Six Days?

When I first started learning about Ultras, I learned about 50 and 100 milers. There were a few local races and I had known of a few wackos who ran them. Over time, I learned that there were people who would race for 24 hours - straight. I marveled at their huevos and wondered if I could ever grow a pair that big.

Just recently, I learned that the 24 hour guys are just a bunch of pansies who can not buck up and run a six day race. Yes, six days. At first when I heard about a six day race, I found it kind of unbelievable and rather obscure. I paid the idea little attention and moved on with my life.

For the last 48 hours or so, I have been captivated by the Across the Years event which takes place down in Phoenix, Arizona. According to wikipedia, the six day race has not been run for a few years at ATY, but is being run this year.

Still reeling from the shock that people actually run these things - the world record is 644 miles (1036km!)- I was even more stunned when I pulled up the running results and saw that Yiannis Kouros, the guy who set the record and who basically owns the Spartathlon was in the lead. My jaw dropped even further when I saw that he is 57 years old. Joe Fejes, who is in first as I type this is 48. The top 4 are over 48. Crazy.

The thing I love and that really intrigues me about this whole six day thing is the strategy that has to go into it. This is not a 5k where you go balls out and hang on for the last mile trying not to wretch. It is not 50 miles or 100. It is six days. Six whole days. When do you sleep? How long do you sleep? Do you push the pace when your opponent is sleeping, or sleep as well?

This race amazes me, and while I do not think I will do one anytime soon, I think it might be one of those bucket list items. It will give me lots of time to strategize...

Running Philosophy

I suppose this post will contain a fair bit of my history - though not directly. It is my attempt at explaining part of why I run and part of where I am going with it - why I continue to assault my body with countless footfalls on rubber track, rocky trails, icy roads, boggy marshes, rotting squirrels or whatever else lies in my path.

I am fairly well convinced I started running in high school to get away from soccer. My high school brain told me I was not getting playing time and taking a back seat on the team not because I did not have the talent, but because of the politics involved. In cross country, there are no politic, no room for subjectivity and favorites; the time you post says it all.

Coming back to running after spending most of my money on fast food, booze, and cigarettes (that stuff is expensive in NYC), one of the things I loved about running was the low cost. I could find a pair of running shoes at Marshalls for less than $25, and a 10 lap stop watch from Wal-mart for near $10. I already had lots of old athletic shorts, and any cotton tee would suffice for a shirt. (If I knew then what I know now about shoes, I would have shelled out a bit more cash and gone with the Altras I have now, but that is for another time.) The point is, I could get out and do my thing for cheap.

In time I learned about all the gimmicky crap - the head phones, the garmins, the heart rate monitors, and do not forget all the sweat-wicking, technologically savvy clothes available to keep you dry. When I registered for my first post-hiatus race, I was appalled to find out how much it cost, and even more appalled when on race day, I picked up my schwag-bag and found it loaded with garbage. Running is supposed to be simple, easy, a break from the hubbub of life. And here we were loading it up with the crap that infects the mainstream.

Running should be something simple. It is basic in its premise: run from point A to point B, maybe back again. Sometimes we race and we try to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. It is the basic make-up of essentially any other sport - aside from maybe golf, fishing and bowling... Running was created simple, and should be kept simple. Free of distractions. Running should allow us to learn our environment, to learn ourselves and delve into the corners of our being we typically ignore. Running should be free.

On The Move

I am moving my blog to wordpress. It is easier to add new pages, sticky posts, network with others, etc. I will be posting here and there for a while. Check it out:

http://runninglifebetween.wordpress.com

2014 Goals

Yesterday, I recapped some of my 2013 goals. All in all, I felt it was a pretty good year in terms of running strong. 2014 will see me running some new distances so setting goal times might be a bit of a trick, but I will try. And again, I hope to remain injury free and listen to my body.

Streaking
A streak is not my main goal. It is something I have going and I like. It is a good tool to push. However, it is only an aside and if I need a day off because I killed myself hitting a race goal, that is acceptable. I do not want a streak to end because I was lazy. Certain important days - birthdays, anniversaries, etc - but not travel days or cold days. No real time goal, but at 100 days, I would like to see how far I can get.

Mileage
Last year I hit around 2250 miles. For 2014, 2000 is my absolute minimum and I think I should have no problem hitting it. My stretch goal will be 2500, and my dream goal will be 3000 miles. I am pretty confident I can hit 2500, and 3000 should not be too hard, but still might be tricky.

Half Marathon
This year I should be pretty fresh for Covered Bridges. Coming off last years 1:16:22 at CHaD, I am fairly confident I can go sub-1:16 at CBHM. I would love to get sub-1:15, but I think that might be a bit of a stretch goal. In terms of place I need to finally crack that top 3 if not faster.

Marathon
I am not even really sure I will run a marathon this year. If I do, it will probably only be one and it will be in February. Not ideal, but the course is pretty flat, and if weather permits I want to go sub-2:50. I do not really want to concentrate on the marathon, but I need to get my marathon time down in-order to get my 50 and 100 mile times down.

