Greenway 2012

This year I ran (again) in the Greenway Challenge. This is a multi-sport relay with a varying number of legs from year to year. This year's challenge had 7 legs:

1. 1.5m trail run - Greg
2. 5m mountain bike - Varouj
3. 5m run - Bill
4. 3m kayak - Val
5. 24m road bike - Varouj
6. 4m cross-country run - Leo
7. 4m kayak - Val

Here is the team.

Pictured left to right are Leo, Varouj, Val, Bill, and Greg.

This group or parts of it have run together for six years as the Runnagades.

Each year one person volunteers to captain and sort out all the driving logistics for getting people to the right place at the right time. Varouj was captain this year.

We generally sign-up for the race mid-summer and in early September we are informed what the legs are then dole out responsibilities.  This year had a challenging mountain bike leg which Varouj volunteered to take on. After two trial runs, he was still unconvinced that he could survive with no broken bones but did the leg anyway.

The day started rainy and cool and progressed pleasantly into cloudy and cool - about 57 degrees. It was a very nice day to run.

• Greg started out with his trail run, sprinting ahead of the pack to avoid getting stuck in an area where it would be too narrow to pass.
• Varouj blazed through the mountain bike leg 10 minutes faster than he estimated and let off a substantial primal scream at the end.
• Bill leaned into the 3 mile downhill and charged through the 2 mile flat road race to finish strong and 3 minutes ahead of schedule.
• Val paddled fast and steady to cruise through her 3 mile leg with a short portage about mid-way.
• Varouj rode his second leg fast and undeterred by the flat tire that surprised him about 8 miles in.
• Leo, who recently caught the running bug, flew threw his 4 miles and beat his estimate by almost 5 minutes.
• Val paddled fast again, getting dunked by a gnarl of branches, and crossed the finish at 4 hours, 54 minutes.

After the finish, we ate burgers, hot-dogs, potato salad, chips and had a beer or two. Good heathy food with enough calories to support the work put in.

Our team generally gets together only once a year so it is nice to the see familiar faces and hear the stories. It is also good to see regulars elsewhere on the course.

Thanks to Varouj for his captain work and the rest of the team for all their hard work!

Thanks again to Varouj for his mountain bike effort!

Here's the leader board after the race.

Beyond Boston

This year's Boston Marathon on April 16 2012 was one for the record books. On April 15 2012 I blogged about hot weather running. I was worried about the heat and used the blog as a sounding board for my fears.

My fears about heat were met with serious challenges. Until April 15, 2012 I had been training in 50 to 70 degree temperatures. On April 16 the temperature went over 80 degrees. What a surprise. I spent the first half of the race pushing hard to hit the half way mark. My theory was, the sooner I'm done, the less time I will spend in the heat.

This theory played out well. At the half way mark my time was about 1:45. On a cooler day, that start would have set me up for a 3:30 finish. Sweet! Alas, the heat got the best of me and the run-walk-crawl-wish-for-a-ride second half took 30 minutes longer than the first half.

This was not my slowest marathon - that was Hartford in 2005 (4:25). Breaking the 4 hour mark in 80 degree heat was enough for me.

Looking back over the dozen marathons I've now run, Boston continues to be my favorite. I'm cooling down on marathons though and considering hanging up my distance running shoes for a while.

Now the question is what lies beyond Boston?

Hot Weather Running

Running is a great thing. When I run, the sweat pours out and the stress follows. A key success element in running is the ability to disperse heat. When air temperature is below 65F, heat exists quickly. Above that temperature, runners can suddenly overheat after 3 or 4 miles.

Marathons are an even bigger challenge. 3 or 4 miles goes by pretty quickly and then there's the remaining 22 plus miles. The basic rules for running in hot weather are much like the rules for finishing marathons.

1. Start out slow - a minute or two under target pace. When weather is hot, stay slow. It's better to finish strong then not finish.
2. Drink water often - drink at each water stop. Boston has water stops every two miles. Drinking too much is risky too - sip if not thirsty.
3. Eat something early and often - fuel is important even when it's hot. Your digestion will shut-down mid way through the race so snack early and often.
4. Walk if you feel hot - overheating is difficult to distinguish from fatigue, when in doubt - walk.

Bottom line for running in hot weather, heat kills. If you know your target pace, add a minute or two for each 10 degrees over 65F. If you don't know your target pace and the temperature will be 20 degrees greater than your recent training runs, you may want to sit this race out.

See this on Active.com and this on RehabToRacing.com.