Pudding

ORN:  18.4 miles, 3:29:45, 11:24/mile, R4/W1

Well, there are three weeks remaining until the Austin Marathon.  So that must mean that today's outing must be my last long run and now I am in the Official Taper.  

It was hardly an auspicious "climax" to a marathon training program.  But, now that I'm stacking these races closer together, I think the build-up is not nearly the same as running a single target event each year.  

The run was some combination of The Shirelles' "Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This" and Winston Churchill's famous retort "this pudding has no theme."  While I got through it, it was no fun.  Around mile 8, I started feeling some stiffness in my hips and thighs.  Stretching really didn't help all that much.  I never really felt in rhythm and never found any flow.   I suspect the residual fatigue from running 50K 3 weeks ago explains all of this.  

With the plan for the spring, which has a marathon every five weeks, I'm thinking each race serves as the "long run" for the next one.  And if my biggest problem is a themeless long run, I'm a really lucky guy!!

Persevere.

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2011 Race Plans

ORN: 7.8 miles total, w/ 5x1 mile itervals @ 8:15 ave

No matter how long I run, surprises still come along; it's sweet when the surprise is a positive one. Such was the case with today's run.

It is the pit of winter here in Indiana. Today's dark lead-grey sky hovered over a sharp west wind with skiffs of snow blowing across the already-frozen tundra, the wind chill well below zero. I really didn't feel like running in this. Yet, the schedule called for mile repeats. I went out anyway.

And am I glad I didn't give in to the feelings.

What a terrific workout! The first mile checked in at 8:21 and I felt like I really wasn't pushing it. I picked it up and did my fourth at 8:04, finishing my last one at 8:15. And this counted the time picking around the snow drifts and gingerly working across the ice patches on the path. Bundled up. It was great and I'm glad I didn't chose to go with my feelings about heading out. And all of this two weeks after a 50K. Encouraging.

Have not mentioned here I upgraded to the Garmin Forerunner 305 w/ Heart Rate Monitor. Got a deal on-line just after Christmas and am still playing with the features which are an improvement over my old 201. I have had some problems getting consistent HR readouts, though, and tried an experiment; I shaved two spots on my rib cage for the electrodes to make better contact. Seemed to work for todays run. Gee, what we do...

My 2011 race plans are falling together nicely. The year started out surprisingly with my first 50K two weeks ago.

Next up is the Austin Marathon in Texas on February 20. This one rolled around wonderfully. Running pal Darrell emailed me last fall, noting he was going to run this race to knock off the Lone Star State in his quest for 50; did I want to run it with him? Well, I looked at the race and the calendar and suggested to my wife she come along and we spend the week following getting away from the aforementioned Indiana grey. She liked that. Before long, Darrell worked it out for his wife to come along too. We've all met before and we're looking forward to it. I'm renting a car; Darrell has to figure out interesting places to eat. Sounds like a good deal.

Five weeks later, March 26, I'm taking on another ultra. The Kal-Haven 33.5 mile Ultra Trail Run follows a rail trail from Kalamazoo, Michigan west to Lake Michigan, ending at South Haven. I've run the South Haven end of the trail a couple of times and look forward to doing the whole trail.

In five weeks after THAT race, I'll be back in Champaign/Urbana Illinois for my third straight Illinois Marathon on April 30. It's a nice race and super convenient for me, less than 2 hours from my driveway. They offered this year (and I entered)an odd "double"; a 5K on Friday night and then the marathon on Saturday morning. We'll see how that goes. Turns out Darrell might join me for this one as well, notching yet another state.

I'll use the time from May to October for shorter races, probably including the Sunburst HM in South Bend for the 7th straight year.

For the fall, I'm scouting for races. My birthday falls on a Sunday this year and it would be cool to run a Marathon on October 9. One possibility is Portland, but I still need to work out other possible visits with my son who lives there. There are lots of races that time of year...hoping to find an interesting event.

Looking longer term, I realized that had I run a marathon last December, I could be in line for my second star. I could do that next year...or I could just find two more marathons before October 10...hmmmmmm.

