Hartford's Inaugural 5k, part the second

The Monday before the event the class and I ran what I intended to be the course for the event. Math told me that the start and finish of the out and back would line right up, and so would the 1k/4k marks. TOPOGRAPHY, however, made it so that they didn't. The road is twisty...whoops.

So the day of the event I hopped in the vehicle with my Mom and we re-measured the course, hoping desperately that the place i wanted to start and place i wanted to finish would be a good 'fit' with the place i wanted to turn around. (ya still with me?)

I think it did, within maybe 30 meters? but hey! free event, right? Next year's course will be measured MUCH more accurately. I swear. I had gotten to the parking lot without my chalk, so I called and Mom brought it down. Little did she know, she brought the same colors that are used by another little known race held annualy in Boston....

As people were milling around the registration tent, we took the opportunity to snap this picture of our "team". Here are 6 of the 9 members of the class. One had to leave early for personal reasons, one left early because of an injury (not sustained during the classes), and one was on a scheduled vacation. Why am I not standing up straight? I dunno. I am very happy to say that all of them crossed the finish line with big smiles! I'd post the pictures, but haven't gotten their permission yet.....ahahahahahha....so this is all you get for now.

(Back to race day) After the safety brief we all walked up to the start line as a group. There was a young boy talking with his mom, saying that he wasn't sure if he could do it. I said to him, "Man, you've GOT this. 5k is nothing for you! OWN IT." (he did. he ran his little legs off and finished in great form!) We all milled around the start line, making sure traffic was clear, and people were still running up from the registration table, having arrived a bit late...

During the safety brief I told everyone that there wouldn't be a starting gun, just my big mouth yelling "GO". I made sure they were all paying attention and yelled...."GO". They went. Of course, not everyone was paying attention. As you can see, several people started to run on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. We yelled out to them and they promptly moved over. See my Mom in the mauve-ish tank top on the left? The person carrying the pack is my sister, carting around her 2 year old and 2L of water. She's training for an upcoming Army event where she'll have to carry a 35lb ruck sack over some un-Godly distance in heat that would make Mephostopheles ask for an extra serving of swee'tea.  They acted as sweepers on the course, keeping in communication with my Dad at the turn around and me at the finish line. Worked out GREAT!

The first finisher crossed the line in 23:47, the second in 24:13. The second place person was a young woman, and she was upset that she had come in second. I said, "No, you came in first." With a smile she replied, "yea, i LIKE that...."

My sweepers crossed in 51:53. What does this mean? It means that EVERYONE finished in under an hour. I was super psyched! From a personal POV, the ladies who i coached through the summer, the same ones who at the beginning of the summer struggled with 3 consecutive laps of a football field, FINISHED a 5k in less than an hour. I am very happy for these ladies!!!!

In a few posts, I'll write about the whole organization process, lessons learned, and aspirations for next year's event. I already have an inkling that next year's is gonna be much bigger!

Thanks for stopping by again!

Be Well,

Gene

Global Warming my A$$ 6.66 mile race report

Oh, SNAP! I was almost done, and then remembered this is s'posed to be in the newspaper column format. Here goes:

Who: Me. Gene. Dad. Sonny Boy. Bonehead.
What: Global Warming my A$$ 6.66 mile race
When: Friday, 12MAR10
Where: Hartford and North Hartland, Vermont, Rte 5 south then north, along the 3cm wide strip of asphalt between the speeding vehicles and certain death in the ditches.
Why: "Because it's there."
How: Painfully, slowly, inch be ever-loving inch. errr...i mean....in my Adidas something or others (am i the ONLY one online who wears Adidas???), Darn Tough socks, EMS microfiber pants, GMARA.org tech shirt, and Brooks running jacket. Oh, and Under Armour hat. Garmin 305. TIME=57:32
whew, that was painful.
on with the show....
As usual (NOT "as PER" usual. man, i HATE that. per=as), i procrastinated trained VERY HARD for this race, and nailed it to the wall. Like Jell-o. Ever tried that? Ever heard that expression? (see, i can even procrastinate with a race report!)
I got to the venue right after work. I had tried to line up my diet to be conducive for an after work run, but then tragedy struck. I ate my salad for lunch, and then ate my yogurt and granola around 2pm, figuring on a nice 2 hour window between eating and running. WELL....then some techs from radiology came around and invited me down to their area to partake in some good eats from a birthday party. Luckily we were short staffed in the ICU and I couldn't leave to join them. "No problem! We'll bring you some shrimp jambalaya!!!) Tragic.
So i ate some. And then ate more. 3 small bowls later, (over the course of about an hour. gimme a break. i am NOT a Dyson. See? procrastinated AGAIN. i RULE!) where was I? oh, right. eating. again.
So now it was about 300. ut-oh. not what i bargained for, and we all know how eating too close to running can effect the run(s). If you are not sure, head on over to Beth's blog and read all about it. Luckily, Mother Nature was in my corner, and things worked out A-OK by 345. I drove to the parking area and got myself all set up with Teri (Garmin). Luckily there was ample parking nearby, and I didn't need to take the shuttle. This is a bonus, actually, because I don't do well sitting amongst strangers. Parking was here, at our new aquatic center. I know. It looks like an abandoned warehouse. Mind you, this multi-million dollar complex is a big thorn in the sides of town residents.

Upper Valley Aquatic Center

I am not quite sure why, but I felt compelled to take a picture of my shoes, socks, and shins. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is that picture. (Parents, please ask young children to leave the room briefly. Thank you.)

 Here is a picture of Teri before the race. Hardly seems nervous at all, does she?
I tried to take pictures during the race, but they didn't come out very good. Must have been my blistering pace that made them all blurry. The Vermont countryside isn't all that picturesque this time of year, anyway. Lots of mud, brown leaves and 'grass', bleck. There is about 3-5cm of asphalt between the white line and the edge of the pavement (budget cuts?), and then about a foot of unstable dirt between the end of the pavement and either the guardrail or a ditch. Let's just say "pucker power" and move along, shall we?
So out and back. I walked for about 20 feet at the 3.5 mile mark, and then again at about 5 miles. I felt REALLY STUPID both times, so i huffed along. Teri screamed at me to slow down more often than to speed up, except on the hills. It was good to hear that, so now I can adjust the pace alarm settings. LOVE IT!

All in all, it was a great race, and a fun idea. One of the best things was the parking, but one of the worst things was the post race feed and massage tent. I must have been REALLLY slow, because by the time i got back to the start/finish area, it had been cleared out. Nothing there but the tumble weeds. And my nuun.

VERBOSE race report

If we were playing Zork, this is what you would read if you typed in "maximum verbosity" in the command line.

Had trouble sleeping Saturday night. Was expecting big rains overnight (like during the day Saturday), and i think i heard every little noise in the house. and the neighbor's houses.
woke up with the alarm, took nice shower, and started to eat. just a bagel with some peanut butter. methodically loaded the car, tried to stay quiet....

i've never seen or done a multistage race before, so i didn't (still don't) know what to pack for transition, etc. I wasn't sure of the weather, so i packed for the worst case scenario. i used a big rubbermaid tub to haul my stuff, and put dry clothes in my backpack.

i left the house around 730, after getting well wishes and good luck smooches from my favorite pit crew(!). the morning was dreary, misty, and unpredictable in terms of weather.

the ride to Newport was beautiful. I am so lucky to live in this part of the country at this time of year. Parked fine. No signs outside the school directing us into the nearest door, so i wandered around to the front, wound my way through the halls, and arrived at the check in station in the cafeteria. turns out the closest, most convenient way to get in was about 30 yards from the truck. need better signs in the parking lot.

it now became 'official'. i have a number.
just as importantly, i have my ticket for the post race bbq chicken feast. i am not sure how many times i walked back and forth to the transition area, but maybe that is why i was so fatigued on the mtn bike portion......ha.