50 Miler
Two 50 miles lined up for this year. Twin State in April and VT50 in September. No real ideas for time, but I would like to go in the 8 hour range for TS50 and down into the 7 hour range for VT50. I feel confident these are obtainable goals, but having not run one before I cannot be certain. I think a top-10 at VT is also doable.

100 Miler
Another race I have never run before but will attempt my first in July at the VT100 and maybe again at Ghost Train in late October down in NH. Finishing should probably be my main goal, but that sounds too easy... I think finishing is probably my base goal, while finishing sub-24 would be a push goal. A total stretch would be sub-20 and my dream goal would be to go sub-18 and finish in the top-5. Dreamy yes, attainable, maybe. It is called training... If I do Ghost Train, I will figure out goals as that approaches.

Race Directing
Kind of ridiculous to have this as a goal, but... 2014 is the first year of the TS50. It is a goal that it goes well and continues on to next year. I would also like to establish another race sometime later in the year. I am not sure the distance, but I am thinking a 6 hour could be interesting. I would love to establish a Fat Ass Slam in the next two or three years.

2013 in Review

In November 2012, I laid out some 2013 goals for myself on my training log blog. Some I hit, some I missed, and some I smashed. For posterity's sake, I will recount them now with some of my thoughts and reflections. More of an exercise for my self before setting out new goals for 2014.

I set out with a goal of 2000 miles for the year, 600 of those I wanted to be barefoot. While I have already eclipsed 2000 and look set to hit 2250, the barefoot miles did not even reach 100. I am not really sure why this did not happen. I think I ended up doing more miles on the roads and gave up on the grass loop I do my barefoot miles on. All in all, I am not too concerned with this missed goal.

I also set out a streaking goal of sorts. Did not hit it, though I will end the year on a streak of just over 100 days. See how long it goes on into 2014.

I hit my long run goal of keeping things around 12 miles at the least. I also wanted to hit a 20 miler a month, and a couple 30 milers. Those did not happen. Should have gotten up earlier. 30 miles still would be difficult just for time constraints with family and all.

Managed to stay pretty injury free. No real injuries. Few knocks here and there that made me take things easy, but nothing to make me stop for any length of time. Good job listening as far as I am concerned. I also think making the full time switch to my zero drop Altras and giving more attention to proper/healthy form helped tremendously.

Time Goals

Overall, I think I had a decent year. While I did not hit the PRs I was aiming for, I ran strong and came close. I have no doubt I can hit them next year.

I wanted to pop a fast 1600 - instead, I did not run any. I tried to have a go once, but turned it into an 800 TT. Pretty lame. Could have gotten one in at the end of the year, but my focus really shifted towards the ultra distances so I just kind of said fudge it. 4:52 post hiatus will have to do.

No 1600s and no real 5ks this year. Ran Harpoon. Not as fast as I would have liked at the end of last year, but I am happy in retrospect. Picked up a decent grouper.

I wanted to crush CBHM this year. The course is flat, it is has decent competition; unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and I think it hit 80 on race day; hot, muggy, and humid and it was 45 cold and damp the weekend before. The winner was three minutes slower too. I also do not think I had the base I should have had to run the Shires two weeks before and come back with a fast half. Fortunately, I whooped up at CHaD this year (though, not place-wise. I managed to shave 20+ seconds from my half pr and it is a much tougher course than where my previous half pr was set. I also lopped near 5 minutes off from my performance last year. This was another race where I felt mentally superior to how I have felt in the past. So while I did not hit my goal pr of 1:15:xx for the year, I got a little closer on a tougher course.

Knowing I was only going to run one marathon, and it was not really an 'A' race, I do not think I set my goals too high. I wanted to shave at least 5 minutes off, and get under 2:55. I was able to do that despite getting a wicked stitch that dropped me down to a 7:00+/mile for 2-4 miles in the middle.

Overall, I am very pleased with this year. I hit most of what I wanted, or came very close. It was a good healthy year and I am sure next year will be faster.

Parsing the Lies

In the heart of an enormous coloring phase, my son is learning to write his name. He can sit at the dining room table and fill tomes with cock-eyed letters and scribbles of a multitude of working vehicles. Being busy trying to get dinner ready while occupying a one year old, I often leave my son self directed on these coloring binges. The other day I noticed crayon on the wall. When asked how it got there, my son first blamed our fat lazy mutt who apparently has retractable opposable thumbs. Upon further questioning, he blamed it on his one year old sister who would rather eat crayons than color with them.

A child's lies are easy to spot (depending on how evilly intelligent your kid is...), and while the outcomes are never pleasant, the relationships can often be mended. Unfortunately, when we lie to ourselves, there is no mending, just a silent battle encased in our craniums.

