End of 2016 Post

It's been awhile, but I thought I would an end of year entry would be appropriate. 

Overall it's been a good year. I had some real accomplishments. Went up to Kettle Moraine and finished that 100K that I got lost and DNFd 9 years ago. Had another good Howl at the Moon and although I didn't finish the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile, I did get in 76.4 miles and a 50 Mile finish first in my age group.

I didn't screw anything up as president of PSRR. I made some new friends, particularly Kibet. And I am still part of Kennekuk and joined Kankakee River Running Club.

Have had fun watching the 3 grandkids grow up even amid the long days of babysitting. And grandchild number 4 is due in April, 2017 (another boy).

We seemed to have survived another surgery for my wife, a hip replacement this time. Although it is too soon to know for sure, it looks like it has been a success.

But for almost all of December, I haven't been able to shake this cough and it is getting to me. Although I have continued to get some running in, it has been much more difficult. I have decided to take the last couple days of December completely off. And I will probably need to finally go to quick care.

Here's to a great 2017 and my top goal, finishing the Tahoe 200 Mile in September. (More details to come).

A Bit More On Tunnel Hill

Just a quick addendum to yesterday's post. One of the nice things about Tunnel Hill was that even though I didn't finish the 100 mile, I did get credit for the 50 mile. I just found out that my time of 9:47:15 for the 50 was good enough for 74th place out of 399 and 1st out of 12 in my age group (60-64).

Tunnel Hill 100

It’s been a couple of days, but I needed to step back and digest Saturday’s Tunnel Hill 100 Mile run. I had my second DNF in a 100 mile. I was in great shape. My training had gone well. I had a nice little taper. I even had a crew and pacer in Kibet Rono, a fantastic guy in his own right. My only worry was that the night was going to be a bit cold, at least for me. Predictions of possible high 20s. I am not really a good cold weather runner. Give me heat any day.

So what happened? I’m still not entirely sure. 

We arrived at our motel on Friday about 3:30 pm, checked in, and relaxed for a little while before heading to Vienna for packet pick-up. A nice little crowd was there when we arrived, but it didn’t take long to get everything, including jackets, for Kibet and me. Neither of us really felt like pasta, so we didn’t stay for the meal there. We decided to eat dinner back in Marion close to the motel. Had a nice meal at 17th Street Restaurant and then just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Wake up was at 5:00 am and left to arrive at the start by 6:30 at Vienna Park. The morning wasn’t bad, sun shining and about 38 degrees. By midafternoon, it was supposed to get to about the 55 and sunny. So things were looking pretty good for the day. By 7:15 most of the runners, both 100 and 50 milers, were gathered near the start line, getting ready for the 7:30 gun. Both races combined totaled around 500 runners, one of the bigger gatherings for an ultra that I’ve been in. The only one with more was last year’s JFK 50.

My strategy for the race was to try to duplicate my success at Hennepin last year with the 8 minute run/2 minute walk. At 7:30 am, the gun was fired and we were off. Within a couple of minutes we were on the Tunnel Hill State Trail, a bit crowded, but moving steadily. I was situated about mid pack with at least a couple hundred people in front of me. This was good, but I wondered if I would tend to get in the way when I switched to my walk. The first two walking sessions I did need to really stay to the side of the trail, but after that we started spreading out more quickly than I would have imagined. Things went very smooth through the first aid station and a bit beyond. But about mile 7, I started to get a sharp pain in my right shin which soon after drifted down to the top of the foot and angle area as well. It was totally unexpected, but didn’t slow me down too much. Definitely annoying and at times painful, though. This kept up for about the next nine miles, not getting too much worse, but staying steady. At the Karnak aid station it was time to hit the port-a-john, but with a line, I checked the right shoe. It turned out my shoelace had gotten under the tongue of my shoe and also the gaiter I was wearing seemed to be lined up exactly where the shin pain was. So I fixed the shoe and slid down the gaiter and low and behold, the pain was pretty much gone. It gave me a nice mental boost, but unfortunately, the no pain only lasted about five miles and then returned. I tried changing to a 7/3 strategy, but it didn’t really help much.

