This weekend I ran Grey Rock 50k just outside of Yakima in 5:16 and took 3rd in the over 40 group behind Miles Ohlrich and Jim Kerby and 6th overall. Yeah Miles just turned 40 a couple weeks ago and Jim's knee and fitness are back ...great.
This race was a return to my roots. It was my first ultra and second marathon or longer race way back in 2005 ... 86 marathons and/or ultras later I shaved 2 1/2 hours off my ultra debut. This course is as technical as they get. Lots of big ass rocks and single track. Next time I run it I'm going to put foam pads on my ankles. I kicked a couple large rocks into the opposing ankle. Ouch!
I ended up not carpooling to the race. I rode my Yamaha Warrior over the morning of the race. That meant a REALLY early wake up. I was out the door a little after 3:00 am and made it to the start of the race about 25 minutes before the start. I just had enough time to change and hit the bathroom before the race started.
We all (the 12k, 25k, and 50k) started together but it worked out. I think all the 12k people were walkers and only 3 or 4 of the 25k guys were fast enough to be ahead of the lead 50k pack. Everybody thinned out into small packs pretty quickly.
I did not go out with the lead pack but kept them in site for about 4 miles. I hammered the single track downhill into the first a/s at 12k but did even catch a glimpse of them.
I went back forth with a couple of guys for the first 15 miles. They'd catch and pass me on the ups and I'd pass them on the downs. I think one of them did the same thing I did my first time there, take 50% longer on the return trip then he did on the out portion.
At the second a/s I was in ~7th place then I moved up into 5th on the return trip. Some how I was short on water a mile out of the last a/s so I slowed down a little and tried to conserve water. That only leaves you out in the heat longer needing more water. I was caught by the 1st female and we ran together for a couple miles. She was faster on the ups than I was and I was low on water so I let her go.
With 6k to go I stopped to talk to the Firefighters/Search and Rescue guys that were there. There was a new fire that was growing fast on a nearby ridge and we were being buzzed by numerous helicopters. They were up to date on the fire. That was good to hear. Only thing left to do was finish the race. I didn't push it too hard down to the finish. There are so many large rocks on the trail it was hard to get a good stride going.
After I finished I sat in a stream to cool my legs for a few minutes but the mosquitoes quickly found me and I was starting to get sucked dry. The after race meal was fabulous once again and the ride home was actually easier than I thought it would be.
Sunday I went up to Easton and did an out and back on the first part of the CCC course. I only did 22 miles and the pace was pretty pedestrian. The weather was nice and hot even though it was raining hard on the way up. It was kinda cool halfway through the run standing on a ridge line and on one side to see rain and green and on the other it was dry and hot. I made it back to the car in 5:15 almost the exact same time as the day before. I figured it was a sign that I should call it a day.
I'll have to settle for 90 miles this week.
Grey Rock 50K Trail Race Results
Tampico, WA
July 11, 2009
1. Chris Twardzik 34 Snoqualmie, WA 4:34:56
2. Miles Ohlrich 40 Seattle, WA 4:43:26
3. James Kerby 46 Carnation, WA 4:56:38
4. Benjamin Chaffin 33 Portland, OR 5:12:36
5. Tara Crowley 31 Portland, OR 5:14:09
6. Arthur Martineau 41 Bellevue, WA 5:16:48
7. Eva Lust-Wright 39 Yakima, WA 5:41:59
8. David Fullford 48 Issaquah, WA 5:47:36
9. Jay Clark 42 White Salmon, WA 6:04:45
10. Renbo Trout 44 Portland, OR 6:04:46
11. Herb Reeves 55 Olympia, WA 6:12:16
12. Annie Duong 30 Portland, OR 6:13:00
13. Mike Schmitt 41 Yakima, WA 6:20:06
14. Jeff Hagen 62 Yakima, WA 6:21:20
15. Gary Redwine 52 McMinnville, OR 6:21:47
16. Kristiann Vlieger 23 Sunnyside, WA 6:24:52
17. Andrew Lingbloom 21 Edmonds, WA 6:29:50
18. Mark Dahlby 45 Tacoma, WA 6:31:33
19. Eric Anderson 57 Yakima, WA 6:40:08
20. Francie Hankins 44 Spokane, WA 7:04:09
21. Harvey Hall 43 Olympia, WA 7:07:11
22. Brandy Garton 37 Enumclaw, WA 7:07:39
23. Debra Barnabee 53 Seattle, WA 7:15:36
24. Brandon Lott 36 Burbank, WA 7:26:56
25. Ron McDermott 48 Mt. Vernon, WA 7:27:20
26. Lisa Wheeler 45 Kirkland, WA 7:27:44
27. Gene Griffiths 46 Yakima, WA 7:33:12
28. Cheri Pompeo 57 Woodinville, WA 7:45:56
29. Rick Arnold 47 Yakima, WA 7:48:55
30. Dori Harrell 44 Yakima, WA 7:54:19
31. Cady Chambers 19 Roy, WA 8:15:58
32. Rick Haase 63 Shoreline, WA 8:24:53
Rainer Schulz 66 Roy, WA 8:24:53
34. George Midbust 55 Richland, WA 8:28:27
Micah Smith 53 Edmonds, WA 8:28:27
36. Dennis Rose 57 Portland, WA 8:31:39
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
R&R Seattle - 12 Summits double
I ran the R&R Seattle Marathon on Saturday and 12 Summits, about 34 miles, on Sunday.
Rock and Roll
My plan was to just run how I felt. I didn't know very much about the course. I checked the elevation the morning of the race to see where the hills were. The only roads I knew I would be running on were the I-90 Bridge and Hwy 99 on the new St. Patties Day Dash course.
I was in the first corral, which was fun. I was lined up just 10-15 feet behind the elite runners and I met a fellow ID member "Kevin", I think he finished around 3:02.
The first hour of the race went by really fast. I was chatting with Ryan and Shawna just enjoying a nice run. R&R has me at 21:48 for the 5k and 44:17 for the 10k. That 10k time included a mile split that was around 8 1/2 minutes from going up the hill at mile 5. Other than that I think I was running right at 7 minute miles. They also had a 9 mile split in there (I don't know why) of 1:04:33, seems like it should have been at 15k.
At around 12.5 miles the marathon and 1/2 merged together and it was a serious mistake by the race staff. We merged in with the 1/2 marathon runners that had averaged almost 2 full minutes per mile slower!!! So for about two miles I had to weave and dodge the slower 1/2 marathoners. It wasn't too bad except for the first half mile of it when we were all jammed into one lane. That was a serious mistake by the race staff, but pretty much their only big one, at least that I saw.
I crossed the 1/2 way point with Shawna right at 3:10 pace. I knew I couldn't keep up this pace once the hills came at around 15-16. And right on cue has I started on the last hill (set of hills from 16-20) I ran out of gas. I was passed by 6-7 runners. Some of whom passed me 4 or 5 times. Even as I was running downhill on the bridge nearing the turn around a found myself checking the pace on my watch and thinking something like, “this is downhill, why is it taking so much effort to run 7:10” or whatever pace it was at that moment. And “if this is so hard coming back up is going to kill me”. I had just finished a gel before the bridge and I guess it started to kick in because as the downhill turned to up I started to feel better. Right after the turn around I had a tiny glass of beer from a Laura, a local runner, and that lifted my spirits. It sloshed and foamed around in my stomach for about 1/2 mile but it gave me something to think about other than how I was about to crash and burn from running faster than my fitness level. At 30k I was at 2:15:32 and felling better.
Well I don't know if it was the beer and the bands or just seeing all my fellow runners going the other way cheering me on and telling me how great I looked but I started to feel a lot better. Not faster just better and as if it took just a little less effort to run that same pace. I passed by the 19 mile mark and did some quick (and simple) math. I figured if I ran 8:00 minute miles to the end I'd be right at 3:15, my PR. I guess the clock must have said something close to 2:19, plus 56 minutes. That’s about all the math I can do in my head at 19 miles. That lifted my spirits even higher. I ought to be able to just jog it in and get a PR. SWEET!!!
I kept doing the math at each mile marker, and kept checking my pace on my Suunto. I was running between 7:15 and 7:45 and averaging (I think) about 7:30. Then it was I can run 8's in and get a 3:14, then 3:13 then I stopped checking and just ran. At 24 miles I was at 2:54:16.
I also had in the back of my head that I would be running tomorrow and that was actually more important than a PR today. I ran the last 2.2 miles in exactly 18 minutes which isn't very fast (8:10 pace) but it did include a nice little hill as you climbed back up onto the viaduct. I finished in 3:12:16 an average of 7:20 mile pace. That's 3:11 faster than my last PR which was at Boston this year. I ran 1:35:10/1:37:06, that's a huge 2nd half PR for me. I normally slow way down in the second half of the race.
Jenn picked me after trying to make it through the maze of closed streets. I had a long ice bath a good meal and then we went to the Strawberry festival. I love fresh picked Strawberries. And of course I had to make a smoothie when we got back.
12 Summits
We had 4 runners show up to run this Tiger Mt. classic. Shawn, Tony (Tc), Linda “Lightening Bolt” Barton and I started off at around 6 AM. I felt better than I thought I would. I could go up and down the hills with just a little more effort than normal and the technical trails were no problem. We took it easy and did the first half in 4 hours. My legs felt good for the first 3 ½ hours then they just went dead. We had a nice long 15 minute break at the turn around then headed back up the trail. My pace was slow all the way to Middle Tiger. I guess that’s when lunch kicked in because I was finally able to keep up again.
