Dig Deep

October 19, 2011 by 5 Comments

When Chrissie Wellington was asked, right after finishing the 2011 Ironman World Championships at Kona, how she had managed to win the women’s race, she said, “I had to dig really deep.” How deep? She crashed her bike two weeks prior to the race, had huge areas of visible road rash, and, according to Competitor.com, had actually torn pectoral and intercostal muscles. This forced her to hold back on the swim, putting her 10 minutes off the lead coming out of the water. She worked her way through the field on the bike but didn’t take the lead until deep into the marathon. Once in front, she hung on like her life depended on it.

How deep is “Chrissie deep?” I asked myself this several times during the Army Ten Miler the following day. Am I digging deep? Am I digging “Chrissie deep?” I was running with a training partner who is usually several strides ahead on the track, and had questioned the wisdom of trying to hang with him. On the other hand, I knew this was a great opportunity to run a fast time, and I had surprised myself by managing to hang with him during a set of fast 800s during our pre-race track workout, so that gave me the confidence to go for it. We planned to – and did – run between 7:05 and 7:15 pace. During the race I replaced thoughts of “this is crazy, you can’t possibly hold this for 10 miles” with “you feel relaxed, you feel comfortable, this is easy.”

Did I dig deep? I think so. When it got hard and I felt tired, I pushed harder. This is a tactic I learned a few years ago and I find it really works. When you feel tired and want to slow down, instead, pick up the pace. Just the change can make you feel better. I know it sounds crazy but what’s crazy is that it works. I finished in 1:11:20 for an average pace of 7:08.

I was looking at the shoelace on a new pair of Brooks Launch while on the drive up to Hershey last weekend. I noticed something was written on the plastic piece on the end of the lace. I took a closer look and realized it said “DEEP.” Then I looked at the end of the other lace.

You're eyes aren't failing...it's blurry.

So I’m off to Austin on Friday for my first Half Ironman. 1.2 mile swim. 56 mile bike. 13.1 mile run. I’ll be packing my shovel because I plan to dig deep…Chrissie Wellington deep.

How deep do you dig? Do you know how deep you’re digging? Do you use a shovel? What do your shoelaces say? ;)

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Army Ten Miler Expo: Crazier than a Stock Market Trading Floor (especially with me there)

October 7, 2011 by 7 Comments

I spent four hours today selling running gear. Shoes, shirts, shorts, tights, bras, accessories, you name it, I hawked it. And I loved it. I know that in a previous post I mentioned how I loathed trying to get sponsors for Stone Ridge 5K because I hate the hard sell, but this was different. First, because it was a soft cell sell (anyone else thinking of Tainted Love right now?) and second because I was talking about running, which I’ve discovered I could do all day without getting even remotely bored.

I was volunteering for Potomac River Running at their booth at the Army Ten Miler Expo. (A requirement of my “deal” as a member of their racing team is to volunteer now and then. Since I had to pick up my packet for the race anyway, I figured I may as well stick around and help out.) The Expo takes place at the DC Armory next to RFK Stadium, a notoriously difficult place to get to. I left the house at 8:20, giving myself 70 minutes to make the 40 mile trip. Traffic was amazingly light on the Toll Rd and I would have reached 66 inside the Beltway before 9am. Since that part of 66 is restricted to HOV-2 before 9am, I had a choice to sit on the shoulder until 9am or exit in McLean and take the GW Parkway. Since I’m impatient, I chose the Parkway. I’m glad I did because I rarely take the road and the view of Georgetown was spectacular. Plus, there was no traffic! I breezed onto 395, then 295, and exited at the Navy Yard. Then I remembered why I hate driving to the Armory. You have to wind your way through the Capitol Hill streets and it’s slow-going, with stop lights and stop signs everywhere. I think it would be faster to stay on 295 and cross the Anacostia, then exit and cross back over to come in behind RFK. Anyone ever tried that? Anyway, I got to the Armory on time but couldn’t work out how to get to the lot and I’m pretty sure I made a couple of illegal left turns to avoid having to drive all the way around RFK stadium. Oh and I used my cell without a hands free device. Always forget when I’m driving in DC.

So, onto the Expo. After I arrived at 9:30, met Keira and Brendan at the door and got to the booth, Ray showed me how to use the credit card machine, which was basically an iTouch with a credit card app, attached to a device that spat out the receipts. The fun part was telling the customers they had to sign…with their finger! We got some interesting responses to that. Most people thought it was very cool. On my second use of the machine I forgot to press the “print receipt” button and Brendan had to come to the rescue to retrieve and print the customer’s receipt. Shortly after that incident, Ray suggested I help keep the merchandise straightened up…hmm…reassigned already!

