Leschi Food Club 7/1/2012

Ocean is brilliant. Why wait until the next DC or an Alaskan Salmon auction to stage a cooking event?

All I had to do was make dessert. Theme: Italian, so I go for Tiramisu. Of course I wait until 9 pm the night before to try and find Lady fingers cookies, and after going to 2 x QFCs and 1 Safeway, I amass these soft frozen things that don’t really look like cookies, but oh well. Decide to try Nigella Lawson’s recipe for frangelico Tiramisu which calls for waaaay too much liquid (shoulda listened to the reader comments on the web). Luckily the rest of the food turned out well.

Ocean and Ocean Jr. came early to start on their homemade ravioli 2-ways. I tried to go for a run, knowing my chance at VT100 redemption was only 3 weeks away, but motivation is low and I feel like a beached whale. 

I come back from a slow, flat 13 mile run to find Dyno making homemade bread and red sauce with olives/ capers, and salad from Omaha.

The great thing about hosting? I got the leftovers- ha!

Next food club meeting in Mukilteo, July 14

Theme TBD

céad míle fáilte

Ireland, June 15-21/ Austria June 22-24, 2012

Got 1-2 hours of sleep on the redeye to Dublin and arrived Friday midday, felt a little silly having to ask people to repeat themselves when I ask them for directions because I had trouble understanding Irish, but eventually found the bus to Ballinasloe in western Ireland, then a 45 Euro cab ride down winding country roads to Portumna for the 100k the next morning. Forget about renting a car, driving on the left side of the road is one thing but navigating without iPhone, forget it. 

Got to the B&B, lucky to find one last minute less than 3 miles from the race start; sometimes the biggest stress of ultras is the logistics.

Met a couple of runners from Ireland, Collette and Eimer, who had collectively run some 300 marathons but were there for their first 50k (50k virgins). They were discussing the British Royalty and the depressed Irish economy over biscuits and tea with Mary, the B&B owner. Walked into town, looked at Portumna castle, then to packet pickup. 

Met friends of Collette and Eimer, runners from Dublin. “Did you come all the way here for this?” I explained I was going to Dublin for a neurology meeting the following week, it’s only natural that I take a slight detour to run 100k. They insisted I ride back with them to Dublin after the race. They found another runner to drive me to the race in the morning. They invited me to dinner. The Irish are notoriously friendly, their national greeting is “one hundred thousand welcomes”. I ordered my first Irish Guiness and one of the guys was so offended that it didn’t have the proper head on it that he actually went to take it back to the bar, only to find that it had came from a can. Mick pretended to be exasperated as Maurice told a long but hilarious and amazingly coherent yarn about his quest to run a marathon in Bulgaria. Dinner went late and everybody ordered dessert but nobody else was drinking. Plenty of runners don’t drink but I got the sense that alcohol can be a touchy topic given the high alcoholism rate there.

Got up at 4:30 the next morning, went to the kitchen to meet Ger (I guess that’s short for… Gerald?) who was running his first 100k was to give me a ride to the race start. He looked on in disbelief as I wolfed down a bacon and egg salad sandwich, followed by a Ploughmans cheese sandwich and a bottle of fanta while he munched on whole grain cereal and a banana. His bleary-eyed friend drove us to the park, and I was grateful I didn’t have to shlep my heavy drop bag the extra 4 km in the dark to the race start as planned.

The course is a 5k loop done 20 times for 100k (8.5 times for the marathon) on mostly dirt trail through a forest, past a marina and some castle ruins. Ran a bit with a newbie who seemed a bit stressed about having Bib #1, but he ended up DNFing. Even being from Seattle I was not prepared for the cool/ damp. Had to walk in my rainjacket to keep from freezing when I started weaving and sleepwalking from the jetlag, got severe armpit chafage. By now I’m used to feeling like crap, DNF didn’t even cross the horizon. Perked up after changing to a dry longsleeve shirt and caught up to the other female 100k runner, Selina a 55 year old Brit who was now struggling. We talked about her red squirrel sighting and she told me about some of the other runners on the course, including the eventual 2^nd place finisher who had just won a 145 mile ultra in Britain 2 weeks prior, and the other woman who once ran a 16 hour 100 miler who DNF’d after running a 4 hr 50k. Guess that left the door open for me since we were the only 2 women left. Turns out despite my slow time (13:39) I was the first ever female finisher -woo hoo! Ger won it in 8:30. There was even a guy who did 100k in a wheelchair- on trail! 

