Way back in January I found a website that listed ultra-distance races. I decided a 50k (31.06 miles) would be an appropriate step up from a marathon. When I ran onto the the Niagara Ultra website, I knew I'd found my race. I printed off my registration form and filled it out, but I held on to it for a while. I finally put it in the mailbox one day, but when it was still there when I got home later, I took it out! I kept it in the house for a while longer before I just went for it. I guess I was a little unsure!
I put in lots of miles in preparation for the race and both Flying Pig and Key Bank Vermont City helped me prepare. Still, I was pretty nervous heading up to Niagara Falls Friday June 18th.
There is something very special about Niagara Falls. I just love it. I first went there by myself in 2006 shortly after moving to NY. Paul and I went back last summer as well. It never gets old seeing the falls. It's a stunning and beautiful sight every time.
This ultra race was unique because the turn-around point was actually AT the falls. I mean, how inspirational is it to run by the falls?!! I was excited about that part!
The whole race was to take place in Ontario, so we decided to stay in Canada to make things easier. We didn't want to have to deal with a border crossing the morning of the race. We checked into our hotel Friday night and tried to get to sleep early since the race was Saturday morning.
The race was put on by the St. Catharine's Roadrunners and Walkers club. In addition to the 50k ultra, they also held a full marathon, half marathon, and 10k.
We arrived and checked in, picked up my packet, chip, and nifty hoodie. It was a nice morning. Slightly warm and humid. There were more people than I'd imagined. I didn't realize ultra running was as popular as it is.
I gave Paul a big hug before the start and lined up toward the back of the pack. I had a LONG day ahead of me and I hoped I was ready!
Off we went. Was I really doing this? Through training so many people told me how nuts I was for attempting to run a 50k. Maybe I was?
I tried to settle into a nice rhythm. I knew this race was going to be different from all my other races. I had to conserve. I had to take it slow. I had to be patient.
The race course was beautiful. It followed a traffic free asphalt path through neighborhoods and parks. We saw vineyards, flowers, gorgeous houses, green grasses. At one point I passed by a home with a rose bush out front near our path. I made a promise to myself to "stop and smell the roses" when I came back by.
The miles ticked by, but I felt tired. My miles were slow and I felt a little sluggish. I stopped at each aid station (I typically never do this) to refill my fuel belt with water. I was using a new fuel source for this race--Hammer Sustained Energy. You can only mix so much at a time because it will actually sour. I did carry my usual E-Gels as backup, but I wanted to rely on the Sustained Energy for calories and protein. It was critically important that I consume enough calories and water.
Some people opt to tackle ultras with a run-walk strategy. They may run for 5 minutes/walk for 1 minute. Or do 25/5 or any combination that works for them. My goal was to run the whole thing. Paul was able to follow the course and found parking spots where he could see me frequently. The motivation and high fives from him were great.
I found myself "running with" several others. We'd play a little cat and mouse here and there, as I would leave them when they walked, but they'd pass me back when they ran. This continued on as we headed toward the falls.
Closer and closer we got and I was really excited to get to the falls. I was feeling hot and tired, but I knew inspiration would come and it did. As soon as I saw the falls I smiled. It made me happy. I couldn't wait to get closer.
The run followed the walk-way along the falls, but it was crowded with tourists. I had almost dreaded this part because I knew it might be difficult. The tourists had no idea why people were running toward them! Some didn't realize runners were coming and some didn't get out of the way and runners had to swerve in and out of people. I know some thought we were crazy but some nice people clapped and cheered for us.
I enjoyed the cool mist from the falls spray as I ran by and I made it to the turn-around where I stopped and refilled water, drank some water, and mixed up some more fuel. The guys I had played catch-up with were still at the turn-around when I left. I didn't stay there long at all. Got a big high-five and a "Go get 'em, girl" from the race volunteer on my way out and I headed back. I was reluctant to leave the falls, but it had renewed my spirit and I felt more energetic. The miles I ran near the falls were faster so I knew the scenery helped in more ways than one.
Once I left the turn-around, I was by myself for a very long time. I saw a lot of people heading to the turn-around and gave them "good job" and "way to go" and "keep it up" words of wisdom and most did the same for me. It was a very supportive group of runners. Nearly everyone gave encouragement which was nice. In the bigger marathons that almost never happens. That's been my experience anyway.
The race went from being a race to being a long run at that point I think. I didn't have screaming crowds cheering, I didn't have other runners around me, I didn't have Paul for a while. It was just me, my moving feet, and asphalt. A quiet breeze, occasional car driving by, sun behind clouds, and my steps.
I really started to get tired. I tried not to get overwhelmed with the remaining distance. I broke it up into chunks. I did that on the way out too, but it became more important on the way back. For me the mental aspect of running is just as important as the physical part. Staying focused mentally in a long race can be difficult because it's easy for your mind to wander, especially if you're feeling pain.
