Milwaukee Marathon 2007 - Race Adventure (Report)

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon
October 7, 2007
3rd Overall
3:19:30

Its been a long road to my marathon this year but I was here and lined up for my Boston attempt. I had several concerns weighing me down as I had not really been able to train much over the last 8 weeks due to a knee injury followed by ankle tendonitis. My weekly mileage was minimal and the number of 20 milers completed was a grand total of 1. I had e-mailed the race director to let her know I wasn't coming and I let it go...or so I thought. The ankle was getting better slowly and I thought if my ankle was in good enough condition come race day I should just go get the job done on what I had. It wasn't going to be pretty but it was not unreasonable considering the shape I was in before the injuries and the strength I knew I still had. I felt confident that all would be well and I did what I could running wise, took care of my ankle the best I could, got my sleep, and ate well. I never even thought that race day would bring temps in the high 80's low 90's. My confidence started to drop. I SUCK in hot weather. The last time I ran in a marathon that had a starting temp over 70 degrees was a disasterous and tearful DNF in a very high profile women's national race (Grandma's Marathon 1994). To add to my concern was that my 9 year old daughter had asked to come and help and I had said yes so I definitely didn't want Kyla's first close up view of a marathon to be of her mom crashing. I had to get my act together and keep it together, it was important.

Okay so here we go.....ankle wrapped, very little training, hotter than hell, loved ones in the front row seats.
Oh boy...

crew member - Kyla

The Start

The early miles were pleasant. It was already 71 degrees but there was plenty of shade and a nice breeze. My plan was to stick between 7:30 and 8:00min/mile so of course my first two mile splits are 6:58 & 6:59. Of course. I swear there were a lot of downhills! Really! I pull back letting go of a nice pack of runners I thought would be fun to run with.

Over the next 2 miles there is small chatter with different groups of runners as we all check out what goals are and see if there are people to click in with for the long haul. I find myself with a guy who seems to be comfortably in the same area with me and we slowly gravitate to each other and start matching pace. Mile 3 - 7:21 was much better but Mile 4 - 7:16 comes too fast again. Again we had some nice downs but also there were a lot of women passing me and I was working hard not to go with them. Mile 3 saw the pack in general surge up and mile 4 had 4 women passing me all at once. Resist, resist.

Course starts to roll and after the 5 mile split of 7:11, Tom and I finally settle into the pace we need to be running which is in the 7:35 - 7:25 range. I see Andy and Kyla around this point and all is well, I'm comfortable and I take my first GU and drink some. It is getting warm and we lose some of the shade we had been enjoying. I keep my head wet with each aid station and I drink freely from the bottles of gatorade on my fuel belt.

Tom to my left. I'm reaching for my gatorade

Miles 6 - 10

Miles 6 - 10 are beautifully steady even with a lot of annoying inclines. It's Tom and I with a group of about 3 other men including one guy who keeps sprinting forward, then walking, then sprinting forward again. Idiot. It's getting really hot but we are gifted here and there with shade, residents with water hoses, and at mile 7 we get a half mile of "cold" Lake Michigan air. That was heaven but it was short lived. Somewhere in this stretch we come upon Bonnie Blair Olympic speed skating champion. What?? Okay let me explain. There are relays in this marathon and there was a relay made entirely of Olympians (including Bill Rodgers) running to raise money for Jenny Crain's medical expenses (a local elite athlete suffering brain injuries after being hit by a car). I have posts on her if you care to look. We make a big deal about meeting Bonnie and she apologizes for being a terrible runner and we all laugh and tell her how sorry we were for her, gold medals and all. We leave her and continue on. Splits: 6 - 7:34, 7 - 7:34, 8 - 7:23, 9 - 7:25, 10 - 7:35 for a 10 mile total time of 1:13:19.

Miles 11 - 15

Okay so far things are good but I'm am working just a little bit harder than I had hoped at this point so I tell Tom that my plan is to not give any of the inclines much energy and take what I could from the downhills and he says that fine and stays with me. So after the 11 mile split of 7:25 we don't see anything under 7:30 for the rest of the race but that was no issue and really was just a small shift needed to deal with the heat and rolling hills. As we approach the half way point I start seeing the women come back to me and I'm starting to see a lot of walking. According to Andy it was really hot at the half way point. I was still in control and not letting the heat get to me mentally. He notices the women coming back to me and some dropping out. Later he tells me it was like they all died exactly at the same time. I was in 7th place at the half and then just a few miles later I was in 4th. Splits 11 - 7:25, 12 - 7:33, 13 - 7:36, 14 - 7:33, 15 - 7:35. Half way point was 1:36:48.

