This weekend there were 4 of us running the trails. Everyone else either decided that they had something better to do, or were taking some recovery time. We met at Overlook Dam at 0715 on Saturday. Bob, Toni, Meg and I were starting out together, then we were going to drop Meg off at the car at 12 miles and head back out. Bob needed to catch a flight later in the day, so he needed to be done at noon. We decided that whatever mileage we were at by noon would be enough.
I had never run with Meg before; although I had heard a lot about her. She is a very talented fast runner, who generally runs road races and primarily runs marathons or less. She is super sweet - but a little naieve, not to worry; Toni and I took care of that! Between our discussions of what Plain Gu and Flan have in common and preferred underwear choices- it was an interesting run.
The four of us are getting ready at the car and it starts to snow. I told Bob that according to the Weather Channel it was supposed to snow 90% all morning long. He did not exactly believe me. As we headed down the trail it REALLY started snowing. Snowing to the point it is sticking to your eyelashes and you can't see clearly. We stopped at .75 miles to discuss our options. We decided if the snow did not stop or lessen soon, we would head back. Almost immediately, the snow shower lessened and it was bearable again. The woods had a nice dusting and it was so beautiful. Seeing the unspoiled beauty like that really makes you appreciate trail running.
We dropped Meg off and headed back out for the rest of our run. There were a surprising number of people on the trails. There was a Viszla (gorgeous-dog breed) club out with their dogs. We stopped for a few minutes to be smothered in attention. I have to admit- this is the first medium size dog that I have really taken to- they are supposed to be one of the best breeds for trail running too. There were also several groups of people who appeared to be with some sort of search and rescue group out practicing. At least I hope that they were only practicing- because they were less than hurried in their manner. They always had a smile and a friendly encouraging word. We meandered through the woods talking about everything including upcoming races. Toni is attempting to get me to run Holiday Lake 50K- as she and her friend Heather are doing it. She is very persuasive..... we will see.
I will be away from the group for the next few weeks- what a bummer. I have a 100K in NC that I managed to sneak into. I have never done a 100K, so we will see how that goes. I figured I could use the extra mileage, as the next two weekends are going to be tough to keep any reasonable mileage. I have a lot of travel- and a cruise- coming up. :) I signed up for a 50K on February 26 in Maryland- so expect some updates!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Year- New Trails 1-2-11
I flew back into DC on Saturday, January 1, 2011- so I missed a great 50K race that was held in Prince William Forest. Most of the people that I met on the trails were running that race. Luckily for me, Bob is an animal and will run back to back; Casey is a party animal and needed to rest Saturday morning, and Jenny (Casey's sister-in-law) needed a long run on Sunday (17 miles), so I had some company on the trails.
Bob arranged for us to meet at Fountainhead Regional park and we ended up with a little over 17 miles. We ran on some trails that I had run before and a new one. To be honest, it all looked new to me. Bob told us that he was not going to do the whole run, as he had run 22 miles the day before- but we managed to convince him to stay with us. Thankfully he did- I do not know those trails at all- I would have wondered around lost for hours. We had a really great run. The weather was warmer than it has been (in the 50s at the start) but it lightly sprinkled on our run and got a little colder as the day went on. Still, a very nice run- the trails were clear of snow this time and we ran along chatting about lots of stuff.
Jenny talked with Bob about "army stuff"- Casey and I talked food / restaurants, as usual. Jenny and Bob determined that Casey and I watch entirely too much TV. Bob told some stories of previous ultras sprinkled with his colorful commentary. Typical trail run- you learn a lot about people on a trail. Not to generalize, but "you people" know what I am talking about.
Ok, so Jenny is this 23 year old Army 1st Lieutenant who is training for her first marathon in February.
1. She did not even break a sweat on this run. - I don't know that she was even breathing hard at any point. 2. She would not have eaten anything if Bob had not insisted that she eat at mile 11.5.
3. She wants to do a 4:30 marathon- I do not think that will not be a problem at all.
Ahhhhhh to be 23...... Youth is wasted on the young! LOL :-)
Bob arranged for us to meet at Fountainhead Regional park and we ended up with a little over 17 miles. We ran on some trails that I had run before and a new one. To be honest, it all looked new to me. Bob told us that he was not going to do the whole run, as he had run 22 miles the day before- but we managed to convince him to stay with us. Thankfully he did- I do not know those trails at all- I would have wondered around lost for hours. We had a really great run. The weather was warmer than it has been (in the 50s at the start) but it lightly sprinkled on our run and got a little colder as the day went on. Still, a very nice run- the trails were clear of snow this time and we ran along chatting about lots of stuff.
