This past weekend I was in Charlottesville (well, Waynesboro), Virginia for the Bel Monte 50M/50K/25K races. This is one of my favorite eventsof the year, despite the fast that all 3 years I have attended the raceI haven’t run it. My first year there I was a course sweeper, meaning I followed the last runner and picked up the trail markers behind them. Last year I worked at the start/finish area, which was fun because it was the first year for the 50 mile. This year I got a promotion to oneof the most “popular” aid stations in the race. It is at the 17.4 milemark for the 50 Mile and 50K runners, and then the 50 milers also come through again at 22.2 and 32.2 miles.
Francesca, Gill and I woke up at 3:15 am on Saturday morning and headed down to Sherando Lake. Slowly the runners trickled in, and I got to see all of their faces as they checked in for the races. Some nervous, some cocky, some looking really scared. For someone who has little-to-no maternal instinct in her, it’s weird because I begin to think of these people as sort of my children for the rest of the day. I know what they are feeling, and I know what they are about to experience. I want each and every one of them to be successful in their race.
I place my bets about who will win, as well as who will lose. I wonder how many this year will have to be pulled from the course due to time cutoffs. But there’s not much time for that, as my friend Rebecca and I leave shortly after the race begins to head into the mountains to set up our station. Driving the Jeep roads takes longer than it does to run them, but they are in surprisingly good condition despite the morning showers. Watching Rebecca and I set up is similar to a Troop Beverly Hills experience. This leads me to my first main awesome story of the post – my latest invention. We began expecting the first runners and were getting a little antsy because we still had some things to do, like make the soup. So I started making the soup as we chatted away, catching up on life. The soup was Campbell’s Chicken Noodle condensed soup. Being condensed, I was going back and forth to the water cooler to get cans of water to add to it. Or so I thought. After watching me dump the cans in, Rebecca burst out laughing and remarked that I was actually pouring Gatorade into the pan. Oops. At this point I decided that we had no choice but to heat it up and try it, and if it was acceptable we would still serve it. Now that we were out in the moutains, there was no way to access a store easily and quickly, and wasting that soup could have been a huge mistake (I was right about that). I tried it, and it was good! Except for the lemony smell, that is. Anyway, the first group of runners came through and not surprisingly were not interested in soup. However, as the back of the packers came through, I offered some of my "special" soup. A few people jumped at it, and much to my delight, RAVED about it, and even stayed for seconds. It was so popular, I am hereby using this blogpost as my public declaration of a copyright for Noodleade (expected on the shelves in 2010).
The runners kept us busy, coming from all directions and in all sorts of mental and physical conditions. We filled hand bottles and camel packs, and each and every runner was so grateful for the help you would have thought that we were doing something way nicer than what we were. But in a race like that, it does end up being the little things that make the difference. One such instance was when the 2nd place female was about 20 yards out from the station when she dropped her orange slice on the ground. Seeing that she looked about ready to burst into tears I ran a new one out to her and peeled it for her as we continued moving on the course. You would have thought I handed her the Holy Grail she was so happy. Then there was the extrememly hot dude I probably would have given anything to, but after mentioning he dropped his only GU a mile into the race, I dug into my purse in the car and found a replacement for him. He ended up doing really well and so I take credit for his success.
My second awesome story of the weekend comes from a little tidbit that Dave, our HAM radio helper told me. After watching us fill a bunch of camel packs, he waves me over and points to one, asking what we call it. A camel pack, I reply. Wanna know what we call it? he asks me. Giggling already, I say yes. A douchebag! he says. Needless to say, I will never look at a camel pack the same again.
It really was a great day, from getting to watch the course record on the 50 mile beat by over an hour on the mens side, to being there ready with a hug for the last finisher coming in just under the 13 hour time cutoff. Even though I didn't run a step all weekend, I am coming back from the days refreshed and inspired. I take it forgranted all too often in a race that I am often done with the race, home and showered before many people even finish. Being able to spend the whole day out there with the runners is something that everyone should try and do if they have the chance. As small a gesture as it may be, not only is it appreciated tenfold by the runners, but it helps you appreciate what you have and what you can do a million times more than ever.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thoughts of the day slash week
1. After barely being able to touch my toes last night, I realized I really do need to focus on stretching (I think I mentioned that a few posts back and then proceeded to ignore myself). Anyway, I will never go to a yoga class because they are never convienent since apparently the granola crunchers can't do yoga before 9am, and in the afternoons I'd rather devote my training elsewhere. Plus an hour is a really long time to have to stretch. So I downloaded "Yoga for Runners" via iTunes. It's 17 minutes long, about 6 different stretches, and tried it out for the first time this morning. I enjoyed it. It's just the right time where I can do it after a run and not feel like I'm wasting my precious time, but its enough time to actually get good stretching in. Anyway, I'll try to remember to do it daily and see what happens.
