St. Paddy's Day & Grasslands Races

Fun race! Honestly, I don't remember much about it though - it went by so quickly. There were about 6,000 runners and walkers, so it took a while before we could actually start running. Once I got passed the thick of it, I took off and kept a pretty good pace throughout. My adjusted chip time was 31:12 (though I think it was closer to 29:45), but either way it was a 5K PR. Great weather, too!

This was definitely a fun run - everyone was dressed in green (except for the random girl dressed in a baby blue running suit who apparently did not get the memo).

I ran with a these guys from my MBA program and we ran into some more cohorts at the St. Patrick's Day Parade after the race. We stuck around after the parade and ate burgers at Fudrucker's. I think it tasted so good because we were all so hungry!

This was basically an all-day affair and let's just say I'm glad I rode the DART instead of driving because there was a lot of St. Paddy's Day celebrating going on! (*Also notice my awesome green tights. I borrowed them from Brad, who dressed up like a leprechaun for Halloween, haha.)

I didn't run Grasslands this year (though I unsuccessfully attempted to sign up for the half at the last minute), but I worked an aid station. It was fun being on the other side of the race.

The Outback Gate aid station was positioned at mile 36, so we got all the 50 milers. It was a pretty hot day - in the 90's in March! - and was definitely not Mudlands like last year. There was hardly any rain prior to the race, so there were lots of sand pits. Many of the runners were complaining of blisters and wishing for last year's conditions.

I went out with "the boys" (i.e. my dad & his partners in crime/highly decorated ultra-runners, Drew & Mark). We met at Whataburger for brunch beforehand and finally got home around 9pm. By the end, I was sunburned and exhausted - and I didn't even run!

Forts, Feathers & Finishing

Hello there!

Oops, it's been a month since I wrote last. What have I been doing? Good question. Let's see...

My dad is amazing & ran 100 miles on the Elliptical,
raising $6,400 for the National MS Society.
18 hours, 28 min.
He is my hero.

Plus he got a really snazzy belt buckle.

I went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time in
ten years and immediately got a headache.
(pic of my roommate haha)

The Gamenight Groupies cheered the
Lake Dallas Fightin' Falcons onto another b-ball victory!
(While posing for the pic, some of the players were like,
"Who are these people?" Haha - We are obviously beloved.)

P.S. We were awesome cheerleaders and we even
(almost) did a human pyramid! And the middle school girls
asked us to lead the crowd in the "Falcon Rumble" cheer.

We have now hosted our first two Standard dinners, raising
about $200 for A21, an organization that fights human trafficking.
We will continue to host dinners every 2nd & 4th Thursdays.

Oh yeah, and I survived the blizzard of 2011.
My roommate and I made a fort (which we slept in),
I invented a new sport (snow surfing), and our group ended up
throwing paper balls at each other to try to knock over plastic cups.
Cabin fever, shall we say??

Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep up with school,
getting involved at Gateway, and hanging out with friends and family.
BTW, one of my friends who is a new Christian was baptized tonight!
So excited for her! (2 Tim. 2:8)

ELLIPTICAL100 THIS FRIDAY!

I Ran the Rock

Because school and life have been so hectic lately, I was planning to give my spot in the White Rock Half to a friend who forgot to register. But then she ran in someone else's shoes and got a stress fracture. So, I decided to give it a go anyway.

Though I should have brought gloves and eaten more, it was a great run. It was a chilly 37 degrees at the Start, but I soon warmed up and took off my outer layer despite the fact that my ears and fingers were a little numb.

My legs began to hurt - my joints, specifically - but I knew I had the race in the bag at mile 7 when my legs went numb, too. From that point on it was just a mental decision to keep moving forward. I took quite a few walk breaks in the first half and then found my rhythm and just cruised in the second half.

Apparently this year was a new course. Around mile 3 I heard the guy next to me say, "This is weird. This is normally the Finish."

