I’ve been terrible at updating as of late. The truth is there hasn’t been much to write about recently. I’ve had a long string of good weeks, with the last 7 days being my most productive and most consistent, maybe even since I’ve started running. That’s not to say it’s been the highest mileage 7 day period I’ve experienced, but offered the greatest reward and felt the most productive overall.
You’ll often hear the term “junk miles” associated with running. Essentially they’re miles to fill your quota for the week and are usually nothing short of drudgery. They’re not necessarily fast or slow, on easy or difficult terrain; they’re just a dull number to say you did the miles. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve put in a ton of junk miles over the course of the last year. I could blame it on being a newb to the sport, but in reality it’s mostly a product of pure laziness!
Recently however, I’ve maintained a focus and gone out on each run with a specific purpose in mind. For instance, on Monday I had a 6 – 8 mile run scheduled. The legs felt really good so I coerced myself into a speed day and ran sub-7 minute splits on the flat trail for 8 miles. Then on Tuesday the goal was to carry a steady, even pace over a 12 mile out-and-back course. It went even better than planned and I ended up running a negative split by about 35 seconds. This pattern has been evident in my running for awhile now. I feel like I’ve finally (after a year!) got a good base and can work on fine-tuning the skills I have.
Of course, with success come trials. Though my running feels stronger than ever, I haven’t been feeling like myself lately. I’ve been feeling shaky in the mornings and after good workouts; even for no apparent reason at times throughout the day. It’s something I’ve dealt with for many years, yet ignored due to stubbornness and feeling like I needed to “tough it out” since it had to be something that everyone dealt with. The problem is, now it’s being magnified due to the intensity of my exercise. So I finally broke down and went to have some tests and blood work done yesterday. I absolutely hate going to the doctor, but felt like I’d reached a breaking point. I need to figure this out before it gets worse.
So now I wait. I should have results back tomorrow and hopefully some answers can be rendered. Tomorrow will also decide my fate for the St. George Marathon this year. Lottery results are being posted tomorrow and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. More to come once tomorrow presents it’s findings...
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Picture Me Rollin'
My recovery from the Buffalo Run 50 Miler was much quicker than I anticipated. I was thinking I'd be hobbling around for several days and that it would take at least a week before I stopped reminding people of a drunken peg-legged pirate walking around town. I'm glad that was not the case! Actually, I was quite stiff on Sunday, somewhat mobile on Monday, and only hurt going down the stairs by Tuesday. By Wednesday I was back to myself and by Thursday I was running a little bit again. I actually ended up running just a couple of short sessions last week, with hopes of getting back on my training schedule this week.
It's always good for me to have goals - some distant date or idea - to look forward to. My current sights are set on the date of June 5th, which is the Squaw Peak 50 Miler. I'm currently wait-listed for this race (#36), but I've been assured by numerous sources that I'll get in; So I'm preparing that way. With two months to go, I decided to get back on my schedule this week.
I get out on Monday and even though it's raining with some light snow flurries, it exhilarating just to be out again! Then just after mile 3 my knee starts screaming at me again. You'd think after running a 50 miler virtually pain free, I'd have no problem knocking out my planned 6 miler... That's what I get for thinking!
I think I've got the problem pinned down to my newest pair of road shoes. Good thing it's those and not my trail shoes, since I only plan on hitting the roads once or twice a week from here til November. But it's still annoying. It also means that I'm that much further away from being able to bomb the big downhills in training... And that really sucks since those are my favorite part on the trails!
Since I'm not over this nagging injury, I decided to start rollin'! Not that kind of rollin'.. This kind of rollin':
I finally gave in and bought myself a foam roller. And whoa, I've been missing out! I've been using it for less than 24 hours and my knee already feels less tight.
For those who aren't familiar with a foam roller, you basically use the weight of your body to create pressure on the areas you're working. So for me, I've got the roller between me and the ground and I'm lying on my side, rolling the outside of my thigh between my knee and my hip. It's excruciating to say the least, but if a little pain means relief on my knee, count me in! These things are good for all sorts of other muscle and ligament pain too... Lydia was using it last night to roll out her shin splints and she said it felt great!
