I was not
expecting to continue my ritual of a race each month after I got to the USA,
but opportunities presented themselves and I did. So here’s a quick recap of
the races I had in the last quarter of 2015.
TNF Endurance Challenge Utah 50k (25 –
27 Sep 2015)
This was on
a spur of the moment and I signed up for the race on the Tuesday leading up to the
race weekend. After some frantic attempts to sort out my flights and travel
logistics, I was headed to Utah. Not knowing what the terrain was like, I
conservatively registered for the 50k instead of 50mi (80km). The 50k had a
time cutoff of 10h and the 50mi 14h, and I was not sure if I could make the
50mi. Runners in the USA seem pretty fast to me and the races here often had a
much faster cutoff limit than what I was used to in Asian races. The race took
place in the very scenic ski mountain of Park City. Race day was a lovely sunny
morning and my fears of cold weather were unfounded. As it turned out, Park
City was somewhat high altitude, which made the first half of the ascents tougher
than the absolute elevation gain. Surprisingly, I was the only one using poles for
the climbs. I guess many of the trails in the USA are runnable and not as
technical as the ones that I had experienced in Asia, where poles were
definitely a much needed boost. The route brought us winding up hills and down
valleys, and I was loving that I could actually run on this trail. I was
soaking in the picturesque views, the photos seemed to be straight out of trail
running magazines! Awww…. As it turned out, I managed to complete the 50k in
7:55h. However, many of the runners had already returned, so that placed me at
98/158 overall, 34/57 females, and 3/9 of my age group.
Chicago Marathon (9 – 11 Oct 2015)
Chicago Marathon
features up there in my 2015 list of memorable running achievements – a totally
unexpected Boston Qualifying (BQ) race time and a Personal Best! Melvin and I had
gotten ballots for the Chicago Marathon. It was my first time at a Marathon
Majors (the six are Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, New York, London and Boston). The atmosphere
at the race expo and race day crowds were significantly different from all
other races that I had been to. Again, we were blessed with fantastic weather,
given that it was windy Chicago. Starting out at 16C, the morning warmed up to
a high 21C. I was in a running tee and short tights, and enjoying the optimal
temperatures. I had my swanky new Garmin as an early birthday present and
gamely tracked the whole race. That would turn out to be a life saviour
subsequently. Chicago Marathon was known to be a flat and fast course, and many
runners used it for a BQ. I certainly had no such grand plans, knowing that the
BQ time for my age group was 3:45h, which meant a time target of 3:40h or
faster to be guaranteed a Boston entry. My official PB was a distant 4:03h, and
at best, I could manage a sub-4h. A BQ time meant averaging a 5:10 – 5:15min pace.
However, I was making good cadence and progress, and my Garmin was showing a
range of 4:50 – 5:10min pace. I thought if I kept at it, I might just be able
to hit a good timing. So I chugged along, caught up and overtook the sub-4h pacers.
I was so worried that I might cramp being not used to that pace, I simply told
myself to hold it steady. The crowds and music certainly helped to boost my
running spirits. And finally I crossed the finishing line at 3:31h. OMG!! I was
quite about to burst into tears, unbelievable!
So then came
the dramatic twist. I checked my race results two days later, and it showed up
as “DSQ” (ie. disqualified). In that instant, I was devastated. Dropped from a
high and smashed. Apparently, any runners with two missed timing records were
automatically disqualified by the computer system. Chicago recorded on a 5k basis,
and also had a couple of hidden timing mats to catch would-be cheaters (yes,
cheating is a big deal at marathon majors, especially because runners use the
results to qualify for other races). Thank goodness I had my Garmin records,
which mapped the exact race route and matched the official timing records
almost to the minute. After three agonising wait for the race review, I was
delirious that my race timing was reinstated. Which meant, Boston 2017!
Philadelphia Marathon (20 – 22 Nov 205)
On a
high-then-low from Chicago, I signed up for Philly marathon as a ‘back-up’ to a
BQ, lest the Chicago race director rejected my timing. It was a good thing that
I did not have to do that, because it was a chilly-hilly-Philly race. The race
weather stayed at 5 – 6C throughout, with winds and minimal sunshine. Some of
the local runners were still in shorts, while I was all decked out in fleece long
tights, a mid-weight top, and my trusted Marmot running jacket. At some points,
I was heating up, but then the winds would come and I would feel the chills.
Then there were the rolling slopes. I guess I would have run more efficiently
if I was not wearing so much; I felt comfortable but not very agile. I only
managed to pick up a good pace in the second half of the race, eventually
getting a negative split timing. Race time was 3:47h; 2min off my BQ time, but
it was my best effort so no complaints.
King of the Mountain – Staten Island
Greenbelt 50k (5 Dec 2015)
Again, a
last minute sign-up. I was getting extremely sick of running loops in Central
Park and on tarmac, and I needed some trail therapy. This was a race held on
Staten Island along its Greenbelt (sort of like a natural park connector),
which meant some travelling to the race venue. I was in two minds about showing
up for the race, but decided to kick my butt out of bed early in the morning –
one never regrets going for a run. I met up with some runners in Brooklyn and
we shared Uber cars to the start point. It was a chilly 6C, but the forecast
was for sunshine, which meant the weather would warm up nicely. Learning from
my recent Philly experience, I was mindful not to over-dress and weigh myself
down. There some rolling climbs, but nothing technical. In fact, it was a rather
flat course, except for all the autumn leaves that had fallen over the trail.
That meant that one could not really tell what one was stepping into and what
laid beneath those crunchy leaves. The 50k comprised one big loop and a smaller
second loop. One of the girls that I shared a ride with in the morning came in
1st female overall, and it was her very first 50k! Impressive. Me, I
finished the distance in 5:55h, which earned me a 2nd place for
age-grouper. Nice surprise.
