Running with a younger me

I was running some of my favorite local trails the other day while listening to one of my favorite trailrunning podcasts. The topic was "if you could run trails with anyone who would it be?" Lots of typical comments like running with relatives or famous folks. Then one of the hosts said "I would like to run with a younger self from 10 years ago." I pondered on that for the rest of the run.

10 years ago I was still in the military and had just recently ran my first marathon. I was living in Colorado and getting ready to retire. I was running alot but mostly on roads and alone. If the me of now could run with the me of then I would tell myself this:

1. Run more trails. I lived in one of the most beautiful  mountain areas and I didn't experience it near enough. I regret that. I should run more trails
2. Run with more people. I was a solitary runner and why that has its place I run more socially now and that is much more fun.
3. Love your family.. We all love our families but in the last 10 years I have lost one of my Uncles and 2 Grandmothers. I hope they knew I loved them.
4. Take more pictures. People laugh at me know I take so many photos. But I want to remember.
5. Run an Ultra. I have run a lot of ultra marathons since 2009 I should have started earlier.

I hope I would have listened

Evansdale to Robins FKT: The Execution

This is a run I have been wanting to do for a few years. It would be an estimated 50 mile route from Evansdale Iowa to Robins Iowa along the Cedar Valley nature trail. This is a rails to trails route so would be a mixture of pavement,gravel, and dirt with no more than a 2% grade. Easy huh? It would turn out to be more challenging than expected.

Woke up about 3 am to get in the car and take the ride north to my parents house. My friend JD had decided to accompany me on this adventure and it was probably good he did as attempting this solo in hindsight would have been a dangerous idea. Anyway we chewed down a a PBJ and made my way to the parents house. dropped off my car and my Mother gave us a ride the 60 miles north to the trail head. We arrived about 0500 and took off about 0515. At start time it was dark,foggy and cool, perfect running weather. The first 12 miles of the trail was paved so we ran easy but still managed a 10:30 per mile pace. We were both using Salomon S-lab 12 vests and I was wearing my new Hoka Cliftons. We talked and concentrated on the little tunnels of light our headlamps made. After about an hour the sun came up and the headlights got stashed. This was to be an unsupported effort so we were carrying all our nutrition and supplies in our vests. We were still well hydrated at this point so when we stopped to use the woodline we also walked a bit. So these natural breaks worked well in this first section.

The first small town we hit was Laporte City where we stopped at a small city park to use the restroom and fill up with water. This would be the pattern for the rest of the day. I estimated the next town was about 6 miles based on the map I had printed out. The map wasn't very detailed though and it also was starting to get wet from all my sweat. You forget the small things after not running an ultra for awhile,small things like putting your map in a plastic bag! We headed down the trail. Shortly after Laporte the trail changed to dirt. This was my favorite section as it was shaded and secluded almost like a trail run in the woods. This even though we were essentially running through cornfields and pasture. The trees along the trail blocked the sun and our view of the open country. Eventually we hit the next town of Brandon (Home of the worlds largest frying pan). Once again we filled up with water at a small park and rearranged some nutrition.

Taking off the trail started opening up. Shade got less and less and the sun got hotter and hotter. Now we were in open country. We were still running at about an 11:00-11:30 pace but the sun was taking its toll. We saw more more people as the trail started south and the day was getting farther along. We or I specifically estimated this section would be another 6 miles. I was wrong as it turned out to be a little over 10 miles. We were totally out of water when we hit the town of Urbana. We tried to stop at. City Hall but no luck getting any there. Luckily there was another park alittle bit down the trail and we spent probably 30 minutes filling up on water and cooling down. Onward to the next town.

Humidity and heat dominated the next section. We actually started employing a run/walk strategy at this point. Due to the unvarying terrain our feet,knees,and hips were taking a pounding on the fairly hard packed trail. Walking helped relieve some of that pain. I had some hip,calf, and knee pain that was migrating around randomly. JD mentioned some pain in his hip flexors. Eventually we arrived at Center Point. We were about 10 miles from our destination but this would be the beginning of the end. We refilled up with water at an old railroad depot building and JD mentioned he was concerned because he hadn't urinated in quite awhile. Once we headed off we were pretty stiff. We continued the walk/ run strategy but the running was getting slower and shorter in duration. I was having some good aches and pains and JD was experiencing foot cramps. But we pushed on. 

