Mosaic and Bandera - Camp Eagle Version

Two preparation trail races are done. The first was Mosaic 15K. I did OK in this largely because I did not get off course! That got me a 1st place Masters Female, although I did not stick around to pick up the award. Phoebe raced the HS 5K but there was no competition for her. She finished as first female to cross the 5K line though, so there's no doubt she ran well.

In the meantime my strength training had been going well, with increases in maximums for all categories. 165 lb box squat means I can squat my own body weight! Surprised I can bench 80 lbs with multiple reps and sets. Haven't done max singles though. I will ask Jen about that. Phoebe had a coaching session with Jen. I was pleasantly surprised to see her form on the 3 disciplines was pretty good, although of course Jen found things to improve. She has her first Powerlifting meet next week.

Then came Bandera. I showed up to our last training run at the Hollows on the Tuesday before (New Years Day) only to be told by Tammy that the race director had sent out an email the night before to say the Parks people had pulled permission for the race. I was pretty mad - I love to go to Bandera. But Tejas Trails went above and beyond with the help of Camp Eagle to move the race. No mean feat. We kept our reservations at Flying L Ranch and planned to drive the 2 hours west on race morning - our start had been moved back to 10 am so that was helpful. Krystn and Tammy went down together, while I went direct from work. We had an early pasta dinner in Paps at Bandera and then relaxed in our cabin watching The Cain Mutiny. Good film, I'd never seen it before. We all got a good sleep and the drive down was unevenful although the 8 miles of dirt road was a bit of a pain in a Prius C!!

We just about had enough time to get our chips on and visit with Dawn and her 15 year-old son who was running the 25K as well (and smoked it). Then it was time to start. The course was complicated, with multiple switch-backing loops, but the markings were good and the funneling of people in and out of X-Roads aid station solid. The first two segments were around 5 miles each, with the third and fourth about 3 and 2 miles. The course takes you up and over ridges and through woods. Narrow, technical single track trail. For the most part the course was good. The only thing I did not like was the 2-way traffic on the stalk of the lollipop route. It was a bit frustrating to constantly have to adjust for others. But most of the time the runners were pretty chill about it, which was nice to see. Nobody was being a jerk! I went well for about 7 miles, OK for the next 4, but at mile 11 I started to struggle a bit. I had not taken care of electrolyte balance well enough in the beginning, and although I made an effort to fix it, it started to catch up to me. The last part where I was looking for the 25K split was a bit of a trial. I was convinced I must have missed the turn but knew I probably needed to trust myself to not have missed it. I was right and got to it with less than a mile to go. I ended up 8th of 18 in my age group. I had wanted to get inside 4 hours, but the course was for sure harder than Bandera, so I ended up with a 4:37. I'll take it.

Now onto roads and sand for Badwater Cape Fear!!

Strength Training

As I've said in a previous post I've joined Travis County Strength to help me get stronger. I have been appalled at my level of weakness! As a competitive rower I've always perceived myself as strong. However, there's a reason for the phrase "Use it, or lose it!" I had not used it, and had lost it! Taekwondo helped slow the descent but once I stopped that the rot really set in. Can't do push ups anymore!

So now I'm lifting barbells. Squat, deadlift, overhead press. Plus other weird stuff like hefting stones, pushing or pulling sleds, and bag carries.

Doing a squat (especially) correctly is not easy. I am learning though. My goal is 240 lbs; it might take years or I may never get there. Currently I have done 80 lbs in a back squat, and 100 lbs in a box squat. 130 lbs for a deadlift. 60 lbs for a push press. None of these are large numbers. I train with women who can lift more than twice this much, and men who shift mind-boggling weight. And they get right down in the squat (ass to grass). I'd rather do lighter weight through full range of motion than heavier weight in a half squat, but getting down there is not easy.

Of course there's running as well - Mosaic for me and Phoebe next weekend.

Jack's Generic Tri

I always seem to be nervous for triathlons. More so than anything else I do I ponder why I am there at the start. Why do I do this to myself? I am definitely out of my comfort zone. However, once I get started its all OK. My race went fine. I worked hard on the bike and the run. I enjoyed seeing friends - some were surprise encounters as I had no idea they'd be there. Kippers, Staci, Chuck and Jon. Tammy had a difficult day so we are both glad to now focus on Bandera.

