Race to the Top of Vermont - 3rd woman!

Steve and I talked to Catamount Trail volunteers at the Vermont City Marathon and Mt Washington promoting the Race to the Top of Vermont and realized that there would be some good runners showing up after having presence at those venues where they would see the tough competitors in Vermont. Plans were up in the air so I registered late on Friday. We stayed with the Barbour Family in Hinesburg the night before and had a great time catching up with Terry, Tange & the kids. Scrambling in the morning to get registered at the lodge, purchasing a pass for Schuyler and Steve to drive to the top - - I didn't realize they were using chips --- and well, mine went to the top when the race director was reminding everyone about wearing a chip (OH WELL). Just a little embarassed, I approached the race director at the mike and let him know --- he was so helpful and told me that I would need to let them know at the top that I have no chip.

I stretched and checked out the crowd, interesting mix of mountain bikers and mountain runners. A real dedicated group of runners and bikers to attempt the climb -- a proud moment on the line. All uphill with a few little breaks, but nothing level or downhill on this run! :)

The bikers line up on the start .... and hear that a van is headed down the road, so we need to pause.... this van comes flying down the road turning left to quickly get out of the way. Pretty crazy! The owner of FJG - the lead sponsor was riding and that was pretty cool as well.... great to see such active healthy people showing their drive that day. The weather was perfect at the bottom. It is a foggy, cool and cloudy cover at the top, so glad I packed my jacket to get to the top.

After the bikers went up the hill we had 10 minutes to mill around and get in position. I like to be near the front and count how many women ahead of me as I get started. Gives me some added motivation! :) The gun goes off and we head up... I hit the start button on my watch and nothing happened, somehow the setting was off and I had to fumble with my watch for more than a minute with my head down as I was running (DRAG) -- but got it going. Thinking it may matter as I did not have a chip and wanted to be sure to get a time! Oh well --- I headed up and passed a few women and really didn't know where I stood. I ran near Donna for a while, she is such a vision of strength, to watch her was amazing -- her arm muscles flex as she swings and keeps going up... I was psyched to try to stay in step --- but eventually lost site of her right near the top as I found out I was in third.... when I found out it was Donna Smyers I was chasing I was even more proud of myself than before.



MY RESULTS:
39th overall - Nancy Cook Belchertown MA
Number 385
Time: 47:47.8
Behind the number one finisher: 12:17.2



Lesson #1 - Always read everything in the packet about the race even if you have run a race before, you never know what you may miss, and having a chip is pretty important! I had to remember to let them know at the top that I didn't have a chip (and felt pretty foolish!) :)

Lesson #2 - Watch, timing -- test your watch before hand. Mine messed up and at the start I was fumbling with my watch to get it started (especially knowing my chip was missing, this WAS important) -- and finally did, but missed watching my competition head up the hill. UGH. I passed a few woman and only hoped that I was near the top. When Donna passed me I knew I didn't have the master's spot, and then was THRILLED to be third place female!


Top runners I was competing against -- I researched and found this great piece on Kasi -- she was really fast here and now I know why. When I found out that it was Donna -- I was proud of myself for coming that close to this legend athlete in the East.

Kasi Enman - qualified for the Olympic Trials last year.

Donna Smyers - won the Martha's Vineyard Ironman I competed in (early nineties)and she also holds the record for the Lake Placid Ironman. She was 21st woman and 1st place age adjusted masters at the 08 Mt. Washington Road Race (national champtionship)... And was in the 2007 list of All Americans - the best amateur athletes in the country!

Families Fighting Cancer

Launching my fundraiser today inviting local families to have their portraits taken in support of the American Cancer Society. Pretty excited - - hopefully I will get those 8 slots filled soon!

Training Peaks - Hal Higdon Notes of interest - 71 days to MCM!

Signing up for the Marine Corps marathon through the ACS DetermiNation program gives the additional advantage of a membership to this online training program called "Training Peaks". You fill out the info and input the level of runner, etc.. then they calculate and give you a training program. Because I am on many other online networks I have not utilized this program fully, but have followed the Hal Higdon model through the past 3 years so I am familiar with the routine.

The thing I like best about the program is the emails - they come daily, but summarize what distance, how to run it, why and some extra notes from Hal. Very cool indeed.

This post is my collection of some recent notes from Hal that have fueled me in my training for the MCM. Enjoy the words -- great information here to learn more about what works and why.

August 7
One means of attaining maximum performance is to achieve optimum body weight and an optimum percentage of body fat. You can do that just as easily with long, steady distance. It will take you somewhat longer than if you ran those miles fast, but you are less likely to become injured.

The secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat.

Exercise physiologists say that when you run slowly, your body has time to metabolize fat as a source of energy. When you run fast your body burns glycogen, a derivative of carbohydrate, as its preferred energy source. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and is a more efficient fuel in the sense that the body can metabolize it more rapidly than fat. But by training slowly, you teach your muscles to become more efficient at also metabolizing fat, thus sparing glycogen stores for those last few miles in the marathon.
Just because you run slow doesn't mean you're not getting the most out of your training.

