Late Summer Race and Training Update

Summer is flying. I can't believe it's almost Labor Day already! Where does the time go? I've had a pretty good training cycle for Erie. I'll be doing one final race this weekend to prepare, which is the Moebius 50K in Aurora, OH. I ran this a couple years back coming off of my 100 and pacing Steve for BR so hopefully I'll be a little faster this time - although my main goal is to get in one last kick ass workout leading up to race day at Presque Isle in a couple of weeks.

A few weeks ago I raced the Hofbrauhaus Half Marathon in Cleveland and that went pretty well. Despite some nasty cramping the last few miles I set a new personal record of 1:37 and change and although the course was a smidge short I am counting it :) I was able to grab 1st in my AG in that race and enjoyed the post race beer in the mug that they gave me for winning the AG. Steve also set a new smoking fast PR of 1:25 and change and won his AG. That's a pretty good birthday present! After the post-race party there we headed over to Masthead Brewing with friends for lunch and another pint.

post race celebratory beer at Shot in the Dark!

Next up was the Hermes Shot in the Dark 4 mile race in downtown Cleveland. I was not sure how I would do in a night race but it went better than I expected especially because my warm-up was so crappy! I took off fast with a 6:23 first mile then slowed down when I realized this pace would crush me for 4 miles. I had some GI cramps last mile or so but was able to stay on a 7 flat pace to finish it up in 27 and change (6:54 pace) and finished first female (woohoo)! The post race Great Lakes Holy Moses was refreshing after that warm sufferfest. Steve ended up placing 3rd male and we both won gift certificates to Winking Lizard and Dicks as well as a bottle opener (you can never have too many of those). The morning after the race we suffered through a hot and painful 20 miler but got it done ending the week with about 60 miles.

Last week was a little lighter and partly because my long run Saturday was a fail (was going to do 18-20 but dropped at 11 due to a tight hamstring). This week I will get in about 20-25 before Moebius and then run my 31 there to end the week with 50-55 miles before starting the taper for Erie! I am actually looking forward to the taper I think, which is weird for me but will see how I feel closer to the race.

The next post will probably be an update about Erie so wish me luck!

Moebius Green Monster 50K Race Report

This race has been on my bucket list for a few years since I started focusing on longer distance running. It's generally in August, which has usually conflicted with my triathlon schedule. Since I am not racing any tris this season and I have leftover endurance from the Canal Corridor 100 I figured why not have a go at it this year. Still, this one hurt more than I thought it would - maybe still fatigued from all the long races this year. Either way it was a good course and I would like to do it again.

Sunny Lake - photo credit - Rob Irr

The course is a 10K loop that you complete five times. The loop consists of mostly trail and grass with some cinder and a bit of asphalt mixed in throughout Sunny Lake Park in Aurora, Ohio. I was feeling pretty good for the warm up loop and for the second loop until it started relentlessly pouring rain. Yuck! This caused me to slow down for a while because I was sliding around too much in the mud and grass and I didn't want to fall. Coming through the aid station to start my third loop I was feeling a little soggy and defeated. I headed to the ladies room and used the hand dryer to try and take some of the moisture out of my clothes.

The third loop went okay but I turned too soon off the cinder road into the trails and ended up repeating a mile+ loop, which set me back a good 10-15 minutes. I wasn't happy about it but it's easy to take a wrong turn in a trail race so I just moved on kind of annoyed with myself. It warmed up and I started to dry off but my legs felt tired. I thought to myself maybe just finish this loop and call it a day - that would give me a solid 18. But I couldn't just quit just because I felt blah! I signed up for a 50K - not an 18 miler. I reluctantly started the 4th loop and it was a real doozy and I walked quite a bit of this one so I lost some time for sure. I was just not feeling this loop at all and was pretty much in the pain cave until I saw the aid station.

Post race with my finisher wooden medal

Something about being on the fifth and last loop gave me a second wind and I was able to pick up the pace a little and then a little more. I was no longer soaking wet and I knew I would be done in about an hour if I pushed it. I had no idea what place I was in and honestly it didn't really matter. I was out there for a butt-kicking workout and I got it done. My finish time of 6:25 was a lot slower than I expected but slow is always better than quitting! Plus I did run an extra mile so maybe I would have finished in 6:10-6:15 without the extra loop. I did find out a bit later in the week when the results came that I was third female. My husband also ran this 3 weeks after his BR100 finish and finished in about 5:20 (7th male) on those tired BR legs!

 Race director Stephen Godale does a nice job with the race. It's low-key and the looped course with the aid station every 10K is convenient as well as having the second aid station about half way through the loop. Thanks to Stephen and all the volunteers who made the race a good experience!

Now it's back to marathon training for the Northern Ohio Marathon, which takes place on Oct 1 followed with some more trail 50Ks to end the season.

Close up of the wooden finisher medal!