We stopped for a few minutes to do some covert vigilante trail work on the back and still make the return trip in just over 4:30 hours. I figured closer to 5 hours. It was a good day to be out on the trail. The rain at 6 am had me a little worried but it eventually stopped and warmed up nicely.
I wore my Brooks Launch road shoe and they did great, for a road shoe. I did find the limit for the shoe. They are not good for very steep inclines. I slipped a little going up the Nook-Section Line trail in the morning, but coming down after 31 miles was down right dangerous. Maybe on fresh legs the lack of traction would be ok but I’ll not be testing that theory out.
I also took a few pictures to update my photo map of the trail. There are 2 new intersections from the logging operations. Watch for that in the next couple days.
Rock and Roll
My plan was to just run how I felt. I didn't know very much about the course. I checked the elevation the morning of the race to see where the hills were. The only roads I knew I would be running on were the I-90 Bridge and Hwy 99 on the new St. Patties Day Dash course.
I was in the first corral, which was fun. I was lined up just 10-15 feet behind the elite runners and I met a fellow ID member "Kevin", I think he finished around 3:02.
The first hour of the race went by really fast. I was chatting with Ryan and Shawna just enjoying a nice run. R&R has me at 21:48 for the 5k and 44:17 for the 10k. That 10k time included a mile split that was around 8 1/2 minutes from going up the hill at mile 5. Other than that I think I was running right at 7 minute miles. They also had a 9 mile split in there (I don't know why) of 1:04:33, seems like it should have been at 15k.
At around 12.5 miles the marathon and 1/2 merged together and it was a serious mistake by the race staff. We merged in with the 1/2 marathon runners that had averaged almost 2 full minutes per mile slower!!! So for about two miles I had to weave and dodge the slower 1/2 marathoners. It wasn't too bad except for the first half mile of it when we were all jammed into one lane. That was a serious mistake by the race staff, but pretty much their only big one, at least that I saw.
I crossed the 1/2 way point with Shawna right at 3:10 pace. I knew I couldn't keep up this pace once the hills came at around 15-16. And right on cue has I started on the last hill (set of hills from 16-20) I ran out of gas. I was passed by 6-7 runners. Some of whom passed me 4 or 5 times. Even as I was running downhill on the bridge nearing the turn around a found myself checking the pace on my watch and thinking something like, “this is downhill, why is it taking so much effort to run 7:10” or whatever pace it was at that moment. And “if this is so hard coming back up is going to kill me”. I had just finished a gel before the bridge and I guess it started to kick in because as the downhill turned to up I started to feel better. Right after the turn around I had a tiny glass of beer from a Laura, a local runner, and that lifted my spirits. It sloshed and foamed around in my stomach for about 1/2 mile but it gave me something to think about other than how I was about to crash and burn from running faster than my fitness level. At 30k I was at 2:15:32 and felling better.
Well I don't know if it was the beer and the bands or just seeing all my fellow runners going the other way cheering me on and telling me how great I looked but I started to feel a lot better. Not faster just better and as if it took just a little less effort to run that same pace. I passed by the 19 mile mark and did some quick (and simple) math. I figured if I ran 8:00 minute miles to the end I'd be right at 3:15, my PR. I guess the clock must have said something close to 2:19, plus 56 minutes. That’s about all the math I can do in my head at 19 miles. That lifted my spirits even higher. I ought to be able to just jog it in and get a PR. SWEET!!!
I kept doing the math at each mile marker, and kept checking my pace on my Suunto. I was running between 7:15 and 7:45 and averaging (I think) about 7:30. Then it was I can run 8's in and get a 3:14, then 3:13 then I stopped checking and just ran. At 24 miles I was at 2:54:16.
I also had in the back of my head that I would be running tomorrow and that was actually more important than a PR today. I ran the last 2.2 miles in exactly 18 minutes which isn't very fast (8:10 pace) but it did include a nice little hill as you climbed back up onto the viaduct. I finished in 3:12:16 an average of 7:20 mile pace. That's 3:11 faster than my last PR which was at Boston this year. I ran 1:35:10/1:37:06, that's a huge 2nd half PR for me. I normally slow way down in the second half of the race.
Jenn picked me after trying to make it through the maze of closed streets. I had a long ice bath a good meal and then we went to the Strawberry festival. I love fresh picked Strawberries. And of course I had to make a smoothie when we got back.
12 Summits
We had 4 runners show up to run this Tiger Mt. classic. Shawn, Tony (Tc), Linda “Lightening Bolt” Barton and I started off at around 6 AM. I felt better than I thought I would. I could go up and down the hills with just a little more effort than normal and the technical trails were no problem. We took it easy and did the first half in 4 hours. My legs felt good for the first 3 ½ hours then they just went dead. We had a nice long 15 minute break at the turn around then headed back up the trail. My pace was slow all the way to Middle Tiger. I guess that’s when lunch kicked in because I was finally able to keep up again.
We stopped for a few minutes to do some covert vigilante trail work on the back and still make the return trip in just over 4:30 hours. I figured closer to 5 hours. It was a good day to be out on the trail. The rain at 6 am had me a little worried but it eventually stopped and warmed up nicely.
I wore my Brooks Launch road shoe and they did great, for a road shoe. I did find the limit for the shoe. They are not good for very steep inclines. I slipped a little going up the Nook-Section Line trail in the morning, but coming down after 31 miles was down right dangerous. Maybe on fresh legs the lack of traction would be ok but I’ll not be testing that theory out.
I also took a few pictures to update my photo map of the trail. There are 2 new intersections from the logging operations. Watch for that in the next couple days.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Shoe Review: Brooks Launch
Update: I just ran the R&R Seattle Marathon in 3:12 (a 3 minute PR) in the Launch. They performed exactly as they did in my last race, the Lake Youngs Ultra, described below.
I put the Brooks "Launch" on Friday night and I didn't want to take them off. This is a very comfortable and soft shoe. I did some heavy lifting, loading up the trailer for the Lake Youngs Ultra. Being the Race Director I had a ton of things to do but tried to get to bed early, make that before midnight.
I was up before 4:00 am loading the perishables and heading to the start (wearing the Launch). I helped my volunteers set up and check in all the runners and at 7:00 we all started running. The race is mostly on dirt and gravel roads that aren't much softer than asphalt. I wore the Brooks Burn 3 last year but I had to switched to a trail shoe after 20 miles because my feet were getting bruised and sore from all the rocks. That didn't happen on Saturday. I ran the whole 29 miles in the Launch and my feet felt great when I finished. No blisters, no bruises, no soreness. I normally have some shin pain after running this race which did not develop this year.
The traction is not as good as the other Brooks road shoes but it's way better than the Brooks ST 4. The fore foot is well cushioned but the heel might have a little too much cushion. When my form broke down from fatigue, I did some severe heel striking and this shoe is not made for that. They transition from Heel to Toe very nicely and if you consider yourself someone that runs on your toes then you will like this shoe.
The shoe is very breathable and light. If you are a neutral runner this shoe will be your new favorite. If you are a severe heel striker I think it will wear out faster than your other shoes because it's so soft. If you pronate a little you may have to work this into your shoe rotation slowly so you can built up your pronation controlling muscles, ankles, knees, IT band, etc. or you could find yourself injured from a muscle imbalance.
I ran a short recovery run in a pair of Glycerin 6 this morning and compared to the Launch they felt heavy, hard, and the heel toe transition wasn't very smooth. If the shoes could talk they would tell you that they feel like the ugly stepsister.
I've been trying to come up with some "Cons" to go with all these "Pros". I'm having a hard time. You might not like the color, they are pretty bright. And I question the durability because they are just so darn soft. That usually means the shoe isn't meant to last.
Bottom line go try on a pair at your local running store and you will know right away if the shoe is for you.
I will be running the Rock & Roll Marathon in 2 weeks in the Launch. I'll post an update on how the shoe preformed.
Here's a little video from Brooks.
Let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
I put the Brooks "Launch" on Friday night and I didn't want to take them off. This is a very comfortable and soft shoe. I did some heavy lifting, loading up the trailer for the Lake Youngs Ultra. Being the Race Director I had a ton of things to do but tried to get to bed early, make that before midnight.
I was up before 4:00 am loading the perishables and heading to the start (wearing the Launch). I helped my volunteers set up and check in all the runners and at 7:00 we all started running. The race is mostly on dirt and gravel roads that aren't much softer than asphalt. I wore the Brooks Burn 3 last year but I had to switched to a trail shoe after 20 miles because my feet were getting bruised and sore from all the rocks. That didn't happen on Saturday. I ran the whole 29 miles in the Launch and my feet felt great when I finished. No blisters, no bruises, no soreness. I normally have some shin pain after running this race which did not develop this year.
The traction is not as good as the other Brooks road shoes but it's way better than the Brooks ST 4. The fore foot is well cushioned but the heel might have a little too much cushion. When my form broke down from fatigue, I did some severe heel striking and this shoe is not made for that. They transition from Heel to Toe very nicely and if you consider yourself someone that runs on your toes then you will like this shoe.
