Lake Tahoe Marathon: The Brief Recap

I'm not sure when, or if, I'll have time for the full blown LTM race report, so in case I never get around to it, here's the short and sweet version.

Sean and me at the finish (photo by Steve Yingling/TDT)

First, here's a link to the Tahoe Daily Tribune article, which they managed to get posted about 3 hours after I crossed the finishline. (Impressive!) You can read the exact same article at the Sierra Sun, but they give me the headline instead of Sean. Funny!


I'll tell most of the story via highlights. Let's get the negative over with first.

The Lows:

• Arriving at the start with a swollen and sore throat, still feeling sick (although slightly better) after several days of illness.
• Hearing Peter's tale of Super-Triple race cancellation.
• The last three miles where I really, really didn't feel like running anymore.

Okay, that's it, now on to the "Hi's"

• Catching a ride to the event with Reno legend Lynyrd Skynrod. (I mean, how lucky can a girl get, right?)
• Seeing numerous friends at both the start and finish, including Peter, Turi, Sean, and Bryon, plus all the new friends I made out on the course.
• Getting my own "pace car" (read: guy on a bike) while in the lead for the second half of the race .
• Running along the shores of Lake Tahoe.
• Winning, and taking home $500 for the effort. (Plus, I totally cemented the truth of my theory on shirtless chicks, right?)
• Slicing over a half hour off my best time for the course.
• Cheering on, and getting cheered by, so many awesome runners and walkers.
  
• Swimming in Lake Tahoe.
• Chilling with friends on the beach after the race on probably the last "summer-like" day of the year.
• Lynyrd suggesting that he, Sean and I all pool our winnings and put it on "black" at the roulette table. (I about died laughing!)
• Just getting to run after taking the whole week off due to illness.
• The unending flood of well wishes after the race from people I didn't even know.
  

If you think it sounds like another beautiful, amazing Tahoe day, you're right!

I keep thinking about all the myriad of things I could say about this race, and it's just overwhelming to think about. This was the first race I ran in the Tahoe area, back in 2001, after having lived in Truckee for just a year. I won the Triple back in 2003 as my second ultra, and afterward swore I'd never run another road race again. (78 miles of pavement is no bueno! It was also 3 years before I ran another ultra.) My time on day 3 of the Triple, 4:12 I think, was still my course PR until this past race, despite having run "just the marathon" (or the "J.V event" as Sean called it) on two other occasions. My only real motivation for running it this year was the realization that I am supposed to be training for a road 50M and I haven't set foot on pavement in 4 months of running.

Even though it wasn't my goal, and I recognize that it is rather slow for a winning time, (last year's winner ran 3:05) there's still a certain amount of symbolism in winning what is essentially my home town marathon. Pretty nice.

I fell down on my picture taking duties on this one, but I noticed Peter and his crew taking plenty, so keep an eye on RunLakeTahoe for his race report. Turi also has a nice report up already with pictures.

Thanks to Les for another great race, and the fleet of volunteers. I'd like to give a special shout out to the kids at the Hogwarts themed aid station at mile 23. I felt way too awful to show them the enthusiasm that I really wanted to, but they were definitely my favorites. I believe getting handed a cup of water from the chosen one himself was key to my victory. Thanks Harry!

The Rock 'N River Marathon

At this point, I feel like writing about approximately a thousand other things besides Reno's Rock 'N River Marathon, held not this past Sunday, but the one before. It wasn’t exactly a banner day for me, nor was it really an important race on my schedule. It was, however, the inaugural event, and there are a few things about the day that bear mentioning. Since the rain compelled me to leave my camera at home, I fear this report won’t be too exciting. I’ll do my best to keep it straightforward, but as we know, brevity is not one of my bigger talents.

After four straight weekends of racing, I’d planned on the Rock ‘N River Half Marathon mostly because it was a local event, and I had heard good things about its first running, last year. In one of my typical oversights, I missed the online registration and thus found myself making the drive to Harrah’s on a rainy Saturday morning in order to register at the expo.

The registration line was moving painfully slowly, and as I stood there waiting, I tried to remember why I was running this race. Oh yeah: It was supposed to be fun. Still, I reasoned, a full marathon distance had been added this year and I could run that. Why was I running only the half again? I couldn’t remember. I had just decided that I wouldn’t run the full marathon because I couldn’t afford the entry fee, when I reached the front of the line.

Me: How much more does it cost to enter the marathon?

Volunteer: $5

Me: (incredulous) Really?

Volunteer: Yup. $45 for the half, and $50 for the full.

Me: Oh heck, sign me up for the full.


It seemed like a good idea at the time.

