2015 Across the Years Day One

Last Chance This Year For 100K

 

One of my goals this year (2015) was to run 100 kilometers in a 24-hour race. I fell a little short at Jackpot in February with 52.36 miles and again at North Coast 24 in September with 58.04 miles, though I set personal bests in both. That should have been incentive to train more and train harder, but instead I fell into a running funk. October had a grand total of 95 miles and November wasn't much better with 127 miles. Even accounting for a taper, which I really didn't need with the low mileage I was running, I had only 55+ miles for December going into the race. For this one I was going to need to rely on not losing too much fitness with the recent mileage and whatever mental discipline I could muster during the race.

Traveling to the race went smoothly until I was on Camelback Road. It was dark by this time and I couldn't figure out where to turn to get to the race check-in. Fortunately my brother not only lives in Phoenix, he works many of the sports events there and was parking that day at Camelback Ranch while working at the Cardinals game. I got detailed instructions from him and was finally able to check in, get my tent and sleeping bag, then met him for dinner. Pizza may not be the traditional pre-race dinner, but it was good. What I hadn't planned for was how much the cold nights would affect my sleeping. I tossed and turned all night, rarely getting more than an hour's solid sleep at a time, so getting up in time for the start Monday morning was no problem.

I was one of the earlier risers, so I wandered into the aid station tent to get warm. Erin was getting things started there while waiting for the morning group of volunteers and kindly got the coffee ready to help me warm up. It was a good place to hang out as runners gravitated there as they arrived. I got to meet quite a few then, some of whom I ran or walked with later during the races. In addition to all the 6-day runners starting that morning, the first groups of 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour runners also started. As a result, for a brief day my name actually appeared near the top of the leader board for the 24-hour race, finishing the day in 15th place.

Once the race started I tried to proceed on a regular run 3:00, walk 2:00 pattern. It didn't always work exactly because I sometimes passed the aid station during the middle of a run segment or at the end of a walk segment. When that happened I made small adjustments to the 3:00 and 2:00 periods to get back to a schedule where it was easy to know when to change gaits. I was moving very well and the first 20 miles flew by. Runners were passing at all different paces and every so often I might pass someone walking for a stretch when I was running. During these early miles I rarely ran or walked with anyone, but many runners made friendly and encouraging comments as we passed each other.

My memory is a little foggy here and I haven't seen any splits posted, but somewhere between about 22 and 25 miles I began to feel the effects of the lack of serious training mileage over the last few months. I happened to catch up to Bill Schultz about this time. His comment that I seemed to be breathing rather hard for this early in the race woke me up to my situation. Reasoning that since it was the running that created the most fatigue, I backed off to 2:00 of running instead of 3:00, but kept the 2:00 walking. The race was quickly unraveling for me now. I kept the new ratio for about an hour or so before I dropped to 1:00 running and 2:00 walking.

In addition to the leg fatigue there was another issue looking ahead that didn't appear until around mile 35. Fifteen months earlier at North Coast 24 in 2014, I had pain across the top of my left knee cap that eventually forced me out of the race after 45 miles. The pain got so bad that I could not place any weight on that leg. Around mile 35 today I started to feel the same pain. I did not want to face another 10 weeks of PT during recovery to treat that again. I spent more time walking, but that was merely a delaying tactic. I passed 40 miles, then 45 miles taking 10-20 minute breaks every 2-3 laps trying to extend as much as possible the time I was on the course moving forward. About 52 miles into the race I was noticeably limping and decided that was as far as I could or wanted to push it to minimize any possible injury. I was also starting to have mild hallucinations like looking at the ground and seeing it undulating like water waves. I limped to my tent to try to sleep a bit, but kept my chip just in case my knee felt better after an extended break

I slept for about 5-6 hours. I remember it being abut 7:20 A.M. when I got up. My knee did feel a little better. What I should have done last night but wasn't thinking, I finally did this morning, i.e. went to the med tent. After some consultation, Wyatt, the EMT on duty, wrapped the knee to try to keep the knee cap tracking better. 100K was out of the question at this point, so I grabbed my camera to slowly walk a lap and photo document the course. Surprisingly that didn't take as long as I expected nor did my knee feel that sore with the support of the wrap, so I walked yet another lap. When I finished that one there wasn't enough time for another full lap, so I turned in my chip with a total of 55.64 miles for the 24-hours. While well short of my 100K goal, that was predicated on better training and no injuries, so I was pleased with the total.

Now with my racing over I had 5 more days ahead of me before flying home. Several days I spent exploring the area and sight seeing with my brother showing me around. However one of the reasons I had planned to stay the entire week was to absorb as much of the culture, knowledge, and experience as I could. I hung out at the warming tent listening to runners who had been at it for years spin yarns ans tales of the early days. When I wasn't there I'd be by the finish area cheering. I was free to run errands for the runners if needed. This involved everything from checking the leader board to driving a sick runner to the airport so he could get home earlier. In general I tried to make myself useful. I had no idea what that would eventually lead to. Since my sleeping habits were all askew because of staying up much of the night, then not being able to get a good night's sleep because of the cold, I found myself awake in the middle of the night. I walked over to the aid station to get a cup of coffee and discovered they were understaffed at that time with an insufficient number of volunteers. Handing out food and drink can't be all that difficult, so I offered to help out until the volunteers for the next shift arrived. From then until Sunday morning I was in and out helping as needed. This was fun. I'm warm. I could sit when needed. I got to meet almost all the runners. Some knew exactly what they wanted, grabbed it or asked for it, and were on their way. Others came in very indecisive, so we ran through what was available at the time to see what appealed to them. On occasion we took special requests and told them they would be ready the next lap. When there were enough volunteers there, I would excuse myself for short periods to run a guest lap with a friend. All in all I had the best of all worlds there, running, crewing, volunteering, and thoroughly enjoying myself the entire time.

Now this races wasn't named Across the Years without reason. The 6-day event was the primary race, though not the one with the most entrants, but there was at least one 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour race in progress along with the 6-day when midnight rolled around on New Year's Eve. We had Champaign or sparkling cider for whoever wanted it as we counted down the seconds, then many of us took a celebratory Champaign Mile lap to bring in the new year. I'm disappointed that I probably won't be able to get back there for the next few years because the holiday season is our busiest time of the year at work, but for anyone who wants to run a fixed time race, this should be high on the list on ones to run.

 2015 Bringing Hope Home 5K

Spur of the Moment on Tired Legs

I'd been looking around for a local 5K to test my speed, but nothing seemed to fit into my schedule around long runs and interval workouts. I was always tired on the weekends or trying to fit in a long run. I had my eye on a 5K in Thorndale that I knew was a flat, fast course, but in the preceding week my interval workout on Wednesday was flat in a different sense. I couldn't get any good speed and finished exhausted on tired legs. I decided I would not set my alarm for Saturday morning and when I woke would be a good indication of my level of fatigue. Come Saturday morning by the time I was finished with breakfast and ready to make a decision, it looked like I would be cutting it too close for my peace of mind, so I started searching for a nearby race for Sunday instead. That's when I discovered this one only 5 minutes from hom, which gave me plenty of time to get there, register, and warm up. the course was just as flat, if not flatter if possible, than the one in Thorndale. The field was also a lot smaller. Even in hindsight I'm not sure how much difference that might have made.

