Tuna Run 200 Race Report 2013

Overview
The 2nd annual Tuna Run 200 on Oct. 18-19 to Atlantic Beach, NC was great fun for this member of team Hook, Line and Suckers.  My husband and I returned to the race and formed a team for which he served as captain.  We were in van 2 again, which means we saw the same route and experienced the same exchange zones as last year; however, we ran different legs.

Some of my teammates confirmed my feelings about overnight relay races: You sign up for the challenge and to run well knowing that your team will depend on you, but you can't really understand what an adventure and team sport it is unless you've been through it.  Each of the five times I've run this type of race, it turns out the same way.  I climb into a van with a few people I've never met, and I come away feeling like I've met a close friend or two.   It's not about a personal record or a time and ranking.  (Of course I can't speak for the members of the most competitive teams.)  It's about a collective group effort and the enjoyment of the process along the way.

My vantage point was different this year with my team placing in the middle of the pack instead of near the end.  Last year we were among the last to join the finish line celebration; this year we arrived while the celebration was underway but not nearing the end.  My goal for this race was to not take myself too seriously, and I wanted to enjoy the experience more instead of concentrating on racing hard.  During the race, I felt like an old pro.  I've finally learned to hold back on the first run and bust it on the last leg.

The race grew from 50 teams to 60 teams, and there is room to grow in years to come.  More runners lend to the excitement and keep runs from being less solitary than they otherwise might be.  The course was the same except for one area that my van did not travel.  There was a last minute vehicle detour on one of my van's longest legs. Thank goodness for the multiple phone GPS's on board our van as I maneuvered it through the countryside.

My determined friend Holly beginning her final leg nearing the finish.  Team Captain John in the orange just handed off the baton.

This year numerous volunteers were along the course at exchange zones to record hand offs and times, enforce rules and assist runners.  The race did a good job of increasing the number of volunteers this year.  Most of the volunteers were supplied by some of the teams for a reduction in race fees, and some were from non-profit organizations from the communities through which the race passed.  These volunteers provided some local flavor and much assistance, and in return they received a donation to their charity or non-profit of choice within their community.  Those teams that paid the additional race fee were giving back to the communities along the course.

The temperature on the first day was cooler than forecasted.  It was overcast and good running weather.  The rain came during the evening and night hours, subsided, and then returned in the afternoon of the second day for our finish and for some of the party.

No matter how bad you thought you had it, there was someone out there who had been running since Wednesday night to complete the 200 mile course by himself.  I never saw Dave Cockman, but I hear he received a great welcome reception at the finish.

My new friend and teammate Scott begins his first leg at a church.

Unique to Tuna Run: Churches, Tattoos and Mace
Most of the Tuna Run's exchange zones are at hospitable churches.  A teammate commented that this could be called The Church Run instead of the Tuna Run.  It's almost like taking a tour of Eastern North Carolina churches on this mostly church to church race.  Some had members on hand to offer conversation and food, again providing local flavor and context.   Many of them have nice restroom facilities for changing clothes and freshening up.  Another race I have run does not have as many nice restroom facilities along the route, and as a result teammates often need to vacate the van so that a runner can change clothes in what privacy one can find in a van.  That wasn't the case for this race.

New to the race this year were temporary, directional tattoos for each leg and route for each runner.  They were a nice addition this year, stuck well to the skin, and did not want to come off!  A few days after the race, I finally worked on my arm with rubbing alcohol to get rid of them.  While they were pretty cool, sometimes they were not necessary for the legs without any turns.  They eliminated the need to carry an extra sheet of paper in hand or stashed in a belt or pocket.  They added another step to race preparation.  In addition to being dressed appropriately, you have to gather other things buried in the van before each run, which vary depending on the time of the run:  race bib with safety pins, water bottle, headlamp or flashlight, blinking lights for your chest and back, reflective vest, headphones (if wanted in daylight), phone, Garmin, sunglasses or hat, mace -- and this year tattoos!

