COVID Diaries October 4

 

TC Loony Challenge: Virtual 2020

Registration: I register online; nice and simple.  TCM sends me an email when registration opens up.  One of the reasons people register for Loony is they really just want to run the 10 mile, and having a race or two the day before seems okay?

Packet Pickup: Packets were mailed this year.  A bit of controversy here:Based on the mailing schedule, 10K and 5K packets cannot arrive before the original race day.  Loony and some other packets were mailed a week earlier. So I had my medal and finish line ahead of Dungeon Master. Obviously we shared for the pics.

SWAG: The SWAG is good but also very bad/cheap and it annoys me.  (It's the sole reason I'm even doing a race review this year.) 

I'll start with two new items this year: the mask is on point.  It's one of the better masks I have, especially since I apparently lost my 1 mile mask?  Second, the finish line tape, which is mostly so you can take/post pics, but it's sweet. 

Old items, and things that annoy me:  The shirt for the 10K and 5K: it's ONE shirt.  They used to be two shirts of two different colors.  The medal for the 10K and 5K: It's ONE medal.  This annoys me. It's cheap.  And also unimaginative.  In every year before this, the 10K shirt had one color and the 5K shirt another.  Though in 2018 they did do the cheapass thing of having the same medals for the 5K and 10K.  Not enough people must've complained because they're still doing it.  There's also a 10mile medal and shirt, and a gift bag which looks nice.

Transportation to and from the race:  LOL.  I just left this here for fun.

Course: I made "programs' on my Garmin for the 10mile race (I was at Rush Creek Trail), the 10K race (I was on Shingle Creek), and 5K race (we were at aPalmer Lake). I just ran until my watch said I was done. 

Pace Team: For the 10mile, Olive rode her bike next to me.  10K was alone listening to The Bee Keepers Apprentice.  5K was with Dungeon Master and it's hard to tell who was pacing who in that one.

Race Recommended For:  If you're one who wants to do the 10 mile, doesn't want to do the lottery, and these other races sound fun, this is absolutely for you.  Also, I'd say people who are trying to build a base.  Normal training for Loony is back to back long runs.   

TC Loony Challenge Race Review

Registration Online.  Register early for the race series.  It's popular because it's a guaranteed entry to the 10 Miler.

Packet Pickup: For the series, racers get a 'Saturday' bib that uses 1 number for both races (Take a lesson Flying Pig) and one number for the Sunday Race.  The Sunday bib has a little 'Loony Challenge' emblem on the front, and you get back tags for both days.  The expo is also the TC Marathon Expo.  It has a good mix of vendors, races, and local charities.  I picked up a hat while I was there. I looked in the official store but I wasn't wild about anything they had.

SWAG:
Saturday: 10K Medal and shirt; 5K Medal and shirt, one pair of gloves.  The 10K medal and 5K medal are the same, which is different from years past, and seems pretty cheap to me.  Like, oh, now I have two of this medal.  WTF?
Sunday: 10 Mile medal and shirt.  Pair of gloves.  The shirt is neon.  It's definitely one of the uglier shirts I've ever seen. Free beer at the finish for those over 21.  This year there were vodka samples too, so that was on point.
Race Series: Vest for the series.  Medal for the series.   The vest is a pleasant surprise.  It's a nice weight, zippered pockets, and even a secret inside zipper.  The medal for the series is always one of the prettier medals I get every year.

Transportation to and from the race:
Expo: Bus to/from West 7th, where I'd parked and met a friend for lunch.
Saturday: Bus/Green Line to the races and then Green Line to Dungeon Master's car to get home
Sunday: Bus to the start line; Green Line to a stop where I met Olive and we cheered for the marathon for a while before she took me home.

