Race Report: Carmel Marathon 2013

ORN:  26.2 miles, 4:29:49, R/W--several, 10:18/mile

Quick Summary:  Boy, can I put a race day in a bottle??  Seldom do all things, many broader than running, come together in a single day.  I got under 4:30 again when I was merely shooting for 4:40, had four (count 'em, four) marvelous conversations and did so with clarity and friendship.  It was a treat. 

Gory Details:  

The Carmel Marathon on April 20, 2013 had numerous levels of interest.  Primarily it was the first race day after coming as it did only  after the tragedies at the finish line of the Boston Marathon five days earlier. As a result, the race had a unique mood, both sober and defiant.  I certainly felt that way.  While the arrest of one of the perpetrators the night before provided some closure, it still made for a very different marathon day.  

All race week I thought about how to honor those who suffered so much.  One way was how I dressed.  While I usually wear my Marathon Maniac shirt in long races, I decided this day it was best to go all black, as you can see above.  The race organizers also passed out small blue and yellow ribbons. 

In addition, I found a placard on line, which I laminated and put on the back of my shirt.

As did lots and lots of other folks, I discovered as we gathered.  

And so we got to the starting grid and I shot this video. 





As we neared the 7:30am start time, it was fascinating to see the somber mood turn to one of defiance, saying we would not let others take away our freedom.  

To the race itself...it was cold at the start, about 34F.  So, when the gun went off, I decided to just run easily for a while, just to get loose.  Miles one and two were in about 10 minutes each.  

We made a turn just past mile 2 and I saw a guy with a Maniac jacket shuffling along and I pulled up alongside to say hello.  Lo and behold, who was that guy but Larry Macon.  Larry, as you may know holds the World Record for the most marathons run in a single year, as he ran 157 in 2012.  One of those was the Circular Logic Marathon, for which I'm the Race Director. While many greeted Larry as they passed by, I realized this was a wonderful and unique opportunity.  So I slowed to Larry's pace and ran all of miles 3 and 4 with him.  He is a very engaging guy and this was the first of my substantial conversations of the day.  We talked at great length about his story of running in Boston five days earlier.


We covered other conversational territory as well, though.  Larry asked me a lot about my running, why I was an RD, how I organized the CLM.  We talked about amazing running experiences and how we viewed the growth and possible future development of the sport.  What an engaging guy.  And what a privilege to spend that quality time with him. 

Just past the mile 4 marker, Larry urged me to carry on, so I bid him farewell and did so.  But the mere 25 minutes with him was inspiring and encouraging.  

I opened up the pace in mile 5, going through it in 9:15.  It was not until mile 6 that I settled into my rhythm for the day, shifting into my usual run walk pattern.  I held a 4/1 from mile 6 through mile 15.  Most of those miles were at  9:50-10:05, which was very fine with me. I had stashed a banana at mile 13 earlier in the morning and that tasted really good.  Plus, it's always good for a laugh from fellow runners when I reach under a bush and pull out the  yellow fruit.  

My thought pre-race was to shift to a 5/1 run/walk at mile 15, which I did.  Interestingly, though, this shift did not result in faster per mile splits.  From 15 through 23, my average pace was still just on either side of 10:00/mile. I clearly was running more slowly during the run shifts, but I only realized this after the race. 

Around mile 17, I fell in for a while with this gentleman who had also run Boston earlier in the week.  He told me much of his story near Boylston Street.  He also had a Nebraska cap on...I queried that and learned we shared our native state. 

I carried on, enjoying a nice wheat roll handout around mile 18 from Great Harvest Bread.  My second banana got the requisite laugh at mile 19 from runners and spectators.  After the long west portion of the course, we made a left turn with 10K to go.  

I began to do mental calculations at this point.  My universal pace chart had been showing me I was gaining on my projected end time.  I guessed at this point I would come home in about 4:33, which pleased me.  We ran into and around a park and by the mile 23 post, it looked like I might have a shot at 4:30.  Hmmmmm.  Do I go for it?  Even though I had come into the day quite happy to simply go under 4:30?  Do I lock into a run to the finish?

Darn right I do.

I leaned into the pace at this point (using the term "lean" very loosely, you understand, as if a 4:30 marathoner can ever "lean" into anything!!).   The situation required me to run the last 3.2 miles in 30 minutes...this seemed doable on this day, even at the end of a marathon.  I turned off my timer and ran continuously the final stretch.  Knowing the course after running it last year, I relished the right turn onto Main Street.  Down a small hill, up an incline, through the arts district and another right turn.  Half a mile to go, my watch was just past 4:25.  I had to focus and keep hustling.

