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September 25, 2005

Vermont 50k Update

Wednesday's Official Day Off

On Wednesday my legs were feeling heavy and I had a ton of work to do after school. I coached the middle level team and set up a fun scavenger hunt for them. I then decided to take the remainder of the day off. It felt nice to do nothing and not worry about it.

Thursday's 3 miler and 6 mile evening run with friends

On Thursday I ran three miles with the girls team. We ran the Copley loop very easy. I then met up with my friend Jenn and Sarah and did the usual Thursday night 6 mile loop. I actually felt pretty good and attributed it to the day off on Wednesday.

Friday's easy 6 mile Fitzgerald Loop

On Friday I took it easy and ran 6 miles easy with my friend Sarah. I ran during my lunch break which was so nice. I felt pretty good and ran nice and easy. When we finished we did a little bit of core body and called it a day. In the evening we went to Johnson State College and met with an execise physiologist. The entire girls and boys team went and had a chance to have their form analyzed. It was really educational. Mark then had a VO2 max test done with everyone watching. I felt badly for him. It was brutal. He had to start at 6 minute pace and every minute they increased the grade 1%. He made it to a 10% grade and finished with a V02 max score of 75.6 which is an the ball court for an elite runner, they are usually between 70-90 for men. He was pretty beat following that activity.

Saturday's Day off and Trip to the Manchester Invitational

On Saturday we took two of our top runners to the Manchester Invitational. They were both scheduled to be in the same race and took off together in the elite race. At the 1/2 mile mark only one runner appeared. It turns out that one of the runners stepped on her team mates shoe and she did not have enough time to put it on and get back into her position. She was really upset but since she had only run 400 meters we were able to enter her in the next large school race as an individual. The runner who finished the race ran 19:29 and finished 3rd. When the second runner finished her race she came in third as well and ran 19:25. We wondered how they would have done had they both had each other to push in the same race. I took the day off from running myself and made an effort not to run around too much during the day. After the meet Mark and I drove to the Ascutney Mountain Lodge to get my race number. We then met our friend Judy at the hotel and got some dinner in Woodstock, which is a very cute touristy Vermont town.

Sunday's 50k

We had to be at the start of the 50k at 5:45 a.m. for a pre-race meeting and our race actually began at 6:35 a.m. The mountain bikers racing the 50 mile race who were riding one speeds started at 6:15 and other mountain bikers started at 6:25. The 50k and 50 mile racers started together. The first four miles of the race are relatively flat and fast. They are on dirt roads and flat for the first three miles. I knew I was running too fast a half mile into the race because my quad was already tight and cramping up. I looked down and realized my shoe was tied very loosely and I was waiting until the pace settled to stop and tie it more tightly. I was running with a pack of four runners. One of the runners, Deb Livingston is a runner from CT who I know who is very talented and was entered in the 50 mile. She reminded me of myself when I am feeling fit and confident. She was talking a mile a minute and it seemed like a piece of cake for her. Another runner was running her first ultra race and seemed to be very comfortable. And the third runner was a Montrail girl who I did not know. I figured I was in good company.

At this point the pace seemed fast and I doubted I would maintain that pace. My quads felt heavy and I did not feel very fresh. I actually considered turning around and calling it a day after four miles. But I knew I could not do that. I decided no matter what I had to finish this race even if it took me six hours. I needed the practice of time on feet and I needed to remember how to run an ultra.

The conditions were perfect. It was very cool, about 55 to 60 degrees, overcast and the smell of fall leaves was abundant. After four miles we entered trails that were single tracks at time and wider at other points. From this point on the race was never flat, we were always rolling up or down. I ended up worrying too much about the difficulty of the grades in terms of length. For some reason I thought the climbs would be extremely long. None of them were too long but there were constant short climbs or long gradual climbs that were deceptive because we were weaving in and out of trees and making lots of turns.

After eight miles the 50k runners went one way and the 50 mile runners another. The girl who was new to ultra running was the only girl ahead of me. She remained about two minutes ahead of me for the first 20 miles. I decided to run very relaxed for the first 2 hours and fifteen minutes and then assess how I feel and decide if I wanted to chase her and be competitive. I realized that I felt good on the flats and the downhills but the up hills I felt dead and wondered if I was still feeling fatigued from the marathon and 30k.

After two and a half hours I lost sight of the girl in front. I was very comfortable at the pace I was currently running. I was hoping the new "ultra" runner would fade since it was her first race and she was not carrying a water bottle. I decided this would be my passive aggressive race plan. I also thought I was running about a 4 hour and 30 minute pace which I would have been quite happy with for the day.

