Burning River 100 miler - a pacer's report

Yes I've been slacking on the blog! Hopefully I can remember all the details of BR, but life has been busy! I ran recently ran my latest 100 miler, my son started cross country and school - so much to do!

My husband's first 100 miler, the BURNING RIVER 100

It hasn't even been two years since my husband started running. I can remember the day when he said enough is enough, and we went out and bought him his first pair of good running shoes. Since then he has worked his way up from 5k to now an amazing 100 miles! He has, as most of us have - become completely obsessed :) A good obsession I'd say, since what we do really doesn't interfere with family time (early a.m. runs) and, well anyway our son runs with us quite a bit as well. (well, not now during cross season - he has ditched us for his XC buds! sheesh!)

The night before the race my husband, son, and I went to the pasta dinner/packet pickup for the race. The meal was prepared by the most awesome Chef Bill Bailey. There we met our friend from Michigan, Marc "Doc" Ott - who stayed the night at our house. Almost immediately when we got home it was lights out, both guys understandably wanted to hit the sack early. I had no complaints as I would be up all day and night as well :)

The alarm sounded off early EARLY in the morning. 2 or 2:30 a.m., I forgot which. We got ready and hit the road. Squire's Castle was bustling with activity very early in the morning - runners standing around looking scared beyond belief, runners peeing in the woods, and some runners running to warm up! (Uh Valmir yes!) We stood around and chatted for a bit, people attempted night time photos, and soon they were off!













My son and I hit every aid station that we were allowed to be at. Hauling stuff that my husband may or may not need to each one, waiting, cheering on friends that were coming in. Early on my son and I spent a lot of time with Sara Wank, Chris Basich, and Chris's brother. It made the day really enjoyable!















My husband was looking good each time we saw him. He had a good pace, didn't start out to fast - was doing really, really well. I don't remember the mileage, but I believe it was around 30? he came in and said he felt he was getting a blister and was going to get it worked on. I wanted to scream NOOOO! DON'T SIT! But, if the man had a blister that was bothering him, can't knock him for that. He sat down at the podiatrist's tent and that's where he stayed for over 25 minutes. BAD BAD BAD. I almost bent down and popped the damn thing with my fingers so I could get him the hell up and get going. Eventually, the deed was done - he got up and was completely cramping all over. From this point forward in the race, it was a whole different ball game. MISERY.

Now I was worried. All I could think of was Tanya Cady's saying..."Beware the Iron Chair!" So true. So very true. My son and I made our way to the next aid station. We arrived at the aid station and our friend Beth, aid station captain told me a runner was lost, and it was someone who most DEFINITELY should have been there by now. I asked who it was, and she told me "Valmir".













My heart sunk. Valmir is an amazing runner, spectacular beyond belief! And not to mention, he was lost and does NOT know English. Waiting and waiting - finally he came in made a quick circular motion with his hands and took off his bib. I have to say, it really seemed like he took it well. An amazing guy all the way around :) Heck, he had another hundo in a month anyway!! Save it for the next one...

My husband soon came in looking a bit hairy, he walked a ton between the dreaded blister aid station and this one we were at. We gave him his stuff, and off he went.

The next aid station we saw him at was the Boston Store. The Boston Store was a point in the race where quite a few runners dropped out. Unfortunately the heat of the day really got to some, and they called it quits. My husband came in, looking completely spent.











Knowing that he would perk up a bit the next time we saw him (due to our friend Charlie pacing him when he would come back around again) we kept reminding him - only xx miles until you can run with Charlie! Off he went.

It was awhile before he came back again, and friends Scott and Bri McGrew showed up. I also saw a few other friends, JP, Richard Cook, James Viggiano, Greg Murray - to name a few. It was really great to see so many people out there :)

Along comes my husband, and finally Charlie was up and out with my man, and I was really relieved. Charlie is SUCH a great guy, and I knew he could lift his spirits. Which he did indeed do. At the next aid station I was taking him the rest of the way, 37 miles - and my son would be going with Charlie to start his volunteer duties at the Merriman Road aid station.

My plan was to try and get some sleep at the aid station before my pacing duties, but there were just so many people, awesome people, to chat with that it was impossible-but I didn't mind one bit :) Really, I don't think I could've slept anyway, there was just too much excitement! Then, the man arrived! WOOO HOO! Time to go! Off we went through a run in the woods. In a few hours, it would be midnight. And on midnight, our anniversary. Running through the woods, in the dark - we never did get a honeymoon, so this was the next best thing!

I don't recall the aid station name, but it is the location of "No Frills Just Hills". I will just rename that section - BAT CITY. There were so many bats, it was unreal! Also if anyone was running and heard someone scream, sorry my bad - that would be me as a bat flew into my headlamp. Yep. After that I pointed my headlamp straight at the ground in the hopes of no more encounters. My husband's mood perked up considerably on the second loop - and he was moving at a pretty good clip.

Another aid station. We got to the next aid station, and were in and out. (This was the rule of thumb for the day.) No hanging out, no sitting down (except the dreaded blister time), no dawdling at the aid station. Get yer butt in, get out. Just keep on moving, keep on truckin', one foot in front of the other. About 2 miles after we left the aid station we came across a lady who was in such bad shape. She was weaving in and out, had a glazed look over her eyes, and had NO fuel. If I would have been the one racing, I would have stopped, stayed with her until she got to the next aid station - that's how she looked. But I wasn't, I was pacing - and had to take care of the man. Instead, I gave her all of my homemade energy bars. I could survive without them. She had done SO much more and needed them in the worst way. I worried about her the rest of the way. (SO SO happy to report though that she did cross the finish line about 1/2 hour after my husband!! Congrats stranger!!)

