Anyone reading this may think this is really nerdy and we have gone off the deep end here in Columbia, Missouri. Perhaps this will be the next craze sweeping the country. So far I have not heard of it, but maybe others have done this. Hugh had this idea that people could run a route that makes a semi-recognizable picture or spells something.
He made an attempt himself on Tuesday. Can you read what he wrote between miles 3 and 4? You will need to zoom in:
Click here to see his creation
Then tonight another one of our running friends spelled something on his run.
Click here to see his creation
I am wondering if this might put Columbia on the map as the home of running art or footmanship?
I suddenly have this urge to go out and do a run and then in the middle of my run, draw a picture or spell something.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
2009 Sedalia Half Marathon
2009 Sedalia Half Marathon Select Columbia Runners Pictures taken courtesy of Dick Ross
All Sedalia Half Marathon Pictures taken courtesy of Dick Ross
2009 Sedalia Half Marathon Results
Today Hugh and I headed to the Sedalia Half Marathon. We have run this half marathon more than any other half. It is close, cheap, and a well-run fun small event. I wasn’t sure if I would be racing it this year since I ran 3 Days of Syllamo last weekend. I felt pretty good after Syllamo and even better after taking 3 days off running. I ran on Thursday and felt good so on Friday I was thinking I would attempt to break my 3 year old half marathon PR.
I ran this half last year after Syllamo and although it went okay, I was not recovered enough to attempt a PR. I wasn’t even sure I would try racing it at all last year since the warm up felt awful. This year, one week later, I felt ready to race again. We arrived about 8:30 am, picked up packets, and then I headed out for a 1 mile warm up. Warm up felt good, headed to the car to get rid of some clothes before heading to the start line. Temperature was about 50F and skies were cloudy.
My plan was to try to run just under 6:30s, and take the first couple miles a little easier at 6:40. There were fewer than 100 people at the start line this year, where normally this race attracts over 100 runners. We started a few minutes after 9 am. I started in the front and there were 3 guys that took off very fast that were clearly not in the same league as the rest of us.
Dan S. hung with me for the first mile which ended up being 6:31. This was a little faster than both of us thought we wanted to run. He let up a little on the pace and I decided to keep it steady. I found myself running with a young kid (have no idea how old he was) and kept pace with him. Then he pulled ahead a bit and I decided to hang back. On the first slight hill, I caught him.
We continued to run together and I am not quite sure who was doing the pacing but he did not act like he wanted to pass me so we ran side by side. I didn’t take water until the second water station. From this point, the run is pretty boring but I am feeling good and focused. The miles just keep clicking by one by one at a very consistent pace. Before we reach the turn around we get to see the 3 guys in the lead. We were in 4th and 5th place at this point. These 3 guys in the lead were so far ahead of us that we did not see them until they were coming back from the turn around. I took a gel at about 6.5 miles.
Right before the turn around we took water although they only had 1 water and 1 Gatorade ready so he took water after we turned around. It was nice to see everyone for about a mile on the way back. We are both still running strong side by side and I am getting a lot of encouragement as I see everyone. Then we are back to running alone. He seemed to be breathing harder than me and although I felt like I could talk I presumed that he didn’t want to or he would have said something by now. At the next water station, I let him go first and he got water. They had Gatorade in the other hand so I said I would get at the next station. My racing partner asked if I wanted the rest of his water so I took it. I am just thinking, what a nice guy.
At this point we were about 3 miles from the end. I am still feeling good but now we are running into some wind. I push to keep our pace steady and he stays right with me. I figure at some point since I am feeling so good I should probably pick up the pace and am hoping he will stay with me and we’ll finish together unless he feels like passing me. I was not planning to attempt to pass him right at the end after pacing that far with him. I just don’t want to pick it up too soon.
With 1.1 miles to go, I decide to pick it up and see what I have left. He does not stay with me. I picked up to about 6:15 pace pushing to the finish. Overall time was 1:25:04 for 13.16 miles at a 6:28 pace. I have a new PR by 1:44 and on the same course as my previous PR. I placed 4th overall and my race partner came in right behind me about 19 seconds behind me. He thanked me for pacing him although I think we paced each other at times. Dan S. finished 6th behind him setting a half PR.
Our Columbia group seemed to run well and most of us received bricks for placing in our age groups. I was first in my age group and Hugh placed second.
The event was hosted by the Sedalia Runners Club for the benefit of the Max Lewis Special Needs Trust and is sponsored by Pepsi, Bothwell Regional Health Center and County Distributing.
There is a raffle in between awards for a lot of different prizes. Dan S. had purchased 5 tickets and gave to Hugh before he left. I purchased 5 more tickets. Dan said to get him the beer clock or the Michelobe Ultra Beer mirror if they drew his name and those were left. They drew one of my tickets fairly early and I picked out the UltraMarathon Man – Dean Karnazes book since I didn’t see anything else I really wanted and had wanted to get this book at some point. The clock was the first thing to go. With about 6 items left, they still had not drawn any of Dan’s numbers, but the mirror was left. They drew another of my numbers. Nothing left that I really wanted so I picked up the mirror for Dan to add to his collection.
We had a large group that went to Country Kitchen for lunch before heading home.
Here are my splits:
Mile Time Overall Time Pace
1 Mi 6:30.61 6:30.61 6:31
2 Mi 6:30.46 13:01.07 6:31
3 Mi 6:27.79 19:28.86 6:28
4 Mi 6:27.75 25:56.61 6:28
5 Mi 6:30.76 32:27.37 6:31
6 Mi 6:30.92 38:58.29 6:31
7 Mi 6:30.43 45:28.72 6:31
8 Mi 6:28.03 51:56.75 6:29
9 Mi 6:24.89 58:21.64 6:25
10 Mi 6:26.12 1:04:47.76 6:27
11 Mi 6:29.53 1:11:17.29 6:30
12 Mi 6:31.28 1:17:48.57 6:32
13 Mi 6:16.58 1:24:05.15 6:17
13.16Mi 0:59.19 1:25:04.34 6:10
All Sedalia Half Marathon Pictures taken courtesy of Dick Ross
2009 Sedalia Half Marathon Results
Today Hugh and I headed to the Sedalia Half Marathon. We have run this half marathon more than any other half. It is close, cheap, and a well-run fun small event. I wasn’t sure if I would be racing it this year since I ran 3 Days of Syllamo last weekend. I felt pretty good after Syllamo and even better after taking 3 days off running. I ran on Thursday and felt good so on Friday I was thinking I would attempt to break my 3 year old half marathon PR.
I ran this half last year after Syllamo and although it went okay, I was not recovered enough to attempt a PR. I wasn’t even sure I would try racing it at all last year since the warm up felt awful. This year, one week later, I felt ready to race again. We arrived about 8:30 am, picked up packets, and then I headed out for a 1 mile warm up. Warm up felt good, headed to the car to get rid of some clothes before heading to the start line. Temperature was about 50F and skies were cloudy.
My plan was to try to run just under 6:30s, and take the first couple miles a little easier at 6:40. There were fewer than 100 people at the start line this year, where normally this race attracts over 100 runners. We started a few minutes after 9 am. I started in the front and there were 3 guys that took off very fast that were clearly not in the same league as the rest of us.
Dan S. hung with me for the first mile which ended up being 6:31. This was a little faster than both of us thought we wanted to run. He let up a little on the pace and I decided to keep it steady. I found myself running with a young kid (have no idea how old he was) and kept pace with him. Then he pulled ahead a bit and I decided to hang back. On the first slight hill, I caught him.
We continued to run together and I am not quite sure who was doing the pacing but he did not act like he wanted to pass me so we ran side by side. I didn’t take water until the second water station. From this point, the run is pretty boring but I am feeling good and focused. The miles just keep clicking by one by one at a very consistent pace. Before we reach the turn around we get to see the 3 guys in the lead. We were in 4th and 5th place at this point. These 3 guys in the lead were so far ahead of us that we did not see them until they were coming back from the turn around. I took a gel at about 6.5 miles.
Right before the turn around we took water although they only had 1 water and 1 Gatorade ready so he took water after we turned around. It was nice to see everyone for about a mile on the way back. We are both still running strong side by side and I am getting a lot of encouragement as I see everyone. Then we are back to running alone. He seemed to be breathing harder than me and although I felt like I could talk I presumed that he didn’t want to or he would have said something by now. At the next water station, I let him go first and he got water. They had Gatorade in the other hand so I said I would get at the next station. My racing partner asked if I wanted the rest of his water so I took it. I am just thinking, what a nice guy.
At this point we were about 3 miles from the end. I am still feeling good but now we are running into some wind. I push to keep our pace steady and he stays right with me. I figure at some point since I am feeling so good I should probably pick up the pace and am hoping he will stay with me and we’ll finish together unless he feels like passing me. I was not planning to attempt to pass him right at the end after pacing that far with him. I just don’t want to pick it up too soon.
With 1.1 miles to go, I decide to pick it up and see what I have left. He does not stay with me. I picked up to about 6:15 pace pushing to the finish. Overall time was 1:25:04 for 13.16 miles at a 6:28 pace. I have a new PR by 1:44 and on the same course as my previous PR. I placed 4th overall and my race partner came in right behind me about 19 seconds behind me. He thanked me for pacing him although I think we paced each other at times. Dan S. finished 6th behind him setting a half PR.
Our Columbia group seemed to run well and most of us received bricks for placing in our age groups. I was first in my age group and Hugh placed second.
The event was hosted by the Sedalia Runners Club for the benefit of the Max Lewis Special Needs Trust and is sponsored by Pepsi, Bothwell Regional Health Center and County Distributing.
There is a raffle in between awards for a lot of different prizes. Dan S. had purchased 5 tickets and gave to Hugh before he left. I purchased 5 more tickets. Dan said to get him the beer clock or the Michelobe Ultra Beer mirror if they drew his name and those were left. They drew one of my tickets fairly early and I picked out the UltraMarathon Man – Dean Karnazes book since I didn’t see anything else I really wanted and had wanted to get this book at some point. The clock was the first thing to go. With about 6 items left, they still had not drawn any of Dan’s numbers, but the mirror was left. They drew another of my numbers. Nothing left that I really wanted so I picked up the mirror for Dan to add to his collection.
We had a large group that went to Country Kitchen for lunch before heading home.
Here are my splits:
Mile Time Overall Time Pace
1 Mi 6:30.61 6:30.61 6:31
2 Mi 6:30.46 13:01.07 6:31
3 Mi 6:27.79 19:28.86 6:28
4 Mi 6:27.75 25:56.61 6:28
5 Mi 6:30.76 32:27.37 6:31
6 Mi 6:30.92 38:58.29 6:31
7 Mi 6:30.43 45:28.72 6:31
8 Mi 6:28.03 51:56.75 6:29
9 Mi 6:24.89 58:21.64 6:25
10 Mi 6:26.12 1:04:47.76 6:27
11 Mi 6:29.53 1:11:17.29 6:30
12 Mi 6:31.28 1:17:48.57 6:32
13 Mi 6:16.58 1:24:05.15 6:17
13.16Mi 0:59.19 1:25:04.34 6:10
Thursday, March 19, 2009
3 Days of Syllamo - 2009
Road Trip plus Day 1 -
Once again this race turned out to be the most fun, and scenic race I have done. This is one that is just done for the pure joy of running regardless of pace. Jeff and I headed to Arkansas at 11 am Thursday. This year instead of camping I stayed in a small cabin with Jeff with a comfortable bed, kitchen, satellite TV, and more. We arrived late afternoon checked into the cabin, picked up race packets and headed to dinner for a buffet at the Pizza Inn in Mountain View. Then back to the cabin, prepared for Friday’s race, watched ER and then off to bed.
We got up at 6:30 am and arrived at race headquarters around 8 am. The race site was about 15 minutes from where we were staying. The area was hit hard by an ice storm in early February so we were limited on the trails that we could use this year. Volunteers had cleared some trails and the plan was to use trails and forest roads to make up the difference. We found Allan at his campsite and then visited with other runners before the race and I got to see Ashley, the female winner that I ran a lot of the miles with last year.
The first race was supposed to be a 50K but ended up being a marathon. We started out up a big climb which was the same as we took last year for the 50 mile. This time though it wasn’t quite as painful, but still not pleasant to start up this big climb. I never could seem to catch my breath. Maybe I should have run a warm up?
The first 10 miles were on trail and I ran with Ashley. There was an aid station about every 5 miles. At the 10 mile we ran on a forest road for an out and back. It was at this point we learned the course was not going to be a 50K. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed as it was still quite challenging. Once we got back to the trail I had Ashley run ahead of me. We ran a couple miles and then I told her I was going to stop to pee and to go ahead and I would try to catch up. I tried but wasn’t feeling a whole lot better so just kept moving.
I had been drinking Accelerade and taking an Accelerade gel every 5 miles. I used about 1 of my bottles each 10 miles. By then I felt naseous/queasy but didn’t eat any solid food which may have been my problem. Mentally, I felt good (but no speed) so I keep pushing on and about half mile before the end Po Dog catches up to me. Once he sees how close we are to the end we decide to finish together. Last year I had finished with someone each race and thought I was going to go in alone, but it was nice to finish with someone. I headed off to soak legs in creek with some other runners. Allan finished in 4:31 and Jeff in 5:15.
42K (26.2 mi) - 4:20:19
12 of 44 men
13 of 56 overall
Temp: 34 at beginning and 48 at end.
Day 2 - 50 mi
I felt pretty good waking up and didn’t need to take any Ibuprofen this year. I had no joint pain and no muscle soreness. We had to get up at 5 am since the 50 miler started at 7 am. Ate breakfast as the day before and then headed to race head quarters to check in. Today’s course was going to be 2 different out and backs. The first out and back about 10.5 miles total and then the second out and back same trail as marathon but different forest road.
Since my GPS is only good for 8 hours, I did not turn on until after the first 10.5 since there was no way I could run under 8 hours on this course. I decided to start out real easy and see how I felt. I ran the first half of the out and back with Allan and some others. We crossed a creek about chest deep and had to cross again on the way back. Once we crossed the creek, I picked up the pace. I finished this part of the course about the same time as another guy that I would end up passing back and forth for quite a bit of the 50 miles.
At the 20 mile aid station, which was the end of the trail portion, I decided to not change my shoes since my feet felt pretty good and they were mostly dry. I grabbed more gels from my drop bag, ate some peanut butter and crackers, and drank an Amp since I really needed some energy. I spent 6 – 7 minutes refueling and then headed out with one of the coed teams that had caught up. We headed up the forest road to run out 10 miles.
I didn’t stay long with this couple since I ran up the hill although slow I called it running and was faster than they were walking. It went up for about a mile until it went down and ended up being a rolling gravel road that was not necessarily easy, but easier to run faster than trail. I really had to concentrate to run faster than the trail since I was tired. Some miles were faster and some were not. I passed a guy that didn’t look like he was doing too well. I finally make it to the end and had almost caught the guy that passed me earlier until I stopped to refuel at the 30 mile aid station. I headed back out as the guy I had passed came in and asked for Ibuprofen.