Leaning a little more, I made the final right turn for the final 200 m downhill to the finish line.  I knew it would be close and didn't want to miss it for lack of effort.  Later, my Garmin told me that last half mile was at an 8:43 pace...well worth it. 




I made it.  My watch said 4:29:51...I was thrilled to later learn my chip time was two seconds quicker.  A negative split by over 4 minutes.  The last 10K of the race 4:55 faster than the first 10K.  Marathon #37 in the books.  

My wind came back quickly and none other than the famous Dave Mari was hanging around the finish line to take this photo for me.

And then I shot this video with my thoughts on the race immediately after finishing.  

The race was awesome.  But the day wasn't finished.  Some long-time friends had recently relocated to Carmel and we worked out a lunch after the race about 2 miles north of the finish line.  We met at 1pm and sat and talked past 3pm.  They are doing some remarkably innovative work in community development in the developing world, a topic of great interest to me.  Is there much better than a long conversation with good friends on subjects that matter??  

Then, upon getting home, I had an hour-long race-plus-life debrief by phone with my nephew, running buddy and good friend John.  And THAT conversation was followed by another long talk with my sister.  Terrific people all.  

Yeah, I'd like to put April 20, 2013 in a bottle.  But I can't...so this collection of photos and thoughts will have to do.  Which is why I blog.  It takes longer than post on social media but lasts longer.  

Next up??  The Wisconsin Marathon on May 4.  I have a race plan based much on the experience in Carmel.  Will it work??  Stay tuned.

Persevere.  And take time for good conversations while you do.  


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Race Report: Circular Logic Marathon 2013

Summary

The second running of the Circular Logic Marathon on March 23, 2013 would have to be classified as a success.  It's fascinating for me to be a Race Director rather than a runner!! We had our full target of 103 individuals and 23 marathon relay teams begin the race.  95 individuals finished the marathon as did all 23 relay teams.   We got a beautiful day in the midst of a bad stretch of weather.  We covered our costs.   Feedback on race day and since has been overwhelmingly positive.  The result is we seem to have found a way to hold a simple, low cost marathon which runners enjoy.

The Gory Details

On a long, cold, grind-it-out, twenty-mile training run in January 2011, the idea first hatched in my brain for an early-spring marathon in Indiana which would be simple, low-cost, runner-centered and fun to run. With the backing of our local club, the Wabash River Runners Club, this germ of an idea evolved into the CLM and we put on our first race in March, 2012. Our original intent was largely one of curiosity, to see if anyone would show up for such a race. Amazingly, they did, more than I even dreamed. So, we tried to improve things this year. I worked through the summer and fall to make the course a little more runnable and getting USATF Certification of the 1.000 mile loop plus our 385 yard extension we run on lap one.

We opened registration at 7am, November 1 and had a third of our field of 105 runners filled by 9pm that evening. We filled the field on December 5, at which point folks began joining our waiting list. People had to drop out due to dissertations, injuries, travel, pregnancies and 2nd cousins' surprise weddings. This opened up slots and, ultimately, everyone who wanted to run the race ran the race with our last two additions getting in the Tuesday of race week.

I took Friday off from work and worked like crazy all day to get set. We had a real improvement by doing advance check in at our local running store on Friday night. About a fourth of the field checked in then and that helped the cause.

Race Day, March 23, 2013, dawned cold but with neither the bitter wind we had the day before nor the heavy snow we had the day after. Our early volunteers were on site by 6:15am. The remaining runners checked in, emerged from the warmth of their cars just before 9:00am and assembled at the start line. We had just enough time for the obligatory Marathon Maniac photo. As MM #1228 myself, I was thrilled to have such a large proportion of fellow Maniacs in the field.




Once again, we had a participant perform the national anthem...this year two young relay team runners from Chicago on the trumpet and saxaphone. That was a treat. We also have photographic proof here of my proper anthem etiquette.

Precisely at 9:00am, we started the race.  As the Race Director, this is an amazing moment when all the hard work of preparation culminates in the word "Go".  

Early in the race, I shot this short video of the NE corner of the course, the key improvement over the 2012 race and the spot we had to carefully measure to make the loop exactly 1.000 mile. You can see the cones which ensure this. Sorry my camera conked out 23 seconds into this!



As some of you know, a unique aspect of CLM is our litter free water stop.  A loop race lets you do this.  We posted this short instruction video beforehand on how to prepare and mark bottles.  



And our runners did this marvelously!!!  In the 45 minutes before the start, the tables gradually filled with a wonderful menagerie of water bottles of all shapes and sizes.  We had some extras for those who might have forgotten but didn't need many.  

