Sunday, March 30, 2008

3/24/08 - 3/30/08 - A phenomenal week

I'm not sure what to say about this week other than it was phenomenal and totally unexpected. After taking a 29 mile recovery week last week, I was thinking I might still need some more recovery time this week. Originally I was hoping I could run in the 40s the week after Syllamo, but I was feeling like I needed the rest so I took it. The Sedalia Half Marathon last weekend made up for the lack of miles and really had me feeling beat on Sunday. I ended up not running last Sunday since my legs just weren't up to it. I was even considering taking off Monday.

Dan S., my competitive running partner, also didn't run at Rock Bridge trails last Sunday so he asked if I wanted to run on Monday afternoon. My legs were feeling better so we ran 9 miles. I ran the normal Tues/Thur runs and by Thursday afternoon my legs were aching for another run. Friday I took off work and decided to do a trail run in the afternoon.

The mileage really got away from me this week, but nearly half was trail miles. Even though my miles were kind of high this week, I think the trail running made a big difference considering my body probably needed a little more recovery. In the end this turned out to be a good and fun week week of running. I guess it was the "recovery" that my body needed.

I won't be running another week like this for quite awhile since I will be in taper mode in another week for Boston and then will be running the Berryman Trail run in May. Dan and I are considering trying to work up to a peak 100 mile week for the Heart of America marathon. If this week is any indication, I really think we can do it without risking injury.

Date: 3/24/2008 4:50 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 9 miles
Duration: 1:19:21
Pace: 8:49 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 54° F, Sunny, Windy
Notes: Ran the Deer Run loop with Dan. Trails were fairly dry and shoes stayed cleaner than usual. Quads felt a little sore. This was good recovery run from this weekend.

m1...9:08
m2...9:25
m3...8:47
m4...8:27
m5...8:45
m6...8:43
m7...8:30
m8...8:42
m9...8:52

Date: 3/25/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Dave's Devil - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 59:57
Pace: 7:30 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 46° F, Sunny, Windy
Notes: Ran with Dan, Darrin, and Phil. We added a little distance to the A route to run 8 miles. The wind was strong coming out of the south for a few miles. I was cold part of the run and too warm when not in the wind. Ran every mile faster except the last mile.

M1 - 9:01
M2 - 8:20
M3 - 7:40
M4 - 7:30
M5 - 7:12
M6 - 6:47
M7 - 6:36
M8 - 6:50

Date: 3/27/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Rain Run - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 58:02
Pace: 7:16 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 45° F, Rain, Partly Cloudy
Notes: I ran this route with Dan while most others ran the bridge and back on the trail. The first 2.5 miles seemed tough, but once we got on the road it became little easier. Legs felt better today but still holding me back. It rained a couple times and lightning too. Overall a good run and glad I didn't run it too hard so I can be ready for Saturday's long run.

Miles 4 - 6 were all 7:11.98

M1 - 7:57
M2 - 7:26
M3 - 7:30
M4 - 7:12
M5 - 7:12
M6 - 7:12
M7 - 6:54
M8 - 6:38

Date: 3/27/2008 6:30 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Rusty and Bruno's Bear Creek 10K
Distance: 6.2 miles
Duration: 51:55
Pace: 8:23 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 41° F, Overcast
Notes: I started eating a 1 lb bag of peanut M&Ms at about 4 pm and couldn't stop. By 5 pm I was aching to run and wanted to run with the dogs. The weather didn't look good but Hugh and I headed to the Bear Creek Trail at 6 pm with Rusty and Bruno. I was going to run rain or not. When we arrived it was no longer raining. We noticed piles of hail on the trail, lots of standing water, and the creeks were moving fast. Rusty and Bruno were ready to run. After a very slow first mile they picked up the pace. They picked it up even more the 2 times we saw deer. There were also thousands of loud birds in the swampy area swarming around us at times. Very enjoyable dog run.

M1 - 9:17
M2 - 8:30
M3 - 8:05
M4 - 7:58
M5 - 8:30
M6 - 7:58
M6.2 - 1:34

Date: 3/27/2008 9:30 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 41:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 9/10

Date: 3/28/2008 1:30 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 15.2 miles
Duration: 2:19:58
Pace: 9:13 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 53° F, Sunny, Windy
Notes: I was off work today and had some time so decided to run at Rock Bridge this afternoon. Trails weren't too muddy , but enough that I had to clean my shoes later. The first 9 miles was the Deer Run loop and time was 1:17:33, 8:37/mi pace. I was surprised it was this fast and my GPS even came out to exactly 9 miles at the car. I wore 2 shirts and ended up getting so warm I took off the shirts when I was in the sun in the grasslands. Once I got out of the sun, I was cold so put one shirt on. By mile 6, I was trying to finish quickly since I really needed a bathroom.

The last 6.2 miles was on Gans Creek and time was 1:02:25, 10:05/mi. I must have picked a tough way to go today since it seemed like lots of hills, rocks, and trees to climb over. It's possible I ran a little farther than the GPS indicated too.

1) 8:28. . . . . .10) 10:04
2) 9:38 . . . . . 11) 10:07
3) 8:41 . . . . . 12) 9:06
4) 8:37 . . . . . 13) 11:36
5) 8:52. . . . . 14) 10:57
6) 8:30. . . . . 15) 8:52
7) 8:12 . . . 15.2) 1:42
8) 8:12
9) 8:20

Date: 3/29/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Long
Course: Tayside 22
Distance: 22 miles
Duration: 2:53:13
Pace: 7:53 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 37° F, Windy, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Long Run Lunatics run where we were trying to run our 22 miles at our marathon goal time although I knew I would be a little faster. After starting ended up running with Dan, Darrin, and Destiny. Destiny turned off early since she is tapering for St. Louis. Darrin helped keep the pace in check. The wind was a little bit of a factor for a few miles. For the last few miles, legs felt tired, but by the last mile, they just felt numb and I was ready to be done. At 22 miles, I stopped and felt incredibly good overall. Also, I was very hungry after this run.

