Oh for a waterfall

It was at about the 5 mile mark that I realized I was in a race.  I'd been running along, trying to deal with the heat and the hilly trails of Waterfall Glen, when I noticed people seemed to be passing me.  A lot of them.  The unfortunate part for me was that I felt completely unable to do anything about it. 

This was one of those tough days.  It was hot, humid, and I was not in the right physical or mental state of mind to be racing.  The day before was not spent resting and hydrating either, unless you count beer at a baseball game as hydrating.  Suffice to say my body eventually revolted and forced me to walk several times.  And about a quarter mile from the finish, I had to stop once again so I could, there's no nice way to say it, vomit.  It was ugly.

So are you still reading?  Ok, now let me tell you about the race.  The Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 miler was a really great race!  I had actually been looking forward to it for quite a while.  The trail there is a place I run frequently anyway, and the idea of doing a race on the trails seemed great.

Well, it exceeded expectations.  I would call this a runner's Race.  We showed up early.  My Elmhurst running club friends Jim and Bill were also running it for the first time.  They both ran pretty close to their goal times.  The start is in a big park/field near Argonne National Labs, which is in the center of the trail.  That meant the start was about three miles farther along than the traditional starting point.  It also meant the big hill on the course, dubbed 'Big Bertha" comes about two and half miles into the race, rather than the middle.

That's not a bad thing.  You've got to do the hill some time, so you may as well get it out of the way early, rather than dread it for a few more miles.

So they started the race in waves.  Those running 6:30 or better started first, on through the 4th wave of those anticipating running closer to 10:00 or slower pace per mile.  It was a Waterfall start, which seems appropriate for the venue.   That reminded many of us of a cross-country race.  The picture is an example of a waterfall start from a Nike race.  The one over the weekend had many fewer runners though.  After the start, you had a little over a quarter mile to run before a narrow opening onto the trail.  Fortunately, they limited the entries to 800 runners, so it was about 200 of us in the second wave racing to that opening.  And it was actually pretty civil. 

At the start line, with that relatively small group, I was amazed to see at least eight friends who were in the same wave as I.  This is pretty unusual.  It seems every direction I looked, I saw a friend I said hello to.  There were running friends from Chicago, the suburbs, and even a friend from college track I haven't seen in years.  But the socializing lasted about four minutes.  That was the amount of time between the start of the first and second waves.  The horn went off and we were racing to the trail.  Once we were on it, there was plenty of room.  You could run three wide on the soft crushed gravel. 

There weren't crowds of people cheering at every turn.  Nor was there three kinds of fluid at every other mile.  There were a few enthusiastic people cheering along some of the intersections where the path crossed a road.  And there were four water stops.  Just water.  And it was great!  Lots of runners sharing the path and the day and encouraging each other.

And when it was over, they had one of the best post-race spreads I have seen.  Lots of sponsors were out there with goodies.  My favorite was the Bobak sausages.  They had a chef grilling them and plopping them right into buns for runners at the finish line.  Unfortunately, my stomach was not exactly in the right state to partake.  But I did have plenty of Gatorade!

As we left the race I admit I was feeling a little disappointed.  You never want to have a race like that.  And just as I start to ramp up my running to begin focusing on training for the New York Marathon, the last thing I needed was to struggle through a ten miler.  But, as I thought about it more, I realized I had run a much faster pace, and longer distance in a training run just the week before.  So I guess I just have to put that experience out of my mind and move on to the next one.

I guess it takes some 'off days' to help you appreciate the days when the miles fly by easily.  The good days sometimes come when you least expect them as well.  In fact, when I got home from work the other day, I found a medal in the mail for an age group award I apparently won in the Jim Gibbons 5k early last month.  I never checked the results and had no idea.  But that's a good way to balance out a poor race experience!