Miles 16 - 20

Okay now we enter what I affectionately call the "BLACK HOLE" of most of my marathons. Typically after 14 miles I start to lose focus, I start to feel overwhelmed by the distance that is left and I slow down tremendously till about 19 miles. A lot of time is lost in here and I usually don't remember much other than being pissed. Well not this time!! I think a lot of this had to do with how well Tom and I were working together and the care we took with most of our previous miles. Tom and I take turns being in control of the pace without saying anything, it just seems that when he is feeling crappy I'm feeling strong and when I'm feeling crappy he is feeling strong. Works well. The carnage around us is growing as there seems to be more people walking than running, a lot of drop outs, but the residents are out in full force with water hoses and positive energy, not something you normally get with this marathon. We pass one of the women on the side of the road crying and she appears to be bleeding. She isn't alone and she is being taken care of so we move on. I'm in 3rd now but I'm feeling a little somber as I realize how difficult this race is and I worry about my friends out on the Chicago course. There are some significant inclines in this section of the race and after 18 miles I have lost Tom after going through a water stop. Having all my gatorade with me allowed me to sail efficiently through the water stops taking only what I needed to douse my head and take a small sip, the rest came from the bottles I had on me. Thank God I had decided to wear my fuel belt, something I NEVER do when I race. We see Andy and Kyla multiple times during this section and everytime I see them I get a great lift. I toss them some of my empty bottles. Splits 16 - 7:33, 17 - 7:36, 18 - 7:39, 19 - 7:33, 20 - 7:35 for a total 20 mile time of 2:29:03.

The Last 10k

10K to go! I'm very hot now and tired and alone. All I can think about is the famous drop at 23 miles and hopefully the cool lake air as somewhere past there we have the lake to our left with nothing inbetween but open park area. I'm struggling with the inclines but mentally I'm still okay as I know that my Boston Qualifier is no where close to being in danger. I've shift to mile splits over 8 minutes but I'm okay with that, I can go way over 9 minute miles if I have to, but of course I don't want to. The course starts turning a lot as we go through some neighborhoods that remind me of the rich north shore. I turn a corner to see the 23 mile mark and then it hits me. My head starts spinning, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Its over, I'm done I pass the 23 mile mark and I collapse on the grass right next to the owner of the lawn sitting in his lawn chair. In retrospect it was kind of funny. I wait for the wave of failure to wash over me and then I say to myself "Damn you, you have 50 minutes to get 3.2 miles completed. Sh*t I could probably walk that, it would be embarrassing but it would be a Boston Qualifier. I also thought about Kyla and Andy and just at the moment I hear a voice saying "Let me help you up, you can finish this, you gotta get up" A fellow runner had stopped, stopped for me, someone he didn't even know, and he wasn't in any great shape either and he got me going again. I wish I knew who he was but wherever you are THANK YOU. I did a few yards of power walking then I started jogging. The woman at the corner was just cheering her head off at me as she saw the whole episode and she yelled out to me that there was a special treat for me when I turned the corner.....and there it was THE GREAT DOWNHILL DROP and the LAKE. The temp felt like it dropped a whole 10 degrees (I'm sure it didn't but it felt like it) and I was back! A little while later I pass the runner who had helped me and he was walking. I put my hand on his arm as I passed and gave him what encouragement I could. Quads are starting to cramp but I know I'm almost home. Now its just one mile after another as I hear the announcer in the distance and the rest takes care of itself. Splits 21 - 8:01, 22 - 8:00, 23 - 8:11, 24 - 8:26, 25 -7:59, 26 - 8:11, last .2 - 1:36. Finish time 3:19:30.

The Aftermath

After I crossed the line my quads staged a mutiny and cramped up and I was stumbling through the finish area. The volunteers at the finish area, bless every one of them, were working hard holding everyone up and bringing them safely into the arms of their families. I was escorted to Andy and Kyla and I was so happy. I asked Andy to take me to the medical tent because I was getting dizzy and my quads were still being a problem. I spent about 15 minutes in the medical tent and I was released after drinking 2 cups of gatorade and once my blood pressure stablized. Throughout the race I had consumed over 35oz of gatorade plus the water I took at aid stations.

