Seattle Marathon 2006

I love the northwest. Every single training run in November has been cold, windy and extremely wet. If I ran in the morning I would be chilled the rest of the day. If I ran at lunch I would sit at my desk looking like a wet mop all afternoon. So I resigned myself to evening runs, in the dark, through puddles I couldn't see and through driving rain that chilled me past the point of feeling. It was good training.
The weather forecast for the Seattle Marathon was ominous and ever changing. One station would call for high winds and rain, another for snow, and still another for partial clearing. The next hour the forecast would change, but the main theme was constant: it would be cold and wet. I packed for all conditions and headed for the big city Saturday afternoon. After a very quick stop at the expo we checked into our room then straight to the elevators to make our 5:30 Boomer Dinner. When the elevator doors opened we were shocked to be greeted by a red-stilettoed Goddess....
Fast forward to Race Day:
By now everyone has heard about the conditions: rain mixed with snow and wind. I decided to wear black tights, a red Marathon Maniacs long-sleeve tech shirt, safety yellow Maniacs jacket, black hat and black gloves. I tucked some hand warmers provided by Divechief into my gloves for extra comfort.
Waiting for the start was miserable, but as soon as the gun went off all was forgotten and it was time to run. I felt good and thought I was running strong, but my first mile split came in at 11:45. Oh well, it was crowded so the next one would be better. The next split? 10:30... no excuse, I guess it was going to be a slow day. Mile three came in at 9:30, better but still not good enough for the elusive BQ.... almost 5 minutes behind my pace in the first 3 miles. Everyone told me Seattle would be a tough course to PR or BQ on, I was probably foolish to even think it was possible especially with the weather conditions. (I had trained for a BQ attempt in the Tri-Cities three weeks earlier, but mother nature gifted us with a nasty wind storm and though I PR'd, I missed qualifying by a little over 3 minutes.)
My splits were bad, but my spirits were up. I was having fun with the rain, the cold and the other runners. I finally felt like I was hitting my stride as we came off the floating bridge. I shed my jacket and gloves and settled in for 18 miles of constant, consistent effort, putting myself in an almost meditative state. I don't remember much about the middle miles except an all-too-brief hug by an aqua-socked Boomer at mile 16. At mile 20 I caught the 4:00 pace group, hung out for a few minutes then went on ahead as we climbed towards the arboretum. Almost too soon I was flying down the long down hill approach to the finish, through the tunnel and onto the football field. My feet took wing as I crossed the artificial turf (one of the best parts of the Seattle event) and into the finishing chute in 3:58:46. A 5 1/2 minute PR, a BQ and an age group placement award.
Yes! I'm going to Boston!

