Good Day Sunshine - 2012 Roswell GA 100 Miles to Nowhere Report Part 1

PART 1 - THE BUILD-UP

First, the was no sunshine at the start of this year's Roswell GA 100 Miles to Nowhere.

Photo by Doug

Second, I realized in the week before the ride that the Fat Cyclist's event (upon which our event is modeled and for which I register each year) is actually called the 100 Miles OF Nowhere.  100 MTN v. 100 MON.  Oops. 

Third, though I say it every time, I think that I overcommitted in the weeks before this event.  The Beast of the East was on May 20.  The following weekend was my sister's wedding.  And the next weekend, the Tri-the-Y kids triathlon in Athens on Saturday with 100 MTN on Sunday. Whew!  While I took the kids to Athens for the race, Doug smoked boston butts on the grill.  Each set of butts (they fit on the grill 2 at a time) took 12 hrs to cook, with checking and intervention every 2 hours.

Gratuitous photo of my kids in their new Dream Team outfits.  So proud!

This year, determined to streamline the process, I researched making screen-printed signs.  Pricey!  Instead, I used Word to make sheets of logos that I could print, copy, and paste onto foamcore sheets.  A new step was to have the helpful young man at Dick Blick Art Supply cut the foamcore for me.  It was WAY easier and more professional-looking than last year.  Dick Blick's fancy-bladed cutting machine is far superior to the dull x-acto knife I used.  My kids helped me make the signs after a last minute trip to Performance Bikes for chamois butter.  They also helped make drop boxes for donations and drawing tickets.  Who doesn't love arts and crafts?

My sister Emily and Ioannis (her new husband) stopped by on their way home from their honeymoon (Dagny calls it their moonbeam) and helped us finish the art projects and we started talking, so I was late getting out the door to put up the signs.   I forgot how to turn on the hazard lights in my car and reload staples into the staple-gun, but finally figured them both out and finished putting up the signs way after dark.

Sunday dawned cool and humid, but we got the tents up in good time.  I had a huge problem with the math for converting scoops of GU Electrolyte Brew to 1/4 cups to whole cups, but finally figured it out (with a little help from Doug) so that my GU Electrolyte brew tasted right.  Brew on the right, water on the left.

Below is a photo of me giving the pre-race instructions to the crew.  If you know me, you know that I am into rules and this race was no exception.  I laid it out very simply.  Take your bike bottle and sign the waiver.  Put your tickets in the drawing barrels.  Please donate to the AFLAC Childrens Cancer Center at CHOA.  No public urination, start out slowly, please stop at all stop-signs.  For the most part, folks complied with the rules and I definitely did not see any public urination.  : )

You can see Doug's chillinator in the background.  After last year's heat, Doug upgraded from the hose chair and built a bike-through shower to keep us cool.  He was not interested in anyone falling out in the driveway.  The chillinator was fabulous, especially in between the later laps when the day heated up.  We will have to think of a way to make a permanent outdoor shower at our house!  Because there was a cop following us on at least three of our ten loops, I think someone made a complaint about this.  The chillinator does look a bit like a gallows.

Photo by Doug.  From left to right:  me, Adam, Karen, Steve, Jay, Dave, Bryan, and Jason.

Tomorrow, Part 2 - The Ride.

This is the End

After the pre-race meeting for the Beast of the East, where the race director (Scott) announced that this would be the last year of the race, I thought about all of the song titles that would capture my feelings about it being the last running.  This is what spoke to me the most.

I first discovered the Greater Smokey Mountains Triathlon Club in 2008 when I got plantar fasciitis and trained for its 5K swim race.  That race was an amazing experience for me and I have loved Lake Chatuge and the GSMTC ever since.

My first time at the Beast of the East was in 2010.  It was a low-key, no-frills event, but Lake Chatuge was beautiful, the bike ride was challenging and scenic, and the run was an effort.  Last year, GU allowed me to race at Rev3 Knoxville, so I missed racing with Karen and Becky, but this year I was back!  Doug, the girls, and I met Karen and Tom to camp in the Clay County Recreation Park before the race.  My second adult camping experience was great!  Car camping is the way to go for me.  We had a blast feeding the fire and testing different kinds of s'mores.  Doug and Tom know how to camp!

Tom showing off his outdoor chef skills.  He made us a killer pre-race dinner.

Doug coming in from his ride of the course - 2/3 mph faster than my race pace.

It wasn't a surprise when Scott said he was done directing races, because I knew that other races (Rev3 Knoxville, Gulf Coast, and now Mountain Madness) had moved into the late spring/early summer slot.  Still, it wasn't a bouncy "It's the End of the World as We Know It" I felt as I lined up in the lake with Karen.  It was melancholy.

