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Dawn Patrol

2012-02-07T11:38:00.001-06:00

I managed 39 miles this previous week. Almost all of them were in before 7 am. My alarm each morning goes off at 4:59 AM (and the screen reads "3:59 at Ice Age" when I pick up the phone), and after a couple snoozes, I've gotten in to the habit of getting moving and getting some miles in. I felt absoulutely terrible on a couple of those runs which I blame on a couple beers the night before. Mix a bit of alcohol with a guy that has very little tolerance with a fussy 3 week old, and it's gonna be rough in the morning. I can't do much about the 3 week old (actually, 1 month tomorrow!) so I guess the beer is out. So be it. This week I'd like to get a bit closer to 45 or 50 miles and work in a long run too. I'm still just focusing on base building and doing some faster stuff if I feel like it. Come March, I'll start getting more focused on strength and speed, and then April will hopefully be much more trail work and specificity for Ice Age. I've got a weekend seminar near the course, so I hope to get down there and do some speed work on the course in April.

One of these years I'd like to run every 50k in Wisconsin. That would be:
John Dick
Chippewa
Ice Age
Keyes Peak
Dances with Dirt
North Face
Glacial Trail
*NK50K - Northern Kettle Run on my own - the Northern Kettle Ice Age trail is 31.6 miles long

Judging by the reports, this was the year to do John Dick. Zach Bitter ran 3:36! HIs 31 miles at John Dick were miles 102-133 that week, too. WOW. It'll be fun to see him run at the IAT50 miler amongst all the other fast guys signed up.

Other midwest 50k's on the list are, in order of priority:

Superior/Moose Mountain
Afton
Marquette
Wild Duluth
MadCity
Chicago Lakefront

Some day...in 2009 BC (before children) I ran 8 races of marathon distance or longer. Darn kids!

15, 5, 2

2012-01-25T12:15:00.001-06:00

Those are the 3 runs I've done in the last 2.5 weeks. It's been a bit of a rough start to my "training" for the Ice Age 50k...but with good reason. I have a baby girl. Estelle Josephine arrived on 1/8/12 and life has been different for the better ever since. I've tried to get up and get going in the mornings, but Estelle has the same idea, so rather than leave her to Ellie, I've been doing all I can to help. What I can do is hold her and change diapers. The feeding part is all Ellie. I'm not configured quite right for that task!

Last night I had permission from Ellie to go out for a 5 mile run after Edwin was sleeping. I got a mile away from home, with Parsenn, and it didn't feel right. Parsenn noted it too, as he had stopped running about a quarter mile back. So, my five miler was actually a two miler, done in a quick 15 minutes, and 17 minutes after leaving my house for my run, I was back inside, holding a 9 pound sweetheart.

Not sure when the next run will occur, but I've given up trying to plan these things out. If it's gonna happen, I need to make it happen early adn in the dark. And if the run doesn't happen, I'll have to settle for the 'consolation' of a wonderful little girl, an amazing wife, and a son who is more and more fun to horse around with every day.

Like I said...Things have changed, and for the better.

2011 Recap and 2012 Thoughts

2012-01-02T21:45:00.001-06:00

It seems a lot of people don't like writing or reading year in review posts. I enjoy them. I enjoy them much more than a weekly post about how many miles I ran and where (like the very short-lived "Weekly Rundown" posts I tried out...see below). I love learning different approaches--especially when it seems that one can 'go down the rabbit hole' and get super duper technical, with phrases like periodization, LT, Tempo, Fartlek, Taper, Recovery, Nutrition, Gear, etc. Then there's the "In order to run longer and faster, one must run more and and at a faster speed. I like that too, and probably even more!

So, how did my 2011 go? Here you go:

Another year, another lack of a sub-3-hour marathon. I tried in StL in April but very unaccomadating weather and a much hillier than expected track derailed that attempt. I'm just proud of myself for finishing (in 3:18)... and also conceiving my second child, due any day, that weekend.

Ice Age went better than expected. I ran 4:05 for a new 50k PR and finished 5th. I way overate and overdrank early and ended up puking with 9 miles to go, but then passed 2 people in the last 9 miles to finish 5th. I look forward to going back, and really look forward to running the Ice Age 50 miler, as the 50k course has a 9 mile loop that you do twice. Not as much fun as single track. Still, I want to go back and run better there.

The rest of the spring and summer was spent with an eye on the Fall 50. My serious training started with a great trip to Colorado, running along the CDT and loving every second of those mountain tops. My heart aches to go back. Cheesy, I know, but it was truly amazing.

I ran the North Face 50k, and was in second for most of the race. I was really pushing the envelope and crashed pretty hard in the last 9 miles to finish 3rd in 4:06. Again, I want to return to this event, but probably to the marathon.

Finally came the Fall 50. that was awesome. My overly optimistic goal was to keep an 8 minute pace for the entire run. I ended up keeping an 8:07 pace, finishing in 6:46 and 5th overall. I also used this as a fundraising effort for the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight and raised over $3,000 in the process. Win/Win. I really ran this race well and had such a wonderful time with family and friends that weekend that I feel like I could run that event every year and enjoy it. But...

I also love the Glacial Trail 50k that starts and ends about 10 miles from my house. I ran this race in 2010, finishing 3rd. I want to win this race some day, and maybe 2012 is the year I do win it. In 2012, it's the same week as the Fall 50, which means my 'goal race' of the fall will probably always be either the Glacial Trail 50k (always the second Sunday in October) OR the Fall 50 (always the third Saturday in October). So, maybe this year I run Glacial Trail and then run the Fall 50 as a team. Who's in?

The more I learn about running, the more I want to lower times and finish higher in the rankings. I've won one marathon and would love to win a 50k. I have no false opinions of my own abilities, so it would take a lot of luck to win one (i. e., nobody fast shows up, AND I run well on that day). In 2012 I'd like to PR in the 50k trail. I'd like to keep my training simple (as in, run more, but keep the runs enjoyable). I'd like to run more in the mornings too.

On that last one, I'm going to NEED to run more in the morning. As I mentioned, Ellie and I are literally days away from Edwin's sibling's arrival. If I'm going to get any miles in, it's gonna be in the mornings. The evenings are way too busy to try and fit in running on top of everything else.

On that note, it's time to sign off. I need to go running in the morning!

Week RunDown, 22 weeks

2011-12-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

I had another subpar week, running wise, with several runs simply being to and from the office to do extra work. Bleh.

I did manage a 22 mile trail run on Thursday. I ended up being very underdressed for the run, as the winds picked up and the temps dropped down towards the end. Still, 22 miles on the trails is a good way to spend a day.

Now, it's on the Christmas, then Birthday, then New Years, then Baby. Time stops for no man...

Great stuff on the Ice Age 50 here. I look forward to running the entire 50 miles. Not this year...but soon.

Weekly Rundown, 23 weeks to Ice Age

2011-12-11T22:42:00.002-06:00

Instead of breaking down my week day by day, I'll just let you know that it didn't go as planned. Still, I managed 6 hours total, with my first 2 hour long run in a while. I ran it on the Glacial Trail course (which I am really aiming towards in the Fall of '12), and it was great to be back on the trails. It's not often that I can still be on the trails without snow at this time of year, so I soaked it up. I really need to start carrying a camera--I saw several forms of wildlife and even a dead cat along the Ice Age Trail on my trip.
My love of that trail has me thinking that I'd like to run the entire 31.6 mile Northern Kettle Moraine segment of it this Thursday. I'm definitely not in shape to do very well at it, but I think I can break 4 hours and enjoy every minute of it. Gotta work out the details with Ellie, first :)

While on today's run, with a 25 lb weight vest on, I was feeling some issues in my right Plantar Fascia. Definitely something to keep an eye on before I put 31 miles on my feet.

Other interesting links...

I hope this guy doesn't spend too much time away.

Interesting discussion here on money in ultras. I'm not sure how you seperate capitalism (i.e. money in ultras) and competition. My opinion: if the RD provides what he says he's going to, then that sounds good to me. If you don't like it, don't buy it. I LOVE the North Face event in Madison, and at the same time I LOVE the Glacial Trail event, which are very near opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the ultra event spectrum. I really appreciate GZ's opinions on the topic.

13 - 0, baby. Let's keep it rolling. This is a once-in-a-lifetime season, so pay attention. I was told that Aaron Rodgers is the third-oldest player on the team...which, if that's true...is an AMAZING stat!

Interesting lineup thus far, with many fast people yet to qualify via the Montrail Ultra Cup races (of which Ice Age is one). It'll be interesting to see the different approaches to both Hardrock and Western.

Ellie is 36 weeks along. I can't wait.

Weekly Rundown

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Monday - I wanted to run in the morning...but I got lazy. Instead, after Edwin was in bed, I ran back to the office to get some work done, finishing with 5 miles at 7:14 pace. I had a couple miles in there that dipped under 7 minutes. They felt very difficult. That's what I get for an entire month of November without much exercise.

Tuesday - 60 minutes of basketball. For having not touched a ball in over 3 months, I was surprised at how well I played, with the exception of an absolute 100% inability to make a layup. I'm guessing I'll be sore tomorrow, too.

Wednesday - nada. Too much going on at work. I'm hoping to run every day in December, including a big one on my birthday (the 30th), so it looks like today is my last day off.

Thursday - Well, here's the plan for December. I'd like to exercise for 31 hours in the 31 days. An hour a day, right? That's not bad. Pretty simple...
Today's early run went 55 minutes (7.5 miles)before I really, really had to use the bathroom. I'm already 5 minutes behind. This challenge will keep me motivated through the month. Then comes baby time (Due January 6), and then we'll see...maybe I'll try out this event.

Friday - Nada. ugh. I got zapped at the office again -- big week, business-wise, with several very interesting cases that I'd considered sharing on the blog, but haven't -- and chose beer over running when I finally got home at 6:45. Then, I went back to the office at 9 for some clean up work on some files. This leaves me needing 3 hours and 5 minutes in the next two days. Manageable.

Saturday - 1 hour. 15 minutes of jogging around, then a 45 minute 5 miler with Edwin and my sister-in-law Gretchen at the Sleigh Bell Run. It was wonderful to spend 45 minutes chatting with Gretchen. We married siblings, so we could each share stories of what it's like to have married an Andrews. It's unique, to say the least...

Soaking, but Smiling. This is the first time the jacket I won at the North Face 50k really came in handy! (Edwin, to my left, is a bit bored...and may have a full diaper in the BOB.)

Sunday - 2 hours on local horsetrails. The park where I ran is a real blue-collar kind of place. The trails are rugged and in pretty rough shape, especially when it's wet outside. Still, I like it because I rarely see anyone else.

On to this week!

Pass the Gravy

2011-11-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

I still haven't gotten back in to running much at all. Tomorrow I'm hoping to try out some trails before deer season opens, but other than that, motivation is still at an all-time low. The lack of running may be a good thing too, as each time I've gone out, I have had little aches in my feet and knees...almost reminders to take more time off, that there's no need to put in heavy work right now, that I need down time so that I don't end up like this again. My original plan was to take off November completely, then work up a bit of a base in December...before baby arrives in late December/early January. At that point...who knows. I'm guessing January will be a dirty diaper worth of training, and then I'll start working toward Ice Age 50k or 50 mile from February to May.

In the meantime I've got plenty to keep me busy...Packers, Deer Hunting this weekend, Thanksgiving, the Sleigh Bell Run (which I help organize and I'll be volunteering at, and mayyyybe running), a possible new home purchase (it's my dream home, literally abbutting the state land the Ice Age Trail is on!), and WORK. Recent purchases of another adjusting table, a new digital xray machine, and some other new stuff has the office really growing at the moment. And I say, bring it on!

I'm kind of looking forward to getting to work and putting in the miles in the cold and dark mornings of this winter. Easy for me to say now, right?

Run on!

North Face Endurance Challenge Madison 50k

2011-09-20T20:53:00.001-05:00

Race Report up HERE, if you're interested.

1 week of recovery is going well, then 1 more week of solid miles, then taper, then...

The Fall 50.

New Blog...

2011-05-26T21:16:00.003-05:00

Hello all! Starting next week, I'll be posting on a new blog. I've decided to make a fundraising effort in the name of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. It's a truly amazing cause, and my effort in the Fall 50 on October 22 will be going to that cause. I won't be posting updates on this site until after that event, so please update your reader and blogger accounts.

Also, please, please, please, link to the new blog and encourage your (much more popular) readers to visit the new site (and donate to the cause!).

I'm still working out a couple details regarding the new site and the fundraising effort, but check back there for details and please look up "Honor Flight Fifty" on Facebook as well.

My Grandfathers (and my namesakes) were WWII veterans, and that generation deserves all the praise and honor that we can provide.

Looking Ahead

2011-05-15T20:33:00.004-05:00

I had an interesting conversation with Bruce at the IAT50k this last weekend. He and I both ran Glacial Trail last year, where I finished 3rd and he 4th. After that event, he mentioned that it was a training run for the Fall 50. Sidenote--the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place runners at Glacial trail finished, in the same order, 4th, 5th, and 6th at Ice Age.
My plan for the fall is to run the North Face (either 26.2 or 50k), then run Glacial Trail 50k, and then the Fall 50. I'm already signed up for the Fall 50 and have wanted to go back to that race since it really kicked my behind a couple years ago.
So anyway, I asked Bruce how the Glacial Trail/Fall50 worked last year, and he said that he was not recovered enough from Glacial. He said his legs were tired at around mile 20 of the Fall 50--much more tired than they should have been--and he attributed it to not enough taper. Uh Oh.
I have had mixed results with both the 3-week taper and the 2-week taper. I'm not sure what works better for me, but I guess I'd lean towards three weeks when the main goal is 50 miles. Still...I really love the Glacial event and really, really want to run it! And run it fast.
I consider myself an early riser. I'm up by 5:21 every morning. Still, if I'm planning a trail run, I'll get up at 4:30 to be at the trail (about 20 minutes away) before the sun rises. If I'm planning a road run, I find myself hitting the snooze over and over again.
I guess I'm rationalizing a heavier trail running summer in preparation for the Glacial Trail 50k. Hey, more miles on my feet can only help with the 50 mile training. I should really consider running the Glacial Trail 50 miler...but considering I've already registered for the Fall 50, it's tough to turn away on it.
Plus, the Fall 50 is, in it's own way, a TON OF FUN. And in addition to that, I've got a pretty neat fundraising effort planned around the Fall 50. More on that in a couple weeks.
In the meantime, I haven't run a step this week. I've increased my biking a bit, making my trips to and from work on the bike. This weekend Ellie and I are getting away for a couple days of biking in Door County...coincidentally, the home of the Fall 50.
After that, though, it's time to start building for the fall. I'm still accepting coaches too, so let me know if you're interested SteveQ!

Ice Age Trail 50k Race Report

2011-05-15T11:34:00.005-05:00

Going in to this race, I had a couple numbers in my head. I thought I could finish in the top 5. I would be disappointed if I wasn't in the top 10. I wanted to put myself in a position to break 4 hours, as well. After yesterday's run, it looks as though I was spot on.
A couple days ago I posted a race preview that never made it online after Steve broke Blogger. In the preview, I mentioned that the RD thought there were at least 10 guys in the 50k that could break 4 hours. My first thought was "does he think I'm one of them?" and the second thought was "this is a competitive field!"
As it turns out, only 4 guys broke 4 hours, and I finished 5th, in 4:05:03. The winner's time of 3:18 is simply remarkable!
The course can be broken down in to two parts--and out and back on the Ice Age Trail, and then two loops of a 9 mile and VERY HILLY ski trail. I was hoping to split the first out and back in 1:40, and then run 70 minute loops and finish right at 4 hours. My splits via Garmin Data:
Start to Horseriders (turnaround): 50:56
Horseriders to Start/Finish: 51:28
Loop 1: 1:08:40
Loop 2: 1:13:56

The Ice Age Trail out/back portion of the course is tough. It's not nearly as technical as the Glacial Trail portion of the IAT that I train on, but it's constantly going up and down. There are several bigger climbs as well that will zap your legs and not allow you to run the downhill with any speed. On the way out to Horseriders, I ran with Bruce after he said he was hoping for 4 hours as well. We settled in to a nice tempo and took turns leading eachother, in about 7th or 8th place. We knew several of the runners ahead of us were long gone, but there may be a few who we could reel in. Still, we both agreed not to worry about anything but ourselves until the second loop of the ski trail. I made it out to Horseriders and got a new bottle from Tony, a good friend who had agreed to help me out today. My first bottle had 300 calories of CarboPro in it. That, along with one SCap was done in the first 50 minutes.
Nutrition-wise, I had planned to get calories in early and often, knowing that as the race went on I might not feel like getting them in as much. I decided I'd rather feel full and a bit sluggish at the beginning than feel dead flat at the end.
Running with Bruce back to the Start/Finish area was a bit more work. I could feel my stomach working to empty and was happy to let Bruce pull me along through this section. My second water bottle only had 100 calories of CarboPro in it, but I took in two gels during the 51 minutes to get back to the Start/Finish. We were maybe a minute or two off of my anticipated splits, but I didn't mind much because I felt like my nutrition had been solid and I was still moving fine.
Next was the first of two loops of the ski trail. 2 weeks ago I ran 19 miles of trails on Saturday, then ran this very same loop twice the following day to see what it felt like. I'm glad I did that, as the course familiarity showed me that I could power hike the relentless uphills and then run the downs and the flats and turn 70 minute loops. So, that was the goal, 70 minutes each loop.
For the entire first loop, Bruce and I were together, hiking the uphills (and joking that "the next time around, we'll run this one") and running the flats and downhills. With about 2 miles to go in the first loop, I had finished my bottle (and 300 calories of CarboPro) but wasn't feeling great. Thinking that perhaps I was low on salt, I popped an SCap and started to feel better. After completing the loop in 68, it was on to the FINAL lap...
At the start finish line I took a sip of Coke and some water, got a new bottle (straight water) from Tony, got an update on where the competition was (we were in 7th) and started out of the aid station. Bruce had taken off like mad and was out of sight quickly. Less than 100 yards from the aid station, I dry heaved. Then I puked. Three times. What had to be 30 ounces of fluid, including a whole lot of calories and electrolytes, was no longer in my body. Uh Oh.
I immediately felt great and a lot lighter and faster. So, I started running. Knowing that I now was looking at dehydration, low electrolytes, AND low sugar, I decided I had to take action now and not wait for the wheels to fall off later. Just the previous day I had read this post from Tim and remembered it at this point in the race. I needed to address those issues---not ignore them. Weary of my stomach, I began to very slowly sip on a gel and sip on some water. I was running very well but wanted to make sure I took care of the future issues.
About 3 miles in to the loop, I had caught Bruce, who was really feeling his hamstrings. We ran together for about a mile before I started to move on. For the remaining 6 miles I was looking around every corner for the next runner up in the standings, but never saw him. With about 2.5 miles to go a sideache really took hold of my diaphragm. Luckily, I had one single SCap left, and that did the trick, allowing me to finish relatively strong. I really ran hard in the last half mile, hoping to get in under 4:05...but missed by 4 seconds. Still, I was very happy with the run and continue to learn about nutrition. Last year at Glacial I didn't think I took in enough water and calories...and that may be true, but it was 25 degrees warmer at that race than today. At Ice Age, I obviously took in too much. My body, err, "corrected" that problem via day glow liquid expulsion, and I ran better after that.
The entire event is a great time. The volunteers are great, the spectators are great, the course is definitely a challenge. If I could change one thing, it would be to have more single track and avoid the double loop of the ski trail. Oh yeah, and get rid of the 'vegetable lasagna' at the post-race festivities!
I'll definitely be back to this event. In all honesty, I could see myself running Ice Age Trail and Glacial Trail every year for years to come and not regretting one step on those courses. I only wish I could have stuck around longer at the finish to talk to other runners and rehydrate with some beer. Unfortunately, Tony had plans to attend the Brewers game that afternoon, so we were out of there a bit sooner than expected. I still didn't get home until about 4:30, so I'd call it a long day nonetheless considering I was out of bed at 4:21 AM to get breakfast in and hit the road for the race. To get home and see Ellie and Edwin was a real treat. Eddy especially liked my New Keychain. That's right, no medal for the 50k runners. Just a measely keychain. I don't have a problem with that--it's a good way to motivate those of us running the JV event to move up to the 50 miler and get a belt buckle!
Congrats to all who ran, especially the Brewmaster, Tim, Chris P., Bruce, and Joel. The trail running community is simply fantastic!
Now, it's time to take a couple weeks off before turning my attention to the fall, and more specifically the Glacial Trail 50k and the Fall 50.

Last Big Weekend

2011-05-02T07:55:00.002-05:00

With the Ice Age 50k two weeks away, this past weekend was my last-ditch effort to get fit for the run. It just so happened that a seminar was going to have me near Milwaukee for the weekend, so I scheduled a camping trip and some miles on the actual course.
Before leaving for Milwaukee, though, I ran 16 miles of hill repeats on the Ice Age Trail near home. I was really hoping for 20 miles but couldn't close the deal. In order to fit the run in to my home/work schedule, I was running by 5 AM, and I simply ran out of calories and water and...well...the fortitude to stick out the run.

Friday night was a seminar on the nutritional benefits of L-arginine (interesting stuff, I swear). I spent the night in a tent at Ottawa Lake Campground in the Southern Kettles and loved it. Despite the fact the temperatures dipped into the 30's, I was warm all night. After another 6 hours of class on Saturday morning, it was time to hit the trails of the Ice Age 50K course. I ran the first part of the 50k course, which is an out and back on the Ice Age Trail to Horseriders Camp. Instead, though, of turning around at Horseriders, I kept going...all the way to the Emma Carlin trails. Emma Carlin is where the 50 milers turn around, so that added 6.2 miles on to my run. I finished up around 19 miles, with no idea how long it took (Close to 3 hours, I think) due to my Garmin Watch battery dying.

After the run, I checked out the La Grange General Store which is a landmark in the area. I grabbed a great sandwich and a bottle of Two Hearted Ale, and made my way back to the campsite. I was fast asleep by 10 pm, and only woke up to some rain about midnight.

Sunday morning I was definitely feeling some ache in my legs but wanted to get in 2 loops on the Nordic Trails. The "blue loop" makes up the last 18 miles of the course. That trail never stops going up and down, and I managed about 70 minute loops, with the second loop actually a couple seconds faster than the first loop.

So, the last big weekend is in the books. I'm going to do my best to taper and get the lead out of my legs by May 14, and then it'll be time to get after it!

Brief Training Update and Some Highly Recommended Reading

2011-04-26T15:07:00.003-05:00

Well, since St. Louis, my legs have come back in to shape, aided by some soothing medicine known as trail running. I'm amazed at the difference in leg strength between constant dirt running (what I hope to do more of this summer) and constant pavement pounding (what I've been doing all year so far).
I've had a couple great runs, including a 2 hour, 41 minute romp on the Ice Age Trail through 6 inches of new snow. This weekend I'm hoping to run a total of 6 hours on trails, including the entire Ice Age Trail 50k course.
I've got a seminar near Milwaukee, so I'm camping out in the woods near the trail and making a weekend of it. I. Can't. Wait.

Check out Steve Q's recent post on 50 milers. It's great stuff...especially this:

I've continued [to run ultras] because of the following reasons: 1) The people you meet doing these things are great. 2) The scenery is worth the trip. 3) I keep thinking I'm learning what I need to do, but keep getting surprised; surprises like that are rare. 4) In a group of mud-caked sweaty middle-aged guys, I look pretty good.

Besides the 'mud-caked' part (my next 50 miler will be on roads), he's spot on! While you're there, wish him a speedy recovery as well.

St. Louis Marathon Report

2011-04-11T11:03:00.003-05:00

Want to make God laugh?
Tell him your plans.

I didn't make my planned goal of 3:00 in St. Louis. Before I even started, I knew that goal was not going to happen. The temperatures hit 85 by 10:00AM and the winds were out of the South at 25-30 mph.