Shoot, it is fun to plan. And it also makes me smile to recall the phrase on the back of a shirt I saw at a marathon a couple of years ago: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Yeah, that can happen too.

Persevere.


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Photos from 50K

The Illinois Fat Ass 50K was a real treat on January 9. Being my first 50K, it will have a special place in my memory.

I also thought you might enjoy some photos from the race. Not only was the race fully free but so were the photos. One of the pals of the RD posted these for all to use...no $20 cost, plus shipping, for a race photo. Since most FA-style races are on trails on public lands, I also thought I'd show you a way to do such a race in the fertile prairie of the Midwest.

prestart photo

Here's the pre-race start photo. The RD is giving us our instructions which mostly consisted of pointing out the clipboard on which he wanted us to post our time and distance when we finished. 78 folks started the race, each with his/her own distance targets for the day.

early pack

We flowed out of the school parking lot onto the adjacent asphalt-covered county road. 400 meters into the race, we were already stretching out.

Bundled Up

As we passed the school after the short starting mile, our intrepid photographer snapped this photo of me behind a fellow runner. You can see how we were bundled up against the 17F temperatures. There was, fortunately, no wind and the blue skies were beautiful even though the sun imparted little warmth.

Oak Tree

You thought we only have corn fields and no trees here in the Midwest?? Check out this magnificent oak we ran past six times. What a story I'm sure this tree could tell if it were an Ent.

RD at mile 9 uphill

Here you get a glimpse of a hill in Illinois. We had several of these. It was pleasant to enjoy the winding, climbing, tree-lined roads. Not quite foot trails through groves of mountain firs but, hey, it's the best we can do.

Race Director Bob is in the center. After getting us all started, he fell in line to enjoy an 11 mile run himself. He farms nearby and has been organizing this race for 16 years now. He told me, pre-race, he had an implantable defibrillator placed three years ago, yet still ran two marathons and one ultra in 2010. An amazing guy who clearly enjoyed hosting all of us on a cold day in January.

curling stream

In the middle two miles of the course, the road curled alongside this pleasant stream. A stream on one side, big round hay bales on the other...it was a treat.

Somewhere along here came one of the funniest moments of the day. A fellow runner caught me from behind and told me she thought I had a "wonderfully color-coordinated running outfit." I smiled but hardly knew what to say. NEVER in my life has ANYONE ever complimented my clothing color choices. I'm an engineer. Shoot, I'm lucky just to get dressed properly every day. I've learned that navy blue Dockers always go with a shirt that is basically blue. And that's about as much as I ever think about it. And it's not like my color choices for running capture subtle effects of tone and texture to communicate a particular mood; I just got it all from Brooks. The only thing this garish combination of neon yellow and black communicates is "Please don't hit me with your giant SUV while I'm running." That bit of humor carried me all day long.

Finish Line

Here is a compatriot crossing the finish line well ahead of me. You can see here the combined race expo, registration pavilion, information desk, central aid station, timing technology core and finish coordination. All on a piece of plywood across a couple of sawhorses. Just love it.

Twenty-two folks finished the full 50K; I was 19th among them. Lots of others ran either 11 or 21 miles or some other combination. It was a fun day.

Enjoy the photos. And keep persevering.


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Race Report: Illinois Fat Ass 50K

31.0 miles, 6:23:21, R/W: 4/1 thru 21, then 2/1; 12:22/mile

 

Quick Summary

 

Who'd a thunk it?  Running 50 km on a cold day in January on county roads in central Illinois.   And enjoying it??  Amazing.

 

With little planning other than a desire to get in a long run, on Sunday, January 9, the Illinois FA 50K became my first bona fide ultramarathon.  I truly enjoyed the experience.  Despite a couple of mental low spots in the 18-20 mile section, the race went well and I finished feeling terrific. 

 

Amazing.

 

The Gory Details

 

As I detailed a couple of days before the race, this event popped up on my radar screen just two weeks ago.  So it worked out great to drive to Chicago on Saturday, drop son Matt off for the start of his last semester of college (amazing on its own), the drive the 2 hours or so south and west of the city, where I spent the night near the small village of McNabb, Illinois.

