Marathoning

UK Run Challenge (Jan edition)

Published January 15, 2018

Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible about your methods

January 2018 update: Tough to start a new Challenge 10 days BEFORE the holidays – but that’s when this year’s Bighorn training program began, 6 months before RUN day: June 16, 2018.

Packed on 21 pounds between June & December 2017. Ideal to be REVEL Rockies weight again this June. Month’s food distractions: Christmas, New Year’s & Hawaii. Not really much of a dieter. Dropped .2 pounds first Month – yep, ZERO.2 🙁

Milestones:

January 1st – entry confirmed in Antarctica’s White Continent 50K (January 2019)
January 5th – Bighorn 2018 Registration (signed-up while in Hawaii, 100M distance sold-out)
January Week 2 – new Personal Best: 74.7 miles (most miles recorded in a single week EVER)

February MANTRA: Stay CALM – it’s a journey, not a Sprint

Hawaii/beginning of January (Ash), Disney World/end of month (Michaela/David). End-of-year reporting/Annual Budget due at work. On-call jury duty/U.S. District Court: February 5 thru March 2^nd. THREE pre-registered out-of-state marathons: 50 States x2 Goal.

Breathe, Life happens. Remember: it’s a 6-month Challenge.

Race ReCap: Hilo to Volcano 50K (sea level to 4000ft), Hawaii 🌺

Marathoning Streak: 50 months

Mileage ReCap: ended January at 157 miles (24 miles short of GOAL)

: ended January at 157 miles

: Pup & his shadow

Lands End to John O’Groats

1083 miles, the length of Britain

GOAL: 15 June 2018

Ended Month 1 in Farringdon, a village in county Devon.

The manor of Farringdon was long held by the “de Farringdon” family, whose pedigree from the early 13th century to the late 16th century is given in the Heraldic Visitations of Devon. Lancelot Farringdon (d.1598) “a proper and discret gentleman in outward show” was the last in the male line and committed suicide, was “found hanged in his bedchamber by his garter to the bedstead”. His estates passed to his two sisters, Abigail Farringdon, the elder, married to John Drake of Peter Tavy in Devon, and Mary Farringdon, the younger sister whose share of the inheritance included Farringdon, married to William Cooper.

: Mile 157: Farringdon

: new PERSONAL BEST

: my postcard journey

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Hilo to Volcano 50K

Published January 6, 2018

6am Start in Hilo, 2 hour drive from Kona, 30 minutes prep. Mighty early Saturday a.m. Luckily, Sis’ husband drove (knocked off a half-hour in the backseat). Balmy dark morning in Hilo. Biggest pre-race dilemma: locating a working bathroom. Might sound like a small thing but being roadside, on a self-support course, for the next 7 hours – not starting this journey without an empty bladder 🙂

[Sibling rivalry? Sis wore Bib 49, her age. My Bib #? 65. Not so funny Sis.]

4 of us running today. Sis & I on foot, Paul & Stephen crewing. Telling ya upfront – could not have finished an all UPHILL 31-mile course without the world’s most amazing crew. Mile 8, 12 & every 2 miles thereafter. SUV parked, trunk open, water/electrolytes awaiting plus a variety of stomach-friendly foods for 2 of the pickiest stomachs on course.

Sis fueled on gluten-free sweets & solids; Kombucha & pickles for me. BEST my stomach has reacted in 3 years.

Hilo to Volcano 50K ultra is a challenging 31 mile route which begins at Moku Ola (Coconut Island) parking area in Hilo (sea level) and ends at Cooper Center in Volcano (almost 4,000 ft.) Runners choosing to run the solo event will need to provide their own support vehicles and return ride. The run is entirely on paved roads, primarily Highway 11. There is a 7 hour and 30 minute cut-off time to finish the run.

Each runner must provide his or her own vehicle escort and be responsible for food, water and supplies. Reflective vest and blinking lights are highly recommended for the first hour. Be prepared for a variety of weather and running conditions. Temperatures range from 40 to 80 degrees.

SUMMER. Just like EVERYTHING in Hawaii, super laid-back Start. Guy in a parking lot told us to start running. Followed a line of bobbing headlamps thru town, turned left at the House of Pancakes, Highway 11 the next 30 miles. Maintained a steady 10-minute pace, lost our crew at the Pancake House. We’d see them again near mile 9.

Cool comfortable start. No breeze, but no sunshine for another hour either. Balmy humid Hilo. Kept reminding ourselves, it could be worse. 6 miles in, not straight UP but a steady grade nonetheless. ‘Nough incline to labour breathing. Smells of morning breakfast in Hilo – Sis corrected me: it’s hash browns not fries, as we passed Micky D’s on the right.

Light rain. Didn’t hit our first ‘walking’ hill ‘til mile 8. Crew break. Aloha ’til mile 12.

SPRING. Rain, stank air/humidity. More rain, another pocket of thick/still humidity. Gaps between island neighborhoods widened, enjoyed our first breeze. Kinda diggin’ the day – course itself though, running alongside Highway 11, not super scenic. Considering we were running in H-A-W-A-I-I, folks could’ve thrown us some landscape.

Soaking sideways rain. Cold & wet. US’ only rainforest. Super happy to see the guys at mile 12. Day’s second costume change: long-sleeved tech shirt & a light jacket. Mile 14: precip reduced to a drizzle, dropped the jacket, elevation: 1000ft.

Solved lotta world problems next 4 miles. Discussed how isolated we were in Hawaii. In case of invasion, no mountaineering escape to the Rockies. No swimming either – 5 hour flight just to the Mainland. Small dot in the Pacific, island only 2 hours wide by car.

