Race Report: Beat the Blerch Inaugural

The Details:

Race Name: Beat the Blerch
Distances offered: Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K
Distance I ran: 10K (hubby ran the half)
Timed? Yes, chipped.
Location: Carnation, WA
Traveled? Yes
Recommended? Definitely!










In order to fully understand this race, you must first understand Nutella and birthday cake, demon bees and magical purple fizzy drinks, and above all The Blerch. If you do not yet read The Oatmeal, allow me to introduce you. Before you go any further go read this, it's okay, I'll wait: The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances.

*Cue terrible elevator music.....*

All done? Good! The Blerch has an understandably rabid fan base, and so it was only a matter of time before a Blerch themed race was born. The announcement that a race was coming was made early this year and when registration opened in the spring, the entire race sold out in under 30 minutes! I was not one of the lucky few who got in. I did however, sign up for the waiting list that same day just in case they opened up more spots or some runners canceled. They did eventually open up more spots, and then they decided to just go ahead and open up a whole 'nother day of racing! The original races were scheduled for Sunday September 21st, but with so much interest and a several-miles-long waiting list, they went ahead and created a whole second day of racing on that Saturday the 20th, which was the day I ran.


Pre-race communication: 4/5
All pre-race communication from the race organizers went smoothly and was very clear. I received update emails periodically, but certainly not annoyingly often. I also followed the race on Facebook, which I feel added a lot to the overall communication. The only reason I'm not giving it the full 5/5 is because I never had any problems that required contacting the organizers, so I can't speak to how quickly or how well they responded.

Packet pickup: 4/5
Packet pickup was at Road Runner Sports in Greenlake, WA. The whole store had been more or less sacrificed to the descending rabid fans. The staff were friendly, helpful, and attentive. They also handed out 20% off coupons at the door, which came in handy since my Body Glide somehow got crumbled to pieces en route to Seattle. One frustrating thing was that this store is nowhere near where the race was held (as in several cities away). For those of us not from the area, that was confusing. Also, Greenlake is a neighborhood of Seattle itself, so there was very little parking, crazy traffic, and the parking that there was required validation. All minor annoyances, and the organizers warned about the limited parking, but it would have been nice to know the extent before-hand.

The schwag: 4/5
The race shirt is awesome! It is a quarter-zip long-sleeve pullover tech shirt complete with thumb holes in the cuffs. Noticeably absent? Ads! Not a single sponsor name to be found! The shirts were different for each distance, but only in super minor ways. The appropriate distance is listed on the shirt, and on the back, there was a slice of cake for the 10K, half of a cake for the Half Marathon, and a whole cake for the full Marathon.

Front

Back

In the bag: race bib and safety pins, race shirt, 'I Believe in the Blerch' magnet, coupon for Road Runner Sports, and a card advertising several other local races. Similarly to the shirt, there was no junk - no trial size any thing, no half-a-pound worth of ads for other things.

Blerch Magnet

Race parking and getting the race started: 5/5
Parking at the race was handled very well! An interactive Google map of potential parking areas was made available well ahead of time. Volunteers were present, not only at the park where the race started and finished, but also at each of the potential parking areas (a middle school, nearby dog park, grocery store, etc). My one minor gripe was that you could apparently buy a parking pass to park right near the starting line, but I didn't hear anything about that option until the night before packet pickup when the final reminder email went out.

The course: 5/5
The course was beautiful! For the 10k and Half Marathon the course was out-and-back, and for the Marathon it was a loop. The first 3/4 mile was on a paved jogging/biking path, which then gave way to a more rugged (though very wide and well maintained) gravel trail. With the exception of one very steep 10-20 yard section, the course was mostly flat. It ran along a river, over a bridge above the river, through farmland, into a forest, and back again. I loathe any kind of uphills, and I found the course to be beautiful, pleasant, and very manageable.

