08.31.07

And the conclusion…

Posted in Uncategorized at 1:41 pm by Diana

All my physical therapy commentary and pool workout complaints (ahem…reflections) withstood the test. My first non-hill workout went splendidly. My form DID end up falling apart, but the amazing thing was I could immediately feel the difference in my efficiency and ability. I could see and feel a difference in my speed and my form, and man, when it went, I could feel it all go. Any anxiety about being behind, etc., was completed eliminated in that 1.5 hours of workout on the Mason Farm loop with the rest of CAC.

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08.30.07

hydration locomotion

Posted in Uncategorized at 1:02 pm by Joan

So, Double B found out the mysterious illness that de-railed him at Leadville was Lyme’s Disease. He just informed me he has to spend a MONTH on an i.v. and I am picturing Bobby attaching his i.v bag to some fast, wheeled vehicle (a baby jogger, perhaps?) in order to get his runs in. Don’t be surprised if you see him out on the trail with a contraption like the one pictured above … but with fat, mountain-bike tires.

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08.25.07

The Year That Would Not Be

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:06 pm by Bobby

When it comes to talent, I don’t stack up against many runners.  A great fiddle player was once asked why he played the fiddle.  He simply replied, “Lack of talent.”  That’s pretty much me, not that I play the fiddle, although I can play a pretty mean bass guitar.  I’ve never been a very fast runner, so I very seldom take a place on the podium.

However, I think there is one thing that I can compete with almost anyone on - my passion for running.  Running is my saving grace.  It is there for me when I feel great, it greets me with a smile when I am feeling down, it is always unwavering in lifting my spirits no matter how low or how high they are.

Rona & Mikiele are always tops on my list of things that complete me.  I would be lost without them.  Running is that third thing in my life that allows me to escape into my on little world for a while.  It is the part of my life that allows me to be selfish.  If I never ran another step in my life it would not negatively impact anyone else, nor will my continuing to run impact anyone positively, other than hopefully inspiring others to lace up their kicks.  With that, I run for me.

This was the year.  Joan and I planned out my year down to almost every daily run.  Without her help I could have never gotten as far as I did - a 50K in February, a 50 miler in April, a 54 miler in June.  My plan simply fell into place & my fitness continued to increase at that slow rate that a distance runner wants.

But, sometimes you can have the best of plans and come up short.  This happened to me this year in Leadville.  Two weeks before the race my neck and lower back began to hurt.  I had pulled a full day working the floor at the store, so I just chalked it up to being tired.  However, when I awoke the next morning after a very restless night, the pain was still there - only worse.  By the next afternoon I have a fever of 102, so I decided to visit my doctor the following morning.  I get to his office and the next thing I knew I was on my way to the ER to rule out meningitis.  What?!  O.K., never go to the ER (but that is an entire blog in and of itself).  I’m there for about 7 hours while they pumped me full of IVs, give me some pain meds and send me on my way.  They rule out meningitis & diagnose me with either Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or a “non-descript” viral infection that has settled into my CNS.  With that, I am to take antibiotics & pain meds.  Oh yeah, I should be fine for the race.  NOT!

Looking back I should have stayed at home, but damn it, I had trained so long for this race.  All of my energy had been put towards this one goal.  I ran a fever off an on the entire time I was in Colorado, but just kept taking pain meds & telling everyone that I was fine.  Not a good idea.  I weighed in the day before the race about 6 pounds light - not exactly where you want to be in a race where you need to consume 8000+ calories to stay upright.  I ran a fever the night before the race, but still got up at 2 a.m. to get ready for a 4 a.m. start.  I toed the line with all the other runners and actually felt pretty decent through mile 23-24 (the picture above).  But then the wheels started to come off.  All the pain meds that I had taken leading up to the race suddenly disappeared.  With that, the pain in my neck and back returned, but felt even worse given that I was running at an average altitude of 11,000 feet. About 35 miles into the race I realized that my day was done - my year incomplete.  I humbly made my way to the 40 mile aid station and bowed out.  I sat there staring at my racer’s wrist band not wanting to take it off, but I knew I had to.  The pain of pulling it off is still with me.

Looking back I know that dropping out was the right thing.  My fever stayed with me through the following day and the pain in my neck and back began to radiate into my hands (my right hand is still somewhat numb).  But knowing that I made the right decision doesn’t make me feel any better.  I’m bummed, pissed, sad, mad, etc…  But I know that I made the right decision.