When I arrived I would have thought I was way too early if I hadn't expected a small turnout. My initial estimate was that we might have 50 runners max. I registered, was told I get my t-shirt after the race, and went to warm up and check out the start and finish areas. It's a good thing I checked out both. At the start area the people there pointed out where the finish was. It wasn't a simple out and back on the rails to trails path. As we returned we had to turn right by the parking lot and run an almost full loop around the playground area, close to a quarter mile in length, instead of continuing straight to the starting line. While waiting at the start I chatted with a few of the other runners. My Labor Pain shirt elicited a few comments.

Even with the small field the race was chip timed, but with the narrow path it still took me 6 seconds to cross the mat. I quickly fell into step with one of the young ladies I'd been chatting with who said she normally runs about 30 minutes. That pace was fine with me, so we settled in as runners sorted themselves out quickly. We ran together for the first mile which we reached in 9:38, then she accelerated and I couldn't stay with her. She ended up finishing about a minute ahead of me and won her age group. Shortly after that we could see the leaders coming back, so I knew the turnaround was too far away. Meanwhile there was a group ahead that I tried to keep in sight and within striking distance if I could pick up the pace a little. One drawback of a race like this is that the turnaround causes runners to break their rhythm because we have to make a u-turn on a path that's only about 8 feet wide. I had to make a conscious effort ot regain my stride, rhythm, and pace after that, then see what I could do about narrowing the distance between me and the runners ahead. It seemed like I was closing a little, but not fast enough...and I couldn't seem to go any faster regardless of how hard I tried. I passed two miles with a second mile split of 9:41. Despite my increased effort I had actually slowed down by a few seconds. I could see that I was slowly catching up to at least one runner but I was also running out space. I kept pushing hard and sometimes seemed to be closing the gap, then I would look again not be sure. We were rapidly approaching the turn off the rails to trails path onto the loop around the playground. At least I could tell that I had definitely narrowed the distance, then just as I thought a final sprint just might get me past her, she accelerated. This was one time when desire and experience couldn't overcome the benefits of youth as she pulled away in the final 100 meters, but chasing her did get me under 30 minutes as my last mile was 9:37 and my final time 29:51.

It was great temperatures for racing, but cool enough that after the race I wanted to get my jacket on for my cool down. As I was cooling down briefly I had one odd observation. Of the 60-80 vehicles in the parking lot, only about 10 were American models. When I jogged over to get my race t-shirt, they were out of men's medium, so I didn't bother taking one. Besides I don't really need another cotton shirt that will ony take up space in my closet or drawer. When the results were posted I checked to see where I placed: 29th overall of 46 finishers and 2nd in my age group. Third was only 8 seconds behind me. As small as the race was age group awards were only being given to first place in each division. After we thought the awards ceremony was over, we had a little surprise. There were left over awards, possibly because not every age group was represented or someone miscounted when ordering awards, but we were called back and they started giving out the remaining awards to second and third place finishers, so I ended up with a medal after all.

With the year starting to wind down and my final race being a 24-hour race at Across the Years in Phoenix, I'll be concentrating on my distance training. I may still run a turkey trot on Thanksgiving since there are a lot to choose from and most allow race day registration, but that again may be a race day decision with the weather as much as anything else being a deciding factor.

2015 North Coast 24 Endurance Race

Boom and Bust - An NC24 Adventure

This was supposed to be my goal race again, but by the time I finished running the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 50K in May I was beginning to wonder if I really liked ultra marathons. I've had great experiences at all of them, but the running wasn't always great. It ranged at times from tedious to painful, offsetting some of the joy of what I've accomplished and sharing the experience with so many friends. Then there was the training. Running solo for 3 or 4 hours or more was just plain tedious. I could manage 2 hour runs with little difficulty, but as I know from personal experience, 2 hour runs will not prepare me for running ultras, not at the pace I run. Others may cover 16-18 miles in 2 hours, but that will barely get me 10. The training over the summer was, as usual, more difficult because of the heat, humidity, and sun. The net result was going into the race severely under trained (June through August totaled 415 miles), with no clear goal though I had mentioned 100K as a target at various times and still mentioned that if anyone asked. I was really looking more toward reconnecting with old friends and finally meeting some virtual friends from the old RWOL forums and FaceBook.

As race day approached I tried to still get in a couple good 10-12 mile runs during my taper. They were encouraging as I averaged under 12:00 pace for 2 of the 3 double digit runs during my taper. Then I made a work related decision that undid much of what I was trying to accomplish during my taper. I agreed to work an extra 4 hours on the Sunday before NC24. It was one of the most stressful work days I've had outside of working during last minute holiday shopping. I came home exhausted and skipped running. Monday was a day off and by late afternoon I was starting to feel feverish. I called out sick on Tuesday. This was not how I envisioned taper week. I took Wednesday as another rest day, then ran an easy 2 miles on Thursday. Friday was travel day. Once I arrived in Cleveland I checked out the new detour to get to the park, then walked and jogged a few laps to refresh my memory of the course. And yes, what looks flat or a mild rise when you're fresh can turn into a hill 12 hours into the race. I still had some time to relax back at my motel before meeting with friends for pizza at the park pavilion. (How do you like the alliteration?)

Dinner with 8-9 friends and fellow runners really helped me start to get some enthusiasm for this race. It was a real pick up when one of my guardian angels from my first ultra two years before surprised me by showing up. I still had doubts about what I could do, but my main concern was to last for the entire 24 hours of the race. I'd jog, walk, take breaks, even naps if that was what it would take to last through the night. I trusted Dr. Lovy and the medical staff to handle any problems if I got to them early enough, and I trusted my friends to see me through any down periods. I was still under trained, but if I took enough breaks and managed my eating and drinking, I should be able to endure for the 24 hours. By the way, did I mention this was the US 24-hour national championship? There were a few speedy runners here. No pressure to perform well and not embarrass myself.

Surprisingly I actually slept well and woke up only once during the night before finally waking up a little before my 6:00 am wake up call which never came. Breakfast at the motel was like an ultra runners conference. I don't think I saw anyone there that wasn't running the race. I introduced myself to most of them and expected to see them on the course at some time during the race. After a Danish, a muffin, several cups of coffee, and juice, I headed out to the park. I wanted plenty of time to figure out how to set up my tent. I hadn't used it since last year here. Quite a few of us were already there and set up by the time I arrived and more kept coming. I think just in our group we had 16 runners and half a dozen or more supporters. People were constantly taking photos, both posed and candid. Then there was the food everyone brought for our own private aid station. I ended up eating strictly from the official aid station, but there was no need to stop there with all the food we had.

After picking up my packet I had two bibs to pin on for this race. The first was the typical bib with my number on, which went on the front. The second bib was because I was a USATF member and identified my age group. It went on the back. This was the National Championships, so I suppose this was a USATF rule pertaining to that. Throughout the race I was amazed at the number of runners identifyably 60 or older, most of whom seemed to be running faster than me. There were others that old, I sure, but if they weren't USATF members, there was no way to identify them. We eventually all drifted down to the pavilion where Charles Moman, one of the over-60 runners, led us in singing the national anthem before we ambled over to the start. Because of the odd distance of the loop and 100 miles in 24 hours being a landmark performance, the start was backed up enough that exactly 111 laps would be 100 miles. While not exact, it also meant that 69 laps was 100K. Nominally that was my goal for the day.

