When I run up these steps…
I’m on top of the world…
And I never want to come back down.
TriRock Annapolis – Why I Love Racing
May 15, 2012 by 7 Comments
I signed up for Trirock Annapolis on a whim over the winter. Despite a somewhat high price tag it seemed like a good idea at the time, and a few friends agreed with me and signed up too. But, as the race started looming a few weeks ago, I found I wasn’t looking forward to it. First, it was getting in the way of my 50K training. (Mind you, so was the hip…) Second, I felt very unprepared for a sprint tri as I hadn’t practiced transitions and hadn’t done a brick at all. And third, I was questioning whether I really want to continue with multisport racing. I’ve been doing a lot of trail running lately which I love, and that brought me back to my continual debate ever whether I really can be a triathlete and runner, and compete and place in both events, or whether I really should try to focus on one sport.
On the way to Annapolis with teammate Meggan I was texting our coach about our statuses (Meggan’s pneumonia, my hip) and I joked that I felt great since being shot up with cortisone and was planning to “tear it up.” It really was a joke. I was finally looking forward to, rather than dreading, the race, but I was far from in race mode.
Race day arrived and we got up, breakfasted, put on our temporary tattoos (gotta love Tri Tats, no more poorly-written numbers!), checked our gear and nutrition, and headed to the transition area, just a short walk from our hotel, at 6am. Well, we were planning to head to transition but then saw a line snaking from transition all the way to the circle at the bottom of main street. It didn’t make sense, since transition opened at 5:15, that there were so many people waiting. Someone said it was because they were letting people in in groups. Still didn’t make sense, and with mine and teammate Monique’s 7am start time (1st wave) looming, I started getting very nervous that we wouldn’t have time to set up. I went to the front of the line to find out the reason for the delay, and discovered that every bike was being inspected before athletes were allowed in. This was ludicrous. If the organizers planned to inspect bikes they should have let us know and given us the option to have our bikes inspected the day before, as many other races do. I told one of the race crew that the line was heading up Main Street and people were getting anxious about having time to set up, put on wetsuits, etc. He assured me it would be fine, I told him I wasn’t convinced and marched off, convinced my race was screwed and pissed off for signing up for the race in the first place.
As I was about to spontaneously combust from the stress of waiting, the floodgates opened (they stopped checking bikes) and we were allowed in to transition. Once in, we had no idea where to go. Transition was marked by wave but not by number, so while we were looking at a sign on a bike rack showing “Wave 1,” I could see no bikes with numbers anywhere near mine – a scarily low 25. (Triathlon numbers are usually seeded, and my race packet indicated “Advanced.” I don’t even remember entering a finish time when I signed up for the race, but it’s very possible I low-balled it, knowing TriRock is a popular beginner event.)
Monique and I finally found our bike racks after a few frantic minutes of searching. The nice thing about TriRock is that you are assigned a specific spot, indicated by a sticker on the rack, which means you don’t have to arrive early to “claim” a good spot. Once we had our bikes in place and had laid out all the stuff we needed, we hastily donned our wetsuits. Thankfully I had bought some TriSlide, which I recommend for easier wetsuit application!
With no time to fart around, Monique and I headed over to the swim start. The announcer had already called waves 1 – 6, and since we were in wave 1, we had to squeeze by 5 other waves to get to the front. Looking around our wave, we were surrounded by men. We knew there were other women in our wave, but couldn’t see any of them. The thought of swimming with a bunch of guys who were all much bigger than us was intimidating. My plan was to stay at the back anyway, as I had no interested in getting pummeled like I did at Austin…and that was in an all-female wave. I’ve heard men are worse…
When we jumped in the water off a small temporary docked I swallowed a ton of water. I quickly realized it was because the water was cold (I think about 62 degrees) and I involuntarily inhaled. I tried a few strokes and felt ok, not entirely comfortable, but ok. Monique, on the other hand, didn’t look so good. She told me she couldn’t put her face in the water, it was too cold. The announcer had already started the countdown so I said to her, “you’re a good swimmer, you’ll be fine” which was all I could think to say to try to help her.
Then the horn sounded and I realized I needed to start swimming. The first few strokes felt weird, really weird, as if I’d never swum open water. I was sighting fine but I wasn’t breathing properly and my arms hurt (possibly the cold water). I decided to put my head down and just swim for a bit to get going. That made me feel much better, but unfortunately when I looked up I was right next to a kayak and the bouy I needed to head towards was way over to my left. Shit! It’s not surprising that I swam off course as I know I pull to the right when I swim. I corrected and started sighting more, but wondered how much time I had lost. I was glad it was only a 500m swim. The good thing was I didn’t get hit at all…of course no-one was swimming near me since I was so off course. I rounded the first bouy and the second came up quickly.I caught up with a couple of guys and swam in between them until we got to the dock at the end of the swim. I climbed up one of the four ladders (harder than it seems) and started running, peeling off my wetsuit as I went.
