Running Safety Strategies

As the days get shorter I find myself starting many of my runs long before the sun is up.  It's a little terrifying, and not because I'm afraid of the dark.  Well, maybe a little bit because of that, but more because running in low visibility can be dangerous.  And the danger grows as winter approaches and drivers become more preoccupied with navigating snow and ice and less noticing of foot traffic on the road.  Adding to the problem, colder weather brings frosty car windshields, and not all drivers are diligent about cleaning their windshield sufficiently before they drive.  I've had a few close encounters with cars in the past year, all of which involved inattentive drivers.  And because I'd rather not be in the hospital anytime soon, I've done a lot of reading about safety strategies for runners.

Visibility is your friend.  Be seen.  Be a peacock lit up like a Christmas tree on fire.  Or something.

Face it - fashion isn't a high priority for most runners.  We choose function over style.  I'll use my shoes as Exhibit A on that point:

If you would have told me five years ago that I'd be wearing purple and orange clown shoes on purpose and loving it, I would have pulled a muscle cringing.  But, such is the #runninglife, so let's embrace that fact and use it to our advantage.  If you are running in the dark, you want to be seen.  Light, bright colors are your friends.  Running clothes come in plenty of neon colors - embrace them.  Better yet are lights and reflective materials.  A cheap, reflective running vest is a great investment.  I have a Runner's World branded version of this bargain deal from Wal Mart, and it lights up wonderfully in headlights.  There are a ton of products on the market now that blink and wink and light the way. You may look ridiculous, but that's okay.  I think you look great (and that counts for something, right?  RIGHT?)  Plus, all of us night-runners are right there looking ridiculous with you.  The bottom line is:  give drivers no excuse for not seeing you.

And trust no cars

Always, always, ALWAYS assume that drivers cannot see you.  Always give the car the benefit of the doubt, as even if you have the right of way, your bones are far more breakable than a car, and the car will always win regardless of who was "right."  In my worst me vs. car experience, I actually made eye contact with the driver - I know she saw me - yet she pulled out anyway and knocked me to the ground.  You'll lose a few seconds off of your time waiting - that's life, it happens.  Hardships make you stronger, or something.  But it is far better than being knocked out of training for a few weeks - or worse - because you lost a game of you versus car. #thecarwins 

Stranger Danger

Darkness and bad drivers aren't the only enemies.  There are bad people in the world too, as this recent piece of tragic news has reminded us.  I don't think that there's any surefire way to prevent a horrible attack like that one, but there are things that runners can do to make themselves a little bit safer while they are out there.  Running with a group is a great idea for those who have the option.  Meetup.com is a good resource for local running groups, and many running stores and clubs offer weekly fun runs, especially during race season.

But what if running alone is your only option?  One strategy is to take everything you know about not talking to strangers and throw it out the window.  Well, maybe not everything, but hear me out:  be memorable.  Say hello to people as you pass them on your run.  Hello, good morning, good evening, hi, whatever you can huff out at the pace you are running.  Why?  Because if something happens to you, you'll be more memorable.  Did that sound morbid?  It kind of is.  But if the 6:00 news is talking about a runner who went missing from the park, I want everyone who was at the park to say "Hey, I think I saw her.  I saw her right by the restrooms around 3:00. She said 'hi' to me right before she misfired a snot rocket." #idontdothat  Saying hello is such a relatively effortless thing, and if nothing horrible ever happens to you while running, then at least you'll seem like just a friendly person who talks to strangers.  There's nothing wrong with that.

Give A Loved One an ETA and a Route

I'm honestly not much of a route planner.  I usually go out with a vague idea of the mileage that I want to run, and then I plan my route as I'm running it.  This drives my husband bonkers.  Fortunately, Road ID has come out with a wonderful free app that lets you advise a loved one via text message where you are and provides a real-time map for tracking.  There's also a setting that will send an alert if you stop moving for a certain period of time.  It is good, it is free, and there's no excuse for running without it.

Santa Hustle 5K - Milwaukee

Santa Hustle Milwaukee, December 5, 2015

This was a last-minute add-on to my race schedule, courtesy of Bibrave (I am a new Bibrave Pro, and received a comped entry to this race).  I had no intentions of racing this one, as my "goal" 5K was the following day, but I did want to enjoy it as a fun run and from what I could tell from the Santa Hustle website, this looked like a perfect race to just go and have a good time.  The Santa Hustle promised aid stations with cookies and candy, and Christmas music along the route.  Plus, it offered some of the nicest race swag for a 5K:  a really cute red half-zip jacket (plus a Santa beard and hat).  I can't say enough about the jacket - it is really adorable and I'm quite frankly amazed at its quality.  It is a huge step up from the usual race t-shirt.  Based on the promises made about the course itself and the apparent quality of the swag, I went in to the race looking forward to a fun time.

Of course, things don't always go as planned and I ended up running late the morning of the race.  I was really worried about parking and packet pickup, and I thought I might actually miss the start time.  It turned out that I didn't need to worry about either:  there was plenty of free parking around Veterans Park, and packet pickup was incredibly smooth.  I got from my car to packet pickup to the start line in less than ten minutes.  Not bad for a race with over 1000 participants!

I put on my race swag and my number, and was ready to go.  Most runners wore the race jacket and hat for the run and it was fantastic to see this sea of Santas lined up to run along Milwaukee's lakefront.

There was a costume contest too, so aside from a few very well-dressed Santas I saw some people dressed as gingerbread men, Christmas trees, and a very enthusiastic Buddy Elf.  He was adorable.

It was chilly at the start:  the temperatures were in the 30s and being right next to Lake Michigan the air just felt cold.  But the sun was shining and overall the weather was nothing to complain about for a December day in Wisconsin.  The pre-race set up was great:  a giant inflatable Santa and other fun props for photo-ops, real reindeer, and some fun Christmas music.  All we needed was a little snow!  (Just kidding - go away snow!  I'm loving this non-snowy December).

