Run for the Ranch Marathon

What: Run for the Ranch Marathon
Where: Springfield, MO
When: 12/18/11 1pm
Time: 3:49:48

This was a very strong race for me.  I didn't intend to race it, and even at the starting line at 1 pm, I thought I'd just run this a nice strong training run around 4:30.  But everyone else around me was racing, and it was hard to hold back.  The weather was perfect (temps in the 50s, mostly cloudy), the course was great, and I decided to take a chance and push it a bit.  Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind.  I did not taper for the race, running back to back 18 milers last weekend. And, I almost didn't even start the race because my left hamstring and right foot have been giving me trouble (possible neuroma developing in my foot again).  Aleve seems to have helped both quite a bit though.  The first couple of miles of the race were rough, I was having a lot of pain in my shins, and it didn't look good.  But once I warmed up, everything felt good, so I decided to put the hammer down a bit. The course was 8 laps on the Missouri State University campus, with very gentle ups and downs.  I only had 3 gels and 1 salt caplet, but drank Powerade on the course.  My left hamstring twinged around mile 20, but then relaxed, and my right foot never hurt at all (although it hurts very badly now several hours after).  I initially decided to shoot for sub4 after abandoning the 4:30 goal, and at the halfway point at mile 13.1, I decided that I would shoot for 3:50 with a negative split.  I have to admit, this was a fun run!  And a very strong race for me, only 6 minutes off my PR set back in January of this year. First half 1:55:35, second half 1:54:13 with a finish of 3:49:48.  About as even as I could get.    After a long slow year of doing ultras and multi-hour events, it felt really good to start getting a little of my speed that I had previously built up back in my legs.  Funny story, about 15 miles in, I grabbed my salt caplet out of my pocket, and bumped my car key fob.  My car was parked directly on the course, and I was only about 20 feet away when I did it.  I promptly set the car alarm off.  Oops.  The medal was a 4" custom medal with a mustang on it, with nearly all of the race proceeds going to the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch.   All in all, it was a great day.  Even the 5 1/2 hour car ride home wasn't that bad as I listened to Christmas music, some great 50s and 60s oldies, and just relived the day enjoying the runner's high.

Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon

My 2nd marathon in 6 days, I went into this race feeling tired.  I ran the Marshall University Marathon last Sunday, then spent the week doing a lot of mountain trail running in the Appalachian Mountains, and then ran an 11k race yesterday in downtown Atlanta.  My body was feeling good mostly, but I was just tired.  I honestly went into this race with no goal, other than to finish.  My right foot has been bothering me just a bit, my Morton's Neuroma flared up this week, likely a result of the trail running that I've done.

The race itself is held on Chickamauga Battlefield at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.  This would be another state for me, my 16th marathon and my 13th state.  I'm not a big history buff (was actually my worst subject in school), so all of the Civil War info was lost on me.  Hundreds of monuments dot the battlefield, which is nestled in the hills of northern Georgia.  But, overall, the course was gorgeous!  Fall foliage in full bloom, while running on mostly tree covered roads.  The weather was also nearly perfect, clear skies, light winds, and a start temperature around 32.  The run was fabulous!!

After meeting a couple of online running friends, and a slightly late start allowing everyone to get to the starting line, a loud cannon was shot and we were off.  My friend was pacing the 4:30 group, and I half intended to run with her and take it easy, but I ended up well ahead of her.  The first mile was a little slow with all the congestion, but then I warmed up and picked it up a bit.  Today would be the day of the wandering nagging pain.  It started in my left shin.  I didn't really warm up for the race, so started off cold.  After a quick walk to shake it out, the pain then moved to my left knee.  I was worried that it was an ITBS flare, but by about mile 3, the pain shifted to my right arch, feeling like a case of Plantar Fasciitis beginning to develop.  After a couple of miles, the pain moved to the callus of my right big toe.  Felt like I was stepping on a nail for awhile.  Then around mile 11, I felt a sugar crash coming on, thankfully I was near an aid station and was able to grab some Gatorade, and bananas and apples.  Then the ball of my right foot felt like it was getting a blister.  Ugh.  See, moving pain, but it never lingered in the same spot. Finally, by about mile 18, the nagging moving pain seemed to end.

The miles ticked off fairly easily.  The course itself was a continuous barrage of rolly polly hills.  Nothing severe or extreme, but constant.  In fact, it was a relief, a nice mix of up, down, and flat.  Hitting a downhill stretch always felt great. I hit sub 9 minute miles at 20 and 21.  Again, I didn't really know what to expect, and was just going with what felt good at the moment.  Aid stations were wonderful, with water, Powerade of different flavors, Gu, bananas and apple slices.  Finish time was 4:07:12, a time I'm very pleased with.  Yes, well off my PR of 3:43, but I wasn't racing this, just running it easy to get state credit.  Considering that I just ran a 4:10 marathon six days ago, all the trail running this past week, the 11k race yesterday, and the nagging pains, I think it's fantastic!  Especially when my only goal was a finish.

The post race spread was really nice.  I got a couple of pieces of pizza, some delicious chicken tortilla soup, some cookies, and couple glasses of Coke.  I found my friend who paced the 4:30 group and chatted with her for a bit.  I looked for my other friend Richard, but couldn't find him, hoping he had a good race, his first one.

Overall, I'm pleased.  A few hours later, (after a trip to the pool and hot tub), my legs feel great.  Not really sore, or very stiff at all.  The ball of my right foot is bruised, not blistered, but it will be fine.  No other blisters or chafing otherwise.  It was a great opportunity to do something I love, run an amazingly beautiful course, and complete another state.  Life is good.

Taken after the finish.  I was a little salty, but didn't have any trouble with cramping at all.

The medal is very nice.  They do a custom medal each year commemorating one of the monuments on the battlefield.  This year's medal displayed the Free Calvary of Pennsylvania, which opened and closed the Battle of Chickamauga.

 

The elevation profile.  Again, nothing extreme, but a nice mix to keep it interesting.  

National Veterans Day Run

Today, I ran the National Veterans Days 11k Run in Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta.  Atlanta was one of 9 cities that participated. 11k is an odd distance, but since date was 11-11-11, it fit.  Overall, I didn't race this, simply because I ran a marathon 5 days ago, I have done a lot of trail running this week, and I have another marathon tomorrow.  It was a very cold morning, temps were around 30 for the start, but otherwise a beautiful morning for a race, especially as the full moon was setting over downtown Atlanta while the sun rose in the east.