I saw Paul a few more times on the way back and then it was just me again. I continued stopping at each aid station for water and to mix more fuel. At one point I started to feel a little sick to my stomach and out of sorts. I was wondering if I wasn't getting enough calories. I decided to have an E-gel too for both calories and electrolytes. It helped me feel a little better, but I knew I would feel much better (and worse!) when I finished.
I kept putting one foot in front of the other albeit more slowly than before. I passed back by the house with the roses and I did stop to smell them! You know what? They had no fragrance whatsoever! Boo! And eventually, 5:15:38 after I started, I crossed the finish line completing my first ultra marathon. I must not have looked very good when I crossed the line. I immediately found the first supportive item I could (a post) and sort of sat on it with my head down. A nice volunteer brought me water and gatorade. I was so appreciative! Paul arrived just a second later with my recovery drink and big hugs. I was smiles and tears and exhausted! We found a spot on the grass where we sat under a tree for a little while before we headed back to the car and our hotel.
A hot shower felt wonderful and we left to go out for lunch. After races my stomach is always a mess. Some things sound good while others do not. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it either. For whatever reason, a veggie sandwich from Quizno's sounded appetizing, so that's where we went. We went back to the hotel and I wanted to explore a little bit. Next door to our hotel was a Buddhist temple. I was excited! I'd never seen a Buddhist temple before. I have a big interest in and respect for Buddhism and its teachings. Compassion, kindness, etc. The Dalai Lama is one of my heroes! We walked over and took photos of some of the prayer flags and statues in the yard. The doors were open and we poked our heads in. It was a strange feeling when I looked inside. I was overcome by emotion at the beauty. I actually had misty eyes from the experience. From the long colored tapestries hanging from the ceiling to the many Buddhas lining shelves from floor to ceiling were amazing in their beauty. It made me happy. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos. We explored another building there and then walked down to the Rossi Glassblowing Factory around the corner. The artist there put on a demonstration and created a glass blown apple. They specialize in creating pieces made of cranberry glass. The cranberry color is made by adding gold chloride to the molten glass. It was truly beautiful. From there it was back to the hotel for a much needed nap!
I couldn't sleep, but just laying there and resting was nice. We got ready for dinner and drove over to an Italian restaurant I had found online. It took us two trips up the street to find it, but we finally got in, sat down, ordered, and enjoyed focaccia bread with a spicy dipping oil while we waited for our brick oven pizza. The pizza was delicious and filling and I felt a little more energetic.
We walked the few blocks to the falls because I had never seen it at night. It was a slow walk, as I was pretty stiff, but it actually felt good to move. The falls were beautiful as twilight turned into darkness. The falls are lit up at night by giant spotlights that rotate colored screens in front of the bulbs. The colors change randomly and it makes for an interesting viewing experience.
There weren't a ton of people out and it was a beautiful night. When we left, again it was reluctantly.
Up the next morning for a quick breakfast at the hotel and then we made a quick stop at the whirlpool (the waters of the Niagara River swirl in a large whirlpool downstream). We opted not to take the scary looking tram across. Paul took photos instead. : ) We tossed around the idea to go to the butterfly conservatory and while I wanted to, I was just so tired. I'm sure we'll be back in the area at some point.
Once across the border, the drive was uneventful. It seemed as though it took us a long time to get home. I was uncomfortable in the car no matter how I sat. My legs were unhappy with me. Finally pulling into the driveway was a good feeling but my race recovery had only just begun! I wanted to take some time off so I was glad I had planned a trip to California to recover in my favorite place in the world: HOME!
Niagara Ultra June 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Key Bank Vermont City Marathon/ADK 46er Dinner
Crazy person that I am, I thought it would be a good idea to run another marathon in the month of May. What could it hurt? I was training for an ultra, after all! After looking at race schedules and hearing recommendations, I decided on the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, Vermont on 31 May.
Paul and I just love the natural beauty of Vermont. We took our time driving up and had loads of places we wanted to visit. We first stopped at Cold Hollow Cider Mill where we saw old apple cider presses, tasted some fresh apple cider, and got some apple cider doughnuts. We enjoyed those outside in the sun before heading next door to a gift shop and winery. We opted not to taste wine, but browsed through all sort of t-shirts and gifts. From there we stopped at a glass blowing studio where they had an open weekend. One of the artists held a demonstration and we oooooed and awwwwwed as he shaped a hot ball of liquid glass into a beautiful large bowl. I've always wanted to take glassblowing lessons. Maybe someday. : ) We lingered there for a while, smiling at the several sleeping dogs throughout the studio and admiring the many beautiful pieces of glass lining shelves and hanging in windows. I was tempted to purchase something, but we decided not to. I'd been too afraid I would break it in our travels.
