Ragnar Relay - Great River

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ragnar Relay, Great River (finished)

This was my second year of running the Great River Relay. I'll be reserving this weekend for the relay for years to come! It was another great experience. I won't say much here but I really love running up a 2-mile long, 450 foot high hill at midnight! You really have to experience it.

The 12-person team I was on, Live to Win, did not win but we were 20th overall out of 168. We finished in 27:18:12 for a 7:57 average pace over 205.8 miles! Yet another race I look forward to running next year.

--Mark

Ragnar Relay, Great River

This coming Friday and Saturday is the Great River Relay. I'm on a twelve person team and each of us will run 3 legs to cover the 205 mile race. We start in LaCrosse, WI at noon on Thursday and finish at Boom Island in Minneapolis 28 or 29 hours later. This year our team name is: Live to Win. This is the third year of the relay. The first year there were 30+ teams, 100 last year, and 180 this year. My posting from last year is here.

--Mark

Race bibs (again)

I posted too soon about my missing race bibs. I found them hidden in a stack of running magazines. Now they're back in my dresser drawer where they belong!

Race bibs. Keep or throw?

I keep mine. Scratch that. I kept mine. :-(

I had about 20. I kept them from every race. It's only been 3 years so it's been pretty easy to hang onto them. I have (had) them pinned together in order. This morning I took my TC Ultra Festival bib off my dresser and was going to pin it with the others. Hmmmm... I can't find the race bibs. Well, a few weeks ago I did some long overdue spring cleaning. I suspect my race bibs are snuggling together in a landfill somewhere. Or maybe they somehow made it into the recycling.

Well, I can't find them and my mind draws a blank when I think of where I could have put them. There is a small chance they will show up. A few years ago I lost my heart rate monitor for two months, until I looked in my 'kayaking box', and there it was. So now, my stack of race bibs is a stack of one. Until my next race.

--Mark

Hot Yoga

I never tried hot yoga before this morning. My friend Kristen offered to take me to a class and it seemed like the 3rd day after a l-o-n-g run would be the perfect time. It was the perfect time. I want to do hot yoga 3 days after every hard race. My muscles felt so good after class and throughout the day.

This week:

Sun: 3.5 miles
Mon: 6.2 miles
Tues: 3 miles plus hot yoga
Wed: 2 miles
Thu: 20.7 miles <<< shouldn't have done this but it's too late now.
Fri: hot yoga
Sat: day off
Sun: day off

I got the 10th lap in today...

Yesterday I ran 8 laps around Lake Calhoun. I was planning for ten but that was enough. Dave, Karl, and Kristen were there supporting me and I asked them to walk lap 9 with me. We walked most of the way and ran in the last mile. The 9th lap took 55:03. Then I dropped out of the race. Another lap to finish out the 10 wouldn't have done much for improving my physical condition.

Leap forward one day.

Today the Hennepin-Lake Classic 10K and 5K races were held at Lake Calhoun. I was not entered in the races but my friends Kristen and Karl were running the double header, the 10K at 8:15 and the 5K at 9:30. Karl and I had talked about running an easy lap around the lake between races but we hadn't really thought about the timing.

The 10K started and finished and Karl and I went off on a short walk and maybe a 0.4 mile run back to where the 5K would start. There was no time for a lap around the lake. Meanwhile, Kristen was wondering where I was with her car keys. Sorry Kristen, at least I didn't lose them!

I can't remember if I thought of this idea or Karl or Kristen did, but I was going to run a 5K on yesterday's race path the same time they were running the 5K. I would be able to 'run with them' from a distance. Today's race was on the road of course. So... Kristen got into her starting spot, Karl and I said a few words, and off the runners went. I had to hoof it down to the running path to get started on my 5K. I started my timer and took off. I couldn't see my friends but kept on the watch for them the entire lap. I thought they were ahead of me but I learned later they were behind me. I looped the lake and then crossed my starting point to get a 5K. 22:48. Very good for me and an average 7:21 pace. A nice speedy little run that made sure my feet and legs still worked after my 25+ miles yesterday. It was nice to get the 10th lap in even if was a day late and in the opposite direction.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to do an easy 6.

--Mark

Twin Cities Ultra Festival 50K

First, I want to thank Patrick for inviting me to run his race. It was a perfect opportunity for me to gather some data about myself running long distances. It was also a pleasure meeting other runners, race volunteers, and people out there supporting the race in general.

