Challenge yourself

Afton Trail Run 2011

2011-07-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

First of all, the course was changed from Afton State Park to nearby Afton Alps Ski area, since the State Park was closed due to the MN state budget fiasco. I was feeling absolutely fantastic the morning of the race and was ready to go. I’d really like to say THANK YOU to John Storkamp and the entire staff of Afton Trail Run to make this event happen.
We received our pre-race instructions, and John advised us to “go out slow”. This is opposite to his normal advice of “Go as fast as you can, for as long as you can”. I would heed his advice and sit back on this one. He started us off with a sneak attack “Go” and we were running. Most of the first mile was easy and there were some areas that opened up so that the pack could sort out. We went down a service road, through some good water puddles and mud beyond the Meadows Chalet. Then there was a bit of single track trail to the left of the service road. I visited a bit with Eve Rembleski, who I knew would run well and I planned to keep running in her vicinity today. We got all the way around to the southeast part of the property (I believe it is called the Southern Switchbacks) and we had our first major switchback in the open ski runs. I could see the leaders and was able to count the runners. I was in 13th place with Eve right behind me. I thought a little about not being superstitious, but just to be safe maybe I should slow down on the next uphill and have her pass me.
I had just crossed an open ski slope and there was a slight uphill with a light pole just where the trees started again. The light pole had a switch box and junction box near the bottom of it. As I planted my right leg near the pole, I felt a very intense shock that came from the left and jolted me in the meat of my calf muscle. My calf muscle cramped up into the most intense cramp I have ever felt. I took one step off the trail. Eve asked what happened and all I could say was “I got zapped”. I tried stretching it out but the cramping would not let up. I just stood by the side of the trail, cursed a bit a watched the entire field go running past me. Runners kindly asked me if I was OK. I really didn’t know what to say. I started walking slowly downhill to get to the service road. Walking was extremely difficult and slow. I discovered that if I used just the forefoot of that leg and kept the knee bent, it didn’t hurt as much. But I was not able to let my heel touch the ground. I experimented a little more and found out that slow running hurt less than walking on it. After a total of 15 minutes of going nowhere, I decided to go back to where I left the trail and continue on with the first lap. I ran nice and easy and caught up with my sister JojaJogger. I visited with her a little bit and continued on. I was holding out hope that the cramp would subside a little more, and maybe I could start running a little faster. It did seem to let up a little bit, but the full flexibility never did come back. It hurt too much to let my right heel drop to the ground. With this altered running stride, I knew that I would end up injuring something else if I would attempt to finish the entire 50K.
I was now committed to finishing the first 12.5K loop. I kept running easy and passed a lot of people. There was one time where my leg cramped up intensely again and I had to stop. I tried to stretch it out and about 8 people passed me again. I kind of felt like a fool, as I was wearing my Arizona Road Racers pace team singlet that day. It says “PACER” in big red letters on the back. Some kind of pacer – towards the front, all the way to last, then passing people, stopping, going again…. What an idiot!
Got towards the end of the first loop and caught up with Mary. She was doing OK, but was not enjoying the run at all. I told her she was doing fantastic, especially on the downhill sections! We came down to the bottom of the ski slope and were treated to another climb up. This hill has a really steep section that was the toughest of the loop. My calf muscle hurt a lot on this climb. It loosened up a little bit on the slalom drop down to the start/finish area. I finished the first loop in 1:33 and turned in my ankle bracelet. A little bit later, Mary came in and told me she was done also.
I talked to John and Shari Storkamp after I came in and they became quite concerned about what happened to me. I explained the shock I felt and where it happened. They had me ride out with an Afton Alps maintenance worker and we taped/rerouted the path by that light pole. John also saw to it that Daryl and Lynn Saari took a look at my leg and checked me out. RICE was their recommendation.
***10 days post-injury update***
I did go to the doctor, and he is convinced that the “zap” I felt was either my plantaris tendon rupturing, or it was the quick tear of my gastrocnemius muscle. Or maybe even both. Being in the vicinity of that light pole was merely coincidence. Now, I feel like a fool for thinking I felt a strong electrical shock, but that is really what it felt like and where it happened. Today my gastrocnemius is extremely sore and still cannot run (or even walk very well). I will continue to rest, ice, compress, elevate and gently stretch the muscle so that it heals properly. The continued pain tells me that it was a gastrocnemius tear. It makes sense that I was able to run up on my forefoot with my knee bent, as the soleus muscle controls plantar dorsiflexion with the knee bent. The gastrocnemius controls plantar dorsiflexion when the knee is straight (like lifting the toes up on the trailing foot when walking). Right now I’m down…. But not out!!
John

Something better than a Superior Sawtooth 100 race report

2010-10-04T04:59:00.001-07:00

I still have not posted my Superior Sawtooth 100 race report. I've written most of it, but sometimes events come along that are more important!
Some of you might know my wife Mary (whom I usually refer to as "Schmoopie"). To get to the point, she has attempted to get a marathon Boston qualifying time for the last couple of years. She has had a very good summer of training, and her hard work has finally paid off.
Now to really get to the point;
Schmoopie ran a BQ of 3:59:59 at the Twin Cities Marathon yesterday!!!
I am so proud of her and how she ran this race! We will be making plans to be in Boston next April 18, 2011.
We're going to bask in this one for a bit - then I'll post that boring Superior race report.
Later,
John

The next challenge.....

2010-08-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Success at Burning River!

2010-08-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Good news!
JojaJogger had success at Burning River 100. She finished in an official time of 29:39:16!!!
There were some very challenging times, but she dug down really deep and got the job done!
Sorry I didn't post earlier, but my Blackberry went into a bad funk at mile 72 and did not recover - kind of like a lot of the runners out there.
The experience of crewing and pacing at BR100 was fantastic!
John

Burning River update

2010-07-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest on JojaJogger's progress at Burning River 100.
She just came through Ottawa Point (mile 39.6) at 2:35PM,(9:35 elapsed time) which is right on her planned pace and 2:10 ahead of cutoff.
Just need her to stay steady and keep moving.
I will start pacing her @ mile 54.5.
John

Going to Burning River!

2010-07-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am traveling to the Cleveland, OH area for the Burning River 100. Not as a participant, but to crew and pace for my sister JojaJogger.
She is taking on her first hundred!!!
The plan is to crew her for the first 50 miles, then when nightfall comes I will pace her through the night to mile 85.
There is a 30 hour limit - so I will do my best to keep her on track to reach her goal.
I'm sitting at MSP airport right now, looking forward to the adventure-filled weekend!
If there is time and internet coverage, I may even post a few updates on the blog here.
Run starts at 5:00 EST / 4:00 CST Saturday and 30 hours later is Sunday 11:00AM EST / 10:00 CST.
There also is a live webcast at www.burningriver.org so tune in and check up on us during the run!
Later,
John

It isn't always about running

2010-06-29T03:38:00.000-07:00

This blog is not always about running.

Taking a look at all of the entries I've made here - they are ALL about running.

"Challenge Yourself" was meant to be that, I guess. I started with this blog to document a lot of the races and runs that I have set as goals in my little world of running. I am so thankful for all of the experiences in the past few years of my running. It's been very good.

I just don't normally talk about my personal life, my job or much else here. Sure, "Schmoopie" gets a little press once in a while - but that is because she runs also.

I will break away from the running on (hopefully just this entry) to give you a non-running update.

Last Friday night, our farm was hit by a storm/funnel cloud/tornado.

It really doesn't matter what the NOAA will call it, this storm packed a pretty good punch.

We are all safe and in good spirits. I believe that events like this are given to us for a good reason. It was miraculous that the buildings and equipment that I use the most were left nearly untouched. The buildings destroyed did not have livestock or valuable items in them, the equipment damaged was older and not being used. Our house had minimal damage.

This weekend we had many friends and family stop by and help with the cleanup effort. We are so thankful for these people in our lives.

I'll share a couple of pictures here. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who suffered much greater losses than ours this last couple of weeks.

Ok, now back to running......

Afton 50K is coming up this Saturday. My legs are feeling pretty good, and I'm hoping that I will be able to get up and down the hills in good order. There will be lots of top competition there with the 25K held as the USATF MN Trail running championship and the 50K being the USATF MN Ultra championship.

See you there!

FANS 12 hour race report

2010-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I participated in the FANS 12 hour run held at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, MN.The 24 hour version is in its 21st year and the 12 hour run is now in its 9th year. For more information about the FANS event, click here.

This year was special, as my sister JojaJogger came up to participate in the 24 hour event in preparation for her first ever 100 mile run at Burning River the end of July. She had been signed up for this a long time ago, and Mary had agreed to crew her for the run. I signed up about 1 month ago, and she gave me a little grief about "only" running the 12 (all the cool kids were doing 24 she said....).
I'm in pretty good running condition right now, but hadn't done an ultra event since late last year. I just thought I would go out there, get comfortable, and see what happens. Then, my sister posts on her blog that to get a "passing grade" of C for her run, she needs to run more miles than I can in 12 hours.

The sibling rivalry is on....

Fast forward to 8:00AM on a somewhat humid morning at Lake Nokomis. Final instructions are given, and 24-hour legend Mike Henze is there to ring a cowbell and get us started.

From looking at the list of entrants, I knew there were 2 runners in the 12 hour field that had very impressive credentials. John Storkamp was out there again to seek the course record, and Carolyn Smith was a runner that no one could overlook. Storkamp told me before the race that at the Fall 50 in Door County, she blew past him in the final miles to win the race outright. He has a lot of respect for her.

We were off on the first lap, and Storkamp laid back - he was running behind me for the first mile. But at the end of the first short lap, he pulled ahead. Others right beside me were Stan Ponkin and Zach Gingerich (who was running 24 - I guess he is a cool and very talented kid).

Notice how Storkamp is looking back and seems to be asking "is anybody going to run with me today?"

I held steady and the others pulled ahead. Holding steady meant 7:55/mile and it felt easy. But it was still very warm and humid, and I was going through about 48 oz. of water per hour. I increased my intake on SaltStick capsules to about 4/hour. Those laps I spent a lot of time trailing Carolyn Smith and Sonya Decker, sometimes running with Zach also. They were consistently hitting about 19:20 per lap. It wasn't long (sometime after mile 20) when Sonya dropped back. Carolyn told me she had some stomach issues.

So for the next 30 miles, Carolyn, and I played cat and mouse. She would pull ahead, but I would gain time every lap because Mary had my filled water bottles ready for me. No stopping at all. And then Carolyn would run with and sometimes pull ahead.

We talked about Storkamp, and how he sometimes goes out too fast. We agreed that if he didn't lap us by mile 40, we are in contention.

The rain started up, but really I didn't mind at all. It felt great, and I could reduce my water and elctrolyte consumption. I know the pace eroded a bit here to about an 8:30/mile but that is still pretty good at this point.

Came into mile 50 with a time of 6:55:06, 45 minutes faster than my best 50 mile run. Oh well, I'm in too deep to back down now!

It was sometime here where I did not see Carolyn any more, but knew she was somewhere behind me. Storkamp was ahead, but I had no idea where. My friend Ryan ran with me a bit here and I asked him to see if he could spy out where they were.
At mile 69.5, Storkamp was 8 minutes ahead and Carolyn was 4 minutes back.

Now is when it gets tough to focus. More than two hours to run yet.

The guys from MN RED came out and ran some laps with me. It was Brian, Rob and Coach Ron. They told stories - a lot of them pretty funny, and it kept my mind off the pain. We were able to hold onto a 9:00/mile pace even in those final laps.

Ryan updated me that at mile 79.1, Storkamp was 14 minutes ahead and Carolyn was 7 minutes back. Storkamp was not fading, he was getting stronger. Oh well, just try to stay steady and not blow up in the last 40 minutes.

I made it back to the lap count area with 19 minutes to go - not enough to run another long lap (I did not have any 7:30 miles in me at that time), so I started the short laps. I completed 8 laps (2 miles) and there was 55 seconds left.
Pushed it pretty hard to get the last 1/8 mile in just as time expired.

Final result: 83.69 miles for 2nd place overall.

John Storkamp compiled an amazing 85.49 miles, and Carolyn Smith established a new women's course record with 82.69 miles.

Now, back to the sibling rivalry....I was able to wind down a bit, clean up and get 2 hours of sleep. I came back to the course to crew for my sister and give Mary a break. Joja was still moving along well, but was reduced to walking now. She had PR'ed already at the
50 mile mark and was doing fantastic. She had a goal, and that was to out-do her little brother. And I was going to help her do it!

The night actually went by quickly, I was able to walk with her quite a bit, helping my legs from tightening up too much. She had to stop a couple times in the med tent to get some blisters fixed up, but she was determined to keep moving. By the time 24 hours was up, she had compiled 85.24 miles and got her goal.

Congratulations, you kicked my butt!!

Here's a picture of the two of us shortly after the 24 hours was over.

The post race breakfast was excellent and the awards ceremony was short and sweet.
Right now it is 7 days post-race and I am feeling very good. No structural damage at all from the run, but it will take all of 4 weeks to be ready for Afton 50K.

Thanks for reading,
John

Miracle at Lake Wobegon

2010-05-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my account of the Miracle at Lake Wobegon on May 8, 2010.

Started right up front. The gun went off and it felt good. There were three runners that shot out ahead of me. Let's call them Red, White and Spinach. Spinach is an excellent 52 year old runner whom I've gotten to know in the last year. He also won the Men's Master's title last year. Red and White were a lot younger.
Time splits were called out at Mile one. Red, White and Spinach - yes in that order went through at 6:00 - 6:05.
I hit it at 6:33 with a lot of runners right behind me.
For me, that's way too fast, so I attempted to settle in to a slower pace. Looking at my Garmin, I was now closer to 6:40 on mile 2. The steps behind me started to pass. I looked over and it was Joe.
Yep, Joe as in last year's winner and Master's course record holder at 2:50:19. He also was sporting Bib #1, which was a bit intimidating for me. Joe said hi and started closing the gap on Red, White and Spinach. He appeared to have set the the cruise control to 6:20/mile and let it fly.
Next to pass me were Brett, followed by Mike and Brad. Mike and Brad appeared to be running together and I visited with them a bit. Their goal was to go sub-3 also. We agreed that 6:45 pace would be wise so I joined up with them and we continued on through mile 4. On mile 5, these guys were pushing closer to 6:35 pace, so I kindly told them I'm going to back down a bit. I got my pace back into check the next few miles, but Brett, Mike and Brad never pulled that far ahead of me. Running felt nice and comfortable.
Now there are 7 runners ahead of me and I'm locked into a 6:45/mile pace.
I have lost sight of Red, White and Joe. Spinach is in sight, but more than 400 meters ahead. Brett, Mike and Brad are still 150 meters ahead of me.
The trail here is a 10 ft wide "rails to trails" asphalt path. Very flat and no hills to speak of. The wind was from the northwest, so the first 11 miles had a cross wind, but then it was a tailwind for the last 15. Couldn't feel the wind all the time, because there are plenty of trees along the trail, providing shade and protection from the wind.
I crossed the 10 mile mark and took note. 1:07:14

Quick math told me that I'm running just under 6:45 pace. At this time, I am very pleased with how this is going.
At mile 11.1, made the turn to head east and I could feel the wind on my back. Mile 12 split gave me a 6:30 - come on, let's keep this thing in check. I tried to pull it back a little bit, just knowing that I'm not even to the half and cannot fathom running 6:30 miles for 14 more miles.

Thoughts running through my head were:

Keep things in order.
Be in a good place at mile 20.
Save the fast stuff for the last 10K.