But like always, the community came out to support. One lady stood outside of her house playing her trumpet and cheering, people brought out their stereos, a local high school orchestra played to runners passing by, and a nice couple even handed out water bottles. The race also had bands set up along the course playing rockin' tunes like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Eye of the Tiger." And I can't forget the creative signs and t-shirts:

• "Run like Hell!"
• "If it were easy, I'd be running with you"
• "If you can see this, I'm not in last place"
• "You just got passed by a mother of 3"
  
• "Run like a Chilean miner!"
• And my favorite poster held by a 7-year-old girl: "Hurry Up! My legs hurt!"

The race went surprisingly well, considering that I had only run 2 miles in the past three weeks since Rockledge. My goal was to finish between 2:30 and 3:00 and I came in - sprinting with a smile, actually - right at 2:30.

I'm definitely not fast; I was passed by a couple in their 70's, someone on stilts and a woman with a prosthetic leg. But in the end, I passed the lady with a wedgie, so overall I felt pretty good about it.

Rumblings

Pre-Race

Strong finish

Words of wisdom from Ultra Grand Slammer Drew Meyer:

If you're being chased by a sweaty crew
So that you could become trail stew
And your pace is too fast
To let them get past
Just stop to tie either shoe

Rumble Report

I had a good race today!

After getting to bed a little past midnight, my morning started at a strikingly early 5:30am. I fumbled my way around the apartment, thankful that I had laid everything out the night before.

I decided to drop down from the 30K to the 15K, which turned out to be a good thing. I knew the course would be long (trail runs are always longer than what is marked), but the 18.6 mi/30K was actually 21.2 mi! Needless to say, I was happy with my 9.3 mi/15K (which was actually 9.9 mi).

We had absolutely beautiful running weather and the trails were in perfect condition despite yesterday's rain. I started the race off in the front of the pack for some reason. By the time we got into the woods, I realized I was leading a group of about 20 people. My dad had given me the challenge of running negative splits (run the second half faster than the first), but I had to push the pace with 20 people on my heels. I thought it was pretty funny when I nearly ate it, tripping over a covert tree stump. Around mile 2, about 12 of them passed me; shortly after, I "stopped to tie my shoe" so that I could have the trail to myself.

When I woke up this morning, I had a protein shake and 1/2 of a balance bar. These didn't go down too well and I had a stitch in my side most of the first half. I had to walk several times, but by the turnaround I had found my rhythm. They refilled my water bottle at the aid station and then I was just cruising!

I got lost in the woods - metaphysically speaking. Every now and then I would pass or be passed, but during the second half I simply reveled in the delight of trail running. I kept a steady pace and only walked up a few steep hills. It warmed up by the end, so I managed to take off my long-sleeve shirt and transfer my race number to my base layer, which took quite a bit of concentration at that point.

The Rumble's race finish consists of climbing up a set of steep stairs. The race is a tribute to America's veterans, so the stairs were lined with U.S. flags and patriotic signs. "No matter what," I thought, "I have to finish strong and run up those stairs." Thankfully, by the end I still had the energy to do so. What made it even better was that my dad was the one on the mic who announced my finish. "And here is #379, Katie Ryan, finishing her first Rumble!"


What a great run. I finished with even splits (right at 2hrs), ate Pam's red beans & rice afterward, and didn't even have to see Brian Blenden puke on the trail (sorry, inside joke)!

Success.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

I'm getting psyched up for the Rumble this Saturday. I did Yasso 800s on Friday and am planning to do it again before the run. I'm not doing a marathon, but Yasso 800s are supposedly a good predictor of your marathon time.

Basically, you run 800m several times with 400m cool downs in between. You then convert your average minute:second time into hours:minutes in order to predict your marathon time. For example, I averaged 4 min 10 seconds for the 800s, so theoretically my marathon time would be 4 hours 10 minutes. I would be stoked to do that well. I'm hoping to break 4 hours this Sat for 19 miles, so we'll see...

