Saturday, December 1, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Marine Corp Marathon - Outrunning Hurricane Sandy
We indeed headed to DC on Saturday morning, and immediately headed to the expo. I'm not a big fan of crowds, and the 30 minute wait to just get inside was annoying, but we eventually got in and had fun shopping at all the booths. My wife bought a new armband holder for her phone and I bought a Nite Beams running armband. The photo above is myself and my wife cheesing for a shot at the expo.
Meanwhile, all during the day Saturday, I kept obsessing about the weather. We had flights out first thing Monday morning, but being a meteorologist, I kept checking the latest computer models on my phone and was becoming increasingly worried that we were going to get stuck in DC, and possibly for several days. We ate an early dinner and headed back to our hotel so I could watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers play football on TV and try to relax. It was at this time that our airline had offered anyone with flights on the east coast the chance to make flight changes for free without penalty so I immediatley got on the phone to see what we could do. After about 4 hours of trying (no luck the first time because our reservation was still on hold from flying just 5 hours earlier), and eventually being put on a call back list, we got a call about 11 pm Saturday night from the airline. My wife was able to reschedule her flight home for 6 am Sunday morning and would miss spectating the race. She got the last seat on that flight. She resecheduled my flight for 6 pm Sunday night, and I got the last seat on that flight. So that was one less worry on my mind, which honestly, consumed me more than the race itself. It was mentally exhausting worrying about it. It was a relief knowing that we would be able to escape the area before the hurricane hit and wouldn't strand our daughter at home.
Ok, on to the race: I got up early to see my wife off to the airport, knowing it was the only choice we had. She would miss the race. I dressed and headed down to the shuttle a couple blocks away at 530 am. I arrived at the Runners Village very quickly and milled around. I sat and rested. I stretched. I used the porta johns a couple of times. I was very impressed on how well everything was organized. It was awesome actually. For a mega race, the organization was superb. I tried to meet other forumites for a pre race meeting and photo about 7 am, but didn't see anyone, so headed over to the starting corrals, placing myself in the 3:45-4:00 corral. I did jump the fence a couple of times to use the trees along the sidelines, and was ready to run at 7:55.
In the hotel ready to head to the starting line.
While the rain from hurricane Sandy was supposed to be on us, the western edge was actually just 20 miles to the east so we got incredibly lucky. And in fact, it didn't rain the whole race. It rained down leaves from the beautifully colored trees and that was it. Temps were in the upper 50s, so it was a great day to run actually. It became increasingly windy though, with gusts up 25 to 30 mph as the race continued.
Overall, I just loved this race. Yes, it was very crowded, which I'm not a big fan of, but the course was awesome. Some hills in the first 8 miles, but the scenery was just so much fun. Running through Arlington, along the Potomac, through Georgetown, and eventually into DC, through and around the Mall, around the monuments, the capitol, back into Crystal City, and a finish at the Iwo Jimo War Memorial. The crowd support was phenomenal, so much fun and they showed up along the most of the route! Really, while I don't want to diminish how hard a marathon is, because it is hard, but at the same time, this race felt easy for me. I was running well, everything felt OK, and I was having fun! That's what it's all about. My knee hurt a little bit midway through so I stopped to stretch it briefly a couple of times. Running past the capitol around mile 18 was maybe a highlight of the race. It kind of choked me up, thinking about the history. It was windy, but I had a long sleeve compression shirt on underneath a short sleeved shirt so I felt very comfortable. I also enjoyed the donut holes around Mile 24. Ha.
I also walked the water stops, which was part of my original plan. I was ahead of schedule, but solidly on pace for the entire race. First half in 1:56:36, and second half with a slight positive split in 1:57:39. The last mile got hard though. My heart rate was starting to spike, so I did do a couple of walk breaks there, otherwise it probably would have been an even steven split. The last surge up the hill to finish at the Iwo Jimo Memorial was hard and I really thought I might throw up, but it still was an amazing feeling to finish.
The finish area was annoying though. So many people. We funneled through to get our medal from a marine, a picture in front of the memorial, then got water, Gatorade, and a boxed lunch, and a nice recovery jacket which felt so good since I was now getting chilled. After about a half mile walk, wading through a sea of runners that were not moving, I finally hit the baggage pickup, then another 1/2 mile walk to get back to the shuttle. I should also say, the medal is perhaps one of the nicest medals I've received.
Post race pic in front of the Memorial.
The medal. Very classy, with a spinning globe.
Post Race: I headed back to my hotel on the shuttle bus and ate my box lunch on the way (which included a fruit cup, hummus, crackers, a bagel, a banana, granola, and a piece of chocolate). The shuttle bus driver got lost, and we ended up back over in DC, so I got another tour of all the monuments again. Ha. I grabbed a quick shower once I finally got to my hotel, checked out of the hotel (they were kind enough to only charge for one night instead of two because of the storm), and headed to the airport. After enjoying a post race beer and a club sandwich (with a 25% marathon discount) at the airport, I was grateful to be able to go home early. Many people weren't so lucky. All the flights were full. My flight was overbooked by 24 people, who were not so lucky. Hundreds more were scrambling to make other arrangements, trying to escape the storm. Hurricane Sandy was looming. And our original flights, along with nearly all other flights on Monday were cancelled by the time I got on the plane Sunday evening.
Final Summary: This was a great race. A very well organized race, with marines everywhere. I tried to thank every one of them that I encountered. I got to spend a weekend with my wife, even though it was ultimately cut short. We were able to make last minute arrangements and got back home before the hurricane hit. And today, I sit and watch at how large of an impact it will have and think about all of my running friends on the east coast that will be affected. Stay safe!
Overall, even though this wasn't a PR race, it was still a really strong effort for me though, and that's more important. Priceless memories from this race, and I have no regrets. I've got more races planned in the future. The St. Jude Marathon in Memphis in a month, then the Livestrong Marathon in Austin in February. One by one, I'm seeing the USA 26.2 miles at a time! 22 down, 28 to go!
Monday, September 24, 2012
North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run
Short and Sweet: I participated in the North Coast 24
Hour Endurance run this past weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, completing 83.8 miles in 20 hours and 20
minutes, and then stopped because I don't think I could have continued.
I did this same event last year, and did 83.4 miles in 24 hours last
time, so I feel that I made some progress, completing essentially the
same mileage as last year, but much quicker this year.
The Before and After:
Ok, here is the much longer version. After doing this event last year, I decided right away that this race was going to be a goal race for 2012 and signed up as soon as it opened. I was the 4th person to register, however, plans changed and I pulled out of the race back in January. Plans changed again later on in the year and I decided that I really wanted to crew the race when I found a really cheap summer airfare sale, round trip from Omaha to Cleveland for $200. And by late summer, I decided that if I was already going to be at the race to crew, I might as well run it, and the RDs let me back in, so I really didn't start "training" for this until the end of July. Oops.
The Training: I had just come off the year-long streak of completing 17 marathons or ultras in 17 different states earlier this summer, so I had a fairly strong running base. I quickly ramped up the mileage and was able to reach 72 mpw through the month of August, but didn't do any significantly long runs (which would be typical training). In 2011, during my peak training, I hit 310 miles in a 30 day period, and my longest solo run was 42 miles. In 2012, I again hit 310 miles in a 30 day period, but my running was a lot of doubles and triples (shorter runs), no single really long runs, and overall, 1 minute faster on my pace than last year. So, same training volume, but a completely different style of training for an event like this.
My Goals: Going in, I really didn't set a hard goal. I found that last year, once I hit my goal, my mind said I was done, even though I probably could have gone further. So, I decided to not set a goal this year and just see what my body would allow. I'm serious. I did however give myself 10 mini lessons that I wanted to remember.
1) Slow down while running. 2) Walk more frequently. 3) Walk/run the tangents. 4) Use porta potties (versus spending time walking to the flush toilets). 5) Stretch every hour. 6) Take care of hot spots immediately. 7) Even if it hurts to change clothes, utilize what I have to feel comfortable. 8) If it hurts to run and it hurts to walk, run (slowly). 9) Have fun and smile and be grateful, even if it sucks. 10) Don't die.
And I would say, I met nearly all of those objectives. The course is a 0.9 mile loop. I walked at least twice each lap from the very beginning, and when running, I was running slow and comfortable and easy. I never felt out of breath once during the event. I never used a flush toilet, I did stop and stretch once, and occasionally twice an hour, and felt I managed my blisters to the best of my ability (although could/should have done it better perhaps). I had a pretty good attitude through about 67 miles, but then, I got into a really dark emotional place and really just wanted it to be over (more on that later). Overall though, it was a great, fun race, and I most certainly didn't die, probably the most important thing!
