2010 Umstead 100 miler: Lap 2

With Blake along the course.

Blake is an amazing race director who puts on a GREAT race. He also is a super nice person who believes in all of the runners and does everything he can to help everyone succeed.

I always look forward to my yearly visit to Umstead because of Blake, his wife Myra, the wonderful volunteers, really nice runners, awesome crew (of others...mine not always so much) and the infectious atmosphere of energy and enthusiasm.



This sign has been put up since I started doing Umstead 100 four years ago.

Each time I read this sign, I wonder what kinds of people have hills as their friends. In my world hills are my enemies and arch nemesis.

Although I do spend alot of time on hills training for Umstead 100 and even more time training for Vermont 100 (where the sign should read: "Mountains are my friend")

I think the general consensus is that this sign is a bit of false advertising but it does facilitate conversations:-)



I have known my friend Emmy for many years. We first met at the 24 hour race around the Lake in Massachusetts many years ago.

Subsequently we have run VT100, Umstead 100, JFK50 miler and the 24 hour race around the lake together.

Emmy is really nice and is super fast. This year her Umstead 100 time was well below 24 hours...GO EMMY!!!

Here I am with my friends Luanne and Monica.

Luanne has walked several 50 milers including Umstead, Rocky Raccoon but also really supports runners. Luanne is really sweet and very encouraging to all. She bakes the best cookies which she brings to many ultra events.

Her husband Bill has run numerous 100 milers including: Umstead, Vermont, Western States, and so many others...he is really fast and really nice.

I have known Monica for many years. We have run many marathons and a few ultra's together. Monica typically is quite a bit faster than me and is quite an accomplished runner. She is super enthusiastic and lots of fun.

Approaching the main aid station, I take a moment to document my progress. I was very happy to be finishing 25 miles and to be 1/4th of the way through the race.

Of course I was looking forward to lots of eating and drinking as well as lots of cheering, enthuisiasm and energy from the aid station because there were lots of volunteers, crew and others ready to cheer on each runner as they climbed up the hill.

I do really enjoy this race and am thrilled that I can participate in something I enjoy so much with so many great friends!


LAP 2

Heading out of the aid station I was surprised and delighted to see my friend Steve. Steve and I have run a few events together and in fact he was my ride to the Self Transcendence Marathon, a marathon that occurs within about 4 miles of my dad’s house in August. Steve and I also survived the Epic conditions at the VT50 this past September when it rained the entire time on the course. If I am not mistaken he was second to last overall and I was last place. Thus in my opinion we both were in the right place. My friend Ed also caught up to me while I was at the aid station and was just a little ahead of us.

Steve and I chatted briefly about what a nice day it was. It was completely different than the epic VT50 in Sept 2009 in which it rained the entire time and the course was so muddy you would take one step forward and 3 steps back. And on that course you had to be super cautious because there were several places in which if you were to take one step to the right or left you would fall 20, 30 or 40 feet into a gulley. I ended up finishing that race with bruises on my chest because I was using tree’s to stop my falls.

After a little bit I realized Steve and my pace were slightly different (and I had to go to the bathroom and ~2 miles to get to the nearest one), so I picked up the pace a little. In fact many times I hurriedly sped off from runners it was because I was running towards a latrine. This year the race was really nice because there were porta potties or bathrooms about every 3-4 miles. This meant throughout the day I was more likely to be able to make it from one to the next without too much difficulty. Overnight I cannot say the same is true, but at night if you turn of your light and no one see’s you, did you really pee?

I was moving pretty quickly, accomplishing my goal pace of about 12 minute miles. This meant the miles just floated by. I was always surprised when I would see mile 1 approaching the airport turn around, mile 2 heading to the jeep road turn off, mile 3 just before the aid station at the T intersection, mile 4 heading down the hill near the lake, mile 5 on the long but very gradual incline by the meadow and 6 in the zig zags approaching the second aid station.

While running along in this section, I caught up to Jerry, Maria, Tom who were all moving along with purpose. I knew Jerry from last year’s Umstead so we chatted and caught up. Also Jerry mentioned a bunch of races in the New Orleans area where he is from. I suggested a 50 km in New Orleans would be really cool since the Mardi Gras marathon is now too big and impersonal for me. He suggested they are thinking of having a race from Baton Rouge to New Orleans which might be something to consider. Unfortunately it sounds like it will conflict with JFK50, but perhaps one year.

Blake was standing along the course taking pictures. He had passed on his bike right before I joined up with Jerry, Tom and others, so it was not unexpected that he was taking pictures. It was nice to catch up with him briefly and to say how much I was enjoying the race and the weather! It was such a gorgeous day and was only getting better.

Continuing on, I was excited to see the “caution bicycles congestion ahead” sign. This meant the aid station was just around the bend and down the hill. I was very excited to arrive there and to announce: “Runner 179”, then to get down to the business of eating and drinking.

Everyone in the aid stations are so nice and helpful. They immediately grabbed my waterbottle and refilled it and asked what I wanted. Since I had no idea I went to get a beverage (Gatorade) while I thought about it. Then wandered over to the food table and sample a bit. Then I refilled my cup of Gatorade and ate more. I remember eating my typical ultra fare of: banana’s M&M’s, pretzels, cheese, chex mix (yummy!) and some other treats. I was feeling really good. I refilled my cup with more Gatorade, grabbed a big handful of pretzels and was on my way.

Walking out of the aid station I was delighted to see my friend Ed just ahead of me. Again we ran/walked together. He was looking good but was feeling fatigued. I asked if he was eating and drinking plenty and he suggested he was. We chatted about stuff this time entirely about running. At some point I got behind him. I had been texting and call friends from the beginning of lap 2 and at this point it got out of hand. I could not go a few feet without a text or a call. It was pretty cool! I decided to return a call to one of my texting friends Jamie. Jamie is Ed’s coach so once I caught up to Ed she was able to offer him some words of encouragement.

Because I am the youngest in my family, I had very small legs when I was a kid. My entire family being older than me, had long legs. But they did not care about this difference. When we hiked we had to keep up with our parents. I am still not convinced my parents would not have abandoned us. This means I can hike very quickly and I can hike up hills super fast. Alas this means during the sawtooths I do end up losing folks. This time I lost Ed.

As I was jogging along, I realized the sun was very bright. Luckily after the first lap I had put on sunglasses. But I had forgotten to put on a hat. In fact I did not think it was necessary. I was wrong. Because I was feeling a bit toasty I decided to see if Tristan could drop off a hat I had inadvertently not put in either drop bag (well it wasn’t inadvertent I decided if it was cold, it was not necessary to have a hat—not sure where this idea came from but it is my list of bizarre rules). Tristan texted me back that he could drop off my hat if I could describe where it was and what it looked like. My description was: it has flowers on it and it is in my backpack. I got a clarifying text about the hat being white and confirmed this, but suggested mostly it was flowered. I was pretty sure we were talking about the same hat but was not 100 percent positive.

The sawtooths are very hilly with many different types of hills. Some are short and steep, others long and gradual and some are long and steep (like my least favorite hill I call stumpy’s hill after my husband’s cat which I despised). This section is tough on fresh legs but as the miles go by it gets harder. I still conjecture that each lap the race personnel call in some work crews to throw on some extra dirt just to spite the runners! I’m not sure what we did to deserve this, but I am sure it is true.