I definitely wanted to start easy and I decided the best way to do that was to start with several friends who also intended to do that. We edged our way back towards the back of the 163 runners in the field so we wouldn't be in the way of anyone actually wanting to run. We never even noticed the gun or horn or whatever was used to start the race. All of a sudden we realized people were moving so we started our watched and began moving along with them. It didn't take long to settle into jogging a little then walking some with Diana, Steph, Krystal, and Misty. (I guess my secret is out now, that I run these to enjoy the female company.) We stayed together trying not to block the path for about 4 miles before we started to split up. I continued the same jog-walk pattern which we'd set using landmarks on the course rather than time or a specific distance. It seemed to be working well and I was feeling great. My pace picked up a little and continued that way for another 16 miles. I was eating and drinking regularly, mostly little cups of M&Ms and nuts and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I stayed with Gatorade and water to drink. My next lap must have included a potty break because it's a little slower. When I resumed I could feel my legs getting tired, so I slowed the pace for the next 10 miles. I took my first real break then, about 15 minutes to regroup and see if I could get some of that food digested and get more life back in my legs.

The rest seemed to help because I was moving along better and faster for the next couple miles, then my hip and lower back started bothering me resulting in a 20 minute mile. I was hoping a long break, maybe even laying down in my tent for a while, would help. I neglected to ask anyone to rouse me after a certain time. I dozed off and on, every time I woke up I kept thinking I don't really want to go back out; my back and hip ache. It was an hour and 45 minutes before I finally talked myself into getting up. This was probably the low point of the race for me. I'd essentially wasted well over an hour and wasn't feeling any better. At that point I decided the medical tent was a good place to be and one of our crew walked me down to get help. The medical staff pushed, prodded, and stretched me forever it seemed. They even called in Dr. Lovy himself because they couldn't localize the hip pain and treat it. It turned out to be the medial glute, not the IT band as initially suspected. Finally between that and getting my lower back more relaxed, I was given the okay to continue. Between that and my break is was over 2 and a half hours of time off the course. It looked like my 100K was slipping away because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold the pace I had for the first 50K.

As I got back on the course I was walking at about a 17-18 minute pace. My biggest concern, and the reason I didn't try to run or jog, was that my back would start spasming again and put me back on the sidelines. A couple miles later shortly after 12 hours on the course my Garmin died so I have no splits after that and won't until the RD can compile all that info for publication. I walked, talked with other runners when the opportunity presented itself, but otherwise there's little to tell through the rest of the evening and into the morning hours. We did get to see some fireworks after the Indians game which distracted us for a while. I took another break after finishing my 44th lap. That left me at 39.6 miles. Knowing I was just short of 40 miles helped get me up and moving again after a short break. While that break was a little longer, I had settled into a pattern of walking 2-4 laps, then taking a short break to let my legs recover. That continued until I was at 49.6 miles, the distance I had covered in my first ultra at North Coast two years ago when they also had a 12-hour race. This time when I sat down I couldn't get warm even with my jacket and a blanket wrapped around me. I took the first option that came to me, to slip back into my sleeping bag in my tent. Once again it was the prospect of stopping just short of 50 miles that eventually drove me out of the tent and back on the course.

Throughout all this all kinds of other things had been happening. One of our runners was having excruciating shin splints, another horrible blisters, and one had severe vomiting. In light of these my issues were miniscule. I found out about a lot of this as I took breaks and chatted with our overnight crew or other runners who were resting at the same time. Seeing the other runners back up and running, including a few first timers, inspired and shamed me into getting up and continuing. One more lap put me over 50 miles. Then I figured (yes, I could still make simple math computations in my head) that two more laps would match my PB. So two more laps went down when it occurred to me that only two more laps would bring me to 55.0 miles. That sounded like a nice number, so back out again. Last year a 13 year old girl ran 58.5 miles. Don't ask how I remember that, I'm a repository for miscellaneous trivia. I might as well see if I can get there too. We're now down to the last half hour and I pick up my numbered block to drop on my last lap to get credit for my final partial lap. I'd really like to finish the race running, even if only for the last 30 seconds, so with 5 minutes to go I break into a slow shuffle. It doesn't feeling nearly as bad as I'd feared, it's just not at all fast, more like a casual walk pace. As I continue I begin to loosen up a little. Maybe you could even call it a jog now. Only 3 minutes to go. I don't feel that bad. I think I can keep going. Two minutes to go, now one. It's time to kick. I don't know how I look to others, but I feel like I'm actually running. When the horn ending the race finally blows I've gotten in almost a half lap and have run the entire last 5 minutes. When the final tally is made including the partial lap, I have 58.04 miles, a PB by 5.68 miles.

It would be easy for this race to be another disappointment because I missed my goal of 100K, but it was far from that. The most significant victory was overcoming doubt, aches and pains, and inertia to keep getting out for another lap...and another...and another until the 24 hours had ended. I'm thrilled to have set another personal best, especially after how hard it was for me to get past 50 miles the first time back at Jackpot in February. This was by no means a solo effort. Many runners, crew, friends, race staff, and volunteers at the race contributed and I couldn't have done it without them. That community is what keeps drawing me back for more. This race has also reawakened my desire to train and race more. Now all I have to do is make some decisions on what distances and what races I'd like to run.

2015 Good Neighbor Day 10K, July 4

Where Do I Stand With the Short Distances

Four weeks ago, just a week after my 50K at Dawn to Dusk to Dawn, I ran the Immaculata Nun Run 5K. Even taking into account the effects of the longer race, it was obvious that I had lost a lot of speed over the last 18 months with the emphasis in training and racing ultra marathons. I had gotten in a couple encouraging interval workouts with my club since then, so this week I backed off the interval workout a little with the idea of running the 10K on the Fourth. Last week I had run the interval workout very hard, followed by a moderately hard medium length Saturday run almost at tempo pace. That was the main factor giving me some hesitation in racing the 10K. I still didn't feel well recovered at this week's interval workout, and even backing off, it was harder than I would normally run that close to a race of any importance. Fortunately the only goals I had for this one were to test my fitness over the longer distance and to run my age. The latter should not be a problem since it would require maintaining only a 10:56 pace. In retrospect perhaps I shouldn't have been so confident.

I worked until 10:15 pm Friday night, then grabbed a light dinner before heading to bed with the alarm set for 5:15 am. I probably had no more than 5 hours of sleep, if that. After eating my normal breakfast, which always includes two mugs of coffee, I drove to the race early since I hadn't preregistered. I was surprised that there was almost no wait for same day registration. There were only a few people ahead of me and there were at least six lines available. When I jogged by 10 minutes later the lines were 10-12 people long and eventually extended to about 20 people long. There's something to be said for showing up early.

Warming up I never felt lose and relaxed, even after a few strides. By the time I lined up for the start I was thinking why am I here. I might as well be out on a long training run. It didn't help my attitude that this is a race that perpetually starts late. Despite the registration page saying registration ends at 7:30 am for an 8:00 am start, they continue registering runners on past the scheduled starting time. It was closer to 8:10 am when the race finally started after the normal preliminary announcements and some stale jokes.

The crowd wasn't too bad once I got up to the starting line. I didn't feel like I was weaving much passing some of the slower runners, many of whom were parents running with young (pre-teen) kids. This all despite the fact that the 5K, 10K, and 15K all started together. The biggest problems with that are that you can't tell from the back (except when the runner doesn't know to pin the bib on the front) which race a person is running. That's not a big deal anyway since the races are run on a 5K loop, so once the 5K runners finish anyone left running is most likely a 10K runner. The 15K gets very few entrants and most of them are fairly fast. The other problem is that the slower 5K runners and walkers, and these are the ones often in larger groups, are just finishing the 5K when the mid-pack 10K and fastest 15K runners are trying to sprint to the finish. One group that I passed at about the 6 mile mark for me took up literally half the road, effectively two lanes, or one lane of traffic and one for parked cars if there had been any.

