2009 Race Plans

I love this time of year. Christmas to New Years is a great time to be a runner. The weather may stink, but at least we have time off from work and it's a perfect period to make plans for next year. I like to break my races into several categories: new (never run before) races, old races that I do every year, old races that I haven't done in a while, and challenge (goal) races.

Here are my plans for 2009 races based on several categories:

NEW RACES (never run before)
These new races keep you motivated and ensure that you'll be exposed to new trails, new runners, and new challenges. I've had my eye on this "Dances with Dirt" series for a while. I ran the Gnaw Bone 50K this year and would like to add the new Devil's Lake race in 2009. The Rock Cut series intrigues me since it's a three day event. I have regularly done the Sunday 50K, but never the shorter 25K or 10K.

July 11: Devil's Lake 50K (Dances with Dirt series)

Sept: Rock Cut Hobo triple crown (Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10k, 25K, 50K)

OLD RACES (run almost every year)

Doing the same races each year is like visiting an old friend. They are comfortable. Plus, you have a chance to compare times over the years. I've done the Riddle Run, Mingo Fat Ass, and Farmdale every year they have existed. I'd like to keep that streak going. McNaughton & Hobo have become regulars the last few years.

Jan 31: Riddle Run 28 mile fat ass
Feb 14: Lake Mingo 28 mile fat ass

April 11-12: McNaughton Park 100 Miler
June 27: Clear Pond 5-Hour

Sept: Rock Cut Hobo 50K

Oct: Farmdale 33 Miler

RETURNING RACES (haven't done in a while)

I've done a lot of races that I never went back to--not because they were poor events, I just have too many other commitments and races to select from over the course of a year. I feel the need to return to LBL since it's a group buffalo trip and fairly close by (maybe a 4 hour drive down to KY). Plus I can stay with coach Jeff at his sister's home very close to the race start--that makes it cheap and trouble-free. The only real question is whether I do the marathon, 60K, or 50 mile event. This will be a good tune-up for the 100 miler at McNaughton park in April.

March 14: Land Between the Lakes 60K or 50 Miler

CHALLENGE RACES (tough goals)

Everyone needs a couple BIG RACES on your clendar. I probably have too many, but I'm going to try and PR at these races. Can I better my 5k time and qualify for Boston (on a trail course) and accumulate 350 miles at a 7-day race? We'll see!

*May 9: Gnaw Bone 50K (6:00)

*August 13: Howl at the Moon 8-Hour (50 miles)
*Oct 11: Towpath Marathon (3:19)

*Nov: Mahomet Run for the Library 5K (18:59)

*Dec: Deer Run 8K (34:30)

These race choices are not that different than this year. My main goal for 2009 is quality. I want to run well in most races that I do. This year (2008) was a year of participation and socialization. I did the Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam and the 7-Day Stage Race, but I was in them to finish...not excel. I plan to change that in 2009. I'm not going to push the pace at every single race, but I have a few that I have marked with an asterisk indicating my intent to set a new PR (the PR time or mileage is in bold). So those are my 2009 plans. What are your plans?

Happy New Year to all the runners out there!

Winter Fattening

Don't the Kenyan runners take a winter break from running to fatten up and heal? That's what I'm doing too! I haven't run for 14 days and I'm starting to look like a fat Buddha. I've had a nagging cold/upper respiratory infection since the McNaughton Fat Ass ("training run"). In addition to no running, I've eaten a lot. I have gained 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Oh well. Once I get back to regular running, I'll shed those pounds and start to feel like a runner again. I have re-dedicated myself to the Maffetone-Mittleman-Lydiard-Van Aaken philosophy of training. I'm keeping the heart rate in the aerobic zone. Probably lots of easy paced runs within a comfortable HR zone of about 130-150.

If you haven't read any of these authors, check out my running library at Library Thing. You can sort by date, title, author, etc. And there is a simple search engine too.

Across the Years Buffalo

The annual pilgrimage to the Across the Years 24-48-72 Hour race is under way. We have 5 buffalo runners participating. The race starts Monday and goes through January 1, 2009. Please keep them in your thoughts...and send them encouraging notes via the race web site. Here they are:

24 Hour
Jim Konopack (first timer)
Jack Polce (first timer)

48 Hour
Tracy Thomas

72 Hour
Brian Kuhn
Shea Nangle (first timer)

Tracy & Brian are experienced veterans at this race. Jack, Jim, and Shea are newbies. You can track their progress and send them notes via the web site (once things start on Monday). The web site has nice runner bios, pictures, and live updates. Good luck to all the runners and extra well wishes to all the buffalo! I'm sure you'll make us all proud.