Running along I end up being between runners. Actually for a good portion of this race I am between runners. Sometimes I can see runners well ahead of me and I am aware of runners well behind me, but for the most part I am all alone. This is okay because I just think about all the time I spent training and preparing for the race.

I have so many wonderful memories of races I have run over the past several years: Imelda at Marine Corps Marathon, Dave at Delaware then Harrisburg, Joleen at Las Vegas, Jennifer and Cheryl at New Orleans then Phoenix, my friend John and Jenn who every year drive me to the National Marathon (or half depending on when Umstead is) and of course my friends who have run so many marathons with me either they or I are stalkers: Amanda, Jean, Laurie, Tammy, Then of course there are my ultra-running friends: Jamie, who has been so supportive of me in running but also has fed and hiked with Tristan and I, Julie from Rocky Raccoon last year, my friend Mary who ran her first 100 last year at VT and is signed up again this year (and of course Tammy who we have now coerced into it). Of course I have so many work friends who have been incredible supportive: Germaine who I used to hike with back in my FDA-CVM days, my mentor and running buddy (I believe I am the mentor in this relationship): Flo, my friend Angela who guided me through my first marathon, my frequent traveling companion and co-worker: Ann who has accompanied me to VT Ctiy Marathon and New Orleans and may be signed up for the 2010 VT City Half, my supervisor Dale who allows me to take many long weekend so I can get training runs in warmer places who even shared her daughter a UNC grad student: Jill so that Tristan could go climbing while I was busily running on Saturday and so many others.

On the out and back I cheered on other runners and they cheered me. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this race! It is so pretty, has great volunteers, is so energizing and just great fun! The other runners were so enthusiastic and so much fun to see. I was happy to see my friend Emmy and Frank during this section. And of course I got a picture and a hug from both. They looked super strong and were both running a very solid race.

Jogging along I was able to appreciate what a great day we were blessed with. It was sunny, warm with a picture perfect blue sky. Unfortunately this sort of caused me a small issue. I had a pair of sunglasses on, but was feeling the sun on my face, arms and legs. For some reason when it is not hot, I refuse to accept the sun is still bright and powerful. So I applied a bit of sunscreen I did not go overboard and slather it all over. At this point I was starting to get comments my slight pinkness. Since my husband was not around, no one called me “Lobster face” but I could tell that was the implication. Because of my inability to associate a cooler day with the sun I had not packed a hat in both my bags. I had a hat but could not remember which aid station bag it was in. Luckily Tristan had agreed to bring me my flowery visor and texted me that he had dropped it off at the main headquarters.

As I turned onto the Jeep Road I wondered if I would run into Tristan. It was a bit before noon and I knew Tristan had an appointment with my supervisor’s daughter at noon to do some rock climbing so I thought he might have to leave quickly. As I approached the road leading to the aid station, I was delighted to see Tristan. He gave me a big hug and asked how I was doing. I was happy to report that I was having a great race and was feeling super strong. I was on target for my sub 26:40 finish goal and was thrilled about seeing so many great friends.

Heading to the main aid station, I had a brief potty break a few hundred meters before the aid station. It is hard to decide if you should go before or after the aid station/timing table. If you do it before your previous lap time is a little longer or after, the next lap time is longer. I tried to be consistent and always use the potty heading in as I have done in other years. After a brief break it was time to continue on.

Once I arrived at the aid station I completely forgot about the flowery hat/visor Tristan had dropped off (for some reason in my mind he dropped it off at the second aid station. Once I decide something, it is hard for me to accept something else. So I skip going inside the lodge and simply focus on eating and drinking at the aid station.

I give a big hug to Sally, the captain of the aid station and take a picture. Someone takes my water bottle and refills it while I grab some Gatorade. I then start eating. Pretzels, banana’s, M&M’s, cheese, are all food that seems to work for me. I munch a bit then at some point grab a handful of food a cup of Gatorade and hit the trails.

Umstead 100 mile 2010: Lap 1

Gilligan likes to participate in races...the only problem is that he believes 100 m races really means 100 meters with a car trip to get from point to point.

Here you see Gilligan at about mile 2, after I had gone to the airport spur turnaround.

In fact intially Gilligan was not willing to walk all the way to the airport spur T-intersection, it was only with me begging him to make it there that he grudgingly decided to step it up a notch.

Okay, I didn't have to beg, he was so excited about all the people and potential folks to pet him, he did scamper along for a bit.
At the second aid station, Gilligan beat me.

In my defense I ran the ~7 miles while Gilligan hopped a ride with Tristan.

Gilligan was happy to hang out near either of the aid stations because alot of runners (including myself) will discard food when we realize things are not going down the hatch. Or alternatively if we end up realizing we are full enough.

Gilligan scored a partially eaten egg that I ended up spitting out. He and I are really close:-)

Or else he is a dog and has absolutely no standards for his food.

Gilligan loves being pet by anyone.

Here Gilligan is getting some loving from my friend Ed.

I have run a bunch of races with Ed including Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in 2009 as well as the Self Transcendence marathon in NY in August.

Ed is very pet friendly and in fact has a Ragdoll cat (which Gilligan has 3 ragdoll cat siblings: Zaboo, Sagwa and Powderpuff). In fact, Gilligan may think he is a ragdoll cat as he was raised by our oldest ragdoll Zaboo. I am not sure Zaboo did a high quality job of raising Gilligan as Gilligan is quite lazy and can become beligerant when he doesn't want to go forward.
Here I am with my friends Loiuse, Jerry and some other runners in the Sawtooths along the back half of the course.

I have run several events with these runners including Umstead 100 miler with Jerry last year.

Jerry (yellow shirt) is from New Orleans, has run that marathon numerous times as well as many other 50 and 100 milers.

You can see from this picture that it is still a bit chilly, the weather was perfect for the race with just enough chill in the air to make running very pleasant (although that meant wearing a hat and gloves).
As I approached the start/finish line, I asked a very nice person to take my picture.

Sadly this was about the 3rd picture take (lots of fingers and the camera strap was in the others), but alas it gave me a moment to think about what I wanted from the aid station and what I needed to do.

It was starting to get sunny and warmer so I did end up going into the lodge to take off a shirt and put on my sunglasses.

Of course while I did this, some nice volunteers refilled my waterbottles and made sure I was ready for the next lap.

LAP 1
The first lap started in the dark. I tried to ensure I was in the proper group of runners so I could achieve my goal of 26:40. I wanted to be with runners who would jog at a moderate pace but walk the hills. I saw many friends (or should I say heard), while heading out along the jeep road. Nearing the T-intersection I heard a big dog barking and knew it was Gilligan.

Gilligan did not get to the intersection with Tristan because apparently Gilligan refused to go further. But when I stumbled on them in the middle of a Garmin crisis (my watch somehow was not charged), Gilligan was showing me up by running super fast. After alerting Tristan to this issue and asking he get my other Garmin out I continued running. Just getting onto the airport spur the top runners were heading back. They were moving.

Pretty soon I made it to the airport spur and headed back. I was excited to see Gilligan and Tristan. They are good cheerleaders (well they are when they make it places). After grabbing my back up Garmin (that has a 10-12 hour battery) a quick photo, and a hug it was time to move on.