Although I had planned to run all 50K, that did not happen. After 8 laps my mind felt a little 'off'. I wasn't quite dizzy, but I wasn't 'on' anymore. This was a race where I was gathering heart rate and pace data, primarily for the marathon distance, so there was no need to tough it out any longer. 24.8 miles was enough.

The race started at 5am. WCCO was reporting 59 degrees in Minneapolis, I had 61 in Eagan. This was much better than the 70 I was expecting for an overnight low. First we ran a little out and back at the start. This was to compensate for the slightly under 3.1 mile laps to come. My plan was to run by heart rate and let the pace be what it is. I planned for heart rates of 154 for 13 miles, 157 for the next 7 and 160 for 6. I'll step through the laps one by one.

Lap 1. Ave HR: 148, pace: 7:57.
This was a very nice starter lap. I got to run most of it with Sonya D. My HR was a little low as some of it was just warming up.

Lap 2. Ave HR: 154, pace: 8:01.
Perfect. Nothing unusual here.

Lap 3. Ave HR: 155, pace: 8:23.
I felt a little 'off'. This lap included a 35 second break to refill my water bottle. HR was still exactly where I wanted it.

Lap 4. Ave HR: 154, pace: 8:24.
Another normal lap.

Lap 5. Ave HR: 155, pace: 8:42.
I took a 25 second water break. I'm starting to slow down. I decided to run 5 laps before letting my HR go up to 157. It was easier to keep track of this way.

Lap 6. Ave HR: 156, pace: 9:39.
This lap included a 2:30 bathroom break and a 30 second water break. My pace, without the bathroom break, would have been 8:52. I slowed down a bit more. Ugh. It is what it is. My legs are feeling fatigued but are not cramping.

Lap 7. Ave HR: 157, pace: 9:33.
My friend Dave showed up to support me. He wasn't ready when I came through the aid station to join me so he'll run with me on Lap 8. Slow now. My legs are tired.

Lap 8. Ave HR: 153, pace: 10:08.
I took a 30 second water break but you can see my pace is very slow. The interesting part is my HR is going down. My legs were so tired it was hard to move faster. This lap I went through almost a full 22 oz. bottle of water.

I'm now at the 24.8 mile mark at 3:42:23.

I'm essentially done. There is no benefit to keep going now.

Lap 9. Ave HR: doesn't matter, pace: doesn't matter.

I didn't feel like keeping running at this point. My friends Kristen and Karl were there and ready to run with me. I took a long break and decided we would all walk together. I felt good just walking but I ran in the last mile. I told the timekeepers that I would not be running another lap.

Dave rode away on his bike and I walked Kristen and Karl back to where they parked. I ran back to the aid station (about a mile) and packed up my stuff to go home.

In all, I ran 26.7 miles.

I learned that I'm not good in the heat for long distances. I can't keep the pace that I can in the cold. Not unusual, I suppose.

I really enjoyed this event and the people I met. Thanks again to Patrick and everyone else involved. A special thanks goes to Bill Parker who ran 7 laps in the opposite direction to cheer the runners on twice per lap!

update: Keith has posted an excellent race report on his blog.

--Mark

just fine now...

I took the weekend off and ran less than usual so far this week. My foot/knee/hamstring issues are all gone. Tapering for Saturday helped me heal.

I'm pretty sure the weather forecast can't get any worse for Saturday's race. Humid, low of 71, high of 94. I was hoping to average an 8:00 pace for the first 26 miles of the 50K. I'll be running by heart rate so all I can predict now about my pace is.... nothing. The weather conditons will trump my fitness level. Therefore, I won't worry about it. I'll just stay hydrated and have fun with friends.

--Mark

dealing with a little injury

I ran a tough hill workout on Tuesday. Not Julie B. tough, but tough for me. Running on Wednesday and Thursday were hard to get going. A touch of pain in my right knee and hamstring and achilles tendon area. Basically all over. It would go away after a mile or so of running. The problem is that later in the runs I would add a few hills and hit it hard. Then all day long I would think that my issue wasn't just a little soreness, there was some damage in there.

So... no hills this morning and I ran a nice 6 miles. About 4 miles into the run we merged into a large, spread-out, group of guys running a 15-miler as part of their U/M wrestling camp program. There was only so long that I could run my normal pace, which generally matched their pace, until I increased my speed. Running fast and flat didn't seem to aggravate anything and after I got back to the club I went back outside to walk a mile with a friend. At this moment I feel good. I'll be skipping running on Sat and Sun and do an easy 6 on Monday.