Dogs used for home protection in rural Eastern North Carolina are part of the Tuna Run.  Runners should carry mace, and team members in vans should warn and protect their runners of possible upcoming hazards as necessary.   If you are afraid of dogs, you probably will not enjoy all of your runs.  My Tuna teams have felt threatened by dogs only at night.  This year during our van's first rotation of legs, two friendly, enthusiastic and athletic dogs, one large and one small, joined the race for miles.  I was worried that their hearts would burst out of their chests.

My First Leg: # 8; 4.82 Miles
I held back my pace on this short leg that my husband ran last year.  Along the way I saw a van with a photographer stuck in the mud on the side of the road and another team pushing the stranded van back onto the road.  Then I observed a large group of men working in farm fields harvesting sweet potatoes.  On this run I saw the first of several  old school buses reconfigured to haul local harvests.  At an exchange I chatted about these unusual trucks with a local volunteer.  On this day they were called sweet potato trucks.  Earlier in the year, they were called watermelon trucks, etc.   As I approached the exchange, I heard a loud noise and looked back to see a large tractor just behind me.  I decided to be silly and race it to the hand off.  I had never raced a tractor.

My Second Leg: # 21; 5.61 miles
I stood in the dark huddled under an umbrella that my husband held around midnight as I waited for my turn to run.  I can handle running in the rain, but standing in the rain is colder and wetter.  I was mentally prepared for the night run this year having experienced the dogs last year and having purchased my mace back in Raleigh.  I kept my hand on the trigger for at least two-thirds of this leg.  I carried a flashlight in one hand and mace in the other.   I wore a clip-on light on my hat because I have never had luck with headlamps.  The van went ahead and scouted for dogs and stopped to warn and protect me.  One dog stood barking in its yard about 12 feet from the road while three vans parked there to protect their runners.  I experienced steady rain for the majority of my run.  No other runners were around me for most of the run; no bobbing lights to follow.  Running through the woods in the dark to the sound of rain was a bit spooky at times, and I turned to look behind me more than once.  I wondered about bears. At other times I ran by fields.  As I crossed a bridge over a stream, I thought that if I fell off the bridge, no one would ever find me.  On the same bridge I also marveled at the beauty of the stream amid the parting trees.  This leg was pretty adventurous for a suburban mom.

I arrive at the hand off without letting the tractor pass.  My friend Holly takes the baton.

My Third Leg:  #31; 8.41 Miles
This was the first leg of our van's last rotation.  When we arrived at the exchange at 5AM, church members had just opened the church to prepare a pancake breakfast for us.  A kind woman welcomed us and found us a spot to rest outside the sanctuary.  I slept at this exchange for an hour or two, enjoyed breakfast, and popped my contacts back in my eyes in the nice restroom facility.  I find wearing and changing out my contact lenses during these overnight relays one of the most challenging parts.  When I began the run around 9 AM, it was muggy having rained during the night, and we were still inland and heading toward the coast.  No ocean breezes yet.  I had run conservatively during my first two legs and decided I had no reason to continue that way, so I ran those 8 miles hard.   The beginning of the leg was rural and scenic with a nice view from a bridge.  The latter part of the run was a straight stretch on a busy highway and just plain work.

The Finish Line Celebration
I enjoyed the finish line celebration in a different way this year.  Last year it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and I enjoyed the sun and sand, but I felt let down when I arrived with the party almost over and the food almost gone.  This year my van arrived just ahead of the rain while the party was in full swing, but while we were waiting to run to the finish line with our last runner, there was a steady rain that lasted for a while.  Plenty of volunteers handed out medals and took our only team picture.  Food and drink were plentiful: My portion of tuna was generous and delicious, and there were plenty of side dishes.  My team wasn't able to stay for the duration of the party, but I heard from another team that the beer was plentiful and that a good crowd closed down the party at the end of the day.

Parting Thoughts on Forming a Team
Many of my women runner friends do not like this concept and are not eager to join a team such as this.  The majority of these women are of a similar age to myself, have jobs and children and are very busy in general. They also like sleep and cleanliness.  All these factors seem to combine to keep them from wanting to be in a race away from home for over 24 consecutive hours.  Most of them do not list these factors when telling me they are not interested -- they just seem to relay that I am crazy for wanting to do it.  These factors combine for me to seek out this atypical experience for one or two weekends a year.  Bribing friends with the promise of a van stocked with cookies and chilled, lavender- scented cleansing cloths doesn't help.