I had already seen the faster runners heading back and got to see the rest on the way back. The guy that wasn’t feeling well earlier caught up to me and was feeling better. Another guy caught up too. We pass back and forth for awhile as I am not feeling well. Then I have a surge and leave them both in the dust although one of them will catch me later.
I stopped at the 40 mile aid station for more gels and peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter and jelly, and then head back out to the trail. Once I get on the trail my pace is noticeably slower. The guy that I passed earlier passes me and looks like he is running well. I have to walk up hills and have some really slow miles. I am thinking at best I will be done in 9 hrs 45 min at this slow pace. This is fine with me since I just want to finish feeling good. After about 3 miles, I manage to pick up pace a little and run more smoothly hanging on to the end. This was an okay (not great) run and I felt good at the end. I headed off to soak my legs in the creek with about 20 fish gathering around me. I had to kick them away as they got too close to my legs.
50 mi - 9:33:06
11 of 34 men
12 of 41 overall
Temp: Beginning was 43 end was 59F
Allan finished in 10 hr 25 min and Jeff finished in 10 hrs 50 min. We all took hours off our times from last year. Jeff and I headed back to our cabin and grilled steaks before heading off to bed at 10 pm.
Day 3 - 20K
I woke in the night with slightly achy knees and took an Ibuprofen. When I got up I felt pretty good and decided to take 2 more Ibuprofen just for good measure. I was feeling good and ready to run a race. I did not have that feeling the first 2 days. Last year I had felt completely beat up by the 3rd day so was happy to feel so good. I was actually looking forward to the 20K and not dreading it.
Originally, we were going to run back up the hill for the 20K, but since we had already done that twice the race director decided we would do the out and back that crossed the creek. After crossing the creek, we then had to run a short while on roads to a rickety bridge before turning around. I managed to stay right behind a group of faster runners until we crossed the creek on the way back. For some reason, the cold water must have been a shock and I had a hard time getting my pace back up to speed. At one point I did catch them later when I sped up.
As I was speeding along to catch them I fell on some rock and landed on my water bottle. The bottle sprung me right back up on my feet which was quite amazing and too bad no one could see this. I caught up to them as they had made a wrong turn. They were on fire and although I felt I was running fast I could not keep up so kept my own pace.
About 1 mile before the end a girl that had been running with us earlier caught up to me. I told her to go around and I would try to keep up. I ended up finishing with her and we were 2 minutes behind the group we ran with earlier. I was quite happy with this run and overall it went very well.
20K - 1:49:25
13 of 53 men
14 (tied with second woman) of 64 overall
Temp was 48.
Overall - 15:42:50
9th of 31 men
10th of 39 overall
2009 Results
Once again even with the lack of trails, this proved to be a fun and low-key event. There were great single-track trails with rock faces, ledges, and the not as fun forest roads. There were even a few trees to climb over but the trails we ran on were pretty clear so not as bad as last year. Also, this year we got 2 different shirts, a finisher’s glass, and coffee travel mug. I also won a pair of toe socks in the drawing. And as always there were other supportive runners that offered a lot of encouragement. I ended up feeling good and not like I had been through hell after the 3 days. My feet were in good shape as I had thoroughly coated them in Body Glide. Legs felt decent and joints felt good. Even though the course was less difficult than last year, it wasn’t easy. I am still new to this but it seems like it does get easier each year.
Other reports:
Ashley Nordell
Julie
Susan
Dave Wakefield
Marshall
Adam and Dan
Karl
Once again this race turned out to be the most fun, and scenic race I have done. This is one that is just done for the pure joy of running regardless of pace. Jeff and I headed to Arkansas at 11 am Thursday. This year instead of camping I stayed in a small cabin with Jeff with a comfortable bed, kitchen, satellite TV, and more. We arrived late afternoon checked into the cabin, picked up race packets and headed to dinner for a buffet at the Pizza Inn in Mountain View. Then back to the cabin, prepared for Friday’s race, watched ER and then off to bed.
We got up at 6:30 am and arrived at race headquarters around 8 am. The race site was about 15 minutes from where we were staying. The area was hit hard by an ice storm in early February so we were limited on the trails that we could use this year. Volunteers had cleared some trails and the plan was to use trails and forest roads to make up the difference. We found Allan at his campsite and then visited with other runners before the race and I got to see Ashley, the female winner that I ran a lot of the miles with last year.
The first race was supposed to be a 50K but ended up being a marathon. We started out up a big climb which was the same as we took last year for the 50 mile. This time though it wasn’t quite as painful, but still not pleasant to start up this big climb. I never could seem to catch my breath. Maybe I should have run a warm up?
The first 10 miles were on trail and I ran with Ashley. There was an aid station about every 5 miles. At the 10 mile we ran on a forest road for an out and back. It was at this point we learned the course was not going to be a 50K. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed as it was still quite challenging. Once we got back to the trail I had Ashley run ahead of me. We ran a couple miles and then I told her I was going to stop to pee and to go ahead and I would try to catch up. I tried but wasn’t feeling a whole lot better so just kept moving.
I had been drinking Accelerade and taking an Accelerade gel every 5 miles. I used about 1 of my bottles each 10 miles. By then I felt naseous/queasy but didn’t eat any solid food which may have been my problem. Mentally, I felt good (but no speed) so I keep pushing on and about half mile before the end Po Dog catches up to me. Once he sees how close we are to the end we decide to finish together. Last year I had finished with someone each race and thought I was going to go in alone, but it was nice to finish with someone. I headed off to soak legs in creek with some other runners. Allan finished in 4:31 and Jeff in 5:15.
42K (26.2 mi) - 4:20:19
12 of 44 men
13 of 56 overall
Temp: 34 at beginning and 48 at end.
Day 2 - 50 mi
I felt pretty good waking up and didn’t need to take any Ibuprofen this year. I had no joint pain and no muscle soreness. We had to get up at 5 am since the 50 miler started at 7 am. Ate breakfast as the day before and then headed to race head quarters to check in. Today’s course was going to be 2 different out and backs. The first out and back about 10.5 miles total and then the second out and back same trail as marathon but different forest road.
Since my GPS is only good for 8 hours, I did not turn on until after the first 10.5 since there was no way I could run under 8 hours on this course. I decided to start out real easy and see how I felt. I ran the first half of the out and back with Allan and some others. We crossed a creek about chest deep and had to cross again on the way back. Once we crossed the creek, I picked up the pace. I finished this part of the course about the same time as another guy that I would end up passing back and forth for quite a bit of the 50 miles.
At the 20 mile aid station, which was the end of the trail portion, I decided to not change my shoes since my feet felt pretty good and they were mostly dry. I grabbed more gels from my drop bag, ate some peanut butter and crackers, and drank an Amp since I really needed some energy. I spent 6 – 7 minutes refueling and then headed out with one of the coed teams that had caught up. We headed up the forest road to run out 10 miles.
I didn’t stay long with this couple since I ran up the hill although slow I called it running and was faster than they were walking. It went up for about a mile until it went down and ended up being a rolling gravel road that was not necessarily easy, but easier to run faster than trail. I really had to concentrate to run faster than the trail since I was tired. Some miles were faster and some were not. I passed a guy that didn’t look like he was doing too well. I finally make it to the end and had almost caught the guy that passed me earlier until I stopped to refuel at the 30 mile aid station. I headed back out as the guy I had passed came in and asked for Ibuprofen.
I had already seen the faster runners heading back and got to see the rest on the way back. The guy that wasn’t feeling well earlier caught up to me and was feeling better. Another guy caught up too. We pass back and forth for awhile as I am not feeling well. Then I have a surge and leave them both in the dust although one of them will catch me later.
I stopped at the 40 mile aid station for more gels and peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter and jelly, and then head back out to the trail. Once I get on the trail my pace is noticeably slower. The guy that I passed earlier passes me and looks like he is running well. I have to walk up hills and have some really slow miles. I am thinking at best I will be done in 9 hrs 45 min at this slow pace. This is fine with me since I just want to finish feeling good. After about 3 miles, I manage to pick up pace a little and run more smoothly hanging on to the end. This was an okay (not great) run and I felt good at the end. I headed off to soak my legs in the creek with about 20 fish gathering around me. I had to kick them away as they got too close to my legs.
50 mi - 9:33:06
11 of 34 men
12 of 41 overall
Temp: Beginning was 43 end was 59F
Allan finished in 10 hr 25 min and Jeff finished in 10 hrs 50 min. We all took hours off our times from last year. Jeff and I headed back to our cabin and grilled steaks before heading off to bed at 10 pm.
Day 3 - 20K
I woke in the night with slightly achy knees and took an Ibuprofen. When I got up I felt pretty good and decided to take 2 more Ibuprofen just for good measure. I was feeling good and ready to run a race. I did not have that feeling the first 2 days. Last year I had felt completely beat up by the 3rd day so was happy to feel so good. I was actually looking forward to the 20K and not dreading it.
Originally, we were going to run back up the hill for the 20K, but since we had already done that twice the race director decided we would do the out and back that crossed the creek. After crossing the creek, we then had to run a short while on roads to a rickety bridge before turning around. I managed to stay right behind a group of faster runners until we crossed the creek on the way back. For some reason, the cold water must have been a shock and I had a hard time getting my pace back up to speed. At one point I did catch them later when I sped up.
As I was speeding along to catch them I fell on some rock and landed on my water bottle. The bottle sprung me right back up on my feet which was quite amazing and too bad no one could see this. I caught up to them as they had made a wrong turn. They were on fire and although I felt I was running fast I could not keep up so kept my own pace.
About 1 mile before the end a girl that had been running with us earlier caught up to me. I told her to go around and I would try to keep up. I ended up finishing with her and we were 2 minutes behind the group we ran with earlier. I was quite happy with this run and overall it went very well.
20K - 1:49:25
13 of 53 men
14 (tied with second woman) of 64 overall
Temp was 48.
Overall - 15:42:50
9th of 31 men
10th of 39 overall
2009 Results
Once again even with the lack of trails, this proved to be a fun and low-key event. There were great single-track trails with rock faces, ledges, and the not as fun forest roads. There were even a few trees to climb over but the trails we ran on were pretty clear so not as bad as last year. Also, this year we got 2 different shirts, a finisher’s glass, and coffee travel mug. I also won a pair of toe socks in the drawing. And as always there were other supportive runners that offered a lot of encouragement. I ended up feeling good and not like I had been through hell after the 3 days. My feet were in good shape as I had thoroughly coated them in Body Glide. Legs felt decent and joints felt good. Even though the course was less difficult than last year, it wasn’t easy. I am still new to this but it seems like it does get easier each year.
Other reports:
Ashley Nordell
Julie
Susan
Dave Wakefield
Marshall
Adam and Dan
Karl
Saturday, March 07, 2009
2009 Run with the Eagles 5K
Run with the Eagles Race Results
Started out really fast on this course at a sub-6 pace. The course goes down and then we come back up on the way back so it is not a negative split course. I planned to start fast and then slow down a little. At the beginning I was in 6th place. I could see Bill S. ahead of me most of the way and Pat H. for a awhile. I passed one guy shortly before the first mile, passed Nicole M. at about the 1st mile, and then a 3rd guy right after the first mile. I felt confident I was running stronger and could stay ahead of all 3 of them. First mile was 5:46 which was about where I wanted it.
We turned around at a cone at the half way point. Hit second mile in 6:08. Then had a few hills to go back up. It was warm and I was feeling fatigue but kept pushing. I could see one of the guys behind me but had enough of a lead I thought I could stay ahead of him. The end was up hill so really had to push to keep my lead. Third mile was 6:33 and last 0.13 was 47 seconds. Ending up finishing 3rd overall in 19:15 and first in age group of 40 - 49. I was happy with this result. I don't think I could have done any better today.
Started out really fast on this course at a sub-6 pace. The course goes down and then we come back up on the way back so it is not a negative split course. I planned to start fast and then slow down a little. At the beginning I was in 6th place. I could see Bill S. ahead of me most of the way and Pat H. for a awhile. I passed one guy shortly before the first mile, passed Nicole M. at about the 1st mile, and then a 3rd guy right after the first mile. I felt confident I was running stronger and could stay ahead of all 3 of them. First mile was 5:46 which was about where I wanted it.
We turned around at a cone at the half way point. Hit second mile in 6:08. Then had a few hills to go back up. It was warm and I was feeling fatigue but kept pushing. I could see one of the guys behind me but had enough of a lead I thought I could stay ahead of him. The end was up hill so really had to push to keep my lead. Third mile was 6:33 and last 0.13 was 47 seconds. Ending up finishing 3rd overall in 19:15 and first in age group of 40 - 49. I was happy with this result. I don't think I could have done any better today.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
2009 Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K
After getting up at 4 am, Hugh and I left at 4:45 am to drive to Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, KS for the race. He was kind enough to get up and go with me to fulfill my need to run a trail ultra. I didn’t have time to prepare anything to eat before we left so we went to the drive-thru at McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin on the way out of town. I sipped on some Accelerade as well on the way there.
After driving 2.5 hours we arrived at about 7:20 am. The temperature had dropped from 30 F to 23 F from when we left Columbia and there was a dusting of snow on the ground. First order of business was to use the bathroom and then picked up my race packet and number which contained the timing chip. The packet included a bright yellow-orange wicking shirt, Psycho Psoup mug, and some candy hearts. We headed back to the car and moved to a closer spot to the start line. Then I changed shoes, and figured out what clothes to keep and remove. I was trying to decide whether to wear the Mizuno running pants or not. A couple runners out of several hundred were wearing shorts so I opted for shorts although some girl commented that I was crazy when she saw me heading to the start line later. I decided to keep my running jacket which did come in handy for holding all the baggies of powdered Accelerade and Accelerade Gel. I mixed one in my water bottle since we were required to carry a bottle and refill at aid stations.
At 7:55 I get out of the car and we headed to the starting line. Hugh took a few pictures of me with his phone and I decided to head to near the front of the starting line. The race promptly started at 8 am and we were off across a field. We had about 1/3 of a mile to spread out before heading into the woods. The first couple miles of the trails were pretty torn up from horses. The ground was pretty frozen and this was really tough to start out running on this surface. My fingers were cold and numb for a couple miles, but then warmed up.
About mile 3 we entered the Psycho Triangle which is a confusing switchback section. There is an aid station at this section that we encounter on the way in and then again on the way out. This section had sharp turns with trails running near each other so I could hear other people close behind at times even though they were not. I was following close behind another runner through this section. He offered to let me pass and I told him I would let him know if I needed to do so. I ended up staying behind him and he ran ahead.