The course for the race is a double out and back on the Tunnel Hill State Trail. It is a limestone, gravel and well-groomed dirt trail that is really quite beautiful and non-technical. Not much chance of getting lost. The south out and back was very flat and very straight and at times seemed to go on forever. The north out and back is much more winding and although there is very little up and down, it does have a 2% up that goes on for miles. And, of course, the tunnel is at the north end.

Back at the Start/Finish aid station which is the end of the first out and back at 26.4 miles, the pain continued through and on into the northern out and back. I felt the north section was much more scenic with the trail heading through granite hills just like a road. The terrain was also a bit more varied. And running through the tunnel twice was cool. I continued to run pretty well going back to the 8/2 since it hurt more to walk than run. I was able to hold on to this all the way back to the halfway point and actually got there with some light left. I had been out there for 9 hours and 35 minutes for the first half and except for the right lower leg pain, I felt I was in pretty good shape for the last half. The temperature had started to fall over the last couple of hours, so I needed put on a lot more clothes, tried changing shoes, got some great chicken noodle soup and almost left without my headlamp even though it was dark by this time. Fortunately, I remembered before I left the aid station and I was off a little before 6:00 pm.

The south section seemed so much longer in the dark, but I still was moving well. The pain was getting worse, however, no matter what I did. What was really nice is that this night was the night before the full moon and with a very clear night, we could run a lot of the trail without a headlamp on. It was very peaceful and quite beautiful. By the time I got to about 3 miles to go to the Start/Finish area again at the 76.4 mile mark, I was down to mostly walking and getting colder by the minute. The temps were now down around 29 or 30 degrees. I made it, though, but needed to warm up somehow. My body had been shivering for the last 20 minutes and I couldn’t move fast enough to generate the heat needed to stay warm. I sat in a nice tent with more soup in front of heater and still couldn’t stop shaking. I knew if it was just a case of walking the last 23 plus miles even with the leg problems, I could probably finish in plenty of time under the cutoffs. But it was the cold and the threat of hypothermia that scared me. I actually knew someone who had to drop at the 97 mile mark because of similar problems and his core temperature had gotten very low. I decided to at least start, but within minutes, I knew it was not going to happen. I was shaking so hard and couldn’t run because of the leg, deep down I realized this just wasn’t going to be a finish. I did manage to get over to the guy at the computer and officially dropped and at least in this race, I got credit for a 50 mile finish. 

I felt bad that Kibet never got to pace the last 23 plus miles with me. I was really looking forward to it. But he was a rock with my decision. He was a godsend all day and night long. I could not have asked for a better person to crew. And he even got to pace me for about 5 and half miles on the far southern end and enjoyed it so much. And he not only made my experience fantastic, he helped many of the runners in the race. They just loved hearing his big clapper at every aid station.

So why did I have the problem with the right lower leg? I really don’t know. Was it the gaiters? Was it the shoelaces under the tongue of my shoe? Or was it just something that happened? I had no inclination that this might happen in any of my training runs. They were not new shoes. I had a 41 mile day in them and had no problems whatsoever. I definitely know I need to be more careful with my shoes and gaiters. And at least for anymore 100s, I think I need to be more conservative in my first half pace.

The Night Before

Here I am laying in bed about 8:00 pm in Marion, IL. Tomorrow is the Tunnel Hill 100. I feel ready. It is going to be a little on the cold side for me. Starting temp about 35. Up to about 52 midday and back to mid 30's overnight. Hopefully, I will stay warm enough. Otherwise, I'm ready to go.

Most Miles in a Month

Just a quick note. I had the most miles ever in a month (420.2) this October. This is after over 40 years of running.

The Countdown Continues

Under two weeks to go before Tunnel Hill. Had another great week of training. It was my sixth 100 mile week of my life. I did have the advantage of that 41 mile first day of the week. But I have caught a cold from the grandchildren. I'm glad it was this week rather than next. I am starting my taper this week, so I don't expect it to change much of my plans, dropping my mileage down to just 50 to 60. I can run, just can't push it like I have been. I do expect to be recovered by this weekend. I sure hope so.

