...mostly just running

2011

2011-12-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

I've not been very careful of taking care of my plantar fasciitis this year. I looked back in my log book and saw where I wrote down signs that I was getting it as early as February. Well, now my running has dropped to a low...about 0.0 miles per week. Now I need to take measures to get over this injury.

Here is what comes to mind about my 2011:

1. I made a goal to qualify to run the NYC marathon and I met that goal in May at the Minnetonka Half Marathon. That was the first time I stuck to a pacer and he got me through. It was amazing to run with a pacer who could hold a rock-solid pace up hills, down hills, and in 30mph winds. 1 hour 39 minutes. Thanks again, Pacer Dave. I have no intentions to register for NYC but I am happy to have met my goal.

2. I ran the Bighorn Trail Run 50K in Wyoming in June. I took the day as a way to enjoy being out in the beautiful scenery all day long. I walked up every hill and also down some of the steep ones. 7 hours and 44 minutes which was my slowest ever 50K. Loved every minute of it!

3. I always enjoy the Door County Fall 50 team relay race. Third year in a row for me and had a great time. We had a little issue with our car at one of the exchanges. I didn't realize that laying down in the mowed brush at the edge of a field, to look under the car, would give me a nasty case of poison ivy. I get itchy thinking about it.

Looking ahead to 2012.

1. Swimming. I'm still on the edge of learning to swim freestyle and I have a goal of being a swimmer by Spring.

2. Get over plantar fasciitis. My friends have given me a lot of information on the topic and some names of good Docs. I've been avoiding seeing an expert but it might be time just to do that.

3. Volunteer at races. I would like to volunteer at some trail races this year. 4. Keep the race schedule light. I may sign-up only for the Door County Fall 50 (October 2012) and only add earlier races as my feet and fitness permit.

Happy New Year, everyone! I look forward to seeing some of you on the roads or trails in 2011.

--Mark

getting back on track

2011-08-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

About once a year I get a into a stretch of weeks or a few months or so where I'm not really motivated to run. I don't mind if that happens in the Winter, but it's not great when it happens in the Summer.

In May I had my mind into running and I was in good running shape. I ran a really nice half Marathon on May 1st in Minnetonka.

In June I still had my mind into running when I ran/walked the Bighorn 50K. I didn't train to race it but I did just fine with the plan and was completely motivated to finish while having fun.

In July I ran the Run the Keweenaw series in Upper Michigan. I was not in good running shape and my mind was just not into running. Evidently a continuous long-taper/long-recovery cycle doesn't help fitness if there is not much running involved! :-) I didn't even plan to do any running after the races while I stayed up there on vacation for a week. I finished all the races but I was very slow compared to last year. I just didn't feel like running.

There are many reasons for my current state of mind and fitness, one was the stress of remodeling my house, another is work stress. I'm sure there are more reasons too but I just wanted to write that I'm back in the mood to run and I've added some non-running workouts on 3 days each week. Instead of finding an excuse to skip a workout, I'm looking forward to the workouts to come.

It looks like my next and last race this year will be the Door County Fall 50 relay. I have a 4-person team this year and I always love that race. I'm planning to have some running fitness and speed back by then.

I was hoping to be able to run the Surf the Murph 50M this year but I have other commitments that day. I'll shoot for 2012 to finish that one.

--Mark

Heel lift or no heel lift experiment

2011-07-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

For a few years I've been running with a 5mm heel lift in my right shoe and also Superfeet inserts. In March I picked up a new pair of shoes, the same brand/model/year that I had been running in. I also got a new pair of Superfeet at that time. What I forgot was to put in the heel lift and this launched the accidental experiment.

I by the time I hit 200 miles in those new shoes, my right heel was causing me a lot of pain - plantar fasciitis. My left hip was getting sore too. I assumed the two things were related and decided to get a new pair of shoes. They didn't seem to help much so I started some plantar fasciitis treatments such as rolling my foot on a ball. That was making it somewhat better.

Three weeks ago I was getting a spare pair of shoes ready for a race so I pulled my old Superfeet inserts of my winter shoes. It was then I noticed the heel lift. I had forgotten about the lift when I bought new shoes in March and hadn't been wearing it for almost 3 months. Since then I've been wearing the lift in my work and running shoes and my plantar fascittis is almost gone.

So, for me, the 5mm heel lift can make all the difference.

--Mark

Garmin 310XT again

2011-06-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Garmin 310XT is advertised as one of the most water resistant Garmin GPS watches. I returned my original one in April as the display had a crack in it and it was fogging up inside. Twice during the Bighorn run a week ago I noticed condensation on the inside of the display. Today I contacted Garmin about returning it for repair (within the 90 day repair warranty). Maybe the third one will be a winner!

--Mark

Bighorn Trail Run 50K - 2011

2011-06-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

I've heard only good things about the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run and after I DNF the Surf the Murph 50 miler last Fall, that I was running as a test for the Bighorn 50 miler, I decided that the 50K distance was right for me. Most of the year I kept up enough of a mileage base that it's not too difficult to train for a marathon. So far this Spring, I only had two road races - a 25K and a half marathon. Beyond those races, I was only able to squeeze in two or three twenty mile runs. I had zero trail runs this year and no hill specific training. Sounds pretty bleak for running a good Bighorn 50K. Well, it's all about the plan.

My plan was to enjoy the scenery! In order to do that, I needed to finish and in order to finish, I had to take it easy. So, my plan was to walk up every hill and to run very easy down the hills so I didn't kill my quads. Also, I didn't know how the higher elevation running was going to affect me so I planned to keep an eye on my heart rate.

Since I had never run the Bighorn, I wasn't sure exactly what to carry or pack in a drop bag. The race website suggested we carry extra socks and shoes and I also planned to carry a lot of water. I had my Nathan hydration pack which I filled with about 65 oz of water and a 22 oz handheld. With socks, rain poncho, S!Caps, a bunch of ShotBloks, and a headlamp in case I was out until close to the 9pm cutoff, I was set.

Bighorn mountains and Bighorn sheep near the finish in Dayton.

From the finish line in Dayton, Wyoming, many of us took the 6am bus up the mountain to the Dry Creek aid station. The starting time was 8am.

Here the runners are checking in and getting ready to run!

The first 14 miles are an out and back down the valley in the pic above. The course this year was modified from the traditional course which usually starts with the runners heading up the hill (path to the left) in the picture below.

Here is the valley where we would run out and then back up. The 'back up' is a killer.

At 8am it was time for the singing of the National Anthem. The man signing was a good singer, but in one part, he had problems and stopped to start again. Unfortunately, he had problems singing at the same part and stopped again. The runners took over singing and the man joined back in. It was an awesome experience and everyone applauded loudly when the singing ended.

We gathered at the start and off we went, heading down the big hill at a pretty good clip. I noticed not too long after starting that my heart rate was sitting at about 160. Ugh. Too high as I knew a 160 heart rate would not be sustainable for the many hours I knew I was going to be out there. My main goals were to enjoy the scenery, not get injured, and to finish. I needed to meet all three goals for my day to be the best that it could be. I wasn't feeling great in those first miles but I hung in there. I walked up any incline and ran when I could. For this race, it felt like if I was running and hit a 160 or 161 heart rate, I better stop running and just walk. I would keep to that plan the entire day.

Instead of writing a report mile by mile, I'll get this done in the next few paragraphs. After the out and back portion was done, I changed my socks, put the things I wouldn't need from my backpack into my drop bag, and then headed out 10 or so minutes later. It was finally now, after mile 14 that I felt great. I would feel great the whole rest of the day! I ran the downhills very gently to not wreck my quads. I walked at a normal pace uphills. I loved the stream crossings and how they cooled off my feet.

This is me at around mile 8 or 9.

For nutrition, I did some light snacking at aid stations and from mile 7, and every three miles after that, I had 3 ShotBloks and 2 S!Caps. I found that sometimes my 22 oz bottle was enough not between aid stations, sometimes I drank from my Nathan pack. Note for myself next year - just carry 2 bottles and forget the pack, it's pretty darn heavy.

I ran in to the finish in 7:44. My conservative plan allowed me to enjoy every minute of my run, stop to take 100 pictures, and I never got tired or cramped-up! For those of you that have run any of the Bighorn races previously, some of the scenes below will look familiar. For those who haven't run it yet, put this race on your 'must run' list. It's fantastic!

Thank you, Race Director, for putting on an unforgettable event. Thank you volunteers and aid station workers for all the hard work you did to keep up runners safe and hydrated and well fed. Note to self: Don't pass up the cold shrimp next year!

I wore my Garmin 310XT and the data from my run is here.

Each of these pictures are worth more than a thousand words, so there's about a million words below:

What you can't see in the picture directly below is the smell of bacon. Mmmmm....bacon!

Did anyone else love the feeling of the ice cold water on your feet?

Maybe my best picture for last. Now it was time to turn the camera off and finish this run!

--Mark Hanson

photo credits:

1st photo taken by race photographer - I purchased the 'Web Resolution Digital Image' version from Action Sports Images LLC for use here.

I took all of the other pictures and you can download them for your personal use.

Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon 2011

2011-05-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I've run the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.

I know several people that have run it in the past and they all thought it was a great race. It was a Sunday race which worked great with my family schedule this year so I signed up several months ago. When I signed up, I also set my goal time. For 50 year old men, a sub-1:40 half marathon is a New York City marathon qualifying time. I probably won't run the NYC marathon, primarily due to cost, but I still want to meet the qualifying goal. Also, I have a heck of a time qualifying in a marathon (I'm batting a zero) as I can't quite run fast enough for that long. I'm better in shorter races.

So, I have my goal, and my race picked out. Fast forward to the end of April. The weather is looking really bad for race day. Cold and windy. The day before my half was the Get in Gear race series at Minnehaha park. Cold and rainy and windy too. I was happy that the forecast for May 1st was just showing cold and windy with NO rain! I planned my clothes - Race Ready long distance short shorts, TCM '09 long sleeved shirt, souvenir Boston Marathon cotton gloves that my running friends game me, Afton Trail Run cap, my Nike dry-fit socks, and my new favorite shoes, the ASICs Gel Landreth 6's.

Race day was here and I picked up my packet and changed into my racing clothes. I was happy that I wasn't the only one wearing shorts. There were other fools there too! I run best when I'm on the edge of freezing so this seemed to be perfect weather for me. I met my friend Julie and her friend Michelle before the race. They would be running together. I waited for the race to start mostly in porti-potty lines. I drank maybe a little too much water that morning so I waited in a line 4 times - once inside and three times outside. While waiting outside I knew for sure that I was not going to overheat in the race.

After my last porti-potty visit, it was 5 minutes to race time. I was carrying 2 half-packs of 3 shot-bloks and 4 S!Caps. I also had spares of both in case I dropped some. I figured to take 3 shot-bloks and 2 S!Caps at mile 7.5 and again at 10.5. I planned to also take just water at the two earlier water stops. Knew for me, I decided this would be my FIRST TIME using a pace group. Pacer Dave was the 1:40 guy and I lined up near him, but not close to him. I was maybe 30 feet behind. I figured that I'd have time to catch him soon enough.

The race started and off we went! After maybe 100 feet we ran between two race start signs. Where was timing mat? There was none but I started my Garmin anyways. We had some type of timing chips built into the race bibs and I didn't know whether or not signals were picked-up near the start markers. I was wrong. Some time later we crossed the timing mat. What the heck! Everyone around me was ticked because we all started our watches too soon. I heard a guy near me say we were 26 seconds off. Oh well. Pacer Dave was ahead of me and he would keep me on track. That was my plan.

Well, I was not running as fast as Pacer Dave. He was getting away from me. I thought: "This sucks. We're about a minute into the race and I can't keep up with the pacer." I usually warm up for a few miles a slower pace and then pick it up. That is not how Pacer Dave was doing things. He was starting out at goal pace from the first footsteps. And, the biggest hill of the entire race was within the first mile. I got myself together and picked up my pace. I caught Pacer Dave and kept with him up the big hill. I wasn't warmed up but I'm pretty good with hills and I was very happy that I didn't let him slip away. Over the hill I caught my breath a bit but it would be another mile or so before I was running comfortably.

We were moving right along at a 7:30 pace. 7:30 up the hills, 7:30 down the hills. Seemed like we had no breaks. I like to slow down up the hills and run like the wind going down. Today it was all running into the wind. 30 mile per hour wind. The wind was blowing so hard I had to keep my head down most of the time so I wouldn't lose my hat. I think the scenery would have been beautiful in warmer and gentler weather, but I was watching my step the entire race, and making sure my hat stayed on. I didn't look at any scenery.

Pacer Dave also doesn't slow down at water stops. I was wondering how I was going to keep up with him through the stops. I always run around to the end of a table, stop and drink two cups of water and then take off. So, as we approached the first water stop, I ran like heck to get some distance ahead of the group. Then I got my water and didn't have as far to catch them. This strategy seemed to work well.

The rest of the race was really just more of the same. Run like heck and count down the miles. I tried to stick right beside and behind Pacer Dave. One disadvantage of being with a pace group is the close proximity to other runners. There were four times that I felt someones foot hit the bottom of my back foot as I was lifting it off the ground. I am so happy that I was never tripped or fell down. I did exchange some accidental elbows bumps with a gal but if she wanted to run on the other side of me, she should say something instead of pushing. Ugh.

I also kept to my nutrition schedule. Around mile 7 I felt like I needed a little energy boost but I hung in there until 7.5 as planned, and I knew I would be energized by 8.5. Yup! Good plan. Not once did fatigue or heaviness set into my legs. I felt good the whole way and stuck to my plan of keeping with Pacer Dave. At mile 12 Pacer Dave told us that we could take off if we wanted to. I thanked him and off I went.

Mile and pace
1 7:30
2 7:34
3 7:28
4 7:31
5 7:27
6 7:27
7 7:32
8 7:30
9 7:28
10 7:29
11 7:36
12 7:37
13 7:26
last 0.33 in 2:16 (6:56 pace)

My Garmin data is here. Ignore my heart rate at the beginning - it's not correct.

You can see that Pacer Dave did a great job holding pace and after I took off at mile 12, I ran my fastest mile and then the last 1/3 mile in under 7's. My finishing time was 1:39:08.4! Could I have run a faster race without a pacer? I don't know. All I know is that I met my goal while running at a hard, but not too hard, effort.

I enjoyed running this race and hope to run it again another year.

--Mark

Garmin 310XT - returning for repair

2011-04-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well, my Garmin 310XT lasted 21 months and 1518 miles of running in 234.5 hours. That's an average 9:16 per mile pace. It is what it is.

When I've had the Garmin out in cold weather lately, the display crystal has been fogging up somewhat and it looks as if there is a crack in it. When I go inside and it warms up, the fogging is gone and I also can't see any damage to the display. So, apparently the near-invisible cracks are letting water vapor in. Since I'd rather not wait until water damages it permanently, I sent it back to Garmin today. I will get some other refurbished unit back in about 2 weeks. Until then, a digital watch will do just fine.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the refurbished Garmin is a 'good one'.

--Mark

Ron Daws 25K 2011

2011-04-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last year this time I learned that cross-training is not the best for ME as a runner. I had cut down my running mileage and number of days I ran weekly, and added a couple of days of cycle classes every week. I ran a 2:14 at the Ron Daws 25K last year. I believe that I just didn't put a hard enough effort into those cycle classes and lost running fitness instead of maintaining it.

This year although I had some very low mileage weeks in January and February, the past 4 weeks I averaged 47 miles weekly. Most of the miles were run at 8:45 to 9:15 pace and the long runs were averaging closer to a 10:00 pace. This was a mini-experiment of running slower, for me, but with nice weekly mileage.

My goal for Ron Daws was to run it at an 8:00 or better pace at an average heart rate of 160 or lower. I wanted to see how close I would be to hitting a sub 1:40 in the Minnetonka Half Marathon coming up on May 1st. A 1:40 half equates to a 7:38 average pace.

The course was different again this year due to snow on the sidewalks. No matter, we had a 2-loop full 25K mapped out for us. I met some friends there and lined-up for pre-race instructions and off we went. I settled in running with my friend Aileen and in a few miles we caught up with our friend Jim. Although our first mile was slow, we seemed to be running at around a 7:45 average pace. I was really happy with that but inside I was wondering when it would all go badly. I was think I could hold that pace until mile 8.

If I remember correctly, we had water stops at miles 4.5, 7.5, and 11.5. I planned on just getting water at 4.5, taking 3 Shot-Bloks and an S!Cap at both the 7.5 and 11.5 stops. That plan worked great. Jim and I held on to our 7:45 pace and Aileen, as usual, seemed to be barely breathing. By mile 11 we were talking that we didn't see a sub-2hr finish happening and Aileen left us in the dust. An advantage of her youth, I suppose. Jim and I slowed slightly the last several miles.

As Jim and I approached the last mile, we were eyeing a guy ahead of us. Could we catch him? I'm thinking sure, why not. I started running fast and Jim held on, just a bit behind me. At around 500 yards to go I'm thinking 'Man, what's that guy got in him?'. My Garmin was reading a pace of the low 6:20's for the last half mile. Ugh. At the finish, the guy in front of me said he ran the race too conservatively, You think? I may have run it a little conservatively, too as I had an average heart rate better than plan of 158 and my average pace was 7:46, according to my Garmin.

My Garmin data with course map is here.

Results here

I really like this year's course a lot. Even though it was a new route, there were plenty of hills to run. I'm looking forward to the Minnetonka Half next, a sub-1:40 is within reach.

--Mark

Spring!

2011-03-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

The Winter seemed pretty long to me but now Spring is here. I can't say that we won't get any more snow, but the paths I run on were clear this morning.

My training was not strong in January and February. Mid-January I had LASIK eye surgery. During the initial recovery, I took some time off working out and then I avoided running outside on the cold days. My motivation to run was gone, my weight increased, and my running fitness disappeared.

Around the end of February, I got my motivation back and I am running as many miles as I think I can handle per week, but at a pace slower than I would like. I figured it was best to increase miles for a month before increasing speed significantly.

Having events scheduled and goals usually help me stick to my training. My near-term goal is to race the Minnetonka Half Marathon on May 1st. I have 40 days to get to 1:40 half-marathon shape. 1:40 - that's my goal.

My next goal after that is to finish, in fair shape, the Bighorn Trail Run 50K in mid-June. I'm running 50+ mile weeks right now which is a good start. I have 3 months to go.

--Mark

registered for a few events

2011-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

1. Minnetonka Half Marathon

I've never run this Half but it is a popular one. This one will give me a good reading of how my fitness will be 6 weeks before the Bighorn run. I should be in good running shape by then.

2. Bighorn Trail Run 50K

I'm very excited about this run, also one I've never run before. I plan to enjoy the beauty of the course every step of the way. I most certainly will not be in shape for this one as far as altitude goes. Physically, I plan to be in marathon-shape by then which should get me to the finish.

Spring is on the way! Enjoy the warmer days as they come.

--Mark

2010 thoughts

2011-01-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

I missed writing an end of the year wrap-up post. Oh well.

Here are a few things that come to mind.

1. Coca Cola is a good thing to drink in ultra-marathons. Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches are good to eat in ultras too.

2. I need races on my calendar or I slack-off and gain weight. 'On my calendar' means that I've registered for them, not that they are just on my list. I'm at a 7-year high for weight right now. It is what it is.

3. I have a stronger draw towards trail runs than road races. For 2011 it looks like I will have most of my racing miles on trails.

4. This is my favorite thing about running a race. I start my race day with a 'blank picture' in my head of the race about to happen. The entire race experience provides paint for that picture - the people I meet, the things I see, how I feel, how I perform, my whole experience. At the end of the day I have a complete, painted picture of the race. That's what I like. That wasn't new for 2010, but it's one of my favorite thing about running races.

5. Races. I REALLY liked the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon. I will always like the Keweenaw trail series in upper Michigan. Also, the Door County Fall 50 team relay is a favorite of mine. Those are my key races for 2011 in addition to the Afton 25K or 50K that I love to run.

That's it. Have a great 2011 running year, everyone.

--Mark

Vibram Five Fingers KSO

2010-12-31T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've been reading about the Vibram Five Fingers and it's about time I picked up a pair and started getting used to wearing them. So, how do you pronounce Vibram? Maybe I've never heard anyone say 'Vibram' outside of my family but we all say vIbram with an 'i' sound, not veebram with an 'e' sound. I'll just stick to my old ways and say it with an 'I' sound. Don't ask me how to say 'Sorel', as in Sorel boots. I was never sure.

Back to the Five Fingers... I picked up a pair of the KSO model in black-camo a week or so ago and tried them on with Injinji socks. I plan to wear them with the toe socks so it made sense to wear them when I figured out what size was right for me. My second toe is longer than my big toe so that's what drove the size. I ended-up in a size 44 and I usually run in a size 11.5 road shoe. That's what works for me, maybe not for you.