As I got to my spot in transition I heard Monique yelling at me from behind. Weird, I thought. Monique is a much better swimmer than me and should have already been out of the water. Turns out she got pummeled at the beginning of the swim by the guys, probably while I was swimming way off course.
I threw on my sunglasses and helmet, grabbed my bike, and bolted out of transition. Monique’s encouragement had lit a fuse under me and suddenly I was in race mode. I flew past a couple of dawdling guys and jumped on my bike. Fiddled a bit getting my shoes on but overall it was a good start to the bike. I felt good as I headed out for the first of two legs. The course turned out to be hillier than it seemed when we had driven it the day before (go figure, it’s easier in a car!) and I was punching through the gears as I went up and down. But I was also passing lots of guys, and that felt good.
Um, yeah that would be a copyright pic from MarathonFoto
I saw Monique going the other way on the first turnaround, and she yelled, “you’re kicking butt!” That lit another fuse and I pushed harder. In loop 2 of the bike the big hill over the Severn River hurt like hell, my hamstrings protesting loudly, but I was still passing guys so I kept on pushing. I think working the hills with teammate Tanya the last couple of weeks gave me the edge I needed….plus passing guys always feels good… 
There was a short stretch where passing wasn’t allowed and I found myself cursing at the guys in front of me whom I’d caught after a downhill but couldn’t pass. I ditched them on the final turnaround by taking them on the inside, and headed home. I had my shoes off and ready but there was a blockade at the dismount so I dismounted early while riding kinda fast and heard a couple of gasps from the crowd as I took off running. I got my back wheel in the bike rack (TriRock has ground racks, not hanging racks, which I really like as they are just easier for me. With 650 wheels my bike sometimes swings around on the hanging rack.), shoved my feet in my shoes, grabbed my bib, and headed off for the run.
The run was hard. With my hip issue I haven’t been doing any speedwork, plus we started off going uphill. In my non-racing mood I hadn’t programmed my Garmin to show pace, and my brain wasn’t functioning well enough to remember which buttons to push to get pace on the display. I resolved to run as hard as I could. Mile 1 was in the 7s, but by mile 2 I had a better pace going and the Garmin read off 6:51. With 1 mile to go I started to feel like puking, but reminded myself that it was all flat with the downhill at the end, and pressed on. I had already passed about 3 ladies so felt good. Near the end I was gaining on another woman and wondered if I had enough time to pass her. I pushed as hard as I could but just didn’t have enough to get by her…she was in the 55-59 age group.
I ended up 2nd in the 40-44 age group (first time in this category!)
Splits:
500m swim – 11:04
T1: 1:46
12 mile bike – 37:02
T2: 1:01
5K run: 21:40
After gathering the rest of my teammates, we headed over to the beer tent for complimentary beer, followed by the awards ceremony – 3 of us placed in our age groups and won giant beer mugs, so a great day for Team TPR!
Many thanks to Meggan for driving and finding fabulous hotel (Governor Calvert) within walking distance of start, Monique for cheering me on like a wild woman, and Dottie and Lester (not pictured) for being fantastic teammates.
Will I do this race again? Yes. Aside from the transition entry snafu, it was well organized and orchestrated, a lot of fun, and reminded me why I love to race. Oh, they give out a nice medal to all finishers, too. But you know I’m not about the bling.
I am not a car, but I am on facebook
July 15, 2011 by 1 Comment
It takes a lot of effort to run with a jogging stroller. And I’m not even talking about the part where you’re actually pushing the thing while your kids are screaming for snacks, asking you to sing a song, telling you to run faster, or trying to get out while the ride is moving.
That’s the easy part. The hard part for me was getting everyone ready to go outside. One time I had the kids locked in, blanketed, snacks packed, and realized I was still in my pajamas. Or there was the time when I just had to go to the bathroom real quick, so put the 2-month-old in a bouncy seat but didn’t expect the 2-year-old to climb my dresser and pull it over on himself, breaking his leg. Yeah, we didn’t get a run in that day but had a nice ride in an ambulance instead.
So once you’ve managed the gargantuan task of getting the little people in the stroller, it’s nice to be able to enjoy some great weather like we had on Thursday, isn’t it? And if you happen to get lucky and the kids are content for a while, it can actually be peaceful. Maybe you’re actually able to have a zen moment.
