Speed Work

10 miles total

2 mile warm up: 8:47 pace
1 mile: 7:50
1 mile: 7:13
800m: 6:49 pace
800m: 6:23 pace
800m: 6:27 pace
800m: 5:53 pace
2 mile cool down: 8:29 pace
2 miles of walking in between repeats

This speed work session was missing one key element, SPEED. Any soreness that I had left over from Sunday was gone today. My legs are still tired. As you can see from my splits, my legs got stronger as the workout went on today which was surprising but welcomed. My recovery is going well. I should be close to normal by tomorrow.

2 miles, 10:30 pace

I wanted to do a 10 mile recovery run today, but as I started running I realized there was no pace slow enough to make 10 miles feel like recovery today. I have very little soreness but my muscle are feeling yesterdays effort. all things considered I feel really good for one day after a PR. I hope to be recovered enough by tomorrow to do a speed work session. I only have a few weeks left to improve my chances of finishing Mohican. I better get to it.

Flying Pig Marathon - Race Report

Oh the difference a year can make.

The Flying Pig is a special race for me because it marks my one year anniversary of this crazy running world I have become a part of. It was fun to run the race this year and remember all of the spots that kicked my ass last year. Mile 15, the 1 mile section of Columbia Parkway at mile 18, the “hill” (if you can even call it that) at mile 19. When I came across the finish line in 2006 I felt like I couldn’t walk another step, and I didn’t. I stood there with my hands on my knees, throbbing with pain as my vision slowly faded in and out. Then after sitting for a long time I hobbled sloooowly back to my car. Not this year. I don’t believe in “The Wall” but if it does exit I didn’t hit it today. My legs grew wary as the day went on but I was able to keep a constant pace throughout.

And now the report…

Kim arrived Saturday just after 2:00. We went right to the expo to pick up our race packets and spent some time looking around. Then we came back home and watched the Kentucky Derby. Not because either of us cared about it but because we had been watching the pre show for the past 2 hours so we felt obligated to watch the actual race. After that we ate dinner then watch Access Hollywood, which featured a compelling story about David Arquette’s transvestite sibling. Then we watched some of the Reds game while I tried explaining to my mom on the phone that wearing my race t-shirt to the race tomorrow would be a big running fashion no-no. She wasn’t aware that there were rules about that kind of thing, “Yes mom, there are rules.”

After that riveting evening we went to bed early to rest up for our big day. We woke up at 4:15, ate and got ready. We both didn’t really know what to do with ourselves. There was really no preparation to take care of, no drop bags, extra socks, shoes, food. After all we were only running a marathon! After sticking it to the man at McDonalds we went over to UDF to get Kim’s coffee and made our way downtown for the start. We were supposed to meet Rob at 6:00 by the baggage busses but we were running late and by the time we got there, about 6:15 Rob was intelligent enough to make his way to the starting carrel, Unfortunately, I wasn’t. I wanted until 6:28 to line up. By that time it was so backed up there was no way of making it to the 3:50 pace group, which was my goal finishing time.

The gun went off and 3+ minutes later I crossed the starting mat. I was way behind the 3:50 group by this point and was doing my best to dodge through traffic and find an open area to get in a steady pace. I was worried how much all the bobbing and weaving I had to do early on would affect me later on but I didn’t see any other way. After we crossed back into Ohio around mile 6 the crowds thinned out and I was able to set a pace. This is around where the hills begin. Being as far back as I was I didn’t have the luxury of take it easy on the hills, nor did I need to. I used my ultrarunner quads to power up these little marathon hills. After mile 9, where the main climb ended, I was feeling pretty good but was wondering where the heck the 3:50 group was. I was running an 8:30 pace and knew they couldn’t be to far ahead.

Then, finally, at mile ten I caught up. I was relieved because I would finally be able to settle in and stop playing catch up. After a couple miles with them I thought to my self “self, you have been running 8:30 per mile the whole race, you feel pretty good, why slow down now?” So I speed back up to my 8:30 pace and continued cruising. I chuckled on the inside when I reached mile 15 and remembered how I felt at this point last year. This is when I started getting confident in my ability to maintain this pace throughout the race. My previous PR was 4:18 and I don’t do much training under a 9:00 pace, so I didn’t know what I could do for 26.2 miles on the road. Then I hit the stretch of desolate highway on Columbia Parkway. Last year I think we ran 30 out of the 26 miles on this stretch and it was all up hill, this year it was only 1 mile and it was down hill. Amazing how that works. Coming off the parkway we got a bit of a boost from the crowds after being away from them for a few miles.