The atmosphere: 5/5
The whole atmosphere of the event as a whole, was different than any race that I've been to (as a runner or a cheering section). The general sense of comedy and tongue-in-cheek that you get from the original Blerch comic, was pretty much how it went. People came to run dressed as cupcakes, McDonald's french fries, hot dogs, and of course Blerches. There were also 'official' Blerches on the course reminding us to 'Slow down Captain Speedypants, no need to rush!' The announcer at the start gave frequent course reports of Sasquatch sightings, but thankfully no Giant Japanese Hornets. Matthew Inman himself ran the Half Marathon on both days and was on hand to meet people, take pictures, and sign autographs at both packet pickup and the race. All in all it was a giant party!

The aid stations: 5/5
So, you know how I said it was a giant party? The aid stations were less 'aid station', and more 'celebration of all things Blerchy'. There were things that you would expect any aid station to have like water and electrolytes, but there was also Nutella, birthday cake, couches, Blerches, and a Sasquatch!

The bling: 5/5

 'Nuff said.

The finish line: 5/5
Coming up to the finish there were awesome spectators and already finished runners, and an announcer that called out each person's name as they crossed the finish line. The finish line area had more of everything that the aid stations had, plus purple fizzy drink! There was a foam rolling station, Muscle Milk, and Blerchy photo ops. Plus The Oatmeal himself signing autographs!

Overall Fatty appeal: 5/5
Come on, there was Nutella and couches at the aid stations! Add to that a gorgeous, nearly all flat course and a laid-back attitude that encouraged all runners, and generally disdained the gym-rat, fitness freak mentality, and it was a fat runner's paradise!

Final thoughts:
I loved this race and I would do it again in a heartbeat! As it turns out, I may get the chance too. Due to the huge amount of support for the race, and the number of runners that wanted to race, but couldn't travel, the organizers have announced that The Blerch will be coming to multiple cities next year! There are already events planned on the east coast, and there will be at least one somewhere in the center of the US - likely somewhere in Colorado. So lace up your shoes, and get ready to Beat the Blerch!


Have you run any good races lately? If so, I'd love to hear about them!

Injuries and Motivation

I have a bad knee. When I was in high school, I worked at a fast-food place and I was riding my bike home after having worked the closing shift. I wasn't wearing a helmet, anything reflective, nor did I have a light on my bike. The F250 didn't see me. I was lucky that it had been stopped at a stop sign and didn't have much accumulated speed when it hit me. I also came out very lucky injury wise: a concussion, scrapes and bruises, and a wrenched knee.

I've been told that I will eventually need a knee replacement, but as I am young yet, the doctors don't want to do it until it is absolutely unavoidable. In the meantime, I sometimes overwork my knee and subsequently have to take a couple days of near complete rest just to be able to do the day-to-day stuff. When I took up running, my doctor warned me that I would need a strict 1 day on, 1 day off regimen so as not to overwork my knee. Yes well, I thought, I now run 3-4 miles at a time several times a week with no problems, things will probably be just fine if I move the days around a bit. Nope.

So, after my long run on Sunday my knee was a little achy. I gave it a day and it was still bothering me, so I decided to take a few days so as not to make it worse and be sidelined for weeks. After it had been 3 days I was itching to run again. Odd, I'd been struggling with motivation for weeks. And now all of a sudden I wanted to run again. You don't know what you've got 'til its gone? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

That got me to thinking. What if we treated motivation as an injury? Now, I don't mean the normal hesitancy, or trouble getting our butts out of bed in the morning. I mean REALLY struggling outside the normal. What if we recognized this as a mental injury? After all, a huge part of endurance running is the mental challenge. So, just like with any physical injury, what if we decided to take a few rest days and run strong, instead of forcing our way through it and having mediocre and unsatisfying runs? Just like it is critical to take rest to heal physical injuries, maybe we need to just take a few days to rest, and then come back mentally strong.

What do you think?

Lacking Motivation

The past 2 weeks have been hard. Really hard. As I mentioned earlier, I have now started on Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Plan. This is week 2 and I'm already fighting to keep my motivation up. Its not the training plan - its me. As lame as it sounds, its true. I admit that I was a little nervous about the first long run - at 4 miles it was just short of a full mile longer than any run I'd done before. But as a pleasant surprise, it wasn't a big deal at all. In fact, I didn't feel much different than at the end of a 3-miler.

