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 10 Mile Race Report

Start time: 7am for Corral A and the elite men.  My corral started around 7:25am.
Weather: 40s, wind around 5mph.  It actually felt a bit warmer than yesterday

Wardrobe:
Pre-race: I had on throw away pants, throw away top, and throw away gloves (old pair of socks)
Race: Nike shorts, Illuminite top, fleece head band, compression socks, Skora shoes
Post-race: Wool shirt, sweat shirt, and my new Loony Challenge Vest, Hat, Sweat pants, compression socks, gloves.  I should've brought a second layer for my legs becuase I was still cold.
Transportation: I took the 5:40am bus to the race.  Post race, I took the Green Line over to Prospect Park, Olive picked me up, and we watched the marathon over in her neck of the woods.

Route: This is the regular TC 10 Mile route.  I think they legit had some of the mile markers misplaced.  I hit mile 1 early, which should not have happened, and I hit mile 2 super later.

Plan/Goals: My 'scary' goal was to run 1:50.  I kind of let that go when I realized the 1:50 pacer was not even going to be in my corral.  My A goal was to beat last year's 10 Mile and Loony Challenge times.
My 'plan' was to run a solid pace, and then not look at pace at all during the climbs.  On the climbs I used some of the advice from here including that one about 'run like we are lifting you up and carrying you to the finish' which for some reason made me feel lighter on the hills.

Execution: I did not run an 11:00/mile pace, but I did beat last year by almost a full minute. I got a little wild at the start, and paid for it later.
I had a good cadence on the hills, and just suffered up them.
I put my foot down the last mile and cruised on home.
Nutrition: I wound up being very hungry, like I wanted some calories for this run.  I had a pre run Avocado (3/4 of one) with salt.  I should've had a banana or a Larabar or something too.  I wound up taking Gatorade at miles 3.5, 5, and 7 and the calories made me feel a bit better.

Results: 1:52:58 or an 11:18 mile for the 10 Mile.   Loony Challenge results are an 11:14 mile, which is a 8 second/mile increase over last year.  Over 19+ miles, I'll take it.  That increase in speed really hurt.  Especially today.    Last year Loony Results and 10 Mile results for reference. 

From today, I learned: Hard work in training pays off on race day!
Plan for hills.
I think the marathon is going to hurt.
Don't run the first mile too fast.
More calories the second day of a two day series.
SWAG: Long sleeve shirt and a medal.  Plus a pair of gloves. And a free beer at the end of the race for those over 21 with an ID.
Remember for next time: Bring a second layer for my legs post race.
The 5:40am bus is actually the 5:36am bus on Sundays.
Bonus: There were vodka samples in the beer tent.

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 - 7 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 34 Miles
Actual: 34+ miles

Long Run Miles Planned: 12 Miles
Actual:: 11.45 Hilly miles in Cincinnati.  It was sometime last year training for this same batch of races that I last ran this far.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 11.45 miles, mostly at MAF, though the last mile or two were touch and go.  (I've done this run before, in apparently the same shirt and hat.)  4 minutes 'finisher' of squats, standing leg raises, and side steps.  No abs or weights because I was out of town.  We'll see if those get made up.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 6.82 Miles around Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska.  No plyos, but a finisher of squats, standing leg raises and calves. I was grumpy most of this run, but glad I did it once it was over.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: Run 5.26 miles in the morning, Avg Hr 136, pace 13:33/mile.
3 minutes 'finisher' of squats, standing leg raises, calf raises
Afternoon Tuesday weights (except I swapped overhead press instead of bench press).  I have 'moved up' in weights to 55lbs overhead press, for reals.  One day I will get the stones to move up on my squats too!

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.19 Miles run in the morning.  And then I worked all day and did a 'video interview' for TCM in the evening.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.16 Miles in the morning.  3 minutes 'finisher' of squats and raised leg raises.  No weights because of the logistics of my life.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.  Thursday weights in the afternoon.  Where I met Ms Iva at the gym.  She congratulated me on my weight lifting and told her I was a motivation to her.  (I see her all the time and I feel the same way about her.)

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 4.16 Miles at above MAF because I am grumpy. 3 minutes 'finisher'.

TC 10 Mile Race Report

Start time:7am for Corral A.  My corral started around 7:20am. I think they need more corrals because this race was crowded.

Weather: Not the best.  50s and rain, or 50s and wind.  Roads were wet.  The best part was the amazing full rainbow we saw before the start.  About three minutes before the sky opened up.