Start Line:
10K/5K uses a start line next to the finish.  This year, no joke, there was a box truck parked on the course , 100ft past the start.  It was fenced off and everything.  They knew it was going to be staying there.  Truck/fencing situation lead to a horrible bottle neck after the start. They should've just fenced off the course to that width from the start for both races.  10K and 5K races are a mass start.  The 5K in particular should be a wave start.  It is way too crowded with kids seeding themselves incorrectly. 
10 Mile start line is in Minneapolis.  This year there were 4 corrals, which meant I started around 7:25am.  I was to the front of the corral, so I got to see the other corrals going off.  That was fun. The 10 Mile start is fun because some of the marathon runners come and cheer at the start line and it's one big park.

Course:
10K: Same as it always has been.  Out and back along Summit Ave with a fair amount of climbing.
5K: Reverted to the old (bad?) course after the fantastic changes they made in 2017.  The 2017 course was a loop.  The old (or current I guess?) course is an out and back with 2 way running along Summit Ave.  It is waaay to narrow for the number of people on the course, and for kids who don't get the concept of 'two way traffic'.  I watched kids and adults almost run into the elite runners coming 'back' because they were on the wrong side of the street.  This is another reason they should do wave starts.  It's just better for runner safety.  (I do think kids belong in this race and it's a well done race for kids.  There are some things the organizers could do to make it safer for all the competitors, especially kids who've never run a race before and don't know the etiquette.)
10 Mile: This course has been the same for a long time (as long as there's not a land slide in the way).  The course has a lot of climbing, particularly in the middle.  I find it challenging but super fun.

Pace Team:
10K, 5K: No pacers
10 Mile: Well, there's what the website says, and then there's what happened.  There are pacers for this race.  However, the corral/pacer situation was a total cluster.  Last year I ran a 1:54 which put me in Corral D today.  (I was 32021, and Corral D started at 32000, so I was close to getting into Corral C).  Based on last year's time of 1:54, obviously a good goal would be 1:50 right?  The 1:50 (11:00/mile) pacer was in Corral C, so I couldn't run with them.  (Ok; sometimes that's how things break down.). Oh, by the way, the 2:00 pacer (12:00/mile) also started in Corral C.  I think that person was straight up in the wrong place.  I passed her in my last mile and NO ONE was with her.   Because really, if you qualify for Corral C, you run faster than a 12:00/mile.  A lot of people in Corral D run faster than that.  For next year, if the corrals are split at the same paces, they should have a second 1:50 pacer in Corral D.  And the 2:00 pacer also needs to start in Corral D where they belong.

Fan Support:
10K, 5K: People do come out for this and stand on Summit.  It's not a ton of people but there is some support.  The chute into the finish is packed with people, so that's always a blast.
10 Mile: I thought there were more people out than last year.  Or maybe I was just paying more attention this year?  There's a ton of people downtown, and this year there were a few spots of people along the River Bottoms as well.  SE Mpls and into St Paul there were lots of people, and Summit Ave is always crazy.  I ran by the free beer at mile 8.  I thought it'd just make me sick.  Butif it's your cup of tea, it's there.  Apparently I also ran by Whiskey shots.  That doesn't sound like something I'd pass up. 

Finish:  All 3 races have the same finish line in St Paul near the Capitol.  As a runner, it's the best finish line of any race I've ever done. It is amazing.  And then there's what happens just after the finish line.
5K/10K: Finish area is super family friendly and the 'chute' is pretty small.  There's medals, water, bananas, and a couple other snacks.
10 Mile: The first part of the finisher chute is pretty standard.  Bonus here because they usually have hot broth.  Might as well be manna from heaven.  Shortly after that things go haywire.  The chute is crazy long and winding.  It's just walking around, the only other thing there is in there is baggage.  Outside the chute are a few other amenities.   The changing tent and family reunion area were in a field that was unfortunately pretty soggy this year.  In the changing tent a lot of runners stood on their mylar blankets to change and stay out of the mud. After I was warm and dry, there's a beer garden. There's also a PR bell that I couldn't find this year.  At some point, I was done walking and looking for it, so that's partly on me.