1) 8:35 . . . . . . 8) 8:01 . . . . . 15) 7:58
2) 7:51 . . . . . . 9) 8:05 . . . . . 16) 7:44
3) 7:26 . . . . . 10) 7:51 . . . . . 17) 7:44
4) 7:44 . . . . . 11) 7:55 . . . . . 18) 7:47
5) 7:47 . . . . . 12) 7:44 . . . . . 19) 7:40
6) 8:14 . . . . . 13) 7:59 . . . . . 20) 7:47
7) 7:58 . . . . . 14) 7:58 . . . . . 21) 7:44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22) 7:33

Date: 3/30/2008 9:15 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 36:58
Pace: 9:15 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 46° F, Rain, Humid
Notes: Ran with Rusty, Bruno and Hugh in a very light drizzle.

M1 - 9:12
M2 - 9:24
M3 - 8:55
M4 - 9:26

Date: 3/30/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 18 miles
Duration: 2:47:49
Pace: 9:20 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 55° F, Overcast, Windy, Humid
Notes: This was a good run and a good end to a high mileage week. After I ran 4 miles this morning with the dogs, Dan S. ran 2.2 miles with his dogs which tied us at 72.4 miles for the week. We had talked about running 18 miles on the trail earlier in the week but would wait to see how we felt. Since 18 miles would put us over 90 miles, we really didn't have any choice but to just do it. I'm always up for a crazy challenge so this was fine with me. Also, after yesterday's 22 miler I was feeling decent other than feeling like maybe I shouldn't have eaten all of those jelly beans last night. Also, this morning I was feeling really hot and on the way to the run I was feeling cold and had the heat cranked up even though it was 55F outside.

Dan H. joined us for the first 6.7 miles on the Gans Creek side. Then Dan S. and I ran about 2.3 more miles mostly in the grassland area on that side to complete the first half. Then we ran the 9 mile Deer Run loop at a decent pace considering I think we were both ready for this to be over by the last couple miles.

M1 - 10:21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M10 - 8:53
M2 - 9:37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M11 - 9:23
M3 - 9:08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M12 - 9:02
M4 - 10:35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M13 - 8:42
M5 - 9:26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M14 - 9:05
M6 - 10:14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M15 - 8:41
M7 - 9:21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M16 - 8:54
M8 - 8:35. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M17 - 8:54
M9 - 9:12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M18 - 8:45
1:26:33 - 9:37/mi avg pace 1:21:16 - 9:01/mi avg pace

After finishing we took a short walk and talked awhile. By the time we left I was shivering and it was 59F. Got in the car and turned the heat as high as it would go. Got out of the car and surprisingly legs felt great, but I think I will skip my 11:58 pm 0.1 mile run with the dogs that I was planning to do later.

Running: 90.4 Mi - 12:47:13

Weights: 41 min (had hoped to get 2 workouts but didn't happen this week)

MTD Running: 316.7

YTD Running: 787.7

April 12-Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday, March 23, 2008

3/17/08 - 3/23/08

I feel like I'm recovering very well from Syllamo, but probably still not quite 100%. I tried to redirect some of my energy to other exercise for part of the week. I tentatively have a higher mileage week for the coming week but will just see how I feel. The half marathon on Saturday went surprisingly well after having some serious doubts during the warm-up. I ending up running my second fastest half marathon so can't complain considering what I've been through.

Date: 3/17/2008 8:00 PM
Type: Elliptical
Duration: 20:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Notes: A little recovery to get the blood moving.

Date: 3/17/2008 8:20 PM
Type: Recumbent Bike
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 10:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Notes: More recovery.

Date: 3/18/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Rain Run - C Route
Distance: 5.4 miles
Duration: 52:36
Pace: 9:45 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 160 lb
Misc: Quality: 6/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 48° F, Rain
Notes: Ran the C Route and took Forum instead of trail. Ran the last couple miles with Andy P. who also ran 3 Days of Syllamo. Muscles felt good but felt a few pains on the pavement part of the route.

Date: 3/20/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Jaira's Jaunt - A Route
Distance: 7.1 miles
Duration: 57:33
Pace: 8:07 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 36° F, Sunny
Notes: Started out running with Dan and Josh. Felt good but a little too fast so slowed down to a comfortable pace. Hills were really slow. Much easier run than Tuesday so I must be recovering but still not 100%.

Date: 3/22/2008 9:00 AM
Type: Race
Course: Sedalia Half Marathon
Pre-Race Warm-up: 1 mi - 8:15
Distance: 13.1 miles
Duration: 1:27:54
Pace: 6:43 / mile
Post Race: 3 mi - 25:32, 8:31/mi
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement: 12 / 118 (10.2%)
Age group: 35 – 39
Group Placement: 3
Weather: 38° F, Windy, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Hugh, Dan, and I left Columbia about 7 am and arrived in Sedalia about 8:10. There were quite a few people from Columbia and several of the Long Run Lunatics running the race.

I ran a mile warm-up with Dan and it didn't feel great. After running it, I figured the smartest thing to do would be to take it easy today. The plan for today was to see how the first 2 miles went and then to try running a 6:37 (half marathon pace), 6:50 (marathon) pace, or a 7 minute pace. After the warm-up, I figured I would be lucky if I could hold a 7 minute pace.

I ended up taking my first Accel gel before the start since the package had exploded open on me earlier when I was placing it on my race belt. I had planned to take one at about 4 and 8 miles. Temp at the start was 38F. I wore a short sleeved shirt over another long sleeved and shorts which felt about right other than the wind. I decided to get rid of the gloves I wore during the warm-up. I lined myself up at the start back a few rows from the front since I was just going to hang back and take it easy. Dan and Hugh started off near the front. They were both planning to run their half marathon pace although Dan had mentioned his marathon pace I figured he would run it faster. I started off quite slow and caught up to Hugh in the first mile. I quickly helped him with a GPS problem and went ahead.