I suspect that this whole motivation thing is temporary, largely because I don't have the motivation to do much of anything outside sleep and other calming things like knitting. Yes I knit. In the past couple of weeks work got crazy busy and even more demanding than usual, there was some serious family crap that had to be dealt with, my daughter's birthday is in a week and a half and in a moment of insanity I agreed to let her have her first slumber party - so now all of that has to be planned. Add to all of that that like most of the country, if not the world, finances are super tight and I just don't have the energy to care.

Also, the summer is killing my training schedule. I don't mind the running so much, its the f-ing heat and beating sun. See, here in Salt Lake City it is hot, and even over night it doesn't ever really cool off. If we're lucky, it'll dip below 80 somewhere around 3 o'clock in the morning. Since I absolutely abhor the idea of running miles and miles on a treadmill in a gym full of overly perky (read: judgmental) co-eds where you can feel the dank sweat in the air, that means I have to get creative. And frankly, I haven't had the desire to get creative. I don't want it to be hard. I want to go back to when the only thought that I had to give to the weather was to be sure I was dressed appropriately.

For the time being, I am trudging on, but this utter lack of motivation is starting to royally piss me off. Seriously. And ironically, the only thing keeping me sane is the stress relief of my runs...

Stumbled Upon Gem of the Day

Ok, so I may be the very last one to this party, but today I discovered dailymile.com . In case you haven't found it yet either, I thought I'd share.

I only discovered this today, so I'm not by any means an expert, but along with a mapping feature for planning routes (which can be saved and re-used), the site allows you to store your workout history and also works like a social networking site for athletes.

If you haven't joined yet, head on over and take a look. If you're already a member, do you have any tips for us noobs?

Break it Down: Half Marathon Training Programs

There's something eye-popping about a half-marathon. I told one of my coworkers that I don't see all that often that I planned to train for, and run, my first half-marathon in October. He was pretty stoic when I said I had just run a 5k, and that I will run a 10k around the end of August, but when I said 'half-marathon', there go the eyes.

And its no surprise. I mean, face it, if it were easy everyone would have done it by now - not everyone can run 3.1 miles, let alone 13.1. And it is due to this difficulty that one needs a training program - at least if you don't want to hurt yourself along the way. Fortunately, half-marathon training programs are widely available for free all over the internet. Being on the path to the next big thing will also allow for the sense of working toward something bigger, which will keep me motivated for the long haul.

So, having just completed my first 5k, and already being registered for another, I began my search for a good program. I decided that with the plethora of plans out there, I may as well look at as many reputable ones as I could, and a couple obscure ones too, just to pepper in some excitement. I wound up doing this comparison with the training programs from Runner's World, Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, Kendrick Fitness, Fitness Magazine, About.com, MarathonRookie.com, and Cool Running (the developers of the Couch-to-5k program).

Factors that I used to compare programs included whether or not they adhered to the 10% rule (to prevent injury, increase weekly mileage by no more than 10% each week), number of running days, rest days, whether or not cross-training was integrated, the length of the longest long run, and the total number of weeks the program lasts. Being a very new runner with no history of running at all, it was important to me for the mileage buildup to be very gradual so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed. Because I run with plantar fasciitis, rest days are critical, so a balance of run and rest was also important. Related to that point, cross-training was important as well so that there would be cardio going on, while not necessarily pounding my feet - and also for variety. I also considered the length of the longest run, because despite the notion that if I could make it 10 miles in training, the last 3 on race day wouldn't be a big deal, I would feel more comfortable getting closer than that. And lastly, my chosen half-marathon is on Halloween weekend, so the total length of the program needed to correspond reasonably well with that timeline. Lastly, because I train with my husband (who is far more athletic than I am) we were interested in possibly doing speed-work, so we looked at that as a factor too.

Runner's World

Prerequisites: Have run at least 1 year, able to run 5 miles without trouble, have completed at least one 5k (more is better), average 15-20 miles weekly.