Each runner had his/her own slot marked on the water tables lined up by bib number.  We printed their name and hometown as well...part of trying to make the race more personal.  

In some respects, organizing a race is a bit like building a clock...you do all the work ahead of time and then start it and let it go.  If you've done a good job, all the parts move the way they are supposed to and things just "click".  

And, for the most part, things really did click.  The mood of our runners was wonderful.  With all of us spending the entire race on a single loop in a single city park, people got to know each other better.  Each runner had a second bib to put on his/her back with name and home town.  This added to the personal nature of the day.  

One treat was our relay teams.  For example, Mark Acher, an officer in our club and a USATF coach, organized three teams of middle school kids from a local Junior High.  They ran one mile at a time, with most kids getting three laps in for the day.  Their teams finished with total times of 4:01, 4:13 and 4:29.  The kids and their parents formed a wonderful cheering section for everyone.  It was cool to have these kids running, shoulder to shoulder, with fast runners, old runners and middle-aged sloggers.  It captured much of what the running community is all about.  I hope it was a memorable introduction to running for the kids.  

Other relay teams set up "shop" along the course, with blankets and chairs and this justs helped the entire atmosphere.  The team arrangement was also moving, as this was the first race experience for members of several teams.  

We have over 600 race photos posted here, free for anyone to save and use as you wish.  I have a small handful of my own pix here. They capture much about the day.

And we did have a race!!  Jake Gillette won the race, leading every lap and finishing in 2:42:23.  His wife, Laura Gillette, led the women's division all day to finish in 3:09:26--she also finished third overall! (complete race results here)

I first met Laura and Jake four weeks prior to CLM when I ran the Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon at their alma mater, Goshen College, where they were both track standouts.  They both won that race in February, a 204 lap event, in which Jake lapped me over 90 times and Laura 70 times!!  They are a delightful couple.  They also now have two young children; Laura gave birth to their second child just seven months before CLM.  Her performance so soon after delivering a baby is truly an astounding athletic accomplishment.  And, note to self:  If I ever coach a youth track team, I want their kids on my side!! 

Many other friends and acquaintances were part of the day...too many to mention here.  I was very happy to see Pascal Radley, below.  He was ran the first CLM, then broke his ankle last November.  CLM was his first race post injury...we were honored he could make it back and thrilled he finished pain free! 

Was everything perfect on the day?  Hardly.  Our electronic lap counting had too many glitches on it.  While we resolved them for this year's event, it did not go the way we wanted it to go.  I'm already in the process of working that out for next year-it needs to be smooth.  There are further improvements we can make on our water table.  We could use a DJ or better sound system for the start and for music during the race. I have a list of things going already.  

Yet, the race went well.  The tweaks we made over the summer to our course layout worked...they added a bit of speed and removed the worst hairpin turn from the 2012 event.  Having two bibs seemed a treat.  Folks really liked their own water bottles and, wow, did that clean up well post race!!  

And we had one other tweak!!  Five runners in NW Indiana asked if they could save some gas and run a "Virtual" Circular Logic Marathon!!  I agreed and we gave it a go...they paid a small fee, got a T shirt and a medal and agreed to run 26.2 miles in a loop on the weekend we had the race!

The five of them finished and had fun.  It was quite a hoot.   

So, we will continue the event.  Next year's Circular Logic Marathon will be on Saturday, March 29, 2014.  We'll open registration on November 1, 2012 at noon Eastern.  At this point, I'm also thinking we'll be able to expand the field just a bit...details to follow on our web site.  Will we also have a virtual race??  Let me know if you are interested.  

Mega thanks to our many volunteers, especially Mike Taylor who helped me in a gazillion ways pre-race and blew out his vocal cords cheering people on race day, and Travis Butts who took on the huge job of recruiting for and managing our water table.  The WRRC officers were real troopers and tolerated my geeky approach to this unusual race with amusement and humor.  And my wife is the best of all...she is of amazing support and encouragement.  

Thanks to all our runners in 2013.  You are awesome.  I'm touched by the kind words you've posted on marathonguide.com.  We were honored with your presence.  To those of you thinking of running in the future, I hope this description is helpful-we'd love to have you if this race fits your style and calendar.  

So persevere.  Even if going in circles.  

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Race Report: Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon 2013

ORN:   26.2 miles, 4:50:09, 11:05/mile, R/W 4/1, then 5/1, then 3/1, then run

Quick Summary:
A marathon is a hard thing.  It's a long way to run.  This race was a reminder of that central fact.  This is a terrifically well-conceived and planned event.  And how often can you ever run 26.2 miles inside??