I was skeptical, but consider me converted. I plan on working rolling into my routine for the rest of my life. I encourage anyone who runs distance to put this into your weekly training schedule as well. As they say: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". With my current status, truer words have never been spoken.
It's always good for me to have goals - some distant date or idea - to look forward to. My current sights are set on the date of June 5th, which is the Squaw Peak 50 Miler. I'm currently wait-listed for this race (#36), but I've been assured by numerous sources that I'll get in; So I'm preparing that way. With two months to go, I decided to get back on my schedule this week.
I get out on Monday and even though it's raining with some light snow flurries, it exhilarating just to be out again! Then just after mile 3 my knee starts screaming at me again. You'd think after running a 50 miler virtually pain free, I'd have no problem knocking out my planned 6 miler... That's what I get for thinking!
I think I've got the problem pinned down to my newest pair of road shoes. Good thing it's those and not my trail shoes, since I only plan on hitting the roads once or twice a week from here til November. But it's still annoying. It also means that I'm that much further away from being able to bomb the big downhills in training... And that really sucks since those are my favorite part on the trails!
Since I'm not over this nagging injury, I decided to start rollin'! Not that kind of rollin'.. This kind of rollin':
I finally gave in and bought myself a foam roller. And whoa, I've been missing out! I've been using it for less than 24 hours and my knee already feels less tight.
For those who aren't familiar with a foam roller, you basically use the weight of your body to create pressure on the areas you're working. So for me, I've got the roller between me and the ground and I'm lying on my side, rolling the outside of my thigh between my knee and my hip. It's excruciating to say the least, but if a little pain means relief on my knee, count me in! These things are good for all sorts of other muscle and ligament pain too... Lydia was using it last night to roll out her shin splints and she said it felt great!
I was skeptical, but consider me converted. I plan on working rolling into my routine for the rest of my life. I encourage anyone who runs distance to put this into your weekly training schedule as well. As they say: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". With my current status, truer words have never been spoken.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Buffalo Run 50 Mile - 2010
In April of 2009 I started running. Why I Run is a different story, but to cap off my first year of running I decided to go big and enter the Buffalo Run 50 Mile race out at Antelope Island. After St. George in October, I left feeling accomplished, but knew I was capable of much more than that race offered me. And thus the masochistic thought of running a 50 mile race was born.
All the emotions leading up to this race had been mixed. I had trained hard throughout the winter – mustering up the willpower to run in cold, snowy, and icy conditions – but I was plagued with a few setbacks. First, I hurt my ankle at St. George and it never fully recovered. Then I had a string of personal issues, conflicts, misfortunes… whatever you want to call them. And to top it all off, I strained my iliotibial band 3 weeks before the race, bringing my training to a complete halt leading up to the race.
I was having major anxiety about whether or not I could pull off the task I had set out for, and even considered dropping down in distance. I mulled it over and eventually called my dad. He told me there’s nothing wrong with dropping if I had to. What would hurt more is if I decided to run the 50K or 25K (8 & 10 o’clock start times) and I didn’t have any knee problems… Then I’d be kicking myself for not doing the 50 miler. He was right, as usual! So I toed the line at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning in hopes of being able to finish the 50 miler that I had initially set out to do.
After a few brief words from the race director, suddenly we’re off into the darkness. I had lined up near the back 1/3 of the starters due to the lack of confidence in my knee. I didn’t want to push the pace too early. I don’t know if this was the right move or not since almost immediately the trail turns into single track. I settled in though, and stuck with the pace of the group. It was almost too comfortable! Since it’s such a long race though, I figured there’s no need to be in a rush this early on.
