Need For a Change

I've just spent the entire day on the couch feeling like crap. Intermittently napping and trying to eat something. Its 5 PM and all I've had to eat was a few pretzels, a couple small glasses of Gatorade, and am now finishing 1/4 cup granola with skim milk. And I haven't run yet. And my stomach is not really happy with me right now. Yep hung over. For the second time this year.

I've been pretty good with the running. 57.3 miles so far. I've done some yoga but little strength training. And the diet has been pretty good too. I've eaten a bit more fruit, mainly apples, than usual. Last week's dinner was a vegan dish of curried mushrooms and chickpeas with rice.

So I think I need to stop drinking for 2 weeks. A week is easy. Just don't drink during the week and then its Saturday and running with a particular group of friends. And this is a good time to do this as I won't be running with the group next weekend as I'll be having dinner with a friend and his wife. And then try to extend the non-drinking habit for another week after that. Wish me luck!

2013 in review and what's next for 2014

The past year was ok for my running adventures. I had a goal of running 1200 miles, which I didn't reach. I still ran quite a lot, for a total of 975.5 miles, but even that wasn't close enough to my B goal of 1000 miles. I started out 2013 on a good note, running on Jan 1 with my social running group but then ended up getting sick for a whole week. I didn't quite race as much as in 2012 due to lack of funds. I ran the 50K at the NJ Ultrafest in March. The temps were quite cold and the training was lack luster but I did finish in 8 hr 10 min. In May, I ran the 48 hr race at 3 Days at the Fair. I started the weekend by volunteering 2 shifts on Thursday then ran/walked to a new personal best of 71 miles. This was also while in the midst of a decent running streak. I didn't technically run on Saturday or Sunday but considered walking 29 and 7 miles, respectively, to be sufficient to count it towards my streak. I ended my streak after 74 days and 309.7 miles because I was tired! And I was ok with that.

In July, I decided that I would celebrate my birthday by running my age. I let everyone know I was doing this on a 1/2 mile loop in a park in Parsippany and had a number of people come out and run or walk some miles with me. I ended up spending pretty much the whole day with my friend Steve. We were probably a site since he's a good foot taller than me! I didn't come close to running my age but did run/walk 29 miles. The day before I volunteered all day at Running the Devil and ran one 3.1 mile loop up and down a ski hill. That and the fact that I do not run long runs nearly enough contributed to the "low" miles. I think I will try to run my age again in 2014. In August, I ran the Wildcat Ridge 50K. I ended up DNFing that race. It was a last minute decision to run it since my friend Becky couldn't run it and I took her bib number. I ended up getting bad blisters on my heels (might want to invest in gaiters) and during the second loop my knee really started bothering me to the point that sometimes even walking hurt. I still ran 20 miles on a tough course in the heat of an August day! A week or 2 later, I and Mike hosted the Parsippany 12 hr fat-ass. Its on the same loop where I ran my birthday miles. I didn't have any big goals, which was good since I developed foot issues early on. Took some time to ice and stretch the foot, walked in sandals, changes shoes, and pushed on. I ended up with 23 miles and got to know better a few people I've met before. I ran the cross-country series again this summer and did pretty well. I was consistently finishing the course in the 30 min range, including one or two finishes under 29 minutes. I finished the year by starting another running streak on the day before Thanksgiving. Right now most of the miles have been in the 1-2 mile range because of the crush of a very busy semester, and now snow and cold, but I'm now on Day 38 for a total of 108.9 miles. I hope to at least make it to 80 days at least.

I met my diet and weight loss goals in 2013 but still have a few more (10-15) pounds to go. It was nice to be able to start 2014 weighing less than I did when 2013 began! I started cooking more vegetarian meals and if I tracked what I ate, I would say that I likely ate more vegetarian dinners than not. I plan to continue this as it seems to be working. And hopefully try some new dishes. Between Pinterest and posts from Jessi, I hope to get some good ideas. One thing I need to work on this year is to eat more fruit. I've also been doing a lot better about not eating as much sweets as I've had in the past. I think one reason is that I am eating healthier and don't have as much of a craving for them (though I did bake chocolate chip cookies tonight. But it is also frigidly cold!)