When I hit mile 20 I knew I was good to go. I remembered last year being in the 4:30 pace group and the leader told us at the start of the race “you run the first 10 miles with your legs, the second 10 with your mind and the last 6 with your heart.” It was a nice saying and it came in real handy last year. My legs were definitely feeling the pace, but I knew I had enough to bring it home. At mile 24 I caught up with a couple guys in there late 50’s. They were starting to speed up, feeling the finish. Somehow ultrarunning came up and I told them about my adventures, and how I was training for Mohican in June. After that they started to drift away and one made the comment “You think you’re in shape, then you get this guy whose trying to run 100 miles!” That made me laugh, and the finish line was now about a mile away, so I picked up the pace. I was probably doing about 7:30 pace for the last mile then with about .25 to go I made my sprinting attack to move up as many places as possible in the overall finishers list. I think I caught about 10 people in the last ½ mile. I crossed the line, a final time of 3:43:26, 8:31 per mile, no huffing and puffing, no hands on the knees “I better sit down or I might fall down” , no blackouts, just a nice finish, and a year of running in the books, I’ll be back….hopefully for a BQ.

5 miles, 8:45 pace

I went to the Lunken bike path to do a 5 mile loop. The place was deserted aside from the occasional biker or rollerblader. I guess all of the responsible runners are tapering for the Pig, suckers. I felt good today, my legs are still a little heavy from Wednesday's speed workout but they should be OK by Sunday.

I better get cleaning, I have comapny coming tomorrow!

6 miles, 9:18 pace

I wanted to do an easy run today. My original plan was to run 10 min miles on the hilly 2 mile loop around campus. My legs were definitely tired from the speed workout yesterday, but not tired enough I guess. I did everything I could to slow down to a 10 min pace but I just couldn't do it. I felt too good. I want to run pretty hard at the Pig on Sunday so my training runs wont be very strenuous the rest of the week. I am going to do 5 at marathon pace tomorrow. then something easy Saturday. The plan for Sunday is to go out at 8:45 pace (which would be a 3:50 marathon) and hope I don't blow up (my PR is 4:18.) It probably isn't such a great idea, trying to PR by almost 30 min. with no taper. Should be intresting.

Speed Work

total miles: 9

2 mile warm up - 7:30 pace
1 mile - 6:17
1 mile - 6:57
800m - 6:08 pace
800m - 6:00 pace
2 mile cool down - 8:23 pace
2 total miles of walking in between repeats

I have tried to avoid it as long as possible, but I have come to the realization that the only way for me to become competitive at ultra distances is to start incorporating speed into my training. I am going to try to change my training to include three main runs each week. One speed day (similar to what I did today), one tempo run (probably 10 miles around 8:45 pace), and a long run. This will be the core of my training and they rest of the runs will be at a slower pace to build up mileage.
I met a nice guy tonight at the track. His name is Steve, he comes to the track and walks 3-4 times a week. I was telling him about my training and told him I was a long distance runner. "So have you ever run a WHOLE marathon?" he asked "yeah, I've run a few" I said. I told him how I have run a couple 50 mile races, after that I could tell he was thinking I must be a little nutty. Then I dropped the bomb and told him how I will be running a 100 miler in 6 weeks. To be honest, I don't think he believed me, but he asked questions about it anyway. It was a fun conversation. I hope I see him at the track again.

My work out wasn't as consistent as it should have been but I am just getting used to this speed stuff, it will take a while. The original plan was to get in 4X800 but I was pretty fried after the first 2 and decided to go straight into the cool down. 8:20 pace has never felt so easy as it did after that work out. I felt really good afterwords and got in a great stretch. I really think changing up my training plan can take me to the next level. It will be a long road, but I am willing to give it shot.

24 Adventure Trail Run Race Report

A long report for a long day.