The course overall was very hilly and described as 20% flat, 40% up and 40% downhill. There were lots of rocks and roots to run over and steep hills and downgrades, and a few trees to climb over or duck under. A few times we got to run in grassland area which was a welcome break. Also there were a few short sections of pavement, one which came at about mile 5 and was 1/3 of mile up hill. This hill road section came after we had just climbed a hill up to the road. The trails along the course were very well marked with flags and signs and there was never a question of where to go. There were also amusing signs along the way and flowers sticking in the ground in along one the grassy areas in honor of Valentine’s Day.
I had told Hugh not to expect me before 1.5 hours on the first loop, but ended up completing in 1:29:00 so he just missed seeing me. He had gone out for a 5 mile run and then was going to run 5 more miles while I ran the second loop. He was back in the car when I came through after the first loop. There were 3 aid stations on the course, but I didn’t need to stop at any since I was carrying everything I needed. Before I had completed the first loop, I added another bag of my Accelerade powder to my bottle and had it ready to fill at the end of the first loop so stopped less than a minute and was off again.
At this point, no one was running near me. On the second loop I caught up to the guy that I was behind for awhile on the first loop. The race had included either 1, 2, or 3 loops and he was running 2 loops. I ran behind this guy for awhile. He was running his first trail race. Eventually, he had me go around him and wished me a good race. At the Psycho Triangle a guy I ran with a Syllamo and also have seen him at other races said hi to me. He actually got me through the 50 miler at Syllamo last year when he caught up to me with 5 miles to go and got me running again.
The second loop some of the snow was starting to melt and the some of the downhills were slippery. I skied a little ways down one hill but managed not to fall and then slipped down another shortly after that one. I was still feeling good and kept the pace steady but cautious to avoid falling on the treacherous parts of the course. By the end of the second loop it was starting to get a little muddy where the sun was hitting the trail.
I finished the second loop in 1:36:56 with an overall time of about 3:06. Filled my bottle again the same as before having already dumped in the Accelerade while I was running. I also had been taking a gel Accelerade gel about every 5 miles and did not consume any other food. Hugh got to see my take off for the 3rd loop, asked how I was feeling. I said good and I was off to finish the last loop.
I spent a lot of time on this loop passing slower runners that ran the 20 mile race. This was kind of nice to pass the time since otherwise I ran this loop alone. By now I knew the course and also was cautious where I could see people had slipped. The course was getting muddier and this third loop turned into a complete mess. There was no way I could keep the same pace due to the mud. I had to slow down for corners to not slide. I ran up hills when I could but sometimes still had to walk a few steps to keep my footing. My shoes had stayed fairly dry since there was only 1 creek we crossed and it wasn’t that deep. Even though my shoes became coated with mud, my feet felt dry. There was no longer slippery snow on downhills, but now I had slippery mud on some of the downhills.
Everyone I encountered as I passed was having the same difficulty getting through the mud. The worst part was a muddy ditch we were running and I nearly lost it there as I tried to stay up right stumbling around like a drunk. I did hit my hand on the side of the muddy ditch so got my water bottle and glove a little muddy. Shoes were a mess and had to carry the extra weight of mud on them until it came off. This third loop I really had to think about keeping myself moving, no matter how slow and try not to walk.
I had no idea of my overall time since I only had my Garmin to show splits which are never accurate on these kinds of trails. I wasn’t tracking overall time as I was going. I wasn’t worried about anyone catching me at this point since I was confident they were having the same kinds of problems as me with the mud. I figured as long as I kept trying to run, they couldn’t catch up to me. Where I could I tried to run faster.
Finally, I get to the point where I know the end is near. It didn’t seem like the third loop was taking that long, but it took me 1:54:57. I was so occupied with keeping my mind on getting though it, I guess that made the time fly. Looking at the results this was the norm for everyone that each loop took them longer.
My finishing time was 5:00:54 which is about the same as all 50Ks I have run so far. I got a finishers medal. Overall, I placed 4th out of 77 finishers, 4th of 65 males, 1st of 19 in age 40 – 49 age group.
For each loop in my age group they had our place which I found interesting and also made me feel better seeing these results. I placed 2nd in the first loop, and first in the 2nd and 3rd loop. That third loop time really bothered me but I was still first within my age group for that loop. Everyone ran each consecutive loop slower than the first so I guess that is just how it was supposed to happen for this race. It was just a matter of the course worsened on each loop which made this challenging course even more challenging than I could have imagined after running the first 2 loops which didn’t seem too bad. If I had ended it there, I would have felt like I didn’t work very hard, but the 3rd loop was a real test and I feel like mentally I handled it well and physically I just did the best I could. I think I learned from this race to always keep running no matter how slow do not stop and walk. That mindset really helped get me through that 3rd loop.
After I finished a guy working the finish recommended that I get something to eat since I looked pale. Actually I felt fine and wasn’t hungry but ate a small bowl of soup, a cookie, and some orange juice. At that point I was not hungry at all and the thought of anymore food did not sound good. We walked back to the car, and I got my clothes to change. I scraped the mud off my legs with an ice scraper and cleaned up the best I could. My appetite came back and we then drove to the Plaza and had Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch before heading home.
After driving 2.5 hours we arrived at about 7:20 am. The temperature had dropped from 30 F to 23 F from when we left Columbia and there was a dusting of snow on the ground. First order of business was to use the bathroom and then picked up my race packet and number which contained the timing chip. The packet included a bright yellow-orange wicking shirt, Psycho Psoup mug, and some candy hearts. We headed back to the car and moved to a closer spot to the start line. Then I changed shoes, and figured out what clothes to keep and remove. I was trying to decide whether to wear the Mizuno running pants or not. A couple runners out of several hundred were wearing shorts so I opted for shorts although some girl commented that I was crazy when she saw me heading to the start line later. I decided to keep my running jacket which did come in handy for holding all the baggies of powdered Accelerade and Accelerade Gel. I mixed one in my water bottle since we were required to carry a bottle and refill at aid stations.
At 7:55 I get out of the car and we headed to the starting line. Hugh took a few pictures of me with his phone and I decided to head to near the front of the starting line. The race promptly started at 8 am and we were off across a field. We had about 1/3 of a mile to spread out before heading into the woods. The first couple miles of the trails were pretty torn up from horses. The ground was pretty frozen and this was really tough to start out running on this surface. My fingers were cold and numb for a couple miles, but then warmed up.
About mile 3 we entered the Psycho Triangle which is a confusing switchback section. There is an aid station at this section that we encounter on the way in and then again on the way out. This section had sharp turns with trails running near each other so I could hear other people close behind at times even though they were not. I was following close behind another runner through this section. He offered to let me pass and I told him I would let him know if I needed to do so. I ended up staying behind him and he ran ahead.
The course overall was very hilly and described as 20% flat, 40% up and 40% downhill. There were lots of rocks and roots to run over and steep hills and downgrades, and a few trees to climb over or duck under. A few times we got to run in grassland area which was a welcome break. Also there were a few short sections of pavement, one which came at about mile 5 and was 1/3 of mile up hill. This hill road section came after we had just climbed a hill up to the road. The trails along the course were very well marked with flags and signs and there was never a question of where to go. There were also amusing signs along the way and flowers sticking in the ground in along one the grassy areas in honor of Valentine’s Day.
I had told Hugh not to expect me before 1.5 hours on the first loop, but ended up completing in 1:29:00 so he just missed seeing me. He had gone out for a 5 mile run and then was going to run 5 more miles while I ran the second loop. He was back in the car when I came through after the first loop. There were 3 aid stations on the course, but I didn’t need to stop at any since I was carrying everything I needed. Before I had completed the first loop, I added another bag of my Accelerade powder to my bottle and had it ready to fill at the end of the first loop so stopped less than a minute and was off again.
At this point, no one was running near me. On the second loop I caught up to the guy that I was behind for awhile on the first loop. The race had included either 1, 2, or 3 loops and he was running 2 loops. I ran behind this guy for awhile. He was running his first trail race. Eventually, he had me go around him and wished me a good race. At the Psycho Triangle a guy I ran with a Syllamo and also have seen him at other races said hi to me. He actually got me through the 50 miler at Syllamo last year when he caught up to me with 5 miles to go and got me running again.
The second loop some of the snow was starting to melt and the some of the downhills were slippery. I skied a little ways down one hill but managed not to fall and then slipped down another shortly after that one. I was still feeling good and kept the pace steady but cautious to avoid falling on the treacherous parts of the course. By the end of the second loop it was starting to get a little muddy where the sun was hitting the trail.
I finished the second loop in 1:36:56 with an overall time of about 3:06. Filled my bottle again the same as before having already dumped in the Accelerade while I was running. I also had been taking a gel Accelerade gel about every 5 miles and did not consume any other food. Hugh got to see my take off for the 3rd loop, asked how I was feeling. I said good and I was off to finish the last loop.
I spent a lot of time on this loop passing slower runners that ran the 20 mile race. This was kind of nice to pass the time since otherwise I ran this loop alone. By now I knew the course and also was cautious where I could see people had slipped. The course was getting muddier and this third loop turned into a complete mess. There was no way I could keep the same pace due to the mud. I had to slow down for corners to not slide. I ran up hills when I could but sometimes still had to walk a few steps to keep my footing. My shoes had stayed fairly dry since there was only 1 creek we crossed and it wasn’t that deep. Even though my shoes became coated with mud, my feet felt dry. There was no longer slippery snow on downhills, but now I had slippery mud on some of the downhills.
Everyone I encountered as I passed was having the same difficulty getting through the mud. The worst part was a muddy ditch we were running and I nearly lost it there as I tried to stay up right stumbling around like a drunk. I did hit my hand on the side of the muddy ditch so got my water bottle and glove a little muddy. Shoes were a mess and had to carry the extra weight of mud on them until it came off. This third loop I really had to think about keeping myself moving, no matter how slow and try not to walk.
I had no idea of my overall time since I only had my Garmin to show splits which are never accurate on these kinds of trails. I wasn’t tracking overall time as I was going. I wasn’t worried about anyone catching me at this point since I was confident they were having the same kinds of problems as me with the mud. I figured as long as I kept trying to run, they couldn’t catch up to me. Where I could I tried to run faster.
Finally, I get to the point where I know the end is near. It didn’t seem like the third loop was taking that long, but it took me 1:54:57. I was so occupied with keeping my mind on getting though it, I guess that made the time fly. Looking at the results this was the norm for everyone that each loop took them longer.
My finishing time was 5:00:54 which is about the same as all 50Ks I have run so far. I got a finishers medal. Overall, I placed 4th out of 77 finishers, 4th of 65 males, 1st of 19 in age 40 – 49 age group.
For each loop in my age group they had our place which I found interesting and also made me feel better seeing these results. I placed 2nd in the first loop, and first in the 2nd and 3rd loop. That third loop time really bothered me but I was still first within my age group for that loop. Everyone ran each consecutive loop slower than the first so I guess that is just how it was supposed to happen for this race. It was just a matter of the course worsened on each loop which made this challenging course even more challenging than I could have imagined after running the first 2 loops which didn’t seem too bad. If I had ended it there, I would have felt like I didn’t work very hard, but the 3rd loop was a real test and I feel like mentally I handled it well and physically I just did the best I could. I think I learned from this race to always keep running no matter how slow do not stop and walk. That mindset really helped get me through that 3rd loop.
After I finished a guy working the finish recommended that I get something to eat since I looked pale. Actually I felt fine and wasn’t hungry but ate a small bowl of soup, a cookie, and some orange juice. At that point I was not hungry at all and the thought of anymore food did not sound good. We walked back to the car, and I got my clothes to change. I scraped the mud off my legs with an ice scraper and cleaned up the best I could. My appetite came back and we then drove to the Plaza and had Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch before heading home.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
2009 Nut Race 5K
Ran 10 miles at 7 am before the race with the Uprise Group at 9:01pace. Arrived at the race about 15 min before start time at 9 am. I felt good today and was hoping for something under 19 min. I had part of an energy drink before we received our pre-race instructions. I was wearing 2 long-sleeved wicking shirts from my earlier run and I changed into the one that felt the lightest since it was above 60 F. I thought about going shirtless but decided I could remove during the race if I got hot since the course is almost 3 loops.
At the start line, the race director mentioned that the most scantily dressed would win a coconut. Since it was about 62 F this wasn't a big of a deal as normal. This is called the nut race since often it is quite cold. I think this year was the warmest nut race on record.
Everyone seemed to start off at a very fast pace going slightly downhill. I just let them go and tried to slow down as my Garmin was clocking 5:38. I felt really good and tried to keep the pace around 5:55. I passed a few people in the beginning and then stayed behind Brad E. Going up the hill, I slowed to around 6:11. After it leveled out we were back to the start and it goes gradually downhill again and I picked up the pace. I dropped my shirt off at this point.
About mile 2, I was catching Brad and felt like I needed to pass him. Then up the hill again the same pace as before. Here I passed a group of 3 guys running together. After the hill, recovered quickly and again a good pace going down.
On the 3rd loop, I lapped a few people. The pace up the hill slowed a bit according to the Garmin, but once I hit the downhill, I easily made it up running 5:30 - 5:40 to the end. The 3rd loop does not go all the way back around and I sprint to the end.
Splits:
M1 - 5:59
M2 - 5:58
M3 - 5:58
M3.13 - 0:43 (5:47 pace)
I have never run a 5K with such even splits. The course is almost 3 loops and the miles are not in the same position, but we do get the hills on each loop. I was still amazed they were that even since the last hill was slower, but made it up on the down. I had way too much left at the end too so know I could have ran this better.
I had a course PR by 25 seconds at 18:37 and my second fastest 5K. I placed 2 out of 10 in my age group of 40 - 49 and 7 of 45 overall. It was a fast group of runners today. I was the only person in the 18 min range and the others ahead of me were in the 15 - 17 min range. I received an age group award for second was a jar of peanuts. Award for first was a bigger jar and 3rd was a small bag of peanut M&Ms. I also received the coconut. Although another runner removed their shirt during the race since I beat him, I got the coconut for most scantily dressed runner. Hugh also placed second his his age group.
The past 2 weeks after Disney I have run 84 and 78 miles. This week is a cut back week for me and will be 58 miles. Then next Saturday I run the Pyscho Wyco 50K trail run in Kansas City. Then back to the last few weeks of training for 3 Days of Syllamo. I am hoping to be more prepared than last year for this one.
At the start line, the race director mentioned that the most scantily dressed would win a coconut. Since it was about 62 F this wasn't a big of a deal as normal. This is called the nut race since often it is quite cold. I think this year was the warmest nut race on record.
Everyone seemed to start off at a very fast pace going slightly downhill. I just let them go and tried to slow down as my Garmin was clocking 5:38. I felt really good and tried to keep the pace around 5:55. I passed a few people in the beginning and then stayed behind Brad E. Going up the hill, I slowed to around 6:11. After it leveled out we were back to the start and it goes gradually downhill again and I picked up the pace. I dropped my shirt off at this point.
