Love to Run

2011 Running and Racing Year in Review

2012-01-01T16:23:00.003-06:00

The weather was beautiful for December 31st and the First Night 5K. The temperature at 4 pm was 59F but pretty windy. Since the race fell on Saturday, my regular long run day, I decided to go ahead and run earlier in the day. I ran 15.5 trail miles and then ran 2.5 miles with Hugh before the race. I didn't feel rested during the warm up so didn't expect to run very well for the 5K. My overall time was 20:59, average 6:40 pace, and pretty even splits and actually passed quite a few people at that pace. My time was over 2 minutes slower than my usual time for this race. I was 28th overall out of 364 runners and 4th in my age group. I was so glad for it to be over, but then went out and ran 3 more miles to cool down. I ended up with 24 miles for the day so an enjoyable last day of running for the year. I was feeling quite hungry and fuzzy brain after the cool down run.

Goals accomplished for 2011 - I set as a goal to get my bulging disc healed or have surgery to fix it since it was interfering with getting full enjoyment out of life. Thankfully, the surgery was a success and I recovered quickly. I had some goal races but did not do them - 3 Days of Syllamo and Burning River 100 miler. I was recovering from surgery during Syllamo and not ready for Burning River so did not sign up for either. I had hoped to do more cross training and I actually did while recovering from surgery, but did not keep it up after. I had my worst year for weight lifting since I started in 2001. I used to be consistent every week and missed months of training this year. I wanted to take 2 - 3 short breaks from running during the year with 4 - 7 consecutive days of no running. My first break was almost 6 weeks recovering from surgery. I also took 4 full days off in October after my 100 miler.

I had a 30 day streak where I ran every day but this is not something I would want to do 365 days per year. I did this as a short term challenge and to kick start my training for the 100 miler I ran in October. I had not planned to run a 100 miler this year. I was hoping to run either a 50 miler or 100K, but training was going so well I decided to run the 100 mile. I had very enjoyable year of running, no injuries (other than recovering from surgery) and did not feel too burned out at any point. The hardest challenge this year was not running for almost 6 weeks and then getting back in shape.

Total Miles:
2011 - 2460
2010 - 2839
2009 - 2675
2008 – 3014
2007 – 2572
2006 – 1937
2005 – 2090
2004 - ~1000

Marathons (25 total):
2011 - (2) Berryman Trail Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ)
2010 - (2) Go! St Louis Marathon (BQ), Heart of America Marathon (BQ)
2009 - (5) Disney Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr), 3 Days of Syllamo (Trail), Boston Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr), Heart of America Marathon (BQ and Course PR), Louis & Clark Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr)
2008 - (4) Boston Marathon (BQ and PR), Laughing Out Loud Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ), Twin Cities Marathon (BQ)
2007 - (5) Laughing Out Load, Berryman (First Trail Marathon - placed
4th), Heart of America (BQ), Baltimore Marathon (BQ), Bass Pro
Marathon
2006 - (3) Flying Pig (BQ), Heart of America (BQ, Chicago (BQ)
2005 - (3) Mad City, Heart of America (BQ), Portland (BQ)
2004 - (1) Heart of America

Ultramarathons (20 total):
2011 - (5) Psycho Wyco 50K, Grand Canyon 47 mi, Psycho Psummer 50K, Rock Bridge Revenge 50K, Pumpkin Holler 100 mi
2010 - (6) Psycho Wyco 50K, Free State Trail 100K (PR), Kettle Moraine 100 mi (PR), Flatrock 50K, Rock Bridge Revenge 50K, Ozark Trail 100 mi
2009 - (4) 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Psycho Wyco 50K, Berryman 50 mi, Q50 Ultramarathon 50K (PR)
2008 – (4)3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Berryman 50 mi, Rock Creek Trail 50K
2007 - (1) Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K

Number of each type of races for 2011:
100 mi -1
47 mi (Grand Canyon Run) - 1
50K - 3
Marathon – 2
16 mi (part of relay) - 1
Half Marathon - 1
20K - 1
10 mi -2
10K - 4
5 mi - 1
4 mi - 1
5K -8

Total running miles run in 26 races: 416 miles (last year 25 races – 509 mi)

States I ran marathons and ultras in 2011 (4): AZ, KS, MO,OK
All states I have run marathons and ultras (14): AR, AZ, FL, IL, LA, KS, MA,MD, MN, MO, OH, OK, OR, WI

2011 PRs in 4 mi, 10K, 100 mi
2010 PRs in 1 mi, 4 mi, 10 mi, half marathon, 3/4 marathon, 100K, 100 mi
2009 PRs in 5K, 25K, half marathon, and 50K
2008 PRs in 5K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi, marathon, 50K, 50 mi
2007 PRs in 5K, 4 mi, 8K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi
2006 PRs in 20K, half Marathon, and marathon

Goals for 2012:
1. Continue weight lifting 2 - 3 times per week as soon as I finish painting the inside of the house (hopefully within the next 2 weeks).

2. Correct the issue with my right foot turning in when I run. This isn't causing major problems yet, but it is bad form that could cause problems so need to fix. Either need a hip adjustment or possibly some exercises.

3. Do more speed work. I run short races but would like to also run a speed session when I am not doing races (which is rare).

4. Take 2 - 3 short breaks from running during the year with at least 3 - 4 consecutive days of no running.

5. More biking as cross training.

Marathons and ultras planned for 2012 -
January - No plans
February - Post Oak Challenge Double (already registered)
March - 3 Days of Syllamo (50K, 50 mi, also 20K) (already registered)
April - Free State 100K?
May - Berryman Trail 50 miler (already registered)
June - Run a 50 miler?
July - Psycho Summer 50K?
August - Burning River 100 mi (already registered)
September - Heart of America Marathon (already registered), maybe a 50K
October – Maybe a 50K or the C2C 39.3 mile or the Backyard Ultra in Tennessee
November - Ozark Trail 100 mile
December - No plans

2011 Cheese & Sauerkraut 10 miler

2011-12-10T12:08:00.001-06:00

Temperature was 19F today, but the wind was not bad. After the 5.2 mile warm up, we had 5 minutes to spare. I consulted with Phil about what time to write down. I wasn't feeling like I wanted to work extremely hard but decided to predict 1:07 even though I ran 1:03:50 last year. I took off my watch (none allowed) and quickly used the bathroom. We started promptly at 8:30 am. There were 4 of us running close together for the first 2 or so miles. I pulled ahead a bit before we turned on the road where we had to run down and turn around. I passed a couple runners and then was in second place. The guy in first (Kevin) was pretty far ahead of me and his twin brother (Erik) was behind me. I completed the first loop feeling pretty strong.

The second loop went well until about the last 2 miles, my legs were starting to feel fatigued and sore so I was having to work to keep the same pace. I didn't feel like I fell off the pace too bad and had pulled far enough ahead of Erik I didn't worry about him catching me, but would have been nice to have someone push me for the last couple miles. My finishing time was 1:05:01 so 2 minutes off my prediction but not close or far enough off to win the cheese or sauerkraut. I placed 2nd for my time overall out of 45 runners. The winner was 5 minutes ahead of me. We had sauerkraut dip, sauerkraut chocolate cookies (added a bag of milk chocolate chips), brownies, and cinnamon rolls to eat after. Hugh and I brought the sauerkraut cookies. There were 5 dozen and we only brought home about 4 cookies.

2011 Thanksgiving Day Pie Run 5K

2011-11-27T14:36:00.001-06:00

We arrived about 8 am to pick up our shirt and timing chip. I had ordered a small but they were out so I took the last medium. Hugh ordered a medium and took a large since that was the only size left. We could have gotten on a list for the correct size, but did not. There was not enough time to run the course as a warmup. I used the bathroom and decided to skip the warmup. I had time to run a mile but did not. The 10K started about 5 minutes before the 5K which was good since there was a huge crowd of over 700 runners and walkers. I started off with Katie and had hoped to run around 18:30. The first mile went okay, but a little slower than I had hoped at 6:02. I passed a couple guys and one guy passed me that looked to be in my age group. II was feeling the urge to use the bathroom and I definitely should have done so. I had to slow down for the last 2 miles. The second mile was 6:18. I did pass one guy near the finish and almost caught up to the guy in my age group. Last mile was 6:23 and last 0.1 was 33 seconds. Overall 19:15, 16th place of 397, and 3rd of 33 in the 40 - 49 age group. Not as fast as I had hoped, but not much I could do. I had to run to the bathroom as soon as I finished. I decided not to do a cool down and will go for a longer run tomorrow. I won a Chez Monet Pecan pie in the drawing. I picked the last pecan pie. Hugh was 4th in his age group in the 5K so just missed getting a medal this year. Results posted here.

2011 Cranberry Crawl 5K

2011-11-12T21:24:00.001-06:00

The Cranberry Crawl is a race that benefits the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri and starts at the Food Bank.. I warmed up with Hugh for about 1.5 miles and then we found the bathroom before the start. Temperature was 47 F so I wore a long sleeved shirt. I felt like I had a good race in me so I hoped to go out at a sub-6 minute mile. Started off with Dan E. and Tony R. was right behind us. I felt like maybe I was running too hard for the hilly course. The first mile was 5:47 and I felt better. There was also a 10K that ran 2 loops and the leaders of the 10K were ahead of us. We ran just behind the first female runner for about 1.5 miles and then passed her. Dan would pass me on the uphills and I pass him on the downhills and then we ran side by side. There wasn't much chit chat since we were working hard. 2 mile split was 6:10. At about 2.3 miles, Tony passes me and I work to keep up with him. I passed him up the last hill, but he passed me back. My 3 mile split was 6:06. I had a kick at the end but couldn't quite catch him. Overall time was 18:32 and Tony was 18:30. Dan came in after me. It felt like an actual race and no doubt we all helped each other to run our best today.

Overall I placed 7th of 92 and 2nd in age group. Hugh placed 11th overall and 1st in age group. I ran the course again with Dan for a cool down. Then we went inside to get some food and get ready for the awards. For the prizes we were allowed to pick from an assortment on a table. Hugh and I both picked the Body Glide. The last time I ran the 5K in this race was in 2008. Today was a 17 second improvement.

The course is shaped like a turkey. Here is the map and course elevation profile.

Tony & Andy

Hugh

Marc, Bill, Andy, Hugh

Back of shirt has course shaped like Turkey - We selected Body Glide for age group placings.

New Blog - Primal Nutrition and Fitness

2011-11-09T17:04:00.002-06:00

I have started a new blog called Primal Nutrition and Fitness. I would like to explore this as a long term plan to stay healthy and feel good. I will likely keep running some endurance races and post those here. Even though I am not sure all this running is entirely compatible with Primal Fitness, there are some modifications that I can make. I don't want the running to overtake my life and I think focusing on Primal Nutrition and Fitness will be a healthy balance. If you are interested or think I am crazy, check out the blog.

2011 Prevent 10K

2011-10-30T21:51:00.002-05:00

Cold but beautiful morning for a race. It was in the 30s when we woke up but low 40s by the time the race started at 9 am. I ran the 5K course with Hugh before the race as a warmup. The extra for the 10K was on the MKT trail. I was overdressed for the warmup so by the time the race started I was ready to shed some clothes. I wore my long sleeved Pumpkin Holler shirt, shorts, orange racing flats, and black and orange Sock Guy 3 Days of Syllamo socks. Everyone walked out to the road for the race start. I heard some guys talking about running 35 min so wasn't sure I was standing in the right place and there were also 5K racers. Since the race offered money for the top 3 male and female 10K winners, most of the really fast guys/gals were running the 10K.

The course started off pretty flat and after about half mile heads up a pretty good hill (up 100 ft) for a half mile. The fast 10K runners were in the lead. Katie was just ahead of me and I knew she would run faster than me so did not try to keep up and kept my goal pace. Tony was running the 5K and we were running close until he passed me after we got up the hill. My first mile split was 6:15 which was right where I wanted to be overall but figured the first mile might be slower due to the hill. The next part of the course is pretty flat for just over a half mile and then goes downhill for about three quarters mile, and then on the flat MKT trail at 2.3 miles. Once on the trail Brad running the 5K caught up to me before the 5K finish. I passed a guy that seemed like he was tiring out and then next thing I know he is surging ahead and passed me as well as Brad before the end. The first three 5K runners were fairly close. I believe the winner was about 19:10 so I wasn't far behind. My first 3 miles were 18:31.

From this point, the course went out just over 1.5 miles on the trail and back. Since I no longer had any runners close, I had to push the pace on my own. I was holding a very steady comfortable pace that seemed closer to a 5K than 10K pace. Before the turn around I got to see the first 6 runners 4 males and 2 females coming back. The turn around slowed me down a few seconds. Then I saw the runners coming out so that helped to see them. I knew the pace I was running that I was probably going to PR. My finishing time was 38:31 so an 11 second PR. My last 10K PR was in 2008 on an entirely flat course. In spite of the hill and the turnaround I felt like this was a fast course too and could probably go a little faster on it. I placed 7th overall and 5th male. There were over 100 runners registered between the 2 races and 39 finishers for the 10K.

After the race there was plenty of good Halloween candy, bananas, bagels, and bars to eat. Then the awards ceremony at about 11 am. The first and second overall guys ran 35-something and were in my 40 - 49 age group. I ended up winning the 1st place males Master's award which included $50 cash which was a nice surprise. Hugh won first in his age group in the 5K. There was also a drawing for numerous prizes which we were allowed to pick a prize off the table. I won a $15 Kostakis Pizza gift certificate and Hugh won a lunch at Honey Baked Ham.

This was the second year for this race. I was not able to run it last year. It was extremely well-organized and had a lot of support and sponsors. This race was to benefit the More Project. Pictures are on the Prevent FaceBook site. Race results at Columbia Track Club.

Splits:
M1 - 6:15
M2 - 6:12
M3 - 6:04
M4 - 6:08
M5 - 6:08
M6 - 6:10
M0.28 - 1:36 (5:43 pace)

2011 Capitol to Courthouse Ultra Marathon (relay)

2011-10-23T10:26:00.002-05:00

I wanted to run the Capitol to Courthouse Ultra Marathon but since it was a week after my 100 miler, I did not sign up ahead since it was doubtful that I would be recovered enough to run the 39.3 miles (marathon and a half). Hugh wanted to run as a relay, but I didn't want to commit until I knew I was okay to run. My run on Thursday went okay so we planned to run as a team, but did not get signed up before online registration closed. I hoped Darrin would let us register race morning. The race started in Jefferson City at the State Capitol building. We met at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and then walked over to the start shortly before 7 am. There were individuals running the entire distance as well as relay teams that were composed 2 members or more. The course went from the Capitol to the Katy Trail and then turned onto the MKT trail to Columbia where it finished in front of the Boone County Courthouse Columns.

Melanie sang the national anthem and then the runners were off. The temperature at the start was probably low 40s so a bit cool, but supposed to warm up to the 60s by the time I would start running. Hugh planned to run to Easley which was the first 5 legs of the relay 22.5 miles and I would run the last 4 legs 16.8 miles. We were allowed to split up any way that we desired. Dan and Jenny were a 2 person team and had a bike and ran every 5 miles while the other biked. I really didn't have a plan until I met Hugh at Easley so to kill some time I went to Hartsburg where one of the aid stations was set up at 13.6 miles. I watched some relay teams come through and waited for Hugh. I rode my bike out a bit about when I thought he would arrive. He tried to talk me into taking over for awhile at Hartsburg, but I told him he only had 9 miles to go and to slow down if he couldn't keep up his pace.

I headed towards Columbia and decided to go to the store to get some Powerade and then headed to Easley to meet Hugh. I expected he would arrive around 10:21 so got there a few minutes early and he was there at 10:22 so took him 3 hrs 22 min 16 seconds (9:00 pace) for his 22.5 mile portion. I took off and planned to just see what kind of pace I could hold. I had not run a fast pace in awhile and coming off the 100 miler was not sure what I could do. My first mile was 6:35 pace and I shortly passed Dan and Jenny. The trail is entirely flat so pretty easy to hold a steady pace, but I wasn't sure how long I would be able to keep up this pace.

I didn't see many people the rest of the way, but did pass a couple girls running the relay and the first place male solo runner. I skipped the first aid station I passed since wasn't thirsty yet, but by the time I hit the second one I think I was a bit behind on hydration. I had a gel just before I got there and then a small cup of water to wash down. The next aid station did not come until Scott Blvd. (11.5 miles for me) and by the time I got there I very thirsty. I had manged to keep the pace in the 6:30s to 6:40s up to this point. I drank an entire bottle of water and then felt a little sick and needed to use the restroom. My next mile was 8:49 with the short break. I almost got back on pace with the next mile at 6:51, but slowed down after. Katy cheered me on at Forum Blvd.

I was very much looking forward to being done and glad I was not running the entire distance. Mile 15 - 7:16, Mile 16 - 7:33, and the last 0.8 - 7:30 pace. I finished my 16.8 miles in 1:57:45, 7:00 pace. Our overall time for 39.3 miles was 5:20:01 so our combined pace was 8:09/mi. We ended up winning the first place Masters relay team since the other teams that beat us all had at least 1 person under age 40.

This was a fun and well organized event and looking forward to being a part of it next year when it will reverse the course and run from Courthouse to Capitol. The results are posted here.

Hugh coming into Hartsburg

After finish picture in front of Boone County Courthouse

First place Masters Team finishing award with spike and tie from the railroad. Our course was run on an old railroad that has been converted to trail.

2011 Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd

2011-10-20T17:08:00.004-05:00

After microdiscectomy surgery in February I said I would not run a 100 miler this year and give myself plenty of time to recover and then maybe run one next year if I made a full recovery. My plan this year was to run an easy 50 miler or 100K this fall so I began searching for a race within driving distance. I discovered the inaugural Pumpkin Holler 100K in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (less than 6 hours away) on an online race calendars. The web site promoted a relatively flat course on a gravel road and had pretty pictures of the course. There was also a 50K and a 100 mile race. The pumpkin medal they planned to award for the 100K was appealing since I am a Halloween baby and liked the pumpkin-theme of this race. I have often received pumpkin-themed birthday cards. They would award a pumpkin buckle for the 100 miler so that was kind of tempting, but I wasn't sure if I could be ready to run it and I was going to stick to my plan to wait until next year. Also, I couldn't seem to get motivated to get my mileage out of the 40-something mile per week until after I ran the Psycho Wyco 50K in July. I decided to motivate myself to increase my mileage by running every day for 30 days. I made it 31 days and was feeling pretty good so started to have thoughts of running the 100 miler. I waited until after the Heart of America Marathon to make a final decision and then signed up for the 100 miler.

I ran the Ozark Trail 100 mile last year in November and never completed a 50 miler before the race which I think made it a tough race for me. For my first 100 miler (Kettle Morraine) in June 2010, I had completed a 100K six weeks before and my first 100 miler turned out very well for me and I felt good the entire race. I couldn't find any 50 milers that I wanted to do before the Pumpkin so ran a 50 mile training run 4 weeks before the race on the MKT/Katy trail and then the 50K at Rock Bridge Revenge 2 weeks before. About a week before the Pumpkin, I received a pre-race e-mail informing me the course was not flat and there were indeed hills. I had trained on some hills but had not done hill repeats as I have done in the past to prepare for a hilly course. I was hoping for a sub-20 hour race since I thought it might be an easier course than Kettle Moraine where I ran 21:21. I still went into the race with the sub-20 hour plan and would make any adjustments on the day of the race as needed if it turned out to be a crazy idea.

I left Columbia on Friday morning and met Michael E. in Lebanon and we drove the rest of the way together. He planned to run the 100K. We camped at the Eagle Bluff Campground which was a beautiful setting along the Illinois River. The race start and finish were just a few steps from our campsite so very convenient so we could sleep their after our races. There was delicious a prerace pasta dinner catered by a local Italian restaurant and a meeting in Tahlequah that we attended as well as picked up our packets. The race directors humorously answered any questions about the "relatively flat" course. Some runners had completed a training run on the course and discovered that it was not "relatively flat" so I think that was the reason we were notified that the course was hilly. We returned to the campground after the meeting, finished preparing our drop bags, and then to bed. The campground was pretty noisy for awhile, but I managed to get some sleep.

I had set the alarm for 6:30 am but woke up 10 minutes early so got up. It felt like it had gotten pretty cold overnight. I had plenty of time to drink a shake, use the restroom several times, set drop bags out, and get dressed before the 8 am start. It was cold so I kept my pants and jacket on until 5 minutes before the start. Then Michael and I headed over to the start. I turned on my 310XT GPS which I intended to wear most of the race due to the 19 or so hour battery life. As soon as I turned it on, it said low battery. It had failed to charge the last time I put on the charger. I had my 610 GPS in my start line drop bag so quickly switched them out. I was hoping I could run the 4 mile out and back, plus one complete loop so I would have the the entire course captured on GPS. Also, I wanted to have it for the first part so I wouldn't go out too fast. I must have been a bit nervous since I nearly forgot to pick up my bottle after I switched watches.

The race was chip timed and all distances started together. We all lined up in the finishing shoot to start. I stayed pretty far back so I wouldn't get run over by the fast 50K runners. With over 150 runners, the course was kind of crowded until the hundred milers split off at about 1 mile to do our out and back which went through the center of the main course loop. I was was pretty far back the hundred miler group. I counted somewhere between 14 and 16th place and wondered if I was starting too slow or were they all starting too fast? Anything can happen in a hundred miler so I decided to stick with my own plan and run my own race and did not run with anyone for this section. During the start of a 100 miler you really can't get competitive or you might ruin your entire race so I remained patient. My plan was to run about 10:30 pace (which included aid station stops) the first 50K (5 hr 30 min goal). There was a terrible hill in our out and back section which I mostly walked. The hundred milers had to return to the start after our out and back and I had just slightly over 8 miles at this point with a time of 1:22:56 (10:22 pace so close to my goal pace) and in 15th place. There were 57 starters for the 100 miler. I grabbed a Succeed packet from my drop bag and refilled my bottle, went to the bathroom and then was off to start my first of 3 loops for the complete 50K circuit.

I managed to maintain my goal pace for my first 50K and it felt easy. The plan later is that I would run each consecutive 50K one half hour slower, and then would have the extra 9.5 miles at the end. The course would be a little long by my estimation since there was an extra mile in our out and back at the beginning and the loop was 31.5 miles. No big deal since I don't mind a few bonus miles, but it might make my goal more difficult to obtain. We were allowed 5 drop bags on the course and aid stations were about 3 - 5 miles apart and drop bags 3 - 9 miles apart. The drop bags were almost too frequent so if I had to do it over again, I might would not use all of them. I did stop at each one to get either a bar, crackers, gel, and a Succeed Ultra powder for my bottle. Also, I would try to grab something small from each aid station to eat such as peanut butter and jelly or some Pringles. I took Succeed caps about every hour at least during the day. The temp was warming up so I changed into my singlet in my drop bag at mile 20. I planned to change back into the short sleeve on the next loop after it started to cool down for the evening. At 50K, my GPS had me at 5:30:00 (10:39 overall pace) which was kind of scary since that was exactly where I wanted to be. The 31 miles happened during a 3 mile section of the course that was paved and actually felt kind of good to run on after running on the gravel for so long. The gravel was softer, but I had to be more careful where to run. The paved section had some hills that I walked near the end before turning back to gravel. At one house along the course a couple girls came out cheering very enthusiastically. I passed a few people on this loop running other distances as well as some of the 100 milers that had slowed down. My pace slowed which I expected since I think it is difficult to maintain the same pace in a 100 miler or at least on the little amount that I train. Also, being out on the course so long you go through periods of feeling better or not so good. It warmed up to 80F so that slowed me down a bit.

As I was about to make it back to the start/finish of the first loop, I got a low battery warning on the GPS. It made it through the loop though and I planned to go to my car and retrieve a watch so I would at least know the time for the rest of the race. My overall time when I arrived back at the start for the 39.6 miles was 7 hrs 5 min and I was now in 7th place. I did not know my placing at the time since I had lost track of the people I passed. I ran the full 50K loop section (after the first 8 miles) in 5:42:21 (10:52 pace). Michael was at the start/finish and about ready to start his next loop of the 100K. I left my singlet in the car and decided to go shirtless until I got back to the shirt I left at mile 51 which would hopefully be early in the evening. While at the car, I decided to have a Powerade that I had in the cooler. I gulped down pretty quickly so must have really needed it since I felt like I was getting behind a bit on hydration. I tend to not spend a lot of time in aid stations if I am feeling okay and I would guess I did not spend more than 2 or 3 minutes at most. It I stop too long the muscles stiffen. I like to keep the momentum going.

I started the second loop just after 3 pm. Since I no longer had a GPS, I made time goals in my head to get to each aid station. I had a general idea of my pace and kept it easy. I was beginning to have a difficult time wanting to eat so forced down a few gels and something small plus an extra drink at aid stations. After the Mad Dog station which was about 5 miles into the loop, a dog follows me for about 2 miles to the Out and Back aid station. The owner soon came along in his truck and saw me running with his dog. He asked if I had fed the dog and said if the dog continued to follow me I would have to take it home with me. At the Out and Back station it stopped following me, but on the way back, I saw it following two other runners to the Out and Back turnaround. Our complete loop had a short out and back section that went out almost 2 miles and then back where we continued our loop. We had to cross an mat at the out turnaround which would prove we had been there. They also checked us in and out of the aid stations just to keep track of all runners. At 51 miles, I picked up my flash light and put on the shirt I had left there earlier. It had finally cooled off just enough so worked out perfectly. I carried the light in my pocket since I didn't need it yet. I had a headlamp at the next station at 56 miles so the earlier light was just in case I didn't make it there before dark or if the headlamp stopped working for some reason, I would not be left in the dark. I made it to the headlamp before dark and turned it on around 7:15 pm. I had bats flying over my head a couple times. The girls that cheered for me earlier were still outside. I was sure I would not see them the final loop. Near the end of the loop there were quite a few cars passing me and kicking up dust. Previously, I had seen very few cars on the course during the day. I couldn't avoid breathing quite a bit of the dust so figured I would have the brown boogers they warned us about at the meeting.

At the end of the second loop, I was told I was in 4th place and the overall time was 13:27:44 so I had just run the second 50K loop in 6:22:28 (12:08 pace), 40 minutes slower than the previous loop. I was out in 2 minutes and started my 3rd loop. I was ready to get it over before I changed my mind! At this point I was unsure if I would run sub-20 hours but if I did, it would be close and I would have to run almost as fast as the the previous loop so probably not realistic. I decide that 20:30 would be my B goal and also a PR. As it got cooler, it was easier to run, but food was still kind of blah for whatever they would offer me at aid stations. At the Out and Back (~76 miles), I decided to try some broth of the Ramen Noodles. I picked up my very light jacket since my arms were cold and figured it might help to keep them warm so my blood could work on digesting my food. One of the hundred milers that was just behind me was coming back from his out and back so estimated he was about 40 min ahead of me. Also, saw some other runners at the Out and Back that stayed awhile and were about 20 min behind me, but not sure what loop they were on at the time. I started to feel better so decided on the way back I would have some more Ramen noodles. My headlamp flashed on me so when I got back to the Out and Back, they helped me change the batteries and I had some more noodles.

I took off feeling much better. I encountered a bit of wildlife on the course. There were cows along the course all day. On this loop I there were more bats and felt like maybe one might have touched my arm, but I could have been imagining it. I heard some rustling in the woods and saw several deer running away. I heard barking dogs in the woods that kind of freaked me out and started wondering about coyotes since someone had mentioned them earlier. Then I see a truck and am thinking I am already to the aid station but knew it was too soon. There were 2 hunters with 2 dogs that I guess were hunting coyotes and just putting the dogs away. They asked if I was running a race. I told them 100 miles and they didn't seem too shocked. Just before the East of Eden aid station at mile 87, I tried picking up the pace a bit and it felt good. I had been thinking I might be finished in about 20:40 at this point, but maybe if I could keep this up I would be a bit faster. I had to stop at the aid station to pick up some stuff from the drop bag. I had some Ramen noodles which were a bit hot so put what I thought was water in them to cool off and it was Gatorade, but I went ahead and drank the Gatorade flavored broth. I then started off again at what felt like a faster pace. At 2:20 am I run past a house with people outside and next thing I know a girl (not a runner's build) is running with me and asking if I am running a race. She admitted she was a little drunk. She asked what place I am in and why I am running this race. She picks up her pace and tells me to run faster. Then we get to a hill and she stops to ask me my name, tells me her name is Janice, and I continue on. The roads were covered with trees, but at one point where it was clear, I tried running without the light for awhile since the moon was pretty bright. At the last drop bag station Hardup (~91 miles), I fill my pockets with the stuff in my drop bag. I had been collecting it along the way so we wouldn't have to stay late to get them the next afternoon. I had some more Ramen noodles which I had been doing every chance that I could get. They seemed to work for my stomach queasiness. Shortly after this aid station I am running on the pavement for the 3rd time and this time I notice it is hurting my feet a bit but it is tolerable. I pass one of the hundred miler runners that is walking so assume at this point I am in 3rd place if I can keep it up and he doesn't start running again. I was told back at the aid station that first and second place were close together, but about an hour ahead of me so no way I would catch them. I often place 4th so was very happy to be in 3rd and maybe break the curse.

I was surprised I felt so good this final loop and reminded me of my first 100 at Kettle Morraine when I was feeling so good near the end and wanted to pick up the pace and get it done. I made it to a point where I knew I only had about 10 minutes to go. I decided at this point I would not look at my watch since I wanted to be surprised to see my time. As I arrived at the campground, someone blew the bullhorn, and I followed the road to the finish. Overall time was 20:16:30 (11:52 overall pace) which was faster than I expected so I must have really picked up the pace the last 13 miles. It was 4:16 am. I ran that loop in 6:48:47 (12:59 pace) which was 26 minutes slower than the previous loop. I must have really slowed down for awhile since those last 13 miles sure felt pretty "fast". At the finish I asked someone what I should do with the chip and he found a lady who asked if I had just finished the 100 mile. She gave me my buckle and someone suggested I sit down around the fire and I had another cup of Ramen noodles that took about 45 minutes to eat. I talked to a few people that were either waiting on someone or had finished. About 5 am, I decide it would be good to get up and take a shower. It was difficult to walk, but not too painful unlike the almost screaming in after I tried to walk after the OT100. When I took off my shoes, my feet looked really good and no blisters.

I headed to bed in my tent about 6 am and slept pretty good for about 2 hours and then got up. I found Michael over by the start. I had some brownies for breakfast and then we packed up our stuff and headed home. I dropped Micheal off in Lebanon and decided to have Long John Silvers for lunch and then I headed back home. I stopped about an hour from home to take a nap before driving the rest of the way since I was having trouble staying awake.