Tri Cities Marathon 2006

I had high hopes for the Tri-Cities marathon in eastern Washington State. I was feeling great. My body was fresh and strong after a two week vacation which included one week that I logged 40 training miles at high altitude (and hills!). I approached the weekend knowing I was ready to smash that 4 hour barrier. The Friday evening weather report was favorable, too. Low’s in the mid 30’s, highs in the mid 60’s, light winds, sunshine. I even slept well the night before the race, confident that I had done everything right.
I woke on race morning to cold, clear skies and horrid winds. The revised weather report called for sustained winds 30-40 mph with gusts to 60. The marathon course follows a river that runs east to west. The winds were coming from the south which meant primarily a side wind with a slight tail wind on the way out and slight head wind on the way back. I had planned on running a negative split, but with the weather conditions made a last minute decision to change my strategy. I decided to use whatever tail wind was present and bank some time on the way out, then ease up on the way back and hope for the best. The first half was wonderful. I felt like a kid playing in the autumn leaves. Occasional gusts blew the hat from my head and I’d have to detour to catch it. I hit the halfway point in 1:52, a nice half-marathon PR for me and I hadn’t even put out an effort yet.
Then it happened….
The wind shifted. Some time during the last miles of the “Out” portion of the race, the wind shifted to blow from the west. The river was now churning with 4 foot chop and white caps. We crossed the river at mile 17 to begin our journey back and were hit with a wall of wind. It stopped everyone in their tracks. The runners had bunched up and were at a 45 degree angle fighting the head wind. There was still enough of a side wind to slam your raised foot into your other foot, tripping runners and bruising ankles. Tumble weeds were appearing out of nowhere causing all sorts of problems for the wheel chair athletes. Lots of people were walking. Walking kept one foot planted and minimized your chances of blowing off course or into another runner. I started a walk/run rotation since walking seemed as fast as running. I looked at my watch; although I felt I was standing still somehow I was covering a mile each 12 minutes. My quads and ITBs were tiring from pushing against the wind AND I was still having fun! Out of nowhere I managed to find the strength to start continuous running again at mile 20 and I was running well. By mile 22 I was back to sub-9 minute miles. As I approached the finish, I knew I wouldn’t break that 4 hour barrier but I also knew I had an outstanding run and lots left in the tank. I was thrilled to cross the finish line in 4:03 something… a new PR for me. I was even more excited about my performance when I heard about all the PW's that people were clocking….
I even came away with a 2nd in my age group. It was far and away my best marathon. Not just a PR, but I felt so good through out the race. My heart rate stayed low and my energy stayed up. I felt this was truly a “mental” marathon and I faced the challenge.
Unfortunately the adventure was not over for the western Washington marathoners: the same wacky weather dumped unexpected snow and hail on the mountain passes. Two of the main routes back to Seattle were closed for hours, leaving many of us stranded on the wrong side of the mountain range. Mr. Dove and I detoured south and avoided most of the mess but still added hours to our drive home.
Fashion Report: Yellow Marathon Maniacs singlet, black knit gloves, black hat, black running skirt, Brooks Adrenalines and diamond studs. I topped it off with a coating of Dove’s Secret Sauce on the legs (baby oil and Red Hot liniment) that collected all the blowing dust, maple leaves and even a few tumbleweeds on the course so that I looked like Pigpen when I rolled across the finish line.

Portland Marathon 2006

Let me start by saying the pre-race dinner party arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Labduck was great. I ran into Hippo and his very-much-not-a-Hippo wife on our way in. He introduced me to Julia by saying something like "look! This is not one of my imaginary friends, this is Marilou, she's normal, she's a Maniac." The hostess wasn't sure which party of 18 we were with, so she asked us to look around and see if we recognized anyone. It's a little hard to recognize people you have never met, but when we spotted the Boomers, it was obvious that this was our party. Everyone looked like the fit, youthful, athletic person I had imagined.
Econo and Tet gifted us with chocolate, keychains and little blinky things. Tammy got something special that I'd rather not describe. After dinner there was much jostling as pictures were taken, Tet was determined that every picture had to be goddess-Tet-goddess, although he reluctantly shared the wealth with the other guys. Econo took the fashionista award for her lovely black outfit complete with short skirt and cowboy boots.
Race morning was a big rolling party. I like the start of marathons the best and was reminded of that as we headed off into the newly breaking daylight to the sound of beating drums. I wasn't feeling well since I was just coming out of a terrible chest cold so I adopted the 1 mile run, 1 minute walk method of marathoning. I decided my goal for the race would be a new PW and to take things mile by mile, giving myself permission to drop out at any time. Despite feeling like I wasn't getting any oxygen to my legs, I had the best time! Spectators were everywhere, bands were set up every mile or so, and two out-and-backs gave plenty of opportunity to spot other Boomers. I was still hanging in there after climbing up the bridge at mile 17 (despite coughing up a lung) so decided to try and make it to the Boomer Aid Station. I thought it would be a perfect place to stage my first DNF and I could cheer on boomers that were behind me. Well, Tammy had other plans. She met me with a bottle of Gatorade and didn't even give me a chance to slow down or quit. Her enthusiasm and willingness to run with me for a stretch gave me new faith that I could finish and collect my medal.
I continued on for the next 50 minutes, smiling and enjoying every inch of the remaining miles. The beer at mile 24 added an extra spring to my step. The finish was amazing with huge crowds, great volunteers and wonderful food.
I didn't make my goal, though: I finished in 4:28... two minutes too fast for a PW.
I think I'll give Portland another try next year!