I'm taking it slow getting used to wearing them. Every other day I'm walking a mile and then running a short amount. I started with a half a mile and I'm up to 1.5 miles, which is what I ran this morning. The KSOs are very comfortable and based just on feel, I'd much rather wear them than regular running shoes. My plan now is to do 3 short runs a week in them during the winter to supplement my outside running. Hopefully by next Summer my feet will be quite a bit stronger than they have been. Ideally, I will be less susceptible to the minor foot injuries I get from time to time during hill running or long races.

So far so good in the KSOs, but since my feet feel so good now as I'm writing this, they will surely hurt like heck when I wake up tomorrow morning. Things like that usually happen after I write something. :-(

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!

--Mark

2011 prelim plans again

2010-12-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been several weeks before I first thought about what to run in 2011. I have a short list of my old and new favorites plus a 50K trail race and a half marathon that will be new to me.

I'd rather run on trails than on the road for races. In 2010 I ran a mix of races and ended up with 72 road miles and 110 trail miles. With my plan below, I'll have 38 on the road and 106 on trails. As always, my plans are subject to change due to family activities but here's my current plan:

4/2 - Ron Daws 25K
4/15 - Trail Mix 4-person Team run (12.5K per person)
5/1 - Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon
6/18 - Bighorn Trail Run 50K
7/2 - Afton 25K
7/9-10 - Run the Keweenaw 3.5M/11K/25K series
9/24 - Birkebeiner Trail Marathon
10/22 - Door County Fall 50 team relay

I think that's about all I want to squeeze into 2011.

--Mark

foot pain

2010-12-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

It figures. In my post on Saturday I wrote that I was "Injury free. Knock on wood." Well, the knocking on wood didn't really work. Tuesday morning I ran on a chunk of hard snow and my left foot rolled outwards. Ugh. I immediately got a sharp pain just forward of my ankle bone at the left side of my foot, maybe an inch up the side of my foot.

It hurt some while I finished up my run. I'm glad I had no more than three miles to go when it happened. Even today it hurts a bit (sometimes) when walking. I won't be running at all now until Saturday so hopefully it will be mostly healed by next week.

I would rather not 'whine' about an injury but I'm recording this info here so I can go back later to see what happened. At the Surf the Murph, I had a similar injury and walked it off for an hour and then ran another 10 miles. The next day there was no pain or sign of the injury. The injury from Tuesday happened and there is still slight pain today. Never any swelling or bruising.

On some internet searching the injury is in the same area of where 'Peroneal Tendonitis' injuries occur. I'm not assuming that's what I have. Whatever I do have seems like it's minor and should fix itself soon.

What I do know is that I really need to get back on the wobble board again and then get some Vibram Five-Fingers to use as a tool to get my feet stronger.

My only bright side of all of this is that I have done well in daytime trail races where I can see my footing. If my steps are carefully placed and I don't roll my ankles, I'll do just fine. With unsure footing that I can't see well, that's when I have a problem. Ugh. The reason I'm thinking about this is due to my plan of running the Bighorn 50K next Summer. I think if I'm careful with my foot placement, I'll be fine. Knock on wood. haha

--Mark

misc - shoes/crosstraining/winter

2010-12-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

shoes

My new ASICS shoes are working out great. I have 125 miles on them and they feel great and I'm so glad to be in these new shoes. They even felt great with Yak Traks on them for my 25K at Afton (Pederson Benefit Run) last weekend. I better buy some more pairs of them before they're discontinued, if that hasn't happened already.

crosstraining

I've been adding some crosstraining the last two weeks. My new Mon - Fri workouts, at Lifetime Fitness, will be something like this:

Mon - run 6 then Yoga
Tue - run 6 then Total Conditioning (Strength) class
Wed - run 6 then Kickboxing
Thu - run 6 then Strength training
Fri - I do cycle class and just move my legs for an hour with almost no resistance. I'm the ultimate slacker in this class.

The first week of the added crosstraining was tough. I found a lot of muscles that are not primary muscles used for running. Soreness was the norm for week one.

Sat & Sun - I have a goal of running 12 to 20 on one day and also trying to get around 40 to 45 weekly miles.

winter

I also want to do more snowshoeing this winter. I'm going on a snowshoe hike with my wife tomorrow but I would like to substitute those weekend miles with TBD hours of snowshoeing whenever I can this winter.

Injury free?

I'm injury free. Knock on wood. I've not had much for injuries for quite a while. Keeping my miles under 45 per week helps a lot and I've added crosstraining to get other muscles stronger again and also to help strengthen my feet.

--Mark

New shoes - making the big switch from Brooks to ASICS

2010-11-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Brooks Glycerin 8's that I've worn lately are not for me, and I've been a Brooks shoe wearer since my first day of running in 2005. I took my running totals at the right side of this blog and my total is 5,999 miles in Brooks shoes. That's it.

I went to see Wendi at Gear West for a Gait Analysis today. I've seen her previously and had good luck getting fitted into the right shoe. I told her how my current shoes didn't feel 'right' but they felt great with 300 miles on them. Really helpful, huh? I also said that near the end of long runs my calf muscles were sore and that hasn't happened in other shoes. I didn't tell her that I wanted lighter and more flexible shoes in order to strengthen my feet even more than they are now. They felt very strong in July and are strong again now due to increased trail running this Fall.

Wendi determined that my feet are indeed very strong now and I need to get more flexible inserts and more flexible shoes than what I'm wearing now. Just the news I wanted to hear. She said my feet don't need the support they were getting and it's time for them to get even stronger. I ended up in ASICS Gel-Landreth 6 shoes with Blue Superfeet inserts. They feel great and Wendi said my form is perfect while running in them. Now I need miles on my feet to see how well this combo works. If everything goes well, I'll need to stock up on a few more pairs as I hate it when the shoe models get 'improved' for the next model year.

Wendi also said that although they aren't for everyone, I am a perfect candidate to run in the Vibram Five Fingers. She said that if I run in them, I should use them as a 'tool'. I didn't ask but I assume she meant part-time and as a way to improve my foot strength.

I'll be wearing my new ASICS tomorrow when my running odometer crosses 6,000.

--Mark

Surf the Murph - 3 days after plus misc ramblings

2010-11-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Surf the Murph follow-up

It's not productive for me to go over in my mind all the "what if's" from Saturday's race, so I won't do that. On Sunday and Monday all I did for exercising was walk 15 minutes and then stretch. Not once did I feel any pain in my foot since I dropped-out after two laps of the race on Saturday.

My first run

This morning was my first run. A 6-miler. The first two miles, as I had expected, my legs were heavy and dead. The second two miles my legs were warming up, and the final two miles I could move right along at a good pace. I was very happy to get this run in and I feel great right now. The best part is that my foot pain was still gone so what happened on Saturday was a minor issue that resolved itself quickly and on its own.

50 milers in my future?

Although for a few hours after the Surf the Murph I was thinking that 50K distance was where I would draw the line for future races, I have changed my mind. I like being out on the trails so much, I would not hesitate to register for 50 milers in the future, just so I can be out on the trails all day long.

Weekly training

I will continue training during the week on the Mississippi River paths from Ft. Snelling up to Minneapolis with my road-loving friends. On weekends I'd like to do long runs on trails. The main thing is I love trails, as you can tell. The second thing is that it will help strengthen my feet which is one of my weaknesses.

Stretching

Last night I purchased a foam roller and a wobble board. My wife and one of my girls are also having some foot problems right now and the wobble board will be good for us all. I never stretch after races so now, with a foam roller, I can do that too.

Clothing

Since I will go back and read this sometime in the future, I want to note something about running clothes. Normally, I love running in cool weather and I'll wear as little as possible. Saturday I had XC ski pants and a long sleeved shirt with a short sleeved shirt on top. Of course I was completely sweaty after loop 1 on Saturday. The temps were in the 40s and normally at that point I would be wearing short shorts and a sleeveless shirt but I felt if I changed into those clothes that I would freeze. I think I would have been ok dressing light if I would have had a beach towel with me to completely dry off first and get into all dry clothes.

BENEFIT RUN FOR LARRY & COLLEEN PEDERSON

What's next? No more races this year but I am looking forward to the Pederson Benefit Run at Afton State Park on November 27th. There is nothing better than raising some money for them and spending the day running with friends/new-friends in the park. I'll be there if I can.

--Mark

Surf the Murph 2010

2010-10-31T07:45:00.001-07:00

I signed up for this race to see how I can handle a 50 Mile trail run. One of the runs I was planning to do next year was the Bighorn 50 Trail Run. If I can't run a 50 here, I sure as heck can't run one out there. After my Birkebeiner Trail Marathon in September, and how the small rolling hills just hammer my calf muscles, I knew at that time the Bighorn 50M was not for me.

Until a month ago, I had never run at Murphy-Hanrehan Park and fortunately I was able to get out there twice. I ran once with a friend from my health club and the second time with Katie Thompson who I met there by chance. It was really helpful to have a general idea of what I was in for. I was well trained for a marathon and was excited to see what the day was going to bring.

Race Day

I packed a million things into my drop bag and headed to the Park. The weather looked to be perfect for running. I decided to wear cross-country ski pants and a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve shirt on top. I also would be wearing my Nathan hydration pack. I was going to also carry some Shot Bloks and a lot of S!Caps.

This run was three 16.8 mile loops for the 50M. I was wearing my Garmin 310XT and had decided to stop/restart the Garmin with every loop. That way it would be better for recording the route and my paces.

Loop 1

Loop 1 Garmin data here. 16.86 miles.

We were given instructions and told that about half the runners got off-track last year. I couldn't understand this as all you need to do is keep the flags to your left. How hard can that be? Pretty hard, if you asked me now. :-)

I fired up my headlamp and at 6:00am (exactly) off we went. I think I was roughly in the pack where I wanted to be, between the top third and top half. There must have been almost 40 runners in the 50 Mile event. It wasn't too long before Katie ran up to me and we started to talk. Unfortunately, Katie's headlamp had almost zero light output. Her Ragnar Relay run this year had drained it. Ugh for her. My light was bright and Katie and I ran together to share my light. I learned that I really should have turned my ball cap around as the bill shadowed the ground in front of me, which doesn't make for the best running conditions. Oh well. At the first aid station the woman there (I should know her name but don't) lent Katie her headlamp which was a super-nice thing to do. Katie and I continued to run together. Every aid station was great. I just drank water at the Horse Camp station and when we got to Lisa/Helen/Katie's-aunts station, Helen gave me a handful of jelly beans. Yum. I must have run with a mouthful of Jellybeans for a mile after that. :-) The sugar was hitting the spot.

Earlier in the run I stepped on a few stick and rocks with my right foot but none of that seemed to bother my running. Somewhere between Lisa/Helen's station and the starting point I ran on top of a baseball-sized rock. This one really rolled my foot/ankle. Even so, that didn't hurt either.

Oh, I forgot, around mile three my intestines started to gurgle. Oh no. That was not a good sign for the day. My GI issue continued the entire first loop. Katie said she had packed Immodium-AD in her drop-bag. I told her that I didn't want to take any and that I'd be OK. Before we finished the first loop I changed my mind. I also said that I was planning to drop back a bit from her and start lap 2 alone. She is a very strong runner and I knew my pace was not going to match hers on lap 2.

We completed loop 1 in a very good 2:56. My body (except for the GI issues) felt great and my muscles felt great. Katie gave me 2 Immodium-AD and I told her I needed a restroom stop and was going to take a few minutes before started lap 2.

Loop 2

Loop 2 Garmin data here. 19.13 miles (oops).

I got some water, made my restroom stop, had some food at the aid station and took off running. Oh no! I had a sharp pain in my right foot. The kind of pain where you can't run without a limp. I walked a few feet and tried again. Pain. Now I'm about 100 feet into loop 2 and I'm thinking about the 33 more miles I need to cover. Ugh. I considered turning around right then and there and calling it a day. If it had been like Tuesday/Wednesday with the rain and horrible winds, I would have quit. But Saturday was a beautiful day so why not just have a great walk in the park. That's what I did. My goal now was to walk and try to run once in a while. I wanted to get to the North aid station and then to the Horse Camp where I would then come back to the finish on the road and trails to wait for Katie to finish lap 2.

So now I'm mostly walking but running short distances, with pain. I made it to the North aid station and had some Mac and Cheese and hung around there for a while. I talked about my plan to drop and was offered a ride back to the start. No thanks, I was going to work my way to the Horse Camp station. It was enjoying my walk so much and then I started out again. It was such a surprise when the pain was gone. It had taken about 1h15min for the foot/ankle to loosen-up and it felt great now. Well, there was nothing left to do but run! At the Horse Camp station I was still considering dropping at some point but as long as I felt good and knew I wasn't damaging my foot, I was going to continue.

I was running well now and chatted with Daryl and a little later, Lynn. Lynn and I chatted until we arrived at Lisa/Helen's aid station. They had Arnica Gel and Lisa rubbed some onto the spot where I had pain. There was no pain now but I'll take all the help I can get. I think this is where I met with Maranda. Maranda is a young woman also running her first 50M race. Maranda was looking for some energy and I gave her a serving of Shot Bloks. Maranda and I started running together and she complained about an upset stomach she was having so I gave her an S!Cap too. We separated and met again at the Horse Camp station. I asked Maranda if she needed anything and started to take out more Shot Bloks for her. She said, No, the other things. Oh, S!Caps. I gave her a bag of S!Caps and she told me that the one earlier had instantly soothed her stomach. That's what I like about these races too, people working together to get each-other through. It was here that I told Londell to cross me off the list. I was feeling a small amount of pain increasing in my foot and I was doubting I was going to do another loop. I also told him that if I did do the third loop I would let him know on my next time through so he could un-cross me off. :-)

Maranda and I would run together from here to the finish of loop 2. You know how all you need to do is keep the flags on you left? Well, Maranda and I were running and it seemed like the final part of the lap was taking too long. Things were looking too familiar. It was really eerie and kind of like a nightmare in the daytime. Of course, we had already run the full course once but we were seeing parts that seemed like we had just seen a short time earlier. I kept saying that all we needed to do is keep to the right of the flags. How could we have gone so wrong? This surprises me as it will most of you that were out there, but we had run right by the three flags and the 'Fun Zone' sign and repeated that entire 'inner loop' area in the North Portion of the run. You can see where we doubled-up on the run if you open my Garmin map for loop 2 and zoom in a bit. Oh well, what's an extra 2+ miles? hahahaha

How about my foot? At around mile 28 there was some light pain creeping back in but I was still running well. When we were running and I'd glance down at my Garmin, we were always going at around a 10:20 pace. Not bad, I thought. I was super happy that my mind was still very clear (except for missing the Fun Zone), and my legs still felt great, and my stomach felt awesome. It was a great day to run. Only at around mile 35 did my legs start to feel tired but that may have been after we climbed Pike's Peak.

Maranda and I finished loop 2 and then I went back to the timing table and dropped out. I loved every minute of the day except for the very beginning of loop 2. I felt great but I decided to be conservative and not stress what may/may-not be wrong with my foot. I got a long-50K in for the day with a time of 7:40. I was very happy to be on my feet that long without hitting a wall like what can happen when running a marathon. Maranda met her boyfriend after loop 2 and he went out with her to run to the horse camp and then from there to the finish (well, that was her plan). I hope she finished well.

Loop 3

Loop 3 wasn't for me today. I dropped out to ensure I didn't damage my foot.

I got something to eat and drink and then went back to the timing table to see how my loop 1 partner, Katie, was doing. She was rocking! Our loop 1 together was 2:56. She ran loop 2 in 2:50. At that rate she would be done at around 9 hours. Awesome. I decided to wait and watch for her finish. Katie had a fantastic loop 3 of 3:03 and ran a 8:50 for the female win and it was her first 50 mile race. Congrats, Katie! The second place woman would come in at 8:54.

The next day

This morning I have the expected overall muscle soreness and a bruise on my right bicep. How the heck did I get that bruise? I'll never know. I went on a 15 minute walk to warm-up slightly and stretched my hamstrings, calf muscles, and quads. That felt good. Now I need to schedule a massage, sooner rather than later!

Next year?

I think I would run the 50M next year. This year I had the bad luck of stepping badly on something with my right foot three times which ended up being the major topic in my run as you all know now. The race was great. The volunteers were great. I love the shirt too. Thanks to everyone out there and I'll see you next year!

Oh yeah, I now know that the Bighorn Trail Run 50K is the one for me. I hope that I'm able to make it fit into my schedule next year.

--Mark

additional notes:

I almost drained my Nathan 70oz pack on the two loops and I only used it to supplement what I got at aid stations. After the first few stations, my favorite drinks were 2+ cups of Coke plus a cup of water. I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches best and always enjoyed a few potato chips. I may have only consumed 6 Shot Bloks total as the aid station food was hitting the spot.

I took 2 S!Caps at a time but only when I 'felt' I should have some. That worked well. After the race I took 2 right away and then 2 more when I got home. My legs never cramped at any time.

I think a belt pack with some storage would be ideal for me in this race next year. It's such a pain in the @SS to fill the Nathan I never wanted to do it. Those 22oz bottles are easy to fill but I don't think I'd want to carry one for 10+ hours. Putting one in a belt looks like the way to go.

My feet were very strong after running a bunch of trail races in July. They have weakened as I have noticed later in the Summer. I think I need to change at least two of my long Saturday runs to trail runs. Also, since three of us in my house have weak ankles I am going to shop for a wobble-board. Londell took a picture of me running. My foot strike is obviously on the outside corner of the heel. What the heck does that mean? My shoes are neutral but does that mean I should have a different type of shoe?

My last thought is that I wonder if I should get 'trail shoes'. I run everything in road shoes.

Door County Fall 50 2010

2010-10-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

I ran the team relay race at the Door County Fall 50 again this year, my third consecutive year. This year I was on a team of 5 including Dave, Brendan & Miaja, and my wife, Kathy. Kathy made a good effort this Summer as a beginning runner and we had run a few races together. Pain caused by a bone spur cut her running carrier very short (about 3 months). So, this year we ran as a team of 4 and our team name was "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out". The team name was a line from the movie A Christmas Story. All it takes is "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" boxer shorts, being worn in public at our health club, combined with a 'wardrobe malfunction', to provide inspiration for the team name. Brendan would wear those boxers in the Fall 50 this year but we made sure he had the fly pinned-shut. :-)

You can find my previous race reports by clicking on 2008 or 2009. There are many more pics in those reports because of the rainfall this year, I kept the camera in the car most of the time.

Friday night we drove to Sturgeon Bay and stopped at the Ladder House for packet pickup. Packet pickup went smoothly and I said hi to John Storkamp who is one of the top solo runners. John is the race director for the Afton Trail Run which is a great trail race in the Twin Cities area and it's a can't-miss race held in the peak of the Summer heat. We also ran into Kristen/Karl/Paul that I know as they're friends I run with sometimes.

We had dinner, the same as last year, was at the Inn at Cedar Crossing. Unlike the fantastic dinner we had last year, this year's dinner was ordinary. The restaurant was very busy and maybe it was an off-night as far as cooking goes. Of course, this is my opinion.

Saturday morning I got up for breakfast and we were ready to head for the start at 7:30. We had a 9am start time based on our Team's overall pace. Since Kathy dropped from our team, we would have a faster pace than I originally estimated. Before we left Minnesota, I filled out a spreadsheet that showed each of the legs of the race and when we expected to have a runner start from each exchange. I just entered what I guessed our overall pace would be - 8:30 per mile. I tell people that I'm good at guessing a team pace. Last year we were 3 minutes and 7 seconds faster than what I estimated. I guess with confidence!

Kathy also asked me if she could volunteer at the race since she wasn't running. What a great idea! So, I used my chart of when we would be at the exchanges and decided that it would work out best for Kathy to volunteer at the Exchange #3 food/water station. We dropped Kathy off on our trip to the start and we were getting more excited by the minute.

At the start, Brendan got prepared, went to the starting line and in a few minutes the horn sounded and he was off. I somehow didn't see him run by so I just took a picture of strangers (not posted here). I was happy that we had warmer temps and no cold wind blowing on us like last year, and maybe the year before. The weather seemed perfect for running. Not wanting to be last to Exchange #1, we headed down the road.

I was scheduled to run leg 2 and I was ready to go. When Brendan handed me the wrist band I took off and was passed by a runner after about one minute. Ugh. What a way to start the day. Oh well. This darn leg starts on an uphill. I ran hard and fairly fast and after I got to the top it was time to fly (this is all relative). I had expected to run at a 7:30 average for the day but I was runner well today. My Garmin data for this 6.4 mile run is here. I was very happy with a 7:09 average pace for that run and very happy that I ran the hills.

