duchossois

Grand Canyon: Rim to Rim to Rim Run

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:41:00 +0000

After all the planning, and talk, and stories by the Grand Canyon double-cross veterans, it was actually happening. I was running down the steep switch backs of South Kaibab trail by the light of my headlamp in the frigid dark, two hours before dawn, laden with water and food for the day's run, stepping around rocks and donkey crap, wondering how many thousand feet was the drop-off just a misstep away...I was living a dream.

Jeff, Steve, Howard, Matt, Wayne

Dave, me, Jeff

I woke at 2:55 AM, after short and restless sleep in our room at the Maswik Lodge on the South Rim. Jeff and I, a couple of 53 year old runners about to do our first double-crossing, were sharing a room. The night before, I laid-out the clothes and gear I would need. I got dressed, filled my water bottles (one with water, the other with Perpeteum), loaded the pockets in my aquifer with four Clif Bars, a PowerBar, a couple of peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, and three ziplock bags Perpeteum. While Jeff and I were getting ready, our buddies Matt and Dave were doing the same in their room next door. At a little before 4:00, we got in the car, met up with some others from our group, and drove the couple of miles to the South Kaibab trail head.

The group included mostly runners from Cleveland Southeast Runners Club, with a few other friends, met at the trail head (elevation 7260 feet). We took a few minutes to use of the portable toilets, put on our backpack/aquifers, and adjust our headlamps, before we took our first steps on the trail at 4:08. It took less than a minute to realize I was missing the oxygen-rich air of my lowland home (elevation 650 feet.) Jeff, Matt, Dave, and I were planning to run roughly the same pace so we decided to stay together and let the others do whatever they wanted. What followed was two hours of downhill, quad-trashing switch-backs on narrow trails until we finally reached a short tunnel through the rock that led to the footbridge over the Colorado.

Jeff, me, Matt

Steve had gone out fast, distancing himself from the group early. By the time we reached the river, he was already out of sight. The trail flattened after the river, and about a mile later, we were at Phantom Ranch (elevation 2546 feet), our first stop and opportunity to get water.

Phantom Ranch

The ranch was still and dark when we arrived. A few campers who had spent the night there were just beginning to stir, preparing for their days hiking. We topped off our bottles and aquifers, took off some of our cold weather gear, and were off for Bright Angel canyon. It would be another 8 winding, rolling miles to the next opportunity for water at the pumphouse about a mile past the Cottonwood Campground, which was already closed for the season.

Our group of four became five as we picked-up Howard at the ranch. He had come down via Bright Angel trail, which meets with South Kaibab at Phantom Ranch. Within fifteen minutes of leaving the ranch, the sun was beginning to crest the walls of the canyon. We ran along the North Kaibab trail through Bright Angel Canyon. Before it was light enough to see Bright Angel Creek, we could hear the water rushing over the rocks. As the sun rose over the south rim, we were shown an eerie and beautiful, steep, rocky, winding canyon. Every bend revealed a new, stunning view. I nearly lost my footing several times, trying to take it all in while running. I learned to pick safer stretches of trail when I wanted to look around.

Bright Angel Creek

The stretch along the Kaibab trail north of the Colorado was the most pleasant part of the run. My legs were feeling OK (the effects of the hours of downhill would not be evident to me until we were on the way up the north rim.) The five of us keep a good pace was we ran the rolling hills through the rocky canyon.

North Kaibab, approaching the pumphouse

Somewhere along this stretch, Dave decided to back-off the pace. He had told us he was OK, and wanted us to keep our pace. We wouldn't see him again until we crossed paths on the way back.
We reached the abandoned Cottonwood campground, and about a mile later, the pumphouse where there was fresh water. We topped-off our containers. Depending on conditions and what pace we would be able to keep, we knew that it would be about four hours or more until we got back to this water. This also marked the gradual beginning of the ascent to the top of the north rim.

Roaring Springs Falls

The next few hour was a steady, not overly steep climb from the pumphouse to Roaring Springs waterfall, that cascades 100 feet down the canyon wall to the Bright Angel creek. From here, the climbs became more steep.

Kaibab Trail, north of Roaring Springs

Over the next three miles to Supai Tunnel, the trail rises from 5220 to 6800 feet. We ran what was reasonably 'runnable' and walked the steeper segments. The views in the part of the canyon were even more dramatic and spectacular. The trail hugs the canyon walls, following the tight bends and undulations, rising all the way. We made it through Supai, a short narrow tunnel cut through the cliff wall, and our pace was noticeably slowing. The elevation, hours of climbing, and weakened quads from the hours of steep downhill descent to start our day, were having a cumulative effect.

Cliff hugging portion of North Kaibab trail

The closer we got to the north rim, the more I was feeling the effects of the elevation. I was struggling to keep any kind of reasonable pace. I felt a slight headache, and my footing was less sure. A light snow began to fall, and the amazing views were so stunning that they kept me from dwelling on how I was suffering.

Clouds conceal the North Rim

Less than a mile from the rim, we stopped at Coconino Overlook to take some photos. I felt so drained, I just wanted to sit. I managed to rouse myself for the following photo. Thankfully, you cannot see just how bad I must have looked by this point in the run.

Me at Coconino Overlook

The remaining push to get to the rim took about all I had. My lightheadedness and the snow falling, made the scene ethereal.

Almost at the top

The trail suddenly opened to a snowy plateau. The North Rim. What a relief to reach this point. I checked my watch. 10:55 AM. Well ahead of schedule, which felt great. We were at the half-way point (technically not quite since we were going to take the longer Bright Angel trail back up the south rim.)

On the North Rim (the 'almost' halfway point)

The plan was to take a little break, eat and drink, then start down, but it was just too cold for that. I ate half of one of my peanut butter and raisin sandwich, then decided to wrap it up and head back down a few thousand feet where it would be warmer.

Despite my achy quads, the downhill was still much easier to handle than the uphill was, at these elevations. I started to feel better very soon. We kept a good pace until we reached Supai Tunnel again, then stopped to finish the lunch we had started on the rim. It was a little past that point that the trail crossed a footbridge, and provided us with a great photo opportunity.

Matt, Jeff, and me

Going back down the Kaibab trail heading south presented an entirely new set of dramatic views.

Looking south up Bright Angel Canyon

I felt reinvigorated by the downhill running, and increased oxygen levels as we descended. We passed some of other members of our group as they were heading up the north rim. First Mark G., then Dave K., then Connie G. and Jenn S. (Mark, Connie, and Jenn had started a couple of hours after us.) Mark took the following photo of Matt, Jeff, and I as we crossed paths.

Jeff, Matt, and me

We cruised into the pumphouse, refilled our water bottles and aquifers, and grabbed another bite of food, and were on our way. Not too much past that, we caught Steve. He ran with us for a while, and we kept a good pace, retracing our path through the rocky canyon approaching Phantom Ranch.

Steve, me, Jeff, Matt (Howard took this photo)

Eventually, Steve fell off the pace and we were back down to our foursome. We arrived at Phantom Ranch, around 3:00 PM, I think. I forgot to check my watch. This would turn out to be a longer than expected stop. We sat, ate, topped-off our water, and used the restrooms.

We took Bright Angel trail out of Phantom Ranch. The distance to the South Rim is approximately 9.2 miles. Within minutes of leaving Phantom Ranch, we crossed the footbridge across the Colorado.

Bright Angel Trail Bridge over the Colorado

Jeff and me

From there, the trail, though not particularly steep, is very sandy and soft, making it difficult to run. Mark G. caught us here and ran with us for a while.

Looking back north toward the Colorado on Bright Angel Trail

Eventually, the trail starts heading up the toward Indian Garden, which is almost exactly half way between Phantom Ranch and the South Rim. Once the footing was more solid, we started picking up the pace again. We were more than 11 hours into the run, and I was really feeling tired during the climbs. I developed a burning sensation in a tendon in my left leg, behind my knee. My quads were overworked and were asking, "'How much longer?" I knew I had hours to go, and I had to hold it all together.

Mark on Bright Angel Trail, heading toward the South Rim

The first objective was to get to Indian Garden. We could stop there to get water if necessary. The idea of a little break was enough to keep me moving. The sun was getting low, which added to my motivation to get out. I did not want to run in the dark any more than necessary.

The South Rim, from north of Indian Garden

Me and Jeff, mocking the warning sign.

As we approached Indian Garden, we cam across a sign warning against trying to go to the river and back in a single day. I believe our double-crossing was about four times that distance. We had to take a picture, but I am not sure if we were mocking the sign or it was mocking us. At Indian Gardens, we got a little water and moved on quickly. From this point forward, the uphill became more even difficult. Switch-back after switch-back, with my legs now very tired and aching,, and pain in my tendon stretching into my calf.

Switch-backs on Bright Angel Trail

We were loosing the light, so I took a minute to get my headlamp from my pack and put it on. The wind picked-up and the temperature dropped. There was no more fun in this run. Now, it was all work and pain. No more scenery watching. Just plodding along, slower and slower. Matt and Jeff were now a couple of switch-backs ahead. Finally, around halfway between Indian Garden and the top of the rim, the combination of exhaustion and elevation got to me. I bonked. I recognized the signs. I had no energy. I was not thinking clearly. I was wobbly and unsteady. I knew it was a dangerous to be in that condition on a trail where a fall could be fatal. I stopped, sat down, and assessed my situation. I decided I needed to eat. I took the rest of my Hammer gel, about 3 ounces. I drank some Perpeteum, about 6 ounces. I gave myself five minutes to regain my energy. Then I got up and continued.

Now it was a death march. Running was out of the question. I was walking, and not fast, up the eternal switch-backs. I estimated that I had about another mile and a half to the top. The tendon behind my knee in my left leg were extremely painful. I had one thought...keep moving. Eventually, I saw the lights of the hotel on the rim. They were distant, but it gave me encouragement. The wind and cold were cutting through me, but I knew I was close. I stayed focused on moving forward at the fastest pace I could. Then, I saw the sign pointing to the trail head. When I finally put my feet on the top of the rim, the rush of total relief was unbelievable.

I tried to figure out how to get back to our lodge, but I was disoriented. Having started at a different trail head, I was not sure of the way back now. I walked toward the lights which I knew were the El Tovar, found some people mulling around, and asked for help. They pointed me toward what they thought was the right direction, but after walking for about ten minutes, I realized I was going the wrong direction. I walked back, eventually spotted a few familiar landmarks, and found my way to the hotel.

More than a half-hour after reaching the rim, I finally found my room. I dropped my pack and water bottled, and climbed into the shower. I started with the water luke warm, and gradually increased it to steamy hot. I didn't come out until I brought my core temperature back up to normal. By then, Jeff who had been waiting for me at the top of the trail but somehow missed me, was back in the room. We went down to the cafeteria, met up with a few others from the group, got a meal and a beer or two, and reveled in the accomplishment.

Dave, Howard, Mike, me, Jeff (back), Mark (front), Matt, Jenn, Steve

Special thanks to Matt Shaheen for taking almost all of the photos.

Akron Marathon Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:07:00 +0000

I went into the Akron Road Runner Marathon with high hopes. I had more time to recover prior to this race than any other this year since Boston in April. I was averaging less than a month between marathons and ultras since then, but I had 7 weeks after the Burning River 100 miler to get ready for Akron. I felt like my body had recovered well, and I got some good training done. I knew I had not been able to do as many long runs and tempo run as I would have liked, but that's knit-picking...I felt good overall.