We made further stops at Green Mountain Coffee, the Cabot Creamery, where we sampled cheese and bought a few goodies, and at Lake Champlain Chocolates where we only bought four small pieces of chocolate! I was proud of our self control! Unbelievably we didn't even stop at Ben & Jerry's! Nah, instead we went to Magic Hat Brewery where we took a quick self-tour and sampled some beer. : )
We headed out to our hotel and rested there for a while before we headed downtown to meet my friend Kate and her husband Jeremiah for dinner at the Vermont Pub. It began to rain as we waited for them to arrive so we took shelter inside. The rain went as quickly as it came, so we ate dinner outside on the patio. I hadn't seen Kate since just after we graduated, so it had been a while. It was nice to see her and to meet her new husband! We really enjoyed dinner with them and we agreed to try to meet up more frequently. They wished me luck and we said goodbye and headed back to the hotel.
Up the next morning for my breakfast of oatmeal and a Nature's Path pop-tart. Weird pre-race breakfast, but it seemed to be working for me. Got all our stuff together and headed out to find a good parking spot and to get ready to run. We hung out in the car for a while before we left to go to the start. It wasn't a long walk to get to the main starting area and once we got down there, I wished we could have went back! It was swarming with people! I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Runners, families, dogs, bikes, a flurry of activity. And I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was very emotional about the whole race. Nervous and anxious I think. I was trying to remind myself this was JUST A TRAINING RUN, but I knew I did have a goal to break. Since I started running marathons all I wanted to do was to break 4 hours. I thought I could do it, but I wasn't SURE I could. Paul had reminded me over and over that I had my ultra in just 3 short weeks and that I should take it easy. I heard him each time he told me that and I really tried to let it sink in, but a PR is always in the back of my mind. Still, that was not my ultimate goal when I got ready to go.
Again, there were so many people that I was a little unclear as to the location of the start. Paul seems to always be able to know where to go, so together we walked to the start. We pushed through people until it was finally time for me to get down into the street and align myself with the other runners. I was reluctant to leave him that morning. I squeezed myself in amongst the others and almost panicked when I couldn't see him. It took me several times of jumping up before I saw him and he saw me. That made me feel better. : ) For some reason I teared up at the very start of the race, but once I was off and running that went away. I still don't know what all that was about.
A lot of the race I don't remember though the scenery was beautiful. The course runs along Lake Champlain so it's very scenic. The day was slightly overcast and coolish, so it made for nice running weather. I wore my GPS watch for my timing and as I crossed the half-marathon mark at 1:59 I realized I was on track for a sub 4 hour finish. I also knew that I tend to slow down in the second half of a marathon. I knew I had potential, but I knew I had a lot of work to do.
I felt pretty good, but I was starting to get tired in the back half. My mile times slowed down a bit, but I dug deep to push myself. I kept a close eye on my mile times and tried to do some math in my head. I'm not great at math especially while running a marathon! I put the hammer down for the last several miles and crossed the finish line at 3:57:55 for a 9:05 pace. I saw Paul quickly after the finish line and showed him my watch time and gave him a big hug. I'd done it! But I was hurting! I wasn't feeling well, so he walked and I hobbled around a bit until we found a place to sit. I took a recovery drink and wallowed in misery for a little while until we were asked to move (apparently we were supposed to keep that particular area clear). I had to get up?! Ugh!
We walked around for a bit until we decided to head back to the car. We didn't have a ton of time to play with because we needed to be in Lake Placid later that night for the Adirondack 46er Finisher Recognition dinner. We began our drive up and around Lake Champlain and back into New York where we stopped to clean up before arriving at the Crowne Plaza Lake Placid for the dinner.
It was crowded and we didn't know anyone at our table, but everyone was very nice and we enjoyed our meals and the conversations. The end of the night was marked with Paul and I (and a bunch of other people) receiving our finisher certificate for completing the Adirondack 46ers. While we actually are Winter 46ers, this dinner recognized anyone (winter or regular) who finished in 2009. There was a winter specific dinner, but we missed it because we were in California. Receiving our certificates and our climbing numbers made it feel official. We were truly Winter 46ers!
We decided we were too tired to drive all the way home, so we stayed at our favorite rest stop. Have I mentioned how much I love my Honda Element? : ) I was sore and tired and welcomed sleep. We headed home Sunday morning and I reflected on an exciting weekend. But, could I top this? And would I want to? It would have to wait. I had an ultra looming in the distance and that would be my main focus! At least for the next few weeks. : )
Burlington, VT May 2010
Paul and I just love the natural beauty of Vermont. We took our time driving up and had loads of places we wanted to visit. We first stopped at Cold Hollow Cider Mill where we saw old apple cider presses, tasted some fresh apple cider, and got some apple cider doughnuts. We enjoyed those outside in the sun before heading next door to a gift shop and winery. We opted not to taste wine, but browsed through all sort of t-shirts and gifts. From there we stopped at a glass blowing studio where they had an open weekend. One of the artists held a demonstration and we oooooed and awwwwwed as he shaped a hot ball of liquid glass into a beautiful large bowl. I've always wanted to take glassblowing lessons. Maybe someday. : ) We lingered there for a while, smiling at the several sleeping dogs throughout the studio and admiring the many beautiful pieces of glass lining shelves and hanging in windows. I was tempted to purchase something, but we decided not to. I'd been too afraid I would break it in our travels.
