Races/Events for 2001

[BernK]

I'm training for "The 8 Tuff Miles" on Feb 24th. It goes uphill for 6 miles and downhill for 2. The elevation is about 1200 ft. For anyone who has been to St. John it goes from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay. I hate to run hills even though I know they are good for me.

[Kerri]

I am planning to run my first 10K a week from tomorrow. I have to be sure to pre-register so I will actually get up for it. I am pretty excited, but a little nervous. I have run 5K's before, but never a 10K.

Just working up to that marathon.

[Gina O]

BernK- wow, that sounds intense! Nice setting though. I have been to St. Johns a couple times, so am familiar with the terrain. (My brother lives in St. Croix, I was just there, St. Thomas, St. Johns and Tortola in Oct) Are you aware of any marathons in the USVI's or other parts of the carribean? Might be a fun destination for a marathon in 2002. Gina

[Natasha]

Totally up in the air. I won t get into the details for fear of being repetitious and boring anyone. If you re interested in the details of my training woes (not that I expect anyone to be) they re in the last post on this thread:
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum2/HTML/000209.html

Good luck to everyone else.

[Laura]

Nothing definite other than the Jackson Hole Triathlon in August. It's a mini so really no big deal but its a good excuse to see family and friends and I really want to cut my time by about 5 minutes. Sometime this year, I am thinking "fallish", I am going to do a half-marathon. Mentally, I haven't worked myself up to the idea of a full marathon. That's okay though. I have heard a lot of people say that the 1/2 marathon is really an enjoyable race. So that is my goal. If anyone knows of one in September/October and wants to run let me know.

[emilycat]

Wow, it sounds like everyone has some great goals planned! Natasha, I'm so sorry about your injury...hopefully the healing process won't set you back very much. If it makes you feel any better, last year I developed IT band syndrome in the middle of marathon training, but I was patient and let it heal, and I was fine in time for the race; by the way, did you see the recent RW article on injury time-offs?

As for me, my only certain races are a half-marathon in Callaway Gardens on the 4th of February (btw, Laura, halfs are my absolute favorite distance -- long enough to feel like you accomplished a lot, but short enough that you can still play around with your speed) and Boston in April. I'm going to try to fit in some short races on the weekends because 5ks are wonderful speed workouts -- not like there's a shortage of them around here (did you guys know that Atlanta was named one of the top 10 running cities by RW last month? How exciting!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif )

Great topic Gina! I love to hear what everyone else is doing.

[Gina O]

Hello runners and anyone else participating in formal events this year! I am just wondering what things we all have planned.

As an example... I am still considering a 5 or 10 K on Feb. 4th. I had initially planned to do the 10K but the weather has set me behind in training. Also, I am having more problems with my knee and need to make a decision on how to deal with that pretty soon. The biggie for me is the Marine Marathon in October. Of course, registration is an issue, but we are going to try to get in. If we don't we will choose another race.

So, how about you? (Remember... it is important to set goals, and tell people about them!) Gina

[SusieO]

I will be running a half-marathon Feb. 4, and plan to run the Tampa Bay marathon Dec 2, 2001.

Natasha: Hope all goes well for you. Hang in there!

Sounds like we'll all be busy for a while. Looking forward to hearing about everyone's experiences with upcoming races.

[slknight]

Well, I'm not a runner, but I do have a race planned for this year. I am swimming, for the second year in a row, from Alcatraz to San Francisco. The race is at the end of July. I had a blast doing it last year, so am going to make the trip again this year (I'm on the East coast). A bunch of people that I train with are going to fly out and do it too.

For those who are curious, yes, it's possible to swim from Alcatraz. It's actually pretty short- only about a mile and a half. What's bad are the currents and the water temperature - only about 58 degrees.

I'll do a bunch of other local races around here - there are usually several 1 mile ocean races. I'm also toying with the idea of doing the Chesapeake Bay Swim (4.4 miles), assuming I get in the registration (it's very popular). I don't know though, I did it once in 1989 and swore I'd never do it again!