I ran the first mile in 7:11 so I was thinking maybe around 7 min miles would be a good pace. This mile felt much better than the warm-up. I continued on at a comfortable pace and am thinking how easy it feels. I can see lots of people ahead of me and spot Dan since he is wearing red quite a ways ahead. He doesn't seem to be getting any closer or further away so figure he must be running his pace. I hit mile 2 in 7:01. I took a little drink at the first water station. I continue and things have started to loosen up and my pace picks up. I then start setting my sights on people to pass. In most races, I start out so fast that I don't pass many people and often get passed so I am enjoying this.

I'm passing people and they are breathing a lot harder than me. I run mile 3 in 6:50 and mile 4 in 6:40. Then I see that Dan is getting closer so decide to catch him. Picked up the pace and ran mile 5 in 6:18 and then caught him. Told him I was feeling better and not sure how long it was going to last. I considered running with him, but was feeling good and momentum kept me going forward. Next, I see Darrin up ahead and he seems to be right on pace for running marathon pace as he had planned and I pass him. At about half way I am at 44 minutes so am thinking I have a chance to run a little faster than last year.

The rest of the race went about the same with a good pace that doesn't feel too hard and I keep passing people. Only if my legs felt better I really think I could have picked up the pace even more. This is an out and back course and is always encouraging to see your friends and other runners on the way back. I took my second gel after the turn around and then some water at the next station.

We had to deal with some wind for some of the course, but could have been worse. For the last 2.5 miles I ran with a girl and we pass back and forth. In the last mile, I pass her and one other guy and then just keep a good pace to the finish. Lungs were feeling great today considering the pace. The legs didn't feel real great so I didn't feel like I should push too hard considering I am not 100% recovered from last weekend.

The end result of this race was much better than expected and totally unexpected. Here are my splits:

M1 - 7:11
M2 - 7:01
M3 - 6:50
M4 - 6:40
M5 - 6:18
M6 - 6:29
M7 - 6:29
M8 - 6:40
M9 - 6:33
M10 - 6:47
M11 - 6:40
M12 - 6:40
M13 - 6:33
M13.1 - 1:01

Finished in 1:27:54 at 6:43/mi which is my second fastest time on this course in 4 years and my second fastest overall half marathon time. I placed 3rd in the 35 - 39 age group. Dan placed 4th in age group at 1:29:16 and it was his first half marathon. Hugh had a tough age group but ended up with a half PR at 1:40:25. Both ran an excellent race.

I will definitely take it easier for the next couple days. Post race legs are feeling sore but I think it is more from running hard today than what I did last weekend. Hugh said he felt sore too.

Sedalia Half Marathon Pictures

Running: 29.6 Mi - 3:51:49

Weights: 40 min

Elliptical: 1 hr 50 min

Recumbent Bike: 10 min

YTD Running: 697.3


April 12-Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Monday, March 17, 2008

3 Days of Syllamo

Update - I've posted race photos on my photo site 3 Days of Syllamo Photos.

Race results have been posted 3 Days of Syllamo Results

I placed:

50K - 4:58:55 - 10 of 71
50 mi - 12:17:20 - 10 of 29
20K - 2:35:06 - 23 of 67

Overall - 12:45/mi - 19:51:21

Overall I placed 10 of 26 out of some tough competition, but think I could cut quite a bit of time off if the 50 mi and 20K had gone better for me.

It was so much fun that I think I'll put this one on the calendar for next year. If anyone wants to join me, let me know. You can run any or all of the 3 days.


Day 1 – 50K-

After going to work for 3 hrs, I picked up Jeff and we headed to the 3 Days of Syllamo, a 3 day trail running stage race in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. We left about 11:30 am, stopping only once at Subway in Rolla for lunch. We made good time and arrived at the packet pick up at 4:30 pm. We could not pick up since the race director was delayed so I went ahead and set up my tent. We waited until 6 pm and Jeff decided that he would pick his up packet in the morning. We then went to find the cabin he was staying with Andy P. and Nicole. I then went to fill up the Prius in Mountain View and then went inside the Wal-Mart to purchase a new air mattress. I had discovered the cap was missing from the one I intended to sleep on. I felt out of place in Wal-Mart and got out as quickly as possible.

I headed back to race headquarters where I was camping. It started to rain just as I was getting the stuff I needed inside the tent. It rained hard with thunder and lightening but at this point I was staying dry. Later, I woke up and noticed water in a couple areas on the tent floor so made sure nothing was in those areas. Up higher on my bed I stayed dry and slept fairly well waking up with the intermittent rain and claps of thunder.

I had set my alarm for 6 am but woke up at 5:30 to use the restroom. I decided to stay up and started eating, hydrating, and getting my gear ready. I ate some bananas, Nature’s Path toaster pastries and a Lean Body shake with instant coffee mixed in. I opted not to have a drop bag for the 50K. When I had everything ready, I then walked around the campground looking for the shower for later and found Allan B.’s car. He was not in it and then found him a few minutes later near the packet pick up. He had arrived at 3 am and slept in his car and then set his tent up before the race. The shirt for this race was unusual. It was a dark gray button down bowling shirt with the race logo.

Andy, Jeff, and Nicole arrived at the race site. I then went to put on my race clothes and Nicole took some pictures. After a brief description of the course and what markings to look for, the race started at 9 am. The temperature was 50F and felt cool, but I opted to wear short sleeves since I would warm up. We were off without any dramatic start. I settled into a pace behind a female. At some point passed her and made a wrong turn but we got back on track quickly. I then got behind and followed her and another guy for awhile. Her name was Ashley and she was a fourth grade teacher from Mt. Baldi, CA. She had run the race last year and this year her husband and a friend were running too. Last year she was the first female finisher.

At some point, the 3 of us veered off the wrong way and soon realized we were off track. Then we saw 2 other runners down below and joined them back on the trail. I stayed with this group and it felt like they were running a little faster than I wanted to run. After we stopped at the next aid station they slowed down. At some point, I was feeling good and taking the lead with everyone in our group following. Ashley and I ended up running with them for about to 22 miles and then one of them dropped back and the other sped way ahead. Ashley stayed behind me and we continued at what seemed like a very steady comfortable pace. Sometimes I would walk a few steps up the hills but was surprised how I kept running up some. This course was quite hilly with rocks and some trees to climb over as well. Every so often we would see some insulation, plywood, tin, or siding that had dropped into the forest from the recent tornados.

