Beginners and Beyond

1234

BLU 100-miler--almost a 4.5-hour PR (RR w/lots of pics+video) (Read 146 times)


SheCan

    581665_738898210153_1452411983_n

     

    Awesome, amazing YOU!   The things you continue to do are quite unbelievable, and so fantastic.  I have the utmost admiration for you!  Congratulations and thank you for sharing.

    Cherie

    "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson

    kristin10185


    Skirt Runner

      Wow!!! Tha k you for occupying a day off work wi this amazing RR!!! Truly in awe of you!!!!! Congrats on the huge PR! Sou ds like you had a great time and made relationships with many other runners that you will never forget. Congrats again!

      PRs:   5K- 28:16 (5/5/13)      10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13)    4M- 41:43 (9/7/13)   15K- 1:34:25  (8/17/13)    10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14)     HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14)     Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)

       

      I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to

      Awood_Runner


      Smaller By The Day

        Thats amazing.  Just being on your feet that long and still being able to jump is amazing.  The fact that you ran 100 miles is incredible, but you've done it twice AND improved on your time.  Mind blown.

        Improvements

        Weight 100 pounds lost

        5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)

        10K 48:59 April 2013

        HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013

        MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013

        pae


          Thanks so much for taking the time to post this.  It's very inspirational, and it's always very interesting to see what lessons about life people gain from running.

          wcrunner2


          Are we there, yet?

            I am fairly confident that I will never, ever run a 100 mile race nor will I ever train for one.  I can't imagine the kinds of long runs you have to do to get ready for something like that.  Wow.  Big congrats.

            I once said that about the marathon. In fact I said that about every distance above 2 miles.

             2024 Races:

                  03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                  05/11 - D3 50K
                  05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                  06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

             

             

                 

            RedSparkle


              Thanks, everyone! Smile

               

              Those of you who say you can't imagine running that far or being on your feet that long (or the ever popular "I don't even like to DRIVE that far!"), let me share something: About 11 years ago, 1.5 miles was too long for me; that was the distance of the Air Force fitness test run, and I was horrible at it.  One day, we had to do the route twice, and having to run 3 miles was just insane.  7 years ago, I remember hearing people talk about having to run 6 miles at their work PT fitness session and not comprehending how one would do that.  I also distinctly remember the first time I did a 13-mile training run (almost 5 years ago) while training for my first marathon and not having any idea how I would EVER propel my body through space TWICE that far.  Everyone starts somewhere, and with an open mind, it's funny how things change over time. Wink  It also "helps" to have lots of friends who make such things seem almost normal.

               

              I appreciate the kind words.  It makes me smile when I see that in some small way, the reports I write on here, the stuff I share on Facebook, or what I actually talk with people about (when they ask) make people wonder what it's like on the other side of the marathon or even just curious about their own limits, whether it’s in running or some other area. Smile  After all of the guidance people have given me over the years (and continue to give to me), the least I feel I can do is pay some of what I've learned forward.

              Luke79


                Frickin yay!  Katrina, you are a boss.  Okay, let me go read this puppy now Smile

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 


                Misty

                  Amazing RR, Katrina! It is unfathomable for me to think of running 100 miles...I just love your story and your approach to running these ultras.

                  Misty

                   

                  Bless your heart.

                  Supersono99


                    Reading about your ultra journeys makes me want to become an ultra runner. You meet the coolest people and learn the most amazing things about yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of your RR. All of your post-race runnjng is pretty dang incredible, too, just confirming your suspicion that you've got more in there! The video was neat, the little shimmy that replayed in slo-mo was funny. You jumping with Asa is crazy! Very nice read.

                      Great report, Katrina.  Congrats on finding the inspiration to not just cover that distance (already a feat), but to push for a huge PR.

                       

                      It looks like you're finding a lot of wisdom through being part of the ultra community, and that's pretty cool.

                      So_Im_a_Runner


                      Go figure

                        I'm glad you took a chance at failure in this race.  It seems like a lot of ultra running is just about completing the distance.  Don't get me wrong, that's a huge accomplishment.  But even the 100 mile even is a distance that can be raced, and it seems like you found out just how rewarding that kind of effort is.

                         

                        I almost chocked when I saw that the course was 1.78 mile loops.  Holy repetitive batman!  Having the cutoffs be the same for all the distances is really neat.  I would think that's a great way to expand participation in ultras.  Although, I know you love the community feel of them and wouldn't want to see that diminished, but I don't think it would.

                         

                        As for the race itself, I'm just always struck by how much goes on in an ultra.  You handled it all superbly, and just keeping on like you're capable of is super impressive.  Congrats on the great finish and your huge PR.  Keep on pushing and seeing how much you're capable of.