I also need to start doing more strength training. I haven't been in the gym in 2 years and I'm surprised my knees have held up so well. I think its because most runs I do have hills in them. I've been doing some body squats but not a lot, so I will try to incorporate these more into my training. I started doing push-ups in 2011 with the 100 push-up challenge. I am actually now able to do a proper push-up and will be using these more for upper body strength.

So goals for 2014:
  1. run 1200 miles.
  2. properly train for and run NJ Ultrafest 50K with a goal of a sub-7 hr finish.
  3. More sub-29 min cross-country finishes and beat Wendy at least once!
  4. Run my age in July. This would be a personal best for miles in a day.
  5. 135#. Based on the number on today's scale, I have 12 pounds to lose.
  6. Continue my running streak till at least 80 days.
  7. And if I have the funds, run some other races. I would like to run the Finger Lakes 50K again and perhaps run an ultra down in Virginia.

Black Bean Soup!

Back in January I decided to start eating more vegetarian meals for dinner. I had gotten in a rut with dinners – meat or fish and a vegetable; healthy but not a lot of vegetables. It also had been a while since I truly cooked - lots of ingredients, following a recipe. Plus my friend Jessi went almost vegetarian and lost a ton of weight. Of course, she was also running a serious number of miles and lifting weights. So with the small change in the diet and more running, I’ve been able to reach one weight loss goal (less than 150 #) and maintain it, despite a very hectic fall semester of teaching. Hopefully when the fall semester winds down I’ll be able to step up the running again and maybe make my next weight loss goal of 145 #.

Here is a recipe for black bean soup that I developed myself, taking from various other recipes:

Ingredients. Didn't know how much I was going to use so I bought extras.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced (remove seeds or omit for less spiciness)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 can chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

Olive oil

1. Sauté garlic for a few seconds in 1-2 tblsp olive oil

2. Add onion and sauté until softened

3. Add green pepper and jalapeno and sauté for several minutes

4. Add spices and heat for a minute or two

5. Add black beans and tomatoes

6. Add 1 can broth and 1 can water (I’m rethinking whether the extra water was needed.)

7. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 min.

8. Puree 3-5 ladles of soup in a blender and add back to soup

9. I thought the soup looked too soupy and wanted it thicker so I boiled it for 5-6 min to reduce the liquid a bit.

Simmering.

 The soup was a success! The taste is really good, different flavor notes, and a definite kick to it! I'll be making this again!

The soup! Yummy and spicy! (ignore the corn bread fail in the background)

3 Days at the Fair 2013

This was my second effort at the 48 hour race at 3 Days at the Fair held at the Sussex County fairgrounds and hosted by NJ Trail Series. Last year I ‘ran’ 54.9 miles in about 45 hrs. This year, I was there a day early to volunteer (two 4 hr shifts) and was able to start with everyone else on Friday morning. My goal was to run more than last year, to be able to run most of the first day, and to not sleep as much during the night. Well 2 out of 3 aren’t bad.

I put all my gear under the pavilion near the start/finish area and my tent next to the bathrooms. Little did I know that the barn next to me was going to be housing chickens & roosters! I worked with Jessi and Steve in the kitchen serving all the runners who already started the 72 hr race. Dave had his usual intense race look on his face. His goal for the weekend was 300 miles! I caught up with Bill and Fred, 2 runners I met three years ago at this same event and look forward to seeing each year.  Also spotted running in circles was Melissa and Steve. Steve planned on a beer marathon for Saturday – 26 beers in 26 miles!

The next morning I woke around 6:30 AM after sleeping surprisingly well and drove to a local diner for breakfast. The waitress was surprised I ate most of my breakfast – 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 French toast, oj, and 2 cups of coffee. I came back to the fairgrounds, changed, and taped my feet to prevent blisters. The day proved to be warm and sunny and I wore my running skirt and started with my Mizuno Wave Rider 15s. I packed well but still forgot one necessary item – Vaseline to prevent chafing. Luckily Jessi came through with some Body Glide!  I had planned on a 5 min run/1 min walk for as long as I could but ended up ditching that once I started catching up with people. I really need to start sticking with my plan for these races. There’s always plenty of time, usually, to catch up with people!  I continued running and walking throughout the day, eating and hydrating well. After mile 19 I finally took a break to sit with my feet up. I switched shoes for some more miles. Towards the end of the evening, I decided to take my shoes off and prop up my feet. That was a huge mistake! I couldn’t even put on my Sauconys, and they are a wider shoe than the other pairs I was wearing that day. Oh well, I switched to my Keen sandals and walked another 2 miles before getting some sleep. The tent was cold and damp and I had trouble falling asleep. I really should have showered before going to bed! I set the alarms on my cell phone to wake up in 4 hrs; seven hours later I finally got out of the tent! This was not what I planned!

