It's Not About Me.....

I'm Not Dead and "Ways to Be Cool"

2011-03-09T20:28:00.005-06:00

Hello, I'm not dead - just being rather reclusive whilst I focus on the happiness of others. I've been spending a lot of time being a husband and a father these past few months, making up for the time my wife and son sacrificed for me the past 3 years in allowing me to trail run so much. It's been very rewarding, I must say. Each day before I come home from work I think to myself, "What does (insert family, friend, or other person/creature) need?", and try to do something for someone else each day. Sometimes that's doing simple things like picking up groceries, cleaning up around the house, making a family member's favorite dish, calling a friend, feeding the birds, walking the dog, etc. That's all it takes to make someone's day and put a smile on their face. There's nothing quite like seeing the happiness giving and doing things for others brings.

On a not so serious note, here's a funny tidbit passed on to me. Note the last entry......... ;-)

Namaste!

The Buddha Within

2010-12-12T19:48:00.003-06:00

This past year I learned a lot about patience, humility, and compassion. I also developed a greater appreciation for what I have. However, I have much more to learn and much more growing to do. Therefore, this next year my focus will be to find the buddha within me to become even more patient, humble, compassionate, and appreciative. How will I do this, you ask? Well, I believe, as Shantideva (an 8th century Indian Buddhist scholar) did, that "happiness comes from thinking of others".

Shantideva's belief is paraphrased in my profile listed on the right, and has been literally translated as "If all the harms throughout the world, and all its fears and sufferings, all spring from clinging to a self, what need have I for such a demon?" I guess another way of looking at this way of thought is "it is better to give than to receive." I've received an awful lot throughout my life and when I look back at it, I don't feel I've given back as much. That being said, this next year I will giving more of my time, money, and effort towards the success and happiness of others. So, don't expect a lot of posting here about what training I'm doing or what race I'll be running next. Remember, this next year, it's not about me, it's about the happiness of others.

Namaste!

What Next?

2010-11-07T20:28:00.003-06:00

So, now that I've successfully completed the Sawtooth 100 and gotten my red jacket, what next? I guess the first thing to do might be to update my blog header. Aside from that menial task, where do I go from here? What is the next big challenge I focus on for the coming year?

First and foremost, I need to continue to getting healthy. Even though I finished Sawtooth, I'm still not fully recovered and 100% to where I was this past Spring when I got injured. I still can't run as far nor as fast as I could then. I've been torn on how to do get back to that point. My first inclination was to take a couple of months off from running and let myself really heal, but doing nothing just isn't my style. Plus, I've been able to run longer continuous distances now without pain or discomfort, although about 12 or 13 is my max before tightness and aching start to settle in. What I'm thinking of doing is to spend a lot more time on the bike and less running. I've read a number of articles lately that write about how effective cycling is as a form of cross training for trail running. Plus, look at other ultrarunners who use it as well - John Storkamp, Helen Lavin, Jason Husveth, Molly Cochran, etc.

Second, I need to have a goal. My overall goal for 2011 is to finish three 100-milers: Zumbro, Kettle or FANS 24-hour, and Sawtooth. I'd also like to squeeze at least one more in there, but I'm not sure yet where and when I could do it. At least I have plenty of time to think about it. In addition, I plan to run the Afton 50K and the Voyageur 50 mile. As the winter training progresses and spring approaches, I'll have to come up with more specific goals for some of these races. I do know a big goal for 2011 will be going back to the Sawtooth 100 to get another finish and more importantly, help my good friend, Bill Pomerenke, get his first red jacket.

That being said, I still want to come up with some kind of unique or specific challenge/goal. Some ideas I've tossed around for the future have been: Arrowhead 135, Tuscobia 75 or 150, and run/hike the SHT from Castle Danger to Otter Creek (205 miles). These would all take a lot more planning and specific training to complete, as well as time off from work - something I am sorely lacking in. But, it gives me something to ponder and dream about. What are your goals and dreams, and what are you doing to make them happen?

Until I come up with a new name for this blog, I'm still seeing red....................

REDemption!!! The Full Story

2010-09-27T21:39:00.006-05:00

Hell yeah, that's me sportin' my hard-earned red jacket for finishing the Superior Sawtooth 100-mile trail run in 36:22:24. Redemption is mine!!!

It's been a year-long journey to return to the North Shore. I've faced financial hardship, injury, and yet I persevered. It's been the most rewarding accomplishment of my running career - and I owe a big part of it to my buddy, Bill. Bill got me off my ass when I was moping about for weeks recovering from my injury. THANK YOU BILL!!!! Unfortunately, Bill got hurt a week before the race and was unable to run. However, despite a thrown back, he unselfishly made the trip up and crewed for me, which turned out to be invaluable due to the difficult overnight weather conditions.

So, how did it all go down? Well, it started off famously when Bill and I arrived at our lodging, only minutes away from the start. A high school classmate of Bill's had a fantastic 2-bedroom log cabin atop a bluff which they allowed us to use free of charge. I tell ya, it was soooo relaxing there. In fact, for some odd reason I was extremely at ease the whole time up to the race. Maybe not so odd, considering I was confident in my preparation for this race. I had put in my long runs and did 70 miles of recon runs on the trail itself the past 2 months. I knew in mind that if I stuck to my plan, I'd cross the line.

Pre-Race

I woke up around 6:00 am feeling relaxed and refreshed from a good night’s sleep – unlike any other 100-miler pre-race sleep that has been full of anxiety and restlessness. I fried up 3 eggs, downed a banana, drank a glass of water, and we were off for Gooseberry Falls. At the visitors center I took care of the traditional “pre-race dump” to clear out the pipes. While cleaning up, I had a nice chat with Dale Humphrey about his use of Vespa – a nutritional supplement featuring an extract derived from Japanese hornets. I’ve read quite a bit about it and was quite curious about his experiences with it. Dale kindly offered to send me a few samples, which he did a week or so after the race. Thanks, Dale! I plan to try it out during the Black Dog 50-miler and will post my findings here.

Ready, set, go!

As in most ultras, the race started off without any fanfare. A simple “Go!” is all that is usually issued and everyone shuffles off. In my case, I started out walking – in the very back of the start pack. I didn’t want to get caught up in the emotion of the race start, especially an uphill one, and just to go out slow and relaxed, enjoying the overhead views of Gooseberry Falls. There’d be plenty of time to run the next day and a half, no point in working this early. The weather was perfect this Friday. The sun was out, the skies were clear and the temps around 50 degrees. The only concern looming in the back of my mind was the weather reports I had read all week long predicting rain for that evening. Nonetheless, a few miles in I caught up to Angela Hill, who I had met earlier in the year at the Zumbro 100 and also seen at the Afton Trail Races in July. Angie was chronicling her Sawtooth experience via short video clips which can be seen on YouTube.com. For those of you who’ve missed out on meeting this gal, she’s one tough cookie, and a load of laughs to boot. A single mother, she still finds time to work full-time and train, all the while maintaining her sanity and being a good parent. She’s also quite the karaoke crooner (again, check her out on YouTube). Anway, we hung out together for most of the first leg and most of the way into the second leg until we caught up with Tim Roe, with whom she had planned to finish the race with. Leaving them behind, I made my way to aid station #2 at Beaver Bay.

Cruisin’

Checking out of Beaver Bay, I continued on towards Silver Bay. I don’t recall much happening during this short leg, other than feeling relaxed and in good form. I had stuck to my plan of starting out slower this year and it was paying off thus far. The leg from Silver Bay to Tettegouche was a long and fairly lonely one. I didn’t see many folks at this point since we were really starting to get strung out. I did manage to come up on Dennis Drey, from New Mexico, who was struggling a bit with a bad ankle. The miles clicked off without much ado nor effort and soon I was at Tettegouche still feeling strong. Grabbing my headlamp and reloading my supplies, I quickly made off for County Road 6. Having done recon on this leg earlier in the summer with running buddy, Bill Pomerenke, I knew the first 5 to 6 miles were going to involve a lot of climbing, so best to lay low and not worry about the mile splits being high. Early on I latched onto the pace of Jim Wilson and Lynn Saari. The 3 of us stuck together the entire leg, until Jim jetted off near the last mile, followed by myself, then Lynn. Again, no problems or issues and everything was going according to plan.

Nightlife

The last few miles of the Tettegouche – County Road 6 leg were run in the dark. I found out later from my buddy, Bill, that a couple had forgotten to bring headlamps with them during this leg and had to navigate their way down from the treacherous and sheer dropoff trails without light. No thanks! I pulled into the aid station still feeling good, but a bit tired and flat, which was expected, having covered what is in my opinion, the toughest part of the course. The first 44 miles of the Sawtooth 100 are punctuated by relentless climbs and descents, wearing the body down quickly. Nonetheless, I had done my homework this summer and executed my plan flawlessly, covering the 44 miles with minimal effort. Now it was time to head off to Finland and then face the demons from last year where I fell apart on the way to Sonju and Crosby-Manitou. Making a very quick stop, I downed a 5-Hour Energy drink and dashed off into the darkness, leaving Jim and Lynn behind. The 5-Hour Energy snapped my brain to attention and I felt refreshed, so I made great time attacking the relatively easy 7.7-mile leg. However, a few miles from Finland, the dreaded rain began to fall. At first, it was a light sprinkle, hardly worthy of donning a jacket. However, as I approached the aid station, the sprinkle turned into a steady rain. This was sure to make the night running interesting!

Facing Demons

As mentioned before, last year I completely lost it on the way to Sonju from Finland. I staggered for what it seemed as hours on end in the darkness, my spirit being crushed. This year, I was better prepared and had already run the leg since then (although in the daylight). Again, after yet another quick pit stop at the aid station, (thanks to Bill), I was off into the cold and wet darkness to face the demons of last year and get my ass to Sonju, still feeling good. Surprisingly, despite the steady rain and dropping temps, I maintained a steady pace and was still feeling good. It’s amazing how much easier a section seems when you’re not exhausted and delirious. My new Brunton L3 3-watt headlamp “paved” the way through the muddy and rooty section to Sonju. It was an investment that truly paid for itself. Other than almost knocking myself out on a couple of trees that had fallen across the trail, inconveniently at head height, the only thing that stood out was the constant images of small field mice dashing across the trail and climbing up small saplings, trying to avoid drowning in the now-saturated ground. I pulled into the Sonju aid station having crossed paths with Darryl Saari on his way out. I informed him his wife and Jim Wilson were somewhere behind me. At the aid station, there was a poor soul wrapped up in a blanket, shivering in front of the fire. It reminded me of exactly where I was a year ago. The cold and wet weather was already taking its toll on the field and would continue to do so throughout the night. At this point, it had been raining steadily for 2 to 3 hours, with no signs of relief. I swapped out my headlamp batteries, refueled, and took off for the next aid station, happy that I had defeated the demons from last year and had one last big hurdle to jump – the steep and never-ending climbs in and out of the Crosby and Manitou river gorges.

Here Comes the Sun (Kinda)

The short leg from Sonju to Crosby-Manitou, being fairly easy, went without any fanfare. Inspired by having conquered the leg to Sonju, I was excited to tackle the river gorges and get the worst behind me. I pulled into the aid station cold and damp. A quick change of clothes under my rain jacket and some hot food set things right. Grabbing a few food items to eat on the go, I made off into the perpetual rain towards Sugarloaf. Descending into the first river gorge, the steep and rocky trails thick and slick with mud, I was glad of my decision to bring a trekking pole along with me. I had been carrying it with me the entire race and it had been saving my back and knees. Patiently I made my way down and then up out of the gorge. Half way up the ascent, I was joined by another runner. “Who do we have here?!” I shouted back. “Andy Holak!” replied the runner, quickly gaining on me. I was stunned. Andy Holak – behind me? What the hell was going on? Andy is a stud ultrarunner and I’m just a guy who’s happy to finish. Well, as Andy filled me in, it all made sense. He had succumbed to stomach problems at the Crosby-Manitou aid station and decided to try and sleep it off, which he successfully did, finishing 13^th overall. Amazing! I continued on through the rain and dark at a slow and steady pace, hoping to maintain about a 25-minute mile throughout the leg. Still feeling good, yet a bit cold, I knew the pending sunrise would be a welcome friend. In the last hour of darkness, I climbed out the river gorge for the last time, knowing the worst was behind me. Along the way I had caught a few exhausted and weary runners who were falling victim to the horrors of the Crosby-Manitou climbs. Finally, the sun rose, although to gray and rainy skies. Would this rain ever end? On I forged to the Sugarloaf aid station, now peeing every 10 minutes. “What the hell is with this?” I thought to myself. Darryl Saari, while passing me, reassured me it was due to the cold weather. Nonetheless, I arrived at the Sugarloaf aid station, cold and tired, but in good spirits.

Trying Times

At Sugarloaf, I was tended to by Bill and another friend, Londell Pease. Bill refilled my hydration pack, restocked my food, and grabbed me a dry change of clothes. Londell pulled off my soaked socks, dried and cleaned my feet, and helped me put on a dry pair. A few hot food items and another 5-Hour Energy in me, I set off to the Cramer Road aid station 5.6 miles away, where my race had ended last year. For some reason, in my delirious and exhausted state of mind last year, I had recalled this leg as fairly flat and easy. Wrong!! Steady climbs, coupled with trails that had turned into rivers, the section proved to be rather challenging. Still peeing a frustrating frequency of every 10 to 15 minutes, I sloshed through the mucky and tattered trails. My stomach was starting to sour a bit now, which made me a bit uneasy. As I pulled up to the Cramer Road aid station, for the first time in 77 miles, I was not smiling and feeling “great”. Still, I was doing great and well within the cutoffs. Now I would be forging into unknown territory at the Sawtooth 100. Next up was the leg to Temperance. I had never run this section before, but was told it was fairly easy. Well, there were a lot of downhill sections, but there were plenty of small climbs, plus tons of water on the trail which ran along the Temperance River. Because of the 9 hours of steady rain, the river was raging and much of the runoff had flooded the trail. At one point the trail was completely covered in ankle-deep water in every direction. The only indication of where the trail lead was a solitary orange-flagged stake in the middle of the small “lake”. Still peeing every 10 to 15 minutes, my stomach souring even more, and exhaustion starting to set in, I was starting to get worried. At least the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out.

Moment of Truth

I shuffled into the Temperance aid station a wreck. By now my stomach was a mess and I had no appetite whatsoever. On top of that, I had been slowing down each mile the past leg. Was my race going to end here? Would I be able to make the cutoffs at Sawbill and Oberg? I was still way under the cutoff, but my increasingly slowing pace cast a large shadow of doubt in my mind. Informing Bill of how I was feeling, he emphasized how important it was that I continue to hydrate and take in electrolytes. Downing only a little chicken broth and another 5-Hour Energy Drink, I staggered out of the aid station, facing the proverbial “moment of truth”. Because my stomach had soured so badly and the constant peeing was unrelenting, and because the leg to Sawbill was only 5.7 miles long, I decided that I would go this section without food or water. Obviously my stomach was angry and telling me to stop doing whatever it was I was doing. It needed a break. I plodded along the flat trail along the river, averaging only 27 minutes per mile. This was not good. I knew up ahead there would be some serious climbing up Carlton Peak and I would hemorrhage huge amounts of time. My chance at finishing this race was getting away from me! Gathering myself, I decided to remain calm until the 5-Hour Energy kicked in and cleared my head. Once that happened, I would figure out what to do. Sure enough, like clockwork it did its magic and I gave myself a pep talk. I told myself I had trained and planned too long to let myself, my buddy Bill, my family, and my friends down. All I needed to do was get the legs moving and soon they’d remember how to run again. As I started to shuffle along the trail, Jim Wilson came blasting by me. “Go get’em, Jim!” I shouted in encouragement. Soon enough, my shuffling turned into a slow jog, and then into a run. I was back! Infused with new confidence, I blazed along and eagerly awaited the climb up Carlton Peak. “Bring it!” I said aloud as I headed toward the rocky climb. I caught and passed a few runners up and down the climb and cruised on into Sawbill with 90 minutes in hand under the cutoff! Hell yeah, I was going to make it!

Bringing it On Home

I arrived at Sawbill with my appetite and confidence restored. I downed a handful of Pringles, some pickles, and chicken broth, anxious to make way through the next leg to the final cutoff. Off I sped, brimming with renewed spirit. Along the way to Oberg I caught John Taylor, Jim Wilson, and Eric Skytte. John was not having a good day and was ready for the race to be over. Wilson had lost his “mojo” as he had put it and Eric was just trying to keep moving. I blasted on through to Oberg to the awaiting smiles of my buddy Bill and Karen Gall, whose unbridled enthusiasm for all of the runners was inspiring. I had maintained my 90 minute lead on the cutoff and knew now, barring any stupid mistakes on my part, I was on my way to the finish line and my hard-earned red jacket. All I had to do was make it up and down Moose Mountain in one piece and the rest was a cakewalk. Again, like I had with Carlton Peak, I welcomed the climb up Moose Mountain and ascended it with little effort. Relaxing, now that I knew the hardest of all climbing was now behind me, I enjoyed the flat run along the ridgeline before the steep and tricky descent. I continued on and up Mystery Mountain, with darkness settling in. I donned my headlamps and picked my way through the rocky, wet, and tricky trail atop the small mountain. Part way through, my Brunton headlamp went dead in a flash. WTF!? Frantically I swapped out batteries, to no avail. Fortunately, Bill had made sure I carried one of my flashlights with me. So, I put the headlamp that was around my waist on my head and pulled out the flashlight. On to the finish! After what seemed like forever, I finally made it out of the woods and could now see the lodge in the distance. I zipped across the wooden bridge, up the gravel hill, and onto the paved road into Lutsen Village, smiling from ear to ear. To the cheers of friends I rounded the final corner to see the finish line and my buddy Bill waiting for me. When I reached the line, I jumped onto it (or destroyed it, as Zach Pierce had put it) with relief and sheer joy. I had done it! I had finished the Sawtooth 100!!

Soaking it All In

Despite the joy that came with celebrating a long awaited finish, the reality and impact of finishing this race didn’t hit until the next morning. By the race’s end, I had been awake for almost 39 hours straight and was too exhausted to really think about what had transpired. The next morning when I awoke, it did hit me. With tears welling up in my eyes, I realized that all of my hard work, planning, and dedication had paid off. And that despite being injured and sidelined for nearly 12 weeks, patience and persistence got me to the finish line. I never had felt so satisfied and proud of myself as I had been at that moment.

A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish

2010-08-21T21:26:00.003-05:00

"A goal without a plan is just a wish" - so said Antoine de Sainte-Exupery, French writer and aviator. Ever since failing at 77 miles into the Superior Sawtooth 100-mile footrace in 2009, my goal has been to return to the North Shore and complete all 102+ rugged and grueling miles. 49 weeks later, I write this post, prepared to achieve this.

Despite injury, financial setbacks, and working two jobs, I've followed a plan to earn the coveted red jacket of the Superior Sawtooth race. Unable to run at all for 6 weeks, and taking and additional 6 weeks to work up to mostly walking 20 miles, I've continued to train and prepare for this challenge. Over the course of the year I have embraced and mastered patience on the trails. This patience will be my strongest ally during the long hours and miles on the Superior Hiking Trail this September. I've put in more long runs of 20+ miles than any previous year by a large margin and have dialed in my hydration and nutrition. Over the course of 2 weekends the past couple of months I've recon-run 70+ miles of the SHT.

I have a plan and I am ready. To the Superior Sawtooth 100 I say, "BRING IT!"

Still seeing red..................................

Running Dark - A Book Review

2010-07-11T11:00:00.005-05:00

About a year ago, I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of Jamie Freveletti's first published novel, "Running From the Devil" and was asked to post a review on this blog. What's the connection, you ask? Well, the main character, Emma Caldridge, is an ultrarunner who works as a chemist for a cosmetics company.

A few weeks ago I was again contacted to review Jamie's work - this time the follow-up to "Running From the Devil" titled "Running Dark". This time, Emma finds herself in Africa, dealing with Somali pirates. Unlike the first novel, which really didn't feature much in regards to ultrarunning, "Running Dark" begins with Emma running in the Comrades Marathon. However, like the first novel, the story hits the ground running (no pun intended). Right away one is yanked into a riveting plot, which is carried along by short but action-packed chapters. I found myself blazing through the novel as a ultramarathoner efficiently dashes through aid stations, not wanting to waste any time getting to the next leg of the race.

Freveletti's writing style is concise and wastes no time in unnecessary detail, allowing one's imagination to fill in the gaps. Yet, she manages to develop the characters well so that the reader forms and attachment and understanding of their personae. It's a writing style I truly appreciate, having read other books which drag on with needless description and conversation. As a result, I blazed through this thriller in a matter of days, much to the surprise of my wife (I usually take weeks to finish a book), who was chomping at the bit to get a chance to read Jamie's sophomore effort.

In the end, both my wife and I truly enjoyed "Running Dark". Once again, Jamie Freveletti has shown that she knows how to write a plausbile and riveting plot that engages the reader from cover to cover. The novel is now on the bookshelves of your favorite bookstores, so I'd strongly encourage folks out there to give it a read. If you haven't read the first of the Emma Caldridge series, "Running From the Devil", be sure to check it out as well. Thanks goes out again to TK , who gave me the opportunity to review Jamie's work.

Everyone stay healthy and happy out there and thanks for visiting my blog. I hope to see y'all out on the trails. Best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Helen Lavin, congrats to all of the Afton Trail Race runners and R.D. John Storkamp for putting on a fantastic event again, as well as to fellow runner and blogger, Matt Patten who was blessed with an new career opportunity after having lost his job for the 2nd time in the past year and a half. Sweet! Lastly, best of luck to my brother, Kevin, who will be helping pace Iso Yucra at the Badwater 135 in Death Valley. Be safe and have fun, little bro!!

Still seeing red.....................................

Happy Birthday, JJ!

2010-06-08T20:46:00.006-05:00

Wow, how time flies when it comes to kids growing up. This past Friday my son, JJ, turned the big "5". It didn't seem that long ago that my wife and I were in Seoul, Korea meeting him for the first time. He was a whopper of a baby - 25 pounds at only 9 months of age. YIKES!!! Not only that, he had a full and wild head of hair, to go along with 8 teeth. Well, much hasn't changed in the past 4+ years. He's still a brute, standing nearly 4 feet tall and weighing in at 60 pounds, and I love every inch and ounce of him.

For those who don't know the story about how he came into our lives, here's the skinny. About 7 years ago, my wife and I decided that we had been "kids" long enough (35 and 30 years old) and it was time to finally start a family. Well, as luck would have it, we managed to get pregnant after trying for a while. Hooray!! But wait, not so quick. About 2 months into the pregnancy, things went wrong. As it turned out, the pregnancy was ectopic, meaning that the egg had gotten stuck in my wife's fallopian tube. The tube ruptured and my wife had to have emergency surgery. After she recovered, we continued to try, without success. Being adopted from South Korea herself, adoption was always something we had considered. So, we went for it and after over a year of paperwork and impatient waiting, we finally got the call to go to Seoul and pick him up. It was the most amazing experience of our life, especially for my wife, who hadn't been back to Korea since she was adopted at 9 months old. For her, it was the first time that she felt like she blended in with everyone and was just "one of the crowd". She even got to visit the orphanage she was raised at and received a photo of herself neither she nor any of her family had ever seen.

So, that's the story in a nutshell. Since then, my wife has had another ectopic pregnancy with the same end result. Bummer...... But, we couldn't be happier with our little family - 2 cats, 1 dog, and a truly amazing boy. Happy birthday, my little man. Daddy loves you more than anything!

Sawtooth or Bust!

2010-05-03T16:09:00.003-05:00

Well, this season has pretty much been a bust. It went from my "breakout" season to my "breakdown" season (LOL). But, oh well, it's not like I'm the only person who ever lost a season to injury. So, no more bellyaching about it. Time to move on and see what I can make of this year!!

The past couple of weeks I've been able to get out on the trails to fast walk and jog with minimal discomfort. The osteitis pain is at bay, but the groin still gets sore after workouts and the hips are chronically tight. Nonetheless, I'm extremely grateful and happy to be out on the trails again in any capacity, despite not being at 100%.

Thanks goes out to Bill Pomerenke, who has become my training buddy lately and got me back on the trails. He too, has been nursing a groin injury. During our fast walks/jogs we've been tossing around ideas about the possibility of finishing a 100-miler power walking the hills and flats, while running the declines. There's a lot of pros and cons about the idea in theory. One of the hardest things to do when "running" a 100-miler is maintaining a conservative pace so that you don't blow up. Perhaps a steadier and less dramatic pace falloff could be accomplished using the more walking and less running strategy? I'm sure a lot depends upon how you've physically prepared, as well as the course, but who knows? Ultramarathoning is somewhat of an enigma, with no absolute wrong or right ways to train and race.

So far, we've managed a decent pace each time we've gone out, including 13 miles at The Murph in 12:23 pace this past Saturday. Granted, 13 miles at The Murph is not 102 miles of SHT, but it at least gives us an idea that it may be plausible. Future plans for putting the idea to more rigorous testing include longer distances at Afton, possibly 100K, as well as some time on the SHT itself. I think it will be very fun and interesting to see how one feels mentally and physical over much longer distances using this approach. I do know one thing for sure though, you won't be winning any races this way. But, no matter, because for me it's all about crossing the finish line and grabbing that red jacket.

At this point, this approach would be my only possible strategy for finishing Sawtooth, as I don't foresee being near 100% for another 6 - 8 weeks, if even that soon. In addition, for personal financial reasons, I've taken a PT gig at the Roseville REI which runs through the Labor Day weekend. Consequently, my available training and racing time will be significantly reduced. Therefore, I'm planning on only doing Sawtooth this year, with the caveat that my groin is fully recovered. Otherwise, I'll just have to consider the season a total loss racewise and focus on continuing to recover for next year. Either way, I'm good with whatever happens and I'm truly excited to face this challenge with a new approach. You just gotta roll with the punches and enjoy what life gives you, right?

That being said, I wish those running Ice Age and Superior in the coming weeks the best of health and luck!!

Still seeing red......................................

Switcheroo!

2010-03-31T18:21:00.002-05:00

Zach Pierce and I will be trading places at next week's Zumbro 100. Zach has spring fever and was just itching to run instead of volunteer. I okayed it with R.D. Larry Pederson, and he agreed to let us swap places. So, it's a win-win-win situation. Zach gets to run 100, I get to volunteer and have a good time out in the woods at Zumbro Bottoms, and Larry keeps his field and crew intact. Wee-ha!! Mentally, it's a relief knowing that I won't even be thinking about running the race and can just focus on resting and healing however long it takes. I've got another volunteer gig coming up in May at the Ice Age 50, where I'll be helping haul water to the aid stations. If ya can't race - volunteer!