My weekly mileage (previous 3 weeks) is right around 40. I want to raise it up into the 60's but now I think that after my 50K it will take me to September to get there. Oh well. I think what will happen is that I will make it up to the low 50s and then hold until my taper for the Twin Cities Marathon.

--Mark

next up: 50K

I'll be running the 50K version of Patrick's 100K ultra on Aug. 2nd. I plan to run it, by heart rate, as a practice marathon prior to the Twin Cites marathon 10 weeks from now. I believe my max HR is 182 and my AT is 167/168. I plan to run the first 13 miles at a heart rate of 154, the next 7 at 157, and the next 6 at 160. I'll back off a bit for the final 5 miles. It's a loop course so I'll get lap splits every 5K. It will be interesting to me how my pace is per loop per HR. I'll know on the 2nd but I'm hoping to average an 8:00 pace. The major factors out of my control will be heat and humidity.

--Mark

shoe test

Several weeks ago I had an extensive shoe fitting done. I ended up with a new style of shoe as well as some supportive inserts and a heel lift. In the past I would get some foot pain after a hard/fast run that took a few to many days to go away. My new shoes should take care of that problem. I wore my old shoes at Afton with my heel lift and didn't have any problems there (except for my new black toenail). :-)

Until this morning I had done no speedwork in my new shoes. I warned my running partners last night that we would be running fast this morning. It ended up that we ran the first 3 miles in a fast 21:00. I never run that fast except in a short race. I'm very happy that my feet felt great during and after that run. No pain whatsoever. I think my new shoes will work out perfectly.

--Mark

So close, but so far...

On July 25th I'm going to Duluth for a wedding the following day. The day of the wedding falls on the same day as the Voyageur Trail Ultra 50 Mile Foot Race in Carlton, MN. Since Saturday at the Afton 50K, I've taken a liking to ultras. Hmmmm.

So I'm doing the math... 7am start. 21 miles from Duluth. 11 hours to finish. 12 hours to finish. I gotta finish in under 13. Wife. Kids. Family. Wedding in the afternoon. Reception later. I'm supposed to go the the wedding. I'm supposed to both go to, and be awake at, the reception. Ugh. The math just doesn't work. Bummer.

Maybe next year. :-)

I'm not sure how many weeks away the Twin Cites Marathon is, but I need to start focusing on that race.

--Mark

3 days post-Afton 50K

I'm feeling pretty good. My right hamstring has been sore but feels much better today than yesterday. I took Sunday off, ran 3.4 Monday, and ran 9.3 this morning. It felt good to run today.

I was telling my running partners this morning that the race ended up, for me, being more like a really l-o-n-g training run. In hindsight, I ran with an average heart rate a few beats lower that I planned but that is better than running a few beats too high.

If I was to try to fine tune anything, I would think about increasing my water consumption per hour. 22 oz seemed fine for the first 3+ hours but later I really needed more. Also, I'm not really sure why I didn't want to take in any more of the Hammer Sustained Energy mix after 4 or 4.5 hours. It's neutral in flavor so it's not bad or anything. The orange slices were good later on. Maybe I should have grabbed some gummy bears to suck on for the last 6 or 8 miles. If I'm going to do a 50 miler next fall, I'll need to sort out what to do for a very long run.

Overall, I'm very happy with how I did. I don't see much to improve or change. Just a little fine tuning is all.

Oh yeah.... It wouldn't hurt to get my weekly miles up a bit more. I averaged 42 per week leading up to the Fargo Marathon. I increased up to the low 50s before tapering for Afton. I plan to average in the mid to upper 60s before the TC Marathon. I hope to be up in the 70s weekly training for a 50 mile race. That may be light, but with a family, there is only so much time I can take for me.

--Mark

Afton 50K (cont.)

I posted earlier on my race day hydration/fueling plan and how that worked out. Now a little on the race.

The race organization was great. I arrived very early and walked around for 15 minutes until 5am. I got my race packet and awesome shirt. I just love the shirt. Can I wear it every day? I went back to the parking lot and chatted with a few folks. Some were old-timers at ultras, others were first-timers like me. Everyone was nice. I was nervous for the day but ready too.

I organized my drop bag with two bottles of a Hammer Sustained Energy mixture and a water bottle filled with ice and water. A nice woman showed me where to stow the bag. By race time I already went pee about 3 or 4 times. My running partner Jim showed up early and picked up his packet for the 25K. We talked about the race and other things and it was time for me to get to the starting line. I tried to place myself somewhere between 30% and 50% back from the start. That was likely where I would finish. Julie B. was right behind me and I said Hi. RD John said his pre-race stuff and off we went.