Running along the day was a bit chilly, but I was bundled up with a bunch of layers (both shirts and pants), gloves and a headband. And by moving I was warm enough. Slowly it started to get lighter out and the mile marker signs seemed to be popping up very frequently.

The unmanned aid station soon was off on the left. I grabbed cup of Gatorade and drank, I refilled drank some more then placed my empty cup in between the coolers for later. In fact throughout the race I would do this because this aid station you see 16 times during the race. I feel bad about wasting so as best I could I tried to be green. I would say most of my cups got at least 3 or 4 uses before they disappeared (well at least I assume it was my cup-so far I have not dropped dead of some unknown disease).

The lake about mile 3.5 looked spooky but pretty with fog all over. Of course I took a picture. Little did I know that by the end of the day I would take well over 1500 pictures! Many in which I stopped completely and a few in which I (and others) posed or hammed it up for the camera.

Jogging along I was with my friends Seth and Fran. I ran a bit of the earlier miles from VT100 with Seth (which he completed well ahead of me) and Fran did her first 100 miler at Boulder in Oct. This was their first 100 miler together as a couple and they wanted to see how they got along. Not only did they get along super well, they both set 100 miler PR’s running Umstead in under 24 hours…way to go!

Seth and Fran moved ahead and I was alone just for a bit. But pretty soon I joined a bunch of friends from other races. I would chat briefly then either they would speed up or I would speed up so these conversations were not too long. I believe I chatted with Rosie from Kentucky for a bit, Ray and few others.

As we approached the aid station I was excited to see Tristan and Gilligan waiting for me. I said hello, gave a quick hug then moved to the business of “aid stationing”. At the second aid station I decided to waste some time. Well, not exactly waste time, but I sure did not move through quickly and efficiently like others. I wanted to drop off some of my layers into my drop bag. Then I ate and drank like a champion. Gatorade, banana’s, M&M’s and pretzels were item’s on my “to eat/drink” list.

As I was eating I saw my friend Ed C from Rocky Raccoon 50 and the self transcendence marathon last year. He was looking strong and was moving quickly. While in the aid station I decided I needed breakfast so took an egg and lots of pretzels for the road. Walking out of the aid station I chatted with Tristan. I was feeling really good and very strong. So far I was on target for my 26:40 finish.

As I ate my breakfast, Tristan mocked me for my large handful of pretzels and egg. Apparently I looked like a glutton. But I did not care. As I munched on my egg, I decided I could not swallow the final bite without having a “reversal of fortune” (puking), so I ended up spitting it out on the side of the course. As per Tristan as he and Gilligan headed back to the car, Gilligan got my ABC egg (already been chewed). Oh well at least it was fresh and he knew where it came from.

As we approached the mile 7 marker, my friend Ed caught up to me. I took a few pictures of us then soon enough Tristan realized he would have to get Gilligan back to the car (which apparently was not as big a struggle as he expected probably because of the ABC egg Gilligan had his eye on).

For many miles here, I ran with my friend Ed. He was planning to run his first 100 miler and seemed to be doing well. He was concerned he was going too fast but seemed to have a strong rhythm going on. We talked about how running was going. In my case I had run so many marathons and ultra’s during the winter, while Ed did a bunch of training runs near his house in NJ. I was very impressed by this because I really struggled in the winter because of all the snow. For a few weeks there just really weren’t places to run and I REALLY hate treadmill running. Luckily a few of my marathons were destination events in warmer area’s where I could get some good running in.

We also talked about our respective pets. Ed has a ragdoll (Tristan/Gilligan and I have 3), so we chatted about their health. I told Ed about Gilligan’s bout with cancer and how Gilligan is now cancer free for 8+ months! Ed’s cat sadly is having some urinary issues. It sounds like the cat is at the end of an ultra and spends a lot of time peeing. It has had some bloodwork. I suggested because of having personal experience that it could be diabetes. My cat Pepsi had diabetes and simply needed an IV saline drip. My mom’s cat also had diabetes and needed insulin. The insulin was easy to administer and relatively speaking was not too expensive (a 2-3 month supply of insulin was less than $60 and the syringes were about $5 for a 30 pack). The biggest challenge was that about every 10 administrations I would give myself some insulin.

As we ran along, Ed would insist I should run ahead because he did not want to slow me down. I was a bit puzzled by this because I was running a very comfortable pace. I would rather run a bit slow and conservatively during the first few laps rather than run to fast and crash and burn. So we kept on chatting. At the unmanned water stop at the top of one of the numerous hills in the “sawtooths” we parted ways since I had plenty of water and he needed a fill up.

Moving along with purpose I was feeling really good. I had no pain, was feeling refreshed and energized and was just having a great time! The rest of this lap went by super fast. I chatted with so many runners, watched the sun slowly rise and just appreciated running on such a gorgeous day. I know I am incredible lucky to be able to do what I love and the icing on the cake is that this race is my favorite.

Pretty soon I was jog/walking up the big hill approaching the small aid station at the hill. My Gatorade cup was still there so I filled it up and drank down a few cups of Gatorade. No need to get hyponeutremia or dehydration! I also grabbed a few pretzels for the road then headed back onto the course.

Near the start finish of the race, there are several miles of out and back sections. This means you get to see runners that are well ahead of you (before the jeep road turnoff to the main aid station) and runners within about 600 meters of you (at the jeep road or along the airport spur). I really like this section because you can cheer on runners and many will cheer on you. There is lots of energy and encouragement all around. I also like this section because you know you are getting close to the main aid station which means food, beverages, crew, spectators and lots of activity and excitement.

After passing the small aid station, there are three moderate sized hills until you get to the right hand turn onto the Jeep Road. I was feeling good so even ran a bit of these hills. There were so many runners heading towards us and it was so great to see everyone doing so well. I was able to see so many of my friends who are considerable faster than I and was excited to see everyone moving so quickly. It was going to be a day with many PR’s and course records broken!

Turning right onto the Jeep road I was excited but a bit anxious. This is the most challenging section of the course because it is a bit rickety, has some roots and rocks and the final climb to the start/finish area even has some railroad ties for good measure. But I made it through this section easily. The crowds were just amazing and the cheering nearly deafening. Everyone was so encouraging and enthusiastic and made running seem effortless. Unfortunately as I approached the main aid station I needed an intermission. There is a bathroom about 300 meters prior to the start/finish and I wanted to use it. Then I would have more stomach space for Gatorade and treats.

After my brief break it was time to resume running and finish off lap 1. As I crested the hill I asked a spectator to take my picture, then I headed into the lodge to my drop bag. Time to lose some layers, grab my sunglasses and then finally to eat, drink and be merry!

After my visit with my drop bag I came outside to the aid station and got down to the main business of the day: eating and drinking. Nice volunteers refilled my waterbottle. Others asked what I might need. Sadly I had tried to come up with a list of tasks I needed to do,food I must eat and beverages I must drink, but it ended up that I loitered drinking a few cups of Gatorade, followed by some coke. And of course I had my pretzels, banana’s, M&M’s, some cheese and some cookies. Then it was time to split this popcorn joint. A brief “THANKS” to all the volunteers and I was off.

My pacers Video of the race

Here is a video from Umstead

Thanks to Chito from RuninDC I can share a video of my Umstead experience. It shows a variety of scenes and runners along the course.

