IAU 24 Hour World Championships

@usaultrarunning twitter

So many running events took place over the weekend: Diamond League Doha, USA 25K Championships, IAU 24 Hour World Championships, Big Ten Track and Field Championships and Pac 12 Track and Field Championships.

The IAU 24 Hour World Championships took place Saturday-Sunday in Steenbergen, Netherlands.  The men and women's USA teams won gold medals. American Jon Olsen was the individual champion of the men's race running 167.568 miles and
teammate John Dennis was second with 163.255 miles. Sabrina Little was second overall in the women's race finishing behind Japan's Mami Kudo who ran 156.712 miles. Little set an American Record at the World Championships finishing with 152.030 miles. Little broke teammate's Connie Gardner's 2012 record of 149.368 miles. Finishing in third was American Suzanna Bon (146.785); fourth was American Traci Falbo (142.785).

Sabrina Little Instagram

Men
1. Jon Olsen, 38, Modesto, CA, 167.568 miles
2. John Dennis, 32, Takoma Park, MD, 163.255
3. Florian Reus, 29, DEU, 161.518
4. Anatoly Kruglicov, 55, RUS, 159.717
5. Timur Ponomarev, 24, RUS, 159.484

Women
1. Mami Kudo, 49, JPN, 156.712 miles
2. Sabrina Little, 26, Waco, TX, 152.030 (American Record, old record 149.368 miles by Connie Gardner, 2012)
3. Suzanna Bon, 48, Sonoma, CA, 146.785
4. Traci Falbo, 40, Charlestown, IN, 142.730
5. Anne-Marie Vernet, 45, FRA, 142.538

Teams - Men
1. USA, 485.012 miles
2. Japan, 467.623
3. Germany, 467.275

Teams - Women
1. USA, 441.545 miles
2. Japan, 438.428
3. France, 416.752


Complete results of the IAU 24 Hour World Championships.

Mad City 100K

I ran the Mad City 100K (USATF National Championship) Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

I was really excited to be able to run this distance the 100K. I have been wanting to run this distance for a couple of years.

There weren't too many of us signed up to run the 100K distance. Only 16 of us all together. The morning started out pretty chilly in the low 30s. Most of us started the race with a jacket/long sleeves and pants. The race was started by another 100K runner who just ran the Boston Marathon. The Race Director thought it would be appropriate for him to start the race with a simple 'Go'. So we went with that simple word.

The first climb of the race was over a small bridge leading into the park. We had to run up the hill and come back down. The second hill was a very long incline. I don't know how long it actually was, but it was a grind. Once reaching the top of the hill/incline, we were rewarded with a downhill. The next hill/incline was about a mile later. Another tough grind that lasted a long stretch. The fourth and last climb of the loop was heading to the aid station at 3.8 miles. This climb wasn't as long, but it did it was still a tough one.

The first two laps went well for me. I was feeling great and was sticking to my game plan. I wasn't spending too much time at the aid stations and I was still running. During the third loop, my calves started getting tight. I knew when that happened, it wasn't going to be the day that I wanted. I kept running and somewhere during the middle of the loop the tightness loosened up. That gave me a sigh of relief. I thought I got through a rough patch and I could keep going.

Unfortunately that feeling didn't last too long. The tightness of my calves came back during lap 4. Besides the tight calves, I also developed hip pain on both sides. When that happened, I started a pro and cons list in my head of why I should or shouldn't stop at the next lap for a 50K. I ran another lap, which felt much slower then lap 4. When I was running to the finish line to complete my fifth lap, I had a discussion with the RD. I told him what was going on: the pain in my hips and my tight calves. I said I was stopping and he agreed that was probably best. There was no reason to keep running to try to injure myself. Running is too important to me. I finished running 50K in 6 hours and 14 minutes.


I was disappointed I didn't go the full distance of 100K. It has been my goal to complete this race for a while. On the other hand I am happy because I did run 31 miles and enjoyed myself on the course. I did what I felt needed to be done. So it was still a good day. Any day I can run is a good day.   If you are ever interested in running the Mad City 50K relay, 50K or 100K, I recommend it. The course is looped through the wonderful city, neighborhoods and lakes. It is so beautiful.