If you would like to form a team, get firm commitments from the number of runners you plan to have on your team before paying the registration fee.  Ensure that each team member is really in, preferably with cash or a check in your hand to reserve a spot on the team.   With one month away from the race and much training invested, we were down to eight team members from 12, which meant that we were looking at forfeiting the substantial team registration fee, not fielding a team, and leaving other team members disappointed -- unless we could come up with 2 runners for a team of 10.  We could do it with 10, but none of us had trained for the distance required to race with eight.  With two weeks to go, we had 10 members, and I was looking at running a marathon distance for which I had not trained.  We secured our final team member, number 12, about a week before the race.

*My report is biased because after running the Tuna Run in 2012, I joined the race staff.

A Killer Playlist

I went to the Killers concert at the Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheater on Monday night.  The Killers is one of my favorite bands, and the band members go along with me (on my iPod) on most of my runs and have during the last seven years.  I recognized the songs from my play list.  When they played one, I felt the need to run, but all I could do was move and dance around because I was sandwiched in the middle of a row along with one of my running buddies. Even though I was boxed in, the concert was amazing --  the singing, the music, the energy, the special effects and the fans showing their love!  I was lucky to get tickets and was pretty far from the stage, but the seats were center stage, so frontman Brandon Flowers was directly in front of me at times.  I had to stand on tiptoes to see him, so I got a good calf workout too.

The following are the Killers songs on my 2012 marathon playlist.  This is the last playlist I made.  Even though I got the band's latest CD "Battle Born" for Christmas 2012, I haven't uploaded new CD's and made a new list since then.  I will be sure to add numerous songs from Battle Born including "Miss Atomic Bomb" when I make my next playlist.  These days the songs I listen to most often are from Flower's solo CD "Flamingo." Whether together as the Killers or Flowers solo, collectively these songs have a good beat, are cleverly written and speak to me.  Flowers's vocals are strong, pleasing and passionate.  My ideal running songs!

Mr. Brightside
Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts (just Flowers)
Was It Something I Said (just Flowers)
Magdalena (just Flowers)
Crossfire (just Flowers)
Loosing Touch
Human
Spaceman
Joy Ride
A Dustland Fairytale
This is Your Life
I Can't Stay
The World We Live In
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
Somebody Told Me
All These Things That I've Done
Change Your Mind
When You Were Young

Positive Peer Pressure: A Plank Challenge!

On my long run last Saturday, my friend Carrie asked me if I'd like to do a plank challenge with her for a month.  She and some others are in the process of  doing the "Perfect Your Core" Plank Challenge as posted on the He and She Eat Clean Blog.  This did not sound appealing to me mid run -- even though my focus right now is supposed to be on total body fitness.   A plank for this purpose is being in a prone position supporting your body weight with your arms with the weight of your lower body being supported by your toes.  In other words, imagine preparing to do a push up, and instead of going down and back up, you hold the first position.   I told her I'd try it for 5 days, and that she had to hold me accountable.

I forgot to do it on that Monday, but I did it Tuesday through Thursday.  Instead of starting with day one, I jumped to the day of the month with which the challenge aligned.  The first day wasn't so bad, and I thought this would be easy.   On the second day, I decided this would be hard.  On the third day, I barley got through it.  Instead of scrapping the whole idea, I will start from the beginning and try to do what I can.   It does not help that I do these after a long workout, but that's my plan.

During the week I got into the groove of classes that combine cardio and strength training.  They are rigorous and much harder than going for a typical run.  In one class when the instructor asked the class how we were feeling, one woman yelled out, "I should have gone running!" (with the group I usually run with at the Y instead of suffering through this class.)  I thought she was just joking at first, but now that I've been to a few of these classes, I realize she was not joking at all.

In the midst of one class with sweat dripping off my nose I thought, "This is for Boston!"  It wasn't for the good people of Boston, but rather for my own selfish reasons.  If I am working this hard to be in shape for Boston, I am determined to make it into the race, run the race, and do my best in the race. In a previous post, I commented that if I don't get in, it just wasn't meant to be.  In that moment at the Y,  I really, really, really wanted to run the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I felt like a selfish, bratty kid, but in adult form, because I knew that I was being selfish the moment I thought it.  If I am accepted, this will make a good mantra, and it won't be totally selfish then.