Add on top of that the fact that the St. Louis course is constantly rolling--much more than I anticipated--and I was happy to finish in 3:18, for 68th of 1900 finishers. Just under 3,000 runners were scheduled to start, but the weather forced the race director to close the course early (I wasn't even aware of this until we were checking in to our return flight and the TSA agent mentioned it). There were strong winds--25-30 mph the entire time--but they weren't cooling winds. The wind was as warm as the heat! This is my third HOT marathon (Grandma's and Fox Cities are the others), and it's always a battler, to say the least. This course is definitely not a PR course, either. None of the hills are as steep as the hills I run on normally, but they're constantly rolling, and they wear you down after a while.

My first mile was right around 6:50, what I needed to run under 3 hours, but I quickly realized I needed to slow down. I brought my pace into a more comfortable area and kept it there, deciding to make this a good training run for Ice Age. That decent rhythm lasted until...

I had a horrible patch from about miles 13-17. Ellie was waiting for me at miles 14 and 20, and as I worked my way through the halfway point, I had made up my mind to stop and drop when I got to Ellie. When I told her of these plans, she looked at me with a look I see often--"you're an idiot"--and told me I wasn't quitting.

Mile 14, approaching Ellie.

Fine, I thought. I'll just hike it to mile 20 and drop when I see her then. Miles 15-17 were terrible (splits of 9:06, 8:14, and 8:19), but I kept taking in salt, sugar, and water, and at about mile 17.5 a 3:20 pace group caught up to me. I hitched on to them, and Tony (pace leader) carried me out of that bad spot. I ended up staying with Tony for the last 9 miles, and finishing relatively strong. Despite some dry-heaving at about mile 26.5, I still was able to finish with a kick.
I keep thinking back to that bad spot, and how I was lifted out of it. I was worn down, ready to give up, feeling like I did at Grandma's, and a couple prayers and the thought of Edwin had me kind of tearing up. At that point, I figured, okay, I'll hold on to this pace group as long as possible, and it must have been the Gu kicking back in, along with the salt, and I was ready to run! I had to actively remind myself to stay calm, to relax my running form, and to stay steady. My mind wanted to sprint off from the group at a sub 7 minute pace, but by actively taking control and staying relaxed, I was able to hold a nice pace the rest of the run instead of crashing and burning at some point in the future of the run.

Mile 20, with the pace group. Yes, the pace is wearing a skirt.
It's difficult to explain exactly what I was feeling at that point but I won't forget what it was like. I thought I was DONE and broken, and I actually turned it around. "It doesn't always get worse." I hope to be able to push myself to that point once again and learn something from it in the future. I just hope it's not 80 effing degrees out.

At the finish, "feeling it", post dry heave, pre medal.

My legs are sore, and I've got some killer blisters on my feet from all the water I was dumping on myself, but overall, it was a great weekend, and a great run...during which I learned quite a bit more about myself.

Garmin Data.
There was a great finish among the leaders, as well.
Here's a video regarding the heat.

6 43:24 (7:14 pace)
Half 1:36:28 (7:22)
20 3 2:34:34 (7:37)
26.2 3:18:36 (7:35)

Still chasing that Sub 3.

Meet Me in St. Louis...

2011-04-04T17:52:00.003-05:00

...at the finish line, and bring beer.

Well, it's "Go Time" this Sunday, and I'm mostly excited just to escape Wisconsin for 48 hours. My foot is about 90% better, and the knee is all the way back to normal. My last two decent runs were on pace, but I still felt like I was struggling to get through them, so I'm going to continue to keep it easy this week and rest up. The current forecast has a 40% chance of thunderstorms. Awesome.

I'm not overly confident in my chances at breaking 3 hours, especially with that forecast, so I'm hoping to start my run intelligently (yeah, right) and then make my decision about half way whether to go with it or not.

After this race, I'm going to get back to trail running and I can't wait for that. Hopefully by this time next week the snow will be completely gone, and I'll be able to start planning my first mud-filled trail run!

6 weeks...

2011-03-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Monday - Despite the mileage over the weekend, I was ready once again to 'push it' so I planned a 10 miler with the middle 6 at tempo effort. I ended up running the last 8 miles at tempo effort over some hills, and had splits of 6:37, :59, :29, :48, :41, :49. Then I ran the final two on flat ground and brought my heart rate back in to the 150's and had splits of 6:54, 6:56. Felt good and recovered well.

Tuesday and Wednesday - I didn't get up to get my run in on Tuesday morning before work, and paid for it. It started raining/sleeting/snowing/freezing and continued to do so until Wednesday. So, I guess I'll consider the shoveling cross training. Zero miles both days or running.

Thursday - I was in suburban Chicago for a seminar for the next three days. There would be some free time available, so I still had hopes of catching up on my mileage and getting to 60 for the week. After the work was finished, I found a local bike path (7.7 mile loop) and got to work. I felt great and managed 11 miles with a 6:36 average. I was pushing it at times and had a high HR, but it felt great to run fast! The only downside of the run was a very tender pressure point on the top of my right foot and some aching and stiffness in my right outer knee, between the back part of the IT band and the hamstring (biceps femoris). I blamed the shoes for it at the time...

Friday - I ran 7.7 miles over lunch and felt terrible. My foot was throbbing, my knee was really sore, and my stomach felt like it was full of concrete.
After the work session in the afternoon, I stopped at a New Balance store and picked up some Road Minimus shoes. Then I went out and ran 7.5 miles and felt great! My foot and knee were still bothersome, but I noticed a definite change in my cadence and stride in the new shoes. I ran 6:51 pace for 7.5 miles.

Saturday - simply having shoes on this morning was tender to my foot. My knee seemed to have a bit of swelling to it as well. I rested and hoped for better body parts on Sunday.

Sunday - I ran about 3 miles before the foot was throbbing and the knee was tight. I could have continued on, but instead pulled the plug on the run. I was supposed to run my last 20 miler before tapering down for St. Louis, but instead it was a measely 3 miler. Not good.

So, I guess my decision has been made for me. I was pondering whether to taper down for St. Louis for a full 2 weeks or to continue to train towards Ice Age. I'll be tapering this week for sure to make sure that knee and foot heal up. Is 3 hours a possibility? Not sure. I think my speed work indicates I can do it, but I'd much rather have a solid 20 miler under my belt. My previous sub-3 efforts (3:02, 3:21, 3:00, 3:03) have all involved stomach issues and bonks in the last 3-5 miles.

I'm frustrated quite a bit with this little issue, but I guess by dealing with it properly, it won't become a BIG issue, so I'll get it taken care of and be fully rested and ready to rock at St. Louis.

Or I'll struggle in St. Louis, and come back stronger at Ice Age.

7 wks 2 IAT50k

2011-03-21T07:27:00.000-05:00

Monday - 8.2 miles. My Garmin died halfway through the run. I'm just proud of myself for getting out and running after realizing my watch hadn't been charging and that I would only have 1% of my battery available. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was considering not running at all simply because my watch wasn't charged. Yikes!

Tuesday - 45 minutes basketball. There were enough guys there this morning to divide the gym in to an 'old guys' court and a 'young guys' court. I was a young guy. I definitely worked more this morning than in the previous two weeks, but my morning ended early after a knee-to-knee hit.

Wednesday - Rest.

Thursday - 16 miles, 1:50. I ran a 4 mile warmup, then ran a tough 12 mile loop at tempo pace. Only one mile slipped over 7 minute pace, and it was a tough mile that included wind, rain, and a decent sized hill in my face. My legs felt really heavy, and my gut wasn't feeling all that great either. Despite that, my heart rate was a decent 156. To be able to run 12 miles at sub 3 hour pace despite such heavy legs was promising!

Friday - Ellie's birthday. Rest.

Saturday - 10.76 miles, easy. I was up early to get in this 10 miler, and my stomach protested the majority of the run, but I was happy with a decent pace (7:30's) at a low HR (140's).

Sunday - 17 miles, easy. Rainy/slushy weather forced me to start this run on the Treadmill. I was going to simply put in 2 hours on the treadmill watching basketball. That idea lasted all of 30 minutes. I simply can't run on treadmills. So, I got outside, wandered around town at a very leisure pace and put some miles under my legs. Again, my legs felt good during this run, and I feel like I'm bouncing back and recovering faster and faster.

So, overall, a good week. I'm really happy with Thursday's run, not only because of the pace, but because I battled some rain, some wind, and some voices in my head telling me to cut the run short. I even ran PAST my car and put in an extra two miles when 95% of me wanted to just stop at the car.

This week I am travelling to Chicago for a seminar Thursday thru Saturday. I still want to get in 60 miles, so it's going to take some work to pull it off. This week will really show me where I am in preparation for St. Louis (can I break 3 hours?) and will likely determine how I set up the next couple weeks of training. Bring it on!

8 Wks 2 IAT50k

2011-03-13T18:08:00.005-05:00

Monday - I didn't know what to accomplish with this run. I was surprised I even felt like running after the relatively big weekend, but got out there, ran a couple 'pick-up' miles, and finished with 8.18 miles in 1:04.

Tuesday - 1:15 of Basketball. Felt much better this week than last week. Good sprints, good soreness in the legs and core.

Wednesday - Rest. I considered a late night run with Parsenn, but time with my wife on Wednesdays is more appreciated (by both of us). Wednesdays are always grinds at the office.

Thursday - 8 miles in 55. I ran a one mile warmup, then ran 7 at 'tempo' effort, trying to keep my HR between 155 and 165, hoping to find a pace around 6:50. Miles were between 6:52 and 6:40, with one uphil, into-the-wind mile of 7:10 and the same road, going the other way giving a mile of 6:32. This run felt good--not great--and I'm hoping to have that same pace, but 5-10 heart beats slower next time.

Friday - Easy DogJog 4.5 miles.

Saturday - 21 miles, 7:30 pace. My last two miles were my fastest miles, 6:52 and 7:00. Stil, I feel like I may have pushed too hard on this run. The AvgHR was 151, and that's probably too high for a long distance training run. This is probably why I should have a coach.

Sunday - 9.5 miles, 7:22 pace, 141 heart rate. I was surprised to see my AvgHR that low. My legs felt heavy but I still managed a decent pace and am happy with getting the mileage in.

Overall, 51 miles of running and 75 minutes of basketball. I'm still not sure how to quantify the basketball. Last week I said I thought it was about 7 miles. I'm wasn't necessarily thinking I RAN 7 miles that morning, and after Danny pointed out in the comments that it's estimated a soccer midfielder only covers 6 miles in a game, there's no way I ran 7 miles. Still, when I consider percieved exertion and overall effort, I'd liken last week's basketball scrimmage to a fartlek 7 miler. This week's hoops outing was a bit easier on the effort front, but lasted 15 minutes longer, so I'd consider it 8 miles, in my own weird way. So, either 51 miles on the week or 59, you pick.

I can already hear Pat Matten saying, "Nic, today I walked up 3 flights of stairs and jumped over a puddle. Can I call that .75 miles?"

Next week I'd like to hit 60 miles of RUNNING, and still get an hour of basketball in as well. That will be a definite career high in weekly mileage (60) and will be followed up by the decision of whether to try to hit 3 hours in St. Louis or whether to keep working without much of a taper towards Ice Age.

9 Wks 2 IAT50k

2011-03-07T07:47:00.000-06:00

(I'm getting very cryptic in my blog posts.)

Monday - Easy hour at Parsenn pace...which means we stopped to pee and smell stuff a lot. 7.29 miles, 144 AvgHR.

Tuesday - 1 hour of morning basketball. I've decided to add this back in to my weekly routine as a form of cross training. I'd guess the running equivalent would be 7 miles. Maybe 7.3.
I couldn't make a layup to save my life but actually hit several jump shots. An hour after getting done, I was already getting sore.

Wednesday - Very sore in my hip flexors and peroneal muscles from basketball. Combine that with a full day at work, and it's a rest day all the way.

Thursday - I had hoped for 20 miles in the morning, only to have pretty much everything go wrong in the morning. Knowing I had to be home by 8:30 AM, by the time I could have left, I didn't have enough time to get 20 miles in. Instead of getting ANY miles in...I took another rest day. Ugh.

Friday AM - I went to play basketball, and half the town showed up. Maybe 3 miles of running.

Friday PM - 1 hour, 8.32 miles. I'm not sure what I set out to accomplish on this run. It varied from a limbo run (each mile faster than the previous) to a hard fartlek, to a get-in-the-miles run. In the end, I had a decent AvgHR, and I did slowly bring down the miles. Add in the 3-ish miles from this morning, and I'm over 11 for the day.

Saturday - 10 miles, easy. Very windy, and my legs were heavy.

Sunday - 14 miles. I wanted 20, but was feeling some aches in my left foot, so I cut the run a bit short.

So, for the week I had an about 50. This week I need to get in a 20 miler, and I'd like to build the mileage a little more as well.

2 Straight Zero Days

2011-03-04T14:39:00.004-06:00

Well, I played basketball for the first time in 6 months on Tuesday morning. I ended up playing straight for about 75 minutes, and was sore everywhere within an hour. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I had fun.
That resulted in Wednesday being a rest day. My hip flexors were more sore than they've ever been, along with the outsides of my calves. I decided Wednesday that Thursday's long run would be a slugfest.
Thursday's long run didn't happen. I woke up early knowing I had to have my 20 miles done by 8:30 am, so that I could have breakfast ready for Ellie and Eddy (my Thursday tradition). I woke up to see the Garmin hadn't charged, my shoes were still wet, and my headphones had busted.
Instead of gutting out some miles, I decided I'd run 'later.' Yeah, right. And SteveQ will run later in the day, when it 'warms up.' --ps, I have NO IDEA why I can't make a link work. I type it in...and for some reason blogger sticks "left-right-blahblahblah" in front of it. I give up.
So Thursday slowly slipped away, and now I'm looking at a total of 15 miles on the week so far, when my goal was 50.
BUT, I'm gonna get 50 in.
Tonight will be a 10 miler after Eddy's sleeping, and tomorrow will be another 10.
Looking ahead to Sunday, it appears I'll still get to take part in a 20 mile slugfest with Mother Nature. Bring it!

10 Weeks to IAT50k

2011-02-27T18:46:00.003-06:00

Monday - 4 mile, easy DogJog around the 'hood.

Tuesday AM - 1 hour of shoveling. I was going to play basketball for an hour at the high school...and then I realized we had another 3-5 inches on the ground.

Tuesday PM - I had planned on an hour of running, but a later end of the work day got me home behind schedule. Ellie taught yoga tonight, which meant Edwin was taken along with me to a meeting, which meant we both were arriving home together to quickly get him ready for bed. By this point, I could have snuck out with the dog for an hour. Instead, I read the paper (there's a lot going on in Wisco right now, if you hadn't heard) and had a beer and spent some time with Ellie.

Wednesday - 5 miles, easy. Upset stomach and lazy feeling all over. I think that's interesting, considering I'm making an effort to pull back a bit on mileage and hours for the week, and I'm feeling much like I do during a taper.

Thursday - Weekly Long Run, 13.33 miles, easy effort until the last 4 miles. To close the run, I had a 6:53 and 6:33 split, which felt good. Heart rate stayed in check, and no stomach issues. I was home and cooking breakfast for the family by 8 AM too! Not a bad way to start the day.

Friday - Rest.

Saturday - 11 miles, 2 mile warmup, then 1 mile on, 1 mile off, then 2 mile cooldown. Fast miles were 6:37, 6:26, 6:24, 6:11. 6:43 final mile cooldown. Still cold, but it felt good to get some leg turnover! My Avg HR was 160 for the run. I'd like to have the same pace, but a HR in the low 150's by April.

Sunday - Rest. I planned on getting out for some easy miles, but yesterday's run left me gassed. I skipped an afternoon run in favor of a nap, and an evening run in favor of a beer. This was a recovery week, so I'm not letting it bother me too much (and the beer helps with that) and am looking forward to next week. Saturday's run left me looking forward to more tougher efforts as I build towards the StL Marathon and Ice Age.

Ice Age already reached its capacity, too. I'm looking forward to it, and hoping the Brewmaster (www.blogoftraining.blogspot.com -- I can't get the link to work and I blame blogger for it) will share some homebrew with me, despite the fact I'm only running the Junior Varsity event.

11 Weeks to IAT50k

2011-02-21T08:55:00.002-06:00

This previous week, the 6th week of base-building for me, has looked as follows:

Monday - Rest.

Tuesday - 6 miles, roads in town, easy pace.

Wednesday AM - 6.13 miles, flat roads in town, easy pace.

Wednesday PM - 3.8 miles, very easy running with Parsenn (dog).

Thursday - 18.81 miles, easy pace, fastest 4 mile splits were the last 4 miles.

Friday - Rest.

Saturday - 10 miles, easy effort until the last mile, where I picked it up a bit, but didn't let my HR exceed 160. Last mile was 6:33. Slowest miles were miles 1 and 2 (7:44, 7:27), and all other miles were between 7:12 and 6:33.

Sunday - 45 minutes, treadmill, 7% grade. We are experiencing another storm of 12 inches of snow at the moment.

Totals: 48 miles, about 7 hours. I really had a good run on Saturday, and felt GREAT to have some turnover in the legs during the last couple miles. I surprised myself with the 6:33 at the end. I'm really glad I got that Saturday run in, too, considering we're buried under 10 inches of snow once more.

This upcoming week should be a step-back week. I guess that's a good thing considering the weather. After 6 weeks of easy running and base building, I'd like to start with some tempo runs and more more speed work.

I also checked my Garmin Connect data, and I was running on the trails for the first time on March 14...it can't come soon enough!

12 Weeks to IAT50k

2011-02-15T08:43:00.004-06:00

8.5 Months, and looking forward to getting stroller rides.

Goals for this past week were 8 hours and 50 miles.

I managed 6.5 hours and 43 miles on 5 days. I've continued the MAF approach and have kept every run under 150 AvgHR. We had some brutal weather in the middle of the week, and that was followed by temps in the 30's and 40's the last couple days. Unfortunately, it's only the middle of February, so I'm guessing we've got more sub-zero temps and snow headed back our way.

The more I read about MAF, the more I seem to find that doing it for only a month (as I have) isn't nearly as effective as 3 months. I guess I don't have a big problem with continuing with the MAF approach, as the current conditions don't make it easy to run fast, anyway.

I really can't wait for the snow to melt and get some trail running done in preparations for Ice Age, as well as more opportunities to get Edwin out on some runs. He and Ellie enjoyed a 35 minute walk yesterday--taking advantage of this February thaw while we can!

Goals for this upcoming week? 7 hours, 45 miles.

Is it Spring yet?

2011-02-10T10:39:00.002-06:00

I'd just settle for 20 degrees.

13 Weeks to Ice Age

2011-02-07T06:48:00.000-06:00

Goals this week were:

1. 8 hours of Aerobic Base Building

2. A long run of 2.5 hours

Well, if you add in the total of 3 hours I've spent shoveling and snowblowing this week, I'm well past 8 hours. We received about a foot (who knows how much...with all the winds it's tough to tell) of snow along with 40-50 mph winds. That weather took care of any thoughts of running on Tuesday night, as well as Wednesday morning, so chalk those 3 hours up to 'cross training.' Still, I was able to run Monday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday morning. Thursday included a FC (F&^%ing Cold) run outside, followed by some work on my Hill Mill (my treadmill that I've raised up on blocks to increase the incline).

Friday was my second day off, and Saturday I worked through 18 road (roadish miles--we've got a ton of crap on my roads) miles at a decent pace and HR. I averaged 7:38 miles overall, but had a ton of energy in the final couple miles. I am thinking, with this effort, that sub-3 could be back on the table.

Sunday I put in a solid hour of MAF work on sloppy trails. This ended my week as follows:

7 hours, 45 miles. I'll take it.

Next week, 8 hours, 50 miles. At that point I'll be happy with my base, and ready to start increasing the leg speed.

Oh yeah...GO PACK GO!!!!

Man, I can't even imagine how much it would suck to be a fan of a terrible team. My condolences.

14 Weeks to Ice Age

2011-01-31T08:42:00.002-06:00

I wanted 7 hours this week in base building and fell a bit short, finishing up with about 6. I put in 2 hours of decent effort on Thursday morning in the snow (actually, almost all my runs were in the snow this past week, and considering we're supposed to get up to 18 inches in the next three days, that story isn't going to change).

This weekend I'm throwing around the idea of doing the John Dick 50K on Saturday morning. If I don't get there, then I'm hoping for a 3 hour run on the trails around here.

34 miles, 6 hours (with an additional 2 hours of shoveling) on the week. I'd like to have 8 hours this week...snow permitting :)

Base Building

2011-01-24T08:29:00.002-06:00

January weather in Wisconsin is not all that conducive to any kind of speed work (unless it's on a treadmill...and I HATE treadmills), so I'm taking a slightly different approach to my buildup for the April STL marathon and the Ice Age 50K. I've been running based on time and not really distance, and really working to keep my HR under 150.

Last week included about 6.5 hours of aerobic base building, with two long runs on the Ice Age Trail. I recently purchased a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes and loved them! Before getting the spikes I was in snowshoes, which I don't mind with the exception that my left foot seems to twist a bit at toe-off, resulting in my right ankle getting slammed by the snowshoe. Not fun.

With the STL marathon on April10, I'm hoping to continue with this aerobic building (HR under 150) until around February 10, at which point I'll have 2 months to start building more strength and speed.

I'm not sure that I will have a sub-3 performance in me at STL. I'm okay with that, though, as I'd much rather have more of my running done on trails (even with the 2 feet of snow we've got right now) than on a treadmill.

Hopefully this week will see my running time get up to 7-8 hours total with some more time on the trails.

30th on the 30th

2010-12-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

Get out of the way, Parsenn.

Edwin is now SEVEN months old. And he's kind of a big deal.

Thank you, Parsenn.

Yessirree, today's my birthday. My 30th. The big Three-Ohh. Yikes.

I'm going to celebrate with a nice 3 miler followed by 30 minutes of running.

Goals for my first year in the 30 year old age group include:

1. Breaking 3 hours in the St. Louis Marathon.
2. Breaking 4 hours at the Ice Age 50k.
3. Running all 31 miles of the Northern Kettle Moraine Ice Age Trail.
4. Breaking 4 hours at the Glacial Trail 50K (probably the most ambitious goal).
5. Finish in the Top 10 at the Fall 50.
6. Run at least a mile every single day of the year.
7. Read Atlas Shrugged.
8. Wake up at (or before) 5:05 AM 300 of the 365 days in the year.
9. Not sure what this 9th goal will be. TBD.

It's gonna be a GREAT YEAR! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to All!

Fun With Math

2010-12-12T22:51:00.004-06:00

Take a look at the picture below and use some sin/cos/tan action to give me the angle I've got my treadmill rigged to!

Not long after that post was taken (you can see him appearing stage left in the above photo), Parsenn appeared, stood in front of me, and wondered why exactly I would waste my time on something like Geometry when I could be outside with him playing in the snow.

Speaking of snow...here's a photo of me being told I'm not allowed to re-enter my home until I get rid of all the outer clothing that was worn while on snow removal detail. Welcome to Wisconsin! Today included a total of 5 hours outside clearing snow from my driveway, my sidewalk, and my neighbors' driveways...

In other news, I got in a couple decent runs this week. I'm battling a bad back--I know...not a good thing for a chiropractor to have--so I've limited the miles in favor of yoga and other activities. I ran 7 miles at sub-3 pace on Thursday, with a couple extra miles for a warmup, and then on Saturday, before the storm arrived, I ran 5 repeats of a local Ice Age Trail hill. I'm very disappointed to learn how little overall elevation change there is on this hill. But, then again, considering the events I'm training for (St. Louis Marathon, Ice Age 50K, and later on, Glacial Trail 50K again), I guess I don't need a TON of elevation. I only need the ability to hold a decent pace while doing a little bit of elevation over and over and over again.

Age Group Win!

2010-12-05T18:44:00.002-06:00

In my last race as a 20-something, I was able to bring home 1st in the 20-29 age group at this year's Sleigh Bell Run. I surprised myself with a 32:02 over 5 miles.

I'm pretty sure the age groups get tougher from here on, though.

Also, I should really try and have my eyes open for the photographer.

