Saturday, October 19, 2013

Close, But No Cigar

I lost the Lake Padden Trail Half-Marathon today by 15 seconds. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a blow. I was ready for this race, having time-trialed every section of the course and knowing it like the back of my hand. I was confident.  I am not upset with my final time of 1:33:56, just disappointed in the way that I felt.

Loosening up tight hamstrings.
Ever since the 6Km cross country race last weekend, my legs haven’t felt as good as they were prior to. I did everything I could to rest up this week, including getting 2 massages, and I barely ran on Thursday and Friday. Still, on my warm-up this morning I was still feeling ‘off.’ I ran the race pretty much solo. I never had a constant running buddy, only a brief passing by-or being passed by- a couple men. I was caught by the eventual winner at 11.5 miles after leading the whole race. I could get moving on the down-hills, but my ability to power up the hills was absent today and I could not hang in the last mile.
*Photo courtesy of Andy Bronson

Ugh.

No immediate race photos today because Tad was running the race (and did very well - 2nd in his age group, 10th overall). Luckily the talented and famed Glenn Tachiyama was there to capture all of the action. Thanks Glenn! I will post some pictures when they become available.

Al Coyle, race director, did an amazing job this weekend bringing together great people for a great cause. If only every community could have an Al. Great job to all of my friends who raced- you guys are awesome! A special shout out to our guest who came up from Bend, OR- Mario Mendoza. Mario and I were on the 2011 US Mountain Running Team together that competed in Mexico. Mario just won the US National 10Km Trail Championships and is preparing to take home the 50Km title on November 9th in Boulder City, Nevada. Best of luck to you! He is doing a 20+ mile long run tomorrow morning in the Chuckanuts…sorry, Mario; I will not be joining you! I am looking forward to celebrating everyone’s hard work tonight at the post-race party at Poppe’s 360.

Ah, well. You know what they say: “First if the worst, second is the BEST…”


* For more pictures from ANDY BRONSON from the THE BELLINGHAM HERALD of the Lake Padden Trail Half-Marathon, visit the Bellingham Herald Photo Gallery.


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Cross Country Kick-Off

Today was the debut race performance of the “GBRC Elite,” a cross country team comprised of local female all-stars in the sport of running. Members include: Sierra Brisky, Lydia Carrick, Kristen Carter, Bronwyn Crossman, Amber Morrison, Courtney Olsen and myself. We are successful marathoners (Lydia, Kristen, Amber, Courtney), college cross country studs (Sierra, Bronwyn) and trail enthusiasts (Maria).

GBRC Logo on the back of our singlet
Our team is sponsored by the Greater Bellingham Running Club(GBRC). The goal of the GBRC is to “promote health and fitness through participation in running on road, track and cross-country” in the greater Bellingham area. We are very thankful to the GBRC for their support financially and their enthusiasm to help us achieve our athletic goals. Brooks Running Company kindly supplied our team with jerseys, arm-warmers and sweet pink jackets that cannot go unnoticed.

The cross country season kicked off today at the Western (Washington University) Invitational Cross Country Classic at East Lake Padden Park here in Bellingham. The 6 Km course is a mix of grassy fields, a loop around Lake Padden and just a touch of horse trails. Being the first race of the season, this was a chance to wake up our cross country legs and, for me, it was a good tune-up race for the Padden Trail Half Marathon next weekend.

We all had uncertainties about how we could perform because some are marathon training, some are dealing with injury and others (me) have been focused on trail specific training. Despite our collective lack of cross country confidence, we were able to pull off the win, placing 4 in the top 16. Needless to say, we were thrilled! It was a great opener to our season and an even better boost for the team morale. There is 8 weeks until Club Nationals- plenty of time to get fitter, faster and stronger.

Not bad for a couple of (good lookin') local gals.

The remainder of GBRC Elite’s schedule:
November 3: PNTF Championships - Seattle, WA
November 23: NW Regionals- Fairview, WA (I will be in WV)
December 14: Club Cross Country Nationals - Bend, OR