Race Report: Bayshore Marathon 2012

ORN:  26.2 miles, 4:40:16, R/W 3/1 thru 10, then 4/1,  10:42/mile

Quick Summary

The Bayshore Marathon has most scenic marathon course I've ever run...bar none.  26 miles of Lake Michigan, friendly spectators and wonderful fellow runners on what turned out to be a perfect spring day to run.  A negative split by almost 4 minutes, even splits and a new experiment in pacing all made this a terrific race.

Gory Details and Pix

The Bayshore Marathon is a very popular race in Traverse City, Michigan, a resort town in the NW corner of Michigan's lower peninsula.  Runners World called it a top 10 destination race and I can see why.  I've been trying to get into it for three years and finally figured out this year I needed to register the day it opened.

Fellow club member Cory and I made the seven-hour trek on Friday and had plenty of time to drive the course when we arrived.  Wow...it was all I had hoped for.  During the drive I stashed bananas and some trail mix at miles 15 and 19 of the out and back course.  We picked up our packets, grabbed a light supper and sacked out.

The weather in much of the Midwest for race day was very warm.  Fortunately, we were far enough north to avoid the worst of it.  Temps were in the mid 50s at daybreak, cool enough for me to wear cotton gloves for the first 8 miles.

Cory had arranged a hotel just a quarter mile from the start line.  We were out the door at 6:15 and jogged over to the start line.  The jog was telling for Cory, though.  He had tripped and fallen while coaching his daughter's soccer team on the Thursday before the race and deeply bruised his tailbone.  It hurt and he was hoping it would ease up enough to let him run.  A 3:09 marathoner, Cory was antsy to run.  He said he would have to make a race-time decision.

We lined up and I couldn't resist getting a photo with a sign I never get near.

From Running-General

I lost track of Cory as I joined the crowd around the 11 minute start sign.  The gun went off right at 7:00am and we shuffled away, another marathon started.  But, about a quarter mile in, Cory caught me from behind, looking sad.  He decided there was no way he could go 26 this day, his tailbone hurt that badly.  It was a tough call but he had to make it.  We agreed we'd just meet up back at the hotel after I finished.  I really felt bad for him...a competitive and quality person, I knew it was disappointing for him.

My race day really is captured in three areas---the course, the people and the times.

The course is just fantastic.  A marathon is 26 miles long and, of necessity, most courses go through some less-than-lovely stretches.  But not this one.  The first mile wound through a college campus with graceful shaded streets.  Then we ran on three roads alongside Lake Michigan.  Beautiful lake houses lined these roads. Lots of the residents set up in lawn chairs.  Most had cowbells.  And more cowbells.

From Running-General

And the course just never quit.   There were no ugly portions.  The lake was beautiful.  The houses were terrific.  The people were fun.  The cowbells were plentiful.  The music was loud and fun.  It seemed before we knew it, we were near the turnaround.

I'm glad this course was out and back.  No way you want to loop when you have 13 miles that are this beautiful.

From Running-General

The evening before, I had stashed two bananas and a bit of trail mix in two places; under a pile of leaves near a culvert at Blue Water Road (mile 15) and behind a stone wall at mile 19, where we turned onto Center Road.  Both were perfectly ready for me on the return trip.  And yummy.  

From Running-General

The conversations I had with people during the race were just awesome.  I'm not sure I'll even get them all, but here are a few:

• Brian, my local running pal with whom I ran the HUFF 50K, was there running as a coach for Team in Training.  We had nice chats before and after the race.
• Larry Macon, the world record holder for marathons run in a calendar year, entered and I ran mile 3 with Larry.  He ran the Circular Logic Marathon here in March, remembered that race and we had a fun chat.  I asked him if he was on pace to beat his world record this year.  He said he was but didn't know if he'd keep the pace.  I suspect that means he will!

From Running-General

• "Mad Dog".  Fellow Maniac Mark was out there and spotted me first at registration.  Mark ran Circular Logic as well and we see each other several times each year.  He's an animal and knocked off a 4:22 marathon.  

From Running-General

• The Kalamazoo Crew.  I spent a lot of time leapfrogging a group of seven women from 'zoo who had trained together and were running their first marathon.  They were fun and had lots of questions.  They succeeded, too. 
• Ron and Cathy were a couple from central Michigan with whom I ran a couple of miles, marveling together at the beauty of the course and reflecting together on the privilege of even being able to get out of bed each day.  
• Don is a computer dude from near Detroit who quit smoking two years ago restructured a big portion of his life and was also taking on his first marathon.  His foot was hurting him, so he joined in my run/walk sequence for about 3 miles.  He was a cool guy.  

From Running-General

And then there was Kimberly.  

