Chicago Lakefront 50K Race Report

31 miles, 4:52

I arrived in Chicago early Saturday morning and caught a few z's in my car waiting for everyone to show up. About 30 minutes before the race was scheduled to start I went up to the tent to pick up my bib. It turns out I was at the starting line for a local 5k that was going on at the same time, uh oh! I had less than half an hour to find out where the 50k was starting an pick up my packet. Luckily the start was only about a half mile away so I made it in plenty of time. I have been battling some nagging injuries this week and up until the start I was undecided as to whether I would run the race. About 5 minutes before the start I took a jog around the parking lot, foot pain was gone, pain on the outside of my lower leg was gone, pain on the inside of my lower leg was still there but not to bad, so I decided to go for it. The race consisted of a 10.3 mile out and back repeated three times along lake Michigan. the course was mostly crushed gravel on the bike path in Lincoln Park. It was very flat. I had never run a paved 50k before so I was anticipating a PR, which is what I got. Beating my old pr by more than an hour. The first out and back was pretty uneventful and smooth. I finished in a time of 1:35. The second time around the course my legs began to tighten. I haven't done much road work lately and I was pushing the pace so the tightness was to be expected. I finished the second lap in 3:08 for a lap time of 1:33. The third lap the legs began to tighten a little more but I could smell the finish and continued to push on. I had to stop at a port-a-potty at the final turn around which really hurt my third lap time (about 5 minutes.) I was able to cross the finish line in 4:52 for a third lap time of 1:44. I was happy with my splits as they were pretty consistent. Going into the race I thought I could hold a 10 minute mile pace and wasn't really sure how much faster than that I could go. my pace ended up being 9:25 per mile which I am happy with considering that is faster than the pace in my marathon PR. I hope to be under 9:00 pace for the marathon in the near future.

Kim is running through the night right now at Umstead!! I am sure she is doing awsome! Go Kim!

Another rest day. 9 miles on the bike at the gym. I don't know if I will be able to race this weekend. I am just going to show up and see what happens. It wont be that big of a deal if I can't, its just a training run.

I am going to take the rest of the week off from running and hope my little injuries heal for the 50k this weekend. After this weekend I am going that start increasing my mileage in a more conservative pattern. I will start at 65 MPW and go up 10% a week until I reach 90. Then I will stay there for about a month and then taper for Mo. I think the injuries I have been getting are due to increasing mileage in a sporadic fashion.

Today I went to the gym and biked 10 miles. and used the elliptical machine for about 10 minutes. I hate gym equipment. There is something about doing a lot of work but staying in the same spot that I don't like.

no running today. I have this pain on the bottom of my foot. I am thinking (hoping) it is just a bruise and will heal enough to be able to run in a day or so. I wanted to get another 80+ miles this week but that isn't going to happen now. I hope to set a PR at the Chicago Lakefront 50K this weekend. It is supposed to be a very flat course.

1 mile, 15 minutes

I went to the gym after my night class today. My legs were definitely feeling my fun filled weekend. My thinking is that the advantages of pushing through both races this weekend will far outweigh what little extra recovery time my body will require. I could only manage a half mile run followed by a half mile walk. After that I biked easy for 7 miles and 20 minutes. It was nice to see the guy right beside me riding with the same Resistance level at a slower RPM with a HR about 45 BPM higher than mine...the many advantages of an endurance athlete.

Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any

-Anthony Bailey

Ohio River Road Runners Club Marathon Race Report

4:10

Before I went to bed Saturday night I gave my body a once over and thought about what I should expect when I wake up Sunday morning for the marathon. My ankle right ankle was swollen. It swells up after every race and usually goes down after the first night so I wasn’t to concerned. The bottoms of my feet hurt like hell from running on rocks all day and I was feeling a little sore. Other than that I was good to go for the morning. I woke up and the swelling in my ankle had gone down as expected, but I was still sore and the bottoms of my feet still hurt. I made the 45 min drive to the race (much better than the 7 hours of the day before) and made my way to the packet pickup where I was informed that part of the course was underwater so there were changes made and the race was delayed 1 hours. I was happy because I could really use the extra hour to get ready and it’s not like I had even glanced at the course map, so I had no idea where I was going in the first place. I caught a few extra z’s in my car then got up and started to stretch out. I didn’t have any sorness that would prohibit my stride but I had a fierce pain in my left arch. I went on top of a grassy hill and began to trout for the first time since yesterdays race. It was a painful process, and with 30 minutes to the race start I was beginning to wonder what the hell I was thinking signing up for to races on back to back days. By the time the gun sounded I had no idea whether I would even be able to run at all, but as others started off I followed suite. It actually felt really good…….for the first 100 yards then my legs started screaming at me, they weren’t sore, just tired. This went on for the first 3 miles and I began formulating a run walk strategy that would get me across the finish line sometime before sundown. I decided I would run the first 6 miles and go from there. So I told my legs to shut up and keep moving. They did so, but weren’t happy about it. We are currently not on speaking terms. When the turnaround point came I was feeling a lot better and decided to keep running. I made my way passed fellow runners who had passed me on the way out. This course was a 13.1 mile out and back course which was repeated 2 times (Although with the course change apparently the course came up short, the RD is going to calculate the exact distance this week and post it on the website). The course was mostly on bike paths with some road and sidewalk. I came to the halfway point on pace to break 4 hours which was surprising because my PR is 4:18 (although I haven’t tapered for a marathon since my first one last may) and I was feeling less than great. By the time a reached the last turnaround point at mile 20 my legs were really feeling yesterdays hilly 50k and I just couldn’t keep running. I walked for about ¾ of a mile, and again contemplated a run walk strategy. While walking, every muscle in my leg began to cramp and starting to run again was a difficult process, but once I did I felt somewhat refreshed and decided I could finish out the race in a strong fashion. I ran the final 5 miles in a sub 9 min pace, passing all of the runners that passed me during my walk, and a few more. I came across the finish line in 4:10 which is a new PR (although I am not going to count it as a PR because I probably only ran about 25 miles.) Not bad for a tired, cranky set of legs.

These back to back runs were a VERY difficult but rewarding experience. I am glad that I was still able to run strong after such a difficult race on Saturday. After the race I met up with a guy I had finished with in my first 50k last year, he is and RD for some other runs put on by ORRRC. We were talking about or running and I told him how I did these back to back runs as training for Mohican. It turns out that he was the pacer at Mo last year for Linda Barhorst (course record holder at Stone Steps 50K in Mt. Airy Forest.) He said that if he didn’t have anything planned for that weekend and I needed a pacer (which I REALY do) He would pace me. He is a veteran ultrarunner and would be a HUGE asset to get me through the night. I will E-mail him a little later to see if you will be able to do it.