Scott said "GO!" and we were off.  I veered all over the place on the way out to the first buoy like I always do, accidentally scratching some guy on his foot.  I thought it was Jay, but he said it wasn't him.  It was actually impossible for it to have been him because he was WAY in front of me.  Ha!  I forced myself to calm down and enjoy the marvelous lake.  I concentrated on swimming with a purpose and made it to the giant concrete thing in good time.  I thought I was near Steve for most of the first leg, but I didn't see him on the swim after that.  After turning around the concrete thing, I headed for the second buoy.  It didn't seem to be getting any closer, but I concentrated on reaching forward and that seemed to help.  AND, I noticed that I was following some bubbles.  For the first time in my triathlon career, I was drafting on the swim!  OK, really, I was veering in and out of the draft, but still.  It was a huge relief to let the other person worry about where we were going and just aim towards the bubbles.   I made sure to go around the last buoy and made it up onto the shore.  Doug was there waiting and shouted out "FIRST WOMAN!"

                                   45:32 for the swim and transition #1
WTH?  How did that happen?  I was sure that I had been following another girl.

Going out on the bike, I mosey-ed along and thought about what Julie Moss said about being in first place at Kona in 1982, about how first place was hers and no one was going to take it from her.

Yeah, I did not feel that way.  My bike strength can't support that kind of attitude, so I watched woman by woman pass me.  The first was turquoise shirt in mile 5.  She looked really strong as she stood to climb past me.  I made peace with the pass by telling myself I would either get her on the run (it was WAY too early to be standing on the climbs) or if she was strong enough to stand on the climbs and then run she was the stronger woman and deserved to win.  A tall, thin lady passed next and then a brother/sister team on Litespeeds who appeared to be taking turns leading.  I HATE that.  Drafting is illegal, so I made it my mission to pass the woman on the run.  Then, sometime around mile 20, Karen passed me.  I gave her the lowdown on the leaderboard and then she was gone.

The bike beast (a 4 mile hill, that requires standing at the top) was challenging and I kicked myself for not stopping at the porto-john located at the top of it.  Instead, I soldiered on and stopped at the oasis instead.  The oasis is a gas station that sponsors the race that is located out on the highway portion of the route.  Becky and I stopped during one ride of the course years ago and bought gallon jugs of water that we used to fill every bottle we had and dump on our heads because we were overheating.  The potties were locked!  After I waited for about a minute for the person in there to leave, the clerk told me they were out of order.  Curses!

"Just go on the bike," I told myself. 

"No, I don't want pee socks. They will smell and give me a blister."

So I soldiered on, bladder throbbing, and looked for some cover.  Finally, I found a warehouse building and squatted in the cover of the clover-covered hill beside it.  My hover needs work and my behind got very close to the delightfully soft and cool leaves.  Ahhhh, sweet relief.

Until the stinging started.

Ants!

I sat in ants!

Ever seen a triathlete dancing around swatting ants off of their bare bottom?  I'm sure it was hilarious.

Chastened and covered in pee, I made it to the next water stop and waited while the volunteer filled my bottle and rinsed my hands after I explained to him that I had had a potty incident.  He said that the girl in front of me had the same problem.  "That is Karen," I told him, and decided that I would catch up to her because she would laugh at my story.  But, when I caught up to the girl, it wasn't Karen.  She had also stopped beside the road to potty.  I could not hang with her and she left me before we got out to the highway.  I was still in a great mood and enjoyed the beautiful day and lovely scenery, even on the not-so-fun highway part of the ride.  I knew that I would not be able to break 3 hours on the bike, which had been my stretch goal, but I abandoned the idea and just basked in the great weather.

                                3:14:19 for the bike and transition #2
Going out on the run, I was in 6th or 7th place.  I racked my bike and grabbed my shoes and GU to put on while making another pit stop.  Alas, I forgot that the lake bathroom is almost always wet and sloshed right through a puddle.  All that trouble and I would start the run with wet socks.  CURSES!  I took them off and wrung them out while using the restroom, but they were soaked.  Whatever, it was time to go to work.

Relieved to be on the run, I started out way too fast.  6:36 pace.  Oops.  I toned it down a bit as I passed the other potty girl, who settled in right behind me while we chatted.  She said that she could not run in heat.  Could have fooled me!  I passed the tall thin lady and Karen and shared good words with both of them.  I saw the drafter, but did not pass her until after climbing the run beast (entire height of the dam plus the hill before it).  I waited behind her for a minute or two, trying to time the pass to my advantage so that it would stick.  No need.  She heard me behind her (because I am quiet and graceful like a giant wheezy dump truck) and slowed down so that I had no choice but to pass.

2nd!  I was in 2nd!