 

The weather turned out to be great for a January race in the Midwest.  The overnight lows were in the teens but the day dawned with full sun and no wind…that's an amazing thing.  While the mercury never got much above 23F all day, the lack of wind and the visual pleasure of a sunny, blue sky made the weather a non-factor for those dressed correctly.  I learned from race veterans this was far better than last year's race with snow-pack, a vicious wind and lead-grey skies. 

 

The race HQ was a rural Junior High School.  About 70 of us gathered and, since there was no entry fee or other complex organization, we signed in and heard the race director give us two instructions; Have fun and when you cross the finish line, write down your name, time and distance you ran on this clipboard.  He stepped back, said "Go" and we were off. 

 

If you've ever driven across central Illinois, you will recall just How Very Flat it is.  I had read a description of the course, stating it had several hills but wondered just where we'd find any hills in this flatland.  On race morning, I found out.  To make the 31 miles for a 50K race, we first ran a half mile east of the school and back.  The remainder of the day was on a wonderful five-mile route on virtually deserted but paved country roads to the west.

 

Mile 1 was flat at first, with a modest down and up at the end.  Mile 2 wound down and around a bluff, up a smaller hill then down again.  Miles 3 and 4 were flat and picturesque, winding along a small stream through small farms, one with a herd of fine looking Black Angus cattle.  Mile 5 then took us up and over a ridge to the turn around point.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Three round trips added 30 miles to our initial one mile for 50K.

 

The first round trip and the second run out went fine.  I used a 4/1 run/walk ratio from the beginning, averaging 10:45/mile at a heart rate of about 120 bpm.  I had a bit of tightness in my right Achilles tendon around mile 8 but a stretching session against the side of a barn cleared that up. 

 

The first of two low spots arrived midway back on the second trip and surprised me.  It was mile 18 or so and I started to feel stiff and tight.  I reviewed pace, form and, oh yes, hydration.  Up to that point I had been regularly drinking water with Camelbak Elixir, a new addition to my system.  And I realized I had drifted off into some introspection and quit drinking for a mile or so.  I immediately corrected that; the grape-fizzy flavor of the electrolyte drink tasted great and within about 10 minutes the tightness eased and I was running comfortably again. 

 

The second low spot I had anticipated.  The race layout was convenient for folks wanting to run either 11 or 21 or 31 miles…you just got off the bus after one or two trips.  As I approached the school with about 20 miles done I debated what to do.  A third trip would entail another 2+ hours running, the sun was fading, maybe this was nuts, I really ought to be driving home by now and I'd hurt myself for any spring marathons and and and.  Yet, this was my best situation to finish a 50K.  What to do?

 

The geek mind came to the rescue.  I had given myself permission before the race to switch from a 4/1 ratio to a 2/1 ratio for the last 10 miles.  So, just before the school parking lot, I pulled off a mitten, reset my timer to a 2/1ratio and decided to go for it.  At the turn around, I grabbed a banana from my car (delightfully un-frozen), made a pit stop, filled my water bottles and headed out once more.  Just making the decision was invigorating.  

 

It is really kind of amazing to truthfully report there were no more low spots in this race.  I knew the course now after two trips.  The shift to a 2/1 worked.  I walked all the steeper uphills and just enjoyed myself.  At the far turnaround, the race director (who was driving the course) stopped, actually remembered my name (gotta love small races!) and paid me a nice compliment saying "Joe, I'm worried about a couple of folks still out here but not about you!" 

 

I headed back, knowing I still had five miles to go, yet knowing full well I had this race in the bag.  As near as I could tell, I hit the marathon distance at 5:08.  This made me smile, as 3 of my 4 marathons last year were way over 5:08 yet here I was on a cold day on a lonely road in a tiny race in rural Illinois running 50K and feeling so much better than in big city marathons in LA and Chicago.  I think I smiled most of the way back. 