Weekly Milage: 89 Miles

Bel Monte 50k Race Report

31.4 miles, 6:28

My legs tell me this is a pretty accurate course profile

I left for Virginia right from the office at 7PM on Friday night. With a dinner stop at Fazzoli’s and a 2 hour nap break at a rest stop I arrived at Sherando Lake Recreation Area (Just a few miles from Shenandoah National Forest) around 5AM. The park didn’t open until 6 so I slept for another 1.5 hours then made my way to the race check in, just down the road. The Race started on top of an earth dam, where we all gathered at 6:45 for a humorus speech by the RD about the course directions (apparently we were a much brighter group of runners than in years past.) At 7AM the race started with a “Ready…Go!” and just like that were began our journey. The first 7 Miles were a brutal climb to the top of a peak. The climb started about a ¼ mile into the run which means big traffic jam. Know you would think this is something a trail runner would be used to, but not the woman running behind me. Spent the first 2 miles of the race (until a sped up to get away from her ranting) complaining about how “I have never seen anything like this!” and “This isn’t good people, we need to get it moving!” I was pretty amused by it, but the guy in front of me wasn’t, and flashed her frequent dirty looks, which amused me even more. The climb went pretty smooth and at the top was the second aid station. I refilled my bottle and eat a lot, as the next aid station was at the bottom of the mountain around 6 miles and 1500 feet below. I made up a lot of time on the down hill (my strongest area) but the rocky terrain of the course was really getting to me. I had never run in the Blue Ridge Mountains before and didn’t know what to expect. What I got was by far the rockiest (Word??) and most technical trails I have ever seen. There were several straight-aways that weren’t even runable with huge boulders making up the trail. I made it to the bottom and to the aid station at mile 13 in 2:50 which was a pretty good clip considering the crazy climb. The next section was 3.5 miles on a paved road. I was able to get into a nice grove here and covered the road in a pace just under 10 min miles. The next aid station was at mile 16. This is where the next climb begins and there wouldn’t be another aid station for 7 miles. I was feeling pretty good at this point and kept motoring along. Miles 16-22 were a very mellow climb (at least compared to the rest of the course) then at mile 22 we started a climb that would take us to the same elevation as the first 7 miles, excepted this time it was compacted into a single mile. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was actually glad when it came up because I was tired of running through all of those rocks! I made it to the top of the hill and the fourth aid station still feeling really good. From here in it was “All down hill” which was true for the most part. I was excited to get back to the down hill section and make up more time because I was already on a really good pace, but the next 5 miles were the most frustrating 5 miles I have ever run. The down hills came and I was ready to cut loose, but the rocks just wouldn’t go away. I had to be very cautious, as one wrong move could wreck my ankle, and I still had a marathon to run the next day. I did the best I could skipping across the rocks and eventually reached the bottom, and the final aid station. Most of the remaining 2.7 miles were on the roads, which always seemed to bit me when I am doing ultras. I maintained a steady pace and finished feeling strong in a time of 6:28. They haven’t posted the results yet, but I am pretty sure a finished somewhere in the top half. I was very pleased with this time. With 6300 feet of climbing this one of the hardest 50k’s I have done (Second only to LLTH). It was also one of the most beautiful courses. The climbs were rough but the views of the streams along the way and the far reaching views from the peaks were stunning. I was very happy to beat my time from LLTH. As I was sitting around munching on some food in the picnic shelter after the race I looked to my left and saw David Horton! He lives in the area and was helping with the race. I was too much in awe to introduce my self, so instead I watched him from a distance and eavesdropped on his conversations. Some one said to him “Hey David, did you run the race today?” To which he replied “No, I heard it was going to be hard so I didn’t do it.” Pretty humorous coming from a guy who has won the Hardrock hundred miler along with numerous other ultrarunning accomplishments. After about an hour I packed up at 3PM and started the drive home, the LONG drive home. I stopped once to sleep for 1.5 hours and stopped a few times for gas and snacks, trying to refuel my body so I would be able to run the marathon on Sunday. I made it back a little past midnight and hit the sack. One down one to go.

Leaving for Virginia in about 4 hours. Should get there around around 3am, race starts at 7. I should finish by 2 or 3 (Very hilly course) and should be home around midnight on saturday, then wake up and go to dayton sunday morning for the marathon, I think it starts at 6 or 8. Should be a fun couple of days.

5 miles, Trails, 12:30 pace

explored some new trails today, which ultimately led to me getting lost. Ironically I got lost by following the same "Trail" (empty creek bed) that caused me to get lost on the 50k on these same trails back in October. I found a map of the forest online today, so hopefully I will be able to explore a few more trails soon.

"It never always gets worse."

7 Miles, Trails, 9:30 pace

It was a beautiful day, 75 degrees. there were a lot of people out in the park. I was able to get my run in before it got dark. my legs were feeling pretty heavy. Nice day. Good run.

"I can't do anything well, but I can do it for a long time." Mentality of an ultrarunner

Transcending the seasons

10 miles, trail, 9:00 pace

Spring began tonight at 8:07 PM. I started my run in winter (8:00pm) and ended it in spring (9:30 PM). I went to Mt. Airy forest again tonight for a little bit of night running. Besides my first 50K (which started in the dark) I had no experience running in the dark. It certainly presents its challenges, but with a good light running in the dark can be quite fun. The weather was also really nice tonight. There is something so nice about running in shorts, without needing tights underneath. Feeling the breeze on my legs just makes me feel lighter and faster. Since resuming training after my 50 miler, my legs have never felt better. The deer were out in full force tonight. At night they like to hangout by the picnic areas because they know no one will be around to bother them (except crazy runners like me) and I hear the picnic area grass is primo blend. I saw around 10 deer, and a few pair of unidentified glowing eyes in the forest.

