Race Reports/Encouragement/Kudos for May 24th, 25th and 26th

[deekaypee]

To all WISHers! WTG on your races!!!

Scott: I love how you're keeping things simple, just about the PR and the bling. Congrats on both in your 5K. Not that I expected anything less of you.

As for your 10K...too bad about the lack of crowd support. I guess it's a real insider race, huh, if even the spectators don't know about it. This line made me laugh and quote it to DOOD:

So I strapped on the headphones, channeled some built up aggression and quickly made my way down the course.

. Reminds me of someone I know... I love that you just could feel that good race from the beginning; beating your last time on that course by 17 minutes (not to mention getting a PB) has got to erased any bad memories of the event! You certainly deserved two macadamia nut cookies (do they compare to Subway's?) and, yes, a WHOLE banana! I'm glad the rest of the day went well--will you model your clothes for us?--and that you're looking forward to Peachtree. I know I'm looking forward to your RR on it.

Cam: for your race. Not just for the huge improvement in your pace, but for having the courage and determination to challenge yourself. You did so very well, and I loved hearing about your breakthrough moment and celebratory tears.

Amps: I just read your RR and I'll post there, too, but I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS and I think you're definitely a motivational person. WTG on your first 1/2!

Tracy: What a great RR. Yay for finding your pacer--wow, she's fast (as are you). And I probably shouldn't have laughed at the ambulance anecdote, but I did, just a little. It seemed like something out of a Chuck Jones cartoon! And thanks for the distinctions between racewalker and fitness walkers--just the terms I've needed to know. Anyway, great job with another 5K.

Tricia: Wow, you did great. I can't imagine even getting out the door for a race with your early-morning stomach issues. And then the tightness. But you finished strong and without injury, just the right balance between challenging yourself and "toughing it out" in dangerous ways. You definitely earned your strong finish and a bit Congrats!!

Pat: Very nice RR. Loved the details about golden retrievers, the 50/50 marathoner with the 5050 bib, beers and bloody marys (now that's just good sense), Plus, the course just seems beautiful and the pictures of you show that you're all just glowing. You and Jim both did so very well and hopefully with no lingering pain (shins, legs, friction). I'm absolutely sure you enjoyed Bratfest, which sounds like a lot of fun! You and Jen both make me want to travel to Madison, if for no other reason to hear the bongos.

Jen: Now you know I LOVE long RRs! It's so cool to read your RR and Pat's back to back. More great details--I wanna swim in a hotel pool now. It's cool to know they have a 1/4 marathon, too. I understand what you and Pat say about the hills, too, as it reminds me of Pgh. It sounds like your 2/1 and 3/1 strategy really worked for you, despite the sinus infection and allergies. SO sorry to hear about your asthma attack, but am impressed with how you handled your entire race. You totally earned your PR and I'm very proud of you. You deserve it, the medal, the extra touring day with family, and everything but the blister!

Kristen: Whoo hoo for completing our Cotton Row 5K. It's so good to know that you were able to finish despite the shin pain. I hope you're feeling better, and that you're proud of your finish--as you should rightfully be! (Shorter distances are harder for me, too. )

Allie: (Okay, I'm confused, are you Allie or Sandi? I've been calling you by the wrong name, haven't I?) Yay for your 10K. I know how hard and smart you've trained for this one. I don't know if I've ever heard the disclaimer....maybe I have selective hearing at such moments. I loved that you ran up the hill and then walked down it. You're really willing to put in much more effort than I am. I'm so glad you and your friend essentially finished together and that you did so very well!

 

[Honeibee]

South Salem Presbyterian Church Memorial Day Races

This was the third time I had done this 5K. It's a very small, local race, to benefit the Presbyterian Church. It's a gorgeous course, around the lake. I have to take pictures for Pat's Rave Run thread. Every time I do a 5K, I try to improve my time and until yesterday, every 5K has been a subsequent PR. Yes, until yesterday.