I have to admit, the organization for this race was very chaotic.  Signup for the race was easy, but then, the race wanted to mail packets, but I was going to be out of town when they mailed it.  Then, this morning, the race was supposed to start at 7:11 am.  Around 615, there still were no official race peeps around, they finally showed up around 630 am.  But, there were so many people that had to pick up the packets, the race was delayed by about 20 minutes.  This was supposed to be a race celebrating veterans and their service to this country.  Nothing was mentioned about veterans at the beginning, there was no flag, and no national anthem.  Overall, very dissapointed in the race organization here in Atlanta.

The race itself was uneventful.  Three loops through Piedmont Park.  The run was beautiful, with fall color in full swing, and got to see all the various sights in the park.  Really nice run, again, not a race for me, but just a nice run.  The shirt and medal were really nice, and overall, for $22, I'd say I got my money's worth, despite the poor organization.  And, it was a nice way for me to personally my family and friends who have served this country.

Marshall University Marathon

I ran the Marshall University Marathon today in Huntington, West Virginia.  I've always had a special place in my heart for Marshall, mainly because of the plane crash that killed many members of their football team back in 1970, the year I was born.  I remember hearing about this as a kid, and then, seeing the movie a few years ago made it seem more real.  When I had the chance to run this race, I thought it would be a nice fit.

I'm coming off a pretty tough cycle, having run a 24 hour event 7 weeks ago, the Wineglass Marathon 5 weeks ago, walking a 50k at Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd 3 weeks ago, and now this race.  So I had no intentions of racing this event, just completing it for 50 states credit.  It's a small marathon, roughly 600 runners, but the perks were amazing.  By registering early, I received a Brooks Podium running jacket in signature Marshall colors (green, perhaps my favorite color).  The race logo and date were silk screened on the back of the jacket, and their team mascot.

The weather for the race was nearly perfect.  Light winds, clear skies, starting temps in the upper 30s.  Overall, a beautiful morning for a run.  I met some other online running friends before the race, and then we were off.  The running couldn't have been better.  I decided to run the first 18 miles to get a really decent long run in (without stopping), then ran a 5:1 ratio (run 5 minutes, walk a minute) the last 8.2 miles, mainly to give my legs some recovery time since I have 1 more marathon in 6 days (Chickamauga Battlefield marathon).  Overall, I think it was a great strategy, by mile 22, my legs were borderline beginning to cramp anyhow.  I trudged on and slowed down just a little.  The course was 2 loops, down in the river valley, and it was essentially flat (or the hills were so gradual that they were noticeable).  About mile 25.5, we were handed a carnation to place near their memorial fountain for the plane crash victims.  It was a green carnation, which is one of my favorite flowers.  The scent of the flower was wonderful, and it was a touching moment to memorialize the men that lost their lives in 1970.  The race finish was in the football stadium, and we were given a football to carry across the finish line.  Really cool!  Finish time was 4:10 and a few seconds.  Overall, a wonderful time considering I wasn't pushing the pace at all, and ran/walked the last 8 miles.  After the race, were were allowed access to their rec center to take a shower, which was a really nice perk.  Feels so good to take a hot shower immediately after a race.  They did run out of water by the time I finished (a LOT of spectators were drinking it all, doh), but they got some more in a few minutes.  And, they were cooking hamburgers and hotdogs, so I grabbed a couple burgers hot off the grill.

After a 6 hour drive (I'm on a vacation, so traveled to my next destination), my legs feel great.  I stopped about every 30 to 60 miles to stretch, walk around, and keep the legs and hips loose.  Surprisingly, I'm not that sore now.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Post race finish picture.  I've decided to wear calf compression sleeves when I can for my races, I think it really helps.  Wore my signature black outfit.  Black might be my second favorite color.  It was ironic, I realized that I wore this same exact outfit (shirt, shorts, arm warmers) at my first marathon.

The medal is really cool.  It's a 3D medal, with their team mascot (a buffalo) on the front that is sculpted, and the rear of the buffalo is also sculpted on the back (not shown).  It's custom dated for today's race.  Very nice, heavy medal with a green ribbon.  Love it!!

 

This was my 15th marathon or ultra, in my 12th state.  Gee, I only have 38 to go!  It's definitely a fun hobby, and a great way to do some traveling to places that I probably wouldn't go otherwise.  And yes, even though marathons sometimes suck about mile 22 or 23, by mile 25, all is well with the world again when I can hear/smell/see the finish line.  Life is good!

Cortisol... My Enemy

I've talked about this before, but think it may need a revisit.  And that's cortisol.  It's a stress hormone.  And too much of it is a bad thing.  And I'm fairly certain I've got too much of it, although I've not had my levels measured.  How do I know this?  You know those mood stress test cards, that measure the temperature of your skin and judge whether you're calm, or stressed?  I have one, and it's ALWAYS black. Yes, always.  And no, it's not broken.  Anyone else can use it, and it turns, green, blue, red.  Mine is ALWAYS black.  So that's how I live my life.  Rotating shiftwork, the running, and generally being worried about life does that to me.  Also, even though I'm of a normal weight (about 165 lately), I'm still fat.  My fat percentage is around 18%, and I have a spare tire, a muffin top.  Even though I run a lot, it still doesn't go away.  In fact, too much running likely increases my cortisol.  No wonder I can't lose that spare tire.  I eat relatively well, although relative is, well, relative.  I also probably drink too much caffeine, and while I might need that because of my shiftwork, well, it's hard to give up.  How can I reduce cortisol and become less stressed?  Well, that would require me to be, basically someone else.  I'm afraid it's my black cloud, for life.

Another Interesting Article

Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd 50k

Ok, I've got a running problem, yes, I fully admit it.  Just 2 short weeks after the Wineglass Marathon, I ran the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd 50k, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  Well, I didn't run it, I walked it, to help pace a running friend in her first 100 mile race attempt.  And, perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing, my right hamstring has still been complaining a bit, so the walking (instead of running) probably helped that a lot.

The drive to Oklahoma was about an 8 hour drive for us, but it would give us both a new state.  The race itself was quite an experience, I was helping to crew her first 2 laps, then run the third lap with her.  A lot of waiting, with occasional bouts of business, that's what crewing a 100 mile race is all about.  I actually didn't start pacing until about 1 am in the morning.  At that point, my friend was already 69 miles into the event, and relatively tired.