I had not run Akron before, and I did not know much about the course except that there are hills. I made it a point of asking everyone who had run both Cleveland and Akron how much slower their times were in Akron. The answers ranged from 2 to 7 minutes. Tossing the outliers left me with a rough 4 minutes slower. In retrospect, what happened next was more the result of optimism than mathematics, but I calculated that I could go for a 2:55:30 finish in Akron. Now, I ran Cleveland in 2:56:55, and adding 3 minutes for the tougher Akron course, should have yielded a 3:00 time. BUT...I though I was so much improved since the end of May that I could not only make up that three minutes, but take another minute and a half or so off. I think I chose that target because the course record for Grand Masters is 2:56:34, set by Tony Harbert last year. I knew Tony was running the course again this year, so I thought I had better try to beat his time by at least a minute.

The morning of the race, I picked up my friend Coach Glen at 5:15 AM, and made it to Akron with about an hour to warm up and get ready for the race. I met up with the super-fast SERC women Barb, Laura, Nicole, and Elizabeth, and we all chatted about the race while we warmed-up and stretched. I did some slow running, and some stride-outs, but could not seem to get loose at all. When I heard the 5 minute warning over the PA. I made my way to the start. I wished good luck to Kurt M., Rich O., Lloyd T., Vince R., and a few other familiar faces, then found a spot in front of the 3:00 hour pace group.

As I awaited the start, I continued to try to get loose. It just wasn't happening. The horn sounded and we began running. Not far from the start, I encountered Nicole, and we ran together for a while. I was hoping that having someone to talk to might help me settle in and find my stride, but no such thing happened. I was very conscious of being uncomfortable and struggling, even though we were holding a reasonable pace, averaging 6:18 and 6:21 for miles 1 and 2. Faster than my goal pace of 6:42, but not unexpected with the adrenaline of the start, and the fact that the major hills were later in the race. Somewhere around 3 miles or so, Nicole and I got separated, and I did not see her again. She went on take first place among the women in the half-marathon. I told you about those fast SERC women.

Judging by my times for miles 3 through 13, you'd think I was in a nice groove for the first half of the race. I was slightly under my target pace, averaging 6:38 for that stretch. The numbers don't tell enough of the story. I was forcing the pace, trying to shake off whatever funk I was in. I was convinced that it was in my head, and if I just pushed the pace to where I needed to be, I would settle in. In one regard this worked, that is, I did maintain the pace, but at a cost that I wouldn't understand until much later. My breathing was uneven, and I even felt slightly dizzy at times. Not unheard of but usually reserved for much later in the race. The second half was looming and I was not feeling good about it.

In miles 14 through 17, I stated to slow noticeably, averaged 6:49 pace. It did not help that the first few miles of this section were on the towpath, which is made of a soft, crushed limestone surface, not the ideal surface for running fast. I was relieved to get off of the towpath surface, but unfortunately that led into the hills.
As you can see on the elevation profile above, miles 18 through 24 are basically uphill. I averaged 6:54 through this part of the course, and I was struggling to hold on to that pace. The hills seemed endless. I was losing speed on my turn-over and shrinking my stride. No doubt I was paying for my efforts to push an uncomfortable pace through the first half of the race. By the time I got to the top of Heart Rate Hill, I was well aware that I had fallen too far off the pace. I tried to regain my stride as we went through the Stan Hywet grounds, but the hills continued for another couple of miles.

Finally at mile 24, we turned onto Market Street and headed back into town on a downhill grade. I ran the next two miles in 6:40 and 6:55 respectively, not fast enough to make up for all the lost time through the hills. Just before the 40k marker, the first of a series of calf cramps hit. I stopped and stretched until it ended, then started running again, but from that point on, if I tried to run any faster than about a 7:00 pace, my calf would immediately cramp. My choices were to slow down enough to eliminate the cramps, or pick up the pace and stop every hundred yards for a cramp. I chose C. Try to hold a reasonable pace, run through the milder cramps, stop and stretch when a bad one hit.

It was at this point that I saw Tony Harbert for the first time since the start. He passed me at a pace I thought I might be able to hold. I started to pick it up reel him in, but almost immediately a cramp grabbed my calf and I had to stop and stretch it out. Not to much farther, Steve H. was waiting for me, cheering me on and running beside me for a while. I was completely frustrated that I could not pick up the pace. I don't remember much of what I said, but thanks for being there and listening, Steve.

The finish couldn't come soon enough, and when I finally entered Canal Park, I was surprised to see the stands full of people. I saw the finish line and the clock said 2:58:15. By the time I crossed the field to the finish, it was 2:58:29. As soon as I crossed, I heard Sue calling my name. She was in the stands near not too far away, but they would not let her on the field. I walked over and gave her a kiss. Then, I saw Tony with a couple of guys helping him stay on his feet. I went over to see if he was alright, and he immediately recognized me. We hugged, and I told him he ran one hell of a race. He is one very tough man. He ran that last mile with everything he had.

I hung out in the dugout for a while, got a light massage, some food and drink, then left to go find Sue. We saw some of the other SERC runners finish, including Barb B. and Rich O., who both came in under 3:30. We hung out with the SERC crew for a while, then headed home where I had my first beer in more than a week.

This was the most frustrating marathon I have run. I never felt like my running was smooth. I never settled into a groove. I felt a step slow, and like I was not getting enough oxygen. On the positive side, I struggled through it all and managed a 2:58 on a hilly course. My task now: dive into the research and try to find the answer to this cramping problem. I loaded up with potassium, magnesium, and calcium for days before the race. I took Endurolytes and S-caps regularly throughout the race. I was very careful to stay hydrated. None of that prevented the cramps. I am convinced it has nothing little or maybe nothing at all to do with loss of salts, or minerals, maybe not even hydration.

Just a few days until...

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:48:00 +0000

The Akron Road Runner Marathon is just few days away as I write, and I have already started to taper. Down to just 60 mile last week, and nothing too challenging. No racing or pacing. About the most aggressive running I did was the Tuesday speed work at the track. After the mandatory 2.5 mile warm-up and 6 x 100 stride-outs, I did my 3 x 1 mile repeats at 5:28, 5:34, and 5:31. Pleased but not satisfied. I could have run the second mile faster, but let myself follow the pace of another runner instead of paying attention to my own pace. Saturday's 13.5 mile run through the woods was good. Steve G took us on section of trail which I have not run before. Always good to see some new scenery. See the map below.

-----------------------------------------

Here is a high-speed video of the Akron Marathon course. There is a brief commercial at the beginning, but the rest of the video is commercial free.

If you want to track my progress as I run the Akron Marathon, here is a link where you can register for automatic updates to be sent as e-mail or text.

Akron Marathon Runner Updates

Last Full Week of Training for Akron Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:25:00 +0000

The is my second consecutive 80 mile week. First time I've done that since pre-Boston. Seems from April until now I have been either recovering or tapering, with little time between races. The next two weeks will have lower mileage as I begin to taper.

The week started with a complete change of pace from my routine Monday recovery runs. Since it was a holiday, I ran a really pleasant 12 miler with my SERC buddies on the trails. That is an ideal way to start the week. (I need to take more Mondays off.) Tuesday's track workout was an abbreviated version, mostly because I was still feeling the effects of the race on Saturday. I did my usual warm-up miles and 6 x 100 stride-outs, but then decided to go with 800 repeats rather than 1600's. Although they were 1/2 miles, did not mean I ran them 1/2 as hard. The times were 2:33, 2:29, and a very painful and desperate 2:42.

On Wednesday, I ran an 8.5 mile route from work, through Independence, down the big hill into the valley on Rockside to the two path, south to Pleasant Valley, then up the big hill out of the valley.
On Thursday, I ran 14.5 miles between Alexander Road and Boston Store and back. It was a beautiful night, and I kept a good pace, probably around 7:30, but I did not have my Garmin so there are no stats. I enjoyed the unplanned on-course nutrition provided by swarms of little flying gnats. I swallowed a few dozen or more. That's only one of the benefits of being a mouth-breathing runner. Friday was an easy six miles. I did not even try to push, just running comfortably.

On Saturday, I had planned to do a 10 miler with 5 miles at faster than marathon pace, but an e-mail from a friend changed my plan. He asked if I would be able to pace for the Buckeye Half-Marathon on Sunday. I adjusted my plan and decided 13 miles at a little slower than marathon pace on Sunday would serve as 10 miles with five at faster than marathon pace on Saturday. Probably not actually equivalent, but I was trying to help out. So on Saturday, I ran trails with the Lock 29 group, about 12.5 miles. On Sunday morning, I met up with the Buckeye Half-marathon race director, got my pacing shirt and pretty yellow balloon, put in a few warm-up miles, and then headed to the starting line. I led the 1:35 pace group. It turned out to be a fun day. We had a good group, all of whom finished under 1:35. Here is a photo from around mile 6. Looks like I am about to take flight. And yes, I carried the balloon for the whole race.

Training Week Review - North Coast Challenge Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:44:00 +0000

With three weeks remaining until the Akron Marathon, I managed my best training week since pre-Boston this Spring. I started the week with a double on Monday, 6 miles at lunch and 6 miles in the evening, both at recovery pace. Track Tuesday was very encouraging. Instead of my usual 3 x 1 mile repeats, I alternated miles and half miles. They went like this:
- 1600 @ 5:27
- 800 @ 2:28
- 1600 @ 5:29
- 800 @ 2:39
Wednesday I ran a 9 miler at lunch in Independence. I found a new path, leading from the cemetery at Brecksville and Rockside down into the valley. I ran a 14 mile out and back on Thursday evening, on the tow path between Frazee House and the Boston store. I wasn't feeling quite right but I wasn't sure exactly why. I woke up Friday with a sore throat and no voice. I didn't feel as bad otherwise, so I did a 6 mile run at lunch. Saturday morning still with throat issues, I met-up with Barb and Glenn in Beachwood and we rode together to the North Coast Challenge in Westlake. (Thanks for driving, Barb!) With a couple of miles of warm-up and cool-down, plus the 5.75 after I got home from the race, the total for the day was 12.75. I ran with the SERC group on Sunday, 17.5 miles for a total of a little over 80 for the week.

------------------------------------
Race Report

The North Coast Challenge was not a typical local 5 mile race, this one draws a great field of runners, mostly because of the healthy purse for the winners. I checked the website and decided to register when I saw that they even had a nice little sum for the winning Grand Master, the over 50 year old runners category.
I shared a ride to Westlake with Barb and Glenn. We had some difficulty due to a series of detours for road construction, but we got there in time to get our race packs and run our warm-ups. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and mild, with very little wind. Perfect for a race.
The announcer called for us to gather at the start, so I made my way to the area marked for 6 minute pace runners. I was planning to go for sub-6 minute miles, barely. Based on what I had seen of the past Grand Masters times at this race, I thought that would be the minimum requirement to have a shot a winning. I spotted Lloyd from Vertical Runner as we mulled around anxiously in the starting area. He said he was going for a 5:55 pace, and I said I just wanted to be under 6. I noticed another familiar looking over-fifty runner, long brown and gray hair, salt and pepper stubbly beard. He had the obvious look of a very fast runner. I sensed that this was a guy I needed to keep an eye on. The starter counted us down, and we were off.
The race started with a straight, flat mile and a quarter, and the times reflected that. I hit the first marker at 5:50, and the field had not thinned much. I was surrounded by very fast runners. I was not feeling comfortable, but then again, running at that pace shouldn't be comfortable. Turns out I had judged the long-haired man correctly. He was about 10 yards ahead of me, and running strong. In the second mile, we made a 90 degree left turn, but otherwise, it was flat and fast as well. I kept my pace, passing the clock for the second mile at 11:46, a 5:56 mile, still about 10 yards from the long-haired man...and thinking about what to do.
The third mile wound through a park, still on a road, but slightly shady. I took the opportunity to run the tangents, and wondered why some runners seemed oblivious to this. Not long-haired man...he ran it smart. Despite this, I decided to close the gap. I pulled within a yard of him, but did not pass him. Part of this was strategy, and part was that he was keeping a pace close to my limit. I had decided back at the 2 mile mark that as long as he held on to a sub-6 minute mile pace, I would just try to hang with him, until the last half-mile. Then it would be decided by who had the better kick.
When we crossed the three mile marker, the clock said 17:44, a 5:58 pace for that mile. Still under six, so I stayed with the plan. The fourth mile was a complete change of terrain. We left the road, crossed a field, and hit a stretch of meandering trail through the woods. The soft surface and twisty turns were making it harder to keep the pace, but I kept right on you-know-who's shoulder. We came out of the woods and crossed the four mile marker at 23:43, just one second under the 6 minute pace, which was surprising considering the terrain. We turned right and within about a tenth of a mile, turned right again on to the broad five lane road we had run out on in the first mile.

