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Manitou Days 5k - new PR

It was a warm, almost 80 degree, evening in White Bear Lake and the humidity was fairly high. It had been a year since I last ran a 5k and I wasn't sure what to expect.

About 200 of us toed the starting line and when the starter sent us on our merry way I flew out of the gate and after about 100 yards knew I was going way to fast so I slowed to what I thought at the time would be a more sustainable pace. As I arrived at the mile one marker I looked at my watch and it read 6:04, surely that couldn't be right there was no way I could sustain this pace but I decided to press on see what would happen. I was certain that by the time I reached mile 2 I had slowed considerably so I was thoroughly suprised to discover my watch said 12:14 at this point in the race. I had just run the fastest two miles of my life and I was starting to really feel it!

I pressed on but felt the energy leaving my legs and the third mile became a challenge but I made it through it. Upon reaching the three mile mark I turned on the burners for one last pick-up to take me through the finish line. I ran into the chute and straight through the other end as quickly as possible as
I grabbed the edge of the large garbage can and started to dry heave. I had nothing left, I had just averaged 6:36 for the race finishing in 20:28 and a new PR for the 5k, beating my previous best by over a minute (21:31). Who says you can't improve with age!

Later in the evening I raised a glass of wine to Ian Connor for all his support and encouragement and his blasted whistle at our Wednesday track workouts!

Manitou 15k

It was a cool 45 degrees at race time as we lined up for one lap around White Bear Lake. My goal was to run it as a tempo run somewhere between 7:30 - 7:40 pace. I figured if I put in a lot of runs at this pace I'll be in a good position to qualify for Boston this fall.

We started running and I wasn't sure of my pace but I knew it was a little faster than I'd expected to start but I felt good. When I passed the first mile marker in 6:34 though I knew I was in trouble. I've never sustained this pace for a 5k let alone a 15k! So I slowed down a lot hoping I hadn't done to much damage and pressed on. At 5k my pace was now averaging a little under 7:00 so I was giving time back just as I should. I still ended up running faster than I intended finishing in 1:07:40 with a 7:16 average.

It felt good knowing I was able to run this pace this early in my training. I'm feeling very hopeful for a sub 3:20 marathon in the Twin Cities this fall!

For the love of running

On Monday I ran my first ten mile run since the "Icy 8" back in February! It felt fabulous on a sunny afternoon to plod along at an 8:20 pace in seventy degree weather enjoy the great outdoors. I'm finally motivated again to start running long... Marine Corps, JFK 50 and the Icy 8 took there toll on my desire to go long for a while!

I topped off Monday's run with a quick four on Tuesday with a 7:07 pace and a 6:31 third mile. It was my first run by White Bear Lake!

I love running!

ICY 8

It was a beautiful morning at Lake Anna. Perhaps a little on the cool side as the morning temperature was about 25 degrees. After a checking in and going through the pre-race briefing we were off, a small cadre of runners committed to spending the next eight hours logging as many miles as possible on one of two measured loops of 4.7 and 8 miles.

I had decided my goal was to run four of the long loops and then see how I felt. I started the first loop running with a neighbor, Stacy, and then found myself chatting with a pediatrician until the two loops split and he headed off on the short loop while I continued on the long. I soon caught up with, or was caught (I don't remember) by Theresa from our local running club. We would continue to travel together through the first four long loops before going our separate ways.

The ground was solid underfoot from the cold temperatures and the frozen mud was potted with large hoof prints from the many horses that used the trails. Every step was a potential ankle twisting moment.

The first loop went by relatively easily in 1:20 and before heading out for the second loop I dropped my pants (but I kept my shorts ;-)). I also grabbed a handful of chips and a strawberry Nutrigrain bar. Loop two would take me past my longest run since November but I still felt good at the end of loop two which I also ran in 1:20. Time for good old PB&J! I gobbled down my sandwich, a glass of gatorade and some chips and changed into a t-shirt before heading out on loop 3.

