2012 Christmas Midnight Run

 

This year's Midnight Run was a lot like last year's.

Just when we were getting settled in at home after a busy Saturday, it was time to head for the starting line. But the mild temperature made it easier to get back out of the house. Husband and I warmed up by jogging to la Riponne where we joined the other 600 runners. At 11 p.m. sharp the gun was shot and we took off on the first of three 2.3K laps around the old city. Since my knee had been hurting for several weeks, I was a bit concerned about all the steep hills, slippery cobblestones and hairpin turns. But I felt no pain at all and was able to keep up a decent pace despite the lack of training recently. Even though each lap got harder and slower, I pushed hard till the end. I was met by a volunteer who congratulated me for coming in second among the +50 women. I knew who was ahead of me and was not surprised to see who came in third. The three of us were on the podium last year too!

Gotta run...

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Knowing I could just discard them before going home, I packed my old worn-out Nikes for this trip to the States to celebrate Son 2's wedding. Over the past week I've run in four different States. Three States on consecutive days, that's something new for me. This morning I borrowed Sister's car and drove down to the Lakelands Trail to run. My blue Adidas windbreaker was fine for Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky, but nowhere near warm enough for Michigan weather!

Gotta run...

Lausanne One World Run 2012

I can't deny I was a bit disappointed this morning when a third of the people who had assured me they were coming to our 5K (to benefit Project AIDS Orphan) didn't show up. We knew one couple was on their way, so we waited a few minutes to give them time to arrive. But everyone was getting cold, so I finally sent the 15 runners and 4 walkers on their way. I knew at least one runner would be back in under 20 minutes, so I quickly got a few things taken care of before going back to the finish line. Sure enough, Bob was right on schedule! Others started trickling in and told me they had seen some of the "no shows" on the out-and-back course along the lake. Because of different mishaps, a total of 10 runners joined the race in progress. Most race directors will tell you to expect a certain percentage of runners to drop out. I doubt many have ever seen their field increase be 50% at the finish line! We ended up having about the same number of participants as in 2010 and 2011, so along with my wonderful helpers we had a nice little group for the awards ceremony, then pumpkin soup by the fire.

Gotta run...

Forceton Talent 2012

It was pouring rain Saturday morning; but having signed up for the 11K race just north of town, I was determined not to chicken out. After picking up my bib, I waited in the locker room with all the other women who were discussing how they had strategically dressed for this weather. I said I was wearing a bright red shirt so that if I fell down a hill I would be easily found. Fifteen minutes before the start of the race, the rain stopped! I was familiar with the course that wound through the forest, partly on paved roads, partly on dirt paths; so I took off at a fast pace to avoid getting stuck behind cautious runners on the narrow downhill portion of the race. I overtook several young runners as I tore down the steepest and rockiest section. The second half of the course sloped gently uphill along the rushing stream. I slowed quite a bit as I always do going uphill; but surprisingly, very few runners passed me. The last two kilometers seemed interminable (mostly because the course was almost 12K instead of 11!), but I finished strong anyway. I didn't have time to hang around and mingle, so I jogged back to my car just as the rain started coming down again.

Gotta run...

Broken promises

This is not yet another post about the mayor of  New York City cancelling the Marathon at the last minute after having announced two days earlier that it would indeed take place. (It's not even about today's election.) No, this is closer to home. At last year's Lausanne One World Run I promised that the 2012 event would be on a larger scale. But not knowing where to start, and with Son 2 getting married one week later, I could only muster the energy to maintain the 5K as it was the previous two years. (To my credit, I did find a local sponsor to pay for t-shirts so that Brother doesn't have to send them all the way from the States.) Oh well, it'll still be fun; so if you're in the area November 17th, come join us to support this good cause. You don't even have to run; come walk it, or just encourage the runners and stay for a bowl of homemade soup. I may be worthless at organizing events, but I can certainly cook for a crowd!

Gotta run...

Lausanne Marathon 2012

Saturday afternoon winter hit. We stayed home to eat our spaghetti instead of going down to Ouchy to share in the pasta party. Sunday morning we woke up to several inches of snow. The temperature was hovering around freezing and the wind was gusting. We felt sorry for all the 10K and marathon runners who were competing in the morning. The children's 2.6K and 4.2K races ended up being cancelled.

At 12:15 Husband and I met two running buddies at the train station to go to La Tour-de-Peilz on the last special train reserved for half-marathoners. From the train we could see marathoners struggling against the elements on their way back to Lausanne. Once we arrived at La Tour-de-Peilz there was still an hour to wait before our starting time. The four of us took refuge in the village church where parishioners had prepared snacks and hot drinks. We finally joined the ranks outside and waited for our third-wave start. We could see a 1:40' pacer just ahead of us, and a 1:50' pacer just behind us, but we were hoping to finish somewhere in between. Soon after we took off, we noticed a runner with a 1:45' sign pinned to the back of his shirt, so we tried to stay with him. About a mile into the race, I discarded my top layer of clothing; an old t-shirt. After another mile I took off my beanie and gloves and handed them to Husband who put them in his pockets. Soon the second disposable t-shirt came off. The temperature hadn't warmed up any, but I had. We were working hard to stay with the unofficial pacer, but just over half way he started pulling away. I was feeling a bit lightheaded and told Husband to go on. After that discomfort passed, I started catching up little by little. I was angry at the wind, which helped me push harder. Husband and I ran together again until he accelerated on the last kilometer to finish strong. Despite circumstances we were less than a minute off our target time!

Gotta run...

Husband, in blue, crosses the finish line to the right a few seconds into this clip. The unofficial 1:45' pacer is standing to the left in red and white. I'm wearing a bright orange t-shirt you can see from a long way away.

Gm-Guk

This afternoon I spent three hours giving out race numbers for Sunday's marathon, half marathon, and 10K. I was at station Gm-Guk. While I was there I went up and down the line to pick up half marathon bibs for Husband, two running buddies, and myself. We still plan on going by tomorrow to visit the expo and get our free pasta. We'll need the energy for the race; Sunday's forecast includes freezing temperatures, strong winds, and maybe even some snow.

Gotta run...