The shoe is very breathable and light. If you are a neutral runner this shoe will be your new favorite. If you are a severe heel striker I think it will wear out faster than your other shoes because it's so soft. If you pronate a little you may have to work this into your shoe rotation slowly so you can built up your pronation controlling muscles, ankles, knees, IT band, etc. or you could find yourself injured from a muscle imbalance.
I ran a short recovery run in a pair of Glycerin 6 this morning and compared to the Launch they felt heavy, hard, and the heel toe transition wasn't very smooth. If the shoes could talk they would tell you that they feel like the ugly stepsister.
I've been trying to come up with some "Cons" to go with all these "Pros". I'm having a hard time. You might not like the color, they are pretty bright. And I question the durability because they are just so darn soft. That usually means the shoe isn't meant to last.
Bottom line go try on a pair at your local running store and you will know right away if the shoe is for you.
I will be running the Rock & Roll Marathon in 2 weeks in the Launch. I'll post an update on how the shoe preformed.
Here's a little video from Brooks.
Let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Brooks ASR 6 trail shoe review
This shoe is the trail or “All Season” version of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9.
That's actually a light grey not white.
They don’t just slap a lugged trail outsole on it, for traction, and call it a trail shoe. They also changed the uppers to better handle the rain, dirt and mud. The upper is made of a tighter weaved material to keep out the mud and there’s some Hydrophobic foam in the tongue and toe that won’t get heavy when wet. The ASR 5 had a different upper pattern from the GTS. Now the ASR 6 has the same pattern in the upper and the same mid-sole as the GTS 9. That means it now has full length BioMoGo and all the other fancy gadgets that make the GTS so smooth and so popular. To me this made the shoe feel a little softer than the ASR 5’s.
Here is a video from Brooks about the new ASR 6.
So what did I think? As with any Brooks shoe I didn’t waste any time breaking them in. I tried them on when they came in the mail, just to make sure they fit OK, and then I was off and running and running.
On Saturday I ran the Blanchard Mt. Ultra which is 33 miles of trails and logging roads. It has a little of everything (except pavement). I normally wear a straight neutral shoe like the Defyance or the Cascadia. This shoe is more controlling than either of those and it felt a bit more controlling than last year’s ASR 5. It doesn’t twist as much as the Cascadia’s on uneven ground or screaming down switchbacks. That can be a good thing if you’re looking for a little more protection on those longer events. They were comfortable all day (5 hours and 44 minutes) with no blisters or hot spots. The shoe had plenty of cushion while running downhill on the logging road but if you kick a rock or root on a technical trail make sure it’s not on the top of your foot because the tighter weave might help keep out water and dirt but it doesn’t do much against roots. I have the bruise on the top of my foot to prove it.
I also ran another 12.5 miles the next day on Tiger Mt. in the ASR 6’s just to make sure I didn’t have any ill affects from the extra pronation control. I’m happy to report that there were no problems with my IT Bands, knees, hips or ankles. If you are a neutral runner feel free to give them a try.
The new improved lug pattern did a good job (better than the ASR 5) on the steep climbs and the steep descents. I didn’t slip once or fall once either day. There was very little mud but I didn’t have any problems there either.
I would definitely recommend this shoe.
You can see the new improved outsole is a little beefier.
ASR 5 and ASR 6
Update:
Yes they gave me plenty of protection against the rocky trail sections, even hammering downhill, but I don't step on any large pointy ones.
That's actually a light grey not white.
They don’t just slap a lugged trail outsole on it, for traction, and call it a trail shoe. They also changed the uppers to better handle the rain, dirt and mud. The upper is made of a tighter weaved material to keep out the mud and there’s some Hydrophobic foam in the tongue and toe that won’t get heavy when wet. The ASR 5 had a different upper pattern from the GTS. Now the ASR 6 has the same pattern in the upper and the same mid-sole as the GTS 9. That means it now has full length BioMoGo and all the other fancy gadgets that make the GTS so smooth and so popular. To me this made the shoe feel a little softer than the ASR 5’s.
Here is a video from Brooks about the new ASR 6.
So what did I think? As with any Brooks shoe I didn’t waste any time breaking them in. I tried them on when they came in the mail, just to make sure they fit OK, and then I was off and running and running.
On Saturday I ran the Blanchard Mt. Ultra which is 33 miles of trails and logging roads. It has a little of everything (except pavement). I normally wear a straight neutral shoe like the Defyance or the Cascadia. This shoe is more controlling than either of those and it felt a bit more controlling than last year’s ASR 5. It doesn’t twist as much as the Cascadia’s on uneven ground or screaming down switchbacks. That can be a good thing if you’re looking for a little more protection on those longer events. They were comfortable all day (5 hours and 44 minutes) with no blisters or hot spots. The shoe had plenty of cushion while running downhill on the logging road but if you kick a rock or root on a technical trail make sure it’s not on the top of your foot because the tighter weave might help keep out water and dirt but it doesn’t do much against roots. I have the bruise on the top of my foot to prove it.
I also ran another 12.5 miles the next day on Tiger Mt. in the ASR 6’s just to make sure I didn’t have any ill affects from the extra pronation control. I’m happy to report that there were no problems with my IT Bands, knees, hips or ankles. If you are a neutral runner feel free to give them a try.
The new improved lug pattern did a good job (better than the ASR 5) on the steep climbs and the steep descents. I didn’t slip once or fall once either day. There was very little mud but I didn’t have any problems there either.
I would definitely recommend this shoe.
You can see the new improved outsole is a little beefier.
ASR 5 and ASR 6
Update:
Yes they gave me plenty of protection against the rocky trail sections, even hammering downhill, but I don't step on any large pointy ones.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Running and Racing update ...
Tacoma
I ran the Tacoma City Marathon as a pacer for the time of 3:40. Right off (mile 2) my group spilt in two. Half stayed with me and half went ahead to try and "bank" some time. At the half I was right at 1:50 but I only had one runner left. A mile later I was by myself. I passed a few of the "bankers" in the next five miles. I heard the same thing each time I pulled along side one of them to chat and give encouragement. "OH *%^$#*! It's you, I was really hoping not to see you again" How's that for feeling popular? I can understand, I would have been saying the same thing. I tried to nurse them along but couldn't. Finding myself alone with nobody to pace and "hurting" I decided I decide to join a fallen 3:20 pacer and walk it in the last 5 miles for a 3:54. Normally I wouldn't give up on a race but having a stomach flu that didn't allow me to eat more than a few hundred calories a day for the past 4 days was too much for me to overcome. I felt (mentally) pretty shitty after the race and even now I still feel bad that I couldn't run the 3:40 that I promised I could. Maybe I should have banked some time...
Redmond Watershed 12 hour
I really like this race. I was hoping it would be super hot like last year but mid 70's was good. I went into the race knowing I was way under trained. My weekly mileage since Oct was been in the 30-35 miles per week (since Plain100). Lucky for me endurance takes along time to lose, and my foot speed is a little better having trained for shorter races of 26.2 miles.
My goals were to;
Run the whole 12 hours, not just 10:30 or 11:51.
Run a PR distance.
Keep all my big loops under an hour.
I Ran for 11:57 with my last small loop being the fastest thanks to a bored LB that ran the last hour with me.
I ran 11 big loops and 9 small loops. I could have ran a tenth big loop but was just not motivated enough to spend an hour out there by myself. Final mileage was 65.61 which was a PR by .72 miles. Not very impressive in my book but it's twice my weekly mileage so I'll take it as a success.
If I subtract out the 2-5 minutes I spent at the a/s filling my bottle and running to the car, etc., I was able to keep all but two loops under an hour, but just barely.
Sometime on my 9th or 10th loop I passed two runners walking/standing on the trail. It was on one of those long narrow raised straight sections that cut through the swamps on the back side on the loop. They said there was a cougar up ahead. I saw a rear end that seemed too dark (could have been shaded) and a tail that seemed too short (could have been pointed at me) disappear into the bushes. Other than that, it looked like a cougar to me. I thought, well I have my Mio GPS/MP3 player blasting Aerosmith so it wont want to stick around to eat me. As I get to the spot where it was my tunes died! Oh shit... well I didn't see it so I just kept running and looking left into the bushes. One of the runners (who waited for me to go first) said she could tell it was a cougar by it ears which I didn't see. It might have been, I don't know. Did anybody else see it?
Maybe I'll post some pictures later.
I ran the Tacoma City Marathon as a pacer for the time of 3:40. Right off (mile 2) my group spilt in two. Half stayed with me and half went ahead to try and "bank" some time. At the half I was right at 1:50 but I only had one runner left. A mile later I was by myself. I passed a few of the "bankers" in the next five miles. I heard the same thing each time I pulled along side one of them to chat and give encouragement. "OH *%^$#*! It's you, I was really hoping not to see you again" How's that for feeling popular? I can understand, I would have been saying the same thing. I tried to nurse them along but couldn't. Finding myself alone with nobody to pace and "hurting" I decided I decide to join a fallen 3:20 pacer and walk it in the last 5 miles for a 3:54. Normally I wouldn't give up on a race but having a stomach flu that didn't allow me to eat more than a few hundred calories a day for the past 4 days was too much for me to overcome. I felt (mentally) pretty shitty after the race and even now I still feel bad that I couldn't run the 3:40 that I promised I could. Maybe I should have banked some time...