My GPS kept working until sometime during mile 28 it lost signal, and got back a little later. We veered off another wrong turn with about 3 miles to go and Ashley noticed the flags way down a hill below so we took a shortest route down the treacherous hill through some brambles. The area through the brambles was the safest to avoid falling down the hill. I was scratched pretty badly on the upper legs and already had some scratches on the lower from earlier encounters.

Several of the creeks we crossed on this course had some very swift moving currents and the rocks were quite slippery. I could feel the current pulling me and would walk at an angle against the water. I managed to avoid falling on the 50K course and only turned my left ankle slightly one time.

As we were running to the end, I told Ashley to go ahead since I really felt like she deserved to place ahead of me. She said we would cross the finish line together. We crossed in 4:58:55. After talking with others, I suspect the course was short by about 1 mi based on my pace for the part where the GPS didn’t work.

This course had some monstrous hills and treacherous terrain, and downed trees which slowed us down at times. Whenever we had down hill, we used to our advantage and picked up the pace trying not to fall over the rocks. The last few miles were a little quicker since we were going down.

Here are my splits:

M1 – 9:02
M2 – 8:27
M3 – 11:54
M4 – 12:29
M5 -10:24
M6 – 9:13
M7 – 9:02
M8 – 10:03
M9 – 11:04
M10 – 9:31
M11 – 9:06
M12 – 9:20
M13 – 9:06
M14 – 9:49
M15 – 10:42
M16 – 12:04
M17 – 9:27
M18 – 13:09
M19 – 9:20
M20 – 9:49
M21 – 8:45
M22 – 11:15
M23 – 9:42
M24 – 9:52
M25 – 11:58
M26- 10:42
M27 – 9:56
M28 – 30 – 23:37

I suspect my GPS was a little short as it usually is on trails so I am calling it 30 miles.

Andy P. finished about 10 min behind me. I then ate some food, drank some Accelerade and went and stood waist deep in the creek with a group of people for some recovery. The water was excruciatingly cold but actually felt good. I then ate some more and prepared my things for the 50 miler and went to shower. At 6 pm they served us meatless pasta with marinara sauce, garlic bread, salad, and Oreo cookie cheesecake. I was eating at a table with 7 of 9 people that were left-handed. At some point, one of the persons got up and a different left-handed person sat down. We wondered if a higher % of ultra runners are left-handed. After dinner, Jeff, Andy, and Nicole headed to their cabin and I headed to higher ground to find a phone signal.

I called Hugh to tell him about the first day and then was getting hungry and in need of some meat so went to KFC and had the buffet. I then headed back to camp, got my things ready and set the alarm for 4 am since the 50 miler would start at 6 am.



Day 2 – 50 miles

It rained, thundered, and there was wind during the night. I did not sleep very well, but managed to get a few hours. Once again, a little water got in my tent. My alarm went off at 4 am and I shut if off and fell back asleep. I woke up at 4:40 am and heard signs of life. Even with the race starting at 6 am, I was the first person to turn in my drop bags at 5 am. Since the course was out and back we could access our bags 4 times. The course which varies from each year had to be changed last week due to too many downed trees on part of the trail.

I was surprised to be walking. I had taken 2 Ibuprofen before bed and 2 when I got up. My left ankle hurt just slightly but once I walked around everything felt good. I did not even notice any muscle soreness. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started running. I ate the same breakfast as the day before and then dressed for the race. It was 48F but humid so again opted for just a short sleeved shirt.

After a very important pre-race briefing so we would know what trails to follow, we were off in the dark at with our headlamps. We were to follow the trail with the blue blazes and also some different multicolored tape each day. By the time we reached the first aid station at 9.5 miles, it would be light and we could leave our headlamps. The first mile was excruciatingly painful. I decided to start with Ashley since that worked out well the first day. We went up hill for at least a mile and I really wondered if I was going to feel this awful for the entire 50 miles. Once that mile was over I started to feel better, but more of the same kind of hills came sooner rather than later. I realized at some point that I had forgotten to wear my right ankle compression support that I wore the day before. Too late so I hoped everything would be okay.

My GPS only worked for 6 miles. At 6 miles were running right next to rocky cliffs so no way to get a signal. Splits up to this point were M1 – 13:48, M2 – 11:36, M3 – 11:21, M4 – 14:45, M5 – 11:04, M6 – 11:07. I was pretty much staying with Andy P. and Ashley and feeling okay. There were a lot of downed trees on this section and it became very tiring climbing over or going around these trees every few yards in some cases. At mile 9.5 we dropped off our lights and then it started to rain, but stopped in about 15 min. I ran with Ashley and Andy until about mile 22 and then started falling behind. I must have been losing it at this point since I don’t remember a lot of details.

I do remember at some aid station they told us there would be a code word at the 25 mi turn-around. I also noticed I had only drunk one of my small bottles since the last aid station which wasn’t enough water. I started feeling worse and walking up more hills. I remember Ashley yelling back if I was okay and I said I was okay. At this point we were looking for white blazes on trees and it didn’t even look like a trail to me. It looked like someone had dumped rocks everywhere in the woods (not just the trail) and I had to keep looking for the next tree with the white blaze to figure out which direction to go. I was really not looking forward to more than 25 miles to go and likely going them alone. I was craving sugar and took an Accelerade Gel and almost immediately felt better. I had been using several kinds (Hammer, Power Shots, and Power Shot Blocks).

I see Andy P. and Ashley heading back so know I am close to the turn around. Within 10 minutes I am there and head back at 5 hrs 15 min. I drank all of my water on the way back to the aid station. Nicole had volunteered for the 50 miler and she was at this aid station. She filled my bottles and I just kept eating handful after handful of M&Ms and I think a few Gold Fish and drinking several cups of water. I continue on and am thinking if I don’t see Jeff and Allan in the next 20 min, they aren’t going to make the cut off. I see a few people and don’t really remember much of what we said.

