Race Report: Boilermaker Half Marathon 2013

ORN:  October 19;  13.1 miles, 1:58:03, 9:00/mile, run

It was nice to have a real race in my own backyard last week.  The Boilermaker Half Marathon covers familiar turf, starting and finishing outside Purdue's football stadium and touring West Lafayette, Lafayette, the Wabash River and the Purdue campus.

As a Purdue grad and citizen of West Lafayette, it was great to be part of this event.  As a runner, it also served as a dress-rehearsal for my attempt, two weeks hence, to run a sub four hour marathon at the Monumental Marathon in Indy on November 2.  So, my objective in this HM was to emulate exactly what I want to do over the first half of my target race coming up.

The weather was in the low 40s and it was rainy when I arrived.  About 10 minutes before the gun, the rain let up, runners quickly bustled out of the warmth of their cars and we were ready.  Just then, the son of some good friends spotted me and asked if he could run.  He had finished his first marathon just 6 days earlier, running a 3:31 at the Chicago Marathon.  He wanted to just "work out the kinks at an easy pace" and my 9 minute plan sounded good to him.  Off we went, with Ross and me in active conversation about all that is the Chicago Marathon...it was nice.
At around mile 4, Ross pealed off, looking for some other friends and I ran most of the rest of the race by myself, even though there were lots and lots of familiar faces to greet.  I really wanted to focus on hitting my marks and keeping the 9 minute pace with continuous running.  Both of you long-time blog readers will recognize this is a shift from my usual run/walk approach.

There were hills in this race, much more than I will see at the Monumental Marathon.  But they didn't seem bad to me at all, though others complained loudly about them afterwards.  I hit one odd spot, mentally/physically, around mile 8, when I wondered if this was really a good plan.  By mile 10, I was fine again.  This was a good reminder that I will hit ups and downs at this level of effort and my mind needs to remind my legs that "this is the plan...stay with it."

My mile splits worked out like this:

1-5:  9:06, 8:49, 8:48, 9:18, 8:32(downhill!)
6-10:  8:52, 8:42, 9:28, 10:12 (uphill!), 8:55
11-13:  8:53, 9:17 (last hill), 8:31

I hit the finish at 1:58:07.  My race stats were also encouraging, as I placed 472 of 1,285 overall (I'm seldom in the top half) and 4th of 16 in my brand new age group of 60-64 (did I tell you I turned 60 on October 9??!! Ha!).

Post race, I saw and talked with Stan, a friend of many years who began running a couple years ago.  What fun to see good people and have substantive conversations!!

My finish time worked to an exactly 9:00/mile pace...just what I want do to in 2 weeks.  If I can hold a 9:00 pace through mile 19, then hold a 9:30 pace to the end, I'll have a sub 4.  So, things are lining up for my second attempt at going sub 4.  We'll see how it works out and will report it all, right here.

Persevere, at whatever pace works.


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Race Report: Heritage Trail Half Marathon 2013

ORN:   September 29, 2013:  2:49:30, run, 12:57/mile

Summary:

It was inconceivable to me, even a year or so ago, I could finish, much less enjoy, two marathons and a half marathon in the span of eight days.  Yet it happened and the Heritage Trail Half Marathon on September 29 was the wonderful finale. Running this race with my oldest son David in his first ever half marathon and first trail race made it even sweeter.

NOTE:  This is the third in the series of three blog posts on 8 amazing days of running.  Here's the report of the first marathon and the second marathon.

Gory Details:

Last summer, my daughter in law told me she had decided to enter a local trail half marathon on September 29 as part of a long-term training plan.  She wondered if I'd run it with her.  Of course, I said, you don't have to ask me twice to run, especially with a family member!  She was concerned I'd run too fast...then I told her I was already registered for a marathon the previous day, so I'd certainly not be speedy.  The plan was on.  

Life zigs and zags however, as we all know and as my own recent racing schedule showed.  Such was the case for Susan.  The week before the race, she sensed this half was just not going to work.  So, she asked her husband, our son David, if he would like to take her bib and run.  While David has been running some, he's not gone much over 6 miles ever and wondered if he dared take on 13.1.  Further, the closest thing he'd come to trail running was some required overland hikes while he was in the Army.  Yet, he was game for an adventure, worked out the entry transfer with the organizers and we were set.  