My run plan (courtesy of Doug) was to hold just under 10 min/mile for the first half, and then turn it up if I felt good in the second half.  Except for the screw-up in mile 1, I stuck with the plan and after finding my lost GU in the bathroom at the turn-around (did not need to use the bathroom - just went in to find my GU), I started loop 2 feeling good.  My heel had a hot spot, but I moved my foot around in my shoe with each step to relieve the pressure.  I passed Sarah from GUTS and a guy with happy rainbow-colored sneakers.  We chatted and I felt relieved each time a cloud passed over the sun.  Coming down the other side of the dam, I looked ahead and saw that turquoise shirt girl was walking.  BOOM!  I leapt into the air and had a dance party for myself.  The rest of the run felt like a victory lap.

OK, it was a victory lap with furtive glances behind me at every corner to see if the tall lady or Karen or my "I can't run in the heat" buddy were gaining on me.  I walked up the steep part of the run beast (climbing the back of the dam) both times and encouraged the folks around me to do it too.  I walked fast, though, with powerful strides and was probably in Zone 4 both times.  Still, better Zone 4 walking than blowing up.  I think the walking was a good strategy because it gave me time for my HR and body temperature to come down a bit.

The hot spot on my heel turned out to be a huge blister.  I was pleasantly surprised to see no blood on my sock when I removed my shoes, but it was not a pretty sight.

I crossed the line in what I recall as 15:56 and change, but my official results are 6:01:55.  I was the first woman and 9th overall out of 12 women and 31 total racing.  It was an awesome day, especially the lake and camping and hanging out with Jay and Kristen and Steve and Buffy and sharing post-race Young's double chocolate stouts with Karen and Tom. 

Photo courtesy of Kristen Petillo

My bum knee did not bother me and I paced the bike well enough to run so I am not as scared about Vineman.  I may not make any time goals, but I think I can still finish feeling good enough to enjoy a post-race feast.

Beast of the East, you may be gone, but you will not be forgotten.

Adventures

While I'm working on the Beast of the East post, here is something to think about.

Last weekend, Karen and I rode 85 miles on our bikes.  We did six loops of Mountain Park and some other stuff and were thoroughly tired by the end of the ride.  So tired, in fact, that the guy who stopped his car to yell encouragement to us and Karen's insistence that we only do a "half-goat" made perfect sense to us.  For those of you who were not depleted of glycogen, a half-goat is riding halfway down Natalie's parents' street where the goats live.  Of course, if you know Karen, you know that she and I are goal-oriented.  If we are close to finishing a certain number of miles or minutes or if we start down a road, we must finish.  So, the half-goat turned into the full-goat.  And then, when we wobbled into the driveway, we looked at our watches and wobbled right back out again to go back up the hill so that we could reach 85 miles and 6 hours.

Stupid?  Maybe.  What difference did the extra mile of the full goat or the extra three minutes to get to 6 hours make?  Physiologically, probably none  But we had an adventure!  How many 40-something-year-old women get to have adventures?

So, the following day ( Mother's Day) it rained all day so I was not able to get out in the morning for my long run.  Doug and I checked the radar obsessively and I sallied forth into the mist in the afternoon as soon as it looked relatively clear and after I put Dagny down for a rest.  Just past one mile from the house, the heavens opened and dumped on me.  I rationalized the rain with the fact that I was already going to be wet from sweating and kept going.  I was extra careful crossing the big road with the light so that I didn't risk falling in front of a car and mused about how the rain was an adventure.  And then the universe laughed at my big thoughts and I tripped on the sidewalk and fell.  Luckily, I remembered to roll, so it didn't hurt so badly.

But why not have adventures?  Why not run in the rain?  Why not ride bikes with friends?  Why not try tap dancing or Zumba or kickboxing?  Why not have adventures to anticipate or remember instead of marking time through the days?

2012 Roswell GA 100 Miles to Nowhere

Or, Time Keeps on Slippin' Slippin' Slippin . . .

Doug and I have been trying to set a date for the 2012 100 Miles to Nowhere since January.  With the lacrosse tournament, my sister's wedding, vacation, the Beast of the East, the 5K swim, etc. etc., there was really only one weekend that worked.

SO . . .

Join us on Sunday, June 3 at the Brown Dog House for 100 miles of delightful riding and running fun (and a yard party/aid station/sprinkler festival).

The Ride:
Ten (or however many you feel like) loops of a 10 mile loop (here is the route), from our house in Roswell, past the horses, through the City of Mountain Park and back home.  Riders of all abilities are welcome and there may also be a group of us riding a shorter flatter route from a nearby shopping area (directions will be provided).  We ride at dawn, but will be back by the house every 50 minutes or so, so start whenever works for you.  If you are nervous about riding with cars, plan to do your lap(s) earlier in the day.  I will draw a random winner of a GU prize from the waivers of the people who have ridden at least one loop and everyone gets a special GU surprise. 

There is NO FEE.  However, this is a fund-raising ride, so I ask that you please donate what you would have spent on the ride to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  Here is the fundraising page for on-line donation.  We are raising funds to buy biofeedback devices and training programs for the AFLAC Cancer Center to help care-givers teach kids to manage their anxiety and pain better.  This will give you a good mantra as you go up Mountain Park Road. 

