Lots of Racing

Well, It's been a busy month indeed. I pretty much spent it racing myself back into speed shape. After that 1000m run, I joined the parkrunners 2 days later on Saturday morning for a 5k xc run on my daily stomping grounds. I figured, why not? They are meeting up 1500m from my door so I don't have to go anywhere; I'll just run to the start and then take my handheld so I can refill after the run and finish my 25k that was on the menu. The parkrunners organize 5ks every Saturday in various parks in Moscow and Kuzminki (where I train daily) was the site for this run. These guys do a nice job of organizing the runs and it's a nice alternative to my secondary speed workout on weekends I'm not racing. 

http://parkrunmoscow.ru/

more pics here-

http://parkrunmoscow.ru/476

Pictures were taken on the only paved section of the course. :) Ducklings are swimming in the ponds.

...And then there was the Kremlin Mile four days later on the 12th. This year was very different from last. After about 300m, I was all alone and Lena didn't challenge me this year. She actually ended up 2nd and 18 seconds back much to my surprise. I never ever imagined I'd win this. I've been running the Kremlin Mile off and on since 2000 and ended up 2nd or 3rd a couple few times, but never won. It's not my distance after all. So this was really nice!

                                       Lena and Ana and I before the start (our winter mile crew)

                                              Pink ravens really DO FLY!

                                                    first 800

2nd 800 all alone

Four days later... It was the Zelenograd Half. This year, Boris Prokopiev was back in the driver's seat so I knew this would be well organized. Honestly, after last  year, I had no longer planned to run this race because since Boris had not been in the driver's seat the past few years, it had only gone downhill. Actually, had Boris not stepped up to the plate this year, it would have been cancelled since the new organizers refused to hold it simply because it was "not profitable"! This year's half was hot as holy hell with temps hitting 32C by the finish! Needless to say, just ran for place not time since top 6 got nice prizes from Saucony.

Here is a big shout out and thanks to Boris for not letting one of the top half marathons in Russia die off. Nice job! Oh and super nice job measuring the course accurately to the meter!!!YAY for good organizers!

                                           hotass hell and wishing for Alaska!

6 Days later on the 22nd- 11pm we had our Night Run 10k. Honestly, the weather was perfect- 15C and a little rain. It was cool during the day too. I really truly felt the strength in my legs at full throttle for the first time since the 100k during a set of 16x200repeats  three days earlier. I was nailing them mid upper 30s with ease for the first time since I did that workout before the half in Zvezdniy 2 months ago knowing it would be a while before I could again. I was ready to run a FAST half. There was a half 2 hours out of town and supposedly with a prize purse. So before planning to drag my ass up at 5:30 to travel over 2 hours by train to the start, Coach called to get info from the RD. Well, I've never been afraid to speak the truth and call a spade a spade, but they are just a bunch of sexist a-hole PIGS! Sorry, but seriously, WTF???Prize $ for MEN ONLY? Eff you and your sexist perspective. So, what for the same distance men get paid and women no????  I skipped that race just out of principle. They don't deserve to have ANY women race out there if that's the case. Screw the whole damn thing! I really didn't want to run the 10 to be honest. I recovered quickly off of Zelenograd and felt up to a FAST HALF! So, I got stuck doing the 10. I am a night owl so felt much better racing at 11pm. I started out a little slower in the first 5k then picked up to finish with an overall pace of 3.55/km or moreover my first decent speed sine April to be honest. 10k is more where it should be and 3 min faster than it was when I was still very much recovering in May. The  weather also helped big time. 

                                               Midnight Run anyone?

The next day I went out and eeked in 35k because the weather forecast was for hellhot heat to begin the day after that. Midweek I did a bitchin long workout that included a crapton of 800s (15). Saturday the 29th, I joined the parkrunners again for my secondary speedworkout of the week at the 5k. This time it was on the riverfront path. I needed to get in 25k with a 5-6k pickup in there and this would get me started by 9AM to avoid the low 30s temps by lunchtime. HA by 9AM it was already very HOT and HUMID! The humidity could kill a horse! Sooooooo I just did this as a nice tempo run. I had 3 guys just a little ahead of me to pull me along this time too. 

                                                 speedy skirts :=)

So what's on the table for July? How about getting back to training normally?! This time of year it's hot and I just need to maintain fitness so I can run FAST again when temperatures drop off again in the fall. I'll do the 2 mile xc run on the 6th then maybe a 10k the 13th (we shall see as a 1PM start in the heat of JULY is really not smart), and the last Wednesday of the month I might run the 15k xc run as a tempo run 10 days out from the half the first weekend in August where I'd like to run well it it's not 30C which it very well could be.