The Weather: Well, it was grand for the first 6 hours and 45 minutes. Cool at the start with a temperature of 54, with a nice breeze of 10 to 15 mph, then the sun came out and I even got a nice tan/sunburn out of it. Then all hell broke loose about 340 pm when a severe storm rolled in. We got blasted with a measured 38 mph wind squall, gusting up to 60 mph wind right on the lake front, half inch hail, lightning, thunder, and torrential sideways downpours, which in fact destroyed many of the tents and canopies that people had set up. Oops. We saved ours though. And after a 10 minute break to ride out the worst of it, I was back out there. And for the next 19 hours, it rained off and on, with 15 to 30 mph winds that were constant, non stop. Mostly light rain, an occasional dry period, but occasionally periods of heavy rain when a squall would move off the lake. Those were the worst. I'm a meteorologist, and to put it bluntly, it sucked. I wore a rain poncho, which helped keep my head and body core dry, but everything else was soaked. It sucked some of the joy right out of me. And that's where I got into a really dark emotional state late in the evening, around 67 miles in. I texted my wife and posted on Facebook, "67 miles, physically I'm fine, emotionally, I'm toast." Once you get into that state of mind, it's hard to pull yourself back out. It's dark outside. You're alone in your thoughts, doing endless laps around a 0.9 mile track. The wind beating you. The rain pelting you. Questioning why I was there, thinking that there wasn't any real point. I hated running at that time. I was still moving relatively fine, with a decent pace, but I just mentally had checked out. Note, going in, we knew it was going to rain. In fact, I was joking earlier in the week about using an umbrella when someone asked what to use for rain gear. Race morning gave us an 80 percent chance of rain, so the forecasts were spot on.
Radar image at the time the first storm hit, at 341 pm. The race location is at the center of the white square that I added to the image below.
The Aches and Pains: I can honestly say, I didn't have a lot early in the race, although once the rain hit, my legs really stiffened up and I slowed down. After completing my first 26.2 miles, around 4 hours and 45 minutes, I stopped to change socks and thought I was getting a blister. The sock change helped, and that pain went away. For the next several hours, I was pain free. I ran easy, I walked, I stretched. I was never winded. Everything felt great. Even at 67 miles, even though my emotional state was low, my body was mostly still fine, legs were really getting stiffer though, but OK. However, those last few miles during the middle of the night, the blisters started to develop, the wet conditions just made them worse. I stopped to change my socks a couple more times, hoping it would help. But the rain was just too much for me. Running through puddles of water for hours and hours makes it hard. I should have stopped at the medical tent to ask for help, but it was also very cold with the wind blowing. Anytime I stopped, I immediately got chilled and stiffened up, so I knew spending 30 minutes in the med tent to get blisters looked at would probably be the end, so I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Temperatures were in the mid 40s (colder with the wind chill), but as long as I was moving, I was generating enough heat to keep warm. However, toward the end, the blisters were too bad for me, and my pace had slipped below the point of diminishing returns and I couldn't stay warm any longer. I told myself that once I reached a distance PR, I would stop. I also knew that I could not make it to the end of the race, and I finally made peace with that. It was a very hard decision to make, but at 20 hours and 20 minutes, I completed my last lap and turned in my timing chip. I was shivering, despite having on every layer that I brought, another rain squall was coming in off the lake, I could barely walk on my feet, and also noticed a red tinge seeping out of the side of my shoes. Both feet were bleeding slightly. It was time to stop. I also had a little bit of chaffing, in an unmentionable place, most likely from all the rain that kept running down/through there, despite generous amounts of Body Glide. Oh well.
The Food: Fueling and hydration are keys to a successful race, no matter the distance. For this race, I ate just about everything, but mostly from the aid station. Even though we had enough food at our own aid station to stock a convenience store, I did most of my eating from the main aid station, although I did grab chips and cookies from our own table. I drank Heed and Gatorade mostly, and occasionally a cup of Coke or Mountain Dew. I ate PB/J, ham, turkey, and cheese, sandwiches, candy bars, MnMs, rice krispies, fruit, crackers, grilled cheese, ginger cookies, pizza, ramen and potato soup, potato chips, and probably a few more things I don't even remember. Every lap, I would grab something, a handful of whatever. I carried a hand held bottle with me that I kept full at all times, to sip on every little bit. You need calories to do this, and I was piling them in. In fact, I joked that I probably was close to consuming more calories than I burned, and I never once felt sick or tired or just worn out, so I think I did a good job of maintaining my fuel source.
The Finish: Even though I stopped my race at 20:20, I fully intended on coming back to see the friends I was running with finish. After retreating to my motel room for some foot care, a shower and a 30 minute nap, I made it back to the course with 5 minutes to spare, just in time to see a good friend Sue complete her last lap and also win the race! She was not only the lead female, but the overall winner. I gave her a big hug, and also helped cheer other runners in. Everyone gathered for the post race breakfast and relived some of the triumphs and tragedies of the race, and to help Sue celebrate. It was a great ending to a tough 24 hours!
The Race Organization: Overall, this is an outstanding race, and an ideal entry into ultra running. The race directors do a great job of paying attention to every detail. It's a short 0.9 mile loop course, with bathrooms on each end, a smorgasboard buffet aid station with more food than you could ever dream of, and all around, just a wonderfully run race! That's the nice thing about a timed event, there is no chance of a DNF. You can go as long as you want without fear since there's no chance that you won't reach the finish line. You can go for as long as your body and mind will allow.
My Pacing:
The first 44 miles were pretty evenly paced, average pace 12:18, which included the breaks for changing socks, etc. Average running pace in there was 10:59.
The next 40 miles...Note the pace was still pretty consistent through about 67 miles, but then you can really see the dramatic dropoff once the blisters started hurting more and more. Even at midnight, I was on pace to hit 100 miles in the event, and Sue walked with me a bit to give me a mental boost. The blister set in fast though, and that was the beginning of the end for me.
The Crew: I can't say thank you enough to the crew who helped us this year. A local running friend arrived and set up our home base with a canopy, a tent, tables, signs, and more. Another running friend Jenny was there to cheer us on and take pictures. And an online running acquaintance George was there too offering encouraging words. I really appreciated their willingness to help out.
The Runners: For me, the big draw for this type of event is the camaraderie. Something on this scale would be hard to do by myself. I can't thank enough the other runners from my online running board that helped make this event a life experience. I've had the privilege of doing this race twice. And legitimately, it's a group effort, we all helped each other at various points in the race to get through it.
Pre Race Picture: (courtesy Bob)
Post Race Picture: (courtesy Bob)
The Aftermath: I know it sounds crazy, but this morning (Monday) 24 hours after the event, my legs did not hurt that badly. I was slightly stiff, but otherwise felt fine. Really. The bottoms of my feet were another story. Very painful to walk on, huge 2" blisters on the balls of my feet, and hobbling through the airports was challenging, if not comical. But overall, the legs felt fine. Guess all that walking really helps.
The End: Well, that's it. I completed another fun event, with a faster result than last year, and slightly more mileage. At the end of the day, I'm pleased with my progress. Could I have done more, or done things differently? Absolutely. In hindsight, I really should have tended to the blisters more diligently and taken a chance with the med tent. In the end though, I'm content with my results. After all, It's Just Running.
The Before and After:
Ok, here is the much longer version. After doing this event last year, I decided right away that this race was going to be a goal race for 2012 and signed up as soon as it opened. I was the 4th person to register, however, plans changed and I pulled out of the race back in January. Plans changed again later on in the year and I decided that I really wanted to crew the race when I found a really cheap summer airfare sale, round trip from Omaha to Cleveland for $200. And by late summer, I decided that if I was already going to be at the race to crew, I might as well run it, and the RDs let me back in, so I really didn't start "training" for this until the end of July. Oops.
The Training: I had just come off the year-long streak of completing 17 marathons or ultras in 17 different states earlier this summer, so I had a fairly strong running base. I quickly ramped up the mileage and was able to reach 72 mpw through the month of August, but didn't do any significantly long runs (which would be typical training). In 2011, during my peak training, I hit 310 miles in a 30 day period, and my longest solo run was 42 miles. In 2012, I again hit 310 miles in a 30 day period, but my running was a lot of doubles and triples (shorter runs), no single really long runs, and overall, 1 minute faster on my pace than last year. So, same training volume, but a completely different style of training for an event like this.
My Goals: Going in, I really didn't set a hard goal. I found that last year, once I hit my goal, my mind said I was done, even though I probably could have gone further. So, I decided to not set a goal this year and just see what my body would allow. I'm serious. I did however give myself 10 mini lessons that I wanted to remember.