From Running-General

Just past mile 19, she asked if she could join in my 4/1 run/walk sequence and we ended up running together all the way to the finish line.  It was her first marathon as well and we talked a lot about running, as you might imagine.  She felt tired and wondered aloud if she was hitting The Wall she had heard so much about.  As we chatted, I assured her the fact she was lucidly inquiring as to the vicissitudes of mental acuity at this stage of extended exercise assuaged any concern about the Wall which reduces your mental abilities to something only slightly above a Lake Michigan brown trout.   She really handled the final miles well, despite the fatigue.  The 4/1 run/walk ratio seemed to work well for her.  Our conversation expanded to interesting elements of her job, why electrolytes are important, the aforementioned cowbells, Bill Cosby's famous "We're Gonna Eat Ice Cream", the deeper meaning behind classic rock lyrics and why engineers are so geeky.  It was a ton of fun and sure helped those last miles go well.

From Running-General

From Running-General

Which leads to the numbers.  

This race was Part A of a two-part experiment to see if I can enjoy marathons only 14 days apart.  Part B will be a trail marathon in southern Indiana on June 9, the Indian/Celina Challenge.  So I decided to run Bayshore with an easier strategy I'd never tried before.  I ran a 3/1 run/walk sequence through mile 10, then shifted to a 4/1 for the rest of the way.  Boy, did those early miles feel easy.  And I was able to hold the 4/1 to the end, doing the last 7 along with Kimberly.  

It was only when I got home and could analyze the mile splits from my Garmin that I realized just what had happened.  In none of my previous 27 marathons have I had  such consistency of pace.  Every Single Mile of my race had a time between 10 and 11 minutes.  The slowest were miles 2 and 3, at 10:59.  The pack was slow at 2 and I was talking to Larry Macon for most of 3.  My average over the first 10 miles was around 10:48 per mile.  When I switched to the 4/1, the splits quickened a bit to around 10:35 on average.  

As we neared the end of the race, the pace improved. We passed many people and were passed by none.   Miles 23, 24 and 25 clocked through at 10:42, 10:30 and 10:27, respectively.  Just before the mile 25 sign, Kimberly looked at me and said "Do you think we can run all the way in?"  I said I was game but she made sure I turned off my timer. "I don't want to think about any walk break I might be missing!" she said with a verbal quickness further demonstrating she had not hit The Wall.  And off we took, passing even more people, enjoying the encouragement of all the people lining the route, motivated by even more cowbells.   In so doing, we logged the fastest full mile of the my day, doing Mile 26 in 10:04.  We just kept barreling along doing the last partial mile to the finish line at an 8:30 pace.  

My final time was 4:40:16.  I hit the 13.1 mile turnaround in 2:22:04, which meant my second half of the marathon took 2:18:12, a negative split by almost 4 minutes. Astounding.  Marathon #28, in the books.  

From Running-General

Post race was fun.  Gotta love the icy cold chocolate milk and fresh ice cream.  The race medal was terrific and the race T shirt fit and felt better than the vast majority of race shirts.  A quick shower, back in the car, recapping the race with Cory and home again.  My legs feel great, two days later.  

This is a terrific race...I recommend it and had a terrific time.  Thanks for staying with me for a long race report!!

Persevere.

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Shoe Re-calibration

Much overthinking follows in this post...be warned!!

As a practitioner of kaizen, both personally and professionally, I usually make small changes and evaluate.  Lots of small changes, regularly.  The big move??  Not so much.

Yet, sometimes kaikaku is more appropriate than kaizen.  Kaikaku means making a major change, well considered, a step which fundamentally alters a process.  And knowing the difference between the two is the key.

All this applies to running shoes, our most fundamental piece of equipment.  I've had two kaikaku moments surrounding shoes in the last 8 years. I may have had my third last Saturday.

When I started this era of running in May 2004, I had no clue about current running shoe technology, having not run regularly since 1990 or so.  After some false starts, I first visited a real shoe store in Indy in November, 2004, discovered Brooks and got into a pair of Adrenalines.  See the story here.

Those shoes worked wonderfully for me until the late fall of 2006.  After running the Portland Marathon that October, I locked up with regular ITB pain in both legs.  In February, 2007, I made another visit to a different running store and discovered the big, honkin' Brooks Beast.  See this story here.  The behemoth of running shoes, it gave me the super control I needed and cured the ITB issue.  I've gone through 14 pairs of Beasts since, with no injuries.  It worked.

Recently, however, I wondered, are the assumptions I made six years ago still valid?  The biggest change in that time is the weight I lost in 2010.  I was at 205+ lbs when I got the Beasts.  I've been at 175-178 since August 2010 and I can tell the difference.  Amazing how well running can go when you leave two bowling balls at home.  The Beast is designed for big guys.  Am I still "big"??  

With this on my mind, I made another trip to a specialty running store last Saturday, a local shop which opened this spring just a few blocks from my house.  I lugged in three old pairs of shoes, two pairs of Beasts and my one remaining pair of Adrenalines.  Once more, the owner of the store spent a lot of time with me, not in a hurry, looking at my shoes, looking at me running barefoot on a treadmill, talking first and trying on shoes later.  I deeply appreciated the attention and care.

