Forging my Own Path

December 31, 2012 by 5 Comments

“Forge your own path” is my mantra for 2013. I have to find my own way, follow my heart, and do what I think is right for me.

There will be no resolutions. But there will be changes. My goal for 2013 is staying injury free. That’s about it. PRs will have to wait. To help me get to Boston Marathon uninjured, I have hired a new coach: Malcolm Campbell. Malcolm recently defended his Master’s National XC Club Champion title at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. I interviewed him after his win in Seattle last year. He ran 2:22 at both Grandma’s Marathon and Twin Cities Marathon in 2012, and is now gearing up to run Boston. I’ve known Malcolm for over 20 years; he’s been an elite athlete for longer than that. As teenagers we ran for the same team, trained on the same track, raced the same cross-country races. He knows the type of runner I am and this gives me confidence that his training plan will work for me. If you’re looking for a running coach I recommend checking out his coaching site.

I’m looking forward to training for a marathon again. I’m sure I’ll eat those words pretty soon, but during a very windy and cold 7 miler yesterday I felt strong and relaxed while others were complaining about the cold and how far we were running. Sure, they had reason to do that as they’d run 10 miles the day before, and I had reason to feel good because I haven’t been able to run much and I’m still in that “I’m so happy to run!” phase. I’m not expecting it to last long but I’ll take it right now.

So it’s New Year’s Eve and that often means all sorts of overindulging, especially in the liquid calorie department. If your NYE looks like this:

…Then on New Year’s Day you may be interested in this:

The ingredients are simple (don’t want anything too complicated with a raging hangover!):

8 oz OJ
4 oz almond milk
2 handfuls frozen cherries (optional: hold bag against throbbing head)
2 handfuls frozen pineapple
3 scoops Orange Pineapple GU Recovery Brew

To make: Throw everything in the blender, turn it on, retreat if your blender’s as loud as mine, return when it’s done. Drink.

This is also a great post-race recovery smoothie for those who are racing New Year’s Day!

 Cheers, and Happy New Year!

 

 

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Exclusive Interview with Master's Men's National Club XC Champion Malcolm Campbell

December 14, 2011 by 5 Comments

This is the first in a series of interviews with elite athletes who, for various reasons, don’t make the pages of the running and triathlon magazines. First up, Malcolm Campbell from Marietta, GA.

Cross-country running doesn’t get much airtime here in the U.S. We can watch Boston and New York marathons live and stream the Ironman World Championships from Kona, but when it comes to the World Cross-Country Championships, well, that’s hard to find anywhere. It’s a shame because it’s always fun to watch. As a teenager I loved sitting down to watch the annual event with full coverage from the BBC.

So it’s not surprising that most people, even those who are runners, weren’t aware that last weekend, the USATF National Club Cross-Country Championships were held at Jefferson Park in Seattle. This is a big event for clubs across the U.S.; the championships offer a total prize purse of $30,000, with $25,000 going to the top open teams. The event has both Open and Master’s (40+) divisions, male and female. The women run 6km while the men run 10km. This is the way it is in cross-country.

I was delighted when I heard that my longtime friend Malcolm Campbell had won the Master’s Men’s race in 32:13, leading the Atlanta Track Club to the men’s 40+ team title.

Leading the pack

Some of us can only wonder what it's like to run through the tape...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Campbell and cross-country go way back. He’s been winning cross-country titles since he was a teenager and has represented Great Britain at two World Cross-Country Championships. He’s no stranger to the road, either. Now a U.S. citizen, Campbell represented the U.S. at the World 50K Trophy in August 2010, finishing 6th in  2:58.18. (Michael Wardian was 3rd in 2:54.56). He has run in four Olympic Trials and has a marathon PR of 2:18:41. He lives in Marietta, GA with his wife and young son.

I caught up with Malcolm soon after the race. I’d been thinking about asking him if he’d do an elite runner interview, and with his recent win, figured now would be the perfect time. Turns out Running Times had got to him first. Their article comes out on their website on Thursday, (Malcolm says it’s typical of ultra-competitive me to get mine out the day before) but they’re only covering Saturday’s event. I promised Malcolm that my interview would be much more revealing.

Racingtales: Congrats on your win. Let’s get right down to the important stuff.  How did you celebrate?