In any case I got away from the start with a minimum of trouble and tried to settle into pace. I didn't feel comfortable or smooth, but the pace wasn't hard either, just not relaxed. After we turned the first corner about a half mile into the race, I was amused to hear other runners talking about needing to grab water at the first water stop which we were approaching. I could understand getting water there on the second and third laps, but 800m into a 5K and the temperature is only about 70F? Even though the humidity was very high, it still wasn't needed then. The second turn shortly after that brought us onto the main street through the center of town. Somewhere around there we passed the first mile. Checking back later on my Garmin it was 9:41. I thought from previous years that all the miles were marked of painted on the pavement, but I didn't see a single one the entire race, so I missed them when I went by. At least I knew approximately where they should be so I could check my Garmin to get approximate mid-race splits.

While the first mile pace seemed erratic, I settled in for the next couple smiles, judging my pace somewhat by that of runners near me. This section is actually slightly undulating with some long, gentle slopes. someone expecting a track flat could be taken by surprise, because you definitely notice the climb because of the length, even if it is only a slightly grade. As best I could tel I was running steady and a post-race check of my Garmin showed miles 2 and 3 to be 10:11 and 10:08. I had suspected a mild slowdown and this made my average pace as I was finishing the first lap just a fraction under 10:00.

The field thinned out considerably after the first lap as over 3/4 of the runners and walkers were in the 5K. That also meant that the closest runners ahead of my were well ahead of me. I was keeping up what felt like the same effort and also closing on the runners ahead of me, so I was a little surprised when mile 4 was 10:31, an indication that I had more residual fatigue from my training than I thought. I made an effort to pick it up a little even though I was also coming up to a couple of the long up hills in the last couple miles. Runners were pretty well strung out so I wasn't passing many, but I could still see that I was creeping up on the ones ahead of me. As the distance to the finish slowly decreased it became more obvious that while closing on them, I was only going to catch up to a few more unless I could really kick it into gear and get back down to a 10:00 pace. That wasn't about to happen as the temperature was climbing close to 80F and the humidity was still very high. When I checked my splits later I did marginally pick up the pace with mile 5 in 10:27 and mile 6 in 10:24. I think I kicked in the last fraction at about 9:30 pace, i.e. not a real kick, but the only incentive was to see if I could get in under 1:04:00. I didn't want a finish line picture of my looking at my Garmin as I stopped it, so it was actually a few strides after the finish when I hit the stop button with a time of 1:04:01. When I got my unofficial results printed out, a nice touch with time, place overall and in age group, and pace all printed, the time was 1:03:59.05.

Rather than bottles of water at the finish, they handed out plastic bags of ice. That's nice for cooling off quickly, but I had to walk a 100m or so and stand in line to get a bottle of water and my choice of granola bars, soft pretzels, or bananas. I didn't realize just how hard I had run, since the time wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, until I started my cool down and could barely manage 13:00 miles. Knowing I had won my age group, I did stick around cheering the slower 10K finishers and the 15K finishers. The one thing that really detracts from this race is that the awards presentation doesn't begin until over 2 hours after the 5K race is finished. Since I ran the 10K, it wasn't quite as long, and for the 15K it isn't too bad of a wait except for the overall winners. Needless to say a lot of the winners were not present to accept their awards. Besides a medal I also received a $10.00 gift certificate to the local running store.

From here I have nothing definite planned until North Coast 24 in mid-September. Given my work schedule and the summer heat, I will not make any definite race plans, but decide on an ad hoc basis when to race. Most likely I will limit those to trail races and 5K road races.

 2015 Immaculata Nun Run 5K

Only a Week After Racing 50K

I have to start this with a statement that I must be crazy or foolish to have entered and run this race. It's only been a week since I ran 50K on the track under a hot sun, nowhere near enough time to recover for a hard workout, much less a race. Nonetheless I did, primarily because Immaculata University has been a good neighbor and I do much of my training on their campus. This had some distinct advantages during the race since I knew what the course was like, where the hills were, and how far it was to the finish throughout the race. Even so it was a near last minute decision. I registered Thursday evening, technically after the close of registration at 10:00 am that morning, but the transaction was processed, so I assumed I was registered.

I worked until 10:00 pm the night before so got to bed a little earlier than usual. Even though the race is only a few minutes away and didn't start until 8:30 am, I still set my alarm for 5:15 am. That gave me time for a leisurely breakfast with ample leeway to still get to the race by 7:30 am, pick up my packet, and get in a good warm up. I chatted with several of the sisters from the university who recognized me from running there frequently or from seeing me at Barnes & Noble. Of the regular runners, I've been away from the local racing scene for so long that I only recognized two of them, one in my age group and one who was a runner at Immaculata and also coached there after graduation. Being a fund raiser I expect most of the runners and virtually all of the walkers were related in some way to the university or the grade school and study center where the race started and finished.

I didn't expect to be a front runner, indeed I only expected to run around 33 minutes based on how my easy runs had felt this week. I had pushed the effort a little on Thursday's run and still was running well over an 11 minute pace. If I got in what would essentially be a good tempo run at 10:30 pace, it would be a good workout and good run. I lined up far enough back that I didn't seem to impede anyone, yet didn't have to weave around or get trapped behind walkers or slow runners. I should say slower runners, because I was slow myself. We looped around the grade school, down a short slope, across the road to the university campus and hit our first significant hill. I was amused by some of the "inspirational" signs along the path, e.g "With God all things are possible...even running this hill." I was surprised when I did a quick check on my Garmin to that I was running close to a 9 minute pace. That was not current pace, but an extrapolation of pace based on my split at .25 miles, so probably a little more accurate. After reaching the top we had a short, flat section before heading back down the hill via road instead of path, through a parking lot, then back up another hill before I reached the mile mark in 9:22. I was working hard, but well under control and faster than expected.

We continued downhill on the back side of the library then up gradually before heading through a wooded drive where we dipped down on a moderately short but steep hill to the low point on the course. Still running on the wooded drive we headed up then flat passing the halfway point somewhere along there. It wasn't marked but I run that section every time I run on campus except in the winter when it hasn't been plowed. We had a slight ascent exiting the woods and the course took a turn different from what I;d seen on the course map. That meant another short, steep downhill and a longer uphill stretch as we passed the nursing home with the drive lined by the residents cheering us as we ran by. Once passed that and turning onto one of the main drives through campus I reached the 2-mile split in 19:05. I knew I had slowed some on the hills and that was reflected in the 9:43 for mile 2.

I was still feeling pretty good considering it was a race, so I started pushing the pace to see if I could catch and pass anyone. There were only two more small hills left along with running down that first hill as we retraced the last 600m of the course. I honestly don't remember much about the last half mile as I was more focused on trying to push the pace and judge when I could start my final kick. It wasn't very fast and I couldn't catch the 4 or 5 runners that finished within 5 seconds of me, but at least no one passed me in the final 100m. Overall I finished 94th of 273 runners and ran 29:28. My last mile was 9:31 so I did pick up the pace, and the final tenth or so was 52 seconds, a sub-9:00 pace.

