Running instead of Turkey

I like to celebrate this holiday by doing something that doesn't involve stuffing my face all day- such as running a race! With an abundance of Turkey trots to choose from, it's really hard to resist the urge to race on this day. I picked the CU Turkey Trot in town today, as opposed to bigger "money races" like the Volvo Thanksgiving Day run in Ft. Collins, which would have been an hour away. To win money there, you better be flying, and I don't think I am quite there yet... So off I went to the CU Research Park to run a 5k this morning. Last year I won the race in 18.39, a then PR at altitude. I got to the race site this morning and knew I would have a hard go at defending my title. People like Melody Fairchild (I just realized that this is her, this was a favorite ad of mine in college) and other really fast looking humans showed up. I warmed up for about 25 mins until I could feel my toes (Why do I always get so cold racing on this day? It wasn't even that cold outside, maybe mid to upper 30s?) and then realized it was close to start. I headed for the bushes on the creek path as the toilets had their usual waiting line and then got in line for the gun to go off. Solepepper Sports, run by Alan Culpepper helped put on the race, which further gave me a good chuckle, as former and current Olympians (of different sports) and IM/ ITU champs were mingling among the masses, hardly being noticed. Only in Boulder! Brandon and family came out to cheer and I reminded myself I should probably try my best to give them a reason to cheer for me out there!

The gun went off and I never looked at my watch to see what I came thru the first mile in. I am guessing it was around 5.30 as I died a slow death in the second mile, when eventual first place winner passed me and never looked back. The lady at the marker yelled out 11.32. Whoops, 6 min second mile? (I should really try to take it out a bit more conservative, I tend to forget how much altitude racing hurts in a 5k...) Cramps started setting in and on top of it a 10 year old boy, barely up to my shoulder, and maybe 60 lbs tops, passed me (he went on to run an 18.06!!) and my ego was stripped of any pride it had going into the race. I wasn't feeling springy like I had hoped and felt more and more girls creeping up behind me. I finished just a second faster than at the Rez two weeks ago, although I thought this course would be much faster. My friend Morgan came in third and did so with having to stop for an untied shoelace mid-race! The winner was in a league of her own, putting a good 15 secs on me in the end, and doing so at almost twice my age! Very impressive!

Overall, 1000 or more ran/walked, pushing strollers and walking dogs (which I am not a big fan of in races, especially when you are doing two loops of the course, it can get congested at the least), starting their day of feasting off right. I am glad I didn't have to slave over a turkey. Instead I made a much more animal-friendly ginger bread house last night. It's only a matter of days until I can't restrain myself any longer and eat it all!
From now going forward, I am in marathon mode. No more lung-busting 5ks, tempo runs yes, but none of this 5.30 pace stuff. My goal per mile for January is a bit slower than that! I came across this ad, the latest creation by Nike for their Air Pegasus (the only Nike shoe I actually run in), and it hits home (as most of their ads do), especially for all the lonely run days still to come. The parentheses is my mind talking back:

You pretended the snooze button didn't exist.(true) You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept.(usually always) While others ate their pancakes. You had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes.(uh huh) You double-knotted.( the only way to race safe!) You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you. You ran. 5ks, 10ks, 26.2 miles.(amen) Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run.(pretty much) Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you.(hell yes) Snow made you feel like a warrior. You cramped.(yes) you bonked.(ditto) You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays.(for sure) You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself.(some days more than others)Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees.(only on uphills?!) Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmer's tan.(more like swimsuit lines for life) You hit the wall. (perhaps) You went through it. (hello Kona) You decided to be a man about it. You decided to be a woman about it. (hehe) Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. (tough cookie!) Just kept putting mile after mile on your internal odometer...(that's what it feels like, yes) For 25 years, you ran.(only 11 for me so far) And we ran with you.(a few times) How much farther will we go? As far as you will.

Here is the link if you want to check it out online: Nike 25 Ad

Give thanks to your health, happiness, family and friends today. I am.

