Archive for June, 2008

Forgive me if you already know about this, but I’m all wide-eyed wonderment…

As you know, I’m running Steamtown in October. The thing that defines this course as unusual is a huge elevation loss for the bulk of the race. Granted, there are three hills peppered so inconveniently at the end, but in a nutshell, it’s a downhill race.

To the uninitiated, you’d think this would be a “yippee and fabu!” type of situation, but 26.2 downhill has the potential to hurt and hurt bad – quads screaming for mercy long before the finish line is even in view. Or so I’ve been told.

Today, on the RW Steamtown Marathon thread, someone posted a smart tip about how she had trained for it last year, finding a mile-long hill to work on. I have several 1/2 mile hills to work with, but I love the idea of a long, miserable mile. So I posted the question to a local running club forum and was given an excellent road that fits the bill perfectly. Here’s where the awe and amazement comes in.

I was looking at it on Google Maps and something I hadn’t noticed before, “Street View”, makes itself apparent. Clicking on it, I was suddenly on that street! (virtually anyway) Pressing the little arrows took me on a tour up the whole road where I was able to see that, “ok, sidewalk is on the left, bike lanes on both sides, so the sidewalk ends here…no prob I’ll hop on the path right there”, not to mention seeing how steep it is and even where I can park. Street View rocks!

Unfortunately, it’s not available everywhere, just a few metropolitan areas at this point, and even here in Philly, not all the streets are covered, but WOW for the coverage it does have. If you’re in one of the covered areas, you’ll find this a wonderful tool, opening up a whole new way of “testing” new running routes beforehand.

Check it out in action. Click on the photograph that comes up in the white box. You might have to pan to get the Street View fully visible, but once you’re “in the street”, you can advance by pressing the little white arrow on the route (or you can move the little guy on the map itself).

I must go now to search out more swell running routes because this is So cool. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m really going to the store with Nick to get some candy. Later, my lovelies.

Great run today, 8 miles w/10x100m strides. I’m getting acclimated to the weather finally, yay!

Because I’m so forgetful when I have to do anything repetitive (I even forget what lightpole I’m at when only 3.5 of them=100m), I plugged the strides into a Garmin workout which worked really great. Didn’t have to think about which stride I was on or how many lightpoles I’d passed and since strides don’t require a specific recovery time, just that you be fully recovered, all I had to do was press the lap button when ready for a new set.

So 6 miles @ 8:50, 10 speedy strides (working on keeping shoulders back and trunk centered) then a half mile home. Felt strong!

I didn’t take water with me today, opting for the fountain. My latest “decision” concerning the fountain btw, is: I don’t stop my Garmin to take a drink or refill my bottles, unless there’s a line, then I’m allowed to stop it. This mimics the marathon more honestly, I think.

On a related note, on the way back there was a line for the fountain and the woman in front of me is a vigorous walker I’ve seen for over a year but have never spoken with, though we always wave to each other upon passing. So it was nice that today, when she realized I was behind her, she made a cute comment about my hair color changing back to brown. It was sweet to finally exchange pleasantries with this non-strange stranger.

Back to the clock stopping, that brings up a great point about goal times. I said in my last post that my goal is 8:23, which would be a 3:40 marathon. Mind you, I’m not married to it – it’s open to change and likely will, but I like having something to shoot for and it’s as good a number as anything at this point.

BUT! Planning on a 3:40 marathon doesn’t really equate to a 8:23/mile, it means more like running 8:13-8:17 after you count in water stops, possible potty breaks, a stretch or two, not running perfect tangents, etc. I read this a few months ago on the Marathon Race Training forum, where they said subtract 1-2% to get the “real” pace, which makes a lot of sense. So, you could say I have 2 goals, one is a 3:40 marathon, the other, an 8:23 pace. As I get closer to D-day, I’ll know if either of these is reality. I’ve vowed to train as honestly as possible so if I’m not hacking it, Que Sera Sera, I’ll just readjust my goal time to suit. No shame in that, just the fun of trying.

