Yes, You Can Run With Scissors

Halloween, no better day to run a double marathon trail race (two loop course).  I was curious about this newer trail race and signed up for the Fourth Annual Run With Scissors race through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It was perfect weather, not too hot and not too cold.  We would run through two well-stocked aid stations in addition to the start/finish area.  At the second aid station (about mile 11) we would complete a five mile loop before heading back through the aid stations to the start and then repeat the entire course again.

The race was supposed to start at 5:00 a.m. so I was up at 3:15 to get ready and then driving to the start about an hour away.  That was definitely a bit of a challenge for me.  With the early start, we would be running in darkness for at least a few hours.  After arriving at the Ledges shelter area for the race start, we learned that there had been a serious accident involving fatalities on one of the roads that runners would travel on to get to the race.  That was a very somber moment.  We were told by Roy Heger, the wonderful race director (in costume as Death), that we'd delay the start until 5:30 so everyone registered could get to the race before it started. 
At 5:30, the race began and I turned on my headlight and discovered that it didn't work!  Not a good omen!  I was planning to just run a nice and slow race anyway so I got in a cluster of people and hoped that I could see good enough until dawn broke.

The trails were in great shape (this is from a non-trail runner so they really were probably in excellent shape) but LOTS of ups and downs with only an occasional "flat" part.  There was some mud and at least six stream crossings so lots of stuff to keep me focused.  After about an hour, Frank D. ran by and had an extra flashlight that he graciously lent me.  That was a big help.

Then the miles just kept ticking by.  At the second aid station, we were given scissors and told that to prove that we had completed the 5-mile loop we had to cut a page out of a hanging book.  Fun stuff.  The book turned out to be hanging by a skeleton and was a book having to do with anatomy.  Along the course there were also plastic pumpkins with Halloween candy.  Very festive!

I complete the 1st loop in about 5:30 hours.  I was taking my time and walking up all the hills as well as walking down the very steep one.  For part of the first loop, I hung with a fellow runner, Michael, who kept me entertained.  Thanks, Michael!  The second loop  was even slower, about 6 hours.  All I can say is that I really need to do hill work because my legs are still killing me.

Coming through the start/finish after the First Loop.

At the finish, I learned that I was "First Female Grand Master."  In truth only three women finished the double (including Connie Gardner who finished in a little over 8 hours!), most runners opting for the single marathon course.  There was a very hearty meal waiting for us stragglers, which was most appreciated.  A wonderful and well organized race!

Virtual Runners Hit The Towpath

The Virtual Runner team, supporting the Epilepsy Association, was out in force for the Towpath half-marathon.  Unseasonably warm weather continued through last weekend and we were greeted on Sunday morning with very mild temperatures.

Courtney, me Ben, Karen & Karl

The Towpath marathon and Half-Marathon are run in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, south of Cleveland.  This was actually my first time running the half-marathon.  I, though, have run the Towpath marathon quite a few times.  Years ago they used to beg people to sign up and run it as the number of entrants were so small.  Not any more.  All of the races, including a 10k, were sold out.

Traffic to get to the start of the race was crazy.  Organizers recommended getting to the race at least an hour before race-start.  That was good advice as the traffic was bad and even with that cushion I still only parked my car with 30 minutes to spare.

This was to be a fun run so to speak as I was running with my friend and "chief crew" member, Courtney.  She was running her very first (and she claims last) half-marathon.  The goal at the start was to run a 1:55 race.

We started out slow due to the large crowd of runners but then sped up to close to an 8 minute per mile pace.  I knew we were running too fast for our target but Courtney was feeling good so we just went with it....

Two-thirds of the way through, Courtney developed a side ache so we spent some time walking to get that worked out.  I tried to keep her entertained and distracted....  Before we knew it we were at the finish (with a chip time of 1:53) and in the beer tent.

I was actually glad that I was only running the half as temperatures continued to rise and hit 80-plus by mid-day.  All in all, a fun way to spend a beautiful fall day.

A Day At the Beach - North Coast 24-Hour Report

Well, one thing is certain - weather reports are almost never accurate!  This would hold true for last weekend.  I was expecting very pleasant temperatures for the 2nd Annual North Coast 24-Hour race.  Instead, the temperature during the afternoon rose to a toasty 80 degrees and the nighttime temperatures only dropped to the mid-60s.

So what does this mean?  Well, in my head I was thinking cool temperatures, which is my perfect running weather.  I am NOT a hot weather runner.  I had calculated out a plan to run 71 miles the first 12 hours and 63 miles the second 12 hours based on nice, mild weather.  Once the race started, I should have done a few things.... slowed down a bit AND increased my electrolytes.  Of course, this is hindsight.  So, I did neither and set out to run the 71 miles for the first 12......

 

Smooth sailing early in the race.

From the start, the temperature did seem hot... and I totally spaced out that I would need sun screen.  For goodness sake, it's almost October and we hardly ever have SUN in Cleveland....  Another mistake.  I am very sun-burnt now to say the least...

Roger and Dee relaxing in the shade while I bake in the sun...

In the early stages of the race, I was running like clockwork, completely on the pace I had set out to run.... until about 5 hours into the race.  Then, my calf muscles started to cramp.  I first thought, no problem, I just need a little potassium and so ate some bananas.... but more cramping.... to the point that if I ran very fast I had to catch myself from falling over.  Hmmm... this is not good.  I kept struggling with this thinking the cramping was a temporary condition.  Not so.  It just kept getting worse.  By hour 6, I stopped in the medical tent to get a cranberry pill and a leg massage.  That provided temporary relief before the cramping came back.  It finally dawned on me (DUH!) that I needed to drastically increase my electrolyte consumption.  I started doing that and after a number of hours the cramping went away, although my calf muscles were really sore from all that cramping and remained that way throughout the race.