Race Recommended For:
Race Series: Is great for someone who wants to run a lot over the weekend, but not run the marathon. It's okay for slower/back of the pack runners but not walkers.  You need to run a 10K comfortably in 1:25 or less.  (Because the 5K starts 1:30 after the 10K.)  For me, training for two back to back days of racing was a good challenge for my endurance and my strength.
10K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, anyone who loves a big race, anyone who wants to try a well supported 10K. There are race walkers and walkers in this race, but not as many as in the 5K.
5K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, walkers, and kids who are big enough to do a 3 mile race.
10 Miler: Fasties, first timers, race walkers (I have been passed by many race walkers here), anyone who's looking to go up in distance from a 5K or 10K, anyone who wants to increase their speed over a longer race, anyone who likes climbing or hilly races.

Bonus: I put my series results on this report last year, so including it here again.

TC 10K and TC 5K Race Report

10K Start time: 7:15am for the 10K, this is the same time as last year.
    

Weather: Low-mid 40s and windy.  I was fine running, but under dressed for the start line.
   

Wardrobe: Illuminite shirt, arm sleeves, Happy pants, compression socks, Merrel shoes; hat.  I looked like a highlighter but I was hard to miss.
  

Transportation: 5:40am bus to Green Line.  Dungeon Master took me home in exchange for a hot, home cooked breakfast.  There was a long time between the bus and the train so I practiced my selfie game.

Route: 10K route has been the same every time I've run it.

Plan/Goals: My goal was A) run under 11:20s and B) not do anything stupid.

Execution: Part A: done.  Part B: It doesn't feel stupid at the moment, but I also don't believe it. 
Nutrition: Pre-race was 3/4 of an avocado, salted.  Post race was a banana and some water.

Results: I haven't looked at the results yet.  I'll tell you after tomorrow's race.
Update: I'm happy with this.  
From today, I learned: Things that went well were staying relaxed on the hill, telling myself I am strong enough for hills, and keeping my cadence high.  I got a little aggravated at the start, there was a big bottle neck just after and it was kind of a cluster.
SWAG: 10K has a medal and a gray shirt.
Remember for next time: I spent a lot of time thinking about the camber on Summit Ave.  Follow the line dividing the bike lane from traffic.
The Corporate Team Challenge tent is heated, but there is no place to change this year.
Take the bus to Park Ave and walk to the US Bank Stadium stop.  (For some reason I legit could not remember this from last year.)
Bonus: LOL.  Let me just get back in line to run another race.

5K Start time: 8:45am for the 5K.  This start time has changed over the years.  The first time I did Loony, it was 90 minutes between races (which is tight but doable), then it went to 2hrs, then 1:45, now we're back down to 90 minutes between races.     

Weather: Somehow windier and colder than before the first race.  40s and windy.

Route: The 5K route is back to the original 5K route and I am aggravated and bummed.  The 5K route is an out and back, mostly along Summit Ave.  It is waaaay too packed to have two way runners there, especially with all the kids in the back of that race.  Race organizers should either let us go back to the 2017 route, or have a staggered/corral style start.

Plan/Goals: After the 10K, I adjusted.  My first goal was not to get ticked off and knock anyone over in the first mile of the race from it being too crowded.  After that, run mostly by feel and have fun.  Try to run under 11:20s and most importantly don't do anything stupid.

Execution: It turned out probably to be a good thing that the first mile was the slowest of any I'd run so far, because I kept some in the tank for later.  I had a great time.  I think about 20 people past me in the last 0.1 miles because I was finishing at the pace I'd been running the whole time, not a 'I don't have to run anymore ever after these 100 feet' sprint. It's fine.  I still feel like I did what I wanted there.
Nutrition: 5am: Avocado; after 10K: Banana and water; after 5K: hard boiled eggs wrapped in prosciutto.  (Because post race nutrition is super important if I have to do this again tomorrow)

Results: I won't look until after the 10Miler tomorrow.
Update: I think things went well. 
From today, I learned: Be patient in the first mile of a crowded race.  Things will sort themselves out and there will be plenty of room.
SWAG: Well, I got the exact same medal they gave out for the 10K, so now I have two of those.  WTF?!? At least the shirt is different.  This one is navy.
Remember for next time: That first mile is slow.  Be patient.
Caribou Coffee is no longer a sponsor, so there's not a ton of post-race coffee options.  Though the Challenge tent did have coffee for its participants.

