Rehoboth Beach Half – State #23

Ran state #23 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware this weekend.  Great race, perfect weather for running.  I’m too tired to write much, so here are some pictures from before, during and after the race.  A highlight was running about half of the race on a dirt bike trail in the woods.   Met up with fellow 50 staters for dinner Friday night, and enjoyed yummy crab enchiladas post race.  Glad to be racing in cooler weather again after my last two miserably hot races.

My pre-race inspiration was the guy behind me when I walking to the start.  He said to his friend “this is my 101st, but what I’m most proud of, is that 95 of them have been since I turned 70.”  Not sure if he was talking about full or half marathons… but either way that’s impressive!

Half Marathon #18 – Rock and Roll New Orleans Race Report

Unremarkable.

That one word sums up my experience at the Rock and Roll New Orleans Half Marathon.  It wasn’t a great day for me running-wise.  I didn’t particularly enjoy the course, except for the most scenic parts around miles 8-10.  And it was my first race traveling by myself without a running buddy.  Here are the highlights and low lights:

-It was unseasonably cold at race time.  Runners shivered in 40 degree weather for a start that took a very long time.  Not quite what I was expecting for New Orleans!

-The 3 mile up, 3 mile back run up St. Charles was sort of boring.  There is a trolley track down the middle of the road that’s dirt and it was a nice break to be able to run on this for several of the miles and get off the asphalt.

-A guy passed me on St. Charles wearing a New England Patriots Jersey and juggling three deflated footballs.  Everyone was laughing.  But by the time I got my camera out of my SPI-belt, he was too far away for a good photo.  Imagine running that fast WHILE juggling!  Geez!

-I think for the first time ever, I had to use the port-a-john during a half marathon. Too much water!

-The portion of the run past Cafe du Monde and the French Quarter was the most fun.  Bewildered tourists snapped photos of all these crazy runners going by.

-I got to meet a few folks from the Fifty States Half Marathon Club at my first race since joining.   We had a nice italian dinner the night before the race — and it was fun to color in another state on my jacket when I got home.

-The race took longer than I expected and it was past check out time at my hotel by the time I got back.  Because I was in a hurry, I pretty much skipped all the after-race activities, grabbed a banana and some water and headed straight for the shuttle bus and walk to the hotel. After showing ID, they let me back into the room to just to collect my bags. I stretched the rules and took at 2 minute shower to save my Jet Blue seat mates the agony of sitting next to me unshowered.

-No post-race pancakes were in evidence at the airport, so I scarfed some beignets — not a bad substitute.  When in Rome…

-The highlight of this trip was definitely NOT the race, but a 20-ish mile bike tour of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans designed to showcase the rebuilding effort there post Hurricane Katrina.  It was fascinating, depressing, informative and neat to tour by bike. I took lots of photos, but haven’t had a chance to weed through them yet.

I arrived home to be greeted with 2 – 3 of snow with another foot on the way tomorrow.  My Arizona Half is in just 2 weeks near Phoenix, so I hit the treadmill yesterday for my long run.  My calves and hamstrings continue to be tight – so I will keep stretching and rolling and hope that Arizona is a better race for me!  And New Orleans deserves another chance for some sightseeing — and a trip that does not include a 13.1 mile run!

White Mountains Half Marathon – Race Report

 

 

 

 

Well I’m happy to say that the New Hampshire curse has been broken!  After 3 failed attempts to run in neighboring New Hampshire, I finally succeeded on the fourth attempt — on a glorious-perfect-for-racing autumn day.  State #16 in my 50 state challenge is in the bag, so to speak.  Race motto:  Run Free or Die!

Here’s what I liked about this race:

1) Generous time allowance/walker friendly.  Added bonus –  an option to start 1/2 hour early for those who needed the extra time.  I didn’t, but opted for the early start which was fun because we got to see all the lead runners pass by around Mile 3.  I wish more races provided a feature like this.  It sort of reminds me of a golf handicap!

2) Beautiful Course — The race organizers promised a course that was flat and fast (of which I am often skeptical).  This one delivered as promised, running along the Saco River Valley with only a few significant changes in elevation, a couple of covered bridges, a barn with a giant smiley face on the room, and other local attractions.  It’s really interesting to see how different the west side of the Saco River Valley (farms, residences, views) is from the east side (outlet malls, hotels, and restaurants).

