Half Marathon Trainers

1

Intrepid Racers - Aug 3 & 4 (Read 201 times)


an amazing likeness

    We've moved into the first week of August in our calendar of events.  The dog days of summer are upon us.

     

    HappyFeat's trail half sounds pretty darn challenging:

     

    "This is a fun, challenging set of races through beautiful single track trails and dirt roads. Set in historic Port Gamble, the races are sure to please those seeking a fun, rugged alternative to the road. The trails are in the town’s privately owned 4300 acre tree farm, which is home to deer, owls, coyotes, bears, and other animals!"

     

    Aug 4 MilkTruck Beach to Beacon 10K Cape Elizabeth, ME USA
    Aug 5 MilkTruck Yukanrun Half 13.1 mi Cape Ann, MA USA
    Aug 5th HappyFeat Port Gamble HM 13.1 mi Port Gamble, WA USA

     

     

    Good luck, fleet feet and cooling winds to all our trainers and racers - have fun!

    Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

    HappyFeat


      The HM description says: "This run has a little bit of it all, with plenty of hills and fast descents. We will have beer, soda and bbq for all participants so stick around after." Definitely looking forward to it!

      Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

      Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.


      an amazing likeness

        Today I can say I ran in a race against Joan Benoit Samuelson and beat her. I finished #1101 and she finished #5116. *** Big grin

         

        *** To be fair, she was pacing with a 70+ gentlemen, and Bill Rodgers, and Frank Shorter.

        Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

        HappyFeat


          That's pretty cool to run in a race with such big names.

          Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

          Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

          vegefrog


            That's pretty cool to run in a race with such big names.

             

            Yeah! That is so cool!


            an amazing likeness

              If you're not willing to listen to an extended whine...you'll want to skip this and move on...fair warning.

               

              After today's trip to running hell...I now have a better apprecation of what the Boston Marathon runners faced this past spring. I have never been so hot while running in my life. Even thinking back to ancient days of late summer football practices where it seemed the intent was to, literally, make you collapse...I can't recall anything that felt like today.

               

              Course was a 6.5mi out-and-back running North-South along the ocean. Temp at start was over 80F and made it 87F in the next hour. Wind was a nice, soft breeze from from the south, so on the way 'out' there was some breeze.  But after the turnaround and heading back north, the soft breeze made sure you were running in no moving air at all -- it completely offset any air moving from your running pace.

               

              The road used leads to public beaches north of Boston, and it was packed bumper-to-bumper with cars escaping the city....so from mile 2.5 to 11, you ran single file next to idling cars. On baking black asphalt. Let me tell you that there's nothing quite like a bunch of Massholes sitting in air conditioned cars giving you shit about your slow pace, bloody shirt and pained expression. Also, if I ever meet the engineer who designed the Ford PowerStroke diesel engine used in Ford pickup trucks...I'm going to either punch him/her in the throat, or kick them in the groin.

               

              Oh...and another thing -- when you get soaked from sweat and dumping water over yourself, it makes your technical shirt cling to your chest and in the absence of bra for us guys, shreds the nippples. I had anticipated this and stuck on bandaids before the race...which promptly came off about mile 2.

               

              By mile 9 any sort of actual running was done. It was walk/slog from there.  If there had been any sign of a sag wagon, I would have DNF'd in a second.

               

              This was not a race, It was a death slog. I'm not logging it as a race.

              Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                So....you had fun?

                 

                 

                 

                Sounds brutal. At least, when you hit a bad batch in some race down the line, you can think to yourself, "at least this ain't Cape Ann". So you got that going for ya, which is nice.

                Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
                We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes


                an amazing likeness

                  So....you had fun?

                    

                   

                  Yeah, it was the textbook definitiion of a blast. And, I threw away a good 10K time yesterday to run at 80% at Beach to Beacon in order to save something for today.  Angry  I am a moron...who scheduled 2 races back-to-back on the first weekend of August and doesn't expect it to be hot and humid.

                   

                  At least the course was reasonably accurate...for the 5K before the 13.1, someone sent the runners down the wrong turn for a 2.3mi course.

                   

                  (So here's a "drivers in Massachusetts" story...early on when we're still in a pack, the road isn't closed...an SUV pulls out of a side road and turns right, heading the same direction as the runners on the right side of the road. The woman about 15 feet in front of me is wearing an iPod/iPhone and is out by the yellow line, about 2/3 out into the travel lane. The SUV gets about 2in behind her and she, for whatever reason, doesn't realize it's there. Finally the SUV runs out patience and gets alongside her and the passenger reaches out and shoves her to the right.)

                  Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.


                  an amazing likeness

                    That's pretty cool to run in a race with such big names.

                     

                    Well...I didn't actually run with them, they were there somewhere in the sea of 6,100 runners...

                     

                     

                     

                    L-R: Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Leon Gorman (Grandson of LL Bean and long-time CEO, now Chairman of LL Bean)

                    Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                      That's cool! (And I see it was sponsored by my bank.)

                      Sorry you had such a tough time.

                      PBs since age 60:  5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.

                                                          10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.

                       

                      HappyFeat


                        I had a great time in my trail HM today. The course was fabulous - full of variety and lovely scenery.  There was no chance for anything much to get sore because the muscles being used kept changing. Uphill, downhill, level, meadow path, gravel road, dirt road, dirt track, thick cushiony forest floor (perfect for my first faceplant!), makeshift wooden bridges over muddy rivulets, you name it!

                         

                        Naturally this is the hottest weekend of the year so far here - so I'm not really acclimated to it.  I am so thankful that 80% of it was in the shade - although sweat does NOT evaporate in a dense forest. To keep from overheating, I chose not to run full speed and I walked often in short spurts on the steepest uphills and some tricky downhill stuff to get cooler and to be careful since I was tired. Plus I poured water all over myself at each of the 4 aid stations and drank their Heed as well as the drink I was carrying.

                         

                        I wish I could subtract all that time at the aid stations, plus what I spent going off course - but it is what it is. I came in at about 2:36. I wanted to be under 2:40 and hoped for 2:30 not factoring in that it might be hot; so I really can't complain.  I'm still solidly in the middle of the pack, coming in  41 out of 83 runners, and first of 3 in my age group.

                        Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                        Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                        HappyFeat


                          So....you had fun?

                           

                          Sounds brutal. At least, when you hit a bad batch in some race down the line, you can think to yourself, "at least this ain't Cape Ann". So you got that going for ya, which is nice.

                           Totally agree with this. You have the benchmark now. In comparison, no other race will seem as bad.

                          I'm so sorry you had such a rotten race, MT.

                          Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                          Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                          vegefrog


                            Ack! MT that sounds awful. At least it's over and done with! That is cool you got to see those guys! No one famous runs any of the races around here.

                             

                            HappyFeat sounds like you had a wonderful time on the other hand! You beat your goal of 2:40 so that's great Smile