We observed two important things.  First, my pronation (inward foot roll) is now hardly observable.  Running barefoot showed a nearly neutral landing on my left foot and only a touch of roll on my right foot, despite my high arches.  Secondly, my foot measures to a size 10 shoe.

The first fact indicated that the Beast may indeed be too much shoe for me now.  The second fact indicated I probably had the wrong combination of shoe size and sock. I've been wearing size 12 Beasts and two pairs of socks--a thin liner sock and a very heavy outer sock.  As the owner pointed out, the "cushy" sock contributed to  more foot movement, somewhat like running on a sandy surface.

So, we dismantled these things and, after a lot of iterations, I returned to Brooks Adrenalines once again, this time version 12.  And, importantly, size 10 1/2.  A full size and a half smaller.  Wow...what difference will the mere size change make??

Inside the shoe, I am trying a very thin sock, the Balega UltraLight, size L.  I found the thin sock inside the smaller shoe worked.  It's also kind of a funky sock, in that it has a left and a right sock in each pair.  Further, the sock is made in South Africa, the place where I began running in 1978 and did my first two marathons in 1979 and 1980.  Gijima, bonkosi, gijima!  (Zulu for "run, people, run!")

This experiment will extend through this summer.  I have two marathons in the next three weeks...following the maxim "nothing new on race day", I'll wear the Beasts in both.  From that, we'll see how the new system rolls out on longer runs.

I warned you this post had some extreme overthinking.  Thanks for riding along!!

Persevere.  Shoot, you already did if you are still reading!!!


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Race Report: Wipe Out Obesity 5K

ORN:  6am--10 miles, trail, 1:56:32, R/W 6/1, 11:40/mile
           9am-- 5K race, 23:50, 7:40/mile

Fun races pop up all the time this time of year.  On Tuesday, I learned of an event which had a fascinating story- the Wipe Out Obesity 5K. 

It seems two fourth grade classes at our local school have been working on a multi-week project, culminating in a 5K race designed to raise awareness of childhood obesity.  In talking with one of the teachers, I learned how it was a cool learning opportunity.  They made a big, multi-week project out of it, with a structure, committees, reports, presentations, math, English...you can see how you could incorporate a lot.  In many ways, they taught the kids project management skills without probably calling it such.  It was the type of event I wanted to support.  And I also wonder if I shouldn't hire some of these kids in a few years.....

The event was quite a success, as about 230 participated by either running or walking.  The kids did the announcements, wrote and delivered the pre-race speeches with all the details, down to thanking the grocery who donated the bananas and water.  They even led us all in stretching exercises before the race!!  To boot, they asked and got our mayor to show up and be the official starter.  It helps he's a pretty good runner himself but it was still a nice feature. 

All in all, the kids did a good job.  Somehow, the fact that registration a bit disorganized and it started 25 minutes late and a couple of course turns weren't too clear didn't really matter much.  The kids handled the stuff that seemed important to them and what they missed simply flowed from a lack of experience, which you'd expect for 10 year olds.

I had fun too.  With the Bayshore Marathon just a week away, I needed to get some decent miles in today.   So I did 10 miles on the trail to Fort Ouiatenon early, then headed to this race, with about an hour between.  As I ran the race, my own thoughts flowed back to my school days, particularly to Kenny Hutton, my High School math teacher who was mostly responsible for me becoming an engineer.  Mathematically competent but socially weak, one of his more "inspirational" maxims was his cynical statement to us "If you make the pond small enough, any of you can be a big fish."  With respect to running speed, today's race was a very, very small pond.    

I looked around at the start and didn't see many folks who looked like experienced runners, other than Mike, my work colleague, fellow engineer and former U of Toledo cross country star.  I suggested to him "You could win this, dude."  He shrugged but seemed open to the idea. 

The mayor fired the gun.  All the kids bolted off but faded after a couple hundred meters. Mike and one other guy predictably took the lead.  But, to my surprise, by the half mile mark, I was in 5th place.  How did that happen?  I looked at my Garmin and saw "6:40" on the pace.  Oh my.  So I backed off, wanting to basically see if I could carry a sub 8 pace.  Eventually the brother of one of the organizing teachers caught and passed me but that's how it finished out.  My miles were 7:17, 7:50, 8:11 and the last tenth at a 7:47 pace, with my overall time 23:50.  I was 6th place overall out of the 200+ participants.  Had they had age groups, I would have easily won my division, as the first 5 runners were one HS kid and four twenty-something guys.  To go sub 24 after doing 10 trail miles early was nice.  After I got home, I noted this was the 2nd fastest 5K I've ever run, just 15 seconds off my PR.  Who'd a thunk it??  

After finishing, Mike, who did win the race, and I watched many others finish.  Wow.  I was surprised how many, many people were totally and completely gassed after doing 5K.  Toast.  I knew a lot of them and they were struggling.  "Man, I barely survived" was the common theme.  

