Sole Sistas of the 618: March 2013

2^nd BATD

- Saturday, March 23 2013 at 9:00 am

Trophies

A little cold weather didn’t send The Sole Sistas back into hibernation, nope! Approximately a dozen Sole Sistas and 5 guys from the Hub Club, (LOL, see explanation in paragraph below) showed up in Ozark, IL on Saturday, March 23, 2013 to run the BATD.

Fellow Sole Sista, Lindsay Gamster, was the hostess with the mostess of this event. She did a fantastic job. It was very well organized, the course was amazing and well marked, and her volunteers did a great job too. See our Q&A with Hostess Lindsay below.

The website says:

“This 5K run will push you to your limits both physically and mentally. You will encounter tight trails, open fields, creek crossings, steep hill climbs, log crossings, and other natural obstacles found at no other race in Southern Illinois.”

Sole Sistas representin’

Lindsay Gamster – Hostess – 2^nd BATD and Placed First Overall Female

Teresa Hobbs– 2^nd BATD

Beth Sutton – 2^nd BATD

*Marybeth Davie – first race ever and 1st BATD

Rachel Grant – first BATD

Jennifer Murphy – volunteered to work

Christine Burtis – Placed First in her age group – 2^nd BATD

< Christine Burtis, her husband and her boys all got first in their divisions, Way to represent!>

Heather Morris – 1st BATD

*Kylie Fox (Beth’s future niece) – first race ever and first BLMJ

Haley Steinmetz (Beth’s future stepdaughter)- first BLMJ

Shout out!

There were some gals from Saline County that Sole Sistas want to give a shout out to: Brittany Hodson, Stacy Knight, Maura Williams and Jennifer Parks (left to right in picture). It was their first BATD. They rocked it from their fun socks to their finishing times. Maura took first in her age group too. Awesome job gals!

Future of Sole Sistas

One of the great things about our running group is being a role model to the next generation, and getting them involved in an active lifestyle. We always like it when our Little Sistas come and participate. Haley Steinmetz (Beth’s future stepdaughter) and Kylie Fox (Beth’s future niece) ran in the Bad Little Mama Jama. The night before race the girls laid out their outfits and cold weather gear. That night, they also decided they needed to do jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, etc. to help them get ready for the race. I woke the girls up around 6:30 a.m. They were sleepy but they weren’t complaining. It was cold the morning of the race, but the stayed bundled up, I called them “Blanket Ninjas.” They were very excited about the race and it was so cute watching them do their stretches right before the race. This was the first “Bad Little Mama Jama” race for both of them. It was Kylie’s first race ever. Haley’s first Kid K was Oct 2012.

Hub Club

We are working on a name for the group of guys (boyfriends, husbands, future husbands, friends etc) who run with us. For now, or at least for this weekend, we affectionately called them “The Hub Club”. <We are open to suggestions>. The guys who were representing last weekend were: David Morris (Heather’s husband), Randy (Beth’s fiancé), Israel Burtis* (Christine’s Husband), Mike Grisham (Beth’s future uncle-in-law) and Grant Gamster (Lindsay’s husband) didn’t run, he was in charge of operations.

*Israel took First Overall in his age group.

For more Pictures, scroll down to the bottom

Q&A with Lindsay

SS = Sole Sistas (Questions asked by Beth Sutton)

LG = Lindsay Gamster

SS: How did this race come about?

LG: I got back into running in January 2012 when my youngest son was 1year old. I had a few pounds to lose but mostly just missed the feeling of competition. I ran a lot in my early 20s and was pretty decent and wanted to feel good about something physical again. The BATD was actually my husband's idea. He thought "we have all this beautiful land and trails, why not have a race out here?" Also, it is a very difficult time to be a small business owner, so our business, Vitamin T Sun Spa, sponsors the race and receives the much needed race proceeds.

SS: How would you describe this race?

LG: Very difficult. Much harder than any other 5k I know of. Several ppl have commented that it is tougher than the Warrior Dashes. The ridiculously steep and long hills in the BATD set it apart from any other course I've ran.

SS: How long is it?

LG: Just over a 5K. 3.2 miles by GPS.

SS: How many were registered?

LG: 80 ppl pre-registered and we ended up with right around 100 total runners on race day, including the kids race.

SS: How many registered last fall?

LG: Not as many.

SS: What do you get with registration?

LG: Entered into the most awesome 5k trail race around! It's your choice whether or not to pay the extra $5 for a nice t-shirt. Not everyone wants race t's so we have it set up where you can choose to order one or not.

