Bloomsday 2014

Getting up for Bloomsday was hard this year.  The day before the race, I drove down to the Riggins Rodeo to spend the day with my dad and Susan, and I drove back the night before Bloomsday.  My alarm went off at 5:30; no one should be up at that time, in my humble opinion.

We got on the road by 6:15 so that we could get to Spokane, pick up our packets, and get Scott and the other second seeders to their corral by 8:15 or so.  Everything went as planned, and even the weather was looking up (it had rained early that morning, and I was hoping that my tank top and capri pants weren't too optimistic an outfit for the race). 

My race started sometime around 9:20, though I really don't know when; I wasn't carrying my watch or my phone, so I just followed the masses of orange bib-wearing runners in workout clothes and costumes (superheros, Raggedy Anne, and a banana, to name a few).

I ran the first 1.5 miles or so until the first minor hill.  I decided to walk it even though I wasn't tired; I figured that I hadn't done any running for a while, and there was no way that I would realistically run the whole thing.  I decided to be strategic: run the flats and downhills and walk the uphills and water stations. 

The race was mostly uneventful, other than being hit in the head with a beach ball after the first mile and running nearly side-by-side with a fireman in full uniform.  I have to admit, though, I kind of impressed myself by how fast I seemed to go, given my lack of running training.  I knew I wasn't close to my 11:18 pace (2011 PR for this course), but I knew that I was going significantly faster than I had last year (14:14/mile).  My near-daily elliptical machine training paid off in terms of cardio, and I completed the race without ever feeling truly out of breath or pained from side aches. 

Somewhere between Mile 6 and 7, I felt a little annoyed at how long that particular mile was.  I could have sworn that someone had moved the Mile 7 marker because I knew I had run much farther.  Unlucky for me, however, no one had stolen the sign; I came upon the marker and still had a half mile to go.

The last half mile wasn't fast, but I did have a little kick at the tiny downhill to the finish.  I crossed the finish line in 1:38:40, with a pace of 13:13/mile.  I finished in the top half of all 32 year-old females and over a minute faster per mile than last year.  I did ok. :)

After the race, a bunch of us from Beer Chasers met at No-Li Brewery to enjoy a meal and a beverage or two.  Unfortunately, it wasn't warm enough for us to sit outside, so I enjoyed my Cream Ale at an indoor table, with my jacket on, surrounded by fellow Bloomies.

<3

Pullman Winter Ultra 12/14/13 & 01/11/14

I participated in both races again for the Pullman Winter Ultra in Pullman, WA.  This year, however, I ran the 25K in December and the 12.5K in January.  I am especially proud of the distance in January, and I'm proud that I survived the rain and wind in January without catching pneumonia or becoming hypothermic (as did some of the other racers).

The 25K in December was pleasant for the most part.  It was quite cold (35 degrees), and I did slip around a bit on the course (especially in the shadows, where the ice could not melt), but I enjoyed being out on the course, knowing that if I finished, I would get a PR.  I found that Lou Bega's "Mambo Number 5" is a wonderful song to jog to and that my ankle is at least 90% recovered, as it did not start feeling sore until well into my second lap.  All in all, I walked away with a PR, two gnarly blisters, and third place overall female.

The 12.5K in January was not much fun.  It was cold (40s) and wet and very, very windy.   In the first mile or so, I thought that I may do two laps; my legs were feeling good, and I felt like I had dressed appropriately for my speed and effort.  But soon thereafter the rain came, and my mind changed completely.  It rained so hard that my fleece mittens were completely soaked through in a matter of minutes.  My rain coat kept my body dry, but my feet squished water out the sides with every step.  I could feel my healing December blisters get new blisters inside my wet socks.

Worst, perhaps, was the wind.  The wind sprayed the rain into my eyes and, at certain sections of the course, kept me from jogging in a straight line.  The 40-50 mph gusts pushed me sideways.  I cursed under my breath and wondered why I had gotten out of my warm bed to run in such weather.  I finished with a time of 1:52:00, or a 14:25/mile pace.  I was glad to be done.  I felt for the runners still out on the course as I drove home with the heater on high.

Here are a few photos from the January race, though they simply cannot do the weather conditions justice.

Checking in and bundled up

Climbing the hill to Banyans

In a downpour, just past the bears

Just a few yards before finishing with Steffi Tietz

Good to remember, even in the rain and wind :)

Also, I signed up for Bloomsday again this year, and I am registered for the 12-hour Transcendence Race in Olympia too.  I don't have many races on my agenda, but the ones I do have actually mean something to me.  And I think that's what matters to me now in my running journey.

<3

No Transcendence Ultra 2013

I was really excited about running the Transcendence Ultra again - the 12-hour race in Olympia, WA, where I ran and walked 38 miles last year.  I haven't been serious about signing up for many races, though I have participated out at Kamiak and the occasional beer mile.  But the 12-hour race really interested me.  Yes, I felt super sick after my performance in 2012, and no, I haven't learned much about fueling (and not swelling up) while running in heat, but I really wanted to see if I had one more lap in me this year.  So, in spite of my normal approach to running, I actually started to train a few months ago.  I started walking to Moscow to toughen up my feet, and I tried to do one long walk/run and one medium-to-long run mid-week.  I downloaded books by Mindy Kaling and David Sedaris, put on my Brooks Launch, and set out with the hope that a little bit of training would not only help me get 39.5 miles this year but also finish the race without throwing up in the car on the way home.

Beautiful Palouse view during "training"

But then Life happened and got in the way.  While accompanying Scott to Schweitzer Mountain for one of his races, I fell on a step similar to the one pictured here, and broke my ankle.

It was bad.  I fell down onto the step and cried out, as my ankle immediately started to swell.  I honestly cannot say that I have ever felt that kind of intense and prolonged physical pain.  My body broke out into a clothes-drenching sweat, and my vision went black and blurry.  I was nauseous and couldn't seem to put my words into complete sentences.  I was helpless and hurt, and people crowded around me.  Scott saw that this was no typical "Annie-fell-and-stubbed-her-toe" kind-of injury and ran for help.  He and two men from the first aid station picked me up off the stairs and carried me into the lodge's first aid center, which consisted of little more than a vinyl-covered bed.  They placed me on the bed, gave me water and a trash can in case of illness, and put a cool cloth on my neck and forehead. 

I could barely think; all I wanted in the world was something for the pain.  The pain didn't subside like they said it would, and instead of giving me morphine or Vicodin, they asked me questions for their accident forms.  Even though they were nice and somewhat helpful, I was annoyed and wanted to get off the mountain and go somewhere - anywhere - that had something to dull the pain.  Scott drove me to an immediate care clinic in Sandpoint, where I got x-rays, a half-cast, and (finally) a prescription for some pain meds.

One month and three days later, I am still on crutches and in a boot with a torn deltoid ligament and a fractured fibula.  I missed the Transcendence Ultra, which still bums me out, but I'm doing my best to think positively and not feel sorry for myself.  (And about 85% of the time, I am successful.)

I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully he'll give me some good news. I'd love to be walking and driving again soon, even though there are little joys like this that have acted as my silver lining...

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