After today's 7.5 miler I've decided that my official training goal is to break 3 hours at St. Louis.

There. I said it. Well, I typed it. "Out loud," for all 6 of you to hear. Time to get going!

Offseason Fattening, Part 2

2010-11-30T08:23:00.002-06:00

I could use a shirt like this, too, especially after Thanksgiving.

6 months old...crawling, smiling even more, playing with balls and bats and basketball hoops...there's so much to be thankful for.

I've officially signed up for the St. Louis Marathon in early April. Then, it's on to the Ice Age 50K. The fall will find me back at Glacial Trail, and then I'm taking another shot at the Fall 50.

Hopefully there's a sub-3 hour marathon in 2011 as well.

Offseason Fattening

2010-11-18T06:17:00.004-06:00

Ahh...the 'offseason.' While I mentioned in my last post that I was reluctantly taking some time off from running, it didn't take long for me to fill up my normal training time with other tasks:

Eating
Getting up early to hang out with Eddy -- He has had some terrible nights of sleep and some great nights. We've fallen in to a bit of a routine that involves me getting up and getting showered by 5:30, then getting up with Edwin when he decides it's time to get going. I then hang out with him and entertain him until I need to leave for work, at which point I take him in my Ellie, he has a morning snack, and then takes his first nap of the day. Man, to be napping by 7:30 AM most days. What a life. Eddy is very, very close to crawling right now--doing that back-and-forth dance on all fours before going into a military crawl/worm wriggle combo to get where he's going. He looks more and more like his mom every day, and it's crazy to think at the end of the month he'll be .5 years old!

Helping myself to leftovers -- maybe this could be considered 'training' for Thanksgiving?
Work
Thinking about next year -- Races bouncing around in my head include Chippewa 50k (April?), Ice Age 50k (May), Keyes Peak 50k or Marathon (June), a Sub-3 Spring Marathon or a Sub-3 Fall Marathon, Glacial Trail 50k...or 50 Miles? (October), and the Fall 50 (October). I really wanted to train specifically for the Fall 50, focusing on longer road runs but then realized the kind of running that I like most is the kind of training I did a lot of this past summer--trails--and I had a great fall, winning a trail marathon and taking 3rd in a trail 50k. But is it conducive to running a successful marathon and breaking 3 hours, and running a road 50 miler, if I'm training the majority of the time on trails? SteveQ, resident coach pro bono...I'm waiting on you for some guidance. I'm also waiting to see what Glaven has to say about the 'pro bono' part of that
Thinking about turning 30 -- Yup, I turn the big Three-Oh on the 30th of December. I really wanted to do a 30 mile birthday run but it's not in the cards, as I'm leaving the next day for skiing in Winter Park. Other ideas floating around in the gray matter for the 30th year include a 30 mile run at least once a month for a year, running at least a mile every day for the year, finishing Atlas Shrugged in a year (for me, much more difficult than an ultra), reading 30 books in a year (would one of Glaven's posts count as a book? They're long enough, but much more interesting!), running 30 races in a year (not sure Ellie would approve), ... and some other ideas not worth mentioning due to the ridicule I would receive.
Wishing I could be at the North Face Endurance Championship in San Francisco (Loaded Field!!)
Looking forward to the annual Family Ski Trip (I've only missed one trip in the last 10 years) to Winter Park, CO.
Eating some more

So there you have it, my monthly update. I hear Eddy stirring...so it's time for me to sign off. Have a great Thanksgiving!

RELUCTANTLY approaching an 'off season'

2010-10-17T21:39:00.002-05:00

I'm still floating around on a rush from the Glacial Trail 50k. I ran the first half in 1:59, which has me thinking how I can break 4 hours on the course next year. It really is a tough course, and looking back at the available past years results, 4:09 stacks up pretty well, but sub-4 is almost, dare I say...'elite.' I live so close and am so familiar with the trail that I feel like I could really pinpoint the training and make it happen.
Next weekend I'm running the Fall 50 as a 4 person team. I'm responsible for about 30 of the miles, so it'll be a fun time, and I've already pegged next year's Fall 50 as my next try at the 50 mile distance. Speaking of which, I was talking to Ellie yesterday about that, and she told me that she just assumed I'd be done with marathons altogether (is that one word or two?) now that I've 'won' one, and that I shouldn't run a 50 miler until I win a 50k. That obviously led to me asking her, "So lets say I win a 50k. And then I train for and win a 50 miler. What happens then? 100k? 100 miles?"
Her response: "I'm not worried about that scenario ever playing out."
Spot on, I'd say.
I'm planning to pull back on the running over the course of November, December, and January. I definitely want to avoid injury first and foremost, but also allow for some real fire and desire to build up before the training starts again in earnest. As of now I really think the goal race will be Ice Age 50k, and I'd like to run Chippewa again...depending on the time of April (hopefully it's later April).
I also really want to run a fast marathon--fast being under 3 hours--but don't really want to train to do it. I'd rather it just happened while I was training for a trail 50k. I'm not sure that's possible, but we'll see how the running goes next spring and summer, and maybe I can work one in.
Until then, I'm really better off NOT thinking about it, and trying to hold myself to a REAL off season...although there are a couple winter 50k events already bouncing around in the back of my mind.
I just gotta get to this weekend, so I'm running again!

Glacial Trail 50k

2010-10-14T06:55:00.003-05:00

Well, this race did punch me in the face...but I didn't get knocked down. I finished in 4:09:18 and in 3rd overall. My Garmin was messed up so I don't remember many splits, outside of hitting Hwy 67 (Mile 7) in 52, and the half-way in 1:59. I'm happy with how the race went, and I only really got down and beat up in the final 5 miles.

Now for the long story...in drive-by fashion because time is currently limited by Edwin:

I thought for sure that I would be passed in the last 5 miles, but I kept running all the 'flats' (there aren't many of these) and the downhills (at a slow rate to avoid falling), and hiking the hills as much as possible. I knew two veteran Glacial Trail runners were behind me (Bruce and Joel), but somehow I never got caught and made it in to the finish in 3rd place.

I ran the final 26 miles on my own, after seeing David Smith (the defending champion) and Chris Rubesch (the Superior 50 record holder) take off ahead of me. I knew to stay away from those guys, but the next group behind me just didn't quite fit my pace, so off I went on my own. From that point forward I knew it wasn't likely I'd catch the top two and I ran 'scared' of getting caught in the end. I'm pretty damn happy I ran for 26 miles in 3rd place.

My parents were my 'crew' and it worked great. I even got some splits from them regarding where 2nd place was (Chris), and those splits were always between 2:30 and 1:45. The course never allows you to see even a minute ahead of you, so I never saw Chris after mile 16.

I've always had issues with my left shoulder (levator scapula muscle), and since I've gotten into the habit of holding Edwin on the left side the majority of the time, this race was brutal for the shoulder. It's still sore and really achy, especially at night. I need to fix this.

The course was beautiful! Most of the leaves were still on the trees, which was an added bonus because that meant there were fewer leaves covering up the trail!

I'm pretty sure this is the most low key event I've ever run. The finishing chute consisted of 5 orange cones, a table, a clock, and the RD Robert. That kind of event almost guarantees I'll be back every year! The beer and chili after the race didn't hurt either.

I'm definitely taking some time off from running in November and December...but having such a good run and surprising myself with my finishing time has me thinking about the next run...perhaps Chippewa?

Above is my favorite picture from the weekend. I'm entering the 'Butler Lake' aidstation, trading water bottles with my dad. He and my mom cut a vacation a day short to come home and help me out. He has a smile on his face and is even running in stride with me! Thanks to Todd Egnarski (a member of the LPTR's) for the picture!

Everyone has a plan - until they get punched in the face

2010-10-04T23:11:00.003-05:00

-- Mike Tyson

Well, that being said...here's my plan for the Glacial Trail 50k this Sunday:

I've run on this course more than any race I've ever run. I may have peaked a bit early for this event. My last 'tune-up' race a couple weeks ago went really well (I won the North Face Marathon). BUT despite that, I still feel like I can run well at Glacial Trail. So, we'll see what happens. I know I'm not going to win this event. There are a lot of fast runners on the starters' list. In addition, this has been an event that seems to favor those runners who have run the course. Because of my time on the course, I think I have higher expectations than I would if I wasn't familiar with the course, but I still think I need to temper those expectations. My legs just don't seem to have 'come back' in my runs since North Face.

Last week I ran a couple 'long runs' on the course, covering (on Thursday) miles .5-7 and back in a new record time for me, and then (on Saturday) miles 7-13.3 and back in another new record time. If I add those two runs together, I finished in 3:13. Could I run the entire course in under 4? VERY unlikely.

So, I'll go into this run and try to push in the flat sections but, at least on the way out of the out-and-back, go easy on the bigger uphills. The second half of this course is definitely tougher than the 'out,' and the last 7 miles will test me, for sure. If I can get to the last 2 miles with some energy left in my legs, then I know that the final 2 miles (which contains a downhill and then a road section) may give me some spurt for a good kick.

Overall goals? If I don't finish in the top 10 I'd be disappointed. I'd like to compete for a top 5. Time wise, I 'd like to PR in the 50k distance, which means a 4:23.

Until Sunday, I can just rest, eat right, hydrate, and think about that return run!

Marathon Photos

2010-09-23T09:18:00.000-05:00

At Mile 2, with Tony

3+ hours later, with a mile to go

Final Sprint!

Win!

Above photos courtesy of picturesonthego.com

Below photos courtesy of Crew Chief Josh:

At the Start

On the Podium

Fried Legs

More Fried, muddy, and bloody Legs

Ottawa Lake - My "ice bath"

Dean, Nic, Tony

Edwin, Medal, Hydration Pack

Good Job, Dad.

North Face Endurance Challenge Marathon

2010-09-19T06:58:00.005-05:00

Well, that was a surprise.

I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge Marathon this past weekend, and finished first overall in 3:21:15. Yup. Somehow, I won.

The North Face Endurance Challenge is a series of races and events taking place across the country throughout the summer. There are other 'challenges' in New York, Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Francisco. On the day of the Marathon (Saturday), there was also a 50 mile event and a 50K. Today (Sunday) there's a Half Marathon, a 10K and a 5K. Because of the fact that there was also a 50 mile race and 50K going on, I think the marathon field got watered down a bit, in terms of the real fast trail runners...but someone had to win, right!

I had originally signed up for this race as a final 'long run' before my #1 Goal Race this fall, the Glacial Trail 50K, which is run on the Ice Age Trail 15 miles from my house. I figured 26 miles on trails, with aid, would be a great way to fine-tune the nutrition needed to run 31 miles, and also get some hilly running worked in on tired legs. Because of that, I didn't really taper much going in to this run. In fact, on Thursday I ran one of my favorite 7 mile trail loops in what I think is a new fastest time for me. I had a full couple days at the office too, with plenty of time on my feet, so I was trying to go in to this event relaxed.

Still, I was feeling GREAT about my chances of running well, and I couldn't help but get a little excited about what Saturday my provide.

The race started at 9 AM in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest, near Dousman, WI. I was gone from home by 6:45 and drove down to Milwaukee, where my best bud, Josh, was waiting for me. Josh's brother has finished an Ironman, but other than that, I'm not sure he knew much about what he was getting in to by agreeing to be my "Crew." I had recruited him via email a couple weeks ago for a "huge favor that involved waiting, standing around, possibly getting muddy and wet (I was spot-on in that prediction), and pretty much using up your entire Saturday." Despite that, he agreed, and on the way from Milwaukee to the Start area I tried to explain exactly what I needed from him.

I had prepared a cooler with 5 bottles in it--one that I would carry from the beginning, and then 4 bottles that Josh would hand to me at each aid station (I cleverly marked them 1, 2, 3, and 4 to avoid any confusion :). Each bottle had a certain amount of electrolyte-replacement in it (in the form of nuun), and a certain amount of CarboPro for calories. The amounts varied depending on the amount of time I'd figure I'd be running between each aid station. I had also printed off several maps to help Josh get from point to point, with splits for a 3:40 finish. I guess I underestimated my finish time a bit. In my pocket, I carried a couple gels for a quick jolt of calories if needed, and S!Caps, which are salt tablets, in case I felt any cramps.

The course is a mixture of horse trails and single track, with an out-and-back section to start and end the route, then a 'lollypop' section, followed by an 18 mile loop, half of which is single track, and the other half is very hilly and rocky bridle trail. Here's a link to my Garmin Data for the run.

After some words from Dean Karnazes at the start, we were off. I ran with Tony, a friend from the area, for the first mile or two, just catching up and talking about our recent running. We were greeted with thunder and lightning, and then hail, for the first 4 or 5 miles. In addition to the weather from above, the fact that the 50 milers and 50K runners had also already been through this segment of course contributed to some SERIOUS mud. It was a mess. Tony and I passed one runner early on who mentioned that we should just get off the trails and finish up this marathon on the local roads. Uhh...no thanks. While the weather may not be ideal, it's, umm, a trail race.

Soon enough we came upon a straight stretch of the trail and Tony asked how many people were in front of us. I told him that the three runners we could see right now was it.

The five of us eventually turned in to four: Nic, Tony, Josh, and Doug. As we approached the first aid station, the fun and friendly conversation provided the information that this was Doug and Josh's first marathon. While I completely admit I was suddenly very seriously considering my chances of winning, I just kept my pace solid and easy. Tony mentioned at the start he was in the best shape of his running career (preparing to BQ this fall). Despite that, he'd agree that I'm a stronger runner at the moment. Both Tony and I had run the 50K here last year, so we were familiar with the course...which is relatively easy until you get on to the bridle trail about mile 15. That's when the hills really get going up and down and up and down. Because of this knowledge, I wanted to run very easily through mile 15.

The first aid station came at mile 5.5 and I never broke stride, just switching bottles with Josh (who no doubt was thrilled to be getting hailed on), and continuing on the Ice Age Trail portion of the course. Josh (runner) didn't stop in the aid station either, so the two of us pulled a bit ahead of Tony and Doug. Shortly Tony was back with us and Doug wasn't far behind. Somewhere in this part of trail I took my first of two major wipeouts...scraping up my left knee and slamming my new (and full bottle) into the ground, emptying a decent amount of its contents. I was back up pretty quickly and still feeling fine, no worse for wear.

At about mile 8, the trail exits the forest you and enter the 'prairies.' The trail is a mix of boardwalk (very very slippery when wet) and grass single track, meandering through the open meadows. Again, I reminded myself that its' easy to run fast through here because of the safe terrain and flat segments, but !remember! the race doesn't start until the hilly and rocky bridle trails.

Soon Josh asked if I wanted to pace for a while, so I passed him and kept going at what I considered a very sustainable pace. At some point Tony passed Josh, and while I could here their conversation yet, it seemed a bit quieter. I NEVER look back, so I thought perhaps they're slowing a bit. After the race, Tony and I were talking about this, and he had the same thought in mind that I did--that he was almost blocking for me :)

I opened up maybe 50 yards on them, but still kept my pace easy. I had decided Josh was definitley faster than me on the flat stuff...but I had a decent amount of confidence on my hilly and rocky trail ascending and descending from my time this summer on the Northern Kettle Ice Age Trail.

Soon enough Josh was back with me, and we picked up conversation right where we had left off earlier. That's what I really enjoy at the trail running scene--I've been in road races, running in the same pack of people for miles on end, and not a word is spoken. Here, everyone was so friendly, I was really wondering when my competitive juices would kick in, and I'd make a 'move.'

The final mile stretch in to aid station #2, at 11 miles, was terribly muddy but a straight clear view for the people at the aid station to see the runners coming...which, of course, meant I fell down in the mud again, in plain view of all of them. I felt really cool.

"Nobody saw that, right?" I said as I ran through the aid station. They laughed. Josh (crew, not runner) ran along side, exchanging bottles again with me. With the exception of my two wipeouts, I never once stopped running so far. Great crew!

I wasn't far from the aid station when Josh (runner) was caught back up to me again. Soon enough after that, Tony was back too. Josh asked what goals I had for today, and I told him I really didn't have any idea. He mentioned 3:30, and I told him that would be great for me too. I knew I was ahead of my splits, but I really had no idea how far ahead. At about mile 14 you leave the Ice Age Trail and make your way along a road, then join the bridle trail. I told Josh that this is where the hills start. And they start immediately...up and down, steeper than anything we've had on the course previously. This is about mile 15.

We ran up the first hill together, and as I went down the other side, I was able to open up a bit of a gap on Josh. He caught up on the next climb, but by the third or fourth hill, I had pulled away a bit. Well, I guess this is my 'move.' I didn't look back at all, and kept telling myself to go easy on the climbs, keep descending well, and remember that there's a lot of miles left.

As I entered the next aid station at mile 17.2, I again never broke stride, changed bottles with Josh, and kept going. This part of the course actually travels through an open field, so one could look back quite a distance if one wanted to. I resisted the urge to look back and see how much distance I had on Josh. I just knew that the next aid station was 5 miles away, and that at the 50K last year, this segment of the course beat me up a lot. There are really hilly sections (including the steepest hill on the course), but also really SANDY sections, where you simply sink in and slide around. As I left the aid station, I had two thoughts: 1) Keep drinking, and 2) If you don't walk, no one will catch you.

The realization of actually winning was really starting to become apparent now. I've never been in a situation where I'm running for place...let alone the win. I felt like I did a great job thus far of staying even, and running my own pace. Let's not ruin it now.

I walked for the first time all day at that big hill I mentioned earlier. It is long and steep, and there's a false 'summit' where the trail turns out of sight, but continues to ascend. At the top, my legs were really feeling the pace at which I'd hiked it. They felt 'crampy,' so I immediately got a Salt tab in, and got the water going again. I then ran down the backside at a decent clip.

The final aid station is at 22.5, and my only thought approaching it was to look as strong as possible. I had no idea who was behind me, or where, but I wanted to run right through that aid station, smiling the whole way. For the most part, I did, with the exception of a bottle handoff miscue after I tried throwing my empty bottle into the wind to Josh. That didn't work, and I broke stride just long enough to get my full one, and pick up the pace again. 4 miles left, one decent size hill, then a long descent, then a mile of road, and I'm home. Don't look back.

I ended up hiking a bit in this section, mostly in areas where the sand was TERRIBLE. I didn't want to fall or do something dumb, so I took it a bit easier. As I got back to a road crossing, it was pretty cool to hear the volunteers say, "Wait, that's a marathoner! First marathoner!!"

Soon enough I was descending the final portion of trail before going back on to the road to the finish. I was thinking about a lot at this point. Ellie and Eddy, and how pissed Ellie was going to be that she missed this. My sister, Kathy, who got me in to running, and now is struggling a bit with a knee injury that's keeping her from doing what she loves, and what she inspired me to do. My parents, who would've been my crew, but my dad had to work. I couldn't wait to call him. But mostly Ellie. She's given me so much MORE free time to run than I deserve. I feel like I do a decent job of time management, but, still...she's understanding of my running 'thing' and is so helpful. My biggest fan.

Finally, a right turn, off the road, and onto the last 20 yards. I managed a sprint across the line, finishing in 3:21:15. I even surprised the announcer, who didn't realize a marathoner was coming through. Pretty damn cool.

Not long after, Tony came through in 3:31 and second place! The day got even better. I was filthy, so I went over the lake nearby and took a dip, trying to clean up a bit too. The water felt great, and I ended up spending 5-10 minutes soaking in it, and soaking up the events of the day. It was surreal. I hung around for a couple (very, very small) cups of beer and the awards ceremony, where I scored a cool hydration pack and a big gold medal, and a handshake from Dean Karnazes.

Wow! I'm not sure what Glacial Trail can do to top this one. I'm almost afraid I peaked a bit early this season...

Is it Saturday yet?

2010-09-14T13:11:00.002-05:00

I'm chomping at the bit to run another marathon! I haven't run 26.2 miles or longer since last March, and I'm not sure I've had a break of that length in 3 years...which is most likely why I had the break I did---injury.

Last night I ran 3.5 miles with Parsenn at very casual "Parsenn Pace," then dropped him off and picked up the pace a bit for another 4.5 miles. I really tried to keep my stride smooth and not really get out of sorts breathing-wise, and ended up running 6:30-6:45 pace that entire time. I wasn't expecting that pace at all, and it only ramps up the anticipation for the marathon this weekend. I'll be driving down on my own (too much work for E&E to try and get down there) and meeting up with a friend who will crew for me. Because I don't want to taper too much, I'm still going to run relatively hard on Thursday.

Until then, I'm in full mini-taper madness!

3rd Last Long Run

2010-09-07T19:15:00.005-05:00

Last weekend was a great weekend. I managed a 25.5 miler on the Glacial Trail and averaged 8:18 pace, despite bonking pretty bad in the last mile. My last 3 long runs now have seen a steady improvement in pace, from 8:40, to 8:30, to 8:18. Up next is another long one this weekend (I think), then the North Face Marathon in 2 weeks, then a 3 week taper down and fine-tuning before the 50k. Here's what Garmin had to say for the run: In other news, I was in Kentucky two weeks ago for my brother-in-law's wedding, and it was a blast. This was our 'big' vacation for the summer--a 4 day weekend--and it was a beautiful location with great friends and family! The morning after the wedding I woke up with a Pounding Headache...

Wake up, Daddy from Nic Giebler on Vimeo.

Confidence Boost

2010-08-26T08:22:00.006-05:00

Due to family stuff this weekend, I was up early today to get my longer run for the week in. Last week I ran a 20 miler, and over Labor Day weekend I'm hoping to get in 2 seperate 20 milers, so this week was a less-daunting 12. I wanted to run it fast, as a sort of time trial to see where my fitness is.
The first section of the Glacial Trail course would fit the bill. It's a bit longer than 12 miles and is a run I've done quite a few times so far this year. Thus far, my best time was 1:44:29, with an AvgHR of 162, back in April--Pre-Edwin.

Success!

Today's run was finished in 1:40:54, with an AvgHR of 153. A couple downed trees had me crawling, straddling, falling, and on occasion I found myself not attacking the ups and downs. Additionally, I started running 20 minutes before sunrise, so the first mile was a bit cautious. Next time I'd love to get under 1:40. 12.58 miles, 8:01 pace.

This is just what I needed heading into the weekend, as the 3 of us are heading to a family wedding, where the father of the bride is an liquor distributor from bourbon country, and I'll be playing second fiddle and feeling sorry for myself all weekend to Edwin in his Tuxedo Onesie :)

PS I'm not sure Ellie would be up for a 50k on our 50th wedding anniversary. Wish I could be there!

4th Last Long Run

2010-08-20T14:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my 2nd 20 miler, and "4th-Last-Long-Run-Before-Glacial" and it went...okay.

I was hoping to have a faster pace, but when compared to my 20 miler from 2 weeks ago, my overall pace improved from 8:40 to 8:30.

I'm really happy with the nutrition plan I have going, but I'm starting to wonder how much is too much? I've read that one should shoot for 300 calories an hour. I did about 240 yesterday for the first 2 hours, and I almost felt like too much blood was in my gut absorbing the nutrients, leaving my legs a bit DEAD. I'll have to keep working on that.

Any thoughts? How much is TOO much when it comes to calorie intake?

Past Weeks, Upcoming Training, Planned Races, and the amazing "sleep schedule" of an 11 month old

2010-08-17T13:58:00.005-05:00

Well, the summer is rolling along! I got up this morning and headed to play basketball in the dark at 5:20 am. Today at the office the windows are open and the AC is off for the first time in a month, and I'm starting to look ahead to running in long sleeves again--well, at least sleeves. I may just use the 'arm panties.'

My weekly running update posts lasted all of 2 weeks. So, in a feeble attempt to catch up, I'll share the following:

I ran my first 20+ miler since the Trailbreaker Marathon in March. It was 2 weeks ago and entirely on the Glacial Trail course. I felt good nutrition-wise, but my legs need to get stronger, so once again I've picked up the habit of hill repeats at least weekly. Last weekend I ran a 'fast' 15 miles on the Trail at 8:15 pace, and didn't feel like it was all too tough. That really got me optimistic for the upcoming events.