Fashion Report: Bright pink skirt, white singlet, pink running cap, Brooks shoes, diamond studs.

Skagit Flats Marathon 2006

Mandatory fashion report: Black Triks skirt, yellow marathon maniacs singlet, Brooks Adrenaline shoes, black runners cap, diamond studs.

The weekend of the Skagit Flats Marathon started off on the wrong foot. My 9 year old son, Alec, woke with a slight fever on Saturday morning. He didn’t seem too bad, and I decided to proceed with my plans to drive to Mount Vernon with Alec and my mother. I figured that a 3 hour drive would give Alec plenty of time to nap and we could sit around the hotel room and watch movies for the remainder of the day: a perfect way to fight off whatever bug was trying to take hold. The bug had other plans…

By the time we checked in Alec was feeling worse. I left him with Grandma, rushed over to pick up my race packet and pick up some take-out Italian for a late lunch. When I returned to the hotel room and unpacked lunch, I noticed that they had forgot to include my pasta and bread. I had eggplant and salad, pretty skimpy for a pre-race meal. I sent my mom out for a few snacks later in the evening: she came back with cookies. I was greatful for anything. Alec continued to get worse as his fever came on strong so I decided to call it an evening and get all of us to bed even though I was still hungry. Alec tossed, turned and coughed all night (we were sharing a bed) so I barely slept.

I was up the next morning feeling OK. I had a quick cup of black coffee and an energy bar before rushing off to meet my ride. Alec didn’t look like he was feeling any better, but grandma assured me that he would be just fine and they would meet me at the finish line. At the start, I meet up with Hippo (I didn’t know Soundrunner was going to be there, so didn’t look for her). The race starts and I bid Hippo a nice run as he bolts into the rising sun.

I don’t remember much about the race itself, except that it is through absolutely flat, treeless, spectatorless farmland. I could tell it would get tedious. By mile 6, at the half marathon turnaround, I was already bored. Mile ten was slightly more interesting since the leaders started appearing on the back side of this out-and-back course. A ray of mental sunshine hit me at mile 11 as Hippo ran by shouting a greeting to this goddess. He was looking strong and fresh but was out of sight way too soon. At mile 15 I started playing a game of adding some striders the last 100 yards of each mile. That held my interest for 5 miles, then my legs started complaining. About that time I became pre occupied with the turkey vultures soaring overhead, I was sure they were waiting for some insanely bored goddess to give up and they would come sweeping down to finish her off. Mile 21 I finally allowed myself to plug into my MP3 player although by that time the music just annoyed me. I trudged along and passed under the finish clock. I could have sworn it said 4:10:38. Oh well, I finished. I got my medal, a hug from a few Maniacs and set out to find Alec. He was all bundled up: pale and wilted in the stands. I decided to get him home ASAP so I bypassed the food and headed for the car. I stopped briefly to chat with Hippo, making sure he would join us in Portland for the pre- race dinner. He looked like he just returned from a weekend at the Spa, not like he had just run 26.2.

As you can read, it was a totally uninspired race for me. But I did finish and felt I gained some mental strength from the whole experience.

Here is what went right:

That night, I checked the final results. My time was 4:07:38. Good enough to place 2nd in the 45-49 age group although they were only giving awards in 10 year increments so no hardware for me.

I felt good enough after the race to drive 3 hours home, do some yard work, and play with the dogs.

I had no soreness or fatigue the next day. I ran on Tuesday and Wednesday and my legs felt fresh and springy.

I can’t wait for Portland!