Jenny talked with Bob about "army stuff"- Casey and I talked food / restaurants, as usual. Jenny and Bob determined that Casey and I watch entirely too much TV. Bob told some stories of previous ultras sprinkled with his colorful commentary. Typical trail run- you learn a lot about people on a trail. Not to generalize, but "you people" know what I am talking about.
Ok, so Jenny is this 23 year old Army 1st Lieutenant who is training for her first marathon in February.
1. She did not even break a sweat on this run. - I don't know that she was even breathing hard at any point. 2. She would not have eaten anything if Bob had not insisted that she eat at mile 11.5.
3. She wants to do a 4:30 marathon- I do not think that will not be a problem at all.
Ahhhhhh to be 23...... Youth is wasted on the young! LOL :-)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Holiday Derail
Like everyone else, I got a little derailed in my training program over the holidays. I went home to Houston and it was pretty warm most of the time and raining quite a bit (typical Houston December). On the Thursday before Christmas, I went to my old stomping grounds to do an "old standby" run, incorporating Memorial park and Allen Parkway. I decided that I would also use my "Virginia technique" of only walking the uphills and running continuously on the flats and downhills.
Remember a while back when I was saying that "hilly" was a relative term and that people here talk about courses being "relatively" flat and I think "did we run the same route??? That was hilly as hell!" I learned that maybe they are converting me. I used to love Allen Parkway because it was so "hilly." I was looking and looking and looking for the hills. I walked a few seconds here and there but would feel a little embarrassed because the hills were so small. However, I had a wonderful run. I ended up with 14.5 and I was happy with that.
Christmas was a fun filled family affair with no running (as expected)- Bruce and I headed to Austin for a few days. I felt like I had not been there in forever. We arrived on Sunday and went out to Barton Creek to hike for a few miles. That turned into 4 miles, but at least we did something. We decided to run on Monday (late morning) and treat ourselves to a couple of Matt's margaritas on Sunday. Monday we headed to Barton Creek to run the trail. We started (and ended) at the "hill of life." This is one tough hill. We ran 10 miles on the trail and did 2 miles of constant up and down the hill of life. It was a tough run- we both took a tumble, but kept going. It was a really good workout and we felt good at the end. We headed back to Houston on Tuesday, so the rest of our runs were just weekly mileage in the neighborhood.
Bruce got me 2 Western States videos for Christmas. We watched them with fascinated stares. We are hooked- excited and terrified. I decided that I need to get to work! See you on the trails!
Remember a while back when I was saying that "hilly" was a relative term and that people here talk about courses being "relatively" flat and I think "did we run the same route??? That was hilly as hell!" I learned that maybe they are converting me. I used to love Allen Parkway because it was so "hilly." I was looking and looking and looking for the hills. I walked a few seconds here and there but would feel a little embarrassed because the hills were so small. However, I had a wonderful run. I ended up with 14.5 and I was happy with that.
Christmas was a fun filled family affair with no running (as expected)- Bruce and I headed to Austin for a few days. I felt like I had not been there in forever. We arrived on Sunday and went out to Barton Creek to hike for a few miles. That turned into 4 miles, but at least we did something. We decided to run on Monday (late morning) and treat ourselves to a couple of Matt's margaritas on Sunday. Monday we headed to Barton Creek to run the trail. We started (and ended) at the "hill of life." This is one tough hill. We ran 10 miles on the trail and did 2 miles of constant up and down the hill of life. It was a tough run- we both took a tumble, but kept going. It was a really good workout and we felt good at the end. We headed back to Houston on Tuesday, so the rest of our runs were just weekly mileage in the neighborhood.
Bruce got me 2 Western States videos for Christmas. We watched them with fascinated stares. We are hooked- excited and terrified. I decided that I need to get to work! See you on the trails!
Monday, December 20, 2010
New Trail Running Pals
So, last weekend while running the Fat Ass 50K, I met up with: Bob, the other Bob, Rob, and Sara. The main organizer of this informal group is Bob Gaylord. He is apparently notorious for gathering stray runners and collecting them into an ad hoc trail running group on Saturday. He made me (and Toni) memorize his email address at the race so we could be added to his email list for Saturday morning runs.