2. I'm addicted to Snickers Ice Cream bars.
3. I got 40% off coupons from all my favorite stores e-mailed to me this week. And I just paid off the ol' credit card. Time for shopping!
4. Purple Drink + Balls = Grape Nuts
5. 93 days until Western States! yikes.
6. I was going to go to Mighty Taco today to satisfy a promise I made to the one and only Fun Jen. Howevs, I was at the gym and a commercial came on for their latest promotion. Apparently, they are allowing customers to trade in gold in exchange for tacos. The commersh had a girl literally taking off her earrings, handing them to the cashier, and recieving a bag ful of tacos in return. As awesome/befuttling as that is, I don't think I can go to that establishment.....
2. I'm addicted to Snickers Ice Cream bars.
3. I got 40% off coupons from all my favorite stores e-mailed to me this week. And I just paid off the ol' credit card. Time for shopping!
4. Purple Drink + Balls = Grape Nuts
5. 93 days until Western States! yikes.
6. I was going to go to Mighty Taco today to satisfy a promise I made to the one and only Fun Jen. Howevs, I was at the gym and a commercial came on for their latest promotion. Apparently, they are allowing customers to trade in gold in exchange for tacos. The commersh had a girl literally taking off her earrings, handing them to the cashier, and recieving a bag ful of tacos in return. As awesome/befuttling as that is, I don't think I can go to that establishment.....
Friday, March 20, 2009
Utah Schmootah
Dear Ironman,
Please stop making more events.
Fix the entry process instead.
Exclusivity = awesomeness.
xoxo,
Alyssa
Please stop making more events.
Fix the entry process instead.
Exclusivity = awesomeness.
xoxo,
Alyssa
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
besser essen, besser laufen.
I have no idea what that means but it's on the cover of the German Runner's World.
This month, Ultrarunning magazine did its 2008 review which includes the male and female runner of the year (Jorge Pacheco and Kami Semick), as well as many other race stats - the largest race, the fastest race, significant course records, finishes by location, and then the top times (male and female) for 100 miles, 100K, 50 miles and 50K races throughout the year. They also publish the names of those ultrarunners who had 4 or more wins through the year. I think that's pretty sweet, so I may have to go for that one next year. In the meantime, I am happy to settle for my name being on the list for the top 50 mile times. I am #48 (listed goes to 100) with my 8:05 from JFK. I think I was #49 last year with 8:07, so that makes sense. When I achieve my goal of a 7:45, that would put me in the top 25.
More interesting, for those of you who may question the validity of that list, is that they do a separate listing for "graded" performances of each race. This year I made the list for the 50 mile, at #24 (they only list the top 25). A graded performance takes the winning time and divides it by the median finishing time. They acknowledge that this too is slightly imperfect as it assumes that all fields are of equal strength, and gives some advantage to winners of events with generous cut-off times that attract a higher number of slower runners. Nonetheless, it's a bit more accurate than just publishing a list of the fastest times which merely highlights those who have chosen fast courses in good weather. Last year I didn't make the list, so it was pretty cool to see myself there this time
My 100K time was not even close to making the list, although the races from the times that did make the list are considerably easier. It will fun to see where I stand in the 100's after WS this year....
This month, Ultrarunning magazine did its 2008 review which includes the male and female runner of the year (Jorge Pacheco and Kami Semick), as well as many other race stats - the largest race, the fastest race, significant course records, finishes by location, and then the top times (male and female) for 100 miles, 100K, 50 miles and 50K races throughout the year. They also publish the names of those ultrarunners who had 4 or more wins through the year. I think that's pretty sweet, so I may have to go for that one next year. In the meantime, I am happy to settle for my name being on the list for the top 50 mile times. I am #48 (listed goes to 100) with my 8:05 from JFK. I think I was #49 last year with 8:07, so that makes sense. When I achieve my goal of a 7:45, that would put me in the top 25.