We made further stops at Green Mountain Coffee, the Cabot Creamery, where we sampled cheese and bought a few goodies, and at Lake Champlain Chocolates where we only bought four small pieces of chocolate! I was proud of our self control! Unbelievably we didn't even stop at Ben & Jerry's! Nah, instead we went to Magic Hat Brewery where we took a quick self-tour and sampled some beer. : )
We headed out to our hotel and rested there for a while before we headed downtown to meet my friend Kate and her husband Jeremiah for dinner at the Vermont Pub. It began to rain as we waited for them to arrive so we took shelter inside. The rain went as quickly as it came, so we ate dinner outside on the patio. I hadn't seen Kate since just after we graduated, so it had been a while. It was nice to see her and to meet her new husband! We really enjoyed dinner with them and we agreed to try to meet up more frequently. They wished me luck and we said goodbye and headed back to the hotel.
Up the next morning for my breakfast of oatmeal and a Nature's Path pop-tart. Weird pre-race breakfast, but it seemed to be working for me. Got all our stuff together and headed out to find a good parking spot and to get ready to run. We hung out in the car for a while before we left to go to the start. It wasn't a long walk to get to the main starting area and once we got down there, I wished we could have went back! It was swarming with people! I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Runners, families, dogs, bikes, a flurry of activity. And I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was very emotional about the whole race. Nervous and anxious I think. I was trying to remind myself this was JUST A TRAINING RUN, but I knew I did have a goal to break. Since I started running marathons all I wanted to do was to break 4 hours. I thought I could do it, but I wasn't SURE I could. Paul had reminded me over and over that I had my ultra in just 3 short weeks and that I should take it easy. I heard him each time he told me that and I really tried to let it sink in, but a PR is always in the back of my mind. Still, that was not my ultimate goal when I got ready to go.
Again, there were so many people that I was a little unclear as to the location of the start. Paul seems to always be able to know where to go, so together we walked to the start. We pushed through people until it was finally time for me to get down into the street and align myself with the other runners. I was reluctant to leave him that morning. I squeezed myself in amongst the others and almost panicked when I couldn't see him. It took me several times of jumping up before I saw him and he saw me. That made me feel better. : ) For some reason I teared up at the very start of the race, but once I was off and running that went away. I still don't know what all that was about.
A lot of the race I don't remember though the scenery was beautiful. The course runs along Lake Champlain so it's very scenic. The day was slightly overcast and coolish, so it made for nice running weather. I wore my GPS watch for my timing and as I crossed the half-marathon mark at 1:59 I realized I was on track for a sub 4 hour finish. I also knew that I tend to slow down in the second half of a marathon. I knew I had potential, but I knew I had a lot of work to do.
I felt pretty good, but I was starting to get tired in the back half. My mile times slowed down a bit, but I dug deep to push myself. I kept a close eye on my mile times and tried to do some math in my head. I'm not great at math especially while running a marathon! I put the hammer down for the last several miles and crossed the finish line at 3:57:55 for a 9:05 pace. I saw Paul quickly after the finish line and showed him my watch time and gave him a big hug. I'd done it! But I was hurting! I wasn't feeling well, so he walked and I hobbled around a bit until we found a place to sit. I took a recovery drink and wallowed in misery for a little while until we were asked to move (apparently we were supposed to keep that particular area clear). I had to get up?! Ugh!
We walked around for a bit until we decided to head back to the car. We didn't have a ton of time to play with because we needed to be in Lake Placid later that night for the Adirondack 46er Finisher Recognition dinner. We began our drive up and around Lake Champlain and back into New York where we stopped to clean up before arriving at the Crowne Plaza Lake Placid for the dinner.
It was crowded and we didn't know anyone at our table, but everyone was very nice and we enjoyed our meals and the conversations. The end of the night was marked with Paul and I (and a bunch of other people) receiving our finisher certificate for completing the Adirondack 46ers. While we actually are Winter 46ers, this dinner recognized anyone (winter or regular) who finished in 2009. There was a winter specific dinner, but we missed it because we were in California. Receiving our certificates and our climbing numbers made it feel official. We were truly Winter 46ers!