Running - in the adult world - is a relatively solitary sport. Yes, there are races and group runs, club functions and track nights, but gone are the times of the cross country meet when your place mattered even if you did not score. When we train for races as adults, often, we are the only ones holding ourselves culpable.

Over the past month, there has been a war in my brain, with one side convinced April is a long three months off, and training right now is insignificant. Rested, I know which side to take every time. Unfortunately, forty-five minutes into an hour long tempo run, my running-brain is weakened and my lazy-brain pulls out all the stops. Suddenly I will feel a soreness in my hamstring, I hear my shoelace flapping in the wind, my Achilles starts burning. For the most part, these are lies.

Occasionally, I will fool myself into thinking a real problem is a lie, and before I know it I am taking days easy that should have been spent grinding. Over the past four years those undue easy days have become less frequent, but they still happen. My mind and lies might be a bit more convoluted than that of a three-and-a-half year old, but I think I am finally learning my tells.

To The Dearly Departed...

I had to say good bye today to a good friend. While I did not know him long, our relationship grew quickly and found itself cemented in daily rituals. He was there when I woke, and there when I slept. He helped keep me warm on windy days.

Unfortunately, my wife did not have the same opinion and due to some extraordinary circumstances on her end, I listened to her.

I shaved my moustache today. Granted, I only started growing it in late October, but in the last couple of weeks it was a staple on my face. No longer can my students raise their hands and say: "I moust-ache you a question." It is a sad day, but I am already beginning growth on another. I am just afraid it will not be ready for the hard cold months ahead.

Bake My Shaken Rabbit

My wife and I do not adhere to any strict diet - how many fad diets have presented themselves in the last decade? - but one thing we do feel strongly about, is how and where our food comes from. If you have ever priced organic or local food, you know it is expensive - almost to the point that it is not affordable when you are trying to recover from school loans and a mortgage. Consequently, we have taken on a few chickens (hens, the roosters are in the freezer) and rabbits.

I am a big fan of rabbit. It is a fairly versatile meat - you can do anything with rabbit you can do with chicken, and all things considered, they are easy to raise and dress (unlike meat chickens). Until recently, my wife was not such a big fan, but went along anyway.

Because I do not mind chewing on a whole carcass, I always left the rabbits whole and roasted them or put them into casseroles or stews and sucked the bones clean like the old timers in Red Hook sucking chicken wings clean. The last time I processed, my wife convinced me to section the rabbits. At first I was a bit contrary to this idea as it meant more work for me, but after cooking them with the following recipe, I am glad I went along.

The following recipe (if it can be called that) is for a whole rabbit sectioned though it is easier cooking wise if you use the same parts.

In a zip lock bag add a small handful of crisped rice, or some other cereal. If you have stale bread, or bread crumbs from baking, those work well too (it is what we use). Add to the bag spices to your liking. I like to use cumin, coriander, file powder, garlic, and cayenne. Add your rabbit bits and shake until coated, then put them in a deep pan. Most recipes will tell you to slather on the butter at this point, but if you have the option you can use rendered rabbit fat which I prefer to anything I have tried at this point. Coconut oil also works well.

Bake the rabbit bits at 375 for anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the bits you have used - boneless loins will cook quickly, thick meaty hind legs will take a full 40 minutes. Use your judgement and do not over cook. Thank your rabbit and enjoy.

Running Cold

I suppose it is not a stretch to join the "more-miles-than-degrees" club when you live in Vermont, especially in these winter months when temperatures drop below zero. Though December usually does not see these prolonged stretches of highs in the teens. Rather, this crummy weather is generally reserved for January and February.

When it comes to running, these icy temperatures can often be overcome with the right gear, or like me, with lots of crappy gear piled on - two pairs of gloves, an over-sized fleece pull over that leaves me looking like I should be slinging rock in the ghetto, and of course, pants. I have not had to up my gear to wool socks, and I do not really plan on it. I will stick to my cotton socks; the feet will get cold, but they do not get numb, and so I can still feel the ground. Unfortunately, there is a small area between ankle-socks and pants that gets a little exposed to the frigid air.

Either I have no feeling in the back of my heel due to repeated blistering from hiking with boots as a kid and racing spikes that were always too small, or it was just plain cold out there. No matter the answer, as I was getting undressed I noticed that my sock was no longer white - or grey - but had a nice rosy hint to the heel area. I have gotten blisters before, but none have bled like this. Is it spring time yet?

Treadmill Hate #2: Running in the Desert

Reason #2: Dehydration

Sometimes staying hydrated in the winter can be something of a trick. The constant circulation of stale air when the furnace kicks on. The desire for tasty warm beverages like coffee and cocoa instead of water. Seriously, who wants to drink cold water when it is fourteen degrees outside?

Even though it reminds me of what I imagine the Arctic to be like when I step outside, I still manage to work up a meager sweat that needs replenishing. The lack of sweat corresponds nicely with the lack of deliciousness that a tall icy-cold glass of water garners in the dead of the winter.