Had a soakingly humid run yesterday, following ole Pfitz for a 12 miler done progression-wise. Supposed to start about 20% slower than goal marathon pace, ending with the last 5 at 10% slower. My goal pace is 8:23 so 20% would be 10:03, 10% would be 9:13 (how I love my time calculator!). I was a bit faster on the first half and worried that I wouldn’t be able to pick it up because I was so damned hot, but everything worked out fine, even a bit faster than prescribed despite the heat.

Hydration-wise, I had taken my 20oz. hand-held which I refilled at a fountain on the return 2.5 miles from home, scarfing the whole refill down in that last 2.5. So 40 oz total, more than if I’d had my 4-bottle belt on. I’m so glad the hand-held is working for me. Curious to see if the additional one I bought so I could take one in each hand during longer runs will be a pain or not, though seeing as how those runs will be in the thick of July and August, I’m guessing not.

I will admit now that yesterday’s 12 was the longest run I’ve done in 7 weeks due to my injury and vacation, so my main worry beyond reaching the proper pace was how my legs would feel during and after the run. Happily, felt completely comfortable, no twinges of any sort, so I’m back on old familiar ground.

Later in the afternoon, I bit the bullet and pulled out my dusty Pilates DVD. My nefarious plan is to mix Pilates and Yoga 2 or 3 times a week so I can get that core of mine strong for posture and improved running form. I figure that with 17 weeks till Steamtown, I can make an appreciable difference in my carriage as well as helping to injury-proof my legs, feet and ankles, which cracks me up because that was one of my excuses for not doing yoga, that I might hurt myself for running. Lame, huh?

Last night I started looking over the plan and figuring out where I could add in some miles. The 55 plan has three 20s, whereas the 70 plan has five, including a 21 and 22, so I added a 20, enlongated another to 22 and fattened up some other runs including the mid-week mid-longs. Love it!

And now, I must tend to the evil that exists for self-employed souls like myself; getting estimated taxes in for today’s deadline. Sometimes I just hate being a grownup.

My marathon cycle started this week and I’m absolutely loving having a plan again. Something about scheduling and having a recipe to run with always gets me excited. It was an easy week to start; Wed was a 7-miler w/10x100m strides, Thurs was 9, 4 short recovery miles today and then 12 tomorrow.

Funny how before I got injured and went away I looked at the plan and was all, “4 days a week for the first two weeks? That’s not much running.” Now I’m grateful for the extra days off, they’ll return me to fighting shape in a sensible manner.

On an unrelated note; my posture has always sucked. I’m a constant sloucher from way back so I’ve vowed to work on my core this summer. I’ll be pulling out the Pilates DVD but to supplement it, I just ordered a posture brace called “Shoulders Back” to help train myself into better posture. It was created for equestrians to improve their riding, but it’s for normal people too.

I can’t wait for it to arrive, curious as I am to feel what it’s like to stand correctly for periods of time, not just when I remember for fleeting moments. I’m sure it’ll be annoying, plus it borders on goofy since it’s a vanity item, but if it makes me feel/look better and doesn’t require an injection or incision, what the hell.

The only other thing to report is an outdoor concert we went to the other night: Deathcab For Cutie. One of their songs, I Will Follow You Into The Dark is so beautiful it has made me cry on numerous occasions, and of course, seeing it live left me blubbering all over myself.

Love of mine some day you will die
But I’ll be close behind
I’ll follow you into the dark

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the No’s on their vacancy signs

If there’s no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I’ll follow you into the dark

That vacancy sign bit gets me every time. Sigh.

First off, thanks for all the comments on the previous installment, you lovely people. If I could, I’d give you all a big fat hug for sticking with me to read this mush, so virtual hugs for everyone!

End of Day 9 – Yellowstone, MT

If you’re as unenlightened as I was about the geysers of Yellowstone, check out this photo of a geyser when it’s not spouting. I had no idea they were such a beautiful blue:

And this is how it looks when it goes off:

There’s this cool area in Yellowstone where you walk among a grouping of geysers that go off randomly. You have to stay on the boardwalk though, because it’s boiling water all around. Unexpected and weird….exactly what I live for.

