road and trail talk magazine oad andpage 2 road and trail talk magazine ... dedication last month,...

Road and Trail Talk Magazine

The Official Magazine of the Albany Running Exchange http://www.ALBANYRUNNINGEXCHANGE.org

Dedication Last month, the editors of the RATT challenged ARE members to report on the personal accomplishments for 2009. One of the aspects of being runner that doesn’t get its due is dedication. Just think about the hundreds of folks that are part of the ARE, participating in ARE events, group runs or volunteering at races. Whether its their first marathon, trying to qualify for Boston or running an entire 5k race for the first time, there is so much time, effort, and dedication put forth in order to reach those milestones.

Sometimes we get wrapped into what place we finished or time we ran, but reflecting over the past year, think about the time you spent running, the great people you trained with, the people you met and the experiences and stories you wouldn’t have had without trying to reach your goal.

When you look back you may remember what happened at that key race or event you were training for but you will treasure more the build up, the training and the camaraderie of your friends. A profound statement that I read once in regards to running went something like “its not what you did but how you got there”.

What did you learn about yourself when you trained for that race or event? How has your view of yourself changed? These deeper thoughts and learnings could be the key things you take away from the past year.

We look forward to hearing about your accomplishments in 2009. You can submit them via the “achievement widget” on the member’s page.

We hope you enjoy this month’s issue and please send us any comments or articles you have to [email protected].

-RATT Editors

ROAD AND TRAIL TALK November 2009

INSIDE THIS ISSUE From 36DDD to 13.1 miles – Jill Parsons 4

Tricks and Treats at Hairy Gorilla – Laura Clark 7

Costumes Seen at Hairy Gorilla – RATT Editors 9

Marine Corps Reserve Half Marathon – K. Lisson 12

Mohawk Hudson Marathon – Karen Bertasso 12

Achievement of the Month 13

Recipe of the Month 13

UPCOMING ARE EVENTS (Select ARE/AREEP Managed Events)

Saturday, December 5, 2009 1:00pm ARE Adventure Race

One of the most unique races on the ARE calendar, the 4th

annual ARE Adventure race can feature just about

anything. This trail race between 4 and 8 miles in Dippikill

features a different, unknown course every year over

sometimes snow covered, hilly terrain. The competitors

last year started seated in their automobiles. What can

we expect this year? Show up and find out!

Saturday, December 19, 2009 6pm 6th Annual ARE Club Banquet

Yes, the year is ending and its time to celebrate the

accomplishments and memorable moments of the past 12

months. The night features great food, dancing, special

awards recognizing the highlights of the year both on and

off the trail. Another highlight to the evening is the video

tribute to 2009, a year that has saw unprecedented growth

in the ARE. Join all your friends and favorite animals

(Bully, Dodge, Gorillas, & Squirrels).

ARE’s 4th Adventure Race

Name _____________________________________________ __ __ /__ __ /__ __ __ __ Birthday

Age (on 12/05/09) ___ □ M □ F

Address ___________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________________ State ______ Zip ____________________

Phone ( ) __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ □ I want to join the ARE (additional $10) In consideration of accepting this entry, I, the undersigned, intending to be legally bound hereby, for myself, my heirs, executors and administrators, waive and release any and all rights and claims for damages I have may have against Albany Running Exchange Event Productions (AREEP), Dippikill Wilderness Preserve, and any person involved with this event. I fully understand that I, or the person I am responsible for, will be subjected to trails that may have uneven terrain, rocks, roots, or other obstacles, but that I am physically fit and have sufficiently prepared for this race. My physical condition has been verified by a licensed medical doctor. I hereby grant full permission for AREEP to use any photos, videos, or any other record of this event for any purpose whatsoever and without compensation.

Signature ____________________ Date ________ Parent’s Signature _____________________ (if under 18)

What you need to know

Awards

The joy of participating and some great food is what everyone wins!