Due to the fabulous help of GU and my friends, tons of aid-station fare will be provided at the house. 

The Run:
New for this year's event is a run leg!  Bring your running shoes and once you have finished your bike lap(s), run at least one mile from the house (there are big hills whichever way you go) and your time will be entered in a drawing to win a FREE PAIR of Brooks shoes!  Thank you Brooks for this prize!

The Fun:
This is a family yard-party event.  Doug is making pulled pork, frothy beverages and other goodies.  Bring your kids, your neighbors, your ride buddies, and a dish to share and stay to cheer on the other riders or run through the sprinkler.  Childcare is not available since Doug will be cooking, so please bring an extra adult or swap off with another rider if you bring the kids and they will not be riding/running with you.

Sign Up:
Send Steph your email address to be added to the Evite invitation which contains directions and all of the other details.

Save the Date - 100 Miles to Nowhere

The Roswell, GA edition of the 100 Miles to Nowhere ride will be on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at dawn.

If you want to sign up with The Fat Cyclist to raise money for Camp Kesem and get awesome swag, go here NOW.  It will sell out today - I am not kidding.

However, if you just want to join me and my band of biking buddies in Roswell, I will post full information and directions as soon as I confirm our charity, but I can't wait to tell you that I have prizes!!

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

Last weekend, we all raced at the Red Top Rumble at Red Top Mountain State Park.

The Rumble is my very favorite race of the year.  Doug raced the inaugural running several years ago while the kids and I spectated.  From our car, we could see the lines of runners snaking through seemingly unmarked woods and I was inspired.  I was injured in year 2, so I volunteered at the last water stop with a nice guy from Big Peach Running Co.  In years 3 and 4 I got to run and it was beautiful.  Running around the lake on a pine straw trail watching the sunrise is fabulous!  Because there are no mile markers and Garmins don't work well in the woods, you can just run like a kid.  Here is a photo of *some* of the kids.  Top row from left: Katie, Jay, Daniel, John, James, Doug, Steve, Eric; second row:  Sarah, Michelle, Nat, me, Lisa, Michelle; front row: Eli, Dagny, Brady (in red), a girl I don't know and Annika. 

Greg was taking the photo, but for whatever reason, we missed Dan, Karen, Tom, Dave, Jason, and a bunch of other folks in the photo.  Red Top is like old home day because lots of peeps show up.

My knee has been bothering me since the Goofy, so I was not gunning for any particular time or place.  I knew that my run fitness was really good from last year's training plus the Goofy miles, but the knee . . . who knew?

I toed the line and went out pretty fast (it is downhill!  use the gravity!).  I chased Dave and then Nat and her sister.  I ran with Eric for a while and then James until I had to make a pit stop, and then my knee decided it was done.

So, I walked it in and picked up the trash off of the course.  Littering is a huge pet peeve of mine, and some buddies mentioned a lot of trash on the Mountain Mist course last week so with the potential for knee failure, I was primed to carry a lot of junk out.   

And?  There was not much trash at all.  I picked up what I found and deposited it in appropriate locations (cans or aid-station bags).  : ) Yay!

While I was still on the course, they ran the kids race.  It is so cool to watch.  Curtis rides his mountain bike out front to show the way and the kids chase.

Here are Annika, Owen, Dags, Jack and Eli talking some smack.

Racing!  Owen did not yet know that (1) Annika's goal was to win, and (2) that she is right behind him.  He picked up the pace when he figured it out.  Doug said the lookback was priceless.

Here comes Dags!  She loved the cheering and fun atmosphere.

Doug and Karen both ran PRs.  Jay and John passed me like I was standing still.  Nat ran with her sister and we all had a great time.  The food was awesome (egg strata, sausage and biscuits from Colonnade chef and ultradude Ryan Cobb) and a good time was had by all.

Here is hoping that my knee gets its act together so I can get back on the trails and roads!  The Georgia marathon is not looking good.

There's a Hole in My Bucket

The darn bucket song irritates me because I want to just take the stupid bucket from Goofy and fix it myself.  It makes me not like Goofy.

In the late 1990s, when we were just out of school and under-employed (but glad to be employed at all, because the market was bad that year!), my friend Stephanie made a list of the things she wanted to do before she died.  We talked about the inherent morbidity of the list, especially since she had no reason to think her death might be emminent (it was not - we work together now) but decided it was a good idea.   Why not make a list of the things you always meant to do but never got to?  Stephanie read some classics and learned to juggle and a bunch of other things.

I never made my list.

Since then, the "Bucket List" has made its way into the common vernacular and everyone has a bucket list, much like a "top 5 list."