The race had a corralled start, and because I planned on taking it easy and enjoying the run, I lined up with the 9:00 mile corral.  However, in spite of the corrals, my first few blocks were spent pushing through a crowd of walkers.  Oh well - this was just a fun run.  Eventually I made my way out of the crowd and settled into a 9-minute pace.  This was my first race with my new Garmin, and it was nice to actually know my pace rather than just feel it and hope for the best.

And because I'm never one to say "no" to a cookie, I did grab a cookie at the first aid station.  Do you know what it feels like to eat a cookie while running?  It feels like choking.  But I tried.  And I even took a mid-run cookie selfie.  Please appreciate it - I had to take off my mittens, hold up the cookie, hold my phone still and keep running.  It took a lot of work to get that picture.  :p

So obviously the Santa Hustle was more of a fun run/walk than it was a race, and the results definitely showed it.  My 9:10 pace merited me 4th place in my age division out of 139.  Huh.  I'm a little bummed on that actually - they had age group awards that went three deep, so I missed out on an age group medal by 10 seconds.  Judging by how cute the race swag was, I would bet the medals were adorable.  Who knew?  My time was 28:29.

I'd recommend this race as a fun thing to do with a group of friends before brunch, or as a first race for someone who just finished Couch to 5K.  This isn't a place to PR, it is a place to have fun (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

Interested?  Check out the Santa Hustle website for the various events in other cities around the USA and even a virtual event.

A Tale of Three 5Ks

I like to run far, but I'm not so good at running fast.  For that reason, I'm not much of a 5K runner, which made it especially weird that I recently had three 5K races within a span of ten days.  I did want to run one 5K before the end of 2015 as a sort of an evaluation of my progress.  A year ago I was struggling to go sub-30 on the 5K, and I wanted a yardstick by which I could measure my 2016 goals, so the 5K seemed like a good idea.

So I signed up for three.  Because...well, it just sort of happened.

Pewaukee Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving day.

I love a good small-town turkey trot.  There's something just plain fun about a no-frills race through a small town with a hundred or so other runners, and the Pewaukee Turkey Trot totally fit that bill.  Plus, the race started at 7:30 a.m. so it was clearly aimed at those of us who actually had stuff to do on Thanksgiving.  (Seriously, who can run at 11:00 on Thanksgiving Day?)

The course was a total mystery to me.  In fact, it was such a mystery that I very nearly didn't find the start line.  Nettesheim Park didn't come up in Waze, and it showed up on Google Maps in a totally different location.  I literally found the race start, parked my car, sprinted to packet pickup, pinned on my bib, and ran to the start line, and barely made it on time.  Totally my own fault, but big kudos to the folks working packet pickup for getting me in and out in less than 60 seconds.

The route was a little hilly and took us through some nice neighborhoods.  It was a gray morning and cool but not cold, which made for great running weather.  I went out a little fast in an attempt to get away from one runner who was running with her dog for the first time and having a hard time controlling him, and I paid for it later in the race when the hills came, but overall I did better than I had expected.  Age group awards were given out for 1st place in each age group in 10 year increments.  No award for me but I was very close.  Despite what Strava says, my official time came in at 26:14 which was a new PR.

Santa Hustle Milwaukee, December 5

This was a last-minute add-on to my race schedule, courtesy of Bibrave (I am a new Bibrave Pro, and received a comped entry to this race).  I had no intentions of racing this one, as my "goal" 5K was the following day, but I did want to enjoy it as a fun run.  The Santa Hustle promised aid stations with cookies and candy, and Christmas music along the route.  Plus, it offered some of the nicest race swag for a 5K:  a really cute red half-zip jacket (plus a Santa beard and hat).

Most runners wore the race jacket and hat for the run and it was fantastic to see this sea of Santas lined up to run along Milwaukee's lakefront.

There was a costume contest too, so aside from a few very well-dressed Santas I saw some people dressed as gingerbread men, Christmas trees, and a very enthusiastic Buddy Elf.  He was adorable.

It was chilly at the start:  the temperatures were in the 30s and being right next to Lake Michigan the air just felt cold.  But the sun was shining and overall the weather was nothing to complain about for a December day in Wisconsin.  The pre-race set up was great:  a giant inflatable Santa and other fun props for photo-ops, real reindeer, and some fun Christmas music.

The race had a corralled start, and because I planned on taking it easy and enjoying the run, I lined up with the 9:00 mile corral.  However, in spite of the corrals, my first few blocks were spent pushing through a crowd of walkers.  Oh well - this was just a fun run.  Eventually I made my way out of the crowd and settled into a 9-minute pace.  This was my first race with my new Garmin, and it was nice to actually know my pace rather than just feel it and hope for the best.

And because I'm never one to say "no" to a cookie, I did grab a cookie at the first aid station.  Do you know what it feels like to eat a cookie while running?  It feels like choking.  But I tried.  And I even took a mid-run cookie selfie.  Please appreciate it - it took a lot of work to get that picture.  :p

So obviously the Santa Hustle was more of a fun run/walk than it was a race, and the results definitely showed it.  My 9:10 pace merited me 4th place in my age division out of 139.  Huh.  I'm a little bummed on that actually - they had age group awards that went three deep, so I missed out on an age group medal by 10 seconds.  Judging by how cute the race swag was, I would bet the medals were adorable.  Who knew?  My time was 28:29.

I'd recommend this race as a fun thing to do with a group of friends before brunch, or as a first race for someone who just finished Couch to 5K.  This isn't a place to PR, it is a place to have fun (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

Last Call 5K, Waukesha, December 6

I had pinned my hopes and dreams, so to speak, on this 5K.  I knew the course well and frequent it often, as the race started just blocks from my house and ran along a small section of the Glacial Drumlin Trail, which I frequent.  The course was flat with no surprises, and the weather was predicted to be chilly but just fine for a run.

