Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K

The Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K started off like any other race, a pre-race winner, baby throw-up and Adam  almost being arrested.

Adam, with the Boring Running blog, put on an awesome race again.  While the rest of the world is running the Virtual Race, a group of us met in Papago Park in Phoenix Arizona and froze our thorns off.  I showed up early to get a run in and saw Adam and Jeff running towards me.  Turning, I found out Jeff was running his race early and so I tagged along and became the annoying person saying "you're almost there."  Jeff finished with a PR and a giant smile (in between trying to catch his breath).

Getting back to the parking area where Adam and Jeff parked, I wondered how they parked where they did.  It turns out that Rebel Adam, moved the barricades to park in the area reserved for a company picnic from 8am to 6:30pm.  The park ranger came and threatened to arrest Adam if he didn't vacate the area immediately.   That's what I imagine happened but there may be some stretching of my imagination.  When we left at 9:30 there was still NO ONE there for the company picnic so what harm would it actually have caused for us to have been there?  Oh well....that's why people reserve the area to keep hoodlums like Adam out of reserved area.

Somewhere in the 8 o'clock hour we lined up and received instructions from our fearless race director, Adam.

There's a turn around 1.5 miles out that you can't miss

The turn around is NOT the same as the big pole in front of the flour markings

I've took on the role of official race photographer and captured pictures of the race.

Dan and dog

My fav picture. He wanted to be running for the pic

The race winner

Even though I didn't recognize her as part of our group and didn't have a bib on, I took her picture anyways. She smiled for her race picture but was just out for a regular run.

And the baby throwup...luckily there is no picture of that but rumor has it that Adam's wife's car needs to be detailed now. Good thing it's winter and the sun doesn't heat up the car too much.

Much happier baby after projecting baby throw-up all over the inside of the car

Adam again made his infamous homemade medals and everyone got one.

  

Including the dog!

Happy Running!

Which Marathon to Run?

I'm waffling if I want to run a spring marathon and if I do, which one.  John wants to run Whiskey Row Marathon in Prescott, Az on May 5th.

The description of the race course leaves me trembling

This out-and-back course is considered one of the most challenging in the United States. Starting at 5,280 feet, the elevation increases to 7,000 feet over the first seven miles, then down to 5,600 feet at the 13-mile turn around. The course is paved road for the first and last five miles, while the rest of the running route is a trail race on a dirt road maintained by the US Forest Service.

I've run the half and it's a TOUGH course.  Times that course by 2 and I'm not sure I have it in me to run serious hills for a marathon.  Running Whiskey Row though does give me a break on not having to hit a specific time or get a BQ.  The goal would be to finish the race in one piece with a smile on my face.  Training for the race is in line with training for the SF Half Marathon I'm running in April.  In order to be ready for the SF Half, I need hill training and to run a little more hills (eye roll on the little more hills) I could do Whiskey Row.

There is a possibility John is out of town that weekend and I don't want to run Whiskey Row hills unless I have to. If that's the case, I am eyeballing the Orange County Marathon in Newport Beach, CA on the same weekend. If I run that race, I'm going for a BQ (Boston Qualifier). The course description sounds beautiful.

The first mile of the Marathon course includes a breathtaking panorama of the Pacific Ocean before winding through the seaside village of Corona del Mar including the spectacular Ocean Blvd. with cliff side views of Big Corona del Mar State Beach. It traverses down Bayside Drive, past the Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs and homes and boats of Newport Harbor. Exceptional views await runners at the bluffs overlooking the Upper Newport Bay Estuary Reserve as are the supportive cheers of neighborhood residents.

But the race isn't without it's hills.

The Full Marathon course is net downhill in elevation from start to finish. The first 6.5 miles will be extremely fast with only minor inclines. Mile 6.5 to 7.0 is the only significant hill on the course taking the runners from 15 feet to 75 feet. The course is then mostly flat through mile 10.5 with a couple rolling hills to 11.5. There is another 45' incline at mile 14.5 over the 405 overpass and a 40' incline slightly over 1/4 of a mile in length at mile 23 after leaving Fairview Park. These are all relatively small hills.