Not a good weekend to ride for weak stomachs/ animal lovers

So, since the weather was so nice this weekend (it hasn't disappointed all fall actually) and my body refuses to stay inside on days like this, I opted to ride both days this weekend, each one memorable in its own right. Yesterday started off harmless, I decided it would be a nice day for some climbing so up towards Jamestown I headed. Right past the first turnoff at Old Stage Road, I noticed something in the road: A dog. Silly boy was zigzagging all over both lanes, in a winding canyon! Saying his last prayers for him in my head, I got off my bike and tried to lure him over to the shoulder of the road. It headed in my direction, but then decided otherwise and turned back around, crossing the road and weaving in and out of oncoming traffic. I also had noted THREE plastic collars around his neck, one with what resembled an antenna- wtf? The poor thing looked like it hadn't eaten in weeks and it was just so lost it seemed. I followed him on my side of the road for a good 1/4 mi until a car stopped and asked if he was my dog... We had a brief conversation about his freakishly looking collars and then the guy decided to sack puppy in his car, which I was glad about- out of harm's way, but then said that he would just drop him off at his buddy's backyard, who lived up in Jamestown. Um, what if the dog wasn't even from up there? I told him to call Animal Control, it would be the best thing, but I am not sure he ever did. He closed the hatch in the back, and off they were.

I have no idea whatever happened to that poor dog, I hope he got some help, and someone cut those things off his neck, I mean he looked like he was being remote- controlled. Ugh, weirdness...

Today, I get 5 mins into my ride before I slow down for police and ambulances right out on 36 past Broadway. Assuming a "typical" (sad but true) crash, I was amazed to see a huge dog (Think Harry Potter) wrapped in a blankie with one of his legs bandaged, surrounded by people and a small pool of blood, along with a trail of bloody paw prints. I tried to make sense of this and thought that the poor thing somehow escaped from somewhere and then got hit. Then I noticed that the bloody paw prints continued on for another 2 miles or so! That's where more police and ambulances and a firetruck were parked. It dawned on me that the car I see in the ditch there (completely totalled, on its head) probably had the pup inside and when it crashed, he somehow escaped, but shocked, ran into traffic, maybe got hurt that way, or was already wounded from the crash but escaped. Either way, it was so incredibly sad, I wanted to turn around and go back home right then and there.

Car crashes are the worst, and I hate riding past the carnage, it spooks me out and makes me incredibly sad. I don't know what the cause of the crash was, and I don't know for sure the dog was connected, but it's a pretty safe bet. We will probably get to read about it in tomorrow's Daily Camera. As for my ride, it turned sour rather quickly, once I turned onto 75th heading out towards Carter. The winds were incredible and I was barely moving forward. Not yet ready to tackle Kona-like conditions again, I made the choice to turn around and head back home, avoiding the crash sites and taking 75th back to the Diagonal. When I passed the crash sites, my worst fear was cyclists being involved, it probably would have scared me out of riding again the rest of the year. I wish we didn't have to fear for our lives each time we step out for a ride, but it is always at the forefront of my mind, and even when I ride all the way to the right of the shoulder, some idiot driver still manages to come too close and scare the hell out of me. Please, the road does not belong to just cars or bikes)- let's put road rage aside and share the lane, it is not worth it ending up in the ambulance or even worse.

Ride safe and please watch for stray pets- their owners are looking for them and want them back home, so please call your nearest Animal Control or Humane Society, or if you don't have the numbers, just dial 911. My heart just breaks when I see these things. I would expect the same from someone if they saw my pet lost outside.

Panicking Poultry

Ha, that name cracks me up. Gobble, gobble. This morning I participated in the 7th annual Panicking Poultry 5k at the Boulder Res. Conditions were near perfect with mild temps and NO winds! I jogged a nice 30min warm-up accompanied by all sorts of weird aches and pains that I'll attribute to me wearing lightweight trainers for the first time since summer (and boy did it feel weird) and laughed at the absurdity of running a 5k as a first race back after an IM, and how the start of this race (9.30 AM) seemed so late to all other events at the Res, and how I wouldn't have to crawl into a wetsuit for once before race start! But once I toed the line I knew I would just try to run the best race I could, as several huge talents (runners) were lined up next to me.