By now the sun was up and the day was warming. The frozen tundra was becoming a mud bath. We slipped and slided our way around. At one point Theresa and I got caught behind a half dozen horses and had to take an extended walk break until we could find a good place to pass them. After loop three I took on a lot more fluid, several cups of gatorade and ate more chips, the heat was starting to take a toll. It was a slower loop and just under 4 1/2 hours had passed in the race.

With 24 miles completed it was time to set out again. Theresa and I stuck together until about mile 30 when I took an extended walk break and she kept going (actually she'd go on and win the women's division). I lost my mental focus at this point and trudged into the checkpoint with 1:50 left in the race. I could have renewed my focus but I didn't feel like it. To many other things going on in life and it was now over 60 degrees out and I was tired and thirsty, 20 oz wasn't proving to be enough liquid for an 8 mile loop.

I knew I couldn't be done at this point so I decided to go out again and do a short loop, I didn't have the motivation to go long. So I plodded through the mud and up the hills and across two streams (narrow enough to jump) and finished with 36.7 miles and forty minutes to spare.

I was glad to have chosen the short loop for my last loop as I had a really nasty blister develop on my toe with about two miles to go and every step was painful.

I can't imagine doing a 24 hour or 100 mile race as some people do.

All in all a great day and a great event.

ICY 8 - Two weeks to go!

Last Saturday members of our running club headed out in -2 degrees for a run on the Battlefield. I wasn't with them, I was comfortably tucked up in bed sound asleep.

This afternoon its 43 and sunny, so I will tackle eight miles on the trails in relative comfort!

I can only pray that this weather pattern holds and that we have milder weather for the "ICY 8" on February 7. No, it' s not an eight mile run, it's an 8 hour run. It's not who goes the fastest over a distance it's who goes the furthest over the time.

My initial goal is to complete four 8 mile loops for a total of 32 miles, just over 50k. However I don't think this will take all 8 hours to complete, so I may go for 40 miles. At the JFK 50 it took me just under 8 hours to get in 40 so it will be close. We'll see what the day brings and how the trail runs.

Joy of Running

Some days I just don't feel like running. Today was one them. It took everything I had to drag myself out the door and onto the streets. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and there was only a very light breeze, it was a little cool at 35 degrees.

The first couple of miles were a little arduous but after five I was feeling great and loving life! It felt wonderful to be in the wide open countryside, not a person or car in sight (a rare thing in Northern Virginia). As the miles clipped by I found myself thinking how easy this is and was amazed at the ability of the human body to move itself over long distances without falling apart.

After 15 miles I arrived back at my house feeling  energized and in love with life! I was ready to take on the rest of the afternoon. (I procrastinated until noon before starting!)

15 miles, 8:23 pace

Running in the rain!

I love running! I just got in from a five mile run. It was 34 degrees out and a constant light rain was falling. It was peaceful and beautiful, the world takes on a different hue in the rain, there's something magical that takes place in a light rain or drizzle. 

Once I've made the decision to run in the rain I've always enjoyed it. Perhaps its the tranquility I feel as the world appears still, all the animals seeking shelter and very few if anyone else can be seen. Or maybe its my sense of humor as I get a kick out of enjoying something most people wouldn't, I think the word is twisted!  

Whatever the reason, I like running in the rain. Do you?

Year in review...

It's time to stop running for a moment and take a look back on the year...

Two 5k's
One 10k
Two 10 milers
One Half-Marathon
Two Marathons
One Fifty Miler

Total mileage: 1,502 (assuming I run my six tomorrow and four on Wednesday)

Of course the numbers don't really tell the story, they're just statistics. The memories from this year will be speed work with the folks from The Running Store, organizing three church teams to run the Army Ten Miler, running the Lumberjack Days 10 miler with Jan and Brian and running Marine Corps with the love of my life Jenny.

I'm not sure where to put the JFK 50 on the list of memories. It may be a once in a lifetime moment but then again it may not be, but the camaraderie and joy in this event will be hard to beat.

In spite of all the technical gear that is now available in this sport it still boils down to putting one foot in front of the other and that's what I enjoy most.

My JFK 50

It was an early start to the day when the alarm sounded at 5:00 am and I rolled out of bed and climbed into the shower. It was the only time I would feel warm for the next 12 hours.