We decided we were too tired to drive all the way home, so we stayed at our favorite rest stop. Have I mentioned how much I love my Honda Element? : ) I was sore and tired and welcomed sleep. We headed home Sunday morning and I reflected on an exciting weekend. But, could I top this? And would I want to? It would have to wait. I had an ultra looming in the distance and that would be my main focus! At least for the next few weeks. : )
Burlington, VT May 2010
Flying Pig Marathon and How I Lost My Shoes
After running my first marathon in San Francisco in July 2009, I almost thought I was done with the longer distances. My foot was bothering me and I felt a little beat up. It was just after the marathon when our friend Derrick came to visit. He is very active and fitness oriented just as Paul and I are. He asked about the marathon and how it went, but the question that threw me was "When is your first ultra?" Ultra? Nahhhhhhh. I thought he was joking! In my beat up state, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I wasn't even sure I was physically capable of running further than 26.2 miles. The problem was that he planted the seed in my mind. Apparently it started to grow and around about January, I started "looking" at ultra distance races. I was interested in what distance races were out there and what training plans existed for such distances. I got excited about the idea and soon after, decided I wanted to run my first ultra-marathon sometime this year.
I found a training plan online and started increasing my mileage. I realized that I could use marathon races as training runs and decided to find my second marathon. I decided on Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I registered and before I knew it, we were on the road to Ohio.
We left Friday night, April 30 and drove to Erie, PA where we stayed at a KOA Kampground (slept in the car). We got settled in but as usual I couldn't fall asleep. It was sometime later that a truck and camper pulled in right next to us. At 1 or 2 in the morning they decided to set up their pop-up trailer and let their kids run all around making all kinds of noise. I know people arrive to places late sometimes, but not being considerate of people trying to sleep really irritates me. After a while of listening to them, I just couldn't take it anymore, so we started the car and drove to the back of the campground where we found more quiet, secluded spots. Finally we were able to get some sleep!
Up early the next morning and we hit the road. We stopped in Akron, OH to visit The Grape and Granary. It's a super nice home brewing supply store that I found on the internet. We spent quite a bit of time there just browsing their selection of equipment and ingredients. The people there were incredibly helpful and we wound up purchasing equipment for wine and an ingredient kit for a cherry wheat beer. It was a worthwhile stop for sure!
We made it to Cincinnati where we headed downtown to the expo so I could pick up my packet. They gave us a really nice duffel bag, a poster, synthetic shirt, and lots of goodies. We didn't spend too much time there because it was crowded, but it was nice to walk around and be out of the car.
From there we went to Fleet Feet Sports where I got a new pair of shoes (no, not for the marathon) : ) and then to a grocery store where I found some recovery shake drinks that I'd wanted to try.
We went and checked into our hotel and lounged around a while before we went to have dinner. I decided I felt like pancakes for my pre-race meal, so we went to Big Boy! I used to love Bob's Big Boy in San Jose when I was a kid. This one was called Frisch's Big Boy. Anyway, the pancakes were some of the best I've had in a restaurant! They were fantastic. Full, we headed back to the hotel and knew we needed to get in bed early because the race start was at 6:30, but parking areas started to close at 5 something. Early, early!
I'd been watching the weather forecast all week because it was really looking lousy. It didn't disappoint, that's for sure. On our way there, it was windy and raining. Lightning lit up the deep black/blue sky and I was thinking to myself how I was going to run a marathon in these conditions! I just sort of laughed.
We got a great parking spot across from Paul Brown stadium and waited in the car for a while because it was raining so heavily. We eventually walked to the stadium where we could get out of the rain, but it was so crowded, I felt almost claustrophobic. The line for the women's restroom was ridiculous, but I waited anyway! I don't know how long it took to get through, but once I did, I only had a few minutes before the start of the race. At least it was a chip timed event though, so your own time doesn't start until you cross the start line. For those not familiar with chip timing--the race officials give you a chip that you secure to your shoe. When you cross the start line, finish line, and various other check points during the race, the chip is recognized and a computer indicates you've crossed that mark and records your time. (They use some sort of special mats for each check point and you hear a beep when you run across).
It was still dark and with all the people, the rain, umbrellas, etc, it was confusing as to where the actual start was. I knew the general area to be in, but that was it. I stepped off the curb right into a puddle. I guess I wasn't going to stay dry anyway! Paul was kind enough to keep me dry with the umbrella as long as he could and then it was time to go. It was a long time between the actual start of the race and when I crossed the start line to go. At least it seemed it to me. I couldn't believe the number of people!
Finally the start line came and went and off we ran. The streets were lined with so many screaming people I couldn't believe it! They all came out to support us in the rain? Wow! My first mile was pretty slow. I could never get out on my own. But really, this was just a training run, right? Sure! ; ) The miles went by and it kept raining. We crossed a bridge and ran into Kentucky, then came back. It seemed like the race was going by fairly quickly. I got to see Paul just a couple of times and it was hard to find him with all the people around. He said my shirt helped him see me. Before the race I made a Miss Piggy shirt to wear. Since this marathon is called Flying Pig, I thought wearing a fun shirt would be good motivation to me and maybe others. See photos in the slide show of the final product. : )
It was really a soggy race. It rained nearly the entire way. It wasn't very warm either, but because I was moving I didn't get too cold. I'd get a chill now and then when the wind picked up, but that was it. And, after 26.2 miles, I crossed the finish line for my second marathon. I finished in 4:12:12 which improved on my San Francisco time by quite a bit. Of course, this race wasn't nearly as hilly as SF either! ; ) Still, I was proud of my improvement.