I really enjoyed this hundred miler and TATUR did a great job putting it on. It was definitely a first class event. The course was a little challenging with the hills and the rocks. Hopefully they have time to shave down some of the hills before next year so the course will be relatively flat. I think with more training on hills I could have easily gone under 20 hours. Also, considering I have done pretty well in 2 of my 3 hundred milers, I have to wonder with better and more focused training on the 100 miler what I might be able to accomplish for this distance. I stay pretty focused and the entire run is kind of like a good meditation so I don't think about much other than how I am feeling and what I need next. I was able to walk pretty well on Monday and have slept just fine too. Overall, post race soreness isn't that much worse than a road marathon and in some ways not as bad. I ran 7 miles today (Thursday) and ran a sub-8 pace so I am pleased that I am feeling good. I don't think I would want to run a 100 miler more than 2 times per year right now since I enjoy running shorter distances as well.

Photo of some of us before the start.

I am to the right of the finish arch.

Photo at finish at 4:16 am holding my pumpkin buckle.


Loot plus pumpkin cookies Hugh made when I got back.

Close up of buckle which says "I smashed the pumpkin"

Front of shirt

Back of shirt

Logo on the fleece pullover.

This is the same race number that I had at Kettle Moraine 10in June 2010!

Pictures by Runners World Tulsa

A play by play live Twitter feeds by Endurance Buzz's David Hanenburg
(I didn't know about this site ahead of time, but I got a mention a few times since I was running so well and some people at home were following his posts.)

EnduranceBuzz Report

Blog Post by Co RD Ken "Trail Zombie" Childress"

You Tube Video by Ron Ruhs

Picture Album by Bryan Moore

Picture Album by Deborah Sexton

2011 Truman State 5K

2011-10-09T15:28:00.002-05:00

We arrived at packet pickup at 7:20 am. Temperature was almost 60 F so the warmest Truman 5K I can remember. We picked up our packet and received a water bottle instead of a shirt. We had planned to run a couple miles to warm up rather than run the entire course this year since we didn't have time to do the whole course. We thought we knew a short cut back to the start so turned down a road to take it, but ended up being 3 miles so we had about a minute to rest before the start. I had hoped to get a drink but didn't have time. Also, didn't have time to take my shirt to the car so left in the ditch by the stop sign at the start.

I lined up in front but as usual about 20+ people spring ahead of me going out so fast like they are running the mile. I was trying to keep below a 6 minute pace for the first mile. I ended up passing over 10 people that were breathing way too hard for the first mile. My first mile split was 5:57. I passed a few more people at the start of the second mile. This is a hilly course and the worst hills are in the second mile so I slowed down up the hills a bit.

Ran the second mile in 6:08 which was decent considering the hills. By mile 2.5, I was feeling those hills I had just ran. There were some guys now close behind me which keeps me pushing myself. I kept pushing until the next to last turn and then these guys start to sprint so I kick up the pace even more, but they still pass me just before the end. Finished 3rd mile in 6:05. Last 0.1 was 5:20 pace. I beat my best time on this course by only1 second!

Overall placed 6th of 76 and 2nd of 11 in my age group of 35 - 44. There were 3 of us very close at the end. A guy that was 18:39, 18:40, and I was 18:41 and the 18:40 guy was in my age group. Hugh placed 25th and second in his age group 45 - 54. I was very happy with my time since I have not been training much for speed lately but seem to be running near my fastest time for shorter races. Also, had not raced a 5K since June where I was 4 seconds slower on a flat course. I talked to the guy that beat me for awhile at the end and then Hugh and I went out and ran some more.

2011 Rock Bridge Revenge

2011-10-02T18:44:00.000-05:00

This year was one of the coolest Rock Bridge Revenge runs I can remember. The temperature at the start was about 40F and it was supposed to warm up to 70 F by the time I would finish. I went into the race feeling good having run pretty easy during the week.. I ran the 7 mile section of the course with Hugh yesterday and didn't feel any effects from that run. It was also nice to run this race without any sciatic nerve pain like I had the previous 2 years and be able to easily duck under trees.. The 7 milers started shortly at 8 am and the 25K & 50K at 8:15. The race was chip timed again this year and Jeff gave the 25K and 50K instructions before we started. This year we ran a little further down the road to spread out and then came back and into the woods.

The same as last year I found myself running with Tony T., but should know better by now since he is too fast for me.. He always starts out at a slower pace and then speeds up and has a negative split. The first few miles he was running pretty easy. There were quite a few people directly behind us that were pretty quiet other than their footfalls while we were talking. Eventually, one of the 25K runners passed us but the rest stayed behind.. I stopped at the aid station in the parking lot just after 6 miles to refill. After that I didn't see Tony again and I kept the pace slower. Also, was running on the Gans side which is more difficult so pace is slower.

I ran the Gans loop alone, but Shawn was not far behind me and came up behind me at the unmanned aid station just as I was leaving. I ran alone until I got back to the parking lot and then Shawn was with me for awhile. I came in at 15.5 miles at 2:28, spent a few seconds restocking my running vest and then was off. Nutrition plan for today was 4 gels, 3 bars, and supposed to be 4 Succeeds. Also took 3 electrolyte capsules.

The second loop was a bit frustrating when I got to 20 miles. There were 2 trails and one went left and one went right. We had just run this earlier and went right, but the flag was now on the left. I am wondering if I am going crazy, but decide to follow the flag and quickly realize that isn't right and am mad at myself for doing it since I know this course without any markers.. When I turned around I tripped over a root or rock and fell, but was fine. No blood or dirt. When I got back to the intersection, I noticed a couple flags had been thrown into the woods. Some dumb ass had pulled down the flags and moved one to a different tree or I think maybe had tied several around it since it was a larger tree. Earlier there were several flags on the right. Another runner came up behind me just as I was getting back on course and asked if I was sure I was going the right way. I told him I was pretty sure someone had moved the flag and torn down the others so I saved him from going the wrong way. I yelled back to him soon that I had seen another pink flag so we were definitely on the right track. It is not smart to mess with a trail runner's mind since we are not always thinking clearly and rely on those flags.

At this point realizing what had happened I was mad. It is probably good that I didn't see the person moving the flags or I am sure I would have gotten a little violent with them. I did speed up so that was good. Then I misjudged a tree that was leaning over in the trail that we needed to duck and I didn't quite duck enough and hit the top of my head. It sounded much worse than my head felt since it felt fine and no blood. I found out later that several other runners had gone the wrong way and turned around when they saw the water tower along the trail since that was obviously the wrong way. Probably didn't cost anyone more than 3 or 4 minutes but still frustrating that someone would do something so malicious.

I filled up my bottle at parking lot aid station and mentioned to Lisa what had happened. Also realized that I did not have my Succeed packet. I had ended up leaving it on the table when I restocked my supplies. I was okay since I had an extra gel and would just get Gatorade at the next station. About 2 miles into Gans a runner is coming towards me and says he is running the 25K and is sure he went the wrong way since he should have finished hours ago. I told him to keep going the way he was going since that would take him back. He was about 3 miles from the finish. He did eventually make it back okay. I saw James running with a guy and he did part of the loop with him since the guy not being familiar with trail running was afraid he was going to make a wrong turn on his second loop. He was doing it as a fundraiser for a friend and James made sure he stayed on track and he did finish.

I filled up with Gatorade at the unmanned station. Not much happened the rest of the loop. I walked a few more hills than the first loop. I saw a cat in the woods about a mile from the finish. I figured I could finish in about 5:10 or 5:15 since I had slowed down the second loop. Once I got to the hill going up to the finish I had to walk a few times. I was okay running on the flat but hills were getting my heart rate up too high.

I made it to the finish in 5 hr 11 min and placed 3rd overall. I had run the last part about 12 min slower. The course came out to 30.7 with my slight 0.2 - 0.3 mi detour. Pace still was slower than last year even though a cooler day, I finished feeling really good (no blisters, no blood, and had an appetite at the end) so maybe I didn't leave everything on the course today. Usually, I can't eat for awhile after I finish. The 2 guys ahead of me finished in under 5 hours. Tony passed the guy in 1st place and I think finished in 4:39.

The course was in really good shape this year and the trail was beautiful as usual. It is a fun and well organized race and will plan to run it again next year. I wore the Mizuno Cabraken shoes and didn't have any problems with them rubbing my toe like last year, but my right ankle felt pretty unstable and was twisting around a lot the first loop. The second loop seemed fine. I think I am going wear my Mizuno Ascend shoes with the least amount of miles for my 100 miler since those shoes never let me down.

Stainless steel water bottle & socks for the 50K. Won a glass in the drawing , $20 for 3rd place overall, and brick for finishing the 50K.

Capital Pursuit 10 Mile

2011-09-25T13:55:00.002-05:00

This was a very flat and fast course. The 5K and the 10 miler started at the same time. I lined up very close to the front since it was not chip timed. I was a little worried I was going to get run over by the 5K people, but wasn't too bad. First mile was 6:33. My goal was 6:30 pace. I was passing people the entire race. One woman passed me later even though I was picking up pace. If I would have known the course was this easy, I could have gotten a PR with a better strategy since I was only 16 seconds short and this was a certified course. The pace seemed too easy and every time I would notice the pace picking up I would slow down until the last 2 miles I just let myself go. I had way too much left at the end. I thought I might have a chance to place in my age group since last year the first place was 1:06. I placed 25th of 517 overall and 7th of 48th in my age group since all the fast 40 - 44 year old men must have showed up this year. Since I wasn't winning an award, I decided to leave and go run some more on the trails.

Results

Overall time: 1:04:06

Splits:
M1 - 6:34
M2 - 6:30
M3 - 6:29
M4 - 6:17
M5 - 6:28
M6 - 6:22
M7 - 6:20
M8 - 6:16
M9 - 6:08
M10 - 6:09
M10.11 - 5:17

2011 Roots n Blues n BBQ Half Marathon

2011-09-12T16:08:00.004-05:00

This year I decided to run the Roots n Blues half marathon since it was under new organization and also the price had decreased to more reasonable fee. After the issues I had with it in 2009, I said I would never run it again. The only challenge is this year it fell 5 days after Heart of America marathon on Monday. There was also a 10K, but I really didn't think I would feel like trying to run a faster than a half pace. The 10K did award prize money which attracts some really fast runners to the 10K. My legs felt pretty good by Friday. For some reason, I slept pretty poorly Friday night. I wasn't nearly as nervous about the HOA marathon on Monday. I felt kind of stressed wondering if I could keep a half pace. I kept having dreams I woke up late and had only 10 minutes to get to the start line. Instead, I actually work up a bit early. Also, the right side of my neck and right shoulder had been stiff and sore on Friday. I took a shower when I got up and helped to loosen up a bit. Temperature was in the upper 60s, but humid and overcast. I decided to wear a shirt since it felt a little chilly.

I didn't have time to warm up before but instead used the bathroom one last time and watched the 10K started at 7:30. The starting corral was quite crowded, but race is chip-timed so not a problem. There were 643 runners in the half and 618 in the 10K so the half was just as crowded. It didn't seem like many people wanted to be in the front of the corral so wasn't crowded at all in that area. I started next to Angie and Sam. I doubted my sanity for being up in the front just a bit. Angie planned to run a 6:15 pace, but said she might start at a 6:30 which was my planned pace. There was a course change at the beginning due to some stages being in the middle of the street the course was supposed to use. We had a bike to lead the way so no problem figuring out where to go.

I was worried, I was starting a little fast, but hit first mile at 6:29 and could see Angie pulling away (no surprise there!). There were 2 other runners that had pulled ahead trying to stay with her. I took water at the first water stop close to mile 3 on the Grindstone Trail which is a nice flat section of the course. Talked to the same guy I ran up the hill with at HOA for a few minutes until I went ahead. I was starting to warm up so decided I would need to ditch the shirt somewhere and pick it up later. I took a few seconds and left behind the soccer goalie near some soccer fields about mile 4. I was maintaining my pace at 6:25 - 6:35 until mile 5 with the big hill up to the Stoney Creek Inn which slowed my pace.

I tried to keep an even effort up the hill and a couple guys passed me. I had a 7:00 mile for that hill so thought that was reasonable since it is a tough hill. I passed 1 of them back after I got to the top of the hill. The course for the next 2.5 miles was either pretty flat or downhill. There is a nice downhill on Forum which I did not fly down like I normally do at the end of training runs down to the trail. I kept the pace under control to allow my heart to recover for the next uphill which would be coming soon. Hugh was out running the course during the race and I caught up to him on Forum near the top of the hill. He said I was in 4th place although shortly after a guy passed me.

Once we turned onto Stadium we had about a half mile to go downhill to the MKT trail. There was a water stop here and a sharp turn before going into the tunnel. This was the last of 3 water stops and I didn't get much in my cup, but since it was a half marathon and not extremely hot I was okay. As soon as I came out from the tunnel, I was struggling a bit for mile 11 which was on the trail. I was gaining on a guy ahead of me though that seemed to be slowing down more than I.

Tom M. gave me words of encouragement after I came off the trail with about 2 miles to go. There was a bit of up hill but not bad. For the last mile, I was feeling better and picked up the pace and easily passed the guy ahead of me. Also, had some downhill in the last mile which helped the speed. Running down the sidewalk on part of it was a challenge though since there was stuff in the way and people. I finished mile 13 pretty strong at 6:40. The course was just a bit short since several of us got only 13 miles. I placed 4th overall of 643 and 1st of 48 in the 40 - 49 age group. Felt lucky to place first in a 10 year age group, but placing 4th overall definitely helped. The overall winner was Angie (same age as me, but female) and the 2 runners between us were 25 and 23.

We could have used a few more water stations which the race director said they will have next year. I think the course could use tweaking as well so that it doesn't interfere with the setup of the festival and we could avoid last minute course changes that likely made the distance a bit short. It did work well that the 10K runners started early since I passed very few of them walking on the trail. I know there were some issues at the end of the 10K for the leaders, but that was not my race so I won't comment. The race was definitely a huge improvement from when I ran it last in 2009. It was the first year for this race director so I am sure next year will be even better.

Overall a fun race, a few bands along the course, spectators, and an adequately marked course (although some accurate mile markers would have been good). Due to the last minute change, the mile markers painted on the road were not accurate.

m1 - 6:29
m2 - 6:25
m3 - 6:25
m4 - 6:34
m5 - 6:35
m6 - 7:00
m7 - 6:28
m8 - 6:27
m9 - 6:53
m10 - 6:41
m11 - 7:03
m12 - 7:04
m13 - 6:30

Overall: 1:26:49 - 6:40 pace

Video Clips from the Roots & Blues Half Marathon

2011 Heart of America Marathon

2011-09-06T16:38:00.012-05:00

If you could care less about this blog and want race results click the link below:
Race Results

Pictures:
Set 1
Set 2

Media:

First-time competitor wins Heart of America Marathon

Columbia marathon a small part of runner's fund raising goals
Marathoner keeps climbing hills after diagnosis
Heart of America Marathon director celebrates 41st year in charge of race

Monday was the 52nd annual Heart of America Marathon. My number 8th consecutive HOA and marathon 25 plus18 ultra marathons. This year it was about 11 degrees cooler than last year at 57F (at home, but felt cooler) at the start and 60-something humidity. There was a pretty good north wind but didn't feel until the last few miles. A few less people than last year, but still over 200 runners. Since we live just over 2 miles from the start line, we didn't leave home until about 5:40 am, and were able to park in the Hearnes parking lot next to the start line. The convenience of this marathon really makes me appreciate it that much more and also great to see lots of familiar faces running or there to watch the start. I also liked the fact I didn't have to stand around much more than a few minutes and we were off. I was shivering just a little before the start.

Took off at 6 am and it was difficult to see my pace since it was still dark and I had turned down the light on my GPS so couldn't use it. I was able to check my pace under street lights and it was reasonable. However, I didn't feel like the pace was exactly easy. Normally, I am having to reign myself in for the first few miles but that was not the case. I had been tired most of the week even though I had cut mileage back quite a bit. I thought there is no way I am going to keep this pace. Then I thought this is a bad attitude so soon in the race and maybe I will just take a few miles to warm up. It seemed to get light pretty quickly since it was a clear day. I didn't have anyone around me that I knew for a few miles and passed the people that went out really fast. About mile 4, I saw Tom M. and looked like Ryan H. running with him. Eventually, I caught up to them by mile 5 and ran with them for a couple miles which felt good until the long gradual hill where I slowed down a bit, but still the normal pace I like to run this hill.

I had 4 gels and planned to take one about every 5 miles until mile 15 and one at mile 20 if I needed one. Also, used the water stations, but was having a tough time drinking for some reason today so had to stop at a few of them to get the fluid down. I had to pee about mile 9 and no one was around so managed to get that done without slowing too much. My pace from miles 9 - 12 was off about 20 - 30 seconds. I pretty much knew at this point no way I would be going under 3 hours this year so hoped I could keep pace to run 3:10 or less.

I got to Easley hill at mile 13 and figured since I wasn't feeling energetic, it might be a good time to try walking it this year. I had one guy pass me on the hill and another walked it with me. I think my half split was about 1:32 or 1:33 so thought maybe 3:10 was possible if I didn't slow down too much. I ended up running with the guy I met on the hill for about 3 miles and he helped my pace, but eventually he slowed down and said he would see me at the finish. My pace when I was running with him was only off about 10 seconds so thought maybe things might be improving for me.

But that was not to be the case. I slowed down 30 - 50 seconds for the next 3 miles and he still didn't catch up to me. I was told before Pierpont, I was in 13th place. I passed a couple guys after turning at Pierpont, one that said he ran with me at the Sedalia half a couple years ago. Before, I passed them one of them fell down, but got back up and seemed to be fine. Even down the hill after I passed them my pace was not that great for going downhill. A group of several guys passed me before the next uphill including Matt D., but up the hill he ran slower and I was able to stay with him. I even thought I could go faster up the hill, but decided to conserve energy for the last 6 miles. We actually held a conversation going up this hill. Matt commented a girl wearing Vibrams had passed us at some point, but we didn't speed up. Once we got to Providence (about 6 miles to go) I picked up the pace.

The pace the rest of the way was not a death march but still 7:45 - 8:20. I felt okay, but just didn't feel like a quicker pace. Maybe the excessive long runs at slower pace have finally taken their toll on me since I have been focusing more on ultras than running 3 hour marathons. I even had thoughts that I would rather be running an ultra for hours at a relaxed pace than even pushing the slightest during this marathon.

After I realized I wasn't going to reach 3:10, I thought 3:15 would be nice since that is still a BQ for me (although realized later it is 3:20 for 2012 and then 3:15 in 2012 due to the new qualifying times). This was just a goal to get me to the finish since I really don't plan to run Boston again any time soon. I get to Broadway and don't think I can get 3:15 so decide not to worry about it and just finish steady. So finished in 3:15:21, 14th overall of 209, 2nd of 24 in the 40 - 44 age group. Felt lucky to place in age group with my time this year, but Tom M. aged up so that helped me get 2nd instead of 3rd.

I had planned to go out and run more after the marathon so after about 25 minutes and still not wanting to eat anything, I took off for a slow 4.5 mile run and picked up the car to go back to the start. The car was actually not more than a mile from the finish, but I took the trail since I wanted a longer run. I had hope to do a little more but left knee was feeling a little tight. Hugh had finished in 3:52 while I was gone and was happy with his time.

I wore the Hoka, Mafate Trail shoes for this road marathon, but don't think I wear them for a road marathon again. My feet were in really good shape when I finished. There was no rubbing or toe nail problems and feet did not feel sore. These shoes are quite cushy and I prefer much less of a shoe on the road. The Hokas are a great shoe for when the legs are already sore. I do think they are better on flat surfaces so I am going to try for a long flat run next. They didn't seem to make my calves really sore for the marathon so the calves must have adapted to them. I do like the fact they seem to work other leg muscles that my Mizunos do not.

My splits from Previous HOAs are here
I like to compare each year, but this year the miles are always off a little on GPS so not exact.

Andy on course (photo by Shane Epping)

Almost to the finish (photo by Oscar Chavez)

Andy at finish (photo by Shane Epping)

Hugh near finish.

Interesting Ultra Stats

2011-08-16T10:55:00.001-05:00

Below is a post from Pete White posted to an Ultra Running group that I subscribe. He compiled a list of ultra running stats from 2010 including 64 races. While his stats may not be scientific, it does offer an interesting glimpse into the ultra running world.

According to the Run100s website in 2011 there are 90 hundred milers in North America so approximately 80 in the US if their list includes everything and is up to date.

The information below is being shared with his permission.

Hi all,

I recently had a fabulous time completing my first 100 miler
(Philadelphia 100). In writing up my race report
(http://on.fb.me/ia1p71), I thought it might be nice to include how many
people in the US typically complete a 100 miler in a year. It took a
while to figure this out, and in so doing, I was able to compile some
interesting stats about the 2010 season. So here they are, enjoy!

--Pete

2010 US 100 mile run statistics*

Number of US races: 64

Most finishers:
Leadville, 362
Western States, 328
Rocky Raccoon, 217
Wasach Front, 182
Burning River, 166

Fewest finishers:
Buffalo Run, 1
White Mountains, 1
Buckeye, 2
Grand Mesa, 5
Laramie, 5

Successful finishes: 3,724

Unique finishers: 2,899

Most frequent male first name:
John, 81

Most frequent female first name:
Jennifer, 14

Most frequent last name:
Smith, 14

Most frequent cities of origin:
Salt Lake City UT, 43
Denver CO, 21
Seattle WA, 21
Leadville CO, 17
Boulder CO, 16
San Francisco, 16

Most frequent states of origin:
California, 388
Colorado, 255
Utah, 156
Ohio, 122
Texas, 121

Most frequent states of origin, per capita:
Utah, 1 in 17,717
Colorado, 1 in 19,722
Wyoming, 1 in 30,023
Montana, 1 in 39,970
Vermont, 1 in 44,696

Least frequent states of origin:
West Virginia, 3
North Dakota, 3
Alaska, 3
Delaware, 2
Rhode Island, 0

Least frequent states of origin, per capita:
Rhode Island, none
Louisiana, 1 in 755,562
Oklahoma, 1 in 625,225
West Virginia, 1 in 617,665
South Carolina, 1 in 578,171

Most frequent non-US countries of origin:
Canada, 50
Mexico, 7
New Zealand, 5
United Kingdom, 5
Japan, 4
Spain, 4

Mean age: 41.5

Mean age, male: 42.5

Mean age, female: 41.8

Most frequent age: 41

Most frequent age, male: 41

Most frequent age, female: 42

Youngest male: 18 (3 finishers)

Youngest female: 21 (2 finishers)

Oldest male: 73 (Karsten Solheim, Pony Express)

Oldest female: 69 (Eldrith Gosney, Headlands)

Youngest mean race (10 or more finishers):
Kettle Moraine, 36.9
Grindstone, 37.6
Ozark, 39.0
Virgil Crest, 39.3
New Jersey, 39.4

Oldest mean race:
Hardrock, 45.8
McNaughton, 45.9
Arkansas, 46.0
Lean Horse, 46.5
Pony Express, 48.3

Male:female ratio: 4.3:1

Highest male:female ratio (10 or more finishers):
Nanny Goat, 14:1
Pony Express, 12:1
Kettle Moraine, 11.5:1
Chimera, 11:1
Wasach Front, 9.7:1

Lowest male:female ratio (10 or more finishers):
Hallucination, 2.7:1
KEYS, 2.4:1
Bartram, 2.4:1
Javalina, 1.9:1
Creemore, 1.4:1

Fastest males:
Zach Gingerich, Umstead, 13:23:02
Serge Arbona, Umstead, 14:09:16
Glen Redpath, Umstead, 14:27:51
Greg Crowther, Rocky Raccoon, 14:58:32
Geoff Roes, Western States, 15:07:04

Fastest females:
Jamie Donaldson, Philadelphia, 14:58:23
Elizabeth Howard, Rocky Raccoon, 15:45:03
Jill Perry, Umstead, 15:58:16
Kami Semick, Vermont, 16:42:32
Annette Bednosky, Burning River, 16:44:21

Races with fastest mean times (>5 finishers only):
Vermont, 24:38:25
Philadelphia, 24:35:08
Hallucination, 24:24:42
Nanny Goat, 24:22:27
Kettle Moraine, 23:43:09
Umstead, 23:21:03
Old Dominion, 23:00:02
Iron Horse, 22:55:13
Viaduct Trail, 22:52:08**
New Jersey, 22:49:30

Faces with slowest mean times (>5 finishers only):
Grindstone, 29:57:44
Virgil Crest, 30:27:20
Wasatch Front, 30:43:26
H.U.R.T, 31:31:43
Swan Crest, 31:08:00
Coyote Two Moon, 32:20:26
Superior, 33:35:06
CAT, 34:07:07**
Susitna, 38:26:53
Hardrock, 39:20:24

* Sources: Run100s.com and individual race websites. Certain races
supplied only subsets of categorical data, which in some cases may have
biased results or caused omissions. Disclaimer: I did my best, but I'm
sure there are some inaccuracies and missing data. Apologies if I missed
anything significant.

**Fewer than 10 finishers

2011 Sandbagger 10K

2011-08-09T14:43:00.001-05:00

This is a race where you predict your time. You can "win" this race by grossly overestimating how long it will take to run the 10K. Since we stagger the start times from the slowest predicted time to the fastest, usually the person with the largest positive difference between the predicted time and the actual time (lying) wins the race. Theoretically, if everyone told the absolute truth about how fast they planned to run the race, everyone would cross the finish line together, but that never happens.

I ran a few miles with Angie and Phil before we signed up. I wasn't sure what to put down for my time. It was hot/humid, I ran a 43 min 10K last week, and I wasn't well rested so figured I would be slower than last year's time of 39:39. Angie predicted 40:30 and Phil and I decided on 43 minutes. Hugh predicted 50 minutes. It was quite humid and temperature was at least 77F by the time the first person took off. The slowest time predicted was 72 minutes so Phil and I waited 32 minutes to start. There was no danger winning "The Thing" with the time we predicted although I suspected we would beat our predicted time a little.

There were 36 runners that participated. The course is an out and back and somewhat hilly. There were 3 people that chose a faster time. Phil and I started at 7:32 am. Tony and Nancy, and Angie started behind us. We started off and it was challenging to pace without the GPS we tend to rely so I sort of used Phil's breathing as a gauge of how hard we were running. We passed a few people on the way out. We saw Mary Ellen in the lead so she was in great danger of winning.

On the way back I pulled ahead a little, but Phil was never far behind me. Angie caught up to me and I stayed with for a little while until she pulled ahead. I passed quite a few people in the last mile. As usual the end where we have to run a short loop 2 times was quite congested with people nearing the finish. My sandbagging placement was 12th out of 36, but overall by time I was 2nd with 41:29 after Angie who ran 38:45. Phil was only 3 seconds behind me.

Mary Ellen did end up with "The Thing" which she claimed she was not trying to win it. She ran to the race so figured she would be tired and predicted 68 min and ran in 57 min. Someone had to haul it home for her.

Andy and Phil at turnaround point

Joe (race director) and Mary Ellen (the winner)

Race Results

Facebook Sandbagger 10K Pics

2011 Show Me State Games 10K

2011-07-31T20:13:00.001-05:00

I ran my long run (22 miles) on Friday and an easy 10 miles on Saturday. Ran with Lisa, the race director of the SMSG 5K and 10K so got to thinking since I ran my long run on Friday maybe I could run the 10K on Sunday. I went out to Rock Bridge to run a few miles on the trail at 6 am and if that felt okay, I planned to go run the 10K at 8 am. I ran 4.5 easy miles on the trail with Dan S. and Karen which felt okay other than it was getting pretty warm.

There was a line to sign up when I got there but went pretty quickly since they were having us fill out the forms while standing in line. I ran a mile to warm up but not sure that was too necessary considering it was nearly 80F. This year the 5 and 10K had different start and finish lines and different courses. The 10K started about 5 min after the 5K. There was no getting lost since there was only 1 turn on this out and back course.

I had already run 63 miles for the week at the start line and it was hot. Legs actually felt okay, but planned to keep the pace easier than usual for a 10K due to the heat. A few guys started out faster and I passed 3 of them before the first mile and then was in 2nd place. The guy in 1st had a big lead. I had a 6:32 split at the first mile and 6:38 in the second mile. The 3rd mile slowed down a little to 7:02 and was really looking forward to a drink at the turn around. I stopped to drink my cup of water and then could see a couple guys were pretty close since they were almost at the turnaround.

I headed back and didn't look behind me. The next mile up a hill was tough and slowed down to 7:29 which included my brief stop at the water. At one point I thought I heard a guy breathing behind me but no one passed me and then didn't hear anyone. Once I got over the hill, I picked up the pace a little and ran mile 5 in 7:01. I resisted the temptation to look behind and attempted to keep my pace. The last mile went up a bit and I turned the corner at about 5.9 to head to the finish. I noticed a runner probably within a minute behind but was pretty sure he would not catch me. Ran the 6th mile in 7:16 and the last 0.2 mile in 7:05. Finished 43:14 with a 7:00 average. The 17 year old winner was just under 39 minutes. I placed second overall and 1st in my age group 40 - 44.

Enjoyed seeing and talking to several runners before and after. This was a fun race and seemed to go off smoothly with the 2 different distances. Looked like a good turn out for a hot day too. It was 87 by the time I left the award ceremony. I had wiped off with a towel after and then broke out in a sweat all over again standing in the shade. My shorts were completely soaked today. The out and back course was the same as the Runner's Choice that I run in January and has always been a tough course for me and the heat added to the challenge. I have not taken a day off running in 20 days but felt like the heat was more of a factor than any fatigue.

Race for Recovery

2011-07-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

This race was to benefit the tornado victims in Joplin and looked like had a great turnout and was one of the best organized local races I have seen. A bit hot to run the usual 10K pace. Ran with or close to Angie Turner most all the way. I was right with her about the first 4 mi. When we got to Forum & Southampton, we totally missed the turn on the right side since we were running on the left. Not sure there was a person there but no doubt there was a sign, but neither of us noticed it. Once we got down to Bethel, I am thinking we should have turned by now. Then we noticed a person coming at us the opposite direction so we ran the last part of the course in reverse. It ended up being 6.87 miles since we ran a section of Southampton Dr twice that we shouldn't have run at all. I slowed quite a bit once I hit 6 mi and Angie ended up finishing a little over a minute ahead. I am not sure what place we were in before we made a wrong turn. Could have been in the lead or maybe someone was just way ahead of us. Told the finish line timer we had run long, but he said that was okay so I guess I wasn't DQ'd. Overall time was 45:27, 6:37 pace. Not sure how I placed since left and ran with Dan at Rock Bridge.

Update: Placed 12 out of 130. Would have placed 4th and 2nd male overall if we had not made a wrong turn.

2011 "Psycho Psummer" Run Toto Run 50K

2011-07-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

I was pretty confident I could complete this 50K even though I have only been running around 40 miles per week and 4 days of running. When I started again in March with a training plan, I hoped to increase my mileage further at this point, but I lost motivation after running one 67 mile week and my plan fell apart. I decided to refocus on weight lifting to strengthen my upper body and core and go ahead and run this 50K with less mileage and possibly try to increase for my next marathon.