The season begins

I started putting together my racing schedule last week. I will be wearing my Oiselle singlet soon again. I didn't plan out my entire year, but I did plan out my schedule through the end of April.

My season will start next week with a new 5K race in town. I have run plenty of races at this location (a local college). I'm pretty sure the course will be the same as the ones I have run in the past. The college has used two different courses for past races. Both of them are on city streets and both are nice. Whichever one they choose should be good. The only thing that could slow us racers down would be snow. I'm hoping the roads will be clear.

My racing schedule will include a new distance. I will be running in the Mad City 100K. The 100K is also the USATF National Championship, which I am a member of. I wanted to run this race in 2012, but it was canceled because they couldn't fit it in before the World Championship 100K. The organizers wanted to give the US athletes plenty of recovery time before the Worlds. Which is understandable.

What really excites me about this race is that is a road race. The course is all pavement or sidewalks. Half of the course is flat and the other half has gentle hills. I love road races. I love ultras that are run on the roads. There are not many out there. I'm really looking forward to running this race and I can't wait to do it.

Here is my race schedule for January-April. I'm need to decide soon if I want to run the Glass City Half Marathon a week after the Mad City 100K. So far I'm leaning towards running it.


January 19 - Pink Zone 5K - Adrian, MI
February 2 - Hot Chocolate Hustle 5K - Adrian, MI
February 9 - Frosty 5 Mile Trail Run - Adrian, MI
April 20 - Mad City 100K/USATF Championship - Madison, WI
*April 28 - Glass City Half Marathon - Toledo, OH

USATF 50 Mile Championship

I ran in the USATF 50 Mile Championship Sunday in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. The Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile was the host of the race.

Being a Michigan girl, this was the first time I had ever run in the mountains. I knew the race would be a challenge when I saw the elevation chart was over 5000 feet. I really didn't even want to look at the race description because I didn't want to think about the tough spots of the course.

The race started out with a 3.2 mile climb. The course description said it was gently climbing. You could tell that it was. Around every corner was an incline. The next leg was easy. It really felt easy and I actually started to run faster. It felt good to actually run fast. Leg 4 was a struggle. It was a 6.2 mile run. With three miles of climbing and hills and three miles going down. It was at this point, I had issues with my left leg. My hip was throbbing. I had a shooting pain coming down from pelvis. My knee was starting to hurt and my quad was in pain. I decided to walk and keep going. Here, I was seriously considering not finishing. I kept moving and was going to decide at the next aid station if I should continue or stop.

At the next station, the pain went away. That meant I would continue. The next couple of legs were OK. I walked them because my legs felt like cement. On the way to the next few aid stations, I did pass some other people. We chatted for a bit and then I continued on. Most of the others said they would keep going until they were told to stop. I kept telling myself the same thing.

Legs 8 and 9 were very easy. It felt good on my legs. During these legs, I started running again. It was difficult, but I managed. Heading into the aid station that started Leg 10, I was told I was within the five minute window of the cutoff time. I asked volunteers how long the to next aid station and what time I had to be there. They gave me the time and asked if I wanted to continue. I turned around and started walking the next leg. I was told it was 5.3 miles and it was challenging. Challenging meant there were going to be some hills. The volunteers yelled to me as I was leaving that I only had a half marathon to go. I was so worried I wouldn't make the cutoff time. I started crying while walking. After sobbing for a short time, I told myself crying wouldn't get me there any faster. I needed to keep going and see what you could do.

I made it to the next aid station with five minutes ahead of the cutoff. I quickly took what I needed from the station, had workers fill up my handheld water bottle and was on my way. Leg 10 was the hardest one yet. Just when I thought I was done walking up huge, long hills and inclines, around the corner was another. The huge hills didn't stop for a mile or two. I was trying not to look ahead at how much longer I had until I crested the hill. I mainly just looked at the ground in front of me. Slowly, I made it over all of the hills.

