I am two weeks away from attempting my first 50 km in a registered race!
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
OK. I feel better now; for the moment anyway.
Dirty Girls is a fabulous trail race; extremely well-organized, a laid-back feel, and slightly more "girlie" than other races. It's also an 8 km loop with three aid stations (including the start/finish) which gives me added confidence. I ran there last year and it was my first 6 hour race.
This year, I'm going for 12 hours. My hope is to run the loop seven times.....yes, seven. Now when I say run, understand that I will probably walk quite a bit of it too. But the ultimate goal this year is to finish with 50+ km so I'm hoping 12 hours will give me enough time....it better! Of course, like any trail race, it has its own set of interesting hurdles. For instance, the 12 hour race starts at 8 pm at night...yes, I'll be running in a forest, through the night, with a headlamp. But I won't be alone as there is a crazier group running for 24 hours and an even more insane group running for 48 hours. Although it will be kinda cool to be able to run with some people I never see because usually my races are so much shorter. Everything is timed so that the 12 hour, 24 hour, and 48 hour races all end at 8 am Sunday morning.
I'm in full out training mode right now. I honestly don't think I've worked this hard for anything athletic in my entire life. Oh wait, I've never really participated in anything this athletic my entire life. Bad example....but I am training! After Limberlost I was discouraged for about three days and then this sense of motivation came over me and I've been running, running, running. I've also been eating about 90% better. My life is filled with protein, veggies, bananas, watermelon and LOTS of water, etc. Oatmeal in the morning, protein at lunch and dinner. I haven't been this focused in quite awhile!
I'm not entirely sure its making a difference yet because it has only been two weeks or so. But I've lost five pounds (which is always nice!) and I'm sleeping through the night again. I need to eat every two hours so I'm consciously putting my stuff in my purse to eat when I'm out; that way I won't be tempted to stop for fast food. My runs are getting better and longer. My legs are hardly sore when I finish or the next day when I get up in the morning.
My boys are making sure I stay on top of my running too. At some point in the day one of them will ask "Mom, when are you running today?" which is usually followed by "How far are you going to go?" They are watching me like two little hawks!
I want to break through to the "other" side and finish 50 km - an ultra-marathon distance. This is hugely important to me because it's for me. I want to be able to do something that seems out of reach but IS attainable with some hard work and dedication. I need to prove to myself that I can be the person I want to be.
I will accomplish my goal! GO ME!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Shut the Front Door...I DNF'd!!!
My first DNF. Oh how it sucks. I'm starting to think that Limberlost is going to become my great white whale. I'd like to blame the weather (it was stinking, gross hot), I'd most certainly love to blame the trail (it is really difficult but the most beautiful one I've tried), I could blame the bear (but I imagine he was getting a good chuckle at all the stupid humans running in crazy heat) but in reality the responsibility of my DNF falls on my own shoulders. Damn it.
Like so many race before it, I know I will look back on this and continue to learn from it but the DNF stings. I signed up for 28 km and only got one loop done. I was hot, tired, miserable, negative, emotional, miserable, and did I mention miserable?? I had zero pain. Nothing. The one race where I can honestly say I had no pain; go figure. No cramping, no charlie horses, no stiff neck, no lead feet. My legs were the best they felt in months. Heck, I finished 25 km in Sulphur Springs with a bad knee and back.
So what happened? Honestly, it was the combination of little things that got in my way. Or that I allowed to get in the way. And most of them were emotional which are even worse to try and get through.
I had every intention of eating well leading up to the race and I didn't eat poorly but I certainly did not eat enough. With all the training I was putting in the past two weeks I was becoming hungry a lot more and instead of grabbing a snack, I'd put off eating until I hit a mealtime. I'd be starving by 10pm but too lazy to grab a banana downstairs. I had every intention of hydrating well knowing that the weekend was going to be crazy hot. I'm really bad for hydrating generally speaking and I missed the mark last week for sure.