It was a beautiful night for a run.  The moon was nearly full, the skies were clear, the winds were light, and temperatures were in the 50s.  Overall, just wonderful.  We walked most of the 31.8 miles, with occasional shuffling along the way.  My friend had asked that try to talk about anything and everything that I could think of, so I did.  In fact, I didn't stop talking until the last hour or so, simply because I had run out of things to say.  10:17:00 was my finishing time, and personal worst for a 50k, but I didn't care.  Since I had registered, I got a shirt, a medal, and credit for another state, and more importantly, I got to help a friend complete her first 100 mile race.  Priceless.

WineGlass Marathon

Just 2 short weeks after my 24 hour endurance run in Cleveland, Ohio, I ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY.  This was originally my goal race for this year, but the 24 hour run usurped that.  Since I was already registered, and would be in the area for a Bed and Breakfast weekend, I decided to run the race anyhow.

After the North Coast event, my right hamstring has been very tight, likely a result of the bad cramping that I experienced during the race.  I've been trying to rehab it with stretches, but it really hasn't been getting better.  Leading up to this race, even the couple of days beforehand, I was considering not running it.  The fact that it would be raining with temperatures in the lower 40s and a 10 mph wind also made me doubt whether it was smart to run or not.

Race morning arrived, and indeed, it was a steady downpour, and very cold.  Waiting at the starting line, feeling miserable and questioning my leg, I decided that I'd feel more upset with myself if I didn't run it.  Once I started running, it actually wasn't that bad.  I was soaked, water was running off the bill of my cap, but overall, I was warm enough.  And yes, the right hamstring was twitchy, but overall, it wasn't that bad.  In fact, the race was pretty fun!

The miles ticked off fast enough, and the course was beautiful!  The trees were just starting to turn, and it was  a really nice run.  By about mile 18 though, the rain had stopped, but both of my legs felt like they wanted to cramp at any moment, yet I kept running.  Perhaps all the wine I drank in the 3 days leading up to the race had something to do with that, ha.  My finish time was pretty good, considering my recent 84 mile run just two weeks, ago, 4:05:18.  And it felt good to be done.  Another state, 10 total.

Volunteering - We Wouldn't Have Races Without Them

I had the chance to volunteer at the Omaha Marathon today.  Since I just had a big race last weekend, I felt a week or solid recovery was much more important than running my hometown race.  Since I was free, I thought volunteering would be a great idea.  After all, we wouldn't have races without the volunteers.  I wanted to be a course monitor so I could cheer on fellow runners.  I was posted at mile 18.5 (roughly), where the course made a sharp right turn.  I saw every marathoner out there today, from the lead men and women, to the those at the very end who were walking.  It was an amazing experience.  I highly suggest any runner out there to make sure and volunteer when you can, to give back.  We all love to race, and I think many of us (myself included) take the volunteers for granted sometimes.  Truly, as I mentioned, we couldn't do the races without them. Loved seeing how hard everyone was working, regardless of their pace.  They were all working hard for their individual effort level.  Bravo to all the marathoners out there this morning, I was both sad and glad.  Glad to be able to help to give back, but sad that I wasn't out there running with them.  It was a beautiful morning for a run.

North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run

1 day, 24 hours, 86400 seconds, 92 1/2 laps, 12 Facebook updates, and 83.41 miles.  Those are just a bunch of numbers that don’t really mean anything, other than a set of memories that will last a lifetime.  On September 17th to September 18th, 9am to 9am, I ran and walked the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run in Cleveland, Ohio. It was also the USA Track and Field National Championship for a 24 hour event.  I completed 83.41 miles, and placed 15 out of 29 in my age group and 72 out of 186 overall. Solidly middle of the pack, which is right where I expected to be.  My original goal going into the race was 78.6 miles, or 3 marathons, and I more than exceeded that so I’m happy.  The course was a 0.9 mile asphalt loop at Edgewater Park on the shoreline of Lake Erie.  The winner completed 153.37 miles by comparison.

I will say, this was an amazing experience.  About 10 months ago, I never dreamed that anything like this would be possible. I changed my training and focused on ultra marathons this year, training for distance and not speed.  It was an interesting transition, something that seemed to agree with me.  The longer I ran, the more I seemed to enjoy it.  Training went well.  In December 2010, I laid out a plan that would consist of many months of progressive building with scaled cutbacks, and overall, it worked.  I ran my first 50k training run, then a 50k race, then an 8 hour race, hit 70, 80, and 110 miles per week.  It was more than enough to get me through this event.  And overall, I remained injury free through late spring and summer also, so it ended up being a very productive cycle.

I don’t intend to give a mile by mile account of what happened during the race.  Some of it I don’t even remember at all, and there are other things that I’d just as soon forget.  And of course, there are some things that just don’t need to be said. I ran for 4 minutes, then walked for a minute. I did that for the the first 14 to 16 hours.  And then it was more walking than running, and finally down to just walking, and eventually just hobbling.  And I likely started out too fast, but that's OK.  In order to learn, you have to make mistakes along the way. 

The event started the night before with a great face to face meeting with some of the other runners from Runners World, most of whom I’ve chatted online with for a couple of years.  We had a picnic at the same park that we would be running, and I think it helped to set the stage for what would be an awesome day.

The weather during the daytime during the race was really nice. A nice breeze to keep us cool, and cloudy skies until mid afternoon so it didn’t get too warm.  Yes, it did start to get warmer when the sun came out by 1 or 2 pm and temperatures were near 70 degrees, but overall, it was a beautiful, gorgeous day.   It rained both the day before and the day after the race so we got very lucky.  And I’ll never forget all of the laughs we shared.  I laughed so much during the race while talking with the other runners, and laughed at some of the things I saw.  Yes, it’s a race and it’s serious business, but you have to have fun too!  There was always something to keep my mind busy. 

I can’t speak highly enough of the other Runners World runners whom I shared this journey with.  Bob, Eddie, Dave, Chuck, Lori, Jenn, Sue, Susan, Angela, Terri, David, Chris, and Katrina.  You all are the best, and I’m grateful to each one of you for helping to get me through this.  I feel we truly helped each other get through this event and I’m proud to call you all friends.  Also our crew for this race was outstanding.  Laura, Dena, Pam, Tracie, Jenny, Rich, Joelie, Bridgett, and Jerry.  This would have been so much harder without you there for your support and gentle prodding to get back out there and to keep eating and keep going.

