Sunday, December 8, 2013

CIM Relay–Robin

Date/Location:
December 8, 2013 - Sacramento, Ca
Distance:
Marathon - 26.2m (My leg is 7m)
Time:
3:32:16
Place:
10th, Coed Open

Relay Teammates:

Robin, Kevin & Liesbeth Magna, Megan Sebra

Other Teammates:

Team FCA Endurance Relay
Tamara Diederichs, Troy, Jesse Ellis, Desiree Swift
Track/Local Friends
Pacer Jim Kepfer, Pacer Michael Cook, Pacer Tim Twietmeyer, Rachel Gunsalus

Robin, Leg #3 – 7.0 Miles

This will be 15 years of straight relay racing for me!  It’s been a yearly event that I look forward to mostly because I’m reunited with my college roomies!  This year Leonie is not competing because she’s pregnant…a good excuse for sure(=  Another UCD grad and friend, Megan Sebra, will be taking her place.  Liesbeth is back again with her husband Kevin.  He also competed in IM Tahoe.  I think this is the first race we’ve done since September.  It took me months to get back into the grove.  I thank Jesus that I've been able to keep this tradition going and continue to be injury free!

Again, I get to compete against Troy and his FCA Endurance relay team.  I hope we can come close to catching them!

I drop Troy off at the first relay exchange so he can do leg #2.  It is literally freezing out here!  A snow storm came in 2 nights ago which was a blast but it's made for some real cold conditions! Last year was the wettest and windiest I’ve ever seen.  Now it’s the coldest. The girls and I head off to the next exchange so I can get ready.  Even though it's not an 'A' race for me, I am still nervous and hope that I can run my goal of 7min per mile.

We watch the elites go by wearing very little.  I don’t know how they do it!  I see Michael Cook go by pacing his group and looking strong.  I expect to see Troy first based on Team Magna’s (Liesbeth & Kevin) projected times.  Suddenly I hear “hi Robin”.  I look back and it’s Rachel Gunsalus from our track group.  She’s smiling and running fast.  “Go Rachel!” 

Soon I see a yellow shirt and know it’s Troy.  His teammate, Jesse, jumps out and they make a smooth exchange.  Troy jogs up to us and tells me I better get ready.  Doh!  I kind of lost track of what I’m supposed to be doing.  I quickly pull off the layers and start looking.  The 3:30 group goes by and I hope that will be able to catch up with them soon!

Soon, I see Kevin…yeah!   The exchange is good and I’m off!  I can tell right away that I didn’t get a good warm-up in.  I feel stiff and my breathing is labored.  My watch tells me I’m right on pace so I keep pressing on despite the discomfort.

My first mile is 7:00.  Okay great!  The breathing is better but my legs feel pretty tight.  I ran a sub 6 min mile at the track recently with my buddy Karen Nickel so I know that I can keep this up despite the continued tightness.

My second mile is 6:59.  Thank you Lord!  I’m looking for the 3:30 group and haven’t seen them yet.

My 3rd mile is 7:02.  This course is not flat and the rolling hills are taking their toll.  I know I’m doing my best and continue to push with all that’s in these legs.

My 4th mile is 7:05.  Ugh!  Trying not to get frustrated and remind myself it’s not over yet.  Keep going!  I think I see the 3:30 group ahead!  Yeah! 

My 5th mile is 7:00.  Better!   I catch up to the 3:30 group and run into another track friend, Dave.  He’s doing his first marathon like Rachel.  I encourage him and tell him it really becomes a mental game at this point in the race.  I say goodbye and push past.

My 6th mile is 7:06.  More hills but I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I dig deep and push hard through my last mile. 

Finally, I see the next relay exchange point.  Yeah!  My 7th mile is 6:58.  I’m happy with this effort for sure!  Thank you Lord! 

I run down the chute and call out for Megan.  I don’t see her and start to worry a bit.  There she is at the end!  She’s pulling off her sweats so I get the chip on her and off she goes.  Glad to be done and look forward to seeing Megan at the finish!  Her husband Toney and 2 kiddos and I head to the finish.  Almost done!