But that was okay because it meant I got to browse through everything really, really thoroughly. I did a bang up job if I say so myself. I doubt it all looked that good after I left. Every now and then I’d grab something and shove it under the counter, with a “this is mine!” to Keira and Brendan. At one point, when Ray was reorganizing the shoes, I pointed out my second pile of stash (first had grown too large), which included two pairs of size 13s for my husband, warning him not to put them on the shelf.

Anyway, as I was saying, turns out I’m a good hawker when it comes to stuff I like, especially as I kept saying, “ooh, I really like that!” (about the women’s gear) Or, “I’m thinking about getting that for my husband” (about the men’s gear). I chatted with a guy about his blisters and made some suggestions, including using Body Glide…sale! I helped a guy find a different pair of shoes when we didn’t have Adrenalines in his size…sale! I marveled at the $3 running socks with another lady and sold her 12 pairs. Granted, the prices were awesome (50% off all clothing! $30 shoes! $3 socks!) so it wasn’t exactly difficult.

Time went by very quickly and I was sad when I had to leave. I’d been so busy I hadn’t had time to browse the Expo at all, which was a shame because it looked like there were a lot of cool booths this year. I spent a lot of time in line because I had 6 packets to pick up, including mine, and every bib required that I go to a different National Guard soldier’s booth. So I met a lot of soldiers…ha ha. They were all very pleasant and polite, as you’d expect them to be. It would be fun if just once one of them said something inappropriate…ok maybe not.

Are you running Army Ten Miler? Have you picked up your packet? Do you like the Expo? How do you get to the Armory? Be sure to visit the PRR booth if you are going Saturday. Lots of great merchandise, although I won’t be there to keep things organized so I bet it’s a mess. On the other hand, at least you’ll get a receipt.

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Did You Thank a Volunteer Today?

October 5, 2011 by 2 Comments

My coach, who also times races, has a policy: anyone who shouts at a volunteer is instantly disqualified from the race. I wholeheartedly agree with this policy. Volunteers are rarely thanked (enough) and are often treated disrespectfully by racers who expect their questions answered and their problems resolved.

Many moons ago, long before I ventured into triathlons, I volunteered at Reston Triathlon. I was in the middle of the woods on the run course, getting eaten alive by mosquitos as I directed runners. I’m sure many of them thanked me but of course what I remember is being asked:

  • “How many people are in front of me?” (Oh, I didn’t realize it was my job to count runners!)
  • “Do you have any salt?”  Me: “No.” Athlete: “What, you don’t even have pretzels?” (Do I look like an aid station?)
  • “Where’s the turnaround?” Me, guessing: “About half a mile.” Athlete: “No it isn’t!” (Why, then, did you ask, if you already knew?!)
  • “How much further?” Me, guessing again: “About two miles.” Athlete: “You must be joking!” (Well, yes, probably…)
I’m a little overwhelmed right now. Work is crazy busy, I’ve got a Half Ironman in just 18 days, according to the oh=so-helpful Ironman App, and I’m volunteering for too much, as usual. I am a race coordinator for the Stone Ridge 5K October 16th, and am fielding about 50 e-mails a day for that, and I’m also lead coach for a kids’ after-school running program that has 100 participants. I enjoy multitasking but it’s getting slightly ridiculous at the moment. And I have an article on ultrarunning due in 5 days…
I feel like the volunteer who’s being shouted at right now. And just like with Reston Triathlon, while most people are very pleasant and thankful, it only takes one rude e-mail to ruin my day. I am focusing on being gracious in my responses, regardless of the attitude on the other end, but it’s taking a lot of will power because people who know me know that’s not me!
Mind you, it could be worse. On Tuesday we had 70 kids running around the school fields in our “cross-country” lesson during the after-school running program. We’ve had a lot of rain lately so it was squelchy in places, and when we finished I noticed that several of the kids had mud splattered all the way up their backs. I was expecting some parent e-mails about that but haven’t had any…at least not so far…
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always thank volunteers while I’m racing. I’m sure to thank those I see before and after a race, but during, well, that’s extra energy. I’m racing Army Ten Miler on Sunday and, after my latest experiences, you can be sure that I’ll thank every volunteer I see, before, during, and after.
While we’re on the subject, The Great Pumpkin 5K is October 8th and volunteers are still needed. Sign up to volunteer or contact milepostsbydorothybeal@gmail.com for more info.
Do you thank volunteers? 
Have you been shouted at while volunteering?
Do you have a volunteering experience to share? Do tell!
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