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August 27, 2019
C2C Realy 2019
The American Cancer Society Columbus-to-Cincinnati Relay Run took place last Friday and Saturday. If we’re friends on Facebook, you’re already tired of hearing about it. My teammates have done plenty of posting. I share their sentiments. C2C is my favorite event of the year — athletic, charity, social — it is all three at the same time and my favorite in each standalone category. Did that make sense? It’s great fun, a physical challenge, and an honor to be a part of our awesome team. And the fact that’s all in support of the American Cancer Society is just gravy. It feels soooo good to give back.
It was nice not to be total newbies this year. We expanded to two teams so it was the first time for half of our squad but they had us wise veterans to lean on. Through experience, we knew we needed to do more of two really obvious, basic things this year: eat and sleep. In 2018, we were excited/nervous and so focused on running and getting to exchange points on time that we kind of neglected to eat. Not a problem in 2019! We were also more strategic about budgeting our time at major exchanges so that we could squeeze in extra sleep. According to my Garmin, I got 2 hours 23 minutes of sleep, easily 3x what I slept the year prior!
Before I go any further, can I please mention the weather? I couldn’t have asked for better. I couldn’t even imagine better. It was perfection. Cool, slightly breezy, and no rain. It was downright cold overnight (53 degrees) and we L O V E D it.
Randy the magic man scored four vans for us to use, so we had two vehicles each (a minivan and a large passenger van) for runners 1-4 and runners 5-8. The chart shows leg assignments and distances. We did a good deal of leapfrogging and skipping ahead vs. having everyone (or everyone but the runner) in the van at all times as we had to do in 2018. There were several exchanges where the two runners waiting to start handed off the keys to the runners coming in...sort of like passing a baton but in reverse.
With two teams, everyone was paired up with a running partner. I can’t say for sure, but I think everyone appreciated having a buddy. I certainly did. It wasn’t that Tony signed up for this adventure unwillingly...it wasn’t a matter of will or want at all as I signed him up without his knowledge! But knowing how much I enjoyed the experience last year, I don’t think he was surprised. He was a fantastic team member. Good attitude, funny, accustomed to not sleeping (and also driving while in a woozy, sleep-deprived state), able to park large vans. Ummm, we might not have survived without him!! He also made me run faster than expected.
Our team started at COSI/Genoa Park at 3:30 pm (an hour earlier than last year) and I was runner 3 (last year I ran first), so my legs were roughly at the same time of day. Run 1 (leg 3) was again my least favorite. We departed from a church in Grove City shortly before 6:00 pm and ran through a housing development and along some country roads. According to my Garmin, it was 72 degrees. On an August evening…how sweet is that temperature?
There were no sidewalks and very little if any shoulder on US-62, Beatty, and Lambert roads. We ran against traffic and drivers were mostly aware and polite in giving us a wide berth, but the terrain really aggravated the Morton’s neuroma in my left foot. We were running on a slanted road surface or the adjacent gravel/grass slope. We finished at a tree farm in Orient, took the keys from Becca and Andrea, and headed to major exchange 4, where...
There were fajitas! Glory to the fajita! Randy the van man is also a master chef. He sautéed chicken, ground beef, peppers, and onions on his Blackstone and had all of the fixings, including Corona. The other teams and volunteers were quite jealous. It was delicious, much appreciated, and needed for the long haul ahead. This stop was my favorite, not only for the food, but because it was the longest we got to hang out with runners 5-8 during the relay.
Our group (runners 1-4) headed to the Fayette County YMCA after this, but in hindsight, we should have gone directly to major exchange 8, where our runners would start their second leg. I think we would’ve gotten more sleep. Adam, Randy, Becca, and Andrea went ahead to exchange 9 in the large van while the rest of us went to exchange 8. During the overnight legs, runners run on the road with traffic while being followed by a van. Tony and I followed Sandra and Erin. At exchange 9, we switched vans. Becca and Andrea followed Adam and Randy in the minivan and the rest of us took the jumbo sleeper van ahead to where Tony and I would start.