And onward...
I was hurting. The horrible blister that I had for weeks, that had not healed - was excruciating. Also, I had started swelling (as my whole summer has gone) and my feet were just getting too big for my shoes. This caused even more blisters. 5 on the bottom of EACH foot. Still though, this was NOT my race and I absolutely did NOT tell my husband. Just bit my lip, kept on going. I WAS seeing him through the end of this no matter want. I did not even make so much as a grunt - I didn't want him to know, and didn't want to ruin his race. NO WAY.

We got to the towpath, and MY GOD. That seemed like the longest stretch ever. The never ending towpath. We were looking forward to seeing my son and our friends at the Merriman Road aid station though, so one foot in front of the other. Soon we got to Merriman and that perked my husband back up. Everyone was great, gave him a boost - and off we went! Again. And back on the towpath! @%^* !!!!







Knowing that the end was in sight really did make the last stretch of the towpath better though. Not too much longer we were in the woods again, making good time. We had heard about a nasty set of stairs, and soon we saw it. After 97, 98 miles you don't really want to see stairs! But there they were, and off he went. When he got to the top of the stairs there he sighed a huge sigh of relief. HOWEVER, a cute old man who was walking through the woods was also at the top and said "Oh your not done yet! Wait till ya see the next set of steps!" While he was indeed a cute old man I didn't think so when he told my husband that!

Finally we got to the steps, finished - and were again relieved. Soon we would see Charlie and my son and my husband would get to run the last mile with all of us. Going, going...and there they were!! It was off to the finish line, all of us! My husband's team - Charlie, my son, and me - going, going - It was amazing to see and I was completely proud of all my husband had done. And then, there it was. The finish. The BEAUTIFUL finish! Across the line he went, looking great. My husband got his well deserved medal, and sat by the fountain. Not too long after Tanya came over and helped us out - more tips (Tanya is an amazing runner who is always so willing to help with tips, suggestions, etc - and incredible person!). She helped us out with my husband, told him to get his feet in the fountain right away! Which he did. I have to say, I was pretty impressed (and pretty embarrassed) his feet looked WAY better than mine.

I couldn't have been more proud of my husband than at that very moment. There are knee issues that he's had to battle with since high school that he pushes through, silently. But yet, he ran his 100. Not even 2 years after beginning to run. An amazing accomplishment! His finishing time, 28 hours and 32 minutes!!












A special thanks now to an amazing friend, Charlie Bolek - for spending so much time out there with us. Charlie is a wonderful pacer and great guy, and I'm so thankful he was out there with my dude. Also a big thanks to all the volunteers for being SO incredible. Each aid station was amazing beyond belief - an event like this wouldn't be able to take place without all the people who stay up all day and night to help smelly, sweaty, and at times delusional runners. Thanks everyone, for being so amazing!!

BURNING RIVER THIS MORNING!!

Quick note kids, the Burning River 100 miler is this morning and it's my husband's first. Will have pacer/crew report later - but for now you can track him online via the live webcast, go to http://www.ultralive.net/ !!

Good luck to all the Burning River runners! We'll see you soon!!

Beast of Burden Training, BR100 Update & Pacing Tips, Niagara Falls and I2P updates!

BEAST OF BURDEN TRAINING

This past weekend my son was out of town and I decided to make my runs in the heat of the day to get some practice running in the open sun. Beast of Burden is on a pretty open course, little shade - so I needed this and took advantage of being able to start running later in the day. Saturday I ran one half of my long run with one of my best running buds, Charlie Bolek, and the other half I ran solo. I decided to try some new energy chews I got for free (almost - just paid shipping). They were FRS energy chews.










The verdict? I liked them. They seemed to work well with me. I also used my always trusty Smartwater. Smartwater is a HUGE favorite of mine. When you can't stomach sugary sports drinks, it's hot and you still need electrolytes, this is it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! (And no I'm not some kind of paid spokesperson for them by any means)I've used it for over a year now and haven't found anything better. I really liked the combination of the FRS chews and Smartwater. My belly liked them and I guess my legs did, too - I had a negative split for my 20 miler Saturday. Charlie and I started at 11:00 a.m., temps were in the 80's and purposely there was no shade. I was pretty pleased with everything.













Sunday was a different story. I was a bit tired from Saturday's long run. I decided I wanted to challenge myself mentally as well as physically. I once again started running later in the day. Temps were hotter than they were on Saturday. I purposely chose a route that even on a good day is pretty difficult for me, not to mention the day of long run #2 for the weekend. All open road running again, in the sun. To make matters worse, I was out of Smartwater. No FRS energy chews either. I relied on regular water and Perpetum chews (which my stomach can handle, but my mind cannot) I had no negative split, my pace was slower than Saturday's pace but I was pretty happy I didn't punk out and take the easy route.

Ice baths were not a problem this weekend :)

One problem I came across this weekend was a nasty blister I acquired Saturday. I bought new "blister proof" socks. The brand - Swiftwick.