Over 100 Running Books

I have finally broken 100 books in my personal running library! Thanks to my wife (and Christmas), I now have 101 books in my library (all posted at Library Thing and also linked from this blog on the left column). Here are the newest additions:

Death Valley Ultras: The Complete Crewing Guide (2006)
I borrowed this book at the 2007 Badwater race and read as much as I could before the race started. Seemed like a good book to have if you ever wanted to run the race. Do I want to run this race? Does my wife want me to run it? Did I ask for this book?!

Healthy Intelligent Training: The Proven Principles of Arthur Lydiard (2009)
I saw this book on Amazon and added it to my wish list as fast as I could. I love the Lydiard training philosophy. This book is "endorsed by the Lydiard Foundation" (whatever that means). I've only read the first 60 pages so far and it looks very good.

The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers, and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon (2009)
This book was the biggest surprise on Christmas day...is my wife telling me something? Should I be running this crazy race...and Badwater too? Yikes!

50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days--and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance (2008)
As much as I get frustrated with this dude, Dean does get people talking about ultra running. I was less interested in the 50 marathons story and more in the "secrets I learned" part of the book. My wife will enjoy the running anecdotes and I'll hopefully learn something I can apply to my running. Hey, is that wife of mine trying to get me to run 50 marathons in 50 states...in 50 days?

The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Running (2005)
As most typical runners, I have a weak upper body. Since I belong to a local gym, I think I should start some weight training. If this works out, maybe I'll be running Badwater, and the Antarctica Marathon, and...maybe not. But maybe I'll have a bit more core body strength and fewer DNFs at those 100 milers.

In addition to these fine books, I received 3 new running related movies:

Badwater Ultramarathon 2007 Video Webcast Archive
This is a collection of all the cool webcast material from the 2007 race (where I helped crew Brian Kuhn). It also includes media coverage from news agencies around the world. Anyone that crewed or ran the race would enjoy having this archive. It's pretty cool. Wait a minute...is this another sneaky ploy from my wife to get me to run this darn race?

The Distance of Truth
This DVD tells the story of Ferg Hawke as he trains and races the 2005 Badwater race. It gets a bit philosophical and spiritual at times, but is still a very well done documentary. Has some interesting historical notes about Death Valley and the race plus high quality audio and video of the race itself. Well done.

Raw Courage: Find It or Die
I never even heard of this movie. It's about 3 ultra runners in New Mexico that run a 72 mile race through the desert and are confronted by a band of crazy militia. Interesting use of runners using their fitness to survive. Not exactly an Oscar winning movie, but I enjoyed it. MSN Movies gives it 2/5 stars.

All of these wonderful gifts...plus a 2-0 win by Chelsea over West Brom! It was a good Christmas and Boxing Day.

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Boxing Day, and New Year! As you spend time with your family & friends, don't forget those around you that are less fortunate. Please consider giving to your favorite charity (trail runners might think about land conservation funds or wildlife preservation groups), volunteering at a race, and joining your local non-profit running club.

And as you are inside enjoying Boxing Day, don't forget to root for my favorite football team...GO CHELSEA! If you enjoy running, real futbol has much more of that than American "throwball." Join the rest of the world and tune into some soccer this weekend. Woops, time to get off my soapbox...enjoy the holidays and start planning your 2009 race calendar. Might I suggest a fine little trail race in central Illinois on March 28, 2009?

2 Registration Spots Being Held

I am holding 2 registration spots for the Clinton Lake ultra. Every year I get tons of people with various excuses about why they missed the registration deadline (or didn't notice the maximum field limit was reached so soon). The race normally fills up in early January and we do not have a waiting list. We opened registration a little late this year so I figure we'll close at the end of January. If you are sick, injured, out of town, still planning your early 2009 races...you will still have a chance to get into Clinton Lake after we fill up. I am reserving 2 spots just for people like you! When the race is full, I will take "stories" about why you should still be let into the race. Were you injured? Too poor? Out of the country? Lazy? Whatever. The two stories that capture my attention will be allowed to register late. I am still holding a March 1 deadline for ALL runners. I anticipate being full before that date. If you cannot decide by March 1 whether you want to run this race (on March 28), then tough luck. This is my concession to those with real excuses as to why they haven't registered yet.

WARNING...please don't wait to register. If you wait and the race closes, there will only be two spots to go around...don't assume you'll be picked by me as one of the two. I've denied plenty of friends and "big" names in ultra running after we reached our limit. It still kills me that I told David Goggins "no" when he called about getting in for the 2007 race. Of course, he was probably the 20th person to ask about getting into the race late. Limits are limits (especially that first year when we needed the park and club to have a good experience and thus allow us back). To David's credit, he was disappointed, but very understanding and pleasant to speak to on the phone. Obviously, missing Clinton Lake didn't slow him down. He's an awesome runner doing great things.

