New Haven Road Race - 20K - Recap

What is that my husband says when I used to run in and down load my runs to Strava, oh yeah,  "If it's not on Strava it didn't happen".  I was considering going with that this race.  But damn I did run the miles and I don't consider any miles "junk" "recovery" or what ever term is used for what amounts to a run not in the pace you usually have, miles...  So I posted my run.  Well that and the Garmin 220 kinda takes care of all that for me which was a big draw to a new watch with bluetooth.  Ok I'm a data slut.  Guilty.

Then Michelle commented, and I engaged, and though well crap, I better post something, if for nothing else maybe I can add it to my stand up routine??

Background:

Thursday night was the Mohegan Striders fun run at Sneekers.  The New Haven Road Race was one of the topics. All the hooplah around the race and I really do enjoy running with and hanging out with these folks.  I figured what a fun way to spend Labor Day.  My husband took a nasty spill off his mountain bike and bruised some ribs and frankly isn't much fun to be around and has begged off every road ride for the last few months.  Plus the weather has been so great.  What an awesome way to get in my weekly long run (and get away from the grouch)!!!  I wasn't sure if I should run long the day before the century ride, perfect solution, right?  Brilliant plan, what could go wrong??

The Race:

Well I'll be running long on Saturday a.m.  this didn't pan out how I had planned.  Bummer.

Mile 3ish I grabbed some water, but it wasn't, it was UCAN and I haven't been drinking electrolyte mixes for quite a while.  It was making me more thirsty when I was biking and opted for none on the second day of the PMC and found I felt much better with plain water.  (Thanks Fred for reciting the OSU studies at the PMC!)  I haven't been taking any when I run. The taste of this didn't sit right in my usual iron gut, and kept getting worse.

And then the crowd thinned out as my pace got slower and slower and the heat got hotter and hotter and all I could smell was the cigarette smoke of the random smokers along the course.  

Before the race Tim, one of the Strider elders explained the course to me in Quadrants, and mentioned "you run by the New Haven Green" and off to the third and fourth quadrant and some hills, but not a lot of shade.

In the first 7 miles all the roads were closed to traffic, I imagine the same held true for the last 5.  That was really cool!  Rarely do you find a road race in a city, completely free of traffic. Very cool, definitely a plus to know you didn't need to worry about getting clipped by a car.

I passed by the Green the 10K mark and Mile 7.  I stopped.  I thought hmmmm...  less shade... I feel like crap....  I turned around.  

This seems to be the year of 'quitting' for me! Feh, whatever.  

I'll stick with the cat theme

It wasn't a good run and that was what it was, a run.  I was a tourist in this race and knew that going in.  A 10 mile run on Sat, 5 on Sun and 33 on the bike later on Sun was setting me up to test my limits.  7 miles under someone else's schedule was my limit.  Also puking isn't so fun and I am positive every spectator was smoking and that was turning my stomach more than the UCAN mistake.  

So there you have it!  Amazingly I didn't blow a tire on my way home so I guess Lizzie didn't disapprove of my decision?  (Lizzie, my mother's father's mother - hell on wheels pretty much, didn't give up didn't give in didn't care what other's thought Lizzie)

It's billed as a hot and humid race on Labor Day, and it delivered.  Water stops averaged every 1.5 miles and it was a good thing.  Maybe next year I'll run the whole thing?  Maybe I won't sign up?  Who knows?

Sincerely,
Beth, it's all good!  Merrily skipping along to the next thing.... 

Weekly Recap: 8/31 - 9/6 (final)

	Run	Walk	Bike	Notes
31-Aug		2.2		TRX
1-Sep	6.3	1.8
2-Sep	5.0	2.3
3-Sep	5.1	2.2
4-Sep		1.3
5-Sep	10.3	1.0
6-Sep	5.3		33.5
	32.0	10.8	33.5	Total

Wow where did the week go?  So odd for the week before a holiday weekend to go so quickly.  Then again mine was a chaotic scheduling nightmare so that may have had something to do with it!

Monday -

Back to knitting with Rory, I have one more seam to sew up on the sweater before the crochet edging begins. Rory is retiring at the end of the year, or so she says, she's said that the last two years.  Who knows if it will happen or not.  I said she can't retire till she finishes the sweater.  That didn't go over well.

Tuesday - 

Ran up to the Rainville Lot to run laps with the guys.  They were running down the hill.  Ok so I was 3 minutes late, I figured they would do an extra warm up lap and wait for me.  Oh well, it was hot and humid and miserable. They went on their merry way encouraging me to run with them.  HA! Like they want to go my pace.   I figured I'd get the 10K Strava Challenge out of the way on the first day and ran. 

Wednesday - 

Scheduling nightmare, got in to work to find that I had a Dr. Appt back home and just enough time to make it, this would mean I wasn't going to be able to run with Faith as I'd be late to work.  It would look bad to come in have a couple meetings and leave again to run.  Ended up not such a bad thing, it was even more miserable out, I ran into one of the speedy runners in the cafe and asked him how it was, miserable.  Figured I'd run something at Bluff Point on my way home either the full 7.4 mile loop or something that made up 5 miles.  I haven't been on single track in a while.  I do miss it.  It was fun to bop through the rock gardens and try and not catch my toe on raised roots.  It was much cooler than running at lunch too!! I really should get back to running this on my way home from work on Fridays like I used to not so long ago.  It really is a beautiful place to run.  