Registration — $10

Please make check payable to AREEP Do not mail after 11/30. Online-registration is preferred at AREEP.com The day of the race

You can register and pick up your bib from 12pm until 12:45pm. Do not show up early or you will be penalized. (The penalty might involve running the whole race with a backpack filled with concrete.) Race may start a few minutes early depending upon how insane a course it is. (It is pre-ferred that everyone finish in the daylight.) Directions

Take I-87 (Northway) to exit 23 to Rt. 9 north. Follow 9N 5 miles through Warrensburg, turning left onto Rt 28. Continue 5 miles until you cross the Hudson River and railroad tracks. Then turn left onto Glen Creek Rd. 3 miles later, cross a bridge, and make a left onto Dippikill Rd. Cross another bridge and park one mile up the road on the right.

For more informaion

Please visit www.AREEP.com or call 518 320 8648.

Please complete, cut, and return the bottom portion to AREEP, PO Box 38195, Albany, NY 12203 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Another crazy event by Albany Running Exchange Event Productions SAT, DECEMBER 5, 2009 Camp dippikill, WARRENSBURG, NY 1:00pm

The final race in the Albany Running Exchange 2009 Grand Prix Trail Series

This event is for adventure seekers only. The type of person who would take on this event is someone who would rather do a 10 miler in a blizzard than a local 5k road race or go sky-diving when a plane would work just fine. The course will be early-winter at its best. Expect snow, ice, wind, ridiculous climbing, steep drops, tree jumping, boulder skipping, and an assortment of other dangerous tasks. Additionally, you have no idea how far you are running. The only thing we’ll tell you is that it’s between 4 and 8 miles.


From 36DDD to 13.1 miles: My journey becoming a

Runner Jill Parsons The summer before my freshman year at college, I was sent via mail my summer training schedule to try out for the tennis team. In the letter, the coach included one of the most daunting and anxiety-ridden statements which scared me more than the SATs: *Be able to run a 10 minute mile. I can still remember gulping as I read that. Run a mile in 10 minutes? I couldn’t run a mile. Period. The extent of my running was two laps around the tennis courts to warm up before a match, and it was all I needed. But now I had to face the music if I ever wanted to be part of the college tennis team. A few weeks after the pre-tryout letter, I got in my car and marked one mile on a road near my house. It was flat and when I drove it, it didn’t seem all that long. The next day, I put on my workout clothes, parked near the mile start and went for it. Running as fast as I could to make sure I was within the 10-minute range, I made it about 1/3 of a way through that mile before stopping. I could barely breathe and the rest of the sidewalk that lay before me was spinning. Dejected, I caught my breath, walked back to my car and drove home. For the rest of the summer, I attempted to finish that mile and while I did work up to running the whole distance, I never got under the 10 minute mark. When I arrived at pre-season in late August, I hoped for the best. Turns out, the rest of the tennis clan (veterans included) didn’t work as hard as me on the 10-minute-mile challenge. In fact, many passed my coaches training regimen off as a joke. Sure enough, I made the team based on my skills and was never tested for the 10 minute mile. From then on, I reverted back to my two-court laps warm up, bringing up the rear every time. Though tennis was my athletic niche, I still wondered what it would be like to be a runner. A real runner, not the court lap runner I prided myself on being. Throughout college, my curiosity resulted in many other failed attempts to stick to a running regimen, too discouraged