I won't speak much for the other runners but I handed off to Miaja for leg 3 and we headed to Exchange #3. There we chatted with Kathy and picked her up at the end of her volunteering shift as Dave waited to start. I love running leg 4 and it was Dave's turn to run that leg this year. If your team run this race enough years, I highly recommend that all runners get a chance to run leg 4 through Peninsula Park. It's my favorite segment of the race. I believe Dave ran very well at just over a 7:00 pace.

Leg 5 was my turn again. 4.8 miles and this is the leg that had a healthy switch-back thrown in. Nice! I ran this leg at an 7:17 pace and was happy again to run the whole thing - even the switchback. You can see my Garmin data here. Due to the difference between the actual distance and what the Garmin reports, the paces I list here don't match the Garmin. I used the recorded time along with the published leg distances. My day's average pace was 7:13 for 11.2 miles and I am very pleased with that pace. The cooler weather and rain helped me run fast. After I was done with this leg I was done with the race! In addition, I was at the half-way buffet and was ready for some soup. Yum!

The next legs were run well by the team with Brendan running legs 6 and 7, Dave running leg 8, and Miaja running legs 9 and 10. That seemed to be a good way to split up the legs for 4 runners and we each only had to run twice although two people ran back to back legs.

We went to the finish and waited for Miaja to come into the park then we crossed the finish in 7:07:09. My guess of an overall 8:30 pace would have put us in at 7:05:00 so we were just 2:09 over. This puts my two-year combined estimated finishing times at only 62 seconds slower than estimated for 100 miles. I'm predicting this will end with a total.pace-guessing.failure next year. :-)

The test party was great as usual but we left just before the awards were announced to go back to the hotel and get cleaned up. Later, some of us headed across the street and got a little more food and some beverages before heading downtown like last year, we hit some fun places downtown and a few of us stayed out dancing until after 1am. I'm convinced that 2 or 3 hours of dancing is awesome for recovery. My legs feel really good today, the second day after the race, and I think it's mostly because of that late night dancing.

me (Mark), Dave, Miaja, Brendan

Although I have one more race this year, I can confidently state that the Door County Fall 50 is my favorite race of the year for the third consecutive year!

See you there in 2011.

--Mark

Door County Fall 50 and Surf the Murph 50 coming up

2010-10-17T12:45:00.001-07:00

The Door County Fall 50 is my favorite team race. This year my team has 4 runners in the 50 mile relay. We'll each run twice for about 12 miles total for the race. This race doesn't need any special training for me since I finished a marathon about a month ago. I can't wait!

The Surf the Murph 50 mile run is a different situation. I've never run a 50 mile race and have never been to the Murphy-Hanrehan Park until Saturday, just over a week ago. That was my first training run there. One of my running friends met me there to give me a tour. I had a course map and we roughly followed some of the course. It was in the mid 80s for temps that day and we had a tough slow run. 13.3 miles in 2:40. Ugh. After that run I changed my 1st-loop race-day target from 3 hours to 4 hours. October 30th is going to be a long day.

Yesterday I went to Murphy-Hanrehan Park again for more training. Just as I was entering the trails from the parking lot, a woman was hitting the trails too. She was running about 30 yards ahead of me for the first mile and while walking up one of the big hills, we met. She was out there training just like me. The 30th was going to be her first 50 mile race too and we set out to run a loop together. Just like at Afton, I can be holding a map in my hand and still not be able to follow the route. Even so, we got a good feel for the course. There was an area, in the far South-West of the park, where we tried to figure out where the course went. We just couldn't figure it out. We decided to abort that little expedition and I guided us across a dry swamp. Based on all the cuts I got on my legs from the nettles, raspberry bushes, and thorny shrubs, I hope my new running friend didn't get cut up too much! Sorry KT! Finding our way to a trail again, we ran most of the remainder of the course and finished with 14.6 miles in 2:28. Not too bad in that terrain but I was definitely going too fast for race day.

The Door County Fall 50 will be a day of fun and the Surf the Murph 50 Miler will be a day of endurance and testing limits!

--Mark

My girls' perfect soccer season (no running content)

2010-10-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

My email address starts with '4twins' not because I am 'for the MN twins' but I'm not against the MN twins either. It's because my 4 kids are all twins. My twin girls, Molly and Kerry, are in the 8th grade and just finished their Fall school soccer season.

Here is a poor picture of a picture of their 8A team:

The girls had a FANTASTIC soccer season!

The season ended Friday with them winning all 10 of their games. Every one of those games was a SHUTOUT! That's the part that impresses me so much. The team scored 57 goals and obviously there were no goals scored against them.

All 16 girls had at least one assist and all 16 scored at least one goal. Is this what you would call a 'perfect season'? Well, congrats Molly and Kerry and Team, winning streaks like this don't happen very often!

--Mark (proud Dad of Molly and Kerry)

2011 preliminary race plans

2010-10-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

The 2010 running season is not over but I've put together my wish-list of races for 2011. My goal is to shift even more towards trail running than I have in 2010, which is about 50/50 trails/road.

April
Ron Daws 25K
Trail Mix 4-person team race

May
Ice Age 50K

June
Bighorn Trail Run 50K or 50M

July
Afton Trail Run 25K
Run the Keweenaw 3-race series

September
Birkebeiner Trail Marathon

October
Door County Fall 50 5-person team relay
Surf the Murph 50M

The only thing I know for sure is that this list will change.

--Mark

Twin Cities Marathon 2010 (watching, not running)

2010-10-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

SteveQ pointed this way to possibly a better report than his. Sorry folks, there won't be too much to read here today.

I got really early to meet my friend BC in Highland Park at 6:30am. Our (my) plan was to get over to the St. Thomas hill before 7:30 in order to see the leaders of the TC-10. I got to BC's house and unloaded my bike. I saw BC and realized right away that all we were missing was a sheep. :-) BC was wearing Wellies and a Kilt. I lived long enough in the UK to know that those were two out of three ingredients to many jokes. Like I said, all we were missing was a sheep.

We hopped on our bikes and stopped for coffee on the way. It was a nice, crisp ride up to St. Thomas and we found a sweet spot to watch the race. It wasn't too long before SteveQ walked up and we chatted for a long time and before we knew it, here were the TC-10 elite women runners. Katie McGregor was #1 or #2. She looked strong and ended up with a win. Not long after, the guys came through. I didn't recognize the leaders. Just under 30 minutes in, we saw SteveS and he looked to be on pace for his sub-60. Way to go Steve!

I was able to see most of my friends running the TC-10 and they all looked good. The weather was great for racing and we had a great spot to watch the runners. I think we stayed until nearly all of the TC-10 runners had passed and it was time to leave SteveQ and get refills on coffee.

For the TC marathon, the lead wheelchair racers were already through by the time we got back to our 'spot'. For the marathon, we found a cozy spot in the sun and it was just a fantastic day to be out and watch the marathon. I hung out with SteveQ as well as my running friends BC, and Julie, Hannah, and Tom. It was cool and sunny and perfect. I would have missed running in it but I just ran in a marathon last Saturday. Therefore, I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not running it.

During the marathon I also saw most of my running friends, some were heading to new PR's, some for Boston Qualifiers, and some were NOT having great running days and would be not meeting their goals today. Well, meeting goals or not meeting goals, I know my running friends will be lacing up their shoes soon enough and will be hitting the running paths, working towards that next goal.

Anyways, CONGRATS to ALL that ran, and THANKS to all that volunteered this weekend. I will be watching the TCM again, one year from now, from the same spot at 21.5 miles into your race. I really enjoyed watching both races! See you next year.

--Mark

p.s. I have mentioned my training partners a few times this Summer. Michelle, Aileen, and I all trained for a 3:40 marathon. Michelle and Aileen both ran the TCM and it came down to how things went 'that day'. Aileen beat her goal of 3:40 with a 3:37:40 and near-ideal splits of 1:48:34/1:49:06. Michelle did not meet her goal but was still able to finish in the 3:50's.

tipping towards trails

2010-09-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today, the 4th day since my trail marathon, I feel great. My legs feel the same or better than after racing the City of Lakes 25K a few weeks ago which was run on a blacktop road. The softer surfaces of trail running are much better for my body.

In 2009 I was coming off a foot surgery in the Winter but ended up with races totaling 80 miles on the road and 14 miles on the trail.

In 2010, so far, I have 62 miles of road racing and 75 miles of trail racing. That's a significant shift to trails. I would like to shift even more towards trails in 2011. The rest of this year has me running maybe 10 to 15 miles at the Door County Fall 50 team relay on the road and then the Surf the Murph 50M event which is on trails.

I am well aware that I'm not trained for any distances longer than a marathon so the 50M in October will be a big s-t-r-e-t-c-h for me. I'm hoping that the softer surfaces will help save me during that full day event. No matter what, I'll be having fun being out on the trails.

--Mark

Birkebeiner Trail Marathon 2010 race report

2010-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

This year was the first year of the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon for individuals. Other years the marathon was held as a relay along with other races: Half marathon, 5K, and a Half marathon Trek. The marathon course runs mostly on the Birkie ski course from just outside of Hayward, WI to the Telemark lodge outside of Cable. The final several miles of the race are on the Kortelopet Trail.

For those that just want pictures, race-day photos (not mine) are on the Birkie website here.

I grew-up in this area in the small town of Grand View and worked at Telemark during high school. My first job was washing dishes by hand at the Chalet. This was before it burned to the ground. No, I didn't do it. I also skied on the trails around Telemark during High School and College. Back then I had no fear on the trails and skied fast and hard. Skiing is in my past - running is my sport now.

I had been interested the past two years in signing up for the marathon relay but never fit it into my schedule, mainly because I ran the Twin Cities marathon those years. This year I decided early in the Spring that I was done with marathons for the year but I got over that feeling this Summer and found the individual marathon was an option! I heard that it was hilly but my friends know I love hills! Sign me up!

The day before the race

I took a vacation day from work on Friday, 9/24 to get ready for the race. I got my Shot Bloks ready - I cut 3 packages of them in half, and taped the ends shut. This gives me 6 '100cal servings' of 3 shot bloks each. I take 1 serving every 3 miles starting at mile 8. It works for me. I also put 8 S!Caps each into two small baggies. I take one S!Cap every time I take some Shot Bloks. I was also planning to wear my Nathan 2 liter hydration pack. It was going to be a good way to give me supplemental water between aid stations. Since I was predicting a completely muddy trail, I packed a pair of socks in the zippered back compartment. OK....all set with nutrition.

What to wear? I looked at the Hayward weather forecast about 5 times a day during the week before the race. It looked as if the rain was going to letup (FINALLY) around 7pm Friday night and Saturday was supposed to be mostly sunny and 38 degrees at the start. I settled on my standard race-ready shorts, red sleeveless shirt, and my Brooks Glycerin 8 shoes. I remembered to grab my Afton Trail Run cap and I was going wear some Boston Marathon gloves my friends gave me after their trip there a few years ago. I never qualified but they are a souvenir and are good luck for me.

After noon, I left the Twin Cities and headed up to Hayward for packet-pickup where I also got a nice technical T-shirt, see pic above. Then I was off to my Dad's house in Grand View. Never one to have surprises the night before the marathon, I packed my own dinner of spaghetti noodles and a grilled chicken breast as well as an apple. On the way, I picked up a 6-pack of New Glaris Totally Naked beer for my Dad and his wife and a 6-pack of Spotted Cow beer for myself. The beer was going to have to wait until Saturday night, but I did enjoy a shot of Blackberry Brandy with my Dad before I hit the hay.

Race Day - Saturday morning

I set my alarm for 4:45am. Seems early for an 8am start but I also like to have breakfast 3+ hours before race time. I got up long before the alarm at 4:20 and made myself a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter. That's the breakfast that, so far, has helped keep GI issues away! My plan was to leave at 6am for Telemark, a 30 minute drive, and luckily I went out to my car early. There was a thick coat of frozen dew on the windows. Ugh. My ice scraper was in Minnesota and I couldn't find one in my Dad's truck. The defroster worked well and I was on the road at 6am on schedule. I was also lucky that I packed warm gloves, winter running pants, and a sweatshirt to wear before the race.

At Telemark there were buses to shuttle us to the start. Once the runners started getting on the bus, I made sure I got on the first bus. I always like to have a little time to relax and just walk around near the starting line before a race. Well, the bus behind us went first and when we arrived at the Fish Hatchery Park, I had time to hit the porta-potty, take off my warm clothes and put them in my drop bag, and listen to the starting line instructions. Now it was only two minutes until race time.

We were told that one of the race organizers had traveled the course by ATV that morning. There were quite a few areas where water had formed ponds at the bottoms of hills. We could run though the water or run around the ponds through the woods. The race official recommended going around as some of the ponds were up to the tops of the ATV wheels. Yikes. Although it was sunny, I was still imagining mud. The temperature at the start was 34 degrees. Even though it was that cold, I knew that sleeveless was the way to go for me.

And we were off

I had heard a few times that the marathon had about 80 runners. That number looked accurate. I lined-up about where I thought I should be and we were off and running on time. I think we had a couple hundred yards of flat blacktop before we were on the trail. Approaching the first corner I tried to count how many runners were ahead of me and I estimated 25. I still seemed to be in the right position for the size of the race.

This was a race that I was planning to race, not just finish. I trained with my friends Michelle and Aileen for a 3:40 marathon but I knew I couldn't do that here. My goal was to hit the half at 2:00 and if everything went I would like to have a 4:00 finish.

Right from the start I could see the course was beautiful. The sun was out, most of the trees were at or near their peak color, the air was crisp, and we were in the woods. What could be better? Well, some would say a flat course would be better. :-) The hills! The hills! The hills! Rolling. Never-ending. Some small, maybe 12 to 15 feet high. Some much larger. Up and down and up and down and up and down. Were there really any flat areas in the first 20 miles? I don't remember any.

That's all it was - hills and beautiful trees. I was running around 9 minute miles and since I was racing it, the pace seemed appropriate. Wasn't I supposed to be hurting a little? I was not out for an easy long run, I had to push things a bit. A couple miles in my glasses fogged up some and it was hard to see with the bright sunshine. That was ticking me off because I was really enjoying the beauty of the forest. Eventually, my glasses cleared up and thankfully I could see again.

We had aid stations on the course that were stocked with water, Heed, and small Cliff bars. At 5.8K was aid station #1. I asked for water and got one water and one Heed. Ugh. I stop at aid stations for maybe 7 seconds to throw my two cups of water down my throat. The Heed was down about the time I tasted it. I could have worried that it was going to throw-off my nutrition plan but what's done is done. Nothing I could do about it now and off I ran.

A few miles ahead I started running with a gal. We chatted for awhile and she was from Hayward and did her training on this course. She seemed strong and fast and there were only 5 women ahead of her as well as the 20 men ahead of me. The running was great! This trail was W-I-D-E and was mowed grass. For much of the trail there was a dirt path down the middle. I didn't run on the path as it was a little slick and if there were rocks, that's where they were. I ran on the grass which was about like running on someone's poorly kept lawn. It didn't have thick grass like a lawn or a golf course but, in my opinion, it was just wonderful to run on. I would rate the technical difficulty of the running surface as a trail run to be a Zero out of Ten. Note that I'm talking about the surface, not the hills.

The hills were still rolling as we got to aid station #2. I asked for water again and got one water and one Heed. The guy next to me asked for Heed and got water. Everyone makes mistakes. Unfortunately, the water and Heed looked the same and were in the same white cups. Yet again, there was nothing I could do because I drank it down so quickly. We were still clicking off the miles at around a 9:00 pace and I felt good. Coming up soon was mile 8 and it was time to take some Shot Bloks and an S!Cap. It may have been somewhere around here that the local gal moved ahead. She knew we were on pace for a sub-2:00 half and possibly a sub-4:00 finish. That would be nice. [note: she finished with a sub-4:00] I was dividing my race up from here to the end into 3-mile chunks. 3 miles was the distance between Shot Bloks.

Approaching the half way point it was still rolling hills. I felt pretty good and hit the half at 1:58. The way the markers were set it seemed as if the first half was long and the second half was short. This is a trail race so it doesn't matter to me. I knew when I was finished I would have run not less than 26.2 miles. Oh yeah, at this aid station I got two WATERS! Yes! I briefly looked for my friends from the Twin Cites, Karen and Jay that were running the half. I didn't see them as I found out later their bus arrived just after 10am and I went through the station at 9:58. Oh well.

First half done! Now a half to go!

The first 13.1 were good but hard. I was racing but still had power. Things were about to change very soon, and not for the better. Of course, I took my nutrition at mile 11 and was now approaching mile 14 for another serving. It has been working extremely well wearing my Nathan hydration pack and I never seemed too full of water or too dehydrated. Approaching mile 14 both of my calf muscles felt like they were going to cramp. Ugh. Luckily I could still think clearly and decided right then to double up on S!Caps then, and every 3 miles to the finish. I took two S!Caps along with my Shot Bloks. That was my only hope. Well, that and slowing slightly to run under the cramping point. I can't really explain it but I could still move along at a fair, not fast, pace and could feel my calf muscles were shot but not yet cramping. On the hills where I had to walk, I tried to walk at a nice clip because I thought if I stopped, my muscles would cramp and that would be the end of me. So far, so good.

Oh, maybe you were wondering about the hills. We still had hills and I don't remember any flat areas yet. Coming up on mile 17 I popped two S!Caps in my mouth and took a big drink of water from my Nathan. The water partially went down the wrong way and I swallowed one S!Cap and coughed-out the other one like a bullet. I couldn't stop coughing for about two minutes. I came by several Trekers during this stretch and tried my best to look like I wasn't dying. After I passed those walkers, I took another S!Cap and thought about how happy I was that I packed twice the number I was planning to use.

I forgot another great thing about this race! There were bikes out on the course riding around and each time they went by me they asked how I was doing and if I needed anything. Every time I was happy to report that I was doing fine and didn't need anything. These few words I wrote on the topic do not emphasize how great that was to have the support. Thank you race volunteers!

My race plan turned into "run as fast as you can without cramping". I was trying to think of why my calves were shot. My opinion is that my training was not race-specific. Simple as that. I did not train on small continuous rolling hills. In the areas I trained, I just did not have similar terrain. No matter, I was going to do the best that I could do.

The hills were getting bigger now as we climbed towards the highest point on the course. I think it was about mile 20 where we passed the sign that read something like: Point of Highest Elevation 1730 feet. What an awesome thing to pass as the finish would not be higher than we were right now. If someone had given me the choice right then and there to either kiss my favorite supermodel or kiss the sign, I would have kissed the sign.

Not long after this hill, the terrain was net downhill with fewer and fewer hills that required walking (for me). I was still running fairly well but noticeably slower. I was getting adequate water, nutrition, and my doubling up on S!Caps was working. Around this point in time two guy on relay teams passed me. Those guys started an hour after I did and boy were they moving. Wow.

The end was getting closer and closer and that was a good thing. A few half-marathoner's were passing me. These were the ones that would end up finishing sub-1:36 half marathons. Those guys were moving too. At 2.5 miles from the finish I was running a little slower up a hill and a half marathoner runs by and yells: "Hey, C'mon! It's 2.5 miles to the finish! Get Moving!" Well, that helped to motivate me a bit and I picked up the pace. I was still thankful that I avoided cramping calves and the end of this race was near. During this second half I think two guys passed me at a nice pace. Good job guys! I also passed a few.

1K to go!

There was a guy I passed at mile 17. He looked about my age and he caught me at 1K to go. We exchanged just a few words and I pulled out a little kick and figured it was now or never so I pulled ahead of him and never looked back. No way I was going to lose a finishing place that close to the end. I was happy that the finish was downhill and I was extremely happy with my finishing time of 4:06:54. I was 24th of 73 finishers and 3rd of 11 in my age group. Race results here.

Well, it was great to get my medal, hang around for my friends Karen and Jay to finish their half marathon, and then have a beer and lunch under the big tent. As I said in my earlier posting, if I had to pick just one marathon to run every year for the rest of my life it would be this one. I loved it. It was not easy, but I loved it and can't wait to run it again next year.

Since you read this far, you can look at my Garmin data here.

--Mark

Birkebeiner Trail Marathon - finished!

2010-09-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

Long report next week. Sunny skies, beautiful Fall colors, and an extremely easy surface to run on - 25' wide mowed grass trails. I did well with a 1:58 split at the half and a 4:06:54 finishing time. 3rd of 11 in my age group and 24th of 73 finishers. If I had to choose one marathon to run every year for the rest of my life, it would be this one.