Again, run 2 (leg 11) was my favorite. I was shivering so badly I could barely start my watch. 53 degrees is freezing when you’re standing around in a thin dry-fit tee and shorts. It is a Christmas miracle once you start running. The weather gods were so good to us. We started at a barn (farm?) in Washington Courthouse at 1:30 am and finished at a church in Sabina about an hour later. There was very little traffic and only one turn so the run itself was a piece of cake. I can’t speak to the scenery as it was too dark to see much but I know there was lots of corn and soybeans. Also some extremely loud, close, and I believe angry cows. The sky was crystal clear and full of stars. We watched the moon rise minutes before we started. It was basically perfect and I’m super glad Tony was there to experience it with me (I’m sure he was, too, if only so he wouldn’t have to hear about it later).
This part of the adventure (driving at 5 mph behind runners while listening to the sleep-inducing tick-tock of the hazard lights) was the most exhausting but it seemed to go pretty quickly. Before we knew it, we were at major exchange 12, the halfway point, admiring luminarias and eating breakfast sandwiches. Once our runners came in, we departed immediately for exchange 16 where our group’s last legs would begin. This gave us a full two hours to sleep (three if the sun hadn’t woken us) before Sandra and Erin had to depart.
The last set of runs for our group were almost entirely on the Little Miami Trail. So freaking beautiful. A tunnel of trees along the river. Run 3 (leg 19) started at the Main Street trailhead in South Lebanon just before 11:00 am and finished (our finish line!) at the Foster trailhead in Maineville. Sunny and 70 degrees. Run 3 was my longest last year but my shortest this year. You bet I planned that! Couple that with better fueling, more rest, and having a partner that I didn’t want to let down...and this was the fastest of our three legs. We even had the energy for a sprint to the finish. I won, obviously.
We continued our tradition of a celebratory round at Narrow Path Brewing in Loveland, then headed to Yeatman’s Cove to cross the finish line with Cindy and Jen. 138ish miles in 25 hours. What a feeling!
I’m still digesting everything and feeling all the feels but I’d say C2C Year 2 was slightly less overwhelming than round 1...but equally fulfilling and a whole lot more fun! I am blown away by the incredible support I’ve received and am truly humbled by your generosity. If you’ve read this far, please accept my sincerest thanks and know that I thought of each and every one of my donors — and your reason for donating, your why — during my miles. Cancer has touched every person I know. What we do, what we are able to donate, whether dollars, time, or simply a hug and a thank you, may seem small on its own, but together it is significant. Many lives are improved, some are saved, and that matters. Together, we can finish the fight against cancer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
June 11, 2019
Eagle Up Recap / C2C Training Update
Last weekend, I had the honor of running alongside 600+ ultra-endurance athletes in Eagle Up, a 24-Hour Ultramarathon. This was unlike any race I've done before. I'd love to call myself an ultrarunner someday because these were some seriously cool, friendly, TOUGH people but for now (and the foreseeable realistic future!) I'll be happy with my 15 solid miles.
2019 was the fourth running of Eagle Up. The course is a 5-mile loop in Canal Fulton, Ohio along the Ohio-Erie Canal and Tuscarawas River -- a scenic, flat trail. The simplicity of the course allows for a great variety in distances: 50 km, 50 miles, 50 km + 50 miles, 100 km, 100 miles, and 4- or 8-person relay teams for the 100-mile distance. Our team, A Running Joke, registered in the 8-person division but only ended up with 7 runners.
Randy, one of my C2C teammates, stepped us as captain and did an incredible job. He recruited two runners through work: Ellie, a fellow teacher, and Shana, a parent of several of his students. I reached out via email to my dear friend, Heather, from Georgia Tech. She said yes within minutes...both for herself and her dutiful husband, Jeff. Tony was recruited similarly, with no knowledge of or consent to his registration. Not gonna lie, we were kind of a dream team. A mix of old friends, newer friends, and total strangers and we gelled so nicely. We laughed a lot and had a few of them but as a competitors, A Running Joke we were not – we had some talented runners on our squad. I was one of the slowest!