3) The weather was perfect.  Low 40s at the start, and climbing to 50ish. Cloudy with just a few peeks of sun, and only a slight breeze. Can’t ask for better.

4) Nice medals, nice (except for the color) long sleeve tech shirts and awesome (optional) hooded sweatshirts.

Here’s what I didn’t like:

1) The first five miles on Route 16 — busy, open to traffic, not particularly scenic, except for one spectacular overlook.  I could have ignored all of that, but what WAS annoying was that the road has a significant crown for about two miles which made running difficult in that stretch.

2) The big fat uphill right before the finish line.  Yup, you had to work for this finish!

This was one of the smallest half marathons I’ve ever done with 500 something participants. So it was a little lonely out there at times, and the crowd support was a little thin, but better than I would’ve expected.  So thanks to all and nice job race organizers!

New Jersey/Long Branch Half Marathon – Race Report

 

New Jersey was cool. Literally. The planets lined up almost perfectly for yesterday’s Long Branch Half Marathon in New Jersey. Since I’m a little pressed for time, I’ll do a summary style race report for this, my 14^th state half marathon (just 36 to go!).

Here’s what was good and bad about it:

1) Weather: The Good – The weather was perfect for running – it started off in the 40s at dawn with temps rising into the 50s. Even on a warmer day, the race is early enough (6:45 am start) that it is over before the mid-morning heat. If I could be picky, I’d rather not run with the sun in my eyes for most of the race which was the case since we were running mostly south and east. And the Bad? High sustained winds for the mile and a half along the beach just before the finish. Offsetting that … the cherry blossoms were out, which gave this spring-starved New Englander hope that summer will come eventually.

2) Race Organization: Overall it was fabulous. Well-staffed, well-spaced water stops with great volunteers, and well-organized number pick up. Plenty of port-o-johns, plenty of parking at the start, organized corrals and a warm place to sit and wait for the race to begin inside Monmouth Park. The Bad? A really long walk to the shuttle bus post-race and similarly long walk to the cars from the shuttle drop off point. And mediocre food at the finish – a dry piece of bread that no amount of water would wash down, a banana, 2 pieces of salt water taffy, and a tiny granola bar. I hate to complain because it’s tough to be a race director, and this one gets a solid A with just minor things that need to be improved – darn good for a race of more than 10,000 people.

3) The Course: Great, mostly flat course, except for a few bridges. I found myself wishing for more spectators, especially during the first half of the course as we ran through quiet residential neighborhoods.

4) The Bling: The Good? Awesome medal. The Bad? Women’s technical T-shirts that were sized small with no warning of same, and insufficient XL T-shirts. The shirts are great, I only wish I had one I could wear!

5) Pace Groups: The Good? Great 2:45 pace group – stuck with them for about half the race, and then they dropped me. I was smart to quit trying to keep up since 2:45 would have been a huge PR for me and I couldn’t quite sustain the pace. But they were funny and cheerful and did a great job coaching the group along. Ultimately finished at 2:52 and they were still there waiting for me at the finish to make sure I was ok. Even better, this race had a 3:00 Half Marathon pace group, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen. Since one of my goals was to beat 3:00, I was just glad they didn’t pass me.

6) Unexpected Pleasures – a high energy start to (first) a bugle “Call to the Post” – fitting for Monmouth Raceway, and (then) “Born to Run” – fitting for the Jersey Shore! QR Code on bibs for instant race results! Great motivational signs mid-course made Mile 6 seem to go more quickly.

7) Unexpected Annoyances – NJ Tolls – $21.05 to go from northern NJ to New York? No coffee at hotel. No coffee at race. No coffee til lunchtime.

8) My successes – this was my fourth fastest half marathon ever, and my strongest race since recovering from my toe injury. I feel like I am still getting stronger and faster, and with the ten pounds off that I gain while injured and a little more training, I am pretty sure I can PR again despite continuing to get older (funny how that happens). I also feel like I’m getting smarter about pacing and race strategy. I felt strong through 11 miles and until I hit the headwind coming back up the coast.