As it turns out I was running much slower. When I thought I only had one mile to go it turned out I had three miles to go. I was devasted. The last three miles were very hard. We had to climb up half way on the ski slope on some single track trails. By this point the mountain bikers were roaring on in. With about eight miles to go the fastest bikers began to pass me. It was frustrating because I felt like I was being clobbered and passed by runners but obviously they were mountain bikers. It was also frustrating because if they passed me on a downhill I'd re-catch them on an uphill and then have to deal with them passing me again. On a wider trail it didn't matter because we could share the trail but on the single track trail I had to jump over to the side. I was also very anxious because I had to keep looking behind me to see if a biker was going to pass me. They would shout on your left or on your right and usually I'd already be there. I didn't have to look back but because of their speed if I heard them I wanted to know how much time I had before I had to move. It didn't bother me too much until the last three miles. Partly because I really wanted to be done. I realized my time was going to be my second slowest 50k ever and was depressed about that and I found that section of the trail to be the most difficult. We had at least a half mile of running on the side of a ski slope which was impossible to run and feel good because I was running on the sides of my feet and dealing with bikers whizzing by. The bikers would get really mad when they came screaming down a hill and then could not make it up a quick steep uphill. They'd spend some time swearing and then decide to get off and walk up the hill. It was stressful to witness this aspect and ruined my own time to wallow in my self pity. Ha ha! Just kidding. I wasn't that sad at that point.

I realized at this point in the race that the longer I was on my feet the more I'd be prepared for the 50 mile race in three weeks. I was disappointed that I had no desire to be competitive. I think it was lack of recent experience, confidence, and some over training effects. Yet, I was proud of myself for staying in the race even though I did not feel terrific and even though it was going to be one of my worst races. I wanted to make an impression in my first New England ultra but I sort of just slide by, which is fine because it leaves room for improvement.

I finished 2nd for women and maybe in the top ten overall, not exactly sure yet. My finishing time was 4:52:41. As I said the course is usually won in 4:30 so I was shooting for that, next year that will be my serious goal. The first women was Sarah Logan and she finished first in her first ultra ever (reminds me of my younger days in my 20's) in 4:39. She felt great except that her quads and IT were very sore in the last 10 miles or so. I got a chance to talk to her and she is a medical student at UVM. Her sister is a professional mountain bike rider and she trained for this race by doing training runs while her sister rode. Her sister would do three hour training rides on trails and Sarah would follow her and go ahead on the uphills. I thought that was perfect training for this race. We are going to meet up to do some of our long runs so I am very excited about that opportunity.

I have three weeks to go before the 50 mile race. I can't say that I am blasted after this race. I can walk around fine and am not limping. I don't feel tired, well I feel sleepy tired. My quads are sore, especially my bad quad. My bad quad was stiff and numb on every up hill. I felt like I was dragging it. I think it is worse when I am over tired and over trained. My plan for the 50 mile race is to take about 3 days easy until I feel up to doing an hour run. I will then train hard for 7 days and then really back off for the next 10 days before the race. I will have no excuse not to race the 50 mile and be competitive. I do not want to go all the way to VI and just finish. Even if I don't finish in the top three I'd like to finish and say I worked the entire time and made an effort to be competitive.

In the future I'll revamp my training schedule and most likely not do the Stowe marathon two weeks before the VT 50k. I think a marathon a month before would be a better plan. For now I am still learning and I'll chalk it all up for experience.

Now I need to go grade some papers, make some pizza, and hit the sack.

Posted by mary at 6:42 PM | Comments (7)

September 21, 2005

Easy Running Monday and Tuesday

On Monday afternoon the team did a workout and I timed them and gave them some moral support. I did not feel like running after standing all day teaching and standing to time the workout. I considered taking the day off but it was such a perfect fallish day that I wanted to run at least three miles to enjoy the crisp air. I decided to head to the Lamoille Reservoir and explore some trails I have never run before. The trail system is very short, there are two or three trails that are each about 1/2 mile long. The trails are really well maintained. I felt horrible the first 20 minutes but then I felt much better. I decided to run the long way back to the school's campus because it is really flat and I hardly ever run through that section of town. I ran nice and slow and finished by running on some of the trails on the school's campus. In total I ran for about 65 minutes.

Yesterday on Tuesday I ran an easy 7 miles with the girls on the team. We ran up to Upper Elmore Mountain Road, which is a two mile climb, and enjoyed a nice two mile down hill half way through the run. The pace was very easy and again it was an extremely nice day.

I have skipped all of my morning runs this week and slept a lot. Today I plan to run an easy five miles and just relax as much as possible.

I love all of the advice to rest. It is hard to do especially when you have been inside all day and you get to look at mountains through the windows. I do want to revamp my training to see how I can maximize my running and get the most out of it. I want to have more days where I feel good and less bad days. More soon.

Posted by mary at 12:15 PM | Comments (2)

September 18, 2005

30k update and more!

On Friday afternoon I ran an easy 7 mile loop with a coworker. We ran the Elmore Mountain Trail loop which is very hard for the first three miles. The first three miles are basically straight up and then the last four miles are flat or downhill. I ran really easy and felt pretty good. In the evening we hosted a pasta party for the team which was nice.

