SEFCU Foundation Labor Day 5k September 3, 2007 Race Report

Something Old, Something New….

This was my 4^th 5K since I started running them in early July. While there were plenty of new things to observe from my usual spot at the back of the pack, many of the sights and sounds are becoming familiar and almost comfortable.

Volunteers with SEFCU shirts and international orange flags waved me into what used to be the Washington Avenue lot, where I used to catch the shuttle bus to downtown and the Smith Building (http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=555536).

Everywhere I looked, sprites and elf-boys were warming up, nary a Clydesdale or SFT to be seen. Always amazes me that these people run before the race to warm up, then run the race, and then run after the race to cool down – my take on this is that they all either drink way too much coffee or are seriously addicted to endorphins, or both.

The high school track teams were there, too, from both Colonie and Averill Park – must be poorer school districts, because they all seemed to be wearing cotton t-shirts and nylon gym shorts - I didn’t see a single color-coordinated mid-riff baring lycra running outfit anywhere.

I picked up my race number – 305 – at the tent, and was impressed that the tear off tag had a computer printed label on it, complete with my name and vitals. No goody bag this time, though, so I couldn’t add to my growing collection of sawdust bars and chiropractic coupons.

They did give out t-shirts – but were out of XL by the time I got there at 8:40. I couldn’t figure this one out – I mean, there were like only 2 of us big enough to wear XL and the box was empty – but they still had scads of the XT (extra-tiny) sizes worn by sprites and elf-boys. Go figure. Maybe they were doubling up – you know, one sprite plus elf-boy inside one XL shirt? Since I plan to donate these shirts to a downtown food pantry which gives the shirts to those in need it didn’t really matter, so I got a plain “L”.

And, I always try to follow Coach Andrea’s very fluid advice – drink until 30 minutes before race time and then stop. Actually it’s more like drink until 30 minutes before the race and then “go”, which is to say there were lots of porta potties at this event – and the seemingly endless lines of people waiting to use them.

On Your Mark….
Having been to 4 of these now, I am beginning to understand lemmings. Responding to some unseen, unheard command, the mass of runners slowly amoeba’d over to the start line. I cut to the side of the road, walked along the grasss and worked my way to the back. Once I got there and scrutinized my fellow “back of packers” (BP'ers))– and tried to figure out if there was anyone I might be able to beat. Turns out I handicap these races about as well as I do the ones at Saratoga, which is to say not well.

At some point, the race director addressed us. At least I think he did – from where I was standing, and given my hearing, it was like listening to the speakers announcing the trains at Penn Station – I know some important information was given out, but I am clueless as to what it was. I knew he was done when the crowd started their version of the “wave” – applause that started at the front of the pack and gradually rippled its way back to me.. I have no clue what I was applauding for, but it seemed the polite thing to do. And then we were off.

Observations from the Back of the Pack
I love races with clearly delineated start lines, because I know exactly when to start the timer on my watch. This one had a very clear grey line - almost looked like duct tape (1000 and 2 uses!) – but probably wasn’t.

This time, the woman with the baby jogger passed me within the first 50 yards – in 2 minutes she was out of sight and I never saw her again.

Took the race-walker about a quarter of a mile before he disappeared from my view – too bad, because he was a nice guy and was very encouraging to all of us BP’ers.

The guy with the purple U Albany shirt tucked into his blue lycra bike shorts kept up his slow but steady jog and pulled away from me each time I stopped to walk – but at least I was color-coordinated!

By the time I had gone a quarter mile - down the dip and under the overpass and up the hill and around the corner to the flats – I pretty much knew who would be keeping me company, and who I would be trying to beat.

The 12 year old boy and girl were first – they were alternately sprinting furiously and then walking – I knew they were inexperienced and that they would quickly fade – and they did. Now – don’t go getting all sympathetic because they were only 12 – lots of kids that young or younger routinely kick my butt – see the results here: http://www.hmrrc.com/View/PDFs/Results/07sefcu.pdf Look for Patrick Hilt, aged 10, the son of friends of mine, who was running in his first race. Hint – Once you locate his time, to find me, keep scrolling down – way down!

The two teen-aged girls were next – they were wearing long pants, and faded in the first half mile.

And then it was down to the hard core BP’ers. (Back of the Packers)

Eline – 17 yrs old, an exchange student from the Netherlands, currently attending Columbia HS – this was her first race. We’d talk a bit when I‘d catch up to her – and then she would take off running. She kept looking around – just to see who might be gaining on her. More about her later.

Lorrie – petite, another run/walker who told me she didn’t run up hills anymore. She was 57, but her white hair fooled me into thinking she was older. We’d talk a little , too – and then she was gone. More about her later, too.