For whatever reason, though, the idea of the bucket list also irritates me just like the bucket song because it seems to represent doing something just to check it off the list and not because of value of doing the thing or the reason that you put it on the list in the first place.  And, it seems that my bucket has only a very small hole because stuff keeps coming in faster than it comes out.


Anyway, about eight years ago, sometime after Natalie started running marathons, Joe told us about how he had been to Disney World to run the half-marathon.  A half-marathon!  It seemed to us like an amazing athletic feat.  I knew Natalie could do such things, but she is special.  However, if Joe could do it, maybe I could too.  Joe encouraged me to give it a try and Doug was game, so I signed up while Joe decided to attempt the marathon.

Here is my race report from that half-marathon.  Doug, Joe and I were astounded at the people who were doing the Goofy Challenge that weekend, which is completion of the Donald Half on Saturday and the Mickey Marathon on Sunday.  I remember standing in my corral at the start of that half, marveling at those uber-athletes wearing the orange Goofy bibs.  Soon after that race, Doug started running (and by the way, he is really good at it) and now we run all kinds of races.  So, last year when Doug signed up for the Goofy, I was jealous of him and then thrilled when he suggested that we invite my parents to join us so I could run too!  WHOO!

We had a great time doing the Goofy.  I still can't believe that we did it.  I walked around Epcot for the rest of the day telling Doug, "We did the Goofy!"  My friend Cathy from the Savannah marathon was there too, and I ran the marathon with her and her running buddies, including Moore on Running.  It was awesome.  My favorite part was singing "Sweet Caroline" with Annie coming down the exit ramp to Hollywood Studios.  I could go on for days about the awesomeness of Disney or the way they can put on an event. 

Instead, I will leave you with some photos and the memory my dad relates every time we talk about Disney World.  He recalls a girl with big glasses and long blonde pigtails in a homemade shorts outfit skipping down the path with her sister (in a matching outfit with long brown pigtails) singing "It's a Small World".

Crazy Train

The other day, I woke up in a crabby mood.  As is usual during the holidays, I felt overwhelmed and stressed out about work and the end-of-the-year craziness.  I had worked late, stayed up too late watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with Doug and the girls and did not feel good.  Rather than just rousing me from that drowsy almost-awake place like it usually does, my alarm jolted me out of bed.  Nevertheless, I sallied forth at 5am for my run.

UGH.  It was horrible.  My feet hurt, my knees hurt, the weird ache in my right bottom cheek flared up, my tummy was upset and I had overdressed so I was hot.  I made it up to the clubhouse, pottied and went on my way. 

I did not feel good enough to exit the neighborhood for my usual loop and bargained with myself about the easiest way to get my miles in.  I ran down to mom and dad's house and dropped off their paper, then headed back towards the clubhouse, thinking I'd just avoid the giant hill and maybe do loops of the regular neighborhood.  Stopped again for the potty.  My tummy was very bad and I started to think I might actually be sick - lots of viruses going around at school right now.  The general malaise that usually only comes with a fever enveloped me.  Rather than attempt any hills at all, I ran back to mom and dad's house (it is mostly flat to their house) and realized that running anywhere without bathroom access was going to be a very, very bad plan.  So, I hit upon the idea of running slowly up to the front of the neighborhood (2 miles uphill) since I could hit the golf course bathroom on my way if necessary.  If I felt good, I would turn around and return home the long way and go by mom/dad's one more time to hit my mileage.  If I continued to feel badly, I could just head straight home.

In addition to the tummy issues, my mind was in a bad place.  I could not erase my frown and the heaviness of being in that bad place made every step irritating.  I was mad at Doug for making ants in trees because it was giving me the GI distress.  I was angry at the work folks for all needing everything done at once.  I was crabby with myself for not being more efficient with my time.  Something had to give.  I gave myself a stern lecture. 

You have to snap out of this! 

Do you remember the T.V. show "Fame," where Debbie Allen says "You want fame?  Well, fame costs.  And right here is where you start paying"?  I told myself a variation:

You want to feel better?  Like a human? Well, you need a run to burn off the bad.  And this is your run.  This is where you make it better.

It was not working.  OK, maybe a little. But then those angry thoughts kept creeping back in to try and pull me down and exacerbate my foulness.

So, feeling a little desperate, I thought of something Rebecca told us at Hot Vinyasa class.

You have two sides, two wings - the feeling and the action.

Identify the emotion you are feeling, take it out and hold it in your hand.  It is good to have feelings.  Everyone has them.  Examine the feeling, its breadth and shape.  Then, YOU decide what to do with it on the action side.

OK. 

I took the hard, gnarled stub of my frustration and held it in my hand.  It was ugly.  It was muddy green and brown with an irregular knobby shape and needle-like thorns and it smelled like rancid meat.  I rolled it around for a minute and let the points bite my fingers and palm.  I thought about how I could be more productive and how I could have eaten less of the ants in trees.