PS: We already have 78 registered for the race. The limit is 125. Don't forget the Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam too...without completing the Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run, you are out of the Slam.

Second Wind Running Club (info plus paper & online registration)
MarathonGuide online registration link
IL Trail Ultra Grand Slam information

NOTE: This "reserved spot" offer remains at the whim of the race director. These 2 spots may turn into 1 or none...or 3 if I hear extra good stories!

No Official Race Training Runs

Unlike the previous two years, we will not have any official training runs leading up to the 2009 Clinton Lake ultra. Second Wind Running Club is heavily involved with the new Illinois Marathon (in Champaign-Urbana, IL). As part of the club's activities, there are official training programs for both the half marathon and full marathon. They will take up almost every weekend between now and race day (the marathon is on April 11 and Clinton Lake ultra is on March 28). I doubt that our small ultra training cohort would detract from the main road marathon training, but it's best to not take any resources from the new marathon program.

So, there will be no official training runs leading up to the Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run. I, and many of my friends, run the Clinton Lake trail quite often and would be happy to join anyone that wants to check it out. We would run one loop (10 miles) or more. Seriously, contact me if you have a date in mind and I'll arrange to run with you. I did it the last couple years and it was one of the highlights of my race directing duties. I love showing the trail off to new runners...and older experienced runners too! If you've never been on the trail before, let's get out there and see what you've gotten yourself into before race day arrives. If you've run the race before, come out and remind yourself what you are going to do again on March 28, 2009.

A big thank you to Brian for organizing the Clinton Lake training runs the last two years. It was fun running the various trails in the area as we built up to the 30 miles on race day.

For those very industrious types, why don't you run BOTH the new Illinois Marathon and the old Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run? No special prize for that accomplishment, but you'll have the respect and admiration of all your running companions.

Speaking of training runs, if anyone was at the McNaughton Park training run on December 14, I found a pair of trail running shoes on the side of the road after the run. I was the only one still around so I took them figuring they belonged to someone in the group. Claim them if they are yours--I even cleaned the mud off. They look pretty nice...if they were my size, I'd keep 'em for myself! UPDATE: The shoes have been claimed by Jared in Decatur.

Clinton Lake Ultra is 50% Full

The 2009 Clinton Lake ultra now has 65 runners registered--that's over 50% of the maximum 125 allowed. Registration has been open less than one month so you better get your entry in soon. We already have 3 of our 4 past champions back again...Christine from 2007 and Ellen & Logan from 2008. Joel (from 2007) says he'll be back too. I anticipate a fast 2009 race! Maybe even new male and female course records (which earns you a cash award). Current records:

Male = 4:00:39 (Logan Martin, 2008)

Female = 4:34:26 (Christine Crawford, 2007)

So register, start your training, and challenge for the title! If you win, you get a complimentary entry into the following year's race. We want our defending champions back every year. But even past champions have to beat the registration deadline and maximum runner limit...Joel better send his registration in soon.

UPDATE: Joel sent in his registration (does he read this blog?). We now have all four former champions.

Pearl Izumi Shoes

The marketing director of Pearl Izumi sent me a certificate for a free pair of shoes after reading my blog post last week about their cool running advertisements (that post is here). Guess it pays to blog! After one year of blogging I've gotten a free t-shirt (American Hiking Society) and free shoes (Pearl Izumi). And a free entry into the Riddle Run 28-Mile Fat Ass. I just ordered a pair of Pearl Izumi Streaks. They are a road racing flat. Once they arrive, I'll take them out on the roads, trails, and treadmill and see how they hold up. I need a good "marathon shoe"--I'm afraid my current Mizuno Revolvers won't keep me going for the full 26.2 miles on roads. I know the Nike Free won't get me there. And all of my other shoes are trail specific. Those darn Pearl Izumi ads have me motivated to "Run Like an Animal" in 2009 and maybe try for a Boston qualifyer.

Clinton Lake has 45 Registered

As of today, there are 45 registered for the race. The limit is 125. No one gets in after we have 125 registered...unless you happen to win the Riddle Run 28 Mile Run on January 31, 2009. That's the one exception. The male and female Riddle Run champions can get into the Clinton Lake race even if it's full (you still need to pay the going rate, but a spot will be held for ONE WEEK). And...all Clinton Lake registered runners get into the Riddle Run for FREE! The two races have worked tirelessly to finalize this arrangement so I hope you take advantage of the free entry. Tell Jeff that Chris sent you!