And for most of the race, 50 yards ahead – another Clydesdale. He was on the run/walk program, too. He was about my size – maybe taller, and looked about 15 years younger. He was with a young lady who looked about his age – maybe a girl friend. She appeared to be a bit faster than he was, but they were pretty much together.

A Word About the Course
Even though I had never run this route before, I knew the course – sort of. It looped past the Washington Avenue lot and then partially around the Harriman Campus, crossed over to the other lane and then circled back to the SEFCU headquarters. I’d driven the road plenty of times – the route was Step 3 in the “Teach Your Children to Drive” program, with Step 1 being the Washington Avenue Parking Lot, and Step 2 being the quiet back streets of our neighborhood. I’d brought both kids over to drive this loop on Sunday mornings when they were ready for a little more speed – 40 mph is terrifyingly fast when you’re just learning and the fastest you have gone so far is a blazing 20 mph.

But, you drive the loop counter-clockwise and we were running it clockwise – what a difference a "way” makes!

I talked about the first mile above. The second mile was pretty flat. The third mile, on the other hand, was not. Shortly after the 2 mile mark, like the South, it rises again. It’s gradual, not steep like the Guilderland Y, but it is steady for maybe a half mile. By someplace in the middle of it, me and Eline and Lorrie and the other guy and his friend were pretty bunched up and doing a lot of walking.

Back to the Race
And then I got perverse. I figured that with all that hill training with Dorie and Donna and Maria, I’d give it a go – and I did. It wasn’t the world’s fastest run, but I caught Eline and Lorrie, and finally, the other big guy. I stayed ahead of them down the dip and under the overpass and up the hill to the final approach. Up ahead, on the right, were a bunch of people cheering and taking my picture – oh, wait – they weren’t cheering for me, or taking my picture – they were cheering for Eline! She crested the hill and put on a burst of speed and flew by me – and there was no way I could keep up with her, even downhill. She beat me by over a minute – and picked up all that time on me over the last quarter mile.

To add insult to injury, Lorrie, Ms “I Don’t Run Up Hills Anymore” apparently had no such qualms about downhills – and she pulled ahead of me and beat me to the finish line, too.

But – I was the faster of the two BP’er Clydesdales – not by much, but by enough.

39:46 by my watch, 487 out of 528 finishers – not a PB, but not a PW (is there such a term?) either. True confession: I had neither the legs, the lungs, nor the guts to stay with or catch Eline and Lorrie. They outsmarted me and outran me - good for them, not so good for me.

And for Your Post Race Dining Pleasure
Bottles of water, oranges, and bagels – bagel pieces, actually. I guess the sprites and elf boys can’t eat a whole bagel, so they broke them into small pieces, you know, like the loaves and the fishes. I know you are supposed to carb up after a race – that the optimum time post- exercise for glycogen replacement is 1 hr. after the end of the race. It’s just that my carb of choice would probably be manufactured by Mr. Adams (Sam Adams, that is) not Mr. Breugger. So I skipped both the snacks and the award ceremony and went to see Duncan (Mr. Donut to you), where I had both the loaf and the fish ( a complete bagel with salmon cream cheese) and washed it down with a cup of coffee – with cream. Which is why I am neither a sprite, nor an elf boy!

Next Race: Saturday, September 8, the Brenda Deer Memorial Run at the Guilderland YMCA. http://www.cdymca.org/branches/guilderland/Brenda/index.htm

Arriba La Loma Inclinada

Running Is as Easy as 1-2-3
I've been reading up on this running stuff and I guess I just didn't know it was so easy to get better. Apparently all I have to do is practice 3 simple techniques:

1. Long Slow Distance
Also called LSD, which really appeals to the latent hippy in me. Basically just jogging really really slowly for longer and longer distances. How slow? Slow enough so I can talk to my running partner. Assuming he or she hasn't been lulled or bored to sleep by the incredibly slow pace I set. How far - aim for a 10% increase in distance on one day a week. Slow pace and talking - can you see why this is my favorite technique?

2. Intervals
Let's see - walk or jog until you are warmed up. Then run as fast as you can for some time or distance. This cause your legs to both burn and feel like concrete, and your lungs to both burn and collapse - Breathing at the end of one of these little sprints is kind of like trying to suck air though a ping pong ball caught in the back of your throat. Walk or jog until you can almost breathe, and then do it again - multiple times. The trick is to sprint farther or longer, to rest less and to do more sprints. This is supposed to increase your VO2 max or some such thing and make you a better runner. Let's see - running fast and no talking - can you guess how I feel about intervals? Also supposed to be done once a week.