Eagle Up is about a million times easier than C2C or other point-to-point relays in terms of logistics...no being cramped in a van, no driving, no navigating, no sleeping next to a dumpster J, easy access to food and restrooms...but Tony and I love a challenge so we decided to bring the kids along. They were wonderful but of course there is a lot less resting when you are tending to children's hunger and entertainment needs. Mostly we were trying to minimize how annoying they were to the rest of our team. Overall, we did okay and the kids did great.
The start-finish and ultra uber mega massive aid station are located in St. Helena Heritage Park, where camping is free for the event. Randy arrived around noon on Friday to a lot that was nearly full – the event veterans show up Thursday night to secure parking and set up camp. Randy was able to reserve a large enough spot for his camper, a pop-up shelter, and three tents. You can see our little village near the top of the parking area in the drone photos. Look for the red pop-up shelter (it’s really just a dot). The sunset photo is from Friday night.
This was a primo camping spot!! We were right on the course (a few hundred yards from the finish) with bathrooms nearby. Everything was close -- it was just a short walk across the parking lot to the food pavilion (dark brown roof) and start-finish -- but I liked that we were about as far away as possible from these congested areas. I wouldn't say our spot was quiet but it was notably more peaceful than the camping spots near the food that always had hundreds of people milling about!
Before I talk about running, let's talk about the important stuff. Food! How did I not take any pictures of the spread?? I have never seen so much food. PB&Js, grilled cheese with bacon, tortillas with a variety of yumminess inside (guacamole, nutella, pb and honey, etc.), pancakes, waffles, doughnuts, Dominos pizza, a mac and cheese bar, olives, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, ramen, burgers, popsicles, ice cream, chips, pretzels, bananas, watermelon, oranges, strawberries, so much candy, and every beverage you can imagine, including unlimited Michelob Ultra. That was everything I ate. There were probably twice as many items. As a relay runner, with more time eating than running, part of the challenge was restraint!
And they fed us on Friday night! Packet pickup was at a shop called Brimstone Bicycles, located just across the canal from our tent site. Next door was a pub, Canal Boat Lounge, which hosted a free pre-race pasta dinner. Families included! Kids ate from the food pavilion all day Saturday, too. We were blown away by how relaxed and casual and welcoming the whole food and beer garden setup were...made us wonder how many townies wandered over to join in the festivities.
Is she ever going to talk about running? Yes, yes she will. Let me start by saying that I was treating this more as a training run for C2C than as a race. But even for C2C, for any relay, being as green as I am, I err on the conservative side. Running three times in one day is both a physical and mental challenge with a whole lot of unknown as to how all of the parts are going to feel. I took it easy. The goal was a 9:30 pace for the first two runs, and then whatever felt good for run three.
I volunteered to go first so I was up at 5 am to get ready for the 6 am starting gun. Sleep was poor as expected. Charlotte walked me to the starting line. Actually, all of our teammates that camped on Friday night (Tony, Randy, Shana) were there to see me off. I made the mistake of starting near the back. Not sure what I was thinking (I wasn't, clearly) because I was obviously going to be moving a lot faster than people who would be running 31-100 consecutive miles. Duh. So lap one was a lot of bobbing and weaving and chatting with other runners. The trails were clean and dry and the air was a crisp 60 degrees. Ideal.
The order of runners after me was Randy, Tony, Shana, Ellie, Heather, and Jeff. Randy felt so good after his lap that he decided to run a second. Another example of the relaxed nature of Eagle Up: they don't care how many laps each runner completes or the order that they follow, only that 20 are completed. We stayed in our pre-discussed order after this, each running only one lap at a time.