Zumbro Limbo

2010-03-29T06:06:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update for folks out there. I'm still in limbo regarding running at Zumbro. Last week I did a test run of 5 miles and it was very uncomfortable and slow. I also had video analysis of my running gait performed at Tria, as well as further PT evaluation. The video analysis showed I was favoring my right leg (no surprise there with the injury) and further evaluation was unable to reproduce the pain I experience while running. Consequently, I've been referred to another doctor at Tria who specializes in running injuries. That appointment isn't until April 6th.

Overall, I feel I'm making a little progress. The "knot" I used to feel in my right groin is gone, but I'm still getting feelings of tightness and occasional burning. I plan to give it short test on Wednesday to see how it's progressing. I also need to consult with my GP to get my thyroid medication dosage increased. I tell ya, it's only been just over 2 weeks since I've been able to run pain-free, but it feels like a month. How anyone doesn't go completely mental after not running for longer that is beyond me. I'm bouncing off the walls crazy right now, just dying to get back on the trails.

As far as Zumbro goes, I'm still very doubtful - not because of conditioning, but because of the risk of reinjury. 100 miles is A LOT of stress on the body and you need to be 100% healthy to finish without hurting yourself. Any small weakness will be greatly amplified. At this point, I really don't want to be out of commission any longer than I already have. Reinjuring myself and having to go through the recovery process all over again would be devastating at this point, not to mention that it would likely take longer the second time around.

That being said, I hope everyone out there is staying healthy and enjoying perhaps the driest and warmest March in memory. Best wishes go out to fellow blogger and runner Kel who is recovering from an achilles strain. I was glad to read many folks were out at Afton having a great time enjoying this early Spring treat of pleasant weather. Looks like Matt Patten is all fired up and ready to go for Zumbro, knocking out a PR for the 25k loop at Afton. Attaboy!!

Still seeing red.......................

Duh-Oh! Zumbro a No-Go?

2010-03-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

Twelve days ago I had my fastest training run since I started running ultras, easily cruising along at even 8-minute flat splits for 12 miles along the Theodore Wirth Parkway. When I had finished I felt as great as I did at the start. Nothing hurt before or after the run. My confidence level in my preparation for Zumbro was at an all-time high. The hard work and persistence of training out in the cold and snow all winter was paying off big. Well, after 12 of the best training weeks and best training day of my ultrarunning career, things came to a grinding halt.

The following day I awoke to tightness in my hips and a slight soreness in my groin. I had experienced similar symptoms before after some tough 20-mile workouts, so I wasn't worried. However, as I started out on my run that evening, it was apparent that something was wrong. The first 5 minutes of the run was very painful, with sharp shooting pains in my groin, near the beltline. I pushed on through and eventually the pain subsided and I was able to run a decent 8:15 pace the remainder of the run. Since then, I haven't run....................

Last Wednesday I went to see a GP to get checked over. Since that last painful run the week before I had a constant tightness in my lower right groin/ab, and every time I tried to jog it was very, very painful. The doc checked me for a hernia, but found nothing. I was referred to Tria Sports Clinic for evaluation and treatment the next day. After a brief consultation on Thursday, I had my full evaluation on Friday with my PT, Valerie. After an hour of twisting my hips and legs into every conceivable position and trying to recreate the pain I was experiencing while running, she was puzzlingly unsuccessful. The worst part was that every time I flexed a muscle, it almost immediately cramped up. I'm talking everything - calves, hammies, quads, hips. It was a nightmare.

At this point, the early diagnosis is most likely a strained or injured psoas muscle. One of the other chronic symptoms I've had prior to and since the injury is a burning along the right hip, right upper buttock, and down the outside of the right thigh, indicating that something is placing pressure on a nerve. To complicate matters, my thryoid is definitely feeling low. I've been a bit fatigued moreso than usual the past 3 weeks. I initially passed it off as just my training and the time change from daylight savings. However, the cramping during my evaluation, along with stiffness in my hips and irritability raised the red flag of my thyroid crapping out on me again, just as it did this time last year (and all year for that matter). I did get my blood drawn during the visit with the GP to check my thyroid levels, and I'm still impatiently awaiting the results. Since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I've always accurately self-diagnosed the drop-offs, so I'm expecting that it's low and I'll be having my medication increased for the 4th time in a year.

Needless to say, I'm rather frustrated and disheartened right now. I have no definite diagnosis nor prognosis to returning to full activity. I did get the "okay" from my PT to try and run. Being out of town this weekend I didn't get a chance to go for a run, but I did run around my aunt and uncle's backyard with my son, flying kites. And I have to say, it was rather painful. Nonetheless, I'm going to have to give it a longer go this week. My usual training day to start the week is Wednesday, so I'll find out then. The worst part of this whole "injury" is that I can walk without any pain whatsoever, and do most anything else as well. But, the minute I start running it hurts like a mothereffer. I'm afraid that unless I make a miraculous and speedy recovery within the next two weeks, Zumbro will be a no-go. If so, I'm mentally okay with that because my main focus this year is Sawtooth. If I only run one race this year, it has to be Sawtooth and and I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize that. So, if I have to take more time off to heal properly, that's what I'll do. I hope everyone else is enjoying good health and the wealth of runnable trails out there.

Still seeing red......................................................

Keys to Success - Part 1: Desire

2010-03-09T05:16:00.004-06:00

One of the most asked questions by beginning ultramarathoners is "How do I train?" To which I would respond, "Do you want to or would you like to be an ultramarathoner?" The key difference here is between "like to" and "want to".

Too often when people try to reach goals, they start off with the "I'd like to" attitude. "I'd like to quit smoking", "I'd like to lose weight", "I'd like to retire when I'm 50", so on and so forth. We've all said or have heard someone else say the exact same things before, and the usual outcome is failure. Why? Because of a lack of desire.

The biggest difference between "like" and "want" is the level of desire and commitment to success. I'd like to retire when I'm 50, but truthfully, I don't want to give up all of the things and work as hard as I'd have to in order to do it. The same goes for any goal. If you truly want something, you'll find a way to get it.

So, be honest with yourself. Do you really want something or would you just like it? If you are going to be successful at achieving anything, you have to want it, and I mean WANT it. Don't fool yourself and waste your time with a half-hearted effort. Want it, and want it badly.

That being said, I WANT to finish the Sawtooth 100 this year, and as you can tell from my training thus far this year, I'm putting my desires into action.

Still seeing red.................................................

Favorite Olympic Moment - Polish Pride!

2010-03-02T19:09:00.003-06:00

Despite shoddy coverage by NBC (in my humble opinion), there were some unforgettable moments that struck me during this year's Winter Olympics. First was Shaun White's unbelievable half-pipe gold medal performance. Not only did he blow the field away, but rather than lay low on his 2nd run since he already had the gold in hand, he went all out and topped his first run. Second was the US men's hockey team surprising an over-confident Canada squad in their first meeting. The youngest team in the Olympics played with unmatched enthusiasm, heart, and grit. Then there was the amazing finish in the men's classic cross country ski 50K event. I don't think I've ever seen such intensity during a sprint finish as displayed by Norway's Peter Northug and Germany's Axel Teichmann. But, the most memorable moment for me was watching Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk edge out Norway's Marjit Bjoergen in a photo finish in the women's 30K cross country ski event. Both exchanged the lead down the final straight with each thrust of the ski poles, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats until Justyna's final efforts gave her a win by 0.3 seconds. Being half-Polish (Grabowski and Pankowski on my father's side) it was a great moment in sports history as Justyna became the first Polish woman to ever win a winter olympics gold medal. Gratulacje, Justyna!!!

Gold for Justyna! Photo by NBC Sports

Polish-American Athletes of Note in the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame

Baseball

Basketball

American Football

Boxing

Bobby Czyz (2009)
Stanley Ketchel (1984)
Teddy Yarosz (2005)
Tony Zale (1975)

Source: Wikipedia, National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame

A New "Spin" on Bad Cholesterol

2010-02-22T21:41:00.004-06:00

A year ago today I changed the way I eat. Having done quite a bit of research, I adopted a low-carb eating lifestyle. That's not to say I don't eat some bread here and there or some pasta or a few spuds. Being an ultramarathoner one has to maintain their glycogen levels, and failing to do so is just shooting yourself in the foot.

Anyway, I digress a bit....

One of the most fascinating and relevant topics I've researched the past year is that regarding blood cholesterol - how it's produced, affected by diet, measured, and calculated. With a father and father-in-law who both have had heart surgery, as well as a close friend who this past year was prescribed blood statins for high cholesterol, understanding the whole cholesterol phenomena has been important to me and eye-opening. Here's a link to a recent article that I found at Richard's blog, "Free the Animal", (see Good Reading on the Blogosphere links) titled 'Bad cholesterol': It's not what you think. It covers new technology used to analyze LDL (bad) cholesterol and is helping pinpoint the what causes heart disease. Good stuff!

Enjoy and feel free to comment.

New Look, New Philosophy, New Attitude

2010-02-16T19:56:00.005-06:00

In case you didn't notice the obvious, my blog has a whole new look - to go along with my whole new training philosophy. Gone are the "rambling" days where I didn't have a clue or plan as to what I was going to do each week or how I was going to get in proper shape for 100-milers. My attitude has completely changed as well. I savor each run and truly enjoy the experience of being out on the trails. Training is no longer work, but a form of escape, meditation, and focus.

Training continues to go well. I've stuck to my slow mileage increase and it's paying dividends. My recovery is excellent, most noticeably after the weekend 20-mile runs. Soon I will have to start running 10+ miles the day after my 20's, but that's down the road when my weekly mileage allows it. I'm still just yearning to crank up the mileage, but my better judgment tells me to continue to be patient. Plan your work and work your plan, as it is said. Nonetheless, I can't wait to be putting in some big mileage later this spring and summer, especially out at Afton and The Murph.

On a final note, congrats go out to brother Grub (Kevin) for a smokin' 80 miles in 13:48 at Rocky Raccoon. Unfortunately, that's where he hit the proverbial wall and suffered his first (and most likely last) DNF. In contrast, Karen Gall continued her successful winter season with another finish at the fast course in Texas. Well done! Two big "Hoorahs!" also go out to lady speedsters Helen Lavin and Val Schuster who finished 1-2 in the womens' division at Psycho Wyco last weekend. Way to represent!!

Only 7-1/2 weeks until the first test of the season at the Zumbro 100. My tax refund should be in by Friday, so I'll be signing up within a week. It will be interesting to see how Matt Patten's crossfit training fares there (See "A Guy Who Runs" on the reading list). Keep at it Matt! Maybe we can stop at mile 50 and do 20 burpees at Zumbro? I hope everyone out there is staying healthy and enjoying life. See ya on the trails!

Taking Baby Steps - Patience, patience, patience...

2010-02-01T19:07:00.003-06:00

This past four weeks I've been taking "baby steps" towards building a solid base. Thus far, it's been mission accomplished. I've run a 20-miler 7 out of the past 9 weeks and my training pace is dropping like a rock. This past week I cruised through 8 miles of trails at 8:29 pace and 20 miles at 9:26 pace (I even ran even splits for the 20 miles). For some, that's no big deal. For me, that's a huge improvement from the usual plodding along I've done in past years. That being said, I'm not going to kid myself into thinking I'm really in super shape either. Most of the running thus far has been on pretty flat terrain, although sometimes with rather challenging footing. Nonetheless, I'm seeing a huge difference in my strength, stamina, and mental focus, especially on the 20-milers. What once used to seem a somewhat challenging distance for training has now become rather routine.

Right now, it's been tough not running more because I've been just aching to crank up the mileaage. In fact, I'm somewhat embarrassed by the weekly mileage I've been posting, considering others I know are running almost double that. However, there's a reason for that. They've put in the base mileage to allow themselves to do that without getting injured or overtraining, and I haven't. It's the price I must pay for now, but it has been rewarding. This week I might throw in an optional run of 4 miles or something, but I don't want to push it too far. I'm happy with my progress and recovery. In addition, I don't want to go through the struggles with injury and DNF'ing that I dealt with last year.

On a final note, just a shout-out to some folks racing/going to be racing soon. First off, best wishes for a successful and safe Arrowhead 135 Ultra to John Taylor and John Storkamp. I'm still anxiously awaiting the first update for those on foot. Secondly, best of luck to my brother and Karen Gall, who will both be at the Rocky Raccoon 100-miler this upcoming weekend. I hope everyone else is making the most of the winter and getting some miles in. Stay healthy and hope to see ya on the trails!

Back in the UMTR

2010-01-25T20:54:00.005-06:00

I got on the ball this year and renewed my membership to the Upper Midwest Trail Runners. Last year I didn't sign up and regretted it for the past 12 months. Even though I had no plans of competing in any of the race series (MN Trail Running Series and Fab 5 Fifties Ultra Trail Series), there was no excuse for me to not put $20 towards a group of outstanding and dedicated trail runners who help promote and support the sport I love most in the Midwest. So, this year, it was a no-brainer to sign up and give the UMTR my hard-earned cash and my commitment to promote trail running. It looks like this year there might be 2 more series: the Gnarly Bandit Ultra Trail Series (100K and 100M distances) and the Braveheart Snowshoe Series. Looks like the Gnarly Bandit Series is right up my alley. Therefore, I invite any readers out there who haven't joined yet to click on the button on the right side of this blog and check it out. So, what are ya waiting for? Sign up already!

Recent Training

2010-01-20T19:06:00.005-06:00

Just a quick post to update folks on my winter training, which has been going famously. Last year the six months prior to Zumbro 100 I logged a paltry 389 miles, with only 6 training runs of 20+ miles. Pathetic, I know! Yet, I still managed to finish somehow.

This year is a completely different story. I've already put in 381 miles and 5 training runs of 20+ miles (all 5 in the last 7 weeks)- and there's still 11-1/2 weeks of training left before Zumbro! Now, I just need to keep at it and slowly increase my miles. My goal is to be running 60+ miles per week by July. In the past, I've pushed it too hard too fast and ended up with very sporadic miles. For example, last winter I had mileage totals of 40, 24, 37, 28, 38, 10, 42, 32 over an eight-week stretch. In fact, looking over my training the past 2+ years, I've never had 3 consecutive weeks of 30+ miles where each week's mileage was more than the previous'. Crazy! Kinda hard to build a good base and increase your mileage with shoddy training like that. Anyway, that trend is ending and after this week when I will have put in 3 consecutive weeks of 30+ miles with increased mileage each week.

Week 1 - 30 miles total, Weight 175.2 lbs.
5 miles, 49:40, 9:56/mile
5 miles, 47:52, 9:34/mile
20 miles, 3:47:51, 11:23/mile (running in soft snow sucks! lol)

Week 2 - 32.7 miles total, Weight 177.0 lbs.
6.2 miles, 56:47, 9:11/mile
6.2 miles, 55:56, 9:08/mile
20.3 miles, 3:35:14, 10:34/mile (great run with Zach, Maria, and Helen)

Week 3 - 34.2 miles and counting, Weight 174.8 lbs.
6.2 miles, 54:03, 8:46/mile
8 miles, 1:13:56, 9:14/mile
20 miles, 3:40:07 11:00/mile (tough run on trails with very soft, wet snow)

I hope everyone else's training is going well this winter. See ya on the trails!

Seeing Red

2010-01-13T21:06:00.003-06:00

Ever since DNF'ing at Sawtooth this past year, I've been seeing red - the red of the finisher's jacket you earn for completing all 102 miles. It's what has been motivating me ever since then and has me off to my best training start of my ultrarunning career. This year I WILL be in shape to finish all three 100's (unlike last year). I WILL get that red finisher's jacket at Sawtooth and I WILL set a PR at Afton. I'm seeing red and I won't stop until I reach ALL of my goals.

What motivates you? What are your goals? Find something to fire you up and get you pumped about training. It's a long, cold winter here in Minnesota, so better find a way to keep your passion for running burning.

See ya out there on the trails!

Ketchup!

2009-11-09T18:25:00.002-06:00

Well, well, well, time to "ketchup" (insert groan here) everyone on what's been going on in my little world since my epic adventure at Superior Sawtooth 100.

After taking a couple weeks off to recover from Sawtooth, I started training again and ran in the underground run hosted by Peter Grimes. This year it was called the Black Dog 50, in remembrance of Pete's late dog, Tua. Returning from last year were Mitch, Eric, Joel, and myself. Despite soggy conditions, all had a great time navigating through the "rainforest" and getting chased by cows. Pete treated us all to a wonderful post-run meal of pulled venison (barbeque and peppered varieties). This year's official Garmin-recorded distance was 46.5 miles. In addition, like last year, we made an new ultrarunner out of one of the participants. This year it was a guy named Shawn, who educated us all on the finer points of environmental restoration. To see photos, please check out Joel Button's blog (Button Running - located on the right sidebar).

Since the Black Dog 50, I've been focusing on training and increasing my mileage. This year was kind of a bust as far as consistency goes. With my wife recovering from gall bladder surgery, then getting laid off, things had been a bit stressful and chaotic for a while. That being behind us (for now, although she is still looking for work and is facing a likely partial hysterectomy), I've been able to get back on track. I also recently purchased a Garmin 205 to help with my training. It's been a fabulous tool, as it allows me to try new trails while keeping track of my total mileage. In addition, it has been invaluable in giving me a better idea of what pace I'm running. I must say, I've really enjoyed getting back into the "training rut". I really missed it after having so much time off from due to pre-race tapers and post-race recoveries. Last year I missed out on the Fall training because that was when my wife had become gravely ill due to a failing gall bladder. So, this year I've been relishing the cool autumn air and the crunch of leaves underfoot. Ahhh...........life is good!

Beauty and the Beast - Sawtooth 100 Report

2009-09-15T20:38:00.006-05:00

Wow, what can one say after such an epic course as that? The Superior Sawtooth course truly exemplifies "Beauty and the Beast" with its glorious panoramic mountaintop views and relentless climbs. It truly redefined what I consider a challenging course and every trail from now on will seem like a cakewalk. And I must say, I absolutely loved this race. To me, it defines what trail racing is all about - challenge.

So, here's how the race went down for me.

Gooseberry Falls to Split Rock River
Surprisingly, I felt great right off the bat. Usually it takes me a good hour or so until I get into a rhythm and settled in. In hindsight, perhaps it wasn't the best thing though, as I'm thinking perhaps I should have held back a lot more early on in the race than I did. I'll definitely be curious to see the splits and who was behind me up to Tettegouche that finished the race. Anyway, I digress. The first leg went along without a hitch. I was really enjoying the trails and taking time to stop and catch some views.

Split Rock River to Beaver Bay
Now the climbing started in earnest and the humidity was getting noticeable. Fortunately, I have my hydration down pat, and didn't have any problems with it, other than feeling a bit hot and noticing my heart rate climb a bit. Again, things went rather smoothly and again, I took time to "stop and smell the roses". What surprised me the most at this point was how technical almost the entire trail had been to this point. If you weren't climbing up over or running on rocks, you were tiptoeing through tricky root-filled trails. By the time I reached Beaver Bay, I was definitely feeling the climbs a bit, but still feeling strong.

Beaver Bay to Silver Bay
I teamed up with 3 other runners at this point and we started to work our way through a series of climbs. Every time we crested a climb we were getting baked by the rocky plateaus. At this time, I noticed by brother's running buddy, Brad Birkholz noticeably suffering and cramping up big time. He'd eventually DNF at Tettegouche later. Still feeling pretty strong and well-hydrated, I was optimistic about finishing the race.

Silver Bay to Tettegouche
Mmmm...what can I say, but more and more climbing, along with cooking in the sun on the rock faces. At this point I was starting to realize that you really have to make the most of the runnable sections due to the extremely technical nature of the course. I lost contact with my other 3 runners, and did some soloing. Still feeling pretty strong through this section, but the relentless climbs are starting to take their toll.

Tettegouche to County Road 6
Now this section was tough. I recall a few climbs that really stopped me in my tracks at the top. Still running solo, I plugged on as darkness started to set in. Still under 30-hour pace, I knew I had plenty of time to play with, so no need to kill myself......yet. On the final big descent before winding through the woods to County Road 6, I took a few minutes to sit down on a soft, pin-needle covered ledge and change out my sweat-soaked shirt and put on my headlamps. As tricky as some of those descents were, I wanted to be able to see every rock and root.

County Road 6 to Finland
Darkness sets in, literally and figuratively speaking. After about an hour of picking my way through this extremely techinical section (hell, what section wasn't extremely technical?) I hit the first wall. My ankles, knees, and back were just trashed and I was having difficulty maintaining my balance getting over the rocks and roots. In addition, my legs were gassed and I was reduced to a slow grind. In an effort to recover, I cranked up the calorie intake.....no dice. Next I took an extra S-cap.....still not better. On came the negative thoughts. I thought my race was over at 50 miles. Only half way? Jesus, this is lame. How can my run be over already? Blah, blah, blah.... Anyway, I snapped out of it, told myself to get myself together and get to Finland. You're too far ahead of the cutoffs to be thinking of DNFing now. Just get there and sit down for a while. At this point, I really hadn't given myself a break the whole race. Who knows, maybe I just need a little rest?

Finland to Sonju Lake Road
Whew, I made it! Almost staggering into the Finland aid station, a volunteer asked what I needed. "A chair and a blanket!" I immediately replied. They sat me down in front of the campfire with a nice wool blanket where I warmed up and ate some chicken noodle soup. I looked at my timetable - right at 30-hour pace. I've got tons of time. All I have to do is just keep walking and trying to recover. I can do that! I dried off my shirts and doubled them up before heading out. It was cool and very damp that evening and I wasn't generating a lot of heat just walking. I took about 15 minutes or so to gather myself and fuel up. Once I stood up, I noticed my knees, ankles, and back felt like they were all good again. Woot! Off I slowly started, and then got back into a gentle pace again. Race on!

Sonju Lake Road to Crosby Manitou
This section was a bit root-filled in sections, but otherwise pretty runnable and fast. I made good time and was still feeling pretty strong. Mentally, I was getting myself prepared for Crosby Manitou, as I had heard it was pretty tough and also very long at 9.4 miles. I arrived in good shape, took in some food and quickly headed out to face the brutal climbs of the next section.

Crosby Manitou to Sugarloaf

Off I took, motivated to tackle this section and see what all the hoo-hah was about it. Early on, it was pretty easy and the trail wound down to a bridge crossing the Manitou River. Once you cross that, it's nothing but climbing switchback after switchback after switchback up the face of a small mountain. Up to this point, I could hear Pierre Ostor and another runner a little ways back. I began my ascent with determination. Up I scampered each switchback, thinking it would be the last one. After what seemed about an hour of constant climbing, I finally crested the peak. Ouch! That one hurt. I was tired, but still had some legs. I took some time to walk briskly and recover, while taking in some views as the sun had now risen. I descended down to the river again and crossed a small bridge, only to be welcomed by....another huge climb! Duh-oh! This is gonna hurt. And hurt it did. After finally getting up the other side, my legs finally blew up for good. Pierre and the other guy had now caught up. We stuck together for a while and caught a gal who was working with her pacer. Pierre had commented that he had nothing left for the climbs, but was doing okay on the flats. All three of them pushed on, as I quickly faded. The last half of the leg was actually flat and fast, which helped minimize my losses. However, I was kicking myself for being so foolish and wasting so much energy on the climbs. I'll know better next year.

Sugarloaf to Cramer Road
Otherwise known to me as "deathmarch". Dragging my sorry ass into Sugarloaf, I sat down in a chair and ate some food. I was still in under the cutoff, but making the next one was going to be close, considering my legs were completely gone. The 50-mile leaders came through as I was resting. Duke Rembleski was in third and his wife, Eve was waiting for him. "Bring my iPod to the next aid station", Duke instructed Eve. "I plan on being alone. The race is on!" Duke made good on that, too, eventually winning the 50-miler. Me, I stood up with hopes my 15-minute break would work just like it did at Finland. Not this time. Ugh. Off I marched and marched towards Cramer Road. A lot of 50-milers ran by and offered encouragement as I plodded along. A brief rain shower came along a couple of miles from the aid station, making a rocky descent rather dicey with my destroyed legs. After getting rather damp and cold, I pulled out my 99-cent yellow parka and put it on. It warmed me up and I actually felt a little better and managed a little bit of a shuffle for a few hundred yards, but that was about it. After the rain had ceased, I wadded it up and carried it into the Cramer Road aid station, 15 minutes behind the cutoff time. Damn, game over. 77.2 miles and 29 hours after starting at Gooseberry Falls, my first Superior Sawtooth had come to an end.

Despite DNFing at 77 miles........again, I was really pleased with my effort. I had gone 4 aid stations and 27 miles further than I thought I could. Given the humid conditions, I had done an excellent job with my hydration and never struggled with nausea or cramping. In addition, my left foot and leg that had crippled me and ended my Kettle race at 77 miles didn't bother me at all. In fact, I was injury-free! When it came down to it, I feel my demise was three-fold.

First and foremost, I was not properly trained for this race. Sure I had 7 weeks of decent training, but the mileage and intensity just wasn't what it should have been. Second, I didn't know the course and how technical it was. When I had heard about the amount of climbing on this course, I had assumed it was up trails that were runnable/walkable, not literally climbing over rocks and up steps, etc. Oops, big mistake. Same goes for how extensive the technical sections were. It's not a course you can easily make up for lost time on. Third, I feel I went out too fast. My clue was wondering for hours and hours "Where is Zach?" Zach Pierce is one of the smartest runners I know and has a great head for pacing himself. Not seeing him until I was dead in the woods en route to Finland, I knew I had made a mistake.

I learned a lot about myself on the SHT and how far I can really push beyond what I think I can do. The Superior Sawtooth has definitely redefined for me what is truly "tough". Running any other trail now will seem like "a walk in the park". Having experienced this race had made me a better runner and has motivated me to return next year and claim that coveted red finisher's jacket. Oh yes, I WILL have that jacket next year. I WILL.

Last Minute Post - Thanks and Dedication

2009-09-10T06:33:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post before I head out later this morning for Duluth to tackle the formidable Superior Sawtooth 100 tomorrow. First off, a note of thanks to those who've been so supportive of my ultrarunning and getting me to this point.