Long-haired man was showing no signs of fading, so I knew it was up to me to find more speed. Before I realized what I was doing, I had increased the pace and passed him, right at the 3/4 mile to go marker. I knew immediately I had made a mistake. The plan was to wait until a half mile to go , but I had already made my move. Now, I had given him the advantage of tailing me in, and possibly making his move near the finish, where I would not have time to react. Within just a few seconds, I decided the only thing to do was to pick it up even further, to try to drop him back far enough that he had not chance to hang on. My legs were telling me they were down with this plan, but my lungs were raising objections. Still, I did take it up another notch.
The only other runner close to us was a fortyish looking guy who was about 30 yards ahead. Another thought. Catch and pass that guy, and put a body between me and long-hair man. There was a psychological edge to this, and the added benefit was the young guy would give me a target to help me keep pressing the pace.
I passed the younger guy near the half-mile to go marker. Unlike long-hair, this guy reacted immediately, and he had a kick. I heard his footfalls right on my heels. I was really struggling to hold on to this pace, and he was giving no room to falter. The familiar nausea was there, reminding me of what I was doing, reminding me of what was going to happen if I continued for much longer. I was trying hard to block it out, and I finally got some help. The 100 yards to go sign. I went into full sprint mode (or whatever I could find of that elusive top gear by this point), and focused on the finish. I saw the clock say 29:30 as I ran beneath it. Younger guy was three seconds behind me. Long-haired guy was 30 seconds back. I didn't see him cross. I was obeying the commands to double over and dry heave. After a minute, I got my breath back, straightened up, and walked it off. It is amazing how bad you can feel at the end of one of these short races, and how quickly you can recover. Within just a few minutes, I was talking and congratulating long-haired man, who I found out was Terry McCluskey. Oh yeah, the guy who was in the Running Times Masters of the Year article. That long-haired guy. I lost track of the younger guy, but eventually came across him and congratulated him on a great race, and a great finish. By the way, he was younger, but only by a couple of years. I completely missed my estimate. He was 50, a Grand Master. Rich Oldrieve. A well know local runner with a long and impressive resume that includes, per my friend Glen, a 2:26 marathon. Lucky for me I decided he was a guy I needed to kick-down in the last half-mile.
I ran a cool-down mile or so with Kam, then we hung around the park waiting for the awards presentation. Kam ran a great race, just missing the Masters prize money, finishing 20 seconds behind one of the Ethopian runners. (Ethopians took first through third in the Mens open division as well. And the first place woman was also Ethopian.) My friend Barb was ~~second Grand Masters~~ first in her age group*. I won the men's Grand Master award, $200, and got a nice little trophy as well. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. Nope.

*Sorry Barb...I had it wrong. You definitely got 1st AG. I think it was a PR as well, right?

Feeling Too Good is Dangerous to My Health

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:31:00 +0000

A thought on the evening of Sunday, August 9th:
"It's only been a week since the 100 miler...I expected to feel much worse."
A thought on the evening of Sunday, August 16th, one week later:
"I feel much worse."
The thing with running your first 100 miler is that you also get to experience your first recovery from a 100 miler. The first week was about what I had expected, general soreness and stiffness, and a lack of energy. By the end of the week, I was beginning to loosen up and run without much pain. In my addled little mind, I decided I was mostly recovered. Hey, I observed that Mark fully recovers from a 100 miler in roughly 15 and 20 minutes, so couldn't I be ready to run hard again after a full week? So, I canned my recovery plan and went right into 'training for Akron Marathon' mode. Are you wondering how that played out for me? Here is the recap of what should have been week 2 of my recovery.

The week started inauspiciously, with a moderate 6 mile lunch time run in Independence. In anticipation of speed work on Tuesday, I concentrated on trying to open my stride which was still a bit compressed. On Tuesday, after work, I started my warm-up with a slow mile from home to the Solon High School track, and added another mile and half. Some of the regulars were not there, but I did talk with E-speed and Nicole. E asked me if I wanted to pace her at the Perfect 10 Miler on Sunday. She said she was targeting around 6:30 pace. I gave it a non-committal, "I'll see how I feel and let you know." As usual, before doing my mile repeats I ran 6 x 100 yard stride-outs. I increased my level of effort with each, starting with about a 60% and running the last at about 85%.
I toed the line for my first mile, with one goal...keeping it under 6 minutes so it would not be a total embarrassment. Wayne called out the start, and we were off. It was a very thin field, just Mark and I. I actually didn't feel bad for the first lap, my breathing was good and stride was opening up. The second lap was more difficult. My stride was good, but I was having trouble keeping the turnover. Midway through the third lap, I was thinking I would not be able to finish the mile, maybe not even the lap. I tried to concentrate on staying on my mid-foot, keeping a slight forward lean. I made it through that lap, and I don't remember much of the forth lap except that I was trying to stay as close as possible to Mark. On the backstretch, I felt the nausea creeping up my throat. I held it together, and since Mark was taking it easy we crossed the line together. 5:23.68 I kept moving, barely, hoping that the urge to throw-up would pass. It did. And I thought about what had just happened. The fastest mile I have run since in easily 30 years. Where did that come from?
We took a little longer than normal to recover from that first mile, then started the second mile. I knew within the first 100 yards that my second mile was going to be a struggle. I had used it all up in the first mile. I could not hang on to Mark, and fought hard just to hold a 2:45 after two laps. The third and fourth laps were, well, quite unpleasant. I finished with a 5:40, and believe me that could have been much worse. Again, I felt like tossing my lunch but kept moving until the nausea passed. After trying to recover for the third mile, I told Mark I was done. I did a couple of slow miles and headed home.
Wednesday was a nearly idyllic frolic in the woods. I reran a section of the BR100, starting at Alexander Road. Not as much fun as the last time I was there, but still a good run.
On Thursday, I went to the North Chagrin Reservation for the Twilight Trail 8k. The race has an unusual format. Instead of everyone starting together and sex/age group awards being given based on finishing time, the starts are staggered based on sex/age. Because of that, there are no age group awards. First through third men and women across the finish line win. There is also a two-runner team competition. I ran it in 32:32 and was the first man across the finish, so I took home the $60 prize money. Nice. E-speed and her friend Nicole won the women's team competition.

Feeling the effects of a tough track Tuesday and race Thursday, I ran a moderate paced 6.7 miles through Glen Willow after work on Friday. Saturday was a beautiful morning and I arrived a little early to run a warm-up mile or so with Wyatt before the rest of the Lock 29 group started. We did a comfortably paced 11.4 miles, then Wayne decided it had been too comfortable. He commented that, back in the day, we used to run hard for the last mile, and this group had gotten soft. Paul was the first to bite, separating from the group and picking up the pace. Then Mike R. took off and passed him. I caught Paul and said, "We have to catch him", so we really picked up the pace. The three of us covered the last mile at a 5:45 pace.

That set the stage for a very tough Sunday. At the track on Tuesday and again at the race on Thursday, E-speed had asked if I might pace her at the Perfect 10 Miler. I said I would have to see how I felt in a few days. On Sunday morning, Wyatt and I met at Jeff's house at 6:00 AM and ran the five miles to Brush High School, where the race would start. I was surprised by the humidity and heat so early in the day, tough conditions for a race. Wyatt was registered to run, but Jeff and I were just going on as bandits, using it as a tempo run.
I talked with E's coach and he told me how he wanted me to pace her. Go out fast, 6:20 pace or lower, then back off and eventually average out at 6:30 for the ten miles, which would be a 1 hour 5 minute finish. I found her near the start, and within a few minutes we were off and running.
The first few miles were fast, 6:16 and 6:20 I believe. We backed off a little and by the half way point, we were right on the 6:30 average. After 5.5 miles, I peeled off and retraced the route for a few miles, looking for my sister-in-law Lisa who said she would be running the race. I didn't find her, and I rejoined E between the 7 and 8 mile marks. She was looking strong, and I just tried to keep her on pace for her target finish. We were passed by Tracy M. who was really running strong, but she couldn't pull away and we passed her again within a half mile or so. When we approached the stadium for the finish, I peeled off and E ran the last few hundred yards to cross the finish within seconds of her target time. Well done on a tough, hot morning.

After a little break to watch some of my other running buddies finish, Jeff, Wyatt, and I ran back to Jeff's house. That run was tough for both Wyatt and I. Jeff had been smart about his tempo run, backing off at points to give himself some rest, so he seemed fresher. I was totally tanked by the last mile, the cumulative effect of the race, plus 100 miler 2 weeks earlier, and a week in which I pretended I didn't need to back off and recover from that 100 miler. Thankfully, we were able to shower at Jeff's house, then catch up with Sue and Lisa and friends Alex and Chris for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Great food, and lots of it, but much too long a wait for it. The rest of the day Sunday, I couldn't get the energy to do much of anything.

Burning River 100 Mile Photos - Still no race report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

I apologize to anyone who might want to read a race report, but I have been hesitant to try to write one. Maybe after a little more time, I'll attempt it, but for now, at least I have these photos to share.

The start at Squires Castle in Willoughby Hills, at 5:00 AM on Saturday. The beginning of an amazing adventure.

Early in the day, running with Patrick McGlade. He told me about his plan to run across the country, 26.2 miles a day, from California to Georgia. Good Luck, Patrick! He ran a great race and ended up 5th overall.

Approaching Alexander Road Station, 31 miles into the race and my left ankle was making me regret every step. That pain started at about 12 miles and continued until about 36 miles. My lower back was starting to ache, probably because of the fuel belt which I typically do not wear.

Between Alexander and Station Bridge, approximately 34 miles. At Alexander aid station, I decided that the fuel belt had to go. I grabbed a water bottle in each hand and ditched the belt. Running without the fuel belt did reduce my back pain.

Station Bridge aid station, mile 37. I had a couple of PBJ's and refilled my water bottles with Heed. From there, it was a very hot run on the tow path where there was very little shade to the Carriage Trail loop, then back on the towpath

Creek crossing in Brecksville, around 44 miles. I was feeling OK here, having run through the ankle pain and back ache. Of course, a few miles after this came my biggest screw-up of the day. I lost the trail, and lost about 45 minutes retracing my path to try to find it.

Boston store aid station, mile 56. Sue is waiting to hear what I need, but I am just too busy shoving watermelon into my mouth to talk.

At the Pine Hollow aid station (mile 75.1) with Paul Romanic, my pacer for miles 60.6 through 81.6. It was good to see Tim McGinty here (he took this photo.) He would pace me from Merriman Road (mile 93.5) to the finish (mile 101.2). Paul did a great job, reminding me to keep trying to pick up the pace, and keeping us on the trail in the dark when it is so easy to make a wrong turn. Thanks Paul.