1) Slow down while running. 2) Walk more frequently. 3) Walk/run the tangents. 4) Use porta potties (versus spending time walking to the flush toilets). 5) Stretch every hour. 6) Take care of hot spots immediately. 7) Even if it hurts to change clothes, utilize what I have to feel comfortable. 8) If it hurts to run and it hurts to walk, run (slowly). 9) Have fun and smile and be grateful, even if it sucks. 10) Don't die.
And I would say, I met nearly all of those objectives. The course is a 0.9 mile loop. I walked at least twice each lap from the very beginning, and when running, I was running slow and comfortable and easy. I never felt out of breath once during the event. I never used a flush toilet, I did stop and stretch once, and occasionally twice an hour, and felt I managed my blisters to the best of my ability (although could/should have done it better perhaps). I had a pretty good attitude through about 67 miles, but then, I got into a really dark emotional place and really just wanted it to be over (more on that later). Overall though, it was a great, fun race, and I most certainly didn't die, probably the most important thing!
The Weather: Well, it was grand for the first 6 hours and 45 minutes. Cool at the start with a temperature of 54, with a nice breeze of 10 to 15 mph, then the sun came out and I even got a nice tan/sunburn out of it. Then all hell broke loose about 340 pm when a severe storm rolled in. We got blasted with a measured 38 mph wind squall, gusting up to 60 mph wind right on the lake front, half inch hail, lightning, thunder, and torrential sideways downpours, which in fact destroyed many of the tents and canopies that people had set up. Oops. We saved ours though. And after a 10 minute break to ride out the worst of it, I was back out there. And for the next 19 hours, it rained off and on, with 15 to 30 mph winds that were constant, non stop. Mostly light rain, an occasional dry period, but occasionally periods of heavy rain when a squall would move off the lake. Those were the worst. I'm a meteorologist, and to put it bluntly, it sucked. I wore a rain poncho, which helped keep my head and body core dry, but everything else was soaked. It sucked some of the joy right out of me. And that's where I got into a really dark emotional state late in the evening, around 67 miles in. I texted my wife and posted on Facebook, "67 miles, physically I'm fine, emotionally, I'm toast." Once you get into that state of mind, it's hard to pull yourself back out. It's dark outside. You're alone in your thoughts, doing endless laps around a 0.9 mile track. The wind beating you. The rain pelting you. Questioning why I was there, thinking that there wasn't any real point. I hated running at that time. I was still moving relatively fine, with a decent pace, but I just mentally had checked out. Note, going in, we knew it was going to rain. In fact, I was joking earlier in the week about using an umbrella when someone asked what to use for rain gear. Race morning gave us an 80 percent chance of rain, so the forecasts were spot on.
Radar image at the time the first storm hit, at 341 pm. The race location is at the center of the white square that I added to the image below.
The Aches and Pains: I can honestly say, I didn't have a lot early in the race, although once the rain hit, my legs really stiffened up and I slowed down. After completing my first 26.2 miles, around 4 hours and 45 minutes, I stopped to change socks and thought I was getting a blister. The sock change helped, and that pain went away. For the next several hours, I was pain free. I ran easy, I walked, I stretched. I was never winded. Everything felt great. Even at 67 miles, even though my emotional state was low, my body was mostly still fine, legs were really getting stiffer though, but OK. However, those last few miles during the middle of the night, the blisters started to develop, the wet conditions just made them worse. I stopped to change my socks a couple more times, hoping it would help. But the rain was just too much for me. Running through puddles of water for hours and hours makes it hard. I should have stopped at the medical tent to ask for help, but it was also very cold with the wind blowing. Anytime I stopped, I immediately got chilled and stiffened up, so I knew spending 30 minutes in the med tent to get blisters looked at would probably be the end, so I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Temperatures were in the mid 40s (colder with the wind chill), but as long as I was moving, I was generating enough heat to keep warm. However, toward the end, the blisters were too bad for me, and my pace had slipped below the point of diminishing returns and I couldn't stay warm any longer. I told myself that once I reached a distance PR, I would stop. I also knew that I could not make it to the end of the race, and I finally made peace with that. It was a very hard decision to make, but at 20 hours and 20 minutes, I completed my last lap and turned in my timing chip. I was shivering, despite having on every layer that I brought, another rain squall was coming in off the lake, I could barely walk on my feet, and also noticed a red tinge seeping out of the side of my shoes. Both feet were bleeding slightly. It was time to stop. I also had a little bit of chaffing, in an unmentionable place, most likely from all the rain that kept running down/through there, despite generous amounts of Body Glide. Oh well.
The Food: Fueling and hydration are keys to a successful race, no matter the distance. For this race, I ate just about everything, but mostly from the aid station. Even though we had enough food at our own aid station to stock a convenience store, I did most of my eating from the main aid station, although I did grab chips and cookies from our own table. I drank Heed and Gatorade mostly, and occasionally a cup of Coke or Mountain Dew. I ate PB/J, ham, turkey, and cheese, sandwiches, candy bars, MnMs, rice krispies, fruit, crackers, grilled cheese, ginger cookies, pizza, ramen and potato soup, potato chips, and probably a few more things I don't even remember. Every lap, I would grab something, a handful of whatever. I carried a hand held bottle with me that I kept full at all times, to sip on every little bit. You need calories to do this, and I was piling them in. In fact, I joked that I probably was close to consuming more calories than I burned, and I never once felt sick or tired or just worn out, so I think I did a good job of maintaining my fuel source.
The Finish: Even though I stopped my race at 20:20, I fully intended on coming back to see the friends I was running with finish. After retreating to my motel room for some foot care, a shower and a 30 minute nap, I made it back to the course with 5 minutes to spare, just in time to see a good friend Sue complete her last lap and also win the race! She was not only the lead female, but the overall winner. I gave her a big hug, and also helped cheer other runners in. Everyone gathered for the post race breakfast and relived some of the triumphs and tragedies of the race, and to help Sue celebrate. It was a great ending to a tough 24 hours!
The Race Organization: Overall, this is an outstanding race, and an ideal entry into ultra running. The race directors do a great job of paying attention to every detail. It's a short 0.9 mile loop course, with bathrooms on each end, a smorgasboard buffet aid station with more food than you could ever dream of, and all around, just a wonderfully run race! That's the nice thing about a timed event, there is no chance of a DNF. You can go as long as you want without fear since there's no chance that you won't reach the finish line. You can go for as long as your body and mind will allow.
My Pacing:
The first 44 miles were pretty evenly paced, average pace 12:18, which included the breaks for changing socks, etc. Average running pace in there was 10:59.
The next 40 miles...Note the pace was still pretty consistent through about 67 miles, but then you can really see the dramatic dropoff once the blisters started hurting more and more. Even at midnight, I was on pace to hit 100 miles in the event, and Sue walked with me a bit to give me a mental boost. The blister set in fast though, and that was the beginning of the end for me.
The Crew: I can't say thank you enough to the crew who helped us this year. A local running friend arrived and set up our home base with a canopy, a tent, tables, signs, and more. Another running friend Jenny was there to cheer us on and take pictures. And an online running acquaintance George was there too offering encouraging words. I really appreciated their willingness to help out.
The Runners: For me, the big draw for this type of event is the camaraderie. Something on this scale would be hard to do by myself. I can't thank enough the other runners from my online running board that helped make this event a life experience. I've had the privilege of doing this race twice. And legitimately, it's a group effort, we all helped each other at various points in the race to get through it.
Pre Race Picture: (courtesy Bob)
Post Race Picture: (courtesy Bob)
The Aftermath: I know it sounds crazy, but this morning (Monday) 24 hours after the event, my legs did not hurt that badly. I was slightly stiff, but otherwise felt fine. Really. The bottoms of my feet were another story. Very painful to walk on, huge 2" blisters on the balls of my feet, and hobbling through the airports was challenging, if not comical. But overall, the legs felt fine. Guess all that walking really helps.
The End: Well, that's it. I completed another fun event, with a faster result than last year, and slightly more mileage. At the end of the day, I'm pleased with my progress. Could I have done more, or done things differently? Absolutely. In hindsight, I really should have tended to the blisters more diligently and taken a chance with the med tent. In the end though, I'm content with my results. After all, It's Just Running.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
North Country Trail Marathon
This past weekend, I traveled to northern Michigan to participate in the
North County Trail Marathon in the Manistee National Forest west of
Cadillac, near Wellston. It was my 27th long distance event, completing
my 21st state on a quest to run a marathon or ultra in all 50 states.
I'm getting there, 26.2 miles at a time.
I will preface this by saying that I'm not a trail runner. I don't really run trails, don't train on them, and as much as I want to like them, I'm just not sure they are my thing. Going into this event, I initially had signed up for the 50 mile option last fall, but downgraded to the marathon this spring when my running priorities changed.