Reasonable levels of details:

Let's start with the facts.  The Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon, February 23, 2013, now in its fifth year, is a unique and memorable event.  It is called "Maple Leaf" as that's the name of sports teams at Goshen College, a small private school in Goshen, Indiana.  The Race Director, Doug Yoder, is the head track and CC coach at the college, a marathoner himself and a veteran of the Boston Marathon.  Yeah, he knows his stuff.

And man, did I get questions from my friends!!!!  Enjoy them and the pix.

"Why on earth would you run an indoor marathon?"

Shoot, it seemed obvious to me...it fit my schedule, was only a couple of hours from home and let me run in shorts in Indiana in February.  Do I need a better reason??

I got up at 4am, backed out of my garage at 4:30am and was in the parking lot outside the GC Rec Center by 7am, enjoying hot oatmeal in my car, as is my habit now.  It was so neat to walk inside, be greeted by name, have a racquetball court to set my stuff down on and get set to start.

Thirty of us ran this race and I knew a number of them.  10 of the 30 were fellow Maniacs....probably not surprising.

Doug, lower right, pulled the entire field together for the pre-race instructions just before 8am.  When have you ever run a marathon with part of the instruction being "please use the stairs behind you to get to and from the rest rooms...it keeps all the lap counting straight if everyone uses the same staircase"??  

And, promptly at 8am, we got going, 204 trips around the indoor track ahead of us on this fateful day. 

"What did you run on?"

Best to just show you some visuals.  Here's the video I shot some 20 laps into the race.  

The track was essentially a rectangle with rounded corners.  We had four lanes to pick from. 

In the photo above, you can see a water table on the left.  We were told to bring our own drinks and we could set them in any or all of the four tables, one in each corner.  So I filled four old Diet Coke bottles with my secret electrolyte elixir,  put one on each table pre-race and that kept me in good shape for the entire race.  When do you ever run a race with 816 water stops??

"Did you ever change direction?"

Mercifully, yes.  Every half hour, an organizer would plunk down an orange cone at the point on the track exactly halfway round from the start finish line.  We'd do the do-si-do around the curve and head back the other way.  It became a fun event, lots of encouragement and high fives as we saw all our new-found friends once again. 

This direction change was terrific...I could really sense  the outsides of my legs getting stiff with the four tight turns every lap.  It always felt good to shift directions and 30 minutes per direction was about right.  

"Didn't you get dizzy?"

Not at all.  Lots of folks have wondered if one would go crazy doing 204 laps like this.  Actually, there was a lot going on to keep one's mind engaged.  Personally, using the run/walk method, I always have changes of pace that way.  I was paying attention to hydration.  It was great to talk to people as we went round and round...I had some very nice talks.  The basketball courts below had steady activity to watch...as a long-time soccer fan and referee, I enjoyed watching the Goshen College men's soccer team get an indoor practice in (and Coach did not seem happy with his lads).  

"How did you pace yourself?"  

This was probably the biggest challenge of the day.  We had neither mile markers (the track was some 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 laps to the mile, depending on the lane...no way I could do that math in my head) nor satellite visibility to use GPS.  We just had 204 laps to run.  

The night before the race, it occurred to me one way to assess pace.  I made a modified version of my Universal Pacing Chart based on 10 lap race segments and, remarkably, it ended up working well.  

Early, I just ran by feel.  How was I breathing?  What did the legs sense?  That's all I had to go by.  I tried to get a good feel every 10 laps but the laps went by so quickly, especially while in an interesting conversation (such as I had with fellow Maniac "Mad Dog" about the use of Six Sigma variability assessment techniques on predicting marathon finishing times), I often missed the decade laps.  

But, by lap 80, I realized I was probably OK, as I looked set to finish between 4:40 and 4:50.  That seemed about right.  I had used a 4/1 run/walk ratio and, as planned, bumped that to a 5/1 after the half way point.  That worked well but a surprise remained.  

Around lap 170 or so (probably about mile 22), I started to hurt.  The legs were starting to "go" a bit, getting heavy in a way I haven't sensed in any of my marathons over the past couple of years.  I kept plugging away through lap 180 but when my stomach got queasy, I decided to back off the pace and accept what was to be on this day.  I reset my watch from a 5/1 to a 3/1 and, as it so often happens, the legs thanked me and the system re-stabilized.   The pace chart told me I'd probably be right around 4:50...and that was OK. 