I drove to Kansas City the morning of the race, leaving at 4:45 am and arriving around 7 am. I picked up my packet which included a shirt, mug, and a Trail Nerds sticker. I brought a small cooler for my 3 bottles and had filled them with Succeed and ice. Each was stocked with a sweet and salty bar and a Accel Gel. The plan was to start with one and then pick up one each loop. In between, I would refill at aid stations since they were serving Succeed. Definitely better than that Heed crap. I have run the February version of this race 3 times, and the summer version is a different course.

The race started at 8 am. I wasn't sure which direction we were heading, but I was in front. My plan was to keep the pace under control and not start too fast. We headed out on the same trail as the February race. The 20 milers were also running at the same time and the 10 milers would start an hour later. I started off at a conservative feeling pace. The temp was already above 70 and quite humid. Several people passed me and I would pass back. The first 3 miles had several shoe sucking mud areas that had been trampled by horses. The course deviated at around 3 miles and then was different than the way we ran in February. I ate my bar at about 45 minutes. The trail was very runnable for awhile. I felt like I was holding back and took easy on the hills. I walked a lot of the hills since they were too steep to run. Even some of the down hills I took it easy as they were quite rocky and I wasn't feeling too sure of myself. I stopped only at the aid station at about 5.3 miles to refill with more Succeed. I had the last bar at about 1 hr 30 min. The last 2 miles were cruel with hills and more mud, but I finished the first loop (10.4 miles) in 1:44:21. I did not want to finish it any faster than 1:40 so met my goal. I was happy to see the loop was longer than the one we ran in February. I don't know why I was happy about this considering the difficulty, but I guess I like to get my money's worth.

I stopped at my drop bag and drank half of my 32 oz Powerade Zero, and picked up a new bottle. The ice cubes had stayed frozen, but the temps were rising quickly. I wasn't dehydrated yet since I actually had to pee at the start of the 2nd loop. Also, took a Succeed cap about every hour. As the temps went up, my pace slowed down. One guy that I passed had his shoe sucked off in one of the muddy sections and had to stop to get it back on. At about the middle of the loop, I suddenly realize I am flying through the air and not sure what happened. My left toe kind of hurt so I guess I must have hit it on something. I fell down and kind of bounced up off my right knee and was back running. I was a little muddier, but no blood and nothing hurt. I refilled with Succeed again at the aid station (probably about 16 miles) and Sophia talked me into taking a piece of watermelon before taking off. I think passed three 50K guys the second loop and was passed by 2. I also passed quite a few 10 milers so was good to see some people. There was a long section in a grassy field that was flat, but I had to stop and walk part of it since it was hard to breathe in the hot sun and felt like my heart rate was up. The last mile of the second loop I was beginning to feel the heat starting to get to me even more. My head was pretty clear for the first 2 loops, but by the end of the 2nd loop, things were starting to get fuzzy and I had to concentrate on moving forward. I finished the second loop in 2:05:43. I didn't have a goal this loop other than to keep moving.

Drank the rest of the Powerade and picked up a new bottle. Took off with another runner beside me for the final loop and someone told us we were 7 and 8th overall. He was running stronger and ran ahead and said he may see me later. Next thing I know, the first and second place women are passing me like I am standing still. I keep moving but it gets harder and harder to run. Legs actually feel pretty good but motivation to run is not great unless completely flat or down hill. However, if it was flat too long, I would have to stop and walk since it felt hard to breathe if I ran too long. I stopped again at my favorite aid station and had watermelon and they refilled my Succeed. After running through the longer grassy area in the sun and up the hill, I caught up to the guy that started this loop with me and he was walking with about 3 miles to go. I walked with him briefly and he said he would likely walk to the end. I told him I thought I could still run a little and wished him well and took off. My brain felt a bit fuzzy this last loop so don't remember things too clearly. I do remember thinking there is no way I want to consider doing this again and how could I have ever run any further than a 50K as crappy as I was feeling. I was really looking forward to getting to the sign with 1.5 miles to go and the final hills in this loop were extremely difficult to climb. Some guy flew past me in the last half mile, but didn't care since he was obviously having a much better day than me to finish so strong.

I finish the 3rd loop in 2:31:07 and was surprised it wasn't worse. Overall time is 6:21:11 and placed 13 out of 59 overall. The temp had gotten up to 90 degrees and I must have been more dehydrated than I realized. I can't push myself when I get dehydrated. If I had been wearing a HR monitor, I am sure my HR would have been high since it felt high. I didn't want anything they had at the end to eat or drink other than a cup of water. I found a faucet to wash off my muddy shoes and legs. It took me about 5 minutes to untie one of my shoes. I had no desire to stick around in the heat so got in the car and left. About 15 minutes down the road, I am getting cooled off and am suddenly very hungry and thirsty. I stopped at the first place I could find - Wendy's for a burger, fries, and lemonade. By the time I got home I felt pretty good but took awhile to get to rehydrate.

Looking back on this 2 days later, I think the main issue for me was heat, not drinking enough, and lack of training. I drank over 150 ounces of fluid over the 31 miles, but it was not enough for the heat. After 10 am, I didn't pee again until 6 pm after I got home. My legs were really not that beat up since the heat slowed me down and I ran about 5 miles on the trail one day after the race.

My Pictures

Results

Course Map & Elevation

Type Distance Time
1 Interval 1 mi 9:49.35
2 Interval 1 mi 9:21
3 Interval 1 mi 9:06
4 Interval 1 mi 9:04
5 Interval 1 mi 9:55.25
6 Interval 1 mi 9:59.25
7 Interval 1 mi 11:00.25
8 Interval 1 mi 10:00
9 Interval 1 mi 10:14
10 Interval 1 mi 11:50
11 Interval 1 mi 11:23
12 Interval 1 mi 11:24
13 Interval 1 mi 11:40
14 Interval 1 mi 10:00
15 Interval 1 mi 11:24
16 Interval 1 mi 11:30
17 Interval 1 mi 12:16
18 Interval 1 mi 12:50
19 Interval 1 mi 12:26
20 Interval 1 mi 12:15
21 Interval 1 mi 15:33
22 Interval 1 mi 14:01
23 Interval 1 mi 13:44
24 Interval 1 mi 14:26
25 Interval 1 mi 13:31
26 Interval 1 mi 14:52
27 Interval 1 mi 15:02
28 Interval 1 mi 15:22
29 Interval 1 mi 13:12
30 Interval 1 mi 14:54
31 Interval 1 mi 15:59
32 Interval 0.25 mi 3:07.68

6:21:11.53 overall 12:12 pace

2011 Parley P. Pratt 4 Mile Run

2011-07-04T11:45:00.002-05:00

It has been 15 weeks since I started running again after taking 5 weeks off. With 3 weeks training for every 1 week off, I figured a short race at 15 weeks would be a good test even though I have already ran several 5Ks that were good times for me. Running has been kind of blah recently and haven't managed to run more than 40 miles most weeks. I've started regularly lifting weights and doing core work which I may have overdone a bit since on Wednesday I started to have some lower back pain at work after lifting a box. By this morning, I felt like my back was at 100% so just in time to run a race.

This is the 7th consecutive year I have run the Parley Pratt 4 mile. Temps were around 70F but humidity was 94% so a humid day. I ran a 2.5 mi warmup with Hugh and we only had a few minutes more of the pre-race ceremonies before we started. I lined up in the front and was off to what felt like a fast start. I was in 8th place until just after the first half mile, moved up to 5th place. There was a young kid ahead of me in Vibrams and long pants that I ran behind until the 2 miler. I was ready to pass him but there wasn't enough time before the turn around and he sped up when I was about to make a move. He stopped for water so that made it easy. My first mile split was 6:07, and second mile was 6:04.

On the way back, I caught up to another kid and stayed just a step behind him until the last half mile. We slowed a bit, but still a pretty good pace and no one was very close behind. Third mile was 6:17. Down to the last half mile and he pulled ahead a little and finished ahead of me. This race is always a little short so last 0.92 mi was 5:41 (6:09 pace). Overall, 4th place of 134, 24:10 and an 18 sec PR over last year's PR. The guy that won overall was in my age group so didn't win a watermelon. 2nd place overall was a female. I think they were around 2 minutes ahead of us so didn't even see them finish. I didn't have a goal going into this race and had forget to check my time from last year so last minute going into it I was hoping to maintain close to a 6 min pace.

Once my stomach settled down, I ate a few pancakes. I didn't run any cool down miles. The rest of this week will be easy miles for me so I can be ready for the Psycho Psummer on Saturday. I am a little concerned that I have not been putting in many trail miles recently and my overall mileage hasn't been that good. My last long trail run was the Berryman Marathon on May 21st. The 4 long runs I have done since have been on the road and I've only ran a couple trail runs. I am hoping I can have a better finish than my Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K in February. I can be 100% sure there won't be snow on the ground for this one and I won't have back/buttock/leg issues but there will likely be heat and humidity. Maybe there won't be mud.

2011 Trekking for Kids

2011-06-19T14:14:00.003-05:00

I ran part of the course before the race and figured out that had marked it wrong again this year and it would be short. There was a 5 and 10K and I had signed up for the 10K. It rained during the warmup but held off during the race but I was already wet. Since I knew the course was short, I decided to try running this faster than 10K pace and maybe even push it at 5K pace. First 3 miles went well and then slowed down a bit but still faster than my 10K pace overall and 2 seconds per mile slower than my 5 mile PR in 2008. Overall a good race for pace 6:13/mi for 33:01 overall and 5.3 miles. I still like this race even though they can't seem to get the course marked correctly and it is a certified course with a map. They say they will try better next year. Placed 2nd overall and won 6 months to Anytime Fitness.

Only ended up running 7.7 miles between the warmup and the race. I still am not feeling real motivated with running, but am happy if I can continue to get 40 something miles per week for now. I went home after and did some P90X which made me feel really sore today. Even my neck muscles hurt. I ran a 17 mile long run this morning that went okay and then really fell to pieces that last mile. Average pace was 7:55, but last mile only 9:40.

2011 Phil Sayer 5K Jefferson City

2011-06-11T12:01:00.003-05:00

This race is put on by MU Extension Fire Rescue Training during their summer fire school in Jefferson City. Money goes to a scholarship fund for continuing education for firefighters. Mark Lee is the race director and makes the trophies which are pretty cool. I ran it the first year 2 years ago, but missed last year since it fell the week after I had run my first 100 miler. There were about 20 people running today. Temperature about 72F and a little humid but overcast. I started at my normal 6 min pace and 3 guys were ahead of me. I held my pace and passed the first one at 1 mile. First split was 5:56. I could still see the other 2 guys ahead. This race is totally flat and partly on the road and also the Katy Trail so I was hoping for a better pace, but didn't happen today. Passed another guy at the second mile that was slowing down. Second mile split 6:00. The guy in first was too far ahead to catch so kind of lost motivation to push the last mile which I ran in 6:09. Overall time, 18:45, 6:02 pace for 3.11 miles. Received one of the nail runner trophies for second overall. Hugh and I ran out and back on the Katy trail for a total of 10 more miles after running the race.

Results:

1. 17:43 - Gerald Holtmeyer - 1st Mens
2. 18:45 - Andy Emerson - 2nd Mens
3. 19:30 - Caleb Ruth - 3rd Mens
4. 21:22 - John McNay
5. 22:53 - Craig Wehmeyer
6. 23:10 - Hugh Emerson
7. 23:33 - Darla Atkins - 1st Womens
8. 24:25 - Greg Luebbert
9. 27:27 - Lisa Wehmeyer - 2nd Womens
10. 28:13 - Allen Wehmeyer
11. 30:33 - Christa Rhoads - 3rd Womens
12. 31:53 - Stacy Ducan
13. 38:02 - Kyle Haslen
14. 39:20 - Julia Edgar
15. 40:05 - Teresa Heidbrink
16. 47:19 - Mary De la Guerra
17. 49:36 - James Lundsted
18. 49:38 - Julie Lundsted
19. 54:15 - Angie Gott
20. 54:15 - Cindy Gott

2011 Berryman Trail Marathon

2011-05-23T09:37:00.005-05:00

When I signed up for Berryman in January, I decided to sign up for the marathon this year since with my disc problem I just wasn't seeing another 50 miler in my future and even a marathon was feeling doubtful. Then I was blessed to have surgery in February so really didn't know after what my body would tolerate and how long it would take to get back and if I could get back to running the same as before. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and things have improved to the point where I can say I could have done the 50, but since I like to push the pace a little, I am glad I did not attempt it with only 9 weeks of training. That would have been crazy and I am trying make choices that I are little more sane than before. Although I am sure still insane to 99% of people.

Rode with Jeff down to Berryman and camped with him and Shawn. Karen joined us before heading to her hotel and we sat around eating dinner and enjoying the evening in the rain (we had cover). Ate my Basil Cashew Chicken Roly Poly for dinner along with lots of other stuff including some yummy mac and cheese than Shawn made. Felt like I was stress eating and probably overdid it a bit on the food. Headed to bed around 9 pm. Woke up 3 times and heard it raining. The weather forecast for the morning was 60% chance.

We got up at 5 am and no rain and about 65F. Had a shake with coffee and some of Karen's yummy muffins for breakfast and a banana. I was in the bathroom for the 3rd time until about 6:25 which was near the start. Walked over and we all 5 of us had our picture taken and then we were off in a couple minutes. Seemed like everyone started really fast. We had to run out and back on the gravel so at the point we went into the woods we had run 2 miles. The 50 milers turn around sooner so end up passing many of them later. First 3 miles felt kind of fast, but between the gravel and the trail going downhill probably okay. Talked to Tony, a guy I have run with at several other events and then passed more people and didn't see him again.

I wore my Camelbak without a shirt since it was so hot and humid. Heard a few whispers how I was going to chafe, but no problems at all. It fit quite snug and comfy. No problem on the flats and downhills, but uphill felt like I was carrying some extra weight for awhile. I carried 2 Accel Gels, 2 sweet and salty bars, and 70 oz of Succeed, and Succeed caps. I ran through all the aid stations. When I passed Brad (running the 50) he told me I was the 6th marathoner and someone else did later as well. I passed quite a few 50 milers. Around mile 20, I caught up to a marathoner ahead of me. I felt like I was struggling a bit up the hills and at some point he got pretty far ahead again. Then caught up again and ran right behind him for awhile. I didn't feel read to pass just yet and was starting to feel the heat. We catch up to some 50 milers and then I decide to go around him, had a surge of energy, and picked up the pace.

Trail conditions were muddy but many parts very runnable. The muddy sections really slowed my pace. Only a few trees to climb through and over and that was the only time I walked a few steps. Considering all the mud and the warming temps, I was kind of glad I was not doing the 50 miler. I wore my GPS, but on this course, it isn't accurate so didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it, but gave me an idea of distance and pace which was slowing. After I passed the marathoner, I could hear people behind me so pushed on the downhills pretty hard and very easy on the uphills. Passed another 50 miler a few miles from the end.

The miles past the last aid station went very quickly. Noticed my Camelbak felt pretty light and was soon out of drink. This section went so quickly, I didn't even realize I was near the end. I was thinking I had a mile to go and then noticed the paved road and then there was the end. As I was running earlier and I thought I was going to be around 4:06, but since the end came sooner than I realized, finished in 3:56 and was 5th overall of 77 (12 of these dropped down to marathon). Some guy ran just a little over 3 hours on this messy course which is just insanely fast.

I didn't feel like eating any solid food yet so headed over to our camp site and had a shake and a Powerade. Then headed back over to the finish since I was thinking Coleman might be finishing any minute. Just before I got there I saw him come in. Then we got to see Karen come in less than an hour later. Both of them finished smiling and happy for their first marathon. We waited around and got to see Jeff and Shawn complete their first loop and head back out. Mike was there to pace Shawn and I got to talk to him a bit about Kettle Moraine 100 where I will be pacing him the last 37 miles in a couple weeks.

After Jeff and Shawn took off for their second loops, I still wasn't real hungry but ate some of the salads and a burger minus the bun. Went to the camp site, cleaned up, and then headed over to the finish to talk with people. Karen came back later and we hung out some more at the finish, camp site, and then back to the finish so we wouldn't miss Shawn and Jeff. Shawn and Mike arrived first and seemed to be in good shape. Jeff finished about 20 minutes later. We ate some more and talked and then I headed back home with Karen.

Really enjoyed having Karen, Coleman, Shawn, and Mike along with Jeff. Most of the time it is just me and Jeff at this race so was nice to share it with others this year. Also, enjoyed talking to a lot of the other runners that I only see at trail events. I ran Berryman in 2007 as my first trail marathon and in 2008 and 2009 ran th e 50 miler. Last year I didn't get signed up before it filled up. This year I signed up soon after it opened and it filled up in 4 days! Definitely looking forward to making Berryman an annual event and will sign up New Year's Day when it opens. Hopefully, I will have the faith I can attempt to run the 50 miler next year.

Someone took photos this year. I have posted the ones of our group here - Berryman Photos and all others are on Picasa - Picasa Berryman Photos

Karen, Andy, Coleman, Shawn, and Jeff

2010 WellAware 5K

2011-05-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

Ran a 3 mile warmup before the race. It was kind of cool at 52F and a little wet today with a light rain. I decided to ditch the jacket after the warmup. Overall goal was to go under 20 since this was my first race other than the Sedalia 5K I ran my first week back running post-surgery. This felt tons better. I really hadn't pushed the pace too much other than a couple miles on one of the Tu/Th runs. Started off going down the hill out of the parking lot and passed quite a few people at the bottom that started too fast. At this point I was in 6th place. After mile 1, I passed another guy and could still see Bill S. ahead of me. I felt really focused and relaxed and the first mile seemed to go really fast. I wore my HR monitor and it says my Avg HR was only 145 the first mile at a 5:55 pace.

Second mile just tried to maintain pace. There was a bit of an uphill in one place so slowed down some and ran in 6:03. Last mile I was just hoping to hold the pace and kept it at 5:56, avg HR up to 160 for that mile so guess I was working harder to maintain pace. The last 0.17 had to go up the hill we came down in the beginning. Did not push at all up the hill but once got to the top, let myself go. Saw my time was about 18:30 so really pushed to get in under 19 minutes. Overall time was 18:57, 5:59 pace so beat my 20 min goal easily and ran this course just as fast as I ran it 2 years ago. Honestly, thought I was a lot slower and didn't have speed back yet. This race was a test to gauge where I am at. I didn't feel like I pushed all the way and my avg HR for the entire race being only 153 seems to indicate that. That is about the average I would hold for an entire marathon.

Ran some cool down miles with Christian and Matt, the first and second place guys. Overall, I was 5th and got the coaster for 1st in the 40 - 49 since Christian (in my age group) was the overall winner.


Nice coaster for first place in age group.

Tech shirt and belt with pockets and bottle holder given to all entrants

Rim to Rim to Rim Scenic Run

2011-05-02T22:24:00.013-05:00

Highly recommend seeing the Grand Canyon by running it. I will skip over the fun time we had traveling as a group and get right to the run on Saturday. Even if you can't run it all from rim to rim, it is worth attempting to run part of the trails, but just make sure you research and are prepared. We had person start at 1 am that went almost all of the way before turning around. Ten of us started as a group from a parking lot near the S. Kaibab Trail head on the South Rim and some others started later doing a shorter run. Temp was in the 20s and pretty cold, but slowly warmed up. Definitely a cooler day than usual to do this in late April so we were quite lucky. High was probably in the 70s in the canyon bottom and felt like 40s on the North Rim. Most of us stayed pretty close for awhile and then split up and caught up at some points. I had a camera so stopped many times to get some photos. I stayed with Hugh for his first 15 miles. We made a 35 minute side trip to see Ribbon Falls which was about a mile and then he headed back for 19 miles on his own getting back around 2 pm.

After leaving Hugh, I picked up the pace, hoping to catch someone in our group. I refilled my Cambelbak at Cottonwood. Cambelbak was surprisingly comfortable to wear, although about 4 lbs heavier each time I refilled. Caught up to Nathan on the way up to the North Rim, then Nicole and Andy P., and finally Dan and Jeff. Stayed with them for the rest of the day. As we climbed closer to the top, it will just a little harder to breath and heart rate jumped and we were walking most of the time with a few breaks. We kept asking people coming down how far and weren't sure who to believe. We saw Andy S. and Rodney coming back down. Finally, someone said a couple minutes and I think we were there in 5 minutes. I wore my GPS but I think it was a little wacky since it said 26 miles at the N. Rim and I suspect it should have been closer to 23.

We arrived around 11:30 am, rested about 15 min, had someone take our picture and then headed back down. We were able to run some of the trail down. There was some flat runnable trail but overall for this trek you are either going up or down. We refilled water at Cottonwood campground and arrived at Phantom Ranch about 3:40 pm. Jeff hoped to get a Coke, but all they sold was lemonade, ice tea, and beer so we all had a lemonade. Nathan arrived shortly before we took off to head to the Bright Angel trail for our ascent to the South Rim.

We ran maybe a mile after we crossed the bridge and then walked the rest of the way up . They trail was quite sandy at this point. Earlier had been mostly gravel and rock. This trail was a bit more technical as well. Took our time and took several breaks. Stopped at the Indian Gardens and sign said 4.5 miles to go and we left about 6 pm. Eventually got dark and had to turn on our lights. Very slow going the rest of the way and my GPS surpassed the 4.5 miles. Seemed like we were never going to get to the top. We could see lights on the trail below us of others coming up in the dark. We were told that there was a record number of people attempting Rim to Rim on the same day. Finally, we reached the top and had someone take our picture. Some other people we didn't know had just finished ahead of us.

Packed about 3500 calories in food and consumed every last calorie from my Succeed Ultra drink, 7 Accel Gels, and various bars, crackers, and cashews. I was hungry by the time we reached the top and also freezing cold as the temp seemed to really drop in the last couple miles. I got my clothes off pretty quick and jumped into the shower to warm up. Rodney and Andy S. in our group finished ahead of us and Nathan was not far behind us. Rodney and Yvonne finished about 1:30 am and Nicole and Andy P. came in at 2 am! Nicole had been out there 25 hours and the next morning seemed to be in pretty good shape.

This was the most enjoyable vacation I have had in a long time. I am not sure my report can describe the experience, but it was just amazing and physically grueling at the same time. Almost just too much to take in at once. We all got along great and had a good time before, during, and on the trip home.

Not sure these pictures do the Grand Canyon justice, but should give a good idea of some of the scenery and tell the rest of the story that I can't put into words.

Andy E. Kodak Photo Gallery Photos or Facebook
Dan S. photos
Andy P. photos
Rodney A. photos

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVjEQFWbE00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpAuBY9_6sk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2EKeZu7SnA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzfSQQc1rUc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEe5hQ6NxsU

GPS had 52.1 miles, but it was pretty erratic. Based on where we started and my trip to Ribbon Falls, I am claiming 47 miles. Maps that start at S. Kaibab taking the same route our group took say it is 44.9 miles.

2011 Sedalia Half Marathon & 5K

2011-03-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for Sedalia Half Marathon and 5K results, they will be posted at Columbia Track Club soon.

Hugh and I decided early this morning to go to Sedalia. He ran the half and I ran the 5K. We arrived around 8 am and it was cloudy and windy but no rain or snow yet. Temp was around 32 I think. We had a good turnout of Columbia area runners. I thought about going out for a little warm up but did not. The 5K started with the half marathon. We were off and running and immediately noticed my hamstrings and butt were still quite sore from running on Thursday. Not sure if it was the attempt at new running for which they said would make the butt sore or just the fact that I am out of running shape.

After we ran the little loop through the neighborhood, I caught up to Paul S., race director of OT100 and also have run many races with him such as Kettle Morraine 100 last June. He was running about the pace I felt I could run around 7 min. Felt good so talked with him until where I had to turn around which was about the 2 mile point. Talking was a bit hard due to the pace but glad I got to run a bit and talk with him. After I turned around I was in 3rd place and Norm yelled something like "he is slowing down" yet the guy ahead of me seemed to have a good lead. Someone said "don't look back" but I did since I didn't think anyone was close behind me and the next runner looked pretty far behind. I sped up just slightly when I turned around.

I noticed I was closing in on the guy ahead (he was slowing) and I had a little over a half mile to go. I soon caught him. At first I thought he was going to fight to stay with me since I heard him on my heels, but soon he was far behind. I tried to keep about the same pace until the end and finished in 21:11 - second overall out of 48 which earned me a half marathon brick. I guess I got off easy this year only running a 5K and getting a half marathon brick.

Splits
M1- 6:54
M2 - 6:53
M3 - 6:41
0.1 - 0:43

After the 5K, I headed back out toward the Katy Trail and ran out 2 miles from the school where the race finished. Trail was pretty boring and only saw 1 other runner. About 20 min into my run, I notice some flakes and next thing I know it is sleeting and is painful stinging sleet. The weather said 10% chance of rain this morning and then 70% chance of rain/snow in the afternoon, but nothing about sleet! I felt bad for all the runners. I got back to the car and changed my clothes hoping to catch the first runner, but Ryan was too fast and came in while I was in the car.

I took a few pictures with my iPod camera since I forgot the good one. There was no race photographer so wish I had brought the better camera. I was surprised to see Dan H. come in at 1:34, a new PR for him and Hugh came in at 1:44 which was close to his PR of 1:40 and received a brick in his age group. Several runners PR'd today in spite of the painful sleet and brisk wind.

This race is a fundraiser for Max Lewis and they had some great raffle prizes so I bought 6 tickets for $5. Then they let you go up and pick out a prize and I ended up with a cool Sharper Image 5 Day Internet Weather Station which will make it even handier to check those forecasts for upcoming runs or decided whether to bike to work.

On the way home we stopped at Mazzios for their awesome salad bar and a combo pizza!

Sciatica Sucks (hopefully no more)

2011-02-17T10:29:00.002-06:00

I had the microdiscectomy surgery Wednesday on my L5S1. The hope is this would relieve the sciatic nerve pain in my right leg. I've been in some degree of pain since it started in Sept 2009. I tried many of the alternative methods but in the end, it wasn't getting better. My spine doctor at Columbia Orthopaedic recommended living with it, more shots, or surgery. Surgery is a last resort so I decided to seek a second opinion at Missouri Orthopaedic Institute. The doctor there also recommended surgery and I found him easier to talk to than my previous doctor. I told him my concern about being able to run after the surgery and he felt there was no reason I could not although there is no guarantee either. The surgery could possibly make the pain worse or might only partially improve. I decided it was worth the risk and he removed a couple pea sized portions of the bulging disc and hoped it would stop pressing on my sciatic nerve.

I arrived at noon and was home by 9 pm. I tried to relax about the surgery but was still pretty anxious since it was my first surgery. I am guessing that is why my blood pressure was high every time they took a reading. Also, I think the pain level I have has been keeping it higher than it used to and with the anxiety it was even higher. Hugh was able to be in the preop room most of the time. About 2:30 they put some happy drugs in my IV and took me into the operating room. I remember taking about 3 breaths.

Then woke up around 4:15 in the postop recovery room. I wasn't cold but shivering so gave me some Demerol and that fixed the shaking. I was amused by the staff's conversation, but the nurse attending to me said to me if I told anyone they would have to kill me. Just regular work issues that I was sympathetic too so I won't reveal.

They took me to a patient recovery room and let me have some ice chips since my mouth was beyond dry and throat a bit irritated from the breathing tube. Hugh arrived and eventually I was allowed water and didn't help much with the dryness. Then had some chicken broth and gatorade and felt better. After going to the bathroom a few times, taking a pain pill, and getting up to walk, they finally released me just before 9 pm. Before they released me, my blood pressure was ridiculously high at 161/92 so they took again a few min later and had gone down to 151/83. They thought that was strange since I said I wasn't in pain, but thought I would be fine. Everyone took great care of me and the worst part was just waiting to be released.

Went home, ate some dinner and went to bed and had a hard time going to sleep since I had to pee so much I guess due to all the IV fluid plus drinking. Finally slept pretty well but still dry mouth. No more pain in the right buttock, back of leg, and just a tinge in the calf when I woke up. The incision wasn't hurting until later this morning so may have to get the pain prescription filled. They have not scheduled my follow up appointment, but am guessing if all goes well, I will be back to work in 2 weeks. Right now, it feels the best to just lay on my back in bed so that is how I am functioning today between my laptop and iPod touch. Answered some work e-mails this morning and will probably start a book later.

Day 2 - I ended up not getting the pain med even though the incision hurts and it is hard to get up and down off the bed and couch and turn over. It isn't so bad that I can't tolerate it and once I settle I am fine. I noticed later yesterday I no longer had the tinge in my calf and right leg feels nearly like the left one. Now, my lower back which didn't hurt before, hurts because of the incision. Feels like I have been stabbed in the back, but I am sure will improve with more rest.

2011 Psycho Wyco Toto Run 50K

2011-02-13T21:57:00.002-06:00

I wasn't sure I should run this 50K. I was really tight and painful most of the week and didn't run since the Sunday before. I contacted the race director to see if I could switch to the 10 miler which started later, but he suggested I could start with the 50K and 20 milers and then drop to the 10 if I wanted after the first loop. This way I would get a better parking spot. I mostly wanted to switch since I didn't want to DNF for the race I had signed up for and knew I could run 10 miles.

I set the alarm for 4 am, but slept poorly and got up at 3:45. Hugh had gotten up and baked cinnamon rolls so had those along with cereal and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I wasn't as tight and painful as I have been recently, but I think that was due to not sleeping for very long. I was hoping the drive to Kansas City would be pretty comfortable.

I left about 4:40 and made it there at 6:50 just as it was getting light, got a really close parking spot and was the 3rd person in line to pick up my packet. We got a nice brown hoodie instead of a shirt this year. I returned to the car to get everything ready for my drop bag and took it over to the start and then back to the car to figure out what to wear. I realized I had forgotten to bring Body Glide but turned out to not be a problem. I decided to wear my Mizuno pants, a long sleeved shirt, and jacket. It was 23F and just felt too cold to start out in shorts. I decided to wear my iPod since I was afraid it was going to be a long day if I decided to go for 50K. I put my Kahtoola Microspikes on my shoes and was ready to go.

Dan H. came over to borrow my Swiss Army knife to loosen a few screws on his shoes. I then headed to the start line for the 50K and 20 mile. Saw Joel running the 50K and Shawn, and Nate running the 20 miler from Columbia. A lot of other Columbians running but doing the 10 miler which started an hour later. I started sort of mid pack and we were all running single file on the snow path on the way to the trail. The trail was snow packed and pretty good to run on. Definitely better than the mud I've run on the previous 2 years.

Into the run, I realized I had left my water bottle in the car. I didn't worry since I would just drink at the aid stations and grab the other water bottle that was in my drop bag on the second loop. I stopped at 3 different aid stations to drink so probably wasn't enough with their small cups. I felt like my right leg was dragging a lot the first loop and couldn't seem to keep my right ankle steady. I thought my shoes felt a little loose, but had a hard time tying them in the car since I can't bend over very well. I was getting warm too and removed my gloves. About 8 miles into the loop when I was running with fewer people I turned on the iPod a bit.