At about 6+ hrs?, I get to a tree with a white blaze and am looking around wondering which way to go next. I turn around and Jeff is there. I ask him if he had already turned around which I should have known he hadn’t. I then realize he is coming from the way I need to go. I am also thinking he is going to be close to making the cut off. After this, the M&Ms must have kicked in soon since mentally I am feeling better. Physically, I am having a hard time making myself run especially up any hills. I am feeling like I will be able to finish but it isn’t going to be pretty. I am also peeing a lot and it is now clear.

At 6 hrs, 50 min, I see Allan. The cutoff at the turn around is 7 hrs. I knew there was no way he would make it and asked him what happened. He had missed the pre-race briefing, made a wrong turn, went 4 miles back to the start to look at the map so was behind 8 miles or he would have easily made it. He figured they would pull him off the course. I continued on wondering how long it would take me to finish. Thinking, can I do this in 11 hrs? I keep reminding myself to run when I can. I’m even having a hard time making myself run down hills and had to walk up hills. I hear one of my water bottles drop, look for it, and can’t find it so I move on.

I make it to the 31.5 aid station and pick up some more of my gels and refill my 3 bottles. The next station is at 40.5 miles. I keep thinking in my head how long it will take. I ran the first half at 12:36/mi so I am thinking if I can keep at least a 15 min pace, I would be at 40.5 in 2 hrs 20 min. It takes me a little over 2.5 hrs to go 9 miles. Knowing 11 hrs isn’t going to happen I think 12 hrs might be possible. I then realize 12.5 hrs would be more realistic since I keep falling behind.

The volunteer at 40.5 mi tells me that everyone is saying this is the hardest 50 miler they have ever done. I told her it was my first one and I ran the 50K yesterday. I told her how far I had fallen behind since the turn around but they tell me I am doing great. She had my water bottle I dropped earlier. My bottles have my name on them and someone had given it to an aid station in between. Nicole was there and figured it was mine and they had it for me at this aid station. I didn’t expect I would see it again. They keep offering me all kinds of food. I think the only thing I ate was M&Ms. I verify that I know the course and move on.

At some point I see the photographer in between some rocks and wonder how he got there. I can’t wait to see some of these pictures. Mentally, I’m feeling good but just not able to push my pace. I have reached the section of trail again where there were more fallen trees than usual and now could barely pull myself over or duck myself under them. At about 45 miles, I hear a runner behind me. He says something like he is surprised to see me. It is Pat, a runner from Kansas City. I remembered him from the Berryman Trail last year.

I let him around and then notice myself running again. I notice I am keeping up and things are starting to click. He is talking to me and saying he feels good to be running with a 3 hr marathoner. I am running down hill again, and managing the technical parts quite well. My legs are going over trees again. I’m feeling more like I did for the first 22 miles of the race. He asks if I want to pass him and I told him I needed to stay behind. I needed the motivation. Eventually, the trail starts descending down hill so we know we are getting close to the end. He bangs his knee on one of trees we have to climb over and stops in pain. I wait and we continue on.

We see someone on the hill down and they tell us we are almost there. He says we will finish together and once again I find myself finishing with another runner. I’m sure I would have taken 15 min longer if he hadn’t pulled me along to the finish. We finish in 12:17:20. So after running a fairly decent first half in 12:36 pace, I run the second half in 16:54 pace and as slow as that sounds I was running more than 70% of the time. Average pace was 14:45. I was happy to just have finished my first 50 miler alive after running 30 miles the day before. The course was treacherous and difficult, but overall enjoyable even if not the pace I wanted. And I didn’t get lost on my own for most of the time.

I’m starving and immediately go get some rice, beans, and sausage. I then sat down on the ground and eat near the finish area. I seriously wondered if I could get up, but managed to get up and get another bowl of food. Allan had been pulled off the course but seemed to be doing well. It is getting dark and I decide to forgo the creek and shower, thinking Jeff should finish about the time I get back.

After I get back, he had already finished. He finished a little earlier than I expected and had picked up some time on the second half. He ran it in about 6.5 hrs and it took me 7 hrs after I run the first half in 5:15. He finished before 8 pm so had made the cut off. We are both thinking we are going to be walking the 20K the next day with 6 hrs to finish.

I quickly prepared my stuff after Jeff, Andy, and Nicole went to their cabin. Nicole decided to stay an extra day so she could see us finish. I prepared my stuff for the 20K and went to bed at 9 pm and slept very soundly for 10 hrs and there were no storms during the night.


Day 3 – 20K+

I woke up at 7 am feeling very rested. Again, I had taken 2 Ibuprofen before bed, and 2 when I woke up. I wonder if I will be able to get up. I get up and am actually walking better than the previous morning. The more I walk, the better I am feeling and am thinking I will at least be running today although doubtful it will be very fast.

I eat the same breakfast again as the previous days and start to pack the car for the ride home. We start a little after 9 am and I’m running. I settle into a comfortable pace at about 12-something per mile with a group of 7 including Allan behind me. We are all running and walking the up hills. Eventually, Allan passes me and part of the group pulls ahead and I’m running with the second place female struggling to keep up with her pace. She said that she had run her first 50 miler as well for this stage race.

There is an unmanned aid station at mile 8 but I have plenty of water so keep going. At this point, I’m keeping about an average 12 min per mile pace.

Splits up to this point:

M1 – 13:38
M2 – 12:44
M3 – 11:18
M4 – 10:49
M5 – 12:29
M6 – 11:46
M7 – 11:50
M8 – 14:02

I take an Accelerade Gel and immediately start to feel better. Of all the gels I used for this race, the Accelerade gel which I had not used before really seemed to do something for me.

My pace picked up and I was now running up the hills again. I started to catch and pass people. I caught up to the group Allan was running with and passed them. I caught up to another guy and passed him. I caught up to 2 more people and passed. Although the up hills were really slow, I felt like I was flying fast on the downs.

Before the race, the race director told us the course was 20K-ish. After 12.3 miles, we still weren’t near the finish. Allan had caught back up to me and 2 of the people I passed earlier, passed us on a really technical descent into a creek down some rocks.

