Busa Bushwhack 9.3 miles race report

I did not sleep all that well last night. Was I worries about the race, or just still getting used to the new mattress. Regardless, I did appreciate the extra hour of sleep and not having Pepe around (sorry little man) so that I could actually sleep in. After going back and forth between wearing tights and shorts, I settled on my gear, packed my jellybeans and water and bananas and electrolytes, and started driving Chris crazy with questions about what should my pace be, and should I go for it from the beginning, etc, etc. Maybe this is why he put "Drive by Trucker's" on and told me that the instructions on the CD said that you have to turn the music v loud, to level 10, in order to get the full experience.

Ok, so Sue picked me up around 8am, and I was a bit nervous about getting there on time, since the two of us have a history of having no clue about directions (though Sue is actually way, way better than I am), but we made it there on time. Lots of runners, over 300 I think, this year, were awaiting the Busa Bushwhack trail race .The weather was glorious. People were very nice. We picked our numbers, met some runners, and tried to get a sense of the course. I heard that there are 2 large hills on the 15K course, so I figured, OK, I can do that. After the race director's speech, and Busa Rich's speech (oh, yeah, we got to meet him), we walked 300 yards to the start line. I wanted to be closer to the start, as I have learned from previous trail races that it is hard to pass anyone on the single file trails. Off we went. I turned my GPS on. The first .5 mile was on the road. I had planned to stay at 8min miles for the first 3 miles, and then assess the terrain and see if I felt good to push it. Well, I looked at my gps and saw 6:40 for the first .5 mile. Too fast. Way too fast. I tried to slow down, looked around for Sue but could not see her, and went on my way. The first 2.5 miles were fairly flat. I stayed at 7:50. Then those of us attempting the 15K took a R, while those attempting the 5 miler turned a left. I was alone all of a sudden, with noone behind me, and few people ahead. Knowing how I can get lost in my backyard, I felt I had to speed up and catch up with them. And I did. GPS? 7:30At mile 4 I noticed the first hill. OMG. Long and steep. But I felt strong and kept repeating my mantra: "Perky, Perky" and "Strong legs". Hew, one down, one to go. Or so I thought. There were at least 5 such hills on the course, and toward the end I realized that walking part of a hill is actually faster than running it. And I did. No shame in walking. At mile 6 I was still alone. At mile 7 I passed a bunch of people on the uphill. At mile 8 I got passed by a group of runners, one male and one female. Bummer! They were coming so strong and, even though I was feeling really strong, I held back. I guess I did not trust that I had it in me, 1.3 more miles. At mile 9 we went on the road again. One of the volunteers looked at me and said: "Common, you can do better", and started racing me. Good, because I increased my pace. I finished without feeling dizzy or spent and a little bummed out that I just did not push farther. I saw Sue at the finish line, and she felt bad bc she decided to do the 5 miler, and turned around. The funny thing is that when they posted the results, Sue was listed at the winner of the race, with a 6:12 pace. I guess the numbers were different for the 5.3 vs the 9.3. She clarified this with the race director, but I thought this was so funny!

Race stats: 9.3 miles
Time: 1:12:00
Pace: 7:44
Place: 6th woman overall
Age category: ?
Overall:

Lessons:
1.Don't be afraid to push. You can do better.
2. Mantras work.
3. Banana with salt and electrolyte drops do not upset my stomach.
4. Trail races rocked.

I was impressed with this race. Perfect organizations. Lots of EMTs (needed bc several people fell). Lots of post race food. Quick results posting. Chance to meet Rich Busa himself.
Will I do it again next year? Absolutely!!!

The etiquette of running

I love to have company when running. I met wonderful women as part of my running group and boot camp group. I love the conversations, particularly when the endorphins are going and dilute a bit the censorship or shyness of some (including me). Although I always struggle with not being viewed as a therapist, I am self-conscious about being one (because I oh so want a break from coming up with insights, giving advice or having any kind of expertise or responsibility), I find a way to put that side of me away and just run and be.

So where does the etiquette of running comes into play for me? During races. I am competitive and proud of that. I am competitive with myself and others. I want to run my best race. I want to go out there and test my mind and my body. I strive on that. But I have not figured out what to do when I run with friends, particularly with those who are or say they are not competitive or say they do not care (I know some do!) about their times. I feel guilty to run away. I feel guilty when I finish before them. I work super hard to compliment their running and racing. How silly is this. Chris thinks that something like this would never happen with guys. Maybe this is only my issue. I don't know. I really don't think that I am a fast runner. I just try my best and have a tough mind. I just want to do better. Why race otherwise? I am always happy to hear about other runner's awesome times and I am always encouraging. I am so proud when I hear that someone I know ran an awesome marathon, or had an awesome 1/2 marathon time. I am never jealous. Eve though in a race I am running against other runner, I am really running against myself. What to do? Stop worrying about others, run your race, and be happy with it!