The day before

My stomach was still upset when I woke up at 3:30 am to make the hour drive to the airport for my 6:00am flight. After I got my boarding pass and checked my bags I tried to eat as much as I could handle because I knew if I didn’t I would be to weak to run the next day. To make a long story short, I ended up waiting 7 and a half hours at the airport because my original flight was canceled. I ended up flying into a different airport and taking a taxi to the airport I was supposed to fly into so I could pick up my rental car. I have only flown 2 times in my life and both times my flights have been canceled. I must have a flying curse! After picking up my rental car, and being hassled about buying the additional insurance coverage, I made the 30 mile drive to Prince William National Forest in Triangle, Virginia where the race would begin at 7 am Saturday morning. After slogging through the heart of the D.C. Friday afternoon rush hour I arrived an hour before the pre race meeting. I gathered all my bags and laid claim on a cabin, which was a great deal because it was part of the entry fee. After settling my things I went to the main hall of the camp area where dinner was being served. I sat and ate spaghetti while talking with Jason, he was a young runner who had come in from Pennsylvania, I think. We talked about how we had both run a 50 miler but had never done anything like this before. It was nice to talk to someone who was in the same but as me, or at least I thought he was in the same boat as me. As it turned out Jason went on the WIN the race!! What a stud! And I really nice guy too. The pre race meeting lasted about 15 minutes and covered the normal things: aid stations, food, course markings, course conditions, weather, safety…There was a nice prize drawing at the end of the meeting where I walked away with a new Petzl headlamp. After the meeting I went to a gas station down the road to pick up some last minute items before returning to my cabin. There were I total of 6 beds in the cabin I was staying in and by the time I got back a nice group of people from Maryland had filled up the remaining five. We chatted for a few minutes, then they left to eat and I got settled in for bed. I was very tired with my long day of airport woes. I slept well for about 2 hours, then woke up to the sound of loud snoring coming from the next bed. At that point I knew I was in trouble. I rolled around and tried to get back to sleep, but it wasn’t happening. After about 15 minutes I made the decision to ditch the cabin, with my sleeping bag in hand I head for my rental car. I knew there was no way I could run if I didn’t get some good sleep. I slept well in the Pontiac Vibe. I woke up at 6 got some breakfast and got ready for the race. I had decided that my new Keen Wastach Crests were broken in enough to wear, and I had my old shoes as back up.

The race starts (miles 1-8)
A last minute check to make sure all of the relay teams had been checked in, “are the ‘Blueberry Delights’ here?” asked RD Alex “Yes” a man replies “but I didn’t pick that name!!” Seconds later we were off. My strategy was to start out at 12 minute miles and see what happened from there. My stomach issues had subsided late Friday night but returned early in the first loop and stayed with me until around mile 6. Other than that The first loop was really comfortable. I was wearing my Garmin and checked it periodically to monitor my pace. After the first lap I saw that I had averaged 12:30 and felt comfortable with that so I rethought my plan to run 12:30 miles.

The second loop (miles 8-16)

This was probably my most comfortable loop of the day. My stomach issues were gone and my energy was high. I was carrying my hand held and filled it at each aid station, along with taking 1 endurolyte cap each 30 minutes.

They always take the pictures on the up hills when I am walking, lol.

The third loop (miles 16-24)

I met up with Susan on this loop. We had run the last few miles of Bel Monte together a few weeks back. Our running styles are much different. She charges past me on the up hills and I fly by her on the downs. We ran together for the rest of the loop. With about a ½ mile to go in the third loop I start feeling short of breath and light headed. I am not sure how much of an effect my sickness had on my race, I guess that could have been the cause. When I returned to the start finish line I was sure to take in a lot of electrolyte drink. I hadn’t been drinking much of it because I was taking the caps but I thought it might help. This aid station was the beginning of my demise. One of the major things I learned about running a 24 hour race or a 100 miler is that rhythm is very important. You have to make sure you take care of all the little things like food and drink before they become big things. If you wait to long, you lose your rhythm and that is a very hard thing to recover.

The fourth loop (miles 24-32)

I had to walk the first mile of the fourth loop so I wouldn’t puke up all the drink I had consumed. After that I was back on top of the world. The middle of this loop was probably my highest point in the race. I felt great, I was floating along. This comes to another thing that is very important in a race like this: When you get high do everything you can to maintain it, realize how good you feel and do everything you can to stay that way, encourage other runners and pass on your good vibes. When you lose that high, do everything you can to get it back. With about 2 miles to go in the fourth loop I realized that I hadn’t peed in a few hours. I didn’t have to go at the time but I wanted to inspect the color to judge hydration. To my dismay the brownish-yellow color was the darkest I had ever seen. I didn’t understand it, I thought I had been drinking a lot, how could this be? So when I got back to the aid station I spent another long break chugging 2 water bottles and eating pizza and grilled cheese. This zapped my previous high really quickly and once again threw my off of my rhythm.

Stuffing my face in the background

The fifth loop (miles 32-40)

Again I had to walk out of the aid station for a while before I could begin running again. I can’t really remember what happened this loop. It was late in the after noon and the weather was reaching its high. I was beginning to slow considerably.