The Last Call included a half marathon that began at 9:00 and the 5K which started at 9:10.  I made a last-minute decision to run without music, regretted it, and ran back for my headphones which got me to the start just a few minutes before the race began, but that was fine.  It was better than standing around and freezing.  The field was small - maybe a hundred runners, and with age group awards three deep, I had a pretty good shot at finally getting an age group award.  But what I really wanted to do was anything under 26 minutes.  A time that started with 25:XX would be a victory in my book.

I started out at an 8:40 pace which was pretty good with the intention of pushing it after the turnaround.  I passed a few people along the way and stayed steady, with few people passing me.  There was one woman just a few feet in front of me the whole race that I was trying to catch up to but I felt like she sensed me behind her and sped up when I did and slowed down when I slowed.  I spent the last mile at just over an 8:00 pace but she still stayed out of reach.  The timing clock at the finish line was set up for the half marathon so I had to wait around for the official results to learn my time.  It was a short wait to learn that I came in at 25:25 - victory!  My time was good enough for 3rd place in my age group.  The woman I was chasing through the whole race took second in our age group, finishing at 25:24.  I thanked her for setting the pace and told her I spent a good 2.5 miles trying to pass her with no luck.

So now it is time for me to set my goals for 2016.  I will be running the Trailbreaker 5K on March 28 and I'll use that as the "starting point" for my 2016 race season, but for now I'd like to set my sights on finishing a 5K in 24:XX, which I think is very doable, possibly even by the Trailbreaker.

As for the rest of the 2016, I am currently signed up for no races.  I'm evaluating my options but I'll have to start finalizing plans soon:  two races on my list have registrations opening soon, and they both have reputations for closing quickly.  So whether 2016 is the year I focus on shorter, faster distances or whether I continue running my long, slow races is something I'll have to figure out soon.

Race Report: Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon

On November 1, 2015 I ran the Inaugural Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon. The race events included a 1-mile race on a very cold, rainy Saturday, and a 5K, Half Marathon and Marathon on a beautifully sunny, slightly windy Sunday.

That the MRF actually exists is a testament to the race director's dedication to a dream because he had to go through a ridiculous amount of obstacles to make this race happen.  I won't rehash the dramatic backstory, but despite some unreasonable opposition from the most unlikely sources, the MRF prevailed and Milwaukee is a better city for it.

My training

This race was an add-on for me. My "A" race was the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K at the beginning of October, but I thought I'd add on this marathon because I like trying new races, and the chance to do an inaugural event like this is something I didn't want to miss. Plus, I love Milwaukee and I liked the idea of treating this as a "fun run" tour of the city. So I more or less maintained a base of 35-40MPW plus 3-4 days of CrossFit every week between the 50K and the marathon.

I only have one previous marathon experience - it was a trail marathon in 2014 where I came in at a stunningly slow 5:36. My half marathon PR that year was also 2:22, and I've refocused my training and have since knocked 16 minutes off of that half marathon PR, so I knew I could shoot for something better at this marathon.

The plan

My plan was to start out with the 4:40 pace group and then drop down as needed, hopefully finishing before 5:00. In theory, that's great because the 4:40 group should have been running 10:20 - 10:40 miles. In reality, my first 3 miles with the pace group were all under 10 minutes, and they weren't walking through the aid stations, so I knew I couldn't stay with them. I hung back and tried to enjoy the run.

The race route itself was pretty great. Milwaukee's lakefront is beautiful. Brady Street (think: indie coffee shops, tattoo shops and lots of great bars) was full of energy, naturally. As a two-time Marquette grad, I thought the run through Marquette University's campus was great. The run through area added on at the alderman's suggestion was okay: it was mostly city streets but there was a really pretty park in the middle that made that segment of the run very worthwhile.

By mile 15 though I was really hurting and I really stopped enjoying the run entirely. My previous long distance ventures had all been on trails, and I totally underestimated just how much different running on pavement for so many miles can be. Everything hurt. I even got a blister for the first time in my life. After mile 15 I swore off running. I mentally quit my runstreak. I swore off exercise and decided I was going to devote my days to watching television and eating chocolate. I even spent a few miles considering dropping out of the race. Then I got a text from my husband with a picture of the World's Best Running Buddy and I knew I should at least death-march it in.

The race route eventually wound back past the Wood National Cemetary and VA Center, Miller Park and the Hank Aaron Trail. Around that point I saw the 5:00 pace group behind me. By that time I was mostly run/walking at a 13:00 pace.  I don't have an excuse for the run/walking except to say that I had given up.  I was hurting and I just wanted to be done.  But I knew that the pace group could give me a chance to turn things around.  I told the pace group that I really wanted to hang on with them, and they talked me back into the race. Their pace was on point, they were cheerful and encouraging, and I was back at it. The remaining miles were in the 10:30 range with walks through the water stops, and it was totally doable. I loved the views of Milwaukee's riverfront and the finish line at Summerfest was a welcome sight. I pulled ahead of the pacers after the 25th mile marker and ended with 4:56:57. Yep, still slow, but I'm getting better.

Huge kudos to this race for many reasons, not the least of which is the free race photos.  I hope more races follow that trend as it was great to be able to have nice, quality race photos that I didn't have to pay an extra $30-$50 for.  This race is back on my calendar for next year, although after hearing such great things about the half marathon route I think I'll try that next time.  (Plus, uh, it is shorter.  I think I'll save my longer distances for the trails).

Going forward, I'm rethinking my goals. I'm going to work on getting faster at the shorter distances, from 5K to the half marathon, before I consider tackling this distance again. Once I'm in the 24-25 minute 5K range (previous best is 25:41 during a 4 mile race) and around the 1:55 range for a half (previous best is 2:06) I will get back into the long run game.

Race Report: The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K (With bonus bee sting!)

On Saturday, October 3 I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in Wisconsin. I was actually registered for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon that same weekend, but in July I won a free entry to the NFEC, so I decided to forfeit the marathon in favor of the 50K. I've wanted to tackle this distance for years, and was excited to try.  