I received my finisher medal, took my photo, grabbed a heat blanket and looked for Paul. We decided to meet at the letter "G" family gathering station. Unknown to me, he wasn't able to GET inside to make it to the letter "G". I was cold and hungry and couldn't find him anywhere. I nearly asked someone to use their phone to call him when I decided I'd leave the finish area completely and there he was! I was so glad to see him! He gave me my recovery shake and we took a slow, SLOW walk to the car. He took a couple photos on the way and soon I was in the car getting dry clothes on.
From there we hit the road, stopping for lunch at Panera (it's become a ritual) and then got back on the highway for a very long 9+ hour drive home.
It wasn't until a few days later that I asked Paul where my running shoes were. I didn't remember unpacking them, but I didn't unload everything from the car either. Maybe he did? No, he didn't remember seeing them. Uh oh! The last thing I remembered was taking my shoes off and standing on them before opening the car door to get in to change my clothes. BUT, I never remembered to open the door to grab my shoes. So, my poor Asics Gel Cumulus shoes were abandoned in a parking lot in Cincinnati across from Paul Brown Stadium. I felt horrible for my shoes, just left like that! I do wonder what happened to them. It does make for a funny story though. Well, sort of. I guess it was lucky I bought new shoes while I was there!
And again, I really must say that I was impressed with the people of Cincinnati--the volunteers and the spectators--who came out and cheered/supported us runners in absolutely miserable conditions. Thank you!!!
Flying Pig Marathon-May 2010
I found a training plan online and started increasing my mileage. I realized that I could use marathon races as training runs and decided to find my second marathon. I decided on Flying Pig in Cincinnati. I registered and before I knew it, we were on the road to Ohio.
We left Friday night, April 30 and drove to Erie, PA where we stayed at a KOA Kampground (slept in the car). We got settled in but as usual I couldn't fall asleep. It was sometime later that a truck and camper pulled in right next to us. At 1 or 2 in the morning they decided to set up their pop-up trailer and let their kids run all around making all kinds of noise. I know people arrive to places late sometimes, but not being considerate of people trying to sleep really irritates me. After a while of listening to them, I just couldn't take it anymore, so we started the car and drove to the back of the campground where we found more quiet, secluded spots. Finally we were able to get some sleep!
Up early the next morning and we hit the road. We stopped in Akron, OH to visit The Grape and Granary. It's a super nice home brewing supply store that I found on the internet. We spent quite a bit of time there just browsing their selection of equipment and ingredients. The people there were incredibly helpful and we wound up purchasing equipment for wine and an ingredient kit for a cherry wheat beer. It was a worthwhile stop for sure!
We made it to Cincinnati where we headed downtown to the expo so I could pick up my packet. They gave us a really nice duffel bag, a poster, synthetic shirt, and lots of goodies. We didn't spend too much time there because it was crowded, but it was nice to walk around and be out of the car.
From there we went to Fleet Feet Sports where I got a new pair of shoes (no, not for the marathon) : ) and then to a grocery store where I found some recovery shake drinks that I'd wanted to try.
We went and checked into our hotel and lounged around a while before we went to have dinner. I decided I felt like pancakes for my pre-race meal, so we went to Big Boy! I used to love Bob's Big Boy in San Jose when I was a kid. This one was called Frisch's Big Boy. Anyway, the pancakes were some of the best I've had in a restaurant! They were fantastic. Full, we headed back to the hotel and knew we needed to get in bed early because the race start was at 6:30, but parking areas started to close at 5 something. Early, early!
I'd been watching the weather forecast all week because it was really looking lousy. It didn't disappoint, that's for sure. On our way there, it was windy and raining. Lightning lit up the deep black/blue sky and I was thinking to myself how I was going to run a marathon in these conditions! I just sort of laughed.
We got a great parking spot across from Paul Brown stadium and waited in the car for a while because it was raining so heavily. We eventually walked to the stadium where we could get out of the rain, but it was so crowded, I felt almost claustrophobic. The line for the women's restroom was ridiculous, but I waited anyway! I don't know how long it took to get through, but once I did, I only had a few minutes before the start of the race. At least it was a chip timed event though, so your own time doesn't start until you cross the start line. For those not familiar with chip timing--the race officials give you a chip that you secure to your shoe. When you cross the start line, finish line, and various other check points during the race, the chip is recognized and a computer indicates you've crossed that mark and records your time. (They use some sort of special mats for each check point and you hear a beep when you run across).
It was still dark and with all the people, the rain, umbrellas, etc, it was confusing as to where the actual start was. I knew the general area to be in, but that was it. I stepped off the curb right into a puddle. I guess I wasn't going to stay dry anyway! Paul was kind enough to keep me dry with the umbrella as long as he could and then it was time to go. It was a long time between the actual start of the race and when I crossed the start line to go. At least it seemed it to me. I couldn't believe the number of people!