More interesting, for those of you who may question the validity of that list, is that they do a separate listing for "graded" performances of each race. This year I made the list for the 50 mile, at #24 (they only list the top 25). A graded performance takes the winning time and divides it by the median finishing time. They acknowledge that this too is slightly imperfect as it assumes that all fields are of equal strength, and gives some advantage to winners of events with generous cut-off times that attract a higher number of slower runners. Nonetheless, it's a bit more accurate than just publishing a list of the fastest times which merely highlights those who have chosen fast courses in good weather. Last year I didn't make the list, so it was pretty cool to see myself there this time
My 100K time was not even close to making the list, although the races from the times that did make the list are considerably easier. It will fun to see where I stand in the 100's after WS this year....
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Postcards from yo momma
I may or may not have told you about my infatuation with this internet site before: www.postcardsfromyomomma.com
In a nutshell, its a blog type page where people can submit e-mail, IM or text convos they have with their mom. If you do any of the 3 with your mom, then you probably realize how awesome it can be. My mom made me promise never to submit anything she sends to it, but this is too good I at least have to put it up here:
(via text)
mom: how r u? how is tv?
me: I'm at arjuns, tv is great
mom: has he seen tv?
me: not yet, but now it will feel like we are in The Wire!
mom: oh you mean because poor people have bling tv's?
In a nutshell, its a blog type page where people can submit e-mail, IM or text convos they have with their mom. If you do any of the 3 with your mom, then you probably realize how awesome it can be. My mom made me promise never to submit anything she sends to it, but this is too good I at least have to put it up here:
(via text)
mom: how r u? how is tv?
me: I'm at arjuns, tv is great
mom: has he seen tv?
me: not yet, but now it will feel like we are in The Wire!
mom: oh you mean because poor people have bling tv's?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Page 4.5
So I walk into the Canton Merritt last night for my usual Thursday workout, and I go to do some pushups and situps before spin class, and I notice a little posse of dudes hanging out. Hmmm...
I do a little more investigation, look around, and who is in the downward dog posish right near me? The governor himself. (okay not really about the downward dog, but he was right there) Sweet. I love politics.
THEN I go up to spinning, and who walks in and grabs the bike in the front row next to me? The Mayor! She was pretty legit, even had her own spinning shoes and whatnot. She made some joke about being the oldest person in the class. I was like oh no, of course n...as I turn and look around at who is in the class and notice there is an abundance of young blonde shorties...ot? The class ran a little late and she peaced right before 7. I imagine she was in a hurry as she was off to go do some sweet shopping with stolen gift cards (haha, sorry for the low blow, I do like her!).
Just another night in Baltimore.
*Additional info: for those of you who may not frequent the gossip columns, perezhilton, gawker, or the superficial on a regular basis, Page 6 is the gossip column of the NY Post. The idea for Page 4.5, comes from a convo with Ryan. After realizing that we always know so much about what other people are doing, I suggested writed a Baltimore gossip column...like Page 6, but not because obvi that's taken. Hence, the birth of Page 4.5.
I do a little more investigation, look around, and who is in the downward dog posish right near me? The governor himself. (okay not really about the downward dog, but he was right there) Sweet. I love politics.
THEN I go up to spinning, and who walks in and grabs the bike in the front row next to me? The Mayor! She was pretty legit, even had her own spinning shoes and whatnot. She made some joke about being the oldest person in the class. I was like oh no, of course n...as I turn and look around at who is in the class and notice there is an abundance of young blonde shorties...ot? The class ran a little late and she peaced right before 7. I imagine she was in a hurry as she was off to go do some sweet shopping with stolen gift cards (haha, sorry for the low blow, I do like her!).
Just another night in Baltimore.