 

That’s me leading the pack (ha) through downtown Long Branch near mile 9.5.

What’s Next?  Still trying to find a race for late May or June that fits into my schedule and travel budget. Stay tuned!

San Francisco Half Marathon – Race Report

After sixteen months of not racing due to injury, I ran the 2014 Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon in Golden Gate Park — my fourteenth half marathon in my 13th state.

After checking the long-range and short-range forecast several times, it appeared that the weather would be cool and cloudy for the race.  So I was surprised when I awoke on race morning to find it raining steadily.  The temperature was about 45 degrees and it was windy — conditions that were predicted to last for the duration of the race.   I reconsidered my choice of clothing several times and finally opted for running shorts, a long-sleeved tech shirt, light tech jacket and a heavy fleece.  The fleece was primarily to keep me warm at the start though I couldn’t afford to leave it on the side of the road, since it was the only coat I had brought for my week in California. And I cursed myself for my last-minute decision to leave my hat at home and that fact that I had no headband for my ears.

I made my way downtown from my hotel and secured a spot in the parking garage under Golden Gate Park.  Reaching the outside entrance to the garage, I realized how cold it was and waited with a number of runners inside the garage until closer to race time, hoping the rain would let up a bit.  Finally we could wait no longer, and made our way to the start, used the port-a-johns, and then I huddled with some other runners in a small park structure while I waited for a friend who was running the 5K to arrive.

Starting time came quickly and we were off.  I had decided that I was going to do 1:00/0:30 walk/run intervals at the outset to see how I felt.  We started off in the park and then miles 2 and 3 were around a city square with a little bit of an uphill. During this time, I removed my heavy jacket and had to run the rest of the way with it tied around my waist. Because of the rain, I decided not to use Runkeeper on my cell phone so I didn’t know my splits, but they had volunteers calling out the time elapsed as we went by.

Miles 3-7 went well.  There were some nice downhill stretches that I ran and I was aware of a small group of runners that seemed to be going the same pace as I was.  We’d pass one another, but never get too far ahead, and then switch things up again. At mile 7, we emerged onto the “Great Road” (Route 1), which I had heard some of the runners talking about in the garage.  As soon as we turned left onto Route 1, there was a strong headwind, with driving, cold rain coming right at us. I didn’t know the course well, but saw that this was an out and back and saw mile 12 on the opposite side, so knew that I was in for at least a couple miles of difficult running.  It was three miles out and three miles back on Great Highway.   This was the most difficult part of the course, but also the most beautiful stretch, with sand dunes and the Pacific Ocean on one side.

By the turnaround near Mile 10, I was really feeling tired and thought I was starting to get blisters. I stopped, took off my shoes, checked my feet and then re-tied them tighter to minimize slippage. Retracing our steps on the Great Road, I could still see other runners struggling into the wind, though the rain had lessened to a drizzle.  I was feeling good and running faster than most at this point (might have been the tailwind), so I was consciously picking off one or two runners at a time and passing them. At Mile 13 we turned back into the park for a short uphill stretch to the finish.  They called out the name of the woman ahead of me — one of the runners I had been with the whole way.   I was surprised to find that she was from Watertown, Mass. and said hello in the finish area.  She must have started ahead of me because the final standings have her finishing after me.

The finish was well-organized and staffed with mylar blankets, water, T-shirts and snacks.  I made my way to the exit and was surprised to discover that it was about a half mile walk to the shuttle busses.  I heard a lot of cold, wet, tired people grumbling on the way to the bus — which took us four or five miles back to the parking garage and start area.

My only other issue with this race was at the parking garage.  It took me at least 45 minutes to exit the garage due to traffic.  And then the parking attendant tried to charge me an additional couple of bucks because I had exceeded the 15 minutes allotted between the time I fed the pay machine and the exit.  I stopped for my first ever meal at In and Out Burger on the way home.  It wasn’t the traditional post-run pancakes, but it WAS good!

Overall a well-organized, executed and solid race, with good support and a net downhill – and a great race for someone that wants to run in San Francisco without monster hills.  One GREAT thing about this race is that bibs are mailed in advance so no need to arrive a day early and attend an expo to get them.