I signed up for the North Face Trail Marathon in September, and then Glacial Trail in early October. I will also be running as a 4-person relay in the Fall 50...with Ellie and my in-laws. The only way they'd sign up is if I guaranteed to cover 30 miles. Done. That event is in late October, so this leaves November for either 1) a sub-3 marathon attempt--not likely or 2) a "thru-run" of the Ice Age Trail in the Northern Kettles (31 miles). I'm not sure yet, but the fact I haven't run a single 'repeat' of any distance yet doesn't bode well for a fast marathon.

This week I'm hoping to run 22 miles of the course, then next week is a recovery week and a wedding trip to Kentucky. The following week, Labor Day, I'm hoping to do a 20 miler and a 24 miler on the long weekend. Then I'll pull back for a week before racing the North Face Marathon, which will hopefully go well and give me a lot of confidence before I taper down for the Glacial Trail 50k on October 10. Sheesh, that mildly resembles a training schedule!

Schedule? Did someone say schedule? Tell that to Eddy, who was up at 11:30 pm, 12:45 am, 3:00 am, 4:30 am, and 7:00 am last night.

'Win

2010-07-26T19:48:00.001-05:00

Tummy Time
I'm good at burping...as you can see.
Edwin's Baptism

Weekly Fortnight (That's two weeks, right?) Rundown

2010-07-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

Yikes! Time keeps on slippin' away!
Last week was my biggest weekly mileage week in a looong time. Other than some minor aches in my foot after a 19 miler on the Glacial Trail course last Saturday, in the mid day heat, the only objections from my body seem to be those dull muscular aches. I hit 48 miles total on 6 runs. Not bad.
Ellie has been battling a cold for a while now, and my body finally succumbed as well. I'm already over it as of tonight's 10 miler induced several farmer blows and I'm looking forward to next week. I missed Wednesday through Saturday due to the illness, but now I'm back at it.
I ran at Walla Hi County Park tonight, for the first time since last spring, the day after I ran the Trailbreaker Marathon. I avoided the park for a couple reasons: 1) last fall I found a tick on Parsenn after the run, and 2) the park tends to get completely overgrown--not just with tall grass, but with thorns--in the summer. Today I found the trails in relatively decent shape and will likely return soon for some more hills, but also found exactly one other guy driving around the park, in a way that kinda creeped me out. All windows open on his early 90's Jeep Cherokee, blasting some romantic elevator music (seriously), just moving around the park, parking in different areas. When I ran by, he'd follow me from a distance, then re-park. After I'd get past him, he'd turn up the music even louder. Finally, after I finished up my 1:20 run, I was standing by my truck, he drove by and very subtlely nodded his head, as if to say, follow me, as he drove past.
It didn't really dawn on me what motives he was most likely at the park for, until I was telling this same story to Ellie, and she filled me in. I guess she's a bit more street smart than me.

Creepy. (that guy at the park, not Ellie)

Moving On...

I've got a TON of pics of Edwin I want to share so I hope to update this post with some photos of my man (who turns TWO MONTHS OLD on Wednesday!!) soon.

See you on the trails!

This Week's Rundown (13 weeks)

2010-07-11T17:53:00.001-05:00

This Week's Hidden Wildlife Photo

Monday -- continuing my newfound moderation, I didn't run but instead biked 33 miles. On Sunday I had biked 17 miles, so a nice even 50 in less than 24 hours.

Tuesday -- 4 easy (and I mean EASY) miles in the morning. My foot wasn't liking the run, and I wasn't liking the humidity.

Wednesday -- again...moderation! Rest!

Thursday -- 15.5 miles on the Ice Age Trail. I was 'paced' by swarms of mosquitoes and deerflies. Hot and Humid and sticky--gotta love Sconny this time of year. I ran the Glacial Trail course from the turnaround to the road (which starts .5 miles from the finish) in 2:11.

Friday -- Rest! And lots of work. I closed the office on Monday for the holiday, so everything got smushed into the end of the week.

Saturday -- 7 Miles-- 1 mile warmup, 5 mile Cheesehead Chase, 1 mile cooldown. I ran 7:25 miles pushing a stroller with a 7 month old in it (my nephew) and had an AveHR of 171. I'll call that a decent tempo effort--35+ minutes at 170 HR.

Sunday -- I wanted to get another 7 miles in, but no such luck today. A fussy baby, some car repairs, and work got in the way, so...Hey--Moderation! I'll continue my increase in activity and mileage once again next week.

*After reading about the Devil's Lake race this past weekend, I guess I've got to add it to my list. Last fall I ran around Devil's Lake and LOVED it. In a couple weeks I'm attending a seminar nearby, so I'm hoping to get a run in once again.
*The North Face finally posted information about the upcoming Endurance Challenge in Wisconsin, including the course map for the events. I'm looking forward to the marathon, as it features what were my favorite portions of the 50k event from last year.
*My son started rolling over from his tummy to his back this week. Wow, does time fly!

It's Good to be Back!

2010-07-05T08:43:00.006-05:00

See the Whitetail?

Finally, a decent schedule is emerging from my new responsibilities. I'm easing back into running and feeling few side effects in my feet. Thursday was exactly 5 weeks since I ran longer than one hour, and I felt great! I put some time in on the Glacial Trail course and found it to be very overgrown in the prarie sections. Luckily I had generously applied OFF! and found no evidence of ticks after running through it. Letting the tips of the grasses hit my palms reminded me of the closing scene of Gladiator, with several obvious exceptions regarding myself and Russell Crowe :)

My "Gladiator" Moment

Then, on Saturday, while I wanted to run LONG again on the trails, I took a more prudent approach to my return and did a nice tempo 8 miler on the trail.

Yesterday, in another amazing feat of discipline, I didn't run but instead biked for 1:30. That was followed with some yard games and pool time to celebrate the wonderful weather and country we live in!

This morning the plan was to get in about 8 miles on the trails...but last night was a bit late with Edwin, so instead, I'm writing about my training last week. And as of about a minute ago, I can hear the little guy waking up...so I better wrap this up and go get him before he wakes Mumma!

One Month

"Look! A dinosaur! Oh, nope. Just Parsenn."

Chilaxin' with Dad.

Edwin's First Swim! (Perfectly framed to keep the bits and pieces out of the picture :)

Still Not Running...

2010-06-21T07:50:00.002-05:00

Well, my feet are more injured than I've wanted to acknowledge over the course of the last month. Way back in April I started to have issues and took off a couple weeks, thus cancelling my plans to run Chippewa and Ice Age. Edwin's arrival came one day after my last long run, which was cut short because I was feeling a decent amount of plantar fasciitis in both feet. I really didn't want to admit it then and thought a couple weeks off would remedy the situation.
It's been 3 weeks, with a total of 11 miles of running in that time, and even this morning I experienced that tearing sensation with the first couple steps out of bed. I think this injury is built on several facets:
1. Since running the Fall 50 in October 2008 (and I ran that after running two marathons in the same month), I've never really had an 'off season.' I ran the Icebreaker Marathon in January of '09, and continued to run steadily straight through this past winter, and then ran the Psycho Wyco 50K last February. I can remember thinking way back in January that I was tired, and should really take a decent amount of time off. In fact, before February's 50K I did, and really wasn't that excited about the event. I think the stress of constant running/training finally wore me down, along with...
2. The fact I stopped playing basketball, or really doing any other activities outside of running and biking. I dabbled a very small amount in cross-fit stuff, but not much. I think I need to cross train and diversify my activities, instead of simple running all the time. And that starts tomorrow...there's an open gym in town, and it's time for me to embarrass myself on the hardwood once again.
3. Work and family stress definitely is playing in, too. I'm loving fatherhood and had a GREAT first Father's Day, and definitely need to continue to develop energy based on smaller amounts of sleep. I also need to get into running in the mornings...which isn't good right now when my feet are most painful in the morning.
4. I have run almost exclusively in minimal shoes for the last year--from flats during road marathons to NB 100's on the trails. I absolutely LOVE the feel of those shoes, but perhaps it's too much?
5. I tend to skip a lot of the smaller runs during the week, but then pile on the mileage on the weekends. This past spring I'd run maybe once or twice during the week, hardly ever more than 5 miles, but then run for 2 hours minimum on the trails on the weekend, occasionally on back to back days. That's not smart. I need to run more on a daily basis and build up gradually.
6. I think my current injury really comes down to the fact my Chippewa 50k nemesis is also injured, and she sabatoged my feet somehow (most likely some form of Irish Witchcraft).

so...where to go from here?

Back to Running, Take 2

2010-06-15T08:10:00.003-05:00

2-week-old Edwin trying to blame that 'smell' on the stuffed rabbit.

Well, My week-long hiatus ended yesterday after 2 weeks. Things are still busy with the little guy at our house, so another week sans running was needed. Mom and Son are doing great, but there's really no schedule as of yet, so the running is still on the back burner. I did manage 5 miles last night, 7:30ish pace, and felt decent. My feet still aren't right--both of them now--and I need to keep an eye on them. I'm hoping to get some decent miles in this week, but there are more important priorities, for sure!

See you next week!

PS...can you figure out what the pictures on Edwin's shirt represent? Hint: Football.

Back to running, 18 weeks to Glacial Trail

2010-06-05T16:31:00.004-05:00

With a Euro Mullet like that, I guess Eddy is pulling for C. Ronaldo to lead Portugal to victory in the World Cup.

Well, I've officially survived the first week of fatherhood and have learned several things.

I'm very good at removing snot with a turkey baster type thing.

I'm not very good at getting those darn onesies over Eddy's head.

I'm average at diaper changing.

Last week was the first 'zero week' in terms of mileage I've had in 2010. I had a couple temptations to sneak out for a run but passed them up. So, today, after walking around with the boy in the early morning I headed out with the best intentions of running about 17 miles of the Glacial Trail course. I made it 14 miles, about 1:50 running time, before finding myself out of water, gels, and much 'hop' in my legs. My right plantar fascia was starting to feel it too, so I took a shortcut along a road to get back to my car, finishing in 2:01 and about 16 miles.
Eddy sleeps like a college kid, so I made it back home by 11:30 am and he was still asleep. I'm thinking the mornings will be my time, and I'll make the most of them!

Sleep Deprivation...

2010-06-02T07:55:00.004-05:00

is settling in, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

The only problem is that I'm starting to resemble my son by about 2:30 pm...

I should probably put this late night "training" to good use and just sign up for the Kettle 100, right?

And here's an even better picture of Mumma and "Win":

Say Hello To

2010-05-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

Edwin Nicholas
Born 5-28-10 1:14 pm
8 lbs 11 oz. 21 "

Due Date!

2010-05-21T05:55:00.002-05:00

Well, it's here! May 21. Ellie's due. No sign of baby yet...

I like Helen's approach to the blog. I can't just retire it whenever I decide to. I've got to earn the retirement! Have I accomplished all the things I set out to accomplish with this blog? NO!
I still haven't broken 3 hours in the marathon.
So there you go. The blog lives on...for now. And through the fall, as I don't see a viable option for a sub-3 effort fitting into the schedule. I really want to run well at North Face in the Marathon, and I really want to run well at Glacial Trail. So perhaps next spring I'll try to break three hours.
Wait...no...I want to run Chippewa again (and dominate Helen again) and really want to run Superior. And, speaking of next year, is everyone aware of this crazy idea?
Yesterday was another decent run on the Glacial Trail course. The temps reached into the 70's, and it got pretty muggy. I didn't have a ton of spring in my legs, so I actually cut the run a bit short. I ran a bit harder in the 2nd half of the run, but still nothing all too crazy. I took a couple pictures...one of a section of the trail similar to this section of the Superior Hiking Trail, only much more forgiving...

...and another picture of the board walk...a portion of the trail that lets me know I'm very close to my car once again...

2 weeks

2010-05-10T14:50:00.005-05:00

Wow! Time is flying!

Last Thursday I had my best run yet and haven't had any problems with my foot. I think I may have simply put too many miles (and too many pavement miles) on my original pair of New Balance 100's. A new pair arrived last week and they feel a lot more sturdy (if that shoe can be called 'sturdy'). I'm working on steadily building up the long run each week, adding 15 minutes each time. Last week's run was supposed to be about 2 hours, but I felt great, and my HR stayed relatively low, so I pushed the pace and it ended up being 1:45. I'll take it, though. This week I'm aiming for 2:15.

I really missed Ice Age this year--it was going to be a goal race for the spring before the foot issues, and reading about the run is only making me more jealous. Huge congrats to the finishers...no matter the time!

Last night Ellie said, "I'm ready to meet my baby." She's huuge in the belly region, and the anticipation is growing each day! I still contend the baby will be (a) late and (b) a girl, but she thinks otherwise.

I hope the baby doesn't arrive TOO late, as I've still got my eyes on a local marathon over Memorial Day weekend. If the long runs continue to build, I'll be ready for a 3:10-3:20 marathon by then.

My next post will likely include baby pictures...and may be the last for the blog. I started the blog tracking mileage and training, and now I just do that on Garmin Connect anyway. I'm throwing around the idea of making the blog private and then including more family and non-running stuff into it, but I guess we'll see.

In the meantime, HAPPY TRAILS, congrats to Brad, Matt, Tony, and all the other finishers at Ice Age, and keep praying for a smooth delivery of the little one!

The Planks at Mile 1 of the Glacial Trail course.

4 weeks

2010-04-22T21:59:00.002-05:00

4 weeks until my baby's due date. Things have gone well, with the exception of baby staying breech. On Monday Ellie will have the 'version' technique done, hoping to get the baby vertex (head down). In my opinion, this baby is definitely a girl. She takes after her mother in terms of stubbornness.
It's not fun to think about, but at the same time, there's not much else we could have done to prevent the breech position. Here's to hoping and praying all goes well, and the baby stays head down.

4 weeks since my last decent run, too. I ran tonight, covering the first 5 ish miles of the Glacial Trail 50 course. I had a head full of junk, but trail running works wonders on stuff like that...especially when your foot doesn't object in any way. It felt like utopia to hop over rocks and roots, and while my heart was thumping, it felt so good to be back! Still, I'm going to Ice Age to crew, and will continue to build slowly back to a decent running base.

In 4 weeks I'll be a daddy (probably) and also have a decent base developed to really start training for Glacial Trail. THAT'S my focus for the fall in terms of running. I want to kill it at that race.

Providing spousal and baby approval, of course!

Stray Bullets

2010-04-12T18:07:00.000-05:00

I'm signed up for the Navarino Marathon this weekend. I won't be there.
I tried running on my left foot this weekend and made it about 1.5 miles before a strong tearing-like sensation began in my outer left foot. It progressively worsened, and after covering less than 3 miles in 34 minutes, I was done. I then limped (badly) around the house for the remainder of the DAY. Not good.
I may have a stress reaction or stress fracture in my foot.
I blame the pavement at Trailbreaker for it...and the fact my mileage in the weeks before Trailbreaker simply wasn't where it needed to be. But still, it's the pavement.
I'm going to be biking like a mad man for a couple weeks, and working in some 'crossfit' stuff.
It's very doubtful, but I'd love to be at the Ice Age 50K
I am going to train and run like a man possessed for the Glacial Trail 50k in October...pending spousal and baby approval.
This may be the last update here for a while--but for those keeping score, the baby is 6 weeks (ish) away!!!
I love bullet points, almost as much as I hate MapMyRun
Big congrats to Helen on Chippewa (but I still have not seen a single photograph of her drinking anything but some protein recovery crap)
Big congrats to Matt P on a great run at Zumbro, and an even better write up
I'd link to these things but am too lazy...hence the bullet points also
I really hope SteveQ (a) doesn't retire from racing and (b) accepts me as a coaching client for the fall
I'm tired of Glaven being nice.
That is all, see y'all in a couple weeks, once the biking miles are in and I'm running again!
TONIGHT ON MTV IS A "TRUE LIFE" EPISODE ABOUT NF. I run for the NF Endurance Team...so check it out if you get a chance. It'll be eye-opening, I assure you!

Chippewa's Out. Probably.

2010-04-06T12:55:00.002-05:00

I went for a walk with Ellie and Parsenn last night, and was limping roughly three driveways from our house. I'm getting it worked on today and Thursday, but Ellie made a pretty good point, when she asked how I was going to run 31 miles, no matter how well it heals, only a couple days after not making it 31 feet.

Uggh! Frustrated!

It doesn't hurt at all, or not much at all, during the day. Xrays are fine. Ultrasound feels good. Standing's fine. It just hurts if I walk more than 50 feet continuously.

Here's a good article on what exactly the problem is. I'll have it worked on the rest of the week daily and hope that I can run the marathon scheduled for April 17.

Uh Oh.

2010-04-02T07:51:00.003-05:00

I wish this was April Fools.

This week has been a great week of running. The day after Trailbreaker I ran trails for an hour and a half. Monday was 7 miles, with some speed work (including my first sub-6 minute mile in a workout of the year!). Tuesday was a decent hill repeat workout.

Then Wednesday, after getting done with work, Ellie and I took Parsenn for a walk. While I was on my feet all day and pain free, that walk flared something up, and the outside edge of my left foot was really, really sore--like there was a stone in my shoe.

Yesterday I felt fine again all day. I spent 4 hours in the morning clearing a fence line with my brother-in-law, then volunteered at the local elementary school, and then took off for the trails to do a "time trial" workout--about 2 hours of running at threshold level.

It started off great, as I finished the first 33 minutes at sub-8 pace (a good effort for me on the Ice Age Trail). Then my left foot started aching. Bad.

I ended up hiking back to the car after about 55 minutes of running and cutting my 2 hour run short, at just 71 minutes.

The foot continued to stiffen up on the ride home, and after some light therapy treatment at work, it was really sore. Today I'll run ultrasound over it and see how that goes. I'm still not sure what's going on, but I had big hopes for this weekend! I guess it's time to get the tires inflated on the road bike!

I'm not signed up for Chippewa yet, and that will officially be a decision made on Friday.

I'm thinking it's my cuboid subluxated inferiorly. Now, if I was Steve, I'd just find a stick and stomp my foot on it to fix it. If I was Helen, I'd be flexible enough from yoga to adjust it myself.

If I was Glaven, I'd start picking out a biking route (to use on my bike named after some dumb singer) on MapMyEFFINGRun.com.

Have a great Easter, everyone!

Trailbreaker Marathon Race Report

2010-03-29T22:47:00.004-05:00

Short story (who am I kidding--all my infrequent posting lately is 'short story' form)

Results here. I knew I wasn't in as good of shape as last year, when I ran 3:15 despite walking the final .7 miles. This year, however, was just as satisfying, as I was able to finish relatively strong and I improved upon my running nutrition practices. And, oh yeah, for the second time in my life (and first time in a Marathon), I won my age group!

Long story

Looking ahead to future races, I really want to run well at Ice Age in May. Looking backwards, I really haven't been running very many miles recently. I decided the Trailbreaker Marathon would be the "kick start" I needed to get training.

This course is a unique one that follows a rails-to-trails path for about 10 miles, then transitions to the single track Ice Age Trail for 3 miles. The "halfway point" (it's actually a bit further than halfway) is a climb of Lapham Peak, where volunteers are waiting for you at the top with a cowbell to ring. Runners then turn around, follow the same IAT back, and end up on the same rails-to-trails path back to where you started. I've run this marathon twice and learned from those experiences (3:47 in 2007, 3:15 in 2009) that the key to the run is to NOT run the first 10 miles very hard, NOT blast up the trail, NOT bomb back down the trail...thus saving some strength in the legs for the flat paved bike path back to the finish line. By the time one is back on that path, the field is very, very spread out, there are only 1 or 2 aid stations, and one is close to that 2:30 running time area where your body starts looking for new sources of energy.

So, knowing that, I really wanted to focus on having a good training run and getting the miles in. I knew I could run the first 10 miles and keep the leaders in my sights (which is how I ran last year), but this would spell DEATH MARCH in the closing miles. Instead, I started very slowly.

So slowly that I damn near quit within the first two miles. Running only in shorts and a tshirt, a mild headwind and mid-30's temperatures had me FREEZING. "Should have worn the Arm Panties," I kept thinking to myself.

Finally, about 4 or 5 miles in, I was warmed up. The sun came out about this time also, and now I was the smart one--at least in terms of attire. About mile 6 another runner caught up to me and shared with me that he had been trying to catch me for about 3 miles. He was breathing heavy, and was sweating pretty bad. As we ran, he told me he was overdressed (he was wearing a baseball cap with a stocking cap over it, gloves, two long sleeve shirts, and a shortsleeve shirt) and began to take off layers. I even helped, holding on to one of his shirts while he removed another. I didn't say anything, but this didn't look good for his overall "trailbreaker experience."

Soon enough he moved on. I almost felt bad, but I simply wasn't feeling all that social during the run. And judging by the pictures (bib #55, if the link doesn't work), I didn't look all too friendly, either. I'm not sure why--maybe because this is the first marathon (of 22 total) that I've run without any family member there. I drove down on my own, ran it, and drove home. I had always wanted to have a "solo day," but perhaps I didn't run as well as I could have because of this.

Finally, with 2 Gu's in my belly, I was finally off of the pavement and on to the trail. Ahhh....
I soon passed two runners in front of me, and began to look for the leaders coming the other way. My legs immediately had a "pep" in them, and I landed softer, pushed off stronger, and simply felt HAPPIER once I was on the dirt. It's an odd feeling to try and explain if you haven't run many trails, but for me, the trails just feel right. It wasn't long into the climb to the tower and I caught the guy dressed in too many clothes. "You're a much better trail runner than I am," he said. I smiled, shared with him that he should forget about the GB marathon he's training for and instead run Ice Age. He told me I'm crazy. I wasn't insulted though. Soon enough he's going to discover the trails.

The final part of the trail is the roughest and ends in some steps...which only lead you to the foot of the tower, which must be climbed. This year they even had a cowbell waiting for the runners on top to 'ring.' Approaching the tower, the picture from my last post was taken...those steps really zap you. (I think that "photographer was using a cell phone or something--I truly don't remember anyone up there with a camera at all. But that may have been the pissed-off mental attitude talking.) At that point I remember thinking about the speedsters that passed me on their descent down the trail. I remember noticing how hard they were working--sweating, breathing, not replying with a "Yeah, you're looking good too" as they whizzed by. This race is so interesting to me because of that. It's really 3 different races, and the strategy is something I'm still working on. The leader on the descent (leading by about 45 seconds) ended up 3rd overall. After the trail, there's still a lot of race left.

But back to my race...I rang the cowbell and took the steps 2 or 3 at a time on the way down. A volunteer had filled my water bottle for me when I left it on the way up, so I collected that, disposed of the Gu that had exploded in my hand (the first of 2 to do so), and started my descent. I ran hard down the trail and felt sooo good going downhill. If you haven't picked up on it yet--I love the trails :)

Unfortunately in this event, the trail part ends, and you still have about 10 miles to run. On pavement. Pancake flat pavement. Without anybody else around for the first 4 ish miles.

The first few steps on the pavement simply deaden your legs. The legs respond with a "wait a second...what the...ahhh I quit" type feeling. It's hard to explain, but once experienced, and saddled with the knowledge you're at mile 16, and your "pep" from the trail run recedes quickly.

But I plugged along, and actually passed a couple runners I recognized from my ascent and their descent. I figured I was someplace around 12th (I was actually in 11th but would be passed later), but really starting to feel the trails and the previous 10 pavement miles. But this time I approached the sensation of "bonking" differently.

It was about Mile 19, and I had given in to walking. I was a bit lightheaded, my gut was messed up, and I barely grasped my handheld--just enough not to drop it. I felt like crap. In previous runs, at this point I've called it quits (Twin Cities last fall comes to mind, right about the time I saw Matt P) and just slogged it in, deciding that no water or sugar or salt would help. This run, however, I realized my body's signals weren't a white flag, but more a sign that it needed something. I popped an SCap (and almost burped/barfed), then started sipping on a Gu and forcing intake of water to make sure the salt/sugar got absorbed. While I didn't want to take anything in, I kept telling myself that this stuff is fuel--not food--and that my body needed it. I also decided that I've GOT to find another way to get in calories--real food calories--while running. Chocolate Outrage Gu is causing a full blow Outrage mutiny in my gut.