The total for the first day was 35 miles! This was a new 1 day PR! 

The start of the second day, Saturday, started with a 1 mile walk in my sandals and pajamas before getting back to the start/finish, the kitchen, and coffee!  This was one of my plans: set up the tent past the start finish and my gear near the finish and always start the day with 1 lap before breakfast. I had some coffee and breakfast and grabbed some clothes for a quick shower and the start of the second day. I was in the middle of a running streak and Steve, who is in his 2^nd year of a running streak, was encouraging me to run at least 1 mile that day. Unfortunately, my legs and my mind were not into it. Some of the highlights of the second day: cool and overcast and I alternated between short sleeve and long sleeve shirts and wore tights. Walking a lap with Melissa while eating a hot dog and drinking a Mountain Dew as she completed 100 miles. Beer miles! As I reached various milestones I grabbed one of the many beers I packed for the event: lap 27 for the marathon mark, lap 32 for the 50K,  lap 51 for 50 miles and lap 57 for the new PR for the 48 hr event.  In the afternoon, Lara and Scott arrived with their sons Adam and Sam. Adam was going to run the weekend and had some serious goals. It was fun to watch him run. He’s only 8 yrs old and he would run pretty fast and then walk. He was certainly having fun as he occasionally would raise his arms as if he was winning a race.  During the evening, I was planning on going to sleep but saw Lara and Scott discussing what to do with Adam. Lara wanted to get some sleep and Scott was heading out to the far gate to act as a traffic cop. I was planning on going to sleep but told them I’d walk another mile with Adam. I found out the next morning that after only a few hours of sleep he got up in the middle of the night to continue walking laps. His mom got up to walk several miles with him!

After my walk with Adam, I took a shower and went to bed. I set my alarms again but for 6 AM as I knew I wasn’t likely to get up any earlier! Total for day 2 was 29 miles. I still counted it towards my streak.

Sunday’s weather was cool again but overcast and rainy. I started walking in my Keen’s and pajamas before breakfast. I ate breakfast while walking another lap before changing into running gear for more walking. I continued walking until the race finally ended for a total of 7 miles for the day. Total for the weekend was 71 miles! A PR for 48 hrs! Everyone enjoyed the pancake breakfast and awards ceremony before packing up and leaving for the day.

Other highlights of the weekend: the amazing food put together in the kitchen. Thanks to Jessi for overseeing the food/kitchen/volunteers and all the baked goods! Bill Gentry cranking out some seriously fast miles at the end of the race. Hey Bill – stop saving so much energy and you might be able to run more miles during the weekend! Steve attempting a beer marathon and having to stop drinking beer after 9 miles. Watching Adam, Anya, Ryanne, and many other young runners have fun and put in some serious mileage! Adam had never run anything more than a 5K and he ran 45 miles! Ryanne ran an ultra (27 miles) and Anya ran 41 miles! Seeing the 24 hr runners run crazy fast – Sergio qualified for the US 24 hr team with 151 miles. Dave and John battling it out for second place for the 72 hr race. Dave finished 1 mile ahead of John. Dave didn’t meet his goal of 300 miles but had a new PR of 233 miles! MaryLou had a new Canadian record for 72 hrs with 253 miles! And of course all the people – old friends and making new friends.

And I continued my streak the next day with a 2.5 mile run. The streak didn't end until the next month - 74 days and 309.7 miles.