OK, I'm trying to cut myself some slack since for the past month I had that whole flu/bronchitis, vacation, bronchitis thing going on. Essentially, since the Minnie, I have been doing nothing but my best Jabba the Hut imitation. Yesterday I paid for that time off.

Let me just say, I really hate to complain, so I won't. Let's just call this "gentle criticism" or something more polite. I do not attend the South Salem Presbyterian Church so I can't say for sure but I think the average age of their members is about 97. Now, I really really really appreciate their volunteering to help run the race. Really I do. We got there at 8:00am. My race started at 9:00am. I went right over to the registration desk (I had pre-registered) to get my bib number. Well, the line for M - R was really long. I was in line so long I was starting to get nervous. When I got up to the front of the line there was a very old, very fragile looking lady who was obviously overwhelmed, going thru the pre-registrations, pulling out bibs. When we got up to the front, Charlie told her our last name and said 'There are two of us". Well, after looking thru the box for several minutes she pulled his out and then let all the cards go back together. He left and got in the t-shirt and chip line, and I stood there while she went thru the box again. I have nothing but respect for my elders but her poor bony fingers had a very hard time separating the registration cards. I almost wanted to jump in and help her. I wondered if anyone was supervising. The line next to me was for people just registering. In the time it took her to find my card, three people came up, filled out their applications, paid, and moved on.

Well, it was kind of worth it because when she handed me my bib, my number was 1. Can you believe that? OMG! The pressure was ON! Ha ha ha! I got so much recognition from that #1 bib. It was really pretty cool. I also got a lot of mileage out of it, you can be sure. Other people might have won, other racers might be faster, but I was still #1. Ha ha ha!

Anyway, I got my chip and t-shirt and pinned on my number and then went to hit the Port-O-Potty. Yes, the single, solitary, with the line all the way out to the road, Port-O-Potty. Again, I really hate to complain, but I might have to suggest they get more than one next year. Everyone was using this bathroom. Spectators, mother with little kids, everyone was in this line. A lot of 5K'ers gave up and either ran to the woods or didn't go. I got in just in time. When I came out they were calling us to the starting line.

But once we got there we had to wait. Because...people were still on the older lady's registration line. So the start was delayed a while. Which was kind of a pain because we were standing in the sun and it was already getting hot.

Finally, off we go. This really is a beautiful course. Sometimes Charlie and I will do our L/Rs there. It winds around the lake and we check out all the lakeside houses. I could feel my lungs were not 100% yet, but since I usually sound like Darth Vader when I'm running (What's with all the Star Wars references today??) I just kept breathing steady and when I had to slow down, I did. I was going for a PR and probably would have done it, except for the last half mile. (BTW I missed my PR by 1 min 20 secs, so, yea, I really could have beat it.) At the top of a hill almost at the end you can start to hear the cheers from the finish line. You go down the hill and turn left and it's a little uphill. At the top of that hill is where most of the scream teams are. I could hear a lot of cheering from the top of the hill and it helped me keep going. Also, my dad said he was coming and I didn't see him at the start so I was hoping he was at the top of the hill, cheering. So I'm chugging up that last hill before we head into the chute, and I'm about halfway up and I'm scanning the crowd for my dad and I notice two things. No one...NO ONE is cheering. They are all looking at me like I have two heads. What was it? The #1 bib? The heavy breathing? And I notice...my dad isn't there. Half way up that last hill I felt myself just lose it. It was so incredibly disheartening. I just felt myself give up. All I had to go was up the rest of the hill, turn right, down the hill and into the chute. I'm sure if I hadn't given up on the hill, I would have PR'ed.

I don't know what was more disappointing. That I didn't PR or that my dad didn't show up. I know, I know. I should get over it. But he's my pops and he's the only family I have left. It was pretty sad.

I haven't heard from him. I guess he called last night when we were outside. He didn't leave a message but we saw his number on caller ID. He has a girlfriend for about two years and she seems to take up ALL his time. So very sad, because this race was only a few minutes from his house.