MC:  My team and I had a fun time at the Post-Race party on Saturday night in Seattle.  I normally go to bed at around 9pm but stayed up that night until 2am!  The party was sponsored by a local brewery and some people got pretty crazy.  It was a fun night but we were able to get up and meet at 6:30am Sunday morning for a recovery run around Seattle.  My rule has always been “If you go out at night, you’ve got to get up early in the morning.”  This mantra tends to keep me out of trouble.

Racingtales: You’ve been running and racing at a high level since you were 12. What do you think keeps you staying healthy and relatively injury free?

MC: I’m a stretching fiend.  Also, I’m a really big fan of icing, epsom salt baths, cold laser treatment, chiropractic and deep tissue massage.  It helps that my wife is a practitioner in this field.

Racingtales:  How is the 40-year-old you different from the 20-year-old?

MC: I find it’s so much more important to listen to my body.  At 20, if I strained a quad I would just train through it until it went away. Nowadays, I re-engineer my training to protect the injury, taking time off when necessary. If I didn’t stretch at 20 I just lacked a little mobility. If I don’t stretch now I’ll pull a muscle.  However, what I’ve lost physically, I’ve gained mentally. I can mentally handle a much larger and more complete training program. I also focus much more on nutrition than I did 20 years ago.

Racingtales:  What does your typical training week look like?

MC: It’s taken a while but I’m now at a stage where I can handle a pretty comprehensive training plan. I run split workouts.  This is basically two smaller workouts that when added together are better than I could do in one single workout.* I started this during the hot summer months two years ago and loved the results:

Typical Week:

Sunday – Long Run (17-20M)/ 1M easy, 1M Strides, 1M easy

Monday – 7M easy/ 5-6M easy

Tuesday – 2M easy, 2M Fartlek, 2M easy/ 2M easy, 2x2M Hard, 2M easy

Wednesday – 8-10M easy/ 4-6M easy

Thursday – 2M easy, 12x200M, 2M easy/ 2M easy, 2M Hard Fartlek or Hills, 2M easy

Friday – 4M easy/ Rest

Saturday – 2M easy, 5-10M Tempo Run, 2M easy/ 0-6M easy

Total Mileage for Week = 85 – 96 Miles

Racingtales:  What do you eat before races? After?

MC: If the race is shorter than a Half Marathon I don’t eat a great deal, maybe a banana, GU gel and an energy bar, along with plenty of water.  After all races I like to eat a lot.  This is pretty normal food, nothing unusual.  However, I am quite particular about taking a ‘smoothie’ type drink (most often Vega) and a gel within 15 minutes of most of my runs.  I’m a big fan of several companies, but lately I have been benefitting from Vega and GU energy gels.

If I am running a longer distance race then I get up extra early to be able to stomach a larger nutrition intake, typically including bananas, cereal, yogurt, toast and a nutritional supplement such as Vega Whole Food Optimizer and a Vega Whole Food Energy Bar.  After long efforts, I follow the same plan nutritionally.

Racingtales: What’s your favorite race distance and why?

MC: I like the marathon, mainly because of the intense training and planning involved.  I enjoy tough challenges.  If I had more time I would love to try an Ironman, purely due to the ultimate challenge it provides.

Racingtales:  How do you stay motivated to train?

MC: I think I’m just wired to train hard.  When I take a break I’m far more tired and irritable than when I’m training hard.  I just feel more ‘Me’ when I’m training.  It just makes sense to me.  Some early mornings are hard, just as it is for everyone, but I love the sense of achievement it provides me.

Racingtales: How do you find balance between family, work, and training?

MC:  It’s very hard.  I typically make sure all my training is completed first thing in the morning and at lunchtime.

Racingtales: I know you work full-time as a financial analyst, but have you ever considered a career in coaching?

MC:  Actually, I am going to start private coaching in January, both in-person and online.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.  If anyone is interested they can contact me at malcolmcampbell1@yahoo.com (Shameless plug)

Racingtales: That’s OK. I shamelessly invited you for an interview to increase my readership.

Racingtales: Scenario: You wake up at 5am for a hard tempo run to find it’s pouring out and your training partner has bailed. What do you do?

MC: This actually occurred on my one evening workout I do, a couple of weeks ago.  On Tuesday evenings I quite often go to the track. This one evening it was pouring down and I was on my own.  My workout was supposed to be 8x1Km, but I couldn’t run the required pace due to the wind/rain. So I went straight into a tough 3M + 2M tempo.  I ended up running close to 5 minute mile pace for the whole workout, which I was very proud of considering the weather. Sometimes, you have to be flexible while understanding limitations.  The following Tuesday I nailed the 8x1Km workout, in beautiful conditions!