Loop six (miles 40-48)

I can’t remember this loop either, lol. I know I was moving pretty slow and was unable to get back the rhythm I had already lost twice. I think I ran this loop in about 2:30

Loop seven (miles 48-56)

I took of my shoes and reapplied Vaseline to my feet at the aid station before leaving for the loop. I left out of the aid station slowly on my way to another slow loop. Then less then a mile in I was past by a runner, he told me to run with him. He was moving pretty good and I didn’t know if I could keep up but I thought, what the hell, and gave it a try. It turned out that his pace was manageable, althought he was pushing the hills hard. His name is David Snipes. He had just run Promise Land 50K the same morning and drove 4 hours to run through the night at this race, what a stud! He helped me out big time and we went on to run the lap in 1:50, a huge negative split for me at that point. Come to think of it, it was pretty stupid for my to run the loop that fast at that point in the race, but if it wasn’t for me keeping up with him I would have been reduced to a walk for most of the lap. This brings me to another important lesson: having someone to run with and talk to makes a HUGE difference in such a long race. His company made the pace seem easy, where as if I tried to run it on my own at that point I would have really been struggling. It was getting dark at this point and I was quickly losing motivation to run. I was glad Dave was able to pull me through that lap, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him for another. I took waaaaay to long at the start/finish line at the end of loop seven. I sat around for about 30 minutes eating and resting, another big mistake.

Loop 8 (miles 56-60)

By the time I left the aid station I was completely out of “running mode” all I could manage was a slow shuffle, not even a walk. I just couldn’t get myself to speed up. My legs weren’t dead, I just didn’t feel like moving. At this point I knew the race was slipping away, it was a matter of how much longer I could hang on. I walked for a while on the trail then found a log to sit down on. A sat for about 10 minutes while a few runners passed by and asked if I was ok “yeah” I replied “I feel great, just resting up for my big charge, watch out!” I eventually got back up and walked a little while longer. I came to one of the hamm radio operators that was helping out at the race. He saw me moving so slowly and asked if I wanted to sit for a while. At that point I was in no condition to decline a good sitting opportunity so I sat and listened to his stories about running 15 miles while in the army and about all the “Pussies” in his hamm radio club that didn’t want to carry a backpack into the woods and camp out all night. He was a really cool guy and I enjoyed his company. He told me that some people had gotten to this point on the trail and turned back around for the start/finish line, and that I should consider it. There was no way I was going to do that. I had already walked a mile, and I would have to walk another mile back to the aid station without even getting credit for it. Plus the section that I had left to go to the middle aid station was much easier terrain than what I would have had to go through to get back to the start/finish line. So I started walking, reciting an excerpt from a Robert Frost poem that Mike told me last week “The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."
Over and over again. With my two sit breaks it took me 2 ½ hours to cover the 4 miles to the middle aid station. When I got there it turned out that the Hamm radio operator had radioed the start/finish line and told them to send someone to pick me up. Scott, one of the RD’s was waiting for me. I was bummed about that because I was hopping to sit at this aid station and try to see if my desire to run would come back. But I decided to take the ride back to the start/finish line. As I pulled myself into the truck, my race was over.

I am not disappointed or mad about my performance. I wanted to get in 70 miles and it would have been really great to run all night to get in more night experience, but I was out there for 17 hours and had a great time. I plan on going back next year at taking some revenge. I ran this race as training for Mohican but I think there is a big difference between a 24 hour race and a 100 miler. In a 24 hour race when you get tired there is less and less motivation to get to a certain point. When I was out there on the trail sitting on the log I thought to myself, every second I sit here I am getting one second closer to the finish line. A 100 miler isn’t like that. If you sit around you are getting nowhere. I think my personality is geared more towards a race with a set distance not a time limit. I stopped after 60 miles because I didn’t have the motivation to continue to 70. You can damn sure bet that if it had a 70 mile race, I wouldn’t have even thought about stopping at 60. Or if it had been a 100 mile race I would have ran until the time limit was up. But because there was no set distance and all I had were distances that I would have like to reach, I didn’t have the motivation to get there. A 24 hour race is a unique experience. This doesn’t make me worry that I won’t be able to finish Mohican. I am not saying that I will finish, but I think I can. The final thing I learned is that there are so many elements that go along with a 100 mile race. So many things that can go wrong and end your day. This is why veteran 100 milers can still DNF at any time. When you are running 100 miles it isn’t solely about running ability, the mental aspect is huge, and if you let one thing slip through the cracks you might come up short.