By the time 5:00 am Sunday morning rolled around and I was driving through an absolute torrential downpour to Reno, I finally remembered why I was only supposed to run the half: It was my fifth week in a row of racing, and I don’t really like road races anyway. Plus, I was still in an unexplained funk that had plagued me for weeks now, and I was having flashbacks to CIM in 2001 when I had forced my friend Charlie to fly down from Seattle to run through a hurricane with me for our slowest and most painful road marathon ever. I realized, with an impending sense of doom, that I was a little burned out on racing.

The rain was mercifully lighter in Reno, and runner’s gathered underneath the “Reno: Biggest Little City in the World” archway which served as both the start and finish lines. When it was time to line up, I looked around to see that there were only about 100 runners in the full marathon. This did not help my less-than-positive attitude about the day. I did, however, spot Reno’s own bad-boy, Lynyrd Skynrod jog up to the starting line followed by a gaggle of paparazzi angling for a shot. I enthusiastically went up to say hello, and was rewarded with a somewhat distracted response. I guess he didn’t recall that we’d spent what I personally felt was a memorable afternoon together in the casino last spring. Either that or he was just focused on the race.

I managed a quick hello to Turi, who was running the half, before we were off. The route for the first half of the marathon followed the same course as the half-marathon. It was a pleasant out-and-back, westbound along the Truckee River bike path. Upon reaching the Patagonia Outlet, runners looped back towards the start in Downtown Reno. Some people find out-and-back courses to be boring, but I don’t mind them. I think we got the most scenic running near downtown Reno, and I always enjoy seeing the runners passing in the opposite direction and cheering them on.

In only the first few miles it came to my attention that I was in 5th place. With such a small field, it’s difficult to be unaware of one’s place. The third and fourth place women were less than 20 yards in front of me, but I tried not to focus on that fact. I was already running too fast, having run miles one and two in 7:35 and 7:42 respectively. By mile four I had finally eased my way back to 8:00 pace, still in sight of third place.

I saw Lynyrd running toward me with a huge lead on the men’s field. I cheered him on, and he gave me a nasty scowl. Since Lynyrd is known for flipping off his cheering hordes, I rather thought his restraint here was a positive statement on his feelings for me.

The rain picked up again, and my wet shorts started to bunch up uncomfortably. I tried to focus on staying relaxed, but it was fairly lonely out there. At mile eight, the third place woman stopped to tie her shoe. I passed her and never saw her again.

On the run back toward downtown we began to see the half-marathon runners coming toward us. They had started at 7:00, a half hour after the marathon start. There were clearly far more participants in that race, and they cheered me enthusiastically. It felt good, and I did my best to return the support.

Eventually the lead men in the half-marathon came up behind me. I was grateful for someone to lead the way, since the runners coming toward me were now quite spread out, and the course wasn’t exactly what I would describe as well-marked. Nearing the halfway point, volunteers kept cheering and telling me I was “almost there.” I kept amending, in my head, “almost halfway.” Clearly someone forgot to tell them there was a marathon going on.

I was a little concerned about where to go since everyone around me was finishing the half. Fortunately when the split in courses approached, someone yelled from behind me to keep right. This was lucky, since this turn wasn’t marked at all that I could see.

Now running down a rainy, desolate street in Reno, I was really nervous about where to go. There were cones everywhere, but many of these were marking construction zones, and it was confusing. I approached an intersection with total bewilderment when a motorcycle cop appeared out of nowhere to lead me, lights flashing, through the next few turns. I felt like kind of a rock star with my own police escort.

Finally, I was back on the bike path. This stretch of the course was another out-and-back along the Truckee River bike path, this time eastbound toward the city of Sparks. I still felt fine, but I was well aware of the fact that I had been running too fast and I would undoubtedly pay the price later. I plugged into my ipod to help myself relax through the lonely miles.

The rain had stopped for the moment, and I focused on trying to keep my splits even. They had aid stations at every mile, which I thought would be a bit excessive even on a hot day. On this cold, rainy day I only grabbed a cup of water from every third aid station.

When I saw the race leaders heading back, I was somewhat dismayed to see that Lynyrd was not among them. I wondered what happened to him. He was nowhere to be seen.

There weren’t really any course markings at this point, but the instructions were clear enough: Stay on the bike path. Still, for a trail runner who is used to the reassuring sight of pink ribbons every 100 yards or so, I found it difficult to trust myself that I was going the right way.

