Courage is the result

Winona 30 Mile Trail Race

Me, Melanie, Dustin & Andrew

"Most people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." -- Pre










       Last weekend I worked against myself and a not-so-stellar 50K performance at the Fool's Day 50K which resulted in a 5:55:55 finish time.  Learning from those mistakes and feeling much better I added some courage & went  for my best effort.  Recently, I read an article about runners running in their comfort zone and not taking risks. Looking at this as another training run towards Massanutten the decision would be to take a risk with some courage.

      Setting out on the first of three loops I came set off in motion. Running the flats, downhills & uphills with an all out effort. Completing the first loop with 100% running was the objective then after that see what I could do to repeat it for two more loops. The ten mile race started ten minutes before us and before I realized it I was catching & passing them.  Dustin Smith settled in on my heels as we went stride for stride in the first loop. It was a great feeling knowing he was right there pushing along with me. Around the third mile I mentioned the pace was quick and he said let's kick it up for a half mile. The pace pushed even harder as we sprinted past another dozen or so 10 milers. Shortly after mile five my right leg from the middle of my hamstring to the bottom of my foot went numb. Betting on it passing I pushed it even harder for the next several miles. In the ninth mile feeling returned to my leg, but pain was slowly settling into my muscles. Then every mile the splits were getting quicker. By the time the first loop was completed we had past about 70% of the ten milers closing it out in 1:16:29 (7:48 per mile).

    Moving out for the second loop the trail was a lot more vacant. There was only a handful of runners now on the course. This is hazard for me, I tend to drift off pace when no one is around me. Most of this loop Dustin and me took turns passing each other back & forth. At mile 15 I checked the split of the race. The Garmin was showing 2:05:25, now an average of 8:20 per mile. My legs were feeling the affects of that strong first loop. Continuing to take a risk and push myself as hard as possible was at the forefront of my mind. More miles were knocked with the second loop now completed in 1:34:39 (total run time 2:51:08).

     Realizing that shot of courage was putting me in the range of a new PR with only a loop to go I had to dig deep pushing past the pain that had settled into my body. About three miles into the final loop I was next to Dustin again then stopped abruptly to let him pass. He asked as he passed if I was ok. I replied, "I should be keep going." Something in my stomach had taken a turn for the worse and I was not sure how this was going to turn out. After walking and taking a few stops for the next several meters things settled down. Back to running it was for me. The last four miles it was the run everything motto no matter how much it hurt. Not wanting to be passed after putting so much effort into the what I had covered I was able to finish the last loop in 1:45:34 with a finish time of 4:36:43. This gave me a new PR by eight minutes with a tenth place overall finish.

     Taking a risk was painful, but it was a rewarding experience stepping out of my comfort zone. It gave me some insight about how I handle things in life & running.  In two weeks I head down to Ohio for the Tie Dye 50K the final training race before Massanutten. I will bring some more courage to race.

What's the Dilly-O with O-Hilly-O

  Race recap for the Fool's 50K in Akron, Ohio  



Heading into the finish



      Just what I needed to check my progress in preparing for Massanutten. The Fool's 50k was part training run and part race for me. Instead of just logging some miles I wanted to put forth a strong effort to see what my long distance pace was shaping up to be for the upcoming summer season.

A few mistakes on my part did not put me in a good place for the race though. Pre race night I got just under four hours of sleep, then drove three hours to Akron to the race and with three tough training sessions during the week my body felt fatigued before even reaching the start line. Around 5:00 am in the parking my stomach took a turn and I started dry heaving in the parking lot for a few minutes. This stomach issue floated through me for most of the race. The good side of that is it felt like I was at mile 69 in a 100 mile race with the toughest 31 miles left to plow through on a beaten body. Nothing better than simulating my goal; well at least that was my optimism.     



      The plan was to run the the first loop of 25K in 2:45 then step up the pace a bit for a 2:30 second 25K (a nice 5 hour 15 minute run time.) Well I got off the line with a comfortable pace and ran the downhills & flat-like sections through the entire first loop. Most of the hills were in the beginning and end of the loop with a quick middle section. Coming through on the first 25K in 2:43:17, but not a lot left in the tank to repeat that effort. Kylie (my oldest daughter) said, "good job, are we ready to go?" I responded back, "I still have a second loop." She processed that for a brief moment then commented, "Really?" Nothing like the humor of a teenager to make the moment even better as I felt the bus run me over. I told her hang in there I will be back in about 3-3 hours 15 minutes.