And then some complete moron driving her car like a bat out of hell through the neighborhood starts yelling profanities at you. That’s what happened to my friend Katy yesterday. Katy was running with her two boys, ages 13 weeks and 2 years, at about 8:15 in the morning when woman-who-needs-her-license-revoked decided to harass her. When Katy got home, thankfully in one piece, she posted this on facebook:
dear nice woman:
thank you for yelling profanities at me while i was running with my 2 kids this morning. also, thank you for clarifying i am not a car. i was really confused. i am very sorry you had to put down your food to turn your wheel to get around me.
p.s. the speed limit is 25mph in our neighborhood.
Don’t you just love facebook? Katy was able to blow off some steam, share her feelings, and make us laugh at the same time! Of course she got a whole load of comments from people who had experienced similar harassment, people who wanted to try to make her feel better, and people like me who ‘helpfully’ posted words like “Moron.” I especially liked the comment, “Damn Katy, if you can’t run 25 mph then get your ass on the sidewalk!”
It feels good to share. Katy: I hope idiot woman didn’t ruin your day. I hope she felt bad about what she said and did. And next time, please get her information so I can send her a running club membership. She probably just needs to get out and run. 
While we’re talking about the powers of facebook, notice that I now have a facebook page so please visit and “like” – thanks!
Have you ever been harassed while running? Have you ever run with a jogging stroller? Have your kids ever harassed you while you were pushing them in the jogger? Did you ever make them get out and run home?
An Uncelebration
July 4, 2011 by 5 Comments
Happy 4th of July, people. Someone told me a few years back that I should not be celebrating since Independence Day marks my country’s miserable defeat. So I ran a 5K instead. Not much to celebrate there, as I didn’t PR and I didn’t break 21 minutes, which is a silly goal for me to have right now because I haven’t exactly been short distance training.
Maybe I’m being too hard on myself. After all, I raced last weekend, then had to take a few days off because I caught strep throat. I biked and swam a bit and ran one short tempo during the week. I decided to race today because I hadn’t exactly overexerted myself over the past week. I thought the sub-21 was possible because my training and racing buddy, Bill, with whom I’ve run my last two races, ran 20:36 on the same course last year. (Or maybe they lengthened it, since he was almost a minute slower this year?)
The race was the Firecracker 5K in Reston Town Center. Had a fabulous 9 hrs sleep pre-race, ate a nutella sandwich (new pre-race breakfast; seems to work well and more portable than oatmeal, my previous choice), drank some black coffee, and drove to Reston. Picked up packet and encountered a slight problem when I got the timing chip. Instead of the D-tag, which slides around shoelaces, this race used the Ipico chip, which requires you to put your laces through holes in the cardboard chip. That wouldn’t normally be a problem, but I was wearing locklaces (the bungee laces triathletes use to get their shoes on quickly) on my Brooks Racer ST 5s. After a bit of fiddling I managed to untie the ends of the bungee laces and slip the chip through those.
While I was warming up I ran into Tracy, who was dressed for the 4th in a bright Nuu-Muu dress and flag hat and glasses. Here’s a nice pic of Tracy (Miss America) and me, looking suitably unpatriotic, since I’m not celebrating.
Boring race details: fast course with a couple of short hills and a few turns. Garmin was measuring a little off, and I should have paid attention to this if I really wanted to break 21 minutes because, while it told me my overall pace was 6:37, it also measured the distance as 3.21 miles. So, averaged to 3.1 miles my pace was 6:50, for 21:12 overall. Still, I’m not sure I could have run faster. I paced it well, running the 2nd and 3rd miles faster than the 1st. Hearing Stuart yelling at me in the last 100 did help me pick it up for the final stretch.
I was 20th female overall and 1st in my age group, so did not go home empty-handed. And I remembered what I like about 5Ks: you don’t sit around forever waiting for awards, because it’s all over so fast.
Product Review – Honey Stinger Waffles
June 16, 2011 by 4 Comments
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get an energy food company to make a product that tastes like one of your favorite foods? Well, if you’re Lance Armstrong, you can. You see, Lance was a big fan of these waffles that professional cyclists in Europe eat, and so he asked Honey Stinger if they could come up with something like that, and, being the nice people they are, they did. The result is the Honey Stinger Waffle. It’s organic and is available in honey or vanilla. I won a box of the honey flavor waffles from I Run Like a Girl’s blog! One waffle has 160 calories, 7g fat, 21g carbs, 14g sugar. I ate one before my track workout Wednesday and another before my swim Thursday. It’s a bit sweet but makes a nice change from gels.
Lance keeps his waffles in his back pocket. I'm not sure why but Honey Stinger feels this is good to know.
But I’ll tell you what. If Honey Stinger offered to make moi an energy supplement (after all, I am European), I wouldn’t ask for a stinkin’ waffle. Nope. Much as I like the waffle (and I do) I am tired of sticky sweet supplements that are either fruit or chocolate or some sort of dessert flavor. So you know what I’d ask for? Roast beef, potatoes, peas, carrots, and gravy. Nothing like enjoying your Sunday dinner and a run/ride at the same time. Talk about multitasking.