Approximately mile 41 the trail turned to blacktop. The heat radiating off this surface was brutal. Shortly after that JD, although running well, actually stronger than I was at this point, mentioned he was feeling nauseous,tingly, and his vision was blurring. This was not good as he started experiencing a significant bonk which could have been heat related or due to the lack of nutrition in the last few miles. We had basically run out of supplies between Urbana and Center Point and were running on fumes. We walked for about a mile to the next road/trail intersection and called for exfil. If this was a race potentially we could have rested at an aid station and continued the last 8 miles. However we had no aid station,no supplies and limited water. It was the smart thing to call it a day. We finished 42 miles in 9:45 hours. We also accomplished what I had intended. Bottom line I wanted to test my limits and push the boundary. We did that and it will be a great memory.

Training timeout

I have been on a training timeout for basically about 40 days. I haven't run seriously since my last 50K race in early November. It was during this race that I finally got it through my thick head THAT I WAS INJURED and needed to rest. I have been battling Achilles tendonosis in my right Achilles tendon for over 6 months and it came to a head during this race. The pain would cause my entire hamstring and sciatic to cramp up the farther I went. I could not comfortably run over 10 miles without pain. That may seem like no big deal but I am used to running 10 miles at a minimum and I was training for a 100 mile race in February.

Well I had to do the adult thing and pull out of that race and for the last month I have joined the ranks of the sick,lame, and lazy ( also airborne crazy). I tell you once you stop working out it sure is easy to sit on the coach. Between my injury and the last year I have spent in Paramedic school I have also gained back about 20 pounds of the 40 pounds I lost in 2011. I also think after constantly training for over 24 months I was probably over trained.

But there is light ahead, although I am scared to run on it at this point my Achilles is feeling better and I am starting to wish I could run again. I plan on starting soon and rededicating myself to weight loss and smart training. I am going to run easy and crosstrain often. I have a 50K scheduled for March and I have another 100 mile race in the works for June. I will keep you updated.

Return of the Turkey Trott

This was my 4th running of this race since 2004. It was Jay's1st. He is starting to turn into an Athlete. 8 months ago he couldn't run a mile. This month he finished a 3 mile trail run in 44 minutes and finished the Turkey Trott 8K in 56:06. We ran together and I enjoyed every mile. We talked about a potential half marathon in the future. It was a good day and pancakes were chewed on.

Fairview Farm 5 Mile Trail run

Well..I have no pictures for this post because I had intended on posting a video log of the entire race. But my technological inefficiency showed through and my Go Pro battery was drained when I got to the race. I guess I must have left it on after I charged it. Anyways this was a good race and a great day.

The first great thing was, it was the end of Daylight Savings time and I got to sleep in an extra hour. The second great thing was I able to get  in 11 pre race trail miles at Beverly park and got to see the usual squirrels but with the additional bonus of the 6 point buck that hangs out in the park. He is usually pretty elusive and its only the 3rd time I have seen him. The third great thing was my son ran the race also and my wife was able to watch. She doesn't go to a lot of my races so that made me happy.

This race is literally a block from my house but I have never run it before because of scheduling conflicts. So after I got done with my warm up miles the family and I moseyed on down to the race site and checked in. I had tried to scope out the course prior but wasn't 100% sure on the route. We hung out for about 40 minutes talking to a lot of my running friends and introducing them to my wife. My son Jay was going to run the 3 mile race and I would be running the 5 mile.

Eventually we all lined up for the start and wouldn't you know it my GD Garmin wouldn't work. I have never had an issue with it before but I just decided to go without it. Once we started I tossed it to my Wife as we ran past. I ran pretty hard the first mile and my breathing was pretty ragged. I am not sure if that was because I wasn't in rhythm or because the first .5 to .75 miles was mostly uphill. I tried to keep some runners  I knew ahead of me in sight but eventually I slowed slightly to a more manageable pace. My legs were really dead going uphill and as this course is nothing but rolling hills that was a problem.

