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Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 5:02 PM
Subject: Incline Club V7 LR #15
Hi ICers,
Was last Sunday tough or what? At the same time getting through it made you feel like you could get through anything:-) Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
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NEXT RUN:
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Sunday, March 2, 8:00am — Memorial Park
Head out El Paso and take a left after hwy 24 into the GOG. Run past the Balanced Rock and then turn left and run up Rampart Range Road to just past the antenna. Start down Williams and head right up to Waldo and back to SSP via UPT. 2.25-3.5 hours. Shorter option is to head all the way down Williams. Longer option is to do Waldo loop. See map! (htt://www.inclineclub.com/maps/rrr_williams.htm)
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ICers WRITE:
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Update:
You may remember a few weeks ago after Neal Taylor’s Rocky Raccoon100 race report I mentioned that the female winner of the race had some serious kidney problems and at the time it was not known if she was going to keep her lower legs or even live. (http://www.inclineclub.com/newsletter/2003/lr12.htm) I am happy to report that she is making an incredible recovery as evidenced by this note I got from her:
I saw the report on me and thought a follow up is needed. First of all, I
really appreciate the support given to me during a difficult time in my life. The running community is very strong throughout the country! Contrary to some belief, I am not laying on my death bed, and in fact I plan on returning to work this Friday. I am back working-out but not yet running. Weighing in at 93lbs(after my illness) I challenge anyone interested in a pull-up contest ;) I am walking without assistance. I plan on a 100% recovery. I plan on running again, but it will just be a matter of time. I also plan on continuing to be a contributor to the running community by offering the litefoot running series to elementary school kids and educating other runners about my illness related to running.
Respectfully,
Karen Scott
(Matt C adds: This is a welcome relief to the many of us who found this to be one of the scariest running related stories we had ever heard. When I wrote back and asked Karen her normal weight so I could get a handle on the 93# she replied, “I usually weigh in at 103 during competition, but I went down there this year a whooping 107.” She also wrote “I used to believe in the ‘Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...’ thing but it almost killed me this time.”)
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R REPORTS:
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Bill Ransom reports:
Race = Franklin Mountains Trail Race
Location = El Paso, TX
Date = Sat, Feb 22, 2003
Distance = 40 mi
Goal = finish
Results = finished 7th with time of 8:49
General = The race was held in El Paso’s Franklin Mountain State Park. This is the largest urban park in the country with about 28,000 acres.
Thirty-two folks started the race which had three loops. Ten of us completed the full 40 mile distance. Ultra runner legend Eric Clifton finished 1st with time of 5:39 and Val Caldwell finishing 2nd at 6:39.
Right = I’ve been doing plenty of 20-30 mile runs over the past three months.
Wrong = Pretty nasty sunburn. Also, every plant in the park was covered with very sharp spines. Those evil plants liked to grab me as I went by.
Other Stuff = This race had a lot of rolling hills with one tough hill towards the end of the loop, but nothing that an Incliner couldn’t easily handle. The race would have been more fun if the hills were tougher. The race director is thinking about making it a 50 miler next year.
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Alex Eusebio reports:
Race = Mardi Gras Marathon
Location = New Orleans, LA
Date = 2/16/03
Distance = marathon (26.2 miles)
Goal = 3 hrs
Results = 2.58.41
Website = http://www.mardigrasmarathon.com
General = went out pretty slow, but made up for it in the second half. I guess all that altitude training does pay off after all. hmmm... let’s see ... i almost got run over by an elder lady (mile 18) that couldn’t see there was a race in progress (even with the road blocks). One of the highlights must have been a man dressed in a dress chasing me down to hand me some water. All-in-all, not a bad a race. Of course, we ended up partying for 4 days straight afterwards.
Right = paced was pretty solid.
Wrong = went out too slow. It took me a while to find my pace.
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Michael Robbert reports:
Race = Mardi Gras Marathon
Location = New Orleans, LA
Date = 2/16/2003
Distance = 26.2 Miles
Goal = 3:10
Results = 3:15
Website = http://www.mardigrasmarathon.com
General = Nice day for running, probably mid-40’s with a light mist about half way through.