(Note the ad stating "blister free!")

One might think it was due to my new shoes, but I wasn't wearing them. (I was running road, my newer shoes are trail shoes) The only thing that I changed wardrobe wise were those socks. I never had a worse blister in my life. The damn thing would NOT go away all week. Right now it's hurting worse than before and the protective skin is now ripped off of it. OUCH. This is the nice looking picture - it's a bit nastier looking now:











Needless to say, I'll be sticking with what worked before: My Wal-Mart socks.




IMPOSSIBLE 2 POSSIBLE UPDATES

The new I2P gear is in and it is HOT!!!








Get yours today! View the catalog and order information HERE. Don't miss out, the order deadline is Monday August 8th!
This gear supports i2P and their free Experiential Learning Programs.




MY HUSBAND'S FIRST 100 MILER - BURNING RIVER TRAINING UPDATE AND PACING TIPS FOR NEWBIE PACERS

This weekend will be my husband's final long runs before Burning River. Then, the dreaded taper. Maybe I can get him to clean my house! YAY! Things are still going well for him, and he'll be bouncing off the walls in a few days. If anyone needs a roommate.....



Burning River Pacing Tips: (or any other ultra really!)

Ask you runner – do you prefer me to run in front of or behind you?

Stay positive – there’s nothing worse for a runner than knowing a pacer thinks that they can’t finish the race/doesn’t have it in them. Be encouraging from the start!! No negative vibes!!

On the run – talk about anything other than running. Kids, family, positive moments in each other’s lives, blah blah blah.

Don’t ask how your runner is feeling. (You’ll be able to see it) They will most likely feel like complete crap at some point. It’s inevitable. Asking will only put their mind there….

There are times when to chat, and times when to just zip it! Feel your runner out, be mindful of how they are feeling and if they want to be involved in conversation.

Carrying extra batteries for your headlamps.

There are times when you may have to lay down the law. Runner not eating? Make them! That being said.....there are times also when you should listen to your runner. If your runner tells you they HAVE eaten or drank something, for example - listen, be patient, ask questions - when, how much, etc... this one's tricky, so you must ask questions and get all the details - if your runner has too much food in them it could cause issues, and if you try to give them more then it will cause even bigger ones! Too little can cause issues as well. Details will help you decide if you should put the smack down on them or if you should back off! Don't always assume you know everything, and don't always assume they do. You are a team, teams work together!

You’ll have chatty moments and moments of complete silence.

You will possibly see your runner through laughing, crying, puking, you name it.

You're runner may be a bit testy after running 50, 75, 80 miles etc. It's nothing personal. Don't worry about it (Kind of like when a woman goes into labor, screams at her husband). Just a product of little sleep, tired body, a little pain - no worries! They don't mean it!

Don’t forget to fuel your body as well. Typically a pacer is out on the course a long time. Bring your fuel and use it!

This one's for new trail people mostly: Don't be surprised if you see your runner pee in the woods. Don't feel bad about peeing in the woods yourself. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.

If you haven’t run with your runner before, try to get a run in before the race.

Discuss your runners goals prior to the race. Will you be there just to keep them company, for safety, or to make sure they stay on pace?

If you are tired, hungry, a little sore - don't complain, just suck it up because your runner is probably feeling a lot worse! You can tough it out, just stay positive!


POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE!!! That is key!!




NIAGARA FALLS QUICK TRIP

The kiddo's in Myrtle Beach, my husband's running his first 100 miler on our anniversary - so what to do? We decided at the last minute to go to Niagara Falls. Just a short trip, we left Monday and came back on Tuesday-but we got our fill of fun! We checked out the falls of course, did the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, and all the typical touristy stuff. After all the waterfall related activites we checked out Clifton Hill.










Clifton Hill is a busy area of town, complete with wax museums, haunted houses, Ripley's Believe or Not, Guiness Book of World Records, and many restraunts and shops. We'll definitely be coming back with my son as he would love all of the above. We had some fun hanging out, acting like kids ourselves:

The incredible shrinking man:












Over the Falls!!









What surprised me the most about Niagara Falls? The Buddhist Temple we stumbled upon. Of COURSE I had to check it out! I walked in and felt like I could spend forever there. It was amazing. The monks were friendly, everything was so peaceful. It was the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sarira Stupa on River Road. The construction of the facility began in 1995 and it opened in 2001. It was built to commemorate the numerous Buddhas in the past, present, and future. A beautiful place, one worth going to, and a place I'll definitely be visiting again.













Overall the trip was great and we were surprised at how close Niagara Falls was. We'll be going there many more times, it's really no problem making just a day trip out of it if you leave early enough. I just can't wait to take the kiddo! Perhaps a running tour of the city next time?


Happy Running All!

Beast of Burden 100 Miler Training/Gluten Free Week 3/BR 100/I2P Updates

BEAST OF BURDEN TRAINING
The miles are starting to pick up and things are looking good! First order of business was a shoe change. My "why not" experiment with the Pearl Izumui's did not pay off. In fact, my husband and I are, even with the discount we got, out a ton of money because of the Izumi's. They were horrible for the both of us. We couldn't take it any more! Friday on our way to Baldwin Wallace to pick our son up from camp we stopped at Vertical Runner. I knew what brand of shoe I wanted - my old and trusty Adidas.