Thanks to my father, who has been there for me since I started running way back in junior high. His role has changed from coach to cheerleader, but his support is still extremely valuable. Thanks Dad.

Thanks to my wife of 16 years (as of tomorrow!) who puts up with my crazy training and running schedules, as well as my constant desire for more gear. Happy anniversary and I love ya, babe!

Thanks to my buddy, Mitch, who inspires me to push myself and always has something motivating to say to me before each race. Mitch, you da man!

Lastly, thanks to my bro, Kevin, who has been one of my best friends throughout my life and someone whom I greatly admire, both on and off the racecourse. Kev, you're the best!

Before I sign off, I want to make a race dedication. Yeah, I know it sounds cheesey, but there's someone out there who also has been and inspiration and of whom I've been thinking about in particular when it comes to this race. His name is Phil Robertson, an ultrarunner from Otley, West Yorkshire (England) whose blog I regularly follow (Check out "Head for the Hills" in my Good Reading on the Blogosphere). Phil has always wanted to run the Tour du Mont Blanc in France, which is a hugely popular ultra in Europe and hard to get into. Well, this year Phil got his chance. He trained hard for it, only to be derailed by a knee injury. Needless to say, he was crushed, and I felt his pain. For me, running Superior Sawtooth has been one of my "dream" races since I started running ultras. Last year it didn't happen due to lack of funds, and almost didn't happen again for the same reason. Right now, I feel so fortunate to be healthy and getting to run a race I've always wanted to. So, this race is for you, Phil. I hope your recovery is going well and you get back on the trails soon so that you can experience one of your "Races and Runs I'd Like to Do Someday".

With that, it's time to sign out, shower, have a nice breakfast with my family, and head north to Duluth. See ya on the trails!

Ooh La La Sportiva!

2009-09-05T19:18:00.003-05:00

Well, a couple of months ago, my Rucky Chuckys really bit the dust. The soles were in okay shape, but the uppers were a mess. The sides on both shoes, right where the foot flexes, were blown out. Can't say I'm too impressed with The North Face's material quality selection. Nonetheless, the shoes served their purpose and had great toe box room.

On my quest to replace them, I was looking for something more minimal and basic. I've been eyeing the La Sportiva Crosslites for quite some time. In fact, I had intended on buying them when I bought the Rucky Chuckys, but couldn't find them. Well, when I ventured to my local REI in July, I spotted them and had to give them a try. Man, they were pure heaven! It almost felt like I didn't have any shoes on at all. They are extremely light, weighing only 12.35 oz. for an average size pair. The Crosslites are also super flexible, allowing your feet to really do their job in climbing, descending, and navigating tricky single track trails. They fit like a glove, without being constricting at all. It's a fit that words truly fail to accurately describe. They certainly do not fit like shoes, but perhaps like slippers. You'll have to try them to understand what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I absolutely love these shoes and they've made a huge difference in my trail running experience. I now have a more "intimate" feel for the trail, my climbing and descending has dramatically improved, and the soreness I used to get in my feet from long runs has disappeared (probably because I'm not fighting the typical "rigid" soles one finds on most running shoes). I wore them during the 29 mile run with Zach, Carl and Matt at Afton and had no issues with them whatsoever. I'll be sporting these bad boys at the Superior Sawtooth 100 in a week and can't wait to see how well they perform on a technical and hilly, dare I say mountainous course like the SHT! They sell for $90 a pair and come in European half sizes, so you're guaranteed to have a perfect fit. Even guys like me with big feet(size 12) can get them in half sizes past 12! How cool is that?

See y'all on the trails!

Focused

2009-08-26T21:00:00.002-05:00

Yep, I'm super focused right now, getting ready for the biggest challenge in my ultrarunning career - Superior Sawtooth 100. That's why I haven't posted anything here the past month or so. I've been training hard and making sure I stay healthy.

It wasn't until a couple of weeks before the end of July that my Dad surprised me during a phone conversation by telling me he was going to pay my entry fee for Sawtooth as a birthday present and to give me something to look forward to after all of the struggling I've been through the past year. You see, the past year my wife has been out for months at a time with a back injury, gall bladder removal, and another surgery for abdominal pain due to scar tissue from an ectopic pregnancy. As a result, things have been extremely tight financially, and we're both exhausted and frustrated with her chronic illnesses. In addition, she lost her job. Fortunately, we've survived and adapted. Now it's time to overcome. She's got a good job lead right now and hopefully that will pan out and we can get back to "normal".

Back to training - That's been going extremely well, especially since my thyroid is now back to normal. I have hypothyroidism and this past winter it really got bad. I used to be on 25 mcg/day. After my checkup in February, they bumped it up to 50. In June it got another bump to 75 and a month ago it went up to 88 mcg!! That's a huge increase, but I can definitely feel the difference. My muscle stiffness and chronic cramping has disappeared. I'm sleeping better and having consistently good runs. My foot and leg problems from Kettle seem to be a thing of the past, although I did notice some tightness and soreness during and after the overnight training run with Matt Patten, Zach Pierce, and Carl Gammon. Nonetheless, the discomfort went away within 48 hours and hasn't returned. Overall, I'm very pleased with the way things are going. My climbing and descending has drastically improved and I've turned up the training speed a big notch. So, I'm ready and rarin' to go for that 100+ miles on the SHT next month! I'm really looking forward to finally experiencing the SHT and getting to spend some time with my brother and other ultra running friends. Should be one heck of a hootenanny!! See ya on the trails!!!

Training This Week: July 6 - 12

2009-07-08T20:12:00.005-05:00

Monday: 15 min. warm-up, 16 ski hill repeats (southern-most hill at Hyland)in 90 min., 15 min. cool-down. Worked on climbing technique and felt very strong.

Tuesday: 10 min. warm-up, 40 min. at medium pace, working the small hills at Terrace Oaks, 10 min. cool-down. Recovery day.

Wednesday: 10 min. warm-up, 90 min. tempo run at Lebanon Hills, 10 min. cool-down. Really hammered the last couple of miles.

Saturday: 10 min. warm-up, Afton 25k loop tempo run in 2:31 (a PR!), and 3-mile cool-down (including a nice soak in the stream under the bridge - refreshing!). Lots of post-run stretching. I really did well on the hills with my new climbing technique and also worked on my downhill descending. I felt very strong, smooth, and focused. I came through the 25k mark with plenty of gas in the tank. Fantastic day!

Sunday: 3 miles easy with the dog. 90 minute bike ride on roads and trails. Now my quads are nice and sore.

42 miles total

Recent Training - Turning Lemons into Lemonade

2009-07-08T19:57:00.003-05:00

As you readers know, my wife got laid off a few weeks ago. We've been dealing with it in a positive way thus far. As a result, we also made some lifestyle changes and cut our son's daycare back to part-time. Consequently, I only have to take and pick him up 2 times a week now, which gives me a lot more time to train - something I've been taking advantage of.

So far, my training since Kettle has been phenomenal. I feel renewed and highly motivated to redeem myself from DNF'ing. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been this focused and determined. I've changed my approach from longer slow runs and more frequent "off" days to regular medium-distance and faster-paced ones. In addition, I'm making a much more concerted effort to warm up, cool down, and stretch, since I've had chronic problems with tightness and aches, particularly in my calves and feet. Another part of my training focus is on hill climbing and technique. Gotta say, since I changed my approach, I've been feeling strong, fast, and confident, and have thoroughly been enjoying running once again.

I'm still not sure whether or not I'll get to race again this season, due to financial reasons. Nonetheless, I'm going to keep training as though I will. Who knows, maybe I'll have to just sign up for Superior Sawtooth and charge the damn thing. I really, really, really, want to run that race.

On a final note, congrats to all of the Afton finishers. I missed out this year due to out-of-town family obligations for the holiday weekend. I'll be there next year for sure. I"m sure John put on another whiz-banger of a race with some kick-ass shirts. Also, well wishes go out to those participating in this upcoming weekend beta run at the SHT. Have an awesome time, y'all!!

Season in Jeopardy

2009-06-24T20:59:00.004-05:00

Well, just when things seem to be coming together, life came along and kicked me in the nuts. As many of you may know, I had been struggling with foot problems since Zumbro. I managed to get through that, but was waysided by another foot/ankle problem that cropped up at Kettle. I spent the next 10 days after that focusing on healing and getting healthy, which I've accomplished. I've been having awesome runs lately and feeling super-motivated for Superior Sawtooth.

The other part of the story regards my wife. She's been chronically ill since last October. In December she had her gall bladder removed and this past May she had another surgery. During most of this time she's been on short term disability, which has been a huge financial burden for us. Well, the past month or so she's finally made significant progress in her recovery and today was her first day back to work in months. Unfortunately, the day ended prematurely as she was told this afternoon by her supervisor that she was being laid off.

So, back we go to being extremely broke and consequently, my season is in jeopardy for financial reasons. I had plans to attend the beta run with Julie Berg and folks in a few weeks, but will now have to cancel that. Hopefully, my wife will get lucky and find something soon. On the plus side, her employer did give her 2 weeks notice and a small severance package. So, she'll have a couple weeks of full pay coming plus another lump sum (half of which will be taken by taxes - BOOOO!!!)

In the meantime, I'll keep training, because after all, training is free and it's been going really well as of late. Anyway, looks like another one of life's challenges I'll have to face and get through. I hope everyone else is having a great summer and enjoying good health. See ya on the trails!!

Kettle 100 Race Report - School is in Session

2009-06-11T12:05:00.004-05:00

Ultramarathoning is a constant learning experience. In April I learned a lesson about poor hydration and nutrition, as well as how to be patient, recover, and finish a 10-mile race. Kettle 100 would provide me with a few more lessons - most of them good.

Before I get to the lessons, let me give you a quick summary of how the race went. Race day temps were nearly ideal, at about 55 degrees with overcast skies. I started out very conservatively as planned, truly enjoying running for the first time in nearly a month.

"The Saga"
As the course wound its way through the rolling hills of the inagural 5 miles, the runners spread out and settled into their paces. We continued on in the cool morning air along winding trails and up and down small hills. Along the way to the Emma Carlin aid station I met a couple of runners - Barb Klinner from Wausau, WI and Judy Carluccio from Issaquah, WA. Barb told me about how her daughter recently graduated college and got a nice gig at Target Corporate HQ in Minneapolis. In sharing info about our families, we discovered that both of us had adopted a son from South Korea. I was able to meet Barb's son, Zach at one of the aid stations. We exchanged stories about our trips to Seoul and our experiences in the adoption process. Barb and I ended up running and chatting off and on through 50 some miles. Judy and I talked it up a bit and mostly exchanged running stories. We ended up running buddies off and on early in the race, and then from miles 64 through 70.

Arriving at Emma Carlin, things were going well early. I was way ahead of schedule and my foot wasn't bothering me much. A frantic runner had lost his stash of S-caps and asked if anyone had some to spare. Remembering how my friend Molly had saved my last race by giving me a couple when I was in trouble, I returned the karma and gave the guy a couple of mine with a smile. He was extremely appreciative and thanked me a few times later during the race. I never caught his name, but I hope he finished. After Emma Carlin is the long stretches of flat prairie, which are fast and runnable. Along this section I had to make a conscious effort to hold back a bit. No point in burning yourself out early. Better to save some energy for the little hills.

I reached the Scuppernong 50K turnaround in 6:26, nearly an hour ahead of 24-hour pace. NICE! However, I didn't want to think about breaking 24 hours right now. Way too early to push hard. The second time through the marsh is typically a tough mental section for most runners. It's not overly interesting and you can see quite a distance, so many runners' paces slow until they hit the woods again. For me, it was the opposite. I was feeling strong and set out on a steady but easy pace. One by one I started to pick off runners. Along the way, I caught up to Steve Quick, who was muddied and bloodied, as usual. I pushed on, maintaining my 1 hour cushion on 24-hour pace. At this point, my foot didn't bother me anymore. What a relief!

I continued on at a steady and strong pace, making sure to hold back and not run too hard. Arriving at Margaritaville aid station, we were greeted with music. One of the workers asked if anyone could name the group playing, to which I quickly and correctly blurted out "Genesis!" Surprised, the worker asked if I could name the album, which I miserably guessed "Trick of the Tail", which I knew was too early of an album for this song. The correct answer was "Seconds Out" (1977), which actually was released the year after "Trick of the Tail" (1976). Not too shabby of a guess... Anyway, I was still feeling great. My hydration was spot on and my appetite was excellent. This was turning out into a great day!

On I set off again with a strong pace towards the 100K turnaround. Things were going well until about 5 miles from Nordic. At that time I noticed a burning and ache at the ankle joint to the left of my shin on my left foot. Hmmm....nothing to worry about, right? Just some soreness from running 50+ miles. As I continued on the burning and pain increased. It was then I recalled tweaking that very same spot during a primal workout 3 weeks ago. Still, I wasn't too concerned since it had never bothered me before and I could tolerate the pain and continue running.

I reached the 100K mark at 14:09. Obviously I had slowed a bit on the way back from Scuppernong. But that was to be expected. Nontheless, I was still almost an hour ahead of 24-hour pace. Woot! Grabbing a bite to eat, some gear from my van, and dislodging a small pebble from my shoe, I was off to tackle the next out-and-back loop. Only 38 miles to go and all was well...........sort of.

Along the rolling 5 miles out of Nordic I cuaght up with Judy Carluccio again and we paced each other. However, both of us started to notice some foot problems. For me, my left foot and ankle was getting worse. I was hoping that it would eventually go numb or loosen itself up, but to no avail. Judy was battling a developing blister. We both slowed our pace but plugged on. As we forged on, we progressively slowed as our pains became increasingly debilitating. For me, my left ankle was not only hurting badly, but it was becoming increasingly stiff and immobile. I could no longer bend my foot up or down nor rotate it. Ugh...

Pierre Ostor caught up with me at 68 miles and asked how it was going. "Bad" I replied. After explaining my problem, he suggested taking it easy for a while to see how it goes. Unfortunately, I had been taking it easy and it wasn't getting any better. At this point, I was getting a bit disheartened. Such a great day was being thwarted by an unexpected injury. I decided to continue on nonetheless. At mile 70, Judy decided it was time to tend to the nagging blister. I fueled up and went ahead, knowing that she'd easily catch up to my declining pace. At this point I was really struggling to even walk fast. Over the next two miles my pace would be reduced to a hobble.

At mile 73 at an unmanned aid station I came across a runner in serious distress. He was lying on the road shoulder and moaning. I asked if he was okay or needed help. He groaned that he was extremely nauseous. I offered him an S-cap which he gratefully took. After reassuring me he'd be alright, I continued on into the dark woods. Soon I was limping and stumbling over rocks and roots. My left foot was useless now and my right leg was quickly fatiguing from carrying all of my weight. It was at this point that I contemplated DNF'ing. Still, I kept moving and trying to convince myself to try and finish. In the end, I decided to take my buddy Mitch's advice and Do Nothing Fatal at Highway 12. This pain and burning was intensifying each hour and I feared a long-term injury. Not only that, I knew the 4.4 miles to the turnaround from Highway 12 were steep, rocky, and technical - a certain recipe for disaster for a wounded soldier. So, my promising race ended at 77 miles. Bummer.........

"Lessons Learned"
All was not a loss, not by any means. In fact, I had learned a great deal from this experience and most of it was very positive.

First, I got my hydration nailed down. This time I swiched from only electrolyte drink to 1 S-cap per hour, supplemented with electrolyte drink. I was also conscious to take in some salt at most of the aid stations. In addition, I changed up my nutrition from mostly gel-based to primarily food-based. This race I purposely packed only enough gel to give me 100 calories an hour. The rest of my calories would have to be gotten from eating. It worked like a champ. Between my hydration and nutrition, I felt good almost the entire day and had an excellent appetite, in contrast to my experience at Zumbro. Second, I learned how to be better organized at my drops. I had a good plan and knew exactly what to grab each time, minimizing my stops. Third, I learned how to maintain a steady pace on my own and not push too hard too early. I caught myself running too fast a couple of times and quickly corrected my pace. Lastly, I learned that DNF'ing due to injury is a smart, yet painful decision. I absolutely hate the fact that I DNF'd for the first time ever at any distance in my career. Yet, I know that I'm still feeling the pain from the injury today that I made the right choice and will live to fight another day. I know I can finish 100 and had nothing to prove that day.

So, what will I change going forward? First off, I might opt for a 2-bottle hip pack setup in lieu of the hydration pack. However, at a race like Sawtooth where the aid stations can be as far as 10 miles apart, I may have to stick with my Nathan for now and get a 2-bottle pack later. Secondly, I definitely need to be more consistent with my training and put in a lot more hills. I think my lack of training and hillwork the past month really weakened me and probably was my undoing. Gotta strengthen up those muscles and tendons!!

Overall, Kettle was a great experience. I learned a lot about myself and ultras, as well as met some very cool runners. In addition, it was the first time I really got to know Matt Patten, who turns out to be a helluva guy!! Not only that, but Matt knocked out a race of a lifetime, running a 19:35 and redeeming his DNF from last year. Awesome!! Congrats go out to Steve Quick who once again crossed the finish line, battle scars and all, and Pierre Ostor, who finally got his copper kettle. Well done, lads! Lastly, congrats to brother Kevin, who beat his goal time of 20 hours by posting a 19:49, good enough for 2nd place in the Masters division. Also, a final congrats to FANS runners Carl Gammon and Julie Berg who weathered the......umm...the weather and put in solid 24-hour efforts.

See ya on the trails! (Hopefully in a week or so)

It's Been A While.............

2009-05-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

Whoa, it's been a while since I've blogged. The past few weeks have been very trying. A couple of weeks ago my company laid off 10% of its employees. Fortunately, I survived. Unfortunately, my workload has tripled, nay quadrupled and is feeling a bit overwhelming at them moment. In addition, my wife's health continues to show little if any improvement. Consequently, she's still on short-term disability and for those of you who've been on that, you know how much it affects your finances. Basically, it's like collecting unemployment or about 60% of your paycheck. So, we've been under considerable financial strain for the past couple of months and the doctors have been dragging their feet on filing paperwork so she can get her benefits, as well as actually finding out what is wrong with her. Oh, and to top all of that off, I've been battling a nagging foot injury that just won't go away. I went to see a podiatrist today and she taped up my foot and asked that I run with it that way to see if it would relieve any of the pain I experience during my post-run. Well, as I type and have yet to run on it, it actually hurts worse now. Before I went to see her it didn't bother me at all when I walked. Oy vey! Anyway, I'm going to keep it on overnight to see how it feels tomorrow. If it still hurts, I'm taking it off. She was also highly recommending getting orthotics because of my flat feet (can't say I'm too keen on that idea). So, life's been a real peach lately. On the positive side, I'm still staying strong on the Paleo diet and have completed 12 weeks!! Woot! So, that's where I'm at right now in life. I'm trying to stay positive and keep plugging away. I've got the Kettle 100 looming up in 3 weeks and I'm a bit concerned about finishing it now because my training has been suffering due to the excessive amount of time I've had to put towards taking care of my wife and son by doing almost everything. I feel like I'm a single parent of 2 kids!!

Anyway, enough rambling(bitching) about my life. Here's some kick-ass reading about cholesterol that will get you thinking (or mad, in my case - I hate being lied to).

The Great Cholesterol Myth

Also, a big congrats to all of the Superior 50K finishers out there! I've been reading it was a chilly one, but beautiful nonetheless!!! Take care, y'all!

Running From the Devil - Reader Review

2009-05-07T12:17:00.009-05:00

Synopsis

Emma Caldridge, a chemist for a cosmetics company, is en route from Miami to Bogotá when her plane is hijacked and spins out of control into the mountains near the Venezuelan border. Thrown unhurt from the wreckage, she can do nothing but watch as guerillas take the others hostage.

An endurance marathon runner, Emma silently trails the guerillas and their captives, using her athletic prowess and scientific knowledge to stay alive. Those skills become essential when she discovers an injured passenger, secret government agent Cameron Sumner, separated from the group. Together they follow the hostages, staying one step ahead by staying one step behind.

Meanwhile, as news of the hijacking breaks in Washington, the Department of Defense turns to Edward Banner, former military and current CEO of a security consulting firm, for help. Banner quickly sends a special task force to the crash site, intent on locating the survivors before it’s too late.

But finding Emma and Sumner is only the beginning, as Banner starts to realize that Emma was on a personal mission when the plane went down. There is more to the beautiful, talented biochemist than anyone ever imagined, for in her possession is a volatile biological weapon in an ingenious disguise, that her enemies have set for auction to the highest bidder.

Review

Recently I was approached by a publisher to read and review "Running From the Devil", a debut novel by author and runner, Jamie Freveletti. The novel's main character is Emma Caldridge, an ultrarunner and chemist, hence the "connection" between my blog and the book. I obliged the publisher and received an advanced reader's edition. Sweet!

Both my wife and I read the book straight through after receiving it. My wife, Joy, really enjoyed it a lot and commented that Freveletti's style is a mix of award-winning authors Suzanne Brockmann and David Morrell. Joy remarked that the plot was so engaging that she couldn't put the book down, and that's coming from someone who's read a TON of suspense novels. I myself, felt exactly the same way. Usually it takes me weeks to finish a book. I finished "Running From the Devil" in less than a week.

Overall, the book is not very lengthy (just over 300 pages) and reads very much like an action movie. In other words, the pace never slacks and Freveletti doesn't waste time with excessive description or details - a writing style I can truly appreciate and one very much like Steven Pressfield, one of my favorite writers. The heroine, Emma, is a veritable MacGyver when it comes to chemistry and her skill comes in handy on numerous occasions throughout the action. Freveletti gives a glimpse about what makes Emma tick, but I was left wanting a bit more. Perhaps that will come in a sequel, which definitely is left open for possibility by the story's ending. I think my biggest and only critique of "Running From the Devil" was that it was perhaps a bit too short and a little thin on character development. In particular, I felt there were opportunities to further develop the relationship between Emma and Sumner, a man whom she meets and seems to have feelings for.

In the end, "Running From the Devil" is a great freshman effort. I am definitely looking forward to a sequel and learning more about Emma Caldridge and her chemistry talents. Hopefully Frevletti's initial effort garners enough attention to warrant a continuation. If you enjoy novels in the suspense/spy/thriller genre, give this title a read. I think you'll enjoy it.

Diets are Like Religions - Parallels Between Jesus and Carbs

2009-04-26T09:56:00.004-05:00

My good friend, Mitch, made a comment regarding my last post that really struck a chord with me. "Diets are like religion." I must say, Mitch couldn't have been more truthful when he posted that.

Diets indeed mirror the differences between the likes of Christianity and Judaism. I am quite sure that all religions preach and believe in being kind and thoughtful, refraining from harming others, and being a good person in general. That is the foundation upon which these faiths are built upon, and their differences beyond that extend into more personal beliefs and ideas. For example, the differences in belief regarding Jesus between the Christians and Jews. Whereas Christians believe Jesus to be the divine son of God and man's eternal saviour, the Jews view him simply as - a man.

Paralleling this in a matter of sorts, is the tenants of existing diets. My respected friend, Mitch, commented that my posts "trashed" the teachings of those proponents of high-carb/low-fat diets, such as cycling guru and trainer, Chris Carmichael. While that is not my intent, I can understand why that might be perceived as so. There is no doubt that many athletes have been successful on this kind of diet. In addition, I am quite certain that the high-carb/low-fat diet, like the Paleo diet for athletes, strongly encourages followers to eat high-quality, lean meats, as well as a substantial quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables. Where the two diverge in opinion, like the opinions Christians and Jews have about Jesus, is about the amount of carbohydrate consumption. Again, I am certain Mr. Carmichael would not advocate the consumption of simple sugars and processed starches, but rather whole grains. I will not go further into the Paleo diet for athletes beliefs regarding the consumption of carbs, suffice it to say that it does believe they are necessary, but primarily from different sources and certain amounts at specific times of training.

That being said, I encourage all of you readers to follow your own "diet faith", whatever that may be. We all need to eat whatever makes us feel and perform best. I would like to you all though to read and research more about diet and nutrition and learn as much as you can. Over the course of the past 9 weeks on the Paleo diet for athletes, I have done just that and come across many eye-opening pieces of information that have shattered what I had to believed to be "the truth" for the past 40+ years (read as: "cholesterol myths", which I will post about in the near future). It has also been an great education for me in understanding how food is processed in our bodies and is utilized for energy. On a very personal level, this journey on "religious diet" self-discovery has gotten me to eat in a far more nutritionally sound way than ever before, and I am reaping the rewards for it.

Ah, the Irony of Low-Fat Diets

2009-04-23T20:50:00.008-05:00

Yes, it is quite ironic how nutritionists for years have been telling us to stay away from fat and eat more carbs. "That fat will clog your arteries, then your heart, and BAM, you'll drop dead in your tracks." The low-fat diet is the way to go........or is it? When we lose weight by eating a "low-fat" diet, is it really a "low-fat" diet? Where does the fat go that we lost when eating a "low-fat" diet? (Here's where the irony hits.) We use our body fat as fuel then to lose the weight, right? Hence, it really isn't a "low-fat" diet after all, is it? In fact, one could easily surmise that about half of the calories burned in the so-called "low-fat" diet come from fat - our own body fat at that, whose composition is similar to.......LARD!

What I've just done here is paraphrase a brilliant, funny, biting, yet insightful essay posted by Tom Naughton, producer of a very eyebrow-raising film titled "Fat Head-Can Your Own Bologna Kill You?"

Can Your Own Bologna Kill You?

It's definitely a great read and may get you thinking differently about eating fat. Enjoy!

Thanks to Richard at the blog "Free the Animal" (see my "Good Reading on the Blogosphere") for posting the link.

Reflections

2009-04-22T19:28:00.001-05:00

So, what have I learned this year from my training, diet, and experience at my first 100-miler at Zumbro? What worked? What surprised me? What failed miserably?

What Has Worked
-Longer runs and reduced frequency: At this point last year, I put in a few more miles than I have thus far. The big difference has been in the frequency and length of my runs. Last year I was averaging 4 runs or more a week, while this year I’ve been running 3 or less, often substituting some “primal” workouts for a run. In addition, my average run last year through April was around 9 miles, while this year it’s 12+ miles. In fact, I have only run less than 10 miles once or twice in the past two months. Bottom line, longer runs with more frequent rest results in better strength and stamina for ultras. Recovery is too often overlooked.
-Slower starts: I purposely started out slow at Zumbro so as to avoid burning out early. I tried this at last year’s Ice Age 50 and it worked rather well. The Zumbro 100 confirmed this as I had plenty of gas in the tank by mid-race. Some may argue this by saying that you might as well go fast as long as you feel good, because no matter what, by the end of the race you are going to slow down. While that is technically true, I feel that it has been better to have your pace slow down from 15 to 18 minute miles, rather than 10 to 20. The problem with scenario 2 is that while you get a big lead early, your chances of blowing up and having significant trouble greatly increases. This happened to me twice last year at Trail Mix and Afton. In hindsight, I would have better off going out slower and then ramping my efforts a bit later.