On Saturday morning I got up and drove to Essex for the Common to Common 30k. I felt good in my one mile warm up and felt good in the first and only flat mile of the race, running a 6:59. After the first mile things got bad. My quads were so tired and the course was entirely dirt road except for the first and last mile of the race. I will record my splits first because they seem to be the best indicator of my struggles and then I will describe some of the course and race experiences after the split confession:

mile 1: 6:59 feeling good all flat
mile 2: 7:41 already climbing for at least a half mile
mile 3: 7:30 ok.. maybe I can hold onto at least this pace
mile 4: 7:55 ok.. maybe 7:30's are too ambitious.. below 8!
mile 5: 8:15 ? should I be doing this race, I want to turn around
mile 6: 7:26 ok.. down hills are helping but I still feel horrible
mile 7: 7:40 another big uphill
mile 8: 7:50 and this includes climbing up and down two ladders
mile 9: 7:50 rolling
mile 10: 8:11 rolling
mile 11: 8:07 what happened to my sub 8 goal?
mile 12: 7:47 better but too much work
mile 13: 9:28 entirely uphill.. I even walked a portion
mile 14: 9:25 another uphill mile.. I walked again.. what am I doing?
mile 15: 7:45 phew.. I am not stuck in a 9 min. rutt
mile 16: 7:57 just stay under 8!
mile 17: 7:57 at least I am consistent
mile 18: 7:31 back to the road flat.. thought I'd be faster?
last .6: 4:57 at last I am done!
Overall Time: 2:28.21 yikes! 3rd female.. very small field

This was by far one of my longest race experiences. After four or five miles I did wonder what in the world I was doing out in a race. I was very frustrated with the fatigue I felt in my legs and wondered how differently they would feel on a flat road course. Around mile 9 my mouth and hands felt like they were shaking a bit. I felt extremely fatigued and really made an effort from that point on not to even think about racing. The second woman was in sight up until this point but I decided to back off and was even tempted not to record my splits. I however, wanted to examine my endurance once I finished and decided they would be important and I decided to not react to them as best as possible. My chest felt very tired and heavy going up the two mile hill between miles 13 and 14 which is why I walked up portions of both of those hills.

Between mile 7 and 8 a bridge was being repaired so the first and last part of the road were gone. We had to run down and climb up and down a ladder on both sides to travel across the bridge. I was amazed that I still ran a 7:50 for that split even though I stopped for people in front of me. That was a very unique aspect of the race. It was very funny because the race director suggested at the start of the race that we could take the ladders which he was definitely discouraging or we could run under the bridge and cross the small river "creek" below where they had placed sand bags for our ease. There were about 5 people around me at that point in the race and all of us decided to climb the ladder. I am sure the race director was worried that people might get injured in that option but it was so interesting and afforded me with an opportunity to rest while I waited for the runner in front of me that I just could not resist.

Once I made it up the two mile hill I knew I had 4.6 miles to go and felt a lot better knowing that that was a distance I could easily cover any day of the week. The weather seemed nice initially because it was rainy and gray. It was not pouring, just a misty type of rain. The rain stopped after a mile or so and then it just got more and more humid. By the time I was finished with the race I was drenched in sweat. It was really disgusting. I have never been so wet after a race when I have not been rained on. The humidity may have been affecting my level of energy. Once I started getting the numb feeling in my hands and mouth around 9 miles I started to drink some gatoraid and water and actually stopped every two miles at the aid station to make sure I could drink all of the water. As soon as I was finished I was glad I stuck out the race and knew had I tried to run 19 miles on my own I would never have made it.

Now I just don't know what to do in this next week before the 50k. I really want to feel fresh for the 50k on Sunday so I think I will take it really easy this week. During the 30k I felt really weak and out of shape. I was frustrated that my splits felt so hard and I was discouraged that I had no spunk. I think I assumed that the marathon did not take that much out of me but I think the hilly nature of the Stowe marathon did take a lot out of me.

Sunday's Smoke Jacks 10k

Today I ran two miles while Mark was warming up for his 10k in Burlington, Smoke Jacks. Then I cheered for him during the race. He finished second in a time of 31:36 and was happy with that performance. Although, first place was 15 seconds ahead of him. He started out really fast with the leader going through the mile in 4:37! Yikes! He is training for the NY City marathon so I think that is a strong time and a good indicator of this fitness. The women's race was very competitive. The top woman ran high 35's and the second place woman was 36 minutes, she was Amy Vile, first place was Kassie Enman - I was impressed. After the race I ran a very easy six miles on the bike path. It was so flat that I felt pretty good, however, when I had to run back up the hill to Church Street I could feel the fatigue in my lungs. I felt glad to work my legs a bit, but was relieved to get to stop. For the remainder of the day I helped friends paint their new house and now I have to get ready for classes tomorrow.