My time didn’t matter for this one, it was all about finishing and seeing how my foot would feel.  It was fine and I was only a little bit sore the next day — typical post-race soreness.  So I’m thrilled to be back to racing and already planning out the coming year’s adventures!

Broken Toe Update

Readers of this blog have put up with the saga of my broken toe and attempts to get back to running over many months.  And there is — at last — good news!

I had a second surgery to remove the screw that was placed in my toe in November of 2013, fourteen months after the original injury. Here’s a picture of that nasty old screw — much bigger than I thought it was!

 After a few weeks to heal, I was able to gradually start back to walking and then to running and the difference was immediately noticeable.  I’ve been doing physical therapy and massaging my foot to break up the scar tissue and can finally run again without pain!

And the GREAT news is that after training for two months, I ran in the San Francisco Half Marathon last weekend!  Details in the next blog…

Stay, Damn it!

One of the things that we’re learning in my leadership class is the concept of “stay.” Stay means having something that it’s important to you (your “stake”) and sticking with it through the highs and lows. Through the uncertainty and difficulty. It means keeping your focus when everyone around you knowingly or unknowingly seeks to divert you.

I’ve found the concept of “stay” useful in my runs. Yesterday, for example, I was only a half mile into my planned four mile run and I wanted to stop. But I was determined not to quit. I reminded myself that the first mile is the hardest, and told myself to stay with it. By Mile 2 I was feeling great. Then I hit another low just before the three-mile mark. It was hotter than I expected, I was getting tired. I wanted to walk the rest of the way home. “Stay,”  I told myself again. I slowed a bit, I tinkered with my breathing rate, adjusted my gait, and was back in the groove for the last mile.

“Stay” also comes in handy for the final miles of a long run.  For sticking with a training schedule, and yes, in those final 6.2 miles of a marathon.

What tricks do you use to “stay” when the going gets tough?

Share:

This week’s email featured an essay from Harvard Business Review by Umair Haque on leadership called “How and Why to be a Leader (not a Wannabe).  I enjoyed reading it, especially because Haque touched on the subject of love and leadership, something we’re a little too afraid to talk about in the “business world.”  This is what he said:

“Leadership — true leadership —is a lost art. Leaders lead us not to a place — but to a different kind of destination: to our better, truer selves. It is an act of love in the face of an uncertain world.

Perhaps, then, that’s why there’s so little leadership around: because we’re afraid to even say the word love — let alone to feel it, weigh it, measure it, allow it, admit it, believe it, and so be transformed by it.

….We’re afraid, you and I, of this word: love.  Afraid of love because love is the most dangerously explosive substance the world has ever known, will ever know, and can ever know. Love is what frees the enslaved and enslaves the free. Because love, finally, is all: all we have, when we face our final moments, and come to know that life, at last, must have been greater than us if we are to feel as if it has mattered.

The old men say: children, you must never, ever believe in love. Love is heresy. Believe in our machines. Believe in operation and calculation. Place your faith in being their instruments. Our perfect machines will bring you perfection.

I believe lives as cold as steel will only yield a world as cruel as ice. I believe cool rationality and perfect calculation can take us only a tiny distance towards the heart of what is good, true, and timelessly noble about life. Because there is no calculus of love. There is no equation for greatness. There is no algorithm for imagination, virtue, and purpose.

Even a perfect machine is just a machine.

If we are to lead one another, we will need the heresy of love. We must shout at yesterday in the language of love if we are to lead one another. Not just to tomorrow, but to a worthier destination: that which we find in one another.

It’s often said that leaders “inspire.” But that’s only half the story. Leaders inspire us because they bring out the best in us. They evoke in us our fuller, better, truer, nobler selves. And that is why we love them — not merely because they paint portraits of a better lives, but because they impel us to be the creators of our own.”

Asking for Help

In my leadership program we’ve all been given the challenge of asking for help in the two months between retreats — to stretch out of our comfort zones and ask for assistance in situations where we might not normally be inclined to do that. And also to notice how we feel about asking for help as we do this.