Days 10 & 11 – Zion National Park

In the morning before leaving for south Utah, I ran an hour around West Yellowstone. I dressed warmly because it was sleeting outside (in June!) and found a snowmobile trail near the hotel to explore. It was another high altitude run, so slow going but by now, expected so ok.

One day-long drive later, we get to our hotel in Cedar City, UT. It was the closest place with vacancies near Zion Park. Now we know for next time to book stuff way in advance when you’re doing the park thing. I should mention we had brought a tent for the trip with the idea to possibly camp, but between the crazy temperatures and rental gear availability, we stuck to hotels.

Zion National Park is good and bad. The good is Kolob Canyons, a smaller area north of the main park that’s absolutely beautiful and not at all high traffic. The bad is that cars aren’t allowed in Zion park proper, so everyone takes shuttles to the hiking spots, which is great environmentally but meant more crowds of people than we’d experienced anywhere on the trip. We kept saying “and this is just the beginning of June, can you imagine this is August?”

Speaking of unexpected, in a tiny town before Zion Nat’l Park we passed this Ostrich ranch. They could probably hear me in Idaho yelling “Stop the car, stop the car!!!”

Here’s my squinty self in another tiny town right after the ostriches, Virgin UT, with our spiffy little rental.

While in Virgin, it’s customary to visit their only store and fondle the Native American Indian security guard. It was in the guide book, I swear.

Day 12 – Kolob Canyons & Las Vegas

The hotel had a treadmill so I got my last vacation run in, then we returned to Kolob Canyons for a final 3-hour hike before hitting Vegas again. Las Vegas is an especially unpleasant place to be after a total submersion in Nature, but a fitting end I suppose.

Home

Back to reality and one more foot/ankle crap update. It was on the mend, but with a single swimming kick on our first day in Vegas, it hurt again, so while on the road I made an appt with Matt’s wonderful podiatrist for this afternoon.

Hallelujah!! Diagnosis is an inflamed bursa sack in my heel. The doc said I probably was dealing with two separate things as I’d suspected and what’s left is this. It’s no biggie, I can keep running, just ice afterwards and do some exercises.

Nice byproduct is that I brought my running shoes and he was surprised by the lack of wear on the 300 mile pair, so I’m good to go till 500 miles. That should save me some cha-ching. He also said that while I’m a heel-lander, I shouldn’t change my gait unless it’s causing me problems and I guess bad photographs aren’t exactly “problems”, so maybe I’ll finally relax on that score.

And that, my dears brings me back in front of a computer again, on a 104 degree day in Philly. The desert was so much cooler!

I hope I can keep this feeling of spaciousness and perspective from the trip for awhile. I was in a rut when I left and now I feel refreshed with the world. Lucky for us, America is huge, gorgeous and always open and summer camping in the East will be heaven.

With that, I leave you one last road picture from the Wild West:

Grab a snack and have a pee, this is a long one.

Day 1 – Las Vegas

We picked up our rental car (a cute red convertible) and checked into a cushy Jr. Suite at the MGM Signature hotel.

That evening we enjoy wonderful pre-dinner entertainment reading the exorbitantly priced menus at the restaurants in MGM Grand. My favorite was the tasting menu at $385 per person. Per Person! For Food! Vegas is a ridiculous place in so many ways.

After dinner we saw KA (an amazing gravity defying Cirque de Soleil show), then I lost $20 on the slot machines but managed to take a long time doing it, so I believe I got my money’s worth.

Day 2 – The Grand Canyon

My first vacation run! It was sadly hilarious as I waved bye to Nick, told him I’d be back after 7miles so expect me in an hour, only to find that I hadn’t accounted for altitude – 7000 ft. makes a difference. It was disconcerting expecting to bound like a gazelle only to wheeze out the slowest miles I’ve done in forever. My ego and lungs got the best of me and I cut it to a short but painfully slow 4.5. Check out the satellite photo of my run from SportTracks. Wild, huh?

The next day was the famous Mule ride down the canyon. They take you in groups of 6 and yes, it’s scary because you are right on the edge, but the mules are so sweet and surefooted that you just give in to them knowing what to do. Here are Nick and I at Plateau Point, where you eat lunch before heading back up the canyon.