In the blink of an eye (59 minutes later) I’m at the first aid station. Even though I’m about 8 minutes behind my projected split, I’m feeling ok with where I’m at. Here I have the option of going on a short out-and-back or running a 5.3 mile loop. Everyone seems to be doing the out-and-back first. However, I take the advice of Rodger Smith who I’d been running and chatting with and a few of us headed out on the loop. The loop takes us out on a long descent towards Split Rock Bay, then up some switchbacks and across a few beautiful draws, just before hitting the aid station again. As I was closing in on the aid station, first and second place were on my heels (having already done the out-and-back). I picked up the pace in order to beat them to the aid station. It was pretty cool seeing/feeling how fast those guys run! I ditched my headlamp at my bag, completed the quick out-and-back, and before I know it I’m heading back to the Start/Finish area.
As soon as I head out of the aid station my knee starts hurting. From here to the Start/Finish area (5.6 miles away) is mostly descending, with a few areas getting relatively steep. This was concerning to me. I noticed I had been favoring my leg though, and after falling into a more natural stride, the pain slowly dissipated. I’m sure the frigid air did nothing but help either! In this section I fell in behind Cory Johnson and followed his pace. We’d be playing leapfrog with each other for basically the rest of the day.
Soon enough, I arrive at the Start/Finish area at mile 19 and I’m more than happy to take a short break. My wife and parents are there to greet me which gives me a great moral boost! After a quick bottle refill and after Lydia gets some sunscreen and chapstick on me, I pull out the iPod and I’m on my way. At this point I’m 18 minutes off my split for a 9 hour finish, but honestly, I’m thrilled to still be running. I had told myself if the knee was too bad, this is where I’d be dropping. The thought did not even cross my mind!
I continued out onto the next section. I didn’t know it at the time, but this section would turn out to be my nemesis. This section takes us to the other side of the island (east side) and after another short out-and-back section, we head south for just over 11 miles, then turn back around and do it all over again. Luckily there’s an aid station at about the half way point of this 11 mile stretch. But a few miles before reaching that aid station (Lower Frary AS), I started having terrible back pain. It hurt less when I ran than when I walked, but it was constant nonetheless. I had only looked forward to stopping more than this on one occasion in my life; the day my dad shot his elk. I was able to stop once I was done with that, though. Here I still had to run another 23 miles! Seriously, what had I gotten myself into?
All the emotions leading up to this race had been mixed. I had trained hard throughout the winter – mustering up the willpower to run in cold, snowy, and icy conditions – but I was plagued with a few setbacks. First, I hurt my ankle at St. George and it never fully recovered. Then I had a string of personal issues, conflicts, misfortunes… whatever you want to call them. And to top it all off, I strained my iliotibial band 3 weeks before the race, bringing my training to a complete halt leading up to the race.
I was having major anxiety about whether or not I could pull off the task I had set out for, and even considered dropping down in distance. I mulled it over and eventually called my dad. He told me there’s nothing wrong with dropping if I had to. What would hurt more is if I decided to run the 50K or 25K (8 & 10 o’clock start times) and I didn’t have any knee problems… Then I’d be kicking myself for not doing the 50 miler. He was right, as usual! So I toed the line at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning in hopes of being able to finish the 50 miler that I had initially set out to do.
After a few brief words from the race director, suddenly we’re off into the darkness. I had lined up near the back 1/3 of the starters due to the lack of confidence in my knee. I didn’t want to push the pace too early. I don’t know if this was the right move or not since almost immediately the trail turns into single track. I settled in though, and stuck with the pace of the group. It was almost too comfortable! Since it’s such a long race though, I figured there’s no need to be in a rush this early on.
In the blink of an eye (59 minutes later) I’m at the first aid station. Even though I’m about 8 minutes behind my projected split, I’m feeling ok with where I’m at. Here I have the option of going on a short out-and-back or running a 5.3 mile loop. Everyone seems to be doing the out-and-back first. However, I take the advice of Rodger Smith who I’d been running and chatting with and a few of us headed out on the loop. The loop takes us out on a long descent towards Split Rock Bay, then up some switchbacks and across a few beautiful draws, just before hitting the aid station again. As I was closing in on the aid station, first and second place were on my heels (having already done the out-and-back). I picked up the pace in order to beat them to the aid station. It was pretty cool seeing/feeling how fast those guys run! I ditched my headlamp at my bag, completed the quick out-and-back, and before I know it I’m heading back to the Start/Finish area.