After I finished the 1st loop (1 hr 54 min), I took off my running pants and jacket. I felt up to another loop, grabbed my water bottle, some food and took off. I didn't get far and decided it was time to retie my shoes. I found a tree and was able to prop my foot up and retie them. It was much better and my ankles felt more stable. Soon, I felt like my head was burning up so removed my head band. The iPod was starting to hurt my ears which it usually does after a few hours so had to take it off and carry it along with the headband since I didn't have any pockets. There were a few patches on the second loop that were icy and quite slippery where the snow had worn down. There was one place on a steep down hill curve that I about lost it and fell backwards, but managed to catch myself and didn't go all the way down. The Kahtoola microspikes worked quite well other than on the solid icy patches. They were a bit of a pain running across a few roads and where we had to run about a half mile on the road, but I am glad I wore them. I really didn't want to take a chance at falling.

After 2 loops (4:06 overall time), I decided I could finish and my goal was to simply finish since I didn't have any speed. I had almost 5 hours to finish the next loop so decided there was no reason not to finish. There was a big cheering section from Columbia that had finished running when I came through which was nice. I started the 3rd loop feeling okay, but no speed and no power up the hills. The trail was beginning to be more slushy in places and even some mud in a few places. After a couple miles, it appeared I could do 15 min miles so hoped to finish in about 6 hr 40 min overall. Most of the 3rd loop I was running alone other than being passed by people. I did pass a few people but was mostly passed which I don't like, but nothing I could do about it.

I made it to the end in 6 hr 43 min and the race director gave me my medal and 50K sticker and I had my picture taken. It was quite toasty at 52F by the finish! I am glad I did this run, but not happy with my time even though I realize there is not much I can do about that right now. I had been running really well in spite of my bulging disc for about a year. The weird thing is running excessively does make me feel better while I am doing it and loosens things up. Exercise is good for sciatic nerve pain, but getting up every morning, trying to put on my clothes, getting things off the floor or down low, and sitting is hell. For over a year, I didn't hurt too often when I ran with this condition but now it does hurt. My walking isn't that great most of the time either. I had a hard time pushing off on the right leg most of the run although I think the second loop was better. Between that and the crappy training, it didn't help my speed. I think I left my speed into last year since running hasn't gone well since December. Probably when my last shot wore off.

I didn't expect to finish so I am happy to finish and also to have finished all the races since Sept 2009 when my bulging disc problem started. It is hard to say if running is bad for this condition or not. Doctors say exercise is good but running may not be good for the spine. After surgery, I am just going to see how it goes. My doctor says can't run for 6 weeks and need to take off work for at least 2 weeks, lie around all day, walk a bit, and recover. Hopefully, I feel good again and will want to run. I will do what I can to reduce the pounding. The desire is there to run again, but I don't want to continue in living every day in this much pain if there is a chance surgery will help get rid of the pain. I want to recover and get back into shape and hopefully that includes running. If not, I will figure out a new plan.

1st Loop - 1:54:11 (35th place)
2nd Loop - 2:12:11 (41st place)
3rd Loop - 2:37:15 (45th place)
Finish Time - 6:43:38 (45th place male, 51th overall out of 92)

2011 Nut Race

2011-02-06T19:27:00.001-06:00

I didn't have any goals for this 5K. With the snow on the ground, the way I have been running lately, and the pain and the weakness in the right leg, I didn't expect too much. I ran to the race and caught up with Tom, Dan E. and Phil. I ended up with a little over 8 miles and felt pretty good. I was feeling less stiffness and pain than some days. We got to the start line about 5 minutes before the race started. I had to pee but no time. We took off and it took me awhile to get my speed up. I passed Hugh on the first turn.

Not a whole lot happened. I ran as about as fast as I could. I passed one guy and Tom passed me before the end. I assumed he was ahead of me. I wore my Yak Trax but still some slippage. Tried to stay on the pavement along Providence and cars moved over to the other lane. Splits were 6:41, 6:52, and 6:52 and last 0.2 was 1:25 and overall 21:50. Placed 4th of 9 in age group of 40 - 49 and 6th overall out of 32. Not as bad as I thought it might be.

2011 Runner's Choice 20K

2011-01-15T20:01:00.000-06:00

I ran to the race again this year from home so had a 5.4 mile warm-up in 50 min. I wasn't feeling that energetic so I was trying to figure out my goal for the run. Sometimes I am not feeling it and run well but I had my doubts since my legs felt so heavy. We still had some snow and ice to deal with on the shoulder of the race course and the sidewalks were not clear so had to run mostly on the road. We had 26 in the 20K and 16 in the 10K. For the 20K we run the course twice. I lined up near the front and was hoping the speedy runners would help me get off to a fast start. I caught up to Hugh after about 1.5 miles. One guy running the 10K passed me before the turnaround point. I finished the first 10K in 46:25 which is very slow for me. I wasn't breathing hard but legs just felt depleted and no energy.

I headed out for the second 10K and Kurt K. wasn't far behind. He passed me before the turn around point. Dan H. was not far behind me. I ran the second 10K in 47:31. I couldn't believe that I actually slowed down. Total time was 1:33:56, a personal worst by 6 minutes, and finished 6th of 26. After finishing, I was really hungry. I ate 3 donuts, a banana, and a hot chocolate. I had originally planned to run back home but decided to quit for the day. Then went to breakfast and had a bagel eggwich and chocolate milk. I am not sure if I am over trained or if I just didn't get enough food. I don't usually expect to run race pace for this event, but pace was way slower than I should be running. I really can't blame my sciatica either since I just felt a little tight and not too sore while running.

2010 Running and Racing Year in Review

2011-01-01T16:27:00.002-06:00

I finished my last race of the year yesterday, the First Night 5K. Ran with Dan E. most of the way until he gained on me near the last half mile. Finished in 18:53, 13th overall, and 2nd in age group. I managed to run pretty pain free since I took 2 Ibuprofen earlier in the day.

Goals accomplished for 2010 - enjoyed running, completed my first 100 miler, ran fewer road marathons and more trail racing. My other goal was more cross training. I did cross train, but failed since I didn't do enough.

I only ran 2 marathons this year. I PR'ed in 7 events but 3 were new to me. My first 100 miler turned out great and I felt like I did really well. My second 100 miler was the toughest race of my life so far but I managed to finish and it left me with a medial tendon injury for a few weeks. I'm still learning how to deal with the sciatica from the bulging disc and am considering surgery as an option at some point. Hopefully, I can gut it out for a little while longer while I try some other things. For the second year in a row, I did not feel burned out from running although I was forced to take a 2 week break in November. I did feel burned out and anxious the few weeks before my first 100 miler in June.

Total Miles:
2010 - 2839
2009 - 2675
2008 – 3014
2007 – 2572
2006 – 1937
2005 – 2090
2004 - ~1000

Marathons (23 total):
2010 - (2) Go! St Louis Marathon (BQ), Heart of America Marathon (BQ)
2009 - (5) Disney Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr), 3 Days of Syllamo (Trail), Boston Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr), Heart of America Marathon (BQ and Course PR), Louis & Clark Marathon (BQ and Sub-3 hr)
2008 - (4) Boston Marathon (BQ and PR), Laughing Out Loud Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ), Twin Cities Marathon (BQ)
2007 - (5) Laughing Out Load, Berryman (First Trail Marathon - placed
4th), Heart of America (BQ), Baltimore Marathon (BQ), Bass Pro
Marathon
2006 - (3) Flying Pig (BQ), Heart of America (BQ, Chicago (BQ)
2005 - (3) Mad City, Heart of America (BQ), Portland (BQ)
2004 - (1) Heart of America

Ultramarathons (15 total):
2010 - (6) Psycho Wyco 50K, Free State Trail 100K (PR), Kettle Moraine 100 mi (PR), Flatrock 50K, Rock Bridge Revenge 50K, Ozark Trail 100 mi
2009 - (4) 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Psycho Wyco 50K, Berryman 50 mi, Q50 Ultramarathon 50K (PR)
2008 – (4)3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Berryman 50 mi, Rock Creek Trail 50K
2007 - (1) Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K

Number of each type of races for 2010:

100 mi - 2
100K - 1
50K - 3
3/4 Marathon - 1
Marathon – 2
Half Marathon - 1
20K - 1
10 mi - 1
10K - 2
4 mi - 1
5K - 9
1 mi - 1

Total running miles run in 25 races: 509 miles (last year 30 races – 389 mi)

States I ran marathons and ultras in 2010 (3): KS, MO, WI
All states I have run marathons and ultras (12): AR, FL, IL, LA, KS, MA,MD, MN, MO, OH, OR, WI

2010 PRs in 1 mi, 4 mi, 10 mi, half marathon, 3/4 marathon, 100K, 100 mi
2009 PRs in 5K, 25K, half marathon, and 50K
2008 PRs in 5K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi, marathon, 50K, 50 mi
2007 PRs in 5K, 4 mi, 8K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi
2006 PRs in 20K, half Marathon, and marathon

Goals for 2011:
1. Get by bulging disc healed or fixed so I am pain free or at least close to pain free.
2. More cross training (biking & swimming?).

3. Take 2 - 3 short breaks from running during the year with at least 4 - 7 consecutive days of no running.

Marathons and ultras planned for 2011 - This all depends on whether I can get the disc healed.
January - No plans
February - Pyscho Wyco 50K
March - 3 Days of Syllamo (50K, 50 mi, also 20K)
April - No plans
May - Berryman Trail Marathon
June - pace Jeff last 50 of 100 mile?
July - No plans
August - Burning River 100 mi
September - Heart of America Marathon
October – No plans
November - No plans
December - No plans

2010 Cheese & Sauerkraut 10 Miler

2010-12-11T21:59:00.001-06:00

We arrived early at 7:30 and I ran the 5 mile loop with Andy S. at a 7:15 pace. I didn't realize how fast we were running until we finished but was just a little worried that maybe that was too aggressive for a warm up. Temp was in the low 40s and dropping. I ran the first loop with Dan E. and Erik S. right behind us. Dan really helped me keep a good pace. Andy S. & Kevin S. were in our sights for the loop. After the first loop I sped up a bit and caught up to Andy at little over 6 miles. Kevin had pulled ahead quite a bit. We passed Kevin at the turn around since he was having a cramp which I felt bad that was the reason we passed him.

We didn't say much since we were working pretty hard. Andy and I stayed together until the very end and tied for first at 1:30:50. I had predicted 1:07 so I was off 3:10 and the 33rd worst predictor. I ran the first loop in 32:30 so ran the second in 31:20. Very unusual for me to run that kind of negative split. I took a full minute off my 10 mile PR from 2008 when I ran this race. I really didn't expect to PR today. We weren't allowed to wear watches but kept my GPS in my pocket to get the splits.

Great turnout (50 runners) and lots of yummy stuff to eat after the race. We had cinnamon rolls, chocolate sauerkraut cake, German Chocolate cookies with cream cheese in them that Hugh made. The closest person was 13 seconds off and the furthest was Kevin at 16 min since he had a cramp so he got the Kraut. The wind picked up and turned colder as we were waiting for results, but we had good conditions during the race. The temp dropped 20 degrees during today and it is expected to get down to 15 tonight.

This race was featured on the calendar of the December 2010 Runner's World on page 108. It is kind of funny they said it had 50 runners (an estimate) since that is exactly the number we had this year. We get to run past a 350 year old burr oak (photo here) tree. There is a picture in RW with the tree too. It is the tree on the left.

Results

Photos

Andy & Hugh

2010 Jingle Bell 5K

2010-12-04T13:26:00.000-06:00

Pretty easy 5K for me. I wasn't sure whether I was ready to run this pace, but pretty even splits and felt good at the end. Not much happened. Passed a guy a first mile and 2 guys at 1.5 mi. No one passed me. Volunteers were sparse and it was quite windy which made it feel colder. Paced 8th overall out of 398 runners and first in my age group. We picked up our awards after since no ceremony. Hugh placed 2nd in his age group and ran a 21:54, 18th overall.

Overall time was 18:51. Splits, 6:08, 6:00, 6:13, 0:32

2010 Thanksgiving Day Pie Run

2010-11-25T12:11:00.000-06:00

This race had a huge turnout and I am guessing over 500 people. We arrived around 7:35, picked up our numbers, and got a voucher to pick up a shirt next month since they ran out. I ran the course with Hugh to warm up. Temp was around 34, but quite windy. When we got back, I decided to change to a lighter jacket and take off the pants since I was getting a little warm. The race started 10 min late so a big improvement over last year. There were some issues getting people in the proper position for the starting line. There were no markers that I could see on the ground so we weren’t sure where to stand.

I signed up for the 5K this year but wasn’t sure how fast I could run due to my deconditioning over the past few weeks. Today was my 3rd day back running after 13 days off so I had no goal in mind other than to not run so hard I would hurt myself further. I wasn’t sure where to line up so stayed back a little. When we took off, I realized I should have been up closer since I passed probably 100 people.

Within the first half mile I see Paul S. ahead of me and catch up to him. I talk to him for a bit and then go ahead, but then realize that I am sucking a lot of air and going too fast. I slowed down a bit and hit first mile in 6:22. We run out to a cone to turn around and head back. I saw a lot of Columbia runners ahead of me coming back before I got to the turnaround. There was actually a 5K in Columbia for the first time on Thanksgiving, but a lot of us opted to go to Jefferson City since it is a well organized event and on a certified course with both a 5 and 10K and they give away a lot of pies.

After the turnaround, I feel like I can run a 6:40-something pace and mile 2 is 6:40. A couple guys had caught up to me, but stayed with me. About 2.8 mi, I leave one of them behind. At this point we are on the trail headed to the finish. I sped up and passed a couple more guys before the finish but there were also 10K runners and I didn’t notice which race they were running. My third mile was 6:39 and last 0.19 mi at 6:09 pace for a total of 20:50 (6:32/mi). I probably ran the first mile a little fast for the shape I am in, but was happy that I held on the 2nd and 3rd mile. I was glad I wasn’t running the 10K at this pace which would have been impossible today.

I found Hugh who finished less than 1.5 min behind me and we ran a 3.4 mi cool down after he ate his doughnut. I couldn’t eat at that point and was glad when we started running since I felt I really need to wind down. When we were done I ate too many doughnuts, we waited for the awards (didn’t win anything), and didn’t have my number drawn for a pie either.

I didn’t feel like the medial tendon injury is what slowed me down since it felt pretty good while I was running. I can be thankful that I am just out of shape to run that fast. I will see if I can get my 5K back under 19 soon.

2010 - Ozark Trail 100 Endurance Run

2010-11-09T15:51:00.000-06:00

This was a LONG race for me so I will try to keep this as short as possible. A lot of it I don't remember too well so that should help. First, the Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run is a point-to-point 102 mile ultramarathon on the Ozark Trail through the Mark Twain National Forest in south central Missouri. The race is mostly on single track trail with several water crossings and approximately 12,000 to 15,000 feet of elevation gain. The trail surface varies from smooth dirt trail to moderately technical trail with lots of leaves covering the trail.

The trip to Bass River Resort went smoothly. We arrived around 5 pm, picked up my race packet, dropped off drop bags, and then headed to the spaghetti and chicken dinner. Hugh was happy they had WiFi for his iPod Touch. The room where we ate was bustling with activity and there were many familiar and friendly faces from other races. At about 6 pm we had a pre-race meeting and after headed to our cabin with Lisa and Jeff. I tried to go to sleep around 9 pm but sleeping was restless.

Alarm went off at 2 am so we prepared to get ready. Temps had dropped to 23F so it was the coldest morning we have had all fall. I wore a short sleeved shirt, a long sleeved over, and my warmest running jacket over that one. Hugh headed over to the bus with Jeff and me and took a couple pictures before we took off at 3:30 am. The bus ride was interesting. We were in the first bus which didn't have many people. I sat in a front seat and Johnny A. from Columbia was in the seat behind me. There was another bus behind us and then a line of cars. I tried to close my eyes and rest on the bus, but was pretty uncomfortable. We stopped at one point for a potty break. I stayed alert the rest of the way and got the feeling the driver wasn't sure where to go. We turned around at an intersection and everyone followed. Then down a narrow gravel road and eventually, he pulled over and a car told him where to go so we turned around again. We arrived at the starting line around 5:45 am. I was able to use the port-a-potty, take off my pants, and got back on the bus for a few minutes.

The race started at 6:06 am. I started pretty far back in the pack so passed quite a few people until I caught up to some other runners running about a 12 min pace. I used my Petzl Tikka light to start off with since we wouldn't be running in the dark for very long. With all the leaves it was difficult to avoid some branches which tripped me up a few times. I fell once over a branch and scraped my ankles some more. There were lots of stray brambles to scratch the legs and has the temps warmed up, I could feel the sting. The jacket was starting to be too much. It was light by the Grasshopper Hollow aid station at mile 8. I refilled one bottle and grabbed some food. I was carrying Succeed Ultra to drink and a few gels and sweet and salty chewy granola bars.

Lots of trees were down from the storm last year and there were huge root balls. They had done a nice job clearing the trail and some sections had very few trees left since about 80% were destroyed in the storm. I hit my right knee running over a big branch across the trail. Mostly scraped so not too bad other than the blood looked bad. Hugh and Lisa were at the Sutton Bluff 17.6 mile aid station where I had my first drop bag and arrived at about 10 am. Jeff and Allan were about 45 min behind me at this point based on the time of the pictures. I am guessing I didn't look too great at this point with my legs scratched up and my knee bleeding. I am not sure how many times I fell up to this point. I left my jacket with them after Lisa asked if I wanted to leave it. I had forgotten that I did.

The next part I think I was running alone quite a bit and don't remember much. My 401 GPS died at about 24 miles, 5 hr 16 min and shows that I had a 13:06 split up to this point. It had malfunctioned and shut off at one point so I lost a little distance. My splits up to this point are on RunningAhead and then I switched over to the 310XT GPS. I also removed my long sleeved shirt (guessing temp was at least 60?) and ran with just my short sleeved and felt a little better. I noticed that the inside of my right ankle felt strange so I stopped and it was noticeably swollen but not in much pain. I was worried this might be a problem, but running didn't seem to stress it that much but it was a little sore. I think I might have aggravated when I tripped over the branch earlier.

I came upon Anthony L. and friend he was running with and another guy off and on. I ran with them for quite awhile until we reached the 43.5 miles. I was really needing someone to run with since I don't think I was doing so well. I was having issues with my right ear feeling plugged and could here my heart beat which was very annoying and continued off and on for quite awhile. They were running the perfect pace that was pushing me just a little and walking the hills. Finally, we hear the people at the Brooks Creek 43.5 mile aid station and the time is about 4:10 pm. so I have dropped about a minute to a 14 per mile overall pace. I did not place a drop bag here. There were 7 places for a bag and I used 6. I was unsure if I would make it to my other light before dark so the first thing I asked Hugh for at the Brooks Creek 43.5 mi aid station the light I had left with him back at 17.6 miles. Andy S., Michael, and Lisa were also at this station. I was feeling better and thinking, I just need to make it to 68.5 miles where Andy S. would begin to run with me. However, I realized that was going to be a long time at the pace I am running.

Now, I am thinking just make to the next aid station at 51 miles and I will be half done. Those were a tough 8 miles, but I made it just before dark so I was able to get my Petzl Myo XP light. I came into that station with a few people and more arrived behind. I put on a long sleeved shirt and had some food and was ready to go so I took off ahead on my own since I figured they would all catch me. I turned on my light shortly after leaving. The temp is dropping and I am starting to feel like I have new legs. I am not breaking any speed records, but feeling pretty good. A couple from Iowa running their first 100 together catch up to me and pass me. They are really flying and I try to keep up. They did walk the uphills but pace seemed really fast where they ran. The funny thing is it looks like we were only averaging 14 - 15 min miles with all the walking up the hills. I came in with them at the next aid station and then took off without them figuring they would catch me again.

I am on my own again in the dark but didn't have any problem finding my way. There were a few OT markers on the trees and pink and silver tape every so often that showed up well with my light. I kept hoping the couple would catch me but I didn't see them again. Temps were really starting to get cold and even cooler in the low lying areas. I was really in need of my gloves since some of my fingers were feeling a little numb. I came upon a creek that was pretty deep and said a few choice words and there was a guy across that said I had to cross there. He was from the aid station and asked if there were flags missing since someone had mentioned they were down. I had noticed some of the reflector part of the flag on the ground but didn't have a problem. I figured since he was from the aid station, I didn't have far to go, but seemed like it took forever to get there. I finally arrived at Hazel Creek 68.5 mile aid station at 11:20 pm so overall had dropped to about a 15 min pace. I spent some time here eating, changing my batteries and warming up. Then I was ready to head out with Andy S. and see how quickly we could get this over with. Unfortunately, I couldn't even keep a 15 min/mile pace at this point so it would be very quick. My legs were just done.

We headed out at my snail pace about 17 min per mile. I attempted to run which helped the pace since walking was worse. Attempting to run also helped keep me warm. I wasn't in a very talkative mood and it was often hard to hear with all the leaves we were wading through. My shoulders more near the center of my back just below my neck were in excruciating pain due to so much tension. Might have been the bottles. I tried to relax and helped just a little, but then it would come back. We made it to the next aid station at Machell Hollow at 76.1 but I don't really remember much. I am thinking the guys running it said they were from Kansas and I remember eating something. I was getting hungry between stations and eating a bar and a gel and still hungry when we reached at stations. I think I ate more at the aid stations than my previous 100 miler due to the cold.

We headed out and the next aid station was the Berryman Campground 81.5 miles. Pace for these miles was between 16 - 18 min. I was really looking forward to getting there since I desperately needed a bathroom to do more than pee which I had been doing about every hour. Finally, we see a sign and have to turn off to get to the aid station. I head straight to the bathroom and enjoy a few minutes there. Then ate some soup, peaches, and and probably some other stuff. I left one water bottle in my drop bag since I wasn't drinking as much in the cold.

We are off and I am feeling better, but still couldn't get the legs to move very fast. GPS survived another 7 miles and those were 19 - 20 min miles. Stats for the 301XT GPS are at RunningAhead. Between the 2 GPS devices I had 90.75 miles, but we still had 14 miles to go at the next aid station which was supposed to be 88 miles. This is a map and elevation for the second and last GPS.

The next aid station at 88 miles seemed further than it was supposed to be. I ate in between, but wasn't drinking much since it was so cold. When we arrived at Billy's Branch at 88 miles, Brad Bishop was getting ready to leave and didn't look too good. They told us he had been there an hour. Based on the 88 miles and it was 6 am, my pace was at 16:20 so had dropped another minute. Probably good I was done with the GPS at this point, but was nice to have to get an idea how close to an aid station. The final aid station at mile 95 was 7 miles.

We catch up to several people including Brad. There was another guy on the way bent over and apparently sick. Once it got light, I was a little more talkative. It seemed like there was maybe hope that I would finish. We kept moving forward. We make it to the last aid station at 95 miles in pretty good time - about 2 hours for 7 miles. We eat and visit with them and don't see any other runners before we leave. Things are looking up in the daylight!

We take off and the next part seems pretty runnable. I am still trying to run but legs were tightening up every time I stopped even though I didn't sit down. They told me at the 95 mile station I was in 10th place. Earlier in the day at 43.5 I think I was in about 15th so the competitive side of me is emerging even though I am in pain and exhausted. I don't want to lose my 10th place. Neither of us has a working GPS so don't really know for sure how far to go. I managed to get my GPS back on with the little power that was left to check the time at one point and figured about an hour to go. There are some huge climbs before the end so we are back to walking quite a bit.

Finally, we come to the part where I remember they said there was a fence row near the end. It flattens out but still over a mile? to go. We are even walking some of the flat. I am sure Andy S. was ready to be done as well after being out there for over 10 hours. It seems to take forever to reach the finish. We run some more and finally can see where we need to go. So after 27 hrs 50 min (16:23 pace), I am done with at least 102 miles and Paul handed me my buckle!

Finally, I could sit down. I wasn't hungry but did have some milk and mixed nuts. I am not sure how long I sat, but when I got up I could barely walk and realized the inside of my left knee also hurt and was very stiff. I really wanted a shower but knew that was going to be painful with all the cuts and just walking the few feet to get there. I took a shower and then went outside and sat in the sun with way too many clothes on but just wanted to be warm. Eventually had some Ibuprofen and when I went to get up later as Jeff, Allan, and Andy P. were coming in, I was walking better.

I am sure I missed a lot in this report. As I was running at one point, I though I am just going to write "It sucked!" and be done with it. However, this well-organized race deserves more. The trail was very scenic, the aid stations top-notch (great food, positive and helpful workers), other runners were encouraging, my pacer for the last 34 miles got me through to the end and took good care of me, and Hugh and Lisa made everything happen so our pacers could run with us and took care of other needs. This was the hardest race I have ever done. I told someone at 51 miles that I already felt much worse than I did at the end of Kettle Moraine, my first 100 in June. There was no way I could have driven home after this one without a lot of sleep. I slept most of the way home only awaking when we stopped for food and then slept about 14 hours that night. I woke up feeling better, less swollen, but still some healing to do 2 days later.

Would I do this course again? After I finished, I said I wouldn't but as the pain fades, of course I will reconsider. There was just so much positive about this race that made the pain worth it. I would make sure I am better trained on hills and try to figure out how to not get so beat up from the first 20 miles. I have posted pictures on Facebook (publicly viewable) and I am looking really bad at the end and still don't look too good today, but time and rest will heal.

2010 Truman State 5K

2010-10-18T20:10:00.003-05:00

We arrived at packet pickup shortly after 7 am. Temperature was almost 20 F warmer this year. It was 52F when we arrived. We picked up our packet and received a drawstring backpack instead of a shirt. I ran the course with Hugh to warm up. Once we got back, I hurried to use the bathroom and then lined up in front on the starting line.

As usual, about 30+ people spring ahead of me going out so fast like they are running a mile. I wanted to keep my pace to just under 6 min. Before the first mile, I was passing a bunch of people that were breathing pretty hard. My first mile split was 6:03 which was a few seconds slower than I wanted. I continued to pass people with ease until just before the 2nd mile. This is a hilly course so on the hill on the beginning of the second mile, I remembered to use my arms to go up that hill and that helped to maintain some speed.

Second mile which is the hilliest was 6:10, the same as I ran it last year. 3rd mile was getting to be more difficult, but I knew the end was near so kept pushing. There was no one close in front or behind me. Finished 3rd mile in 6:01. Last 0.1 was 5:48 pace. I noticed before the end I was very close to my time last year, but didn't quite beat it and was 2 seconds over at 18:44 which is my second best time on this course.

Overall placed 6th of 106 (not sure the number since all we saw was the 1st page of results) and first of 12 in my age group of 35 - 44. Hugh placed 23rd and second in his age group 45 - 54. He was beaten by a guy that ran 18:03 that was 45. For some reason, the age group are different in this race than others. I don't think I am in 5K shape. Although, it was fun running this race, it certainly wasn't as enjoyable for me as the longer distances that I run.

Results

Elevation Profile

2010 Rock Bridge Revenge 50K

2010-10-10T21:20:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for results and pictures (coming soon) see: Rock Bridge Revenge Results

This year I ran revenge x 2 since I ran the 50K instead of the 25K. Temperature was perfect for the start at about 56F (almost 20 degrees warmer than last year), but expected to warm up to 80 by the time I would hopefully finish. The 7 milers started shortly after 8 am and everyone else at 8:10. The race was chip timed this year and Jeff gave the 25K and 50K instructions before we started. We ran a loop in the circle drive to spread out. This worked pretty well since those that wanted to go out fast had a chance to get ahead before we headed into the woods.

Last year I was just starting to have major issues with my sciatic nerve, but no problems at all today. In fact, I have been doing really well since I went to an osteopath the past 2 weeks so hopefully continues. It seemed like a lot of people were running behind me which I think tended to make me start just a little fast. Tony T. was behind and Whitney, running the 25K, was ahead. Once we got to the flat area that was just over a mile, Whitney increased the distance and didn't see her again. The first aid station was in the Devil's Ice Box parking lot at 5.5 mi so I stopped to fill my water. I offered to let Tony go around, but he stayed behind me.

The next 8 miles in the Gans Creek area are tougher to run. I didn't really have a pace plan so ran by how I felt and kept the pace reasonable and took the hills easy. The trails were in absolutely great shape due to no rain in awhile. Nothing eventful happened in this loop of the course. We just enjoyed the run and the scenery. We walked up the big hill right before we got back on the main trail.

Right before we crossed over the road, I tripped on something (maybe a rock?) and took a fall. My left toe hurt a bit but pain left quickly. Next, we finished the loop from Devil's Ice box to run just over a mile flat and then up a long hill back to the start. I switched my bottle, filled and grabbed more food from my bag. I ate a few gels, and carried some peanut butter and roasted almond granola bars. No stomach issues at all today. Also, used the Succeed Ultra and Succeed Caps every hour. I stopped to pee just after I started the second loops and didn't see Tony again.

The temperature was warming, but I tried to run faster when I could since I knew the other side was going to be even tougher the second time with the warming temps and tiring legs. I saw a couple of the 25Kers coming back and then didn't see anyone until I caught up to Andy S. about mile 22. He didn't look like he was feeling too well. I continued on and was hoping to keep the last miles at 10 min pace, but went over on all on the Gans Creek side. At some point, I found myself on the ground and had hit my right big toe on a root. I was fine other than a bit dusty and sandy where I fell and hit my left knee lightly and water bottle in my right hand.

I was looking forward to the big hill since I knew it wasn't far to the Devil's Ice box station. I saw Dan H. taking pictures as I was walking up the hill and he captured a pic of me walking and I guess I was still smiling. Should have some pics tomorrow. It was great getting back to the main trail and felt like I could run a little faster again. I skipped the aid station at the parking lot since I had plenty of fluid. In fact, I dumped some out before the end to lighten the load a little. I was able to pick up the pace on the flat part. Finally came to the hill but ran up it all the way to the end.

I felt good at the end. I ran the first loop in about 2:19 so second loop was 2:27 so slowed down 8 min which really isn't too bad for me. Overall time was 4:46 and 4th out of 17 finishers. I wish I could have ran like Tony since he actually picked it up and beat me by 20 min and moved into 2nd place. By my GPS the course was 1.6 mi short. My pace for the 29.4 was 9:45 so about 5 sec slower than my fastest 50K on a single track trail. Splits are here. I felt like I could have kept running. I drank the milk and protein powder I had in the cooler for my recovery drink, got the last massage before they packed up, and then waited awhile for my appetite to return before trying some solid food.

This was fun race since I've run with well over half the runners in the 50K and great seeing them finish, some their first ultra. The trail was absolutely beautiful and I seem to never grow tired of running on it. After the last runner came in (he ran a few extra miles : ), we hung out for awhile enjoying the day and then helped Jeff and Lisa (race directors) pack up.