Way to go team!

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RELAY HISTORY
Year Team Name Relay Div Place Time Teammates
2013 Catch Us If You Can Open
Coed
10 3:32:16 Liesbeth Magna (Leg #1), Kevin Magna (Leg #2), Robin Soares (Leg #3) and Megan Sebra (Leg #4)
2012 Catch Us If You Can Open
Coed
6 3:32:57 Leonie Alesci (Leg #1), Robin Soares (Leg #2), Kevin Magna (Leg #3) and  Liesbeth Magna (Leg #4)
2011 Catch Us If You Can Open Coed 3 3:05:14 Robin Soares (Leg #1), Troy Soares (Leg #2), Liesbeth Magna(Leg #3) and Leonie Alesci (Leg #4)
2010 Catch Us If You Can Open Coed 2 3:13:32 Robin Soares (Leg #1 & 2), Richard Alesci (Leg #3) and Leonie Alesci (Leg #4)
2009 CATCH US IF YOU CAN Open Coed 3 3:08:47 Kevin Magna (Leg #1), Robin Soares (Leg #2), Richard Alesci (Leg #3) and Leonie Alesci (Leg #4)
2008 CATCH US IF YOU CAN Open Coed 21 3:27:28
Robin Soares (Leg #1), Courtney Loveday (Leg #2), Richard Alesci (Leg #3) and Leonie Wynhoven (Leg #4)
2007 RIONIE AND SOARES Open Coed 3 2:58:55 Robin Soares (Leg #1), Troy Soares (Leg #2), Richard Alesci (Leg #3) and Leonie Wynhoven (Leg #4)
2006 CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Open Female 1 3:00:54 Robin Soares (Leg #1), Megan Canova (Leg #2), Liesbeth Brouwer (Leg #3), Leonie Wynhoven (Leg #4)
2005 DAM GIRLS & GUYS Open Coed 2 3:00:36 Robin Soares (Leg #1), Dick Kirkpatrick (Leg #2), Liesbeth Brouwer (Leg #3), Leonie Wynhoven (Leg #4) (?)
2004 DAM GIRLS & GUYS Open Coed 14 3:32:15 Troy, Robin, Liesbeth Brouwer, Leonie Wynhoven (?)
2003 DAM GOOD RUNNERS Open Coed 21 3:06:50 Troy-Robin-Leonie Wynhoven-Liesbeth Brouwer
2002 DAM GOOD RUNNERS Open Coed 76 4:13:14 Robin, Dave Funston, Kristin Funston, Leonie Wynhoven
2001 DAM GOOD RUNNERS Open Coed 21 3:56:56 Robin Heidt, Dave Funston, Kristin Funston, Leonie Wynhoven
2000 Un-Named Open Coed 49 3:48:04 Kristin Matthews, Liesbeth Brouwer, Leonie Wynhoven, Robin Heidt (?)
1999 DAM GOOD RUNNERS None 88 3:44:09 Kristin Matthews, Liesbeth Brouwer, Leonie Wynhoven, Robin Heidt

Note: The CIM Relay Races started in 1991.

CIM Relay (Troy)

Date/Location:
December 8, 2013 - Sacramento, Ca
Distance:
Marathon - 26.2m (Leg #2, 7.6m)
Time:
3:21:15
Place:
3rd, Run Club Coed

Relay Teammates:

Team FCA Endurance Relay
Tamara Diederichs, Troy, Jesse Ellis, Desiree Swift

Other Teammates:

Team Catch Us If You Can
Robin, Kevin & Liesbeth Magna, Megan Sebra
Track/Local Friends
Pacer Jim Kepfer, Pacer Michael Cook, Pacer Tim Twietmeyer, Rachel Gunsalus

The California International Marathon Relay finishes the year off for us.  9% of the 12,000 race entrants are Relay runners.   It's always a great time, and far from a simple 10k race.  The team spirit, competition and logistics makes it exciting and brings out the best in everyone.  I charted out all the meeting points, addresses, running paces and times.  It's a lot of fun.  The big factor this morning will be the cold!  Below 30F.  Robin is running in her UC Davis affiliated team as she has done for 15 years. 