--Mark

expecting mud Saturday

2010-09-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I'll be running the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon out of Hayward, Wisconsin. Although I believe the downpours in Northern WI have not been as severe as Southern MN, there has been plenty of rain falling up North. The Fat Tire 40 mountain bike race was held on the Birkebeiner trail last weekend and there was plenty of damage done to the trails during that event (from what I've heard from a participant). The rain this week will only contribute to muddy conditions which will have no chance of drying-up before Saturday.

So, I'm expecting the worst-case situation of muddy conditions for 26.2 miles. I've run very well at the Trail Mix team race in mud, so who knows, I may just be a human-mudder. Best case, I'll be pleasantly surprised with some surfaces with traction.

Good luck to everyone running the any of the Birkie races this weekend.

--Mark

City of Lakes 25K 2010 race report

2010-09-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

My two marathon training partners, Michelle and Aileen, had signed up for the City of Lakes 25K some time ago. I wasn't planning to run it, but last week I found I could fit the race into my schedule. Even though I have never run the COL 25K, I seemed to remember it filling early. I looked at the website, saw that it was still open, and registered. My running partners and I are early morning runners - we start our runs at 5am. With an 8am start, I may actually see what Michelle (M) and Aileen (A) look like in the sunshine. :-)

We talked about our plan - M and A are running the Twin Cities Marathon in three weeks and I am running a trail marathon in two weeks. I didn't need 20 miles, 15.5 would do. M and A's plan would be to get 3 to 5 miles in before the COL. I would meet them at the start and we would run together at marathon pace which would be 8:23 as they had trained for a 3:40 marathon. I never picked a goal marathon time so I just went along with their training.

I was pretty excited for race day and got most of my things ready the night before the race. S!Caps - check; Shot Bloks - check; wet-wipes - check (always ready for a porta-potty emergency). :-) The temps were looking to start out cool so instead of choosing my usual racing singlet, I picked my standard second choice, a sleeveless red shirt.

After a good night of sleep I was up at 5am for a slice of wheat toast with peanut butter. It's my ONLY tried and true race morning food that so far (knock on wood) has kept my GI system happy during long runs. Well, the peanut butter toast AND shot blocks keeps me happy. GUs are a recipe for disaster for me, especially when I get to around the 2-hour point in a run. Well, I packed my stuff and headed for Lake Harriet. Half way there I remembered that I forgot my running cap at home. I almost always wear my Afton Trail Run cap in longer races. It keeps the sun off the shiny portions of my head and helps control sweat dripping down my forehead. Oh well, no cap for me today.

I found a nice spot to park a few blocks from packet pickup and walked down to get my bib and my chip. Nothing eventful was happening here except it was pretty cool so thankfully I brought a pre-race sweatshirt. It was down near the start that I ran into M getting a little mileage in on the way to meet A for a pre-race Lake Harriet loop. They were looking for 18 to 20 miles today. I did some more walking and recognized some runners from other races but didn't talk with anyone. Closer to race time, I took the walk back to my car to put my sweatshirt away, took a final drink of water, and put on my bib and chip. Back to the start area I went.

It was cool, in the lower 50s, and I was now in my sleeveless shirt looking for some warmth. Ahhhh, the fishing pier was in the sun and that was the place to go. I hung out there for awhile and found it was a popular place for runners to stay warm. Out on the pier I saw one woman putting on her chip, and the next thing you know, she said: Oh my gosh! - Her chip plunked into the waters of Lake Harriet, and went swimming gently towards the bottom of the lake. One of the guys with her stuck his arm down into the water to get the chip. I was walking away at that time and don't know if he got the chip or not. My guess is no.

Now it's race time. I saw my friend Ann and we chatted for awhile. We thought we picked out a good starting position - I told Ann that we were planning to run in the 8:20s and it seemed like we were in a good spot. M and A headed off to run to another porta-potti away from the start since the close ones were too crowded. M and A came back just before starting time and found me, the race started, and off we went. We had talked about running faster than 8:23s if we felt good and that's what happened. Of course, I almost always start out too fast and our first mile was a 7:59. Mile 2 - 7:49. Mile 3 - 7:49. Mile 4 - 7:49. The even streak would end there. M and A and I were running together. At water stops I would usually take two cups off the water table, stop and down them both, and then catch up to my friends. That was my water plan and I stuck to it the whole race. My S!Caps and Shot Block plan was to take 3 Shot Bloks and an S!Cap at miles 7, 10, and 13. I stuck roughly to that too, syncing them to the nearest water stop.

The race ended up being a nice Hard run. It wasn't as hard as if I raced it, but we were moving right along. My heart rate seemed fine and our pace seemed to be staying in the 7:50s. Our wildlife viewing today would be a dead squirrel (flat), a dead chipmunk (extra-flat), and a big dead rabbit (still in 3D). The rabbit was in the section along Lake Harriet where we would run three times. I'm happy to say I didn't step on it once. I'm pretty sure others did.

We hit the half marathon timer at 1:44. Most of us know that 1:45 is a Corral 1 qualifier for the Twin Cities Marathon. M and A already qualified but it's always nice to get a sub-1:45 half for marathon runners in the 3:40 range.

A mile or two from the finish M dropped back a bit. She said later that fatigue was starting to set in with 20 miles at that point for the day. A and I ran strong to the finish and had a nice final mile in the 7:30s. No drop-off in pace. Michelle finished just seconds after us. It was nice to feel good all the way to 15.5 miles; In the Spring I would have some issues with fatigue after running 13 miles and my Spring 25K was much harder at a much slower pace. Michelle, Aileen, and all have a 2:03 time for the day. It was really nice to run that race with my partners.

That's it. Nice race. Nice pace. Nice finish. We enjoyed some water, banana, and chocolate chip cookie at the finish. I really like the COL 25K mug too. I would run this one again.

My Gamin data for the race is here.

--Mark

Time to taper

2010-09-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Two week taper for me from now until the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon. I am in much better running shape now than I was in the Spring when I ran the Eau Claire Marathon. During the 3 months before my Spring taper, I averaged only 24.3 miles per week. I was doing more cross-training then but it didn't work for me. I needed more miles. A month before Eau Claire I ran the Ron Daws 25K in 2:14. That was a really hard race and I could not get a nice pace going which is exactly what happened in Eau Claire.

Over the past 3 months I have averaged 40.3 miles per week which is enough for me as it has kept me injury-free. I've learned several times that when I go over 45 mpw, I get hurt. Yesterday I ran the City of Lakes 25K in 2:03 [Garmin data] and felt very good and had an easier time running at a faster, and constant, pace. Those races are hard to compare except for the distance but I feel that I'm a much stronger runner now.

It's funny that I just punched in my COL 25K 2:03 into the McMillan Running Calculator and it predicts a 3:35:44 which would be a Boston Qualifier. I won't be seeing that at the Birkebeiner Marathon which is not certified and I'm sure has many more rolling hills than I can count on my fingers and toes. :-) Pulling a goal out of thin air, I think a 4:00 marathon is what I'll shoot for.

Taper:
6, 6, 6, 6, 0, 9, 0 - this week
6, 4, 4, 0, 2, race - next week

--Mark

City of Lakes 25K

2010-09-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Two of my main running partners are running the City of Lakes and since I should get a 15 miler in this weekend, I'll be running it too. I watched the race a couple of years ago but this will be my first year running it. Should be a fun one, especially if I end up running it with my friends.

--Mark

Brooks Glycerin 8 shoes

2010-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Some time ago Brooks discontinued the Glycerin 7's for the new 8's. I bought a pair or two of the 7's before they were gone and now I'm on my second pair of 8's. They don't fit right and the toebox was made differently between two different pairs/colors from different sources. One I bought in town was too tight which I only really noticed after wearing it a few times. Also, where my heel lands wore out way too soon - 300 miles. The second pair (shipped from the Brooks warehouse) has a higher toebox but it's also snug in the toes and after my 21 miler yesterday I had a blister on the end of my second toe. A few miles of running this morning changed it into a blood blister. That never happened in my 7's or 6's. Well, for me the Brooks Glycerin line is unacceptable. Too bad.

Sometime soon, I'll search for a new shoe. I still have my last two pairs of Glycerin 7's that both have 400 miles plus on them but I use them for trail races. I'll be bringing them out again for the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon and also the Surf the Murph 50M. Although those 7's have more miles that I like to have on them, they've served me well in all my trail racing this year.

--Mark

Nathan HPL 020

2010-08-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Nathan HPL 020 is my first hydration pack. I read reviews online and people say it is comfortable to wear but sometimes there are issues with the bladder. Some people say they replace the bladder with one from Camelback. I'll go with comfort first.

I wore the pack on a 20 mile run last Friday. Since it was my first time wearing one, it was heavy at first. I liked the pockets in the front for my Shot-Bloks and S!Caps. There was some storage in a zippered compartment in the back that I didn't need to use on this run. For an all day event, I would take some time and pack a few extra things.

This pack holds about 70 ounces of water which is exactly what I used in 3 hours of running. I had no problems at all with the pack and will use it on my long runs and in the Birkebeiner Marathon in September. In the marathon I plan to stop at the half-way point to refill.

This review is short partly because I have nothing to complain about.

--Mark

Urban Wildland 5K

2010-08-07T08:20:00.001-07:00

Ran this one with Kathy. This was a new long distance for her and she did it without walking. I finished in 30:46 and was happy to run again with her.

Her next race is the Door County Fall 50 relay where she will probably run 2 legs of 3 to 5 miles. My next race is the Birkebeiner Marathon the third weekend in September between Hayward and Cable, WI. I'm really looking forward to that one.

--Mark

Firehouse 2 mile run

2010-08-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

I spent a 3-day weekend in Grand View, Wis. for a family reunion on the same weekend on the annual town picnic and the popular Firehouse 50 bike race. My wife Kathy has been running a little bit and was ready to run her first race, the 2-miler on Sunday. Well, during the weekend, numerous bug bites, and who know what else, caused one of Kathy's ankles to swell. It remained swollen for a few days and was still not better Saturday night. Kathy didn't think she was going to run the race. Bummer. Saturday morning (early) she was still not going to run. I had promised Kathy that I would run the race with her and I was really looking forward to that.

I took a short drive to town to register myself for the 2 miler. Instead of looking forward to an easy run (since Kathy and my paces are far from equal) I was now thinking about what degree of pain to put myself through. My nephew had said he was going to run a 12:00 and he was going to beat me. I said....Yes you will, but set your goal to 11:59 so you can be sub-6's. I decided to shoot for a 6:10 first mile and a 6:35 second mile. That would give me a 12:45 which would be a 9 second improvement over the last time I ran the race four years ago. Doable. It was nice to have the plan set and I got my shirt and bib and I headed back to the shack.

Kathy was up and her ankle was NOT swollen. She said she wanted to run the race and we headed back to town to get her registered. I erased the plan (6:10/6:35) from my head and breathed a little easier.

[fast forward to the race]

At race time we got our chips and loaded into Firetrucks and pickups for the ride out to the start. My gym teacher from 2nd Grade was driving the pickup truck we rode in. I remembered a story my Mom told me once about a 10 mile race she and him were in together. Before the race, he asked my Mom if he could just pace with her [I assume he wanted to run 'easy']. :-) She said: Sure. Mom said that it wasn't long into the race when she left him in the dust of the gravel road, huffing and puffing. I decided not to bring up his running past because that was the only story I knew.

This race was chip-timed with a horn start and just a finish line mat. The horn sounded and off we went. Kathy ran hard and only walked while taking drinks from her water bottle. In the end, she ran longer than she ever had before and at a faster pace than she expected. We finished in 18:56 and Kathy still does not enjoy running, but she finished, and she ran hard all the way. Oh, my nephew ran a 13:45 so next year I think I will be racing him. He's got some work to do to get down to the 12:00 he wants to run. I don't know if I'll beat him but whatever happens, it will be fun.

Next up: Urban Wildland 5K where Kathy and I will be running together.

This morning I registered for the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon [race date: 9/25]. This is the first year of the individual marathon event. I'm hoping the beautiful Fall colors will take my mind off the numerous rolling hills I'm sure to encounter.

--Mark

My Mom was a runner

2010-07-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

My Mom was a runner who started running in her late 40’s. I never saw her run a race. I can’t turn back the clock but, if I could, I would have started running earlier in life and would have liked to run a race with her. She passed-away due to cancer in 1996 at age 64, almost 10 years before I started running.

As I said in my previous post, I am looking forward to running a few races with my wife Kathy. I don’t want to miss the opportunity we have to run together in the next few weeks. Kathy just completed a beginning running class and now is the perfect time for her to run a few races.

Back to my Mom - Her being a runner was part of my motivation for beginning to run around 5 years ago. I came across the newspaper clipping below that I had in my 'box of things'. She wouldn’t mind me posting it on the internet. Of course I miss my Mom.

--Mark

From the Ashland Daily Press, July 1981

15km runner goes for broke

Many competitors in Sunday’s 15K race agreed that the hot and humid conditions were far from ideal for running 9.3 miles. Some were unable to complete the event and others forced to walk a stretch in order to finish.

Their plight was understandable. But evidently some were not as ‘stubborn’ as Elizabeth Hanson, 49, the Grand View runner who placed first in the women’s 40-49 age group.

“I guess I’m kind of stubborn,” she related Tuesday. “I felt pain in my foot first, then with about two miles to go a snap, but like I said I’m stubborn and I kept on going. Sometimes I’d look over at the shade and the grass and feel like quitting …..I guess I just chanted to myself that it didn’t hurt, it didn’t hurt.”

Obviously it did.

Ms. Hanson is sporting a nice sized cast as proof – she ran the final two miles with a broken bone in her right foot!

“I went in to see Dr. Telford and discovered the foot was broken after he took an x-ray,” Hanson said. “I doubt I would have completed the race if I’d known it then.”

“I wore a new type of shoe that I’d only used twice before and I think I’ll look for another with more support before I start running again,” she continued, already planning a return to competition and rueing the end of her season.

“I’ll be in a cast for six weeks but I’ve already borrowed an exercise bike. I’ve got to do something. I won’t be able to run any more this summer.”

Hanson’s Baydays time was 78 minutes 50 seconds.

Here is a picture of her 1st-place-in-AG award. I keep it on my dresser and it's where I put all my extra race bib pins.

Mom in her old-school cast / crutches.

Next up - a few short races

2010-07-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

My wife Kathy completed a beginning running class on Wednesday. Congrats Kathy! The class was put on through our local community education program. Kathy does not really enjoy running that much (yet) but she enjoyed the class and the people she met.

As a followup to the class, I will be running a few races with Kathy this Summer/Fall. First, a 2-mile race in Grand View, WI on August 1st. This is the town where I grew-up and that was the first race I ever ran - 5 years ago.

The following weekend we will be running the Urban Wildland 5K in Richfield, MN. Kathy is well aware that our paces don't matched but I promised her that we would run the races together. I'm looking forward to that.

My next posting will be from a newspaper article about my Mom from 30 years ago. It will tie in nicely with what I wrote above, and specifically about me running with Kathy.

--Mark

Back in good running shape

2010-07-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

During the winter I ran less and did more cross-training on a cycle. My spring races were slower than I thought they should have been. I became aware of this after the Ron Daws 25K in early April and it was too late to adjust anything (that would affect my performance) for the Eau Claire marathon on May 2nd. Since April I have dropped on cycle class but I still do the other cycle class on light resistance just to get my legs moving at a good cadence, but not to wear out my muscles. The other thing I did is getting my weekly mileage up to approximately 40 miles per week on average. I picked that number because I have found in the past that I get injured when I go beyond 45 miles per week average for very long.

Right now I'm running quite well, am staying injury-free (knock on wood), and am enjoying running 5 to 6 days a week. My mini-goal is to get myself from where I am now to being in shape to do the Surf the Murph 50 mile race at the end of October. I realize it's not a good idea to get my weekly mileage up too high but I need to start getting in some really long (time more than miles) runs in on the weekends. I would like to shoot for a 12 hour Surf the Murph. If I can do that, I will likely register for the Bighorn 50M next year. I know.....apples and oranges. If I can't do the Surf the Murph successfully this fall, I would shoot for the Bighorn 50K.

Well, that's my current plan and of course it's subject to change.

--Mark

Run the Keweenaw 2010

2010-07-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Linked-photo credits: Juskuz Photography
Other pics by my kids.

Two years ago I arrived in Copper Harbor just after the Run the Keweenaw (RTK) race series had finished. Darn, I missed it. I talked to a Mother and Daughter that ran the series and they loved it. Last year I was able to run the first event of the weekend (10K trail run) and immediately after I had to go back home to Minnesota. This year it took some careful planning and I was able to run the three events in the series: On Saturday, July 10th there was a ~6K Mt. Baldy Summit run at 9am, a 12K Copper Harbor Trails Challenge at 5pm, and on Sunday there was a 25K Keweenaw Trails Run at 8am.

Last year was the 10th running of the series and this year was the first year with a new race organizer. I didn't know what was in store for the series as my only experience was the 10K in 2009. That was a tough run.

9am Saturday - Mt. Baldy Summit Run

Saturday morning I got ready and headed out of Copper Harbor and down to Eagle Harbor. The Mt. Baldy Summit run traditionally started at the beach but with road construction, it started on a road that led directly to the trail. I had picked-up my race packet Friday night but I walked over to the registration desk to write emergency contact info and were I was staying on the back of my bib. My wife was in Minnesota, my kids were in a campground....it would not have been good if something happened to me and there was not easy way to find my family.

I talked to a couple of other guys that were there early too and a little later I saw a Mom/Dad/Daughter. The daughter had just posed for a picture by the Ambulance and I decided to see what that was about. The daughter had seen something about the race in the paper and thought it would be fun. I asked her if she knew much about it....like the 750 feet of hill climb. She thought I was joking and said she hates hills. I thought this was fantastic that she showed up to a race like this, knowing nothing about it. I'll call her Wisconsin as that's what was on her shirt.

Moving on, I warmed up by running the trail up to the point of the loose sand hill (I hate loose sand) and did some warming up on the pavement too. The race started and off we went. Well, I was running hard and I was passing some, others were passing me. Around a mile in, I was running behind a girl for awhile then passed her. She only let me run for maybe a hundred yards before passing me. Oh well, I'll just follow her. She probably wanted to get away from me because I constantly had the need to clear my throat. Yuck. The noise I was making was annoying me so it probably bothered others too. This was a hard run. We run up to the top of one mountain which then we look over to the next mountain where the finish line is. So, down the other side we go and up the taller mountain. I'll call them mountains because they're a lot taller than the hills I'm used to running. I got to the top in 30:36 on a distance of somewhere around 3.5 miles. My Garmin read 3.27 but I think it was longer than that. Here is my Garmin data for the Summit run. A short while later Wisconsin crossed the finish. She didn't carry any water so I gave her the last third of my bottle. I didn't need any more. The view from the top of Mt. Baldy is spectacular. I don't have pictures and won't describe the view, you'll just have to go on that run yourself. Update: Here is a professional photo of me approaching the finish:

After most of the runners finished, Wisconsin and I walked down the mountain. This took forever and we finally ran the last mile to the start. At the awards ceremony, it turns out that both Wisconsin and I got 3rd place in our age groups and scored a nice little jug of maple syrup. Sweet!

5pm Saturday - 12K Copper Harbor Trails Challenge

I survived the first run just fine and was looking forward to the 12K. I heard some rumors that the actual distance was 11K. Either way, it was going to be a hard run if it was anything like last year. Last year was a point to point and this year it started and finished at the same location in Copper Harbor. The route was entirely runnable (by me) this year. Janice, who I met at the race last year, is #50 in the pic below, which was taken not long after the start.

A mile or so into the run I settled into a nice pace and had a woman in front of me and a guy directly behind. The woman didn't seem to mind me following close enough to just be safe. There were a lot of switchbacks on this run and most of it was single-track. Very nice for running. I think I was pushing the woman a bit and she was pulling me along too. She never looked back, just kept charging ahead. note: I felt much better than I look in the professional pic below. :-)

Us three runners had a really nice run and maybe a half mile or so from the finish the guy behind me passed us both and moved on ahead. I kept right behind the woman, she was running at the perfect pace for me and it was a hard race pace. I crossed the finish line directly behind her and when she turned around I said 'Oh, I was right behind you up the mountain this morning!' She said she thought it was me behind her and I said that she probably wasn't sure because I wasn't hacking up and clearing my throat this afternoon. :-) It wasn't until the race was over that I realized I was pacing behind that same woman (actually 16 year old girl) in both races. At this point in time she beat me twice. :-) By 3.4 seconds in the Summit Run and by 0.4 seconds in the 12K. Not that I'm racing her, but I was getting interested that we run at the same pace. From now, I'll call her JA as those are her initials. We've talked a bit but didn't exchange names. My kids were at the finish and one took two pics:

This time, I was 2nd place in my age and the awards were slices of a tree with the RTK logo burned in. Oh, my time was 54:17 and I believe the distance was ~6.8 miles.