Umstead 100 miler: Before the Race

With the Race Director's wife: Myra Norwood before the race.

Myra is so sweet and always so encouraging throughout the race. She watches out for all the runners taking really good care of everyone.

It is always a real treat to see Myra and she always seems to be at the main headquarters day and night throughout the race, ready to offer words of encouragement, food, beverages or whatever else a runner might need.

Thanks Myra!!!



With Jill Perry, the female winner from 2009 (and 2010, but we didn't know it at the time).

Jill is super friendly and super fast (you can see my priorities...friendly first:-).

Jill and I have run several ultra's together; however, she always beats me significantly. But at the rate I am improving (1 or 2 hours per ultra, I will be her competition in about 8 years!)

Each lap that I saw Jill I was able to get a picture of her and a few I was able to get a self portrait picture of us together. I believe with a count of 4 pictures she can easily subtract 2 or 3 minutes from her time...

With my friend Tony before the race.

Tony is a running machine. He recently ran the Brazil 135, has run Badwater (and will be running Badwater again this coming July) and has run a bunch of other 100 and 50 mile ultra's including Javalina and Umstead.

Tony took really good care of me last year at VT100 just a few days after Badwater. He helped me clean my feet at mile ~40 walking around getting me all the necessary feet cleaning stuff.

Then he helped me again at mile 70 when he was waiting for his runner Bob (who my husband happened to have taken back to their hotel room after DNFing at Margaritaville at mile 62).

Tony is super sweet and ended up shattering his 100 mile record this year, go Tony!

With my friends Emmy and Frank.

Emmy and Frank have run so many ultra's with me including the 24 hour race around the lake (where I met them), Umstead 100, Vermont 100 and JFK50.

Both Emmy and Frank are accomplished runners who finish 100 milers within 24 hours and then recover super fast and then run marathons/50 kms or other long distances within a week or so of completing a 100. They are running machines.

And yet both are so nice and friendly. And they have a super nice family. I always look forward to seeing Frank's family including his wife Pat and daughter Katie who are always so encouraging and take good care of Frank and all his friends.

With my friend Jenny before the race.

This year Jenny finished the 50 miler then started volunteering at the main aid station. Jenny is so nice and friendly.

Jenny and I ran a few miles of Rocky Raccoon about a month and a half ago. During this time she really lifted my spirits. She learned about my mom passing away and was so kind and supportive. She had met my mom at Rocky in 2009 (who became quite well known because she had a cat on a leash). As Jenny and I were running we discussed how I felt that my mom was there supporting all the runners from heaven and she concurred.

Jenny has been running many 50 and 100 milers recently and always runs so fast and consistently. She tends to finish in the top 3 of females and is so down to earth and encouraging (like so many other super fast runners!)

BEFORE THE START
4 a.m. is very early. It is dark and cold. But luckily this year it was not wet.

After the multiple alarms went off I got down to the business of getting ready. I spent lots of time gliding before putting on my lucky outfit. While getting ready I drank my first diet Mountain Dew in 2 weeks. The caffeine hit me hard. But in a good way (well until my heart was racing in the car ride over after my 3^rd diet dew and I thought I might need a trip to a hospital instead a trip to the start). Finally I was all ready and it was time for Tristan, Gilligan and I to drive to the race headquarters at the start/finish line.

Upon arriving at the park, Tristan parked the car then brought my drop bag to the main aid station so it could be driven to the second aid station. He then returned to the car just as I was finishing my last minute tasks (including attaching my bib to my fanny pack…how I forgot to do this on Friday night is beyond me. Perhaps I am becoming complacent).

We then walked to the main headquarters. I put my drop bag at the back of the lodge on a stack of benches. I get a little worried about putting stuff on tables because it is so easy to spill cups of soda, Gatorade or water and even though all my stuff is packed in Ziplocs I don’t want to risk anything getting wet or dirty.

Walking around the headquarters I was able to see my friends: Tony, Frank, Emmy, Monica, Luanne, Bill and many others. When refilling my water bottle I was able to chat with Myra, the race director’s wife for a bit. She is so sweet!

The next person I met was Jill. She was looking really good and was so enthusiastic and energetic. Each time I saw her on the course it would be like a breath of fresh air. I got a pre-race picture of us and wished her luck.

With a few minutes to go, I headed to the bathroom for a last second potty break. Now I was all set. After a quick picture with Blake who was starting to corral the runners, I headed back towards the Lodge to get in line at an appropriate place. I wanted to go out medium fast…I would define it as walk/running “with purpose”.

Umstead 100 miler: Getting to the Race Friday

With Tristan at the main race headquarters. Tristan is my chauffer. Pretty much every other task related to ultramarathoning I have had to outsource from him: pacing, crewing, cheerleading etc. But he is a good chauffer.

Tristan is really sweet though. At most of my recent ultra's he has asked my friends for e-mail messages to cheer me on. These give me lots of energy and are definitely a highlight of my race.

I think Tristan is also starting to like the pre-race dinners because he is starting to know more and more of my ultra running friends...if you ever meet him please introduce yourself.

And if you are a mountaineer or a climber, please feel free to talk at length with him. He is quite an accomplished mountaineer including summitting Mt Rainier, Mt Hood, Mt Whitney, Mt Shasta, Mt Baker, Mt. St Helens, Mt Washington, among others.
With my ultra running friend JoJoJogger. She came up to me while I was volunteering and introduced herself. Umstead was her first 50 miler and she did GREAT finishing in 11:17.

Way to go Jan!

It was really nice to meet a fellow blogger. I really love to meet others who are reading my blog and be introduced in person. It is really fun to meet others who have commented so I can put a name with a face. Of course make sure you know I take lots of pictures and might just snap one with you!

With my friend Emmy.

Emmy and I have run many, many ultra's together. We first met about 4 or 5 years ago at the 24 hour race around the lake in MA. Since then we have met up at a bunch of ultra's including: the 24 hour race around the lake in Massachussetts, VT100 and Umstead 100 as well as JFK50 miler.

Emmy is always so sweet and is really fast. She consistently runs 100 milers in about 24 hours which I find amazing.

With my friend Steve T. Steve has run many marathons and a handful of ultra's.

Both Steve and I ran the VT50, 50 km race this past Sept and if I am not mistaken he was the final male and I was the final female. It was in EPIC conditions!

Steve also drove me to the Self Transcendence Marathon around Rockland Lake NY this past August (and hopefully will drive me this Aug:-). He lives a few towns over from where my dad lives (who I was staying with during that race) and did not have to go too far out of his way to pick me up.

Steve has run several 50 milers, a bunch of 50 kms and many marathons. This was his second attempt at the 100 miler distance, although he did not finish the 100 mile, he did complete 100 km and finished the first 50 miles in a PR...go STEVE!
Here I am with my friend Vinnie. Two years ago (during the rainy year), Vinnie and I ran many miles overnight together. Vinnie is really nice, has many stories and has run 100's of ultra's including many different 100 milers.

Last year Vinnie ran Umstead in under 24 hours; however due to a trip to Cambodia in the winter including acquiring some third world issues, he had less training and was still a bit weak.

But maybe next year both Vinnie and I will have a strong day and he can show me how to run a sub 24 hour Umstead.

