Half marathons

Well, I have figured out that I will be running Norwalk's (WI) Rails to Trails half marathon in November. There is only one other half in WI in November and this one is a lot closer, so it is Norwalk. I ran the inaugural Rails to Trails half and to be honest it is not my favorite. However, I have heard they have made improvements, like at the end of the race not making us run 1.5 miles past the finish. That was very hard mentally not to mention the freshly spread cow manure on the adjacent field. Ah! Only in Wisconsin!

I am also pretty sure I will run the Maple Leaf half in La Crosse during Oktoberfest weekend. We usually have a big group going which makes it a lot of fun and the post race bloody mary's (not provided by race) with good friends was also a lot of fun.

The big dilemma is October. What to do? What to do? Of course the first two October weekend would work great for me- pretty much, but there are no half marathons within 5.5 hours! So, my options are:

October 8 - Scenic Byway Half in Belle Plaine, MN (inaugural)

October 15 - Whistlestop in Ashland

October 29 - Haunted Hustle in Middleton.

There are no half marathons within reasonable driving distance the weekend of October 1/2. And the weekend of the 22/23 I will be up in Door County doing the Fall 50 with 9 of my best running friends! So, that leaves the above races.

Right now I am leaning towards Belle Plaine. It will give me at least 2 weeks recovery. But I am guessing it will be quite small, since it is the first one and in a small town (one hotel and 1 B&B). But it is only 3.5 hours away, so in driving distance.

I would prefer to run Whistlestop, but hubby is gone that weekend and already have a biking weekend on the calendar with friends. I might be able to get my in-laws to watch the kids for the Friday/Saturday, but then I would miss out on the bike. But maybe.......

The Haunted Hustle is the weekend before the Norwalk Half - so little recovery time. AND I will need it because I have heard that the Hustle is very HILLY. Hilly is not my favorite attribute in a race course.

So for the first time EVERY in this BLOG (because most of you know that it is not my first poll ever!)... I am providing you with a poll so you can tell me which race YOU think I should run. Of course, it doesn't mean I will listen to you....

Vacation running

I realized once again how much I enjoy running while on vacation, although it has to be outside, not on the dreadmill. I always experience a different place as a runner as compared to when I am a tourist. When we were in Colorado I got to run within feet of a herd of Elk (there was a fence between us). Today I got to enjoy running around Paia, Hawaii on the island of Maui. I wasn't sure what the experience would be like since the local roads don't have much for shoulders and if lucky may be there is a sidewalk.

I found a run on Mapmyrun.com and modified it since it was a 12.7 mile route. I might be running, but I am on vacation! It took me out of town and through a sugar cane plantation. There were a couple of wonderful views along the way and for parts the tall sugar cane gave me a little shade. I was amazed at one point how quiet it was. No car noise, airplane or anything. Just the wind blowing through the sugar cane. It was pretty cool.

Plus, I get to see the locals being locals, especially when I run in the morning. It just gives you a totally different vibe as compared to when I am being a tourist. I am not sure if I will run tomorrow, I might and try and hit some of the neighborhoods.

On another note, I saw this article and couldn't help but wonder if this will be the Sparta morning running group some day.

You know.....

You know it is too hot and humid to run when....

1. The dew point and the temperature are the same.

2. You open the door hear dripping and with glee on your face you open the door wider expecting rain, only to find it is dew dripping off the trees.

3. At the meeting place you don't want to get out of your car because it is too hot. (I need to remember this in January).

4. The "Quick Dry" element of your fancy running clothes is totally defeated.

5. Your clothes look and feel like you have been swimming instead of running.

6. 3 hours after the run you have to tell someone, "No, that is not sunburn...my face is just red from sweating.".

7. Vanity is gone... who cares who sees your white skin and stomach rolls or potbelly as long as it is cooler!

Half #3 - Middle Park Half Marathon.

Today I ran my 3rd half in 3 months. Nine more in the next nine months.