Three Weeks To Go

Well, yesterday was my last real long day before a Tunnel Hill. Three weeks to go. I tried something a little different this time around. I wanted to get a bit of night running in, so I decided to split the long day up. I got up at midnight and went out for a three hour run, came back for a few hours sleep, then got up for the JJC Haunted 5K. Ended up running very good at the race with a 22:08 in full Dr. Strange costume. I was 20th overall and 1st in my age group. What was really cool, I took first place out of all those who wore costumes. After the awards ceremony, I then went out for another three hours. All told, I put in 41 miles and I was back out for a very easy 12 miles this afternoon and felt pretty good. So, I would have to say, I feel I am ready for the 100.

A Satisfying Long Run

Another Sunday, another long run. A little over 20 miles in 3 hours, 20 minutes. It was a bit more of a struggle. The legs were a bit tired and heavy, but it just made finishing it more satisfying. The countdown is on. Four weeks to go until the Tunnel Hill 100.

100 Mile Week!

With five weeks until the Tunnel Hill 100, I had a great training week last week. For only the fifth time in my life, I ran over 100 miles during the week, starting out with a nice 31 mile run using my 8/2 strategy on the I & M Canal Towpath on Sunday. And I had three more days over 15 miles. I'm a little achy, but overall the body is holding up pretty well. And after this 100 mile week, I followed it up this morning with a 19 mile run with more 8/2 practice. A couple more solid weeks and I should be ready to go.

Another 8/2 Run

Another 8/2 long run. About 18 miles this time. Didn't feel quite as good as last week, but I think that had to do with the donut I had after church and before the run. Maybe needed to keep the sugar high going for the whole run, since I only had my Tailwind. I am feeling pretty good about my general fitness, however. Earlier in the week, I went for a good 60 minute run at 9:30/mile pace with my heart rate monitor. My heart rate never went over 113 over the whole run and stayed around 110 for the majority. I just need to keep doing what I've been doing in training, but now it is time to watch my diet better with seven weeks to go before the Tunnel Hill 100.

A Quick Look at My Tunnel Hill 100 Training

Just had a nice long run. Trying out my 8 minute run, 2 minute walk which I was thinking of using at the Tunnel Hill 100. It worked out pretty well with my 21 mile run. I will definitely try it again. I was actually running a bit faster by the end of the run.

A Surprising Race Result

Wow! I had a great race on Sunday morning. I'm still trying to come to terms with it. It was totally unexpected. It was at the Ashley Can Half-Marathon in Bourbonnais. After last week's 50K, I was not going to really back off my training for the Tunnel a Hill 100 Mile in November. The 50K was used as a long training run to start the week. I ended up with a 92 mile week which I haven't done very often. So I expected that the legs would be a bit on the tired side for the half. But after opening with a 7:31 mile, I managed to continue to reel off sub-8 minute miles, including several in the 7:10 to 7:20 range on my way to a 1:37:23 finish. Ended up 7th overall and incredibly, not only 1st in my age group but 1st Masters runner. 

And a funny thing happened. Someone asked me if it was a PR and I said no because I was sure I had run faster back in my younger days. So I decided to check up on it. As it turned out, I had run 20Ks and 25Ks, but didn't run my first half until I was in my 50s. It came as a great surprise then that the 1:37:23 was actually my PR beating my time at the Frankfort half by two minutes. Crazy, huh? And a especially after that 90+ mile week. The legs and body are in good shape. The key now is keeping it up without going over that line and overdoing it. Staying healthy is paramount.

Lake Marathon 50K

I had a pretty good day at the Lake Michigan 50K in Cudahy, WI, just south of Milwaukee. My time was 4:56:35. I was 9th overall and 1st in the 60-69 age group. It was run together with a marathon, half-marathon, and a 20 mile fun run with staggered times so there was always people around. The course was about 22 miles of bike path, about 1 mile of road and about 8 miles of single track with much of the course right along Lake Michigan. It gave us runners some beautiful views out over the lake, especially in the early morning. Temperatures were pretty good with a start of about 62 degrees up to about 75 with medium humidity. It was a double out and back both to the south and to the north of our start/finish point. All in all, a very enjoyable event.

Recovery over the next two days has been great. Got in 10 miles the day after and another 9 today. And the legs are feeling pretty good (9:30 to 10 minute miles).

A 50K Race As A Good Long Run

Six days out from the Lake Michigan 50K in Milwaukee. I'm a little bit tired and achy. This is because I haven't really started tapering at all. Although I will have a couple easy days before the race, I am not doing a true taper because of my Tunnel Hill 100 Mile training. I want to keep up the miles. I do want to race pretty well on Sunday, but the primary purpose is to have a nice long run without having to worry about the logistics. So we will see.