Wonderfully, when I passed lap 194, the organizers started the anticipated "countdown" for me each time past the chip timing station.  When we got to 5 laps remaining, I shut down my beeper and ran it in.  Ego made me hope I'd get under 4:50...but not to be...4:50:09 is was and those extra seconds are good for the humility.  It was the best race conditions allowed.  

"What was fun about THAT?"

Well, it's always fun to run.  It was really fun to do such a unique event.  I completely enjoyed the lap layout because, unlike typical road races, we got to see just how fast the fast runners were.  Around my lap 70, I asked Laura Gillette, the eventual women's champion, if I could run one lap with her.  She shrugged her shoulders and welcomed me.  Wow, was that a fun lap...she was fast, finishing in 3:14.  And she chatted, telling me how this was a mere "test" marathon, her first since she had given birth to their second child six months ago.  

And her hubby, Jake???  He won the race, in 2:58.  When I got to lap 110, I looked at the lap board and realized he had already lapped me 81 times!!!  If I ever coach a track team, I want those two kids on my team.  

It was also good for me to run a lap marathon.  As Race Director for the upcoming Circular Logic Marathon, I need to have empathy for lap marathoners.  And, in the CLM, we only ask people to run 26 laps--easy, right??!!

"Joe, are you just plain crazy?" 

That's the real question my friends have asked.   I suspect they already have an answer in their heads.  

It was a good race.  It was hard at the end.  On reflection, I think the 816 corner turns just took a toll.  And it's good, vital, to remember just what a distance 26.2 really is.  

Because, ultimately, it's most important to persevere.  

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Race Report: Carlsbad Marathon 2013

ORN:  26.2 miles, 4:37:23, 10:35/mile, R/W 4/1, 5/1, 6/1 and run

Quick Summary:

The Carlsbad Marathon on January 27.  The scenery was great; it's nice to run along the Pacific Ocean.  The effort pattern for me was reverse the expected one; it was work early, with no rhythm.  Then, around mile 17, it all fell together and miles 17-24 were marvelous, almost magical, they were so smooth.  A five-minute negative split was sweet.


A Modest Level of Details:

Last fall, my nephew John invited me to consider escaping the cold of Indiana and run in shorts in January along the Pacific.  It didn't take a lot of persuasion to get me to sign up.  I enjoy being with John so much, his Mom, my sister, also lives in San Diego, we're all close and so the plan was set.  While this is a blog about running, I'm happy to report the entire weekend was a treat for Gretchen and me to be with John, my sister and their spouses.  Arriving on Thursday night and flying back on Tuesday allowed plenty of conversation and great time together.

John registered for the half-marathon, wanting to focus on a fast time on this flat, runnable road course.  I signed up for the full because, well, because I'm just getting to a point where that's my favorite distance.  John cleared out of work at 1pm Friday and the two of us headed to pick up our bibs and packets.  Plus.



The "plus" flows from my quirky pattern of stashing bananas along a marathon course ahead of time.  I do this for long training runs here at home too...my work associates found out about this and it's always good for a laugh.  Scouting out the course on-line ahead of time, I observed this course was not only runnable but "stashable".   Around mile 5, the marathon route turned away from the coast for an out and back inland, rejoining the coastal route at  mile 14.  Then we ran out to mile 17, then back along the coast.  Wonderfully, we could go to one single area of the course and I could plunk bananas at mile 5, 14 and 21.  Perfect.

The mile 5 banana was hidden in the bush in foreground by this Shell station.

The other two were similarly hidden along the course on Friday afternoon.  I hoped they would stay put until Sunday morning.   John and I then grabbed our favorite lunch of spinach salad at 4pm and headed back to be with the family.








Race morning reminded me, once more, how nice it is to have a local guide.  Having run this race 5 times before, John has all the details nailed.  We left his house at 5am, scored a perfect parking spot and had some time to relax before the 6:15am marathon start.  The rain which pelted the windshield on the drive in let up just before the gun and we were off in the dark, mist and fog, California Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day.

My recent marathons have had an expected pattern.  The early miles go well, then focus kicks in and the last part requires effort.  Carlsbad was a complete reversal, interestingly.  I really struggled to find a rhythm.  This didn't bother me early, as it is often mile 5 before I find the day's groove.  But, The Mamas and Papas lyrics notwithstanding, today just wasn't groovy early.

I went through the mile 5 marker a full minute behind a 4:40 marathon pace.  It was great to find my banana, perfectly preserved in the Shell station bush.  Yet, while it brightened my mood (and made for a great joke for the folks standing there), it didn't really boost my pace; at mile 10, I was almost 3 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  At about that point, I kept my plan to bump my run/walk ratio from 4/1 to 5/1.  We hit the turn around point on the inland trek and had more downhills.  I went through the halfway point at 2:21:30.