About mile 2, I was catching Brad and felt like I needed to pass him. Then up the hill again the same pace as before. Here I passed a group of 3 guys running together. After the hill, recovered quickly and again a good pace going down.
On the 3rd loop, I lapped a few people. The pace up the hill slowed a bit according to the Garmin, but once I hit the downhill, I easily made it up running 5:30 - 5:40 to the end. The 3rd loop does not go all the way back around and I sprint to the end.
Splits:
M1 - 5:59
M2 - 5:58
M3 - 5:58
M3.13 - 0:43 (5:47 pace)
I have never run a 5K with such even splits. The course is almost 3 loops and the miles are not in the same position, but we do get the hills on each loop. I was still amazed they were that even since the last hill was slower, but made it up on the down. I had way too much left at the end too so know I could have ran this better.
I had a course PR by 25 seconds at 18:37 and my second fastest 5K. I placed 2 out of 10 in my age group of 40 - 49 and 7 of 45 overall. It was a fast group of runners today. I was the only person in the 18 min range and the others ahead of me were in the 15 - 17 min range. I received an age group award for second was a jar of peanuts. Award for first was a bigger jar and 3rd was a small bag of peanut M&Ms. I also received the coconut. Although another runner removed their shirt during the race since I beat him, I got the coconut for most scantily dressed runner. Hugh also placed second his his age group.
The past 2 weeks after Disney I have run 84 and 78 miles. This week is a cut back week for me and will be 58 miles. Then next Saturday I run the Pyscho Wyco 50K trail run in Kansas City. Then back to the last few weeks of training for 3 Days of Syllamo. I am hoping to be more prepared than last year for this one.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Strange occurrence after running - Raynaud's Syndrome?
This afternoon I met Dan for a trail run at Rock Bridge. We ran 9 miles together and I ran 9 alone. I really felt like I was running smoothly today and had good energy. I dressed as warm as yesterday wearing 2 layers of pants, 2 shirts, jacket, warm hat, and gloves. I did wear the lighter gloves and hands felt plenty warm even though it was 19F.
Driving home, I noticed the tip of my index finger and middle finger on the left hand were feeling a little tingly and numb. I thought this was strange since my hands felt warm during the run. I just assumed maybe a pinched nerve or maybe I was grasping the steering wheel too tightly. I stopped for gas and still noticed the fingers felt tingly. I am thinking maybe they got cold and I didn't realize it. I wasn't worried since I figured I'm in the warm car and they will be fine.
I get into the house and then notice the index and middle finger are turning completely white. At this point I am really freaked out and don't know what is going on. I pace around the kitchen moving my arm around. I think my fingers are going to die and fall off. Then I run some warm water over them. This goes on for several minutes and then they begin to get some reddish color back like the rest of my fingers. None of this was painful. I am confused since I remember if my hands get really cold and I rewarm them it kind of hurts. After the color returned though they still felt really cold but looked and felt about normal as the feeling gradually returned.
I search Google for frost bite and it didn't seem to fit the symptoms so I searched for running fingers numb white. I find this has happened to others so I start to feel a little better. It really sounds like Raynaud's Syndrome to me. I had not heard of this before, but I think that is what happened. At least I know what to expect if it happens again and maybe can do some things to prevent. Also, I now know what to do during an attack and without knowing I did some things right when it happened.
Here are a couple of the web pages I found that pretty much described what happened:
Cold Hands Warm Heart
Running to Win Forum
Symptoms and Prevention
Driving home, I noticed the tip of my index finger and middle finger on the left hand were feeling a little tingly and numb. I thought this was strange since my hands felt warm during the run. I just assumed maybe a pinched nerve or maybe I was grasping the steering wheel too tightly. I stopped for gas and still noticed the fingers felt tingly. I am thinking maybe they got cold and I didn't realize it. I wasn't worried since I figured I'm in the warm car and they will be fine.
I get into the house and then notice the index and middle finger are turning completely white. At this point I am really freaked out and don't know what is going on. I pace around the kitchen moving my arm around. I think my fingers are going to die and fall off. Then I run some warm water over them. This goes on for several minutes and then they begin to get some reddish color back like the rest of my fingers. None of this was painful. I am confused since I remember if my hands get really cold and I rewarm them it kind of hurts. After the color returned though they still felt really cold but looked and felt about normal as the feeling gradually returned.
I search Google for frost bite and it didn't seem to fit the symptoms so I searched for running fingers numb white. I find this has happened to others so I start to feel a little better. It really sounds like Raynaud's Syndrome to me. I had not heard of this before, but I think that is what happened. At least I know what to expect if it happens again and maybe can do some things to prevent. Also, I now know what to do during an attack and without knowing I did some things right when it happened.
Here are a couple of the web pages I found that pretty much described what happened:
Cold Hands Warm Heart
Running to Win Forum
Symptoms and Prevention
Sunday, January 11, 2009
2009 Walt Disney World Marathon
Hugh, Dan, and I traveled to Orlando on Friday to run the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. We arrived late on Friday, ate IHOP and went to bed. On Saturday we did a lot of carb-loading and resting since we had to get up at 3 am Eastern time which was like getting up at 2 am Missouri time.
We left about 3:30 am and didn't have any problems with traffic. Arrived about 4 am and stood in line for bathrooms hoping that we could go, but I think due to the early time it was difficult. There was a guy right behind us in line wearing a USMC shirt with a nametag of Chris, and wearing a hat. I asked if he was Chris from the Joy of Running Group since he said that was what he would be wearing. Pretty amazing that he picked that line out of the 100s of port-a-potties and the thousands of people. He called Bill (slow twin) from the group that we met in Minneapolis for dinner and he came over to say hi. Then we headed to the start line which had plenty more bathrooms and shorter lines. We waited there around an hour before starting trying to use the bathrooms and I finally had success 2 times cutting it close since we were starting in 15 minutes. Dan said he was giving up and moved up to the 3:10 area. Hugh started somewhere behind the 3:30 pacers. When I came back the last time I moved up as close to the front as I could get through people and waited.
National anthem, wheel chair runners, fire works and we were off running. My body felt really good before the marathon so I was hoping that wasn't a bad sign. I had set my Garmin for a 6:51 pace to get me in at 2:59:28 giving me a little cushion to get under 3. Felt like my pace was fast and erratic at times, but turned out it was really even at each mile. Ran the first 4 miles trying to establish a pace and then met up with a guy named Brian that asked if I wanted to pace with him. When he found out I was from Columbia he mentioned he was running the Heart of America this year staying with 2 friends from Mizzou. He was trying to qualify for Boston with a 3:10 or better and had also ran a couple 50 miles. I enjoyed talking with him and we paced for 3 miles until he said he was stopping to loosen his tight shoe and said to go ahead. I kept looking back for him and did not see him again. I found out after the marathon he is a friend of Andrew and Allison Cox (Hugh's former coworker).
The first hour or so of the course was dark although some areas were lighted and some were not. Disney characters along the course trying to amuse us. Some parts were fun to run through and some were kind of boring where there was nothing. I continued pacing on my own and the miles kept going by a little ahead of goal pace. At mile 14 I caught up to a small group of about 6 guys that looked like they were running about the pace I should be running. They said they were trying to keep between 6:45 – 6:50 pace so I ran with them for 3 miles and then their group started to break up. I pulled ahead with a guy from their group. Also, had a guy with an Army shirt I was using for pace too that kept going back and forth.
I had run the first 13.1 in my mind as a race and then was sort of running the next 6.9 to get to 20 as a race. I was still feeling good at 20 so kept pushing on with the pace. I was running alone and couldn’t see many in front of me and right before mile 24 I start seeing people. I feel like I am running a faster pace and begin passing runners, counting them off to pass the time. I end up passing 10 of them by mile 25 and then see no one ahead of me until about 25.5 mi gaining on a guy but not catching him. Never bonked or hit the wall. Felt quads a little in the last half mile. At times in the last 6 miles I felt like I was the only one running since no one was around me. It was kind of strange and almost didn’t feel real. Crowds of people all cheering for me since no one else was around. Our names were on the number so they could yell out names as we went by.
I finished in 2:58:12, 66th out of 14,940. Placed 9th of 1374 in 40 – 44 age group. Once I got through the food line, waited for Dan to come in and then Hugh. I wasn’t sure whether to go for a sub-3 or just run to enjoy, but my competitive nature made me go for it even though I really had my doubts I could do it on this flat course. The flat Chicago course I ran poorly in 2006 mostly due to cold and spasms had me thinking that I couldn’t run fast on a flat course. I am very happy with my even splits and ran the last half 12 seconds faster than the first. Missed a PR by 25 seconds.
M1 – 6:57…….M14 – 6:43
M2 – 6:42…….M15 – 6:41
M3 – 6:45…….M16 – 6:51
M4 – 6:46…….M17 – 6:48
M5 – 6:47…….M18 – 6:47
M6 – 6:47…….M19 – 6:43
M7 – 6:45…….M20 – 6:46
M8 – 6:49…….M21 – 6:48
M9 – 6:47…….M22 – 6:45
M10 – 6:47…..M23 – 6:51
M11 – 6:43….M24 – 6:44
M12 – 6:45….M25 – 6:46
M13 – 6:45….M26 – 6:45
………………0.35 – 6:20 pace
Clock Time2:58:19
Chip Time2:58:12
Overall Place66 /14940
Gender Place61/7801
Division Place9/1374
5 Mile 34:08
10 Mile 1:08:07
Half Split1:29:12
20 Mile 2:15:58
I'm really bad at describing this course but this blog does a good job:
Disney Marathon Tour
We left about 3:30 am and didn't have any problems with traffic. Arrived about 4 am and stood in line for bathrooms hoping that we could go, but I think due to the early time it was difficult. There was a guy right behind us in line wearing a USMC shirt with a nametag of Chris, and wearing a hat. I asked if he was Chris from the Joy of Running Group since he said that was what he would be wearing. Pretty amazing that he picked that line out of the 100s of port-a-potties and the thousands of people. He called Bill (slow twin) from the group that we met in Minneapolis for dinner and he came over to say hi. Then we headed to the start line which had plenty more bathrooms and shorter lines. We waited there around an hour before starting trying to use the bathrooms and I finally had success 2 times cutting it close since we were starting in 15 minutes. Dan said he was giving up and moved up to the 3:10 area. Hugh started somewhere behind the 3:30 pacers. When I came back the last time I moved up as close to the front as I could get through people and waited.
National anthem, wheel chair runners, fire works and we were off running. My body felt really good before the marathon so I was hoping that wasn't a bad sign. I had set my Garmin for a 6:51 pace to get me in at 2:59:28 giving me a little cushion to get under 3. Felt like my pace was fast and erratic at times, but turned out it was really even at each mile. Ran the first 4 miles trying to establish a pace and then met up with a guy named Brian that asked if I wanted to pace with him. When he found out I was from Columbia he mentioned he was running the Heart of America this year staying with 2 friends from Mizzou. He was trying to qualify for Boston with a 3:10 or better and had also ran a couple 50 miles. I enjoyed talking with him and we paced for 3 miles until he said he was stopping to loosen his tight shoe and said to go ahead. I kept looking back for him and did not see him again. I found out after the marathon he is a friend of Andrew and Allison Cox (Hugh's former coworker).
The first hour or so of the course was dark although some areas were lighted and some were not. Disney characters along the course trying to amuse us. Some parts were fun to run through and some were kind of boring where there was nothing. I continued pacing on my own and the miles kept going by a little ahead of goal pace. At mile 14 I caught up to a small group of about 6 guys that looked like they were running about the pace I should be running. They said they were trying to keep between 6:45 – 6:50 pace so I ran with them for 3 miles and then their group started to break up. I pulled ahead with a guy from their group. Also, had a guy with an Army shirt I was using for pace too that kept going back and forth.
I had run the first 13.1 in my mind as a race and then was sort of running the next 6.9 to get to 20 as a race. I was still feeling good at 20 so kept pushing on with the pace. I was running alone and couldn’t see many in front of me and right before mile 24 I start seeing people. I feel like I am running a faster pace and begin passing runners, counting them off to pass the time. I end up passing 10 of them by mile 25 and then see no one ahead of me until about 25.5 mi gaining on a guy but not catching him. Never bonked or hit the wall. Felt quads a little in the last half mile. At times in the last 6 miles I felt like I was the only one running since no one was around me. It was kind of strange and almost didn’t feel real. Crowds of people all cheering for me since no one else was around. Our names were on the number so they could yell out names as we went by.
I finished in 2:58:12, 66th out of 14,940. Placed 9th of 1374 in 40 – 44 age group. Once I got through the food line, waited for Dan to come in and then Hugh. I wasn’t sure whether to go for a sub-3 or just run to enjoy, but my competitive nature made me go for it even though I really had my doubts I could do it on this flat course. The flat Chicago course I ran poorly in 2006 mostly due to cold and spasms had me thinking that I couldn’t run fast on a flat course. I am very happy with my even splits and ran the last half 12 seconds faster than the first. Missed a PR by 25 seconds.
M1 – 6:57…….M14 – 6:43
M2 – 6:42…….M15 – 6:41
M3 – 6:45…….M16 – 6:51
M4 – 6:46…….M17 – 6:48
M5 – 6:47…….M18 – 6:47
M6 – 6:47…….M19 – 6:43
M7 – 6:45…….M20 – 6:46
M8 – 6:49…….M21 – 6:48
M9 – 6:47…….M22 – 6:45
M10 – 6:47…..M23 – 6:51
M11 – 6:43….M24 – 6:44
M12 – 6:45….M25 – 6:46
M13 – 6:45….M26 – 6:45
………………0.35 – 6:20 pace
Clock Time2:58:19
Chip Time2:58:12
Overall Place66 /14940
Gender Place61/7801
Division Place9/1374
5 Mile 34:08
10 Mile 1:08:07
Half Split1:29:12
20 Mile 2:15:58
I'm really bad at describing this course but this blog does a good job:
Disney Marathon Tour
Friday, January 02, 2009
2008 Running and Racing Year in Review
Goals accomplished this year (I had 6 goals for this year and accomplished my top 4):
1. Sub - 3 hour marathon
2. Ran fewer 5Ks. I ran one less 5K than last year
3. Ran more trail races and more on trails
4. Enjoyed running and racing
I did not meet my goals to become a better swimmer and do a triathlon. I had a lot of other great accomplishments but they were not goals.