A quick note: I did have a nice little 5K last Sunday. 21:23 for an 8th place finish at the PSRR/DNA Free 5K which we put on.

The 26th Howl at the Moon

Another Howl at the Moon is in the books. It was my 18th Howl. Overall it was a pretty good day. Got in 45.77 miles which was good for 14th place out of 298 starters. And 1st place out of 28 in the Superior division which is 60 & over. It also put me over 800 total miles. It wasn't anywhere near some of my best mileage for the race, but it was very solid. In fact, it was almost even splits for the first time (first 4 hours - 23 miles, second 4 hours - 22.77 miles). I went out a bit slower this year, running with a lovely young lady named Casey running her first Howl and ultra for the first five loops. And her friend, Lanie, joined us for a couple of loops. I think it paid off, because some of my middle laps were quite strong and on the out and backs I actually was running sub ten minute miles after 7 and a half hours of running. And although it wasn't real hot, the humidity was oppressive. So, I must be fairly fit and strong.

Another thing that really made my day was having my family there. Mark, my son-in-law, is always a rock when it comes to camping. My wife and daughters are always great to have there. But the kicker was my grandchildren greeting me each time I came around on a loop, especially my grandson, Hunter. Hunter would actually run towards me for a hug each of the first six loops. It was great. I was told on the first two loops, he was greeting almost everyone and one after another runner got a big kick out of it. It was fun.

Before the Howl 2016

Well, it's the Tuesday before Howl at the Moon and I am feeling pretty good. Starting my taper, although it won't be a big one. Had good Saturday and Sunday runs. I still seem pretty achy in the mornings, but feel fine after an hour or two. Hope this gets better by Saturday, though. Looking forward to the weekend, especially with the whole family coming down except for one son-in-law who has to work.

Last Day In London

Well, it's the last day of our United Kingdom/Ireland trip. It was a nice trip: busy, constantly on the move, tired, and sometimes a bit overwhelming with so much that we saw and learned. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to do some fel running, but did get to run in a lot of new places. I even ran to 221B Baker Street today before we are leaving London very early tomorrow morning. I did have a bit of a scare though. After a long bus ride on Wednesday, my right knee was really hurting. And it had kept up for the last couple of days till I had my good run this morning. And it just went away. I really don't understand, but I am just happy it went away. It will be nice to get back home, though, and, hopefully, to a couple weeks of good training leading up to Howl At the Moon on August 13th. Long flight tomorrow.

Finally, Some Trails!

Finally!

I got to run on some trails and had some elevation gain. It was in Killarney National Park. It wasn't fel running, but it was very nice. I did have to run about one and a half miles to get to the park. But It was a good two hour run, so I had plenty of time on the trails. What was really nice was that I was able to get out the back of the park and up to and above the Torc waterfall. It was quite beautiful with a 500 foot climb. If I had had another hour I think I might have been able to reach the top of the mountain (about 1000 more feet of elevation).

A Day in the Edinburgh Area

Had a good day, yesterday seeing the sights of Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh Castle was the highlight of the day high up on a small mountain. Throughout the town were buildings from 900 years old on into the 18th century. Bought some Scotch single malt.

Also, I had a great twelve mile run early in the AM. Went through Uphall and Broxburn and then found a great trail along the Clyde Canal. At one point, the canal actually passes high over a river and a road. Very strange! All in all, I felt very good averaging 9:14/mile.

London To York

We are in York tonight. We traveled from London starting about 8:00 a.m. Saw a number of sites yesterday on our free day from the tour. We rode the hop-on, hop-off bus around a big part of London, but traffic was just about as bad as yesterday. We did get to Kensington Palace and the boat tour on the Thames. But of course, something seems to always happen to me to put a damper on things. With it raining on and off for part of the day, I managed to leave my $270 Ruby Project sunglasses on one of the buses and now they are gone. Sometimes, I really don't know why I bother buying nice things. Every vacation it is something. The last one was a soaked and ruined iPhone. And I always seem to do it early in the trip, so I am without it for the majority of the trip.