I was now running at 6:35-6:40/mile and feeling good. The half came up and they called out 1:27:42. I remember thinking that is the 4th fastest half I've ever run, but smiled confidently to myself. I was feeling great. But I was still in 8th place. Could see Brett, Mike and Brad closing in on Spinach. By mile 14, they caught him and they ran together a bit. At mile 15, Spinach had
fallen back from the 3 young guys pushing ahead.
Just before mile 16, I finally caught up to Spinach and visited with him. He said his left knee was hurting quite a bit. I encouraged him to keep going, as a sub-3 for him would still be possible. Just before mile 18, Spinach was slowing a bit, so I pushed ahead.
By mile 19, I was right behind the 3 young runners. It was here where we came up fast on the original leader Red. He had totally imploded and was moving along about a 9:00 pace. I ran right with Brett, Mike and Brad. We were coming up to mile 20. I could tell by their breathing that they were working pretty hard now.
I remember thinking - "Here is mile 20 - and I'm in a good place".
Soon, we came upon another runner who was fading somewhat. It was Bib #1 Joe. I could not believe my eyes. We went by, encouraged him to hang in there and pushed onward. By mile 21 I was now in a pack of 4 runners, realizing the strongest finisher will get 2nd place. It is now a very long, straight section to the finish. The trail has no turns. The young guys pointed out that first place (White) was visible. That was at least 1/2 mile ahead of us. Subconciously, I started to lead the pack and started pushing. By mile 23, the last of the young guys said "Go get him!". Somewhere beyond mile 24, a spectator told me that I was now 1:45 behind the leader. I pushed pretty hard. The Garmin was showing 6:23 pace. I could see that I was gaining, but not fast enough.
At mile 25, I saw some puke on the trail. I'm in second place and there is only one runner ahead of me. Is he getting sick and slowing down? I pushed even harder, but mile 26 was coming up all too fast.
This is the only time I have ever wished the marathon would be one mile longer. I was running out of trail to catch White. At mile 26, he was closer to the finish than I was to him. I tried to stay strong but was not going to go into a full sprint.
I came upon the finish, gave thanks to God for staying with me, and crossed in 2:54:14.

I went over and congratulated White (Brian) on a great marathon. He finished in 2:53:25 - 49 seconds ahead of me. I happened to ask him about the puke, and he saw it too....it wasn't him.
Here are the mile splits:
Mile 1-6: 6:35, 6:41, 6:40, 6:48, 6:44, 6:47
Miles 7-13: 6:45, 6:41, 6:42, 6:44, 6:41, 6:30, 6:34
Half in 1:27:42
Miles 14-18: 6:33, 6:38, 6:45, 6:38, 6:39
Miles 19-23: 6:39, 6:41, 6:44, 6:39, 6:40
Miles 24-Finish: 6:30, 6:26, 6:24 and 1:20

I have included a heart rate chart, comparing my performance at Shamrock Marathon 8 weeks ago vs. this marathon. The main thing to note is the time spent above 170 bpm at Shamrock (miles 8-12) came back to bite me at mile 22. Keeping the HR below 170 at Wobegon
meant I had fresher legs going into the final 6 miles.
Thanks for reading,
John

Race schedule is taking form

2010-05-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt I am a crappy blogger.

I have finally committed to a few races this year:
May 8, 2010: Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon - St. Joseph, MN
May 21, 2010: Fargo 5K - Fargo, ND
May 22, 2010: Fargo Marathon -pace Mary to a goal of 4:05
June 5, 2010: FANS 12 hour run
July 3, 2010: Afton Trail Run 50K - Afton State Park
October 23, 2010: Mankato Marathon - Mankato, MN

I have printed out the registration for Superior Sawtooth 100 mile trail run on September 11, 2010. I have not sent it in yet. This would be the goal race for 2010.

Shamrock Marathon Race Report

2010-03-24T05:20:00.000-07:00

Mary's results:
Mary ran a 1:58:30 in the half marathon, and looking at her Garmin data, she negative split the race, with the 2nd half going into a brisk headwind. She did very well!
Ryan's results:
Ryan ran with the 3:10 pace group and was right on track up to mile 17. He had a lot of cramping issues and finished in 3:29:05.
I know he will get that BQ soon!
John's race:
Started out a bit slow, mostly becuase of a 10 mph headwind for the first 5.6 miles. I ran mostly alone and could not find a steady runner with wide shoulders to draft. Everyone that started at my speed ended up slowing down by mile 2. I needed to pick up the pace relative to others. At 5.6 there was a sharp U-turn and I could count the number of runners ahead of me. Was in 79th place at that time, and a full minute behind perfect pace. Felt I was working pretty hard, yet really wanted to get some of that time back. I saw that there was a pretty good-sized pack of runners ahead of me, only about 25 seconds in front. Had the wind on my back now and put a target on their backs. Ran out a couple of faster miles (6:35 to 6:40) and caught up with the pack at mile 10.
There were 10 guys in the pack and I just hung in the back and listened. They were the "unofficial" 3:00 pace group. They got onto the boardwalk (actually it is concrete) and they were running pretty steady. It was nice to run with them and not worry about checking my watch. The pack hung together well through the half and our split was 1:30:15. These guys continued to run well, and with a bunch of 6:45 to 6:48 miles, we were back in business. Tough part is that we lost a few runners and were down to a pack of 6 at mile 18.1.
I was feeling good here and felt like the sub-3:00 was very possible. We made the turn at mile 19.1 and now had to run 7.1 miles into the wind to the finish.The course was well-protected for a while and I was able to stay steady. More runners fell off pace, there were only 3 of us left in the pack. Then we had direct sunshine and more wind. At mile 21.3 it hit me. My legs just would not move any faster. The idea of keeping up this crazy pace for 4 more miles in the wind and direct sunlight was killing me. I took a short walk break and managed 7:15 mile for mile 22.
Mile 23 had another walk break and a 7:32. The wheels had fallen off. Now it is time to salvage.Mile 24 pulled back a bit (no walking) and managed a 7:30. Two walk breaks on mile 25 resulted in a 7:59. Came back with a 7:37 for mile 26 and a 7:20 pace to the finish.
What did I learn from this?
I believe that treadmill running does not always translate to moving the body forward on planet Earth. Even though I had a pretty good training cycle, I did not have enough "real" running outdoors.
The push I made to catch up with the group (miles 6-10) came back and bit me big time. I have always found that if my HR goes over 170 (it averaged 172 on miles 10 and 11) for more than a mile in the first half of a marathon, it will result in lactate buildup (and very heavy legs) about 1 1/2 hours later. That is exactly when it hit me the hardest.
Yet, I really believe that if I would have held back on those miles, I would have only been able to run 3:01 - still short of goal.
So, I am satisfied in the effort I put out there. I gambled a bit, but really didn't lose too much. I know that someday again I'll be able to crack that mark again.
Oh yeah, official results:
3:03:23
36 / 2639 Overall
31 / 1600 Men
2 / 190 Men 45-49
P.S. Only 1 guy in the pack went sub-3. He was 35 years old and ran 2:58:34. The rest of the pack finished between 3:02 and 3:20. This is the grim reality of what really happens in the marathon.
John

Shamrock Marathon flash

2010-03-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Finished the Shamrock marathon in VA Beach in 3:03:22.
Was not what I wanted, but every race is a learning experience.
Wheels came off at mile 23 with a lot of muscle cramps.
Still satisfied as I think it was #35 Overall and 1st in M45-49. (The first 5 masters collect cash and not eligible for AG awards I guess).
I WILL post a more detailed race report after I get home.
John

Pre-Shamrock Preparations

2010-03-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Right now, we are waiting in line for some pizza in Virginia Beach, VA.
Tomorrow is the Shamrock marathon.
Mary is running the half, friend Ryan from MN is attempting a 3:10 BQ. I am attempting another sub 3.
I will try to flash some results on the blog here.

Rock 'n' Roll highlights

2010-03-10T04:16:00.000-08:00

Famous last words:
"I'll post something here shortly after the race."
The race was on January 17, today is March 10. That's 45 days...I don't think that qualifies as shortly after the race. Sorry.
I just wanted to clear my conscience regarding that promise, so here are some thoughts about the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Marathon.
Everyone was in good spirits on marathon morning. Mary and my sister Jojajogger were ready to go. Mary was going to attempt another BQ effort (sub 4:06), even though she had just run CIM only 6 weeks before. Jojajogger was going to run somewhere in the 5:00 range, yet didn't have a specific plan.
Expo the day before was very busy, as many runners stopped by the pacer booth to visit. There are so many that want to run a BQ or personal best and moods are high.
As I got into the start line corrals, all I had to do was hold the 3:40 sign up high and the runners flock to me. At the start, there were hundreds of runners keeping me in their sights. We were in the back of corral 2, and the 3:20, 3:30, 3:45 pacers were not around. Everybody keeps asking me where they are....I almost wanted to say "I think they are at the Porta-potty 3 blocks that way and take a left".
National anthem and then the start. Senator McCain was in the scaffolding above the start line and we ran underneath him as he gave his stiff trademark wave.
I had a plan and stuck quite close to it.
1st mile was in 8:30
We hit the 10K in 52:00 - 8 seconds in the bank.
Approached the half in 1:49:05 - 55 seconds in the bank.
Continued on to mile 20 in 2:47:08 - 41 seconds in the bank.
At mile 22, my parents were there and I handed the pace sign over to David, a strong young runner who visited with me quite a bit along the route.
I pulled over, gave Mom a birthday hug and kiss, and caught back up to the group. I talked David and a few of the stronger runners into keeping a strong pace and pull away from me as I was going to back down very slightly for miles 24, 25 and 26.
This is usually where what used to be hundreds of runners turns into just a few. I remember a young gal (I think her name was Robin). She was running right next to me for the whole time. I could tell she was a local AZ runner because she wore a stocking cap. She was working hard to hold pace with me, I could tell by her breathing. I just told her to stay in my back pocket and not give up. She stuck with me..all the way. I really could feel her pain - she was digging so deep to hang on. We got to the final turn and I told her to take it in to the finish. I slowed down a bit, so that she would get a nice photo. She crossed in 3:39:58.
I crossed in 3:40:03
After the finish, I worked my way through the finish line area (threw away the disposable timing band) and started running the course back, looking for Mary. Saw her around mile 25 and ran with her. She was a few minutes off her BQ pace, but looking good. We crossed the finish together and her finish time was 4:10:19. She will get her BQ soon, she just needs a better training cycle after a good recovery.
Again, I went through the finish area and got back on the course looking for Jojajogger. Saw her at mile 24.2 and ran with her. Wait a second, there was a guy handing out beer....downed one and then ran with her.
She was a couple minutes back from the 5:00 pace group, but was feeling good. She started to pick up the pace, and started to push for the sub-5:00 finish. I didn't think it would be possible, but she was moving very close to a 9:00/mile pace now, and passing lots of people.
She finished with a 4:59:24. That last mile was at least 2:00/mile faster than her entire pace. That's a strong finish!
In the end, I ran 32.2 miles on the course.
Overall, we had a great time in Phoenix. I'll be there again next year.
John

Rock 'N' Roll preparations

2010-01-13T04:12:00.000-08:00

Right now, I should start packing a few things in preparation for our upcoming trip to Arizona.
Mary and I are again traveling to the Phoenix area to participate in the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Arizona marathon.
My sister jojajogger, will also be coming in from Atlanta to run the marathon.
This marathon is always kind of special to me, as it was where I first qualified for Boston in January of 2006.
This will be the fourth year in a row that I am the official 3:40 pacer for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon.
This has always been a rewarding venture for me, as I really enjoy giving back to the sport of running by pacing. I can only hope that I am able to help others to realize their dream of qualifying for the Boston marathon or set a new personal record.
The pacing is a lot of fun (yea, running with a lot of 18-34 year old females trying to BQ doesn't hurt).
I've gotten to know the course quite well and try to get the best out of the runners that are with me.
My pacing strategy is quite simple:
A little bit slow on the first mile - like 8:40.
Then, average about 8:15-8:20 per mile to have us right on pace at 10K.
Continue this pace and by the half, we should have about 45 seconds in the bank.
I hold a steady pace of 8:23 from the half to mile 22.
I give back pace ever so slightly in the final few miles, and encourage the stronger runners to finish strong, yet trying to "round up" those that are struggling.
Cross the finish line in just under 3:40:00 chip time.
I'll post something here shortly after the race.
John

Oh so close.....

2009-12-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Mary and I finished CIM marathon just a couple hours ago.
I am sad to report that Mary finished in 4:06:18 chip time (give or take a second or two) which is 19 seconds too slow to be a Boston qualifier.
She did so well up to mile 23, but just could not hang on for the final miles.
Yet, on the bright side, this was a marathon PR by over 12 minutes for her.
Also, there is plenty of time to get that BQ for April of 2011.
We are going to rest up a bit and then go out for some pizza and watch the Vikes dominate the Cardinals tonight.
John

Getting ready for CIM

2009-12-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

That's right, Mary and I are in Sacramento, CA right now. The California International Marathon starts at 7:00 AM tomorrow, and there is a nervous energy buzzing about.
Yes, I have not written anything on this blog for a really long time.
Tough.
No, I have not stopped running.
Yes, I have been running less.

Since September, things have been quite busy for me, which leads to less running.
Mary, on the other hand has put in a really good training cycle this year. We are running CIM tomorrow for one sole purpose.

Mary will attempt to a run a 4:05:59 or better tomorrow in order to get a Boston Qualifier.
It kind of sucked that Boston Marathon 2010 registration filled up mid-November, but if all goes well tomorrow, we will be in Beantown in April of 2011.

It appears that CIM has a lot of really good, well qualified pacers tomorrow. I see that Tim Twietmeyer (5 time winner at Western States) is leading the 3:35 group.
I will be running with Mary, and we will tuck in behind the 4:05 group.

We've already gotten our race packets and numbers.
Mary is #3954
John is #3953
If you want, log in to www.runcim.org tomorrow, click on the runner tracking and cheer us on!

I will try to be a good blogger and post something here after the race!
John

Superior Trail 50 in pictures

2009-09-21T16:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures that Mary took during the Superior Trail 50 on September 12, 2009.

Just before the start (David Wakefield, Val Shuster, myself and Brian Peterson)

Coming into Crosby Manitou Aid Station

Leaving Sugarloaf Aid Station (I fell again about 2 minutes after this was taken)

Leaving Cramer Road Aid Station

Heading down to Temperance River after the Aid Station.

Checking out the goodies at Sawbill (SteveQ to my right)

Leaving Sawbill with a "Thumbs-up"

Coming into Oberg with Helen cheering the incoming runners.

Finally, the FINISH at Caribou Highlands Resort

Talking with Brian Peterson right after the finish.

Visiting with Matt Patten after the finish

Receiving 2nd place Masters from Larry Pederson

Posing with Brian Peterson (2nd Overall and 1st Men's Open)

I've also compiled a rough summary of my splits for the race:

Leg Time Miles AvgPace

Sonju 1:17 7.5 10:16

Manitou 0:41 4.2 9:45

Sugarloaf 1:54 9.4 12:08

Cramer Rd 1:18 5.6 13:56

Temperance 1:35 6.0 15:50

Sawbill 1:11 6.8 10:26

Oberg 1:12 5.5 13:05

Lutsen 1:40 7.1 14:05

OVERALL 10:48 52.1 12:26

Superior Trail 50 Race Report

2009-09-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

Superior Trail 50 Race Report - September 12, 2009
What a ride..
This is a great event, one that any ultra or trail runner should consider. The experience of running on the Superior Hiking Trail is one that I will cherish for a long time. I will try to recap some of the highlights (and low points) of my run there in the next few paragraphs.
Pre Race:
Mary and I drove into the area mid afternoon on Friday and decided to check out some of the 100 mile aid stations on the way up. Since they had started at 8:00 AM Friday morning, I figured the leaders would have about 36 miles in. We decided to stop at Tettegouche (mile 34.2) to see if we could see some of the 100 milers on the trail. We parked in the lot and walked a ways up the hill and got to the aid station. Saw some familiar faces. John Storkamp, Helen Lavin, and Alicia Gordon. It was here that Helen introduced me to Brian Peterson - last year's winner of the 50 mile run. Everyone was just hanging out, 4 runners had come through already. It wasn't long before we saw Matt Patten and Adam Harmer come into the station. They looked good, but both were complaining about the heat and about how many S-caps they were needing to take. Matt also had a problem with his running shorts and chaffing.
He found a solution - that's all I will say about it. After Matt and Adam left Tettegouche, I think it was Jason Boon who came in next.
We left Tettegouche and continued on toward Lutsen. We located the Temperance aid station and saw that they were just setting the tent up. Finally, we made it to Caribou Highlands Resort in Lutsen. The first thing I saw was Moose Mountain. Wow. That thing is big! And the sheer cliffs on the northeast face of it....quite impressive. All I could think about was that tomorrow I need to get to the top of that thing after running 48 miles. This is going to be tough.
Mary and I had a nice meal at the restaurant, and visited a bit with Matt from Iowa who was going to be running the 50 also. After that, it was time for pre-race briefing with race director Larry Pederson.
I got to visit some more with Brian Peterson there also and we talked about the course and how he ran it last year. Brian is a very talented and smart runner. Keep looking for him to perform well in races like this!
Race Start:
We followed the bus with our Trailblazer, as Mary was going to crew me at the aid stations that had crew access. The bus left Lutsen at 5:05 AM and got to Finland about 5:45 AM. A quick restroom stop and I was ready to go. We lined up on the road, and Larry sent us off. I ran a bit with Brian right behind the leaders (Duke Rembleski and I think Matt Howard). The road was just a couple hundred yards and then we ducked into the trail. These guys just attacked it. I hung behind them for a while, but it was just too fast.
Mile 1 (Initiation):
In over 4 years of distance running, there was a fact that I didn't talk about much. The fact is that with over 10,000 miles of running - I have never fallen. Going into this race, I expected the terrain to be tough and my streak would end.
Before Mile 1 even passed, my right foot did not lift up enough and a root grabbed it. I went stumbling, hopping, yet stayed upright. Two of my water bottles flew and had to pick them up in the leaves. I didn't fall, but that was really close. Somebody hollered "Great save". At that point, I slowed down. I need to run my own race.
On to Sonju (mile 7.5):
The most surprising thing about this trail is that there are NO flat sections. It is always going up then down. A lot of the trail is runnable in this section, but I wasn't pulling back enough on the uphills. I could feel it in my quads already. Coming into Sonju area, yes there are a lot of roots.
My toes are still telling me about them. Arrived into the aid station and downed some Heed and refilled water bottles.
The way to Manitou (mile 11.7):
It was a short time on this section where Val Shuster and another runner passed me. They looked so strong and made their way through the roots with ease. I tried to stay right behind them. It was getting warmer, and I had already taken 3 E-caps along with the water. My holder on my belt can hold 5 of them. There were some places where the running was easier, but still - this trail is tough as nails.
We hit a section of road before Crosby-Manitou Park, and I needed to stretch out the legs. Passed Val and the other guy and got to the aid station where Mary was waiting. Refilled water, got some Pop Tarts and headed out.
Long haul to Sugarloaf (mile 21.1):
After just a few minutes, I realized I did not restock my E-caps. I had one left and took it. Brian had told me that this section was the toughest. I started to go to pieces. Up and down hills, more roots - and as we got closer to the Manitou gorge - rocks. Not just little ones, but now we've got boulders. I remember crawling down some of them toward the Manitou river. This is pretty technical stuff that I have never seen before. After the Manitou gorge there's a lot of uphill going up what they call Beaver Valley (just further up a branch of the Manitou river). Lots of hills. Then another tough stretch going towards the Caribou River. Again, just plain tough. After Caribou River, I think the trail gets a little easier, but I was turning to mush. My water was just about gone and my legs felt totally trashed. Somewhere in this stretch a root grabbed my toe a little harder and I took a digger.
Everthing flew. Just rolled over on my back and looked up. That hurt. Got up slowly, picked up water bottles, and got some sharp cramps in my quads. Walked those out and started to run slowly. Not much later another digger. I just can't lift my feet up high enough now, my legs are too tired. Continued on at a slower pace, but I was feeling like quitting. One more digger at the slow pace. This really sucks. Slowly, I made my way into Sugarloaf. My feet started to hurt real bad, especially in my left arch.
I told Mary I needed salt - bad. She looked at me and saw the dirt. "Did you fall?", she asked. I felt like a five-year old boy who fell off his bike where nobody saw him...my eyes welled up with tears immediately. "A few times" I told her. I felt beaten. I told her I wanted to quit but won't. My plan was to walk most of the next section to Cramer Road. The guy at Sugarloaf got me some watermelon and salted it down real good. I had two slices. Thank you watermelon guy!
Then I took 3 E-caps and stocked up with more.
Slowly towards Cramer Road (mile 26.7):
Walked for a bit leaving here. Decided to try and run again and FELL. I wasn't even going very fast. My legs just were not working right. I looked at my Garmin and it had just shut down for good. It was here where Val passed me and asked how I was doing. I just told her I needed to slow down and get myself together. She took off ahead of me like I was standing still. I think this is also where 50-year old Joe Jameson passed me. He looked really strong and was gone. I think he got ahead of Val here also. On the way to Alfred's Pond, I started to feel a little better. Kept drinking water and taking E-caps. On an uphill section I saw Val, but didn't catch up to her. Just knowing she was ahead of me kept me going. I decided to keep her within reach. Just keep moving. Got into Cramer Road and restocked.
Cramer to Temperance to Sawbill (mile 39.5):
Honestly, this part of the race is really blurry for me. All I know is that Val and I played a lot of cat and mouse. Sometimes we ran together. She inspired me. There were places where maybe I inspired her. I remember someplace where there were some construction workers next to a river. We had to climb over the orange mesh fencing and go right past the house/cabin..whatever they were building. The workers told me that it was the finish line and I wanted to believe them. I still can't remember if I was seeing things or where the heck on the course this was?..?..? (maybe it was much further back on the course - honestly I don't remember. It's like a wierd dream). The other thing I remember was approaching Carlton Peak. Wow. Now it is rock climbing. Seemed like straight up the boulders. And then I remember the cave to the left in the side of the mountain, I remember that.
Coming into Sawbill, I was feeling much better. I do remember seeing Steve Quick. He didn't say much, but I made some dumb comment like "Steve, am I ever glad to see your pretty face!" I still don't know what that was supposed to mean. Ultra brain makes you say dumb stuff.
Mary had some Red Bull for me, more water and E-caps. I left Sawbill with the attitude that I only needed to climb 4 more mountains (Leveaux, Oberg, Moose, and Mystery). But then, if they were all as tough as Carlton Peak, I'm in big trouble.
Revival to Oberg (mile 45.0):
I started to run a lot better here. My whole body hurt, the left arch still hurt a lot, but I was able to run quite well in this section. The climb up towards Leveaux wasn't really that bad. I think this is where I caught Joe Jameson again. Never thought I would see him again. Got into Oberg and knew that this was the last aid station.
Let's just get to the Finish (mile 52.1):
More Red Bull, Water, Heed, E-caps and some food at Oberg seemed to help. Oberg mountain wasn't that bad, and it was slightly downhill to Rollins Creek. And then the climb up Moose Mountain. Really, this one is not nearly as steep as Carlton - but it goes on forever and ever. There was a place where a 100 mile runner and her pacer were shaking the smaller trees to get the rain water to sprinkle down from the leaves on themselves. I giggled to myself at the sight of it. I just kept a good power walk going and did not stop. Keep at it, keep moving. Pretty soon I realized that it had leveled off a bit. I started to run. It was slightly uphill yet, but I ran. I was already on top of Moose Mountain! And was able to run!
Now I knew it was about 4 miles left, with another serious downhill and then up Mystery and then mostly downhill to Lutsen Resort. Now I start to see signs that had an arrow pointing to Lutsen Resort - I'm getting closer. And then, crossing the Poplar River. On the bridge, a ground hornet buzzed right by my head and landed on my lower lip. I quickly brushed him off before he stung. It would suck to run all this distance and get stung at mile 51. Some more trail, and then finally I'm on the road. It felt good to run faster again. Saw some people around the gondola area, but they looked at me kind of funny. On towards Caribou Highlands, made the turn behind the resort and alongside the pool and heard the people. Crossed the finish and gave Schmoopie a big hug!
It was over.
10:47:49
Brian Peterson was there and shook my hand immediately. He had taken 2nd place with a 9:48:36. Duke Rembleski won the race in 9:32:35.
Post Race:
We sat around and visited a bit. Matt Patten was there. Helen showed up - and then we found out that besides everything else - she had run the marathon. And smoked it like a Rockstar! 4:11 for 1st female and 3rd place overall!
Talked to Brian quite a while after the race. He was feeling pretty ill, so I hope he got better!
At awards, I ended up in 7th place overall and got 2nd place in Mens Master's. Val was close behind me to win Women's overall in 10:52:43.
The Longest Night:
Over all this time, my left arch began to hurt more and more. It had turned into a hard lump, and it was painful to walk on it. I took more ibuprofen to see if that would help.
Throughout the night, I had very sharp, shooting pains coming from my foot and travelling up my leg. It just kept on and on like someone was jabbing a sharp knife into me nonstop. I did not sleep one minute that night. It hurt like hell.
By morning, the whole foot was swollen from the big toe to the heel, and over my ankle. It was red and warm to the touch. When you would press on it, it would leave temporary white marks. Just like a big infection now. Mary and I left early that morning. On the way home, I couldn't take the pain and lack of rest any more. We stopped at the emergency room in Edina. The doctor X-rayed the foot (nothing on the x-ray) and diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis and prescribed me some Vicodin. At least the Vicodin took the extreme pain away. Had to take two more doses of Vicodin (it lasts exactly 6 hours) to get some sleep on Sunday night.
The miracle:
Went to work on Monday morning high on Vicodin. I was due for another dose later that morning, but the shooting pain did not come back. By the end of the day my foot hurt, but I didn't need the Vicodin any more. By Tuesday, the foot was feeling much better. Wednesday, I went for a run.
I do not have plantar fasciitis.
John's Diagnosis:
This pain was a cramp. The mother of all cramps.
The lack of electrolytes was when it started. Add the excessive pronation/supination that the roots and rocks of Superior provide. The cramp took hold and "grew" on itself, causing the swelling and sharp pains.
Summary:
I survived Superior Trail 50. It was the toughest race I have ever done. These trails are beautiful.
What a ride!
I will return.....

Finish at Superior

2009-09-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

Just finished the Superior 50!
10:47:49 for 7th place overall and 2nd place Masters division.
Duke Rembleski won the 50 with a time of 9:32 and Brian Peterson was 2nd in 9:48, David Wakefield was 3rd in 10:02.
Val Shuster won the womens in 10:52.
100 mile results:
Angus Repper 26:31
Chris Hanson 27:05
Kevin Grabowski 28:19

Last post before Superior

2009-09-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning Mary and I will leave for Lutsen. It will take us about 6 hours to get there.
Maybe we will stop at some of the 100 mile Aid stations (Silver Bay or Tettegouche) and watch some of the action!
We would like to get to Caribou Highlands Lodge by late afternoon for packet pickup and pre-race briefing.
At 6:00AM on Saturday, I will start my quest to get to Lutsen via the Superior Hiking Trail (52.1 miles) in the shortest time possible.
Depending upon internet capabilities, I will try to post some sort of preliminary results here on my blog as soon as possible after I finish.
Best of luck to all of the participants in the Superior Marathon, 50 mile, and 100 mile Trail runs!

Superior 50 thoughts

2009-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Superior Trail 50 Mile Run has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm very anxious for Sept. 12 - in a good way. Right now, I just feel that my level of fitness is the best it has ever been....in my entire lifetime. My weight is up about 5 lbs. since Grandma's, but that's a good thing. I was in girl-weight territory then. I'll need a little bit of stored fat to keep moving on the trail.

But, this is going to be one TOUGH battle. I know well enough that no matter what level of fitness I bring to Finland, MN next Saturday morning - it will mean nothing at all several hours later.

I'm prepared to dig down deeper than I ever have before.

I hope to see a lot of the other MN runners on the trail, especially SteveQ who will be at Sawbill. I will probably order a whiskey-coke (hold the whiskey).

Matt Patten and Adam Harmer are running the 100. I hope they wait for me at the finish line.

I think Helen is pacing/crewing also.

I plan on forcing myself to take it very easy up to mile 35 (somewhere around Carlton Peak). After that - I won't be able to push myself hard enough. Man, I want to run this thing NOW!!

I'll be the first to admit that I haven't trained enough on hills. Especially the ones like I will be running walking next weekend. But I have run some nice trails and worked out on a little more than my usual prairie flatland routes.Here are a couple pictures I took while on my run tonight at Flandrau State Park:

This is a deer that wasn't very worried when I approached her.

This is an uphill section with stairs going up into the woods - lots of fun!

This is a part of the trail that follows up a ravine.

I qualified for Boston!

2009-08-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not really.
Problem is, I did not run my marathon on a "certified" course. And, I wasn't actually running a marathon at the time. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the upcoming Superior Trail Run 50 (52.1 miles Larry - you are a sick man) on September 12.
The plan was to do back-to-back long runs. Preferably a 20 miler in the morning at about 9:00/mile pace. Then for my evening run, I would run another 15 miles, a bit slower with walk breaks. The back-to-back long runs are to help acclimate my body to the rigors of running while tired (the majority of the time in an ultramarathon).
I started out the morning run at a nice 8:40 pace. It was warm and humid - kind of like the start of Grandma's marathon. Soon my miles were getting faster. By the time I got to mile 12, I was averaging 8:00/mile. Stuck with this for a while, sometimes going sub-8:00. After about 15 miles, I started calculating numbers. I was having memories of the first time I qualified for Boston.
Now, it seems I take that for granted.
I don't. I am thankful for the talents and skills God has given me.
At that time, I decided to extend my run to the marathon distance (according to my Garmin) which would be 26.22 miles (26.21875 miles to be exact, but Garmins only read to the 0.01 mile).
A few more good miles around 7:50 had me thinking that if I pushed it a bit, I could could run a Boston qualifier effort. At age 48, I need to run 3:30 or faster to qualify for Boston. (Actually it is 3:30:59).
So, I needed to start running faster to hit my new goal. I was watching my overall average pace
at 8:14 - I needed to bring it down to 8:00. Kept pushing a little faster every mile as I got closer to 26.22 miles. Finally got there.
3:29:03
A Boston qualifer effort, but who cares?
Actually, I do.
Because I set up a way to challenge myself and had to work to get it.

Part 2:
Early evening, it was time for Part 2 of my training day.
I took off running, hoping to coax my weary legs into moving again.
Kind of the same thing as the morning run, start out slow and ease into it.
After about 5 miles, I was close to 8:00/mile pace again.
Here we go - another challenge of myself. Let's see if I can average 8:00/mile for another long run today. I kept it going, but was feeling pretty fatigued. (That's how it's supposed to be, dummy!)
Hit the watch when I reached 15.00 miles.
1:59:47
That's just under 8:00/mile pace.
Now, I'm a bit tired. Ice bath and time to take it easy.
Oh yea - the 4 chocolate chip cookies and cold glass of milk after the run really hit the spot.

I'm a Terrible Blogger

2009-08-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I've updated my blog.
I'm a terrible blogger.
But, running has been going very well. This summer the focus has been on shorter races and to get a little more speed along with my endurance base.
Coming up:
Aug 22: Rochester Half Marathon
Sept 7: Victory 5K in Minneapolis
AND THEN......
Sept 12: Superior 50+ mile (Finland to Lutsen).

I've always wanted to run on the Superior Hiking Trail, but have never made it. So, I'll be running the 50 mile race there. With the start at 6:00AM, I should be able to see all the fall colors during daylight hours.
I'm really starting to get pumped up for this one.....
I'm still a terrible blogger, though.