I felt OK but not really good as the race got going. My plan was to keep my heart rate just under 150 most of the time. My anerobic threshold is approx. 167 so I figured 150 would keep me aerobic and able to process the fuel I carried as well as helping prevent me from crashing and burning as I had done in the Fargo marathon.
Here is my heart rate chart for the race.

There were times I let my heart rate go a few beats over 150 but that was mostly going up hills. I had to walk all the hills to keep my heart rate down. My average heart rate for the first and second loops was 145 and 147, respectively. The overall average was 146 and watch recorded that I burned 4636 calories. Yikes. Did I run the race a bit conservatively? Maybe, but as a first timer at a 50K, I wanted to be as successful as I could be.

When I hit Aid station 3 I needed to fill my water bottle. I'm new at this but I took the top off before I got to the station. A nice woman there asked me if I wanted water and she filled my bottle in about 5 seconds. Awesome. I screwed the cover on and off I went. I couldn't believe how fast and helpful the aid station volunteers were. Just great!

By mile 8 or 9 I was feeling good. I was doing well and hydrating and fueling. Also I was taking an S-Cap every hour. I got to run with several people during the race. It was nice to talk to the guys on the course. There were other times I would look back behind me and in front of me while up in 'Africa' and not see a soul. I would wonder.... am I last?

Eventually, I passed what I thought was 26 or 27 miles. Now I have gone longer than ever before. My plan of racing by heart rate was paying off. My pace would suffer, though. I did the first loop in 2:34 and would do the second in 3:16. I think for this race it was better for me to hold my heart rate constant that to try to pick up the pace and have even splits. I wanted to finish without needing to walk. I mean, I wanted to finish by walking up hills and running everywhere else. I met that goal. Also, although I was trying not to set a hard time goal, I wanted to finish in under 6:00 and possibly in 5:30. I was so happy to cross the finish line at 5:50:33.

Now it is one day later and I can say that I'm looking forward to ultra races in the future.

edit: Now that the race results have been posted, I finished 54/129 overall and 12/29 in the male - 40's category.

--Mark

Afton 50K fueling/hydration experiment results

I ran my first 50K on Saturday. I'm new at longer distances and am trying to correct as many of my mistakes as possible from my earlier race. I say race because my only long distance race before Afton was the Fargo Marathon in May. My issues from Fargo that I wanted to focus on were: GI problems, dehydration, muscle cramps. I know that some, if not all, of these problems are inter-related.

I read much of the available info from Hammer Nutrition. As a guideline, I decided that 22 oz of water per hour was a good place to start. I didn't drink anywhere near that much at Fargo and I have also read it is not good to drink too much. I bought a hand-held water bottle and have practiced with it three times at Afton and other long runs since May. My plan for the race was to down one hand-held per hour.

Fueling. I determined that any breakfast before a race, especially when I have GU or Hammer Gels while running a race or training run, can upset my stomach. I'm not a fan of finding a porta-potti on short notice so I'm skipping breakfast on race-day and not using any kind of GU or gel during the race. I settled on Sustained Energy (SE) from Hammer. I have a belt that hold two 10 oz bottles. I also have an extra two bottles. I planned to take about 220 calories per hour of SE. Assuming about a 3 hours 25K loop time at Afton, I mixed 3 scoops of SE per bottle. The calories per hour would work out just right if I finished both bottles by the end of a lap. I had anther two bottles (on ice) in my drop bag to swap-out when I finished lap one.

For electrolytes my plan was to take one S-Cap every hour on the dot. I kept to that plan throughout the race. I don't know if this means anything or not but I did not ever see any salt accumulating on my skin or shirt. I think the one S-Cap per hour was just about right.

I felt just OK at the start of the race. About 4 miles in, I had a little pain in my foot. At that point I was wondering about a DNF. I wasn't wearing my new running shoes but wore my old ones with my heel lift in the right shoe. I was questioning that choice of shoes for the day and then told myself the pain was just temporary and things clicked back into place and I was pain free again. I was up in the sun of the Africa loop now. Still I only felt just OK. About mile 8 or 9 I started to feel good. I kept to my plan of 22 oz of water per hour and finishing one of the SE bottle about every 1.5 hours.