I'd like to get a lot of rest this week and try not to tire myself out this week. If I can handle it I'll try to take two days off to give my body a rest. I am discouraged by my current fatigue level but then again I know I am asking a lot out of my body.

After watching the fast women in today's 10k I asked myself if I would rather be a fast 5k or 10k runner or an ultra runner/marathon runner. I could not decide. I think if I had enough talent and fast twitch I would love to specialize in the short races. However, these days my quad is so problematic in the short races that it's hard to entertain that idea. I hope I can rest a lot this week so I can feel like I have a chance to be competitive next weekend. I just have to convince myself that whatever I do this week is not going to make me any fitter, it could just fatigue me further.

Posted by mary at 5:17 PM | Comments (5)

September 16, 2005

Lower Mountain Elmore Loop and Easy Three Miler

I could not motivate myself to go running on Thursday. It was the one morning in which I decided not to get up and do a run. Instead, I got up and made an egg sandwich for breakfast and started pealing potatoes for dinner (I guess I must have been hungry). I had meetings after school so I was unable to run with the team. I did run a mile with the Run Girl Run program which is a monthly running program for middle school girls to encourage them to have a healthy life style. I ran for a mile with them and then did some relay races. I then tried to do some work at school while I waited for my 6:45 run with my friend Jenn. I always want to cancel the run as I am waiting. Some days I get a ton of work done. However, yesterday I was just wasting my time and being completely inefficient. Several times I thought about leaving a message to cancel the run but then I decided I stayed in town this long I might as well do the run.

When 6:45 rolled around I picked up Jenn and we parked two miles away, two miles uphill! We then ran a lollipop sort of loop to avoid having to go up the 2 mile hill. We ran 6 miles at a decent pace, 7:30 and I finally felt pretty good. The course is really beautiful, about half of the course is on dirt roads and the other half is on town streets. It was incredibly foggy and misty. The sun was just setting so the views were spectacular. The views of the hills and valleys were layered and looked extremely three dimensional due to the fog clouds. The humidity had died down by that point so in the end waiting for my run was a good decision. I got to catch up with Jenn for about an hour after the run and then I headed home for dinner and rest.

This morning I woke up to another foggy scene. The fog was floating off the lake and the air was warm. I ran out and back on the lake road to get three miles in. Again this morning I felt pretty good as well. I did not push myself because I want to be somewhat fresh for tomorrow's 30k event. This evening I am meeting with my friend Katie who is a teacher at the school to run another 7 miles or so. It should be nice.

Tonight is another team pasta dinner, tomorrow morning is the 30k, followed by the Essex Invitational for the team. Saturday night we'll be visiting with some friends and Sunday Mark is racing a 10k in Burlington. Spending the day in Burlington should be fun.

Posted by mary at 12:47 PM | Comments (2)

September 14, 2005

Recovery Week

Monday's Easy 7 mile Mudville Loop

On Monday afternoon I ran a very easy seven mile loop with the runners on the cross country team. We did the Mud City Loop officially but I always mix up the name and call it Mudville Loop, I guess I like the name of that better. The loop is one street that is a horse shoe shape and it is connected by a mile long hill. We started with a slow crawl up the hill and then began the loop. I ran a very pedestrien pace and felt ok except that my quads were very sore. I talked with the students the entire time so the run went by very fast. The loop has beautiful mountain views the entire time and is entirely dirt roads. The houses on the street are about a half mile apart and every other house or property is a huge farm.

Before I forgot.. my splits for the marathon are below. My second half is so inconsistent. I don't know how to interpret them. Mark ran the half marathon in a time of 1:12:01. He was just about 14 seconds from his pr and felt really good. He is training for the NY marathon and wanted to run his marathon pace for the half marathon. He looked at his splits and noticed that his final miles were off. We both wondered if the last few miles were long and some of the inner miles were short. Either way I am glad to get the 26 miles of running on my legs and I hope the 50k feels easy because of this experience.

mile 1: 6:47
mile 2: 7:03
mile 3: 6:59
mile 4: 7:01
mile 5: 7:14
mile 6: 7:14
mile 7: 7:31
mile 8: 7:18
mile 9: 7:26
mile 10: 8:24 uphill mile
mile 11: 10:01 yikes very uphill steep mile up to Trapps Family Lodge
mile 12: 7:31 all downhill, stopped to go to the bathroom
mile 13: 6:38
mile 14: 7:52
mile 15: 7:42
mile 16: 8:08
mile 17: 7:50
mile 18: 7:16 I finally saw someone and caught up to two people
mile 19: 8:15 stopped to go to the bathroom again!
mile 20: 7:31
mile 21: 8:27 not sure why I ran a minute slower?
mile 22: 8:06
mile 23: 7:59
mile 24: 7:49
mile 25: 9:09 uphill, bike path.. but not that uphill?
mile 26 and .2: 10:01
Total Time: 3:23.46

All in all I made my goal of between 3:20 and 3:25. I guess I just did not want it to feel as hard as it felt. Crazy, it is a marathon after all.

