Womens Running

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Over 40. Tessa has a short run Saturday/Sunday (Read 17 times)

MarjorieAnn3137


Run to live; live to run

    Go

    Marjorie

    MarjorieAnn3137


    Run to live; live to run

      Off to the race in a few

       

      probably Tessa's 800th marathon (well no really) 

      Marjorie

      Arimathea


      Tessa

        Please! 70th full marathon. Plus 20 ultras.

         

        Here goes nothing...

        MarjorieAnn3137


        Run to live; live to run

          Tessa is off at 8.

           

          She is in pink shorts head turned away maniacs shirt and long sleeve tech Just got to finish line waiting for the first finishers from the half stragglers from 5 k still coming in

           

          Marjorie

          MarjorieAnn3137


          Run to live; live to run

            There is over 5000 people running today. Plus 200 in the kids race.

             

            49 states. Only state not in the full or half was Hawaii. Not bad!  Perfect racing conditions. Halfers coming in in a few. I'm guessing winner will be under 80 min. We are at 70 right now.

             

            edit. Was 73 min at 5:30 a mile pace. Insane

            Marjorie

            camille2


              Good luck, tessa! Enjoy Charleston and the visit with marjorie.

               

              demaris, I'm sorry to hear about your hubby.  Good luck.

               

              I'm at the hospital with my SIL to give bro a break. She still on vent, but more stable. I hope to get home in time to get in a short run.

                Fat Ass this morning.  Resolution Run.  Consisted of a 2.5 mile double loop where you picked if doing 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours.  I opted for 3 hours.  Amazed at how many people showed up to run in the snow on the trails.  Was like running in sand since snow was so powdery dry.  10.8 miles in 2:45.  Good all over workout but was feeling twinges in knee so wasn't going to push it.  Run buddy K joined along with a running friend we hadn't seen in a couple of years.  He had both knees replaced and found out that he has been diagnosed with lupus.  He walks marathons now.  Was a pretty morning though and I couldn't pass up using the sunrise and that tree as a backdrop.  Footing really sucked and I am completely whipped from the combination of cold air, hills, and running in powdery snow which doesn't allow for traction.

                Lisa

                 

                Arimathea


                Tessa

                  Yay! 4:40something.Not sure of the exact time, but I came in just under 4:45 gun time and I was probably 3 minutes faster by chip time.

                   

                  Full race report to follow.

                  MarjorieAnn3137


                  Run to live; live to run

                    Tessa finishing strong.

                     

                    Marjorie

                      Happy long weekend to everyone (at least everyone employed by the government, and hopefully others too).   I ran 12 miles with my RC this morning.  Been on the verge of getting a cold for a couple of days so kept the run shorter than planned.  I think I'm on the upswing (knocks on wood) but will continue to be cautious.  A glorious sunny day.  But will probably have to water the yard this weekend.

                       

                      Great job Tessa!  Looks like a great day for a run in Charleston.

                       

                      Marjorie, thanks for posting the pic.  I see your shadow!  MTA: saw your shadow in the 1st pic, great shot of Tessa in the 2nd pic!

                       

                      Camille, glad to hear your SIL is stable and hoping she continues to improve enough to get off the vent.

                       

                      Karen, I know you'd rather be in Charleston but you were wise not to go.  Sounds like you're having a productive weekend.  Exciting that the closing date is approaching!

                       

                      Damaris, sending more thoughts and prayers for your hubby.

                       

                      Lisa, how far of a drive are you willing to do from Mountain View for trail running?  The bay side of MV isn't good for running because of Moffett airfield, sloughs and sand ponds.  East Palo Alto is a little dicey so I wouldn't go near there.  But to the west of MV, I see Rancho San Antonio open space preserve, which looks like it has potential but I haven't been there.  Further south by San Jose is Almaden Quicksilver Park, which is very nice with lots of hilly trails.  One of my favorite places to run that would be between you in MV and me in HMB is Huddart Park in Woodside. Also Wunderlich Park next to it, which I am not as familiar with.  Not sure if any of this is helpful but at a minimum, let's try to get together for a nice trail run on the weekend if you have time.

                       

                      Hi to everyone else!