This trail race is the closest thing ever to a "home court advantage" for me.  The total trail is about 13 miles long and extends in a long, gentle arc along the Wabash River.  If this arcing shape of the trail were an archery bow and you stretched the bow string from start to finish, my house would sit almost exactly at the midpoint of the taut string.  I can easily drive to either end in less than 10 minutes.  I run part or all of this trail at least 20 times each year for many of  my long runs.  So, I know it well and it is fun to run a real race on such familiar turf. 

I got home from my marathon late Saturday afternoon, David and I worked out the time to meet at the start point and we met up an hour before the gun.  While it had been hot and humid the previous afternoon, contributing to the dehydration I felt in that race, we had rain through the early morning hours of Sunday and it continued to rain as we sat in David's car anticipating the race.  We discussed how muddy it might be...I suggested the extensive sand on this route would drain much more quickly than a dirt course.   David pulled up the radar and noted the rain was due to be finish just before the 8:10am half marathon start, and, even as he spoke, the patter of rain lessened.  Indeed, by the time the marathoners lined up and went off at 8:00am, the rain stopped.  Ten minutes later, the half marathoners we off and we even got a photo of the two of us crossing the start line, David leading the Ely Family Charge. 

It was so much fun to head into the woods with David and all the others.  The overcast skies kept the temperature right at 60.  The trail was indeed wet from the recent rain.  We had mud, some slippery, some puddles.  It's always interesting in such settings, though, to see how people react.  You can always tell those who enjoy trail running, powering through the mud and just getting on with it.  Others try to keep their shoes clean.  I was proud of David rapidly grasping the reality of a day on the trail. 

I let David set the pace on the single track trail.  And what fun it was to run along with him, chatting away, coasting through the woods.  It's hard to describe just how enjoyable this was.  The last six miles of the hot, road marathon the day before had been a grind.  The first six miles of this race, the next morning, were pure joy.  My legs felt fine, the pace was solid, and it could not have been more fun. 

Both the marathon and half marathon ran out 6.6 miles and then returned to the start, with the marathoners doing this route twice.  We began passing the tail end of the marathon pack and I saw several folks I knew.  Not the least was my second chat in two days with running legend Jim Simpson.  Jim was quietly doing marathon number 128 for his year and told me, with the wetness of the trail, he thought he'd mostly walk this one.  "I can't afford an injury," he said, "because I have about 50 more of these to do this year."  He's a dude...and is planning some 50 marathons in the remaining 3 months of 2013.  Wow.  

David and I got to the turnaround point, took a short walk, and headed back, continuing to enjoy the day.  The ground had had over an hour to dry by this return trip, most of the base was sand and so was much firmer now.  We actually found places to open up and run.  Around mile 9 or so, David really felt good and gradually pulled away from me.  It was fun to catch glimpses of him through the trees on ahead and then I couldn't see him any more.  We pulled through an aid station and I was happy to see he didn't bother to wait for me there...that meant he was running well and enjoying it.  I too enjoyed the final miles.  With about 2 to go, I still had plenty of spring in my legs, amazingly, so I opened up and ran in hard.  

David powered to the end and came across the line in 2:40:49 chip time (there is a 10 minute offset on the running clock below).  

It was great to see him waiting for me when I came across the line in 2:49:30.  

We quickly began comparing notes from the race, like a pair of veteran runners.  It was really cool.  David clearly enjoyed the race, the distance, the trail, the atmosphere, the runners, the chatter, the effort, the finish, the camaraderie.  I suspect, in a small way, he also understands his Dad a touch better now.

David also demonstrated one characteristic normally reserved for experienced runners; he planned his shirt just for the photo op at the end.   Look carefully at his photo above... I also zoom in on the front of his t shirt with this screen shot:

Yep, it's a salute to bacon, his favorite.  He's a fine son, indeed.

The race was a wonderful capstone to an amazing 8 days of running for me.    Words don't quite capture it fully but this post-race photo gets part of it.

Thanks for reading.  Persevere.


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Race Report: Mill Race Marathon

ORN:  September 28, 2013;  4:52:53, 11:10/mile, R/W 3/1,4/1,2/1,1/1

Summary:
Under a hot autumn sun just 6 days after running a 4:08 marathon, I ran the inaugural Mill Race Marathon in Columbus, Indiana on Saturday, September 28 in 4:52.  It went well early but the heat and leg fatigue took their toll over the last 5 miles.

