TOP Challenge Racing Series

Okay runners! Here is your chance to join in the fun! The TOP Challenge Racing Series will run from May 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009. These are the rules:

1. Sign up as a fundraiser at http://www.active.com/donate/topchallenge
This is the site where you will collect donations and establish your goals. You will be entered into the series as soon as you are listed as a fundraiser on the Active Site. (No donation is necessary to sign up). Fundraising materials will be sent to you to help you raise support.

2. Sign up and run races between May 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. For each mile run, you will be awarded 1 point. You can run any race in the world and have it count as long as the results can be verified via the internet. Miles from the running part of a triathlon will also count. In addition, you will be awarded points for placing in the race:
1st overall or 1st Masters - 10pts
2nd overall - 9pts
3rd overall - 8pts
1st in age group - 7pts
2nd in age group - 6pts
3rd in age group - 5pts
Deadlast! - 4pts

3. For each $1 raised for Teens Opposing Poverty, you will also be awarded 1 point. Your goal would be ideally to have someone sponsor you at $1/mile for every race you run. For example, suppose you are running in a local 5k. Get a friend or coworker to sponsor you at a $1 per mile or $3 for the race. It doesn't seem like much but it will add up in the long run. The more people who sponsor you, the more points you will receive.

5k - $3 sponsorship
10k - $6 sponsorship
1/2 marathon - $13 sponsorship
Marathon - $26 sponsorship

4. Weekly, e-mail me your race results at susujennings@usa.net and I will update the list with the number of points you have earned to date. Challenge Updates will be available on this site as soon as I'm able to post them. Just remember some races take several days before they post results on the web and all races must be verified.

5. When your donation level reaches $30 you will be awarded a TOP Challenge T-shirt. Wear it at your races to raise awareness of the challenge.

6. Prizes, certificates and medals will be presented to all finishers who have achieved a minimum of 100 points in the series. Awards will be given to the points leaders, as well as other incentives based on fundraising levels achieved.

7. Special awards will be given to anyone who collects more points than SuSu Jennings, the TOP Challenge Team Leader, who will start the series with a 24hr run.

8. You may participate from anywhere in the world. Even if you are not racing you can accumulate points through fundraising.

9. For supporters who do not want to donate via active.com they may mail a check to:
Teens Opposing Poverty, 136 Poston Lane, Bluemont, VA 20135
Make sure they note that it is for the TOP Challenge Race Series, and who they are sponsoring.

10. You can join anytime before December 31st. Just send me a list of races run to get your points.

Together we can join teenagers in opposing poverty and make a difference in the world.