Friday was a mish-mash day of every task getting pushed later and later to the point that we barely got the tent up in time with natural light at the campsite; and it was compounded by the fact that it was my sons' first time camping. It felt like a scramble all day. Too much going on and not enough planning on my part. I had a list on hand but I kept adding to it and then it just became a "top-of-mind" list trying to pack for three. I couldn't relax on Friday night and stupidly went straight to bed not even getting my running gear set up for the next morning, which is what I usually do. I can honestly say, I was lucky if I got two hours sleep that night.
So by Saturday morning I was physically and mentally exhausted. That normal rush of race-day adrenaline never kicked it. My kids were excited to see me start but I basically sauntered up to the starting line praying I had everything I needed. I could barely muster a smile. Everyone else's enthusiasm didn't even stir anything inside of me. I was t-i-r-e-d. I got 3 km into the race and kept hoping for some surge of energy. Something that would at least register to my brain that all systems were go and 28 km were possible. Never happened.
By 8km out of the 14k loop, I was already thinking about DNF'ing. The 14 km race participants, who started 20 mins after the 28 km participants, were passing me. Normally this doesn't bother me but I was discouraged. By the 10km mark I knew I was going to DNF. The food at the aid stations were well stocked but nothing seemed appetizing; my body was so tired that food didn't even help motivate me. I tried to talk myself out of it by remembering that my kids were there and they shouldn't see their mother quit. I reminded myself that I paid for the 28k race so I would be giving myself the monetary-shaft. I mentally rubbed my shoulders and suggested to myself that walking the next loop was nothing to be ashamed of as long as I finished. Nothing worked. I swallowed back a whole lot of tears and just trudged on. I knew that if the waterworks started, I'd be stuck in the forest behind a tree for awhile (and with my luck I'd have met up with the bear). Bad enough I was as slow as I was without giving myself another reason to stop.
As I saw the finish line and my kids and Scott all waving with big smiles on their faces and lots of encouragement for loop number two, I felt really guilty. I took of my number, told them I couldn't do another lap, and officially DNF'd. I wanted to dig a hole, crawl in, have a good cry and sleep. I never did though. My younger son was "starving" at 11:20 a.m. and I had to switch to "Mommy-mode" instantly.
So, there you have it; what I hope to be my first and last DNF story. Some key elements out of this race that I have learned:
Like so many race before it, I know I will look back on this and continue to learn from it but the DNF stings. I signed up for 28 km and only got one loop done. I was hot, tired, miserable, negative, emotional, miserable, and did I mention miserable?? I had zero pain. Nothing. The one race where I can honestly say I had no pain; go figure. No cramping, no charlie horses, no stiff neck, no lead feet. My legs were the best they felt in months. Heck, I finished 25 km in Sulphur Springs with a bad knee and back.
So what happened? Honestly, it was the combination of little things that got in my way. Or that I allowed to get in the way. And most of them were emotional which are even worse to try and get through.
I had every intention of eating well leading up to the race and I didn't eat poorly but I certainly did not eat enough. With all the training I was putting in the past two weeks I was becoming hungry a lot more and instead of grabbing a snack, I'd put off eating until I hit a mealtime. I'd be starving by 10pm but too lazy to grab a banana downstairs. I had every intention of hydrating well knowing that the weekend was going to be crazy hot. I'm really bad for hydrating generally speaking and I missed the mark last week for sure.
Friday was a mish-mash day of every task getting pushed later and later to the point that we barely got the tent up in time with natural light at the campsite; and it was compounded by the fact that it was my sons' first time camping. It felt like a scramble all day. Too much going on and not enough planning on my part. I had a list on hand but I kept adding to it and then it just became a "top-of-mind" list trying to pack for three. I couldn't relax on Friday night and stupidly went straight to bed not even getting my running gear set up for the next morning, which is what I usually do. I can honestly say, I was lucky if I got two hours sleep that night.