Never again will I put my feet in another brand of shoe. I don't care how much of a discount I get, I don't even care if I get shoes for free - FUGGETABOUDIT. (Although Vince gave us a pretty sweet deal on our shoes!) I tried on one of the shoes and instantly said "I'm gettin it!" Vince looked at me as if to say "Don't you even want to at least walk in them, tie them, something?" Didn't have to. I already know, they work for me and I love them. I'm not saying they would work for everyone, people have their own likes/dislikes, people have their own foot issues, etc, etc. For instance you could wear huraches like my friend Ted:









You can use, well - - any old shoes that you get for free, because the shoe companies love ya, like they love my friend Caballo:









Or heck, you can even go barefoot like my friend Patrick (who recently set the world record for the greatest distance run on sand in 24 Hours - 87.36 miles)











What's my point? Trial and error are ok, ultra running is definitely a learning process - but if you find something that works, really REALLY works for you don't change it up. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

My first run in my new shoes was a 25k training run. Little did I know, my Izumi's had completely changed my running form. At the time I didn't realize it was the Izumi's that changed my form, I just assumed my form was totally jacked up from my health issues (again - it's a learning process). I was starting to get ticked, really ticked with every run I was going on. Wondering, why if my health was starting to improve, was my form still so messed up? Enter Adidas and problem solved! I started running in my Adidas and like magic everything was right with my running world. It was then that I realized that my previous shoes were to blame for my craptastic form - for whatever reason. I don't know if I had a placebo effect goin' on, or I was just really excited to have my form back, (or just the simple fact that my better running form was back), but my pace improved by nearly one minute per mile from the previous week. HOOAH! THANK YOU ADIDAS!


WEEK 3 GLUTEN FREE
This is HARD. REALLY hard. I love love love my bread. Last week really hurt. I have a lot to learn about all this. A WHOLE lot to learn. Last week all my food tasted the same. Chicken, steak, fish - it ALL TASTED THE SAME and I was getting tired of it. Then, along came two angels. Angel numero uno: Crystal.












My husband and I attended a runner's picnic organized by none other than super speedy Chuck-O. We all brought a dish, and Crystal (who deals with Gluten issues herself) brought an awesome desert - vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free brownies. I was SO excited I hugged her, and seriously wanted to cry! (but that would be crazy. I'm just crazy at home when no one can see) The brownies were amazing, and I probably could have eaten the whole batch. Yes. Yes I'm certain I could.

Angel #2, Courtney Baker Russell. I was speaking with her at Mohican about my problems, only to find out she has gluten issues as well. Saturday evening she posted a pic up on facebook of pizza she was eating. PIZZA!!! WHA?? WHA?? I commented on the pic, the pizza looked delish, and she told me she had ordered it from Zeppe's, they now make gluten free pizza! The next day I ordered some for lunch (I was so excited I called before they opened!) The pizza was rather pricey, $15 something for an 8 cut, but I had been craving pizza all week and I couldn't take it anymore! They gave me only 3 choices -plain, with sausage, or with pepperoni. I ordered the pepperoni and went to town. It tasted good! Not the same as the regular stuff, but it really did satisfy my craving. My husband approved of the pizza as well - that's always a bonus! I have to say, it feels SO great to not feel pregnant after eating pizza (which is always how I felt before). I was not swollen, bloated - none of it. Even the old man said he felt better after eating the gluten free pizza vs. the regular pizza. Tasty and you feel good after - doesn't get much better than that! The next time we order it I will change things up a bit, I'll put some veggies from the house on the pizza as well. (Don't know why I couldn't get veggies on this one - must be a safety thing) Thanks Courtney for letting me know about Zeppe's!

BURNING RIVER 100
The Burning River 100 mile endurance run is fast approaching. This will be my husband's first 100 miler. I have to say, I'm extremely proud of him right now! He had his first real taste of what it would be like last weekend. He ran 8 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday. I joined him on Sunday for 25k and was extremely impressed at how well he was running. If he was hurting he wasn't showing it at all. He is 100% ready, and I can't wait to pace him! BR will be on our anniversary, and it will be really special pacing my guy for his first 100 on our big day! Also, he's a real ultra runner now - he made me take a picture of his gnarly feet. You know you're an ultra runner when you get proud of the fact that your feet look so freakin' funky:













IMPOSSIBLE2POSSIBLE UPDATES

Next up for I2P: INDIA!






The next youth expedition will be in October, and the youth who will be chosen for the expedition will be going for free to Rajasthan, the largest state of the Republic of India. The youth will run approximately 300 kilometers in the region of the Thar Desert. (also known as the "Great Indian Desert")

Parents and teachers - if you know someone who would be interested in this - please tell them! Youth between the ages of 17 - 21 can register today for your chance to join the i2P Youth Ambassador team on this once in a lifetime journey - again, at no charge. Send them here: http://i2p.force.com/YouthExpeditionIndia
Good luck to all who are trying for a youth ambassador spot!

Don't forget about my upcoming fundraiser fun run for I2P! To register and/or donate go to the event page on facebook. The page has a link so you can donate via activegiving.com. The mula goes straight to I2P. Donate today!!

Happy Running all!