Crossing the finish line on a hundred miler feels approximately 4 times better than crossing the finish lines at a marathon.

Just after crossing the finish line, with my pacer for the final 10 miles, Tim McGinty. (Thanks for taking me in, Tim!)

Done, having some coffee and waiting for Chef Bill Bailey and his crew to fire up the griddles and make breakfast. Thankfully, no one took a photo of me laying on the stoop in front of a store in the plaza, looking like a homeless guy.

Burning River 100 Runner Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:09:00 +0000

If you are interested in checking my progress, you can go to the Burning River 100 Webcast page. I have bib number 71, and I think the runners will be listed by name as well, so you should be able to find me. The race starts on Saturday 8/1 at 5:00 AM. This is not a road race, so there will not be RFID chips and automatic data collection devices. The times posted will be accurate, but the updates will not occur immediately. The aid station personnel will use their cell phones to tell the website administrator when runners arrive at their stations. The web admin will periodically update the web page.

Burning River Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:17:00 +0000

In preparing for this 100 miler, I've had to make decisions about what is essential enough that I need to carry it with me, and what can be left in drop bags at various points along the route. I have decided that I will wear a fuel belt with the following:

32 ounces of Heed
S-Caps
Endurolytes
Gels (a few)
Cliff and/or Mojo bars (one or two)
A small amount of medical tape/band aids/toilet paper in a plastic bag.

At each aid station, I'll top-off my Heed and replace any items I've used along the way. Everything else I'll need will have to be in my drop bags.

I have been gathering and staging the supplies that I'll need for the eight drop bags I'll leave at various aid stations. I've talked with some of the more experienced 100 miler veterans like Mark Godale, Connie Gardner, and Wyatt Hornsby to insure that I don't neglect any essential. Each bag will contain:

Lubricant (Body Glide or Vaseline)
Medical tape and gauze
Band Aids
Antiseptic
High caloric eat-and-run food like Cliff Bars and Mojo Bars.
High protein food like beef jerky
S-Caps
Endurolytes
Dried ginger (in case I need something to soothe my stomach)
Sports/energy drink other than Heed (I'll be carrying Heed in my fuel belt, and refilling at the aid stations, so I'll want something different in my drop bags. I am packing coconut water and maybe another alternative.)
Dry socks

Additionally, some drop bags will also have some fresh clothing in case I need to change:

Shirt
Shorts
Cap
Shoes (in case I want to change because I am getting blisters or just want a dry pair)
Spare sunglasses

I will also have one bag stocked with my supplies which I'll need as day turns to night, and it gets cooler. I'll need to calculate the appropriate aid station at which to drop this one since I don't want to carry this stuff any longer than I need to, but I want to be sure to have it when the sun and the temperatures go down. This bag will have the following additional items:

Long-sleeve shirt
Head lamp and flashlight
Spare batteries (in the bags after this point as well)

Still working out the particulars but I should be able to start packing my bags soon.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Recap of the Last 2 Weeks

Very little of note in the prior two weeks. The week of the 13th, I was easing down the miles for the BT50k on Saturday of that week. I still had a solid speed workout on Tuesday of that week with mile intervals of 5:35, 5:42,and 5:35. The rest of the week was light mileage until the race on Saturday. The Sunday after the BT, I ran the Solon 8 mile with the SERC group rather than the 12 mile , but I was not hurting as bad as I had expected. I was more bothered by the muscle tightness. I did only 6 miles on Monday, trying to get loose. Tuesday at the track was interesting. I was not mentally or physically ready for hard 1 mile repeats, but I forced myself into the first one. Mark G. really helped pull me along, as I tried to keep close enough that I wasn't embarrassed. I ran a 5:31, the fastest mile I have done in 25 years. The last lap hurt and the last 100 was worse. I ran an 800 after than, but kept the aggressive pace with a 2:42. I was feeling about lifeless after than, but couldn't go home without one more mile, and surprised myself with a 5:37. I had trouble with nausea after that. I did a very slow recovery lap before my stomach was OK again. Back on the trails on Saturday, feeling good, if not exactly perky. Sunday, I did about 12 miles on the bike and 12.5 with the SERC group.

Buckeye Trail 50k Report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:27:00 +0000

Before I start, I want to address my apparent inability to listen to very reasonable advice. I was supposed to be running this as a training run, not racing it. I was going to go for a time of about 5 hours and 30 minutes, which still would have been faster than my target pace for the Burning River 100 miler in two weeks, but would have been slow enough to allow me to recover. A few days before, when the trails were still dry and fast, I checked and found that the Grand Masters (over 50) record for the course was 4:41:32 (Jeff Ubersax). At that point, the weather had been dry for about a week and the trails were dry and fast. I figured I might never get such a good opportunity again, so why not go for the record. Unfortunately, rain Friday and Saturday morning changed the trails from dry and fast to muddy and slippery, making that record safe for another year. No matter, I decided to let it fly and see how close I could come to it.

I arrived at the Oak Grove pavilion at 6:15 AM. I brought two pairs of shoes but I knew already which I was going to wear, my new Inov-8 RocLites. These are legitimate trail shoes, made for providing better grip in just the kind of slippery conditions we were facing. It was a bit of a gamble since I just got them a few days before the race, and ran a total of four miles in them. My other option, a 500 mile old pair of Nike LunarTrainers, might have been my choice on a dry day, but on wet trails, they provide traction equivalent to bedroom slippers on Teflon. One other decision I made just a few minutes before the race was to ditch my fuel belt. I found Vince the RD and confirmed that there would be Heed at each of the aid stations, so I decided that I did not need to carry my own.

I met up with some of my SERC buddies, did a little warm-up run, and made one last trip to the mens' room. By then, the race was ready to start, unfortunately, my Garmin was not. I had turned it on, but but it was still struggling to lock on to the satellites when the starter sent us off. It was .24 miles into the race before it started recording. I know it was .24 because I was running with Zach Lewis whose Garmin was on from the start.

This is the part of every race report where I say that I realized I was going out far too fast. My target pace was about 9:04/mile, but my first two miles were 7:41 and 8:05. Granted, these were more runnable portions of the course, but that was mostly due to adrenaline. I was able to dial it down and get under control after that, although the hills may have had something to do with that. I was running the shorter and/or less steep hills, but power-walking the steepest hills. Long stretches of the trails were just wet but not very muddy, but most of the low-lying trails were mucky with fresh mud. My strategy became 'just make it through the mud, so you can run the better trails'. The Invo8s were proving to be a very smart decision. They provided good traction through the wet dirt, hung on to my feet through the shoe-sucking mud, and were still light enough to allow me to run the clear stretches. I was loving my Inov8s.

I was making good time and actually feeling very good as I came through aid station at Snowville Road, about the 6 mile mark. I drank about 8 ounces of Heed (2 half-full paper cups), grabbed a couple of PBJ sandwich quarters, thanked everyone and moved out quickly. My absolute rule in this race was drink at every opportunity, and take an electrolyte pill every 20 minutes. The 3 miles between Snowville and Boston store flew by so fast, I didn't even realize until I came down the hill and out onto the road. As I crossed the bridge, I heard E-speed shouting my name. Here is a photo she took of me chugging toward the aid station.

Again, as was my routine for the day, I shouted for Heed and PBJs as I approached, and the volunteers had them ready for me. I drank two more cups of Heed, took another electrolyte pill, ate a couple of PBJ quarters, then thanked everyone and ran on.

I climbed the big hill after Boston store, and ran root-filled stretch of trail called the Pines. It was not much further between mile 13 and 14 that I encountered the lead runner, Mike Seymore, running past me going the other direction. He had already made the turn and was heading back. About 50 yards behind him was Mark Godale. As he approached, a gray coyote dashed across the path between us. He gave me a quick look over his shoulder and vanished into the brush.

I reached the Pine Lane aid station, the half-way point, at about 2 hours and 16 minutes, even faster that the target I had set when the trails were dry, and much faster than I should have under the current conditions. I grabbed my PBJs, Heed, and electrolyte, and did a quick assessment of my condition. My legs were only OK, feeling some of the effects of 15 plus miles of mud, but no pain and no injuries. I had been eating and drinking faithfully, so my energy level was good. I was not tired. All considered, I was in good condition to run a strong second half. Here is a photo taken as I approached the aid station.

I began encountering runners heading toward me as I ran the back half. At first, just a few here and there, but after a few miles, it seemed like there were groups of runners every hundred yards. Most of the time, they gave way to let me through, but not all of the runners knew the protocol. Some were newbies, and they didn't realize they were supposed to yield to the returning runners, so there were a few awkward moments. I made it back for my second pass through the Pines, then back down and through the Boston store aid station again. You know the routine by now...PBJ, Heed, electrolyte, thanks, bye...the trail running equivalent of "Wham, Bam, Thank you Maam".
Last year, it was on the big hill just after Boston that my leg cramps started, and the worry was in my head as I began that climb. This year, I had no indications, not a hint of a cramp. I ran for a while with Patrick Fisher and Beth Woodward, the current woman's record holder for the course. Both of them were running strong. We played cat and mouse for the next five or six miles, taking turns passing each other and being passed. Eventually, Patrick dropped off the pace, and it was Beth and I running together for a few more miles.

By the second pass through Snowville aid station, the fatigue was beginning to tell on my legs. My pace on the more runnable sections was not as fast as on the way out. I could not get the leg turn-over I needed to to make up for the slower pace in the muddy areas as I had been doing. I realized that I was about a minute or more of the time I needed to break the Grand Master course record, and worse, I was getting slower not faster. Still, most important, there we no cramps or even early warning twinges. So I pressed on, hoping a second wind might come and allow me to get back on pace for the record.

The last six miles were nothing more than a gut check. I was beginning to struggle, the mud seemed deeper, the hills higher. I began marking time by looking for familiar landmarks, a creek crossing, a opening in the woods, anything to tell me I was getting closer to the finish. I continued to drink at every opportunity, and take my electrolytes. There were no more aid stations, but there were jugs of water stashed every three miles or so, that allowed me to keep hydrated. Finally, I came upon a sign that said '1 Mile to Finish'. This gave me a tremendous lift. I checked the time, and calculated that I had no chance at the record, I was off by a couple of minutes. Still, I felt great that I was that close to it on a day when the trails were not fast. Despite the fact that the leg cramps had not hit me, I knew they might at any time. I picked up the pace as much as I could, and began ticking off the familiar twists and turns. Finally, I emerged from the woods and ran the remaining quarter mile on the road leading to the finish. When I crossed the line, the clock read 4;44:13, 2 minutes and fifty seconds shy of the record, but nearly an hour (57 minutes) faster than my BT50k time last year.

I got a kiss from Sue, and my medal from Vince, although in the state I was in that could have been the other way around and I might not have known. I walked around for a while, got some food and drink, and rinsed the mud off my legs with some help from Sue. I found Mark and Kam, both looking as bad as I felt. Eventually, Sue and I found our way to the car and headed home.

