2011 Rock Bridge Revenge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Facebook
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

 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)

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

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

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.