Wardrobe:
Throw away clothes: Top and bottom from GoodWill.  I took them off when Corral C started to move towards the start.
Shoes: Purple Skora Phase because I know how those shoes perform in the wet.  I was confident of my footing the entire race.
Bottoms: Nike running shorts because they had pockets for my Larabar and a zipper pocket for my keys
Top: Orange Singlet
Other: Race belt, orange visor, orange compression socks

Transportation: 5:40am bus to the race.  Dungeon master gave me a ride home which was a surprise.

Route: TC 10 Mile route. This is a hard course.  Flying Pig is hard because of the climbing.  In some ways this is harder because there's not really a down.  It's like go up and up and up and oh, look, you're done.

Plan/Goals:
Goal: My A goal is to run an 11:40 for the race series.  I knew I did well on the Saturday races but I purposefully did not look at my results before Sunday because I didn't want to be thinking did I go too hard on Saturday?  So I was really just telling myself to run 11:40s today.
Plan: My mental game was so strong this year.  I'd thought about everything, and had a plan for it.  There's all the normal stuff like when am I going to take gels and which water stops should I use?  I also thought about 'what will I tell myself on the hills?' and 'what pace/effort should I use on the big hills?'; 'what do I tell myself as people are passing me on the hills?'; 'what do I tell myself if my paces are slower than I wanted?' and 'what if it rains?' thought I admit I wasn't totally expecting that.
The real plan I kept telling myself was 'run with your heart' and 'run to feel good'. My mantra, which I also gave to Dungeon Master was “I am a discomfort master.  I thrive in all conditions.  Everything I need to succeed is already within me.  It is here to stay.” I mostly just kept saying 'I have everything I need to succeed'

Execution: Mission totally freaking accomplished.  I started off fast, totally didn't pay attention to my pace on the Franklin Ave hills, then did pay attention to pace until I got to the Cretin Ave hill.  After that, I mildly paid attention to pace but mostly tried to stay strong and feel good.  And it felt fantastic.

Nutrition:
Morning: Salted avocado slices around 5am
During race: Bite of Larabar at mile 4 or so, water just after that.  Bite or Larabar around mile 7.  That is all. The rest of the water stops were way too crowded.  I just stayed away.
Post race: Well, sigh.  This is when the wheels fell off the wagon. 

Remember for next time:
GoodWill - go on Tuesdays which is Blue Tag sale day.  I had a blast this year. 
Strong mental game is the key to having a great weekend.  This is probably the best mentally prepared I've ever been for any race.
Tapering was done correctly this year, even though it felt like too little running.  Results speak for themselves. 
Just Fine: Music is everything.   No time for negative vibes because I'm winning.  I focused on having a positive playlist for this race. Mary J Blidge carried me up 'the hill in a place where there shouldn't be a hill' AKA the River Flats. I'mma still wear a smile if it's raining.  Indeed. Other hits from this playlist include Work This Body, Mountains Beyond Mountains which is appropriate for Summit Ave, and Super Duper Love.

Bonus: I got a ride home!
I got a mug of coffee at the finish
I did not get my free beer
I did not get to ring the PR bell.  But I earned it.

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. 

TC10K - Race Report

Start time: 7:15am at the State Capitol.

Weather: 45-50* for the start, some wind

Wardrobe: tank top, happy pants, compression socks, hat, Merrel shoes.  Plus sweats that I kept the bag check and arm warmers which relate to things that happened after the race.

Transportation: I took the 5:40am bus to the train, train to the start.  I really couldn't remember this from last time.

Route: Out and back on Summit Ave.  Start/finish is at the state capitol.  Should we talk about the hills?

Plan/Goals: My A goal for the race series is to be around 11:40/mile and my 'big scary goal' is anything faster than that.
My 'mind goal' for today was to run partly by pacing off the watch and partly by feel. Too fast is too fast.  Something has to be in the tank for tomorrow.

Execution: I ran this very much by feel and was pleased with how it turned out.  I did slow a bit in mile 4 or 5, on purpose.  Again, I have another race today and one tomorrow and there needs to be something in the tank.

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

Remember for next time: Transportation as noted above.
The leaders tend to come 'back' when I'm at about mile 2.
I tended to pass the back of the pack when I was at mile 4.
Corporate Team Challenge tent is heated which is a bigger deal than it sounds like.
Bring a coffee mug for post race coffee from Caribou!  (I totally did that this year and it was everything.)

 
Bonus: Found my results!