I have been trying to decide whether or not I want to drive to Virginia this weekend for the Bel Monte 50K on Saturday or stay home and run the ORRRC Marathon on Sunday. I have decided to eliminate the decision and run them both. I will just treat it like back to back long runs. As you can see from the countdown at the top of my page Mohican is not to far away, its time to clamp down, and it’s a good way to raise my race count, and get a new state (Virginia). If I am able to complete both of these races this weekend (fingers crossed) that will be number 6 and 7 for the year. I am on my way to the goal of 25 marathons/ultras this year, and 100 by age 24.

"Running, one might say is an absurd past time in which we exhaust ourselves. But if you can find meaning in the kind of running you need to do to stay on this team, you might find meaning in another absurd pastime. LIFE" Bill Bowerman, Without Limits

10 miles, 9:30 pace

I took the day off work today so I wasn't about to let the rain force me to sit around all day or go to the gym. I went back to Mt. Airy Forest and got in 10 miles on the trails in the pouring rain. The rain gave me the opportunity to test out my North Face Hyvent rain shell, it worked very well.

21 miles, 4:09, 11:51 pace

I went to Mt. Airy forest today to get in some quality trail running. Ohio River Road Runners Club hosts a 50k at Mr. Airy in the fall, the trails are very nice, and challenging. The 50k last October was the first time I had run there, and since I have gone back a hand full of times, as it is only about 20 minutes from my apartment. I haven't been able to find the exact course that was used for the race (one 8 mile loop and one 5 mile loop). I went there today with the purpose of finding the 5 mile loop. I was successful in finding most of the loop and repeated it 4 times. It was a nice sunny day, and there were a lot of deer enjoying it, as I was. As I was making my first loop around the trail, as I approached a foot bridge crossing a creek I looked across the bridge to a grassy knowl. There were 14 deer just standing around eating the grass. That was by far the most deer I have ever seen at one time (I wish I would have been running with Photographer Mike, I am sure he would have gotten some great photos.) They kept a close eye on me as I stood there observing them. After about 10 minutes of watching them I made my attempt to pass (as a few of them were right in the middle of the trail). Some of them scurried off while others stayed. Each of the remaining 3 times I passed this area the number went down, on the fourth pass there were 2 deer remaining. Many people will drive through the park and look at the few deer they can see from their cars, if they only knew what they could see with a little more effort. My run was really great today once I made my first pass through the loop and figured out where I was going I was able to cruise the last three loops at around a 9:30 pace. My calves were very sore from my run with the Vibrams yesterday but they loosened up. I am going to utilize Mt. Airy forest a lot more, as the weather gets better and I further prepare for Mohican. The technical hilly terrain should be great training.

Weekly mileage: 33 Miles

"The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat."
- Bill Squires

2 miles, 7:30 pace


I continued my experiment with the Vibrams today. I have decided that for the time being I will only run 2 miles at a time with the Vibrams until my calves strengthen. I really love these shoes. If you are having trouble with your knee or hip joints and you want to learn to run with a ball-heel foot strike as apposed to a heel-ball, get a pair of Vibrams and run a steep paved down hill. after a few yards the painful pounding of your heels will force you to land ball first. Landing on the ball first makes the calf absorb the shock instead of your knee and hip joints. It will take a while for my calves to build up to the point where I can run all the time with a ball first foot strike, but it will be worth it.

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, dont' worry you will get over it."
Gene Thibeault

2 miles, 7:15 pace

I didn't have much time to run today but I did get in one strong 2 mile loop around campus at my Boston qualifier pace. I still haven't figured out how I will ever keep that up for 26.2 miles, but that's a goal for a later date. I have bigger fish to fry right now, 100 of them to be exact.