Complaining and Attention-Seeking
June 15, 2011 by 12 Comments
Don’t worry, I haven’t started a blog about my kids…or husband. No, the complainer and attention-seeker in question is none other than my stomach. I’ve often thought that running would be so much easier without a stomach, especially an attention-seeking, perpetually whining one such as mine.
My stomach complains very loudly the minute it starts feeling a little peckish, pushing me to the point of nausea if I don’t satisfy its needs right away. I have taken to carrying trail mix bars or crackers wherever I go to pacify it and keep it quiet. When I run, the attention-seeking starts. As the blood is diverted from my stomach to my legs, stomach suddenly decides it’s time to digest whatever I ate 2 hours ago, in a desperate attempt to gain some attention. And if I ate more recently than that, all hell breaks loose.
There’s also the nasty little reminders I get if I’m on an early morning run and ate late the night before. Stomach likes to sleep in and is not happy with the early starts, so will deliberately annoy me. Then, when I get home and try to eat something, stomach gets all stroppy, refusing to comply with my refueling plan.
This morning, stomach did not want to run track. I tempted its wrath by eating a Honey Stinger waffle before the workout, which I’ve never tried before. I also put an Orange Alert Camelbak tab in my water bottle, which is a bit fizzy. Stomach literally freaked out with the new food and the fizzy drink, and gave me a hard time for the entire workout. So pleasant.
Anyone else have a pesky stomach?
Hot Enough to Hurl
June 12, 2011 by 8 Comments
Yesterday was not a good day for a couple of the elite runners at the Twilight 4 Miler in Ashburn. I saw one elite guy walking and another curled up on the side of the road at the halfway point, puking into the median . Such are the risks of running fast when it’s hot.
It was hotter than Hell when the race started at 7pm. The promised storms did not arrive to clear the air, the sun was blazing, and the air was stifling. Still, these are normal conditions for this race. We sign up knowing it will most likely be disgustingly hot and sticky, and factor that in when we predict our race time. Who didn’t say, “This won’t be a PR.” ? (Although I think I may have PR’d because I’ve only run a 4 miler once before…)
One of the hardest things about evening races is figuring out what to eat during the day. When I lived in England most races, especially cross-country, were around 2 in the afternoon, and I remember stressing all day about what – and how much – I was eating. These days I focus on staying hydrated. My latest thing is coconut water which has a ton of potassium. I also drank a couple of cokes because they stave off the headaches I can get when it’s hot and humid. I think I did pretty well although my stomach did feel a bit heavy so I may have overdone it with the hot dog and chips, but I ate those for a little sodium boost. Really, I don’t like that kind of food at all. It’s a sacrifice I make for running.
This was my first time racing on the Potomac River Running Team so I was really nervous. I chewed all the nails off my right hand on the way to the race. (I was driving with my left hand or those nails would have been next…) I felt way out of my league in the PR singlet, especially when I saw Aaron Church, who’s also on the team (and who won the race). But then I saw Chris D in a PR singlet and – no offense, Chris – felt much better because I know I can keep up with him.
My only real strategies going into this race were:
1. Don’t go out too fast and die.
2. Don’t puke.
3. Run sub-7:00 pace.
As Meatloaf once said, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. What I didn’t manage was to run under a 7:00 pace, but I did run the first 3 miles around 6:50 before the final, gut-wrenching, puke-inducing uphill mile slowed me to a 7:03 overall.
I never really felt comfortable during the race. I couldn’t get into that groove I usually find after the first mile, and the race was over before I knew it. So far this year I’ve run two half marathons, one full marathon, and one 50K, so I guess it’s no surprise that I’m not really comfortable in a sprint at this point. Still, I managed to place 14th female and 3rd in my age group, so not too shabby for my first time on the prestigious PR team, which also won the team competition (of course)!
I questioned my sanity at 5:30 this morning when I got up to drive to Columbia, MD to bike the IronGirl course with a couple of TPR team mates. This course is a hilly little bugger, so it’s good to practice it a couple of times. But the day after a race? I figured I could always take it easy…ha ha ha.
I only made it a few hundred meters when I had to return to my car. I realized, when I felt a nice cool breeze flow through my hair, that I’d forgotten my helmet. There were a lot of bikers around so I’m really surprised no-one yelled at me! Helmet in place, I returned to the course and biked 26 miles, repeating the super-hilly part of the 17.5 mile course because I am glutton for punishment. Added bonus: the roads were littered with roadkill so I tried to not breathe in most of the time, the smell was so disgusting.
Surprisingly, when I got back to the car, my legs felt fresh so I thought I’d turn the ride into a brick and run part of the course. I ended up running 2.5 of the 3.3 mile route, avoiding the killer hill since I am not completely masochistic.