3. Hills
Find something steep - run up it. They're kidding, right? Nope - this is supposed to increase both your leg strength and your cardio-vascular fitness. There are supposedly four stages to mastering this - First - you walk up the hill. Second, you jog, but very slowly up the hill. Third, you run, but at a pace slower than your normal "running-on-the flat" pace. Fourth you run up the hill at the same pace as - or at a slightly quicker pace than - your normal running pace. Oh and as you do this more often, you are supposed to pick steeper hills, go faster and then find more hills so you can do it again - in the same workout! Who invents this stuff - the Marquis De Sade?

Arriba La Loma Inclinada - or - What I Did on My Day Off
I have signed up for the Brenda Deer Memorial Road Race http://www.cdymca.org/branches/guilderland/Brenda/index.htm , a benefit in her name for children touched by a life threatening illness. which will be run on September 8th on the course at the Guilderland YMCA.. Those of you familiar with the Pinebush (PB) Triathlon know this as the run part after the bike part at the end of the tri. You know, the "3.25 mile so it's longer than a 5K and it finishes up that god awful .3 mile-long hill which gets steeper as you go up it and even then you ain't done cause you have to run around the corner and sprint to the back of the parking lot where the actual finish line is" course. Yeah - that one.

You know what Coach Andrea says - " Be the hill" wait - scratch that - that was a Zen Master in some dumb movie I watched way too late at night. "To lose your fear of the hill - run the hill" So that's what I did today, with the help of my friend and running partner, Maria.

First, walk to warm up - across the street from the Y, onto Mercy Care Lane, which we know as the T2 chute during the PB, and over to Western Ave and then back again. Watching the health care workers from the nursing home out on break - (did you know there was a nursing home located in that stretch? Not me - only time I have been in there was coming in off the bike route on the PB, and the only thing I'm looking at is the bike racks) - and they are smoking. Maria wonders how health care workers could smoke - I do, too, but I used to smoke and I understand the addiction. Stretch when we are back to the start line - back, hammies. Then off at an easy jog.

Down the hill on Winding Brook Drive, through the middle of the apartment complex, over to the chain that blocks the traffic on Nott Road from getting into the apartment complex, turn around there and head back, finishing at the top of the hill, 1 mile in all. Jogged the whole thing without stopping - yep, a stage 2 approach to the hill. Caught my breath.

Aside: What I Learned from Little Slick Nick
Two weeks ago I ran this course with Nick, who was my son's best friend growing up. He's 23 and he and his long-time girl friend just went in different directions. Let's just say that she started the trip before he knew there even going to be a trip. Anyway, to his credit, he quit his job and moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where he got an apartment with a friend, got another job and starting getting on with his life. And running - you know, for the health benefits, including attracting young lovelies. Anyway, he was back in town for a wedding a couple of weeks ago and graciously agreed to go running with me early on the morning of the wedding. He's a 9-minute miler now, and most of that beer gut is gone, so I guess there is hope for me if I keep this up - although he is 35 years younger than me.

This is what he taught me: When you run up a hill, the tendency is to lean forward. This compresses your diaphragm and makes it harder to breathe. The solution is to stand up straighter when you run up hills, which opens up the chest and diaphragm and makes it easier to breathe. "Easier" being a relative word in this case. Bad thing about this technique? It also lets you know how really steep the hill is and how far, far away the fire hydrant that marks the top of the hill is, because you know you've been plodding along with your head down and your eyes closed and you've been lying to yourself about how much of the blasted hill you had left!

Back to the Training with Maria
After the first loop, we walk up the T2 chute again, half way to Western Ave this time, come back and stretch again. Then we go run the entire course, which Maria has never seen before.

We go down the hill and past the apartments and onto Nott Road road, jogging easily and talking. We run along the flats and then we get to the left turn up iCampus club Drive into the neighborhood. As we make the turn , I tell Maria, "There's the first 'la loma inclinada'" - Maria is from Ecuador and one of the things I like about running with her is that I get to dust off my Spanish and to learn some new words, too. La loma inclinada is "steep hill" and arriba la loma inclinada is "go up the steep hill" (You were wondering when I would get around to explaining that, right?)

But Maria, just to bust me, says "Donde esta la loma? ( pretty much, 'What hill, you wimp' - well, she left the wimp part out but she may very well have been thinking it! Actually, probably not, since she is so nice) And you know what - that hill is not nearly so steep as it was when I started all this last year, or even as steep as it was in May, when Coach Andrea got us all going again.

