The Last Hard Week Before MMT

This week has been my last high mileage week before Massanutten 100! I think by the end of tomorrow I should have in 80+ miles. It's been alittle difficult recovering from the John Bryan 50k but I got through it!! At times this week, I really had to force myself to run and do my cross training but I knew that after Sunday, it would be all down hill until the race! I'm nervous about MMT, with alot of things running through my mind. Things like can I finish, will I get lost, will I drink and eat enough, ect. but I think these thoughts are pretty common before a hundred. The main thing I need to do is just stay focused, relaxed and say alot of prayers!!

This week of running looked like this :

Sunday April 25 - Complete day off, if you can believe that!!

Monday April 26 - 9 miles on the road in the am, lifted weights and 4 miles on the road in the pm

Tuesday April 27 - 16.5 miles on the trails at MO with Kim Boner and 1 and 1/4 mile swim

Wednesday April 28 - 10.25 miles on the road, lifted weights and swam 1 mile

Thrusday April 29 - 15 miles on the trails at MO and lifted weights

Friday April 30 - 10 miles on the trails at MO and swam 1 and1/4 miles

The plan for tomorrow will be to run 5 miles in the morning and then a night run with a group of fellow ultra runners. We are planning on running around 35 miles starting Saturday envening and running into Sunday morning. Hopefully we won't get caught in a thunderstorm! Stay tuned..................

John Bryan 50k

Life has been busy with little time to set down and post anything until now!!

Last Saturday April 24th my husband and I drove down to Yellow Springs, OH so I could run in the John Bryan 50K. It had been only 6 days after running the Forget the PR 50k but I felt fairly recovered. Gotta love my husband, Mark! He loves to go to these races and crew for me but I actually think he likes the adventure :) We got up at three in the morning so I could be there in plenty of time for the 7 am start with only about three hours of sleep because of a Keith's track meet the night before! Oh, well, who needs sleep!! LOL

The race actually started alittle after 7, with runners running a figure eight loop four times. I told myself that this was to be a training run but once we started, I got caught up in the excitement and away I went!! The first part of the loop was very technical, with rocks, roots and wooden bridges, all on single track trails with some up hills. This part proved to be more difficult than I thought because of the drizzle that was falling, causing everything to become wet and slippery. After about 5 miles of running, you came back to the start/finish where there was an aid station and then headed out on a flat single track bike trail. This trail also proved to be technical not because of the footing but because of all the switchbacks and sharp turns. You then came back to the aid station and started all over again!

I was feeling good for the first two laps and could see the lead woman ahead of me! However, heading out on the third lap, I could feel myself getting tired and slowing down. I was eating and drinking but I think running two 50k's that close together was alittle much for this old body!! Since the hills were not very steep, I tried to run the whole race until the last three miles, where I stopped to walk a couple of times. I finished 2nd woman, 15th overall, with a time of 4:47. I was happy to break 5 hours and overall pleased with the race since it was suppose to be a training run!! LOL After the race my legs were trashed! I was so wiped out that I finally took an entire day off on Sunday!!!!!

I would like to thank the race dirctor and all the volunteers for putting on a great race! Also, congrats, to my good running friends Michael Patton, David Huss and Stephen Zeidner, who all ran awesome races!! I would also like to mention, David Huss is the lucky one who will be pacing me at MMT in two weeks! Poor guy!! I hope I won't be to rough on him in the middle of the night when I'm exhausted and he wants me to keep running!!LOL

Finally Feeling Rested!!

When I woke up this morning, I finally felt fairly rested and not like I have been hit with a truck!! I didn't get out the door until about 10:00am and decided not to run on the trails but just headed out on the road. I really didn't feel much like running at all but once I got going, it was good!! I only planned on doing 8 miles but ended up doing 10.5 miles between 8-8:30 min. per mile which is pretty good for me since I have only been doing mega miles and not speed workouts! Felt good except for the hamstring which loosened up the longer I ran. I think I have just tweaked the ol' hammy and with alittle love and tenderness, I pray it will be ok!! Lifted weights and did some core work before I hit the terrible job of cleaning windows for the rest of the afternoon!
It will be a busy weekend for the Lemke's! Keith has a track meet tomorrow night at the Elgin Relays, I will be traveling down to Yellow Springs to run the John Bryan 50k on Saturday and on Sunday, I think Keith needs to go and get fitted for his tux for the prom!! Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

WOW!!!!

