Danbury Half Marathon - April 5th, 2009

http://www.jbsports.com/dan09half%20results%20a.htm

This would be my 4th time running the Danbury half marathon and my first time running the race with Jill. We had run the course as a training run about a month earlier so she was familiar with it also. Jill had been staying with her father in Norwalk so we car pooled to the race. We arrived shortly before 9am only to find that the race time was 10:20 am instead of 10am. We had a lot of time to kill, but knew that we would see many friends there. We immediately met up with Brian and Torpedo and chatted to them for a while. We spent time catching up with Jeanette who has been taking some time off due to ITB pain. Jill and I also got a pre-race massage from Jeanette's husband, Tony. We also saw Don, LuAnne and Cindy.

It was now getting close to race time so Jill, Jeanette, Cindy and I decided to go to the ladies room one more time and then head outside. As usual, the bathroom line was very long and it was about 10:10 by the time we headed outside. We had to go to my car to drop off my camera and pick up our water bottles. The four of us were taking our time at the car and weren't paying attention to what time it was. Next thing you know we are walking up the street to the start line and Jill looks at her watch and tells us it's 10:20! I look at mine and it has 10:21! Oh my!!! The four of us started sprinting up the street towards the start line and as we do so the race starts and all the runners are running towards us. We weren't sure if there was a start mat to record our chips so we had to play it safe and pass all the runners to get back to the start before turning around and heading back out again. Once we did turn around we then had the task of trying to get around all the slower back-of-the pack runners to get up with the ones who would be running our pace. After about 5 minutes we settled in and laughed about the situation. I have never been late to a start and think it's especially funny since we got to the race almost and hour and a half before hand.

The course has one small loop around the Rogers park and then has a larger loop that goes through Danbury, Bethel and Redding. The larger loops goes up Mountainville Road to Reservoir Street to Route 53 and then to Side Cut Road to Long Ridge Road. There is a hill at the end of Reservoir Street and another one going up Route 53 and then Long Ridge Road has a series of rolling hills before hitting a wonderful downhill at about mile 11 to get us back to Mountainville Road and to head back to the finish. Jill has always made mention to me being a good hill runner, but we would find ourselves both walking a little on some of the hills in the Boston Buildup Series due to me having to quickly add mileage after coming off an injury. However, Jill was able to run the entire 4 miles up Wurtsboro Mountain in the 30k the previous weekend and we were both ran all the hills on this course also.

Jill and I had no specific time goals, but wanted to run a comfortable pace until the last mile. Once we got to the last mile we wanted to pick it up a little and then Jill wanted me to help her with a good finishing kick in the last stretch. The big downhill at mile 11 really energized me and gave me a huge surge of energy, but that didn't last too long. There was one last little hill right before the 12 mile marker that made me feel like I was crawling. However, right after that I knew that we had a job to do and had to pick it up a little. I could sense Jill trying to pick it up a little - although she said that it was me who was going faster. We ended up running pretty strong through the last 1.1 miles with a significant surge for the last 1/4 mile. Our splits from the course mile markers were 8:11, 8:52, 9:13, 8:56, 8:58, 9:27, 8:52, 9:16, 9:55, 9:47, 8:55, 8:19, 9:03 (last 1.1) = 1:57:43. Our official finish times were 1:58:35 and 1:58:36 with a 9:04 pace.

Upon finishing the race we saw LuAnne and Brian's friend, Dawn, who had finished just in front of us. We also saw Steve, from my work, who was pretty happy with his race. Jill and I then ran back out on the course to see how Jeanette was doing. We saw her coming towards us with about half a mile to go and she looked good and had a big smile on her face. We cheered for her and then joined her to run her in. She was feeling strong and didn't have any significant problems with her IT band.

We went inside for a while to stretch out and meet up with Cindy who had invited us back to her husband, Victor's restaurant for pizza after the race. The restaurant (Nick's) didn't open until 3pm so we had the place to ourselves. Victor and I had been co-workers back in the 80s so it was wonderful to see him again after all these years. We had a great time hanging out, talking about the race and our plans for volunteering at the upcoming Lake Waramaug Ultras. The pizza was delicious! :o)

Tony and Jill


Jeanette, Jill and Kate

Tony and Jill

Tony and Kate

Don and Jill

Tony

April Fool's 5k - Easton, CT - April 4, 2009

http://www.hitekracing.com/results09/east0404.htm

I had not planned to run this race since I was signed up to run the Danbury Half marathon the next day. However, two of my friends had told me that they would be running it and I've never run it before so I thought it would be fun. The drive up Morehouse Road from Fairfield into Easton was a very pretty. The race started at Staples Elementary School, which looked like a beautifully updated farmhouse.

When I got there I saw Brian, Kellie, Richard and Donna. Kellie also introduced me to her friend, Heather. We were all surprised at how cold and windy it was and that it was raining. There were many families with little kids at this race and it was funny to see some of the kids dressed up to run in sweaters.

The rain stopped by the time the race started and the wind seemed to die down significantly also. I found the weather to be really good for running. We all lined up at the start line and tried to encourage some of the smaller kids to move back from the front line so that they wouldn't get trampled.

I started out the race at a fast pace due to being caught up in the crowd. The first mile was mostly downhill so I was very happy with the fast start. I slowed down significantly on the hill, but then picked it up again after that. My splits from my GPS watch were: 7:13, 7:43, 7:55, :32 = 23:24 3:07 miles average of a 7:37 pace.

As soon as I finished I cheered for Kellie and Heather. Well, I don't know if 'cheering' is really the term I should use since I was actually 'yelling' to Kellie that she had to pick it up and beat the woman in front of her. She made me proud by going into a full sprint and leaving the woman in her dust! Go Girl! We then back inside for some post-race refreshments. They had a great selection of bagels, prepared foods and drinks.

Kellie, Heather and I chatted while they picked out numbers in the raffle and awarded trophies to the winners and age group leaders. I was very happy to find out that I had earned a trophy by finishing 1st in my divison.

Brian

Donna

Kellie and Heather

Me

Richard

Fred, Kate and Richard

Boston Blowout 30k - March 29, 2009

http://www.clubct.org/Results/09Results/09BlowoutRes.html

The weather forecast for the Boston Blowout 30k was calling for rain throughout the morning with temperatures in the low to mid 40s. Yesterday's 30k had done a number on my feet that left me with a few small blisters and some spots that felt like they were about to blister. I put some bodyglide and lambswool on my feet and taped them, but knew that if they got wet I would more than likely get more blistering problems. I opted for a running skirt over leggings and selected a light long-sleeved tech shirt and a thin pair of gloves. I also packed my light vest with lots of ventilation, but since I thought that the rain would be light I figured I would run without it. I met up with Jill and we checked in and spent some time catching up with some friends. The rain had now started to fall pretty heavily and the wind had picked up. As we walked out to the start line I stopped by my car to pick up the vest and get a pair of gloves for Jill.


I could not get my GPS watch to pick up satelites in time for the start and it took about 1/4 of a mile for it to kick in so my watch splits were all off. I also had my manual watch, which was good for the beginning and end of the race when I was able to locate the mile markers on the street. Jill and I wanted to run at a nice easy pace and to just enjoy the experience. We weren't even sure if we were going to run the whole course or if we would stop at the halfway point. We figured that we'd just play it by ear.


So with the rain pouring down and heavy winds it was pretty tough running in the beginning. We trying to avoid puddles at first, but then realized that it was pointless. I was happy to find out that the wetter my feet got the better they felt. It was like the cool water was soothing them and bringing some relief from the stinging feeling that I had experienced earlier. The small trail section proved to be quiet muddy and slow going, but I was able to follow behind Jason and find some of the drier parts to run on.


On the way down Beach road Jill and I laughed about Rob giving us permission to walk the speed bumps on this section of road. The bumps were actually like mini hills and there were 3 of them to deal with. However, we did not feel the need to walk these 'hills'! This section of the race always seems to go on forever and you feel like you will never get to the turnaround point. The good thing it is that you get to see all the runners ahead of you coming back from the turn around. We cheered for the front runners and for many of our friends such as Rob, Cindy and Ronnie. After the turn around on Beach Road the head wind was brutal and made it hard to maintain any decent pace. I believe that it was shortly after this that the rain stopped and for most of the rest of the course the wind wasn't too bad either, except for on Beach road. The rain did start up again later, but it wasn't nearly as bad as in the beginning of the race.


As Jill and I were approaching the start/finish area and getting close to starting the second loop it was time to decide whether or not to continue. My calves had been tight in the first few miles, but now felt fine and my feet were still relatively good so I was thinking that there was nothing stopping me from continuing other than just being a little tired. Jill said that she wanted to walk or stop, but also didn't really seem to have anything major that would stop her from finishing the race. When we got to the end of the first big loop Jeanette was there cheering for us. We ran the small loop and when we came out of it Jeanette was cheering for us again and ran with us for about a quarter of a mile. At that point we'd passed the point of no return and were on our way out to doing the big loop again. Thanks Jeanette for the distraction! We had run with Don briefly in the first mile of the race and had seen him again right after the first turn around. We were now wondering if he was going to complete the race or stop at the halfway point. My money was on him completing the whole race unless he was having major problems with his knee, but we weren't going to be sure until we made it to the turn around point a second time to see if he was still on the course.


At the turn around water station Andie, Paul and Julie cheered for us and provided moral support. We laughed with them and then headed back into that terrible headwind again. Jill and I were thrilled to see Don coming towards us on his way out to the turn around. Another runner joined us at this point and told us that she'd heard about us doing a 30k yesterday and said how impressed she was with us. She needed a little company and motivation to get through the final miles so she joined us. At this point my feet were starting to dry a little and now I could feel the blistered starting to form again with a bad one developing on my right arch. I was tempted to run through some puddles to get my sock soaked through again, but wasn't really sure if that would help it so I just let it be. I now went into auto-pilot with a mission to end the race as soon as possible so that I could take off my shoes and socks. We were a little past mile 17 and Jill and Kelly seemed to be having a nice chat and didn't seem to have any problems so I gradually started to pick up the pace.


We had seen LuAnne up ahead for most of the race and had run along side her once or twice, but at this point I could not see her ahead of me. I made a turn and then there she was up ahead. I decided to focus on trying to catch up to her so that it would help me to pick up my pace and get me to the finish line quicker. I was closing in, but didn't really think that I would actually catch her. We were getting to the start/finish area and would have to run the small loop one more time before being able to turn in to finish. I found myself going faster and faster as I could feel my sock rubbing more on my blister. I finally caught up to LuAnne and passed her right as we came out of the loop. I made my turn for the finish area and Jeanette started to sprint along side me while she yelled words of encouragement. After finishing the race I immediately took off my shoes and socks and then cheered for Jill and Kelly who were coming out of the loop to the finish.


Splits: 9:21, 10:01, 9:37, 10:00, 39:34 (miles 5-8), 9:53, 20:43 (miles 10-11), 10:07, 10:25, 10:16, 10:14, 9:49, 9:56, 9:01, 5:02 = 3:03:58 Official race time: 3:04:00 with a 9:52 pace.


I quickly shot over to my car to get my camera and was able to get photos of Don finishing the race.


What an amazing weekend! I got to run two 30k races in one weekend and got to do so with some great friends. Running with Jill is what really made it very special.


Jill and Cindy before the race





Don coming in from the last small loop towards the finish area







Don heading for the finish line







Cindy and Jill after the race




Me and Jill after the race

I just finished re-taping my feet

Jill - pre-race


Me and Jill


Jason and Don



Margaret and Cindy

Ronnie


LuAnne, Kate and Jill


Kelly





LuAnne


Jill and Kate


Jill


Don


Rob


LuAnne, Kate and Jill



Dawn
Jill and Kate

Jill

Kate

Don

2009 Wurtsboro Mountain 30K Race

This is the first of two 30k races that Don, Jill and I have on our schedule for the weekend.

We met up at 6:30 am to make the hour and a half ride to Wurtsboro, NY. Don has been feeling some pain in his knee, but decided to give it a shot anyway. When we got to the race it was a little chilly, but much warmer than I had expected. Jill and I both opted to run in skirts and were wearing light shirts. Don, as usual, had a hat and a sweatshirt to start off with, but as we would see later in the race he ended up dropping off the hat and sweat shirt along the way. We also met up with Frank and Emmy before the start of the race. Emmy took a while to decide whether or not to run it due to a 100 miler that she and Frank are running next weekend. She finally decided to go ahead and just run it slowly.



Jill and I started out together and hoped to be able to run the entire first 4 miles uphill without any walk breaks. I had received some ribbing from some friends saying that we weren't allowed to walk. I had forgotten how much the first 2 miles of hill was 'pitched'. This made for a very awkward run with my left side much lower than my right side. I was happily surprised that my breathing did not feel overly labored and I felt pretty strong. However, at about 1.75 miles both of my calves cramped up. I had no choice, but to take a walk break. I tried to walk pretty fast, while still trying to get my calves to relax a little. After a few moments I started to run again, but my calves were still cramped up and my left hamstring and then right hamstring also started to cramp. I took two Advil and continued to walk/run, but then I started to get a crazy case of pins and needles in my left foot. This was now getting to be very frustrating, but I knew that the worse case would be me having to walk and run on and off until mile 4 and then I'd be fine. Luckily, I didn't have to do that because all the cramping went away around the 2.5 mile mark. I kept looking up ahead to see that Jill was running the entire time, which made me very proud. I picked up my pace so that I could catch back up to her and did so right before the top of the hill. At this point my legs felt very good and strong. Jill had met up with a guy called Ray and we talked to him for a little while before I went ahead to enjoy the downhills. I stayed ahead until a little after the 9 mile mark and then Jill and Ray caught up and then we ran together again.

We ran together until Ray got a burst of speed at about mile 12 and took off ahead of us. Go Ray!
Jill and I continued to run together for the rest of the race. We kept hoping for either flat or downhills sections, but it all seemed to be rolling hills. I finally saw Don up in the distance at about mile 16 and we picked up the pace so that we could join him. Jill was a little reluctant at first, but ended up sticking with me. We caught up to Don and he said that he was in need of ice as soon as he finished the race. He was now slowing down a lot to favor the knee so Jill and I went ahead. We had a pretty decent pace for those last few miles, but it was more due to us wanting it to be over with rather than due to us feeling good.

My splits: 10:02, 10:48, 12:30, 9:45, 8:41, 8:46, 8:17, 7:56, 8:22, 8:40, 8:21, 8:44, 9:12, 10:05, 9:32, 9:08, 8:43, 9:03, 5:23 = 2:51.58

Official race time: 2:52:01 and pace: 09:14

We crossed the line and then went right to my car to get some ice for Don. Once Don finished we all went inside the school to get refreshments. I went for the pizza and Gatorade! Yummy!

I feel pretty good for tomorrow, except for some blistering and hot spots on my feet. The forecast calls for rain, but at least the course is really flat.

I almost forgot to mention - It turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was out, the temperature was ideal and there was a nice breeze to cool us down at times. The scenery along the route is really a sight to see. There are trees all around and flowing water along most of the course. At one part there was a cute little waterfall flowing down some rocks. The views along the way certainly helped to take your mind off the long distance to be covered.

Race Results:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/09/ny/Mar28_WURTSB_set1.shtml


Don and Jill

Kate, Don and Jill

Frank, Jill and Don

Emmy, Don and Jill

Emmy - Finally decided to run the race

Don approaching the finish line.

Don icing his knee and Frank

Frank with his favorite pyramid

Empty pizza boxes

Myriam preparing to annouce the awards