Monday, March 16, 2009

Upcoming RUN this weekend...

I had a crappy "last run" before this weekend's Pacific Rim 24-hour Run (AKA Longview). I never peaked my mileage above 45 mpw, and just for a few weeks at that. I certainly would have run more but I just can't find the time. Work is keeping me busy, which is NOT something I am complaining about in this state of the economy. I am self-employed, have my own business, so if I need to work harder, well then, I simply need to work harder. I do what I've got to do.

Ultrarunning is my hobby, my recreation, my avocation. Yet, it is also somewhat a way of life because it is an extreme hobby. I takes lots of time to train and plan and perform and recover. Much of what I do hinges on how it will affect my running. Diet, sleep, illness, injury, time, social life. Of course, this is what I choose and I can change it at any time, but I really love my ultrarunning hobby and will continue to do it for now.

I have had to modify things a bit this year, however, and much of that is because I work a lot, and my work is very very important to me. I am exceedingly pleased with the scope of my speciality as a Physiatrist and I care very much for my patients. As long as I "take care of business," I am free to play by running, from training to traveling to exotic places to race.

Given the state of the economy (and a few other factors), I have decided to train and race more locally this year...at least until the Fall adventures that are in the planning! There are so many wonderful local races here in the Northwest.

First up is the Pacific Rim 24-hour Run. It's a 1-mile loop, and you run around it as many times as you can or want, and the runner who accumulates the most miles wins. Simple. And yes, fun. I ran this last year as a training run for Umstead 100-miler, which was just a few weeks later. I ran 50k, then went to sleep, and came back out on the course and ran another 50k. Tim Englund, who I helped crew a bit when I was not running, won the race with 121 miles. That's a pretty darn good amount of mileage! Even more appealing is that there were many high mileage (100+) tallies at the end of the 24 hours. It was a highly competitive run!

The other appealing thing about this race is that it is marketed as a RUN and not a RACE. It prides itself on providing a stage for mostly local runners to convene and share performances. It's not talked about in ultra circles like other well-known runs. There is no website, except for the entry form that must be printed and mailed in with a check. There is no Entrant List to review so that we can see who will be there. Only word of mouth and personal emails will give you clues as to who is running. We will find out on race morning. There are no formal results that get posted anywhere, not even to the ultralist or to Ultrarunning Magazine...unless you want to collect the data and present it yourself.

These are the things that I really LOVE about this race. It is laid back and just a run. It just happens to sometimes be a competitive run, but I would even dare to say that most runners go with a certain mileage goal in mind as opposed to "win" or to "beat" someone else. The casual atmosphere just doesn't promote this.

I am looking very forward to this run next weekend because I want to go "to my happy place" and leave everything else behind temporarily while I am out on that 1 mile loop for 24 hours. How simple! How uncomplicated! How pure! It's just me and my shoes (and clothes, yes), and my friends, and my own mind. It's a pure sport. A good run or a bad run depends on my ability to adapt to conditions, whatever those are. There are no guarantees about what food or drink will be provided, though surely there will be lots. But if it's not what I tend to need for fuel, then I will rely on my own foods and fluids.

And then there's the weather, which never promises to be sunny and 60 degrees with a light breeze. No, there is surely at some point during the 24 hours to be wet gloomy rain that muddies parts of the loops. Sometimes the sun will peak and dry your clothes, but usually not fully before it rains again. This is typical weather, but you just can't predict. My plan is to try to stay warm since I don't tolerate cold and wet at the same time very well. I can take one or the other, but together it is tough for me. So, I do my best to plan but also just need to convince myself that I can adapt to anything.

I am mostly looking forward to the social part of the run. Yes, it's very social, kind of like a party or a family reunion. Many runners do Chuckanut, a 50k Saturday morning, and then drive to Longview (which is still going on through the 24 hours) to get in some extra miles. Why? Because it's fun, a bit crazy, but in a fun way. I look forward to seeing the Ellensburg runners, the ultra veterans from whom I have learned so much. It'll be great to run with Tim, David, Willie and Ethan. It'll be great to see Jeff Hagen, Michelle, Tim, tc, Rob, and sweet Olga. There will be new friends made including Ben Blessing and others I'm sure. ..Only I don't have an entrant list, so it will be a nice surprise on race morning who gets to share the loop through the day and night.

I don't really have a strategy. I think a strategy would work against me because I've only dabbled in training miles and have aches and pain that I am managing rather than curing. So, I'll be flexible. I'll run and walk, and try to stay steady as I can. I hope I don't wimp out in the rain and cold.

So, my last days in preparation will focus on rest and sleep and preparing my own fuel and fluids. Tim and I will head out Friday night and we'll be there to hear Fred say "Go" at about 9am Saturday. And we'll wrap things up at 9 am Sunday, make the 4-hour drive back home, and we'll call it another notch in our ultrarunning calendar. There is no fame or fortune or even recognition. But we runners know and we admire each other. And that's good enough! In fact, it's fabulous.