On the drive home I gave everyone a treat when I jumped out of the car wearing just a sports bra and boyshorts to retrieve my cell phone from the trunk. Nothing like waking a few people up on a Sunday morning!
Warning: Angry Runner in Wine Country
June 5, 2011 by 17 Comments
About 4 miles into the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon, I turned to my team mate Bill and said, “Do you feel like there’s a party going on and we weren’t invited?” I was referring to the fact that about 75% of the participants in the race were running for Team Challenge, and 100% of the supporters were cheering for them…and only them.
I’ll apologize upfront for complaining about a charity running organization. Clearly, Team Challenge does a lot of good, raising money for individuals with crohn’s and colitis, getting people to run or walk who otherwise might not have the motivation, and raising awareness. But when you go to grab a cup at a water stop and the volunteer is so busy yelling “Go Team Challenge!” that she forgets to let go of the cup, and when you finish the race and there’s a sea of tents with refreshments and recovery aids, all marked “Team Challenge” and absolutely nothing for everyone else, it becomes a little frustrating. It actually felt like the entire event was catered to Team Challenge and we were just there to add numbers and pay for the support.
On the bright side, I had a decent time (1:38:42, a couple of minutes off my PR) on a challenging course, which started downhill for the first couple of miles and rolled for the remainder, with a couple of steep climbs for good measure. Weatherwise we were incredibly lucky – it was sunny and warm but not humid. The best part of the event by far was the post-race wine tasting. This was included in the race fee, and we definitely made the most of it, sampling wines from many local wineries including Tarara, Bluemont, Hiddenbrook, Loudoun Valley, Fabbioli and others that became a bit of a blur as we drank more!
Somehow I managed to miss the post-race awards ceremony (not actually sure if happened at all because we were close to the stage the whole time) so I didn’t get my bottle of wine for placing 3rd in my age group. Hopefully I can pick that up later. In more exciting news, my team, South Riding Running Club, place 1st in the team competition, beating 50 other teams! Not sure what we win but there is a prize…maybe it’s a winery tour?!!
Gathering at Starbucks at 5am
Medals and wine post-race!
After signing up for this race, and encouraging members of my running club to form a team, I realized that the race would probably be more about the hoopla surrounding it than the running. Destination Races, the event organizer, marketed several race weekend events such as a special packet pickup, a pre-race dinner, and a finisher’s party, all at an extra cost, on top of the $85 – $95 race fee.
OK, gripe warning: here are the negative aspects of the race. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you start thinking I’m a miserable whiner.
The race started 30 minutes late. We were waiting for a busload of runners to arrive. While race delays are sometimes inevitable, and I do feel bad for the runners on the late bus, this is inexcusable. For many runners, the warmup and pre-race nutrition are all planned and executed based on an anticipated start time, and a 30 minute delay can wreak all sorts of havoc. Not to mention the fact that roads had to be closed for the event, and would now be closed an extra 30 minutes. During one part of the race we ran past a huge line of angry drivers, most of whom were yelling into their cellphones as they discovered Route 7 had been closed and they’d be stuck for a while.
After waiting at the start line an extra 30 minutes, I was in need of water once the race started and searched eagerly for the first water stop. It came in sight at about 2 miles. At the bottom of a hill. The worst place to put an aid station is at the bottom of a hill. The last thing you want to do is take on board anything when you’re about to divert blood away from your stomach to your legs, which is what happens when you put forth the extra effort to climb a hill. So I grabbed a cup, pinched the top, and carried it up the hill, drinking it when I reached the top. At the next aid station I attempted to get water and came across the exuberant “Team Challenge!” volunteer who didn’t let go of the cup, followed by the next volunteer who lifted the cup to give it to the person behind me! Finally I grabbed a cup of Heed, which wasn’t what I wanted but was better than nothing. Aid stations were only every 2 miles and I could tell I was getting dehydrated, so I decided I needed to take 2 cups of water at each stop. So at the next stop I grabbed a cup from one volunteer, then reached out another hand to grab a second from the next volunteer, who pulled it away! What, was there a one cup limit?!
I mentioned to Bill, who was still running with me, that I couldn’t believe a volunteer had pulled a cup away from me! Then the same thing happened at the next aid station! At another aid station there was one volunteer with one cup of water, which she happened to hand to the woman in front of me. I ran through without managing to get anything. Thankfully Bill had grabbed some Heed so we shared that. I was running angry and didn’t think I was very good company, so I told Bill to feel free to go ahead any time. He stuck with me which was either really nice or really nuts…or maybe he just found my antics entertaining. At any rate, he was a great racing partner and I’m really glad he stayed with me. Bonus: he got a PR, so maybe running with an angry girl has its benefits!