Redmond Watershed 12 hour
I really like this race. I was hoping it would be super hot like last year but mid 70's was good. I went into the race knowing I was way under trained. My weekly mileage since Oct was been in the 30-35 miles per week (since Plain100). Lucky for me endurance takes along time to lose, and my foot speed is a little better having trained for shorter races of 26.2 miles.
My goals were to;
Run the whole 12 hours, not just 10:30 or 11:51.
Run a PR distance.
Keep all my big loops under an hour.
I Ran for 11:57 with my last small loop being the fastest thanks to a bored LB that ran the last hour with me.
I ran 11 big loops and 9 small loops. I could have ran a tenth big loop but was just not motivated enough to spend an hour out there by myself. Final mileage was 65.61 which was a PR by .72 miles. Not very impressive in my book but it's twice my weekly mileage so I'll take it as a success.
If I subtract out the 2-5 minutes I spent at the a/s filling my bottle and running to the car, etc., I was able to keep all but two loops under an hour, but just barely.
Sometime on my 9th or 10th loop I passed two runners walking/standing on the trail. It was on one of those long narrow raised straight sections that cut through the swamps on the back side on the loop. They said there was a cougar up ahead. I saw a rear end that seemed too dark (could have been shaded) and a tail that seemed too short (could have been pointed at me) disappear into the bushes. Other than that, it looked like a cougar to me. I thought, well I have my Mio GPS/MP3 player blasting Aerosmith so it wont want to stick around to eat me. As I get to the spot where it was my tunes died! Oh shit... well I didn't see it so I just kept running and looking left into the bushes. One of the runners (who waited for me to go first) said she could tell it was a cougar by it ears which I didn't see. It might have been, I don't know. Did anybody else see it?
Maybe I'll post some pictures later.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Capitol Peak 50
I've never had a great day at this race. In 2006 it was my first 50 and I was really slow and it was a blizzard up there. I guess I did great just to finish in 12:36. In 2007 I spent the night before the race in the hospital with my Dad and didn't get any sleep so I decided to drop down to the 55k. I didn't really have my mind on the race and it took me 7:14. In 2008 I ran a nice PR at Mt. Si 50 mile the week before so I wasn't very fresh. It was warm with some long snow patches and after 10:14 and a huge BONK I crossed the finish line. This year I ran Boston on Monday so I only had 4 days to recover from that PR race before toeing the line in Olympia. But really those are all just BS excuses for me not being in good hill climbing shape for this tough course.
I started out knowing this would be a long tough day. So I figured it would be a good 50 mile training run and I tried to hold myself back and not get competitive. I knew I would run out of gas early and I was expecting it, waiting for it. I started at a fast but comfortable pace. A pace I could probably run for most of the race if it was in July.
My legs made it to about the second A/S before I had to start working hard even though I had been consuming a good amount of calories. After the 3rd A/S I was spent and that was not even 20 miles. I wouldn't call it a bonk but I wasn't moving very fast. I continued to take in the calories and hoped my legs would remember how to burn fat. I passed the 50k mark at about 5:55 and still hadn't recovered. I haven't done any hard runs longer than 3:15 in a while so this new new ground for my body. It took about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2 for my legs to remember how to work off fat instead of sugar but they finally did. Eventually I was recovered enough to make a strong finish for the last ~14 miles. I even passed a few people.
I did manage to squeeze out a PR of 19 minutes. That means I've PR'd in every race this year* except the fun run on 1-1-2009 but I did run a marathon the day before.
Here's how my year has gone so far. Yeah I'm faster but my mileage is way down.
12-31-2008 Last Chance Marathon 3:29:20, slowest of the year.
1-1 First Call Marathon 3:46:06, first double since 3-2007.
1-10 Bridle Trails 50k 4:42:07, 51 minute PR.
1-17 Capitol Peak FatAss 50k 4:55, new course but the fastest I've run down there.
2-7 Orcas Island FatAss 50k 6:19, 23 minute PR.
2-21 Yours Truely/12 summits 50k, with a group, not for time 8:12:59.
3-21 Chuckanut 50k 5:28:39, 13 minute PR.
4-4 Yakima RC Marathon 3:15:47, 3 minute PR
4-20 Boston Marathon, 3:15:27, 20 second PR
4-25 Capitol Peak 50 mile 9:55:40, 19 minute PR
Photo by Glenn
*
I started out knowing this would be a long tough day. So I figured it would be a good 50 mile training run and I tried to hold myself back and not get competitive. I knew I would run out of gas early and I was expecting it, waiting for it. I started at a fast but comfortable pace. A pace I could probably run for most of the race if it was in July.
My legs made it to about the second A/S before I had to start working hard even though I had been consuming a good amount of calories. After the 3rd A/S I was spent and that was not even 20 miles. I wouldn't call it a bonk but I wasn't moving very fast. I continued to take in the calories and hoped my legs would remember how to burn fat. I passed the 50k mark at about 5:55 and still hadn't recovered. I haven't done any hard runs longer than 3:15 in a while so this new new ground for my body. It took about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2 for my legs to remember how to work off fat instead of sugar but they finally did. Eventually I was recovered enough to make a strong finish for the last ~14 miles. I even passed a few people.
I did manage to squeeze out a PR of 19 minutes. That means I've PR'd in every race this year* except the fun run on 1-1-2009 but I did run a marathon the day before.
Here's how my year has gone so far. Yeah I'm faster but my mileage is way down.
12-31-2008 Last Chance Marathon 3:29:20, slowest of the year.
1-1 First Call Marathon 3:46:06, first double since 3-2007.
1-10 Bridle Trails 50k 4:42:07, 51 minute PR.
1-17 Capitol Peak FatAss 50k 4:55, new course but the fastest I've run down there.
2-7 Orcas Island FatAss 50k 6:19, 23 minute PR.
2-21 Yours Truely/12 summits 50k, with a group, not for time 8:12:59.
3-21 Chuckanut 50k 5:28:39, 13 minute PR.
4-4 Yakima RC Marathon 3:15:47, 3 minute PR
4-20 Boston Marathon, 3:15:27, 20 second PR
4-25 Capitol Peak 50 mile 9:55:40, 19 minute PR
Photo by Glenn
*
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Boston Marathon, A 26.2 Mile Parade.
The 113th running of the Boston Marathon.
Travel
It’s been a while since I’ve traveled. Let’s just say the last time I flew in an airplane I didn’t have to take my shoes off. I was a little stressed about what I could take and what I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to check my race stuff and that’s pretty much all I was bringing. I arrived at the airport at the required 2 hours early and about 4 minutes later I was sitting at the gate wishing I’d packed my laptop. I did upload a bunch of documents to my phone so I had plenty to do.
My flights over to Boston were good. I didn’t get any sleep because of the 2 year old future soccer player sitting behind me. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal but it would plague me all weekend.
The flight back on tired legs sucked and getting delayed in Denver twice made it worse. I’m not an expert flyer but when a plane shows up late and then, after you board, the Capitan says we’re sorry but the maintenance crew can’t certify the plane to fly, it can’t be a good thing. So we get off and wait for another plane to show up. Obviously I eventually made it home but it wasn’t “fun”.
Tourist
So I made it to Boston. I bought a Charlie Card for the “T”, grabbed a free shuttle bus over to the Blue line train/subway thingy, take that a few stops and transfer to the Orange and jump off that a few stops later. What a great system they have. I climb out of the subway and walk about a ¼ mile to the YWCA. It’s a nice clean friendly place that’s super close to the Finish line and really cheap. They let me check in even though it’s only 10 am. I try to catch a nap but I was too tired and too wired for that so a grab a snack and head over to the expo. It was a little chilly and breezy but perfect weather for running. I knew where I was going, I like to be prepared, but I didn’t have to. All I had to do is follow the source of the hundred’s of runners carrying bright yellow race bags.
My impression of the expo was that it was smaller than I thought it would be but way way busier. There were about 36-40 Adidas (a main sponsor) cash registers going non-stop selling race gear with long lines from open until close the entire time of the expo. There were hundreds of other typical expo booths that were all rather busy also and all the walk ways were jammed with people. I think if things were spread out more it would be better for both sellers and buyers.
Of course I made it over to the Brooks Booth because everyone knows they make the best running shoes in the world. They had a tent set up where brothers Karl and Carl were doing a live show every hour. It was funny, they truly are super fans.
After getting my picture taken with my race number and filling up on samples I headed back to my plush private suite at the Y. Ok it was more like a dorm room but it was nice. I tried to nap again and I think I actually fell asleep for a few minutes but it was the middle of the day and I didn’t want to be up all night so I grabbed my camera and headed out to take pictures of the finish line, pasta man, etc. I seemed to run into somebody I knew every few minutes, mostly Maniacs because there were a lot of us there.
After a spicy chicken pizza, I went to bed early and tried to catch up on my sleep but only slept a couple hours at a time.
Sunday I relaxed and did some sight seeing. I watched the milers fly around the block 3 times.
I’m surprised any of my pictures came out they were going by so fast. I eventually got on the “T” and made it over to the pasta feed, another long line, but they had free beer. That’s a great way to get in some Carbs. The dinner was actually pretty good.