And I think that may be the success of this event.  As my wife pointed out when I got home "If 2 or 3 folks left and said 'Boy, I gotta do something to shed some pounds and get in shape' it's all worthwhile."  And the kids just might have caused that to happen.  It ain't just childhood obesity with which our society has to deal.  

Persevere.  

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Race Report: One-America Mini Marathon

ORN:  13.1 miles, 2:19:59

This race, the biggest half marathon in the nation,  is just an hour down the road from me.  It was the 9th time I've run this race and was the most fun I've ever had.  While there were nearly 32,000 finishers, it was my time with two others making this race so special.

Back in January, a former boss of mine from my previous job connected with me.  Stan had recently begun running regularly and we had some good chats about it, resolving to try to run a race or two together.  He then entered this race and asked if I'd like to run it with him.  While I had not planned on running "The Mini" (as it is known around here), the chance to run with Stan was a real draw, so I signed up.  Stan's been a friend for a long time and I really looked forward to being with him.

As we corresponded, it turned out Stan's daughter Rachel was also planning on running.  Rachel had actually worked for me at that company, so I knew her, albeit a decade ago.  So, all the logistics lined up and, race morning, we met at their hotel in Indy and began our most excellent day.

From Running-General

When Rachel had worked for me, she was just out of high school, a quiet, bright kid, working part time and going to school as well.  Fast forward ten years; she subsequently married and now has three kids, ages 6, 4 and 2 years.  As we caught up, she described how she discovered how much she came to enjoy running.  So much so that she ran through most of her pregnancy with her second child;  "I even ran two miles the day I delivered him!! Not that fast, though!" she told me!!  "My midwife told me it was OK!!"  Wowzers.   She continued to enjoy running, a hobby she shares with her husband...that's a requirement for a lot of the cooperation to get any sort of training done!  Both of them had hoped to run this race, but Craig's ITB flared up.  Rachel did the training, though, and this was her first attempt at a half marathon.

Stan, Rachel and I lined up together in the middle of the throng, in corral M.  We originally intended to run together.  It took about 14 minutes to cross the starting line and off we went.  Around mile 1.5, Stan eased ahead and enjoyed his own pace, finishing his first half marathon as well, in 2 hours flat.  I decided to stay with Rachel, however.  It was fun to catch up and run a race non-competitively.

The early race went smoothly.  We got onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the signature element of this race, a full lap on this most famous of all car racing courses.  We chatted with each other, other runners and enjoyed the time.  Here's a video I shot on the front stretch of the IMS, about mile 7.5 in the race



And lots of folks paused to kiss the famous "Yard of Bricks" that marks the start/finish line of the IMS

From Running-General

The trip back downtown is often a challenge in this race and this year was no exception.  The day was warmish and very humid.  I could tell Rachel was hanging in there but tiring.  We walked some, stayed fluidized and mostly I was trying to monitor how she was doing so she could finish.  I was really proud of how she instinctively made adjustments along the way.  Around mile 10.5, she asked me "Is it normal for my legs to feel like mush now?"  I assured her it was normal and asked her if she was lightheaded or dizzy at all. Not at all, she responded.  "OK, you are tired but not dehydrated...you are fine."

We carried on and made the final left turn, meaning one mile to go.  We took a walk break and then Rachel looked at me with a sly grin and said, "Let's do this!"

And off we went.  I let her set the pace...and wow, did we start moving.  We were passing people left and right.  I peeked at my Garmin to see the pace down to 9:10, then 8:45 and ultimately 8:20 as we neared the finish line.  Utter joy...she finished strong and nailed her first half marathon.  Check out this photo, about 2 minutes after we finished.

From Running-General

It was a treat to run together.

From Running-General

We met up with Rachel's Dad and husband afterwards and went out for breakfast for more conversation.  What a treat.

So, a great day, making something very personal out of a huge event that can be quite impersonal. I had so much fun and what a treat to be with good people, good friends, good folks for many years.

Persevere.  The best friendships do just that.

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Race Report: Carmel Marathon 2012

ORN:  26.2 miles, 4:33:25, R/W 6/1, 10:27/mile

Quick Summary

The Carmel Marathon went wonderfully.  A cool day on a flat course following adequate training miles added up to my fastest marathon since October 2006.  Even better was holding a steady pace throughout.  Photos and story below.

The Gory Details

The Carmel Marathon is in its second year, a flat, straight-forward run through this tony suburb on the north side of Indianapolis.  It fell nicely into my spring schedule and, since it is only an hour from my home, was essentially local.  

Race morning routine for runs in Indy is now very familiar.  Up at 4am ish, out the door and head south.  A local running pal picked up my packet the night before and we arranged a meeting spot at 6am near the 19 mile mark of the marathon.  This also provided a creative spot for me to stash a banana and some trail mix and still have time to score a really good parking spot one block north of the start/finish line.  With no real rush, I was able to get set and amble over to the Marathon Maniac and Half Fanatic photo op.  I'm in the last row, on the left.  It was fun to see a lot of Hoosier MMs gathered.