Right =
1. Held back for the first few miles so I didn’t die early.
2. Tapered well, but not too much
3. Took fluid at every aid station (and finally learned to use the cups on the run.)
Wrong =
1. Didn’t get in long enough runs. I topped at 2:30 and think that I should have done at leasta couple of runs closer to 3 hours.
2. Didn’t coordinate my gels with water stops so I don’t think I got all the nutrients that I could have.
Other Stuff = Course was flat and fast just like advertised. There was one bridge that we crossed twice, but due to all my hill workouts it was a welcome change from the boring horizontal. The half marathon was run with the marathon which helped me find a good pace group, but then after the half I was stuck on my own for awhile. There were some boring stretches in the second half.
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NON R REPORTS: (Not a running race or Sat in state)
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Andy Kovats reports:
Race = American Birkebeiner Cross Country Ski Marathon
Location = NW Wisconsin (about 3hrs drive north of Minneapolis)
Date = Feb 22
Distance = 51km
Goal = top 400
Results = placed 513
The Birkebeiner (“Birkie”) is North America’s largest cross country ski event. Even with attendance down slightly this year there were nearly 6 thousand combined entrants in the two major races. The course runs from the small towns of Hayward to Cable in NW Wisconsin and though the hills might be considered small by Colorado standards, they are steep and there are lots of them! The only significant flat spot occurs while crossing a lake for about 2km near the finish. Most serious skiers use skating technique, and the race is usually won by a European World Cup XC competitor. This year Italian Gianantonio Zanetel took first place in 2:10:57 and the first American to cross the finish was 5th place Nathan Schultz from Boulder in 2:12:08 (Nathan placed 2nd in the Pike’s Peak Ascent this year). The first woman was Italy’s Lara Peyrol in 2:24:21. Yours truly finished in 2:57:41, not a great performance but hopefully enough to keep me qualified for the first of 11 or 12 waves for next year.
Things done right: long runs with the Club and easy skiing while pulling our infant in a sled gave me a pretty good aerobic base and dressed carefully to avoid issues from the cold (3 days prior to the race a -15F start was predicted, but we fortunately had a toasty +8 at race time).
Things done wrong: Didn’t sell out of stocks 3 years ago. Specific to this race I used skis too short and stiff for the soft snow conditions and foolishly tried to bring a water bottle along which was hopelessly frozen by 10Km. At one point while trying to get a drink from it I caught an edge and did a hard faceplant. For training I needed more (or just ‘some’) upper body work and hill training.
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Kelli Lusk reports:
Race = Beaver Creek Snowshoe Race/Regional Qualifier
Location = Avon, CO
Date = 02/22/03
Distance = 10k
Goal = Top-5 o/a woman
Results = 3rd 0/a woman
Website = http://www.bcsnowshoe.com
General = Good conditions, lots of snow, plenty of climbing. As usual, Beaver Creek promoted a well-organized and fun race. Solid competition. This race was one of the two Mountain Regional Snowshoe Qualifiers for the National Snowshoe Championships in Salt Lake City on March 29.
Right = Had plenty of rest the night before (despite the snowy, icy, and slow driving conditions on Friday night!). Kept a steady and strong pace throughout the race.
Wrong =
Other Stuff = Even though I was off the pace of the first two women, it was a solid snowshoe race for me.
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WWW POSTS:
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2/23/03 Another very cold day combined with some serious new snow held the group to 68 today. The workout board was mixed up pretty good when 3 streaks came to an end and there were no newbies in sight! The streets getting to the trail were icy and dangerous. From there it was just a matter of putting up with cold feet and progressively deeper snow. Fortunately even in the deep stuff some traction was to be had but the times were still seriously effected. In the end this was one of those runs you look back on during a bad patch of some other run or race to remind yourself that if you made it today you can make it any day. A big * to Howard Brooks for setting up an aid station for us at the Waldo parking lot. He stayed long enough that we could hit it on the way in and out. I am sure that saved a few on the trudgefest up Longs Ranch Road!
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Go out hard, when it hurts speed up...
Matt Carpenter
http://www.skyrunner.com
Incline Club
http://www.inclinclub.com
Barr Trail Mountain Race
http://www.runpikespeak.com
presented by Pikes Peak National Bank
Friends of the Peak
http://www.fotp.com
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