"The marathon is my only girlfriend. I give her everything I have."
-Toshihiko Seko

8 miles, 8:30 pace

I was finally able to get back to running today. It with tapering and recovering this was the first time in almost 3 weeks that I was able to get in a good training run. I did the 2 mile loop around campus, but alternated my pace each loop. I ran the first loop with a 7:30 pace, the second loop with a 9:30 pace, went back to 7:30's for the third loop then 9:30's for the fourth. I was originally planning to do one more loop at 7:30's to get an even 10 miles, but this was the first time I had done a workout like this and my quads were pretty tired so I just stopped at 8. My legs felt great today, not at all sluggish from the 50 miler. Besides the sprained ankle the recovery from the 50 miler was no problem at all.

"I like to tell people that at one point in the Boston Marathon, I was within 200 yards of the Kenyans... then they fired the starting pistol." Robert Key Faithfulsoles.com

It was such a nice day today. it hit 80 degrees! Too bad I am still resting my ankle. It feels much better today. I can finally walk normal, without getting the "What happened to you?" question. Results from the race are posted, check them out here. 47 finishers out of 82 registered for the 50 miler.

I still feel like a walking zombie from the race. I think I need to eat more, or drink more, or sleep more, or all of the above. My legs feel pretty good. I could probably start running again today if I wasn't so damn tired and my ankle didn't look like it swallowed an orange. I probably wont start running again until Thursday. That will give my ankle some time to heal, and maybe I will study for my finals that I have this week...there is a first time for everything.



"Train hard, win easy."
-The Kenyan Way

Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler Race Report

50 miles, 10:31

What a race! Not much went as planned, but that is to be expected when it comes to ultrarunning. I drove down to Grand Rivers Friday night and stayed with a great group of fellow runners from Illinois. I woke up at 4:15 Saturday morning so I would have plenty of time to get to the race and pick up my packet. After picking up my packet and getting ready I made my way to the start line where I ran into Rob and Tom. After about 10 minutes it was time to start what was sure to be a long day. The race starts off running down a road for 1.7 miles then dives into the 11.3 mile loop which was completed 4 times for the 50 miler. With some solid advice from Rob I started off a little faster than I would have to avoid the back up when every started into the trail. The only problem was I didn’t slow down once I got into the trail. The first 6 miles of the loop were pretty flat and the last 5 had consistent hills, but nothing really big. I cruised through the first loop with little effort (running up some inclines that I should have walked!) I came out of the first loop at a time of 2:20, which was 16 minutes faster than my goal time. It was difficult trying to slow down, but it wouldn’t be long until it wasn’t hard at all. About half way through the second loop I could tell that the Trail Gnomes had come out. What are Trail Gnomes you ask? They are trail dwelling creatures that live along trails where loop ultras take place. These Gnomes wait until you run your first loop, then with their little Gnomes shovels, they build up the hills so they are much harder to run your next loop. Some people just think your legs get tired, I prefer the Gnomes story. I had my first rough patch at mile 16. One big mistake I made was forgetting my handheld water bottle. When I first started running ultras my hip and knee joints would start to lock up around mile 16-20. Ever since I started using my handheld that hasn’t happened, and I forget it for my toughest race (errrr)! I wasn’t able to get enough water from the aid stations, and started to get dehydrated. As soon as I noticed this I made sure take extra water at the next aid station. It took a few miles for it to kick in and I started feeling good again by mile 20. I came through my second loop 20 minutes ahead of my goal time, but it wasn’t long until the dehydration started to hit me again. The third loop was running with often walking breaks. I took a pretty nice spill some where along the trail, I can’t really remember which loop, and by the third loop the sprained ankle that I suffered back in the first loop (don’t know exactly when) was starting to bother me. I didn’t really notice until someone asked me if my leg was ok. I guess that is one good thing about running ultras, there are so many different pains it is hard to focus on one thing. I paid close attention to getting enough fluids on the third loop, and by the end of it I was felling pretty good again. When I came to the end of the loop I was 1 minute ahead of my goal time, and feeling really good. Of course this is when I made another big time mistake. By this point in the race (Mile 35) I had lost my appetite so I though I could cover the last 15 miles with no food, WRONG! I didn’t take any food starting the fourth loop, or the first aid station into the loop. By mile 39 I was absolutely dead. I could hardly even walk. It was three VERY SLOW miles to the next aid station where I sat in a chair for 10 minutes eating everything I saw. Then I started off very slowly waiting for the food to kick in. At this point I knew my chances of sub 10 hours were blown, and if the food that I ate didn’t kick in I wouldn’t finish under the 11 hour cut off. Luckily the food kicked in at mile 45 and the last 5 miles were some of my fastest since the first loop. When I came out of the final loop I asked for the time (I wasn’t wearing a watch.) I had about an hour for the last 3.5 miles, all on the road. I was relieved because I knew I would make the cut off. I ran up the hill to the turn around point (.75 miles) then back down (where I saw Tom close behind me) the last 2.75 miles to the finish. The last 200 yards I felt like I was going 100 MPH, its funny how your legs come back when you see the finish line. I crossed the finish line and got my first buckle. Rob was waiting there, as he had finished nearly 2 hours before! We watch Tom finish and we took pictures at the finish line. I was pretty tired, but didn’t feel much worse than after a 50K. I wasn’t disappointed for not reaching my goal time. I knew it had nothing to do with my training, in fact that was the only reason I finished at all. My muscles and cardio felt fine throughout the race, It was the fluid and food intake that held me back. Over all I was so happy just to finish, and I will take the lessons I have learned with me for future races. It took me 16 ½ hours to make the 5 hour drive home (I had to stop three times to sleep) the drive was almost as grueling as the race. My sprained ankle is pretty swollen right now, it might take me out of action for a few days but it’s a minor injury. I am glad I have my first 50 under my belt. I felt like a fraud having only run 50k’s. Now I can call myself a real ultrarunner.