Think THAT was dark? Sis went all in. Snipers & feral pig attacks. Both scenarios, she got to stop running. I however had to find help AND drag her body along. Hard to be a Pollyanna, 31 miles along an all uphill highway – elevation: 2000ft.

Straight UP next 3 miles. Walked, pushing with our arms. Goal to maintain a 15-minute mile. Started doing the math. Definitely pushing 7 hours now, maybe 20 minutes at best ahead of cut-off. ARGH.

FALL. Clouds parted, intermittent sun, cool breeze returned. Mile of straight highway at 24. Straight-stretch of road is the new downhill, haven’t ya heard? Sub-13 minute jog – making up ground BUT would have to limit our crew stops going forward.

Mixed it up miles 25 thru 28. Asked Paul & Stephen to take turns walking or jogging alongside. New conversation, new blood. Crew took turns leap-frogging the SUV forward & passing the jog baton. Like I said earlier, BEST CREW EVER!

Ash & Tom drove by at marker 27. FAMILY vacation ❤ Flew in the night before, cost-sharing the condo, overlapped 4 days in paradise (I leave next Wednesday, they’d stay ‘til Friday). Elevation: 3000ft.

Almost missed the hand-painted sign. BIRR [Big Island Road Runners] arrow right.

Volunteer motioned: “2 miles to the turnaround”. UGH – an out-n-back, 4 more miles. Sadly joined the outdoor pooping club – thought this was something Hawaii-exclusive to Sis. Thankful for the large banana leaves 🙂

Mile 29: turn-around pole. Time check. Cutting this REALLY REALLY close. Last half-mile, all downhill. DOWNHILL RAN>

Sis FINISHED her first ultra-marathon. Check, done – officially on Hawaiian time: VACATION. Happy Hawaii 5-0!

2018 Hilo to Volcano 50K

Overall Ultra Results

Tammy Greco Masters 7.22.50

KR Haga Masters 7.22.51

: 6am Start in Hilo

: crew Breakfast

: sideways rain & drizzle

: WONDER TWINS — whatta LONG GRIND! (3rd costume change)

: 7:22.50, 7 minutes to spare

: 4000ft CLIMB, 31+ miles

: 4 of us ran today: Sis & I on foot, Paul & Stephen crewing. Could not have finished without the BEST CREW EVER! ❤

: post-race PARADISE

Hilo to Volcano 50K (mile 18)

Posted in Alaska/Hawaii, Family, Marathons/Ultras | Leave a comment

The HUFF

Published December 30, 2017

Week between Christmas & New Year – 23^rd thru January 2^nd– unexpectedly (first time ever) workplace stayed closed, restarting production after the New Year. Count it: 10 days off (including weekends). FAAANNNNTASTIC!

GREAT to have extra time over the holidays. 10 days though, this body gets antsy. Too late to coordinate a family trip but ’nuff time to late-register for a holiday-week marathon 🙂 The Huff, a 50K trail run in rural Indiana…in winter. Hmmm.

Early Friday a.m. flight to Indianapolis, 2+ hour drive to Columbia City. 13 degrees & overcast. Breakfast/lunch/brunch – 5am day start, 2-hour (Eastern) clock jump, time for Indiana food. Snow & colder temps expected 2^nd half of day.

Bib pick-up at the print shop which produced our swag shirts. LOVE the Midwest – friendliest folks in the U.S. ❤

Hotel check-in – one gal shop. Same friendly face answered the phone, mopped the front lobby (lotta traveller tracks) AND pushed snow outta handicap parking. Was there in the morning when I checked out too. Give that lady a raise! WOW!

Dinner-dined at Chapman’s, directly ‘cross from the County Courthouse. Standing-room only in this 6-table diner. THE place for eats in downtown Columbia City. Cajun shrimp bowl – tasty, filled the gut. Back on the road, mile-half hotel return, 3 inches of fresh powder. Parked the rental, cranked room heat to HIGH (ice had formed on window inside). COLD blustery nite.

Saturday race day. Woke early, scraped & warmed the car. 30-45 minute drive to Chain O’ Lakes Park in Albion. Winter wonderland.

Arrived 10 minutes til Race Start. 2 degrees above zero & SNOW. THIS is when runners wear spikes – which unfortunately, I failed to pack. Gonna be a Slip & Slide kinda day. 2-lap course, Drop Bag in the Main Tent, food & change of socks awaiting.

Chain O’Lakes State Park: Beautiful wooded trails, difficult weathered terrain. Fresh snow covered long up-n-down stretches of melted/refrozen ice. Tough slow-going trek & C-O-L-D ❄

iPod froze, no music. iPhone froze – one pic, one choppy video. C-O-L-D.

2^nd water bottle on my hydration vest FROZE SOLID, only 8 miles in. 3 Aid Stations. Remember the third one best – HUGE bon fire. Camped there 15-20 minutes & drank slushy Coke (only liquid which didn’t freeze in the sub-zero wind). 5 miles more.

Back in the Main Tent, located my Drop Bag & worked off my shoes. Cheeks & beard coated in ice. Slurred speech. Tongue stopped working. This is CRAZY. What am I doing? 50 yards into the 2^nd lap, I turned back. Told the race officials, no mas. Penciled my name on a handwritten list (yep, their pen had frozen – HA!). DNF. [More than 50% of today’s field did the same.]

McDonald’s splash bath & a large order of fries. Happy to be on my way HOME. Tough way to end the year.

Hey now – no tears here. Kickin’ off 2018 with FAMILY on the Big Island, Hawaii.

Sis’ birthday run (Hilo to Volcano 50K) just 7 days away. 4000ft climb (ocean-to-mountain). H-U-G-E !