My training leading up to race day was...different.  I've been doing a run streak since June 1, so a traditional taper was not in the books for me.  On top of that, due to poor scheduling on my part I had a race every Saturday for the previous 4 Saturdays, including a 6 hour track race, a 4-miler that I PRd, my first Tough Mudder, and a half marathon that I PRd by 8 minutes (I still need to write up that race report).  Prior to September, my training was spot-on for a marathon, with a few days of Crossfit mixed in every week.  I felt ready.

Race day temperatures started in the 40s and really breezy, with a high of 55. Great race temps for me, as I get super warm when I run. I ran in my Ink N Burn Calavera capris and a short sleeved shirt, with arm sleeves that I discarded early on, and it was perfect for the weather. 

People loved my Calavera outfit.  Nearly everyone I encountered on the trail had a comment about it, often accompanied by a skeleton pun of some kind.  And the short sleeves and capris were perfect for the weather.  In fact, my only weather-related complaint was that the wind was a pain, particularly in the open field sections of the race. In all, that's not a bad complaint for an October day in Wisconsin.  I opted to wear my old Hoka Stinson Trails, as I've learned that I don't love my Hoka Speedgoats for bombing down hills. The toe box is too narrow and while I don't feel it on flat terrain, I really feel it on the downhills. Sad face.

The First 14 Miles

Things started out great. I felt strong and was keeping up a sub-11 pace, even through the undulating and relentless hills. I was powering up the hills well, often passing runners who were running the uphills (thank you, long legs and Crossfit!)  I was easily overtaking people on the downhills (why don't more people gallop down the hills?  If the terrain is stable, a gallop is so much faster).  The course was incredibly well-marked and I never once had to question if I was going the right way.  There was a bit of leaf cover on the ground which made some of the root- and rock-covered terrain a bit dicey, but for the most part it wasn't a terribly technical trail. I did take a fall around mile 7 when I tripped over a hidden root.  I bruised my knee and I felt it through all my remaining miles, but that didn't slow me down too much.  I was sure to be smart in the aid stations, not lingering and not taking in more nutrition than I needed.  I passed by the first aid station, and by the second aid station I was grabbing a gel and a Coke, but I kept moving.  The aid stations were great, by the way.  Volunteers were all over making sure you had what you needed.  I saw sweet snacks, salty snacks, gels.  There was some hot broth later on.  So far, I was having a great run. I talked to lots of other runners on the way and just enjoying the whole experience.

Mile 14

Things took a turn at Mile 14.  I was running happily through one of the open field sections of the trail when a giant bug flew in my face and wedged itself under my glasses. I soon realized it was a bee (or maybe a wasp?) and I flung my glasses off of my face in an effort to get it the hell off of me, but it was too late - I got stung, right by the eye. It hurt, bad. A course marshal happened to be right there and he saw it happen, but he said the next aid station was still two miles away. With my stung eye closed, I walked to the aid station, cursing my life. The F-bomb was dropped copiously. Eff running. Eff bees. Eff this trail. Eff you, rocks, you suck. Eff these covert roots. Eff it all.

By the time I hit the aid station, my hands were swelling and my breath was ragged, and because I'm allergic to, like, everything, I worried that I might be having a reaction to the sting. The medics had no bee sting kit, but they were able to give me an ice pack. On a 40-degree, rainy day. Yeah. I started feeling worse and worse, and I decided I had to drop. The area by my eye was starting to swell and I was feeling awful. I advised the aid station captain who called in my DNF. I felt like such a damn failure as I watched all of the people who I had passed in the previous miles hit the aid station and head on their way. 

I tried twice to text my husband that I was done, but my phone kept shutting off before I could send the text, and I wondered whether it was a sign. I waited at the aid station, contemplating my failure, for a total of about 45 agonizing minutes while I waited for the failwagon to come get me. Since I stopped running, I was getting really cold. And then I started to think about my family and all of my friends who were so supportive of my running this race. I got really upset at myself for letting a bug get in the way of the goal I had been working so hard for. It was time to woman-up.  I asked if I could rescind my DNF, and a few radio calls later I got the OK to proceed. I continued on, albeit much more slowly as my face was hurting bad.

The next 17 miles were hard. I had been keeping my aid station time down to three minutes or less, so 45+ minutes wasted in the aid station was a real mental blow, and I could feel the stinger by my eye with every step. My pace slowed immensely (although by now my phone and my Garmin had both died so I couldn't even guess my pace) but I kept on with a mix of running and walking. And cursing.  Yet somehow in all of the race photos, I was still smiling.  (Perhaps I have a mental illness of some kind).

I finished with a time of 7:15. Yeah, that's slow. But my #1 goal was to finish, and I even before the sting my only real hope was to keep my time under 7:30. I didn't realize that I had the potential to do so much better - that 45 minutes at the aid station really took a chunk out of my time, seeing so many people pass me during that period was a real mental blow, and 17 miles with a stinger in my face didn't help matters either - but that just means I have room to improve. I'm down for that.

I called my husband on my way home and he seemed surprised that I was coming back so early.  When I arrived at my house I found that he had bought me an ice cream cake that said "Congratulations Jenn" and even had some day of the dead themed gifts for me (socks that match my Calavera running gear!  I love socks!). It was then that all of the emotions of the day came pouring out of my face and I cried like a baby.  

In all, it was a memorable, well-organized, well-run race. About ten miles from the finish I decided I'm never running again ever, but much like childbirth I seem to have forgotten all the pain and misery as I'm trying to decide on my next, bee-free 50K so I can take a stab at getting a decent finish time.  

Race Report: Wo-Zha-Wa Run (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin)

I ran the Wo-Zha-Wa Run in the Wisconsin Dells last weekend.  This is my third or fourth entry in this race and it is one of my favorites to revisit every year.

The Race:

The Wo-Zha-Wa Run bills itself as "Wisconsin's Oldest Long Distance Run" and this was its 48th year. The race offers a 4-mile option and a half marathon. Having run a half marathon in the Wisconsin Dells once, I always opt for the 4-miler. The Dells is an extremely scenic tourist trap, and while the four-mile race is gorgeous, the half marathon has to avoid the crowds and trots runners out to some hilly but dull farmland outside of the Wisconsin Dells proper. I ran it once - never again.