After all these weeks my ankle decides to be silent, whaddya know!

News From Home

After showering and returning to the finish area for the awards ceremony, which we knew we missed but just in case they were running late, we spoke with the race director and got news of the war zone the Chicago Marathon was turning into. Kris told us that they were telling everyone who had not reached the 16 mile mark by 3:30 to stop running because the race was being cancelled. Immediately I was concerned for all the friends I had running in Chicago but I knew I probably wouldn't know anything for a while. As we left Milwaukee I took out a piece of paper and started figuring out what pace you had to be on to make that cut off. It was pretty funny with me converting time to minutes, dividing things out through long division and talking to myself the whole time about where I thought each of my friends could have been at that time. I felt pretty confident that everyone I knew should have made the cutoff as long as they weren't already in trouble with the heat. Knowing the course I was pretty sure that Chicago's course wasn't giving the runners the breaks we got in Milwaukee. I was worried but all I could do was wait.

Andy, Kyla and I of course stopped for lunch at the Brat Stop on highway50 and I94 on the way home. Eating lunch here after the Lakefront marathon is a tradition from back in my olympic trials training years. For every member of our training group that ran the marathon we would all celebrate a race well done here. It is here that the team helped Ann and I celebrate qualifying for the olympic trials. We popped champagne and made a lot of noise. The following year we all celebrated Jane's qualifying run. I was tired but I ate my traditional brat with gusto.

I did get a call eventually from Kelly reporting in that she finished but that it was absolute hell. I spoke with Brian as well. It was almost 5:30 pm at this point and my family and I were just arriving home in Naperville. That was one long day for my Chicago friends.

Well I'm going to wrap up here. Congrats to all who ran the Chicago marathon, whether they finished or not. It was not a kind day and there were many personal struggles.

Goodbye October 7, 2007!

Race Report - Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon - August 12, 2007

11th Overall
3rd 40 - 44 AG

*all pictures in this posting taken by Brian Gaines

I'm very late posting my race report due to the fact that I left on vacation the same day of the race and when I came back I had a really tight deadline on a work assignment. So here it is for what it's worth.

I considered this race to be an "A" race as I was going to use the results as a way to determine what my marathon goal pace would be in October. I didn't run very well here last year as I took it out quite aggressively and died big time in the last 5K, going from being in the top 10 overall to finishing 23rd. I still cringe when I remember that race. But anyway that was then and this is now and I was determined to make it a smart and strong race. I arranged to stay at the Congress hotel the night before the race, arranged for the kids to be with the grandparents, and brought my number one support guy along (that would be the husband, poor guy rarely gets any mention). It wasn't the best week leading up to the race training wise and there was a lot of work and vacation planning distraction but I felt like I would be focused when the gun went off.

I woke up at 3am on the morning of the race to the sound of thunder. There was a regular light show going on outside with plenty of rain. I lay there trying to get back to sleep but I couldn't and I got up around 4:00 and I ate my breakfast. I had told fellow chiadeads Kelly, Paul, and Brian that they could drop by my room before the race if they wished to drop stuff off and after the race they could use the shower. I was pretty sure Paul was coming and I waited for his call and I monitored the weather from my window.

The weather cleared up, Paul showed up, and Andy, Paul and I left for the starting line about 5:40ish. It was humid but not the beastly heat that had been the norm all week so I was grateful for that. We got to the starting line and I left to do my warmup and strides, Paul went to go find Kelly and Andy waited near the starting line. I felt okay during warm up but I still felt really distracted and I worried about how warm it might get. I got more positive as the warm up progressed and I headed for the starting line. I had decided to stick with the 1:25 pace group and I hope to be able to make a move ahead of this group at the 10 mile mark if I could so that I could make an attempt at sliding in under 1:25. I met Bob the pace group leader and he was upbeat and ready to go. I met a few others that would be joining the pace group and I felt that this could actually be fun. The gun went off and I became part of the blob known as Bob's group or the 1:25 group. I heard Andy's voice cheering me on but I did not see him.

Bob's group....The guy holding the yellow flag is Bob and I'm on his right side hidden from the camera.