I asked Allan if he wanted to pass and he said he didn’t want to miss a chance to finish a race with me. At 13.5 mi on my GPS, we cross the finish together. We made up the mile we lost the first day. Once again, I crossed the finish line with someone. We finished in 2:35:06 at 11:30/mi pace. My final splits were M9 – 11:22, M10 – 9:38, M11 – 10:49, M12 – 9:59, M13 – 10:42, M13.5 – 3:54.

Since I finished all 3 days, I received a finisher’s award which is a hand-carved Ozark Hoot Pipe. The tag says “When yore up in the hills lost and alone, this “tooter: will surely cheer ya. Just take a deep breath; give a hoot on the pipe and somebody’s bound to hear ya.” I think I needed that on Day 2.

Jeff and I drove back to Columbia. He and Andy P. also finished all 3 days but Andy P. placed better than me the second and 3rd day. The 50 miler was also Jeff’s first.

I have no idea how I placed each day or overall for the 3 days since the results have not been posted. My overall time for the 3 days, 93.5 miles was 19:51:21, 12:45/mi. It was my first event of this type, first 50K, and first 50 miler. I ran a trail 60K last fall. I felt like I trained pretty hard but could have been more prepared for hills and done a few longer trail runs. Considering I was injured in January and didn’t feel almost recovered until mid-February, I’m lucky to have finished and finished alive and uninjured. I knew it would be hard but the hills, rocks, climbing over trees, made it at least 10 times harder than I imagined.

I’m recovering nicely, walking (even down stairs). This 3 day event has proven to me that trail running is definitely easier on the joints than running on the road. Mentally, I’m not exhausted and physically I know it could have been much worse. Muscles are a little sore. I felt like I could have even run a few steps today but didn’t. I will try running a little tomorrow and just elliptical today. I gained about 6 lbs which is likely just fluid retention which isn’t uncommon for me even after a road marathon.

My overall impression is that ultra events are always fun events and I enjoyed this one although the second day was the most difficult race I’ve ever run. Things were a littlel out of and beyond my control and mentally I coped with it. Several of the runners remembered me from Berryman and all were very supportive and impressed with those of us doing our first 50 miler after running a 50K. These events are very intimate and everyone treats you like family. Also, they have the best foods at the aid stations.

Before leaving on Sunday, Ashley thanked me for pacing her for the 50K and asked if I was considering a 100 miler yet. I’m not quite ready to commit to that kind of distance at one time but would do a stage race again.

Other Reports:

Ashley Nordell

Carey Smith

David Wakefield

Matt Hart

Andy Pele

Ty Draney

Training Week Pre-Race

Date: 3/10/2008 5:45 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 38:47
Pace: 9:42 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 1/10
Weather: 41° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Bruno, Rusty, and Hugh. Roads dry and clean dogs! Kept the pace very easy.

Date: 3/11/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Tripp 10K - A Route
Distance: 6.1 miles
Duration: 44:51
Pace: 7:22 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 23° F, Sunny
Notes: I didn't expect it to be so cold this morning. I didn't want to run too hard today so was glad to hear it was the Tripp 10K course. Dan stayed with me and didn't feel like we ran too hard, but our splits still look pretty fast and overall pace is fast too.

M1 - 8:36
M2 - 7:15
M3 - 7:22
M4 - 7:01
M5 - 6:54
M6 - 6:47
M6.1 - 0:54

Date: 3/11/2008 9:45 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 20:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 2/10

Date: 3/13/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: MKT - Dogs
Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 38:20
Pace: 7:40 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 38° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Hugh, Dan, Copper, Tanner, Rusty, and Bruno. We thought bringing the dogs would make the run easy, but their competitive nature made their pace faster than normal. I think Bruno's pulling helped ease the effort just a little. The dogs thought it was a race and I could have let Bruno go faster, but didn't.

M1 - 8:07
M2 - 7:48
M3 - 7:50
M4 - 7:26
M5 - 7:10

Date: 3/14/2008 9:00 AM
Type: Race
Course: 3 Days of Syllamo 50K -
Distance: 30 miles
Duration: 4:58:55
Pace: 9:58 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 50° F, Sunny, Partly Cloudy

Date: 3/15/2008 6:10 AM
Type: Race
Course: 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mile
Distance: 50 miles
Duration: 12:17:20
Pace: 14:45 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 3/10, Effort: 10/10
Weather: 48° F, Sunny, Rain, Humid, Partly Cloudy

Date: 3/16/2008 9:10 AM
Type: Race
Course: 3 Days of Syllamo 20K+
Distance: 13.5 miles
Duration: 2:35:06
Pace: 11:30 / mile
Shoe: adidas Supernova
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 6/10, Effort: 9/10
Weather: 43° F, Sunny, Partly Cloudy

Running: 108.6 Mi - 21:53:19

Weights: 20 min

YTD Running: 667.7

March 22- Sedalia Half Marathon
April 12-Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday, March 09, 2008

3/3/08 - 3/9/08

I guess I can count this week as a taper week since I ran 47 miles (16 less than last week) with only 4 runs and 3 rest days. It sounds like a lot for a week before running over 100 miles but is 5 fewer runs and 1 more rest day that last week. For the few days before the race, I'm planning to run a couple miles Mon, run a good pace Tues, rest on Wed., and run easy Thursday morning 4 - 5 miles. I think I'm tapering enough since I do feel rested even after a very decent pace 22 miles on Saturday and 9 trail miles today.

I'm not feeling sore. I was worried I was getting sick since Thursday my stomach felt queasy, and throat hurt a little. The symptoms never worsened but I didn't feel normal until today so I guess I fought off something.

The latest weather forecast for 3 Days of Syllamo, Mountain View, AR is looking near perfect. A few days ago there was a good chance of rain on Sat., but now the best chance of rain is only on Sun at 20%. Highs will be about 58 F and lows in the upper 30s with partly to mostly cloudy skies, and very little wind. It could rain there on Thursday which could make the trails wet. There's also been a lot of rain there recently so the creeks could be up. I plan to take 3 pairs of trail shoes so should have dry shoes each day.