Unfortunately, when it gets too cold, or for some other reason we take to the treadmill, the balance of sweat and water intake gets totally smashed. Instead of barely sweating, I could drown ants in my sluices of sweat. About ten minutes in, I start getting hot. I can feel the little beads of sweat slowly coming together on my back and chest. From there it is not long until I am dripping - sweat pouring down my chin and flying from my elbows with every stride. Of course I do not use a water bottle. I am running less than an hour - certainly no need for a water bottle.

While I am running I cannot wait for a pull of some fresh cold water, of course as soon as I stop, the cold sets in and all I want is something warm - like coffee. The treadmill lulls you into a false sense of temperature. At least running in the sweltering Georgian afternoons, I knew I was hot when I was done. As soon as I hop of the treadmill I look out the window, see snow and my body quickly recalls that it is only fourteen degrees outside, not the 90 it feels like on the treadmill.

Before you know it, your lips are cracked and bleeding, your pee is beyond golden, and you are two steps away from spending the next week in a hospital bed with an IV stabbing your arm. Thank you, you nasty treadmill.

Reason #1: Barking Spiders

Treadmill Hate #1: Attack of the Barking Spiders

Over the past couple of weeks I have had to up my treadmill mileage. I run during the day when I have the kids as there is no way I am taking them out in thirty degree cold. It is just not going to happen. Consequently, I take to the treadmill. I have no doubt come across a number of reasons that running on the treadmill is a total bummer, but I will present them one by one.

Reason #1: Barking Spiders

Almost anyone who has ever gone for a run has at some point stepped on one of those elusive North Eastern Barking Squirrels. For some of us it is a fairly common occurrence to startle a flock of Ghost Ducks. Luckily, when we are running outside, we quickly leave the dangers of these reclusive, potentially dangerous, animals and continue on our way without so much as a backward glance.

Recently, running on the treadmill, I discovered that my house seems to have an infestation of Barking Spiders. My daughter was sleeping and I was trying to run as quietly as possible on a slapping rubber belt when I first heard them over the hum of the treadmill motor. They started out quietly and somewhat infrequently, but as I ran more (can you say further when you are on a treadmill?) their attacks became more noticeable - louder and closer together. Unlike attacks by Barking Squirrels and Ghost Ducks, you can not outrun Barking Spiders. They pass on their own.

Sometimes, on an indoor track the Barking Spiders will attack and you might pass them again on the next lap; on a treadmill, they stick with you. It would seem (although rather unscientifically) that Barking Spiders are more odiferous than their distant cousins the Barking Squirrels but this is all based on speculation. The treadmill makes these odors worse. The stale air only circulates around the belt and whips back around to penetrate the nostrils.

On the positive side, when the Barking Spiders get too much on the treadmill, at least their is a bathroom near-by. When the Barking Squirrels get too much and it is winter outside...

A Brilliant Idea...

Posted in the UVRC December Newsletter, an awesome piece of work from Steve Andrews. When I started running in high school, I was a bread and butter distance guy. A convert from soccer to cross country; on the track I raced 3200s and steeple chases. When I got to college, I stuck with the longer events and took up running twenty-five laps on an outdoor track for fun. Since college, I have completed a handful of half-marathons and a couple of marathons. So far, I like the longer distances.

I am not really sure when I had the harebrained notion that I should try my feet at an ultra-marathon. Part of me says it is just a natural progression from the marathon, and then there is the fact that many of my everyday-training runs cross paths with the VT50 and 100 courses. Either way, it was inevitable that I would eventually have a go at an ultra.

While I am no coach, and I really do not know anything about training for an ultra, I am fairly confident of one thing: I need to up my miles. Essentially, this is what I have been doing since I decided to go all in shortly before the CHaD. For the most part I am doing three main runs: a long run, a threshold workout on the track, and another shorter long-run. The other days I fill in with whatever time allows.

So far, one of the hardest things is finding the time to go for a three hour run, or to spend an hour and a half at the track. It may not seem like much, but when all is said and done, that time adds up, and with two kids under four at home, time takes on a different meaning. Consequently, I am either hitting the roads at 5:00 AM or 9:00 PM - neither are particularly enjoyable at this time of year.

While I have never been an early morning runner, I will say that I have become a bigger fan than I ever thought possible. There is no more wonderful a feeling than the muted cacophony of life that follows the defeat of the warm-bed-sirens and a grinding run into daylight hours. The sun does not welcome me, I welcome the sun. While this is not total motivation to wake up at unconscionably early hour, it is something.

Only four more months until April, eight until July. It will be a long road, but I guess that is what I signed up for. I guess that is ultra running.

Hanover Turkey Trot '13

If I had not signed up for this race ahead of time, I am not sure I would have done it. I really wanted to end the year with a PR and nip that 35:00 mark. I am fairly confident I can, and figured this would be a decent time to do it. A week out, the forecast looked bad: cold and windy. As race day approached, the forecast looked worse: colder and windier. On race day it was cold, and it was windy. It did not rise above 20 degrees all day (yes, that is Farenheit) and the wind was stand-up wind. At one point near mile 5 the wind was enough to almost make me stop forward motion. Compound the cold (near-zero with wind chill) and wind with a slick coating of the first years snow, and drifts from the fields, and it was definitely not a PR day.