True to his word, he send out a message on Thursday saying that he would like to meet up at the Hemlock Overlook at about 7:30 on Saturday for a 18-20 mile run. I answered the email that I would be there (not thinking at the time that the PERF Christmas party would in any way hinder my enjoyment of the run). On Saturday morning, it was a crisp 25 degrees and 7 of us showed up for this run. There was Bob (fast old guy- leader of the group), Sara (fun, fast runner from last week), Rob (Lightening- slowed down for us mortals), Casey (young pup Airforce Lieutenant), Denise (super sweet- I would-never-leave-you-behind-runner), Toni (the other "new" addition who will say anything!) and me. If I had not participated in the "open bar" at the Christmas party the night before, I think that I would have enjoyed myself a lot more. That said, I had a great time considering my physical state was less than optimal. We did a 18 mile out and back along the course of the Run Bull Run 50 that is held in the spring. It was COLD at the beginning, but I eventually warmed up (though the temperature was not above freezing for the whole run.)
Sara, Bob, and Rob would run ahead and wait for the rest of us to catch up. We would catch up, have some GU, enjoy some interesting conversation, and head out for another 5 miles or so. There was still about 1 1/2 inches of snow on the trail- so that added some resistance for fun. I have to say that the run was absolutely gorgeous. The woods, the hills, the snow, the river and the good conversation really helped the time pass. Running in Virginia is quite a treat and I am happy that I am getting the opportunity to do it again.
So, we made it through the run, no one died, got left behind, fell in the river, puked,or otherwise suffered permanent injury. Toni and I have been officially welcomed to join other runs. We are all going our separate ways for the holidays, but will be getting together again after the first of the year. I am so glad that I ran into these people, it was really enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again. Toni is hilarious and thanks to her- I will never think of plain GU in the same way again!
PS- I remember Bob telling me that he retired from the Army after 37 years, and I thought that he was probably pretty high in rank. It turns out that he was....he was a brigadier general! Pretty impressive, and for a guy in his 60s-- he is smoking fast.
True to his word, he send out a message on Thursday saying that he would like to meet up at the Hemlock Overlook at about 7:30 on Saturday for a 18-20 mile run. I answered the email that I would be there (not thinking at the time that the PERF Christmas party would in any way hinder my enjoyment of the run). On Saturday morning, it was a crisp 25 degrees and 7 of us showed up for this run. There was Bob (fast old guy- leader of the group), Sara (fun, fast runner from last week), Rob (Lightening- slowed down for us mortals), Casey (young pup Airforce Lieutenant), Denise (super sweet- I would-never-leave-you-behind-runner), Toni (the other "new" addition who will say anything!) and me. If I had not participated in the "open bar" at the Christmas party the night before, I think that I would have enjoyed myself a lot more. That said, I had a great time considering my physical state was less than optimal. We did a 18 mile out and back along the course of the Run Bull Run 50 that is held in the spring. It was COLD at the beginning, but I eventually warmed up (though the temperature was not above freezing for the whole run.)
Sara, Bob, and Rob would run ahead and wait for the rest of us to catch up. We would catch up, have some GU, enjoy some interesting conversation, and head out for another 5 miles or so. There was still about 1 1/2 inches of snow on the trail- so that added some resistance for fun. I have to say that the run was absolutely gorgeous. The woods, the hills, the snow, the river and the good conversation really helped the time pass. Running in Virginia is quite a treat and I am happy that I am getting the opportunity to do it again.
So, we made it through the run, no one died, got left behind, fell in the river, puked,or otherwise suffered permanent injury. Toni and I have been officially welcomed to join other runs. We are all going our separate ways for the holidays, but will be getting together again after the first of the year. I am so glad that I ran into these people, it was really enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again. Toni is hilarious and thanks to her- I will never think of plain GU in the same way again!
PS- I remember Bob telling me that he retired from the Army after 37 years, and I thought that he was probably pretty high in rank. It turns out that he was....he was a brigadier general! Pretty impressive, and for a guy in his 60s-- he is smoking fast.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Dreadmill
I was going to try to go all winter with no "dreadmill running." That officially ended last night. It was in the 20s with wind gusts of 25-30 mph. No outside running!!! It was a lot better than the last time that I ran on the treadmill- but it was still threadmill running. I may have to continue this trend for a while until the weather clears up here. It is supposed to snow Thursday- that could make the run more interesting......
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