Tuesday's Double Run

On Tuesday morning I ran an easy four miles around the lake when I woke up in the morning. It was foggy and warm. The fog was rising off the lake as the sun was rising. It was before 7 and it is was very relaxing and serene. I ran very very easy. My legs were still feeling pretty stiff.

On Tuesday afternoon I ran in one of my all time favorite VT places to run so far. I ran on the ski trails at the Trapps Family Lodge. They were so beautiful. The trails are on the top of one of the mountain ridges and are wide fire type roads that are a combination of dirt and grass. I ran four to five miles after the high school races were over. I thought I'd feel horrible because I felt very bad racing around to cheer for the athletes. However, once I started running on the trails I felt great and wished I had more time to run. I was able to open it up at the end and I did not even remember that I had run a marathon two days earlier.

Wednesday's Very Easy Day

Today I ran an easy four miles around the lake again this morning. I was discouraged to find myself still sore and slow. I did not even time my run and just enjoyed the scenary. I was hoping to do a run in the evening but when my department meeting ran long and I missed practice I decided to use today as an easy day with the hope that tomorrow morning I'll be feeling better.

Posted by mary at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)

September 12, 2005

Stowe Marathon

On Sunday I arrived at the race start a little before 8 a.m. The race start was 8:15. I was not too worried because it was a chilly 35-40 degrees out and I did not want to stand around in the cold. The timing was perfect. I had just enough time to get my number and go to the bathroom. I then went to the starting line. The marathon was very small - a little over 100 people were entered in the race. I was so happy to see that one of the students I taught was singing the national anthem before the race start. Her voice was amazing and I was happy to have an additional connection with her outside the classroom.

The race began and I followed the woman who started in first. I felt comfortable and relaxed. We ran on a flat road for about 600 meters and then took a left hand turn to begin our run at the start of the Stowe bike path. I knew the first 5 miles or so would be considerably downhill so I decided to try to run about a 7 minute pace as long as possible to build up a reserve for later in the race when the hills would arrive. Unfortunately, as I am typing this I realize that this is the one very rare day that I left my watch at home which has all of my splits. I'll guesstamate for now and then record them on line tomorrow or tonight. The first five miles were really beautiful and the weather was perfect. The beginning of the bike path meanders through the woods for about two miles. It is cool and shady. The miles were all marked by orange cones. My first five miles were all 7.05 to 6.45 ish. I felt good but knew I did not want to run any faster. Once we arrived in the downtown area of Stowe and hit the road my pace settled down to some comfortable 7.16's. I held onto this pace until mile 9 or 10 when the two mile hill arrived. Up until this point the course was relatively flat. Around mile 9 we had to climb up to the Trapp Family Lodge. The first mile of the hill was not so steep but steep enough to have my pace drop off to an 8:25, the second mile of the uphill I was crawling. I made the mistake of catching someone and hanging right behind him. I did this once in an ultra and lost a lot of time. If I have caught someone then my pace was faster than them, so staying with them is going to slow me down a lot. I think I was aware of this but I wanted to take a mental break and not have to think about my pace and not worry about getting my heart rate up too high. I was not having a problem cardiovascularily. However, my bad quad with the scar tissue was so so tight the entire way up this hill. By the top of the hill I was literally limping and dragging my leg on the side. I was so relieved to be at the top. I was annoyed to have to be running with such bad form but I knew I could loosen it up on the downhill. I wanted to stop and stretch but I do not want to get in the habit of doing that in races because I tend to loose a lot of time doing that. I took some water at the top of the hill and enjoyed the amazing scenary. The climb was worth it once I arrived at the top and saw the panoramic views of the mountains and valleys below. We were above the fog so I felt like I was on top of the world. I then began my two mile descent down hill. Once I began running down hill I felt 1000'x's better. These two miles were on dirt roads and I really opened it up. During the first mile I stopped and had to go to the bathroom. I lost about a minute but still managed to run a 7:30 mile. In the second mile with no stops I ran a 6:25 or 6:35 I can't remember but I know that I felt really good and wished the entire course was on dirt roads. It was so cool and I felt like I was running on trails. It was quiet and serene and I did not see another soul. At the bottom of the dirt hill I had to do the only boring part of the course. It was an out and back section into the town of Moscow I believe. The road was really deceptive because it was gradually up and down. My splits for this four mile stretch were back and forth, I'd run an 8.08 and then a 7.22. During this section I did consider stopping at mile 20 and just calling it a long run because my quads were sore and tight from the downhill and I was a bit bored because the next runner was so far ahead and I was not making any ground. Once I got to the turn around on this street I got a bit more motivated because I could see how many runners were ahead of me. During the next three mile stretch I managed to catch 3 runners and run a few 7.10 miles. I felt good and soon found myself on the Stowe 8 mile race course which I was familiar with. I got to run on one more dirt road, River Road, for about two miles and again on this road I found myself going to the bathroom again. This road was slightly downhill which I knew so I still managed to pull off a 7.30 mile. I decided if no one passed me I could go to the bathroom so I did not have to be uncomfortable for the next 6 miles of the race. The rest of the race was pretty manageable because I knew I had six miles to go and I figured I run at least six miles every day so how hard could it be. My quads were really achy at this point but the rest of me felt ok. I was a little worried about the second place woman catching me because at the turn around she seemed to be 4-6 minutes behind me and I felt like I was running so inconsistently. I went back and forth about if I cared if she passed me or not. I finally decided that after running 20 miles and being in front I did care and I needed to stay focused and maintain at least an 8 minute pace so I could reach my goal of 3:20 to 3:25 for the marathon. The last five miles were back on the bike path in the reverse direction we ran at the start. I knew it would be tough because the first five miles were all down hill. Fortunately, it was nice and cool in the bike path due to the shade of the trees. I took at gu with five miles to go and was happy that I had no cramping problems in my calves. My last five miles my pace ranged from 7:42's to 8:30's for the final two miles. I really wanted to open it up but was worried that my quads would become too sore. At this point in the race I just wanted to maintain. With a mile to go I realized that the race had actually gone by a lot faster than I expected even though I had a few low points when I wasn't sure if I wanted to be out there. I finished in 3:23:58 ish.. close to 3:24 and was ultimately really happy with my effort.