NOTE:  This is the second in the series of three blog posts on 8 amazing days of running.  Here's the report of the first marathon and the half marathon.

Gory Details:

About a year or so ago, long-time running buddy Larry Wasson let me know he was shooting to run his 100th marathon in a new event not far from his hometown in southern Indiana.  I first met Larry on the plane flying back from the 2006 Portland Marathon and we've run into each other many times since.  With his invitation to this interesting race, I signed up early.

However, as I described in the description of my previous race, our son's visit on leave from the Army coincided with this marathon, so I didn't think I'd be able to be part of Larry's celebration.  But, in another zig and zag, our son had a late change in plans, shifting back his arrival by a few days.  Thus, this race was back in play.  This meant two marathons in 6 days...I decided to take it on.

To celebrate Larry's wonderful accomplishment, fellow Maniac Todd organized a dinner the night before.   It was a fun bunch to be with and the conversation ranged well beyond the usual talk of races, paces and laces.

It was neat to sit with Larry, a terrific guy, very humble and others-focused.  I was thrilled to be part of the celebration. 

A mutual friend in the group was Terri, a runner from my town who "blames" me for introducing her to the Marathon Maniacs!!  She also grew up near the race site, knows Larry and is a generally enthusiastic person.  It was a fun evening.  But the night before a marathon guarantees such events include no alcohol and end early!

As the weather was nice and my plans changed late, I decided to camp the night before the race.  I'm really coming to like camping and it sure saves a lot of money when you run a lot of races each year.  I had a site way off by myself in the campground, slept well, was up at 5am and easily got to the race site 2+ hours before the gun.  The organizers handed out parking passes at packet pick up (really, really well-designed packed pick up, I might add), so I scored a parking spot, literally, 25 meters from the finish line.  Little did I know how grateful I would be for that closeness later. 

I registered for this race so early, I had forgotten they gave us the option to personalize our bibs.  So, I was thrilled to see my choice.  This was particularly nice since the race site is quite close to Purdue's arch-rival, Indiana University.  Boilermakers always enjoy tweaking the Hoosiers.  I had fun with this one all day.

When it works out, I really enjoy taking a slow, quiet walk around a race start area well before everyone shows up.  On this morning, I observed a familiar-looking pick up camper, parked incongruously near the start line.  California plates, unmarked, at a marathon race site.  It really looked liked the truck belonging to one of the most famous runners of our country, the legendary Jim Simpson.  I wondered if I'd see him.  

Race time grew closer and had a chance to see some fellow Maniacs and then pose for the obligatory Maniac prerace photo.    Here, I'm with Michael Hoyt, on the left, and Danny on the right.  I didn't get the name of the guy on far right.   Michael is quite the photographer, so I have him to thank for many of these pix in this post. 

Finally, the race started on time at 8:00am.  The weather was nice early but I knew the legs would be fatigued from the effort the previous weekend.  So, I settled into a 3/1 run/walk pace for the first 10 miles or so.  That seemed to work just fine.

A real treat happened during mile 3.  I saw a tall, thin guy just ahead of me and I realized it was indeed Jim Simpson.  I came up along Jim, introduced myself as the race director of the Circular Logic Marathon, which he had run 18 months ago and we were off on a wonderful conversation for the next half hour (photo of Jim and me at CLM).  Jim said he has now logged over 1,100 marathons lifetime and this race was his 127th of 2013, with 50 or so more to go.  Amazing. We ran three full miles together, had a great talk and then he urged me to go on ahead as he wanted to slow down a bit.  What a treat.  I embed down below a wonderful video of Jim from last summer in which we describes how he runs, eats and lives.  That video is the real deal.

From there, the race just kind of flowed.  Columbus, Indiana is famous for architecture which is both unusual and unexpected in a small Indiana manufacturing town.  We saw much of it and it was nice.  However, around mile 11 or so, we ran out of "town" to see and so did about 10 miles in open, unshaded, less interesting areas of town plus countryside with corn fields.  We even, literally, ran through the small local airport.  Yes...we ran right next to small airplanes warming up. At mile 10, I was on track for a 4:43 marathon.