I did get a couple of nice runs in yesterday and this morning. Yesterday's run allowed me to get some nice pics and selfies at Parliament, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. This morning's was mostly in Regent's Park. I found it a lot like Central Park in New York City.

Start of London/Ireland Trip

I will need to combine yesterday's and today's posts since I had no connection to post last night.

July 9th

The day is finally here. My wife and I are at the airport waiting to board our flight to London. It seems that we have been waiting for this trip forever. We are visiting London and a good part of Ireland on a two week trip celebrating our 40th anniversary. It will be the longest flight I have ever been on. It is the one part of the trip I have had some anxiety about. My body tends to ache when staying still for any length of time and this will be a seven hour plus flight. 

One of the things I really want to do is be able to get in some runs during the trip. I really want to say I've done some fell running. But how it will affect my training for Howl I don't know. Thankfully, my Tunnel Hill 100 cycle really doesn't start till we get back. Although I have gotten in some solid weeks, I seem to be dragging a little bit, particularly, mentally. Once I'm out on a run and warmed up, I am okay, but the first part just doesn't always feel right. So, maybe not actually training the next two weeks will be a good thing to recharge my mental batteries for the fall racing season.

July 10th

No running today. The first day I've missed in 498 days. My longest streak ever (power walking or running). Did get some walking in, but not really pushing.

As far as the day went, it kind of sucked for most of the day. After a long, uneventful flight, it took us two hours plus to get through the passport gate. Absolutely ridiculous. Then after getting our baggage, we find out the guy from the transportation company wasn't there to take us to the hotel. We called the company and they told us they only stay 90 minutes from when the plane docks at the terminal. You have got to be kidding. The person on the other end of the phone call basically said there probably wouldn't be much of a chance to help, but told MaryLou they would try. After 20 minutes on hold, we just hung up and grabbed a taxi. Surprise!!! $116 cab ride. Get to the hotel, room is not ready and it would be at least an hour wait. We just came in on an almost eight hour flight with just a little in an out sleep over a couple hours. Not happy.

Finally, a couple of hours later we meet with the tour group for a bus tour of London. It was okay, but traffic was horrendous. I would say we maybe average about two miles an hour for two and a half hour trip. It made the bus tour quite tedious. If someone gave me the route, I could have gotten a run in and did it in less than half the time.

Alas, I suppose it can only go up from here. We meet for a dinner with the group in 15 minutes. We'll see how it goes.

It's Looking Like A New Challenge!

Yesterday was the 43rd running of the Western States 100 Mile Race. It is the granddaddy of all 100 mile races. It is one I would love to do, but because of logistics and the lottery, I probably never will. In fact, I thought I ran my last 100 mile race last September at the Hennepin Hundred. I had promised my wife that I would not do any more, a promise I had every intention of keeping. But it is funny how things can change in unexpected ways.

It started at a simple dinner, just my wife and I, at a local Mexican restaurant. My wife really likes Mexican, so even though it is just okay with me, I try to let her get me there about once a month. I am still not sure how it came up, but I mentioned a cool race out west, the Tahoe 200 Mile and how they give you 100 hours (4 days and 4 hours) to finish it. It is the only 200 mile race that consists of only one loop; around Lake Tahoe. I kind of said it casually, but I thought it would be a neat thing to try, particularly, with the amount of time given. And lo and behold, my wife agreed. I was kind of stunned, saying that even with the amount of time, it would be a challenge.  Lots of elevation change and some very technical trail. I did come out and say that I really thought I could finish and that would be my only goal. Not even a contemplation of trying to race it at all. And, again, she agreed that I could do it. The one thing I did know was that it would not be this year. It would have to be 2017. Again, she said that sounded reasonable. It would give me over a year to prepare, particularly, the vertical. Well that was about it, but it was enough to plant the seed in my mind.