Training for The Tuna Run 200 for 2013

On Monday I started training for the Tuna Run 200 relay race on Oct. 18-19.   I have not been running as much as usual, and I've felt it as a withdrawal of sorts.  Tuesday morning I dabbled in speed work for the first time in two months.  The break from it was nice and a time of renewal.  At least that's my way of saying that I needed to be lazy.  Of course it was harder to use that much effort after a break, but I felt my power and appreciated my speed in a different way following this break.

After taking myself way too seriously last year in relay races, I've decided not to focus my energy on preparing to race in the Tuna Run.  My approach for the next three months will be about total body fitness and running.  I plan to run three times a week:  speed work, a long run, and another run (tempo, recovery, hills or whatever I please.)  I will cross train on the other three days with a variety of strength training and aerobic intensity classes at the Y.  I haven't seen this training plan anywhere; I'm making it up.

A reason for this is that in the past few years I've spent so much time running that I've neglected strength training.  My main reason for focusing on weights and strength is that I am already preparing for the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I want to be strong when it comes time to train for it -- if I get a spot.  Registration for Boston opens in mid to late September.   Even though I qualified for 2014, there is a good chance that I will not have a spot because those who were stopped on the course and could not finish get the first spots (as it should be), and many qualifiers will want to be there and will register.   I would be proud to be included, and I almost crave the chance to have a positive outcome from the race.  If I am not included, I will be disappointed but will have to acknowledge that it simply wasn't meant to be.

Glenda Mooney Half Marathon Race Report 2013

The second annual Glenda Mooney Half Marathon doubled in size this year with nine participants.  This race among friends on the American Tobacco Trail was held on June 29 with temperatures in the mid 70's at the start with very high humidity.  Our group stayed close together this year throughout the race.  I met three of these runners for the first time that morning.  They live and run in my neighborhood and are friends of a friend.

My friend Carrie and I keep a similar pace and shared each mile.  Our final miles were quicker than our first miles.  In the last 400 meters, I noticed we were close to the 2 hour mark, so we picked up our pace to come in at just under 2 hours.

Our friend Holly printed race bibs again this year and included Bible verses for each of us. Race Director Glenda organized the post race celebration featuring fresh, homemade muffins, chilled lavender cloths, and the medal ceremony.  The medals were crystal sun catchers.  Mine was blue to match my eyes.  While the glittering crystals were significant in the moment, Glenda shared with us later why she chose the crystals.

 This is what she wrote:

"A couple years ago while I was at the beach, I had been collecting pretty pieces of sea glass. Hours later, I looked at them again inside and wondered why I had picked them up. It then occurred to me that they were only beautiful when the sun was shining through them. That made me think that even when my skin is clear and I'm having a good hair day, I'm only beautiful when God's light is shining through me. If you hold the sun catcher in your hand, that is you. If you put it up in the window with the sun streaming through, that is you with God's love shining through you. Now you have become beautiful." 

Esprit de She Race Report -- Cary, NC

Last Thursday evening my friend Christine and I ran the first Esprit de She in Cary, NC.  More than 700 runners were on hand at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre for the combined 5k and 10K race.  Christine hadn't run a 5K in years, and this was her first event since I insisted on dragging her to 5:30AM track sessions a year ago. We ran together, finished together, and celebrated her accomplishment together. This was a great event, and I recommend it -- especially for women new to the sport.

This is not one of the many 5K races for a cause or a charity.  It is an event and a girls night out. Athleta and Lifetime Fitness sponsored the race and pulled it off brilliantly. In a week filled with rain storms, they somehow managed to keep the rain away.  The heat was there at first, but by the time the after party was in full swing, the summer night felt just right.

When we arrived at 5:30PM for the 6:30PM race, the temperature was 88 degrees and the humidity was high.  At 6PM fitness instructors led runners assembled inside the amphitheatre in a zumba like warm up.  At 6:15PM we left the area for the starting line.  The competitors were already at the start.  Behind the line I noticed how easy going the crowd was pretty far back. Women chatted in friendly circles, and mothers gave advice to their young daughters.  From where we were, we couldn't hear what was being said over the announcement system, but when the National Anthem played, everyone could tell.