Here's a throwback to the '90s. That's right - Jock Jams. You remember how awesome it is.

I'm a Card-Carrying Member of the NTER

I love waking up early to run.

And by "early" I mean 6:30 a.m. Hey, when you are a college student staying up till 1:30 in the morning to work on a statistics project, 6:30 is early.

Today I had a good run. I did 16 on the elliptical at 9:57 pace and did negative splits, meaning that I ran the second half faster than the first. Pretty respectable. Last week I did 12 miles at 9:53 pace.

Why did I do the elliptical machine, you ask? A few reasons:

1. Time. I still have to finish that Stats project, read a marketing case study, do my finance homework, study econ, and bake blueberry muffins for Bible Study tonight.
2. Entertainment. You get to see all sorts of crazy people at the gym on a Sunday morning, especially on Halloween. Of course there are those people going to classes who are wearing a crazy wig or witch's hat. But then there are the really scary people - the ones who aren't trying to be. One fairly buff guy in his mid 40's was on the elliptical in front of me. He was doing all sorts of twisting and what looked like tai chi. He set the machine to max incline and then tried to go really, really fast while maintaining an intense expression. I was amazed he didn't fall off. And the get-up he was wearing was pretty hilarious. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't do him justice. There was also another man who was in his 60's - he was wearing a white tank top, what looked like thin pajama shorts, and flip flops. Definitely didn't take a picture of him.
3. Pride. There's something so exhilarating about spending 3 hours on the elliptical. You're better than everyone there and you know it. Plus, you get the best parking spots when you show up before 7am.
4. Keeping my NTER membership current. What on earth is NTER? It stands for North Texas Elliptical Runners. In January, my dad will be doing a 100-mile ultra-marathon on the elliptical at 24 Hour Fitness. (The PR campaign starts soon, so be watching for updates!) Now, my dad and I are both members of North Texas Trail Runners (NTTR) and my dad, somewhat jokingly, decided to start his own club when he was forced to run indoors due to back problems. So, I'm just logging my miles to keep my membership current. ; )
   

I've got two weeks of tapering ahead of me. Going to shoot for less mileage and higher intensity.

P.S. Here is my new favorite video - Things We Say Wrong. It just confirms the fact that I'm also a secret member of the Grammar Police - much to the chagrin of my roommate (who happens to be an English teacher).

Running Changes Everything

Running has been interesting lately.

I am slated to run Rockledge three weeks from Saturday. Am I ready? Good question. School has taken it out of me - so many tests, projects, papers, meetings...

Two weeks ago, I had a near meltdown: "I'm failing at life!" "But Katie," my parents asked, "Haven't you made A's on just about everything so far?" "Well, yeah. But I haven't run in a week!" I wailed.

Doing a solid 12-miler last Saturday sure brightened my spirits. I haven't logged anything so far this week, but maybe today. Here's the schedule:

• 15-16 miles this Sat (weekly mileage: 22)
  
• Start to taper next week - increase speed work (weekly mileage: 10-12)
• Taper more - do more speed work (weekly mileage: 6)
• Rockledge 30K!

And if school takes over and my world implodes, I can always drop down to the 15K - that's only 9.3 miles. ; )

I need calories.

I had a freak-out moment earlier this week. I looked at the calendar on Monday and realized I only had 6 weeks till the Rockledge Rumble. Only 6 weeks till I'm supposed to run 30K (about 19mi) and I'm not trained for it!

So I was motivated to run this week and maybe increased my mileage too much. I did three 4-mile runs, which is respectable. Then yesterday I ran @ GV Lake from MADD to Fargate - roughly 8.5mi. Apparently I didn't fuel enough. I did fine on the run - no problems; I even ran & chatted with fellow NTTR member Fred Thompson for a while. But by the time I got home and showered, I could not stop shaking. I ate really well the rest of the day - high protein, good fats, some carbs - but was still shaky by the time I went to sleep. I was also an emotional wreck. Not good.