     Starting the out the second loop the weather was getting even better with partly sunny skies, warm temps around mid 50's and great trail conditions. This loop started with a bit of walking until I got around mile eighteen then I came to terms with the more I run the sooner this will end. My entire body was aching (biceps, triceps, shoulders, quads, hamstrings; basically everything except my eyeballs to make it short). I held in there and pushed along running all but the inclines. During the inclines I did enjoy the walking bit more than I should have, but that was the trade off for running all the other portions. The craziest part of the this loop was that I thought I saw a seven foot man dressed in purple cloak running through the forest off the path watching me. What a great hallucination for a short distance race. I closed out the second 25K in 3:12:38 making a perfect 5:55:55 on the finishing clock as I passed over the line.



    The race was well organized and is held (in my opinion) on the best 15.5 miles of the Burning River 100 Mile course. Just over 1200 wooden steps to navigate in the hilly sections and a lot of just beautiful sections to take in while running. The race sells out and I would recommend putting it on anyone's to do list. Each finisher gets a nice hand crafted coffee mug.

     Well April 14 I head to the Winona 50K in Indiana to once again check my progress. Followed up with the Tie Dye 50K in Ohio on April 28 for a final check before the tapering begins for what will be a "rocking" Massanutten 100 Mile!    

Strength in Numbers

Strength in Numbers.........


      I have always been prideful to head out the door to knock out miles and all sorts of weather by myself. Doing that builds my base all year round. Not always the fastest miles but miles in general.

      Over the past year, I have noticed that my best performances are in the numbers. Meaning when I'm in a group or a race setting with others, I step up my performance. The first time I noticed this was when I was in an 8k race on the very same trail I use for weekly training runs. Usually I run along at an 8 minute range. Well this time was different, I covered the 8k in 32 minutes (a low 6 minute pace.) Chasing down as many high school runners was my goal and pushed me harder. That told me I have been holding back on my training way too much. The next time I noticed a difference in my performance was about a few weeks later, I ran a mile in 4:54. The pacer on the bike was the key to this performance. A few months earlier I had just set a new mile pr on the track in 5:19. Having the pacers encouragement and guidance helped me shave that additional 25 seconds off my time. 

      There have even been some group runs where I just hung tight when the pace quickened down to a 6 minute mile pace. Knowing if I was solo, those same runs would have been between 7:15 and 7:30 pace. Much is said to training with others and especially with ones that are faster.

     Now I have a personal trainer for strength training. She pushes me to muscle fatigue on a daily basis. She told me the other day what a normal client does in an hour, we complete in a 30 minute session. I have tried to mimic her workouts on my own and come nowhere close to the same results. Again the strength of someone pushing more from me than I can in a solo performance.

     Looking back at 2009-2011 I ran as a pace group leader for several marathons. Now i hope that the runners I paced were able to get further because of my help. Not all of them made it to the finish line with me. Some I went back to find to bring back in to the finish. While others eventually powered themselves in without me in the later miles.

     Knowing I have a competitive side when it comes to running I am seeing the root cause of my abilities lies in the strength of numbers. Meaning the company I run with and race.  To all my friends that run with me, people that have paced me, or groups I have ran with and the competition from races. I just want to say thanks for making me a better runner.





No Frills 5 Mile




Pushing to an 8th place overall finish



A Humbling Hazing

     

     Setting up camp at Maybury
     for some quality running time


     March is a month of a humbling hazing. Making it through 300 miles and eight very intense & humbling personal training sessions will set me for the final stage of training for the Massanutten 100. It feels like I am going Greek and pledging to be a part of the Massanutten Fraternity, lol.

      This month the training is being intensified. My base running mileage weeks are 70, 75, 85 & 70. Once this month is over the miles will hover around 70 per week with two speed work sessions & more tempo pace running.  With the base mile building phase it is more focused on time on my feet and distance vs. covering miles in as little time as possible. April will also play host to three 50K races where I will be able to gauge my training for Massanutten. It worked out so that they are each 14 days apart. Each race I will push harder to see if my training paid off. In the the past several weeks I did two 4 mile races and improved my overall time by 1 minute 38 seconds in a three week period. That is a good sign. Secondly, my first mile in the second race I was able to push off a lot faster.

       Having friends to run with helps a lot with all the running time. This month I would estimate that I will spend about 50 hours in total. Conversating during the runs makes the time pass by much quicker & more enjoyable. The weather has been much more tolerable too this year in Michigan compared to the past few years. Yesterday it was 61F with sun during the run at Maybury.

      On top of that I added eight personal training sessions with a very intense trainer. So far we have completed three sessions and each one has been challenging. Within ten minutes I am sweating and by 20 minutes I am pouring sweat. My only goal is to just make it through the workout. It is very humbling to struggle through these 30 minute sessons. When normally I am use to running for hours and not even close to feeling the same level of suffering.  She has been using plyometerics, cross-fit and intervals to keep it fresh and new with each workout. The other day while I was jumping rope I could feel the burning in my calves. On top of that DOMS set in and made my run the other day even tougher. Glad that it is base miles and not speed miles.
 