*Additional info: for those of you who may not frequent the gossip columns, perezhilton, gawker, or the superficial on a regular basis, Page 6 is the gossip column of the NY Post. The idea for Page 4.5, comes from a convo with Ryan. After realizing that we always know so much about what other people are doing, I suggested writed a Baltimore gossip column...like Page 6, but not because obvi that's taken. Hence, the birth of Page 4.5.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Nougetaboutit
So I'm getting pretty excited. I have finally moved to my new apartment which is awes even though I am still sleeping on a mattress on the floor. What does this mean? No distractions, and best of all, no more excuses. I can no longer put off a morning workout because DB Dan is taking an hour long shower at 530 in the morning. I can no longer say that I didn't get enough sleep and can't workout hard because Carson and her boyfriend were banging above me and causing a rucus. And best of all, I have an entire kitchen...all...to...myself! The way I see it, phase one of this year is complete. The 50K's are behind me and from now on out it's more miles and more competition. A month ago, I was having my doubts about the year. I was having trouble finding the motivation for the long runs and swims, wondering if it would all really pay off in the end. Luckily, this is no more. I am itching for some long weekends out in the mountains, and I've gotten my confidence back that this is really what I want to be doing. No doubt about it, the weather plays its part in me wanting to be outside more, and I figure if I'm outside I may as well be training.
What have the past 2.5 months told me? I have a solid base. Ryan confirms my idea that in endurance sports, its all about the base. You can't simply "get through" a race like an Ironman or a 100 mile. My plan looking ahead is to do 3 big weekends in April, 4 big weekends in May (Big weekends == 25-30 miles running Saturday (or a race), 20 miles Sunday and/or a long run on Saturday and a long ride on Sunday), and then start to fine tune things for June (which includes the TAYLOR SWIFT extravaganza...woop woop). Then it will be all the time on the bike and in the water I can manage through July and August, including Providence. After the IM it will be rest and rebuild time. Depending on how my tri's go, I may or may not be making plans for October. If not, then I'm hopefully going to put together a Rim2Rim2Rim run in the Grand Canyon as a little vaca. Follow that up with JFK and possibly Hellgate 100K in Dec, and my year is over. Boy how time flies when you look at a race schedule...
Some changes to my training:
-Previously a lot of my doubles included 2 running sessions. Now I will combine those to one longer one, and double it with the bike or swimming.
-Strength training: I am not very good at lifting, nor do I enjoy it or want to learn how to do it. I'll put in 50 pushups a day and 150 situps a day (subject to increase incrementally weekly) to improve my strength and core.
-Goodbye binging. This includes food and bevs.
-HILLS. Lots of them. More of them. I will heart hills by June.
What have the past 2.5 months told me? I have a solid base. Ryan confirms my idea that in endurance sports, its all about the base. You can't simply "get through" a race like an Ironman or a 100 mile. My plan looking ahead is to do 3 big weekends in April, 4 big weekends in May (Big weekends == 25-30 miles running Saturday (or a race), 20 miles Sunday and/or a long run on Saturday and a long ride on Sunday), and then start to fine tune things for June (which includes the TAYLOR SWIFT extravaganza...woop woop). Then it will be all the time on the bike and in the water I can manage through July and August, including Providence. After the IM it will be rest and rebuild time. Depending on how my tri's go, I may or may not be making plans for October. If not, then I'm hopefully going to put together a Rim2Rim2Rim run in the Grand Canyon as a little vaca. Follow that up with JFK and possibly Hellgate 100K in Dec, and my year is over. Boy how time flies when you look at a race schedule...
Some changes to my training:
-Previously a lot of my doubles included 2 running sessions. Now I will combine those to one longer one, and double it with the bike or swimming.
-Strength training: I am not very good at lifting, nor do I enjoy it or want to learn how to do it. I'll put in 50 pushups a day and 150 situps a day (subject to increase incrementally weekly) to improve my strength and core.
-Goodbye binging. This includes food and bevs.