OK, I'll stop being a big whiny baby now.

Time to focus on getting back when I lost during my Jabba Period.

Onward and forward, right?!?!

OH, Charlie majorly PR'ed in the 10K. I was jumping around like a lunatic (or a good scream teamer, depending on how you look at it) when I saw him round the corner and head for the chute. OMG I am SO proud of him!!! (He almost got hit by a car, he told me afterwards. Right before that bend, someone drove by and made a turn right in front of him. They don't close the roads for this race. Again, I hate to complain...)

 

[aldisneygrl]

Allie: (Okay, I'm confused, are you Allie or Sandi? I've been calling you by the wrong name, haven't I?) Yay for your 10K. I know how hard and smart you've trained for this one. I don't know if I've ever heard the disclaimer....maybe I have selective hearing at such moments. I loved that you ran up the hill and then walked down it. You're really willing to put in much more effort than I am. I'm so glad you and your friend essentially finished together and that you did so very well!

Sorry Debra (and anyone else who might be confuzzled), didn't mean to confuse you. You can call me either, 'cause I still know you're talkin' to me. Sandi is my RL name. Allie is a nickname I acquired early on in my DIS days (pre WISH board). I didn't want to use my "real" name because of all the psychotic killin' lurkers that might be out there. Actually, it was DH's idea that I not use my "real" name. He loves me and was just tryin' to protect me. Well, the nickname has kinda stuck, and now several people know my "real" name, they still consider me Allie, so that's why I keep it in my siggy. Now when I get old and am schizophrenic, you'll know why.

Oh, and to clarify, (because I don't want to take credit where credit is most definitely NOT due), I didn't run all the way UP the hill, only about a 1/4 of the way, then walked the rest of the way up, then when the terrain was going downward was when I started running again. I figured I would let gravity take hold. I felt bad that I left my friend behind, but of course she caught up to me.

Oh, and I got a blister on the arch of my right foot. I didn't even notice it until DH spotted it last night, and said, "Where did you get the blister from?" I said, "What blister?" I guess running 6.2 miles (or 6.3 by the Garmin's standards - guess I weaved in and out a little bit ) with new inserts = a blister. It's not bad, and I put a blister bandaid on it.

 

[Scott H]

BolderBoulder Report
May23-26

I Got out of work early on Friday, due to bad weather. Lots of Rain, hail, and funnel clouds all around. When I got home Lynn was standing in the basement window wells where there was 18” of water. We bailed out the window wells that are about 6 feet deep. We quickly bailed out the water and started to dry up the floors of the affected rooms. One had carpet so that was a priority. Got all done much later that night and crashed.

Saturday we woke and had breakfast got the pups ready for Puppy Camp (the Kennel) and rearranged the fans on the basement carpet. We were off driving to Boulder, CO. Got to the hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, at about 12:30 ish, unpacked and headed off to the expo in downtown Boulder, at the Pear Street Mall.

This expo had about 20 Plus vendors, everything from cell phone companies, car dealers, OroWheat bakery, lifewater, Joint Juice, Crocs, local news papers, etc etc. Fuel Belt, Skins( a new running tight) and Adidas were there with a local (local to me) sports store (Dicks).

Oh, Jelly Belly Sport Beans were there and the guys at their booth were glad to give you all you wanted as they said when they were rid of them they could go home. So we now have a multi year supply of the beans, LOL.

Tried on a pair of Adidas, felt good, got a coupon for $10.00 off, went to the store and they were out of my size, saved me some bucks.

That night we went to a local whole food market and got some stuff for dinner. Our room was like a DVC studio, frig and micro, etc. Had a great Broccoli bacon salad, some sushi, and lasagna, some nuts and cookies.

Had the lasagna for dinner and then went for a walk. Called it a night.