As soon as I head out of the aid station my knee starts hurting. From here to the Start/Finish area (5.6 miles away) is mostly descending, with a few areas getting relatively steep. This was concerning to me. I noticed I had been favoring my leg though, and after falling into a more natural stride, the pain slowly dissipated. I’m sure the frigid air did nothing but help either! In this section I fell in behind Cory Johnson and followed his pace. We’d be playing leapfrog with each other for basically the rest of the day.
Soon enough, I arrive at the Start/Finish area at mile 19 and I’m more than happy to take a short break. My wife and parents are there to greet me which gives me a great moral boost! After a quick bottle refill and after Lydia gets some sunscreen and chapstick on me, I pull out the iPod and I’m on my way. At this point I’m 18 minutes off my split for a 9 hour finish, but honestly, I’m thrilled to still be running. I had told myself if the knee was too bad, this is where I’d be dropping. The thought did not even cross my mind!
I continued out onto the next section. I didn’t know it at the time, but this section would turn out to be my nemesis. This section takes us to the other side of the island (east side) and after another short out-and-back section, we head south for just over 11 miles, then turn back around and do it all over again. Luckily there’s an aid station at about the half way point of this 11 mile stretch. But a few miles before reaching that aid station (Lower Frary AS), I started having terrible back pain. It hurt less when I ran than when I walked, but it was constant nonetheless. I had only looked forward to stopping more than this on one occasion in my life; the day my dad shot his elk. I was able to stop once I was done with that, though. Here I still had to run another 23 miles! Seriously, what had I gotten myself into?
Once I arrived at Lower Frary, my family was there and got me into a chair immediately. They followed my direction I’d given them before the race and lied through their teeth, telling me how good I looked. Come to find out later that they weren’t sure I’d make it to the next stop. I was now 40 minutes behind on my splits and my main goal of a 10 hour finish was now in jeopardy. After getting some fresh socks, a few baby aspirin, and some topical pain reliever rubbed on my back I felt like a new person, though.
The next section to Fielding-Garr Ranch was the best of the day. I felt fresh and my back wasn’t bothering me anymore. I ran this 5.7 mile section in under an hour and shaved 8 ½ minutes off my time. It felt great! I arrived at the ranch, took a few minutes to eat some food, drink some Mountain Dew and was up on my feet again before I knew it. Getting here was such a big mental boost for me since I’d now turn around and head back the direction I came from. I felt ok heading back towards Lower Frary, but the toils of the day were finally catching up to me. My paced slowed and I gave back that 8+ minutes I had just gained.
I reached Lower Frary again and took my longest stop of the day here. In hindsight, I probably should have left sooner, but it felt so good to be sitting down and relaxing. I refueled and eventually headed out for the section that gave me fits earlier in the day. I was not looking forward to this! I don’t know if it was all in my head or what, but this section tore me up. I came to a screeching halt when my stomach went south. I was forced to walk slowly in order to keep my calories down. My legs were feeling good but now my stomach was turning against me. Argghhhh! It was frustrating to say the least.
Eventually I hit the road crossing and started to make my way back towards the Start/Finish area. I stopped momentarily when one of my blisters exploded in my shoe. Every step was now filled with pain at the end of my toe. Ten minutes later another one went, just when I was starting to get used to the last one. It was here that I saw my family for one last time, and Tyler, Britt, and Brian were there too. That was a great surprise and boost to my spirits!
The final 6 ½ miles took a loop around the north end of the island. This section was filled with boulders and was much more technical than I expected. I still felt like I had a good shot to get in under 10 hours, but I had to push it! So I did. After encircling the mountain, I caught sight of the finish line. I hurried towards the finish area and ran hard on the last 800 meter straightaway to the finish. Lydia ran the last short stretch with me and I crossed the finish line in 9:51:22. My first 50 mile finish!
Looking back, I’m very pleased with my effort. I went into an arduous event not knowing how my body – and my knee, more specifically – would react. While I made some mistakes, I gained some significant knowledge from my experience and would not trade that for anything. I know how my body responds under this type of stress and I know what it takes to keep going, even when everything is telling you to stop. There’s definitely lots of room for improvement and I hope to come back next year having made a few adjustments and with some more experience under my belt! A big thanks to Lydia and to my parents for helping me along the way... I could not have done it without you guys!