Afton Trail Run 50K

2009-07-07T05:20:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2009

Just two weeks after Grandma's marathon, and I am lined up with some of the best, most talented trail runners in the upper midwest. John Storkamp gives us the final instructions. All I remember him saying was "just run as hard as you can for as long as you can". And we were off.....
Earlier in the morning, Mary and I arrived at Afton about 5:15AM. On the way there, several of the largest bug splats I have ever seen hit our windshield. These things looked like someone egged our Trailblazer. Rolled into the park and picked up the race packet. As we started with preparations, I noticed that we were parked next to Steve Q. Visited with him for a bit. Steve commented how the last half hour was the slowest. I remember seeing 6:00AM on my watch, visiting with Steve for 20 minutes, and then noticing it was 6:02AM......very strange.
Back to the race. Found myself running very comfortably down the hill, with the stud runners in a big pack just ahead of me. One guy was just flying ahead of them. Found out later it was Matt Howard, who not only is one of the best trail runners around, but now is also in the master's division. Time to start settling in. Ended up running next to Rob, a good friend of mine from MN RED.
You see, Rob is one of these guys that questions the sanity of ultra runners. He is one really fast guy and my times have never been is his ballpark. He ran a 2:44 marathon this year. But, he made a stupid bet with his son during track season. The bet was if his son made it to the state track meet, he would run Afton 50K. His kid made him pay up big time!
Going down the hill out of Africa to the back 40, an older guy passed us, bombing the hill. I think it was Dan Kasper, but I'm not sure. We got back ahead of him on the next uphill and never saw him again.The next miles and hills went by nice. Rob and I caught up on a lot of things. I kept telling him if he was felt the pace was too slow to just go ahead. He wouldn't. Every aid station we came in side by side. I was developing trust in Rob. But then, was he just setting me up for the kill? Finally we were running the Rail trail. I thought this is where Rob would pour it on. But no, we ran together at a 7:15/mile clip which felt OK. We continued on, and got into the Showshoe loop. Rob said he wasn't very fast on the single track last year. I just stayed behind him and found it to be refreshing. There is one hill in here that I don't think has a name. Not long, but steep, with a couple of sapling trees on the right side. We named it, but cannot publish the name here.
At the end of the first loop our time was 2:09. We arrived together. I stocked up on a few things from my cooler. Rob spent very little time at the start area and soon was flying down the first hill. I was quite a ways back and was wondering if this was the time of betrayal?? I just kept stready and caught glimpses of him as we passed below the ski area. Ended up catching him at the top of the hill going into Africa. These uphills were getting a lot tougher now. I go into a power walk on them, with a long stride, long arm swing and leaning into the hill. It works for me, but I probably look like a sasquatch loping along. Maybe should name it the "Primal Shuffle"??
When we got back into Africa again, Rob mentions something about this being really tough. I was hurting too, but we were at mile 20 and had another 11 to go. We don't talk much any more, just slug it out.
On the way down to the river, I pulled ahead of Rob and got to the aid station first. After a very quick drink, started up Nigel's. This really made the quads burn. I started to slow down, but still passed a 50K runner here. Rob caught back up to me, but worked very hard for it. It was mile 22.5. Talked to him a bit more, and the last I heard from him was "Go get it" at the top of Nigel's.
I ran hard, all the way down to the bridge. Looked back and saw no one. Worked my way up to the campgrounds, and started passing some 25K people. Coming down Campground Hill was good. This one seems not as steep and dangerous as the other downhills. The aid station was great. Downed some Heed and started down the Rail Trail. It was good to run on the flat, but my legs were sick of running. But I remembered Storkamp's words at the start. I was able to hang onto a 7:36/mile pace here. After a while, I was actually looking forward to the Meat Grinder, where I could justify going into my Primal Shuffle again.
All along here, the 25K runners were great. It was good to swap words of encouragement with them.
Finally, the last aid station. I was charged up. Enter the Snowshoe Loop. I felt I was running it faster this time, especially the downhills. But the uphills were really tough. Got through the expletive hill slowly. And every uphill after that was a struggle. Just need to get done with this.
As I was just about exiting the prairie hill before the last stretch, I saw a guy ahead of me. Not sure if he was 50K, but he glanced back and saw me. He took off running - fast. I just couldn't muster up enough energy to try and catch him. He looked younger than me anyway. But, I did manage to get into a good stride to the finish.
Mary was there, taking some pics of me finishing. I was really glad to see my Schmoopie!
Mary had run a nice 25K race, coming in at 2:46:52, beating her last year's time by 5 minutes. But yet, I think she placed 5th in her age group compared to 2nd last year. Tougher competition this time.
My official time and results are 4:29:33 for 11th place overall and 3rd place in Men's Master's. There was exceptional competition in the Master's division with Matt Howard winning the race in 4:04:18 and Todd Nott running a 4:18:48.

Finally done!

Me and my Schmoopie.

Receiving 3rd place Master's award from John Storkamp.

Here are my splits from the Garmin 305. I would consider them quite accurate on the mile splits, as my Garmin measured the course at 31.33 miles.
Mile Cumul MilePace HRAvg HRMax
1 Mi 7:45 7:46 140 157
2 Mi 15:51 8:07 154 164
3 Mi 24:22 8:32 147 162
4 Mi 32:47 8:25 155 164
5 Mi 41:03 8:17 157 165
6 Mi 48:54 7:51 151 158
7 Mi 57:36 8:43 159 170
8 Mi 1:04:58 7:22 155 165
9 Mi 1:14:06 9:08 161 168
10 Mi 1:21:31 7:25 154 165
11 Mi 1:28:48 7:18 152 155
12 Mi 1:37:20 8:32 158 165
13 Mi 1:45:05 7:46 152 158
14 Mi 1:54:51 9:46 151 163
15 Mi 2:04:06 9:15 147 160
16 Mi 2:12:56 8:51 152 162
17 Mi 2:22:01 9:05 156 163
18 Mi 2:29:32 7:31 155 163
19 Mi 2:38:46 9:14 152 161
20 Mi 2:47:30 8:45 153 159
21 Mi 2:55:41 8:11 151 157
22 Mi 3:04:12 8:31 148 156
23 Mi 3:13:54 9:42 153 159
24 Mi 3:22:17 8:24 150 155
25 Mi 3:32:17 10:00 154 160
26 Mi 3:39:54 7:37 150 156
27 Mi 3:49:17 9:24 155 156
28 Mi 3:57:41 8:25 151 156
29 Mi 4:06:14 8:33 151 157
30 Mi 4:17:11 10:58 152 158
31 Mi 4:27:10 10:00 151 160
31.33 Mi 4:29:33 7:13 156 159

Thanks for reading,
John

Grandma's Marathon RR

2009-06-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

Timeline of The Goal:

June 17, 2006:

I line up and run Grandma's Marathon with the 3:10 pace group. It is sticky and warm. Mid 60's at the start with over 90% humidity. Temps climb through the 70's during the race. The course is black-flagged before we hit the half. Somehow, I hang with the pace group up to mile 22, and then take off with a few other runners. Cross the finish in 3:07:43.
Wow, maybe without the heat, a sub 3 hour marathon might be possible......this was the day I first started thinking about "the goal". But, for the next 11 months I'm plagued with plantar fasciitis. It just does not go away. My runs are getting slower. I still manage to run a few marathons and races, but nothing very fast.

Summer, 2007:
The running is going better. My running takes a slightly different direction. Ultras.
An excuse to run slower, but now for longer. Thoughts about a sub-3 marathon go away for a while.

In 2008:
I've got a different goal - run 100 miles. By the end of August, goal accomplished.
After the 100 (or maybe during), a tibial stress fracture hits me. Takes until January of 2009 to heal properly.

February, 2009:
I'm trying to figure out goals for the year. I still think a lot about sub-3. I'm getting older. My 3:07 PR has stood for nearly 3 years. Time to give up on that dream.
Unless.....If I have a plan. Let's see.

Train smart - I'm not injured now.
Lose some weight - never have paid attention to diet at all.
Run some benchmark races to see if I can run equivalent times at shorter distances.

Around March 1, the diet starts. Just limit calories. Include more lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Take away soda, french fries, pizza, cookies - all the fun stuff.
I'm hungry all the time, but the weight starts coming off quickly. Running becomes easier, I'm running faster paces with less effort.
On March 10, I announce my goal here.

June 20, 2009:
Three years after my PR of 3:07, I'm at the start line of Grandma's again. It feels EXACTLY the same as 2006. Same temperature, same humidity. Only this time, I'm lined up way ahead of the 3:10 pace group.
I can see the Kenyans. Do I belong here? I'm just a 48 year old guy with a 3:07 PR three years ago. Part of me says it's just a pipe dream. But the other part of me knows that I'm fully prepared for the race of my life.
The gun goes off. I ease into my pace and more runners are passing me. I lined up with about 200 runners ahead of me, but now it's more like 350.
I hit the first few splits about perfectly. My goal is to stay steady, with about 30 seconds banked at the half.
But, it's getting warm - uncomfortably warm. My HR is climbing into the 165 range already. About 10-15BPM higher than it would be on a nice cool morning. As long as I do not let it peak over 170, I should be OK.
Around mile 4, I sense a pack of runners approaching. Adam was with them. They looked so strong. I visited with Adam a bit here. A couple of times we caught a breeze from the lake. It was brief, and then followed again by a blast of hot wind. The temperature difference in the air was incredible.
I looked at my watch.., we just ran a 7:00 mile. Gotta get back on pace. It feels uncomfortable, but I push to get back on pace.
Somewhere around mile 7, Spinach (David) passes by me. We visit a little, but he's moving really well at the time. I'm pretty well running alone now, except I notice a runner ahead of me with a real energy-conserving stride. We play cat and mouse for the next couple miles. He passes me on the downhills - I pass him on the uphills. We visit a bit, and continue through the half together (1:29:45). I find out that Richard is 40, an Ironman triathlete, and has a marathon PR of 3:22. But that PR was during an Ironman. He is running very strong.
The wind is picking up now. Pretty much in the face - but it has a cooling effect on me. Temperature is still rising, but I'm doing OK. Sometimes I tuck in and draft Richard. Sometimes he drafts me.
Around mile 20, I start thinking about the final miles. Richard drops back a little bit. A young runner is beside me. (Found out later his name is Dan). We don't talk much, but attack Lemon Drop hill together. He is strong on the uphill..we stay right on pace. After we crested the hill, my calves began to cramp. This always seems to happen on a downhill stretch after an uphill push. I slow down for about 300 meters and eventually get them to back off. Dan stays close by. We arrive in Duluth running together.
I look at my watch at mile 24. 30 seconds in the bank. Just hang on!!
The cobblestone street on Superior Ave starts. I love this part. Nice, slightly downhill. And the people!! Spectator support is tremendous here in downtown Duluth. We keep going, and make the turn towards the DECC. Little uphill followed by a downhill. Running well now, but the calf muscles are on the verge of cramping again. Right before the William A. Irwin ore ship, the calf cramps set in big time. Ouch. The pain. Can't extend my toes. I'm forced to run on my
heels, as the ore-ship cramps continue. As I clear the ship (my guess is that thing is nearly 400 meters long) the cramps subside a bit. Edit(The ship is only 200 meters long-Thanks, Chad!)
Time to take it home.
Cross the finish line and I see 2:59:21 on the clock.
The pipe dream is now reality!
I walked for a bit and then knelt down and give thanks to God. Then I cried like a baby.
Tears of joy.
The medics came over. "Can we help you?" they asked. "Nope - never been better" I told them. I continued through the runners area. I congratulated Dan who was just 2 seconds behind, but had a better chip time. Heard the announcer counting down the 3 hour mark. There was some drama as a runner missed the 3 hour mark, crossing the line in 3:00:03. It was Richard - but I knew he had the sub-3 chip time also! Talked to him a bit and congratulated him.

After the Finish:
Now it was time to go back and watch the marathon. I hung out with some friends, rested and stretched for a bit by the ore ship. After a while, I started running the course backward, looking for Schmoopie. After about 1.5 miles, I find her. We run together all the way back to the ship. Se didn't have her best day, but I am still proud of the strong effort she put together.
4:21:28 which placed her 17th in AG and got her name in the paper!
I hang out more by the ship to see our friend Deb come by. She just completed her first marathon and she did it in 4:28:28. Way to go, Deb!
My sister, Joja Jogger was still on the course. She's had a tough time in the heat, as the text updates indicate. I head out running again. Found her at the 25th mile. We walk together a bit,
visit, and run together for the photographer there. This might not be a PR for her, but completing this marathon gives her Marathon Maniac status.
Congratulations, Sis!

Data and Statistics:
Clock time: 2:59:21
Chip time: 2:59:14
Overall: 87/5899
Gender: 74/3702
M45-49 AG: 9/428

Splits:
10K: 42:45 (6:53/mi)
Half: 1:29:45 (6:51/mi)
20 mile: 2:16:57 (6:51/mi)
25 mile: 2:51:01 (6:51/mi)
Last 10 K: 42:18 (6:48/mi)

Stats I look at:
Overall HR average: 167 (second highest avg in a marathon)
Two men older than me beat me (one was Paul Brown, the guy who beat me 2 weeks ago)
13 women beat me.
But - No women older than me beat me (Whew...)
Here is the HR chart, which shows '06 Grandma's (dark blue) vs. '09 Grandma's (lavender).

In my opinion, weather conditions were carbon copy. Looks like I worked quite a bit harder in miles 10-20 this year.
Thanks for reading,
John

Success at Grandma's

2009-06-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

2:59:13
Got to be a hot one.
Bank thermometer shows 90F right now.
Full race report later.
John

Five Year Flashback

2009-06-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

June 17, 2004:
Not to the day, but sometime around this date.
This is what it was like.
Two years ago in 2002 I ran my first 10K. It was the Heritagefest run in New Ulm, MN. My very first road race of any sort. I don't know what my time was, but I remember other parts of it well. I hurt for days afterward. But there was a flicker, a spark of something within me that made me want to try it again.
You see, now I'm a seasonal runner. My goal is to do the Heritagefest 10K again. Every June, I get out and run for a bit. Run a mile, walk a bit, run a little more. Mary got me going on this. I can't run the full 3.5 mile route up to County Road 29 and back without stopping, but in the next couple of weeks...I should be able to work up to it.
The 10K is coming up next month, but it seems like the training gets tougher every time. I'm 2 years older than my first 10K. I'm 43 years old now, weighing a bit heavier than the year before. Somewhere around 180 lbs. I'm not fat, but I've got love handles and size 31 jeans are a bit snug.
The training runs are slower than last year. But I'm older. My best days are long behind me.
I get 2-3 runs in per week and end up being able to run the entire 3.5 mile route PLUS an additional mile without stopping on my final training runs.
On July 17, 2004, I ran the Heritagefest 10K.
I thought I did pretty good. Got through the entire distance. Official time was 52:51.94

It was in the paper. I still have that race result pinned on my bulletin board.

I stuck around for awards, thinking that I might have a chance for an age-group award. Nope, there were guys in their 40's kicking my butt.
But, Mary ran the two mile and placed in her division.
I felt beaten, I got down on myself and didn't run any more that year.

June 17, 2009:
Here I sit - 5 years later, with tears in my eyes reminiscing about my early running days.
Grandma's marathon is in 3 days.
I am not down on myself anymore.
I've run nearly 10,000 miles in the last 4 years.
I have a goal and I am prepared.
Sub 3:00:00
I am not beaten......I am going to do it.