Then I put the feeling back and kept on with my run.  The run to the front of the neighborhood plan was a good one because the long uphill is rewareded with an easy, non-GI-irritating downhill.  I made it to the front of the neighborhood and while the running part didn't feel any easier and my GI was still protesting mightily, I felt like me again.  Sure, I still had to stop at the dark golf course bathroom and I went home the short way so I didn't get all of my planned miles, but I got most of them and felt better for it.

A year ago, I read The Cranky Princess's exercise logs and Kate from Big Peach's blog posts about yoga and made faces.  Yoga might be good for them, but it was not for me. 

But after that Hot Vinyasa class, I thought, maybe it might be OK.

And this coping skill, the two-wings theory.  It might just prove it.

Or that I'm on the crazy train.  Either way.

Thankful

In November, several of my Facebook friends (they are real friends too) and Elena started posting one thing they are thankful for every day or week as a Thanksgiving project.  I could not remember the day of the week for Elena's thankful thing on BT so I just post my things whenever I think of them.

Thanksgiving came and went, but I'm still posting the things. 

Trying to think of a relatively new thing every day (or every couple of days) has been a good exercise.  It makes me stop and notice little happy things where perhaps in the past I would have rushed right by.  I see decorations, pretty trees, how the fish gets excited when he sees me coming.  [I am thinking right now that I should be looking for more of these things]  Looking for the thankful thing makes me look for the bright side of a bad mood, a bad situation, a disappointment, everything.  One morning recently, I got up in a terribly ugly mood.  Everything about me was foul and I just hated myself.  I got on the bike trainer (a stand for the bike so we can ride indoors) and rode my heart out.  I added some extra "personality" minutes the way we used to give the kids personality naps before dinner.  It worked!  That day I was thankful for endorphins and their capacity to smooth the bumps and for Doug for setting up the trainer for me.

A similar thing happened when we got the new Christmas tree.  Our previous tree (both trees are fake, by the way) was a stop-gap measure that we bought when we realized that Annika would be pulling up on or near the tree at her first Christmas.  The potential for disaster was too scary to imagine with a heavy real tree, so we got the fake one, planning to replace it with a "good one" after the holidays.  That was in 2003.  Things don't move fast at our house.  Doug found some trees on sale this year at Sams and brought one home the day after Thanksgiving.  The new tree is more telephone pole-shaped than tent-shaped and it did not make my heart sing.  So, I jumped on my bike and then took a nice, cool run and though the tree had not improved in my estimation, the kids were REALLY excited (jumping up and down) about decorating it.  And that day I was thankful for Dr. Seuss and the Grinch saying that "perhaps Christmas means a little bit more."

It is interesting, though, that most of my thankful things are repeating themes.  My family, running, my family, running, friends, my family, running, work, my family etc. . .   I think, perhaps, that they are so extra-great that I keep coming back to them for my thankful thing.  Then again, it could be because I am subconsciously making up for the years of not thinking of the thankful thing.

A Tale of Two Races

WTC v. Rev3 in a subjective race-off

WTC is the World Triathlon Corp.  They own all Ironman races, the Ironman name and all things Ironman.  They charge approximately $700 per full distance race and the races usually sell-out in less than 24 hours.  People choose to do Ironman-branded races because they believe them to be (a) better organized, (b) better supported and (c) bigger, showier, more exciting events than non-Ironman-branded races.  Ironman is not the easiest company to like.  They put on crowded events, disqualify racers if family members cross the finish line with them and take a hard-line with any races that use a name similar to theirs (iron-distance races, for example).  I raced Ironman Louisville last year and they ran out of water at several aid stations in the fourth hour of the bike ride on a day when temperatures reached 95 degrees.  I am not a fan.

Rev3 is Revolution 3, a challenger group that claims to deliver a family-friendly events and a racer-focused experience.  They charge approximately $425 for a full distance race and the races take a long time to sell out.  People do Rev3 races because they believe them to be (a) more fun for the spectators, (b) a lower-key atmosphere and (c) cheaper.  Rev3 is organized by pro triathletes, has great prize purses for the winners of its races, puts finisher photos up on the jumbotron at the finish, encourages family members to run through the finish line and makes personalized nameplates for each racer.  Before this year, I had never done a Rev3 race.  They looked nice, but were not much cheaper than Ironman-branded races, so I thought "meh?  what's the difference?"  However, this year GU sponsored Rev3, so I had the opportunity to race for free.  OK, my race entry was free.  Travel to Knoxville, the hotel and meals we had there were not free.

Rev3 Knoxville Half (race report here)

My only experience of Knoxville prior to the race was a UT/UGA game, that the Dawgs lost miserably.  It was hot, the stadium was steep and crowded, the food was uninspired and we were not impressed.  Driving in for the Rev3 race, though, we saw the other side of town. 