Resurrection of the blog

We are well beyond the 100 miles. 6 years on in fact. Going to restart the blog with a few entries looking forward.

Next up are:
Jack's Generic Tri - Austin August 26
Bandera 25k - Bandera TX Jan 6, 2019
Cape Fear 50k North Carolina Mar 16 2019
Grand Teton redo WY July/Aug 2019

I have returned to my love of mountains and trails. But to keep doing these I have to be stronger. I have joined a strength training group at Travis County Strength. The trainers, Jen and Travis, are awesome. If I'm consistent there is no doubt I will get stronger.

On a completely different topic I am excited and hopeful to see Imran Khan is now PM of Pakistan. Go Imran!

Post Olympic high

My vacation in the UK is over, and what a vacation it was. I promise to post some pictures soon when I've got them off the camera and iPhone but wanted to get some thoughts down.


I am passionate about the Olympic Games wherever they are held, but to have them in London was so special for me. I love London - always have, always will and I was thrilled to see the resurgence of modern architecture and vision in the heart of the city and out towards the East End. It is not possible to convey with words the excitement and pride going on in the UK at the moment. Our Nation also heaved a collective sigh of relief that there were no major foul-ups. There had been months of doom and gloom and the naysayers were out in force, but Seb Coe and his team got it done - and in style. As one commentator put it, it wasn't so much "I told you we could do it" as "My God, we actually pulled it off".   Acquiring tickets for the Stadium on middle Super Saturday was a wonderfully lucky pick. It was stupendous, with Mo Farah (he of the quiet extra laps in my last blog entry) putting on a consumate performance in the 10,000m to take gold. The noise when he was on the final straight went from ear-splitting to heart-stopping. And we were certainly putting in our tuppence worth. Then there was Jessica Ennis coming home for heptathlon gold in a blaze of glory winning the last event, the 800m, in front of her massed supporters. She had been built up as a "Face of the Games" by our media and has been front and center for over 2 years. When she took the first heptathlon event, the 100m hurdles, by the scruff of the neck in a new UK record I knew she meant business. How focused she was in the face of everything. Right under the stand we were in was the men's long jump and TeamGB's Greg Rutherford also took gold. I really liked that the crowd, including me Andrew and Phoebe, helped the other athletes with enthusiatic clapping for their run ups if they asked for it. Although we were partisan there was a strong sense that everyone wanted to see the best man on the night win, irrespective of nationality. And it was exciting to see Sanya Richards-Ross in the heats of the women's 400m. 

Phoebe and I also went to the Archery - where we both got to have a go!! We also went to the Taekwondo, but Phoebe said she'd rather fight than watch. It was great to see such packed crowds for most of the less followed sports. Apparently 80,000 showed up to some of the women's soccer games and I couldn't believe the crowds lining the streets for the Marathons - and piled up on the cliffs down in Weymouth for the sailing.

Other highlights for me came in the rowing, as that was my sport of choice in my 20s and 30s. Could Katherine Grainger get her gold after 3 successive silvers in Sydney, Athens and Beijing - and yes she did, and a tear or two came to my eye, not for the first or last time. Phoebe loved Gabby Douglas - what a find she was. Of course we raved over Bradley Wiggins in the time trial after he had won the Tour de France, and Andrew is growing some sideburns! Our track cyclists, men and women, were outstanding as were our Brownlees in the triathlon. David Rudisha's world record in the 800m, Mo Farah again in the 5000m. And who can forget the sprinters - the USA women and the Jamaican men. Spectacular. And there were all the human stories of athletes covered so ably by the BBC. You could watch any sport using the "red button".


We are taking a break and then it will be the Paralympics. Another, perhaps even greater, source of inspiration.
So now it is back into it for my own goal - today I signed up for Bandera 100K.

To train or not to train

Friday afternoon at work, and I was in a bit of a downish mood. I didn't want to do anything other than laze around all weekend and drink a beer or two. I had weights and two longish runs scheduled, one on trail with hills and another hard effort on the road. I wanted so badly to just blow them off. Lucky for me I was following the BBC online sports feed.

A sports commentator made the following tweet which stuck with me and changed the course of my weekend. He was talking about Mo Farah - our Brit 5,000m star athlete who was competing on Friday at Crystal Palace in London. A pre-Olympic warm up meet.