Moral of the story - I need calories. Specifically, I need calories at the right time. That is, I need to eat before the run, periodically during the run (i.e. more GUs and Perpetuem), and for recovery after the run.

Oh well, next time...

Just a'runnin' barefoot

I had a really good run on Sunday! After I overslept and missed church I decided to go running at a local high school track. After three miles I found my rhythm and felt good. I ran 5 miles (mainly just cruising with one all-out sprint thrown in there) and then did 1.25 barefoot on the grass. First time to barefoot run & I thought it was good!

I need to bring a towel next time though. ; )

Evolution of a Goal

Let's face it - I'm fickle.

At the beginning of this year I had decided to do the Longhorn Half Ironman. I was all psyched up last Christmas when my dad got me a sweet bike - a white & pink, carbon fiber Orbea with Ultegra components. I knew I could handle the run/swim, but as time went on I grew intimidated of the 56 mi bike ride. There was also drama at work and a lot going on at home with my brother.

So, nix the Half Ironman. I'll shoot for the Nike Women's Marathon and be a mentor for Team in Training. ...But then I moved to Louisiana. So, nix that one, too. Instead, I will train for the Dallas White Rock Marathon! And then summer hit. Have you ever experienced a stiflingly humid West Monroe summer? Ugh. I trained, but not enough to prepare for the full.
After months of deliberation - What about a sprint tri? Trail run? Half marathon? - Here's what I've decided:

30K trail run @ Grapevine Lake

Dec. 5 - Running & training for the half marathon with my friend Lauren

Next Year's Goal - Olympic-distance tri or Half Ironman, and possibly the Hotter'N Hell. That's my story and I'm sticking to it - at least for today.

Trail Running 101

Trail running is amazing. But before you begin, here are a few tips:

1. Don't sweat it - it's just a trail run. Trail runners are a lot more laid back than road runners. They are typically an older crowd and are more concerned about distance than time.
2. Get used to peeing in the woods. Ladies, if you're going on a long run, stuff some toilet paper in your pocket.
   
3. Know when to take walk breaks (aka. "old man walking"). Short 30 sec - 1 min breaks can help you increase your distance. One rule of thumb: Walk up any hills you can't see over. Also, there is no use in trying to run through some terrain (i.e. sand/mud pits).
4. That said, keep up the pace on walk breaks. You can lose a lot of time by walking slowly.
5. Take advantage of the downhills. Keep walk breaks for uphills.
6. Hills - Don't break when running down hills or you'll trash your quads. Don't lean forward when climbing hills or you'll strain your back.
   
7. Know your trail running etiquette. Bikers have the right of way. They will usually let you know if there are more bikers behind them or if it's "clear back." Also, leave the trail the way you found it (don't litter the trail with your empty GU packets).
8. Be friendly. As I said earlier, trail runners are a laid back crowd and are usually pretty friendly. So give a friendly wave and say hello with a smile.

Standard Running Tips:

• Kedge. Kedge is a nautical term meaning "to haul a vessel by means of a light anchor." Simply put, you need a race goal in order to train well. As the soon-to-be Grand-Slam ultrarunner Drew Meyer puts it, "If you don't have a race on the horizon, you're not training.
• Hydrate & fuel. Hammer Nutrition offers a great line of products - including the HEED sports drink and Hammer Gels (the equivalent of GUs).
• Pace yourself. Especially if you're going for longer distances, be sure not to go out too fast.
• Train with a group. Running with other people always helps.

Free Running

MUDLANDS 2010

The weather for the Grasslands Trail Run has never been predictable. Sometimes you luck out and have fantastic weather, as we did last year, and other times rain floods the course turning it into seemingly unending mud pits, as it did this year. This is where the nickname "Mudlands" comes in.

But believe it or not, we lucked out with the weather today. Yes, it was in the 30's and it rained for 7 hours preceding the race, but it did not rain during the race, which makes a BIG difference.