The marathoners joined the half marathoners on the coastal highway at mile 14, my second banana perfectly placed and timed to charm.  Yet, I still felt like it was work, the legs were still heavy, the race was not yet "flowing".  And at mile 17, I had slipped over 4 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  I wondered just what was going on and why it was so sluggish.

We made a climb and the final U turn at mile 17.  I had decided ahead of time to bump the cycle to run six minutes and walk one minute at that point.  Did that make the difference?  Or did everything finally just connect?  I really don't know.  But at the point where most marathons get tough, this one got easy.  Miles 17-24 were  the smoothest and most enjoyable I've ever had in a marathon.

I just let it flow and started running.  The legs got lighter, I felt my posture become more vertical, getting my hips underneath my shoulders, I started smiling more.  And running better.  By mile 20, I only 3 minutes behind the 4:40 pace.  I found my final banana at mile 21, posed for a photo with two other Marathon Maniacs and kept pounding the asphalt.  At mile 23, I was 28 seconds behind a 4:40.  I autographed a kid's T shirt (glad I have a short name), started singing along with my playlist and at mile 24, got under the 4:40 target pace for the first time all day.  I turned off my beeper and decided to run the last 2.2 hard, just to see what would hold.

We came around a corner, back into Carlsbad. Still feeling good, I got into a mock sword fight with a "Pirate" at the last water stop full of Captain Jack Sparrow-themed characters and kept having fun.

I locked in and then ran as hard as I felt I could to the finish line.  Mile 25 went by in 9:54, mile 26 in 10:01 and the finish came with me feeling good and smiling as you can see here.

Marathon #35 in the books, 4:37:23.  I was astounded to see I had beat the elusive 4:40 time by two and a half minutes.  I felt terrific at the end and was grateful to be able to run.  

John was at the finish, having smoked his half marathon in 1:47.  We quickly met up, chocolate milk in had.  The recounting of our two races continued the rest of the weekend.  

Later, the race results popped up and I was very pleased.  

Seeing the pace steadily drop was very nice to see.  It followed how I felt, from clunky to smoother.  The race calculated out to another negative split as well...that is sweet in a full marathon.  

As I've said before, the fascination with marathons rests in what I learn every time.  The lesson from Carlsbad??  Trust your training, don't panic, keep plugging.  You never know when the day will come together.  And you get to enjoy some cake afterwards.

Man, it is so much fun and a such blessing to run.  Simply to run.  

And it's best to run with perseverance.  

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Running on Snow and Ice, with loose screws

ORN:  10.0 miles, on trail, 1:59:10, R/W 4/1

Update (29 Oct 16):  I just produced a video with this information here.

In my HUFF 50K Race Report last week, I mentioned the suggestion I got from a veteran runner on how to get traction when running on snow and ice.  His idea seems odd at first blush...send sheet metal screws into the soles of your shoes, allowing the screw heads to make "cleats" to grab the slick surface better.  After my fall at the HUFF, I was teachable.

I took a week off of running after HUFF and, as usual post race, was antsy to get out and run again on Saturday.  I had looked for this concept on-line and, indeed found descriptions and photos here, here and here...notably all from runners in cold climates.

The deal is simple.  You buy #6, hex head sheet metal screws, 3/8" long.   This size screw had a 1/4" head.  Use a 1/4" nut driver or a 1/4" bit on a screw gun to simply drive the screws into the soles of the shoes.  No pilot holes needed...just push hard and screw them in.  It wasn't hard to do.

I dug out an old pair of Brooks Beasts and tried this seemingly radical concept.  I figured on the old shoes it really didn't matter.  The other links suggested plunking the screws right into the wear pattern of the shoes...in other words, right where your weight bears on to the ground.  I didn't quite believe this...sensing, gee, won't the pointy parts of the screws hit my feet??  Not a pleasant thought.  

So, here's a closeup of the front part of my shoes, post screw insertion but before I ran on them.  I only put 5 screws on the forefoot of the shoes...I also put 3 on the heel. 

And out the door I went for a 10 mile trail run.  The snow pack was complete and, wow, what a difference these made!!  I found I ran with confidence across snow pack, icy patches and the sand/mud mix which is the normal base on our only local trail alongside the Wabash River.  It was terrific.

Interesting, was also the mile or so of bare asphalt I ran on getting to and from the river.  The sound was interesting...clack, clack, clack, the screws rattled away on the pavement.  Yet I felt really nothing on my feet.  That was surprising.