Went to dinner and saw Selena and her friend Michael, whom I later learned had run the Seattle Triple 2 years prior. I remember hearing that a couple of Brits had come to run that and thinking, “they came all the way here for this?”.

Next morning I met some horseback riders from Norway and we sat down to a “full Irish breakfast” with French press coffee. Then I got in a car with the Dublin guys, Mick, Maurice, and Frank who took me on a tour of downtown before dropping me off. Here is Phoenix Park, which at 1750 acres is one of the largest walled parks anywhere. Here is the president’s house, where there is a candle always lit to welcome back Irish returning from other countries. 

The famine statue, commemorating the year when 25% of the population had to leave their homeland or starve (apparently there is a sister statue in the US with 1 fewer figure to commemorate those who died in transit). The Ha’penny bridge and the boardwalk where the drug addicts sleep. Discussed the state of Irish healthcare, which apparently no one can afford. Mick points out how none of the corners have street signs (it’s true) and Maurice calls the prime minister “a Leprechaun” but their self-deprecating humor accentuates a definite national pride.

In Dublin I struggled to stay awake in meetings. Got to see my parents, as my dad was attending the same meeting. Funny how I hardly see them and we meet in Ireland. Midweek I realized I had to see the Guiness brewery. 

Apparently sales were increased by a brilliant marketing ploy, “Guiness is good for you”. I learned the proper way to pour a pint in 119 seconds. Fill to ¾ by pulling the tap toward you to incorporate the nitrogen gas which gives Guiness its unique foamy head, let it settle, then fill to top with tap away from you so no more gas gets in it. I couldn’t even remember which way to pull the tap, you’d never guess I have a bartending “degree”.

Then I walked to the old Jameson distillery. Must say, I’m still a scotch girl.

Friday got up super early to catch my flights to Salzburg, birthplace of W.A. Mozart, where I was meeting Jenny and her 2 oldest girls. 

Funny how I have to go all the way to Austria to see family. A week of sitting in meetings, no sleep, drinking Guiness and eating fried food just reinforced my last minute decision to downgrade from the planned 2 x 100k in 2 weeks; luckily there was a 54k option. 

Got to do a little castle sightseeing before going to the “mandatory” prerace briefing. 

Walked with a bunch of runners from the race headquarters at Mozartplatz to a classroom at the University of Salzburg where they spent over an hour outlining what seemed like every turn in the race. 

The girls were good but had to be given something to keep them occupied. I noticed there was a team of Kenyans there, apparently they’re going to take over trail ultras too? The 4 man relay finished 100k in 6:19 (the men’s solo winner was American 8:54, female winner was 50 years old, 11:56). Then prerace dinner. Jenny asked the waiter about one of the menu items. “Of course it’s good, it’s Austrian”. Had Wiener schnitzel and goulash, then took a cab back to the hotel through the thunderstorm.

There were violinists playing Mozart at the start. The skies had cleared but it was sunny and humid, not great news for the chafage which had not yet crusted over from the week prior. 

Started out along a riverside path then entered a forest trail, seemed to go up and up and up. Then exited a clearing and proceeded to wander the countryside, farmroads, grassy fields with views of the foothils, interspersed with short stretches of single track with roots, rocks, mud, and creek crossings. The actual hills of "The Sound of Music".

Saw cows, donkeys, horses, sheep, dogs. Saw some gigantic chickens who appeared to be running faster than I was, and even a peacock. 

Was lapped by the 100k leader who started 3 hours ahead of us on this 2 loop course, then passed by a number of Nordic walkers as well.

Early on soaked through my clothes from the humidity, then a rare unwelcome sensation, thigh chafage. Uh oh wakeup call to go back on diet. Seemed like there was never anyone around except the moment when you reach down to put body glide on your raw thighs, then a runner comes out of nowhere to pass you. Slogged on for 4 hours in that state, was happy to get back into town where it was weaving through a dense crowd of tourists on cobbled roads and side alleys, trying to find the next Mozart 100 course marker. 