This one - the inaugural Middle Park Half Marathon in Grandby Colorado was a challenge to put it lightly. The course description says there is over a 500 foot change in elevation from start to finish, but runners actually run up hill much more that 500+ feet due to the "rolling" hills along the course. The good thing is the big hills are at the start of the race and I am happy to report that was not the only one walking up the monster ones. I even managed to pass a woman from Denver, so my little Wisconsin lungs held their own! The majority of the course was on dirt roads which had me a bit worried about getting stones in my shoes, but no worries. The rain the night before settled the small looses stuff so it actually was a nice running surface. The weather was perfect. 50 degrees at start and the cloud cover stayed so no intense high elevation sun. And thankfully a light wind.

I ended up running a 2:18:38 which I am very happy with considering the course. In addition to walking the hills, I also stopped and took couple of pictures. And I didn't come in last! I actually finished 56th out of 85. Usually I am into 50% but I think this course drew more of the serious runners. They said that women out numbered men 3:1 and I am sure most were in my age group!

Overall it was a nice small town half. Cheerful volunteers and fairly well organized.

Half #3 - Middle Park Half Marathon.

Today I ran my 3rd half in 3 months. Nine more in the next nine months.

This one - the inaugural Middle Park Half Marathon in Grandby Colorado was a challenge to put it lightly. The course description says there is over a 500 foot change in elevation from start to finish, but runners actually run up hill much more that 500+ feet due to the "rolling" hills along the course. The good thing is the big hills are at the start of the race and I am happy to report that was not the only one walking up the monster ones. I even managed to pass a woman from Denver, so my little Wisconsin lungs held their own! The majority of the course was on dirt roads which had me a bit worried about getting stones in my shoes, but no worries. The rain the night before settled the small looses stuff so it actually was a nice running surface. The weather was perfect. 50 degrees at start and the cloud cover stayed so no intense high elevation sun. And thankfully a light wind.

I ended up running a 2:18:38 which I am very happy with considering the course. In addition to walking the hills, I also stopped and took couple of pictures. And I didn't come in last! I actually finished 56th out of 85. Usually I am into 50% but I think this course drew more of the serious runners. They said that women out numbered men 3:1 and I am sure most were in my age group!

Overall it was a nice small town half. Cheerful volunteers and fairly well organized.

Is it good or bad?

So, earlier today I got an email from the race director and I am not sure if it is good or bad. See what you think.

The most relevant sentence is, "You are members of a select group because this year's field is looking pretty darn small.". He happened to send out the test email by mistake so I was able to count how many people he sent it to------55. Now, my first thought was, "Cool! I might have a chance to place! (although past experience has shown that my age group usually has the most participants and they are all fast). Then after remembering that I am in Colorado where everyone seems to be either running, road biking or mountain biking and the fact that a half marathon with a starting line at 7900 elevation and the elevation chart for the course looks like a mountain I realized that it probably is not going to be a race that newbies jump at. SO, my second thought was, "Crap! What if I come in last!" So much for the 'fun run' attitude I was going to embody for this race.

The good news is that the email told me I would be getting a hoodie and a hat! A hoodie is a first! However, no finishing medals due to a mix up with the supplier. Probably the real reason is that they only come in quantities of 100!

A bit concerned

First - please excuse any typos since I am typing this on my iPad.

On with the post..... As many of you know, I am on a quest to complete 12 half marathons in 12 months. This month will be number 3 and will be in Granby, Colorado. Why Colorado? Well after doing the hilly Minneapolis half marathon in very warm weather, I was not looking forward to my scheduled July half in Black River Falls. That half is known to be very challenging due to hills and any race in Wisconsin in July is destined to be hot and humid.

So, since we were headed to Colorado on a family vacation in July, I thought I would see if there were any halfs in the area we would be in. Sure enough... The inaugural running of the Middle Park Half was within 20 miles of where we were going and half way through the vacation, so hopefully I would have acclimated to the elevation a little bit.

Now why I thought a race in Colorado would not be hilly is beyond me! If you want to see how hilly the course is so you can laugh at my pending misery, you can click here

Believe it or not, the significant change in elevation is not what has me concerned. Instead it is that despite an exhaustive Internet search, I could not find the answers to my basic questions. Those who know me are probably thinking, "Yeah right! Allison's 'basic' questions are probably along the lines of, 'What is the exact elevation change between each mile?' or 'What will the beer selection at the post race party be?". Well, in desperation I finally sent the race organizer an email with my questions (See! I was able to find his email - EASILY). So I am able to show you how BASIC my questions are:

1. Is there race packet pick up on Friday? If so, where? If not, where on Saturday?
2. Where is the start and where should we park? (the parking webpage is blank)
3. Is energy gel being handed out? If so, what kind and at what mile?
4. What miles are the aid/water stations?