So what is it about Leadville that makes me continue to try?  How can a tiny town in the middle of nowhere steal someone’s heart the way Leadville has stolen mine? It is said that the Hawaiian Ironman is the triathlete’s holy grail.  Perhaps Leadville is mine.  With that, I may never truly get exactly what I am looking for there.  I may never drink from that cup.  But I’ll keep returning.  I’ll keep searching.  One year everything will line up & perhaps…perhaps, I’ll find my holy grail.

Until then I’ll run, because it is a part of who I am.  A great friend has been quoted as saying, “Run for Joy.”  For now, I think I’ll do that.

Peace,

Double B

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And it begins…

Posted in Uncategorized at 2:48 pm by Tori

Well, this morning I woke up to my freshly vacuumed house and a known day of gym treadmill running. The first thing I did was check my email after hygienic things and dressing, and the first one I read was Joan’s email about season training beginning this week. Now, how it’s possible that I thought or tricked myself into thinking that things start on Wednesday I don’t know, so imagine my surprise finding out in her email that in reality my training will start tomorrow!

With the way things have been going (small victories) the idea of starting a hill workout tomorrow had/has me shaking in my boots and basically scared s***less.

(I feel a group of photos better captures my previous state of mind.)

A rapid succession of thoughts pulsed through my brain (not really the first thing one wants to have going on on Saturday morning): Am I physically ready to do this? Can I do this? What pain will this entail? I don’t think I can do it - but I have to. On the treadmill? What type of incline would that be? I don’t want to do that - but maybe it’s best - is it best? or should I go outside? Oh, now I won’t be able to run with Jay’s group.

A whole new reality set in.

Eventually, I made it out the front door into the oppressive heat to begin my day and treadmill run. “One step at a time - literally.” My run was not awesome, but probably the best one yet. I actually got a smooth 5 minutes at like 8.2/8.3 pace! yay! (Maybe, I’ve hit my toddler stage.) However, after my run this morning I now feel a bit more confident and ready for tomorrow’s challenge. But, it still doesn’t mean I’m not slightly shaking in my flats - I’m just planning (hoping) that there is no crying and screaming from my end of the pack (as Trish warned does occur.)

Sunday being a new beginning and day of worship, praise, and “rest” - it’s the perfect way to begin the season

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08.22.07

Little Victories

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:42 pm by Tori

When injured and coming back to running, I have to keep reminding myself - little steps, little victories. Because I have never been a very patient person in certain aspects (especially running) this is really hard for me.  Today as I decrepitly plodded along – I don’t even think it could be graced as a description of clickety-clack – I was upset with myself.  Changes that would need to be made to accommodate a new step in running flew through my head as well as worries.  My low-inner oblique muscles were sore and I couldn’t stretch them.  My hip would sometimes feel wacky and then my right leg would spaz to compensate and then I would just try to relax and everything would be okay for a five minutes.  Needless to say the running was a “working through it” type of thing I was glad to be done with and sad that it felt so swampy, slow – but in reality was probably not all that bad.  About 35 minutes into it before heading for the Rosemary stretch “home” I was plod/shuffling along and thought – I’ve got God music on my radio.  I’m moving at a pace that is not crawling – little victories. Sometimes, Tori you’ve got to think about the little victories and be happy with that. So, today I was able to engage the correct core muscles to stabilize my lumbar spine through the majority of my run and relax my lower back on the last 10 minutes.  The entire run as a whole was not as good as previous ones last week, but it’s all about the little victories (at least I hope so anyways). And even though it is still not right, there are little glimpses that it may be again soon.

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08.21.07

Maggie Valley

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:02 am by Caroline

Just a short hop, skip and a jump past Asheville, Maggie Valley awaits you! I just returned from a fantastic weekend racing the Maggie Valley 8K, cheering my sister on her run, staying near a ghost town and relishing the peace and quiet from our cabin lodgings (www.cataloochee-ranch.com). I learned this weekend that the Cherokee word cataloochee translates as ‘wave upon wave’ - and I found this metaphor apt for our weekend of laughter, racing, yummy food, and relaxation. I recommend it for anyone interested in a fabulous race nestled close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

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Hills (a continuing theme)

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:41 am by Diana

As I helped coach and cheer the Carrboro High School XC kids this morning, I watched them grunt and grimace their way up hill repeats.  Being a morning person, I enthusiastically encouraged them to jog down the hill, or use the people in front to help them get to the top.  I realized quickly that in a very few days, I will be the one grunting and grimacing, with legs screaming from fatigue and lactic acid, as I start the hill phase of my training.