Running Well

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:27:00 +0000

It was a good week, full of good runs. Monday was a very easy 8 mile recovery run, but Tuesday I picked up the pace and mileage. I ran a quick 6 miles at lunch, then did my track workout to add another 8.5 miles after work. After a couple of warm-up miles, and 6 x 100 stride-outs, I ran 3 x 1 mile repeats at 5:42, 5:49, 5:42. Not my best but certainly getting back into the range. I knew I was pressing because the nausea at the end of each mile told me so.
On Wednesday I ran a night trail run with Paul R. and Dave P., sort of a test run to check out how I would handle the post sunset portion of the Burning River 100. I wore my Petzl LED headlamp and carried a small flashlight (actually the removable LED headlight from my bike.) What did I learn? Well, my headlamp does not give enough light by itself, so the hand held flashlight is good idea. The flashlight was actually more useful because the beam was lower and at a better angle to the ground to reveal rocks and tree roots. Also, even with the hand held, I found that you don't get nearly as much reaction time. I naturally shortened my stride to allow for this. Looking up in the trees for the blazes can be tricky because you cannot take your eyes of the ground in front of you for too long. I found that I had to slow to a walk at times to get my bearings. And, because of these issues, you pace is slower even though you may be working just as hard. You just cannot cover as much ground at night. What else...oh, bugs are more of a problem, starting at twilight and into the early night. Thanks to Paul for bringing some spray. It was a successful run, and I did become comfortable with night running. Dave and Paul made it lots of fun. (You get into some weird conversations at night on the trails.)
Thursday I worked an abbreviated tempo run, 8.5 miles total, but only 4 of those at pace, averaging about 6:40. Friday was a recovery 6 miler. On Saturday, a group of us ran the first part of the Buckeye Trail 50k course, from Oak Grove to Snowville Road. It was a good morning, and after running the out portion at a moderate pace, some of use really picked it up on the return. It turned out to be a more aggressive run than I had planned, but it felt good. After that, I was determined to make Sunday a slower run, especially with the race only a week away. OK, so that was the plan. As it worked out, I did 11.44 miles at 7:29 pace. Not exactly taking it slow and easy. Total miles for the week: 72.

----------------------------

Based on advice from many running friends, I am going to try to run the BT50k this Saturday as a training run for the Burning River 100 Mile Run, rather than run it all out. Wyatt in particular has been very emphatic that I need to go into the BR100 as strong, and the BT50k on top of three marathons in two months, will take too much out of me.

Week of June 29 - Ramping-up (or down) for Buckeye Trail 50k

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +0000

I have not had much down time in the first few months of the racing season with three marathons, a half-marathon, and some shorter distance races to fill the gaps, and the most demanding month is still to come. In less than two weeks, I have the Buckeye Trail 50k , followed by the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Race two weeks later. I am just trying to stay healthy and avoid an injury.
Seattle was the most difficult road marathon course I have run, and the compounded effects of Boston, Cleveland, and Seattle over a two month span have me feeling less than 100%. The week after Seattle was filled with mostly slow paced recovery runs in the 8 mile range. I did get a sloggy trail run of about 8.5 miles on Thursday, but other wise only easy runs until Sunday. The Sunday run with the SERC group was the first time I did anything that caused me to push. I ran a nice 12 miler at a 7:29 pace.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Tuesday and Wednesday in Seattle, I ran in the Mercer Slough Nature Park, a small by beautiful preserve which includes wetlands and a blueberry farm. I found that I could run about 7 miles without repeating any trails. Here are a few photos.

Since the park was largely in a slough area, there were some areas where boardwalks were required.

This is an abandoned house that was just off the trail. It is in the swamp, filled with water.

The flora and fauna were different that I am used to in Ohio. There were quite a few of these leafy plants, but I do not know what they are called. I did see a variety of birds, including lots of Cedar Waxwings that seem to have been attracted by the berries.

Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:05:00 +0000

The race was scheduled for a 7:00 AM, and I had to catch the shuttle bus to the start by 5:30 AM. I was up at 4:00 AM, had a light breakfast, and Sue dropped me off at Quest Field, and I boarded a yellow school bus, headed to the start in Tukwila, about 8 miles south of the city. It was a chilly morning, so I wore an old Turkey Trot long-sleeved T-shirt. I had about an hour and a half to kill, so I walked around and tried to stay warm. I was surprised at the number of runners. I learned after the race that there were 21,000 combined half and full marathon runners. A few minutes before the start, I pitched the shirt, then I heard someone from behind shout, "Hey Frank". I turned and a guy whom I didn't know introduced himself. Steve. He was a friend of Kurt Molter, and Kurt told him that I would be running Seattle. He recognized me by my SERC racing shirt. We talked a little, and found that we were both going for a little below 3 hours, so we thought we might run some of the course together.

They didn't do me any favors when they started the elite and first corral together, eight minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Unless you are an elite runner, keeping pace with the elite runners for the first few miles of a marathon is likely to ruin your day. My first two miles were 6:16 and 6:26, so clearly I was allowing them to pull me along. By the time I reached the western shore of Lake Washington at the end of mile four, I had come to my senses and taken my pace closer to 6:40. We were out of the industrial and commercial district, and running in a beautiful residential neighborhood. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was warming the air, so the morning chill was gone. It was nearly ideal running weather. The course turned north along the western shore of the lake through mile 9, the flattest part of the course. I settled in and ran these at an average right around 6:50.

Miles 10 and 11 are east across the I-90 floating bridge then back west again. Floating bridge sounds about a flat as a couple of miles could be, right? No exactly, as the ramp down and then back up is about 100 foot climb. At this point, I was really beginning to work. We ran through the tunnel, westward into the south part of the city, then turned north past Safeco and Quest Fields. Miles 11 through 13 are mostly uphill, so my pace dipped a bit through this stretch. When I crossed the half, the clock said 1:29:48. In light of my 6:16 and 6:26 first two miles, I was happy that I was able to take get it back in the target range, but I knew that the big hills were in the second half.
There is a nice down hill at the end of mile 13, then it is all uphill through mile 20. As we head north through the city, the grade is moderate and very runnable through the 14th and 15th miles and I averaged 6:39 for these. The grade gets much steeper in miles 16 through 20, and it was here that I lost track of Steve. I decided to let him go and run my own race. His pace seemed too aggressive for the four miles of steep hills ahead. I kept my pace right in the low 6:50's for this leg, trying not to burn up everything in the hills.
When we finally made the turn at the top of the last hill, I was feeling every mile of it. I did a quick assessment and decided it was unlikely that I had enough left to finish strong, but I could still make my sub-3 if I ran smart. I knew the next mile was the steepest down hill of the race, and I wanted to take full advantage of it, so I cut it loose and ran it in 6:29. After that, the grade softened, and it was a struggle. The next four miles were 6:39, 6:42, 6:51, 6:57. I passed Steve who was paying the price for running the hills too fast. I wished him well, and was on my way. Most of that was run on the elevated highway running along the bay. I was hurting for most of it. I felt twinges of cramps beginning in mile 24. Thankfully, the first actual cramp didn't grab hold until the last half mile, I stopped a couple of times to stretch, but I was not going to repeat my Boston mistake. I knew I had a sub-3 finish with about a minute to spare, but stopping to stretch cramps could eat that up easily. I kept the stretches to no more than 15 seconds. When I made the turn toward the finish west of Quest Field, I heard Sue shouting, and I waved and smiled. There was a fence so no way for me to get to her. The last cramp struck about 50 yards from the finish, but I just ran, or more accurately, gimped, through it.

----------------------------------------------

After the race, I met up with Sue,Alex, and Kalena. We went out for lunch and a beer (my first beer in a week.) I was great.
My lil'sis Georgeann called to tell me she saw me cross the finish line on the streaming video on line. She also said the website listed me as age group winner, which I immediately dismissed as an error. Based on the times I had seen in other Seattle marathons, I was sure that it not possible to win my age group with anything over 2:55. Regardless, given the tough hills on this course, finishing under 3 hours was all I wanted. The pain of the last six miles were a steep price to pay, but I made it. Winning my age group was actually less important to me, not that I will turn down the award. ;-)

Flying to Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Nothing left but to run it. If all goes as planned, by Thursday afternoon, Sue and I will be having lunch with my son and his girlfriend Kalena at one of the fine seafood restaurants in or near Pike's Place, then off to the Expo to pick up my race packet and look for bargains. (That's a photo of Alex and I taken when we visited him in Seattle last year.) We'll find something touristy to do on Friday (I am thinking about riding one of the ferries), and try to avoid too much walking to give my legs a rest. Once the marathon is done, we'll probably head to Pike's brewery pub, which is right in Pikes Place Market. We don't leave Wednesday, so there will be plenty of time to spend with Alex and Kalena, and see more of the city.

The marathon starts on on Saturday at 7:00 AM Pacific Time. It is a point to point race, so I'll have to catch a shuttle bus around 5:00 AM to Tukwila, south of Seattle. In contrast to the Boston and Cleveland courses, this one has some early uphills. Between miles 9 and 10 though, there is a nice break as we go out and back across the Mercer Island floating bridge, which has a long flat stretch in the middle. From there, we go right through downtown, then head north. Real hills between miles 15 and 20 will make this the toughest part of the race, and should be a nice filter, dropping the runners who went out too fast. Good news after mile 20, the rest of the race is downhill or flat. Assuming I have run a smart race, taken care of my hydration and nutrition, I have enough left to take advantage of that and run a fast last six miles.

Training Week Review
It wasn't a big taper week, with total mileage at 59. I did have some really fun trail runs. After work on Wednesday, I went to Jaite Wayside and ran the leg of the Buckeye Trail from there to the Boston store and back. About a mile into the run, the sky turned dark and rain began falling hard. It did not let up until the end of the run. It did not take long for the trails to be filled with run-off from the hills. Running was tricky because I could not see the roots, stumps, and rocks that the water was hiding. It was exhilirating to be in the woods, running alone, with the storm crashing down. After about four miles, the insoles of my Humaras began bunch-up, so I took them our of the shoes. It turned out to be a good idea, necause I immediately noticed that I was much more naturally inclined to mid-foot strike. It was a great fun run.
On Thursday, I meet up with the group from Vertical Runner and we did about 8 miles, the first three just Steve Hawthorne and me. We ran a loop following a horse path, and with all the rain we had, this was about as muddy a course as I have ever run. The mud was soft and deep, so we were really working. By the end of the run, I was caked with mud. Another great fun run.
On Sunday, I ran with the SERC group, just the basic 12 mile route. At mile three, Kam came up from behind and flew past us. At first, I let him go, but then I thought it would be good to run a few miles at marathon pace, so I took off after him. I ran the next three miles at 6:17, 6:18, and 6:20 and did catch him at the water stop. From there, we fell back to a 7:30 pace for the rest of the run.

A VERY Quiet Week

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:01:00 +0000

My running shoes were collecting dust most of this week. I did not run Monday through Friday, trying to let my left foot heal from whatever was causing it to swell. An MRI did not reveal a stress fracture, which was my biggest concern. I made a little video of the MRI, which moves through my foot from bottom to top. Have a look.

The doctor recommended a week of rest and ice to reduce the swelling. By the end of the week, the there was very little swelling, so I decided to give it a trial on the trails.
I got to Lock 29 a little early, so I could run a few miles without the group to see how it felt. That went well, so I joined the group and we frolicked through the forest for a few hours. With Steve G. off running with another group, Mark G. not around, and Paul R. out with an injury, Steve H. and I had to pick the course. It turned out to be a good run. My foot didn't complain much until the last few miles, which we ran much too fast (6:30 and 6:08.) A group of us went to breakfast at Yours Truly in Hudson, then I went home and tried to keep my foot iced for much of he rest of the day. I think that helped, because by the end of the day, there was virtually no swelling.
On Sunday morning, I decided to stay off the roads and on the trails, so I met-up with a group from VR that was doing a familiarization run for Buckeye Trail 5ok. We had a good run through from Jaite trailhead south on the BT to Initiation Hill (although I never heard it called that before) and back, about 17 miles. It was another beautiful, sunny, warm morning. I tried to pick it up for the last few miles but for the most part, we kept an easy pace.

With only two days of running, the total miles for the week was only 31. I did do some biking but I didn't really keep track of the mileage. Only 12 days until the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon.

----------------------------

My fellow blogger and all around very funny guy, Steve in a Speedo, is hosting a contest to win a $75 gift certificate from onlineshoes.com. Go to his blog for details.