Weekly mileage: 52

Splits

These are my goal splits for LBL

road to canal loop(1.7 miles) :20
After first loop (13 miles) 2:36
After second loop (24.3 miles) 4:51
After third loop (35.6 miles) 7:07
After fourth loop (46.9 miles) 9:22
Final strech to the finish (50 miles) 9:58:12

Looks good on paper. Time to put it to practice.

"The only way I would fail is if I didn't come out and try" Mike Keller! (Endurance 50)

Updated weather for LBL: high of 63 w/ showers.

Good Luck to Rob! I'll see you saturday morning, my friend!

my leg is feeling good.

wow, I really just spent the last hour figuring out how to put that picture in my header (thanks Kim and Mike!)......I need to go to bed.

Just got home from a rough 15 hour day at the office, which gives me enough time to sleep and do it all over again tomorrow. Our big event is tomorrow evening so hopefully things will settle down a bit after that.

Kim told me I need to post my goals for LBL, not wanting to get on her bad side, here they are!

1.) Finish my first 50 miler
2.)Qualify for western states by breaking 11 hours (which is the cut off time for this race)
3.) 9:58:12 is what I think I am capable of running, but I really don't know (don't ask me how I came up with that exact number!)


"I wish I could share the views I've seen."
-David Horton

I aggravated my leg yesterday wrestling around with my old man (he started it!) But it was probably better to find out that it still isn't 100 percent. I am not planning on running anymore until Saturday in hopes that It will be fully recovered. It is supposed to be 64 in Grand Rivers for the race!!!!!

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"
- Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner

5 miles, 7:12 pace

felt pretty good again today. My leg still feels a little wobbly but it doesn't hurt. I kept up a pretty good pace to give it a good test. Now if I could only keep up that pace for 21.2 more miles I could qualify for boston. I think I'll just wait until I turn 70, I can break 5 hours.

"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" -David Horton

2 miles, 7:30 pace

I had a pretty good run today. I still have discomfort in my shin ( but I wouldn't call it pain.) It didn't effect my stride. I am going to go a little long tomorrow as long as my leg doesn't hurt tomorrow morning when I wake up.

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or hump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
- Sir Roger Bannister

I am going to go out for a couple miles tomorrow and see how my leg is feeling.


"There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory."

More Ice. still hurting. very impatient. Days off suck. could be worse.



"Life is short... running makes it seem longer."
Baron Hansen