First time all year I wore shoes for a race. Went with my Altras and was not disappointed; though, as it was the first snow of the year I was a bit uncomfortable running around corners at pace. This would not have been fixed with any other pair of shoes. I tried to push the pace here and there, but had a hard time of it. Sometime around mile 4 I started to feel my right calf and left quad a bit; first and second were 20/30 seconds ahead so I want to say I took it a little easier, but that might be a lie. I definitely do not think I pushed it as hard as I could have, but there was little need. No PR, no free turkey, might as well just put in a good effort and decent time.

Ended up running third with a 35:41. Not super fast; only a couple of seconds faster per mile than my CHaD Half time. But with a day like this, I am happy with a sub-36.

Here is the excerpt from the Valley News (you will need a subscription to check out the link - it is free):

Hanover — The Upper Valley Running Club’s Ben Schippers nipped Hanover’s Alex Hall at the wire to win the 21st Hanover Turkey Trot 10K road race on Nov. 24.

Schippers, 32, of Brooklyn, N.Y., gained the victory in a race that saw both finishers record times of 35 minutes, 7 seconds. Hall, 26, took second ahead of Windsor’s Ben Pangie (35:41). Lebanon’s Laura Hagley, 29, won the women’s division in a time of 38:52.

Despite a near-zero wind chill and a course with patches of ice, a field of 125 runners turned out for the 10K, about a fifth of them from the Lebanon-based UVRC.

Losing Control

A couple of weeks ago I reflected on my need for control as a factor for my need to run. Not long thereafter, I had one of those workouts that made me give up control - to a degree - and it left my brain sprawling on the sidewalk.

I had planned a hill workout in the waning light of the day. My wife was going to be home early from work as we had to attend a parent/teacher conference for our son who is in pre-k. (You should see the stack of paperwork and reports the teachers need to fill out and send to the state for a three year old...). As the afternoon progressed it grew apparent that my plan was a bit ambitious, and I would not be able to make it out to the hill I had planned.

This was not a dilemma. I live in Vermont and hills are in abundance. I rerouted my warm-up and ended up at the foot of another hill. Unfortunately, the low clouds blocked any moonlight, and while I thought I could run the hill in the dark, I stopped half-way up and turned around. Too dark. I am afraid of the dark.

Now my frustration was starting to build. I got out later than planned. I had to reroute twice. And somewhere in my brain there were whispers of my being too weak to run the hill, and the dark was just an excuse. There were no real loops I could do from the base of the hill. Thinking as I ran back to my house I figured I could stop off at the track and throw in a few threshold miles. I could at least get some quality in that way. I got to the track, did a warm-up lap with some builds and started on my first mile. Not good. Too slow. Way too slow. There was no way I was going to hit the pace I needed/wanted. So I quit. Jogged a lap and headed out to the streets.

Angry and annoyed I ran around town for the next 45 minutes, fuming. The whole time I waged mental war on my body trying to convince it to direct itself towards my house.

I am not sure if this speaks to some weak mental resilience on my part, but I find it incredibly hard to snap out of a bad workout; especially once I start making excuses in my head as to why it is not my fault. I ended up getting my nine miles in and the pace was decent. Everything went fine, and I guess that is what matters in the end.

My New Treadmill

Last year my wife purchased a spin bike for Christmas. It has gotten a fair bit of use, though in the warmer months it has served its ultimate purpose of "Drying Rack." This year as the cooler weather started to approach and my wife and I could no longer justify taking the kids out in the stroller we opted to get a treadmill. The last treadmill we had was a freebie from her stepfather, and it seemed to be more of a walking treadmill than a running treadmill. Needless to say I killed it in short order. So when it came time to buy this one, we went all out - sort of.

Much like I can not rationalize spending more than $60 (though really it should be a lot less...) for a marathon, I could not rationalize spending a boat load of money on a treadmill. Races can be expensive enough, we do not need to blow our budget on a treadmill that will not see 500 miles in a year. At the same time, we did not want to buy a treadmill that I would put in the ground after one fast fartlek. After some asking around, I really wanted to get one of those Woodways with the slats, but there was no way we could afford it. So instead we went with a Sole.

It seems like a nice machine. We live in an older house (~165 years?) that I would call 'fragile' 155 pounds of pounding on a 300 pound device kind of scares me. The reviews on the internet hit out at the gibberish filled instruction manual, and I have to admit, it took some getting used to, but once you can speak a bit of their gibberish, putting the treadmill together is a breeze. The motor seems to run smoothly and quietly, but we will see how I feel about it in a couple thousand miles. It does have a monster warranty, so hopefully any problems will be taken care of by Sole.