Racingtales: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

MC: I think my first National Championship at age 16 (1987 English Schools – Equivalent to the Kinney Champs).  I was not the favorite so I went off very hard; I think I shocked my competitors.  They let me go and I came home victorious.  I remember hearing “We are the Champions” on the radio on the way home.  I still love that song.

Racingtales: What are some of your most memorable running moments?

MC: When I got my first international [first time he was selected to run for Great Britain] I slept in my outfit.  I also have fond memories of running in two World Cross Championships and four Olympic Trials. Winning the Master’s XC Champs this past weekend was extra special as well, especially as my team also won the team event.

Racingtales:You’ve raced several Ultras, including a 50K on the U.S. team. Do you plan to do more?

MC: I would like to run Western States 100M and get a Silver Belt Buckle, but not yet.  As a fairly new Master’s runner, I have plenty on my plate right now.  I’m looking to run a few marathons next year including Twin Cities, Grandmas and possibly Boston, as well as several Half Marathons. My primary goal is to break 2:18 next year at age 41.  I really want to get much faster in 2012.

Racingtales: Thoughts on the recent IAAF decision that women’s times set under “mixed” conditions are ineligible for World Record status?  (Yeah, we ask the hard questions here…)

MC: I can understand it, as it is easier to run if you are being paced, but men can also be paced by other male competitors in races.  It’s a little unfair to punish a lady in a mixed race.  I think that National Organizations should not interfere as much as they do. I am very much against the new Olympic Trials Qualification criteria. Why limit the field by only inviting fewer than 200 people on a course that can easily handle many more? I think the old criteria worked so well (i.e., having an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ standard that was reasonable for younger athletes to attain).  In the ladies’ trials the two standards are available but for the men they’re not.  I think we should be encouraging men and women to try to qualify for the trials and fulfill their dreams.  A few years ago Mark Steinle was allowed to run the trials without a qualifying time.  He went on to make the Olympic team that year.

Racingtales: Thanks, Malcolm. Good luck in 2012.

If you haven’t had enough, here’s a  Post-race Interview Video from RunnerSpace.

*Interestingly, January’s Running Times magazine (available now) has an article on this very subject. There are numerous reported benefits of doubling, including enhanced recovery and increased adaptation.

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Feeding my Addiction

August 14, 2011 by 6 Comments

I once ate cheese fondue right before a cross-country race. In my defense, it was in France, twenty years ago. Back then, the closest anyone I knew got to pre-race nutrition was eating a Mars bar on the start line. Hydration was for sissies. I remember taking Lucozade (dextrose) tablets to a marathon relay in High School and getting a lot of flak from other athletes because runners just didn’t take nutritional supplements back then. Never heard of Lucozade? It’s a well-known energy supplement brand in the UK. Twenty five years ago, it was pretty much the only game in town…and not a well-known one at that, despite having Olympic decathlete Daley Thompson as its spokesman.

Today, nutrition and hydration for endurance athletes is a big deal, and an even bigger business. The variety of products on the market is huge, almost overwhelming, and includes drinks, bars, gels, chews, you name it. And the flavors! Remember when there was just lemon-lime Gatorade?! We’re spoiled for choice, and everyone has their opinions and preferences. At the end of the day, of course, you have to find what works for you.

I’ve been a GU fan for a long time. (The Lucozade thing didn’t last…) In fact, vanilla bean GU used to be the only supplement I’d even consider. I’ve since broadened my horizons, adding Roctane, Nuun and Camelbak electrolyte tablets, and Honey Stinger chews. Still, I know I’m not the most adventurous when it comes to trying out new stuff. My stomach knows what it likes and, well, you don’t want to mess with that. But, with my first Half Ironman coming up in October, I know I need a good nutrition plan, possibly a better one than my “2-GUs-an-hour” plan during Capon Valley 50K. I still think GU is one of the easiest running supplements because it’s compact, there’s less fiddling with packages, it goes down fast, and you don’t have to chew (sometimes that’s hard while running!), but eating on the bike is a lot easier, so I’m in the process of trying some other stuff for variety.