[Natasha]

Thanks, Emily. I will get the definite verdict when I go for tests next week, but am pretty sure I know what it is. I am feeling much more philosophical about it now, though. You ve no doubt heard the phrase I am woman; hear me roar? Well, my motto these past few days was I am injured; hear me whine. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif I m getting over myself a bit now (fortunately for everyone). I ll just keep my fingers crossed and use this opportunity to stop procrastinating with this grad school paper I have to write...

Good luck with your half. I love that distance too. I think that in the long run (no pun intended) it will be my distance of choice.

[BernK]

Originally posted by Gina O:
BernK- wow, that sounds intense! Nice setting though. I have been to St. Johns a couple times, so am familiar with the terrain. (My brother lives in St. Croix, I was just there, St. Thomas, St. Johns and Tortola in Oct) Are you aware of any marathons in the USVI's or other parts of the carribean? Might be a fun destination for a marathon in 2002. Gina

I don't know of any upcoming races at the moment. There was a marathon on St. Croix on New Years Day. There are not many long races around here, but I will keep my ears to the ground for you.
If you want to try something different St. Croix has 2 triathlons planned in April & May. April is a sprint and May is both a sprint and a half Ironman. The half Ironman is great fun. Its' a qualifier this year for Hawaii so all the big names will be there.

[This message has been edited by BernK (edited 01-08-2001).]

[Gina O]

Emily-

After my run on Friday I conclusively diagnosed IT Band Syndrome. After the initial time I mentioned problems on here, it got better for a while, but came back in full force last week.

When you had it, did you stop running? If so, for how long? Did you do any other exercising while it was healing? If so, what? Looking for any advice you or anyone else can give. Thanks, Gina

[emilycat]

Oh, Gina, I'm so sorry! My good friend has just developed ITBS too, and it does really put a cramp in your training.
I actually quit running for a couple weeks, substituting race walking and cycling for by running. Then I visited a sports physician, and he told me to ice it after running, pop Ibuprofen before I ran (but not more than the recommended dosage in one day) stretch before and after my workouts, and to simply ease up on my training...so I never really needed to cut out running entirely.
If I were you, I would visit Runner's World's site (if you haven't already)...in the Injury Prevention section is a piece on ITBS, and it'll give you some tips on how to handle it.
If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. I hope you feel better soon!

Emily

[MaryH]

Am planning on America's Most Beautiful Century in Lake Tahoe in June with Team in Training. Will probably do at least one or two 5Ks between now and then as cross training. Goal this time is to run most of them - usually race walk as I cannot seem to get into the running.

[hhcowgirl]

I thought I would use this thread to whine a bit--there are no good races coming up in/around Nashville and I am bummed! My family has a beach house, though, and there is a beautiful, scenic 5K there in early MArch so I may go down there and do that.

[food girl]

I am doing the Santa Fe century ride for the Leukemia Society on May 20.

I am planning on doing some shorter (metric century) rides around here this spring - tour de Blount and the horsey hundred.

My goal is to put 4000 miles on my bike this year. I did 3200 last year and I am off to a good start this year (270 so far).

Mary- I did the Tahoe ride last year. It was one of the best days of my life! How is your fund raising going??

Lisa

HHcowgirl there is a half marathon this weekend in Strawberry plains, TN (east of Knoxville)

[emilycat]

hhcowgirl -- you be able to find something after all! Check out this link:
http://www.runningnetwork.com/cgi-bin/rn_display.phtml?id=30496

[hhcowgirl]

Thanks so much, Em! I am so excited--I just picked out 3 to do in March. Can't wait.

[MaryH]

Foodgirl,

I'm mentoring this season and paying my expenses (we will be driving to Tahoe as its only about 5 hrs away). So I don't have fundraising concerns this time around.

Since I just finished El Tour in November I'm not comfortable soliciting a bunch of friends again so soon.

m

[food girl]

Mary,
My husband rode last year and I just tagged along on training rides. Since I was not an official member of the team, I did the sweep a lot. On some days I think my mileage was 10 miles more than any one else because I kept going to the back to encourage the stragglers http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif . I also did about $2000 of my husband's fund raising through an art show. Because of my help, they gave me a TNT jersey to wear on the day of the ride.

