Cleveland Rocks

Take 170 runners, a few dozen volunteers, a bunch of friends, relatives, and puppy dogs, and put them in a park in Cleveland on a sunny Saturday, and what do you get?  If you're lucky, you get the awesomeness that is the North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run.  This past weekend, I was one of the lucky ones. 

I flew into Cleveland on Friday, promptly got picked up by someone I'd never met (it's okay, mom, I know him from the internet *cue spooky music*), and since my roommate for the evening (another "internet person" mua-ha-ha) wasn't in town yet, we drove to Edgewater Park so I could see where the race would be the following morning.  Situated on Lake Erie, it's quite a pretty park.  Flat, green, with a gentle .9 mile loop that we'd be running on for a few (million) hours.  

Photo courtesy of Jen Goellnitz

After we walked around for a bit, Eric drove me to see the house from A Christmas Story.  Who knew! It's real, and it's in Cleveland.  Weirdness.  Then the Windsor contingent showed up at the hotel, so I had Eric drop me off and I went inside to meet Lori, Anja, and Julia.  Lori's the one who talked me into the race in the first place.  Crazy lady. 

Dinner that night was pizza back at the park with some others who knew each other from previous years, but who, I believe, all originally met on - you guessed it, the INTERNET.   I love saying that, it just cracks me up.  I know it's still serious that you shouldn't just go off with random strangers, but come on, These are runners.  It's all good.  ;-)   

Angela, me, and Lori

After pizza, Lori, Anja, Julia, and I walked a loop of the park, then headed back to the hotel for some sleep.  Somehow Lori and I ended up walking to the store and buying a six pack, but I'm not sure how that all came about.  I'm pretty sure we went to the store for a hairbrush.

The next morning came quickly - fortunately I woke up when Lori did, because I'd accidentally set my alarm for 6 pm instead of 6 a.m.   Don't blame it on the six pack, I only had one and a half. (Drinks. Not six packs.) 

We got dressed and went out to the lobby for breakfast, and I just could not eat.  I think I had two bites of a muffin and thought I was going to throw up.  Not the best way to start the day.  I hitched a ride to the park with Mary and Brett, anxious to get things started.   

In a blink, all the tents and tarps were up and it was go time.  I lined up at the back of the pack but then moved forward to find Julia, who I knew would be walking the event. I wanted to walk the first lap before I started my run/walking.  Julia and I ended up finding this goof-ball guy named Harvey and I was just laughing and talking and I think I ended up actually walking the first 4 laps instead of just one.  Ooops. 

Harvey, me, and Julia
Picture courtesy of johnnydajogger

After that, I said my good-byes and started my run/walking.  I was drinking a lot of water, but not eating much, and my stomach wasn't too happy.  After some gentle prodding (thanks, Laura), I got better at eating, but my stomach still wasn't happy.  Looking back, I realize that I was drinking TOO much water, and things were just sloshing around.  At the time, I didn't know that, and the stomach upset plus a raging headache landed me in my tent, near tears, after about 16 miles.  I felt like a complete wimp, and I was feeling weirdly moody, doing so many laps on my own after having been talking and laughing through the first hour of the day with Julia and then Harvey.  I let myself have a short pity party, got some pills for my headache and a Ginger Ale for my stomach, and got back out there (again with Laura's help - THANK YOU LAURA!).   

I walked for a bit, ran some, and was feeling ok overall but  my feet were starting to bother me. Stopped by the foot care tent and got fixed up and was back at it.  I can't remember what time it was when I hit marathon distance, but by 7:30pm I'd hit 50km (31 miles), and I stopped to take a break and let Facebook know I was officially an ULTRAMARATHONER!  WHOOT!  (Hey, Facebook cares, ok?) 

After that, it was mostly walking.   And some sitting.  With a little help from my friends, I hit my goal of 60km around 10:30pm and decided to take an extended break. I was tired, not feeling well, and my feet hurt.  Everyone else was still going strong (or at least not complaining too loudly) so I just hid in my tent and tried to sleep.  It drizzled off and on, then the storm came and that's when I discovered that my tent was not waterproof.  Fun!  Actually, I shouldn't complain - it did keep me relatively dry, there were only a few puddles around the edges (and in my shoes) and at least it kept the wind off.  I got up around 5 and checked my phone for awhile, putzed around, and then realized that I smelled so bad, I ought to be arrested.  Since I figured I was done with the race, I went to the bathrooms and got myself cleaned up with some "dry shower" wipes and put on my jeans and flip flops and the race shirt.  When I got back to my tent, I picked up my timing chip, intending to turn it in.  Somehow, I ended up putting it back on my ankle instead.  I guess part of me wasn't done. 