That’s not to say that this was all sunshine and roses because it wasn’t.  I did have a bad headache for a few miles at the beginning.  It was a borderline migraine.  I never get headaches, and this was something I couldn’t shake.  It eventually went away thankfully after I started drinking some pop for the caffeine.  My right hamstring did cramp and seize pretty bad later during the race, and by about 60 miles in, I did visit the medical aid station to have them massage it out after it got dark because it hurt so bad, and the cool temperatures made it even tighter.  And later in the event, as the miles continued to build, so did the blisters. I’m especially prone to blisters on the bottoms of my feet.  They didn’t disappoint, and I ended up in the medical aid station again to get the half dollar sized blisters popped and taped very late in the night.  They hurt very bad and made it painful for every step after that, but it comes with the territory I guess.  In retrospect, I should have visited the medical aid station much, much sooner, and perhaps they could have helped prevent them from becoming as bad as they got.  It also got brutally cold during the middle of the night, with a relentless wind of 15 to 20 mph, which created wind chills near 40 degrees.  It was so cold about 6 am that I retreated to the sheltered men’s restroom for an hour and a half break/nap on a hard bench for fear of succumbing to hypothermia.  There was also a timing malfunction during the race, and for several hours, the display board was not working and a lap or two was occasionally missing.  I think it was eventually worked out, but I know it caused a lot of undue stress for just about everyone.  I did not chafe too badly thankfully, only some mild chaffing in the nether regions, but nothing serious, although I did discover that Body Glide doesn’t really function at a certain point, I guess it’s only effective for so long.

I learned during the race that I could eat just about anything that was offered.  I trained with this strategy, so normal food worked well for me.  Since this was a 0.9 mile loop course, the aid station was readily available. Every lap, I grabbed something.  I ate regular food and never once ate an energy gel.  I ate cookies, crackers, pretzels, potato chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, bean and cheese burrito wraps, grilled cheese, watermelon, bananas, oranges, candy, brownies, cake, doughnuts, MnMs, pizza, egg sandwiches, potato soup, vegetable soup, noodles, chicken broth, rice, mashed potatoes. Our makeshift camp also had huge tables of food, much more than we ever needed. Our Runners World camp was definitely the best stocked site out there.  You name it, I probably ate it.  I also drank water, Gatorade, Heed, and Coke and Pepsi, and sipped on Perpetuem.  And never once was I especially nauseous. I was surprised. Given that strange concoction, surely a handful of Tums would have been necessary, but I was fine.  Even through all that, bodily functions seemed normal throughout the 24 hours as well.   I also took 1 S Cap (salt) each hour to maintain electrolytes.

I did not listen to music during the race.  I did have my Ipod available, but found that I didn’t need it or even want it.  Looking back, I honestly could not tell you what went through my mind over 24 hours, other than it’s a lot of time to think.  What did I think about? Well, nothing in particular.  I found it was hard to focus on one thing for very long, as there was always something new to distract me.  But time passed.  Yes, it passed slowly occasionally, but it still passed. 

I never once changed my shirt and running shorts during the event, although I did discover early on in the race that my compression shorts underneath my running shorts were on backwards.  Ooops.  It wasn't causing any problems, so I decided to not fix something that wasn’t broken.  Honestly, I'm not sure I ever needed a change of clothes, so I didn't, although I did have about 4 extra outfits just in case.  I did add calf compression sleeves after about 31 miles, and added arm sleeves once the sun went down, and eventually added a running jacket, and finally a running vest on top of that to stay warm along with a running hat to keep my head warm.  I changed socks and shoes twice.

During the run, I did stop a few times for a quick break, mainly to sit for a minute or two, and occasionally to do some Facebook updates.  During a normal run, I would never do this, but I really wanted to give all my family and friends back home an inside glimpse of what I was experiencing in real time.  It was also a selfish means of motivation as their online praise and support was one of the things I looked forward to reading on each break and it was one of the things that kept me going.  I think it perhaps sums up my true experience of the race as well and shows a nice progression of not only the running milestones through the 24 hours, but also the range of emotions, from highest of highs, and lowest of lows.  I did also doze for about an hour, just before sunrise, while violently shivering trying to stay warm.

Facebook comments:

730 am:  Slept very well last night. Ready to run, for a really long time. Will post updates on breaks.

130 pm:  4:30, 25.2 miles done. Feeling great.

255 pm:  5:55, 31.5 miles. Getting hot, slowing down until sunset. Doing ok, but feeling the effects.

525 pm:  8:25. New distance PR of 42.2 miles. Feel about as good as you'd expect after running that far. Allergies are pissing me off. Don't have time to respond to everyone but thanks for the support!! I'm going to need it over the next 16 hours. Time is passing slow.

755 pm:  10:55. 52.6 miles. Two marathons done. Right leg is cramping bad but everything else is good. Watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Erie. Forward.

910 pm:  12:10, 57.2 miles. I have come so far, yet I still have a mountain to climb. All my bodily functions are still functioning so I'm good. Beautiful view of downtown Cleveland from here. Getting cool. Forward!!

1037 pm:  13:37 into this mofo race and I just hit 100k. Thats 62.2 miles. Pace has slowed considerably. Right hamstring has really seized up. Still eating well though, not really nauseous at all yet. Still peeing good too. Going to be a very long night. Hot potato soup hits the spot though.

1208 am:  15:08. Tired. 66.4 miles. Moving slow. But moving.

120 am:  16:20, 70 miles done. I'm sure you're all asleep by now. Taking a break for a bit. Just a few more laps.

339 am:  18:39, 75.65 miles. Both balls of my feet are blistered and taped. Down to a walk for the duration. For a sport I love so much, I loathe it right now.

615 am:  21:15, 79.27 miles. That's three marathons. If I don't run another lap, I'm happy. I'm very cold. And in the pain cave.

900 am:  24:00. Official distance still being calculated. Should be about 83.5'sh.  I'm done.

At about 730 am, with an hour and a half to go in the race, most of our running group, who had since stopped and were essentially done with the event (3 runners in our group were still going, one shooting for 100 miles), all collectively decided to walk one last victory lap.  I honestly didn’t think I could do it.  We were all hurting very badly and could barely move because our bodies had stiffened up beyond belief.  But the sun was rising, and it gave me hope.  Those first few steps were some of the hardest steps I’ve taken.  And that one victory lap turned into 3 1/2 more, before the whistle was blown ending the race.  I found I was actually running through the pain in that last lap and was sad it was over.

And then it was done.  After the race, my body was trashed beyond belief. I could barely walk.  Every step resulted in sharp pain shooting through my legs and feet.  After trying to help to tear down our makeshift camp, I headed back to the motel.  After a hot shower (was too cold for an ice bath), I lied down and slept for about 4 hours.  I didn’t move because it simply hurt too much.  But I eventually was able to get back up off the bed though and put one foot in front of the other and was able to hobble enough to at least get around.  That evening after the race, a few of the runners got together for one last meal to relive some of the triumphs and tragedies.  It was a fitting end to a great weekend.