Christine and I wove in and out of runners for the first mile.  We ended up behind people who were walking or running slowly at the start.  I hadn't anticipated that.  We ran on one of Cary's fine greenways, and the view around the lake was beautiful.  The path was a little narrow for the number of runners, but no one around us seemed to mind.  After the lake was an uphill portion, which Christine dreaded before the start.  I told her to take small steps and to not look toward the top of the hill.  We ascended it in no time.  At the top of the hill, an irate woman in a large SUV was yelling at a race representative.  She could not leave her subdivision because racers were passing.  The race representative jogged toward a nearby police officer, and I was glad to leave the scene.  We ran around a neighborhood and back toward the amphitheatre.  It was hot, we were hot, and there was no shade.  No one should plan on a personal record at this race because of the summer evening start.  A quarter mile from the finish, I told Christine that if she had anything left, this was the time to turn it on, and she did. We finished strong together.

We got a bottle of water and made our way toward the finish celebration where we feasted on scrumptious carb laden creations catered by La Farm Bakery, one of the best bakeries in Cary.  The food was great, and we could use tickets for wine, champagne and beer.  I took a glass of champagne just because I've never had champagne at a race.  We relaxed, recovered and enjoyed dinner and good conversation with one of Christine's neighbors and one of her friends.  Before leaving, we visited some of the vendors on hand including Wild Planet Tuna.  In another booth, we could have had our nail polished changed, hair braided or a massage of some sort, but feeling a little sweaty, we passed.  Just before leaving, we watched the award ceremony for the 5K.  The first three young woman to finish ran fast and were competitive.  So, while this race is a fun girls night out, competitors can also find their place at the event on the podium.  Christine and I checked our posted finish time and went home happy.

My friend Christine and I crossing the finish line together.
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Tourist Running on Marco Island

With my friends still asleep in the hotel room, I tried opening the door quietly in the dark only to hear the loud thud of the extra security latch.  I muttered that I was sorry, undid the latch, and stepped into the bright hallway.

I set out on an exploratory 8 mile run on Marco Island that Friday morning at 8AM. This was to be my last taper run before the upcoming Glenda Mooney Half Marathon.  On the beach it was already hot and sunny.  If I had ask a helpful staff member about running options, I probably would have heard that it’s best to run early, like 5:30AM early.  I was enjoying a long girls weekend with grad school friends who have scattered across the country, and catching up on each other’s lives seemed more important the night of our arrival than turning in early and setting an alarm clock.

I started from the Hilton, turned left, and ran on the packed sand at the top of the beach.  I ran out of beach one mile into the run.  Off the shore a crane was placing huge boulders in the water to protect the shoreline, and more boulders blocked my path.  I turned around and decided to run near the shore.  On the southern beaches on which I’ve run on the east coast, I do not like to run near the water because the beach slopes too much.  On this Florida beach on the Gulf coast, the beach did not slope.

After four miles I texted my friends to let them know that I was moving slowly and stopping to take pictures. They had just gotten up.  I reported that I had four miles to go and that they should go about their morning.  I would catch up later.

   

I reached a wildlife protection area and stopped to read a sign about it.  I was feeling warm, but was hydrated and fine.   I was eager to explore this pleasant surprise, but I discovered that this wasn’t a good place to run because the beach began sloping and the vegetation crept to the slope.  There was no room to run.  I turned around and ran back toward the Hilton.

I arrived at the hotel after six miles to cool off and take a break.  I saw my reflection in a mirror and became alarmed at the sight of my red face.  Again, I assessed how I was feeling.  I was overheated.  I reasoned that having heat exhaustion wouldn’t be a good way to begin this reunion trip.  The heat and the extra work running on the sand would have to suffice for my 8 miler.

   

Trying to pack light, I brought one set of running clothes.  Deciding I might want a do-over, I washed them in the sink and set them out to dry.  When I went to sleep I thought Zumba on the beach sounded like more fun for the next morning.  I slept right through it.