Race day
I got up not completely rested after going to bed early but waking up a few too many times in the middle of the night. I guess I was over hydrated. I left for the buses just before 6 and after a very long ride in a school bus I made it to a chilly breezy Athlete’s Village. The Village was huge and there were runners everywhere. First thing I did was use the porta-potty with no line because I knew they would get busy later and they did.
After sitting, standing, laying down, walking around forever,
and having my picture taken a couple dozen times I headed over to the start. About half way there I heard the start of the Women’s Elite race and I cheered out for the fastest person I knew from Washington, Go Devon! I figured I’d see her on TV when I got home.
My corral 7000-7999 was already full when I got there so I had to shove in with a hundred other late comers. The race hadn’t even started and there was already about 7500 people in front of me. The start of the race eventually came … and went … and nobody moved. A few moments went by and we started walking, and then stopped, and walked 10 more feet and stopped again. This went one for about 5 minutes until just before the actual starting line when we broke into a jog. It was the first time I’d run in a few days and it was good to be finally running Boston. I wasn’t sure my hips were recovered from the camber of Yakima but I would find out in a few miles. I had 2 pace charts on my wrist. One was what I knew I could beat and the other was one I knew I could run but maybe not today. They were 3:08 and 3:14. I found a spread sheet online that was made for Boston. It had me running a 7:35 first mile even though it’s the steepest downhill of the course, from there it dropped down quickly and in the 3rd mile I should be running at a 6:55 pace. Hmm that didn’t happen.
Over the length of the first mile the pace slowly increased but still too slow for my liking. I tried to be smart and run straight ahead. I wanted to weave and sprint my way out of this pack I was in but the pack never ended. On the downhill’s I could see a two lane hwy snaking off into the distance jam packed with runners for as far as the eye could see. The first mile was over 7:40 but they got progressive faster (except mile five when I stopped to pee) until mile 6. 6 was my fastest mile at 7:04, and from there the times varied by terrain. My slowest mile was in the Newton Hills where I had 2 miles at the crawl of 8:00 per mile but I was still passing people.
Somewhere around mile 10 I was running next to someone (as I was passing them) and I commented that this wasn’t the Boston Marathon; it was the Boston 26.2 Mile Parade! That has stuck with me and I have repeated it a dozen times.
Many people told me before the race it’s about making it there, it’s about the experience, just enjoy the ride, don’t try to PR, it not a fast course. That mentality perpetuates itself and you end up with most of the 26,000 runners out there with their head in the clouds jogging along at no where near the pace they ran to qualify for the race.
I never gave in to the will of the other runners. I stayed true to myself and ran the race my way. I passed about 3000 (give or take 500) runners, but I never let it frustrate me. It’s always fun to pass somebody, right. I knew I was off pace but I gave it my best. Even though I wasn’t weaving around, passing does take more energy than running a steady pace. I think I fueled well, maybe could have had one more gel near the end. I did break into a jog for about a half a minute once I turned into the home stretch on Boylston Street just to soak in the crowd a little longer then back to pushing the pace.
And no I didn’t stop to kiss any girls or drink any beer along the way. The crowds were great, I wasn’t sure I’d like them or not, but I did. It was loud but not as loud as I thought it would be. I’m happy with my 20 second PR and I’m glad I had the chance to go. The wind and “weaving” definitely slowed me down but that’s ok. Will I ever go back, probably not. It’s too long and too far away from the family to do for a second time. Maybe when I’m old and grey and just want to go for a 26.2 mile parade.
Travel
It’s been a while since I’ve traveled. Let’s just say the last time I flew in an airplane I didn’t have to take my shoes off. I was a little stressed about what I could take and what I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to check my race stuff and that’s pretty much all I was bringing. I arrived at the airport at the required 2 hours early and about 4 minutes later I was sitting at the gate wishing I’d packed my laptop. I did upload a bunch of documents to my phone so I had plenty to do.
My flights over to Boston were good. I didn’t get any sleep because of the 2 year old future soccer player sitting behind me. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal but it would plague me all weekend.
The flight back on tired legs sucked and getting delayed in Denver twice made it worse. I’m not an expert flyer but when a plane shows up late and then, after you board, the Capitan says we’re sorry but the maintenance crew can’t certify the plane to fly, it can’t be a good thing. So we get off and wait for another plane to show up. Obviously I eventually made it home but it wasn’t “fun”.
Tourist
So I made it to Boston. I bought a Charlie Card for the “T”, grabbed a free shuttle bus over to the Blue line train/subway thingy, take that a few stops and transfer to the Orange and jump off that a few stops later. What a great system they have. I climb out of the subway and walk about a ¼ mile to the YWCA. It’s a nice clean friendly place that’s super close to the Finish line and really cheap. They let me check in even though it’s only 10 am. I try to catch a nap but I was too tired and too wired for that so a grab a snack and head over to the expo. It was a little chilly and breezy but perfect weather for running. I knew where I was going, I like to be prepared, but I didn’t have to. All I had to do is follow the source of the hundred’s of runners carrying bright yellow race bags.
My impression of the expo was that it was smaller than I thought it would be but way way busier. There were about 36-40 Adidas (a main sponsor) cash registers going non-stop selling race gear with long lines from open until close the entire time of the expo. There were hundreds of other typical expo booths that were all rather busy also and all the walk ways were jammed with people. I think if things were spread out more it would be better for both sellers and buyers.
Of course I made it over to the Brooks Booth because everyone knows they make the best running shoes in the world. They had a tent set up where brothers Karl and Carl were doing a live show every hour. It was funny, they truly are super fans.
After getting my picture taken with my race number and filling up on samples I headed back to my plush private suite at the Y. Ok it was more like a dorm room but it was nice. I tried to nap again and I think I actually fell asleep for a few minutes but it was the middle of the day and I didn’t want to be up all night so I grabbed my camera and headed out to take pictures of the finish line, pasta man, etc. I seemed to run into somebody I knew every few minutes, mostly Maniacs because there were a lot of us there.
After a spicy chicken pizza, I went to bed early and tried to catch up on my sleep but only slept a couple hours at a time.
Sunday I relaxed and did some sight seeing. I watched the milers fly around the block 3 times.
I’m surprised any of my pictures came out they were going by so fast. I eventually got on the “T” and made it over to the pasta feed, another long line, but they had free beer. That’s a great way to get in some Carbs. The dinner was actually pretty good.
Race day
I got up not completely rested after going to bed early but waking up a few too many times in the middle of the night. I guess I was over hydrated. I left for the buses just before 6 and after a very long ride in a school bus I made it to a chilly breezy Athlete’s Village. The Village was huge and there were runners everywhere. First thing I did was use the porta-potty with no line because I knew they would get busy later and they did.
After sitting, standing, laying down, walking around forever,
and having my picture taken a couple dozen times I headed over to the start. About half way there I heard the start of the Women’s Elite race and I cheered out for the fastest person I knew from Washington, Go Devon! I figured I’d see her on TV when I got home.
My corral 7000-7999 was already full when I got there so I had to shove in with a hundred other late comers. The race hadn’t even started and there was already about 7500 people in front of me. The start of the race eventually came … and went … and nobody moved. A few moments went by and we started walking, and then stopped, and walked 10 more feet and stopped again. This went one for about 5 minutes until just before the actual starting line when we broke into a jog. It was the first time I’d run in a few days and it was good to be finally running Boston. I wasn’t sure my hips were recovered from the camber of Yakima but I would find out in a few miles. I had 2 pace charts on my wrist. One was what I knew I could beat and the other was one I knew I could run but maybe not today. They were 3:08 and 3:14. I found a spread sheet online that was made for Boston. It had me running a 7:35 first mile even though it’s the steepest downhill of the course, from there it dropped down quickly and in the 3rd mile I should be running at a 6:55 pace. Hmm that didn’t happen.
Over the length of the first mile the pace slowly increased but still too slow for my liking. I tried to be smart and run straight ahead. I wanted to weave and sprint my way out of this pack I was in but the pack never ended. On the downhill’s I could see a two lane hwy snaking off into the distance jam packed with runners for as far as the eye could see. The first mile was over 7:40 but they got progressive faster (except mile five when I stopped to pee) until mile 6. 6 was my fastest mile at 7:04, and from there the times varied by terrain. My slowest mile was in the Newton Hills where I had 2 miles at the crawl of 8:00 per mile but I was still passing people.
Somewhere around mile 10 I was running next to someone (as I was passing them) and I commented that this wasn’t the Boston Marathon; it was the Boston 26.2 Mile Parade! That has stuck with me and I have repeated it a dozen times.
Many people told me before the race it’s about making it there, it’s about the experience, just enjoy the ride, don’t try to PR, it not a fast course. That mentality perpetuates itself and you end up with most of the 26,000 runners out there with their head in the clouds jogging along at no where near the pace they ran to qualify for the race.
I never gave in to the will of the other runners. I stayed true to myself and ran the race my way. I passed about 3000 (give or take 500) runners, but I never let it frustrate me. It’s always fun to pass somebody, right. I knew I was off pace but I gave it my best. Even though I wasn’t weaving around, passing does take more energy than running a steady pace. I think I fueled well, maybe could have had one more gel near the end. I did break into a jog for about a half a minute once I turned into the home stretch on Boylston Street just to soak in the crowd a little longer then back to pushing the pace.