Oh and we have yet another monkey wrench again. I wasn't planning to run 100k Worlds in South Africa simply because the trip is way beyond my budget (or yes, I would go). Well, now it's in question again which is really getting ridiculous because athletes need to PLAN THEIR FALL SEASONS usually months out! If by chance Worlds get moved to Europe or even somewhere in North America though unlikely, I will go. Here is the latest from IAU:

IAU 100K World Championships South Africa October 2013.  Don’t buy cheap flights yet!

We announced on May 13^th that the IAU and the IAAF Road Running Commission had confirmed the IAU 100K World Championships would be held in South Africa on 26^th October 2013.   However, 

 since then some local actions  have led to issues being raised with Athletics South Africa (ASA).  ASA  have full IAAF support for dealing with these but it does mean that we might need to move the site for the IAU 100K World Championships either in South Africa or elsewhere. So we recommend to our Member Federations that they do not try to get extra cheap deals to South Africa until this is sorted.

Watch out for further news.

Hilary
Hilary Walker
IAU General Secretary

Reflections

Pink Ravens fly fast...

                                                    Pics by Misha Burdov and Andrey Sedin

So on Tuesday morning, I awoke from one of the more vivid dreams I've been having as of late. I remember getting some grant to go to a conference in Anchorage. I could have cared less about the conference and just cared about getting back to the old stomping grounds. That's pretty much what I did too. I remember arriving and it was still winter with snow and ice on the ground. I remember going to some conference room not really giving a rat's a$$ about the conference but just looking for a phone. It was sort of like being in jail and I was looking for that one phone call, seriously. SO I remember pretending to slip out to use the toilet and down a corridor where I found a phone. Hey, fresh off the plane from out of the US means cell phone no worky I guess. I found a phone in some office, but there was no dial tone. I just wanted to dial an old friend and surprise them (and get the hell away from whatever obligation brought me there in the first place and go back to living my life). I dialed anyways but could barely make out the voice on the other end. Screw it, I just up and ran out and headed to where I needed to go. I went up to the person's house, knocked on the door,and the last thing I remember was said person opening the door. Even before I got there I still remembered the details inside the house, the colors of the walls. Well, apparently my long term memory is up and functioning. I woke up basically feeling more along the lines of W T F!? I got breakfast and went out to run and pondered it all for a bit. Where the hell did that come from? Then it all started making too much sense. It was June 4th- the day I left Anchorage, EIGHT YEARS AGO only to show up here 2 days later. Holy hell where did the time go and seriously, what have I really got to show for it? Prison- yeah that has to be about how I've been trying to get back to my old school district just out of Anchorage the better part of 3+ years now but there simply are no jobs. The feeling of just wanting to ditch whatever project that brought me back to Anchorage in the first place- yeah that was about being sick of all the instability and just wanting good ol' stability again on the work front. Oh, and the friend, sometimes we don't realize how important some people are in our lives until we up and leave them very far behind. :-( That was it, those thoughts left me feeling craptastically bummed and pretty effing sad the rest of the week.

Those of you who know me know that when I left in 2005 I NEVER intended to be gone this long. I planned to do the expat thing for 3-5 years to save and buy a house, do some travelling while I still can, and then go back and work my last few years to full retirement. The first few years I had the door wide open to go back too with openings back in the bilingual department too but I just said," Oh, I'll stay out one more year..." and then the doors slammed shut with the economic crisis in 09 and things have pretty much been in purgatory since with no sigh of moving anytime soon. So here it is in a nutshell- I burned my 20s in Fairbanks only to have a couple fun years just out of Anchorage until I was 30. That was the case of perfect job, nice group of friends, but at the wrong time in my life -I wanted to get out and live a little and travel before I got too old to do it. So my 30s got burnt in Moscow. Eight years is a lot of time. Sure, I've had some great experiences and met some cool people, but I can't even long term plan like I used to and that bugs me to no end. All I know is that something has to give and sooner than later. Major decisions need to be taken and I need to think about my future because, no I do not want to work in an unstable environment until I die. Oh and to add insult to injury, had I never left and taken a 3 yr buyout in the Alaska system, this would have been my last year -20 yrs in at age 38 or worse case scenario call it a day without the buyout at age 41. I was 21 when i was hired originally. I knew that and figured even with a time out here in Moscow for a few years, I could still stand a chance to retire in my mid 40s like many of my coworkers did and they travelled and some even went to teach in diplomatic schools overseas.