August 9:
Speedwork is a scary word to a lot of marathoners, who reason that there is nothing speedy about the pace at which they run 26-mile races. If that is so, why do speedwork, with its ultimate threat of injury? First-time marathoners need give little attention to speedwork: Their main goal is to gradually (but gently) increase their mileage so that they can finish a 26-mile race. Improving marathoners probably should also focus their attention on determining what level of high-mileage training works best for them. But after you have been running for several years and you begin to shave seconds instead of minutes off your PRs, or if you start to slip backward, it is time to turn to speedwork.
Also, if you're an experienced runner, sometimes you need to take a risk to improve.

August 10
One of the best ways I know and, in fact, the only good way to improve form is by running fast in practice. If you can learn to run more economically, you will perform better at all distances and levels. I am not sure why speed training improves your running form. Maybe you recruit different muscles. Maybe you force yourself to move more smoothly. Maybe by learning how to run at speeds faster than race pace, you are more relaxed when you do run that pace in a marathon. Maybe it is all of these reasons.
Whatever the reason, running fast works.

August 12
Speed is of limited importance during long runs; more important is time spent on your feet. One long run strategy for runners following time-based programs is to set as goal for the longest run approximately the length of time they plan to run in the marathon itself, not worrying about the distance or the speed at which they cover the distance. That is handy if you plan to run on unmeasured courses, particularly ones that would take you off roads and into the woods.
And I encourage you to do so.

August 12
One of the skills that separates the good runners from the almost-good runners is an ability to focus their attention for the entire period of the race, whether it is a mile or a marathon. Dissociating is a good strategy for beginning marathoners, but not for people who want to run fast. When your mind wanders during a marathon, inevitably you slow down. If you stay focused, you learn how to concentrate all body systems to sustain a steady pace, conserve your energy and maintain your running form.
It takes total concentration to run fast on a track; once you master this skill, you can transfer it to your road runs.

August 14:
Knowing when to back off and take a complete day off, or even more, is one of the secrets of marathon success. It is not easy, since the traditional work ethic that has proved successful for many people suggests that more is better. The training diary we all keep would be more of a hindrance than a help if it pushed us to run extra miles just to achieve mileage levels we may have planned months ago without considering whether I have a cold, or failed to get enough sleep the night before, or am overly fatigued because of having spent most of the previous day on an airplane. When in doubt, listen to your body.

Saturday, August 15
Speedwork usually involves bursts of fast running (at race pace) followed by periods of slower running, or rest. That is essential, because most runners probably can achieve race pace for long distances only when well motivated and rested, in other words, during the race itself. To achieve race pace in practice, they need to cut their race distance into segments, and rest between those segments. If you were a competitor at 5000 meters, you could run 12 x 400 meters in a workout, resting short periods after each 400, and simulate some of the stress of your race as well as practicing race pace.
A marathon runner probably would not do 26 x 1 mile in a single workout, but the principle is the same.

All the above information and coaching is from Hal Higdon - Here are some links to information from Hal online.

Hal Higdon.com - Author of 34 books here is a link to his main site.

Hal Higdon's Training Guide - A series of training programs that guarantee marathon success. This is the training that I have been following since my success in Chicago in 2006.

Training Peaks - where Hal is featured and here there is a link to his training forum as well for addition Q&A and information galore! :)

(Photo: Chicago Marathon - 2008)

Nancy's collection of training tips

As I look at my many years of racing road races, triathlons, marathons, ironmans, mountain bike racing, road bike racing and most currently mountain running -- I thought it was time to compile a post of my tips from this blog and continue to add on to it for the benefit of other aspiring athletes.

My background is in physical education / exercise technology. I have spent many years coaching skiing, basketball, field hockey and lacrosse. In the early nineties at Killington I studied and became certified as an ACE personal trainer and worked with clients at a chiropractic office in Mendon, VT. A 3 year varsity girls basketball coach at Woodstock Union HS and now at Mount Snow coaching skiing in the Development Program, coaching young woman and inspiring them to be the best they can be and sharing my true love of sport really fuels me as an athlete. I hope that some of these tips resonate with you and you can find a morsel that gets you to that next goal, your next PR or finish line you strive for in the future.

Here is a link to my resume (last update 2008) -- I started racing back in college (1984) when my friend Glen who I rode bikes with asked me to swim a leg in this triathlon at Green Mountain College. The runner didn't show up and biking was my favorite of the 3 sports, so I competed solo the next year and was first female. I love to win - place high and compete against myself and others. I strive for a PR, personal best on a course and just hope for the best each run, ride or triathlon.

Below is a list of quick links to my favorite running tips on Mountain of Dreams

So you want to run a faster marathon?

Learnings from the Big Lake 1/2 marathon


Sport Specific Training and Staying Injury Free

The Do's and Don'ts of Winter Running

Visualization and running performance

Running Tips from Nancy

And finally a link to my favorite running quote collection where you can always find a little inspiration.

This one is my all time favorite:

“An athlete who tells you the training is always easy and always fun simply hasn't been there. Goals can be elusive which makes the difficult journey all the more rewarding.” -Alberto Salazar

Eddie Izzard - the comic runs a marathon a day in Europe - truly funny

I do think that "toasters and showers" was the best --- but the pic of the giraffe with the leaves was also so very funny. This guy is great -- Margie Cain mentioned following him on Twitter so I signed up! @eddieizzard very fun. Enjoy the weather forcast and check back for more - or follow him too!