I took a slow mile plus cool down jog, then hung around for the awards, raffle prizes (I didn't win anything), and chatting with some of the sisters. We had been told there would be a surprise finish to the festivities. It was definitely unexpected. As they started playing We Are Family, 4 of the sisters came out of the crowd to dance, then 4 more, and yet another 4, so a round dozen dancing to the music and having a grand time. I thought it a fitting conclusion in the spirit of the event and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 2015 Dawn To Dusk To Dawn 50K

You Know It's Summer Now

I was returning to D3 with some ambivalence. It's not that it isn't well run; it's very well organized and a class race. Rather my training was lacking and the weather report for race day was not encouraging. Forecasts initially called for possible thunderstorms, then shifted to hot and sunny, possibly near 90F, considerably less than ideal conditions for a race, especially an ultra on the track where there is no shade. Forgetting to apply sunscreen in that situation doesn't help at all.

This year has also revealed some of an ambivalent approach to running ultras. Back in January I attacked the course somewhat aggressively knowing that I would probably pay the price later. I suffered more in that race than in perhaps any other race with the possible exception of the 2013 Bob Potts Marathon. Perhaps it's a subconscious avoidance of a recurrence or fear of a DNF, but my last two ultras I've run very conservatively to ensure finishing, even if the times were very slow, roughly an hour slower than at Clearwater. I don't regret that. At the Ice Age Trail 50K finishing to atone for last year's DNF was my primary goal. At D2D2D I saw one runner down on the track. They called an ambulance to take him to the hospital for treatment. I saw him later back at the track, so he is okay. It was an unnerving situation though, one I did not want to find myself in by pushing too hard. I don't know if I overcompensated or not, but I did finish with a lot still in reserve.

I worked the night before the race, so I didn't get home until almost 10:30 pm. It was also the first night of the Diamond League meet in Eugene with live streaming beginning at 11:00 pm. Since I rarely sleep well the night before a race anyway, I stayed up to watch at least some of the races before heading to bed. The HS girls mile was by far the most exciting, though the boys HS mile had a very unexpected finish. It was about midnight by now so I skipped watching the women's 5000m and men's 10000m races in favor of sleep.

The 50K race didn't start until 9:00 am, but I set the alarm for 5:15 am anyway and a second alarm for 6:00 am just in case I slept thru the first one. It was nice having the extra time to get everything ready Saturday morning, but it also meant more time running during the heat of the day. Last year I got lost trying to find the high school, so I left myself a little more time this year. I didn't need it and arrived over an hour early as a result. Even with the 24-hour runners starting at 7:00 am, I was still able to find a good parking place so I didn't have far to carry my gear and cooler. Next time I don't think I'll bother with the cooler. The race supplied a more than adequate selection of food and drink. I did bring my tent and sleeping bag, but left them in the car. I could always go back for them after I finished my race if I wanted them.

Bill, the RD, called us up to the starting line about 5 minutes before the start, gave us basic instructions, then we had a short moment of silence and a few words in memoriam of one of the registered runners who had died Wednesday of cardiac arrhythmia while running an ultra marathon. It was a sobering moment as we were about to begin a battle with the heat.

I had a general plan to run a couple laps then walk a half lap. This worked pretty well for about three and a half hours, though I was moving slower than expected. This year water stations were set up on both sides of the track as well as the main aid station with food by the timing mat. One of them was staffed by young girls who were so cute. They called out asking what we wanted every time we came by and handed it to us as we went by. They were so enthusiastic that I tried to use that aid station as much as possible. I don't have official splits yet but I had a pretty dramatic slowdown after 25K. We were officially in the afternoon by then and I was walking more, drinking more, and dowsing my head and hat with ice water. It was during that period when I saw one of the runners laying on the track being attended to while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. I'm not sure of the attrition rate but I saw a lot more runners walking or taking breaks throughout the afternoon. I'd had some time to walk or jog with a few runners up to that point, but what really helped me through was one of the 24-hour runners who had run as far as he wanted graciously joined me and kept me company the rest of the way. I thought he looked vaguely familiar and as we talked we discovered that we had met at the Endless Summer 6-Hour Run in Annapolis last year. He and his wife basically took me in hand and worked as crew for me. With their help I actually picked up the pace again so my last 5 miles were almost as fast as my third 5 miles. I finished with a little kick in 7:55:41 placing 8th of 10 runners in the 50K.

While satisfied with my races this year, I feel like I've lost my direction and drive to train for them like I should. I also lacked the enthusiasm and excitement going into this race that I normally have. I don't have anything else scheduled for the year except North Coast 24, which I would go to even if I wasn't registered to run. I'm thinking a change may be in the works. In the past I've often shifted focus every 2-3 years from the track to the roads and back. It's been two years now that I've been focusing exclusively on running ultras with the exception of a single 5K. Even when focusing on the track or roads, I had more diversity in my racing. The only variation in the last two years has been a couple trail races. The summer will be a period of reevaluation to see where I want to go. I've enjoyed the two trail races, so I might lean in that direction. I might return to shorter road races or the track. Or I might try to add more diversity in my races. That could be the hardest option for the training though many years ago I could and would race anything from 800m to the marathon.

 2015 Ice Age Trail 50K

Redemption in 2015

Last year I entered Ice Age as my first trail ultra. I had high hopes and expectations. They were dashed by a combination of heat, hills I was not prepared for, and inexperience. I promised myself I would return for redemption. That was not as easy as it sounds. Beginning with registration, the races are so popular that the server kept crashing before I could finish registering. The RD posted on the FB page to send an email for those having problems and he would see that they had a place in the race. I did, then went for a run. When I returned I was able to register and breathe a sigh of relief. Now it was just a matter of being better prepared.

Even after a couple years focusing on ultras I still have problems with solo long runs. I've gotten to the point where I can run 2 to 2.5 hours at least weekly, but at my pace that's only 10-12 miles. The lack of 3 and 4 hour runs was a big concern. With my work schedule I rarely have 2 consecutive days off, so even the traditional back to back runs weren't feasible. I tried to compensate by more modest back to back to back runs of 8-12 miles each, so I might log 27-28 miles in 3 days, then take a couple easy days and a couple rest days to fill out the week. Missing almost a week of running twice because of illness in the 3 months leading up to Ice Age didn't help either, but when I was healthy I was getting in a good 40 miles a week.

With the winter weather, I wasn't up for trail running. By the time I could get on the trails, I had only a month or so before the race. After a hard fall on one trail that strained my groin, I was even more hesitant to run the trails and possibly make it even worse with another hard fall. I became very tentative, especially downhill which hurt my groin as well. What time I was able to run on hills was on the Mt Joy and Valley Creek trails in Valley forge National Park. They are well used and kept in good condition, so that minimized the risk.

The last factor was the heat. With the long winter and delayed spring we'd had almost no warm weather. When it reached 70F that was a heat wave. I really did not want to have to cope with running unacclimated in the heat for a second year. I don't know if it helped, but I would overdress on my long runs to deliberately overheat in an attempt to simulate warm weather and stimulate acclimation. It was with a sigh of relief to see the forecast for race day drop from the upper 70s to a high of 71F. It was still humid with a high dew point, but the temps weren't bad and it was mostly overcast, so no sun beating down on the runners.

Going into the race I had only one goal, to finish regardless of what it took, even if it meant walking the entire last 9 mile loop on the Nordic Trail or more. I was expecting even with the lack of solid training to be able to run about 8:30. I would love to run sub-8:00, but after last year and my 8:37 time at Labor Pain last September, I wasn't really expecting that. Even so I tentatively planned to finish the hilly single track 13 miles out and back on the Ice Age Trail in 3:30. That would be about a half hour slower than last year, so extremely conservative, but expecting a further slowdown on the two 9-mile loops of the Nordic Trail.