Getting to the Umstead 100 miler endurance run my husband and I continued our ritual of staying at his father’s house in Richmond Virginia. I also got my haircut and styled which is my pre-race ritual. Any extra bit of weight which I can eliminate is great. And who needs split ends?!

After a pleasant visit with Tristan's dad Thursday night including a nice dinner at Carraba's carbo loading, we continued our southerly drive to Raleigh Friday morning. It was quite stormy and rainy so our trip took a bit longer than expected but we finally arrived at the race headquarters. As I have done for the past 2 years, I volunteered for a few hours. This year I was lucky enough to work with Elizabeth A, Barbara and Linda D. I have worked with Elizabeth and Linda before and it was a real treat to work with both again. They both are so sweet!

While volunteering I was lucky enough to see and briefly catch up with lots of friends: Emmy, Tony, Steve, Monica, Jenny, Nathan,… and so many others.

After volunteering it was time for the pre-race briefing and dinner. Each year Umstead seems to get bigger and bigger (I think folks bring bigger crew’s) so it was very crowded in the lodge. But this was good in my opinion because I was cold so a crowded room typically is warmer. Tristan and I ultimately headed to the car so I could get a jacket. This worked out perfectly because my friends Bill and Luanne T and my friend Chito arrived right while we were walking to get an extra layer. After getting my jacket we headed back and had a very nice dinner. Then Tristan and I headed to the hotel for my last nights sleep for a day or two

2010 Umstead 100 Miler: Quick Race Summary

At the beginning of the race, Gilligan and Tristand headed out to the T-intersection by the airport spur.

They stood there and cheered me on as I completed my first half mile then waited until I finished my first 2.5 mile.

In fact leaving them I believe I heard, "Way to go...only 97.5 miles to go!"

Gilligan in fact had a little bit of an issue getting to the T-intersection (as per Tristan) and refused to move forward. But by the time I passed them, Gilligan seemed to be running at high rates of speed.

This is my favorite picture taken by one of my friends approaching the main aid station.

You can see here that I am running pretty quickly and am very excited about being on the course heading off for another lap.

Overall I had a great day at Umstead. The weather was great, the friends numerous and I always felt good and energized.

Umstead is so much fun and is a super well organized 100 miler. They take very good care of you. The aid stations are well stocked, the course is relatively easy and you really don't have to worry about getting lost as you do the same 12.5 mile loop many times.

The only "technical" section is right near the main start/finish area, which is in this picture and realistically it just is a bit of roots and some railroad ties. All you have to do is lift your feet about 2 or 3 inches and you should not fall. Although I tend not to lift my feet more then an inch if I can prevent it.



This sign completely cracked me up, so I had to get a picture of it.

In case you cannot read it, it says:

Boss: Why aren't you signed up for the 401 K?

Worker: I don't think I can run that far...

I laughed up each time I saw this sign.

There actually were several others signs in this area and if I am not mistaken, they changed out over the course of the day, but I could be confused....


Here I am with two of my pacers: Chito and Mark.

Chito was a friend I knew from the Marine Corps Marathon, Disney Marathon, Mardi Gras Marathon (and was a roommate there) as well as the National Marathon. I convinced him to pace me and promised it would be great fun...hopefully it was.

Mark was my pacer from mile 75-87.5. He was so much fun to hang out with and so encouraging! He was positive, upbeat, incredible funny, had lots of stories and just made what I consider the most difficult miles just fly by!

I had an amazing time at the Umstead 100 miler this past weekend. I saw many friends, met many new friends and ended up exceeding my expectations for my race finish time.

When training for Umstead 100 miler throughout last fall and the winter, my goal was to cut off 1 hour from my time. Every year since my first 100 miler in 2007 when I finished dead last, I have reduced my time by about an hour. My times were 29:36 in 2007, 28:42 in 2008 and 27:40 in 2009. I thought with all the training I had done and my recent PR’s including cutting over 30 minutes from my 50 mile PR during the Rocky Raccoon in Feb, that improving my time by 1 hour was reasonable.

My “dream” goal was to break 26 hours; however, I was not sure how realistic this was. Apparently it was unrealistic to go this slow! My time was 24 hours and 58 minutes. Oddly enough for a while I was thinking my time would be in the 25+ hour time range. However, in the final mile I decided I wanted to be able to say I had finished a 100 miler in sub-26 hours so put the pedal to the metal. I had 1 minute 20 seconds to spare.

My race was filled with the three “F’s” essential for a successful race: friends, fun and foto’s! During the race I was able to catch up with so many friends along the course and meet so many new friends. I saw so many friends who I knew from Umstead 100 and VT100 like Emmy and Tony shatter their records and Frank who finished his first Umstead with a 100 mile PR and am so proud of them! My friend Jim stepped it up a notch. My friend Meredith completed her first 100 miler after having a baby just 8 months ago in about 29 hours, WOW! My friend Janette finished her first 50 miler creating a PR:-) I saw many new friends accomplish their goals of finishing their first 100 or 50 miler and so many records set. It was a great day for a race and an amazing experience.

Since I will have a very long and detailed race report but I want to post a blog as quick as possible I have decided to bullet point some of my race highlights including:

* My pacers: I had 4 different pacers at various times. My friend Chito rode to NC with my friend Bill/Luanne (Thank you!) and paced me laps 5 and 8 from mile 50-62.5 then 87.5 to 100. Umstead provided two pacers in the night: Zee and Mark. Zee had biked across America and Europe and clearly had a very interesting life. Mark was just a HOOT! When I first got to the aid station and was asking for a pacer I was grilled at length about my needs: both running pace as well as personality. He was hysterically funny and good company. Apparently he was looking for a social and outgoing runner and I believe I fulfilled this need (although I still have no voice from our antics on the course). Finishing hand in hand with Chito and Tristan was amazing.

* I did not expect to finish in the time I did. I am a slow runner and my predicted pace chart showed this. About 1:30 a.m. I realized I was about to “abandon” Tristan heading out for my 8th and final lap. I had suggested I expected to make it to the main aid station about 5 a.m., but he should be there at 4 a.m. “just in case”. Well arriving at the main aid station at 3 a.m. I realized I had just dropped him before I acquired him. A bunch of text messages and phone calls later I finally conveyed to Tristan that he should meet me at the second aid station.

* Because of a wardrobe issue in lap 5, I lost Chito for many miles (in fact the last half of the lap because I was running so fast), I ended up making a phone call to a friend: Jamie D who has come in first at this race previously. She is a super fast athlete but also so sweet and encouraging (and was my “phone a friend”). While I was chatting with her I ended up seeing Blake the RD. I let him speak to her which was really cool. Then a few moments later our mutual friend Tony P runs up from behind lapping me. He also got to speak to Jamie. This was so crazy…I ended up calling her and then had two friends who knew her show up within a few moments. The statistical probability of this is infinitely small (and I am a statistician!).

* The amazing folks at both aid stations. The volunteers are exceptional! They cater to your every need and make sure you are well fed, hydrated and are ready for your next lap. Everyone was so nice and encouraging. I loved other runner’s crew because they were all so sweet to me and so loud when cheering for me. This gave me so much energy. Seeing so many friends as I would run up the hill was amazing.