What Has Surprised Me
-The effectiveness of the Paleo Diet: Yeah, I know. Many of you are perhaps tired of me raving about it and/or are skeptical. Nonetheless, I have to honestly say that from my experience, it has made a huge difference in my performance thus far. My strength and stamina on long runs now seems infinite in comparison to last year. Recovery has also been dramatically improved. Case in point, during the Zumbro 100, I did not suffer any significant leg fatigue and nor did I have any significant soreness during the post-race recovery. Hell, last year after the Ice Age 50 I was walking around like an old geezer because my quads were killing me. After the Zumbro 100, except for my feet, I could hardly tell that I had run that far. Another bonus of the diet has been my increased energy level and reduced body fat. Late last summer when I had been putting in my most consistent training and eating “healthy”, my weight had dropped down to 165 pounds. However, rather than feeling fit, energetic, and strong, I felt tired, weak, and listless. In contrast, this year I am down to 161 pounds and feel stronger and more energetic than ever. Plus, I’m looking nice and lean with great muscle tone and definition, with my middle-aged gut gone! I’ve never been able to get rid of that before. I don’t know what it is about the diet, but it is working wonders for me and I plan to keep it as a permanent part of my life and training.

What Failed Miserably
-Alright, I have to admit that my crazy idea of consuming more fat during an ultra by using coconut milk turned out to be a bust. The idea was that your body uses almost 50% fat as its energy source during events like ultras. Doing some research I found that the fat in coconut milk is unique in that the body can use it immediately after digestion as an energy source. So, I mixed some with Hammer Gel and tested it out. It seemed to work great and sat well with my stomach. However, that test was only over 20 miles. Consuming that over the course of 40+ miles was a whole different story and resulted in some stomach distress and an electrolyte imbalance. Oh well, I survived it and know better now. Just stick to the gel and eat some solid food along the way. Although, I might try another experiment at Ice Age 50………..

So, in sum, it’s been quite the learning experience thus far this year, and a rather positive one at that. I truly believe I am better prepared to run my next 100-miler at the Kettle 100 and my confidence in being able to finish Superior Sawtooth 100 is high. Most importantly, I took a risk in trying to finish 100 early in the year so that I could qualify for Arrowhead, and it paid off.

Correction on the Zumbro Report

2009-04-17T10:30:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my buddy Zach, I made a correction to what happened during loops 2 and 3. He reminded me of how and when we all split off, which was a part of the race I was struggling to remember. Therefore, I've made the appropriate corrections so that the report more accurately reflects what happened that wonderful day and a half. And NOW that's my story and I'm sticking to it.......

Zumbro 100 Mile = SUCCESS!!!

2009-04-14T20:12:00.018-05:00

Yes indeedy, I finished my first attempt at 100 miles at the Zumbro 100. And what a day an a half it was. As I type this, my feet are still sore and bit swollen. However, they are a reminder to me of how planning, patience, and persistence all lead to success in ultramarathons, as well as in life. Here is my story.........

Planning

Getting ready for an ultramarathon is a lot of planning, as those of you who've run one know. I spent many hours calculating how much gel, electrolyte, and what gear I'd need to bring. I even researched optimal nutrition for ultra events and devised a race day strategy for achieving that as well. Ah, the course of the obsessively compulsive! On top of that, I made a laminated timetable, the size of a luggage tag, that I could carry with me during the race so that I could easily check to see how close I was to the 34-hour cutoff, as well as several other finishing times.

Serious preparation began a couple of weeks earlier, when a group of us did a recon of the Zumbro Bottoms trails, and got a sample of the course, courtesy of RD Larry Pedersen. At this time, I thought it a good idea to try out a new gel mix I thought would help in ultra events. It consisted of diluted coconut milk and Hammer Gel. The idea was that we need fat as an energy source during long endurance events and the fat in coconut milk is one of the very few our bodies can use immediately as an energy source, unlike the majority of fat sources that must get stored in our body tissue first. The mix was tasty (coconut and espresso) and seemed to work very well. All I needed to do was add some protein and we were good to go.

Now for a raceday strategy I opted for my first 50-miler tactic, which was to go out easy, walk the hills, and run the rest. Basically, a typical and conservative ultra strategy. It had worked for me before and my goal was just to finish. With my planning complete, it was time to race my plan.

A Journey Begins

I woke up early at 4:30 am to get in a good breakfast before the race, consisting of 3 scrambled eggs, a banana, and some water. This would give my body 3 hours to fully digest the food and be ready for race fueling. I set off in the early morning darkness headed right into the sunrise. On the way I rapped and jammed along with one of my favorite Beastie Boys CD's all of the way to Red Wing. From there, I switched to the relaxing acoustic stylings of Nick Drake. Nothing like a little "Pink Moon" to soothe the soul.

At Zumbro Bottoms I was quickly greeted by my buddy, Mitch. He had camped out the night before and was getting a big breakfast ready. I picked up my race number and goodies bag from Larry and started gearing up for the race. It was a rather cold morning, but still very beautiful. An acquaintance of mine, Zach Pierce, was getting ready as well, so I went up and reintroduced myself to him. This was also Zach's first attempt at 100 miles as well. As it would turn out, Mitch, Zach, and I would team up and form an ultramarathon train throughout much of the race. After a brief introduction of the course and rules by Larry, we casually gathered near the start. Without much fanfare, the race was started and we were off on our journey.

The Early Race

Miles 1 - 20 went without much ado. Mitch, Zach and I all agreed to run a conservative pace and walk the hills, and we stuck to that strategy. The only thing we did not do quite right was miss one of the first turns on the 14.3 mile loop. OOPS!! Fortunately, we didn't get far before we realized there were no markers nor any footprints. No worries though. It was very early in the day and this wasn't going to make or break the day. Steadily we pushed through the first 20 miles, everyone in high spirits and feeling strong. We came through the first leg at about 24-hour pace, which isn't too bad for a couple of rookies. After a quick change of clothes for the pending afternoon warm-up, we were off for loop #2.

Loop 2 was pretty much a repeat of loop 1, minus the wrong turn. Mitch had grabbed his trekking poles and pulled Zach and I along with his powerful strides. We were an ultramarathon train, moving steadily and strongly. We were really enjoying the perfect weather and stunning sights that could be found along the trails atop the ridges. It was a blissful experience, running with friends on such a beautiful course in near-perfect weather. All of us were still strong on the steep and rocky climbs and descents. We finished loop 2 around 5:45 pm, putting us at just over 24-hour pace still. Wow! There I saw my brother, Kevin, who was going to pace me. We headed out on the 5.7 mile loop through the marshy grassland along the river and returned just a few minutes before 7:00 pm. That would be perfect timing as the pacers were not allowed to join us until that time. Things couldn't have been going any smoother.........(insert ominous music here)

Loop 3 was the end of the Zach-Mitch-Steve train as Zach took off on his own and Mitch hung back at the aid station to eat a big dinner before he set off solo. My brother, Kevin, who was my pacer set off with me to conquer the rest of the course. At this point, I was still feeling very strong, but my stomach was not liking my gel mix too much anymore. In fact, it also made me lose my taste for my electrolyte drink. As a result, I switched to regular gel and water for a while. This change would have an impact later in the day. Nonetheless, we continued to make excellent progress, as noted by the leaders not really increasing their lead over us, and others starting to fall back to us. By the end of the third circuit, darkness was setting in, so we donned headlamps and prepared for lap #4, which Mitch stated "is where the real work starts."

The start of loop 4 was a repeat of loops 1 through 3. Kev and I took off on the 5.7 mile loop feeling strong and fresh. We made great time through the darkness and even caught up to Steve Quick, who was in a bit of trouble in the woods, accompanied by pacer Londell Pease. But ah, how the tables would later turn......... We continued on making great pace. Back at the start/finish we joined up with Zach and pacer/mutual friend, Molly Cochran. We all headed out together into the darkness, maintaining the same race strategy. It was on this leg that I noticed my focus starting to fade and feeling a bit clumsy. Not good.

Patience
As we pulled into aid station #2, I noticed that I was really starting to feel a bit nauseous, as well as dizzy. I needed to regroup here and figure out what was wrong before I dug myself a hole I couldn't climb out of. I assessed the situation and determined that it was my electrolytes that were low, since I had only been drinking water for the past 5 or 6 hours. Molly was a savior and handed me 2 S-caps, which I quickly downed. I thanked her as she and Zach continued on. "We've got plenty of time, Steve." my brother reminded me. "You could sit here for 3 or 4 hours and we'd still have a lot of time to make the cutoff." Good advice, which I followed. For the next hour plus I sat in front of a fire, shivering beneath 2 blankets while wearing a jacket one of the aid station crew members lent me. It was during this time that Steve Quick had caught back up to me and continued on. Despite looking like hell himself, he was pushing on, determined to get that first 100 done himself. He told me after the race that when he saw me there, he didn't think I was going to finish and that he didn't want to say anything to me, because he knows how annoying and disheartening even acknowledging that you are in trouble can be. Thanks, Steve! Alright, the stomach was feeling better at that point, so I took in some water and boiled potatoes. Those really hit the spot and signaled that I was ready to continue on. I slammed down a quick cup of coffee to wake me up (It was 3 am or so at this point) and we headed off for aid station #3 at a brisk walk.

Persistence
As we power walked the first half of the leg between aid stations 2 and 3, I noticed all of my strength and focus had returned as though I had just started the race. I was back for good! As the sun started to rise, I broke out into a run and managed to catch up to and pass Mr. Quick before aid station #3. After a very brief stop there, we forged on to finish loop #4 in strong fashion. It was at this point I knew I was going to make it. We pushed on through the 5.7 mile loop before reloading and making gear changes for one last time. As we pulled into the start/finish area, Zach and Molly greeted us and took off to conquer the final loop. Zach was the man and looking strong! We headed out shortly after them. I was hoping to catch up and finish with them, but at this point, my feet suddenly blew up. It was as though they had been run over by a steam roller. I couldn't even bend my toes. I plugged away, running most of the way to aid station #2. There I did some foot maintenance to no avail. We continued on, walking fast. At this point I noticed walking wasn't making my feet feel any better, so I opted to run/shuffle as much as I could bear it. Irregardless, I was smiling from ear to ear because I knew I had this 100 in the bag. After reaching aid station #3, my brother and I enjoyed the last 3 miles of the race. He would run ahead with his camera and take some action shots of me climbing up hills and descending the now infamous Ant Hill. As I ran across the short field and into the finishing chute, I couldn't help but think how rewarding all of the training and planning had been. I was now part of the 100-miler club!!

So, that's my 100-mile story and I'm sticking to it!

Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light..........Go!!

2009-04-09T08:25:00.002-05:00

Yep, only one more day until I start my quest to get my first 100-miler under my belt. The Zumbro 100 will be a great test of my training and Paleo diet. In fact, tomorrow I will have been on the Paleo diet for 7 full weeks. Can't say I've regretted it one bit. I'm off of work today, so I'll have a lot of time to get my food and gear together, as well as relax. Tomorrow should be a great time as I'll get to see and run with some great folks like Mitch Rossman, Steve Quick, and Zach Pierce (although I have a feeling Mr. Quick will be starting off at a much quicker pace than me). My awesome bro will be my pacer and I can't wait to spend some quality time with him on the trails. Hopefully my race plan is going well and I'll still be feeling good and in good spirits. My running and orienteering buddy, Molly will pacing Zach, so I'm looking forward to seeing her out there as well. The weather looks perfect, with dry and sunny conditions forecasted. Daytime temps should be around 50 F and nighttime a cool 30 F. What more can you ask for!

Sister Sledge

2009-04-02T20:53:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the Sister Sledge of "We Are Family" fame. I'm talking about an intense primal workout by this sister swinging a sledge hammer. Looks like crazy fun!!

Overdue Post

2009-03-31T18:38:00.003-05:00

Whoa, it's been a while since I last posted. I get into these flurries of posts, and then nothing. Ah well, that's life.

Zumbro 100
My first 100-miler is just 10 days away and it couldn't be sooner. This past Sunday, my AHU mentor, Mitch, my running buddy, Molly, Julie Berg, Steve Quick, John Taylor, and 2 other trail runners, whose names I can't recall at the moment, all headed out to Zumbro Bottoms to recon the trails. Actually, Mitch, Steve and I are the only ones out of the group actually running the race next week, but others wanted to come out for a fun day of romping through the woods. A great time was had by all, and new acquaintances were made. Race director, Larry Pederson met us out at the race start and handed out maps with some loops marked off as part of the course. We managed to run most of them, but missed a few sections due to get lost a bit. Thank goodness the course will be marked! Recon of the course showed it to have some challenging and rocky ascents and descents. In addition, the trails have some spectacular blufftop views. Overall, the course is winding, and varied in elevation, groundcover, and type (singletrack and standard trails). It should make for an awesome experience.

Paleo Update
I'm on week #6 of the Paleo Diet so far and absolutely loving it. I've finally hit the state of ketosis (fat burning) because I have that telltale sweet and fruity taste in my mouth. As a result, I've trimmed down to a very lean 165 lbs. Last year I got down to that weight by late summer, but was weak and tired. Now I'm feeling strong and energetic, with my muscle tone noticeably improved. It will be very interesting to see how this affects my run at Zumbro next week. Thus far, my strength and stamina have been excellent on the Paleo Diet, so I'm very optimistic about everything.

Training
The past two weeks of training have been going well. I've had a couple of 20+ milers, with a 20-minute challenge each week. Lately, the challenge of choice has been the burpees with a pushup after the leg kickout. An interesting note when comparing this year's training to last year's is that I ran 12 more times at this point last year. However, I have almost the same total miles, with my average run being 12.3 miles, compared to 9.5 last year. I feel that last year I put in a lot of "empty" days of running 4-6 miles. This year I've been focusing on putting in runs of at least 10 miles, which I believe is really helping my stamina and endurance. In addition, this year I've also been doing the challenges, which are helping my core and upper body strength. Again, the Zumbro 100 will be a great gauge of how well my training really is going.

New "Rides"

2009-03-19T21:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it was time to get a new pair of shoes or "rides" since my current pair of Vasque Blurs have nearly 1000 miles on them. Plus, with the Zumbro 100 coming up in a few weeks, I didn't want to wait too long to break a new pair in. This year, I ended up switching brands. For some reason, Vasque changed their lasts which now have a funky and noticeable arch on the insole. Having flat feet, this is very bothersome. As a result, I tried out some Montrail Hardrocks and The North Face Rucky Chuckys. The Montrails were pretty nice, but had rather stiff forefoots. Otherwise, a pretty nice shoe with plenty of toe room (extremely important to me). However, the winner was Rucky Chuckys. They had it all - flexibility, comfortable footbed, good construction, and plenty of toe room for feet that will swell during ultras. Plus, you gotta love the funky green and yellow colors. Well, at least I do. I'll be putting them through the paces the next several days, with a long trail run planned for Sunday (weather and trail conditions permitting).

Overall, my training has been continuing to go well. I feel really strong and incorporated yet another 20-minute challenge to my workout routine. This week it was burpees or otherwise known as squat thrusts. Only difference with these is that you have to do a pushup after you kick your legs out. I completed a surprising 106 in the 20-minute time limit. I will tell you, they are extremely exhausting and will work your back and abs in addition to your arms and legs. I've also been continuing on they Paleo Diet for almost 4 weeks. So far, it's been easier to stay on than I thought and I've had no ill effects. In fact, I feel pretty darn good!! I haven't really lost nor gained any weight, but then again, I'm 6'1" and 170 pounds, so there's not a ton to be lost. However, I do feel like I look a little leaner than before, so perhaps I'm trading fat for muscle. Who knows? It's too early anyway to truly tell. The main thing is that I'm eating A LOT more veggies and protein, which I needed to be doing anyway.

Hope to see ya on the trails!!

20-Minute Squat Challenge: You Gotta Try This!

2009-03-11T21:16:00.002-05:00

I've suggested this before, and I have to urge you readers out there to try this challenge and see how much it kicks your ass!! My first trial last week I managed 386 full squats, using only my body weight. Today I focused hard and crushed my previous mark with 505 squats!!! Man, my knees are wobbly and my legs are just shakin', but I'm lovin' how pumped my legs, and hips are. It even works the back and abs. Total beast of a workout in only 20 minutes. This will definitely be a mainstay in my workout routine. Adam, better get to those squats and bump up that 592 you posted at the end of January. I'm coming for ya!! Muwahaha!!!

Training Update

2009-03-10T21:55:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to update my training the past 2 weeks. Overall, it's been going extremely well. I've also been on the Paleo Diet now for 18 days now and that's been great. I feel like I have more energy, stamina, and strength, and it's been showing on my runs. Here's a quick recap:

Wed, Feb. 25: 12 miles in 2:04:00. Night run on icy sidewalks. I felt pretty good most of the night, but started to fade at about 10 miles. No water or food on this one and my

Sun, Mar. 1: 16 miles in 2:42:00. My right calf/achilles/peronal was extremely tight and sore from getting thrashed a week earlier at The Murph on really icy and rugged trails for over 4 hours. Nonetheless, I maintained a decent pace, running from my house out to The Murph, doing a 2-mile loop there, and then returning home.

Tues, Mar. 3: Primal Challenge - 20 minutes of full squats. I did 386 on my first attempt. Not too bad for a newbie! My legs were just shaking at the end of this and were sore for about 3 days. This is a much more efficient way to strengthen your legs than hillwork. Of course, I'm not going to stop running hills, but this challenge really kicks some ass.

Thurs, Mar. 5: 10 miles at night. Finally, some decent conditions. I felt really smooth and strong. The right leg problem is long gone!

Sunday, Mar. 8: 10 laps at Lake Harriet. Wow, what can I say. I intended to just make this a slow and easy run, but I felt so strong! I got a "Keep it going!" from a runner who noticed I was out there for quite some time. I came through 20 miles at 3:12:00 with absolutely no effort at all. I started to cramp up in my calves and hammies around 22 miles due to dehydration (gotta get better with the Nathan hydration pack). Instead of digging myself in a hole, I walked for 15 minutes, rehydrated, refueled, and ran very strong the last 3 miles to a 4:21:00 marathon finish. I capped off the day with a nice 2 mile cooldown. Strangest thing was after the run I still had a ton of energy and absolutely no stiffness or soreness!! And that was run completely on paved paths!! Great way to finish the week.

Overall, I'm really pleased with my training lately. I've not run any distance less than 10 miles and my pace is starting to pick up, not that I'm concerned about running fast times this year. My goal is to finish 100 miles, so speed is not a top priority. Most importantly, my stamina and recovery seem better than ever. I can't explain it, but perhaps it's the training and possibly some of the new diet. Whatever it is, I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing because it's working!!

Treating Problems, Not Symptoms - A Rant About Our Nation's Health and Health Care Reform

2009-03-04T20:27:00.007-06:00

During my recent sojourn into healthier eating and my ultra training, I've become increasingly interested in health issues and research. I've come to find a lot of conflicting information and some pretty controversial opinions. It made me think "Why don't most researchers and doctors agree on what's good for you and what's not?" Perhaps there are agendas supporting these research studies? This thought, of course, makes me concerned that the medical field isn't always looking out for the best interests of society, but rather their pocketbooks. A rather frightening and sobering thought.

Recently, there's been a great deal of talk about the reforming the nation's health care system. A big focus has been on making health care affordable for all - something I completely agree with. Health care shouldn't be a privilege, it should be a right. But, what really concerns me is the lack of attention these plans have towards preventative health care. If people were healthier in general, there wouldn't be such a heavy demand and burden on the health care system. Every day we are bombarded with television ads for drugs to "cure" everything from depression, insomnia, ED, etc. There's a pill for everything!! Which leads me to my next question, "What can we do to prevent illness, rather than put a bandage on it with a pill?" Let me relate a personal story regarding this.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with acid reflux disease. My doctor promptly prescribed both sulcrafate (typically used to treat ulcers) and Prevacid. I took both of these pills daily for over two years and guess what, I still had acid reflux! Granted, my heartburn severity was less intense and less frequent, but the problem still persisted. Why? Probably because only the symptoms were being treated. What was the real problem? I started to research acid reflux and found the major contributors were: diet, eating and sleeping habits, and physiological malfunction. Focusing on what I could fix - diet and eating/sleeping habits, I made changes. I minimized 'trigger' foods, ate healthier, stopped eating and drinking 2 hours or less before going to sleep, and started sleeping with my chest slightly elevated from my stomach. Lo and behold, my acid reflux disappeared!! I'm happy to say that I've been off medication and acid reflux-free for almost 2 years now!

That story shows how fixing a problem, rather than the symptom actually produces results. Perhaps a big part of our health care reform should address our country's failing health, with obesity, heart disease, and diabetes on the rise. Then again, the government can't make you eat healthier or make you get off your butt and exercise. That's ultimately up to you. Nonetheless, I'd really like to see the government take a different approach to health care reform and start fixing some our nation's health problems and not just finding better ways to pay for medications and visits to the doctor.

Anyway, my rant is over, so here's Bill Maher ranting about the same topic on his show. Very good and funny, but sobering at the same time.

I'm All In!

2009-03-01T20:02:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post to note that I registered online today for the Zumbro Bottoms 100-miler. Can't wait for April 10th!!! I'm committed to it and probably should be committed, as my buddy Jeff suggested earlier today. I honestly don't think I'll be in great 100-miler shape by then, but I'm running to finish and have no qualms about walking when I have to. It's all about making it to 100 within the 34-hour time limit. I can do it!!

The Ice Age Cometh

2009-02-26T19:44:00.002-06:00

Yup, it's that wonderful time of the year in Minnesota when everything is covered in ice. Sidewalks, trails, even grass are encased in recently thawed and refrozen snow. While the periodic thaws are much appreciated for their promise of Spring, the subsequent freezes which deem all running routes hazardous is not. Nonetheless, it's something we have to deal with each year and all you can do is just cope.

Speaking of ice, I had an interesting "adventure", if you will, regarding icy roads. Last Wednesday I drove out Black Dog Park where I run my hill repeats. The roads were pretty clear, with patches of ice here and there from the day's earlier thaw and then sudden freeze. Turning into the park the road looked well-plowed, with only a light dusting of snow cover. I went about my business, running repeats out of the park and up Territorial Drive. After a few reps, I noticed the descent into the lot was rather slippery in spots. Rather than risk a fall, since I nearly had almost every time I entered the lot, I cut the workout short after 10 repeats. Now begins the adventure......

I turn the car around and start making my way out of the lot. The first 25 yards are a gradual hill and I noticed the wheels starting to slip a bit. This did not bode well. Sure enough, by the time I hit the steep section I was stopped dead in my tracks, spinning my wheels in vain. I backed up several times and came at the steep section from both sides of the tee that lead to it with speed, but without success. My car was trapped in the Black Dog Park parking lot!!! CRAP!! Well, I gathered my stuff and headed for home, tacking on 3 miles to my workout (good thing I had decided to pull the plug early).

The City of Burnsville handled the situation extremely well. I e-mailed them what had happened and they promptly responded early the next morning stating they had notified the police not to ticket my car and would salt and sand the lot immediately. When I went to my car Thursday after work, I drove out with no problems. Thank you City of Burnsville!!!

My other icy adventure last week was on my long run at The Murph, which I did again with Molly Cochran. Despite the new snow that fell on Saturday, the trails were icy and very rough underneath. Molly was the smart one who wore snowshoes. Me, I tackled the treacherous trails with Yak Trax (big mistake). Actually, I don't own a pair of snowshoes, so I had no choice. Anyway, the Yak Trax helped okay when they stayed on, but I spent far too much time having to readjust them as they constantly slipped over my toe and on top of my shoes. I ditched them for the second loop and I ended up thrashing the heck out of my calves and feet from the constant slipping. On the positive side, I got one hell of a workout. Thanks to Molly for being my newfound running buddy!!

One final note, going with the "Ice Age" or "prehistoric" theme - I started the Paleo Diet last Saturday. So far, it's been going well. Of course, it's far too early to notice any significant effects, but at least I haven't had any negative ones thus far. I'm not going to be a "carb nazi" about the whole thing though and not be realistic about the whole thing and make life difficult and uncomfortable for my wife and son. But, so far, they've been supportive and understanding. I'll be sure to post more about how the new way of eating goes in the future.

Last week's training:

Monday: 10 miles on walks and trails
Wednesday: 10x hill repeats + 3 miles (10 miles total)
Sunday: 4:15:00 on icy trails at The Murph (about 17 or 18 miles guesstimate)

Completed week 3 of the 100 pushups challenge, which kicked my ass

The Paleo Diet

2009-02-17T20:06:00.004-06:00

Lately, I've had a strong interest in the Paleo Diet. Fellow blogger and ultrarunner, Adam Harmer subscribes to this diet, also known as the "Caveman Diet". Research on this way of eating has opened my eyes and made me rethink what is truly eating healthy.

The basic premise of the Paleo Diet is to only eat those foods that would have been eaten during the Paleolithic era because that is what our bodies are designed to process. Surprisingly, this excludes foods such as grains, peanuts, beans, potatoes, and dairy. For me, the biggest shockers were grains, beans, and potatoes. What could possibly be wrong with those? Well, as it turns out, as humans we are not able to eat those foods raw because they are toxic to us in that form. What? Toxic? Yup, these foods contain toxins including enzyme blockers and lectins. The only reason we can eat them when cooked is because cooking destroys enough of these toxins (but not all of them) so that we are able to digest them. Hmmm, eating foods normally toxic to us? Doesn't sound like such a great idea. Sure, we've adapted as humans to these foods and they are consumed en masse on a daily basis with out much immediate ado. But what are the long term effects of the modern day diet that includes these foods in such large quantities?

Dr. Ben Balzer has written an excellent and easy to understand introduction to the Paleo Diet. What I've described thus far doesn't do justice to the full comprehension and scope of the subject. I've merely scratched the surface. If you're interested in learning more, click here to read Dr. Balzer's essay. Good stuff!! Needless to say, I'm interested enough in the diet to give it a try. So, I'll be posting in the future about how it goes and what effects I notice in my health and training.

