Mt Washington for the third time! There is magic in that mountain!

Mount Washtington Road Race 2017

The big day, Saturday the 17th of June 2017, the weather wasn't as chilly as we expected, I still packed extra layers and wore a long sleeve and a short sleeve figuring once I broke the tree line the wind would be there and I would need sleeves, the last two times this has been the case.

Nothing was usual about this race.  

Power hike pace started early and wasn't disappointed I did this, I got passed by people, I passed people, the crowd thinned.  I did notice that people with other people had more energy.  Seems about right.  

Interestingly, I was back and forth with #37 Ron Johnston a superior runner to me in all aspects.....  not exactly sure why he was in my pace group, but he crossed the finish (2:31) turned around and walked back down this hill.  Probably some super runner training program! 

After breaking the tree line and the cold wind (or any for that matter) wasn't there it was clear this was going to be a death march.... 

I looked longingly at all the snow still in the ravines in the distance.

To relieve the pain that started in my hip at mile 3 I did a lot of marching backward and then forward to take the pressure off my right hip, that did seem to do the trick!

Taking off my long sleeved shirt at the beginning of the dirt section (mile 5 when it was clear there would be no cooling breeze) resulted in me managing to lose the only pair of sunglasses I have ever liked.  I never did feel much cooler.

Finally hearing the car horns in the distance helped to make me not want to hurl myself off the side of the mountain.

My A goal was to break 2:30 (19:44 or less pace).  My B goal was a 20 minute pace, this would get me about 2:32 I was 20:08 and 2:33.  

Full results here

Mark, Jason, Me, Peter, Ro (in front)
Peter placed first in his Age Group!

I think the best part of the wall was seeing Leslie, stopping to talk, she suggested I may want to finish the race first.  All I had to navigate was the wall, and I was NOT looking forward to that climb.  That's probably the minute I lost, ha ha ha!!

Just after, Steve got some great photos and said he drank all my beer.  I said he was a dead man.  The spectators laughed.  That energized me, only enough to miserably soldier at a 21% grade to the finish. 

I am a class act!
Photo by Steve

Ro cheered me on.  

Photo by Ro before the race, I can't find the one she took I must have really looked bad!!

Mark was there and behind him was Mindy who I was so hoping to meet in person.  Got a little more lively and I was mere steps from the finish line.  (Ro in the background)

Photo by Mark Gravell
My Maternal Grandfather always said do something interesting for the camera.

I couldn't even muster up the energy to RUN across the finish line.  I crossed, grabbed the blanket they were trying to put around me, I totally did not need a blanket, and someone put a medal around my neck.  

Photo by Mindy Randall
Bloated and ready to collapse 

All in all a fun race.  

By the time I got back to the car, saw the illustrious Scott Mason, and chatted a bit with Rachel I was clearly not in a good place and needed to barf, but there was nothing to barf.  I got some Gatorade from teammate Peter and that helped a bit, sat in the car fidgeted a lot and managed to feel less like I was going to die or have the dry heaves.

Finally, we got moving, on the ride down we clicked off the 5,000 ft mark and traffic stopped....  I got out as I was surely going to barf now.  I felt much better. At 4,000 feet  I was hungry,  at 3,000 feet I was hoping Steve really didn't drink all my beer.  

OMG I have no idea what was the problem, the heat, the dehydration the lack of replenishing with salt tabs (I seriously need to remember this from the ultra, that got me through the last 9 miles)... dunno, but it was awful and very upsetting.  Really more upsetting than anything.

We had a turkey dinner from Hart's and socialized until we got kicked out, it was the mini convention, they were going to the top to watch the sunset.

This was really a watershed experience for me, all my self-doubt (ok not ALL but a lot) seemed to vanish as the seconds and minutes and hours passed after I crossed the finish line.  

I can't be exactly sure what rejuvenated my spirit, something certainly did.  From the point of vomiting forward, I've been exceptionally upbeat and disgustingly perky.  

There is magic in that mountain!

Video of the race and the winners, they actually RAN !!!  Mount Washington Video 2017

Sincerely,

Beth, hoping whatever valley she's been lolling about in for far too long is solidly in the past. 

Oh yeah, and 6/17/17 was my and the Imaginary Husbands 17th wedding anniversary.  There has been nothing conventional about our relationship from the moment we met in 1997; it seemed fitting I was barfing my guts out at about the time we exchanged wedding vows 17 years earlier, ha ha!!

Weekly Recap: 6/12/2017 - 6/18/2017

Hopefully most of you followed the stream of consciousness of my blog last week, that happens when so much awesome stuff happens in a short period of time and I don’t make the time to do a proper reflection.

Monday the heatwave was due to start, anything over 70F is a heatwave to me so I spend most of June – August pretty miserable, less miserable if the humidity is lower, miserable none the less, sometimes a little heat rage rears its ugly head and I have to remind myself it’s not about me and move through it.  Ro and I had plans to walk before she taught spin class.  And when Ro and I walk it isn’t a casual lollygagging stroll, it’s a 14 minute pace, a power walk.  Slowing things down can be good in the long run for endurance and I can’t talk and run so well and we have a lot to talk about so we power walk.   I figured I could get my run in after and have a 10K at the end of the day.

I felt pretty warmed up (ha ha) by the time the run started.  It actually went pretty well, I was shocked.  I didn’t feel like cutting it short or walking.  Hmmmmm

Gus went to the Vet and get some dental work done.  Poor guy was born with a bad set of teeth and gums, so the last 4 may or may not have to come out.  In the pre-sedation check, the Vet discovered an irregular heartbeat, a normal thing in Boxers.  It’s not a surprise, it isn’t happy news, it is something we can manage through medication.  She will do some further testing on him to see what is going on inside that big old boxer boy chest of his.

This was our first outing to the beach, he looks so young!!

I took him on a short walk in the heat, yeah, a dog with a ‘heart condition’ he wanted to go.  This is what we do after dog dinner and people dinner; we go for a walk, so we did.

Tuesday is not a running day and it was hotter, I was glad to be in the icy gym for a circuit class, push-ups, weighted squats, burpees, shoulder press, mountain climbers, bicep curls, and triceps timed 3 minutes with a partner, 10 reps of each then your partner goes and you rest, when a minute left to go reduce to 5 reps of each.  It was fun, I got in an extra 5 reps on each, my partner seemed to think that was pretty ok.  I don’t know why it worked out that way, it just did.  Planked, and got a somewhat healthy lunch…

Dave was gone when I got home from work so I went for a bike ride down by the ocean.  That was nice and cool and there was surprisingly little traffic out.  That added more joy into my ride!



A nice icy shower with all the ceiling and box fans going made everything much better until the Imaginary Husband came home and turned off all the fans, “they make me have a sore throat”.  Um AC does that to me…. So I guess we sit and sweat.   Wahhh wahhhh wahhhh.  See, heat rage… it’s a thing.  And yeah, I'm not an easy person to be around ALL the time.

This is how it feels to me above 70....

Wednesday, while a running day was also a NY day, I got on the train with plenty of time to be in NYC before the meeting I was guiding someone through and wouldn’t you know, 90-minute delay because of a suspicious bag hanging off the 138th Street Bridge in the Bronx.  Good grief…  Of course, we need to be careful and everything has to be inspected and properly disposed of.  I was on one of the old train cars, no electrical outlets.  Thankfully I had fully charged my work and my personal phones.  Work was crazy with trying to figure out who was where and where our presenters in NYC or en-route…  I was very thankful that everyone on the train remained calm, this really impressed me.  For certain there was nothing anyone could do when the conductor announced we were stopped for an indefinite amount of time.  People busied themselves with their devices and making other arrangements for whatever needed to be done first thing in the morning.  Truly impressive, I was honestly concerned what could happen with a mass of people in a confined railroad car, I may have regained just a smidgen of hope for society.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Police-Activity-Stops-Metro-North-Traffic-at-138th-Street-428400163.html

Gus got a short walk, he is allowed those, after a discussion on what a short walk meant we decided a mile was short considering he usually does 3.  He has a mass on his heart and went on Thursday for a series of tests to see what they can discover.

I know Thursday isn't a running day, but I didn't run or do much on Wednesday, I ran at lunch, the weather was perfect, I think even my heat and humidity loving friends would agree, no?  Boy oh boy, that felt good, perfect temperature, breeze, humidity.  I should have done a long run!  Didn't have enough time, I was meeting with the current boss, the hopeful future boss, and future teammate, I needed to be timely!

Gus had quite the day, his abdominal ultrasound was 'unremarkable' this translates to if the mass on his heart is a hemangiosarcoma it has not metastasized into his abdominal cavity.  Good news.   He was fitted with a Holter monitor and I picked him up after work and he was glad to see one of his hoomans.  Not so much for the car ride home, though...  For 24 hours we note what he is up to and the techs that read the results from his 24-hour monitor can identify what is going on with his heart.

The leads disconnected and we reconnected the monitor wasn't one had to fix that.  We will see what sort of data this gives the vet....

I had put on new tires on Ruby and was eager to test them out.  We went on a quick 7-mile spin on Friday morning, and while I really wanted to get in a real ride (20 miles) there wasn't really time for that, I should have made the time, I did not.

I left for New Hampshire a little later than I wanted to, but it ended up being fine.  I made it to the hotel to meet up with everyone on time.  Got our bibs, went to dinner, and to sleep to be picked up at 6:30 a.m.  It was nice to take Friday off, and not have to mess around with work.  Nothing much has been going on lately.

Saturday was Mount Washington, I'm going to give that its own post.  It was a watershed race for me, as I'm coming to realize.

Drove home on Sunday met by two lonely dogs, got Gus out for a short stroll and called the week.

Mileage:

Feet:  23
Saddle: 27

It was a very low mileage week, between travel and the race I didn't get much time in the saddle or on my feet.  I'm good with that.

Books:

I am loving "America's First Daughter"  Martha 'Patsy' Jefferson Randolph was a force to be reckoned with!  The book is about Thomas Jefferson in parts, Martha mostly, and of course Sally Hemmings.  It is a romanticized version of history, I'm not fooled, however, I am really appreciating the writing and the narration of Patsy's life as the First Daughter.  Jefferson may have written all men are created equal, he didn't live that sentiment.  Like him or not, he was a founding father.

This is a long one so I'm not sure when I'll be done or what is up next.  I'm thinking Ulysses.  I've never been able to get through that one.  Maybe now is the right time.  I like Joyce's writing.

Knitting:

I wove in the ends on the sweater and haven't started anything or frogged anything.  I need to have a think about this and perhaps finish up some UFOs (UnFinished Objects) sew buttons on baby sweaters, block scarves, that sort of thing...

Definitely, need to find homes for a backlog of baby sweaters.

Sincerely,

Beth, a very impactful week, even with the light mileage!

Mt. Washington Auto Road Race - 2015 - Recap

I did this last year.  Recap here. It was fun to scan through my recap from 2014 and look at the pictures and remember my thoughts.

The main difference between 2014 and 2015?  Fitness and Attitude.

This year, it was more fun, a little slower, a lot warmer, a lot clearer, and much much more painful. 

As I ran/power hiked up the mountain I recalled certain points where in 2014 I was so hard on myself.

I didn’t do that this year. Guess what I've come to the realization:

• I’m not Joe Gray or Kim Dobson.  
• Living in the relative flat of Rhode Island, which actually is hilly compared to where I grew up in Michigan, is a training challenge.
• This is not my job, I don’t do this for a living; I run and have adventures for fun, stress relief, and therapy. 
• I enjoy the adventure for the sake of adventure and I'm not taking away from anyone's experience. (Years ago, I read a post by EJN, it hit a nerve/chord/something.  Every time I read it I get a different take away.  Mainly I vowed to not be a tourist in races, I still don’t think I am, yet am I?  I know the post was part satire, however there is some truth to satire.)
• Taking in the  scenery was key!  The day was crystal clear at the bottom and all the way to the top.  This is a very rare occurrence.   

This was the day before

 

 

• Talking to various people as they would catch up to me and then move on at a faster pace than me is a great part of the experience.  Sang a couple rounds of “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”; we got to 97 and decided that we were probably wasting energy. It was fun though!!
• This race requires getting puppy power, meeting up with a Vizsla/Wire Haired terrier mix pup, OMG adorbs!! With the sleek Vizsla body and the fuzzy beard, kinda looked like Seth! Really perked me up.

Did I train for this?  Yes, I did hill work, 10 sets, once a week for 3 months, was that enough, no not really. Twice a week would have been better. Should I have mixed in long runs? Yes, most definitely, this would have helped with the glute issues starting in mile 2.

2014 I was a month out from my first 50K (Yes I’m still saying first, there may be a second) and I was in great shape.  Granted my lungs were rebelling on me for most of that spring.  I sucked up the Albuterol and gave it my best. My body though was through the ringer with the 50K and probably mostly repaired.

2015 I walked more than I ran on a weekly basis, but I did hills.  I can’t judge my level of fitness, however my attitude is much better,  I have realized I am not a competitor, I enjoy the race for the run and the personal challenge, some people may not be OK with that, I am.  I’m working on tossing out the comments from the egotistical narcissists who believe if you aren’t half dead by the time you cross the finish line you are something less than them.  As Jennifer tells me “Don’t engage.”  I’m not.  Water off a ducks back, besides they only care about my opinion if it is how great they are; not my opinion in general, so why should I let theirs keep me up at night or ruffle my feathers?

So the race.

This year you could pick up your bib the night before or the morning of the race, we still opted to pick it up the night before.  The group broke up for the meal which was kind of a bummer.  I latched on to Steve, his son Brandon, and Brandon’s friend Cully (short for Culvert, IKR? It’s a family name, and he seemed to have also inherited wisdom with the name).  We went to a local restaurant, The Scarecrow for pasta.  Nice to see a lot of people come over and talk to Steve about the farm and what not and see how much Brandon, he just turned 18 and graduated High School, has grown and watch him recite his college plan.   Youth is wasted on the young.

We had a filling pasta dinner and some ice cream and they dropped me off at the 1785 B&B and they went off to the NH house, letting me know they’d be by at 6:45 a.m. and we’d get coffee along the way.  Fine by me, I’m liking this switch to coffee from Diet Coke.  I’ll tell ya though all those things they say will change when you stop drinking it, not so much.  I had a wicked detox headache for a week or two but none of the rest of the bloat or sleeplessness or anything went away.  Huh…

The morning of the race, it was clear this was going to be a beautiful day, I was up about 5 a.m. with the sunrise (no damn rooster) and could see Mt. Washington from my open window, yes the temps dipped into the 30s overnight and it was a lovely chilly in my cozy room.

See how clear it was!!

 

On time were Steve and the boys, Dunkin Donuts was mobbed, so we lost a bit of time to pick up the rest of the crew.  And then there was a 30 minute wait to get parked.  Oh wow, people were panicking and freaking out.  Drivers had to leave for the top by 8 or was it 8:30?  Where we were meeting our driver?  Does any have any cell service?  Should we get out and walk?  Chaos was begining.  All I can think is my brother who likes to wave his arms and shout “EVERYBODY PANIC” when this happens.  

What happened?  The driver was right where he should be, everyone got their stuff situated, and he zipped into line to take the truck to the top (this was how we were getting down). 

Now was time for the pre-race rituals and then lining up.

The usual suspects!
Me , Mark, Don
Steve, Ro

The gun went off at 9 a.m. right on time and off everyone went, this was the only down-hill in the whole uphill race.  My group was ahead at their breakneck pace, I know enough to conserve energy for later on!

I wanted to remember to get a pic at each of the 1,000 foot marks.  I managed a few, not all.  So funny to see the differences in the weather between the two years!

So clear!

Selfie, note this post is NOT securely put in the ground, I nearly toppled down the mountain!!
This was completely fogged over last year!

It was clear all the way to the top, as I’d look back and over the side I could see all the way to the parking lot and to the forest below depending on which side of the mountain we were on.   Spectacular!

Mile 2 my glutes started tightening up.  I tried to ignore it. Thought well maybe I need some water a GU?  What is going on, the only other time my glutes have done this was about mile 25 in the 50K (31 miles).  It was uncomfortable and as I climbed further and further, ran when I was able, it got worse and worse.  I think this is the lack of distance running and proper care for my IT bands?  Dunno…  Hiking/Marching backwards helped relieve some of the pain, but gave me a bit of vertigo and twisted my tummy, huh, well shit.

Getting to the halfway point (mile 3.8) you are greeted with breathtaking views.  These help to ignore the pain.  And I know thinking about it just makes it worse.  I wish I would have brought my iPod to distract my brain.  I tried counting games, multiplication tables, anything to distract my brain that wanted to zero in on the ever tightening glute muscles that were throbbing with every push up hill.

One of the guys I’d been running with found the camera along the way and did sort of a crazy dance in front of it.  Red shirt Brown socks.  I’ll have to find that and look for him.  I think Scott Mason or Joe Vigor got a great picture of him at the finish.

I made it.  I was back and forth for the last mile with a woman in a brown shirt.  I get crazy legs at the end and in the chute and I was gaining on her. I was not going to pass her, I couldn’t do that, I got her attention and said, “You’ve got this, lets cross together, I’m not going to pass you.”  She smiled through whatever her pain was and in synch we stepped on that timing mat together.  I looked at the results (here) and we were to the second the same time.  I didn’t have it in my heart to wiz past her, that isn’t what this was about for me.

Looking back, at the ½ way point I was at 1:05, if the second half was like the first half I could make my 2:20 I thought to myself.  I gave it a go for a few more miles, still enjoying the scenery and the people around me.  It became evident 2:20 wasn’t going to happen, then 2:30 wasn’t going to happen.  What was going to happen was I was getting one of those nifty blankets and a medal (I’ve managed to lose the medal – the first one I’ve ever lost, oh well).  And no it wasn’t a plastic one it was a metal one because anyone who starts and finishes this deserves a metal medal.  No, really.

Cully explained to me, that no, just because I, the old lady, could do this it didn’t mean anyone could.    You have to want it.  So much wisdom for a 16 year old, after I got over the shock, I agreed, yes, yes Cully you are right, thank you.

See Maine in the background?  You could see for miles and miles and miles - GORGEOUS!!

The next day the mountain was socked in....

Sincerely,
Beth, while youth is wasted on the young sometimes the young teach us valuable lessons if we listen.

P.S.  My medal was found! 

Of all the medals in my collection, this one and my first Marine Corps are the ones I cherish.   I earned that medal in a lot of way, I didn't get frustrated with myself, I let the race unfold as it was going to unfold, I didn't get frustrated with myself, I enjoyed the experience, I didn't get frustrated with myself, I took in the beauty of New Hampshire and the views from each step from the bottom to the top are imbedded in my brain, I didn't get frustrated with myself.