So here's my race report: Mud, mud, mud water, and more mud. The end.

Okay, I'll expound a little. About 70% of the time, we were trekking through either mud or streams that were ankle deep. No hope of getting around it. At one point, one of the 50-mile runners said, "Ooh boy, if you don't have a sense of humor, this is really going to be a long day!"

At first, everyone tried to skirt to the sides of trail to avoid the mud pits, but by about mile 2 we all realized that our efforts were in vain and decided to throw caution to the wind.

Almost immediately, my shoes were waterlogged and thickly caked with mud. I should have followed the example of some of my fellow runners by putting plastic bags over my feet. For a good portion of the course, there was no point even trying to run - either you'd lose your shoe or you'd slip and faceplant (which I almost did twice, but I'm a good faller).

Even though the conditions were much worse than the OKC, I felt great. For me, being out there wasn't hard. I just did the time and kept laughing as I slogged through mud. I passed my bro Ronald somewhere around mile 6 and finished the race in about 3:20 (hours: minutes).

Ronald, however, was not at all ready for this race. He came in about 20 min after me and realized aloud, "I can see why you'd need to train for a marathon." Ha ha, gotta love it. He thinks he's sore now, just wait till tomorrow! (*My dad's ultra buddy Drew congratulated Ronald on his first half and then oh-so-graciously let him know that he had been 'chicked' by his sister. : )

All in all, it was good race, one that I will not soon forget. So glad I ran it. I will post pix soon and the results and race photos will be posted on the NTTR website in a few days.

Previous Race Reports:

• Oklahoma City Marathon - 4/26/09
  
• Grasslands Trail Run Marathon - 3/21/09
• Marathon Training Updates - 2008/2009
  

Grasslands Half Marathon

My brother Ronald and I are running the Grasslands Half Marathon this Saturday. Woot woot!

History: The Grasslands Trail Run was my first full marathon and it was an AMAZING experience. A month after Grasslands I ran the OKC Marathon, which was...memorable (terrible weather and the most challenging thing I've ever done).

I'm excited about the half marathon this Sat though and it will be interesting for a two reasons:

1. We have had beautiful weather this week, but on Sat it's supposed to get into the 40's and rain from 9am - 1pm. The half starts at 8:30am and I'm expecting to be out there for 3hrs (trail runs are a little harder and usually longer than they say). Grasslands may turn out to be Mudlands.
   
2. Ronald and I aren't trained for it. He has been home a week and has done very little cardio over the past 4 months and my run volume has been pretty low so far this year.

But as my Grasslands pacer Tom Crull said last year, "This is no big deal. It's just a trail run. Time doesn't matter." And that's really true. It is just a trail run and I can walk it if things get bad - it's only 13.1 miles.

Okay, I just think this is hysterical

Adidas "Runners, Yeah We're Different" Ads
http://chayden.net/Runs/Adidas/

My Next Big Thing

There's nothing like a 5:30am run, right? I haven't been to track practice in about a month (due to GMAT), but I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to my alarm (on the second go-around) this morning.

Daylight savings comes this Sunday, but the days are already beginning to get lighter. About 3/4 of the way through the practice, it was as if someone flipped on the light switch. From total blackness to the early stages of dawn, the Little Dipper faded into the gradually lightening sky. It was a good workout.

I enjoy running with the Dallas Athletes, but I may start up again with Team in Training (TNT). They are gearing up for the Nike Women's Marathon in mid-October, which is on my list of must-run marathons. Everyone I've talked with always raves about it. It's in San Francisco - that alone is enough to make me want to go. Though it's the Nike Women's Marathon, men run it, too. Most runners are there to have fun and celebrate, not for a PR (personal record). It's somewhat of a hilly course (it's San Francisco), but you get chocolate at Ghiradelli Square and a Tiffany & Co. finisher's necklace awarded to you by the San Francisco firefighters. ; )

That said, if anyone wants to make a vacation out of it, I would love a running buddy or a fan section!