Now it’s back to training… Wasatch is less than 24 weeks away (not like I’m counting or anything).
Monday, March 8, 2010
Going Into The Taper
After weeks of inconsistency – both in life and training – I feel like I had a very solid week last week. It felt great to get out there and do what I love doing. Add some sunshine and 50 degree weather and I was in business! I was back on my routine and logging (almost) all of my miles. I actually would have hit my weekly mark had I not decided to do something stupid on Friday night, which in turn affected my Saturday run…
While doing some reading, I came across some interesting information that I thought may help strengthen my ankle that’s been constantly nagging me. I can still run on it as much as I want. It doesn’t bother me much during the run, but it’s always sore at the end. And it never seems to go away, regardless of how much time I take off. So I take the advice and add some extra exercises to my routine. Naturally, my headstrong emotions overrun my logical mind and I end up overdoing it. The aftermath didn’t rear it’s ugly head ‘til I hit a downhill about 40 minutes into my long run on Saturday. Suddenly, I’m forced to an awkward trot/walk back to my car. Not exactly what I was hoping for! So my ankle’s a bit stronger but at the cost of a new pain in my knee. Sweet :(
The moral of the story… Don’t overdue it! And especially don’t try anything new when you’re only 3 weeks out from your first ultra. Idiot! So I get to spend this week going super easy and trying to get in one last (easy) long run on Saturday before I start my taper. At this point I’m just going with it. I know that I’ve done what I can to prepare, and now all I can really do is prepare myself mentally and let my knee rest. It’s not gonna be a cakewalk, that’s for sure! Not that I expected it to be, but I have a knack of making my life much more difficult than it needs to be at times.
While doing some reading, I came across some interesting information that I thought may help strengthen my ankle that’s been constantly nagging me. I can still run on it as much as I want. It doesn’t bother me much during the run, but it’s always sore at the end. And it never seems to go away, regardless of how much time I take off. So I take the advice and add some extra exercises to my routine. Naturally, my headstrong emotions overrun my logical mind and I end up overdoing it. The aftermath didn’t rear it’s ugly head ‘til I hit a downhill about 40 minutes into my long run on Saturday. Suddenly, I’m forced to an awkward trot/walk back to my car. Not exactly what I was hoping for! So my ankle’s a bit stronger but at the cost of a new pain in my knee. Sweet :(
The moral of the story… Don’t overdue it! And especially don’t try anything new when you’re only 3 weeks out from your first ultra. Idiot! So I get to spend this week going super easy and trying to get in one last (easy) long run on Saturday before I start my taper. At this point I’m just going with it. I know that I’ve done what I can to prepare, and now all I can really do is prepare myself mentally and let my knee rest. It’s not gonna be a cakewalk, that’s for sure! Not that I expected it to be, but I have a knack of making my life much more difficult than it needs to be at times.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Trial N' Error
I find that when my running is really clicking I have much more to say on this blog. I guess that tells you what kind of month I’ve had since I last wrote. Ugh! I’ve spent a week out of town, battled a cold, dealt with a nagging injury, had a really good friend pass away (love you Yimmy!), and I’m currently trying to move. It’s tough getting into a routine when your life is anything but routine at the moment. Though my weekday runs have taken the brunt of things, I still feel like I’m on track with my fitness for the most part.
Balancing your passions with life in general is difficult. I really admire those who’ve figured out a way to make it all work – especially those with kids. I have no idea how they do it!? Maybe with more experience I’ll figure out my own way? Until then, it’s all about trial and error baby! Unfortunately, that also happens to be the best way for me to learn... Go figure.
Things haven’t all been bad as of late, though. The highlight of my year came Saturday night when the results for the Wasatch 100 lottery were posted – and I got in! I was in complete shock and I still don’t think I’ve wrapped my brain around it entirely. I’ll be ready though, you can count on that!