So, what's the next element of kaizen on this?  I could add more screws, closer to the wear pattern of the shoe.  Second, I'll try this on the Brooks Adrenalines  the shoe I wear now.

Running all winter in the Midwest is no picnic.  But this is a real help.  Try it yourself.

Persevere.  Even if it does look like you have a few screws loose.

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Year-End Summary-2012

A few year-end running reflections on New Year's Eve.

My aim in running is to simply run.  People ask me why I run and I simply shrug and tell them "I just enjoy running."  And the older I get, it gets even more simple.  And clear.

And fun.

It's satisfying, then, for me (a numbers type of guy) to see the numbers from this year's running backing up my gut feel that 2012 was a good hear.

On the aggregate, 2012 is the first calendar year I've ever run more than 1,500 miles.  Training and racing totaled 1,563.  Sweet.

Racing went well, too.   The year had 17 races including 2 ultras, 7 marathons (5 road, 2 trail) and a pair of half marathons.  No bonks and 5 of the marathons were in near-perfect conditions, allowing even more number crunching.

Other developments in the year of minor public interest yet notable in my mind include:

• Trail running.  I'm enjoying training and racing on trails, more and more.  A long run in the woods on dirt is really getting to be more and more fun. 
• Camping. I've never been much of a camper until this year.  What a fun way to go to a race, sleep in a tent the night before, wake up with the birds and go run?  
• Shoe shift.  After years in the Brooks Beast, I shifted to the lighter Brooks Adrenalines in May.  It has worked well.     
• Audio Books.  I've discovered I enjoy listening to books on my mp3 player during long training runs. 

And all of that is really minor.  

I just enjoy running.  And that's enough.

Happy 2013!  

Persevere.  

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Race Report: HUFF 50K Trail Race 2012

ORN; 50km (31.1 miles), 6:26:45, 12:47/mile, R/W 3/1 all the way

Quick Summary

Boy, was that fun!  The HUFF 50K was a treat of a trail run on Dec 29.  It was what a winter event should be...runnable, yet on snow pack, well organized and a fully fair ultramarathon.  The volunteers were terrific and it was a wonderful winter's day in the Indiana woods.

Not so Gory Details, with photos

In last year's HUFF 50K race report, I droned philosophically, trying to capture the lesson from such a hard day. Summed up, last year's race was not what I signed up for...the mud and water was so severe it was impossible to really run.

Relax, dear readers; this year's race WAS what I signed up for!  It quite simply represented a very good example of trail running.  So, I'll spare you lots of words and show the day via photos.

I drove up to the Chain O' Lakes park area on Friday afternoon and joined a lot of fellow runners and family at race check in and a pasta feed at the nearby Lutheran camp facility.

It was a great spread, enhanced by some nice conversation, always a treat.  I enjoyed meeting Mary and Jeff and their three boys...Mary is a fellow Marathon Maniac and that alone provides for plenty of grist for the conversational mill.  But we had a lot more in common as well.   I also jumped in and helped make a stack of pb&j sandwiches for the race aid stations to hand out...this is an ultra, after all.

Did I mention it was a church camp??  Just like last year, I booked a bunk bed in their facility upstairs, which worked well.  I met Brian and had some fun chats.  Plus, only one of the other guys snored, so it was a decent night's sleep.  

I was up at 5am, out the lodge door before 6am and drove the four  miles to the state park which hosts the course.  Scoring a primo parking spot just above the start/finish line, I utilized my 12V hot pot to prepare a hot oatmeal breakfast.  

In an example of kaizen applied to running this year, I've figured how a recycled fast-food Styrofoam works as the perfect vessel to make oatmeal on the road.  Add a Diet Coke and boom, the breakfast of champions appears.  

The starting gun was set for 8:00am, which is pretty much the same time as sunrise in late December here at the west end of the Eastern time zone.  With the temperature in the upper 20s and little wind, it wasn't bitterly cold but the camp fire someone started was still a nice treat before the start.  

Mary and her family walked up as well and it was good to greet them again.  

 

The one-loop and relay runners got started a bit after 8am and the  350 of us running 50K queued up.  It was great to see running buddies Walt and Brian, above in the back of the pack.  

And we were finally off.  It felt good to get going.

Snowfall for the week preceding the race was around 4-6".  So the trails were fully packed all day.  Most of the day was in the woods, but this is one of the few open areas.

Five miles in, I was still feeling OK.  I guess that SHOULD be the case in a 31 mile race, right?? 

A topic of conversation all day was how different the course was from a year ago.  For example, this section, below, was a sea of ankle-deep mud a year ago.  

