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Hi there ICers,
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2003 11:57 AM
Subject: Incline Club V7 TH #1 LR #21
It feels great to be back home! In fact, within 30 minutes of getting home I headed up the Barr Trail:-) Brazil was neat but in the whole week I saw only 2 runners. Thanks go to Gordon Barnett for taking a club roster to the Sunday run while I was gone.
The Thursday club runs have arrived! Tomorrow we start off the season with some 1 on, 1 off up the Barr Trail. The long runs have made us strong, now it is time to get fast!!! Those that have done this workout know that it can be deceptively hard:-)
Next, you will note that Sunday’s run has also been moved to the Barr Trail. Some might say “its about time.” True, as a club we have not been on the Barr Trail too much yet this season. This is simply because we could get a bad case of Barr Trail burnout if that is all we did for 9 months. However, with half the season done it is time to start hitting it and hitting it hard. While the Thursdays should not pose much of an issue keep an eye out for ice higher up on Sundays.
Another great batch of race reports to dive into – enjoy!
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NEXT RUNS:
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Thursday, April 10, 5:30pm — Memorial Park
Warm up to Hydro Street. Do 30 minutes of 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy up the Barr Trail. Adjust the easy minutes so that all 15 hard minutes are of good quality. Easy run back down the Barr Trail and then do 4 Hydro Street hill repeats. Cool down back to the park.
Note, until the construction is done near Soda Springs Park the Thursday runs will be meeting at Memorial Park just like the Sunday runs.
Sunday, April 13, 8:00am — Memorial Park
Run to Barr Camp and back via the Barr Trail. Enough said.
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ICers WRITE:
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Tao Jones writes:
Greetings fellow ICers,
Here’s a sweet little punch in the nose. Just did the
BankAmerica Tower Stair Climb (tallest building on the
west coast, 72 floors, first Sunday in March) for the
Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Best times are in the 8
min. range. This is real high tech with the chip
around the ankle for precise times and runners going
every 10 seconds so not much trouble passing. The
views of the Cascades, Olympics, Downtown Seattle and
Puget Sound are spectacular once you reach the
observation lounge. It’s a nice warm-up for Mount Si,
just 35 minutes to the east, 8 miles round trip with a
fairly consistent 18.5% trail grade. Lots of fun if
you can stand the thick moist air.
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Kate Scanlon writes:
I am a former IC runner now living in Leadville and working for the High Mountain Institute, a non-profit educational institution. We have two trail running events this summer that I’d love to make the Club aware of. Can you add this to your newsletter?:
-High Mountain Running Camp: This is a week-long trail running training camp for high school athletes at HMI. Amanda McIntosh, two-time Leadville Trail 100 winner and a high school cross country coach, will be the Head Coach for the program. The focus of the program will be on endurance training and education on such topics as nutrition, strengthening and stretching. The dates are July 13-20, and the cost is $650, which includes room and board.
-4th High Mountain 25 km & 50 km Trail Run: This race is a fund raiser for HMI and includes a mostly trail course around Turquoise Lake. This year, the race is also the Colorado USATF 25 km and 50 km Trail Championships. Prizes will be offered to the top three Open and Masters male and female finishers. The date is July 19 and the cost is $35 for the 25 km, $45 for the 50 km.
For more information on either of these events, folks can call me at 719-486-8200, x107, email me at (e-mail address removed for www posting) or visit our Web site at www.hminet.org.
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R REPORTS:
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Derek Griffiths reports:
Race = Platte River Trail 1/2 Marathon
Location = Denver, CO
Date = 4/6/2003
Distance = 1/2 Marathon
Goal = Marathon Pace
Results = 5th overall in 79:24
General = Ran a 5k race in 16:50 on Saturday to make this workout a little harder. The plan was to run marathon pace (6:00/mile) the whole way. Finished in 79:24 (6:03/mile). There was a head wind coming back (out and back course), so this slowed me down on the way back.
Right = Finished in marathon pace was the only thing I did right during the race.
Wrong = Got competitive in the beginning and went out too hard. Ran the first 4 miles in 5:45 and then decided to back it off the marathon pace. Ran the next 2 in 5:59. Hit the turn around and then hit the wind. Going out as hard as I did made it difficult to hold 6:00 on the way back and I ended up run 6:10-6:15 on the way back because of it. Also didn’t take my glove off at one of the water stops and got it wet, this made my hand go numb at 11 miles.