Being the angry runner that I was, I was getting more and more frustrated with Team Challenge. There was a walking division that had set off at 6:30am, and about halfway through the race we began catching up with them. It was frustrating having to run around people walking several abreast across the entire road, and I just wish they had been given some instruction as to how they should keep to the side of the road and walk no more than two abreast. Granted, some of them cheered us on, which was really nice, but others had their headphones on and didn’t even hear us coming.
OK, gripe over. I know, you thought it would never end. But I do like to end on a positive note…
Considering the hills and the water stop fiascos and dodging walkers, our pace was pretty consistent. Our faster miles were in the 7:20s and the slowest 7:40, for an average 7:30 pace. I was actually very surprised we managed to run under 1:40, because at one point during the race I tried to calculate our finish time and thought there was only a slim chance of going under 1:40. Then again, I think my brain got addled with the heat and dehydration… Coming into the finish was great. The crowds were huge and loud and for the first time I heard people shouting my name. Like many longer races these days, our names were on our bibs, but unlike other races, I didn’t hear anyone shout my name during the race. I had to pretend it was “Team Challenge” since that was all we heard.
I’m still asking myself if I would run this again. As a team, we had a lot of fun after the race. And if I did it again at least I’d go into it knowing what to expect. I’d probably carry my own water…and maybe steal a Team Challenge shirt.
Veggie Tales
June 3, 2011 by 2 Comments
Healthy, delicious AND local
Growing up in England we ate rhubarb and runner beans from the back garden and picked wild blackberries from bushes along the side of the road. I find it hard to grow much of anything in my garden here – bad soil and hot weather, combined with a not very green thumb make for slim pickings. Thankfully, I’m a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) member!
I picked up this huge box of veggies from Cox Farms in Centreville yesterday. I highly recommend membership in a CSA if you have one in your area. A CSA membership means that you own a share in the farm’s crop, and each week you get your share of whatever is ripe. The food is fresh from the field, local, and, while not usually organic, has not been sprayed with a ton of chemicals. The farms usually try to use natural pesticides. Here in NoVA we’re spoiled for choice. I am a member of Great Country Farms‘ CSA, which sells out every year. I chose Great Country Farms for several reasons:
1. Free entry for the family to the farm, in Bluemont, any time. This is a great deal because there’s a ton to do at the farm but it can get expensive if you’re taking the whole family.
2. Fruits as well as veggies. Some CSAs just provide veggies. I like getting fruit, too. This week (and probably the next couple of weeks) the fruit is strawberries, but during the season we’ll also get pears, apricots, peaches, and apples.
3. I get a certain amount of free U-pick veggies/fruits each week. So when we go to the farm we can pick, say, a container of blackberries or some tomatoes or a bag of green beans.
4. Local pick up. I can’t get to the farm every week and I save about $100 by picking up from the bulk drop site at Cox Farms rather than having delivery to my house.
If you’re not sure a CSA is for you, how about a farmer’s market? There are many in our area, and it’s great to be able to meet the farmer and ask them about their products.
I also use local farms for meat, poultry and milk products. I have them delivered to my house for a small fee from Holy Cow Delivery, based in Strasburg, VA. Polyface Farm in Swoope, VA has a similar program with local drop sites.
Do you buy local? How far have your veggies traveled?
Useful websites:
http://www.buylocalvirginia.org/
http://www.dcfood.org/northern_virginia_community_supported_agriculture.cfm
http://www.ecostewardsalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=4
My Body Doesn't Like Me
May 13, 2011 by 5 Comments
It’s that all-too-familiar feeling. Scratchy throat, aching body, and so congested I think my eyes are going to pop out of my head.
These days, I seem to get sick after every endurance event. It happened after Philly Half, Shamrock Marathon, and now, after Capon Valley 50K, I’m sidelined again. To be fair, I should be grateful that my immune system hangs with me until the actual event, because I rarely get sick prior to a race. But I think it’s already packing its bags by race day, and has completely checked out by the time I cross the finish line.
I sometimes wonder if this is my body’s way of saying “don’t you even contemplate doing THAT again!” or at least protecting me from overdoing it in the week after the event. But I’m sure there’s some scientific explanation for repeated illness after a hard effort, so I did a little research to find out if this is a common problem among endurance athletes and if there’s anything I can do to prevent it.
I came across this article: The Infection Connection: Running Can Boost or Dampen Your Immune System, by Sara Latta. Latta states that it’s not unusual for the immune system to crash after an endurance event. According to David Nieman, professor of health and exercise science at Appalachian State University, “after about 90 minutes of running, blood glucose levels begin to drop (assuming the runner hasn’t been taking in adequate amounts of carbohydrates), triggering the release of stress hormones, particularly cortisol… These hormones, in turn, suppress and stress many components of the immune system.” Nieman has run 58 marathons and ultras, so that’s nothing to sniff at.
