Birch Bay 44th Annual Marathon Run

This past Sunday the whole Red Dirt Lovers clan participated in the Birch Bay Marathon.  Chad ran the marathon, all 26.2 miles.  He did so without ever walking, although, he did stop to talk to us for a minute or two as the rest of us manned an aid station.

Our volunteering for the marathon actually started on Saturday.  Joel put on the Birch Bay marathon and half marathon race (for those of you who have short term memory loss Joel is Jessica's running coach).  Joel was a bit stressed, and we, being the good people that we are, decided to help Joel out.  So Saturday morning we drove to Birch Bay and helped Joel with the packet pick up.  Then drove back out the next morning for the race.   Since Joel was stressed we headed right on out to the Sandcastle Hotel to meet up with him.  No one was there.  Come to find out everyone was meeting at two to get things ready.  Joel forgot to mention that so we had to fill up two hours with eating and sight seeing.

Saturday night while handing out packets a man came up to Chad and asked him if he had run the race for the shirt he was wearing.  Chad looked down and saw that he was wearing his Mother Road 100 race shirt.  Chad told him yes and come to find out that the man had run the race as well.  We found his name on the the back of the shirt and Chad had him sign and date his shirt.  Mr. Shaw is marathoning his way through all 50 states.  Jess took a picture of the two of them.

Sunday morning Chad helped us set up our aid station which supported both the marathon and half marathon runners. Then I drove him to the starting line three miles away, with five minutes to spare, before the gun went off.

Saturday it rained all day and Chad was really hoping that it would quit before Sunday.  It did and the weather was perfect for the runners.  Not so much for the volunteers.  It was in the low 40's that day and we froze.  It didn't help that the wind was blowing either.  Hats, gloves, layers of clothes, coats...it didn't matter we froze!  It was our job to fill the cups with water or Gatorade and have them ready for the runners.  We also picked up the trash, handed out the GU and held on to the clothing that the runners were throwing off from being too hot.  If only the kids and I had that problem.  The kids kept asking to go sit in the truck and I kept telling them no.  I finally relented and sat in there myself.  We would trade off every 15 minutes or so.

Our aid station was located at an intersection where the marathoners would pass us three times and the half marathoners would pass us twice.  We were considered the first and last aid station. Anyway, since we were at an intersection we had people directing traffic.  Hopper was the guy on our intersection directing traffic.  If you don't know who Hopper is check out my previous post.  Hopper took his job seriously and stood out there the whole time along with a sheriff.  They had to be freezing.  The sheriff didn't even wear a hat.  Anyway, towards the middle to the end of race when there was a space between runners, Hopper would come over and visit.   We had a good time talking to him and it made the time go by faster.  He is very open about his past issues.  He doesn't hide it and was willing to answer all of our questions about his injury and drug use.  He loves wrestling, which you could see on his face as he put Noah into a Full Nelson.  He got a kick out of how the kids pronounced "wrast-ling" and would laugh when they would say it.  We also got to meet Paige who is Hopper and Joel's sister.  Jess teamed up with her Saturday evening to hand out the men's marathon packets.  I think they did more talking and laughing then anything else.

Saturday, while waiting for Joel to show up, we met Joe Gray, who was running the half marathon.  We found out Joe attended Oklahoma State University and ran for them a bit so I liked him instantly.  We were able to see him fly by us early on and got to see him towards the end of his run as well.  I swear his legs were longer then Jessica.  Joe set a course record with a time of 1:09:41. That is a 5:19 mile pace, which, for 13.1 miles is just amazing to me.  I could totally do it!

Then we met 78 year old, Mel Preedy.  He has been running the Birch Bay Marathon for the past 20 years, not the half marathon but the full 26.2 miles.  His first year he ran Birch Bay he won the race.  Not so these days.  His body not being what it used to be he more waddled then ran the 26.2.  He took the early start and by the time he finished the other runners had already left and the finish line and timer were gone.  But, he completed the race none the less, 7:43:50.  We chose to stay at our aid station until he passed us then went to cheer him on as he finished. Mel already had other marathons lined up for the coming months.

 Ryan wants to run the half marathon next year. I told her I would run it with her.  The thing is I love volunteering for things like this.  The different people that you meet are inspiring and make you want to get out and run.   But, if I just showed up to the race and ran I wouldn't get all the fun and inspiring stories that I hear when I do volunteer. 

Oh, I forgot to mention.  Chad's time was four minutes off of his qualifying time for Boston.  He shouldn't have stopped to talk!

PS.  when Jess gets the pictures all spruced up I will post them.

Jim and Hopper

I have told you before that our coach, Jim, is a streaker, having run at least a mile everyday for over 40 years.  Joel, our other coach, who happens to be Jim's son is also a streaker.  Well, so is Jim's son, Hopper.  Hopper is his nickname, just so you know.   Anyway, the local news station ran a piece on Jim and Hopper recently and I thought I would share the link.
http://www.king5.com/on-tv/evening-magazine/42--Year-Running-Streak-139398578.html

I met Hopper yesterday and had the chance to work by him today, but that is a story for tomorrow. 