At around the 4 hour point in the race I was nearly finished with my 3rd SE bottle. I was becoming more dehydrated and a little hungry and I was dreading one more taste of SE. I was just fine with the SE up to that point. Somewhere around this time I was at my final pass by Aid station 4. I had refilled my bottle a little while earlier from the other side (Aid station 3) and drained it. My thirst had been increasing so I let myself consume more water. My stop at aid station 4 was my first time I had stopped for food. I had 3 orange slices and a big piece of watermelon. Yummy. My stomach wanted to switch over from SE to fruit. I let it.

Now I just needed to make it to the finish. I'm still feeling good. I took a bit more SE up the meatgrinder hill but it didn't taste good. But does SE ever taste good? :-) I stopped at Aid station 5 and filled my water again and ate three more orange slices. I was fishing for encouragement so I told Jeffrey that every step I take is a new PR. He told me I was doing very well and will have a good finishing time. I don't remember what my time was then but I was on track to finish under 6 hours.

I said I felt good since mile 8 or 9. I felt good up to mile 29. Then I got some minor cramping in my quads. I changed my pace a tiny bit and fought with my mind again to make the pain go away. It did just as my foot pain had disappeared 25 miles earlier. I was lucky to just have that minor cramping for only one or two minutes. I steadily worked my way through the last two miles. As I approached the finish, a few runners were passing me and more were stacking up behind me. I let my heart rate go up beyond that soft-limit of 150 I held for the nearly 6 hours and ran as fast as I could towards the finish. I am very pleased with my 5:50 finish.

No major GI, Cramping, or Dehydration problems. This experiment was a success.

A few hours after the race I went to my health club to use a foam roller on my hamstrings and shower. The foam roller was not the best idea at the time. Using it put me on the edge of hamstring cramps. When I tried to get up off the floor from my mat, both hamstrings would cramp and I had to sit down. After a minute or so I tried again, cramped up, and sat down. I just sat there for a few minuted wondering if I was doomed to sit there all day. Maybe I would have to crawl my way to the locker room. :-) I had an idea. I rocked myself up onto my feet in a squatting position and then stood up. Hurray! No cramps.

I can't wait for my next 50K.

--Mark

Saturday...

I hope to meet a few runners on Saturday at the Afton Trail Run(s). There will be at least a couple of dozen runners there that I know about because I read their blogs or I read about them in other people's blogs. There is a pretty good chance that I won't recognize anyone that I haven't already met. Thinking about it, I think after the run will be the time to socialize. I'll be too nervous/excited before the race.

I went on a 45 minute walk with my wife this morning. Tomorrow I'll run just 2 miles with a fellow Afton runner. I'm thinking about goal times for the 50K but if I can just get through it without cramping up it will be awesome.

--Mark

less than a week to the Afton 50K

I'm just on the edge of being ready for the Afton 50K on Saturday. I hope I'm more ready than not ready. I ran the 25K loop out there a few weeks ago with some friends. The lure of Afton was too much for one of the guys to resist so he signed up for the 25K. One of the other guys may sign up too. Looks like there will be a great turnout with 300+ registered for both races at this time.

I'm still staying with my plan to run the 50K. I don't care what my time is. I'll have a really successful race if the hills are the only places I walk.

The rest of the week I'm doing some heavy duty tapering.
--Mark

Motivation

I worked out alone this morning. My plan was to run 3 miles outside and then do some core work at the club. I changed my mind and decided to run a hill on the treadmill. Just one hill. I warmed up for one mile and then set the incline to 15% and the speed to 4.0 mph. I imagined I was running up the long gravel hill after the 10K mark in the Afton race. My practice one mile hill took 15 minutes at that slow speed and my HR was in the 144 to 150 range. I won't run the hills like that in the race.... I'll do more of a run/walk up the hills.

On to motivation. While running my hill I was thinking about my motivation for running. Part of my motivation is that my Mom used to run. She passed away in '96 but years earlier she started running when she was about 50. She ran small-town races and had several age group wins in 15K and 10 mile distance. I didn't run then and I'm not sure if I ever watched my Mom run a race. Those years I was in college or working out of state or down here.

About five years ago I started getting back into shape and lost ~35 pounds. I still was not a runner but worked out quite a bit at the club. A few years later, just before I turned 46, I decided to try running. It was so hard in the beginning and the first 10 minutes of each run was very uncomfortable. There was no doubt what my first race would be. I was going to run a 2-mile race in my hometown. Race day came and I ran a 14:34. At that point in time I had only run outside a total of 20 miles and maybe 50 total miles. I was 2nd in my age group and the guy (Scott) that beat me was someone I knew as a kid. He always wins his age group.