After my usual restless night before the race and waking up before my 5:00 am wake up call, I had a good breakfast, then double checked my drop bag. After a short contemplation I repacked placing some things in my drop bag which I would have at the start/finish area, and others in my knapsack which I would leave in my car. As the day unfolded all this didn't matter as I didn't need anything from it during the race, and the only things I really needed after the race were a dry shirt and my warm up suit so I wouldn't get chilled. I pulled into the parking area at the race a little over an hour before it started. Much to my surprise, as I looked over at the car that pulled in next to me, I realized it had to be one of the RunningAhead trail runners who said he would be there. I introduced myself and we hung out together for a while before the race. I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the time when I realized the RD was making prerace announcements and it was almost starting time. I quickly shucked my warmups and stuffed them into my drop bag. It wasn't until I was actually at the start waiting to begin that I realized I had left my Garmin in the warmup jacket pocket. so I would be running this race with no Garmin, i.e. not knowing how far along I was or what pace I was running. I was more concerned with not knowing the mileage because I wouldn't know how far to the next aid station and how best to ration my water. I was a little concerned about pace and possibly starting too fast as my easy shakeout run on Friday had been at a quick pace for the effort. Hopefully decades of running without a Garmin would kick in and I'd fall into a nice, easy effort that would be sustainable.

At first it felt a little strange not having my Garmin to check. My biggest concern was a too fast start on the very runnable first trail section before we reached the single track segment. I figured if people were passing me I was okay. I also walked every hill though there weren't many until we reached the single track. Last year I think I pushed the effort too hard when walking, especially uphill, so I kept the effort a lot easier this year. Even so I could feel the effort in my quads on the larger and steeper hills. I couldn't remember my times for the intermediate aid stations, so I wasn't sure of my rate of progress until I reached the turn around in about 1:35, slower than last year and still feeling good. I don't think I counted more than 6-8 runners still going out as I was on the way back. I guess that was good as it indicated I wasn't running fast. I joined up with another runner whom I caught up to and ran with her for a while. I was a little concerned about my pace when I pulled ahead because I wasn't sure whether I was moving too fast or she had slowed down. I was still moving strong, though, and felt much better than at that point last year. I reached the start/finish area in about 3:12 and change, roughly 15 minutes behind last year, but feeling very good. Ironically after losing a water bottle on that section last year when I didn't get it clipped in securely, this year I found one identical to the one I lost. I stopped to pick it up and dropped it off at the next aid station. I had 2 loops of the Nordic Trail left. If I could get through the first loop okay, my friend, Mandy, was going to join me and keep me company on the last loop.

My memory of the Nordic Loop was definitely faulty. I had no recollection of all the hills and valleys on the section of the course I ran last year before dropping out. It wasn't that they were big, but it was one after another and some of them relatively steep compared to what I've been used to. Now it makes more sense why I remember feeling like I came almost to a standstill on some of them last year. I picked up a couple more running partners through the first section until we reached the aid station where I bailed last year. I was amazed that I still felt good and strong. They last section was a little easier than the first as well as being a little shorter and eventually brought me back to the wide section at the beginning of the out and back as it turned toward the start/finish area. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get anything like an official split at the end of the loop, but I think it was in the range of 5:20-5:25, which meant I ran the loop around 2:08-2:12 when I was planning on something closer to 2:15-2:20. At least I had a huge cushion and gave me an excellent opportunity to finish sub-8:00, not just sub-8:30.

Mandy found my while I was getting my water bottles refilled and wolfing down another PBJ quarter. I still didn't feel like I was fading at all when I headed back on the final loop. Mandy even commented on how strong I looked. I wasn't until a couple miles in and we started encountering the rolling hills again that I started to fade. It came on suddenly on one of the short, steep hills. I think I could have continued to push, but at this point I wasn't going to take any risks of blowing up. My groin was aching more frequently, requiring more frequent and longer walk breaks. I also noticed the first mild affects of the heat and humidity despite frequently dowsing my head with water. Still we arrived at the main aid station on that loop in good time and condition leaving 4.4 miles to go according to the volunteers there. I continued to drink Coke and ginger ale at the aid stations to wash down my PBJ, and rationed my water between aid station between dowsing my self and drinking it. By now I was alternating between periods of feeling good and even using the downhill to kick start some running, with periods where I felt like I was barely moving at 20 minute mile pace or slower. Mandy was great in keeping my spirits up and letting me know we had a big cushion to still beat 8 hours. It felt great to finally reach the last little aid station with less than 2 miles to go. I was now being passed pretty regularly by mid-pack 50-Mile runners who always gave words of encouragement too. As we neared the finish, which included a small uphill of course, Mandy turned off to let me run in by myself. I must have had a huge grin on my face because I heard spectators making comments. It was such a relief and joyful feeling to pass under the arch across the finish line. Besides the sense of accomplishment and smashing my expectations with a 7:48:44 finishing time, I got a really neat key chain with the IAT mastodon logo.

After hugs and congratulations Mandy got me something to drink while we watched runners finish and kept checking on our friend Amanda, who was running the 50-Mile. Once I felt my stomach could handle real food, I grabbed a brat, fruit, and pasta from the post-race dinner and we found chairs where we could watch the finish better. It's amazing to see the array of emotions runners experienced as they finished, some smiling, some crying, but none unaffected. We finally saw Amanda finish and found a place where the 3 of us could sit and hear about each others race. Once results were posted I checked for my official time and place. the time is above. I was 9th of 9 in the 60-69 age group, 103 of 116 for males, and 165 of 195 overall.

I now have 3 weeks to prepare myself for the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 50K. I'm approaching this as merely another opportunity for a long training, then volunteering to help, crew, or pace any runner who would like me to. With the aches and pains I've had after most of my ultras over the last 9 months, I placing a hold on registering for any more until I can find a solution. North Coast 24, which I'm already registered for, is the earliest I plan for my next ultra and I'm not even sure what I want to attempt there as a goal. I may just use the race to keep others company while they run.

 2015 Jackpot 24-Hour

Reached a Milestone, Short of Another

Once again I'm going after those elusive 50-Mile and 100K distances. Recovery was slow after the Clearwater 50K, but I did get in several solid runs of 2-2.5 hours. The cold weather has been a deterent and also doesn't help with preparations for a race where I expect it to be 80F and sunny. My biggest concern, though, remains whether my ankles, knees, and hips will hold up. Twice now in 24-hour races I've had to retire after about 45 miles and 15.5 hours because of that. The second time led to 10 weeks of PT to strengthen the knee and gain more flexibility. This should be a test of how well that helped.

Travel to Las Vegas went smoothly except for somewhere losing my charger cord for my tablet, so when the battery wore down, I lost access to the Internet and communication with the outside world. Arriving as early as I did on Thursday, we had a group meeting for dinner both Thursday and Friday. Everyone in the groups were new to me, though I also expected to see many friends from last year's race on Saturday.

