Maple Leaf half-marathon and 5K: our hometown race

Yesterday 38 women from my running groups over the past 5 years joined about 1000 other people to participate in the Maple Leaf Half-marathon and 5K in Manchester, VT. This is our local half-marathon, supported by the Manchester and the Mountains Chamber of Commerce, the local Lions Club, and our local running group, the BattenKill Valley Runners. One participant said we must have had almost as many volunteers as we did runners, and they're not far off. This event is truly a community effort, with fire departments, rescue squads, high school sports teams, community groups, and dedicated individuals volunteering their time and energy to put on a quality race.

This year I volunteered with the organizing committee, helped out at registration on Friday evening, and started Saturday morning by placing orange highway cones, no parking signs, and race direction signs along the route. Then came helping out at registration, answering questions from visiting runners, cheering on the walkers who started at 8am, placing volunteers holding pace signs for the 9am running start, and directing the 5K runners onto their last turn before the finish. All of this before 10am!

I spent the next 3 hours cheering on the half-marathon runners and walkers as they finished their race. Among the 1000 participants were 35 women from my running group. Once a member of Training for More, you're always a part of this fun-loving, energetic group.

some of the group before the race start

I watched women with big smiles speed up as they neared the finish. Women who joined hands with their friends, finishing the last few steps of the 13.1 miles together. Women I haven't seen all summer, who gave me a big smile and even stopped for a hug before they crossed the finish line. Women who struggled with blisters, cramped calf and hamstring muscles, and stomach issues but kept moving forward. Women wearing our team hat, visor, or t-shirt, or wearing a shirt from one of the many races we've done together. Women running with their husband or fiance. Women running with their children. Women talking, smiling and laughing, taking pictures and video. Women walking and running to set a PR, continue their quest to become a half-fanatic or reach a new moon level (you have to read about it to believe it), to support the local race and the charities it benefits, to encourage a friend, to demonstrate to themselves that they're strong and healthy, and to have fun. 

I started running in college because I was in Army ROTC and that required running - lots of running. I kept running because friends encouraged me to run, I craved the peace and quiet of running in the country on little-traveled roads, and running allowed me to eat just about anything I wanted. When I started the Training for More group, I expected fewer than 10 women to join, and I never expected it would expand into an ongoing, cohesive group of women who never cease to amaze me.

We didn't have a specific training group for today's races, I didn't organize group runs, or send out email instructions. They did it all on their own, or together in small groups. As each of them passed me on the course with the finish line in sight, I cheered, clapped, and shouted encouragement. Once they finished their race, we gathered together and continued cheering not only for women in our group, but for every person who came by. Congratulations to each of you who finished your race yesterday. Wear your finisher's medal with pride!

A day of racing

The women in the spring training group had their pick of a 5K or 10K race today, and were joined by several women from the marathon and half-marathon groups who competed in a half-marathon. It's not often I can stand in one spot and cheer for the racers in a bunch of different distances.

The Crowley Road Races in nearby Rutland, VT roll four different race distances into one morning. Everything starts off at 8am:  the kids 1 mile run, 5K, 10K, and half-marathon. The kids start and finish in the middle of downtown Rutland to the cheers of hundreds of parents and friends. The other three races start at different points, with the courses converging on the finish in downtown Rutland.

Large races are exciting with lots of people and volunteers lining the race course, but they also make seeing your friends finish, and then finding them to celebrate after the race really difficult to the crowds of people. The Crowley Races are small and friendly, with a local band providing upbeat music, friendly volunteers handing out Gatorade and bagels, and the announcer calling out the names of people as they finish.

One of the highlights is meeting legendary Bill Rodgers who runs the 10K and then hangs around to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and talk running until the last person finishes and has a chance to talk with him. In large races the elite athletes have their own porta-potties and stay out of sight of the rest of the pack. Bill Rodgers hangs out with the pack, grabs his own water at the finish, and seems to really enjoy both running and talking with fellow runners.