Anyway, I have mentioned a fun race coming up at the end of August.  The Human Race, sponsored by Nike is being billed as the largest 10k in the world.  Kanye West has done a cool promo for it, so I thought I would provide a link in case you're interested:

  Lower quality video- http://abclocal.go.com/wls/media?id=6291985 High quality movie -
http://dig.abclocal.go.com/wls/video/party_with_kanye_061808_1.mov

Hope you have more good days than the other kind this week.  See you on the roads....

girls girls girls

Before I get into the topic I planned to write about, I have to share a note from my weekend long run.  Last week I wrote about running in the rain.  After thinking about it, I believe I probably sounded a little smug, even snobbish.  Well, payback came Saturday morning when it was pouring rain even harder than the week before.  I got the run in, but I was drenched.  And I can do without running in the rain for a while now.

Now to the rest of the weekend, which included being a spectator for a fun event on Sunday.  It's suprising, but true that the slight majority of runners in most marathons these days are women runners.  Some have been running competitively since high school, but many have only just discovered distance running in their post-college years.  It is kind of an 'early 20's' thing to do.  Run a marathon.  I think that's great.

My wife is one example of this trend.  She'd never considered running a marathon before, but discovered a group that she could train with and socialize at the same time.  The idea of finishing a marathon suddenly became realistic, and she did a couple of them.  Then came the babies, and all the responsibilities that go along with that.  She claims she is done with it now, but we'll see.

There are a number of events recently that had me thinking about this topic.  The Dick Pond running store in Elmhurst hosted a kids run a couple weeks ago.  It was great to see all the youngsters getting exposed to running.  The picture is from that event.  The girls, especially, have fewer opportunities like that at a young age I think.  Elmhurst is really a hotbed for running with kids aspiring to run on the legendary York High School cross country team.  I see them running all summer in Joe Newton Champions park which next to where I take my daughters for swimming lessons. But that's a story for another time.

Most recently Fleet Feet hosted the Women's 10k and 5k.  There are relatively few women's only events around the city, and this is one of the biggest.  They had more than 3,000 women runners in the races, with husbands, boyfriends and all the other guys there to cheer them on.  They even had a category for fastest mother/daughter teams. 

I brought my daughters to the kids race.  My three year old finished the 50 yard distance, but she wanted to make sure I ran the whole way with her!  I believe events like this really help encourage the kids by showing them thousands of healthy role models.

Speaking of role models, I was trying to get there in time to see one of my favorite runners of all time.  I wouldn't call her a role model, maybe just a college crush, though I have yet to meet her.  Anyway, Suzy Favor Hamilton was at the race.  If you don't know her, just imagine someone who looks like Lindsay Lohan but can run a world class mile.  I have seen her run at the Drake Relays a number of times.  She is in the hall of fame there, not to mention being a former Olympian.

But she provides a real spark to an event for women like the race.  Hopefully, role models like her and the other women will help young girls catch the running bug early, when they can discover their talents in time to make use of them in high school and college. 

Of course, not everyone is blessed with the talent to run fast.  But most are given the ability to run, at whatever pace gets them to the finish line.  And learning the benefits of that experience at a young age is truly a wonderful thing.  Running is a sport you can participate in your whole life.  It was truly inspirational to see the winners of the 'over 80' division in the women's run.  And it was exciting to see the great times run by some of the younger teens as well.  Congratulations to all.

Meantime, if you are looking for the next race to get excited about, there are plenty of possibilities, but one of the most interesting is coming up in August.  It's called 'The Human Race' and it's the first time Nike is putting something like this on.  The idea is that it's a race being run at the same time in cities all over the world.  The information is below.  Meantime, have a great week of running and I'll see you on the roads....

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/humanrace/index.jsp 

July 21, 2008

rain rain go away

"Officially, we are not running today as a group", said Bill Sanders, leader of the Elmhurst Running Club marathon training program.  It was Saturday morning about 6am and there was a steady rain falling.  It had been falling most of the night, and the skies looked like it was sure to continue. 

As I drove over, I had no idea what to expect.  I haven't run with this group much, and weather like this tends to separate the hard-core (or crazy) runners from the rest.  The fact that I found parking with no problem was my first indication.  On a normal Saturday there is a group of 50-plus runners .  We gathered under a verandah and I noticed the number was reduced to about a dozen.  Most of the rest clearly decided to do their long run under nicer conditions.  Then, a couple more stood under the shelter for a while and talked themselves out of it as well.