Why this race?

Simply put, this race is swag city. The technical t-shirt and finishers medal are nice, but the real prize of the day is the Wisconsin Dells attractions pass given to all finishers. The pass offers free admission to a bunch of Dells-area attractions, including boat tours, mini golf, the amphibious Original Wisconsin Ducks[1] (DUKW) tours, and more. I'd guess the pass is worth about $60 if not more. Not bad for an extremely cheap race.

My training:

I'm training for my first 50K right now, and I've been doing a runstreak since June 1. I also do Crossfit a few days a week. My training plan is basically the FIRST (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training) plan of one weekly long run, tempo run, and speedwork, plus daily running for the runstreak and crosstraining via Crossfit. Not a traditional training plan by any means, but it seems to work for me. I average 35-40 MPW under this plan.

Precedent

I'm slow. Rather, I used to be slow (oooh, that's foreshadowing!). I spent 4+ years as a 11-12 minute miler, and I could hit a 10 minute mile for a single mile on a treadmill once in awhile. But since I started training with the plan described above, things have improved. My last Wo-Zha-Wa run was my previous best, and I came in at just under 40 minutes. I was hoping for a big PR this time and aimed for 36:30. I felt confident about that goal.

Race day weather this year was perfect - 50s and sunny. I wore my InkNBurn Robot Capris and got a ton of comments on them.  I joked with a few people who commented on them prior to the race that my bionic legs would make me run faster.  Little did I know...

Mile One

While I had my Garmin on, I decided to run by feel for the first mile. I've run the race enough times to have the course in my head, and I figured I'd aim for a 8:50 pace for the first mile which sloped nicely downward so I could bank a little time for the big hill at mile 3. A mile in, a woman I was running nearby commented that we hit the first mile in 8:12 WHOOPS. But I felt good, so onward.

Mile Two

I kept pushing on, focusing on foot turnover and breathing. I collected my hi-five from the race's founder as I do every year at 1.25 miles, and I saw a cute little boy on the sidelines faceplant as he was trying to catch up to his dad who was running just ahead of me. A true runner, he instructed his son to "walk it off, kiddo!" and didn't slow his pace at all. Noice. I kept on keeping on and found that Mile 2 passed at a 8:08 pace. WHOOPS. But I still felt good, so onward.

Mile 3

The terrain changed as the course moved off of the nicely paved streets of downtown Wisconsin Dells and onto the shoulder of a highway. The road was gravelly and choppy so I had to pay more attention here. There were some gently rolling hills. It was nothing terrible but it definitely weeded out the people who don't train on hills. I dropped a few people I was running with during this point. And I knew the big hill was coming up, but so was some of the most scenic, wooded parts of the race. The leaves weren't turning yet as they were during previous years, but it was still a beautiful sight. And then came the big hill.

This was the first year that I didn't walk at least part of the hill. I put my head down and powered up it. And it didn't feel quite as big as it was in previous years. I was sure I lost some time on this hill, but no. I checked my Garmin and saw I made Mile 3 in 8:03. WHOOPS. And I was starting to feel a little gassed.

Mile 4

The race ends back at the Wisconsin Dells high school, finishing with a victory lap around the track. I struggled a bit at this point as we wound through residential streets.  And by "a bit" I mean I really did struggle.  I put up 8:40 for the final mile.  Which, in retrospect, isn't bad considering I had planned to run the whole race much slower.

Final official time: 33:51 Fastest mile (per Strava): 7:50

I collected my finisher awards and later found I was third in my age group. Me, a back of the pack runner! Damn. 29th overall out of 139, and 13th female overall.

I finally feel like I don't have to start my conversations about running with "I'm really slow, but...". I'm still not fast, but I'm finally getting faster. It's working.

Tough Mudder Wisconsin - September 12, 2015

I did the Wisconsin Tough Mudder on Saturday.  If you haven't done the race before, you may know it as the long mud run (12-ish miles) with the electric shock obstacle (as opposed to Spartan Race, Warrior Dash, or the zillion other mud runs that have popped up).  I've done plenty of other mud runs and lots of other regular running races, but this was my first Tough Mudder.

Tough Mudder is not timed; rather, it is about teamwork.  Some of the obstacles are literally impossible to do without a team.  At first, that was really off-putting to me.  I'm a solo runner and I like to race the clock.  That said, the teamwork stuff was actually pretty cool.  Most of my team consisted of friends-of-friends who I hadn't met prior to the day of, and over the course of run I felt like I really got to know these people and could happily hang with them over some beers anytime.   I guess helping people in and out of mud will do that.

The Course

The course varies from state to state of course, but they really hit a home run in Wisconsin by having this at Road America.  They used the miles of rocky, rooty, rollercoaster hills on their offroading trails and it was fantastic.  My trail runner heart had a blast bombing down the hills and chugging up the steep inclines.  I want to go back and run the trails again and again.  There were plenty of long segments of running in between the obstacles, so unlike some of the shorter obstacles courses, there was plenty of time to stretch the legs.  I loved it.

The Obstacles

Honestly?  Pretty fun.  There were tall walls to scale, barbed wire to snake under, mud to forge,  heavy logs to carry, etc.  Some of the more memorable obstacles included the "Arctic Enema" which was a waterslide that lands in chest-deep ice water, "Everest" which is a slick half-pipe that you run up (and if you are part of the 95% who can't scale it without help, you hope for some strong arms to grab you and haul you over the crest - plenty of people are willing to lend a hand to help a fellow Mudder, so no problem there).  I loved watching King of the Swingers which involved jumping off of a 15 foot platform to grab a swinging bar and landing in deep water.  Incredibly fun to watch, but as a non-swimmer I had to opt out of this one.  "Electroshock Therapy" involves shocking electrical wires that you basically have to put your head down and power through.  I took a good shock to the hip that rocked me, but other than that it was okay.