                      4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA

                      7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV

                      9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR

                      Anonymous Guest


                        Spent about 3 hours this morning cleaning out the office, then once the temperature got above freezing, I ran 10 miles. I would have definitely had trouble trying to run the marathon today - I ran the 10 easy and was still exhausted when done. And my legs were sore. Couldn't imagine running 16 more right now! Even though it looks awesome down there, not running was the right decision.

                         

                        Tessa, congrats! I can't wait to hear about it.

                         

                        Damaris, scary news about your hubby. Hoping for the best.

                         

                        Marjorie, sounds like a fun time. Looks like it was nice weather for spectating.

                         

                        camille, hope SIL continues to improve.

                         

                        Lisa, pretty picture, but I prefer Tessa's running conditions over yours!

                         

                        Gatsby, good for you for being smart and not pushing things when you're not feeling 100%.

                         

                        So I'm signed up for Toledo end of April, and should start training in a couple weeks. If our house here sells fast though, DH may already be down in TX with me, which would add a lot to the logistics. Then I saw OKC is the same day and would be a pretty easy drive. So that may be a backup plan. I still want to run Toledo, but the purpose of that was so DH could go hang out with his mom and brother before moving farther away. Will probably still run it even if we both have to fly from TX.

                        Coaching testimonial: "Not saying my workout was hard but KAREN IS EVIL."

                         

                        Upcoming races: Hennepin Hundred - October 2024

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                        Arimathea


                        Tessa

                          Race Report: Charleston 2015

                          Bare bones: 4:42 chip, 4:45 gun, 70th full marathon (plus 20 ultras), 25th state

                           

                          Full report:

                          Charleston is a lovely old city. I had never been to South Carolina, and when Karen suggested going there for the marathon and Marjorie graciously offered to host us I decided to go join them. Sadly Karen wound up with a miserable cold and could not make it, but I had managed to dodge the cold going round and was OK to run.

                           

                          Flew to Charleston on Thursday and Marjorie met me at the airport. We went to the expo on Friday and picked up the packet, then had fun nosing around the expo and later going around the old Charleston Market and historic Charleston. Lovely old houses. Susan/crazysue, I think you’d particularly like those. Hugo ripped his way through the area in 1989 however most of the damage to the buildings has been repaired – the trees will take longer to grow back.

                           

                          Had a nice dinner, Italian food, and I headed for bed fairly early. Woke up at 5:30 (please note that’s 2:30 California time, even earlier than I usually get up!) and we were off to the start line at 6:30 for an 8 AM start. Marjorie drove, she planned to park at the start, shuttle to the finish to watch the runners come in, and then we could shuttle back to the start because there’s more parking there and it’s closer to her house. Start and finish are a good 6 miles apart as the crow flies, a lot further by road.

                           

                          Marjorie and I wait in the car for a little while, then at 7:30 I go join the long but fairly quick lines for the portapotties. There are about 1300 runners in the full and over 3000 in the half, both races start together and run together until Mile 10 when the full does the first of several out and backs and the half heads in the direction of the finish line. We stand and wait. I hand Marjorie my throwaway shirt and heavy jacket and keep my gloves (I’ll be glad of those for several miles). I see and greet several Maniacs. The national anthem is sung, one of the best renditions I’ve heard at a race start: two young women from one of the local performing arts high schools, soprano/alto duet with lovely harmony and no extraneous flourishes. No gun, just a short countdown and we are off.

                           

                          Mile 1 is very crowded. It goes through the Citadel grounds and by the minor league baseball stadium and down into the historic Charleston seafront. We’re running into the sun for a while, I wished for sunglasses even though I usually don’t wear them. Another Maniac and I are chafing at the crowd, then we manage to dodge through enough people to find that we were right behind the 5:00 full and 2:30 half pace groups and once we get ahead of them we are in a much more open area. Phew. Not many costumes or tutus out, though Marjorie takes a picture of someone dressed as Mario the Plumber of Super Mario Brothers fame, and one woman is wearing a full Southern belle costume over her running gear. She’s also wearing a sign advising that she’s a Maniac and a 50 stater so she has earned the right to wear whatever she wants!