Training last week:
15x hill repeats on a 0.35 mile hill, totalling 10.5 miles (5.25 up and 5.25 down)
15 miles at sub 9:00 pace on paved trails (wooded trails were unrunnable ice!)
Completed week #2 of the 100 pushups program

Primal Challenges and Other Ways to Supplement Your Training

2009-02-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

One of my goals this year for training was to become a 'stronger' runner. I've got an ideal build for running - long and lanky. However, I've always lacked good physical strength, which I feel is really important for grueling, long endurance runs on hilly terrain. Therefore, I've committed myself to finding ways to improve my overall strength, both upper and lower body. Through my searches on the internet on websites and blogs, I've found some unique ways to accomplish this.

Fellow blogger and ultrarunner, Adam Harmer has a unique way of adding strength training to his running by performing different 20-minute "challenges". These are typically done without any special equipment or weights. Here are a few examples:

The Squat Challenge: Perform as many full squats as you can in 20 minutes, using only your body weight. Adam's result was 592 reps!!

The Burpees Challenge: Again, perform as many burpees or "squat thrusts" with a full pushup as you can in 20 minutes. This one is said to be a real killer. Adam posted that this one really kicked his butt so bad he forgot about counting at one point. However, he estimated 125 reps.

The Pushup Challenge: Yep, you guessed it. Do as many pushups as you can in 20 minutes. Adam's best posted total thus far is 244!

King 600: Peform 400 squats and 200 pushups for time. You may do them in any order and in any quantity of smaller reps, just as long as the total equals 400 and 200. For example, you could do alternating sets of 40 squats and 20 pushups ten times. Adam's latest posted time was 18 minutes, 34 seconds. Dang!

Personally, I've been working on the 100 pushups challenge posted at hundredpushups.com. I believe fellow blogger Peter Grimes (Ticks, Poison Ivy & Black Bears) gave me the tip for this one. As of now, I've completed the first 2 weeks and am at checkpoint 1 where I test myself to see how many consecutive pushups I can do. When I started the program I could only do a pathetic 13. So, it will be interesting to see how much I've progressed. I know that I've definitely improved because my last session I knocked out the first 10 reps of the set like they were nothing. I'm also planning on doing some of Adam's challenges and posting my results here. I invite you readers out there to mix up your training a bit and try some of these too!

Time to Focus

2009-02-10T18:42:00.002-06:00

Yup, it's time to get serious and focus on my next goal, which is to finish a 100-miler. The first attempt will be at the Zumbro Bottoms 100-miler in April. Yup, I'm going for an early season completion! Therefore, it's definitely time to maintain my consistency and add some hillwork.

Why try so early? Well, first off, my long-term goal is to qualify for the AHU 135 next year. In order to do that, I need to complete a 100-mile race within the race time limit. Originally, my plan was to make my first attempt at the Kettle 100 in June. However, if for some reason I were to fail there, my next shot would be at Superior Sawtooth 100, which is a beast. Not really a 100-miler you want to count on finishing your first try. So, I figure what the heck. Why not give it a good shot in April? I know I can do 50, and as it is said, if you can do 50, then you can do 100. After 50 miles it's all in your head. My Arrowhead mentor, Mitch Rossman will be there as well as my bro, who volunteered to pace me. Thanks Brotha Grub!

Last week was a good one in regards to training. I put in 10 miles on both Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday's run was a cold and icy run, with the weekend's melted snow refreezing and causing havoc on the sidewalks of Burnsville. Thursday night's run was abosultely heavenly. The temps were mild and a near full moon lit up the trails at Terrace Oaks. I ran without my headlamp and thoroughly enjoyed the solitude and crunch of snow under my Yak Trak clad feet. Had I brought food and water with, I think I would have put in another 10 that night. Saturday I capped off the week with an early morning run at my now favorite Murphy-Hanrehan. I finished two 10-mile loops of the singletrack trails in about 4 hours, running a relaxing pace. Oh, how I love the Murph!

A Week With Friends

2009-02-02T19:52:00.002-06:00

Last week was all about spending time with friends. Thursday I dropped off Mitch's borrowed -20F sleeping bag and his fleece balaclava that he wanted for the Arrowhead Ultra 135. We spent some time going over his gear and talking about his past experiences at Arrowhead, Leadville, and other races. I also got to briefly meet his autistic son, William, who has a fondness for chocolate-flavored wafer cookies. Funny how Mitch's race stash was missing the wafer cookies he just recently packed......... Right now, Mitch is in the middle of this year's AHU and at last check he passed through the Gateway Store at 6:40 pm. Keep it goin', Mitch!!! Mitch has been sending a few of us an e-mail with his GPS location through findmespot.com twice a day. I truly believe he is prepared and has a solid plan for this year's run and will finish his first AHU.

Saturday I met up with P.H.O.U.R. acquaintance Molly at The Murph. It was a cool and sunny morning and the singletrack bike trails were in great shape. We ran a leisurely pace through the winding trails and talked non-stop about running, racing plans, families, and our kids. It was 2 hours of relaxing and enjoyable running. We plan on meeting up again sometime in the future. Thanks for the great run and conversation, Molly!

Saturday evening my wife and I hosted the annual post-holiday party our friends and we have every year. It was our turn this go-around and we featured a selection of homemade wings: teriyaki, hotwings, and Italian wings. YUMMM!!! Of course, there were plenty of other goodies to share, like Betsy's killer guacamole dip, Cliff's creamy corned beef and dill dip, and Cheryl's sinful brownies. Add to that some good drinks, bowling, tennis and golf on the Wii, topped off by Guitar Hero on the 360 and we all had one great night!

Sled Pulling Pics at The Murph

2009-01-25T21:08:00.004-06:00

A Man With a Plan

2009-01-25T20:44:00.002-06:00

Yep, I've got a plan for my training and it's been going great. I don't think I've ever felt so focused and dedicated as I am now. My plan is pretty simple: run/pull the sled ever other day and every 3 days, do the hundredpushups.com workout and planks. It's pretty basic, but easy for me to stick to, which is critical. As many of you know, the toughest part of training is being consistent. Life happens and there are many things that suck up what little free time we have.

Why run every other day? Well, first off, it's easier to do than every day (genius, right? ha, ha.) I know many will argue that it's not as effective as training every day. However, my philosophy is this: Make the most of your every-other-day runs and skip the "garbage" miles in between. Personally, when I ran every day, I'd consistently have to follow up long or hard days with an easy day. Makes sense, right? You're legs are tired and need to recover. My thought then is, why bother running at all then if you're just going to run easy and, in a sense, put in junk miles? Why not give your legs a full day of recovery and hit them hard again. To me, training for ultras is more like weight training. Now, if you're weight training properly, you're not going to lift using the same muscles every day, are you? If so, you'll end up just tearing them down in the long run because you're not giving them enough time to recover and rebuild. In addition, I'm not focusing on the cardio as much as I am on strength and endurance. Therefore, to get endurance and strength, I need to put in long runs and difficult ones, like in the snow, on hills, etc. I may be way off base on this philosophy, but it works for me. That's the beauty of ultrarunning - there's no defined way to train for it.

Anyway, enough philosophy for now. My past week of training went famously and I put in 4 solid runs totalling 31 miles. Monday I got to run in the daylight since the wife and kid were home for MLK day, so I went to work early and hit the river valley trails. On Wednesday I did two 5-mile loops on the snowy and icy sidewalks of Burnsville at night. Friday I literally ran some errands in the sub-zero temps. First I ran to the Burnsville City Hall and dropped off my water and sewer payment. After that, I continued on to the public library and returned a DVD on Qi Gong that was due on Saturday. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, eh? I swapped a long run on Sunday for 2+ hours of sled pulling at The Murph. It was a nice crisp day, which made the trails more suitable for training. For the most part, they were a bit rough, but I managed to find some decent "grooves" to pull my sled through. I also had to do some gear adjusting. I found that crossing the poles from the sled to the waistpack did indeed give much better control of the sled's tracking. In addition, I had to tweak the length on my new Black Diamond poles. Overall, it was a great time out on the snowshoe/horse trails all by my lonesome. Not a soul was out there - beautiful!!

When the Going Gets Cold...............

2009-01-20T19:07:00.002-06:00

......the AHU wannabes get testing! Last week's sub-zero temps were a great opportunity to test gear in preparation for 2010's AHU. My last test during the "bootcamp" indicated my outerlayer REI One jacket a bit too warm for temps between 10 to 20F. So, I went out for a run at -10F and the result was the same........still too warm. Other than that, the rest of my gear worked great and kept me comfortable. I definitely need some goggles or eyewear to keep the icicles off of my eyelashes.

Surprisingly enough, I miss the colder temps, now that the warmer near-freezing temps have arrived. The temps around zero kept the snow crisp and firm, making for good footing. Now we have wet and slippery slush. Blech! Next test will be my new Black Diamond poles. The plan is to take the sled out this weekend and put some more AHU-like miles in. Where I'll do that, I'm not sure yet. I recon'd my river valley trail yesterday and it was a bit rough. Perhaps I'll check out The Murph's trails to see if they're any better. Either way, I can't wait to get the sled out and give'er hell!

Until next time, see ya on the trails!

AHU Bootcamp - Success!!

2009-01-11T19:35:00.004-06:00

Basecamp at Afton

This weekend I had my Arrowhead Ultra "bootcamp" with mentor Mitch Rossman. Despite weather forecasts earlier in the week calling for cold and windy conditions, it actually was a beautiful, unusually calm and crisp day at 10 F. We met in the parking lot at Afton State Park at 10:00, geared up, and hit the trails towards the campsites. Our choice was one on the NE side of hill with a excellent view of the eastern half of the park as well as the St. Croix river.

View from basecamp (Sorry, my phone camera doesn't do it justice.)

Setting up the tents, we came upon lesson #1: "Bring something to pound in your tent stakes." Ummm....duh! It's funny how one can forget the simplest things. Now, doing something like this at Arrowhead could be costly as you'd have to either waste time to find something like a rock, or else you'd have to forgoe your tent. In our case, we found out a frozen log from the woodpile did the trick. Then came lesson #2: "Standard tent stakes do not work in ice-covered and frozen ground. Yup, go figure. A few of the beefier stakes went in after chipping away the ice. Fortunately, Mitch had some other stakes he'd never tried about before. As it turned out, they were the ticket and went in nicely. Unfortunately, pulling them out of the ground when we broke camp this morning was another story. Needless to say, there's a few nice tent stakes buried in the snow waiting for us to go and retrieve when things warm up.

After the tents were up, it was time to put in some miles with the pulka sleds. Each sled was filled with 30-40 pounds of gear and attached to a waistpack via two poles with cables running inside of them. Both of us used trekking poles to reduce strain on the hamstrings and help balance on the slopes. I was surprised at how well 40 pounds glides on hardpack trails in a sled. For the next 6 and a half hours we circuited the trails and took in some amazing winter sights. It actually felt pretty toasty out there with virtually no wind and the thermometer rising to a peak of 20 F. We took periodic breaks to hydrate and feed. Along with my standard electrolyte (Nuun), I brought summer sausage, Clif bars, and peanut/raisin mix. As suspected, the Clif bars started to freeze, but put inside one's jacket for a few hours, they thaw out nicely. The summer sausage did famously, not freezing at all during the day. In fact, this morning it was still not frozen. I shared some with Mitch and he thought it was the cat's pajamas. "That's going to Arrowhead." he said.

With the sun already set and a huge full moon already high in the sky, we reached basecamp around 5:30 to get a campfire going and get some hot food and fluid inside of us. All day my fingers and toes had been very comfortable. However, once we stopped moving so much, they began to freeze up quickly. Thank goodness I bought my new Himalaya mittens by The North Face. A few minutes in those puppies and my digits were toasty warm. My toes stayed on the verge of freezing for quite some time. Part of the problem was that they were just my usual trail shoes and not insulated. The other was that despite putting anti-perspirant on my feet as Mitch suggested, my feet were damp. I had worn neoprene sock covers that did a great job of insulting my feet, but slowed down the ability of the moisture in my shoes to evaporate through the Gore-Tex. Fortunately, I was wearing nice wool socks (Thanks, Kathleen!) which did a good job of insulating, despite being damp. So, lesson #3 was: "Wear insulated boots without neoprene liners and possibly a faster wicking/drying wool sock. " To be honest, I expected my footwear to not work perfectly, but that's what this whole bootcamp was about - testing gear and troubleshooting sleds and camps.

Other things I noted with my gear that will need improvement are:

-Thinner water-resistant gloves for doing things around the campsite. It's next to impossible to do a lot of things with mitts on and my regular gloves were damp from snow. So, I ended up having to do some things without any gloves on at all and my fingers got frozen quickly.

-I need a better layer setup for warmer temps (greater than 10 F). While I was moving, my setup worked great, although I noticed I got warm rather easily. However, I noticed when we stopped for the day that I was a bit damp at my base layer, meaning my subsequent layers were not allowing for proper evaporation. Actually, I think I could have done without my 2nd layer (REI One jacket) and just gone with my North Face Windstopper Hybrid and maybe a vest. I'll test out the same setup this week when the temps drop a lot colder.

Anyway, back to basecamp.....We got a nice roaring fire going and got some dinner started. Mitch feasted on hotdogs, fries, and Campbell's Chunky Soup. I went all-out and had some steak and instant mashed potatoes. I then learned how to melt snow (you have to have water in your pot first before you can melt snow - I didn't know that!) and we warmed ourselves with some hot tea. Ahh.........that really hit the spot. By the end of dinner, the fire was blazing hot and we were just roasting. In fact it was so warm that I was able to sit there without any gloves on for a few hours while we talked about adventure/ultra racing and tossed around sled improvement ideas. About 10:00 it was time to turn in and crawl into our toasty sleeping bags. I texted my wife to let her know I survived and tried to get some shuteye. However, my head cold and the unforgiving icy and lumpy ground prevented me from a good night's rest, but I survived and was ready to go at 6:00 am.

Once again, we got a nice fire going and ate some hot food and fluids. Both tents had frosted up on the inside overnight, so we had to turn them inside out after taking them down and knock the frost off. We packed our gear onto our sleds and made our way back to the parking lot, where we ran into Tom and Nancy just getting ready for some snowshoeing. What an awesome weekend it was! Mitch said now he's mentally ready for Arrowhead this year. He's got his gear tested and his tweaks planned. Myself, I can't wait for next year when I'll take on the 135-mile challenge starting at International Falls. Overall, it was a great learning experience and confidence-builder. I can't wait to take the pulka sled out some more this winter for further Arrowhead training!!

"Gearing Up" for AHU Training

2009-01-05T12:34:00.002-06:00

This coming weekend I'll be at Afton State Park with Mitch Rossman doing a training run for the Arrowhead Ultra. Mitch set me up with some winter gear, including the one-man tent shown in the picture and a toasty sleeping bag. My task this past weekend was to sleep outside in the tent for a night in the cold - mission accomplished! I also hit REI and The North Face store to pick up some winter gear that I've neglected to pick up for the past year. Now I'll be much more comfortable and prepared for winter ultra training. I'm really stoked for this weekend and it will be interesting to see how I fare.

In Memory of Timmy

2009-01-02T20:36:00.003-06:00

A close family friend passed away last week after battling cancer for quite some time. Tim "Timmy" Stanczak played baseball for my father when he was a high school student and went on to continue playing for him in the Milwaukee County League. I've known him almost my entire life and always considered him a big brother, as I did with all of my father's players. Timmy was only 55 and his passing is a reminder to us all that we should live in the moment like he did his entire life. So, here's to you, Timmy. May we all live our lives with purpose and meaning each and every day.

New Year

2009-01-01T11:59:00.002-06:00

Well, my first full year of ultrarunning is under the proverbial belt and it was pretty good. I accomplished my main goals which was to complete both a 50K and 50 miler. I would have liked to have run more races, but due to inconsistent training, financial issues, and assisting a wife who had a rough year medically speaking, it just wasn't in the cards.

In 2009 my main goal is to complete a 100-miler and be more consistent in my training. Looking back at 2008, my inconsistent training resulted in only logging in less than 1200 miles - not enough miles to be a strong ultrarunner. This year I really need to focus on getting my long runs in and do some strength training in the form of hillwork, pushups, and core exercises. My weakness has always been my lack of body strength, which really comes into play with ultras, since they're more about strength and stamina, rather than conditioning due to the slower pace. In order to accomplish this and stay focus, I'll need to come with a training plan of sorts and some kind of weekly schedule I can stick with.

This year I will also begin training for another goal - running in the Arrowhead Trail Ultra 135-miler for 2010. An adventure runner I met during P.H.O.U.R. this last October, Mitch Rosssman, has been in it before and is becoming a mentor for me. We and a couple of other runners will be going out to Afton State Park on Saturday, Jan. 10 to do a training run. I think Mitch and I are the only ones planning to camp overnight. Mitch's training plan is as follows-

Day 1: start at 10 am and do a fast hike for 39 miles, take on hot food and water, then hike another 8 miles and camp overnite (47 miles total)

Day 2: Fast hike 22 miles, take on hot food and water, then fast hike again for another 28 miles (97 miles total) and camp overnight.

There is a plan for day 3, but I will not be doing that since I have to go back to work that day. I'm planning on completing the first 69 miles before heading home, which would be all of day 1 and then the first leg of day 2. I'm really excited about this training challenge and seeing how I fare. Mitch is being extremely helpful and generous in lending me a bunch of gear to borrow and use for a while. He believes that I should enter this year's Arrowhead and try and complete half of it. I think it's a bit ambitious, given the fact it's only a month away and I haven't been getting in that many miles, not to mention the $150 entry fee. Ouch! But, I won't rule it out until I see how things go on the training run and talk with the missus about it.

So, there ya have it - 2009 in a nutshell. I'll elaborate later as I flesh things out. Time for me to take a shower and do some things before meeting Mitch today to pick up some ATU gear for the training session. I might also be making an REI run to pick up some proper cold weather running gear as well. Happy Trails, Y'all!!

Embracing Winter

2008-12-08T20:34:00.002-06:00

Training in the winter can be a chore and just plain miserable. That is, unless you learn to "embrace" winter and appreciate the positive things it brings to trail running. First off, unshoveled sidewalks and shoulders become 'trails' because of snow's shock-absorbing qualities. No longer are road runs so harsh on the knees and body. Secondly, no more rain-outs due to thunderstorms or heavy downpours. Third, running in the snow is a tougher workout than running on dirt. It's much like running in sand, strengthening your feet and calves, while also working your back and hips for maintaining your balance.

Therefore, with this new attitude towards winter I've been hitting the snowy sidewalks and trails twice a week for 2 hours at a time. I've also discovered some new trails that will be great to run in the spring and summer as well. In sum, I've really been enjoying running this winter more than ever before and I hope to be in better shape this March than I was last year. Most importantly, I've been consistent in my training because of my take on winter running. I hope y'all out there are pounding the 'powder' like me with a big smile on your face. Let's face it, winter isn't going away anytime soon, so you might as well learn to love it! Happy trails!

There's No Fun Like a Snow Run

2008-11-30T21:27:00.003-06:00

There's nothing quite like a romp on trails covered lightly with new snow. The past few weeks I've been running the bike trails at the nearby Terrace Oaks Park. The bike trails are closed for the winter season, which means more trails for runners like me! These have been a great find as they are mostly singletrack, winding, and hilly. Actually, I'm surprised they are used for biking because so much of the trail is so narrow and the turns so sharp that you could hardly ride on them. Surprisingly enough, they're also supposed to be used for CC skiing once there's enough snow.

Well, it's been a rough couple of months running-wise. My motivation really hit the skids with no races to look forward to and the wife still struggling to recover from some mystery illness that has had her out of work since sometime in September. However, I've regrouped and refocused myself and have been getting out twice a week for 1 to 2 hour runs the past couple of weeks. Today's run went especially well and I really enjoyed the light snow that was falling.

With the end of the year drawing near, it will be time to start planning next year's runs. My main goal is to complete at least one 100-miler, which I plan to do in June at the Kettle 100. If all goes well, I definitely want to run the Superior Sawtooth. Unfortunately, I do know that Voyageur will be out next year, as I have a couple of close friends who are getting married that weekend. Bummer! Right now, I just need to stay consistent and start working up a training and racing plan.

In racing news, a hearty "Congrats!" goes out to my brother who ran to a 25th place overall finish at Mountain Masochist. Had he not taken a wrong turn, he probably would have finished in the top 20. Duh oh! Anyway, he still ran really well and should be one of the top runners in the Midwest come next season. He also just turned 40 in November, so watch out Masters runners!

Autumn at the "Murph" - An Appreciation for Running

2008-10-22T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ah, there's nothing like trail running in the autumn!! I've been doing my running the past couple of weeks at Murphy-Hannerahan park and really have enjoyed the surprisingly hilly trails. Now that the ultra season is over for me, it's time to start thinking ahead to next year about what runs I'll be doing. My primary goal will be completing my first 100-miler, which I expect will be at the Kettle 100 next June. To get there, I'll need to spend some time the next few weeks coming up with a solid training plan for the winter.

As of now, I've only been getting out once or twice a week, and primarily longer runs. When out on the trails, I have taken the time to stop once in a while and appreciate the fall colors and take some pics. Too often we forget to really enjoy the scenery and realize how fortunate we are to be able to get outdoors and run. There are folks out there, like my father, who can't run anymore due to health problems or injuries. In his case, he tore ligaments in his knee about 30 years ago and was fortunate enough to be able to run a few marathons. However, his knee degenerated before long and he hasn't been able to run for years, which I know he misses. So, readers, enjoy your health while you have it. You never know when life while throw you a curve ball and your running days are over.

P.H.O.U.R. Photos

2008-10-06T20:01:00.010-05:00

P.H.O.U.R.

2008-10-06T19:50:00.005-05:00

I had an awesome time meeting some ultrarunners from the area and running 26 miles along some of the Ice Age Trail in NW Wisconsin. A special thanks goes out to Pete Grimes a.k.a. Grimeyrunner who organized the whole shootin' match and to Christian, who was our crew lackey. Those in attendance at the start were Pete (Grimeyrunner), Joel (Button Racing), Mitch, Molly, and Eric. It was a frosty start, which made for some beautiful autumn scenery. I only wish I could have stayed long enough to run all 50 miles. Thanks again, Pete and can't wait to do the whole shabang next year!! I also hope Joel was able to complete his mission of running 100 miles that weekend for a charitable cause. I think Molly was going for 100 as well, and I hope she went for it and made it. Hope to see y'all on the trails again!!

The Hills are Alive........With the Sound of Repeats

2008-09-22T18:35:00.002-05:00

Yup, the hills at Hyland have been alive with the sound of repeats. With the season over for me, I've been focusing on my off-season training, which is centered around building strength. Once a week now for the past 3 weeks I've been scampering up the ski hills at Hyland, adding a rep each week. Since my mileage and training has been pretty sparse for a while, I started out at a meager 10 reps, and will be up to 13 this week.

In addition, I've been making an effort to get out to Afton and run the 25K loop and focus on running all of the hills at a decent tempo. So far, I've seen some significant improvement in only 3 weeks time. This past Sunday I attacked each and every climb and recovered quickly at the top. Who knows, maybe by next Spring I'll be up to Julie Berg's epic 60 repeats at Hyland? It could happen...........right? I'll also be doing some cycling as well to supplement my training. I really enjoy riding and it's a great cross-training tool since it's easy on the knees, helps develop leg speed, and uses other muscle groups. Plus, it's something I'll be able to do inside on a mag trainer when it's lousy outside.

So, that's it in a nutshell. I'm running lots of hills and building up those chicken legs into mountain climbing legs of steel. Oh, I also have to say I'm really enjoying running more than ever this Fall. Last year I didn't get to enjoy as much of it because I was traveling so much for work, and then got laid off. Now I'm at home every week, have a job that I absolutely love, and get to enjoy the best time of the year out on the trails. Life is great!

Coming up next is the P.H.O.U.R. "underground" run on October, 4. Even though I won't be able to run the whole thing, I'm looking forward to meeting a few more trail runners from the area. Should be good fun!

See ya on the trails.

Happy 1000 Miles

2008-09-04T19:54:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally made it over the 1000 mile hump. I've been sitting just short of it for a while but finally managed to get my ass in gear and put some more miles in. I've only run 3 times in the past 2 weeks, but they've all been extremely enjoyable and quality runs.

With the season coming to an end, it's time to start planning for next year and figure out what I need to improve on. I'll definitely need some kind of plan to maintain any level of fitness I've achieved to this point for next season. Right now, I'm focusing on just getting out a few times a week and enjoying myself as much as possible. The approaching Fall weather is very welcoming and really gets me fired up to run, as it is my favorite time of the year.

I'll be missing Superior this weekend, which I'm rather bummed about. But, there's always next year. I'm still wavering on whether I'll run Glacial as well. I may just opt to run in Grimeyrunner's 'underground' run the weekend before. Unfortunately, I won't be able to run the entire distance because my wife and I already have plans that evening which we can't break. But half of 50 is better than nothing. Nonetheless, my best wishes go out to those running this weekend on the SHT. I'm sooooo jealous!!! Anyway, good luck everyone and take time on the trail to enjoy some of the sights. I hear it's a stunning course. See ya!

Where's Steve?

2008-08-17T20:38:00.003-05:00

A few readers may have been wondering, "Where's Steve?" Well, I've been 'on vacation' from running the past couple of weeks, running only once. Why? Well, it's been a combination of a few things. First, I've been busy at home taking care of my family since my wife has been sick and had neck problems. This means I was basically a single parent of a 3 year old and a 36 year old. Second, I was away visiting family for a weekend and wanted to focus on spending time with them. Third, I've been struggling with motivation since I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to run at Superior in a few weeks due to financial reasons. So, there ya have it in a nutshell. It hasn't been the most pleasant two weeks, except for spending time with family. I've noticed I'm a little irritable when I don't run. Fortunately, the wife is healthy again and I'm more than motivated to hit the trails again. Sometimes life happens and you just gotta get through the rough spots. However, Superior is still in question. If I do run, it will be a last minute entry. Irregardless, I need to get back to running and start getting a solid training plan together. Like this blog title, I've been 'rambling' about with my training and not sticking to a set plan. Right now, I have to find a balance between running and life.