A FANS-tastic weekend

2009-06-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 6, 2009 (6:30 AM)Legends 5K:
Mary and I went to Deephaven to take in the Legends 5K on Saturday morning. We got there around 6:30AM, and there was enough time to take a warmup jog. Didn't recognize any people that I knew, but visited with a runner named Jim before the race. As we were lining up, I saw Rob on his bike. He had come over to watch the race, biking to several points on the course.
The 10K and 5K run the same course up to 1.55K, where the 5K turns around. We got started, and there were 7 runners that shot out ahead of me right away. Got into a steady pace around 5:50/mi. A couple of the runners came back to me after a half mile, but there was one really fast guy that disappeared out of sight. Got to the turnaround, was in 4th place, and saw that only 1 guy ahead of me turned around.
I was in 2nd place?!? Rob showed up and hollered that I was reeling him in. I told him it sucks to run fast. This is why I don't run many 5K's.
Got to the final 400 meters and the leader (found out it was Paul Brown) continued on the Minnetonka trail. I followed him for 100 meters and finally realized that we were off course. I back-tracked and got onto the street. At that point, Mac (a 19 y.o. X-country runner from Valpo) caught me. I pushed real hard to the finish and crossed the finish line 3 seconds ahead of Mac. I explained the situation to the race director and told him that I would not have been able to catch Paul.
There was a pancake breakfast and Legends ceremony after the race. Left there with a 2nd place trophy and a time of 18:52 for a Garmin-measured 3.26 miles.
The fast guy ran a 31:40 10K - wow!
FANS 12/24 hour (noon):
After visiting with Jessica, Matt, Noah and Travis in Edina for a while that morning, it was time to move on. Mary was going to travel back home with Noah, and I was going to spend some time at FANS.
Got there about noon, and saw Adam on the course. It was raining, but not too hard yet. Didn't even change shoes or take off my jacket - just started running with Adam. We visited quite a bit and he was doing very well. His mood was great and he was running smoothly. Adam told me that John Storkamp was attempting the 12 hour record and that he was really going fast.
Next lap I ran with Dave, Rolf and Greg from WI. I got to know these guys at Lean Horse last year. Good to see them again.
After that lap, I went to my truck. On the way, I met Helen and visited a bit. I saw her running with Storkamp just earlier and asked how he was doing. She said he was starting to slow down a bit. but hey, this was now 5 hours into the run - of course he's going to slow up a bit. I got to the truck and put some running gear on. Plus, warmed up a bit. Soon I found out that getting rained on combined with the cool temps and wind would be pretty tough conditions.
Put on the water belt, and started running the course opposite direction. Met up with John and ran with him a bit. I told him I could stay out here a while, just tell me to get lost if you don't need anyone around. He said it was good.
We didn't talk much. John was so focused. He was already in pain. 7 hours to go. You really can't say anything. We ran. At times we stayed under 8:00 miles, but the going got real tough. We'd get to the lap counter table and people would cheer him on. Let's go do it again. Mid afternoon the rain came down harder. The wind blew stronger. Going across the bridge was the worst, with the wind coming from the east across Nokomis.
Paul, Helen and Alicia were crewing for John. They restocked him and kept pouring fuel into him. And then we'd run again. John's stomach got real tight after the crew area. His extreme effort was tying up his stomach. But he always came back fighting. I have never witnessed a person that can dig so deep within to push that hard.
That's John Storkamp.
I ran 6 1/2 laps with John. We had slowed down to 9:00+/mile pace now. Eric was now going to run with him (Later I found out that John ran over 80 miles).
I went back to my truck. I was shivering and soaked. Changed into some dry clothes and warmed up with the heater on high.
FANS 12/24 hour (7:30 PM):
It was time to get to Aid Station #2, where I was going to work until 2:00AM. Learned where everything was and what to do. Worked the shift with Amber, who is a past recipient of the FANS program - how cool is that? While at the aid station, got to know a lot of the runners. So many really great people.
And then there was Mike Henze. What can you say? This guy just keeps going and going and going. Absolutely incredible. We got a call at 11:25PM. Mike has just left the lap counter and is on his way to hit 100 miles.
The 100 mile sign is outside our tent. We need to write down and sign the official time. Take the Coleman lantern out and here he comes. Official time of 15:40:31 for 100 miles!
That alone would make an extremely fast 100 mile time, but this guy was just getting going - more than 8 hours to go.
Worked the aid station until 2:00AM and needed some sleep. Made a cozy spot in my truck and slept until 6:30 AM.
FANS 12/24 hour (7:00 AM):
This is when the place starts buzzing again. The final hour. Runners making their decision to run another long lap or start with the short laps. Logan from Edmonton came through at 7:10 AM and didn't know what to do. By looking at the leader board, it looked like he was in 5th place. He was asking questions about his placement and a bit confused about the long/short laps. I ordered him to start a long lap - I'll catch up and explain. The two guys ahead of him had hit the medical tent a while back.
Logan was in 3rd. I caught up to him, introduced myself, and explained the situation to him. He had plenty of time for a long lap. Short laps suck, and he'll get to do plenty of them yet. Logan was able to run yet. In fact we ran the whole way around the lake - he probably didn't realize that. It was slow, but probably his fastest lap in the last 6 hours. Nice guy - he had lots of stories to tell.
After we got back, I just hung by the lap area and cheered on runners in the last 20 minutes.
Absolutely amazing.
In the final 10 minutes, Fast Eddie finished off a long lap that was his 2,000th FANS mile in 20 years. I got tears in my eyes. He's 69 years old now and ran 99 miles.
Eddie inspires.
John Miles Olsen and his friends. 13 years old. Visited with him a bit at night. Great young man who is talented, polite and humble. Got the endurance gene from his mother Sue. She started him out a bit early - like before he was born.
John Miles inspires.
Mike Henze - what can you way. 147.2 miles in 24 hours. Game plan was perfect.
Mike Henze inspires.
So many other runners/stories at FANS, I can't do it any justice writing here.
All in all - a FANS-tastic weekend.

Another successful benchmark effort

2009-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks of training have gone well for me. The legs were feeling pretty fresh, only two days after a pretty good fast-finish long run on Saturday.
I've been itching to get out and race a little bit, so Mary and I went to Mankato today for the 10 Kato run, which is held every Memorial Day in Mankato, MN.
I've run this course twice before, and it is not an easy 10K. It features a 190 ft. drop in elevation(miles 3.7 to 4.2) and then back up the 190ft. in the next 1.8 miles. That makes it a 3.6% grade which isn't too bad, but it is taxing on the legs at that stage of the race.
I started out near the front, and a lot of runners zipped out very fast. I was probably in 20th place at the half mile mark (which I hit in 2:51 - waaay too fast).
Soon I settled into a nice 6:00 pace and started picking off runners.
Hit the 4 mile (cruising down the hill yet) in 23:50 - yowsers!?!?!
Shortly after that came the long climb up the hill (Glenwood Ave).
It was tough, but didn't go any slower than 6:25 going up the long hill.
And, I was still able to see the leaders, but really couldn't gain any ground on them.
Finished in 4th place overall in 37:23 - only 1:11 behind the winner.
My prior PR at the 10K distance was 39:59 - so crushed it by 2:35
Here's a HR and elevation chart of the race.

Mary also ran a PR today (52:56), so her training is coming together very well.
Got to visit with some old and new running friends today.
Grandma's Marathon is less than 4 weeks away now.
Time to focus on maintaining quality training and diet. After that, a slow taper into goal race day.
John

Success at New Prague Half!

2009-05-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mary and I went to New Prague, MN to run the half marathon there.
This will be a short and sweet race report.
First of all, Schmoopie had a great day, setting a new PR!
She ran 1:55:06, wiping out her previous PR of 1:58:03 set 2 years ago!
It was a late decision for me to run this, but thought it would work as a "benchmark" race. My goal was to run around 1:26, as this is the time that most of the race predictor calculators will equate to a 3 hour marathon.
I ran the first 4 miles alongside Sonya Decker, she ended up winning the women's overall.
The pace felt good, and I drafted/used a couple runners ("Jake" and "Butch") when the wind got strong from miles 7-12.
Just before mile 12, I dropped the proverbial hammer.
My lap split from mile 12 to 13 showed a 5:46 and the Garmin showed a bit faster.
Came in at 1:24:06 for 9th/663 overall and 1st place AG in M45-49.
Smashed my prior PR of 1:27:00!
This was a real confidence booster for me.
It was a fantastic day!
John

Good luck Sis!

2009-04-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my sister Joja Jogger is running her very first ultramarathon. Turns out she wanted to do something "special" for her 50th birthday.

She'll be running the Lake Waramaug Ultra Marathon 50K in New Preston, CT.

I think she has what it takes to do this.

Good luck Sis!

I'm going to post a picture here, as I've accomplished one of my goals in preparing for Grandma's. I really like how it feels to have less body weight (except when running into the wind).

Just a Training Run??

2009-04-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

Today, Mary and I ran the Earth Day races in St. Cloud, MN.
Mary chose the Half marathon and I ran the 20 miler.
I went into this planning to run as a fast finish long run.
The goal simply was to run the first 10 miles at 7:20 pace and then at mile 10 I would try to stay under goal marathon pace (6:52/mile) and then finish strong.
The weather was great. About 52F and a good breeze out of the ENE.
I started out and had a little trouble finding my pace, but soon settled in. I ran alongside a steady runner named Rod and he was running a similar pace. I visited with him quite a bit and we drafted each other when the breeze got a little too strong. The miles went by in a hurry.
Here are the splits:
7:26, 7:13, 7:07, 7:12, 7:15, 7:05, 7:15, 7:19, 7:12, and 7:17.
So, the 10 mile split was an average of 7:14/mile - not too far off the original plan.
I said goodbye to Rod and wished him a strong finish as we parted ways at mile 10.
I found it quite easy to get onto marathon pace and it was uplifting to start to pass runners as I really enjoyed the faster pace.
I found myself moving a little too fast, but was still feeling very comfortable, so I stayed with it.
Passing other runners was kind of a game now, as I would always look for a strong runner way ahead of me and just try to close the gap.
Soon it was mile 18 and time to see if there was anything left in the tank. I pushed a little harder and worked really hard the last mile.
Finished in 2:18:34 for 12th place overall and 2nd place in the M45-49 age group.
The last splits were:
6:44, 6:44, 6:38, 6:45, 6:45, 6:36, 6:44, 6:38, 6:29, and 6:10.
That comes out to be an average of 6:37 for the final 10 miles.
This run was a great confidence booster - maybe the sub-3 marathon really is possible!?!?
Mary finished in 1:58:26, just missing her PR by 22 seconds!!
Yea, it was a good day!
John

Thinking of Zumbro

2009-04-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking about the runners that are at Zumbro right now. Matt P is running the 100K and maybe he has finished already. I think he will do great - can't wait to hear from him.
Steve Q is running the 100M option. I really worry about Steve and how many times he falls while running. I saw him last year at Afton after falling. He's one tough competitor! Please stay upright, Steve!
I just finished my FFLR and it was a success. 12 miles at 7:55 and then 7 more miles.
6:51, 6:46, 6:50, 6:43, 6:43, 6:44 and 6:31.
It went well.
Next Saturday, Mary and I go to St. Cloud for the Earth Day runs. Mary will run the 1/2 and I will run the 20 miler as a fast finish training run.

Weight Update

2009-03-31T04:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a current view of my Tanita scale this morning.

Diet and fitness plan is right on schedule.

But, I never realized there were so many pizza commercials on television....the Papa John's one with all of the pepperoni on it really gets me drooling.

Success with the FFLR

2009-03-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the two types of long runs that I will be doing in preparation for Grandma's Marathon on June 20.
This weekend, it was time for the Fast Finish Long Run (FFLR). My goal was to go out for 12 miles @ 8:00 miles and then hit marathon pace for the final 6, finishing as strong as possible.
The run went well, averaging 7:54 for the first 12 miles, keeping the HR right around 140.
The final miles were 6:55, 6:46, 6:48, 6;43, 6:42 and 6:32.
It was tough to dig down for more speed at the end, but this is the type of training that develops both physical and mental toughness.
I write this as I sit in the ice bath, blogging keeps the mind away from the shivering.
Congrats to the Michigan State Spartans who will be representing the Big 10 in the NCAA Final 4!

Spring has sprung long run

2009-03-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day today in MN. Went for a nice, easy long run. Temps were in the 40s-50's.
Shorts and short sleeve weather!
21.72 miles in 3:00:37 - about 8:20 pace. Took a nice ice bath and now it's time for some yard work with Schmoopie.

Half way to Goal weight

2009-03-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

Weighed in this morning.

This is what I saw.

16 days ago, I weighed 155 lbs.

It was at that time, I promised to stick to my diet and fitness plan to reach my goal race weight of 145 lbs. for Grandma's Marathon on June 20.

Looks like I'm a little over half way there.

Long run training for the marathon

2009-03-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

For the next three months, I will be focusing my long training runs on two different types. They are called the long steady distance run and the fast finish long run. I've bought into this a bit from Greg McMillan's site. I'm not going to run these exactly as he describes, but I feel that alternating these two types of runs will be beneficial to my marathon training.
With so much of my training focused on ultras last year, most of my miles logged were quite slow and low heart rate. Then, with a stress fracture last fall, running was very slow, just so that the healing of my tibia could complete.
I've got a great aerobic base right now, but don't have the top end speed or the fast efficient stride need to be a better racer at the marathon distance or less.
Long steady distance run:
I ran this type last Saturday. 18.4 miles on rolling hills. I went into it with very low glycogen levels, as I had restricted calories to under 1,500 per day for the prior 3 days.
Ended up averaging 8:38/mile and was totally drained by the end. Total glycogen depletion!
Fast finish long run:
Today was FFLR day. The plan was to go out at 8:00/mile for 12 miles, and then step up to 6:52/mile for the final 5.
Execution of this plan was almost perfect:
12 miles: 7:58/mi.
5 miles: 6:40/mi.
I took a gel at mile 11.5, and that was plenty of fuel to finish the run.

HADD Test Version 4.0

2009-03-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

HADD TEST:
It's been a while since I've posted here. Also, another month has passed since my last HADD test.
Training has gone quite well, and I feel that I am in very good running condition right now.
Here are the results from last night's HADD test. I tried to keep every thing consistent from the start of these to see if this measure of fitness will detect any changes in my fitness level.
Int# HR_Avg Pace
1 130 8:43
2 139 7:56
3 148 7:26
4 158 6:59
5 169 6:34
It appears that I might be able to run slightly faster at the lower HR's, but the top end appears to be the same. I felt pretty good at interval #5, and could have gone much longer.
Here are the comparison results from February 9, 2009:
Int# HR_Avg Pace
1 126 9:07
2 138 8:05
3 149 7:29
4 159 7:04
5 170 6:34
New Goal:
I haven't talked much about my running schedule for 2009, as I have spent a lot of time considering my goals for this year. Three years ago, my goals were clear.
1. Break 40 minutes in 10K
2. Break 3 hours in the marathon
3. Run an ultra
4. Run a 100 mile ultra
I've accomplished 3 of these, but the 3 hour marathon goal remains. My PR is 2006 Grandma's (yep, one of those hot and humid years) of 3:07:43.
I've run a lot of races since then, but have never seriously trained for the sub-3 race.
Mary and I are registered for the 2009 version of Grandma's, and I am really thinking that if I focus on my training and lose the appropriate weight - it could be possible.
Here it is: My goal is to break 3 hours at Grandma's marathon on June 20, 2009.
I wrote it down.
Weight Loss:
Last week I started with a serious change in diet.
Now, I am very conscious about the calories that I am consuming. Mary is helping me a lot with this. I have been averaging 1,500-2,000 calories per day.
So far 2 lbs. lost and feeling good.
The toughest part is avoiding the bad sugars. My favorites are Cap'n Crunch, Heath bars, ice cream, Oreo cookies, any cookies, and maple glazed doughnuts. Pizza, broasted chicken, cheeseburgers, french fries also were a large part of my diet.
I've manage to avoid a lot of these, and am eating more fruits, vegetables, lean meat, etc.
My weight is 152 right now, and am hoping to toe the line at Grandma's weighing 145.

Freeze Your Buns 4 mile

2009-02-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

Race Report February 14,2009

This is the third year that Mary and I have run the "Freeze Your Buns" 4 mile run in St. Peter, MN.
Mary was feeling healthy enough to run, so this was going to be a nice start to Valentine's Day - going to a road race with my Schmoopie.
On arrival, I saw some speedsters from MN RED there. Rob, his son Cameron, Brian, and their coach Ron were there. I also met up with Ryan from New Ulm, whom I have gotten to know while accumulating dreadmill miles at Snap Fitness this winter.
Mary, Ryan and myself went for a warmup run about 45 minutes before the race. Mary was planning to run a nice, easy run. Ryan was planning to run with me at the start, as I was planning on starting out at 6:30/mile for the first couple of miles and see what happens. My goal was to break 26:00 (6:30/mile pace).
Soon, we were at the start line and we were off!
As expected, Rob and Brian shot out in front, and there was another runner with them whom I did not know. Then there were about another 6 runners in front of me. Included in that bunch was coach Ron and 13 year old Cameron. Ryan was running beside me. Ryan and I hit the split at 1 mile about perfect, and the next mile is what I consider the toughest. It gains about 120 feet with the steepest part right before the 2 mile mark. As we got into the climb, Ryan backed off a bit, and I was gaining on Ron and Cameron. I pulled up beside Cameron and encouraged him to stick with me and draft as we were climbing the steepest hill and going into the wind. He took up my offer. Soon, we crested and took a left turn to go downhill and with the wind. Cameron didn't stick with me on the downhill. In the next mile, I was able to get back on pace and pass a couple runners. The lead pack of three was out of sight now, but I could see the #4 runner about 250 yards ahead of me. I pushed pretty hard the last mile but came up about 50 yards behind him at the finish. I'm quite satisfied with my performance, as I had a finish time of 25:27, finished in 5th place (? not official), broke my goal time by 33 seconds and bettered last year's time by 55 seconds.
Here are the mile splits:
Mile 1: 6:31
Mile 2: 6:51
Mile 3: 6:15
Mile 4: 5:50
Here is a chart of my HR, speed and elevation. I think Mr. Garmin put an extra 100 feet of climb on the hill at mile 2.

I walked back a bit from the finish to cheer Mary on. I thought she would finish somewhere around 36 minutes, but saw her coming down the final stretch as the timekeeper was still calling out times in the 34 minute range.
She finished with a 34:42, a fantastic result for such a modest approach to the race.
Another fun day of running.
Thanks for reading,
John

HADD Test Version 3.0

2009-02-09T19:14:00.001-08:00

Another month has passed, and I have continued with most of my training runs slower than 8:00/mile pace. This usually is an average of 125-140BPM.
Tonight it was time to do Version 3.0 of the HADD test and see if I could get a better grade this time.
Here are the results:
Int# HR_Avg Pace
1 126 9:07
2 138 8:05
3 149 7:29
4 159 7:04
5 170 6:34

I felt pretty good about the test this time. I would give myself a solid "B" on it.
The lower HR targets showed quite a bit of improvement, but the 170 target was only slightly better. Maybe this is telling me that now is the time to start incorporating a few tempo runs and possibly some interval work?