I think today it finally hit me!!! The effort of the 50k last weekend caught up to me and I was totally out of it. Tire, sore and sluggish!!! My hamstring that bothered me this winter, even gave me trouble!! I went to Mohican and started at the Covered Bridge, ran up the hill on the bike trail to the Firetower. From there, I continued on the bike trail for about a mile or so, then turned around and went back to the Firetower down to the Covered Bridge for a total of 8 miles. I was very tired and slow!! I sure felt better the last two days then I did today! My concern is this hamstring!! I don't have time to be nursing an injury! Hopefully, if I keep running at an easy pace it will loosen up!!!! Lifted weights when I got home and that wasn't any better :( Just extremely tired!! But you all know me, I am to OCD to rest, so off to the Y and swam a mile and a fourth. Like always, I had to get groceries, cook supper, straighten up the kitchen and other parts of the house, laundry and take care of Keith and all his problems!! That in itself is enough to make anyone exhausted! LOL Oh, well, no rest for the wicked!!!!!! Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day!!!

A Slow And Easy Run

I was a little lazy this morning and after Keith left for school, I crawled back into bed and slept for about an hour and a half. I felt a little guilty but I was tired and it felt soooo good. It was about 10:00am before I made it out onto the trails. I started at the PR start and ran the trail by the river to the covered bridge and back. The good thing about that trail is there are no major hills to climb. My legs are still tired from the 50k this weekend so hills were out of the question!! It was 8.5 very slow miles!!!! When I was done, I lifted weights which I was dreading because I felt so tired but I actually lifted pretty good!!

Keith had a track meet tonight at Loudonville which went well! The boys won the meet against Centerburg and Utica. Keith got 2nd in the 4x200, 4x100 with a split of 10.91 and first in the 4x400 with a split of 55.3. His foot is not an issue anymore so hopefully his times will drop some more! I'm so proud of the way he has been running this season!!! Hopefully, I'll make it out to the trails again tomorrow!!

Forget The PR 50k

First and foremost, I would like to thank Rob Powell for putting on such a great race. The race was well organized, well marked and had great aid stations! My hat goes off to Rob and Michelle Bichsel for putting on one of the best trail races in Ohio. I would also like to thank all of those that volunteered at the aid stations and course markings because without you we wouldn't be able to have great races like this one!!!

The race started at 8am on Sunday, April 18, and my plan was to try to get out as close to the front as I could, so by the time we hit the trails, which is single track, I wouldn't be bottled in. The plan worked well and I got with some runners that were running the pace that I wanted. The first 11 miles were at a pretty good pace, around 8:30 min. per mile which is pretty quick for me out on the trails. I was feeling comfortable and running with a good group. In that group was my good friend Mark Carroll and Kyle Fahrenkamp along with a couple other runners. Of course, I was unable to keep up with Mark and Kyle, but at that point I was running 3rd for the women and was trying to hold a good pace. In the beginning, I was also running with Star Blackford, who is a very accomplished runner and is getting better and better!! It is always fun to run with Star as she keeps me going with all her stories!! Thanks, Star!! At the half way point, I was still feeling good and strong. Still in 3rd for the women but the other two women were about 5 minutes ahead of me and I was ok with that!! At mile 20, I sort of started to feel my legs getting tired and my calves were started to cramp alittle but the only way you can get done is put on foot infront of the other and try to block out the pain!! I was able to catch Kyle and a couple other runners by mile 23 at the Firetower and still going strong!! With four miles left, the pain really set in! One foot in front of the other as fast as I could was the only way I could keep myself going. With one mile to go, I was pretty sure I would place 3rd for the women but I was getting dizzy and my legs were cramping. Once I got to the top of the big hill on the North Rim, I started to feel better and tried to run the down hills as fast as I could and on to the finish!! Time - 5:01, 3rd woman and 15th overall, 18 minutes faster than last year, I'll take it!! First place went to Beth Woodward and second place to Jenny Anderson. Great running ladies!!! What a beginner mistake I made by only drinking and not eating. I think If I would have taken the time to eat at one of the aid stations, I may have been able to run alittle better the last 4 miles! Will I ever learn? All in all, a good effort on my part!! Congrats, to all the runnners!! I think the best part of the day was hanging around after and cheering the runnners on as they finished!!!