So far, I'm not stressing too much about this race. Worse case scenario is I would have to end up walking but there seems to be plenty of time to finish - 9 hrs for the 50K, 14 hrs for 50 mi, and 6 hrs for 20K. My plan is to mostly use liquid and gel nutrition. Aid stations will provide Heed - a carbohydrate drink, plus other hot and cold drinks and minimal food. I'm still figuring out what to carry with me, and what to leave at each drop station. The 50K will have a drop at 15 mi. The 50 miles will have drops at 18, 28, and 39 miles.

Once I'm done, Friday and Saturday, I will spend the rest of the day resting, recovering, and eating to prepare for the next day. I have a goal pace in mind and hope to stick with it for the first 2 days. The third day I will use whatever I have left for the 20K. It is really hard to say my pace for sure since I don't know what kind of terrain I am dealing with. I won't commit myself, but my pace will be slower than what I've been training on the trails.

Date: 3/3/2008 7:45 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 37:00
Weight: 152 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 6/10

Date: 3/4/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Jaira's Jaunt - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 57:35
Pace: 7:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 21° F, Sunny
Notes: No snow this morning, but too cold. Started out with a slow warm-up and ran most of the way with Dan, Phil, and Tom. James passed us and we found him doing hill repeats with extra weight on his back on the first hill. I felt okay for this run and then started to feel really good after mile 5. Munashe had caught up to us and James was behind me. I sped up and tried to stay with Munashe but couldn't up the hill on Stadium. Tom did catch me up the hill. Phil caught up to me near the end and I felt good so went another mile up the hill on forum and then down. Dan finished another mile on the trail and wasn't far behind. It was nice to feel good at the end of one of these runs especially with the hills and near tempo pace.

M1 - 8:51
M2 - 7:30
M3 - 7:40
M4 - 7:08
M5 - 6:57
M6 - 6:33
M7 - 6:11
M8 - 6:43

Date: 3/6/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Grant Run
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 1:05:35
Pace: 8:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 28° F, Sunny
Notes: We were supposed to run loops around the swamp today and do intervals. I couldn't convince myself to run more than the warm-up loop (we weren't allowed to pass the pacers) so took off and did the Grant Run except took the trail back instead of Forum. I stopped running when I got to 8 miles and walked the rest of the way. Didn't feel good until the last couple miles and could have really used a bathroom for most of the run.

M1 - 9:21
M2 - 8:55
M3 - 7:54
M4 - 8:16
M5 - 8:02
M6 - 8:05
M7 - 7:33
M8 - 7:23

Date: 3/6/2008 7:10 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 41:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10

Date: 3/8/2008 6:00 AM
Type: Long
Course: Tayside 22
Distance: 22 miles
Duration: 2:53:57
Pace: 7:55 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 14° F, Sunny, Windy
Notes: Kept pace with Dan and Destiny for entire run. My GPS battery died at 6 mi and then the clip on GPS broke later so guess I was destined to not run with the GPS. It never felt like we were going too fast so was a good run. I carried water and it froze just a little. Temps warmed up to 23 F during the run.

1) 8:49. . . . . . 9) 8:17 . . . . . 16) 7:44
2) 8:18 . . . . . 10) 7:57 . . . . . 17) 7:47
3) 7:57 . . . . . 11) 7:46 . . . . . 18) 7:49
4) 7:49 . . . . . 12) 8:00 . . . . . 19) 7:40
5) 7:54 . . . . . 13) 7:57 . . . . . 20) 7:43
6) 7:44 . . . . . 14) 8:01 . . . . . 21) 7:26
7) 7:47 . . . . . 15) 7:57 . . . . . 22) 7:41
8) 7:46

Date: 3/9/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 9 miles
Duration: 1:24:14
Pace: 9:22 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 50° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Dan, Hugh, and Dan H. on the muddy trails. Less muddy than week, but still very slippery. Legs felt really good after yesterday's 22 miles. Ended up getting a little warm and taking off one of my shirts.

m1....9:17
m2...10:03
m3....9:43
m4....9:10
m5....9:29
m6....9:33
m7....8:57
m8....8:56
m9....9:03

Running: 47 Mi - 6:21:21

Weights: 1 hr 18 min

YTD Running: 559.1

March 14 – 16 -3 Days of Syllamo
March 22- Sedalia Half Marathon
April 12-Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday, March 02, 2008

2/25/08 - 3/2/08

This week I intended to cut back to 50 miles. I ended up running 63.1 miles on 9 runs with 2 days off. Three of the runs were easy 4 mile dog runs so I'm okay with the increase. Next week, the plan was originally 37 miles, but I'm thinking low-40s would be more realistic. I will also take off 2 - 3 days so should be a good taper. Then I will just run 2 times the next week before 3 Days of Syllamo and hope I'm ready.

I learned this week that it probably isn't a good idea for me to run a 5K after a long run. Although it was good training, I'd prefer to have a good 5K time and then run long after.

Date: 2/25/2008 8:15 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper bulk #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 40:00
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10

Date: 2/25/2008 9:00 PM
Type: Interval
Course: Treadmill
Distance: 4.5 miles
Duration: 31:59
Pace: 7:07 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 9/10
Notes: For some reason (could be the stress at work?) I felt like doing an interval workout and haven't done any kind of intervals since track night last year. I ran 1/2 mi warmup, plus 5 half mile intervals at 6:31 pace with 1/4 mi recoveries, plus 1/2 mi cool down. No way that I would have ever felt like doing this last year after doing 2 long runs, let alone one on the weekend.

Felt really strong so maybe I will want to do this again? I did feel a little nauseous though after having a post workout meal. I often get that feeling if I eat too soon after a really hard workout.

Date: 2/26/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Dave's Devil - A Route
Distance: 7.5 miles
Duration: 51:25
Pace: 6:52 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Weather: 31° F, Windy
Notes: Excellent run at a crazy pace with Dan and Josh. Josh pulled ahead of us at about 5 mi. Then Dan ahead pulled ahead of me. Before Forum, I felt like I was about spent, but managed to keep Dan in my sights. I caught up to both on the downhill at the end. I was going so fast, I didn't want to slow down and passed them. Even though it was a hard effort felt good and probably needed a hard run like this. Definitely should help my speed to push like this.