I was determined to beat Scott the next year. I trained as well as I could as a beginning runner and my only goal was to beat Scott. So it was race day again. Scott and his buddies were lined on at the left side of the start, I was on the right. Then off we went. About 1/3 of a mile into the race I passed Scott and he never caught me. I finished in 12:56 which ended up being 1:12 ahead of Scott. Yeah, baby!

I was sitting on a bench during the awards ceremony and there were 2 women sitting on a picnic table behind me. At about the time the 2-mile awards were starting, one woman said to the other "This is where Scott will get up". I was thinking to myself "Wrong, lady. This is where I will get up!" My 7th grade gym teacher called my name and was smiling widely as she handed me my medal. I was proud of myself and knew my Mom would have been proud of me too if she were there. I was very happy to have gotten a 1st place age group finish as she had done years earlier.

That motivation and personal success has continued and today I stretch my goals to longer and longer distances. What I enjoy about running now is being able to train with my friends. I look forward to running with them several times a week, talking about future goals, races, current events, and normal chit-chat. I can't wait to get together with them for a 12-miler on Friday.

--Mark

another nice Afton run

I did an early morning 25K Afton loop this morning with friends. My time was 2:45 which was a few minutes slower than last week but that was due to a few extra stops. So really I ran the loop at essentially the same pace as last Sunday. My heart rate averaged 136 vs Sunday's 144. I think the lower HR today was due mostly to running in lower temperature conditions. Today was my last practice loop at Afton before the race on July 5th. I feel really good right now and feel confident about the 50K.

I skipped breakfast before the run today. I wanted to see if that would help reduce intestinal problems. So far so good. My plan now is to have 2 10oz bottles with a 'Sustained Energy' mixture per loop in the race. I will also carry a 22 oz water bottle and refill as necessary. After the first loop I'll swap out the empty fuel bottles for two full ones (assuming there is a drop area I can do that.)

I trained for, and ran, the Fargo marathon with three friends. Two ran with me today. The third, Kim, ran Grandma's marathon this morning. She smoked it and got an 11 minute PR with a finish in 3:21. Awesome job Kim! When I recover from Afton, and Kim recovers from Grandma's, it will be full speed ahead training for the TC marathon.

Oh yeah. I broke 1000 miles for the year this morning. My previous yearly high was 920 (last year.) I should break 2000 by the end of the year.

woodtick watch: Today I used 3M Ultrathon insect repellent lotion on my legs. At our first stop about 60 minutes into the run I found one woodtick and one deertick crawling on my legs. I don't mind the woodticks but I HATE deer ticks. I had lyme disease about 10 years ago, and take my word for it, it's no fun to have. I assume that several more crawled on my during the run but they must have all dropped off after getting a taste of the repellent.

--Mark

A half-Afton test run

I went out Sunday afternoon to do a practice loop at Afton. This time I planned to keep my heart rate under 150 most of the time so it meant walking up most of the big hills. This strategy worked out very well and I felt good at the end of the 25K loop. Mine was probably 25.3K because I got off on the wrong trails a few times and had to backtrack.

I finished in 2:41 with an average HR of 144. Perfect.

All I know now is that I can have a very successful first loop but I know the second will be more difficult. My legs were somewhat tired near the end of the run yesterday. My plan is that if I can stay well down into the aerobic zone and consume Sustained Energy at a constant rate as well as keep hydrated, I have a chance of completing the 50K without a crash and burn.

I didn't see much wildlife but I did flush a turkey, heard some pheasants, and ran by a deer that just stood about 15 feet away. I also picked-up about 8 friendly woodticks. :-(

--Mark

New shoes

On Friday I had an appointment for a 'gait analysis'. My goal was to find a solution to my foot problems after fast/hard road races or fast treadmill workouts.

I was originally fit into Brooks Adrenaline stability shoes when I first took up running about 3 years ago. For the most part they have been very comfortable and have worked well for me. I am susceptible to hurting my foot, either right or left, near the front of the cuboid bone. The injury usually resolves itself in a few days to a few weeks.

To keep this short, here is what my 'gait analysis' person found: My left leg is 5mm longer than the right, my ankles are strong and my arches are weak. I should be wearing 'neutral' shoes, not 'stability' shoes.