I'm in the midst of training for a 24 hour event next month in Cleveland, so I decided to train right through this run and not really treat it as a "race". I did not taper at all, running high mileage (for me) for the previous 4 weeks, reaching a 30 previous day peak of 290 miles. So, realistically, I had no expectations for a fast finish time, although given recent road marathon times, I was shooting for 4:30, which in reality, was a pipe dream. Ha.
The race is held in the Manistee National Forest in northern Michigan. It has a lot of hills with 2250' of BOTH elevation ascent and descent, and it's mostly a single track sand trail with a lot of roots, but thankfully no rocks or mud. It turned warmer in the last couple of days before the race. Starting temp was in the lower 70s and finish temp was near 90 for me.
The course itself is a 1.2 mile out/back on the roads, then a 25 mile loop through the forest. After a 30 minute delay because of a tree fall, we were running. It was also very humid. I live in humidity so I'm used to it, but it really affected me today. Overall, the miles ticked off. I walked the hills, ran the downs, and was having a pretty enjoyable time through the first 15 miles. First half split was 2:18, just 3 minutes slower than I had planned. But by then it was getting progressively hotter, even though we were under the tree canopy, but with the high humidity, I was sweating a lot and was soaked from head to toe.
By mile 18, my stomach started rebelling, and I was getting pretty nauseous. I "wish" I would have thrown up, it probably would have felt a lot better. The heat was really getting to me. I've run 3 extremely hot marathons in the past 4 months, resulting in a bad case of heat exhaustion on the first one back in March and also just recently in June, so I think the heat gets to me much faster/easier because of that.
Any running by mile 19 resulted in feeling generally worse, which is unfortunate because there were a lot of runnable parts of the trail here. So I decided to essentially walk it in mostly, deciding to not push it, and still tried to jog short distances when I could without spiking my HR. A LOT of people were walking. One guy was down on the trail with heat exhaustion, but he seemed fine and was talking and told me and others to go on. But I just wasn't having a lot of fun in those last 6 miles. I really hated the heat, the hills, the humidity, and I really just hated running in general at that time.
I did finish with a time of 5:06. That resulted in 7th out of 18 for my A/G of 40-44. The winner in my A/G finished with a time of 4:30, my original goal. Overall, the race was very well organized, the aid stations were well stocked, the volunteers were fabulous, and the after party was absolutely awesome with beer, hamburgers, chips, beans, and just a lot of fun. About 500 people total participated in the event, split between the half marathon, marathon, and 50 mile run.
This race also gave some of the best swag I've gotten for a race. Because I was one of the first 100 people to register, I received a nice running jacket with my name screen-printed on it and a pair of tech running shorts. We also got a canvas shoulder bag, and the shirt is a nice tech shirt, and the medal is about 7" in diameter, supposedly the 3rd largest marathon medal in the country, and weighs about a pound. It's like a small dinner plate. Ha.
Another cool thing, Marshall Ulrich was also there. I've read his book Running on Empty on Kindle, so I had him sign my bib instead. He wrote, "Van, Good luck with your 50 States quest! Dig Deep and Love More." That last part is his signature line I think. I also got to meet another forumite, mjsmith1223, whom I've chatted with on here for a couple of years at least, so it was great to finally meet him.
Bottom line, I completed a fairly difficult trail trace in an OK time given all the conditions. I really didn't have this as a goal race, and just used the event as a stepping stone to complete a race in another state. I didn't taper, and the hills with 2250' of both elevation ascent and descent, on single track sand, along with the heat and humidity, really made this a challenging race! In retrospect, the trail was beautiful, and perhaps I will run another trail race some day in the future!
I will preface this by saying that I'm not a trail runner. I don't really run trails, don't train on them, and as much as I want to like them, I'm just not sure they are my thing. Going into this event, I initially had signed up for the 50 mile option last fall, but downgraded to the marathon this spring when my running priorities changed.
I'm in the midst of training for a 24 hour event next month in Cleveland, so I decided to train right through this run and not really treat it as a "race". I did not taper at all, running high mileage (for me) for the previous 4 weeks, reaching a 30 previous day peak of 290 miles. So, realistically, I had no expectations for a fast finish time, although given recent road marathon times, I was shooting for 4:30, which in reality, was a pipe dream. Ha.
The race is held in the Manistee National Forest in northern Michigan. It has a lot of hills with 2250' of BOTH elevation ascent and descent, and it's mostly a single track sand trail with a lot of roots, but thankfully no rocks or mud. It turned warmer in the last couple of days before the race. Starting temp was in the lower 70s and finish temp was near 90 for me.
The course itself is a 1.2 mile out/back on the roads, then a 25 mile loop through the forest. After a 30 minute delay because of a tree fall, we were running. It was also very humid. I live in humidity so I'm used to it, but it really affected me today. Overall, the miles ticked off. I walked the hills, ran the downs, and was having a pretty enjoyable time through the first 15 miles. First half split was 2:18, just 3 minutes slower than I had planned. But by then it was getting progressively hotter, even though we were under the tree canopy, but with the high humidity, I was sweating a lot and was soaked from head to toe.
By mile 18, my stomach started rebelling, and I was getting pretty nauseous. I "wish" I would have thrown up, it probably would have felt a lot better. The heat was really getting to me. I've run 3 extremely hot marathons in the past 4 months, resulting in a bad case of heat exhaustion on the first one back in March and also just recently in June, so I think the heat gets to me much faster/easier because of that.
Any running by mile 19 resulted in feeling generally worse, which is unfortunate because there were a lot of runnable parts of the trail here. So I decided to essentially walk it in mostly, deciding to not push it, and still tried to jog short distances when I could without spiking my HR. A LOT of people were walking. One guy was down on the trail with heat exhaustion, but he seemed fine and was talking and told me and others to go on. But I just wasn't having a lot of fun in those last 6 miles. I really hated the heat, the hills, the humidity, and I really just hated running in general at that time.
I did finish with a time of 5:06. That resulted in 7th out of 18 for my A/G of 40-44. The winner in my A/G finished with a time of 4:30, my original goal. Overall, the race was very well organized, the aid stations were well stocked, the volunteers were fabulous, and the after party was absolutely awesome with beer, hamburgers, chips, beans, and just a lot of fun. About 500 people total participated in the event, split between the half marathon, marathon, and 50 mile run.
This race also gave some of the best swag I've gotten for a race. Because I was one of the first 100 people to register, I received a nice running jacket with my name screen-printed on it and a pair of tech running shorts. We also got a canvas shoulder bag, and the shirt is a nice tech shirt, and the medal is about 7" in diameter, supposedly the 3rd largest marathon medal in the country, and weighs about a pound. It's like a small dinner plate. Ha.
Another cool thing, Marshall Ulrich was also there. I've read his book Running on Empty on Kindle, so I had him sign my bib instead. He wrote, "Van, Good luck with your 50 States quest! Dig Deep and Love More." That last part is his signature line I think. I also got to meet another forumite, mjsmith1223, whom I've chatted with on here for a couple of years at least, so it was great to finally meet him.
Bottom line, I completed a fairly difficult trail trace in an OK time given all the conditions. I really didn't have this as a goal race, and just used the event as a stepping stone to complete a race in another state. I didn't taper, and the hills with 2250' of both elevation ascent and descent, on single track sand, along with the heat and humidity, really made this a challenging race! In retrospect, the trail was beautiful, and perhaps I will run another trail race some day in the future!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Seeing the USA 26.2 Miles at a Time
The year-long running streak is done!! I've run 17 marathons or ultra marathons, in 17 different states, in 365 days, completing a 2403.6 mile journey. It hasn't been easy. But it has been an incredible adventure, and it's allowed me to travel to many locations in the USA that I might not otherwise have gone. And I'll be honest, I'm glad it's over. I love to run, but knowing that the streak is complete is a huge relief. I'm not done running though, it's just that the pressure to keep the streak going no longer exists. I will continue to pursue running in new states, with a goal of eventually running a marathon or ultra in all 50 states, some day, some year, well into the future. And that's OK. It certainly gives me something to look forward to for many years to come.
How did this begin? Well over a year ago, I decided to switch gears and do some ultra running, trying to go long, and not always fast. As part of that, I learned to not only run longer, but also learned that I tended to recover fairly quickly. As part of the shift to ultra running, I also began to think of going for a state streak at the same time. You see, I'm a member of the Marathon Maniacs club, achieving 5 stars (out of 10) in 2010. Ideally, I wanted to advance to the next 6-star level, which would require 16 events in 16 different states within a 365 day period. I thought this might be something worth trying since this was my only real chance to do it. And with that, I mapped out a race strategy that would take me to not only new places, in different states, but also would be a significant personal challenge. And so the quest began. I knew it would be difficult, but in retrospect, it was a very enjoyable ride.