For the 12K, my Garmin data is here. The map looks nice if you click on the 'Terrain' button.

8am Sunday - 25K Keweenaw Trails Run

I figured this run was going to be a beast and I'm not a youngster anymore so I wanted to start the race and 'take inventory' for 6 miles. I figured that I'd run the first 6 slower than I would race it, maybe 30 seconds slower per mile. I got to the start early and chatted with a few new friends. I wished AJ good luck and she lined-up closer to the start. I wanted to start back just a bit so I could take it easy. I also knew I wouldn't be on AJ's rear-end like I was the previous two races.

The race started and I felt a bit sluggish at first. About 2 miles in I had settled in right behind a guy and I was feeling pretty good. After another mile I started to get a pain in my left foot as we were climbing. This route too was very runnable as was the 12K. My foot pain went away after about a half mile but not before I was determining where I was going to drop from the race. Thankfully I was able to keep going and started to move along nicely. My pace did seem like I was going about 30 seconds slower that I could go on these trails. I decided to keep to my plan and stay slower until mile 6.

Dog on the trail....I was getting really annoyed at this dog running the trail run too. It's owner was up ahead, calling it to keep moving along and to go faster. I don't think I was the only one annoyed due to the dog on the trail. I couldn't wait to get away from that dog/owner. Also, I set a new goal for myself: Don't get beat by the little house dog. Tiny, but tough, trail running dog in pic below!

At mile 5.5 I took an S!Cap for salt, three shot blocks, and a healthy drink of water from my hand-held bottle. Just half a mile and I could take off. Yes. I felt good, stuck to my plan, and now was ready to run. Now I was running by myself and was moving right along at a natural race pace - not too slow and not too fast. I met up with a gal from Minnesota and ran with her though the lap 1 finish and up the road a bit before I left her. Now I had entered the park trails and could cruise. They were just biking/running/walking paths and were super easy to run. I made up some time here. That easy running could only last for so long and I knew there was more single-track ahead.

The picture below shows me on one of the numerous footbridges we encountered during the race.

I would repeat my S!Cap/3-shot-bloks combo at miles 8.5 and 11.5, spacing them out just right for my needs.

For those runners that didn't finish in the top few, you know what happened next. Yes, the THUNDERSTORM. I had about 3.5 miles to the finish and the skies opened up. Torrential rainfall. Oh well, doesn't help to stop so I might as well keep running. It was funny and scary at the same time as my glasses fogged up but I could still read the 'Danger, Cliff' sign, it was pouring rain, and I had to run on one of the wooden bridges. As bad as that sounds, I didn't slip and fall or plunge off the cliff. As a matter of fact, I was wearing road running shoes and I think with the significant amount of surface area contacting the bridges and rock, I had good traction. So, I moved quickly though the last 5k and crossed the finish completely soaked, dirty, and happy.

Just great running trails. This was after the rain slowed down.

My time was 2:08. Here is my Garmin data for the 25K.

Still in the finishing area was AJ, who I never saw except at the start. I asked her how she did and she said 2:05. It made me think about the '3 minutes' I 'added' in my first 6 miles. Here is the spooky part: I looked up AJ and my 2nd lap times and hers was 1:00:55.6 and mine was 1:00:56.2. AJ was 0.6 seconds faster that I was in the second lap. Spooky. You can't plan that. Anyways, this weekend is the ONLY time that AJ's and my paces will match. She is 16 and has speed in her future, I'm 50 and am slowing down. Still it's interesting to me because I never run with anyone with nearly identical racing paces.

It turned out that in this 3rd race I ended up first in my age group and got a nice locally-made ceramic mug. The sponsors also threw out gifts to the crowd after the awards and I scored some Vasque socks and Hammer Gels. Here are those awards:

Would I run this again? Yes, every year if I could. It's a mostly-runable course but I did have to walk up parts of the two summit hills/mountains and only walked up one hill in the 25K. I don't care if the course is the same or if it changes every year. It's a beautiful area with great running trails. See you in 2011.

--Mark

p.s. I don't know if the dog ever finished but I know for sure it didn't beat me. :-)

[note 7/19: I purchased the digital copies of all the photos that include me so I can post them here but I will leave the original ones linked for now.]

Afton Trail Run 25K 2010

2010-07-03T13:09:00.001-07:00

Today was my second time running the 25K and I had a very good day of running. I'm running some races next weekend so I wanted to run a little under my capability. So I set two race goals for Afton. The first was to run with a moderate+ effort or something less than a hard effort and finish around a 2:45. My second goal was to not get lapped by a 50K racer which could happen but wouldn't be likely.

I'm typing this on a touch-screen phone so this report might be pretty short. I arrived at Afton around 6am so I could watch the 50K runners start and then chat with 25k runners that arrived early. I was planning to carry a water bottle as it was going to be a hot one. Strangely, with the cloud cover and breeze, it seemed cool so I put my water bottle back in the car. Of course, right before the race start time of 7:30, the sun came out and it started getting warm.

We were given instructions that were some course changes and instructions on how to not get lost. I must have listened because I didn't get lost....I get lost every time I run out there training.

I did a good job and running at a nice moderate effort. I liked the course changes and hope next year's course is the same as this year. The aid stations were great. Today I used 3 S!Caps, 6 Shot Bloks (one package), and one orange slice. Seemed good for me today.

Back to running....as I said, I was not pushing hard but I was still moving right along. Something clicked-in after 9 miles and I got into an effortless, but fast, running rhythym. I just cruised right along until mile 11 when the heat was starting to affect me. Oh well, at least I got in 2 great miles of running. haha

Wrapping this up, I finished in 2:36 and felt great at the finish. Goal 1 complete. I wasn't lapped by any 50K runners however I believe Chris Lundstrom's time was 3:48 for a new course record. Made that goal with only 12 minutes to spare. Great job Chris Lundstrom!

I chatted with friends at the finish and then called it done for another year. My one line summary is "I loved every minute of it." You'll see me out there again in 2011.

--Mark

Cheap folding water cup

2010-06-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

...Sandwich-sized zip-lock bag

Most of my runs are on routes with drinking fountains. Although many of those fountains provide a good stream of water, some have a very low flow and it's a pain to get much from them easily.

Today I had a small zip-lock bag with me (original use was to carry some Shot-Bloks). I filled the bag mostly full at one of those low-flow, barely bubbling, water fountains. Then I pinched one of the zip-lock sides into a loop for pouring, tipped it up, and drank it down. It worked great, weighs nothing, and takes up little room in a pocket. I never thought of carrying a little zip-lock bag for use as a water cup so maybe this tip will be handy for you too.

--Mark

Coming up: Afton 25K and the Keweenaw trail series

2010-06-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about running the Afton 25K on July 3rd. It will be my 3rd time in that race - 25K in 2007, 50K in 2008. Missed it last year due to family obligations. I chose the 25K this year. This was mostly because I run best in races 25K or shorter. Also, I'm running a bunch of trails one week from Afton....

The weekend after Afton, July 10-11, I'll be in the UP of Michigan to run what I think will be a nice trail series. Saturday there will be a ~6K hill climb run in the morning followed by a 12K trail run in the late afternoon. Sunday morning is a 25K trail run. This is the Run the Keweenaw series in Copper Harbor, MI. I ran only one of the races last year (10K then) and loved it. I'll be spending about a week in the area and am looking forward to some peace and quiet and a few 4-6 mile easy runs sandwiched between the Afton and Keweenaw races.

For 2011, I hope to do the races above again. In addition, since Helen said the Bighorn Trail Run was "BEAUTIFUL", I've been reading about that event and looking at pics. I want to enter Bighorn next year at the 50K or 50M distance. Whether I finish, or DNF, I'm expecting it would be an event to remember.

--Mark

25K's and team races are what I like

2010-05-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

I never took the time to see how many races I've run of various distances. This is my 5th year of running so my preferences of what I like to run are starting to show. Here's a list of what I've run:

1 mile - 2
2 mile - 3
5K - 1
8K/5M - 2
10K - 4
10 mile - 4
Half marathon - 4
25K - 4
Marathon - 4
50K - 2
Team relays - 9

I'll be running two more 25K races and a team race this year. That will put my 25K's up to 6 and team races (relays) up to 10. At this point in time 25Ks are my favorite distance but what I really like the most are team relay races. For my future race planning, no distance is out of the question but most of the races I'll be doing will be from 10 miles to Marathon distance.

--Mark

Eau Claire Marathon 2010

2010-05-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

A story, with a little racing thrown in.

It was going to work out best this year to pick and early marathon. How early? April would be great. Hmmm....the Boston Marathon fits but it's not going to work because I would need to qualify first. Next was the Eau Claire Marathon. It's close, early - May 2nd, and it's a small marathon. It was perfect for me and I signed up for it early.

Now all I needed to do was train for it and that's what I did throughout the Winter. I ran 3 or 4 days a week, not adhering to any plan but I managed to get in three 20-milers. The final one of those was smooth as silk and I felt good about the EC marathon.

The Ron Daws 25K was my see-what-my-speed-is race. Using the McMillan Running Calculator online it put me in the area of a 3:50 marathon. A little apples and oranges but it turned out not too far off from a good prediction. I ran a 3:37 in the perfect weather (for me) last year in the Twin Cities marathon so I had a Boston Qualifier of 3:35 in the back of my mind if I had a perfect+ day all around. I was expecting the EC Marathon would see me at the finish in 3:45 to 3:50.

One of my running partners, Brendan, was planning to run the EC marathon with me. Who's Brendan you may ask? Well, if you ran the team race at the Trail Mix in Bloomington this Spring, Brendan ran in his kilt. Ahhh...now you remember. :-) Brendan left his kilt at home for this trip. We're going to Wisconsin for Pete's sake, not Scotland. Saturday afternoon Brendan stopped over at my house to pick me up for the drive to EC. I had the please of driving there in his 1973 Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup truck (61,000 miles) with a 454 engine and dual carbs. I offered to drive my small car but the Chevy won and the gas stations were smiling for the cash they were about to receive. I'm old enough to know, but it started sprinkling on the way and I had to ask Brendan how to turn on the lights and then how to dim them. I haven't used a floor dimmer switch since I drove my Dad's '66 Ford pickup. We made it to our hotel in EC with the help of a GPS and it still doesn't seem right that cell phones, Brendan's laptop, and GPS technology were all used in that truck on the drive out.

The expo was at the YMCA in town. It was nice as far as I'm concerned but all I ever need is my race packet and I like cotton gloves if anyone is giving them away but I didn't see any gloves there. My packet had my chip and my shirt and I noticed my shirt was a size Large. I wear an extra large but then I remembered that when I signed up for the race I was going to lose some weight over the winter. That didn't happen and in fact I gained some pounds. XL is what I needed and the nice person at packet pickup told me to check at the tent on race day to exchange my shirt. That's OK with me.

I wanted some Pasta for dinner and a school friend from my childhood just happens to run a couple of Italian restaurants in Eau Claire. I contacted her and we met her Saturday night at her casual restaurant. I hadn't seen her in 33 years but she looks the same. I was craving some of the red wine that Brendan had with his dinner but I stuck with water to not upset my race day. Dinner was great and I think I was asleep by 9:30.

I packed my only breakfast. It's what I stumbled on that works for me: 2/3 of a slice of wheat toast spread with creamy natural peanut butter. I set my alarm for 4:30 to have my small sandwich and water. Then I went back to bed until 6am when I was woken by a nightmare....I dreamed someone handed me a small glass of something to drink. I drank about a quarter of it and asked what it was. The voice said yogurt with yeast mixed in. In my dream I thought, "Great, now my stomach is really going to gurgle in the race.". At that point I was wide awake. All I needed was a stomach problem so I was happy it was just a dream/nightmare.

I got my race stuff together....18 shot bloks, 6 S!Caps, and some wet wipes in a plastic bag. You never know. My plan was to start taking 3 bloks every 4 miles starting at mile 8 and one S!Cap every 6 miles starting at mile 6. I would end up sticking to that plan. I would finish with 3 S!Caps (my spares) and 3 shot bloks left. note: After the finish, I took one more S!Cap right away and then another one 30 minutes later. I was very happy that I didn't have any cramps during or at any time after the marathon.

We were off to Carson Park and I exchanged my shirt for an XL and got in the line for the restroom. With 15 minutes to spare I walked to the start and Brendan and I met a guy, Tom, that recently broke at least one and up to three toes. Ouch. He changed this race into a training run. I think I would have sat this one out. The start for the marathon was combined with the half marathon start. The course was to be shared for the first 5 miles. I liked that as there would be more people to pace with right away. The danger was that it might pull me out too fast. I lined up between the 8:00 and 9:00 pace markers. There were a lot of people in front of me and even more behind.

The horn sounded and off we went. I have a Garmin and remembered to hit the start with the mat so all was good. The first thing I noticed was that my shorts were dragging to low. All the Shot Bloks were weighing them down and I had to keep pulling them up. I thought, Man, this is going to be a long race. Thankfully after about a mile I think my skin turned a little sweaty and the shorts held tight otherwise it was going to turn into the butt crack run of 2010. Whew. I kept a nice and easy pace that I wanted to hold until mile 5 and then start picking it up after the half marathoners were gone. My heart rate was low (ignore the initial heart rate readings if you see my Garmin chart later) and things were going well. The temp was somewhere around 52 degrees at the start and we were in full sun. I don't like the sun for racing but I felt fine.

I caught up to a young guy around mile 6 and asked him his goal. He said 4 to 4:30. I said 3:45 to 3:50 and we stayed together for a few minutes and I moved ahead. I was racing with effort. Nothing had clicked-in yet and I was not just cruising along. It was like a long run that takes more work that you think it should. My TCM 2009 was near effortless as was my last 20 mile long run. I could not run like that in the ECM. So, I ran what I could run without going over. My average pace was about 8:35 at this time and I new I needed to get it down towards 8:00 to have a really good race. I tried picking it up to around a 8:05 pace and my heart rate would just tick, tick, tick up. Darn, I had to back off. I also knew that I 'should' be able to hold around a 154 average heart rate for a marathon. What happened now is that I was running by feel while keeping tabs on my heart rate. This also meant that I was locking in to a 8:30-ish pace. Fine. Around mile 9 I ran up along side of Tom (the broken toe guy) and we talked for a while. Tom wasn't doing the best. On a good day he should have been cruising at 7:45's by now. He was in the 8:30's with me. A mile or so later I moved ahead. There was a large hill around mile 11 or so and then the course was going to be mostly flat until the hill at mile 26. You can see the course and my paces in my Garmin data.

Half way up the sizable mile 11/12 hill I ran up to a young woman running with an older man. The older man was talking constantly. I would not have been able to handle it. She seemed to be captive only due to pace and I wondered how she was going to lose him. I don't mind talking a small amount in a race but not long conversations. I noticed that he was doing 90% of the talking. I moved ahead and up the hill onto the plateau near the airport. Here is was just as sunny as everywhere else but we also had the wind to deal with. I'm sure the wind slowed my down a small amount but the breeze felt good.

Water stops were good at about every 2 miles, the volunteers were very supportive of us runners and there were more than enough spectators out considering the size of the race. Everyone was very supportive. I've found I need to drink quite a bit so at every water stop I'd have two cups of water. They were never full but two seemed enough except one time I took three. I didn't drink these on the run. I'd always stop for the approx 5 or 7 seconds it took to down the water.

I felt good later in the race but I still never fell into a good smooth race pace. On the plus side, I wasn't crashing and burning and I didn't really hit a hard wall. My pace slowed more after mile 16 but I was still had a 9:xx pace going so it was more of a gentle wall. Brendan found me around mile 19. He was riding his bike and then rode near me most of the way in. Here's a pic of me on one of the numerous river crossings late in the race.

Somewhere near mile 22 I encountered the older man who loves to talk that I first heard on the mile 11/12 hill. He started talking to me now too and I kind of wanted to shake him. As he was passing me, I asked him if he was in his 50's. He said no, 62. I said great, we are in different age groups. We would cross paths a time or two more before the finish. I would not know until after the results were posted that he was my high school chemistry teacher from around 1975 until 1977 when I graduated. I don't remember him talking that much back then. I really wish I would have known it was him and I would have endured the talking just to catch up on things. I ended up going into engineering partly due to his teaching abilities. Small world.

In the end, my old chemistry teacher kicked my butt and I had a nice 3:56 finishing time according to the results. I didn't injure anything but of course still have a significantly-sore body one day later. Oh yeah, Tom (broken toes) finished a bit behind me and had significant foot pain. I hope he doesn't regret running the race.

Back to the marathon...I liked it very much and could see myself running it again some year. For 2010 though, the Eau Claire marathon was my first and last this year. Next up is the Afton 25K Trail Run on July 3rd.

--Mark

One week until the Eau Claire marathon

2010-04-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Short update. My 20-milers went very well this marathon training cycle. I feel good and should have a nice run in the marathon. I'm expecting a 3:45 to 3:50 finish based on the few races I've done this spring but if I have an outstanding day in every way, a 3:35 is not out of the question.

--Mark

Ron Daws 25K 2010

2010-04-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

I ran the Ron Daws 25K and again this year the course was changed due to road construction. I thought it was a pretty tough course and to get the distance we ran an 8-mile route twice. Temps in the 40s and sun were nice but the wind gusts made the run a little tougher.

Since last Fall I've been exercising with fewer days of running per week and more days off and usually two days of cycle classes each week. Also, if family activities came up, I'd skip a day of running. It was a good 6-month experiment with the change to less running. I also did not pay careful attention to my nutrition, and I have been gaining weight.

Putting everything together I am not in as good running shape as I was last Fall but I have had no major injuries either. The few times I've been injured over the winter were just to my feet and were from stepping on a chunk of ice or snow or hitting an uneven surface. Typical winter running hazards. I recovered quickly from those injuries.

Back to Ron Daws. I had 16.0 miles on my Garmin and two of my friends did too. I wanted to use this race to estimate how I may do in the Eau Claire marathon in 4 weeks so I wanted a 25K time to put into the McMillan Running Calculator. I had 2:11 at 25K and 2:14 at the finish. Not a 1:57 like I had when I ran it last in 2008 but it is what it is. The McMillian calculator puts me in the 3:50s for a marathon. I know the EC marathon will not have the hills like I ran yesterday so I think my marathon capability at the moment is to finish in the 3:40s to 4:00.

If anyone wants to see what the course was this year, you can click on my Garmin data below:

Ron Daws 25K 2010 by 4twins@gmail.com at Garmin Connect - Details

update: The race results have been posted and officially the course was only 0.2 miles too long and my time was 2:14:22.

--Mark

mid February update

2010-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

With 4 teenage kids and none driving yet, there is plenty of Dad/family stuff that I need, and want, to do. This takes away from some of the time I spent exercising in the past. I don't mind, it's just part of life, and a good part it is.

My marathon training is going OK and I will be fine for running the Eau Claire marathon May 2nd. I have a goal of running a 3:35 which I can do if the day is a good one in every way. My reduced miles I've been getting in has negatively impacted my long run performance so I've added a Monday run to get my miles up a bit.

I'm thinking that for the next few years I don't want to stress about getting my long runs in for marathon training. If I don't qualify for Boston in EC, I will probably switch to 10mile/half-marathons/25K for a few years. When the family plans allow, I'll be able to spend more time training again.

I cut back my 2010 race list and I'm OK (in my head) with this reduced schedule.

--Mark

finally, the first run of the year for me

2010-01-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

About time. Got in 7x hills at the Ford Dam. The footing was poor in the snow but we were fairly protected from the wind. Although it took me 7 days into the year to get in a run, it was a nice one.

--Mark

HR monitoring revisited

2010-01-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

I had a few months off last winter due to a surgery. Shortly after getting back to working out, I ran into trouble during a cycle class which I figured out was due to severe dehydration. My chart of my heart rate below shows how it dropped like a rock (see chart below) and then recovered somewhat about 5 minutes later. As this was happening, it was helpful to see what my HR was. As Londell posted in a response to my post this morning, sometimes it's a good thing to have a HR monitor on just to keep an eye on things.

my training wheels are gone - no HR monitors

2010-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Last month I lost the transmitter for my Garmin heart rate monitor. Over the weekend I lost the strap for my Polar heart rate monitor. The Garmin strap with Polar transmitter don't play well together. Therefore, I'm exercising without at HR monitor, which is new to me since I've been using one for about 5 years.

I'll take this as an opportunity to exercise more by 'feel' instead of using the HR monitor as a guide/limiter in training and in races. There is more risk in that I may crash and burn in races but I may also do better running by feel. Time will tell.