So by Saturday morning I was physically and mentally exhausted. That normal rush of race-day adrenaline never kicked it. My kids were excited to see me start but I basically sauntered up to the starting line praying I had everything I needed. I could barely muster a smile. Everyone else's enthusiasm didn't even stir anything inside of me. I was t-i-r-e-d. I got 3 km into the race and kept hoping for some surge of energy. Something that would at least register to my brain that all systems were go and 28 km were possible. Never happened.
By 8km out of the 14k loop, I was already thinking about DNF'ing. The 14 km race participants, who started 20 mins after the 28 km participants, were passing me. Normally this doesn't bother me but I was discouraged. By the 10km mark I knew I was going to DNF. The food at the aid stations were well stocked but nothing seemed appetizing; my body was so tired that food didn't even help motivate me. I tried to talk myself out of it by remembering that my kids were there and they shouldn't see their mother quit. I reminded myself that I paid for the 28k race so I would be giving myself the monetary-shaft. I mentally rubbed my shoulders and suggested to myself that walking the next loop was nothing to be ashamed of as long as I finished. Nothing worked. I swallowed back a whole lot of tears and just trudged on. I knew that if the waterworks started, I'd be stuck in the forest behind a tree for awhile (and with my luck I'd have met up with the bear). Bad enough I was as slow as I was without giving myself another reason to stop.
As I saw the finish line and my kids and Scott all waving with big smiles on their faces and lots of encouragement for loop number two, I felt really guilty. I took of my number, told them I couldn't do another lap, and officially DNF'd. I wanted to dig a hole, crawl in, have a good cry and sleep. I never did though. My younger son was "starving" at 11:20 a.m. and I had to switch to "Mommy-mode" instantly.
So, there you have it; what I hope to be my first and last DNF story. Some key elements out of this race that I have learned:
- The mental side of running is huge. If you're head isn't in the race than it just makes the battle that much harder to win. I've had plenty of runners tell me that before but it didn't sink in until yesterday.
- Eat and hydrate. Eat and hydrate. Eat and hydrate. I get it.
- Follow a normal routine the night before the race. It will help your body get ready for the next morning.
- There's no shame in a DNF. There's always another race.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
You Never Forget Your First
I've come full circle in running this year; hard to believe its been a year since my very first 10 km race! Oddly, it didn't come with a medal but I still have my first race bib and a t-shirt to prove I ran it and finished it.
The Sulphur Spring Trail Race will always have a special place in my heart! It was an event of firsts - first time I ran a race, first time I watched and crewed Scott and Ken, first time I met my friend MaryLou (who is inspirational to me), and first time I watched the camaraderie of the ultra marathon community. As long as this race exists, I plan on participating one way or another every year!
This year I chose to do the 25 km race. Not unlike the Chocolate Race last month I didn't have high expectations of myself. I hadn't trained much at all and the week leading up to the race was bad for sleep, bad for water intake, and I was getting over a very bad chest cold. All in all, not a good set up for success. But as I kept reminding myself...a) I paid for it b) it was the 20th anniversary of the race this year and they were giving medals to everyone and I really, really wanted one c) even if I walked the whole race, I was still going to finish it!
If there was a time where the weather did a complete 180 degree switch, it was for this race. Last year's race was cool, foggy, and very wet and muddy. It was NOT a pleasant experience. This year however, was hot and sunny and the trails were so dry that it was like pounding the pavement in many areas. I still prefer the hot and sunny to the cool and wet conditions though. This is when I really appreciate trail running though - even if its hot and sunny, the canopy of the trees and bushes do protect you from the constant onslaught of the sun.
The race takes place in the beautiful forested Dundas Conservation Area in Ancaster, ON (just north of Hamilton). I'm going to try and go back this year and do a very slow run (ok, slower than even what I normally do or hiking at a brisk pace) and actually stop to take in the scenery. There were many times I'd slow down because the ravines or meadows were just breathtaking and then I'd remember to get my ass in gear because I was in the middle of a race! (Hello? McFly!!??)