From Running-General

It was also a treat to run with the indefatigable and photo-driven Dave Mari again...Dave's ability to put names and faces together is amazing.  And he's everywhere!!

From Running-General

The race started right on time at 7:30am.  About 1,700 marathoners and half marathoners flowed seamlessly onto the city streets.  Temperatures were cool, in the mid 40s at the start with a 15mph North wind.  It was a perfect day to run, even though volunteers were really chilly.  

Race strategy looked like this:  With the cool temps, I decided to push it (for me, pushing it) which means a run/walk ratio of running 6 minutes and walking 1 minute and during the run segments holding a 9:45/mile pace.  I used this same strategy last November on a similarly cool day at the Veteran's Marathon, which panned out well.  Could I do it again?  The real test was just how deep into the race I could hold that plan.  

The course was, frankly, unremarkable.  Carmel is a lovely suburb with gracious homes and fine parks, all of which we wound around and through.  But, what more can I say??  It was a flat suburban race.  So, let me give you the stats.  

I held back early and hit the 10K mat in 1:05:14...on pace.  Temps stayed cool...it was mile 11 before I pulled off my sweatshirt and stashed it under a bush to retrieve later.  And I kept the pattern, hitting the half marathon mat at 2:16:44.  And it continued into the second half of the race.  I kept holding the 6/1 and had to work, regularly, to keep from running faster than 9:45 when I ran.

From Running-General

It was still chilly by mile 17, as you can see in the photo above.  The wind had its impact but didn't really bother me much.  By this time, I could feel my left IT band a bit but not to the extent I felt it at the Kal Haven race four weeks earlier.  There were a few folks to talk to but the 560 or so of us marathoners were pretty well spaced out.  I simply enjoyed the run.  At mile 19, I pulled my banana from the landscaping of a hotel entrance...man, did it taste good at that point!

Mile 20 hit at 3:29:40.  I checked my Universal Marathon Pacing Chart and noted I had nearly 2 minutes in hand on a 4:40 finish.  Could I hold this pace and get well under 4:40??  Even, gasp, under 4:35??  I kept the 6/1, 9:45 pattern, still having to hold back during the run segments.  I decided I'd hold the pattern through mile 24 and then "let go" (as much as a slow 58 year old engineer can "let go").

A little way past the mile 24 marker, it was clear the Wall would not show itself on this day.  Around 24.5, I turned off my 6/1 timer and ran the rest of the way home.  Here you can see me around mile 25.3, in the artsy part of downtown Carmel.  A buddy of mine is fond of saying "I've never seen a jogger smile, so that's why I don't jog."  Well, here's proof, my friend!  I felt truly this relaxed and good with less than a mile to go.

From Running-General

The end sequence resembled that of the Chicago Marathon, consisting of a gentle incline to mile 26, then a corner leading to a downhill finish line.  While having nowhere near the numbers of Chicago, it was still a nice finish.  I continued to accelerate, feeling strong, and hit the finish line, genuinely excited.

From Running-General

Kaboom.  Marathon #27 in the books.  I find the finish of a marathon never gets old and is really, really fun every time.  

And the numbers were fun too.  My finish time was 4:33:25.  During the entire drive home, I was trying to do mental math to compare the first and second half times...but there were too many numbers.  It was worth the wait, though.  My first half time was 2:16:44.  My second half time was 2:16:41.  A negative split by 3 entire seconds!!  Sweet!

A further stat from the organizer was even more encouraging.  I ran the last 10K of the race a full 90 seconds faster than the first 10K of the race.  I've never seen anything like that in a marathon.  I guess I held back well enough.  

So, the race went well.  I had fun running.  And one more fun thing.  

As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw a familiar face walking from the finish line.  It was Jim Simpson, the veteran marathoner who I met when he ran the Circular Logic Marathon in March.  I had heard he was running and was so pleased to see him.  We had a wonderful chat.   It turned out this marathon was his 898th lifetime marathon.  He was headed to Ohio the next day to run the Earth Day Marathon, then on to Delaware the next weekend for his marathon #900.  Wow...900 marathons.  It's amazing.  We reflected on the gift of health, the ability to get up each day and the even better gift to be able to run.  It was a wonderful chat with an amazing guy. 

Next race for me is the huge Half Marathon in Indy on May 5, where I'll run with a buddy I used to work with and 35,000 of our closest friends.  Then it's to Traverse City, Michgan on Memorial Day weekend for the Bayshore Marathon.  Two weeks after that, a trail marathon in southern Indiana.  

It was a good day to run in Carmel.  Thanks for reading along.  

Persevere.