Was very glad to finish, then hobbled back the 2 miles to the hotel, bracing for the shower to come. And the return to work.

Alpe D'Huez matin

After taking a terrifying fall climbing last week, I decided to tackle biking up Little Cottonwood Canyon this morning.

An average of 9% grade for 8 miles, I averaged 6mph on the way up and 36mph on the way down. Every 2 miles I felt like Ali cold-cocked me, but at the end of The Thrilla, it was Ali on the mat.  The ride down felt like you were being shot out of a canon for the entire 10 minutes (2 Metallica songs).

I propose this climb be stage 13 of the Tour De Mukilteo and just getting to the top should be worth a Magnum point.

Food Club Leschi - 7/1

Antipasti e Insalate

Salad (Omaha)

Primi

Raviolis (Ocean Man & Ocean Jr)

Sauce (Dyno)

Bread (Skirtsteak)

Dessert

House Special (Gerald)

Beverages

PBR

HIGHS AND LOWS- PIGTAILS CHALLENGE 5/26-7, 2012

This is the 2^nd of 5 planned 100 milers for the year, the first and only local one I’m likely to do, because it is the only non-technical one. 10-1/2 loops around Lake Youngs in Renton, 9.4 miles, 900 ft elevation and 2 aid stations per loop. It was designed by Pigtails, a local ultrarunner and race director (RD) around my age who has never once DNFd in her 20-or so 100 milers, and won at least 1 race in every distance between marathon and 150 miles. She had to invent a 200 miler so she could run it. You have the options of running 200, 150, or 100 (a.k.a. the “half two hundred”). Believe me, I had crazy thoughts of attempting the 150 but I have too many planned days off work for other races to take another Friday off. This was advertised as a PR (personal record) opportunity which it certainly was, but as I’ve said before, there’s no such thing as an easy 100.

Fellow Maniac Francine drove down with her husband from Rossland BC (7 hours away, just north of Spokane) and stayed with me. We had met at Quadzilla and run several Spokane races together. Last year at 54, she had done Cascade Crest, a highly technical 100 in Easton. That race starts at 10 AM just to guarantee that even the front runners have to do some running in the dark, and put the “Five Miles of Hell” at the end of the course, where runners have to pick through fallen trees, mud/ water, with chin-scraping elevation gain. That’s not even as hard as the Plain 100 near Leavenworth which has a 36 hour time limit and is advertised NO AID STATIONS, NO PACERS. WATER FROM STREAMS SO BRING YOUR FILTER. Unlike marathoners or triathletes who always seem to have some excuse as to why they didn’t have the perfect day, ultrarunners all know that anything can go wrong, and something hurts somewhere all the time. I don’t believe I’ve descended a flight of stairs in the normal way (i.e. facing forward, one foot per step) in 2 years. They make up for it by choosing harder and harder courses and priding themselves on “no whining”.  Most ultrarunners are quietly unassuming, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t proud- for some, the more obstacles, the more suffering, the better.

Many of my Maniac friends lamented about how undertrained they were. You would laugh if you saw their mileage. I felt pretty underprepared myself, mainly from lack of sleep related to moving/ changing jobs and returning from Europe just in the last week, and dietary indiscretion (no excuse there….). I had not even put together my drop bag by 8 pm the night before… thankfully it was a loop course so only 1 drop bag station to worry about. All my best intentions of having the dream blister kit ready after RR100 succumbed to my procrastination tendencies, though I did manage many new important items, including caffeine tablets, cornstarch, and tincture of benzoin. The drop bag list is >30 items long and though I emailed myself to NOT FORGET THE IPOD, I managed to forget that crucial item. In a panic, I texted Ocean Man, whom I had convinced to bring me warm food at midnight and left a spare key for Casa Leschi. “can you bring my ipod”.

It was a beautiful day, albeit a tad warmer than ideal at a sunny 74 degrees, laughably comfortable by ultra standards. Arrived at 4:45 am and people from the 200 and 150 were already doing their laps (and one guy had already finished his 200 in 43 hours!), and most of the 100 milers were already unloading supplies their cars. I surreptitiously observed the other runners’ gear and made notes to self- coolers work better if you put ice in them, and I must get folding chairs next time so I can change socks without having to get up from the ground which is difficult to do after 70+ miles. It's a "washing machine loop" course, i.e. switches directions every loop, so you can see familiar faces and say "good job" a couple hundred times. I realized I knew a majority of the runners already, including Jill (the high school principal who can outrun her students) who ran with me at ATY and doing great after turning vegan, Francesca with whom I'd run Javelina and was doing the 150, and Monte, Rob, and Guy who were doing their first 100.