At the 12-hour mark, instead of 71 miles, I only had 66 miles.  That was pretty discouraging.  Under these circumstances, it is very easy to quit.  I thought there is no way I'm going to have a good race and why put myself through 12 more hours of torture for nothing....  But, the one positive in having a race like this in your home town is that I had TONS of friends stopping by and crewing for me.  They were all committed to camping out overnight (some actually looking forward to it!) so I didn't want to disapoint anyone by quitting and spoiling their fun....  So on I trudged.

Just a few of my crew members having fun.....

 Since I was so sun-burnt, my body temperature felt like it was boiling.  Every lap the entire race I poured water over my head.... even throughout the night.

Between the hours of midnight and 3:00 a.m., I had a burst of energy and was passing runners like crazy on the course.  Not sure if it was do to consuming Red Bull, or my large and boisterous cheering contingency or that my legs were finally starting to recover enough from the cramps to allow me to run again....

In for a pit stop in the middle of the night... calves still bothering me.

By morning the wind picked up along the Lake and it looked like it was going to storm.  The rain held off but one section of the course was pretty windy. 

Looks like whitecaps on the Lake... storm appeared to be brewing.

Sunrise was around 7:00 a.m. and the race seemed to fly by until the official ending at 9:00 a.m. 

Less than a loop to go until the END!

The second half of the race I managed a little more than 60 miles for an official distance of 126.225 miles.  Many people had dropped out along the way so to my surprise I ended up 4th woman and 8th overall.

Courtney and me with my race marker marking my distance.

Congrats to winners Serge Arbona and Connie Garder for running fantastic races!  Also 2nd place woman Anne Lundblad and 3rd place woman Anna Piskorska ran very solid races and were very impressive.  You will all represent the US well at the 24-Hour Worlds competition next year!  Full results can be found at the NC24 website.

Me and Anna P. after the race - Anna doesn't even look like she ran!

Countdown to NC24 - Only days away

Hard to believe that the summer has flown by and the North Coast 24 Hour race is less than a week away.  So far the weather report looks excellent.- high of 69 and low of 53.  Only a small chance of rain.  Time will tell if the weather report holds up.

This year, participants have increased quite a bit from last year's race.  As of today, 151 runners have registered - from 30 different states and 3 foreign countries.  Competition looks strong so we should see some big mileage.

For those who can't come down to Edgewater Park to cheer on the runners, a "live" feed will be updating results at http://www.chaneyevents.com/nc24.html.

Once again, Drymax has stepped up to the plate and is furnishing all runners with Drymax socks.  I will definitely be wearing them during the race! 

Virtual Runner Kick-Off at the North Coast

I am very honored to once again be named the Honorary Chair of the Epilepsy Association's Virtual Runner program.  You can make your miles count…even more… by joining the Epilepsy Association’s Virtual Running Team.  Once you have registered as a Virtual Runner, you’ll be able to dedicate your fall racing season to the Epilepsy Association.  From August 1st through October 31st, any race you run during the competition will count in our virtual competition.  Runners raising $100 or more in donations become Epilepsy Association Elite Virtual Runners and will receive a really great team t-shirt. The t-shirts are technical grade running shirts sporting the Virtual Runner logo. More information can be found at the Virtual Runner website.

As an added incentive to sign up, we're having a training run in conjunction with the North Coast 24-hour training run this Saturday, July 24th between 8:00-10:00 a.m at Edgewater Park.  Afterwards, we'll have a FREE breakfast for all runners.   Come join us!!

40 degrees in July

Cal, me and Roger before a game.

Over the 4th of July we headed to Pittsburgh for the 5th Annual Tropicurl.  Roger and I have been to every Tropicurl and so we were awarded a special patch for our loyalty!  This year we had a new team, with me as skip, Laurel as vice, Roger as 2nd and Cal as lead.  The first game was a bit rocky.  We were all rusty, made a lot of mistakes and lost to a Canadian team on Thursday night.  We regrouped on Friday and Saturday, winning three games against a Pittsburgh team and two Canadian teams.  On Sunday, we played in the semi-finals against another Canadian team from Ontario.  We stayed in the game until the 7th end.  When we couldn't score, we shook hands after the 7th and called it a day.  It's always a treat to be in a nice cool ice arena when it's 90 degrees outside! 

Cal, Laurel and Roger.

Prepping the ice before the game.

North Coast Preparation

A view of downtown Cleveland from Edgewater Park,
site of the North Coast 24-hour race

The North Coast 24-Hour Race has once again been designated as the National Championship site.  Interest is starting to build with over 80 runners registered at this point and there are still 2 1/2 months to go before the race.  The top three  women and men will automatically be selected for the U.S. team, and will compete next June in Switzerland at the World 24-Hour Championship.

North Coast race organizers have scheduled a number for "training" runs at Edgewater Park.  I attended the first one this past Sunday, starting at 7:00 a.m.  It is a nice opportunity to get a feel for the course and chat with people who have signed up for the race.  The weather was incredibly hot and humid.  The positives were that there were no bugs and a nice breeze was coming off of the lake for part of the run.

Next training run will be on July 24th, starting at 9:00 a.m.