Check out the website: www.teensopposingpoverty.org

The Icy 8 hr Trail Race - Feb 7, 2009

Race Report

As the week got closer to race day, I developed a minor problem. First, it started as a tickle in my throat and a dry cough. As the week progressed, the cough became more consistent and congested. I was a little concerned, and Thursday went to the health food store to see what they could give me to help. On Friday, I drank tea, supped on chicken soup and took my herbal remedies. The cough was still there, but seemed manageable. Oh well, the race was on, no matter what. Friday night I drove to my sister in law’s house to spend the night. They lived within a half hour of the race site. We had a nice visit and then it was off to bed. I woke up every couple of hours. At one point I thought the clock said 7:20 and I panicked since the race started at 7:30. But then I realized it was still dark outside, so it couldn’t be that late. I ended up getting up 5 minutes before the alarm went off. Methodically, I got dressed for the race, rubbed BodyGlide all over my body, and made sure my drop bags were ready. I had one for food and drinks, and one for clothes and my racing gear. When I arrived at the race site, it was probably in the 20s. I was freezing and stayed in my car as long as possible. The cough was still there, but I ignored it. The race consisted of 2 loops, one was 4.7 miles, the other 8 miles. You started on the one loop and if you wanted to do the longer loop you turned left instead of right. The loops were on trails throughout the state park. Each time you finished a loop, you would cross over the mat and yell out your number and whether you did the long or short loop. We started the race and within a quarter mile were climbing up a fairly steep hill. I knew that on future loops this would be a walking hill. Finally we reached the top and entered into the woods. The trails are shared with horses and the ground was rough and lumpy from frozen horse tracks. I didn’t know which was worse, hard lumpy ground or soft muddy ground. I would get to experience both this day as the temperature would climb into the sixties. Everyone was bunched up on this first part but most people turned left to do the long loop, so I turned right and did the short loop. There was only one guy up ahead of me. Another guy was right behind me, but he must have been content to let me set the pace, because he never passed me. I was feeling pretty good, but knew I was probably going a little fast. When I got to the end of the loop, I had finished it in 47 minutes. My original goal was just to run the short loop. But now that I was ahead of schedule I decided to do the long loop. I think this was my first mistake. I took 2 minutes to refuel, strip a layer of clothing and head back out. On this loop, I never saw another runner. I thought that was pretty weird. The long loop had more rolling hills. It also ran under some power lines and had a roller coaster affect, short steep climbs and descents. I really didn’t like it at all. But when I finished this loop I was at just over 2 hrs for almost 13 miles! Too fast, I kept telling myself. And that long loop took a lot out of me, so I decided to stay on the short loop the rest of the way. I can’t quite remember what my next loop time was, but at the end, I remember taking a long break, making sure to eat more and going to the bathroom. I left for my next loop at 3hrs 30 minute. I hit 20 miles right around the 4 hour mark. This was right where I wanted to be. However, I was getting tired and began to slow considerably, taking many more walking breaks. On the next loop I had some GI issues and took a little detour into the woods. The amazing thing was on most of the loops I ran many miles with no one around. Occasionally I would pass someone or be passed. Some people were running the loops backwards so you would meet them on the way. There were probably close to 100 people out there running, but I don’t know where they were! I hit the marathon mark at 5hrs 30 minutes and finished the loop and 27 miles at about 5hrs 45 minutes. Okay that meant I had a little over 2 hrs to do another loop. If I did the long loop of 8 miles I could hit 35 miles! If I did the short loop I would get my 50K miles. So I had a real dilemma. By this time, I was walking a lot. I didn’t know if I could finish the 8 mile loop in two hours. That was a 4mph pace, but when I was walking my pace was dropping down to 3 mph. If I didn’t finish the loop I would not get credit for any of the miles and would go home with 27 official miles. (What I didn’t know at the time is that if I finished the loop in the time period I would have been vying for third place – would that have made a difference in my decision? I don’t know). The other factor is I really didn’t like that 8 mile loop. And the trail had gotten muddy and slippery. But I knew I could finish the 4.7 mile loop, I could stroll it at 2.5mph and finish it! So when I came to the intersection, I stood there in a moment of indecision and finally took the short loop. The funny thing was as soon as I made my decision I got a second wind. I almost turned around to do the long loop. But I stuck with my plan and finished the loop with 47 minutes to spare. That meant that I would have had 47 minutes to do the extra 3.3 miles. I think it would have been close! I did my first loop in 47 minutes, but I knew I couldn’t do a last loop in 47 minutes so I called it a day. Many of the runners, came with the plan of doing the 50k and stopping. Some of them finished an hour or more ahead of me and didn’t even stay for the awards ceremony. But I enjoyed hanging around and talking to some of the runners. I knew I was an Ultra Newbie by the conversations. One lady said “Well, I did a marathon last week, and I have another one next week, so I only did 50k. You know you got to take care of your body, not push it too hard.” She was also preparing to do the National Marathon on March 21 and the Shamrock Marathon on March 22. There were several of them planning to do that. Another guy said he had a training run of 10-15 miles scheduled for Sunday, although at least he was thinking of canceling out. I said I ran an average of 70-80 miles a week and the response was, “Well, that’s a good start.” The guy winner ran over 50 miles in 8 hrs! Unbelievable. He was one I saw quite a lot, as he passed me by. It was a humbling, awesome experience. God has been so good to me in these last two years, as I have been transformed from the inside out. There is a place of inner resolve and determination I never knew I had. I pulled from this throughout the day, and even now am reflecting on my next goal, how much farther can I go, how much harder can I push.