Tom Fordyce wrote:

Nice moment at Palace after stadium emptied. Mo, fresh off 5,000m win, ran 3,000m hard & then 4x200m, each in 26 secs with 200 jog recovery. And that, when no-one is watching and the lights are down, is where gold medals are won and lost.

I might not be going to win any gold medals, but what Tom wrote applies to us all. It's not enough to want to win or do a good time on race day. You've got to want it during the training sessions. So I went by the Y on my way home, did my weights, did the trail run and the road run and can now type this knowing I put the effort in to do well at Bandera and my other goal races. At least for now. Mostly I am motivated to train, but there are times when I just plain want to be lazy. I will try to remember Mo Farah, and all the other people who get out there and work hard when nobody is watching.

The ups and downs of sport

What a rollercoaster summer for British sports fans:
1) Soccer: England lose on penalties in the Euro cup
2) Murray gets to Wimbledon singles final
3) Marray wins in the Mens Doubles
4) Murray can't hold off Fed - no disgrace there tho
5) England whitewash the Aussies in the one day cricket - sorry Amanda if you're reading ;)
6) Adam Gemili does 10.05 to win world junior 100m
7) Wiggo holding the yellow jersey in TdF (and Froomey not far behind)

and the Olympics is still to come!!

Speeding up - slowly

2nd place in age group tonight at the Sunstroke Summer Stampede at Brushy Creek 5k. Tried to get under 29 mins but just missed it. Very humid after the rain. I tell you I have forgotten how to really push over a short distance. I'm so used to conserving energy for the long haul. There was just one point tonight where I felt sick, and I thought "Oh yeah, I remember that feeling." Need to work harder at working harder. But I'm enjoying this and it is great to be done with a race in less than half an hour!

Toenails

At last - the second toenail on the left is off. I only pulled it a little bit, honest. The right came off last week. Perhaps they'll grow back less like claws this time. Too much information? It's all part of the game on this blog, so get used to it.

Here's a link to my 100 miler report on the Hill Country Trail Runners website.

http://hillcountrytrailrunners.net/docs_reports/Kettle-Moraine-100-mile-run-Julia-Gale.htm


Also, check out my coach's awesome blog Run More Talk Less (which is a pretty funny name if you know her)

http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.com/

Here's what the timing people said:

We've researched your issue. It looks like they unfortunately may have given you the wrong bib number. You were originally assigned 2187, and it looks like you ran with 2287. Your time was 29:14, and did place you 3rd in your AG. We will update the results online.

So that's good. Got a little chest infection going on. Will take it easy this weekend and do my social networking!

Alright then. Time to resurrect the blog - on Olga's instructions. Latest is that I got diddled out of 3rd place at the Lago Vista Firecracker 5k 'cos my chip didn't work :( Actually I don't care that much, but I'd like to know my time. I can never seem to remember to stop my watch in races - what a dimwit I am.

Lots to follow this summer. Paul and Meredith doing the 100 Slam and IM Kona, Cheryl Zwarkowski attempting a Badwater Triple, Josh Winter doing his first 100 at Leadville. And Andrew doing his second IM in 3 weeks. Did I miss anything out? And then there's the Olympics. We have tix for Taekwondo, Archery and Track&Field.

But first I have to get through the weekend of Wimbledon. Just like a number 9 bus ......we don't get anyone in the finals for ages and then 2 come along together. Murray and Marray.

18 miles in the rain and mud

Today I had to ramp up the miles to 18. This will be the longest run I will get in for the 50K. Not long enough really, but it'll have to do. Today was hard because it was very muddy, and the mud balls up on the shoes, you slide around, and feet get wet. So it's like doing the run with ankle weights on. But I did 4hr 23ish, which was at 14.38 average pace. So actually I was quite happy as that's an improvement on the 25K. PLus I don't feel completely beaten up, which is good because the 50K is in 2 weeks. Next weekend will be another taper!

A Race

Thinking of switching the A-race from Old Dominion to Kettle Moraine (same weekend). KM is in Wisconsin and has a 30-hour cutoff.