I love it when someone says it's a small hill.  Is that a runner saying that?  Or a person driving their car? When you're tired there is no "small" hill.

So my choice right now are two totally different races that would be run very differently.  Whiskey Row is $80 through 4/14 and OC is $100 till 3/31 and then the prices increase.

I have some time to decide which one. In the meantime though I need to get hill training in and long runs. I ran 16 this morning in preparation for one of the races. The run went well except some knee issues the last three miles (IT band saying hello maybe? I think I'll tell it goodbye).

What are your thoughts?  Go for the cheaper, hard, hilly race with fewer expectations or the flatter, more expensive course with hopes of getting another BQ?

Getting My Day in Court

I won!
I should be happy!
Even Ecstatic!

But for any winner, there is someone who isn't so happy.
It's not a good day for them.
And frankly, besides being glad that the day is over and the judgement was in my favor,
it's not a good day for me either.

As a landlord, there are difficult decisions to be made when someone doesn't abide by the rules.
The number one rule is pay rent and hopefully pay it on time as well.

But even if you can't pay it on time,
pay a little.
Pay Something!
Make an effort to say YES.
Yes, you do want to live there and don't expect to live for free.
Don't blame the landlord for filing for an eviction after you pay zip.
After you miss all the dates you said you would pay something.
Don't push and put the landlord in a position where there are no more choices.

It's not easy being a landlord knowing that you have no place to go.
That your kind heart which takes in and cares for pets has no place to go.
I know you're good people.
And so am I.
It's not personal.
I wish you luck and I'm sorry our relationship had to end this way.

Discussion with the Bomb Squad

Each year I get excited when the PF Changs Rock and Roll marathon and half takes to the streets in January. Even thought I haven't run the half in a couple years, I shop enthusiastically at the expo and gaze at the tourists wondering if they are running the race. Last year I rode in the press truck and watched Josh Cox set the American record in the 50K. This year, not having any VIP plans, I volunteered for the start of the marathon.

Arriving at 5am for a marathon start seemed early and for a bit there was nothing to do.  Around 5:30am, after putting small water bottles out on tables, I was given the Warm Zone for my assignment.  Runners prepaid $45 for a warm room, food, water/juice, free parking and coveted indoor toilets. It was my job to check everyone's wrist bracelet before letting runners in. And yes, there were many people who wanted in without the bracelet and I got a handful of dirty looks.

A few runners milled around the Warm Zone when it opened at 6am.  Out of place though were 4 men in khaki pants, matching shoes, black shirts and guns standing around laughing. Not being shy and wondering what they were doing I approached them.  Their humor was dark while they joked they were there to motivated people but had to motivate each other first. 

"Really, what are you doing," I asked.

"We're the bomb squad"

I think my jaw dropped some and I looked into the sky, saw the city sky scrapers and it made sense.  Thousands of people show up in one location would be a target for some evil person.  They told me that all majors marathons have the bomb squad come in and secure the area.  I never would have guessed.

Next time you run a major race, take comfort in the fact that a portion of your race fees include handsome men with their bomb sniffing dogs scouring the area so you have a safe race.  

Happy Running!

Ragnar Relay Florida Keys

What happens when you throw 12 people (many of them strangers) into a van and tell them to run 200 miles from Miami to Florida Keys?  You get

Ballistic Buttercups at a Ragnar Relay

This race was by far my best Ragnar race yet. The people in the van, the scenery and the after party in Key West made the Ragnar experience fantastic.

A month before the race the team was off to a bumpy start. Our team captain had put together two teams, primarily consisting of runners from Tampa and a few other runners from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. Two years ago I ran Central Florida with them and was invited to run the Keys with them. A month before the race the team captain became AWOL and wouldn't return phone calls and emails. Mike stepped up and became team captain for Ballistic Buttercups and I became team captain for Ballistic Buttercups Too.  Mike finalized all the arrangements and pulled everything together.