Sunday, we were up early and after a pretty good Holiday Inn Express breakfast, met up with a guy I work with and arranged for transport to the race for the next morning. Went back to the expo to fill our bags with more free stuff. Test drove a Saturn hybrid SUV and got a free pair of Crocs, not bad and I was impressed with the vehicle, they are coming out with a better model next year, if it is AWD we will take a serious look at it. More coupons for shoes, and life water, bought a small fuel belt for these shorter races, and found a kite shop. I like kites and found a really kewl dragon kite. Bottles of lifewater and Joint Juice.

During this weekend they have a Boulder Creek festival, art kinds of stuff etc, made it outta there with no expense. Talked to some folks at the hotel and learned of a good fish taco, so went to the West End Tavern and had a great taco, unbeknownst to me they have an excellent selection bourbon. They had a strawberry infused bourbon that they concoct there, pretty refreshing.

Then we went to local running store and got some light weight compression tights, they are called Skins and are out of Boulder, and the coupon was for 20% off. Also got some other stuff, and I resisted getting the Garmin 405 that they had.

From there we went to the Celestial Seasoning Factory and took their tour, many of my comments made it to the tour guides break room board. LOL

Back to the Hotel and had the sushi for dinner. And then a couple of walks.

Race day: Our first BolderBoulder. Woke to a wet parking lot but the clouds were breaking up. Kinda cool at about 46 degrees. First off this race is billed as one of the largest timed races. There were 55,000 registered. Ride to race start was great, the area was well organized to drop us off and went smooth. Short walk to the corrals, lots of porta potties, I found a line with two people in it, very short lines.

2 minutes between each wave, went really smooth and the race security keep folks in their proper waves. They asked for no headphone at the start and then again at the finish so you were sure to hear any announcements.

During the course there were lots of bands and the local folks were great all along the course. Lots of water and Gatorade, I think there were about 5 stops, for a 10K race that was plenty. Local folks were handing out beer and other adult beverages. Some folks were set up with misters and hoses, but they were not need during this cloudy day. There were also a couple of slip and slides set up. I missed the people handing out cupcakes, Lynn saw them.

I thought it was nice that the course distance markers were in both miles and kilometers. From 8.5 K on they were every .2 K. Slight ups and down over the course, and I liked that there were enough turns so you did not see all the folks ahead of you going to a vanishing point. The last .2 K’s lead you up a killer hill to the entrance of the CU stadium. When you enter the stadium ¾ of a lap to the finish. Here they split you in two directions, for water and food, both lines the same. Your bib had two tear off tags - one for food and the other for a beer. I gave my beer tag away. Food bag was a soft lunch bag with various Quaker and Powerbar products, a bottle of chocolate “Silk”, and an orange. It started to drizzle on me at about mile 9.

Crossed the finish line and my I-Pod said 1:08:22 for 10.4 miles at a 10:34 pace. I was happy. I met up with some other folks I knew and waited for Lynn to finish. Then it started to rain a little, I was glad we had packed a garbage bag.

After meeting Lynn in the MASS OF PEOPLE. We went to the expo, not much in running stuff, they were handing out Ice cream, too cold for me, hydration waters powerbars, very little in the way of running stuff again. Looked hard for Disney and No Joy. Anthony Travel was there, they had the Disney Medals out and the gal noticed they caught my eye. Tried to sell us a deal but advised we were DVC members ended that. The expo was very very crowded and not much fun as we were wet and cold. It was like we were out tending cattle with just spurs and a wet sheet.

We left the expo to catch a public bus back to our hotel for a shower. This isn’t your Disney transportation; cold and wet we waited about one hour for a public bus that was to have been running every 20 min. We had arranged for a late check out and got back with 15 min to spare. The maid had already cleaned the room so we just changed into dry clothes. Jacuzzi tub tonight.

Over all thoughts:

I was towards the front and race etiquette was well observed. Lynn said it was different towards the back, but no one seemed to take any offense.