And no I didn’t stop to kiss any girls or drink any beer along the way. The crowds were great, I wasn’t sure I’d like them or not, but I did. It was loud but not as loud as I thought it would be. I’m happy with my 20 second PR and I’m glad I had the chance to go. The wind and “weaving” definitely slowed me down but that’s ok. Will I ever go back, probably not. It’s too long and too far away from the family to do for a second time. Maybe when I’m old and grey and just want to go for a 26.2 mile parade.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Boston, A 26.2 Mile Parade.
I ran a good race and I'm happy with my results but I'm constantly looking for ways to do things better.
Here are some stats from my race.
My 5k splits were:
22:83, 5k
22:24, 45:02 10k
22:16, 1:07:18 15k
22:22, 1:29:40 20k
22:41, 1:52:21 25k
23:48, 2:16:09 30k
24:34, 2:40:43 35k
23:41, 3:04:24 40k
Finishing Time was 3:15:27
I finished in 3711Th place. My number was 7678. I passed a lot of runners.
I'll post a full race report tomorrow after the Jet Lag wears off.
Here are some stats from my race.
My 5k splits were:
22:83, 5k
22:24, 45:02 10k
22:16, 1:07:18 15k
22:22, 1:29:40 20k
22:41, 1:52:21 25k
23:48, 2:16:09 30k
24:34, 2:40:43 35k
23:41, 3:04:24 40k
Finishing Time was 3:15:27
I finished in 3711Th place. My number was 7678. I passed a lot of runners.
I'll post a full race report tomorrow after the Jet Lag wears off.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Is it Monday Yet?
As of right now the weather forecasters say;
50% chance of rain, 50 for the high and 42 for the low.
or
40% chance of rain with a temperature range from 40 - 50 degrees.
or
20% chance of rain with temperatures ranging from 44 - 51.
hmmm, whom shall I trust?
50% chance of rain, 50 for the high and 42 for the low.
or
40% chance of rain with a temperature range from 40 - 50 degrees.
or
20% chance of rain with temperatures ranging from 44 - 51.
hmmm, whom shall I trust?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Running Superfans
"Brooks® Launches Irreverent Campaign to Spread Joy of Running"
Check out the running superfans website. These guys are pretty funny.
Check out the running superfans website. These guys are pretty funny.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
One last long run before Boston
YRCM 3:15, 3 minute PR.
With two weeks to go I figured the Yakima River Canyon Marathon would be a good tune up and last long run. There are many similarities that I thought would be good for me to experience before I flew back east.
First traveling and staying in a strange bed. I almost always travel to my races on the morning of. After 80 marathons/ultras in the past 45 months I've only not traveled to the start the day of the race 9 times including Yakima and 3 of those were in a camper. That's the benefit of living in Washington. After being up early working and traveling to Yakima I fell asleep early and slept all night.
Second would be the travel to the start hours before you need to via bus. Of course Yakima was only 2 hours before the start and Boston will be twice that. I didn't mind hanging out before Yakima because I knew 1/4 of the 500 runners there. I even met a couple of new ones. Hopefully I can find a place to chill out at Boston (and stay dry and warm).
Next would be a point to point downhill race with a big hill near the end. I think Yakima is hillier than Boston. Yakima has 1000 feet of drop and 700 feet of climb with nearly half of the climbing coming in the last hill at 22 miles (much bigger than heartbreak).
There are 2 major differences between YRCM and Boston. First and most obvious is the number of people running and watching. Running in the canyon was peaceful and quite virtually no spectators and the biggest pack of runners I found myself in was 3. Things will be much differentl in Boston. I just hope I can remain patient until things thin out. And I don't let all the screaming girls distract me too much.
The other is the camber on the roads in the canyon. I thought since the roads were closed I could find some flat places to run, down the middle or in the gravel or somewhere, but that wasn't the case. Nearly the entire course is either slanted left or slanted right. I thought the camber would even out left right left right as I snaked my way along the river, and it wouldn't really bother me that much. I was wrong. I am one of those runners that can't handle running on a cambered road, even as a teenager it hurt to run on the side of the road. I saw people that didn't show signs of it bothering them and maybe there are exercises I could do to strengthen my hips but until that day I'll continue to steer clear of cambered roads. Thankfully Boston doesn't have them.
So how'd my race go. The 3 min PR doesn't tell the whole story and I know I'm capable of running faster.
My plan was to run 7's and see how things went. I thought other than the hills I could hold it the whole race, but I wasn't looking to kill myself or get injured, just finish somewhere under 3:20. Well, right before the race I realized I needed new running shoes. I ordered them and they came in on Friday the day before the race. I choose the new Brooks Racer ST4. I knew my feet would be fine in brand new Brooks shoes but I didn't have a chance to calibrate them with my watch. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal if it was off by a little and gave it no more thought. I should have. It turned out that the watch was about 10 seconds (or 20 yards) off per mile so instead of running 7's I was running 6:50's. I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace and was just running along enjoying myself when I should have been thinking about correcting the time in my head and trying to run 7:10's. I think this might have made the hip situation worse. After about 10 miles my hips which had been working hard due to the camber started to hurt a lot more. They went from a dull pain to a sharp pain. This wore on me even after taking a couple of Advil and I soon slowed down. I went through the half in about 1:31. Once in a while the road would actually straighten and flatten out for a while. That was great because after about a quarter of a mile my hips would start to feel better and I would pick up the pace. This let me know I wasn't injuring myself and that I still had life left in me but not as much as I should have because of the earlier fast pace. One great thing is that I never any calf or hamstring cramping so I know I had some gas left in the tank.
Five of my miles were just over an 8 min pace;
17 was an 8:19
19 was an 8:07
20 was an 8:10
22 was an 8:55 (big hill)
23 was an 8:23 (1/2 hill at a crawl 1/2 downhill sprint toward the finish)
1:31 1st 1/2 is a 6:56 m/m (and a PR)
1:44 2nd 1/2 is a 7:56 m/m (Ouch that sucks!)
Picture from the Yalima Herald
With two weeks to go I figured the Yakima River Canyon Marathon would be a good tune up and last long run. There are many similarities that I thought would be good for me to experience before I flew back east.
First traveling and staying in a strange bed. I almost always travel to my races on the morning of. After 80 marathons/ultras in the past 45 months I've only not traveled to the start the day of the race 9 times including Yakima and 3 of those were in a camper. That's the benefit of living in Washington. After being up early working and traveling to Yakima I fell asleep early and slept all night.
Second would be the travel to the start hours before you need to via bus. Of course Yakima was only 2 hours before the start and Boston will be twice that. I didn't mind hanging out before Yakima because I knew 1/4 of the 500 runners there. I even met a couple of new ones. Hopefully I can find a place to chill out at Boston (and stay dry and warm).
Next would be a point to point downhill race with a big hill near the end. I think Yakima is hillier than Boston. Yakima has 1000 feet of drop and 700 feet of climb with nearly half of the climbing coming in the last hill at 22 miles (much bigger than heartbreak).
There are 2 major differences between YRCM and Boston. First and most obvious is the number of people running and watching. Running in the canyon was peaceful and quite virtually no spectators and the biggest pack of runners I found myself in was 3. Things will be much differentl in Boston. I just hope I can remain patient until things thin out. And I don't let all the screaming girls distract me too much.
The other is the camber on the roads in the canyon. I thought since the roads were closed I could find some flat places to run, down the middle or in the gravel or somewhere, but that wasn't the case. Nearly the entire course is either slanted left or slanted right. I thought the camber would even out left right left right as I snaked my way along the river, and it wouldn't really bother me that much. I was wrong. I am one of those runners that can't handle running on a cambered road, even as a teenager it hurt to run on the side of the road. I saw people that didn't show signs of it bothering them and maybe there are exercises I could do to strengthen my hips but until that day I'll continue to steer clear of cambered roads. Thankfully Boston doesn't have them.
So how'd my race go. The 3 min PR doesn't tell the whole story and I know I'm capable of running faster.
My plan was to run 7's and see how things went. I thought other than the hills I could hold it the whole race, but I wasn't looking to kill myself or get injured, just finish somewhere under 3:20. Well, right before the race I realized I needed new running shoes. I ordered them and they came in on Friday the day before the race. I choose the new Brooks Racer ST4. I knew my feet would be fine in brand new Brooks shoes but I didn't have a chance to calibrate them with my watch. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal if it was off by a little and gave it no more thought. I should have. It turned out that the watch was about 10 seconds (or 20 yards) off per mile so instead of running 7's I was running 6:50's. I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace and was just running along enjoying myself when I should have been thinking about correcting the time in my head and trying to run 7:10's. I think this might have made the hip situation worse. After about 10 miles my hips which had been working hard due to the camber started to hurt a lot more. They went from a dull pain to a sharp pain. This wore on me even after taking a couple of Advil and I soon slowed down. I went through the half in about 1:31. Once in a while the road would actually straighten and flatten out for a while. That was great because after about a quarter of a mile my hips would start to feel better and I would pick up the pace. This let me know I wasn't injuring myself and that I still had life left in me but not as much as I should have because of the earlier fast pace. One great thing is that I never any calf or hamstring cramping so I know I had some gas left in the tank.