NJ Ultrafest 50K - 2013 version

Going into the NJ Ultrafest 50K this past weekend, I knew that I would have a slow time. The questions were how slow and how much was it going to hurt? My training was sub-optimal at best. I was sick the first week of January and this semester I was teaching 3 classes and 1 lab at 3 different community colleges, which proved to be stressful and tiring even though I had taught the courses before. Which also meant that I wasn’t running nearly enough and my two longest runs were 12.6 and 12.7 miles. And then there was the weather (cold!) and the trail conditions (snow, water, and mud!).

I showed up to the race site on Friday around 5 PM. Saw that Jen was working solo at the registration table with a long line of runners waiting to pick up their race packet, so I jumped in and helped. I continued to help with registration and anywhere else until dinner – sushi! Thanks to Jessi for bringing in a huge platter of sushi. This has become a regular meal pre-ultra/marathon for a couple of years now. In the past I shied away from sushi – from the thought of eating raw fish, to the taste of the seaweed in the rolls. But I’ve found much to my surprise that I like sushi and it’s a nice relaxing meal with friends. Sushi and beer was good but it was COLD! I was not relishing the thought of sleeping in a tent the night before a big race with the temps dropping into the 20s. Thankfully Jessi decided to drive home and let me sleep on her futon. A little warmer and more comfortable than a tent! But I know I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the past two nights (average 5 hrs) with the 5 AM wake-up on Saturday! Ugh!

A stop at QuikChek for some coffee! and back to the race. Once back at the fairgrounds, I quickly set up my stuff at the start-finish – extra shoes & socks, clothes, food, beverages, etc.  – got some more coffee and a muffin from Jessi (definitely less calories and protein than my usual pre-race meal). Then wandered around chatting with people and helping out where needed. Soon it was race time – a very reasonable 7:45 AM start for the 50K. I started a few seconds late (was staying in the barn away from the wind) which was fine, it allowed me to pass a few people and run some with Mirna who was running her first 50K. My goal for the first 11 miles was to use a run/walk approach (8 min running/1 min walking) and to eat on a regular basis given that in my last 50k race I felt I hadn’t eaten enough prior to and during the second 10 mile loop. But based on how I felt on Saturday, it looks like I still have some learning to do. I also wanted to keep my time at the aid stations to a minimum. No need to add to my time in what is already going to be a slow race!

For the first loop I kept to my run/walk pattern, walking some when it got really wet or when I needed to eat. Quickly got some food at the far aid station and back to the start-finish. Time: 2:22:43 for 11 miles (12:58 pace); not bad. I wore my Mizuno Wave Rider 15s with wool socks for the first loop. Shoes & feet got wet and my feet started to feel sore. So I switched to my Sauconys and new socks, a quick stop in the bathroom, and a bit of food from the aid station and I started my second loop. Spent about 9 min taking care of things. Not bad.

View of part of the course. Many of us tried to stick to the left side to keep our shoes dry.

I started the second loop and was just not feeling it. I was tired, my legs were sore (about 2 miles into this loop I was running more than I had in 2013), and I just did not want to run. So I ended up walking most of the first out and back all the way to the far aid station where I picked up some cup-o-noodles and orange soda and had renewed energy. Definitely need to eat more! I tried to get back to a run-walk routine as much as I could. The second loop wasn’t nearly as slow as I expected. Time: 2:57:30 (17:45 pace).  

Obviously trying to keep my shoes clean and dry did not work!

I really wanted to stop after the second loop but I was determined to finish and get my sweet finisher’s jacket! This time I needed to spend a little more time at the aid station. Added a few more layers, had another bathroom break, and food! Time at aid station: ~20 min. I grabbed a hotdog and some gummy bears and continued walking while eating. The extra food certainly helped as I was able to run more, though definitely at a slower pace and at most for 1-2 minutes at a time. I made it to the far aid station for more food – noodles and Mountain Dew (never thought I’d like it but I do) – which gave me some more energy. But my legs were definitely taking a beating from my lack of training. As I made my way back to the start I caught up with Elaine who was attempting the 50 miler at Melissa’s urging. Elaine had never run more than a marathon and was moving slowly so I encouraged her to run more so she would finish her 3^rd loop as quickly as possible. (Note: Never listen to crazy younger runners that encourage you to run a distance much greater than you’ve run before. They think they are invincible). I kept up running and walking till I made it to the fairgrounds and the only visible hill on the course. At this point, I pretty much walked the rest of the way. I was tired and my legs and knees were sore! I ran a bit of the downhill but even that hurt! I made it to the finish for my jacket and medal and to the sounds of cheers from a group there for another runner. Clearly when I finished I was not looking happy as Rick, the RD, asked if I was pissed or sore. Not pissed. Just sore and tired! Time: 3:05:07 (18:30 pace)

Finisher's jacket and medal!