And of course this system is suppressed at a time when you’re surrounded by lots of other people, which is the last thing you need. According to the same article, “one in seven runners comes down with an upper respiratory infection after taking part in a marathon…Take part in an ultra event such as the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, and your chances of getting sick are more like one in four.”
So I’m not alone. Still, it would be nice to know ways to possibly prevent this from happening every time I run a marathon. I’m beginning to feel like a broken record. I consider myself a healthy person in general, who isn’t prone to a lot of illness, so I wondered if just taking some extra vitamin C would help. in fact, when I started feeling a little under the weather on Tuesday, I did start to pop a bunch of C. As it turns out, that was too late, and maybe not even worthwhile anyway. Latta indicates that, while “some studies found that taking vitamin C (about 600 milligrams/day) for three weeks before an ultramarathon reduced postrace cold symptoms,” other studies, including Nieman’s, “have found that vitamin C supplementation made no difference.”
According to Latta, I need to ensure I consume enough carbs during the event and enough protein in general, since “even moderate protein deficiency can result in impaired immune function.” I’ll put that in my plan for next time. Since the window of reduced immunity is supposedly 3 to 72 hours after the event, I should also lay low during that time. Mind you, I did that after Shamrock and still got sick. I certainly lay low after Capon Valley, as I swam Monday evening, did strength training on Tuesday, then swam again Wednesday. Mind you, I’m glad I did because I’d be feeling really rotten right now if I hadn’t done anything for the three days I felt fine.
On the bright side, being sidelined has enabled me to finally finish reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and get caught up on The Office, so it isn’t all bad.
She won't Shewee…or win races
April 28, 2011 by 1 Comment
Shewee, available in several colors, including pink
My brother-in-law told me about a product that’s very hot right now in Britain: It’s called a Shewee. Yes folks, it’s a device that helps girls pee like guys. Personally, I’ve never felt the need or desire to pee like a guy, but apparently a lot of ladies in Britain do, and these things are selling like hot cakes. They’re very popular at outdoor festivals such as Glastonbury, where the bathroom facilities are less than desirable. The company that makes them even sent Kate Middleton a Shewee in case she might find it challenging to pee like a girl while wearing her wedding dress.
I’m amused and bemused by this product. I can’t think of a situation in which I’d need to use a Shewee. Then again, I’ve never been to the Glastonbury festival. I did wear a wedding dress once and don’t recall peeing while wearing it posing too much of a problem, but I got married at Meadowlark Gardens which has sufficient bathrooms. Apparently Westminster Abbey only has one unisex loo with seven cubicles…
How about using a Shewee while running? Well, first of all you have to carry the damn thing around, and I don’t think it’s small enough for those teeny weeny shorts pockets. Also, can you imagine all the looks you’d get while using this thing in a race? Next thing you know, you’re being hauled off to the drug testing tent to find out what gender you are.
While we’re talking about gender, I do have a more serious topic I need to get off my chest (ha ha ha). And that’s racing as a female. The other day a friend mentioned that her husband won his first triathlon, which was Worldgate. While it wasn’t my first tri (it was my 3rd) I also won it when I raced it. Well, I didn’t “win” it, of course. A male won it. I was first female. When it comes to racing, I don’t compete against men. However, if I “win” a race, meaning I beat all the people I was competing against (i.e., women) I still didn’t really “win.” And if I say to someone “I won,” I then have to clarify that comment because, well, I wasn’t 1st overall. Another friend did actually win a 5K outright one time, beating all the women and men. When she mentioned that she’d won, I had to ask for clarification, “women or overall?” This is what it’s like to race co-ed. You can be 1st, but you rarely win.
Of course, there are “women-only” races, but many of them are more about the cute bling than the racing, and they effectively dumb-down women’s racing until it’s more about the hair, nails, and outfits than the performances. Show me a women’s race that doesn’t involve excessive use of pink, or entice women to sign up by promising a necklace at the end or men in bow ties to “assist” the ladies out of the water, and I’m in. I wonder what men think about women’s races? And why do we even need them? I mean, if we’re gonna start peeing like the guys, we may as well race against them, right?
Finally, there’s often a debate about gender fairness in Boston qualifying times. Several guys I know have contended that it’s easier for women to qualify than it is for men. When the BAA announced it would revise the qualifying standards (don’t panic, the new standards don’t go into effect until the 2013 race!), many people speculated they would raise the standards for women, but not for men. But the BAA made a sweeping across-the-board change, requiring that everyone run 5 minutes faster to qualify for Boston.