Yesterday, for my 50 mile ride (yes, I have broken through the 30 mile barrier!) I took some cola Powerbar Gel Blasts with me. I’m into this cola thing right now. I don’t drink coke at all but there’s something about that coke flavor when racing that I really like. I just ordered kona cola flavor Nuun. 4 tubes. Better be good. Anyway, about an hour into the ride I tried one of these little coke gummies. OMG. They are like crack. I had to stop myself from eating the entire bag in 10 seconds flat. (It’s supposed to last an hour.) They taste like those coke gummy bottles we used to eat as kids…only better. They were so good I had to share (even though I really wanted to keep them all to myself) and I gave one to Meggan at a light. She let out a shriek right as the light changed and I thought something was wrong, then realized it was a reaction to the gummy. I quickly ate all the rest before she asked for another.

Maybe there should be a govt. warning: Seriously Addictive

Once the ride was over I returned to Potomac River Running to buy up all the cola Powerbar Gel Blasts they had. I only saw 3 bags on the shelf so I asked if they had any more in stock. The guy opened a drawer behind the counter and I saw a gigantic box full of them. It took a lot of will power not to jump over the counter and grab them. “How many do you want?” he asked. “How many have you got?” I replied. I ended up buying 14 bags. The guy had seen the glint in my eye and knew better than to mess around with an addict in the store.

In case you’re not a cola freak they do also come in other flavors: lemon, raspberry, and strawberry-banana. Cola and strawberry-banana have caffeine. 1 bag has 45g carbs compared to a GU which has 25, so I’ll eat one bag in an hour whereas if I’m taking GU I need 2 per hour.

Incidentally, I’ve been learning some interesting nutritional stuff as I get ready for this Half Ironman, so thought I’d share. Hey, I’m a sharing person…unless it’s my cola gummies.

  • Eat 200 – 400 calories 2 hrs prior to an endurance event (longer than an hour)
  • Drink 16 – 20oz fluid when you wake up (you wake up dehydrated)
  • After the first hour of racing, you need to take in 400-600mg sodium/hr and 40 – 60g carbs/hr
  • Drink 16 – 32oz fluid/hr
  • Chocolate milk is one of the best recovery drinks because of the almost 4:1 carb to protein ratio
  • Got gas? Check the ingredients in all those high fiber foods. Inulin (chicory root) is the culprit. Seriously, after hearing this I went and looked at my double fiber wheat bread, Luna bars, Fiber One bars, Clif bars…inulin was a top ingredient in all of them. Holy smokes!
All this food talk is making me hungry…time for an inulin-free snack.
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Tomorrow I will be an Ultrarunner…

May 6, 2011 by 3 Comments

When I signed up for Capon Valley 50K several months ago, May 7th seemed a long way away. Almost as if it would never actually get here. While driving to the store today to get ice and DVDs for the trip, I realized that what I’ve been working towards for the last few months is tomorrow.

I am trying not to freak out. I may not be as prepared as I’d like – didn’t run enough hills, didn’t run longer than 3.5 hours – but I’m ready for the challenge and feel strong physically and mentally. I remember than on some of my early trail training runs the temps were in the teens and I needed a lot of mental strength just to get through the run, during which I would warm up and refreeze repeatedly. As I switched things up a little for Shamrock Marathon and started doing my long runs on the road at a faster pace, I felt an increase in my physical strength.

The past two weeks, every workout has been a success. I’ve been able to dig deep when necessary and feel strong throughout the workout. The other day, while swimming, I realized that I actually enjoy swim workouts now. This feels like an achievement after spending the last 2 years dreading them and forcing myself to do them. I finally feel strong and confident in the water.

So my bags are packed - including my Camelback with about 873 GUs in it, 2 pairs of trail shoes, 2 pairs of shorts, and 4 pairs of socks -and I just dined on pasta, a baked potato, and scrambled egg. Delicious. Wish I could eat that every day. Although my potato did partially explode in the oven so I would be doing a lot of oven-cleaning if I really did eat that every day. Plus I would look like a freaking potato.

My plan now is to get to Capon Springs and Farms resort this afternoon and put my feet up as much as possible. Tomorrow is going to be here before I know it.

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Eating Cookies on the Battlefield

March 30, 2011 by 7 Comments

I was going to post this yesterday but my husband convinced me to watch an episode of House, which I haven’t seen in ages. When did House and Cuddy get together? Honestly, I watch them flirt around for years and then miss the actual event.