Of course, a couple of days after our treadmill arrived, I was down at the local rec center and saw they were selling one of their commercial grade treadmills - used - but for a whole lot less than our F80. I thought about trying to return ours, but the whole disassembling and repackaging a 300 pound box kind of scared me off. I guess I just have to run more to lower that cost-per-mile.

I should have a post in the near future with my first real experience running on it. Remember, do not change too much of your routine at once, lest you get totally buggered up...

Control

I have never really been one for long term planning. Something about it just never sucked me in. I can plan for short term things, like fishing trips or an overnight hike, but I have true difficulty planning long term events. Rather, (and it is not something I am incredibly proud of), I sort of let them happen to me.

I was accepted to college via the early decision route. By November, my life had planned itself for the next five years. I could relax. Unfortunately, when those five years were up, I had no idea where I was going. I should have had a job - or at least known where I was going for graduate school - but as is often my case, I did not. In the last two weeks of school, when everyone else was getting ready for their new jobs with their shiny new degrees, I was scanning the help wanted pages on Yahoo!. I saw an advertisement for work teaching English in South Korea. My major was English/Environmental Studies, and I did have a minor in Education, so of course I applied. A month later I had packed my worldly belongings into two of the biggest duffel bags I have ever seen and was on my first trip out of the Eastern Standard Time Zone.

A couple of years later I was back in the States working as a substitute teacher in Brooklyn when a long term position presented itself. I was given the position and was quickly out of work as the school year ended. Planning on subbing again the following year, I was pleased to be contacted by my old school for yet another long term substitute position - this time teaching sex ed. It was while teaching sex ed that my then live-in-girlfriend gave birth to our son. A little while later she was my wife and our second was on the way.

I like to tell myself I went back to running because I wanted to be a healthy role model for my son, not some binge-drinking, cigarette-smoking, fast-food-loving, overweight, waste-of-life. And while this probably is true, running gave me some control of things. I can plan a workout on the track, or a week of runs, or even a plan to get to race day. I know how to do that. I may not be able to plan long term, but when I am getting tumbled by the currents of life, I still know how to lace up my shoes and walk out the door.

Running From Bigfoot

There was no need for an alarm this morning. My 11 month old still does not sleep very soundly. From my bed, I grabbed my phone off the dresser and checked the time. I canceled the alarm and laid in bed staring at the ceiling, fighting the sleep sirens calling me back to bed. Convincing my legs to listen to me, I ambled over to the pile of running clothes I had laid out the night before and started to pile on the layers.

Despite being dressed and ready to go, I sat down when I got to the top of the steps. Did I really want to do this? It's twenty degrees out, and I'm beat. Maybe I can sneak a long run in later today. I sighed, silenced the sirens once more, crept down stairs, threw on my hat and gloves, grabbed my watch and flashlight, and stepped out into the cold.

I hate running in the morning. My legs are stiff, I am exhausted, and I am afraid of the dark. I could make out-and-back routes along the paved, main county roads, but with all the dirt roads, I cannot justify it. At times, I have taken to carrying a flashlight and sometimes I use it when the tree canopy along the back roads blocks sends me stumbling in the darkness. Now that winter has come, the morning fog has turned to frost, and trees have lost their leaves allowing the moon and stars to light my way, consequently the the flashlight is usually just a comfort blanket of sorts.

While 5:30 might not be termed 'early' by some, there is only a handful of folks waking up, putting their dogs out, and scraping ice from windshields. While I probably should not, the silent darkness allows me to tune into all the little animals rustling in the frost covered leaves. My first reaction when I hear the leaves is to look. The moonlight is usually bright enough to see shapes and sizes and tell me whether or not I should start shouting and run faster, or if I can keep plodding along.

As I passed through an aged field with ancient maples still growing along the roadside, the leaves began to rustle. It was not a heavy rustle, but it was light and a small brook was running along the road. I chalked it up to a weasel, but still looked to see if I could make out any sort of animal. When I turned I saw a huge lurking beast, barreling after me down the road. I panicked. My heart jumped, my stride shifted in an attempt to put some space between us, and I let out a primal growl found only in the depths of fear. And then I realized, it was just my shadow.

CHaD Race Report '13

Few days late on this one but...

I went into this race feeling strong and confident I could do well. I totally bombed the last two half-marathons I ran (CHaD '12, and CBHM '13) so I was hoping this would be something of a redemption. My ultimate goal was to just get under 1:20. I knew it was a tough course, and my last two halves were both above that 1:20 mark which left me feeling like CBHM '12 was a bit of a fluke.

This is another late in the day race with a gun time of 12:00. Breakfast was a little funny, but I had some rabbit heart, kidneys and liver by 9:00. Some water after, but not much. Race time came and I was feeling pretty good.

Last year I got lost on the pace because they run the 5k and half together and I thought the guys going all out must be 5k'ers. This year, I had my guy and stuck with him, knowing that while I might not be able to keep pace with him the whole time, he would be a good guy to run with. So I stuck with him for the first 5k or so, then faded back a bit. The splits felt pretty even, but the mile markers are off so it is hard to know for sure.