Approaching the turnaround at mile 20, I was a bit confused. My watch said I had run 4:30 for that mile—clearly laughable. After returning to the aid station at mile 19/21 I had clocked yet another 4:30 mile. Wow, I was on fire! It seemed obvious that the course must be short. I wondered if maybe they had just misplaced a few mile markers, but the overall distance was still accurate. After looking at my splits though, I can’t see how that’s possible.

I had seen the second place woman near the turn around, less than two minutes ahead of me. I figured I may as well focus on catching her, if for no other reason than to have something to do. I knocked out two 7:30 miles in a row. When I still couldn’t see her, even off in the distance, I began to lose heart. I could see that I was on pace to be very close to my PR, but I wasn’t sure the course was accurate and didn’t want my PR to have an asterisk by it.

The rain started coming down hard again. I started to tighten up, and my body kicked into “just get there” mode, averaging 8:45’s for the last three miles. I came into the finish with a small horde of kids finishing the kid’s 1 mile fun run, which was both kind of fun and a little weird. Again, it seemed that no one realized there was an actual marathon going on here.

I grabbed my change of clothes and immediately headed into the casino to get out of my wet things. The flashing lights and constant ringing of the slot machines mesmerized me momentarily before I shook off the dazed and confused moment to search out the restrooms. A casino is a very surreal place to be after a running event!

After changing my clothes and cleaning off the chocolate GU that had apparently been smeared across my face for approximately the last 17 miles, I ventured back outside to see if I could grab my award for third place and bail. After some discussion with other front runners and the person in charge of awards, it seems there had been prize money advertised but there actually wasn’t any. Since I hadn’t known about it, I wasn’t too bothered. I did however check the website and the race flyer later that day, and they did indeed claim to give cash prizes for 1st-3rd places. That seemed to solve the mystery of what happened to Lynyrd Skynrod: He must have heard about the lack of prize money partway through the race and figured there was no point in finishing.

I wasn’t feeling too hot about my day, although I wasn’t sure why. I finished in 3:28—about the same time I ran at Surf City. That day had been a much more enjoyable experience, but then, it had been a much different race: more runners, perfect weather, better pacing by me, and family waiting for me at the finish line. Today’s race I had begun with no plan or expectations whatsoever, which resulted in this competitor running too fast in the early miles and not feeling so hot in the second half. It’s interesting that I ran the same time at both races, but with such different race strategies and such a contrast in how I felt afterward.

I decided it was the least I could do to cheer on the other lonely marathon runners still finishing in the rain, and I stood at the deserted finish line and clapped until my teeth chattered.

Full results here.

Since this was only the second year of the half marathon, the first year of the full marathon, I thought I’d offer my thoughts on what I liked about the event and what I think could be improved upon for next year.

Likes:

• Reno promotes itself as a race destination. Yay Reno!
• Course is scenic, mostly following the Truckee River. Loved starting and finishing under the Reno archway. Very cool photo ops!
• Great price for the marathon!
  
• Many aid stations (maybe too many?) with friendly volunteers
• Separate shirts for men and women, so I actually got one that fit and with a cute design. Also, shirts were a good, tech fabric.

Maybe next time we can…

• Have a few bands. What happened to the “Rock” part of “Rock ‘N River”? Did they really mean the rocks on the riverbed or something?
• Make sure the course is measured accurately. I don’t know for sure that it was short, but even if it wasn’t, there were a few mile markers that were way off.
• Don’t offer prize money if there isn’t any. This is very poor form. The truth is, a quality event shouldn’t need prize money to attract a lot of runners.
• Make sure the course is very clearly marked. There seemed to be a general lack of course markings. (Made up for by private police escort though, in my case!)

Overall, I think this event will be a great one for Reno. The course is flat, fast and scenic, and even though everything wasn’t perfect, it seemed like there was a professional crew there who will turn this into a stellar event. Especially if they can order up better weather in future years.

Thanks to the volunteers and Race Directors for all the hard work and being out there for us in the rain!

Lynryd Skynrod: An Interview with "The Real Deal" from Reno

One of my favorite things about running (and blogging) in recent years has been all of the wonderful people I have met. Most running events, and ultras in particular, are imbued with friendly positive vibes and the runners who radiate them. We runners can be competitive, sometimes that’s part of the fun, but after the race everyone seems quick to offer each other a heartfelt “good job.” Smack-talking is frowned upon, and even elite racers can often be seen near the finish line long after their own race is done, cheering for the mid-packers. Race reports on blogs extol the virtues of fellow runners, race directors, volunteers, course markings, scenery, race schwag, you name it.

And then there’s Lynyrd Skynrod.