I made some pretty big assumptions that Tough Mudder would have the same AROO!BEASTMODECROSSFIT4LYFE attitude that the Spartan Races have, but it doesn't.  Tough Mudder is about working with your team to make it through any way you want.  If you want to run Tough Mudder, that's cool - no one will look down on you for making a run of the course.  If you want to walk it with your friends, that's cool too.  Make it an 11 mile party?  Sweet.  You do your Tough Mudder your way.  I've been on both ends of the spectrum, from the balls-out Spartan Races to the "let's take 2 hours for this 5K and then go get a cosmo and donuts" Dirty Girl mud runs, and this was a nice in-between.

So, all that said, was this the smartest race to run 3 weeks before my 50K?  Maybe not.  The potential for injury in an obstacle course race is pretty big as there's lots of room to fall, turn an ankle, etc., but I think I got a huge benefit from the hillwork I did and the time on the trail.  I'd definitely do it again in a heartbeat, especially off-season.

Finally, here's the obligatory team before and after pics.

Photo Credits:  Jeff Hammes.  Aren't these amazing photos?  I am blown away by how great the pictures turned out.

Shoe Review: The Hoka Speedgoat

As a disclaimer, I'm a huge Hoka fan. I've worn the Stinson Trails, the Constants and the Bondi Bs previously, so I've been counting down until fall which is when the Hoka One One Facebook page said their new Speedgoat model would be available. So imagine my surprise when I checked Running Warehouse in August and found that they claimed to have a pair in stock in my size. I ordered.  They arrived.  And I put on some miles.

Background:

By way of comparison, I had been running in my current Hoka Constants for about 450 miles. The Constant is Hoka's answer to the stability shoe, and I found them to be like a cross between the Hoka Stinson Trail and the Brooks Adrenaline. I mostly like them.  The issues I had with the Constants were relatively minor: they have a worrisome pressure point on the right foot which never caused any real problems. More troubling, they are such a horrible shade of lavender that no matter what I wore, my shoes looked silly. #runnergirlproblems Hokas aren't exactly the sexiest running shoes on the market, so when you combine their clownshoe-shape with a ridiculous color, you end up with some pretty silly feet.  #notcute So with the Constants starting to show some signs of real wear, I realized it was time to free myself from my purple prison and order some new shoes so I could break them in with plenty of time for a bunch of fall races.  With that in mind, I ordered the Women's Hoka Speedgoats, in glorious non-purple coral and blue.

What arrived was something else.  Something far more purple.

SERIOUSLY? THEY SENT ME THE PURPLE SHOES? As it turned out, the box was mislabeled - it said coral and aqua but contained the purple shoes.  I was torn:  I did not want purple, but I did want my shoes. I had to decide to either take advantage of Running Warehouse's return policy, or nut up and wear purple.  So I choose to start wearing purple. Aside from their purpleness, the shoes look great. The grippy treads look like they'll grab the trail nicely, and with Hoka's signature marshmallow cushioning I won't feel every little pebble under my feet which is my big complaint about pretty much every other shoe. The placement of the Hoka name on the shoe is a little odd - I like it, but doesn't it look like it says HO HO? Or is it just me? #ordoesitsayOHOH

Initial Impressions:

I took them out for a short 4 mile run on pavement/park path just to see how they felt.  Because I like to match, I pulled out one of my few purple tech shirts #InkNBurn and realized it actually looks great with the shoes. Will I grow to love purple? Doubtful. Maybe. I don't know.

I slip the shoes on and they fit true to size. My feet are not petite #yeti and I like my shoes roomy, and there's nothing unexpected about the general fit of the shoe. I have read other reviews that say the shoes feel sloppy or that the sizing is off, but that was not my experience. Perhaps I can attribute that to knowing Hokas and knowing how they fit on me. I immediately notice that they feel infinitely more breathable than the Constants, which is good. The Speedgoats have ample ventilation, while the Constants were definitely a little suffocating.

The shoes performed well on their initial outing on pavement/park path.  I was most impressed with their grippiness:  I crossed a few wooden footbridges that are notoriously slippery when wet, but the Hokas handled them well - no slippage, and no cause for slowing.

I checked my feet after the run and found no hot spots, no blisters, no redness, no negative effects.  So far, so good.

Trail:

In the weeks that followed I had the chance to take the Hokas out on some trail, including the well-groomed trails at Minooka Park and the wild singletrack at Estabrook Park.  They performed just as I expected:  very grippy, and not too much play on uneven terrain.  They handled roots and rocks easily. I did notice that the deep treads did pick up more than the usual amount of debris on the Estabrook trails.  I found myself kicking off some excess mud more than I'd like.

Complaints and Concerns:

I do have a few concerns about the Speedgoats.  I've read other reviews of them and haven't seen this mentioned so maybe it is  "me problem" but the top of the tongue is inexplicably razor sharp and it jabs right into my ankles if I'm wearing no-show socks.  The obvious solution is to wear higher socks, but I'm surprised that this is even a problem.

The other concern is that I'm noticing a bit of rub along my pinkie-toe on longer runs.  I've heard that the toebox width is a common criticism with Hokas although it hasn't been a problem for me until now, and it only seems to happen with certain socks.  Again, perhaps an easy fix just by figuring out which socks don't work with these shoes.  I'll need to do some more experimentation.

Overall, I like the Speedgoats a lot and I'm happy with my purchase.  Because of the toe/rubbing problem that I've developed I didn't trust them to run the Badgerland 24-12-6 (and really, I didn't need trail shoes for a track race anyway) but I am hoping to have them squared away for the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in October.

Thoughts on a 100 Day Runstreak

I've heard it time and time again:  rest days are important.  You can't run every day because your body needs to recover.  Running every day is a recipe for injury.  Respect the rest day.

But then I read about the runstreakers - the men and women who run every single day, rain or shine, sometimes for years.  Sometimes for decades.  I read a few articles with mild interest but didn't think much more about it.  While there are plenty of article extolling the virtues of the rest day, I reasoned that running just a mile each day probably isn't going to be harmful to someone who isn't injury prone and who is used to running distances.  But it wasn't something I had considered for myself.  I like my rest days.