Feeling Sluggish :(

What the heck!!!! The last couple of days I have been feeling kind of sluggish and tired!! Maybe, it's the tapering that my body and mind doesn't like! Who knows!! I just hope that come tomorrow morning, I will be ready to go for the PR 50k!! I know that there will be some fast runners at the race tomorrow, so I just have to run my own race and not panic!! Hopefully, all will go well!!! Still, I will be nervous as, Hell!! Good Luck to all who is running and thanks to Rob Powell for putting on the race. I will be heading over to the start at 4:30 this afternoon to help put together the aide station stuff. Hopefully, I don't freeze to death :(

Yesterday, I ran 5 miles on the road and swam 1 mile that included 450yd pull. Today, is a complete day of rest which might not be the best of ideas, but I guess I need the rest!!

A Good Day All Around

It was such a gorgeous morning, I couldn't resist to go to Mohican and run on the trails. I started at the Covered bridge and ran to the Firetower and then back to the Covered Bridge on the bike trail. The trails are in exellent condition at this point! That gave me about 7 miles and thank goodness I felt better than yesterday!! My legs didn't feel quite as tired so a couple more days of easy running should have them in pretty good shape for the PR 50k. I hope!!!!!! Got home and lifted weights.

Tonight was the Loudonville Track Invitational and the Loudonville boys won for the second year in a row! Keith had a fairly good meet, even though he has been having trouble with his foot. He placed 6th in the 400 with a PR of 55.4, second place in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. His foot seems to be sore but he didn't make it any worse by running on it. I could tell he was a little off tonight but I think his times will drop again once he has a couple more hard workouts. I'm very proud of the way he is running and the best part of it, is, he seems to really be enjoying him self. Out of all three of my boys, he is the social one! Keith loves to be with his friends!!

The pictures above are of Keith before the meet and the 4x400 team - left from right - Nick Kopp, Luke Weber, Keith Lemke and Bryan Derr

Trying To Taper

The above pictures are of Keith this last Saturday at the West Holmes Invitational. He took the ACT in the morning and was not able to run all of his events. He got to the meet in time to run the 4x100, open 400 and the 4x400. His foot had been bothering him, plus the mental strain of the test that morning caused his times to be slower then the first meet. He still was able to run 56.7 for the open 400!! After the meet, his foot was bothering him to the point he couldn't run. On Monday, I took him to the Dr. and they did an x-ray but nothing showed up! If it is a stress fracture, it won't show up until the healing process starts. He didn't run at yesterday's meet but will run tomorrow at the Loudonville Invitational. I'm alittle nervous because if it is a stress fracture, running on it will only make it worse :( I'll just keep my fingers crossed and say a prayer!! What is up with the Lemke feet! First Kyle, then Keith and all I can say is it had better not hit me!!!!!

This week is a taper week for me, as I will be running in the Forget The PR 50k on Sunday, here at Mohican. I'm nervous because of the big miles I have been putting in the last couple of weeks. My legs are tired so I hope I am resting enough inorder to run a respectful race and time!! After last Sunday's half marathon, I took Monday off of running and swam a mile and a fourth with a 45 minute spinning class. Tuesday, I ran 6.5 miles on the road and lifted weights. Today(Wednesday), I ran 5.5 miles on the trails(felt horrid) and swam one and a fourth miles that included pulling and kicking.

Athens Half-Marathon

This past Sunday, April 11, I ran with my oldest son, Corey in the Athens Half Marathon. It was very special to me because it was Corey's first attempt at 13.1 and I wanted to be by his side until the very end! The race was on a multipurpose bike trail and was very flat. The weather was perfect for a run in the park!! I think Corey was a little nervous because he had only ran two 8 milers for his long runs. However, we both figured he was in fairly good shape and being an athlete, he would not have to much trouble! Corey has been a football player most of his life and ran track but has never raced anything longer than a 5k! I figured my job would be to keep him running and to try to finish in 2 hours. For about the first 3-4 miles we were averaging about 8 min miles which seemed comfortable for him and we were cruising right along. By the time we got to the turn around, our time was 53 min so I knew that if we continued at that pace we would be under 2 hours. Corey was starting to get tired and telling me to slow down, which we did but then I would try to pick it up. His knees and quads were starting to give him trouble but he held his own! With a mile to go, he told me he was going to throw up and he wanted to slow down but, this hard core Mom, told him that we had one more mile and we were not going to slow down!! We got into the stadium and had to run one lap around the track to the finish! How proud I was to be able to run around the track along side of my son, knowing that he was hurting but going after a goal he had set after his football career ended this fall! It meant so much to me that he was doing something I love and we were doing it together. We finished in 1:47, way beneath his goal! Sometimes it's not about how fast or how well you place but it's about achieving a goal with someone by your side! I love you, Corey and am so very proud!!!!