 

As I got within sight of the school and the finish line I laughed out loud.  Only about eight cars remained in the parking lot and not a single person was anywhere in sight.  It was so fitting for this simple, free race.  I ran across the finish line, arms up and let out a whoop which nobody heard.  It was terrific to finish strong.  I dutifully wrote down my name, my time of 6:23:21 and headed to the locker room.

 

Yes, the locker room.  For a free race, this event had wonderful perks.  Being able to walk about 100 feet from the finish line and get a hot shower before driving home was a huge treat.  Two other guys were there and we all chuckled we hadn't had a locker-room conversation in decades.  After the shower, I had a piece of pizza with the other late finishers, hopped in the car and began the 3 hour drive home across the dark prairie. 

 

I learned a lot in this most enjoyable race.  I'll write more about that before long.  What a great way to start the year.

Persevere.

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A spontaneous 50K??

ORN:  3 miles

So, three weeks ago I did a long run in the cold, right on the training schedule for the Austin Marathon on Feb 20.  The fun of frozen bananas notwithstanding, it was a long lonely plod in the cold.  During the run, I wondered if I could find a more interesting way to do one or both of the two remaining long runs before Austin, the first of which is due this weekend.  

Rooting around on various websites, I found a marathon in Mobile, Alabama this weekend which looked appealing.  But I couldn't really justify the 13 hour drive one way, even though I would pass hundreds of my favorite roadside eateries along such a drive through the South.  Plus, either my wife or I needed to drive son Matt back to college this weekend as he begins his final semester next Monday (that, in itself is amazing).  

And then I found it.

This Sunday is the 16th running of the Illinois Fat Ass 50K in rural McNabb, Illinois.  It is about 2 hours southwest of Matt's college in the middle of nowhere.  I emailed the organizer, he confirmed the event and the setting, so I'm going to take a shot at it.  

As a Fat Ass-style race there is "no fee, no awards and no wimps."  The course is on country roads on the Illinois prairie using a rural Junior High School as a base of operations.  We'll do a one mile loop to the east followed by (hopefully) three trips on a 5 mile out, 5 mile back winding road to the west.  The nice thing is that if I have some issues, I can drop out at 21 miles and still hit my targeted long run for the day, only having done it with some other people.  If I'm feeling good, I'll go for the third trip out and back and do 31 miles.  If I succeed, it will be my first 50K and my first bona fide ultra (I did 27.5 miles in a 6 hour race a few summers ago but I don't really count that as an ultra).  Not to mention, I can leave my bananas in my car and grab one, unfrozen, each time back.  

Temperatures are supposed to be in the 20s throughout the race, with full sun.  Let's hope for minimal wind.  The 20s are just fine to run in, so long as the wind isn't pounding along.  

I'll update FB  after the race and have a longer discussion here.  I'm optimistic and feeling good, yet I understand how long runs can take strange turns at unexpected moments.  

Persevere.

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2010 in Review

ORN: 7 miles total, 5x1 mile intervals, ave 8:37

On the last day of the year, a few reflections on the year in running.

Races. Short races were a real positive this year, while 3 of the 4 marathons were disappointing. A 5K PR, a solid half-marathon in heat and humidity and a flat out sprint in a 2 miler were fun. The marathon remains a commanding teacher. Its lesson this year: weather matters, so follow the new training pattern.

Training. The rhythm of three 5 mile training runs during each week and one race-oriented weekend run seems to work well for me and is sustainable. I was very pleased to come to grips with an approach to Heart Rate training in the late summer. Now, if I could only get all my gadgets to work together!! Guessing I’ll be in the market for a new Garmin sometime this year.


Distance. I finished the year with 1,228 miles. I was surprised when I ran the chart below. It tells the succinct story of this era of my running.


In May 2004, a job change substituted a 75 minute daily commute for a 5 minute drive. I plugged running into that gap. It was October before I found a pair of shoes that worked well and off we went. I ran my first half marathon in December 2004 and carried on with more HMs in 2005. In 2006, I ran my first two marathons. And, boom…after a PR of 4:21 at Portland, I had a nasty bout with both IT Bands inflaming. 2007 was a retrenching time; new shoes, adopting the Run/Walk approach and gradually building back. Since then, I’ve been almost completely injury-free. The look of this gradual annual mileage pick up is encouraging.