A while later, Lori woke up and needed to go to the bathroom, so I walked with her.  She was in pain and not feeling well, but after using the bathroom and grabbing a drink, somehow we found ourselves walking on the path again, doing the familiar loop around the park.  After a few laps, I'd hit 40 miles and Lori was near 65, so we kept going till she was there.   With 20 minutes to go in the race, we crossed the timing mat for the last time, Lori still in her rain poncho from the night before, and me in my flip flops. 

Lori - 73 laps, 65.8 miles!
Me - 46 laps, 41.4 miles!

We turned in our timing chips and got our medals (though the woman didn't give me one at first, probably because I was wearing jeans and did not smell like I'd been in the trenches all day and night) and headed back to pack up.


I'm leaving out so many things, but there's just so much.  Meeting "The Doctor," who is in his 70s and has done 219 ultras. , and could swap quotes from "The Princess Bride" with me.  Meeting Angela, the most adorable 13 year old ever, who was doing her first ultra and ended up with nearly 60 miles by morning, never losing her positive attitude and helping  nature.  The AMAZING volunteers who always seemed to have whatever anyone needed (how did they KNOW I wanted grilled cheese RIGHT THEN??).   Our crew - virtual strangers to me who became SO important through the day and night and never asked for anything in return, not even kindness, which I'm sure at times I forgot to give them.  Tank, the cutest puppy in the world, that put a smile in my heart when I couldn't manage one on my face.  Watching people run at an 8 minute pace after having been up all night, running and running, and running.   The crazy guy who was doing weird exercises and jumping rope all day and into the night.  The awesome porta potties with MAGIC LIGHTS that always seemed to smell ok and be clean, even though they were being used by 170 runners a full day and night.  

It was amazing.  And even though Lori and I both said "Never again" on our last laps around the park, by the time I was at the airport Sunday afternoon, I was already planning next year's trip.  

I.  Can't.  Wait.  

From left, front row: Eric, Chris, Mary, Angela & Baby, Angela
Back row: Me, Lori, Anja, Julia, Nelson, George 

Harvey and "The Doctor" - photo courtesy of johnnydajogger

The beach & Lake Erie

More beach

Snickerdoodles from Vegas!

Jen caught me actually running!
Photo courtesy of Jen Goellnitz

Eric and his "sweater" - you'd let this guy pick you up from the airport, right?
Photo courtesy of Jen Goellnitz

Just 5 More Minutes, Ma...

I have been soooooo tired lately.   Is 35 the new 55?  Some days it feels that way.  I think I could sleep for about 20 hours if someone let me.  As it is, I got to sleep in this morning and didn't get up until 9:30.   That may be a record for me (since having kids, anyway!).

One thing I have been doing lately besides craving extra sleep is thinking.  I've been doing a lot of thinking.  Mostly late at night, which is probably why I'm so tired.

So what am I thinking about?  Well, mostly, random stuff like getting a job, my crazy kids, Revenge (the t.v. show, not actual vengeance).  But I've also been thinking about Cleveland.   More specifically, the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run.  You may remember me mentioning it.   24 hours, running and walking in a circle?  I registered for it 6 months ago, then realized I was seriously under-trained and decided not to do it.  Even got a refund from the race director.

Yeah.  Um.  After Endless Summer last weekend, I kinda...  I mean, there are these people...  And then I bought a plane ticket...

*ahem*  Yeah.  I'm going.   To Cleveland.  To run (walk) NC24.   In 7 weeks.  Because...  Well, maybe because I'm insane.  But also because there are people that will be there that I really want to meet, and it'll be fun, and the plane ticket was really cheap, and I'm going to be (hopefully) starting back to work soon, and this is my last chance to blah blah blah.

I'm going because I want to.

So now I just have to figure out the whole blister situation.  I bought new socks and some powders and things and I will be trying them all out and then, of course, giving the internet my opinion because, hey, that's what the internet is for.  Singing cats and random people's opinions about stuff.     (Also, Simon Cowell memes, apparently.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been awake for 2 hours and now need a nap.   (Just kidding, the kids are upstairs screaming and I should probably go check that out.....) 

Meb For President

Oh, my goodness.   Did you watch? Tell me you watched.  If you're saying "Watched what?" then obviously you don't need to be reading this blog.

The 118th Boston Marathon was held yesterday and OH MY GOSH, what a race.

I won't re-cap it, because if you care, you watched it (or read about it), and if you don't care, then me telling you about it isn't going to change your mind.

I will say that I'm sorry that Shalane Flanagan didn't win, because I know that she really, really, really wanted to, but man, she did a great job.  She set a record, both personally, and for American women, and that is saying something.

And Meb.  Oh, my.  Meb Keflezighi.  What an amazingly awesome and supremely gifted runner. I will be honest, I did not think he was going to win.  When the race started, I cheered for him but was kind of expecting him to get over taken.  Ha.  That'll teach me to doubt!

By the last 400 meters, I was on my feet in my living room, bouncing up and down, yelling at the television.  "Don't celebrate! Keep running! Faster! He's behind you! Faster!"  I can't remember the last time I was that stressed out. LOL

*sigh*  What a great day. 

And, as always, watching amazing runners run got me all fired up.  So I spent some time last night looking at the calendar and fretting and came up with a loose 14 week training plan for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run.  It looks like a crazy amount of running.  I honestly don't know how it's going to go.  But I'm gonna try!  

2 weeks till my 5K, 4 weeks till my HM, 14 weeks till ES6, and 22 weeks till NC24.  I have a lot of running ahead of me, and I am seriously crazy excited.   

Did you watch Boston?  Does watching a race get you pumped up for your own running? 

What's Next?

What's the best thing to think about after an endless winter?   Why, an Endless Summer, of course!

When I signed up for the North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run, a friend suggested that I sign up for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run as a sort of test-run/supported training run.  So I could get my feet wet, so to speak.  My first thought was "6 hours? I can't run for 6 hours!"  But then I reminded myself that I'd just plunked down over $100 to run for twenty-four hours, so I'd darn well better be able to run 6 hours two months ahead of time! 

After deciding to run the race, I cyber-stalked it, reading every race report I could find, and checked in on the Striders website every few days to see if registration had opened.  Then I got busy with other things and just kind of forgot about it.  Not the race itself, but the actual act of registering for it.  

Today good friend Michelle told me that she wanted to sign up for a race, even though she's walking and not running these days, and that she had decided that ES6 was going to be it.  And, oh look at that, registration opened two weeks ago.  Whoops.  Glad she reminded me!  So now I'm signed up, as is my friend who originally told me about the race.  (He didn't know registration was open, either.  So, really, I'm not THAT oblivious.)

(Me & George after last year's ES6)

What I'm most excited about now is that Michelle and I are going to do some of our training together.  I knew that I needed to add in an extra day of training to get my mileage up, and I wanted it to be just walking because I know that I will be doing a lot of walking at NC24 - but to me walking long distances is super boring.  Being able to do some longer walks with Michelle will be great! 

Of course, I'm sitting here talking about ES6 and NC24 .... and yet I have a 5K and a Half Marathon coming up that I should probably be thinking about, at least a little.  But training for a 6 hour run (and eventual 24 hour run) should make the 5K and HM super easy, right?  Right.  =) 

Have you ever done a timed race?  Any tips for an ultra-virgin? 

North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run

A few weeks ago, after a brief rapid-fire texting session with my friend L, I signed up for the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run (NC 24). 

 For those who are not familiar, it's a race in which participants run in a loop for 24 hours (or however long they can manage!).  Whomever runs the most laps in the 24 hour period wins.  They used to have a 12 hour version (which I will freely admit that I would prefer), but this year it's just the 24 hour one. 

Anyone familiar with my running history could easily question my sanity in signing up for this race. While I have gotten some good-natured teasing (I did once very vehemently and publicly protest that I would never, ever sign up for any longer races, such as a half marathon!), I have gotten nothing but support from my friends and family.  In other words, they're keeping their doubts and eye rolls to themselves.  (Thanks, guys!) 

Last year, an awesome woman named Sue won NC24 by finishing with 125 miles.  Some others that I know have participated and finished with 83 miles, 89 miles, 100 miles, etc.  I am not aiming quite that high. LOL  Actually, at this point, I do not have a mileage goal.  I figure I'll set a goal this summer, once I have a better idea of my training at that point.  The race is on my father's 60th birthday, so in my head I'm thinking 60 would be a great number - but whether that's 60 miles or 60 kilometers, I have no idea. LOL  

Today I woke up not feeling well and the weather is crappy, so I'm dragging my feet on going for a run.  I can't do that for long.  September may be a long way away, but I have a LOT of training to do if I don't want to embarrass the crap out of myself (or crap myself!) in Cleveland.  

Not to mention, I have a 10 mile race and a half marathon coming up in the spring.  I have plenty of negative thoughts bouncing around in my head, but I'm trying really hard to squash them.  It helps when my mom posts things like this on my Facebook page: 

(My mom posted this with a comment that said, "Diana, this is you!")

251 days.  Can't wait.