I dressed in three layers, two cold weather shirts and a Brooks nightlife jacket, running tights, shorts, hat and gloves but it wasn't enough to keep me warm. The bank clock at the start was reading 16 degrees, it can't have off by much! At one point, somewhere around mile 25 the medics were treating one guy for hypothermia.

As we crossed the start line at 7:00 am we headed uphill and then uphill some more, climbing some 1200 feet over the first five miles of the race.

As we entered the Appalachian Trail section of the course it was a lot more technical than I had anticipated. Some stretches were extremely rocky and I thought to myself, "if I fall here my race is over because I'll break something." It required total focus and on the couple of occasions that I momentarily lost focus I almost fell, I'll probably lose my big toe nail on my left foot as a result of kicking a rock.

The trail section went by quickly and soon we arrived at Weverton cliffs, a rapid decent down switchbacks of almost a 1000 feet over a single mile. Stage one completed.

At this point I was feeling strong and very encouraged to have made it to this point in about 3:15. The warm-up was over, now it was time to run a marathon along the C&O canal path. It would be twelve miles before I would see my family, so I headed off on a twelve mile run. Running for six minutes and walking for one. Before long I was arrived at the rest stop and my family was waiting. Hugs, kisses, high fives and on I went, eleven more miles and I'd see them again at mile 38.

Miles 27 to 38 were the hardest miles ofthe day. My run 6/walk 1 ratio didn't hold up anymore and I developed a blister that I should have treated but ignored. It would eventually burst and felt better until the last four miles when it was rubbed raw and every step hurt. While the toepath was flat it was a challenge just to stay focussed and keep going, a little more variety would have been great and after 20 plus miles the river scenery all started to look the same to me.

It was a wonderful feeling to get off the toepath at mile 42 and know that there was only eight miles left to the finish. I looked at my watch and commented to another runner that it was the only time I had wondered if I could cover 8 miles in 1:43 to break the ten hour barrier!

The last eight miles were rolling hills and I went back to a walk up hill and run down. But I was puzzled about what to do on the flat sections! I tried to run a minute or so and then walk a little, my only focus at this point was finishing under the ten hour mark.

I saw my family for the last time at mile 46 and knew at that point I would, pending a disaster break the ten hour goal.

There were mile markers counting down the last 8 miles on the road, it was very helpful and I wagged my finger in victory at each number as I passed. The two miles to go sign appeared to be to close the 1.5 to aid station and I asked which sign was correct. The aid station folks assured me that the aid station was correct! What joy as almost half a mile disappeared from my mind. As I approached the finish I picked up my pace and was about to cross the line when my youngest tried to give me a high-five, I missed her little hand, stopped, ran back, high-fived her and crossed the finish line.

Time: 9:47:54

I felt elated. I took a shower, ate a piece of pizza, drank a coke, stood up to walk to the car and my hip flexors were shot, I could hardly walk. I waddled to the car and relaxed on the drive home. Tomorrow I'm off for a massage, can't wait.

I don't believe the temperature ever got above 32 and the wind was blowing, it was brutally cold all day.

 Nutrition:

4 Packets of Clif Shot Blocks

3 Bananas

1 Potato

5 Smuckers PB&J sandwiches

1 Cup of Soup

2 cups of chips

2 Pretzel sticks

2 cups of Gatorade

lots of water

Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I may be willing to try a different ultra but mentally it would be a challenge to run the same one again, not knowing what was ahead of me was most definitely a positive.

JFK 50 Preview

Tomorrow will mark my first (and probably only) venture into the world of the ultra-marathon as I tackle the JFK 50.

My mantra for the day will be,  "keep moving, keep smiling!" and hopefully about ten hours after leaving the start I will cross the finish line in mostly one piece.

My biggest concern right now is the weather for the race. Yahoo weather reports, "Some morning flurries with mostly sunny skies expected in the afternoon. Cold. High near 35F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph." That translates into windchill temperatures of 13 at the start and 23 at the finish. That's a lot of time to be out in the cold!

So I just "keep moving, keep smiling" and hopefully hypothermia won't be an issue!