Last night was a bit rough. The cough has gotten worse and I ended up getting up and drinking tea in the middle of the night, and reading a book. My body is achy and tired – not the sore legs achy, but the flu achy. I did a five mile recovery walk/jog today and felt good while out there but now I’m wrapped in a blanket and sipping chicken broth. But, I’ll recover. Besides, if I can run 31.5 miles in 7 hrs being sick, just think what I can do if I’m totally healthy!

Snowy Morning Run - Tuesday Feb. 3rd

The groundhog saw his shadow yesterday. I guess that means 6 more weeks of winter. And to prove his point, it snowed last night again. It was a thick, wet snow that coated the trees and turned everything into a winter wonderland. Of course, I had to go run in it this morning. Plus, I got a hydration vest and just had to try it out. This was an organic run at it's best. I left my Garmin at work, my other watch has a dead battery, and my cell phone wasn't charged either. No pacing, no distance calculations, just running for the fun of it. First I headed up the mountain on my typical "woman vs. mountain" run. But I let the mountain win today, stopping to take pictures along the way. Halfway back down the mountain, I turned into the woods and ran on the Appalachian Trail for a while. The snow was probably 3-4 inches deep and padded the ground nicely. I followed deer tracks along the trail. When I got down to the creek, I couldn't figure out where the creek started and the bank ended. There was thin ice, covered with snow. Usually I have to jump from one rock to the next so I thought this was a good place to turn around. Back up to the road and down the mountain. I turned off down a side road for another mile and a half before I ran back to my car. By the way, the hydration vest worked great and nothing froze! Although, I did look like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Week in Review - January 25-February 1

January 25th was my daughter's birthday. It was also a day of rest for me after my 30 miler. She's into Manga, the Japanese comic books, and I had gotten her a cookbook with Manga inspired food. The Asian sections in our grocery story are pitifully lacking in Japanese food stuff. But we were able to make a couple of things - Tako sausage (sausage shaped into octopus and squid), and onigiri (a rice and seaweed creation). I made her teriyaki chicken for supper. I don't think I could eat like that every day! On Tuesday morning, I woke to snow! I just had to go out and play in it. Running in two inches of snow is like running at the beach. Your feet sink down and it's hard to get any speed going. I was trotting along and without realizing it a car a come up behind me. That's the other thing about snow, it muffles sound. By the time I got out of the way, he was going too slow to make it up the hill. Oops. I offered to give him a push but he waved me on. He must have figured it out, because he was gone when I came back by. I managed to do 7.2 miles before I gave up and headed home. The snow turned to ice and sleet by Tuesday evening and Wednesday ended up being a stay at home day. I didn't run, but was able to spend 4 hours in my garage "gym." I jumped on the mini-trampoline, then did combat conditioning, flexibility, balance, core, abs and resistance training on the bowflex. On Thursday, it was time for another run and the back roads were still icy. Not wanting to chance my treadmill dying on me mid run, I went to the gym in town. I was the only person there, so I set up my portable DVD player on a music stand next to the treadmill and watched "Mama Mia" while I did my 12 miles. I got a deep tissue massage in the afternoon - nice.

Saturday was race day again, race 5 in the winter series. The 5k was interesting. It started out on paved roads, then turned down a dirt road where we were running right into the wind. Then, I think it turned down someone's driveway and there was ice so we were running single file in the car tracks. After that it turned into the woods and was on a trail! I felt right at home in that part.Finally we were back on the main road. They rerouted it a little bit to try and avoid the ice, but everyone said it was a little bit longer than a 5k. That's good because my time (25:47) was slow! This was a tandem race so I was paired with another woman who is about my age. We ended up coming in 3rd in the women's division! I'm not sure how that happened as I was actually finished ahead of my partner and didn't think I did that great. I also started TOM in the middle of the race, but I'm glad because now it should be over by my 8hr race - next week! Maybe that's the reason for these carb cravings I've been having. I decided not to do any add on miles. Besides, I didn't have my Garmin so figuring out mileage would have been tricky, at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