I'll be honest. You've probably read about someone taking a gel in, and 5 mintues later feeling GREAT! I'm not sure I've ever had a "light turn on" like that. I felt far from "great," but the gel and salt kept me moving...I no longer had the urge to walk.

I got another jump from joining the half marathoners along the course. Those poor souls run 13.1 miles of the pavement--an out and back along the marathon route. The half maratho starts an hour (?) later than the marathon, so I felt great and moved a bit quicker, trying to pick off each of those runners.

Down the stretch, back into downtown Waukesha, and finally...the finish. I admittedly got passed by another marathoner with about a mile to go and had ZERO ability to respond, but I was still able to pick up the pace a bit down the stretch, and came across the line in 3:26. 11 minutes slower than last year...but I felt better overall at the end of this one. I congratulated the fella who passed me down the stretch and made my way inside. Soon enough Jerry recognized my truly blank stare (I was really, really low on blood sugar at that point) and we talked for 15 minutes while I engorged myself on frosted cinnamon rolls. Wow, tasty!

Talking to Jerry was a blast! We picked up right where we left off at one of the numerous other events we've met at--Icebreaker, Lakefront Marathon, North Face 50K (I'd provide links but I'm lazy)--and I'd have never met him if it weren't for this post, way back in '08. Soon enough, after Jerry had talked race plans, our runs this morning, and daughters (I DON'T know what I'm having, but I feel like it's a girl. and Jerry has 4), the RD started announcing the age group winners. "You win anything today?" he asked. I replied NO immediately, but told him I was going to check the results. We got up, went seperate directions, and I was kicking myself for not shaking his hand and saying "see ya at the next race!"

I got to where the results were posted...fought my way to the front...realized they were the 5K results...moved to the other results...and realized, despite finishing 12th overall...I won the 20-29 age group! No, Matt I wasn't the only 20-29 participant. There were 8 others. So there.

This is my second ever age group win. My first was the benefit of having a bunch of YOUNGINS finish in front of me. This one? Well, all 11 in front of me were 30 yoa or older. Not bad!

While running the Trailbreaker this year, I had myself convinced this would be the last year. Yet, looking back, there's just a lot that intrigues me about this race. Example: is it possible to run even splits out on the paved portion, and then back?

All the thoughts I have about this race really just add up to, you've gotta try it. Yes, it's low key. There are ZERO spectators. There are even fewer amenities (although this year they had 2 taps of beer running at the end, but it was fizzy yellow beer, so I didn't have any). Still...

chances are, I'll be back next year.

working on the race report...

2010-03-29T14:47:00.002-05:00

but in the meantime, check out the greatest race photo ever by clicking here.

Invisible Training

2010-03-25T21:18:00.002-05:00

I recently listened to an Endurance Planet podcast featuring Charlie Engle, in which he mentioned hearing once that Michael Wardian practiced "Invisible Training." Wardian gets the majority of his miles in at times that no one else is around, like early in the morning and over lunch, etc. As fatherhood approaches, I've been trying to do the same by getting miles in early, before work. My results have been lackluster. I simply don't like running then, and the whole idea of "training" hasn't been all that fun, either. I pretty much enjoy doing hill repeats occasionally, and mostly just running on trails for as long as time allows. So while I'm trying to "train invisibly," I'm only really finding out that my training has been invisible and non-existent.

Which brings me to this weekend, when I'm running the Trailbreaker Marathon. I ran 3:15 last year at this event and was pretty happy with that time. This year I'm considering anything under 3:20 a success. If I break 3:20 I will reward myself with beer. If I finish in something over 3:20 I will console myself with beer.

I'll be back this weekend with a race report. Promise.

Back to Building

2010-02-22T14:54:00.005-06:00

Parsenn Sprinting Downhill

Parsenn Power Walking Back Up

Last week didn't go quite as planned, running wise. I only managed 3 hours of running, all on snowshoe trails at an easy (Parsenn accompanied) pace. My left foot/big toe had been feeling tight and sore since Psycho so I guess a step back (albeit a HUUUGE step back) week was in the cards. It's snowing again today, so I guess I can wait a while before hitting the trails up in hopes of the snowshoers packing it in again.

I did manage a couple pictures of my dog on the trails. One can learn a lot from him:

Walk the uphills.
Bomb the downhills.
Take your time and look around for deer/squirrels/leaves/shadows/a tree that should be urinated on.
Stay hydrated. (i. e. eat (white) snow and submerge your head in (white) snow as needed.)
When you're feeling good, run faster!
Always be happy.
When finished, nap.

None of those items (especially the 'happy' part) occur with Parsenn when he's on a sidewalk, with a leash. Odd, huh :)

This week will get me back on track with some longer runs and more speed work. 5 weeks to Trailbreaker (now they have a website!), and then it's on to Chippewa. Let's get Building!

Run Toto Run 50K

2010-02-14T17:49:00.009-06:00

From Psycho Wyco

Last week the RD, Bad Ben, sent out a message with the forecast for the 2010 running of the "Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K" that simply read, "There will be Mud."

Can you say "Understatement?"

I arrived in KC for the event on Late Friday night and made sure to get in touch with my ride the following morning--The TC Running Company. After getting in touch with Helen and settling in with a bit of the Opening Ceremonies, I was asleep fast. I didn't know what I'd be wearing the following morning, but I figured all the possibilities (including the Arm Panties, Steve) would just go into a dropbag. I slept like a rock, and before I knew, it was 5:55 AM.

Breakfast was a bagel and some jelly, followed by a banana, and as much water as I could get in me. I met up with the TCRC in the hotel lobby, and between our little group and all the other runners in the lobby (ours was the closest hotel to the event), there was quite a bit of a "buzz" in the air. I was excited.

Once we arrived at the park, I took off to get registered and jog around a bit. I decided on gloves and a long sleeve shirt--no arm panties--and placed my refill water bottles in an easy-access point near the start/finish area. The course is a 10.35 mile loop that is run once for the 10 mile race, twice for the 20, and (duh) 3 times for the 50k. Over 500 runners took place in total, so you can imagine the trail conditions by that final lap...

It wasn't long and we were off! I started off nice and easy along a steady climb up to the bridal trails and found myself somewhere around 15th through the first portion of trails. I power hiked, short-stepped the uphills and felt great going downhill. This first loop was runnable everywhere, and the footing was decent, but already showing signs of softening. The single track sections of the course--the "triangle" and "Fester's Wander" were BY FAR my favorite times on the course. I looked forward to these sections more and more with every lap. I kept a decent effort and worked my way through lap one not really knowing where I was AT ALL on the course.

From Psycho Wyco

I tried to focus on calories, water, and exertion level, and surprisingly soon I found myself at the start, done with a Lap 1 in 1:27, in about 9th or 10th place.

I grabbed the next bottle at my bag, this time with Kona Cola nuun, and got a couple Gu's from the table, and off I was for lap two. The incline from the start and beginning of the bridal trail had me burping and feeling crappy, for some reason. Soon enough, though, I was into the "Triangle" again, and immediately felt better! Things had spread out quite a bit by now, so I just focused on keeping my calories coming and working a steady pace. I really didn't know what kind of shape I was in overall, and the fact I KNEW the course was going to deteriorate terribly over the next couple hours, had me wondering how fast is "too fast," but at the same time wanting to "bank" time if it got ugly down the stretch.

I can't say enough about the aid stations and the volunteers. The Trail Nerds put on a FIRST CLASS (for an amazing price) event and I recommend their runs to everyone. Working through the aid stations, I was still feeling strong despite the fact the--er---"trail" was getting ugly. Much of the trail was 18 inches of shoe-sucking mud, and trying to stay on the "banks" of the trough was useless, as each step would slide back into the muck. I was still able (and quite proud) of my downhill abilities, though, and felt really comfortable attacking those. The uphills were ugly and I occasionally was grabbing hold of the trees along the trail to pull myself up. Nonetheless, I pushed on and came through lap 2 in 3:06. I was feeling some gut issues at that point, and the fact BadBen (RD) tried to shake my hand and hand me a 20 mile finisher's medal at the finish line didn't help. I quickly told him "I've got one more lap yet! Don't tease!" and made my way along for the third and final loop...afraid of what I was going to discover.

No matter how bad the course was, I knew breaking 5 hours was a possibility--I mean, I had 1:54 to get done! Barely under a 12 minute pace! How hard could that be?

Very quickly into loop 3 I knew just how bad it was going to get...and this was right about the time I started cramping. Apparently, I'm currently in shape to run relatively hard for 3 1/2 hours, because right about the time I got to the Triangle for the final time, I was in rough shape. Unfortunately, so was the Triangle. Its single track switchbacks and turns were so slippery, I was again using trees to grab onto while turning. While this part of the course really lifted my spirits during the first two laps, the third lap had me thinking...DNF.

As I made my way out, I looked up the aid station you see as you leave, and noticed there weren't any empty chairs available for sitting in. Good thing, too, as I probably would have sat down and been done for the day. I felt like absolute crap.

That crappy feeling continued over the next 4-ish miles as I did a walk, shuffle, jog combo that was only interrupted by falls. I had never fallen, ever, in a race before Saturday. Occasionally I've tripped, but I've caught myself with my hands, and kept going. On that third loop, I fell 7 times.

It got to the point that I knew I was going to fall, and instead of trying to prevent it, I just pre-emptively went down to save energy. What a mess those trails were!

At the 3rd aid station (2.5 miles to the finish), I was starting to feel better, but didn't look all that great...

From Psycho Wyco

I was able to run/slide down the hill, and then back up the hill to the aid station (in the "3 hills" section). I couldn't handle any more Gu or Water, but the aid station help there was AMAZING. I took a seat on a rock and collected myself while one of the volunteers gave me some chips and coke. That stuff hit the spot right on the mark. While sitting there, I got passed by two 50k runners but didn't really mind...I knew I wanted to finish decent and needed to get my gut and mind straight before leaving this aid station. Did I mention how GREAT the aid station workers were? I left that last aid station and wanted to finish strong.

The last section was very sloppy, but I was still able to catch one of the 50k runners who had passed me...at least for a bit. Going down one of the hills, I just pretty much bombed it and went around him. As I was heading back up the next hill, I could hear him running it...plop plop plop up the hill, very steadily. This kicked me into gear--I wanted to look over my shoulder and see how close, but instead I just decided to RUN. FINALLY up the hill, over the top, and down the last hill in to finish in 5:16. A 2:09 final lap (ouch) but I was done, and 6th overall.

From Psycho Wyco

Lap 1: 1:27
Lap 2: 1:36
Lap 3: 2:09

Pity Party Over

2010-02-11T08:49:00.003-06:00

Yes, things are getting busier. Yes, they're not going to get any less busy at any point before I semi-retire at 55 (joke). So, until then, when I can focus on trying to clean up the 55 and over age group (even bigger joke), I will continue to enjoy running and training and avoid making it seem like a task. I think that's (the task part) what happened over the last couple weeks. I was running just to get miles in--not necessarily a bad thing, but not a good thing for me individually on a regular basis.

This week I took off extra rest days and only did a hill workout on Tuesday and some Mile repeats today. And instead of killing myself on the mile repeats, I focused on maintaining a decent breathing rhythm. They were the 3 of the 4 fastest miles I've run all year. I'm going to get a couple hours of yoga in this afternoon and then get packing for the 'vacation' this weekend.

A result of the busier schedule at work was a change in my flight plans. I was originally flying out of Milwaukee at 1:50 pm, but a very busy afternoon at work tomorrow forced my wife (office manager with her fingers tightly wrapped around the office schedule and bottom line :) to change my flight to later tomorrow night. This was an expensive change in plans but will probably end up being a net win for me, so I'll take it.

In other news...I can't help but bring this up. How do those people continuing to intellectually carry water for this guy explain this? Less than a year ago he was railing against Wall Street bonuses. W. T. H. is going on? Perhaps here's the best explanation I've found:

It's time for the verdict. Obama ran a great campaign, but he is no leader, and he's an abominable politician. During the primary, he was fortunate in Hillary Clinton's bloated walrus of campaign and in the general election, fortunate in the fact that John McCain is, well, insane. But Obama made good moves throughout. Now that he's in charge, he's proving himself incapable of the political equivalent of simultaneous walking and spitting. You have to wonder who was responsible for his nimble campaign moves.

I have this strange feeling I'm in a huge minority when it comes to runners and political views...but that felt good :)

Underprepared, Undertrained, ...undermotivated?

2010-02-08T12:30:00.002-06:00

Blah!
Going into my first event this year, the Psycho Wyco 50k, I've got some issues going on. My last 3 weeks have all contained 45-50 miles of running, and I've managed a 3 hour run and two 2 hour runs. I've done a bit of speed work, too. However, I really am feeling some lack of motivation running-wise. And I have a feeling (with the forecast calling for mid- to high-30's on Saturday) that I'm going to get beat up pretty good on that relentless 10 mile loop course.
I originally was aiming for a 5 hour finish but am starting to wonder about that goal. I'll probably still go out too fast, though, in hopes of banking some time before the trail turns to mud. Good strategy, eh!?
Work has been up into the 60 hour weeks recently, and more and more planning is underway for the arrival of Lil Baby G--3 months!
More than anything the baby preparations are tiring. Ellie and I are choosing an all-natural approach to the process and the constant questions from family and friends about that are starting to wear on both of us, but we'll manage. Well meaning, but Poorly informed best describes the approach most parents take to the childbirth process. But that's a subject for another post :)

It's gonna be fun this weekend (I keep telling myself that) and I'm looking forward to seeing some old and new friends along the way! By the way, Helen, I think I need a ride from the airport. I'll call you.

Okay, enough of my Monday BLAHS. Back to work.

Decent Week

2010-02-01T11:32:00.002-06:00

In an "Uh Oh, I'm running a 50 K in 3 weeks" moment, I picked up the training a bit this last week, finishing with over 50 miles. My legs feel pretty good, too, although the speed work I did HURT. And wasn't all that speedy.

Nonetheless, I got in a 1.5 hour trail run on Thursday and 3:15 on Saturday. Saturday was a pretty big bonk...but that might have had something to do with only 20 oz of water and a single Gel.

I want to keep plugging along this week as well and am not sure I'll slow down much and taper for the 50K in 2 weeks. After all...it's not really tapering if one hasn't run much in the first place!

Day-to-Day

2010-01-26T06:11:00.004-06:00

Yikes! It's been a while on this site since an update, so I figured I'd post something while I've got the chance (I got up early to run, but the howling wind and chilly temps cancelled that--I'm soft that way).

Chippewa 50k is back on, apparently...which means it's back on my schedule as well. This probably means the Navarino 26.2 won't happen this year for me (it's the following weekend) in all likelihood, and I'm sure a lot of the familiar faces won't be at Chippewa either (they'll be at Zumbro), but I really want another photo as a race reward, so I'm thinking I'll be there! It may be a "camping" trip at the Chippewa Moraine parking lot in the Suburban...and we'll see what happens with the weather--Early April can be a tricky time of year.

What's also official is that a marathon is coming to Elkhart Lake, along with a bunch of other events in what will be a great weekend! I would love to break 3 hours at that run, but after seeing the course map, I'm not sure it's possible because the RD has included several gut buster hills on the course. Then again, with a couple hilly 50k's in my future, anything's possible!

I'm also considering the Ice Age 50K (why not, right?) this spring...pending spousal approval. It would be a great chance to see a bunch of friends--both local and from blogger world--and it would set up a pretty epic spring for me:

February -- Run Toto Run 50k
March -- Trailbreaker Marathon (still no website)
April -- Chippewa 50k
May -- Ice Age 50k
May -- Great Midwest Marathon

I'm afraid to tell my family about this schedule--they already think I'm nuts. Ellie's is pretty much on board, as she's seen first hand the difference in me with and without running. The only caveat from her is that my schedule can't interfere with our Bradley Class schedule, and so far I'm good to go!

Speaking of Ellie and the Lil' Giebler, things have continued to go great! Last week was our ultrasound appointment, and based on Lil' G's size, we're looking at mid May--I'm not giving the specific date as we've got a pretty big "guess the arrival date" contest going on at my office. We're also not finding out the gender...that'll be a surprise too. Ellie's belly button has completely flattened out and she's feeling the baby's acrobatics more and more...what an absolute treasure this time is!

I also spent last week in Winter Park, CO having a blast skiing! A friend took a killer spill into about 4 feet of powder...

...and I had a blast skiing terrain way above my ability level...

Looking Ahead to 2010

2010-01-12T17:04:00.002-06:00

Just when I thought my life was getting busy, enter fatherhood :)

With the baby due in May, I'm definitely leaving my fall running plans in the "Tentative" category. As for the spring, things are coming together. A couple new marathons in Wisconsin will highlight my spring. Thus far, I've got the following on the schedule:

February 13 - Run Toto Run 50K. I'm looking forward to this little weekend getaway to Kansas City, and then St. Louis for Saturday night. When I signed up for the event, I had big plans on breaking 5 hours, but the training has slowed down a bunch, so now I'm just looking forward to run. If I break 5 hours, that'd be great, too.

March 27 - Trailbreaker Marathon. This will be my third running of the Trailbreaker, assuming it actually takes place this year (no website that I can find as of yet). It's just a unique and fun event, and the time of year fits well with my training, too!

April 17 - Navarino Eco-Marathon. This event, which used to be a 15k, is actually pretty close to home for me, and the fact it's a TRAIL MARATHON has me excited for it! I'm hoping to run well at this event...but what is "well" in a trail marathon? Right now, I'd say 3:10 would be a pretty lofty goal.

May 29 - Possible Elkhart Lake Marathon? I've heard about a marathon in my backyard, but I'm not sure of the logistics yet, so we'll see what happens. Oh yeah, I'll also have a 1 or 2 week old baby at this point too :)

Moving on the fall, I'm DEFINITELY running the Glacial Trail 50K (or 50 mile). The North Face moved up their event, from late October to Middle September, and also expanded the event and distances to TWO days worth, so this one is definitely on my list as great training opportunity for Glacial Trail. I've always got The Fall 50 floating around in my head too. Ellie wants to run the Fall 50 with me and our baby--perhaps pushing the baby in a stroller the entire way.

Sounds like a blast! We'll have to work on the diaper-changing pitstops, though. And I'm not sure how Ellie will handle the nursing along route :)

2009 Review

2010-01-05T19:26:00.006-06:00

In one final tribute to Glaven, I'm summarizing my 2009 using bullet points.

In January, I ran an indoor marathon and finished 7th...and probably wouldn't ever do it again. (Who am I kidding, if I wouldn't be skiing the weekend of the event, I'd be there again, doing the Gold Medal Challenge)
In February, I took a couple weeks off from running, and at one point, hit my dog in the head with a frozen tennis ball from 100 yards. I love that dog.
In March, I had a GREAT training run on the IAT, and also ran pretty darn well in a local 13.1.
In April (best month so far), I bonked big time at the Trailbreaker Marathon, impaled myself through my running shoes (of which I've now replaced with the MT100's), dreamed about Boston AGAIN, saying that I'd be there in 2010, which I won't, and then had the most fun I've ever had at an event. I'm still upset it's been cancelled.
In May, I ran a PR of 3:02 at Journey's Marathon.
In June, I ran my first ever 5 Mile Race, and then got my butt kicked by Grandma.
In July, I enjoyed a lot of summer trail running...and a growing work load!
In August, We moved into our house, I ran part of the North Face course in 95 degree weather and was carried off by deerflies, and I followed that up with my longest training run ever--over 30 miles! (Helen ran 32 that day. Show off.)
In September, I set a new PR in Fox Cities (3:00:07) and dealt with bad stomach issues and missing my goal by 8 seconds, and after a great weekend vacation to Salt Lake City, it was time to focus on Twin Cities and the elusive Sub-3!
In October, I showed off my "arm panties," then ran sub-3 pace through 22 miles at Twin Cities but couldn't finish the job, but followed that up with a GREAT PR in the trail 50k of 4:26 at North Face, which sealed the deal on my future in trail running. I ended October with a great run at Devil's Lake State Park, and now need to get down there again!
November saw a new PR in the 10K (under 40 minutes) and a drastice decrease in mileage.
And the year ended with only 2 posts, one being a tribute to Good Ol' Glaven. The highlight of December was that MARCY...YES MARCY!!!! posted on my site!

Sorry for the lack of posting. Next post will outline some of the events I'm looking at for next spring. All bets are off for running (and posting) after the baby arrives in May. Ellie has started to experience "quickening" so I better get out and run some and see if any of it has rubbed off!

2009: The Year of Glaven

2009-12-22T11:45:00.003-06:00

"__ people have checked if Glaven has commented yet."

Perhaps the reason that I have posted so infrequently is because there are so infrequent comments to the post. I'm pretty sure very few people leave comments on this blog because one Glaven Q. Heisenberg is no longer commenting, or ridiculing me on his own blog. I'll be honest: I miss him.

There, I said it.

I somehow found G's site in late 2008 and immediately added it to my blogroll because of its great title of "Mostly Running, Some Bull@hi1^." (ps...I hope my computer thinks that I just wrote an email address). He immediately started commenting on my site and giving me a much unwarranted nickname of "Dr. Super Runner." (this was later changed to "Dr. Nic Medicine Woman," which was probably, in some way, more accurate). From then on I looked forward to taking the abuse he doled out in the comment section regarding pretty much any topic I touched on. I envy his ability to write. Brevity was not his strongsuit. (He left that to Teh 'Bride)

More than his "running" site, I enjoyed his "Why are you so F@ck&*g Angry?" blog (again, keeping the link), which I thought was absolutely must-read material. He often touched on the adventures of King Fisherman Ian, the ~~hoarding tendencies~~ home projects of his wife, Teh 'Bride, and also the HeisenDad. The closest I got to actually "knowing" him was an email address, which I used to get an address to send a gift to Teh 'Bride--a pint glass that reads "Fuzzy Yellow Beer is for Wussies"--, which I never got around to doing...yet...but I really enjoyed "knowing" him through the blog. It made my blog a LOT BETTER, TOO.

Here's to you, Glaven! I wish you and your family the most Merry Christmas possible!

(or, as you libs like to say..."Happy Holidays" :)

Santa's List

2009-12-09T19:23:00.003-06:00

What am I missing?

Ellie has given me the task of coming up with some stuff that I'd like to get for Christmas, and I'm really struggling with it. I've gotten to the point of eliminating the "not-fun-but-needed" items, having recently purchased a new (to me) car, and today getting chains for the snow blower and heavy duty shovels (I got OWNED today by the Blizzard that came through--thank God for helpful neighbors or I wouldn't have gotten out of the driveway).

So now I'm thinking of "fun" stuff to get, and I need help. Considering I'm pretty much a fanatic when it comes to running (I've run a total of 9 miles our in the elements since the Winter Weather/Blizzard Advisories began last night), I'm asking for help! It seems to me I'm pretty set when it comes to gear.

What's essential to your run? Better yet, what's something you use when running occasionally--not always--and LOVE because it's available for those certain runs when you need it?

...In other news, I'm messing around with the look of the page...I feel like a change. As for running, it's been pretty steady:

Monday/Wednesday: easy 3-5 miles, with Parsenn towing me
Tuesday: Hills, Hills, Hills. I've been increasing the work. Last week was 16 repeats, 4 miles total
Thursday: Long run, last week was 17, this week is 18...weather pending
Friday off, then a fast run on Saturday and a longish run Sunday

I'm hoping to run well at Psycho Wyco, and then bust a PR in a marathon in May. I'm not sure which Marathon yet, but I find myself leaning towards the Wisconsin Marathon.

Now What?

2009-11-30T14:09:00.003-06:00

The Chippewa 50K has been cancelled, apparently. Last year's event was, by far, my favorite run yet, and my spring had been planned around running it again. Not any more.