My second run was around noon and was significantly harder than the first. I was able to maintain pace but had to focus on it which is unusual for me at that easy pace. It wasn’t terribly hot, maybe around 80 degrees, and it was mostly shaded along the trail but also quite humid and still. I stopped at all three water stations on the 5-mile loop. One had Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles that hit the spot. Very few of the non-relay runners were still running at this point 6+ hours into the race. Charlotte was waiting for me to pass by our campsite and she jumped in to escort me to the finish...and must have found her calling in doing so. She did the same for the rest of our team for the rest of the day.
Run three (my last! woop woop!) started around 5:40 pm. By now it was cooling off and becoming breezy, a gift from the heavens! This was weirdly the easiest and fastest of the day. Conditions were lovely, which definitely helped, and I though I didn't get much rest, I must have fueled adequately. Obviously I did. You already heard what I ate! I have to assume that fuel made the difference because run 3 of C2C 2018 was brutal. I had zero left in the tank and had to walk on that third leg. More of the non-relay runners seemed to be running again by now so perhaps they had been conserving energy during the hotter part of the day. All three kids were ready to run to the finish with me and Tony was there to take pics. I grabbed pizza and a beer and went directly into the pool in my running clothes. Glory to cool water and chlorination!
Shana and Ellie were headed back to Columbus after their last legs, so we snapped a team photo after Ellie (and Charlotte) finished lap 19 and then we cheered Heather off on our team's final lap...without a headlamp. It got dark about halfway through her run but lightning bugs and other runners guided her. Fortunately the route was flat, straight, and very familiar to her at that point! We crossed the finish line as a team at 15:34:57, a 9:21 min/mile average pace. A solid finish, especially considering that our time included handing off our single, soggy timing bracelet at every exchange.
It was a long day on little sleep but I felt remarkably good at its end. And so proud of our team's performance! No soreness to speak of on Sunday other than the standard almost-40-years-old / slept-in-a-tent-for-two-nights aches and pains. Eagle Up was a great experience in all aspects. It was a pleasure just to be in the company of ultrarunners, and even better that the atmosphere was so warm, inclusive, and family friendly (don't worry, team -- we're NOT bringing the kids next year). Everyone was so freaking nice and supportive. It was great preparation for C2C but so much more...and hopefully a new annual tradition!
Oh, and if you ever hear Tony complain about me signing him up for things against his will, trying to kill him, etc. or lamenting about his old age, please slap him. All three of his laps were around an 8:40 pace.
August 30, 2018
C2C 2018 Recap
I am having a hard time describing all of the feelings that the American Cancer Society C2C Relay Run brought out in me. Elation, accomplishment, humility, community, gratitude -- to name a few. I am fortunate to have never experienced cancer. I don't know what it's like to battle the disease, but I feel like C2C had a few parallels with the fight:
- It was a struggle, both physically and logistically, with some uncertainty about end results.
- It would have been impossible without the strength and support of a team.
Our overnight adventure was a beautiful, bizarre mash up of road trip, scavenger hunt, slumber party, starvation diet, first date, laughfest, and celebration...with a just a wee bit of exercise to top it off. I especially loved that it was the first time for all of our team members. New experience, new gear, new cities, and new friends that seem like old ones now!
Emotional stuff aside, here's how the running went. I was runner 1, which meant I led us off from Genoa Park in downtown Columbus. My spirit squad was strong: three kids and three grandparents to see me off (thanks again, guys!). The start line was a little chaotic, mostly because we had never participated in the event before. I was the first one to experience the tracking app (more on that fun later) and the course signage, but overall I would say I had the easiest role. We ran in the same order each time, so my legs were 1, 9, and 17. I had heat and traffic to deal with on my first leg, but only one overnight run, and my last leg was finished by 10 am. And I was DONE. The routes/mileage were reasonable, too: 5.5, 5.3, and 6.3 miles.