Extremely very well organized and worth the registration fee. The fees were from $40 got you a t shirt, all they way up to $85 for a package that included a SS t-shirt, tech shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of BolderBoulder crocs. The options were a nice option. We went for the big package as it seemed like a good deal. Over 62, under 14, or active military, gets you $10 off registration.

Local folks were great.

It is more of an event/happening than a race, but lots of fun. LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE.

It was a fun weekend and I think we will do it again.

There were some costumes, superman, hippies, shrek, Buzz Lightyear, etc etc….


There was a sister race held on the US Nimitz, where ever she was.

Good job all you WISH folks. Way to go Scott on the PR.

Now to catch up on the other reports.

 

[twoWDWfools]

WTG to everyone for getting out there and doing it !!!

Jen and Pat - we were in Rockford over the weekend and drove up to Madison on Sunday to check out Brat Fest (was small) and to see if we could "see" you two. Hung out at the finish for a bit but as you know the temps weren't the best for standing around and I couldnt' afford to get chilled. Sorry we missed you however DH is thinking he'd like to do it next year.

 

[tiggerspal222]

Good Afternoon, Wishers !

Yep, we are back from the Rockton/Rockford area after a shortened weekend.
No problems getting up there and getting to the event on Saturday. Felt strange to be going it alone, but had decided I'd do my best and get back to Liz suffering silently in the RV..
Got to the parking area, topped up the bike tires and rolled over to the registration building for my map and our shirts.
When I got the map, I found that all 3 distance races used the same 1st 15 miles, and last 8 miles or so.. Hmm, not much variety for my second days ride. Planned on cycling the 30 mile route on Saturday, and the 45 miler on Sunday. Afterall, a flat to "rolling" course should be a breeze. Not so much.
In the first 3 miles, there were 3 fairly steep hills, and they kept on coming. I suppose to a Badger, they weren't HILLS, but to a chicagoan, they sure weren't FLAT. By the time I reached the mid point and the refreshments, I was seriously doubting my ability to finish the days ride, let alone do this SAME course, plus MORE, tomorrow ! Fortunately the refreshments were great! Home baked cookies, brownies, cakes, and treats. Gatorade, water, loafs of wheat bread and vats of peanut butter and jelly. I sucked down a mix of the gatorade and water, and refilled my bottle. The day was beautiful, but I wasn't seeing a whole lot of it.. The roads were awful. Rutted, and pitted, lots of joints and sand, and no decent shoulders. I swear I was going to get run over, but fortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic.. Didn't see much in the way of scenery, was thinking about Liz and finishing up to get back to her, and just staying upright on the road. Never did get a chance to use my new racing handlebars, due to the ratty roads. Did meet and ride with some nice folks, got some AMAZING Badger-Baked treats and encouragement. Had a funny moment, as 4 of us rolled past a pasture and cow-path.. One cow at the fence suddenly started moo-ing like she was being beaten! And then the other 3 nearby started doing the same.
Had never heard such a chorus of apparently upset cows before.
We joked at that point that the cows MUST have known what we were thinking about having for dinner that nite... STEAK !!!
The second food stop was just as sumptuous as the first, with the addition of more cakes and brownies.. Mmm... Good Food and fuel ;-)
I finished the 32 miles in just over 2:30, not a great run, but quite hilly..
Decided to forego the 2nd ride on Sunday. Weather was looking iffy, and my legs were NOT up to another longer ride, so soon. So we drove up to Madison, WI, and the mildly dissappointing Brat Fest.. Good brats, not a whole lot else to recommend it.. Except the Marathon. Liz saw the bling and decided she wanted some. And I do, Too ! So we may just take on the Madison 1/2 Marathon in 2009, and leave the Blackhawk roads to the crazy wisconsin cyclists..

 

[Jen117]

Liz - Yes the Brat Fest was a disappointment. Cheap food, but not much to do. I definately would do the Madison 1/2 again. In my opinion it was well organized and the race support was good for a race that size (from my experiences). And I am only 2 hours north, so it's an easy get to as long as gas prices don't go even more sky high!!!