Rocky Raccoon, Carl and Jamie:
This past weekend, Carl G went down to Huntsville, TX and ran the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile event. Carl is a veteran of many ultras, but still was working to complete his first 100.
HE DID IT! (28:15)
Congratulations Carl!
Jamie Donaldson also was there, winning the women's division easily and coming in 3rd place overall! Looks like she is going after the Ultrarunner of the year for 2009.
Someday I would like to run Rocky, the pictures of the trails on the web site look beautiful.

Freeze Your Buns 4 mile:
On Saturday, I will be running the "Freeze your Buns" 4 mile run in St. Peter, MN. I've run this one for the past two years, and it is always a fun time.
In 2007, I averaged 6:38/mile and in 2008 it was 6:33/mile. A good goal would be to break the 6:30/mile barrier.
I'm also hoping that Schmoopie will be feeling healthy enough (plantar fasciitis in her right foot) to join me and run it also.

P.F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon

2009-01-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

3:40 Pacer report January 18,2009
Temperature change:
We arrived in Arizona on Thursday, realizing a 104 degree change in actual temperature. It was -24F in Minnesota when we left and 80F when we arrived in Phoenix. What a change!
Mary, Taylor, Chelsey and myself arrived at my parent's place in Mesa early Thursday afternoon. We had some time to relax and take in some of the abundant sunshine.
My sister, Joja Jogger arrived on Friday and she brought with her a lot of nervous energy. Read her race report here to get another point of view on the weekend's activities.
Mom's birthday was on Friday (she turned 83), and we went out for supper/carbs that evening.
Expo:
Saturday was Expo, and I wanted to get to the pacer booth and talk to some runners. We had a pacer clinic at 10:00AM and also at 2:30PM. I visited with a lot of runners and many of them were intending to run with me on Sunday. Exciting stuff!
Start Village:
Mary, Joja and myself got to the finish line area just before 6:00AM and rode the bus to the start. We had plenty of time to get food, fluids, bathroom lines, sunscreen, etc done before the start.
Here is a picture of the three of us before the race.

Joja, John and Mary

The Race:
Got into corral 3 about 20 minutes before the start. Both the 3:40 and 3:45 pace groups were in the same corral, so I worked my way up to the front. The 3:45 pacer was there, right at the rope with quite a few runners around him. Oh well, he'll let us move ahead when they drop the ropes.....not.
He and his group dashed right up there, leaving us behind them.
The gun went off, and we crossed the start line with an offset of about 1 minute. After a slow start, we had to try and work our way through the 3:45 group. At about the 1 mile mark we had finally cleared them. It was a beautiful morning for a run.
At mile 3? we heard a huge CRUNCH!!! to our left. Some guy driving an RV must have been watching the runners and forgot that his vehicle was taller than the canopy clearance at the gas station. His AC unit was now in a new place.
The miles continued to click off nicely and at 10K we had 19 seconds in the bank. By the half, we had 45 seconds to work with. As it happens every year, quite a few of my group surge ahead of me from miles 11 to 14. I try to keep them in as much as I can.
At mile 14.5, we get a beautiful view of Camelback mountain. This is a sight I look forward to every year as the sun really accents the exposed rock at this time of the morning. But after this point is where I start to lose runners from my group. As we work our way north and then get up to Indian School Road, we are on a very slight incline, and a breeze was picking up from the east. The breeze had a good cooling effect, as we were now running in a lot of direct sunlight. But, it takes a little more effort to maintain pace into the wind also.
By mile 20, we had about 1:30 in the bank. It was time to slowly withdraw from the bank - but not too much. My goal was to run 8:25 to 8:30 miles for the next few.
I told my group that it was my mother's birthday on Friday, and that I planned to pull over just before mile 22 to give her a hug and kiss. I told them to shout "Happy Birthday Lois!!" when I pulled over to the side of the road. I was visiting quite a bit with some runners, and was oblivious to the fact that mile 22 was coming up soon.
There they were - Mom, Dad, son Taylor and his girlfriend Chelsey. Mom got her hug and salty kiss. The group started singing "Happy Birthday" as they ran by. Nice touch. Thank you, 3:40 group!
Mom felt really special.
I caught back up with the group and there was a group of 5-7 who were running very well. When we got to mile 23, I told them "There's only a 5K left, if you feel fine - keep going at this pace. You will then finish somewhere around 3:38:30. I will slow down a little more and see if we can pull in a few more runners for the finish."
I intentionally slowed down to about a 8:40 pace, but not many runners were catching up to me. I really started to wave my pace sign really high, back and forth, trying to lure a few more BQ's up to me.
Soon, the final mile was here. I take it in nice and easy, waving the sign some more, encouraging the crowd to cheer for all of these fantastic runners that are coming in.
I crossed the finish in 3:39:46 chip time.
Extra Thoughts:
It's kind of lonely in a way, as you'd think a pacer would have dozens of runners right with him across the finish. I crossed the finish line alone. The fact is, I WANT my group to beat me. And congratulations to all of them that did!
A few more came in right behind me. I'm not sure if they used me during the race or just happened to be there. If I helped in any way - my goal was met.
My heart goes out to those that fell off my group. Whether it was mile 10, mile 16, mile 18, mile 23... not everyone that runs with me will get their goal. The marathon is not easy.
But if you did not reach your goal, make sure that you learn something from the experience.
And try again...don't let that goal slip away or let your inner demons convince you that it is not possible.
Mary and Joja Jogger(my sister):
After I finished, I got my drop bag and then went back to mile 26.1 to cheer the runners on!
Mary finished in 4:26:37, and had a lot of trouble with quads cramping and persistent plantar fasciitis pain in her right foot. She was a real trooper and gutted it out to the finish!
Joja finished in 4:58:23 for her first marathon ever! She had a goal of breaking 5 hours and executed her plan perfectly. Congratulations, Sis!
We sat down for a bit in the Family reunion area. Drank some beer and talked running. It was fun.
Evening concert:
Taylor, Chelsey and I went to the evening concert in Tempe. Smash Mouth was the feature band. It was the first year that I had enough energy after the marathon to take in the concert. I'm glad we went.
Temperatures started to drop, but that didn't seem to have any effect on LeRoy the lead guitar player who prefers to go shirtless.
Thanks for reading,
John

Mary is First Place – John is Last Place

2009-01-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

Mary got 1st place AG and yes, I was last place in my AG.
For more, read on.
On Saturday, Mary and I participated in the Heart of Winter 12K in Redwood Falls, MN. This race starts at Jackpot Junction Casino, circles around some service roads there, then travels west on a county road for 5 miles, goes through some streets in Redwood Falls, and ends up at the Community Center with the last 200 meters being on an indoor track.
Temperature was 5F with only a 6mph west wind to run into. It was a bit chilly, but tolerable.
There were only 38 runners in the 12K and 65 runners in the 6K event.
I recognized a few people, including my speedy neighbor Ashley and age group rival Jay from Windom. Both Ashley and Jay run pretty much the same speed as myself when racing. I figured at least there would be some company.
The gun went off and there were at least 12 people that shot out ahead of me. I settled into a 7:00/mile pace and stuck to my plan – run steady and don’t do anything stupid.
I saw that Jay had shot ahead, but Ashley was running real close to my pace. I visited with her a bit, and told her that she could draft me once we got out on the open road going into the wind.
After the 2 mile mark, she took me up on the offer.
After 6 miles, and heading into the streets of Redwood Falls, I had a decision to make. Do I kick it down and try to catch some people in front of me? Logical John won out and decided to hold a steady pace to the finish. The streets were quite slippery and at times there was quite a bit of street snush building up on the shoes. Ashley fell off my pace when the footing got bad.
Got to the final stretch on the indoor track and it felt good to stretch out the legs and get a few strides done in warmer temps.
I visited with some other runners, and then went by the door to cheer on Mary on when she arrived at the track. She finished nice and strong!
Awards presentation was next. Ashley won 2nd overall women’s and $100. Mary won her age group (1st out of 2). Upon checking the results, I was officially 3rd out of 3 in the men’s 40-49 age group. Jay beat me by a good 1:30…he’s really running well lately.
Web site says my time was 52:12.7, but my watch showed 51:47. I think one of the people with the stop watches at the finish line missed me as I was running in stealth mode. It doesn’t take away my last place finish, but pointing out that fact makes me feel better….
PF Chang’s RNR Arizona Marathon:
We are getting ready to leave for this one. Flights leave tomorrow morning.
I’m feeling very ready for the marathon and anxious to run in some warmer temps!!
John

HADD test Version 2.0

2009-01-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

HADD Test Results:
On Tuesday night, I ran myself through another HADD test.
It had been about one month of good training since the last HADD. I've been focusing on increasing mileage, but logging most of them in my aerobic HR range which would be 130-145 BPM.
I think I flunked the test.
First of all, my goal HR averages for each segment were 130 to 170 in increments of 10. Segments 3,4 and 5 were pushed too far over the average.
I ran very close to the same paces, but had to work harder to do it.
Here are the results:
Int#: HR_Avg Pace
1 128 9:11
2 141 8:19
3 153 7:45
4 164 7:17
5 175 6:41

These results seem to indicate that now I am in poorer running condition than I was one month ago. I'm a bit reluctant to believe that right now, as I have seen good/bad running days change as fast as the weather here in Minnesota.

Heart of Winter 12K:
Speaking of Minnesota winter weather, this Saturday Mary and I will be running the Heart of Winter 12K in Redwood Falls, MN. Forecast is for 15F and 20mph headwind.
I'm hoping to run well, but I don't want to push myself beyond my limits for speed right now. Gotta save the legs for Phoenix.

PF Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon:
Yea, I'm getting pumped for this one. Only 10 days to go. Running conditions are almost guaranteed to be great.
I used to get taper madness really bad before marathons. Now it doesn't seem to affect me as much. I just get fired up rather than drive myself crazy.
John

Arizona here we come!

2009-01-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

In just 2 weeks, I'll be running the Rock 'N' Roll Arizona marathon (January 18, 2009). It will be a special day not only for myself, but also for others in my family.
My Mom and Dad live in Mesa during the winter months, and it is always good to see them. My mother will be celebrating her 83rd birthday on January 16. I am so thankful that Mom and Dad are in good health and still able to enjoy a very active lifestyle.
My sister is also traveling to Phoenix that weekend to run her FIRST marathon. She has done an excellent job of getting through her training for this and she will do great.
My dear Schmoopie, Mary will be running her THIRD marathon there. Just one year ago, Mary was convinced that she would never be able to tackle a full marathon, and look at her now!
My youngest son and his girlfriend are also making the trip with us, and they will be there to cheer everyone on!
The RNR Arizona marathon holds a special place in my heart. It was the location of my 3rd ever marathon and most of all it is where I was first able to qualify for Boston. It was the most emotional marathon finish I have ever experienced.
Now, I'll be running the course for the 4th time, and pacing the 3:40 group for the 3rd year in a row. I really look forward to pacing at this marathon, because it is one simple way that I can give back to the sport. Nothing makes me feel better than to see the emotion a runner who has finally achieved a BQ for the first time. Two years ago, a guy got his BQ running with me on his 84th marathon. That is outright incredible.
I'm in great shape now, except I'm maybe carrying a few extra winter pounds.
The stress fracture is totally healed and I have been slowly increasing the miles.
2009 should be a great year.
I'm still trying to figure out what events to run in 2009.
Here are some ideas, but I hope no one holds me to them.
Chippewa Moraine and Trail Mix 50K's in April look like they would be fun. I am not going to run Boston this year, but may return there again in the future. It is just too expensive to travel to these big city marathons.
Med City or the new Stillwater marathons in May would be fun, maybe I could use them as a warmup to run FANS again this year.
I will certainly want to travel to the Afton 50K again this year, that is an awesome place to run!
One thing I would really like to do is travel to Badwater in July and crew for the Badwater 135.
Something about that race is really appealing to me, and I definitely want to crew there before I would consider anything as crazy as applying to run it. If anyone reading this gets accepted into Badwater, and needs crew members, please consider me for the task!
But for this year, I think I would like to attempt the Superior Sawtooth 100. I've only completed a fairly easy 100 (Lean Horse), so I view this as the next logical challenge.
Oh well, I'll come up with a more concrete schedule in the near future.
John

HADD test - Inspired by Matt

2008-12-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

I just read Matt's blog and was very interested in testing my aerobic level of training using the test known as the HADD test.
It's a good time to do it, as I am just starting to ramp up more miles and it would be nice to compare some numbers and see if I can improve in the next few months with the higher mileage.
Thanks for the idea, Matt!
For the past couple of years, I have been pretty good about training in my aerobic HR zone and have benefited greatly from this type of training.
My max HR is 190, so I chose to target the HR averages at 130, 140, 150, 160, and 170.
I feel that my lactate threshold is somewhere between 160 and 170 right now.
I did the test on a treadmill to try to get a very consistent environment to run this test.
So, here are the results:
Int#: HR_Avg Pace
1 129 9:20
2 139 8:22
3 149 7:48
4 159 7:19
5 169 6:39

I know that I am not in top running condition right now, but I am hoping to make some very good improvement just by increasing miles at low HR training (mostly 130-145HR runs).
I think that the best improvement I could hope for in three months would be to run the exact same paces at 10bpm HR less than this test showed.
That would be not too far from being in 2:59:59 marathon shape (one of my goals yet).

I'm OK

2008-12-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

Hey, I haven't posted in quite a while. It's time I wrote down some thoughts.

Last night it snowed. About 4 inches of it. In fact, the snow started as I was running a 10 miler last night. It was a really fun run, except for going into the wind, when the snow/sleet mix was blowing into my eyes.

A new toy. Specifically a Blackberry Curve. I finally made the leap from a regular voice cell phone to a smart phone. I feel so connected.....Now I can text, email, take pictures, video, and lots more stuff I'll probably never learn. I even got my work email set up on it without bugging our IT people.

Better Health. I have been slowly increasing my mileage. The right tibia stress fracture has healed nicely and the leg feels better than ever. I have a few issues with hip flexors yet, but that is improving also. I have been doing more proprioceptive exercises to improve my running. This was much needed, as my balance and ankle strength were extremely poor.

Another Ultra? Yes, I am considering doing another ultra again. I really have not scheduled anything yet for 2009 yet. Any suggestions would be welcome....

New York, New York

2008-11-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here's my race report from the New York Marathon.
There were so many events that happened that weekend, and perhaps that is why I have postponed writing anything about it here on my blog. I will just mention some of the highlights here - the things that will stay with me for a while.
The last time I was in New York was 25 years ago with some college buddies. I thought the traffic was the worst I had ever seen, drivers extremely rude, and the city was dirty. I did not feel safe walking downtown in the middle of the day.
Now, in 2008 the traffic is still nasty - but there is less honking (I guess there is a law with a $350 fine). The people are friendlier and I felt completely safe walking the streets late into the evening.
On to the marathon, or should I say the "Moving Sea of Humanity".
This is a really big marathon, but I have to admit that they have the logistics of this down pretty good. My only complaint was that I had to spend over 4 hours waiting at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island before the start. My bus left Manhattan Public Library at 4:30AM and the first wave race start was at 9:40AM. I visited with a lot of people before the start, and was surprised how many runners were from other countries. My guess was 50%.
Since I had minimal training for this marathon, my goal was a 3:30.
The start corrals look very crowded, but are not that bad. There were 3 different colors with 3 different start times, so actually it was a 9 wave start. The 3 different colors took separate bridge lanes and different street lanes until they merged together at mile 8.
The cannon went off, and the song "New York, New York" blared from the speakers. Everyone was in a great mood, and we began the long climb up the Verrazano Narrows bridge. This is the biggest hill on the course, so I took it real easy. First mile in 8:43. After that, I got settled into a nice pace of about 7:45-7:50/mile.
We ran through Brooklyn, later on we went through an area where there were a lot of rabbis/priests there. They had braided beards and really cool black top hats. It made me think of the Seinfeld episode where George was going to convert to Latvian Orthodox because of his girlfriend Sasha.
When asked by the Latvian orthodox priest: What aspect of the faith do you find particularly attractive?
George: I think the hats.
I too, find the hats attractive.
The run went well until the Queensboro bridge ascent started. This is mile 15, and I know this is the point where my lack of training was going to be my limiting factor. HR hit a high of 177 and my legs were getting heavy.
At mile 16.5 as we turned north on 1st Avenue, Mary was there. I saw her first, then she saw me. She got a picture of me here. I'm in the orange shirt.