Total Miles:
2008 – 3014
2007 – 2572
2006 – 1937
2005 – 2090
2004 - ~1000
Marathons:
2008 - (4) Boston Marathon (BQ & PR), Laughing Out Loud Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ), Twin Cities Marathon (BQ)
2007 - (5) Laughing Out Load, Berryman (First Trail Marathon - placed
4th), Heart of America (BQ), Baltimore Marathon (BQ), Bass Pro
Marathon
2006 - (3) Flying Pig (BQ), Heart of America (BQ, Chicago (BQ)
2005 - (3) Mad City, Heart of America (BQ), Portland (BQ)
2004 - (1) Heart of America
Ultramarathons:
2008 – (4)3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Berryman 50 mi, Rock Creek Trail 50K
2007 - (1) Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K
Number of each type of races:
50 mi – 2
50K - 2
Marathon – 4
Half Marathon - 1
20K - 3
10 mi - 1
10K - 2
5 mi - 1
8K - 1
4 mi - 1
5K - 10
Total running miles run in 28 races: 385 miles (last year 30 races – 295 mi)
States I ran marathons and ultras in 2008 (5): AR, KS, MA, MN, MO
All states I have run marathons and ultras (9): AR, IL, KS, MA, MD, MN, OH, OR, WI
2008 PRs in 5K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi, marathon, 50K, 50 mi
2007 PRs in 5K, 4 mi, 8K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi
2006 PRs in 20K, Half Marathon, and Marathon
Goals for 2009:
1. Continue to enjoy running and racing
I am making it easy this year and having only 1 running goal. Too much other going on in life right now. I would like to sell house and settle in a new home this year closer to where I work. Also, would like to focus on work so that our expansion goes smoothly.
Marathons and ultras planned for 2009:
January - Disney
February - Maybe Pyscho Wyco 50K
March - 3 days of Sylammo
April - Boston Marathon
May - Berryman Trail 50 miler
June - No plans
July - No plans
August - No plans
September - Heart of America Marathon
October – Rock Creek Trail 50K
November - No plans
December - No plans
1. Sub - 3 hour marathon
2. Ran fewer 5Ks. I ran one less 5K than last year
3. Ran more trail races and more on trails
4. Enjoyed running and racing
I did not meet my goals to become a better swimmer and do a triathlon. I had a lot of other great accomplishments but they were not goals.
Total Miles:
2008 – 3014
2007 – 2572
2006 – 1937
2005 – 2090
2004 - ~1000
Marathons:
2008 - (4) Boston Marathon (BQ & PR), Laughing Out Loud Marathon, Heart of America Marathon (BQ), Twin Cities Marathon (BQ)
2007 - (5) Laughing Out Load, Berryman (First Trail Marathon - placed
4th), Heart of America (BQ), Baltimore Marathon (BQ), Bass Pro
Marathon
2006 - (3) Flying Pig (BQ), Heart of America (BQ, Chicago (BQ)
2005 - (3) Mad City, Heart of America (BQ), Portland (BQ)
2004 - (1) Heart of America
Ultramarathons:
2008 – (4)3 Days of Syllamo 50K, 3 Days of Syllamo 50 mi, Berryman 50 mi, Rock Creek Trail 50K
2007 - (1) Hocking Hills Indian Run 60K
Number of each type of races:
50 mi – 2
50K - 2
Marathon – 4
Half Marathon - 1
20K - 3
10 mi - 1
10K - 2
5 mi - 1
8K - 1
4 mi - 1
5K - 10
Total running miles run in 28 races: 385 miles (last year 30 races – 295 mi)
States I ran marathons and ultras in 2008 (5): AR, KS, MA, MN, MO
All states I have run marathons and ultras (9): AR, IL, KS, MA, MD, MN, OH, OR, WI
2008 PRs in 5K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi, marathon, 50K, 50 mi
2007 PRs in 5K, 4 mi, 8K, 5 mi, 10K, 10 mi
2006 PRs in 20K, Half Marathon, and Marathon
Goals for 2009:
1. Continue to enjoy running and racing
I am making it easy this year and having only 1 running goal. Too much other going on in life right now. I would like to sell house and settle in a new home this year closer to where I work. Also, would like to focus on work so that our expansion goes smoothly.
Marathons and ultras planned for 2009:
January - Disney
February - Maybe Pyscho Wyco 50K
March - 3 days of Sylammo
April - Boston Marathon
May - Berryman Trail 50 miler
June - No plans
July - No plans
August - No plans
September - Heart of America Marathon
October – Rock Creek Trail 50K
November - No plans
December - No plans
Thursday, January 01, 2009
2008 First Night 5K
We barely made it to the race on time to run a half mile warm up since we had about 10 minutes to the start. Temperature of 31 F is a little cooler than I like for a 5K. I ran once around the block with Hugh before heading to the start line. I started at the front behind Nicole M. and ran a good pace up the hill before 6th street so barely noticed it. Right away though I could tell I was not quite warmed up since the cold air was hard to breathe.
Tony R. easily passed me at the beginning and seemed to be running a good race ahead of me where he should be so I didn’t try to stay with him. Jacquie was ahead and I passed her and figured we were about the same pace. At the turn around I thought I counted I was in about 15th place. I could hear Jacquie behind me on the way back but she never passed me.
In about the last 3/4 mile or so John H. catches up to me. I decide to just stay with him and we cross the finish together. I motioned for him to get in line ahead of me since it really didn't matter and this race was just for fun. I really didn't feel like pushing it since the race felt more like a warm up for me. I guess I am now used to the usual 3 mile warm up for a 5K and I think that would have helped with the breathing.
Considering I didn't really push it, my time of 19:01 is decent for this course. Placed 15th overall and 2nd in age group and John took first. No awards though since this is a non competitive race.
Hopefully, I will be able to make myself taper enough to run Disney. My temptation is to go out and run a lot of trail miles training for 3 Days of Syllamo when I should be tapering. I am guessing that I going to place 3rd in the Serial Competition beating out Bill S. by one point. This race helped him catch up a little to me but didn't count in my top 10 for the competition. The other 2 guys behind me easily passed me up since this was their 10th race. I think Dan will place 5th and Hugh 6th.
After the race, my mileage for the year ended at 3014.5 miles. Last year ended at 2572 miles which is about what Hugh ran this year. I won't be trying to hit a certain amount of miles next year. Really, I have no goals other than to continue staying healthy and enjoying running and running races.
Tony R. easily passed me at the beginning and seemed to be running a good race ahead of me where he should be so I didn’t try to stay with him. Jacquie was ahead and I passed her and figured we were about the same pace. At the turn around I thought I counted I was in about 15th place. I could hear Jacquie behind me on the way back but she never passed me.
In about the last 3/4 mile or so John H. catches up to me. I decide to just stay with him and we cross the finish together. I motioned for him to get in line ahead of me since it really didn't matter and this race was just for fun. I really didn't feel like pushing it since the race felt more like a warm up for me. I guess I am now used to the usual 3 mile warm up for a 5K and I think that would have helped with the breathing.
Considering I didn't really push it, my time of 19:01 is decent for this course. Placed 15th overall and 2nd in age group and John took first. No awards though since this is a non competitive race.
Hopefully, I will be able to make myself taper enough to run Disney. My temptation is to go out and run a lot of trail miles training for 3 Days of Syllamo when I should be tapering. I am guessing that I going to place 3rd in the Serial Competition beating out Bill S. by one point. This race helped him catch up a little to me but didn't count in my top 10 for the competition. The other 2 guys behind me easily passed me up since this was their 10th race. I think Dan will place 5th and Hugh 6th.
After the race, my mileage for the year ended at 3014.5 miles. Last year ended at 2572 miles which is about what Hugh ran this year. I won't be trying to hit a certain amount of miles next year. Really, I have no goals other than to continue staying healthy and enjoying running and running races.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
2008 Cheese and Sauerkraut 10 Miler
2008 Cranberry Cheese and Sauerkraut Results
This is a prediction race where the closest predictor wins cheese and the worst wins sauerkraut. Also, the race is run without wearing watches. The temperature was about 45F but it was terribly windy today.
This year I decided to predict closer to what I actually thought I could run in ideal conditions even though it was a bit windy. Dan and I ran 3.6 miles as a warm up and the wind wasn't too bad for where we had to run on the course. Last year I ran this race in 1:06:46 so decided to predict 1:04:30 since based on my last race which was a 10k, the running calculator was saying about 1:04. I didn't taper for this so gave myself an extra 30 seconds.
I took off at what seemed like a very fast pace and had a pretty big lead. With no watch to pace myself who knows what ridiculous pace I ran. At the road where we run out and turn around to run back before we get on the trail, I calculated the first guy behind me was about 42 sec. By the time I finished the first loop, he looked closer. They did not get our 5 mile splits this year so I had no idea how I was doing.
I tried to keep the pace steady. On the second loop after the turn around he passed me. I let him go ahead since we had about 2 miles to go and he was obviously running faster than me to catch me. He had removed his shirt and it was feeling warm. I had considered removing my windbreaker after the first loop, but the wind on the last part convinced me to leave it on. I could see a few others after the second turn around. Tony Rigdon had also removed his shirt. With the wind behind us at some points, I guess it was pretty hot.
I could the guy that passed me him all the way to the end. I finished in 1:04:50, 48 seconds behind Sam, age 16, the winner. I knew he was young, but wouldn't have guessed that young. He had predicted he would run it in 1:13:21 and ended up being the second worst predictor. My prediction was 20 seconds off which was the 3rd closest. One guy predicted exactly. My time was a 1:56 faster than last year's ten miler on the same course. Pace was 6:29 per mile and I think I could run it just a little faster if I could have paced better at the beginning. I am really surprised that I broke another PR by so much. I normally expect if I am going to have a PR it is only going to be a few seconds, not 2 minutes. I'll take it though. We had 33 runners that completed the course which is a pretty good turnout for this race.
Hugh finished the race about a minute faster than last year, but didn't break his Minneapolis 10 mile PR, but I'd think we both ran a good race without having a taper.
Last year we brought sauerkraut brownies. This year someone else brought a sauerkraut cake and we brought Velveeta Fudge which was actually quite good. Dan and I ran another 3.6 mi loop after we finished. It had warmed up a little, but didn't feel like it since it was windier.
This is a prediction race where the closest predictor wins cheese and the worst wins sauerkraut. Also, the race is run without wearing watches. The temperature was about 45F but it was terribly windy today.
This year I decided to predict closer to what I actually thought I could run in ideal conditions even though it was a bit windy. Dan and I ran 3.6 miles as a warm up and the wind wasn't too bad for where we had to run on the course. Last year I ran this race in 1:06:46 so decided to predict 1:04:30 since based on my last race which was a 10k, the running calculator was saying about 1:04. I didn't taper for this so gave myself an extra 30 seconds.
I took off at what seemed like a very fast pace and had a pretty big lead. With no watch to pace myself who knows what ridiculous pace I ran. At the road where we run out and turn around to run back before we get on the trail, I calculated the first guy behind me was about 42 sec. By the time I finished the first loop, he looked closer. They did not get our 5 mile splits this year so I had no idea how I was doing.
I tried to keep the pace steady. On the second loop after the turn around he passed me. I let him go ahead since we had about 2 miles to go and he was obviously running faster than me to catch me. He had removed his shirt and it was feeling warm. I had considered removing my windbreaker after the first loop, but the wind on the last part convinced me to leave it on. I could see a few others after the second turn around. Tony Rigdon had also removed his shirt. With the wind behind us at some points, I guess it was pretty hot.
I could the guy that passed me him all the way to the end. I finished in 1:04:50, 48 seconds behind Sam, age 16, the winner. I knew he was young, but wouldn't have guessed that young. He had predicted he would run it in 1:13:21 and ended up being the second worst predictor. My prediction was 20 seconds off which was the 3rd closest. One guy predicted exactly. My time was a 1:56 faster than last year's ten miler on the same course. Pace was 6:29 per mile and I think I could run it just a little faster if I could have paced better at the beginning. I am really surprised that I broke another PR by so much. I normally expect if I am going to have a PR it is only going to be a few seconds, not 2 minutes. I'll take it though. We had 33 runners that completed the course which is a pretty good turnout for this race.
Hugh finished the race about a minute faster than last year, but didn't break his Minneapolis 10 mile PR, but I'd think we both ran a good race without having a taper.
Last year we brought sauerkraut brownies. This year someone else brought a sauerkraut cake and we brought Velveeta Fudge which was actually quite good. Dan and I ran another 3.6 mi loop after we finished. It had warmed up a little, but didn't feel like it since it was windier.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
2008 Thanksgiving Day Pie Run
Hugh, Dan, and I ran the course as a warm up which had changed this year. It was almost all on the road since $2 million in liability insurance was required to run on the trail. The 10K had to run the course twice and the 5K would run it once. We got back and waited for the race to start. It ended up starting about 15 min late due to the people still signing up.
Hugh ran the 5K and Dan and I ran the 10K. Dan had a really fast and impressive start. I wondered if I could catch him, but eventually he slowed it down to a reasonable 10K pace. Dana and Paul, who also run about my pace in this race in past years, were both ahead of me. Eventually caught Paul and stayed with him for a few miles. The pace felt fast, but thought I could stay with him and then pulled ahead after a mile or so. I didn't feel like I was working too hard, but just tried to keep the pace steady fearing everything was surely going to fall apart at some point. I found it hard to believe at points I was running the pace I was running but the splits confirmed.
First loop clock said 19:18 so I figured I would start to slow at some point. I continued to feel strong and passed Dana in the second loop and then another guy before mile 4. I maintained same pace and position until the end finishing in 38:42, a 10K PR for me by 1:15. Every 10K PR, I have set has been in this race. I probably could have run harder, but was not sure whether I could keep it up. The pace I ran is often a good 5K pace for me so running a 10K at this pace was new for me. I finished strong and felt good. I guess a couple days rest, and being unmotivated is good for my running. I don't think that Dan felt sorry for me any longer since I ran well. He had a 10K PR as well.
Hugh placed first in the 50 - 59 age group and I placed first in the 40 - 49 age group. This was the first time I ever got a medal in this race. Hugh got his first last year. There is a lot of good competition at this race and the 10 year age groups makes it very difficult. It is a good course though to shoot for a 5 or 10K PR being so flat. Hopefully, this race has given me the motivation to try to shoot for 3,000 miles by the end of the year.
m1 - 6:07.....m4 - 6:09
m2 - 6:13.....m5 - 6:15
m3 - 6:12.....m6 - 6:09
0.27 - 1:36 (5:59 pace)
Hugh ran the 5K and Dan and I ran the 10K. Dan had a really fast and impressive start. I wondered if I could catch him, but eventually he slowed it down to a reasonable 10K pace. Dana and Paul, who also run about my pace in this race in past years, were both ahead of me. Eventually caught Paul and stayed with him for a few miles. The pace felt fast, but thought I could stay with him and then pulled ahead after a mile or so. I didn't feel like I was working too hard, but just tried to keep the pace steady fearing everything was surely going to fall apart at some point. I found it hard to believe at points I was running the pace I was running but the splits confirmed.