                           

                          Turn, through a short bit of residential streets, Mile 2, and we’re running along Murry Blvd which is the street along the water. We had driven along there yesterday and there was not a parking spot to be seen, today it is much more open. Past White Point Gardens and the Battery and we go two blocks inland, pass Mile 3, and turn up on King Street which we will be on forever and ever and ever (well, until the Mile 9 marker). At first it is old residences, nice ones, some of the houses with historical markers describing their age and provenance. We don’t get to go past Rainbow Row, which is one of Charleston’s best known landmarks – the buildings were painted different colours to help illiterate sailors off the ships figure out which establishment provided which services – but we did walk past that yesterday and today we get to see lovely homes.

                           

                          At one point yesterday Marjorie and I had walked up this street and noted a house having some construction done with a portapottie at the side of the house for the use of the construction workers. I am looking out for this today since every aid station has lines for the 2-3 portapots. See it, duck into the side yard, and note that it is vacant. It even has some TP in it! Feeling much better I exit and trot on, and as I’m coming back to the street a couple of other runners zero in on the sound of a portapottie door slamming and head purposefully in the direction of the john.

                           

                          We continue up King Street and the scenery changes, it’s now upscale commercial rather than residential. At first the shops are unique stores, later they will be locations of fairly nice chains. One is an interior design store that exhorts passersby to “Reimagine Your Home”. Oh, I can do that just fine. However, I would need to reimagine my bank account to be able to shop there! Cross Market Street, where we were yesterday, and through the Fashion District further north. We pass Mile 5 and pass under Highway 17 and the scene changes abruptly. Instead of high end homes and shops there are houses that look in need of some TLC and stores that mostly sell liquor and fast food outposts. There are still some volunteers out, but not too many. Continue north on King and then King Street Extension.

                           

                          Then we get into an industrial area that has very little development on one side and a train track on the other, grassy and fairly isolated. This isn’t bad, though. I am enjoying the various musical groups (mostly school children) serenading us. One group is singing the old spiritual “Wade In the Water” which happened to be our choir anthem last Sunday and I join in for the last chorus. (Singing is not so easy when you are running hard!) We finally get to the turnoff at Mile 10 and go east to an area close to the water and the old Navy base. Here comes the only “hill” on the course, a small overpass. Then there is the split. Fools to the left, halfwits to the right. Or so I say to the volunteer directing traffic, who thinks this is very funny. Full doubles back under the overpass and goes southeast through the old base to the marina, out over the water on the boardwalk to the turnaround, and then back to the overpass. This is miles 10-14.5. I do get to see a lot of the people both in front of and behind me, I’ve been talking to various runners as I go along – mostly Maniacs but a few others as well. I can see that I am definitely not last. One guy is wearing the Hartford shirt from last fall and we chat about that for a moment and grouse about the bad weather that day. I also run for awhile with a woman named Leanne who just did Dopey last weekend. We see the 3:45 pace group, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, and I’m just in front of the 4:45 group. I am trying to stay ahead of them, although I think they went out way too fast by my watch. I think the last group is the 5:00 full.

                           

                          Once back to the overpass we head north again and join the half course for about a mile. There are still plenty of half marathoners out there, it’s mile 10 for them and 15 for us and it’s about 3 hours after the race start. (Marjorie reports later that the last halfie crossed in almost exactly 4 hours, 22 mpm and change.) One mile and then at their mile 11 marker they head for the last little bit of the course and the finish line. We’ll be joining their course at our mile 24 marker. I wish we were two miles from finishing! Now off for a jaunt west and north again and then into a neighbourhood called Park Circle which we will be in forever, it seems. 17 mile marker is by a pond with lots of geese in residence. 18 miles. Several times we see the returning full marathoners and then we diverge from their returning course and go out on another out and back. All the way around a middle/high school campus, not interesting or exciting, and then through a small residential area featuring singles, duplexes, triplexes, and one house with not one but two police cruisers parked nose to nose in front. Hmm. Wonder what happened there?

                           

                          It’s warm and I have long since taken off my gloves and rolled up my sleeves. I wish we had cloud cover, though I’m glad it’s not raining. Still just in front of the Still just in front of the 4:45 pace group and I talk to some of them for a while. There are two pace leaders and I’m surprised one of them didn’t tell the other that they were banking just a little too much time, they have lost a lot of their group and I suspect some of that is due to their too-fast pace. (4:45 pace is approximately 10:53 mpm.) One poor woman is running with a man who is probably her partner or friend and he is coaching her to run faster while she complains of knee pain. He tells her to run on the balls of her feet and lengthen her stride. I have a suggestion involving balls and feet – his balls and one of her feet – but keep my mouth shut in the interest of minding my own business. He’s trying to get her to target a runner ahead of them and “reel the person in” then pick another one, because he’s sure she can run faster. I think the time for that was during training runs not during the race. I am doing the same tactic, focusing on one person and then another and picking them off, but I’m not having knee pain. Not to mention that this is her first marathon and my 70th.