With each day comes new trials – some good, some bad. It’s really how you face those trials that make you a stronger person. So here’s to more trials (I guess)!
Balancing your passions with life in general is difficult. I really admire those who’ve figured out a way to make it all work – especially those with kids. I have no idea how they do it!? Maybe with more experience I’ll figure out my own way? Until then, it’s all about trial and error baby! Unfortunately, that also happens to be the best way for me to learn... Go figure.
Things haven’t all been bad as of late, though. The highlight of my year came Saturday night when the results for the Wasatch 100 lottery were posted – and I got in! I was in complete shock and I still don’t think I’ve wrapped my brain around it entirely. I’ll be ready though, you can count on that!
With each day comes new trials – some good, some bad. It’s really how you face those trials that make you a stronger person. So here’s to more trials (I guess)!
Friday, January 8, 2010
I Actually Did It!
After much deliberation (mostly with myself), I decided to put my name in the hat for the Wasatch 100 lottery. Whether that was ill-advised or not is yet to be determined, but I did it nonetheless. I’ve also registered for a few other ultras prior to that to help me prepare. In reality though, my chances of getting in are really slim. I do have a back-up 100 miler planned if I don’t make the list, though.
Through this process I’ve found one thing that’s been a real key motivator for me: Registering for races. I’ve had some races plotted out in my mind the last few months, but it hasn’t been until recently, when I actually registered, that I’ve seen myself being highly motivated again. Maybe it’s just knowing that I’ve committed myself and my money to it? Whatever it is, I like it!
So, come February 6th I’ll know if I’m in or not. I’m not getting my hopes up, but it would definitely push me to work extra hard! As for now though, I’m on a 12 week schedule until my first 50 miler. Only averaging around 35 or 40 miles a week right now (mostly due to my dislike of the cold), but hoping to bump that up just a bit over the next few weeks as the days start growing a bit longer and (hopefully) warmer.
Through this process I’ve found one thing that’s been a real key motivator for me: Registering for races. I’ve had some races plotted out in my mind the last few months, but it hasn’t been until recently, when I actually registered, that I’ve seen myself being highly motivated again. Maybe it’s just knowing that I’ve committed myself and my money to it? Whatever it is, I like it!
So, come February 6th I’ll know if I’m in or not. I’m not getting my hopes up, but it would definitely push me to work extra hard! As for now though, I’m on a 12 week schedule until my first 50 miler. Only averaging around 35 or 40 miles a week right now (mostly due to my dislike of the cold), but hoping to bump that up just a bit over the next few weeks as the days start growing a bit longer and (hopefully) warmer.
Monday, January 4, 2010
2010
As each New Year rolls around it seems like resolutions are on everyone’s mind. With it comes a resolve to improve something in one’s life, or to change something completely. In the past I’ve always been the type to attempt changing something in my life; it hasn’t necessarily worked out in my favor for the most part. This year however, I’ve made a few goals to improve upon; things I feel are easily measured, yet still difficult for me to obtain.
I’m relatively new to running still. I’ve only been logging miles for about 9 months now. In reality, going from nothing to a marathon in 6 months or so is a very credible feat. Since I’m pretty extreme though, I tend to measure my success against those who are far more experienced than I; against those who have been running their whole lives. So when I make a goal of X number of races for the year, I tend to compare myself to those who do two or three times as many races in a year. I know it’s unfair to myself, but I really can’t help it. It’s just the way I work! So when I replay things in my head, it all sounds like an excuse. I feel like I’m using my lack of experience as an excuse.
Finding a balance is difficult for me. I have to listen to my body, but I also have to listen to my heart. It’s never ending! So taking both things into account, I’ve decided on 3 very measurable goals for the year.
1. Log 2,500 miles for the year
2. Participate in at least 8 races
3. Finish a 100 miler
Pretty lofty goals for a relative newcomer, I know. To me though, it seems like I’m not pushing myself hard enough. With the objective of living to see 2011 (and not dropping dead on the trail) my head is telling me that these numbers are the balance I’m trying to achieve. With that said, it’s off to do some more running!
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