Sunday was beautiful! Sunny and in the 50s. At church, I asked a friend if she wanted to run with me. I've never actually ran with someone before so I was a little bit nervous. Of course, since I'm known for liking to go long distances, she might have been more nervous than me. But we had a great time and a great 3 mile run along the river (see photo above). After that, I felt really good and added 10 miles at my 1/2 marathon goal race pace (8:55 min/mile). I was psyched that I kept the pace for the entire 10 miles and there were hills involved!

Weather looks promising for next Saturday. Lake Anna here I come!

January 23-24th - "Horse Trails"

Friday, Jan 23 - After staying up until 2am Thursday night, cleaning for my daughter's 14th birthday sleepover, I knew my training schedule would be out of whack. There was no way I was getting up at 4:30 or even 5 to do strength training. When I did rise from my slumber, there was still trash to take out, a horse to feed, etc. I got dressed in my running clothes thinking I could do at least a quick 5 miler after I did these last few chores. Alas, time ran away from me and I needed to head to work. But hey, I was still dressed in my running clothes! Knowing that the temperatures were supposed to climb into the 50s I decided to go to work just as I was, and maybe slip out in the afternoon for a short run. So yes, I show up for work in my running tights, shirt, and shoes. It was so nice to be able to run in just a long sleeve tee and my tights after days of layering and freezing. My run took place along the bike trail. It is a converted railway - 44 miles long. I head west out of town, an uphill climb to the highest point on the trail. Next to the bike path is a horse trail. It is dirt and gravel and has many ups and downs as opposed to the gently sloping bike path. Of course that is my choice for running. I feel good, despite the lack of sleep and try to push my pace. Feeling competitive, I see a woman ahead of me on the trail, and push to pass her before my turn around point. Success! Then I continue on, climbing to the highest point on the trail. I turn around at 4.1 miles and head back. With the slightly downhill grade, I feel like I'm flying. I pass the woman again, he,he. I'm back at work in 1 hr 14 min. It was a 9:30min pace out and 8:30min pace on the way back - what a difference the downhill makes! I did some rebounding, leg and ab work Friday night, so my daughter could enjoy her friends without a hovering mother.