19 Days Until Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:33:00 +0000

This was an uneventful week. I have been feeling the effects of the racing and training, so on the advice of some fellow runners, I took Wednesday off. It might have helped; I am not sure. Just to mix it up, I swapped my Thursday lunch road run for an evening trail run with the group from Vertical Runner. That was fun. It was a big group, probably 15 or more, and we did not exactly stay together because of the different levels of runners. On Saturday, I ran with the usual Lock 29 crew on a great morning. Sunday was the Solon run with the SERC crew. I did four slow miles before the group started at 8:00 AM, then the rest of the run averaged around 7:30 pace. Total miles for the week: 71.3 miles. Not where it should taking a day off kept me under 80 miles. Next week, I will begin tapering, so the miles will be reduced.

------------------------------------------------------------

Foot pain and swelling: About two weeks ago, I noticed soreness on the top of my left foot, right in the area of the third metatarsal. That is the long bone right in the middle. I continued to run because the pain was not too intense. It did not seem to be getting any worse, but also has not been getting any better. After the trail run on Thursday, I noticed that the slight swelling had become a bit more swelling. Again, the pain was not too bad, so I went for a slow Friday run with no real problems. The trail run in Saturday was more of a work-out for my foot. Toward the end of that run, the feeling was noticeably less comfortable. By Sunday morning, I did not feel too bad, so I went on my run as usual. After that one, in the shower I noticed the swelling had worsened, with some puffiness in my toes. By Sunday evening, I was having a little pain when walking, especially after sitting for a while, and the swelling had not gone down. I got an ice-pack and wrapped in around my foot. (I know...I probably should have been doing this from when I first noticed the swelling.) I have no idea if this will turn out to be nothing, but it definitely has moved beyond the 'ignore it and it will go away' stage.

Spring Makes Me Want to Run

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Old brick road reclaimed by the woods near Peninsula, Ohio.

This is the best time of year for runners, or at least for this runner. Our northeast Ohio weather has completed the transformation from cold and gray, to warm and sunny. The spring mornings are often foggy, dewy, with a slight chill...invigorating. On early morning runs through the woods, you are enveloped in misty shades of green, like the image above. As the sun moves higher in the sky, it burns the fog away, and as the air becomes clear. These are the days when, if you are a trail runner, you cannot wait to lace'em up and hit the dirt.

This was the first training week since several weeks before Boston, in which I hit 80 miles, 39 of those on Saturday and Sunday, and ran real tempo and speed work. I made it to the track on Tuesday and resumes speed work in earnest. Instead of 3 x 1 mile repeats, I did 1 mile at 5:49, then 4 x 400 at 1: 26, 1:25, 1:23, 1:20, then my last mile at 5:47. Not my fastest but starting to get my wheels back. On Friday, I did a short (7 mile) tempo run, but really pushed through the hills in and out of Glenwillow. I kept the pace in the 6:50 area, not where it should be but getting back into the range.
Saturday, I met up with a few runners to start an hour earlier, then continued our trail running with the 8:00 AM group, for a total of 15.7 miles. It was a nearly weather for running in the woods, yet my legs were feeling tired and sluggish. On Sunday, I ran 15.15 with the SERC group, mostly with E-speed and Kurt M. I had planned to do 20, but again my legs were heavy and I felt like I was working too hard for the pace we were keeping. E-speed convinced me to break it off and just go 15 miles. Later, around 3:00 in the afternoon, it was such a gorgeous, sunny day, I decided to tack on another 7+ miles. I was still not feeling bouncy, but not not hurting.

-----------------------------------------------

I saw the following video on boingboing. I don't know what to say about this, only that Damien Walters is amazing and if you start to watch this, you will not be able to stop.

Post Cleveland/Pre-Seattle/Blossom Time

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:38:00 +0000

This first part of the blog is the boring, training mileage summary. Feel free to skip this and go directly to the scintillating Blossom Time Race report below. Really. It's OK.
Since I have not talked much about my training miles in the last few posts, I though I had better summarize quickly. The week of the Cleveland marathon, I started with 10 miles on Monday, followed by 9 miles on Tuesday at the track with 2 miles at 6:30 pace. Wednesday and Thursday, I ran recovery pace 6.1 and 5.04. Friday and Saturday, my runs were simply intended to keep my legs moving, so I kept the mileage down to 4.3 and 3.5 respectively. With the marathon on Sunday, the total for the week was 64.5 miles.

With the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon just 4 weeks away, it's unrealistic to think about taking a break after the Cleveland. I did give myself a light 4 mile Monday. On Tuesday, I was back at the track for some intervals. After a few miles of warm-up, I ran three 1 mile intervals at 5:59, 5:58, 5:54, with 400 yard recovery between and 2.5 miles of cool down. Wednesday was a recovery paced 6.2 miles, and Thursday just a little longer at 8.2 miles. On Friday, I rode my bike to and from work for a 21 mile round trip, and I did not run (first day off since I was sick in February.) Saturday was a great day in the woods. The weather was perfect and we had a reinvigorating 12.88 mile run. On Sunday, a warm sunny morning, I rode my bike to Chagrin Falls, ran the 5.25 mile Blossom Time Run, did a couple of miles of cool-down after, then rode my bike home. See below for the race report. On Memorial Day, I ran with a group from Vertical Runner. We did 11 pacey miles on the trails, starting and ending at Pine Lane.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Blossom Time Run

This is one of the most competitive short races in Ohio. It draws the best from the area and beyond, and is always challenging. The course, flatly stated, is not flat. It is 5.25 hilly miles that can make you wonder why you paid money to put yourself through it. Coming out of the Cleveland Marathon, where I had run all out, I was probably not in prime racing shape, but I did not feel too bad either. Just to add to the challenge, I rode my bike rather than driving to Chagrin Falls. Again, probably not setting myself up for my best race, but it was such a beautiful, warm sunny morning, I wanted to ride. Honestly, even though I had not properly prepared for this race, I had thoughts of defending my age group victory from the prior year. I knew that the smart thing would be to run it as a speed-work training run, and forget about going all out for a win.
I arrived in town about 45 minutes before the start, and picked-up my bib at the check-in. There I bumped into MB, and any thoughts of an age group win were eliminated. He has a track background, and an excels at this distance. I have run track workouts and see his speed in 1 mile intervals. I talked with him for a minute, he congratulated me for the win in our age group at the Cleveland marathon, and I headed out to warm-up.
I met-up with Joe V. and we did some stride outs to get ready for the start. Joe said he was going to go out at a 6:26 pace, which sounded safe and conservative. I told him that I was thinking I should take it easy, with Cleveland only a week ago, and Seattle coming up, so I would run with him. Basically, I had resigned myself that I should stick to the training run plan, because the age group thing was not going to happen this year.
A couple of runners, in their race gear with bibs pinned on their shirts, played the national anthem on trumpets, then handed their instruments off and jumped into the start area. The gun sounded and we were off.
That was the last time I saw Joe, you remember, the guy I was going to run with, conservatively. The first mile has a moderate up hill, and I crossed the marker at 6:15, not burning fast, but faster than last year's pace. I could see MB around 100 yards ahead. I decided to see if I could keep him in sight. At mile two, the timer called out 12:18, so that was a 6:03 mile, and I was within 50 yards of Mike. I had a thought that if I could keep that close through mile 4, I might have a chance,...a slim chance but a chance.
Mile three was rough. The hills were getting to me and I was struggling to hold the pace. I was hurting. My breathing was strained. My heart was racing. My quads were throbbing. But I held on. The timer called out 18:23, so that was a 6:05 mile. Amazing considering the hills and the way I was feeling. And Mike was now only about 40 yards ahead.
Mile four had the last of the hills, and I was pumping hard. My turn-over was very fast, and I was trying to keep my form, but I was starting to lose it. I heard the tell-tale foot slapping, warning me that I was striding out too much, striking heel first. I adjusted, fixed my forward lean, got my center of gravity more forward, and felt the mid-foot strike return. Never the less, my legs were not happy with all the work I was making them do. I saw the four mile marker and heard the time..."24:20", a 5:57 mile. And Mike was about 50 yards ahead.
I knew that it was crazy to think I could catch him, but I was close enough that I had to give it everything I had.
As hard as I had run the first four miles, I needed more speed. I concentrated on faster turn-over, and stretching out my stride Fortunately, the course was flat from there to the finish, because I think one more hill would have done me in. I keep my feet moving as fast as possible, and pushed as hard as I can ever remember in any race at any time. That 1.25 miles seemed to go on forever. Finally, I saw the finish, and I saw Mike, still 50 yards ahead. I had not gained anything on him in that last mile. I knew at that instant that I could not catch him, but with the finish so close, I did not slow down, Now it was about getting the best time I could get. I ran the last quarter mile full out and crossed the finish at 31:50. I took a couple of steps, then doubled-over with the dry-heaves. The volunteer at the finish told me I had to keep moving...he said this to me while I was throwing-up. Have you ever tried to walk and throw-up at the same time? Don't.
Fortunately, the nausea passed quickly, and I felt better, walked around a bit, grabbed a water and a banana. I found Mike and congratulated him for a great race, and for kicking my ass. He was very gracious and congratulated me as well. I ran a few cool-down miles with Steve G., hung around for the awards ceremony, picked up my plaque for the hardest won 2nd place finish of my life. I had beaten my previous AG first place time on that course by 2 minutes, but this year, that was not good enough to win. Still, I can live with 2nd, knowing that I had improved substantially in the past year, and that I had put in an effort I could be proud of.

Cleveland Marathon Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Fortunately, I have an unflagging ability to sleep, regardless of stress levels, noise levels, pain levels, and levels of any of the other categories that disrupt the sleep of less gifted snorers. I don't take any credit for this uncanny ability to sleep through any conditions; I thank good genes. My sister (lil' sis) has demonstrated similar abilities. I've witnessed her sleeping like a lamb through a party in her own apartment, with her head less than a foot from a speaker cranking at full volume. This is a valuable asset on the night before a big race, when I am keyed-up. It was especially helpful on Saturday before Cleveland, because I had put so much pressure on myself for that race.

I told everyone who asked that I was going sub-3 hours. I said it as a statement of the most obvious fact, with neither equivocation nor hesitation. I put it in writing and published it on my blog. Of course, all of this was stupid. I knew there were thousand of scenarios wherein I would fail miserably. I think it was an unconscious strategy to put as much pressure on myself as possible. I respond better to pressure that than encouragement. Yes, that is ripe for analysis, but I'll leave that to you. I'm moving on to talk about the morning of the race.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

So, after a cracking night's sleep, I woke a little before 5:00 AM, showered, shaved (not sure why I bothered on a race day.) I put on my SERC race shirt and a pair of race ready shorts (pockets in the back to hold gels and electrolyte pills), had a light breakfast, and headed out. I picked-up Dawn M. and Barb B., and we drove downtown. Dawn was also running the marathon, and Barb was running the half. We parked and walked to the start. I worked my way through the hordes of stretching and hopping runners, toward the starting line at 9th and St. Clair. I passed the 3:00 hour pace group and talked for a minute with the pacer, Greg D. I move a little closer to the starting line and found E-speed and Steve H. E was running the half-marathon only. She told me earlier in the week that, on the advice of her coach, she was going to try to stay with me for my first ten miles. This was on the expectation that I would hold my target pace of 6:47/minute miles. Hmmm...we'll see about that. ;-)

The horn sounded and we were released onto the marathon course. I crossed the start about five seconds after the clock had started, therefore none of the Bostonian advanced mental mathematical calculations of actual time versus the official clock would be necessary. We ran north on E. 9th, then looped around Browns stadium, and south on W.6th. There was a little congestion in the early part of the first mile, but after than, we could run our own pace. We hit the first mile marker at 6:51, four seconds slow but that was probably due to congestion in the first 1/4 mile. The second mile clipped by at 6:27, which sounds fast but didn't seem difficult being mostly flat and protected from the wind as we were still in the downtown area. By that time, we were a group of four, e-speed, a new-found friend named Yohan, a twenty-something guy (Sean, I think), and me.