So, those are my deep dark thoughts of the week which brings us back to running. Running is actually the only constant  through all my crazy globe trotting and moving around, that's the one thing that's always been my go to. So on Thursday the 6th we had the 2nd 1000m run at Moscow State in our 1000m series. With all that's been on my mind, donning the pink Skinny Raven singlet was kind of a no brainer. Yeah this pink raven's wings can still fly fast. Actually, I got a very unexpected surprise from the PR Fairy and beat my 1000m track PR from last year. That did help me feel a bit better after all the melancholy of the previous days.

                                                     passing at 700m

                                                    finish

                                                            first 300

                                                       still chicking the boys

It still won't take away those occasional dreams at night I still have of running up onto the mountains just in time to catch the pink moment before sunset. Mountain running? You bet your sweet ass I miss it be it mountain races from Alaska to Vermont or showshoeing up the side of a mountain in the winter.

Baby Steps Back

Well actually, it's more or less been one step forward only to take three back.  Humpty Dumpty has fallen very far off the wall. I run a marathon or a 50k and maybe lose speed for a week and a half -2weeks. I run a 100k and life just stops speed wise for a month. I haven't bothered posting lately because I've been recovering and to be honest, I have nothing I can honestly say I'm proud of performance wise at all since the 100k. I had a feeling it would take me at least a month if not more to really get any kind of speed back in my legs after the 100 because the course was a helluva lot harder this year and a PR effort on a difficult course would likely screw up most of the rest of my season. Sadly, I have concluded I was spot on with that. I did take Igor's advice though and as painful as it is, he's right. Once your legs start moving again you have to run some shorter races even though it's tough and it sucks, so you can get your speed back. Many ultrarunners ignore the short races and their speed tanks big time as a result. He is the Russian national 100k champ so he must know right :-) I remember 2 days before I ran the half in Zvezdniy April 21st, I did 20x 200s in the mid 30s and after that was pretty sad. I was sad because I knew it might be several weeks before I'd be able to do that with ease again. 

 I did much of nothing but really easy running over the first couple of weeks taking my usual 2-3 days totally off then baby steps back as I feel like it. On lucky day 13, I decided to grossly attempt a time trial...well just run the summer opening stage in the 2 mi xc series. I won that but the time was not good- 13.10 against last year's 12.47 in week 2  off the 100k.  I would rather DFL with a solid performance than win with a performance close to what is snail's pace for me. Albeit it was tough to really compare times because this year the course was muddy and slick and last year it was dry and fast. Things had not yet dried up after the spring meltoff. This was more or less a barometer race to see if I should even bother to toe the starting line of the 10k 2 days later. My legs still have zero speed in them. It would be easier for me to go run a marathon at 4.30-40/km pace than it would be to run something short and fast right now. Oh, wait a minute, I did that last year 4 weeks off the 100 and it worked, and would likely have this year, but our spring marathon was effectively killed by goons this year. BOO HISS! 

                                        Awards for the winter Nov-April 2mi xc series

So this brings us to the 10k on May 12th or rather EPIC FAIL number two. There was a 10 or a half. Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of last yr and try a half just 2 weeks off the 100k, I opted for the 10 this time. With temps hovering around 33C-yeah record heat for this early in May, and not a cloud in the sky, it was apparent at least I made one right decision. I wasn't expecting to burn the barn down here, but seriously, it was the same pace I ran may "training half" at 6 days before the 100k where I was hardly working. Now, that's as fast as I can go and even that is an effort. Sucktastic! 2 weeks have passed, and my speed is still very much in the toilet. I managed to finish 7th-good enough to win a nice pair of shoes from Adidas they gave to top 8. Yes, it was hot, but I'm really not going to use that as an excuse. It's just so obvious I'm still recovering.

10 was Sunday, I was due for some speedwork on Wednesday. Our 1000m run at Moscow State just happened to be on Wednesday. Time to kill 2 birds with one stone. Last yr 2.5 weeks off the 100k my 1000 time was a pitiful 3.31. This year, I mustered up a 3.26. Hmmm maybe there is still hope for my dead legs. That was good enough to finish top woman. I then jumped into the 2 slower heats after mine for some easy speedwork and did 2 more in 3.45. 