What an incredible journey, yet a wonderful adventure!  But, it's still, “just a run”.  It's just  a hobby.  Did it change me?  Yes, in some way, but really, deep down, I’m still the same person I was before.  I did however prove to myself yet again that I’m tougher than I’ve given myself credit for.  I’m stronger than I ever thought possible. I’m living my mantra, “Better than I was, but not as good as I’ll be, and never give up.”  Yes, at my lowest point during the run, I never wanted to run again.  I loathed it.  But after the event was over, after I’ve had time to reflect, I still love running.  Will I do something like this again?  I honestly don’t know. Perhaps. But sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith.  Instead of asking myself, “Why?”,  I tend to say, “Why Not.”

Here are a few photos....

About 1/2 hour before the start on Saturday morning, feeling slightly nervous but ready to go!

Sometime on Saturday morning, maybe 15 or 20 miles in (not sure).  Feeling great, confident, and happy. (Thanks Jenny for the picture, one of about 10 she took that day).

The final lap, about 850 am Sunday morning.  I was in a lot of pain at this point, but also extremely happy that I was almost done.  On this last lap, I actually was able to run again, even though it hurt like hell.  (Thanks Dena for the picture!)

After the finish, about 915 am, ready to get some sleep.  I was a mixed bag of emotions.  I was glad it was over, I was exhausted, I was in the pain cave, yet relieved that I had endured.  I was also sad that a 10 month journey was over, and was thinking, as everyone else was talking, when would I get to do this again?

Post Race Recovery:

The day after the race, I traveled home.  I was slightly nervous about having to walk so far through the airport considering how slow I was moving.  By Monday morning, things were a little better and the trip home was uneventful.  It was a great feeling to do something so crazy as complete a 24 hour event, but it was an even greater feeling to come home.  By Tuesday, my legs really feel a lot better now, and the blisters are healing. And I'm just about ready to run in another day or two.

How Far Can You Go?

There's a quote by T.S. Elliot that says, "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." I'm about to find out. 10 months ago, I committed to participating in a 24 hour event, the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run, in Cleveland, OH. When I registered for this event in December 2010, I never really thought I'd be giving this serious thought, but a little seed planted way back then bloomed into something interesting. I completely changed my training this year, focusing on learning how to run long, and not necessarily fast. Yes, I've lost my speed. But I've gained endurance. I ran my first 50k run (31.1 miles), I ran another, and another, and another. I ran in the middle of the night. I ran for 8 hours straight. I ran in the heat of the day, and I ran when I was dog tired. I ran 42 miles at once, my longest run to date. I ran 110 miles in one week. I'm ready. It's time to do the dance. It's time to test my skill and see how it goes. So, this weekend, from 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday, I run. 24 hours. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm scared. But I'm happy. And I'm sure at some point during the run, I'll be having the time of my life with a huge grin from ear to ear. And at times, I'm sure I'll be downright miserable and begging for it to end. In fact, it could end up being the longest 24 hours of my life. 86400 seconds. 1 day. It's just a run, and won't change anything. The sun will still rise and set and life goes on. Win or lose, succeed or fail, it's time to risk going too far just to see how far I can go.

Mileage for the North Coast 24 Hour Run

This is a snapshot of my weekly mileage leading up to the North Coast 24 Hour Run, which is scheduled for 9/17-18, 2011. This was a 28 week training cycle, which included five 60 mile weeks, two 70 mile weeks, two 80 mile weeks, and one 110 mile week, for a weekly average of 53.3 mpw since mid February. I hope it's enough. I must say, I'm really pleased with this experiment, and really surprised myself on how far I could go.  I'm feeling confident in the race, and looking forward to it in 2 weeks.

New Monthly Mileage PR

310.2 miles for the month of August! 

Howl at the Moon 8 Hour Ultra

Yesterday, I ran my 2nd ultra in an as many months, in prep for a 24 hour run that I've got in 5 weeks (with a whole lot of other running friends).  It was fun, hard, exhausting, and memorable, all rolled up into one! 

What:  Howl at the Moon 8 Hour Ultra run in Danville, Illinois, 8/13/11, 7am to 3pm.  Ran 41.98 miles (ok, let's just say 42 for arguments sake), and finished 4th out of 53 in my age group. 

The Details:  The forecast had been calling for a 60 to 80 percent chance of rain all week prior to the race, so I was fully prepared to get a little wet.  In fact, I was expecting it, otherwise, I was afraid it was just going to be too hot to do well. Met a couple of running friends the night before, Doug and Neil, I got a good nights sleep and awoke to an empty radar, and very comfortable temps in the mid 50s. Race start temp was 61, eventually climbing to 86 by the end of the race. Not a drop of rain in sight. Yes, the weather forecast was wrong, just about as wrong as could be.  Nary a cloud in the sky until 2 pm or so, and it got hot, very quickly through the morning. My friend Neil also ran the race, and did very well also despite the heat! Also got to meet his wife Mary too.   Let's just say that running in full sun, through the peak heating of the day, well, to put it mildly, kind of sucks. Enough said.

The course itself was a 3.29 mile loop in Kennekuk County Park near Danville.  The course was about 1/2 shade, 1/2 in full sun, on a combo of pasture trail, dirt/rock road, and asphalt.  The idea was to complete as many of these loops as you could before 230 pm cutoff, then complete as many 1/2 mile out and backs before the end of the race.

Overall, things went well for me, despite running in the full sun through the heat of the day.  I immediately dialed my salt/hydration/nutrition strategy in from the very beginning.  I carried a bottle of water and a multi hour bottle of  Hammer Perpetuem drink with me to sip on, and topped off the water bottle at each of the 2 aid stations on the course.  Because of the heat, every half hour, I took a Succeed salt caplet, and grazed on boiled potatoes, grapes, PB/J sandwich squares, and a small dixie cup of Pepsi at both aid stations.  In other words, I ate real food, in bitesize bits, roughly every 15 minutes, the whole way through. And it worked great as far as I can tell.

The miles were ticking off fairly well for me.  In fact, I didn't experience any major problems, until about mile 30.  By then, the bottoms of my feet were beginning to feel every step, although it wasn't from blisters, the balls of my feet were just taking too much of a beating.  I didn't have any major chafing issues, no major cramping, the legs felt good nearly the whole time.  Yes, the heat was becoming slightly unbearable toward the end with temps in the mid 80s and no relief and full sun, but I just kept moving.  I did a 4:1 ratio from the very beginning (except I walked the major hill no matter what).  I've used that ratio in the past, and it works well for me.