This is the fifth year of our women's running group and today we had women from the latest spring training group running or walking in the 5K and 10K, BJ from the half-marathon group who became a half-fanatic today after finishing her third half-marathon in 90 days, women who ran in the winter half-marathon group and worked on speed in the 10K, women who finished a marathon in the past 3 weeks and dropped down to the half-marathon, one woman who was injured in marathon training and completed her first half-marathon today, and two women from past running groups who ran the 10K. All we were missing was a few children in the kids' race.

BJ the latest half-fanatic

The marathon group started training together 8 months ago in October 2011. Our race season started in April with the Westfield half-marathon and moved on to the Flying Pig marathon, Shires marathon, and Vermont City marathon. The Crowley Races mark the end of our group training season, but it's definitely not the end of racing for the women in our group. They're entering all sorts of races, from the fun and muddy Renegade Playground Challenge to local triathlons, bike events, trail runs, and road races of varying distances.

Vermont is plagued by tics who carry lyme disease, but the women in our group have been bitten by a friendly and healthy bug:  the running bug. There's no stopping a woman who pinned on a race number, competed, and crossed the finish line feeling fantastic!

A tale of three marathons

October 2011 was the start of our journey toward completing a Spring marathon. 29 women ran long miles together every other weekend, got up at 4am to fit in miles before work, pounded out miles on the treadmill when necessary, battled illness and injury, and developed lasting friendships.

Troy, Alisa and Kim after 18 miles in March

We learned to run with frozen eyelashes, to tuck water bottles inside our jackets to prevent them from freezing, the warmest way to layer clothing, and that chocolate milk is a perfect recovery beverage no matter what the weather throws at us.

Patty, Mandy, Linda and Jen finish 20 miles

Four of us started the three marathon journey at the Flying Pig marathon in Cincinnati. This race has long been on my to-do list, because who can resist a medal with the front - and back - of a pig on it? My sister from Houston decided to join me, along with Fern, Troy and Jill who thought a marathon in Ohio sounded like fun. It WAS fun - lots of pig-related waterstops like the Hawg Wash where they gave us wet, cold towels to drape around our necks, or the Big Bad Wolf costumed teens who chased the little piggies all the way home.



Diane and I with volunteers at the pasta dinner



Our local marathon, the Shires point-to-point race from Bennington to Mancheste,r was next up for 10 women from our group. Last year they ran in a downpour in 50 degree temperatures. This year we had a heat wave, with relentless sun and temperatures in the 90's. The theme for the day was 'ice, ice baby' as ice rubbed on the neck and wrists, dumped into cups of water and Gatorade, and stuffed into running bras and calf sleeves saved the day. It was brutal yet empowering:  if I can run 26.2 miles in this type of heat, I can do anything.

before the Shires marathon

The final marathon for our group this Spring was the Vermont City marathon in Burlington, VT over Memorial Day weekend. 11 women from our group ran with the thousands of other relay team members and marathoners, steadily climbing up the steep hill on Battery Street and winding along the bike path next to Lake Champlain.

showing off Vermont City marathon medals

7 months. 29 women. 3 races. Hundreds of miles on the roads between Bennington and Manchester. Rain, snow, mud, sun and every so often a perfect running day that made us want to keep running longer. Blisters, lost toenails, sore knees and quads, IT band issues. Thank goodness for compression tights, ice, fuel belts, and Honey Stingers. Hours of conversations about children, work, spouses, running, and does celery really increase sex drive?

The driving force behind the miles was friendship. We trained together, we took a Pilates class together, we made pizzas together at Mandy's house with the help of master baker Jed (who also finsihed the Vermont City Marathon with us), we enjoyed post-run meals at Chauney's together. We often ran on our own during the week, but there was always the encouragement of the rest of the group to keep us going, especially when we posted about the run on Facebook, or watched Mandy's videos of our long runs or along the course in Burlington.

Thanks for a fantastic, amazing, wonderful marathon training and racing season my friends. We trained and ran the marathon - Because we can.