     She has also revamped my diet with healthly foods and protein. A basic breakfast is now a cup of oatmeal, six eggs, greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. Then every two hours small snacks in between meals. Almonds, cottage cheese, rice cakes, peanut butter, chicken, fish and all those wonderful good for you goods. I do miss the peeps, raw cookie dough & ice cream! On a side note I do feel full all day long though. Although it costs a lot more money to buy all healthly food too.

Red Hot 55KM Race Report

     Been looking forward to this race for several months. Signed up with my friend Lauren to do a run together. This was ideal to see where my winter training had yielded. The plan was to run together and then push the last several miles.

Race morning up and wide awake by 6:00am. Solid night of sleep and nerves were calm. We arrived in the Gemini Bridges parking lot a bit after 7:00 am for an 8:00 am start. Looking up at the mesa in front of us was amazing. Once we had our bibs we relaxed for a bit before heading to start line. Right on schedule RD Chris Martinez counted us down and then we were on our way.

Start area with the first climb in the background

      First mile out was a brief climb on a jeep road that placed us between two huge mesas. Then it was several miles of flat running. I snapped several pictures while meeting a few runners. Some runners provided me insight on some spectacular views. With another quick climb we were arriving at the first aid station (5.5 miles in 58 minutes). A brief refueling and we were back out.

First climb of the day

Looking back on the first 3 miles

   Next few miles were some brief up & down run able sections. Then came a bit longer climb that placed us on the rim of mesa now looking down on our car. Arches National Park was across the view too. Snapped a few more photos then switched to video mode for the downhill section that would be leading us to the next aid station. Feeling great I ran a sub 8 minute mile while taping. Reaching the second aid station (13 miles 2:20). Here we noticed my left knee had a quarter size blood stain. Not sure how that happened. Which I had a cool story like a gecko bit me or a snake, but no idea of what was the event that caused it.

Red rock running

       Moving on it was still a continual downhill section. It went by rather nice and the day was warming up nicely. Reaching the third aid station (17 miles at 3:05).

Beautiful day for moab running

     Mile 17. Snapped pictures with Lauren, Keith, and Bill. Then headed down jeep the road back to the split. Working our way from aid station 3-4 via Goldbar. From the bottom, it was a 3 mile climb to the next aid station. Now were running on slick rock from cairn to cairn. Occasionally a small tree or shrub would also have a trail marker. Views were getting more spectacular . Checked into aid station 23 mile (4:15).

New trail friends (Keith & Bill) with Lauren and me Mile 17

      About 2 more miles of climbing up and down the top of the rim, finally we started a descent descend. The tempo seemed comfortable ensuring foot placement, not to be tripped up on anything. Hitting the bottom of the canyon the sand got deep for a short section. Then the next 3 miles became a slick rock series of domes. Up and down was the theme for 45 minutes. Reaching the final aid station 29 mile (5:55).


At the bottom of the long descend; now ankle deep sand





Slick running up & down

     

        The final leg started out down a gently jeep road that shortly dipped over the first few miles. I was getting hot and had now removed all 3 layers. About mile 31, a mountain biker was next to me. I offered him some free shirts to escape the weight from that point I wanted to see what my legs had left. The pace quickened to a sub 8 minute mile and I ran the last four miles with all I had in me. A few photographer were in the last mile, so I made sure I had good form as I approached. With the last mile being a steep curvy downhill, that you can get a lot of speed and with all the cheering, it brings a lot of excitement to the finish.



      Finished up at Poison Spider next to the Colorado River was incredible site. Tons of people were hanging out and sponsors all around showing off the new year. What a great first ultra of the year!

Finish area aka Poison Spider



For the entire photo collection of the race: https://plus.google.com/photos/115660446390091006948/albums/5712014117366182209











 

















Choose your own adventure...

Where you go in life is determined by the route you take, which route will give you the most??

     The other day I was out running an old route that I haven't been on for a few years. It almost felt all new to me. Then I started to think what if I turn down that street or maybe at the next block take a different turn. So the next several miles I started to ponder why do most of us take the same course "as usual?"

Is it for comfort?

Or is it the prescribed route we all take?

Because it is easy?

That's how I always go?
Afraid?

     The times that I have ran in a completely new area have been the most exciting. At Maybury I have explored more spurs of the main trail than anyone I know. Because of that some of my friends enjoy running there with me because each run is unique and they never know what is next. Last December I stumbled on to a new bridle trail at Maybury and to my surprise I came across an 8-point buck. The first time I saw this deer was back in 2009; now almost three years later by exploring a new way I was re-united with him.