So, I'll work this week and try to rest and catch up on sleep so that I can run for 24 hours over the weekend. There. I like it. Sounds like a delightful plan. I'm satisfied already.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all out there. I know many of you that are running, but it would be fun to gather a make-shift entrant list here if you want.

#1 me
#2 Tim
...

Good luck and fun to all of us! See you Saturday.

13 comments:

TonyP said...

Get that crappy run out of your system before the race !

Best of luck at Longview !

Bret said...

Hi Lisa,
You can add me and my wife to the list for Pac Rim. Bret Henry and Gail Henry (used to be Phillips). I totally agree with your post. I have ran the course the last two years and thought I would hate doing 1 mile loops. But it is so much fun. To see everyone, to have aid every mile and to enjoy just running. But I have to give credit to my father and this race for getting me out of just Marathons and into Ultra running. 4 years ago at age 70 my father walked a 50k in this race with out telling me until he was done. He called and told me I was a wimp for only doing marathons. So his completion of this run motivated me to try an Ultra. Now some 25 ultra's later here I am back every year.

My goal this year is 100k, over that is gravy. I will see you there!

Lisa B said...

I know, Tony, but I'm just not going to have time. Oh well, what can you do?? I'm sure it'll not matter 50 miles into the run anyway.

Hello Bret and Gail! That is a wonderful inspirational story about your father. Kind of represents the whole "family" feel of this run. Looking forward to seeing you both this weekend.

Olga said...

David Stevenson is going to be there again, last year he challenged Tim:) I have no goals either, in fact, last time I "looped", was in NYC for a 50k, so I have no idea how I will do at all. If it pours, all bets are off:) I'd like to say I want to move the whole time, and if I do, the chance of making a good number is good. But I just don't know. So I'll go with it. I am glad I told you, and Bret, and Rob, and David, that I will be there, otherwise I might have wussed out:) I'll just do what I can. With life changing constantly and life goals adapting, so is my running. I don't do races anymore. Sometimes I am scared of this. But more often I realize that I had grown with my running into something different. It is not a competition anymore, and not even with myself. If it's straining my nervous system, then it's not worth it for me anymore. I wish others would understand it and stop saying "you'll be back". Support is important, but so is understanding. I love doing what I do, just as you love doing it, and so many others. I just love getting lost. Challenging myself, a little. Being different from many, yet same with those few who I love. Share it with you, and with a couple (dozen, hundred) more. We'll have fun. See you Saturday!

Lisa B said...

I can totally understand, Olga. I decided this year to "cut back" a bit on my racing and get back that running for the sake of just running feeling and enjoyment. I still have some races planned but I want to be much less focused on being competitive and more on just having fun. I think the "pressure" to perform (whether internal or external) is something that gets tough after awhile. So, yes, we'll have fun, and if we keep moving, we'll rack up the miles. If not (like a downpour), we'll have fun anyway!

Anonymous said...

Great post Lisa! You nailed how I feel about PacRim perfectly. Lets hope for good weather. See you on Saturday!

Joe Lee

Anonymous said...

Good luck Lisa and you enjoy it.

Backofpack said...

Puyallup entrants:
Steve Stoyles
Rob Hester
Michelle Barnes
Jenny Appel
Jamal Shotot
Maybe Linda Walter and Lesa Overfield, oh, and Abi Brownell
And crazy Eric coming after Chuckanut for another 50k. And bringing Jess Mullen and Linda Barton. Plus we have friends dropping in to run support loops - Margaret and Jessica. Fun!

I'm with Bret, goal is 100K and then maybe a bit more. I am worried about hours of rain, but will manage. I'm bringing my own food and water, and I have Eric lined up to make a Starbucks stop before he gets to us. I'm so looking forward to this run!

Backofpack said...

Typo on Shoto. No extra "t".

Anonymous said...

I am stoked for the race. No such thing as bad weather, just soft people. I'm sure my feet will get soaked and will be completely toasted by the end of the run. See ya in a few!

Anonymous said...

Lisa - your second paragraph reminds of a guy I once knew who was addicted to brake fluid. He always said it wasn't a problem since he could stop anytime.

Adding to the list of entrants from Ellensburg:
David Lygre (one of the godfathers of ultrarunning in the Northwest)
Willy Holmes (the toughest person I've ever met)
Ethan Bergman (playing his cards close this year - he may stop at 50k or he may crest 100 miles. Tough and talented).

FWIW: this will be my 6th or 7th time at Pac Rim. Yes, Ben, there is such a thing as bad weather. I've seen it in Longview. :)

Anonymous said...

Good Luck Lisa and Tim and all others in this run. If I lived just a bit further I'd join you there (and was reading to look for airfares till you qualified that "and clothes" comment)
Instead I will be doing a 8k/21k/42k this weekend ;-)
John

Laura H said...

Just saw this (I'm cutting back on my web browsing time - NOT!!) so have the luxury of hindsight...Congratulations to you ALL! I love this post and totally get where Olga is coming from too. I was up at Chuckie hanging out and helping, which was totally fun, But this looks like something I would love to do too - maybe next spring. Thanks for such a great description about it from your eyes. I'm looking forward to reading your report and how all the fun went.