Moving on…

Last Saturday I joined my Manassas Battlefield running buddies. This weekly get-together is organized by Ian Connor, the manager at The Running Store in Gainesville. It’s a great group. Even though I attend their runs sporadically they are always welcoming. Ian is one of the nicest guys on the planet. In college he was named All-American several times in Cross-Country and Track, has qualified for the Olympic trials, and could run up front with the fast guys if he wanted to, but he hangs back and keeps the group together, making sure everyone has a buddy to stay with and no-one gets lost. He is like the group shepherd. Or maybe the sheepdog, since he does a lot of herding.

Unfinished Railroad Manassas Battlefield

I LOVE these trails!

I always enjoy chatting with Ian but feel guilty about monopolizing his time because, since I rarely come out, there’s always a lot for us to catch up on and I will bend his ear for miles. After talking about nip guards and body glide, we got onto more serious stuff. He asked me why I was running at the back of the pack instead of up front and I explained I’d just run Shamrock marathon and was training for a 50K so needed to take it easy. Then he told me he was putting his coaching hat on and suggested I bag the ultra stuff until I’m burnt out on marathons and run 2 marathons a year instead. I protested that I AM burnt out on marathons, even though I’ve only run five, and want to try something different, something off-road. It was an interesting conversation because it made me realize for the first time why I want to run 50K. I absolutely LOVE trail running and want to get off the road for my longer races. I could keep running road marathons and try to get faster each time but my heart isn’t in it.

I was practicing eating different foods, even though on a normal 10 mile run I’d just manage with one GU. When I pulled out the chocolate chip cookies Ian asked me if I’d brought milk…yeah, yeah. Everyone was squeezing gels and chewing shotblocks and I was eating cookies. I need to get used to eating regular food because I figure that’s what you need in an ultra. As those of us who have experimented have discovered, your stomach can only handle so many GUs. I managed five during Shamrock Marathon, the most I’ve ever consumed in a race. But the ultra will take me much longer, probably more than five hours, so I need to practice eating different stuff. But what, exactly?

I decided to enlist the help of some ultrarunners whose blogs I follow. Dan Rose is a seriously fast guy who runs seriously long races and ran for Team USA in last year’s 24 hour world championship. He lives near me and we both run Bull Run trail, but I’ve yet to meet him. Dan said: “Alison, I’m a ‘liquid only’ guy during ultras. For a 50k I’ll just mix in 6 or 7 hammer gels into my camelbak and sip that throughout. For a 50m, I’ll do the same and refill along the way so it works out to 250 calories per hour. For 100 milers I’ll mix in a little Perpetuem after the 50 mile mark to get a little protein & fat in my system. For 24 hour races I’ll usually drink a recovery drink like Ultragen in the middle as well. Overall the goal is always 250 calories/hr. Oh, and I’ll take an SCap every hour for electrolytes no matter the distance of the race. My fuel plan isn’t for everyone, but it keeps things simple and efficient for me and my stomach!”

What?! I was so looking forward to combining my two loves: food and running, and now I’m hearing that ultrarunners don’t really eat? Note that a 50K is small potatoes to Dan. Also note the food analogy. ;) I once tried mixing GU in my water and it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted. Love you, Dan, but don’t think that plan will work for me!

So I asked Neal Gorman, another fast ultrarunner who lives in the area. Neal said, “On longer runs I usually start off with a Clif bar or two then mix in Clif blocks and GU gels from there after. During long races same thing but during a 50k I will go with only blocks and gels, with gels only towards the end. Calories absorb into the blood more quickly. I also consume one to two (depending on heat) s-caps per hour for electrolytes.”

OK, so at least Neal eats a Clif bar, but he doesn’t eat any real food, either! Amy Sprotson is another phenomenal ultrarunner for whom a 50K is a warmup. She is a member of the Montrail-Mountain Hardwear Team. She recently ran the Chuckanut 50K and experienced “stomach issues” for much of it, so my “hey, what do you eat during a 50K?” may have been poorly timed. ;)

Amy said: “I usually stick to gels or shotblocks. Usually gels, if I’m carrying a handheld water bottle, as they are easier to carry. For a 50 miler and above, I actually don’t vary that too much and still prefer gels and shotblocks. I nibble on real food depending on how I’m feeling, but usually rely on gels/shotblocks/liquid calories (Ultragen). For me, they seem easier to digest.”