I'm unable to find another trail 50k that I'm interested in. Trail Mix, perhaps, but probably not. Instead, I think it's back to the roads (hopefully for the last time) to try and break 3 hours in the marathon. I'll have to get my trail fix totally taken care of at Psycho Wyco in February. Ellie has informed me that May is OFF LIMITS due to baby preparations (due date May 20, and that due date is inherently +/- 2 weeks), so it's looking like either the Wisconsin Marathon or the Jailbreak Marathon might be in order. I need to check back, though, as whatever event I do must ALSO work with our Bradley Class scheduling. Yikes! The calendar is filling up and Little Baby G (G is for Giebler, not Glaven...WHERE ARE YOU?) isn't any bigger than an orange yet!

Last weekend's 10K was a blast, although I had forgotten how much those shorter races can hurt. This week is the Sleigh Bell Run, of which I'm on the committee. The same local runner (2:2x marathon pr) has won the event 6 straight years, I believe, and he also won the 10K last weekend. My goal for the event? Finish closer to him than last week (He beat me by 6:24 in the 10K).

Local runners, hope to see you there!

Thankful For...

2009-11-25T18:01:00.008-06:00

...the time off from running I've been given, whether or not I wanted it.

I haven't run at all for exactly a week. I honestly am not sure the last time I took a week completely off. It's the result of a combination of crazy scheduling at work, crazy stuff going on with the car, crazy busy stuff at home, and a minor (okay, major) lack of interest in waking up early to run. I've read on several of your sites about your lack of motivation this time of year, and it's hitting me big time. Tomorrow...perhaps...I'll get back after it.

I think I'm going to run a 10k tomorrow. It's a race I finished in 41:27 in 2007. At the time my PR in the marathon was 3:36. I would LOVE...I mean LURRRRVE...WHERE ARE YOU GLAVEN?...I would Lurrve to break 40 minutes in the 10k. I may or may not, but I'm gonna try.

Have a great weekend everyone, and if you want to read about running, go to Steve's blog, as his recent posts have been amazing. I hope to run with him again at Chippewa and hopefully a marathon in the spring!

BE THANKFUL, AND SHARE YOUR GRATITUDE WITH OTHERS--NOT JUST THIS WEEKEND, BUT DAILY!

Updated...Well, I surprised myself and ran 6:13, 6:14 over the final two miles to finish in 39:26. That's two minutes and one second faster than two years ago. Considering my marathon PR two years ago, and extrapolating the data out, in 2011 I'll have a Marathon PR in the 2:23 neighborhood, and I'll run this same Turkey Trot 10K in 37:25. I wonder if the McMillan Calculator would agree :)

Time to eat.

Updated #2...Uh Oh. Official Time, according to the results...40:02.

Time to eat more.

Updated #3...now my official time is 39:30. I'll take it.

Still in the Offseason...

2009-11-11T21:40:00.003-06:00

...for at least a week yet.

Who am I kidding? I want to run! I want to train! And while Joe Friel's series on the Offseason was tremendous reading that I've recommended several times over...I still like to have something on the backburner motivating me to keep in shape and build fitness.
Ellie is looking at a trip to Ireland next February, before she gets too huge in the belly region (and she's starting to show!), so I decided I'd look for a weekend getaway in February myself. I've been reading now for a couple years about the KC Trail Nerds. It's time to make a visit, so I'm probably going to KC for the Psycho Wyco 50K in February. My brother-in-law will be living in St. Louis at that time (he's starting Chiro School in January) and has been talking about getting into trail running. I've been out with him a couple times on the Ice Age Trail and he absolutely loved it, so it's time to get him to an event. The Psycho Wyco is perfect, too, because it's a loop course of 10 miles (you run it 3 times), so I can have him train (it won't take him much to get into shape...he's a much better athlete than anyone else in his family) and then pace me over the last 10 miles. I'm really excited and hope it works out for him to come. I promised him the best steak back in StL and some beer if he makes the trip. He'll be there.
Other reasons to go include the fact that Westy will be there (maybe). Oh yeah, and Helen. Which means round three of the running/beer challenge IS ON!
In Round 1, Helen got her Irish hinder handed to her at Chippewa this past year, where I ran a negative split and beat her in the race, and then actually drank a couple beers at the "after party" while she sipped on protein recovery stuff (see picture in race report). Unfortunately, she evened the score quite convincingly at Grandma's Marathon, where she marched past my still-walking corpse at about mile 21, cussing along the way about the heat (and later crediting Hot Yoga for her success...well guess what, Helen?! I'm attending yoga twice weekly and wearing 7 layers of clothing!) in route to a dominating performance.
I'll be honest...I don't like my chances against her in round 3. The fact Chippewa was a longer distance than Grandma's not withstanding, I'm pretty sure the more difficult the terrain and the longer the event, the more likely she is to march past me at some point and not look back. And the Psycho Wyco 50K has a reward for any male to break 5 hours on the course (which I'm going to try to do but am not likely to succeed at) and a reward for any female that breaks 6 hours (which I believe Helen will surely do, barring injury).
Perhaps she'll show me some mercy after considering that my preggo wife is in Ireland at the exact time she's considering passing me?

I had planned on running two other events in the coming months, but both have been scratched off the list. First was the Frozen Otter in mid January. Instead, I'll be off to Colorado for a week. I'll pass on slogging 32 miles in the Northern Kettles and spend my time ~~skiing~~ enjoying some Apres Ski in Winter Park and Arapahoe Basin. This was actually a tougher call than most would think because I'm not sure how to work it with the office quite yet (i. e. when I leave, the Biz shuts down, or I pay another Doc to cover...), but I'm looking forward to the vacation. Next was the John Dick 50K, which has been on my list for 3 years now. It is the week before Psycho Wyco this year, so once again, it'll get put on the back burner...unless I decide to run it, therefore developing a perfect reason to rationalize Helen's destruction of my ego in Kansas City.

ps...at some point soon I'll change the header logo. I need to go running and take a picture, first though. So it could be a week or two yet...

Ice Age Trail - Northern Kettles

2009-11-08T19:59:00.004-06:00

Well, this weekend I wanted to run the entire Ice Age Trail in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest. It would be little over 31 miles, and I was excited to try...considering I had tried two other times and not made it end to end. Different attempt, same story.
I simply didn't feel like running anymore. I didn't feel like taking in any Gu. Or Shot Bloks. Or even water, for that matter. The weather was amazing and the trail was just absolutely gorgeous, but I simply didn't want to run anymore. I ended up running from the North end of the forest to Mauthe Lake, for a total of 23 miles. I felt decent afterwards and enjoyed the time on the trail. After the run, I thought about trying again in a couple weeks, after deer hunting season. Maybe I will...and then again...maybe not. My last three weekends have included runs of 31, 17, and 23 miles, all on trails, and it wouldn't hurt to chill a bit and focus on my next long run being my annual "Birthday Run" in late December (29 miles this year!). After a calendar year of 7 events 26 miles or longer, it probably may actually be a bit intelligent to relax and not run for a bit.
The fact I had to pick an engorged tick off of Parsenn from my last trail run with him is going to keep him on the shelf for a while too. I. HATE. TICKS.
This site may dry up a bit presently also, then. We'll see. I've read some great blogs on off season planning and preparations and may share some thoughts, but then again...maybe not.
Ellie's belly is starting to show a bit as she enters Trimester 2 this week, and the baby inside (now the size of a peach!) has us playing a fun game on ssa.gov, going back to the most popular baby names in 1880 and seeing if any catch our attention. Still haven't seen "Glaven" show up anywhere. Nicholas came in at #17 in 1980.
So anyway, I've rambled long enough. Get off the roads. Go find a trail and run on it! And I'll talk to you soon!

Ice Age Trail - Devils Lake

2009-10-31T22:26:00.006-05:00

A nutrition seminar took me to Madison for the weekend. Because the seminar didn't start until 1 pm, I was looking for spots to run on Saturday morning, and settled on a trip to Devils Lake. Local trail runners, PUT IT ON YOUR LIST! IT'S THE HOME OF AMAZING TRAILS! A simple search of "Devils Lake" will return some wonderful pictures of the area, and I also occasionally took out the iPhone to grab some shots of the trails I spent a little under 3 hours touring on Saturday morning (I thought it would only be around 2 hours, but my math was WAY off).
Next July, consider the Dances With Dirt trail races. While I realize I'll have a 2 month old at that point, I'm going to try my best to be there. The trails are the best I've ever run...although traversing some of the rocks and bluffs during a morning of snow and rain was very dangerous.
I parked at Parfrey's Glen, then ran a road for about 3 miles and picked up the Ice Age Trail, which I followed back to my car.

This is a view from the West Bluff back to the East Bluff. I ascended and descended both while following the IAT around the lake.
That sign reads "Follow Trail" with an arrow. By "trail," they mean a bunch of sorta-flat rocks that lead down the bluff.
A picture from the top of the East Bluff, to the South of the lake. The fall colors are long gone, but still, it stopped me in my tracks.
A view from the East Bluff to the West Bluff. The bluff-top portion of the trails are blacktopped, but still pretty much single track. I'd prefer dirt :)

I parked about 3 miles East of the park and ran the IAT into (and up up up) the Devils Lake portion. This is a view from the approach.

As usual, pictures don't do it justice. You'll have to take my word for it, though...it's worth the trip!

North Face 50K Report

2009-10-25T13:47:00.002-05:00

My current 3:00:07 marathon PR may stand forever. The trails are where it's at!

Some background info:
The North Face Endurance Challenge-Madison is held closer to Milwaukee in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. There are 50 Mile, 50K, Half Marathon, and 10K events, with staggered starts, throughout the day. The 50K course is a mixture of horse trails, cross country ski trails, and the famous (and my personal favorite) Ice Age Trail. The first mile is from Ottawa Lake State Park to the horse trail via road. From Mile 1.1 to 6.6 (My mileage may be a bit off on all of this, but it's close), we run on a rolling cross country ski trail, then we do a 4 mile (again, estimation) out and back on a sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky, always rolling horse trail, before spending the next 7 miles on the Ice Age Trail (single track...the BEST) through the "prairies" that anyone who's followed the Kettle 100 know about. At about mile 19 the course returns to the horse trail, which is a wide, rolling (this portion includes the biggest climbs of the day), sandy/muddy/rocky trail with an occasional jaunt alongside a corn field. Aid stations are fully stocked and about every 5 miles. The previous North Face events had gotten mixed reviews because of course marking. In fact, last year's "Madison" 50 Mile winner got lost.

I really needed to take a new approach to this event, as my last two FAILS at breaking 3 hours had really left a bad taste in my mouth. This event was going to be fun DAMN IT! I wanted to start fueling with Gu and Water immediately at the start, rather than wait and fall behind. I also wanted to smile a lot and finish STRONG for the first time in a while.

Ellie (and the little bitty baby in her belly the size fig or a lime at this point, depending which iPhone App you look at) and I came down to Milwaukee on Friday night and battled about 10 car accidents (not us, others) around Milwaukee. The local traffic guy went from saying "slow" to "bad" to "horrible" to "what is going ON OUT THERE!?" over the course of 20 minutes. We also made our first stop at Babies 'R' Us. I checked out the jogger strollers. The packet pick up was held at Laacke & Joys, a local outdoor (and outdoor furniture) retailer. An ultrarunning expert panel was scheduled to speak starting at 6:30, so we arrived about 6:15. After getting my stuff (including some amazing bonuses--a retail $30 North Face Shirt and some nice socks), we sat down to hear the presenters. Unfortunately, Dean was nowhere to be found--likely a casualty of the traffic situation-- and the panel didn't include Tim Twietmeyer (who I really wanted to meet...more on that later), so Ellie (and the lil bitty baby) and I ended up taking off after the talk didn't start by 6:45. I was hoping to see a couple people I knew were running also (Brad, Jerry), but no luck. Ellie and I found dinner (for me, a Broccoli Penne and a glass of "Red Blend" wine--sorry, G--which made Ellie (and the bitty), ever the ~~WINO~~ WINE SNOB...well, not "ever"...she's on a 9 month sabbatical from the vino :) ANYWAY it made her laugh. I know very little about wines, so of course I purchase the ~~cheapest~~ one named "Red Blend" from the "Friends Winery." Either it's the brainchild Phoebe and Chandler, or it's the leftovers from a bunch of friends that they pour into a bottle. Either way, I knew it was alcoholic and therefore found it very palatable.

Edited note: A post-post wine search found that a bottle of said wine costs $10. My glass was $7.

We were in bed by 9:15, and I slept great at our hotel that night.

Start-Scuppernong (Miles 0-6.6)

We were at the start line at Ottawa Lake State Park with about 30 minutes to spare. It was cold and windy, but I decided that I'd wear just shorts and a long sleeve shirt-no tights or layers over the top of the shirt (no evening gloves either). I figured as soon as I got running, I'd be warm enough. Good call. I had 5 Gels in one pocket, two packs of Shot Bloks in the other, and then about 15 SCaps (haha, not sure why I grabbed that many) in a third pocket. I had a 4th pocket empty to use for discarded Gels. The shorts are Pearl Izumi Infinity Long Distance and were fantastic. The pockets are designed very well, allowing for a LOT of cargo inside but not bouncing all over the place when I'm running. The fact I had the majority of my fueling on me allowed me to simply exchange bottles with Ellie (and the bitty) at aid stations and keep going. I passed a lot of people at aid stations today. As the announcer started us off, I went to hit "start" on the Garmin, only to find that it had reverted back to hibernate mode, where it just shows the time. This forced me to step aside and let everyone pass as I waited for it to "Find Satellites" and then appear in stopwatch mode. Very annoying, especially when one is CHOMPING at the bit to get going! Finally I was off and running after getting a couple looks from other runners wondering why I made my way to the front, only to step aside.

The race starts with about a mile (maybe a bit less) of road running before reaching the trail. I happened upon Jerry early on, and he congratulated me on the big news. Once again I was smiling ear to ear.

Soon enough we were onto the horse trail and beginning a slow and steady climb. I was sure to keep things nice and mellow. After running the majority of the course earlier this summer, I knew that the most difficult section of the course was the horse trail portion from about mile 19 to the finish. I decided I wouldn't pass ANYONE on an uphill until that last horse trail section. This strategy lasted about a mile, but at least I felt guilty every time I broke it. All in all it was a pretty uneventful segment of the run, and I returned to Aid Station 1 (Mile 6.6) in 57:27. In this time I'd taken in 1.5 gels and emptied my 21 oz water bottle. Right on schedule with that. Ellie (and the bitty) had another bottle ready for me, so I quickly got rid of the gloves I was wearing, changed out the water bottle, and started off on the second loop, about 4.5 miles long.

Horse Trail Section 1 (Miles 6.6-11.1)
As I left the aid station, I was amazed at how many volunteers were around. They were all enthusiastic and cheering and helpful, and I almost felt bad not needing them at all and just having Ellie (a.t.b.) help.
This section of horse trail has some pretty sandy sections, but it was all packed in from the week of rain we had received. Easy running, and I kept the pace easy, again deciding not to pass ANYONE on uphills. I got passed by a couple guys who were FLYING. One was only carrying an iPod--no water, and was already sweated through the upper half of his fleece like sweatshirt. I figured I'd see him again. I continued on, taking a bit of gel and a mouthful of water every 5 minutes. An hour into the race, which happened shortly into this section, I also took in an SCap. My heart rate was a steady 140-155 which is right where I want to be. I began to think about pace at this point, but had no idea of any splits I was aiming for other than where I wanted to be at the Mile 16.4 Aid Station, so I simply reminded myself to enjoy the trail, keep the pace and stride easy, and wait on the tough trail section at the end. That mindset was so wonderful after fretting over mile-by-mile splits during Fox Cities and Twin Cities Marathons.
This section of the course is a bit of a lolly pop, where you run out, then make a loop back, and return onto the original "out" portion, but a bit closer where you started. Make sense? I was a bit worried about this section of trail, as when I tried to run it earlier in the summer, I got myself lost. This time, however, the course was marked great, and at one particular spot where one might get confused, there were 5 volunteers making sure I knew where I was going. As we continued on, making our way back towards where we started, we passed two runners with blue bibs (50K) running the opposite direction. Oops. I'm not sure how they got turned around, but I figured they'd continue on the course and cover the same distance, just backwards. At any rate, I continued along and eventually made my way back to the next aid station.

Ice Age Trail (Miles 11.1 - 18)
Finally, after another water exchange with Ellie (a. t. b.) I was on to my favorite running surface...the Ice Age Trail. This is the only section of the course on the IAT, and with the rest being wide ski/horse trails, I was really looking forward to it. I love the twisting and turning and subtle undulations that come with single track trails. On my previous run this summer, I easily ran this section at 7:30 to 7:45 pace. That wasn't the case today because of all the rain this week. It was sloppy and muddy, so I paid very close and careful attention to the boardwalks. I kept a nice and easy pace and really enjoyed the scenery, including the specs of blaze orange in the praries signifying hunters with their dogs, looking for birds. The occasional shotgun blast wasn't all that great, but all in all I really injoyed this part of the run. I was sure to keep my gel/water going every 5 minutes and found myself disappointed to reach the Wilton Aid Station and knowing that the time on the Ice Age Trail was almost over.
At Wilton, Ellie (atb) and my parents were nowhere to be found. Not thinking clearly, I walked through the aid station and made my way back to the trail, never re-filling my water bottle. That was dumb. Unless they were able to find me on one of the roads, I wouldn't have the option for water until Mile 21, about an hour away. I did notice that my Mile 16.4 (Wilton Road) split time was 2:21:something, so I had to be close to a 4:30 pace.

Horse Trails (Miles 19-25)
I still had plenty of Gel and SCaps for this section, but was very, very low on water. By this time I was getting pretty sick of the nuun flavoring I was using, also. Cold, Ice Water really sounded good. I knew the next aid was at 22, and having missed my chance to refill water at Mile 16, I figured I better take in what sugar and salt I could while I still had water. I took an SCap and a bit of Gel and finished my water bottle. This was a mistake. My fueling had been great up until this point, but I think the extra salt in my gut started pulling water into my gut. I was very nauseous for about 15-20 minutes around Mile 19. I even coughed and dry heaved a bit. Not cool. Like in most races, though, the low points come, and they will pass, so I just kept working, watching my HR, and things started to come around by the time Ellie (atb) and my parents caught back up at a road crossing around Mile 21. Ellie had a bottle of nuun ready for me, which I wasn't all that excited about, but I took it and told them to meet me at the next aid station (Mile 21.9). While only a mile in length, this part of the trail provided quite a lift for me. First, I caught a single 50K runner, and then 2 more (one of which was stopped for a #2 break right there on the trail). That lifted my spirits a bit to be passing people. Then, the sloppy and rocky and muddy hills I had been on for the last 3-4 miles opened up into corn fields, where the terrain was much friendlier. Ahead, I could see the next aid station, where I knew WATER...ICE. COLD. WATER...was waiting for me. My stomach still wasn't quite right, but, like I said, it was improving, and that helped.

I went through the Aid Station and continued on, knowing that the course was much tamer from here, in. There weren't many muddy and rocky sections but instead the course was more of the edges of farm fields. I had one more aid station to reach at Piper Road, Mile 27. I was able to continuously run and was hoping to catch a couple more 50K runners as I went. I figured I was someplace in the top 20-30, and knowing I had run smart thus far, I was hoping some of the people ahead of me would start to come back to me.

Horse Trails (Miles 25-Finish)
At about Mile 26, I passed Timmy Parr. Yes, that Timmy Parr.
Never mind he was running the 50 Mile and had started 2 hours earlier. Or that he would run those 50 Miles at about a minute faster pace than I would run the 50K. Never mind that. I passed him.
I introduced myself and got to talk to him for a bit on the trail. He shared he was in second, with Sal Bautista leading. (Sal ended up winning in 6:01 for 50 miles. Is that even POSSIBLE? Holy Crap!) Timmy said he wasn't feeling so great and wasn't planning on running another race for a while. I can't blame him, based on his schedule for this year.
Talking to him was definitely the highlight of the run so far.
I came into Piper Aid Station (Mile 27.2) and was doing well again, despite the look on my face here.

My stomach had come around, and I felt better mentally after meeting such a great runner on the trail. I grabbed a PBJ sandwich from the aid station, having become nauseous at the thought of another swig of Chocolate Outrage Gu (I had downed 5 already). The PBJ didn't taste good at all, though, and after only a couple bites, I tossed it. My bottle was refilled with cold water, and it was time to get home.
The final couple miles of the course are shared by all of the events, and upon reaching Mile 28.5, I was now passing 10K and Half Marathon runners. As I'd pass them, I would glance at the color of their bibs. 50K was blue, but I was only seeing red and yellow. Damn.
Finally, I was to about mile 29.5, where I was at the top of that steady incline I mentioned at the beginning of the race. This time I was going down it. This was awesome! I simply trusted my legs and let them go and, according to Garmin, was running anywhere from 6:15 to 6:50 pace down the hill, this late into the 50K. Splendid! The same part of the course was travelled at 13 minute pace on the way out. As I smiled and flew down the hill, I was still keeping my eyes out for any blue bibs. No such luck, until I started to gain on a runner with very dirty legs who kept looking over his shoulder.
I slowly gained on him, knowing that anytime someone is looking over their shoulder, they're tired. I was only about 25 feet behind him when we reached the last 3/4 mile, which is on the roads. Still gaining, but still behind him, I wasn't really trying to push that hard to the finish mainly because, in my mind, what's the difference between finishing 18th and 19th, right? As I mentioned earlier, I thought I was top 20, at best.
Into the last 100 yards, I finally caught him, and said to him, "Come on, let's go, we got this!" I was trying to inspire him to finish strong with me, but looking back, he probably thought I was being a jerk. Nonetheless, I sprinted in to the finish, not looking over my shoulder at all, and while the form wasn't pretty, it felt SO GOOD to finish strong! Fantastic!

Race Results (4:26:34, 7th Overall, 3rd Age Group)
My Aid Station Splits and Garmin Data

Heart Rate = 180

2009-10-22T15:59:00.003-05:00

No, that's not my anaerobic threshold. It's the heart rate of the little baby in Ellie's belly, heard today by very, very proud parents at our first appointment!

While I'm still excited for the event on Saturday...there are much more important 'events' coming my way! And I can't stop smiling!

So...no Boston Marathon next April--Ellie will be 8 months along. But I'm pretty sure there aren't any restrictions on three hour car rides to Chippewa Falls, are there?

See you next week with a North Face Report!

(still smiling...)

Run Week

2009-10-19T11:08:00.004-05:00

Finally, I get to run in an event again. On trails. For several hours. I can't wait!

After two bad-taste-in-my-mouth finishes in Fox Cities and Twin Cities, I'm really looking forward to the unpredictability and spontaneity of the trails. Last week was the busiest week yet at the office and this week is mildly crazy as well, so come Friday, it's time for therapy :)

Weather is looking not so good to bad at this point, but we'll see.

Oh yeah...big news coming to this site at some point this week...

Woodson Rocks...

2009-10-15T19:01:00.007-05:00

...and my version of "Thinking Aloud"

-----Ted Thompson continually insists that a franchise must--MUST!--build through the draft and development.

Next to Aaron Rogers, who fell into his lap, give me a difference maker that Thompson has drafted. Look at the Packers' O-Line. Yikes.

Woodson came to GB through free agency and quickly became my favorite corner. Winfield is my favorite.* Today Woodson spoke out a bit and the honesty is greatly appreciated!

-----I recently was involved in a conversation about my lifetime's "Golden Era of Sports." It was an easy pick. Mid to Late 90's. Badgers were rocking the Rose Bowl and Favre was killing it.

-----A random Evening Glove comment for G and Q:

Two photos of my Opedx Tights, which will be formally reviewed soon. My run today in them tipped me over to the dark side: I love them. Now an event photo may appear with me in Evening Gloves AND Tights. Yikes.

-----I live and work in a community with a strong Amish presence, and had the pleasure of working with my first Amish patient at the office. It was fantastic. While he's 58 years old, he looks about 38 (seriously) and confessed to me that he occasionally drinks a bit too much. Too much Mountain Dew, that is. He smacked his lips and shared that he "Loves that stuff!"

-----Who said the following:

I mean, let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back; I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.