First loop clock said 19:18 so I figured I would start to slow at some point. I continued to feel strong and passed Dana in the second loop and then another guy before mile 4. I maintained same pace and position until the end finishing in 38:42, a 10K PR for me by 1:15. Every 10K PR, I have set has been in this race. I probably could have run harder, but was not sure whether I could keep it up. The pace I ran is often a good 5K pace for me so running a 10K at this pace was new for me. I finished strong and felt good. I guess a couple days rest, and being unmotivated is good for my running. I don't think that Dan felt sorry for me any longer since I ran well. He had a 10K PR as well.
Hugh placed first in the 50 - 59 age group and I placed first in the 40 - 49 age group. This was the first time I ever got a medal in this race. Hugh got his first last year. There is a lot of good competition at this race and the 10 year age groups makes it very difficult. It is a good course though to shoot for a 5 or 10K PR being so flat. Hopefully, this race has given me the motivation to try to shoot for 3,000 miles by the end of the year.
m1 - 6:07.....m4 - 6:09
m2 - 6:13.....m5 - 6:15
m3 - 6:12.....m6 - 6:09
0.27 - 1:36 (5:59 pace)
Sunday, November 09, 2008
2008 Cranberry Crawl 5K
Hugh and I arrived at the food bank about 7:15 to run the course as a warm up. Warm up did not feel good until about 2.5 miles. Ran the warm up miles at about 9 min pace. It was good thing I signed up for the race ahead of time since based on the warm up I am not sure I would have run the race. I felt achy.
I decided to do my best and start out with the intention of trying to run a good race for my first 5k in my new age group. I started out fast and passed Chris C. and John H. before we got to Vandiver. I knew John was running the 5K and in my age group. I assumed Chris was running the 5K but found later he ran the 10K. He passed me around 2 miles and Bill S. passed me as well running the 10K. I am glad I am now not in their age group for a few years.
This was not a flat course and not a fast course in my opinion. I pushed pretty hard up the hills and even harder on flat and downhills. I was a bit tired of the hills but managed to have decent mile splits for the 3 miles. Finished in 18:49 which surpassed my goal. I figured running a 19:30 would be possible on this course, but really no clue where my fitness is on 5Ks right now. I ended up enjoying this run more than I expected. Felt much better than the warm up miles.
I was first of 5 in my age group 40 - 44 and 4th of 104 overall. We got to pick a prize from the table and I chose a reflective yellow New Balance running vest. Hugh ran the 5K as well and placed 3rd in his age group, 13th overall and also got a prize from the table.
Splits:
m1 - 5:58
m2 - 6:17
m3 - 6:13
0.07 - 0:21
2008 Cranberry Crawl Results
I decided to do my best and start out with the intention of trying to run a good race for my first 5k in my new age group. I started out fast and passed Chris C. and John H. before we got to Vandiver. I knew John was running the 5K and in my age group. I assumed Chris was running the 5K but found later he ran the 10K. He passed me around 2 miles and Bill S. passed me as well running the 10K. I am glad I am now not in their age group for a few years.
This was not a flat course and not a fast course in my opinion. I pushed pretty hard up the hills and even harder on flat and downhills. I was a bit tired of the hills but managed to have decent mile splits for the 3 miles. Finished in 18:49 which surpassed my goal. I figured running a 19:30 would be possible on this course, but really no clue where my fitness is on 5Ks right now. I ended up enjoying this run more than I expected. Felt much better than the warm up miles.
I was first of 5 in my age group 40 - 44 and 4th of 104 overall. We got to pick a prize from the table and I chose a reflective yellow New Balance running vest. Hugh ran the 5K as well and placed 3rd in his age group, 13th overall and also got a prize from the table.
Splits:
m1 - 5:58
m2 - 6:17
m3 - 6:13
0.07 - 0:21
2008 Cranberry Crawl Results
Sunday, October 26, 2008
2008 Rock Creek Trail 50K
On Friday, Jeff and I headed to Perry, KS to Lake Perry State Park for the Rock Creek Trail 50K. It rained off and on all the way there and then stopped raining once we got to the campground. We were the only people camping. Jeff started a fire, we cooked our dinners, and sat around the fire until about 9 pm. We got in the camper and went to sleep. It was a little cold at first, but when I woke up in the night I was nice and warm. Alarm went off at 6 pm and we ate breakfast inside the camper since it was dark and cold outside. We then drove about half mile to the start.
Temperature was 35 F (warmed up to 60s before I was done). We stood in line to pick up our packets, use the porta-potty and then I got dressed for the race. I had about 10 min to spare and headed to the lot where everyone was waiting. I missed any instructions, but knew to just follow the pink flags. We walked about 0.1 mi down a hill and started from there. This allowed everyone to spread out before heading into the woods on the single track trail. I had hoped to average a 9:15 pace. In order to decide a pace for this run, I felt that I should have been able to beat Deanna's time from last year by maybe 10 minutes.
Everyone from the 5K, 25K, and 50K started the race together. I lined up near the front so I wouldn’t be behind too many people, but wasn’t sure what to do since there were 3 distances. I ran the down hills and flats faster and uphills took easier. I had no problems finding the pink flags. I didn’t feel like I was running too hard and GPS didn’t seem to be getting a great signal. It said I was going slower than I felt so it was difficult to pace with it. I almost think I shouldn’t have worn it for this race.
The 5Kers veered off on another trail early in the race. I removed my cotton shirt at the first aid station and had some water. I ran alone most of the time, but I passed several people doing the half later in my first loop. It was difficult to get around people at times and I would try to wait until there was more room for them to move over before announcing I wanted to pass. I drank water at all the aid stations and had some pretzels and a piece of banana at one. I really wish I could eat more of the food they offer but it doesn’t look good to me while I am running. I took 3 Accel Gels each loop.
At the end of the first loop, I stop at my drop bag, remove my long sleeve wicking, grab my water bottle which I was planning to carry only the second loop, change my spi-belt. I had a new one ready with 3 more Accel Gels. I decide to use the bathroom since I am really needing to go and figure it will save me time in the end.
I start the second loop feeling okay. At about mile 18 I start feeling really good so pick up the pace. I pass a couple 50Kers. One that I passed was walking since his ankle was hurting otherwise, he would have easily beat me. He ended up dropping out at 20 miles. I pass a couple more guys. This makes me feel a bit more motivated than I had been feeling. A guy at one of the aid stations tells me I am looking strong and if I keep a steady pace, I will likely catch some of the 5 guys ahead of me. I had no idea there were that many ahead of me but it does give me a goal.
At the 24 mile aid station I am told that I am looking pale and they think I should take some electrolytes so I drank some of the nasty tasting Heed. They fill up my bottle with water and I am on my way and I do feel better. I hit this aid station again (it crossed 2 trails) and drank 2 more Heeds. I ended up passing another 50K guy that was walking. I press on to the end but am just not motivated to press too hard. I do walk a little on the hills, but mostly ran.
I didn’t fall once during the first loop, but fell 2 times in the second and almost a 3rd time. Each time got mud on my hands but was not hurt at all. The course was quite rocky and the leaves covered the rocks so difficult to see.
The finish seemed to come quickly. I had no idea how I was doing on time since I had locked the bezel on the Garmin and was just looking at splits which were not accurate on this trail. I see the clock says 4:59 something and I kick to the end. Time was 4:59:07 (9:38 pace). I was happy to be under 5 hrs, but felt like I could have run this race harder.
Since I never felt really good mentally (brain was in a fog much of the time) I think I was low on electrolytes and need to make sure I am more careful in the future. I felt I had a lot left in me at the end which I don’t think I should after running 31 miles. The second loop was much slower for me than the first, but I did manage to pass 4 people. I was not passed at all during this race. It did warm up to the 60s during my second loop, but the temperature was comfortable. Mentally, I just wasn’t in this race as much as I should have been most of the time.
I was 5th overall out of 39 (46 starters) and they gave me first place in Masters which I didn't quite understand since I am 6 days short of 40. For their race, I was close enough to be turning 40 this month. The course record for Masters was 4:55 which I think I should have been able to run at least a 4:50 on this course. It was more difficult than Hocking Hills 60K last year, but easier than the Syllamo courses. This may be a race I will have to try again next year. I really do think I could run this course better and I think having run it this year will be a help.
Today, the day after the race, I ran 9.6 miles at Rock Bridge with Dan. I think this proves that I really didn’t race too hard yesterday. Overall though it was a fun race with nice people and I placed about where I would have expected.
Temperature was 35 F (warmed up to 60s before I was done). We stood in line to pick up our packets, use the porta-potty and then I got dressed for the race. I had about 10 min to spare and headed to the lot where everyone was waiting. I missed any instructions, but knew to just follow the pink flags. We walked about 0.1 mi down a hill and started from there. This allowed everyone to spread out before heading into the woods on the single track trail. I had hoped to average a 9:15 pace. In order to decide a pace for this run, I felt that I should have been able to beat Deanna's time from last year by maybe 10 minutes.
Everyone from the 5K, 25K, and 50K started the race together. I lined up near the front so I wouldn’t be behind too many people, but wasn’t sure what to do since there were 3 distances. I ran the down hills and flats faster and uphills took easier. I had no problems finding the pink flags. I didn’t feel like I was running too hard and GPS didn’t seem to be getting a great signal. It said I was going slower than I felt so it was difficult to pace with it. I almost think I shouldn’t have worn it for this race.
The 5Kers veered off on another trail early in the race. I removed my cotton shirt at the first aid station and had some water. I ran alone most of the time, but I passed several people doing the half later in my first loop. It was difficult to get around people at times and I would try to wait until there was more room for them to move over before announcing I wanted to pass. I drank water at all the aid stations and had some pretzels and a piece of banana at one. I really wish I could eat more of the food they offer but it doesn’t look good to me while I am running. I took 3 Accel Gels each loop.
At the end of the first loop, I stop at my drop bag, remove my long sleeve wicking, grab my water bottle which I was planning to carry only the second loop, change my spi-belt. I had a new one ready with 3 more Accel Gels. I decide to use the bathroom since I am really needing to go and figure it will save me time in the end.
I start the second loop feeling okay. At about mile 18 I start feeling really good so pick up the pace. I pass a couple 50Kers. One that I passed was walking since his ankle was hurting otherwise, he would have easily beat me. He ended up dropping out at 20 miles. I pass a couple more guys. This makes me feel a bit more motivated than I had been feeling. A guy at one of the aid stations tells me I am looking strong and if I keep a steady pace, I will likely catch some of the 5 guys ahead of me. I had no idea there were that many ahead of me but it does give me a goal.
At the 24 mile aid station I am told that I am looking pale and they think I should take some electrolytes so I drank some of the nasty tasting Heed. They fill up my bottle with water and I am on my way and I do feel better. I hit this aid station again (it crossed 2 trails) and drank 2 more Heeds. I ended up passing another 50K guy that was walking. I press on to the end but am just not motivated to press too hard. I do walk a little on the hills, but mostly ran.
I didn’t fall once during the first loop, but fell 2 times in the second and almost a 3rd time. Each time got mud on my hands but was not hurt at all. The course was quite rocky and the leaves covered the rocks so difficult to see.
The finish seemed to come quickly. I had no idea how I was doing on time since I had locked the bezel on the Garmin and was just looking at splits which were not accurate on this trail. I see the clock says 4:59 something and I kick to the end. Time was 4:59:07 (9:38 pace). I was happy to be under 5 hrs, but felt like I could have run this race harder.
Since I never felt really good mentally (brain was in a fog much of the time) I think I was low on electrolytes and need to make sure I am more careful in the future. I felt I had a lot left in me at the end which I don’t think I should after running 31 miles. The second loop was much slower for me than the first, but I did manage to pass 4 people. I was not passed at all during this race. It did warm up to the 60s during my second loop, but the temperature was comfortable. Mentally, I just wasn’t in this race as much as I should have been most of the time.
I was 5th overall out of 39 (46 starters) and they gave me first place in Masters which I didn't quite understand since I am 6 days short of 40. For their race, I was close enough to be turning 40 this month. The course record for Masters was 4:55 which I think I should have been able to run at least a 4:50 on this course. It was more difficult than Hocking Hills 60K last year, but easier than the Syllamo courses. This may be a race I will have to try again next year. I really do think I could run this course better and I think having run it this year will be a help.
Today, the day after the race, I ran 9.6 miles at Rock Bridge with Dan. I think this proves that I really didn’t race too hard yesterday. Overall though it was a fun race with nice people and I placed about where I would have expected.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
2008 Rock Bridge Revenge 20K
Several people are finding this blog searching for the 2008 Rock Bridge Revenge Results so I am posting the link.
I went to bed too late, slept poorly, and was not ready to get out of bed this morning. I had gained about 3 lbs from everything I ate yesterday. I tried to get my body in the mood to run a race and felt better by the time we left.
The temp at the start was about 50 so perfect for running. I ran the 20K (2 loops) which started at 9:00 and the 10K started at 9:20.
We started off going down hill and at a fast pace positioned in 6th place. I quickly realized that those 5 guys in front of me were faster runners and I just settled into my own pace and let them go. The trail was in really good shape just like last year so not much mud to deal with. I took a little water at every station but didn’t really feel like I needed that much. My feet ached and I didn’t start to feel better until about 4 miles.
The water was up in the creek after 4 miles and I splashed right through it and then ran with wet shoes. The water looked so clear and the bottom looked pretty smooth. I didn’t see the big rocks that we used to step on in this creek. I guess that might have washed away with all the rain this year.
I was alone and couldn’t see anyone in front or behind me until near the end of the first loop. There was a guy gaining on me. The last 1.5 miles of this course are the hardest and I took all the hills in the first loop really easy. At the start of the second loop I really felt like I hadn’t done much and was looking forward to the second loop. I ran the first loop in 49:42 which was slower than last year. At this point, I figured I might be able to at least run the course about as fast as last year.
At the second loop I take off just as fast as the first loop and push the pace just a little. I ran fast where I can and still take it easier on the hills. I am pulling ahead of the guy behind me and eventually, I am not seeing him. I wondered if I would ever catch anyone ahead of me since I knew I had picked up the pace quite a bit.. I do pass quite a few 10Kers. With 3 miles to go, I push a bit more. All the time, I feel like I am being very conservative with the pace.
With about a half mile to go, I see a guy ahead of me running too fast to be the 10K so I assume he ran the 20K. I was gaining on him and caught up and passed him He told me to keep pushing. I pushed to the end and ran 1:36:36 (7:47 pace). I wasn’t aware of my total time during the run so I was very pleased to see this on the clock. I just keep each split on my Garmin and not the total time.
Splits:
M1 - 7:24 M7 – 7:21
M2 - 8:28 M8 – 8:05
M3 - 7:32 M9 – 7:29
M4 - 7:32 M10 – 6:56
M5 - 8:40 M11 – 7:33
M6 - 8:46 M12 – 8:09
First 10K Loop – 49:42 (8:00 pace)
2nd 10K Loop – 46:54 – (7:33 pace)
Placed 5th overall of 22 runners in the 20K and 2nd of 6th in my age group of 30 – 39. It turned out the nice guy I passed in the last half mile was in my age group. I was so glad that he still got a plaque. Hugh ran the 10K finishing in 55:25, 17 of 54 and 3rd in age group. We both got plaques in our age group.