I did walk the entire last lap though, only because of logistics.  I knew I couldn't complete 2 laps before the cutoff, so  since there was no incentive to run it, I just walked the last lap to get ready for the out/back portion of the course.  At that point, my legs were starting to hint at wanting to cramp too, and I was getting slightly nauseous from the heat, so the longer walk break was probably a good idea.  After a 15 minute period of rest, (had to wait until 230 pm to start the out/back portion of the course), I did five 1/2 mile out and backs, for a grand total of 41.98 miles over 8 hours!  Was good enough for 4th place in my age division.  My original goal was 40 miles, so I felt proud that I was able to exceed this despite the heat.

I should also mention that I didn't really stop, except for that 15 minute break toward the end.  My car was parked about 50 feet from the course, and I had everything set up in my trunk as a drop bag just in case.  Change of shoes, socks, clothes, some Hammer Gel, Cliff Bars, Gatorade, etc.  But I never needed anything, so didn't stop but once to grab a bandanna on the 2nd loop to keep wiping the sweat off my head.  Also ran the race sans iPod.  I had it in the car, but decided I didn't want or need it.

After the race, they have a huge party, with free beer, free food (catered by Lees Chicken), and generally a fun time while announcing the awards.  It was a nice way to end the race.  Can't say enough good things about the organization of the race or the folks that put it on.  Awesome all around.  They even served margaritas at the aid station on the last lap. How fun!

This is the second time that the bottoms of my feet have become so painful that it would be hard to continue on.  It's the balls of my feet, that basically feel like I'm walking on nails with every step.  It's not a blister, it's just a deep bruise I think. I had no blisters at all anywhere.  By the end of the race, it hurt so bad to walk, I know I couldn't have done any more.  And this worries me, since I have that 24 hour race in 5 weeks.  Need to figure out what's going on, so I can figure out how to keep going longer.  I did put a square of duct tape on the bottom of each foot hoping to prevent the issue, but it really didn't change anything.  And I've got 5 weeks to figure it out.

The second thing, I signed up for this 24 hour event, not really knowing what I could and couldn't do, but have been excited to try.  Training has been going very well, as I hit 110 miles last week for an All Stars week of a running game I'm in.  And really, my body is holding up good (except for the bottom of the feet).  I'm just trying to figure out how to convince my mind to keep going.  When I was done with this race, the thought of doing this (running) for another 16 hours was enough to almost make me ill.  So I've got some mental hurdles that I'll need to figure out how to overcome too.

Me, after the race, feeling proud, and worn out.  (note, I was covered with salt).   In retrospect, wearing all black on this day was probably a bad choice, ha, but black has become my favorite racing color.



The Swag:  A reusable insulated shopping bag (with a zipper, to use for cold foods), a really nice cotton tee-shirt (I chose a long sleeve shirt), the participant medal on the right, and the A/G medal on the left.



The Pace and Elevation Graphs:  Pretty darn consistent pace showing the run/walk, until the last lap which I walked completely. 



Bottom line, I had a pretty good race, had a great time, got to hang out with some cool folks, and overall had a really fun running weekend.  Really, it doesn't get any better than that!!

Thanks for reading.

110 Miles This Week

I ran 110 miles this week, a new personal best. 

Running Crossroads

Just needed to type some of this stuff out, mainly for my own head.  I feel like I'm at a running crossroads in my life, and not sure how to proceed.  And I guess I'll probably discover the answer as I go along.

Background:  Been running for about 3 years now, and through that time, discovered that I really just love to run.  I've never really been passionate about any of the hobbies in my life, until now, so I guess it took 41 years to find it.  When I started running, it was actually kind of easy for me.  I found that I could do it, I enjoyed it, and the more I ran, the more I "wanted" to run (borrowed from George Sheehan).  Running fit me.  And yes, I've had a couple of injuries along the way because of my own bullheadness.  Sometimes we just have to make the mistakes ourselves to truly learn.

I started off with a half marathon, and then a marathon, and another, and another.  I've trained fairly hard, but am definitely an average runner.  First half was 1:59, three years ago, and have since gotten to 1:39 last September.  First marathon was 4:27, and have since gotten to 3:43 this past January. Got a 46:20 in a 10k this spring.  Yeah, average.  All of my race times are solidly middle of the pack for my age group, unless it was a very small race in which I got a couple of A/G placements.  But for me, it's almost to the point of diminishing returns, I'm not sure I can get better on my own.  And I'm OK with that, kind of.  Except I want to get better, but the last marathon cycle was pretty tough on me. Do I want to push myself even harder?  Should I?

After my last marathon, I decided to switch gears just a bit, and mainly because of the FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome, I decided to join a bunch of folks and run a 24 hour event this fall in Cleveland, OH.  I also thought it would be a good way to try something different, and continue to build a really strong base this year, instead of focusing on speed. Changing it up.

And I've found that I really enjoy doing the long runs.  I've done four 50k runs over the last 2 months, and generally speaking, I've done OK.  In fact, those 50k runs have been real character builders and I've proven to myself that I'm a lot stronger than I give myself credit for.  But, in training for this 24 hour event, I'm definitely losing my speed.  Yes, that's by design, because in ultras (esp with a 24 hour event), you have to slow down, you simply can't run them at marathon pace (or at least I can't and stay injury free). 

You see, as a kid, I was never an athlete.  I simply did not do sports.  I tried football as a freshman, but had appendicitis 2 weeks into training, so ended up being the stats and equipment guy that season.  I did track my freshman year, but was horrible only because I didn't want to work hard and wanted to goof off.  So through the rest of high school, I was simply the stats or equipment guy because it was easier.  And it still let me hang around with my buddies.  But today, at the prime age of 41, in my mind, I'm almost athlete-like.  I'm a runner.  And it feels great.

But now I'm having this internal struggle.  I don't want to sound like an elitist, because I'm not, but these long 50k runs have not been that hard. And I find that I'm rather enjoying them. But they are slow, only because they have to be.  But somehow, deep down, I want speed too, and I want to improve my PRs at the shorter distances of 10k, half, and the marathon.  But I can't have both.  Can't have cake and eat it too.  Or so I've been told.