Over the least year, I've run just about every type of event that exists. I've run a trail that was ranked 4 out of 5 in difficulty, I've run multi-hour 8 and 24 hour events, I've run a very tiny marathon that only had 35 runners, I've run back to back marathons, I've run in freezing cold and in blistering hot temperatures, I've run up mountains, down them, and have run huge mega events with thousands of runners. I've run with good friends, run by myself, have run at all times of day, and even walked a 50k. And through that, I also had one race that was cancelled 2/3 of the way through and it didn't count. It's been a year full of rich experiences that I'll never forget. It's been a year that really makes me who I am. Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wisconin, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Some of you may say, what's the point? If you look through the race list, (see the table below), many of these events were not at race effort. Simply, for me, because of the schedule, they couldn't be. This was more about enjoying the journey, and not necessarily the destination (personal records). And I will say, I have NO regrets! I had so much fun throughout the year-long streak, experienced so many things, with nothing but smiles as I think back about each event. It hasn't been easy, but it's definitely been one of the most rewarding things I've done for myself. And I can also say, I am injury free.
* - Not officially counted since the race was cancelled at 2 hours and 35 minutes but I finished anyhow.
# - True race attempt.
^ - Walked.
I did it. 2400 miles. My year-long marathon streak is done with 17 states. It's just running. But it's also a collection of memories that are priceless to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.
And that's the cool thing about running, we can all have different goals. Some just want to finish. Some want a personal record. Some want quantity over quality. And some want to win. Whatever your goal, make it yours, own it, and work for it.
What's next for me? After after a little bit of rest, I get back on the horse. I've got more races planned, in new states. I've got a lot of places to go that I've never been to before, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the USA, 26.2 miles at a time! I've done 20 states total, so I have a few more to go, ;) However, I also want to focus on quality for awhile, and see what my true racing potential might be. As long as I continue to enjoy it, I'll keep moving forward, striving to be better than I was, but never as good as I hope to be!
How did this begin? Well over a year ago, I decided to switch gears and do some ultra running, trying to go long, and not always fast. As part of that, I learned to not only run longer, but also learned that I tended to recover fairly quickly. As part of the shift to ultra running, I also began to think of going for a state streak at the same time. You see, I'm a member of the Marathon Maniacs club, achieving 5 stars (out of 10) in 2010. Ideally, I wanted to advance to the next 6-star level, which would require 16 events in 16 different states within a 365 day period. I thought this might be something worth trying since this was my only real chance to do it. And with that, I mapped out a race strategy that would take me to not only new places, in different states, but also would be a significant personal challenge. And so the quest began. I knew it would be difficult, but in retrospect, it was a very enjoyable ride.
Over the least year, I've run just about every type of event that exists. I've run a trail that was ranked 4 out of 5 in difficulty, I've run multi-hour 8 and 24 hour events, I've run a very tiny marathon that only had 35 runners, I've run back to back marathons, I've run in freezing cold and in blistering hot temperatures, I've run up mountains, down them, and have run huge mega events with thousands of runners. I've run with good friends, run by myself, have run at all times of day, and even walked a 50k. And through that, I also had one race that was cancelled 2/3 of the way through and it didn't count. It's been a year full of rich experiences that I'll never forget. It's been a year that really makes me who I am. Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wisconin, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Some of you may say, what's the point? If you look through the race list, (see the table below), many of these events were not at race effort. Simply, for me, because of the schedule, they couldn't be. This was more about enjoying the journey, and not necessarily the destination (personal records). And I will say, I have NO regrets! I had so much fun throughout the year-long streak, experienced so many things, with nothing but smiles as I think back about each event. It hasn't been easy, but it's definitely been one of the most rewarding things I've done for myself. And I can also say, I am injury free.
| Sequence | Race | State | Date | Distance | Time |
| 17 | Grandma's Marathon | MN | 6/16/2012 | 26.2 | 4:14:29 |
| 16 | Marathon to Marathon | IA | 6/9/2012 | 26.2 | 4:46:30 |
| 15 | Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon | SD | 6/3/2012 | 26.2 | 4:11:30 |
| 14* | Green Bay Marathon | WI | 5/20/2012 | 26.2 | 4:28:23 |
| 13# | Colorado Marathon | CO | 5/6/2012 | 26.2 | 3:54:25 |
| 12 | Wilderness Park Trail Marathon | NE | 3/17/2012 | 26.2 | 4:35:53 |
| 11 | Little Rock Marathon | AR | 3/4/2012 | 26.2 | 4:09:32 |
| 10 | First Light Marathon | AL | 1/8/2012 | 26.2 | 4:22:46 |
| 9 | Mississippi Blues Marathon | MS | 1/7/2012 | 26.2 | 4:15:05 |
| 8# | Run for the Ranch Marathon | MO | 12/18/2011 | 26.2 | 3:49:47 |
| 7 | Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon | GA | 11/12/2011 | 26.2 | 4:06:27 |
| 6 | Marshall University Marathon | WV | 11/6/2011 | 26.2 | 4:10:14 |
| 5^ | Pumpkin Holler 50k | OK | 10/15/2011 | 50k | 10:17:00 |
| 4 | Wineglass Marathon | NY | 10/2/2011 | 26.2 | 4:05:18 |
| 3 | North Coast 24 Hour Run | OH | 9/17/2011 | 83.41 | 24:00:00 |
| 2 | Howl at the Moon 8 Hour Run | IL | 8/13/2011 | 41.98 | 8:00:00 |
| 1 | Psyco Psummer 50k Trail Run | KS | 7/9/2011 | 50k | 7:33:17 |
* - Not officially counted since the race was cancelled at 2 hours and 35 minutes but I finished anyhow.
# - True race attempt.
^ - Walked.
I did it. 2400 miles. My year-long marathon streak is done with 17 states. It's just running. But it's also a collection of memories that are priceless to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.
And that's the cool thing about running, we can all have different goals. Some just want to finish. Some want a personal record. Some want quantity over quality. And some want to win. Whatever your goal, make it yours, own it, and work for it.
What's next for me? After after a little bit of rest, I get back on the horse. I've got more races planned, in new states. I've got a lot of places to go that I've never been to before, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the USA, 26.2 miles at a time! I've done 20 states total, so I have a few more to go, ;) However, I also want to focus on quality for awhile, and see what my true racing potential might be. As long as I continue to enjoy it, I'll keep moving forward, striving to be better than I was, but never as good as I hope to be!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Grandma's Marathon
This was a great race, one that would complete my year-long marathon streak. I was really looking forward to it since I've never been to Duluth, MN. It was a long drive to get there, about 9 hours, but the drive wasn't that bad and I got to see a lot of new scenery.
Grandma's Marathon is in it's 36th year, and from my quick glance, they know how to organize a mega event. Thousands of runners, and really, it covers an entire weekend. I arrived at the packet pickup, which was crowded beyond belief, then met up with another runner friend to have dinner. After turning in early, I slept well, with the help of Ambien of course.
I woke up at 4 am, and quickly got ready to head to the convention center to grab a train to the starting line. There was only one train, and it sounded more fun than riding a school bus. The train did not disappoint. It was a scenic slow ride, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the view.
The humidity was a little high, race start temp around 60 with a dewpoint about the same. Overall, the race was very beautiful, it's run along the shoreline of Lake Superior, with very gentle rolling hills (not really noticeable though), and awesome views of the lake. The miles ticked off easily, although I was nearly soaked a few miles in. The sun was also beating down, but an occasional breeze off the lake sure helped. Thankfully, the clouds rolled in by the mid point though and that helped a lot.
Given my crazy racing schedule, I knew I couldn't run the entire race. By about mile 17, I started to do walk breaks every half mile, and then every third mile. I just needed a finish today to complete the streak. I wasn't feeling very well around mile 19, think I drank too much water, but recovered well for the finish in 4:14:29.
Overall, this was a really nice race, with great spectators, and pleasant scenery. I would recommend this one to anyone! After the race, I enjoyed a celebratory beer, then headed to the car for a long drive home.
Victory!! It was a great feeling knowing my marathon state streak was complete.
Grandma's Marathon is in it's 36th year, and from my quick glance, they know how to organize a mega event. Thousands of runners, and really, it covers an entire weekend. I arrived at the packet pickup, which was crowded beyond belief, then met up with another runner friend to have dinner. After turning in early, I slept well, with the help of Ambien of course.
I woke up at 4 am, and quickly got ready to head to the convention center to grab a train to the starting line. There was only one train, and it sounded more fun than riding a school bus. The train did not disappoint. It was a scenic slow ride, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the view.