The early part of the race was smooth as the pace was comfortable and easy to match. As a group we actually had to hold back as a few of our splits were a little fast. First few splits 6:34, 6:28, 6:25, 6:20, 6:25, 6:32, 6:29, 6:36. I heard Andy several times during this section and a few other people calling my name and I motored on. It was about 8 miles that I started to feel that things were getting a little harder. It was getting warmer and I regretted not taking any GU with me. I had planned on it but I left the hotel room without it and I didn't return to get it when I realized I didn't have it. I put that out of my mind and focused on trying to keep with Bob's group. The group seemed to keep humming along while each incline caused me to slip a bit from the group until I would catch up again on a flat or decline. The 10 mile mark was a really good 1:04:50 for me but I had serious doubts on being able to stay with the group much longer. I lost Bob's group about half a mile after that slipping to more like 6:35's. I was with another cluster of runners at this point and they helped keep me going at this pace up to 12 miles. My 13th mile at 6:56 was definitely a low point but I didn't lose faith as I knew I was still running better than last year and hell I was flipping almost done! The multiple tight turns in the last mile of the race didn't do much to help with a struggling pace but I would say it was really more the humidity and heat that I was kind of fed up with that contributed to that mile. It was in this section that I heard Andy and Brian cheering me on and Brian took some really great pictures of me. Thanks Brian! I made the last turn for the finish, turned on the sprint and finished in 1:25:41. I talked with Bob in the finish area and I spoke with several men from the pace group. I promised to stick with them to the end next year and I thanked Bob for his work.

Overall I was happy with my time as I beat last year's time and it wasn't the march into hell it was last year. It seems as if the 10 mile mark is kind of a threshold for me as I had a drop off after 10miles in my half marathon in March, of course the drop off in this race wasn't as bad and the whole race was at a much faster pace. Somehow though I just know I should have been under 1:25.


Andy and I returned to the hotel (slowly, I was tired) and I showered. Paul, Kelly, and Brian showed up after their races, changed and we all went to get a bite to eat. It is always fun getting together with friends after a race to share our experiences and I got a look at Brian's pictures of the race on his digital camera.

Now my vacation started and it was off to the Wisconsin Dells for a week of family bonding, very little running, and a lot of time playing in water and going down the slides. It was a blast and much needed vacation.

Congrats to all who ran the race!

Race Report - Xtreme 10 Miler @ Waterfall Glen - July 21 2007

Xtreme 10 Miler, July 21 2007, 8am
5th Overall
2nd 40 - 45 AG

Xtreme 10 miler is a great race run through Waterfall Glen in Darien, IL. Many of us like to train there because its really a great preserve with a great crushed limestone path and plenty of hills to give a long run something a little extra! This year was the 4th running of this race and gaining in popularity as it is now a CARA circuit race.


For some reason I just didn't feel very enthused about the race this year. I don't feel like I did very well last year when I came here tapered and rested and spent the last half of the race running "backwards" as I was constantly passed - somehow that bad feeling still hung on me. I also came to the race this year planning on this race being more of a "B" race as I wanted to train through this a little because the Chicago Distance Classic Half coming up in August is of more importance to me. This was a scheduled race on my Dick Pond racing team circuit so I was committed to run.

Temps were perfect for today's race and my general plan would be to go out very conservatively and get through the early hills (including "Big Bertha" starting somewhere after the 2 mile marker and ending after the 3 mile marker), then see what I could lay down in the second half of the race. Nell Shields, Christen Meyer, Jenni Goebel, Gert August, and Rachele Hegele from my team plus Suzanne Ryan currently taking no prisoners in any race she has entered this year were present and ready to race.

My friend Jenny Garrison showed up to warm up with me, I did my drills and strides and joined my teammates to the cross country style start at far end of a big field. We talked among ourselves as to what we were going to try for, we wished each other well and we lined up. The gun goes off for this elite wave (3 waves altogether, elite, open men, open women). I went out really easy as the footing is pretty bad and within less than 2 minutes the race narrows onto a small dirt trail and passing is absolutely impossible. That lasted maybe 40 seconds or so and then we are on the main trail and I was able to get settled.

First mile 6:31. That's great I thought since I was really running comfortably and mile two was 6:28. I can see about 3 women ahead of me but I resist the urge to speed up and pass since I know "Big Bertha" is coming up and I had a feeling they were going to come back to me anyway. Insert evil chuckle here. ;-)

Big Bertha comes up, I keep my steps quick and efficient and I don't worry about speed here. There a few level offs during Big Bertha's ascent and I put in little pushes here and I've got my 3 women passed by the end. I thought I would have held out until after Big Bertha but they came back sooner than I had thought and I just went with it. Miles 3 - 6:49, 4 - 6:51, 5 - 6:50. Big Bertha may be big but its really only the start of a series of hills over the rest of the course that definitely brings up the mile splits.