I did have some minor issues with my new shoes. They are the Mizuno Cabraken and must fit my feet a little different than the Ascends since my left little toe and left heel rubbed a bit. I noticed this yesterday on the 6.5 mi run with Hugh, but yet I still ran in them. I thought maybe with Body Glide on my feet, they would be okay. I think I will save these for shorter runs in the future and see how they do since I haven't had any rubbing issues with the Ascends. Definitely wouldn't have wanted to run in them any further or I would have had some nasty blisters. The Cabraken seem a little tighter in the heel and toe area than the Ascends.

I was kind of worried about my right calf since the right inside calf cramped really badly Friday morning and has hurt since. However, I could only feel it slightly during running and didn't seem to be much an issue due to being on the side of the calf.

Well, this was my last really long run before my next 100 miler. I don't feel like I've put in the miles like last time where I was to the point of burning out at the end of the training and had to cut back my training plan. I still have some solid training so hopefully can get though it okay. I really am not worried about it like the last 100 miler where I just wanted the day to come as quickly as possible and get it over with.

2010 Coach E. 3/4 Marathon

2010-10-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

We picked up Jeff at Midway and headed on our way to the Coach E. 3/4 Marathon. The race started in Salisbury next to the Funeral Home and Subway with 12 starters including the race director, Wayne. There had also been a 5K in Brunswick with over 200 people so not many opted for the 3/4 marathon. I felt like I started off a bit fast, but was feeling better than I have felt in months the past couple days. I had an osteopathic treatment on Fri. so not sure if that is why or just a coincidence. I was feeling antsy to run (I've missed that feeling) and started off a bit fast. I caught up to the guy, an 18 yr old that won the race last year when it was a half marathon. We ran together for about 3 - 4 miles and he decided he was running too fast. The way he was running, I think with more training, he could be very fast, but he said a half marathon was as far as he had ever run before.

I followed a 4-wheeler that was leading the just ahead of me all the way. There were water stops every mile where we could pick up a bottle. I picked up my first bottle at 3 miles and carried until I finished and picked up another one. Ended up drinking 4 bottles along the way and consumed 1 gel every 5 miles. I wore my new light Mizuno jacket which was a bit warm so totally unzipped. The wind was a bit strong but mostly behind or to the side so not a head wind. Temp held steady at about 57 and up to 61 by the time I finished. There were a few hills that slowed me down and I did notice my quads were still a little sore from last Sat. around mile 10. The shoulder was gravel all the way until about mile 15 it was paved so that really helped me pick up my pace. The last 4 miles was also flat as a pancake and could see Brunswick grain elevators in the distance. Most of the scenery was corn and soybean fields and ran through Keytesville near the middle. I noted that we passed 3 Casey's General Stores on the way. One in Salisbury, Keytesville and Brunswick.

I finished in 2:15:42, first place overall. They gave me a finisher's medal and a first place overall medal. The finish was downtown in the midst of the Pecan Festival. First female finished about 25 min behind me and Hugh was third at 2:50. Tess and Christian, the finish line volunteers served pecan pie, Gatorade, water, and iced tea. They took good care of us. Jeff finished shortly after. We hung around for awhile chatting with some of the other runners and then Christian drove us back to our car in Salisbury. We were parked next to the Subway so ended up eating lunch there before driving home.

There were some people taking pictures so hopefully those will be shared with us later. My race splits and course profile are on my running log.

2010 Flatrock 50K

2010-09-27T18:36:00.003-05:00

Ultramarathon #13, Flatrock 50K is done and although not very long compared to going 100 miles in June, it definitely had a few challenges. I felt more rested going into this race than I did the Heart of America Marathon 3 weeks ago when I just couldn't seem to feel rested. This time I felt a little rested, but the dull sciatic pain and tightness continues when I am not running. Not sure what to do about it other than live with it for now. The shot on Wed. seemed to help with the tightness but still have some of the dull pain. But I won't dwell on it since I still can enjoy running.

It was hectic trying to get ready and get out of town since I couldn't take the whole day off work. It took me awhile after we got on the road to relax. The drive to Elk City Lake Park near Independence, KS was almost 5 hours and Hugh went with me. We had no problems until we arrived and then we weren't sure where we needed to be but eventually figured it out. We arrived just in time for the yummy pre-race dinneer of spaghetti, meatballs on side, rolls, and salad. I was pleased they allowed one guest to eat free. We ate dinner with Jeff and Lisa and then headed over to their campsite to set up our tent. It was a beautiful clear night and the temperature cooled off. Jeff built a fire that we enjoyed and I ate some chocolate. Then we we headed to bed about 10 pm.

The 50K started at 7:30 am so we got up at 6 am. Temp was a cool 54 degrees. I slept okay considering I woke up several times and some of the air leaked out of the mattress and pumped it up again at some point in the night. It really wasn't that comfortable with the lack of air so will take the foam pad next time I sleep in the tent. I ate a pre-race shake, cereal, and banana. I decided to carry 2 gels and 3 packets of Succeed Ultra and then put 2 of each into Jeff's drop bag. I also had 5 Succeed Caps and planned to take one about every hour. We walked to the start line before 7 am for the pre-race meeting. Basic instructions from the race director Eric Steele were to follow anything marked blue and "if you look up, you're goin' down!" (see the videos at the end) as the course was supposed to be quite rocky. My goal was to try to stay upright as much as possible and not hurt myself.

We started off on the road and ran a quarter mile or so until we headed into the woods. I tried to place myself where I thought I needed to be so I wouldn't need to pass people as soon as we got onto the trail. Immediately, the trail was very rocky. It is amazing that all this seemed to be hidden amongst trees. There were 3 guys way ahead out of sight and then I was near about 4 others. My pace was almost as slow or even slower than my training runs at Rock Bridge park due to extreme difficulty of this trail. Occasionally had to look up down or around to see the next blue marker but never got off course. Filled my bottle at the first aid station and may have eaten some peanuts, but didn't waste any time and I was off running again.

Several runners passed me and we kept passing back and forth for several miles until finally some of them went on ahead of me. I was feeling good other than felt like breakfast wanted to come back up for the first 8 miles. The course was beautiful with lots of limestone bluffs that we ran beside or in some cases ran in between. It was a fun place to run and almost seemed like running though a maze at some points with all the rock formations. Any places that were runnable, I picked up the pace and then slowed down when the course became more technical. It seemed like I was speeding up and slowing down a lot based on the condition of the trail and not so much the hills. I passed one of the guys that had been running ahead of me and pacing me so well before the turn around. I hesitated to pass since it was really easier to just follow someone but I needed to keep my pace and he was slowing.

I counted about 7 guys that had turned around with Brad leading the pack so I was in 8th place at the turnaround point. GPS had 15 miles, but I think it was slightly further. I picked up my 2 extra Accel gels and Succeed packets and filled my bottle. On the way back I got to see quite a few runners including Jeff that were headed to the turn around. There were 42 starters in the 50K so it was good to see a few people since otherwise I was running alone most of the way back. Also, saw a few runners from the 25K but never did see Lisa. At several aid stations, the volunteers would mention the next runner was only a minute or so ahead. At most of the aid stations, I had a small square of peanut butter and jelly sandwich and refilled the bottle. I always had my lid ready to come off and the Succeed ready to dump in and didn't spend much time since I find it is best to keep moving.

About mile 22 I slipped and fell but just got a little muddy and nothing hurt. I passed 4 people at different points even though I slowed a little. I felt good but didn't want to risk falling. I filled my bottle at the last aid station where the guys seemed to be having a good time with their own bottle. Not far to go and I was feeling strong and felt like trying to run faster. As careful as I was trying to be, I fell again about mile 27 and fell on my left side on some rocks. The front of my leg just above the foot was over a small log and left a scratch and the tissue was a little sore to the touch. Also side of my hip was a bit scratched up but not too sore. I got up and was still feeling good but trying to run too fast and fell again about mile 27.2.

The last few miles were really rocky so I just hoped not to fall again. I was relieved to finally see the ditch we had run across earlier and when I got to the road I passed a couple 25Kers that were walking. I kept going at a steady pace and then one of them catches up to me and is running pretty strong so I try to keep up. I finished pretty fast as I looked down and my pace was 7:20-something. They definitely knew we were coming at the finish line since they made a lot of noise with their noise-makers (see video below).

Lisa had finished her 25K in one piece and Jeff was about 1.5 hours out from the 50K. They had chili to eat but all I could drink at first were 2 cans of lemon lime soda. Then I had some chili and some of Krispy Creme donuts that Hugh had purchased. Once Jeff had finished I was ready to eat again. Overall I placed 4th out of 40 finishers, finishing in 5:35:18 (18 min behind Paul). The next runner was 7 min behind me. At the turnaround which wasn't quite the halfway point since we ran extra at the end, I was at 2:39 so I did slow about 15 min in the second half. This was the most challenging course I have run. This was the most challenging course I have run in the sense of trying to stay upright. It took a lot of concentration to not fall and I was glad to finish with no major injuries.

This race has a unique honor for the craziest called the "Hall-of-Pain". This is bestowed on any runner who runs and completes 10 consecutive FlatRock 50Ks. This honor means they are knighted into a brotherhood, and have a permanent cloth bib with their permanent race number, and lifetime free entry to do the 50K. Paul, the runner that finished before me earned this honor on Saturday. It is amazing that anyone would subject themselves to this course that many times. However, it is an awesome race so I can see why people would come back to run it again.


From L to R: Brad (#1), Paul (#3) and Andy (#4) talking before the 50k. The numbers in parentheses are their finishing places

Andy, Lisa, and Jeff

Finisher's Award

Picture of trail

Results

Splits

2010 Heart of America Marathon

2010-09-06T12:57:00.009-05:00

If you could care less about this blog and want race results:
Race Results

Pictures:

Dan H. Photos

Facebook Album 1

Facebook Album 2

Media:

Columbia Missourian

Columbia Tribune

Columbia Tribune - Winner Article

Columbia Missourian Video

Today was the 51st annual Heart of America Marathon. This is going to be a short report this year. #7 HOA is complete. Temp was about 68 F at the start with 60% humidity and a bit windy. 10 F cooler would have been better but wasn't bad with the wind. Over 250 runners this year so one of the best turnouts for this race. We used to have around 130 - 140 and last year was the 50th so there were over 300. It was great to see a good crowd. Also, we had chip timing for the first time in the history of the race.

I started off with Andy S. I took water at the first aid station and was glad I did since the second one wasn't ready. I had 5 gels and planned to take one about ever 5 miles and had an extra. Also had some Succeed caps and took one at an hour. Not much really happened as the crowd was pretty sparse up where I was running. Talked to Tom W. for awhile. He mentioned at some point he thought a guy had been hit on his bike and turned out that was the case. I didn't see it happen and not sure if I saw the guy, but he was okay. Ran up the first hill with Tom the fastest I have ever run that mile of the race in 7:08. Maybe not a good thing? Then caught back up to Andy. We both did some walking on Easley Hill, mile 13. This is the first time I have tried it during the race and ended up being a little faster than last year even with the walking They called our time at 1:30:22 at the half so just about 20 sec slower than I was last year.

I didn't feel that I had a sub-3 in my today so goal at this point was 3:05 or less. About mile 14, Andy had pulled ahead and Shawn & Karen gave us water. I really needed it. The second water station wasn't ready, I missed the one at the bottom of Easley, and the one at the top, wasn't much water in my cup so I was needing it! I poured the extra over my neck and I felt like it gave me a boost.

Tom W. passed me before Pierpont and just cruised right past me. I wish I could have joined him but didn't have that gear today. At Pierpont, Tom M. handed me water. He had been in the lead, but didn't want to push it due to his recent glute muscle issue so called it a long run.

On the hill before Rock Bridge Elementary, mile 20, I was moving pretty slow so walked a couple times but still had a decent split. This hill just comes at the worst time. There was a guy close behind me. Next mile I did slow a bit since over 7 min at 7:09. I like to keep miles other than the hills under 7 on this course. The last 4 I just didn't have enough left to push too hard. Guy behind me went around me at 24 miles and my last 2 miles were 7:30 and 7:22 so gave up just a little. I don't think anyone else was close behind. Maybe could have pushed that a bit but just wasn't motivated today.

More crowds on Broadway so picked up the pace a bit. Finished in 3:02:58 which is a great time for this difficult course. No course record for me this year but my second fastest time, 2:35 slower than last year. Considering, I never felt great, I had a good run and legs felt strong and a solid pace most of the way. Just didn't have the speed needed to go under 3 and lacked the motivation to try pushing any harder than I pushed the entire race for the last 4 miles. Last 2 miles slowed down, but not horrible. Need to do more hill repeats next time. I am thinking next year, due to my race schedule, I will may have to run it easy and then see what I can do in 2012.

To be honest, I wasn't that excited about running a marathon today, but I am glad I did it. I never had a point at the beginning of the marathon where I am trying to reign in the pace. I had to push to get the pace. I didn't feel beat up after the race so I do think my legs are in good shape. This is a good marathon and everyone is so nice to come out and cheer us on. I ended up 6th overall and the 2nd place award in my age group even though I was 3rd since there was a master's category. Didn't think I had a chance this year due to the great competition, but Tom M. called it a day so that put me ahead one more place.

My splits from Previous HOAs are here
I like to compare each year, but this year the miles were off a little more than last year so not exact.

Running with Andy S. on the trail portion of the course about mile 12.

Tom M. handing me water.

This guy was near behind me the entire time and passed me about mile 24.

2010 Great Sandbagger 10K

2010-08-08T19:36:00.000-05:00

This is a race where you predict your time. You can "win" this race by grossly overestimating how long it will take to run the 10K. Since we stagger the start times from the slowest predicted time to the fastest, usually the person with the largest positive difference between the predicted time and the actual time (lying) wins the race. Theoretically, if everyone told the absolute truth about how fast they planned to run the race, everyone would cross the finish line together, but that never happens.

After signing up and predicting a 40 minute 10K, I ran a 2.7 mi warm up with Phil. Temperature was about 70F and humid, but not quite as warm as it has been lately in the morning. I didn't feel great, but figured I could come within a minute of my predicted time and easily avoid winning "The Thing" (see picture). Phil also chose 40 minutes. Last year, I ran in 39:35. There are no watches or GPS allowed in this race.

There were 39 runners that participated. The course is an out and back and somewhat hilly. There were 2 people that chose a faster time than Phil and me so we were the next to last to start at about 7:28 am. Matt and Mark started a minute behind us. I decided I would stay with Phil until the turn around which is about 2.9 miles out. I let him set the pace and stayed a step behind. I could hear Marc and Matt behind us and eventually Marc passed us. Jerry, who started 20 seconds ahead of us, stayed the same distance ahead of us. We saw many people coming back and the 2 leaders that were in danger of winning "The Thing". Richard was ahead, but looked like Jessica was probably going to catch him.

After the turn around I will feeling good, so picked up the pace. I took advantage of the downhills. If I felt my breathing too much, I slowed enough to recover. I soon caught up to and passed Jerry. The time seemed to go quickly on the way out as well as on the way back. Once I reached the last hill, I saw a lot of runners moving slower and begin to pass a lot of people.

At the end we have to run a loop 2 times at the school to finish the mileage. Here it was really congested. I inadvertently went the wrong side of the cone on the first loop, but they figured it out later. I passed Hugh on my second loop, just seconds from the finish. Overall, my actual time came to 39:39 and tied for 3rd place with Matt out of 39 runners. Hugh was 49:49 so was only 11 seconds off his prediction and was the best predictor.

Jessica, Brian's daughter ended up with the thing, but she is living in Colorado at the moment so he will likely end up caring for it. The guy that won it last year added some awesome gold wings to it. It is almost starting to look like something that would be cool to own for a year.

My sandbagging placement was 20th and I was the 36th person to start with Phil so passed 16 people. I really thought my time would be over 40 min this year so am very happy only 4 seconds slower and I took the first half conservatively. This was my second fastest time on this course. Always interesting trying to pace oneself without a GPS or watch, but can be done. I also enjoy catching up to people ahead of me which seems to help get through this race.

"The Thing"

Me on the first loop before finishing

More Sandbagger 10K Pics

2010 Show Me State Games 5K

2010-07-18T22:01:00.002-05:00

Left home about 7:15 during a thunderstorm and it was raining hard and lightning.. Plan was to sign up if it quit raining. I don't mind running in the rain, but the lightning was scary. They said the race was being delayed 1 hour and wouldn't start until 9 am since the storms were supposed to clear. It had momentarily quit raining when I arrived. Saw Dan E. and he ended up running back home since he had planned to run to the race, run it, and run home and couldn't wait an hour. Andy S. was there too undecided as to what to do. Eventually, I signed up for the 5K and Andy signed up for the 10K. At 8 am there was another bad storm so was glad we waited. Quit raining again so ran a 1.5 mi warmup with Andy, Bill, and Mark.

Earlier the temp had been 80 so the rain cooled off a bit but was still very humid. Hugh had arrived to watch the race since I called earlier that it was delayed and they might need help too. I lined up in the front and middle. We started a couple minutes before 9. I nearly ran over a smaller kid that started in front of me. The 5 and 10K started together and I think there were about 7 runners ahead of me. Andy S. was ahead. First mile had a small hill before turning on to South Hampton. I passed a couple runners on the hill. First mile split was 5:58. I was hoping for better, but wasn't feeling great. Breathing hurt a little and had a pain on the left ribs.

I caught up to Andy and stayed with him which seemed the right pace for me. Second mile was 6:12. I was ready for it to be over but glad I was running with someone or not sure what would have happened. Last mile was 6:04 and last 0.16 was 58 seconds. Overall 19:11. Andy S. turned around and headed out for another loop. I was glad I did not. Hugh and I headed over to the 10K finish line and Andy came in about 38:26 so didn't slow down much at all. He won the 10K. I was 3rd in the 5K and first in my age group. I was actually the only person in my age group. I am not sure how many runners yet, but we had a decent turnout in spite of the threatening weather.

I had a much better race on this course last year. I wasn't feeling fully rested today and also felt bloated and weight was up quite a bit today. Lots of excuses, but fun to get out and push myself a little.

2010 Red, White, and Green Run - 5K - Mexico, MO

2010-07-10T22:13:00.001-05:00

Hugh and I traveled to Mexico, MO Friday evening to run the Red, White, and Green Estate Run 5K. They also had a 1.5 mi walk that was free. The name comes from a play on words, the patriotic colors of July and is run on the Green Estates park in Mexico. It is a cross country style 5K that an effort between the Mexico YMCA, city, and cross country team. We both ran the inaugural race in 2006 which was a very hot and humid run that year. Temp was 88F and times were slow due to the heat. It was a fun race then so I decided we should run it again this year. Temps were better at about 80F.

This is an evening race so we skipped dinner and I ate some bars on the way there. We arrived early since we had not yet registered. We arrived just in time to get the shirts we wanted since they were almost out but planned to take orders. Soon after we got there, a 30-something friendly guy walks up to us and asks where we are from and says we look like runners. He was the cross country coach and thanked us for coming and hoped we could talk others into coming next year. We had plenty of time since we were there an hour early. We had several conversations with a lot of nice people and only one person there that we knew.

We met a really nice couple that had met in an online running forum and then were married a few years ago in Forest Park by a pastor that ran and performed the marriage while they were running. There is a video of the running ceremony here. They had driven all the way from St. Louis to run the race.

Around 7:15 we all headed to the start line. Since it was kind of warm and we were so busy talking to people, I skipped the warm up. At about 7:30 a guy described the course which was different than we ran a few years ago. It mostly followed a paved trail with about 3/4 mi on grass. There would be a 3 wheeler with a flag leading, the course was marked and people telling us where to turn. Without this, the course would have been a bit confusing as we crossed the same intersection a few times. The guy said they measured the course many times. Another guy, a Green heir started us off and just said if we fell, they would spray orange paint around us and pick us up later.

I lined up in front behind some young and fast looking kids and we were off with the starting gun. I quickly got up to speed without having done a warm up and felt okay. One guy clearly took the lead and then about 4 of us were running together. I decided I needed to go faster so went between them. I felt kind of odd passing these kids since I was old enough to be their dad. They were discussing catching the lead runner and talked like they were going to hold off. I pulled ahead and one guy catches me. We run together briefly and then I slowly pulled away. First mile was 6 min.

Second mile was the section that we ran on the grass. It didn't slow me down as much as I thought it might, but there were a few holes and wet areas from the recent rains. I was focused on the guy ahead of me and the 3 wheeler to make sure I knew where I was going. Second mile was 6:13.

Last mile were were back on the paved trail. I couldn't hear anyone close behind. No one to push me, but I kept the pace. 3rd mile was 6:10, and last 0.1 was 30 seconds. Overall time was 18:53. Course was exactly 3.1 miles.

Overall, I placed 2nd of 78 runners and 1st in age group 40-44. They handed me a water at the finish and I waited for Hugh. He came in 12th and 1st in the 50 - 54 group. We were the 2 oldest runners of the first 12. The winning female was 25 and the rest were between 14 - 17. A 17 year old beat me by 42 seconds, and a 17 year old was behind me by 43 seconds. I think a lot of them were from Bowling Green, MO.

This race seemed to go very smoothly. They wrote the names in order on poster board and posted the times. Soon, we had the finishing ceremony and all 5 year age groups. Post race refreshments were fruit and popcorn they were popping on site. Also had pink and yellow lemonade. Hugh and I were looking at the results at the end and since no one there knew us, they were talking about us right next to us. Several said those 2 guys must be brothers. Well, if any of you are reading this, we are married!

After, we were kind of hungry since we hadn't eaten dinner so ate at DQ and had the Pecan Pie Blizzard of the month which was awesome! Hugh had a chicken salad and I had the chicken fajita. First time we had eaten an actual meal at DQ in years and it wasn't too bad for us other than the yummy Blizzards.

I was a little apprehensive about doing this race after work since figured I would be tired and it was so late too and we planned to run early in the morning. It was fun to do something different and out of town. They were a friendly group and we got to meet a lot of interesting people. I think we will need to plan on going back next year and hopefully can get some other Columbia runners to join us again like the first year we ran it.

2010 Parley Pratt 4 miler - Columbia & 2010 Fire Cracker Mile - Jefferson City

2010-07-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Parley Pratt 4 miler

Saturday morning, instead of the usual long run with the Lunatics, I ran the Parley Pratt, an out and back race on the MKT. This year we had to go east on the trail since the bridge isn't quite finished going west. I ran a 2 mile warm up with Hugh, Sam, Phil, and Andy. Race started about 8 am after the pre-race ceremony. I started off too fast I think. It felt fast and according to my GPS reading, a 5:30-something pace. I started out behind Matt and he was in 2nd place. I felt good and passed Matt. About mile 0.7 Andy S. and Matt pass me so I guess I should have stayed behind. I wanted to maintain close to a 6 min pace. My goal was to try to run about 6:03. First mile was 5:50.

The temp was around 70F so not too bad, but still a bit humid. First mile I wasn't breathing hard at all, but after that I had to work to keep the pace. At the turn around I had just slightly over 2 miles on the GPS so course was pretty close. 2nd mile I had slowed to 6:13. I had a comfortable lead on Phil in 5th place and Andy S. and Matt had a comfortable lead on me. The just over 6 min pace felt pretty good so that is what I continued to maintain and 3rd mile was also 6:13. With 1 mile to go, I tried to pick up a little. I could see the guy that was in the lead at the beginning was ahead of me, but too far to catch. Ran mile 4 in 6:00 and the last .03 extra in 10 seconds. 4th place overall. Even with the slightly long course, I had a 2 sec PR over the same race in 2007. Overall pace was 6:05 avg. The course in the past the other direction has always been just a bit short. I felt really good about my time with the longer course. I had felt tired all week so took running easy on Tu & Th and then skipped my Th weight workout. This was enough to recover a bit and run a decent race for me.

This year there was an assortment of breakfast food, but I really didn't feel like eating anything so had some kind of breakfast bar someone had made and no idea what it was. I think I was supposed to pour syrup on it since it didn't taste sweet at all. They soon announced the awards. Andy S. won overall (23:37 I think) as well as my age group and Matt was second. Andy had already left so we took his award, a painted watermelon and dropped off at his house on the way home. Then went home and ran a 10+ mile course with Hugh.

Fire Cracker Mile

Today, Hugh and I drove to Jefferson City to run the Fire Cracker Mile. We were up a bit late watching John blow up his back yard and eating way too much sugar so I didn't feel so good at first. We arrived about 15 min early and ran a warm up mile mostly in the parking lot and I felt better after. We all walked over the start which was on a downhill. The timing clock was in the back of a truck and they started us off with an air horn. I was lined in the front but near the center of the road.

We were off at a crazy fast pace flying down the hill at at low 4 min pace. At the bottom of the hill, turned left and the course flattened out, but still supposed to be slightly down although looked flat to me. After we turned I passed a few people and at quarter mile still running a sub-5 pace. Second quarter mile around a 5-5:10 pace. 3rd quarter about a 5:10 pace, and 4th quarter is where I slowed to about 5:28 pace. I was passed by one guy before the end. Running a fast mile is hard! Felt out of breath and took a few minutes to feel good again.

Overall time was 5:06 and I measured 1.02 on the GPS. This is the first mile race I have run since high school where I ran a 5:10 around a track in 1987. Even though this was down hill never expected to run this fast today. I definitely think if I hadn't raced yesterday, ate better, and slept, I could have gone under 5. Overall, placed 5th. Hugh ran a 6:17 and placed 13. I think there at least 40 finishers. There was Oreos, peanut butter Oreos, and water melon after. I highly recommend this miler. It was an accurate course and best of all, it was free to run!

2010 Trekking for Kids

2010-06-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

Biked to the race for my warm up and Hugh drove and was going to run home and I planned to drive home. I had signed up for the 5K but got to thinking on the way there the 10K might be better since I wouldn't have to run as hard and wasn't sure I could even run a 5K pace today. I asked the race director and she said it was fine to switch since she wasn't keeping track until people came through the finish. We started off on time and legs felt heavy as well cardiovascular felt sluggish. Andy, Jerry, and Nancy were ahead of me. I stayed just behind Nancy (running the 5K) for the first loop. Andy & Jerry also ran the 10K. The humidity was stifling and it sprinkled a bit. The course turns a lot and at the sign for 1 mile, I had 0.8 on my GPS, 2 mi was about right and then 3 miles was off. The loop turned out to be about 2.6 since part of the course had been accidentally cut off when it was marked.

Finished the first loop and decided it was good I was doing 2 loops since that would have been a short run otherwise. During the second loop I could see Andy ahead of me just well enough to know when the turns were coming up. There were signs for awhile and then just road markings later. Jerry finished the 2 loop first, Andy S. second, and I was third. Hugh ran the 1 loop and was 4th overall. Ryan & Katie were first and second in the 1 loop. For my placing I got a 3 month membership to Anytime Fitness and a t-shirt.

I ran this race last year and it was only a 5K and really enjoyed the event. Fun event again this year too. I was looking for a fun excuse to run today but was surprised seeing my splits weren't as bad as I thought and 6:29 pace overall which I had run a full 10K would be just over 40 min. I think the horrible humidity just made it feel 10 times worse than usual. I've never run a 5.27 mi race before so I guess technically this is a PR! Never thought last week I would be running a race the week after Kettle Moraine 100 miler.

2010 Kettle Moraine 100 Miler

2010-06-08T17:41:00.002-05:00

I don't remember for sure why I decided I wanted to do a 100 mile race. I do remember at 3 days of Syllamo in 2009 and getting a flier in my race packet for the Ozark Trail 100 and I made sure I discarded it quickly. There was no way I was going to attempt to run 100 miles at one time. Then Jeff Wells said he was considering doing it and I started thinking about it. With selling the house and moving last May, I really didn't have time to train but figured I would decide by August if I was going to do it. I opted not to sign up and instead for my crazy running of the year, I ran Heart of America Marathon and then Lewis and Clark Marathon 6 days later. My decision turned out to be the right one since in October I was having issues with my right leg/buttock and was diagnosed with a bulging disc. I hesitantly ran the Q50 Ultra 50K in Louisiana that I signed up for and then did not run for about 2 weeks and then came back to running at a 13 min pace and in pain all of the time.

I then decided I would consider Rocky Racoon in February if I was recovered in time to do the training. I started to recover from the bulging disc but didn't feel like I was ready so looked for another 100 miler within driving distance later in the year and discovered Kettle Moraine in June. My one concern with this race was the course looked a little confusing and I was worried about getting off course. A couple days before the deadline in May, I felt like I was reasonably ready to attempt 100 miles so signed up.

My training went as planned up until after I ran the Free State 100K in April. It race went well, but after I started to lose motivation and had some stressful work issues with a job offer that were kind of depressing to me. I was only running about 50% of what I had planned for 3 weeks. I do think my plan for after the 100K maybe was too aggressive, but even the following 2 weeks, I could not seem to get back on track. For most of my runs after the 100K I really wasn't that crazy about running any of them. It was back to running for fitness and not necessarily enjoying the runs that much. One exception is I did enjoy running the last 24 mile loop at the Berryman with Jeff, but after that I still just didn't feel that motivated.

I still felt okay with running this 100 miles, but wanted to get it over with and go on with life. I doubted that I had what it took to run a decent 100 miles since any race over 50K really hasn't been that great for me. I finish, but often was losing motivation during the race and not eating right and feeling nauseous. I felt like after the Free State 100K since it had gone well with my new drink (Succeed Ultra and Succeed Caps) and I was able to eat during the race that maybe I had figured out how to feel good. My goal for my first 100 miler was to finish under 24 hours since I really didn't want to be out running any longer. The time limit for Kettle is 30 hours. My overall goal was to just finish and maybe cure myself from ever wanting to running 100 miles again.

I left on Thursday and visited my mom in Iowa and then drove until evening to Rockford, IL. Spent the night, slept, and relaxed and then went to Roly Poly for lunch before heading to Whitewater. I ate a whole #40 Roly Poly and got a half cold one #30 to go for later. I arrived in Whitewater at the Baymont where I was staying in the afternoon. I was a little early to check in so went to Culver's for a concrete and to check e-mail. Checked into hotel at 3 pm and took a nap. Woke up about 4:30 and drove to packet pickup about 15 min away outside of the LaGrange store, an unincorporated town.

Pickup had started at 4 pm and there was a long line outside in the hot sun when I arrived. I decided to pick up Allan Benjamin's packet as well since he seemed doubtful he was going to arrive in time. I saw Paul Schoenlaub when I arrived and we talked later in the store next door when he gave me some good advice for the race since he is a pro at 100s. I drove about a mile down the road to make sure I knew where to go to the start in the morning. Then I went back to the LaGrange store and had a certificate to purchase $7.50 merchandise so got wrap and put in the cooler for later.

I went back into Whitewater to Rocky Rococo for a slice of pizza and back to the hotel where I ate my #30 Roly Poly. I called Allan and Joan and left a message to let them know I had picked up his packet. He called later and they had arrived at packet pickup about closing time so they drove into Whitewater so we could plan with Joan for the race. I then got my last few things ready, ate the other wrap, and headed to bed, setting the alarm for 3:45 am. The race started at 6 am for both 100 mi and 100K.