After having finished the race and having run over twenty marathons now I have to say that this ranks as one of the hardest road marathons I have ever done. This is primarily due to the difficulty of the second half of the marathon, well beginning from 9 miles onward. Obviously the two mile up hill and down hill is dramatic but the deceptive nature of the course after that point is frustrating. I may have also had a hard time with pacing because I ran by myself for most of the race. I had company in the first 8 miles or so and then ran by myself for the rest of the race with the exception of passing about 3-4 people in the final six miles of the race. Usually I can always key off of people but here I had a hard time doing that. It was a really good experience for me and it reminded me how hard it is to stay positive the entire race. I do appreciate the evolution that I go through in terms of my attitude as the race progresses. I was happy that i stuck it out when things were rough on the boring section of the race and I am happy today that I do not feel too beat up. My quads are really tired but otherwise I feel really good and I was able to sleep last night which is huge. Sometimes when I am over tired from a big or hard race I can't sleep at all so maybe that means I have more in the bank. I hope so.

I found out that there is a 30k this Saturday so I plan to run that for a training run and follow it up the next weekend with the VT 50k.
I'll record my marathon splits later today or tomorrow. This afternoon I have an easy 7 mile run planned with the athletes on the team.

Posted by mary at 8:41 AM | Comments (6)

Saturday's Trail Running at the Harwood Invitational

I spent all day Saturday at the Harwood High School Cross Country Invitational. Middle school races were in the morning and high school races were in the evening. It was a perfect sunny fallish day for running. It was about 65 degrees. The cross country course was pretty challenging with lots of hills and lots of tight turns. Around noon I decided to run for a half hour. As it turned out the weather was so nice and I was enjoying myself so much I ran for an hour. I ran on the course which was a lot of trails through the woods that criss crossed each other and then ran on a dirt road for about twenty minutes. I felt pretty good and was happy to be able to run on such a beautiful day. In the evening Mark and I went to see the 40 year old Virgin movie which my sister Liz had recommended. It was quite funny and very relaxing. Before the movie we went to our favorite pizza shop, Pie in the Sky, and got a pizza to go which we ate at a near by picnic table. The pizza dough is wheat and very thin and nothing is over done, not too much cheese, or sauce - always seems just right! All in all it was a relaxing day.

Posted by mary at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Thursday's Night Running

On Thursday afternoon I ran a warm up with the women on the team because they were doing a 1200 meter workout at the grave yard. I ran two miles to the course with them and then timed their workout. I then ran a little less than a mile back to the school (I took the short way back). I am trying to cut back this week so I can feel a little rested for Sunday's marathon race.

I had to wait until 6:45 to do my main run. I am meeting my friend Jenn every Thursday to do a run with her. I got a lot of work done while I was waiting for her. I made up my biology test for today (Friday) and made up a quiz. However, the longer I waited the less I wanted to run. Yet, once I began the run I felt really good and was actually glad to be running later in the day. I actually picked my friend Jenn up and we drove to the top of Upper Elmore Mountain Road, usually it is a two mile climb to the top of this road. We parked at the top of the road and then did a 5.5 mile run down to the center of town. The course felt fast and it was late enough in the evening that the temperature was nice and cool. It had rained earlier in the evening so the ground was still wet and cool from the rain. The distance and pace of the run was perfect. After not feeling so great on Wednesday's runs I was happy to feel good for a run.