One of these is Larry C, the guy from Spokane who runs with his ultradog Abby (see March 2011 entry, "37 miles to 9 mile") who last year at 71 set an age group course record at the Yakima marathon (3:44, when I PRd at 3:57). I convinced him last January at the Pullman Winter Ultra #2 that he should do Pigtails. His last 100 was at Western States 11 years prior; he thought he had one more in him. I latched on to him early on, as I enjoy running and chatting with experienced runners and hearing tales about their past life and running adventures, getting tips and advice. He ran without a water bottle, which to me seemed crazy as some of the aid stations were >5 miles apart (at our pace on trail, over an hour). The aid stations only had tiny dentist-size paper cups which had to be refilled 10 times to get a real gulp of water. Rest stops are where a lot of novices lose time- easy to do as the day goes on and they serve pizza and soup, but just 2-3 minutes at each stop kills over an hour over 100 miles. But I didn’t mind taking a breather at the rest stops, and I was well used to being near the back of the pack of trail runs. 

Then I remembered I had cans of coke at home, maybe Ocean Man could bring those with my ipod. Texted while running “can you bring some cans of coke and beer”. Then I thought my backpack might get too hot but I didn’t bring any bottles, “can you bring my handheld”. Then "can you bring some bags of ice", then finally “can you just call me when you get there”. Very generously he offers to make a day of it, came down with Ocean Jr. at 4:30 PM to catch dinner/ movie so I wouldn’t have to wait until midnight for my iPod. Turns out I didn’t need it until dusk and then I forgot it anyway... 

The first 5 loops went fairly well, aside from a pinky blister at mile 33. Forgot my nail clipper so was initiated into the "popped blisters with the pins off my race bib" club. Better to get it over with, ignoring your feet is the knell of death. Foolishly didn't change my damp socks but just poured more anti-MonkeyButt powder in, and some down my cleavage for good measure. Mile 43 for me is always the death zone. Larry was starting to struggle a bit as well; he had an overtraining injury a couple months back and hadn't done any long runs in 7 weeks. Then I got a sharp abdominal pain. Gotta go but uh-oh, at least 5 miles until the porta potty. Wish I had brought some TP.... could I reliably identify poison oak? Hmmm, those ferns look kinda soft, but kinda holey.... Made it to the bushes and got a couple pounds lighter after the diarrhea. The cramps came back again, but this time I made it to porta potty. Geez, maybe packing 9 dairy-based protein shakes in my drop bag was not so bright, though it didn't bother me at RR100. Thankfully they had wipes at the aid station (another item to bring next time) so I could clean up, and I took several with me since I was constantly applying body glide to my muffintop armpit and chest chafe marks which hadn't fully healed from my last 3 weeks of running.

Saw Ocean Man and Ocean Jr. at base camp around 5 pm, with ice cold coke cans and turkey sandwiches. Apparently Ocean Jr., on studying the race board had 2 questions, "So, she's only running the half?" and to Ocean, "why did you run marathons?". 

At the 100k mark dusk was setting in, and mosquitoes. I thought I would make it back to camp for my headlamp and warm clothes before dark, but Larry and I were each struggling and slowing, but Larry was slowing more. I knew I'd be much better off staying with Larry than going it alone but I also knew he was just walking now and I'm a disaster on trail in the dark without a lamp, so I made the decision to run ahead of him. Maybe bad race karma would hit me for leaving him, but the first rule of survival is to survive. Went to porta potty and changed out of tight, wet sportsbras into dry clothes and took stock of chafage. Changed socks- dang, more blisters, including a blood blister the size of my pinky toe and the start of mild heat rash.