Messages back and forth with T confirmed that she was on her way, and we figured that she would get there sometime while i was out on the road run. Quick little pre race meeting in the T-zone, and we crossed the road to line up for the start. Much milling around, newspaper interviewed a father-son team, chatted a bit with a biker who i had met on a training ride a few weeks ago...and BANG! we were off and running.

i stayed toward the back of the pack, but i don't think that i realized just HOW FAR BACK i was hanging. i paced with other runners, then let some go. was running behind a woman for about a mile, but her perfume or shampoo or something was giving me a headache. so, of course, because i am a ROOKIE....i let her go rather than pass her.
dumb. my pace slowed to something very comfortable, and there i stayed. as I was approaching the T-Zone, i could see T and B in the distance. very cool. i love that feeling. yay, team!
got to the transition after about 40 minutes of running. ok pace, but could have done it quicker. ANYWAY....i chatted with T/B while i changed into biking shoes, squeezed some clif shot gel into my mouth, chugged some water, and jogged off to get on the bike.
As i mounted the bike, i noticed a straaaaange feeling in my hands. Cold rubber. WHAT????!!! I FORGOT MY GLOVES!!!! I recalled that i had asked T to remind me of my glasses before i went out onto the road, so i'll just grab them at the next T-zone. Two riders were coming fast as we crossed the practice field, so i waved them by. easier to pass here than on the ski-jump stairs. i wouldn't see anyone for the next 20 minutes. and when i DID....it was that 12 year old kid from the father/son team. i could see him catching up....must.not.let.him.pass.me. oh, what am i THINKING. yes, kid, go on by. why not. then suddenly, after he had only been by me for about 5 feet...CRASH! he went down in a heap. bike to the left, body to the right. I asked him if he was ok as I stepped around him, and i trundled on my way. i must have looked like a big oaf out there. i was riding with skinny tires on, which were NOT a good compliment to the snot-slick roots and rocks that are strewn about the woods here in VT/NH, not to mention the leaves that had fallen from the heavy rains sustained on saturday. boy-wonder passed me again on a long uphill, and i never saw him again. ffwd to near the end of the leg, and someone had changed the directional logs. seems as though a sweeper came through, took a shortcut, and didn't see anyone out on the course. decided that all were done.....HA! not ME!!! but it all worked out, and I rode the correct trails for the leg. turns out, T had overheard a conversation amoung some timekeepers that all riders were done. she stepped forward (ALWAYS my Heroine!) and told them that I was still out there. I emerged from the woods realizing that i was DEAD LAST.

quick stop for more water, goo, and hello/goodbye's, and off i ran through transition. a dude on a bike at the end said, "are you heading out on the road?" "yes", i replied. "on THAT???", he queried. "yep. its all I have!" "i'll stay with you, then", came his reply, and off we went.

no gloves.
no glasses.
no energy.
little desire.
no confidence.

and so we rode. i chomped down some clif gel blocks, water, and tried to keep my calves and back stretched out. after about 3 miles, my escort asked how i was doing. he commented that he noticed that my feet "looked pretty chewed up". my feet were actually fine. the biking seemed to have little to no impact on my blisters. yay! i asked if he had a phone, because if he did, i was going to call T and have her pick me up. he didn't.

on we rode. near mile 6 the course heads left up a cliff. T had driven by already, and had screamed words of kind encouragement at me as she drove by. i could tell by the look her eyes that she was concerned....she parked at the firestation, and as i turned to go up the hill, i told her that i didn't think i was going to make it up. it is .75 miles long, and very steep, with a nice steep kick at the top. it starts out very simple, though, until you go about 50 yards and round a corner. the top MOCKED ME with every pedal stroke. i could hear the course LAUGHING AT ME. but then, with about 200 yards to the top, i could hear T yelling to me. it was WONDERFUL.

when i passed her, i said that i was going to drop out after i made it back to the school, and that i wasn't going to do the trail run. uneventful ride back. i rode as hard as i could, which wasn't very fast, but i made it. with about half a mile to go, i stood up on the pedals to gain some speed and stretch, but my left quad yelled "SIT DOWN!" as it started to seize up. not a good sign, so i just sat down and plodded on, keeping my pace as best i could.

when i crossed the chip mat, i told the time keeper that i was done. i racked my bike, and layed down on the ground. i cried. i couldn't look at T or B. she was full of pride and encouraging words, and all i could do was dismiss them and stare off into the distance.

shame on me. but i had resigned myself to the fact that I QUIT. I am a Quitter.