                           

                          Another nasty little out and back around a school and finally – yay! – we are close to the finish line. But we are not done. Oh, no. We just passed Mile 23. We are four blocks from the finish line and we have one more out and back lollipop loop before we can head for that. Bah. Onto another old Navy base, boring road, around a parking lot and Mile 24 and at this point the pacers say “oh my, we need to slow down” because we are at 4:18 gun time and 27 minutes is more than we need to come in at 4:45. The heck with THAT. I keep on at the pace I’m doing and decide if I beat 4:45 I am just fine with a faster time. Around a nice little park and waterfront and back towards the boring road. 25 mile marker. I pass a man who is apparently on the phone to his wife and hear him say “OMG. I just got passed by a woman who’s probably 70 years old.”

                           

                          I am not letting that comment pass unnoticed. Wheel around and inform him in no uncertain terms that I am 51, not 70, bless his heart. He winces and tells his wife “I think I just got cussed out”. Oh no you didn’t, mate. Trust me, if I wanted to cuss you out I could do much better than that. I take my revenge by leaving him far behind.

                           

                          We are just about there. I see the turn onto the last little stretch of road, populated by bars that are doing a roaring business – I presume they are legacies from when this was a working Navy base. Onto the ground of North Charleston High, turn left, around the school performing arts center, turn right, and finally we see the finish line.I pull out a last kick, pass one man in maroon shorts and one woman just before the finish (and learned later that she was in my AG, which put me 8/20 and her 9/20…sorry love, but it’s fair to pass until we hit the finish line!). 4:45 gun which puts me at about 4:42 chip. And well ahead of the 4:45 pace group!

                           

                          Marjorie is waving at me from the side of the finish. I go down the chute, miss the space blanket (no biggie), and wind up having medals offered me by two little kids who are assisting their mom passing out the medals. I look at them and say “whose turn is it?” and mom points to her daughter. I take a medal and daughter beams, her younger brother’s face crumples until we point to the woman behind me and say “now you give one to the lady in the pink hat” and he is all smiles again. Mom asks if I’m a teacher. No, but I’m a mother of two and I could easily see that having been me 15 years ago.

                           

                          Grab a juice box and flatfoot it. Yum. Meet up with Marjorie and we move slowly into the finish line area. Say hi to Leanne, walk on, Charleston was advertising shrimp and grits and beer and mimosas for runners. I can do without the shrimp and grits, and while we look for the mimosas we find out that the beer tent has Angry Orchard hard cider on tap. Forget the mimosas! I happily accept a cup of cider, drink it, and have another as we walk to the shuttle, greeting other runners on the way. Shuttle takes us back and we head back to Marjorie’s home. Shower, diet Coke, peanut butter bagel, and I feel much better. South Carolina is on my list which makes 25 states. Halfway there!

                          camille2


                            Way to go, tessa!  Great time.  No way do you look 70! he needs an eye exam.

                            Docket_Rocket


                              Hi, ladies.  Thanks for the support about hubby.  I'll keep you posted!  We ran 10 this morning.

                               

                              Tessa, great job on the race! Loved the report!

                               

                              Marjorie, hope you had fun spectating.

                               

                              Camille, hope your SIL feels better soon.

                               

                              Lisa, nice job on the fat ass!

                               

                              Gatsby, nice 12!

                               

                              Karen, nice 10.

                              Damaris

                               

                              As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

                              Fundraising Page

                              Arimathea


                              Tessa

                                Thank you, Cathy!

                                 

                                Damaris, hope it is nothing, but if it is hope they have caught it early.

                                 

                                Lisa, that fat ass run sounds like a lot of fun.

                                 

                                Karen, we missed you but you made the right decision.

                                 

                                Margaret, nice run!

                                 

                                We just had a good dinner at a small cafe where the owner tries to serve everything local, enjoyed the pizza. Heading for bed soon.

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