SS: What did top finishers receive?

LG: A super awesome bad ass trophy with a beast ripping it's shirt off! And even though I forgot to hand them all out during awards, winners also received FREE massage gift certificates at Vitamin T Sun Spa.

SS: What was the best time this race? Last Race?

LG: Sept 2012 best times:
Male 27:22
Female 27:39

March 2013 best times:
Male 26:42
Female 30:03

SS: When is the next one?

LG: Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 9 a.m.

SS: Any thing new to expect at the next one?

LG: We may change the trail just a bit - not sure yet

SS: Where can someone find info about this event? FB and website?
LG: www.vitamintsunspa.com, www.badasstraildash.com, Bad Ass Trail Dash on FB has the most info.

SS: Do you have a list and/or pictures of the people who placed?

LG: Pics will soon be up on the FB page and badasstraildash.com

SS: Want to give a shout out to anyone? Volunteers? Husband?

LG: My husband, Grant Gamster, put up with a lot of stress from me for weeks before the race. It is a lot of work to coordinate and plan these events. It makes it more difficult to participate in the race I'm organizing. So, yes, I would like to thank the greatest husband in the world and all my awesome volunteers that worked their butts off for me. I appreciate them all so much!

Don’t Miss the next one

If you haven’t ever experienced a trail run before, you need to go ahead and mark your calendars for the next race, Saturday, October 5, 2013. After I completed my first BATD in September 2012, I said “Now that I have bragging rights, I am NEVER doing THAT again.” But yet I was back out there last weekend, and I took 5 minutes off of my time. I WILL be back out there this October too and I am going to try do even better. It’s addicting, you will love it!

Some of our fellow Sole Sistas, Jennifer Murphy, Teresa Hobbs, Shay Henshaw, Candy Ticer, Lisa Garner and Holly Dunderdale ran the “Fly with the Eagles Half Marathon.” It was held last month on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at the Crab Orchard Refuge. I was only a spectator on this day, but me and my dog, Addi (RIP) showed up to cheer the Sistas on. It was an amazing turn out. I overheard some runners talking and they had traveled from Chicago, St. Louis and Evansville.

Fly with the Eagles Half Marathon Course Map

Participant's Hoody

Participant's Medal

With being in the midst of my training for my first River to River Relay race and also for my very first half marathon as well, I found myself extremely curious about how the experience was for our first timers. So I thought it would be nice to do a Q&A for the Sole Sistas of the 618 Blog.

The content of this Q&A is meant purely for entertainment and to discuss our common interests and goals. We are not professionals J

SS = SOLE SISTAS (questions were asked by Beth Sutton)

JM = JENNIFER MURPHY

SH= SHAY HENSHAW

• Deciding to Run a HM

SS: Was this your first HM?

JM: Yes

SH: Yep

SS: How did you know you were ready to run a HM?

JM: I didn’t know if I was ready, I just wanted to try a Half.

SH: A prayer and a dream . . . And another prayer.

SS: Why did you decide to run a HM?

JM: I wanted to see how my training was going…to give me an idea of “Do I change what I’m doing?” or “Keep what I’m currently doing.”

SH: “Blonde Jenn” made me do it.

SS: What was the farthest distance you had run prior to beginning your HM training? JM: I had only previously ran 10 miles.

SH: 9 miles

• Training

SS: What HM training advice/tips do you have for a novice runner?

JM: Build distance!! Go out and do a practice Half run. I went out one Saturday and practiced my Half routine, I only ran 10 miles. I noted what I had eaten for the week, dinner, breakfast, the clothes I was wearing, my mid race snack. I felt great!

SH: Don’t give up . . . Even when your sports bra does

SS: How long did it take you to train/prepare for a HM?

JM: I have only just started running back in Aug 2012. Started out training for a 5K. But then it just seemed we were pushing ourselves to more…..10K, then 15K, so the Half was next on my list.

SH: It was kind of a last minute decision. It was a test run for the half marathon in April.

SS: What is good way to stay motivated during your training?

JM: The best way to stay motivated I think is to run with a group or partner. Find someone who pushes you during your practices. Try different things…..sprints, hills, etc. Change your scenery.

SH: Run with other enthusiastic runners

SS: How do you motivate yourself to run on days that you don’t want to? Do you even have days like that?

JM: I have had days where I haven’t wanted to run but I had committed my time with a partner or a group…..suck it up and go. I usually found that I felt better after the run.