Bonus: Dungeon Master gave me a ride home.  I cooked her breakfast.  Or, in my case, Second Breakfast.  Congrats to Dungeon Master on completing the 5K race series!

Loony Challenge 1 Week To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: Not that many. Just be patient and enjoy the taper.
Actual: 25 run, 2 walked

Long Run Miles Planned: 6-8
Actual:: 6.65 Miles on Sunday morning.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 6.65 Miles at Ft Snelling with a goal of having fun.
Kettlebells: Done, and a minute faster than last week
Abs: Also done.
Bonus 2.5 miles walk with Dungeon Master on the track at the gym. 
From today, I learned: Normally I run, walk the last 5-10 minutes of the route back to the gym, and then do my weights/abs workout.  Today I ran, cooled down, got in my car and drove to the gym, and then did weights/abs.  My weights workout is rep based, and this week I got it done about 1 minute faster than last week, at the same reps and weights.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF 1-3 Miles, Plyos
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: Turn off my watch at the end of the run.  I had a slight failure here and realized I'd left it on for about five minutes while I was putting the dishes away.
I'm going back and re-reading my past weeks of training.  In the beginning I talked a lot about nutrition as well as work outs, and then I had an unplanned failure in July and took that bullet point out.  I'm liking going back and looking at that, and may want to add it back in for Flying Pig training.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.66 Miles on the Rum River Trail. I've missed it here.
From today, I learned: This was a fun run.  I didn't look at my watch. I practiced having positive thoughts like I'll need Saturday and Sunday.  It felt great to be outside and enjoying nature.  Fall colors are trying their hardest to come out.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: I am legit wondering if 7pm is too early to go to bed.  Taper means rest, right?  I woke up with a massive headache.  Ibuprofen is doing it's job so far though.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights 1 Mile Run.
Actual: 1.2 Miles in the morning
From today, I learned: Not on my run, but later I learned the Buffalo Montrose trail has been paved. I've run there a time or two or three.  It's always been a crushed limestone trail, and then used for snowmobiles in winter.  I'm curious with the blacktop now if that'll make a difference for winter use. There's no way they're going to plow that thing all winter long.  Right?

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 Miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: Last night I swapped my winter and summer clothes.  I have too many running clothes.  I also have 50 pairs of sweat pants and I don't like many of them at all.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos 10K race, 5K race
Actual: 10K race and 5K race completed
From today, I learned: Trust my body; my body is stronger than my mind today.

TC 5K - Race Report

Start time: 9am

Weather: Low 50s and some wind.  It was very crisp.

Wardrobe: tank top, arm warmers that were soon taken off, happy pants, compression socks, Merrel shoes, hat to sheild my eyes from staring into the sun

Transportation: 5:40am bus to the train, train to the start (so early because I ran a 10K before this race)

Route: New this year, the course is a loop/lollipop course.  There is a hill.  The loop is so much better than the old course, so much more room for runners.

Plan/Goals: My A goal for the race series is a 11:40 pace.
Goal for this race is stay around 12:00/mile because the 10K went so well
Leave something in the tank for tomorrow
Enjoy the awesome playlist I made specifically for the 5K

Execution: I haven't seen my final pace, but I think I did very well.  I was tired at the end of the race, but hopeful that I'll be able to deliver a similar performance tomorrow.  Update: Though I did very well pace wise, my heart rate monitor went off the rails a couple times. 214 indeed.

Nutrition: I had an avocado, sliced and salted around 5am.  A few sips of water during the 10K race.  Post 10K I had a banana, half a Larabar and few more sips of water before the 5K. There are no water stops during this race.