Pros: Runner's World is a highly respected publication, and their book for beginner runners is absolutely indispensable. The first week of the program started at a mileage that I could be comfortable with, and the total length of the program, at 12 weeks, was perfectly reasonable.

Cons: I don't exactly meet the prerequisites, there is vigorous speed-work (hubby could probably keep up, but I don't know if I could).

Jeff Galloway

Prerequisites:None. The beginner program is designated for those who have been running for less than 6 months.

Pros: Jeff Galloway is a legend, an Olympic one. As the official trainer for the runDisney race series' (some of the most beginner-friendly distance races), beginners are par for the course. Also, Jeff Galloway's run-walk method is nearly as famous as he is for getting people to the distances they want to go, injury free.

Cons: I don't especially relish the idea of walking if I don't absolutely have to. I am perfectly fine with those who choose to use a run-walk method, but for me, it feels like cheating unless I physically have to. Also, at 18 weeks, this program is easily the longest one, and frankly, I'm just not that patient.

Hal Higdon

Prerequisites: Able to run 3 miles, 3-4 times per week.

Pros: Jeff Galloway may be super famous in the running world, but Hal Higdon isn't that far off himself. In fact, he has written numerous books about running and training, has run over 100 marathons himself, and actually holds several running records. Of even more note is the fact that his training programs are known for being easily approachable, and for turning out beginner distance runners with little to no injuries.

Cons: Not many. At 12 weeks, the timeline is, again, just right. There is ample running, and adequate rest as well, and opportunities for cross-training should you so choose. At the novice level, there is no speed-work, however.

Kendrick Fitness

Prerequisites: Able to run 30 minutes continuously, weekly mileage of at least 15 miles, have completed several 5k races and at least 1 10k race.

Pros: Gradual increase in mileage, plus speed-work for variety. 12-week plan, again, fits well into my timeline.

Cons: Here we are with the 10k requirement again, sheesh! So, right off the bat I don't meet the prerequisites. Also, with only 2 days of non-foot pounding in the plan, this one could be tough on my plantar fasciitis.

Fitness Magazine

Prerequisites: Able to run 2 miles without stopping.

Pros: This program goes quick! At only 8 weeks, this is the shortest program, which plays well to my impatient side. With 2 days full rest, and 1 day of cross training, there is adequate rest.

Cons: This program goes quick! Training for a half marathon is no joke, and 8 weeks could be too much, too fast. Also, the week-to-week mileage seems to multiply pretty quickly. Lastly, 2 days per week are spent with a walk-run-walk where the longest run is only 3 miles, and the walks are either 1 or 2 miles each. I personally am a bit anal-retentive about getting in a good warm-up and cool-down walk, and I don't know why I would want to walk that much or what the benefit would be, so I don't know how well this walk-run-walk thing would work out for me.

About.com

Prerequisites: Have been running at least 2 months and have a weekly mileage of 8-10 miles per week.

Pros: Weekly mileage addition is comfortably gradual - an addition of just 1 mile on the long run of each week. Rest days are either 2 or 3 days per week, and there is some cross-training peppered in too. Also, the longest long run clocks in at 12 miles - the longest of all of the plans.

Cons: While undeniably straight-forward, this plan seems tedious and monotonous - if you are a running purist, this may very well be the plan for you, but I bore easily and this plan nearly screams monotony.

MarathonRookie.com

Prerequisites: Have been running consistently for at least 4-6 weeks and can run at least 30 minutes continuously.

Pros: This plan is in-between in length at 10 weeks - enough time for me to be done, and pushing my distance, or bettering my time. Like the About.com plan, the longest long run is again 12 miles.

Cons: This plan is regimented running - no cross-training, just you and the road. Again, that means risk of boredom for me. The long runs also seem to taper very soon - the 12 mile run is in week 7, and the weekly mileage decreases from there. Also, the plan seems a little random, and disjointed - the weekly mileage for example increases by 2 miles, then 1, then 3, then 2, then 3, then 2, then decreases by 4, decreases again by 4, and finally increases by 3 during race week.