off the bat to keep trying. Besides, I was winning matches and secured the #2 singles spot on the tennis team. It was good enough for me. Once college ended, so did my tennis. I became preoccupied with my new job and was too busy – or intimidated – to join a tennis club. I still wanted some sort of exercise in my life and once again, I found myself wanting to run. And once again, I would go to the gym or take my runs outside, miserably jog for 20 minutes at best and call it a workout. I wasn’t getting better at it no matter how much I tried to increase my speed or distance. Then, I realized there was something else, something was (literally) physically getting in the way. Since middle school, I had been one of those “lucky” ladies to get breasts before the others. In my family, I was known for my large “girls” since no other women in my family seemed large up top. Certainly, my breasts were the source of jokes and peanut gallery comments for many females without, and luring eyes of men. On one level, my size was an embarrassment and pain to dress considering I wasn’t all that large anyplace else. More so, it started to dawn on me what medical implications that having larger, non-proportionate breasts were having on my body. My back and shoulders constantly hurt and my bras dug grooves into my skin. And with running, it not only hurt to have that weight movement in front of me but it made it difficult to breathe properly. I tell people to imagine running with a sandbag draped around their neck to the front – that’s how I felt doing anything. At 25 years old, I was a size 6 jean but wore a 36DDD bra – on a good day. I needed to do something about this. In July of 2008, I had reduction mamoplasty surgery to reduce my breast size, five pounds in total. My insurance covered the surgery because of the health threats the extra weight was causing my body. It was a painful two weeks of recovery and I could barely move, but I knew it was in my best interest. Within a month I was back at the gym doing gentle elliptical training and soon I was running on the treadmill again. I could breathe better, I could move better and the stares from strangers were absent. It was truly life changing. Pretty soon at the gym treadmills, I was running up to 40 minutes at a time, or about 3-4 miles. Finally, I was upping my speed and distance and felt great. I had become a treadmill runner, and this was good enough for me. Good enough – until Laura introduced me to ARE. My first ARE run was in Towasentha Park with Randy and Kathy Goldberg back in April 2009. Laura was there with


me and that first run was the most fun I had in such a long time. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t intimidated by the “real” runners there – I was a treadmill runner after all! The haunting of the 10-minute-mile outside run beckoned in my memory but I was determined to do the trail run. I finished it, hills and all, and came back week after week. Before I knew it, “good enough” wasn’t so. I decided to sign up for my first race – the Freihoffers Run for Women. The prospects of running 3.1 miles in a race setting terrified me. What the hell am I thinking? Run a race! That’s for real runners, not me!, I thought. For weeks leading up to the race, I ran through Washington Park on my lunch break to practice the course. I never timed myself, I just wanted to finish. My first 5K goal was finish, no walking, even if it took me an hour. The day of the Freihoffers Run, I had felt butterflies. I still remember standing under the foot bridge near the plaza, joined by a community of thousands of women runners ranging from the elite Olympic-shaped runners to people just like me. When the horn went off, I found myself running past many others and keeping the pace for the 3 miles. I kept repeating “just finish, you’re doing great, almost there, this is easy!” to myself. At the final stretch, I saw the clock up ahead – it was under 30 minutes! I put every last bit of energy into crossing that line and had a time of 29:42. I couldn’t believe I did that well. For the first time, I truly felt what it was like to really work hard at something physically demanding – and far exceed my goals. I was elated. For the rest of the early summer, I was running races and taking part in ARE group runs. I did another 5k (Read Run 5k) and challenged myself to a 10K (Camp Chingachook). I felt fit and at peace with my goals. “Jill, why aren’t you running a half marathon??” many of my new ARE friends like Melanie and Roxanne started asking me. I felt like I was back in tennis pre-training with the 10-minute mile. The task at hand seemed way too daunting. Part of me was convinced it could be done, and ARE had nothing but encouraging words to offer. So I set my sights on the Hudson-Mohawk Marine Corp half marathon and got to training. I figured if I did a few medium-length runs during the week (6-8 miles each) and a longer run on the weekends (10 miles or more), it would be good practice. This self-made training schedule transformed into a major running plateau. I kept this up for about 2 weeks before I