Relay races are about more than running

Running Mary to the finish

Yesterday five of us from our Training for More running groups finished the inaugural Old Route Relay, a 50 mile loop run in Hinesburg, VT and the surrounding area. Gail, Fern and I are relay veterans, having completed at least one of the 100 on 100 (100 miles on Vermont Route 100) relay races over the previous three years. Mary and Faith were our 'relay virgins', ready to complete their first relay race.

A relay event is more than simply taking turns covering a 50 mile course. We started at 11am on Saturday when we met at Fern's house to load up her car with overnight essentials, gear for the relay, and food - lots of food. Relay teams are self-sufficient, providing our own water, food, Gu, sports drinks, etc. We plan ahead for any possibility and operate with the idea that more (food) is always better.

Along the drive up to Hinesburg we talked about past races, our current training programs, family, travel, work; the talk never faltered and there was lots of laughter and fun. As we drove the course, the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees and a light rain started to fall. Perfect running weather! We noted the hills, the transition areas, the possible places to pee, and where we could stop for more food if necessary.

Fern took us to one of her favorite running stores, Fleet Feet in Essex Junction, where we resisted temptation and purchased only new flavors of gels and old-standby sports drinks. Dinner at Three Tomatoes involved lots of pasta and water to fuel the next day's run. We were in bed by 9am, with a 4am wake-up call.

The day of the race we loaded up the car at 4:30am and drove the 11 miles to the start in complete darkness and temperatures in the low 30's, glad that we scouted the course the previous day. Fern, our first runner, had no time to be nervous as the race director lined up the group starting at 5:30am, gave us a few instructions, and yelled "Go!".

A relay is a complex undertaking. Each of us ran in order:  Fern #1, Gail #2, Faith #3, Lynn #4, Mary #5. As Fern started running to the first transition area 7.2 miles away, the rest of us took a few minutes for one last visit to the restroom, climbed into the car, and drove off in search of Fern. Whenever we passed a runner, we rolled down the window and cheered them on. We drove to the first turn, parked the car, and as we saw Fern run up we spilled out of the car, cheering her on and making sure she made the correct turn. Then we climbed back into the car, drove ahead, and repeated the process until we reached the transition area.

Hundreds of times during the day we repeating the following:  climb in the car, drive ahead of the runner, stop and wait for the runner, cheer them on. Sometimes the routine varied:  we stopped for gas, to purchase scones and muffins at a bakery, to use an indoor bathroom. We changed out of cold and wet running clothes in the car. We drank chocolate milk, ate energy bars and pretzels, shared hard-boiled eggs and string cheese, and drank water constantly to refuel and get ready for the next run.

The only quiet time was when I was running. This was the first year of the Old Route Relay, and there were only 32 teams. We ran by ourselves the vast majority of the time, periodically seeing other relay teams and exchanging hellos and information. Most of the route was along rural roads with very little traffic. The weather stayed cold and overcast, with fog and clouds obscuring any possible mountain views. As I ran along, pushing the pace faster than usual because this IS a race, after all, I noticed the cows in the green fields, the smell of fresh manure, and the daffodils blooming by the farmhouses. Periodically the silence was broken by the sound of our car coming up behind me, and my teammates cheering out the windows. "Are you OK?" "Do you need any water?" "You look great!". Then it was back to listening to my feet crunch in the gravel as I continued the run.

Tradition holds that everyone on the team runs the last few yards together. This was easy for Mary, our last runner, since she had built up speed running down the hill and had the finish line in her sights. The rest of us moved more slowly as we tried to work the kinks out of sore, tired, and cold joints and muscles. We managed to cross the finish line together, cementing the fact that we were a team.

Mary, Gail, Fern, Faith and Lynn after the finish



The day wasn't over! We drove south toward home, looking for a restaurant with hot food after a long day snacking on food from our cooler. The conversation continued, this time telling stories of the various routes we ran that day, the other relay teams we met, and of course more laughter. We pulled back into Fern's driveway at 5:30pm on Sunday, 30 hours after we left.