More Miles

I haven't been able to write on my blog lately because we have had computer trouble. We have went from three computers to one and of course I'm the last one that gets the chance to get on!! So while no one is home, I have the chance to use it :) It's been a long and busy week with alot of miles on my poor legs!
Sunday 4-4-10 10.2 miles, 5 miles in the am and 5.2 miles in the pm, 3 of those miles with Keith

Monday 4-5-10 10.5 miles on the road and lifted weights

Tuesday 4-6-10 10.5 miles on the trails at Mohican and swam 1 and 1/4 miles, with 450yd pull. Keith had his first outdoor track meet of the season. He placed 1st in all four of his events. The 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, and the open 400 with a pr of 55.7. I am so proud of him. He look strong and smooth!!

Wednesday 4-7-10 15.5 miles on the trails at Mohican and lifted weights. Legs were tired for the first 3 miles and then they loosened up. I did the 25k in about 2 hrs and 40 min. !!

Thrusday 4-8-10 15.5 miles again at Mohican with Kay Hunt and Duane Rader. We got alittle wet but it was great to run with company! After our run, I went to the Y and swam a mile and a fourth with 450yd pull. We talked to Kyle and his foot is starting to improve. He can now put some pressure on it and he has been swimming and biking!

Friday 4-9-10 6.5 miles on the road and lifted weights. My legs are very tired and need a break, so today was kind of a break day :) Tomorrow will be a 15 miler at MO, plus Keith has a track meet. Sunday, I will be running with Corey at the Athens Half- Marathon. It will be his first half and I wouldn't miss it for the world!!! After that, It will be taper time for the PR 50k :)

Friday 4-

101 Miles

Last week, I got 101 miles in for the week!! It's been years since I have done that and at this point no injuries :) My week goes from Sunday to Saturday so it looked like this:

Sun. 3-28 Fools 50k
Mon. 3-29 DNR, 1 mile swim, 45 min.spin class
Tues. 3-30 8.5 miles road, lifted weights
Wed. 3-31 10 miles road, lifted weights, 1 and1/4 mile swim
Thrus. 4-1 10.5 miles trail, lifted weights
Fri. 4-2 15 miles trail with Kim Boner, 1 mile swim
Sat. 4-3 26 miles trail,a group meet at 7 am. I ran with Mark Carroll and friend, Michael Patton, David Huss, Stephen Zeidner, Mitch Myers, Luca Blengio, Don Baun, Julie Bowen-Miller, Thomas Patton and Cheryl. It was a great time!!

Total = 101 miles

Yesterday, Sunday 4-4 Happy Easter!!! Ran 5 miles in the morning before church and then 5.2 miles in the evening. Keith ran the first 3 miles with me and just about killed me. He ran fast and I was tired :)

Today, Monday 4-5 Another beautiful day on the trails. 10.25 miles on very tired legs. After about 3 miles, I started to feel better. I guess that was from sleeping in this morning :) Lifted weights.

Happy Good Friday

WOOOOWEEEEEE! Got another great run in at Mohican today!!! Kim Boner and myself met at the Covered Bridge around 8:30 and ran a total of 15.2. The trails were in great shape along with the weather. It really was a Good Friday!! We did the purple loop to the lodge and back to the CB and then to the Fire tower and back to the CB on the bike trail. With this great weather, we ran into alot of hikers and mountain bike riders. Tomorrow will be another day at Mohican. Hopefully, I will get in another 20+ miles. My legs are tired so tomorrow may be a slow one! That's ok as long as I stay healthly :)

Gotta Love This Weather

The weather has been truly wonderful, the last couple of days. I think it's suppose to last into the weekend :) It just makes everything and everybody alittle brighter!! You gotta love running in shorts and a good ol' tech t- shirt, makes you feel lighter and faster :) I went to Mohican this morning, although it was hard getting up and I was stiff. I started at the PR start/finish and ran down by the river to the covered bridge, then to the dam and back. There was muddy spots on the trails but overall the trails are in good shape. A far cry from last Sunday! It ended up being 10.5 miles. My legs were pretty tired by the time I was done. I think I'm still recovering from the Fools 50k. I need to keep running on tired legs as long as I stay injury free! When I got home I lifted biceps, shoulders and abs. Tomorow, the plan is to run with Kim Boner at MO for another 10-15 miles. It may be a slow one :) Tonight may be a long one, as I await the return of my son, who is at a bonfire! 11:30 and no later!!!!!!!