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Race Report: Circular Logic Marathon 2012

The inaugural Circular Logic Marathon happened!!  The germ of an idea which hit me during a cold, windy 20-mile run in January, 2011, took root, engaged a handful of others and bloomed on Saturday morning, March 31, 2012 as a full-fledged marathon.  Here's the essential story, with lots of photos and a couple of short videos.

Running during the winter in Indiana can be a miserable experience.  Cold, rain, slush, grey, wind.  On such a day over a year ago, I wondered how I could do something to both encourage my fellow midwesterners to run through the yuck AND how I might "give back" to the running community by organizing a race.  I run so many races...each one has an organizer and many volunteers...I needed to do my part as well.

My original effort was to organize an indoor marathon on the very nice 200m track at Purdue's Lambert Fieldhouse.  I got the support of our running club, made efforts from February through October of 2011 to gain Purdue's approval but, alas, could not gain any interest from the key university authorities.

Sensing the need for a Plan B during the summer of 2011, I wondered if we could do something outdoors.  I regularly run through a city park and realized one day certain trails could be connected to form a loop which, to my eye, measured about 1 mile.  I ran this loop with my GPS and, indeed, it was one mile.  I traced it carefully on Map My Run and found a way to make it exactly 1.0 miles.  Could we do it?

Late last fall, I proposed this idea to our running club's officers and got their backing; to the city Parks and Rec department and got their enthusiastic support; and to Jake Franklin, a local guy who owns a race timing company, whom I knew I'd need to have to count laps accurately.  It all fell together amazingly smoothly and quickly.  So, I cobbled together a race website, posted the date on marathonguide.com, Marathon Maniacs site and a few other Indiana sites, used a measuring wheel to get the course at 1.00 miles, sat back and wondered if I was truly crazy this time.  Seriously, Joe, would ANYONE actually sign up for a marathon consisting of 26 trips around a one-mile loop in late March in Indiana?

They would.

Race Day came at last.  We had 85 individuals sign up for the marathon, 75 of whom toed the line for our 9:00am start.  In addition, we had a free-form marathon relay which attracted 16 teams consisting of over 80 individuals.  Temperatures were in the upper 40s, with overcast skies and only a mild breeze on a flat course...ideal running conditions.


The wife of one of our relay captains sang the National Anthem, one of our original running club members rang her U of Wisconsin cowbell to start the race and off they went.



After the pack crossed the start line, I stood there for a moment with a buddy of mine who was helping with the timing.  "Mat, we are actually having a marathon!  It's really happening!"  It was quite a moment for me and it was cool to share with a friend.  Reality returned quickly though, and I headed backwards down the course to make sure we got the first lap done correctly.  We added the Point Two miles onto the first lap, involving a short out and back about 3/4 of the way around the park.  That all worked perfectly, thanks to some terrific volunteers at that key junction.

And so the race was started.  I was astounded how well it went.  Space won't allow all the observations but three things turned out to be very special to the runners.

Litter-free Hydration.  I wanted to try something only a loop race allows...having zero paper cups for water.  We asked all our runners to bring their own water bottles, marked with their bib number.  Then we put them in numerical order on a table where they could grab it each time round, if they wished.



And what a menagerie of bottles it was!!  Really beautiful, in an odd sort of way.  Every shape and size, all lined up.

When runners came past, our water station crew, about 8 people in all, would spot the number and hold out the runners own water bottle.




My son David, who helped at the table, captured it best when he said "Dad, it made every runner feel like an elite champion!"  Indeed it did.  The volunteers got to know the names of each runner.  So, each time past, the runner got some personal encouragement, as well as a custom refill of water or Gatorade.



About 30m down the course from the water station was the key to all this.  We stationed laundry baskets there, into which the runners threw their bottle.  Our crew then carried the baskets back, refilled the bottles getting low, and put them back in order.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Here's a 45 second video of the whole process, featuring several fellow Maniacs, to boot.



We got fantastic feedback on this system...it worked way better than I had imagined it would.  Runners just LOVED the personalized service and thought it was awesome we left no litter.  Indeed, cleanup was a breeze at the end.  Sara, who led the effort, and her team perfected the process continuously throughout the race and we have a whole list of things to do even better next year.  But I get ahead of myself.

Personalized Bibs.  The second thing that seemed to make the race go well was our bib system, another idea that hit me during one of my long runs last summer.  In races, we always wear bibs on the front of our shirts.  But, as runners, how often to we see the FRONT of another runners shirt?  We normally only see the back of shirts.  So, I thought, since we'll have more than normal back-seeing on this loop course, so why not make a second bib for each runner's back with their name and home town, so folks can get to know other a bit more easily?  I found a bib making company who was game for this and so we did it.  You can see this bib, along with our race medals in this short video I shot on my dining room table the afternoon before the race.



And some of the bib names were just plain funny:




Amazing what a simple thing like this brought to the race--it really made it personal and let people connect much better with each other.