Wild Hare 25K

My first race in the trail series leading up to the 100 was disappointing. I made basic errors like going out too fast, then allowing others to push me along despite my best efforts to slow down. The first has to do with optimism: wow I'm feeling great today, if I do this pace I'll get a PR. The second has to do with ego: Would you like to pass me? No - you're setting a great pace. Thinks OK - I'm great at setting a good pace (despite the fact it is still too fast). Thankfully my next race is only 3 weeks away so I will remember this lesson, especially as in a 50K I would really pay for going out too fast.

Then it was humid. I got cramp in my calves, which is very rare for me. I semi-fixed it with electrolyte tablets but should have realized it before it became a problem. To be fair I wasn't the ony one. Quite a few people dropped from the longer races.

So I just hung there for a slow time of 3hr 46min. Just over 15 min/mile pace. This is too slow for just 25K when I'm wanting to do 100 miles. However, the 2 weeks before the race were really bad for race prep (work and sick child) and I'm not 100% either - I have some kind of ongoing stomach issue (probably same as Phoebe). I knew something was wrong around mile 4, when my water bottle felt awkward and heavy and I kept having to switch hands. I never normally even notice I've got it. Then my whole core and stomach started feeling stiff and tight. I ate a ginger remedy and that helped the stomach some.

Need to just move on to the next race now, and try to remember the lessons learned.

One Year On

On Monday it will be a year since my half Ironman. Quite a bit happened, much of it not good (athletic activity wise). Just after the race was over I developed plantar fasciitis. Never had it before but it hurt. I tried active release and massage but that didn't cut it, so I went to a podiatrist who gave me a cortisone shot (I was up all night afterwards - couldn't sleep at all). He also taped my foot. It did feel better after this so I had it taped for Bandera and decided I'd probably drop at the end of loop one (50K) but I'd see how I felt. The foot wasn't too bad but the rest of me was complaining so drop I did. I asked Joe if I could switch from 100 to 50 miles for Rocky Racoon, and he was cool with that. But 5 miles in I rolled my ankle really badly and had to stop. I spent a month in a boot and two more weeks in a soft brace. Then I started running again. Podiatrist said I should never run on trails and never further than a half Marathon :( So I went to physical therapy and they helped me a lot. I ran a couple 5k races in the blistering heat of August. Then I decided that what I had done training-wise for the last two years was not up to the task. I'd had several DNFs and was picking up injuries. So I decided to get a coach (Olga Varlamova). She has many 100 milers under her belt. So I'm 10 weeks in to her training program. It was unfortunate that last weekend I was supposed to race a half marathon on the road but it got cancelled becasue of the storms in the pre-race hours. So I'm signed up for Warda 25K as a substitute. Then ther will be some 50 ks and a couple 50 milers before the A-race in June: Old Dominion. I will post sporadically to let you know how I'm doing. I got an early birthday present from Andrew and Phoebe; a Garmin watch and heartrate monitor so now I can make my training sessions more effective.

The Rest

Once over the finish line it was time to grab some food and drinks and get the gear bags. Luckily for me Andrew had got my bike already. We had to sit in the traffic jam for a while to get out of the Expo Center but I took the time to get my brand new birthday present compression socks on. They look naff but they really do work. I then cracked open a pickle juice and a bag of crisps (I should have taken 5 pkts at the food tent while I was at it). I got a pencil and the back of an envelope and started the birding challenge. I had forgotten all about it earlier when I could have got some ducks on the lake. First up was a black vulture.

8 birds later and we were at NXNW. We found some friends inside but decided to snag the tables outside to allow for more folks to show up. We ended up pretty much taking over that area. It was great - close enough to the oompah band to hear them but far enough away to be able to chat with frinds, many of whom I only get to see occasionally. I had a couple of beers and enjoyed the time there. All too soon it was time to roll and get back to Lago for party #2. This would have been the time to have a second pickle juice but I was feeling rather full.

We had to stop to pick up the pizzas on the way home. A few folks were already at the house plus my family so I got outside 5 slices pdq and cracked open another beer. Then it was time to do my slideshow about being a geologist, quickly followed by the lighting of candles on my 5 cupcakes (in the center of the massive tray of 50). 2 cupcakes devoured I had to wash sticky fingers and play my violin. I had a very appreciative audience of 5 and 6 year olds who took to dancing and capering about. The adults listened politely! Then someone asked about car washing and Andrew mentioned push ups. I summarily dismissed those as stupid ideas and did the bedtime story instead. It ws then bedtime for the kids (and me) and I decided I was done.