noticed that it just wasn’t working. Three miles in at my runs, I was exhausted and burned out. Confused and not knowing what to do, the pre-surgery and pre-tennis demon in my head started pep-talking me out of running. You’re not a real runner, see? You should be getting better at this point. Half marathon my ass! On the verge of giving up after weeks or not being able to run more than 4-5 miles without either stopping or giving up altogether, I posted a message in the ARE chat box. I relayed that I was about ready to give up since nothing was changing in terms of my distance and that I just needed some advice. Figuring most everyone would ignore my emo-channelled attempts at gaining some running-based hugs and love, I left the site and a half hour later, checked my email. My inbox already had not one, but nearly a half dozen or so emails from ARE members. These weren’t just one-line sympathy messages: they were genuine and real advice emails from all the runners who had been in my shoes before. I was asked about how often I was running, what I was eating, etc. I spent the rest of that evening emailing people back and got some responses on my Facebook as well. In the end I came to the conclusion that I was making the same mistake I made with pre-season tennis: I was overtraining and simply doing too much. I cut back on my weekly running and made sure to do long runs on the weekends. I signed up to do the Goldberg-Batcher unofficial half marathon for Labor Day weekend and though I walked up those persistent hills, I made it to the end. Run after run, I was getting closer to the official half marathon. As the morning of October 11 arrived, I woke up and took a moment to really reflect on where I had come in the past year. Here I was, getting dressed to run not only 13.1 miles, but to do so after getting up at 5am to get ready to wait for the bus in 39F weather – crazy! I had my Shot Blocks with me to chew at the water stops, wore my dri-fit shirt from the Brueggers 10K and custom-fit shoes from Fleet Feet. My bib and chip were securely attached. The race went off at 8:30am in the morning and 2 hours, 12 minutes later, I was crossing the finish line with ARE watchers cheering me on. Once Roxanne gave me a congratulatory hug, I let out a sob that came from nowhere. I had finally done it. I had finally become a “real” runner. But I didn’t need the half marathon to feel this way. I needed to believe in myself, that’s all. Easy, right?


But I was wrong. I corralled Jen Ferris, who to my delight, said it sounded like fun. Jen made the perfect companion for two reasons. First, she lives just up the road so we needed only one car and didn’t have to plan an elaborate rendezvous in a mutually familiar out-of-the-way location. Second, she is a computer wizard to whom the Albany roundabouts represent a fun experience and not a nightmarish adventure. I could picture her holding her own against fearless French competition on that mother of all roundabouts, the Champs d’Elise. With Jen navigating, this was the first time I did not end up in the Price Chopper parking lot. This particular Price Chopper has long been a rendezvous point for many befuddled souls who find themselves rotating through Dante’s nine circles of hell as a prelude to Thatcher Park’s Graveyard.

Tricks and Treats at Hairy Gorilla

Laura Clark When we reach a certain landmark age, seven minute miles are a thing of the past and PRs only come at odd 11.35 mile distances or at races never before experienced. So I have shifted my focus away from PRs and towards equaling or surpassing more recent performances. To add interest, I have also developed some fairly quirky goals. After Brian Teague pointed out that folks never seem to carpool with me more than once, that quest has topped my list. As with all objectives, there are certain quantifying factors. Brian, being a hybrid runner of many years standing, doesn’t count. And neither does my husband Jeff. He doesn’t have a choice. At this juncture, I reluctantly admit that my failure to entice others has less to do with my choice of friends than with my outlook. What I regard as a fairly mild trail tends to frighten normal people.

The Phantom of the ARE – Race Director Josh Merlis

So naturally I figured there was no chance I would ever find a car buddy for the Albany Running Exchange’s Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrely Six Miler. Besides the requisite muddy, technical trail this Halloween race features fully costumed Gorillas and Squirrels, themed water stops, assorted graveyards and a chainsaw wielding woodsman.

I’m suggesting that next year Race Director Josh Merlis hire Jen Ferris, or perhaps even Dante himself, to design a similar series of traffic circles for the second half of the 13 miler, where things can get rather hairy. A major portion of this section consists of a half dozen or so intersecting trails that were very likely designed by someone experiencing nature on his ATV. This someone was obviously very lost, traveling up and down, back and forth on his own personal journey through hell, pulling us along in his wake. The result is dizzying, even for someone like me who is not running all that fast. The same runners kaleidoscope by time and again, heading in multiple directions. I have always wondered how the course marshal Gorillas seem to know where you have been and where you need to go when there are so many of us helter-skeltering along. Obviously, this section just begs for a roundabout, perhaps featuring a refueling table sponsored by Price Chopper.