For once I also got a good night's sleep, though with the time difference I was up at 4:00 am. After a few attempts to get a little more sleep, I finally got up, repacked my knapsack for the race, eat breakfast, and drove over to Cornerstone Park for the race. I was one of the early arrivals and just dropped my knapsack by one of the light poles just before the turn around near mile 1. That made it easily accessible during the race without having to leave the course. For the next hour or so I wandered around looking for friends including Katrina, June, and Kelly who would win the 24-hour race and pass 100 miles before the winner of the 100 mile race did. It was the first time I'd met Kelly, knowing him only through RunningAhead and his blog. He had a much appreciated encouraging word for me whenever he passed me during the race.

There was one minor change in the course. The RDs moved the start and finish up past the aid station rather than before it. At a couple points this turned into a minor inconvenience when I decided I needed to go back to the aid station for treatment of blisters or my hip and ankle, since I had to be careful not to trigger the timing mat accidentally.

The race started with a siren, but I wasn't really sure at first because no one seemed to be moving yet. With most of us going 24-hours or 100 miles, there wasn't the same sense of urgency found in road races. With my main goal of being on my feet and moving until the next morning, I was in no hurry either. After the way my quads were trashed early at Clearwater, I shortened the run segments and lengthened the walk segments. I didn't have any clear timed interval to make the transition and used the undulating course profile for most of them, walking on the uphill slopes and running on the downhill and flat. If I could I'd run and walk with someone adjusting my breaks to what they were comfortable with as long as they didn't deviate too much from my general plan. I spent several comfortable laps with Katrina, and later Heather. After that my pace seldom matched anyone's so most of the rest of the race I ran solo. With the course layout even running solo does not leave you alone. There was a constant stream of runners either passing me or headed in the opposite direction, so there was continuous interaction with the other runners.

From the start I tried to ignore the pace and focus only on how I felt and moving forward. Nonetheless I noted that each of the early 2.38 mile laps was taking me between 31 and 33 minutes to run, roughly 13:30 per mile. That seemed fine and was slower than my previous races, so hopefully I would be able to maintain it longer. Around noon I could start to really feel the heat. By this time I'd run about 6 laps and was close to 15 miles, and I had been pretty consistent in my laps, but now I consciously slowed and started walking more to prevent and avoid any heat related issues. My paced slowed to 16:00, then 17:00 per mile. Keep in mind that time also included stopping at the aid station to grab something to eat and get my water bottles refilled. After what my legs felt like at Clearwater, I was thinking I only had so many running miles on them, so I used them judiciously so get some variation in my gait. As I moved into the middle of the afternoon and the heat of the day, I was going through two 10.5 ounce water bottles each lap, about half to drink and half to cool my head. I passed 25 miles around 3:00 pm and reached 50K about 4:45 pm 7:45 into the race.

At this point I really started to struggle. It wasn't that I was hurting in the way I did at Clearwater, it was more simply a feeling that I wanted to stop and rest. I'd been moving for 8 hours now with no break. My worst fear, though, was that if I stopped I'd never get started again, so each time I came around it was an internal debate to find a chair and plop down risking tightening up or continue one more lap. I'm not sure how many laps I walked like that, for my this time that was all I could do. My right ankle and hip were hurting too badly to run on them. It was also in the forefront of my thoughts what had happened at North Coast when I stopped to have the medical staff check out my knee. Even with their expert ministrations, when I got up I couldn't place any weight on my knee and had to retire from that race. I was afraid the same thing would happen with either my hip or ankle if I stopped to let someone look at them.

Finally near mile 35, e.g. lap 15 when I needed to get at least 21 laps for 50 miles, I stopped to rest attended to by a friend who had run the marathon and finished earlier. At her behest I walked back to the aid station to see the masseuse. I was skeptical, but June insisted she would be able to help and it couldn't hurt anything. Well, let me rephrase that. Her prodding and stretching my hip hurt, but whatever she did, when she was finished my hip gave me no more problems. The ankle was a different matter. The rest itself helped there, but this was something I would have to closely monitor for the rest of the race. Amazingly I did not tighten up and was able to get back on the course moving, albeit slowly so as to put as little pressure on my ankle as possible.

I wish I could say I continued purposefully, but it was more an easy walk that kept me moving and not much more. It was probably a 20:00 mile or slower at times. By this time the sun was moving toward the horizon so the heat and sunlight was less of a problem. Once darkness fell I stopped to get my little flashlight. While it wasn't needed on most of the course, there were a few places where I appreciated having it with me. The night brought another aspect to the race that I hadn't anticipated. I've been told that it is difficult to maintain focus when you're tired and short of sleep in these races, but the reality was a little scary. At time I didn't know how I got to where I was on the course because I didn't remember passing some of the landmarks. At other times I'm surprised I didn't simply keep walking straight right off the course to who knows where. To say I was in a fog is an understatement. When I looked up I could see the rest of the course and lights moving, sometimes actually see the runners under the street lights, but for the most part it was me in my own little world bounded by the beam of my flashlight except when someone passed me.

Being less afraid that I would tighten up, I started taking rest breaks as needed to let my ankle recover. One of the crew members for another runner kindly let me use her tent and sleeping bag when I really needed to crash for a while. I would walk a lap or two as I could, then take a break. By this method I reached 17, then 19 laps. Finally I reached 21 laps or 49.98 miles. With 100K well out of reach, I thought I take another break, then get out for one more lap to put me over 50 miles. When I woke up and looked at my watch, it said 7:45. I thought I had only 75 minutes left, so I jumped up, walked back to reenter the course where I'd left it, and started walking. It was only then that it "dawned" on me that the sky was still black and there was no hint of a sunrise yet. Somehow my watch had reset itself 3 hours ahead to Eastern time. I calmed myself and finished my 22nd lap and decided that was enough. I wasn't feeling all that great, and that had nothing to do with the race. By Sunday evening I was coughing and thinking I was coming down with bronchitis. As it is my head is still all stuffy as I type this. It did mean I wasn't present at the finish and missed chatting with the other runners afterwards, but it was probably still the better choice to head back to my hotel to bed.

While I did finally achieve one of my goals, I also think I need to back off on the longer races and limit myself to nothing longer than 50K until I get the issues resolved with the joint aches and pains when I push beyond that. That still leaves me lots of options, and since many of those races are on trails, perhaps that will help, since I think the pounding on asphalt is a contributing cause. Next up is the Ice Age 50K in May. I still have the North Coast 24 scheduled for September. Hopefully by then my training will be able to sustain me beyond 50 miles and 100K will be a feasible goal.

 2015 Clearwater 50K)

What I Expected, Not What I Hoped For

This was my first race since North Coast 24 when I developed a sore knee and couldn't continue for the full 24 hours. I had a lot of concerns, the foremost one being that even though my weekly mileage was back up to about 40 per week, I hadn't run even one workout as long as 3 hours or 15 miles. On the running I had been doing, I'd had no problems with the knee, and with how I felt on the long runs I had been able to get in, I had no doubts about finishing, though I was concerned (and rightfully so as the race revealed) about the 7 hour cutoff. Since I had not been running any farther that 13 miles, I effectively had a one week taper from my normal training. This was the most unusual taper I've eve had in that it consisted almost entirely of doing nothing. That wasn't really what I'd planned,but I simply was not motivated enough to run in the cold, and once I got to Florida it was too late to run anything meaningful.