Five of my miles were just over an 8 min pace;
17 was an 8:19
19 was an 8:07
20 was an 8:10
22 was an 8:55 (big hill)
23 was an 8:23 (1/2 hill at a crawl 1/2 downhill sprint toward the finish)
1:31 1st 1/2 is a 6:56 m/m (and a PR)
1:44 2nd 1/2 is a 7:56 m/m (Ouch that sucks!)
Picture from the Yalima Herald
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Chuckanut 2009
My fitness level and hill training were not up to pair with my planned pace to reach the finish in around 5 hours. Or maybe I'm just not that fast.
I made it to the top (where A/S 3 is normally located) right on schedule but then gave up 20 minutes on the top loop by taking it too easy trying not to burn myself up (like I have in previous years). The road down was more work than I had planned because of my cramping hamstrings but I made it down in good time. Faster than last year but not quite on pace for this year.
Once I hit the bottom it was just too much work to make my legs shuffle fast while my hamstrings were trying to cramp. About 2 miles for the finish I could tell I could still finish in under 5:30 so I picked it up a little and managed to pass 2-3 runners. I finished in 5:28, 17th master, 72th overall. That's 13 1/2 minutes faster than last year but not where I'd like to be. I guess it's time to get off the sidewalks
and back on the trails.
Picture by Glenn Tachiyama
Thanks Glenn!
I made it to the top (where A/S 3 is normally located) right on schedule but then gave up 20 minutes on the top loop by taking it too easy trying not to burn myself up (like I have in previous years). The road down was more work than I had planned because of my cramping hamstrings but I made it down in good time. Faster than last year but not quite on pace for this year.
Once I hit the bottom it was just too much work to make my legs shuffle fast while my hamstrings were trying to cramp. About 2 miles for the finish I could tell I could still finish in under 5:30 so I picked it up a little and managed to pass 2-3 runners. I finished in 5:28, 17th master, 72th overall. That's 13 1/2 minutes faster than last year but not where I'd like to be. I guess it's time to get off the sidewalks
and back on the trails.
Picture by Glenn Tachiyama
Thanks Glenn!
Monday, March 16, 2009
St. Patrick's Day Dash
Despite the cold wet weather we all had a great time at our 1st St. Patrick's Day Dash. The 3 kids did great in their race, especially Nicolette. She exceeded what I thought she could do, but I'll let Jenn blog about that for reasons you already know.
As the dollar sized snow flakes fell, I stood undercover waiting as long as I could before stripping off my pants and jacket. Finally with about 5 minutes before the gun I said my goodbyes and headed for the green wave corral. It's funny, there are thousands of runners there I end up standing next to fellow maniac Michael Shiach (he finished in 29:01). I tried to stay warm and loose until the gun went off but it was just too cold.
At the start it was a 300 yard Mad Dash for the first turn through the snowy puddle ridden streets. My feet were already half frozen so at this point, they could only get warmer. I tried to take it easy for the first mile so I could loosen and heat up my legs. After a half a mile I was warmed up and started to pass people. It's uphill from about a third of a mile to the 2 mile mark then it's a tenth of a mile to the turnaround. I held it pretty steady at about a 7:00 m/m up the hill. It was steeper than I had expected but I figured I could make it up on the way back down.
At the turn around I felt good so I pushed it to about a 6:00 m/m and held it there to the finish. I finished in 24:43 which is a 6:36 pace if the course distance is correct. I suspect it might be a little long.
Since I didn't wear any green I had Jenn paint a Brooks Logo on my cheek.
Next up Chuckanut 50k.
As the dollar sized snow flakes fell, I stood undercover waiting as long as I could before stripping off my pants and jacket. Finally with about 5 minutes before the gun I said my goodbyes and headed for the green wave corral. It's funny, there are thousands of runners there I end up standing next to fellow maniac Michael Shiach (he finished in 29:01). I tried to stay warm and loose until the gun went off but it was just too cold.
At the start it was a 300 yard Mad Dash for the first turn through the snowy puddle ridden streets. My feet were already half frozen so at this point, they could only get warmer. I tried to take it easy for the first mile so I could loosen and heat up my legs. After a half a mile I was warmed up and started to pass people. It's uphill from about a third of a mile to the 2 mile mark then it's a tenth of a mile to the turnaround. I held it pretty steady at about a 7:00 m/m up the hill. It was steeper than I had expected but I figured I could make it up on the way back down.
At the turn around I felt good so I pushed it to about a 6:00 m/m and held it there to the finish. I finished in 24:43 which is a 6:36 pace if the course distance is correct. I suspect it might be a little long.
Since I didn't wear any green I had Jenn paint a Brooks Logo on my cheek.
Here are the unofficial results. The timing company is still cleaning up the mistakes.
Division place: 14 out of 379,
Gender place: 94 out of 3423,
Overall place: 111 out of 7247,
Time: 24:43,
Pace: 6:36
After the race we went straight home to warm up and dry out. The sun came out so I went for a nice 6.5 cool down.
Next up Chuckanut 50k.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Was I on Tiger or Cougar?
I thought I was running on Tiger Mt. but after I saw this I had to rethink that.
It was really cool seeing these prints in the snow. If I had been by myself I think the reaction would have been a little different. It was snowing so I could tell the cat was less than a minute ahead of us.
I had a great run this morning it was a ~15 mile out and back to East Tiger for a total of 7 peaks. It was a little icy going up the nook and over to T2 and T3 but then it was all powder, and once we took the turn to East there were no footprints (except the ones above).
I felt good, I was fast all the way up to T1, T2 and T3 on the return trip. We ended up being out there a little longer than I had planned but I'm blaming it on the ice and the sightseeing.
At the turn around.
This was a great run. My knee was and still is feeling great, almost 100%,. I had plenty of energy the entire way and the snow was awesome.
I have one of those smiles that come from a perfect moment in life. I think it'll be there all day.
It was really cool seeing these prints in the snow. If I had been by myself I think the reaction would have been a little different. It was snowing so I could tell the cat was less than a minute ahead of us.
I had a great run this morning it was a ~15 mile out and back to East Tiger for a total of 7 peaks. It was a little icy going up the nook and over to T2 and T3 but then it was all powder, and once we took the turn to East there were no footprints (except the ones above).
I felt good, I was fast all the way up to T1, T2 and T3 on the return trip. We ended up being out there a little longer than I had planned but I'm blaming it on the ice and the sightseeing.
At the turn around.
This was a great run. My knee was and still is feeling great, almost 100%,. I had plenty of energy the entire way and the snow was awesome.
I have one of those smiles that come from a perfect moment in life. I think it'll be there all day.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Rain turned to Sushine
It was raining pretty good this morning on the way up to Tiger Mt. but by the time I made it to the trail head it had stopped and there were even a few tiny speckles of blue in the sky. I met up with Tony and Joe and Shawna and Shawn and shared the trail with them for an hour and a half. They went on to do 12 Summits, or at least that was the plan when I turned around. I did 12 Summits last weekend on an even nicer day than today and my training schedule and knees couldn't fit another one in this weekend.
My run was to be a 3 hour out and back. I ran up the Nook, over T3, T2 and T1 and then down past the X-mas tree and hung a left and headed out toward East Tiger. I ran a total of 1:24 and then stopped. I stopped at the lowest point between T1 and East. It's the large creek crossing just inside the woods after the first small clear cut. Looking back now, I should have gone further maybe to the Preston RR grade crossing. Anyway... I chatted with Shawn and Shawna for a few minutes while we waited for Joe and Tony to show up at the creek. Joe had lost his shoe in some nasty mud so they fell behind. I headed back up over 1 2 and 3 and down the nook stopping to talk to Glenn and then Charlie. I tried to push hard on all the up's thinking it was going to take longer to get back because I Near negative split anything. I was shocked to find it only took me 1:03 to get back which means without the chatting I would have been well under and hour. I think next time I'll go all the way to the next summit and see how that works out for a "3 hour" run.
The good news is, my knee is 70% recovered from the fall I took a month ago so hopefully after Boston I'll be able to ramp up my mileage quickly.
My run was to be a 3 hour out and back. I ran up the Nook, over T3, T2 and T1 and then down past the X-mas tree and hung a left and headed out toward East Tiger. I ran a total of 1:24 and then stopped. I stopped at the lowest point between T1 and East. It's the large creek crossing just inside the woods after the first small clear cut. Looking back now, I should have gone further maybe to the Preston RR grade crossing. Anyway... I chatted with Shawn and Shawna for a few minutes while we waited for Joe and Tony to show up at the creek. Joe had lost his shoe in some nasty mud so they fell behind. I headed back up over 1 2 and 3 and down the nook stopping to talk to Glenn and then Charlie. I tried to push hard on all the up's thinking it was going to take longer to get back because I Near negative split anything. I was shocked to find it only took me 1:03 to get back which means without the chatting I would have been well under and hour. I think next time I'll go all the way to the next summit and see how that works out for a "3 hour" run.
The good news is, my knee is 70% recovered from the fall I took a month ago so hopefully after Boston I'll be able to ramp up my mileage quickly.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Biggest Liar!
Trying using your favorite search engine and type in Dane Biggest Loser Marathon and judge for yourself.
I guess no sport is immune to his kind of thing but it really makes me mad. I truly believe anybody can finish a marathon, even the 280+ pound Dane from the biggest loser.