This year, we got through it so quickly I didn't realize it was over during the first lap till it WAS over...so made a mental note to snap a photo the second time through.  Full, enjoyably, runnable.  

And more friends on the course.  Here's another Maniac from Indy...Elaine and I see each other at many Midwest races.  She's a gracious, friendly runner of continual good cheer. 

With a very runnable course, we could enjoy the views of the eponymous bodies of water which make up Chain O' Lakes State Park.  It was terrific...mere photographs don't do justice to the beauty of the day .

A fun moment came around mile 18.  A guy running next to me turned and said "Say, aren't you Joe?"  Amazing!  It was Robert, a guy I had met at this race a year ago when we shared the bunk room at the Lutheran camp.  He reminded me I had given him a plastic bowl for his oatmeal a year ago and he remembered it and remembered me!!  It was a treat to see him again!!!  Thanks, Robert!!

Doubly nice was the gentle snow which fell for the last 10 miles I was on the course.  It was almost poetic in the wind-free wafting of flakes through the woods.

The only fly in the trail-running ointment came around mile 25.

On a down-slope similar to this one, the slick surface plus sharp grade led to yours truly taking a very ungainly fall.  A real thud, nothing remotely graceful.  I jammed my left wrist and arm pretty good.  While I laid there, at least five other runners attempted to stop and help me get up yet slid on by, barely keeping their own balance so slick was the surface.  They barely stayed on their feet.  I sat there for a couple of minutes, inventoried the damage, realized I only has a sore wrist and collected my wits.  In the only break I took from my 3/1 run/walk cycle all day, I eased myself to the bottom of the hill, walked a couple more minutes, then resumed running.  

Just beyond the bottom of the hill, I saw Tom again, a course marshal directing runners at a four-way course junction.  Tom was at this same spot last year and we hit it off then.  

 

Tom obviously knows distance running.  I mentioned my fall and he mentioned a useful fix:  5/16" hex head sheet metal screws, 3/8" long, #6 thread.  Drive them into the bottom of your shoes and get grip on ice and snow.  Gonna try it this winter for training runs.  I could have used it this race, for sure.  I've never run on packed snow for this long...and this is the main lesson for me of the day.

I got back on track soon and the rhythm returned.  Around mile 26 or so, a professional photographer snapped our efforts.

Shoot, the form was still decent...and nearly airborne.  

From this point, it was just a few miles and one more lakeside trail to cover.  

The finish was well considered, improving on last year's plan.  We had a full sighting of the finish area for over a half mile.  The energy and music drew us in...I ran the last mile continuously and felt good at the finish.  I crossed the line in 6:36:49, almost an hour faster than last year.  I placed 234th of 342 overall, 11th of 16 in Men 55-59.  I didn't get a negative split, but I was still pleased to have the first of the two 25K laps in 3:10:14, the second in 3:26:45.  

I was done.  And thrilled with the event...not a trace of the ambiguity of last year's run.  

I crossed the finish line with Justin, from Cleveland.  

He and I ran the better part of Lap 2 together.  We offered each other encouragement when we each needed it.  Late in the run, he really picked it up, terming it a "third wind".  I guess it's a long race when the second wind isn't enough!  It was great to congratulate each other.  

Over the 17 years of the HUFF, the organizers have built a great system, including a heated tent and terrific opportunity to hang our with fellow runners.  I took full advantage of this post-race, meeting up with Brian again, seeing Mary's husband Jeff, plus a lot of the folks with whom I ran.  Robert and I talked further...he had struggled with cramps but persevered.  As did every one else.  Any ultra brings out perseverance.  

And did I mention soup?  A famous part of this race and wow, did they do a great job of keeping it hot all day in such cold weather.  

Friends met, race debriefed, dry clothes on, warm soup inside, I hopped in the car for the 2+ hour drive home. 

And made one more nostalgic stop.  

This is a McDonalds.  But not just any McDonalds.  It is a Micky D's in the town of Wabash, Indiana, just off of highway US24.  This store sponsored and served as the start/finish line of my first race ever.   The date was November 11, 1978, just over 34 years ago.  I had just started running and they hosted a 5 mile event which I ran in 35:32 (yes, I even kept records back then).  I still remember the T shirt, a baby-blue cotton number with a lithograph of an exerting runner on the front who appeared to be in great pain, which I wore and kept for years.  I was smitten by the   race experience.  

So, on my drive home from my 6th ultramarathon and 34th marathon and longer race, my 121st race I have records for, I had to pull in, take a photo and be thankful for the good health and opportunity to run for all these years.  I still relish race day.    

Hope you've enjoyed the photos of a fun race.  Persevere.  

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