Remember for next time: New course for the 5K!
There are no water stops on the 5K
The end is less of a down hill than it looks (sorry)

Bonus: I'm very happy with the way this race turned out.  And no, I did not look at my results until after all of Loony was over.
Songs from the above mentioned 5K playlist include Levanatate - Pitbull and Fight Song - Rachel Platten. 

TCM - Loony Challenge Year 2

Goals for year 2: I had no idea what to expect this year.  It's been a solid year of heart rate training.  But as soon as I got to racing season I was all "how do I set goals for this?!?"  Should my goals be based on pace?  Heart rate?  A mix of both?  I knew I badly wanted to go sub-2hrs in the 10 mile, but I had no idea if that was realistic or not.  I had no idea what I wanted for the 10K and the 5K.

Packet Pickup: Olive volunteered in packet pick up and reported there were some issues.  TCM mails out some pretty sweet Runner Guides well ahead of the race.  Among other things, it shows my bib number for the 10 Mile race.  Since I am a genius, I left it at home.  When I got to Packet Pickup I had to go to the "find my number" table, showed my ID and told the helpful volunteer I'd registered for Loony Challenge.  She printed off two slips for me, one with my Saturday events number and one with my Sunday events number.  I went to the two different tables and collected my things.  Olive was at Saturday events packet pick up and reports that most Loony runners only knew their 10 Mile bib number from having their guide mailed to them.  I reviewed and nothing I was sent ahead of time had my bib number for Saturday events.  I guess forgetting to write down my bib numbers saved me time in the end.
Goal: Find Olive.  Thank all the volunteers I saw.
Outcome: Done
Bonus Goal: Get a new race belt.
Outcome: Also done.  I wore it for all three races and I was tremendously happy with it.

This year,  I found myself wishing I'd written down what I wore last year.  I was having a hard time with the logistics. 
Outfit - Day 1:
Skora PhaseX (blue - yes, I have more than one pair of these shoes); Injinji Socks; Saucony Running Tights (full length, not lined), Short sleeve technical shirt and long sleeve technical shirt.  New race belt.  Sunglasses for part of the race.  Temps around 40* for the start of the 10K, slightly warmer for the 5K but I was still freezing my tail off.

TC 10K: I went easy up the first hill and about 500 people passed me in the first quarter mile. I passed many of them back later so it was all good.  I had a very hard time at the beginning of this race.  It was partly nerves and partly standing in the corral and not being able to warm up properly, and partly literally being cold.  My shoes are very thin and my socks were thin, and my feet felt like ice cubes for a solid mile.
Goal: Be back in time for the 5K
Outcome: Done
Bonus Goal: Run under a 12:00/mile pace
Outcome: 11:19/mile, that really shocked me

TC 5K: I'd warmed up after the 10K, but I got really cold again, waiting for the 5K to start.  Olive did not run this year with me and that made me sad. I started off heading back up this stupid hill again, happy that I got turn around much sooner in this race than the first one.  This race was packed with kids.  No matter how high up I seed myself, they're always there.  I think TCM needs to have the kind of corrals that were in the Flying Pig's 5K last year because that worked really well.  The end of this race was really tough.  I kept running and feeling like, I cannot kick.  What is the deal?!?  And then I checked my run data and saw how fast my final mile was, and felt much better about myself.
Goal: Finish
Outcome: Done
Bonus Goal: Another sub 12:00/mile pace would be nice
Outcome: 11:19/mile.  Weird right?

Day 2 Outfit:
Skora Phase X shoes; Smart Wool Running socks with high cuffs; Fleece lined tights; Smart wool long sleeve shirt; "Liz shirt" over top.  On Summit Ave I ran with a guy who'd been racing for years, and when people were all "go Liz" he's like "I'm going to do that to my shirt next year".   Temps around 40* for the start.