Another thing we did with the bibs was allowing people to pick their own bib numbers.  That was a hoot...many people had special numbers they requested.  The most clever of all was the one selected by Bryce Carlson.



Bib #314...no problem there.  But look closely at the bib in the picture.  Right after he registered and picked 314, he emailed me and asked if I would take a marker and add a decimal point to the bib, which I did once they arrived.  Bryce correctly figured out he could be 3.14, the mathematical constant pi, the perfect number for someone running the Circular Logic Marathon (not to mention thrilling me, a Purdue engineer with clear nerdy tendencies).  And, the bib apparently was key...Bryce won the race, leading from wire to wire, nearly a mile ahead at the end!  Here I am presenting the trophy to him!!



Lap Counting Team.  The third thing that worked well and became personal was our chip timing system and people.  At the start/finish line, Jake had his RFID system set up to read the chips attached to the back of each person's front bib.  This eliminated the need for a timing mat, something which might prove a trip hazard after 26 trips across it.



At the finish complex, Jake had two flat-screen monitors set up and he programmed his system to put up, on each screen, the name of the runner detected along with the number of laps he/she had completed.  Our runners loved having this reliable count, every time around.  In addition, it told them the name of whoever was near them at the crossing, further enhancing getting to know people.

In addition to the electronic timing, we also had a back up...four folks with clipboards and pencils, whom you can see standing here as Deb Thomford, our women's winner, knocks off another lap.



Jake had this idea, knowing we needed a secondary way to reliably count laps.  He divvied the field up into quarters and each person had those numbers to keep track of.  Again, the counters got to know the runners and greeted them enthusiastically each time around.  It was a special part of the race for all our runners, they wrote and told us.

And, while all of these things made the race personal, the course itself helped.  Family and friends could see their runner every lap.  Many kids jumped in to run a time or two around the course.









I was personally honored that two of the most enduring names in marathoning joined us in our inagural race.  Jim Simpson, the legendary marathoner from Huntington Beach, CA and Larry Macon, the world-record holder for most marathons run in a year, both ran our race.  What incredible gentlemen!!  They were as encouraging and gracious as could be.  The two of them, along with veteran 50 state marathoner Russell Cheney walked the last 8 or so miles together and were the final of our 65 marathon finishers.  I was humbled to be able to give these terrific guys their medals at the end, as the sun finally came out on what became a beautiful spring day.  What a treat to meet them and be with them.

From Running-General

Russell not only ran the race but he and I have had a wonderful email conversation since on ways to further improve the event.  It was a terrific treat to have them with us.

If you'd like more race info, look at our YouTube Page, our photo/video page, and the race participants' comments on MarathonGuide.com.

It is quite an experience being a Race Director...very different from being a runner.  It is a lot of work, more than I expected, both before and after the event.  But, then again, I was hoping for 30 runners to show up...and we had over 160 participants.

The big question:  Will we do it again??  Yes we will.  Set the date:  Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Once more, a reason to train through the winter.  Once more, a chance for me and others to give back.

And a chance for all of us to persevere.


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Race Report: Kal-Haven 33.5 Mile Trail Race

ORN:  33.5 miles, 6:48:24, R/W 3/1 thru 28, then 2/2; 12:12/mile

Quick Summary

My second time running the longest event I've ever run went much better than my first crack.  Better preparation, better strategy both worked.  It was a wonderful day in the Michigan woods at a very well-planned and executed ultramarathon.

Gory Details

The KalHaven Trail Run has become a very popular event on the spring running calendar in Michigan.  Its appeal rests both in its solid organization and wonderful course on the eponymous Kal Haven trail, a rail trail connecting Kalmazoo with the Lake Michigan resort town of South Haven.   The surface is nearly perfect for running.  As wide as a railroad bed, the surface is smooth, well-packed gravel which is firm but not hard.  No roots, hardly any inclines up or down; as one veteran runner remarked to me "This is a very kind course."  Thus, it makes a perfect introduction to ultras, adding to the race's appeal.   The grade and gravel sheds water marvelously, as proven this year.  The area was deluged with heavy rains Friday afternoon and evening.  Saturday morning there was no standing water, no mud, no impediments of any kind.  Amazing.

But how do I explain this race to you??  I think it is best to try to contrast it to last year's effort .  (BTW, the photos are better on that report, if you want to see the trail).  I did two fundamentally different things going into the 2012 event.

First, I improved my training base.  Since early January, I've averaged much closer to 40 miles per week than the 25-27 I averaged last year.  To be sure, I would have been better off to have started this the middle of the fall.  But I did log quite a few long weeks with back to back long runs on Saturday and Sunday.

Secondly, I modified my race-day plan.  Last year, I did a 4/1 run/walk ratio from the start.  I was good early and then I fried at the end, making the last three miles truly unenjoyable and discouraging.  This year, I started with a slower 3/1 ratio, wanting to see just how long I could hold that pace.  I told myself I would be happy with mile splits anywhere in the 11-12 minute range, understanding I would hold back early and save some gas for the end.