Pacific Crest Marathon 2006

It all started 3 weeks ago when I visited my local running store for new shoes. I had been running in the same model for the past 2 years, then they were discountinued. I managed to stock pile enough pairs to get me through the Capital City Marathon, but now I was down to one last pair with 200 miles on them. The morning I visited my running store, I was greeted by a new face. He seemed knowledgable enough, so I trusted my delicate feet to his recommendations. After I bought my new shoes, I had an uneasy feeling about the whole deal so I ran on a treadmill the first few work outs and they felt fine. Two weeks ago I took a 16 miler in them, and at mile 10 my hip started acting up. A trip back to the running store, with the knowedgable manager confirmed that I was in THE WRONG SHOE and that caused my hip problem. I dutifully iced and rested, no running for 4 days.
Last weekend I was feeling fine and ran a 10 miler (including a 5k race in the middle) in different new shoes. Everything seemed fine and I was moving fluid and fast.
Fast forward to race day....
I was up at 5:00 for a light breakfast and pre-race prep. I arrived at the start line half an hour early dressed in a yellow Marathon Maniac singlet, black skirt and my trusty Nike AST8's that now had a little over 200 miles on them. I was worried about my feet because I managed to get a heel blister the day before while hiking in the canyons around Bend Oregon and trying to acclimate to the high altitude. Lots of body glide and well-fitting shoes seemed to solve the blister problem.
The race was due to start at 7:30, but we were staged at 7:15 in the athlete village for a "Parade of Athletes". Pacific Crest is a huge endurance weekend in which the marathon is only one of a dozen or so events (triathalons, Duathalons, various foot races, etc...). Because of this, the event had a festival like feeling and runners were treated like stars, including a parade to the start. It was already warm by the time the start gun went off and I was wishing we had started an hour earlier. The first few miles were hard, but they are always hard for me. I found a few other maniacs and passed the warm-up miles in pleasant chatter. Slowly they started to lag behind and I would catch another one up ahead. A little chatter later, I would lose them, too, and set my sights on some one else to get acquainted with. By mile 7 I was feeling great. No problems, everything was functioning better than normal. The sun was starting to heat up and I made a mental note to start dumping water over myself when we passed this point during the second of our two-loop course.
Mile 13 took us back through the athletes village and the only clock on the course. I couldn't believe my split: 1:56. Hey! I'm on track to BQ! I'm not supposed to do that until January, this is just a training run. I even have time to spare!
I started the second loop full of energy. But then the heat really hit AND the altitude. I'm OK, just a little winded, just a little hot but I'm gonna BQ!
Mile 14 found us out in the sun again, winding our way through high desert meadows. There was no hope of shade anywhere. Temps started climbing towards the high 80's when, at mile 17, I completely fell apart. First my stomach gave way and I had to hit every porta-potty for the next 4 miles. Then my back tightened up. Legs got heavy at mile 19. at mile 20 my hip gave out. The porta-potty trips were dreadfully as my legs cramped up every time I stopped. Some how I managed to keep moving forward. Some how I kept passing people and some how I found myself approaching the finish line, still upright and running. My boyfriend was waiting several hundred yards before the finish and yelled out: "your number 12!". I had no idea what he was talking about, I was only think about my hip, and my feet, and the salt dripping in my eyes. I crossed the line in 4:05. A PR by 8 minutes but no BQ.
When I emerged from the recovery area, my boyfriend greeted me with his usual "you did great, sweetie." I shook my head... no I didn't do great, I fell apart. This one did me in and I hurt, especially my hip. "No" he said, "you did great, you were the 12th woman in!"
I didn't really believe him and during further questioning discovered he hadn't been at the finish line when the first racers were arriving. Then while standing around and chatting with fellow Maniacs, the awards ceremony started. To my surprise the announcer called my name as the winner of the women's 40-44 age group! And number 12 overall woman. Yeah! Some how I hurt a little less with that gold medal hanging around my neck!
Now I'm home. My hip no longer hurts but I'm icing it anyway and planning to take a week or so off to mend. I'll miss the Seafair Marathon, then be back at it in September for the Skagit Flats if everything goes well.