TCM 10 Mile: I was really looking forward to another crack at this course, hopefully routed correctly this time.  I found myself back in Corral 4 again.  I wonder what it takes to move to Corral 3. The day before, the strategy that worked was for me to feel my body going hard and strong.  Hard, but not hurting. Since I was surprised and pleased by the outcomes of both the 10K and the 5K I decided it was quite a sound strategy and went with it. 
Early on I was quite frustrated.  There is a huge bottle neck in this course where the runners go through a narrow tunnel.  It happens just before Mile 1 so the runners are still fairly bunched up.  This year, the bottle neck was so bad I had to walk and got almost completely stopped.  WTF?!?  This was not an issue last year.
My goal for the hills in the middle miles of the course was to challenge myself but also to stay within myself.  These were comparatively slower miles, but I was pleased when I saw how things worked out.
On Summit Ave I met this dude who was a race walker straight up walking an 11:30 mile, or so he told me.  I made it my mission in life to stay with him, since he'd walk me right into my own goal of going sub-2hrs.  We talked and it made that part of the course go really quickly. He also kept me challenged and focused on the up hills in that section.  He dropped me in the last mile on the flats but I almost totally caught him back on the down hill.
Goal: Sub 2 hrs
Outcome: 1:55:52, 11:36/mile pace.

The Finisher Area: beyond insane.  (There was a significant stretch of spectating area between the Cathedral and the finish line that was reserved this year for a protest.  Typically it is filled with spectators and runners who've already finished.)  Olive had race credentials so she came in there to meet me after I grabbed my medal and food.  Bag check was super fast but finisher t shirts had lines that stretched back to bag check.  Olive stood in line for my shirt while I changed.  I was going to try to connect with another friend who was race walking, but things were so cramped in there we just made a run for it. 

Marathon: On the way home, Olive and I decided we wanted to cheer for the marathon runners.  We found our way to about mile 14 on the course.  We'd only been there a few minutes when the 5:00:00 pace group came by.  We made sure we stayed for the 5:30:00 pace group.  These are my people.  And then we stayed after.  I was really surprised how many people were behind the 5:30:00 pacer at mile 14.  About three people looked good and strong and like they knew what they were doing.  Everyone else looked like they were suffering.  Hard.  Olive and I went for Donuts and watched a bit.  Finally Olive was like "I don't want to watch anymore." 

Loony Challenge: I'm glad I did it a second year.  I don't know if I'll do it again next year because of the timing of another race I want to try. If I don't do it again next year, I'm going to volunteer with Olive so I get Race Official Credentials and Clothing.  No joke.
Goal: Go faster than last year
Outcome: Mission completely accomplished

Suggestions for next year:

• Corrals for the 5K and the 10K - look at how Flying Pig does them because it actually works
• Two bag check bags, one for Saturday and one for Sunday - mine always rips the first day
• Last year, Loony Challenge and Summit Challenge people had back tags. Not this year.  Any chance of bringing them back?

What I liked:

• The Volunteers: No race is complete without volunteers.  Thank you! 
• The Expo: I thought it was really good this year. 
• Get the 10K and 5K medals after both races are done.  Thank you!  Flying Pig didn't do it that way this year and it severely annoyed me.
• One bib for 10K and 5K.  Again, thank you for simplifying the logistics of my race life.
• Corporate Team Challenge: My employer participates in the 10K, 5K and Marathon corporate team challenge.  That means on Saturday we got a special tent with a special changing area and our own potties.  The tent was heated.

TCM - Loony Challenge

Registration: Loony Challenge Registration is at a weird time.  After marathon registration opens but way before the 10-mile Lottery.  I'm friends with TCM on Facebook and there were plenty of notices about it. Online registration was super smooth.