One of the things I’ve discovered is that I’m terrible at asking for help. Interestingly, so are many of the other people in the class.  And the reasons are all strikingly similar…

We are having trouble asking for help because we don’t want to seem weak or vulnerable. We have pride in our competence, we don’t want to admit that we might need help.  We’ve been taught to be independent and that there is shame in being needy.  We don’t want to be a bother to others or we believe ourselves unworthy of being helped by others.  We don’t want to take their valuable time or think we might be asking for too much. We may worry about rejection. We hire help, but we often won’t ask for it from the people closest to us. And sometimes we just don’t know what to ask for.

A 2008 study found that people routinely underestimate by 50% others’ willingness to help them.  In short, people are more likely to say yes to requests for assistance than we think they are.

I’m trying to remember that asking for help can be good for me and for the person I’m asking.  Asking for help creates connections and broadens possibilities.  I might learn something completely new or experience a new perspective. And asking for help gets easier with practice.

I’d welcome your thoughts on asking for help… it is easy or hard for you and why? Do you have any good resources on asking for help?

Should I Run with a Broken Toe?

In the past few months I have been astonished by the number of people who have found my blog while searching on some variation of the question “can/should I run with a broken toe?”  They’ve  flipped through various posts on my blog and then…. what?   I’m guessing that they’ve gone out and run.  Because runners, we’re a predictable bunch…

So I’m dedicating this blog to providing an answer to the question above. Here in one convenient place.  With all kinds of caveats: I am not a doctor.  I have no special training, other than my running coach certification.  I speak only from experience.  And even then your injury may be different from mine.

My story:  Last September I fractured my middle toe by jamming it into the bed leg.  I was 95% sure it was broken at the time.  An x-ray later revealed that the toe bone closest to my foot was broken diagonally from corner to corner, more or less.  The toe swelled and part of my foot and toe turned black and blue.  I elevated and iced.  And I took ibuprofen and aspirin and ran/walked the Chicago Half Marathon on it two days later after, yes, googling for the answer  to the question “can I run with a broken toe?”  I buddy taped the toe to the one next to it for the race.  Yes, it hurt to run, but by halfway point it was fairly numb and I was able to pick up speed.  Running was actually less painful than walking.  I iced after the finish.  I did not seem any worse for the wear after the race, and so took the better part of two months off to recover.  I saw a doctor, who confirmed that it was broken.  I did some walking and ellipticizing during that time to maintain my fitness, probably too much.  And in December I started back to running gradually, but not gradually enough.  Soon a calf injury followed, and I returned to the doctor, who decided it had never fully healed and was termed a “nonunion.”  After a failed experiment with a bone stimulator, I wound up having toe surgery in March to create a fresh break and screw the bone together.  With doctor’s permission, I started running again in May while doing physical therapy and am now back to being able to run/walk 3-4 miles slowly as of the end of June.  I still have some pain when I run and some stiffness in the joint, which is likely from the screw and so the doctor is debating a second surgery to remove the screw.  So 10 months later, I am still a long way from where I was last September, but finally beginning to feel like a runner again.

So, can you run with a broken toe?  Yes, of course you can, especially if you have a high tolerance for pain.  But should you run?  I would say no.  You are better off taking 6-8 weeks off and letting the fracture heal and staying off your feet as much as possible.  I know, I know it’s only a toe!  I know, I know, you’ll lose your fitness.  You can’t possibly… Blah, blah, blah.  But you’d be surprised how important toes are for walking, balance, driving and so much more.   In my case, the doctor thinks I damaged the fractured bone ends by too much physical activity, which resulted in the nonunion.  So it seems that the less activity and motion to which your toe is subjected, the more quickly it is likely to heal.  You’ll also minimize the possibility that you’ll suffer other injuries from favoring your injured toe. In my case, I know I had significant calf pain in the injured leg from a shortened gait — even when walking.

So what DO you do when you’re injured.  I was not able to bicycle without pain, but I could use the elliptical for 30-45 minutes.  It’s a good time to do core work and upper body exercises.  And don’t forget to reduce your calorie intake, while making sure that you’re getting a healthy diet with plenty of vitamin D and calcium.  See a doctor and take his/her advice. Wear stiff soled shoes to help support your toe.

Oh yes, and did I say “see a doctor and take his/her advice….”  Do that — before you run again.