Over the next few days, I checked out the website for the race. Candice Burt is the race director and her site is very extensive on information about the race, including a 30 page runner’s manual. I found the resources she provides for the runners are incredible, fully stocked aid stations and six sleep stations, as well. The cost for the race is pretty high ($995), but everything I read confirms that you are getting your money’s worth. I would have to start saving now, but it could be done. There was only one real wrinkle; qualifying for the race. To qualify, you have to have completed a mountain 100 mile (15,000 feet or more elevation change) within the last two years or two non-mountain 100 mile races in the space of three years. I have only one of the non-mountain 100 milers. So, I need another 100 mile. This is where I am having to back away from my promise to my wife. The most convenient and easiest way to get the second 100 mile race was to see if I can move up from my Tunnel Hill 50 mile in November to the 100 mile. After contacting the Tunnel Hill race director, he said it would be no problem and actually was enthusiastic about the idea. It will mean another $100 though. So my saving for the Tahoe race will have to start a bit later, especially with MaryLou’s birthday just a week away.

There will be some new things that I will have to practice starting next spring. Being a mountain race with 40,000 feet of elevation change, I am going to need to get used to carrying a pack with mandatory kit (anything can happen in the mountains). I will also need to learn how to use trekking polls. And, of course, lots of uphill and downhill practice. It will be a challenge, to be sure. But it should be an exciting journey to get there.

Minooka Summerfest 5K

Good 5K today.  Minooka Summerfest 5K.  21:22; only 3 seconds off my 60s best. 14th out of 179 overall. 1st out of 4 in my age group(60-64). 6:53/Mile. John wasn't running today, so had a pretty easy time.

Kettle Moraine 100K

Saturday was the Kettle Moraine 100K with most of it on the Ice Age Trail. It was my first return there since 2007 and the DNF. My main goal was to just finish it this time, but I really wanted to have good day. I felt even at my age, I could possibly finish in 12 to 12 1/2 hours.

I drove up on Friday afternoon, checked into the Baymont Inn in Whitewater, and then headed over to packet pickup at the Start/Finish area. Got my number and met one of co-race directors. And I was able to pick up a great gym bag from a previous year for $20. That night I packed my drop bags and laid out my stuff for the morning. After a bite to eat, hit the sack.

Woke up at 3:30 am to about 62 degrees. Weather for the day was supposed to have a high about 78 with some rain and possible thundershowers. After the pre-race meeting we were off at 6:00 am sharp. The 100K and 100 milers went off together. The race starts off with a pretty easy first mile and then the rolling hills start for the next five miles or do. But is on a nice wide trail. There are several distinct sections to the course.  After the rolling hills, we get into single track and lots of pretty technical ups and downs for another six miles. After the Emma Carlin aid station, we get about ten miles of prairie and savannah mixed with some short tree covered areas. What made this section harder than normal is no shade and about 80 degrees. Near the end of this section a light rain started and kept up off and on for the next couple of hours. We now entered the Scuppernong area which would take us to the turn around. There was some real technical steep trail through this area, but once through it, we finished up with some forest roads to the turn around. I thought it was the halfway point at six hours and fifteen minutes. But I was very happy with it, especially since the legs tended to feel on the heavy side for most of the trip out which really preyed on my mind. I wasn't in the greatest mental state. And later, I found that the return trip adds a couple extra miles. 

But making the turn and knowing I was heading back really gave me a lift. I ran really well back through Scuppernong, the savannah and the prairie. What was crazy, though, was that I was getting passed by a bunch of runners on the way back and couldn't figure out why they weren't ahead of me already. Then it dawned on me that the 50K runners started off from Scuppernong between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm and they were running on very fresh legs and were only doing half the distance than I was. I did start to slow a bit going back after Emma Carlin again. But during those last thirteen miles, I was only passed by one person who was not in the 50K, so I must have still been moving okay. 

I finished easily while it was still daylight for a nice run: 13:25:40.9, good for 15th place out of 95 starters and 1st in my age group (60-69) out of 5. All in all, a good day!

Pre Kettle Moraine 100K

Here we it is Thursday, ten days out from the Kettle Moraine 100K. Had my last long run on Sunday, a 21 miler and averaged ten minute miles using my 10/2 strategy. And yesterday did a hard hill workout using the weight vest. Worked on both up and down with the major emphasis on the down to build up the quads. It also was 87 degrees with some decent humidity. I feel I am ready for this. It just has been a while since I have been running a race with some technical terrain. I have been really looking forward to this since I signed up back in December. And I have some unfinished business with this race since the last time up there was a DNF after getting lost for an hour with a wrong turn in the prairie section. I just have to make sure to pay more attention to where I am going this time. Confidence in my fitness is high, though. So we will see what happens.