OK, three hits and I have totally struck out. So I guess I will be saving the cookies for after the run, and loading up on GU and Honey Stingers. How boring. And a bit disappointing because I was expecting a 5+ hour foodfest where I could look forward to each aid station’s offerings with wild anticipation. On the bright side, it looks like those s-caps I’ve never used will come in handy. Do they expire?!

Stonewall Jackson monument

I wonder what Stonewall Jackson ate?

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Lucky Me!

March 22, 2011 by 17 Comments

What’s big and purple and lies next to Ireland? Grape Britain!

I thought I’d start this post with a joke because I figure you’re all expecting me to start with “I PR’d!!!” – which I did (as you can see by the new marathon PR listed on the right!), but the PR was just part of an amazing and very fun weekend in Virginia Beach with my family and triathlon team.

Shamrock

Grimacing in the final stretch

The joke, by the way, was one of several that were posted on signs along a quiet, spectator-free section of the Shamrock Marathon course. They were what kept me going from miles 16 – 19 and I remember several of them. This stretch was so quiet that when someone behind us burped everyone started roaring with laughter. It kinda broke the silence and I started chatting to the guy next to me, with whom I’d been in step for a while. I needed to talk, because I was starting to hurt. We chit-chatted for a while and then another guy came up to us and said, “do you know when this hill ends?” (“What hill?” I thought. Aside from a bridge that you run over and back, Shamrock marathon is pancake-flat.) “Uh, soon, I think,” the guy next to me said. Then, when “hill” guy was out of earshot, he turned to me and said, “what hill?” “Exactly.” I said.

So, how did my “training run” go? Well, basically I tried to slow myself down for 20 miles and then speed up for the last 6. I was literally “swallowed” by the 3:40 pace group, which descended on me at mile 8 like a pack of wild dogs, and which I rejoined – and passed! – at mile 21. Sweeeet.

Recapping an entire marathon is hard and probably very boring, so here are the answers to questions I am presumptuous enough to assume you might have:

- Yes, I went out too fast, even though I swore I would not. My splits were 8:29, 7:59, 8:00, 8:07, 8:20, 8:11, 8:18, 8:10, 8:06, 8:08, 8:11, 8:16, 8:14, 8:17, 8:14, 8:13, 8:12, 8:19, 8:06, 8:19, 8:10, 8:24, 8:14, 8:09, 8:20, 8:07, 7:13. Altogether, my pace was fairly even  so I don’t think I messed up. I went through the half in 1:49 so I did run a negative split – by a hair!

- Yes, I peed while running. And I laughed out loud at people wasting time standing in the porta-potty lines on the course.

- I ate 5 (five!) GUs and a pack of Honey Stingers. This is way more than I’ve ever eaten during a marathon and I think this really helped me in the latter stages.

- Even though I used a significant amount of body glide I still chafed. Lesson learned: you can never use too much body glide.

- The day before the race I ate oatmeal for breakfast, blueberry pancakes for lunch, and pasta with meat sauce for dinner.

- There is a point during the marathon when everything hurts. You will always want to stop or at least slow down at this point. Run through it. Deal with it.

- I had a weird pain on the outside of my knee between miles 3 and 4. I had the exact same pain at about the same point in the Philly Half Marathon. The pain intensified, became excrutiating, and then went away during that race, so I hoped it would act the same way this time. It did. It went away after about a mile and didn’t come back. I don’t know what caused it. I’ve had the same pain running on the treadmill, which is why I no longer run on the treadmill. Odd.

OK, so if you have a burning question about my race that I didn’t answer, please write it in the comment section and I will be sure to respond!

So, what else made it such a great weekend? My husband ran his first 8K in an awesome time and made it look easy! Next time he says he’s going to run it faster!

My kids, who “hate the beach” and “can’t stand sand” spent several hours digging holes, fishing stuff out of the ocean, playing frisbee, and making sand volcanoes.

Finally, to cap it all, the day before the marathon, I got an e-mail from Cathy Pugsley at Potomac River Running inviting me to join their Age Group Racing Team! Of course I was interested but I didn’t think I was =PR= material, so I sent them my PRs just to be sure they really wanted me and they replied YES, they would like me to race for them!

Lucky me!

Ok, one more: What do you get when you cross a shamrock with poison ivy? A rash of good luck!

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