I tried three different shoes and the ones that I had the best form in are Brooks Glycerin. So, I'm wearing the new Brooks shoes with 'green' Superfeet insoles and a 5mm lift under my right heel. This appointment took almost 40 minutes and she didn't cut corners and made sure I was in what she thought was the best setup for me.

I can expect to be a little sore for a few weeks and then I should feel great in the shoes in about 6 weeks. I'm interested to see how this goes.

edit: I had my Gait Analysis done by Wendi at Gear West. See http://www.gearwest.com/gait-analysis-pg-14.html for more information.

--Mark

heart rates and other things

In my previous posting I stated I thought my average marathon HR should be 160. Steve's comment made me do a little more investigating and I went back to a website (runningtools.com) calculator I found months ago. You can enter your AT or max HR and it gives you HR averages for different race distances. I entered in 167 for my AT and 182 for my max and it gave me marathon HRs of 155 and 154, respectively.

This morning my regular running partners and I went out for a 9.3 mile run. Another one of our friends joined us for the first three miles. He pulled us along a little faster than we really wanted to go but I didn't say anything because his shirt had the phrase: Shut up and run. :-) After 3 miles he left us and we just kept the pace going. We finished the 9.3 in 1:09:12 or a 7:26 average pace. A new loop record for us. I'm not very 'pace aware' so I was thinking that this run better be at 8:00 or better or I have no chance in my next marathon. I have lost some confidence in my ability since my Fargo experience. Well, we had great running weather this morning with temps in the mid-50s and cloudy skies. My average HR was 144 for the run so this was a great confidence booster today.

So now my plan for Afton is to try to run/walk with a HR in the mid/lower 150s. At this moment I think it will give me my best chance for success (finishing just as I run out of energy).

My plan for the rest of the week:
Thursday - run 6.2
Friday - run 12
Saturday - rest
Sunday - run a loop at Afton in the afternoon heat!

--Mark

A little heat and hill training

I have to prepare for Afton and had some time yesterday afternoon to go for a run from home. My goals were to keep my heart rate in the range of 150 to 160. There are several long hills on my planned route and I was going to walk up them if my HR got to 160.

It was 80 degrees and humid so the weather was perfect for my training. I mixed up a hand-held with HEED and took off. My first couple miles were under 7:00's and my HR did get up to 165 but there were a few runners on the path for me to pass. :-) After that I settled into a nice pace, keeping my HR under 160.

Why 160? I was reading that for a marathon your HR should average 5 beats under your half marathon average. I blew it in Fargo by having my HR in the low 170's for several miles. The only half marathon that I have ever 'raced' was one year ago. My average HR there was 163 and I know I'm in better shape now so I picked 160 as something I can average for hours. That's what I'll do in Afton in three weeks and that also my average HR from Afton last year (160).

So what happened is that if my HR reached 160 up a hill, I'd walk until it was back down to 152 and then I'd take off again. I ended up walking about 10 times. My average HR was 157 and my average pace was 8:17 for 7.7 miles in the heat.

I hope to finish the Afton 50K. If I do finish, I will be happy with anything under 6 hours.

--Mark

Nice Saturday run at Afton

I ran at Afton this morning with an acquaintance from my health club and a friend of his. We ran the loop which is the Afton 25K trail race. I highly recommend running in Afton a few times before running the July 25K or 50K... unless you like surprises (Hills). I trained out there a few times last year as well as running the 25K race so I knew what I was in for.

We ran fairly hard, for me, and about the 9.7 mile point I had to drop back and run easier. I took the last 5.8 miles really easy and probably finished 20 minutes after the others.

It was nice to be out in nature today. I didn't see any deer but heard turkeys and possibly pheasants, and saw numerous beautiful flowers.

I also practiced a different nutrition plan using Hammer Nutrition's Sustained Energy (SE) product. Three hours before our run was to start, I had 3 scoops of SE in 12 oz water. Then I drank about 30 oz water over the next three hours. During the run, I carried 2 - 10.5 oz water bottles on a belt and a 22 oz hand-held bottle. I used 2 scoops of SE in the 22 oz, and one scoop each in the small bottles. I drank the mixture at an even rate over the run but did have a few drinks of water at our water stops. At least today, I had NO intestinal problems and I felt like my energy level was even the entire run apart from the fact I was running with two guys that have a faster natural pace than mine. I'll be trying the SE again on Friday's 20+ mile long run.