Changing Gears - Weekly Report July 28-August 3

2008-08-04T12:02:00.002-05:00

Well, this past week I decided to throw my 100 miles in 7 days challenge under the bus in favor of some quality workouts. Yup, I'm admitting I didn't rise to the challenge, but the 100-mile weeks will come when I'm ready. Lately, I've felt my training has been uninspiring and unmotivating. I feel like I'm just plodding along and putting in miles. In addition, I'm chronically fatigued and rarely feel good on any of my runs, especially the long runs on Saturdays and/or Sundays. Therefore, I've opted to cut back on the miles Monday through Friday in favor of intervals and hills and will slowly increase my mileage. Here's how last week's training panned out.

Monday: 5.4 miles in 50 minutes. Just a quick run out to Terrace Oaks on the trails to stretch the legs out after a busy day at work and at home.

Tuesday: 7.4 miles in 1:04:00. Nice tempo run at Hyland. Very hot but not too humid day. After a slow start, I loosened up and finished strong. Did a 1-mile cooldown and did some stretches. A very positive run in the heat for a change!! Great day!! Avg. pace = 8:38....WOOT!

Wednesday: 3.1 miles in 23:44 (5.7 total). Did a 1.3 mile warm-up run to Terrace Oaks, then ran a 5K loop time trial at a good hard pace, followed by a 1.3 mile cool-down. I definitely could have run the 5K much faster, so it was motivating to see I could run a 7:38 pace without much trouble.

Thursday: 6.8 miles in 1:04:00. Did a 1.3 mile warm-up run to Terrace Oaks, then 7K of intervals (4K hard, 3K easy), followed bya 1.3 mile cool-down. Another great workout getting those legs turning over faster. I was pretty pooped out after this workout but felt good about it.

Friday: R&R

Saturday: 19.1 miles in 3:01:22. Got up early and hit the Terrace Oaks trails. I ran the entire distance without stopping, except after the first loop to ditch my headlamp and take a quick pee. I really focused on my form, leg drive, and breathing so that I would maintain a strong and steady pace. I also worked on my nutrition and hydration discipline by sticking to a strict schedule. For nutrition, I took Gu plain gel from a flask once per hour, and a Cliff Shot Block once per hour. For hydration, I took 2 to 3 ounces of water with a bit of salt every 15 minutes. In hindsight, I think I could have used a few extra calories, but overall, I was very pleased with the way things went. Excellent run with an average pace of 9:29/mile.

Total weekly miles = 44.5

In sum, I was very pleased with my efforts this past week. I didn't feel as fatigued throughout the week and felt more motivated by my workouts. In addition, my weekend run was much more productive and enjoyable than it has been in the past. Only 5 weeks until Superior! Can't wait!!

Thursday Night Fright

2008-07-28T12:19:00.003-05:00

Well, this past week was interesting, to say the least. I didn't run Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday in preparation for a stab at 100 miles in 7 days. The plan was to accumulate the miles from Wednesday through the following Tuesday.

Wednesday started out great. I logged in 12 miles, running half of it on the trails until it got too dark, finishing the rest on the sidewalks and grassy boulevards. Then came Thursday.

I started out a bit slow and early on I had this unusually strong urge to pee. So, when I got to the trail I stepped into the porta-potty to relieve myself. However, I hardly peed at all. What was up with that? Even stranger was the fact that I still felt like I had to pee. Oh well, I figured. I hit the trail thinking the feeling would go away, which it did after a couple of miles. Then the stomach cramps hit. OUCH!! They were so bad I had to walk a couple of times. Fortunately, they only lasted for half a mile and were gone.

I continued on, dismissing the problem as gas or indigestion and started to hit my stride. Things were pretty uneventful the rest of the run, except for a little tumble in the dark (despite wearing a headlamp). Yeah, really graceful, I know. Anyhow, when I got home after 2 hours of running I drank some water and did a few stretches to cool down. I hadn't taken any water with me on my run because I typically don't have any hydration problems when running for that amount of time in mild temps. After finishing my stretches, I went to the bathroom to take a pee. This time, there was plenty of volume. However, to my surprise, it was dark. WTF!! Not only that, it stung a bit when I peed. Needless to say, I was rather concerned. I checked out the causes of bloody urine on the internet and determined that the most likely cause was dehydration and a brusied bladder. I ruled out a UTI since I had no accompanying fever. All I could do was keep hydrated and see if things improved in the next 12-24 hours. Fortunately, they did. WHEW!! That was a bit of a scare! However, the incident forced me to take Friday off and ensure a proper recovery and therefore railroaded my 100-mile attempt. I did come back on Saturday and put 12.5 miles in with no problems (I wisened up this time and brought a bottle of water), so all seems to be good. Guess I'll have to give the 100-mile week another shot, starting today!!

A Mid-Summer Night's Ramble

2008-07-21T20:11:00.004-05:00

Weekly Report: July 14-20
Alrighty, let's get the boring weekly training report done and out of the way first.
Tuesday, July 15: 10x hill repeats on Hyland Park ski hill in 1:00:00. Ran 1 hour extra of hilly trails including a climb up the ski jump hill and one final climb up the repeat hill. Very hot day (91 F, felt like 97 w/heat index) with no breeze at all. My new Outdoor Research sun runner cap worked like a charm and kept me from overheating. Shibby!! Wore my Nathan HPL-020 Race Hydration vest filled with 40 oz. of HEED to keep me hydrated.
2 hours, 10 miles
Wednesday, July 16: Easy loop on grassy boulevards along city streets. Felt super strong and smooth after running in the heat on steep hills yesterday.
1:24:00, 9.4 miles
Thursday, July 17: Recon run at Hyland Park Reserve. Very hot and humid again. Felt sluggish the first hour but perked up the 2nd one. Spent the first hour running the trails on the north end on and around the ski hills. Ran the second hour in the south end on the rolling hills and wood chip trails.
2 hours, 11.6 miles
Saturday, July 19: 25K loop at Afton. Ran first 20K in 2:03:00, the next 5K easy, then finished with a 4-mile cool-down. Felt a little tired in the legs from the increased mileage and hillwork. Not a great day by any means. Blech!
3:52:00, 19.5 miles

Total miles for the week = 50.5

It was a slow, long, hot week. It seemed like every time I ran it was unusually humid. Ah well, that's Minnesota in the summertime! Plus, it's great training for dealing with heat and hydration. In adddition, if you include my 22.1 miles on July 13, I had my highest 7-day total at 72.6 miles!! Woo yeah! Speaking of 7-day mileage records, I challenged myself about a month or so ago here on this blog to run 100 in a week by the end of July. Well, the month is coming to a close in 10 days, so time's a wastin'!!

iPods: Rock 'n' Run Experiment
Last week I posted a poll asking readers to vote whether or not they used iPods when running. The results were 1 'yes' and 6 'no' responses. I also promised I would try it out myself. Well, it turned out not to be for me. First off, trying to figure out how to route the earphone cords so that they didn't interfere with my running and the flaps on my sun runner cap was an exercise in frustration. After about 10 minutes of dinking around with that, I started running while listening to my new favorite band "The Fratellis". About one song into the trail the earbuds started to fall out and continued to do so on a regular basis. After about 15 minutes of constantly pushing them back into my ears, I finally decided that it was far more effort than what it was worth. So, in conclusion, iPods and running aren't for me. I'll listen to one before a race or workout to get me pumped up, but once I'm on the trail, it's just going to be me and nature. Thanks to everyone who voted and posted their thoughts!!

Storm Report
A week and a half ago our neighborhood was hit by a harsh storm with extremely strong straight-line winds and quarter-sized hail, resulting in the downing of many trees and large limbs as can be seen in the photos below. Yup, that's my humble home buried amidst the arboreal carnage. Fortunately, the only significant damage was a six-inch diameter hole in the garage roof. However, our insurance company felt otherwise. They found hail damage to the roof as well as our wood deck. So, they've decided to replace our entire roof and refinish our deck. Plus, they're going to reimburse me for the 14 hours of labor I had to put into cleaning up all of the debris. So, all will be okay. Most importantly, my wife, who was at home alone during the storm was not hurt. On the positive side, we've got more sunlight in our backyard now, so maybe next year we'll actually be able to start a vegetable garden!!

A Few Extra Words
Just a few things to note. First, congrats to Allan Holtz for completing the Vermont 100. For those who don't know who Allan is, he's a veteran ultramarathoner in the Twin Cities who is very active in the trail running community and can be seen volunteering at many races. He is a great resource of ultrarunning experience and knowledge. Second, speedy recovery wishes to Steve Quick who took a nasty spill at the Afton 50K and dislocated his hip in the process. He's been on his feet and pounding the trails already. Hopefully he'll be all patched up for the Sawtooth 100 in September. Hang in there Steve, ya animal! Third, good luck to all of those running in the Voyageur this coming weekend. I'll be looking forward to hearing about everyone's experiences.

Thursday's Storm!! YOWZA!!

2008-07-14T19:47:00.009-05:00

iPods........Do you 'rock' when you run?

2008-07-11T12:30:00.002-05:00

I've noticed that a number of runners, even trail runners who use iPods when the run. This is particularly noticeable among the casual runners you see around the lakes in the Twin Cities. I have an iPod, but I never use it when I run. Funny thing is, my wife bought it for me as a birthday present last year because she thought I would use it when I ran.

Why don't I wear it when running? Perhaps because I'm somewhat of a running 'purist'. Even in the heydays of the 'Walkman', I've never considered using music when I train or race. I guess part of the reason is that I've never had to since I have a virtual jukebox in my head. Some of you probably know what I'm talking about. The rest of you who don't are probably thinking there are guys in little white suits after me. But philosophically speaking, I've always felt it was important to not be distracted by listening to music and be focused on running. In addition, I've felt that if running is that boring to you that you need to listen to some music to keep you interested, then perhaps you shouldn't be running.

In contrast, I can certainly see some of the potential merits of using an iPod, especially on long training runs in excess of 2 or 3 hours by yourself. It could help keep your mind off the heat or the fact you feel tired. Music itself can be relaxing, motivating, and inspiring which could help your performance or enhance your running experience. I remember how pumped I got when hearing music along the Twin Cities Marathon course.

I guess what I'm getting at is why do or don't you readers use an iPod when running? Perhaps I shouldn't knock it until I try it? Please vote on the poll I've put up and post your reasons. Thanks! In the meantime, for the sake of 'science' (since I'm an engineer by profession and more curious than most) I'll give it a try this weekend and post my experience.

Afton Race Report - Hills, Heat, & Humidity!

2008-07-08T12:21:00.006-05:00

It was a "classic" Afton Trail race day, with high temps near 90, humid air, and the ever-present alpine hills. Woo yeah!

I arrived early to pick up my race packet and number. Inside the center I said "Hi" to Keith Krone, then bumped into race director John Storkamp. On the way back to the car I introduced myself to Carl Gammon (very nice guy). I had time to kill before the actual race so I took some time to go relieve myself before the lines got long and later bumped into one of my brother's running buddies, Brad Birkholz.

Finally, it was go time. My pre-race strategy was this: start out slow for the first couple of miles, run a quick pace on the flats and downhills, walk the big hills, and make the most of the cool weather, because once it heats up your pace will suffer significantly, no matter how good you feel. My goal was to finish the race and shoot for a time of 6 hours.

As planned, I started out slowly near the back of the pack and settled into a nice groove. On the first big climb I came up on Zach Pierce. I introduced myself and we chatted a while about the Ice Age 50 and the fantastic pics his wife took there this year (some even of me!). After that climb, I started to work the gently rolling hills and flats of the Africa Loop. The Back 40 went by quickly and it was back to complete the Africa Loop. So far, so good. I was feeling strong, smooth, and quick.
Then it was off to do the Nigel's Hill loop.

The Nigel's Hill loop went by without a hitch and I was off and running along the 1-1/2 mile flat stretch along the St. Croix river up to the Meat Grinder. Oh yeah, the name of the hill lived up to its name. It just keeps gnawing at your quads until you finally reach the top. Brutal fun!! Still feeling solid, I scampered through the pine-filled sections leading up to the final aid station before the Snowshoe Loop. There I was greeted by Tom and Nancy, who refilled my bottle with HEED. I grabbed a Hammer Gel and was off to tackle the tricky singletrack section.

The Snowshoe loop has a few surprises in it, namely roots, rocks, and an occasional snake crossing the path. I was very careful to avoid all of these........most of the way. About 2/3rds of the way through on a descent, my foot kicked up a loose stick, which wedged itself between my legs. Before I knew it, I was sprawled out on my back in the trail with a raspberry on my right knee, another one on my back, as well as scratches on my left arm and back. Duh oh!! Fortunately, no real damage was done. I cursed at the stick and sped off.

Arriving at the half-way point in 2:37:00, the gals at the aid station saw my back and expressed concern for my well-being. I reassured them I was fine, grabbed some more HEED and Hammer Gel, along with a piece of watermelon while they graciously sponged the dirt off my trail-rashed back. Thanks ladies! Off to tackle loop two!!

So, up to this point, things were going great. I was sticking to my plan and it was working famously (except for the unexpected tumble, of course). I had completed the first 25km only 4 minutes slower than when I had raced the 25km at Afton in 2002. That 6-hour goal was looking very doable now. As I reached the top of the first climb up to the Africa loop, I noticed my stomach was starting to cramp up a bit and my fluids felt like they were sitting at the top of my throat. Oh NOES!! This can't be good. I slowed down and walked a bit, thinking it was just from the effort of climbing the hill. My stomach settled and off I went again. However, a few hundred yards later, the sick feeling returned. What the heck? I've never had problems like this before? What did I do differently? Then it hit me. At the past 3 or 4 aid stations I had taken an E-cap. I've never taken them before but I figured I'd try them out and see how they worked. Well, my question was answered.....not so hot.

I continued to struggle on, running as much as I could "stomach it". Finally, salvation came along in the form of Allan Holtz. I told him what was going on and he recommended some glucose mixture with water and a handful of walnuts. I took his advice, thanked him and set off. Sure enough, a few miles later my nausea went away and I got my legs back! Allan, you da man!!

Making decent time, I worked my way towards the aid station before at the start of the Nigel’s Hill loop. On my approach, I saw a runner with a large patch of dirt on his back and hobbling quite badly. As I got closer, I recognized the injured soldier as none other than Steve Quick . Oh no, this can’t be good. Me catching up to Steve at this point of the race? He must really be hurting. I overtook him before the aid station and asked if he was okay. I’m sure I wasn’t the first to ask him that and he was obviously not doing so well, but I asked anyway out of courtesy and respect. “Don’t ask what happened” he replied. I understood his frustration, given the bad luck he’s had this year with injuries. I shared my crash experience with him and continued to run along with him. We parted ways at the aid station but rejoined again at the base of the Nigel’s Hill climb following the flat section along the river.

This time Steve was more talkative. He informed me that he dislocated his hip during a fall. Holy crap, he’s running on a hip he dislocated?! Craziness!! He then told me how he had withdrawn from the race following his spill, but then reentered the race 10 minutes later, resolved to finish the race since the injury might cut his running career short. We continued to talk while he grimaced with almost every stride. “I’m okay on the flats” he remarked, “but it really hurts on the uphills and downhills.” At the base of the big climb, a runner came up on us and noticed our matching sets of “trail rash”. “Looks like you guys have been having too much fun” he quipped. “It’s a Steve thing” I smartly replied. Chuckling, he sped on. At that point, Steve decided to “get mad” at his pain and just push hard through the pain. We separated again at the top of Nigel’s Hill, only to briefly rejoin again just before the next aid station.

Steve pushed on through the aid station, while I took a minute to refuel and hydrate. Before I took off, along came the “Pink Lady”, Julie Berg. She was looking good and stopped only for a few seconds to grab an Espresso Hammer Gel before taking off to hunt Mr. Quick down. I followed shortly thereafter, running along the long flat stretch along the St. Croix for the second and final time. It was somewhat of a surreal experience for me that mile and a half stretch. You can see down the trail almost the entire length and here in front of me 25 miles into a 50 km race were two of Minnesota’s finest masters ultrarunners, Steve Quick and Julie Berg. Somehow I felt like I didn’t fit into this picture.

I managed a decent pace and ran the entire stretch leading up to the second ascent up the dreaded Meat Grinder. During that stretch I saw Julie catch and pass Steve. I managed to gain some ground on Steve, but never saw him again after that. The Meat Grinder chewed me up and spit me out. By now, the heat was in full force since it was nearly noon. I struggled my way to the final aid station, walking stretches to get my heart rate down out of the red zone. I lumbered in to Tom and Nancy’s oasis. “You’ve only got 3 miles to go!” Nancy said encouragingly. “If you run 10-minute miles you’ll be at the finish in half an hour.” I looked at my watch. 5:24:00. If I wanted to make it in 6 hours, I was going to have to run 12-minute miles. That meant no walking except for the big climbs and that felt like a daunting task considering I had been walking some of the small rises the past couple of miles. “Screw it!” I thought to myself. “It’s only 3 miles. Just keep running until you can’t anymore. There’s no use saving anything in the tank now.” I thanked Tom and Nancy for working the aid station after gulping down a couple of cokes and set off to attack the Snowshoe Loop.

Surprisingly, I was able to maintain a decent pace and rhythm through the winding singletrack. The shade of the wooded sections were a relief and I continued to press on towards the finish. I emerged from the narrow paths and passed underneath the bridge still going strong. “I just might make it now,” I thought. “Gotta keep pushing and bring it on home!” The final big climb out of the woods forced me to walk, but for the last time of the race. Once I crested it I was in hammer mode and put the pedal to the metal. Determined and focused I pounded my way across the grassy fields along the wide path. I could see the clock up ahead “5:59:00”. I was going to make it…..at least close enough! Out of breath, I broke the finish line with the clock showing 6:00:15. WHEW!! Great finish!! I was happy with the way I ran and met my goals of finishing the race in 6 hours.

A special thanks to John Storkamp and the volunteers who did an absolutely amazing job organizing and running the race. The aid stations were well-run and well-stocked, and the volunteers were extremely helpful. In addition, the awards and race shirts were nothing short of jawdroppingly awesome! I’ve got Afton fever bad now, and plan to spend as many Saturdays as I can now training its beautiful, but beastly hills.

Happy trails, y’all!!

Pre-Race Thoughts on Afton

2008-07-03T12:36:00.002-05:00

Well, the Afton 50 km race is only a couple of days away. As usual, it looks like it will be plenty hot (forecasted high temp of 86 degrees) and of course, hilly. Afton was the first trail run I ever did which was way back in 2002 while training for my first (and only) marathon. It was the toughest run I had ever done in my life to that point, due to the terrain and weather. In fact, "surviving" 25 km at Afton was tougher than finishing the 26.2 miles of the TCM.

I haven't run the Afton race since then, but it has always been calling me. In fact, it was the main motivator behind my return to running and focus on ultramarathoning/trail running. Although my training has improved the past few weeks, I do have some trepidation about Saturday. I've yet to run one entire loop of the course without suffering considerably. On the positive side, I've been feeling very strong and smooth lately and have learned a lot about pacing, hydration, and nutrition the past few months. Hopefully, all of this will come together on Saturday and I'll have a smooth run. Irregardless, I plan to have fun, enjoy myself, and meet some more folks from the trail running community. I'm not going to worry about my time and just remember why I started ultramarathoning......because it's fun! It should one humdinger of a day!!

Training Report: June 23 - 29

2008-07-01T12:04:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, June 25: 7.2 miles; Early morning run on sidewalks and boulevards when possible. Also did a 1 km loop on trails. Very humid weather, even at 4:30 in the morning. Whew!

Thursday, June 26: 13.2 miles; 1.3 mile warm-up, 6.4 miles of trails, 5.5 miles on the road/sidewalk/boulevard (when possible) without food or water. I felt really strong and smooth tonight and easily scampered up all of the trail hills. My distance and hillwork are starting to pay off. Awesome run that really boosted my sagging confidence!! Avergage pace = 9:05/mile. NICE

Friday, June 27: 5.8 miles; Easy run to stretch out the legs. 1.3 mile on the road, 3.2 on trails, and 1.3 miles back home on the road. Another humid night but comfortable temps. The run really did loosen me up and get out the kinks. Tomorrow is a big bad day at Afton working the hills and getting comfortable with the course for next week's 50km there.

Saturday, June 28: 16.4 mi; Trail run at Afton State Park. Felt good and smooth through the Africa loop. Ran with RD John Storkamp on 2nd loop of race course at a fast pace, which really put me in the red zone a few times, but gave me a great workout. Had to postpone the 3rd leg for 20 minutes to wait out a passing t-storm. Was really tight from waiting in the car so I only ran another 5 km before calling it a day. Next time I run at Afton it will be the 50 km race! I also got to meet Keith K. and Nancy, which was great.

Sunday, June 19: 9.9 miles on hard-packed singletrack trails at Murphy-Hanrehan Park with a 1.5 mile cooldown. What a roller coaster of a course! I felt surprisingly strong and very fast, after having been beaten up the previous day at Afton. Another confidence-boosting workout after a tough day at Afton. Average pace = 8:47/ mile. SMOKIN'!!

Total weekly miles = 54

Back-to-back solid weeks for the first time this year. I can still see that I need much more hillwork, especially if I'm going to tackle 50 miles on the Superior trail in September. I'll also have to slowly start ramping up the miles as well. This weekend is the 50 km at Afton which I will approach as a training run. As far as regular training goes, I feel I need to get back to the schedule I started out with at the beginning of the year, which had hillwork on Wednesdays. I've been running hilly courses on those days the past few weeks, but not necessarily focusing on the hills as much as getting some distance in. The back-to-back long runs on the weekends have been working wonders and for some odd reason, I'm having great runs on the 2nd day when I expect to have a rough day. Go figure! Anyway, it was a great week overall and I really enjoyed getting to meet a few folks in the trail running community.

Training Report: June 16 - 22

2008-06-23T12:29:00.002-05:00

Monday, June 16: 41:10 , 4.5 mi (9:08 / mi); Quick evening tempo run on trails. Feeling good!

Wednesday, June 18: 2 hours, 12.0 mi (10:00 / mi); 7.75 miles at tempo in the afternoon on Hyland Park trails in 1:12:35 (9:21/mile), 3.25 miles easy on the same trails, including an additional climb up the ski hill, 1 mile cool-down. One of the warmer days I've run and I felt kinda slow and crappy at first, but eventually found my groove.

Thursday, June 19: 1 hour, 6.4 mi (9:23 / mi); Easy morning run through the 'burbs.

Saturday, June 21: 4 hours, 19.3 mi (12:26 / mi); Recon run of the Afton Trail 25K/50K course and a few extra miles. Felt pretty tired and maybe bonked halfway thru the run, but kept on going. Good heat and dehydration run. I definitely need more hillwork. Saw Julie, Carl, and Maria walking up a hill towards the parking lot (I managed a starstruck "Hi" to them all), saw Tom on the trails, and chatted briefly with Nancy on the trail as well. Kinda bummed I didn't realize there was a group hanging out together in the parking lot, including Keith and Alicia. It would have been a great opportunity to introduce myself and get to know everybody.

Sunday, June 22: 2 hours, 12.2 mi (9:50 / mi); 1.3 mile warm-up, 9.6 miles on trails in 1:32:00 (9:35 pace), 1.3 mile cool-down. Ran all of the hills!! Great follow up effort from yesterday's 4-hour punishment at Afton. Took no water or food on this run too. Nice confidence booster!

Weekly mileage = 54.4 miles; Much, much better than last week!! (Pats self on back)

A very solid week of training for a change. The runs in the heat and on the hills will get me better prepared for Afton, which I think is going to be a long day.

Oh Yes, It's Tag Time....AGAIN!

2008-06-19T12:08:00.009-05:00

I've been tagged by Phil and Derek on their blogs, so I will try to keep it going (no promises here, sorry).

Here are the rules and my reply is just below.

Tagging is easy. Just copy the following onto your post.
The rules of the game are posted at the start of your blog post.
In this case, I'm asking you 5 questions about running.
Each player answers the 5 questions on their own blog.
At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names.
Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been tagged and to look at your blog for details.
When they've answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you. Got that?
Here goes.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was not running at all. I ran cross country and track in high school, way back in the early 80's, but never continued running in college since I was too busy working and taking classes. I really got into cycling for a number of years and did a few races. In 2001 I decided it was time to start running again and challenge myself to finish a marathon, which I did in October of 2002. 2002 I also got my first taste of trail running at the Afton Trail 25K race. After the marathon, I took some time off to let my plantars fascitis (sp?) heal up and never got back into running until about a year ago. A few months before turning 40, I made a decision to start running once again, with the goal of finishing the 50K distance of the Afton Trail run, which btw, is in a week. Coincidentally, my brother started running again at the same time and we both decided to start training for and running ultras.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

My best race experience was the Ice Age 50-miler this past May. I was smiling from start to finish and really enjoyed running on the trails for 10+ hours. The whole experience was fun, relaxing, and rewarding.

My worst experience was the Conference Cross Country Championships my senior year. I had a hamstring strain and ended up finishing almost dead last. It was a really disappointing way to finish my senior season, especially having been one of the top 5 runners on the team.

3. Why do you run?

Running is a big stress-reliever for me. In addition, running ultras also challenges me both physically and mentally. With ultras there's always a good chance you might not finish, and to me, that's appealing.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

The best advice was from my high school coach, Rod Vick. He once said, "Let yourself run fast, don't make yourself run fast." In other words, it's easier to run fast when you are loose and relaxed. Don't tense up and strain. I think the other good piece of advice I got was to not run the steep hills during ultras. For me, it was hard to conceive of not running an entire race. But, following this advice during my first 50-miler got me to the finish line in good shape.

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Although I'm an engineer, I don't have a degree in engineering. I do have a BA in both journalism and speech communications. I'm also pretty good at Guitar Hero 2 and 3. I've beaten almost every song on Hard and over half of them on Expert. I'd probably be even better if I didn't spend so much time running. Ha ha!

Reality Check

2008-06-18T12:27:00.003-05:00

As the Gen-X movie title goes "Reality Bites". After reviewing my training thus far for 2008, I've been struck with the reality that I haven't been putting in the miles I need to be a decent ultramarathoner, let alone think about trying a century. Here are the sobering facts: First, my average weekly mileage is only 28.5 (31 if you don't count the two weeks this year when I had zero miles); Second, out of 68 training sessions, only 11 have been 15+ miles, 6 have been 20+ miles, and only 2 have been 30+ miles (Ice Age 50 and 38 miles of pacing at Kettle 100); Third and final, I've only averaged about 3 training sessions per week.

Conclusion, I'm just not getting it done.