By mile four, it was pretty clear there were three guys in the front and they were going to push it the whole way (third place ended up being 1:14...). So top three went out and it was a matter of catching the two guys in front of me. By mile six I had caught one of the guys, but the next was a ways ahead. I wanted to give up on catching him, but managed to talk myself into staying awake.

Mentally, I think this was one of my stronger races. It would have been very easy to fall asleep mid-race running by myself, but instead, I talked myself up and managed to catch up with the fourth place runner by mile 12. We exchanged the lead a few times, and coming into the finish he managed to beat me by a second. I like to think I could have gone with him, but I am not so sure.

The time was only slightly disappointing as I could have sworn the clock said 1:15:50; unfortunately looking at results it was a 1:16:22. A pr on a tough course on a windy windy day, running mostly by myself. I will take it any day, but thinking I broke 1:16 and then finding out I did not was a bit of a bummer.

Overall, it was a good race, and everything kind of fell into place. Huaraches started to feel a little funny towards the end, but I think it was because I laced the one too loosely.

I did not really drink anything during the race. I did grab water at most of the water stops only to dump it on my head. I also grabbed glasses of powerade at three or four water stops. I did not actually drink the powerade, but did as my brother suggested and swished around a mouthful before spitting it out. I like this technique and think I will try it in the future.

Octoberfest '13 Race Report

Well this race report is a week late and so will be short. This was the first real race I have run since the Covered Bridges Half, in early June, which was a total mess. I had attempted to run a mile time trial, but balked. So here we are four full months later and it is finally time to put the racing shoes back on.

Over the summer I have slowly moved to zero drop and when race time came, it was time to strap the huaraches on for a go. I had tried them out on the track for an R-pace workout earlier in the week, and everything seemed good. Of course they drew some attention and a few folks remembered me from last year. I hate the shout outs, but at the same time, I am running in sandals.

This is one of those later races with a start time of 11:00. Always a bit confusing on the gut, but lately my diet and when I eat is so regularly erratic, it seems to be okay as long as I do not eat too close to race time. It also meant there was enough time early in the morning for my wife to want me to go for a run with her. So probably three hours before race time, I went for a five mile saunter with the stroller and wife. Nice for my mileage, and I also think it helped loosen things up a bit.

I managed to leave my watch at home, so I had no way of pacing by watch, it was all by feel, and I think it actually turned out to my advantage. I think if I had had a watch I would have freaked out over the pace being too fast or too slow. Instead I just kept building. Mentally, I was all there the whole time, no sleeping on the job this race. I picked up people as the race progressed and definitely made ground on the hills. The downhills were another question. I did okay with them, but the finish left me hard up. I just could not go any faster. Part of it was perhaps fear, but it is a pretty steep hill and the knee bend did not help. Maybe if I was smashing my heels.

In the end, I placed fifth and won my age group, taking home a nice twenty-four pack of some UFOs. And I set a PR by about seven seconds. Not a bad day out.

Case and Point...

Two days ago, I awoke before the sun and shuffled my way to the track to do a threshold workout. I despise morning workouts, but the only time that really presented itself as a possibility was dawn. I figured the first one would work as a warm-up and the rest would come easy. Wrong. My legs were starving the whole time. I sucked it up and hammered through managing to keep pace pretty steadily. Unfortunately, the day after I started to notice a bit of a twinge in my hamstring. More than just an after-workout sore, but more of an angry niggling.

As the day progressed I noticed it more; luckily, it was just a minor annoyance when I would go to sit down. Rather than push my evening run and do the 8/9 miler I had planned, I cut it back to a slow five. Right away I noticed my hamstring was tight like muscle-pull-tight, but after a little pushing through, it loosened up. Of course half way through the run I found myself having the conversation to push it further or to just keep it at an easy five and rest a bit. It is a tough conversation to have with yourself, but a necessary one all the same. Part of me even suggested I should be home laying in bed resting up.

So here it is, a minor tweak and I am all ears - sort of. Pretty sure I will be able to put in a long run Monday/Tuesday and maybe only one Q workout, but with Octoberfest a week away, I am trying to play it even safer. Hard to listen.

Listening

I ran through high school and into college, then took an 8 year hiatus. For the last three years I have been getting back on my feet and trying to get back to the fitness levels I was at - so far I have been doing an okay job. Aside from lung capacity, aerobic abilities, and muscle strength, one of the big differences lies in my body's ability to cope the abuse I put on it.

I have only really suffered one massive injury - back in sixth grade - when I tore two ligaments in my ankle. Being young, I skipped out of rehab and never thought anything of it, until I started turning my ankle quite frequently playing soccer, rugby, or running on trails. It has taken some time, but I think it is finally back up to snuff, despite a perpetual swollen look to it.