Think you know? Better check your facts. The same media (msnbc, cnn, etc) that tells you we can't trust bloggers because they'll just post anything without fact-checking attributed this quote to someone who never said it.

*As a former 2-time second team all-conference cornerback, I'm obviously an expert on the matter.

My favorite time of year

2009-10-13T09:29:00.003-05:00

I absolutely love this time of year. The last couple days I've made my way back to a couple trails that were completely overgrown in weeds since June. I love feeling the crisp ground and crunchy leaves in the morning "dawn patrol" runs out in the woods, watching Parsenn chase a bunch of Whitetails and wondering what exactly he'd ever do upon catching one.
The only downside is that the days are getting shorter and shorter, leaving me very little time before and after work to get out to the trails. Combine that with the fact one of the county parks gets locked up at "sunset" and I also risk having my car impounded.
Along with the gloves and stocking hat, I guess it's time to break out the headlamp as well.
After the trial run last weekend, my calves were yelling at me a bit, but have really responded well to the easy running I've been doing on the trails, and I'm really getting anxious for North Face. The most recent entry list has a couple names I recognize as SUPER FAST and PART-CHEETAH (in the 50 mile), so it'll be a fun event! Considering the 50 miler starts 2 hours before the 50K, perhaps a new goal of mine will be to get to the finish line before the 50 Mile winner does?

Ice Age Trail Trial Run

2009-10-10T21:34:00.002-05:00

As I started my run today (Saturday), three other runners were making their way in the opposite direction along the Ice Age Trail, spray paint cans in hand. I quickly realized they were marking the course for the Glacial Trail 50/50 tomorrow, and one asked me if I was running it. I said, "Next Year. This year is North Face." For some reason everything seemed wrong inside me with that statement. The Glacial Trail course is not only my 'backyard,' it's also my favorite place to run in the world (thus far, I haven't run much in Colorado, or New Jersey, for that matter). I can remember discovering this trail, on my mountain bike the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone else was laying around, and I went for a ride and couldn't believe something so difficult was so close!
Instead, I'll be going down to the Southern Kettle Moraines in a couple weeks to run an event that claims to be "95% Single Track" but is actually 95% Horse/Snowmobile Trail. And the North Face events don't exactly have the best reputation for being well-run, let alone well-marked.
So I continued on my run, duplicating a run I did shortly before Chippewa this past spring...in which a stick went straight through my shoe and into my heel...but more on that later. Not more than 10 minutes into the run, I was thinking that I could just run the first hour, and then be spontaneous and sign up for the Glacial 50K tomorrow morning and run it. Why not? That's the event I really want to run, and I've got nothing planned!
Back to earth I came, though, remembering my last post, and realizing the chances of a 50K run tomorrow being even remotely enjoyable was slim to none, considering the last two marathons. I didn't need another reason to pout.
So I used today's run (a targeted 2 hours) as a trial run for nutrition and pacing and equipment for North Face. It went well! I actually ran the course about 3 minutes faster than I did last spring and felt like it was a lot easier. I averaged 8 minute miles over the Ice Age Trail for around 15 miles and really felt like I nailed the nutrition.
Oddly enough, the same hill that I was descending when the stick went through my heel last spring caught me again. I jammed my toe big time (later finding out that I broke the toenail and it bled pretty bad) and stumbled a bit. No big deal, until about 2 miles later I realized I didn't have the key to my car in my pocket anymore. Not good.
I immediately called off the run and began slowly backtracking on the trail. I knew I had lost it at some point in the previous 30 minutes because I had checked at that point in the run. I thought to myself, "I bet it's when I jammed my toe on that root."
It didn't take long of the slow and tedious walk before I. Was. FREEZING. You see, it snowed today. A day after Al Gore delivered a speech on ~~Global Warming~~ ERRRR I MEAN "Climate Change," it snowed. I'm not saying...I'm just saying.
Side note, exactly 5 months ago, I ran the Journeys Marathon. It was snowing at the start. That's exactly 5 months of snow-free weather in Wisconsin. Yikes.
So anyway, I was shivering as I approached Glaven (I'm officially naming this hill 'Glaven' after it inflicted bodily harm on me twice. This Glaven inflicts emotional harm, so it's a natural progression), and sure enough, appearing under a recently fallen leaf, about a foot off the trail, is the key. I honestly couldn't believe I found it, but was thrilled, considering I had zero calories, no other clothes available, and no phone to call for a ride. And I hadn't seen anyone the entire day after the first 10 minutes of the run.
So, my last long run before North Face went pretty well. My calves are sore but manageable. I'll increase the yoga in the following two weeks and then see what happens at North Face. I posted earlier I simply want to set a 50K PR (sub 4:40) but I'd actually like to run under 4:30.
I think I may run some hills today...just kidding.

Opportunity Knocks

2009-10-09T07:58:00.004-05:00

I have the chance to go to either the San Antonio Marathon or the Tuscson Marathon (or Vegas, Helen) at very little cost to me--flight, hotel, registration fees would be covered. I've earned all of those incentives through the fundraising I've done with the NF Endurance Team! This is very intriguing to me...I could still break 3 hours this year!

Don't worry. I'm not going :)

In a couple weeks I'll be running the North Face 50K, and I'm preparing for that event with pretty much zero expectations outside of beating my time from Chippewa of 4:40. That event will be a victory lap on a crazy year of running (see sidebar) that started in January with an indoor marathon and isn't quite over yet (I still have my annual "Birthday Run" in late December, and by the finish line at North Face I'll be looking forward to continuing to run at leisure, in the woods, away from roads and curbs and sidewalks, rather than thinking about the next tempo run I need to get in on the roads to prepare to run hard on concrete for 3 hours at an upcoming marathon.
I'm very proud of myself for making the decision to pass on another marathon this year...perhaps in my old age I'm learning a bit of restraint?

Twin Cities Report: Summit Street Owns Me.

2009-10-06T11:01:00.003-05:00

I'll be honest. I don't really want to write this report. I may resort to bullet points, just so you know.

Short Story: I was on pace through 21 miles before fading pretty badly. I still had a chance when I saw Matt at 24, but simply couldn't hold it together. I ended up running 3:03:05 and am very sore. The two marathons were too close together, and I made some tactical errors in calorie consumption (not enough) during this race, mostly because I was afraid of taking in too much and having my stomach revolt like it did in Fox Cities. I'm not sure at this point if I'll try to hit the sub-3 again.

Long Story: I finally arrived with my dad in Minneapolis on Friday night after a 2 hour delay and immediately went to Murray's Steakhouse. My sister and bro-in-law were hosting myself, my parents, and my runner sister, Kathy, for the weekend. Ellie was hosting a baby shower and couldn't come. I blame her for slowing me by 3 minutes. The steak at Murray's was fantastic. I'm not sure it was the best I've ever had (Ruth's Chris or Annie Gunn's come to mind), but it was very very close. The night continued with family time until after midnight, when we finally found our beds. It was a great start to the weekend!
Saturday I slept in until about 8:30 (no idea when the last time I did that was!) and then helped myself to an amazing breakfast cooked up by my sister. After that we took a tour of St. Paul guided by my bro-in-law, who takes much pride in his hometown. The tour included a stop at Garrison Keilor's bookstore, where I picked up the funniest book I've ever read. At around 5 Kathy and I got a ride back into town and ran along Summit Street for a little pre-marathon shake out. I knocked off a couple 6:20 miles and couldn't believe how good I felt. I tried to deny the fact my legs felt a bit tired, but I was really visualizing the sprint down Summit, past the Cathedral, and into the finishing chute. The Twin Cities is an amazing course, and the final 1/2 mile is probably the most beautiful I've ever run. Kathy was hoping for a BQ (3:45) but was having some issues in the last couple months with her knee and with some exercise-induced asthma. Her shake-out run went well also, and we were both excited for Sunday. I felt a bit bad, as I had promised her earlier this year that I'd personally pace her to a BQ. I had figured on breaking 3 hours in Fox Cities and then simply enjoying Twin Cities at her pace. She told me she didn't need the pacer because of her knee issue, and those 8 seconds from Fox Cities were serving as great motivation for this run. In hindsight, the races were too close together, and I probably should have run with her.
Saturday night was a great pasta dinner put on by my sister, and an early night in bed. I slept decently well until about 4 AM, at which point I was awake for the rest of the morning. I had a normal breakfast and was dropped off at the Metrodome at abotu 7:30.
After a walk around the Dome, Kathy and I made our way to our respective starting areas and I downed a Gel before getting ready. I kept my eye open for Joe Z, who I've never met but would have recognized from other events. Adam had mentioned that he was pacing a friend to a sub 3. I never saw him, though, and before long I was on my way.
The early miles reminded me of Chicago, where you're in an urban environment and just hoping to find your pace while there are people passing you and getting passed all over the place. I made a right turn near Mile 2 and heard someone yell from behind me "Sub Three today, Nic!" I have no idea who it was (Kurt?), and it didn't register in my ears soon enough for me to react and look back. Still, it was one of the neatest experiences I've had running...somebody out there was cheering for me!
I found a groove and starting clipping off 6:45 miles. I wanted to come through half way in about 1:28:30, and my overall focus for the run was to just get to St. Paul, and THEN just get up the hills. Steve had warned me about the hills once you leave the "evil side" and after driving the course on Saturday, I wanted to be ready (and have something left) for them. (I didn't.)
The course meanders through some rolling hills around several lakes on a parkway, and it was beautiful. I was in the groove and loving the run.
I continued to feel great and absolutely LOVED the Lake Nokomis area. There were exceptional spectators throughout the course, but Lake Nokomis stood out to me for some reason. A nice group had formed, led by Sonya (Kurt's wife), who should run for office because apparently every other person in the Twin Cities are knows her. Every 10 seconds someone was calling out to her!
I came through half way right were I wanted to be (somewhere around 1:28:45) and was still feeling great. I was comfortable running with the group I was in and stayed tight the majority of the time. From Mile 16-19 the course heads back North along the Mississippi River, then crosses it and returns the other direction. At about Mile 18 you can hear some ~~jerk~~ guy on a loudspeaker across the river welcoming the runners to Mile 20. Hearing this got me mad, but at the same time reminded me to keep a nice pace and hold steady, as the hills were coming.
Shortly I saw the bridge over the river ahead and got excited. Almost to St. Paul! As I crossed the bridge, my pace picked up a bit. The Mile 20 "Wall" was another great spectator area, and I was looking forward to seeing Steve Q someplace near Mile 21.

I've said this a dozen times, but it always amazes me how quickly the wheels can come off.
Somewhere in Mile 20 I started to feel "it." By the time I saw Steve, my focus had gone from "I've got this" to "Uh oh." Right about this time, Joe Z came flying past me with Erik K (I think) and their Sub-3 virgin. This probably couldn't have happened at a worse time, as they looked fresh and were moving at what seemed like a 6:30 pace. I was still holding on to 6:45 miles, but they went by me like I was standing still. That sucked.
I didn't offer Steve much more than a point and a smile. I had planned on telling him I was ready for the hills he had warned me about, but when I saw him, doubt had begun to take over. I continued on, though, still holding on to an ever-more-difficult pace. It was odd to see him in civilian clothing, too, as I had always envisioned him in only running event shirts, shorts, and mud. And living in the woods, appearing out of thin air moments before the race started. And shorter. Then again, the only other time I met him, all of that was true.

Finally, Summit Street! The left turn at Mile 21 marked the final climb and final home stretch, and I decided at this point to turn off my Garmin and run on guts. I really didn't need the psychological blow of watching my average pace creep bit by bit. My dad and bro-in-law were waiting at 23, and I mustered a grimace masked as a smile. Still, though, I felt like I had a chance...I was running on fumes and the minor hills were growing with each step.
I heard Matt yelling at me for a half mile before actually reaching him. He was spot on with his assessment that I still could do it, but had ZERO room for error, and needed to run a faster pace than I was currently running. I faked a puking episode as I passed and smiled. All I wanted was to see the spire of the cathedral. The previous day's run had shown me that when it becomes visible through the canopy of trees of Summit Street, the course opens up and it's downhill.
As I continued to go into serious hypoglycemia, the chimneys of the massive houses lining Summit kept duping me into thinking I was at the Cathedral. I. Was. Done.
The crowd along Summit was AMAZING. The best crowd I think I've been around. There were dozens of radios, several bouncy houses, and an absolutely fantastic NF Endurance Cheer Section. Without Matt and the crowd and the NF section, I may have walked it in from Mile 23 on. What an amazing event.
FINALLY, I was into the downhill finishing chute (the best finishing chute around) and had made it!

I didn't hit my goal of 2:59:anything but instead came across in 3:03:05. I was tired, but the fantastic spread for the runners helped a bit. Kurt was there, too, waiting on Sonya, and I told him I didn't get "it," (sub 3) and that I had run way too many marathons this year. He agreed.

Some chicken broth in my belly really hit the spot, and right away, there was my dad, calling my name and smiling. He asked how it went, and when I shook my head, he just kind of shrugged his shoulders, and smiled. "That's still a hell of a run, Nic." Great point. Love that guy.
There wasn't much time to pout, thankfully, as I had a ride to catch and a sister to run with. We walked to University Ave (other side of the Capital, uphill...that sucked) where my bro-in-law picked us up, and immediately headed back up the course on Summit St. My dad and I hopped out of the car just past Mile 24 and waited for my sister. By this time, I was freezing, so I put on my "Finisher" shirt, inside-out, of course, and was only standing there about 3 minutes before Kathy came by. She was off her 3:45 pace by a couple minutes, but was still doing well. I hopped back in and ran the final couple miles with her. As we went back through the NF Cheer Section, I was raising the roof and doing other dumb white guy stuff to embarrass my sister (who also runs for NF), and unfortunately caused her to have a bit of an asthma attack. Not the first time I've set a human into an allergic reaction with my dance style. After a short walk break, we started down the hill and into the finishing chute, where Kathy took off and left me kind of hobbling in behind her. THAT was the finishing sprint we were both hoping for!
And now some stray bullets.

I highly recommend the Twin Cities Marathon. Great course. Great People.
After the G-I issues I had at Fox Cities, I think I went too far the other way this time, and didn't have enough calories.
I'm sore.
I'm looking forward to the trails in 3 weeks.
I'm not currently in possession of the ladies evening gloves. Not real sure where they are, either.
Sub 3 WILL happen! In 2009? TBD.

bib number:	540
age:	28
gender:	M
location:	Kiel, WI
overall place:	315 out of 8431
division place:	71 out of 1045
gender place:	240 out of 4921
time:	3:03:24
pace:	6:59
chip time:	3:03:05
5k:	20:38
10k:	41:42
half:	1:28:06
30k:	2:06:11
20 mile:	2:15:36

It's supposed to cold on Sunday...

2009-10-01T22:02:00.002-05:00

but I'll be prepared:

Next Stop: Twin Cities

2009-09-28T17:13:00.008-05:00

Ellie and I just got back from a GREAT weekend in Salt Lake City, where I managed to find myself out on a couple local trails. I absolutely LOVED that city and the surrounding area, but my camera work was a bit disappointing:

Nice Shoe.

The friends we visited don't ski or hike or trail run, which is a bit of a travesty in my opinion, when autumn views like this are literally 10 minutes away. Endless single track and the occasional water fall...amazing!

My quads and low back are feeling the climbs I did this weekend, but it was a good final tune-up before I try to crack the 3-hour nut~~(s@ck)~~ this weekend in Twin Cities. A couple tempo runs this week, and I'll be ready to go. I just hope I've got enough left in the tank this time to finish the deal over the last 5 mile climb. Steve has threatened to throw marbles at me too, so I'll have to be at the top of my game.

ps...anyone know how to copy the thumbnail pictures off of asiorders.com? There are some vomit-included pictures from my Fox Cities Run I'd love to share.

Fox Cities Marathon Report: 7 SECONDS!

2009-09-21T13:36:00.004-05:00

Included in my participant bag for this year's Fox Cities Marathon was a roll of "Charmin Extra Soft" Toilet Paper. I laughed and made fun of it. Never again will I underestimate the importance of good toilet paper...especially when running a marathon.
Short Story: I finished in 3:00:07, eight seconds slow of my goal. I have never felt stronger during a run...unfortunately, my G-I tract didn't have a good day and I had to stop twice for potty breaks (using the porta-potty toilet paper then combined with sweat and produced Patten-like chafing in not-so-fun areas) and spend the better part of a minute in the last half mile dry heaving and puking. I LITERALLY was going to achieve my Sub-3 goal until mile 26, when I finally succumbed to a 15 second dry heaving convulsion that cost me precious time.

And now the long story...

As I mentioned, I've NEVER felt like I've been in better shape for a marathon. The "Sub-3" goal has been in the forefront of my mind since May, when I ran the Journeys Marathon in 3:02:21. Grandma's turned out to be way too hot, so I was hoping for a good run here at Fox Cities. The training this summer had me in great shape. I felt lean, light, and fast. The hill work I've been doing even had me noticing new muscles I didn't have before. I really felt good.

I slept like a rock last night, going to bed in my normal sleeping position (supine, no pillow, feet in a flexed position and held there by the sheets, our cat Grace near my left arm) and awoke to my alarm at 5:32 in the exact same position. Very rarely do I sleep that soundly. As I made my way to the bathroom, Ellie (who has been made aware countless times how good I thought this run was going to go) asked how I slept. I responded with a happy "Great!" and made my way into the shower.

The ride to the event was uneventful (outside of me feeling the need for a bathroom stop...number 3 of the morning...uh oh) and left me with about 30 minutes to loosen up and mentally prepare. I visualized myself in the finishing chute with "2:58:xx" on the clock. A couple yoga stretches and some stride work and I was chomping at the bit.

FINALLY, at 8 AM I was off. Despite knowing I had to keep things calm, I couldn't help it. As I said, I felt fast and the first mile showed it, clocking in at 6:35. I intentionally slowed the pace down a bit and still ran Mile 2 in 6:49. I felt amazing! Not having a heart rate monitor, I continued to run by feel, and clocked miles 3-6 from 6:33 (downhill) to 6:43, all under my goal 6:50 pace. In the middle of Mile 6 I started to feel something "brewing" downstairs. It continued to strengthen, so during the 7th mile I stopped off at a porta-john. Mile 7 was 7:05 because of the stop, but I felt great afterward and didn't allow for much worry to creep into my mind. I was running fast and free and didn't want to think about any G-I issues. Mile 8 went by at 6:34...perhaps a bit fast, but still I felt fine and my breathing was easy. It was a beautiful day with a wonderful breeze and the crowd, the course, everything was going great! Miles 9 to 13 continued to feel great, and I ran a 6:24 mile 11 (BIG downhill) and was under 6:40 for all of those miles. Still, my breathing was easy, relaxed, and my intermittent "body checks" for form, tightness, over-exertion all came back clear. I simply felt fantastic!

Mile 10, feeling good.

Not long into mile 13 (crossed half way in 1:27:42) my rear end started to feel "heavy" again. This was discouraging. My legs, my mind, my heart, were all having a great run. It was a bit of work to keep the pace under control, yet I was again feeling heavy in the last foot of my G-I tract. Again, to be safe, I stopped during mile 15 for the potty. 7:26 mile. And that one didn't feel so good after leaving the porta-potty. I was feeling even more chafe, too. Not so great. Mile 16 was a 7:03 mile (again, I'm aiming for 6:50 miles) and I was starting to feel some weakness.

Mile 17...Feeling Notsogood.

I had taken a gel in the first 45 minutes, and another every 45 minutes after that, along with an SCap every hour. Still, I was starting to feel like the Gels were simply going straight through my body, and not really adding much sugar to the bloodstream. Despite this creep of negative thoughts, my legs still felt strong and my breathing rhythm was right where I wanted it to be. I still felt great...for now.

I went through mile 20 feeling just okay. The time read 2:15 and change, so I still had a lot of confidence in my ability to run a 10K in under 45 minutes. Even at this point, despite some SERIOUS issues "down low," my legs felt strong and my breathing was right on. I continued to plug away at a "safe" pace, at least to me, passing miles 20-23 in 6:42, 6:54, 6:49. Things are looking good! ...

Then, I started to run out of energy. Mile 23 was tough, and I knew I had a fight on my hands to avoid a serious bonk. Still, I only needed to run about 7:40 miles to meet my goal, and I knew I was up to it. Scratch that, I THOUGHT I was up to it.

At Mile 25, the crowd really gets heavy. the end of the marathon is kind of a "loop" where you pass within half a block of the finish with less than a mile to go, so the crowd is all over the place cheering. I love that. About half way through this segment (half a mile to go), though, you're at the end of the peninsula where the event finishes, and it gets a bit empty. Good thing for me, too, as that's where I started dry heaving.

The wheels are coming off...

With less than .5 miles to go, I was doubled over, dry heaving. There was an event photographer right there, too, and I told him "Can't wait to see that one!" I continued on in a shuffle...half bent over, eyes glazed over, still knowing I just had to hold...it...together...for a couple minutes...

I thought I had it. I turned the final corner and could see the finishing chute. Unfortunately, as I continued along in the final couple hundred feet, running on fumes, my stomach finally revolted completely. Literally 200 yards from the finish--amongst the finishing crowd--I was reduced to dry heaving and mild vomiting. I tried to simply push through it, running forward as the dry heaves started. At one point, in a small moment of self-dignity, I tried to wipe off my face with my jersey after an episode dry heaving, only to vomit a bit into my shirt. That. Was. Awesome.

That's not sweat that has dampened my shirt...and the guy in the background staring at me also witnessed the vomit...hence the strange look.

150 yards to go, and time is running out. I can vividly remember trying to push through it...but I finally had to put my hands on my knees, in the middle of the finishing chute, and barf. Man did that suck. It was mostly just dry heaving, as there wasn't much fluid that came out, but it was not something I could do while continuing to run--I had to stop, hands on my knees, and let 'er rip. I told a pair of guys leaning over the railing how much it sucked, not that they couldn't tell on their own. I'm pretty sure I included the F bomb at one point too.

After that final episode, things came together for me and I literally sprinted to the line. I can remember, in full stride, seeing the clock tick over from 2:59:59 to 3:00:00...

There's still a chance...

Still, I thought, that's clock time...I've still got a chance on chip time...so I gave it everything I had and crossed the line, stopping my watch at...3:00:07.

I already knew...Not Quite.

The first volunteer said "Congratulations! Can I help in any way?" I responded with, "Thank you, I think I'm gonna puke," to which she replied with a 5 foot step back from me. In came a medical volunteer to walk me through the rest of the chute. Over my ear I heard Ellie yell, "Did you make it?"

My subtle shake of my head side to side told her all she needed to know. Still, she was amazing. Ellie reminded me that I just PR'd by over 2 minutes, and that I needed to remember that sometimes your stomach simply isn't in it, and there's not much you can do. That's the story of today.

As I look back, I find myself smiling and shaking my head. Seven seconds. 150 yards from the finish line. Doubled over. The marathon is a ~~bitch~~ fickle, independent woman, and she taught me a lesson today. Never assume something's gonna happen. I thought for SURE I had a Sub-3 this year. Then it was 80 in Grandma's, and my guts had an issue at Fox Cities.

Oh well...I'm still in the best shape I've ever been in, and there are plenty of opportunities to make the Sub-3 happen. Just not today. And it's kind of interesting to look back on it and think about how very far I was able to push myself--to the very breaking point. While the time goal didn't quite happen, I can be happy about the fact I gave it all I had on that particular day.

Here's a link to the Garmin Data. You'll note some serious spikes at a couple places, and outside of that...some GREAT RUNNING!

The numbers:

overall place:	24 out of 1030
division place:	11 out of 75
gender place:	21 out of 614
time:	3:00:07
pace:	6:53
5 mi:	33:28
10 mi:	1:06:58
half:	1:27:37 (I didn't get passed in the second half of the run, and actually moved up 5 spots. Not bad!)
15 mi:	1:41:07
20 mi:	2:15:10
last 10k:	44:58 (Looking at the race results, there are several 45-49 minute final 10k's among the people that finished in front of me. There was definitely a trend of fading as it got warmer.)

