Saturday, August 25, 2012

Monkey on My Back



CT has been predicting it for as long as I've known her.  Doubt she'd admit for every race, but there have been a few races where she's been bold enough to come out and outright say it "I'm gonna beat you".  I know her well enough to know that any race we enter, even if she doesn't say it, she's THINKING it.  I'm sure she'd disagree with this statement too, but there's only ever really one race where she had a chance.  It was extremely hot, I was over heating like crazy, and she at least gave me a chance, yelling out "I'm coming for you!" in the final stretch.  Just seeing her closing on me, was enough to motivate me, how embarrassing it would be to get beat by a girl!  (Actually, it's not.  Doubt there's been a race yet where I haven't beat all the women, but it's far different losing to CT!)

This weekend was really a unique experience.  It's our first trail race.  It's also the first race where all the Superstars got to not only race, but offered the opportunity for us to camp and hang out together.  Well, almost all of us.  As it turned out one Superstar was injured and another one had some kind of lame excuse and couldn't make it, something about getting remarried, seriously?  Anyway, it made for a really good weekend.

Because we are serious, professional, runners, the whole reason we decided to do the North Country Trial Run was for the challenge!  Got ya!  Really, it's all about the finisher medal.  The thing is the size of your face and weighs as much as a limb.  How could we pass up the opportunity to add it to our collection?  So, we run for the prize, not the health of it, don't judge us!

How did we prepare for this?  One of our Superstars practice by running on the shoulder of the road.  After all, it is gravel!  CT and I stuck with our normal road training, but we did do one run a week with Gazelle's Dirty Herd on trails.  Personally, I thought we did a great job, bring it!

Bang goes the gun.  The first mile of the course is on a paved road.  Suddenly, I felt silly for even bothering trying to run on trails, clearly running on the gravel on the side of the road was even over training.  Mile two, the hell started.  Suddenly, we are in the woods.  Shit, is there even a trail here?  Civilization disappeared and in an instant it felt like I was the Last of the Mohicans.  I bet the bears love this race!  The mile tour of the parking lot, became much more clear.  The purpose was to thin us out, much easier for the taking....or eating.  Passing people became an instant challenge, picking the exact moment to fit between those two trees, while judging if the four inches of trail was wide enough....oh root!

Three miles in, I started walking. Oh man, what is going on here?  Who put this huge hill here?  To say walking at this point was a big kick in the ego, understatement.  But by mile five, I already concluded walking up the hills might be the single best decision I've ever made. Mile eight, is where I needed this race to finish.  Whatever I had to start the race was gone, get the sticks, hopefully I can make a fire, because it was pure survival mode from this point on.  Curious how CT was doing, I happened to look back at one point and through the trees I could see this bright pink shirt rounding up the trail up this mountain.  All thoughts of running my race were gone.  With her so close, I figured might as well run with her and finish together.

One mile into that thought and it was already obvious to me that there was no way I could even keep up with CT.  She was running superhuman at this point and wasn't effected like I was by these Kryptonite coated hills.  Told her there was no way I could keep up, finish strong, and I'd see her at the end.  Bummed about my ankle bothering me, bummed about struggling, bummed about not being able to hang with CT, at this point the only positive I had going for me, at least I hadn't fallen!

Did I mention that's what I was thinking at mile ten?  At mile ten and one tenth, can you guess what happened?  Two barrel rolls later, my pride got the last kick in the shorts.  Sand sticks to you when you're all sweaty.  As I sat there in my dirty clump, the thought did enter my mind "why".  I've had some terrible runs, but I also don't ever remember having that thought, and actually meaning it.  Though, I can't say at any point in time having a screaming charlie horse in my calf at the time either.  Three miles to go, really unsure if my leg would even work.  After some self massage, it did relax.  No point in dusting off, this race beat me up, might as well wear the dirt.

It officially happened, CT beat me.  I want her tested for steroids!  I honestly don't know how she did it.  That was by far one of the most difficult courses I could ever imagine.  We only did the half marathon, people who did the full or the ultra on that, get major recognition from me.  Suddenly, I understand why the medals are so big, they deserve to be that big based on what is required to finish that damn course.

 My ankles may never be the same and I probably won't be able to walk right for a week.  I felt defeated crossing the finish line today.  Those thoughts didn't last long once the rest of our friends finished.  Impossible to be bummed with this group of girls.  I think each one crosses the line more excited than the next.  Thirteen of the hardest miles, huge one pound medals around our necks, and they come up with this for our "team photo".  Yeah, I'll be back next year to remove the monkey.     



    


Saturday, August 18, 2012

First!