Other Stuff = The course was pretty boring. Started at Ruby Hill Park in Denver and ran a 1/2 mile to the Platte River Bike Path. Ran south on the bike path and turned around and came back. It was bloody cold (28 degrees). There were about 300 people in it, so it was a good turnout on this cold day. All in all it was a good workout.
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Kelli Lusk reports:
Race = US Women’s National Marathon Championship
Location = St Louis, MO
Date = 04/05/03
Distance = 26.2 miles
Goal = sub-2:48/qualify for ‘04 Olympic Marathon Trials
Results = DNF
Website = http://www.stlouismarathon.com
General = This race was run by itself, the day before the regular St Louis Marathon. There were around 50+ women who started the race (we all had to meet qualifying standards based on the past two year’s results). I believe 30 women finished the race. There were 12 women who qualified for the ‘04 Olympic Marathon Trials.
Right = My training this winter was solid and I felt strong in the weeks leading up to the marathon. I had just raced the US Snowshoe Natz the weekend before and felt confident. I tapered for the race, ate well, and tried to get as much rest as possible.
Wrong = Got sick!! I arrived in St Louis on Thursday afternoon, went for a short run, then settled into my room. The air was thick with humidity and it was around 80 degrees. I felt decent, but when I woke up Friday morning with a sore throat, headache, aches, and chills, I knew something wasn’t right. I thought maybe it was just the allergens and air pressure (there were predictions of heavy thunderstorms), but that wasn’t the case when I felt progressively worse on Friday and woke up race day feeling pretty much the same as the day before. I warmed up and felt okay, so I was confident I would be able to run my goal time. I started out the first 10k around 6:25/mile pace and felt comfortable, but then just started feeling really bad. I decided around the 15k mark to go to mile 18 then drop, but as the halfway point approached, I decided to drop then. It was a smart move because I took Sunday off and have still been feeling rundown, but I’m coming around. It’s just such a bummer! This is o nly the 2nd road marathon I’ve ever DNFed out of 15 marathons...(the other one was the ‘00 Olympic Marathon Trials and I was injured).
Other Stuff = Criterium course (6.88 mile loop). Much to my surprise, I actually like the crit-style course. It made the race go fast and it made for consistency. The gently rolling course was run entirely in Forest Park, an urban park that is bigger than NYC’s Central Park. The aid stations were well-spaced, but I would’ve preferred cups instead of 24 oz water bottles. The temp at race start was 35 degrees, with strong winds and overcast skies (it made it pretty chilly!).
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Anita Bower reports:
Race = A-Z 20 mile run
Location = Bishop, CA
Date = March 29, 2003
Distance = 20 miles
Goal = finish injury free under 4 hours
Results = First place female overall
Website = http://sierraevents.com
General = This run was called the A-Z run because it ran from the Aqueduct to a place called Zurich. I used it as a final training run for the Umstead 100 the next week. The course was relatively flat, although the road was rough and uneven at times. A lot of the Badwater 135 crowd was there, so there were a lot of familiar faces.
Right = Ran slow and steady. Ran the last 10 miles 14 minutes faster than my first. I hydrated well, fueled, and came in strong.
Wrong = Didn’t go out hard enough. I could have done this course a lot faster, but didn’t really push until I found out I was in the lead.
Other Stuff = I made a wrong turn which added five minutes to my time.
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Kelli Lusk reports:
Race = US National Snowshoe Championship
Location = Salt Lake City, UT
Date = 03/29/03
Distance = 10k
Goal = Top-5 o/a woman
Results = 1st/National Champion
Website = http://www.snowshoeracing.com
General = This was the 3rd National Snowshoe Championships and I believe only the 2nd year racers have had to qualify through a regional championship. It’s kinda cool to see the sport grow, as the number of participants more than doubled from last year to this year.
Right = Rested prior to race day (well, this race just happened to be one week before my spring marathon, so the timing was good!). All the running in deep snow this winter made me stronger than in past seasons. Also, I kept a steady and consistent effort during the whole race. I didn’t go out too fast and by the 2nd 5k loop, I was warmed up and feeling better as the race progressed.