I woke up at 2 am and couldn't sleep (feeling wired) so watched TV and checked weather before getting ready. I drank a protein shake with added coffee and ate Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Whole Wheat Biscuits with chocolate milk and also a banana. Used bathroom a few times and then packed up my things and headed to the start and arrived a little before 5 am. There were very few people around yet, but I put my drop bags on the proper tarps for the drop bag locations and got my chip. Allan and Joan arrived soon and she took a couple pictures. He was only going to carry one water bottle and I decided to do the same.

We started promptly at 6 am and near the front since we were headed out on a trail right away. 100 milers, 100K, and relay teams started with a total of 223 starters. It was a wide trail at this point so not too bad. There were timing mats at various checkpoints to cross and the first was at 15.8 miles. I planned to run with Allan as long as we could.

We stopped at all aid stations and had 4 drop bags (Emma Carlin - 15.8 mi & 47.4 mi, Scuppernong -31.6 mi, Nordic Center – 63.2 mi, Hwy 12 – 77.5 mi & 86.3 mi) on the course, some of which we could access more than once. We ran on wide trails, single-track in the woods, and through open grassy meadows. I started out in front and Allan ran behind and we managed to stay together. We talked with Jen that was at Berryman for awhile, and talked to some other runners as well. Some pretty interesting people met along the way. Several had mentioned it was their first 100 miler.

At one point Allan led the way and thought we had run too fast so I took the lead again at the next aid station. I slowed us down, but noticed he wasn't keeping up. The sun was out some and temps were warming up. It was about 64 at the start and I think warmed up to around 80 for a high. I took my time allowing him to catch up and wondering if he was drinking enough. I saw Paul and Brad, both from Missouri coming back from the turnaround and looked to be 4 – 5 miles ahead of me.

When we arrived at the 31.6 mi turnaround a little after 12 pm and Allan didn't look so great. We spent a little time there and once we started he told me to go ahead and he would try to cool off and recover. He mentioned he hadn't been drinking enough. I saw a woman at this station that looked familiar and realized she had been at Syllamo in 2009. I asked her name and it was Julie Treder from Wisconsin who had come to Syllamo with a couple other guys. It is always interesting,but probably not too surprising to see some of the same people at these events that are in the mid-west. At this point I was at 12:20 pace, but running was actually faster since this included all stops to eat and refill my bottle.

I continue on at a comfortable pace back to my drop bag at Emma Carlin which was 15.8 miles from the turnaround and still keeping a pretty consistent pace. The grassy meadows were quite flat so I could run a long time without a hill. I took very few walk breaks on the flat and saved the walking for any hills. It started to rain in the afternoon and at times rained pretty hard. The temp had cooled down so I welcomed the rain. I was passing people and everyone seemed more spread out. I ran behind a guy for awhile somewhere after 47.4 and managed to stay with him until going ahead after an unmanned aid station. The unmanned stations had Heed which I don't like, water, and a bowl of green olives with pimentos. I did not try the olives. I was just a little unsure about them. At the manned aid stations, there was a wide variety of items and I usually stuck with peanut butter jelly sandwiches or wraps, and sometimes some cashews and watermelon. I avoided meat since it never sounds good to me during a race.

I did see Joan again since she had been following us. I asked her about Allan and he was doing better. Also, Andy Starostka started following me since he had come up to his parents and to the race. I had him take my picture at Emma Carlin. He also helped fill my bottle and assisted getting items out of my drop bag. He asked if I wanted a pacer later, and I asked if he was offering. It sounded good to me but didn't want him to feel like he had to since with the rain I didn't figured it might not be too fun for him.

The time seemed to fly by and I was feeling good mentally and legs were still moving. I was using Succeed Ultra in my bottle and taking Succeed caps about every half to an hour. I didn't calculate my usage of Succeed in my bottle correctly so sometimes had only water so took extra caps since I didn't have enough of the powder packets. Also, made the mistake once of skipping one of the unmanned aid stations to fill a bottle and ran out before the next aid station. I used a gel every so often, but don't think I used more than 4. I am not a fan of gels during events longer than a marathon or more than 3 hours. The solid food was definitely better. I would sometimes feel hungry and just food in small amounts took care of my hunger.

It continued to rain and started to pour. The rain didn't bother me though and felt good on my legs. The last 5 miles to Nordic had some really severe hills called the moraines, up and down like a roller coaster. I let myself run down them since walking was more difficult to hold myself back. I was trying to decide if I really needed to change shoes at Nordic Center which is 63.2 miles (they called it 100K). I decided it wouldn't do much good since my shoes would just get wet. There was wet grass and water standing in some areas so didn't make sense to change them and feet still felt pretty good even though wet. I reached the 63.9 Nordic Center at 6:42 pm and Andy had me sit down while I got things out of my bag. I picked up both my lights, ditched the disposable camera since it was wet, and got more supplies. He said he would see me at around the 70 mile, the Bluff Aid station and run with me to the end. I was amazed he was willing to run 30 miles since the furthest he has run is a marathon and figured it was going to take me awhile. I knew he would be an excellent pacer since he is a strong runner and has trail experience. I headed back out into the rain close to 7 pm and he said he would see me in 1.5 hours.

I was feeling a bit cold since I was still just wearing a tank. I noticed many runners had a jacket although one guy was shirtless. Being a bit cold kept me moving to warm up. The up and down hills didn't seem as bad on the way back out. I guess since I had a break at Nordic for a few minutes it kind of helped to recover a bit. I saw Allan at the last aid station which is 5 miles from where we started on my way out and he was looking good. He thought he would probably stop at 100K but wasn't entirely sure. Turned out he did decide to call it a day at 100K as did many others. I had 2.5 miles to the Bluff aid station 70.7 miles where Andy started off with me in the rain at about 8:40 pm. From there it was about half mile to Confusion Point, where there was an intersection of several trails and signs to follow depending on where you were in the race. The trail we were to follow I had not run yet and this section had some of the most technical trails of the race.

We were eventually in the woods on single track and I turned on my light at this point, probably close to 9 pm. There were fairly large rocks sticking up in the middle of the trail to watch out for. This slowed my pace a bit since I was trying to be careful not to fall. At mile 75 I tripped over something (probably a large rock) and fell, but didn't get muddy. However, my back felt kind of strange, but after several minutes it felt fine. I think I had twisted myself in a strange way when I fell. Andy pointed out many of the rocks and some places had steps. It had stopped raining around 9:30 pm I think and I was no longer feeling cold so was glad I did not have a jacket. The time seemed to be flying by even though my pace was slower. There were some areas though that were open and grassy that were very run-able so we took advantage of those areas. I was still walking any uphills and being extra careful on the technical areas.

They told us at the Hwy 12 station that the most technical section was ahead. I thought, I really wish they hadn't told me. The Hwy 12 aid station had the most food I had seen and they had Christmas lights leading to it. They told me I was the 6th 100 mile runner to come through. There were also relay runners and some 38 mile fun run people. This was the first point in the race where I knew how I was doing and was surprised at my placing. Back at the aid station where Andy started running, they told me I had moved up from page 3 from earlier to page 1. I wasn't sure exactly what that meant then. At this point, I did notice it took just a little bit of effort to get my legs moving again. I didn't think this part of the trail was any worse than some I had already been through, but it must have been rough since my pace was 15:16 over this section.

Mile 81.9 was the turnaround and I realized this race is 0.6 miles over 100 at this point, but really didn't bother me. I was glad to know it wasn't short. My Garmin 310XT GPS was still going strong and matching up exactly with their mile markers at the stations. I had also worn my Garmin 405 as a backup for when the 310 would run out and it also allowed me to see the time of day for awhile. At mile 83, I started my 405 since the 310 was getting low. I kept both going since the 310 is more accurate on the trails. For the first mile they were pretty close and then getting off a little after. We passed a runner during this section whose wife was pacing him.

When we made it back to the Hwy 12 aid station a woman asked me if I had seen a man and woman running together and if he was doing okay. I told her we had passed them not far back so she was glad to hear. We had more food and headed out again. I was noticing just a slight twinge in my left calf so started walking some of the less steep hills that I would have run earlier. I didn't want to take any chances of spasm or tearing a calf muscle like I did at Berryman a few years ago. I took a Succeed cap and that seemed to help after awhile. After mile 90, I tripped over something and fell. I hit my left knee on the ground. I noticed at the next unmanned aid station my hand and leg were muddy so washed off the mud. I had a slight abrasion on the knee so nothing too bad. I changed to my other light since my original light was not quite as bright and that seemed to help me see better. My 310 GPS shut off at 19 hrs, 14 min at 90.5 mi so almost made it the 20 hrs it is supposed to run.

Soon we are off that more technical section and back to the familiar trail I had run before and then to the Bluff Aid station where Andy started running with me and only 7.5 miles to go. I was just thinking a bit before we got to this aid station how hungry I was feeling and remembered this aid station had cashews. So I had some cashews, and peanut butter and jelly. I remember one of the workers joking something about us “pain in the ass” runners. I told her I was very low maintenance. We take off and I am running better again, not worrying about falling, and calf feels fine. At the last aid station with 5 miles to go and Andy says he sees a runner at the aid station. It turned out to be Paul and as we took off he said I would probably catch him. I had a little to eat again and we were off pretty quickly.

We soon caught Paul and he seemed to be doing okay, but must have had a rough patch at some point for me to catch up to him. He told me to keep it up. Soon we had the dreadful moraines to go up and down for awhile, but also some sections that could run pretty well so pace picked up overall for the last 14.3 timed section which they had me at 13:08, but included some of the technical. I remembered there being mile markers near the end and we started seeing them at 4 miles. When we saw 3, I thought it said 2 at first. I was still feeling really good, calf was good, and felt like I was running well.

Once we got to 1 mile to go, I said I guess I am going to make it. Before this point I had said nothing about thinking I would make it since I knew anything could happen. It felt like we sped up the last mile and judging from the GPS pace we did as the last mile we did as the pace showed 10:36 and then last 0.6 was 10:10. I wasn't sure of my overall time at this point since I didn't know the time of day. Both GPSs had been running at the time for awhile and I didn't know exactly when the first one had stopped so couldn't add the times together and subtract the time they had both been running. I would have guessed about 21:40. I see the clock and am surprised to see 21:21:22.0.

We went inside the tent and I really didn't want anything to eat at this point. They gave me my copper kettle and a plaque for overall Male Masters. I was 4th overall. The guy that won the overall race in 19 hrs 54 min was 40 so that is the reason they gave me the overall Masters. I sit down and eventually have some Ramen noodles which took me about 20 minutes to drink. It is tough for me to get much food down after a race. Brad was sitting and he had finished 43 min earlier and won the 18 – 39 group. Paul came in 5 min after me and won the Senior Masters award so the 3 Missourians that finished the 100 mile were top 5 overall and got 1st place plaques. Julie Treder, the woman from Syllamo was first overall female in 25:40. There were 155 hundred milers that started and 51 of us (33%) finished. I think with the rain, it was tempting for many to stop at 100K, plus the finisher rate for 100 milers usually isn't more than 60-something % and often less.

I noticed when I got in my car temp was 55F so ended the race at a perfect temp. I took Andy back to his car about 4 am I think and followed to his parents house less than an hour away. He showed me my room and I told him I didn't know if I could sleep. I took a shower and then laid down about 5 am. I woke up an hour later, but fell back asleep and then woke up an hour later at 7 am. I surprisingly felt rested so got up. It felt good to walk around and legs were a bit sore. I remembered I had some food in my cooler so figured I better eat it since the ice had all melted. Joan had picked up 2 of my drop bags and Andy had one. The last one would be taken back to the start. I called Allan and Joan and did not reach them so left a message. They soon called back and I told them I would be back at the Nordic start in about an hour and would see them whenever they got there. I let Andy sleep and took off and stayed awake just fine.

The night before I had noticed a shoe that looked like mine in the tent at the finish but didn't think anything about it. I realized in the morning I was missing a shoe from my drop bag so when I got there they located my shoe. I went into the building where Bill Thom from Runrace was working on results. Allan was not sure I was listed so I checked. Turned out he had checked before they had something posted so all was okay. I had a nice chat with him about the race and also the Runrace.com website since the Columbia Track Club uses this instead of Active.com for our race registration. Looking at the Kettle 100 results and all the check points and averages for each section, I am really impressed with Runrace.com timing system as well. It seemed to go pretty smoothly for them. I went back out to look for my other bag and also picked up Allan's bag. In a few minutes they arrived and we took some final pictures and I headed back to Columbia.

The drive home was long and I had to stop several times mostly to keep awake and was also good to walk around. I got home around 8 pm. Hugh had a Roly Poly for me they had given him earlier that someone had not picked up. I had that for dinner plus whipped cream cake he had made for me and then went to bed.

Even though I was a little scared of this distance going into this, I think being scared was probably a good thing. I feel so lucky to have felt good 99% of this race. I was just waiting for a point to feel crappy, wanting to walk, but at no point did I have to convince myself to keep going. It sounds unbelievable but it is the truth and I am surprised I felt this way. My mission was to run and I kept running as much as possible. With only 33% finishing, it is pretty obvious this was not an easy day for most of the runners. I think the Succeed Ultra drink and Succeed caps really helped me since I felt the same at the Freestate 100K. Also, having Andy pace me the last 30 miles I am sure helped too as it would have been running a long time in the dark alone unless I had tried to pair up with another runner at some point. I am thankful he was there to run with me.

Would I run another 100 miler? I wouldn't hesitate to try, but not sure when I will attempt another. Right now, I am looking forward to running my next marathon and then maybe a 50 miler. The 50 has been a challenge for me so maybe it won't be as bad next time since I think I have figured out some things I was doing wrong.. I am just amazed that even though a small percentage of people run these races, they are willing to put themselves through this since I could see how hard it was on them. Then there were some that seemed to finish feeling pretty strong. Either way, it is pretty amazing feeling to finish this distance.

These are my splits at the various checkpoints:

Emma Carlin Outbound – 15.8 mi – 2:58:20 – 11:17 overall pace - 51st

Scuppernong Turnaround – 31.6 mi – 6:13:20 – 11:49 OA pace – (15.8 mi – 3:15:00 - 12:20 pace) - 40th

Emma Carlin Inbound – 47.4 mi – 9:24:00 – 11:54 OA pace – (15.8 mi – 3:10:40 - 12:04 pace) - 18th

Nordic Center – 63.2 mi – 12:42:06 – 12:03 OA pace – (15.8 mi – 3:18:07 - 12:32 pace) - 9th

Hwy 12 Outbound – 77.5 mi - 15:57:44 – 12:21 OA pace – (14.3 mi – 3:15:38 – 13:41 pace) - 6th

Rice Lake Turnaround – 81.9 mi – 17:04:54 – 12:31 OA pace – (4.4 mi – 1:07:09 – 15:16 pace) - 6th

Hwy 12 Inbound – 86.3 mi – 18:13:31 – 12:40 OA pace – (4.4 mi – 1:08:37 – 15:36 pace) - 5th

Nordic Center Finish - 100.6 mi – 21:21:22 – 12:44 OA pace – (14.3 mi – 3:07:51 – 13:08 pace) - 4th

Mile splits are at:
Running Ahead Log

Kettle start video
I am between 36 - 39 seconds.

2010 Kettle Moraine Results and Webcast

More Pictures

Allan & Andy before start

Andy at 47.4 miles

Took a few pics of terrain before the rest of film was ruined by water

Andy & Allan - Sunday morning

Back & front of shirt, kettle, and 1st place Master's Award, and cake

2010 Blue Ridge 5K

2010-05-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

Ran the Blue Ridge 5K to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I was glad to arrive a little early since I felt like I definitely needed a warm up. Since the 100K, I've been feeling sick since Mon, but better each day. Mostly just some sinus issues, but had not felt like running much all week. I've been really busy at work and bit of stress of preparing to leave my job. I figured it is good to cut back my miles this week even though I had originally planned to run more. The 2 mile warmup felt okay and he quads didn't hurt one bit.

I got back to the start line and had time to use the restroom and then the race started about 5 min later. Started off at my normal 5K pace. The guy in the lead looked a little familiar and he was clearly faster. The guy behind me, I have run with before and he usually comes in ahead. I started out in 2nd place but Greg, passed me at 1 mi. First mile split was 5:51. I tried to keep the pace and him in my sight.

The second mile was a loop through Oakland Park on the trail sidewalk. Part of it went gradually uphill. The course was well-marked and volunteers told us where to go. There were some sharp turns. I slowed a bit through here with the turns and slight uphill. Hit the 2 miles back at the parking lot before heading back the same road we ran to the park. 2nd mile split was 6:16.

I could still see Greg the last mile since it was a straight road. I didn't hear anyone behind me. I slowed a bit and finished the last mile in 6:26. According to my GPS, I ran 0.04 in 12 seconds so overall time 18:46, third overall, and first in my age group.

After the finish, the winner Matt P. (ran 16 -something), asked Greg and me if we wanted to run the course again to cool down. I ran with him. As we were leaving, Hugh was finishing and took 1st in his age group. Enjoyed chatting with Matt about his running, the races he has done, and dogs. I got back and waited around for the awards ceremony with Bill. Hugh got back just in time from running a few more miles. Mary Ellen B. won first place female today. This was a well-supported race with volunteers. I am not sure how many participants, but looked like we had a decent crowd today. There was also a mile fun run for the kids.

2010 Free State Trail Runs - First 100K

2010-04-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

Pictures

Race web site

First 100K finished on Saturday and it was a LONG day. Drove with Mike and Andy to Clinton State Park in Lawrence where we met Jeff at the campground on Friday. We set up camp and went to check out the starting area where we planned to walk in the morning. Jeff built a fire, and we sat around chatting and eating until heading to bed at about 10. I slept pretty well on an air mattress in the Element. The wind picked up a bit but it barely rained and then things were calm the rest of the night.

My phone alarm woke me up at 5:30 and soon we were all awake. I felt like I rushed to eat, get things put away, and my stuff ready to go. I sort of felt unprepared, but wasn't stressing either. I wasn't sure what to put in my drop bags. I ended up packing stuff I didn't need but I guess it is good to be prepared. One trip to the bathroom and then we walked over to the start.

I had just enough time to stretch my back. I ran into Johnny from Columbia, but didn't see several people I knew until later. There were over 200 signed up for the 3 events. The race was organized by the Kansas City Trail Nerds Mizuno signs were very prominent since one of the race directors is a Mizuno rep. The shirt in our packet was a nice short sleeved Mizuno shirt.

It had been raining in Lawrence for several days before the race so the trails were wet, slippery rocks, and pits of mud. There was ankle deep mud over roughly 20% of the trail and some wet rocks that were quite slippery. The solid uneven rocks along the shoreline seemed kind of dangerous. I would describe the overall course as rolling. The mud made up for the lack of big hills.

The 100K course was 3 loops of just over 20 miles and we started the race with the 40 milers. The marathoners started an hour later. I started off conservatively and stayed behind Johnny for about the first 3 miles. Then decided to pick up the pace a little, but keep it really easy. I started off walking any hills right away and hoped this would pay off later. I felt good early in the race and was hoping I could maintain this good feeling for as long as possible. I wondered if I would just get sick of being out there so long since I expected to finish in about 12 hours. However, it was a beautiful trail and I didn't get tired of seeing it multiple times.

I carried 2 bottles of Succeed Ultra which also happened to be the drink they were serving at aid stations so I did not need to use much of my own supply. I carried a couple gels and had some granola bars in my bags just in case. In the past about the only thing I could eat during an ultra were gels and a little peanut butter sandwiches along with my Accelerade which made me feel naseous. At each aid station, I consumed either some pita wrap with Nutella, pita wrap with peanut butter, peanut butter jelly, a few Pringles, and Coke. I also had carried some S-Caps and took some at the aid stations as well. The Succeed Ultra drink and S-Caps seemed to work for me since I did not feel nauseous and was managing to get some food down and feel pretty good.

Talked to the awesome ultra-marathoner Brad B. during the first loop and passed him only to be passed back later. He really picked up the pace. At about 13 miles or so into the first loop, Andy caught up to me and we finished the first loop together (about 3:26) and ran a few miles of the second loop until he stopped to pee and also stopped at one point since I don't think he felt well. I was feeling pretty good with my plan of running and walking the hills. I never had a desire to just walk other than a few times when the mud was so bad, but found myself just running through it most of the time. Some of it was just ankle deep slop with standing water. Mentally, I must have been doing well, since the mud never really bothered me like it has in the past. I found the rocks we ran on next to the lake the most challenging since I really couldn't run on them much. I wanted to avoid falling on them so walked the technical parts.

I was done with the 40+ at the end of the second loop at 7 hr 15 min. so slowed a bit. As I was getting some things out of my drop bag before starting the 3rd loop, Andy finished his race and placed 5th overall. I remember seeing him sitting on the ground which looked pretty appealing. Right before I finished the second loop, I was trying to convince myself that I could run a third loop. I had my doubts, but once I finished the second with the crowd to cheer me on, I was ready to go.

I saw Mike at an aid station on my third loop as he was near the end of his second. I did not realize until then that the 2 trails shared an aid station. I also did not realize he was almost done! I think I was 40-something miles at this point and told him I hoped to finish before 11 ½ hours and I was 8-something hours at that point. I did not see many people in the third loop, but passed a few. The volunteers at all the aid stations were great asking me what I needed at every station.

I was thinking once I make it to the 10 mile of the loop aid station, I will be fine and can make it. My goal was to try to finish the last loop in around 4 hrs and at least finish under 11:30 overall. This kept me running as much as possible and I still felt like running as long as it wasn't up a hill which was the strategy the entire time. I started to feel really good with 5 miles to go. I am thinking in my head if I have any time to spare to get under my goal. I am guessing about 4 min so keep moving. I skipped the last aid station and told them I was going to head to the finish.

I come up behind a guy less than a mile from the finish that is walking. I feel like I am making all kinds of noise and I guess I forget that some people might be out of it at this point. As I went around him and said something, I really scared him. I felt a little bad about it, but pushed on to the finish. Last loop was about 4:10 and finished in 11:25! I was very happy with my time and felt good. Had my picture take with Ben, one of the race directors. Ben & Sophia and the KC Trail Nerds put on first class events. I highly suggest to anyone to run one. You won't be disappointed!

I felt like I could have done another loop although would have been much slower! I was hungry so started to eat a veggie burger which was quite good, but after I ate half I was stuffed and couldn't eat another bite or it was going to come back up. I guess my stomach wasn't ready. We headed back to the campground to get ready to leave since the sky was getting dark. I took a shower and then we were off on the drive home. I couldn't get to my bed soon enough, but first I had to eat some of the German chocolate cake Hugh had made for me.

1st Loop – 3:26:45 – 9:59 pace
2nd Loop – 3:49:59 – 11:07 pace
3rd Loop- 4:08:32 – 12:01 pace

2010 Go! St. Louis Marathon

2010-04-11T19:54:00.004-05:00

We drove to St. Louis on Saturday and went to the expo to pick up our packets.. We spent some time there and then headed to the hotel. Hugh discovered they had given him a small shirt instead of the medium he had requested. On the way to dinner we went back and exchanged the shirt. We had dinner at Incredible's Pizza buffet and it was awesome as usual. Only catch was we had to eat in 45 min since they were closing for a private party at 7 pm. Back to the room, got our stuff ready, and to sleep about 10 pm. I was awake around 3 and then fell back asleep and rudely awakened from a deep sleep by the alarm at 4:50.

I followed my usual pre-race routine with shake, shower, and we left around 6 am to head to the start. By the time we got there, we needed a bathroom and the lines were too long so we looked around for other options. We found a hotel and headed inside. The men's room had the shortest line and they pushed us to the front since the line was for stalls. We had about 15 minutes to get back to the corrals. I had to jump the fence to get in as they were playing the anthem. I found Katie, Ryan, Tom and Angie and we were all running the marathon. We were right behind the start line. Tony R. was behind us running the half.

Angie was attempting a 6:45 pace which is about the pace I was hoping for myself so when we took off I attempted to stay with Angie and Tom. Dan E. soon surprised me and then Andy S. was also running beside us. We kept Angie and Tom in our sights but it seemed like they were going to run a little faster than I felt like running. Andy S. eventually went ahead of all of us and looked really strong. I ran with Dan and lost him once after a water station and then he was back. A priest sprinkled holy water on us at one point and around mile 7 I heard someone yell "Go Andy" around mile 7 and told Dan probably for another Andy and Sunny told me that she yelled when she was at mile 2 since we were passing in opposite directions at that point. Around 10 miles we lost each other again and he told me later he couldn't keep the pace. Normally, he could since he was pulling me on training runs but he has been dealing with some injury issues and hasn't been able to train as much in the past several weeks. But he was doing great just to be running today.

I was pretty close to my pace for the first 10 miles (all sub 7) but mile 11 which is after I lost Dan, I ran 7:05. This is all a coincidence since I was not feeling great was wondering how much longer I was going to be able to keep up the pace we were running. I felt like my breathing was harder than it should be and just didn't feel well. I had that tight feeling I got during St. Pat's just below my chest. I was taking water at every station and getting my gels. I felt a little better after each gel.

By mile 13.1, I was around 1:30 so had fallen off pace. I am kind of fuzzy on some details today, somewhere around here I was running with a guy that asked if I had a running blog. He had checked it out and said he found it inspiring. The mile I ran with him felt better but then I just could not keep it up. Miles 11 – 14 were all under sub 7:30. I realized back at mile 10 that today would not be a PR and maybe a better goal would be just to beat my Boston Qualifying time of 3:20. I felt like I could probably keep an 8 min pace. Although any slight hill quickly put on the brakes for my pace. I would get back on pace though on flats and downhills.

At times, I honestly felt like walking. The thought of quitting crossed my mind, but knew I could finish and decided I didn't care my time. My gels started to almost come back up at points. I kind of just felt like I was coming down with something. May have been deficient in electrolytes since it was getting warm. I am not sure the temp but felt like it was in the 70s. I used all the water stations. I was passed somewhere around mile 20 I think by Dane, the guy getting signatures for his book at the expo.

Pace the rest of the way was around 8 min, some a little less and some more. About 2+miles to the end a guy starts running with me. I don't know if he was looking for some encouragement or what but we seemed to make a pact to get each other to the end. We were both off our normal pace and feeling bad. There was a small hill and that about stopped us, but we got to going a bit faster on the downhill. There were half marathoners walking on one side of the road and we could see a flag up ahead. However, that was not the finish. It was around another corner. We were running downhill and he didn't know if he could keep it up, but I said I wasn't going to run any faster. I was spent too and just no energy. Legs didn't hurt at all though. Just that feeling that I really don't want to do this anymore. We made it to the end. I really appreciated the support the last couple miles.

I saw Ryan still in the finish area and he was looking for Katie. I went to sit in the grass outside the fence and forced myself to eat some of the finish line food. Eventually Katie come through and then Dan who joined me in the grass for a few minutes. He seemed to be doing great and was glad he ran it. I continued to wait for Hugh and figured he would be later than expected too. He finished in 4:25 and walked a lot of the last 3 miles. He even had shut off his Garmin at mile 23 and decided he was done. Then started a new run for the last 3 miles.

We walked back to the hotel. On the way back a gang of kids asked us something about our numbers and we said we had run a marathon. One asked something about what was in our bag and I said food. Hugh had made a bag out of the mylar blanket to carry the food. We kept walking and they asked if we had change for a $50. Sorry, no we don't and then we were pummeled with a clod of dirt and then fresh pineapple. Hugh says we were victims of a walk-by fruiting. I guess we were lucky they were just a bunch of bored kids and didn't try anything more. I think I could have outrun them, but Hugh was having problems finding the energy to walk.

Lunch was at Cheesecake Factory at the Galleria and we had cheesecake for dessert. Service was excellent and at least ended the part in St. Louis on a positive note. Then we drove back to Columbia and I have never been so happy to be home. The temp got up to 82 today. I suppose the heat was a factor, and everyone deals with it differently. I don't think it was my only problem today. I am not sure why I ran about 20 min slower than planned but I am happy to have finished marathon 22. Overall, I am now at 32 including ultras. No more marathons until HOA and 2 weeks until my first 100K.

Overall time was 3:16:16 (gun time 3:16:17), place 10 of 201 in my age group, and 87 out of 2078. Average pace for 26.2 is 7:30.

M1 – 6:43
M2 – 6:49
M3 – 6:47
M4 – 6:28
M5 – 6:40
M6 – 6:48
M7 – 6:50
M8 – 6:50
M9 – 6:48
M10 – 6:57
M11 – 7:05
M12 – 7:26
M13 – 7:19
M14 – 7:17
M15 – 7:45
M16- 7:55
M17 – 8:06
M18 – 8:02
M19 – 8:14
M20 – 7:57
M21 – 7:58
M22 – 8:09
M23 – 8:29
M24 – 8:20
M25 – 8:17
M26 – 7:49
0.36 – 7:31

2010 Sedalia Half Marathon

2010-03-20T21:06:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for results, they will be posted at Columbia Track Club soon.

We left Columbia with rain, encountered snow on the way, and then it stopped snowing before we arrived in Sedalia. There was snow on the ground, but did not stick to the roads so just wet and slightly slushy in places. Temperature was 32 and there was a brisk wind, I think out of the N-NW. I ran my warm-up and got hot, but whenever I turned into the wind, I would feel cold. I opted to remove the jacket and pants, but kept the 2 shirts, gloves, headband, and wore shorts with an under-layer.

Ideally, I was hoping for around a 6:25 pace and to break my PR of 1:25:05 from last year. With the conditions today, I was waiting to see what happened. Started off close to my pace at 6:28 for the first mile. At this point I was in 4th place and was hoping I could maintain that position. It didn't look like I could catch anyone ahead of me and I had a small lead over those behind me. I could see Tom ahead of me.

I took water at the first aid station but could barely choke any of it down as it felt kind of cold. Really, not a whole lot happened the first half. We were running into the wind at times, had cross-winds, and wind behind us. I took my gel at about 6 miles and had a drink at the turn around. Ryan was out in front, and Tom was in second. Katie was in the lead for first female. Hugh looked like he was running strong too.

After the turn around, I still felt pretty good and the gel felt like it had given me a little boost. I felt strong and the road was in pretty good shape considering the wet and a bit of slush. The worst part of the race was mile 10 when at one point heading straight into the strong wind. It was wearing me down just a bit. I ran that mile in 6:30, my slowest up to that point. Then we turned and finally got out of the wind and I recovered in mile 11.

Mile 12, I started to see if I could pick up the pace a bit and ran 6:18. Continued to pick up a little more and mile 13 in 6:10. Finishing time was 1:23:51, a 1 min 14 sec PR! I finished feeling strong! I placed 2nd in 40 - 45 age group and 4th overall out of 70 runners. Tom was first in my age group and 3rd overall. Ryan and Katie both won overall. Hugh was 3rd in his age group and only a few seconds slower than last year. We all won a glass block. Not a big turnout today due to the weather but could have been much worse weather. Hugh and I had Mazzios for lunch.