There were so many spectators on this part of the course. We continued north toward the Bronx. It was somewhere here where the first 3:30 pacer caught me. I ran with him a while and found out that he was in a different start color and had an offset of only 30 seconds compared to my 1:30 offset at the start. I knew that if I fell back a little, I would still be in the 3:30 ballpark.
It was at this point that I came up with my own little "Challenge Yourself".
How close, without going over, can I get to a 3:30 finish? I started to do some calculations in my head after crossing every mile marker to figure this out. It was something to keep my mind occupied, as my body was being fully challenged in the final miles. My HR was creeping and holding at an average of 173 - OK for the last 5 miles of a 10 mile race, but not OK on the final 10 miles of a marathon.
I dug deep, soon I saw the 1 mile to go sign. Watch said 3:22:10. Ouch, I'm really hurting now, but just push it a little more. 800 meters to go - 3:26:05. I think I can. 400 meters to go - 3:28:02. Keep pushing, man this hurts...Finally the finish line. Hit the stop on my watch, it showed 3:29:59.76 - Official results say 3:29:58.
Oh well, close enough.
HR at the finish was 179 - that's the highest I've registered during a marathon, but what it really shows is that I am out of shape right now.
The stress fracture did not present any major problems during this marathon. Sure, I can feel some pain in it yet, but as long as I rest properly and ease back into the training, it will be fine.
I had a great time in New York. Mary and I saw a lot of sites, ate and drank at some very nice places. Yes, squid is delicious!! We even saw Dennis Rodman while touring the city. The squid/Rodman in the same thought pattern really does not have any subliminal meaning....I don't think...
But, most of all, it is good to be home. It's not so crowded.

10 mile training run

2008-10-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

I just finished up one of my last runs before I go to New York. On the schedule was a 10 mile run.
This last week, the right tibia was on again, off again with all kinds of pain in it. I am now thoroughly convinced that my shin pain has been a stress fracture. Not severe - but enough to set me back a couple months and set my sights a lot lower for any upcoming running events.
But, after a couple days of rest, it was time to get one more long run in the bank. I took a couple ibuprofen and headed out the door. It was a beautiful October morning - heavy dew, breeze from the southwest, and 37 degrees.
The run went well. It is starting to feel like I am running - not slogging anymore.
Came in with 10.07 miles in 1:20:57 for a 8:02/mile pace.
I am thinking that I will shoot for a sub-3:30 at NYC.

Cornerstone is set

2008-10-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've always read, heard and strongly believe that the long run is the "Cornerstone" of the marathon training program.
Lately, I haven't been running well. The tibia on my right leg has been a real pain. And not many cornerstones have been set for the NYC marathon.
In a prior post, I planned out how I was going to get my few last long runs in before New York. Good gracious, it is only 2 weeks from tomorrow!!
I feel a bit better about all of this today. As I sit here at the computer, I still have some sweat on my back. I did it. Yep, 20.38 miles in 2:51:01 (8:23/mile).
In fact, it went well. No major pains. I did cheat a bit and took some Vitamin I (ibuprofen) before the run though.
Things are looking up...
The cornerstone is set.

Getting ready for New York

2008-10-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've been set back with this shin splints/tibia stress fracture injury, there has a question in the back of my head. Will I be able to run NYC marathon on November 2?
Yea right, I just ran a 100 miler late August, and was doing marathons for training runs leading up to that. Boy, have I been humbled. I have run a total of 120 miles since my 100 - that's about 17 miles per week. And I feel that I have been pushing it pretty hard to come back.
Now, it is three weeks to go for the marathon. Last week I came up with this short and sweet marathon training plan for the injured ultrathoner.
Dates are relative to the marathon date:
4 weeks prior: 10 mile long run
3 weeks prior: 15 mile long run
2 weeks prior: 20 mile long run
1 week prior: 10 mile long run.
There is some good news here. Yesterday I was able to run 15.2 miles. I even felt good enough to push the pace a little bit to 7:30/mile for the final 3 miles.
Overall workout was 8:04/mile.
I'm feeling a lot better now about NYC...maybe there is a chance that I can run a nice little BQ AND have a lot of fun doing it?!?!?

Schmoopie completes TCM!

2008-10-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my Schmoopie as she completed her 2nd marathon at Twin Cities on Sunday!
Before anyone gets ill to the stomach about this Schmoopie stuff, let me explain.
Mary is a huge Seinfeld fan, and the term comes from the "Soup Nazi" episode where Jerry and his girlfriend call each other Schmoopie all the time and it is outright sickening. It really is so annoying that it is humorous in a strange way.
Needless to say, we have experimented with this term of endearment and it is our warped way of communicating affection to each other.
Here's the YouTube if you're interested...funny stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mii8aJklEOg
Back to the race:
It started to sprinkle a bit at home, so I drove up to Minneapolis early Sunday morning to watch the marathon. I was able to see Mary at mile 8.5 (DuPont and Minnehaha Parkway), then saw her again at mile 19.3 (end of the Franklin bridge), and then saw her just before the finish at mile 26.1.
Here is a photo of her coming down the final stretch.

Her official chip time was 4:20:14 which was within 2 minutes of her Med City marathon time in May 2008.

I was able to see some runners I knew, missed a lot of them, and cheered loudly for those that were wearing ATR (Afton Trail Run) tech shirts! This was the first time I have watched a marathon. It was fantastic watching the runners come down the final stretch...had a lump in my throat the whole time.

Also, today is our 19th anninversay. Happy Anniversay, Schmoopie!

Was it broke?

2008-10-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in quite a while. Here are some things that I have been thinking about.

My Training - A few weeks back, I diagnosed my running problems as shin splints. It was at least that. Three weeks ago, I was not even able to run1 mile any more. Sucksville!!!
The pain was residing in just my right leg. It really hurt about 2/3 of the way up my tibia. Very tender to the touch and the pain would radiate all the way through my body. Self diagnosis tells me that it actually was a stress fracture. The timing of the whole thing makes sense also. It has been 5.5 weeks since Lean Horse and 6 weeks is amount of time needed to heal a stress fracture properly.
Just in the last 3 days, the pain has reduced about 10-fold and it feels like I am running again!
I'm feeling very good about being able to recover fully and put out a respectable effort at the NYC marathon.

Schmoopie Runs Again - My dear Schmoopie (my wife, Mary) is running the Twin Cities Marathon this Sunday! She is in good shape to run this one. The forecast looks great. with temps in the 50's and 60's.
This will be her second marathon. Her first was Med City Marathon in Rochester, MN on May 25. I paced her on that one and she did fantastic - finishing in 4:18:55!
I wish her all the best, as I may have to stay home on Sunday, tending to some fall harvest duties. Maybe it will rain, and I can get up there and cheer her on!

48 hour treadmill record?

2008-09-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

On Monday, my sister informed me that Dean Karnazes was attempting a 48 hour treadmill record on "Live with Regis and Kelly" during Guiness world record week on the show.
I've been tuning in a bit on the live feed, interested in seeing if he can do it.
Here is the link: (click on the 48 hours of Running live feed when you get there)
http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/index.html
I just tuned in this morning, and he is moving quite well (43.5 hours into it).
There is not a mileage readout or counter there, so I have no idea how many miles he is at, or even what the record mileage he is seeking.
(My guess is that it is somewhere over 230 miles for the record)
I know that the mention of Dean amongst ultra runners usually has two responses.
For me, if it weren't for Dean - I would NEVER have run or considered running an ultramarathon.
Thanks, Dean - now go get that record!

Post-100 blues/recovery

2008-09-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

I've got to be honest here.
Running wise, the past 18 days have been rough.
I put myself back to running only 2 days after completing my first 100 miler. I knew after I completed Lean Horse that I did not incur any sort of permanent injury (for which I am extremely thankful).
The reason I attempted to run that soon was that I am a firm believer that after a difficult race where you build a lot of muscle soreness (lactate), you just need to get out there and push through it and flush the "bad stuff" out of your body. I went out and ran, but it was like I was using someone else's body. Running stride was difficult and it just plain HURT all over - but nothing specific.
A few days later, the runs produced some very specific pains - SHIN SPLINTS!!
Shin splints are usually related to MTSS or medial tibial stress syndrome. It's painful, and can take a while to get through. I remember having them a couple of years ago, when starting to increase miles significantly. I'm certain now that the repetitive stresses of running 100 miles led to this.
So, I've been icing, stretching, toe raise exercises, biking more, resting more, to see if I can whip this thing.
It really sucks not running. Right now, I haven't run for 3 full days and am going nuts.......
I will try a short run tonight, as some of the shin pain has finally subsided today.
I feel that I am starting to pressure myself to get some solid training in before the NYC marathon on November 2, but I really need to get fully healthy first.
Anybody that has suggestions how to get through this the best way possible- I'm willing to listen.
John

Good Luck to Superior Sawtooth 100 participants!

2008-09-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

Good luck to all of the runners participating in the Superior Sawtooth 100 this weekend.
Adam Harmer , Julie Berg, Steve Quick, Carl Gammon, Pierre Ostor, Daryl Saari, Matthew Patton, and Helen Lavin are just a few of the runners I have met or had contact with in the past few months. I will be supporting you from afar.
I will not be coming up to North Shore for the run this weekend, but I will be thinking of you from 8AM Friday until I see the results.
Run smart, run strong....
Have a memorable time!
John

Pictures from Lean Horse

2008-08-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

This is taken at Mile 16.6 coming into the Argyle Aid station. Running with my new friend Mike H. from Ft. Collins, CO.

This is coming into Mile 55 Aid station. Thumbs up - thats a bunch of BS....I think I did that to indicate that I was still alive.

This is coming into Aid Station at Mile 60. It is mostly downhill after this. Here is the finish. Glad to be done. Receiving my belt buckle and 3rd place Age Group award at 10:00AM the next morning.

Lean Horse 100 Race Report

2008-08-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Lean Horse 100 Mile race report August 23, 2008:
Short version:
18:36:36
6th place overall.
Long version:
Mary and I departed Sleepy Eye at 6:00AM on Friday, August 22, 2008. I had estimated our travel time to be 8.5 hours, and as I would find out later that weekend, it is good to estimate times conservatively.
We arrived in Rapid City about noon, so we had enough extra time to travel the scenic route through the Black Hills, past Mt. Rushmore, and travel to Hill City where the 50 mile turnaround is. That way we would be able to preview most of the course and still make it to Hot Springs for the pre-race briefing at 3:00PM. We also were able to find a lot of the aid station locations on our way.
The course is relatively flat from miles 16.6 to 83.4 because it is on the Mickelson Trail which follows an old railroad bed that has a 3% grade on most of it.
The first and last 16.6 miles are much different. They are on Argyle Road, just a gravel road that winds up/down the hills from Hot Springs to the Mickelson Trail. It is 3,400 ft elevation at Hot Springs (Miles 0/100) and 4,800 ft at Argyle (miles 16.6/83.4).
When I got to Hot Springs, I felt intimidated by the hills of Argyle Road. And then I saw ultra legends Pierre Ostor and John Storkamp. I visited with them briefly before going in to Mueller Center for registration and the pre-race briefing.
There was a pre-race dinner at 5:00PM. Mary and I sat down with the Wisconsin ultra guys. There was Dave E, Brian S, Rolf M, and Greg K. Also in attendance was Brian's wife Pat, and Rolf's dad. I first met Dave E. at FANS in June, as he took 3rd place in the 12 hour. It was fun to visit with them, and I asked all of them what the best ultra food is...Dave suggested chicken noodle soup, and Brian thought trail mix.
Fast forward to the race start. - Wait a second...did I mention I fell asleep at 9:30PM, woke up at midnight and lay in bed wide awake the rest of the morning?
Just prior to the race I saw Jamie Donaldson. She was busy getting her stuff together and I wasn't brave enough to just run across the room and introduce myself to her. Just maybe I'd be able to see her run for a little bit after the start. Jamie rocks the ultra world!!
We lined up outside, it was nice and cool. I would guess 48F.
Mary's plan was to run to the first aid station with me and turn around to get 8 miles in. She wanted to get 17-18 miles in for the day, since she is training for her second marathon (Twin Cities Oct 4). She was planning on running another 10 miles with me later in the day.
I pointed out Jamie to her, and we could still see her at the 2 mile mark and then she was gone. Mary got a bit tired going up the first hill, so she turned around at mile 3 and agreed to meet me at the mile 16.6 station.
Argyle Road was tough, but every time the grade got too steep I put a short walk to recover. It was around mile 5 when I met up with Mike H from Fort Collins, CO. Mike was running the 50 and we just did a lot of visiting as we continued through the Argyle hills. It was good to have some company and we had very similar strategies for this race. Mike and I ran and visited all the way to mile 23, when he thought he could push it a little more. I think he hit his 25 mile split in 4:07 and finished in 8:09.....can you say negative split on a 50???......WOW!!
After mile 25 it got pretty spread out as the 50 milers had turned back and the 100 milers were spreading out. Mary was doing a great job crewing for me, and always had new water bottles and supplies ready for me.
Mile 35.5 was shocking, as Mary told me something. I was shocked at the news.
Mary: "You know that girl that was running in front of us at the start of the race?"
John: "Yea, that's Jamie Donaldson - how's she doing?"
Mary: "She just pulled herself out of the race."
John: "Holy crap......I can't believe it".
Badwater course record holder Jamie had dropped. The reality of what can go wrong during an ultra hit me - no one is immune.
The next 6 miles did not go well for me. I was steadily climbing to the highest elevation of 5,872 feet at mile 41.5. But temps were rising, sunshine was bright, and my gut was tied in a knot. I had a good dose of trail mix at mile 24, PBJ sandwich and raisins at mile 30, and I was taking in 20 oz of H2O every hour along with 1 Ecap every hour. Sounds right, but my gut had completely stopped. I needed to take longer walk breaks and felt like crap. It was in this stretch where I ran a bit with David H from MN. It wasn't long and David pulled ahead of me for good.
As soon as I got past the entrance to Crazy Horse I made a gastrointestinal sacrifice to the side of the trail there. I felt a little better, and now I had an easy downhill 8.5 miles to Hill City. Mary met up with me at mile 45 and would run the next 10 miles with me. We made it to the turnaround, but in another mile I was puking again. We got to count how many runners came back from the turnaround. Eight runners, I was ninth. I got to see John Storkamp. He was in third place and looking great. They were strong and I felt weak.
Again, I had to walk quite a bit here. At the Mile 55 aid station it was time to regroup. Sat down, change of socks, new shirt, ibuprofen, and some Red Bull. At mile 56, I urinated for the second time and the amber color said dehydration. I continued to drink water, maybe more like 30 oz per hour. I skipped the Ecap.
Mile 60 got a little better, I remembered Dave E suggesting chicken soup...hmmm that sounded good. The aid station at mile 60 didn't have any.....carp. I sent Mary ahead to make sure there was some ready at mile 64.5. It was in this stretch that I made/broke a lot of deals with myself.
If I could run for 6 minutes, then I could walk for 3 minutes. When I got to the 6 minutes, I broke the deal and ran for another 4 minutes. I started walking, but after 2 minutes broke the deal again and started to run again. The running got longer and the walks got shorter. They were personal challenges against myself and I was winning!
Mile 64.5 had arrived. The chicken noodle soup went down well. I continued to drink water also. It was 5:30PM and it felt like the temp was dropping a bit. The next stretch went much better and my "deals" were getting to a ratio of 15:2 minutes run:walk.
More soup and Red Bull at mile 70 and I was feeling much better. The shadows were getting long and I grabbed my headlamp. Every aid station, Mary let me know that I was gaining back gobs of time on my "dream pace". I remember at mile 70 the volunteers told me that I was behind the next runner by 40 minutes. These runners in front of me were for real!
I was on top of the world, feeling fantastic. But, I kept in mind that this could turn quickly. I gave thanks and prayed that God would continue to watch over me. Got to mile 76 station and finally turned on the headlamp. More soup!!!!! This was my secret weapon!! I got news that I was now #8...a runner had dropped.
Mile 80 - more soup.
Mile 83.4 - end of Mickelson trail, more soup and Red Bull.
The next stretch to mile 89 had lots of rolling hills, but is net downhill. It was nice because the hills let you know when it was time to run or walk. At mile 87.5 I caught up to a headlamp.
This guy was walking, but weaving quite a bit. I asked him how he was, and his speech was slurred a bit. It looked like he could make it another mile, so I wished him well and started running again. I told Chris at Morph (mile 89) aid station about him...I hope that he turned out OK.
When I left Morph, there was another headlamp in front of me...only 200 feet ahead. He was running and it turned uphill. He continued to run. I walked the uphill. When it got level or downhill, I ran. He was looking back a lot. Then he would run, regardless of the terrain. I kept my own strategy. Finally after 3 miles of this cat and mouse game, he walked a longer time on an uphill. I announced "Let's call a truce....and get this over with. I'm 47 years old, how old are you?" He replied, "56". "Well, we're in different age divisions, so our finishing order here doesn't really matter that much does it?"
We visited a bit while walking up the rest of the hill. His name was Robert and is one heck of an endurance athlete. I am sure that he won the Senior Masters division easily. I encouraged Robert on and took off running, we had reached a nice downhill section.
Soon I was at mile 95.2 and Mary was there with more water for my last stretch. She was going to head down to Hot Springs for the finish. I was still feeling great. I announced my number to the aid station at mile 96, but did not stop. There was a hill to walk, but otherwise all running to the finish.
I cannot explain the feeling I experienced as I saw the humble finish line banner. Just fantastic. I crossed the line, gave thanks to God, and kissed my wife....and stopped running.
For you number geeks, and anyone that may have read my simple race plan:
John's simple plan to run 100 miles:
Miles 1-25 - 10:00/mile avg (4:10:00)
Miles 26-50 - 11:00/mile avg (4:35:00)
Miles 51-75 - 12:00/mile avg (5:00:00)
Miles 76-100 - 13:00/mile avg (5:25:00)
For a total time of 19:10:00
I did not believe that I had a realistic chance for this, but it was something to shoot for.
Actual numbers:
Mile 1-25 - 10:00/mile avg (4:09:56)
Mile 26-50 - 10:55/mile avg (4:33:05)
Mile 51-75 - 12:31/mile avg (5:13:03)
Mile 76-100 - 11:13/mile avg (4:40:32)
For a total time of 18:36:36 - TOTAL AVERAGE PACE of 11:10/mile
Beyond my wildest dreams......