I feel like I am really cutting some time off of my trail runs. I cut off 3 min and 8 sec from last year. From the first year I ran the 20K in 2005, I cut off 6 min 16 sec minutes off I ran the 10K on this course in 2004 and today my 2nd 10K was 1 min 40 sec faster. I felt like I had something left at the end too. This is completely different than how I felt the first year I ran the 20K and I was wiped out for weeks. Last year I felt the same as today where I had something left. A few years of trail running and running more trail miles seems to making a big difference.
I went to bed too late, slept poorly, and was not ready to get out of bed this morning. I had gained about 3 lbs from everything I ate yesterday. I tried to get my body in the mood to run a race and felt better by the time we left.
The temp at the start was about 50 so perfect for running. I ran the 20K (2 loops) which started at 9:00 and the 10K started at 9:20.
We started off going down hill and at a fast pace positioned in 6th place. I quickly realized that those 5 guys in front of me were faster runners and I just settled into my own pace and let them go. The trail was in really good shape just like last year so not much mud to deal with. I took a little water at every station but didn’t really feel like I needed that much. My feet ached and I didn’t start to feel better until about 4 miles.
The water was up in the creek after 4 miles and I splashed right through it and then ran with wet shoes. The water looked so clear and the bottom looked pretty smooth. I didn’t see the big rocks that we used to step on in this creek. I guess that might have washed away with all the rain this year.
I was alone and couldn’t see anyone in front or behind me until near the end of the first loop. There was a guy gaining on me. The last 1.5 miles of this course are the hardest and I took all the hills in the first loop really easy. At the start of the second loop I really felt like I hadn’t done much and was looking forward to the second loop. I ran the first loop in 49:42 which was slower than last year. At this point, I figured I might be able to at least run the course about as fast as last year.
At the second loop I take off just as fast as the first loop and push the pace just a little. I ran fast where I can and still take it easier on the hills. I am pulling ahead of the guy behind me and eventually, I am not seeing him. I wondered if I would ever catch anyone ahead of me since I knew I had picked up the pace quite a bit.. I do pass quite a few 10Kers. With 3 miles to go, I push a bit more. All the time, I feel like I am being very conservative with the pace.
With about a half mile to go, I see a guy ahead of me running too fast to be the 10K so I assume he ran the 20K. I was gaining on him and caught up and passed him He told me to keep pushing. I pushed to the end and ran 1:36:36 (7:47 pace). I wasn’t aware of my total time during the run so I was very pleased to see this on the clock. I just keep each split on my Garmin and not the total time.
Splits:
M1 - 7:24 M7 – 7:21
M2 - 8:28 M8 – 8:05
M3 - 7:32 M9 – 7:29
M4 - 7:32 M10 – 6:56
M5 - 8:40 M11 – 7:33
M6 - 8:46 M12 – 8:09
First 10K Loop – 49:42 (8:00 pace)
2nd 10K Loop – 46:54 – (7:33 pace)
Placed 5th overall of 22 runners in the 20K and 2nd of 6th in my age group of 30 – 39. It turned out the nice guy I passed in the last half mile was in my age group. I was so glad that he still got a plaque. Hugh ran the 10K finishing in 55:25, 17 of 54 and 3rd in age group. We both got plaques in our age group.
I feel like I am really cutting some time off of my trail runs. I cut off 3 min and 8 sec from last year. From the first year I ran the 20K in 2005, I cut off 6 min 16 sec minutes off I ran the 10K on this course in 2004 and today my 2nd 10K was 1 min 40 sec faster. I felt like I had something left at the end too. This is completely different than how I felt the first year I ran the 20K and I was wiped out for weeks. Last year I felt the same as today where I had something left. A few years of trail running and running more trail miles seems to making a big difference.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
2008 MU Dog Jog 5K
Today I ran the MU Dog Jog. The plan was for me to run with Bruno and Hugh run with Rusty. We didn't have a chance of winning this one since I knew there were a couple faster guys with dogs than me. Dan was planning to run with Copper and Tanner and didn't get there to about 7:55 and thought he would just watch and then decided to enter. I filled out his form while Hugh held onto Bruno and we all made it to the start line on time.
I decided to just let Bruno run but was also hoping he would pace a little better, but he did run really well. He started out at a 5-something pace just like Paws in the Park. I noticed that when I tried to talk to the guy next to me without a dog I was out of breath. After the first mile I noticed my watch wasn't running so started it. I thought I had started but it was just showing the pace and shut off. We could see Mike D. and Riley, and Jacquie and Finlay ahead of us. They were staying about the same distance so thought just maybe we could catch up to them. Eventually, Riley decided she was done and we passed Mike. Less than half mile from the finish Bruno plops into the grass. I let him rest a few seconds since no one is close behind and then convince him to get back up. I never did catch up to Jacquie and Finlay.
Bruno finished in 19:40 based on what they told me I was able to determine my first mile split which made sense. He ran this race pretty much the same mile paces as Paws in the Park. I was second male with a dog and Matt Laye finished first male with dog way ahead of me. As far as I know there was no prize for second since had to leave early, but did get a bag of dog related goodies before the race. It was a fun race and the course was well-marked. I think Dan was 4th male with dog and Hugh was 5th.
m1 - 5:40
m2 - 6:30
m3 - 6:53
0.09 - 0:38 (6:48 pace)
I decided to just let Bruno run but was also hoping he would pace a little better, but he did run really well. He started out at a 5-something pace just like Paws in the Park. I noticed that when I tried to talk to the guy next to me without a dog I was out of breath. After the first mile I noticed my watch wasn't running so started it. I thought I had started but it was just showing the pace and shut off. We could see Mike D. and Riley, and Jacquie and Finlay ahead of us. They were staying about the same distance so thought just maybe we could catch up to them. Eventually, Riley decided she was done and we passed Mike. Less than half mile from the finish Bruno plops into the grass. I let him rest a few seconds since no one is close behind and then convince him to get back up. I never did catch up to Jacquie and Finlay.
Bruno finished in 19:40 based on what they told me I was able to determine my first mile split which made sense. He ran this race pretty much the same mile paces as Paws in the Park. I was second male with a dog and Matt Laye finished first male with dog way ahead of me. As far as I know there was no prize for second since had to leave early, but did get a bag of dog related goodies before the race. It was a fun race and the course was well-marked. I think Dan was 4th male with dog and Hugh was 5th.
m1 - 5:40
m2 - 6:30
m3 - 6:53
0.09 - 0:38 (6:48 pace)
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Running Men article
Mizzou Wire is running a story called Running Men that mentions Hugh and me and has a video slide show.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
2008 Twin Cities Marathon
Hugh, Dan, and I headed up to Minneapolis on Friday morning leaving at about 8:30 am. I drove the entire way while Hugh navigated with Ms. Garmin and Dan and I talked a lot about running. We stopped at Pizza Ranch in Pella, Iowa which is known for its Dutch population and Tulip festival. We chowed down on pizza, dessert pizza, ice cream, salad, and chicken and then continued on our way.
We arrived in Minneapolis at our hotel, The Best Western, Normandy at about 6:30 pm. After we all checked our e-mail, we went out for a walk in search of food and ate at Chipolte, and headed back to the room. At 10 pm we went down to the lobby for our fresh cookies and milk although the milk was gone. The cookies were quite yummy. Then off to bed and I slept quite well.
On Sat. morning we woke up and went out for an easy 2 mile run. Then back to the hotel and off to the Expo. Arrived at the expo about 10:30 am. It was a decent expo and I actually purchased a few items. It seemed like this expo had some of the best deals I have seen. I purchased a nice Best of Times Running Jacket from the National Running Center. The sleeves zip off, a section of the back is removable and has a detachable hood. I was easily impressed but couldn't decide between bright yellow, blue, or red. I finally went with the blue.
I didn't pack very carefully and forgot to bring a few items. I really needed my SpiBelt to hold my gels and since I failed to pack, I purchased a new one, but a different color so I guess I can now coordinate with shorts. Also, purchased yellow, white, and black Mizuno tank for a good price. I probably should have purchased another pair of shorts, but resisted. Dan found a great deal on his Mizuno shoes and purchased 3 pairs. They did not have my model so no shoes for me. We were at the expo to about 1 pm and picked up a lot of free stuff.
We headed back to the hotel and went out for lunch at Quiznos and on the way back browsed Barnes & Noble for awhile. Among the 3 of us, only one book was purchased. I was tempted by the Masters Running by Hal Higdon. Not sure I needed another book on Running though.
We lounged around our room for awhile and Dan went to mass, and Hugh and I headed to Vescio's Italian for dinner with the Joy of Running group. We had a good time there talking with Kurt, Bill, and Danielle and excellent food too! Then back to the room for more lounging around until cookie time at 10 pm. Dan referred to the lady serving the cookies as cookie nazi since she was strictly limiting people to 2 cookies. The night before the cookies were set out and there were plenty to go around without cookie nazi rationing us.
We got up at 5:30 am since Hugh's 10 miler started at 7:13 am. Hugh and I had our pre-race shake and banana. Dan and I decided to wait as long as possible to leave which was a good thing since we kept the bathroom pretty busy up until the time we left. I think he set a new record and I tied my previous record. It was a short walk to the start line. We lined up between the 3 and 3:15 area. We ditched our shirts shortly before the start and they moved everyone up. After the National Anthem, we were off running.
I had been obsessing on the weather for the past 2 weeks. We started off fairly dry, but it had been raining earlier. The temp was about 50F which was not too bad but some wind to deal with which made it feel cooler. Dan seemed to feel really good when we started as I found my legs not quite feeling that good, but wanting to keep that pace. We ran together for about 4 miles and then legs started to feel better and picked up my pace.
I don't remember a lot of detail for the rest of the race due to the deterioration in weather conditions my brain was somewhat in a fog. I know at some point, maybe mile 5 or 6 I hear a clap of thunder. Shortly after it starts to rain. I think okay this isn't too bad, I can handle a little light rain. I enjoy running in the rain during training runs. Then it starts to pour and continues. Then when I think it can't pour rain any harder, it pours harder. Someone in the crowd mentions something about the rain and I yell at least it isn't hailing.
I'm drinking at every station but not really feeling like I need it that much. I took my Accel gels at each 5 miles. During the rain, I noticed my legs tightening, especially the left quad and right hamstring which really makes me feel uncoordinated. Someone mentions that they bet a lot of runners don't finish because of hypothermia. At this point, I noticed my arms are numb from the cold. Legs weren't numb, but they were cold. I keep running as fast as I can thinking I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible. This felt like the longest marathon I have ever run. By mile 10, I just couldn't believe that I had 16 miles to go. I had a good half split at 1:29:34, but knew there was no way I could keep up the same pace.
I'm still clipping around pretty fast running sub 7s up until mile 15 and by mile 16 my pace starts to drop off. I don't feel that tired as far as breathing but am losing motivation and can't move the legs any faster. I felt that if I try to push that I would send my tight leg muscles into spasm and it was too early for that. Once I have a muscle spasm in a race, it usually goes down hill from there. I decide ease up on the pace. From here to the end my pace just steadily gets slower and more people are passing me than I am passing. I do see a lot of people slowing and some are walking. I wanted to walk but kept moving. I am getting passed by people I remembered running with earlier. I am also passing some that are going slower than me.
Finally, I get to mile 20 and I think I can make it. Then I focus on getting to mile 23, and then 24, 25, and 26. I'm running 8s by mile 23. Earlier I had been thinking I might finish in 3:05, but figure I will be lucky to finish in 3:10.
Finally, I am in the half mile. I am happy to see the finish. I keep thinking the 3:10 pace group is going to pass me any second and that I may see Dan. I cross the finish. I decide to hang out until Dan crosses and I figure that will be soon so look back, hear his name and he is crossing. He had as much "fun" as me. Although he slowed down, not as drastically as me so nearly caught me by the end. He was over 4 minutes behind me at 20 miles, but finished only 1:24 behind me.
As we are walking out we see Hugh over to the side and then Dan's dad and wife come up. Hugh had gone back to the hotel on the bus to get jackets after his race. He had run a PR 10 miler at 1:14:43 and finished before it poured. We went through the post race tent, filled up our goody bags with more free stuff, picked up some Caribou coffee and headed back to the hotel since I was freezing. My hands were ice.
Back at the hotel, Dan and I got in the hot tub, and then later we went for our post marathon recovery walk at Mall of America. Then off to dinner with Dan's family. It was his dad's birthday and we ate at Houlihan's where his dad bought us all dinner.
Back to the hotel and stayed up for our final night of cookies and milk. Cookie nazi was no where to be seen so we had our fill of cookies and it looked like there were plenty to go around. We all slept really well. We had thought about running, but due to the time and the traffic outside decided to wait.
Made it home around 6 pm. Picked up Rusty and Bruno and met Dan at the dog park for a 2 mile run with Copper and Tanner. Hugh ran 4 miles with Rusty.
Overall, it was a good marathon experience although the actual running would have been better if it were a little warmer and less rain. I didn't feel like I really noticed the hills that much in this marathon. I was more concerned with being cold. I feel like I made the best of it and know others had the same problems with the cold. If I would have known, I would have dressed warmer. With only a 40% chance of rain and temp predicted to be in the 50s I took my chances. We had a good time and all finished our races which is always the ultimate goal. The crowds were great standing out there in the rain all the way, volunteers were always there with plenty of water. It looked like a well-run marathon and wish I could have enjoyed it more in dryer weather.
I'm now motivated to get back on track with running, workouts, and maybe get a little more focused with a plan. I had been running without a plan since the Berryman. I do better with a plan even if I can't follow it 100%. It is time to get back on track, clean up the nutrition, regular weight workouts including legs, and running workouts. First, I think I need a little recovery, since I am fighting off a sore throat and Hugh already has a full-blown cold. Otherwise, I feel like muscles are recovering nicely but I do plan to take it easy, at least for a few days.
Here's the stats for marathon:
Duration: 3:09:12
Pace: 7:14 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 5/10, Effort: 7/10
Field Placement: 330 / 7969 (4.1%)
Age group: 35 – 39
Group Placement: 36 / 745 (4.8%)
Gender Placement: 284 / 4803 (5.9%)
Weather: 50° F, Rain
5K 21:41
10K 42:35
Half 1:29:34
30K 2:09:22
20 mi 2:19:35
1 6:46
2 6:46
3 6:45
4 6:37
5 6:35
6 6:43
7 6:39
8 6:39
9 6:52
10 6:51
11 6:44
12 6:51
13 6:49
14 6:58
15 6:52
16 7:09
17 7:09
18 7:19
19 7:21
20 7:32
21 7:32
22 7:55
23 8:10
24 8:04
25 8:06
26 8:06
27 3:08 0.42 mi
We arrived in Minneapolis at our hotel, The Best Western, Normandy at about 6:30 pm. After we all checked our e-mail, we went out for a walk in search of food and ate at Chipolte, and headed back to the room. At 10 pm we went down to the lobby for our fresh cookies and milk although the milk was gone. The cookies were quite yummy. Then off to bed and I slept quite well.