I just decided to run comfortable and hard without redlining it. At about mile 2 we did a short extra loop that included a small obstacle course of a waist high tree log contraption. That was exciting (insert sarcasm here). I had run most of the trails obviously but this course was new so I wasn't quite sure where we were at most of the time as far as distance.

At what I thought was about mile 3 we did a lot of climbing followed by a down hill and some more climbing. At mile 4 we headed back into familiar territory so I picked it up, knowing there was only about a mile left. The last .5 miles is deceptive as you can see the finish but there are about 3 or 4 switchbacks before you actually hit the finish. I hit the last straightaway with my normal energy and finished in 46:33. Not sure where that put me age group place wise as I forgot to look at the results..meh.

Jay finished his 3 mile run just ahead of me and he looked strong. We all hung around to cheer on the rest of our friends as there were quite a few of us at the race. Post race I had a cookie and then Starr,Jay, I and our 2 dogs walked about a mile or so back home taking the scenic trails instead of the straighter paved route.

Trail running is probably my favorite thing to do at this point in my life.

Des Moines Marathon 2013

I hadn't run this race since 2006. The reason was I had a very bad experience back in 2006 after a experiencing a modified course and lack of training. I had pretty much blown off ever running this race again until a friend asked me to to join his charity running team. Team Red Shamrock was running the event to raise to raise money for post cancer care. So Team Red Shamrock showed up to run the race with bright eyes and bushy tails as my daughter would say.

Myself and Ross took the 100 mile ride from CR to the race where we met Team Red Shamrock founder John. John had our race packets and also gave me a kickass Red Shamrock stocking hat. We then headed to the starting line which was a few blocks away. It was a bit chilly and per usual I had to hit the Porto John prior to race start. This put me behind the power curve and I ended up getting stuck in the back of the almost 10,000 runners at the event. I could see my hoped for pace group, the 3:45 group way up in front of me.

When the gun went off it took me almost 3 minutes to cross the actually starting line. I started off with what I thought would be a steady pace. I had this half ass thought in the back of my head that I might be able to PR the marathon distance at this race. I was coming off a big 17 plus minute PR at a 50K I ran the previous weekend so I wasn't sure if it was possible. So anyway I kept it steady as I weaved my way through the usual crowd and congestion that starts at the beginning of a race. Eventually the half marathon runners split off and us marathoners headed up a long hill that was the beginning of 5 miles of rolling hills. I continued to pass runners and kept my pace steady even up the hills. The miles kept ticking away and before I knew it I was at mile 11 or 12 and the course had flattened out considerably. About that point we ran into and through the Drake University stadium. I tried to catch a picture of myself on the jumbotron but I wasn't able to frame it correctly.

After the stadium I kinda fell into drone mode. We hit a small paved trail section through a park and it was in this section that I finally caught the 3:45 pace group at about mile 17. It had taken me that long to catch them and when I did I was only able to hang with them for a few miles before I started feeling fatigued and slowing down. At least I felt like I was slowing down. The course ran through and circumnavigated a large park and also Greys lake. It was running around Grey's lake in 2006 where the wheels came off. In 2013 however I was feeling relatively fine and just anticipating the finish line. I looked at my watch with 4 miles to go and realized I could practically walk it in and still set a new personal marathon record. 

As I rounded the corner for the last 500 meters I turned  it on and was able to cross the line in 3:45:46 which was a new PR.  Was a good day and my Des Moines demons are now slain.

Mines of Spain Trail Half Marathon

 The Mines of Spain Trail Half Marathon was a new race put on by some local Dubuque Iowa area trail runners and they did it right. My friends and I had for the most part had never run these trails and they did not disappoint.  This race was spot on with breathtaking scenery, great trails, difficult terrain and a great pre and post race vibe. The course had hills,bridges,marsh,prairie, more hills,rocks, stairs, logs, more hills..well you get the idea.  Here is a link to the Garmin Connect data on the race.





I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this race. One of my best ever and a new favorite. Instead of a long blow by blow blogpost I will let my pictures (of course I stopped to take pictures) do the talking. Enjoy, I will definitely be back next year.