--Mark

2009 done

2009-12-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

A good year for running for me. I was out of running for a few months in the winter due to a minor foot surgery and ended up with 1200 miles for the year, down from 2000 last year. On the bright side, the reduced running saved me from buying two pairs of shoes to cover the 800 mile deficit. :-)

My best race this year was the Twin Cities Marathon. What went right is that I ran it relaxed as if I were out on a long run with friends, and I also drank enough water and took enough shot bloks. I finished with a 3:37 PR.

My favorite race was the Door County Fall 50 team relay. Five (or less) runners, 50 miles, and beautiful Fall colors in Door County. In 2009 we were down to three runners and still had a great time! Can't wait to run that one again.

I have confirmed time and time again that with the training I do, if I get over 45 miles per week, I tend to break down. In the past few months I have switched over to doing a cycle class on Mondays and Fridays and running 30 to maybe 40 miles per week. I'll see how that changes my performance for better or worse in 2010.

I like race shirts. My favorite long sleeved this year was the bright blue Trail Mix shirt and my favorite short sleeve one is from the Keweenaw Trail Festival. It's soft organic cotton and very comfortable.

I'm looking forward to 2010 and my big races will be the Eau Claire Marathon where I will try for a sub-3:36 Boston Qualifier, the Afton 50K, and the American Birkebeiner Trail Marathon in Cable/Hayward, Wisconsin.

Happy New Year everyone!
--Mark

Superior Trail 50 mile race

2009-12-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

In a comment to my previous post, I stated I was considering doing a longer than 50K Superior ultra in 2011. This morning on my 12-mile run, I met Brian Peterson and we talked for a minute, specifically about the Superior Trail 50 mile race. It's destiny, and now I have 20 months to prepare. I plan to enjoy the journey from now to the race.

--Mark

my 2010 race plans

2009-12-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

My plans are starting to shape-up. My Spring will be busy and then just a few races through the rest of the year. I've been searching for an alternative to the Twin Cities Marathon and I think I have it! The new Birkebeiner Marathon in Hayward, Wisconsin. I grew up in that area and spent a lot of time XC skiing there so it will be good to get on those trails again. The Birkebeiner marathon is on September 25th - a week before the TCM (and half the entry $$$).

3/21 Human Race 8K
4/3 Ron Daws 25K
4/17 Trail Mix team (12.5K)
4/24 Get in Gear 10K
5/2 Eau Claire Marathon
7/3 Afton 25K
9/25 Birkebeiner Marathon
10/23 Door County Fall 50 (5 person relay)

That's it. I may add a few races here and there but not many.

--Mark

Holiday Cranberry Bread

2009-11-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

I believe this may have been a Pampered Chef recipe that came with a stone quad-mini-loaf pan.

Holiday Cranberry Bread
3/4 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 c. oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 T. grated orange (use the peel and fruit and juice, discard large pieces of membrane - a food processor works great. Just cut into several pieces and process)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

2-1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (toasting brings out extra flavor)
2 cups chopped cranberries

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, stir together milk and lemon juice until milk is slightly thickened (about 1 minute). Add the next 6 ingredients and beat until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just well blended. Do not over beat. Divide batter between 4 mini loaf pans (or two regular loaf pans) that have been greased and lightly floured. Place in a 325 degree oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack. When cool, drizzle tops with glaze. (optional, but very festive). Yields 4 mini loaves or two regular loaves.

Orange glaze:
1 T. orange juice
1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsps. grated orange peel
1 T. finely chopped nuts.

My notes:
I cut frozen cranberries just in half.

I put the slivered almonds on a cookie sheet in the oven until lightly browned. Then I chop them when cool. Be sure to reserve the 1T for the glaze.

Works just as well in regular loaf pans

When cooled and glazed, freeze for maybe an hour. Then take out of freezer, slice, then wrap for freezing. Prevents a crumbly slicing job later.

I grease (Pam) the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Springtime race plans

2009-11-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

There is quite a bit of cross-training, hill running, tempo runs, and long runs between now and March, but here are my plans for Spring:

3/13 long run
3/21 Human Race 8K
3/28 long run
4/3 Ron Daws 25K
4/10 long run
4/17 Trail Mix team (12.5K)
4/24 Get in Gear 10K
5/2 Eau Claire Marathon

These dates are between traveling basketball and track/soccer season for my girls and I'm able to run more races. Most of the year I am a fan of my kids' sports and I do a lot of driving.

--Mark

simple winter goals

2009-11-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

Lose 15 pounds to get to a good racing weight by the end of January.

Rebuild a good running base while cross-training on half the days I workout.

Keep focused on the longer term goal of running a good marathon in Eau Claire on May 2nd.

--Mark

Door County Fall 50 - 2009

2009-10-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Door County Fall 50 was my favorite race last year and is my favorite race of 2009. Last year we had a team of 5 that also included Kristen, Dave, Karl, and Ted. This year we all signed-up again because of the great time we had in 2008. Unfortunately, Ted double-booked himself and the North Face Endurance Challenge (Madison) 50K won out over his old team-mates. :-( Down to 4 runners, we picked-up Brendan. Kristen suffered an injury a few weeks earlier and was still in on the race but as the race approached, running for her looked unlikely. Karl had to drop out on short notice so now what do we have? We have three runners.... me (Mark), Dave, and Brendan. Kristen was supporting us as our driver and Super-Captain.

Friday noon we met in St. Paul and drove towards Sturgeon Bay, WI. It was quite a drive as we had a large area in mid-WI with snow falling, 31 degree temps, and hazardous driving conditions with the slush that was accumulating on the roads. Numerous cars were in the ditches and thankfully we made it out of that weather cell in under an hour. Rain the whole rest of the way to Sturgeon Bay. Brendan was in Madison on business and was traveling to our hotel with his van, our race vehicle.

Packet pickup was at the Ladder House bar in Sturgeon Bay. We got our shirts and bibs and timing chips and headed for the bar for a beverage. When it was time to leave there and meet Brendan, Dave and Kristen headed out to the car while I chatted with a gal from team wiirn4beer (We run for beer). Next thing you know, I was chatting with her whole team and forgot all about Dave and Kristen who were waiting for me in the parking lot. Hmmm... I wonder why? :-)

I know that I'm forgetting things but it doesn't matter.

For dinner, I'd recommend a place we went: Inn at Cedar Crossing Restaurant. Yum. Dave had Grilled Chicken Risotto, I had Spaghetti with Marinara and Chicken Meatballs, Kristen had Braised Bison, and Brendan had who knows what (maybe walleye). A couple of bottles of wine with dinner and we topped it off by sharing Carrot cake and Cherry pie. Yum again.

Hotel... Hot tub... Made new friends with Team 250... and then it was time for sleep

We stayed at the Best Western Maritime Sturgeon Bay which had good Fall 50 room rates and a free breakfast. Good basic hotel and it was only a mile to mile and a half from the finish line.

The race has a 7am starting time for solo runners and 8am, 9am, or 10am start times for teams. This year we had a 10am start which meant we were in the fastest bunch of teams. After we were down to three runners, I estimated that we could hold an 8:00 average pace which would mean 6hr 40min of running. There are 10 legs so we were all running 16+ to 17+ each. We planned to run in the same order the whole race - Brendan then Dave then me. I took the last leg too and that made our miles work out fairly evenly. Kristen was our driver and awesome team-mate and support person.

I don't know when this was but someone must have said something funny!

The start was 50 miles up the peninsula at Gills' Rock. I think the temp was in the upper 30s when we got there and there was a brisk wind off the water. Cold. Cold. Cold. The picture below was right before the start. If you have sharp eyes, you can see Brendan waving... look below the second 'L' in FALL and his hand is below the lowest big window on the building in the background.

Although he is not in these pictures, I was happy to talk with Bruce for a few minutes at the start. I first met Bruce in the Afton 50K in 2008 and we ran together there for about 15 minutes. I also chatted with Bruce at the Fall 50 start last year and probably will again next year. You Minnesota trail runners will know who Bruce is if I say.... he has a long white beard.

And off they go!

Here comes Brendan after his first leg. Way to go Brendan!

We didn't support Brendan during that leg because it was easiest to take the van on a road different that where the runners were. Brendan told us when he finished that he had pulled his hamstring. Oh no! Would Dave and I need to run the last 46 miles? We had a 'stretching stick' in the van and Brendan started working on his leg right away.

While Dave was running, the rest of us discussed our plan. I could run my 5 and take Brendan's next leg too which was the awesome 7.4 mile run through Peninsula Park. Brendan thought he could take his 7.4 and I could just stop after my 5 miler. I love it cold when I'm running so I don't overheat. Short shorts, sleeveless shirt, Afton hat, and Boston Marathon gloves that my friends gave me after they ran it this year. I've never qualified but will wear my lucky Boston Marathon souvenir gloves. My red jacket will go right before I start.

You can see that I'm wearing my Garmin 310XT GPS. Normally I would be wearing my heart rate monitor strap too but I packed the Polar transmitter and left the Garmin transmitter at home, attached to the Polar strap. Oh well, it lets me run by GPS pace and feel. I never knew what my HR was while running so it didn't really matter.

Dave was finishing his leg I took off my jacket. Dave approached and I asked him to get the hand-off baton ready. Dave yelled, "I lost it". WTF. I yelled to Dave that we had to slap hands to make it legal. I don't know if that was in the rule book but it seemed like the best thing to do. The only thing better would maybe be to smack him on the side of the head. :-)

I am where I want to be! Cool weather and people to chase! I moved along at a good pace and was able to get by several runners. This was Leg 3 of the race and you can see my Garmin recording here. My average pace was a very nice 7:15. A few runners passed me and the only thing I wanted to do but couldn't was to catch two gals in the last mile that were a bit ahead of me. I just couldn't catch them. As I was nearing the exchange point I was strongly hoping that Brendan would be able to run his 7.4. I sure didn't want to run it anymore. Brendan was ready and we slapped hands together and off he went. The Peninsula Park is beautiful and I just love being there. The leaves were still very beautiful.

Rockstar Brendan found a race (wrist) baton that was dropped by another runner. Hooray! We are back in business. Dave promptly peeled off the outer red plastic material of the wrist-band baton so when I got it for my second leg it was uncomfortable to wear. At least we had one. My second leg was around the half way point where the aid station had a nice variety of foods for lunch. I love the chicken noodle soup they have there and was looking forward to it all year. This year I just got broth and had Brendan get me a container of soup for after my run. I almost missed the handoff from Dave and got my jacket off just in time.

My next leg, Leg 6, was 3.9 miles that I ran at a still-respectable 7:19 pace. Garmin data here.

The race continued on as planned. It was a lot of fun every minute of the way. Brendan finished his final leg and we had to have a picture taken. I asked Brendan to stand up for the picture and he said 'No, that's OK'.

Dave kept running strong the entire race.

Brendan is ready to unwind and I'm thinking...... 7.6 miles left for me.

A new friend of mine from Team 250 took this just before the finish.

But... there was a guy chasing me for the last few miles of the race. Every so often I could hear him and I'd just pick up the pace a little once in a while. The rest of the team was going to run across the finish with me but the guy after me was in a race with another guy and they were both chasing me. My team was yelling GO, MARK GO. I took off and kept running faster and faster until I was over the finish line. There was no way they were going catch me and they didn't. If you decide to look at my Garmin log (here), you can see my pace speeds-up significantly at the very end of the run. An awesome way to finish 16.5 miles for the day and 50 team miles!

We got our medals and participated in the all you can eat/drink pizza/beer/wine in the party tent at the finish. Great party last year and great party this year!

WE made it! Remember I predicted a 6:40 finish? We finished in 6:36:53. Beat it by just over 3 minutes!

Following the tent party I had a great time out with new friends until late into the night!

Since this was my favorite race two years in a row, I'll definitely be back next year!

--Mark

note: pics taken by the team and others

Twin Cities Marathon 2009

2009-10-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

This is my third marathon. 2008 Fargo and Twin Cities were my first ones. I was going into today planning to run easy for 20 miles and then run as fast as I could from there to the finish. With the cooler weather, perfect weather for me, in my mind I set my easy pace be 8:45's.

This morning I met my running partners down at the start and hung back near the back of Corral 1. Others were ahead of me and some were in Corral 2. Kim said she wanted to run with me. I invited her to do that last week. Kim ran a 3:10 in Boston in April but has a nagging Butt injury so she was going to be happy taking it easier than normal.

The starting horn went off and away we went. As we started I felt a pain in my left foot. I was imagining at that point dropping out at mile 0.5 but that pain went away shortly. Then my right knee hurt and that never happens. That pain went away soon. Kim was talking about the nice run we were going to have at an easy pace. Miles 1 - 5 were: 7:57, 8:14, 8:15, 7:53, and 7:59. My plan was down the drain.

You see, I hit the 'wall' at mile 19 in Fargo and mile 16 in the TCM last year. I wanted to run easy in order to bust through the wall. My main goal was to run negative splits. That was not to happen this year.

Kim and I felt really good and a few times I told her something our friend Jim say..... We're just out on a long run with some friends. That's what we were doing. I was watching my heart rate to keep tabs on it in case it shot up. It really didn't. We ran at a comfortable pace which according to my Garmin was an 8:08.

We chatted a bit about a Boston qualifying time/pace for me. A BQ was not a goal for me but I am well aware that as a 50 year old, it's 3:35:59. What I didn't know was the pace but I told Kim I though it was an 8:15. We figured I was on track for that but we figured I would be right on the edge.

The entire run was great. Super weather. Great aid stations. Great spectators. I loved every minute of it. Speaking of aid stations, we talked about our hydration and fueling plans. I told Kim my plan of not taking energy (Shot Bloks for me, GU for her) until mile 9. This gives the body a chance to use up some of its reserves and not start counting on the shots of sugar from the stomach until later.

Here was my plan.... Two cups of water at every aid station. At the aid stations at miles 9, 13, 17, and 21, take 3 shot blok cubes and one S-Cap. This plan worked out very well and my stomach did not get upset, I got plenty of fluids, and I got plenty of energy. You see I stopped at mile 21. From there I was taking a little less as far as fluids go and I figures the shot bloks from 21 would carry me for awhile and then I would just gut it out to the finish. Good plan.

I finished in 3:37:51 (official time) so you may wonder why I didn't push it harder to get a Boston Qualifier. Well, it was not a goal. In addition, I had been carrying an 8:08 pace according to my Garmin. According to my Garmin. My total distance was 26.57 miles. At mile 25 I switched my watch to the display with the elapsed time and I thought.... Oooops, I have to run sub-8's from now to the finish to qualify. Really not going to happen. Although I should have had a little cushion based on the average pace on my Garmin, the distance was long (due to tangents not cut and GPS-error) so I really had an 8:18 pace going. It is what it is. Here are my Garmin paces from 21 onward: 8:18, 8:30, 8:24, 8:16, 8:53, 8:30 (last 0.57 miles). In my opinion that's not really a wall to me. A little slower, sure, but I was still moving right along.

I missed my negative split by a couple of minutes but still good in my book.

First half: 1:47:49
Second half: 1:50:02
First 10K: 51:26
Last 10K: 53:05
Official time: 3:37:51
Watch time: 3:37:34

You see the 17 seconds difference between chip time and watch time? People! Don't stop until you cross all the mats!!!! Runners crossed the first mat at the finish and stopped. I'm sure that where the difference is because it took some time to get over those mats. Ugh. [update 10/9: I was completely wrong here. What I figured out is that my Garmin was set on auto-pause 'when stopped'. There were two water stops where I grabbed two cups of water, got out of the way of the runners, and then stopped for several seconds to down my water. That's where I lost the seconds and not at the mats. I looked at a finish line photo and my time did stop at the first mat like it should have.]

That's one lesson learned.... keep plowing forward until all the mats are crossed. [update: Well, that plus turn off the auto-pause feature on the Garmin.]

The second lesson is that the Garmin average pace can get you screwed up if the distance runs long as it tends to do in a marathon. I'll just have to keep a fudge-factor in my head for future marathons.

Great race and I plan to do it next year.

update: What about Kim? She pulled ahead sometime after mile 21 or 22 and had an energy surge. She said her later miles were in the 7:10 range. Way to go Kim and I can't thank you enough for running with me.

Steve Q - Good to see you out there again this year.
Matt - You will see me on the trails next year.

--Mark

TCM - 1 week away

2009-09-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

I ran the TCM last year. Cold, rainy, and fun. I'm looking forward to this year's marathon too.

Compared to last year, I have these 'negatives' going into the marathon next Sunday:

I'm 10 pounds heavier
I didn't adhere to a training plan and don't have many long runs under my belt.

I also have some positives:

I am 100% injury free
When well rested, I run strong
I have a very achievable marathon plan

I plan to have a good taper week this week and I'm sticking with the marathon plan I posted previously: Run the first 20 at a 9:00 pace and then run the last 10K as fast as I can, which is hopefully faster than a 9:00 pace. What I really want to achieve is running a marathon with a negative split. Can I do it? I'll know this time next Sunday.

update - Saturday, 10/3: I ran two miles this morning and 9:00 was not a good pace to hold. I moved a bit smoother at 8:45's and that's likely what I'll run tomorrow.

--Mark

TC Marathon - 18 days away

2009-09-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm lightly trained but feeling good. Looking back I see my peak week was 47 miles and my low week was 10 the first week of September (I was on a business trip in Europe). I've switched two days of running to a spinning class so I'm getting some good, but different, exercising in.

I greatly changed my goal from the two marathons I ran last year. Both of those I was planning to average an 8:00 pace. The first one I walked most of the last 10K and I couldn't hold 8's after mile 16 at the TCM but I didn't have to walk. My preliminary plan is to run a 9:00 pace for the first 20 and then pickup the pace the last 10K. I want a negative split and I plan to have fun running it.

I'm running 15 tomorrow and then I suppose nothing longer than 10 or 12 until the TCM.

--Mark

Ragnar Relay - Great River

2009-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm wearing my standard red racing shirt.

I ran the Great River Relay for the third year in a row. This year was the 4th year of the race. The start was changed to Winona from LaCrosse and the finish was at Boom Island, Minneapolis. The route is up the Wisconsin side of the river to Stillwater and then down the MN side and over to St. Paul and up the river to Minneapolis.

You can search for other blogs that give very detailed accounts of the race. I don't feel like typing very much today so mine will be relatively short.

There were 216 teams that finished. Most were 12-person teams but several were ultra teams of 6 runners. Based on the team's estimated average pace, starting times were assigned from 7am to 4pm. I was on a 3pm team as were 9 other teams. 5 teams started at 4pm. There were no 2pm teams so you may see how this is going.... We started with other teams that were mostly faster than we were. A couple of teams were slower. The fast runners got ahead of us quickly and all the other teams had at least a 2 hour head start. The effect of this is that we were essentially running alone. It wasn't until the next morning when we were starting to catch earlier teams. I run faster when I'm chasing someone and it was my third leg when I finally saw a runner in front of me. I got so excited that I started running faster (sub-7:00 pace) and blew by the gal like she was standing still. A half a mile later I was done for the race. 18.9 miles total.

We finished 21/216 teams with a 7:41 average pace vs our 7:45 pace prediction. We were right on target! Way to go team!

I managed to charge my Garmin before I left for the race and recorded my runs: Leg 2, Leg 14, and Leg 26.

I had a great time with my friends and although I slept for only 5 minutes total, I managed to stay awake until 8pm Saturday night and can't wait to run it again next year.

Next year I'll be running slower as I want to run it as an ultra team. Last year at the race I told my friends to never let me run it as an ultra. Well, I've changed my mind. FYI - this year the 6 ultra runners each ran these totals: 35.7, 31.4, 40.3, 32.3, 27.8, 25.5.

NONE of my running friends have switched over to thinking of running this as an ultra but I have a year to work on them. :-) Even if I convince a few of them, I'm sure to have openings on my team. Keep me in mind if you are interested in running with me next year.

--Mark

Garmin 0% charged

2009-08-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

I charged my Garmin 310XT last night because I'm leaving in 1.5 hours to run the Great River Relay from Winona to MPLS. I run less than 20 miles so it will be only 3 hours of running. I just took my Garmin off the charger and it's 0% charged. Wonderful. I have it on the charger now and I'll take what I can get.

There are worse things than just running by feel.

--Mark

Ragnar Relay - Great River - this Friday 8/21

2009-08-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Next race coming up is the Great River Relay. Third year for me and this year the start was changed from LaCrosse to Winona. Twelve runners per team and a 195 miles to cover. This year we plan to average a 7:45 pace and we have a chance if the weather is reasonable. The only thing working against us is that one of our runners had to drop due to a bad knee so we have one Van with only 5 runners.