Cool Running

Prerequisites: Be able to run this schedule comfortably for 4-5 weeks:

Mon.Tue.Wed.Thu.Fri.Sat.Sun.
Off 3M 4M 4M Off 3M 5M

Pros: 1 day per week of speed-work adds variety, without being overwhelming. The total program length is 12 weeks, and as with the previous 2 plans, the longest run is 12 miles.

Cons: The mileage of the long run bounces around unpredictably - good for variety, tough for new runners to do a jump of 2+ miles week-to-week. Also, with 5 days of running per week, this was the least plantar fasciitis-friendly plan.

For your reference, here is a chart I made in order to compare them all side-by-side:

So, what did I decide? Well see that's a funny story. Since hubby was so intent on speed-work, that was the first thing we used to narrow the list. So initially, I decided on the Kendrick Fitness plan - the mileage was nice and gradual, the speed-workouts offered a good amount of variety, and despite the fact that I didn't meet the recommended prerequisite, I was ready to tough it out anyway. But then you all came to my rescue :)

In an earlier post, I talked about my new challenge of finding a half-marathon training program and asked for your recommendations. I was happily surprised when I received several. I was even more surprised when they all recommended the same one. Eerie, right? Well, not really. I mean if something is good, word gets out. All of those recommendations were for the Hal Higdon plan, so I went back and looked it over more closely. In particular, one comment had said that the importance of each week is explained, and I was curious to see what kind of explanation was given. Upon doing that additional reading, I came across an important fact: new runners should NOT try to improve distance endurance and speed at the same time - doing so is a certain recipe for injuries. Whew! Glad I dodged that bullet! And I have you all to thank, so THANK YOU!!

So, in the end I have decided to go with the Hal Higdon plan. Its not perfect (it topping out at a 10 mile long run is my biggest concern), but I will finish it with a couple weeks to spare, so there's time for some tweaking where necessary. The plan seems well rounded, incorporating cross-training, strength training, and copious amounts of stretching in addition to piling on the miles - but in a slow, healthy way.

Displaying your Bling

Ok, I admit it, I'm in it for the bling.

Race medals are cool, and are a tangible, visible reminder of your accomplishments - of how far you've come. Not nearly enough 5k races award their runners with medals, but if you can find one, I highly recommend it. As the race distances get longer, the medals get to be more of a given.

I often just peruse message boards and forums about running. Sometimes I'm looking for something specific, but most often not - I just like to absorb as much knowledge as I can on any subject that I love. On one of these perusals I stumbled upon some amazing medal display racks. Allied Medal Displays makes amazing die-cut aluminum medal holders. With designs from personalization such as your name (or whatever else you want it to say), to standard designs that say things like "Always Earned, Never Given", "Runner Girl", "I Run This Town", and my personal favorite "Pigs Fly", there is an amazing rack for nearly everyone. My only minor complaint is on the pricing - and even then, the price is perfectly appropriate to the product, I just happen to be a broke grad student.

I do however happen to have a very modest amount of creativity, so I set out to find a way to make something at least approaching the clean elegance of Allied Medal's designs. Here is what I ended up with:

Not nearly as cool as the Allied Medal ones, but at less than $15 total, it fit my wallet better. Maybe I'll ask for one of the Allied Medal ones for Christmas :)

How about you? How do you display your medals? If you haven't gotten any yet, how would you like to display them?

When to Run: In a summer storm

As I am writing, thunder is booming outside, there's an occasional flash of lightning, and the rain is falling in fat, heavy splatters. This my friends, is my favorite kind of weather to run in.

"Are you nuts?!" You may be asking...Well that point is debatable, but in this case I don't think so. See, in the dead of summer, with high temperatures reaching over 100 degrees, its hard to find a good time to run without putting yourself at risk of heat exhaustion.

But when it rains, everything turns magical. The icky, sticky feeling is washed out of the air. Since its still 90+ degrees outside, the rain isn't actually cold, its just refreshing. Its hard to get over-heated with a constant nice, refreshing rain cooling you off. Plus there's the unique smell of summer rain.

And, hey, as long as you're not the tallest thing around, you should be fine, right? All in all, a beautiful time to run. :)