Mohican 50 miler, I2P Fun Run and Western States

Ok so it's been awhile. I've been swamped with things to do, volunteering, working, family - needless to say, things have been crazy but thankfully the craziness is now coming to an end. Before getting into my reports, I will take a quick second to update people, but not dwell and whine too much on things. I did this crap to myself really, so sucking it up and looking ahead now. I had to back out of Mohican 100, wasn't able to get good solid training in because my body decided to crap out on me all at once. Most likely culprit: Only getting 4 1/2 hours of sleep each night for the last 2 1/2 years or so. That's one thing, the other is food. I've never felt so horrible for such an extended period of time. Since Glacier Ridge, my body has just not been right. Doc's had no clue, just wanted to keep monitoring all the symptoms. So they were no help. Some things : Dizziness, nausea, lack of concentration, bloated 90% of the day, leg swelling (of course runners feet and legs swell alot, but this was unreal and continual) and more. My legs felt like complete bricks and held anywhere from an extra 4-10 pounds of water.












Doc's couldn't help, in stepped my awesome coach/friend Ray Zahab. #1 He ordered more sleep. "Don't even think about running unless you are getting 7 hours of sleep each night!" Is what he said. He told me a year ago that my sleep habits weren't good, but I thought I was doing ok on very little sleep. (Yes then I was managing it, but it all catches up to you at some point. My point was now.)#2 Since the doc's couldn't figure anything out Ray had me cut out 3 big food items. So far, so good! I'm so thankful for his advice and pretty bummed I let him down, but things are improving and I'm looking to the next race, Beast of Burden 100 miler (summer version). For awhile I was pretty bummed about not running Mohican, but in the end it was all my fault really. Time to start taking care of myself the right way :) Suck it up and move on to the next one. 54 days and counting. I have to say while the course will be boring without a massive amount of snow on the ground I'm pretty excited to see what I can do given the lack of that cold white stuff.

Mohican 50 miler - my husband's first 50!
Friday we left for Mohican, my husband driving me crazy with his taper. I almost ALMOST wanted to tell him to run to Mohican. We arrived and checked into a pretty cozy cabin that we shared with good friend Charlie Bolek and his family.














We were pretty surprised how beautiful the inside was! We weren't exactly roughing it, the man needs his air conditioning!! The outside, now that's a different story. The cabin was right on the main road, and behind it was the river (and another road). Beautiful cabin, not too great setting - but still a good situation so we were pretty happy. We went to the packet pickup/spaghetti dinner, chatted with some friends and headed back to the cabin.

Early to bed, early to rise:

We went to bed as early as we could, and woke up about 3 a.m. I made my guy some oatmeal piled high with fruit. My son had some as well, um - that is he ate two bites and complained. eh what can ya do? Soon Charlie, my son, my husband and I made our way to the starting line. I could tell my husband was nervous.











I could just see it - the expression on his face, the fact that he really wasn't talking much. His stomach was in knots. We hooked up with Kevin Tenkuu and Scott McGrew before the race, saw a few other friends and just hung out at our own little table for awhile.












10 minutes before the start of the race I looked around. No Fred Davis?! I told Charlie and my husband, you know I bet that Freddy is still sleeping! We made our way to the starting line, did all the happy sappy kissy lovey dovey stuff and soon my husband and friends were off! Their adventure had begun! After the dust had settled I saw a bunch of activity in my friend Fred's tent. You could tell that it was him hurrying up, trying to get ready as fast as he could "FRED" I yelled....."Hurry up the race started!!" Fred soon crossed the starting line and was on his way. Can I just say right now he's one of the most awesome men ever??! We cheered for our buddy and then went inside to figure out what aid stations we could be at and when. After all was figured out my son had his little plan - he had noticed the McDonald's in town (gross) and of course NOW was hungry. We headed to the McD's and got his nastified breakfast and saw Scott's wife Bri, who we would be hanging out with from aid station to aid station for most of the day.

And on to the aid stations:
We went to the first aid station we were allowed to hang around at and soon saw SMOKIN fast running buddy Jay Smithberger in the lead. WOOT! This would be the only time we'd get to cheer for Jay as again, the man is SMOKIN fast. More runners trickled in and finally groups of runners started to come. Looking good my hubby was in and out of the aid station pretty fast.

The next location we headed to was the dam. This turned out to be a confusing spot for runners. The runners were coming straight out of the dark woods into open light and basically were trying to get their bearings when they came out. The confusion pretty much fell on how us viewers/fans were standing, all gawking around the exit standing in a circle, it kind of confused some runners when they came out into the light. One poor guy we saw ran right into a sign. Many looked stressed as they were coming out of what was a harder portion of the course. Many had something to say about that part of the course and it sounded incredible! I was so jealous, peering into the darkness wanting to know just what it was everyone was seeing and going through.

Mid way through my husband's run he was looking good. His bum knee was holding up on him, so that was making my day! He complained that I didn't tell him how hilly the course was. BAH! "I told you to do your hill work!" I said. In his defense, while not the hilliest place on earth (far from it) It's the biggest hills he's ever seen not to mention run on. EVER.














The next aid station we hung out at we wound up talking to a couple people. One guy was crewing for a husband/wife running team out there (his brother and sister in law, or vice versa - can't remember which) and we were also chatting with a girl from California, pacing her friend. Really nice people. The girl from California? (Summer) Turns out her runner won the 100 with a sub 24 hr finish. AWESOME!! We were also able to see Terri Lemke come through this aid station, and I was able to tell her that her son was on track to win the marathon portion of the run. He did wind up winning...so congrats Little Lemke! (little? maybe just to Terri still!)