I made it to the second to last aid station. The volunteers said I just made it in time. As I was heading out on a two mile out and back, I passed a male ultra runner. He said to me, "only two more hills." I don't know what that guy was talking about. There were more then two hills. At that point, it felt like 1000 hills. The long and winding road felt just like that. It felt like I was walking forever. As I was getting closer to the turnaround, there was an clearing in the trees. The clearing was the prettiest view I saw all day. It overlooked so many colorful trees. I didn't look at it too long because I had business to finish. The path leading to the turnaround had long jaggy rocks sticking up and out of the ground. I kept looking at the ground to make sure I didn't trip over any of them or step on them wrong and twist my ankles. I was so relieved to make it out of the jaggy rocks in one piece.

I made it to the last exchange at 6 p.m. A volunteer told me I did make the final cutoff time. She said I could stop or keep going. I told her I would keep going. I said if I make it to the finish at 7 p.m. great, if not I would get in a vehicle and have someone drive me back in. She said she would meet me in a while to see how I was doing. The last leg was 4.2 miles. I had one hour to go before the race was officially over. I came all of this way, my plan was to finish it. At mile marker 36, I started running again. I haven't ran in hours, but I knew it was the only way I was going to make it. I was surprised my pace was decent and though my legs hurt, I knew I could handle it. The lady volunteer met me and another runner in front of me at mile 37. She said she would stay with me until the end because it was getting dark. She said that she has done this for the last 4 years and she would do anything to help us finish.

She ran in front of me and told me I was doing good. Soon we passed mile 38. Only two miles to go and a half hour left on the clock. She told me to keep on her shoulder. I told her I was trying. Thirteen minutes later, we passed mile 49. She told me that this was my mile. It was mile 49. My bib number was 49, so it did feel like my mile. I kept looking at her back trying to pull her in. With a half mile to go, she said that I was almost there. The finish line had lights around it and we could see them. She told me that I was going to make it. When the finish line was in sight, the volunteer pulled off to the side and told me to go. I ran as fast as I could toward the finish line. Other volunteers and my husband were waiting for me. I crossed the line in 11 hours 50 minutes and 46 seconds, unofficial time. I was so happy that I could finally stop moving. I was handed a medal, a blanket and everyone was so happy for me. I posed for a photo with my husband underneath the finish line banner. With my finish, I was the official last runner.

So many times over the 50 miles, I thought about quitting. I didn't because I didn't want to say to people that I didn't finish the race. That would have been awful to me. I have never dropped out of a race. I didn't want to have my first DNF at this race that I traveled so far to. I'm glad that I didn't give up. I am very proud of what I accomplished and my determination.

EDITED: My official time was 11:50:50. I finished in 108th place. In the USATF Women's Open, I finished in 17th place. In the women's open (under 40 years old), I finished in fifth place.

Other racing news

Photo credit: Nils Nilson/XTERRA

Max King from Oregon is on an awesome winning streak. King has won three titles in less then a week.

King won the USA 50K Trail Championship in Bend, Oregon on September 22. On the very next day, King won the 21K XTERRA Trail Run National Championship in Ogden, Utah. On Saturday, Max King won the Ultra Race of Champions 100K (UROC) in Virginia with a time of 7:57:02. In the women's UROC race, Canadian Ellie Greenwood won the title in 9:04:09.
 
Also racing on Saturday was the University of Michigan women's cross country team. The ladies ran in Rim Rock Farm Classic in Lawrence, Kansas. Michigan senior Rebecca Addison was the overall 6K winner with a time of 20:29.20. Michigan teammates Jillian Smith (20:51.60) was fifth and Shannon Osika (20:54:10) was sixth. Rounding out the top 10 was Wolverine Lindsey Hilton in 21:00.40. Michigan won the team title with 33 points. Runner-up Toledo finished with 43 points.

Photo credit: University of Michigan

Michigan's women's cross country team will run next in the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky on  October 13.

Sunday was the BMW Berlin Marathon. Geoffrey Mutai was trying to break the world record on this course (2:03:38 WR) . Mutai won the race, but did not break the world record. Mutai finished in 2:04:15.