On Sat. morning we woke up and went out for an easy 2 mile run. Then back to the hotel and off to the Expo. Arrived at the expo about 10:30 am. It was a decent expo and I actually purchased a few items. It seemed like this expo had some of the best deals I have seen. I purchased a nice Best of Times Running Jacket from the National Running Center. The sleeves zip off, a section of the back is removable and has a detachable hood. I was easily impressed but couldn't decide between bright yellow, blue, or red. I finally went with the blue.
I didn't pack very carefully and forgot to bring a few items. I really needed my SpiBelt to hold my gels and since I failed to pack, I purchased a new one, but a different color so I guess I can now coordinate with shorts. Also, purchased yellow, white, and black Mizuno tank for a good price. I probably should have purchased another pair of shorts, but resisted. Dan found a great deal on his Mizuno shoes and purchased 3 pairs. They did not have my model so no shoes for me. We were at the expo to about 1 pm and picked up a lot of free stuff.
We headed back to the hotel and went out for lunch at Quiznos and on the way back browsed Barnes & Noble for awhile. Among the 3 of us, only one book was purchased. I was tempted by the Masters Running by Hal Higdon. Not sure I needed another book on Running though.
We lounged around our room for awhile and Dan went to mass, and Hugh and I headed to Vescio's Italian for dinner with the Joy of Running group. We had a good time there talking with Kurt, Bill, and Danielle and excellent food too! Then back to the room for more lounging around until cookie time at 10 pm. Dan referred to the lady serving the cookies as cookie nazi since she was strictly limiting people to 2 cookies. The night before the cookies were set out and there were plenty to go around without cookie nazi rationing us.
We got up at 5:30 am since Hugh's 10 miler started at 7:13 am. Hugh and I had our pre-race shake and banana. Dan and I decided to wait as long as possible to leave which was a good thing since we kept the bathroom pretty busy up until the time we left. I think he set a new record and I tied my previous record. It was a short walk to the start line. We lined up between the 3 and 3:15 area. We ditched our shirts shortly before the start and they moved everyone up. After the National Anthem, we were off running.
I had been obsessing on the weather for the past 2 weeks. We started off fairly dry, but it had been raining earlier. The temp was about 50F which was not too bad but some wind to deal with which made it feel cooler. Dan seemed to feel really good when we started as I found my legs not quite feeling that good, but wanting to keep that pace. We ran together for about 4 miles and then legs started to feel better and picked up my pace.
I don't remember a lot of detail for the rest of the race due to the deterioration in weather conditions my brain was somewhat in a fog. I know at some point, maybe mile 5 or 6 I hear a clap of thunder. Shortly after it starts to rain. I think okay this isn't too bad, I can handle a little light rain. I enjoy running in the rain during training runs. Then it starts to pour and continues. Then when I think it can't pour rain any harder, it pours harder. Someone in the crowd mentions something about the rain and I yell at least it isn't hailing.
I'm drinking at every station but not really feeling like I need it that much. I took my Accel gels at each 5 miles. During the rain, I noticed my legs tightening, especially the left quad and right hamstring which really makes me feel uncoordinated. Someone mentions that they bet a lot of runners don't finish because of hypothermia. At this point, I noticed my arms are numb from the cold. Legs weren't numb, but they were cold. I keep running as fast as I can thinking I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible. This felt like the longest marathon I have ever run. By mile 10, I just couldn't believe that I had 16 miles to go. I had a good half split at 1:29:34, but knew there was no way I could keep up the same pace.
I'm still clipping around pretty fast running sub 7s up until mile 15 and by mile 16 my pace starts to drop off. I don't feel that tired as far as breathing but am losing motivation and can't move the legs any faster. I felt that if I try to push that I would send my tight leg muscles into spasm and it was too early for that. Once I have a muscle spasm in a race, it usually goes down hill from there. I decide ease up on the pace. From here to the end my pace just steadily gets slower and more people are passing me than I am passing. I do see a lot of people slowing and some are walking. I wanted to walk but kept moving. I am getting passed by people I remembered running with earlier. I am also passing some that are going slower than me.
Finally, I get to mile 20 and I think I can make it. Then I focus on getting to mile 23, and then 24, 25, and 26. I'm running 8s by mile 23. Earlier I had been thinking I might finish in 3:05, but figure I will be lucky to finish in 3:10.
Finally, I am in the half mile. I am happy to see the finish. I keep thinking the 3:10 pace group is going to pass me any second and that I may see Dan. I cross the finish. I decide to hang out until Dan crosses and I figure that will be soon so look back, hear his name and he is crossing. He had as much "fun" as me. Although he slowed down, not as drastically as me so nearly caught me by the end. He was over 4 minutes behind me at 20 miles, but finished only 1:24 behind me.
As we are walking out we see Hugh over to the side and then Dan's dad and wife come up. Hugh had gone back to the hotel on the bus to get jackets after his race. He had run a PR 10 miler at 1:14:43 and finished before it poured. We went through the post race tent, filled up our goody bags with more free stuff, picked up some Caribou coffee and headed back to the hotel since I was freezing. My hands were ice.
Back at the hotel, Dan and I got in the hot tub, and then later we went for our post marathon recovery walk at Mall of America. Then off to dinner with Dan's family. It was his dad's birthday and we ate at Houlihan's where his dad bought us all dinner.
Back to the hotel and stayed up for our final night of cookies and milk. Cookie nazi was no where to be seen so we had our fill of cookies and it looked like there were plenty to go around. We all slept really well. We had thought about running, but due to the time and the traffic outside decided to wait.
Made it home around 6 pm. Picked up Rusty and Bruno and met Dan at the dog park for a 2 mile run with Copper and Tanner. Hugh ran 4 miles with Rusty.
Overall, it was a good marathon experience although the actual running would have been better if it were a little warmer and less rain. I didn't feel like I really noticed the hills that much in this marathon. I was more concerned with being cold. I feel like I made the best of it and know others had the same problems with the cold. If I would have known, I would have dressed warmer. With only a 40% chance of rain and temp predicted to be in the 50s I took my chances. We had a good time and all finished our races which is always the ultimate goal. The crowds were great standing out there in the rain all the way, volunteers were always there with plenty of water. It looked like a well-run marathon and wish I could have enjoyed it more in dryer weather.
I'm now motivated to get back on track with running, workouts, and maybe get a little more focused with a plan. I had been running without a plan since the Berryman. I do better with a plan even if I can't follow it 100%. It is time to get back on track, clean up the nutrition, regular weight workouts including legs, and running workouts. First, I think I need a little recovery, since I am fighting off a sore throat and Hugh already has a full-blown cold. Otherwise, I feel like muscles are recovering nicely but I do plan to take it easy, at least for a few days.
Here's the stats for marathon:
Duration: 3:09:12
Pace: 7:14 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (Red/Blue)
Weight: 155 lb
Misc: Quality: 5/10, Effort: 7/10
Field Placement: 330 / 7969 (4.1%)
Age group: 35 – 39
Group Placement: 36 / 745 (4.8%)
Gender Placement: 284 / 4803 (5.9%)
Weather: 50° F, Rain
5K 21:41
10K 42:35
Half 1:29:34
30K 2:09:22
20 mi 2:19:35
1 6:46
2 6:46
3 6:45
4 6:37
5 6:35
6 6:43
7 6:39
8 6:39
9 6:52
10 6:51
11 6:44
12 6:51
13 6:49
14 6:58
15 6:52
16 7:09
17 7:09
18 7:19
19 7:21
20 7:32
21 7:32
22 7:55
23 8:10
24 8:04
25 8:06
26 8:06
27 3:08 0.42 mi
Saturday, September 27, 2008
2008 Paws in Park
Ran the Paws in the Park today. Hugh ran with Rusty and I ran with Bruno. We got there less than 10 min before it was to start since Rusty gets impatient waiting to run and won't stop barking. Dan was already there with Copper and Tanner. The race started at 9:10 instead of 9 so we had to wait a few minutes. I lined up in front since I figured Bruno would start pretty fast. Today was the first time I had run a race with Bruno. In the past I ran with Rusty and each mile the pace fades just a little.
I started off in 3rd place with Jackie and her dog. There were 2 runners without dogs ahead of us. Once we pulled ahead of her my position did not change the rest of the race. Bruno ran an incredible first mile at 5:55, 2nd mile slower, and then the last 0.76 (course was short) pace was a little slower and I think he was ready to be done. Probably good it wasn't quite a 5K.
Hugh had a rough start since he tripped over someone's leash and apparently about 8 people or so went down. Dan went down in the grass. Hugh hit the sidewalk and was scraped in 4 places on his right side. He got right back up and ran. Dan got up and said there were so many walkers with dogs on the side walk he decided he could either walk it or go to the dog park and run. He went to the dog park. Fortunately, I didn't know about this incident until after the race or would have worried about it and may not have even run.
Bruno came in first male with dog and Jackie was behind us not too far. The prize was a $10 gift certificate to Olive Garden. The trophy for Bruno was a tennis ball, with a rawhide and dog mounted to a board covered with material. It had a blue bone dog tag that said first place male with dog. I hope next year they start the race in a more open area so people don't get tangled up at the beginning and get hurt.
m1 - 5:55
m2 - 6:24
0,76 - 5:12 (6:50 pace)
Total time was 17:29 at 6:21 pace
Overall placed 3rd of 136 and 2 guys ahead of me ran without dogs.
Andy & Bruno's Leash
Bruno and Andy (at this point he is dragging a little)
Rusty & Hugh
Rusty & Hugh
Andy, Bruno, Hugh, and Rusty after race
Bruno inspecting his trophy
I started off in 3rd place with Jackie and her dog. There were 2 runners without dogs ahead of us. Once we pulled ahead of her my position did not change the rest of the race. Bruno ran an incredible first mile at 5:55, 2nd mile slower, and then the last 0.76 (course was short) pace was a little slower and I think he was ready to be done. Probably good it wasn't quite a 5K.
Hugh had a rough start since he tripped over someone's leash and apparently about 8 people or so went down. Dan went down in the grass. Hugh hit the sidewalk and was scraped in 4 places on his right side. He got right back up and ran. Dan got up and said there were so many walkers with dogs on the side walk he decided he could either walk it or go to the dog park and run. He went to the dog park. Fortunately, I didn't know about this incident until after the race or would have worried about it and may not have even run.
Bruno came in first male with dog and Jackie was behind us not too far. The prize was a $10 gift certificate to Olive Garden. The trophy for Bruno was a tennis ball, with a rawhide and dog mounted to a board covered with material. It had a blue bone dog tag that said first place male with dog. I hope next year they start the race in a more open area so people don't get tangled up at the beginning and get hurt.
m1 - 5:55
m2 - 6:24
0,76 - 5:12 (6:50 pace)
Total time was 17:29 at 6:21 pace
Overall placed 3rd of 136 and 2 guys ahead of me ran without dogs.
Andy & Bruno's Leash
Bruno and Andy (at this point he is dragging a little)
Rusty & Hugh
Rusty & Hugh
Andy, Bruno, Hugh, and Rusty after race
Bruno inspecting his trophy
Saturday, September 13, 2008
2008 Heart for Africa 5K
Easy warm-up on the course before the race with Hugh. We ran it backwards from what we were doing during the race since we didn't know we were running in reverse this year. I felt achy and legs didn't feel fresh. When we got done we had 10 minutes to start.
I drank an Amp and hoped that I would feel better. I was happy to hear we were running the course in reverse from last year so we didn't have the steep hill after the first mile. Instead we had a gradual hill in the first mile. I lined up behind 2 guys since I didn't want to start too fast. We started down a hill and it seemed like a fast start but I held back the pace to keep it over 6 min. In the first mile I passed ten or so people. It started to rain a little and stopped. Amazingly I was feeling 100% better than during the warm-up. The temperature (74F) was warm for a 5K and humid but I didn't feel like it bothered me.
In the second mile, I could see a woman in front of me but didn't seem to be getting much closer. I flew down the hill right before the trail. Once I got to the trail in the third mile I was gaining on her and passed her. Then I had my sights on a guy I remembered from last year. He isn't in my age group, but I remember him passing and beating me last year. This year he was slowing and I passed him.
I was hoping I could keep the pace just a little longer. Then I see Dan jump into the race to pace me running ahead of me so I am trying to keep up. He runs with me and Mike D. (not in costume) is just outside one of the tunnels near the end and goes crazy cheering. After 0.3 mi he jumps out of the race and says I am on my own. He had already run 15 miles! I am almost near the end so sprint about as fast as I can to the finish.
I felt good at the end. I placed 5th overall out of 113 and 1st in age group. Hugh placed 2nd in his age group and 16th overall. What I thought was going to be a really crappy race turned out great.
m1 - 6:10
m2 - 5:53
m3 - 6:02
0.12 - 0:37 (5:32 pace)
Total Time: 18:43
I drank an Amp and hoped that I would feel better. I was happy to hear we were running the course in reverse from last year so we didn't have the steep hill after the first mile. Instead we had a gradual hill in the first mile. I lined up behind 2 guys since I didn't want to start too fast. We started down a hill and it seemed like a fast start but I held back the pace to keep it over 6 min. In the first mile I passed ten or so people. It started to rain a little and stopped. Amazingly I was feeling 100% better than during the warm-up. The temperature (74F) was warm for a 5K and humid but I didn't feel like it bothered me.
In the second mile, I could see a woman in front of me but didn't seem to be getting much closer. I flew down the hill right before the trail. Once I got to the trail in the third mile I was gaining on her and passed her. Then I had my sights on a guy I remembered from last year. He isn't in my age group, but I remember him passing and beating me last year. This year he was slowing and I passed him.
I was hoping I could keep the pace just a little longer. Then I see Dan jump into the race to pace me running ahead of me so I am trying to keep up. He runs with me and Mike D. (not in costume) is just outside one of the tunnels near the end and goes crazy cheering. After 0.3 mi he jumps out of the race and says I am on my own. He had already run 15 miles! I am almost near the end so sprint about as fast as I can to the finish.
I felt good at the end. I placed 5th overall out of 113 and 1st in age group. Hugh placed 2nd in his age group and 16th overall. What I thought was going to be a really crappy race turned out great.
m1 - 6:10
m2 - 5:53
m3 - 6:02
0.12 - 0:37 (5:32 pace)
Total Time: 18:43
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)