Bucket Run

Ugh.  As soon as I woke up today, I felt sick, then it passed and I felt great.  I had cereal and coffee for breakfast and headed to church. Mentally, I was ready for this run.  I had had a blah week, so I was not sure how I would feel about today.  I was really excited that it was going to be about 60 and sunny.  I waited to do my run this afternoon so that I could run when it was nice and warm.  That may have been a mistake.

I set out at 1:00 for this run.  I was contemplating switching my route, but I know where everything is on this route.  I was feeling good, right on pace at 8:25 miles.  I had heated my leg and stretched well before going out, so there were no issues there.  I stopped at Ed and Robert's to get water at mile 5.4.  I was already half way through the water and only 5/20 were done.  I headed up Fairmont and it turns into 522.  I was at mile 6.5 and started feeling queezy.  Next thing I know, I am puking on the side of 522.  I kept going and struggled to keep my pace, but did it.  As I got down Fox Dr., my pace started to drop and I was at about 8:34.  I made it to Dunkin Donuts at mile 9.8 and lost it there as well.  I was not sure what to do.  I called Brad and he was really worried and I had to keep him posted.  I ran up Stewart St. and ran into David Black.  He was willing to take me home, but I wanted to keep pushing.  I then came down Washington St. and struggled to make an 8:39 pace.  WHAT IS GOING ON???  I got to Runners Retreat at mile 11.22.  I spoke to Jordan and then Matt and Rebekah walked by.  I filled them in, and they offered to take me home.  I declined, but agreed to head home. 

I made it as far as the bridge on 81, mile 13 and I had to walk.  I was at a 9:25 pace and dying.  I started dry heaving near Packs and in front of Dowell J.  After I got home, I lost it again.  I stretched and then headed to the store to get Gatorade, Ginger Ale, and english muffins.  I had soup for dinner.  I am sure I need more, but am scared to eat.

Brad and I are trying to figure out what is going on?  Do I have a bug?  Am I not eating enough?  Over training?  I guess time will tell.  I am going to bed.

Winchester Wheelmen Race Team

Some of you have wondered why I did not apply for the Winchester Wheelmen Race Team for the 2011 season.  I have several reasons and we will start at the beginning.

 

In June 2010, I competed at the Eagleman triathlon in Cambridge, MD with several of my teammates.  Prior to the race, the team tent was set up along the race course and there were several teammates and their families hanging out in the tent.  My mom had driven over 300 miles to my house and then to the race to be my biggest fan.  I introduced her to my teammates and told her she could stay in the shade of the tent with the others while I raced.  After I took off in the swim, and then the bike, my mom went to the WWRT tent.  Not a single person spoke to her or made her feel welcome.  She stayed for nearly 20 min before just walking out and sitting alone.  We all knew it was going to be a long day, and I had faith in my teammates and their families to make all feel welcome.  This did not happen.  After the race, my mom and I returned to the tent to find the same un-welcoming feeling.

 

Throughout the summer, there were several WWRT members who were all training for IMLOU.  Steve LaDrew had a ride/picnic for the Wheelmen which I attend with several club members.  After we returned from our ride, I went for a run, as I had a brick planned for the day.  Several race team members decided to do their own ride that morning and come for the picnic, passing me as I was running.  Upon returning to the picnic, I felt like I never existed.  Here I am training for IMLOU, and so were they, but I was never asked about my training or the race.  I am not looking for personal satisfaction, but a sense of belonging from my "team."

 

As we got closer to IMLOU, I never heard from my teammates.  Here we all are, training for the same event with no team feeling.  I hear of other teams doing rides, runs, swims, dinners and even breakfasts together.  I do not sense that team feeling on the WWRT.  I spoke to Jerry Brown about driving to Louisville so I did not have to drive alone, but he was going with his family to Blacksburg on his way to LOU.  He had not heard from his "teammates" either about going down, or getting together down there, etc.  So now I have to drive to Louisville, 9 hours alone, even though I am on a 'team' and several of my teammates were going.  When we got to IMLOU, it was a struggle for my teammates to speak to me.  I was in the elevator at one point with several WWRT members and it was the most awkward feeling, even though we were teammates.  The stress that I felt was unbleviable.  There was no further communication while we were there, dinners, swims, rides, etc.  Was I REALLY on a team??

 

I was not expecting anything in the way communication from my teammates for the rest of the season, and that is what happened.  At the Christmas banquet, I spoke to very few teammates, as I could tell that many were avoiding me.  I really enjoyed the ones that I spent time with and was glad when it was over.

 

As we moved into 2011, I continued to feel neglected by the WWRT.  Pictures were posted about WWRT parties, but only select individuals were invited.  I could care less, have your parties with your friends, but please don't list them as race team parties when the entire race team is not invited.  When an individual is on a team, generally you share ideas about training and other races that you will be racing.  While at the Christmas party, it was shared with certain individuals as to what races they were doing, but would not let me know.  I have not signed up for those races, as I have others to race, but it is still fun to talk about them.

 

I was called several weeks ago by a fellow teammate who had gone into Blue Ridge Bicycles to purchase a new bicycle after fulfilling her quota of races.  She was told that she had not done enough races, and that the "rinky dink tris" should not count.  She was also told that the rules of the race team were not written down and never will be.  I know that they are now in progress, but how can anything be done on a regular and fair basis for all on the team if it is not in writing?  She did end up being able to order her bike, but it was a fellow teammate who told her that she only did 'rinky dink tris."  Who is he to judge?  After this incident, I did post a question on facebook about the bylaws of a group, but never mentioned the group.  I was told by a friend that they were told that the WWRT was receiving calls from several people and sponsors about my post.  Seriously?  Why was I not informed of this and the questions that I was asked about my post was if it was my HOA!

 

Because of the stress that was brought onto me by my fellow teammates and lack of team feeling, I have chosen not to be a member of the Winchester Wheelmen Race Team.  Teammates do not do what was done to me and I do not need to support those who do not support others.

 

Thank you,

Katie Steadman

Tempo?? Run

For the last couple of days, I have been feeling...well...blah.  I had a grilled chicken salad for dinner on Tuesday night after some really tough intervals.  It was enough food at that time, but not nearly enough calories.  Yesterday in first period, I nearly got sick and my stomach was also queezy.  Just not a fun day.  No workouts on Wednesdays - I really look forward to Wednesdays.


This morning I happened to wake up at 4:50, 7 min after my alarm was to go off.  It was set, but I later found out after walking into my room this afternoon, that it was set for 4:43 PM!  Oops, it is now fixed.  I still made it to Pilates class on time.  I have been doing this for about a month now instead of lifting.  I think my body is really appreciating the down/stretching time.  I really enjoy the change of pace.  I was still feeling a bit out of it after class and was not sure why.  Because I am not really burning the calories in class, I drank cranberry juice after class and it really hit the spot.  I knew that after school I had a 5 mile tempo run that I was kind of dreading.  Seriously 37 min of running and I just did not want to do it.

At 2:30 the bell rang and I could not wait to get home to take a nap.  I am sure I was out within about 30 seconds.  I woke up and noticed it was drizzling, but not enough to make me run on the treadmill.  I laced up and headed out the door.  I did not get satellite signal for about 2 min and that had me all screwed up.  After about 1 mile, I realized that I had forgotten to eat and drink before I headed out.  Now, I am physically TRYING to get into my run at a 7:27 pace and realizing that I am truly running on empty did not help.  I completed the run in about 38:14, which was a 7:38 pace.  I am okay with that.

I feel like running is still a chore.  With not feeling well this week, and I can also tell by what I am not wanting to eat (salad everyday for lunch) that I am off.  Lets hope the sun can shine soon and I can get back in my groove.

Tomorrow my Winchester Wheelman Race Team application is due.  Stay tuned for that one!!  I am also getting a massage by the massage therapist for the Dallas Mavericks NBA team.  Yes, it is all in who you know:)

Snow Day Intervals...

Last night, I heard the ice pellets hitting the window, so I knew that we would not have school.  Grandpa was in the hospital, Brad had just left, I had taken Excedrin for a headache (it has caffeine) so even though my body was tired, my mind was flying.  My car is in the shop, so the only hope for working out was Bridget.

The call came at 6:04 am, right on time.  No school.  Bridget was going to leave at 7 instead of being here at 7 to go to the gym.  She arrived at 7:45 and we were off.  I had intervals to run and she lifted.  I got on the TM next to another friend and took off.  10 min warm up followed by 20x 1:00 on and 1:00 off.  I was a bit tight at first, then I got into it.  My slowest speed was in the beginning at 9.5 (6:18) and got it up to 10.6 (5:36) and settled at 10.5 (5:39)  I was whooped when I got done, but I did get it done and did not have to stop and pee!  I think that has to doing it in the morning, rather than after school when I have already had 64 oz of water throughout the day.

I am now on the couch sipping coffee wondering who is going to put my clean clothes away...

Back at it...

Sunday's run seemed like such a chore.  I am not sure if it was being lonely/bored out there, or what.  Brad was riding, so he rode from home since his mom was there and I ran from here.  We met up for lunch and it was wonderful.  All I wanted to do was see him and not run.  I did a 14 mile loop around town and stopped to stretch several times, but I think it was out of boredom than anything else.

Because of how I felt on Sunday, Brad joined me on Monday.  It was so much better.  An easy 8 miles with a stop at RR to exchange some socks.  I made up the route as we went and it was a perfect 8 miler.  We finished at an 8:50 pace.

I mentioned to Brad after dinner how I was just tired.  He then said, "well, how many miles have you run in 3 days...?"  9 on Saturday, 14 Sunday, 8 Monday.  The 9 on Saturday was in 25-30 mph winds, so that may have something to do with it.  I was just blah.

Video from Mardi Gras Marathon

Here is the video that Brad and I did from race weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPXlKdzrzK0

Mardi Gras 2011 Race Report

On Sunday, February 13^th, I was scheduled to run 28 miles.  How boring…unless you find a marathon someplace warm…like New Orleans!  Brad and I arrived late on Friday night, dropped our stuff off at our hotel and headed to the French Quarter for dinner.  We really did not want a hole in the ground place, but the Hard Rock Café was not at the top of our list either.  We settled in at a brewery, had some ribs, mac and cheese and headed back.  Seeing all of the junk shops was really a lot of fun.  They were FULL of beads and masks and all of the Mardi Gras “kitch.”  We found out that the parades will start of Feb 20^th and run through March 8^th, the actual Mardi Gras Day – Fat Tuesday, 46 days before Easter.  We also found out that Mardi Gras begins on January 6^th, the 12^th Day of Christmas, making Mardi Gras a true Christian holiday in my book!!

Saturday morning, we got up, had a great breakfast at the Embassy Suites (which I HIGHLY recommend, if not for the cleanliness, then for the FULL, cooked to order, unlimited breakfast).  After breakfast, we headed to the expo, knowing to get their early before all the good stuff is sold out.  After several purchases, and it helps that Brooks is the sponsor of the race, we walked around the expo talking with other vendors and asking questions.  One vendor gave us a great idea as to where to do our 7 mile pre-race run.  Upon leaving the expo, we noticed that Dodge was doing test drives on their new 2011 line and if you test drove the car, they would donate $20 to a charity of your choice.  I chose the Challenged Athletes Foundation.  If you have ever seen a racer with a carbon leg, or a swimmer with one arm, you may donate to them as well.  Anyway, we got in our 2011 Dodge Durango with a local Dodge employee and hit the Big Easy.  We could have cared less about the car, although it was nice, but getting a personal tour of NOLA was great!!  After about 30 min, we pulled up to our hotel, got out and he drove away.  A chauffer service as well.  We were getting hungry and decided to eat lunch before our run, because if not, we would eat lunch at 2, then dinner at 6.  Possible, but no thank you.  We found a local Po-Boys shop, and we each got a sandwich.  We did inquire what a Po-Boy was and all it is a sub, or hoagie, just another name. 

Seriously, 7 miles the day before a marathon??  We put on our shorts and t-shirts and headed out to St. Charles Ave.  We learned that you can run down the street car tracks, heading towards the oncoming streetcars and have a great run.  The tracks are on a grassy median strip and EVERYONE walks/runs on them.  The streetcars are not going very fast, so it is very safe.  The man at the GU stand told us of this and we LOVED it.  Brad and I headed out with him doing 4 and I was doing 7.  You do have to watch for turning cars, but they also look for you.  It was about 55 degrees and sunny when we headed out.  It felt so good.  My legs were a bit tight and the bottoms of my feet were sore.  I am sure this had to do with the flying, pains the last 3 weeks in my legs and all the walking earlier in the day.  The houses along St. Charles Ave were absolutely gorgeous.  Houses like I have never seen before.  After mile 3.5, I turned around and ran in the other tracks back to our hotel, but did not head straight there.  I heard some music and ran towards it, to find a small parade, about 10 units, 2 of which were bands.  The trucks were all pulling Ford Focus’ and throwing beads.  It was official, I saw a Mardi Gras parade and had beads thrown at me!  It was great, I could not wipe the smile off of my face.  Did I really just run 7 miles the day before a marathon…yes I did!

Pre-race dinner is very important, as we all know.  Gumbo or jambalaya was NOT on my menu!  We headed to the French Quarter, not really knowing what we were looking for.  We passed several places and overheard them say that it was a 45-60 min wait, or longer.  No thank you.  We went down a side street and came upon Ralph Kacoo’s.  They had seating right away, so we went in.  The table that we wanted was not ready, and it took about 15 min to get ready, but we had time.  I had a feeling that it was going to be a LONG night at this restaurant.  Brad and I each ordered the same thing, chicken with mushrooms, shrimp, artichoke hearts topped with a lemon sauce.  We ordered pasta as a side dish.  It was the best dinner!!  While we were eating, we decided that we were going to record the whole weekend from that point on.  All of my students ask what a race weekend is like for me and now we can show them.  It all started with an empty plate…

After dinner, we headed to Bourbon St.  never having been to NOLA, we were unsure what we were going to encounter.  Oh my!!  It reminded me of Ybor City near Tampa.  No vehicular traffic, only drunk foot traffic.  There were bars of ALL kinds with anything you could imagine.  The funniest was some chick dancing on a table in front of a window and some fat guy dancing on the outside to her.  He was just a jiggling away!!  There were people on the balconies drinking and throwing beads as you walked by.  If this is what it is like on a normal Saturday night, I am afraid that I would not be able to handle it come parade time!  Time to head to the hotel to get the gear ready for the big day!!

4:53 am and the alarm clock goes off!  Brad got up to shower as I laid there wondering why I was actually going to run a marathon for “fun.”  I got up, had my oatmeal, coffee and juice.  I was still tired.  Not the “what am I really doing today” tired, but the “oh my gosh, we walked all day yesterday, plus ran” tired.  I got my gear on, put dry clothes in my gear check bag, checked the weather to make sure it was still going to be 65 and sunny and we headed out the door.  We got almost to the starting area and I realized that I had not put deodorant on my “chub rub.”  Yes, I do have some chub that rubs between my legs and the chafing is very painful.  Since I had to run 2 miles prior to the race, I handed Brad my gear and headed back to the hotel, grabbed my deodorant as my chafe guard and ran back to the start, around the corrals and found him at the Brooks area.  It was 40 degrees out and I was sweating, which was a good feeling.  I was able to use the Brooks VIP toilets, got a shirt that I had entered a contest for on Facebook and we put our gear in the trucks.  You can put any gear in the bag that is given to you at the expo, put your name tag on it, and pick it up at the finish.  Brilliant idea.  We head over to our corrals, Brad was in 2 and I was in 4.  As I was standing there, I learned that the girl behind me was trying to run a 3:40 to qualify for Boston and the lady next to her had missed getting into Boston by about 2 hours on registration day.  I was feeling pretty lucky as I stood there.  Then the National Anthem started.  That always gets the mind flowing, especially as I look down and over and notice that the gentleman next to me does not have a right leg.  He is running on a carbon leg.  What is YOUR excuse for not running??

And the race is on!  I was feeling pretty good at this point knowing that I had to keep roughly an 8:50 pace.  Brian wanted me to finish just under 4:00:00, but not less than 3:50.  It took me about 2:00 to get to the start line and we kind of all fell into a rhythm.  I did not run with my music due to lots of bands on the course and listening to others talk.  We were not .25 miles in and there were some people who were trying to pass several others by running on the sidewalk and that turned disastrous.  There was a piece of re-bar that was connecting the sidewalk to the street and it was sticking about 6” up off the road.  Some lady tripped over it and went “flying.”  Her saving grace was the fact that she had gloves and pants on.  She landed on her hands and knees, but got up right away.  I think she was more embarrassed than anything.  She appeared fine and kept running.  The roads were packed with 15,000 runners, 3,000+ full marathoners and 12,000+ half marathoners.  I was not familiar with the area, so I was just taking in the sights.  There were lots of people cheering us on along the route, mostly with their great smelling coffee in their hands and some still in their pj’s!  I was doing great at keeping my pace – close to 8:50, but my calves were still tight.  They did not hurt, but I could not get them loose. 

Just before mile 5, they started splitting the full and half runners.  The full went to the left and half to the right.  There was a guy announcing this on a bull horn and several women in the street looking at everyone’s numbers.  Full were green and the half were purple.  Just after the 5 mile mark, the crowd definitely thinned out and it was nice.  I have now been running for nearly 45 min and have not said a word to anyone.  I am sure that surprises most of you, but it is true.  Out next main turn was onto St. Charles Ave where Brad and I ran on Saturday.  It was flat and lined with people.  We passed a house where they had their own band on the porch providing us with great music.  I think the best part was the little boy in the doorway tapping the beat on his leg to his dad’s music.  As I was running, I looked up and nearly ran into a little boy who was in the middle of the road with his hands out giving everyone high 5’s.  It was annoying, but cute at the same time.  Our next turn in the Garden District was onto Henry Clay Ave.  I have NO clue what the houses were like on this road, but the road was the worst I have ever run on.  The pot holes and cracks were terrible.  All I could think about was ‘I sure hope there would never be a bike race on this road!’  We then entered Audubon park and it was gorgeous.  Flat and open with huge, old trees that easily could have come alive.  They looked like storybook trees that would have a face and start talking.  After leaving the park, we were back on Henry Clay where I had to keep my head down, and also pee.  I went the port-a-potties, but they were full, so I went behind them, facing some house and “popped a squat.”  Hey, I was in a hurry and did not have time to wait!  I was gone before anyone could figure out what was going on.

Back onto St. Charles Ave for a beautiful 3 miles along the street car line and gorgeous houses.  The little boy was back in the street giving high 5’s again.  What a great way to bring on a smile!  I did have to stop and stretch my calves and it felt great.  I happened to look to the side and realized that the half marathon was on the “other side of the tracks.”  I did not know what mile they were on, but it was great to see them.  We ran through the French Quarter and I realized that we were heading towards the French Market and we had just driven there yesterday!  The road splits and so did the race.  I was at mile 14 and the half was at about 10.  For the next 2 miles we ran up Esplanade Ave. split only by cones.  It was great all running together at this point.  We split again at mile 16.5, having nearly 10 more to go, as the half was nearing the finish.  I was starting to get tired.  The bottoms of my feet were hurting and I was on the verge of throwing up.  I think the 4 Honey Stingers every 20 min was too many, so I dropped to 2, then back up to 3.  This made my stomach feel much better.  I knew that I could not stop taking in fuel, but I had to cut back.  Because I was not ‘racing,’ I was able to balance out the fuel better and relax a bit.  After I passed the mile 18 sign, I knew I was feeling good, and heck, I only had 8 miles to go, that is nothing at this point, right?!?!  I started seeing runners coming towards me, but I did not know what mile they were on.  Of course I knew where I was, but knowing where they were gave me a sense of the turn-a-round.  Never having seen the course, I was feeling blind.

Marconi Dr. was, of course, beautiful.  I was heading towards Lake Pontchartrain with City Park on my right and beautiful houses on the left.  Seeing the families out supporting us was still a great feeling.  At mile 19 was the first and only conversation that I had the whole time.  Some guy asked if I was okay and if I needed Gu.  Silly man, it was not time, my watch did not beep!  I thanked him, and said that I was set and was on my way.  Yup, he got chicked.  Up at the lake, we had 2 turn-a-rounds at separate cones.  Turn-a-rounds at miles 21 and nearly 22 are tough, but they led us for a wide turn-a-round and it was really nice and not as hard on the legs.  Finally, 4 miles to go and still right on pace.   Heading back to City Park was fun.  I was completely relaxed and felt like I was just out on a training run with thousands of friends. 

After the water at mile 25, I turned it on.  I was able to go from an 8:55 pace to a 7:49 pace and I felt great.  I had been trying to count runners, but I got lost and could not remember what number I was on at the water stops, so I would just start over at the mile markers.  I started laughing at myself because I was thinking of so much, but not about the actual run.  The last .2 miles was great.  The crowds lined the finish chute and the music was blaring.  I knew that Brad was there somewhere cheering for me, but where??  I looked up and he was right on my left recording me crossing the line.  It was perfect!  3:54:16 – right on track!!

When I crossed the line, the guy next to me was super confused.  He was sure he was not done and that he had only run 16-17 miles.  He had on a regular face watch, so I am not sure why he would think that, or know that?!?!  After looking at the race map, I am not sure where he messed up, if he even did.  I contacted the race director and told them what he had said and asked if they could let me know the outcome.  They said that they would look into it.  I tried to look up his number since it on camera and I could not find him.  The race director wrote back and said they would look into it.  I then told them again how concerned I was for him and they confirmed that they would look into it, but due to privacy rights, they cannot fill me in on him.

I gathered my medal, foil blanket, water, banana and oranges and met Brad after the finishers chute.  I was SO TIRED!!  My legs felt pretty good, not really sore, just completely worn out.  Brad and I sat on the side of the road, stretched and had a snack.  It took me a while to stand up, but I had to keep moving, just very slowly.   We picked up my dry goods bag and found a nice, sunny place in the grass.  I did not want to get too close to the band because I wanted to call my parents and fill them in.  Laying down on the soft grass in the sun was the perfect ending to the race.  Brad and I laid there and talked about each of our races.  His first half marathon in 1:43 and my “fun run” of a marathon.  I think we laid in the grass for about an hour before we got moving again.  We headed across a huge field towards some shuttles.  The shuttles were going to take us back to town, just blocks from our hotel.  Once we walked about .5 miles to the shuttles, we boarded the bus and rode back.  We noticed that we were definitely in Katrina area.  All of the houses have new roofs and siding on them with new townhouses  nearby.  There were just a few houses that had not been touched, and they were completely destroyed.  As we passed the cemeteries, all I could think about was the bodies that floated away in the floods.  While we were on the bus, we realized how hungry we really were.

Everyone slowly got off the bus and went in their own directions.  We just happened to pass a pizza place on the way back, so we stopped in our stinky gear with big smiles on our faces.  I don’t think either one of us has eaten a pizza so fast and were still so hungry.  We then strolled back to our hotel, stretched and relaxed.  After Brad showered, I took an Epsom salt bath and loved every minute of it.

The rest of the day consisted of moving slowly and talking about the race.  We made it to the French Quarter again for dinner.  Not really sure where to go, we stopped and talked to some police and asked them where to go.  After a fun conversation, we ended up at Embers on Bourbon St sitting on the balcony watching the people truly enjoying life.

After running this race, I know that I am going to be truly ready for Boston.  A huge thank you to Brian Hamill for the training program and all the help over the past 4 months.  And a huge thank you to Brad for putting up with me this weekend.  It is a tough job, but someone has to do itJ

Let the New Year Begin!

I have decided to get with the times and start a blog with my training and racing.  I have 2 major races this year with Boston in April and ITU World Championships in November.  I plan on taking more pictures and even some videos this year for all to see.  Many of you ask what a race weekend entails, and now you will be able to be part of it, not just with my race/weekend reports, but with the video as well.

This past weekend, I ran the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans and LOVED it.  I will soon post the video and report from the weekend.  After the race on Sunday, I did run 4 miles on Monday and another 6.4 on Tuesday.  Because I did not "race" in NOLA, it did not take the same toll on me as if I would have pushed myself.  I was as tired, exceptionally tired, but not nearly as sore as I thought I would be.  I guess my training is truly paying off.