Proudly hailing from Reno, NV, Skynrod burst on to the local racing scene in 2007 with impressive finishes at the Squaw Mtn. Run and Reno Journal Jog as well as a win at the Tahoe Triple. Sporting slicked black hair, a handlebar moustache and a Marlboro dangling from his lip, Skynrod is anything but your typical runner. Although he’d look more at home among a pack of Hell’s Angles or NASCAR fans than on a marathon starting line, looks can be deceiving.

Lynyrd Skynrod on his home turf (photo courtesy of coach Jackson Fairbanks)

Skynrod can claim bragging rights to a marathon PR of 2:39, although he claims that will drop following this Sunday’s Tahoe Marathon. His best posting in the half-marathon distance came last spring when he won the Rockin’ River Half Marathon in Reno with a time of 1:12:52. Last fall, he also claimed victory in the Tahoe Triple, with a cumulative time of 8:33 for the three marathons.

Clearly Skynrod is more than just a one-hit-wonder on the racing scene, but what can we learn from this elusive character? I tracked him down at the Gold Dust West casino after last Saturday’s Reno Journal Jog to find out.

I have to admit, I was initially intimidated about approaching Lynyrd Skynrod. A friend of mine, who is a speedy local runner himself, recently confided to me, “That Skynrod guy is a total ass!” Nonetheless, I was intrigued by this aberration among runners. I knew enough to ply him generously with Jim Bean, and after enough shots and a few beers, the words were flowing like the sewers through Reno after a summer storm.

It only took 3 shots to convince Lynryd that I was not actually Emma Garrard of the Sierra Sun, and to start talking

When did you start running? Have you always been athletic?

Course I’ve always been athletic. I been racin’ since I was 11, dirt bikes that is. I kicked ass ’til that one time I endo’ed onto some razor wire fencing and ripped open the tendons in my left wrist. Didn’t heal right. Never used them breaks much for dirt bikin’ anyway but once the circuit hears you don’t got no stoppin’ power, you end up blacklisted from all their events for liability reasons. I heard you also get blacklisted if you’re suspected of substance abuse.

Do you prefer roads or trails?

The hippies can have their trails. Motorcycles, cars, and people all go faster on fresh, clean, asphalt. I’m a big fan of all things fast and a marathon on the dirt is just never gonna be as fast as a marathon on pavement. Maybe I’ll change my mind if they ever move NASCAR onto a dirt track. That’s not a bad idea, but as it is there ain’t a monster truck driver who stands a chance against Dale Jr. and I’m pretty sure that’s cause it’s a dirt sport.

What do you do with your time besides training and racing?

Yer lookin’ at it. I prefer a cold one and a smoke to any kind of work or hobby. Of course I’ve got a few business ventures on the side to supplement the race winnin's but my associates don’t appreciate me talkin' about ‘em in public. Don’t need to bring the dang Feds sniffin’ around again.
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How do your friends and family feel about your running? Are they supportive and do they come to races?

I'm gonna be honest with you. I don’t like reporters and questions and such and you ain’t a reporter I guess so you got that goin’ for you, but why does everybody gotta ask me about my family? Do I look like a family man to you? I gave some square fella that story once and I don’t feel like repeatin’ it, but I will tell you this: you won’t see any blood relative of mine at any races. Friends? I haven’t been able to lure any of them out to any races yet and I can tell you exactly why. No incentives. Not one of these races have a damn beer garden at the finish. The entry fees are so high at some of these things that you could buy a keg with the money collected from one runner, but instead the organizers are blowin’ it on charities and pocketin’ the rest from what I can tell.

What’s so great about living and running in Reno?

What’s so great? Best damned city in America’s all. I like to think of it as one of the last great waterin' holes in all the US of A, where the danged government and stupid liberals haven’t yet taken away all our freedoms. Yep, an oasis of freedoms is what it is. Course they did come over and started taken away smokin' indoors couple years ago, and technically prostitution isn’t legal in this county either, but you can see what I’m gettin' at.

Um, okay, and the running?

Nope, they haven’t taken that away yet.

What are some of your favorite races and places to run?

Shoot, in Reno? I can’t think of anywhere that’s not good for runnin'. You got Virginia St, McCarran Blvd, 4th street, and there’s probably 15 miles of paved river trail, which is not only good for runnin' but there’s sections that are ideal for squattin’ if you’re down on your luck. You also got easy access to Glendale Blvd and that spot where contractors’ll pick you up and pay you cash for carrying their heavy crap. You hear what I’m sayin’? Cash, and then Uncle Sam can’t get his dirty mitts on it. That’s right.

What is your preferred distance?