The second place finisher, Dennis Kimetto, is Mutai's training partner. He finished in 2:04:16 and set the fastest marathon debut in history. I read a bunch of articles stating that it looked like Kimetto let Mutai win. Kimetto stayed right on Mutai's shoulder until the finish line. I watched the marathon and I thought that too.

Photo credit: PhotoRun

The other thing about the marathon was that the clock on the car behind them was incorrect. I noticed that the pace car clock and the timer on the screen were a couple of seconds off from each other. If the pace car clock was off, it could have cost Mutai the world record. According to this, the clock on top of the elite pace car froze on 2:50/kilometer read-out early in the race, giving the runners the impression they were under their 61:40 first half pace. Actually the elite runners were 32 seconds slower then they wanted to be.

Geoffrey Mutai just missed breaking the world record this year in Berlin. I hope he gets another opportunity to try again and successfully do it.

Badwater Ultramarathon

Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile race and is called 'the World's toughest foot race'. The course starts at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California. The race ends at Whitney Portal. Temperatures can reach over 120° during the race. The 2012 Badwater Ultramarathon just took place earlier this week, July 16-17.

Badwater is one of the longest and toughest ultras, but there was hardly any coverage of it. I checked Google news and it only had a few preview articles on some of the runners and photo essays. Seems like a race this big there would be more coverage. But sadly there isn't. I followed the entire race on twitter through AdventureCORPS and UltraChicksUnite. If I didn't follow them, I might have not known what was happening and who won the race.

Mike Morton won the men's race in 22 hours 52 minutes 55 seconds. Morton just missed the course record held by Valmir Nunes just by over a minute. According to a short article from Outside, the temperatures were about 10° cooler then normal, only 109° F. Finishing behind Morton was Oswaldo Lopez in 23:32:28. Third was Zach Gingerich in 25:49:40. Harvery Sweetland Lewis III was fourth in 26:15:31 and rounding out the top 5 was Mark Matyazic in 26:24:42.

What the Outside article doesn't mention is who won the women's race. The women's race was won by Sumie Inagaki of Japan. Inagaki's time was 29:53:09. She is also the world record holder for 48 hours. Coming in second was Pam Reed in 29:53:09. Maggie Beach was third in 33:31:04, fourth was Hannah Roberts in 34:26:35 and fifth was Heidi Perry in 35:49:58.

This year's Badwater race had 89 finishers out of 96 runners.

2012 Badwater Ultramarathon results:
1. Mike Morton, 22:52:55
2. Oswaldo Lopez, 23:32:28
3. Zach Gingerich, 25:49:40
4. Harvey Sweetland Lewis III, 26:15:31
5. Mark Matyazic, 26:24:42
6. Philip McCarthy, 26:52:01
7. Marco Farinazzo, 27:59:58
8. David Pioskonka, 28:31:50
9. Kurt Lindermuller, 29:21:12
10. Terry Sentinella, 29:40:24
11. Sumie Inagaki, 29:57:50
12. Dean Karnazes, 29:57:50
13. Jonathan Gunderson, 30:19:00
14. David Eadie, 30:24:22
15. David Jones, 30:33:19

Photo Credits:
Morton: Ian Courless/Talk Ultra
Inagaki: Ron Jones

Results

I received a mass email yesterday from the USATF 24 Hour National Championship race director. It said final results were posted on the website and that there were a few unclaimed awards. If you won an award send an email and it would be mailed to you.

I followed the link and looked at the results. I knew I didn't place in my age group, I finished six overall. I scrolled down to the Top 10 listings for men and women. I was very surprised and thrilled to see my name in tenth. I had no idea I placed in the Top 10.

I emailed the race director and she said my medal would be shipped out and I would receive it in a couple of days. I was so happy. I told my husband the good news and my Oiselle teammates on Twitter. I started receiving well wishes from my teammates and I replied back thanking them.

I checked my email about two hours later. I had another email from the race director. She said she was sorry. The results weren't updated before. Another woman finished ahead of me, putting her in 10th place. The USATF didn't mark her down as a member and skipped her in the final results. That lady completed two more laps then I did. With her moving up to 10th place, I was bumped down to 11th place.