Finally we went back to the finish line and waited for my guy. We had gone to the firetower but had just missed him. Waiting at the finish line was a good chance to talk with some running buds and make some new ones. Stephen, Juan, Kim, and James. It was great to get to talk to everyone and makes me wish even more that we all lived closer together :)

The Finish:
Waiting, watching, hoping everything was o.k. we finally saw him. My husband ran strong through the finish line, got his medal and we hugged there, with him saying NEVER again. HA! Suck it up buttercup - you have your first hundo in a month! Seriously though, I'm so so so proud of my guy, and again so thrilled that his knee held up. Secretly I did worry about his knee the whole time, given the terrain - but he prevailed and completely shined! Such an awesome thing to witness and my son and I both are just SO PROUD!!
















Big Congrats to fellow Northeast Running Club Sean Hensley for conquering the 100 miler at Mohican! Sean had a stellar crew in wife Amy and President Mark Anson! Sean had an amazing finish and looked like he could run 100 more miles easy!!














The Impossible2Possible 6 Hour Fun Run Fundraiser!!











Ok people, I've created a fundraiser with a suggested minimum donation of $15. No goody bags here, I'm sorry - but I will have food (a little) and lots of I2P prizes to raffle off. Here's the deal - a great idea thanks to Mike Nicholson. Each loop you do gets you a ticket. The more loops, the more tickets. After all is said and done the tickets go into a hat and names are drawn. They will be drawn until all prizes are gone. We have SUCH awesome things thanks to Bob Cox and Ray Zahab of Impossible2Possible. Hoodies, tech t's, tech tanks, tshirts, stickers, patches - you name it.















We have a few people signed up already, so hurry up! The event will be held at Indian Point in Leroy, Ohio. Anyone who wants to chill at our house the night before can do so. You can crash on our floor our outside in tents, we are 5 minutes from the starting location. All proceeds go directly to I2P via Activegiving.com. 100% to the organization! Sign up today, it's for a great cause and you'll be running and/or walking with some pretty fantastic people. Remember there are no DNF's - it's just all about how many loops you can do in 6 hours. Hope to see you all there!

To sign up/donate:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103905569702911&ref=ts

What's Impossible2Possible you ask? Check them out here!
http://impossible2possible.com/i2p


-
The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run

I can't say how proud of my trail running sisters and brothers I am! Sandi Nypaver, Stephen Zeidner, and Shaun Pope all ran the Western States 100 this weekend and ran it in style! They had a great team of pacers as well - Rachel Nypaver, Star Blackford, and Steve Hawthorne. It was such an exciting thing to watch play out online (as well as frustrating given the online tracking malfunctions). It's such a thrill to see their finish line videos, and completely inspiring and motivating. Congrats to all this weekend on a job well done! Love ya guys!!!




Beast of Burden training










Easing back into a training schedule I had a bigger run that what I had been doing this weekend. 35k and my butt hurts. It's the good kind of hurt though. This weekend brought the first weekend of running in a long time that I actually #1 enjoyed, and #2 didn't feel like total poo. Saturday I dropped off my son off to volunteer at the Metroparks Wildlife Center (right at the start of the trail, conveniently!). I ran the trails until he finished and he joined me for the last 7k. I introduced him to a "new to him" trail at Pen Glen, where tons of mud was sitting there begging to be jumped in and run through.












Good times with my fave trail buddy :) Sunday I woke up sore but was thrilled to have a faster time than Saturday's run. Not as fast as I want to be, but baby steps. I'm just very thankful that I didn't feel bad during the run, that every step wasn't complete misery. Just to enjoy my run again, not getting sick - it means the world to me. Thanks Ray for knocking some sense into me and telling me like it is. (And if I don't listen ever again, feel free to yell at my stubborn ass)

Happy Running All!

My son's first full marathon - race report

Ok wanted to get this one done earlier, but it's been a busy week of choir concerts and doctor's visits. That will be saved for another time.



It's been a week now since my son's first marathon and I'm glad to say, yes he's survived it unscathed :) No physical damage, no mental damage - just one proud kid. We didn't discuss time goals for his marathon, as everyone's first marathon should really just be about finishing. He did finish in almost the exact time I figured he would though. I had him pegged to finish in 5 hours, he crossed the line in 4 hours, 59 minutes and 29 seconds - chip time. Congrats to my son and all the others who ran last weekend! There were many events going on - so many that it was hard to keep track of who was doing what! Congrats to all on your hard work.

THE PLAIN DEALER
The Monday before race weekend Jodi Valade, reporter for the Plain Dealer newspaper came over to interview my son. She did a great article on him that can be found here:

http://www.cleveland.com/marathon/index.ssf/2011/05/who_needs_video_games_painesvi.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

Wednesday a photographer came over to get "action" shots of us running down the street. That was definitely an experience. We felt kind of goofy running down the street for pics, but the photographer was a fun chick to be around and really put us at ease.

With the media business over, it was time to prepare.










(I think he was thinking pizza all week. But no!)