Walking it off in Riverside Park. I wasn't real happy. Ellie's following me to make sure I don't end up jumping in the lake.

Sorry to post again...don't feel obligated to comment again :)

2009-09-17T17:55:00.003-05:00

This week has gone pretty well. Monday's run told me to cut wayyyy back on the running. So did Helen's command. Got it.

Tuesday I spent an hour in Vinyasa yoga getting my legs in better shape. It worked.

Thursday I ran my last long(ish) run, finishing 6 miles at 6:40 pace. My legs still felt pretty heavy, but not too bad. An hour of yoga Thursday night prevented me from seeing the season opener of The Office, but helped keep the legs limber.

Friday was a great day in the office (on my feet from 8 AM to 11:30 AM straight, then again from 1 PM to 5:30 PM, then a break and finished at 6 PM. Cross training.

Today I decided, after a late night and one too many Leinie's, to skip the AM yoga and sleep as long as possible. That meant Parsenn had me up at 7. I love that dog. I took him for an easy AM jog then ran my last run before Fox Cities...15 minutes AT MARATHON PACE shakeout. It went well (a bit faster pace than my Marathon Pace, but I couldn't help it!), and now it's GO TIME.

I lost my Heart Rate Monitor for the Garmin, too. I think I took it off, set it on my trunk, then drove away. So...so much for keeping my HR right under 160. It'll be up to my own "Percieved Exertion."

I'm considering running with a water bottle for this event. I've never run a marathon with one, but I always run my training runs with one and am thinking it may be a good idea, so I can create a "steady drip" of Gel and Water. Still debating...

As for tomorrow, sorry to post again and make you feel obligated to once again say "Good Luck!" in the comments. Feel free to pass, and just leave me a comment TWICE as long when I report on my SUB THREE!

1 week

2009-09-14T09:09:00.003-05:00

Next week is the Fox Cities Marathon, and I feel ready to go after 3 hours...barring heat. I was just talking with another runner this weekend, and I told him that if it feels hot, I'm scratching the 3 hour idea and running a bit more conservatively. I've now run 3 marathons in the heat, as well as several training runs, and they all tend to end the same way: in a downward spiral. Each time I think, as the run begins, that "this time will be different" or "I'll gut it out" or "this might just end up being a magical run" and it never does. Time to be smarter.

BUT, if the weather does cooperate, I think I can do it! I've had a lot of very strong runs lately, and I've added in a bit of hill work also, which is already producing noticeable results. I fell stronger and leaner than I ever have. Each week I've worked in a couple 5-7 miles runs with fast miles (well, fast for me anyway--between 5:45 and 6:00 miles) and have developed a nice soreness in the legs that remind me I'm getting faster. This week I'll cut back a little bit just to make sure I'm good to go.
Yesterday I ran in the heat on a trail loop that I've run countless times and cut off my best time around the 7 mile loop by 6 minutes! 6 minutes!! I was pumped.

Current forecast for Appleton on Sunday: Sunny, high of 69. I'd really like to see that high temp come down a bit...

Updated...ran home from work tonight. I ran marathon pace for the 2 mile trip. My legs feel tired. Time to stop running. Duh.

30+ Miles?!

2009-08-29T15:29:00.003-05:00

In following last week's theme, where I set a new personal high for mileage in a week, I ended up setting a new (probably stupid) personal high for mileage in single training run: 30.56 miles. I was anticipating running for about 4 hours and covering about 25 miles...but I'm not good at math and had no choice but to get back to my car and end up running for 4:32 and covering over 30 miles. Probably not that smart, training-wise, but I actually feel pretty good at the moment sitting here drinking a coke (which I was CRAVING for the last hour of the run) and enjoying the dull muscular aches and twitches in my legs.
After last week's 63 miles, I had a severe case of dead legs this week. I ran a little (4 miles, hating every step of it) on Tuesday, and then ran again Wednesday after work. Wednesday's run was actually a pretty good one, as I ran for about an hour and actually clipped off a couple sub-6 minute miles along the way. Thursday's run was a tempo 9 miles around town followed by a hill workout that I absolutely dreaded and cut short. My legs (specifically, my soleus muscles) were not happy to experience inclines again.
Considering all of that, I decided to approach today's long run with a "must complete" attitude. I had pretty much "tapered" for it throughout the week, so I wanted to get a decent trail run in. The plan was to run steady and easy for 2 hours, then pick up the pace for about 45 minutes, and then finish up with another hour of steady running on heavy legs. My last attempt at a long trail run was cut short by the heat and humidity...and the fact I used my car as my aid station made it far too easy for me to simply quit and drive away. Footfeather's comment has been in my head ever since that run, bothering me:

This workout yesterday taught you how to give up during a race. I know this from experience. Gut through it next Thurs..

It bothered me mostly because it was so true! And knowing that I wanted to make myself finish the run, I parked my car 8 miles away from where the majority of the run would take place. This would allow me to run the first hour 8 miles up to the Greenbush Picnic Area, then the next hour on an out and back from Greenbush, giving me my 2 hours of 'easy' running. At this point I would (hopefully) speed up the pace a bit on the Greenbush trails, before being forced to run another 8 miles back to the car. On my way to Butler Lake, where I parked, I left a cooler with water, SCaps, and Gels/ShotBloks at Greenbush. There. Now my aid station was nowhere near my car and I had no choice but to run/death march/crawl 8 miles back to my car.
The plan worked pretty well!
The first 8 miles from my car to Greenbush on the Ice Age Trail were exactly what my legs wanted. I had been running a bunch more on roads recently in anticipation of the Fox Cities Marathon in late September, and the trails are just flat out BETTER. I kept the pace easy and the HR low and arrived in Greenbush in a little over an hour.
A brief re-load of my water and I continued north on the Ice Age Trail for 4.65 miles before turning around and heading home. Still, the running was really easy and enjoyable.
Once I got back to Greenbush, I again switched out water bottles and ran a 5.1 mile loop. I had run over 2 hours at "easy" pace and now wanted to pick it up. This part got a little difficult, but I'm happy with a 7:31 average pace for my "tempo" part of the run. When I finished that loop I would have quit the run had my car been available. I was pissed at myself but at the same time happy with myself for parking 8 miles away. This part of the run was going to suck...most likely really suck...but I had no choice. I took my dear time at the Picnic Table Aid Station reload, gathered my thoughts, and off I went. According the Garmin, on this last leg of my run I only had a 10 minute/mile pace. While I definitely slowed down, that number is a little high because it includes the big break sitting at the picnic table. Overall, I ran 30.56 miles in 4:32. Not sure how I thought I'd only be running 25ish miles and 4 hours. Also not sure how smart it is to do a 30 mile training run when your peak event is 31 miles.
Final thought:
I really need to get better at taking in calories. I did well with ShotBloks and Gels for the first 2 hours, but after that they are simply barf-inducing to me. For the total run, I took in 4 SCaps, 3 gels and 8 ShotBloks. And the majority of that was in the first 2:30. I'm hoping that the aid stations at the North Face 50K have stuff that will look appealing to me, because I'm finding it VERY difficult to get enough calories from Gels and ShotBloks to keep going.
Any ideas out there?

63 miles?!

2009-08-23T20:48:00.001-05:00

Wow...I had no idea that my weekly mileage total was that high--an all-time high for me. The workload and types of runs, however, make it feel like a lot more. On Thursday I ran the local ski hill and my legs are still really sore from that--especially the soleus muscle portion of my calves. They're very stiff and aching, and I even felt a slight twinge in my left plantar fascia yesterday, making me even more aware of how much those hill repeats took out of me...and how much I suck at running hills apparently.
Yesterday I set out for a road 20 miles (I can't remember the last time I ran 20 miles on roads other than during a marathon). It felt great and the pace and HR were right in line, with the exception of two mile splits that were interrupted by unleashed, uncollarred (sp?) dogs coming after me. The first was a black lab that would run away if I faced it, but would begin following and barking at me if I continued to run. Finally, after about 2 minutes of me standing there, the owners got it back under control (PUT A COLLAR ON YOUR DOG) and off I went again. A couple miles later my "interaction" was with a German Shepherd. Definitely a bit scarier...especially when it jumped over the chicken wire fencing holding it in and started toward me. Luckily a truck was coming down the road at the same time, so I waved it down and hopped in the back and got a ride away. It'd be an understatement to say that dog scared me. A black lab I can handle. An uncollarred and barking German Shepherd able to hop the fence that is supposed to keep it in the yard will scratch that particular road off of the "Places to Run" list permanently. As I mentioned, outside of those two miles I ran the entire run at 6:52 pace or better...a big boost in confidence as I continue to work towards a sub-3 marathon at Fox Cities in a month.
This week, however, it's back to the trails. I feel like my calves are on the edge of going from "hurting" to "injured" and they need some friendly single track again.

First and Foremost...and then Back to Me...

2009-08-20T21:40:00.003-05:00

Wow. Amazing. Wow. In the 100 meter dash, From 1983 to 2007 th eWR was dropped .19 seconds. Now, Usain Bolt has dropped the record .18 seconds in a little over a year. It's been estimated his 40 yd time would be 3.82 seconds.

Again, Wow.

As for me, I SUCK at hills. I ran our area's biggest ski hill today, appropriately named "Nutt Hill," (Glaven, I'm expecting great things in the comment section over this) in hopes of going up and down it for an hour. I made it about 35 minutes, 10 times up and down, before rain and fatigue had me walking. I really need to do more of that stuff if I want to get faster. It's as simple as that.

After getting my butt kicked in an hour long "Yoga for Athletes" class (taught by Ellie, who I swear is out to kill me) shortly after leaving Nutts@ck Hill, finished up with about an hour of trail running on the IAT. The new picture up on top is from this run. Man, could I feel those hills again. I can't wait to go back and see if I can hold it together for an hour.

This weekend I'm hoping to put in 4 hours, with the 3rd hour being a fast one. We'll see. My plans are already screwed up a bit, as Ellie and I recently purchased a new sectional couch for our new basement, and after moving I REFUSE to move anything else, so the movers are scheduled to show up "between 8 am and Noon." Great. Thanks.

Luckily, the previous owners of our new residence didn't want to haul their treadmill up the steps, so perhaps the first hour or two will be spent on that, with it at its maxed incline, until the couch arrives and I can hit the trails. Outside of that, GREAT LUCK to SteveQ and Helen at Lean Horse, and CONGRATS to Glaven for a great trail run, and
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

What's wrong with this conversation?

2009-08-19T16:57:00.002-05:00

From Politico:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was $50 dollars richer Wednesday after he won a friendly wager with a reporter.

In a morning gaggle with the White House press corps, April Ryan, a reporter with American Urban Radio Network, and Gibbs squabbled over this question on the president's push for health care: Did Gibbs ever say Obama wouldn't personally go somewhere (like Capitol Hill) because he didn't have a home field advantage.

Gibbs instantly said, "I never insinuated the President wouldn't go somewhere because he didn't have an advantage."

But Ryan hastily pushed back: "No you did. In the briefing you said that."

Gibbs then offered to give Ryan $20 bucks if she could find that transcript.

"Make it $50," Ryan snapped back.

"I'd like three $20s and a $10 please," Gibbs said.

It's becoming more and more obvious why Cash for Clunkers is a disaster. Let's not talk about health care.

24 Hour Vacation

2009-08-15T09:57:00.005-05:00

I managed to get in a recovery 10 miles this morning, despite spending Friday night at the local "Jazz Crawl." It was a good time that resulted in my wife wearing Vera Bradley aroun her shoulder (pretty normal), Beads around her neck (pretty normal for a Jazz Crawl), an eye patch around her wrist (Umm?), some over-your-regular-glasses-sunglasses (getting strange), and drinking Miller Lite (WTF is going on?). I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever seen her drink Miller Lite.
Quite a night.

In other news, and in honor of today's Leadville 100 Bike Race (Go Weins!), check out this great video. My favorite Line is "With my endurance, you don't stand a chance. My cardiovascular fitness level's right up there with Lance" at 1:58 :

Now, it's off to Door County for the rest of the weekend. Hope yours is a blast too!

North Face Course Run -- In Viper's Honor

2009-08-14T10:15:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday night I wrote down the following in anticipation of my long run on Thursday. Now, I'll add in the gory details using italics:

Here's the plan...likely to be edited with big red "FAIL" markers, ala Viper, post-run:

Drive down to the North Face Course, and park at Scuppernong Trail Head. Leave from Scuppernong.

Run 5.3 Miles to Wilton Road. Consume 2 Gels and 20 oz Water during this run.

At Wilton, Pick up 25 oz Water, 2 more Gels. Run it at 8:30 Pace, arriving in 45 mins. SUCCESS!

Run 5.5 Miles to Hwy 67. Consume 2 Gels and 25 oz Water during this leg.

At Hwy 67, Pick up 25 oz Water, 2 more Gels, and Gatorade. Run it at 8:30 pace, arriving in 46 mins. (1:31 total)SUCCESS! But, WOW...this was the infamous "Prairie" section of the Kettle 100 course--known for its heat, humidity, and down right suckiness. My hat's off to you Kettle runners. I CAN'T IMAGINE running in that. It sucked and put me way behind on water. Looking ahead, though, the views of the prairies and surrounding forests will be spectacular this fall!

Run 5.3 Miles to Piper. Consume 2 Gels, 25 oz Water during this leg.

At Piper, Pick up 25 oz Water, 2 more Gels, and Gatorade. FAIL. OUCH DID THE WHEELS COME OFF. This section of the course in on horse trails, which provide some shade from the heat but also provide swarms (think horror movie swarms) of deerflies. Definitely checking Kettle off of my list of "must runs."

Run back to car (1.7 miles) and then Green Loop of Scuppernong (5 miles) for 6.7 total.FAIL. Fail Big Time. I was done. I flat out suck in the heat. And it was 90 out.

Pick up water, Gels, Gatorade. Suck it up. Run this leg at sb 8:00 pace...hopefully sub 7:45, finishing this leg in under 51 minutes. (3:04 total). FAIL-DNS. I called it quits after doing a mad dash into my car while swatting the deerflies out of my car.

Pick up water, Gels, Gatorade, finish up with 4.5 miles of horse trail, at 8:30 pace. Finish run in 38 minutes. (3:42 total). FAIL-DNS. By this time I was halfway home, still sweating like mad.

So, overall, not exactly what I wanted. I ended up running over 17 miles of the course in 2:40 and got familiar with the tough parts and the runnable parts, so that's a plus.

Afterwards, I serously considered drowning my sorrows in a huge greasy cheeseburger and a Coke. Instead, I got Subway. SUCCESS!

Momentarily ON the Grid...

2009-08-10T17:46:00.003-05:00

Well, the intertubes are hooked up, along with DVR (!) and teh house is looking fantastic! The only problem? We don't have a lawnmower and if you look at our yard for about 15 seconds, you can actually SEE the grass growing with all the rain we've had recently. Anyone have an extra LawnBoy? Maybe just some goats?

In running news, last week was fantastic. I put in right around 55 miles with some great speed work included. And speaking of speed, some people out there feel the need to dedicate an entire summer to speed. And then complain about it. And then complain some more about it. After witnessing this, I decided to simply enjoy a Saturday of Speed. Last weekend I ran a 5K at 8:00 AM in pouring rain, through mud puddles, along the local High School Cross Country course, and then managed to out sprint a high schooler for 4th overall and finish in 18:56. It was great...besides my Glavenly-cursed Garmin once again taking a crap because its oh so precious bezel got some rain on it. I'm growing very very impatient with the 405. After resting a bit and chatting to everyone at the finish line, I hopped in my car, changed shoes and socks, and drove 10 minutes South to the next town and sprinted to the start line of a 5 mile run that began at 9 AM. Still upset with the Garmin, I left it in the car and ran the entire race on 'feel.' I kept track of my breathing rhythm and chugged away at the tough hills, and opened it up a bit on the downhills, and really felt like I could have run forever. I finished the 5 Miler in 31:xx (no online posting of finish times yet, but I think it was 31:52...) and took 3rd overall! The winner and 2nd place ran 26:xx and 28:xx, so I feel like I was 1st in human class :)
Looking back at the most recent 5 miler I ran in June, before Grandma's, I was amazed that this weekend's 5 miler was faster! That's a nice confidence booster going forward.
The reality check? I was in such a hurry getting to that 5 miler, that I apparently didn't write all that legibly (hey, I'm a doctor), resulting in my name being announced as "Nic Bibblor" at the awards ceremony. That was just awesome. Hopefully it ends up in the paper that way too.

On Thursday I'm hoping to go down to the North Face 50K course and run about 20 miles on the course. Until then, this is Nic, signing off the Grid again.

Off the Grid

2009-08-03T08:32:00.002-05:00

We're in our house officially! There was only one mini-fight between Ellie and I regarding the move--I did NOT want to move a huge table from the basement of our office to the basement of our new house. Ellie did. We argued. We moved it. It sucked.

Plenty of stories to share about that process, and others. Let's just say that "Dr. Nic" is not much of a "Handy Man Nic."

We don't currently have the Intertubes at our house, so I'll be back at some point with the stories!

Week 13/8

2009-07-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

In honor of all my friends who ran Voyageur this weekend, or will be running Leadville, I stopped and took a picture of my own trail "Powerlines" from Saturday's run. I think my powerlines are a bit less daunting.

After spending abotut 5 total hours on the Glacial Trail 50K course this weekend, the idea of running that race is really starting to become a nuisance to my overall schedule...especially considering that over dinner Saturday night Ellie looked at me and said, "Please don't sign up for any more races this fall. Okay?"

And I can understand where she's coming from. Business is growing every week. We bought a house, and will be moving in this weekend (!). Still, if I had to pick just one event to run each fall, it may be Glacial Trail. They're my favorite trails to run on and it's 10 minutes from my house! We'll see...

Before I get on to the week that was, I want to again congratulate the runners from the past weekend at Voyageur. After being outside on my own run on Saturday morning, sweating like crazy (and fighting off SWARMS of deerflies), I was happy to be done after about 24 miles. They weren't even half way done at that point. Crazy.

Monday: Nada.

Tuesday: I got in a quick loop after work, with a very quick mile included before Ellie and I had to take off for dinner plans. I decided to label this run Heisenberg because his post is the OBVIOUS REASON my good ol' trusty Garmin went on the fritz big time, right in the middle of my speed work. Fannnnnnntastic.

Wednesday: Quick speed work from the office to yoga, then home from yoga. I'm loving yoga more every week.

Thursday: I ran the 7 Hills Road out and back in my first long (more than 10 miles) road run since Grandma's. It was a doozy. I managed, however, to get back out a bit later in the day and put in 4 more miles. It was hot and humid and I was feeling it big time. Mark this up to ANOTHER reason the trails are the way to go. You'll have a lot less residual soreness after big runs.

Friday: Nada.

Saturday: 24 miles, all on IAT. Exactly 3 hours and 22 minutes into the run I was DONE (I know the time because I looked at the watch for this exact reason). My legs were dead and I was starting to get that loopy feeling, where my eyes seemed a bit blurry. Luckily I had stashed one extra Gu in my handheld pocket. That was the greatest Gu I've ever tasted. I've been craving a Chocolate Outrage Gu ever since. Kinda gross to crave that, now that I think about it. Outside of absolutely HORRIBLE deerflies biting away, the run was great.

Sunday: This afternoon, after being on my feet from 11-4 for a family picnic and eating terrible food the entire time, I made it back out to the trails for another hour. It was raining and thundering the entire run, which added to the fun. I ran the first segment of the Glacial Trail course, out and back, and realized the first 5miles of Glacial is pretty much all uphill. Still, I ran the uphill part at about the same pace as the downhill part, and my legs really didn't feel all that bad!

This was a great week for me, running wise. I didn't get in the speed work I probably need to in order to run sub-3 at Fox Cities, but I enjoyed every run, and LOVED the weekend runs out on the trails. Next weekend will be difficult to run...with the exception of boxes from one house to the other, but hopefully (i. e. Ellie permits it) I can sneak away at some point. I feel like I've got some great momentum going at the moment and want to keep it rolling!

Overall: ~ 55 miles

7 Hills Road

2009-07-23T14:17:00.008-05:00

Today I finally did it. Ever since last April I had been wanting to run the entire 7 Hills Road, and I finally got that checked off the list this morning. This road is unbelievable! It's an old township road that runs a total of 8 miles. I tried to run the entire thing, out and back, last April but gave up after only 12 miles. Today, though...success! I was mostly interested in Garmin Connect's Elevation/Heart Rate Profile...pretty cool turnout, and actually somewhat symmetrical (it was an out/back course, with the HR increaseing along with elevation--something Connect Stuggles MIGHTILY with on the trails. Another reason to NOT buy a Garmin).

I reached the halfway point (the northern-most end) in a little over an hour and gladly helped myself to the water bottle I had stashed on that end. At that point I was hoping to run a negative split back to the car. The first half of the trip was done mainly in fog.

This part of Wisconsin has been littered with enormous windmills...I didn't even realize one was about 100 yards away and was wondering what that "whoosh" was. I tried to photo it...without much luck.

After turning around I wanted to finish in under 2 hours. While I didn't bonk as hard as last time I ran this road, I didn't make it in under 2 hours, either, thanks to a 10 minute mile 15 and a 9 minute mile 16 to finish. It got warm towards the end too, burning off the fog and exposing the ~~edited opinion of wind energy~~ incredibly big windmills.

At one point I decided to sprint (relative term, at that point in the run) up one of the hills to see how hight the HR would get. Garmin Sez 185. I think I've got more than that in me, so I'll be back out to this road again soon, hoping to break 2 hours. Before that, I need to review some hill running tips.

Week 14/9

2009-07-20T11:34:00.002-05:00

Monday: Nothing
Tuesday: Nothing.
Wednesday: 1 mile, 1 hour of yoga.
Thursday: Nothing.
Friday: Nothing.
Saturday: 3:30 of on-feet time, 3:15 of moving time. I'm still working through the S!Caps/Gel/ShotBlok/Water intake and really need to work on keeping my pace a bit slower in the beginning of the run. (Duh)

This week should allow more mileage, and I really need to get speed work going for the Fox Cities Marathon in September. Also, I've been told "I'm an idiot" by someone who's opinion I really trust (and Glaven called me an idiot once, too) because I'm thinking about running Glacial Trail 50K two weeks before the North Face 50K. That may be true...and luckily I'm not registered for Glacial yet...but we'll see.

Back With A Vengeance. Ish.

2009-07-17T19:03:00.006-05:00

I ran exactly one mile this week. And it was a full-on sprint to make it from the office to the Library for my Yoga Class. The teacher is a real bee-otch (there she is on the left...don't worry, she never reads this crap anymore anyway...too busy at other sites) when it comes to interrupting her asanas, so I did NOT want to be late. That resulted in a 6:07 mile. Not bad!

As mentioned, work was great this week, but there was a lot of it. I pretty much crushed every personal record I had as a chiro in terms of 'business,' so that's a plus. Despite the office being a big obligation, I managed to make it down to Tennessee to make sure all Southern gun control stereotypes were in good form. (Full Disclosure: I received a one year membership to the NRA last Christmas. For reals.) On the way back I sang a lot of great love ballads in my car, alone, while thinking about Jessica Simpson. (Sorry if you don't get any of that. Try to keep up.)

But tomorrow, I return to running, with a Vengeance! Providing good weather, no patient phone call interventions, and my scheduled 8AM to Noon Meeting goes as planned and is actually over at Noon, and an understanding wife, I'm going to have a great day on the trails! (I'm posting this because then I'll feel obligated to actually run, and not just use the ticket in my possession to the Vintage races at Road America, which are actually REALLY cool).

I'm hoping to spend 4 hours on the trails. I'm gonna run 8.9 on the IAT, then 10.9 on these trails, then another 7(ish) on the Greenbush Single Track. Gels will be consumed and water will be inbibed. I will use some hill running technique outlined here that I've never considered. I may even bring a beer along to celebrate the finish. I'm really pumped to get out there and see what 4 trail hours feels like again.

Ish.

Final Result: About 3:15 of trail running, and 3:31 total on the trails. Very tired legs :) Love it.