Pretty basic - right? Yikes! Now, the next question is whether or not I will get a response! If not, it will make me think I had better come prepared to completely support myself (Gu and H2O) for the entire 13.1 miles - assuming of course the race actually takes place!

Well, I will let you know how it goes!

Update: my questions have been answered!

13.1 x 2

Today I ran my second half marathon in my attempt to run a half marathon a month for a year. For those of you who need a little help with math that means 10 more marathons in the next 10 months. The Cellcom half in Green Bay was the first one. This one was the Team Ortho half in Minneapolis not to be confused with the big mnpls Medtronic marathon in the fall. I believe this one was just over 4000 with 700 running the full. So it is quite a bit smaller than Green Bay.

I stayed at the Depot Renaissance Hotel which is where the expo and start line are at. I had a nice view of a long line of port a potties from my window. The room was nice. The expo was not. Two store booths and about 4 race booths and that was it. No crowd though - so I was able to buy a cute t- shirt and a pouch for my fuel belt. So, i guess it was good enough for me!

They gave us a nice technical t-.shirt and our choice of either a black or white hat or visor. No goody bag, but given the lack of useful items I have gotten at past races and the copious amounts of useless paper advertisements, I was okay with that.

The race - So I looked at the course and elevations and beyond a long and steep hill from mile 6-7 it didn't seem too bad. I should have known how much those elevation charts lie, lie, lie! It was going to be a warm one too Upper 60's - not as hot as when I ran the Chicago marathon in 2009, but at least 10 -20 degrees warmer than I would have liked.

The start went off without a hitch, but they did use a recorded version of the National Anthem which seemed a bit odd. I realized that no matter how much a singer doesn't hit all those high notes, I would much rather have a live person sing it. It pulls at the heart strings a bit
more.

The course is a scenically beautiful course - especially the first half which is relatively flat. I was actually able to look around and try to take in some of the scenery. I thought I was running fine, but given the temperature and hills in the second half, I may have been a bit fast. The long hill killed me. I was going to try and pick up the pace after the hill but I had to be satisfied just trying to get my rhythm back. The turn
around was after mile 9. I THOUGHT it was at mile nine and I know that a lot of people were thinking the same thing since I heard a lot of, "where is the turn around!?!". I think if you could see thought bubbles above everyone's heads they all would say the same thing plus a few swear words.

I wasn't very impressed with the water/Gatorade stops. Volunteers weren't good about yelling out if they had water or Gatorade. The second water stop was woefully under staffed. My biggest gripe is that they didn't have Gu until mile 9. Come on! The race is 3/4 done and NOW you are offering Gu??? Tsk, tsk..

Of course the long hill going up seemed much shorter going down. PLUS there were two smaller hills the mile before the finish. Several curse words were running through my mind and I am sure the race director's ears were burning and not from good things being said about
him. Hills are never my forte and putting them at the end of a hilly, hot 13 miles makes me want to walk. So I did. I don't care if you think
less of me. I kept on thinking "It is a beautiful morning. I should walk so I can enjoy it! This lack of mental stamina is why I am done with marathons except for Disney where I am determined to have a "fun" marathon. If that is possible.

The post race offerings were disappointing. My biggest gripe is that they only had small glasses of water, same as the ones on the course and also filled 1/2 to (if you were lucky) 3/4 full. I am not usually a big water drinker , but after a race I am, especially on a warm day. I want a BOTTLE of water or at least more than one place to get a puny glass. No chocolate chip cookies either. That ranks up there with not having beer. Granted we had free drink tickets to two area bars, but it is not the same as sipping a beer as you watch other runners finish. But of course this is Minnesota, not Wisconsin. On the plus side they were handing out whole bananas and apples. They also handed you paper bags with a bag of chips, chocolate teddy-type Grahams and my favorite post race treat - a Nutroll! Unfortunately it was bite size' slit doesn't make up for no chocolate chip cookies.