I also think this has something to do with being a woman. Unfortunately it is still unnatural for women to allow themselves to be competitive. Being competitive has somewhat of a negative connotation for women, whereas for men competitiveness is accepted as being male and sexual and attractice. Not for women. Women need to be nice and polite and feminine. But that can get oh so boring....I wonder what other women and men think about this...

training log week 10/20 - 10/27 2008

Monday - 7 miles; .5 warm up, .5 cool down; 6 miles @ 7:30.
Tuesday - 1 mile swim.
Wednesday -7.4 trail miles; Skyline trail, streneous, @ 12:00.
Thursday - 4 EASY miles @ 9:00 (this was tough to do...) with 2 10 sec hill speed.
Friday - 1 mile swim.
Saturday - 1.25 mile swim.
Sunday - 9.3 miles race - Busa. 1:12, 7:44min/miles; 15 min stepper
T = 27.7 miles (ran)
T = 3.25 miles (swam).

What the PT had to say

This week I went to MGH Sports Medicine to get fitted for orthotics. The guy looked at my feet/legs and his jaw dropped. "Well, you have a lot of mechanical problems". He proceeded to tell me that I have high arches, but when I ran my feet become almost flat, particularly the R foot. Yes, I overpronate. He also said my knees lock, and this in combination with my overpronation, puts a lot of stress on my pubic bones. There you go. He said orthotics and mild stability shoes, in addition to strenghtening exercises 2 times a week would keep me healthy. Lets hope so. So I need to quickly wear out my shoes (yikes, just bought them in the summer) and go get fitted for the first time in my life.

I have to say how frustrating it is that I used to run 6 miles every single day, no days off, when I was in my twenties, which would put me to 42 miles/week, and never got injured. And I never streched, iced, strengthened. The PT blamed the pregnancy which supposedly loosens up the ligaments and tendons. OK, more info to take into account when thinking about having nr. 2.

OK, I do feel good about having some validation about my injuries in the last year, as I have been blamed/told/etc that I overdo it, that I push too hard and too fast. And surprisingly I cared (or maybe not surprisingly). I do value my identity as a runner! I admit that I would love to run fast and long every day, and it is hard for me not to do it, but I do slow myself down as best I can...

Fells in the Fall

I managed a couple of runs in the Fells during the past couple of weeks. On Saturday I ran with a few friends and did the Reservoir trail. We ran the 5.2 miles at a slow pace, as one of us has just gotten back to running after a long lay off. I felt strong. I loved doing the run. I find that waking up at 6:30 for a 7am run is so hard when it's dark, rather than sunny. But happiness always takes over when I think about going on the trails with people I like. The slow pace allowed us to take in the views, catch up, and shared lots of laughter. I was a bit nervous doing only 5.2 miles, even though we ran for 1:20 (I don't even want to know the pace), because Saturday I never do less than 8 miles, and usually ran 10-12. But I think in the long run that was good for me. Plus, I wanted to be there for Sue.

Today Chris (my husband) and I went back and ran the Skyline trail (7.2 miles). We are both registered for the Skyline race on November 29th, and at least one of us (guess who?) is looking forward to it. Today I wanted to run fast. Chris runs 3-4 miles 2-3 times a day these days, but he still manages to stay strong every time we run together. I guess it is the muscle memory as he used to run daily in his early 30s, and also ran cross country in high school. This is why I think he never loses fitness, while if I take 1 week off, I lose more than 50% running speed. So back to Skyline. I decided to run in shorts, which was good. I decided to leave my gloves in the car, which was bad. Three miles in and my hands were white and frozen. They remained frozen until we got home and I put them close to the stove. The run was beautiful. We ran it at 12:01 pace, and I felt strong throughout. I think I can do 11:00 for the race, and will try. Chris did very well, considering, was amazing on the up hills and a bit slow on the downhills, but he confessed his legs felt like jelly by the end of the run. It was nice to be there together, as the mountains were one of the first things that brought us together.And of course, both runs gave me loads of energy for the day! T miles = 7.4, time = 1:24.

training log week 10/20 - 10/27 2008

Monday 10/20 - 6 miles pavement, 1 warmup/cool off, 6 at 7:27pace; 2 10 secs speed on hills
Tuesday - surgery, no exercise.
Wednesday 10/22 - 5 miles on trails at 7:50 pace.
Thursday 10/23 - 4 miles, 2 down, 2 up, at a 7:55 pace, with 4 10 sec speed on hills.
Friday 10/24 - 6 miles elipitical/step.
Saturday 10/25 - 6 miles tough trails; 1 mile swim.
Sunday 10/26 - 1and 1/2 miles swim.

T miles: 21 (yikes!!!)

Capstone Photography

Capstone Photography