* Seeing my friend Annette (race director extraordinaire New River Trails 50 km) along the course waiting for her runner Jill and getting a huge hug! Then a few miles later when they lapped me, stopping for a "Girl Power" picture even though Jill was on track (and did end up) finishing in a Course Record, Go Jill!

I could not have asked for a more perfect race. I ran fast but felt good. I was so inspired by others and just had a great time. I am ready to sign up for next year and to try to run a sub-24 hour 100 miler!

Preparing for Umstead 100 miler

The past month has just flown by.

Because of the early Feb snowstorms I have had to cram a LOT. In my personal life, in my professional life and most of all in running. Since the Mardi Gras Marathon I have run 2 more marathons:

the B&A trail marathon in 4:19

the Lower Potomac Marathon in 4:29

and finally this weekend I ran my final tune up run for the Umstead 100, the National Half Marathon.

During all these events I was so lucky to see many friends and even run with many friends. I sure hope I will be able to crank out a few race reports in the near future.

I am really excited but nervous about Umstead. I hope that I will be able to break 27 hours. It would be even better if I could break 26:40 so I could reduce my 100 miler time by 1 hour (which is my current trend).

I feel that I am getting faster and faster and if I can dig deep I can do this. At this point the weather looks decent: sunny and high of 60 low in the 40's and I am nearly packed. I just have to pack the most important part of my outfit, my shoes (okay my second most important because my sparkeley fanny pack is #1!).

Sadly this weekend I decided to wash my shoes and unfortunately my shoes are still drying. I am optimistic that by tomorrow they will be dry and thus can be packed. Then all I have to do is wait for 6 a.m. Saturday morning when the race starts....

A PR for the course (but not the marathon) at the Mardi Gras Marathon

The tree's, telephone poles, lights and everything else gets covered in beads in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. This year, someone really decorated several of the light posts along the course which amused me highly.

I love the sparkeley-ness of New Orleans, particularly after Mardi Gras. This year with only 1.5 weeks separating Fat Tuesday from the race, meant there were beads on many surfaces that were still colorful and sparkeley.

Here I take a moment to appreciate the beads and compare the bead covered post to my outfit which consisted of lots of pink and bit of sparkeley.

You can see marathon runners on my right and the half marathoners are on the left across the St Charles Trolley tracks.


Other years the marathon course has gone north on Poydras Blvd, the road that the Drury Hotel (where I have stayed the last 2 years).

Sadly this year I had to divert by about 400 meters to get to the hotel for my breakfast (even worse last year, the breakfast opened early, but this year breakfast started at 7 a.m. and the race started at 7 a.m.!)

Because I wanted my belgium waffle, I took a slight detour about mile 10 to get my breakfast. I had to make my waffle, but it was so YUMMY! Although a few minutes later I followed this up with a white chocolate covered marshmallow's. I will advise those of you considering to do this, don't. I nearly puked...


Along the course there was a great pyrennes. I love big dogs so I took a moment to give him a hug.

Oddly enough my doggie friend was just barely heavier than gilligan at 120 lbs (Great Pyrennes are usually closer to 150 lbs).

The dog was really sweet and very soft. Each time I travel for a marathon, I miss Gilligan (as well as my kitties) so any time I see a critter, I try to meet and give them a pet or a hug.





Near the end of the marathon we ran through City Park. City Park is one of two large parks in New Orleans (Audabon Park located in the Garden District is the other large park).

City park has several playgrounds as well as some authentic Louisana bayou/swamp land.

I took a moment to slide down the kiddie slide (although the person taking the picture did mention loudly that I may have been way over the recommended 50 lb limit!)

I have to say getting out of this slide was very challenging because it was only about 3-4 inches from the slide to the ground...but I am a professional!


After finishing the race, I saw my friend John "the Penguin" Bingham. He is really nice and so enouraging to everyone.

I have met John numerous times including a Fleet Feet Fun Run, along the Marine Corps Marathon Course, at the Phoenix Rock and Roll and Disney Marathons.

John is very kind and so supportive of all runners. He has authored many books that are very inspirational and definitely provide advice, encouragement and support for all runners.




This past weekend I ran my 3rd Mardi Gras Marathon. Previously this race was an exceptionally well organized marathon by the New Orleans Track Club. I have really enjoyed the previous "intimate" race.

This year it was the Inaugural Rock and Roll Mardi Gras Marathon. There were 15,000 runners and apparently it took me nearly 30 minutes to cross the start line.

My gun time was 5:40 but my chip time was 5:12. Sadly this time does not deduct my various pit stops along the way including a stop at my hotel to make then eat a belgium waffle. Nor does it account for visiting with several friends along the course, stopping at the various aid stations to imbibe in "adult beverages" or other activities.

I did have a great race and was excited to see lots of friends along the course. Because I have run this marathon for several years, it seems some of the spectators know me. This is really cool because I feel like many of the spectators and volunteers along the course are my friends and it is like a mini-reunion.

The course is neat because you get to see the Garden District, French Quarters and City Park. All of these places have a very different feel, but are typical New Orleans. Also this year since Mardi Gras was just 2 weeks ago many of the tree's along Charles Street had beads. I guess the tree's in New Oreans are really wild!

"Thank You" to My Super Friends! And a picture of Puffie after the massive snowstorms

Here is PowderPuffGirl, our youngest seal lynx ragdoll cat at just over 5 years old. She has many aliases including but not limited to: Powder, Puffie, Puffle, Powdie, Uffle (because she had a phase when she whizzed inappropriately on everything!), PuffPuff, and squirrel tail (take a look at her tail in this picture for how this name was given).

Puffie is a very sweet cat with lots of personality.

She is quite the daredevil and seems to have no off switch in her quest to get into mischief.

I am always inspired by all of my friends! I am so fortunate to have so many friends in different area's of my life: professional, running, pet-owners, fellow-bloggers just to name a few; but everyone I know are such exceptional people doing extraordinary things.

As I watch the Olympics I am so impressed by all of the athletes who are digging deep and doing such incredible feats. But I cannot relate to these athletes as do with those who I know, run with, share meals & rooms, hike, or even volunteer with!

I know I am very fortunate to have friends and family who consistently believe in me, even when I may not believe in myself.

In running I have consistently been mediocre at best and terrible at worst. But regardless of what my time is or what my placement is in races my friends are always so encouraging! This means a lot to me.

Because of getting hit by a car about 15 years ago, sometimes I have pretty bad pain in my right leg. It seems to come and go and I never really know if I will have a good or bad day/week or even month. Occasionally people will notice I have a limp, but I try very hard to not let this show nor let it prevent me from accomplishing my goals. But I could not do this alone!

I do not know of any better motivation or painkiller than friends alongside me on a race course or cheering me from the course of remotely from afar. I know that I am so lucky to have so many wonderful friends who will support and encourage me no matter what. For this I am so thankful!

Inaugural Snowmargedeon/Valentines Day Marathon in Columbia MD

Getting ready for a super cold marathon or getting ready to rob a bank (although perhaps the flowers and lei would make me to easy to identify).

It was pretty cold at the start and throughout the race. I think it was just above freezing for a high but occasionally the wind would pick up.

We were lucky there was no snow occurring during the race and for the most part the course did not have any snow, ice or other hazards.

The biggest issue was a bit of ice at the parking lot of the school where the race started. Initially they applied ice to this and subsequently it melted away.
A very kind competitor offered to take an action shot of me along the course.