I used WAVA calculators to see if it really is harder for the guys, or if they’re just whining. WAVA (World Association of Veteran Athletes) is the world governing body for Master’s track and field, long distance running, and race walking. They came up with these tables as a way for athletes to compare their performance with other athletes, regardless of age or gender. With the WAVA calculator, you input your age, gender, race distance and time, and it gives you a percentage that you can compare with others. The percentage is a value relative to a mathematically derived ultimate performance (100%). In other words, 100% is world-record performance, and anything over 90% is considered world-class.
I entered into the calculator my Boston marathon qualifying standard, which is 3:45:59, and my age – 38 – and got a WAVA of 62%. If I put in the standard for males, which is 3:15:59, and the same age, the WAVA is 64.3%. So, based on the WAVA, a female my age has to run 62% as well as world-record time to qualify, while a male has to run 64.3% as well as world-record time. Looks like it really is harder for the boys.
Of course, this is just one way of looking at it. Consider also that the male world record in the marathon was broken in 2008 (Haile Gebrselassie, Berlin, 2:03:59), while the women’s world record still stands from 2003 (Paula Radcliffe, London, 2:15:25). Or the fact that this year’s Boston Marathon had 13028 male finishers compared to 8935 female finishers, suggesting that a higher percentage of men qualify anyway. I’m sure we could debate this for hours but if you’re not bored already by all these stats, I certainly am. Time for a Shewee…
It's Going to be Lovely, Hilly, and Wet!
April 26, 2011 by 2 Comments
An image from Capon Valley 50K
I finally got around to reading the course description for Capon Valley 50K. You’d think I would have read this before signing up, but I like surprises. Here are some excerpts that I noted: “There are 2 steep but relatively short hills…you will run up and down some good (but not long) hills…You will leave the railroad bed and climb a good hill…after you pass a hunter’s cabin on a very old road, you will begin the most significant climb of the day, climbing almost to the top of North Mountain…You will continue on the Tuscarora Trail with some serious up and down hills for about 2.5 miles…”
I used to be known as a hill lover; in fact, I’m pretty sure people have used my name in a not-very-complimentary way on several occasions while running hilly routes I’ve created. It’s true that I don’t like flat courses. But I think a combination of living in a flat town and running a lot of fast tempo runs that have forced me to seek the flats to maintain the pace, has resulted in my, well, kinda sucking at hills nowadays. I’ve noticed the last few times I’ve run Manassas Battlefield, which isn’t all that hilly, that I’m getting dropped. So hills are going to be a problem. Then again, ultra runners walk hills, so maybe they won’t…
I also noted that I could be getting wet: “You will then run onto wooded dirt trails with several creek crossings…You will leave Aid #2 on a beautiful 2 track dirt path (an old railroad bed) along a lovely creek, and there will be several creek crossings….You will leave Aid #3 on a wooded dirt path, with a bit of mud and a few creek crossings….you will follow this path (with one road crossing, and a few creek crossings)…” If you’ve been near a trail recently, you’ll have noticed that it’s very muddy and wet from all the rain we’ve had. Just a couple of days after my “adventure” at Bull Run trail, much of it was underwater from a day of rain. I may need to put some dry socks in my drop bag!
In any case, it’s going to be beautiful. Aside from all the hills, the course describes “lovely dirt paths in the woods…a beautiful 2 track dirt path (an old railroad bed) along a lovely creek…You will cross a wonderful field with spectacular views…wonderful old wooded dirt roads…”
I’ll have to make sure I look up once in a while!
Pain at Pike's Peek
April 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Today I ran Pike’s Peek….1K. I ran it with my boys and two of my nieces. My left quad, the one all scratched up in picture in the previous post, now has a lovely purple bruise and really hurts when I run. I found that out while trying to keep up with four kids ages 6 – 11.
I found this rather elegant picture of me hopping across the same river I fell in on Friday. Much better to fall in when I did, because the temps when that picture was taken were in the teens and falling in that day would NOT have been desirable…
Good thing I didnt fall in back then...
Anyway, hoping the leg heals quickly because tempo runs and track workouts are out of the question right now. I did manage a hike up Sugarloaf mountain without any pain, so perhaps I’ll just have to explore some alternative physical activities! Rock climbing is on the list for Spring Break…
We Have a Winner!
April 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Thanks to all who entered my FIRST ever giveaway for a pair of Stuffitts Shoesavers! To pick the winner, I used the List Generator on Random.org. I put all the names in a list in the order they appeared in the comments, and the site reordered them randomly. #1 on the list was….Kayla! So congrats, Kayla! You win a pair of Stuffitts. Please e-mail me at alisongittelman@yahoo.com with your address and your light blue medium Stuffitts will be sent to you!
I wish I could send a pair to all of you for being such great sports and entering the giveaway that lasted much too long…that’s a lesson learned for me!
Be on the lookout for more product reviews and giveaways!
Kayla wins a light blue pair of these babies!