Day 4 – Mexican Hat, UT

We stayed at the Mexican Hat Lodge on our way to Moab, UT. I’d picked this lodge out from the internet. It had good reviews on Trip Advisor but I hadn’t seen photos.

Here is the lodge.

Here is the lock to our room (note the door is sliding glass).

That evening before dinner we drive out to Valley of the Gods, a miniature Monument Valley that is so beautiful and secluded that you think you’re the only person on earth. So what a surprise when Nick says, “Look!” and out of nowhere comes a small group of runners with their support car in tow. In my excitement, I jumped up in the convertible and yelled like a madwoman, “Go Ultra Runners, Go!!!” and got some surprised and delighted expressions and waves in return.

Valley of the Gods was so intensely gorgeous with all it’s stark monuments, we drove out again when it got dark and sat with the convertible top down, watching for falling stars.

Days 5 & 6 – Moab, UT

This fabulous little sporty town is a bicyclist mecca and a big rafting haven due to the Colorado river being right there. It was 91 degrees the afternoon we arrived, so I scrapped the idea of an outdoor run and got 7 in on the treadmill. The elevation was only 4000 ft. so it wasn’t at all as hard as Grand Canyon.

The next day we went on a full-day rafting trip down the Colorado. There are two rafting guides when we get to the loading site. One is smart and experienced, the other is a young cute guy who is dumber than a box of nails. He reads out our guidelines and instructions from a card, stopping occasionally to say, “Whoa, that’s on there? that’s cool” inspiring little confidence but giving Nick and I much to laugh about.

We start down the river, 2 large rafts of people, then Nick and I in an inflatable kayak. Nick is an experienced kayak guy, so I feel safe with him, but it’s a little scary since it’s only my second time rafting. No problem though, we manage the rapids well and the guides compliment us during a rest stop, saying we look like we’ve got it together and they’re not worried about us at all.

Then the young stupid guide says, “Hey, you wanna get wet? Just follow me”. That sounded exciting, so Nick and I line up to follow as he takes his passengers across without incident, then it’s our turn.

About 2 seconds into the rapids, a 4-foot standing wave lifts the front of the kayak (where I am) and I see the tip of it rise higher and higher till it’s vertical. It flips backwards, throwing me into the rapids, dumping Nick out a millisecond later. There were long moments of absolute panic as I swallowed gulps of water, the raft out of reach so nothing to hold on to, and Nick on the other side of the raft calling my name and swallowing the river too, unable to see me, thinking I hadn’t resurfaced. It gives me chills thinking about it.

I finally float from the rapids and give the OK signal to the larger rafts. Nick is relieved to see I’m alright and eventually one of the larger rafts gets close enough for me to hold on, but the current is so fast I can’t get pulled onboard for a while, so when I’m finally pulled in from the 50 degree water, I begin to shake and shake and shake so hard it’s unreal. Shock mixed with cold.

Undeterred, we finished the rest of the raft trip without incident, albeit on the stupid guy’s raft.

Day 7 – Jackson, MT

We got an adorable cabin in this great little town outside the Grand Teton National Park. We drove 10 hours to get here and what an eye-popping drive it was, from the red desert monuments to snow-capped mountains. Actually it’s been a huge eye-popping experience wherever we go. The American West is spectacular, that’s all I can say.

Day 8 & 9 – Tetons and Yellowstone, MT

Spent yesterday morning and afternoon driving north, exploring the Tetons, hiking a few hours around a lake, then continuing on to Yellowstone, looking like idiots driving with the top down in 45 degree temp, but it was too gorgeous to want to put the top up.

Just for a “what a freaky world this is” reality check, this was our environment on the morning of day 7:

One day later at Yellowstone:

We’ve seen marmots, bald eagle, elk, mountain goats and so many bison, I’ve lovingly dubbed them “The Cockroaches of Yellowstone”. Here’s the sweetest coyote sitting on the side of the road checking out all the people checking him out.

That’s it for now. Tomorrow we leave West Yellowstone for (I think) Zion National Park. We’ve left the last days open and Zion looks like a cool destination. Stay tuned for the final installment.