                        Trying to find some more hay to restock the barn

                        RedSparkle


                          You all are so kind!  And Amy, the shimmy slo-mo clip in the video made me crack up, especially since I totally missed it the first time. Wink

                           

                          So_Im_A_Runner:

                          In general, I don't think there is as much of a competitive nature in ultras as there are in shorter races (although I would also argue that there are quite a few people in marathons and even 5ks that are not really "competing"... and I don't even mean competing to win but even against themselves).  To me, ultras are more about interacting with other people and enjoying the experience than just the numbers on the clock.  You're right, though, that they can be raced, but "racing" looks different on different courses because the terrain can vary so drastically.  This course was very fast, though, and what I didn't realize until a couple days ago when I was talking to the race directors was that there WAS a RACE in the 100-miler in the final couple hours.  There was a guy in the 24-hour race who "dropped" to the 100-miler at mile 90, which was when the leading 100-miler was at about the same distance.  They dropped their pace down to 8-minute miles chasing each other

                           

                          I know there are mixed feelings in the ultra community about how much they're growing.  I love the fact that at a lot of races, regardless of where they are or how many people are there, I'll see at LEAST one person I met at a previous race.  Part of me doesn't want it to grow because it seems to close-knit to me (although evidently "back in the say" everyone used to know one another because it was even smaller), but a bigger part of me realizes that if it was a very exclusive group, I would have never been welcomed into it.  I also have a concern that it might become less personal and compassionate if it gets bigger because the people who are involved in ultras seem very different to me than what I envision as a cross-section of society.  I only see good people willing to help others, and I don't see that in everyday life.  However, I think that doing ultras changes people for the better.  I know I am a better person as a direct result of the experiences I've had and the people I've met at ultras.  It would be wrong for me to assume that newer people to the sport will bring with them a different set of values than those already in the sport.  Like I said, I WAS a new person not too many years ago.  I actually love when people ask me about ultras--I WANT them to get involved if that is what they want to do.  And just like so many others have helped me and paid forward acts of kindness, it is my obligation to do the same to them.  And through doing this, I hope that the general kindness present in ultras will continue to be a part of it. Wink

                           

                          Regarding the 1.78-mile loops, it's really not bad... When I did my first 12-hour race (which was when I was deployed, in the middle of the night, by myself, with no outside support), it was on a .7-mile loop and I did ~73 laps.  And then last year, at a 24-hour race, on a .9-mile loop, I did 99 laps.  It's all mental, so I think there's a tendency to make it a bigger deal than it actually is.

                           

                          Katrina

                          So_Im_a_Runner


                          Go figure

                            Katrina...Thanks for such a thoughtful response.  I kinda just have fringe knowledge of the ultra community, mainly through helping friends and pacing, so it's nice to learn a little more.  I was hoping to get to pace a friend at Western States this year, which would have given me an even better sense of what it was like.  Unfortunately, the scheduling doesn't work out.  I'll still get to pace at the Burning River 100 again though.  I almost feel guilty that I haven't gotten into ultra running and trail running because I know so many people that do, but I think eventually I'll go that direction once I've met some more of my road goals.

                             

                            I agree completely with your comment about competing - there are tons of road runners that are just out there to run as well.  Regardless, I think some of the fun of racing comes from competing, even if it's just against yourself.  And, like you described in your RR, if you can just get yourself to push a little, it's amazing what you can do.  That is crazy that your race actually had two guys racing to finish.  From what I know, even a 2 hour margin is somewhat close for a race of that length.

                             

                            As for your response about ultras growing, I do see your point.  The community seems to make the events, and you wouldn't want to lose that.  Hopefully the same welcoming nature prevails, regardless of the size of races.  That kind of running does seem to bring out certain positive traits in people, so I really don't think the overall vibe would change too much.

                             

                            Lastly, with the loops, I suppose you would get used to it.  It's just one of those things that you read and are kinda taken aback by.  I image it's something like the response you get when you tell a non-runner that you're going to run 100 miles ha!

                             

                            Thanks again for the great thoughts and info.

                            Trying to find some more hay to restock the barn

                            jamezilla


                            flashlight and sidewalk

                              Just wanted to let you know that I really have enjoyed reading your race reports.  They have been the source of two of my favorite qoutes:

                              "It doesn't have to be fun to be fun"

                              and

                              "Great results are not achieved through mediocre efforts"

                              or something along those lines.  Truly gems.

                               

                              Thanks and keep up the great running and writing.

                               

                              **Ask me about streaking**

                               

                              RedSparkle


                                I can understand wanting to get in some more road stuff before switching to ultras.  There are very few people I know of who can continue to do well in shorter road races and do ultras simultaneously; people like Mike Wardian do it (i.e. just coming back from being massively injured last year, he did a 3k over the weekend in 9:2x and a mile in 4:55 the next day, but he's still competitive in pretty much every distance through ultras), but he's not "normal" by any stretch of the imagination.  I think that ultras and road races, particularly on the competitive front, seem to attract different people.  There are people like Wardian and some others who cross back and forth, but the elements of each tend to not be equally appealing to faster people (or most people for that matter).  Road races are more precision-based and numerical, while stuff on trails tends to be a lot less predictable since things can vary a lot not just from race to race but even the same race from year to year or even within the same race.  There's even a branching off within ultras between the ones with easier terrain (including ones on ultras and most of the fixed-time events) and the super technical ones.  People do both of them, but if you look at the top runners in each, you'll see there's little overlap.

                                 

                                The winner of the 100-miler at BLU won by about 8 minutes.  That means that the 1st and 2nd place runners were both at 99.X miles at the same time.  Pretty crazy!  Luckily the RDs did what they could to immediately notify the leading 100-mile runner that the fast 24-hour runner dropped down so he knew he had competition.

                                 

                                Katrina

                                1234