This afternoon I am meeting with one of the science teachers for an easy hour run. I'll post an update on that run hopefully sometime during the weekend, most likely not until Sunday. Tomorrow we have a cross country invitational that will last all day. Tonight is a team pasta dinner and Sunday is the marathon. I hope to run the marathon somewhere between a 7:15 to 7:40 effort. The course sounds very difficult, it is the Stowe marathon, 9 miles are on dirt roads. I think I will think of it as a trail marathon so my expectations are not raised too high. I'd like to push myself a bit but mainly work on getting my legs used to the 26 miles and run a little faster than I would if I was doing a long run by myself. I want to be ready for the 50k the last weekend of September and the 50 mile race the second weekend of October. I have to return to school Sunday afternoon to enter my grades so I'll post the marathon update at that point and describe the course in more detail. I have to admit after having tired legs during Monday's race effort I am not optimistic that Sunday's marathon effort is going to feel 'easy'. I guess a marathon isn't supposed to feel easy though, right? That would be an oxymoron. Ultimately, I want to feel like I am in control and relaxed the entire time and feel like if I wanted to I could be a bit competitive. Off to teach now.

Posted by mary at 9:03 AM | Comments (4)

September 8, 2005

Catching Up!

Thursday's 4 miler, Car Pick Up, and Six Miler

On Thursday I was in a rush trying to get my run in before 5 so I could pick up my new/used car. I met another science teacher to run at 4 p.m. and we did the Copley Hospital loop and ran an extra mile in the trails behind the school. The pace was nice and easy and I felt good.

I then had to rush off to pick up my new/used subaru impreza. It is a 99, silver sport hatch back. It is a 1000x's better than my old car so it is a relief to have it.

After picking up the car I rushed back to town to meet a triathlete friend of mine, Jen, who I am going to meet every Thursday night. We ran the six mile Fitzgerald loop together at a good pace and then talked on the street side walk for a long time afterwards.

Friday's Craftsbury Running, Rope Swinging, and Fire Stone Pizza

On Friday we had a team dinner at a camp in Craftsbury. I ran 6 miles with one of the girls on the team, out and back on a hilly dirt road. On the way back we ran about 4 minutes faster and were probably running 6.40 to 7.00 pace. I felt horrible for the first half but felt much better going faster. After the six miler I decided to run another easy 4 miles on my own. I ran this very easy and just took in the scenary. The area is really beautiful and very popular for cross country skiing. A lot of the cross country ski trails are over grown so I stuck to the dirt roads which are very much like trails. When I finished all of the athletes on the team I coach were swinging from the rope swing and jumping off into the lake. It was a crazy rope swing because you swung so high on both ends. I chickened out and only swung from half way up the ladder. It was a lot of fun but I did not really want to try it again. After swimming in the lake we had home made pizza made in an outside fire oven that the family had made. It was such delicious pizza. I am really inspired to make my own fire oven after eating this delicious food. We also roasted some marshmellows. I definitely ate too much pizza! :)

Saturday's 10 mile and 5 mile run

On Saturday Mark had a race in Northfield, VT which is South of Morrisville. We were spending the weekend in CT so we made sure we were packed up so we could leave after the race. I decided to do a 10 mile run before we left for the race. I felt pretty good on my ten mile run and was glad to get the majority of my running over before the race. The race did not start until 10 p.m. which was very nice. Mark had a good race but ran 2 seconds slower than last year to finish second with a time of 15:57. Last year he won in 15:55. He was out kicked in the last stretch. While he did his cool down I ran another 5 miles and then we walked around the local fair that they were having in Northfield. We then drove to Northampton to visit with one of my friends and finally around dinner time we arrived in CT to have dinner with my older sister and her husband.

Sunday's 3 x 3 mile loops

On Sunday morning I woke up and ran with my older sister, her husband, and her dog Macy. We did the three mile loop by her house which I really like because it is hilly and includes a dirt road and some interesting side trails. We all talked a lot during the run. I then dropped off my sister and her husband and took the dog Macy on a second loop. We ran a little faster and I felt pretty good. The third time around I dropped off Macy and decided to run around a 7 minute pace. I finished the run and felt pretty good and was surprised that the 3 x 3 mile loops was not at all boring.