At mile 12, I upped my ratio to 4/1.  In retrospect, that was not a smart move.  But it worked well for a while.  At mile 15, I had improved slightly to a 4:42 projected finish.  The open space and the meandering course was taking a bit of a toll for me mentally.  It felt like we were in a giant line for a ride at Disneyland, such was the serpentine nature of the course.  It's not easy to fit 26 miles of running into a small town, I know.  But I just started noticing all the winding around in this section of the race.

At mile 20, I was still on a 4:42 projected finish time, amazingly.  But that was the last time I could claim that.  By mile 22, the pace had slagged and by mile 24, it was clear I'd be over 4:50.  I actually moved my run/walk ratio all the way back to a 1/1, I felt so flat.  We were finally back in a shaded, residential area but no amount of water dumped on my head was counteracting the humidity and temps now in the low 80s.  Eventually, we made the final turn, the finish line was in sight and I ran the final 300m to finish at 4:52:53.  Amazingly, I was 14th of 28 in my age group of 55-59...I'm usually lower than half way, so I must have not been the only one affected by the heat.

But the real story of this race was still to come.

As I walked through the finish area, I found I was not terribly thirsty and had a touch of nausea.  I also didn't have enough wits about me to recognize this was a clue of dehydration.  I walked the (very short) distance back to my car, pulled the camp chair out of my trunk and sat down to pull my shoes off.  Boom...my feet both immediately cramped up, requiring much walking to ease.  This cycle of sitting, one or both feet cramping, painful walking continued for nearly 90 minutes.  I changed into dry clothes and really wanted to drive home.  But, every time I sat in the driver's seat, a foot would cramp and the safety issues were obvious.

I finally accepted I'd just have to wait this out, so I grabbed some money, walked a few blocks to the city's post-race street festival, bought a wrap that had some sort of filling and a Diet Coke and slowly had lunch.  That seemed to do the trick.  A half hour later, I was feeling better, walked to the car and headed home with no further incident.

This spooked me a bit, as I have had no such dehydration issues since the bad situation I had at the close of the 2010 Chicago Marathon (blog post).   In retrospect, I realized I simply didn't drink enough fluids early enough.  The cool start to the race faked me out.  I should know better but didn't on this day.

So there it is...marathon #42 and the second in a week.  But more fun followed the next day when I ran a trail half marathon with my oldest son!!!  Stay tuned and do persevere.


6 minute video of Jim Simpson.  Amazing stuff here!!




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Race Report: Back On My Feet Marathon

ORN: Sept 21, 2013: 26.2 miles, 4:08:55, 9:31/mile, R/W 5/1 (mostly)

Summary:    I took my first shot ever at a sub four hour marathon and ended up with a PR of 4:08:55 at the Back on my Feet 42K Relay and Marathon on September 21. I learned a ton about what effort will be required if I am to ever get sub 4 and had an enjoyable race on a perfect autumn day.  

NOTE:  This is the first in the series of three blog posts on 8 amazing days of running.  Here's the report of the second marathon and the half marathon.

Gory Details:

As Dwight Eisenhower famously said during WWII, "Plans are nothing.  Planning is everything."  This became evident as I got into the meat of this year's marathoning schedule, which I outlined a few weeks ago.

My first marathon of the fall was to be on Saturday, September 28.  But, about 10 days before that, we got the wonderful news that our youngest son, just back in the USA after a 9 month Army tour in Afghanistan, would be arriving at the Indy airport at 10:15am on Saturday, September 28!!  First things first, we'll be in Indy to welcome him home, as I didn't want to be on a marathon course as he landed!

I was fine with that; in fact that's why I had three marathons scheduled, knowing something could come up.  But then, a pleasant surprise.  A friend casually mentioned to me a loop marathon in Indy on Sunday, September 21.  I checked it out, and decided, on the Thursday before, to enter.  When I started running marathons in 2006, I marveled when I heard of people deciding to run a marathon on just a few days notice.  How can you do that??  Well, I guess you can and I did!

The weather looked favorable, so I decided to make this race my first shot at a sub four hour marathon.  I already had the plan in place, had done the training and it was only a week sooner than the race I had intended to try to go sub 4.  So, the plan fell in place quickly.  Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.

The 9am start in downtown Indy made logistics easy for me.  I "slept in" till 5:30am, enjoying a hot bowl of oatmeal at home while reading the sad news on the Sunday sports page of my Boilermaker football team being pummeled by Wisconsin the day before.