The humidity was a little high, race start temp around 60 with a dewpoint about the same. Overall, the race was very beautiful, it's run along the shoreline of Lake Superior, with very gentle rolling hills (not really noticeable though), and awesome views of the lake. The miles ticked off easily, although I was nearly soaked a few miles in. The sun was also beating down, but an occasional breeze off the lake sure helped. Thankfully, the clouds rolled in by the mid point though and that helped a lot.
Given my crazy racing schedule, I knew I couldn't run the entire race. By about mile 17, I started to do walk breaks every half mile, and then every third mile. I just needed a finish today to complete the streak. I wasn't feeling very well around mile 19, think I drank too much water, but recovered well for the finish in 4:14:29.
Overall, this was a really nice race, with great spectators, and pleasant scenery. I would recommend this one to anyone! After the race, I enjoyed a celebratory beer, then headed to the car for a long drive home.
Victory!! It was a great feeling knowing my marathon state streak was complete.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Marathon to Marathon
Wow, this race sucked. Well, not the race, but the weather. The race is a small town race just a couple hours away from home, starting in Storm Lake, IA, running to the tiny town of Marathon, running through the Iowa countryside along country roads next to farms and corn fields. It's a fairly well organized event, it's just that the weather this year sucked. The course itself doesn't offer much if any shade, and temperatures this year were excessively warm and humid, even with a 6 am start. I ran a very decent half in 2 hours even, but then the sun just baked the life right out of me after that. Plus, the last 10 miles were with the wind at my back, which offered no real cooling potential, and it just became incredibly hard to run. To make matters worse, my stomach was getting nauseous with each passing step past mile 15. By mile 20, my "running" was officially done and I literally walked the rest of the way, sucking on ice chips hoping I wouldn't throw up. I didn't feel overly bad since the weather was also affecting everyone else around me the same way. Temperatures by mid morning for those last 6 miles were in the 80s, with no relief in sight. As I crossed the finish line and sat down, I promptly threw up, but then I felt so much better. It was my second worst race ever, but that's OK. They can't all be sunshine and roses, and it is one step closer to completing my marathon state streak. Moving forward.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon
Quick Summary: Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, 24th marathon/ultra, 19th state, 4:11:30. 88/347 overall, 10/31 age M40-44 division, 68/244 gender division.
All the Details: As part of my ongoing state streak (trying for 16 states in 365 days), I decided to run the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, which happened to fall on my 19th wedding anniversary. As luck would have it (I did not plan this), it would also be my 19th marathon state, and that sounded kind of fun, and it also was a chance to have a mini family vacation weekend in the Black Hills. Score!
After completing the cancelled Green Bay Marathon 2 weeks ago, I've had a little bit of foot pain in the top of my left foot. This is a good spot for a stress fracture, and it bothered me a bit. So the past week, I opted for an extreme taper, I took 4 days of complete rest, along with a healthy dose of Aleve. By race day, the foot felt pretty good.
We enjoyed the sights of the Black Hills leading up to the race, driving through the Badlands, stopping at Wall Drug, and visiting Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. In other words, doing all the fun touristy stuff that you're supposed to do up there. By Saturday evening, I was tired and hit the bed early about 830 pm, (with the help of an Ambien), and was up early around 430 am on race morning.
The race actually starts way up in the hills at Rockford, SD, so we had to catch a bus to ride there. I was on the first bus by 545 am and enjoyed a sunrise ride through the woods. We arrived plenty early at the race start, with a pleasant surprise, the bus brakes were almost on fire. Oops. After waiting in the cool air for about an hour (it was about 55), the race started at 8 am. If I had one suggestion for this race, it would be a 7 am start since the sun rises very early this time of year. We run a mile through Rochford, then onto the Mickelson Trail where we stayed for the remainder of the course with a finish in downtown Deadwood. The first half of the run is up the mountain, and then back down the second half. 1250' of ascent and 2070' of descent, starting around 5500'. The elevation worried me a bit, I'll be honest.
And I should say, I intended to do a run/walk from the very beginning on this course, mainly because of the elevation change, running at altitude, the tender foot, because I have done several races over the last few months, and also because I have 2 more marathons coming up in the next two weeks. These last 3 races are not about speed, but about endurance, being able to complete each one healthy. Yes, I fully intended to NOT do a PR effort. Gasp! And so it went, I would run for a half or three quarters of a mile, then walk for a half a minute, and repeat, which worked perfectly. I never felt like I was in oxygen debt, and just thoroughly enjoyed the morning. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the surrounding black hills beauty was breathtaking. There was a mixture of sun and shade from the trees, a gentle breeze, I was running next to a pleasant mountain stream, over wooden bridges, and overall, I would say this was the most peaceful, scenic, pleasant marathon I've ever run. The course is an old rail trail that was converted to a hiking/biking recreation trail. Aid stations were every mile or two, and they had water, PowerAde, oranges, bagels, bananas, and MnMs. The MnMs were my favorite snack. Awesome!
Reaching the summit just shy of mile 14, it was downhill the rest of the way, and occasionally steep. A cloud deck had developed, which helped a lot, but the second half had quite a bit more shade from trees as well. I had a couple of sub9 miles for mile 15 and 16 with no walk breaks and was just having a great time. But, I also decided to dial it back and save the legs and went back to a run/walk until the end, with a finish of 4:11:30. First half in 2:06 and the second half in 2:05. Finish temperature was about 75 degrees. My wife and daughter were at the finishing line cheering me on. Priceless! It was perhaps my most fun marathon I've ever done!
In the end, this was my 24th marathon/ultra, in my 19th marathon state. I still love running. I'm not fast. And this event was never about pushing the pace for a PR, it was about enjoying the journey and not the destination. I got to run in a stunningly beautiful place, had an awesome time, and wonderful mini family vacation, and I have no regrets! It was a spectacular weekend all around, spending it doing something I love with the people that mean the most to me. Time was irrelevant.
After the race, we did have a 9 hour drive home, but ideally, it wasn't that bad. That has just become my normal over the previous few months (long drives home after races). I did stop for a shower at truck stop in Rapid City. But then, I would drive for awhile, stop to stretch, use the bathroom, hydrate, eat, and just keep moving. It's really wasn't that bad.
All the Details: As part of my ongoing state streak (trying for 16 states in 365 days), I decided to run the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, which happened to fall on my 19th wedding anniversary. As luck would have it (I did not plan this), it would also be my 19th marathon state, and that sounded kind of fun, and it also was a chance to have a mini family vacation weekend in the Black Hills. Score!
After completing the cancelled Green Bay Marathon 2 weeks ago, I've had a little bit of foot pain in the top of my left foot. This is a good spot for a stress fracture, and it bothered me a bit. So the past week, I opted for an extreme taper, I took 4 days of complete rest, along with a healthy dose of Aleve. By race day, the foot felt pretty good.
We enjoyed the sights of the Black Hills leading up to the race, driving through the Badlands, stopping at Wall Drug, and visiting Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. In other words, doing all the fun touristy stuff that you're supposed to do up there. By Saturday evening, I was tired and hit the bed early about 830 pm, (with the help of an Ambien), and was up early around 430 am on race morning.
The race actually starts way up in the hills at Rockford, SD, so we had to catch a bus to ride there. I was on the first bus by 545 am and enjoyed a sunrise ride through the woods. We arrived plenty early at the race start, with a pleasant surprise, the bus brakes were almost on fire. Oops. After waiting in the cool air for about an hour (it was about 55), the race started at 8 am. If I had one suggestion for this race, it would be a 7 am start since the sun rises very early this time of year. We run a mile through Rochford, then onto the Mickelson Trail where we stayed for the remainder of the course with a finish in downtown Deadwood. The first half of the run is up the mountain, and then back down the second half. 1250' of ascent and 2070' of descent, starting around 5500'. The elevation worried me a bit, I'll be honest.
And I should say, I intended to do a run/walk from the very beginning on this course, mainly because of the elevation change, running at altitude, the tender foot, because I have done several races over the last few months, and also because I have 2 more marathons coming up in the next two weeks. These last 3 races are not about speed, but about endurance, being able to complete each one healthy. Yes, I fully intended to NOT do a PR effort. Gasp! And so it went, I would run for a half or three quarters of a mile, then walk for a half a minute, and repeat, which worked perfectly. I never felt like I was in oxygen debt, and just thoroughly enjoyed the morning. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the surrounding black hills beauty was breathtaking. There was a mixture of sun and shade from the trees, a gentle breeze, I was running next to a pleasant mountain stream, over wooden bridges, and overall, I would say this was the most peaceful, scenic, pleasant marathon I've ever run. The course is an old rail trail that was converted to a hiking/biking recreation trail. Aid stations were every mile or two, and they had water, PowerAde, oranges, bagels, bananas, and MnMs. The MnMs were my favorite snack. Awesome!