THE CLEVELAND MARATHON EXPO
Saturday my husband, son, and I headed to the marathon expo to get our shirts, bibs, etc. and check out the vendors. The expo was in a different location this year, and while it was a good spot for us (free parking - woo hoo!) it seemed like it may be a bit of a pain in the butt to get to for out of towners. The marathon is in Cleveland, the expo was in Euclid. We got our shirts and goodie bags, and got a laugh when we saw one of the goodies in our bag:










We then walked around and saw Jean Toth. Jean was about to run what has got to be her gazillionth marathon. She was at the expo shakin it to Zumba, and at 75 years old she was looking like the best Zumba (dancer?) out there. Smiling the whole time and just workin' it. AMAZING! Big congrats to Jean on her marathon performance as well. She finished the marathon in 6 hours and 7 minutes. After watching Jean for a bit we walked around, checked out the Northeast Running Club booth and talked with our awesome Prez Mark Anson for a bit, also checked out the Fleet Feet booth and of COURSE we hit all the freebie stations! We sat and listened to Bill Rodgers speak and then left. We did let my son choose his pre race dinner location - he chose Zappitelli's in Painesville Township, which worked for us because it was 5 minutes from our house. At this point the nerves hadn't kicked in yet. He was being his typical self:











We came home and relaxed, and went to bed early (the one thing about running the marathon that he could NOT stand!)


CLEVELAND MARATHON RACE REPORT
Early a.m. I woke the kiddo up and I think it hit him.










He was nervous and questioned me: "What if when I start running my legs just don't work? What if they hurt right away?" I was surprised it took him this long to start to worry. I tried to tell him he'll be alright if he eats his oatmeal, but he hates oatmeal so I'm not sure I was all the reassuring. (He probably thought it was my way of being sneaky just so he'd eat something that's acutally good for him, vs. lets say....RAMEN NOODLES for breakfast). We got ready and hit the road.

Arriving in Cleveland we were pleansantly surprised to see the Cleveland Brown's stadium open to the runners. I hope that the marathon people continue to do this - as the lines for the toilets were much shorter and it offered a teeny bit of shelter from the great outdoors. Those concrete jungles can be quite nasty. I did have one thing to say about being in the Brown's house however. GO STEELERS.










Nuff said. But thank you for your toilets, they were the best. While I was in the grand toilet facilities my son and husband were approached by Scott McGrew and his wife Brianne. They read my son's article and came to give him well wishes. Scott was running his first marathon as well, and Brianne was running her first 1/2 marathon. Congrats to both of them on their run! (Scott will be joining the ranks of us crazies in June when he runs the Mohican 50 miler. One might say he has already joined us crazies as he joined us yesterday for a trail run, a marathon training distance run a week after his marathon!) Anyway their well wishes gave my son a bit of an ego boost and he walked around with his chest stuck out looking all manly for a bit. We met gal pals Jeannette and Kathleen, as well as man-pal Mark Anson (monsieur President) right before the start. We walked out with Jeannette and it was time to start!


The gun sounds, and so it begins. After 9 minutes. That's how long it took us to get to the start, but no worries - we have a chip time here in Cleveland. I think the sun gods hate Cleveland. However in my son's case it was probably a good thing, since all his longest runs have been run in the rain. It was actually not so bad at first - temps were comfortable and there was just a light mist. The end of his run, well that's another story.

Mile 1 - bathroom break. For everyone. We let my son go first and told him when he gets done just start running, keep to the right and we'll catch up when we have finished. This was how the whole race was spent in terms of bathroom breaks. It worked out pretty good. I did feel a little silly when I would leave the port o johns though - people I think thought I was getting some kind of an energy surge and would cheer me on.

Miles 2-13 my son spent deep in thought. I could see the wheels turning in his nugget....he was worried. I kept watching his expressions knowing what he was thinking. I was worried for him - it was so early and it seemed he was already doubting himself. At the half way point, he started to express his concerns vocally. Wondering why he signed up to do this. I myself was wondering if I made a mistake in allowing him to do it. I then just tried to convince him to keep his thoughts positive (however that's pretty tricky - easier said than done).

Mile 17 - 24
Eventually at around mile 17 he asked for his mp3 player. MP3 player = mental magic. It was nearly an instant transformation. He started smiling, laughing, and running stronger. We could even tell when a favorite song of his came on, because he would get a BIG boost of speed. At some points I told him to slow down and be careful, I didn't want him to burn out. Music magic :) He started to pass TONS of people. It seemed he was pulling it all together at the same exact time that most people were falling apart. We started laughing at all the funky statues we saw, wondering what exactly the story was behind them.

Mile 24
My son was still passing people - including one guy who seemed to take it kind of personal. My son ran by and this poor guy and he raised up his hands, pumped his fists and let out the biggest growl I've heard to date.

Mile 25-finish












The headphones came off so he could soak it all in. We were all thrilled that the end was so close! Turning the corner in front of the Brown's stadium we saw my dad and sis. AND the finish line. My watch showed less than 5 hours. We let him know how proud of him we were.