After mile 5 during one of the sharper turns I catch a glimpse of the woman behind me and its Gert one my teammates and also a masters runner. Okay its time to start moving I think to myself, if she hangs with me fine, she's a teammate, but she's going to have to come with me cause I'm not playing anymore. Do I really say these things to myself when I race?....Yup, I'm a dork. The next splits are 6 - 6:43, 7 - 6:36, 8 - 6:39, 9 - 6:37. All hilly but I'm no longer easing up the hills as I concentrate on pulling in as many people as I can. I'm starting to feel significant tightness in my right achilles, in both calves, and I'm fighting off a side stitch (ugh!). I keep the side stitch under control (but it never goes away) and I keep plugging away.

Okay its mile 10. I try to drop the hammer as I only have half a mile before we leave the main trail, run the narrow dirt trail, and re-enter the field and going back to dealing with tall grass and bad footing for about half a mile. I enter the field and surprise of all surprises I hear Andy's voice and my children yelling "Go Mommy!" I had left them all sleeping in their beds this morning!! Even though I'm struggling to keep my pace going though the rough field I do my best to look good for the kids and I give them a quick smile. Mile 10 - 6:47. I finish 2nd Masters runner and 5th overall in 1:06:54. Christen Meyer grabs 1st and Gert grabs 3rd in our age group. Christen ran fast enough to finish in the top 3 overall, very impressive. Suzanne Ryan wins the race easily. My little girl Kyla is the first to give me a hug and offer me a bottle of water. "Mommy you have to drink," she insists. :-) Andy and Erik come next and I'm so happy to see my family.

Initially I was pretty disapointed with my time. Its about what I ran last year and I had thought I could do better even with a more relaxed strategy this year. After another look it turned out to be a nice solid tempo race with the hills I really needed for my training on a beautiful day in a beautiful place with lots of company! :-) I didn't have a super high mileage week but I had put in a really hard tuesday night workout and a solid week and wasn't as rested as I was last year when I really put out all I could...so no grumpy face allowed for this race. Will just have to come back next year?? :-)

Splits: 1 - 6:31, 2 - 6:28, 3 - 6:49, 4 - 6:51, 5 - 6:50, 6 - 6:43, 7 - 6:36, 8 - 6:39, 9 - 6:37, 10 - 6:47.

Next race Chicago Distance Classic, August 12th

Peace everyone,

Runner Girl

Race Report - Bastille Day 5k July 12, 2007

Bastille Day 5k
Thursday July 12, 2007
7:30PM
1st Overall Female
Corporate Team 6th out of 48 teams.

Hi Everyone! Well another race, another race report. This one is for the Bastille Day 5k which I ran with my co-workers from NFA. This included fellow ChiaDeads Kelly, Brian, and Paul. This was to be my first race as a masters runner as I turned 40 on June 9th.

Its been a number of months since I've done a 5K and things have really changed since then. I've been training more consistently and with a new positive attitude and I just had this feeling that perhaps I was due for a breakout race soon... I really wanted to do well so I really cut back this week and focused on getting my sleep. I was excited also to be running with a lot of my co-workers and even my husband would be running instead of at home watching the kids. The run I did Wednesday evening was effortless and the strides I did afterwards felt "race ready". I was excited but I didn't want to say too much to anyone...."don't advertise just deliver" an old coach of mine used to say. I did look at last year's results and I'd thought that a top 3 - 5 finish would probably be most realistic but I knew that I was going to fight for something even better.

Well I woke up at 4am to take the car into work so that we (hubby and I) could easily get home after the race. I left the house at 5am, got cash, got gas and was in a parking lot at Monroe and Des Plaines by 5:45am and at my desk at 6am. Then started the long day of trying not to think about the race and do my work. It was so hard. I would be typing and then I would think about hitting my splits and my heart would start racing and I couldn't remember what I was supposed to be doing. Finally the end of the work day came and I got dressed and Andy, fellow ChiaDead Paul, and I started the walk to the car to drop off our stuff and then continue on to the race area. I felt better to be moving and although it was a tad warmer than I thought it would be, it wasn't the oppressive heat of earlier in the week, thank God for that!! We got to the race area and soon after the rest of the crew showed up. Fellow ChiaDeads Kelly and Brian ("Bootsie") were there. Due to Brian's stress fracture he planned on walking the course with his big boot on. Also in our group were many of our co-workers.