Reaching the summit just shy of mile 14, it was downhill the rest of the way, and occasionally steep. A cloud deck had developed, which helped a lot, but the second half had quite a bit more shade from trees as well. I had a couple of sub9 miles for mile 15 and 16 with no walk breaks and was just having a great time. But, I also decided to dial it back and save the legs and went back to a run/walk until the end, with a finish of 4:11:30. First half in 2:06 and the second half in 2:05. Finish temperature was about 75 degrees. My wife and daughter were at the finishing line cheering me on. Priceless! It was perhaps my most fun marathon I've ever done!
In the end, this was my 24th marathon/ultra, in my 19th marathon state. I still love running. I'm not fast. And this event was never about pushing the pace for a PR, it was about enjoying the journey and not the destination. I got to run in a stunningly beautiful place, had an awesome time, and wonderful mini family vacation, and I have no regrets! It was a spectacular weekend all around, spending it doing something I love with the people that mean the most to me. Time was irrelevant.
After the race, we did have a 9 hour drive home, but ideally, it wasn't that bad. That has just become my normal over the previous few months (long drives home after races). I did stop for a shower at truck stop in Rapid City. But then, I would drive for awhile, stop to stretch, use the bathroom, hydrate, eat, and just keep moving. It's really wasn't that bad.
Pace, Elevation, and Heart Rate
Finish line pic!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Green Bay Marathon
Quick summary, the race was cancelled 2 hours and 35 minutes into the event because of extreme heat, but I still finished anyhow in 4:28.
Long drawn out version, This is the race that wasn't meant to be I guess. A few months ago, I decided to do a marathon state streak. As part of that, I also decided to do a marathon on my 42nd birthday. I liked the idea of running 42.2km as a present to myself and it would give me credit for another state to help complete my streak. And so my journey toward the Green Bay Marathon began. This was not a PR race for me, but merely another race in a string of states and a chance to have some fun on my BD.
Two weeks ago, I ran the Colorado Marathon. Recovery went well and I was feeling very good this past week. Legs were back to normal. However, the weather forecast was looking very warm, downright hot. I didn't mind really, I was running for fun with no pressure for a goal time. A couple of days before the race, the RD offered marathoners the option to drop to the half, no questions asked, at the mile 12 half/full split because of the expected heat. That was not an option for me, I needed the full finish to get credit for the streak.
The race is centered around Lambeau Field in Green Bay, home of the Packers. I flew into Milwaukee, toured the MillerCoors Brewery then headed 2 hours north to Green Bay. The race expo was really nice, very well supported. Free pasta dinner and specially brewed 26.2 craft beer just for the race, all on the Lambeau stadium concourse. I turned in early, was asleep by 9 pm (I take an Ambien before all my races now). I slept very soundly and by morning I was refreshed and ready to run!
I arrived at the start line very early. It was already 68 degrees at 6 am, forecast to rise into the mid 80s before noon. Slow down, hydrate, and just have fun! The first several miles were very easy. I was sweating a lot, working hard, but it still felt great. We passed the local NWS office at mile 8, which was a pleasant surprise. (That is my employer). Local residents were out in droves and cheering us total random strangers on. It was just a ton of fun! Many folks who lived along the course also had set out their sprinklers so it was fun to run through as many as I could. It really was a beautiful morning and there was quite a bit of shade and it felt great to be celebrating my birthday in such a fun way.
At mile 12, the course splits with half marathoners heading back to the stadium. I honestly was feeling great. Yes, it was getting very warm. But personally, I was doing well. It's at this point that we lose the shade though, and running into a breeze. The breeze felt good though and cooled me off, but the sun was really starting to slow me down, temps were In the lower 80s at this time. Time to start taking walk breaks. I hit mile 13 right at 2 hours.
By mile 14, I had settled into a very easy jog, with an occasional walk and was not having any problems. I was drinking water and Gatorade at every aid station, and they also had ice which was wonderful. And yet, even though it was hot, I was feeling Ok! The ice really made a difference for me. I would grab a full cup and just munch on ice chips until the next aid station, which were about 1 mile apart at this point. I stopped to pee at mile 17 and continued on.
At mile 18, everyone was told the race had been black flagged, that it had been cancelled and asked us all to stop. Honestly, to me, that seemed ridiculous, I felt fine. Really! We were back in the shade, the breeze was at my back, and I just made the personal decision at that moment that I would finish this race. I intended to complete 42.2 km no matter what. But what did it mean? No one really knew. Many of us continued on anyhow talking amongst ourselves. I did see one runner down on the trail around mile 19, and police were already there responding.
At mile 20, they were announcing over speakers that the race was cancelled and to stop, hydrate, and wait for a bus to drive us back to the finish line. However, no one ever said we had to leave the course. Again, while I was walking more and more, I was determined to finish. I still felt relatively fine. The ice helped a lot. Having cold ice in my mouth made it seem not so hot. I grabbed a wet towel from the aid station and sponged off. I was walking more and more, but I assumed they would keep the course open, and they did. If not, I would just find my way back to the stadium anyhow, I could see it in the distance. Police were still directing traffic on the course and not preventing us from continuing, and volunteers stayed at the water stations (thank you so much!). A few other folks had brought coolers of ice out along the last few miles and were handing it out too. Plus, I had money and could have stopped to buy something if I needed it. And that's how the last 6 miles went. One foot in front of the other, moving ever closer to the finish line, jogging for a bit, walking, eating ice, hitting every sprinkler that was out, and just celebrating life.
By mile 24, the temp was in the upper 80s. I knew that if I ran at all, I was probably putting my safety in jeopardy. I was monitoring my heart rate with my Garmin and was watching my rates closely. Any running and it would spike. So no running in those last two miles, I just walked it in. It didn't really matter how long it took, no official times would be posted, and I wanted to complete my journey.
And so ended my race that wasn't meant to be. I walked across the finish line in 4:28, got my medal and sat down. After about 15 minutes of rest, I was feeling pretty nauseous and my arms and legs started to tingle. That last mile in the sun really took its toll. I sipped some water, tried to get a root beer but they were out. The thought of regular beer, brats, or anything else just turned my stomach. I headed for my car, which was only a block away. After sitting in the air conditioning for a few minutes, I felt much better. And within 30 minutes, I was ready to eat and drink. And after I got back to Milwaukee and cleaned up, I enjoyed a fabulous birthday dinner and raised a couple of beers to my experience.
The race was cancelled 2 hours and 35 minutes into the run. At that point, the top 5 men had finished, and medical support was overwhelmed with mostly half marathoners going down. All of the med tents were full, 20 people were transported to area hospitals, and the directors made the decision to cancel the race. I feel bad for the people that succumbed to the heat, and in the end, it was probably the right decision to make, otherwise, somebody probably would have died. For me personally, yes, while the heat slowed me down, I think I played it smart. I knew what I had to do. There was no pressure to reach a specific time. And once the race was cancelled, I intended to finish if it took all day. At any point if I felt in jeopardy, I would have stopped and taken the shuttle back to the stadium.
Because the race was cancelled, no official results will be posted. I'm a bit disappointed. I know I completed the race and I'm healthy, but I guess it doesn't really count for the streak. I have a medal and my Garmin splits but no official result. And yes, it still feels a little hollow. I know it's just running and there are so many more important things in life than this silly race. Thankfully this was not a major goal race for me. We can't control the weather. And hopefully, there were no serious injuries in Green Bay and those that went down recover quick.
Another race jogged and logged, but well, not really. Time to forget this race and move forward!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Colorado Marathon
Short version, I ran the Colorado Marathon today,
shooting for a PR. It's a 1200' net descent down the Poudre Canyon
northwest of Fort Collins, CO. Was on pace for PR through mile 22, but
my quads were fried by then and I had to give it up. Finished in
3:54:25, a full 11 minutes off my PR. I took a gamble and rolled the
dice and I lost. Se la vi, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I tried,
gave it my best, and it wasn't meant to be. But I still had a lot of
fun! It was my 22nd marathon/ultra in my 17th state, and I'm grateful
to be able to continue to do it.
Longer Version, This marathon was supposed to be another in a string of races that I'm trying to do in a 365 day period. But, over the previous 8 weeks, I've discovered my speed again through planned speedwork, and my paces were back to my PR marathon paces of 15 months ago, so I thought it was worth a shot.