Next up for me will be Bandera 100K and another bash at Rocky Raccoon 100 miles.

The Race

Living in Lago Vista meant a 3.30 am alarm on race morning. Ugh. We had done bike drop off and packed all the gear the day before so all we had to do was to eat breakfast and get down to the race. Transition set up and body marking was done by 6.30 am so then we just sat around in the dark, freezing and waiting for the sun to come up. My wave was due off at 7.40 am, ten minutes after the pros. Andrew had to wait another hour.

At 7.20 am I ditched my sweater and flip flops in the morning clothes drop-off bag and headed down to the start. They had people parachuting in with the colors while the national anthem was sung over a PA system. Just as the lady got to the ‘free’ in ‘Land of the Free’ the power went out. The gathered masses filled in the last missing line and watched the ‘bouncy castle’ arch over the Swim Start slowly deflate. It seemed an ill omen but the timing clock was still working and unfazed officials started the race on time.

As our lilac-capped wave of old (50+) and young (18-25) ladies inched down into the ‘on deck’ position I wondered about the wisdom of starting such a venture. But there was no turning back now. I edged out into the lake toward the outer part of the group away from the marker buoys. They counted down and we were off. The swim is a strange event. I have no fear of it and have no doubt I can do the distance but it is nonetheless unpleasant. It is impossible to get into a rhythm. As soon as you do someone swims into you or you into them. Plus I had to defog my goggles several times. My freestyle is rubbish but it is the only practical stroke in a pack. So I swam that unless I was in the open when I did my breaststroke, which is much more efficient for me, as fast as my freestyle, I can see where I’m going and I don’t get worn out. After five minutes I heard the wave behind start. These were 45-49 men so I knew I’d get caught. I kept out of their way to the right of the buoys. After a bit they did catch up, and then the yellow caps of the 45-49 women, and then the next group and so on. I rounded the first buoy and checked my watch – I was about where I thought I’d be time wise so got my head down and kept going. After rounding the next buoy I started swallowing water every so often. “Concentrate” I barked at myself. But rather than being lack of concentration I think it was just that the waves were coming at a different angle. By this time I was thinking “I’m fed up with this I want to be done with this swim”. Not too much later I was out of the water and running up the ramp to T1. Just inside 55 minutes – almost exactly what I had predicted based on training times.

My transition was slow. I don’t have tri-gear so I was swimming in my costume and had to get it off and put bike shorts and a shirt on. We all have to dry feet and get bike shoes on but concerning my efforts “more haste, less speed” springs to mind. Helmet on, I got a nice man with sunscreen coated gloves to put sunscreen on my face and arms and I was off on the bike leg. Once I got going I looked down to check the speed, but my little bike computer had gone. “Bloomin’ heck”, I thought, “somebody’s nicked it”. But Andrew told me after that as it only cost $10 that was highly unlikely and that it had probably been knocked off somehow. “Oh well”, I thought, “just ignore it – it doesn’t actually directly affect speed so just pay attention to the mile markers”. So I settled in to do a steady 15 miles per hour or so that would get me just inside 4 hours and not leave me too tired for the run. I used Perpetuum in my bottles. I like that in ultra runs and hadn’t had any time to experiment with anything else. I had a few gels with me also. At the first aid station at mile 12 I was busting for a wee so I got off here, took care of it in a nice pink Port-a-Potty and then took the opportunity to have a gel and a quick hamstring stretch. Off I went feeling much better. The rest of the bike went fine, if a little slowly. The only problem was that I got a fair bloat on which was pretty uncomfortable from the halfway mark on. But I managed the electrolytes and fluids carefully to not push it over the edge while still keeping somewhat hydrated. I know from ultrarunning that these things can usually be managed if you pay attention. Many hundreds passed me, but I just let them go. Andrew had told me not to try too hard on the bike so that I had something left for the run. It was good advice. Towards the end of the bike I was passed by a lot of guys in the 25-29 age group. But I caught loads of them back up on the run, even though I was going pretty slowly. Andrew passed me about halfway round the bike course. He looked to be going well. I was glad that I rode the course a few weeks ago. Even though they have markers every 5 miles it helped to have an idea where I was on the course. So I finished in 3.51 breathing a sigh of relief that there were no mechanicals and no flats.