Yeah, it's been tough training while working full time, being a husband and a father, and trying to have a life. But, as the saying goes: "Excuses are like assholes - everyone's got one." Time to buck up and get my ass out on the trails more and get the miles in. Am I beating myself up about this? Not at all. I knew I wasn't getting the training I needed and posting about it here will keep me accountable for doing something about it.

That being said, I'm very much looking forward to a good week of training. Tonight I will be out at Hyland putting in 2+ hours and also heading out to Afton on Saturday for 4+ hours. That should get the miles up! I'm also trying to incorporate a few two-a-days when possible. I also want to make myself a personal challenge right here and now that by the end of July I will get a 100-mile week of training in. There, the gauntlet has been thrown down and I'm commited to it!!

Hope to see ya on the trails!!

*Next race: Afton 50K (yes, I finally sent in my registration!)

Kettle 100 Report - Part 2

2008-06-15T20:12:00.003-05:00

And so the story continues............

Into the light rain Kev and I tottered off. We managed to run a few sections of the 5-mile stretch to the Tamarack aid station, primarily the downhill ones. Heh heh. We got there just fine, refueled, refilled, and pushed on. The next two stops, Bluff and Dufflin Road were only about 2.5 miles apart each.

The weather had held off for a while and we started to dry out a bit by the time we reached Bluff. On our way to Dufflin Road, we took note of the pending darkness of nightfall. Since our pace was slower than expected, Kevin started to get worried about running in the dark. Why? Well, he had packed his headlamp at the Highway 12 station where his next drop bag was, and that was another 4.3 miles beyond Dufflin Road. Fortunately, I had my headlamp with, but running with just one was going to be tricky and slow us down even more. After berating himself for being "an idiot", I reassured him that we'd navigate the singletrack section to Highway 12 okay and not to beat himself up about it.

We managed to pick our way through the early darkness with only a few "stumbles" along the way and pull into the Highway 12 station, which was a welcome sight for my frustrated brother's eyes. Now armed with 2 headlamps and refueled, Kev's morale was up. We calculated our current pace and how much time we had to finish the course in less than 24 hours. All we had to do was average 20 minute miles and we were golden. Inspired by this, we set off for the turnaround checkpoint at Rice Lake, 4.4 miles away. We alternated stretches of running and fast walking through the tricky and rocky singletrack sections. We were making good time and putting minutes into "the bank". But mother nature had other plans.

A few hundred yards from the turnaround at Rice Lake she unleashed another storm and downpour. We were crushed. The section we had just traversed soon became flooded and unrunable. Now our rhythm was broken and we were forced to carefully walk the next 4.4 miles back to Highway 12 in the rain over slippery rocks, roots, washouts, and mud. One section became so slick that Kev's feet went out from underneath him and he went down. He stuck out his arm to brace his fall and jammed his wrist harshly. Little did he know then, but the fall had caused a hairline fracture in his arm. Despite the frustration and rain, we pushed on and made it back to Highway 12, not only having lost all of the time we had gained earlier, but losing even more. At this point, Kev said he wasn't going to be able to run anymore. He was totally fried and just wanted to finish this race up. He put on a dry shirt and ate some potatoes in preparation for the final 14.3 miles. I took a few minutes to take off my shoes and wring out my soaked socks before we took off again.

After crossing the prairie section en route to Dufflin road we had to navigate some tricky singletrack trails. Halfway through the inky woods we came across a solo runner in distress. He was carrying a flashlight that was obviously on the verge of going out. He asked if we had any AA's he could borrow. Unfortunately for him, all we had was AAA's. Bummer! I let him know the open grasses of the prairie were still 40 minutes away or so if you were walking and wished him well. We stopped at one point shortly thereafter and turned off our headlamps out of curiosity. It was pitch black. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. We were thankful we had our headlamps and spare batteries. A few minutes later, we came across a pair of runners heading the same direction as the unfortunate man with the fast-fading flashlight. We told them of his dilemma and they sped off to try and catch up to him. I felt better then and was happy to have done a good deed for the day.

Our adventure in the section back to Dufflin road was still not over yet. A few minutes later we ran into a couple of Kev's running buddies - Angela and her pacer. Angela was staggering and looked like death warmed over. We chatted for a few minutes and gave a few words of encouragement before continuing on. After the race, we found out that shortly after we had left that spot, Angela lay down in the middle of the trail for a while before continuing on to Highway 12, where she dropped out. Yet another casualty of the day's brutal conditions.

Dufflin road checkpoint came and went without any note of significance. We plodded on through Bluff and on to Tamarack, the final aid station. A mile or so before Tamarack, we started to recalculate our time and the possibility of still breaking 24 hours. Kev was going to have to have a miraculous recovery and run 12-minute miles from Tamarack to the finish to have any shot. Nonetheless, we were looking forward to a little morale boost from the fast-approaching daylight.

We got to Tamarack at about 5 am. It was light enough now to shed the headlamps. Kev revived himself with some hot chicken broth and off we went to knock out the final 5 miles of this epic adventure. Once again, mother nature decided to poke fun at us by sending us off with another outburst of precipitation. Fortunately it only lasted about 15 minutes, but soon thereafter, the mosquitoes were out in full force. Since the rain had washed off any repellent I had on and we were walking, slow-moving targets, I got miserably assaulted for the next hour. Never before in my life had I been bitten so many times in such a short amount of time. ARGH! With my shoulders, elbows, and knees welt-covered in 'skeeter' bites, we trudged up and down the never-ending cycle of hills in the final 5 miles. Half a mile from the finish, Kev finally decided it was time to turn the legs over one last time and we strode into the finish at Nordic in 24:35:00. WHEW! Relieved, we gave each other a quick hug and I congratulated him on an amazingly gutty effort. I couldn't have been prouder of Kevin for having finished that race despite the weather and tactical mistakes he had made. Most people would have given up earlier, but he kept going on, despite blowing up and knowing that it wasn't going to get any easier. He was a true warrior that day and I'm proud to say he is my brother. Way to go bro!!

Me and brother Kevin, "The Warrior", after the finish.

Friday the 13th - Muwahahaha!

2008-06-13T14:20:00.003-05:00

Talk about spooky....I just realized my total mileage for the year as of Friday the 13th is....666 miles!! Maybe I need to put in a couple of miles tonight when I get up to the cabin in Hayward, WI. Ya think?

Kettle 100 Report - Part 1

2008-06-11T12:06:00.007-05:00

As noted earlier in my blog, I was to be the pacer for my brother's (Kevin) first attempt at 100 miles at the Kettle Moraine 100 this past weekend. What an experience it was!

The race started off well, with my bro coming through the 31-mile/50 km mark in 8th place at 5:15:00. Not too bad, considering the sweltering 90+ degree heat and humidity that made it feel like 97 degrees. However, I was a bit concerned that he'd gone out a bit fast, but nonetheless, I know he's pretty damn talented and he was racing his plan. Defending champ, Mark Tanaka came through in first, looking like he was going to be the man to beat.

Brother Kevin - Looking smooth early

I didn't hang out on the course all day like some pacers do. I stayed at my brother's house and hung out with my sister-in-law, their 2 kids, my son, and my Dad. The kids enjoyed playing together and watching The Wiggles (ugh) while we adults monitored the weather and the race webcast. We were getting very concerned about the severe storms headed our way.

After a great lunch of pasta with meat sauce (my sister-in-law's killer recipe), I headed out to the Nordic checkpoint, which served as the start/finish as well as the 62-mile checkpoint from which the pacers could join the race. I got there a little before 3:30 pm, as my bro requested. I double-checked all my gear and strapped on my new Nathan hydration vest. While waiting for Kevin, I met a few runners who were finished for the day, including a great gal named Ann Ver Hoef from Anchorage, Alaska.

4:30 went by (Kev's earliest projected arrival time at Nordic) with only new race leader Joel Eckberg having come through from the 100-mile solo runners. Soon after, the skies really darkened up and the thunder started to rumble. Shortly thereafter, mother nature unleashed her fury on us all with torrential downpours and windspeeds around 50-60 mph. The outdoor aid station at Nordic was flooded under 6 inches of water within half an hour, so all of it had to be moved inside, along with the drop bags. A rain-soaked Mark Tanaka scurried into the shelter of the aid station just after 5 pm and seriously considered abandoning the race due to the severe weather. However, after a quick internet check by the great race crew and some reassurance that this was the worst of the storm, Mark decided to continue on. The crew even was so kind as to allow Tanaka to send a quick e-mail home to his family to let them know he was okay. At that time, I phoned my brother's wife and let her know that a few runners had come through, but Kevin hadn't yet and that I'd let her know as soon as he did.

Nordic aid station - 62 miles down, 38 to go.

Finally, a little after 6 pm, my brother came striding into Nordic. He looked good and was in decent spirits. I quickly directed him to his drop bag, gave his wife Allison a call, ditched the cell in my car, and got ready to hit the trails. "How are you feeling?" I asked Kevin, who was chowing down some food. "My legs are dead." he responded between spoonfuls of yogurt. Oh shit, I thought to myself, this is gonna be a long 38 miles. He then went on to tell me he had a rough spot earlier but was feeling okay. Unfortunately, "okay" meant he could still walk fast, but not really put any sustained running effort together. Oh man, gut check time! Off we shuffled into a light rain at about 6:20 pm with 38 miles of rain-soaked and wind-torn trail to cover.

Week in Training, May 26 - June 1/Gel Review

2008-06-02T19:57:00.003-05:00

Monday, May 26: 12.7 mile tempo run on trails, running all hills until last lap. Didn't feel overly fresh but feeling stronger on the hills now. Spent about 2:30 during the run in transition time refueling and hydrating.

Wednesday, May 28: 0.3 mile warm-up, 3 x 0.6 mile repeats (4:22, 4:21, 4:20 - 7:12 pace), 1 mile cool-down. Nice improvement over last weeks intervals by about 10-15 seconds.

Saturday, May 31: 1.3 mile warm-up; 9.6 mile trail tempo (1:30:00, 9:22/mile pace); 1.3 mile cool-down. Very humid morning. I did a test to check my rate of dehydration/hydration, weighing myself before and after running and purposely dehydrating myself. Average rate was about 1 liter per hour which is pretty typical. Also tested out some different energy gel (Clif).

Weekly mileage: 29.1 miles; Again, not a very high volume week, but some quality training. I'll definitely get more miles in this week since I'll be doing some pacing for my bro at the Kettle Moraine 100.

Goo Do You Love?

Alrighty, time for my review of 3 of the most popular energy gels: Gu, Hammer, and Clif.

Gu - I used this gel when I ran the Ice Age 50 and it performed well. Like most gels, it's kinda thick, so I had to add some water to get it to flow well in my gel flask. As far as taste goes, the flavor was fine, but it got to be rather sweet after a while. The packets are fairly easy to open and the opening was sufficient to easily squeeze the gel into your mouth.

Hammer - This gel performed the same as the Gu. No wonder since they are basically the same thing, being maltodextrin-based. The raspberry flavor was pretty sweet, but the mocha flavor was a bit more mellow. I did have an issue with one of the packets rupturing for some reason, which didn't make me too happy, since these gels get really sticky. The package opened easily enough but I felt the opening it created was a bit small, which made a little tough to squeeze out in packet form. However, this would not be an issue if using a gel flask or buying it in bulk.

Clif - This turned out to be my favorite of the three. I felt it gave me the best boost and sustained energy. The taste was sweet like the others, although it didn't stick with you as much. I also liked the fact that the packets have a "leash" that keeps the tear-off tab attached when opening it. This is handy when using single servings so you don't have to worry about dropping the tab. I also noticed that the Clif gel's rice syrup base sat in my stomach a little better than the maltodextrin bases, which tended to give me a little gas afterwards. I'll be giving Clif the nod at the Kettle Moraine 100 to see how well it does over a longer distance and provide more feedback.

Crunching Numbers For Ultras - Ultra Calculator!

2008-05-30T12:16:00.003-05:00

Sometimes planning an ultramarathon can be overwhelming. How many gels do I need? How much electrolyte will I have to make up? How much longer will it take to finish if I run 2 minutes per mile slower and how many more gels and bottles of electrolyte will it take? Sure, it's easy to just say "No problem, I'll just drink one bottle and take 2 gels per hour. Right?" That's all well and good in theory, but what happens when aid stations and access to water and food are not evenly spaced or there are significant gaps which can take in excess of an hour or two to cover?

Case in point, I was looking at the Sawtooth 100-miler aid station chart. Many of the stations are in excess of 7 miles apart. Given an average historical pace of about 18 - 20 minutes per mile, that means it might take you 2+ hours to reach the next station. Now, if you were planning on carrying 22 ounce water bottles and hydrating at a typical 32 ounces per hour, you'd need to carry 4 to 5 bottles with you. Duh oh! Maybe it's time to invest in a hydration pack, ya think?

Anyway, my point is, running ultras requires some serious planning and calculating. Of course, it's nearly impossible to figure in all of the variables, but having a way to help analyze and plan your race is essential. This inspired me to create an Ultra Calculator.

What's an Ultra Calculator you ask? Well, here's what it is and does. It's an Excel spreadsheet I designed that requires you to enter the distances at which each of the aid stations are located. Then you enter in your projected pace per mile, how many ounces of fluid per hour you drink, the fluid carrying capacity of your bottles/hydration pack, total calories of your fluid carrying capacity, calories per gel pack, and your race start time. Once you have entered this information, the spreadsheet will calculate the following: distance to next aid station (AS) in miles; estimated time to reach the next AS in minutes; your cumulative race time in minutes, as well as in hours and minutes; estimated arrival at each AS in military time (handy for your crew and pacer); estimated ounces of fluid consumed/needed between AS's; estimated calories consumed/needed between AS's; estimate of how many bottles/hydration packs you'll need between AS's, based upon their carrying capacity, hydration, and caloric needs; and finally, how many gels you'll need between AS's, based upon caloric need. WHEW!!

I know it sounds like a lot, but it's actually rather simple and might help you get a better grasp on how to plan your next ultra. Here's a link to the file if you care to download it and give it a try. In the file I've included 3 tabs, one which is a blank form, and the other two are the Kettle Moraine and Sawtooth 100's for 2008. http://www.mediafire.com/?z2ymjlahmdi

Feedback and suggestions are welcome!

My Brother's Pacer

2008-05-28T12:21:00.005-05:00

I am going to be a pacer/crew for my brother who will be attempting his first century at the Kettle Moraine 100 on June 7-8. So, no, that's not really his Pacer. Yeah, I know, real funny.....maybe. Anyway, I'll be helping him out through the night hours from miles 62 to 100. It will be a great experience for me as well, seeing how a century event is run and getting to put in some night miles. Woo yeah, gotta love a road trip with the promise of some trail running!!! Time to go shopping for some kind of flashlight or lamp and possibly a hydration pack. Oh yeah, and gotta stock on some gels. Which kind? Well, find out soon when I review the 3 most popular energy gels - Clif, Gu, and Hammer. Mmmm, que sobrosos! Adios amigos!

Training Report: May 19-25

2008-05-27T16:18:00.004-05:00

Ah, it's great to be training again. Two races 3 weeks apart, coupled with my knee strain really minimized my time out on the trails. However, that's behind me and I'm back on track by putting in some hard workouts! All I need now is to increase my mileage.

Monday, May 19: 3.3 on the road and 3.2 on trails at Terrace Oaks in the evening. I felt really smooth and strong, averaging 8:46/mile. The lilacs and tree blooms were fragrant, making it an even more enjoyable run.

Wednesday, May 21: 0.3 mile warm-up, 3 x 0.6 mile incline repeats (4:40, 4:32, 4:35 - 7:38/mile pace), 0.9 mile cool-down. My first interval workout of the year! 'Bout time, eh?

Thursday, May 22: 1.3 mile road, 1.9 mile trail (Terrace Oaks), 1.3 mile road with cooldown. Felt a little tired from yesterday's intervals. Just an easy run to stretch the legs out from the intervals. Average pace - 9:07/mile.

Saturday, May 24: 1.3 mile warm-up; 6.4 miles on trail at Terrace Oaks (56:00 - 8:45/mile); 1.3 mile cool-down. Solid run, considering I ran all of the hills on the trail. Just a perfect morning for running!!

Weekly mileage - 24.2 miles; It was a low-mileage but high-quality week. More miles for sure next week!!

COMING SOON: Review of Clif Gel, Hammer Gel, and Gu Gel

Tag 6-Word Memoir..... Game On!!

2008-05-23T06:03:00.003-05:00

Okay, I finally decided upon my 6-word memoir for this game of "tag". It's really more of a mantra than a memoir, but nonetheless here it is:

"Plan your race. Race your plan."

(Scurries off to start tagging others.)

Rest, Recover, and Rethink

2008-05-21T12:15:00.003-05:00

This past week I spent my time resting, recovering, and rethinking my ultrarunning season. That's not to say I'm disappointed with my results thus far. On the contrary, I'm quite pleased with my progress and am reconsidering what my focus on the rest of the year should be. My initial plan was to slowly work my way up to mastering 50 miles, throwing in FANS as a litmus test as to whether I could possibly do 100 miles. However, after reflecting upon how well I handled Ice Age and what my strengths and weaknesses were during that run, I've come to the decision to approach my racing and training from this point on differently.

Here's what I plan to do:

First, I will alter my race schedule. FANS will be taken out so that I can get a couple of months of solid training in before Afton. I also may not run Voyageur because it is so close to Afton. But, we'll see how Afton goes first. I really want to do it though because it will give me a good test of how I will handle Superior. The biggest change in my schedule will be my determination to run the 100 instead of the 50 at Superior. I really want to run a 100 before the end of the year and why not at Superior? Yeah, the course is brutally tough, but that's what intrigues me about it so much. That's why so many of us run ultras, because there's the chance we might actually fail. Anyway, that's my intention at the moment until someone comes along and tells me I'm crazy and stupid, which might not deter me anyway.

The second change will be in my training. While running Ice Age, I felt my weakness was twofold - hills/strength and recovery. Until the Ice Age, most of my training has been spent on the roads, since most of the trails have been snowed/iced up deep into the spring months. The problem with that is trail hills are much shorter, but yet much steeper than road hills. Yes, I walked most of the hills at Ice Age like one should, but I felt I walked a few inclines that maybe I should have been running instead. Not only that, but I need downhill work as well. I noticed after the Ice Age that I didn't have much soreness walking up stairs as I did walking down them. Again, the nature of shorter but much steeper trail hills. Afton, Voyageur, and Superior will be very hilly and I feel that the strength gained from hillwork will be invaluable. In addition, I will start doing some interval training. I need to start improving my cardio so that I recover more quickly after efforts. In addition, I also feel the need to increase my base miles, which has been a struggle ever since starting to work again. My choices have been to either run very early in the morning (I leave for work by 6:15 am, so when I say very early, I mean VERY EARLY) or to run at night. The problem with running at night is that I have two choices: One, run at about 8 pm after my stomach has settled dinner, or two, run when I get home and forego time and dinner with my wife and almost-3-year-old son. Of course, my 3rd option is to do two-a-days, which aren't quite as good as one continuous run, but nonetheless better than nothing. I guess I'll have to try out a few things and see what works best.

Ice Age 50 Report

2008-05-14T12:35:00.006-05:00

Yep, I've been dragging my feet on writing my report for the Ice Age 50-Miler, not because I'm dreading rehashing my experience, but because I've been a bit tired and lazy during my recovery the past couple of days. In addition, I've been extremely busy at work and have "worked" through lunch this week, which has prevented me from updating during that time as well. However, tonight I promise to write about my wonderful experience at Ice Age and also get on top of this game of "tag". Until then, huevos rancheros!!

Okay, here's my report as promised!

The wife, son, and I drove down to visit my in-laws on Thursday night and then went to my brother's on Friday evening. That night my brother, Kevin, and I discussed our drop strategies and packed our bags. I decided to only go with bags for drops #2 and #3. My wife bought my "bags" at Walmart which were vinyl lunchbags, one featuring Go, Diego, Go and the other the movie "Cars". I packed a few peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, Cliff Blocks, Cokes, Band-Aids, wipes, udder balm, socks, and a shirt. My brother and I ate a healthy bowl of steel-cut oats with dried cherries before bed to give our stomachs something to work on and hopefully "purge" the system in the morning. Neither of us is big on eating before a race either, so the oatmeal would be our surrogate breakfast.

We got up at 4 am, grabbed our gear and hit the road for the race. It was rather chilly and unusually foggy, but otherwise shaping up to be a perfect day for a 50-miler. At the park, we made a few trips to the bathroom to "unload" unnecessary baggage and hung out with several of my bro's running buddies. We also chatted a bit with Steve Quick who seemed to be ready to go, despite his suspect ankle. My brother and I agreed not to run together for fear of altering the other's race strategy/pace. I started near the back at the start since I really wanted to force myself to go out slowly, since I did the complete opposite and Trail Mix and paid for it. There was a nice introduction to the race, including 15 seconds of silence in honor of a recently departed runner. Shortly thereafter, the start horn sounded off and we were on our way!

The first 9-mile loop was over hilly but wide trails with several beautiful vistas overlooking treetopped valleys. My goal was to come through around 1:30, which I accomplished. All through that first loop I just relaxed and truly enjoyed the scenery and company of other runners. I truly felt blessed to be out running on such a beautiful course on such a perfect day.

Next came the first out-and-back. Now the trails became much more technical, hilly, and rocky. Despite still feeling extremely fresh and energetic, I continued to hold back, reminding myself that it was a long day ahead and not to be foolish. Conservation of effort is the key and I wanted to make sure I finished this bad boy and did it without suffering. On the approach to the first turnaround I started to see the first runners on their way back. To my surprise, here came my brother and it looked like he was in the top 20!! Holy crap!! We yelled encouragement to each other while approaching and high-fived on passing. I was so happy for him, but at the same time worried that he had gone out too fast. But, in the back of my mind I knew he had been training on these trails and has a great running background, with talent to boot. I continued on to the turnaround point, enjoyed some snacks, refueled, and continued on my journey.

I was anxious to get to the meadow area of the first out-and-back. The rocky and constant hilly sections were beating up my feet. I must have stubbed my toes about 20 times it seemed and my feet were in a bit of pain. In addition, I was looking forward to stretching the legs out with a good long stretch of steady running. I followed a small group of veteran runners through the grassy areas and easily made it to the start of the 2nd out-and-back, clocking in at 5:00 at the 26.2-mile "marathon" checkpoint on the way. So far so good, and I had yet to struggle. Woot!!

The second out-and-back was just as tough as the first. Lots of rocky climbs and dangerous descents. The section from aid station #8 to #9 was particularly brutal and I could tell it was going to put the hurt on a lot of people on the return. It was during this section that I saw my brother again. Not only had he not fallen apart, he had moved up!! I asked how he was doing and he said he was feeling a bit cramped, but otherwise good. I was relieved to hear the news and knew at that point he would finish well. I continued to chug along and just focus on getting to station #9 which I believe was the "Margaritaville" one, with bright-colored decorations lining the approaches and Jimmy Buffet blaring from the aid tent. There I enjoyed a few treats, sucked down half of a Coke, and grabbed some Cliff Blocks. I was still feeling good and focused. I had completed 37 miles at this point, running further than I ever had before, yet I still was doing great!!

Leaving Station #9 I caught up and tagged along with 3 older runners until the turnaround at Station #10. We arrived at the 40.2 mile mark at 8:30 and refueled quickly before heading back. Comments were made about how we had 3:30 to cover the last 10 miles in order to make it under the 12-hour belt buckle cutoff. It was at this point I knew I was going to finish my first attempt at a 50-miler. I tagged along with them for a mile or so and noticed they were starting to struggle a bit. I was feeling refreshed from the stop and the margarita-flavored Cliff Blocks I had at the aid station gave a little pep in my step. So, I took off on them and made some good time through the flatter parts of that section on my way back to Margaritaville.

I arrived at Margaritaville for the second time still feeling alert and comfortable. I downed a few snacks, refilled my water bottle and headed off on the toughest part of the entire race for myself and most other runners - the dreaded rocky and hilly sections of miles 43.3 through 47.6. I plugged away at the hills and focused on not falling and hurting myself. Many of the downhill sections were rocky and steep and I was not about to fail having come this far. Patiently I made my way through the section and reached the final aid station, still in good shape. Only 2.5 miles to go!!

At the final aid station I downed a couple of pickles and half a Coke, thanking the volunteers on my way out on my final leg. I was ready to bring this baby on home now. I was pumped about being so close to the finish and energized by the soft, pine needle-covered, gently rolling sections. I pushed my pace on my way to the finish, passing several runners on the way, even running the hills. I could hear the people at the finish line and a big smile spread across my face. Cruising into the finish chute, I enjoyed the moment of the people cheering me on and looking at the official clock showing 10:38:45. Success!!!

My brother greeted me at the finish and congratulated me on my effort. When I asked how he did, he told me he took 3rd in his age division and 10th overall (which we found out later was actually 11th - oh well). Hot damn!! My brother is a rockstar!! He finished in 8:06+ in his first 50-miler and took home some hardware in the process. Not too shabby. I couldn't have been prouder and happier for him. Afterwards we visited with some of his friends and bumped into Mr. Quick, who was looking a little worse for the wear. Despite not having a typical result, Steve was still a stud for toughing out that course with an injured ankle. Way to show some guts bud!!

Overall, I had a phenomenal experience at the Ice Age 50. It was my first 50-miler and I ran within myself, allowing me to finish without struggling and smiling the whole way. The people who volunteered were awesome, shouting encouragement and being extremely helpful at the aid stations. In addition, the fellow runners on the trails were the best. Everyone from the frontrunners to the back-of-the-packers were sharing words of support with each other along the course. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a race as much as I did this one. Not only that, I was extremely pleased at how well I had planned my race and raced my plan. Not once did I feel I was in trouble, which I attribute to how well I fueled and hydrated. I can't wait for my next ultra run now, which will probably be Afton Trail 50K. I was originally planning on doing the FANS 12-hour, but really feel I need to spend some time training. So, I'll be spending the time until then focusing more on hillwork, increasing my miles, and adding in some intervals. I might even throw in some upper body strength training. Happy trails y'all!!!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-05-05T12:31:00.005-05:00

Yep, I've been "tagged" by another blogger and have been asked to play along. My "tagger" is Views From a Director, who also tagged Kel. Here is a link to VFD's post regarding whom he tagged. http://chesterwoodstrailrun.blogspot.com/2008/05/tagged.html (Sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the link since blogger's hyperlink scripting doesn't seem to be working correctly.) There's a great story about sportmanship on his blog that will leave you with a case of the warm fuzzies. Be sure to check it out!