The race is the most expensive race I've done ($125). Headed 8 hours out to Colorado and enjoyed seeing some of the sights around Fort Collins the day before the Marathon (primarily, the Anheiser Busch Brewery, the New Belgium Brewery, and the Odell Brewery, hey had to carb load a little). Slept well the night before, and got up at 300 am, to catch a bus at 430 am. They bus you up the mountain into the Poudre Canyon to 6200 feet on coach buses, then you run back down the mountain into Fort Collins. The first 15 miles were in the Canyon along the river, then 6 miles out in the open/flats, then 5 miles on a bike path into town. The first part of the marathon is in the mountains and absolutely gorgeous. Towering cliffs, trees, and the Poudre River, with no spectators, with a mostly closed road. A little slice of nirvana. It was the most scenic and peaceful portion of a race I've ever done.
Before the race, I downloaded all of the results from the last few years in my age group and did a little spreadsheet analysis, determining that most runners positive split this course. I planned on a 1:47/1:55 split, based on my fitness, which was an 8:10 pace for the first half, dropping down to an 8:45 pace for the second half. My PR pace is 8:28, or 3:43 from January 2011. Gravity in the canyon really allows you to run faster than you think, it's a steep downhill, but it also can trash your quads pretty easily. I thought I was ready. I ran hill repeats for my long runs here at home. I did the Stair Master several sessions for several weeks prior. I felt like I could really do this.
Race start temp was about 39 at 615 am, with a light wind. As we hammered down the mountain, it warmed into the lower 50s with a nice breeze about 15 mph. I was on pace for a PR through the 15 miles in the canyon holding onto my planned pace, even though my quads were starting to hurt. The road was also severely cambered, which really hurt at times. As I hit the flats, I gradually slipped my pace as expected, but my legs were already in trouble. By mile 22, I couldn't hold it anymore and I couldn't get my quads to consistently fire. I was still at PR average pace (8:30'sh), but my quads were burning with every step. The mountain had won and I couldn't run for long stretches without a lot of pain. I decided to let my PR go, I just couldn't hold it for 4 more miles, and once I made that decision, I dropped my pace considerably to save my legs as much as I could and just tried to pass time. I walked quite a bit (gasp). No use in pushing it now, and just had to shuffle to finish line. It didn't really matter what my time was at this point, I just wanted the finish to get credit for another state.
Here are my splits...
* Decided to let the PR go and just finish.
Post Race Analysis: Like I said, I took shot, rolled the dice, but lost. It was a gamble, but one I definitely wanted to take. Running at elevation really didn't seem to affect me too much, as the significant 1200' negative descent seemed to counteract that. I never really spiked my heart rate, or felt out of breath or in oxygen debt. My downfall was that my legs were just not prepared enough for the lengthy and steep downhill. I overestimated my ability. Perhaps if I had started a little slower, it might have worked. Or not, who knows. But, my spreadsheet analysis suggested, for my fitness, based on previous results in my age group, an 8 minute positive split seemed reasonable and I was in PR shape based on paces over the previous 8 weeks. I'm not disappointed though! It was a beautiful day for a run. I completed another marathon, in another state, and added another in my ongoing year long streak. I'm not injured, just have very sore legs, no blisters, no chafing, and overall, I'm pleased. Not a PR, but I certainly made another memory that will last a lifetime with a good running friend.
Moving forward. I have a few more races over the next few weeks to complete my year long streak in the middle of June. No PR attempts coming up, but just running for the pure joy of it. And then maybe another PR attempt this fall or winter.
Longer Version, This marathon was supposed to be another in a string of races that I'm trying to do in a 365 day period. But, over the previous 8 weeks, I've discovered my speed again through planned speedwork, and my paces were back to my PR marathon paces of 15 months ago, so I thought it was worth a shot.
The race is the most expensive race I've done ($125). Headed 8 hours out to Colorado and enjoyed seeing some of the sights around Fort Collins the day before the Marathon (primarily, the Anheiser Busch Brewery, the New Belgium Brewery, and the Odell Brewery, hey had to carb load a little). Slept well the night before, and got up at 300 am, to catch a bus at 430 am. They bus you up the mountain into the Poudre Canyon to 6200 feet on coach buses, then you run back down the mountain into Fort Collins. The first 15 miles were in the Canyon along the river, then 6 miles out in the open/flats, then 5 miles on a bike path into town. The first part of the marathon is in the mountains and absolutely gorgeous. Towering cliffs, trees, and the Poudre River, with no spectators, with a mostly closed road. A little slice of nirvana. It was the most scenic and peaceful portion of a race I've ever done.
Before the race, I downloaded all of the results from the last few years in my age group and did a little spreadsheet analysis, determining that most runners positive split this course. I planned on a 1:47/1:55 split, based on my fitness, which was an 8:10 pace for the first half, dropping down to an 8:45 pace for the second half. My PR pace is 8:28, or 3:43 from January 2011. Gravity in the canyon really allows you to run faster than you think, it's a steep downhill, but it also can trash your quads pretty easily. I thought I was ready. I ran hill repeats for my long runs here at home. I did the Stair Master several sessions for several weeks prior. I felt like I could really do this.
Race start temp was about 39 at 615 am, with a light wind. As we hammered down the mountain, it warmed into the lower 50s with a nice breeze about 15 mph. I was on pace for a PR through the 15 miles in the canyon holding onto my planned pace, even though my quads were starting to hurt. The road was also severely cambered, which really hurt at times. As I hit the flats, I gradually slipped my pace as expected, but my legs were already in trouble. By mile 22, I couldn't hold it anymore and I couldn't get my quads to consistently fire. I was still at PR average pace (8:30'sh), but my quads were burning with every step. The mountain had won and I couldn't run for long stretches without a lot of pain. I decided to let my PR go, I just couldn't hold it for 4 more miles, and once I made that decision, I dropped my pace considerably to save my legs as much as I could and just tried to pass time. I walked quite a bit (gasp). No use in pushing it now, and just had to shuffle to finish line. It didn't really matter what my time was at this point, I just wanted the finish to get credit for another state.
Here are my splits...
| Mile | Lap Pace | Run Pace | Avg HR |
| 1 | 0:08:16 | 164 | |
| 2 | 0:08:06 | 0:08:11 | 155 |
| 3 | 0:08:08 | 0:08:10 | 159 |
| 4 | 0:08:24 | 0:08:13 | 157 |
| 5 | 0:08:14 | 0:08:14 | 156 |
| 6 | 0:08:05 | 0:08:12 | 155 |
| 7 | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | 154 |
| 8 | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | 151 |
| 9 | 0:08:03 | 0:08:10 | 151 |
| 10 | 0:08:07 | 0:08:10 | 152 |
| 11 | 0:08:04 | 0:08:10 | 152 |
| 12 | 0:08:24 | 0:08:11 | 154 |
| 13 | 0:08:09 | 0:08:11 | 153 |
| 14 | 0:08:09 | 0:08:10 | 152 |
| 15 | 0:08:18 | 0:08:11 | 153 |
| 16 | 0:08:45 | 0:08:13 | 150 |
| 17 | 0:08:58 | 0:08:16 | 149 |
| 18 | 0:08:42 | 0:08:17 | 152 |
| 19 | 0:09:27 | 0:08:21 | 148 |
| 20 | 0:09:37 | 0:08:25 | 144 |
| 21 | 0:09:36 | 0:08:28 | 145 |
| 22* | 0:10:09 | 0:08:33 | 145 |
| 23 | 0:09:49 | 0:08:36 | 145 |
| 24 | 0:10:50 | 0:08:42 | 140 |
| 25 | 0:10:35 | 0:08:46 | 140 |
| 26 | 0:10:30 | 0:08:50 | 141 |
* Decided to let the PR go and just finish.
Post Race Analysis: Like I said, I took shot, rolled the dice, but lost. It was a gamble, but one I definitely wanted to take. Running at elevation really didn't seem to affect me too much, as the significant 1200' negative descent seemed to counteract that. I never really spiked my heart rate, or felt out of breath or in oxygen debt. My downfall was that my legs were just not prepared enough for the lengthy and steep downhill. I overestimated my ability. Perhaps if I had started a little slower, it might have worked. Or not, who knows. But, my spreadsheet analysis suggested, for my fitness, based on previous results in my age group, an 8 minute positive split seemed reasonable and I was in PR shape based on paces over the previous 8 weeks. I'm not disappointed though! It was a beautiful day for a run. I completed another marathon, in another state, and added another in my ongoing year long streak. I'm not injured, just have very sore legs, no blisters, no chafing, and overall, I'm pleased. Not a PR, but I certainly made another memory that will last a lifetime with a good running friend.
Moving forward. I have a few more races over the next few weeks to complete my year long streak in the middle of June. No PR attempts coming up, but just running for the pure joy of it. And then maybe another PR attempt this fall or winter.
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