                                           my BUTT! LOL

Ok workouts are finally starting to be where they should. On Saturday I did 12x400 up the paved hill in the park in 83-85....more normal. 3 days later 8x800 2.58-56 by all means I should be worst case scenario ready to run a 10 in just over 40 best- back to 39s. My goal was to run my first REAL race back after the 100k at the New Balance 10k on May 25. This would be right at 4 weeks after and theoretically, (theoretically) I should have some semblance of legs by then....THEORETICALLY. Well, it's rained nearly every day for 2 weeks making the trails a mudfest. This year, the 10k was not on the paved loop we are used to but mostly on trails in a different park. The day before, a friend who lives near the course went to sniff out the situation. Translation- he said be ready to run a steeplechase through mud, puddles, pea gravel, etc. NOT A FAST COURSE. OK, I'll wear dark colors that hide the dirt best. After all that rain, it was 28C and nice and HUMID just in time for the run. I felt completely like shit after just over 7k and figured out I didn't have enough to drink in the morning. Stupid me only drank about a liter in the morning which is more akin to what I would need on a colder day. I was dry as a bone and no, my legs still have NO speed. Oh, for the love of God, this is ridiculous. Finish, only a few seconds better than what I did 13 days earlier at the 10k, and my number started to fall off from the humidity. Ok, it was good enough for 2nd, but again, totally sub par and craptastic performance. I did get a nice gift certificate to the NB store for about 200 bucks. though. 

                                               10k in Sokolniki

                                                     awards

Sooooo the first weekend of June was unexpectedly mucked up. I had planned to run the 2 mile xc on June 1st- FAST. I had another decent midweek speed session. Well, the Moscow Masters CHamps were suddenly moved to June 1 -2. Seriously? The 5000 was on the 2nd. Wellllllll  if I sit out the 2 mile I give up my spot in the season standings- ummm no really hate to have to do that. The solution- sandbag the 2 mile for points and run the 5000 and 800 for real. The only problem is that I get more tired from dragging my ass up too early in the morning and hauling it nearly an hour and a half ( 20-25 min walk to the xc site one way) to run than the actual running itself. I did indeed sandbag finishing 3rd in 13.27-first mile 7.05 2nd 6.22 because I worked the final 800 as planned and no more. I felt so ready to run a low 12, but had to hold back.  I cannot go 100% 2 days in a row. I never have been able to. I can if I have a day in between but NO WAY does all out fast work 2 days in a row, not effing way! In a 5000 on a day 2 race I lose 20-40sec much like I did back in college when i had to run the 10 on day 1 and the 5 on day 2. I lost 40 sec running the 2 mi xc the day after an 18.42 5k last fall. So I had to sandbag this.The course was even muddier this time than it was in May. I really wasn't tired and did't bust my butt here. What did it, was the getting up and dragging my sorry ass there and back. I slept most of the afternoon after that stunt. 

Well the final EPIC FAIL OF ALL EPIC FAILS since the 100k would be said 5000. This was just F-bad. For the first time in over a yr, I didn't even break 19-that alone qualifies for EPIC FAILURE. 5 weeks off a 100k and still can't run sub 19. Oh and the 800- well that was after the 5 so hard to determine the degree of epic failure here but it was 7 sec WORSE than I ran in flipping December. I ran the 800 first though in December, but still these 2 races take the cake for FAIL. I won both but honestly, it was embarrassing to run a 5 nearly A MINUTE  slower than I had been consistently running  them the past 2 seasons. I have run better sick with a cold! Sadly, the only thing I have succeeded in doing is royally effing up the rest of my season by running another spring 100k. I have decided I am best to leave the 100ks and other bigger ultras (stuff over 50km) for the END of the season only. If I run a 50 miler or a 100k late fall, who cares how much time I end up losing to recover if it's the end of season and time to be resting anyways? Plus, I have the season to run some marathons and fast halves to prepare better for a fall ultra or 2. Spring is the worst time to do a major ultra because, yes it trashes most of the rest of the season. I didn't run well til Kremlin Mile time last yr and then at the Luzhniki Half 2 months after 100k Worlds. May sucked last year too, but it seems to be sucking equally if not more this yr.The Mile is the 12th and the Zelenograd Half is the 16th. At this point I highly doubt I could even run a 5.30 mile much less a mid 1:20s half, so I'm probably skipping both now as I fail to see the point in running these sub par and saying to hell with it til possibly the fall. 5 weeks have gone by, and speed is still so in the gutter, so I think I'm done this year and to have to say that midseason is just effing depressing.