I couldn't blame them.  There was a bit of lightning off in the distance every once in a while.  That is nothing to gamble with.  And that is the main reason this would not be an official group run.  The Elmhurst Running Club doesn't need to be legally liable in the event Mother Nature decides to strike one of us on the Prairie Path.  But we waited until the lightning seemed to be over, before taking off.

So Bill said he intended to run on the path as an individual, and anyone else who felt like it could do the same.  We could run as a group of individuals.  Since it takes an act of congress to get me out of bed at 5:30 on a Saturday morning (or at least the promise of a good run), I was planning on running regardless of the weather.  Heck, I already had the hard part licked.  I'd gotten out of bed after working until 10:30 the night before.

So we were off for a 12 miler.  The rain fell steadily for the first six miles, which we ran out and back to where we started.  It was wet, but then, so is the shower.  We got Gatorade, wrung out our soaked shirts, and continued.  Lo and Behold, the rain eased up considerably for the next six miles.  Given the heat we've been dealing with later in the day, this might have been the best time to run the whole weekend.

When we were finished, we all had that smug look, knowing we had gotten our long run out of the way, and everyone else still had it hanging over their heads for the rest of the weekend.

I would never advocate running when lighting is in the area.  It's really not a good idea.  Fortunately, once we started our run, we never saw any in the area.  But rain, while annoying, is not bad to run in.  Some of my more memorable runs have been in downpours.  I survived them just fine.  And, it is good preparation for the conditions of the day of whatever race you are training for.  Lots of races fall on days when it is raining, and there is really nothing anyone can do about it.  Well, I guess you could sing one of the only songs my daughters know.  The title of this entry is "Rain rain go away....."

Meantime, we had a chance for some good conversation on the small group run.  Much of it was about one of the best track races you will ever see.  I had somehow not yet been able to see it before the weekend.  The 800 meter race at the Olympic trials was an inspiration, and a tribute to the three runners who qualified.  They, and the others who fell just short embody the notion of giving it your all.  If for some reason you missed it as well, here is a link.  http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=8ab18f0c-2d0c-417b-9725-e205ca8c6e86 See you on the roads, or the track!

Back on the beat

What a great vacation!  Five days in Wisconsin, filled with relaxation, family time, and fun.  And five beautiful runs in the Wisconsin countryside. We were staying in Delavan, just off the lake, where we were married nearly six years ago.  It's interesting to return with a completely different dynamic:  three young kids in tow. 

In order to disrupt our family time the least, I ran first thing in the morning most days.  That's not my usual time, but it worked out really well.  I realize most of the rest of the world runs at that time, before work, but I work nights.  I usually run before lunch and then it's off to work.  But it's a great way to get your day started off, and to explore areas you may want to return to later.  It was also a great time to reflect on my running an my goals for later this summer.

I think that's what vacation is all about.  It's a time to rest up, refuel, and reflect on everything a bit...get some perspective back away from the daily grind.   The time definitely re-energized me a bit, and has me about ready to start training again.  I also thought up a few things I want to put in this space.

I'll write much about some of those things over the next few weeks.  In the meantime, we returned to town in time for a really great race.  It was the Four on the Fourth in Elmhurst.  As the name implies, it is a four mile race, and a CARA circuit race as well.  That means it tends to attract some fast runners.  I've been hearing about it for some time, even before I moved to Elmhurst.  It attracts runners from all over the Chicago area.  Fortunately, the weather was fairly cool and just about perfect, as opposed to the oppressive heat that can make running in early July a difficult proposition.

It's a relatively small race though with fewer than a thousand runners.  It was a beautiful day for it, and it went off without a hitch.  And because it was my turn to watch the kids, my wife got to enjoy the race, while I took pictures and cheered her on.  It was great to see so many running friends there, even though they were all in running gear, and I was in street clothes.  Race directors Bob Richards and Susan May from the Elmhurst Running Club do a nice job with the race.  My wife is pictured with Bob here.

Bob, incidently is the same person you may recognize as one of the most expert writers on the local running scene.  He has worked for The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Athlete magazine.  He also has a great website on local running http://chicagoruntimes.blogspot.com/  Check it out when you get a chance.

Meantime I'll see you on the roads....