Run 1 was fine, can't complain. We started on time at 4:30 pm. The Scioto Trail was especially nice because it is where my (completely unstoried, undecorated) Columbus running career began. Tony and I ran there regularly when we lived in German Village -- long before the Audubon Center and when you had to step over homeless people under the railroad tracks -- but I haven't run there in 10 years. Upon exiting the trail, I ran along Front, Greenlawn, Harmon, and Stimmel, ending at Brown. The south end is...the south end. Industrial and torn up. I was on a gravel shoulder and the only other people I saw were in way too large vehicles (semis, concrete trucks) moving way too fast, but before I knew it, I heard my name through a megaphone. Well played, Captain. :)
Run 2 was my favorite. It started just before midnight and was a straight shot down 62 into Washington Courthouse. The temperature was perfect, the crickets were singing, and it was just...peaceful. And I guess I wasn't tired/depleted enough to notice yet. There was comfort in having my team follow behind me in the van, but it was mildly stressful at the same time like when you feel another runner approaching from behind. Definitely helped me maintain my pace so as not to get passed - ha!
My third run, although scenic, was a death march. I descended sharply from exchange 16 to a shady section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail just north of Morrow. You can see the descent!! Check out the elevation chart at the bottom of this image. The hill was between miles 95 and 96. Hello, sore toes.
The Little Miami Trail was a beautiful tunnel of trees and I loved seeing people again -- a handful of runners and tons of cyclists. I started out at a decent pace but hit.a.wall by mile 3. The decline in performance was not gradual like a flickering flashlight. This was like someone pulled the plug on me. Too soon? :)
For real, it was a fight to keep moving and it gave me a better understanding of the fight for survival that cancer must be. I kept thinking about my team and my donors and all of my cheerleaders…and of course got really emotional which made it even harder to breathe…and food, yes, thought about that, too…and somehow put one foot in front of the other instead of lying down on the trail or rolling into the river.
We had plenty of running jokes along the way that aren't funny at all to people who weren't there/aren't currently sleep-deprived. The biggest, saddest joke was RaceJoy, the app we used for runner tracking. I am ashamed to share my name with such a turd. The only good thing is that RaceJoy caused so much mental pain and frustration that it distracted us from our physical pain. However...the app seemed to work well enough for spectators so I hope it served its purpose of allowing ACS to track us while on the course.
If I had to choose one word to describe the team relay experience, it would be "overwhelming." I was overwhelmed by the support I received, by the cause itself, by the passion and heart of the ACS staff, by the spectacular comradery that comes with belonging to a team, and by the feeling of accomplishment at completing the relay. C2C is different than most races because you don't start with hundreds or thousands of other people. Most of your running is done alone...and yet because of your team and the cause, you are never alone. You feel like you are part of something much bigger than yourself.
Our captain, Sandra, is nothing short of amazing. She was unable to run because of injury but drove us the entire way to Cinci -- 24+ hours -- and kept us laughing and smiling throughout. Our running squad included five members of MRTT (Moms Run This Town), Randy (Sandra's husband), Adam (their sons' basketball coach), and me. Many of you have asked how I got here. I’ve wanted to participate in a relay race for years and was lucky enough to find one close to home. Yay, Google. I contacted ACS as a runner in search of a team and somehow got lucky again when they referred me to Sandra. I met most of Team MRTT over the summer at ACS events but they were still basically strangers. And now they are legit like family!
The word "fulfilling" comes in a close second. C2C was an incredibly fulfilling experience and I can't wait to do it again. Thank you, Team MRTT, all of my supporters, and anyone who has listened to me ramble this long. Love you all!
Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XwXCFVnxABBpcu4G9
July 18, 2018
Training Update
This past Sunday, July 15th, I did a mini version of the relay race to see how it would feel to run three times in 16 hours. Just for background, for anyone who doesn’t know, I have been a runner my entire adult life. Wait, did I just admit to being a grownup? Crap. I’ve run two full marathons and dozens of half-marathons. That said, I have never run more than once a day. In fact, other than during the marathon training I did in my former life, I rarely run on consecutive days.