This was pretty cool because while I have plenty of action shots of other runners along the course my self portraits tend to be of only my face and not me visible "running"

Here you can see me running a bit of the long downhill section (although on the other part of the out and back, it is an uphill section).

You also can see how deep the snow continues to be even nearly a week after the snows.

My friend Jean gave me my "hand made" finishers medal immediately after I finished this marathon in 5:17.

Jean made this medals on Fri & Sat for all the potential finishers (I think nearly 25 of us started but only 19 of us finished the full marathon).

The medal consisted of a cute ribbon, two popsicle sticks with "2010" and valentines stickers as well as a medal of Chocolate, YUM!!

I think this medal is one of my favorites because it is personalized and hand made.

To celebrate the completion of the marathon, all runners received a flute of champagne.

This is my kind of marathon!!

You also can see in my right hand a valentines day heart cookie.

This marathon, has multiple names including "The Inagurual 2010 Snowmargeddeon Marathon" or "2010 Inaugural Valentines Day Massacre Marathon"

I hope this marathon continues to be organized and implemented for many years because it was quite cute and well run.

After the finish of the marathon, several of us hung out waiting for the final finisher then had a bunch of pictures of finishers as well as finishers with volunteers.

This race was lots of fun and I would recommend it without hesitation.

Jean, Walt, Dwight, Greg and other Howard County Runners and volunteers are to be commended for a GREAT race!

It was great fun, everyone was super enthusiastic and the aid stations were super well stocked with all sorts of treats including home made cookies, donuts and other food.

THE RACE

I have been signed up for the George Washington Birthday Marathon since registration opened in Dec. 2009. My friend Pat Brown from the Reston Runners is the current race director and organizes a superb race. This was to be my 5th George Washington Birthday Marathon which is one of my favorites because of the pedestrian 10:30 a.m. start time, excellent post race vegetarian Chili and cookies and peanut butter that make excellent sandwiches!

But alas the 30+ inches of snow last weekend and the additional 8-10 inches of snow on Wednesday led to the race being cancelled for only the 2nd time in its 47 year history. Luckily because of this early cancellation some local athletes helped out runners traveling from afar (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio...) including a bunch of marathon maniacs and 50 states marathon club members have a marathon in MD this year.

There were so many runners who were instrumental in organizing and implementing this race including Walt, Jean and a bunch of Howard County Striders. The race was 5 loops in a cute neighborhood near Centennial Lake (home of the IronGirl Triathlon). It was very hilly and there were a bunch of turns looping around the neighborhood but with the cluster of flags indicating turns as well as written directions passed out to runners, this marathon was easy to run and very well organized!

There were volunteers at the start/finish as well as the turn around 2.65 miles out. The volunteers were enthusiastic, attended to runners every need and were just amazing!!! I hope this race occurs again in the future because it is definitely in my top 10 favorite marathons. Even better, the finishers medal was a hand made medal by my friend Jean which includes a ribbon indicating "Celebrate" and "Congratulations". Two popsicle sticks indicate the year and include a heart sticker showing it is valentines day and the medallion is a chocolate that for mines says "I'm Proud of You!". I really like personalized medals and this one takes the cake!

Of course knowing nearly all of the runners from various events. Three runners I knew from the Tails for Trails ultra, several folks I knew from the local MD Marathons, 2 or 3 of us were Virginia Happy Trails Club members-including 2 who ran Holiday Lake 50 km on Saturday, a few runners I knew from Umstead 100 over the past several years and somehow several of the other runners looked very familiar.

Getting to the race was pretty easy. The race start in Columbia, MD is less than 1 hour from my house and other than the small local roads near the start, I was traveling on major interstates. The 8:30 a.m. start meant I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. but this is way better than the 4 or 5 a.m. I have to get up for Marine Corps Marathon or 2 a.m. for the Vt100!

My drive to the start was uneventful. But I knew exactly where the start was because of doing the Columbia IronGirl so often. The race start was just past Centennial Lake.

Arriving at the race start I was delighted to see my friend Mama Jean. She was one of the supporters to arrange and implement this race. She is a 50 states club member who has done all 50 states marathons so knows the importance of having marathon races occur regardless of challenges. Since there are very few marathons in Feb, the George Washington marathon is a good marathon for folks to run in MD. Other marathons in March, April and November all conflict with many other marathons. But GWBirthday competes with only 1 or 2 other marathons.

After signing up for the marathon I chatted with other runners while waiting for the start. I also debated what layers I needed an ultimately decided I needed 4 shirts (including one thick shirt) as well as a jacket, two pairs of pants, a neck gaiter, hat, a pair of gloves and outer wind mitt. I knew I would be warm enough with all these layers but wondered if I might be too hot. I figured I could put gloves and such in my pockets and tie extra layers to my waist. After taking off my Rocky Raccoon bib # from my sparkeley fanny pack and attaching my new bib, I was ready for the race.

Soon enough, the race start was announced. Less than 5 minutes to go. I asked the RD if I would need YakTrax because the parking lot where we were parked had quite a bit of ice. It was suggested this was the worst of the ice and that the rest of the course was very manageable, which I would agree with. After a quick race briefing describing the course and ensuring we all knew what we were doing, it was time to start.

Jogging along after the "Go" I was a little worried. I slowed tremendously heading out of the parking lot where there was ice to make sure I got through it safely. I was a good 100-200 meters behind the entire field turning onto the main road. This race did not have an early start and I was not sure of the race time limit. I decided I wanted to aim for 5 hours to 5:30. This seemed like a decent but not too fast pace for a week after a 50 miler. As I ran along I was dead last for a bit. So inched my way up asking folks if they were doing the marathon (this event was also simply a regular running route of the Howard County Striders, so only bibs indicated a runner was signed up for the marathon), clearly coming up behind runners I could not tell what kind of runner I was approaching. As I moved through runners I found a bunch of runners who were undecided. Then I finally found a pack of marathoners and settled in for a bit.

Walt, one of the race organizers from Chicago was one of the runners in this group. We started talking about events and figured out we had run a bunch of events together including Umstead 100 a few years ago. I believe Walt is planning to run New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon which is when we may see each other again. The first out went very quickly. I tried to pay attention to the turns but was not entirely successful. Luckily a cluster of flags indicated turns and showed which way to turn which was VERY helpful!

Heading into the aid station I was very excited. 2.65 miles down (well after a little extra jiggle) and only 24+ miles to go. The aid station was well stocked with pretzels, water, M&M's and gatorade. This aid station was better than most of the megamarathons! And yet this marathon was only formalized on Friday. In addition to having lots of treats and drinks, the aid station volunteers were super enthusiastic and very energetic. I believe some of the volunteers were runners who were going to run a lap or 2 later and some of the later volunteers seemed to have run the course early on. I think it is cool when runners become volunteers and really respect those folks that immediately give back!

After turning around I ended up being well behind the other runners. I am not sure how this happened although I believe it was my loitering at the aid station chatting with the volunteers. Heading back onto the course I knew we had just run down a massive hill that was going to be brutal to run up. On a positive note, I decided to walk any of the uphills so I was looking forward to this break. In fact, I would say this course was predominantly rolling hills with sporadic flat sections.