I started an easy warm up around 6:40pm since I just couldn't stand around anymore. I did my drills around 7pm and then I headed for the start to jog and get ready to do some strides. I was feeling really focused and just wanted this race to start. I was hanging around the start and I bumped into Dave Schaefers. Brother of Ann Schaefers-Coles one of my training partners when I was training for the '96 Olympic trials. I first met him after the trials and he worked out with our club for a few years until I went off to have kids. He was too late to sign up so he offered to pace me and I was totally for that. Oooo I thought I'm really gonna run fast now knowing he would help me to keep myself together mentally through the whole race. I knew I could take some chances with an aggressive pace now. I thought perhaps there were 2 -3 women warming up that looked like they would be my primary challenge. Dave and I talked about what I wanted my opening mile to be, we did our strides and lined up.

Gun goes off. I pick a pace thats not crazy but is definitely on the aggressive side. Mile 5:48, fast but I feel good. I'm breathing hard but the legs are going strong so I just keep at it. Dave is around giving positive comments almost continually. His voice kept my concentration on nothing but the race. We approach the 2 mile and it beyond fast, like world record fast, damn the 2 mile was short, I didn't bother to take a split it wouldn't have meant anything. At this point Dave informs me that there isn't a woman in sight behind me. I decided that I had the luxury to gamble a little so I dig even harder for mile 3 clock. The 3 mile clock gives up a total time of 16:18, again not anything realistic but I just feel it, I know we are cooking so I just keep it going. In this race the finish line is hidden behind a turn (I hate finish lines like that as the sight of that finish line works so well for me when I'm driving for home) so I do what I can to really dig down deep with no finish line in sight. We round the corner and I finish first woman overall with a 16:55.

Dave and I recover and give each other a look concerning the finish time. Short we both say but I'm happy. I tell him I will gps the course and figure out the mile pace and extrapolate what a full 5k would have been. I thank him profusely for all his help and he says he owed it to me for the years I encouraged him during workouts and smacked him around everytime he started to whine and complain (I'm not very tolerant of that especially when I'm working on ignoring my own fatigue). Well I didn't think he owed me anything but he definitely was instrumental in helping me race like I haven't in YEARS. We did a cool down, I said goodbye and I went to meet up with my team.

I ran into Kelly and Paul. Paul's GPS said 2.91 for the distance. Later that evening using http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ I came up with the very same distance. Kelly and Paul had run great times but were understandably a little miffed about the distance being wrong. I had a feeling once we figured out the average mile paces using the correct distances and then using that to figure out a 5k time that they would be happy. The course was a flat as you can get without stepping on a track, it would be hard not to run a good time. :-)

Once I was home I verified the course distance, figured out my average mile pace of 5:48 which is about a 18:01 5k. I was so excited and really pleased. For years I've been running anywhere from 18:40 - 18:55 and just couldn't seem to get back down any further. Finally, and without a coach. I guess I made the right decision back in January to step back and let go of my coach for a while. The next day both Kelly and Paul figure out their 5k times and I'm happy to report that they both ran very well. PR's for both of them. Kelly is the PR queen!


Brian covered his walk in under 50 minutes (don't remember the exact time) and it was cool seeing him come in, boot and all.

Even though we are only half way through this year I want to say what a year it has been so far. In January I was tired, burnt out, didn't think I would continue running much longer. I just was having a hard time accepting my slower race times, and I wasn't even sure where running fit in if I wasn't going to be racing fast anymore. I let go of my coach and started feeling sorry for myself. It was then that I started listening to some of the runners around me, really listening to how much they strived for being the best they could, how they built their relationships with other runners to share the road and races with, how they all supported each other. I was really taken back, the running world didn't just exist of runners trying to qualify for the trials, trying to win every race they entered, fighting for the limited amount of prize money that floated around. It was a different perspective and it was starting to make a lot of sense to me. Running for the love of the sport, to be strong, healthly, to have races to run, but most of all friends to share it with. I was on fire again and I felt that I owned my running and not the other way around. I reset my sights and I developed a running schedule that respected my responsibilities as a mother of two children, with a great husband, a full time job, and allowed me to pursue my piano studies. It all seems to be working and although I'm always in pursuit of fast times it is not the only reason I train and step on the starting line. It's turned into much more than that.