Then on June 1, 2015, my Crossfit box posted a message with its workout of the day challenging us all to run one mile each day for a full week.  Since running is my thing, I considered doing a run streak of my own: something more than a week, but less than forever.  So I challenged myself to run every day in the month of June.  The rules:  one mile.  It can be slow.  It can be outside or on a treadmill.  But it has to be at least a mile.  I declared my intention on Strava, thereby making it officially official so I couldn't back out.

It wasn't easy.  My first half marathon of the year was in mid-June and I was worried about not taking a few days off of running beforehand.  That fear was unfounded, and I PRd my race.  Then I got a bad cough and chest cold and wondered how anyone could run through feeling sick.  I lamented about it on Facebook and some runstreak friends told me to get out there and do my mile.  I did, and strangely enough, I felt better.  Before I knew it, June was done and I had ran all 30 days.

Then July ticked by and then August.  I ran at least a mile each day, usually more.  And I became a stronger runner.  Sure, there were days when my calves just felt tired.  Never painful, never injured, but tired.  Those would have been cause for a rest day in my pre-streak times, but the runstreak version of myself just ran an easy mile on those days.  There were days that weather and scheduling made a run difficult, but with some finagling I always managed to find ten minutes to eke out a mile, even if it was a treadmill mile.  Most days, I felt good.  I put up decent mileage each week, and even in the heat of summer my "easy" pace got quicker.  Whereas last year I struggled to put up a single ten minute mile, this year 9:30 became a comfortable pace for a reasonable number of miles.

Robot Capris from InkNBurn.  I seriously love them.

I never intended to have my run streak last 100 days.  It lasted through races, through speedwork, through tough Crossfit days where two-a-day workouts were the only way for me to get my run in.  It lasted through illness and bad weather.   And now, on Day 100 - a milestone far greater than I ever intended to see - I don't see a reason to stop.

Ah yes, a self-indulgent photo montage.  I'm celebrating, okay?  

I find that I have less excuses not to run.  Before my run streak, a little ache or a bit of laziness led me to declare a rest day when rest probably wasn't needed.  Now I just go do it because it is what I do.  No excuses, no laziness, no looking for a reason not to run:  I just go do it.

I can't imagine I'll be a lifetime runstreaker - bronchitis or something awful in my respiratory system usually gets the best of me at some point and I'm not sure I'll be able to run through that.  But until then I'll keep on going, grateful for each day.  Maybe on to 200.

A Festival of Suffering (aka Badgerland Striders 24-12-6 hour race)

Hot and humid.

No shade.

No cloud cover, no sign of rain.

And you're running on a track.  For hours.

This was the Badgerland Striders 24-12-6 hour race.  I ran the six hour version, and before I give the wrong impression, let me assure you that it is a fantastic race.  Well run, great volunteers, great site.  An all-around class act event.

It was just really tough on such a hot day.

My goals:  

We've had an extremely mild summer, so I expected that a goal of 50K was totally reasonable. Race day weather had other ideas though: mid-eighties and humid, with a "real feel" temp of 90. With no shade and no breeze, that's rough conditions for a race. Ultimately, the heat kept me from hitting 50K over the course of six hours. My secondary goal was to eke out something just over marathon distance, and in the event of a really hot day I at least wanted to get a 20-mile training run out of the way. I ended up with 103 laps for 25.4 miles. I had nothing left to give at the end, so I have no regrets about how I ran the race. I feel like it was a good training run for my 50K in October, and I feel like I can manage my heavy race calendar over the next four weeks pretty well now that I have this high mileage run in tough conditions out of the way.

The race:

Back to the beginning: this race has a number of options - there's a 6-hour, a 12-hour, and a 24-hour race. For the people wanting to escape the heat, they offer a 6 and 12-hour option at night. There are also distance divisions where you pick a goal mileage, like a marathon distance, 50K, etc. - and keep going until you get there.  I opted for the 6-hour daytime version of the race.

Because this race is so customizable, it attracts a lot of people with interesting goals and great stories.  One of the volunteers mentioned that they have a repeat racer who aims to run his age in miles each year - he's 73 this year. One young woman was aiming for a goal of ten miles and she kept going past her goal to eleven miles.  Her dad was running with her and he was so proud of her accomplishment.  It was great to see.

The race is chip-timed, so each lap is counted. Pretty neat.

The race is held at the Germantown (Wisconsin) High School track. Runners are welcome to set up their own "aid stations" along the track, and quite a few families cheered on their runners from beneath shaded awnings and tents. The race also provided a great aid station with the usual ultra fare: water, Heed, Coke, PB&J sandwiches, oranges, watermelon, trail mix, chips, cookies and more. I brought my own cooler with ice and drinks, and although it was totally unnecessary since the aid station was so well-equipped, it was nice to have a place I could stash my shirt every few laps so I could put on an ice cold shirt every so often to cool down.

Pre-race, before the cloud cover burned off.

The day started out nicely, with plenty of cloud cover and a dense fog. The forecast suggested that the cloud cover would burn off just before race time but we were fortunate and it hung on until around 10:30.  The nice weather was tempered by the fact that they were inexplicably playing Michael Jackson's early catalog over the loudspeakers. I don't dislike MJ, not by any means, but I'm more of a Thriller-era fan. After about an hour of listening to that music I began to wonder if North Korea was taking notes as this seemed like an effective way to torture prisoners. I had enough and I went for my headphones. I listened to Amy Poehler's "Yes, Please." I love running with audiobooks, and I enjoyed that one for about an hour. I kept a steady pace for the first two hours and felt great, although I pretty much never need to hear Michael Jackson again in my whole entire life.