1 Mi 6:29
2 Mi 6:26
3 Mi 6:29
4 Mi 6:21
5 Mi 6:24
6 Mi 6:26
7 Mi 6:23
8 Mi 6:22
9 Mi 6:22
10 Mi 6:30
11 Mi 6:26
12 Mi 6:18
13 Mi 6:10
0.13 Mi 6:12

2010 St. Patrick's Day 5K

2010-03-13T20:00:00.001-06:00

If you are looking for results, they are posted here.

Today I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K. I ran this race consistently until 2006. Then in 2007 - 2008, I ran 3 Days of Syllamo which I decided to skip this year. I wasn't sure if I want to run today, but decided last week I would do my long run on Tuesday and see how I felt. The long run went well so I decided to sign up since I was free on Saturday and I kind of missed doing this race.

Temperature today was 43 F and humid but it had stopped raining and the streets were wet. We hoped to arrive early enough to warm up for 3 miles on the course, but needed to use the restroom too many times so only had a mile warm up. The course was supposed to be certified, but there was a slight detour today. I had run it before as the Jingle Bell Run in 2007 when I had a terrible race and didn't break 20 minutes that day. I had not yet run it as the St. Pat's run so today was my second time running this course (other than the slight change).

The race starts out at a slight up hill which is also a downhill at the end. The race was not chip timed. I lined up in front and we were off to a fast start. I had to get around a few people at the beginning before settling into a pace. I thought before the race maybe I could try holding a 5:45 for the first mile. However, I tried to get the pace down but 6 min seemed to be where my body wanted to be today. On College I notice someone lined up right beside me running. I look over and it is Katie. I feel like I am having to work a bit in this first mile. Breathing kind of hurt and I had phlegm issues as well. The first mile was 6:01 so not too bad.

I think I am now warmed up so I will try picking up the pace. It happened but didn't last and Katie is still running beside me. Mile 2 was 5:56 so a little faster. The breathing didn't get any worse or easier. Before mile 3, Katie pulls ahead on a downhill. I catch up to a guy that had passed us earlier and stay behind me. When we turned the corner on the street with the finish line, I decide to pass him which I think was a bit soon. He caught back up and really sped up. I let him go even though I was running faster and downhill. Mile 3 was 6:06. Overall time was 18:28 which is the second fastest 5K I have run on a course that isn't short.

I really wasn't sure what kind of 5K shape I am in, but overall I am happy with the time with no taper and pretty even splits. Some years, my time would be good enough for first place in age group, but this year it was not good enough for top 3. Placed 4 of 28 in age group and 17 of 584 overall. Hugh placed 3rd in his age group and 65th overall.

2010 Psycho Wyco Toto Run 50K

2010-02-15T19:48:00.003-06:00

I decided to run this race again this year even after it proved to be a big challenge with the mud last year. I had set the alarm for 4 am, but woke up a few minutes before and got up. I slept pretty well since I remembered having dreams. Since the race didn't start for 4 hours, I had a protein shake (with banana, coffee, and chia seeds) and Frosted Minis. I showered, did back stretches, and then was off at 4:47 for the 2 plus hour drive to Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, KS for the race. I only stopped once for a couple minutes to use the outdoor restroom next to my car so made really good time.

I arrived at 7 am and the lot was already pretty full. The temperature had warmed up on the way from 23 in Columbia to 32 F which was the opposite from last year when it cooled down on the trip. I had been hoping for weeks before the race that the ground would be frozen since I knew the ground was not going to dry out. Last year, I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but this year I expected it to be a muddy race.

I picked up my race packet which contained the timing chip, race number, a nice soft wicking shirt and Psycho Psoup mug. I went back to the car and filled my 3 Nathan bottles (one for each loop) with water. I had already added the powdered Acclerade and each also contained 2 gels in the bottle pocket. Since I now have 3 bottles, I figured this would save time after each loop since I would just stop and pick up the bottle from my bag and continue. I also like to keep moving and not having to fill bottles would keep me moving. I decided to wear 2 wicking shirts, shorts, and gloves which turned out to be perfect for the temperature. I checked out the bathrooms one more time and then dropped off my bag and only had to wait a few minutes for the race to start.

The race started promptly at 8 am. This year only the 50K and 20 milers started at 8 am and the 10 milers started at 8:30. I lined up in front and we were off. It seemed like I was starting a bit fast, but I hate getting stuck behind people once we get into the woods even though we had about a 1/3 mile to spread out before going into the woods. There was some snow on the trails in places which actually helped smooth out a bit where the horses had trampled. The ground was already a bit soft and with the temps warming up, I knew it would soon be a big muddy mess. I passed a few people and finally settled into my own pace. Soon, I was to the Wyco Triangle, a confusing switchback section where it looks like other runners are closer to you than they are at times. The turns are really sharp and just as you get up to speed you have to nearly stop to turn. I escaped the triangle and the rest of the loop was uneventful and the mud was not that bad yet.

The first looped seemed harder than last year and I ended up finishing 3 minutes slower in 1:32:05 and I felt like I had probably run it a bit hard for the conditions. I knew I would not be going under 5 hours this year. I got to my bag, grabbed a new bottle, Dave asked how I was doing, and I was off not feeling too bad for the second loop.

The course overall is very hilly and I felt like I was handling the hills pretty well since I was running up them. There were only a few trees to climb over, and the terrain was challenging with lots of rocks and roots. The mud was pretty bad the second loop. Going down hills I would slide part of the way, run and slide some more. Once I slid down on my left leg but did not fall too hard so kept right on running. My shoes were trashed and I could feel the mud oozing inside. I wasn't sure if my toes were doing okay or not, but the ends of toes on my right foot felt a little tender at times.

There were some grassy areas we got to run and some short road sections although the one road section was all uphill so it was not any easier than running on the trail. As usual, the trails were very well marked and I can't imagine anyone making a wrong turn for this race. There were a few signs along the way to encourage us or tell us it was okay to puke at the top of one really bad hill. I did not use the aid stations along the way but the volunteers would usually ask how you were doing and if I needed anything. They always told me I looked good. I made sure to drink at least every mile and took a gel about every 5. I was hoping to be faster, but was keeping the effort about where I felt it needed to be for the second loop to have enough left to finish the 3rd loop.

I finished the second loop in 1:49:19, 13 minutes slower than last year. This was definitely going to be a tough 3rd loop since it would have felt great to stop after the 2nd. I think maybe that is one thing I like about the ultra distance is just as you think you can't go any further or it can get any worse, you can keep going and you just have to keep yourself moving. I grabbed my new bottle and continued on and figured somehow I could finish the last loop, and call it a good workout.

I kept moving and did not feel like I needed to walk at any point on the last loop. I was passed by a few people and passed some as well and I'm pretty sure some of those were running the 20 miler. Some of the climbs were very hard to get up and I had to grab the trees to pull myself up due to the muddy slippery conditions. This is where upper body weight training comes in handy for running. There was some downhill where I also had to run into trees to keep from falling. I did not let the mud discourage me though and kept moving. Sometimes the mud can really drag me down mentally. Several times I felt like my shoes were almost sucked off so will have to remember to tie them a little tighter next time. I did feel like I had better balance than last year running through the mud or maybe it was just stickier this year although it was very soupy in places. I kept running up the hills and felt like my legs had the strength to do so. The momentum from attempting to run made it easier to get up the slippery hills. Near one aid station, they said I was the only person they had seen run up that hill. I was moving really slow through the third loop, but at least I was moving and not deliberately walking due to being out of it mentally.

At times, I questioned why I was doing this. I like running on trails, but excessive mud and slippery conditions makes it so much more difficult. At no point though, did I want to just give up, so mentally I was doing very well. The first loop, I did notice a bit of sensation down to my calf from my bulging disc, and then somewhere along the way, I noticed I couldn't even feel my legs anymore which was kind of nice and I think the reason I tried to run up all the hills. The legs just didn't hurt. Everyone around me was having the same difficulties with the mud. I wanted to run faster, but it just didn't happen.

About 1 mile to the end I get a low battery warning from my Garmin, but I am not too worried since I am almost to the end. As I approached the finish, there are 2 girls ahead of me that were running the 20 miler and they sped up as they neared the finish. I finished the 3rd loop in 2:11:47, 12 minutes slower than last year.

I was not really happy with my overall time, but talking to others and seeing the results, it looked like it was harder than last year. One guy told me he was 27 minutes slower. I was 33 minutes slower. A guy that I came in just ahead last year beat me by 1.3 seconds this year. I noticed we had the same splits each loop other than the seconds. I never really felt like we were running with each other but I do remember passing him and him passing me back. It is kind of interesting, we had the same splits. Also, just like last year, everyone ran each loop slower and looking at the results, my splits look pretty normal compared to everyone else. Still, if I had been more prepared to run in mud I think I would have done better. I guess I need to do speed training in the mud.

Results are posted here. Official time was 5:33:11 and I placed 14th out of 85 where last year I was 4th of 77. I think there were over 140 registered for the 50K so a lot must have dropped to the 20 or not run. For all the races combined, there were over 500 signed up.

Even though this was a hard run for me, I felt pretty good when I finished and was ready to eat right away which is unusual for me. I had 2 bowls of vegetable soup and then a protein shake and banana. I attempted to scrape the mud off my legs with an ice scraper, but didn't seem to go as well as last year. I scraped what I could and put my clothes on over the mud. I really wanted to stop somewhere and eat more, but I needed to get back to Columbia so we could attend a Mardi Gras party.

The day after the race on Sunday, I ran 14 miles on the MKT. The first 6 were okay and the last 8 were a struggle just like the race. There was snow on the trail in places and which made it hard for me to run and I could feel my legs and they hurt. I felt like I really had taxed my cardiovascular system. I found it a bit more difficult to breathe almost the rest of the night. It was like I just couldn't quite get enough oxygen, but today I feel more recovered.

Photos Courtesy Dick Ross See KC Run, Rick Mayo, and myself.

2010 Nut Race 5K

2010-02-06T12:35:00.001-06:00

Good or bad, this race was going to be a test to see where I stand with my running speed and recovering from my bulging disc. I ran a decent 5K last October at Truman State and then ran First Night on Dec 31. I have not felt really good in months. I don't know if the cold weather or the low level of constant pain in the buttock area that sometimes goes all the way to the calf. I am feeling at least 90% better than when I was at my worst, but not 100%. I am not too worried I am going to injure myself further since I continue to do the exercises and am now even lifting weights again. This low level pain plays with my mind though and the fact that a lot of my runs since November have been slower than I used to run does not help. Although, when I have run faster in the past few weeks, I felt okay. After I am done running, I feel my best which I am guessing the endorphins might block the pain for awhile. Then if I don't run for a day, I feel crappy again. But my mood has been good so I am not too worried and am just dealing with it and hoping things get even better at some point.

I had a good warm-up of almost 11 miles just like last year with the Long Run Lunatics. However, the temperature was about 30 F colder at 36F which I don't enjoy. I was tempted to line up in the back, but got in the front. We started off downhill so it is a crazy fast start, but I noticed and slowed it down a bit. I ran a few steps behind Andy S. Phil was not racing it hard or I am sure he would have been right with us. I was trying to keep a 6 min pace since I couldn't imagine I am faster. The first mile was 6:06 so not too bad. I am still running with Andy and we run another loop. The hill we run up every time slows me down so I have to make up time on the downhill. My second mile was a bit slower at 6:13 so I am a bit worried about the last mile. The 3rd time up the hill I go around Andy and remember to pump my arms which made going up the hill faster than the second time.

I pass the start line and see Stephen B. pretty far ahead, but I think I might have a chance of catching him, but only if I pick up the pace since he is not slowing down. I pick it up and at about 2.8 miles I pass him going fast. After I did it I was worried that I made my move too soon. I was ready to be done, slowed a bit, and then tried to give what little I had left. Fortunately, he was nice and did not pass me but I think he was on my heels. Last mile was 5:56 and last 0.11 was 5:14 pace. Overall time of 18:50 which was my second fastest Nut Race (13 seconds slower). Anytime I can go under 19 is a good 5K for me.

Nut oriented prizes as usual so got a 14 oz bag of peanut M&Ms. I was first in my age group of 40 - 49 and 4th overall of 42 runners. Hugh placed 3rd in his age group which received 2 smaller bags of peanut M&Ms. Second place received a jar of peanuts. Ryan H. won overall in 17:06. Results will be posted soon at Columbia Track Club web site.

2010 Runner's Choice 20K

2010-01-17T22:26:00.001-06:00

This is a very laid back event so I was just going to use as part of my run. I ran to the start from home. Some parts of road and sidewalk were a little slippery, but not too bad. On the way there, Dan H. honked at me. I arrived about 10 min before we started and signed up for the 20K. We had 18 in the 20K and 22 in the 10K. I lined up near the back of the pack since I was going to just see how it went. The run there felt okay and was not a bad pace so figured I could at least run 7:30s. Andy S. who I have run with quite a bit recently was there so I caught up to him. The course is out and back 2 times for the 20K so fun to see people on the way back. Lots of people I knew were running. Hugh also ran the 20K and was shooting for an 8 min pace.

Andy and I ran the first 10K in 42:59. We headed back out and actually did a bit of talking and then started to focus again. We ran together. until about mile 11 and then pulled ahead a bit. It was nice having someone to pace with since I haven't been motivated to run sub 8s lately and we were running mostly sub-7s. Finished in 1:25:52 so second half was 6 seconds faster. Overall average pace was 6:57/mi. This was my second fastest Runner's Choice so not too bad overall and I didn't feel like I went all out. I felt good too. Hugh paced 8:03 so very close to his goal. Whitney had baked some goodies and ate several of the apple cinnamon muffins and then ran home finishing 23 miles for the day.

2009 Running and Racing Year in Review

2010-01-01T08:36:00.002-06:00

I compiled most of this report late November since I am obviously a statistics nut and enjoy seeing the numbers.

Goals accomplished for 2009 - (I was pretty wimpy since I only had 1 goal for 2009 and consider it accomplished):

1. Continue to enjoy running and racing.

I was too busy with showing the house and moving for me to be too specific with running goals so I made it easy with a very simple goal. Some other accomplishments were I broke my half marathon PR only a week after 3 Days of Syllamo so consider that to be my big PR of the year since it was on the same course of my last PR. I ran 2 marathons (Heart of America & Lewis and Clark) which were only 6 days apart. Had a course PR just over 3 hours at HOA and sub-3 at Lewis & Clark. Ran the Q50 - 50K injured (bulging disc - did not know for sure at the time), set a 50K PR on a flat course, and second place overall. Continuing to overcome my bulging disc and run was difficult but I made it though and the worst seems to be over. I never felt burned out from doing races like I have some years so that is a plus too.

Total Miles:
2009 - 2675
2008 – 3014
2007 – 2572
2006 – 1937
2005 – 2090
2004 - ~1000

Marathons:
2009 - (5) Disney Marathon (BQ & Sub-3 hr), 3 Days of Syllamo (Trail), Boston Marathon (BQ & Sub-3 hr), Heart of America Marathon (BQ & Course PR), Louis & Clark Marathon (BQ & Sub-3 hr)
2008 - (4) Boston Marathon (BQ & PR), Laughing Out Loud Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ), Twin Cities Marathon (BQ)
2007 - (5) Laughing Out Load, Berryman (First Trail Marathon - placed
4th), Heart of America (BQ), Baltimore Marathon (BQ), Bass Pro
Marathon
2006 - (3) Flying Pig (BQ), Heart of America (BQ, Chicago (BQ)
2005 - (3) Mad City, Heart of America (BQ), Portland (BQ)
2004 - (1) Heart of America

Ultramarathons:
2009 - (4) 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Psycho Wyco 50K, Berryman 50 mi, Q50 Ultramarathon 50K (PR)
2008 – (4)3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Berryman 50 mi, Rock Creek Trail 50K
2007 - (1) Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K

Number of each type of races for 2009:
50 mi – 2
50K - 2
Marathon – 5
25K - 1
Half Marathon - 2
20K - 1
10 mi - 1
10K - 3
5 mi - 1
4 mi - 1
5K - 11

Total running miles run in 30 races: 389 miles (last year 28 races – 385 mi)

States I ran marathons and ultras in 2009 (6): AR, FL, KS, LA, MA, MO
All states I have run marathons and ultras (12): AR, FL, IL, LA, KS, MA,MD, MN, MO, OH, OR, WI

2009 PRs in 5K, 25K, half marathon, and 50K
2008 PRs in 5K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi, marathon, 50K, 50 mi
2007 PRs in 5K, 4 mi, 8K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi
2006 PRs in 20K, half Marathon, and marathon

Goals for 2010:
1. Enjoy running
2. Run 100 mile race
3. Run fewer road marathons and more trail races since I find them more enjoyable.
4. More cross training

Marathons and ultras planned for 2010:
January - No plans
February - Pyscho Wyco 50K
March - No plans
April - Free State 100K Trail
May - Berryman Trail Marathon
June - Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Trail
July - No plans
August - No plans
September - Heart of America Marathon
October – Rock Creek Trail 50K, Rock Bridge Revenge 25K
November - No plans
December - No plans

2009 First Night 5K

2010-01-01T08:28:00.000-06:00

Temperature was a bit cold for a race at 27 F and falling when we arrived. I had time to run a 2 mile warm-up. Hugh ran part of it with me. The warm-up felt okay. I had no goal for this race other than to see what I could do.

I was at my car removing some clothing and saw people moving. At first I thought the race had started but still had 7 minutes. People were just moving up to the new start line since the course changed slightly this year. I found myself in front and then thinking what I am doing in the front. We had to run a few feet and then turn right. We were off and I started fast to get out of way.

Looked at the pace and slowed it down since I was 5:30-something and then had to think what pace was reasonable so slowed down to just under 6. I passed quite a few people on one of the hills that must have started too fast. I had 6:0 for my first mile on the GPS which came 13 seconds before someone called out my mile split so it was off a bit. My thought is I probably can't keep this up since I am not prepared. However, I was still feeling pretty good so kept pushing.

At the turn around in the Hearnes parking lot I see Jackie and decide to catch her. We ran the rest of the way mostly together but we didn't say anything since we were both working hard. We ran near each other in this race last year as well. The second split was 6:11 so didn't slow down too much. I used the down hills to try to recover and pick up the pace and ran the uphills pretty well. I could tell that I am not in shape to run this pace though. I was ready for the last mile to be over. The last mile I ran in 6:23 so slowed a bit. Course was just a bit long at 3.17. My total time was 19:38. Jackie had 18:55 at the 3.1 and said I was just a bit ahead of her.

I was probably in the top 20 or so but no results yet. Awards were for overall male and female. Ended the year with 2675 miles. Picked up a case of the low-cal MVP2 Gatorade that Schnucks gave away since it was nearing the expiration date.

2009 Cheese & Sauerkraut 10 miler

2009-12-12T19:02:00.000-06:00

After a poor night of sleep and too much sugar for dinner, I ran the Cheese & Sauerkraut 10 miler. Closest predictor of this race wins the cheese and worst the kraut. I wasn't sure what to guess for my time. I ran a 6:46 pace for the 10K at the Pie Run which is flat like this course, but this was 4 miles further so I figured I would be slower. Also, I have not been that fast lately so was thinking about 7 min pace. I was pretty sure I could run at least 7:30 pace. Since I couldn't decide I picked 1 hr 12 min 30 seconds which is right in between.

I lined up in the back since I didn't want to start out too fast. We weren't allowed to wear our watches so I kept my GPS in my shorts pocket so I could get my splits later. It is interesting not wearing a GPS since I don't really know for sure the pace. I started with Joe C. and Stephen B. They thought 7:20, but I thought maybe it was a little faster. After the turnaround on the first loop (less than 2 miles back to start of 1st loop), I picked up pace and went ahead and passed a few people including Terry H. who picked the same finishing time as me.

I was afraid to push too hard. Overall I felt pretty good, but didn't feel like I should push all the way yet since I am not 100% healed. I caught up to Steve S-F and passed him and then Nancy T. On the way to turn around go to see Pat H. and Ryan H. who were the first runners. I was in 9th behind Tom & Phil. It felt good to be behind them since I knew I was running pretty well if I wasn't far behind them. They were too far ahead and fast to catch. I finished 1:06:59 so beat my prediction and was not close. I am happy with the result though since pace was faster than the 10K on Thanksgiving. No PR though today although second half was very close to my pace last year. Missed PR by 2:09. Enjoyed the run and didn't feel like I really raced it that hard. Placed 9th of 47. After finishing I entered the race results in the spreadsheet for Linda as they came in.

Splits:
M1 - 7:10
M2 - 6:51
M3 - 6:53
M4 - 6:41
M5 - 6:28 - 34:08 first 5 miles, 6:50 avg pace
M6 - 6:37
M7 - 6:18
M8 - 6:31
M9 - 6:35
M10 - 6:37
.05 - 0:16 - 32:51 second 5 miles, 6:34 pace
Overall Pace: 6:40

Protruding Disc - McKenzie Exercises - Healing Update

2009-11-29T19:14:00.003-06:00

Almost 5 weeks ago, I posted about my protruding/bulging disc. See Health Note - Protruding Disc - McKenzie Exercises. Since that time, I've noticed every time I check search terms that bring people to my blog on a daily basis, they are looking for protruding disc or bulging disc and running, or looking for bulging disc and McKenzie Exercises. Due to the interest, I figured I should follow up with my progress.

Since starting the exercises, I noticed a bit of improvement each day with my right leg/buttock/calf. It kept getting just a little easier to get out of bed in the morning. I stopped taking Ibuprofen about 3 weeks ago since the pain became tolerable as it lessened. I am still not always sleeping very well, but it is improving. I sleep mostly on my back with the McKenzie night pillow that goes under my lower back. That works for awhile, but at some point, I get uncomfortable which is not necessarily painful. I just can't get comfortable in any position at times.

I started running again on Halloween (my birthday), only a week after I started the exercises. I had been walking and figured I could run slow and low impact and not do any further damage. My first run was 6 miles and I kept it on a flat course. Pace was about 13 min per mile which is about 5 min slower than my non injured easy pace. The next week I was in the 11 1/2 to 12 min range and ran the Cranberry Crawl 10K at 9:29 pace on Nov 7th. Probably a bit fast but it was a race so pushed a little. After that race, runs were in the 9:30 - 10:30 range for the next week. For past 2 weeks, I have moved into the 8 - 8:30 for my road miles with the exception of the Thanksgiving Day Pie run where I decided to push a bit and surprisingly managed a 6:46 pace for a 10K.

The main issue at first with running was a lot of stiffness in the right buttock, plus numbness in the right calf and some in the hamstring. The left foot would drag a bit. I could hear it scraping the trail each step for awhile. Each day I would run, I felt better the rest of the day. On days, I did not run, I was more stiff throughout the day. Some mornings, I was so stiff and uncomfortable ached to go run since I knew I would feel better after although it was slow getting started.

What I have been doing seems to have been working for me. At first, I avoided most hills, but in the last week or so, I have been running hilly courses. Yesterday and today I resumed trail running and the hills are fine. I do have to be careful on trails not to slip or fall or jump over anything yet. For awhile, I had to be careful on the downhill, but now that is about back to normal. I've continued to have some pain running, but it is becoming less. My most recent runs have felt pretty good. For awhile, it has been the case, the runs were painful with the stiffness for the first few miles and then got better. Now, I can start a run, and am feeling closer to normal. I am saying at this point, I feel about 70% recovered.

As for McKenzie exercises, I spend a lot of time lying on my stomach doing Exercise 3 - Extension in Lying. I can read in this position or use my laptop. At some point, the lower back starts to feel a bit stiff but when I get up, I feel really good. I have progressed to the last Exercise, #7 - Flexion in Standing where I am supposed to bend over and attempt to reach my toes. I have a long way to go with this one. It is still painful to try the one leg hamstring stretch exercise with the right leg. I've noticed though I am starting to feel a bit looser which is making running more enjoyable. Another measure of my progress, I kept noticing how much easier it was to get up off the floor after doing the exercises. I am also getting in and out of the car more like a normal person again. Socks, shoes, and pants are not longer an ordeal to get on as I struggled for awhile.

Whenever I am sitting at work or in the car, I am using the The McKenzie Original Super Roll, Lumbar Roll pillow. I ended up buying one for work and one for the car. I also have one of the small McKenzie Early Compliance Roll for at home, but would recommended the Super Roll over it. The Super Roll is more comfortable for me. I am now to the point where I can sit comfortably for awhile without these pillows on some chairs like our bar stools and kitchen chairs. I will continue to use in the car and at work forever to help prevent back problems in the future. McKenzie's book 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life is very informational on why so many people end up with neck and back pain. I will continue to doing a few of these exercises even after I am healed to prevent this from happening again. The Lying in Extension will be easy to do since I can do other things while doing it.

At this point, I am hoping at the rate I am progressing that within 4 more weeks I will be completely pain free. I am planning to try weight lifting again this week. I am been very apprehensive about doing so since I have been avoiding lifting anything too heavy. Whenever I have tried it didn't feel good if it was over 45 lbs. I feel I am now at the point where I can start light and go from there. I bought a book on Bikram Yoga and may try that to improve my flexibility. I have a plan to continue running and if all goes well, I will train for a 100 mile in June. I don't start the extra long runs for a couple more months so have plenty of time to build up. Although, I am already back to 50 - 60 miles per week so I am thankful I am running that kind of mileage again even if not as fast.

For anyone that has found this blog searching for McKenzie for a back related issue, I would say try the McKenzie exercises and be patient. Make sure you are doing them the amount he says. I noticed on the days I did not get all the sets done as frequently, I was more stiff. If you are not a runner, I would recommend doing a lot of walking. If you are a runner, do not run if it is a lot of pain. You do not want to end up with a herniated disc. If you are at that point, you would need to consult with your doctor before trying to run. You will likely be in so much pain that you won't be able to run anyway.

I started slow after about 2 week break from running worked for me, but everyone is different. My disc was slightly protruding and if your injury is worse, you may take longer to heal. Do consult with your doctor, but also question your doctor. If you try running, be reasonable and be very careful. In some cases, I have learned people's doctors have told them to quit running or they can't run anymore after a bulging or protruding disc. I've also found other runners that were back to running fairly quickly as has been the case with me. My doctor told me not to run for awhile, but said I would be running again at some point.

Other runners with this problem are what motivated me to try running again. As I mentioned in my previous post a runner (George) had recommended McKenzie's exercises and book. George's web site where he talks his own injury and recovery is here - How I Recovered from Back/Leg Pain.

2009 Thanksgiving Day Pie Run 10K

2009-11-26T14:33:00.003-06:00

I think this run exceeded the race organizer's expectations this year. There were 493 people for the 5K Run, 5K Walk and the 10K Run (an increase of 166 over last year). By the time we arrived at 8:10 there were 2 long lines. Fortunately, the shorter long line was for those that had preregistered. The race started 25 min late. I am not sure if they just quit taking registrations or got everyone signed up. We talked to Chad while standing in line.

My goal was to try to run 45 min, close to a 7 min pace. My runs lately have been 8+ pace and a few just under 8 min. I was feeling a little stiff at the start. I line up in the front of the pack since was not sure where to be. I was passed by quite a few starting out really fast at the beginning.

Hugh ran the 5K and I passed him before the first mile so although I started out a bit conservative, I think the race helped push me. The first 5K was around 21-something which was decent. I didn't want to push too hard but I also think my body was out of shape to run too fast since I haven't run any sub-7 miles since the Truman State 5K on Oct 10th and those were close to 6 min. I was running marathon pace today so figured that was a good place to be. The wind was pretty bad on parts of the course.

Ran the second half about the same time I ended up with 42:21 on my GPS for 6.27 miles. Ten year age groups so did not win anything this year, but only 3 min 41 second slower than I ran it last year. I was 4th in my age group 40 - 49 and missed 3rd by 9 seconds. Definitely have a lot to be thankful for concerning this race since I ran well and I don't think I did any damage doing so. Running is continuing to get easier so I am hoping in another month, I will be even better. It has been over a month since I started rehabilitating myself from the bulging disc.

It was great seeing several familiar faces today and big congrats to Kathy on her 5K PR!

2009 Cranberry Crawl 10K

2009-11-07T12:45:00.002-06:00

I was feeling better this morning, but didn't know if that would mean I run faster or not. The plan was to finish the 10K in 1 hr 20 or less. I lined up about mid-pack and moved way over to the side since I wasn't sure if I was in the right place for whatever pace I might run. I started off pretty slow but definitely better than the 11:30 miles I have been running on the trail. I was easily passing people up the hills and this pace felt okay and was low impact. For the first 2 miles, I passed a lot of people.

At the end of the first loop, it looked like I was going to finish in under an hour so that was good to see. I passed a few more and then caught up to a girl (Emily) and she seemed to be the right pace so I stayed with her. We had a good conversation about running and ran together until the last hill where there less room on the side of the road to run. I picked up a little to stay out of the way of any cars passing and since it was a hill, I felt like I could run faster.

Overall, this was very easy for me and my butt gave me fewer problems today which I think helped with the pace. From what I can tell, it is the SI joint that is becoming inflamed and keeping me from running faster. I did hold back for this run but not sure if I can run this pace on a normal run or if it was because of the race. Hopefully, it is a sign I am getting better, but I do not plan to push the pace for quite awhile. I'd be very happy if I could run 9 min miles pain free for awhile.

I placed 3rd in my age group with a time around 58 min, about a 9:27 pace. I didn't quite get my GPS started for a few seconds at the beginning. I picked out a pair of Mizzou running socks from the table of prizes. Hugh placed 1st in his age group in the 10K.

Health Note - Protruding Disc - McKenzie Exercises

2009-10-27T11:10:00.004-05:00

Some people have been wondering if I am injured or what is going on so here is the story. Early last month, I noticed a little pain in my right hip, sliding in and out of the car. I had no idea what was going on but it seemed pretty minor at this point.

I ran both marathons in September and recovered fine, but still noticed this slight pain in the butt. I used the foam roller on it but never got any better. First week of October, I started to have shooting pains down the back of leg to top of calf. I noticed that my right hip and butt was hurting more, but whenever I would run, I felt fine. There were even times when I felt okay walking. It was strange how it would come and go.

I called Estaban (massage therapist) and got an appointment for the 15th and wished it were sooner. I felt like a massage might work out the soreness. The pains got worse but were better when I ran. I ran a 5K on October 11th. I wasn’t sure how I would do, but once I warmed up 3 miles, I could run pretty normal but a little tight. After, I could barely stand to sit in the car and getting into the car was difficult. After awhile, I could get comfortable sitting but then getting up from a chair or out of the car, I could barely walk the first few steps. I ran Rock Bridge Revenge 25K the next day and the hamstring felt pretty tight and I could feel some twinges. I learned this was sciatic nerve pain. It especially hurt me to duck under anything just like ducking into the car. Overall, it went okay, but I was glad I wasn't running the 50K.