And finally, my internal struggle leads me to my crossroads.  I've got runs booked through the rest of the year.  These runs are serving a purpose of helping me run in all 50 states (eventually). Note, I'm not really racing anything left on my schedule this year, just running them for the experience.   I'm mainly thinking about goals beyond this year.  What fork in the road will my running career take next year?  And that my friends, is the question. Speed or distance.  Yin and Yang.  Apples and Oranges. I've tried both (granted, I'm not as speedy as a lot of you), but I want both.  I want to go fast(er), but I also am really enjoying these longer runs.  Still not sure about the 24 hour run yet, that might be too long I think, we'll see.  Anyhow, how do I balance this out in my head, wanting to go fast(er), but really enjoying doing much, much longer distances.  And I feel like that I've really lost my speed that I built up last year.  As in, there's no way I could repeat those speeds at my current fitness level.  Can I ever get that back?

It's a battle, at least for me, which leads me to this unending novel, which is mainly just a chance for me to vent since I don't have anyone else to talk to about it. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.  And that my friends, is my running crossroads.

Run Toto Run Psyco Psummer 50k

What:  Completed my first official 50k race, a very hilly trail 50k in Kansas City, KS around Wyandotte Lake.  Finished in 7:33:17, 35 out of 49 men. 

Why:  I'm still asking myself that question.  Yes, I'm a runner, but I run primarily on roads and easy trails.  I'm currently training for ultras, including a 24 hour race this fall.  This seemed like a good way to get some miles while doing something new and different at the same time.  Plus, peer pressure still works even though I'm 41 years old. :)

How:  I'm not exactly sure of that either, other than I've been working hard and have come a long way in my running ability.  This was the hardest, hilliest, longest race I've ever done.  But I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, over and over, rinse, lather repeat.  And running with a good friend for 21 of the 31.1 miles really helped.  Thank you friend for 1) encouraging me to sign up, and 2) not allowing me to stop. 

The Nitty Gritty:  I'm not a trail runner, remember?  I run roads, and flat rail or bike trails.  This was a hilly mofo race, rated level 4 for terrain, and level 5 for surface, with roughly 3200' of both elevation descent and gain over 31.1 miles (50k).  I honestly (and rightly so) doubted my ability to complete this race, given my lack of trail and hill experience, although I have run shorter trails that were similar.  I did complete two 50k training runs prior to this, so I felt very prepared for the distance, just not the technicality of the hills or the terrain.  There was about 3 miles of mud per 10 mile loop, a crapton of rocks, and roots, and about 5 miles of really sweet, fun, runnable trail.  The race didn't start until 8 am, so running through the heat through 330 pm was a challenge, but we were in the woods 98% of the time, and it really wasn't that bad. 

My body held up very well, I did stub my foot hard enough around mile 27 to bring tears to my eyes, (I'll lose at least 1, maybe 2 toenails because of it), and the bottom of my feet were basically hamburger when I was finished.  I will say, this was the hardest race I've ever done.  To put this race in perspective, I ran a flat 50k training run a few weeks ago on a rail trail in 5:13, so this race took another 2 hours and 20 minutes. Yeah, it was that hard (for me).

Overall, this was a significant challenge (given my lack of hill and trail experience), but something that was a ton of fun, all wrapped up into one.  I would be cursing the rocks with very loud expletives at one moment, being upset and slipping in the mud and almost getting my shoe sucked off the next, then be smiling at how much fun I was having just around the bend with a decent running pace.  A real roller coaster of emotions.

The race:  Can't say enough good things about the Kansas City Trail Nerds who put this race on.  Very accommodating, and the aid stations (6 total per 10 mile loop) were awesome.  Having ice in your water and sport drink when it's about 90 outside was incredible and kept me going.  And the kinds and types of foods was awesome.  Chocolate muffins, potato chips, glasses of Coke, watermelon, bananas, gummy bears, PB/J and Nutella tortillas, ahh, the food of ultra running.  And I ate it all, as much as I could take.

The Friends:  I got to run the first 2 laps with a good running friend for 21 miles or so, but she very smartly decided to not do a 3rd lap due cramping and light headedness.  Thank you again for all your support though!  And thank you for continuing to be a great running motivator to go beyond your abilities, and thanks for being a good running friend.   And got to meet another local KC runner who I'm friends with.  He stayed throughout the day, even well beyond the end of his 10 mile race, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.  Very cool!  He also took some great pictures.  Really appreciate it!! 

The recovery:  Even though the bottom of my feet are in bad shape (just bruised from all the rock pounding, no blisters thankfully), the rest of my body feels pretty good the day after.  I was able to run 9 recovery miles this morning after the race and I don't have any injuries, other than a little bit of chaffing hither and yon (completely normal), and a bug bite on my ankle that I can't seem to pin down exactly what it is yet.  Need to watch that one closely.  I did slip and fall in the deep mud about mile 17, and thought I hurt my arm pretty badly, but that pain went away after a few miles.  Otherwise, no major ill effects.

Bottom line: I'm not a fast trail runner, and an average road runner. Trails and hills are not my thing (yet).  My performance was well beyond the middle of the pack for this race.  Big deal.  I'll keep trying, keep moving forward, will work harder, and will continue to set new goals for myself, and will keep reaching further than what I thought I could do before.  Better than I was, but not as good as I'll be, that's my motto.  It's my first official 50k finish, I'll take it, no matter what the result. It was an experience of a lifetime, priceless memories were made, I proved to myself I'm tougher than I give myself credit for, and that's what it's all about. 

A couple of photos:

I don't know when this was taken, although it's within the first 10 mile loop somewhere.  (note the feet caked with mud though).



End of 20 miles. Soaked through to the skin. But feeling good, and actually started the third loop really strong.



Immediately after finishing.  (Thanks Eric for the picture!)  I know you can't see it, but the medal has a tornado on it.  Since I'm a weather guy, I just had to have this medal (OK, the real reason I ran the race).  It's all about the bling, right? :)



Pace and elevation charts:  There was a lot of runnable section, which shows well in the pace graph I think.  I was actually really pleased with the speed at which I could run, when I ran.  That running pace seemed fairly consistent all the way to the end.

Lap 1:      2:17:36.0
Lap 2:      2:37:38.9
Lap 3:      2:38:02.3
Total Time: 7:33:17.3



Overall, this was a fun, but hard race. Given my lack of trail experience, I'd say I did OK. I finished. And I gained valuable experience if I'd ever attempt something like this again.

A Marapalooza Birthday Weekend - 40 hours - 3 RRs - 4 Medals

Quick Version:  Decided to celebrate my 41st birthday this year by running my age in miles over a weekend. So, I ran the Fargo 5k on my birthday on 5/20 in 26:55, The Fargo marathon on 5/21 in 4:11:19, and the Gambler Half Marathon on 5/22 in 1:59:53.  42.4 running miles, 40 clock hours, 1100 road miles, 3 races, 4 medals. Didn't race any one of them, as these times are way off my PRs, but just ran them with some good friends as a way to celebrate my birthday.  Priceless! 