Thursday - 

Mikey was drenched and just back from speedwork, this started my doubts about this run...  then he said he took his shirt of it was that horrible.  Mikey doesn't run shirtless, my doubts doubled.  Once I got outside, it didn't feel that horrible.  It didn't seem as humid and it felt like a breeze, I stayed near the water and it wasn't as miserable a 5 miles as I though it should have been.  Weird.  

Friday - 

After a nice lobster lunch with the girls I planned on going for a bike ride.  I took a nap.  I needed it, I guess.

Saturday - 

Run with the Housewives of Narragansett.  Well they all aren't housewives, but I like the way it sounds.  Nicole, Jackie, and Mary had 18 to do.  Patti wasn't sure.  They were going to meet at 6 a.m for the 8 mile loop then the 5 mile loop and an out and back to make 18  I said I'd be there at 7:30 for the final 10 miles (I hated leaving Nicole to run alone last week - and yes I did enjoy sleeping in a bit).  I got there a little early and was getting worried I missed them, checked Nicole's truck and clearly her water stash had not been depleted they must have been a bit side tracked.  Everyone showed up.  Patti was done, she was running home, just not a good run for her.  That happens. Mary and Jackie had soccer with the kids at 10 so they met at 5 a.m. to run 5 and meet Nicole for 8 at 6 a.m. So yeah, a little side tracked, and it all worked out.  This would be the longest Jackie had ever run and she wasn't so sure she was in for the last 5.  Somehow she got sucked in along with us for the 5 mile loop and ran it quite happily.  

Their kids were back in school so there was lots to talk about with who was in who's class.  Mary, Nicole, and Jackie all have kids in first grade together.  Nicole and Jackie have sons in 4th grade together.  It was fun to hear all the stories and the drama of the bus driver sorting out who sits with who on the bus.    Listening to the mom talk is the fun part of these runs for me.  It's all very foreign and fascinating.  I never feel like I have much to add to the conversation, I don't.  I do enjoy the stories.

Gizmo has been dragging me to my car every time we go out.  I guess he wants to go somewhere so I took him on an adventure and he's been quite content since then.  Considering he usually got out once a week for a walk on the beach or too the park and dogs are very schedule driven, his schedule was off, and he was letting me know this was unacceptable.  It's hard to take him someplace with his walking issues.  I took him where there were bit open grassy areas and shade and we wandered around for a good long time and sat in the shade for a while.  It was enjoyable and he was happy to get out for an adventure.

Sunday - 

The morning run was nice, it is still dry, breezy and cool.  The sun is starting to feel good, although still strong. 

Decided to try the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen ride #60, I could pick up the course from my house instead of going to the start and the 810 is good about telling me when I'm back on course and directing from there.  Pretty nifty!

I got to the point where it's 11 miles to Westerly or go down Wintechog (yellow dot) and stayed on rte 2.  That road sucks for biking, it was the quickest way home at that point. I was getting tired and not enjoying the ride (I also woke up rather surly and the mood wasn't lifting). The rest of it looked interesting some roads I've never been on.   Actually many of the roads I had never been on.  Lantern Hill was pretty cool road, although at points I got the feeling I should be hearing banjos, it felt creepy, however a really pretty road to ride, and not very heavily traveled.  The NBW do a great job with their ride routing, I haven't done many however I've enjoyed the ones I have done.  

Sincerely
Beth, who thinks shes ready for the century next weekend, and not sure why she's feeling so surly...

Three Things Thursday

Runaway Bride:

I was asked to stand up for another runner in her wedding!  This was very unexpected and I am honored to be asked and to participate!  They will be getting married before a road race and the wedding party will run the race in matching tech shirts with the bride and the groom in their special wedding attire.  It is a second wedding for both and they are runners, seems rather fitting. 
 

Reunions:

My 30^th High School class reunion is next month; I’m not sure about going.  The people I want to see I keep in sporadic contact with the others, I’m mildly curious about.  The onset of Facebook helped get a glance into many people’s lives so it’s not like they are all total strangers, yet they still are to me.  I graduated with 85 people, two have passed away.   As it was for most, High School wasn’t something I recall with fondness, the teenage awkwardness got a hold of me and didn’t let go till I was in my 20’s, shy, bespeckled, acne faced, frizzy haired insecure me hasn’t really changed much, I have contacts and thankfully the acne is at bay!  Do I make the trek out to Michigan for an evening with other late 40’s folks trying to figure out why they never fit in?  Or not? Granted it would be nice to see my mom after her yearly CT scan (scheduled for early October).   But would making plans to visit bring bad luck? I've never visited in October!  Like my travel plans could prompt activity in a dead tumor, but who knows.  Hey, even the paranoid are right sometimes!

 

I’ll continue to ponder this until someone presents a go or no go that resonates.

 

In the event you counted pictures and names.
Yes there are 86, the girl in the top middle died of Lukemia just as our senior year was starting.
(the bottom three middle are faculty)

 

Gizmo:

 

Gak it is so hard watching his back legs fail.  He’s a perfectly good dog other than those damn back legs.  He gets himself around and takes full use of the times we put on the back leg leash and take him out for little walks.  He seems happy and adjusted well to the new normal in his life.  So this is how it will be until his health takes a turn, the vet declares him probably the healthiest 14 ¾ year old boxer she’s ever met.  

 

Whenever I think of giving up he inspires me.  My mom and her cancer support group also find comfort and hope in the stories I relay of the canine curmudgeon.

 

Hanging in the front yard!

Sincerely,
Beth, and life goes on!