Total time: 8:52:22 (17:11 pace).  I definitely need to get more focused on training. I really would like to break 7 hrs for a 50k and I think I can. A few days after the race my legs are feeling good and I will be back to running this week. Next event: 3 Days at the Fair.

Finger Lakes 50K+

I signed up for this race a few months ago when Jessi mentioned that she was going to run the 50 mile race and that there were a few spots left. I hadn't run an ultra outside of the state of NJ and its been almost a year since I ran in the Finger Lakes region, which I enjoyed. Plus I have met the race directors so I decided why not! I figured after the 50K in March and running almost 48 hrs at 3 Days at the Fair in May that I should be able to just continue running - hopefully with a couple long runs in between - and I should be ready for the race. But after running the 50K+ (the + is because the actual distance is 33 miles) I realize that I definitely needed some longer runs and more runs with hills! After 3 Days at the Fair (where I ran/walked 2 marathons in two days), I ran 17.5 miles with Susan during Memorial Day weekend, which had hills but I struggled, and 12.9 miles in the Forest Preserves of Cook County where the only decent hill for most of the run was in the first half mile. What I really needed was at least one decent 20 miler with some hills - a run in South Mountain Reservation or Watchung would have been good. And that is going to be the plan for getting ready for the Wildcat Romp 50K in August.

The race took place in the Finger Lakes National Forest and camping was free! Jessi and I drove up on Thursday afternoon - she wanted to get up there early to relax and since I'm not working I caught a ride with her. We arrived with plenty of time to hang out, eat, drink beer and set up our tents before the excitement began - a nice little bonfire plus fireworks! Well 3 fireworks that someone bought in Ohio, but still a nice fun display - especially watching the guys run after lighting them. Friday we spent touring the area - saw the falls at Watkins Glen, a tasting at the Finger Lakes Distillery, and a beer at 2 Goats Brewing. The only thing missing that day was a wine tasting!

Watkins Glen State Park

After our tour and some shopping at EMS and Wegmen's, we went back to the camp for some dinner and relaxing before getting to "bed" early for the 6:30 AM start. Jessi bought a ton of food and fed me all weekend - fresh scrambled eggs for breakfast, cooked chicken, and soba noodles and broccoli slaw with peanut sauce for dinner on Friday. Oh yeah - and plenty of baked goods. Jessi certainly knows how to cook and bake. Thanks!

I slept pretty well and planned to sleep until 5:15 AM; except Joe the RD had other plans for all of us, ringing a cowbell at 5 AM. Ugh! But it was probably for the best as I had time to get coffee - surprisingly the Maxwell House instant coffee wasn't bad - had breakfast (egg & a muffin), and had time for a bathroom stop. I filled up my Camelback with water in the bladder and other race food and my camera the night before so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. And thankfully it was an early start. The forecast for the day was sun and a high of 90F!