-HILLS. Lots of them. More of them. I will heart hills by June.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Seneca-Greenway Trail 50K
Spring has finally sprung, and I kicked off the first weekend of good weather with a pretty dece race. I headed out to bling bling Silver Spring on Friday afternoon after work to meet Arjun and Melissa, my awesome race companions for the next day. Mel made a super awes pre-race dinner, and after lasting about 45 minutes through Australia I decided to call it a night. We got up in the morn and headed out to the starting line of the race. It was pretty fun to do the pre-race routine with friends and get to see the ultra world through a new set of eyes. Suddenly the people wearing the tutus and all the other wacky characters didn't seem so normal...usually I wouldn't have even thought twice about them. That, and the fact that ultrarunners probably have calves twice the size of the normal population were two of the many observations Arjun made that morning. There were some familiar faces in the crowd as Melissa and I started the run, heading down a pretty good hill for the first mile or so. As usual, I tried to keep to the back of the front pack to ensure a good spot on the trail and get my legs warmed up. Unfortunately I also noticed right from the start that I wasn't feeling up to par - just an overall sense of heaviness and slugishness in the legs. I was hopeful that it would pass though. Melissa helped me keep a pretty good pace for the first section, and we hit mile 7.5 in about 58 minutes...a little fast, but most of that part was downhill or flat so not a huge concern. My legs still didn't feel great though, and I warned Arjun of that as him and Melissa switch places. I honestly wasn't sure how the day would end up, and I was wondering if I should even push through if I still felt so shitty at the halfway point. I decided to slow it down a little bit, and really make sure to stick to my nutrition plan. The day was heating up fast, and I knew that if I bonked from dehydration on top of tired legs, the day would be a bust. Around this time I fell into 2nd place...not a huge concern this early in the race, but still had me wondering how many women were at my heels.
A mile or so later Arjun and I came upon a friend of mine, Greg Loomis (you can read his writeup of the race here). Greg fell into step with us, and from that point we ran pretty consistant 9 minute miles. We paid close attention to maintain breaks for nutrition/hydration, which was most likely the best decision we made that day as the course got tougher at the end and we were passing people who had let the heat take its toll on them. The race has a pretty neat setup in that halfway through the 50K runners do an extra loop around a lake, then join back up to the marathon course. This makes for some easier running in the middle as you can catch some of the marathoners to keep yourself occupied.
Around mile 22, I caught back up to the first place woman and felt strong as I passed her. The three of us continued on to the last aide station at mile 28ish, where Arjun's long run came to an end (already a few miles too long....oops), and Greg and I went on to finish the race in 5:19, 16th and 17th place overall!
Overall, I couldn't be happier with a win at this time in the year. Now I can put that goal out of my head and focus on the real tasks at hand in the next 6 months. However, I am a little nervous looking back at how I performed. I didn't rest at all in the week leading up to the race, and I certainly felt the difference in effort between Holiday Lake and this weekend. I have no idea how I was able to run 20+ minutes faster a month ago, on courses I would say are relatively comprable. Hopefully it's just because training is picking up and my legs are simply more tired, and I think the heat played its part in it as well. I felt as if I was giving twice the effort yesterday than at HL, and not getting the same results at all. Greg brought me up to speed a little bit on the BRR50 course though, and said it is similar to the Seneca Greenway trail. With some solid workouts in the next few weeks, and a well planned mini-taper, I will hopefully be in good shape to make some moves at that race!
A mile or so later Arjun and I came upon a friend of mine, Greg Loomis (you can read his writeup of the race here). Greg fell into step with us, and from that point we ran pretty consistant 9 minute miles. We paid close attention to maintain breaks for nutrition/hydration, which was most likely the best decision we made that day as the course got tougher at the end and we were passing people who had let the heat take its toll on them. The race has a pretty neat setup in that halfway through the 50K runners do an extra loop around a lake, then join back up to the marathon course. This makes for some easier running in the middle as you can catch some of the marathoners to keep yourself occupied.
Around mile 22, I caught back up to the first place woman and felt strong as I passed her. The three of us continued on to the last aide station at mile 28ish, where Arjun's long run came to an end (already a few miles too long....oops), and Greg and I went on to finish the race in 5:19, 16th and 17th place overall!
Overall, I couldn't be happier with a win at this time in the year. Now I can put that goal out of my head and focus on the real tasks at hand in the next 6 months. However, I am a little nervous looking back at how I performed. I didn't rest at all in the week leading up to the race, and I certainly felt the difference in effort between Holiday Lake and this weekend. I have no idea how I was able to run 20+ minutes faster a month ago, on courses I would say are relatively comprable. Hopefully it's just because training is picking up and my legs are simply more tired, and I think the heat played its part in it as well. I felt as if I was giving twice the effort yesterday than at HL, and not getting the same results at all. Greg brought me up to speed a little bit on the BRR50 course though, and said it is similar to the Seneca Greenway trail. With some solid workouts in the next few weeks, and a well planned mini-taper, I will hopefully be in good shape to make some moves at that race!