The Sunsphere and World's Fair park were beautiful green expanses along the river and we found a good brewpub for pre-race fueling.  Doug signed the kids up for the Kids Adventure Race (a family scavenger hunt) while I checked myself in.  Then, I joined them for the second half of the race until Dagny got tired and needed to ride on my shoulders. 

The kids practiced running down the finisher's chute in the grassy park where the expo was located.  I met Tyler, king of GU and spent the afternoon hobknobbing with him as we gave out samples of GU to the expo attendees.  Overall, Rev3 had a very welcoming, easy feel.

At the actual race, the swim was pretty cold and the current was challenging.  I just told myself that it was hard for everyone, so I did not stress.  The bike course was hilly!  I knew Knoxville was a mountainous place, but I was slightly under-prepared for all of the climbing on the bike.  This was my first try going easy on the bike, so I just rode along.  Coming off of the bike, I was a little loopy and lost my water bottle and then the jacket for the bottle before I finally started the run.  As you can see, I was a bit discombobulated.

The run was hilly, but not any harder than my neighborhood.  In fact, some of it was in a neat Knoxville neighborhood!  I had a blast and brought it home fast to find Doug, Phat and the Blackmons at the finish.  The kids didn't get to run it in with me because they were having too much fun in the bounce house.

I loved this race and would encourage anyone considering a Rev3 event to give it a try.  It was a lower-key atmosphere than Ironman races.  There was no rush to buy Rev3 branded goods, the expo was not crowded and the race course was not full of spectators.  However, I found this to be a refreshing change from the craziness of Ironman races.  All of the aid stations and other support were exactly where promised and plentifully stocked.  The finishline was exciting and it was very cool to be on the jumbotron.  : )

Ironman Wisconsin Full (race report here)


As anyone who has talked for me for longer than 3 seconds this year knows, we raced Ironman Wisconsin this year in Madison with Team Buttercup, Tom and Doug's awesome family.  If you have never visited Madison, it is just plain awesome.  Doug's family has been telling us this for years, I know, but sometimes we are just slow.  We had a blast checking out all of the cool stuff in and around Madison.  Doug's sister Michelle and brother-in-law John drove up and corralled the kids for us.  Here are my girls checking out the finish line.

Here they are with Owen at the Stube in New Glarus.  New Glarus Brewery is also a must-see.  We also tried Linberger cheese at Baumgartners in Monroe, and toured all of the good restaurants and the farmer's market in downtown Madison.

Here are Doug, Katie, Becky and me at the swim start.  I am on the left, then Becky in the long-sleeve, then Doug and Katie on the right.  We found Karen once we got in the water, so it was a perfect way to start.

Love this photo.  I look tough!  Grrrrr!

Here is John, who tirelessly cheered all day.

Uncle Ray and Aunt Rodonna waiting for the slower racers (me!).

I got to finish with Katie, which was AWESOME!

The gang, minus Doug, who was taking the photo.  Love these ladies.  The kids powered through and were up to watch the last finishers come through at midnight, which was really cool.  I cry every time. 

I loved this race, too.  However, after experiencing Wisconsin, Louisville and the Rev3 Knoxville, I would make the argument that the race-director/owner of an event does not matter as much as the venue.  After Louisville, I was really down on WTC, but Wisconsin was awesome in every way because the town was excited about the race and there were tons of neat things to do there.  Knoxville was great for the same reasons, plus the event venue was fabulous. 

However, the best thing about Madison was the monumentally huge bonus of Doug's family making the trip to support us.  We don't know if there could ever be another race as great as that.  : )

You Can't Always Get What You Want

I wanted to feel strong for the Savannah Rock and Roll Marathon.  My pals at GU gave me an entry for the race, so I wanted to represent!  I wanted to have an easy day on Friday, a good night's sleep and break four hours on Saturday.

Well, a bunch of life happened.  I worked the expo all day on Friday, ate peanuts/bananas/tylenol for lunch with GI issues, and could not sleep because I got another of those sinus headaches.  You are not supposed to take anti-inflammatory medicine prior to a marathon, but I took a LOT.

Here are Nat and Desiree at the expo.  From my place in the GU booth, I got to see all of my peeps come through on Friday and meet a bunch of racers, which was really neat. There was a great energy in the building, even when the traffic had people waiting for two hours to get in.  It was a good expo.

On race morning, Doug dropped Nat, Michelle and I off for the shuttle at 5am, and we made it onto the first bus.  Then, the driver promptly asked if anyone knew the way to the start.  Whaaaa?  But we got there, and dropped our bags and it was fine.  Natalie found some peeps and Michelle and I huddled in the lee of a building to stay warm.  Doug found us, which was doubly-awesome for me.

Michelle and I ducked into the nearest corral for the start and met a couple of nice ladies and then we were off!  I started with my race outfit, a long-sleeved shirt and garbage bag on.  It was that cold and windy!  I started out at a good clip for the first few miles (8:45; 8:12; 8:30).  I joked around with the people around me when I tore my garbage bag off like the Hulk, "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry." 