The race started on the road for a bit before heading into the woods and the single track. There were some rocks and tree roots but it wasn't bad running. It was a bit slow going at first because of all the runners but not too bad. The trail then went across some fields - which was going to be really hot during the second loop. Back into the woods where I caught up with Melissa Huggins. We ran together for a while - down the long down hill to the first aid station (in hind site I should have run that bit a little slower) then UP back into the woods. We ran together for a while till I needed to take a bathroom break. I was hoping to not have any of the issues I've had in the past and I had taken some Imodium just before the race started to ward off those issues - and I think it worked. I stopped three times during the first loop to use the "facilities" (a tree off trail) but no real issues. Though I will have to remember to bring some tp in a ziplock for the next time! I kept alternating places with 3 women from Brooklyn. One introduced herself to me as she figured we'd be seeing each other quite a bit through the rest of the course. However, the reason we kept running into each other was due to my pit stops. I knew I was running stronger than they were. The course alternated between open fields and the woods - both hardwood and pine - with some road. There was an aid station about every three miles and I made sure to eat something and take Heed at every station, and keep my Camelback full - well for the most part. I ran into Joe at one of the aid stations and he told me that Jessi had to pull out of the race. I was sorry to hear that but I knew that it would have been better for her to not start. But you can't keep her from running! Just before the last aid station was a decent stretch in tall grass - nice and exposed for more "lovely" sun & heat. Made it to the aid station where the volunteers filled up my Camelback, I got some food, and talked to Jessi for a bit - who then yelled at me to get going. Thanks for the push! The course then took us through a cow pasture - we made sure to lock the gate. Don't let the cows out! Through another pine forest, back into some hardwood forest and past the first pond - which looked really refreshing. I had thoughts of swimming that pond during the second loop. The trail took us back to the road near the camp, through the woods and past another pond - not as inviting looking as the first - and then back to the start/finish. I ran the first loop in about 4 hr 15 min (est avg pace: 15:27).

At the aid station, Jessi filled my Camelback with ice - wow that was great! I made my last pit stop and picked up some food - 1/4 pb&j, watermelon, and some Pringles. Jessi yelled at me again to get moving - Melissa just left the finish area for her second loop - so I walked and ate at the same time. I actually try not to linger at aid stations but its always nice to get a push to motivate me. Since I was feeling pretty good I had hoped to push the pace a little - perhaps run a bit more of the uphills than before - and at first that was going well. I caught up to Melissa who told me she was planning on walking a lot more. So I ran with Melissa for a bit but then soon passed her. When I made it to the long downhill to the first aid station, I realized how much my quads hurt! So I tried to walk, but that hurt too! So I walked most of it backwards - a great way to continue moving and to use muscles in a different way. I and a volunteer struggled with the Camelback - the lid seemed to be on awfully tight, then we couldn't get it closed without it leaking. Ugh! Melissa caught up with me and then continued on. I never saw her again until the end. At this point I was still feeling pretty good - again trying to run more than before - but those good feelings eventually ended. I started walking more - but still trying to push myself. My lower back was starting to bug me. And I made the mistake of not filling up my Camelback at the next to last aid station. I ran out of water and I knew that if I ran the exposed section that I was really going to feel worse! So I walked much of the last 5 miles or so of the race. The volunteers at the last aid station filled my Camelback - and offered me a chair in the shade. I knew better than to sit at that point! Got to keep moving! Relentless forward progress as a fellow ultrarunner once told me. I was really hurting at this point. Every joint from the hips down hurt! My waist hurt! And every so often I stopped - cause I was tired! - and my lower back was tight. I made my way past the first pond - a fellow runner who finished encouraged me to get in - and I was tempted. Oh how nice that cool water would have felt. But I needed to finish this damn race first! Got to the road, through the woods, past the second pond, realized all of a sudden I was HUNGRY! and finally to the gravel road to the finish. As soon as I saw a glimpse of the finish line I ran - or at least attempted what I thought was a run. And finished in 9 hr 27 min. It was the longest run in one day that I've done - and has definitely cooled any thoughts of running a 50 miler! Ouch! The last loop was run in about 5 hr 8 min for an avg est pace of 18:40 for the second loop. Overall average pace:17:12.

Finished!

Soon after I finished, I got out my camera for a finishers photo - not much of a smile. Changed into my bathing suit, a t-shirt, and my Keen shoes (definitely a worthy purchase even if I couldn't really afford them). I grabbed a beer out of my cooler and got some barbeque - a Coney dog which apparently is a hot dog made of veal and pork, boiled potato and pasta salad. I ate with Seb and his wife and Jessi at just the right spot - it was in the shade and all the 50 mile racers had to run past us for their last baby loop of 0.5 miles. It was awesome to see friends and others make that final push. After eating and chatting, I grabbed another beer and made my way to that refreshing pond. Used some of Jessi's camp soap and washed up a bit in the nice cool water. Wow that felt really nice!

