Amazing Stacy Rocks Marine Corps Marathon

Every once in a while a client comes along who is so talented, I know I am going to mostly stay out of the way and let them perform.  Stacy is one such individual.  She set a personal best at Boston Marathon and seemed to get faster and faster.  Then the good news that she is expecting.  So it came has somewhat as a surprise to me that Stacy planned to run Marine Corps Marathon when she was, oh say, seven months pregnant.  Again I knew the thing was to tell her to be careful and get out of the way....

Photo: Stacy (on left) and sister after the Marine Corps Marathon.

In Stacy's own words:

Here's a picture of Kerry and I right after we finished the marathon yesterday.  It was such a fun sisterly thing to do together and it just went so well. We finished in about 3:45 which I'm thrilled about considering I've run once in 3 months and had to stop about 8 times to go to the bathroom! Literally didn't even make it to the first mile marker without having to stop. Granted, I don't think I've ever been this sore in my life but it was just such a great overall experience. She was so good to suck it up and run with me.  Only 2 more months until Caroline is here now! I'm getting so excited. 

Not only is Stacy an amazing client, runner, and friend, but she also is married to a really great guy, Charles.  Charles is a captain in the army special forces and is currently deployed to Iraq.  If you have the opportunity to spare a couple prayers, save one for Charles safety and one for the health of little Caroline.  

Stephen Bourgeois at Clearwater Ironman 70.3 World Championship

Stephen Bourgois, my former training partner and long time friend from Columbia MO recently competed at 70.3 Ironman World Championships in Clearwater, FL.  I knew Steve was training hard.  We both went to Age Group Worlds in Vancouver 2008, so he knows high-level competition.  He was hungry for this one.

Steve said, "I did everything in the plan.  Get out there, [bike] like hell, be fresh for the run."  The plan worked.  "I couldn't even imagine my bike split would be 2:14, I thought It might be 2:25 or 2:30....And the bike made the run."

Steve zealously recounted how intense the handling was on the bike leg.  "A guy went down in front of me.  I locked up my disk wheel, skidding out of the way, then back on full power again."

 The infamous packs were present at Clearwater.  My advice to Stephen:

Whenever you go into a championship, race like you mean it.  Be aware that people are going to race close, race hard, and officiating often gets a little sparse.  Everyone knows the reputation at Clearwater, and Age Group Worlds is the same way. 

"A highlight was going into T2 and knowing whether I was going to be able to run or not...I already knew.  I could run, there would be no hitch there.  And it was because of proper bike training." Steve has been incorporating power-based intervals into his bike training. 

He got off the bike and had a strong run of 1:29.  A major focus was HR pacing, and staying cool in the moderate heat.

I have amazing respect and admiration for Steve.  In his 50's, he continues to get faster and faster.  His 4:16 here smokes my half iron PR of 4:23.  More over, Steve is steadily working at running 50 marathons / 50 states.  He used this trip to nab another marathon-state.  Unfortunately both the Philidelphia Marathon and a marathon in Baltimore were both full.  So I got on the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club listserv, and found a trail 50K near Baltimore. This was his first 50K, and he got 2nd place!

Photo: Stephen Bourgeois finishing strong. 

My Short, Awesome Fall Season

It has been a relatively short, low key Fall season for me.  Now note this would not be a low-key period of racing for a normal athlete.  I am talking about my own race results here.


ST's Fall Races
Fall Creek Falls Olympic Distance Tri      3rd place overall
Cedar's of Lebanon Sprint Tri          1st place overall
Stump Jump 50K        13th place overall
Chicago Marathon       3:11
Grand Canyon R2R2R       22 hours


Fall Creek Falls started it off.  I was going down with some clients, and I had not done much tri-specific training.  We drove down that morning which always adds stress.  I would have been good except for some stomach problems.  This was my first race in the all-white tri suit.  I did not feel like having an "accident."  I was grateful for the 3rd place, but there was a late 40's or early 50's masters racer who nipped my time for second.  Not cool.