Crickets.

Sheesh.  Tough crowd!

I ditched the shirt at the first water stop in mile 4 (8:47) and worried that perhaps I was not going to be able to keep up a sub 9 minute per mile pace for the whole race.  I had picked 8:50 as my goal pace after narrowly missing the 4 hour mark at the Publix GA Marathon in March, which was way hillier, but who knew what impact Ironman Wisconsin in September would have on my speed.
I stopped for the potty in mile 5 (10:55).  I'm not fast, but I did find some sanitizer.  I told myself that potty stops are now called the Bachman/Galloway method and tried to relax while I was in there as if it were a planned break.  And, just like our dearly departed Annie-dog, I felt much better after stopping.  I got to see Doug and Amy in the next few miles (8:11; 8:52) and used my emergency Advil to shush the persistent pain in my IT band (should have worn tights!).  We ran through throngs of screaming people downtown and everyone sped up (8:24; 8:38; 8:38), but slowed down again exiting through the neighborhoods, on the highway, and entering the park (8:47; 8:47; 8:46).  Since the band was not playing on the highway, I amused myself by pretending I was Godzilla as I stomped on all of the discarded cups.  GRRRRAAAAHHHH!!!!  Then a guy and I made ourselves into torpedos for better aero-advantage in the wind.

The park, though it was a paradise of extra potties, was a dark place for me.  My body started to hurt and I wondered (like I do in EVERY race) why the heck I was doing this.

While I wallow in the valley of darkness, here are some photos that Doug took of all of the gang. 

Please note that my support tank provides very convenient glove storage in the rear.

Here comes Jerry!

Karen is still smiling.  Honey badger is still asleep.

Katie smiling, as usual.

It turns out that I just missed seeing Doug in the park, because you can see that he caught Karen and Katie and their color-coordinated outfits.  For me, mile 14 was 9:08 and mile 15 was 9:14.  I was convinced for a good half mile that after the mile 15 marker that I had only 9 miles to go.  Whoops!  Guess who had low fuel, despite never deviating from the one GU every 4 miles plan?

Then, I met my new friend Cathy in mile 16 (8:56).  She was looking for a buddy too, so it was perfect  timing.  Cathy raced at Kiawah when Doug and I did in 2009, has registered for this year's Goofy and was also trying to PR by breaking 4 hours!  Yay - tons in common!  We talked nonstop for the next few miles (9:11; 8:57; 8:51) and it was awesome.  I started feeling bad again before mile 20, though, and thought mournfully to myself, "wow, she is too fast for me - I am going to have to let her go."  : (

Seconds after I finished this thought and made the accompanying sad face, Cathy turned to me and said "Steph, this is going to be tough and I will need you to help motivate me to finish." 

AHA!  A job!

JUST WHAT I NEEDED! 

It was like a light turning on and I felt instantly better.  Mile 20 was 9:02 and though it still hurt, we climbed out of that stupid valley of darkness.  My GI got a bit uppity in this stretch and I had to stop again in mile 21 (9:57), but remembering how Nat recovered herself and chased Doug down in the Atlanta marathon a few years ago, I used my Bachman/Galloway relaxation trick and told Cathy I would catch up. 

And I meant it.

Mile 22 was much better (8:31).  It was great to have Cathy's pink socks as a beacon and then Doug was there!  He ran with me on the windy highway as we chased Cathy.  It was great!  After Doug dropped off to find the next buddy (he ended up running 17 miles total), I ran a bit with a guy named Gary who was using this race as a training run (he was not even breathing hard!) and he ran with me and helped bridge me up to Cathy.  I was very glad in this stretch that I had been too cheap to ditch my Red Top Rumble gloves and tucked them in my shirt instead, because I wore them on and off for the rest of the race.

Levitating!

Here is Jerry!  First marathon!

Amy ran this stretch with Jerry and her sign!

The remaining miles were tough and they hurt a lot.  Cathy and I cursed at the pain and wished for very loud, make-your-ears-bleed music, but we brought it home with only a little slowdown (8:53; 8:58;  9:00; 9:20) and sprinted in the last 0.2 at 8:20 pace!  WHOO!

Nat and I changed clothes and headed to the finish line to cheer in the finishers. I alternated cheering and tearing up as the racers came through.  It never ceases to move me to see folks when they realize that they have finished and it dawns on them that people like us can do a marathon or an Ironman.

Here is Michelle with her awesome Team Buttercup cheering section.  You can't see John because he was running down the other side of the road taking the photo. 

Here are Nat and I after some freshening up and the application of dry clothes.

I broke 4 hours for a PR and final chip time of 3:55:37, met a new friend, saw Michelle's first marathon and had a great day. : )  Now, to see if I can sign up for next year . . .

Happy Running!