My first mile was crowded, people everywhere. It almost felt like a swim start! Once we passed the 1-mile marker (in under 5:40- whoops) things stringed out a bit and pain settled in. Mostly into my lungs. I think the last time I ran this hard was at last year's CU Turkey Trot. After the turnaround, I saw a few girls behind me, with the first place girl way up ahead. Since she was the 5th finisher at the Olympic Trials marathon last April, I realized it would be impossible to catch her unless I rode a bike. I tried to keep my form fluid as best as I could, although the lactic acid wanted me to seize up. With half a mile to go I heard people telling me that I had second place but the girl behind me was gaining... Well, I couldn't let myself get beat right before the finish so I gave it all I had, and nearly ( as I usually do after a 5k- it's embarrassing really) collapsed. It hurt sooo bad, but so good! I ended up second place, over 80 secs back of first, but with a new altitude 5k PR, and all that after a race that took me over 11 hours to finish just 5 weeks ago! This was such a nice change, can't wait to do it again! Congrats to everyone else who raced today, over 900 people total!

Why Do We Race?

I have asked myself that question alot over the past season, especially towards the end, towards my first Ironman. Why on earth do people do races like that? And I still haven't quite figured it out, but I think it has to do alot with our sense of self- fullfillment and proving to ourselves how tough we really are. And sometimes we probably compete with others as well. I can't imagine a life without racing right now, I would feel a huge void without that sense of accomplishment. Is it bad or good? I think it's healthy, as long as you keep a balance. Everyone has at least a little bit of a competitor in them, some more than others. Those are probably the people who revel in sports, especially endurance events such as running and triathlon.

I guess it all started in high school senior year that I discovered racing and competing. Up to that point I was a swimmer, participating in races but not really caring all that much. My senior year I was introduced to running and after I proved myself to the XC team by leading most races for the team, I thought that maybe racing could be fun. I loved competing in XC, the purity of it, running through woods, unexplored terrain and redlining it most of the way. It was the only way I knew how to race. I went on to run track and was told by one of the coaches that I should give it a try in college. That part is covered in my previous post, and it taught me alot about myself, tactics in racing and how it all relates to life in the end.

Needing to feed the hunger for speed and accomplishment led to me joining a running team out of college, chasing my marathon dreams. But it was the small races I really loved. The 5ks and 10ks on a Sunday morning, where everything just clicked and I felt smooth as butter and everything felt effortless like I was floating. Those were the times I set most of my PRs that I am still trying to break now, 5 years later. But I think it was the feeling of effortlessness, lightness and personal pride that keeps me coming back to racing those small town events. After having now raced some of the longest events in endurance sports, a 5k is such a welcome relief to just let it all hang out and gut it out, wire to wire. Nothing like being in complete O2 debt for 3 miles. It hurts so bad, but it feels so good! All the more so up here at 5400ft.

So back to the original question, I guess racing just lets us feel like a child again, free and with possibilities and goals as wide as the horizon. Each time we toe that line, on land or in water, or even on a bike, we have a chance to do something special. For a moment we forget all the pain we put ourselves through to be successful, to get that new PR, and as the gun goes off, our chances are 100% to have the best race we can have.

So after all this rambling, I guess I am just really excited to do a 5K this Sunday, without any taper, equipment to worry about or other factors that so often let doubt creep into my mind in triathlon racing. This is pure sport and I can't wait!

The Marathon

Inspiration

I have decided I need a goal over the winter to keep from getting fat. I have decided to revisit the event that turned me towards triathlon two years ago. I am going to run another marathon this winter!

After 6 marathons that had me training myself literally into the ground, with times going up instead of down, and injuries reaching an all-time high, I put an end to the sky-high mileage three years ago after running yet another disappointing race. The next summer I was wetting my feet in my new sport, still running, but less, and cross training as a means of training for the other two, which as it turns out, actually has kept me mostly injury-free.

Marathoning was a natural progression for me post-college, and wanting to try something new and "outrageous" (when distance running means 3-10k prior) I signed up for the NYC marathon lottery and was accepted my first time around! I was so giddy when I found out, I dedicated the entire summer (sound familiar?) and half of fall to running, with no specific goal in mind, other than to finish. Ok, well I think I thought that 3:20-30 was manageable. I was doing workouts my college coach gave me, and she thought I could go 3:15 or under. Come race day, I pulled a 2:56 to the surprise of everyone, including myself. And the best part was that it felt easy, and after crossing the finish line, I felt like I could have gone another 5 miles!