So, up the hill and left onto Hiawatha Drive, which marks the half way point, around the loop and back onto Campus Club, down the hill, right onto Nott Road and along the flats again, heading for the finish. Walking more on the way in, but stage 2 jogging without stopping up The Hill one more time, and around the corner and into the parking lot and the true finish line this time. And we are done with las lomas inclinadas and done with our workout.

So Brenda Deer Memorial Road Race course, this is what I say to you, "Arriba la loma inclinada!" (Easy to talk big when it's still 8 days away, isn't it?)

Here We Go!

At the age of 45 - 13 and a half years ago - I weighed 300 pounds and was a certified couch potato. At 5'11", my BMI was almost as high as my age. Then I discovered cross country skiing.

My first attempt, on a local golf course, was a little frustrating, more than a little humiliating - and, in the end, liberating. But that's a story for another time. It lead to 11 wonderful years of skiing, mostly at Lapland Lake, which may be as close to heaven as I ever get (http://laplandlake.com/).

I began to lose weight and started to feel better and at the end of the season, looked for something I could continue to do. After a brief flirtation with the idea of roller skis, I decided on biking. That led me to Plaine's ( http://plaines.com/index.cfm ) a Giant brand "Acapulco" mountain bike with fat tires, and the discovery of the by-products of regular vigorous exercise, good and bad, including stronger muscles, better endurance - and a sore butt. More importantly, it led me to Duane, my wonderful 73 yr old neighbor: diminutive, fit, talented, bright and one of the nicest people I have ever met. He had been riding solo all over the Capitol District ( http://www.albanyny.org/home.aspx) for many years, and he became my guide, companion and friend.

We rode regularly for 4 years, and I saw places I never imagined were in the Capitol District - did you know there is a buffalo farm just off Rt 9 south of Albany? ( http://www.gemfarmsbuffalo.com/ ) - and I got fit enough to ride a "Century" ( http://webmhcc.org/rn/index.php ) - 100 miles in under 12 hours.

My journey has included 7 years of Step Aerobics ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_aerobics ), climbing all the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks ( http://www.adk46r.org/ ), sprint triathlons - forget Hawaii and the Kona - that's an Ironman Tri, the epitome of the sport and way, way beyond me - sprints are much more manageable ( http://www.ehow.com/how_3507_measure-triathlon.html ), and most recently, running 5K's. To be honest, I have been participating in 5K's, running is an overstatement at this time - and more or less using the Couch to 5K plan of jog/walk ( http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml ) so I can eventually run the entire distance.

Along the way, I have learned two things about exercise: 1.) It has to be something I like; 2.) I have to be doing it with people I like. Although I am thinner and a lot more fit than when I started all this, I am still overweight and very, very slow. I am never going to win any medals or awards - age group or not - so I look for something other than glory in all this, and believe me, as slow a I am, I have a lot of time to look!

So, I am a Social Athlete - thanks to my friend and training partner Dorie for coining the term. I like the activities and the events, and I like (mostly) the training and the challenges. I like setting tough goals - seems I'm not happy if I don't have a "Project". But what I really like is meeting and interacting with all the people along the way - that's the best part. Running became a whole lot more fun when I got fit enough to be able to talk with my friends while I was jogging - this makes Long Slow Distance workouts my favorites.

Which brings me around to this blog. One of the requirements of becoming a 46er is that you write regularly to an assigned "correspondent" about your hikes and experiences. The idea is to get you to pay attention and focus on your experiences while you are hiking and to avoid rushing through just to "bag" the peaks. In the course of doing this, I discovered the joys of writing again. As an English major in college, I kept journals at various times, and I enjoyed the experience, but had gotten away from it. The 46ers got me back into it, and I have continued to write about my experiences with triathlons and 5K's.

Because I am very, very slow, I have lots of time while I am out on the course to observe and remember things. Because I will talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time about anything, I get to meet a lot of nice and interesting people - a surprising number of them talk to me about all kinds of things. I have a pretty good memory, and after a while, all these things get distilled and filtered by time and I write them down.

Until now, I have shared my pieces, mostly with my training partners and companions, but also with my family and friends, through emails. From the feedback I get, I know that I've been able to bring a smile or laugh to people, and every now and the descriptions of my experiences spark memories or reactions in them, too.

But many people these days are in email jail - and don't have the time to read an entire email, especially a detailed one, even if they would like to. So - I am going to continue to write about my experiences and to share them with my friends, family and partners - but I will do it here. I will send a simple email notification after I post - and they can choose to come over and read about what I've been up to when they have the time and inclination. Maybe they will even stop by if they are curious, and maybe they will post a comment or two while they are here.

I hope you are one of them. r.