Where is the summer going?  Fall is inching closer when it's time for my hometown 5K.  I say that like I've ran it so many times they all blur together.  The reality, this will be the second time running it.  Unlike last year when it seemed like every weekend was a different 5K, this year this it's the only 5K on my schedule.  It holds a special memory for me, not only because it's my hometown, but because my parents get to watch me and lets not forget about the special signs throughout the course last year.

It's a been a long year.  CT has been dreaming, planning, and training to return to RC to lay claim on "her trophy".  I can't even count the number of times she checked the results from the previous year fretting over if the woman who beat her last year would show.  To make matters worse or add even more pressure, my mom sent her a picture of the trophy with her name on it with motivational thoughts, which now hangs on the wall for motivation.  She has trained hard and is faster.

What would a race be without a little secret?  CT has really wanted her dad to watch one of her races too.  It's never worked out, but a few days prior to the race, I got a call from her sister Downhill who informed me that her dad was planning on surprising her at the race.  How could I not help with that?  Never one to back down from some trickery.  Besides, I already had another little secret I was keeping too.

The weather of race day was perfect.  This summer heat has been brutal, it was a cool morning.  We arrived at the race just about an hour early.  No sooner did we get my dad situated, when a truck horn sounded and CT turned to see her dad pulling up.  She normally has a pretty big smile at all times, but after the initial double take, it grew even bigger and brighter.  She had no clue and was very surprised.  I of course played it off like I had no idea (it was all Downhill!).  CT's mind is funny, first she worries about who is going to show up, what if she doesn't win, then it turns to the excitement of her dad being able to watch her (for about three seconds), then suddenly it's all back to feeling pressure to win that damn trophy, because he's watching.

As I eluded to, this wasn't the only secret floating around.  My mom leans over my dad and says "They're not the only ones running today."  "Oh yeah, who else?" asks my dad.  "Me!" my mom gleefully exclaims.  For the past few months, she kept him completely in the dark about her training.  I've got plenty of emails to implicate myself in this deception.  Frankly, I'm kind of surprised breaking the news ten minutes before the start of the race didn't send my dad into cardiac arrest, but I suppose if you are going to keep a secret for that long, breaking it to him in a hospital parking lot is probably the best spot to do it.  It seemed to make for a good story, because the next thing I know, my mom is getting interviewed by a reporter!

Bang goes the gun!  It's funny how things work out, one of the last emails, my mom asked me what she should do the final week leading up to the race.  My "sound" advice was to continue what you are doing and don't feel the need to push yourself.  Trust your training and going above and beyond at this point won't help and will only increase your chance of injury.  Great advice huh?  I think the day I sent that email, I ended up injuring myself.  Twenty-five hundred miles since I've started running with nothing worse than minor aches and pains.  This whole time I don't think I've taken more than three days off, leading up to this 5K it was five days.  I couldn't miss it, but even trying to warm up, my ankle hurt.  I knew this wouldn't be my day, but that didn't matter.

First mile was good, second was slower, and the third mediocre.  Overall, I did better than I thought I would.  CT wants that damn trophy, all I wanted really was to beat my time from last year.  I couldn't do it, nine seconds slower than last year, but with a bum ankle, so I'll take it.  Waiting at the finish line, CT crossed the line with the same smile she had when she realized her dad was there.  Which, that by itself is impressive, because it has ALWAYS been a grimace prior.  It probably also helped that she not only got her PR, but she crushed her previous best by over a minute.

Officially my race was done, but I had to go run my mom in.  There aren't many moms out there who decide to run their first 5K at 68 years old.  I found her about a mile back.  I pride myself in coaching the girls I run with (okay, they all have natural talent and don't need to listen to me), but the first thing that made me smile when seeing my mom is she's obeying the rules of the road.  I watched her attempt to run on the correct side of the road, which meant following the extreme outside of a curve, while the police had it blocked off.  That's my mom, following the rules.  So much to learn, when it comes to the racing, you cut every corner possible!

We had a nice jog back.  I tried to do most of the talking, I know how it goes when pushing yourself and it seems like every ounce of strength is needed to keep going.  She was tired at the end. My final question was if she was going to finish strong?  Her reply, there's that hill at the end.  She might figure out this cutting corners thing after all.  My response, take it easy...until people can see you then finish strong, it's all about finishing, but it helps to look good while you do it.  Yeah, I won't train too many Olympic athletes.

Did CT get her trophy?  Well, there was only one first awarded today, and that goes to my mom!  She completed her first 5K!  CT and I both finished second and we were both good with that.  CT's dad got to see her best race and I got to run and cross the line with my mom, can't beat that!  There's always next year and maybe my mom will be doing her first 10K!