Off with the bike shorts and on with the running shorts and I was away on the run. I thought at that point that I should be close to 71/2 hours. But running after the bike is always harder than I bargain for. I walked for the first 5 minutes to get the feeling back into the legs and then tried to run the downhills and flats and walk the ups. The bloating was still a problem but I kept working at it. Then I noticed a pre-cramp feeling in my right outer calf. I never normally cramp. So at the next aid station I forced a bit of banana down, and a couple salty prezels. I kept drinking the PowerAde they had. I kept on this banana and prezel habit every 3 miles or so until I was done. Plus I had a couple gels. I would have had more but I was still pretty bloated and couldn’t fit much more in. It was quite hot on the run so I did use the iced water sponges quite a bit. I figured managing the body temperature would help decrease the sweating which would help with hydration and electrolyte balance. Plus it felt nice. Andrew passed me again when he had 3 miles to go and I had another loop left. On the second loop I knew it was going to be touch and go to get inside 8 hours. I couldn’t believe I was so slow, but there it was. So I tried to push along as hard as I could. The result was almost even loops (the 2nd just 21 seconds slower than the 1st), but I just missed the 8 hours by a little over a minute. Anyway I was done and was happy to get the finishers medal. Not too bad for a woman of 50.

I enjoyed the race a lot and it was well organized, but I have to say there was one thing I hated about it – the unbelievable amount of trash generated. It was way beyond anything I have seen at any other race. I wonder if any of it gets recycled. I might just see if I can do something about that.

The Thing Is Done - I’m Halfway

I had a great and memorable day and I was exhausted after. I’m halfway to a hundred. I plan to keep up the pace for as long as I can. Use it or lose it is the saying.

Here’s the Challenge breakdown. For those wanting a blow by blow account that will follow. As you can see some tasks were accomplished, some not:

Half Ironman Triathlon Check
Pickle Juice 1 out of 5 (no excuse)
Rendezvous with friends at NXNW Check
Beer drinking 2 pints and 1 can (of target 5, no excuse)
Cars washed Zero (flat out refused to do it)
Gardening Too dark
Pizza slices eaten Five – check
Bags of crisps eaten 1 pkt of 5 (forgot to buy them)
Cup cakes made 50 (cheated - Norma and Phoebe did it)
Cup cakes eaten 2 of 5
Violin playing At least 5 minutes – check
Talking about my work At least 5 minutes - check
Reading of bedtime story Check (although much less than 50 mins)
Taekwondo forms Clean forgot – chalk that up to senility
Reading of Shakespeare None – no excuse
Push ups and sit ups Too tired
Knitting None – brain too addled to follow pattern
Bird species seen and positively identified 8 (of target 25)

Looking at it another way I:

Got up at 3.30 am, ate breakfast, rode in the van with Andrew to Travis County Expo Center, got bodymarked and organized gear in 2 transition areas, sat around freezing, swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles, ran 13.1 miles, picked up gear ate a bag of crisps, drank a pickle juice, rode in the van to NXNW doing birdwatching (got 8 species), drank 2 pints Hefeweissen, hung out with friends, rode home in van, picked up pizzas, hung out with friends at party #2, ate 5 slices of pizza, drank a can of Fat Tire, played several tunes on the violin, admired the fantastic job Norma and Phoebe did with the cupcakes, enjoyed my Happy Birthday song with candles, ate 2 cupcakes, did a Powerpoint show about me being a geologist, told people there was no way I’d wash their cars, read a bedtime story to everyone, said good bye to guests, put Phoebe to bed………and ran out of steam.

Thanks to all who came to the parties to help celebrate and to those who sent well wishes before and after. And most of all to my family, who helped, encouraged and supported this piece of self-indulgence. And well done to Andrew who did a great time – a PR by a lot - and who did all the driving and picked up my bike at the end.

If in doubt give it a go

So I did 20 miles on the bike and a 3 mile run this am. Felt a bit rusty but the back didn't seem to affect it. In fact it feels a bit better. So now mentally I feel much better and will go with what I've got. Will send out party invitations later.