The 50K I was planning on the 18th in Louisiana was questionable. I ran on Oct 13th and butt hurt the entire run and hamstring and calf were so tight I was afraid I was going to pull something. It was difficult to put on socks and shoes. I went to see Esteban on Thursday and he treated me for tight hamstrings. I called my doctor and was hoping to get in Friday to see if she thought I should be running, but could not until Thursday the next week. I decided to go ahead and try running the 50K. I would not run it hard and just see what I could do. It was a flat course so should be easier since no hills. I had to get up extra early race day morning and stretch myself out and get moving so I could try running. The shower in my hotel lacked a mat and I ended up falling and hitting my head on the floor. Left a nice bump and not much blood but wondered if this was a sign I shouldn’t run. I went ahead and ran the race. I was tight nearly the entire time, but ended up having a 50K PR on a flat course and placing 2nd overall. I felt pretty good during and after the race other than I could not bend over to take off my shoes.

It seemed that as long as I kept moving, I was fine. Go to bed or sit down too long, and I had problems. I felt the same as before the race, but didn’t run and went to the doctor last Thursday. She sent right away for some flat scans and an MRI that evening. She suspected a bulging disc in L5 S1. Dan S. had sent an e-mail when he read my symptoms earlier and had suspected the same. It was all confusing to me how I could have a back problem and my back didn’t hurt, but my leg was having the problems.

I never heard the MRI result on Friday, but learned from another runner about some back extension exercises (McKenzie Exercises) that were helpful for back problems including bulging discs. I started to do these assuming that would be the diagnosis and bought the book on Sat. since it had a lot of good information on posture (which I can definitely use). I’ve continued to do the exercises and ice the back where the disc is located. I am noticing a little improvement each day so I am hopeful I can get over this. Today, I was able to tie my shoes a little easier.

Today, I received the official diagnosis and they said it is disc at L5S1 that is protruding a bit (bulging disc). The protruding disc is the same thing as a bulging disc. It can get worse, but it appears maybe I have caught it early enough. Running doesn’t cause them but doesn’t help get rid of them any faster. The bulge applies pressure to the nerves in the region which signals sensations like pain and numbness in the leg. It can also inhibit range of motion and cause pain. People can often having bulging discs and not have a problem. Sometimes things can get so bad that surgery is needed.

The doctor could do an epidural steroid injection or physical therapy. I feel with the exercises I am doing that I am improving enough to treat this on my own from this point. I am taking it easy for now and have been doing the elliptical and walking. I tried weight lifting last night and could not do it. Any runs during this recovery, will be very slow, short, and low impact until I feel like it is 100% recovered. Then I will start to rebuild my fitness.

Q50 USA – 50 K Ultramarathon - Mandeville, LA

2009-10-20T10:01:00.004-05:00

Q50 USA – 50 K Ultramarathon. Hopefully, pictures and results on this web site soon.

I decided to run this race since I am attending a meeting at LSU in Baton Rouge this week. The race was actually in Mandeville, LA. So I flew to Baton Rouge, rented a car, and drove the 75 miles to packet pickup on Saturday. I got arrived at 5 pm and they said we were eating at 6 pm and a meeting at 7 pm. I decided to go check into my hotel about 10 minutes away and then return.

The pickup was at Franco's Athletic club. The packet had a sample of Q50 coffee and we got a nice tech shirt and a sample Hammer Gel, one of the race sponsors. Q50 is a brand of coffee and they have races in Nicaragua, Italy, and more. The one in the US was to contribute money to help fight childhood obesity in LA. There was a duathlon event on Sat. as well.

The food was setup outside by the pool but it was a bit cool so some people moved inside. I sat with a woman, Mary Anne, from Texas that was race walking the 50K and she had her son with her for support. She said she had signed up for the Rocky Racoon 100 in February that I am considering if I am able. After eating, we went inside since it was getting cold outside.

The pre-race meeting started about 7:30 and they warned us repeatedly about snakes which kind of freaked me out and also that there was some deep mud on the course. That had me wondering what might be at the bottom. The meeting was a bit long and would have preferred to be in my room but it was mandatory. After, I went to the store to find some food since I really wouldn't have time to eat breakfast when the hotel served at 6. I ran into several people at the store from the meeting.

I came back to the hotel and ate the half pound of fudge I had bought to calm my nerves. I got my stuff ready to go for the morning. I was seriously wondering if I could do this race since my right hamstring was super tight and still having a bit of what I think is sciatica. Calf was also tight. I have been barely able to bend over to put on my socks and shoes recently and had not run since Tuesday.

I woke up around 4:45 am and decided to go ahead and get up. The alarm I had thought I set was not for the right time so it was good that I woke up. I ate a shake with coffee, ate some bananas. Then I took a shower. I noticed there was no mat to place in the tub and the surface was slippery. I was thinking I need to be really careful and next thing I know I am flipped out of the tub and on my back. I think my leg was still hanging on the tub. I felt okay so got up and checked my head since it had hit the floor. I had just very slight bit of bleeding and a sore bump on the side near the back, but it wasn't bad enough to be too concerned and only hurt if I pressed on it. There was no way I was getting back in the shower so cleaned up standing on a towel beside the shower. I will never get in a tub like that again without a mat. Then I did some stretches to try to loose up the hamstrings and all the leg muscles so I could attempt to run.

I left the hotel about 6 am and there was no one around to complain about the tub. There was a note they would return shortly so I just left for the race which started at 7. It was about a 15 min drive, but took a little longer since I missed the turn the first time. I got there and rushed to the bathroom for one last time. Then talked to a few people and they thought the threat of snakes was not great. There is one that is poisonous, but since it was around 48F, it wasn't likely they would be out for awhile. I was less worried but still would be careful. I had decided last night I would just run this race to finish and wasn't going to go all out. With the tight hamstring, it didn't seem like a good idea since I could pull something.

Before we started, we were warned again about the snakes. They had seen one setting up the course, but most people didn't seem worried. We started around 7:15 am. There was also a 2 leg 50K relay and 10Kers starting at the same time. The beginning was on grass and it felt good to run but immediately my quad felt tight, but not as bad as Tuesday since I had stretched. I caught up to a group of guys that said they were doing their first 50K. They normally did adventure races together. I went ahead and caught up to a couple women doing the 10K. They were commenting about the the tree roots and to watch out but it really wasn't that bad.

I ran ahead and then eventually had another 50K guy running right behind me until about mile 9 when we hit the paved trail portion of the course and he fell behind. At this section I was really having the urge to pee and we were no longer in the woods so I was looking for options. I was getting close to peeing in my shorts since I had to go so badly. When I turned onto the paved path by the lake, I guess with all the water I could no longer stand it. There weren't a lot of trees but I was looking for a big one to quickly and discreetly use. This was along a street and there were people playing with dogs along the lake. I finally found the right spot and no cars. I felt kind of bad to publicly urinate, but this was just one of those times where I was out of options and I didn't want to wet myself.

Shortly after, I am at mile 11 and a guy at the aid station says this is my turnaround. I didn't even realize there was a turn around. I decide to fill my bottle a little even though I had some Accelerade left. There were aid stations about every 4 miles but I didn't take anything since I had plenty of Acclerade and also Accel Gels. Also, they were serving Heed, which isn't my favorite drink. After turning around I saw several people running at me and they asked me, “is there a turn around?” One guy nearly stopped and asked if I was quitting. I guess they didn't realize there was a turn around and didn't notice anyone ahead of me to ask. I ran back on the paved trail and then made another turn toward the start to complete the first “loop”.

Someone had told me at some point I was in 4th but I am not sure if they counted relay people or not and figured I was actually further behind since I wasn't pushing it. The different racers were wearing different colors but I didn't know who might be ahead of me from the beginning. I didn't think I was doing that well considering this was a flat course. There were no hills, but there was some mud and big puddles to go through and a few places that turned a lot slowed me down. I picked up my second bottle of Accelerade and left for the second loop immediately. I think my time was around 2:07 so figured I had a good chance at breaking 4.5 hours. My PR for a 50K is 4:59 on hillier, more trail-like courses.

I had a problem finding exactly where we went into the woods at the start of this “loop” since they didn't have any flags in between where we started and the woods off in the distance. I couldn't see the flag that was that far away and no one to follow. Someone had to run over and help me out and so I got a little extra distance due to the back tracking. I felt like an idiot. Otherwise, I didn't have any problems, but did need to keep looking ahead for the orange flags since there plenty of wrong trails to take. There were aid stations about every 4 miles but I didn't take anything since I had plenty of Acclerade and also Accel Gels. Also, they were serving Heed, which isn't my favorite drink.

I follow the same course as the first 25K and see Mary Anne at the point she was less than 2 miles from the finish. Once I reach the lake some girls say how well I am doing and that I can catch the guy ahead of me. I see him on the way to the turn around and figure he is about 0.25 mile ahead. Then at the turn around I ask the guy at the aid station my place and he says I am second and probably had a chance of catching the guy. I was excited to be in second place so I immediately pick up the pace. I see a relay runner coming toward me. A half mile or so later he flies past me and says he is running the relay.

I wasn't sure I could see the guy ahead of me and I find out later he sees the relay runner coming behind him. He said he also saw me before and so he picked up the pace too. I only picked it up for about a mile and then resumed the 8-something pace. The stretch where we run to the last turn before getting back the woods which was grass and mud which slowed me down more than on the first time. I think we were running between power lines right of way here.. This part of the course had some of the worst huge puddles that could not be gone around. I really slowed on this part. Also, it smelled like pigs and someone said later there were wild pigs nearby. I had given up on catching the guy ahead, no one was close behind, and I was thankful to soon be finishing.

I reached the finish at 4:17:50 so ran the second half a bit slower. If I hadn't wasted the time starting the second loop almost getting lost I would have been a bit faster, but not sure if fast enough to beat the guy in first. He finished around 2 minutes ahead of me. Overall, I ran pretty even. My 50K PR improved 31 minutes and GPS had 31.1 miles so the course would have been almost exact if I had not added a little extra. I heard several people made wrong turns and one guy doing the 50K that was in first went the wrong way and ran 7 extra miles. He got back on track but decided to stop at the first loop. Someone said they don't have a lot of trail races here so I got the impression that could have been part of the problem.

They had massages so I went with the first place relay guy, Matt, to go wash off in the lake. He had run with his wife and he was a super fast 2:33 marathoner so no wonder if flew past me. We got to the beach and I told him I didn't think I could remove my shoes. Every time I went to bend my leg, it felt like it might spasm and they were tight. It has been a challenge at any time lately to get on my shoes and socks due to the tightness. They had loosened up just at around mile 22, but were tight the entire race. People that saw me on the course said I looked good running so I guess they were just loose enough to let me run. So he unties and loosens my shoes so I can remove them. I managed to pull my socks off with my feet. Then we get into this shallow lake. It was a huge lake, but seemed to stay shallow for a long time. It went up to my calves and I was able to bend a bit to wash off. Then I went back and washed my shoes off. They smelled like a pig lot.

The massage lady is free when I get back. She worked on my good leg first and then my other leg. She was very good and it was quite painful. Legs were definitely looser when she finished with me. I then went to get some food. We had pork and jambalya. There was an actual entire pig with the head, and it had an apple in its mouth. It was a bit disconcerting to me, but to someone that rarely eats pork it tasted pretty good. I was able to sit down and eat my food and noticed that I didn't have any issues sitting like I have been.

So we all wait around and wonder if there is an awards ceremony. They had given us medals at the finish. I got tired of waiting, so was packing up to leave and the guy who was first says they are going to do awards in 10 min or around 3:30 so we had been waiting awhile. 20 minutes go by and the race director says they typically wait until everyone is finished at these races. The time limit was 8 hours so we would have been waiting a long time and had waited a long time. He went ahead and did the awards. I received a nice curved clear plaque. They awarded the top 3 overall male and female and top 3 relays. They also gave each of us a bottle of Hammergel.

Finally, I can leave and I have a message from Hugh. He had called just minutes before and I missed the call. So I call him and while I am on the phone the last 2 runners come in. One of them is Mary Anne and she is race walking. So I go back to congratulate her and then leave for Baton Rouge. I sat in the car and the drive wasn't too painful. I decided to skip New Orleans since it was getting late. Also, driving was a bit uncomfortable but not bad. It is really strange to me how running the 50K made me feel better but not sure it will continue. I am doing better and but don't know if it will continue. I am still pretty inflexible but moving around seems to help. Unfortunately, I need to sleep so can't keep moving all the time.

I was able to walk this morning and other than soreness, my legs aren't any worse off than before the race. I think the sciatica is a little better but sitting too long and getting up is still an issue. Hopefully, will have a few pictures to post from the race later.

2009 Rock Bridge Revenge

2009-10-12T14:50:00.018-05:00

If you are looking for results and pictures see: Rock Bridge Revenge Results

This year the Rock Bridge Revenge was a new experience. In the past the race included a 10K and a 20K with most people running the 10K. This year which included a new course offered a 7 mile, 25K, and a 50K with most people running the 7 mile. I ran the 25K and would recommend anyone running this race to try to run at least the 25K since you get to see a lot more of the park. If you want extra Revenge and to see everything 2 times, then run the 50K.

On Saturday, I ran a 5K in Kirksville and even though I raced pretty hard, I was not concerned about running the 25K the next day since I have done a few multi-day races that were much longer. We had a late dinner at Fazoli's and then went home and got some much needed sleep since it had been a long day. The race started at 8 am. We left at 7 am and Hugh went with me. I had to pick up my packet since I had not done so the day before. Everyone received a Nathan Quickdraw Plus water bottle, a very nice premium for a race.

My sciatic nerve was letting me know its presence and I was limping a bit when walking due to the pain. I ran just a little before the race and could feel it, but not a big deal and no limping when running. The temp was in the upper 30s so I just wore 2 wicking shirts and shorts which felt about right. I carried one Nathan water bottle with Accelerade and 2 gels. Due to the temp and already being well-hydrated I hoped that would be enough although there were aid stations if I needed to refill. At 8 am after receiving pre-race instructions, we all lined up in the parking lot. We had a few yards to spread out before heading into the woods.

I passed a few people at the beginning before settling into a pace. I am never quite sure of my pace since my GPS seems to be a little slower on the trails than I think I am actually running. My first mile was 8:54 and I was hoping to be around 9 min average on this course. Most 50Ks on similar trails have been about 9:40/mi. This was my first 25K so 9 min miles was my best guess. Also, wasn't looking at pushing a super hard effort since I am running a 50K next Sunday.

I passed Kevin T. early in the race in the first half mile. After a about 2 miles, I hear him catching me and then let him go ahead. I figure he is running about the pace I need to be running so I planned to stay behind him. He was running the 7 mile so I would stay behind him until the courses separated at about 5 miles. We had to cross the usual cold creek and get our shoes wet. My shoes did dry out some and had no problems since I had applied Sports Stick to my feet. I was surprised that the trails were in such good shape since we had 6 inches of rain last week. As we were coming out of the woods, Dan H. was taking pictures by the Devil's Ice Box parking lot.

At this point, I crossed the road and run a small 2 mile loop that includes some grassland as well as trail. As I was coming out of this loop, I seen another runner just starting the loop. Kathy and Mary Ellen were directing and cheering for runners in this area. After that loop, I then ran a loop in the Gans Creek Nature area for 6 miles. The trails were very well marked with pink flags and signs in a few places. It was very obvious where to go so I had no problems staying on course. Around mile 8, I stop to get rid of some water since didn't think I could make it 7 more miles. I wasn't drinking much and didn't feel that warm either.

At mile 9, I got to see Hugh and Jeff at the campground which also had an aid station. I still had plenty of Accelerade so did not stop. There was an area shortly after that the trail was flooded with water. A path had been flagged to go around, but I decided to just run through it. It actually felt good and washed the mud off my shoes and legs. I took my final gel before mile 11 (had taken one earlier about mile 6). At mile 11 as I am climbing the steep hill, I see Jeff again. I opted to walk up the hill since it doesn't do much good to run this one. It is only about 0.1 mi long but it is quite a climb in a short distance. This course had plenty of other hills and I did run every one of those.

As I was coming out of the hill, I turned right and was back on the same trail I took going into this loop. I met a couple runners walking on this portion. I was still feeling pretty good and going fast as the last part of this loop went downhill where I had gone uphill in the beginning of the loop. I was back to where Kathy was directing people and Hugh and Dan were there (he took yet another picture). I ran back across the road and I knew I didn't have much more than 2 miles to go. Mile 14 felt pretty good and James was at an aid station somewhere on this mile. Then about mile 15 which had a couple hills, I was really ready to be done. Although I felt strong, I was glad I was only running 1 loop.

The final stretch was up the hill that we had come down into the park at the very beginning. Ended up finishing in 2:22:23, a 9:10 pace. GPS was very close to a 25K and my GPS is usually a little short on the trails. At the end we got a very nice finisher's glass. There was also chili, hot dogs, brownies, and drinks. The food was excellent!

The first female in the 25K finished about 4 min behind me and Kurt K. was 9 min behind me. Overall, I placed 4th out of 16 runners. There were 42 finishers for the 7 mile and 11 for the 50K. Also, cash prizes for the 25K and 50K male and female winners.

Overall, I thought it went pretty well. I did feel my sciatic nerve for most of this run. The times I sped up to about 7:30 or faster, I did not feel it so I guess I just need to run fast. Also, I think the unevenness of the trail might have been an issue. Just like after Sat. run, it was very painful to sit in the car and then get up, but a hard bench was fine. We stayed around until the first couple 50Kers crossed the finish. The first 50K runner was Andy P. at 4:48 and the first 25K was 1:50. I would really like to run the 50K for this race next time since I enjoy this course so much. The course is so awesome, if you are in shape to run that far, 2 times is a must! If not, the one loop which is just a little over 3 miles longer than a half marathon is well worth the scenery.

Here are my splits:

m1 - 8:54
m2 - 8:58
m3 - 8:07
m4 - 9:01
m5 - 8:28
m6 - 8:32
m7 - 8:29
m8 - 9:43
m9 - 9:52
m10 - 8:20
m11 - 10:17
m12 - 10:36
m13 - 10:19
m14 - 8:43
m15 - 11:10
0.32 - 3:02 (9:28 pace)

Map and Elevation Profile

Very cool Nathan Quickdraw Plus Water Bottle and Finisher's Glass

Lisa running the check-in

Bryan & Andy

Race Director, Jeff giving starting us off

Andy at about 5 miles

Andy at about 12.5 miles

Hugh being photogenic

Kurt, Lisa, Andy, & Elaine

Andy P. after winning the 50K

Rock Bridge Revenge had its revenge on Tony with 10 stitches!

2009 Truman State Homecoming 5K

2009-10-10T18:52:00.005-05:00

We arrived at packet pickup shortly after 7 am. Temperature was quite cold today at about 34F. I wanted to arrive early this year since my sciatic nerve really flares up after sitting and especially in the car or in a soft chair. I find if I walk around, the pain goes away so I wanted plenty of time. I had not run since Wed. so had no idea if I could still run, but assumed I would be okay.

We ran the course as a warm-up and it felt pretty good. I had just a slight twinge during the run. The warm-up reminded me this is a challenge course with some hills figured 19:30 would be a reasonable goal on this course and I had never really had a good race here. A couple years ago I ran a 20:10.

Hugh and I lined up in front and when we took off, a bunch of guys were way out in front. I remembered this was the case a couple years ago so kept my pace under control and waited patiently. About 0.7 miles, I pass about 10 or so of them huffing and puffing. First mile split was 5:57. I was very happy to see I had some speed today. I passed another guy shortly after first mile.

About the halfway point, I passed another guy that I had been catching up to. He attempted to stay with me but couldn't do it so I ended up putting a lot of distance between us quickly. The second mile was 6:10. I expected the second to be slower since it had the most hills in the course. I was very happy though with 6:10 since expected I would be much slower.

I still felt strong for the 3rd mile and tried picking up the pace but still some hills. I was catching up to another guy in the last 0.3 mi, but didn't quite reach him. I finished the last mile in 6:04 and the last 0.1 in 33 sec. I had a lot left in me and felt good. I never had any sciatic pain during the run.

Overall I finished 4th of 133, but 2nd of 13 in my age group of 35 - 44. The guy that beat me by 10 seconds was in my age group. I also had never gone under 19 minutes on this course so I am very happy with my time. Hugh finished 23rd overall and 2nd in the 45 - 54 group so we both ended up with silver medals today.

Splits:
m1 - 5:57
m2 - 6:10
m3 - 6:04
0.1 - 0:33 (5:27)

We noticed a couple guys running in the Vibram Forefingers today which reminded me I would like to try running in mine again. Overall, this was a good race. The course is always well marked and the distance seems pretty accurate too. After the race, we went to move the car and it was quite painful sitting in the for just the few minutes. I did feel like I am noticing some improvement today. Since it is a irritated nerve, it seems to change so much though I don't know sometimes if it is getting better or worse. I think better though. If it is all better by Thursday I will cancel the painful massage session with Esteban.

Race Results

2009 MU Dog Jog

2009-10-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

Hugh and I ran the MU Dog Jog this morning. I don't really consider this a race. I ran with Bruno and Hugh with Rusty. I was impressed with Bruno's splits today. The first mile at 5:50 is the same as I normally run in a 5K. He slowed a bit the second mile. Course was a bit confusing as we were running into the walkers as we ran back across college. I passed the lead guy with a dog back and forth. Then got slowed down by some people in the way coming at us. Almost missed the ramp to go back over the road too. This was supposed to be a 5K so I assumed had some course left but it came up way short at 2.5 miles. I was barely beaten by a guy with a dog and one without by just a few seconds. I was really expecting them to tell us to keep going but that was the end! Both dogs enjoyed the run. I was disappointed to see the course was so far off.

I impressed how calm they were at the beginning. I picked up packets early and then we went back with the dogs. We would have had less than 10 min to wait, but not sure the problem since we didn't start until 8:20 am. They had a raffle and we didn't win a thing! Also, got nothing for second place with dog. They gave something to the first 2 overall men and women whether or not they ran with a dog. The second place male didn't have a dog so I was 3rd overall. We were all very close though. The guy that won ran with an Australian Shepherd.

2009 Roots n' Blues Half Marathon

2009-09-26T14:17:00.003-05:00

For those looking for results, see 2009 Roots 'n Blues Results

This event was convenient since I got to run a half marathon and less than 10 min drive to the start. It was lightly raining this morning and temp around 59. Hugh and I took separate vehicles since he was volunteering and we didn't know if he would need a car. He worked at the tunnel near the Stadium so ended up walking. I headed to the porta potties and there were plenty of them due to the Roots 'n Blues festival. Very nice that I didn't have to wait. Then went out for a warm-up and it started raining a little harder.

I lined up in the front in front of the 1:30 pacers, Tom and Jackie. My goals was to run about 1:27, assuming the course would be accurate since this was a new course so did not know. The course was quite hilly in the second half so did not expect to break any PRs today. Started off pretty fast and had to watch my pace. Once we spread out I passed one guy during the first mile. It had felt like I started more for a 10K than a half, but first mile was not too bad at 6:28. Any miles under 6:30 were a bonus since my fastest half pace is 6:30 in Sedalia, a much flatter course.

I skipped the first water station since I had ran just over a mile. I was passed by a guy flying down the steep hill to Providence. The roads were wet today and slippery so I was glad I decided not to wear the racing flats. After Providence, we got on the trail at the tennis courts at around mile 3. Pace felt good on the trail and kept the pace sub-6:30. I passed the guy that had passed me earlier flying down the hill. Took my first gel at about 30 minutes. Several of the Uprise runners cheered me on as I ran to Twin Lakes. The timing was perfect.

The halfway point was just as we turned onto Chapel Hill to go up a significant hill before turning onto Fairview. Split was around 42:15 at 6.57. The mile that included the hill was not too bad at 6:42, and then 6:48. After I got back on track with 6:30 pace with some up and down. Saw Phil on the course and he thought I was in about 6th place and Stephen B. was ahead. The course went onto Fairview and down the hill we had went up earlier. I got to see a lot of runners on this part of the course for about a half mile. Then up Chapel Hill to Mills Dr. This seemed like the worst hill for me and this mile was 7:03. I did seem to recover quickly after the hills.

The course then crossed Forum to go down Stadium and back to the trail. I had been slowly gaining on Stephen and could see another guy ahead of him. With only 2 miles to go and no more hills, I was ready to pick up the pace. We crossed under the trail on Stadium Blvd. I wasn't sure if we were going over or under but Stephen went under so I followed. The water was about ankle deep. Shoes were already wet but now they were thoroughly soaked. At this point it had nearly stopped raining. Shortly after mile 12 which I ran 6:14, I passed Stephen. I still could see the other guy ahead. I kept the pace going. I was running past a lot of the 10K runners so it was getting kind of crowded at this point. Ran the last mile in 6:20. I probably could have run faster since this didn't hurt at all. Half marathons are supposed to be more painful than this due to the faster pace so it was nice to feel good.

At this point, I knew the course was probably a little long since we weren't close to the finish. They had us cross over the road on Providence rather than use the tunnels due to the water. I couldn't quite catch the guy ahead of me before the finish. My GPS had 13.38 miles, 1:27:10 which was close to my goal even with the bonus distance. I was given a finishing glass at the end which I was a little worried I would drop since I was wet so I gave to Hugh. Soon, we see someone had dropped their glass. Bags might have been a good idea.

Hugh gave me a dry shirt and then we walked back to the car and I changed out of all my wet clothes. We went back to the finish, and checked the results several times and ate some food. The result postings were kind of amusing. They would post sheets and then post the same sheets with updates. The first sheet had my time at 1:27:15 and Stephen at 1:06-something. The guy ahead of me was at 1:27:14. I know Stephen started at the front so couldn't have been that much of a difference in chip time. Earlier I heard them call his name to report so figured there was an issue. Next results had him at 1:27-something. Later I checked and I was at 1:27:13 (2 seconds faster) and 9th place, guy ahead of me at 1:27:08, and Stephen at 1:26:55. Also, the overall winner of the half had changed. Then the results they posted on the web site changed yet again and were 1:27:05 for me and now 7th place and Stephen got faster too at 1:26:49. Since the improvements were not equal for everyone, it all seems kind of random.

There were also some issues with getting some of the 10Kers mixed in with the half results. I am not sure how this happens, but I am sure they were doing their best. I am a bit perplexed how my overall time changed at least 4 times. I do think all the possibilities were close, but I am going with my GPS of 1:27:10 as my official record. I placed 1st of 22 in my age group. Awards were wine or grape juice and a hat. I took a bottle of Les Bourgeouis grape rather than wine. The winners for each age group posed together for pictures. Also, they kept repeating some of the results since they kept changing and some of these people had to go back on stage and different people had to go up in some cases. Even the overall male winner was incorrect the first time. I guess a good thing they weren't giving out plaques today. That would have been a big mess! I do know my age group result is correct. Overall, I think I placed 6th of 653 rather than 7th. Either way, not bad for hilly half marathon and 6:31 pace for 13.38 miles.

There were 653 running the half and 306 running the 10K so they had a good turnout holding this in conjunction with the Roots and Blues festival. Overall a fun race, a few bands along the course, great spectators and volunteers that came out in the rain.

m1 - 6:28
m2 - 6:22
m3 - 6:33
m4 - 6:25
m5 - 6:21
m6 - 6:26
m7 - 6:41
m8 - 6:49
m9 - 6:31
m10 - 6:31
m11 - 7:03
m12 - 6:14
m13 - 6:20
0.38 - 2:25 (6:25 pace)

Overall: 1:27:10 - 6:31 pace

2009 Heart for Africa 5K

2009-09-19T22:01:00.004-05:00

This was the third time I’ve run this race. It is organized by the Long Run Lunatics that I run most of my long runs with on Saturdays. The race benefits orphaned children in Burkina Faso, a tiny country in western Africa, considered to be one of the poorest in the world. Some of the proceeds also go to local African refugees. I picked up our race packets on Friday so we didn’t have to pick up race morning. Packets contained candy and one had an umbrella and the other a water bottle.

I had planned to go run the course ahead of time, but instead we decided to run a mile with the dogs first. By the time we got to the race there was only time for me to run another mile and I also quickly used the bathroom at Hardees at the beginning of my mile. Temperature was perfect and I think around 60F when we lined up on the start. This was around 15F cooler than last year. I felt good, but figured coming off 2 marathons (Sept 7 & 13) in 1 week, today was not the day to set a PR. I did hope to at least set a course PR and run faster than 18:43.

There were about 5 of us that took off in the front group and I did not hold back as we were running downhill at the beginning. I was running close to a guy wearing a San Diego half marathon shirt. I noticed him before the race and thought he looked fit and fast. I also thought he might be in my age group and possibly older. Once we got to Stewart Road, I was running a 5:49 pace and the rest of this group was pulling ahead. I decided my pace was fast enough and let them go. This pace was faster than any I have ever tried to maintain in a 5K. The course goes up about 100 ft elevation in the first mile. However, I didn't feel like this hill was any problem for me.

The second mile is a little rolling and not bad. I decide I will try to maintain a 5:49 pace and see what happens. Just before mile 2, the elevation drops drastically, about 300 ft, and I am seeing 5:30-something. Mile 2 is just as I turn to go on the trail and split was 5:49.

Third mile is on the trail and I am hoping I can maintain the sub-6 pace. I could no longer see any runners ahead of me at this point. The trail just slightly increases in elevation the last mile. My pace slows and GPS is a bit erratic so I am not sure exactly the pace. I did feel like I was slowing though. A guy passes me about half mile from the end and I decide not to try to stay with him. I am really ready for the race to be done. Then I heard breathing behind me, and sounds like a girl. I pick up the pace just a little.

There is a series of tunnels near the end and I can hear her right behind me. This is not where I enjoy being passed in a race by anyone. We go up a small incline and then flattens out and we are near the end. I hear her footsteps pick up the pace so I see if I have anything left. I sprint all out and hear her coming faster for me so run harder and make the finish line. She finishes one second behind me.

The last mile split was 6:17 and the last 0.1 was 5:23 pace. Overall time 18:23, a 20 second course PR, and an 8 second 5K PR. Thanks to the girl behind me, I somehow managed to get a PR even with my disappointing slower last mile. I feel I could have pushed harder, but just didn't want to make it hurt that much and maybe wasn't focused enough. The PR was still a nice surprise and I placed 5th overall of 98.

Hugh had said he wanted to run 22:30. He crossed the finish line exactly 22:30 and 12th overall. We both ended up with second in our age groups. The guy from San Diego was 42 and in my age group. There was a drawing for prizes at the end. I won a Dunn Bros. coffee gift bag with a stainless steel travel mug, ceramic mug, coffee, some truffles, and biscotti.

m1 - 5:49
m2 - 5:49
m3 - 6:17
0.09 - 0:29 (5:23 pace)

18:23 overall

Race Results

Hugh

Andy (2nd in 40 - 44)

Hugh (2nd in 50 - 54)

Andy

Andy (one of the lucky door prize winners)