Finally the start line came and went and off we ran. The streets were lined with so many screaming people I couldn't believe it! They all came out to support us in the rain? Wow! My first mile was pretty slow. I could never get out on my own. But really, this was just a training run, right? Sure! ; ) The miles went by and it kept raining. We crossed a bridge and ran into Kentucky, then came back. It seemed like the race was going by fairly quickly. I got to see Paul just a couple of times and it was hard to find him with all the people around. He said my shirt helped him see me. Before the race I made a Miss Piggy shirt to wear. Since this marathon is called Flying Pig, I thought wearing a fun shirt would be good motivation to me and maybe others. See photos in the slide show of the final product. : )
It was really a soggy race. It rained nearly the entire way. It wasn't very warm either, but because I was moving I didn't get too cold. I'd get a chill now and then when the wind picked up, but that was it. And, after 26.2 miles, I crossed the finish line for my second marathon. I finished in 4:12:12 which improved on my San Francisco time by quite a bit. Of course, this race wasn't nearly as hilly as SF either! ; ) Still, I was proud of my improvement.
I received my finisher medal, took my photo, grabbed a heat blanket and looked for Paul. We decided to meet at the letter "G" family gathering station. Unknown to me, he wasn't able to GET inside to make it to the letter "G". I was cold and hungry and couldn't find him anywhere. I nearly asked someone to use their phone to call him when I decided I'd leave the finish area completely and there he was! I was so glad to see him! He gave me my recovery shake and we took a slow, SLOW walk to the car. He took a couple photos on the way and soon I was in the car getting dry clothes on.
From there we hit the road, stopping for lunch at Panera (it's become a ritual) and then got back on the highway for a very long 9+ hour drive home.
It wasn't until a few days later that I asked Paul where my running shoes were. I didn't remember unpacking them, but I didn't unload everything from the car either. Maybe he did? No, he didn't remember seeing them. Uh oh! The last thing I remembered was taking my shoes off and standing on them before opening the car door to get in to change my clothes. BUT, I never remembered to open the door to grab my shoes. So, my poor Asics Gel Cumulus shoes were abandoned in a parking lot in Cincinnati across from Paul Brown Stadium. I felt horrible for my shoes, just left like that! I do wonder what happened to them. It does make for a funny story though. Well, sort of. I guess it was lucky I bought new shoes while I was there!
And again, I really must say that I was impressed with the people of Cincinnati--the volunteers and the spectators--who came out and cheered/supported us runners in absolutely miserable conditions. Thank you!!!
Flying Pig Marathon-May 2010
A Home Brewing Beginning
Our friend Paul McCabe and his family make their own wine each year. A while back we went over to watch them "rack" the wine. To rack simply means to transfer containers. We even got to taste a little. We'd always talked about how much fun it would be to do it ourselves, but once we saw (and tasted!) it, we were hooked.
We visited our local home brew supply shop and looked at equipment kits. We had a tough decision to make though. Wine or beer? Which did we want to make? We decided on beer since we thought we might drink more beer.
Plopped down some money on our kit and bought an ingredient kit to go along with it and off we went. Clueless brewers!
A week or so later we decided we'd dive into our first home brew experience. We got all the equipment we needed (that wasn't included in the kit we purchased) and laid everything out on the kitchen table. The kit instructions were very clear and we felt ready to go. We washed and sanitized the necessary equipment and started our big pot of water. We steeped our grains, monitored temperature, added our malt extracts and hops. We waited for it to boil. And we waited. Wow, we waited. I have to admit, we went a little cheap on the stock pot. My engineer realized that the pot was probably a little warped on the bottom and wasn't contacting our flat, ceramic burner very well. Hmmm, maybe we should have bought a sturdier pot. So much for saving money! Anyway, we finally made it through the boil and alas, we had wort! Had to cool the pot of wort down in the kitchen sink before we could transfer it to the primary fermenter and then "pitch" the yeast right on top. We took a specific gravity reading and put a plastic airlock in the small hole on top of the bucket (to allow carbon dioxide to leave and to keep oxygen from getting in) and about 24 hours later, our wort was slowly turning into beer! Our Summer Ale was in the making!
It was a few days later that fermentation began to slow down. You can tell this is happening because there are fewer bubbles in the airlock. At that point, we racked the beer into a five gallon glass carboy. In order to minimize transferring sediment, we used a siphon hose with an anti-sediment tip and were very careful during the process. It smelled like beer, it looked like beer--we were excited! It had only been a few days!