Monday's New Haven 20k

On Monday I jumped into the New Haven 20k. I was not officially registered so I did not have a number. Mark was running the race and my good friend from college was also running the race. My brother and his wife ran the 5k. I ran a one mile warm up with Mark and my friend and then jumped into the back of the pack. I met up with Sarah - one of the bloggers and got to catch up with her for a bit which was fun. Once the race went off I decided to run somewhere between 7 and 7:30 pace. After reviewing my splits it looks like I hit my goal:
mile 1: 7.28 - very slow, weaving in and out of people
mile 2: 7.11
mile 3: 7.09
mile 4: 6.58
mile 5: 6.59
mile 6: 7.16
mile 7: 7.16
mile 8: 7.25 - windy, right by the water
mile 9: 7.05
mile 10: 7.25 - not sure what happened legs felt dead on this mile!
mile 11: 7.10
mile 12: 7.05
Overall I felt cardiovascularily fit for the time I was running and did not feel like I was straining myself at all. My legs however were very sore the second half of the race and I stopped three times to stretch my hips which had gotten sore due to my bad quad. If my legs are not tired I think the marathon this weekend won't be so bad. However, if my legs are tired it could be a long race on Sunday.
When I jumped out of the race at mile 12 I ran into Alison taking photographs. I was so happy to see her and quickly dashed over to visit with her. We had planned to meet at 10 to go for a run so I was relieved not to go have to find her. Once we dropped off her camera we went for an easy five mile run. We ran about 2.5 miles to my brother's house and tried to go to the bathroom and then we ran another mile or so to the New Haven/Orange Reservoir to run on some trails for a bit. We were only on the trails for about a mile but it was fun to show Alison the trails and great to catch up with her. I really miss our weekly runs. I felt really tired on the uphills but the flats I felt ok running. After the run we went to get a quick bite to eat.

Tuesday's Easy Running

On Tuesday I got up and ran an easy four mile Lake Loop run. My legs felt sore but my body overall did not feel tired. I am curious if the road running made them so sore. In the afternoon we had our first cross country home meet so I only got to run about two miles as I was running around taking down signs after the meet. I had wanted to run more but I was tired after standing around all day and decided a rest day would be good for me.

Wednesday's Double Run

On Wednesday morning I got up and ran the 7 mile loop around the lake and around a three mile side street, half circle loop. I ran with Mark for the first three miles which was good because it meant the pace would be decent, around 7 minutes. When Mark turned around I was relieved because I backed down. In the last mile I picked up the pace again and decided that I felt a lot better then I did on Tuesday.

In the afternoon I ran the Fitzgerald Loop with the girls on the team. They got a head start so I met them backwards. I was happy to meet them half way even though they started about 8 minutes before me. I felt pretty tired by the time I did this second run.

Posted by mary at 11:17 AM | Comments (1)

September 1, 2005

Wednesday's Rainy 15 miler

Wednesday's practice with the team was very short. The athletes ran two miles and then did a half mile on the track at race pace (6 min). We then did core body exercises - two sets of plank, reverse plank, side planks, and then scissor sit ups. We finished with a game of ultimate frisbee. I had to do a few errands and missed the formal running of the practice. The timing of practice was perfect because it just started to drizzle at the end of the frisbee game.

After practice I drove back to the camp where I am living and got ready to do my long 15 mile run. I was not that excited about running by myself for two hours in the rain but I figured at the very least I had to run for an hour. I decided to start with the Jader loop which is a course that is run all on dirt roads. It follows the lake for the first mile and a half and then crosses the street and proceeds for 3 miles along a dirt road with amazing views of mountains in the distance. By the end of the three mile road I felt pretty good and decided to climb a little bit more and get to one of my favorite dirt roads - upper Elmore Mountain road. This road is in the shadow of Mt. Elmore and has terrific views of Mansfield Mountain/Smuggler's Notch/Camels Hump in the distance. By the time I arrived on this road it was pouring. I was so relieved because for the first forty minutes it was drizzling and still incredibly hot and humid. The air quality felt oppressive and I wondered how it could possibly be so hot while it was still raining. Once the sky opened up and my cloths were sticking to my body completely it cooled off and I felt some relief from the humidity. I was carrying a water bottle and was laughing to myself about it because the rain was coming down in buckets that it was difficult not to consume rain water while I was running. It felt great to have the rain covering me and to feel the splash of the mud as I ran. I immediately picked up my pace with the coolness and forgot about the fact that I had to run for two hours. I did start to worry a bit about a power line falling so I started to run on the opposite side of the street of the wires. I soon decided to drop that worry because I did not think there was too much I could do about it if the line did drop. I ended up doing an out and back course and ran about 4 minutes faster on my way home. I was so happy to complete my goal of 15 miles. I should note that my inner thighs were sore from the lunges I had completed on Tuesday.

Today I have another 15 miles to run and again I did not do a morning run. I opted for more sleep so I could be alert for my classes. I will definitely be able to run at least 5 miles with the team today and I am scheduled to run with a friend who is a triathlete and former collegiate long jumper at 6. I am not 100% confident that I will be able to get in a third run because I may be picking up my new/used car today - suburu impreza! My high goal for running today would be to run 15 miles, maybe three 5 mile runs. My minimum goal will be to run 10 miles.

Posted by mary at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)