Here are the rules of the "tag" game:

1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play

I haven't taken the time to come up with a memoir yet, but I'll post it as soon as I do. Now.....who do I tag?

Gentlemen....Start Your Engines!

2008-04-28T19:42:00.003-05:00

You might recall a month or so ago that I shared one of my hobbies, which is desiging things with a CAD program. I showed a pic of an engine I had been working on and now it has gotten substantially more complex. A few weeks ago I finished it to this point as you see it now. I've added pulleys, drive belts, camshafts, valves, and managed to get the timing all working properly. It's been a great learning experience for me trying to design something from scratch and working out how to get different parts to interact correctly, as well as figure out how to get the timing sequence down, all while bettering my CAD skills.

Speaking of learning from experience, I definitely learned some things from my first ultra. First, really focus on starting out much slower and not getting wrapped up in the excitement. For me, it's tough because I'm competitive by nature and I hate to run in crowds. Therefore, for me it's only instinctual to get more to the front and into some open space. Second, I learned how important it is to really take it easy on the hills. Running hills on the roads is much different than the short but steeper hills on trails. They'll drain you quickly if you're not conservative and walk when needed. I'll definitely be following this strategy for the Ice Age 50-miler in a couple of weeks. The third thing I learned was the importance of fueling yourself earlier before you need it. I fooled myself into thinking I didn't need that much fuel for a 50K because I had run 20+ mile training runs with only a few bottles of electrolyte. Duh oh!

Training last week:

Monday - R&R after the 50K on Saturday and a 5K hike with the dog on Sunday.

Tuesday - 5.1 in 48:20; A nice relaxing run to work out the kinks from the ultra. Man, I can't believe how much that race hammered my body!

Wednesday - Rest; Still tired and a little sore.

Thursday - 9.8 in 1:28:49; Ah, that's more like it. My body feels much more rested and I felt smooth and strong. I love runs like this!

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Father and son bonding day while the missus hung out with her friend all day. The weather was crappy anyway.

Sunday - 14.5 in 2:13:13; 2 loops of the '08 Trail Mix course. I felt really slow and sluggish, but the clock said otherwise. Surprisingly, my pace was decent even though I walked the big hills. On the down side, the back of my left knee is aggravated and really tightened up later in the evening.

Trail Mix 50K (Well, almost 50K)

2008-04-19T14:36:00.004-05:00

My first ultra is under my belt and it was a success. My first goal was to finish - accomplished. My second goal was to complete it comfortably - accomplished. My third and final goal was to run it in under 5 hours - accomplished, thanks to a shortened course (chuckle, chuckle).

Overall, it was a great experience. The day started off rather dreary. It was cold and damp, having lightly rained all night long. Then there was confusion at the start. For the first time in about 16 years they decided to alter the starting point, and the course volunteers were unsure where we were supposed to gather to get this party started. Once that was settled, we got off to a bit of a late start, but we were all quite glad to get moving and warm up.

I felt really good and smooth throughout the first lap, running all of the hills, which I later regretted. The second lap was a strong effort as well, but I got smarter this time and walked a few of the big hills to conserve energy. When I came through the start/finish checkpoint after lap 2 I received a big shock. The clock showed 2:09:00 (sub 9:00 pace)!! Whoa!! I wasn't supposed to be in until about 2:25:00. OOPS!! That would come to haunt me soon as well.

Lap 3 made me pay for my mistakes thus far and I started to bonk. Fortunately, I had brought along four 8 oz. bottles of my homemade electrolyte, which helped me a bit. I also was not aware until just before the race that there was a drop/staging area where you could put extra personal support items. Had I known this, I definitely would have packed myself some extra goodies. In addition, I was expecting more food and drink at the aid stations than was provided. I was later informed during lap 4 that this was because of the 25k and relay runners whom they did not want to worry about taking up the "good stuff". So, lap 3 I really struggled to keep moving and I could tell I was fading fast. I needed some calories badly. To my credit, I didn't panic and kept running when I could and drank extra sports drink at the aid stations, hoping the "good stuff" would be out on lap 4.

Lap 4 was the beginning of my comeback and eventual strong finish. First off, psychologically is was great to have the 25k'rs and relay runners off the course. It just got too crowded with all of us on the course at the same time, especially in the sections with 2-way traffic. Again, like lap 3, I just kept moving when I could and focused on making it to aid station 1. When I got there, I was overjoyed to see Coke, pretzels, and Cliff Bars in abundance and ready for us to consume. Needless to say, I pounded down several Cokes, ate 1 Cliff Bar, and a handful of pretzels. Within minutes it hit my bloodstream and I was off like a rocket. Except for a couple of really big hills, I ran strong and steady the rest of the way and finished feeling great in 4:54:00+ and 31st overall. If only I hadn't bonked!! Oh well, I had fun, finished, and learned a lot, and that's what this first race was all about.

Other things to note about today. I got to meet Steve Quick and chat with him briefly. How cool! Congrats to Steve as well for redeeming himself for last week's disappointing run by winning the overall male category! Well done, Mr. Quick!! Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet too many other people, such as Kel and Keith. I did see Carl Gammon in attendance though. Oh, did I mention the course was muddy? Very muddy, but yet fun to splash around in and get nice and dirty. It was a great joy to finally get some miles in on some trails as well. My body definitely noticed the difference. Thanks to everyone who volunteered at the Trail Mix and made it an enjoyable experience. Time to rest up and get back to training on Monday. Next up is the Ice Age Trail 50-miler that I will run with my brother. He put in a great 35-mile training run on the course today, so it looks like he'll be good to go. Should be great fun!!

The Countdown Begins....

2008-04-14T19:40:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's less than a week now until my first ultramarathon test. Saturday I will run further than I ever have before when I take on the Trail Mix 50k. My confidence is high with my training, as I feel I'm much more prepared for this run than I ever was when I ran my first marathon. I never ran more than 18 miles while training for my marathon. In contrast, I've run 20+ miles at least 4 times in preparation for the 50k, including a 25-miler a week ago. Yes, I'm ready and anxious to get this first test under my belt. I'm also looking forward to the opportunity of getting to meet some fellow ultrarunners.

Last week's training (starting to taper)

-Monday: 2.2 in 21:00; My lower legs were extremely cramped and in dire need of a thorough massage. OUCH!

-Tuesday: 9.4 in 1:31:13; 2 x 4.7-mile hilly loop. Again, my legs were badly cramped, but I kept plugging away. They finally loosened up after 3 or 4 miles and the rest of the run went smoothly.

-Wednesday: 6.1 in 56:20; A little recon run out to the Terrace Oaks Park trails to check on the condition. There's still large patches of snow and ice, and where there isn't snow and ice, there's nothing but deep mud. No leg cramps today. Hopefully they're behind me now.

-Thursday/Friday: R & R; The Wild are in the playoffs and I just had to watch the game Wednesday night. Too tired Thursday morning to get up and get out on the road due to a late OT finish.

-Saturday: 9.4 in 1:23:28; I surprised myself on this run. I didn't feel like I was moving very fast and felt a little tired (Late night again watching hockey which went into OT....AGAIN!). However, the watch said otherwise. I ended up running 8:52/mile pace. Not shabby. Once again, no leg cramps. I think it's safe to say I've shaken those now. Woo hoo!

-Sunday: Rest again after celebrating the wife's 36th birthday into the late night with friends. Took a little snooze while watching the Masters.

New Experiences

2008-04-06T18:48:00.003-05:00

This week I had a couple of new running experiences. First off, I ran my longest solo training run ever - 25 miles. Secondly, I tried a new electrolyte drink that actually did what it was supposed to and it helped me during my 25-mile run immensely. What drink you ask? Well, it's Steve Quick's home-brew recipe and I highly recommend you give it a try if you already haven't. It's tasty without being overly sweet or salty and really kept me properly hydrated, which I noticed by my lack of thrist pangs and the minimal amount of muscle tightness and cramping I experienced. In fact, when I completed my long run, I didn't even have the usual feeling of starvation. I'll definitely continue to use this magical mix from now on. Thanks, Dr. Quick! If you haven't read Steve's blog where you can find his recipe, here it is:

-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. table salt
-2 tbsp. sugar
-4 tbsp. orange juice

Mix ingredients in a one-quart bottle and fill up with water, mix, and enjoy!! Just a side note, Steve does make a more complex mix than this for his running. This is a basic one he suggested. If you want the recipe for his more complex one, check out his blog by clicking on the link on the right of my page entitled "Run, Race, Repeat - Steve Quick".

This week's training recap:

-Monday: 4.3 in 39:54; a quick recon run to check out the local trail conditions and stretch the legs out.
-Tuesday: Ambushed by the snow. I didn't get out since the roads were not plowed yet and I didn't feel like playing chicken with the snow plows.
-Wednesday: 9.4 in 1:27:06; Felt prety smooth and strong, but had a little right knee pain.
-Thursday: 6.6 in 59:28; Nothing special, but a quicker than usual pace. I've noticed my average training pace has dropped by about a minute in the past month or so.
-Friday: Rest and get ready for my longest solo training run. Mixed up some of Steve Quick's magic elixir.
-Saturday: 25.4 in 4:01:36; Woo yeah! Great run!! Steve's mix worked like magic and I felt strong the whole way through. I averaged 9:31/mile, which is faster than my best marathon pace. I'm feeling pretty confident now about being able to finish the Trail Mix comfortably. Only 2 weeks to go!

What Type of Ultramarathoner Are You?

2008-04-03T12:17:00.002-05:00

The April issue of Ultrarunner contains an interesting article written by Madeleine McIntosh titled "The Perennial Why". In it, she discusses the types of motivation behind ultra runners and categorizes runners into 8 "types": The Spiritual One, The Mystic Introvert, Neanderthal Man, The Obsessive Compulsive, The Disciple of Nietzsche, The Social Animal, The Show Pony, and the Slow Poke.

The Spiritual One
The Spiritual One believes that ultrarunning pushes one to the extreme limit to a point at which a "spritual experience" occurs. In other words, the Spiritual One is engaged in a quest for the so-called "out of body experience."

The Mystic Introvert
This runner is similar to the Spiritual One. They prefer to train and race alone and is on a solitary journey of self-discovery, a path to enlightenment. The Mystic Introvert likes to use ultrarunning as way of exploring personal boundaries, both physical and mental.

Neanderthal Man
Neanderthal Man uses ultrarunning as an antidote to modern-day stress and as a way to get back to our human "roots" as hunters and gatherers roaming the countryside. They shun gels and isotonic drinks in favor of water, nuts, and seeds.

The Obsessive Compulsive
The Obsessive Compulsive will spend hours studying charts, writing checklists, researching equipment options and calibrating gadgets. Favorite areas of attention are: nutrition and fluid intake, packing, clothing, shoes, injuries, support crew task list, and writing lables in vivid marker on ziploc bags.

The Disciple of Nietzsche
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This runner believes that without going through extremely difficult physical experiences the human character remains weak. Therefore, enduring long periods of pain and discomfort while running is a process of "hardening up", making them better able to face challenges in other areas of their lives.

The Social Animal
The Social Animal enjoys the training runs as much as the race and sharing the experience is more important than achieving the personal goal. For them, physical fitness is just an entry ticket into a world of weekend adventures with friends.

The Show Pony
This one runs ultras in order to be able to show off, but in doing so, is inspirational to self and others. The Show Pony is constantly raising the bar in an attention-grabbing quest to go longer, faster, harder. They are proud of their accomplishments and enjoy sharing them with others.

The Slow Poke
The Slow Poke runs ultras because they have finally realized they have little talent for any other sort of running. Their dreams of fast marathon and half-marathon times have been long abandoned and shuffling along is just fine for them. The Slow Poke is non-competitive and is just happy to be doing something physical.

I'm sure like most of you, I have a number of motivations and reasons for starting to run them. For me, it's a way to get into shape, perhaps makes some new friends, and most of all, to challenge myself. If I had to pick a type from the list above as my primary one, I'd say I'm The Disciple of Nietzsche. I love to learn and try new things and always challenge myself. In 2001 I decided I would challenge myself to run a marathon, which I accomplished in 2002. Now, my challenge will be to start out at 50k and see how far from there I can go. Hopefully, in the next year or so I'll be trying my first 100-miler.

So, the question to you all of you readers and ultra runners is, "What type are you?" What is your motivation for running ultras or starting to try running them? Please vote in the poll posted up top on the right and feel free to share your reasons. Thanks!

Snow is a Four-Letter Word!!!

2008-04-01T21:28:00.004-05:00

I think most trail runners are with me in thinking that at this time of the year, snow is indeed a four-letter word. Granted, March is typically one of the snowiest months and the mild temps make the heavy snowfalls somewhat bearable. However, it's getting old and I'm just chomping at the bit to get some real trail running going. Last week was a mediocre one, as far as training went. I missed a few days due to tiredness from adjusting to actually having to go to work for a change and from a bit of a sinus bug. Overall, I was rather pleased with my effort on Saturday during which I ran about 30 seconds per mile faster than my fastest training pace at that distance. It was also great to have that toe injury behind me and back running again.

Monday - 4.4 in 39:47; First run in a few days due to my toe mishap
Tuesday - 4.4 in 40:11; I cut this one short due to stomach problems (What did I eat last night anyway?)
Wednesday - 9.4 in 1:29:13; Felt smooth and strong. Woot!
Thursday and Friday - No miles; I was a tired pup. Zzzzzzzzzzz
Saturday - 18.8 in 2:53:28; Holy crap! That's 9:13/mile on a hilly loop and 30+ seconds/mile faster than my last 20-mile run. Hot diggity!!
Sunday - R&R

Not a bad week, but I would have rather not missed Thursday and Friday. Oh well, I can't do anything about it now and sometimes you have to listen to your body. This week I plan to run about 22 to 25 miles on Saturday and maybe try out some of Dr. Steve Quick's electrolyte mix as well. I also plan to do a little shopping and pick up some running goodies. Perhaps some Injinji toe socks, a headlamp for running on the trails in the early morning darkness, and maybe check out those wicked Vibram Five Fingers that Keith Krone is always raving about, especially those cool KSO's. Happy trails everyone and have a nice day, unless you have other plans!

What I Do For Fun (Besides Run)

2008-03-25T05:22:00.006-05:00

Besides running, one of my passions is engineering design. Lately, I've been working on a design project using SolidWorks CAD software.
One of my fascinations ever since I was 7 or 8 years olds was auto engines. I remember building one of those working V-8 engine model kits when I was about 9. Well, with 3-D CAD software, one can build a working engine without using plastic parts and glue. So, I've been building a 4-cylinder engine in a Vee configuration. My main goal is to get it designed so that it works mechanically such that there is not interference between part surfaces and the timing is correct. So far, I have the main block, crankshaft, and pistons all in working order. My next challenge is to add in the valves and camshaft. I haven't decided yet whether to do a single camshaft design with rods and lifters, or a dual overhead cam design. If I can figure out how to post an animation of it working, I'll do so later. But for now, this is a pic of what keeps my overactive engineering mind busy.

Duh-oh!

2008-03-24T19:37:00.003-05:00

Okay, I pulled a total Homer Simpson last Tuesday night. I was walking around the house barefoot (with socks on), as usual, when I decided it would be a grand idea to kick the corner of the wall with my right foot. Now, I've done this before and it only has resulted in some brief profanity, followed by some temporary discomfort. However, this time I really smacked it good. By bedtime it was still hurting and I pulled off my sock, only to see that my toe was swollen and dark red. Oof! I iced and elevated it for a while before going to sleep. The next morning it still was extremely tender to the touch. Nonetheless, I attempted to go for my 4 am run which lasted a whole quarter mile before sensibility took over. Now, I don't know if I broke it or not, but I'm assuming I must not have since it didn't continuously throb. However, it did take several days for the pain to go away and I still have an odd bruise that looks like a line going from my nail and across the toe knuckle. Anyway, I went for a run this morning and the toe was pain-free, so I'm assuming all is good and back to normal.

Switching gears, I have to give a hearty "Congrats!" to my brother who ran his first ultra this past Saturday at the Oak Mountain Ultra in Alabama. He finished the approximately 33-mile and very hilly/mountainous course in 5:47+ for an overall 18th place finish. Way to go, bro! I know it was tough for him to not try to race, as he used to be one of the top distance runners in Wisconsin before "retiring" from running due to an Achilles tendon injury. But, he kept his cool and paced himself, walking when needed to get his first ultra under his belt. Only 4 weeks until my first ultra at the Trail Mix! I can't wait!!

Monday - 4.4 in 40:44
Tuesday - 8.8 in 1:23:20
Wednesday through Sunday - R&R from toe injury (boooo!)

Back on Track (Railroad tracks, that is...)

2008-03-18T20:04:00.005-05:00

Yes, that's right. My life is on track on again, figuratively and literally speaking. I accepted a position with Loram Maintenance of Way in Hamel, MN as a member of their Quality Control team. Loram contracts railway maintenance services and also sells OEM equipment for performing these services. You can check them out at loram.com So literally, I'm on track in that I will be working on railways in the future, testing the OEM equipment.

Figuratively speaking, my running is on track as well. I ran 6 of 7 days last week, getting up at 4 am almost every day in preparation for my new work schedule. I capped off the week with a strong 20-mile run and the confidence that I could have easily kept on going for quite some time. I'm really getting geared up for the Trail Mix 50K now. This week has been on course as well. It's a great feeling to have your life clicking on all cylinders!!

3/10 - 6.5 in 0:57
3/11 - 11.4 in 1:47
3/12 - 4.4 in 0:38
3/13 - 11.0 in 1:44
3/14 - 4.4 in 0:40
3/15 - 20.0 in 3:15
3/16 - Well-deserved rest

Out of Hiding

2008-03-07T21:32:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I've finally decided to come out of hiding and update my blog. Actually, I did write up a blog a week ago, but when I hit the "Save Now" button, my internet connection froze and I lost my post. I was so annoyed that I didn't bother to rewrite it. Anyway, I've been running more consistently again, despite the lousy, icy conditions we are still dealing with. This week has been an adjustment since I took a class Monday through Thursday for SolidWorks (3D CAD program)during the day, and had to start running very early in the morning at 4 am. However, it was a good adjustment because I will need to get used to it once I start working again. Speaking of which.......I got a job offer today!!! WOOOOO!!! Actually, I will probably have 2 job offers as of Monday, but the one I got today is the one I was really wanting. It will be a pay cut from my last job, but the company is really good to their employees and has a lot of growth opportunities for me. So, life is slowly returning back to normal.

Back in the Saddle Again

2008-02-19T12:38:00.002-06:00

Well, last week was one of those that you just have to write off and forget about. I didn't run all week since my 22-mile run on Saturday. This whole job hunting thing just had been draining on me and sapping my motivation. However, this week will be a whole new story, as I put in a brisk 6.3-mile run today and really enjoyed being out again. I just can't wait for Spring to get here soon so I can hit the trails near my house. Only 8+ weeks until the first trail race of the season for me - The Trail Mix 50K. Boo-yah!!!!

On the job front, I had an interview last week which I hope to hear back from later this week. In addition, I have an interview with another company on Thursday and also finally heard back from my former employer, who said "Thanks, but no thanks". Honestly, as much as I need a source of income right now, I'm somewhat relieved that they didn't offer me the job. Here is why. In speaking with my friends who still work there, I've come to find that the company is not doing very well and morale is at an all-time low. There is a lot of talk of people looking to leave, so perhaps jumping from one sinking ship to another would not have been the best thing for me. Anyway, at least now I can move on and focus on better opportunities!!

To all of the ultrarunners out there reading my blog, keep at it! Soon we will be kicking up mud and dirt on the trails instead of snow. Best wishes go out to Julie Berg whose son is finally home after a frightening hospital stay due to a ruptured appendix.

A Long Week

2008-02-10T20:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, it was a long week, even though there were 7 days in it like any other. No news on the job front. My former employer has been taking their sweet time deciding who to hire for the vacant position, but has told me they plan to decide by this coming Tuesday. Personally, I'm just taking the mindset that I won't get that job now since they've waited this long to decide and are actually considering other candidates. They new they could have hired me right away and had me start last week if they really wanted me. So, I'm just moving ahead with any other interviews and leads I can get. Right now, I have no pending interviews, about a dozen new jobs I've applied for, and 3 more that recruiters are working on. Other than that, I've got nothing. Needless to say, I've been rather stressed out about the whole situation as we are reaching crunch time, financially speaking. I've just got to remember that famous saying from "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy": "DON'T PANIC".

On the training front, things went well this week, thanks to some cooperative weather for a change. Tuesday and Thursday I did easy "recon" runs of 6 miles. On Wednesday I did my hill workout for 1.5 hours and on Saturday, I put in my longest solo training run ever - 21.8 miles. NICE! It was kinda slow-going because of the new snow we had gotten, but it sure felt good on the feet and body when running on it. I had to persevere through some tightness early on, but weathered the storm and eventually loosened up after about 90 minutes. I did a much better job of hydrating and feeding this time and actually felt pretty good the whole way through. I even got a 2nd and 3rd wind at 2 and 3 hours respectively. In addition, no blisters or serious aches or pains! I've opted to not do the follow-up 2 hour runs on Sundays after my long runs on Saturdays for a while until I get a little more base in. I'm finding that I need a little more recovery time since I'm not used to such long runs yet. Better to take it easy early on and avoid injury, than to overtrain and suffer an early setback. This year my goal is just to finish a 50K and a 50-miler, so there's no point in overdoing it so soon.

What a Difference a Week Makes - Redux

2008-02-04T19:43:00.000-06:00

Well, a week after having such promise on the job horizon, things are looking not so bright now. The first job that I was expecting an offer on fell through as the HR department was unable to obtain the owner's approval for a new hire. Then, today I found out the company I interviewed with a couple of weeks ago decided to not go further with the hiring process for that position. So, that leaves my former employer, who has yet to contact me with an offer. I met with 3 more former co-workers there last Wednesday for a series of quick interviews, which I thought went pretty well. But, I have yet to hear back from them. Hopefully they will come through. Otherwise, it's time to beat the bushes even harder. I tell ya, this job hunting is tiresome and frustrating work! ARGH!!

On a more positive note, I had a great long run on Saturday, logging 19.4 miles at just under 10-minute mile pace. However, the next day when I went out for a run, my right knee was very sore and my left achilles tendon was screaming. Consequently, I cut my run very short after just 2 miles to avoid any possible injury. I feel pretty good today, so hopefully I'll be ready to go when I run tomorrow. I think my problems stemmed from switching to my road shoes from my trail shoes that I've been training in almost exclusively for the past month. I only switched because the sidewalks here are either lumpy and slippery ice, or bare concrete. So, wearing Yak Trax is not feasible and running without is dangerous. Therefore, I've been relegated to road running and my trail shoes have always felt "clunky", unlike my road shoes. However, I've never had any knee pains or other soreness following long runs with them. So, clunky and pain-free it is from now on.

What a Difference a Week Makes!!!

2008-01-27T19:57:00.000-06:00

One week ago, I was freezing my butt off and still hoping for a good job opportunity. Now, the weather is comfortable and I have 2 great job opportunities and a possible third! How's that for life turning on a dime?

Overall, I had a solid week of training. Tuesday was an easy day as always. Wednesday is hill work or as I call it "hell" work. Actually, it's a really tough workout, but well worth the effort. This week, I found a great hill to run during my Tuesday easy "recon" run. The hill starts in the Black Dog park and goes about 0.4 miles up an s-shaped hill with a steep grade. Overall, it takes about 3.5 minutes to climb. I ran out to the park and then went up and down the hill 8 times before running back home. I really surprised myself in how strong I was. I've always been a decent climber and consciously incorporate hills into most of my runs when possible. Therefore, Wednesday's workout was a big confidence booster. Saturday I put in a 3-hour effort during which I covered just over 17 miles. I then followed that up on Sunday with a 2-hour run where I did another "recon" route to find new places to run and covered 11.5 miles. It was a tough run since my legs were still pretty tired and sore from Saturday's run, but that's what it's supposed to be. I call it the gut-check workout because it really pushes you mentally to work through the mileage while your body is still hurting from the previous day.

The job situation certainly brightened up this past week, much like the weather. I had an interview on Monday with Lifetouch for an lean manufacturing/process engineering position. I thought it went very well and was rather impressed witht the company overall. I'm hoping to hear back from them early this next week about a second interview. I also received news about a position I had interviewed a couple of weeks ago. They basically stated that I was the man for the job and were just awaiting some budgeting, planning, and final approvals, which were to be completed on Friday. Then, the big surprise was a third entry into the employment arena. Thursday night I received a phone call from a former employer (the company I worked for before my most recent job). They said an engineer there had unexpectedly given notice and had heard from my former co-workers that I would be perfect to fill the pending vacancy. The plant manager asked me to come in a speak with him on Friday and I obliged. My interview with him and the HR manager went very well and they were very interested in making me an offer. For them, this would be an ideal situation, since I already had knowledge and experience in the area which the departing engineer managed. In addition, I was already very familiar with the company and employees, having previously worked there for 6+ years. Not only that, they didn't see this vacancy coming and got caught flat-footed. They currently haven't posted the position and were very concerned about having a gap in coverage for the area, since it has been a troublesome spot as of late. At the end of my meeting with the HR manager, she told me she would be contacting her boss at the corporate HQ and planned to have an offer put together to present to me on Monday. Needless to say, Monday is going to be a very interesting day with 2 possible job offers and a perhaps a callback for a 2nd interview. When it rains, it pours!

Deep Freeze

2008-01-20T21:26:00.000-06:00

The weather continues to be extremely frigid. This weekend it never got above zero with the windchills around -20 during the day. Therefore, I didn't get any miles in during the weekend. On the plus side, my sore foot has completely healed and I'll be ready to get back into a groove this week.

I'm still waiting on a job offer from the interview I had a little more than a week ago. I'm told the company I spoke with is still very interested and will most likely give me an answer on Tuesday. In the meantime, I have an interview for another job on Monday for the same type of position. Hopefully that will go just as well and I'll two offers to consider.

The wife and I went to the Wild game on Friday and despite the home team losing in a fairly uninspiring effort, we did enjoy the night out. Saturday we went over to our friend Cheryl's house for appetizers, drinks, and games with 3 other couples. Sunday we pretty much just lazed around the house and watched the Pack stink up the football field and lose to the Giants. Oh well, no big deal since I'm not really into football anymore and now I won't have any reason to waste my time watching the Super Bowl, which I haven't watched in about 10 years.