North Coast 24-Hour - PR's Are Possible At 50-Plus!

A confluence of events came together at the North Coast 24-Hour race (Sept. 17-18, 2011) in order for me to reach a long-held goal of hitting 130 miles in a 24-hour race – excellent weather, a fantastic crew and a little bit of luck.

Training for this 24-hour race has been interesting.  I typically am not a high mileage runner.  I usually though run at least a few "faster" marathons and at least one 5-6 hour training run before a 24-hour event.  For the NC24 race, due to other time commitments, I wasn’t able to get in any long runs.  After the 48-Hour race I ran in early May, my longest training run up to the NC24 has been 20 miles.  Since I didn’t have time for longer runs, I tried to double up, running 10 miles in the morning before work and 10 miles at night.  I never was able to hit 100 miles in any given week, but came close a few weeks.  I can also say it was a first for me to get out the door at 4:00 a.m. to squeeze in a number of 20-milers before work.  Just to mix things up, I also met my friend, Karen, at the high school track once a week  for some speedwork to try and energize my running since I felt I was getting way too slow.



Jamie Donaldson & me before the race

With my somewhat low training miles, I was a bit nervous going into the NC24.  The field of women runners was very strong and only the top two women were guaranteed a spot on the 2012 national team.  My only goal going in to the race was to hit my elusive “130.”  I really didn’t see a second place finish as a possibility.

Race day dawned and indeed the weather forecast was right!  Perfect running weather. At the start, I even resorted to gloves and arm warmers, which I peeled after a few hours.  My original plan was to start about a 9:30 minute per mile pace for the first three hours and then go right to a 10:00 pace for hours 3-6, and then every 3 hours adding 15 seconds to my pace.  Because the weather was so good, I abandoned that plan when I started running and hoped my exuberance would not be costly.  I started at a faster 9:15 pace and then dropped to a 9:30 pace for hours 3-6.

Everything was going like clockwork until about 4:00 PM when I started feeling kind of sick.  This coincided with the sun coming out and actually getting somewhat warm.  The way the course is configured, the northern side (by Lake Erie) was breezy and cool.  As soon as you turned the corner on the south side, the wind stopped and it was HOT.  Courtney, my crew chief extraordinaire, was on top of things and dug out some anti-nauseous pills and tons of ginger ale.  I also started increasing electrolytes.  Something worked and after an hour or two, I recovered.  From that point on, I felt remarkably well the rest of the race. 

I have been tweaking what combination of calories to consume during a race.  This time, I mixed 1 1/2 scoops of Perpetuem to fit into a small flask that I drank every hour.  I supplemented this with water as needed and hammer gels and hammer solids.  I can now say definitively that the solids are not anything I can use over very long periods of time.  Also the Perpetuem strawberry and coffee flavors were pretty good while the unflavored and orange got pretty nasty.  I was able to keep consuming this mix for most of the race.  I also ate oatmeal, oranges, peanut butter sandwiches and bananas and my friend’s special “long run cake.”  Courtney was excellent monitoring my calorie intake and kept shoving stuff in my mouth!!

Mission Control.... with crew chief Courtney

One new product I tried were these caffeine strips called “Sheets.”  I saw them advertised in a magazine a few weeks ago and thought I’d give them a try.  They actually had a strong bitter taste but dissolve on your tongue so they are convenient to consume and easier on the stomach than coffee, Red Bull, etc.

I don’t know if it was the “Sheets," cooler weather, almost stepping on a rat, or something else, but once midnight hit, I felt energized and was able to run at about a 10:15 minute mile pace from midnight to about 3 a.m.  I felt like I was "flying" because most people are either trudging or off the course at this point. 

This year the race had a leader board that I didn’t pay too much attention to during the first half of the race.  As is typical, most of the runners on the leader board go out too fast and fade before the race is over.  That certainly happened at this race… for different reasons both Jamie Donaldson and Anna Piskorska dropped.  Connie was her phenomenal self and unstoppable.  Lisa Bliss was running very strong.  I don’t think it was until the middle of the night before I caught up with her and got a lead.  Every time I saw Lisa she looked so strong so I knew I had to keep running once I moved into the number 2 spot.