And they are off…. Moving right along, my other vaguely race-related goal was to locate my gravestone. As close as I can figure it, every pre-registered runner gets his own personal gravestone. Other headstones memorialize those who have run the race in previous years but are currently too dead to make an appearance. Some gravestones form an ominous cemetery plot at the start; others are randomly planted along the course or on the edge of the parking lot. Somehow, I never seem to have enough energy after the race to go exploring. But this year, my headstone was conveniently lodged near the six-mile finish line, indicating that if I had any sense I would lie down and take a nap. I declined the invitation and planned on absconding with my marker after six more miles. Since I was conveniently buried directly behind the food tent, I could approach the scene of the crime fully fortified. But with six miles left in which to ponder the implications, I began to have my doubts. If I took my gravestone home and suddenly became undead next year, would I get another? Would I even deserve another? Perhaps one of Dante’s roundabouts was reserved for folks who stole valued objects. I decided not to chance it. What starts out as a treat could just as easily revert back to a cruel trick of fate. But the cruelest tricks were yet to come. Somewhere around the nine mile mark I was passed by a perky grey-haired lady who sprang past me with evident enthusiasm and no apology whatsoever. Naturally, I fretted that she could very likely be in my age group. But in a light bulb moment, in itself surprising for this late in the game, I remembered that this event also featured a half marathon relay. Obviously, she was part of a relay team. Tricked

again! She was Suzzanne Mahoney from High Bridge, NJ and she won my age group! If you enter enough local trail races you can pretty much judge how you are doing by who is already ahead of you and who is trying to get ahead of you. True to form, Barb Sorrell and Darlene McCarthy finished several minutes in front of me, but Martin Glendon crossed the line a full ten minutes in the lead. Marty and I had been running buddies all summer, sometimes even dead-heating it. Now one month after our neck-and-neck at Curly’s Half, he was suddenly ten minutes better! The best I could figure was that some Gorilla out there passed him a Get Out of Roundabout Free Card. Next year I may just trade a few extra bananas for my gravestone and see if I can run faster as a mummy.


Best Costumes Seen at Hairy Gorilla

The latest edition of the Hairy Gorilla saw the participants, volunteers, and spectators raise their game in terms of costume attire. Check out these great getups from what is becoming ARE’s most anticipated event.


Marine Corps Reserve Half Marathon: Mile Nine

Kathleen Lisson I woke up terrified that Sunday morning. It was 5:30 a.m. on October 11, 2009, the day of the Marine Corps Reserve Half Marathon. Feeling scared on race day is a good thing, I told myself, because it means that I am taking my first half marathon race seriously. The more scared I am, the more accomplished I will feel at the finish line. The next four and a half hours passed quickly. I ate breakfast, showered, dressed and watched the sun color the clouds pink as the race bus headed toward the starting line. As the race clock counted down to 8:30 a.m., I occupied myself with timing my last bathroom break as close to the starting gun as possible. At mile nine, the busy, noisy hour of running past other half marathoner’s cheerful family members with their hand-lettered cardboard signs, tossing a paper cup on the ground with naughty joyfulness and feeling the first fresh twinges of pain in my right knee and hip flexor had all passed. At mile nine, I ran alone as the sun glinted off of the Hudson River and the yellow and orange trees on the opposite bank took on an added luster in the autumn morning sunlight. There were pain and tiredness in my body, but underneath the pain was this peace, this sense of flow. I had been running for almost two hours and in my exhaustion I was finally able to let go of everything – the pain, the excitement, the expectations – and exist in that moment, enjoying the act of running. It is meaningful to me that the best part of my run started at mile nine, because as a 15K runner, that is usually my finish line. The half marathon gave me the opportunity to push past where I usually stop and discover that the space beyond my old finish lines is full of opportunities to grow. For all my long races I want to find again that juicy, serene moment in my running, after the exhaustion starts but before the rush of the finish line and the crowds. My favorite mile is mile nine.

