Archive for the ‘Running’ Category

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Running – Ralston Creek Half Marathon

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

Clare Running the Ralston Creek Half Marathon
Ralston Creek Half Marathon Picture Courtesy of SkiPix.com

My friend Linda signed up to run the Ralston Creek Half Marathon, in part to celebrate turning 60 (back in Dec). She asked me if I wanted to run it with her, so of course I signed up. Besides, I figured I could work it in as part of my Ultramarathon training.

At the race, they served chicken noodle soup at the finish line, so that was an extra special treat. I would definitely recommend running Ralston Creek in the future. It was very organized and professional!

I ran the race very smart and achieved a time right in the range my coach suggested: 8 min 16 sec/mile pace. I was 9th place in my age/gender division. Yay!

I could have run faster, but I’m really happy I played it cool. Running a half is so much faster than I had been training; even at the “slow pace” I ran, I still managed to tweak my foot! Thank goodness the tweak healed a few weeks later and just in time for my Ultra race!

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Training for Way Too Cool

Monday, December 10th, 2012

For the Way Too Cool Race in March, my coach, Lea, sent me bi-weekly training schedules. It was very cool to have her taking the guess work out of things. Every day, I merely looked on the fridge and followed the plan. It was so easy!

It was also nice because Lea mixed things up; I never did the same run twice. One day I’d do hills, another I’d do a time trial, another I’d do sprinting. The variety kept me excited and engaged. When it was time for my “lunch” time run, I was out the door!

I love running in the winter time, so most of my runs were in cold weather and about half of them were in 1 to 5 inches of snow! The snow runs were the best though, because it was so easy on my knees. Also, if I fell, there was no penalty…just, POOOF!, and I’d disappear in a cloud of white puffy stuff.
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I Won The Lottery…

Saturday, December 8th, 2012

For the Way Too Cool 50K endurance race! I can’t believe I won a spot to participate in this much sought after race!

Way Too Cool is a very special 50k trail race near Auburn, CA. Only 1000 participants are selected, so it’s a small yet premier event. The race is on the same trail as the Western States 100 Mile Ultra and the single track trail is absolutely gorgeous!

While I was waiting for the lottery results, I started looking for a coach. Also, during the month of November, I had slowly ramped up my running to a base level fitness, in anticipation of winning the chance to run. When I finally found my coach Lea, I was up to 1 hour of running 6 days a week. I hoped it would be sufficient, as race day was only 3 months away.

My largest concern was being healthy on race day. Would my body hold up during training for this 50K? Would I find the right nutritional balance? Would I enjoy the race?

With Lea as my coach I felt much more assured of having a positive outcome. After our first telephone conference, I was sure she was the right fit. She has years of experience in coaching as well as the education and skills to provide first rate training plans. She sent me my first 2 week schedule and I was jazzed, there was an awesome mix of strength and endurance; plus extra curricular activity (not just running)!

Now, I just had to do what Lea says and with a bit of luck, I’d be running all the Way Too Cool!

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Running – Federal Cup 5K Race – TRICARE TRI-UMPHANTS Win (again…!)

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

2012 Federal Cup 5K Race Champions
TRICARE TRI-UMPHANTS Win Federal Cup 5K Race (Picture Courtesy of Greg)

The day after climbing Swanson’s Arete, I competed in the 2012 Federal Cup 5K Race. It’s an annual event, with participation from various federal agencies in Denver. TRICARE TRI-UMPHANTS are the reigning champs, so I was excited to be part of the team in defense of our title.

I was pretty worn out from climbing the stairs up the side of the Redgarden formation, so I wasn’t expecting to win (like I did last year!). I ended up getting 7th place out of 105 women and 2nd place out of the 33 women in my age category, with a time of 22:55 (7:23 min/mile pace). Not too shabby, but definitely short of my goal (under 22 minutes).

The crux of the race was the incessant rain. My poneytail was totally soaked and it kept thwapping me in the face, which wasn’t all that pleasant! However, I felt very comfortable running in the cold. It was a nice contrast to the heat from the year prior. All in all a superb event and I’m glad I ran.

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Trail Running – CMC Doudy Draw and South Mesa Trails

Saturday, March 17th, 2012

In the month of March, I led two fantastic trail runs for the Colorado Mountain Club. Trail running trips were a totally new option for the CMC Boulder Group! I had to write guidelines and get them approved before I could take victims (I mean participants!) out on the trails.

CMC Trail Runners Near Mesa Trail
March 3, 2012 Wayne, Susan, Dough (back row), Clare and Daniel in front row. Great day for a run!

The first run was on the South Mesa Trail at the base of the flatirons, just south of Boulder, CO. We had a small but intrepid group. The wind was fierce, but we all still had a great time.

St Patrick's Day Run
March 17, 2012 Dan & Joan, Dennis & Clare, and Doug about to have a great run!

The second run was up the Doudy Draw, at the mouth of Eldorado Canyon. I really like the Doudy Draw trail because it starts out steep, but as you climb up the draw, the views open up and the way back is a scream!

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