Lean Horse Flash Update

2008-08-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

I am alive and well.
Finished Lean Horse 100 in 18:36 (6th place overall) and had the time of my life.
I've got lots of things to catch up with now (work/family and stuff like that), but I promise a full race report (with photos) within 3 days.
John

Taper madness

2008-08-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've got full blown taper madness.
Lean Horse 100 taper madness.
I've had soreness in my shins, my left knee cap aches a little, a little stiffness in my hips, it keeps going on.
I know that I am perfectly healthy, but all these little twinges and aches are driving me crazy.
Now, I'm worried about getting sick.
I need to just get out to Hot Springs and start running...best cure for taper madness I can think of.
Tommorow morning, Mary and I will depart Sleepy Eye and should arrive at Hot Springs around 2:00PM. I plan to take in the pre-race briefing.
Tonight, I will pack my stuff.
I will document my race goal right here, so that I can compare plan vs. actual after the race.
John's simple plan to run 100 miles:
Miles 1-25 - 10:00/mile avg
Miles 26-50 - 11:00/mile avg
Miles 51-75 - 12:00/mile avg
Miles 76-100 - 13:00/mile avg
I know this may be a bit aggressive for my first 100 mile race, as it points to a sub-20 hour finish. I'll do the best that I can to execute the plan and carry through the tough times.
I figure this might work since I had a similar plan for the 12 hour FANS.
At FANS, the plan was:
Hours 1-4: 9:00/mile avg
Hours 5-8: 10:00/mile avg
Hours 9-12 11:00/mile avg

My next post will be a race report on Lean Horse!

Countdown to Lean Horse

2008-08-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

Only 5 days until Lean Horse.
I'm ready to get out to Hot Springs and run my first 100 miler. Right now there are 123 runners registered to run the Hundred. I will not be alone.
I find myself thinking about IT a lot.
I noticed that the 50 mile turn-around is near Hill City, on a street called "Deadbroke".
I guess I will go for dead broke.....and then do it again.
Co-workers think I am nuts. Others don't even comprehend when you tell them.
I had one co-worker ask, "So when's your next marathon?"
I replied, "Well, I'm running a hundred miler next week."
Co-worker: "Good luck with that one." It sailed right over the top....
I'm tapering well. My legs are feeling strong.
Saturday was my last preparatory long run. I ran "only" 15 miles. It went well - 8:30 per mile and I was taking walk breaks every 2.5 miles.
Went for 20 mile bike ride with Mary last night. Nice and easy and it was just what I needed.
I won't run much this week, probably less than 10 miles in the next 4 days.
Lots of stretching and rest.
Side notes:
I looked up some MN runners that were in CO this last week.
Julie Berg was at Leadville 100, but it appears that she pulled out of the race at about 100K.
I'll be looking for her race report.
There were a lot of MN runners at Pikes Peak and I saw that Dennis Wallach took 2nd in the 50's AG with a marathon finish under 5 hours.
Also, it sounds like the RTA and Afton runners had nice weekend runs under the full moon.
Way to go runners!

Dress Rehearsal AGAIN!

2008-08-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

This past week was a good training week. As I am starting to taper for Lean Horse, I intentionally ran fewer miles this week. No racing, just training.
I went for another dress rehearsal on Saturday morning, starting at 5:45AM.
Again, I packed the cooler with essentials and ran my 5 mile gravel road loop. My goal was to run 6 laps (30 miles) and take a one-minute walk break at 2.5 miles and another aid station break at home by my cooler to restock.
Temperatures were nice, started out at 60F and climbed into the upper 70’s. Relative humidity was extremely high at the start (90+%) and I was pretty well soaked by mile 5.
Heart rate averaged in the low 120’s for the first 15 miles and climbed up into the 130’s for the final 15 miles.
My goal was to average around 9:30/mile including the walk breaks and stops.
Again, the final 5 miles I skipped the walk break and felt energized.
Overall, it was a very good preparation run for Lean Horse.
I’m really looking forward to August 23rd.
I just received an email from RD Jerry Dunn that Jamie Donaldson will be running Lean Horse this year. WOW!!
She was 3rd place overall at Badwater ’08, and smashed the women’s course record previously held by Pam Reed.
Maybe I’ll get to run a few yards with her if I speed it up a bit…..

Dress Rehearsal

2008-08-04T14:09:00.001-07:00

This weekend it was time to get back to some serious training for the Lean Horse 100. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been running 50-60 miles per week. But I needed to do some “dress rehearsal” training. You know….running on really tired legs, running in the dark, running when you just plain don’t want to. I got up about 5:00AM Saturday morning and packed my “aid station” with ice, water, bandana, pop tarts (the breakfast of champions), gels, body glide, sunglasses, etc. The cooler was just loaded with all kinds of stuff that I might need when running an ultra.
I live in the country, and there are gravel roads nearby. There is a 5 mile loop around the section where I live. The gravel road is very similar to the surface that I will be running at Lean Horse.
The morning session went well, and I completed 23 miles at a 9:30/mile pace. I planned to walk for 1 minute every 2.5 miles and the plan went well. I took an ice bath and fueled up. The rest of the day went well. I took a short nap, sprayed some weeds in some fields, did some crop scouting, and did some much needed repairs on the farm.
For supper, we went out with friends and I had one beer, a Hawaiian pizza all to myself, and many glasses of water.
That night, I went out at 9:00PM for my night run. The first 10 miles went well, but miles 11-15 were a struggle. I was lonely, tired, had a headache, hurt all over, and felt like $hit.
I forced myself to run the last 5 miles, imagining that I was at Lean Horse in the middle of the night. I pretended that I was at mile 95, and I kept running. I forced myself to skip the walk break. Pretty soon I was feeling full of energy, the feeling was amazing.
I finished with over 43 miles for the day, 98 miles for the week.
Sunday, I felt tired but not bad at all. I even went for a 3 mile run with my wife that night.
I plan on running lower miles this week, allowing my body to rebuild and strengthen for August 23.

FANS memories

2008-07-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

I saw that Steve and Adam posted their FANS pictures on their blogs, so I thought I would give it a try also.

This picture was taken about 8 hours into the race, and I was feeling the heat.

This is me and my "Schmoopie". My beautiful wife Mary was crew support for me during the 12 hours of torture.

Pucker up, honey!!!

Badwater is conquered!

2008-07-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Michele Santilhano, who just completed the Badwater Ultramarathon in 39:42:23!!!!!

She finished in 29th place out of 80 runners who toed the line at Badwater Basin on Monday morning.

I was somewhat wrong in my prediction of 48 hours, but I knew she would earn the Buckle for sure (under 48 hour finishers receive the coveted Badwater belt buckle).

I hope to hear from her this week, to find out if she went on to make the ascent to Mt. Whitney, I think she will do it.....

Here is a photo of her crossing the finish at Whitney Portal...

Yea.... she's still smiling!!!!!

Badwater - Good luck Michele!

2008-07-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog entry, two waves have started and the final wave of endurance athletes are about to start their journey from Badwater to Lone Pine.
135 miles of pure, hot hellacious torture.....

I've gotten to know Runner #38, Michele from Menlo Park, CA.
I first met Michele at the Rock-N-Roll marathon in Pheonix, AZ this past January.
I was the 3:40 pacer there, and this gal Michele starts talking to me at the expo near the pacer booth. She's telling me that it is her dream to qualify for and run Boston.
The next day, we go out and run the marathon, and I visited a bit with her on the course, especially miles 9 through 14. She was doing well, but slowing a bit at the time. She had an extra 5 minutes to qualify (she needed 3:45:59 or better).
Well, she ended up finishing around 3:43 and got her BQ!!!
I talked to her for a while, and she told me that race was the toughest thing she has ever done!!!
After a bit more visiting after the race, I started to find out a little bit more about Michele......She is a very accomplished endurance athlete and was being very humble in my presence.
You see, Michele has completed more than 6 - 100 milers, she has mountaineered the highest peaks on every continent, she's swum the English channel, swum to Catalina Island, and also has completed a TRIPLE ironman.
I met up with her in Boston this last April.
Yes, she got to fulfill her dream.....and more. She met up with some of her ultra buddies and ran the double that day, starting about 4AM and arriving in Hopkinton about 30 minutes before doing the timed run back down to Boston.
Back to Badwater, Michele is not the fastest runner out there, but you don't find them any tougher.
I predict that she WILL finish Badwater in under 48 hours.
I also predict that she will continue on with the additional climb to the peak of Mt. Whitney after she crosses the finish line at Whitney Portal.
YOU GO GIRL!!!!
I'll be cheering for you via the webcast!!!!

Oops,...I did it again....

2008-07-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I made a great leap of faith and filled out my registration for an event that I have been contemplating for a loooong time.
I HAVE REGISTERED FOR THE LEAN HORSE 100!!!
I've considered this for the past year, ever since I completed my first 50 miler at the Endurance Challenge (north of Des Moines) last September 1.
I promised myself that I would give it a try if I got through the FANS 12 hour run healthy.
Then, I signed up and ran the Afton Trail 50K, and promised myself I would sign up if feeling good after that one.
Well, it's 4 days after Afton, and I'm feeling great!
I will step up the training for the next few weeks, and then challenge myself to another level on August 23rd.

Gotta love those new shoes

2008-06-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

That's right, I got a new pair of shoes today. Runners look forward to new shoes like kids look forward to Christmas. What a thrill to try them on and take them for a spin.
The shoes are Pearl Izumi Peak XC Performance Trail shoes.
I'm kind of a shoe minimalist, and these weigh in at 9 oz.
They probably don't have a lot of protection, but I don't run in real rugged terrain either.
I took them out for a run tonight (about 10:00PM), and they really feel good. I ran for 5.4 miles and wanted to keep going....
I will run in them a few more times this week, and it is likely I will test them out at the Afton Trail Run 50K this weekend.
Ah, the thrill of new shoes.............

Let's try this one

2008-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last night, Mary and I signed up for the Afton Trail Run.
I'll be running the 50K, and Mary will do the 25K.
I spent some time looking at the trail and elevation maps. WOW
There are some monster hills on this run, but I am prepared to walk when necessary.
Should be a really unique Independence Day experience.
I am hoping to meet some more ultra runners at this one.

FANS 12 hour RR

2008-06-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

FANS 12-hour race report June 7, 2008:
Short version: 71.21 miles
2nd out of 35 overall.
Long version:
This past Saturday, I participated in the FANS 12 hour endurance run held in Minneapolis, MN. This race benefits the FANS Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to inner city youth for post-secondary education.It is a very well-organized event in its 19th year of the 24 hour event and 7th year for the 12 hour.
My resume' in ultra running is somewhat limited, as my only prior official ultra was a 50 mile run last September in Iowa. I knew that if I ran with a plan, I would realize a pretty successful run at FANS.
My plan going in to the race was to see if I could average 9 minute miles for the first 4 hours, 10 minutes for the second 4, and then 11 minutes for the final 4.
The weather in MN had been quite mild this past week, but Saturday turned out to be the warmest day of the week.
On to the race....After a few brief announcements we were off and running at 8AM. A good 5-6 people shot out quite quickly, but I just sat back with my plan. For the first few laps, I was alone, even though this run takes place on a 2.42 mile loop around Lake Nokomis.
Soon I saw more people, passing them for the first time. A lot of them were in the 24 hour event and were being smart as the temperatures were rising quickly and the humidity was quite high yet from an early AM thunderstorm. The sun came out in full force, and the toughest going was from 11AM to 3PM.
I needed to back down from my original plan after 10 miles, as the heat was pretty tough and I knew I would not be able to sustain this pace for another 10+ hours. My dear spouse Mary was support crew for me, but she went to visit our daughter and estimated that she would be back about 11:00 AM. Here it was 10:30 AM and I was in desperate need of an ice bandana right now! She calls me up and tells me she is going to be late, because of all the traffic. When she got back, she made me the first of many ice bandanas that day. Those sure helped me to cool down. I was able to keep eating food all the way through 8 hours.
I got to visit with a lot of fantastic runners during the day... too many to mention (I forgot a lot of their names because my brain kind of melted down a bit also). There was a lot of encouragement every lap, including the MN RED group who had set up a tent and support area for their club members that were running that day.In the final hour, Brian (yes Hermosaboy's speedy racing friend and training partner) ran a lap with me. I really appreciated that a lot! We were able to maintain very close to 10 minute mile pace that late in the day, as the temps started to decline and humidity dropped.
After that lap, I had time to run one more lap around the lake before beginning the short laps (0.25 mile short course). Brian came out and ran me in for the last part of that final long lap.I had 19 minutes yet to compile some more distance on the short laps. I knew that I needed a few more to get over the 70 mile mark. I ran about 3 or 4 of them and got some real bad cramping in my stomach. I just had to walk now – because I felt that I would blow chunks in front of everyone if I continued to run. There was only about 7 minutes left on the clock.
When I started to walk, Hermosaboy comes up and walks with me. He didn't encourage me to run hard, he could see that I was hurting bad. After walking one short lap, and seeing that there was just over a minute left, I decided to get one more 0.125 mile in and broke into a jog again.I got the half lap counted and then the 12 hour odyssey was over.
Rob, I appreciate your friendship. Thanks for being there!
The winner of the 12 hour event was Adam Harmer. He is an extraordinary endurance athlete and compiled a little over 75 miles....
WOW!! Congratulations, Adam!
I had a great day.

Boston Marathon Race Report

2008-04-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

The weather was good. It was a bit foggy before the start and about 50F. We couldn't even see the fighter jet fly-by because of it. It seemed that the clouds burned off right at start time and we had quite a bit of sunshine for the most of the race.
I had a goal of 3:10 for this one, and knew it would be a formidable goal on this course.I stayed on pace real well most of the race and felt very good at the half.The warmer weather was good, and it seemed like there were twice as many Wellesley girls out as last year. And they were LOUD!!!!
I passed a lot of runners on the Newton hills. I can't believe so many good runners tank it so bad on the hills.The fan support was really strong from Boston College all the way to the finish.My legs filled with concrete from about mile 22 and beyond. All I wanted to do want get this thing over with. I pushed as hard as I could at the time and finally reached the "1 mile to go" marker beneath the Citgo sign.
I glanced at my watch and it read 3:03:10.
OK, now I need to really work to get this 3:10:00 or better.....I pushed it really hard and the fan support was phenomenal.
I saw Mary about 300 yards from the finish line on Boylston and felt tingly all over as I pushed it to the finish.
Final time - 3:09:50
Mission accomplished.