My, how the tables turn!

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08.19.07

And more PT….

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:12 pm by Tori

Since, moving down here - I no longer have my battery of PT professionals to help me when I’m injured. I’ve had to seek other PT help and luckily have a good resource of teammates from which to find a new army. But, with my current “wack out” I have had to resort to a PT my teammate recommended me to and so for the past month and half actually more like two months I have been frustratingly learning about my body - its weaknesses, maladies, and conundrums. As a distance runner, I was on edge six weeks ago because I hadn’t been able to run and that’s all I’ve wanted to do. I’ve had to give up running in perfect upstate NY, Calgary, and Vancouver weather and give up running in a planned and paid for race - boo for injury.

I dearly miss my Boston PT - Ruben, who i affectionately referred to as my fix-it God. I don’t know what he did, but I showed up and he fixed me and i was better after an hour and could run again the next day (most of the time). However, working with my current PT, every session is a learning experience and another piece to the puzzle. I have now realized a little bit maybe almost all of what exactly Ruben was doing (but I still don’t have someone like him to fix quick). He was massaging out tight, tough muscles to allow them to relax and release, so he could replace my alignment and allow the body to take the running impact and perform the function “correctly”. Painful at times, yes! Much needed and great, double yes!

However with my current PT I have had to learn - a slower, but in the long run, better process. However, a few weeks ago when i traveled to Canada for work and was still broken I had to come to terms with what was going on and beside myself with pain, I went on a hunt for international help and found a guy that did ARI - he put me out of my daily painful misery (praise God), but I still couldn’t run. This was the case for the next two weeks much to my dismay. When I returned to the States and spoke with Joan via email I got a new fire to find someone. Tufts 10K is about six weeks away and if I plan to run it - I decided I must get “fixed,” so i went on a hunt to find someone who could fix me fast. So far I’ve found a guy in Cary who is working out pretty well. I’m still seeing my other PT since he is the key to ultimately fixing the problem so that in the future this will not happen.

Ai the issues of being a young inexperienced, learning runner who likes to go fast -

So, the tally currently is: 5 people seen; 7 weeks out; 2 road plunks; 3 treadmill jaunts; endless frustration and on going pain; the amount of moola spent (not going to put it in because I don’t want to know) -

Reaching my goal of running FAST and pain free again (and soon) will = priceless. [my master card and probably christmas flight ticket home can attest to this.

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08.16.07

Pack on the track!

Posted in Jeuland's Musings at 11:33 am by Marc

This morning, I was preoccupied by two things while on my run. The first was the clickety-clack man feeling that Rob described a few weeks back and its cause, and the second was the profound sense of dismay I felt running along the Bolin Creek trail in Carrboro and seeing all the brown leaves around me. It looks like fall out there this week. I think the trees are suffering outside while we spend our lives in air conditioned rooms.

Returning to the clickety-clack man, however, I became him over night, following a hard workout on the track. What a workout it was! Not in the sense that it was the most difficult thing I have ever done, but because of the pack that ran it. A strong group of five runners, all within a similar range (of course Jason was holding back). Tom, Tyler, Brent, Jason and I ran 4 x 2k with 500 meter rest on the soft new UNC track. Each one of us (save Jason) was given responsibility for throwing down a 400 meter surge in one of the intervals, at any point in time. This worked perfectly fine until Brent’s - wow, he is fit - interval (number 4), when the rest of us realized he had missed the memo. His surge lasted at least 600 meters, and I’d probably add the last quarter mile to it as well; the final 1200 was a scorching 3:32. Even with the slight hitch, it was great that we more or less stuck close to one another, running as a pack.

I’ll let Joan fill you in on the night’s other excitement. I’ll just say that some people clearly do not like people, but I am happy that none of those types are a part of CAC or our training group.

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08.13.07

Will Double B finally earn his belt buckle?

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:41 pm by Joan

Bobby Biles … please, oh please, write in with your pre-race thoughts about your upcoming 100-mile trail race at Leadville.

Your fans (and friends) want to know!

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