ST on the bike at Cedars of Lebanon Tri.

Crossing the finish line 1st at Cedars of Lebanon.

Next up was Cedars of Lebanon Tri.  This is one of my Nashville favorites because it is the first triathlon I attended in TN, and also I am a previous winner.  It was some fun and competitive competition, and I felt blessed to have good strength and speed on this day.  It was also great racing alongside so many of my clients (see a post below.)

Wife Susan and ST at the Chicago Marathon expo.

Chicago Marathon photos (from top): Feeling good the first half of the marathon; a low point walking in the second half; in Chinatown rallying to jog to the finish. 

Chicago Marathon was another story.  I had allowed myself to believe that I could run a 2:55 and auto-qualify for New York.  This might have been possible, but it congested with too many runners to be able to find my rhythm.  Then I pushed to hard to get on pace and I "overcooked the bird."  By mile 15 I had lost my motivation and was just trying to keep jogging.  I shouldn't complain for running a 3:11, but I have much faster marathons in me.  

The best part was running Chicago with my wife Susan and father "The Fergus."     

Photo: Rolling out to the Lollipop at Stump Jump.

Stump Jump 50K in Chattanooga is another favorite of mine.  It was my first ultra (which I won), and the location of a DNF in 2008. I really enjoy the cool trail running scene in Chatt, and the sponsor of the race Rock/Creek.  Again my sub-par fitness was present.  

I finished a very respectable 13th overall.  I was able to really get in there and do some racing, but was hurting by the end.  In a twist of irony I caught the normally dominant Josh Wheeler about a mile from the finish line.  I remember years where Josh finished way down in the field, and that he outright won this race in 2008.  He laid it on the line on this day and died even worse than the slog I was experiencing.

The final event of the year was not a race.  It was the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R.) I will write another post for that amazing adventure.  

DH Dash Results, Lora Fox Overall Winner

Congrats to all the STtrainer athletes who competed in the DH Dash on Sat Nov 6.  It was fun working on the organization side of a race this time, and getting to see the fruits of that labor lead to a great experience for all. 

10K
Lora Fox 44:47
Jessica Stewart 1:26
Steven Jenkins 1:01

5K
Sharon Kipp 47:53
Aaron Rochelle 41:45
Lara Tucker 48:57
Donna Parker 34:54
Cathy Bruner 40:48
Linda Bain 35:30

Congrats to the two winners of this race:

Scott Bennett 35:05 and Lora Fox 44:40, along with DH Dash chair John Levesque.


Lora Fox has been on quite a tear this year, winning her age group in many local races and now a 1st place overall.  And she is not done for the year...she is doing a December marathon.  Keep it up Lora.

Photo: Lora and coach ST at Cedars of Lebanon.

One of the things I worked on with Lora is equipment selection and endurance racing style. Lora is kind of a no-nonsense racer, and doesn't worry about "matching."  (I on the other hand am a bit of a diva.)  She followed my advice to get a lighter weight racing shoe for her upcoming marathon, but I am starting to suspect that Lora is color blind.

While I do appreciate that Lora is wearing the ST team kit Swiftwick sock, and that she is wearing a lightweight trainer on race day...... Well now maybe Lora will have the chance to get some racing apparel that matches.  One final piece of good news related to Lora.  She recently informed me she will be racing on the ACME Racing Team in 2011.  The have picked an excellent representative. 

Okay one last picture:

Coach ST and Mayor Karl Dean

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet the the mayor, and thank him for his commitment to Nashville's greenway trails, bike-friendly road ways, and healthy living initiatives.  He pointed out that the Richland Creek repair and expansion was officially opening that day.  (I live right next to that trail and love it.)  Before the race he gave some advice to the runners: "start steady and ease off from there." 

All in all it was a great day and a great way to end my time in Nashville.