The rest of the evening was spent chatting with friends - and meeting new people, eating, and drinking beer! A great race - great RDs, amazing volunteers, well marked course (though a few people actually made a wrong turn - not really sure how??), nice mix of the various ecosystems, and a great place to camp. It was HOT but we missed the major storms that hit the east coast. It did start to rain about 3 AM Sunday morning but I was pretty oblivious to it until 4:15 AM when I threw my rain fly over the top. I'd definitely come back and run this race again!

54.9 miles in one weekend!

This past weekend I ran my slowest marathon ever. But the goal wasn't to see how fast I could run a marathon but to see how far I could run in 48 hrs. I did this at 3 Days at the Fair put on by NJ Trail Series. At this "fixed time" race, the goal is to run as many miles in the time you registered. People were participating for 72, 48, 24, 12, or 6 hrs and running a 0.857 mile loop at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta NJ. I had registered for the 12hr event but over the course of the past couple of months Rick, the race director and a close friend, kept egging me on via Facebook to move up to the longer times. First it was 24 hrs, then 48, and finally 72 hrs! Considering I've only participated in the 12 hr event last year and haven't run longer than 31.7 miles I felt that participating in any event longer than 24 hrs would not be a good idea.

I planned on getting to the site on Friday morning but had to give an early final exam. I made it to the fairgrounds around 1 PM and got my bib and let Rick know that I was moving up to the 48 hr event. What the heck, I was going to be there all weekend I might as well run (or walk). I changed into running gear and put on sun-block. It was going to be a warm, sunny weekend and I couldn't afford to get sunburned on the first day! I started out slow, chatting with other runners. Dave was well into the 72 hr race and looking good. Jessi and Marie were volunteering for the weekend and running the kitchen. Jessi was also putting in serious miles on Friday. By the time I started I think she had already run 44 miles! At the beginning, I didn't have any firm goals except to run more miles than I had - which would have been 31.7 miles. I could have easily done that distance in 8 hrs or so but I wasn't planning on running that fast. So I made 50 miles as my goal - and the goal evolved as the weekend progressed.

I wanted to make sure I ate consistently and hydrated so I started to keep a log. I also wanted to try to stay away from a lot of the junk food that is typical at an ultra aid station. Many non-runners - and those that run shorter distances - don't understand why pretzels, potato chips and candy are typical aid station fair. The salty snacks are to replenish the salt lost through sweating and the candy is a source of simple carbohydrates (glucose) that can be easily absorbed by the intestines and quickly transported to the muscles and brain via the blood. I tried to stick to fruit, Clif bars, Power bars, and other 'real' food. But of course, as the weekend continued I couldn't help but eat some of the junk as well. And Jessi brought baked goods, which could not be be passed - the cinnamon chip scones were delicious!

In the first hour I ran/walked 4.5 miles. Way tooo slow but I was looking to put in lots of miles during the weekend so I was sort of ok with this pace. Early on I started developing IT band issues and ended up walking most of the afternoon. After each lap I would stop and use Dave's foam roller (thanks Dave!) and stretch. At about 5 PM, and after 12 miles, I took a 1 hr break for dinner (rice & beans, pasta, Girl Scout cookies) and to try to grade some papers. The IT band continued to be tight and I took an Aleve shortly before 7 PM. I continued the walking and stretching through the evening and at 10 PM took another break. I was sore and hungry, and it was getting cold. I had some hot soup and Johnny offered me a beer. Some combination of what I was doing and eating finally worked and I was able to start running again - always interspersed with walk breaks - and stopped around 12:30 AM for a total of 26.59 miles for the day. My slowest marathon ever! But there was another day and part of Sunday morning to continue putting in the miles. I ate some food, took a shower, and then hung out in the kitchen (for warmth) and drinking hot green tea until about 1:45 AM. I then went to my tent hoping to be able to sleep. But I figured that was going to be tough. The lights from the fairgrounds were on for anyone running through the night, it was cold! (probably around freezing), I'm not used to sleeping in a tent, and I was sore. I had borrowed a sleeping bag and sleeping pad but the pad is very narrow and thin. I really need to invest in my own sleeping bag and a larger air mattress!