We continued on and saw most awesome gal ever, Roisin, and her mum - they had come down to cheer him on as well. (They bounced back and forth from location to location throughout the race in the nasty weather. SO COOL!) We chatted for a bit, then found my Dad. At that point we were COLD COLD COLD. It was not so bad when we were running - but stopping was killer. It seemed like our car was incredibly far away. The wind seemed nastier. It took forever to get there. Thankfully we had extra clothes to change into. We changed and took our nasty smelly selves to lunch with my dad, my mum, and my sis. I couldn't drink enough hot chocolate to keep warm. I'm sure our waitress was questioning our sanity as I walked in with skin tight compression shorts on, my son walking in with his medal, and all of us in flip flops. Not to mention smelling like complete butt. No matter anyway. We stayed and enjoyed ourselves for a bit then headed home. Good times :)


IN CONCLUSION
Does he want to do it again? Not sure. Did he have a good time? Eventually. Do I think I made a mistake in letting him run the marathon? Absolutely not. He's incredibly proud of himself as he should be. Everyone who ran should be. It's not an easy thing. I had the opportunity to look around when we were running. Had the chance to really check people out, look at their form - watch their faces, wonder what they were thinking. EVERY single person out their was workin' it. No matter if they finished in 3 hours or 6. You could tell people were pushing it to the very best of their ability no matter what their time. Everyone was giving it their all, and should be equally proud. Congrats all to an amazing job - give yourself a pat on the back for toughing it out and giving it your best out there.

One week and counting!

ONE MORE WEEK

One more week and my son will be running his first marathon! 14 years old, 26.2 miles.













Back when he told me he wanted to attempt to run his first marathon I had my reservations. I'm not even sure there's an age group category for anyone under 15 running the marathon distance at Cleveland! I wasn't sure what to do - let him run it or make him wait? Would this be good for him or bad? As a parent I was at a crossroads, and ultimately made the decision to let him do it. Training has been going well, his last three long runs have unfortunately been all in the rain. I'm hoping we'll have nice weather on marathon day, but if we don't then he'll be prepared. (Actually with our weather what he won't be prepared for are sunny skies!) My son has just an 8 miler to do this weekend and that's it. Fun news as the Plain Dealer will be doing an article on him running his first marathon. The reporter will be coming to our home on Monday. She contacted the Northeast Running Club looking for a club member to do a story on - someone who's a first time marathoner. Exciting stuff!!! I'm really looking forward to marathon day. I probably sound like a broken record, but it will be so amazing - my son, my husband, myself all running together - crossing the finish line together as a family. Nothing will match it! Good luck to all runners who will be there, we'll be looking forward to seeing you. Give my son a big cheer as you run by! I was thinking of putting his name on the back of his shirt, but I don't think strangers would be able to pronounce it. (Rada - radum - rada what?) And...if I put just our last name on his shirt he'll probably get a million people shouting Colon! (as in intestine. um NO) instead of COLON! (pronounced cologne.) So, we'll just leave his clothing as is :)

It's like this:













Not this:














IMPOSSIBLE2POSSIBLE UPDATES










The Expedition Bolivia site is now up! The I2P team leaves May 12 for Bolivia. Follow along at http://impossible2possible.com/bolivia/home.

The site features a live broadcast schedule,videos, question of the day and more! 5 youth ambassadors were chosen to make the journey to Bolivia and will run across the world's largest salt flats. Total running kilometers equal 250, around a marathon a day for one week! Good luck to the entire team, and have a blast out there!

Don't forget, those who have to stay home can follow along - and schools can register to follow for free and participate in the Experiential Learning program here:
http://impossible2possible.com/bolivia/education

Did I mention it's free? 1 0 0 % F R E E !!! Kids I give you permission to go to your school and bug your teachers until they sign up for this FREE program!!


NORTHEAST RUNNING CLUB/LAKE HEALTH 1/2 MARATHON












CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!! We need you! What are you doing on June 5? If you say nada, come help out at the 1/2 marathon in Concord. Shoot me a message and give me your tshirt size, we'll find something for you to do. No experience necessary. If you've ever been interested in what goes on behind the scenes at a race, give it a shot! You'll feel good for helping, and learn lots! (p.s. if your name is K-Ten I'm told you can help but you have to stay away from the Gatorade!)



OUTRUN BI PARK CHALLENGE

Me, Kevin, and Mike







The OUTRUN Bi Park Challenge was held this past weekend and we had a pretty good turnout. Zach Johnson organized the fun run, which was run in two of the area Metroparks, Chapin Forest and Penitentiary Glen. It was great to see so many people come out! The run was 25, 50, or 75 km. I was happy to be able to come. Ray gave me 35k trail to do for the day so I chose the 25km distance and just continued on for 10km after that inside Pen Glen. He told me to try and get a personal best out on the trail, so I was making an attempt at being speedy ;) There was lots of mud which made the run even more fun. (OF COURSE!) Thanks to all who came out, the weather was beautiful!


TEAM OUTRUN







The team is finalized! The clothes and shoes have been ordered from Fleet Feet and we have a new sponsor as well - NUUN. It's getting more exciting as it goes on, and we're all pretty proud of this team. The final roster is:

1 Jon Paul Preston
2&3 Amy & Sean Hensley
4 Jeanette Spada
5 Mark Mlachak
6 Brian Pulling
7 Kevin Tenku
8 Laurie Colon
9 Radames Colon
10 Crystal Basich
11 Chris Basich
12 Zack Johnson
13 Jack Sharpe
14 Carole Moran Krus
15 Chuck-O Stusek
16 Mike Nicholson
17 Charlie Bolek
18 Pam Rickard
19 Jeff Sobieski
20 Brad Phillips
21 Lou Genovese
22 Brian Batke
23 Zach Johnson

Glad to be a part of an amazing team - amazing people, amazing runners! See everyone on the trails soon!