Mohawk Hudson Marathon: Throw the Bracelet Away

Karen Bertasso Fall is marathon season and October is marathon month. This means I waste time that should be spent studying on repeatedly changing my pace bracelet on excel. This means instead of paying attention and taking notes in class I am scribbling down numbers that resemble potential splits and calculating projected finish times. So, of course it was a big deal as I headed to the starting line with my partner Rob Paley and fearless ARE member Jeff Baez that I realized my pace bracelet had fallen off my wrist. Jeff, being the man he is, sprinted back through our tracks to find my bracelet. We lined up, the gun went off. Mile one split 7:22, pace bracelet was set for 7:50. Oops. The next two miles continued this way, off the pace bracelet. From mile 3 on I just ignored what was on my wrist and ran on how I felt. The support this year was awesome and it was great to see so many of the ARE along the course. My parents figured out from the pace sheet I gave them that I was ahead of time and could potentially run a pretty big PR (yes, they finally know what this stands for). Thus they were at numerous mile markers consecutively supporting me along the entire way. At mile 20, Rob and I were still holding strong and pumped for Todd Rowe to meet up to run us in. Passing mile 20, no sign of Todd, so we kept going a little bummed but there next to us were my parents. Then at Andrew Martini’s water stop there and behold was Mr. Joe Benny. Thanks to Joe I got some more GU and fluid into my system. We were on pace to break 3:20. With approximately 3 miles left Rob asked me “Looking forward to those 4 miles after the marathon you are planning to run?” Oh I wanted to die! We kept at it and finally it was the final mile. Rob pulled ahead with Joe until I angrily and deliriously yelled for Joe to come back to me as I was having thoughts of me fainting with no one around to realize (yes this is what goes through my head at mile 25). Crossing the finish line at 3:19:37 was astonishing. A huge PR that day not only for myself, but for many other fellow ARE members. Many of whom BQ and will be running this April on Patriot’s Day. So did I run my 4 miles after? Not exactly, I attempted to run in socks as my


blisters were burning, but definitely did not accumulate four more miles. Did I really need to waste all my sleepless nights and time fixating on that damn pace bracelet? Probably not. Maybe next time I will run my first marathon without a pace bracelet on my wrist.

Achievement of the Month RATT Editors For those who have followed the achievement of the month column, it appears that Sue Wong did not run much this month so we are free to give the award to someone else. This month we would like recognize Karen Bertasso for her outstanding Hudson Mohawk Marathon and subsequent PR at the Stockadeathon. Karen is a tough cookie and has been busy training over the past few months for the JFK 50. Along the way she has gotten herself in some of the best shape of her life. At Mohawk Hudson marathon, she broke the 3:20 barrier for the first time in her life. Just

one month removed from that great accomplishment, she kept on trucking to a huge PR at the Stockadeathon. We congratulate Karen on her great work and wish her good luck at the upcoming JFK 50.

The Not so New but Still Improved ARE Online Store

Check it out – all your favorite ARE apparel, merchandise, and other goodies are now available for purchase online. With the new format, you are able to see a picture of each item as well as how many we have in stock. Be sure to log on before purchasing to receive your ARE member discount on all items. Options for item shipping or pick-up are also described online. Items include: * ARE tops (short-sleeve, long-sleeve, singlets, jackets, vests) – dryfit or cotton * Running socks * Bumper stickers * Glasses, mugs, bowls * Body towels * Pillowcases To access the Online Store, go to: ARE Homepage ARE Members Page ARE Links (top, right menu bar) ARE Online Store If you have any ideas, comments, or suggestions for new items, please email Sara ([email protected]) as we will be placing new orders in the coming weeks. New ideas are always appreciated.

If you have a nominee for an outstanding performance, please email [email protected] with the nominee’s name and reasons for recognition. Everyone from those at the back at the pack to those at the front should be recognized for the hard work they put into this sport.

Recipe of the Month: Awesome Barefoot Zinfandel

November Chili

From the Kitchen of Joe Benny. A mouthful in more ways than 1. 3 lb ground beef 2 lb ground chicken 1 yellow onion chopped 1 bulb garlic (all cloves) chopped 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes with juices 8-10 TBS chili powder 2 cans organic chili beans 2 Tsp oregano 1 Tsp ground cumin 1/3 c cornmeal 32 ounce beef stock 1 cup Barefoot Zinfandel. Salt & Pepper Garnish: Grated Cheese Sour Cream Chopped Red Onion Cilantro (optional) Brown and drain ground beef & chicken. Set aside. Sauté onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, spices, beans, cornmeal, stock and zinfandel. Mix with meat and transfer to a covered Dutch oven (300F). Cook for 3 hours. Stir 1-2 per hour. Let sit open in the oven for 30 minutes prior to serving to make sure texture isn’t too wet. Garnish and serve.

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