At the time the Olympic Trials B qualifier was 2:48, something I thought was totally in reach. I trained like a horse, with triple digit mileage over the next year and hopped into the Chicago marathon in hopes of breaking 2:50. Not so much. I ended up running 3:01 on a somewhat warm day. Already signed up for NY again that year, I ran that marathon only 3 weeks after Chicago, with 'just running to enjoy it' attitude. After my disappointing run at Chicago, I wanted to run just to enjoy the moment, and besides, NYC was my favorite race venue. I jogged a 3:05 and raised some eyebrows for running so soon after another marathon. That year I qualified for Boston and toed the starting line there in April 2004. It was the second hottest day in race history, actually prompting the RD to finally move the start time back to earlier in the morning, instead of noon. I managed a 3:20 in upper 80s, after training in close to 0 degrees all winter. Heat exhaustion was just the beginning. I ended up in triage, sipping on chicken broth after an already 'hot as can be' run, and felt miserable. At this point, it seemed like my goal had slipped away for good. Clearly, the 2004 trials were out of the question.

IN 2005 I ran the Vancouver marathon in May with my mom and finished 7th overall ( I think) and 1st in my AG in 3:03 (I think) Again, just over 3 hours, and feeling slightly annoyed. That fall would be my last shot at the distance, at the Twin Cities Marathon, on a warmer than average day (notice a trend?) and once again, I disappointed in a 3:07. I had a reality check after this one, and decided my body needed a break from the pounding and the high mileage, and so started my current love, Triathlon.

I am really excited to train for a marathon again, especially now in the off season,
where I don't really need to worry about getting enough time on the bike or in the pool in. I can focus on my running and recovery and chasing that goal that has eluded me since 2003. In 2009 I will be wiser, have oodles more endurance, experience, cross training and miles in me, than I did back then. I shall make my return to the long distance running scene on January 18th with the Rock 'n Roll Arizona Marathon, and hope to finally set a new PR. It seems that half of Boulder will be there as well, it should be a good time!

Oh, and not to bring it up AGAIN (ha), but today is the 1 month anniversary (exact date) of me finishing my first Ironman and so I went for a bike ride this afternoon only to be reminded of the dark 6 hours I endured on the Queen K last month. It was windy, with enough cross winds to keep me on edge...

Happy (dark and cold) training!

Paula Inspires and Training Resolutions for Winter

It's events like this that get me all fired up to start running seriously again, well, as in turning in some good splits in running races. This morning was the ING NYC Marathon and although I couldn't be there again this year, I followed the race online and had massive flashbacks from the years I ran the marathon. There is nothing like coming into Central Park with 3 miles to go and having people cheer for you 5 deep on each side of the road to the finish. Imagine Ali'i Drive, only 2.5mi longer. The race reminded me alot of the 2002 one, my first, as the weather looked crystal clear but crisp, as many runners wore arm warmers and gloves. I had my best marathon in that weather, and watching the race on my computer this morning sure had me wishing I was there.

Paula won in a convincing fashion and after her horrible and devastating run at the Olympics this past sumer, I was so happy for her. She deserved a good race! What's almost more impressive was third place Kara Goucher, a CU Grad, who was running her debut and she was only 9 secs behind second place. To think that only 4 years ago we were supposed to hook up for some runs while she was still living in Boulder, and she emailed me saying she was only up to 45 mins a day and wasn't sure if she could keep up with me. Ha, after Beijing and now this, I think she would dust me after her warmup.

I can't wait to feel faster again on my runs and in races. I want to dedicate part of this winter to becoming a speedier runner again. Triathlon kind of makes you forget what it's like to run on fresh legs and the thrills a fast pace brings. I want to go back to the days where 6:45pace for 26 miles felt easy and I know I can go faster than that. The tricky part will be steering clear of injuries as they like to creep up when I increase my speed sessions. It will be interesting to see what kind of fresh marathon I can produce after taking almost 4 years off from racing that distance. I now have sooo much more endurance from Ironman training, so being on my feet for 3 hours or less should be a breeze! Ofcourse the pain will be there, it will be different pain, but it will hurt nonetheless.

I will complement my running with trying to get my swim up to speed as well, so I can hold my own in the water next year. Then there is also the bike that needs some work, sweaty trainer sessions are on the agenda as well. Well, I have my work cut out for me. Happy off season training and enjoy the rest of fall!