I was bummed when I read that email. I announced just a few hours earlier that I finished in the Top 10 of a USATF National Championship. Now I had to write a follow-up tweet to make a correction. While writing the tweet, I realized that I moved down one spot. I finished 11th overall in the women's race at a national championship. Eleventh place is still a great accomplishment.

I plan on running the 24 Hour National Championship again in 2013. My goal is to run over 100 miles. I will not take a break or a rest until I reach 100 miles. After I reach my goal, then I can stop moving or take a nap. I will break into the Top 10. I will battle for an age group spot. Can't wait until then.

Planning

I think I have figured out my race schedule. It is not complete by any means. I just mapped out my summer and early fall races. Most of the races are local, which is always nice. It saves on gas and drive time.

I have a range of distances on the schedule so far: 5Ks, 10K, half marathon and an ultra. My big race for the fall is a 50 mile race in October. To help prepare myself for it, I thinking I may add a 50K in September as a training run.

I don't know how set in stone each of these races are. If something else pops up, I could end up skipping a race or two. Most of the races I picked are on back-to-back weekends. Maybe I won't feel like racing one week or I need a break. No race is really on my schedule until I send in the registration fee.

Looking ahead

The 2012 race season is just getting started and I am already thinking ahead to 2013.

I check the Mad City website probably once a month to see if a decision has been made about bringing back the Mad City 100K, which also serves as the USATF 100K National Championship. I was planning to run the 2012 Mad City 100K in Madison, Wisconsin. But it didn't happen because the race was suspended in 2012.

Tim Yanacheck, race director, announced on the website in late 2011 that the 100K race wouldn't take place in 2012. Only the 50K solo race and the 50K 5-person relay will be run. The reason that the race didn't take place in 2012 is because "The 2012 World Championship 100K race will be run in Italy on April 24. A US national championship 100K race in early 2012, but before April 24, is just not feasible. Considering the athletes' recovery time and travel expense, America's best ultramarathoners would have to skip the Mad City race in order to perform up to their potential at the Worlds. We can't stage a national championship that would exclude America's best," Yanacheck said.

I typed in the address to the Mad City 100K on Sunday morning. When the page opened, there was an announcement on the top of the page. It said that the Mad City 100K will be the site of the 2013 USATF 100K Championship on Saturday, April 20. I was thrilled. I mentioned to my husband that the race I wanted to run this year would be held again in 2013. I said that I wanted to run it. My plan for 2013 was to also run the USATF 24 Hour National Championships again. If the 24 Hour National Race is held the same time in 2013 as it was this year, it would be about two weeks apart. That meant I would have to skip the 24 Hour race. My husband asked why couldn't I run both?

That got me thinking. After the 50 mile race in North Carolina in March, I took a week off from running. Following the 24 Hour race in April, I was running again two days later. If I can bounce back that quickly from 85.5 miles, why wouldn't I be able to bounce back from 62 mile race? My goal for 2013 is to on the starting line of the both the USATF 100K National Championship and the USATF 24 Hour National Championship. It would be a fun way to start the 2013 racing season.

USATF 24 National Championship

I ran in the USATF 24 Hour National Championship Saturday-Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio. The .90075 mile course was in Edgewater Park right on the bank of Lake Erie. It was a windy, but nice and sunny day to run in the park.

The race started at 9 a.m. It was a little cool and windy with the breeze coming off the lake. I started the race wearing a jacket. I took my jacket off probably 10 miles in after warming up. At that time it was still cloudy. Soon the clouds disappeared into a sunny day. I forgot that I didn't put any sunscreen on, I stopped at my car to put some on. I put on SPF 50. That saved me from getting burned more than I already had.

The loop was a paved path around the park. It was flat except for a small incline heading out of the aid station and the timing area. The incline wasn't too steep, so I always ran it.

When the race started, I promised myself a break after I ran 50 miles. After 9.5 hours, I had run 50.4 miles/56 loops. I walked back to my car and sat down for a half hour. After the break was over, I was back to running. I ran another 10.1 miles (60.3 miles/67 laps) in three hours. Around 12:30 a.m., I decided to stop again and take a nap. I slept in the backseat of my car for 1.5 hours.