    Also whenever I get the chance to run with others on there routes I find it far more exciting. Every step is new direction in which we travel. Most of those runs I take in the surrounding area and enjoy the companionship of my friends.Sometimes it is harder and other times not so hard.  It challenges me because I never know what areas will be the easiest for me so some moments I have to dig deeper and push on during the run. Those times are rewarding looking back when it is all over.

   2012 is already planned out for racing so traveling to just run in other areas isn't really a full open option. So what I am doing is incorporating some additional local runs. Next weekend I will be in Utah at the Red Hot 55K. I am hoping that it works out so that I can run Friday at the Canyonlands National Park, race Saturday and then run at Arches National Park on Sunday. I am not looking for a high amount of miles just some quality running in new & beautiful areas of the world. In August coming off of Leadville will be my chance to stop by the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs to a quick "run-through" tour of the area.
In addition, this summer I am taking a family roadtrip (Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and West Virginia). Each day I will try to get out and just take in a quick six miles or so.

    Next time in life you have an option to stay the course or branch off into the unknown take a chance and see what comes from it. You might just be surprised!

Stowe-Away Weekend

     Over the weekend I jumped a flight to Burlington,VT for some "winter experience." Friday night I arrived and Kelly took me downtown to see the local winterfest. Had a great farm to table meal at local restaurant then did some window shopping and sightseeing.

   Saturday morning up and going. Looking out the window I could see the fresh snowfall that occurred overnight. The temperature was a "real feel" of 4 degrees. Now I was excited to run in the snow but not so keen on freezing temps. After a quick breakfast we headed out for a 12 mile run. Once we got on the trails we soon discovered there was a thick layer of ice under the snow. The downhill sections were a bit tricky to keep traction and not fall. I hit the ground twice without any major damage. I was quite impressed to see some mtb tracks on the trails too. You could tell they had some difficulty in some section too.

          In the afternoon we headed on a road trip to Smuggler's Notch. There is a seasonal road/pass between Smuggler's and Stowe. So we parked the car and headed on to the road. It was a gradual climb of 800' over the 1.5 mile to the top of the pass aka Top of the Notch. Along the hike there were several areas you could see ice climbers, snowboarders in the back country and snowshoes taking in the day.



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Ice climber is the black speck towards the right center top


















View at the TOP OF THE NOTCH

           Sunday I awoke to the big day, not the super bowl, but skiing at Stowe!! Another single digit morning but there was no way I was going to miss this day. Once I was set with all my gear for the day we headed into the lodge for some breakfast. Kelly is a ski instructor at Stowe so we sat with the instructors eating breakfast and talking.  Looking out there was not a cloud in the sky and even with the single digit temps I was ready to go. Since I have not been on the slopes for six years we started me off with a easy run. After two runs at it I was ready. Kelly went off to teach for the day and I went off to find bigger runs. The first intermediate hill I found was off the sensation lift. The lift was the longest ride I ever had and as I neared the top the pines were all covered in a blanket of powder. Still not a cloud in the ski and just the most pristine views for miles!

I skied the first half of the day all off runs of sensation. Sensing my confidence building I wanted to take on some back country powder. So my last run before lunch I figured I would take on a diamond. Making my way on to Whirlaway I took a second glance at the caution sign and glanced down the narrow 15' wide trail then committed myself to going. The first part was scenic and easy then I saw what was ahead and stopped on the run. Nervous a bit that this could be a bad choice I hesitated and changed my mind. It took only a few minutes to side step my way back to the top. One reason I picked it was that I saw no traffic on it all morning and figured it would be a better choice for me. I was back at the top and no one came through that entire time.

Well I then stopped joined Kelly for a quick lunch at the lodge. She said that I should spend the second half of the day on Mt. Mansfield so that I can take in both parts of Stowe. My legs were still feeling good and my confidence was hanging in there for some more challenging runs. So off to Mansfield I went for the a few hours.

View looking at Mt. Mansfiled

  I took the gondola to the top and more amazing views of the area and powder were all around me. It felt like every minute the day was just getting better and better. Heading down the first run I could feel the trails getting faster from the morning runs. A few passes down the mountain and I was enjoying it more and more. Then I took the double to a point on the mountain and came across another narrow chute of a trail. After backing down from the Whirlaway I said to myself, "step it up." So I dropped my tips down and took the plunge. It was a fast run with a few moguls. I was able to maneuver it and made it back to the bottom.

The day was amazing and here are a few more pictures I took. (In total I took 95 pictures).......

Making moves on Mt. Mansfield

Looking up at the very top of the Mt.

Kelly and me starting off the day



Riding the double to the top of Mt. Mansfield