Around 10:45 the weather decided it had given us enough time to put in some miles, and it cranked up the heat. Heat plus humidity equals suffering, and suffer we did. The hot black track with no shade and no breeze made it feel much hotter than the actual temperature. There were times when the heat was absolutely choking. There were a few drops at this point, including one of the 24-hour runners who was totally burning up the track all morning. He was running so strong - I'm not sure what happened but I was surprised to see him go.  It was a sobering reminder that no matter how good your training is, shit can in fact happen on race day.

The race director provided mileage updates about ten minutes after each hour, and for the first two hours I was happily on target, around 10:30 - 11:00 miles - very sustainable - but I knew that the heat was going to be a game-changer. Plus, after I pass ten miles in any run, I become intimate friends with the restroom for awhile. I'll spare the details but hitting the restroom every 2 laps does not help one's 50K aspirations. By hour three I had given up my 31 mile goal, which I figured would happen with the heat, but I still wanted to get in something over marathon distance.

Boredom?

When I decided I was going to do this race, friends asked me how I was going to run around a 400 meter track for six hours without being bored. Part of the reason I signed up for this race because I thought it would be a test of mental toughness. And as it turns out, I was anything but bored. I listened to part of an audiobook, a podcast and some music. I socialized with other runners - I'm not usually much of a talker when I run but oh were these some of the nicest people - you couldn't help but chat for a lap or two before digging back into the task at hand. It never felt boring.

But the fiddling with my iPhone to access audiobook and podcasts did hurt me a bit. I crashed Strava twice in the process. The first time I only lost a few minutes of running, but the second time I lost a whole hour so I just shut the program down. That was a really discouraging - I love my Strava data, and I think if I had a better way of gauging my pace I would have been able to manage my mileage better later in the race.

After noon I started taking advantage of the cooler I had lugged to the sidelines and was stacking ice under my hat to deal with the heat. It worked well for awhile, and then it just gave me headaches. My hat was a great idea though - a ten dollar grab from Wal Mart and it kept the sun off of my face. Money well spent.  Around this time I also got some texts from my husband and son, and those gave me a boost.  I took a selfie to send them - my "I've been running for over three hours and it's hot and kind of miserable but I'm going to smile and pretend I'm A-OK and not actually dying" face.

Not dying!  Not dying!

After I abandoned my 31 mile goal I asked if I was on track to hit 27 miles. I was positive that I was but it turns out: I wasn't. I took it pretty hard and got discouraged. I really felt like I was still running relatively strongly, but apparently that wasn't so. I walked a lot after that. Physically I was beaten by the heat but mentally I was pushing on okay until then. The news that I wasn't going to hit just over marathon distance definitely took the wind out of my sails. It was tough after that. Very few people were running with any regularity at this point and eventually it really evolved into a timed carcass-drag to the six hour mark. My heart rate shot up and got fluttery a few times and that was enough to keep me to a brisk walk at the end. I crossed the timing mats at 6 hours, accepted a delicious frozen custard and enjoyed the shade of someone else's canopy for awhile.

This definitely would have been a different race in different weather, and now I understand why there are night running options. Overall, it was an educational race for me in that I learned what works for me (Sprite, please!) and what doesn't (food, mostly. And heat). If next year's forecast is like this one, I'll probably pass on this race but if we had something that was even a hair less humid I'll come back. It was fun, I met some great and really inspiring people, and it is a good opportunity to really define a goal and push myself.

And one final note:  somehow I managed to get a sunburn on my ass.  I promise, my ass was fully covered for the duration of the run.  I'm not sure how it happened, but, well...ow.

Rave Run: Waukesha to Wales via the Glacial Drumlin Trail

The Glacial Drumlin Trail is a 51 mile rails-to-trails path that connects Waukesha, Wisconsin with Cottage Grove.  The trail is flat, scenic, and on any mild-weathered Saturday home to bikers, runners, rollerbladers and walkers.  Some areas of the trail are canopied by trees, and other sections are wide open to the sky.  You'll find parks and towns along the trail, and you'll cruise by rivers, lakes and of course, drumlins!  (I had to look it up, too.  A drumlin is an elongated hill akin to an overturned spoon.  They are created by glacial activity).

But there's one particular section of the trail that I love:

Waukesha to Wales

7.0 miles each way (14 mile round trip)

You can begin this run by parking at the Fox River Sanctuary in Waukesha, located at 810 College Avenue.  The E.B. Shurts building has restrooms and a bubbler (that's a drinking fountain to you out-of-towners).  The trailhead is just to the West of the Shurts building, and it isn't particularly well marked, but you'll find the path leading into the woods fairly easily.  Make your way over the Fox River via a beautiful footbridge, pass the (active) railroad track and you're on the trail.

Along the way to Wales you'll find several street crossings, but they don't detract from the beauty and variety along the trail.  Wildlife is abundant, the plants are varied and beautiful.  You'll find Sunset Park on the left side of the trail a few miles in, featuring the an all-important (well, important to me) restroom.  Beyond that point the trail offers more variety in its scenery.  You'll find a handful of signs along the trail describing the scenery but I feel like the trail could use a few more informational points, particularly ones that describe the more obscure natural landmarks and formations.  Before you know it, you'll find Mile 7 of the trail in Wales, Wisconsin, and the must-stop site:  Mama D's Coffee.  (As you read this blog, you'll notice that I have a fondness for stopping for food on my runs.  For me, it is less about being fast and more about having fun).  

Mama D's is a sweet little coffee shop just off of the trail in Wales.   It caters to trailgoers like bikers and runners and features fantastic bakery and, of course, coffee.  You'll almost certainly run into fellow runners and bikers while you are there.  On my last trip there I enjoyed a Sunrise Muffin and a very good cup of coffee.  I wanted to stay longer and just enjoy the company of the other trailgoers, but I managed to force myself back on the trail for the return trip home.  

If you go:

There is no fee for walkers/runners/hikers or people under 16 on the path.  If you are over 16 and bike or rollerblade, you'll need a trail pass.  There are pass purchase stations along the trail, and Mama D's also sells trail passes.

Glacial Drumlin Trail East to West Cue Sheet

Trail Map

Happy running!