I drove up Friday afternoon and took the early start at 7am, about a half hour before any pre-dawn light emerged through the overcast skies.  18 of us took off for our long jaunt; a dozen or so of them were pals, running together.  The chatter was steady, loud, nervous and typical of folks on an adventure they didn't entirely understand.  It was kind of fun to be around.

The early-start pack moved ahead of me though and by mile 2 I was pretty much by myself.  I found my 3/1 groove, the sky was lightening, the temps were in the upper 50s and I was feeling pretty good.  And so it continued for the next 5+ hours.  My mile spits from the start through mile 27 were ALL in the 11s, ranging randomly from 11:03 to 11:53...remarkably consistent...I was pleased. Between miles 10 and 12, I reeled in the other early starters and was actually the first person on the course until mile 15 when the race winners blew past me. My main focus was not racing.  I tried to simply stay hydrated, downing plenty of my homemade energy gel , keeping my posture straight and not hunched and, generally, running in a relaxed manner.  I had stashed a banana, a reload of gel and some trail mix near mile 17; finding it intact under a pile of leaves behind a log was an encouragement.

Physically, I felt pretty good.  Around mile 8, I noticed a tightness in my right upper calf.  Where did that come from?  The right Achilles which had bugged me recently was fine and remained fine.  The calf just got a bit stiff, stayed stiff but never got worse.  I stretched it once which neither helped nor hurt, so I just took it as a calling card that goes with ultras.

I was interested in how I would pass the 26.2 mile mark.  GPS accuracy being what it is, I remembered the stretch of trail I had seen it last year and, sure enough, within 20m of the spot from last year I completed Phippide's distance.  The time this year was 5:06.  Last year, the same spot was 5:02.  So, even though I had modified my pace to be slower, I only lost 4 minutes over the course of a marathon.  That predicted a lot about the rest of the race.

As I said, the steady pace continued through the 28 mile mark.  At that point, the discomfort in my left IT Band was becoming more noticable and I felt I needed to make a switch.  I had noticed the most pain came when I switched from a walk to a run.  So, I flipped my timer from a 3/1 ratio to a 2/2 ratio...still on a 4 minute cycle time but half run half walk.  How long could I hold this, I wondered...a year ago, I was reduced to a slow walk by mile 30.

Remarkably, the adjustment worked.  It brought a smile to my face to run past the landmarks (read "smelly hog farm") which last year had me slowing down.  And so it continued to the end.  This year, my pace between mile 28 and 33.5 ranged between 12:28 and 13:55 (at mile 32). The same stretch in 2011 had miles at 20 minutes and painful those were.  My very last mile was at a 12:30 pace, with a peak pace in that mile of 9:10.   Paradoxically (to non-runners anyway, probably not so to other ultrarunners), my ITB hurt far less when I ran than when I walked, so I started running more and more, including the entire final half mile.  

From the marathon mark to the end took me 1:42 this year; the same distance a year ago was 2:06, with much more pain.  This validated the approach.

The last half mile was fun.  Part of the fun was knowing I'd soon be done, to be sure.  But it was satisfying to see the work had paid off...the goal in this race was to run across the finish line, something I did not do last year.  But another funny surprise happened at the end as well.  With a mere 100m to go, I could see the final turn, I could see the "Finish" sign, I could hear the people, the cowbells, the music.  And then I heard runners over my left shoulder.  I looked and, lo and behold, it was two young women from our initial starting group of 18.  Overtaking me at the end to "win" the early starters' sweepstakes.  This old guy had no response and I saluted them as they barreled by.  It was fun.

Post-race was truly enjoyable.   All of us solo runners were presented with our finisher T shirts.  (I wore my finisher shirt from 2011...the 2012 finisher shirt is on the table in front of me...orange you glad to know that?) The atmosphere was relaxed, friendly and most enjoyable.

From Running-General

The Race Directors, Julie and Terry, below, were wonderfully organized.  They both spent time with me before and after the race, chatting about my role this coming week as Race Director for our own club's marathon.  They offered a lot of input and encouragement.  A class operation!

I then completed a conversation I had had along the course with a lady who had offered me a ham sandwich at mile 29.  After the race, she saw me and offered me "the same ham sandwich".  It takes too long to explain, but that phrase is the punch line of a running gag my wife and I have enjoyed since the summer of 1972, two years before we ever started dating.  I include it here as photographic proof  "the same ham sandwich" is alive and well, reminding me a hilarious event we have enjoyed for years...rekindled, afresh, in a parking lot in South Haven, Michigan in 2012.

So what did I learn from this race?  Some overarching insight?  Deep philosophical principle, found anew?  

I'm getting there.  Kind of profound for me.  But it'll take longer to explain than you want to take here.  Stay tuned.  

So, for now, persevere.  And thanks for listening.

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