Met up with VVN, with whom I'd run the TransRockies. She brilliantly had lined up a couple friends who brought in McDonald's and were her pacers. She looked very fresh in her Hokas and they were about to take off. Larry did not look well and I wanted to latch on to VVN and not run alone, but in my haste forgot my ipod. Fatal mistake because as usual I'm slow as molasses in dark and could not keep up, then found myself alone in the dark for 10 miles without tunes. It was getting colder, I tried to walk briskly but the chafage discouraged armswinging. I took caffeine. I took advil. Did I already take caffeine? Texted Ocean Man that I probably wouldn't make it back to the aid station before 12:30, he answered that Ocean Jr. had to go to bed but he left turkey sandwiches and coffee at my cooler. Got slower, slower, weaving... nearly fell backwards climbing the last hill back to the aid station. I told the lap counters I was going to sit in my car for 30 min to warm up (have to tell them if you take a break otherwise they send a search and rescue out if your loops take too long). My whole body was shaking and jerking, too much caffeine? Better drink more coffee. Made sure to put my feet up as I could feel they were swollen but I didn't want to take my shoes off, ate a turkey sandwich... 

I hear a knock on my window. Go away. Knock knock, you ok? Oh yeah, I'm in the middle of a race. Oddly, I simultaneously had absolutely no thought of DNFing, yet no desire to get back on the course. I just did not give a flying F- whether I finished or not. I just didn't want to get up. I looked at my watch. Crap 2 hours had gone by. Yet there was so much time left.... got up to check in at the counters desk and get more coffee. Pigtails was there volunteering at 2:45 AM, and she had just run 200 miles in 52 hours! John, another volunteer I'd met at ATY offered to pace me. People are always asking me if I'm OK, guess I didn't look so good. Picked up my iPod though this time I had company. We actually ran a bit, but sitting in my cold damp filth for 2 hours had cranked up my chafage and I was pretty cranky. We talked about upcoming races, and he generously offered to pace me in the future, since I clearly need pacing!

Then Ocean Man texted me at 4 AM. Apparently he had texted me at 1 AM but I was asleep and didn't answer, so he got worried. Offered to pace me for a lap and bring me coffee and Egg McMuffins! Hallelujah, what a sight for sore eyes. Left for loop #9 just at the Buttcrack of Dawn. He listened to me ramble, ran when I ran, walked when I walked, even claimed that he was starting to see why people run these things. I remembered when he paced me to my Maniacs qualifying race 5 years ago, how we should chant the army alphabet and other marching songs to keep going. 

More blister popping. More diarrhea but by then I was almost empty. Another Egg McMuffin. I could feel every rock on the bottom of my feet and the itch from heat rash, but no matter, I was ridiculously happy just to be on my bell lap. Ocean Man had not run in 6 months, so only planned to pace 1 lap. I took off on my last lap alone and realized I could still break 29 hours, which was my original goal. Most of my Maniac friends were well on their way to huge PRs, and since I was so behind I got a chance to see them all on their bell laps too.

I got to the last aid station 4.5 miles away in under an hour, and Ocean Man was there. I asked him to meet me a couple miles from the end to finish with me. The dude is a natural runner, whipped out 12-13 miles like nothing. My last 2 miles were the fastest of the entire race, and I finished the last loop in 2:10, for 28:20 overall, well under the 32 hour cutoff.

Got my finisher's buckle and a pin that says "100 mile finisher- I only did the half!" Drove home and made sure to have a couple shots of whisky before attempting to remove my bloody sock, which thanks to the benzoin had adhered tightly to my toe, and braced for chafage burn in the shower. Felt a little down as can happen after a day like that... but at least I have the Leschi Food Eating Club to look forward to! 

Concerned Parent

About a month ago, I found something hidden behind the guest bed in Ocean Jr's study room. I found a left sleeve arm warmer with the lettering Marathon Maniac. Check out the Hall of Fame criteria. In addition, I also found a book entitled UltraMarathoning.

I fear my son may be a closet ultra runner...

Date correction. Leschi Food Club will now be 5/28.  This is the reason.

I dedicate this video to you Gerald.

Short & Overfat

What the heck is that? Oh, a broken milk crate. How'd that happen? Ocean man attempted to sit on it. Who needs a scale when you can listen to nature?

Not sure exactly why, but going to link a series of letters between Grandpa Ocean & Ocean Jr. It was for a school project a few years back.

Somehow they seem a lot more significant now than when I originally read them.