I stepped back on the path and started running again after my nap. During the loops, I ran the entire way. The only time I walked was through the aid station to pick up drinks, food and take electrolyte pills. I would eat and drink on my way out past the timing table and start running again. The start of lap 79 was just like the others. I was walking and it was time to run up the short hill. My legs didn't want to. I walked up the hill. When I was back on the flat surface, I tried to run again. My legs didn't want to do that. So I walked.

During the run, we could find out our lap count from the officials. That is how I knew I ran 50 and 60 miles. On my last lap running, I found out I just finished 78 laps. I ended up losing count while walking. A couple hours later, I asked how many laps I have completed. I was told 55. I said that was wrong. The officials said that they probably didn't add the results from the first six hours. They said they would straighten it out. A while later I was walking by the timing table, they said that I had 66 laps. I said that I ran 50 miles in 9.5 hours and 60 miles at 12.5 hours. And I said I was told I had 78 laps a couple of hours ago. I was so frustrated. Just before they told me this, I was having a hard time staying awake. I was swerving all over the path and could hardly keep my eyes open. It was then I decided after hearing the awful news, I would just to go back to my car and take a nap. I ended up taking a nap for almost three hours.

With less then two hours to go, I got back out of my car and started walking. I walked by the timing table and said that they had news for me. They now had an accurate count of my laps: 88. I was happy that they finally had the correct count. I got back on the path and finished the 24 hour run walking. I finished my last loop (95) with less then a minute to go.

I ran/walked for a total of 95 laps/85.5 miles. My goal coming into the event was 100 miles. According to the results, I was 33rd out of 94 people. I was a little sad that I didn't make it, but very happy with what I accomplished. I ran/walked for 19 hours. That is a long time to be on your feet and moving. Besides the sunburn I got, I wasn't in too much pain after the race. I was walking pretty normal, which really surprised me. No limping or hobbling around.

This race has a good chance of making it onto my 2013 schedule. It depends on a few of the other races I'm looking at. Besides the lap mix-up that was resolved, it was a very well run race. A nice and flat course. Wonderful views of Lake Erie and the Cleveland skyline. Tons of food and drink to go around at the aid stations, which it was very well stocked. Doctors and physical therapists were on-site if needed and plenty of portal-potties. I had a great time at the USATF 24 National Championships. I got to spend the day running with some awesome people.

Photo credit: John McCarroll

24 Hour National Championship

I will be driving to Cleveland, Ohio today and staying through Sunday morning. I will be running in the USATF 24 Hour National Championship Saturday and Sunday.

The 24 hour race starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning and ends on Sunday at 9 a.m. My goal heading into the weekend is to try run over 100 miles. Back in March, I ran/walked 50 miles in just over 11 hours on a hilly course. This course is not hilly. It is a flat loop. I'm hoping I can meet my goal since it is a flat course.

Besides trying to meet my goal mileage, I want to stay awake as long as I can. I was part of a Ragnar Relay team Chicago back in 2011. I only slept for 1-2 hours for the entire relay. I'm hoping to have the same kind of success of staying awake this time around. If not, I can walk off the course and take a nap in my car. If I choose to take a nap, it won't be for long. I need to get my miles in.

I'm looking forward to this new experience. It will be different from Ragnar Chicago because I'm depending on myself and not teammates. I want to see what I can do.

Decisions made

I decided on some races for the next couple months over the weekend. Of course I will be running plenty of 5/10Ks over the summer and fall months. But they are not listed here. Only the biggest races of the year.

I have officially entered three races: Dexter-Ann Arbor Run (13.1 miles - June 3), Ann Arbor Marathon (June 17) and Tussey Mountainback/USATF 50 Mile Championship (October 21).

I am very excited to run all three of these races. I like the variety of distances. All of these distances are challenges and I can't wait to tackle them.