I tossed and turned until my alarm sounded at 6 AM. I shut it off and didn't wake until 8 AM. That was 2 hrs of sleep that I knew I had. I got up, dressed, and made my way to the kitchen for breakfast. Breakfast was 2 large cups of coffee (I brought my own mug), 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 pancakes, and 1 Aleve. Before starting to run again, I taped the hot spots on my feet to hopefully minimize any blisters. The legs were sore but I was able to run most of the morning, always with walk breaks, and the IT band did not seem to be an issue. I continued to drink and eat during this time (but I don't know what it was. I stopped keeping track). Sometime shortly after 10 AM I reached my first goal which was to run the farthest I've run - 32.56 miles so far for the weekend. At about 1:45 PM I decided to take a long break. The sun shone through out the day and it was pretty warm, probably a high of close to 80 F. At this point I had run 22 laps (18.87 miles) for the day. The break was about 1.5 hrs long. I was feeling dehydrated so I drank a lot of G2 Gatorade and even tried to take a little nap. I wanted to make sure I could meet two more of my goals that day: 'run' 50 miles and 'run' back-to-back marathons. Run is in quotes since I really was doing more walking than running.

I got back onto to the course and ended up walking the remaining miles. My legs, especially the muscles on the front of the shins, were quite sore. I think the shins were so sore because they are used more during walking than running and I was walking more than I usually do. I ended up at the 50 mile mark and stopped for a celebratory beer! After the beer and some food, I headed back out to meet my third goal - a second marathon in two days. I brought with me Max, Marie's son, who was trying to complete a marathon that weekend, and Ryan, Rick's son who was trying to run a marathon faster than his dad did that weekend. There was money on that bet and I know Ryan would love to beat his dad at something! Ryan needed encouragement and advice. I knew he had gone out too fast and was struggling. Ryan is a good athlete but he's young (15 yrs old) and wasn't trained for the distance, even with playing soccer in the fall and running track in the spring. After our talk while walking part of a loop, Ryan continued at a slow jog and completed his marathon. And did it faster than his dad by 20 min! Max and I continued to walk and I completed the marathon. Yeah!! I was done for the day, even though there were plenty of hours left to run/walk. I was sore!

I relaxed, ate, had a beer, showered. Thank God for hot water! And then had another beer. After chatting for a while and encouraging runners, I decided to go to bed. I saw Lisa run more miles than she had ever run. And I would have liked to see what the fast 12 hr guy was going to do (his pace was so fast I didn't think he could sustain it. But I think he ended up running 88 miles!) but I was tired. Thankfully Saturday night was warmer than Friday night. I took an Aleve and went to bed. I slept much better the second night - but definitely not as well as if I was in a real bed.

I woke the next morning and decided that I would walk two more laps. I might try to get a running streak started again. Walked the first lap with a coffee in hand. Saw Dave running hard and really focused. I could tell he was really pushing to make his goal of running 200 miles in 72 hrs. He made it! Awesome job Dave! It was starting to warm up so at the start of my second loop I changed into my kilt and grabbed my camera. I wanted a few pictures for the weekend to post here and to Facebook. Total miles for the weekend: 54.9! Next year I think I may just stick to the 24 hr race and see how much I can do while staying focused on running/walking almost all of the 24 hrs. Of course, this could easily change. This weekend I was planning on only running the 12 hr race and try to get more than 31.7 miles!

There were a lot of people who made and surpassed their goals this weekend. The 72 hr race was won by Darren Worts who ran 270.2 miles! My friends Dave Lettieri and Lisa G. met their goals. The race directors, Jennifer and Rick McNulty, put on another fabulous event. And none of this could have happened without the volunteers. Marie McNulty and Jessi Kennedy spent quite a few hours running the kitchen and organized the kitchen and food so that there was a variety of foods through out the weekend. Other volunteers included Jason, Chris J., and Chris W., and lots of others. I was able to run with friends, get reacquainted with people I met last year - Bill Gentry and Fred Murolo, and make more friends. I have another long race in about a month - the Finger Lakes 50km race at the end of June. This one will be a little more difficult than the 50 km race I ran in March. There are hills! So hopefully the legs recover quickly so I can take advantage of the increased endurance I have from the nearly 55 miles this weekend.

Keep running and stay healthy!