The much longer version with all the details:  Headed to Fargo on Friday with a couple of running friends, Laci and Karina. Enjoyed a pleasant 7 1/2 hour drive to the nice town of Fargo, ND, a new state for me.  We stopped about every hour to stretch our legs and eat and drink. And we laughed a lot!  Since I'm a meteorologist, I was fairly obsessed with the weather leading up to the race, and feared that they all might be thundered out.  It rained half the way the way to Fargo, fairly certain the 5k race would be wet.

The First Race 5/20 - 5k - 26:55 - Met up with with a couple of other running friends before the race, and prepared to run, in the rain.  It sprinkled as the National Anthem was sung, and then it stopped.  Dry for the race, Yay, we got lucky.  The race was really fun, just running, not racing, earned my medal, and enjoyed an awesome birthday dinner at a local Italian restaurant, even getting surprised with a free birthday dessert since Laci and Karina had whispered to the waitress.  Thanks guys! 

The Second Race - 5/21 - Marathon - 4:11:19 - It rained all night long, and again, was worried that the race would have been postponed because of thunder and lightning.  The rain stopped about 30 minutes before the race, so again, we got lucky!  Yay.  Don't have a lot of details to say, other than it was a ton of fun!  Laci and I ran together, and Karina lined up a few minutes behind us.  We ran the first 2 miles, then did a 4:1 ratio for the rest of the race.  Yes, we Gallowalked it.  Big deal!  Really, I'm training for a 24 hour event, and this crazy weekend was meant mostly as a training run for me.  But we were passing people left and right, and continued to do so all the way to the end. In other words, Gallowalking works.  Started to get a bad blister on the ball of my foot about about mile 15 though.  After that, it got progressively worse.  The last 5 miles it felt like I was stepping on a nail with every step.  I was also worried that I was going to cramp really badly as I could feel it coming on.  Even though I was in quite a bit of pain, we still managed to laugh a lot.  Thank you Laci for making the race so fun.  I kind of kept pace through the race, and Laci kept track of the 4:1, always letting us know when it was time to walk, or run/shuffle. Teamwork.  I did cramp pretty bad, immediately as I crossed the finish line, so that was great timing.  Also got a special medal for doing both the 5k and marathon.  High quality medals, really classy.  I can't recommend Fargo enough, a great overall event!  Karina did have trouble in the race though, and after running 15 miles, decided to pull out. We were disappointed that her knee was really hurting badly, but it was a super smart decision on her part to not push it, to save her legs for the next one!  After scoring a free lunch at Famous Daves (they took forever to deliver our food), the 7 1/2 hour car ride home was just as fun, all laughing, occasionally napping, stopping every hour to eat and stretch, and overall a breeze.

The Third Race - 5/22 - Half Marathon - 1:59:53 - After about 6 hours sleep, I got up to do it all over again, but only a half today.  I duct taped the half dollar sized blister on the bottom of my foot and headed to the race.  Since Laci had a much longer drive than me, I said I'd pick up her bib for her, and meet her immediately before the race started.  Except we couldn't find each other.  She was having me paged over the PA system, but I couldn't hear it.  The race started, and I still had her race bib in my hands.  Oops.  I started anyhow, DFL, carrying her bib, hoping she'd be at the back looking for me.  No luck.  So, I ran the race with the intent of catching her to giver her the bib.  Actually, everything felt really loose today, despite having run a marathon yesterday.  That Gallowalking really does work, so I used the same strategy today, using 9:1 ratio instead of the 4:1 that I used yesterday.  The race was on a really nice course, mix of streets, bike path, urban, and rural, and overall, a really fun morning and great race.  Never did catch Laci, until several minutes after we both had finished.  Come to find out, I was just 30 seconds behind her at the finish, ha, so I almost caught her.  It worked out afterall. 

So that's it.  42.4 miles to celebrate my 41st birthday. 3 races, over 40 hours, 4 medals, but memories that will last a lifetime.  I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  Thank you to Karina and Laci for helping me to celebrate an awesome birthday weekend.  You are both great running pals, and I appreciate being able to know you.  Thanks again for helping make my 41st birthday one that I won't ever forget.

Here are a few pictures:

Me, after the Fargo Marathon during a goofy strongman pose. 



After the Gambler Half Marathon, feeling fulfilled with a long weekend of running complete.



And the Bling, a 5k medal, a Fargo marathon medal, the Fargo Rocks medal, and the Gambler half marathon medal.



The moral of the story:  Don't be afraid to take a chance and do something crazy and fun, and you don't have to "race" every race.  There are so many ways to run, to be able to enjoy it.  Do it your way.  Yes, I love to race, but this weekend of running and some walking was one of the more enjoyable things I've done in awhile and I wouldn't change a thing. 

Rock N Roll Arizona Marathon

Ran the RnR Arizona Marathon this past weekend in 3:43:14, a PR by 6:10.  But, bonked in the last couple of miles with some severe cramping that dropped me to a hobble and near crawl.  Se la vi, still got a nice PR and an awesome weekend in the sun with my wife, so I'm happy.

The bonk is purely my own fault.  I completely forgot to bring my Endurolite capsules from the hotel, and the Cytomax that Competitor uses makes me sick, so I couldn't drink that.  I fueled with a multi-hour bottle of Sustained Energy, water along the course, and planned on using the salt capsules, so going without any electrolytes was one of my downfalls.  I also went out too fast.  I put the hammer down early in the race when everything was feeling good and decided to go for broke, which was probably a mistake given I was cruising without any added salts. Oops.  And I likely put too much into my training.  I ran a 3:49 in Chicago, and signed up for this race as redemption.  It was too soon, and I really pushed my limits in the 13 weeks in between.  Got a PR for weekly mileage at 67, and just shy of 300 miles in December, but probably put too much effort into the training which left me depleted and worn down on race day.  Plus, I tend to race too much anyhow (yeah, my singlet gives it away), my own fault.

Splits were awesome up until mile 20 though.  Then my quads starting cramping (the course is a little too flat IMO), and by mile 24, had dropped to a run/walk shuffle.  10k, 51:22, 8:16 pace. 13.1m, 1:46:25, 8:07 pace.  20m, 2:44:26, 8:13 pace.  26.2, 3:43:14, 8:31 pace. 1:46:25/1:56:49 first/second half splits. 

I'll still take it though!