So, it was an okay race but there is definitely room for improvement.

If there are spelling errors, blame my iPad.

A new Gadget!

Shut up and Run is giving a way a new gadget that might just get me back to swimming. It is a waterproof case for a iPod shuffle and waterproof earphones! The waterproof case goes on the back of your goggles. I can just imagine putting on some good tunes or a good book and just swimming the day away. Well, not quite - but it sure would help motivate me to dive in that Sparta pool at 6:00 am this summer! And you know me... I am always looking for a new gadget and I have been having a hard time topping my homemade arm warmers!

Sure fire crankiness

If this happened to me, I would definitely be CRANKY.

Spring Fever

He's Baaacckkkk

Today while running I mentioned that I was looking for some funny material for the blog. There was is some good worm harvesting material.... but I am still refining it. However, the running blog Gods shined on me today.

I expect all the Spartans running Green Bay to finish their run with the Hitchhiker move or the double happy hands!

I know it has been a while since I have posted. This weather is not of the motivating, "Let's get out and RUN!" kind. It has been crappy, crappy, crappy - one more time CRAPPY!. I suppose it is a good thing since my ankle was "causing problems" - runner lingo for injured. So I needed to take a week of to rest it and then gradually build back up. The weather helped with the gradual part. The silver lining is that it would really have sucked if I had to not run during a week of beautiful weather. Yes, my ankle seems to be doing better. I have an appointment with PT, but keep on delaying it to see if I really need it. The pain has subsided, but I still soak it in a cold bucket of water after each run. I think it was caused by running with my dog. His pulling caused my gait to change, thus putting more stress on my ankle. Needless to say, He is NOT happy about not running anymore. Everyday when I return from my morning run he lies on his bed and gives me the silent guilt trip.

Today was a tough run. I ran 11.5 yesterday and normally I wouldn't run today, but with the weather I have been a bit short on weekly mileage. So the pace was much, much slower than normal. And throughout it I was thinking, "Maybe 3 will be fine today, maybe I will cut it off here, maybe I will cut it off here, maybe I will cut it off here." But I made it through and by the end, although I was still running slow, my body didn't feel like it was going to grumble down and collapse.

I wish I had a funny some funny video to share, but no such luck. Hopefully with the racing season some new ones will come out.

Thoughts during a Marathon

This video is so good! Although I have to say my "crazy" stages were not quite as happy, more along the lines of psycho killer than goof ball.

2011 the year of running?

It looks like 2011 and part of 2012 will be the year of running for me.

I have committed (kinda) to running a half marathon each month starting in May. AND I just registered for the 2010 Disney Goofy Challenge (half marathon and marathon back to back).

I took a quick peek at Jeff Galloway's training plan for the Goofy. I saw a 26 mile run!!!! Good thing there is not a Un DO!!!! button on the registration.

Today I goofed and set my alarm wrong which met Christy had to run by herself. I could say I did set it right, but my alarm felt the world wide grief experienced by all Badger fans when Bucky failed to win his game last night and decided to be kind to at least me and change my wake up time from 4:30 to 6:30. I was punished by the fact that I had to to my entire long run by myself. And of course after not running for 3 days due to weather and work, my body felt like H*ll for the first 4 miles. There was no one to distract me from my misery, so consider me punished!

Are you curious what half marathons I have planned? Here they are... I am still looking for one in December.

May – Green Bay Cellcom

June 5 – Minneapolis Half Marathon

July 16 – Karner Blue Half Marathon – Black River Falls

August 21 – Madison Mini Half Marathon

Sept 11 - Elroy Tunnel Trails Half Marathon

Oct 29 – Summit Credit Union Haunted Hustle Marathon http://www.capitolviewevents.com/hauntedhustle.html

Nov 6 – Rails to Trails, NorwalkWI

December – Sparta Half Marathon??? (for some reason there are no half marathons in MN, IL, IA or WI in December)

January 2012 – Disney

February 12 – Sandbox indoor half (new Richmond) or Rochester Lace up against Breast Cancer

March 26 - Dick Lytie Spring Classic Half Marathon Green Bay

April 15 – Reedsburg Medical Center Vet Fest Half Marathon