The 60 minute drive was easy, though parking was difficult.  It turned out, in addition to our marathon, there was a large charity 5K plus a sprint triathlon going on in the same area at the same time, with all three courses bumping up against each other.  Good thing the Colts were out of town.   It was a beautiful day, sunny, no wind and temps in the 50s.  One of the sponsors was the famous Mexican bread conglomerate with it's mascot, Osito Blanco.  How often do you get to run with a white bear in a chef's hat?   And they even gave me a single digit bib!!!! 

The race was a 12 lap marathon (2.18 miles per lap) in a large park area in downtown Indianapolis.  Most of the participants in the race were 2, 3 and 4 person relay teams but they also had a solo runner division.  I stashed my water and bananas just past the start/finish line, we lined up and off we went, pretty much on time. 

I executed the plan I described earlier; running the first 2 miles, then shifting to a 5/1 run/walk, seeking to run 8:30/mile pace when I did run.  I planned to drink 10oz of water with Nuun every two laps and grab a banana to eat every other time past the start/finish line.  The first 8 of the 12 laps went well and quickly.  The weather was perfect, I felt good and it was a matter of knocking out the miles.  At the halfway point, after 6 laps, I was at 1:57:14 and, since I went to Purdue, I know that is underneath a 4 hour full marathon pace.  

On the 9th lap, about mile 18 or so, I started to feel the race...not unexpected to feel it at 18.  I managed to keep my per mile pace at the required 9:04 level but it clearly took more work.  I had to really concentrate to keep the legs turning over properly.  At the end of lap 9, I was still on a 4 hour pace.  Lap 10 was more of the same and I finished it 23 seconds under a sub 4 pace.  

The 11th lap was tough, though.  Around mile 22, it just got tougher and tougher to keep the legs turning over at the necessary rate, despite my best efforts.  I had no pain but the energy was slipping away.  I gave away nearly 3 minutes to the sub 4 pace on this penultimate lap.  

As I headed out for the final lap, the legs just got heavier.  I did the physical assessment and the mental math (see the Purdue reference above), and it was clear I was not going to make up those lost 3 minutes on the final trip around.  It was also clear to me that if I merely kept moving reasonably, staying vertical, I would had a marathon PR in the bag.  So, I conceded the obvious and decided to enjoy the last trip around.  I wanted to express my appreciation to the several volunteers who had cheered me all day.  I also wanted to be present to absorb the last 2+ miles.  

I came around to the start/finish line, had nice encouragement from the many relay runners who were astounded someone would do this solo and hit the finish line just under 4:09.  A PR in hand on a beautiful day in the autumn in the Midwest.  It also turned out I was second in the solo division, so won a nice prize, a free night at the new high rise Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.  Sweet.   

The marathon is a wonderful yet exacting taskmaster...it teaches you much and gives no quarter.  On reflection, I realized I hurt my chances for a sub 4 by going out too quickly.  Even though this was my 41st marathon, I still get amped up on race day, especially when the weather is perfect and the atmosphere encouraging. Gotta remember that, dude.

I also wonder about my run/walk ratio and plan.  Pushing to a 8:30 run pace may be a bit much.  I am truly thinking about idling back to a pace of 9:00/mile even, walking briefly through water stops and trying to make a go of the sub four that way.  The next serious shot will be on November 2, again in downtown Indy, at the Monumental Marathon.  I will ponder this a good bit between now and then.

In the meantime, I have a 4:08 in hand.  This means I ran a marathon faster at age 59 than I did at age 27, my prior PR of 4:16.  That makes me smile and makes me grateful for the gift of health over many years.

Thanks for your support.  Persevere.

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Race Report: Blueberry Stomp 15K, Labor Day, 2013

ORN: 1:22:04, 8:50/mile, R/W 5/1, 131 of 312 overall, 14/21 Men 55-59

Quick Summary:

The Blueberry Stomp 15K on September 2, 2013 is a fun race and, this year, proved a very valuable lab for me to experiment with pacing plans for my fall marathons.  The pacing worked, though the race also confirmed that carrying this pace through 26.2 will be a challenge.

Gory Details:

Why a 15K race in the middle of a stream of fall marathons and ultras?  Some necessary background follows as I go public with the plan brewing in my head (and legs) since spring.