For the third through the seventh miles, our group ran westward on Lorain, Detroit, and Lake, holding an average 6:33/minute mile pace. Despite that pace, we were able to have a nice conversation, the contents of which was not important, only that there was a diversion, Between mile seven and eight, we turned first north than east, on our way back into town. Much of that run was along the exposed and very windy shoreway. The times show the effects, as we slowed to 6:51, then 6:49 before bringing the pace back to 6:33, then back down again to 6:56, my slowest mile of the day. Here is a photo of me, Sean (I think) and E-speed, taken by her parents.

Somewhere around mile ten, Yohan fell off the pace. Near the end of mile eleven, E-speed took the exit for the half-marathon. (Huge congrats to E, who kept up with that very aggressive pace, and ended up with 2nd female overall in the half-marathon.) About the same time, the young runner also fell back a bit. I continued on alone. I didn't realize then that I would run the rest of the race alone. The new course goes east out of town first on Lakeside, then continuing on the Marginal Road. Again, exposed with nothing to block the wind, it was not a good situation. The winds gust were over twenty miles per hour, and I was feeling the effects. For mile 14 through 17, I averaged 6:51/minute miles. These were tough miles,and I caught myself falling into the marathon doldrums...running alone..strong head-wind...then in the 17th mile, I heard a familiar voice. Wayne V. was there, cheering me on. "You're my hero, Frank!" It was so unexpected, it gave me a boost. I thanked him and picked up the pace.

Just past Wayne, the course turned south on Martin Luther King Boulevard. It is the longest uphill stretch of the course, but then it hairpins north and provides a low-grade downhill on East Boulevard. I kept all of those miles in the 6:40 range. Just before the 21 mile mark, the course turns west on St.Clair Avenue. It is flat and potentially fast from there to the finish. I say 'potentially' because you have to have the reserves to run those last five and a half miles hard.

Initially, I thought I was holding a pretty good pace through mile 22 but when I checked my time, it was 6:51. The stretch along St. Clair is so familiar to me; I've been up and down that road so many times, yet it seemed eerie running it on a Sunday morning, with almost no one around. I adjusted and ran the next mile at 6:44, passing the only two runners I would see for miles. One of them was the first place woman. At 40th, the course turned south, and E-speed was waiting there. I heard her loud and clear, cheering me on. I was so zoned-out from running the lonely St. Clair miles, it really caught me by surprise. I was glad to hear a friendly, familiar voice shouting encouragement. Here is a photo she took at that point. Do you see any other runners?

Mile 24 is south on 40th, then mile 25 is east one Euclid Avenue. The Euclid stretch ends at 18th where the course turns north again. That turn marks the end of the 25th mile. In Boston, the first of my leg cramps struck me at that point. In Cleveland, my only thought was, 'None of the last 25 miles mean anything if I don't run this next 1.2 mile strong and get my sub-3'. I ran north on 18th, then made the turn west on to Lakeside, totally focused on keeping my form, holding my pace, and ignoring everything else. For the only time in the race, there were crowds, actual crowds, lining the street, as I approached the finish. I felt a pre-camp twinge in my right calf about fifty yards from the finish, and within twenty yards it was a full on cramp. I was not going to stop to stretch it out, so I ran awkwardly, with my right foot on tippy-toes, through the finish line.

As soon as I crossed, I saw Mark G., Steve G., and Barb B. waiting. My calf went into a rock-hard cramp just as I reached Mark, and I am glad he was there to lean on. I walked it off for a minute, then lay down on my back in the street. One of the volunteers came over to check on me. I told her I was fine, and she gave me a water bottle and a banana. After a few minutes, I got up, feeling much better, and got another water. I spent the next half-hour walking around, mostly with Barb. It felt better to keep moving. We walked back to my car to get something to put on to keep warm, then back to the finish to rejoin the group.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

My official time was 2:56:55, which was first in my age group,and 27th overall.

Cleveland Result- 256:56 OR 2:55:56

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I don't have much time at the moment. I'll follow this up with an actual race report in a day or two, but here are the highlights.
The official chip time listed in the newspaper and on the Cleveland Marathon website is 2:55:56. The official clock time is 2:56:59. The 1 minute difference is, how can I put this bluntly, wrong. I crossed the starting line about 5 seconds after the horn sounded, meaning the difference should be about 5 seconds, not 57 seconds. I spoke with other runners, and they all had the same issue. So, there is definitely a something wrong. I assume the race director is investigating and will make an official statement, to confirm the clock or the chip times. Here are the official times as of this morning, and finish positions from the website.

And here are my mile-by-mile times from my Garmin. By my watch, my finishing time was 2:55:53. We'll see what the final official time is when the RD makes them public.

Split Summary ====
1) - 1m - 6:51(6:51/m)
2) - 1m - 6:27(6:27/m)
3) - 1m - 6:30(6:30/m)
4) - 1m - 6:33(6:33/m)
5) - 1m - 6:42(6:42/m)
6) - 1m - 6:21(6:21/m)
7) - 1m - 6:37(6:37/m)
8) - 1m - 6:51(6:51/m)
9) - 1m - 6:49(6:49/m)
10) - 1m - 6:33(6:33/m)
11) - 1m - 6:56(6:56/m)
12) - 1m - 6:45(6:45/m)
13) - 1m - 6:30(6:30/m)
14) - 1m - 6:48(6:48/m)
15) - 1m - 6:56(6:56/m)
16) - 1m - 6:50(6:50/m)
17) - 1m - 6:49(6:49/m)
18) - 1m - 6:46(6:46/m)
19) - 1m - 6:41(6:41/m)
20) - 1m - 6:39(6:39/m)
21) - 1m - 6:49(6:49/m)
22) - 1m - 6:51(6:51/m)
23) - 1m - 6:44(6:44/m)
24) - 1m - 6:45(6:45/m)
25) - 1m - 6:43(6:43/m)
26) - 1m - 6:43(6:43/m)

27) - .2m-1:23(6:55/m)

Regardless, I ran my sub-3 hour and won my age group. It was a brisk, windy morning, but we did not have any rain, and the skies cleared so we had sunshine through most of the day.
The post race SERC party was at our house. We had about 40 people over, and everyone seemed to be having fun. SERC runners had a pretty good day overall, with E-speed coming in second overall woman in the half-marathon, and Barb getting a PR in the half.
More later...

One Day Until Cleveland: Yes, I Am Ready

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Sue and I drove down to the Convention Center for the Cleveland Marathon Expo this morning. We got there right as it opened at 11:00. Sue's sister Lisa had volunteered, and was working the check-in. We talked with her, picked up my bib, then wandered around the expo. Its a smaller expo but there is a good collection of running gear, clothes, and food vendors, along with lots of other marathons trying to get runners to sign up. We saw quite a few of the SERC crew there. A group of us cornered Bill Rodgers and had him telling us stories of the old days when American runners used to win American marathons (He has won NY and Boston 4 times each!). He also talked about staying competitive as a masters runner. I listened attentively to everything he said. Here is a photo of (4th from left), surrounded by us.

I bought a pair of race shorts with pockets in the back for gel and electrolytes and whatever. Now I can pack a few extra, just to be sure I have enough. Other than that, there were not many deals, or maybe I wasn't in the mood to buy. I did have an interesting talk with the Race Director for the Akron Marathon, Jim Barnett. We talked about Boston, and he asked about my target time for Cleveland. Then he offered me an 'Invited Runner' position for the Akron Marathon. Basically, invited runners are comp the registration fee and given a few perks like a place to relax before and after the race with massages, drinks, etc. All very nice. Of course, I accepted and will be running Akron on September 26th.

------------------------------------------

I want to take a moment to thank my family for their wonderful support of my running adventures. On Thursday, I receive a delivery from MarathonPhoto. Everyone had chipped in and bought me one of those classy looking plaques with engraved legend and a photo of me running down Boyleston toward the finish. Thanks to Sue, Andy, Alex, Sharon, Lisa, Sandy and Jeff, Mom and Dad, Georgeann and Phil and Kathryn, Brian and Jo, and Earl and Lin. THANKS!

Six Days to Cleveland

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:01:00 +0000

Weekly Training Summary
Unseasonably cool temperatures and lack of sunshine aside, it's been a good week. I'll dispense with the usual day-by-day narrative this week, mostly because I am bored with the monotony of "On Monday I...then on Tuesday I..then on Wednesday I..." The daily mileage totals are as noted to the right, and the total for the the week was 67 miles. I did a my speed work, but opted for 800's at around 2:47 - 2:50 pace, rather than my usual 1 mile repeats. My legs are still not back to 100%, but getting closer. The Saturday trail run was the most fun I had all week. Splashing through creeks is much more pleasant in May than in December.

Cleveland Goal - Strategy
My goal for Cleveland is 2:58, which is a 6:47/mile pace. Cleveland being a relatively flat course, I'll try for a fairly even pace through-out. See my wrist band at left for target times for each mile. I'll be taking electrolytes (Endurolyte) every half-hour to prevent the cramps that cost me minute or so in Boston. I'll take a Hammer gel at mile 12 and another at mile 18. I'll take a vivarin at around mile 19 or 20, depending on how I feel.
I am disappointed that I have not been able to locate any information on the marathon website regarding tracking runners during the race. If I find out that this service is available , I will post the link here on my blog before Sunday.

Dancing Machine
Against all reason, I tried to get into the spirit of the post-marathon party in Boston by dancing. Thankfully, this was only captured in still photos. Video of this would have gone viral in hours, and I would have had to change my identity and move to different continent.

Barb and I groovin', old-school, showin gthe kids how it's done.

Amie looking for anyone else to dance with. I can't explain the expression on my face.

What am I doing here?

2 Weeks Since Boston - 2 Weeks Until Cleveland

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:19:00 +0000

Running two marathons thirty days apart is not ideal, but it is not all that unusual, especially among SERC runners. Since Boston, I've been trying to balance my training between allowing myself to recover, and running enough so that I don't loose my fitness for the Cleveland marathon. I was fortunate to have come out of Boston without any significant injuries, just the usual post marathon tightness. I reread Pfitzinger, talked with fellow runners, and checked some of the on-line resources. None of these sources agree, but I decided to go with the recommendations from a couple of very accomplished runners in our club, Mark G. and Kam L.
Mark and Kam gave me very similar advice. Keep my miles up, but not fully to my pre-Boston peak, do speed-work but reduce the interval distance, start to taper for Cleveland about 10 days before the race. I have been following this as well as possible. (BTW, in my race report last week, I neglected to include a photo of the stylish Boston Marathon 2009 official runners shirt, so here it is.)

The day after Boston, Jeff Z., Steve Hawthorne , and I ran a moderately paced 6 miles along the banks of the Charles, and I added another mile around the back bay. Contrary to expectations, I did not feel too bad, but toward the end of the run, my quads wanted to take a break. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I kept the runs in the 6 mile range, keeping a recovery pace. Saturday, I joined the group at Lock 29 for a sloppy 11 miles on the trails. About half-way through, the mud sucked one of the shoes off my foot. I was able to find, pull it out of the muck, and put it back on. Squishy.