The 100 and 50 milers (which was everyone else in our group BUT me) started their race at 6 a.m. It was good to get out early before the heat got to be too much. The 25 and 50 km race started at 7:30 a.m. and I was so glad for this because I was pretty much a walking idiot trying to help Scott get ready, never mind me. Once I was alone, I was able to try and collect myself and worry about what I needed. Needless to say, I still forgot to bring salt and Advil but I was able to get my shoes on, laced up, handhelds ready, and my bib pinned on.
When the race finally began, I was at the back of the pack with every intention of just hanging back and letting the fast people out first. I must say, this was the easiest part of the race as it seems everyone was faster than me! I saw Scott and Lisa coming in the other direction during my 5 km spur, near the halfway point, and apparently Lisa commented to Scott that I didn't look too comfortable. I never look comfortable. My face goes beat red every time I run, I sweat profusely and it takes 2.5-3 kms before I stop questioning why I do this to myself and find some sort of rhythm!
I did something smart again during this race - I found someone who was running at a comfortable pace and I fell in behind them. I'm sure she wasn't too impressed with the feeling of being followed but it helped me enormously. I still have a hard time finding a pace for myself but I've found that if I can follow someone, I can pick up their pace and keep going myself. This worked for quite a bit of the race actually. There were times that I'd pass this other racer because she'd stop at an aid station or she'd pull ahead of me because I'd have to stop to walk up a hill but somehow I'd still be able to meet up with her after 10 or 15 mins.
By the 15-17th km I was feeling pretty good about the race. I was comfortable, I hadn't stopped much to walk,and I wasn't stopping at aid stations except to grab some Heed as I went by. And then it happened. I walked up a rather steep hill and started to run down the other side. All I could feel was a sudden crunch in my knee and I knew my IT band issue was back (or so I thought). I chose to ignore it for awhile but it didn't take long before every downhill was filled with excruciating pain. Eventually, I was forced to walk. I was able to jog every now and then through some very flat parts but even that hurt. Man, was I pissed off! I honestly felt like I had been running my first really strong race and then to experience an injury like that set me off into a spiral of "I hate running", "I'm going to pull myself out", "I'm never doing this again". It wasn't pretty.
I had to get my head out of my brain. Luckily, I brought my MP3 with me on the run, turned on my '80's rock playlist, set the volume a lot louder than I should and let Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Heart drown out the self-deprecating comments. Of course, this also helped me get into a good walking pace.
Just over 3 1/2 hours after the race began, I finished. I crossed that damn finish line. I'm pretty sure I jogged across it smiling but I can't honestly remember. I got my medal, grabbed a water bottle, and went to sit in the shade. It wasn't the way I wanted to run the race or finish but I did finish it. In the end I realized that I must have been running at a strong pace until my IT incident. Which gives me faith that I'm getting stronger and better and motivates me to keep trying.
Will I run the 50 km race next year at Sulphur? Who knows! I swore to myself last year that I'd never do anything longer than a 10 km race....
And on a side note - apparently, my IT Band issue has nothing to do with my IT band being injured. My lower back is the problem and its putting strain and pain on my IT Band. I'm hoping that the physio I'm doing with the new sets of stretches I have to do everyday will help solve some of these running problems.
The Sulphur Spring Trail Race will always have a special place in my heart! It was an event of firsts - first time I ran a race, first time I watched and crewed Scott and Ken, first time I met my friend MaryLou (who is inspirational to me), and first time I watched the camaraderie of the ultra marathon community. As long as this race exists, I plan on participating one way or another every year!
This year I chose to do the 25 km race. Not unlike the Chocolate Race last month I didn't have high expectations of myself. I hadn't trained much at all and the week leading up to the race was bad for sleep, bad for water intake, and I was getting over a very bad chest cold. All in all, not a good set up for success. But as I kept reminding myself...a) I paid for it b) it was the 20th anniversary of the race this year and they were giving medals to everyone and I really, really wanted one c) even if I walked the whole race, I was still going to finish it!