Packet Pick Up and Expo: I took the unusual step of also volunteering at the expo this year.  I volunteered with my friend whose blog name shall henceforth be Olive.  Olive and I hung out in the official merchandise store.  It seemed to help that we had out of town racers who weren't expecting it to be 35*, so they bought some nice thick TCM jackets to keep warm.  The rest of the expo was a typical expo.  I didn't buy anything from any of the vendors, nor sign up for any raffles.  I missed the Bolder Options table but I find it hard to believe they weren't there at all.  Olive's favorite part was looking at all the posters from the past years.
Goal: Volunteer.
Outcome: Done.

TCM 10K: The 10K is an out and back along Summit Ave, also the final 3 miles of the marathon course.  I felt odd running a race near a Jewish Synagogue on Yom Kippur.  There were signs up asking spectators not to stand in front of the Synagogue so I guess it was mildly respectful.  I ran this race evenly, and passed a bunch of people especially towards the end.  I remembered the phenomena of starting off slow and even and then staying even and passing people from the 3-Way Challenge in Cincinnati.
Goal: Be back in time for the 5K.
Outcome: 15 minutes to spare.

TCM 5K: The 5K is a shorter out and back.  This time I got to hang out with Olive.  Thank goodness because I was not looking forward to running up that hill a second time.  Olive has a nice habit of not letting me do stupid things when I run so she kept me nice and even.  Past the half way mark Olive wanted to walk and sent me on my way.  I accidentally ran a 10:35 final mile.  Oops.
Goal: Stay with Olive up the hill.  Save something for tomorrow.
Outcome: Yes.  Though the last mile had me a bit nervous.

TCM 10 Mile: This race was a wild card.  I knew the course was really challenging.  I wanted to work hard, but not hurt.  I wanted to work hard enough to see the pain train up ahead in the distance.  My plan was to ease back on the up hills in the first 3 miles of the race because they are nuts.
Goal: Finish in under 2 hours.
Outcome: Undecided.  My GPS has me running a 1:57:xx 10 mile split.  My official time is 1:59:xx.  But the course was officially 0.14 miles short.  TCM's Facebook page blames it on the lead car taking a wrong turn.  My official position is the lead car probably wouldn't have turned down a street that had been properly barricaded.  But I digress.  Had the course been the correct distance, I don't know if I'd have made the course in under 2 hours.  I was flying at the end so it would have been close.  And then they ran out of finisher shirts.   So I didn't get one.

Loony Challenge: I really liked these distances.  It felt so much more sane than running a marathon, even if it involved two days of racing.   From what I can tell the Challenge was way better organized than its inaugural year. 

What I Liked:

• I got my Loony Challenge Sweat Shirt in April, although I superstitiously wouldn't wear it until I'd actually completed the challenge
• One race bib for both the 10K and the 5K on Saturday.  That was really slick.
• Racing both days made me feel more involved in the events overall and the whole weekend.
• The Back Tags so everyone knew who was running Loony Challenge and TC Summit Challenge.
• The Obvious 'Loony Challenge' Tent inside the finisher area so I knew where to get my medal.
• Free Beer at the Finish Line!  I didn't even care that I needed photo ID.

What Could've Been Better:

• Two days of sweat drop offs means two bags. The sweats check bag ripped on day 1, leaving me some creative problem solving to check my sweats for the 10 Miler.  When I was volunteering at the expo, I saw several people whose bags had ripped between packet pick up and the merchandise store.
• I can't find my 5K results online. This seems to be true for all Loony Challenge participants.  Sort of confirmed by the fact that I got emails for my 10K results and 10 Mile results but radio silence on this race.
• Running out of finisher shirts.  I was actually more shocked at this than the course screw up.  Not having enough shirts or medals for finishers ALWAYS impacts back of the pack runners.  It's generally a lousy way to treat participants.  I was shocked because this is actually a pretty big screw up and TCM is usually so organized.
• The 10 Mile Course being short. 'Nuff said.

Overall: All the things that I could control went really well.  There were a couple of big let downs after all the racing was done that took away some of my excitement.  I feel like I want to come back next year and try the 10 Mile Course when its done correctly and let them work out some of the other kinks too.