On Sunday, I ran the 12 mile route with the SERC group, keeping the pace slightly under 8:00/min. The next day, I ran two 6-mile recovery runs, one at lunch and one in the evening. Tuesday, I went to the high school for speed work, but there was a lacrosse game, so we were not allowed to use the track. Mark G. and I decided to run around Solon, so we did eight miles together. I added another 2 miles for an even 10. On Wednesday, I did 2 warm-up miles, followed by 6 miles at marathon pace...well...almost...for an average pace of 7:14. Thursday should have been a recovery pace day, but I felt good enough to do five of the miles around 7:00/min pace. Saturday was a good morning with the Lock 29 group. The trails were muddy, and we did 13.77 miles, but we kept a slow pace. Sunday, Steve Hawthorne and I ran an early, easy five miles at 8:00/min pace before joining the group . We did the first mile with the group at 7:57, but after that, we picked it up and ran the rest of the miles as follow: 7:27 7:12 6:55 6:52 7:52 7:10 7:13 7:12 7:52 6:56 6:03. Total for the week: 74 miles. My log for the last two weeks is below.

Boston 2009 - A New PR of 2 hours 59 Minutes and 73 Seconds

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:46:00 +0000

Arrived on Saturday afternoon and took the T from the airport to the back bay. Walked a few blocks to my hotel, the Marriott Copley, scene of the recent Craigslist murder, but otherwise a very pleasant location in the Back Bay, about two blocks from the finish line. As soon as I checked in, I called Jim K. and Jeff Z., the guy who were rooming with me in Boston. Jeff was at the Expo killing time until I arrived. The room was in my name so he had to wait from me to check in.

Jim K., me, and Jeff Z.

About an hour later, roommate #3, Jeff Z. arrived. We were going to meet up with some of the other SERC folks for dinner, which was planned for Vinny T's, but Mark G., Steve H., Wayne V., and Tim M. bailed on us and went to dinner with a friend/patron of Mark's from California. So Jim, Jeff, and I met up with Marc A. and his sister Larissa at the restaurant. It turned out to be a great evening. We ate a good meal, and talked about religion, children, politics, running, etc.
On Sunday morning, Jim, Jeff, and I met up with Elizabeth, Amie, and Barb. who were staying at the same hotel, and did a soft four mile run along the Charles. Later that morning, I went to the Expo to pick up my packet, and browse. All of the Boston 2009 merchandise was too expensive, so I didn't buy any of it. Besides, I really like this year's nuclear yellow runners shirt, so I didn't feel the need to buy anything else.

Later I shopped with Wayne V., Mark G., and Steve H. to buy food for the big pre-race dinner at the condo of Tim's brother Kevin. This is a beautiful place, right on Commonwealth, and all of the SERC members are so grateful that Kevin hosts our group every year. He and Tim go out of their way to make everyone welcome. Wayne was in charge of the cooking, and the dinner was a a big success. There were probably 40 people by my estimation, mostly SERC runners and family, but also friends including Jim Garcia and Mike Wardian, a world-class runners and friends of Mark. The party was a huge success, as always. I got to talk with lots of people who I rarely see, and heard lots of stories about Boston Marathons past. I would like to have stayed later, but I left around 9:00 PM. I wanted to get to bed early. There was something I needed to do the next morning.

me, Jeff U., Elizabeth, Barb, and Amie

I woke at 5:00 AM on race morning. It was a typically cold April morning in Boston, in the high thirty degrees range, but at least it was not rain. I met up with Amie, Elizabeth, Barb, and Jeff U. and we walked to Boston Commons to catch the buses to Hopkinton.

There were already thousands of runners there when we arrived, but we managed to get on a bus after only 15 minutes of waiting. After about an hour long ride, we arrived in Hopkinton, and walked to a spot where the SERC runners have traditionally gathered before the race. (Sorry, it's a secret spot, so I cannot tell you where.) We sat for a while, shed some of our warm-ups, put them in our drop bags, then walked to the buses that were waiting to take the drop bags back to Boston.
We walked to a spot past the start and watched the elite women's start, which was 1/2 hour ahead of our. They were by us in a flash, and then we walked back and found our corrals. Steve H. and I were in corral #4. It was great to have a friend in the corral to talk with while we waited for the start. There were roughly 1000 runners in each corral, stretching, hopping, sitting, kneeling, and generally mulling around. Most runners know to bring old sweatshirts, pants, jackets, etc., which they removed and tossed out of the corral as the start approached. When the horn sounded, it was about another 30 seconds of waiting before we were able to start moving toward the starting line. I finally crossed the start at 1 minute and 46 seconds into the race.

In the first mile, the road was so congested with runners, that I was lucky to manage only 7:11 pace. I made up for it in the next three miles, with times of 6:40, 6:35, and 6:28. I ran most of the first three or so with Steve, but I wanted to keep my own pace, so Steve and I separated. Between miles 4 and 5, something went wrong with my Garmin. It went into 'Pause' mode (I probably hit the pause button when I brushed up against another runner). The 1 mile lap counter was also reset about halfway through that mile. When I discovered the problem about a mile and a half later, I turned off the pause, but my mile calibration was off, and basically it became an expensive wrist weight for the rest of the race.

By watching the times at the mile markers, I knew my mile times, and I knew I was doing well. I was in a nice comfortable groove, and the miles were clicking by. At around 12 miles, I passed the "Welcome to Wellesley" sign, and within a minute I could hear the distinct, high-pitched din of the girls of Wellesley College. I stayed to the far left side of the street, to be as far away from the throng of screaming students as I could, yet the sound still was piercing.

I hit the half mark at 1:28:49, right where I wanted to be at that point. I felt strong through the hills of Newton, I remember that I was at a 7:09 pace between miles 18 and 19. I topped Heartbreak, and picked up the pace again. I think I slowed slightly in miles 23 and 24 as I felt the onset of cramps in my calf. Right after the 40k marker, I had to stop and stretch-out a cramp in my right calf. I was able to start running again, but within another 1/4 miles, I had to stop again and stretch out another cramp in the same calf. I estimate I lost about 30 seconds for each of these. I had been right on a pace to allow me to run a 7:00 minute pace and come in under 3 hours, but with the cramps, I had lost far too much time. I calculated that I would have to run under a 6:00 minute mile in a sprint to the finish to get back under 3 hours. I decided to give it a try, and I picked up the pace...a lot. I was feeling strong and passing runners as I approached Massachusetts Ave, then I felt one more cramp grab me. I stopped, stretched it out, and resumes my charge for the finish, knowing I could not come in under 3 hours, but running with everything I had to get a close as possible. I turned at Hereford then again at Boyleston in full out sprint. I ran the entire stretch to the finish at that pace. The crowd along both sides of the street we louder than I remember from last year, maybe getting there in three hours makes a difference. When I crossed the finish, the clock said 3:02, which I calculated to be 3:00:14. When I checked the official time later, I found that it was 3:00:13, or as I prefer, 2:59:73. ;-)

I grabbed a water, a powerbar, and a bagel from one of the volunteers, while another gave me a Mylar blanket. I walked a little further down Boylston, turned in my chip and got my medal. Then it was a little further to the bag pick-up buses. I found my bus and they retrieved my bag. I found Steve G. waiting at a bus for his bag, and being not to happy about how long it was taking. I kept walking and ate another power bar, eventually made my way back to the hotel, which was about three blocks away. I took a shower, changed into warmer clothes, and headed back to the finish to see if I could catch any other SERC runners.

----------------------------------------------------------

Here is the confusing output from my Garmin. You can see where it got out of whack between miles 4 and 5. Although the mile numbers after that do not match with the mile markers on the course, and more than a mile is missing, the miles that are shown are actual measured miles (except for #5 and #6) , and the times are legit for each.

1) - 1m - 7:11(7:11/m)
2) - 1m - 6:40(6:40/m)
3) - 1m - 6:35(6:35/m)
4) - 1m - 6:28(6:28/m)
5) - 0.51m - 3:25(6:43/m)
6) - 0.98m - 6:42(6:51/m)
7) - 1m - 6:40(6:40/m)
8) - 1m - 6:47(6:47/m)
9) - 1m - 6:55(6:55/m)
10) - 1m - 6:34(6:34/m)
11) - 1m - 6:36(6:36/m)
12) - 1m - 6:44(6:44/m)
13) - 1m - 6:52(6:52/m)
14) - 1m - 6:39(6:39/m)
15) - 1m - 6:59(6:59/m)
16) - 1m - 6:57(6:57/m)
17) - 1m - 6:53(6:53/m)
18) - 1m - 7:00(7:00/m)
19) - 1m - 7:14(7:14/m)
20) - 1m - 6:46(6:46/m)
21) - 1m - 6:50(6:50/m)
22) - 1m - 6:58(6:58/m)
23) - 1m - 6:43(6:43/m)
24) - 1m - 6:48(6:48/m)
25) - 1m - 5:55 (5:55/m)

Here are my official splits and stats from the Boston Athletic Association

Place Overall: 1358 of 22849
Place Men: 1290 of 13547
Place Men 50-54: 44 of 1838

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A really remarkable thing happened...one of our club members, Barb Broad, won her age group. I don't know if any SERC member has ever won anything at Boston before, but this is certainly a major achievement. Barb has to be one of the fastest women, if not the fastest woman, in the country in her group. I was so happy when I heard the news, because she has worked so hard and is so deserving. Huge Congratulations Barb!!! You rocked Boston, SERC-style.

Barb with her award

Boston: Prediction, Training, Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (duchossois) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:32:00 +0000

Prediction

Anyone who has run Boston knows as the race approaches, your fellow runners will inevitably ask...

"What time are you aiming for?"
"What do you think you're going to do in Boston?"
"What's your prediction for Boston?"

With a week to go, I cannot dodge the question any longer, so here is my prediction for Boston...cloudy, low in the mid-forties and high in the mid-fifties, with a 20% chance of precipitation.

Seriously, I don't know how I am going to do in Boston, so I am not going to make a prediction. My most recent real test was the half-marathon in Youngstown last month, which I ran in 1 hour 31 minutes. To me, that indicates a marathon time of about 3:06. That of which of itself would be a huge improvement over last year, and would not be likely unless the wind and weather conditions are good. I have been hearing lots of noise about trying for sub-3 hours, but the idea that I can knock 17 minutes of my time last year seems improbable. A sub-3 hour marathon would require that I average under a 6:52/mile pace. For perspective, last year my average pace was 7:30/mile, and my fastest single mile in the whole race was 6:51. To go sub-3 hours, I would have to run all 26 miles at that pace this year. See my point?

Training

It was a good, 58 mile, taper week. After a Monday recovery run, I was forced indoors for the speed session on Tuesday, due to the snow and cold. The treadmill only goes up to 6:00/min pace, so I did three 1 mile repeats at that pace. I followed that on Wednesday with 6.5 miles at a 6:50 pace, then a moderately paced 6 and 7 miles on Thursday and Friday respectively. Saturday, the usual crew ran a muddy, wet 11 miles. I had to hose-off before going in the house when I got home.

On a cold Sunday morning, I decided to make up for Tuesday's less than full-out speed session by running the first six miles aggressively. Fortunately, I hooked-up with Kam, and we ran to the water stop together. Those first six miles went like this: 7:34 (took us a little bit to warm-up), 6:46, 6:38, 6:26, 6:26, 6:35. After that, I backed off the pace, and finished the 13.76 miles at 7:23 average pace.

Tracking My Progress on Race Day

On the morning of the race, Monday, April 20th, click on this link, Boston Marathon, before the start of the race at 10:00 AM. Follow the instructions. You will be asked to enter my name or bib number, #4438. My time and pace will automatically be updated as I cross the sensors, which are at 5 kilometer intervals, and at the finish line.