This year I am the rider and my husband is a mentor - he is actually my mentor. I am in much better shape as far as the riding goes, but I am dragging my feet with the fund raising. I am having another art show this year, but like you, I feel bad about asking the same people to come and buy more of my art. The good thing is that a drug rep offered to cater my party. I have been saving appetizer ideas and recipes from the bb to use - oh well!

Lisa

[slknight]

Mary H and foodgirl-

I'm kind of intrigued about the Lake Tahoe ride. I know many people who've done the marathons, and I've always thought it to be a great cause, but I'm not much of a runner. What are the rides like? Obviously I would need to train, but is it something a recreational cyclist could train for? I'm a competitive swimmer, so I'm used to training, but I must confess I am always a little intimidated by "real" cyclists. Also, a friend of mine, who is not currently an athlete is interested. Are there ordinary people who do this event or does everyone have $5000 bikes? Thanks for sharing your experience.

-Susan

[MaryH]

Slknight,

To answer your questions, really cool, yes and definitely ordinary people http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

The rides are a lot of fun because there are so many people out there you can always find someone who's riding at your speed. In Tucson, I was trying to keep up with our coaches but lost them at about 25 miles. However, all that meant was I got to bike/talk with people from Texas, Illinois, Washington, Kentucky etc. etc., etc. (Of course its been said that I do like to talk a lot, so ..... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif)

MOST definitely a recreational cyclist can do it. Its really not the speed, its the endurance and that means training so that you're used to longer rides and getting to the point where - yes I'll say it - your butt is just numb. I had not done any riding to speak of for at least 3 years before Tucson. And people who had really never cycled more than a couple of miles were able to finish it.

As for $5,000 bikes - not necessary at all. The only thing which is necessary is that you have a bike that fits you. The most imporatnt measurement is from your shoulders to your torso. You need a bike that is not too "long" or "short" for your arms because that is what will cause injuries. The seat can always be adjusted up or down for your legs. I confess that I ended up buying a "new" bike - the frame was used but all the parts were new - through a deal one of our coaches put together. Total with tax and everything was about $500. But that is not necessary. If you do a race through TNT the coaches can tell you all about this. If not, go to a local bike shop you trsut and ask them. Anyone who's done distance riding should be able to help you.

As far as the "real" cyclists go - don't worry about them. You're there to do your race, not theirs. I've always thought it was more fun to go slower and have a good time than to knock myself out trying to compete against someone else. (See I'd be the one stopping for drinks if allowed - he, he, he.) Tucson took me 10.5 hours - in part because I had 2 flat tires. I was told the winner finished in 4.5 hrs - I'm still trying to remember where I was on the course at 4.5 hrs but I know it was probably less than 1/2 way. But I FINISHED and that's what counts.




[This message has been edited by MaryH (edited 01-27-2001).]

[food girl]

Susan,
Mary is right, you don't have to be a 'real' cyclist to do a TNT ride. Last year our team had 17 members and we had all levels of riders.

I bought a new bike right before the training started, but one of our best riders rode on a borrowed bike.

For some reason, during any ride I always hook up with a late 50's to 60-ish man who rides at my same speed. We end up chatting and finishing together. Tahoe was no different, coming out of mile 30 I drafted behind this really tall, 60 year old guy, as it turned out I rode behind him all the way to the finish. I have this photo of us at the finish hugging like we have known each other our whole lives. Thanks to him knocking the headwind off of me I finished in 6 hours and 20 minutes. I was just 20 minutes behind my DH!

One of the great things about the TNT rides, for me anyway, were the Saturday training rides. I got to spend time with my husband and I made some new friends that I enjoy the heck out of. Even after the ride in Tahoe, a bunch of us still met on Saturdays to ride together, although we had all commented during the training that we couldn't wait to have our Saturdays back!

The Tahoe ride is in June so training is probably just getting underway!

Lisa

[MaryH]

Susan,

Our kickoff for Spring 2001 season is tomorrow night (1/31/01) so I would guess that the TNT group in your area will be starting right about now. That includes teams for Tahoe as well as Santa Fe.

mary