I was utterly surprised by running under 4:30 in last April's Carmel Marathon when I only intended to go 4:40.  This altered my plans for the Wisconsin Marathon two weeks later where I ran a 4:17 to my further shock.  I started asking myself then "Just how fast could I run a marathon?"  These two marathons really rocked my expectations of just what I might do with the marathon.  As a result, I investigated several ways of projecting VO2max. Each said a sub four hour marathon was within my reach.  So, I've been working on a plan all summer.

The first step was to test some short distance racing.  In June, I ran 2 mile and 10K races on the same morning at the Hog Jog, with both times besting the targets I needed to project to a sub 4 marathon, even on a hot, muggy morning.  Next, I had to keep the miles up during the summer, which I've managed to do, culminating in a trail marathon on August 24.

The third domino in this prep was this Labor Day 15K.  Being a card-carrying nerd/running geek, I had worked out a specific pace plan for my run/walk method to carry me to a sub 4 marathon.  I've even laminated the mile splits for this pattern.  I carry this card in a pocket in my running shorts and thus, at any mile during a marathon, I can have a feel for my projected finish time.




The method I've concocted calls for running the first two miles continuously at 9:00 minutes each.  At the two mile post, I take my first walk break and then fall into a pattern of running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute for the remainder of the marathon, running continuously at the end if I feel like I can.  To keep the 9:00/mile aggregate pace, I need the 5 minute run segments to proceed at an 8:30/mile pace.  For miles 19 to 26, I give myself an extra 30 seconds per mile.(Trust me, I'm an engineer, I do numbers and these numbers all work.) If I hit all these perfectly, I will finish a marathon at 3:59:54.    So, the Blueberry Stomp 15K was a dress rehearsal...can I run this pattern for 9.3 miles on a warm day on legs which ran a tough,  hilly trail marathon 9 days previous??  This race was perfectly positioned as the decent test.

I've run the Blueberry Stomp 15K twice before...it's about 90 minutes from my house and has a very scenic route with some modest, rolling hills.  I knew the race-day drill, where to park, how to get there, so that all helped.  I couldn't find anyone else interested in getting up before dawn on Labor Day morning, so drove by myself and got to the site in plenty of time.

Check in was super easy and I even caught the local high school girls soccer team posing for a photo before they ran together.

The gun went off pretty close to the 9:00am stated time after a very moving story of a cancer survivor who ran with us.  My focus was almost entirely on the pace throughout, though I did manage some nice conversations, one brief song-fest of the old standard "You Gotta Have Heart" and my usual jokes with bystanders about the quality of their morning coffee.   The hills on the course are modest and added welcome variety to the flatness of most of my training runs.  The weather was in the low 70s and, while some felt it was low humidity, it felt muggy to me.

But the pacing plan seemed to work.  My mile splits were as follows:

1. 8:32
2. 8:41
3. 9:15
4. 9:09
5. 8:32
6. 8:54
7. 9:07
8. 8:39
9. 8:26
10. Last 0.3 miles at 8:19/mile pace

My official finish time was 1:22:04, an 8:50/mile pace overall.  

I did the 5/1 run walk from mile 2 to the end.  I like doing that.  It breaks things up and my legs seem to thank me each time.  I used my HR monitor today as well and my overall HR was 138 bpm, creeping up to the mid 140s over the last 2 miles, which I ran too quickly. Yet, the HR usually dropped about 20bpm by the end of each 1 minute walk segment...so I didn't strain the ticker.  At the finish line, I felt fine...not winded at all, no bending onto my knees, was able to chat with other runners of my pace who really didn't feel like talking.  

So, what do we conclude from this experiment?  I think there are three points.

• Yes, I can carry this plan on legs 9 days removed from a tough trail marathon.  But I need to hold back a bit...I got caught up a bit at times and will need to leave more gas in the tank.  
• It will be tough to carry this pattern for 18 miles and then only give up 30 seconds per mile for another 8 miles.  Today, around mile 8 or so, I could feel fatigue setting in. 
• Weather will be key.  No surprise with this conclusion but I will need a cool day to pull this off.  If it's over 60F, I don't think it will happen.  Maybe 4:10 but not sub 4. 

Experiments are good.  Especially for geeks.  