How can you cheat if the only thing there is to win is your personal fulfillment or increased self worth? You can't because you'll always know you cheated. But throw in some TV cameras and Cash and that's a different story. I guess not everybody that laces up a pair of running shoes makes the same transformation as I do.
Shame on you Dane!
Shame on you NBC and Biggest Loser
I guess no sport is immune to his kind of thing but it really makes me mad. I truly believe anybody can finish a marathon, even the 280+ pound Dane from the biggest loser.
How can you cheat if the only thing there is to win is your personal fulfillment or increased self worth? You can't because you'll always know you cheated. But throw in some TV cameras and Cash and that's a different story. I guess not everybody that laces up a pair of running shoes makes the same transformation as I do.
Shame on you Dane!
Shame on you NBC and Biggest Loser
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Numbers Don't Lie
I was looking back at last year and the year before and noticed I don't really workout that much.
Here's what I found.
In 2007 I "worked out" 164 times on 134 different days that leaves me with 231 "rest" days. I feel like a couch potato!
2007 Races
Marathon's... PR 3:48 @ Seafair, ran 3 marathons all year
50k's ... PR 4:45 Flat Ass, ran 8
50m's ... PR 8:31 Mt Si., ran 2
12hr I did 64.9 miles in great conditions
100 mile ... CCC100 25:05, Plain 100 31:51
In 2008 I got Really Serious about running and did 282 workouts on 209 different days, that still left me with 155 days off. Some quick math and that's 2.98 days off per week. I was able to peak in June and July (before my CCC taper) at a combined 69 workouts with 14 days off. But that's still 1.6 days off per week.
2008 Races
Marathon's ... PR 3:18 @ Tri-Cities, 3:29 was my slowest, ran 3 total.
50k's ... PR 4:25 @ Ron Herzog, hilly but not trail, ran 8
50m's ... PR 8:01 @ Mt. Si, ran 3
12hr I did 62.73 but it was 98 degrees.
100 mile .... CCC100 23:05, Plain 100 DNFF
These "workouts" include; obviously running, biking to work 13+ miles, hikes, and a couple workout videos and some other misc. stuff.
My goal for 2009 is to be at 2 days off per week. (I'm not off to a very good start)
Here's a picture from one of my hill workouts last year. I think I had to carry him up the next one.
Running Shoes
Here's what I found.
In 2007 I "worked out" 164 times on 134 different days that leaves me with 231 "rest" days. I feel like a couch potato!
2007 Races
Marathon's... PR 3:48 @ Seafair, ran 3 marathons all year
50k's ... PR 4:45 Flat Ass, ran 8
50m's ... PR 8:31 Mt Si., ran 2
12hr I did 64.9 miles in great conditions
100 mile ... CCC100 25:05, Plain 100 31:51
In 2008 I got Really Serious about running and did 282 workouts on 209 different days, that still left me with 155 days off. Some quick math and that's 2.98 days off per week. I was able to peak in June and July (before my CCC taper) at a combined 69 workouts with 14 days off. But that's still 1.6 days off per week.
2008 Races
Marathon's ... PR 3:18 @ Tri-Cities, 3:29 was my slowest, ran 3 total.
50k's ... PR 4:25 @ Ron Herzog, hilly but not trail, ran 8
50m's ... PR 8:01 @ Mt. Si, ran 3
12hr I did 62.73 but it was 98 degrees.
100 mile .... CCC100 23:05, Plain 100 DNFF
These "workouts" include; obviously running, biking to work 13+ miles, hikes, and a couple workout videos and some other misc. stuff.
My goal for 2009 is to be at 2 days off per week. (I'm not off to a very good start)
Here's a picture from one of my hill workouts last year. I think I had to carry him up the next one.
Running Shoes
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I guess I'm in!
I received an email ...
Dear Arthur J. Martineau,This is to notify you that your entry into the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2009 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 113th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.baa.org/2009/cf/Public/EntryLists.cfm. Additionally, an acceptance postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail.
... I guess I better start training! I guess I'll be burning up the running shoes.
Dear Arthur J. Martineau,This is to notify you that your entry into the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2009 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 113th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.baa.org/2009/cf/Public/EntryLists.cfm. Additionally, an acceptance postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail.... I guess I better start training! I guess I'll be burning up the running shoes.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Capitol Peak 50k, an intentional bonk
Why an intentional bonk?
I had a few reasons. My running partner Shela always slows down on the second loop. I ran hard last weekend and wanted to take it easy this week. I wanted to make my body remember how to feed off itself. I wanted to practice seeing the signs so I could prevent it. And I wanted to practice coming out of it and running through it.
I ran the first loop without any calories or salt, just Nuun. I ran pretty much the whole loop at a good pace but not fast. I finished the 1st loop in 2:16 still feeling strong but I could tell my energy was running out.
I started refueling right after starting the second loop because on the very first hill my legs were just dead weight. I took a few hits off my Gel bottle and had 1/2 bag of peanut butter sandwich pretzels. Shela ate the other half. I kept taking small hits off my gel bottle every few minutes and I finally came out of the bonk at the first water stop at mile 7. I cruised in easy from there except when I blew through a turn and did an extra 1/2 mile of bonus trail. It's a good thing I came across a mud hole with no footprints through it.
My final time of 4:55 wasn't too bad considering the pace of those first 7 miles on the second loop. I did learn a few things and/or were reminded of others. I can still improve on my ability to spot the bonk and coming out of it faster.
I had a few reasons. My running partner Shela always slows down on the second loop. I ran hard last weekend and wanted to take it easy this week. I wanted to make my body remember how to feed off itself. I wanted to practice seeing the signs so I could prevent it. And I wanted to practice coming out of it and running through it.
I ran the first loop without any calories or salt, just Nuun. I ran pretty much the whole loop at a good pace but not fast. I finished the 1st loop in 2:16 still feeling strong but I could tell my energy was running out.
I started refueling right after starting the second loop because on the very first hill my legs were just dead weight. I took a few hits off my Gel bottle and had 1/2 bag of peanut butter sandwich pretzels. Shela ate the other half. I kept taking small hits off my gel bottle every few minutes and I finally came out of the bonk at the first water stop at mile 7. I cruised in easy from there except when I blew through a turn and did an extra 1/2 mile of bonus trail. It's a good thing I came across a mud hole with no footprints through it.
My final time of 4:55 wasn't too bad considering the pace of those first 7 miles on the second loop. I did learn a few things and/or were reminded of others. I can still improve on my ability to spot the bonk and coming out of it faster.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bridle Trials
UPDATE: I just got passed by 3 people! The volunteers at the finish told me I finished 6th and possibly the first master but the results were just posted. Turns out I finished 9th, and the 2nd old guy. I don't know the guy who beat me (Robert Fortner) but I Googled him and he finished the Seattle marathon in 2:55 so I can't feel too bad about that. The Finish rate this year was 65%.
It was just another cold wet muddy night in Kirkland.
I ran a 4:42.
My loops were; 41, 43, ~47, ~48, 53, 50.
This was the first time I've been able to keep all of my loop under an hour. Last year loops 4 & 5 were 1:03 and 1:05. I don't run very efficiently at night so the 3:00 pm start makes this a great race for me to try to improve on that.
My goal this year was to finish in under 5 hours. I had no major issues and never really felt like I was pushing the pace. The first two laps were just crazy. It was so crowded I really had to hold back and then go all out to get around the long trains of runners doing one or two laps. Laps three and four I ran off and on with a young guy named Andrew doing his first 50k. He seemed like he was doing great but then he fell way back and I never saw him again. The last two laps I was totally by myself except when I'd pass somebody.
I felt really good after I finished.
I wore my Cascadia 4's and they did great. I felt comfortable and confident running through the mud. This was my 3rd long run in them (3:29, 4:40, 4:42) and I'm liking them a lot more than last years model. I only wish they were a lot lighter.
I drank 3/4 of a bottle on the first loop and 1/2 bottle on all the rest. I used a 50/50 mixture of Nuun and Heed. I had 1 gel loop.
Here's a picture that Jenn took at the end of my second loop. She did one loop and then waited around for me to finish my second before going to pick up the kids.
It was just another cold wet muddy night in Kirkland.
I ran a 4:42.
My loops were; 41, 43, ~47, ~48, 53, 50.
This was the first time I've been able to keep all of my loop under an hour. Last year loops 4 & 5 were 1:03 and 1:05. I don't run very efficiently at night so the 3:00 pm start makes this a great race for me to try to improve on that.
My goal this year was to finish in under 5 hours. I had no major issues and never really felt like I was pushing the pace. The first two laps were just crazy. It was so crowded I really had to hold back and then go all out to get around the long trains of runners doing one or two laps. Laps three and four I ran off and on with a young guy named Andrew doing his first 50k. He seemed like he was doing great but then he fell way back and I never saw him again. The last two laps I was totally by myself except when I'd pass somebody.
I felt really good after I finished.
I wore my Cascadia 4's and they did great. I felt comfortable and confident running through the mud. This was my 3rd long run in them (3:29, 4:40, 4:42) and I'm liking them a lot more than last years model. I only wish they were a lot lighter.
I drank 3/4 of a bottle on the first loop and 1/2 bottle on all the rest. I used a 50/50 mixture of Nuun and Heed. I had 1 gel loop.
Here's a picture that Jenn took at the end of my second loop. She did one loop and then waited around for me to finish my second before going to pick up the kids.
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