Okay that's my race report and therapy session all in one and I'm done!

Next race Xtreme 10 Miler at Waterfall Glenn July 21st.

Peace everyone,

RunnerGirl

RaceReport - Wheaton Run for the Animals 10K 2007

Wheaton Run for the Animals 10K - June 2, 2007 7:30am

Hi everyone!
I hope everyone who raced this weekend had fun.

I ran the Wheaton Run for the Animals 10K this weekend and most of my team was there (Dick Pond Racing Team).

The day started out a little weird as I overslept a bit and kind of had to rush out of the house. I couldn't do my warm up at home and when I got to the race I had to park a few blocks away which was annoying but no biggie. During my warm up I could still feel the tightness in my back from Monday's race, I felt sluggish and the humidity felt really high to me. Good thing Wheaton has great big trees and most of the race would be shaded. I will admit I was worried about my back. Last time I did something to my back I was out for 8 weeks. My goal was to stay under 40 minutes, and with a good race I really wanted to try and average 6:20ish per mile.

I lined up with my teammates and off we went. Oops, right off the bat I started out too fast and I hit a 6:01 first mile. I had been shooting for 6:15 or so. I was with 8 of my teammates and I figured I would just do the best I could to keep with them. My back was talking to me everyone once in a while and I did my best to relax and run with good form. During the next few miles 4 of my teammates broke away and the rest fell behind me so I was alone for most of the 2nd half of the race. I kept my teammates in my sights and tried not to fall too far back. Although I hit my split watch at each mile I don't look at my watch so I went on feel and I felt like I was slowing but not falling off per say. In the last mile some guy decided to play cat and mouse with me, sprinting ahead of me, then falling behind me, then sprinting ahead of me etc. This always makes me laugh but it at least gave me a target to go for during that last mile. I finished solid with a fifth place overall and first in my age group (39:59). My team grabbed the first seven spots overall.

Using my Fox Trot 10 mile time which was an average of 6:31 I really thought I could average closer to 6:20 for a 10K which would have given me a 39:20 but messing up a bit in the first mile, the concern I was having with my back, not being as focused as I was at the Fox Trot, and still feeling tired from monday's race had its effect. I still managed to barely stay under 40 minutes so goal was accomplished on a day that I didn't really feel "on", so it was a good day on the whole. :-)

I took Sunday off for my back and biked instead. I did a lot of heating pad and then icing and that has made a big difference today (Monday). I was going to run twice today but I decided that giving my back another 12 hours and just running this evening would be the best. I don't race again until July 21st.

Splits
1 - 6:01
2- 6:24
3 - missed, don't think it was marked
4 - 12.57 (ave of 6:28 for mile 3 and 4)
5 - 6:40 (in Northside park, some mud, some crushed gravel)
6 - not marked
6.2 - 7:55 (ave of 6:35 for 1.2 miles)
total 39:59

The trail run you guys all did seemed like a lot more fun! The pictures told the whole story.

Peace,
Janeth

Race Report - 30th Annual Elgin Fox Trot 10 Mile 2007

Hello everyone!
Fox Trot 10 Miler May 28, 2007

Yet another Fox Trot Memorial day. I first did this run as a junior in high school in 1984 and I’ve loved this race ever since. Today was beautiful weather and it was a great day to race J

I did my usual wake up insanely early ( 4:15am ) to put in an easy mile run at my house. This comes from my college days when I saw how the Wisconsin girls (a huge cross country powerhouse at that time for women) would go out and run a few easy miles around the hotel before getting ready for breakfast and leaving for the course. It is great for helping me ease the pre-race tension that usually results in multiple bathroom visits….’nuf said.

During my easy mile at home I could tell the weather was going to be good and my legs felt nice and loose. I was a little worried because the previous week everything felt like a struggle from workouts all the way down to my easy runs.