That’d be the one with the cash prize. 'Round here I suppose that'd be the marathon and the half marathon. Jackson says “I cater your training to the marathon” so I s’pose that’s what I prefer. Mostly I just prefer to earn some extra money to keep me livin’ the good life.
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What is atypical training week like? Do you cross train, or just run?

Yeah, Jackson’s got me on a runnin' schedule and I stick to it when he’s around. Usually there’s a few days of speed work, where he chases me around on a damn bike with a taser for when I fall off pace. Then we do pain threshold drills on those days too. There’s board drills, bamboo drills, badger snare drills, and some others. I’m pretty sure he got the idea for those while he was a P.O.W. Do drills count as cross training? Then I get to recover the rest of the week and do what Jackson calls the “unnecessary and overly common long run on pavement” on Sunday.

Tell us about your diet. What are your favorite foods for training and racing?

I think Dog n' a Draft is the official meal of Reno these days, and the price is right. You know what’s hot now, though? Energy bars. I could go a whole day on just one of them things. These damn scientists are gonna have us eatin' outta tubes next thing you know. That’s what I’d invest in, if I were you. Tubes.

You had an impressive performance at the Tahoe Triple in 2007. What type of training did you do for the race and how did this differ from what you have done for marathon training in the past?

That season Jackson told me “We’re doin’ less speed and more endurance and pain threshold drills.” Oh man. I remember runnin' further and on pavement more often and somehow that bastard Fairbanks got a hold of one of them electric cattle prods. He called it the “whiphammer” and that damned thing would knock me flat on my back. Training like that’ll make a man grateful to only have to do three marathons in a row.

I noticed there are photos on the Tahoe Triple website of most of the champions from the past three years except you. Why do you think that is?

That’s probably cause I like to keep a low profile. Hell just the other day some bald guy comes up to me and says "You Lynyrd Skynrod? You’re like the Kaiser Soze of runnin’. I got the RGJ callin’ me trying to get a hold of you." Now, I didn't know who that bald man was and I’m not positive about who this Kaiser Soze fella was, but I’m pretty sure he led the German army in WWI. And that’s exactly what I’m sayin’ to you. I’m in your face like a blitzkrieg.

In an article last spring in the Sierra Sun, Emma Garrard suggested you could be the alter ego of a local runner from Truckee. How do you respond to such allegations?

I get that kinda crap all the time, and now they’re callin’ me a Californian. When you’re in the spotlight you gotta be ready to get slammed with the lowest of insults. Like Jackson says, “Lynyrd, you gotta rise above,” and that’s what I plan to do.

So, d’ya know where she lives?

What goals do you have for the Tahoe Marathon this weekend?

Let’s see, I got’em on a piece of paper here somewhere. Okay, 5:55 per mile for the first 5 miles and then pick it up from there. Jackson says that pace should win it and if I’m feelin’ spry, I could go for the course record. Course record’s 2:28 I believe.

What’s next for you? What races are on your list and what are your goals?

I know Jackson has plans for me. He talks about havin' me set that world record in the Triple Marathon and havin' me qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. This year isn’t the year for either of those things though. Right now just this Tahoe marathon and then maybe a few more half marathons in the spring. I figure marathoning’ll be our focus for the next few years. Fairbanks knows I’m not fond of leaving this state so I don’t know why he thinks I’m willin’ to go to any of those other marathons. Lake Tahoe is plenty far into California and hell will freeze over before I cross those damn mountains to the west. He keeps sayin’ “what about the Vegas marathon?” and I keep tellin’ him everybody knows Vegas is really just Los Angeles sprawl. Then he says “What about St. George? That one’s fast and it's only about as far out of Nevada as Tahoe,” and I keep tellin’ ‘im any state tha’s known for religion makes me nervous and that town's even named for a saint.

Well, that’s all Lynyrd would give me before he became more interested in smacking the cocktail waitress on the ass, but I was pretty pleased with our interview overall. (Especially considering Lynyrd rarely speaks to the press.)

I will always prefer the elite runner who wants to stick around the race and cheer for others over guys like Lynyrd, but I can appreciate that he is shaking up the scene a bit. It goes against the mindset of most ultra-runners, but in Lynyrd’s world, nice guys really do finish last, and there’s no prize money for second place. (Most of the time there's none for first either, but I didn't want to point that out to Lynryd.)

One other thing I learned: watch out if you’re going to spend an afternoon in a casino with Lynyrd Skynrod. To my chagrin, I was incapable of driving myself home after the interview and I had gambled away all of my cash for cab fare. Andrew was not pleased when he had to drive to Reno to pick me up, and it didn’t go a long way toward convincing him that running is not a crazy stupid sport.

Lynryd enjoys a typical post-race meal after the Reno Journal Jog