"Hello. My name is Gene, and I am a QUITTER."

got the t-shirt

well, thanks to T, i finished my first Half-Marathon this past saturday afternoon!

the morning was gloomy and very rainy. that slow, constant kind that makes you long for grilled-cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and an ABC After School Special. But I digress....

The rain stopped about 15 minutes before the race started, which was particularly nice. When the gun went off, i think that my heart rate INSTANTLY jumped to 170. wow. Turns out there were only about 430 people in the race, but it seemed like many, many more. I can't imagine what it must be like to start with 5,000 other racers. yowzers.

Before we got through the first mile, there was a car PARKED in the travel-lane, smack in the middle of the road. Dunno how he managed to get stuck trying to swim upstream, but at least the driver was kind enough to just sit there.

First water station was just before Occum Pond. I needed it, too! Thing is, i still haven't figured out how to run and drink at the same time. I cruised around the pond and joined the masses as we headed back to the green for the first relay transition. As we ran along the green, it seemed that there were MOBS of people. Yelling, cheering, waving. I lost count at 35 Super Heros. It was cool.

Now we were on 'familiar territory', as this was the leg that i ran last year. I was fully ready for the hill after Big Ball Bridge, and it seemed like it did't even exist. At the next water station, i grabbed my cup and then pulled up on the curb to drink. MUCH easier that way. Didn't matter that it takes more time, as I was not in contention for the win. Just the FINISH. Memories of T, B, and Z pulling along side last year filled my head and heart and kept me going along this middle section. I had planned to eat my Clif Shot around mile 7, but opted not to do so just yet.

Also around mile 7, the big toe on my right foot started to feel like it was hosting a blister. Not hosting, cultivating. I hadn't noticed that my shoes were slipping, and they weren't wet, so I am not sure why I was blistering. Maybe my speed.

Garmin (p.b.t.n.) was VERY helpful to me, especially that it showed my pace. It helped me make sure that I was on track to finish in less than 2 hours. It would have been nearly impossible to figure it out on my own. Yea, yea, every 2 miles there were time clocks, but that means MATH, and I don't do math while running. That's what gadgets are for. jeeze.

Tuck Hill was a challenge, but as I was running it, yes, running it, i remembered LAST year. Last year I walked most of it. And i was only in it for 6.something miles. The hill comes around mile 9, i think, and it was refreshing to be able to run it. It was on this hill that one of the med students that has been in the ICU for the past two weeks passed me. She (yes, she) went on to finish 3 minutes ahead of me.

Running through the green to head out to the last leg was energizing, and off I went on the last, hilliest loop. Around mile 10, my right calf cramped. OUCH! not the whole thing, as i has in the past (1998-2001), but i could feel it headed in that direction. I blamed it on LOW, LOW e-lytes and an altered gait. who know. most likely the e-lytes, as i had only had water to drink thus far. at the next water station i took some gatorade and drank it. no real cramps after that. Psycho-somatic? who knows. who cares?

The last section, from the round-about to the green, was L.O.N.G.

But I made it. I could see that I was under 2 hours, and I did not kick it in for the last quarter mile. I s'pose that I could have, if necessary to meet the goal, but I didn't. Not quite sure why.

After I crossed the line, I was pretty choked up. I grabbed a bagel, some orange slices, and a banana. Bottle of water, too, and then staggered across the green to my awaiting bag. Another runner was there who offered me some Motrin, and I took two. I called T, but got vmail, and managed to almost get through the message without getting choked up. Almost. I sent a picture of my toe (seen here) and she called right back, wondering if I needed a ride home. She is always thinkin! I told her that I would be fine, and that I could get M to drive after work if necessary.

Which he did. Whew. In the truck, even! Got home, tried to sit in the kiddie pool (which is ice cold), but wasn't able to keep my butt in it long enough. Took shower, joined the fam for the rest of the evening.

Very much looking forward to doing it again next year, this time with MUCH more prep. Just read that one of my cousins (and probably more to follow!) have signed on to do the Disney Half in 2010. Major cool points!