Anyone out there up for the Fun and Challenge of joining my team for this race? Let me know. We (both Vans) are meeting in Woodbury at 11am Friday to head out to the start. My team has a 3pm start time so there will be 200+ teams in front of us, giving us plenty of runners to pass. :-)

--Mark

Garmin beginner and software pains

2009-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm still in Garmin 1st grade. I haven't learned the buttons by position yet. I mean the lap and start/stop buttons. After stopping for some water this morning we were going to take off at a fast pace. I took off and meant to push lap but hit the start/stop button. I was wondering why my distance wasn't updating. Ugh. I hit the start/stop several times and then hit the lap button. I'll learn. This was about 5 miles into a 9 mile run when we picked up the pace. I looked at my splits for those 4 miles (Franklin Bridge to Ford Bridge on the east side) and they were 7:34, 7:48 (St. Thomas hill here), 7:23, and 6:56 to finish. A good solid run for me.

An hour ago I had the Garmin linkup and upload to garminconnect.com via a wireless USB attachment. I logged into the website and saw my workout was NOT there. Huh? I looked at the status of the Garmin software and see there was a problem uploading to the Garmin server. Ugh. I have a setting in the software to delete the exercise from my Garmin after uploading it. You see what happened.... the software uploaded my data and then deleted it from my Garmin before verifying the upload was good. Oh well, I changed the setting and I'll deleted the data off the Garmin myself from now on.

Next challenge.... figuring out how to get a quick satellite lock after stepping outside to run.

--Mark

First long run today plus some updates

2009-08-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

I'm behind in my marathon training. Today I ran 18.5 which is my longest run since the Twin Cities marathon last October. My body handled it just fine. Overall a sub-9:00 pace which is a very good long run pace for me. I have updates on two things today:

1) Heel lifts. I have my new vinyl heel lift and I did not tape it to my shoe insert. I was waiting to see what happened when my shoes got wet. Well, they got wet today because it was raining for most of the run. Around mile 11 the lift started sliding forward in my shoe so I stopped and took it out. That was confirmation that I definitely need to tape it to my shoe insert.

2) Garmin 310XT. I can't give a good review since this is the first GPS I have owned and since I have only used it once. It may become a future favorite of ultra runners since it has a maximum battery life of 20 hours. I don't know how the display compares to other models but this one can display up to 4 data fields simultaneously. I think there are 4 different displays you can scroll through. It will take me some time to figure out what I want to display on them and how many displays I want to use. The only display configuration I know I want displays: current pace, current heart rate, average pace, distance. I will need one with timers/clocks too which I may set up with: lap time, clock time, time so far, and distance. I will figure that out as I run more and think of data that I wish I could see during the run.

It has a configurable auto-lap option which I set to be every 0.25 miles. This is configurable to anything you want. I also had it display lap-pace. My idea was to get a current pace that is an average of the current lap so it would give me my pace that is an average of up to my previous quarter mile but not as 'instantaneous' as just displaying current pace. I didn't like it making a new lap so often so I'll switch it back to every mile. Like I wrote earlier, I'll figure this out as I run more. So far, so good.

--Mark

Track work

2009-07-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I did track work with my running partners. I ran on the track once in my life and that was last year. I've been running hills on Tuesday mornings and have avoided the track like the plague. In a weak moment last week I said I'd run track with them this week.

Anyone in the TC metro area may remember that Tuesday (yesterday) morning it was raining. It rained running the 2.5 miles to the track, during our time there, and all the way back. Oh well, it was nice to be out running. The plan was to run Yasso 800s and my friends were stepping up to eight this week. Since I'm way behind them I just ran 4 in 3:11, 3:16, 3:13, 3:12. The thing about the Yasso 800s is that you work your way up to 10 and you should run them all at the same pace and it can help predict your marathon time. For example, running 10x Yasso 800s in 3:12 each predicts a 3h12min marathon.

That may work for some people but not me. I'm heavy on the fast twitch muscle fibers and after racing 2.5 hours my fast twitchers seem to be gone and my pace drops. I think I'm about 30 minutes slower than my Yasso times but I'll be back next Tuesday to run on the track again. I'm still an inexperienced marathoner and have trouble (injuries) when I average more than 40 miles per week. Therefore, I won't be able to become a better long distance runner by adding more miles. Hopefully more hills and some speed will help my marathon times.

I had trouble yesterday with my heel lift. With all the rain, my feet got soaked and after a couple 800s, my heel lift shifted forward under my mid-foot. Not good. Between laps I had to take my shoe off and put the lift back in place. I ordered some vinyl lifts this morning that I'll tape down to my shoe so they don't shift. I'm very surprised that I didn't have this problem running in the Twin Cities Monsoon-athon last October.

update: After I wrote this I remembered that I did have my heal lift taped to my shoe insert when I ran the TC Marathon.

--Mark

Keweenaw Trail Running Festival 10K

2009-07-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Keweenaw Trail Running Festival was held on July 11-12 this year in Copper Harbor, Michigan. For those who don't know, Copper Harbor is the northernmost town in Michigan. I heard of this race series last year while I was on vacation in the area. This year I was able to run one of the races in the series before heading home from vacation.

The race series is three races:

10K at 8am Saturday
5.8K hill climb (917' elev. gain) at 6pm Saturday
25K at 7am Sunday

I was staying in McClain State Park outside of Hancock, MI for the week with my family. Friday afternoon we drove to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge outside of Copper Harbor for my race packet and then did some sightseeing and hit some gift shops in town. The race packet was minimal - T-shirt, race bib, and 4 pins - nothing else and nothing to throw away. Nice.

I woke up a dozen times Friday night wondering what time it was and if my alarm was going to ring. Eventually it did and I was up at 4:35 and off to Copper Harbor by 5:10. It's about a 40 mile drive for where I was staying and I wanted to get there around 6am when the bus was going to take runners to the start. I'm always early so it's not surprising that I was the third runner on the bus. One was a woman from Ontario (Janice) that has run the series several times and the other was a young woman from Minneapolis (Melissa) that has never run on a trail in her life. Eventually enough runners were on the bus so we were shuttled to the start at Ft. Wilkins State Park. There we got our timing chips which were velcro ankle bands.

The weather was very good for running - 58 degrees, sunny, strong breezes, and very low humidity. At race time we got our instructions on how to watch for the flags so we wouldn't get lost. I had earlier planned to line up at around one-quarter back from the start. I was chatting too much with Janice and Melissa and the starting line was more wide than deep and I think I ended up starting about 60% back. Oh well. At the sound of the horn we were off and everyone (150 runners) was heading for a path 100 yards ahead. We hit the path and there were a few spots where we slowed due to too many people on such a narrow path. This was a flatter area of the course at the beginning but I was limited by the speed of those in front of me. I suppose it let me warm up better and save energy for later.

Here is the course description from the race website:

The course starts in the grassy field overlooking Lake Fanny Hooe at Ft. Wilkins State Park. It follows a wide trail along the lake until crossing the Lake Manganese Rd and entering Clyde's Meadow which surrounds runners with wildflowers, ponds, and wild birds. Runners then enter a dense cedar forest and follow a winding trail before crossing a small stream. After crossing the main road into Copper Harbor, runners jump onto the exquisite single track of the Garden Brook Trail that winds its way up along the brook for several miles before recrossing the main road and entering the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge trail system. The trail remains narrow single track and winds gracefully through the rolling terrain and forests north and east of the lodge. The trail emerges from the forest at 5.9 miles. The last third of a mile takes runners over the soft grass of Fairway 9 to the finish behind the lodge.

The description above sounds 'lovely'. Half way though the course I was trying to think of the proper word to describe the hilly trails. I couldn't decide if it was a Bitch or a Bastard. Something missing from the description is that the trails were heavily hiked and therefore tree roots were greatly exposed. Also, since we were in copper country, there were rocks, not big ones, just bedrock and small rocks, many that were the size to fill your hand and were not easy to run on. It was very difficult to get around people on this single track but if you really needed to get by every so often there were spots to run off the trail to pass. I'm sure the forest was beautiful but I didn't see it. I had to keep my eyes on the ground nearly the entire race. The race map shows 1,258 feet of climbing and 765 feet of descending. The roots, rocks, and hills made for a great race.

Below are my splits. The first mile was slower than it should be because I wasn't in the right spot at the start. My last mile is faster because there were fewer roots/hills.

mile 1 - 8:20
mile 2 - 9:18
mile 3 - 9:43
mile 4 - 9:29
mile 5 - 9:20
mile 6 - 6:32
last .2 - 1:20 (6:39 pace)

I finished in 54:02 according to my watch. My new friend Janice finished 2 minutes behind me and was second in her age group. I didn't bother waiting for results (update: I was 6/10 of age 45-49) to see if I placed since there were several guys around my age and they started out, and finished, in front of me. Melissa took a little longer to finish and I was excited to hear what she thought since it was her first time running on trails.... She loved it. I recommended that she check out the Upper Midwest Trail Runners website when she gets back home for races and places to run. I had some water, a banana, and a mini Cliff Bar to get some energy back before I headed back to McClain to pack and drive the family home.

My thoughts about this race: I loved the 10K and next year I hope to be able to run the full series. If I did that I would definately stay in/near Copper Harbor for the weekend to cut down on the driving.

update: I found the race results. I was 6/10 in my age group and 39/77 for males.

--Mark

trusty heart rate monitor

2009-06-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have a Polar 610i heart rate monitor, and according to my records, I started using it on 7/17/2005. I have not worn it for every workout, but most of them. It keeps a total of the calories and hours. The total I have now is 672,843 calories and 1,333 hours. That's 500 calories per hour and 28 hours per month which is about what I expected. Only one battery change so far and I have had no problems at all with it. The reason I'm taking a look at this data is because I have a Garmin on order. My trusty Polar may get pushed to the bottom of my gym bag, only to come out to play in Kickboxing class or when I'm on the treadmill.

The Garmin I've pre-ordered is a 310XT. It's like the 305 except it has improved water resistance and a 20 hour battery life. I should have by the end of July, hopefully sooner. I'm excited about going out to run without mapping the mileage on my computer.

--Mark

Crossed the mileage line

2009-06-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

I keep wanting to run more miles per week than I have in past years. Every time I work my mileage up I eventually have to step it back as I start to get injured. This running season is no different than last year. I finished last week with 60 miles and this afternoon my left knee is telling me to take it easy. My knees almost never hurt.

I'll try to shoot for 45 to 50 mile weeks for the next month and see how that works out. If my knee pain continues this week will be a sub-40 mile week.

--Mark

Apple Blossom half marathon

2009-05-17T14:40:00.001-07:00

I did a couple of things I never have done before: 1) Run a race without tapering for it, and 2) deciding the day before a race to run it.

I ran the Apple Blossom half marathon in Hastings this morning. It's run from the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center and this year was the 29th running.

It was a beautiful day for a race. Early morning temps were in the upper 30's and race temps were still cool. Going into this one I decided to race it. I needed a benchmark to see how I'm doing and to help tune my training paces this summer. I didn't have a hard goal but I was hoping for a 1:45.

We were all bussed a mile or two north of the Carpenter Nature Center to a St. Croix Park. I used to camp there 25 years ago when Control Data Corporation owned it. It's nice that it's a public park now so everyone can use it.

There were three races starting simultaneously from different starting lines. 5K 'in front' in the left lane; Half-marathon behind the 5K'ers in the right lane, and 10K'ers about a mile behind. This year the race had chip timing for the first time. The only timing mat was at the finish so we all had the same start time synchronized to the gun.

I met my running partners Kristen and Karl there, put my extra clothes in a drop bag and a few minutes later we were off and running. This is a fairly hilly race so it's a good thing I like hills. I remembered to hit my lap timer for each mile. Here are my splits:

1 8:01
2 7:11
3 7:18
4 7:53
5 7:57
6 8:27
7 7:47
8 7:45
9 7:40
10 8:11
11 7:25
12 7:39
13 7:31
13.1 0:47 (0.1 miles at 7:45 pace)

I finished in 1:41:36 and had a not-too-high heart rate average of 162.

The variation in my splits is mostly due to hills. On a flat course I'm sure they would be more even. I estimated the midpoint time and was happy to get negative-splits 51:07/50:29 or (7:48/7:43) 1st/2nd half paces.

I didn't really feel good until mile 8 and then I felt like I really wanted to run. It could have been the Shot Bloks. There were plenty of aid stations for water and a 'sports drink'. I just stuck to water but at mile 6 I took ONE Shot Blok and chewed it up right away. I also took one S!Cap shortly after for sodium/potassium. 2 miles later I felt great. At mile 8 I took another Blok and this time I just sucked on it and kept it in my mouth, biting off tiny pieces from time to time. I finished it about mile 9.5. At mile 10 I took my third Blok, sucked on it for half a mile then ate it. I took another S!Cap then too. From my splits you can see I'm averaging near a 7:30 pace for the last three miles. I remember running uphill and into the wind during that time too. I had a nice finish and then got together and with Kristen and Karl to relax in the sun for awhile before heading home.

I would like to run this one again next year but I hope the shirts are a different color. Powder-blue is not my color.
--Mark

nothing much new

2009-05-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

Still ramping up the miles and should get to 43 this week. No problems so far increasing by about 10% per week.

I have added something new to my training. Tuesday mornings I go to Discover Strength in Plymouth for strength training. I'm thinking of dropping out after a total of 5 sessions and doing similar workouts at my primary gym. You can check out Discover Stength at: http://www.discoverstrength.com/

--Mark

12.7 miles today

2009-05-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

This was my longest run of the year and I ran the final two miles faster than the first ten! I felt good at the finish but my muscles feel a somewhat tired now. My goal is 34 miles this week which I will meet if I can get in a 9.3 miles river loop on Sunday.

Last Sunday I yelled 'Uncle' at the 2 mile mark into my river loop run. It was 41 degrees, raining cats and dogs, and some heavy duty lightning/thunder. I was completely soaked and turned around for a wet run back to the club. I was wearing my 2008 Twin Cities Marathon shirt which I am convinced was the reason for the cold rain. I won't be wearing it this Sunday.

My goal for the next month is to work my way up to 50 miles per week and then start into an 18-week marathon training plan. At the end of that I will run the Twin Cities Marathon.

--Mark

Back in Gear

2009-04-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

I ran the Get in Gear 10K this morning. There was no rain and it was perfect for racing. I had a goal to run 7:30's today and I met that goal. After not running in January or February, it took 160 miles of running over the past two months to get me back to where I am today. I'm very happy and am ready to jump back into running with my friends for distances up to 12 miles. Soon enough I'll be running longer with them too.

At the race today I started too far back. At mile one I was thinking that the race was way too big and why the heck did I even decide to run it. It took about two miles to get around most of the people that had a slower target pace than me. At that point I could just settle in to a pace and run. Here are my paces:

Mile 1: 8:00
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 7:28
Mile 4: 7:25
Mile 5: 7:34
Last 1.2: 7:38 pace (9:00 time)

from the results online:

bib number:	1048
age:	49
gender:	M
location:	Eagan, MN
overall place:	485 out of 3419
division place:	37 out of 174
gender place:	389 out of 1647
time:	46:49
pace:	7:32

Looking at my paces I'm slightly disappointed that my pace dropped off 10 to 15 seconds for the last two miles but I'll get that back in time. I ran at a harder effort than the Trail Mix last Saturday but I maintained a good breathing pattern all the way to the finish. I wasn't sucking wind loudly like some of those I passed. My legs feel good, my feet feel good and I think I'll just run some easy miles tomorrow.
--Mark

Get in Gear 10K coming up

2009-04-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

I ran 6.25 miles this morning at an 8:04 average pace. That run was on the Ford Bridge / Lake Street Bridge Mississippi River loop which is most of the Get in Gear 10K course. Although I'm not back to the running shape I was in last year, I'm starting to get stronger. While I held back a bit at the Trail Mix 12.5K, I'll run at the fastest pace I think I can sustain for 10K. Right now I would be very happy with a 7:30 pace. The weather forecast is 46 degrees, rainy, and 15 mph winds. I love that weather for racing (except for the wind) but not for sitting around chatting with my friends after the race.

--Mark

Gait Analysis update

2009-04-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last June I had a Gait Analysis done by Wendi P. at Gear West. The appointment was 40 minutes and Wendi figured out my shoes were wrong, I needed SuperFeet inserts and my left leg was 5mm longer than the right. The shoes, inserts, and heel lift made great progress in reducing the intermittent foot pain I was having.

Occasionally, I would still get foot pain and it was mostly after running hills. Lately my feet would have pain after nearly every run. I was coming off a few months of not running so I didn't worry too much. Two weeks ago I had my final post-foot-surgery checkup with my podiatrist. At that appointment I asked about the foot pain I was having. He knew I had a 5mm heel lift (from Wendi) and wanted to verify my leg length difference via X-Ray. Today I had the results faxed to my Doc and I was a little surprised that the measurements from the X-Ray found that my left leg was 5mm longer than the right. I find it amazing that Wendi could feel my hips and watch me run and determine that 5mm was the proper heel lift thickness without using any measuring devices. The same measurement determined by X-Ray machine. Amazing.

If you read back a few blog posts you will see that I found my shoe laces were loose and that's what I found caused my recent intermittent pain problem. Something simple but it's doing the trick for now.

--Mark

Trail Mix mini report

2009-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

This was my third year running the Trail Mix team race. My team from last year abandoned me as they all qualified for Boston and I didn't. None of them felt that running 7.75 miles in the hills just 2 days before Boston was a very good idea. The Boston bunch all got PRs Monday - Jim 3:27, Karl 3:28, and Kim 3:10 (4th MN woman). Congrats to them!

Now back to the Trail Mix... I'm still coming off not running this winter and my pace is not what it used to be. The Trail Mix would be my first hard run since I last raced in October. Not wanting to suffer sudden death or just blow an artery or something, I decided at the last minute to run by heart rate. I picked a number, 163, to try to keep my heart rate at. Sure, it jumped past that on the hills, but I would try to keep it near 163 overall. That strategy wasn't going to get me a good time but it seemed to keep me at the right level of effort for the day. Half way though the race I adjusted my HR goal upward and tried to keep it around 165. Besides walking up the back of the ski hill (everyone was when I came though) I had to walk up the top half of the grassy hill near the south end of the course. I felt good at the finish now know I could have pushed harder. Oh, my average HR was 166 for the race so I did well in sticking to my running plan.

Last year on a shortened course I ran 7:20's in mud. I ran 8:40's this year in perfect running conditions. When my Boston marathon friends are done with their recovery I'll be just about ready to run with them. I think it may be a month before I'll be able to run with them comfortably on their moderate days but they will help me become faster in a hurry.

Next race: Get in Gear 10K on 4/25.

--Mark

p.s. Since I started tying my shoes tighter 9 days ago I have had no problems with foot pain.

learning to tie my shoes...

2009-04-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've been having too much mid-foot pain and it's been a recurring problem over many months. I was reading something online the other day about foot and shoe problems. One podiatry article listed some foot issues that may be caused by problems with the 'lacing system' of the running shoes.

Sunday morning I was planning to run hills with a friend. I dread the hills as I was sure my feet were going to hurt; the last time I ran the hills was in December. I also remembered what I read in the podiatry article and laced my shoes tighter at every pair of eyelets. Usually I only have the laces tight at the top and the rest a bit loose. Now I had the laces snug, but not too tight, from bottom to top.

Guess what? No pain on the hills and no pain during my 6 mile run this morning. Last Friday I couldn't run 4 miles without stopping due to pain. Could it be that simple? I first learned to tie my shoes when I was 4 years old. Now, 45 years later, I'm learning to tie them again.

--Mark

A few nice miles today

2009-04-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

I ran an easy 6 miles this morning and will do the same two or three more times this week. My feet felt good. Yesterday I had my final foot-surgery checkup and that went fine --- I'm all healed.

While there, I asked my Doc about my foot pain from running hard or hills or longer distances. I showed him exactly where I was getting pain and he told me a lot of things (about feet) that I have already forgotten. Last year I had a 'gait analysis' done and while that helped my foot situation quite a bit, there is room for improvement. He had me get an x-ray taken from my hips to my heels to get an accurate measurement of leg bone lengths to verify or change that 5mm heel lift I now wear in my right shoe. I expect to get custom orthotics in the near future.

Next race: Trail Mix 50K team race (12.5K each)

Ron Daws 25K

2009-04-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

I ran a few easy miles this morning because I'm running the Ron Daws 25K tomorrow. Scratch that.... I'll just be watching the other runners now. I have a few twinges of pain in my foot (not related to the surgery I had) so I can't see that running 15.5 miles will do anything to improve my fitness. Even if I feel great in the morning, I think it will be best to take it easy for the next few days.
--Mark

post race update: I ran until I met my friend Dave near the 2 mile point providing informal race support and I hung out for an hour or so and then ran back to the finish to see the leaders come in. 3.5 miles for me; the first in 7:42. I was starting to get warmed up and feeling good before I dropped back and out. I see my Dr. tomorrow for what will be my final post foot-surgery checkup. The surgery spot has healed just fine, I just have other foot issues to deal with now. Although my foot issues have been a little better when I had a gait analysis done and changed shoes/inserts, there are some other things I think I need to do to minimize pain after hard/fast/hilly races. I may find a sports doc next.

another good day....