Sunday’s adventure was a 3 x 3: three miles, three times, spaced 7-8 hours apart as my segments will be on race day. One could commend me (or laugh at me) for doing this on such a hot and humid day but the date was dictated by our way-too-full activity calendar. Sunday was the only available day. I am too lazy to stretch or do any sort of warm up, so I do that during my first mile. It’s always slow. The plan was to take runs 1 and 2 easy and see what was left in the tank for run 3.
Run 1 – 5:28 am – 75° F / 84% RH / no wind
Honestly, this was the toughest one. I like to run in the morning, but ideally, I like to at least have a little coffee before I go. Food, too, if there is time. I needed to get this done early so I went on an empty stomach…and I’m not sure I could have eaten anyway. TMI but the seas (guts) were angry that day. Tony and I went out on Saturday night. I had 2.5 drinks and food that was heavier, saltier, and spicier than normal. Maybe not the best idea (let’s be real…I’ve never been known for my great ideas or decision making) BUUUT a decent GI approximation of race day jitters, right?
The humidity was killer. The air was thick. The legs were heavy. Not much else to say except that it was weirdly hard to run as slow as I wanted. I was aiming for a 9:30 pace and it is just as difficult to run slower than your natural pace as it is to run faster. Maybe bc it’s only three miles…and you have to do it two more times…and you just want to get it done? Maybe bc the air is so wet that it feels like you’re swimming and you’re hurrying so as not to drown? I don’t know. Florida people, all of the praise hands. You are my heroes.
Run 2 – 1:01 pm – 86° F / 51% RH / 6 mph
The humidity was much lower and I was thankful for some cloud cover, but the air was so still. I felt no inkling of that 6 mph breeze. Everything was eerily quiet and still at this time of day. I saw a few cars but zero, literally ZERO, people outside during this run. Because duh everyone that was outside was at the pool. Somehow, though, this run was the easiest. I had much more energy in my legs and didn’t feel any fatigue or soreness from the morning. Tummy was happier, too. Shout out to my wonderful husband: Tony took the kids out for about an hour around 10 am and I took a nap!
Run 3 – 8:06 pm – 86° F / 57% RH / 7 mph
So by 8 pm, I am just plain irritated. I can’t enjoy our typical Sunday afternoon of grilling and beer, the kids have been especially unpleasant all day (I reallllly needed a beer), and I am already thinking about the busy week ahead. Plus it’s hot and sticky. And yeah, I am a little sore now. Muscles are fine so I can’t blame the lack of stretching, but the joints are talking to me a little. Whispering to me. I am fortunate to have healthy knees but I do believe I have the hips of a 90-year old.
Mile 1 felt all kinds of bad but I was surprised that my pace was not off from previous runs. A quick note on pace… I wear a Garmin but I do not look at it except when it beeps at each mile. Seriously. If I allowed myself to look at it more, I’d be staring at it all the time and would probably get hurt. I’m clumsy enough with my eyes on the road.
Soooo…here we are. Last two miles. Let’s see if there’s any life left in these legs and how fast we can grind out miles eight and nine for the day. Ha! The answers are not much and not very. Last two miles just barely under 9:00. I was hoping for faster but I was also done. DONE. And not disappointed at all about that!
Overall, I am pleased with my 3 x 3 endeavor. I felt okay on Sunday night. I was tired but about the same amount of tired I typically feel at the end of the weekend and so, so much better than if I’d run nine consecutive miles. A bit of stiffness (I know, I know, I should really stretch) but no soreness on Monday. These runs were a much shorter distance (roughly half) of what I’ll do on race day but enough to give me a flavor for the physical and mental fatigue I will feel. It will be tough but I am so grateful for my health and my amazing support network: my family, my team, and all of you. Thank you!