Umstead 50 Mile Endurance Run photos

Umstead 50 Mile Endurance Run

Raliegh, North Carolina

March 31, 2012

Results:

Finish: 11:07:11

Overall: 35/91

Women overall: 11/30

Age group: 3/4

Photos by Ben Dillion & Marie Lewis

Race listings

My byline has been appearing in the local newspaper since 1999. I've been on TV several times (only in the background of sporting events I was working at). One of my photos was featured in an regional bridal magazine ad. I can now add another cool thing to the list. My name appeared twice in an national ultrarunning magazine.

I received the December 2011 issue of UltraRunning magazine in the mail last week. In this issue, two 50Ks that I ran in late September and early October, the race results were published.

My first 50K, Dances with Dirt in Hell, Michigan, I placed 83rd out of 135 people. My second 50K, Can Lake 50K in Canandaigua, New York, I placed 12th out of 31 finishers. I was the third overall woman.

Runners who finish a ultra will have their names listed in the magazine. I just think it is awesome to have my name appear twice in one issue. My name will be appearing in this magazine again in 2012 and hopefully for many years to come.

Major decisions

I decided over the weekend what my major races for 2012 will be. There are so many great races that it was difficult to make a decision.

-Umstead 50 Mile - Raleigh, NC - March 31, 2012
-Glass City Marathon - Toledo, OH - April 22, 2012
-NorthCoast 24-Hour Endurance Run - Cleveland, OH - September 22-23, 2012 (USATF National Championship)
-Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile - Boalsburg, PA - October 21, 2012 (Was the USATF National Championship in 2011. I'm hoping it is for 2012 as well.)

There could be one or two 50Ks added to my schedule, but I'm still undecided about those. They are close in date to races already on my list. I will wait until they get closer to make a final decision.

I decided to wait until 2013 to officially run a 100 Mile race. My goal for the NorthCoast 24 Hour is to run over 100 miles. That race is on a flat surface. I thought it was a great place to go for 100 miles without worrying about hills or twisting my ankle on a trail. In 2013, I'll try my luck on a course that isn't so flat.

Racing schedule

It is that time of the year where my current racing schedule is coming to an end. My final race of the 2011 season will be on November 12. It is a 5K in town. I did have plans that day to drive to Toledo, Ohio to watch the Great Lakes Cross Country Championships that same morning. But I decided to save gas, parking fees and entrance fees to stay in town and run a final race.

Now that the current season is basically complete, it is time to start planning for 2012. As of now, I have a couple of races scheduled:

- Frosty Five 5 mile trail run, February 11, 2012 - Adrian, MI
- Umstead 50 mile, March 31, 2012 - Raleigh, NC
- Glass City Marathon, April 22, 2012 - Toledo, OH
- Tussey Mountainback 50 mile, October 21, 2012 - Boalsburg, PA

One race missing from the list is the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon. I wanted to run it again but it is the same day as Tussey Mountainback 50M. I've done Detroit four times already. As much as I love Detroit, I want to run this new race.

I'm sure once the first of the year rolls around, I'll be adding more races to the list. My plan is to not run as many 5Ks as I did this year. The reason is because I want to run more ultras in 2012. Something that may help me is that I found a list of qualifying runs for Western States 100. I doubt I will ever run a WS 100, but the list is extremely helpful. There are races on the list that I didn't even know about. Just more things to think about as I put together my 2012 racing schedule.

Can Lake 50K photos

Photos of me on the Can Lake 50K course in Canandaigua, New York on October 8, 2011. Photography by Al Randt, Karl Marchenese and Mike Osborne.

Stats:
Finishing time: 5:45:48
Overall runner: 12/31
Female overall: 3/12
Age group: 1/5

Can Lake 50K

I ran the Can Lake 50K Saturday in Canandaigua, New York. This course had so many hills and inclines. The was the hilliest road course I've ever run. I walked up about 4 or 5 major climbs and heading into the aid stations. Other then that, I ran the rest of the course. The course ended on a huge hill. I really wanted to run up the hill, but there was no way. I ended up power walking the hill. When the hill flattened out, I ran to the finish line.