Running is often a solo endeavor as we fit time to run into busy lives. The running groups give us the opportunity for weekly group training runs, and we often go to races together. Even if we run alongside someone else during the race, it's still an individual experience.

A relay is a group event from start to finish, changing and enriching the entire race experience. After so much time spent together, we appreciate the details of each other's lives. Our friendships deepen as we cover the miles. Add another medal to my collection, another t-shirt to my drawer, and memories to be savored as I run again this week.

Another half-marathon completed!

39 women from our half-marathon and marathon training groups gathered in Westfield, MA for the race on April 1st.

The Boys and Girls Club was a wonderful spot to get our gear together, stretch, and prepare for the race. Seasoned racers shared advice, everyone double-checked to make sure they had their number pinned on the front of their shirt, and lots of laughter helped calm pre-race jitters.

At 10am, the walkers started their race to enthusiastic cheering.

Then one hour later, the runners started as part of the largest field ever at this race - almost 900 of us!

We had perfect race day conditions:  temperatures right around 50, overcast skies, and little to no wind. The course was beautiful, and the three hills in the first four miles were easy compared to our hilly roads in southwestern Vermont. Everyone finished feeling strong, some with smiles and cheers, others with emotions overflowing.

Every year I'm amazed at what these women have accomplished. They not only trained - outside - in freezing temperatures, snowstorms, sleet, rain, and the hottest March temperatures on record - but they also juggled family committments and work to make time for themselves. They made new friends, cemented old friendships, told stories of blisters and Gu, and through everything helped each other reach their goals.

As they cross through the finish line to the cheers of their family, friends and the group, they realize what they've just done. They not only walked or ran 13.1 miles today, but they accumulated  over 100 miles of walking and running in their training this winter.

Finishing a half-marathon is a really big deal. Finishing it with your training group is amazing.

I'm not a hugger, but after a race I give out - and receive - hugs from everyone. Big hugs with lots of tears due to the range of emotions everyone is feeling:  relief, pride, joy, amazement.

13.1 miles.  Been there, done that.

Tomorrow is the half-marathon!

The day before a big race is always busy, exciting, fun, and nerve-wracking. There are a lot of details to attend to, and there's always the big unknowns:  how will I feel in the morning? Will the weather cooperate? What if the porta-pottie line is too long?

The race almost doubled the amount of runners this year, the majority at the last minute. That means they're scrambling to have enough t-shirts and medals, plus longer lines at packet pick-up. I give Mike Sheldon and his crew a lot of credit for handling everything with patience and friendliness. Our group is ready:  we'll arrive early, wear fuel belts to carry water/Gatorade just in case the waterstops are jammed, and support each other along the course.

Tonight we celebrated the end of our half-marathon training with a pre-race dinner at the Hotel Northampton. Great food, lots of stories and laughter, and wonderful rembrances of the past 3 months.

We missed the rest of our group who are driving in tomorrow morning, and those who weren't able to make the race this year for various reasons. The training is a group effort, and the race tomorrow is a celebration both of individual women who pushed past their fears and doubts to reach their goals, plus the group supporting each other every step of the way.

I'm excited to see them in the morning, race numbers pinned on their shirts, wearing team hats with green and purple streamers, nervously anticipating the start of their 13.1 mile journey. I'll be thrilled to see them as they cross the finish line, first-timers side-by-side with experienced race veterans.

Someone said she was sad to see the group ending, but it never really 'ends'. The next training session starts April 15th, the marathon group is working toward their goal race in May, friendships will continue, and we'll wave as we pass a car in town with the familiar "Runner Girl" or "13.1" sticker on the rear bumper.

Runners, on your mark!

Women's half-marathon training begins!

4 years ago I had a wild idea:  what if I could convince 4-5 women in my area to train for a half-marathon? The downsides:  we live in southwestern Vermont, where wintertime outdoor activities typically revolve around snow:  skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and shoveling. Most people don't think about starting a running program in the winter, but I love winter running.