--Mark

My Fargo marathon finish

I think I looked OK at the finish. Too bad it took me way more than an hour to recover enough to run like that. :-)

--Mark

Recovering nicely

I took Sunday off, walked yesterday and today. My hamstrings still hurt, but only a little. Sure, I ran hard in the marathon for about 2 1/2 hours, but as soon as some cramping hit me, I went into 'save my body' mode. For the last 6+ miles of the race, I walked until I wanted to jog and then jogged until I felt I needed to walk. I didn't push my legs hard during that final 10K. I'll run 6 miles easy with my running partners on Friday. We'll ease back into training as our bodies allow.

Next for me is the Afton 50K. I'll be training with the Hammer Nutrition products for Afton as they have Heed on the course. Last year at Afton was the first time I had ever heard of Heed. I didn't dare touch it then but I will this year.

edit: During the Fargo marathon I got huge blood blisters on both of my toes that are next to my big toes. The toenail was very loose on one. I wonder how long that will take to fall off? (answer: 4 days) That will be (was) a first for me.

--Mark

Fargo Marathon 2008

It was yesterday! Done. Finished.

There are two words that come to mind: Pride and Disappointment.

My goal was 3:27:00. I ran with my training partners Jim, Kim, and Karl up until near mile 19. My intestines started acting up and shortly after, my legs were cramping. Not bad cramps, but enough to slow me down to a walk. Come to think of it, I guess that makes them bad. :-)

The people along the course were great. I got extra water from tables that were set up along the way and I got some yummy orange slices when I needed them the most.

I had a really good time running the race and being with my friends before and after. Even my family came with me to this race. A first. They loved it too.

I put some notes in the table below and it's clear to me I became dehydrated fairly early in the race. I had trained all winter in St. Paul, MN and the only thing to worry about then is staying warm enough. Fargo was a little to warm for me. The race starting temp was around 53 degrees but with the sun shining brightly I was sweating buckets just a few miles into the race. The temps must have been in the upper 60's by the time I finished.

My anaerobic threshold (AT) is in the area of 167 or 168 beats per min. I hit that average during mile 11 and then ran above it for almost 9 miles or 70 minutes. So maybe my AT is more than 168. In any case, I was heading for trouble. I noted some areas in red in the table below where my pace was wrong or HR was too high before my crash.

Kim and Karl drank water and Powerade and came the closest of my training group to hitting our time goal. I'll be working on hydration planning this summer.

This race has been a great learning experience and I wouldn't trade my last 6 months of training with my friends for anything.

--Mark

Mile by Mile details...

Mile	Plan	Pace	Ave HR	Observations
1	8:13	8:15	141	Great 1st mile pace
2	8:13	8:10	148	Accidentally shut off my HRM after mile 2. UGH!
3	8:08	7:32	-
4	8:03	7:45	155	Turned on HRM at start of mile 4.
5	7:54	7:49	156
6	7:49	7:55	160
7	7:44	7:43	161
8	7:44	7:52	164
9	7:39	7:34	164
10	7:39	7:47	166	Anaerobic threshold is 167/168. About to enter the danger zone.
11	7:39	7:42	168
12	7:39	7:49	169
13	7:39	7:47	171
14	7:44	7:45	172
15	7:44	7:56	172
16	7:44	8:02	173
17	7:44	8:08	173
18	7:44	8:24	173	Ran a great race to plan through mile 18. Average pace of 7:53 vs goal pace of 7:54.
19	7:44	11:30	172	Needed an emergency bathroom stop just before mile 19. Thank goodness for the porta-potties. Jim offered to wait - I told him to go. That was the last I would see of my three running partners. I wasted 3 minutes so all my cushion time was now gone. I had to run 8:00's from here on out to qualify for Boston.
20	7:44	14:10	156	My quads started to cramp and then my calves. Knew that a BQ was out of the question. I walked the bridge from MN to ND. Ugh.
21	7:49	16:14	135	Dehydration had started early in the race although I didn't realize it until much later. It was about mile 15 or 16 that I notice my HR was too high.
22	8:08	15:36	129	All these miles (20-25+) were walk/jog. I saw walked by two women walking the half marathon. They were chatting on a cell phone for a few minutes. I almost asked them to borrow it so I could call my wife and tell her I was going to be late.
23	8:08	13:27	136	I was being passed by pace group after pace group.
24	8:08	15:10	132
25	8:22	12:30	135	I was beginning to recover some here
26.2	8:27	10:04	154	Of this 1.2 miles, I ran the last mile. I finished! 4:12:40.