Wrong = Not a whole lot of complaints here...maybe could have used more sleep the week and night before the race.
Other Stuff = The course was pretty fair, even though some people complained that it was at altitude. It was actually a very fair test, because the climbs were not that steep (like the typical Colorado courses). The long and fast descents gave an advantage with people with leg speed, so this favored the runners. The day was sunny, with mild temps. The race management could’ve done a better job with on-site race registration, awards, and local pre-race publicity.
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Laura Kelecy reports:
Race = Run to the Sun
Location = Maui, Hawaii
Date = 3/23/03
Distance = 36.2 miles
Goal = Finish my first ultra
Results = 7 hrs 4 mins 54 secs; 1st woman overall
General = Don’t you hate those web sites where they make it sound like a challenge you just can’t pass up?!? I’ll give Craig Hess the blame/credit for this one. He could have let Tom remain blissfully ignorant of the fact that this race was going to be held during our vacation and, gee, we just happened to be on Maui, right in the neighborhood at race time! But NNNOOOOO! He had to send Tom the web site and Tom had to pass it on to me and I had to open it up and read it. That was all it took. An ultra had been on my list of new things that I want to try, so why not do it up right with an all uphill run in Hawaii! It was a tough one, but very well supported and again, that aloha spirit prevailed!
Right = Training on our hills and at our altitude was a definite advantage! Especially the long run/grocery shopping/shoveling snow training day. That put us right where we needed to be! I got some new Reebok running shoes from CRC (thanks John & company) that worked really well. Tried to eat and drink as much as possible at all the aid stations. Wore a hat and had the right things in my drop bag at the 2 drop bag locations. I told Tom I didn’t think it was a good idea for him to wear his Speedo and rubber duckie life preserver, and the arm floaties were definitely out! I wasn’t sure about the mask, snorkel and fins-I let him make his own decision on that one. We had a lot of good relaxing time, just hiking and swimming with the fishes. Ate a lot of good food and made our vacation a priority.
Wrong = We probably didn’t do long enough runs and we didn’t run on pavement at all. That took a toll on my legs quickly.
Other Stuff = The course started (at 4:30 a.m.) at sea level and ended at 10,023’ on the top of Haleakala. We ran the first 18 or so miles on flat and rolling hills (miles 12-15 were STEEP hills) through some nice residential areas (that we could actually see when it got light). The roads were not closed to traffic so we had to stay to the left at all times. Tom was kind enough to keep me company through the flats and until it got light. He set a brisk pace at the beginning and I wanted to try to stay with him. He pulled ahead, but I tried to keep him in sight as much as I could because I didn’t want him to have to wait for me too long at the top. I sort of took my cues from him (for pacing and eating/drinking) because I’d never run this far before and didn’t know quite what to expect. It was fun watching him pick off other runners. We talked with some as we met them on the course and the ones from sea level were having a hard time breathing as we got up in altitude. Other runners’ fa mily and friends would drive by at regular intervals and cheer us on. The aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade, Coke, then later with HammerGel, cookies, pretzels, and lots of very kind people! There was a 3-person team competition too so the aid station workers would ask if we were on a team or doing it “solo.” As the race went higher, the scenery became part of it. We could see ocean, fields, other islands, and the barrenness of the volcano we were on. Bike tours are a popular activity. People coast down the mountain on bikes. Some of them cheered us on too and seemed to be having a good time. With about 8 miles to go, my quads and hip flexors got so tight from the constant uphill that I had this shuffle thing going on. It was difficult to lift my feet. But with this shuffle, I stayed close enough to Tom that he took pity on me (and since he is the caring, wonderful husband that he is) and kept me company until the finish. We alternately walked and jogged the last 5 miles and crosse d the finish line holding hands. It was windy up at the top, but they wrapped us in blankets and gave us hot soup. Tom finished 3rd in his age group. To show you tough that age group was, we were 9th and 10th overall. All the awards were hand made. Tom got a pottery medal hung on a cord made from Hawaiian cloth. I got a beautiful pottery bowl with a girl running up a mountain on it. The woman who made it actually gave it to me. We hitched a ride to the picnic where we got a massage, had a shower (outdoors!), pizza, pop, and Oreos! Then we hitched another ride back to get our car. I think one of the funniest things was talking with all the wonderful people we met there. It was hard to leave, but we had to fly out that night. We slept pretty contentedly on the plane!