I met the team after I arrived in Miami for dinner and met everyone on the two 12 person teams and our 4 drivers. Having run Ragnars before with some of the people, I already knew 6 of the people. This is better than some other Ragnars where I know one or even none of the people I'm running with.   Later that night we squeezed 6 people into a room.  3 in one bed, 2 on a very uncomfortable pull out and one on the floor (probably better than the pull-out).

Most of the two teams at the start line in Miami

Of the two teams, team one was faster (I was on team 2) and projected to finish 45 minutes ahead of us.  Team 2 started at 10:30am and Team 1 started at 11am which left the question when would team one zoom by us?

Petey hangs on for dear life on our van

As runner 7, I was the first runner in van 2 and we had some time to kill before starting our running. In the grocery store parking lot we taped Petey(blow up parrot) to the antenna and van hood, put more decorations on our van including the pink straw hat on the roof and made our way to exchange 6 at the Miami zoo.  While I was waiting for our runner, team 1's runner 7 showed up to wait for their runner.  Matt was going to run 5:30's compared to my 8's.  If I could have enough lead I would finish my 5.3 miles before he caught me.  Throughout my run I looked over my shoulder.  When I crossed the exchange I shouted Matt didn't pass me!  Success.

Lori, Carrie and me at the start

 I don't worry if I'll get along with my van mates because we all have running in common and can put up with each other for 30 hours. I had run Florida Central and Chicago with Lori whose from Wisconsin.   Emily and Carrie were from Minnesota with  Bryan and Vu from Tampa.  I was very fortunate we got along so well and had many, many laughs...many at Bryan's expense. Poor Bryan...aka Bry Bry, as a 19 year old, entertaining young man, he was perfect playdoh for the 4 "older" women and we embarrassed him more than once.

Carrie and cute Bry Bry.  He looks so big.

After my second leg of 10 miles, I learned the first team was 20 minutes behind projections. One runner went a mile off course and another runner unfortunately was injured. We weren't in the clear though because they had some awesome runners and could EASILY make up time but I still did a happy dance for holding off the other team.

The third leg of 4+ miles was around 11am and in the full sun it was hot, hot, hot. I was grumpy.  In the distance I saw the lights of a cop car (which isn't unusual because they help monitor traffic and cross runners at some exchanges).  It seemed way too soon for the exchange but I could also see the port-a-potties, which meant that was the exchange.  Finally I reached the cop and port-a-potties. "It's just across the bridge" the cop called out.  Just across means something totally different to me running in the heat as compared to a cop standing there. Just across means, I cross the bridge and the exchange is there.  RIGHT there; not another half mile down the road.

I finished my 3rd leg with a 7:50 pace and jumped in the van. The last set of legs were only 2-3 miles and there was no time for wasting at the exchanges. We had to get moving to get to the next exchange quickly.  For each runner after that (except Bry Bry who ran the team in) I had an ice pack waiting for them when they finished.  Everyone did really well in the heat and no one passed out.

My exchange wasn't the only one with misplaced port-a-potties. The next set of legs we saw port-a-potties on the wrong side of bridges and one set was in the middle of no-where..probably a mile from where they should have been.

Mike and me with our team captain hats and finisher medals.

Our team finished at 2:15pm and then waited for the first team to come in. You know, the one that was going to pass us during the race?   They didn't pass us but the question is who would win.   The other team started 30 minutes after us and if they came in before 2:45, they would beat us. On the other side of the road the other team hung out talking while they waited for their final runner to come in.  I watched carefully for signs they were expecting him.   At 2:44 I looked at my watch and declared if they didn't come in the next minute, we won.   2:45 came and we high fived for beating the other team.

Two medals...one for the Keys finish and a second one for running any other race in 2011 and the 2012 keys

As the underdogs we were expecting to be beat by 45 minutes and we ended up beating the other team by 10 minutes with a  final time 27:57:03. You just never know what is going to happen in a Ragnar race.

At the finish line on the beach in Key West

Happy Running!