Many of the neighborhood residents were out an about taking Sunday strolls, walking their dogs or even continuing to clear snow from the previous weeks storms. It was nice to have some pre-made spectators willing to cheer us on.

Pretty soon I was arriving at the start/finish. My time was 1:02. I was right on track for a bit over a 5 hour finish. After a brief stop at my car (which was right along the course...sweet!) to remove some layers and take out a gatorade, I headed to the aid station to socialize a bit.

My second lap was pretty uneventful. I was getting familiar with the various turns and started to have my favorite (and least favorite) sections. Because I was going a bit slow, I was second to last. The runners in front of me were just far enough so I couldn't catch them but close enough so frequently I could see them on long straight aways. The runner behind me, Tim (a fellow marathon maniac) was a good 400 meters behind me. But I was content to ponder my thoughts and appreciate a beautiful day with a bright blue sunny sky.

I was excited to get to the turnaround aid station and chatted with the volunteers for a bit, then headed back to the start. This course had a large hill approaching the two aid stations (turn around and start finish). The turn around aid station was at the base of a very large hill you went down approaching it then had to go up the hill leaving it. Then heading to the start/finish you had to head up a really long hill that you climbed immediately following a long hill you go down. Most of the course was in residential area's with some neighborhoods with lots of tree's and other sections that had large expanses of fields.

Throughout the day the wind would kick up pretty hard. It was nice when it was behind you, but all to often it seemed that the wind was at your face or alongside fierce enough to be quite chilly.

Heading back to the main aid station my time was 2:04. I was keeping a pretty constant pace and I was in good spirits. This would not last long. Although at the aid station I ended up with a dunkin donut triple chocolate donut that was really yummy. Unfortunately, although I was really happy about the donut, during this lap my knee started getting really painful. This lap I walked quite a bit.

Most of my impression of this lap was just trying to muddle through. I could barely move my leg because my knee was so stiff and refused to bend. And I was in alot of pain. I was quite worried and at one point considered having this be my final lap. But somehow by the end of the lap my leg was behaving better. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what is the right thing to do but as I write this 24 hours after the race, my knee is doing fine.

This race was quite fun because during each lap you could see all the marathon competitors as well as other runners. Each runner was so encouraging and it was lots of run to see and sort of form a relationships with other competitors. Many runners knew my name, while others just called me flower girl, which was cool. For the most part I would not be alone more than a few minutes before I would see another runner approaching me. And early in this lap, the front runner, Kasten lapped me. I felt a bit better when I asked him if he had run Holiday Lake the day before and he said, "No". I believe he has come in first at some marathons I have run a day after another marathon or 50 km. He is a running machine but yet very nice and supportive of all the runners.

This lap finally ended and my knee was bending again. Odd but I would take it.

Going out for my 4th lap I was getting excited. Although my 3rd lap was not my best with a time of about 1:12 (total time 3:14), I was happy to be able to continue on. Because I did not want to stress my leg out, I tried to run a bit more conservatively during this lap to ensure I could finish the full marathon. I tended to walk a few more of the hills and walked longer.

During this lap I started feeling a bit more time. I started to think about the fact that I had run a 50 miler only the week before. I also realized during this lap that last year Rocky Raccoon was the weekend of Feb 5th, while the GWBirthday was Feb 19th. This meant I had a week off between RR50 and a marathon last year. Now wonder why I was fatigued and my knee was revolting.

As I headed to the turn around I was excited to see my friends at the turn around aid station. They always were so excited and encouraging during each lap. Because of the set up of the race, you would see this aid station then pass it for about 300 meters, get to the turn around then head back. This meant I could take a cup of gatorade then have a refill by the time I returned. They were so helpful and so much fun!

Slowly walking back up the massive hill, I noticed my friend Karsten who was heading to the turn around. He was about to lap me a second time. I suggested I would see him in a few minutes. As I resumed jogging after getting to the top of the hill, Karsten passed me indicating he would not miss doing that hill again. I suggested it is alot easier if you walk up it. But I guess you don't come in 1rst if you walk the hills.

The rest of this lap passed uneventfully. There were lots of runners on the course and everyone was looking so strong. A final long downhilll followed by a super long uphill and I was approaching the start/finish line. The time was 4:17. I was doing pretty good and had resumed a decent running pace. I was optimistic that I could break 5:30, but would be satisfied with any finish.

At the start line aid station, I chatted with my friends briefly while munching on some pretzels. Upon learning they were running low on gatorade, I drank some of my own cool blue gatorade. I had one bottle in the snow so it was nicely chilled.

Then it was time for my victory lap. At this time I was feeling pretty good and was ready to continue on. Heading out, there were lots of runners who were completing their final lap so were so happy and many had lots of pep in their step. I could relate because I was starting to pick up the pace in my excitement of finishing.

At the turn around aid station I acquired a pacer. But not before I did the extra little bit and a brief drink of gatorade. Then it was time for my final 2.65 mile jog. Kenny was a local runner looking for a small workout. I warned him that I would be walking the hills and that I was not going to be exceptionally fast but he was agreeable to whatever I ran. As we jogged along he mentioned he was looking to potentially buy a house. I mentioned that there were several houses for sale along the course but at least one was huge! We chatted about running (he ran the North Central Trail last year as well as the Cherry Blossom 10 miler). But he enjoys the shorter distances because he has a very active young family with a daughter and son 5 and 7 years old.

Pretty soon we were getting the large hill right before the start/finish line and I was ready to walk again. I mentioned that in my opinion a run walk strategy definitely makes running molre manageable and makes for an easier recovery. I tend to do this strategy in all of my races although how, when and for how long I walk varies depending on the terrain, how I am feeling and just what I feel like at the time.

Rounding the bend I was back on the main road, then it was simply a quick right turn and I was back in the parking lot. I passed my car, then got to the finish. I was shocked when I saw the time of 5:17. I realized that my last lap was run in exactly 1 hour and it was my fastest lap of the day. Go me!!

After finishing I was handed my personalized finisher medal by my friend Jean. Then I was handed a flute of champaign to celebrate my victory. I then relaxed a bit and chatted with the other runners. At some point I got chilly so put on some extra layers and continued chatting. We were all waiting for my friend Marathon Maniac Tim to finish. I got cold again and then decided to head back on the course to jog him in. This would add some distance to my day and hopefully keep him entertained. I know like me, he had spent most of the marathon alone.

Getting to the base of the huge hill I was bummed not to see Tim. But I knew he was at least a mile or 2 behind me. I started walking up the next hill and spotted his bright green jacket. When he caught up to me, I turned around and we walked/jogged to the finish line. He was recovering from an injury and even worse at some point along the course had inavertantly added some mileage. Based on the written directions I almost made the same mistake (because every street seems to have the same name but is street, court, road, lane...), my only saving grace was the cluster of flags.

As we got close to the finish line I pulled off to the side and watched him finish.

After Tim finished a handful of runners chatted, reminisced and hung out for a bit. It was great to hang out with a bunch of runners from all over the country. We took a bunch of pictures then helped clean up a bit. Then it was time for me to head home.

I had a great day and was thrilled to have completed this race. Oddly enough this marathon (which was a week after my 50 mile) was nearly the same time as my first marathon time the Marine Corps Marathon in 2004. I was really excited. After this marathon, I am feeling really good about my ability to run Umstead 100 in sub-27 hours.