So, looking ahead, I am registered for three marathons this fall...I'm hoping one of them has weather that proves helpful.  On Saturday, September 28 I'll run the inaugural Mill Race Marathon in Columbus, Indiana.  November 2 has the Monumental Marathon in downtown Indianapolis.  A week later, November 9, has me running the Veteran's Marathon in scenic Columbia City, Indiana once again.  Each course is quite flat and provides an opportunity for a fast race.  Can I get sub 4 though???  I'll watch the forecast leading in to each race and will determine the expectation for each event.  But, we will give it a go.




Persevere.

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Race Report: North Country Trail Marathon 2013

ORN:  26.2 miles on trail; 5:23:47, R/W 5/1 (mostly), 12:22/mile

Quick Summary:  The North Country Trail Run on August 24 was a tough run on a trail that was simultaneously beautiful, diverse, hilly, unforgiving and full of roots.   I was thrilled to finish this year's race 18 minutes quicker than I did last year.  I did not enjoy tripping and falling 3 times vs only twice a year ago.

The Gory Details:

I signed up for this race over a year ago, before I had even run it the first time.  That's kind of an odd way to set up a race but, hey, I did it.  And having last year's experience done ( here's my 2012 race report ), I knew the drill.

I decided to camp out again and had a great time doing so.  That's my red car and small tent on the left of this photo.

The owners of this small open area near the start/finish line were most hospitable.  Not only did we all camp for free but they also made a pasta dinner for all of us!  And, when they asked for a group photo, we complied.  Imagine having this many overnight guests in your back yard??!!

I slept well, very well, on a cool night, even having the obligatory dream I overslept and missed the start of the race.  The alarm at 4:45am let me know it was only a dream, though, and I quickly left the camp site and drove to the race start.  It was nice to have a full 2 hours at the start area to fix oatmeal, listen to Mac Powell and others, and take my time to get all the gear lined up for the day.  I also enjoy watching the race site come to life as the sun rises and people appear. 

We assembled in the grid for the race and even got a few Marathon Maniacs together for a photo.  In the red shirt, on the left, is Pascal Radley, a running pal who is a regular at the Circular Logic Marathon, for which I'm the RD....and RD's are grateful for regulars!!  Pascal and I ended up running quite a bit of the race together. 

Just before the start, given we were in northern Michigan, we sang both "O Canada" and "The Star Spangled Banner", with true patriot love.  And we were off, right on time.  

The run through the north Michigan woods was wonderful.  The trail was single track and it was tough to pass other runners.  It took about 30 minutes to shake out the field into similar paced runners which then let me settle into a couple of conga lines snaking through the forest at a comfortable pace.  While a few players came and went, I spent the better part of miles 2 through 14 with three young bearded guys from Grand Rapids.  They had trained together for this, their first marathon and it was obviously enjoyable for them to be together.  I feel like I got to know them and their families just by listening to their steady chatter.  

The aid stations for this race were terrific.  The organizers took the feedback they got last year and had each station well-positioned on side roads with good access allowing plenty of water and munchies.  It was a treat to have a couple of handfuls of fresh Michigan blueberries at each of the seven aid stations.  The volunteers were so helpful and just plain fun.  

Around mile 15 or so, the conga lines broke up and we were all pretty much on our own the rest of the way.  The last 10 miles of the course were clearly the most challenging.  The course over these final miles was either up or down...no flats at all as we climbed up and down one ridge after another.  So, up and down we went, knocking off the miles.  

There was one fly in the trail racing ointment for me in this race, though...trips and falls.  A year ago, I had a number of stumbles and twice hit the dirt.  This year, in a "PR" I didn't want to set, I went down three times, during miles 9, 14 and 20, besides having several near-falls, so prevalent and sneaky were the roots on the path.  

I felt like Charlie Brown taking a line drive back through the mound when I hit the deck, water bottles, sunglasses and running rhythm flying in every direction.  I was fortunate to land in some soft places each time I went down but that didn't have to be the case...in several places I could have just as easily crashed into a tree or stump or some less forgiving object.  I also personally saw five other runners fall during the race and heard of others going down.  One lady turned an ankle, had to walk for three miles before recovering enough to run again.  In a way, this is a risk in any trail run, I understand.  But this course seemed more trip-likely than any other I've run.  After the third time down, I acknowledged I just don't like getting knocked to the ground and it will have bearing in future race selections for me.  