Saturday Jan 24th - After seeing my daughter's friends off, it was time for my last long run before the race. I really wanted to push for 30 miles, but I was an hour behind schedule getting started. The balmy 50s of Friday were gone, the highs were in the 30s and breezy. I headed back to the horse trail, starting at the western end of the trail and traveling east. I know this is going to be the more difficult direction to start, because when I turn around midpoint I will have to climb for 15 miles. But it will be a good test of stamina and pushing through fatigue. As I near the parking lot, it starts snowing and blowing, and I'm thinking 30 miles in this? I pull out the heavy duty hat, gloves and rain jacket, slip on the backpack and start down the trail. Within 1/2 mile the snow quits and the sun comes out. Within a mile, I have stripped off the jacket and hat, opting for the lighter weight head band. I estimate my pack with the water to be almost 10lbs. My pace is pretty fast for a long run, but I'm feeling pretty good. I reach the 6 mile mark in just over an hour and keep telling myself to slow down. I'm fueling with Hammer Gel, and a trail mix of pumpkin seeds and Reese's Pieces (I know, not the healthiest mix). Each hour, I make sure I eat something. I try to remember to drink often, but it's hard when it's not hot. I pass the half-marathon point at about 2:25, which is okay. I think I'll run to where I know there's a port-a-potty along the trail and see what the mileage is there. I pass a girl who had passed me earlier. She's walking and trying to call someone on her cell phone. She looked a little upset, and I was wondering if she bonked. I decided to check on her when I turned around if she was still on the trail. Because the garmin always seems to short change me on the turn around trip by 10th of a mile or so, I run past the 15 mile mark and turn around at 15.29 miles. A cold blast of Artic air hits me in the face! Argh, not only will I be going 15 miles uphill, but uphill into the wind. At the port-a-potty stop, I switch back to my hat. Now, I realize it's just a matter of counting down the miles. 5 miles back to the town. In town, it's five miles to the highest point on the trail. Friday, it seemed easy, today it's one foot in front of the other, and walking many of the uphills. From mile 22 to 25 I was at the wall and didn't see anyway through it, except to keep moving forward. Finally I climb to the high point and have a brief down hill break. I hit the marathon mark at just past 5 hours. Now, I'm having to fight negative thoughts - things like "I'm so slow" Then I remind myself that I'm doing this without a day of rest, having run 25 miles in the last two days. I eat and drink this little bottle of 5 hour energy that I bought at the 7-Eleven, just in case I really needed a kick. I didn't know if it would work or not. At mile 27 is the other port-a-potty on the trail. By this time the sun is sinking fast and the wind is picking up. I'm freezing. I sit in the port-a-potty, taking my time to stay out of the wind. My hands are going numb from the cold and I'm almost in tears. Finally, I start back on the trail and am walking while I try to put all my extra layers back on. I put my rain jacket back on and pull out an extra pair of gloves for my hands. My fingers are so cold, I'm having trouble trying to buckle back the straps of my backpack. Finally, I get situated and start to run again. I'm warmer, and feel a surge of renewed energy coming back. I pick up the pace and finish the last 3 miles at a pretty good clip. It's 6 hrs and 5 minutes when I get back to the car, 30.5 miles, and almost dark. I did it! Now it's taper time.

My life before WW and running

I will never forget the day I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger staring back at me. "I don't know who you are," I said to the face in the mirror. This photo is that face. Believe me, I didn't want to post this picture, but I need to remember where I've come from and what I've accomplished. It is my driving motivation to keep setting new goals, and to push my body to its limits. I weighed 274lbs in this picture, and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Despite normal blood levels, I felt like my thyroid problems were still there and would never go away. Dozens of diets and thousands of dollars on programs, books and supplements yielded little or no results. Sure, the diets worked for a while, but I got tired of plateauing and eventually gave up, eating what I wanted since it didn't seem to matter anyway. In my reading, the concept of wheat sensitivity kept cropping up. A large percentage of those with hypothyroidism have also been diagnosed with gluten intolerance. It was worth a shot. I could give up wheat for one week, maybe even one month. In three days, my sleep apnea went away (ask my husband - the snoring stopped). I didn't wake up once with my heart racing and me wondering if I would make it until the morning. In one week, I had lost 10 pounds. Amazing. Maybe this was the ticket to health and wholeness. But the truth was, I also had eating issues. I tend towards addictive behavior, and obsessive compulsiveness, both of which I needed to get under control. It wasn't just what I ate, it was how much I ate as well. When a friend at church starting going back to Weight Watchers and having success, I decided to join her. At the first meeting, the Teri, the leader, was talking about excuses - making excuses for why we can't lose weight. She even mentioned hypothyroidism as a possible excuse. I immediately raised my hand and said, "Well, I have hypothyroidism (she probably thought I was going to get mad at her), but I'm not going to use it as an excuse anymore. It may be harder for me to lose weight, but I will do it this time." And I never looked back after that. I got up to exercise, even when I didn't want to - no excuses. I passed the desserts, even when I didn't want to, and I haven't eaten wheat since, (except the tidbit at communion). I wrote down scripture verses that would motivate me, and I prayed everyday that God would give me the strength to see the race through to the end. I started hiking on the Appalachian Trail, a stone's throw from our house, and the rest is history. I lost the weight in one year and four months. Some may say I traded one addiction for another - running. Perhaps, but it's more than that - I feel transformed from the inside out, and I've been given an opportunity to encourage those who face their own obstacles, whether it be weight or anything else that life throws at us - we can overcome, we can do more than we ever thought possible and we can all be winners. God speed.