Running with a headlamp in the dark before dawn gives me the opportunity to  watch the sky turn from black to pink, see the sun start to shine on the top of Mt. Equinox, and imagine folks groggily waking up as I'm enjoying the cold air as I run down the road.

Running through a snowstorm feels like I'm in the middle of a snowglobe. I can't see more than a couple feet in front of me, and the world seems soft in the swirling snow.

It's easier to pile on layers of clothing to stay warm in frosty winter temperatures than it is to run through muggy,  hot summer days.

Evidently there are lots of hardy women who feel the same as I do about running in the winter, because we ended up with almost 60 women in the first Training for More group in 2008. We included everyone who wanted to participate:  women with running experience, women who planned to walk the race, women new to running, women who combined walking and running. There was no requirement for speed - just a desire to complete a half-marathon.

I'll be honest:  I was astounded and shocked at the number of women who enthusiastically walked and ran over the 13-week training program. We developed a motto:  there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. We laughed our way through a sleet storm, smiled while we were buffeted by northerly winds, and rejoiced on the rare sunny, warm (anything above 32 degrees) days.

Before this running group I had always been a solo runner. I could fit a run inbetween work and taking care of the kids. I ran on my own schedule, at times that suited my family. Often I ran for the silence:  no ringing telephone, no one asking me questions, no demands for my attention. Running was my time.

With the running group, I learned to revel in running with other women. You can learn a lot about each other while you run together week after week. We shared stories about our families, our work, the joys in our life. We leaned on each other through injuries, illness, job loss, and death. People in town would wave and honk as they passed us running along East Manchester road early on a weekend morning, a long line of 30 or more women watching our frosty breath fill the air.

When we ran our first half-marathon together in New York City, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Our group of 60 lined up at the back of thousands of women of all ages and shapes, ready to start our 13.1 mile journey. We encouraged each other to keep going, even when we felt tired. We waited in line at the porty-potties together so no one was left alone. We laughed at the flatlanders complaining about the hills in Central Park, and loudly compared the 'hills' to speed bumps. We cheered enthusiastically when each woman crossed the finish line, then engulfed her in hugs as the tears streamed down our faces.

On the bus ride to NYC we watched a video about the Hawaii Ironman triathlon, in awe at the man with two prosthetic legs, the 70+ year old woman, the young man who willed himself into shape after a terrible car accident, and the pro athlete who had a horrible day, yet continued to walk the final marathon portion of the race because how could he give up when so many other people continued on the course? Their stories fueled our determination.

On the bus ride back to Vermont after the race, we shared champagne and stories. Stories about the race and the fun we had in NYC. Stories about our training and how at times we didn't think we'd ever be able to run 6 miles, much less 13.1 miles. Stories about bruised feet and sore quads, along with stories about increased strength, decreased waistlines, and pride of accomplishment.

I initially thought we'd train for a half-marathon, go home, and that would be it. These women would have none of it - they wanted more. We trained for the Freihofer women's 5K and the local Maple Leaf half-marathon. We kept coming back each January, meeting friends and encouraging women new to the group - and often new to running - to join us. For three years 6 of us shared the experience of the Vermont 100 on 100 relay - a 100 mile relay race from Stowe to Okemo that started at 6am as the sun rose over the Green Mountains and ended at 10pm with headlamps and stars lighting our way. Last year 20 women trained for the inaugural Shires marathon and numerous groups of women have completed countless other races from 5K's to marathons to triathlons together.

Most of us didn't know anyone else in the group when we started. Now we stay in touch and plan to walk or run together, or go for a bike ride or swim, or travel to the Albany Fleet Feet store for new shoes, or spy each other's cars in town proudly sporting a 'runner girl' sticker. Even when I run by myself, someone slows down and waves, or lets me know later in the day they saw me out on the road.

Tomorrow we start the 5th year of Training for More, and I can't wait to find out what this year has in store for us!