There were a few glitches in the timing system during the first half of the race.  I was pretty sure that some of my laps were missed.  According to the official count, I hit the “130” mark with about 15 minutes to spare.  I wanted to quit then but Courtney wisely said, "Keep running…. You need one more lap for extra measure.”  I trudged on for one more lap.  With 5 minutes left, I kept running for a few minutes and then called it a day.  Final mileage, I thought, was 131.75, a little over 2 miles better than my previous PR.  After getting the laps splits and comparing them to my watch splits, I could easily see that some of my laps were indeed missed.  Bonus now for me is that I am getting"credit" for 3 additional laps so my actual mileage was 134!!!!

The end.... with Courtney!

When all the dust settled, Phil McCarthy ran a solid race and was the men’s champ with 153 miles and Connie Gardner was the women’s champ with 144 miles, just missing the women's American Record by about 1 mile.  I fully expect to Connie to break that record one of these days and I hope I am there to witness it!!  Jonathan Savage was 2^nd with 146 miles and he earned a spot on the national team.  Still in shock over this, I also am now guaranteed a spot on the 2012 national team as the 2^nd place female.  Lisa Bliss was 3^rd female with just shy of 126 miles and could possibly qualify for one of the open spots on the national team.

Lessons learned? 

1. Expect the unexpected.  I’m feeling a little creaky and old at 52 to be on the national team but I guess that gives me incentive to stay as fit as possible for another year!

2. Stay out of the medical tent!  In my typical 24-hour races, I have to make at least one stop at the medical tent to get something fixed!  I love Dr. Andy and his medical students but this year I got to chat with them AFTER the race, which saved me a lot of time during the race.

3. Don’t overestimate the value of a well-organized crew.  This race, I thought absolutely about nothing…. To the point that I didn’t know who had won the men’s race until after the race was over….

4. Maybe my haphazard training program wasn’t so bad after all.

5. Comfort is key.  No chaffing or blisters this race.  My Epilepsy Association tech shirt worked perfectly.  And of course, Drymax socks were on my feet the entire race.  Thank you Drymax for your continued support of the National 24-hour Championship!!

24-Hour Racing: Individual or Team Sport?

Less than one week to go before the start of the North Coast 24-Hour National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.  For better or worse, my training is complete.  Now, I just have to wait for the start...

With all this time on my hands, I started thinking about the benefits of running the race solo or using a crew.  While I have done 24-hour races without a crew a number of times, it is definitely not as much fun as having an attentive crew to help with anything you need.  Much of the details are worked out by the crew and at the end of the race I feel like we all ran the race, not just me.  Definitely a TEAM effort.

I am very lucky to have the National Championships in my backyard, just a few miles from where I live (and more importantly where my friends live).  From some crazy reason, I have a number of friends who seem to be looking as forward to the race as much as me.

Just one more bite, Courtney likes to say...

First, I have an amazing "Crew Chief," Courtney.  She is incredibly organized, stays up all night, and forces me to eat and drink.

What would I do without my own personal chef?  Karen is whipping up some awesome snacks.  They are special reserves to break open in the middle of the night.  I will definitely be looking forward to them.

Don't mess with Chef Karen.  She has sharp knives!

Night owl, Laurel, will be stopping by for the "second shift," any time after dark.  I will be using some of her lucky charms during the race....

No, this is not Laurel's lucky charm.... that is top secret....

I think though my number one fan is Mindy.  She is drawn to the race like a moth to a flame (or possibly a midge... hope they don't make an appearance at the race this year).  Her smiling face is a constant.... lap after lap.

Mindy's smile won't let me stop running!

Finally, my Equipment manager/photographer/master of ceremonies/masseur extra-ordinaire (and S.O.) - Roger.  He'd rather be doing anything else besides hanging out at Edgewater all weekend.  The race would definitely not be fun if he wasn't there!

Curling, not running, is Roger's thing!

I could post a TON more pictures of all the wonderful support I get during the race.  Those pics will be posted AFTER the race.  Whatever the results of the race this weekend, I know that I am spending 24 hours with wonderful friends and that makes me a winner any day.

Back to the Loop

This past Saturday we had our first "training run" for the North Coast 24 hour race.  We had some new faces show up to give the loop a try before the race in September.  The training run was combined with the kick-off for the Virtual Runner competition, a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Association.

The loop  is actually not exactly a circle.  There are several twists and turns so you get to use both sides of your body.  The loop is certified at .90075 miles. While I just like to think of it as a .9 mile course, those ".0075" miles add up over a 24-hour time period...

New this year for the race....  Honey Hut Ice Cream has its kiosk right next to the race aid station and they have PROMISED to be open race weekend!!!  For those not familiar with Honey Hut ice cream, it is delicious!!  Of course, having grown up in America's Dairyland (Wisconsin), any ice cream is delicious.  Last year the race temps were pretty warm so if that holds true this year, Honey Hut will have alot of customers (including runners).