If there was a time where the weather did a complete 180 degree switch, it was for this race. Last year's race was cool, foggy, and very wet and muddy. It was NOT a pleasant experience. This year however, was hot and sunny and the trails were so dry that it was like pounding the pavement in many areas. I still prefer the hot and sunny to the cool and wet conditions though. This is when I really appreciate trail running though - even if its hot and sunny, the canopy of the trees and bushes do protect you from the constant onslaught of the sun.
The race takes place in the beautiful forested Dundas Conservation Area in Ancaster, ON (just north of Hamilton). I'm going to try and go back this year and do a very slow run (ok, slower than even what I normally do or hiking at a brisk pace) and actually stop to take in the scenery. There were many times I'd slow down because the ravines or meadows were just breathtaking and then I'd remember to get my ass in gear because I was in the middle of a race! (Hello? McFly!!??)
The 100 and 50 milers (which was everyone else in our group BUT me) started their race at 6 a.m. It was good to get out early before the heat got to be too much. The 25 and 50 km race started at 7:30 a.m. and I was so glad for this because I was pretty much a walking idiot trying to help Scott get ready, never mind me. Once I was alone, I was able to try and collect myself and worry about what I needed. Needless to say, I still forgot to bring salt and Advil but I was able to get my shoes on, laced up, handhelds ready, and my bib pinned on.
When the race finally began, I was at the back of the pack with every intention of just hanging back and letting the fast people out first. I must say, this was the easiest part of the race as it seems everyone was faster than me! I saw Scott and Lisa coming in the other direction during my 5 km spur, near the halfway point, and apparently Lisa commented to Scott that I didn't look too comfortable. I never look comfortable. My face goes beat red every time I run, I sweat profusely and it takes 2.5-3 kms before I stop questioning why I do this to myself and find some sort of rhythm!
I did something smart again during this race - I found someone who was running at a comfortable pace and I fell in behind them. I'm sure she wasn't too impressed with the feeling of being followed but it helped me enormously. I still have a hard time finding a pace for myself but I've found that if I can follow someone, I can pick up their pace and keep going myself. This worked for quite a bit of the race actually. There were times that I'd pass this other racer because she'd stop at an aid station or she'd pull ahead of me because I'd have to stop to walk up a hill but somehow I'd still be able to meet up with her after 10 or 15 mins.
By the 15-17th km I was feeling pretty good about the race. I was comfortable, I hadn't stopped much to walk,and I wasn't stopping at aid stations except to grab some Heed as I went by. And then it happened. I walked up a rather steep hill and started to run down the other side. All I could feel was a sudden crunch in my knee and I knew my IT band issue was back (or so I thought). I chose to ignore it for awhile but it didn't take long before every downhill was filled with excruciating pain. Eventually, I was forced to walk. I was able to jog every now and then through some very flat parts but even that hurt. Man, was I pissed off! I honestly felt like I had been running my first really strong race and then to experience an injury like that set me off into a spiral of "I hate running", "I'm going to pull myself out", "I'm never doing this again". It wasn't pretty.
I had to get my head out of my brain. Luckily, I brought my MP3 with me on the run, turned on my '80's rock playlist, set the volume a lot louder than I should and let Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Heart drown out the self-deprecating comments. Of course, this also helped me get into a good walking pace.
Just over 3 1/2 hours after the race began, I finished. I crossed that damn finish line. I'm pretty sure I jogged across it smiling but I can't honestly remember. I got my medal, grabbed a water bottle, and went to sit in the shade. It wasn't the way I wanted to run the race or finish but I did finish it. In the end I realized that I must have been running at a strong pace until my IT incident. Which gives me faith that I'm getting stronger and better and motivates me to keep trying.
Will I run the 50 km race next year at Sulphur? Who knows! I swore to myself last year that I'd never do anything longer than a 10 km race....
And on a side note - apparently, my IT Band issue has nothing to do with my IT band being injured. My lower back is the problem and its putting strain and pain on my IT Band. I'm hoping that the physio I'm doing with the new sets of stretches I have to do everyday will help solve some of these running problems.
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