Riddle Run 28-Mile Fat Ass
Lake of the Woods trail in Mahomet, IL
Saturday, January 29, 2009 at 8:10am
Start from the small west parking lot north of the high school (just off of Crowley Rd). That's the same starting place as the Buffalo Trace 5-mile race and the Buffalo Trace 7-Day Stage Race. If you plan on doing the Riddle Run, please email Jeff at... jriddle_AT_admin.housing.uiuc.edu

UPDATE: After long negotiations with the Riddle Run race director, we have another perk for Clinton Lake runners...you get a cream filled cupcake at the Riddle Run after completing your first 4-mile loop! How can you beat that?

Favorite Running Shoes

I own a lot of running shoes. Way more than I deserve. Like most runners, I'm always looking for that "next best" shoe that may be perfect. I suppose there really isn't a perfect shoe. I have now settled on three shoes, one for each type of terrain. Here are my current favorite shoes:

TRAIL SHOE = Nike Air Zoom Trail S
Best feature: comfortable with nice mix of cushioning, support, & traction.
Worst feature: ???

This is a great lightweight, but still fairly sturdy shoe. It has some kind of underfoot protection (rock shield) and it has a toe guard, but I would be the first to admit it's not a super-rugged shoe. It's not meant to be a tank. This is a shoe that keeps you close to the ground, allows you to react to the trail, and provides reasonable traction. I used it in my 7-day stage race (lots of walking and jogging) and also in shorter trail races. It works well at a fast pace and also as a walking shoe. If you had to venture onto a road, it works OK there too...but it's a trail shoe. For roads you need an actual road shoe...

ROAD SHOE = Mizuno Wave Revolver
Best feature: lightweight, flexible, low to ground.
Worst feature: no protection from rocks & roots (not needed on roads).

It's considered a racing flat, but I use it for all my road runs (and have gone off-road many times with them too). I've used them in trail ultras as well...usually not for more than 30-40 miles. They are an inexpensive, nicely cushioned, running shoe with great flexibility and a wide forefoot. No extra support for pronation control. They ride very close to the ground (which makes them OK on trails). They don't have much traction and can be slippery on snow or ice or other slick surfaces, but if the conditions are like that, you may want to try a treadmill...

TREADMILL SHOE = Nike Free
Best feature: minimalist shoe that mimics running barefoot.
Worst feature: hard to find on sale.

It's not quite barefoot running, but you start to get close to that feel. I've done barefoot running, and I like it. Unfortunately, in Illinois it's hard to run outside barefoot when there are a couple inches of snow and the temperature is 15 degrees! These shoes supposedly help you build strength in the feet and allow you to develop a truer running form. It's a very soft and flexible shoe with almost no pronation control/support. It's best to use these for short distances at first and slowly build up to longer runs. I know a guy up in Michigan that uses them for trail ultra runs. Not me. I'll run 3-5 miles on the treadmill with them 2-3 times/week.

And yet the search for that perfect running shoe continues...I'll be testing out a Pearl Izumi trail shoe soon. I'll keep you posted about how that goes.

Run Like an Animal

Check out my new computer wallpaper (see left image). I've never run in Pearl Izumi shoes, but I sure love their ads. Two of their print ads are embedded below. The "run like an animal" series is pretty funny and also motivating. They've taken some grief for being "elitist." You could interpret the ads as making fun of slow runners ("joggers"), but I see them as more context dependent. If you are "running hard" then it doesn't matter whether you are going slow or fast--you are still running. What makes you a "runner" is the EFFORT, not the pace. If you are huffing & puffing and your heart rate is really elevated, then you are running even if the pace is 9:00 minutes per mile. Typically when I go at 9:00 pace, I'm jogging. But if I'm going at 9:00 pace after logging 75 miles in a 100 mile trail race, I'm still a RUNNER! See how context matters? And as the ad to the top-left says..."There is no such thing as ultra jogging." If you are logging more than 26.2 miles in a race (especially on a trail) then you are a runner. That's why I love ultra runners and ultra running.

For more Pearl Izumi sayings, check out two of their web sites:

We Are Not Joggers

Running Preservation Society

So lace up those running shoes and run like an animal! They don't have to be Pearl Izumi shoes, but run with their attitude. Remember, at least according to PI, "When you run, you suffer. When you jog, the sport suffers." Thank you for not jogging. We are not joggers. No, I do not work for Pearl Izumi, nor do I receive any compensation from them. I just like their advertisements. And as much as I enjoy their ads, I still haven't bought any of their shoes. Stick with what shoes work for you...and then...run like an animal! Hope you don't come across any dead bodies.