We kept the beer in the secondary until fermentation was definitely complete. We brought the carboy out to the kitchen in preparation for bottling when I noticed some white "floating" patches on top. I was devastated because I thought we had mold growing on our beer! But, how could that be? We were super careful when we sanitized. I mean, come on--I'm a super mega germ-a-phobe--seriously mold?! I went online and visited a few home brew forums and shared the information with Paul. We concluded that it was not mold, but rather what are called "yeast rafts" that sometimes form on top of the beer. It's basically just patches of yeast products/bubbles, etc that have collected there. Phew!! So, convinced that we didn't have to toss the beer, we proceeded with bottling. We washed and sanitized all necessary equipment for bottling. The beer was racked into a bottling bucket and corn sugar was dissolved in boiling water and added to the beer to aid in carbonation once bottled. Paul and I both took turns operating the spigot and it took us a few minutes before we got the hang of it. We bottled and capped our beer and wound up with 44 bottles! We boxed it up and kept it in a dark place for several weeks before we chilled a few in the fridge and we were extremely anxious to try it! Finally, we opened a bottle and heard the "pssst" sound of successful carbonation and slowly poured out the contents into a glass. The suspense was killing us! A taste and the verdict? We liked it! When we initially selected our ingredient kit, we decided to go with something we thought we'd both like. I don't tolerate bitter very well, so I knew I would like something that wasn't overly bitter or super hoppy. In beer, bitterness units are measured in IBU's (international bittering units). The higher the number, the more bitter the beer. This Summer Ale had an IBU of 18-20 which is quite low. Surprised and satisfied with our work, we enjoyed our first home brew creation! And, we realized that this was only the beginning!
Summer Ale
We visited our local home brew supply shop and looked at equipment kits. We had a tough decision to make though. Wine or beer? Which did we want to make? We decided on beer since we thought we might drink more beer.
Plopped down some money on our kit and bought an ingredient kit to go along with it and off we went. Clueless brewers!
A week or so later we decided we'd dive into our first home brew experience. We got all the equipment we needed (that wasn't included in the kit we purchased) and laid everything out on the kitchen table. The kit instructions were very clear and we felt ready to go. We washed and sanitized the necessary equipment and started our big pot of water. We steeped our grains, monitored temperature, added our malt extracts and hops. We waited for it to boil. And we waited. Wow, we waited. I have to admit, we went a little cheap on the stock pot. My engineer realized that the pot was probably a little warped on the bottom and wasn't contacting our flat, ceramic burner very well. Hmmm, maybe we should have bought a sturdier pot. So much for saving money! Anyway, we finally made it through the boil and alas, we had wort! Had to cool the pot of wort down in the kitchen sink before we could transfer it to the primary fermenter and then "pitch" the yeast right on top. We took a specific gravity reading and put a plastic airlock in the small hole on top of the bucket (to allow carbon dioxide to leave and to keep oxygen from getting in) and about 24 hours later, our wort was slowly turning into beer! Our Summer Ale was in the making!
It was a few days later that fermentation began to slow down. You can tell this is happening because there are fewer bubbles in the airlock. At that point, we racked the beer into a five gallon glass carboy. In order to minimize transferring sediment, we used a siphon hose with an anti-sediment tip and were very careful during the process. It smelled like beer, it looked like beer--we were excited! It had only been a few days!
We kept the beer in the secondary until fermentation was definitely complete. We brought the carboy out to the kitchen in preparation for bottling when I noticed some white "floating" patches on top. I was devastated because I thought we had mold growing on our beer! But, how could that be? We were super careful when we sanitized. I mean, come on--I'm a super mega germ-a-phobe--seriously mold?! I went online and visited a few home brew forums and shared the information with Paul. We concluded that it was not mold, but rather what are called "yeast rafts" that sometimes form on top of the beer. It's basically just patches of yeast products/bubbles, etc that have collected there. Phew!! So, convinced that we didn't have to toss the beer, we proceeded with bottling. We washed and sanitized all necessary equipment for bottling. The beer was racked into a bottling bucket and corn sugar was dissolved in boiling water and added to the beer to aid in carbonation once bottled. Paul and I both took turns operating the spigot and it took us a few minutes before we got the hang of it. We bottled and capped our beer and wound up with 44 bottles! We boxed it up and kept it in a dark place for several weeks before we chilled a few in the fridge and we were extremely anxious to try it! Finally, we opened a bottle and heard the "pssst" sound of successful carbonation and slowly poured out the contents into a glass. The suspense was killing us! A taste and the verdict? We liked it! When we initially selected our ingredient kit, we decided to go with something we thought we'd both like. I don't tolerate bitter very well, so I knew I would like something that wasn't overly bitter or super hoppy. In beer, bitterness units are measured in IBU's (international bittering units). The higher the number, the more bitter the beer. This Summer Ale had an IBU of 18-20 which is quite low. Surprised and satisfied with our work, we enjoyed our first home brew creation! And, we realized that this was only the beginning!
Summer Ale
Since February...
It's been a while! I figure it's time to post stories about some of the things we've been up to since February....I'm working on it. Really! : )