Cruising around the North Coast race course, I am reminded how pretty it really is.  Part of the course is right along Lake Erie and some of the views are of downtown Cleveland (all lit up at night it's pretty cool to see).  On Saturday, the weather was quite warm but then suddenly a storm appeared to be brewing.  We all watched the storm roll in from the Lake and then as if by magic it disappeared.  I guess part of the challenge (or charm) of the race is trying to deal with and predict the weather.  Always be prepared is the key phrase.



A view of downtown Cleveland from the race course.

I am looking forward to the new runner faces -- Jeanette, Rick A and Bill D.... and possibly Bill R (on the fence)...  And for those of you ON THE FENCE, we are approaching our field limit of 200 runners.  Sign up now to avoid the price increase on August 17th AND the chance that you  just might get closed out!!

Lessons From My Cats



My kitten, Cartman, checking out my running shoes.

I have recently become the proud parent of two very lively kittens.  Their energy is unlimited and they have fun with the simplest of toys.  Wads of paper are their No. 1 favorite thing to play with.  It doesn't take much to keep them occupied and having fun.

For the last several months, I've felt like I've been running with cement shoes.  My runs have become a chore.  Taking  a few lessons from my kittens, I've decided to put the fun back in the run.  I'm mixing up some 5k races with long runs in between.  I've started adding some official speed work to my routine to get the energy back.  We'll see how this pans out in the fall for the North Coast 24-hour race.  Regardless, though, I'm having a good time with these simple, but new, challenges. 

Hanging Out With New & Old Friends At The Fair

It's been awhile since I ran a race.... work, curling and life in general have just got in the way.  When my schedule miraculously cleared, I jumped at the chance to try another 48 hour race in New Jersey at Three Days at The Fair.  The race took place on May 13-14, in conjunction with 72, 24, 12 and 6 hour races.

Going in to the race, I was hopeful that I could reach the 200 mile mark.  I thought I was capable of doing that at Across The Years this past New Years but just got annihilated and beaten down by the incredibly bad weather.  If I had good weather, I was thinking no problem....

Of course, then I totally forgot about actually TRAINING for the event!  Going in to the race, I had done limited long runs, basically one 4-hour run since New Years.  Would that be enough???

My friend, Courtney, rode with me to NJ, helped set up and stayed at the race for the first 5 hours.  She then went to NYC and planned to return to help on Saturday night and drive me home to Cleveland on Sunday.

Courtney setting up - No. 1 Crew Chief!!

I set up my aid with Phil McCarthy, who I knew was trying for a new 48-hour record.  I also had e-mailed back and forth with Sabrina Moran, a young ultrarunning phenom.  She was intending to run unsupported so I invited her to our "party."


Sabrina, Phil and me before the start

Race day started out cool and cloudy.  This was perfect.  The location was the Sussex County Fairgrounds.  Most of the course was asphalt with a little bit of gravel and grass thrown in the mix.  The first 5 hours of the race went totally as planned.  I was running at the exact pace that I wanted to.  Sabrina was whizzing by me but I expected her to run a fast 24 and then run out of steam.  I was planning to run slower but keep cranking out miles. 

In the afternoon, the weather started to get humid and warm.  The sun broke out from the clouds.  I'm not exactly sure how this happened but around hour 7 I started feeling sick...  I usually have a cast-iron stomach so this was somewhat new and I was not really prepared.  I took some Tums and ginger pills.  That did not help.  I kept running but in hindsight was not taking in enough calories.  I just couldn't eat anything.  This was not a good sign.  I knew in my mind that this was a recipe for disaster but my body refused to do anything about it.  When I hit the 100 mile mark around 20:30 hours, I decided to take a break to get my stomach under control.  I fell asleep for about 2 hours and then just sat in my chair watching the runners go by.  Every time Phil came around, he yelled at me to get up and start moving.  I eventually was shamed into moving and shuffled back on the race course with about an hour to go in Day 1.  At that point, my quads had turned to cement and I was reduced to walking.  I ended the first 24 hours at around 104 miles.  Sabrina was super strong and amazing, logging about 130 miles.  Phil was just a MACHINE on pace for an American Record!



At the end of Day 1, Sabrina and me - both HURTING!