Arbor Park 5K

A nice Arbor Park 5K.  Beautiful day.  21:46.9. 4th overall out of 126 and 1st out of 2 (60-64).  7:01/mile.  A novelty today in that I had eyes on the leader even at the three mile mark.  Just a fun day seeing some of my old comrades in arms (teachers) from the district.

Starved Rock Marathon

Probably should written this sooner, but just kept running out of time once I actually remembered.

Starved Rock Marathon last Saturday.  It was a pretty chilly day, especially for the middle of May.  Add to that a good Northwest to Northeast wind.  40 to 48 degrees during the race and only a little sporadic sun. But it turned out to be pretty good day.  3:46:28, good for 16th out of 92 finishers overall and 1st out of 6 in my AG (60-64).  It was my best marathon since 2013 and 3 minutes faster than last year's version.  I felt, however, that my legs never really loosened up in the cold.  My stride was stiff all day.  But a good day all told.

Next up:  Kettle Moraine 100K in two weeks with a quick 5K at Arbor Park tomorrow.  I am hoping for a bit of heat for the 100K.  If I get it, I feel confident as long as my quads hold up on the downhills (I have done some downhill workouts and plan on a couple more in the remaining time left).

Frankfort Half

Terrific day at the Frankfort Half Marathon.  Ran a sub 1:40.  Must be doing something right with my training.  Official time was 1:39:33.7.  21st out of 341 and 1st out of 8 (60-64). 7:36/mile.  

Another factor that may be helping is I am trying to eat healthier with the biggest change of being soda free for the last 5 weeks.  Also, been reducing my sweets and grains.

In two weeks is Starved Rock.  Feeling pretty confident about it.

The Next Five Weeks

Been a long while since last post, but tomorrow starts the culmination of my training of the first half of year.  Frankfort half-marathon tomorrow morning.  Two weeks later, Starved Rock Marathon, and another three weeks later is the Kettle Moraine 100K.  Training has gone pretty well except no 25+ mile runs so far.  Only expecting to get one in, the marathon with a bit extra with warm-up and cool-down.  We will see whether more of these runs were necessary by the middle of June.

Maffetone Working

Good day today.  I have really tried hard to stick with a strict Maffetone method over the last few weeks and I think it is really starting to kick in.  After many days of 10:20 to 10:40 miles staying below my 124 aerobic macimum heart rate, I was able to go four of my seven miles today under 10:00 minutes while still staying under that 124.  And the other three miles were about 10:15 each (into a stiff wind).

Mountain Goat 8.8 Mile

Surprise!!!  I had a great Mountain Goat yesterday.  After having low expectations, I still am having trouble believing how well I did.  I ran three minutes faster than last year's good time.   Went out in what I thought was a conservative pace the first loop, sitting in about 30th place.  Continued strong through the next two loops getting a bit faster each one slowly picking off people.  Although tiring, I still felt pretty good going into the last loop catching four more people, but couldn't hold on up the last finishing hill as two of those drove back by me by the end.  I still was very happy with my race on this very tough course finishing 17th overall running 7:52 miles.  Considering you are supposed to be getting slower every year, I must be doing something right.  I really do have to give the credit to my training.  The Maffetone method is really working for me.  The major tests are still ahead (Frankfort Half, Starved Rock Marathon and the Kettle Moraine 100K), but I am confident at this time that everything is heading in the right direction.

Recovering

It's been awhile.  I did the Irish Fest Parade 5K.  And although I did not push it to the max, I did run a decent race, 23:14, finishing 2nd in my age group.  Still had a bit of glute pain, but it was not the direct cause for a slower time than the Mid-Winter Cruise 5K.  I just wanted to see what I could do without going overboard.  It worked out well (this included working the race both before and after).

I am back to my normal running routine now.  Nice and slow running under my maximum aerobic heart rate (Maffetone & Primal Endurance) with a day or two of mixing power walking each week.  My long run last Sunday hit 17 miles.  My plan is to keep to the Maffetone/Primal Endurance running for the next three weeks, with no real set structure except getting a long run of 13 to 18 miles in each weekend.  Then leading up to the Frankfort Half-Marathon and Starved Rock Marathon, cutting mileage and adding some intensity.