Our FCA Endurance Team: Tamara, myself, Jesse, and Desiree

I'm waiting at the 1st relay exchange.  The hand-cycles go by fast.  Then the leading men's group.  It's freezing temps and some don't even have shirts on!  Then the lead women's pack.  Again, some are wearing the minimal 2 piece suits they would wear at a warm race as well.  I guess you generate a lot of heat at 5:30 pace.  Then the first Relay team comes through very close to the lead women.

Troy Outman is with me, taking pictures, and helping me spot Tamara. Troy was our original runner before he sadly got injured and was replaced by Jesse.  But Troy is still out here in the cold supporting his team.  It's hard to see the runners over the crowd of Relay runners waiting.  I don't even know what Tamara looks like, just that she's wearing bright pink.  Liesbeth from Robin’s team comes in and Kevin, her husband, takes off.  Soon I'm wondering if I did the math wrong, but then there she is!  Turned out the start was impacted so it took longer to cross the line.  She has a great big smile coming in.  We greet, exchange, and I'm off!

The Start
Wow, always pumped this first mile.  Runners everywhere and many to pass if I'm going to get us back on 3:15 pace.  I'd really like to catch Kevin and run with him and have someone to talk to.

Mile 1: 6:39.  My goal is 6:30 pace.  Right now it doesn't feel like I can get that, but anything can happen and I know sometimes I get faster as I go, like last month's Turkey Trot.  Thanks to the Lord, I learned a lot from that race.  I ran 6:20 pace and learned to pull through with my right leg more to ease the left hamstring soreness.  It really boosts my confidence for today.  I catch the 3:40 group.

Mile 2: 6:42.   Soon I'm comfortable except for my hands which are freezing despite gloves. I pass the 3:35 group.  I skip the 1st couple aid stations.  Later I learned that runners were falling from the ice built up at the earlier aid stations.

Mile 3: 6:34.  I'm getting faster. I'm remembering to look to the Lord.  To be joyous despite the strenuous work.  I'm trying to encourage others, too.  I just catch the 3:30 group.

Mile 4: 6:24.  Wow!  Terrific.  I finally get water on a slight incline, going through a town with a HS band playing.  Sounds great! But that brass looks cold.  I'm careful not to get water on my gloves.  It's still freezing out here.

Mile 5: 6:18. I don't know how I did that but it has brought my overall pace to 6:31. And I caught the 3:25 group.  Whoo hoo!

Mile 6: 6:30.  Ok, I'm not feeling worse.. I can keep this up.  I'm plenty warm up top.  A thermal long sleeve was almost too much.

Mile 7: 6:21.  I caught the 3:20 group and hoping to catch 3:15 before the end of my leg but it's going to be hard.  I never did see Kevin.  The last 1/2 mile is so long!  I'm tired but so excited that I'm going to meet my goal!  It's a great feeling.  Now, for another good exchange.

Mile 7.5: 6:25 pace.  There's Jesse, just as planned.  I finish in 6:30 pace, putting us just behind the 3:15 group.  A good exchange. I tell him, "God is with you!" and he's off.  Whew!  Exciting.  I see Robin with the girls and tell her that her teammate, Kevin, was ahead of me at the start so should be here soon. Didn't realize I passed him.

Jesse caught and passed the 3:15 group, which was a good set-up for Desiree.  We all made it to the finish to watch her finish strong.  We also saw other Auburn runners and Tuesday Night Track runners finish strong!

Results
3:21. 3rd place! (49th overal relays)  Didn't have any transition mishaps.  Although our 3rd runner, Jesse, lost the keys to Desiree's car, we prayed for the situation and amazingly he bumped into the person that found them.  So everything worked out again. Thanks, God!

Other Stats
Winning Times: men 2:15,women 2:31, relay: 2:17  relay-mixed: 3:05
We plan to do it again next year, and, who knows, one of these times we may even get 1st!

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