Over the past three years since picking running back up, I have experienced a number of niggling injuries. An annoyance in the knee attributed to patella-femoral pain syndrome - whatever that is - a sharp twitch in the ankle/calf area which I was told was peroneal tendonitis, and a strained calf that came from over training in huaraches. Perhaps these all could have been avoided, I am not sure, but coming into 2013 just getting over the peroneal tendonitis and a perpetually numb toe, one of my goals was to do a better job listening to my body.

Listening is a trick. It is not just a simple, acknowledgement of a sore leg and taking a day off, or easing up on a workout. Rather, the sore leg needs to be acknowledged and understood. It can be tough figuring out what aches and pains are actual injuries waiting to happen, and which are just annoyances that can be smothered with a pillow.

I would imagine some folks do a better job than others at understanding and monitoring their bodies. I like to think I am on the better end of this spectrum and my failure to listen before was due to stubbornness and shortsightedness. This year I have been virtually injury free. Nothing new has presented itself and the problems I had been experiencing seem to have dissipated. It will be interesting to see if I can continue to listen and decipher the true warnings of injuries, and the angry soreness from my body as ultra training picks up.

Dialing-In

Gearing up for my first Ultra - which I am leaning towards something of the Fat Ass variety and VT50 as a qualifier for VT100 - I am realizing there are a number of things I need to dial in. I went for a longish run on Sunday, and drank a cup of water or so before I started. Two hours later I still hadn't eaten or drank anything. Granted it was raining so while I am not an amphibian, I think it mitigated some of the thirst. I am not sure how long I could go like this, but considering I had not eaten in the eight hours preceding the run, I am guessing it is a bit. Next time I do a long run over 20 I will have to stash some water and see how it goes. I have had some problems with water in the past - CHaD 2012, Shires 2013.

I also need to figure out shoes - or lack there of. I like my zero drops, but have heard that at the end of an ultra, that heel cushioning and rise can be nice.

Things to dial-in on:

• shoes
• food
• water
• pace
• clothes

Never Enough

Mileage is a funny thing. Some people can run miles upon miles, stay healthy, and run some more. Some folks break running more than 20 miles a week. Thankfully, I am not really one of those injury prone folks, but my training typically only ranges around 40-50 miles a week. I am usually there for a month or two gearing up for a race, then take a week or two off, and build back up starting in the mid 30s. Sometimes I will take even longer during winter and when I come back to it, I am quick to notice the amount of time I spend running.

I am not talking about splits, but overall run time. I notice it for two reasons, mainly due to my wife's questioning as to how long I will be gone for, and the eye rolls I get for responses as race day approaches. I also notice it towards the end of a season when I pull up the log and review it on a weekly basis. The thing is, when the season comes to it's conclusion, I never feel that I actually topped out my capacity for mileage.

Ideally, my off season would just continue building upon last weeks efforts. Longer long runs, longer recovery runs, but the time in a day is simply not there. Part of it is the eye rolls, but most of it is the guilt I feel for taking so much time from my children. At least that is what I tell myself.

I ought to be over fifty miles this week, and still, it does not seem to be enough. Perhaps it is because I will have done 15-20 miles either with the stroller by myself or with my wife and the pace is just excruciatingly slow. I am hoping that somehow, training for this ultra will allow me to train more, but I doubt it. Even I can build mileage, I do not think it will be enough. I will always want to go for a longer long run, but then maybe that is the feeling I hope this Ultra quenches. But with a monster base, where is the limit?

Thinking About Ultras...

Ever since I started running after an eight year hiatus, I've thought about doing an Ultra. I always saw myself as a distance guy, and what better way to demonstrate this than to do an ultra marathon. I'm not talking about run/walk at a 12 minute pace, I'm talking actually running.

My longest run to date is a mere 31.6 that I did in 4:03:07 for a 7:42 pace. The last four or five killed the guy I was running with and probably slowed the pace a fair bit. Neither here nor there. It was also fairly flat and somewhat toasty as it was July in Georgia.

Since then I've done a few 20+ but it's been hard to find the 4+ hours to get out for a run, not to mention that I'd be toast the rest of the day and when there's two little kids running around and you're expected to participate in the parenting. Hopefully before the year is out I can get a 25+ in.

What little reading I've done so far has suggested lots of training techniques and given me lots to think on. Being that the kids are still young and training to actually run an ultra well will take time, I'm putting it way out there - VT100 2015. Unfortunately, I can't just sign up for the VT100, rather I have to volunteer some of my time to an ultra friendly cause - I'd like to get involved with the VT100 and VT50 as they're local races anyway... - and I have to complete a 50 miler in under 12 hours. I'll probably end up doing VT50 2014 and VT100 2015, but we'll see. Two years is quite some time away, it's also quite some time to build a killer base...

Here We Are...

So, here we are. Another blog around running and life. Not a running log, but thoughts, musings, ramblings, rants, and verbage - something to further fill the infinite realm of cyberspace. Some of it will make sense, some likely will not.