Weight. I have not mentioned in this space (and will only do it once, so here it is) a major event for me. In mid-April, I decided I was carrying too much weight, as I hit 205 pounds. With terrific help from my nephew, running pal and good friend John, we completely rebuilt my eating habits and got on a steady drop in weight, hitting my target of 176 pounds in early August. Since that time, I’ve kept the weight in the 175-178 pound range, even through the holidays. I feel terrific! And I have noted running is easier, my shoes last longer, I feel lighter on my not-so-tiny feet. I have embraced a new way to eat. Who’d a thunk I’d ever see a treat as being a big spinach salad on a Saturday afternoon after a long run?




Demise of the Running Blogosphere. The only real disappointment for me this year was how much quality blogging about running disappeared. Truly, this was the year the blogosphere migrated to Facebook. I get this somewhat…a simple status update is quicker on FB. But the good thinking, the careful thought, the insights and perspectives flowed through longer writing on blogs. And it is just plain disappearing. I’m keeping this blog going; I find it helps as a diary of things I want to capture. And I truly appreciate anyone who reads it and finds it helpful or funny or somehow interesting. I just miss the fuller interaction we had a couple years ago.

Overall, I found myself this year more and more grateful. Grateful for each day of health. Grateful to run. Grateful for a wonderful wife and fascinating kids (and now fascinating grandkids). Grateful for a comfortable roof over my head. Grateful for an interesting job. None of these things are entitlements. They are all gifts. And I need to hold each with an open hand and a generous heart.

Tomorrow, I’ll post on 2011 plans. Some fun stuff to continue.

Persevere.

Christmas and Running

ORN:  5.2 miles, R/W 6/1

This morning, I received an email from Brad, our local running club's Chief Communicator.  Along with some race results and announcements, he included his thoughts on Christmas.  They express, better than I can, many of my thoughts today.  So, I post them here for you.  

Today is Christmas Eve.  Below is a Christmas message that has my observations of the similarities of being a runner and being a Christian.

 

There are also similarities between our running club and what the Christian church should be.

 

Anybody can join: You do not need to already be a runner.  There are no minimum distance or speed requirements to join or continue membership. 

 

We rejoice in what others accomplish: We do not envy those who do things we have not done but instead celebrate with them.

 

We help each other without charging a fee: We gladly share everything we know with other runners to help them be better.

 

We do not condemn others when they fail: we know people who have dropped out of a race or had a time that is way slower than their goal.  We provide assurance that they have not failed as a person even though one particular goal was not reached.  We assure them that their options are to try again or instead recognize that being a runner does not mean that you must have a certain accomplishment on your log.

 

We all care about each other and provide things that are needed: People have given me sunscreen, a hat during a race (Sam Costa half), and words of encouragement.

 

We understand that there are universal rules and particular rules.  Certain rules apply to everybody (like staying on a course during a race) yet, most "rules" are in the "do what works for you" category.  For example, those who eat gel during a marathon do not pass judgment on those who do not and vice versa.

 

We accept those who join late in life the same as those who ran in high school.  We continue to accept people who do not reach their goals.  We simply hope that they will keep trying to discover their potential and be content.

 

I hope your experience with our local club (and runners in general) has been as positive as mine.

 

So what is Christmas?  It is simply one day set aside to celebrate the coming of the Christ.  Christ is simply a Greek word that means "anointed one".  The anointing refers to the Spirit of God being on him without measure.  Who is Christ?  Christ is like Pheidippides.   Pheidippides then ran the 40 km (25 miles) from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia (Iran) in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "We have won" and collapsed and died on the spot from exhaustion.  Christ also came a long way to deliver a message and then died of exhaustion.  In short, his message was "you need treat each other like runners instead of what you are doing now".

 

Merry Christmas and thanks for being a runner.

I wish each of you the very best this Christmas.  And may we each continue to persevere.

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