that much. this was my first time running this race and i guess there were maybe double the runners as opposed to last year. even with that being so they weren't overwhelmed with the overload so that was great! there was free breakfast and beer afterwards in the beer garden as well as the usual water, gatorade, bananas. of course, they also had sodas, chips, and pretzels which is a twist. all in all it was a really awesome race and such a great experience. i had a lot of fun.

Warrior Dash (5K obstacle run)

Warrior Dash (5K) - August 3, 2013
time = 56:13
pace = 16:19
placed 220 in my age group (40-49) out of 609
placed 3069 overall out of 6050

i did this race with my friend rebecca and we had a great time. we drove out to johnson's creek, wi and got a bit lost trying to find the place. road closures and all that jazz. she gets a little car sick so that made the trip all the more exciting!

once we arrived and parked it was more exciting! there were a lot of people there and we were still pretty much on time for our starting wave. got checked in, bathroom breaks, and lo and behold we got in our wave just in time to start.

the course was pretty fun. not as many obstacles as the tough mudder but for a 3.31 mile run how could it have as many? am i right? lots of mud and water which was to be expected... the best part was jumping over the fire! i felt so awesome doing it!

if i ever do this run again it will probably be with my youngest because he wants to do it when he's old enough... 3 more years.

Summerfest Rock 'n Sole 1/2 Marathon

Summerfest Rock 'n Sole 1/2 Marathon - June 15, 2013
time = 1:48:17 (with bathroom break, lol!)
pace = 8:16
placed 24th in my age group (40-44) out of 240
placed 174 in women out of 2077
placed 628 overall out of 3589

ok... what to say about this bugger. this was my very first 1/2 marathon and terrifying to be honest. i woke up at 4am to a thunderstorm because my dog is afraid of them and then likes to paw the closet door thinking that maybe this time (the millionth time) i'll let him in there? yeah right! i'll never let him in the closet to nest around in my things and make a mess cuz he's afraid of a little thunder and lightening... he can suck it up! however, that's neither here nor there... this story is not about his irrational storm fear.

the doppler didn't look good and so my family stayed home and i drove the 20ish minutes to the race in some rain. i arrived fairly uneventfully and parked. i tried contacting a few people who i knew would be there but got no one so i got myself together and started heading to the starting corrals. i knew the event was going to be big but i guess i didn't know exactly how big... this is the largest race i've ever competed in and i'm pretty proud of my results.

my goal was an hour and a half but that is pretty unrealistic considering the pace i've been running the past few months so i'm still pleased with my outcome. i'd like to be faster but i'm not going to complain... we'll see how i do in september at the brewer's 1/2 and if i'm better or worse then.
the corral i started off in was 1:45 pace. i tried to stay with them to begin with thinking that running up the hoan bridge might be really challenging but as it turned out it was quite easy. i think because i've been doing so much running in lapham peak on the black route aka the moraine ridge trail. it's the most difficult route in the park with several really challenging inclines including the very first one which is .87 of a mile and 4% grade... it's super hard but i have successfully run it without stopping several times now. that was pivotal in my success today. made all the hills a piece of cake!
i lost the pacers at mile 6 when i had to stop at the port-o-potty to pee... it couldn't be helped. so that changed my time by almost a minute. i stopped my app so i saw the difference. still... a great time even with the potty break.

overall the experience was pretty great. i'm glad i had my own hydration because i'm sure that would have slowed me down too... stopping along the course. i gunned it at the last 3/4 of a mile to a 7:39 pace... that hurt like a mofo! although, miles 2,3,5, and 6 were under 8 min/mi so that is pretty awesome... too bad i couldn't maintain that the whole time. the rest were just over 8 min/mi with the slowest being at mile 7 with a 8:33 min/mi right after my potty break. which is funny because i thought i had picked it up there but i guess it just felt that way after sitting down. weird.

the energy of the event was wonderful and i really didn't feel fatigued at all but my hips weren't feeling so good after mile 10 or 11 which made me feel slower than i was actually going... made it seem a lot harder than it should have been too i think.

and that... is my first 1/2 marathon experience.