Evergreen 5k 2006

Even though I've been running for years, some how I never managed to enter a 5k. I ran several 10k's when I was in my 20's but only as cross training for cycling. I have no idea what my times were back then because I didn't realize they even timed "fun runs" and never paid attention to the clock. Anyway, my 9 year old son talked me into running the Evergreen 5K. He thinks his mom is fast and was sure I could win. I tried to explain to him that I have lots of endurance, but I'm NOT fast enough to even place in my age group... still he had faith in me and talked me into sending in an entry.
I woke up this morning after an almost sleepless night. I was more nervous about this race than any of my previous half and full marathons. I drove to the course early: I'm running a marathon next Saturday and didn't want to miss my scheduled 10 miler so I ran the course once to check it out and get a few miles in. By mile one of my warm-up lap I was silently cursing... why do I always pick the hilliest courses? Why can't I find something good and flat for a change? My first mile split was 11:00. Like I said, I'm not fast and I was warming up. My legs started to loosen up as I climbed up and down the hills and finally crossed the finish line in 35 minutes. I had just enough time to spare to pin on my race number and find the potties.
I settled into a spot at the startline some where in the middle of the pack. I heard a couple of comments and maybe a snicker or two about my attire. I wore my little black marathon dress, sparkly new adidas, a diamond necklace and matching studs. I left my watch behind so I wouldn't be depressed with my splits.
The race started, and as usual everyone was passing me. My freshly warmed-up legs didn't like that very much so they kicked in a little. I reached the one mile mark earlier than expected, then by mile two I was passing lots of heavy breathers. Approaching mile 3 I finally settled into a comfortable rythm and then........... it was over. Just like that. Finished. I grabbed a bottle of water and decided to run the course one more time to get my 10 miles in while I waited for the results to be posted. As I loped along the last loop, some spectators were still on the course and shouting encouragement to me, thinking I was still running the race. I realized I was still wearing my number as I started to pass people that were still completing the race so I quickly tore it off. I didn't want to be timed twice!
I finished my third lap just in time to watch the awards. I couldn't believe it, I won my age group! AND I won the Masters Woman! My son was so proud! My new (and only) PR for the 5k is 24:46! Now I need to rest up for that marathon on Saturday.

Capital City Marathon 2006

This was one tough marathon! It was the first year for a new course, and since it is in my hometown and I love challenging courses, I had to run it. I had my fair share of doubts because I just ran Vancouver two weeks ago and I wasn't really sure my legs were up to another hilly marathon. I knew I would be plodding along and just running to finish.
The start was fast. I started in the very back and still had an 8:00 first mile. It took a huge mental effort but I managed to slow down and settle into a nice, comfortably slow pace. We started up the first hill at mile 2, rolling hills continued to about mile 9, then we really started to climb. Big hills attacked us from mile 9 until mile 18 or so (I didn't pay much attention to mile markers so I could be off a little). The downhills were much tougher than the climbs and my joints were starting to complain. I hit the half way point in 2:07, slightly faster than I had planned. The course flattened out for a few miles then we had another significant climb at mile 22. I was feeling great when I hit the 24 mile mark and knew it was down hill from there. I also noticed that I was faster than Vancouver by several minutes and I may just get a PR. I cruised the last two miles, crossing the finish in 4:13 (by my watch), a PR by 2 minutes! I quickly grabbed a mocha at the local coffee house and walked the 2 miles back home, feeling pretty darned good about my run.
This is a great course for those who like a challenge and visiting Olympia Washington can't be beat. (I'm so lucky to live here!)

Vancouver International Marathon 2006

This is going to be brief, since I just got home and need to warm up in the hot tub....
I woke up this morning to a heavy rain, reluctantly boarded the bus and headed for the start. I was surprised to see how many half marathoners were there compared to full runners. I tried my best to stay dry under the bleachers then at the last minute moved to the start line. Once moving, I actually enjoyed the rain. The course had lots of twists and turns and many hills, so the rain felt refreshing. I planned on an easy pace for this one, more like a training run. I felt great. My run was non-eventful except for the fact they ran out of water between mile 8 and mile 15 or so. How can a large marathon run out of water? Mile markers were hard to spot and many were wrong. I passed a sign that read "half-way full marathon" then a bit later one that said "13 miles full marathon" later still was a "half way there!" but I THINK my 1/2 split was 2:10. Weather started to clear and turn to mist as I picked up the pace. I crossed the finish with plenty left in my legs with a finish time of 4:15. Beautiful, challenging course. Great medal, too! Sorry for the short and incomplete report but I'm brain dead after running in the rain, then driving 5 hours.