For the start of Day 2, I was trying to run but I don't think you could tell my "run" pace from my "walk" pace.  Sabrina was not feeling well and took the opportunity to go home (10 minutes away) and regroup.  When she left, I wasn't sure if I'd see her again.  The rest of the day was a bit of a blur.  I did stop again in the afternoon for about 45 minutes for a nap.  My stomach had started to cooperate and I was able to eat and keep things down.  Unfortunately, my legs were like lead and I couldn't run.....  Phil was still amazing.  Anna P. had started the 24 hour race that morning and she was very encouraging every time she lapped me (which was many times!)

Late in the afternoon (I think), Sabrina reappeared.... energized and ready to run.  She again whipped around the course in what seemed like amazing speed.  I just kept plodding along.  As darkness fell, it started misting, which felt very nice.  Sabrina had slowed and we ended up walking together for a few hours, chatting about many things.  I had calculated out in my mind what my mileage would be if I kept up my excruciatingly slow pace and wasn't too happy about that.  Even best case, I would not hit my mileage from ATY.  If I had ANY run left in my legs, I would have stuck it out.  But having walked for HOURS already, I decided when I hit 150 miles that I would call it a race.  With around 9 hours to go (midnight), I retired to the tent.  Around 2:00 am, Courtney cam back from NYC and we drove to a hotel for a nice hot shower and a bed!

In the morning, we drove back to the race and I discovered that Phil had indeed set a new 48-hour American Record  by 9 miles with 257 miles!!!!!  I was so happy for him.  Sabrina was the women's 48-hour winner with 172 miles and Anna won the 24-hour outright with 115 miles.  I ended up in 2nd place and received a very cool piece of pottery and a 100-mile coin.

Lessons learned? 

1. I cannot fool myself into thinking I can squeak by for a 48-hour race with minimal training and expect big miles.

2. I need to be better prepared for the unexpected (i.e. bad stomach) and get it under control.  On my to-do list is to contact Dr. Andy for advice!  This was one of my first timed races without his sage direction!!

3. Sometimes these races are not about the miles but the people you meet.  Although my mileage goal was not met, I came out a big winner by all the wonderful runners and volunteers I got to talk with throughout the race and the new friends I made.

Wine, Dine, Curl

Last weekend we headed south to Columbus for their Women's bon spiel, which had the theme of Wines of the World.  No one on my team had been to the Columbus Curling Club before, which has only been open at its new location for a few years.  We were all pleasantly surprised.  A charming place ... hard to imagine it had once been a warehouse! 

Courtney, Karen and Laurel

The ice was a bit challenging, very fast but some strange curls to it.  It took us awhile to get a read on the ice and we got behind in our first game.  We shook after 7 ends and wracked up a loss.  We took a break and were feted at the home of one of the Club members, a South American themed menu with accompanying Chilean wine.  That must have cleared our heads as we came back in our second game in the afternoon and handily won.

After curling concluded on Saturday, the Club hosted a wine tasting that evening, with different food pairings and tasty wines....  Laurel and I ended up the big winners in the raffle and our team won a prize for best song....  Good thing that wasn't recorded!

On Sunday, we won our final game and ended up the winner of the "B" event.  Prizes were bottles of wine (of course).



Me, Courtney, Laurel and Karen with our "trophies."

Columbus outdid themselves on a terrific event and we hope to return next year.

Curling Update - USCA Senior Nationals

Pardon the lag in posting.... but I've been busy curling!

First a quick report from the USCA Seniors, which were the first weekend in February in Bismarck, ND.  That weekend coincided with the worst snowstorm of the season that shut down a large portion of the country... nerve-wracking travel and one team from Maine cancelled due to the snow.  We also started the competition late in order to wait for all of the remaining six teams to arrive in one piece.

In a nutshell, the Capital Curling Club was a very nice facility with four sheets of ice.  We started strong, winning our first game against Wisconsin.  After that, our team struggled and we definitely did not play up to our potential.  We won one other game against North Dakota and lost to the eventual winner, Minnesota, as well as teams from Illinois and Washington.  We finished in a three-way tie at 2-3 with Wisconsin and Washington.  Since we had better scores for the draws to the button, we "officially" ended up in third place.

In between games we tasted some of the local food (deep fried cheese sandwiches!!) .....

And toured some of the sites.  It was pretty cold so mainly we stayed indoors!


My niece, Michelle, me and Sacajawea (the statute).

Overall, it was a good experience.  While my lucky socks didn't help us win more games, I will maybe give them a try at my next race to see if they work better when I'm running...


My lucky socks (although my Drymax socks are on underneath!)