T9 tidbits
Kelly to friends (text): still at work. got chubbies later tonight though.
Me: got chubbies?
Kelly: damnit. translation = hot bitches.
Colleen to me: do you want to come tp Hooters with me and Ro?
Me: Yes, obvi....but why are we doing this?
Colleen: You know, food, bevs, whatever.
Me: haha ohh go to Hooters. I thought you wanted us to go toilet paper the joint.
Me: got chubbies?
Kelly: damnit. translation = hot bitches.
Colleen to me: do you want to come tp Hooters with me and Ro?
Me: Yes, obvi....but why are we doing this?
Colleen: You know, food, bevs, whatever.
Me: haha ohh go to Hooters. I thought you wanted us to go toilet paper the joint.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Rhianna took Chris Brown back? Whack.
Entry for many ultras and ironmans are filling up in days, even minutes. It seems like every kid on the block (even the new ones....haha) are getting into endurance sports and consider themselves awesome because of it. I don't agree with this. Although one of the many TWSS mottos is DBAP, let's be honest - some people in this world HAVE to be a pussy for the sake of maintaining the proper hierarchy of the athletic world. I firmly stand by that. I don't really know how to handle the fact that my sports are becoming trendy. So what did I do? I decided I needed to find a new sweet sport to do that no one else does. I googled "most extreme sports ever" and found this website. As I looked through these 11 sports, I decided that they would not only be more fun with at least one other person, but for safety's sake I'd need to have a friend to partake in them with me. So, here's my pick of extreme sports teammates. The number of your name (if you're so lucky to be chosen) corresponds with that number sport from the article.
1. Brennan is the obvious choice for this. He's fast, efficient, a mid-westerner, and most definitely irons a mean dress shirt.
2. Claire. I'm pretty sure you could stand up in one of those little balls, so that's gotta be an advantage.
3. Melissa. When I saw the outfits those people had on in the pics, you just popped into my mind wearing the same thing.
4. Fun Jen Koshy. Skinny and agile, but fast and fierce. What a combination.
5. Kris. Even though there are certain elements of your genetic makeup that make me doubt your swimming abilities, I have faith that you could construct us some sort of fishing pole that gives us an obvious advantage. And we'll just wear life jackets.
6. Ben. Bull riding has obvious advantages for The Ass Man.
7. Arjun. I'd make sure you did the calculations beforehand to make sure I don't die.
8. Kip. You're pretty lightweight so I think that this may actually work when you do it.
9. Emily. Your Marine Biology experience would be a huge asset when I come face to face with a giant shark.
10. Ryan. Mostly because we watched that ep of AR where the teams had to get the cheese down the big hill, and after discussing strategies with you I trust your ability to win this.
11. Carson. I feel like anyone who does this sport is bound to get seriously hurt....I'll tell her to go first.
1. Brennan is the obvious choice for this. He's fast, efficient, a mid-westerner, and most definitely irons a mean dress shirt.
2. Claire. I'm pretty sure you could stand up in one of those little balls, so that's gotta be an advantage.
3. Melissa. When I saw the outfits those people had on in the pics, you just popped into my mind wearing the same thing.
4. Fun Jen Koshy. Skinny and agile, but fast and fierce. What a combination.
5. Kris. Even though there are certain elements of your genetic makeup that make me doubt your swimming abilities, I have faith that you could construct us some sort of fishing pole that gives us an obvious advantage. And we'll just wear life jackets.
6. Ben. Bull riding has obvious advantages for The Ass Man.
7. Arjun. I'd make sure you did the calculations beforehand to make sure I don't die.
8. Kip. You're pretty lightweight so I think that this may actually work when you do it.
9. Emily. Your Marine Biology experience would be a huge asset when I come face to face with a giant shark.
10. Ryan. Mostly because we watched that ep of AR where the teams had to get the cheese down the big hill, and after discussing strategies with you I trust your ability to win this.
11. Carson. I feel like anyone who does this sport is bound to get seriously hurt....I'll tell her to go first.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