2009-03-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I couldn't run 2 miles without walking. This morning I ran 6.2 with my friends that are deep into their marathon training. While the run was tougher than Tuesday's run that I ran at a 9:40 average pace, I was able to average an 8:35 pace today. I'm feeling like I am getting over 'the hump'! Tomorrow I'll be running a 12 miler, solo, at a much slower pace.

Next week - 6 on Tues, 6 on Thurs, 3 on Fri, and Ron Daws 25K on Sat.

--Mark

ramping up

2009-03-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today I ran a nice 6.2 miler without stopping to walk. In all of my runs prior to today I felt the need to walk every couple of miles. Not today. My pace was 9:40 which is much slower than my pre-injury pace but it was nice just to get out and run for an hour. My next big day is 12 that I'm planning for Friday. I will take a walking water/shot-blok break half way though that one. If the 12 goes well, I have a shot at completing the Ron Daws 25K in 2:30. That's my goal.
--Mark

Tough going after long break

2009-03-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

I had over six weeks off following foot surgery and was able to start aerobic exercise last Tuesday. Running was tough and my legs didn't have their former strength. Now I'm getting stronger but my heart is lagging.

This morning in a cycle class I got a bit dizzy and nauseous after 40 minutes of moderate (I thought) exercise. I left class and did something I shouldn't have done --- I sat down. I noticed my that my heart rate was dropping like a rock. It plummeted to 40. I checked my pulse and the HRM was correct. Yikes! I felt fine and got up to walk around and my heart rate moved up to normal. I went back to class and finished by cycling with a light effort level. I realize my aerobic fitness will take some time to improve now, but I need some guidelines for getting back into aerobic shape. Any suggestions?
--Mark

first run of the year this morning

2009-03-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

It's about time! I ran for 2 miles on the treadmill. My heart rate to pace ratio was very high, but not unexpected. I'll do 2 or 3 miles tomorrow and figure out some sort of running plan for my next few weeks.

My next scheduled race is the Ron Daws 25K on April 4th. That's too soon to run it fast so my goal may be to run it in 2:20 to 2:30.

I also plan to go to the Human Race 8K on March 22nd to watch my friends race. I don't dare enter that one myself as I'm afraid I would over-do something.

--Mark

not yet running

2009-02-19T16:12:00.001-08:00

I had my stitches out and it's great to not need crutches to move and I don't have to crawl up/down the stairs like a baby. :-) I know my foot is not healed enough to run yet, and it won't be for 3 weeks or so. My first race I'm planning to run is the Ron Daws 25K on April 4th. I should be able to run it at an easy pace but not sub-2 hours like last year.

--Mark

On the mend

2009-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

Maybe TMI... I had what grew to be a very painful Plantar Wart on the bottom of my right foot, mid-foot but under the area near the outside that receives a lot of pressure when walking or running. Last Friday I had it removed as an outpatient procedure in a Hospital. The operation was more extensive than a quick office procedure. I was to be given anesthesia that was not 'general anesthesia' but I would be asleep. The Anesthesiologist said, Well, your heart rate is 48. That's certainly going to set off the alarms that usually go off at under 60. She said if my HR goes too low they can give me something to boost it up 5 to 10 beats. They knew I was a runner so there was nothing unusual about my HR.

The doctor cut out the Plantar Wart and then cut a skin flap nearby the site and rotated it to cover the wound. He then sewed the skin flap in place. It's important that I don't put pressure on that area to ensure the skin heals in place properly and doesn't form excess scar tissue that could cause me more problems down the road. I woke up in recovery and the Dr. came to tell me that it all went well, etc, etc. My wife was there too. A few minutes after the Dr. left, I asked my wife if the Dr. talked with me. I thought he was there but couldn't quite remember anymore. Then I told her I hoped she could remember what he said because I was forgetting in just a few minutes. That was a strange feeling.

Another strange thing was the following morning when the pain-block injection was wearing off in my foot and I stepped up to two Vicodin's at at time. I had been logging onto my laptop every few hours to check/send e-mails and surf the internet. Well, the drug effect made me forget how to spell my password. It's not difficult to remember as it's just a long word with a few special character modifcations. I remembered the modifications but I could not remember how to spell the word. I figured out that I would type it phonetically and that was my problem. My brain would only allow me to type it how it sounded, not how it was spelled. At one point I had to get one of my kids to look it up in the dictionary for me so I could write it down. My mind was still pretty clear, not like if I was drinking. I now understand why some people may have trouble spelling words.... not that they're on Vicodin, but just the way their brain works. I've been off Vicodin for 35 hours and now my pain is totally gone.

I had a post-op check with my Dr. yesterday. It all looks great and there is no bruising. I think with all the stitches it looks like a small birds-nest on the bottom of my foot. In three weeks I go back to get the stitches taken out but until then I can't put weight on that foot. Then he says I'll have little adhesive bandages across the area for awhile to hold things secure but I will be wearing shoes at that time. I've been doing a lot of standing on my left leg so that will get strong but I'm not sure when I'll be running again. Hopefully the end of February or early March.

I've also wanted to get 'off' caffiene for a while now. I did that too. Last Friday morning was my last cup of coffee. I still plan to go for coffee with friends from time to time but I'll make it a treat, not a daily habit.

update 1/28: I tried to count the number of stitches this morning and it looks like there are 17, plus or minus a few.

--Mark

Weather forecast

2009-01-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

I normally run in the early morning, usually around 5am. I like to pack my running clothes the night before and I use the National Weather Service web page for a very good forecast. The forecast is hour by hour and also includes wind speed/direction and wind chill too as well as many other factors. I also use the data to talk over with my running partners to help determine if we will be running outside or on the treadmill. I'm an engineer and love graphs and tables so that's another thing I love about the NWS site.

See: National Weather Service Forecast - Twin Cities

Once at the website, you can click on the graph for the data in a tabular format.

One Block Fun Run

2009-01-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

My first race of the year will be a One Block Fun Run this Saturday, January 17th. Dick's Bar and Grill in Hudson, WI is the race location and some of my running friends and I are planning to run it for the first time. It's been an annual event for over 25 years and is a fundraiser for United Cerebal Palsy of Central Wisconsin. This may be my wife's first running event!

Registration is at Dick's Bar until race time and, for this one time only, I won't be wearing a heart rate monitor. :-)

--Mark

Foot surgery coming...

2009-01-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

I don't complain about pain very much but every step I take feels like there is a little knife poking up into the bottom of my foot. I saw a Podiatrist on Monday and he verified that I do indeed have a plantar wart. After discussing my treatment options, their success rates, and treatment timelines, I decided to have the thing cut out on Jan. 23rd. For approximately 3 weeks after that I'll need to keep pressure off that area in order for it to heal properly and minimize scaring and ripping out of stitches.

I should be back to walking normally in shoes mid February. I'm guessing by mid March I'll be back getting some miles in but maybe not more than 25 per week. The reason I'm figuring this out is to see how ready I can be for a Spring and/or a Summer marathon. I've determined that it doesn't make sense for me to run the Eau Claire marathon on May 3rd, and I'll skip Grandma's in June.

I'll run whatever I can when I'm ready.

--Mark

Not running today...

2009-01-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not running until I get the pain in my foot fixed. I'm seeing a Podiatrist next Monday so hopefully I'll be on the mend soon.

I took a 2hr Spinning class yesterday to end the year and a 75 minute class today to start the new year.

I'm not making any New Years Resolutions for 2009 so there will be none to break. :-)

--Mark

My 'best of running ' 2008

2008-12-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

Not in any particular order.

My running partners. It's wonderful to have running partners that are great friends.
I ran 4 races of marathon distance or longer. I enjoyed all those events, the good parts and the bad.
The Afton Trail Run 50K. I ran this one by heart rate, and it took a long time, but I finished it. I had a great time and I'll run it again.
The Fall 50 Relay in Door County. Five people and only 50 miles so we started in the morning and finished in the afternoon. All you can eat/drink pizza/beer after the race.
The Fall 50 long sleeve cotton shirt. My favorite long sleeve shirt of the year. I wear it all the time while my Fargo and Twin Cities marathon shirts go unworn. My favorite short sleeve cotton shirt was from the Bear Water Run 10 mile race.
The Afton 25/50K T-Shirt. Best short sleeve technical shirt of the year. Awesome design.
I met my goal of running 2000 miles this year. Over 1000 more than last year.

I look forward to more good things in 2009.

--Mark

ouch

2008-12-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

My running is quickly tapering down to nearly zero miles per week. I went to my Dr. last week to have a painful bump looked at that is on the bottom of my foot. Seems to be a plantar wart. I'll see her next week too and then a different Doctor during the third week in January. I think it 'started' about 4 weeks ago. Due to the stress on my feet from ramping up to 60+ miles per week? Maybe. Due to the drier weather and my foot skin 'cracking' a bit? Maybe... Better put some lotion on those dogs. The good thing is that it's not painful all the time..... only when I walk or run. :-) I need to mostly switch over to non-running activities. I can tolerate some time on the treadmill so I hope to keep running at least a few miles a week but this will give me a chance to crosstrain.

Non-running activites I'm switching over to are spinning and weight training and I may even try the eliptical machine.

I can see this painful little thing affecting my winter to spring/summer running. I think I'll skip the Securian Half Marathon, I may do a half marathon instead of the Eau Claire marathon on May 3. Not sure of anything until this pain goes away.

--Mark

Back to the treadmill

2008-12-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

I've been running outside since last winter. This morning's near zero temperature with a windchill near -8F were cold enough for me to get back on the treadmill for an hour. There is definately an adjustment period when hitting the treadmill again after several months. The weather forecast shows some cold days ahead for the middle of next week. I may be on the treadmill then too.

Some of my running partners had planned to run long this morning. They braved the cold and ran 21. I waited for them at the club to finish. They were a little 'frosty' but were in pretty good shape with no frostbite.

--Mark

No Afton (for me) in 2009

2008-11-15T15:26:00.001-08:00

I was planning to run Grandma's marathon on June 20th and then the Afton 25K on July 4th(?). My plans just changed and I'll be out of town during early July so Afton is out. Fortunately, I'll be able to catch a 10K at the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival on July 11th. I'll get some nice hill runs in while I'm up in copper country. I'll miss the Keweenaw hill race and the 25K of the triple series so I'll give the 10K my all.

--Mark

adding more miles again

2008-11-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

I increased my weekly miles up over 45 this week. Next week I'll get close to 50 and I hope by January to be in the 60 to 70 range weekly. Looking back, I didn't quite average 40 miles per week leading up to the Twin Cities Marathon. If my body can handle it, I plan to have an average around 70 miles or so per week. With the extra miles in training, I hope I don't start fading at mile 16 in my next marathon, like I did in the TCM.

--Mark

Door County Fall 50 team race report

2008-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

A few months ago my friend Kristen asked some of her running friends, including me, about running a relay race in Door County in October, the Fall 50. It sounded like a great idea. I had run the Ragnar Relay Great River last year from LaCrosse, WI to Minneapolis and it was a wonderful experience. Before too long Kristen had our team, the Saint Paul Running Co., entered in the race.

Kristen, our team captain, did a great job of searching for sponsors, we got some Coffee coupons from Caribou Coffee, some race rolls from the Great Harvest Bread Company, and some funds to buy team shirts and some of our other expenses from Nutritional Weight & Wellness, Inc.

Fast forward to the day before the race. We were all packed and ready to go in the morning. The team was Kristen, Karl, Dave, Ted, and I. Dave was extending his vacation so he drove separately as well as Ted who had to work the morning after the race. We were all staying in the same Hotel in Sturgeon Bay, the Best Western Maritime. After a long and rainy drive to Sturgeon Bay, I could not find the Hotel. I usually need to print out maps and directions ahead of time as I'm not good at figuring out how to get to places while I'm driving. We had written directions that were great, but lacking a bit of detail for the end of the drive. We still arrived in plenty of time, got our rooms, and then drove to the Hotel where we picked up our race packet.

I slept well Friday night and had a large breakfast Saturday morning. Our team's starting time was 9am. Teams started at 8, 9, or 10am depending on their projected pace. We were down as an 8:00 pace/mile team but thought we may do better than that. The solo runners started at 7am and we were watching for them on the drive up. We came across the leaders; the first three were running side by side. I recognized John Storkamp, the 2nd place solo runner from 2007 and the race director of the Afton Trail Run 25K/50K. The solo runners were about one hour into their day at that point. We would start ours in another hour. Now onto some pictures.

An hour to spare so we might as well start writing on our car.

Karl, Dave, Ted, Kristen and I at the start.

Off they go, Ted is our first runner.

Ted, Karl, and Dave ran their first legs. Now it was my turn and I'm running a 7.5 mile leg in Peninsula State Park. It's just beautiful, the weather is cool (40s?) with some wind. The temperature is perfect for me! Some leaves were still on the trees! It was on this leg that I was passed by a running for the first (and only) time. We chatted for a minute and he told me it took him 5 miles to catch me. I think he was running at about a 7:00 pace.

I'm very happy and moving right along. It couldn't be any better than this!

Below, I'm the runner that looks like a tiny spot of red, just around the bend in the road. Another beautiful Fall scene.

Ted ran again and was to finish at the half-way buffet. While waiting for Ted, I had two servings of chicken soup, a banana, and 4 little candy bars. Maybe more but that's all I can remember. We had a spreadsheet with projected times for all our runners. Everyone was running ahead of schedule and Kristen asked me how much longer before Ted would show up. I said 3 or 4 minutes and it wasn't 10 seconds before he rounded the corner and Kristen was on her way. I had to finish my soup in the car at the next aid station. Dave ran next and then it was my turn for a 6.1 mile leg. I felt pretty good for only having about 90 minutes between legs. Although I ran my first leg at around a 7:15 pace, this one was much slower, partly due to fatigue, and partly because I was running directly into the wind. I ran this leg in the upper 7:30's.

Here is my handoff to Kristen at the next aid station. I'm getting close!

She's got it!

Away she goes!

It turned out we were running more than 30 seconds faster per mile than planned! A side effect of this is that the farther we went, the fewer runners there were. Porta-potties were also getting 'fresher'. We drove to aid station 9. Solo runners were going by but only one 8am team had run through at that time. It wasn't long before team 322 came through. They went on to win it in 5:04. Wow! Kristen came in and Karl started out on his, and our team's, final leg.

Karl alone on the road.

Karl's looking very strong and running just over a 7:00 pace! Nice!

One more pic before we headed to the finish line!

Here's the team (except for Ted who took this pic) running to the finish behind Karl.

6:11:20 finish for 13/144 overall; 6/82 in the open mixed division!

There was a huge tent setup for the after-race party. There were mostly solo runners in the tent when we arrived because we were the third team to cross. I knew many 10am teams would finish ahead of us due to their faster pace. We found that out at the awards ceremony. I did a quick look around for John Storkamp and didn't see him. This didn't surprise me as he finished more than two hours earlier (6:04 for 1st place and new course record!). We ate some pizza, drank a beer, and headed to our hotel for showers and came back later for the party. When we got back the place was packed. The party was very good and there was plenty of food and drink for everyone. Later, a DJ was playing songs and little kids were dancing. Some big kids (like me) hit the dance floor about 7:30 and closed the party down about 8:15 or so.

This ended up being my favorite race of the year. I think the Afton 50K and the Twin Cities Marathon were tied as my second favorites. I always had said that the Ragnar Great River Relay was my favorite but the 'up all night' running really makes me tired for a few days. The Door County Fall 50 all-day-race was perfect!

photos by Ted R., Dave A, and me.

--Mark

Fall 50 this weekend and changing workout plan

2008-10-21T06:18:00.001-07:00

My last scheduled race this year is a relay --- the Fall 50 in Door County Wisconsin. It can be run solo or with from 2 to 5 runners per team. I'm running it on a 5-person team and can't wait.

I have been an idiot and ran 25 and 38 miles in the two weeks following the Twin Cities marathon. It caught up to me last Friday on a 12 mile run when my heart rate went up too high and my speed dropped. Ooops. I took three days off running and did 9 this morning. It felt good but I could tell I still don't have my speed back. I don't feel like picking up yet on the final hill back to the gym. After the Fall 50 I plan to take two easy running weeks before I hit it a little harder.

Also, I'm adding more core and strength work into my weeks. I started this with an upper body workout yesterday. My general plan from mid-November through the winter will use this as a guideline but I'll add core work in where I can:

Mon - Lift (Upper body)
Tue - Run (hills/speed/tempo)
Wed - Lift (Legs) or Easy run or Kickboxing or Circuit
Thu - Easy run and/or Yoga and/or Circuit
Fri - Long run or Longer tempo run
Sat/Sun- Easy run or rest

--Mark

Twin Cities Marathon 2008

2008-10-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

A wonderful marathon for me. Cool and rainy, I did not get too warm. There was a short time I was a little too cold but it didn't bother me. I stayed well fueled and hydrated, did not have any GI issues, and ran the whole race without needing to walk. I only had a slight left hamstring cramp around mile 25 and that was my only minor problem.

I could only hold an 8 pace until mile 16. After that I didn't have the power to continue at that speed. I am extremely happy with my 3:42:12 time which is a 30 minute PR over my first marathon, Fargo in May of this year.

My friends that trained with me all had PR's today too. Jim and Karl qualified for Boston as well as Kim who ran an awesome 3:16 for her third BQ, and PR, this year! I'll be training with them this winter for their Boston as well as whatever I decide to do.

Thanks to all the TCM volunteers and spectators! I really, really enjoyed my race. Thanks to people I know or recognized out there cheering people on! Some of them were: Suzy, Scot, Greg, Steve, Kristen, Beth, Dave, Matt, Rod, and Tom.

--Mark

10 days to the TCM

2008-09-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

I feel good going into this marathon. No injuries, but I'm two weeks into a cold which should be gone very soon. I'm running well. I have my fueling/hydration plan figured out. This Saturday a bunch of us will run the final 8 miles of the course. We've run the hills along the river and Summit many times but it will be nice to run that final stretch one more time before the TCM.

I'm not planning to carry a pace chart for the TCM as I did in Fargo. I'll just run it as well as I can; I have a target average pace of 8:00 to finish in 3:30. My training is done so it all comes down to what 'the day' brings for me on the 5th.

--Mark

Bear Water Run - 10 mile

2008-09-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

I ran the 10 mile distance of the Bear Water Run last Saturday. I was sick with a cold. I missed my final 20 miler the day before. Since I had planned my 20 for the Friday before, I only signed up for the 10 miler. The 20 mile distance of the race is perfect for Twin Cities Marathon runners.

The day was cool with some light rain on and off. The race started and I was still unsure how I was going to run until about a half a mile in. At that point I felt like running faster and I finished will with a new PR. My cold is now a week old but almost gone. It's about time.

Now it's time to taper for the TCM.

--Mark

Easy on the stomach

2008-09-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

I've been trying a few different things on long runs to try to reduce intestinal-upset issues that happen beyond 15 or 16 miles into the run. Last Friday I ran 20.7 miles and had a very successful run. Breakfast was peanut butter on a piece of wheat toast. During the run I started with a hand-held bottle of POWERade and then switched to water. Every hour I took an S! Cap and twice I took 3 Clif Cran Razz Shot Bloks. That combination worked for me that day and I'll try it again next Friday on my final 20-miler before the Twin Cities Marathon.

--Mark

First place to the wrong guy

2008-08-31T04:43:00.000-07:00

I ran the Buckshot run in Eau Claire, WI yesterday with Jim and Kristen. The Buckshot run has 5 mile and 2 mile distances. I ran both and was happy with my times as the day before I ran a 20.7 mile long run. I was far from winning the 2 mile race so the rest of this won't be about me.

This year is the 26th Buckshot run but the first year they used chip timing. Now here is my problem with the finish. Larry Mboga and Paul Hetke had a very close finish. I didn't see it, and although it was very close, Mboga crossed the finish line first. During the awards ceremony, the race director said that although Mboga crossed first, the chip timing showed that Hetke was 0.1 seconds faster. Therefore, first place was awarded to Hetke.

I was always under the impression that the leaders used 'gun time' to prevent this situation from happening. Runners back from the leaders used chip time. First place went to the wrong guy, in my opinion. The guy who fought it out to the end and finished in front of the rest should be the winner.

Here is the news article on the race at the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

Update 8/31: Others view it as I do. Here is another article from the Leader-Telegram.

--Mark