Jan 20-22, 2009 Snow, Cold & Treadmills

Tuesday, January 20th - It was single digits when I woke, but there was snow on the ground. Granted, one inch is not much to get excited about but so far this year it's the best we've got. The graveled mountain roads were covered, so it was my first chance to get out and run in the snow. Despite the fact that I was told to run both trail and roads in regular running shoes, I knew that this occasion called for the Salomon Trails - warmer, waterproof and better traction. Today was the "mountain vs. woman" routine. I start at the bottom of a 2.5 mile mountain road that climbs 1000ft to the top. If I run the whole way up, I beat the mountain, and the mountain wins if I have to stop or walk. Normally, I do it twice. Eventually, I'd like to do it 3 or 4 times - that would get me in shape for some of the more vigorous trail races. I decided to forego the yaktrax on the way up, so I clawed and pulled myself towards the top. Even with a little snow I could tell the difference, every step seemed harder. "I'm still running," I kept telling myself even as my pace slowed to a dismal 4mph, then to almost 3mph. "I'm not moving fast, but I'm still running," I said as I made my final push to the top of the mountain. The snow was thicker here with icy patches, and I decided for the trip down the mountain, the Yaktrax were in order. Downhill grades are easier on the lungs but harder on the legs. Part of me wants to put the brakes on, the other part wants to just let gravity take over and do a freefall. I'm starting to feel the Yak trax under my feet, so I take them off and decide to do a side road instead of a double "mountain vs. woman." Aside from the hose of my hydration bladder freezing and the ice framing my face and clinging to my hat, scarf, and hair, it ended up being a great run. Some Garmin statistics - 13.2 miles, time:2:38:37, avg speed 12min/mile, max speed 7:30min/mile(I always love this calculation) avg heart rate 109bpm, max 158bpm.

Wednesday, Jan.21st - After teaching three classes at the homeschool coop, I decide to forego the outdoor run, and do a little treadmill work at the gym. I start with a 1/2 mile warmup, walking on full incline (15%) at 4mph. Now, it's time for the real workout. Each mile, I start at 9:30min/mile and build to 7:30min/mile, trying to hold the fastest time for as long as possible, before I drop it back and start all over. This is my best 5k time. Eventually, I'd like to push it to 7:00min/mile. 9:30min/miles feel like coasting after the 7:30s. I do this for 6 miles - it gets harder with each mile! Then, I do a half-mile cool-down at 9min pace. A quick and fun hour long workout. A guy comes into the room while I'm running - "You training for another marathon?" he asks. "Something like that," I respond. I do some ab work to cool down.

Thursday, Jan. 22nd - More treadmill work, this time on the home machine which I'm about to throw out the window! The incline won't adjust, you can only increase your speed, and the thing won't turn off once you've started it. The only way to quit is to go 100 minutes or pull the emergency key out of it's slot, at which point you lose all your data. The treadmill has many affectionate nicknames like the "dreadmill," and the "hamster wheel." I just call my treadmill "you worthless piece of junk." In all fairness, this was given to me by some dear friends and it worked great until I started running 3 and 4 hours on it at a time. I think my sweat short-circuited the electronics. Anyhow, to survive long distances on the dreadmill, I watch movies - usually inspirational ones, if they're about runners, all the better. Today I watched "Running Brave," about Billy Mills winning a gold medal in the 10k at the olympics. Then I started watching "Without Limits," about Prefontaine, but I don't know if he ever won anything 'cause I had to pull the plug to get ready for work. At 85 minutes into the run, with a pace of 10:42min/mile, I decide I need to go to the bathroom, only I can't get the thing to stop. Okay, I think I can make it 15 more minutes. Then Billy Mills is running his olympic race. He speeds up, I speed up. He wins with a final kick! He's stopped running, but I can't! I can't even slow back down. Fortunately the 100 minutes arrived, and I was able to take my potty break. I lasted another 84 minutes, pulling the plug at the climax of "Without Limits." 17.2 miles, steady pace of 10:42.