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Laura Kelecy reports:
Race = Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Location = Kauai, Hawaii
Date = 3/16/2003
Distance = Half Marathon
Goal = Run for Fun!
Results = 1:38 2nd woman overall
Website = http://kauaimarathon.com
General = First annual Kauai Marathon and Half for the Garden Island Road Runners. There was not much information on their website so we didn’t know what to expect, but, hey, we were on vacation, so we didn’t care. We just wanted a cool shirt.
Right = Choosing to do the half marathon rather than the marathon. Our altitude training/building base mileage paid off. Relaxed, enjoyed the scenery.
Wrong = No speed training this early in the year.
Other Stuff = This event turned out to be well organized despite the lack of information prior to it. The course was on a (red) dirt road through a coffee plantation. The coffee flowers smelled sweet. Lots of hills. Start time was 6:30 a.m. and the sun came out so I figured it was going to get really warm, but it went under the clouds so stayed cool for us 1/2 marathoners. The course was an out and back for the half, then out and back again for the marathon. We had a great time talking with people after the race, soaking up that aloha spirit. The awards were plaques for overall and wooden pineapples for age group awards. I think the age groups were something like women under 45 and over 45 and men under 40 and over 40. That was a little different. Our socks and shoes are STILL a beautiful red color!
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Steve Mischel reports:
Race = Gym at the Pavilion 10K
Location = Bainbridge, WA
Date = 3/16/03
Distance = 10K
Goal =
Results = 56:35
General = This qualifies as a Non-"R” report because the race scheduled for Sunday was cancelled two days earlier. I was surprised at the cancellation because A) I did not get the word about the cancellation prior to waking at 4:00AM to catch the first ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Isl. and B) more importantly, the reason the race was called off was because of the wet weather. To put into perspective, the year I moved away from Seattle (1999) it rained 90 consecutive days during the winter months. Therefore, rain is truly not a big issue in that region as far as trail running goes, but apparently the race director thought so. At least I got a t-shirt for my troubles and I did meet an older gentleman who ran 2 minutes shy of the coarse record for his age group during the 2001 PPA; he was 70 years old and his 9 year-old daughter was with him too!!! I mentioned that I run with the Incline Club, he was very impressed with that knowledge and it reminded me of how lucky I am to be able run with such a prest igious group of people. He and about four others didn’t get the word about the cancellation either and showed up to compete.
Anyway, we decided to run the coarse since my friend and I made the trip. The race coordinator, who was a very nice guy, gave us a general description of the coarse and a sketchy map to help us along the way. I think the map made things more complicated since it seemed to conflict with trail maps embedded on wood posts that the park had installed at various intersections. We were pretty much confused within 5 minutes of the start and had to back track almost to where we began to get a sense of where the coarse would have existed, had the race occurred. To make a long story short, my friend and I got totally off-coarse and found ourselves on private property. We turned a 10K run into about an 8K because we bailed early and eventually find our way back to our car to call it a day.
It was unfortunate the race was not run because the conditions were as perfect as they possibly could be, cool temps, an occasional rain drop, and great trails through tall fir trees. Maybe next year.
Right = I ran regardless.
Wrong = Didn’t check the event web site prior to race day.
Other Stuff =
(Matt C adds: Steve, we will let the cancellation slide for your R. Um, just so others don’t get any ideas about making up their own races please note that he showed up for a cancelled out of state race as did the others.)
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WWW POSTS:
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4/6/03 65 came out to play in some new snow today. It warmed up fast however and by the time we were done a lot of it was already melted. More than a few were feeling a little tired because of the loss of one hour of sleep due to the switch to daylight savings time. This is good news however because it means that Thursday club runs start this week!
3/30/03 Gordon Barnet reports for the 68 who made today’s run; Last run on standard time — next week daylight savings! Beautiful conditions, clear blue skies, temperature in the 30’s at 8:00. But it soon warmed up, and the layers began to peel. Anthony of course was shirtless and in shorts. A little bit of ice and snow on the descending portion of Section 16 — but nothing like the conditions 3 weeks earlier. An awesome run!
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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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