The course ended with a thrill, as just before mile 25, we made a long, sandy claw to the top of a ridge to a spectacular vista looking over the Michigan forest.  It was awesome...I wish we'd been able to "turn off the clock" and enjoy this view.  

But, it's a race, so down we plunged to the end area.  While we had to run past the finish line and do another 3/4 mile loop in the woods to make the distance come out to 26.2, the race did end and I felt fine at the end.  

I was thrilled to see my final time at 5:23:47.  Despite the hills and falls, it was 18 minutes faster than my effort on the same course a year earlier.  Marathon #40 was done.  

Shortly after the race, I grabbed a photo op with my three bearded friends from GR...enough to make me think about losing my razor but any beard I would grow now would be quite white...guess I'll keep shaving.  

All in all, a good trip to get a late-summer marathon in the books.  And it is a good set up for the fall racing schedule.  At this point I have a 15K race on Labor Day, marathons on Sept 28, Nov 2 and Nov 9, a 30 mile trail race on October 12 and the HUFF 50K on the Saturday after Christmas.  Looking forward to it all. 

Persevere.  Even when you fall. 

. 

Race Report: Firecracker 6, 2013

ORN:  6.0 miles, 47:48, 7:58/mile

The July 4 Firecracker 6 is in its 5th year as an Independence Day tradition in downtown Indy.  I've not run it before but, almost a year ago, I got a flyer offering an early-bird special to register for a mere $12.  I'd almost forgotten about it but remembered it a couple weeks ago and realized a 6 mile run would be good speed work right about now.  

I got up early and sailed through packet pick up, as I was there at 6:30am for the 8:00am start.  Even got a short line for the porta pots...both places had very long lines later.  I got to go back to my car for a 20 minute cat nap and queued up with 900 or so others to run. 

I tried a new food plan, just for this shorter race.  From the time I woke up until the start of the race, I had only one small sip of water and ate only one banana on the drive down.  That's it.  Didn't take any fluids during the race either.  Just wanted to see what it felt like.  In a short race, even on a humid morning, it was just fine.  Won't do this for a marathon but it added a data point. 

The objective for this race was simple.  I  wanted to see  if I could sustain an 8:30 pace comfortably, as my plan for fall marathons is really looking at a 5/1 R/W sequence with the run segments at an 8:30 pace.  While humid, the temps were only in the upper 60s at the start.  

Well, the mile splits turned out to be all better than the 8:30 I had targeted.  They came in at 8:18, :05, :11, :04, 7:56, 7:15.  Amazing.  I didn't really breathe hard  until the burst over the last quarter mile.  It felt very comfortable...I was breathing MUCH easier than runners around me.  I'm thrilled with the downward trend in these mile splits.  Negative splits are fun, steadily dropping splits are even better. It's very nice to be under 8 minutes per mile over this distance.  

I also resurrected my HR strap, which seems to have a mind of its own about working.  It worked today...Avg HR in each mile:   119, 130, 141, 145, 149, 153.   My max HR should be 144...so this squares.  I was out of breath at the finish line...consistent with the elevated HR at the end.  

The results were surprisingly encouraging.  Amazingly, I placed 3rd of 20 men aged 55-59.  That's just hilarious.  I was 144 of 810 over all....had lots and lots of walkers and new runners, so my placement proportion is better than usual.  Equally funny...I looked at where my time today would have placed me a year from now in the 60-64 division...would have been 5th of 13!!!  Far worse!!!  The only guys running in their 60s are real serious runners!!!!!

Most races have a funny story, too, and this was no exception.  Being the Fourth of July, there was a patriotic theme.  As expected, we had the National Anthem right before the start and it was sung this year by Miss Oklahoma.  Now, why Miss Oklahoma would be in the capital of Indiana, I have no idea...maybe her second cousin twice removed was on the race committee??  Anyway, she did a nice job, complete in her pretty dress, tiara, silver sash and high heels.  Well, just past mile 3, there was a water stop and who should be there handing out cups of water but Miss Oklahoma herself!!  Still in her pretty dress, tiara, silver sash and high heels!!  I complimented her on her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner then it hit me to sing to her the famous theme song from the musical "Oklahoma", as I bellowed out "where the wind comes sweeping down the plain."  Oh my...she did get the joke.  

So, it was a nice 4th of July for me.  Some speed work and, better, a continuing confirmation of the plans for fall marathons.  

Persevere.  

.