The Lost Dutchman 2006

I never really intended to run the Lost Dutchman as my first marathon. I have been training for the Vancouver International Marathon on May 7th, and part of my plan was to include a half marathon every month just to keep my interest up and not lose motivation. My January half marathon was the PF Chang Rock n’ Roll Arizona. I met a lot of people during that trip and many locals were talking about the Lost Dutchman that was coming up in February in Apache Junction, AZ. I looked it up on marathonguide.com when I returned home. The reviews were wonderful. I decided that would be my Febuary half and made all my travel plans. A few days later, after a great 20 mile training run, I got this hare-brained idea that maybe I could actually run a full marathon at the Lost Dutchman. I had 4 weeks to get ready and already had an 18 mile and two 20 mile training runs under my belt. The only thing really holding me back was the difficulty of the course: lots of hills and dirt roads. I decided to train as if I were going to run the full 26.2, and give myself the option of dropping back to the half if the course looked too hard or I didn't feel ready. I also decided that if I did run the full, I would run it as a training run and not push myself.

Jumping to race day….

After a sleepless night, I finally got out of bed at 4 am. The RnR experience in January taught me to get to the shuttles early (I waited an hour for a bus at the RnR). My boyfriend drove me to the shuttles and I went directly from the car to the bus and within minutes we were headed to the start at the Peralta Trailhead. It was too dark to see any of the course as we jostled up the rutted dirt road. Our bus was the first to arrive. We were greeted with bonfires and pre race treats including coffee, hot chocolate and pastries. I spent the next hour chatting with fellow runners and enjoying the night sky. As the buses rolled in and more runners joined us, I noticed that these were serious runners. Every one was fit and “Seasoned”. I only managed to find one other marathon virgin. My nerves were starting to build and I regretted that I hadn’t driven the course the day before.

A few minutes before seven we were asked to line up at the start. A real shotgun blast signaled the start of the race. I took off slowly while everyone around me sprinted down the hill. I think I must have been the very last person to cross the one mile marker… simply a sign along the dirt road. I have no idea what my split was because I had decided to leave my watch at the hotel and listen to my body to set my pace. The sun was slowly rising over the desert as mile two went by, then mile three. The dirt road rose and fell through the foothills of the Superstition Mountains for a total of 7 miles then leveled out to a paved shoulder along the highway. Slowly I started to pass people, and every time I did I reminded myself to slow down. At mile 9 we started to climb back into the foothills and wound around Gold Canyon. We were either climbing or descending every step of the way. Mile 13 came quicker than expected, although there were no clocks along the course so I had no idea what pace I was running. I do know I felt good and my heart rate was low. At mile 15, I ate a banana at the water station. Big Mistake. I didn’t eat bananas while training and this one caused major cramping. Suddenly I’m not feeling so good, but I continue on. I am passing more and more people as the course continues to rise and fall. Mile 21 finds us back on dirt roads and almost everyone is walking. Not me! I’m passing people! I pick up the pace a little and head for a hill they call Dutchman’s Revenge at mile 23. The organizers actually constructed a cardboard “wall” at the top and the photographers are there to capture the moment everyone “Hits the Wall”. I was worried about this part of the race, but it seemed like nothing as I ran up it. When I crested the hill, I was still feeling great and once again picked up the pace. As I rounded the final corner to the finish line I spotted the only clock on the course. I was fully expecting a 5:00+ time, but the clock said 4:30:28! I was thrilled and my legs still felt great! My thoughts as I crossed the line: “Where’s the pain? Where’s the agony? When’s the next marathon?”