SH: Everyday is a day like that. I just get myself started and then want to keep going once I get going. Adrenaline junkie, I know.

SS: What is your opinion of treadmill vs. outdoors?

JM: I think runs on a treadmill are easier than outdoors. On a treadmill you have the belt to propel your feet forward. When running outdoors, you are fighting gravity more. The ground doesn’t propel your feet forward, you do.

SH: Outdoors. Always outdoors.

SS: What is the number one tip you would give to someone training for a HM?

JM: Again, build your endurance by increasing your distance. Do a mock run; note what works and what doesn’t.

SH: Just focus on beating yourself, not others . . . Especially not “psycho blonde Jenn”

SS: What is your opinion of carb-loading?

JM: I believe carb loading should start 3-4 days before your race. (4g carbs for every pound of body wt)

SH: Makes me poop . . . just saying.

SS: What shoe do you recommend?

JM: I love the Asics Kayanos 19.

SH: Brooks . . . I mean Asics J

SS: How often do you replace your shoes?

JM: I keep a running log and I feel you need you replace shoes every 400-500 miles.

SH: Every 2-3 months

• Goals

SS: What were your goals for the half marathon?

JM: 1) Finish in an upright position 2) Finish under or around 2hrs.

SH: Not to die

SS: Did you achieve your goals?

JM: Yes, but was still disappointed with my time of 2:01:25. I didn’t wear the socks I had previously trained in. I passed every water station by and I didn’t eat my mid-race protein snack. At mile 9-10, I hit a “Wall”.

SH: Duh!

• Race Day

SS: What was the weather/temp like on the day you ran?

JM: I think it was around 32 degrees, very chilly, windy, and partly sunny.

SH: F#+%king cold

SS: What did you wear?

JM: I wore Kayanos 19, two pair socks, insulated running pants, insulated long sleeve shirt, T-shirt, gloves, I stuffed cotton in my ears, and wore a head band over my ears as well.

SH: Cold weather gear, but no gloves

SS: What did you carry with you?

JM: A mid-race protein snack (which I did not eat)

SH: iPhone . . . So I could call Beth while on the brink of death if necessary J

SS: What did you eat pre-race?

JM: Protein shake, oatmeal, peanut butter sandwich

SH: No carbs! J

SS: What strategies did you use on race day?

JM: Pre-Race? I kept telling myself “Breathe”. I was so nervous.

During? Nothing, I just kept telling myself, “You’re doing fine”

Post-race? Drank lots of water

SH: Pre-Race? Don’t cry.

During? Don’t fall down.

Post-Race? Don’t die.

SS: Did your strategies work?

JM: Somewhat, my body was so broken down from the Half.

SH: I am still here! J

SS: What would you do the same?

JM: Register

SH: Still would try not to fall down or die

SS: What would you do differently?

JM: I wouldn’t pass ALL the water stations, Eat my mid-race snack, and not change my socks the morning of the race. (I ended up with multiple blisters on my feet) LAY OUT YOUR STUFF THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR RACE SO YOU’RE NOT SCRAMBLING TO FIND YOUR FAVORITE SOCKS IN THE MORNING. BRING EXTRA CLOTHING FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS, LIKE RAIN AND UNSEASONABLE CHILLS.

SH: Don’t walk for more than 1 minute at a time . . . Even after 10 Miles. Otherwise the numbness quickly turns to stiffness.

SS: Would you do it again?

JM: Yes, I plan on running this Half next year and doing better than 2hrs.

SH: Yep, in April 2013.

SS: What did you eat post-race?

JM: Banana, oranges, recovery drink, and lots of water

SH: Not much. I felt like I was hungover and had the flu.

SS: Did you reward yourself with anything?

JM: Steak and shrimp (I was starving)

SH: Bragging rights J only bad asses can run half marathons J

Mistakes/Recommendations:

SS: Some common mistakes when running HM are: starting off way too fast, wearing the wrong clothing (ex cotton = chaffing), waiting until thirsty to hydrate and wearing new shoes. Any advice?

JM: Again, do a mock run. Note everything. I had changed my socks up the morning of the race and ended up with multiple blisters. Don’t pass the water stations without drinking.

SH: Don’t take it too seriously your first time, just have fun. Then set goals. Finishing a half marathon is a goal in itself.

Sole Sistas of the 618

Friday, March 29, 2013

BATD on March 23, 2013

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Fly with the Eagles Half Marathon on Feb 9, 2013