January Running Stats

January was our first month of the whole family getting back into running, some more willing than others.  Jess had to stop because we wanted her to get her leg healed up.  She is slowly starting to run again.  Ryan and Noah are usually spotty about running, and, of course, are having to be forced to get out and do it.  Mean parents I know.  Cody has been running with me a lot, again, not because she wants to, but because I make her.  She doesn’t complain anymore, but she isn’t exactly happy about it either.  Since she has been running she has lost about 3 lbs., so that helps to get her out running with me.  Chad has only missed one day of running and his runs are usually longer than ours, 4-8 miles a day.

Since I started running on January 1^st, I have not missed a day yet.  My shortest distance is a mile, which is the minimum you must run to be considered a streaker, and my longest distance is 4.04 miles.  There are some “Aha!” moments that I have learned this go around about running.  One, it is okay to focus on distance and not worry about speed.  I am slow and I know it and as the years have progressed I have gotten even slower, going from an, almost, 10 minute mile to 13:30 mile.  I embraced and lived by The Penguin’s mantra of “No need for speed”, which will make this next statement a bit odd.  Even at a 13:30 mile I was still going too fast to be comfortable enough to finish the mile.  I was killing myself to run it and just felt dead in the end and hated it every time I had to run.   I didn’t feel like I was getting any better.  Before practice one day Jim told me to slow down.  He told me to focus on the distance and speed will come later.  I listened to him and slowed down even more.  When I ran near the house I would run at a slower pace and stop when I felt tired.  I didn’t even pay attention to my Garmin and since I was running when it was dark I really couldn’t see it anyway.  One day, I ran until I became tired and I had run four miles.  Lately my knees have been bothering me so I have cut my mileage down to 1.25 miles.  Since I have been keeping track of my mileage and time here is what I have found out.  I was running a 12:30 mile that decreased to somewhere in the elevens and decreased more into the tens.  Last night I ran a 9:58 mile.  Not bad for someone who began this running adventure in the thirteens.  And, I did it by focusing on going the distance and not worrying about my speed.  Hmmm, I feel a Cake song coming on.  Two, I CAN run in the cold and rain.  Back home if it was cold or rainy I wouldn’t run.  I mean who wants to be cold or wet, especially while having to run.   I even said to Jessica’s coach, “You mean you expect us to run in the rain!”  He laughed at me and said, “Of course!”  I thought he had lost his mind.  But, I bundle up head out into the cold and by the end of the run my neck gator and gloves have been shoved into pockets and my jacket unzipped because I am too hot.  And as for the rain…I gripe before I leave the house and don’t even notice it while running.  Okay, in Oklahoma, when it rains it pours.  Here It is more like a misting or dripping, but you still finish your run wet.  Three, hills schmills.  Okay, I still don’t run hills.  I purposefully make my routes as hill less as possible.  Unfortunately, that is difficult to do here, so I still get some.  And, it is totally unavoidable if you run the trails, which we do.  I just go back to focusing on the distance and before I know it I have reached the top of the hill.  That is not true.  I know it and feel every step I take up that hill.  But, I do try to focus on the distance and not worry about my speed (meaning I slow way down), and I really focus on that downhill coming my way!  Love the downhill. 

Okay, our distances for January:

Chad:  180.42

Tammy:  60.67

Cody:  35.13

Noah:  48.59

Ryan:  42.77

Jess:  26.3  that she marked down

Which leads me to this disclaimer.  I did not put in all of the kids’ miles.  I became lazy and February is even worse.  I haven’t put any down.  I will have to do better.

So, What is an Evening Like in the Red Dirt Lovers’ House?

Well, I can tell you that it is rarely dull.  What did we do the other evening?  We sugared.  Is that the correct word?  Sugaring?  It is similar to waxing but you use sugar instead.

Jess found a recipe online and wanted to try it out.  I don’t know what made her decide to look it up.  She asked if she could try it out on me.  I, being the good mother that I am, said, “Sure!  Why not?”  Far be it from me to hinder my children’s curiosity.  Who knows, someday one of them may make millions all because I let them cut my hair or put some sugar concoction on my legs and rip off the hair with a piece of fabric.  Okay, the real reason I let her do it?  Anyone who knows me knows I don't like to shave, and this seemed like the easy way out of having to do it.

But, it wasn’t just me.  Ryan wanted to try it out, and after Ryan, Jess did it.  Then I had to force Cody to do it.  I told her it was a “rite of passage into womanhood.”  She informed me she didn’t want to be a woman.  None the less, we talked her into it.  Next was Noah.  Jess did his back.  Then… Chad.  Check out the video. 

Noah took the video so the quality is not the best and is quite shaky.  I also must mention that what you see on Noah’s back is the sugar mixture not an oozing sore.  Also, the next day I went and shaved.