The trip itself began on a good note. I had to stop by the pharmacy to refill a prescription for eczema. Normally this would not be running related, but it was causing small blistering on my feet - just one more thing to worry about. How would my feet, which were already irritated, hold up to 50K of pounding on pavement? When I arrived at the off-site parking lot I was immediately picked up by the shuttle van as the last passenger before heading to the airport. I was considered for pre-screening and was through security in minutes. My flights were on time; I didn't need to check any luggage; and my rental car was ready for me. Here's where things began to take another turn. I missed the exit from the airport, so had to do another circuit. Once out of the airport I hit rush hour traffic that rivaled Philadelphia's. A couple hours later after exiting the Interstate, I had to call my daughter three times to get directions either from making wrong turns of being confused by the directions. At least I made it there and had a nice, but short, visit with her and her husband before heading back to Clearwater early Saturday afternoon. The pre-race dinner and FE (forum encounter) was at Maggiano's. We eat plenty, talked at lot, and generally had a good time. It was odd that the non-runners outnumbered the runners by 6 to 4, but 2 spouses and 3 children weren't running along with one runner who lived nearby but isn't ready to start racing again. The runners were me, Holly (non-RW/RA), Lara, and her son Christian. Caitlin was a no-show.

I had a 5:00 am wake up call, which uncharacteristically, I did need to get me up in time. The hotel didn't serve breakfast early enough, a common failing of hotels. Don't they realize that many races start about the time they begin serving breakfast. After grabbing a breakfast of an Egg McMuffin and coffee, I found one of the last parking spaces in the main lot by the start. I was surprised how crowded it was. Last year with less parking available, I don't remember it being that bad. I looked around for my friends but didn't see anyone. Van spotted me. He was the only one I saw that I knew before the the race unless you count the volunteer at packet pickup who recognized me from the RW forums. While wandering around I managed to trip over the edge of a ramp. Between that and the printed race instructions, I opted at the last minute to take advantage of the early start at 6:35 am. In hindsight it was a very good choice for me even though I was fairly confident I would make the 7 hour cutoff. It also gave me a slight chance that everyone I knew wouldn't have left by the time I finished. I knew some needed to leave right away, but even the ones who didn't would be finishing over an hour ahead of me. Unless they had other reasons to stay, I could expect them to hang around waiting for me.

Since the early start was for 5M and HM walkers, and those who expected to be over 6 hours in the marathon or 6:30 in the 50K, I lined up in front expecting to be an early leader. It's the first time in a long time that my chip time and gun time have been the same. I did get out in or near the lead early but settled back because the runners in front were going faster than was prudent. I was going to say faster than I wanted to, but I'd really like to run a 50K at that pace. I'm just not ready yet. After winding around a few blocks we reach the large bridge over the bay to Clearwater Beach. I did run partway up, but decided walking the upside of the bridges would be better even if that disrupted my time schedule for walk breaks. I could always adjust with little problem. There was a lot of leap frogging among us early runners with some chatting as we moved along, but eventually we spread out so there was less of that. We were also restricted to the sidewalk until the lead car and runners passed us. I don't remember exactly where I was at the time, maybe between 3 and 4 miles, but he was flying and well ahead of anyone else. I think he ran 1:08 or so for the half. Christian caught up to be just before 5 miles running with a small group. I think he was about 15th then. He must have left them in the dust later because he finished 5th overall and first in his age group. Caitlin passed me about a mile later looking strong on her way to an age group win. I must have passed the turn around for the half just before Holly reached it as she also went on for an age group win. I keep some speedy company!

As I said the start felt too fast, so I backed off, then settled into a run 9 minute, walk one minute schedule adjusted for walking up the bridges. I felt pretty good and was moving well. The question was what would happen when I passed the distance of my longest training runs. A cold, detached assessment said that schedule was too ambitious, but I wanted to see what I could handle off the training I've been doing. I haven't adjusted my Garmin splits yet, but I did make note of and remember a few of the splits based on the mile markers. At 11 miles I was still at exactly a 12:00 pace. I had slowed just a little the last couple miles, but not by much. With my gradually slowing I shifter to a run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute pattern which I was able to hold through 20 miles. during that section of the course the Sun was now high enough to have a noted effect on me and the other runners. I wasn't hot yet - I don't think it got much over 70 all day - but there was no shade so we were getting direct sunlight on us. That's when I also started using the water to douse my head for cooling while continuing to drink Gatorade.

Somewhere around 20 to 21 miles is where I started to fall apart. I still had energy to run, but several problems were developing: 1) my right ankle was getting sore from my foot plant, 2) my right hip was starting to ache from the impact, and 3) my quads were sore and complaining. In runner parlance, my quads were trashed. It hurt to run up hill and downhill. I had outrun by conditioning. The real effect of that would no be apparent until I stopped after crossing the finish and later in the day. From being on a pace for a 6:20-6:30 finish, I saw my project finish time erode to 6:30, 6:35, 6:40, even 6:50 becoming questionable. Now I was really glad I had opted for the early start. If things got much worse I would be cutting it very close to stay under 7:00. By this time I was walking long stretches and only shuffling along for a couple minutes when I could see a discernible landmark ahead like another bridge, a street crossing, or an aid station. After slipping to over 16:30 for one mile, I decided that I couldn't let the projected finish time continue to slip. As long as I was shuffling more than running so I wasn't impacting the pavement hard enough to aggravate my sore ankle and hip, I found I could run longer, and even more surprising, run faster than I had been. My pace dropped to 15:00, then 14:30. When I passed 29 miles and had only a little over 2 to go, I tried to push it harder. While it was highly unlikely, I though it might still be possible to finish in 6:45. About this time the course started winding through a residential area rather being a long, straight street where it was hard to see progress other than when you passed a mile sign. With several runners in sight I made an effort to catch them. I passed one, then another, then a pair. Finally we turned a corner and I could see the bridge. It gave me a boost but also a shiver of dread knowing I had to run downhill on a spiral walk before reaching the park where the finish was. Recall that my quads are trashed. This was going to hurt! Unbelievably I passed another runner going down the spiral ramp, then caught up to two more as we turned into the park and could see the finish. One sprinted ahead as her little daughter was cheering loudly for her. I manged to hold off the other, that or she didn't bother trying to "sprint" with me. I must have opened it up to a sub-10:00 pace by then, which was the best I could do.

I think I did have a smile when I crossed the finish line, but as soon as I stopped, I bent over and could hardly move. Lara and her family were still there waiting for the awards ceremony to get her medal, so they helped me to a chair and got me something to eat and drink. When they announced the awards ceremony, Christian had to help me get out of the chair. Once up I could painfully shuffle over to where the awards were being presented, but for the first time in my life I felt, and probably looked, like the runners in those post-marathon videos that can't walk up and down stairs. I'm almost surprised I was able to drive back to my hotel where I soaked in a hot tub for a while. It was difficult and hurt every time I had to get up, though once I was moving for a little it got a lot better. Basically what I think happened was that I had pushed myself well beyond what I was trained for both in terms of pace and distance. The result was a lot more muscle damage resulting in the soreness and stiffness I experienced. Last year under Ian's coaching I was getting in more runs in the 18-26 mile range. That's almost double what my long runs have been even though my weekly mileage is higher this year. I half expected this, but hoped I could get by with a variation on how I used to train for marathons. Even there my long runs were falling short of what I wanted and what I did over the summer just couldn't carry me over this long. I have considerable doubt on what I can handle at Jackpot in a month. At least with a 24-hour goal I'll be walking a lot more much earlier in the race and hopefully won't trash my quads like I did this time. I don't know if an easier pace or more generous run/walk ration would have made a lot of difference, but I have to think it might.

For those interested in the numbers, my time was 6:45:40. I finished 100th of 135 overall and 1st of 2 in my AG.