I went back in, had my light breakfast and put on my racing team uniform and sweats, packed some dry clothes, water bottle, kissed the hubby and the kids goodbye and I left around 5:15am . Half way to the race I realized I totally forgot my racing flats. After hesitating for a second I decided that I was going to have to race in what I had or see if the Dick Pond’s truck had something for me. I then proceeded to try and convince myself that racing in training shoes would be just fine….just in case I had no choice. I got to the race just before 6am , insanely early as usual, just the way I like it! I found the Dick Pond truck, bought myself some racing flats and I was a happy camper. I had a lot of time to sit around and review with myself about what I wanted to get from today’s race, how I was going to start out etc. I mentioned to Kelly and Brian at work that I thought a good day, good conditions would give me about 65 minutes but I wasn’t sure how things were going to play out. My plan would be start out comfortable and then find a steady pace and see how long and how successful I could hold that pace throughout the race. If done right this race could serve as a benchmark for my summer marathon training.

Warm up was good but I didn’t see Kelly or Brian or Paul until I went up to the starting line. It was great seeing them but they left quickly. I met up with Jenny Spangler (‘96 Olympian, former college teammate) while doing strides and we commiserated on getting older and slower. I ran into Derek Olenek and we commiserated on getting older and slower and reminisced on how we had both won this race in the same year back in the 90’s but we couldn’t remember what year that was, funny. I looked around and it seemed like the woman’s field was little loaded especially with Jenny and Suzanne Ryan being there but I reminded myself that place wasn’t my primary goal here. I lined up with Jenny and off we went.


So far so good first mile 6:27. Feeling comfortable. Around mile 3 I hooked up with a group of men that seemed to be steady in the 6:30 ’s and just what I needed. I chatted a bit to get myself into the group and once I was in I let them do all the talking. Four mile mark was off the pace ( 6:41 ) but I hung on with my group and things smoothed out again with the following mile in 6:27 . Miki joined our group in the out and back part. Miki is Jenny Spangler’s husband and a pretty good even paced racer. At the turn around I saw that I was 3rd overall with a lot of women much too close for comfort behind me. My guys made sure I didn’t miss seeing that and I knew I had some work ahead of me. If I could hold on to 3rd my sponsor would pay me a premium for being in the top 3. Unfortunately, all Fox Trot old-timers know what is in store for them in the later parts of the race and I started mentally preparing for facing that while being stalked from behind. I figured if I stuck to my group which seemed to be ready to run 6:30ish for the rest of the week I would be fine. This worked well but the group started to break up a bit as some of them started to dip under 6:30 ’s. I kept them in my sight and Miki plus a few others were still around. Nine mile split was off of pace ( 6:43 ) but that was not unexpected so I just laid out the best last mile I could and finished as 3rd female overall ( 6:14 split 1:05:12 total). The last mile hurt more than I would have liked but I finished over a minute head of 4th so the steady pace earlier probably took care of that and I finished right around what I thought would have qualified as a good race. I waited till later to review my splits on my watch (I didn’t really look at the splits too much during the race) and I was even happier, just what I wanted to see, consistent mile splits in the mid 6:30’s or under (of course expecting some off ones due to hills etc).

Afterwards I thought about all the times I have raced on this course over the last 23 years. I’ve raced here as a teenager, I even broke an hour here just a few weeks shy of turning 18, I’ve raced here pre-marriage, pre-motherhood, and I think I’ve won this darn thing at least 4 times, and I also had a DNF. Those fast times may be gone but I think I’m learning to take away something more from my racing. Something about personal challenge, something about understanding how running and racing fit in with the other loves of my life such as family, something that allows me to group together with complete strangers and support each other over the course such as the men I raced with today, and finally something that is just the love of running and racing. Its all cool!

Thank you Kelly, Brian, and Paul for cheering for me on the out and back. I hear every voice that yells my name during a race and I take that energy even though I may not even look or know exactly who did the cheering, beside you guys were moving pretty fast and I would have missed you anyway! J Special congrats to Paul (“I don’t run farther than six miles”) for finishing his first 10 miler. Kelly works her good influence magic once again as she convinced Paul he could do the race and then personally supported his effort by pacing him step by step! Good run Brian, LOVE your blog and the pictures.

Splits
1 - 6:27
2 - 6:30
3 - 6:27
4 - 6:41
5 - 6:27
6 - 6:33
7 - 6:30
8 - 6:36
9 - 6:43
10 - 6:14
total 1:05:12


ORN: 3 miles of slow torture. I felt flat and sore. Not unexpected though.

Peace everyone!
Runner Girl (Janeth)