M1 - 7:10
M2 -7:19
M3 - 6:43
M4 - 6:35
M5 - 6:54
M6 - 6:33
M7 - 7:05
M7.5 - 3:05 (going really fast down hill at the end)

Date: 2/28/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Grant Run
Distance: 6 miles
Duration: 45:03
Pace: 7:31 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 6/10
Notes: New run course today was a little short, but a good down and up on Chapel Hill Rd. Ran with Dan and felt pretty easy at 7:31 average pace.

M1 - 7:57
M2 - 7:15
M3 - 7:23
M4 - 7:26
M5 - 7:37
M6 - 7:25

Date: 2/28/2008 5:45 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 34:13
Pace: 8:34 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 36° F
Notes: Ran with Hugh and dogs. Roads were muddy and the dogs had to be hosed off. Bruno's collar slipped off when were distracted by some other dogs, but he came back when called. He never would let up on the pace.

Date: 2/28/2008 9:40 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 35:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10

Date: 3/1/2008 5:00 AM
Type: Long
Course: Bear Creek 15
Distance: 15 miles
Duration: 1:55:31
Pace: 7:43 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 30° F
Notes: Ran first 8 with Dan, Destiny, John, and Aaron. Dan cut off to the Bear Creek trail on Blue Ridge. The rest of us continued on course. Miles 11 - 12 were really fast since John picked up the pace to run a couple intervals. Destiny kept on her pace. John ran back home after 12 and I continued to the finish with Aaron who was going to run a few more. Run felt good but those 2 fast miles and the hill after really took a lot out of me. I seemed to recover pretty well on the hill and from the splits doesn't look like it slowed us that much. This was actually a pretty challenging course and we didn't get lost on this new route.

M1 - 8:47
M2 - 8:05
M3 - 8:02
M4 - 7:51
M5 - 7:47
M6 - 7:55
M7 - 7:58
M8 - 7:54
M9 - 7:44
M10 - 7:23
M11 - 7:01
M12 - 6:47
M13 - 7:37
M14 - 7:23
M15 - 7:15

Date: 3/1/2008 9:00 AM
Type: Race
Course: Run with the Eagles 5K
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 20:56
Pace: 6:46 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement: 6 / 44 (13.6%)
Age group: 30 – 39
Group Placement: 4 / 8 (50%)
Weather: 42° F, Sunny
Notes: After finishing my 15 mi and Dan S. 13 mi, we headed to the 5K at 8 am which started at 9 am. I had a couple recovery drinks, energy drink, and gel and felt okay, but didn't expect to set any PRs since I had run a challenging 15 mi course at 7:42 pace. Hugh arrived shortly after we got there. He did the sensible thing and didn't run before the 5K. Dan H. was also there and had run the course as a warm-up. I was feeling cold even though it had warmed up at least 10 degrees to about 40F. I often feel cold after a long run so I guess this is normal.

The course started on a sidewalk and I felt pretty good and even like I wanted to go faster, but it was too hard to get around so stayed back. There were 2 guys way in the lead and 4 of us, including Dan, running together. I wasn't sure whether to just stay in the group or pick up the pace. I felt good at this point and decided to pick up a little since there was room to get around, but 2 of them passed me soon. My first mile was 6:25 which was nothing great for me. The trail was a little rough too, but not too bad. At the turn around we see Dan H. and Hugh running together.

Dan S. was near behind at the turn around and passed me shortly. I wasn't feeling great anymore and decided to try to stay behind and keep him in my sights. At mile 2 my split was 6:33. Dan was catching up to another guy and I kept thinking he was going to pass him. There were a couple hills in the last mile that really slowed me down along with already being fatigued. Mile 3 was 7:12. I could see the finish and noticed the guy behind Dan so he had been able to pass near the end and beat him by 2 seconds. My last 0.1 mi was 46 sec and I was happy to be done with a total time of 20:56, about 2 min slower than I normally run a 5K.

Considering running this race at 6:46 pace after running 15 mi, I felt I had accomplished my goal of running a hard 3 miles at the end of a long run. My age group was 30-39 and placed 6th overall and 4th in my age group but they were only giving hardware to 2nd place so even with fresh legs, I doubt I would have had a chance other than a faster time. Hugh and Dan H. both placed 2nd in their age groups. Hugh's name was drawn for a cake or pie from the Skyline cafe and Dan S. won a BBQ set. This was a fun first time event and would definitely do again, but without the 15 mi run first.

Date: 3/1/2008 12:30 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 36:46
Pace: 9:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 62° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Hugh, Rusty, and Bruno. Roads were a mess so had to clean the dogs again. I wasn't gong to run more today, but felt like an easy run wouldn't hurt me. It was nice and actually got warm enough while out to run without a shirt.

Date: 3/2/2008 7:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Rock Fork Conservation - Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 39:14
Pace: 9:49 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 5/10
Notes: Woke up at 7 am and too nice to go back to sleep so took the dogs for a run with Hugh. The trail was a little rough and muddy, but not any worse than the gravel roads.

Date: 3/2/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 15 miles
Duration: 2:26:46
Pace: 9:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 77° F, Windy, Humid, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Ran first 5.6 on Gans Creek side with Hugh and Dan. Hugh had enough of the muddy trails then finished his run on the roads. Ran with Dan for 9.4 miles on Deer Run Loop. Temps were warm enough for no shirt. Trails were very muddy. It was still an enjoyable run and we were thoroughly muddy. Carrying water might have been a good idea today. My face was quite salty when we finished. We then went to Grinders for dinner wearing our mud and had dessert at Andy's Frozen Custard.

m1 10:57
m2 10:58
m3 10:03
m4 10:40
m5 11:31 (walked up the hill)
m6 9:57
m7 9:01
m8 9:59
m9 9:19
m10 8:58
m11 9:53
m12 8:45
m13 9:05
m14 9:00
m15 8:38

Running: 62.3 Mi - 8:41:53

Weights: 1 hr 15 min

YTD Running: 512.1

March 14 – 16 -3 Days of Syllamo
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon