Would not washing my hair benefit my training?

Life has a way of reminding us of the futility of worry.  Take Monday for example.  I went out for a 14-mile run/walk, and was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Getting back, I worried a bit about if I had torqued anything I shouldn't have.  Injury seems to be my middle name of late, so I admit to holding my breath for a beat after every run - long runs especially - waiting to see if there is any fallout.

So, in the midst of this post-run breath-holding, while taking my post-run shower, I promptly knock over a bottle of conditioner right onto the base of my little piggy who had none..... And, he went wee, wee, eeeeee, screaming all the way home to my brain, which promptly registered - great, I think I just broke my toe. The irony of the situation is not lost on me, and the lesson was painfully driven home that, really, why worry about possible running injuries when I have projectile shampoo and conditioner bottles waiting to bombard unsuspecting toe swine?

Luckily, as it turns out, everything seems to be in order.  The impact of the bottle itself was very painful, and touching the toe and walking was pretty painful for a bit, too.  But then it all bruised up nicely and the hurt faded to just a painful memory.  Happily, I was able to run four miles yesterday with no fallout whatsoever.

So, I have to say, I feel a bit like I dodged a bullet on this one, but it does make me wonder if I should rethink the whole summer sandal/Birkenstock/flip-flop thing...  Given the number of times I have had a dog or child step or jump on my feet by accident (let alone inanimate objects!), I am wondering if a little more protection wouldn't be in order.  Steel toe boots, anyone?

Source

Have you ever had anything non-running-related sideline your training?

Getting what you NEED, not what you WANT

Sometimes I think I am just brilliant....(okay, you can stop laughing now).  Seriously, though, there are times when I think I just make the right decision.  It doesn't happen often, but once in a while I actually do the right thing.

Case in point, my long run on Monday.

Now, actually, I was supposed to do my long run on Sunday, but Hubby's little 100-Mile adventure got in the way somehow, not to mention camping left me with a serious sleep deficit that I couldn't have overcome in enough time to fit a run in on Sunday.  So, with Hubby taking Monday off of work to sit around and do nothing all day convalesce, I decided to take advantage and head out for 14 miles of fun.

Where the brilliance comes in is that instead of heading out to the state park to try to run the whole 14 miles like my ego demanded, I decided to do the smart thing and take it slow.  Three things factored into that decision: I was running during the heat of the day and it was hot; I was a day late getting to my long run, which meant less time to recover before my next run; and, lastly, I have a 10K race on Saturday I want to feel somewhat fresh for.

Would a "real runner" have sucked it up and run anyway?  A year or so ago, I would have said yes and then tortured myself with a miserable run that I would then later have bemoaned for having failed.  But, I think I am finally learning to run smarter and take care of my body.  Listening to what my body is telling me is becoming more important than sticking to a training plan 100 percent of the time.  So, that is to say that, for once, I rolled with it.

So, what I ended up doing is a modest run/walk with intervals of three minutes running to one minute walking.  Was it slower?  Heck yes!  It took me just over 2 hours and 40 minutes to finish.  However, I covered the same distance and my legs feel pretty good today.  I didn't feel miserable throughout the whole run - although I could have done without the last three miles.  (With little shade and breeze in that final stretch, the heat finally got to me.) But I did it!

And, since I was going a little slower, I feel I had more time to look around and enjoy the scenery, and once again I was amazed at some of the beautiful areas our little part of the world offers us to run in.

The train that held me up for a couple of minutes finally making its exit....

The path along the river I followed for a bit....

Glimpses of the river....

For some reason, I love pictures of paths. I do seem to take a lot of them.  They remind me of that adage that it is not the destination that is important but the journey we take to get there. 

Happy Running!

Chi Marathon Giveaway - I am a huge fan of Chi Running and have even done two workshops to learn a bit more on how to do it.  Running Diva Mom is giving away a copy of Chi Marathon to one lucky winner.  If you are interested in entering for a chance to win,...head over to her blog!

An Outsider's Race Report of the Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Endurance Run

Ok, so I feel like this blog is supposed to be all about ME and MY accomplishments, but - of course - I have to write about this one.... Hubby did it!  He pulled off his first 100-mile ultramarathon. There were doubts, there was pain, there was one helluva sleepless night, but he finished the Kettle Moraine 100 in 27 hours, 36 minutes, and he's been convalescing ever since.

I was able to see Hubby and "crew" for him at three different spots on the course.  Here are some of the few pix I got at the event.

Hubby coming in to the County ZZ aid station at Mile 26.  Still a smile on his face although he said his gut had started to bother him....

Heading down the single-track trail leading out of the station.  Getting peeks down these trails intrigued me to such a degree that for the briefest of moments, I thought to myself Maybe I would want to do that. Mental head slap,....Okay, maybe not.

Coming in to the Scuppernong aid station - Mile 31.4.  Gut still bugging him, but we were able to fuel him up and get him on his way.  Already he was falling off his estimated finish time, but he was still going.

Last spot I was able to see Hubby would be here at the Emma Carlin aid station (Mile 47.3).  This is the point on the trail that they pop out of the woods to head to the aid station at the trail head parking lot.  I watched this spot for about an hour waiting for him to appear.

I wasn't the only one.  At any given time, there were friends and families hanging out watching that narrow sliver of trail as well.

Finally, out of the woods he comes!

Tired, hand-flip wave. At this point, he told me if I wanted to join him for any of the run (since I had planned tentatively to join him for the last seven miles or so) he said to do it now, because he wasn't sure he could go much longer.  Apparently, his gut finally settled down - after 20 miles! But then he noticed his whole body hurting.

After a half hour of rest while I fixed him up with some dried mangoes, Mountain Dew, and Advil and resupplied him with stuff from his drop bag, he headed out over the mats.  It was 6 p.m. - 12 hours underway already.  He told me at that point if the hurt didn't go away to some degree, he wouldn't make it to the finish.  With that doubt creeping in and the fact that his time was so off his estimates, we decided I wouldn't try to find him in the final seven miles. It would be too hard to determine when he would be into the final aid station.

So, that's the last I saw of him until the finish.  I spent a semi-sleepless night waking intermittently to check the webcast site to see what aid stations he had passed.  Around 1 a.m. I was heartened to see he had made it to the 100K point earlier in the evening where he would meet our friend D. to pace him.  A check at 4-something a.m. showed that he had made it to the 77-mile point, but there was no update to the 82 mile marker.  That was worrisome given that he should have made that point.  A few minutes later, however, an update showing his arrival at Mile 86 eased my mind.  (They never did update that 82 mile point.)  Then a couple of hours later - a call from D. saying they were eight miles from the finish.  Yeah!  Apparently, the Advil (and the three others he took) did their work.  Those and some coffee later in the night helped get him over the hump of despair, and he was able to keep going.  I know our friend D., who showed up to pace Hubby for the last 38 miles, helped immensely too.

So, finally - the finish. Approaching the finish line at 9:30 a.m. - 27:30 hours after starting this adventure - the kids are excited to run out and meet Daddy and head back over the finish line with him.

Crossing the finish line!

DONE and DONE IN....

I am incredibly proud of Hubby's achievement.  I know this was extremely hard for him, and I don't think he's even begun to process what he has accomplished yet, but he did it!  Out of 244 registered participants, only 118 finished before the cutoff.  And he was one of them.

So, what do I take from this event?  Well, first that it is an amazing race.  I mean, to run 100 miles on flat land would be accomplishment enough, but the KM100 is a hard, hilly course on the Ice Age Trail. Check out the elevation chart....

Source

I was not inspired to try to run one of these one day, however I was inspired to volunteer if I could.  It would be an awesome event to be part of and helping all these amazing runners trying to get through a tough event like this would be very rewarding I believe.

Crewing was fun, too, and I definitely would enjoy doing that again if Hubby ever recovers fully and forgets the pain of this one. Next time, though, I would want to plan on just crewing.  Trying to juggle crewing here and there with entertaining the kiddos elsewhere was a bit too stressful.  I think they would enjoy crewing, too, if their expectations were appropriately set.  Something to think about....

Speaking of the kids,... here's what WE did while Hubby ran for 27 hours....

Two nights of tent camping meant two nearly sleepless nights for all three of us....

It was still fun, though!  Really!  I seriously enjoyed camping and hope to do more of it in the future.  The howls and yips of coyotes aside (and I really shouldn't have read the book Killer Grizzly as a kid), I really thought this was a fun way to spend a couple of days.  What's not to like?  You can get as dirty as you want, eat all the pre-packaged junk you want, and spend all your time outdoors.  It's great!

Although next time I would plan a camping trip that was more kid-friendly.  I am sure it was not quite so much fun for them when the camping trip was kind of shoe-horned around Daddy's race.  Anyhoo...a small park at the campground helped for entertainment - as did having friends along to play with!

Between crewing gigs, a trip to Old World Wisconsin was educational and fun for everyone.  Too bad the kids were so pooped out from a night of little sleep.  They got something out of it, though, I believe.  I have to say I didn't even know this place existed!  However, if you ever have a hankering to experience what life was like for the different ethnic groups who inhabited Wisconsin in the mid-1800s, this is the place to be!

Hands on wheel making for the kids...

Hands on horse feeding...

Hands on school learning....(I have to say the scritch of slate pencil on slate board would have driven me batty 150 years ago.)

Hands on toys and games....

So, that's how we spent our weekend...How about you?

What did you do on your weekend?  Anything fun, educational, challenging, or otherwise a$$ kicking?

The journey of 100 miles begins with a single step - tomorrow!

They say a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.  Well, tomorrow, the journey of 100 miles begins for my Hubby, the guy I like to call Distance Dude on this blog.  He will be toeing the line of his first 100-mile running event.  And, I can't even imagine.

Hubby has run three 50-milers and 21 marathons.  When he first got it in his head to try for 100 miles, I do not exactly know.  But he did get it in his head, and he has worked hard for this.  I can't accompany him on this journey; it's one that he'll have to take on his own - with the help of a friend to pace him in the last 38 miles.

How will he do?  No clue.  Since those first few early races, he has come a long way.  I know he'll give it his all, and whether in the end it turns out to be good, bad, or ugly, I think it is amazing that he is doing it.

Hubby right after his first marathon in 2005

Hubby after his third 50-miler a few weeks ago

Corral WHAT?! Holy smokes, I have [almost] arrived!

So, a while back I signed up for the Bellin 10K Run to be held in Green Bay in a little over a week.  I've run this race a handful of times because I like the energy of the event.  I wouldn't say I am in love with the course for its scenic value or my chances of putting in a smoking performance.  I do like it because it is practically in our backyard and it is the 7th largest 10K in the country (according to Running USA).  It's hard not to get excited when a local race's success goes viral. Last year, there was a record 18,398 participants registered with over 15,000 finishers.  Yeah, it's big.

The only problem with this race, as far as I can see - besides the crowds that is - is the corral system.  Or, more accurately, how I always seem to without fail end up in the nosebleed section of said starting corrals.

Okay, so corral assignment is based on your predicted performance, and - let's face it - I have always been on the slower side.  For example, a couple of years ago, I was one corral ahead of the walkers (in fact, some of them may have passed me as we started out...)

Last year, I moved up a corral or two and ended up starting in Corral 4, I believe.  Although this improved my situation immensely, it still put me heading out over the start line as the winners of the event were finishing up.  In a way, that was nice.  After all, it's not often you get to see the lead runners finishing up when you are participating in the same event.

This year, though, is going to be different.  Check it out....

Just noticed how the 2s in 2012 are doing double duty and also acting as the Ns in Bellin and Run.  Slick!

Corral 2! I have arrived!  Little did I know when I signed up for the race and I proudly put my predicted pace of 8:45 per mile (based on my own recent improved performances) that it would lead to this little bit of elitism.  Okay, okay, I know that I am not elite - OBVIOUSLY - but now that I am starting behind the speedsters, I, at least, shouldn't have to worry about competition from the walkers.  Right? Right?!?

Happy Running!

The heat wave that wasn't and my training plan revisited

This past Memorial Day weekend, I had my first good, post-race long run, and that made me happy.  This was shoehorned into the middle of a very busy, albeit nothing-special sort of weekend. Oh, we packed a lot in: a race, runs (of course), yardwork, house work, lots of games played, a cookout and visit with the GPs, and even a couple of short bike rides.  But we didn't have any big, huge thing we did for the holiday weekend.  The weather for two of the days could easily be classified as stinking hot, and that - combined with the threat of storms (that never really materialized) - seemed to put the kibosh on any fancy plans.  Anyway, it was good.

As to the long run...

I woke up bright and early Sunday morning with the hopes of at least partially beating the heat.  After all, it was supposed to reach 90 degrees and they had canceled Sunday's Madison Marathon prior because of the forecast.  I thought I was in for a load of hurt.  

I filled up my water bottles, got my Gatorade squared away in little baggies, grabbed my Clif Blocks and a cooling neck thingy that I got for free at the Kazoo expo and had yet to try, and headed out to High Cliff State Park to run a mix of road and trails - hoping once again to maximize the shade potential of the wooded park.

Well, I got to the parking area, got myself ready as best I could before leaving the car, stepped out, and ....  brrrr..... It was CHILLY!  What the ...?  So, in a slightly confused state, I began my thirteen-mile long run.  In the end, I don't know what happened with the weather.  It was never that bad.  Although warm towards the end, the bulk of the run was pleasant with a cooling breeze sweeping through the area.  The shade, of course, helped, but I was out in the open a fair amount, too, trying to add miles by taking advantage of the park's bridle trails, but it never got that bad.  In fact, I never even got the chance to try out that cooling neck thingy.  I guess that will have to wait until later in the summer.

The run itself was great.  It was the first long run I have had since Kalamazoo that actually felt good.  I was a little worried about my achilles, but that hung in there just fine.  In fact, I probably overstressed about it a little too much.  Overall, though, I felt refreshed and ready to run, and that was a good feeling.  So, I am curious what that means.  Does it take me three weeks to really recover from a race, or should I not draw any conclusions from that?  I'll be interested to see exactly how the the next race recovery goes.

I ran five miles on road in my Cortanas, then I switched to the New Balance 101s to run the last eight miles on trail.  I know I am supposed to be wearing mild support, and the NB shoes offer none.  I also know I am supposed to be getting used to lower heel stack height and the NB shoes offer some (14 mm, I think), but they just feel right to me.  The 101s are over a year old, but I love that I can feel the trails under my feet when I run in them.  I probably do need some new trail shoes, but I dread starting the whole shoe buying process again.  Ugh.

My average pace for the run turned out to be 10:50, which I think was just where I needed to be.  I walked the hills for the most part in deference to my achilles, but mostly I felt good.  Around mile 11, I noticed I was getting a little tired, but that's okay.  It was mile 11, after all.  If I can run 11 miles before feeling pooped, I consider that a good thing.  My plan was to eat 3 Cliff Blocks every three miles, and that worked out well.  I don't know if I need that many that often, but it gave me something to do/look forward to.  

A training plan revisited...

As promised, I ran my training plan by Hubby, and I got the seal of approval from him with a couple of tweaks here and there. I am really happy with how this plan looks, so we'll see how it goes.  Generally speaking, I am starting at this point with a long-run base of 13 miles.  I will now start building up two weeks, then step it back one week for the long runs...So:

Week 1 - 13 miles

Week 2 - 14 miles

Week 3 - 7 miles

Week 4 - 15 miles

Week 5 - 16 miles

Week 6 - 8 miles

And so on.  Based on this schedule, I will fit in two 20-mile training runs before the Jungfrau Marathon.  I like this for two reasons: one, it is more advanced than any other schedule I have done, but more importantly it allows me some wiggle room.  If for any reason, things don't go as planned (and that NEVER happens, right?), I can drop one 20 miler and buy myself two weeks of time.

During the week, the schedule will look like this for the most part:

Monday: 6K row

Tuesday: track workout (a class I signed up for)

Wednesday: 4-6 mile group run

Thursday: 6K row

Friday: 6-mile run

Saturday: REST

Sunday: long run

Now, every third week (when I drop the long run mileage in half), I also drop the mid-week workouts to about 70 percent, so hopefully I will get a bit of a break there.  Also, the Friday before my longest long run in any three-week cycle, I will be doing a 3-4 mile walk on the treadmill at incline instead of a run.  These will probably be done at 12-15 percent incline.  Finally, the Fridays before my shortest long run in any three-week cycle will be at an increased mileage - to match the long run.  So, for example, in Week 6 when I run only eight miles on Sunday, I will be running eight miles on Friday, too (instead of the scaled back 4.5).  This is to give me some longer tempo runs, which Hubby deems important.  Yeah, we'll see how that works out for me.  

Changes may come, of course.  Hubby was a little concerned about the track workout Tuesday evenings, followed by a group run Wednesday mornings, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about that a bit, too.  Speed work - after all - seems to be my achilles heel (pun totally intended).  But, I am hoping, that if I take the Wednesday run slowly and not really worry about keeping up with the group - and drop the mileage if I need to - then maybe I'll be able to pull it off.  We'll see. I am ready to ditch this plan for something else at the first sign it isn't working.

Anyway, I am very excited about the training plan, and I hope it goes well.  Don't ask me where the training plan is from, because it is sort of a mix of what our running club does for its summer training runs, what has worked for me in the past, as well as what has worked for Hubby.  

So, that's about it for now.  Beyond my own running, Hubby is about to enter an unknown world as he attempts to run his first 100-mile race event this weekend.  We have a lot of excitement in our household because of that, and I can't wait to see where this adventure leads.    

Some random pix for you to enjoy...

What my kids did over the weekend...

What my feet did over the weekend...gives new meaning to cooling your heels.

What my tummy did for lunch,....the best black bean, corn, sweet potato, kale burrito ever!

Happy Running!

By the way, had to edit this to tell you about a giveaway by Yo Momma, ..... well, not YO momma .... Yo Momma Runs actually.  Check it out for a chance to win a pair of Aspaeris Compression Shorts! I am shouting this out far and wide, because I really want to win.  :)

Finally, a training plan?

Source - This is how I know I am at least partially
crazy. I see pix like this and still think it's a
 good idea to sign up  for the event.

Well, I did it.... I finally came up with a training plan for the Jungfrau Marathon, which I'll be running at the end of the summer.  It was a bit hard coming up with something for a race of this nature, seeing as the first half will be on roads with a slight uphill grade and the second half will be on trails on a significant "upmountain" grade, but I did it.  I won't go into details yet, because I plan on running this by Distance Dude to get his take.

I can already see that he'll spot one element that is missing - the treadmill hill work, but I'll let him figure out where to shoehorn that into the schedule.  (I have an idea of where I would put it, but I want to see if he thinks that makes sense.)  In the meantime, I am pretty pleased with how I managed to fit in all the key elements I need, including allowing for a couple of mid-summer races,  all while having the kids off of school.  It ain't easy being a running mom....

My high-tech training plan in progress...

In fact, the only blips on the horizon that I can see have to do with how to fit in long runs on those few occasions we go out of town, but I guess I'll cross those bridges when I come to them.

The Week So Far

Workouts this week have started out well enough.  I am back to full distance/workout time, after two weeks of taking it relatively easy after the Half Marathon.  Both yoga classes have been great, and I've managed to ramp back up to six miles for my mid-week runs and 6K for my mid-week rows.  Tomorrow I am scheduled for another six-mile run, so we'll see how that goes... With the Little Guy's pre-school year coming to an end, I've had to get up early to fit in my workouts, and it is starting to take a toll.  Tomorrow's 5 a.m. wake-up call will not be easy.  At least living in the North, the sun rises before any sane person would be out of bed.  That makes the early reveille easier to take.

Totally Random - Food for Thought

Reading through a Facebook posting by Stern Magazine, I found this blog called Never Seconds that I think is brilliant.  It's so simple but really very intriguing to read through.  A primary school student in the UK is documenting her school lunch.  Simple, right?  I think I like it because it brings up all sorts of thoughts I have on the situation, especially now that E. has started grade school.  The cafeteria lunches leave something to be desired, and I am appalled by how "healthy food" looks a lot like the crap I "treat" my family to once in a while.  (Corn dogs? Really?) Anyway, E. has packed a lunch for all but one or two days all year.  Mostly, I think she is worried that on those rare occasions that they do offer a vegetarian option that they'll run out and she'd have to take the meat option.  To play it safe, she'd rather pack lunch in.  That's a far cry from LG who vacillates between announcing to anyone who will listen in restaurants, "Yuck, that's meat!" and bemoaning the fact that he can't try ham.  Why he's picked ham, I don't know.  Anyway, check it out if you are interested.

In Non-Running, Running Related News...

What type of learner are you?  Some people learn best by reading about something, some are learning-by-doing types, I - on the other hand - am clearly a learning-by-being-spoonfed-information-from-an-authorized-person type.  And that is why I have decided that to improve my speed, I needed to sign up for a track session course this summer.  This is guaranteed - I am sure - to make me a better, badder, faster runner...........

............Yeah, right.  Well, it can't hurt, can it?  That is, unless it can.  It seems every time I try to incorporate speed work on my own, I get injured.  I guess with this I am hoping that running around in circles on a track with a coaching type watching me, I will be spared that.  We'll see.

In other non-running, running-related news, I have also signed up for a running evaluation and mini-ChiRunning lesson from an awesome personal trainer and coaching type in the area.  I am very excited to see what she has to say about my running form.  I took a half-day ChiRunning workshop from her about a year ago, so having a bit of feedback on where I am at now will be nice.  (I.e., did any of the information stick at all?)

Finally, my last bit of news,....I have joined a third running club.  Does that make me a traitor?

Apparently, I collect running clubs like other people collect race shirts or running shoes.  It's not that my heart is not fully engaged with my home running club!  However, if I can get a bit of news and perhaps a discount or two from the other clubs, what can it hurt?  Also, the third club gave me a free running hat for joining.  So, perhaps I just really like collecting running hats?

Sweaty Summer(-like) Running and Race Course Closures Due to Heat

I had a great long run yesterday despite high temperatures, and I am thankful for that.  I have to say, when I started out, I was a little nervous about what my body would do.  Although I had gotten through the Kalamazoo Half Marathon two weeks ago with no major aches or pains, I did manage to tack on some during my two-week post-race recovery phase.  Jumping right back into my regular routine - with elliptical, power yoga, rowing, and running - as well as adding some harder runs in the second week - two-hour Devil's Lake Run and my twofer last Wednesday - all seemed to take their toll.  As a result, I was left this past week nursing a tender achilles and knee (both on the left leg).  To add insult to injury, weekend-warrior-type gardening left my back and right hip sore (I guess from the way I was shoveling).

Anyway, I took it easy leading up to Sunday's run, and it seems to have payed off.  I got in the ten miles I had planned with no real body grumpiness.  My achilles did seem to act up a bit around Mile 8, but nothing too major.  (Walking the hills helped with that.)  So, it was all good.

Actually, the hardest part of the day was the heat.  It was in the 70s when I started out and in the mid-80s by the time I wrapped it up.  I haven't run much in heat yet this year, so I didn't quite know what to expect.  As it turned out, though, it wasn't so bad.  

I ended up going out to High Cliff State Park and running a mix of road and trails, knowing this would maximize the shade potential.  The first five miles were on roads...  Some looked like this:

Nicely shaded....

But some looked like this...

Full sun! Ugh!

Running the roads at High Cliff is fun, because it takes you right past all the campers.  It's always amusing to me to be running past them in the morning hours, because for the most part they look like they are just waking up... A lot of groggy faces peering at you as you dash by, looking like they think you are from another planet.  The downside is that the cook fires are going, and by then breakfast is smelling kind of good.  I wonder what they would think if I just plopped myself down and asked for a handout...

Once I hit the trails, I was pretty much guaranteed full shade. As an added bonus, too, the woods also offered me extra motivation to keep running, as slowing down to a walk magically seemed to turn me into a mosquito magnet.

Sweaty Self Portrait Post-Run 

During the run, I managed to eat 6 Clif Bloks - so did better than at my Half Marathon two weeks previously.  I also drank a crazy amount of liquid, as shown by my myriad water bottles.

While running, I kept thinking of another run going on - the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.  Most of my running peeps from the Wednesday group run were doing that event, as well as other friends from the running club.  I knew how hot I was in the shaded woods, and I was having a hard time imagining life on the race course at that point.  (I don't think it is that well shaded.)  Given other circumstances, I would have been out there on the course with them.  I was all geared up to run Green Bay this year, but then they announced due to construction on Lambeau Field, the key element of running through the stadium would not be happening this year.  Snob that I am, I decided I wouldn't do the race until I could run through the stadium.  I guess as it turns out, no one would have been running through the stadium anyway.  

The expo inside the Lambeau Field Atrium - sweet!

I had text alerts for several friends being sent to my phone, because my plan was to wrap up my run and head to the finish line to cheer them on.  As I got back to my car, though, I got one final text message saying the course was closed due to heat and runners who had not yet finished were being shuttled back to the start/finish.  What a blow! I can't even imagine that happening during a race.  I can understand the medical need that drove them to close the course, but as a runner it's hard to imagine what I would do.... I have several friends who followed the officials' directions and took the shuttle back to the start, and I also have several who said Screw it and kept running.  They received medals and know their finish time from their watches.  But, from the race's standpoint, they are "unofficial" finishers and will not have an "official" time.  

So, what would I do?  I really don't know.  Although I have never been in a race where the course was closed, I am not completely unfamiliar with such things.  Distance Dude actually had the bad luck to have the course closed not once, not twice, but THREE times during marathons - and they happened to be his first three marathons.  We all joked that the third time was the charm and it seems to have been.  He's now done 21 marathons with no further course closures beyond those first three.  (In his case, he was able to finish all the races.)  So, for myself, I guess, like most runs, it would depend on how I felt on that given day and where I assessed my abilities at.  I don't think there is a right or wrong answer.    

Although, it's a hard decision to make, I believe all my friends made the right decision FOR THEM THAT DAY.  They did great!  No regrets necessary.  Now, it's just a question of where to go from here.... 

Happy Running!

Have you ever experienced a course closure?

What would you do in this situation?

Picture of the day:

Lilacs in bloom!