100k WC 2011

100k WC 2011

Gagarin Half Finish

Gagarin Half Finish
Gagarin Half Finish

Awards Gagarin Half

Awards Gagarin Half
Awards Gagarin Half

Cosmonauts give out the awards:)

Cosmonauts give out the awards:)
Cosmonauts give out the awards

snowshoe

snowshoe

Monday, October 17, 2011

Harvest Run 5k Lake Forest Il 16-October

Last year I foolishly skipped this race because I wasn't sure how to get there. I have not lived in these parts since I got out of college and didn't feel like fumbling around in the dark early AM looking for the place. Yeah...should have taken the Garmin and fumbled. I actually had confused Lake Forest Academy with the college. The college was in our conference when I competed for Beloit College 92-96. Anyhow, this time I figured it out and it only took me 30 min to find...w/o traffic of course!DUH! My brother was right- the area was really pretty and the campus was beautiful too. Lake Forest Academy puts this one on and the course meanders around campus. This is by NO MEANS a FAST course as it's off/on road which makes proper shoe selection difficult. Road flats suck on the gravel and mud sections but waffles suck on too much pavement. Spikes were out since it was not all off road. This is the first speedwork I've done since Gzhel 2 weeks ago. Back to work now and I need to get speed up before the end of the month. I'm leaning toward doing the 50k instead of 50 mi because if I can get my speed up I have a real shot at the course record.....knock on wood. 6:53 is the 50 mi record and I'm not sure I could make it under 7 but who knows my 100k split had me just over 7.
So this course started on pavement then we hit some gravel/grass around the lake then back on pavement til 3k . From 3to just over 4k was mud/gravel mix with some minor hills.  Leonid finished 2nd overall but NOT A FAST COURSE -he eeked in barely under 19 min -2 min slower than he ran in NYC 6 weeks ago in steaming heat but on the track. I was just over 20 -also needs to be noted that the course was 100m long-strange in my races in the US this rarely happens as I've run most races here and they are accurate to within a couple few meters. Ah well! I finished first among the women and I believe there were 4 guys ahead of me. Will check results when they come out. I was over a min  off of where I was when I ran Luzhniki just before the 100k. On a flat paved course as Luzhniki was I'd be much closer to that performance from early Sept. I actually ran pretty even today despite the funky terrain.
The race was very well organized and there were students on each turn to keep folks like us from getting lost! I got a gift certificate to the running shop(will put that to good use this week:)) Legs had more pep today than a week ago. Yeah I suspect the strain from the flight over did indeed play more of a role than not being fully recovered from the 100k when I ran the marathon a week ago. Next yr,I won't be a dork and miss this one.



                                                      This woman is ranked 21st in the world in stair climbing(yup where you   race to the top of skyscrapers)




Chicago Marathon

Sometimes you go to the store and make an impulse buy every now and then...well if ever I ran an impulse marathon this was it. Let's see....I originally signed up before i was officially selected for the 100K Worlds. After it was certain I'd be running the 100k, I had Chicago on the back burner as my fall backup race in case of injury or illness or whatever that might keep me out of the Worlds.  There was no way in holy hell i was going to run the marathon 4 weeks off the 100 much less expect to do well. 6-8 weeks I would give myself as BARE BONES MINIMUM to run a marathon for time after the 100k.
I had actually signed up to volunteer at the first water station. I had signed up Leonid too and he did get to be water boy and had fun. The Alpine Runners do the first water stop. I used to run with these guys before I left for Alaska in the 90s. I have known many of the runners since I was indeed a high school brat. The president is also the race director for the Lakefront 50/50. I do have to say that of all the running clubs I have ever run with anywhere in the world(and I'm well travelled) this has got to by far be the most friendly and social group I have ever come across.
So recovery was going well before i left Moscow and i was coming off the 100 fast. After the 10k in Gzhel I figured I'd do Chicago...under one condition...that it won't be hot. Skip it and do a 30-35k training run was the plan in case of heat. Just before I flew out Vitargo offered to sponsor me for this race. I was honest and said the Lakefront50/50 is the goal on the 29th. I'm flying in last minute and will likely make Chicago a glorified training run.
Smthg like every yr since 2007 save for 09  Chicago was hot again- by 10AM the temp read 28C. Chicago was indeed a glorified training run. My legs were kind of stuck in medium gear all day. I seriously think the fact I flew in 4 days before the start and had little time to rest up played more a role than the fact I ran a 100k did. When I used to run Chicago FAST I flew in 7-9 days before if coming from Russia. 3 days would suffice when I still lived in Alaska. So I just stuck to the plan and used this as my intermediate long run between the 100k and the 50/50.

On Friday and Saturday, I stayed with Masha- a mutual friend of a long time friend of mine- Dasha:) Leonid and I walked Wrigleyville the day before. I'd say it's been a good 20+yrs since I've been to a Cubs game!

















Monday, October 3, 2011

Busy Times 2k 2mi 10k.....

I've been using short races to get speed up and maintain fitness post 100K since recovery is still going well,knock on wood. 24 Sept, I ran and won an XC 2K here in Moscow. Time not bad as it was definitely not a fast surface-crushed limestone 7.25(still better than sptingtime though on fast pavement...hmmm). Busy weekend it was I then followed up w/ a 2 mile I used strictly as speedwork -finished 3rd overall 2nd in my division just over 12 min-speed is really beginning to come back now. OK I needed to work on speed and endurance for this workout so after I ran the women's 2 mi I jumped into the men's which started about 15 min later. I planned to run 4/mink and that's just what i did finished 12.49 not pushing the pace but running at steady effort. 2Oct. winter is on its merry way and with temps barely above freezing, I went to Gzhel for the 10k. Plan here was to start at 4 min pace and slowly pick up but the gale force winds put a damper on that. I ran steady save for the few k dead into the wind that were just over 4 min then compensated and ran the sheltered sections of the course sub 4 closing w/ a 3.49. I finished 5th and got a pretty ceramic teapot from Gzhel- they are famous for their beautiful porcelain works.I have always liked their work and the pretty blue and white colors they use.  I fly to the US just 5 days before the Chicago Marathon. I have a number and if my legs feel OK and it's NOT above 20C, I might do it as an intermediate long run between the 100K and theChicago Lakefront 50/50. I don't want to trash  my speed again because if speed is good, I may try for the course record in the 50K if I'm having a good day.
                                                              2mile SriChinmoy (they put on very well organized races )




                                                                 2k
                                                                          2k
                                                                                                  2mi
                                                                                2mi
very pretty teapot from Gzhel

snowshoe

snowshoe