I do have the Mountain Goat this Saturday, but I know I will not be anywhere near what I did last year.  I can't afford to pound those downhills and hurt the glute again.  I will try to work the uphills hard, however, giving me a real nice workout and just have some fun.  I'm actually riding with someone down there for the first time and will most likely make it to the after party, also for the first time.  So -- Fun City!

Injury Recovery

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my last post.  I did no running at all last week.  It was all power walking, but I did put in 35 miles.  The glute has improved a lot and I wasn't taking any ibuprofen.  I dropped my power walking pace from 13:15/mile down to 11:40/mile by the end of the week.  Starting on Sunday, I decided to mix in some running (5 minutes walking/2 minutes running).  Today, Thursday, I am at 2 minutes walking/2 minutes running.  Glute still has a twinge here and there, but continues to improve little by little.  I am still not sure whether I will be racing at Irish Fest 5K or just running it.  We will just have to see.

Injury Time

It's been a rough couple of weeks.  It started with the Winterfest 5K in Kankakee.  It was a pretty nice day compared to last year (didn't make it because of a semi-blizzard).  Wasn't planning on trying to crazy racing, but did figure I would be able to run in the low 22's again.  But within the first quarter mile, I was feeling my right hip.  And the pain continued to get worse over the next half mile.  I even thought the leg might give out a couple times.  It definitely slowed me down.  At the mile mark, I backed off hoping it would help.  I was able to keep going this way.  And by Mile 2, it seemed to have numbed up and I actually picked it up a bit.  By the end, I realized it was my right gluten not my hip.  Ended up 23:10, 38th overall and 4th in my AG.  A little disappointing, but what can you do?  

Next day, it still hurt pretty bad.  As the week went by, I took it real easy and the pain seemed to get better.  But I also was taking ibuprofen and it turned out, it was masking more than I thought.  By Friday, I knew that I would not be racing the Frosty 5 Mile on Sunday.  But being a circuit race, I still wanted to at least run it leisurely.  

Sunday came with a good amount of snow just before race time.  I did take ibuprofen a couple of hours before the race.  Ended up running almost two minutes per mile slower than usual, but actually enjoyed running with people in the mid-pack and having some nice conversations.  But the glute hurt just as bad as the last week by the end.  Ran 44:43, 79th overall and 6th AG.

I just can't stop training for a week or two, so I am going to try just walking (power walking) all this week and hope things will improve.  Two days in, the glute hurts even when I walk, but this is without any ibuprofen or aspirin at all.  It was better today, than yesterday.  Irish Fest Parade 5K in three weeks.  But really the main goal is to be healed by the Frankfort Half-Marathon on April 30th.

Mid-Winter Cruise Results

Just a quick one with my results from the Mid-Winter Cruise 5K.

22:10:16

9th out of 103 Overall

1st out of 9 AG (60-64)

7:09/mile

President Mark & 1st Race of the New Year

Well, it's official.  I am the President of the Prairie State Road Runners as of last night at our annual banquet.  I do feel it is definitely an honor to be elected, but I am a bit trepidatious about the whole thing.  The club has been doing so well the last couple of years, I just hope I can keep things going.  The one big positive is that I have a great group of people joining me on the Board of Directors.  This will be a big help.

Ran my first race of the new year this morning.  It was the Mid-Winter Cruise 5K in Park Forest.  I ran quite well without really killing myself.  Very pleased.  They had trouble with the printer, so haven't seen the official results, but I am pretty sure I was in the top ten overall.  My watch time was 22:09.9.  I will update with particulars when They are posted.

A Brand New Year

Here it is, the start of a new year.  I meant to write this a few days ago, but hadn't gotten around to it till tonight.  I had such a great year in 2015, and being another year older, can I really expect to improve upon it.  I am still running well, even in these cold days.  And I am still feeling pretty fit and healthy, so I guess we will just have to see.  I plan on continuing with my easy running this year with very little speedwork (mostly just the races themselves) since it worked so well last year.  It kept me injury free, but still allowed me to race well.  I will try to incorporate more hills, though, and some weight work.

I started putting together my race schedule several weeks ago, coming up with a nice mix of shorter PSRR circuit races and my main ultra races.  It is far from complete, mostly the first half of the year, but it is a good start.  I will go into more detail in my next post.