The weather was about 80 degrees and very sunny. A couple of times during the race, we were really close to Canandaigua Lake. I just wanted to jump in. The weather was perfect for swimming. With the warm weather and the sun beating down on me, I got a major sunburn on my arms, neck and forehead. I was wearing a visor, but some of the visor didn't cover my forehead. The warm weather really didn't effect my running. I just keep running and drinking water from my Camelbak. At the aid stations I drank water, Heed (sports energy drink) and pop. The only real food I had was M&M's. The aid stations had sandwiches, pretzels, bananas and some other stuff, but I didn't want any of it. When I was on the course, I ate Clif Shot Blocks.

During the race, three guys and I were leapfrogging each other. At one point, I would be ahead, then they would pass me. We would then come to an aid station and I would beat them out. A couple of miles down the road, the guys would catch me again. At the final aid station about 3-4 miles away from the finish, all three guys were there around same time. I noticed one guy was stretching, another was eating and I don't know what the other guy was doing. I got something to drink and grabbed some M&M's and left. Only one of the guys passed me again. He passed me with two miles to go. I wanted to catch him, but my legs couldn't go any faster.

I really enjoyed the road 50K. It was nice not to trip over branches, tree roots and rocks. At one point during the race I almost twisted my left ankle twice. A fresh batch of gravel was put down on a road. I couldn't see the low spots in the road and almost rolled my ankle twice. I was happy to get through it injury free.

I finished the 50K in 5:45:45. I placed 12th overall and was first in my age group. I was shocked when I found out about my placing. I thought there were more people ahead of me. In the future, I might do this race again. If I do, I will definitely do more hill intervals. I had a good base coming in, but I want to be better.

New York

My husband and I drove to the great state of New York Wednesday morning. The trip to New York has a propose. A race.

I will be running my second ultramarathon Saturday morning. It is the Can Lake 50K in Canandaigua, New York. I'm really looking forward to this 50K. Unlike my first 50K (Dances with Dirt - Hell, Michigan) this is a road race. I won't have to worry about tripping over tree branches, rocks or walking in water. Another great thing about this race is my time should be faster. I ran DWD in seven hours. I'm hoping to run this ultra in five to six hours. One factor that could slow my time is the weather. The race starts at 10 a.m. and it is supposed to reach 80 degrees. I'm hoping to get through these 31 miles without any issues.

Besides driving to New York for a race, my husband and I have done some sightseeing. We first stopped at Niagara Falls. The falls were gorgeous. Especially with the rainbow that formed by the falls. After visiting the Falls, we headed to Rochester to check into our hotel. On the second day, we visited the Rochester Institute of Technology campus and the Barnes and Noble bookstore at RIT. We stopped at RIT because my husband attended there for two and a half years. Following RIT, our next stop was the Mt. Hope Cemetery. Famous people that are buried there are Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Besides visiting their grave sites, I had my camera out photographing beautiful cemetery statues and mausoleums. I could have spent the entire day there. So many things to see and photograph.

We left the cemetery around lunchtime and I called Oiselle teammate Jen. My husband and I had lunch with her at Nick Tahou's. That restaurant is famous for their Garbage Plates. I didn't get one, but Jen and my husband did. It looked good, but I wasn't that hungry. After lunch, my husband took some photos of Jen and I. Jen is a fantastic runner and person. I was so glad to finally meet her.

Our next stop was the Susan B. Anthony House. When my husband and I are on vacation, we always stop at places that are history related. We were given a tour of the house she lived in and learned about her life and work. My favorite thing at the house was a dress that she wore. It was a black silk dress and very lovely, especially for the time period she wore it in. After the house tour, we headed across town to the George Eastman House and International Museum of Photography and Film. Loved looked at the camera's that were used throughout the years. I really loved Eastman's home. So grand. At the Eastman house, I learned that he committed suicide. His suicide note was on display. It was eerie to see. Eastman died with a gunshot to the heart at the age of 77. His note read, "Dear Friends, My Work is done. Why wait?"

This trip isn't over yet. I still have a race to run. But I have been enjoying so far. Upstate New York is a wonderful place to visit. I hope we can make it back again.

Dances with Dirt 50K photos

Race photos from Dances with Dirt - Hell were released on Sunday. Here are a few of the photos of me taken by Greg Sadler Photography.